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Jacquline Patton Photography/American Conservatory Theater

If singing onstage in your underwear is your go-to anxiety dream, the Skivvies, otherwise known as Nick Cearley and Tony Award nominee Lauren Molina, can help you reframe that nightmare scenario as a frolicsome jaunt when they make their San Francisco debut this week as part of ACTs @TheStrand series.

In Holiday Roadkill, the duo are joined by Randy Harrison, who recently performed in San Francisco in the national tour of Cabaret. The group play cello, ukulele, glockenspiel and melodica, mashing up Christmas carols and pop songs  one apt pairing is We Got the Beat and Little Drummer Boy. Original titles include Its F Hanukkah and The Text Message Song. They juxtapose musical-theater-honed voices with raunchy lyrics, spare arrangements and, of course, their undies, all to great comic effect.
BERLIN  A truck plowed through a Christmas market in Berlin late Monday, turning a traditional center of holiday festivities into a scene of carnage with at least 12 dead and dozens wounded in what the authorities were investigating as a possible terror attack.

The truck jumped the sidewalk about 8 p.m. near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, whose jagged spire, a reminder of the bombings during World War II, is one of the most symbolic sites in Berlin.

The police said they later arrested a man near the scene who was suspected of driving the truck, which had been stolen from a work site in Poland about a two-hour drive from Berlin. A passenger, identified by the authorities as a Polish national, was found dead in the cab.

There was no claim of responsibility, but the incident immediately evoked the attack in July in Nice, France, when a truck driver ran over and killed more than 80 people during Bastille Day celebrations.

The impact of the Berlin crash scattered people who just moments before had been shopping and drinking mulled wine amid stands that sell crafts, Christmas gifts, sweets and sausages. At least 45 people were injured, including several with severe wounds, authorities said.

People were sitting holding their heads, there were pools of blood on the floor, said Emma Rushton, a British tourist, who was visiting Berlin for the first time and who watched as the truck crushed a stand right in front of her.

Heiko Maas, Germanys justice minister, said that federal prosecutors had taken over the investigation of the incident, an indication of that the authorities suspect terrorism.

Ariel Zurawski, whose company owns the truck, said in a telephone interview that his cousin had been driving it and was a reliable individual who would not be capable of a deliberate act of terror.

I vouch for him. Hes my cousin and Ive known him for ages. I trust him completely, Zurawski said.

Zurawski said he had spoken to his cousin around noon and everything was fine, but he added that his cousins wife had been unable to get a hold of him when she called him about four hours later.
WASHINGTON  Christine Lagarde will remain head of the International Monetary Fund despite her conviction Monday of negligence in a case dating to her tenure as Frances finance minister.

The IMFs executive board quickly met after the courts decision and expressed full confidence in Lagardes ability to carry out her duties at the head of the international lending agency in Washington. In a statement, the board cited her outstanding leadership and the respect and trust she has worldwide.

After a weeklong trial, Frances Court of Justice of the Republic found Lagarde guilty of one count of negligence but spared her jail time and a criminal record.

The 60-year-old IMF leader had potentially faced a year of imprisonment and a fine for not seeking to block a fraudulent 2008 arbitration award to a politically connected tycoon when she was finance minister.

Lagarde thanked the board for the vote of confidence in my ability to do my job. She said she would not appeal the French courts decision.

I am not satisfied with it, but theres a point in time when one must stop, turn the page and move on, she said.

Lagarde, a lawyer, became Frances first female finance minister in 2007, overseeing the countrys response to the financial crisis that rocked the global economy from 2008. She is also the first woman to head the IMF.

The troubling verdict comes as the IMF is weighing its role in multiple global crises, including a bailout for Greece.

Lagardes case revolves around a $425 million arbitration award given to Tapie in 2008 over the botched sale of sportswear giant Adidas in the 1990s. Civil courts have since quashed the unusually generous award, declared the arbitration process and deal fraudulent and ordered Tapie to refund the money.
1 Attack at mosque: A gunman dressed in black stormed into the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants and opened fire, wounding three people before fleeing, a Zurich police spokesman said Monday. Police, who rushed to the scene in a central neighborhood known for trendy cafes, were also investigating a possible connection to the discovery of a corpse at nearby Gessner bridge over the Sihl River, police spokesman Marco Bisa said. Authorities werent considering the attack as terrorism, Bisa said. Police also said it was too early to determine whether there might be any link to an incident in Berlin also on Monday, where a truck rammed into a Christmas market, killing at least nine people. Bisa said the injured were hospitalized and were aged 30, 35 and 56 years old, but did not specify their nationalities. He said witnesses described the attacker as clad head to foot in black, and was believed to be about 30 years old.

2 Hostages plea: An American woman and her family held hostage for four years in Afghanistan pleaded with President Obama to secure their release before he leaves office next month, according to a video that was made public Monday. Please dont become the next Jimmy Carter, said Caitlan Coleman, 31, sitting with her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, and their two children, who were born in captivity. Just give the offenders something so they and you can save face so we can leave the region permanently. Coleman was apparently referring to former President Jimmy Carters failed attempts to win the freedom of Americans held hostage in Iran. The couple has been held by the Haqqani militant group, a Taliban faction that seized them in late 2012 as they were backpacking in Wardak province near Kabul. Coleman was pregnant at the time with their first child. Since the abduction, the U.S. government has tried to win their release but there have been repeated setbacks.
MOSCOW  Russia, Turkey and Iran cast themselves as the essential deal-makers in Syria on Tuesday, saying at a trilateral meeting in Moscow that their cooperation could pave the way for a future settlement in Syria.

The meeting of foreign and defense ministers of the three nations that previously backed the opposing sides in the nearly six-year conflict reflected a shared interest in brokering a compromise. The talks come a day after the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, but Moscow and Ankara vowed that the attack wouldnt hurt their rapprochement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the talks that the three nations believe their efforts could overcome the stagnation in the Syrian peace process.

The format you see today is the most efficient one, Lavrov said. Its not an attempt to cast a shadow on the efforts taken by our other partners, its just stating the facts.

He cited the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo, brokered by Moscow and Ankara, as proof of the efficiency of the trilateral cooperation. More than any others, our states are ready to help the settlement with real deeds and not just words, he said.

Lavrov added that it would take one or two days to complete the evacuations.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said 37,500 people had been evacuated from Aleppo, crediting Russia with making it possible.

Cavusoglu said they talked about establishing a cease-fire across the entire territory of Syria, adding that the Islamic State group and al Qaedas branch in Syria, the Fatah al-Sham Front, would be excluded from the deal.

The three ministers carefully tiptoed around their differences. Lavrov noted the need for all parties to stop sponsoring terrorists, while Cavusoglu said that policy should also apply to Hezbollah, a close ally of both Tehran and Damascus.

Irans minister of foreign affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif, replied with a smile that the U.N. Security Council has branded the Islamic State group and Fatah al-Sham Front terrorist organizations, while opinions about other groups may vary.

The ministers said in their statements that the three nations are ready to act as guarantors of a cease-fire deal that would also allow the deliveries of humanitarian assistance and free travel of civilians, inviting other nations that have influence with Syrian groups to help reach the agreement.

The United States was notably absent from the meeting, although Lavrov had a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry later Tuesday, informing him about the results of the trilateral talks.

The meeting appears to signal that the former rivals may have reached a deal on dividing spheres of influence in Syria that would see Turkey cut support for Assads foes in exchange for freedom of action in the areas along its border. Turkeys priority is to prevent Syrias Kurds from merging areas under their control.

Sergei Fokin, a Moscow-based military analyst, said that the trilateral meeting marked a significant step toward settling the conflict. Russia, Iran and Turkey will clearly play a dominant role while the influence of other players, primarily Saudi Arabia, will dwindle, he said, according to the Interfax news agency.

In Aleppo, a fleet of buses entered east Aleppo again Tuesday afternoon to evacuate the remaining rebels and civilians from the city, activists said. Thousands of people have been evacuated over the past week, heading to opposition-held areas farther north.
SYDNEY  Investigators combing the southern Indian Ocean floor for the Malaysian jet that vanished in 2014 with 239 people aboard recommended Tuesday that the search area be expanded. But a senior Australian official ruled that out, saying the search would end soon unless new, specific information about the location of the wreckage emerged.

A team led by Australia has been searching about 46,000 square miles of seafloor for debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared on March 8, 2014. The plane, a Boeing 777, took off from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, bound for Beijing but instead flew south for unknown reasons. It is believed to have crashed in the Indian Ocean far away from Australias southwestern coast.
SEOUL  The jailed confidante of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye denied on the first day of her trial Monday that she used her ties to Park to extort money from big companies.

The hour-long hearing at the Seoul Central District Court was the first public appearance in weeks for the woman at the heart of a scandal that led to Parks impeachment after millions took to streets in protests.

Choi Soon-sil, 60, Parks friend of 40 years, wore white prison clothes and bowed deeply to the three judges before her lawyer, Lee Kyoung-jae, denied that Choi conspired with Park and her presidential aide to pressure companies to donate tens of millions of dollars last year to foundations controlled by Choi. When directly asked by a judge about the extortion charges, she denied the charges.

Im sorry for causing trouble. Ill faithfully engage in (my) trial, Choi said.

The court reviewed the charges against Choi, who prosecutors say manipulated state affairs and extorted businesses, and the arguments by her lawyer. The trial resumes again on Dec. 29, but its not clear how long it will last. Courts normally issue a verdict within six months of an indictment, so Choi will likely get a verdict by May if prosecutors dont bring new charges.

Ten other people swept up in the scandal also face trial. Choi is also known as Choi Seo-won, which is how she was referred to in court.

Lee, Chois lawyer, said Monday that prosecutors violated Chois rights by illegally investigating her after she had been indicted. Prosecutors denied that.

Choi is charged with abuse of power, extortion and attempted fraud. If convicted on all charges, she could receive up to 15 years in prison, according to court spokesman Shin Jae-hwan. Before her arrest, Choi said that she received some of Parks speeches in advance, but that she didnt know if they included confidential information. She denied the other allegations.
PALM BEACH, Fla.  President-elect Donald Trump vowed Monday that the Islamic State Group and other Islamist terrorists would be eradicated from the face of the Earth after violent incidents in Turkey and Berlin.

Trump first released a statement on the killing of Russias ambassador to Turkey, calling the brazen daytime shooting of the diplomat in front of a crowd of people at a photo exhibit a violation of all rules of civilized order.
GENEVA  President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines should be formally investigated by judicial authorities in his country for murder after he claimed to have killed people suspected of committing crimes, the top human rights official at the United Nations said Tuesday.

The official, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, was responding to comments that Duterte made at a news conference Friday in which he said that he had shot and killed about three men during his years as mayor of the southern city of Davao.
BEIRUT  With Russias backing, the U.N. Security Council voted Monday to send U.N. observers to monitor evacuations from the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo and to report back regularly.

Russia had threatened to veto an earlier resolution proposed by France, which had sought to place the evacuations under U.N. supervision, but a compromise was reached overnight that would allow the monitors to observe after consultations with interested parties. The resolution passed unanimously.

That could, in principle, give any number of groups on the ground  including Syrian soldiers and the Shiite militias fighting alongside them  the ability to block access. Fighters from the array of rebel groups, including extremists, could also block access to areas they control. Three questions now loom: Will Russia lean on Syria to allow safe and unimpeded access, as the resolution demands? How long will it take for the monitors to start working? And would they be in place before the evacuations are complete?

Our objective is: immediately, Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said when asked by reporters after the vote when monitors would start. They need to get in there and be relevant on those green buses, the ones used to evacuate civilians and rebels.

The U.N. spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, could not say Monday how many monitors would be deployed or how quickly they could be posted. Asked whether they could be deployed within the next 24 hours, when more evacuations are expected, Dujarric said: Its dangerous for me to predict anything. Our colleagues on ground are trying to make this work.

Nor was there much clarity from a statement sent by the U.N. emergency relief chief, Stephen OBrien. We stand ready to scale up our presence and efforts across the entire city, in line with the resolution and international humanitarian law, the statement read. This can be done immediately, but only if the parties live up to this resolution and their most basic legal obligations.

Hours after the vote, the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said he would convene political talks among Syrian government and opposition groups starting Feb. 8. He cited the Security Council deal and said that it is vital to build on this initial momentum.

The United Nations says it has about 100 staff members in Aleppo, mostly Syrian citizens, and several hundred others in nearby Syrian cities. Officials with the world body have said they were denied permission to observe evacuations. As many as 50,000 civilians may still be stuck in the area, according to humanitarian groups, although a precise figure is all but impossible to determine.

After so many delaying tactics and obstruction, this resolution should finally allow the full respect of international humanitarian law in Syria, President Francois Hollande of France said in a statement. It should also pave the way for a cease-fire and negotiate a political solution that is much awaited by the Syrian people and the entire international community.

The extent to which the Syrian government will cooperate with the monitoring is unclear, though Russia is a principal military backer of President Bashar Assads regime.

After days of delays and sporadic violence, the evacuation of civilians and fighters from besieged communities in Syria resumed Sunday night, with convoys taking people out of eastern Aleppo and two nearby Shiite villages.

As of Monday afternoon, 20,000 people had been removed from the last rebel-held part of Aleppo, the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said in a post on Twitter.
Padilla Rental Income Explained

A payday loan company says it paid rent for commercial space leased to them by former New Mexico Tax and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla and that

being investigated by the New Mexico Attorney Generals Office.

Junk Food Rule Proposed for Food Stamp Recipients

New Mexico Sen. Cliff Pirtle pre-filed legislation that would

by more than half a million New Mexicans receiving supplemental nutrition benefits. But not everyone supports the idea to bar things like ice cream and sodas and insist the state should not become the food police.

State Electors Back Clinton

Donald Trump may have won the Electoral College vote Monday, but all five of New Mexicos electors cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton. Congress will verify the Electoral College votes on January 6.

Obama Shortens Sentences at Record Rate

In a nation of second chances, President Barack Obama granted 78 people Christmas pardons. He continues to shorten the length of federal prison sentences for scores of nonviolent offenders. During his presidency, Obama and has shortened the sentences of 1,176 people, including 395 serving life sentencesmore than the past 11 presidents combined.

Lab Sued by Fired Manager

A former senior manager is suing Los Alamos National Laboratory. John Tapia claims he was forced to resign in April because "lab officials feared fraud accusations stemming from his position with a local electric co-op might harm negotiations with the US Department of Energy over the labs management contract."

John Tapia, who had worked for the lab since 1988, says in a breach of contract lawsuit that the lab gave him the option to quit or be fired months after he became embroiled in a Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative Inc. controversy over fraud claims that later were deemed unsubstantiated.

Santa Fe Reporter
Intueri Education Group says the Australian Department of Education and Training has declined its application for an A$6 million uplift in VHF funding for its Conwal unit and it has slashed its 2016 earnings guidance by that amount as a result.

In October the company gave guidance for underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of about $9.5 million, which included the A$6 million uplift in Australian government funding.

"The guidance will need to be reduced by the amount of the requested A$6 million uplift to $3.2 million unless Intueris request for reconsideration is successful," interim chief executive Rod Marvin said in a statement today. "Conwal intends to apply for reconsideration of this decision within the 28 days allowed by the DET."

The company last updated the market on Dec. 2, when it said it would receive an A$3.5 million payment from the DET for 2015, which it confirmed today it has received. A large percentage of students in Intueri's Australian businesses, Online Courses Australia (OCA) and Conwal & Associates, are funded through a scheme that helps either pay some or all of a student's fees, known as VET Fee-Help. The Australian government imposed a cap on the scheme this year, holding all providers to their 2015 revenue levels, and closed it to new students after the end of 2016.

Intueri shares have tumbled 92 percent this year and last traded at 4.5 cents. It listed on May 2014 at $2.35 in what was a boom year for initial public offerings. It now has a market capitalisation of $4.5 million.

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New Zealands AFT Pharmaceuticals expects to benefit from news that all medicines containing codeine will be prescription-only in Australia from Feb. 1, 2018.

Australias medicines watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration or TGA, today confirmed products containing codeine will not be able to be sold over the counter in pharmacies.

Auckland-based AFT managing director Hartley Atkinson said his company will undoubtedly experience a sales increase across the Tasman as a result of the decision.

According to the TGA, it took into consideration compelling evidence of the harm caused by overuse and abuse of over-the-counter codeine containing medicines, as well as the fact that the US, most of Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and several other countries have already stopped codeine-containing products from being sold without prescription.

AFT launched a codeine-free product called Maxigesic in 2014 in Australia. It had expected tablet sales to double in the current financial year after the TGA reduced sales restrictions on smaller Maxigesic packs paving the way for it to be displayed on ordinary shelves rather than behind the counter. Todays decision, however, means it will upgrade its growth estimates for the 2018 financial year, said Atkinson.

The lead time until Feb. 1, 2018, gives plenty of time for patients to look to switch to over-the-counter analgesics like Maxigesic, he said.

The company, which develops, licenses, and sells pharmaceutical products in Australasia and around the world, began trading in on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges in December last year and signaled Australia would be a key market.

The stock was unchanged at $2.75, having fallen 13 percent so far this year.

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New Zealand's monthly trade deficit narrowed in November as imports declined from earlier periods which were boosted by aircraft arrivals.

The country's trade deficit was $705 million in November, compared with a deficit of $815 million in October and $795 million in November last year, Statistics New Zealand said. The annual trade gap narrowed to $3.18 billion, from $3.27 billion in October and $3.7 billion a year earlier.

Imported goods fell 6.4 percent to $4.56 billion in November from the year-earlier month. Excluding imports of aircraft, imports edged down 0.1 percent.

New Zealand's goods exports in November dropped 5.4 percent to $3.86 billion, led by a 31 percent drop in the value of meat and edible offal exports. Beef exports fell 41 percent in value and 31 percent in volume as higher global supply dents prices. Lamb exports dropped 27 percent by value and 23 percent in volume as the demand for New Zealand lamb weakened following Britain's vote to exit the European Union.

"Beef exports to the United States, our top beef export destination, fell by around half when compared to November last year, said Statistics NZ senior manager Jason Attewell. When compared to the same month of the previous year, the value of beef exports to the US have fallen in nearly every month since October 2015, only rising once in April 2016."

Lamb exports to the European Union, New Zealand's top lamb export destination, fell in the month, with the United Kingdom seeing significant falls in value and quantity, he said.

Bucking the trend, dairy exports increased 2.6 percent as declining supply and improving demand bolster global prices for the country's largest export commodity. Wood exports rose 12 percent to $320 million and fruit exports lifted 27 percent to $74 million.

Meanwhile, capital goods led the fall in imports for the month, declining 26 percent. Imports of transport equipment sank 58 percent, due to a fall in aircraft and parts, which slid 98 percent or by $303 million. Machinery and plant equipment dropped 5.3 percent, or by $42 million.

The statistics agency noted that Wellington's CentrePort had been affected by the Nov. 14 Kaikoura earthquake and is only partially operational. The value of exports through CentrePoint dropped 57 percent in November, compared with the year-earlier month. Exports through CentrePort accounted for 1.6 percent of the total value of the country's exports by sea, compared to an average 2.7 percent for the five previous November months, it said. Imports through CentrePort accounted for 4 percent of the total value of imports by sea, lagging its 5.3 percent average for the previous five November months.

On an annual basis, exports declined 1 percent to $48.46 billion in the year through November, while imports slid 1.9 percent to $51.63 billion.

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Smiths City Group, the appliance and furniture retailer, reported a 46 percent drop in first-half profit as it faced new restructuring costs and a year-earlier gain on its Colombo St store wasn't repeated, even as underlying earnings and sales rose.

Net profit fell to $1.4 million, or 2.6 cents per share, in the six months ended Oct. 31, from $2.6 million, or 4.8 cents, a year earlier, the Christchurch-based company said in a statement. Stripping out $695,000 of restructuring costs and a $1.8 million gain on a property sale in 2015, trading profit rose 67 percent to $113.9 million on a 7.2 percent increase in revenue to $113.9 million.

"Both margin and revenue improved on a same-store basis (7.7 percent increase in revenue compared to the same period in the year prior and a pleasing 1 percent increase in gross margin)," chief executive Roy Campbell said in his commentary. "The improvement in our trading activities derives in part from our reset of our marketing activities based on the research carried out early in the year; in part from our focus on in-store execution and our continued enhancement of our product selection."

Last month Smiths City said the acquisition of Furniture City, giving it a bigger presence in the North Island, underpinned the increase in sales, while also agreeing to new terms for its finance business.

The board declared an interim dividend of 1 cent per share, payable on Feb. 10 with a record date of Feb. 3, which will be fully imputed as the company uses up its remaining carry forward tax losses. That payment was unchanged from a year earlier.

The shares fell 1.4 percent to 69 cents, and have gained 25 percent so far this year.

The bulk of Smiths City's restructuring costs in the period came from changing the way its buying department operates to a category management approach, with inventory shrinking 20 percent in the period. The retailer anticipates more changes are needed and is introducing a new information platform, with a plan expected to be put to the board next year for a 2018 implementation.

"Attention to inventory, debt and sales levels have resulted in a leaner, more profitable, more competitive Smiths City that we are justifiably proud of," Campbell said. "Given our strengthened position, it is appropriate for the management and board to identify opportunities for growth, from both organic and acquisitive perspectives with a view to providing greater returns for our shareholders and with a clear view to ensuring the longevity of this iconic Kiwi brand that New Zealanders depend on every day."

The company's retail business continued to dominate revenue with sales up 8 percent to $109.3 million, generating a profit of $611,000 compared to a loss of $149,000 a year earlier. The finance segment's revenue fell 9.9 percent to $4.6 million, although the division's profit jumped 38 percent to $2.2 million.

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Tourism Holdings will pay US$65.3 million for US campervan rental and sales business El Monte Rents to expand its operations in the world's largest recreational vehicle market.

The acquisition, for an enterprise value of $93.5 million including transaction costs, will be funded through $82.2 million of debt from its existing lenders and through the issue of 3.4 million Tourism Holdings shares, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. Tourism Holdings will also invest US$6 million in North American road travel app Roadtrippers USA, which will acquire its existing Geozone travel app business, and expand its online Mighway rental platform in the US in the first quarter of calendar 2017.

For Tourism Holdings, the acquisition of El Monte will elevate it to the second-largest RV rental operator in North America behind rival Cruise America without increasing overall fleet numbers which could dent prices. El Monte allows Tourism Holdings to develop a broad-based RV rental and sales business in the US, similar to its New Zealand business, and its mix of international and domestic customers and older fleet is complementary to Tourism Holdings' smaller and more premium Road Bear operation in the US.

"We are looking forward to combining fleet procurement, operating different rental brands and maximising RV sales through both our traditional wholesale channels and the El Monte retail sites; a model we know," said Tourism Holdings chief executive Grant Webster. "This is a much lower risk strategy than trying to grow to an equivalent market share from the Road Bear platform."

Tourism Holdings estimates it will have a 28 percent share of the RV rental fleet market after the purchase, compared with Cruise America's 52 percent. El Monte founder Ken Schork will retire after 46 years of leading the business, and two of the vendors will remain with the business for up to 12 months to assist with the transition.

The purchase will increase Tourism Holdings' reach in the US as the El Monte business operates in 11 locations, and has franchise operations in 15, compared with Road Bear's seven locations. The company expects "significant" synergies in fleet and operations will be realised over the coming three years, it said.

Tourism Holdings said the purchase of El Monte means it is well positioned as the global leader in RV rentals, as it reorientates further towards the northern hemisphere.

"We are making the right steps to be truly global in our platform," Tourism Holdings chair Rob Campbell said. "We still see opportunities in other operating markets, such as Europe, at the right time."

The purchase of El Monte is due to settle on Jan. 6, and Tourism Holdings said the business will post a loss during the first six months, primarily due to the low season.

Tourism Holdings will release its first-half earnings in late February, and expects net profit to rise to $11.1 million from $8.2 million in the year earlier period, ahead of its October forecast for $9.5 million.

For the full year, Tourism Holdings expects to post a profit of $27 million, down from its earlier forecast for profit of $27.5 million to $28.5 million, which reflects the impact of the transactions. It has set a goal for annual profit to reach $50 million in 2020.

Tourism Holding shares rose 1.2 percent to $3.45 and have jumped 56 percent this year, outperforming a 7.4 percent gain on the S&P/NZX 50 benchmark index. The new shares will be issued at $3.19 apiece, the volume weighted average price three months prior to the negotiation of the purchase price, and will represent 2.8 percent of the company's ordinary shares on issue.

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New Zealand's booming migration and tourism set new records in November, with arrivals continuing to increase and departures steadily lower.

Annual net migration reached 70,400 in November, setting a new record, driven by more migrants from the US, Australia and Malaysia. Migrant arrivals rose 4.8 percent to 126,7000 in the year, also a new record, while migrant departures dipped 1.6 percent to 56,300.

Short-term visitor arrivals, which includes tourists, people visiting family and friends and people travelling for work, reached 3.45 million in the year ended Nov. 30, up 12 percent from the year earlier, Statistics New Zealand said.

A swelling population stoking more activity and record inflows of tourists helped offset the impact of weak dairy prices earlier in the year, underpinning an economy growing at a rapid pace. At the same time, a rising population has posed problems for policymakers by fuelling demand for an already-stretched housing market in Auckland, while restraining wage growth. The nation's per-capita growth has been anaemic.

"Net migration is continuing to run at record annual highs as arrivals continue to tick higher, while departures remain low and steady. Meanwhile, tourism continues to perform strongly," ASB Bank economist Daniel Snowden said in a note. "Once again, Stats NZ has had issues with a full data release, with much of the detail unavailable. However, it looks as if once again new arrivals are the main driver, although there was another small dip in departures. Both are a continuation of recent trends. As usual, around a third of arrivals were Australians or returning NZ citizens."

Today's data show a 17 percent uplift in the number of visitors holidaying in New Zealand in the year, with most holidaymakers from Australia, China or the US. On an annual basis, Australians made up 554,784 of the 1.8 million holidaymakers, while China was the second-biggest pool at 312,480.

Net permanent and long-term migration was dominated by arrivals from Asia, who made up about half of the 70,400 arrivals. Some 10,280 migrants came from China, up 17 percent from a year earlier, while 9,100 came from India, down 31 percent.

Of those new migrants who arrived in the year, a net 33,536, or 48 percent, settled in Auckland, followed by a net 9.5 percent moving to Canterbury, net 5.1 percent going to Wellington and net 3.9 percent settling in Waikato.

Most holidaymakers came from Australia, with 42,176 Australians travelling to New Zealand in the month. Business visitors rose 3.6 percent in November from a year earlier to 31,216, and increased 5.2 percent on an annual basis to 289,152, two-thirds of whom came from across the Tasman.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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The Geopolitics of Populism

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SINGAPORE  The big question in Asian countries right now is what lesson to take from Donald Trumps victory in the United States presidential election, and from the United Kingdoms Brexit referendum, in which British voters opted to leave the European Union.



Unfortunately, the focus is not where it should be: geopolitical change.

Instead, for the most part, economic narratives have prevailed: globalization, while improving overall wellbeing, also dislocates workers and industries, and generates greater income disparity, creating the anxious electorates that backed Brexit and Trump. An alternative narrative asserts that technological advances, more than globalization, have exacerbated economic inequalities, setting the stage for political disruptions in developed countries.

In either case, policymakers in emerging countries have identified inequality as a major problem, and rallied around efforts to improve social mobility, lest globalization and new technologies displace their middle and working classes, and clear a path for their own versions of Trump and Brexit. For Asian countries, the policy prescription is clear: take care of disadvantaged populations and provide retraining and new employment opportunities for displaced workers.

Of course, all societies should look out for their poorest members and maximize social mobility, while also rewarding entrepreneurship and challenging people to improve their lot. But focusing on such policies would not address the public disaffection underlying the populist uprising, because inequality is not its root cause. Feelings of lost control are.

Even if countries closed their domestic income and wealth gaps and ensured social mobility for all their citizens, the forces fueling public dissatisfaction around the world today would remain.

Consider the US, where the inequality narratives poster child has become the displaced, older, less-educated, white working-class male. Many people credit these voters for Trumps victory, but the poster-child cohort did not actually have the biggest impact on the election outcome.

According to exit polls, Trump won 53% of white male college graduates, and 52% of white women (only 43% of the latter group supported Clinton); he won 47% of white Americans between the ages of 18 and 29, compared to 43% for Clinton; and he beat Clinton by 48% to 45% among white college graduates overall. These Trump supporters do not fit the stereotype at the center of the economic narrative.

Meanwhile, more than half of the 36% of Americans who earn less than $50,000 annually voted for Clinton, and of the remaining 64% of voters, 49% and 47% chose Trump and Clinton, respectively.

Thus, the poor were more favorable toward Clinton, and the rich toward Trump. Contrary to the popular narrative, Trump does not owe his victory to people who are most anxious about falling off the economic ladder.

A similar story unfolded in the UKs Brexit vote, where the Leave campaign asserted that the EUs supposedly burdensome regulations and exorbitant membership fees are holding back the British economy. This hardly amounts to an agenda to fight economic inequality and exclusion, and it is revealing that rich businessmen wrote the largest checks to support Leave.

Moreover, the street-level emotions that contributed to Leaves victory were not rooted in income inequality or the 1%: alienated poor voters directed their anger at other alienated poor people  particularly immigrants  not at the rich. The Mayor of Londons office reported a 64% increase in hate crimes in the six weeks after the referendum, compared to the six weeks before it. So, while income equality may have been a part of the Brexit campaigns background noise, it was not the first issue on Leave voters minds.

What unites Trump and Leave supporters is not anger at being excluded from the benefits of globalization, but rather a shared sense of unease that they no longer control their own destinies. Widening income inequality can add to this distress, but so can other factors, which explains why people at all levels of the income distribution are experiencing anxiety. Indeed, many people in Eastern Europe felt a sense of lost control during the harsh socialist experiments of the post-war era, as did many Chinese during the Cultural Revolution, and these societies had minimal visible income inequality.

Paradoxically, Brexit and Trump supporters might be feeling the effects of globalization because overall inequality has actually declined. Globalizations largest effect has been to lift hundreds of millions of people in emerging economies out of poverty. Throughout the 1990s, emerging countries combined GDP (at market exchange rates) amounted to barely one-third of the G7 countries combined GDP. By 2016, that gap had essentially vanished.

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Low international income inequality, rather than growing income inequality in individual countries, is putting unprecedented stress on the global order. There is a growing mismatch between what Western countries can provide, and what emerging economies are demanding.

The power of the transatlantic axis that used to run the world is slipping away, and the sense of losing control is being felt by these countries political elites and ordinary citizens alike.

Trump and the Leave campaign appealed to voters by raising the possibility that transatlantic powers can reassert control in a quickly changing world order. But with the geopolitical rise of emerging economies, especially in Asia, that order will have to achieve a new equilibrium, or global instability will persist. Closing the income gap can help the poor; but, in the developed countries, it will not alleviate their anxiety.
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City inspectors have shut down an Airbnb hostel operating out of a Greenpoint DIY space, according to the Mayor's office. The Office of Special Enforcement inspected the Morgan Avenue warehouse earlier this month, and found five windowless bedrooms, two of which fit two bunk-beds. They also noted a DJ booth, bar and stage areaall part of the music venue Aviv, which operated out of the space until this past Halloween.

Ten separate Airbnb listings for the space at 502 Morgan Avenue, since removed, listed 'Aviv' as the host. Ranging in cost from $33 to $58 per night, the listing described "a shared room in a concert venue."

"With bunk beds, illegally converted short-stay and permanent dwelling rooms and a jerry-rigged [sic] music venue, a single Airbnb host had ten separate listings for this manufacturing space," said mayoral spokeswoman Melissa Grace in a statement. "We are relieved no one was hurt. We urge New Yorkers and visitors to be aware of dangers posed by illegal housing and performance spacesand report them to 311 no matter where in the city they occur."

Host Zack Wheeler, 33, an Aviv co-founder, was living on the first floor of the space at the time of the inspection. He told Gothamist that he was troubled, but not surprised, by the bust so soon after the deadly fire at Ghost Ship, a DIY music venue in Oakland, California. "They are using this as justification to go and shut down art spaces all around the city, regardless of how safe the space might be," Wheeler said. "The city needs to make it possible to convert things in a legal manner. The only way we could have converted that [legally] is if we had a ridiculous amount of money, and we don't have money."

According to Wheeler, he and a few friends had signed a two-year lease on the space, which came with the aforementioned bedrooms. Their goal was to host concerts and promote "disenfranchised forms of art for people of all ages, including POC [people of color] and queer promoters who have felt abandoned by the legal nightlife of the city." The lease was set to expire at the end of this month, hence the farewell concerts back in October. Inspection aside, he was planning to move out by January.

Still, Wheeler said, Aviv was part of a larger subculture of DIY venues that are struggling. "It's becoming a very hostile place for nightlife culture and artistic culture to happen, outside of really safe forms of art like the ballet."

"Airbnb was not why we opened Aviv," he added. "Airbnb was simply a tool we used to support [our] mission."

There were at least three guests in the Aviv building during the December 7th inspection, all tourists: a man from Brazil, a woman from Switzerland, and a couple from Italy. In addition to partition walls erected for residential use in a manufacturing-zoned building, inspectors found gas lines and plumbing for the bathrooms that they said had been hooked up without permits. An investigation into the legality of building construction and utilities is ongoing.

The Aviv space did not violate new rules that prohibit advertising entire-apartment rentals on Airbnb, as those apply specifically to multi-unit residential buildings. However, the city said it was tipped off to the space by multiple listings that traced back to the location, which appeared to be illegally converted.

Airbnb spokesman Peter Schottenfels described the Aviv setup as an anomaly. "While instances like these are rare, we support efforts to prevent illegal hotels and unsafe environments from using the platform," he said. "That's why we have removed over 3,600 listings."

Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who has long opposed Airbnb, was skeptical. "For months, Airbnb has claimed that it removed from its site dangerous, illegal listings," she said in a statement Tuesday. "This proves that Airbnb continues to lie and justifies the additional enforcement resources focused on it."

Earlier this month, we interviewed NYC promoter Todd Patrick (a.k.a. Todd P), who has run DIY venues, both legal and illegal, over the years. "It's very expensive, much, much, much more expensive than people think in order to do all of the compliance that is needed to get a place legally sanctioned," Patrick said.

A few months ago, Aviv pledged to "reopen somewhere else." But Wheeler said Tuesday that he's no longer so confident. "The atmosphere in the city is such that I don't think it would be safe to open a new space," he said.

[Update 4:15]: This piece has been updated with an additional comment from Wheeler on Aviv's mission.
Less than a month after Columbia University graduate students voted to unionizethe first private university graduate student group to do so since the National Labor Relations Board enshrined the right in AugustColumbia is challenging the vote, urging the NLRB to schedule a new election.

Formal objections, made public Monday, accuse organizers with GWC-UAWthe Columbia graduate student chapter of the United Automobile Workersand NLRB agents of participating in various forms of voter suppression. Columbia says union staff stood within 100 feet of a campus polling place on election day, and set up a video camera in an alleged form of surveillance that could have instilled a "reasonable fear of voting against the union." The school also criticized NLRB agents for running out of challenge ballotswhich voters fill out if they believe their names have been erroneously omitted from a voter listand for changing its voter ID policy in the days leading up to the December vote.

The final vote was 1,602 to 623 in favor of the union, according to UAW. The union now represents about 3,500 students.

While both Columbia and GWC-UAW have described the challenge as standard procedure, union members say this is the university's latest attempt to undermine their organizing efforts.

"Employers often file objections as a delay tactic and this appears to be just another baseless effort by the University to ignore the democratic process, especially given the overwhelming margin in favor of the union," GWC-UAW stated. During a protest Monday, graduate students also accused the school of attempting to stall until President-elect Donald Trump has had a chance to appoint a less labor-friendly NLRB.

They say the concern has historical justification. Back in 2000, a Bill Clinton-appointed NLRB ruled that graduate students at NYU had the right to organize. But in 2004, an NLRB appointed by then-President George W. Bush overturned the ruling.

Danielle Carr, 26, a second-year PhD candidate in Anthropology, said Columbia took a hard anti-union stance as the vote neared. The school launched a "Be Informed" website, with a bank of editorials and press coverage opposing unionization. And when the 'yes' vote came down, the school did not approach the union to begin the bargaining process. "If I were a president of a university and saw that the people I claim to support voted 'yes' despite a disgusting campaign of misinformation, I would come forward to bargain," Carr said. "After Trump's election we got this flurry of emails about how this isn't what the University stands for, and yet they are so quick to contest, contest, contest."

The Columbia administration has argued that a union will complicate the unique relationships forged between graduate students and their departments. "I am concerned about the impact of having a non-academic third party involved in the highly individualized and varied contexts in which faculty teach and train students in their departments, classrooms, and laboratories," said Provost John Coatsworth in an email to students ahead of the vote.

But graduate students and their allies have said these departmental relationships reinforce the need for bargaining power. "Students weren't being paid on time or weren't being paid for the number of hours they worked," said a university staff member who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. "If you are a PhD student, you are working for a department, but that department is also grading you and giving you your degree. They control your whole academic future, so it really puts people in a tough position."

"Our objections were filed with the NLRB as part of its established procedure for determining whether the conduct of the election was appropriate," said Columbia spokesman Robert Hornsby in a statement. "We share the NLRB's goal of ensuring a fair electoral process and protecting the rights of all students."

In the meantime, Carr said, the union is moving ahead with a student survey to determine bargaining priorities. Aside from fair and timely pay, students have concerns about Columbia's handling of sexual assault cases, and its ability to accommodate students with disabilities.

"[Columbia] continuously refuses to engage with a fact that the next generation of academia wants to have a union," she said.

The NLRB declined comment.
MUMBAI: After a bitter eight-week boardroom battle against Ratan Tata's "illegal coup", ousted Tata Group Chairman Cyrus P Mistry today quit from the boards of six listed companies including Tata Motors and Indian Hotels and vowed to shift his fight to a "larger platform".



In a two-page statement and a recorded video message, Mistry, who was unceremoniously removed as Chairman of Tata Sons on October 24, said the objective of effective reform and best interests of employees, shareholders and other stakeholders of the Tata Group "would be better served by moving away from the forum of the extraordinary general meetings".



While Mistry, 48, did not specifically say he was resigning from either Tata Sons, where he still continues as a director despite being removed as chairman, or from the operating firms, sources close to him said he has quit.



Both sides told the media that operating companies will make regulatory announcements to the stock exchanges shortly.



Tata Sons, the holding company of the $103 billion group, has called extraordinary general meeting (EGMs) of listed companies to consider its proposal to remove Mistry as director on their board.

Calling his predecessor Ratan Tata coming back as interim



chairman after his removal from Tata Sons as "illegal coup," Mistry said he had in his representation to shareholders detailed, "supported by documents, the governance breakdown in Tata Sons caused by actions of trustees of Tata Trusts."



"In recent weeks, the conduct of those at the helm of affairs has further unmasked the absence of ethical standards," he said.



Terming his fight as "movement for cleaning up governance and regaining lost ethical ground," he said, "It is time to shift gears, up the momentum and be more incisive in securing the best interests of the Tata Group."



He said he has decided to "shift this campaign to a larger platform and also one where the rule of law and equity is upheld".



Though Mistry did not elaborate on the platform, commentators said he might be considering moving courts against his ouster.



"I had initially not thought that one would need to seek an external forum to adjudicate issues that should never have arisen in the first place," he said. "I believe my actions today are consistent with protecting the long-term interests of the Tata Group."



Mistry said "by removing" himself from the EGMs, he is seeking to reinforce his consistent position that "this is not a fight for a position but a fight to more effectively secure long-term reform to keep the Tata Group on a sustainable path."



He thanked stakeholders for their support and urged them to continue to ask the right questions and demand the right actions.



"Events of the past eight weeks have been about saving a legacy. A legacy of values and ethics inherited from the founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji Tata," Mistry said.



Tata Trusts, which controls about 66 per cent of Tata Sons, wielded no voting power until about 15 years ago. Company law vested voting power in the hands by public trustee appointed by the government who would decide how to vote shares held by the public charitable trusts.



"My family's voting strength constituted the largest minority voice outside the government. In this role, over the decades, we consistently implemented the values and ethics of Jamsetji Tata and our actions protected this incredible institution," he said.

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NEW DELHI: India and the Czech Republic on Monday discussed the entire gamut of their bilateral relationship, stressing on defence and commercial ties.

At a meeting between Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar and visiting Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek here, the two sides discussed bilateral issues as well as important global and regional issues of mutual interest, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

"India and Czech Republic have robust economic ties, with annual bilateral trade being $1.2 billion. Additionally, a number of Indian and Czech companies have invested in each otheras country," it said.

"There is a mechanism of Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation co-chaired by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry of India and Minister of Trade and Industry of Czech Republic from the respective sides, for discussing the ways and means of strengthening economic ties."

According to the statement, defence cooperation is an important component in India-Czech ties.

"There is a mechanism of India-Czech Joint Defence Committee meetings that met last in November 2016. There is a Joint Working Group on heavy engineering; the last JWG (Joint Working Group) meeting took place in October 2016," it said.

The two countries also have a cultural exchange programme and an education exchange programme and engage regularly in discussions on cooperation in science and technology and research and development.

"Minister Zaoralek and Minister M.J. Akbar discussed in detail the possibility of further cooperation in these crucial sectors of mutual interest," the statement said.

"The two Ministers held discussions also on major global issues such as climate change, Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations reforms, terrorism, Multilateral Export Control Regime etc."

They also exchanged views on important developments in the neighbouring regions of both countries.

The last visit of the Czech Foreign Minister to India was in 2013, the Czech Minister of Trade and Industry visited in January 2015 and the Czech Defence Minister in March 2016.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - A justice on Tuesday dealt a blow to Pedro Abad, the former Linden, N.J. police officer charged in a fatal, wrong-way crash on the West Shore Expressway last year by denying a defense request to suppress blood samples and controvert a warrant used to obtain those samples.

Justice Stephen J. Rooney ruled the warrant, issued by another judge "was supported by probable cause."

Prosecutors said the original results of those blood tests showed Abad's blood alcohol content was .24 percent, or three times the legal limit. The legal threshold for driving while intoxicated in New York is .08 percent.

Rooney also denied a defense motion to suppress the blood results on another theory; namely, that protocols used to extract and retain the sample were performed improperly.

Rooney said the defense presented no "factual basis" for its claims, but gave Abad leave to renew that motion if any relevant facts are discovered during the case.

In the meantime, Rooney moved the case on the trial track, assigning it to Justice Mario F. Mattei to schedule and hold pretrial hearings, as well as the trial itself.

Mattei will preside over a conference on the next scheduled court date, Jan. 18.

Prosecutors allege Abad, 29, was drunk when he plowed into a tractor trailer shortly before 5 a.m. on March 20, 2015, killing two passengers in his car - Joseph Rodriguez and Linden Police Officer Frank Viggiano, both 28.

Abad was badly injured in the wreck as was another passenger, former Linden Police Officer Patrik Kudlac.

Abad and his three passengers had been drinking at Curves, a Charleston strip club, shortly before the crash, said authorities.

Abad was indicted in September of last year on a slew of charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular manslaughter.

Also on Tuesday, Abad's lawyer, Mario F. Gallucci, said he has still not obtained results of tests to determine whether Abad's blood contained traces of GHB, the so-called date-rape drug, on the night of the crash.

Defense lawyer Mario F. Gallucci contends Abad may have been drugged before the deadly wreck.

If so, Abad, who was since terminated from the force, might have passed out behind the wheel, Gallucci has said.

Gallucci said Abad's toxicology tests, ordered by authorities, did not check for certain components necessary to prove a GHB poisoning.

Rooney has previously denied defense motions to controvert the search warrants used to obtain evidence from the data recorder in Abad's car and the car's airbags.

However, Gallucci has since said no evidence of substantive value was obtained from them.

Rooney has granted a defense motion to hold a pretrial hearing to determine whether to suppress evidence regarding Abad's prior criminal convictions and any prior bad acts.

Bad acts could consist of Facebook posts Abad allegedly made showing him drinking on the night of the crash or other occasions, Gallucci has said.

Abad had been convicted previously in New Jersey of driving while intoxicated.

A hearing date has not been set.

Abad made no statement during the brief proceeding.

The slight, dark-bearded defendant leaned on a cane as he walked up to the defense table.

Rodriguez's sister and father attended the proceeding, as they have throughout the case.

They did not comment, but huddled several time with Assistant District Attorney Mark Palladino, who is prosecuting the case.
crime.jpg

While some crimes are down in 2016, rape and murder are among those on the rise, according to NYPD statistics. (Staten Island Advance/Advance file photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While statistics show a decrease in some crimes across the Island this year, rape is not one of them.

A reported decline of robberies, assaults and burglaries contribute to an overall decrease of about 4 percent, compared to this time last year, while rape is up 21 percent, according to NYPD statistics.

Homicides also increased this year, a majority of which were cases of domestic violence, according to police.

Stats on rape

Forty-six rapes were reported to police so far this year, compared to 38 by this time in 2015, according to NYPD statistics.

Of the 46 reports this year, 28 were classified as rape in the first-degree, compared to 22 at this time last year.

First-degree rape entails either an act of forcible compulsion or an act in which the victim was incapable of consent, or the victim was less than 13 years old and the actor was at least 18 years old, according to New York state law.

By precinct, the numbers are as follows; 19 in the 121 precinct, 17 in the 120 precinct, six in the 122 precinct and four in the 123 precinct

Alleged incidents

In February, police arrested a homeless man who allegedly knocked on the door of a Forest Avenue office building in Mariners Harbor, and told a 44-year-old woman he was looking for work. Police charged Maurice Scott, 29, who allegedly raped the woman while telling her he had a gun.

In July, a 39-year-old man was arrested for attempting to rape a female jogger in Livingston. Denis Hernandez, of New Brighton, allegedly grabbed the 39-year-old victim from behind, inserted an unknown object into her mouth, causing injury, and attempted to drag her to a wooded area close by.

Also in July, police were searching for a 42-year-old man who reportedly grabbed a 21-year-old woman by the throat, while unbuckling his pants, in the woman's locker room at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St Benedicta School in West Brighton. The victim was able to escape the attack, police said.

Crimes on the decline

Despite a recent surge in armed robberies in recent months -- mostly in delis across the Island -- robberies, overall, are down 7 percent compared to this time in 2015, according to NYPD stats.

Felony assaults also are down, about 4 percent across the Island, most notably, in neighborhoods on the West Shore, where 179 were reported so far this year, compared to 232 in 2015.

Burglaries are down 10.6 percent across the Island, compared to this time last year. Police have reported 482 so far this year, compared to 539 last year. On the East Shore, however, burglaries have increased by 5.5 percent.
electoral.jpg

It's official.

(AP photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Maybe now we'll get back to business.

The Electoral College has spoken, and Republican Donald Trump has received the requisite 270 electoral votes he needs to be sworn in as president of the United States on Jan. 20.

Actually, Trump received 304 votes, more than enough to get him over the threshold. This despite all the efforts to get electors to abandon Trump and vote for Hillary or some more acceptable Republican, like John Kasich.

Oh, there were a few of these so-called "faithless electors," people who went against the will of the voters in their state and did not cast their electoral votes properly. Funnily enough, though, more of these faithless electors abandoned Democrat Hillary Clinton than Trump.

Hillary lost four electoral votes in Washington state, with three electors voting for Colin Powell, a Republican, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American activist who took part in the the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

She lost another in Hawaii, where an elector instead cast his vote for Bernie Sanders, Hillary's Democratic primary opponent.

It's apparently the largest number of elector defections from a Democratic candidate since 1872, when Horace Greeley died following the election but before the Electoral College could meet.

One elector each in Maine, Minnesota and Colorado also looked to switch off of Hillary, some in favor of Sanders. The electors were either replaced or ended up voting for Hillary.

And Trump lost two electoral votes himself, with two electors in Texas refusing to vote for him.

So the effort to undermine the Electoral College vote and deny Trump the presidency has failed utterly. The whole thing was hopeless from the beginning, a joke, despite all the efforts on the part of Hollywood B-listers and the rest to shame and bully electors.

It was about a big a failure as the wacky recount efforts launched by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. You know, the recounts that gave Trump additional votes in Wisconsin and exposed serious voting flaws in Hillary-strong Detroit.

People have every right to be upset that Trump is going to be president. They have every right to protest. Protest every day for the next four years if you like. Refuse to support anything he does. Thwart him every step of the way. Vote against him again in 2020. Go on. It's your right.

We very well remember the people on the right who were opposed to President Barack Obama from day one. Obama was going to destroy America, they said. Tear the Constitution into tiny pieces. There was nothing he could do right. There was no way they would support him. People on the left feel much the same way about Trump today. So be it.

But protest is one thing. Undermining one of the bedrock foundation institutions of America is another. The Electoral College system worked the way it's supposed to work. The person who wins the popular vote for president, Hillary in this case, doesn't always get to move into the White House. Want to change the system? Be our guest. Ramp up an effort to amend the Constitution. See if you can get some traction. That's your right too.

But until that time, we've got bigger problems on our hands. Just take a look at what was going on around the world while members of the Electoral College were meeting: The assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, apparently in retaliation for Russia's involvement in Syria. People dead in Berlin after a truck plowed into a Christmas market in a terrorist attack. People injured after gunfire erupted at a mosque in Zurich.

An election that was decided more than five weeks ago is the least of our problems.
NOTE: Click the accompanying image to scroll through a gallery of photos of the house.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It is a modestly remodeled colonial in the perfect dream neighborhood of West Brighton; home to grand St Patrick's Day and Christmas celebrations -- the two holidays the Falcone family looks forward to most each year.

Just off Manor Road at 52 Egbert Ave. in West Brighton, Kerry and Rob had their eye on this 1923 beauty even before they were married.

It was worth it. Finally, it went up for sale in May 1999 -- and the couple put money down on it the next morning.

They were married in August and moved in. During the years just after the wedding, the home was remodeled to add a large front porch, extend the kitchen and add a bedroom upstairs.

Fun fact: For their wedding registry, the Falcones asked for the pottery barn Christmas set of Santa's Reindeer Dinnerwear instead of China. Ha!



Now they live there with their two children: Dillon, 13, and Annie, 8. It's all so perfect, as their offspring attend the Blessed Sacrament School.

The Falcones have a family tradition of buying their fresh tree on Forest Avenue around the corner. Then they pick a local place for dinner, then go home unpack the ornaments and set up the tree during the first week of December and watch the movie "Elf".



Kerry calls her tree a "Travel Tree," since ornaments are bought as they travel around on many vacations to Hawaii, the Florida Keys, and many more places.

The fight for the honor of topping the tree with the family star is always a ruckus, she says.

For the past 15 years, the Falcones have been part of a "progressive Christmas dinner party." This is where different households each prepare a different course, and the guests move from one home to the next, enjoying the evening in the neighborhood.

The Falcones also have dubbed their garage the "Barage," as it has been turned into the outdoor party space.

The home's former owners were the Zinke family, who always hosted big family celebrations.

"We've come full circle, as our house is the party house all year long as well," Kerry says, sipping her coffee in the kitchen from her Christmas mug. "Her spirit is still here."
On Dec. 6 Jim Kennelly, business professor and holder of the Ross Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies, made a formal presentation of his recent book on Ireland's economy to President Michael D. Higgins at his official Dublin residence, Aras an Uachtarain. Kennelly and his co-author, Irish scholar Finbarr Bradley, spent an hour with Higgins, discussing the book's ideas and other business and economic issues. A poet and essayist, Higgins earned a master's degree in sociology from Indiana University and was a professor in the US and Ireland before concentrating on his political career. Kennelly says, "He's a true intellectual, and he really seemed to relish the opportunity for a deep, rich discussion."

The new book is Gombeens at the Gate: Renewing the Rising through Ideals, Character, and Place. (Here, "gombeen" is slang for a money-grubber or usurer.) The Dublin Review of Books calls the work "admirable" and "essential reading for government policy-makers and students of business."

The book points to the unsustainability of the economic recovery under way now, after the collapse of 2008. Ireland is relying heavily on foreign investment incentivized by very low corporate tax rates, but any other country slashing its own corporate taxes could pull that business away. To balance that risk, the authors call for building more indigenous enterprises that use Ireland's culture and history as selling points.

Since "Ireland really owns the color green," Kennelly observes, food businesses could build branding around greenness, as Kerry Gold butter has done (in 2001 he wrote The Kerry Way: A History of the Kerry Group). Another promising sector is tourism"not plastic leprechauns and the Blarney Stone," he says, "but something deep and genuine." He cites a successful wool knitwear brand "whose message to customers is that they're buying not just a garment but a placeone that is uniquely and distinctly Irish," evoking a pastoral setting and heritage of artisanship.



The authors' party at the Irish president's

"white house" The authors' party at the Irish president's"white house"

This is Kennelly's fourth book about Irish business history and policies, and the third co-authored with Bradley, a professor at University College Dublin. Both earned their PhDs at NYU's Stern School of Business. Their first two books were The Irish Edge (2013) and Capitalising on Culture, Competing on Difference (2008). Among their companions on the presidential visit was Theo Dorgan, the well-known Irish literary and arts figure.

Kennelly's next projects include more inquiries into notions of placegeographic, cultural, sociologicaland how they can affect and be affected by business.
Thats called motherhood, shut up: Megyn Kelly slams Meghan Markle Sky News Australia contributor Megyn Kelly has weighed in on Meghan Markle's latest podcast episode by revealing her true thoughts.

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Three restaurant operators have been arrested by the Department of Investigation for allegedly bribing health inspectors to issue them better letter grades. One operator in Queens and two in the Bronx now face Bribery in the Third Degree and Obstructing Governmental Administration in the Second Degree charges after DOI undercover inspectors returned to the restaurants and were offered similar bribes.

In one case, a DOH inspector visiting Amazura nightclub in Jamaica, Queens told the establishment a live lizard located in a fish tank would have to be removed from the property as it violates the NYC health code. "Before leaving the establishment, a worker told the inspector that the inspector had forgotten something in the bathroom. When the inspector went to the bathroom, he saw a wad of cash on top of the sink," according to reports by the DOI.

A DOI agent returning to the same establishment was offered a similar bribe after the undercover agent discovered multiple infractions. DOI inspectors at the other two restaurants were offered similar types of cash bribes.

Three individuals were arrested this week and charged, including Morie Kabba of Jagana Family Kennedy Fried Chicken's in the Bronx and Mohammad Safi of Farm Fried N Curry Chicken and Amazura, both located in Queens. All three could face up to eight years in prison if convicted.

While bribery is obviously a bad idea, the restaurant grading system has been criticized for miring restaurant owners in high fees for non-sanitary food violations that can total thousands of dollars. Restaurant owners have previously called out the city for making ownership nearly impossible under the onerous and often impossible violation and fee systems.

So if a few hundred bucks might get the city off the lizard's back, you can't blame them for trying.
Two upstate New Yorkers have been arrested in connection with a Times Square double stabbing that was the alleged result of a drug deal gone bad, police said. Officers in Midtown apprehended Pedro Nieves Diaz, 23, and Ashley Arcuri, 19, yesterday. The two hail from Utica and Rome, respectively.

Nieves and Arcuri are suspected of stabbing two 25-year-old men on West 42nd Street near Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum early Sunday morning. According to ABC, one man was stabbed in his left shoulder while the other was sliced in the neck. Both men were taken to Bellevue Hospital and treated for their injuries.

Police told the Post that both victims had been celebrating a birthday at Hooters before they ran into Diaz and Arcuri.

Investigators claim Diaz approached the two victims and offered to sell them marijuana, but became upset by remarks they made to Arcuri, pulled out a weapon, and stabbed them.

Diaz has been charged with attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and possession of a controlled substance. Arcuri has also been charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Also on Sunday morning, a tourist survived getting stabbed in the back of the head near the intersection of 46th Street and Vanderbilt Avenue; no arrests have been made in that case.
The Australian National University will receive the lion's share of $124.7 million in federal funding to be given to the ACT's research universities in 2017.

ANU will receive $115,487,288 from the government's research block grants pool while University of Canberra will be given $9,288,913.

Australian National University vice chancellor Brian Schmidt. Credit:Karleen Minney

Education and Training Minister Simon Birmingham said the funds were aimed at encouraging universities to better engage with industries and innovators.

"ACT researchers have no shortage of smart ideas but we need to become better at taking research and applying it in ways that benefit the broader community and result in new job-creating commercial realities," he said.
A Hawker man accused of violently raping a sex worker with his brother and another man was refused bail by an ACT magistrate.

Ahmed Alabbasi, 31, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with multiple rape and assault crimes, relating to two incidents in Canberra.

The Crown opposed bail. A police officer told the ACT Magistrates Court police feared he would reoffend, noting the vulnerable nature of the alleged victims, who often worked alone and at night.

"The fears are for the safety of the community," she said.

The officer said police also feared he would contact the complainants. He knew their names through court documents, and could easily find their contact details on websites or ads, she said.
Singapore Airlines will launch an additional daily service between its home airport at Changi and Brisbane from next August.

The first of the new services, which would increase the number of Singapore Airlines' Brisbane services to 28 a week, was scheduled to arrive on August 22 next year.

Singapore Airlines will add additional daily routes to Brisbane from next August. Credit:Robert Rough

They would bring an extra 100,000 visitors to Queensland every year, acting Tourism Minister Leanne Enoch said, and inject up to $133 million into the state's tourism economy.

"This is a great outcome for Brisbane and tourism across the state," she said.
The International Monetary Fund seems cursed. One managing-director embroiled in scandal is perhaps unlucky: to suffer three in a row starts to look serious.

First it was the Spaniard Rodrigo Rato, now awaiting trial for embezzlement for allegedly running a "corrupt system" at the helm of Bankia. Then it was France's Dominique Strauss-Kahn, accused of louche conduct in a New York hotel room.

Now it is the turn of Christine Lagarde, inheritor of the French IMF fief and yesterday convicted of criminal negligence by a top French court. The guilty verdict certainly calls into question her full fitness to lead a financial superpower with resources of $US668 billion ($921 billion), and vice-regal dominion over whole countries and societies.

All three are European, the only race able to compete for the post under the Bretton Woods carve-up after the Second World War. The fact that this has led to trouble is not accidental. "European politics has become very corrupt. It is almost inevitable that the European system will throw up people who have done something that will later be construed as having crossed the line, and who are therefore tainted," said Ashoka Mody, IMF former deputy director for Europe.
Any plans for further subsidies for another power station to help keep the struggling Portland aluminium smelter open will add to the $100 million-plus Victorians are already providing Alcoa, the operator of the works.

Under pressure to keep the ailing smelter open, the federal government has indicated it could use funds from the Clean Energy Finance Corp to ensure a new gas-fired power station is available to help to stem rising power prices that would follow the looming closure of the Hazelwood power plant. There has also been the suggestion of a wind turbine to supply the works.

Federal and state ministers are holding talks in the US aimed at keeping Alcoa's Portland Aluminium smelter open. Credit:Joe Armao

Hazelwood is to close at the end of the first quarter of 2017, with the Australian Energy Markets Commission warning last week its closure will push up power prices across the eastern states.

Federal Industry Minister Ian Hunt and his Victorian counterpart, Wade Noonan, are visiting the US this week to meet senior Alcoa management in a bid to keep the smelter open. Its closure would affect not only jobs in Victoria, but also in Western Australia, which supplies the alumina that is processed at the smelter.
Venezuela's positives On Friday, December 16, The Canberra Times published an article entitled "Venezuela's deepening crisis is forcing some parents to give children away" written by Girish Gupta and Mircely Guanipa, which portrays the Bolivarian Government in an unfair and excessively negative manner. Regarding this matter the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Australia, would like to make the following observations: The article refuses to acknowledge a government that even though is going through economic difficulties has not abandoned the people of Venezuela, but to the contrary has stood firmly by them implementing policies to guard, protect, guarantee and keep the interests of every Venezuelan. Venezuelans have seen their living conditions greatly improved through the Bolivarian process. The problems in the Venezuelan economy are not due to some inherent fault in socialism, but to artificially low oil prices and sabotage by forces hostile to the Bolivarian Government.

It is and has been a constant practice of the revolutionary Venezuelan government allocate more than 60 per centof fiscal expenditure to the growth of social policies; which meant that, for example, most of the United Nation's Millenium Development Goals were not only reached by Venezuela but continue to improve. Through the implementation of Social Missions, extreme poverty was reduced from 24 per cent in 1990 to 7.1 per cent in 2012 and the unemployment rate reached an all time low of 5.5 per cent in 2014. Venezuela was awarded special recognition by the United Nations Development Programme due to reaching a schooling rate of 93.4 per cent by 2014 and has also eradicated illiteracy from its population. With the creation of the School Feeding Program there are now 4,352,972 students benefiting from this service, compared to only 119,512 at the beginning of the revolution, which represents an increase of 3542 per cent. Improvements in free health services, specifically in areas such as maternity and neonatal care meant that Venezuela also decreased significantly the infant mortality rate. Daniel Gasparri-Rey, Minister Counsellor, Charge d'Affaires A.I., Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Australia Christmas correctness

Lay off Peter Dutton, Nicholas Stuart, ("Dutton's call to arms against political correctness shows he's having a happy holiday in fantasy land," December 20, p14) for complaining that political rectitude has changed "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays" at a Queensland school concert. It's not only school teachers who are succumbing, retail corporations are also surrendering. When did you last hear supermarket loudspeakers playing carols like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer or I saw mummy kissing Santa Claus eh? Bill Deane, Chapman Curb housing bonanza

You could never satirically  or even just tragically  concoct up the reality of an Australia where an official federal inquiry into housing affordability can report nothing much needs doing or can be done  other than cynically place the ball vaguely in the court of supply. Looking at you, states and territories, you nasty obstacles to progress, land availability and total deregulation. Is there a Nobel for disingenuity and artfulness? It means nothing to this august "committee" that we have had such a red hot and accelerating profit-driven production of housing for the last 20 years as to completely outstrip the trades skill pool available to do a decent job, as an ACT analysis a few years ago found and as every new- or near-new-apartment buyer this century will attest? Is anybody calling the developer-infatuated NSW and ACT governments development-unfriendly? Housing is already being knocked together too quickly and shoddily as it is, so supply cannot be blamed.

Rein in the outlandish pyramid scheme supporting today's Australia  an unfettered paying-migration and foreign house-buying Ponzi bonanza? and the prevailing canon of getting people richer, quicker in great disproportion to their wealth. Certainly not! Have a moment to hear Dick Smith out? Never! Alex Mattea, Kingston Before diving into new venture ANU chief should think carefully ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt should be very careful when dealing with Andrew Barr over developmental matters ("ANU dives in the deep end with new pool", CT, December 20, p6).

The latter's involvement in such matters over the years has not always been in the community's best interest, and especially when it involves the Chief Minister's idea of building a stadium in place of the city's Olympic pool. Furthermore, with parking currently being all but impossible on the ANU campus how does the vice-chancellor intend to "draw in Canberrans from outside of ANU". By all means build the pool for the university but do not allow it to be used as an excuse for the Chief Minister to abandon our existing Olympic pool. Murray Upton, Belconnen Quaint? Not so! I was saddened to see Kathy Evans, in her article on Nigel Kennedy (Panorama, December 17, p15), describe Vivaldi's Four Seasons as "a set of quaint baroque tunes".

It is one of the masterworks of Western music. Nigel Kennedy is, of course, perfectly free to play it in any way he chooses. However, the likelihood is that before too long, his offerings will be seen as quaint historical artefacts whereas, good performances of the Four Seasons in the spirit of the composer's intentions, will seem fresh and vibrant  as they are today. In my view, Kathy Evans shows a lack of historical and musical understanding. Peter Boal, Evatt

Vosikata depraved 'Despicable' was the headline and despicable he was. ("Despicable", December 17, p1). The brutal murder and treatment of Daniela D'Addario by Josaia Vosikata was described by his defence lawyer as not being in the worst category, a description seemingly shared by John Burns the Supreme Court judge who passed sentence. Perhaps these two people could explain to the people of Canberra what test they used to come to this conclusion. I find the heinous acts and premeditation by Vosikata in murdering Daniela and the treatment of her after the act to be at the top of the pile.

A depraved and debauched person who should never be released. L. Christie, Canberra Rethink a pet "gift" If you are thinking of giving a dog or cat as a "gift" this Christmas, please reconsider. Animals require a lot of time, attention, patience and money  all of which are scarce during the holiday season.

When their novelty wears off, animals who are given as "gifts" are often neglected, left in backyards, dumped on the streets to die or surrendered to shelters which have to euthanise thousands of animals every year. Adding a dog or cat to the family means promising to care for this animal for his or her lifetime  which could be 15 years or more. If you're ready for this, please adopt from a shelter. Laura Weyman-Jones, PETA Australia, Sydney Airport bus a secret

One of Canberra's best kept secrets? The location of the ACTION bus stop at Canberra Airport. Pity the poor misguided arriving airline passenger who has hopes of travelling to Civic by public transport. There are many helpful signs pointing them to taxi ranks, Uber pick-up points and private bus stops, but not a word about public transport. One would think that a government that is committed to spending about a billion dollars on a 12-kilometre tram line would be able to stump up a few thousand dollars on signs to help incoming visitors and returning Canberrans find the public bus stop at the airport. For those interested, the bus stop is hidden away in Brindabella Circuit, just past the big roundabout.

Keith Pantlin, Downer No place for war plane A civil aviation airport is an inappropriate place for the display of a military aircraft (Letters, December 17). As everyone in Australian aviation will tell you ad nauseam, it was the civil aviation practitioners who conquered Australia's "tyranny of distance" beginning with the first flight between capital cities (Sydney-Melbourne, November 12, 1917. by W.J. Stutt in a US-built WWI training aircraft, the Curtiss JN-4B). Thousands of these aircraft were built and, after the war, sold to the civilian market.

A military training aircraft with no weapon systems but used extensively for civil aviation is the plane for Canberra Airport; a plane around which the hawks and doves can flutter with nary a ruffled feather. Sean A. Allan, Kambah Guiding the way While it was lovely to see photos of the history of the Guides (Take Five, Canberra Times, December 16, p39), I was disappointed to see them described as "Girl Scouts". This is used in other countries, but is not the Australian term.

The role of Guides in a girl or young adult's life is very valuable, but they are a separate organisation, a sister to Scouts and should not be confused with them. Your reference to the "Scout Jamboree" at Cataract Park in 1988 was also misleading. I attended that camp. It was known as Porepunka (even "Pouring Punka" given the weather), and was an International Guide Camp, not a Scout Jamboree. Interested girls and young women should contact Guides Australia. Roanna Gardiner, Isabella Plains Award well deserved Re Michelle Potter's most interesting Panorama story ("In step with youth", December 17, p14), Canberrans should be most grateful that Ruth Osborne accepted the invitation in 1999 to come to Canberra from Perth to set up the Quantum Leap Youth Program for the Australian Choreographic Centre at Gorman House.

Perth's loss was certainly Canberra's gain, as Ruth has made a tremendous contribution to Youth Dance in Canberra and is most deserving of her Churchill Fellowship. Not only has she broadened the way young people experience dance, but she has advocated a most worthy activity for youth. All very commendable. John Milne, Chapman TO THE POINT EARLY HIGH-FLYERS

Well I'll be blowed. When I was a kid in the 1940s we used to play outside with the neighbourhood kids. Little did I know that we were called traceurs as per "School high flyers", December 19, p5. Ken Wood, Holt THE ART OF WAR In displaying old military planes and war-weapon ads, maybe our airport owners are awkwardly demonstrating compliance with their lease ("defence and related purposes"). Jack Kershaw, Kambah

Is Sue Wareham (Letters, December 19) our canary in the mine? I think so, but will the mine managers aka the Australian government, take notice?. Iven Spicer, Ngunnawal BLAME GAME I haven't yet heard the coalition blame Labor for in-growing toenails, but I'm sure it has someone working on it. Ian McFarlane, Wallaga Lake, NSW

CONFUSED Carolyn Doyle (Letters, December 20) left me confused. Did our Prime Minister renew "his commitment to Australia having one of our own as head of state" as she claimed or washe speaking about republicanism? Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor STARTLED RABBITS The observation of pedestrians' "startled rabbit" behaviour would have Ivan Pavlov salivating, George Kosakos (Letters, December 16). Carillon recitals will be captivating, pedestrians spontaneously leaping in time to the giant clavier.

Matt Ford, Crookwell ARMS RACE Peter O'Dea, (Letters, December 20) Australia with guns blazing will always be there. Sabre-rattling Tories expect that. Labor people are more cognisant of outcomes, even if the current leadership is not. The US saved us in 1943. Next time round we'll be its surrogate battlefield. Barrie Smillie, Duffy CLASSICS SLIP

Was it Frank O'Shea's intention to illustrate the decline of classical knowledge by misquoting "De mortuis nil nisi bene" as "De mortuis nil nisi bonum"? Hans Kuhn, Campbell SLIP SLIDING AWAY Peter Dutton was shocked to hear of the unauthorised hill rolling by Bolshie Canberran ingrates. He said "In future, I will decide who will roll down the PH grass and the circumstances in which they will be permitted to do so". Roll the Dutt! John Mungoven, Stirling
Political leaders across the West piously lined up last week to identify the fall of Aleppo as a stain on our collective conscience. The West, they have said, should have done more to stop the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.

At a purely humanitarian level, this is obviously true. States can always do more to deliver humanitarian aid to people on the ground. But in a military sense, the notion that the West should have "done more" is fantastical and learns exactly the wrong lesson from this carnival of carnage.

If there is a lesson for the West from the post-Cold War era of liberal interventionism, it is this: either intervene decisively and be invested for the long-term  or stay out.

It's true that in 2011 the West had a military opportunity to topple Bashar al-Assad's regime by backing a rebellion not yet contaminated by radical Islamists. What is more dubious is that such a military victory would have put Syria on a path to democracy, stability, or peace. If only things were that easy.
What if someone suddenly cancelled Christmas? What would we do, and how would we feel? What if the cancellation of Christmas was accompanied by the kidnapping of women and children, the razing of people's houses, and mass executions and terror?



All these things happened when the Islamic State group seized a large swathe of Iraq in 2014, condemning Mosul's many Assyrian Christians to a living hell of violence, terror, and desperation.



It makes our petty Christmas squabbles seem so insignificant. Putting up with the crazy uncle or your father's burnt sausages would be joys to people living in tents in the refugee camps of the Middle East this Sunday.



The fact is, hundreds of thousands of Christians from Iraq and Syria have been displaced from the cities in which they have professed their faith for 2000 years. In Aleppo alone there used to be a population of 250,000 Christians, but this is now estimated to be just 40,000, if that. The same is true in many cities in Iraq.



These are people whose Christian tradition predates Islam by 500 years, which survived Roman persecution, the Persian Empire, the Crusades, the Ottoman Empire, two world wars and even Saddam Hussein.



All of these persecutions pale into insignificance, though, compared to the Islamic State group when it comes to barbarism and intolerance. We hear about atrocities against the Kurds and Yazidis, and even the battles between Sunni and Shia, but it is for the Christians of Iraq and Syria that Daesh reserve their most passionate hate.



Across Iraq and Syria, Christians have been beheaded, churches desecrated and burnt, and a bloody tide of violence loosed upon the most innocent of the region's inhabitants.



Ironically, one has to go back to the time of Christ himself to find as cruel a terror - when Herod killed all the males under the age of two in the hopes of killing the Messiah. Like modern day Assyrian Christians, Mary and Joseph fled with the infant Jesus to exile, only returning when the king was dead and the terror ended.



However Nina Shea, of the Centre for Religious Freedom, points out that many of the Middle East's Christian refugees are even more vulnerable because they fear going into refugee camps in most Middle East countries, where they are persecuted further. She gives the dire prediction that Iraq's Christians run the very real risk of extermination. Even the UNHCR has turned a blind eye to their plight



Here in Australia, the Assyrian Christian Church of the East is doing its best with meagre resources to alleviate the suffering. Their relief organisation, ACERO, raises money to assist refugees, and to rebuild in the towns where the Islamic State group has been driven out.



Be we religious or otherwise, the measure of our humanity is our compassion for those in desperate need. And perhaps it is the legacy of Jesus himself, that Christmas especially is when many of us stop thinking of ourselves and think of others instead.



There could be few better causes to support this Christmas, than to give to maintain the faith of Christ in the region where he once walked.



There could be few better wishes than for the hopeless of the Middle East, that they might enjoy just a fraction of the happiness and security we take for granted.



In the face of indifference by our political leaders to the plight of Middle Eastern Christians, it behoves us to give a dollar, a hundred dollars, or even just a prayer for those who truly have nothing but their poverty. This will be my pledge this Christmas.



And to all of our readers, a merry Christmas. May we never forget how lucky we are.
Students with disabilities could miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars in extra funding because of serious concerns about the reliability of a landmark national audit into the number of school children with special needs.

Disability advocates fear the questionable long-awaited study, quietly released on Tuesday, will be used as an "escape clause" for governments to again delay the delivery of extra funding for students with disabilities.

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) shows 18 per cent of school children in 2015 had a disability while only 7.4 per cent received targeted funding.

The study shows 20.7 per cent of students in Queensland have a disability, far higher than 11.3 per cent of students in Tasmania and 13.6 per cent in the Northern Territory. It found 17.9 per cent of NSW students and 17.1 per cent of Victoria students have a disability.
1. Berlin attacker may still be on the run

German police now think their suspect could still be on the run with the Pakistani migrant detained over the deadly truck attack denying involvement. [The Washington Post]

A few minutes ago that man was released due a lack of sufficient evidence. [CNN]

Fire fighters stand in front of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market killing several people Monday evening in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016.(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) Credit:Markus Schreiber

Police chief Holger Munch said Germany can expect "further significant attacks." [Lucy Pasha-Robinson/The Independent]
Aaron Persky, the judge who gave a former Stanford University swimmer a sentence that was condemned as too lenient for a sexual-assault conviction, was cleared of misconduct Monday by a California panel.

Thousands of people had called for the removal of Persky, who was serving on the Santa Clara County Superior Court in June when he sentenced the former swimmer, Brock Turner, 21, to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster after a party in 2015.

Turner was released from jail in September after serving three months.

He had been convicted on three felony counts: intent to commit rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object of an intoxicated person and sexual penetration with a foreign object of an unconscious person.
Public spending on residential aged care is set to explode, so it seems to make sense to buy those stocks on the receiving end of all that money  Japara Healthcare (ASX: JHC), Regis Healthcare (ASX: REG) and Estia Health (ASX: EHE). It's a well-worn story.

A similar one was peddled in the 1990s as the internet gained popularity. Growing demand for online services seemed  and, indeed, was  inevitable.

Aged care is destined to have increasing demand, but there may be oversupply. Credit:Jodi Jacobson

The trouble is that attractive demand forecasts need to be paired with attractive supply forecasts for anyone to make any money. In the internet's case, high demand led to a hysterical period of capital investment  so much fibre optic cable was installed in the US during the dotcom bubble, it could have circled the earth 1600 times.

Today, though, there are still long stretches of unused fibre optic cable in the US. Tens of billions of dollars has been written off from telecom networks due to overcapacity.
He's beaten Google before, but not this time.

A man who won $425,000 as a result of defamation cases against Google and Yahoo after searches brought up his photo among images of gangland figures has lost his bid for a second bite of the pie.

Michael Trkulja demanded Google remove his images. Credit:Josh Robenstone

Milorad Trkulja demanded Google remove his images from the internet over his frustration at his photograph appearing near the likes of Carl Williams, Tony Mokbel, Andrew Veniamin and Judy Moran, which he argued was defamatory.

Mr Trkulja was shot in the back while eating at a St Albans restaurant in 2004, at the height of the gangland war, and subsequent Google searches on Melbourne crime figures often produced his image, which, he argued, unfairly linked him with the underworld figures.
Australia's move to limit codeine products to prescription only has sparked concerns about added medical costs, and been criticised for failing to deal with barriers to addiction and pain treatment.

Drugs like Panadeine and Nurofen Plus will require a doctor's prescription from February 2018 due to rising concerns about addiction, fatal overdoses and other harm.

While the move was backed by doctors, pain and addiction medicine advocates say the flow-on needs of addicts and those who use the drugs for intermittent pain has been overlooked.

Like an estimated 10 per cent of women, Vanessa Watson lived with endometriosis that for more than a decade went undiagnosed, resulting in painful periods each month, until she had a hysterectomy at age 30.
A toddler has died in hospital from injuries she suffered when she was allegedly bashed at a home in Sydney's west this week, police say.

An assault charge against 23-year-old Mohammed Khazma is expected to be upgraded to murder after the two-year-old girl died in The Children's Hospital at Westmead late on Tuesday night.

Police allege Mr Khazma physically assaulted the little girl on Monday afternoon in a granny flat in Marian Street, Guildford.

The relationship between Mr Khazma, who had allegedly met the girl's mother only a few weeks ago, and the toddler cannot be detailed for legal reasons.
Ryan McNaught, Australia's Lego certified professional, has been busy. So busy, in fact, he has two exhibitions this summer.

Lego models of the Mona Lisa, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Empire State Building with King Kong at the top are part of the new 'Brickman Wonders of the World' exhibition at Darling Harbour.

Mr McNaught - the "Brickman" - became the only Lego certified professional in the southern hemisphere "by accident" after collaborating with Lego on an IT project in 2008.

"The whole reason why we do what we do is to inspire people," Mr McNaught said.
A taxi driver has been charged with indecently assaulting a female passenger during a trip between Sydney CBD and Leichhardt on Friday.

The 25 year-old woman got into a taxi on George Street in the Sydney CBD at about 11.45pm, asking the driver to take her to Leichhardt. Police say that during the trip the 45 year-old driver indecently assaulted the woman multiple times.

A taxi driver has been charged over the alleged indecent assault. Credit:Ryan Osland

Upon arrival in Norton Street, Leichhardt, he got out of the vehicle and attempted to stop the woman leaving, before driving away a short time later, police said.

The woman reported the incident to police and, following an investigation, officers from the Leichhardt Local Area Command arrested the 45 year-old man at Glebe Police Station on Tuesday afternoon.
The One Nation candidate who only lasted one day in the gig says he decided to withdraw his candidacy because he was asked by the party to delete a tweet.

Andy Semple, the former One Nation candidate for Currumbin, quit the race late on Monday, after he was among 36 candidates announced by Pauline Hanson on Sunday.

Former One Nation candidate for Currumbin Andy Semple. Credit:Twitter

Mr Semple, a prolific social media user who has tweeted more than 28,000 times, said it was in "everybody's best interests for me to withdraw" and he had no hard feelings towards the party.

He said the Pauline Hanson's One Nation state secretary  and candidate for Lockyer  Jim Savage texted him on Monday about 8pm.
A potential link between the popularity of DIY renovation television programs and hospitalisations from power tools will be the focus of a health study.

There is an increasing number of home-improvement enthusiasts ending up in the emergency room at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, according to ER research manager Rob Eley.

Emergency rooms are seeing a rise in injuries from home improvement work, researchers say. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The possible connection with home makeover shows has prompted a study into DIY-related injuries and how they could be prevented.

Some injuries, including fractures and cuts, may not require hospital admission but are still life-changing, Dr Eley said.
A Queensland domestic violence victim has been told allegations a police officer leaked her details to her former partner have been substantiated.

But the woman is furious the officer won't face criminal charges, with his actions instead referred to an internal disciplinary hearing.

The victim of a domestic violence order says a police officer helped her former partner track her down and then joked about it in text messages. Credit:Glen Hunt

An officer within the Queensland Police Service's Ethical Standards Command told Julie (not her real name) the allegations had been substantiated and the officer could face dismissal, a reduction in pay or be forced to undergo training.

But the victim said this wasn't good enough in light of what she'd been through.
A rugby league player who avoided jail in New York after a "violent and horrifying" holiday rampage last looks set to run around Queensland's sporting fields next year.

Former Wests Tigers player Matthew Lodge, 21, avoided jail after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour count of reckless assault, after a plea deal with New York prosecutors.

Disgraced: Matthew Lodge attends court in New York last December. Credit:Ellen Connolly

That plea deal was opposed by his victims.

It is understood Lodge has signed a contract with the Redcliffe Dolphins to play in the Queensland Cup, but the club on Tuesday refused to shed any light on Lodge's future in the QRL competition.
More on the reunited little boy who was found wandering in Carlton North.

Little Digby, 7, moved to Melbourne from NSW just yesteday.
Metro Trains will have to lift its game or potentially pay millions of dollars in fines for late and cancelled trains every three months under the proposed terms of a tougher seven-year agreement with the state.

The practice of station-skipping, terminating trains short of the end of the line, and bypassing the City Loop or Altona loop, will also be penalised in the proposed new contract.

The company will have to do more to make sure Melbourne's trains and stations are in good condition, and that information about service disruptions and delays gets to passengers when and how they need it, or face millions more in fines.

The Age has obtained a leaked copy of the benchmarks the government wants Metro to meet if it continues as operator of Melbourne's rail system for another seven years.
WA-based business Spencers is the latest company found to have misled consumers on what's really in their oregano bags, as the consumer watchdog continued its blitz on the product.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Monday announced there was a "substantial presence of olive leaves" in Spencer's oregano.

The news followed an announcement in November that Aldi's Stonemill oregano and the Menora oregano available at IGA and other independent stores also contained a "substantial presence" of olive leaves.

All the companies have made court-enforceable undertakings to have their oregano tested annually, as well as random samples of their other herbs and spices, for the next three years.
Western Australia's prisons are overcrowded and inmates are in cells not up to national or international standards, a review has found, but the state government is unlikely to adopt half of the recommendations.

Inspector of Custodial Services Neil Morgan said inmate numbers had increased rapidly since 2009 and double-bunking compromised a prisoner's right to privacy and decent treatment, as well as being a risk to safety and rehabilitation.

The WA Opposition says our overcrowded prisons allow minor offenders to mix with serious criminals.

He said routinely double-bunking single cells was in breach of the United Nations' Mandela Rules, which says the practice should only be an exceptional temporary measure.

Mr Morgan said design capacity was the most accurate way of measuring if a prison was too crowded, and on June 30 the WA prison system was at 148 per cent, or 97 per cent of modified capacity - a measure similar to the Department of Corrective Services reporting practices.
Portable decorative ethanol burners will be banned in Western Australia pending further safety investigations after accidents throughout the nation resulted in severe burns.

An immediate 60-day interim ban will begin from midnight on Tuesday until a further assessment by Consumer Protection, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and other agencies.

A 28-year-old Perth woman was seriously burnt on her face and upper body after an ethanol burner exploded in the backyard of her home in October, followed by two people who were injured in Queensland.

Commerce Minister Michael Mischin said 113 injuries and 115 fire incidents had been reported throughout Australia since 2010.
Prominent Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney has successfully fought the Legal Profession Complaints Committee's bid to challenge his career after a tribunal ruled the pursuit was an abuse of process.

Mr Rayney was acquitted in 2012 of murdering his Supreme Court registrar wife Corryn in 2007 after her body was found buried in Kings Park, and phone interception charges against him were also thrown out midway through his trial in 2015.

Lloyd Rayney has successfully fought the Legal Profession Complaints Committee. Credit:AAP

He was vindicated again earlier this year when the State Administrative Tribunal ruled Mr Rayney's certificate to practise law should be reinstated after the Legal Practice Board of WA failed to prove he was not a fit and proper person for the job.

But the LPCC battle continued with similar allegations about Mr Rayney's behaviour about the time of his estranged wife's death.
WARNING: Some readers may find the photographs appearing below distressing.

When a neatly dressed man fired at the Russian ambassador to Turkey, a veteran photographer covering the "routine" event thought it was a "theatrical flourish".

Instead, Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici's photos captured the assassination of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov at an art gallery in Ankara as it happened.

In a first-person account for AP, Mr Ozbilici said the gallery event was routine, the opening of a Russian photography exhibition.
Beijing: Hazardous levels of smog covering an area more than twice the size the state of Victoria has blanketed northern China, prompting dozens of cities to issue pollution "red alerts" shutting schools, factories and disrupting flights.

In the year's worst air pollution episode, more than 200 million citizens across six provinces were experiencing hazardous levels of smog, with a further 260 million experiencing "heavy" pollution, Greenpeace said.

In Shijiazhuang, the capital of northern Hebei province, air quality readings of PM2.5 fine particulate matter soared beyond 1000 micrograms per cubic metre on Monday night, more than 100 times levels the World Health Organisation's recommended annual average.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said as of Monday evening eight cities had shown Air Quality Index readings that were "beyond index" or above official maximum reading levels of 500, including steel-making cities Handan, in Hebei, and Anyang, in Henan province.
Jakarta: Prosecutors have accused the Christian governor of Jakarta of being "self-righteous" and say it is not enough for him to claim that his intention was not to insult Islam.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known by his nickname Ahok, has been accused of blasphemy over comments he made to fishermen on Indonesia's Thousand Islands, during which he made reference to a verse in the Koran.

On the second day of his trial, chief prosecutor Ali Mukartono told the North Jakarta District Court that Ahok's statements had created "disunity among Muslims".

He said it was not enough for Ahok to claim that he did not mean to insult Islam and the finding had to be based on the series of events and background of his actions.
Vienna: Austria has arrested a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Morocco on suspicion of planning an attack during the holiday season in the city of Salzburg, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

A search on Monday of an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in the town of Fuschl am See, where the man was living, found "no materials clearly required for the execution of an attack", the Salzburg prosecutors' office said in a statement.

Security in Austria has been increased, including a large police presence at the Christmas market in Vienna. Credit:AP

It could not, however, be ruled out that he was planning an attack, a spokesman added. The formal accusation against the suspect is that he belongs to an unspecified "terrorist organisation".

Independently of the arrest, Austria is deploying more police at busy public places and tightening other security measures in response to Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in which 12 people were killed.
Kinshasa: Gunfire could be heard in several districts of the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa early on Tuesday, as demonstrators demanded that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired at midnight.

Protests erupted in several neighbourhoods of Kinshasa late on Monday and police fired tear gas to disperse them, witnesses said.

Police have taken to the streets in Kinshasa after protests erupted overnight. Credit:AP

Demonstrators in the districts of Kalamu, Matete and Lingwala and at Kinshasa University blew whistles to signal to Mr Kabila that it was time to leave, and students at the university burned tyres, multiple witnesses said.

Hundreds of anti-Kabila demonstrators earlier defied a ban on marches against the president's plans to stay in office past the end of his term, and security forces faced off against groups waving red cards saying: "Bye, bye Kabila."
Berlin: Christmas markets in Berlin stayed shut on Tuesday as the city mourned the victims of the previous evening's truck rampage, while security measures were stepped up at similar events elsewhere in Germany and abroad.

Germany's interior ministry said other Christmas markets and large gatherings would not be called off, and appropriate steps to increase security should be decided at each location.

Flags flew at half mast out of respect for those killed when a truck ploughed into a crowd at a market by Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church on Monday.

"No matter what we continue to learn about the exact background and motives of the perpetrators, we ...must not let them take away our freedom," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement.
Ankara: Turkish police detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said on Tuesday evening, widening a probe to relatives of the off-duty policeman who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" as he gunned the envoy down.

Both countries cast Monday's attack at an art gallery in the capital Ankara as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by Syria's civil war, where they back opposing sides.

The war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Islamic State, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.

Russia, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, supported that advance with air strikes.
Washington: Donald Trump's election victory has been made official as electors gave him more than the 270 votes needed to win the US presidency, despite a campaign to deny him a majority.

The meeting of the Electoral College's 538 members - which took place at statehouses across the country - is typically a formality. But extra drama was added to the proceedings as a concerted campaign took place among activists and even celebrities to convince electors to vote their conscience and overturn the November 8 election results.

Their efforts failed. Trump, who won 30 states with a total of 306 electoral votes, amassed enough votes on Monday afternoon when Texas electors cast their ballots, according to an Associated Press tally.

In fact, the electors who switched their votes were at the expense of Hillary Clinton. Four electors in Washington state, which she won handily, cast their ballots for someone else. Three went to Colin Powell and one for "Faith Spotted Eagle." In Texas, which Trump won, one elector cast his ballot for John Kasich and another for Ron Paul. At least one, the elector from Maine, voted for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
New York: Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was assassinated by a gunman on Monday in Ankara, the capital.

Turkish officials said the killer had been a police officer who, after shooting, shouted: "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria."

Russia's Foreign Ministry called the assassination a "terrorist attack".

Here's what we know about Karlov.
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ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius:--- Civil society organizations Brighter Path Foundation and Nos Ke Boneiru Bek have strongly condemned the move from The Hague to appoint a Special Observer in St. Eustatius, as was recently reported in various Dutch Caribbean news media.

The group said in a joint statement: Bearing in mind that the Public Entity status was formally rejected by the people of Statia in the December 2014 referendum, whereby an overwhelming majority voted for more autonomy, and which was later ratified by the Island Council of St. Eustatius, any move on the part of the Dutch Government to impose administrative rule on the island territory, is in direct violation of the peoples human rights.

Disregarding the democratically- elected island representatives can be considered an undemocratic act on the part of The Hague.

The organizations see the increasing sanctions being imposed on the local government and the people of Statia as confirmation that the Public Entity status is profoundly deficient, as it does not meet the UN criteria for full internal self- government, which according to UN resolution 1541 (XV), can only be achieved in one of three ways namely:

(a) Being in free association with an independent state as a result of a free and voluntary choice by the people of the Territory expressed through an informed and democratic process; (b) Fully integrated into an independent state on the basis of complete equality between the peoples of the Non- Self- Governing Territory and those of the independent date, (c) Independence.

The unilateral exercise of power and control by The Hague strengthens the resolve of the organizations to assist the democratically- elected government to put all measures in place to obtain the status that the people desire, the organizations said.
POINTE BLANCHE:--- Port St. Maarten Management was very pleased with the homeporting operation that took place on Sunday at the new homeporting terminal after cruise passengers arrived on the inaugural XL Airways flight out of France to board the Pullmantur Zenith vessel for a warm Caribbean cruise.

Passengers were treated at the homeporting terminal to steel pan music and refreshments while waiting to be processed in preparation for boarding Pullmanturs Zenith.

On Sunday Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Ingrid Arrindell, presented the Captain of the Zenith with a plaque as a commemoration of the homeporting operation. Minister Arrindell expressed words of welcome and congratulations to the Captain, crew and passengers, and she looked forward to a successful homeporting experience out of the destination.

Port St. Maarten Management, the Ministers Cabinet, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, SXM Airport, Pullmantur, XL Airways, and other stakeholders worked diligently for months to secure the Pullmantur homeporting business arrangement which culminated into the successful operation on Sunday.

Present for the on-board ceremony on the Zenith were representatives from Pullmantur, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, port officials as well as representatives from SXM Airport. The delegation was given a tour of the ship including lunch, and thereafter, a tour of the homeporting terminal.

Port St. Maarten has placed emphasis on luxury cruise brands that translate into more spending power of passengers based on their higher disposable income levels. This also shifts the destination from quantity to quality cruise tourism, therefore increasing the destination value due to attracting other high-end brand lines.

Pullmantur Cruises is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It began operations in 1990, and is the largest Spain-based cruise line. The company mainly markets to Spanish passengers, but cruises are also sold by travel operators outside Spain. This group focuses on cruise customers from Latin America and Europe. The vessels used carries approximately 1500 cruise passengers and 450-crew.

Pullmantur Cruises home port will mean a significant economic boost and spin off for the destination as it will bring in additional tourists and business for the tourism and hospitality sectors. It also serves part of the diversification of visitors to the destination with respect to Latin American and European visitors. This can translate into new airlift opportunities for the destination as other cruise lines and airlines review the successes of homeporting out of Sint Maarten.

Home porting is nothing new for the destination as the country has had the opportunity to handle smaller vessels of under 500 passengers.

XL Airways is the aviation company that will be used to bring cruise passengers to the country who will then board the Pullmantur vessel Zenith for their Caribbean cruise.

XL Airways weekly flights from Paris, France is using a an Airbus 330-200. Allocated on the weekly flight are 250 seats for homeporting. There will be some additional seats for regular passengers who would like to spend their vacation on the island.

XL Airways has close to 20-years experience. Its a French airline specializing in long-haul flights, and annually flies over one million passengers to the Antilles, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the United States and the Mediterranean Basin. With XL Airways connectivity throughout Europe, this allows for more travel options for passengers seeking a Caribbean cruise, as accessibility to the destination will be seamless because getting to the island will just be much easier.

The airline is based and operates out of Charles de Gaulle Airport. It also operates flights from Marseilles and four other French airports, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes and Toulouse. In addition to the aforementioned regular service flights, the airline also operates chartered flights all year round on behalf of main French and European tour operators.

Being a home port of call, this opportunity increases brand marketing and creates a better diversification balance between stayover and cruise which is what all stakeholders should be working towards, Port St. Maarten Management said on Monday.

PHOTO CUTLINE: Delegations from Sint Maarten, and Pullmantur in a group photo with representatives from the Zenith Cruise Ship.
WILLEMSTAD:--- The Court in Curacao on December 20, 2016, rejected the request of R.G.K., R.M.R., and G.T.F. to prohibit the governor to sign their extradition to the United States of America. The Supreme Court decided on November 15, 2016, that the three suspects can be extradited to the USA where they are suspected of drug-related charges. They filed a civil injunction (civiele kort geding) requesting to prohibit the Governor to sign their extradition, which was turned down by the court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor's Bulletin
Universal PR Supports Sector 5 with Market Intelligence Providers

HENDERSON, NV  (Marketwired)  12/19/16  Universal PR announced today that Data Aggregators were Lagging in Updating Vital Information about Sector 5 on the Top Broker Dealers Trading Platforms utilizing market intelligence databases, which seems like a contradiction in terms.

Sector 5, Inc. (OTCQB: SFIV) is addressing investors concerns that critical company profile updates are not being reflected on trading platforms and market research sites. Data is centralized at the SEC but data aggregators are not meeting the standards for quality, accuracy, and timeliness that are a necessity in Sector 5s marketplace.

Various trading platforms and market data research providers have outdated and incorrect information about Sector 5. The Company reiterates that the SEC updated its SIC Code to 3571 Electronic Computers in August 2016. Many of our press releases and other current information was not updating on many trading platforms, creating confusion and concern in the marketplace, said Roger McKeague, Sector 5s CEO. After pursuing many avenues to solve this issue, Reuters recommended changing our Stock Ticker Symbol. We also felt that a change to SFIV would more uniquely identify Sector 5, especially as we have expanded our relationship with Google which now includes two approved Chromebooks.

About: Sector 5, Inc. (OTCQB: SFIV), SIC Code 3571  Electronic Computers, is a Proud American Corporation, that sells, manufactures and develops new innovative consumer electronics under Sector 5  and other brands. The Company markets its Chromebooks to educational organizations, other B2B and B2C sales channels, with retail sales on Amazon. It is in development of several new products to serve the educational, business and retail markets.

For more information, please visit or follow on Facebook () and Twitter ().

About: Universal PR: UPR IS A LEADING COMMUNICATIONS MARKETING AGENCY. Follow on and find further information at

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release are forward-looking statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are based on current expectations that involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Our plans and objectives are based, in part, on assumptions involving judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions and future business and financial decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond our control. Although we believe that our assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove inaccurate and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this website will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein particularly in view of the current early stage of our operations and lack of sufficient financing, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a statement by us or any other person that our objectives and plans will be achieved. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in our periodic reports and other filings we make with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by federal securities law.

Media Relations:

Robert Kincade
Uniserve Increases Private Placement to 35,000,000 Units at $0.05 per Unit

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA  (Marketwired)  12/19/16  Uniserve Communications Corporation (TSX VENTURE: USS) (the Company) is pleased to announce that as a continuing part of the Board of Directors corporate restructuring plan, it has increased the private placement disclosed in its October 13, 2016 Press Release from 15,000,000 Units to 35,000,000 Units with each Unit consisting of one common share and one transferrable two year share purchase warrant exercisable at $0.05 per share during year one, and $0.06 per share during year two. Total proceeds of $1,750,000 will be used to satisfy the settlements disclosed in the December 7, 2016 Press Release and the balance for working capital. The placement is anticipated to close in the next thirty days and over half will be taken by management, employees and insiders of the Company. Cash fees of $25,500 and 4,216,000 warrants issued on the same terms and conditions as the Units, will be issued in consideration of this placement.

Uniserve Communications Corporation (TSX VENTURE: USS) is a leader in the integration and delivery of voice and data services over multiple IP networks directly and through wholesale partnerships to businesses and retail consumers throughout western Canada. In the B2B sector, Uniserve also offers services ranging from data storage, automatic file backups, managed service platforms, firewalls, application hosting and guaranteed constant internet connectivity, all backed by Vancouver based technical support. Uniserve currently has over 13,000 active business, residential and wholesale customers combined, providing over 45,000 active services. This news release was prepared on behalf of the Board of Directors, which accepts full responsibility for its contents. Learn more at or at .

Michael C. Scholz

Chairman of the Board

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Management has prepared this release and no regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. The statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward looking statements. Such statements are based on managements estimates, assumptions and projections using available information. Uniserve cautions that actual financial results could differ materially from the current expectations due to a number of factors.

Contacts:

Mr. Mark Stanton

604-395-3908
Continuous Software Innovation Convinced Novicell to Join the Searchmetrics Partner Program

Berlin, December 20, 2016  Searchmetrics, the leading global provider of an enterprise SEO and content marketing platform announced today that Novicell, an international digital agency, has joined the Searchmetrics partner program. The main reasons for the decision were the permanent innovation and development of the Searchmetrics Suite, and its excellent reputation in the SEO market.

The agency, which has offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Barcelona and London, is now a 4-star Ruby Partner, and will work with Searchmetrics to achieve the fundamental goals of the partner program:

 Improve customer satisfaction through the best possible qualification and certification under exclusive conditions in the Searchmetrics Academy

 Exchange best practices amongst experts within the partner network

 Expand existing customer relationships and acquire new customers through joint marketing activities

Novicells mission is it to deliver well thought-out digital solutions based on solid experience and facts. The team of 160 marketing specialists, developers, strategists and designers aims to create results by combining strategic and technical skills, and offers Novicells customers expert advice on how to put their recommendations into practice. To get accurate, useful information about new and existing customers, Novicell needs fresh and reliable data  and the Searchmetrics Suite delivers precisely that.

Our partnership has been perfect so far. We are getting all the help we ask for and we now have a larger and fresher set of data than ever before. The software has already helped us to acquire new customers, made it easier to keep track of existing customers and led to increased client satisfaction, says Henrik Rivera Hansen, Head of Online Marketing, Novicell.

The Searchmetrics partner program has four levels  Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald for

national and multinational agencies, and the Global Partner level for worldwide agency networks. To achieve a 4-star Ruby Partnership, it has been obligatory for at least three Novicell employees to demonstrate their expertise in using the Searchmetrics Suite via the Searchmetrics certification program. Another prerequisite is the successful completion of the additional sales certification for at least one employee. This sales certification helps the agency team to pitch successfully and efficiently, leading to new business acquisitions, as well as an increase in their lead conversion rates.

Novicell is now working with the Searchmetrics Suite and its ranking and performance data for new and existing customers. The software has made the pitching process much easier for their business development managers, and has provided the digital agency with a better view of their clients digital marketing performance. Also, the smart reporting feature has provided great added value for Novicell as it supports their daily work enormously and makes it easy to report success to their customers. The Searchmetrics SuiteTM is already paying off  we can see a positive effect on our business success as the platform enables us to be even more proactive and effective, Henrik states.

Our common interest in comprehensive and reliable Data, Value Creation for Clients and Innovation formed the basis for this new partnership and we are very happy to welcome Novicell as a Ruby Partner in our program, says Volker Smid, CEO, Searchmetrics.

Find out more about the Searchmetrics partner program here:
Frost & Sullivan Names CGS the 2016 Contact Center Outsourcing Services Company of the Year in Chile

NEW YORK, NY  (Marketwired)  12/20/16  , a global provider of business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services, today announced that it has been named . The annual award is presented to companies identified as industry leaders, delivering best practices in growth, innovation and leadership.

Frost & Sullivans global team of analysts and consultants conducted extensive primary and secondary research across the entire value chain to determine its Company of the Year award recipients. It evaluates companies on two key factors: Visionary innovation and performance as well as customer impact. Analyst insight regarding CGS noted its ability to:

Respond to shifts in customer behavior by bringing advanced use of technology, Big Data analysis, process improvement and innovation to the market

Leverage its international expertise to serve local and global customers

Utilize strong human resource practices to continuously develop skilled talent and provide high-quality services

Despite a challenging economy, there is a stable momentum in the Chilean contact center outsourcing services market, and CGS has surpassed its competitors performance by introducing global best practices and innovations to its clients, said Sebastian Menutti, digital transformation industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan. With its strong overall performance in the market, CGS has earned this recognition.

With thousands of multilingual, dedicated call center agents located in the U.S., Romania, Israel and Chile, CGS supports many of the worlds industry-leading brands, including retailers, healthcare providers, technology and telecom providers and hospitality brands. CGSs innovative, scalable and flexible include help desk solutions, technical support, customer care, sales and channel management, and finance and accounting.

We appreciate Frost & Sullivan recognizing CGS contact center outsourcing services as 2016 Company of the Year in Chile, said Phil Friedman, president and CEO at CGS. We are proud of the services we have built and developed in Chile, where we support local Chilean customers and provide Spanish-language support for our global customers. We look forward to continued growth and innovation in the Latin American market in 2017.

For over 30 years, CGS has enabled global enterprises, regional companies and government agencies to drive breakthrough performance through business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services. CGS is wholly focused on creating comprehensive solutions that meet clients complex, multi-dimensional needs and support clients most fundamental business activities. Headquartered in New York City, CGS has offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. For more information, please visit and follow us on Twitter at @CGSinc and @OutsourcingCGS and on .

Company Contact:

LEWIS for CGS

Shannon Felder

202-507-4714
Pegasus3 SYMPLY EDITION Is Now Available

TORRANCE, CA  (Marketwired)  12/20/16  Symply, Inc., a global provider of high-performance digital storage solutions, announced today that the Promise Technology Pegasus3 SYMPLY EDITION RAID storage system is now available. This jointly developed Promise and Symply, Inc., desktop RAID solution features lightning-fast 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt3 performance, full RAID protection, and the powerful SymplyGO storage management suite. This next-generation desktop system is the perfect solution for creative professionals generating high-resolution video and rich media content on Mac and Windows systems.

The Pegasus3 SYMPLY EDITION is available in three models: the Pegasus R4, Pegasus R6, and Pegasus R8, delivering four, six, and eight drive configurations of RAID storage. Each system is tested, performance tuned, and will be ready to go right out of the box for desktop users, such as the all-new Apple MacBook Pro, with a 1m 40 Gb/s Active Thunderbolt3 cable. The inclusion of dual Thunderbolt3 port enables high-speed connectivity at throughput rates up to 40 Gb/s  twice the speed of Thunderbolt2  as well as the ability to connect up to six daisy-chained devices.

We are constantly working to transform the way creative professionals work, providing them with one of the fastest and easiest to use desktop RAID storage systems on the market, said Alex Grossman, president and CEO of Symply, Inc. Now that the Pegasus3 SYMPLY EDITION is available, users of the all-new MacBook Pro can realize its full power and start transitioning toward larger, shared creative user workflows to speed up content creation.

The Pegasus3 SYMPLY EDITION includes a three-year warranty, tech support, and 24/7 online media and creative user support worldwide. The Pegasus3 SYMPLY EDITION lineup is available at select resellers, on the Apple online store (), and at select Apple Retail stores.

For more information, contact Symply, Inc., at or call 1-866-38-SYMPLY (796759).

Symply, Inc. creates high-performance digital storage for media creators and content owners, from the single editor to an entire facility. As a privately held, employee-owned company with locations in Los Angeles, New York, and London, Symply blends intuitive, user-friendly software with rock-solid engineering to move storage from a need to a want.

Product and company names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Jeff Nicosia

Executive Creative Director

Tel: +1 310 701 2987

Email:

Netra Ghosh

202 Communications

Tel: +1 801 349 2840

Email:
4th QT Will Mark Best Revenue Year for Pure with Strong Turnaround and Steady Anticipated Growth

LAS VEGAS, NV  (Marketwired)  12/20/16  (OTC PINK: PNOW), parent Company of the Central American-Caribbean Online Travel Agency (OTA) and Numismatic Specialty Store (s) announced today, that the Company has outpaced 2015 4th quarter revenues (generated during test of the online booking engine) and anticipates closing out 2016 with the strongest revenue seen by the Company.

Management anticipates revenue growth to continue at a steady pace well into 2017. Also, Meso Numismatic offers Pure both high margin sales and low cost marketing. This should aggressively drive the Central American-Caribbean tourism model for Pure. Management strongly believes Meso is the impetus its region specific, online search and booking engine needed, to draw mass attention to it.

From a percentage stand point, our acquisition of Meso Numismatics immediately increased the years revenue by 280%, said Melvin Pereira, President and CEO. Whats more exciting, is that we will likely close out the year earning more than we did in 2015, and in a shorter period.

Whats even more exciting than that, is the consistency in which revenue is generated daily. We have an extremely low cost of goods and the strong potential for fast scalability is high. We can honestly grow Pure into a multi-million-dollar business based on the revenue potential of Meso Numismatics alone. The proof is in the daily ring of our cash register. The fact is, it fits well into a tourism model, as a low-cost marketing tool, which only adds to its incredible value and the overall viability of our promoting tourism and economic growth to this region of Latin America.

Management anticipates Meso Numismatics will quickly grow its original inventory from $50,000 to roughly $500k within 2017; still maintaining access to over $3M in inventory provided through its affiliated partnerships. The numismatic subsidiary, which is currently retailing items for between $6 and $1,000 per item, has even made a splash in media; landing front page on the areas number one online-based paper, . While management is keenly focused on generating revenue through a low-cost, scalable model, there is a true revenue worthy synergy between the numismatic enthusiast and a tourist. Its referred to as the Numismatourist.

Mr. Pereira continued, Its true. There is even a book titled, The Numismatourist: The Only Worldwide Travel Guide to Museums, Mints, and Other Places of Interest of the Numismatist. Just like in , travelers seeking rare and interesting pieces from Central America, are excited to travel to the region for that specific purpose. We just happen to offer both! Rare numismatics and exotic places to stay. While this is just one means to market tourism to this region of Latin America, its a different, low-cost and untapped method not utilized by our would be competitors in either industry.

So, we expect with a finely tuned next iteration of Oveedia [circa 2017], designed purely for Central American bookings and driven by our new cash generating marketing tool, shareholders will finally see the benefit of all the work we committed to over the past two years of clean-up. Im confident in saying, although there continues to be more work to do, the turn around of PNOW is real, its here and it is now.

To visit Meso Numismatics store, please visit .

PURE provides proprietary technology, marketing solutions and branding services to hotel operators and condominium owners. The Companys vision is to build competitive operations in the areas of (i) online marketing and hotel internet booking engine services, (ii) hotel branding and, (iii) own, operate and in some instances develop, boutique hotels under the new, by PURE brand. PURE is the creator of , the online travel hub.

Safe Harbor Statements in this news release that are not historical facts, including statements about plans and expectations regarding products and opportunities, demand and acceptance of new or existing products, capital resources and future financial results are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause the Companys actual results in future periods to differ materially from those expressed. These uncertainties and risks include changing consumer preferences, lack of success of new products, loss of the Companys customers, competition and other factors discussed from time to time in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Citizens Bank is now accepting applications from nonprofits for financial literacy services that help consumers manage their money better.

Through Jan. 20, 2017, organizations throughout the banks 11-state footprint  New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio and Michigan  are invited to submit an application for funding as part of the banks Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money financial literacy initiative.

Eligible financial literacy activities include: Basics of banking and asset building; Budgeting; Homeownership counseling; Foreclosure prevention; Credit management and repair programs; and, Financial management for small businesses.

In 2016, Citizens awarded 77 nonprofit organizations more than $1.35 million in contributions through Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money. The program also leveraged the financial expertise of Citizens bankers, included volunteer outreach by Citizens colleagues and a social media public service campaign that shared financial tips on Facebook and Twitter.

To be considered for funding, eligible nonprofits in the communities served by Citizens Bank should submit an online application by Jan. 20, 2017. Recipients will be announced in March 2017. For more information on nonprofit programs and services that may qualify for funding, or how to submit an application, visit: http://www.citizensbank.com/community/financial-literacy.aspx.
Authorities say the couple was not aware of dog's death and that police were looking to interview them.
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SAN FRANCISCO  Life has left its mark just about everywhere on this verdant planet.

Earth's environment not only shapes those life-forms that evolve, but the planet actually evolves and changes in response to those organisms. So if life is lurking on Mars, researchers need to look for evidence of life modifying Red Planet habitats, Nathalie Cabrol said here on Dec. 14 at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union's Carl Sagan Lecture.

"It's only recently we understood not only that the environment changes, but [also] life has an impact on how the environment can change," said Cabrol, who is a senior research scientist and director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute in California, and who gave the lecture.

However, looking for evidence of changes caused by life-forms won't be easy, Cabrol said. Any exploration on Mars needs to look at the right scale to find evidence of life modifying its habitat, she said. [7 Most Mars-Like Places on Earth]

Habitability versus habitat

Recent voyages to Mars have yielded fairly conclusive evidence that the Red Planet harbors theoretically habitable areas, such as the Gusev and Gale craters. For instance, chemical exploration has revealed that at different points in Martian history, the planet had an abundance of the building blocks of life, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrochloric acid and methane, Cabrol said. River deltas and ancient tsunami deposits reveal that Mars had a water column and even, briefly, a primeval ocean. Rock weathering and hydrothermal geological activity may have provided the necessary chemical energy for life, she said.

But simply being habitable is very different from actually having a habitat, she said.

"Our planet is bio-obvious," Cabrol said. When looking from space signatures of life everywhere are visible everywhere, Cabrol said. "There is a strong message from our planet: 'I am alive.'"

By contrast, Mars is also sending a strong message that life has not made a large impression on the Red Planet, she said.

Brief window of opportunity

Evidence suggests that the Martian atmosphere was declining as early as 4.1 billion years ago, and any surface water likely dried up long ago. With a thin atmosphere, bombardment by deadly cosmic radiation and likely no modern flowing water, any life that emerged on Mars likely did so very early on in the planet's history, during a time known as the Noachian period (from 4.1 billion to 3.7 billion years ago), Cabrol said. If that life is still hanging on, it likely went deep underground, where it is protected from Mars' current harsh environment, she said. [Boron Found On Mars For First Time By Curiosity Rover | Video]

"The window of time was very small," Cabrol said.

To understand what kind of Martian life-forms to look for, researchers need to understand the best Earth-based analog to the Martian Noachian period. This is Earth's Archean eon, between 4 billion and 2 billion years ago. During that period, all life on Earth consisted of primitive, single-celled creatures that lacked nuclei.

At that time, microbial mats of cyanobacteria living in shallow pools of water trapped grains of sediment to build up a kind of rock housing. Huge expanses of bulbous rock structures billions of years old have been found on Earth. Other primitive forms of life burrowed around in hydrothermal vents, creating signature cone-shaped structures, Cabrol said.

Earth analogs

Another way to determine what to look for is to find the most Martian-like places on Earth. The hyper-arid, high-altitude Atacama Desert, which, gets just 0.6 inches (15 millimeters) of rainfall a year but used to be much wetter, is exposed to punishing ultraviolet radiation and has active geothermal features such as hot springs.

"If you want to find the microbe, you have to become the microbe. Very early on, you need to shelter  you need to adapt and you need to survive," Cabrol said. Microbes would also have to "organize around oases and organize a lot faster."

These Martian oases could be similar, in some ways, to the evaporating lakes, salt flats and hot springs of the Atacama, Cabron said.

Ancient creatures in these Martian environments would likely be extremophiles or superbugs that are highly adaptive, and are possibly very quick to form symbiotic communities, Cabrol said.

While structures that could provide microbial habitats might be found on Mars, researchers will have to know where to look in the first place, Cabrol said. They won't get many opportunities to sample in many places, she said. Finding the tools with the resolution to identify those habitats will also be challenging, Cabrol added.

However, drones that can fly up and down to image the area at different scales could reveal some of the fine detail that provides clues for ancient life, she said.

And some tools already heading out on the Mars 2020 mission could reveal evidence of potential habitats. For instance, Cabrol showed images of Gusev Crater. Pictures of that feature initially lacked the resolution to reveal any evidence of habitat. But after looking at the light spectra reflected, "The spectra are telling us this is something that could be related to hydrothermal activity and constructs," Cabrol said. "There's only one way of knowing  it's to go back."

Original article on Live Science.
Mimas, one of Saturn's moons, seems to be on a collision course with the planet's rings. No fear though, it's simply an illusion in this image snapped by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

Collision course!  or not. Saturn's battered moon Mimas appears to be headed for a crash through the planet's trademark rings, but it's all an optical illusion seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

While it looks as if Mimas is about to smash into Saturn's rings, the moon is actually 28,000 miles (45,000 kilometers) away. "There is a strong connection between the icy moon and Saturn's rings, though," NASA officials wrote in a description of the image, which the agency released Monday (Dec. 19). "Gravity links them together and shapes the way they both move."

Mimas, which is less than 250 miles (400 kilometers) in diameter, creates ripples in Saturn's rings with its gravity, NASA officials added. This disruption separates the A and B rings, an event called the Cassini Division. [Photos: Saturn's Glorious Rings Up Close]

This image, taken on Oct. 23, with a green filter from Cassini spacecraft's narrow-angle camera from a distance of 114,000 miles (183,000 kilometers), looks toward the anti-Saturn hemisphere of Mimas. The scale is 3,300 feet (1 kilometer) per pixel.

Launched in 1997, the Cassini mission is a cooperative project of NASA and the European and Italian space agencies. In addition to NASA's Cassini spacecraft, the mission also sent ESA's Huygens probe to Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in January 2005.

Cassini has collected amazing amounts of data about the Saturn (and its rings and moons) over the years. The spacecraft began the grand finale of its mission at the end of 2016, and will eventually end its mission with a death dive into Saturn itself on Sept. 15, 2017.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Original story posted on Space.com.
On November 17, 1970 the Soviet Luna 17 spacecraft landed the first roving remote-controlled robot on the Moon. Known as Lunokhod 1, it weighed just under 2,000 pounds and was designed to operate for 90 days while guided by a 5-person team on planet Earth at the Deep Space Center near Moscow, USSR. Lunokhod 1 actually toured the lunar Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) for 11 months in one of the greatest successes of the Soviet lunar exploration program.

Lunokhod 1 was the first successful rover to explore another world. It arrived on the moon on Nov. 17, 1970, upon the Luna 17 lander. Driven by remote-control operators in the Soviet Union, it travelled more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) in just 10 months. By comparison, it took the Mars Opportunity rover about six years to reach the same milestone.

Part of the space race

In the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a "space race" to send humans to the moon first, in part as a way of showing technological prowess to the world. This resulted in a series of space-related firsts on both sides, such as the first human in space (Soviet Union), first two- and three-person ships in space (Soviet Union), first docking in space (United States) and the ultimate arrival of the first crew on the moon in 1969 (United States).

The Soviet Union had pinned its hopes of a manned moon landing on the Zond rocket. However, following a series of test failures, including a deadly launch pad explosion in 1968, the Soviet Union focused on other moon programs instead. Among them was robotically landing a probe on the moon, and operating a rover remotely.

Soviet successes at the moon included Luna 3 (which took the first pictures of its far side in 1959), Luna 9 (which made the first soft landing on the moon in 1966, three years before Apollo 11's human landing) and Luna 16 (which returned samples from the moon in 1970). The next in the series, Luna 17, carried a rover for remote operations.

The Soviet Union's remote-controlled Lunokhod 2 moon rover traveled 23 miles (37 kilometers) across the lunar surface in 1973  still the record for greatest distance traveled on the surface of another world. (Image credit: NASA)

Landing and deployment

Luna 17 launched successfully on Nov. 10, 1970, and made it to lunar orbit five days later. It soft-landed in the Sea of Rains, and Lunokhod 1, the rover it carried onboard, descended a ramp to the lunar surface.

"Lunokhod 1 was a lunar vehicle formed of a tub-like compartment with a large convex lid on eight independently powered wheels," NASA wrote in a summary of the mission. "Lunokhod was equipped with a cone-shaped antenna, a highly directional helical antenna, four television cameras, and special extendable devices to impact the lunar soil for soil density and mechanical property tests."

The rover was solar-powered by day and relied on thermal energy from a polonium-210 radioisotope heater to survive the nighttime cold, when temperatures reached minus 150 degrees Celsius (minus 238 Fahrenheit). Because the moon always has one side facing the Earth, this means that daylight on most spots on the surface lasts about two weeks. Night is also two weeks long. The rover was designed to last three lunar days. It exceeded its operational projection, lasting for eleven lunar days; operations ceased on Oct. 4, 1971, which was exactly 14 years after the Soviet Union's first satellite, Sputnik, reached Earth orbit.

By the time the mission ended, Lunokhod 1 travelled roughly 10.54 kilometers (6.5 miles), sending back 20,000 TV pictures and 200 TV panoramas, according to NASA. The rover also did more than 500 lunar soil tests.

Lunokhod 1 in its final parking spot. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) obtained images of the landing site in 2010. (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

Lunokhod 1's legacy

The success of Lunokhod 1 was repeated with Lunokhod 2 in 1973, which eventually drove approximately 37 kilometers (22.9 miles) on the lunar surface. It would take the Opportunity rover more than a decade to reach that same milestone on Mars.

The Lunokhod 1 landing site has been imaged by NASA's high-resolution lunar spacecraft, called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. For example, pictures from 2012 clearly show the lander, the rover and its lunar tracks. [Related: Lost Soviet Reflecting Device Rediscovered on the Moon]

The rover's retroreflector registered an especially striking "bounce" in 2010 when scientists tried to send a laser signal to it, showing that it hadn't degraded from lunar dust or the elements. Lasers have been used to measure the exact distance from the Earth to the moon, principally using lasers from the Apollo missions.

After Lunokhod 2, no other mission soft-landed on the surface until the Chinese space program sent Chang'e 3 and its rover, Yutu. The pair landed in December 2013. While Yutu could not move after its second lunar night, the rover remained alive far past its operational lifetime before stopping 31 months into the mission  far surpassing the previous record.

Additional resources
This compressed view of the entire sky visible from Hawai'i by the Pan-STARRS1 Observatory is the result of half a million exposures, each about 45 seconds in length, taken over a period of 4 years.

Call it a cosmic Wikipedia: A massive catalog of astronomical data collected over four years using one of the largest digital cameras ever built is now available to scientists around the world.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System, or Pan-STARRS, began observing the night sky in 2010, using a 1.8-meter telescope at the summit of Haleakala, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. In four years, the telescope scanned about three-quarters of the visible sky 12 times (using five different light filters), gradually registering about 3 billion unique objects, according to the project collaborators.

The newly released catalog is the world's largest digital sky survey to date, according to a statement from the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy, the project's headquarters. The catalog consists of 2 petabytes of data (2 million gigabytes), which is about 100 times the total content of Wikipedia. In addition to making the data freely available, the project collaborators have spent years making the catalog easy for other scientists to use. [The 100BestSpace Photos of 2016]

One of the key objectives of Pan-STARRS (and of many other survey projects) is to look for short-term changes in the night sky. By comparing the images of the same section of the sky taken on different dates (or over multiple dates), scientists can look for small changes, such as objects moving or changing in brightness. With this method, Pan-STARRS has already helped identify a new comet and multiple near-Earth asteroids. (Pan-STARRS set a record by finding 19 new asteroids in a single night).

A zoo of cosmic objects

The Pan-STARRS1 Observatory in Hawaii. (Image credit: Rob Ratkowski)

This data set (which is being called the Pan-STARRS1 Surveys) can be used in an incredibly wide range of applications, partly because of the variety of objects it has identified. Those objects include stars, galaxies, asteroids, objects in the Kuiper Belt (the outer region of the solar system that includes Pluto), planets around other stars, gas clouds, quasars (massive galaxies in the early universe with monster black holes at their centers), the remains of stellar explosions, white dwarfs (nuggets of hot material left over after some stars die), and brown dwarfs (stars that haven't achieved fusion and ignited).

The time variability of the Pan-STARRS data also opens many different doors for astronomers in addition to identifying moving asteroids and objects in the Kuiper Belt, the temporal aspect of the data lets scientists observe the general movement of various objects, and in some cases makes it possible to create a 3D view of a region of the sky.

"Pan-STARRS also has given us an unprecedented view of the dynamic and transient nature of astronomical phenomena," Edo Berger, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, another collaborating institution, said in the same statement. "Our group discovered and studied new types of supernova explosions and the disruptions of stars by supermassive black holes from the Pan-STARRS data."

The Pan-STARRS collaboration includes 10 research institutions in four countries, with support from NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF). A joint statement from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, (two of the collaborating institutions) praised other science opportunities that have arisen from Pan-STARRS. Those include a census of stars, brown dwarfs and white dwarfs extending to distances of "about 300 light-years" from Earth's sun, and profiles of the light coming from "about 4 million Jupiter-like planets" orbiting closely around relatively cool stars known as red dwarfs. Scientists have used Pan-STARRS data to study dark matter in the Andromeda galaxy, and map the stars and dust in the Milky Way "to a level of detail never achieved before."

In addition to collecting all that data, the Pan-STARRS collaborators have spent the last few years making it easy to use.

"For the past three years, we put much effort into checking the quality of the data and defining the most useful structure for the catalogue," Roberto Saglia, who led the Pan-STARRS participation at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, said in the statement. "We  thought a lot about how best to combine the individual observations and how to present the relevant information for each type of objects."

The catalog's data is being released in two separate parts; the first part is called the "Static Sky," and provides a map of the sky that is averaged over the telescope's 12 scans of the sky. In 2017, a second data set will be released, containing data from each individual scan of the sky.

Editor's Note: This article previously stated that the Pan-STARRS catalogue consisted of 2 billion petabytes of data; it consists of 2 petabytes.
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. is moving the historic Apollo 11 command module Columbia to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia for its first conservation in 40 years.

Drivers in the Washington, D.C. area may soon catch sight of one of the United States' most historic spacecraft and not even know it.

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum is now organizing to move Columbia, NASA's Apollo 11 command module that flew Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on the first moon landing mission, to the museum's restoration facility at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia. There, the space capsule will undergo a six-month conservation to be ready for its next exhibition.

In preparation for the upcoming move  Columbia's first departure from the Air and Space Museum in 40 years  conservators have wrapped the iconic spacecraft in layers of protective padding and plastic. As such, when the truck carrying it does hit the road, only the shape of the capsule may hint at its identity. [Photos: NASA's Historic Apollo 11 Moon Landing]

Columbia, the Apollo 11 command module, is moved into a closed gallery at the National Air and Space Museum so it can be prepared for its departure to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. (Image credit: Smithsonian)

"They'll think it is a big Hershey's Kiss," joked Allan Needell, Columbia's curator at the National Air and Space Museum, in an interview with collectSPACE.

From July 1976 until August 2015, the command module was prominently displayed as part of the museum's central Milestones of Flight Hall . It was then moved the short way into the Space Race Hall, where a team of specialists used state-of-the-art technology to scan Columbia's interior and exterior to create a high-resolution, digital 3D model.

Now, with its delivery to the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center, conservators will have the chance to thoroughly document its condition and arrest some of its ongoing degradation as a result of Columbia's splashdown from the moon almost half a century ago.

"There are some indications there is still some salt water contamination, which is continuing to have some effect, so that can be ameliorated," described Needell. "Some of the exterior heat shield is continuing to scrape off, so that can be stabilized."

Most of the conservation work, though, will be focused on research.

"The conservation is mostly documentation," said Needell. "Some research as to the [spacecraft's] original materials, paints and coatings."

The effort is to ensure that Columbia is ready to go back on permanent display at the Air and Space Museum as a centerpiece of its new Apollo-focused gallery, "Destination Moon," slated to open sometime around 2020. The gallery, which is replacing the original second-floor gallery, "Apollo to the Moon," will also feature Neil Armstrong's Apollo 11 spacesuit , which is also now undergoing a conservation at the Udvar-Hazy.

"The design [of 'Destination Moon'] is coming along quite well," said Needell. "I'm really, really happy with how that is all coming together."

In the interim, after its conservation is complete, Columbia may travel some more. The Smithsonian confirmed reports that it is planning to tour with the spacecraft to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 2019.

"We are trying to organize a tour. The number of stops and venues is still to be determined," said Needell. "A formal announcement will come next year."

As for the schedule of Columbia's pending transport to the Udvar-Hazy, the Smithsonian does not publicize the exact dates when it moves artifacts. So, "soon" is the best that can be said.

"We'll announce when it is there, but the move itself will be done privately so as to not draw a lot of attention," Needell said.

The Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy features large overhead viewing windows from which the public can see inside, so Columbia will remain visible as it being conserved.
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The Montana Land Board voted unanimously on Monday to approve a controversial land swap between a private company and the state near Twin Bridges.

Swift River Investments (formerly the Seidensticker Ranch and Hamilton Ranches), offered 861.28 acres of land in Madison County and Butte-Silver Bow County, including 111 acres on the Big Hole River and 750 acres that will improve access to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

A total of 616 acres of state-owned land will be exchanged in Madison County, but its an 80-acre section on the Jefferson River that drew lengthy public comment at Monday's Land Board meeting.

Multiple organizations voiced their support for the exchange, which will bring in revenue for the school trust, increase public land access and boost economic development in nearby towns. However, numerous members of the Jefferson River Canoe Trail club were opposed to transferring the land to a private owner and said the land has a historical significance that should remain publicly accessible.

In 1805, Meriwether Lewis left a message for William Clark near the confluence of the Big Hole and Beaverhead rivers. His advice on which river was best to navigate with a canoe was left on a tree. A beaver cut down the tree, and Clark never received the message.

The Jefferson River Canoe Trail club, a chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, used the land just downstream from the confluence as a campsite, where members enjoyed the outdoors and acknowledged Lewis and Clarks voyage. Multiple representatives from the club voiced their concerns, saying the public is rapidly losing access to land in Montana, and in this case, an educational opportunity would be lost.

The trail is there to teach people about our nations history, said Katie Bump, Dillon, of the Lewis & Clark Heritage Foundation, said.

SRI says the 80-acre parcel of land isnt where the incident, known as Beaver Chew, took place.

The canoe club and SRI have been in negotiations since March 2015, but were unable to reach a solution before the board voted on Monday.

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation received the land exchange application from SRI in February 2015 to resolve trespassing issues and improve privacy. The 80-acre parcel is surrounded by SRI property, and is only accessible from the Jefferson River.

In June 2015, SRI offered to donate four acres of riverfront for camping to the Jefferson River Canoe Trail club, but it was refused in early September because of the poor condition of the site. SRI then proposed to title the 80 acres with deed restrictions prohibiting development and agreed to place a Lewis and Clark interpretive sign acknowledging the Beaver Chew incident at the confluence of the Beaverhead and Big Hole Rivers.

While negotiations were ongoing, the Land Board gave the land exchange preliminary approval in a 3-2 vote on Dec. 21, 2015.

The Jefferson River Canoe Trail club met twice with Skyline Sportsmen, a group advocating for the exchange, but didnt make any progress. The canoe club asked SRI to purchase 20 acres of land for sale on the Jefferson River, priced at $330,000. SRI denied the proposal, but offered seasonal access to a portion of the 80-acre parcel and a matching grant of $50,000 for the canoe trail club to acquire alternative land.

The canoe club rejected the last two offers. Because the 80-acre parcel is a navigable river, the DNRC will still own the riverbed. They will transfer 64 acres to SRI, none of which will be accessible to the canoe club.

Its a done deal now, said John Grassy, DNRC public information officer.

Proponents of the exchange celebrated the additional access that would come from acquiring SRI lands.

The SRI parcel will increase public access to the Big Hole River, but both river parcels are surrounded by private land and only accessible by water. Montanas Stream Access Law will allow the public to access the land in the same way they accessed the Jefferson River parcel.

No groups took issue with the exchange of the upper land parcels. The DNRC said their acreage isnt popular for recreation. The upper land offered by SRI will attract hunters and improve access by connecting tens of thousands of acres of Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and existing DNRC lands.

Madison County Commissioner Ron Nye said more land for hunting would have an economic benefit in Twin Bridges. Several outdoor stores will be able to extend their season to sell hunting equipment.

The exchange was also endorsed by two members of the Skyline Sportsmen Club; Vanna Boccadori, a wildlife biologist for Fish, Wildlife and Parks; and a representative from Trout Unlimited.

The project has been fully vetted, every criteria met, said Roy Morris of the George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Its a great deal and the right thing to do.

Auditor Monica Lindeen, who is a member of the Land Board, said she was disappointed the canoe club and SRI could not reach a better solution, but said she supported the swap because shes obligated to do whats best for the trust.

The Land Board is responsible for managing state-owned lands to generate the most revenue for schools in the state.

The two SRI parcels consist of 861.28 acres of grazing land, with an estimated annual income of $7,064.77. The two DNRC parcels would lose income of $2,935.50 from grazing, generating a net income of $4,129.27.

The state will also see a net gain in land value. SRI land has an appraised value of $1,471,780 and the DNRC land is worth $997,500.

Monday's meeting was the final one for Auditor Lindeen, Secretary of State Linda McCulloch and Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau. Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and Attorney General Tim Fox won re-election and will resume the meetings with three Republicans in January.
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The suspect arrested in Berlin on Monday night may not actually be the man responsible for the suspected terror attack on the Christmas market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

It could very well be, said German Federal Prosecutor Peter Frank in Berlin on Tuesday afternoon, "that the man taken into custody may not be the perpetrator or part of the group of perpetrators." He went on to say that it wasn't clear if the perpetrator was acting alone or as part of a group.
Seehofer has been fighting for months against Merkel's political course in the refugee crisis. He isn't just concerned about holding onto power in Bavaria, he is also worried about growing political competition on the right wing in the form of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD). Overnight, the AfD sought to gain momentum from the attack by directly blaming Merkel's policies for making it possible in the first place and with derisive comments in social networks.

Recently, the CDU and the CSU had been trying to patch up their relationship. A joint meeting of party leaders is currently scheduled for the beginning of February at which the Bavarian sister party is slated to announce its official support for Merkel's new candidacy for the Chancellery. But the attack could thwart these plans if Seehofer decides that recent reforms to tighten the country's asylum laws don't go far enough.

But even members of Merkel's CDU are agitated. Take Klaus Bouillon, the CDU interior minister for the state of Saarland, who first spoke of a "state of war" in describing Monday's attack and later tried to backpedal. "I will avoid using the term war in the future," he said, distancing himself from his own remarks. "It's terrorism."

'Not the Day for Consequences'

Seehofer's immediate call for political consequences following the attack did not go over well in Berlin. Thomas de Maiziere, the interior minister, provided an update on the investigation's progress on Tuesday and the CDU politician appeared to be choosing his words very carefully while doing so. "Let's not retreat," de Maiziere said in an appeal to the populace. "Don't let them control our lives with fear."

When asked for his response to Seehofer's demand, the interior minister grew taciturn. He pointed out that he would be visiting the scene of the attack later in the day together with the chancellor and the foreign minister and that he would be attending a worship service afterward. "Today," he said, "is not the day to be talking about consequences."

Later in the day, de Maiziere joined Merkel and her SPD colleague Frank Walter Steinmeier as they laid white roses at a make-shift memorial to the victims. As he did so, Seehofer and his government ministers in Bavaria prepared to call a special meeting of the cabinet Tuesday afternoon. The issue to be discussed: Germany's security and refugee policies.
A trailer for The Axe Murders of Villisca has been released online.



Originally posted by Bloody Disgusting , this paranormal thriller directed by Tony E. Valenzuela is set to be released on January 20, 2017. Check out the synopsis and trailer below.
For once there is some great news in behavioral health care, and it is the 21st Century Cures Act led through the Congress by the co-sponsorship of assisting bills by Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sen. Jon Tester, with the support of Sen. Steve Daines. Yes, the Montana delegation was all in, and the act passed the Senate Dec. 7 with bipartisan support.

While news coverage has been somewhat mottled in delivering a clear message about the act, it is legislation that rivals important advances that have been made over the past decade. For example, the Wellstone and Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, and then in 2014 the Affordable Care Acts expansion of mental health and addiction treatment commensurate with benefits for medical/surgical care. Some have argued that this act is the most important piece of legislation since Kennedys Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1963.

The seeds for thisact were sown by Representatives Murphy (PA) and Johnsons (FL), Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 (H.R. 2646), and Senators Murphy (CT) and Cassidys (LA) Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 (S. 2680). These bills were fashioned into what became the 21st Century Cures Act.

The American Psychological Association (APA), the APA Practice Organization and Montana Psychological Association have worked with legislators for four years to pass legislation that would provide essential prevention services, treatment for populations in need and support for research, education, and training. Although the Cures Act is not a perfect solution, we believe that it takes important and necessary steps to improve behavioral healthcare. This legislation was scheduled to be signed into law on Dec. 13 and would:

 Eliminate the Medicaid same day exclusion, which prohibits separate payment for mental health and primary care services provided to Medicaid enrollees on the same day. This change will especially benefit rural citizens.

 Strengthen the enforcement of mental health parity requirements by directing the Department of Health and Human Services to produce, in coordination with stakeholders, action plans for improved federal and state coordination, and to issue new guidance to health plans.

 Enhance mental health and substance use treatment for children and families, including reauthorizing the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to support children recovering from trauma, and support screening and treatment of maternal depression.

 Include provisions that address mental health issues in the criminal justice system, such as increased funding and new authority for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, law enforcement training, and alternatives to incarceration.

 Authorize the Minority Fellowship Program at $12.7 million to train culturally competent minority mental health professionals, reauthorize the Graduate Psychology Education Program at $15 million and include health service psychology programs and internships in a new $10 million demonstration grant.

 Provide $4.8 billion outside of the budget caps for initiatives at the National Institutes of Health for fiscal years 2017-2026, including $1.8 billion for cancer research, $1.56 billion for the BRAIN initiative and $1.4 billion for the Precision Medicine Initiative.

Michael R. Butz, Ph.D., is the federal advocacy chair for the Montana Psychological Association.
Thumbs up to 10-year-old Finn Murphy, who donated his birthday money to help pay for a protective vest for Loki, the Stamford Police Departments rookie police dog. Finn, the son of city firefighter Lt. Todd Murphy, contributed $100 to the successful fundraising effort of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons on Kirkham Place. The goal was to raise $1,200, but the Masons were able to present a check for $2,565.

Thumbs up to the report that Connecticuts unemployment rate in November dropped to 4.7 percent, the lowest the rate has been since October 2007. The Connecticut Labor Department said the state gained 2,100 jobs in November, easing the estimated loss of some 5,800 jobs in October. The number of unemployed state residents dropped by some 9,500 in November. There are 1,679,000 employed Connecticut residents.
L ondon tech start-up Ruuby, which enables beauty fans to book into salons at the press of a button, has secured backing from the former boss of luxury goods giant Bulgari.

Francesco Trapani is investing in the digital beauty concierge, together with his wife Lorenza Liechtenstein, the Evening Standard can reveal.

The undisclosed sum will help to grow the business which connects Londoners with 300 beauticians who offer manicures, massages and vampire facials  a treatment which injects blood back into the face to help renew the skin.

A-list fans of the app include model Suki Waterhouse and actress Anna Kendrick.

Trapani told the Standard: Ruubys approach of using disruptive technology and focusing on the on-demand sector, is an appealing one.

The firm was founded by 28-year-old Cambridge graduate Venetia Archer in 2014.

It is aiming to increase turnover of around 500,000 this year, to as much as 2.5 million by the end of 2017. Archer said: "We are a young company with great ambitions to develop our luxury beauty services offering across multiple fashion capitals..

Trapani, a great-grandson of the Italian jewellery retailers founder Sotirio Bulgari, led the businesss flotation in 1995 before it was sold to LVMH in 2011.
F lybe planes will use Heathrow for the first time from March, with the airlines chairman today hailing Londons dominance at the heart of the business community and hiring a new chief executive.

The regional carrier is taking over the slots relinquished by Virgin Atlantics now-defunct Little Red airline, and will operate more than 40 flights a week from Edinburgh and Aberdeen to Heathrows Terminal 2.

Chairman Simon Laffin said: A lot of people in London dont know Flybe very well. Were not present predominantly anywhere but City Airport  thats going to change.

Flybe has appointed aviation-industry veteran Christine Ourmieres-Widener as chief executive, joining on January 16.

The former boss of CityJet replaces Saad Hammad, who quit in October. She will be paid up to 800,000 a year  half of it as salary. She will also receive 120,000 to pay for her familys relocation from New York.
H edge fund chief Sir Michael Hintze has emerged as one of this years big winners after making $650 million (522 million) for his investors thanks to a resurgence in commodity prices.

The billionaire bosss $2.8 billion flagship CQS fund has chalked up a 30.2% return this year, according to figures seen by the Standard, making him top of Londons hedgie pack.

Hintze bet big that fears over Chinas downturn were overdone, buying into struggling commodity-driven assets. Other oil and gas-focused funds such as Majedies Tortoise and ex-Vitol man Pierre Andurands fund Andurand Capital rode a similar wave, up 24.3% and 14.4%.

But the commodity comeback has damaged others. Crispin Odeys flagship fund and Lansdowne Partners Developed markets fund bet against stocks like Anglo-American and Glencore respectively and are off 47.1% and 16.6% respectively. AHL Diversified, one of Mans best known futures fund, is also off the pace but AHL's range of other funds are holding up.
T HE London Stock Exchange has agreed in principle to sell its French clearing arm to Paris-based Euronext in a bid to head off opposition to its merger with the Germans.

The LSE, run by Frenchman Xavier Rolet, is in exclusive talks to hive off its clearing business in Paris, LCH.Clearnet SA, amid concerns a 21 billion merger with Frankfurts Deutsche Borse will hurt smaller competitors.

LSE said it was selling the LCH.Clearnet SA to address proactively antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission.

The sale largely depends on whether competition commissioners are satisfied. If they block it, the LSE and Deutsche Borse could be forced to sell off further bits of their businesses.

Competition authorities in Brussels delivered a statement of objections to LSE and Deutsche Borse last week focusing on concerns over a concentration of power in clearing.

The French unit, originally known as Clearnet, merged with Londons LCH in 2003. LCH stands for London Clearing House and was formed in the 1880S and Clearnet, the French equivalent, was founded in 1969. Euronext operates the French, Belgian and Dutch stock markets and was seen as the obvious choice to buy the business despite reports that US rival CME was interested.

No price has been disclosed yet, although the unit had a mooted price tag of anything between 400 million (335 million) and 600 million.

Most of LCH.Clearnet SAs staff are based in Paris and it has little presence in London, which should make separation easier. The merger between LSE and Deutsche Borse has been backed by shareholders, although politicians across Europe have weighed into the debate about where the holding company should be based after Brexit.

Both sides have agreed it should be housed in London but German politicians say Frankfurt should be the base.
NORMAL  A local woman said a trip to a Normal pet store for an in-store promotional picture with Santa ended tragically in the death of her beloved dog.

Blair Bourret of Normal and her boyfriend, Kevin Hankemeier, took her 8-year-old white Maltipoo, Chloe Rose, and his dachshund, Fordo to the Petco store on Saturday at 1700 E College Ave., No. 1, Normal.

I had her dressed up with a bow tie on and she looked so cute, said Bourret. Anybody that knows me, knows how much I love her. I was so proud.

The store requires customers to pay for the pictures with Santa first, so the couple took their place in line at the cash register, they said.

While waiting, Chloe Rose was rushed by a yellow Labrador retriever, Bourret said.

A Petco manager accompanied Bourret to a veterinary hospital, but Chloe Rose died. While the smaller dog did not suffer any bite wounds, she suffered an injury during the confrontation and she went limp, Bourret said.

To some people, a dog is just a dog, Bourret said Monday. She was my best friend, my companion, my cheerleader. I dont have any children, and so, to me, it was like my child. She was there and helped me through some tough times the past few years.

McLean County Animal Control was contacted, as was the Normal Police Department. The case is under investigation, Police Chief Rick Bleichner told The Pantagraph on Monday.

We havent issued any paperwork yet, and are still trying to find some video to help clear up what might have happened, he said.

Bleichner said officials are trying to determine what kind of contact there was, if any, between the two dogs. While it is clear the Labrador was unleashed, the owner told police the leash was off because the dog was going to have its picture taken.

He told police he never saw his dog make contact with Bouret's dog.

In the police report, it indicates that the womans friend had to separate the two dogs, said Bleichner. But the owner of the Labrador said his dog approached the other dog and he saw the lady pull her dog away from him by the leash.

Chloe Roses neck may have been injured as the leash was pulled, and that is one of the working theories of what caused the death, Bleichner said, but the preliminary investigation has not proven that. The veterinarian report indicated that the dogs neck was broken, but exactly what caused it not yet known.

Bourret said the leash was attached to a chest harness, not a collar around the neck.

"So there is no possibility of yanking on her neck," she said.

The police investigation and Bourret confirmed there were no bite marks on Chloe Rose.

There was some blood coming from her mouth, Bourret said.

To get more insight into what happened, Bourret is taking Chloe Rose to the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana for a full necropsy, which is an autopsy of an animal.

But she is gone and I am just heartbroken, she said. She meant everything to me.

Bourret said she is contemplating legal action but is still gathering information.

Petco has a policy of allowing animals, including dogs, in their stores. The policy states that all visiting pets are required to be appropriately restrained on a leash/tether or carrier.

At Petco, the safety and well-being of people and pets in our stores is always our top priority, said Stephanie Wilson, from the Corporate Communications and Public Relations Department at Petco. Leashed pets are always welcome and incidents like this are extremely rare. In this situation, a pet was off-leash against our policy when Chloe was injured. Were heartbroken over her untimely passing and our thoughts are with her family during this difficult time. We are in close contact with Chloes pet parent and are cooperating with local authorities investigating this matter.

The owner of the Labrador, who has not been identified, could face leash law ordinance violations, Bleichner said.

We will look into the process of a dangerous dog violation, because if a dog approaches in a dangerous or reckless manner, then there are penalties for that, but there are a couple of things that we have to research first, he said.
F orty years ago this month I set up my own business from a small bureau de change in Southampton Row near the British Museum. I had no idea how it would develop into a global business. In that time, exceeding all my expectations, Travelex became the worlds largest retailer of foreign exchange.

I remember the early days in December 1976 so vividly. It was both thrilling and daunting to be running my own show. The working hours were long and, as I was working on my own, I would have to shut the shop to go to the toilet in the hotel next door. My first Christmas Day was spent in the shop, though I was lucky to have my wife bring me lunch.

The passage of time has not dampened my enthusiasm or entrepreneurial drive. I have both helped set up a number of other businesses and to nurture budding entrepreneurs. In the charity sector I chair The Princes Trust, which helps young people set up businesses. A higher quantity and quality of entrepreneurship is vital for the health of our economy. Last year a record 600,000 companies were created in the UK, a third of which were in London.

With 40 years of business activity behind me, what is my advice for would-be entrepreneurs? First: dont be put off by negative external conditions. When I think back to 1976 the UK was the sick man of Europe (the Government was forced to apply to the IMF for a loan). There were also exchange controls and even talk back then of a single European currency. Why would you start a foreign exchange business? Similarly, the uncertainty caused by Brexit has led some to turn their back on the risks of entrepreneurship. But sometimes we dwell too much on negatives  if we throw ourselves into something we can be pleasantly surprised at the results. Change can bring opportunity.

My second piece of advice is to stick with it. Creating something is one thing, keeping it going on a path of growth is another. Developing a business requires tenacity and resilience. I had to draw on these skills frequently at Travelex, when it would have been easier to throw in the towel. We fought two refusals before finally being allowed to tender to be the currency exchange provider at Heathrows then new Terminal 4 building in 1986. Arguably this was our lift-off moment. Perseverance is useful in other walks of life besides business. When President Obama was interviewed last year by Bear Grylls he emphasised the importance of persistence in leadership.

Third, I would encourage entrepreneurs with an idea for a product or service to think not only about the domestic market but also overseas opportunities. The UK has voted to leave the EU, which will make it all the more important that we look around the world for trading opportunities. As things stand just 11 per cent of British companies export, so we have a lot of ground to make up.

These three attributes will stand any aspiring entrepreneur in good stead. The UK, and London in particular, excels at entrepreneurship. According to a recent survey we are the fifth most entrepreneurial country in the world.

Turn back the clock 40 years, to when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak designed and sold their first computer. Now Apple is the worlds largest company. When you start with a business idea you never know where it will end up.

Lloyd Dorfman CBE is an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder and president of Travelex.
A mazing things happen. Westminster Abbey is building itself a new tower  the foundation stone was laid quietly last week by the Prince of Wales. Not since Hawksmoor slapped his pseudo-Gothic towers onto the west front in 1745 has anyone dared such a venture on so hallowed a building. Could this be the start of something new?

Admittedly almost no one will be able to see the structure. Designed by the abbeys architect, Ptolemy Dean, it is sandwiched at the back of the abbey between the Chapter House and Poets Corner. It will give access to the Abbeys upper triforium, for a new exhibition gallery. But the principle is important. Old buildings need to stay alive. If Hawksmoor thought he could improve on Henry III, we can too.

The abbey was technically a cathedral only under Mary I but everyone regards it as the cathedral of the nation. It is one of my favourites, a dotty old bag lady of a place, perpetually rustling through her aisles, chapels, cloisters and mausoleums, like a Dickensian character in search of a secret.

Nothing at Westminster seems quite right. When expected to host a coronation or a state funeral, it appears to protest the inconvenience, and is always crammed to bursting. I am still fascinated by the two nuns in sneakers who took precedence at the William-and-Kate wedding. What were they all about? (They were jokily rumoured to be CIA agents.) Did they live, I wondered, in the abbeys Little Cloister where, in the shadow of Parliaments mighty Victoria Tower, lies a tinkling fountain and the most tranquil spot in London.

The abbey triforium gallery runs around the top of the chancel, an expanse of unused, inaccessible medieval space. Dating from Henry IIIs 13th-century rebuilding, it is lit by the giant triangular tops of the chancel windows. To wander this space today is still to sense the presence of the departed monks, doing whatever they did up here, with plainsong rising from below.

From the apex of the triforium down into the abbey sanctuary and nave was the poet John Betjemans finest view in London, and a favoured camera angle during state ceremonies. It is to become an exhibition space for abbey treasures, in display cases which I pray will be as respectful of the Gothic setting as is Deans tower.

For many Londoners at Christmas  whether Christian or not  the choice has long been the same, whether to visit Westminster or St Pauls. When challenged, I waver. Who could not admire the majesty of Sir Christopher Wrens creation? Even if it no longer floats above the City, it can at least be seen waving frantically against the efforts of London politicians to drown it in an ocean of towers. The latest outrage is a Stratford Olympic legacy tower of luxury flats, casually ruining the famous view of St Pauls from Richmond. Imagine if this were Paris or Rome. In London, who cares?

St Pauls is anything but a bag lady. It is more a pompous baroque grandee. Its proportions are immaculate, its spaces elegant and its memorials arrayed in military precision. Not here the shambles of Poets Corner, rather a regiment of generals and admirals carried Heavenwards in the arms of naked angels  presumably their dying dream. Nelsons simple mausoleum has none of the medieval magic of Edward the Confessors shrine and its glorious honour guard of Plantagenet monarchs.

St Pauls is all poise and Handel. Westminster is a musty attic of a place. I have to opt for Westminster. I will never truly uncover its secrets.

These places are today huge attractions, to natives and tourists alike. They are no longer free to visit, both charging handsomely for entry. I see nothing wrong in this  they charged in the Middle Ages and must be paid for somehow. Westminsters triforium gallery, when it opens in a years time, will be one of Londons most exhilarating small museums.

At Christmas, Londons cathedrals  to which I add Southwark and the Roman Catholic Westminster in the canon  are never more magnetic. They have seen a surge in attendances that has risen steadily over the past decade. Christmas is clearly a moment when individuals and families turn away from shopping and seek the cultural bond of a great church and a great tradition.

Quite how the cathedrals should respond is harder to discern. Over the past two decades there has been a marked decline in parish church attendance, down by a third. But there has been an equally marked rise in attendance at cathedrals. Clearly there is something in todays cathedral that is missing in the average parish church.

One theory is that cathedrals are more anonymous. They are places where people can sit amid great splendour, listening to fine music with the privacy of their thoughts undisturbed. I was in a cathedral when the public address system boomed out a request that everyone stop and hear a prayer. It was fair enough  this was a church  but it felt like a rude intrusion. In a cathedral, a wise priest once told me, We try not to bang on about Jesus. A parish church is a clinging embrace, a cathedral is aloof.

To a non-worshipper these places are primarily about beauty and peace. They lift the spirit and, as Ruskin put it, offer a glimpse of the sublime. I therefore find it exciting that Westminster has the courage to add to its fabric, however modestly, in a style deferential to its original.

It is sad that, some years ago, the abbey rejected an offer by Andrew Lloyd Webber to pay to complete Hawksmoors proposed tower over the crossing, where there is still an ugly stump. It would have been a magnificent adornment of this great church.

Perhaps when the current tower is done, the next offer will be accepted?

Simon Jenkinss new book, Englands Cathedrals, is available in all London bookshops.
T he RMT and Aslef are making a tactical mistake by fighting the changes to the rail system, and by doing so they are not protecting their workers.

The form of industrial action they encourage will only force the rate of change to be faster and to go further than the unions currently fear. As more of their members lose out to a greater degree, they will tend to lose faith in the unions claims that they protect their members.

Ultimately, as the coal miners, steelworkers and car makers found out, changes occur whether they are wanted or not. The rail unions are foolish to think that the same will not happen to them and the end result will be driverless and guardless trains, proven to be safe to run in the UK for more than 30 years.

David van der Lande

I have noticed in the past few weeks that as a result of the utterly poor service they have received on Southerns services, commuters have begun to turn on the unions rather than Southern rail or the Government.

It should be remembered that long before this dispute began, Southerns management of the line was already appalling. Trains were always delayed or cancelled, and when they did arrive they were vastly overcrowded.

To suggest that this has only happened because of the strike is beyond ridiculous. While I do not agree with all aspects of the strike, I cannot support the idea that Southern is a blameless party in this horrific situation.

Martin Clarke

The commuters protesting against the rail strike need to redirect their energies, not at Chris Grayling and Southern but at the divisive rail unions members and conductors.

They seem to be hell-bent on breaking Southern and bringing down the Government at the expense solely of commuters and rail users.

Whilst the unions have largely limitless funds to pay their members to remain on strike, this dispute will remain unresolved as their motive is not industrial but political.

The only crime the Government has committed is the failure to pass legislation to prevent the unions from imposing misery on customers and creating immense damage to the nation.

E W Parkman

Your leader [The South-East is at a standstill; it cant go on, Comment, December 13] overlooks a couple of significant points.

First, the erratic performance of Govia Thameslink Railway and Southern long predated the present industrial dispute. Second, the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has until now refused even to sit down with rail workers and their representatives. Lets hope that Mr Grayling begins to adopt a more co-operative approach.

Francis Prideaux

We must speak up for Aleppo refugees

I have been appalled by the recent attacks on civilians in Aleppo and I ask the Government to welcome a fairer share of refugees into Britain.

We hear stories of those fleeing persecution and feel compelled to act. It is time to challenge the anti-immigration sentiment that holds back the Government from offering the hand of friendship and sanctuary.

Paul Parker, Quakers in Britain

In the media coverage of Aleppo, we only hear about whats happening the east of the city  never the west. And yet, in this part of the city I have visited, a catastrophe is unfolding.

Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart, our project partner in western Aleppo, has been told to evacuate his cathedral complex. There was a bombing raid in his district which left 58 people dead and more than 120 injured in just one day. Last week, we received testimony from two children in west Aleppo, Jean-Paul and Syline, both aged 10, who have lost friends and struggle to eat or sleep because of the war.

It is time we hear these childrens cries for peace by speaking out for western Aleppo as well as the east.

John Pontifex, Aid to the Church in Need

Restaurants need Mays helping hand

We know Theresa May appreciates the contribution of the hospitality industry but we are not sure the Government understands the commercial pressures we face. We pay millions of pounds in VAT, business rates, national insurance and other taxes. In other countries, taxes are cut for the hospitality sector.

The weak pound has led to food costs increasing by about five per cent. Those of us with central London sites have seen rents soar and an increase of 30-40 per cent in business rates. Our industry is also penalised because restaurants and pubs have to charge 20 per cent VAT. The Government also wants a new apprenticeship tax and increase the National Living Wage to 7.50 next year and towards 9 by 2020. We back this  we want to pay our people well. However, labour costs represent around 30 per cent of our revenue and we need balance elsewhere in the tax regime to do that.

We want to tell the PM of the anxiety over our sector if we lose significant numbers of our teams, many of whom come from Europe. We want her to consider a reduction in VAT, extending transitional relief on business rates or reducing national insurance contributions.

John Vincent, CEO and co-founder of LEON

Henry Dimbleby, co-founder, London Union

Jonathan Downey, co-founder, London Union

Mark Selby and Thomasina Miers, co-founders, Wahaca

Luke Johnson, chairman, Patisserie Holdings

Steve Richards, CEO, Casual Dining Group

Robin Rowland, CEO, Yo! Sushi

Gerry Ford, CEO, Caffe Nero

David Campbell, CEO of Wagamama

Jens Hofma, CEO, Pizza Hut Restaurants

Simon Kossoff, co-founder, Carluccios

Richard Hodgson, CEO, Pizza Express

Chaker Hanna, chief executive, Levant Group

Andy McCue, CEO , The Restaurant Group PLC

Jeremy Roberts, CEO, Living Ventures Group

James Horler, CEO, 3Sixty Restaurants Ltd

Jason Myers, CEO, Busaba Eathai

Chris Hill, CEO, The New World Trading Company

Nick Collins, CEO, Loungers

Alex Reilley, co-founder, Loungers

Ajith Jayawickrema, founder and director, Turtle Bay Restaurants

Richard Bigg, managing director, Camino

Council tax rise will not solve problems

The Governments changes to council tax and the social care precept are just a temporary fix  the increase to three per cent over the next two years does not mean extra funding. The Government has also missed a chance to bring forward some of the 1.5 billion additional funding for social care through the Better Care Fund.

The Governments intention in allowing local authorities to increase council tax is to spread the financial burden of the nations rising social care bill. But this is not an easy decision for some councils in more deprived areas, as taxpayers may not be able to afford the rise.

The Government must invest in a robust social care system that caters for all, based on need, not geography.

Paul Dossett, head of public sector, Grant Thornton
G emma Arterton has told how she went on a pilgrimage to Joan of Arcs birthplace in preparation for playing the French heroine.

In a new production at the Donmar Warehouse, the actress plays the teenage farm girl who was inspired by religious visions to lead her countrymen to victory over the invading English during the Hundred Years War before being betrayed and burnt at the stake in 1431 and becoming one of the patron saints of France.

She said: We had a weekend off during the rehearsals and I went to Domremy, where shes from, and I did the Jean trail. I went to the house she grew up in, went to Reims where she crowned the king, went to Orleans.

Arterton, 30, said the visit brought home Jeans status as a French national icon. She said: Going there, I realised she was a young girl, she was 17, and she was a real country girl. The fact she was an actual living person completely baffles me and that there was actual proof that she exists baffles me, so I guess that Ive been trying to find the real-life person.

Gemma Arterton in Donmar Warehouse's Saint Joan - Trailer

The actress said she was taken aback to be offered the lead role in the production of George Bernard Shaws Saint Joan, directed by the theatres artistic director Josie Rourke.

Arterton said taking on the character was a big reach: I can play strong characters, but there is something about Joan  shes very innocent and quite naive and I usually play quite knowing people.

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Ms Rourke praised her stars extraordinary quality, adding: Me and everyone else in the production would follow her into any battle. She has shown such leadership in a play about leadership.

The pair admitted they were planning to work together again, but would not reveal more.

Visit standard.co.uk/theatre for the latest news and reviews from Londons theatre scene

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L ast month I went to a wedding in Spain, because Im friends with cosmopolitan people. While there, we did all the usual stuff (speeches, getting so drunk over dinner that you cant manage dessert) but something else started happening, too. As with most parties I now go to, it became a festival of spontaneous games.

Case in point: I walked by a girl using a mop to show someone how double-jointed she was and, when I returned (from the bar, like a legend), there were 15 people clapping and yelling at two wedding guests trying to get said mop around their bodies without taking their hands off it. The girl, obviously, was refereeing.

We didnt know this girl, or most of the players, but theres nothing like a quick round of Can you get the mop around yourself to make you bond with strangers. Same with the spontaneous time-trialled hula hooping, hours later. And I met a cool guy during a round of Let's line up the inflatables and whoever gets to the other end of the pool without getting wet wins (there was a pool, because Im friends with rich people).

It wasn't just that wedding, though. Ive been invited to three murder mystery parties this year, and me and my uni friends rarely see each other when not dressed as 1920s gangsters for biannual evenings of Mafia (google it).

While theres not much in the way of spontaneous game research other than my own experience, there are signs. Firstly, sales of board games have increased year on year over the last decade or so. Secondly, there are board game restaurants cropping up across the UK, from Draughts in east London to The Crown in Hastings and Ludo Lounge in Bournemouth. So much more fun than yelling at each other across a packed gastropub. And talking of fancy pubs, its no longer the odd one that stocks board games on a Sunday; theyre all at it. Complete with couples Monopoly-ing their weekend tensions away.

Maybe it's because playing board games is a stress reliever. When playing, you just need to focus on the activity and, because it needs concentration, it grabs your attention and stops you worrying about other stuff, says Dr. Sue Firth, business psychologist and expert in stressors. You get a break from troubles and that releases the tension you hold in the muscles  it helps get rid of build-up of the stress chemicals adrenaline and cortisol. This is more than can be said for getting trashed (alcohol and hangovers = more stress) or going to the cinema (okay not strictly scientific, but 80% of the films out at the moment are rubbish, and this stresses me out).

Its telling, too, that the rise in popularity of board games almost exactly matches the advent of the smartphone. As weve become more zonked on pixels, weve gotten more into IRL fun to counterbalance the fact that, on average, we spend nine hours a day staring at a screen. This counteracting behaviour runs deep; studies have shown that if you give a millennial some cash, well spend it on an experience rather than a load of stuff, so desperate are we to live and feel things outside of our newsfeed.

At one point, you could go for a drink with a mate and it would alleviate the eight hours youd just spent staring at your computer. But now, "going for a drink" usually turns into "trying to ignore your phone as it buzzes 17 times in your pocket". Which is why a good game of Mafia (seriously, google it) or Chinese Whisper Charades (ditto) makes you feel like youre actually connecting to another human, bypassing shit small talk that, thanks to our phones, were becoming crapper at anyway.

Yes, tentative studies have found that the more buzzed off our tits we are on screen-chatting (Facebook message, texting, iMessage, WhatsApp, etc.), the shittier we are at actual mouth-talking, which makes sense, because its much easier to sound cool on a WhatsApp group than in a bar, through your face.

Its a social anxiety that didnt exist in quite the same way before an emoji of a poo was a viable response to a question. And it may be a first-world problem, but Id quite like a bit of help when thrown into a social situation after five consecutive days of writing alone in a cafe for nine hours at a time, iMessage my only form of communication (Hey guys, Im currently writing this in a cafe...).

Thankfully, according to Dr. Jessamy Hibberd, clinical psychologist and author, playing a game bridges the gap between screens and IRL mouth-talking, with which we all struggle sometimes. There are different levels of communication. The first level is talking about things like weather, sport, news. It's superficial, but useful, as it gives us a simple way to speak to new people and test out if we want to speak more, or a way to fill a silence  so a game is a great way to do this. Everyone is involved in the same thing and you can easily talk about what's going on, she says. The next level is talking about plans, facts and non-controversial beliefs. It's not until the next level that we show more of ourselves and our emotions, which involves trust, intimacy and at the higher levels we are more transparent and give the person more of ourselves. At a dinner party, it's normally the lower levels you're operating at and a game is a simple way to facilitate this. Oh, and its good fun!

So what are you waiting for? Switch your phone off, kick that social anxiety into the sun and play a game. Everyone loves a game. To start you off, I put out a Facebook status asking which games my mates were into and got an absolute deluge of fun. Below are some of my favourites

The best comedy box sets - in pictures 1 /6 The best comedy box sets - in pictures Friends: Complete Series 1-10 (DVD) 50, Tesco, Buy it now Only Fools and Horses - Complete Series 1-7 (DVD) 19.99, Amazon, Buy it now The Big Bang Theory - Season 1-8 (DVD) 29.99, Amazon, Buy it now The Office - Complete Series One & Two and The Christmas Specials (DVD) 28, Amazon, Buy it now Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection (DVD) 11.99, HMV, Buy it now

Situations

One person leaves the room and the others agree on a situation for when they get back in. That person has to guess what it is. A particular favourite example is Standing on that green rug is a social faux pas.

The cereal box game

Everyone has to pick up the cereal box using their teeth, with only their feet touching the floor. When everyone has done it successfully, you tear another layer off the cereal box. If you cant do it, youre out. Keep going until you have a winner/ someone is rushed to A&E.

The corridor game

You line a corridor with pillows and cushions and have a Gladiator in there also armed with a pillow, and the contestants have to get past the Gladiator to the finish line in the quickest time. It's incredible.

The balloon game

Everyone has a balloon on their foot and goes about their night. They have 30 minutes until they can start popping other people's balloons. Some people forget and some set timers. Then it's the last balloon man standing who wins. It gets mental.

The hat game

Everyone writes the names of famous people (real or fictional) on pieces of paper, which are folded and added to the hat. Two teams take it in turns to nominate a member to describe as many people as they can to the rest of their team in one minute. The hat passes between teams until all the people have been guessed. Then the people all go back in the hat for the next round, which is anything goes, but you can't say their name. Second round you can only use gestures (like charades). Third round, you can only use one word. Fourth round is just using facial expressions. Fifth round is where you specify a topic then you have to speak about that topic as whoever you pull out of the hat.

The wedding game

One weekend away we just decided to pretend we were attending a wedding of a (non) couple. There was a best man's speech and father of the bride. I don't know what was in the wine.

Read more from Refinery29:

Mariah Carey Won't Give Back 8M Engagement Ring

Gigi Hadid & Zayn Can't Stop Smooching On Snapchat

This Is How Katy Perry & Orlando Bloom Do Karaoke Night
D onald Trump has invited a TV crew to film his preparations for taking over the presidency, in a show already pre-sold to Russia, China and Taiwan! So tune in to a series the whole world is watching with a looming sense of dread  Traipsing After the Trumps.

Scene One

Donald and Melania Trumps apartment in Trump Tower is being decorated for Christmas while furniture and furnishings are simultaneously being packed away in preparation for the move to the White House in January. The workmen packing boxes have Lenin beards, furry shapka hats and Cossack trousers. Trumps youngest son, Barron, is hanging solid-gold ornaments on the solid-gold Christmas Tree. Trump is staring at a silent TV.

His wife Melania enters, dressed in cutoff jeans, a Calvin Klein vest and Louboutins  her moving house outfit.

Melania: Donald, darlink, ve take ze gold-plated Bosendorfer baby grand to Vashington, or ve put in storage? Vould look good in ze Oval Offive  vunce ve haff redecorated it, zo shabby  but none of us is ektually playink piano, zo

Trump: Shh! Melania. Im watching Saturday Night Live. Very poor! Not funny! Alec Baldwins impression of me so bad, so bad. Just sits there glowering at the screen, not saying anything. Bright orange! Ridiculous hair! Failing show!

Melania: Um, zat is a mirror ze vorkmen haff propped in front of ze TV, darlink. She snaps her fingers. Dmitri, move zat.

Melania Trump

Dmitri: Da, Madam President-elect-ski. He removes the mirror and attaches a listening device to the back of the TV. Meanwhile, a window-cleaners cradle rises into view with a Chinese man in it, who half-heartedly polishes the window with one hand while pressing an ear trumpet to it with the other. Melania reaches up to lift a framed print of her nude GQ shoot off the wall.

Trump (scowling): Looking a little heavy today, Melania. Very hard for a woman to be a ten after 40. Sad! Melania runs from the room, stifling a sob. Enter Trumps chief of staff Reince Prebus, his sons Eric and Donald Jr, daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.

Prebus: Uh, Mr President-elect, various Asian heads of state are unhappy about your call to Kim Jong-un of North Korea last night

Trump: Amazing guy. Amazing people. Very intelligent. Hes gonna take on my role on Celebrity Apprentice. Big opportunity for him. And weve arranged Ill get taxed on my producers fee in Pyongyang.

Prebus: And, uh, a lot of the media are pointing out that your cabinet is full of billionaire oil executives when you promised to drain the swamp in Washington.

Trump: Fake news created by crooked Hillary! Who I beat in the popular vote, by the way. Despite yuuuge voter fraud. But not hacking by international governments. Definitely not. Anyway, we have to drain the swamp to find the oil under the swamp. Then we frack the swamp. Then we build a yuuuge casino on the swamp. No more swamp, see? Im a smart person. My cabinet is the best cabinet.

Prebus: But sir, will you really appoint the philosopher Leucippus as environment secretary? He not only believed the world was flat, hes been dead for 2,500 years!

Trump: Fake, fake news. Nobody knows what shape the world is. Nobody. I spoke to some very smart people, who said it might be the shape of my head. Or my hands. The most byoodaful shapes. Now, Donald Jr, I want you to come up with a scheme so we dont have to build a wall on the Mexican border, just a really, really yuuuge set of curtains. Then draft legislation making it compulsory for dentists to carry automatic weapons in case Islamic State starts using tooth-bombers. Then work out how I can devolve my companies to you guys while still running them and employing you all in my administration: just tell Fox news theres no conflict of interest cause were all family.

Donald Trump / John Minchillo/AP

Eric, I want you to talk to that unattractive three Nicola Sturgeon about outsourcing jobs from Democrat states to my old homeland, Scotlandland. Thatll make those sad losers in Illinois weep. Yes, were going to make America greet again, as my Scottish-land mother used to say.

Jared, youre a Jew: I want you to help me do peace in the Middle East between the other Jews and the Pastel the Pantiestinians... the A-rabs. Ivanka, Melania just wont cut it as first lady. No class. Barely a seven now. You cant be FLOTUS  First Lady of the United States  but maybe you could be First Overall Executive of the United States.

Ivanka: So, um, FOETUS?

Trump: Wheres Tiffany?

Ivanka: (Checks phone) Posting bikini selfies from a hot tub by the Dakota Access pipeline.

Trump: Good. Barron, go do your homework... Barrons eyes go red. The room shakes, more pictures from Melanias GQ shoot fall off the wall, the gold tree crashes down on Dmitri the removal man as he is fixing a listening device to Ivankas Manolo Blahniks, and lighting strikes the Chinese window cleaner ...Now! Barron leaves. The room settles. OK, everybody out. My amazing, smart friend Kanye West is bringing his wife Kim over and I want to grab her by the p er, offer her a job as secretary of state for tits, sorry, hooters, sorry WOMEN.

Donald Trump - In pictures 1 /112 Donald Trump - In pictures President Donald Trump takes the oath of office as his wife Melania Trump holds the bible and his son Barron Trump looks on, on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC Getty Images Acceptance speech Republican president-elect Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to the crowd during his acceptance speech at his election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of 9 November 2016 in New York Getty Images Little Trump Donald Trump pictured when he was 4 years old Donald J Trump/Instagram The Trump Princess Donald Trump waves to reporters in 1988 with his first wife Ivana as they board their yacht 'The Trump Princess' in New York AP Donald Trump stands next to one of his three Sikorsky helicopters at New York Port Authority's West 30 Street Heliport in 1988 Out on the town Trump and his first wife Ivana arrive at a social engagement in New York in December 1989 AFP/Getty Images Surviving at the top Trump followed up his successful book The Art of the Deal with Surviving At The Top in 1990 Random House Meeting the King of Pop With Michael Jackson in 1990 FilmMagic Taking a break with Miss Universe contestants Donald Trump meets Miss Universe contestants during a break in rehearsals in the Imperial Ballroom at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas in 1990 Miss Universe Organization via AP Genie of the lamp Donald Trump stands next to a genie lamp in 1990 as the lights of his Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort mark its grand opening in Atlantic City AP Marla's wedding day Donald and Marla Trump at their wedding in 1993 AP Donald Trump with daughter Ivanka at a Harley Davidson Cafe Event, New York City on 9 October 1993 Rex Features New arival Marla and Donald Trump leave St. Mary's Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida with their newborn baby girl, Tiffany on 14 October 1993 AP Behind the lens Donald Trump takes a picture of Bridget Marks in 1993 after interviewing her for Playboy magazine's 40th anniversary playmate in New York AFP/Getty Images Top Trump New York real estate giant Donald Trump poses in his Trump Tower office on a giant letter "T" on 08 May 1996 AFP/Getty Images New love interest Donald Trump and Melania arrive for VH1's Divas Live concert at the Beacon Theater in New York City on 13 April 1999 Getty Images Toasting in the New Year Donald Trump and Melania toast the new year during Trump's gala bash in 2000 The Sun-Sentinel/AP Wax work A wax replica of Donald Trump stands ready to be put on display at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, New York City in 2000 Madame Tussaud's/Getty Images Rebuild call Donald Trump talks in 2005 to reporters where he presented a proposal that the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center be rebuilt in New York Reuters Cracking prformance Amy Poehler, Tracy Morgan, Donald Trump, Seth Myers, Maya Rudolph perform on Saturday Night Live in 2002 Rex Features 'How To Get Rich' Donald Trump poses with a copy of his new book 'How To Get Rich' during a book signing on 24 March 2004 at Barnes and Noble in Lincoln Center in New York Getty Images Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka (left) and girlfriend Melania Knauss (right) attend the "Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century" Costume Institute benefit gala on April 26, 2004 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City Getty Images Fired up figure Donald Trump poses with the new Donald Trump 12-inch talking doll 29 September 2004 at the Toys "R" Us store in New York City Getty Images Olympic flame Donald Trump carries the Olympic flame during Day 15 of the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay on 19 June 19, 2004 in New York Getty Images Donald Trump on The Celebrity Apprentice (2005) Rex Features Anyone for golf? Donald Trump gestures as he arrives at the Old Course in St Andrews where he was meeting with the media to answer questions regarding Trump International Golf Links on 28 April 2005 in St Andrews, Scotland Getty Images Hollywod star Donald Trump, billionaire developer and producer of NBC's "The Apprentice," with his wife, Melania, and their son, Barron, pose for a photo after he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles in 2007 AP In the Highlands U.S. property mogul Donald Trump gestures during a media event on the sand dunes of the Menie estate, the site for Trump's proposed golf resort, near Aberdeen, north east Scotland on 27 May 2010 Reuters Donald Trump plays a round of golf after the opening of the The Trump International Golf Links Course in Scotland in 2012 Getty Images Family time Donald Trump, Barron Trump and Melania Trump attends Trump Invitational Grand Prix Mar-a-Lago Club at The Mar-a-Largo Club on 04 January 2015 in Palm Beach, Florida Getty Images Officially in the running U.S. Republican presidential candidate, real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump poses with his family after formally announcing his campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination during an event at Trump Tower in New York on 16 June 2015 Reuters Love, life and laughter Donald Trump sits with his wife Melania Trump while appearing at an NBC Town Hall at the Today Show on 21 April 2016 in New York City. Getty Images Thumbs up Donald Trump speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention on 21 July 2016, in Cleveland, AFP/Getty Images Don't cry for me ... Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds babies at a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado on 29 July 2016 Reuters Donald Trump eating KFC on his private jet in August 2016 Is this really the Oval Office? Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump views a replica of the Oval Office on a tour of the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan on 30 September 2016 Reuters Women for Trump Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump kisses a "Women for Trump" placard during a rally at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida on 12 October 2016 AFP/Getty Images In debate Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speak during the second presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, America on 09 October 2016 AP Love your country The future is orange: Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump hugs a U.S. flag on 24 October 2016 Reuters U.S. President-elect U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at his election night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S. on 09 November 2016 Reuters 60 Minutes Donald Trump and wife Melania being interviewed on 13 November 2016 by Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes 60 Minutes/CBS At The Whiie House US President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House on 10 November 2016 EPA Kiss-story Republican president-elect Donald Trump embraces his wife Melania Trump during his election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of 09 November 2016 in New York Getty Images Person of the Year U.S. President-elect Donald Trump poses on the cover of Time Magazine after being named its person of the year, in a picture provided by the publication in New York on 7 December 2016 Time Magazine Meeting Kanye U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and musician Kanye West pose for media at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York on 13 December 2016 Reuters First Press Conference President-elect Donald Trump stands with his son Eric Trump (left) daughter Ivanka and son Donald Trump Jr. (right) on 11 January 2017 Reuters US President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,Virginia 19 on January 2017 AFP/Getty Images Big shoes to fill: US President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive to attend an inauguration concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on 19 January 2017 AFP/Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive for a VIP reception and dinner with donors in Washington on 19 January 2017 AP British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump walk along The Colonnade of the West Wing at The White House on January 27, 2017 in Washington, DC Getty Images Pope Francis walks along with US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump during a private audience at the Vatican in May 2017 AFP/Getty Images US President Donald Trump inspects border wall prototypes in March 2018 AFP/Getty Images Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump walk to a joint news conference at Chequers in July 2018 Reuters US President Donald Trump takes the hand of Prime Minister Theresa May as they enter Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire in July 2018 PA A six-meter high cartoon baby blimp of US President Donald Trump is set to fly as a protest against his visit July 2018 AP Activists inflate a giant balloon depicting US President Donald Trump as an orange baby during a demonstration against Trump's visit to the UK in Parliament Square, London July 2018 AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump with The Queen in July 2018 AP German Chancellor Angela Merkel deliberates with US president Donald Trump on the sidelines of the official agenda on the second day of the G7 summit on June 9, 2018 in Charlevoix, Canada Getty Images President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sentosa Island in Singapore on 12 June 2018 Evan Vucci/AP U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland in July 2018 Reuters US President Donald Trump meets with rapper Kanye West in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on 18th October 2018 AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump and Kim Kardashian posed for a photograph together at the White House meeting Donald Trump/Twitter A White House staff member reaches for the microphone held by CNN's Jim Acosta as he questions U.S. President Donald Trump during a news conference in November 2018 Reuters President Donald Trump looks over tables of fast food for the the college football playoff champion Clemson Tigers in the State Dining Room of the White House in January 2019 Reuters US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un following a meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi on February 27, 2019 AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump (left) with Nigel Farage when they met met face-to-face on 2nd March 2019 PA/White House President Donald Trump smiles at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, after signing a proclamation in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, Monday, March 25, 2019 AP US President Donald Trump (L) First Lady Melania Trump (C) and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe' Akie Abe (R) watch a sumo battle during the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on May 26, 2019 AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump gestures after receiving a prayer at McLean Bible Church on 2nd June 2019 AP US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump make their way to board Air Force One on 2nd June 2019 AFP/Getty Images Donald and Melania Trump arrive at Stansted Airport on 3rd June 2019 AP President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are pictured ahead a meeting in Helsinki on July 16, 2018 AFP/Getty Images Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg watches as Donald Trump enters the United Nations to speak with reporters on September 23, 2019 Reuters Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a welcoming ceremony at the NATO leaders summit in Watford on December 4, 2019 Reuters President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, in Milwauke AP US president Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Congres center during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on January 21, 2020 AFP via Getty Images US President Donald Trump speaks during the first presidential debate at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio AFP via Getty Images A car with US President Trump drives past supporters in a motorcade outside of Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland AFP via Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump works in the Presidential Suite while receiving treatment after testing positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland via Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a phone call with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley October 4, 2020, in his conference room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Not shown in the photo also in the room on the call is Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Reuters Donald Trump walks out of hospital after receiving treatment for Covid-19 AP Mr Trump boards Marine One to return to the White House after receiving treatment for coronavirus AP Donald Trump stands on the Truman Balcony after returning to the White House from hospital Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump removes his mask upon return to the White House from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on October 05, 2020 in Washington Getty Images

Scene Two

Ivanka and Chelsea Clinton are downing miso and flaxseed shots at a trendy vegan cocktail bar in Tribeca.

Ivanka: so, dad says he really wants to make me director of the CIA but only to brief him once a month, and only in a single tweet. Rolls eyes. So how are Mark and the kids?

Chelsea sullenly: Fine.

Ivanka: And hows work?

Chelsea: Fine.

Ivanka: And hows your mom?

Chelsea: Oh shes f UMING THAT SHE WON MORE VOTES THAN ANY WHITE MALE CANDIDATE IN AMERICAN HISTORY AND STILL LOST TO A BLOATED SATSUMA FANTASIST WHOS IN IT FOR YUCKS AND PERSONAL GAIN, SO SHES STOPPED WEARING MAKE-UP AND JUST GOES FOR LONG HIKES WHERE SHE HUGS DOGS AND OCCASIONALLY HOWLS AT THE MOON!!!

Ivanka pauses: Were still friends, though, right?

Scene Three

A private gym in Trump Tower. Melania is doing abdominal crunches under the direction of her new personal trainer, Mohammed.

Mohammed: 498, 499, 500 OK, honey, thats enough for an hour or so.

Melania: Oh Mo, I so unhappy! I zink maybe I write book about my oppressive existence. I already haff title  ze Bell Jar.

Mohammed: Sylvia Plath wrote that, girlfriend.

Melania: Or I Am Knowink Vy Ze Caged Bird Zings?

Mohammed: Maya Angelou, more or less.

Melania: Fifty Shades of Orange?

Mohammed: Ew, sweetness, dont put that image in my head! And now I got to go pray.

Melania: Mohammed, you are not a Muslim, are you?

Scene Four

Trump is on Trump Force One  a plane he bought at a substantial discount after a tweet of his caused a fall in the companys stock price  with his chief strategist, former executive chair of Breitbart News, Steve Bannon, and an attractive Puerto Rican make-up artist who is dusting his face with Max Factors Jaffa No 8 powder.

Bannon: ...and that, Mr President, is how we prove that the most oppressed group in the country is wealthy white men, and get #whitelivesmatter trending on Twitter.

Donald Trump meets Kanye West

Trump: Yeah, yeah, whatever. He slyly reaches towards the make-up artists embonpoint and she calmly stabs his hand with a nail file. Ouch! More importantly, Ive got to Tweet about Teen Vogue, which has been very rude about me, very rude. He types on phone. Poor journalism from libtard hotbed @TeenVogue. Very unfair! Bad make-up tips and totally out of touch re: Justin Bieber. Sad! He presses send. Tries to touch make-up artist. Is stabbed again. Ouch! OK, place a call for me in half an hour to Putin. I want to congratulate him on liberating Aleppo, or whichever Marx Brother it is. Then that Farage guy: ask him if he wants to run the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Or be ambassador to the Vatican, whichever. Now I got to record a Christmas message for the American people. Turns directly to camera: we cut to the live feed and his face fills the screen.

My fellow Americans, I wish you a really great Christmas. Its gonna be so great. Its gonna be yuuuge. Ive been assembling my cabinet from the finest kleptocrats, I mean, minds, of our generation, and when we take office we will stop all the lies being told by crooked Hillary, the corrupt liberal media, climate change scientists, the CIA  or Communist Infiltration Agency as I call them  and China. We see his hand creep off screen, only to be quickly drawn back) Ouch! Were gonna build that wall on the Mexican border, but parts of it may be a fence, and parts of it might be a sort of screen door, and were gonna build it in Taiwan now, and the states that voted Democrat are gonna pay for it.

Ive been making a list and Ive checked it twice. Americans who have been nice, like my good friend Rudy Giuliani, are gonna have a great Christmas  lower taxes, less regulation on pantywaist things like workplace safety and carbon emissions. But some of you have not been nice. Some of you have been very naughty. So naughty! And in the New Year, we will deal with you, and we will make this country great again. His hand creeps off screen again and is quickly withdrawn. Ouch! He shouts at the make-up artist, offscreen. Goddamit Conchita, thats it: youre fired! Steve, get her out of here! We hear the sound of a hatch opening and a blast of wind almost disturbs Trumps hair, then a dwindling scream and the sound of the hatch closing. Trump turns back to camera. Merry Christmas, America!

Next week

Will Trump tell Robert Mugabe he is an amazing guy? Will Hillarys share of the popular vote continue to rise and will she win approval ratings higher than Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln put together? Will Tiffany run out of suntan lotion? Are we all doomed, DOOMED? Tune in to Traipsing After the Trumps in 2017 to find out.

@nickcurtis
2 016 has seen no shortage of animals in weird and wonderful situations.

Theres the fox who was caught in an incident that Londoners know all too well: dashing across Regent Street. Further south, a seal was found in a slightly more unsusual situation; washed up on a pontoon by Kew Bridge. And outside Marble Arch tube station, a camel joins the daily commute.

Outside of London, animals played up just as much. A wild elephant - tranquilised by Indian police and later returned to the jungle - crashes through traffic in India. In Rio de Janeiro, a cat plays shotgun on a motorbike.

Even the political world was not out of bounds. In the annual Thanksgiving tradition for an American president, Obama pardons his last ever turkey with his nephews.

President Putin gives a lesson in diplomacy to his pet dog, Yume, an Akita breed. Yume caused trouble this year when she barked at Japanese journalists. The four year old dog had been gifted to Putin by the Japanese after Russias support for Japan after the 2011 tsunami.

And at Downing Street, the new cat Palmerston - a rescue from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home - settles into his new home: the Foreign Office.

Meet some of the cutest animals of 2016

Click through the gallery for more pictures, including a festive treat as a tiger cub unwraps a Christmas present.

Follow us on Twitter @eslifeandstyle
I t can often feel like there arent enough days in the year, and not enough years in a lifetime to see the world.

As we approach Christmas, there's no better time to write your New Year bucket list.

Make this the year you deviate from your usual travel habits - 2017 is all about broadening your horizons and experiencing new places - some far flung and some right under your nose.

Next year, youll want to take a weekend break to design-conscious Hamburg, embrace your wild side in Canadas awe-inspiring national parks and relax on the incredible beaches on the southern Cambodian coast.

Here are our travel predictions for the coming year:

1.Canada's national parks

Shutterstock / karamysh

In 2017, vast and majestic Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, so theres never been a better time to visit its incredible landscapes from the sky-scraping Rocky Mountains of British Columbia to Montreal and its buzzing food scene. In celebration of its grand old age, all its national parks will be free next year so make a beeline for Banff in Alberta, whose scenery is typified by craggy peaks, glinting glaciers and turquoise blue lakes as clear as glass. Hiking, horseback riding, canoeing and the chance to spot moose, grizzly bears and elk make this magical land the nature lovers dream.

2. Cambodia's islands

Krabey Island

Tourists have long been flocking to Angkor Wat, Cambodias awe-inspiring temple and one of the wonders of the world. But its magnificent, unspoilt coastline has remained relatively untrodden compared to neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. This is all set to change next year as a flurry of impressive hotels open on the Cambodia Riviera, reeling in a discerning, luxury traveller. The Six Senses group will commandeer Krabey Island in May, comprising of 40 sumptuous pool villas, an alfresco waterside cinema and all the diving and kayaking you could want. In August, Alila is launching an eco-resort nearby on Koh Russey (aka Bamboo Island), with its own pristine white sand beach and contemporary, design-conscious villas. These two new offerings join Instagrammers favourite resort Song Saa, giving Cambodia a new edge in the exotic honeymoon market.

3. East Devon

Tony Timmington

Holidays in 2017 will also come a little closer to home as the result of the EU Referendum encourage Brits to take staycations. Devon looks set to take over from Cornwall as the west country favourite as a slew of new stays put it on the luxury weekend map. The foodcentric Pig hotel opened near in the Otter Valley near Honiton this year, luxury lettings Beachspoke has a heavenly barn bolthole for two nearby, which opening this September. Opening in spring 2017 is Lympstone Manor, a Grade II listed Georgian manor house overlooking the Exe estuary. The slick, contemporary country house hotel will have its own vineyard and Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines in charge. Devon just upped its game.

4. Hamburg

Sir Nikolai hotel opens in February 2017 / Design Hotels

Forget Berlin, Hamburg is fast becoming Germanys coolest city break destination with plenty for design lovers to sink their teeth into. Design Hotels has a new opening for February 2017 from the FG Stijl agency: the Sir Nikolai. The 94-room hotel will open in an old mercantile mansion on the Nikolaifleet canal in Hamburgs old town. It has a subterranean spa with a swimming pool that appears to bleed into the canal and Izakaya, which will serve Nikkei cuisine. Hamburg's architectural landscape is being shaken up by the hotly anticipated completion of the Elbephilarmonie concert hall, which is being built on top of a brick warehouse with sweeping views and joins Zaha Hadids River Promenade on the banks of the Elbe river. Looking to cafe and bar hop? Head to hip Wilhemsburg - Hamburgs equivalent of Hackney.

5. Chilean Lake District

Chilean Lake District / Shutterstock / Ksenia Ragozina

BAs new direct flight from London to Santiago is making the isolated beauty of Chile, which stretches in a narrow column from the Andes in the north to the Pacific Ocean, more accessible for 2017. Chiles landscapes are extreme  think the Atacama Desert and the glaciers of Patagonia  but its middle region is just as mesmerising and worth a visit. Known as the Chilean Lake District, its packed with lush farmland, dense forest, snowcapped volcanoes and deep lakes, waterfalls and thermal springs. Active adventures aside, wine lovers will be kept busy in Chile  head to the Casablanca Valley an hour west of Santiago for whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

6. Finland

Summer cottage culture in Finland's lake region / Visit Finland

In 2017, youll find that theres more to Finland than Lapland, husky rides and the Northern Lights.This magical land has just as much pulling power as its Nordic neighbours Sweden and Denmark thanks to its natural beauty  its almost entirely carpeted in stunning lakes and wild forests. It also has a thriving food scene, sauna culture and design hub Helsinki going for it. In the capital, stylish travellers should check into Hotel St George  sister of the fashionable Lila Roberts, which opens next summer. Finland is also celebrating its centenary of independence in December next year, so there will be endless parties and festivals to join throughout the year.

Five reasons to visit Finland

7. Rotterdam

Another European second city coming out of the shadows is Rotterdam, which is luring the design-conscious millennial traveller with its futuristic architecture and stunning galleries. It also has a thriving brunch scene, new age food markets and miles of cool bars. You can bike around it too  just like in Amsterdam. Also a recent addition to the Eurostar network, a weekend here has never been more appealing.

8. Seoul

Seoul (Korea Tourism Org ) / Korea Tourism Org

Anyone looking for a culture shock of the greatest kind should book a ticket to Seoul, South Korea's capital with a 25 million population thats making waves across food, fashion and architecture. Its a city of two halves with the old sides palaces, markets and government buildings perfectly juxtaposing the improbably high skyscrapers, zeitgeist-nailing restaurants and streets filled with fashion bloggers on the new side. Hello, have you eaten? is a natural way to greet each other in Korea, so expect to eat, eat, eat  the street food scene is especially mind blowing. Move over, Tokyo.

9. Jerusalem

Dome of the Rock and Western Wall in Jerusalem / Shutterstock / ESB Professional

Tel Aviv on Israels coast usually gets the most attention, but in 2017 the Holy City will enjoy its time in the limelight  especially when it comes to its thriving food scene. If youre a fan of Londons Palomar restaurant, you should visit the owners local flagship Yudale. A trawl around the sprawling Mahane Yehuda Market is a must for foodies too. In March the Tel-Aviv based Brown boutique hotel group opens in downtown Jerusalem, sealing its fate as a design destination with a rooftop spa, marble interiors and giant beds. (brownhotels.com)

10. New Orleans

Bar at Ace New Orleans

From March 2017, BA will fly to New Orleans from Heathrow, opening the beautiful Deep South to more travellers. Known as Nola and dubbed the last frontier of Bohemia by Tennessee Williams, New Orleans is a characterised by a free spirit and fizzing energy. Use the new Ace Hotel in the Warehouse Quarter  it has a rooftop pool and several watering holes  as your base for exploring the French Quarter with its jazz bars, Creole cuisine and antiques joints.

Follow Kate on Twitter @kate_lough and Instagram @kateloughtravel
T he world's first year-round ice hotel has opened in Swedish Lapland.

Nestled in Swedish village of Jukkasjarvi, ICEHOTEL 365 is the perfect winter getaway.

Explore the snow-covered scenery, catch the Northern Lights or hop on a snowmobile for a local tour.

Inside is just as stunning as out; the hallways are sculpted with ice art, sparkling chandeliers and a Champagne-themed ice bar.

The new hotel has 20 suites, designed by over forty artists and architects from nine different countries.

There's a Victorian themed suite and 'Dancers in the dark' invites guests to dance with the ice sculptures that line its wall.

British designers, Alex Haw and Aditya Bhatt have created an entire staircase made of ice for their room, 'Dreamscape'.

To reach the hotel, theres now a direct flight from the UK to Kiruna airport, which is just 20 minutes from the hotel.

A 3 night break at ICEHOTEL 365 is priced from 1,105pp including return flights on Discover the Worlds direct ICEFLIGHT, airport transfers and morning sauna after a stay in a cold room.

Follow us on Twitter @eslifeandstyle
A doctor has been charged with a string of sex attacks on a patient in south east London.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Sumit Basu was working at Lewisham Hospital when he is alleged to have committed the five alleged sex offences.

The 58-year-old, of Ringmore Rise, Lewisham, was charged on Tuesday, December 20 with one count of sexual assault by penetration and four counts of sexual assault by touching.

The assaults are alleged to have taken place over an 18 month period between November 2013 and June last year.

Police charged Dr Sumit Basu on Tuesday, December 20. / Scotland Yard

Medical professional Dr Basu has been released on bail and must attend Bromley Magistrates Court on January 17 next year.

The doctor, who qualified in India in 1983, has been put under conditions by the General Medical Council.

The conditions include limits on him carrying out consultations with female patients without a chaperone present except in life-threatening emergencies. He must then keep a log of every time he carries out a consultation with a female patient in a life-threatening emergency.


T wo men accused of trespassing to stage a protest on the roof of Jeremy Corbyn's home have had a case against them dropped.

Robert Smith, 34, and Martin Matthews, 49, were expected to go on trial after a court previously heard they carried out a rooftop protest at the Labour leader's terraced home in Islington, north London, on August 5.

But the case against the pair, accused of trespassing to demonstrate for the New Fathers 4 Justice campaign group, has been "discontinued", Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.

Mr Smith, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and Mr Matthews, of Bookham, Surrey, each denied aggravated trespass and a charge of failure to leave the land at a hearing in September.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "This case was originally charged by the police.

"We reviewed the case in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and concluded there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.

"We therefore proposed to the police that the case was discontinued and they agreed with this approach."

A spokeswoman for Mr Corbyn said: "Jeremy is not commenting on this case."

It is understood that Mr Corbyn did not bring the case, was not at home when the alleged incident happened and has not been involved in the legal proceedings.
T wo men who tortured a father-of-three in south-east London before stabbing him to death in a row over a drugs debt have been jailed.

Terry Wiggins, 34, was found suffering stab wounds inside a flat in Erith in November last year.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics just half-an-hour later.

Drug dealer Mr Wiggins, from Crayford, had gone to the flat in Applegarth House in a bid to collect 420 he was owed for crack cocaine from Nicholas Wood and Tim Clark.

He had received a phone call from friend Matthew Wheeler, 42, who had already been kidnapped by the callous pair, asking him to come and collect the cash.

Mr Wheeler had arrived at the flat earlier that day in a bid to collect the money and was punched in the back of the head before being dragged inside and beaten with a dumbbell on November 17, the Old Bailey heard.

Behind bars: Nicholas Wood has been jailed for 23 years over the murder of Terry Wood in Erith / Met Police

During a trial, a jury was told how Mr Wiggins killers rammed latex gloves down his throat to silence his desperate pleas.

Clark and Wood armed themselves with a knife, a blowtorch and screwdriver during the attack.

They also threatened to cut off his penis with a pair of secateurs, the court heard.

The pair, along with Mr Wheeler, fled the building after Clark ordered them to evacuate.

Mr Wheeler then called Mr Wiggins girlfriend, informing her of the whereabouts of her partner.

Locked-up: Tim Clark has been jailed for 23 years over the murder of Terry Wiggins in Erith / Met Police

Clark, 51, and 42-year-old Wood, both of Lincoln Close, Erith, were each jailed for 23 years at the same court on Tuesday.

They were previously found guilty of murder of and false imprisonment.

Paying tribute to Mr Wiggins, at the time of his death, neighbour Doreen Tong told News Shopper: Terry was our ginge and a top man.

"He was a great dad who always spoke so highly of his kids. I cant believe he was taken from them in such a horrible way - my heart goes out to the children and his poor girlfriend.

Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Gwyn, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, who led the investigation, said: "Wood and Clark were simply motivated by revenge.

They violently attacked Terry, stabbing him and leaving him for dead.

I am satisfied with today's conviction and I hope Terry's family can begin to repair their lives now his killers have been brought to justice.

"The family would like to thank friends and their extended family who have supported them throughout this ordeal.

Only now are they in a position to scatter Terry's ashes and take steps to learn to live each day differently without Terry and move forward with their lives."

Navnit Dosanjh, CPS London homicide lawyer, said: These two men both used extreme violence to kill Terry Wiggins because of a 420 drug debt which he wanted repaid.

They lured him to the flat, where they had already taken Mr Wheeler prisoner, and where they were lying in wait to carry out a sustained and brutal attack with a number of different weapons.

Following the attack they made no attempt to call emergency services, but fled leaving Mr Wiggins to die.

Their defence case that neither played any part in the murder was dismantled at the trial with CCTV and DNA evidence, and witness testimony. Two extremely dangerous men are now off the streets and behind bars.
D etectives today announced a 20,000 reward to discover what happened to a 16-year-old boy who disappeared 30 years ago after going out to buy some eggs in south London.

Kevin Hicks told his mother he was heading to some shops a few minutes away. He did not return and was never seen again.

Today detectives said they believed he was assaulted and murdered by someone he met after he left his Croydon home and appealed for people in the local community to come forward.

Kevin had set out on Sunday, April 2, 1986 to buy ingredients for an O-level cookery exam the following day.

It was a cold evening and he was carrying just 1 when he went to Sperrings community shop, a few minutes walk away in Lower Addiscombe Road.

He was last seen by someone who knew him at 10pm in Shirley Road, walking in the general direction of home.

His parents have both since died, but today his younger sister Alexandra Hicks, 45, from Sutton, told of her ongoing heartache, saying: Christmas is always a particularly hard time of the year, especially now both my parents are gone.

It would be the best Christmas present to have Kevin back or to know what has happened to him. Someone somewhere knows something. It is time to let go of that secret.

Detectives said they now believed the teenager had been murdered after a review of the case was carried out earlier this year.

Detective Inspector John McQuade, who is leading the inquiry, said: Kevin simply disappeared that night and was never seen nor heard of again.

Many enquiries have been carried out over the years but Kevins body has never been found yet there is no evidence he is still alive.

We believe Kevin must have met someone that night and been assaulted. Perhaps the suspect didnt mean to kill him but it is clear Kevins body must have then been disposed of.

He appealed to a person who called the Croydon Advertiser newspaper anonymously 10 years after Kevins disappearance, saying she knew the location of his body to get in touch with police again.

Mr McQuade said: I truly believe people in the local Croydon community hold the answers to what happened to Kevin.

Kevin was described as a happy teenager with no problems at school and had been applying for jobs in the weeks before his disappearance.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8721 4005 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A paedophile who preyed on two young girls and abused them for more than a decade has been jailed.

Louis Smellie, 57, has been locked up for 16 years after his two victims broke their silence about the horrific abuse and child cruelty they suffered 20 years ago.

Smellie, from Erith in south east London, began abusing the two girls when they were just four years old and carried on until they were teenagers.

The physical, psychological and sexual abuse took place around east London in Thamesmead and Ilford between 1984 and 1995.

Abuser: Smellie denied all charges but was found guilty after a trial. / Met Police

Smellie, of Crusoe Road, denied all charges but was found guilty of rape, indecent assault, gross indecency, child cruelty and actual bodily harm. He was sentenced on Tuesday at Inner London Crown Court.

DC Emma Jimmick said the two victims  who are now women in their 30s  showed enormous courage to come forward and report their ordeal, as well as go through a trial.

The pair reported the abuse in March last year and police began an investigation, speaking to witnesses whose accounts helped back up the victims testimonies.

One of the witnesses police spoke to also claimed Smellie had attacked her during the same period.

DC Jimmick praised both victims for their bravery and said: I hope that this outcome may help others who have suffered similar abuse in the past to report it to police.

"Smellie preyed on two extremely young girls and subjected them to terrible abuse. It is entirely possible that he has abused other girls and women in the past and I would urge anyone with information to contact us."

Anyone who would like to report sexual abuse can call police on 101 or visit their local police station.
A teenager was left fighting for life in hospital after he was stabbed in the chest in west London.

The 19-year-old was reportedly left in a coma after he was knifed in Queens Park on Saturday night.

Police and paramedics raced to the scene of the attack in Barfett Street at about 8.45pm.

The man was rushed to a central London hospital where he remained in a critical condition, police said on Tuesday.

Karen Buck, Labour MP for Westminster North, posted on Twitter: Overnight news of a 19-year-old in induced coma after Queens Park stabbing.

"Tackling serious youth violence still a priority. #endyouthviolence.

A Met Police spokesman said: Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found a 19-year-old man suffering from stab wounds to the chest.

The man was taken to a central London hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

Next-of-kin have been informed.

No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.

Anyone with information is urged to call Westminster CID on 07500 766 462 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
L ondon's top universities today warned the Government that dramatically reducing the number of international students allowed into Britain would be economic self-harm.

Leading institutions including UCL, Kings College and the London School of Economics said they were hugely concerned over a proposal to almost halve the number coming from overseas to reduce immigration figures.

In a joint letter to the Evening Standard, they called on ministers to stop treating students as a soft target in the row over immigration and to demonstrate that they are welcome instead.

Reports this month suggested the Home Office was considering cutting the number of international students from 300,000 to 170,000 under tougher new visa rules. Home Secretary Amber Rudd told the Conservative Party conference in October that she wanted to clamp down on those who are taking lower quality university courses.

The number of foreign students travelling to the UK over the past year has dropped by 30,000, delivering a blow to Londons university sector, which relies on the higher fees they pay.

Mark Hilton of business group London First  which gathered the signatories from among its membership  said international students contributed a huge amount to the UK economy.

According to Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, they generate more than 10.7 billion a year, including 2.3 billion in London.

Mr Hilton said: Government shouldnt be considering any options to halve their numbers  that would be economic self-harm for the UK and could do serious, long-term damage to our global standing.

Instead [ministers] should be building on one of the great UK export successes of higher education.

Signatories to the letter also include City University, the University of East London, the University of Westminster and the Royal College of Art. They wrote: Our international students help fund our education system, create jobs, share their cultures and build long-term, valuable links to the UK. So it is hugely concerning to read reports of government plans to halve international student numbers.

The universities added: We urge Government to stop looking for a soft target in the debate about immigration targets and instead demonstrate we remain open to talented people.

Also putting their names to the letter were University of West London, construction firm Mace, the Southbank Centre and international law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner.

A Home Office spokesman said: Claims the Home Office is modelling cuts to reduce international students are categorically untrue. We want to strengthen the system to support our best universities  and those that stick to the rules  to attract the best talent.

But he added: At the same time we must make sure that what we offer brings real benefits to this country.

The Home Office said there was an eight per cent fall in further education applications and a nine per cent fall in English Language applications in the year to September but visa applications for the leading Russell Group of universities were up by six per cent.
C hildren being treated at the Royal Brompton hospital have sent a giant Christmas card to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt urging him not to axe the services it provides to people born with chronic heart failure.

The specialist heart and lung hospital, based in Fulham, is one of three across the country earmarked to lose their congenital heart surgery, after new national standards were set on the availability of linked services.

Some of the Bromptons services are provided in partnership with Chelsea and Westminster hospital. The Brompton is fighting the plans, which it says will have a massive impact on its other work.

The card, signed by hundreds of patients, was delivered to the Department of Health by the Brompton Fountain charity.

Health Secretary: Jeremy Hunt / PA

The message to Mr Hunt states: Many of us would not be alive if it was not for this fantastic hospital.

"We shouldnt waste money closing down a centre that works really well and is one of the best in the country.

NHS England said consultation would begin in the New Year.
A Metropolitan police officer today told how he gave the gift of life to his sister just in time for Christmas.

Tristan Hunter, 32, donated a kidney to sibling Amy Hennessey, 38 - with the organ swap taking place four months before he is due to become a father for the first time.

He agreed to become a live donor after seeing how his primary teacher sister was growing increasingly unwell, with her kidneys down to 6-8 per cent effectiveness.

Her kidneys were damaged in childhood and she was on the verge of requiring dialysis.

Kidney transplany: Tristan and Amy together post op

Mr Hunter, a CID officer, told the Standard: I had a bit of time to think about it, but once I made my mind up I was sure.

"It was after I tested positive [as a matching donor] and no-one else was coming forward for Amy. It wasnt like a really easy decision to make but Im really glad I have done it now.

Their story is being told on Tuesday by the Royal Free hospital, Hampstead, when it posts details on Twitter of the nine-hour double operation in real time.

The operation took place last month and both brother and sister are recovering well.

They agreed to tell their story to raise awareness of the shortage of organ donors as part of the #YesIDonate campaign.

Mr Hunter, from Swanley, Kent, and his wife Jenny are expecting their first child in March. The operation was brought forward to fit in with his availability.

He is due to return to work in the New Year, six weeks after the operation.

I didnt want to be really ill when she was seven months pregnant, he said.

Kindey transplant: The operation took place at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead

"The timing was really important to me. She is due in March. If Im better by Christmas, that is fine by me.

Its all gone as well as could be expected so the whole family is really pleased. We can all enjoy a great Christmas together.

Mrs Hennessey, from Enfield, said she expected a Christmas reunion at their parents home in Coventry to be quite emotional.

She said: I was just completely overwhelmed. I cant believe he would do it. It was just an amazing thing. He has given me a new lease of life. I am going to have to get him something really special for Christmas in return.

Tristan Hunter and wife Jenny, who is expecting a baby in March

Blood and DNA tests found Mr Hunter to be a 100 per cent match for his sister. An aunt also offered to donate a kidney but she was only a 50 per cent match.

Mrs Hennessey suffered reflux as a baby, which badly damaged her kidneys. Her twin boys Freddie and Alfie, now 10, had to be born at 29 weeks when she suffered renal failure.

Consultant transplant surgeon Colin Forman used a keyhole procedure to remove Mr Hunters kidney.

The organ was taken out via an incision under the tummy button 90 minutes later.

Kidney transplant: Tristan and sister Amy as kids

It was then cleaned and prepared on ice by fellow consultant transplant surgeon Bimbi Fernando. He began operating on Mrs Hennessey an hour later.

The kidney was reanimated with her blood after two hours and the procedure was completed in under four hours.

The Royal Free performs about 120 kidney transplants a year. Mr Fernando said: We are desperately short of organ donors.

"Three people per day are dying on the UK transplant list, of all kinds of organ failure. Its essential we open our donor pool, for both deceased donors as well as live donors.

He added: If you know someone who needs an organ... I would urge you to think about being an organ donor.

"It will have an impact not only on the recipients life but, if you are close to them, it will also impact on your life as well positively.
N eighbourhood groups representing thousands of West End residents have written to transport bosses warning that their lives will be blighted by enormous increases in congestion and pollution if plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street go ahead.

The letter, signed by Michael Bolt, deputy chair of the Marylebone Association on behalf of the West End Community Network, said high levels of poisonous NO2 fumes faced by Oxford Street shoppers will simply be displaced to those living and working nearby if the plan proceeds.

Deputy mayor for transport Valerie Shawcross announced in July that all vehicles will be banned on a 1.2-mile stretch from Tottenham Court Road to Bond Street Tube station by 2020.

But locals in Marylebone and Fitzrovia in particular say they are extremely concerned that traffic will be rerouted down narrower roads such as Wigmore, Mortimer or Goodge Street.

Locals in Marylebone and Fitzrovia in particular say they are extremely concerned

The letter states: Oxford Street, the A40, has acted as one of Londons major east-west conduits since the 18th century. Even if bus services are substantially reduced the number of taxis, buses and commercial vehicles displaced will be enormous and beyond the capacity of already crowded local roads without significant additional congestion. This will generate at least as much pollution as at present, just in slightly different areas.

The letter from the WECN, which represents 10 residents associations, was sent to Transport for London as part of its consultation on Sadiq Khans proposals for improving air quality. Most traffic diverted from Oxford Street would be forced north into Marylebone and Mayfair. Soho to the south has much narrower streets but Mayfairs southern half could also be affected.

Pedestrianisation Oxford St London Live

Residents say that when Oxford Street is shut to traffic for pedestrian-friendly shopping days it gives a foretaste of future congestion, with long lines of buses struggling through roads not designed to cope with heavy traffic.

Fitzrovia resident Tony Travers, director of research centre LSE London, said: It seems legitimate for people living in areas like Fitzrovia with very low levels of car ownership to feel it is unreasonable if their congestion and pollution goes up.

Alex Williams, acting managing director of planning for TfL, said: Making Oxford Street traffic-free is one of many schemes in central London that aim to improve road safety and reduce pollution. This includes zero-emission capable taxis next year, a 40 per cent reduction in buses on Oxford Street, and the Ultra Low Emission Zone, potentially in 2019. The Elizabeth line will be opening in 2018.
P rince George joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for an annual Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh traditionally host a festive lunch for their family before leaving for their private Sandringham estate, where they spend the holidays.

Among the first to arrive was William spotted at the wheel of a vehicle, with Prince Harry in the passenger seat beside him, and Kate and their three-year-old son Prince George on the back seat.

The royal trio carried out their last official engagement of the year yesterday, joining a Christmas party in London for their mental health campaign organisation, Heads Together.

Big smiles: The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive at Buckingham Palace / PA

The Duke revealed George excited about Christmas spirit that he has been unwrapping presents before the big day.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were chauffeur-driven to the family gathering, while Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie arrived in separate cars.

Festive gathering: Zara and Mike Tindall drive up to Buckingham Palace / PA

Other members of the Royal Family who joined the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for lunch included Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and their daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor.

Her brother, Lord Freddie Windsor, arrived separately behind the wheel of a car with his wife, actress Sophie Winkleman.

Royals Kate, William and Harry attend charity Christmas party

The Queen's niece Lady Sarah Chatto, Princess Margaret's daughter, also drove herself to the annual event.

Christmas excitement: Princess Alexandra arrives for the Queen's festive lunch / PA

Other guests included the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
R evellers were locked inside City bars and blocked from entering Liverpool Street station after a suspicious vehicle sparked a security alert in the Square Mile.

City of London police cordoned off Bishopsgate between Wormwood Street and Shoreditch High Street at about 10.30pm on Monday following reports of the car had been abandoned in New Street.

The cordon was lifted at 11.45pm after the all-clear was given, a City of London police spokesman said.

It came hours after the suspected terror attack in central Berlin killed 12 people.

A City police spokesman said: There was a suspect vehicle which was checked out and the roads were reopened.
B onuses for women bosses in London are half the size of those awarded to their male counterparts, figures reveal today.

On average men are paid a top-up of 5,398 at the end of the financial year, while women receive only 2,764, according to a study of managers pay.

At more senior grades, including up to chief executive level, men typically receive a bonus of 22,867 compared with 13,699 for women, according to the Chartered Management Institute 2016 gender salary survey.

The CMI took the pay data from 22,200 London-based managers working at all levels across the private, public and not-for-profit sector, who volunteered bonus details for the first time.

Sue OBrien, co-founder of the Womens Business Council and managing partner at headhunter Ridgeway Partners, said: As employers prepare to shell out an estimated 40 billion in bonuses over the next year  with most payouts being made over the next three months  bringing immediate parity to this part of the payroll would benefit everyone.

The survey revealed 43 per cent of men received a bonus in the 2015/16 financial year, compared with just over a third of women. By law, larger companies are required to start collecting detailed information on levels of pay for male and female staff from next April. They must begin publishing it by April 2018.

Jayne-Anne Gadhia, chief executive of Virgin Money and the Governments women in finance champion, said the findings were disappointing but not surprising. She added: Reward for performance should be gender-blind. One way of achieving this is to invest in unconscious bias training for people managers who make decisions on pay and bonuses.
A race row has erupted after a TripAdvisor reviewer complained the atmosphere in a London pub was ruined by "Polish people".

The owners of the Star and Anchor pub in Ealing reacted with fury after the review was published by the travel website.

The reviewer complemented the cosy pub for its nice food and exceptional choice of drinks.

But then they added: When groups of POLISH people arrive the tranquillity and calmness are gone then you will feel you are drinking in the toughest pub of Hackney or Brixton.

Pity but its true.

'Racist' review: The comment left on the website (TA)

After reading the comments, the owner of the pub, Edward Sheldon, along with operations manager Gavin Harrington-Odedra, complained about the review to the website.

But the site responded saying it complies with submission guidelines, adding: User reviews are individual, highly subjective opinions.

Negative comments may feel insulting but the reviewer is entitled to express their opinion.

Mr Harrington-Odedra told the Standard: We were just so shocked  first of all that the review went up and then more shocked when TripAdvisors response came back.

There is no way to dispute their decision so we thought if we tweeted them and sparked a bit of backlash it would help.

The pair then tweeted from the pubs account saying: Are you absolutely sure this doesnt breach your guidelines.

Is this your post-Brexit policy? I give up

Hundreds of people responded to the posts, condemning the site and the reviewer for the racist message.

One person described TripAdvisor as the cultural wing of UKIP.

Another responded: I'm not sure what I'm more annoyed about. Brixton and Hackney are wonderful drinking places. As is Poland, for that matter!

Eventually the review was removed, with the website responding: Thanks for bringing to our attention.

Decision was reviewed and team concluded review did breach guidelines so removed.

Decisions such as these taken by manual team and they work hard to uphold guidelines as fairly and objectively as possible.

Inevitably, some reviews require a judgement call. If we make a mistake, we do our best to fix it.

Mr Harrington-Odedra said he was pleased the review had been taken down as he was concerned it may have made customers feel unwelcome.

We have an inclusive customer policy and we do not want to discriminate by any means, he said.

Most of the angry comments and tweets were local people who come to the pub - they were shocked someone would write something like that.

It was not a review about the premises it was a review of the people who come here and, at the end of the day, that is just not in keeping with how we want to run our business.

A TripAdvisor spokesman told the Standard: "We have a dedicated team whose job it is to manually investigate reviews that are reported to us and they work hard to uphold the guidelines we have in place.

"Inevitably, there will be cases in which content is close to the red line we draw, and in those situations we have to make a judgement as fairly and objectively as we can.

"In this case, upon reviewing our initial determination, we concluded that the review did not meet our guidelines and as such it has been removed."
A central London leisure centre temporarily closed its pool after a swimmer claimed the water had turned his shorts a different colour.

Andrew Griffin went for a swim in the pool at Virgin Active in Broadgate on Monday - but when he emerged from the water he noticed some bizarre changes.

The swimmer told the Standard that after his 90-minute morning swim his shorts had changed a completely different colour from the original deep blue to a brown.

A while later he began to experience other changes to his skin and hair, he said.

My skin began to feel itchy and really, really dry and my hair a little rough, said Mr Griffin, who works at the Independent.

I then got in touch with them to say so and they were reasonably helpful and offered to replace the shorts."

Staff at the swimming pool, near Liverpool Street station, said the pool was shut temporarily on Monday afternoon due to tests on the water.

Mr Griffin said: When I spoke to the manager on the phone she said there was nothing wrong and theyd tested the water and it was safe.

Other visitors to the Broadgate branch  which boasts a gym, sauna as well as sleep pods  remarked on the pool being closed intermittently throughout Monday.

A spokesperson for Virgin Active said: "The safety and wellbeing of members is our utmost priority. Chlorine levels at our Broadgate pool were within the parameters set by health and safety.

"However, in response to a complaint we received from one of our members we closed the pool as a precaution. Our team investigated immediately to ensure member safety, and our pool is now open again."
T he organisers of Londons Winter Wonderland event have considered their security plans following a terror attack on a Christmas market in Berlin which left 12 people dead, it has been revealed.

Scotland Yard said on Tuesday that an attack on the capital is highly likely after an articulated lorry ploughed into crowds of men, women and children at the popular German tourist attraction.

Some 48 people were injured in the massacre in a trendy area in the west of the city.

Now, the organisers of the capitals largest festive event in Hyde Park, which was attended by more than 2.6 million people last year, have revealed they have held talks with the Metropolitan Police over the fairs security plans.

A spokesman said the safety and security of customers was "of the utmost importance" and there were "multiple safety procedures" in place for the event, which runs until January 2 next year.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

They said in a statement: "We continue to work closely with all relevant authorities to ensure public safety. In light of the events in Berlin we have considered our security plans with the Metropolitan Police and they continue to be robust and appropriate."

Scotland Yard also announced plans to introduce enhanced security measures during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

The changes will come into force on Wednesday and will see roads surrounding Buckingham Palace closed to vehicles between 10.45am and 12.30pm on days when the popular parade takes place.

In a request to the Royal Parks, Met Police insisted the security measures were necessary due to the events high profile, large crowds and strong military presence.

A spokesman stressed that changes to security around the Palace had been planned for sometime but have been brought forward following the attack in Berlin.

Safety barriers will also be put in place surrounding the parade.

Commander Simon Bray, responsible for security, said: "The Met undertakes a range of different activities including strengthening security and high-visibility policing as part of a counter-terrorist strategy, and it will continue to take whatever action it believes is necessary to protect and reassure the public.

"Police continue to work in partnership to minimise disruption, but its priority is to ensure the safety and security of those who live, work and visit London."

Meanwhile, counter-terrorism authorities have revealed they warned of the risk that refugees could be targeted by extremist recruiters weeks before the carnage in Berlin.

Winter Wonderland: Millions of people attend the event over six weeks each year

The threat was highlighted in a report published by Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, at the start of this month.

It also cited unconfirmed reports that German authorities were aware of hundreds of attempts by jihadists to recruit refugees.

German police guard a Christmas market in the Prenzlauer Berg district in eastern Berlin, Germany, following the attack in Breitscheidplatz. / REUTERS

A Pakistani asylum seeker was arrested in the aftermath but denied responsibility.

He was later released as police said they had insufficient evidence to keep him detained.

Authorities have admitted the person behind the attack may still be armed and at large.

The Europol report said: "Elements of the (Sunni Muslim) Syrian refugee diaspora may become vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and may be specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters."

Carnage: The lorry ploughed into crowds of men, women and children (AP) / Markus Schreiber/AP

There is no firm evidence that terrorist travellers "systematically use the flow of refugees to enter Europe unnoticed" but it is indisputable that some have entered the EU posing as refugees, the paper added.

It said: "According to unconfirmed information, German authorities were aware of around 300 recorded attempts made by jihadists to recruit refugees who were trying to enter Europe by April 2016."

Tributes: People gather to lay down flowers near the area where a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market / REUTERS

Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands were identified in the assessment as being "high on the target list" for IS aggression.

The Berlin crash came less than a month after Americans were warned of the heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during the holiday season.

A travel alert issued by the US State Department specifically urged caution at holiday festivals, events and outdoor markets, saying that "credible information" indicates that ISIS and al Qaida, and affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe.

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For more than two years the official threat level for international terrorism in Britain has stood at severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely".

Earlier this month, MI6 chief Alex Younger used his first public speech to warn that the "murderously efficient" IS was plotting violent attacks against the UK.

Authorities are dealing with around 550 "live" cases at any one time, while intelligence and security services have disrupted 12 terrorist plots over the last three years
I s Auntie struggling to find a woman to take charge? The DCMS is currently seeking a new chairman to replace Rona Fairhead at the BBC Trust, who this year was re-appointed by David Cameron to the role she had held since 2014 but four months later stepped down, after new Prime Minister Theresa May indicated that she must re-apply for the job.

The successful applicant is set to be announced at the beginning of 2017 and so far reports have revealed five names of a six-strong shortlist. The list is missing a womans touch but two names in the rumour mill could go some way to rebalancing the scales.

The Londoner has been told that one of two women is set to join the male contenders. Could Dame Liz Forgan, until recently chair of The Scott Trust, which owns The Guardian Media Group, and an experienced BBC hand, step in? Or could it be Camilla Cavendish, the former head of Camerons No 10 policy unit? Only last week she gave up the Tory whip in the House of Lords. Could she have done this in order to remove any party-political tag ahead of being considered for such a major job?

A surprise among the male candidates is Sir David Clementi, the former Bank of England deputy governor who was asked by former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale to lead a review into the BBCs governance. His report earlier this year recommended replacing the trust with a unitary board and handing regulatory powers to Ofcom. He is joined by Penguin Random House chairman John Makinson, journalist Roger Parry, William Shawcross of the Charities Commission and Sir David Arculus, former Emap chief executive.

An impressive list, but a bit rich in testosterone. Perhaps in the festive rush executives failed to check it twice?

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Over at the V&A, meanwhile, the powers that be have decided on ex-director Martin Roths successor. While its not clear who has got the job, were told both Tim Knox from Cambridges Fitzwilliam Museum and Luke Syson of New Yorks Met are out of the running. So who is it? Former English Heritage CEO Simon Thurley has experience as director of the Museum of London. So will he take the South Kensington throne?

Brushstrokes of the political kind

Last week The Londoner was told the National Portrait Gallery was seeking someone to paint David Cameron. Could it go with the man behind the last prime ministerial work? Alastair Adams, who created the institutions striking Tony Blair oil, offers advice. Portrait painters need to be honest, objective and offer a critique of their subjects, he says. Its more like cultural ethnography than criticism.

Adams tells us hed be interested in the commission but suspects the gallery will seek a new, more surprising choice. He hopes theres a chance to make a statement, though. Perhaps the artist could start something and just not finish it off, he joked.

Those royals can be ever so friendly ...

Film producer Harvey Weinstein and fashion designer Georgina Chapman co-hosted a screening of new film Lion in Soho House last night. The film, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, is tipped for Oscar success, so its no wonder a varied crowd was there including US actor Kelsey Grammer, who met Princess Eugenie and Weinstein.

Grammer may have wished to keep a distance from royalty: he once joked that the Duchess of Cornwall gave him a friendly pinch on the bottom when they first met. Also there were TV presenter Laura Whitmore, pictured right with the Duchess of York. Both kept their hands where Kelsey could see them.

Silence is golden for Labourites

In the run-up to Christmas, The Londoner hoped Labours woes would be solved if only Jeremy Corbyn would don a Santa outfit and spread some Christmas cheer. But it looks like hed rather have a Silent Night.

Corbyn was among the throng at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane last night for the Labour Party Gala Dinner and Excellence Awards, and addressed the apparently incorrect reports of a karaoke-based dispute at the partys Christmas bash. Tonight we are having a silent auction, which is a great idea, he said. Next year we should have a silent disco so there is no noise and no misreporting.

Despite the non-alcoholic champagne, guests celebrated small- and medium-sized businesses, while Yvette Cooper won Parliamentarian of the Year and a sparkling trophy. Ed [Balls] didnt get a glitter ball, she said. But Ive got a glitter obelisk. She might consider regifting, though: shes neglected her festive shopping for Ed.

If you can come up with some inspiration for what I can get him for Christmas that would be great, she grimaced. Corbyn will be of little help. We asked him if hes sending a courtesy gift to Theresa May. No, I dont think so, he replied. Not even a jar of homemade jam? Mrs May will be devastated.

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Meghan Markle was not invited to the Queens pre-Christmas lunch today but her blog The Tig has some advice for Her Majesty anyway. The latest entry on the site is Tips for being an impromptu hostess, with the suggestion of having a bottle of bubbles chilling at all times and to always keep your home 10 minutes from ready. The Palace should start fluffing those pillows now.

A cunning cooking plan

Is Miriam Gonzalez Durantez a closet Christmas Grinch? The lawyer, domestic goddess and wife of former deputy PM Nick Clegg is known for her recipes and this week posted one for Christmas biscuits on her food blog, Mum and Sons.

But it comes with an extra, mischievous tip: If you are in a being a good person phase, follow the recipe and use nicely flavoured sweets to make the transparent glass, she writes. The risk is your children will eat the biscuits as soon as you look the other side. If you are in a fed up of being a good person phase, then add four generous teaspoons of ground black pepper to the mixture  you can be sure the children will not mess around with your tree.

Dont tell Nick.

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Man flu of the day: a photo of Ed Miliband sneezing was used as a stock image on US news. Will it spark a turf war with his New York-based brother David?
B oris Johnson should be investigated over a possible breach of the ministerial code after talking about one of his books during an official visit, Labour has said.

The Foreign Secretary was in Serbia on government business last month when he attended a "closed meeting in Serbia's oldest bookstore" which officials claimed was about press freedoms.

Serbian media reports and publisher quotes suggest Mr Johnson "presented his book" on Winston Churchill during the visit.

Labour said the publicity around the event appeared to "contradict comments from the minister's office that he had been invited to discuss freedom of the press and was not aware the event would be used to promote his book".

The opposition party claimed it was a potential conflict between his public duties and private financial interests.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Andrew Gwynne suggested the event raised questions over Mr Johnson's future in the job.

The shadow minister without portfolio wrote: "As you are aware the ministerial code sets out strict rules forbidding any such conflicts and further states that it is the personal responsibility of ministers to avoid conflicts of interests.

"Should it not be possible to avoid conflicts of interest, the ministerial code states that the Prime Minister must be consulted, and that it may be necessary for the Minister to cease to hold the office in question.

"In light of the Foreign Secretary's conduct during a ministerial visit to Serbia, I request that the incident be investigated to determine as soon as possible if a breach of the ministerial code has taken place."

Labour called on Theresa May to clarify whether Mr Johnson had breached the ministerial code, if she had been made aware of his financial interests from book sales from The Churchill Factor before the visit and if she had "agreed action regarding these financial interests".

Shadow minister Clive Lewis said: "Once again, Boris Johnson's conduct has raised questions on his ability to represent Britain internationally, let alone hold the office of Foreign Secretary.

It is not acceptable that on Armistice Day, Boris used a state visit as an opportunity for self-promotion."
N igel Farage has faced a backlash for appearing to blame Angela Merkel for the deadly terror attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

The former Ukip leader was criticised for the tweet, posted after 12 people were killed in the devastation at the popular market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Monday evening.

He tweeted: Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.

His post provoked an online backlash with Brendan Cox, the husband of the late Yorkshire politician Jo Cox, among those who criticised the MEP.

Backlash: Ukip leader Nigel Farage / Getty Images

Mr Cox tweeted: @Nigel_Farage blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? Thats a slippery slope Nigel.

Berlin truck 'attack': Death toll rises to 12

Mrs Merkel, who faces an election challenge next year, has faced criticism in some parts of Germany over her open-door policy to refugees during the crisis in Syria.

Other users were more direct than Mr Cox. David Gibson wrote: "This post shows the type of human you are. Using this as point scoring against Merkel, disgusting."

Another user tweeting under the handle @TechnicallyRon wrote: "@Nigel_Farage nothing like utilising a tragedy for your own bigoted agenda hey nige."

Another user, Stevo, wrote: "He's won what he started out to do, why does he need to score points of Merkel?"

While Jon Tolley wrote: "@Nigel_Farage here's your reason why you can't represent the Uk in America."

Vincent Venus: "Shame on you for using this horror for your destructive political agenda. Stay away from my city Berlin! #BerlinAttack."

His comments came as the suspected terrorist was named as Naved B, a 23-year-old who is said to have entered the country under a false name on February 16.

The attacker is said to have used multiple names while in the country where he hid among the multitudes of legitimate refugees.

TODO: define component type brightcove

President-elect Donald Trump branded the attack an act of terrorism, tweeting: "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse."

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted his condolences following the "terrible tragedy", while the Foreign Office warned Britons travelling to Germany of a high risk from terrorism.

In advice updated after the crash, it said: "There may be increased security in place over the Christmas and New Year period, including at Christmas markets and other major events that might attract large crowds.

Floral tributes made to victims of Berlin 'terror attack'

"You should remain vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities."
T urkish police arrested seven people today following the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara.

The mother, father and sister of gunman Melvut Mert Aydintas, 22, were being held along with three other relatives and his flatmate.

A man who fired shots outside the US embassy in Ankara using a pump-action shotgun was also arrested, after being overpowered by embassy staff.

Diplomat Andrei Karlov died instantly after being shot in the back at a gallery in the Turkish capital yesterday. He was making a speech at the opening of a photographic exhibition.

Gunman: Melvut Mert Aydintas / Burhan Ozbilici/AP

Aydintas, an off-duty member of Ankaras riot police squad who was wearing a dark suit and tie, shouted Dont forget Aleppo and Allahu Akbar. He pumped eight shots into the ambassadors body before being killed in a shoot-out with police.

Theresa May sent a private letter offering her sincere condolences to Russian president Vladimir Putin last night.

Today Moscow warned it would give no quarter to the terrorists and would not offer any concessions in its military operations in Syria.

Shot dead: The attack happened after Andrei Karlov was gunned down in Ankara on Monday / AP/Burhan Ozbilici

Mr Putin called Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to request access for a Russian team of 18 investigators and officials.

Announcing the Russian probe, Mr Putin declared: We have to know who directed the hand of the killer. He called the ambassadors killing a provocation aimed at sabotaging ties between Moscow and Ankara. There can be only one answer to this  stepping up the fight against terrorism, and the bandits will feel this, he said.

The Russian foreign ministry today expressed thanks for international condemnation of Mr Karlovs assassination. The Russian Embassy said Mr Karlovs body would be flown to Russia today.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the killing had made Moscow even more determined to press ahead with Syrian talks that will offer no concessions to the terrorists.

He said ministers had agreed this tragedy makes us more decisive in fighting terrorism and makes our todays meeting even more important.

Russian ambassador to Turkey fatally shot at exhibition

Deputy foreign minister Oleg Syromolotov said: I think every person who travels to Turkey should think twice before doing it because terrorist attacks happen there almost every day.

Turkeys pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak claimed Mr Karlovs killing was a plot by an American intelligence agency, and linked it to the failed coup in July.

Local police said their inquiry was focused on whether Aydintas acted alone or if his assault was part of an organised terror attack.

After Mr Karlovs shooting heavy security was imposed outside the Russian Embassy and the Iranian Embassy was closed as a precaution.

The US Embassy closed its operations for 24 hours after the separate shooting incident, which took place outside at 3.50am. A man pulled a shotgun from his coat and opened fire, blasting about eight shots in the air before the embassys own security guards intervened and apparently overpowered him.

Turkey imposed a blackout on the video of the shooting, which was broadcast around the world. It shows Aydintas walking around Mr Karlovs body and yelling slogans. We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad, he also shouted in Arabic.

The Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers will meet in Moscow later to discuss the crisis in Syria.
A ngela Merkel today said it would be repugnant if the Berlin Christmas market mass killer is confirmed to be a refugee seeking a safe haven in Germany.

The German Chancellor also vowed that her country would not be paralysed by terror.

But she faced a backlash over her controversial open door immigration policy, with the nationalist Alternative for Germany, Far-right groups and Ukips Nigel Farage partly blaming it for the atrocity in the capital.

Security sources believe the suspected driver of the lorry which ploughed through a Christmas market is a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker named Navid B, according to German media.

Ms Merkel said: We must assume it was a terrorist attack.

Berlin truck 'attack': Death toll rises to 12

It would be very difficult for us to learn that a human being committed this deed who came to Germany to ask for refuge and asylum.

It would be terrible for all of the Germans who are very active day by day in helping asylum seekers and refugees. It would be repugnant for them.

She added: We do not want to allow ourselves to be paralysed by terror, although, this might be difficult in these hours but we will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany, in freedom, and openness and together.

But Frauke Petry, co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party which has opposed Ms Merkels decision to allow more than one million migrants into Germany in response to the Syria crisis, said: Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage tweeted: Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.

He later added on LBC radio: Mrs Merkel had directly caused a whole number of social and terrorist problems in Germany, its about time we confronted that truth.

Ms Merkel, who is a key figure in Britains Brexit negotiations, is seeking a fourth term as Chancellor in national elections expected next September and was ahead in the polls.

However, in the autumn she took responsibility for defeats for her CDU party in several states in regional elections and admitted that her open-door policy towards migrants was a factor.

Many Germans backed her decision to offer a safe haven to so many people fleeing the Syrian civil war.

But she has faced growing criticism after women were attacked by migrants in Cologne on last New Years Eve, a Syrian man wounded 15 people when he blew himself up at a music festival in the town of Ansbach in July, and a few days earlier a teenage Afghan refugee attacked passengers on a train in southern Germany with an axe.

Stefan Mayer, home affairs spokesperson for the CSU/CDU parliamentary group led Ms Merkel, said today: This horrible attack means a new dimension of terrorism in Germany. We should keep a cool head now. Its too early to draw any conclusions from this case.
As each Cabinet announcement draws fresh criticism of the wealth, connections or opinions of Donald Trump's latest appointees, many Americans who voted for him say the president-elect is doing what he promised to do: draining the swamp.

And they're excited.

To them, the idea of a defense secretary nicknamed "Mad Dog" is bliss. They rejoice in an energy secretary who once said he would eliminate the Department of Energy. And while some Trump supporters balk at ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's close ties with Russia's Vladimir Putin, they say they will trust Trump's judgment about his secretary of state nominee.

These voters, who often echo Trump's own campaign statements, say the affluence of his Cabinet picks is an advantage, not a liability.

"The guys he's putting in there, they don't need to do this. They're independently wealthy," said Trump voter Roger Mansfield, 67, a small business owner in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "They don't need any more money. The motivation is to make pragmatic, rational business decisions. What could be wrong about that?"

The Associated Press interviewed Trump voters about his Cabinet picks and other postelection revelations, such as a CIA assessment that Russia interfered in the November election on Trump's behalf. Top Republicans in Congress have endorsed investigations into the Russian meddling, but the idea drew jeers from Shay Chamberlain, 37, of Menomonie, Wisconsin.

"That's kind of ridiculous," Chamberlain said. "I tried to influence the elections, you know what I mean? I mean, we all did when we went on Facebook and put silly memes on there and tried to influence our friends to go one way or another."

Some Cabinet choices have been called into question for their lack of experience, their extraordinary wealth and their past relationships with the departments they are to lead. Much of the criticism has come from Democrats, but experts, past government officials and some Republicans have also raised doubts.

John Barnes, a 60-year-old Air Force retiree living in Albuquerque, said he liked that Trump was "hiring outsiders and not local yokel knuckleheads."

In Sandy Hook, Kentucky, Wesley Lewis applauded Trump's decision to nominate three retired generals for top jobs: James "Mad Dog" Mattis to head the Pentagon, John Kelly for the Department of Homeland Security and Michael Flynn as national security adviser.

But Lewis, 67, said he is skeptical about Tillerson, who has opposed sanctions levied on Moscow, and about Trump's hope of improving relations with Russia.

"I don't see that we need to have a buddy-buddy relationship with Russia or China or any of them. We need to remain strong, help where we can," Lewis said. "Being buddies with Russia, that's only going to cause us problems."

On jobs, some Trump voters are celebrating.

"I'm tickled pink, man," said Jimmy McDonald, an assistant bank vice president, from Tazewell County, Virginia. Some laid-off miners in Appalachia have been called back to work, some shortly before Trump was elected. One factor was a recent spike in the price of metallurgical coal used to make steel. McDonald credits Trump.

"More coal's being brought out right now since the last 60 days actually," said McDonald, 57. "Trump made that a major focus of his campaign in August, when he started talking about the coal miners, and the coal trains are running, man. And people are excited. It's just a different vibe in the air right now."

But Iraq War veteran and factory worker Rebecca Zbichorski, 28, of Milwaukee, said she's reevaluating Trump's rosy predictions.

"His promising to bring all those jobs back? I think he over spoke on that a little bit. I don't feel confident on that," Zbichorski said. A skit on "Saturday Night Live" mocking an unemployed coal miner eagerly expecting Trump to get him back to work shifted her views, she said.

"Some of those jobs are dying." She was swayed, too, by an Indiana union leader who criticized Trump for raising false hopes by inflating the number of jobs being saved at a Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis.

However, Jack Stauffenberg, a 65-year-old coal company superintendent from New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, said that Indiana union leader was off base, explaining that Trump "talks in round numbers."

"Look at the stock market," Stauffenberg said, referring to Wall Street's recent streak of records. "That expresses the optimism of this country right now."

Americans sense that the country is "being righted, and we're kind of getting a new start," he added.

Eileen Barlow, a 56-year-old small business owner in Naperville, Illinois, welcomes charter school advocate Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Barlow favors vouchers for private education.

"I don't like the indoctrination that goes on in the public schools. They teach the theory of evolution as truth," said Barlow, who has an infant grandson. "If people want to send their kids to a Christian school, they should get help with that."

If they had their wishes, some Trump voters would tone him down on Twitter.

Zbichorski thinks Trump will need "more tact and professionalism" when he takes office, and she worries he'll tweet an insult about a leader of another country and escalate international tensions. "Right now, he's just being who he is. No filter," she said.

Chamberlain still wants to see Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, investigated.

"He kind of almost promised the American people, 'If I'm elected, she'll pay. If I'm elected, I'll hold her accountable.' And then as soon as he won, it was kind of nicey-nice. 'You know I'm not really going to go after her,'" Chamberlain said.

Mansfield said he trusts Trump to act in the country's best interests.

"Do we have any choice? We have to trust him. He's going to be our president. Wishing him to fail would be like getting on an airliner and hoping the two pilots don't know what they're doing," he said. "My gut says he will do the right thing."
T he man arrested after 12 people were killed and 48 injured in the Berlin Christmas market massacre was today named as a refugee who had moved to Germany just months before.

Police believe a man identified as Naved B, 23, had only arrived in the country are investigating if the attack was ordered by an Islamic State handler in the Middle East.

Jihadist fighters returning to Germany have told intelligence operatives that IS regards the country as a prime target for terror and has been striving all this year for a spectacular outrage to match those carried out in France.

Naved B was arrested a mile-and-a-half away after a 25-tonne truck was hijacked and driven into crowds of shoppers and tourists at 8.15pm on Monday at the market outside Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, near the Kurfurstendamm shopping street in the west of the city.

The driver is thought to have commandeered the Scania lorry, which was laden with steel, shooting its Polish driver dead, before steering it at speed into the crowds.

Witnesses told how the lorrys lights were turned off when it smashed into people and wooden huts.

A hero bystander followed the man after he jumped from the cab and fled.

As Berlin police confirmed they were treating the incident as a terrorist attack, extraordinary details emerged of the capture of the suspect about two miles from the scene of the carnage.

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Police spokesman Winfrid Wenzel said officers were kept informed of the suspects movements by the man tailing him from a safe distance.

The aftermath of the atrocity in Berlin / Markus Schreiber/AP

The member of the public stayed on his telephone updating them every few seconds about where the killer was heading.

Naved B was captured near the Victory Column by officers in a passing patrol car.

Mr Wenzel said: With the help of this witness it was possible to capture the suspect.

"This kind of civic courage gives us courage too.

Today German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of the atrocity saying: We must assume that this was a terrorist attack.

State of shock: German Chancellor Angela Merkel / AFP/Getty Images

She said she was shocked and very saddened by the terrible deed but added: We will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany  in freedom, openness and together.

There were conflicting reports today of the suspects identity and the man is thought to have used several aliases after he arrived in Germany.

He is thought to have been living among genuine refugees in a camp at Berlins Tempelhof airport, which was raided by an elite group of armed anti-terror police at 4am this morning.

The carnage came just hours after Russias ambassador to Turkey was gunned down at a photography exhibition in Ankara.

The atrocity bears chilling echoes to the deadly Islamic State terror attack in the French city of Nice in July when 86 people were killed when a lorry drove into crowds watching a Bastille Day fireworks display.

Police across Europe appeared to have been on alert for a possible terror attack and armed officers have been patrolling markets in major cities in Britain in recent weeks.

Scotland Yard said today that officers were reviewing security around sites and events in London over the Christmas and New Year period but added it already put in place measures to combat the possible use of large vehicles in terror attacks.

A spokesman said: These already recognise that the threat level is at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely, and have considered a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Police in Germany are believed to be investigating that the truck was stolen from a construction site in Poland.

Ariel Zielinski, the original drivers cousin and owner of the Polish haulage firm he was working for, said he last spoke to him at midday but his wife was unable to reach him at 4pm  hours before the tragedy.

Wreckage: the aftermath of the attack / Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters

He said hand on heart that there was no chance his cousin had willingly taken part in the act of terror.

Mr Zielinski said: The man who drove into those people in the centre of Berlin was not my driver. This is my cousin. Ive known him since I was born.

My scenario is that they did something to the driver  they hijacked this vehicle because it was practically in the centre of Berlin and they had a good vehicle with which they could do what they did.

The smashed truck after the carnage / Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters

There was condemnation from around the world. Mrs Merkel said she was mourning the dead.

The White House condemned the attack and President-elect Donald Trump branded it an act of terror. In a tweet that also referred to the murder in Turkey and an attack on an Islamic centre in Zurich yesterday, he said: There were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany  and it is only getting worse.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said: This appears to have been a horrific and cowardly act of terror. All Londoners stand in solidarity with the people of Berlin today  this was an attack on our shared values, freedoms and way of life.

I want to reassure Londoners and those visiting our city over Christmas that the Met will review all security plans in London in light of last nights events, and that keeping everyone safe remains the highest priority for the Met commissioner and for me.

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British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted his condolences following the terrible tragedy, while the Foreign Office warned Britons travelling to Germany of a high risk from terrorism.
A suspect arrested over the Berlin terror attack may not have been the driver of the truck which killed 12 people and injured 48 during a massacre at a Christmas market, police said.

The German capitals police chief, Klaus Kandt, said officials havent been able to confirm whether the man arrested over the attack was the driver.

The terror suspect had earlier been named as Naved B, a 23-year-old asylum seeker with a criminal past who entered Germany under a false name months before.

He was said in reports to have been radicalised in Germany and may have been ordered to carry out the attack by an Islamic State handler in the Middle East.

A suspect being arrested in connection with the attack in Berlin / Olaf Selchow/Bild

Jihadist fighters returning to Germany have told intelligence operatives that IS regards the country as a prime target for terror and has been striving all this year for a spectacular outrage to match those carried out in France.

Naved B, a Pakistani national, was said to be a petty criminal known to police for theft and shoplifting. He was named in reports as a suspect after a 25-tonne truck was driven into crowds of shoppers and tourists at 8.15pm on Monday at the market outside Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, near the Kurfurstendamm shopping street in the west of the city.

But reports in Germany said Naved B speaks Balochi, a regional dialect of Pakistan, adding that there were problems questioning him because of the lack of an available translator.

German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the man has denied any involvement, and Mr Kandt said officials are unsure whether they have detained the real suspect.

The aftermath of the attack in Berlin / Markus Schreiber/AP

According to German newspaper Die Welt, a police spokesman said: "We have got the wrong man, which means a new situation, because the actual attacker is still armed and free and can cause more damage."

Mr Kandt told reporters that police "haven't been able to confirm" whether the man held was the lorry's driver.

The killer is thought to have commandeered the Scania lorry, which was laden with steel, shooting its Polish driver dead, before steering it at speed into the crowds.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Witnesses told how the lorrys lights were turned off when it smashed into people and wooden huts. A hero bystander was reported to have followed the man after he jumped from the cab and fled.

Berlin police confirmed earlier on Tuesday that they were treating the incident as a terrorist attack,

Shocked: German Chancellor Angela Merkel / AFP/Getty Images

Today German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of the atrocity saying: We must assume that this was a terrorist attack. She said she was shocked and very saddened by the terrible deed but added: We will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany  in freedom, openness and together.

Merkel 'shocked and deeply saddened' by Berlin market attack

There were conflicting reports today on the suspects identity and the man is thought to have used several aliases after he arrived in Germany.

He is thought to have been living among genuine refugees in a camp at Berlins Tempelhof airport, which was raided by an elite group of armed anti-terror police at 4am this morning.

Wreckage: the aftermath of the collision / Markus Schreiber/AP

The carnage came just hours after Russias ambassador to Turkey was gunned down at a photography exhibition in Ankara. The atrocity in Berlin echoed the deadly Islamic State terror attack in the French city of Nice in July when 86 people were killed when a lorry drove into crowds watching a Bastille Day fireworks display.

Police across Europe appeared to have been on alert for a possible attack and armed officers have been patrolling markets in major cities in Britain in recent weeks.

Scotland Yard said officers were reviewing security around sites and events in London over Christmas and New Year but had already put in place measures to combat the possible use of large vehicles in terror attacks.

The truck after the attack in Berlin / Britta Pedersen/EPA

A spokesman said: These already recognise that the threat level is at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely, and have considered a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.

Police in Germany are believed to be investigating whether the truck was stolen from a construction site in Poland. Ariel Zielinski, the original drivers cousin and owner of the Polish haulage firm he was working for, said he last spoke to him at midday but his wife was unable to reach him at 4pm  hours before the tragedy.

He said hand on heart that there was no chance his cousin had willingly taken part in the act of terror.

Mr Zielinski said: The man who drove into those people in the centre of Berlin was not my driver. This is my cousin. Ive known him since I was born. My scenario is that they did something to the driver  they hijacked this vehicle because it was practically in the centre of Berlin and they had a good vehicle with which they could do what they did.

There was condemnation from around the world. Mrs Merkel said she was mourning the dead.

Lorry used in Berlin Christmas market 'terror attack' towed away

Theresa May sent a message to the German Chancellor last night saying: I am saddened to hear of the appalling incident this evening at the Christmas market in Berlin. Our thoughts are with the people of Berlin and we stand ready to assist in any way we can. The White House condemned the attack and President-elect Donald Trump branded it an act of terror.

In a tweet that also referred to the murder in Turkey and an attack on an Islamic centre in Zurich yesterday, he said: There were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany  and it is only getting worse.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said: This appears to have been a horrific and cowardly act of terror. All Londoners stand in solidarity with the people of Berlin today  this was an attack on our shared values, freedoms and way of life.

I want to reassure Londoners and those visiting our city over Christmas that the Met will review all security plans in light of last nights events, and that keeping everyone safe remains the highest priority for the Met Commissioner and for me.

The Foreign Office warned Britons travelling to Germany of a high risk of terrorism.
A n Australian student caught up in the Berlin Christmas market attack has told of the horrifying moment the deadly incident unfolded.

Trisha O'Neill was metres away from the scene of the disaster as 12 people were killed in a suspected terror attack at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

A further 48 people were injured as the vehicle tore through tables and wooden stands at the popular Kurfurstendamm market at about 40 mph.

All of a sudden there was a big boom and the people in front me jumped on top of me, Ms O'Neill told ABC.

Witness: Australian Trisha O'Neill was celebrating her last German class Trisha O'Neill / Facebook

I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there.

The truck crashed through market stalls and the festive crowd at around 40 mph / EPA

There was blood and bodies everywhere.

Ms ONeill, who was celebrating the last day of her German classes having moved to Berlin on a one-year Visa, eventually went to a friends home to phone her family.

The driver of the truck was arrested nearby and is in police custody. He arrived in Germany as a refugee in February, according to the DPA news agency.

Germany's justice minister said that federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, were taking over the investigation.

Suspect of Berlin 'terror attack' arrested

Another witness, Jan Hollitzer, 36, said he heard screams as the vehicle made its way through the stalls, but that the market was "really silent" as "shocked" shoppers looked on at the aftermath.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Mr Hollitzer, deputy editor-in-chief of local news outlet Berliner Morgenpost, said he saw "more than one" person lying underneath the truck.

He said: "First, I heard a noise, then he destroyed the booths on the market and we heard some screams, and then the truck came out of the market on the left side."

Floral tributes made to victims of Berlin 'terror attack'

Mr Hollitzer said he walked across the street to the market and saw destroyed stalls, broken glass, crockery and tables, and injured people lying on the ground.

"I moved forward and saw the back of the truck - it was a lorry," he said.

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"There were some people under the truck and it was really scary, really terrifying.

"I moved on the street to see the front of the truck, which was destroyed."

Berlin truck 'attack': Death toll rises to 12

Mr Hollitzer, who lives in Berlin, said that it became "more noisy" as emergency services arrived at the scene and the initial shock of onlookers subsided.
P olice believe the lorry crash that killed 12 people at a Berlin Christmas market was a terror attack.

The articulated lorry ploughed into crowds at the popular market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Monday night and Berlin police say they believe it was intentional rather than an accident.

A man was arrested near the scene, authorities said, as the death toll rose overnight from nine to 12.

Forty-eight other people were injured.

The arrested man is said to have arrived in Germany in February as a refugee. The DPA news agency reported that he was an Afghan or Pakistani asylum seeker.

Berlin Police said on Twitter on Tuesday morning: "Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz.

All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care."

Berlin Police spokesman Thomas Neundorf added a passenger in the lorry - who officials later confirmed was a Polish national - was among those killed.

The truck carried Polish number plates and investigators would work to determine if it was stolen or driven legally, Mr Neundorf added.

The Polish owner of the truck, Ariel Zurawski, told TVN24 he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked and said "they must have done something to my driver".

On Monday night police had said: "A suspicious person was arrested near #Breitscheidplatz. Whether it is the driver of the truck, is currently under consideration.

"Currently, there are no indications of further dangerous situations in the city near #Breitscheidplatz."

Witnesses said the market fell silent after the vehicle tore through tables and wooden stands at the Berlin City Weihnachtsmarkt at Breitschiedplatz.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Jan Hollitzer, 36, said he heard screams as the vehicle made its way through the stalls, but that the market was "really silent" as "shocked" shoppers looked on at the aftermath.

Mr Hollitzer, deputy editor-in-chief of local news outlet Berliner Morgenpost, said he saw "more than one" person lying underneath the truck.

He said: "First, I heard a noise, then he destroyed the booths on the market and we heard some screams, and then the truck came out of the market on the left side."

Mr Hollitzer said he walked across the street to the market and saw destroyed stalls, broken glass, crockery and tables, and injured people lying on the ground.

"I moved forward and saw the back of the truck - it was a lorry," he said.

"There were some people under the truck and it was really scary, really terrifying.

The truck was left smashed after the attack (REUTERS) / Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

"I moved on the street to see the front of the truck, which was destroyed."

Mr Hollitzer, who lives in Berlin, said that it became "more noisy" as emergency services arrived at the scene and the initial shock of onlookers subsided.

Mike Fox, from Birmingham, told The Associated Press that the truck had missed him by about three metres.

He said he had seen people trapped under stalls and others who appeared to have broken limbs.

"You do what you can to help who you can, really," he said.

"It happened so fast that there was nothing we could do to stop it - if we'd tried to stop it we would have been crushed."

Authorities in Berlin were already on high alert for a potential terrorist attack, with festive gatherings the subject of heightened security.

The German government has put increased security in place as a precaution at public buildings, major events, transport hubs and large public gatherings.

The FCO had noted "there may be increased security in place over the Christmas and New Year period, including at Christmas markets and other major events that might attract large crowds".

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The possibility of Christmas markets being targeted has also been noted in the UK - although Northumbria Police came in for criticism after armed officers were spotted at an event in Newcastle.

At the market, the articulated lorry could be seen by a knocked-down Christmas tree.

Large numbers of heavily armed police stood by the wooden stalls of the market, which were lit up with white Christmas lights.

There are more than 100 stalls from around the world at the market, selling traditional decorations, festive food and drink and children's toys.

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Additional reporting by the Press Association
D octors have told of the full horrors of the siege of Aleppo including at least four babies dying in the freezing cold.

Wounded men, women and children evacuated to makeshift hospitals have arrived too weak after days of starvation to be operated on for horrific injuries.

Former British army officer Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, director of Doctors under Fire, a charity which provides support for medics in warzones, today revealed shocking accounts from the Syrian city and hospitals treating injured evacuees.

We had those two days over the weekend when nothing moved, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

Aleppo: The city has been devastated by the ongoing fighting / Hassan Ammar/AP

Four babies died in the freezing cold.

The temperature is minus five, its now snowing, absolutely unimaginable deprivation at the moment.

Unimaginable terror and hardship.

Hundreds of people were arriving at hospitals with dreadful fragmentation injuries after the relentless bombing of Aleppo by Russian and Syrian planes, and fierce fighting on the ground between rebels and forces backing tyrant Bashar Assad.

'Unimaginable terror': Families have been evacuated / AFP

A lot of them have not eaten for anywhere between three days to six days. They are anaemic, they are malnourished, he explained.

And actually they cant operate on them until they have got some foods into them - and those injuries are really horrific.

Medics who have spent the last few years working in Aleppo had suffered major psychological trauma.

They have lost half their weight. They have got that dreadful 1,000 metre stare as we call it, they have just seen too much and suffered too much....absolutely broken, he added.

Pro-Assad forces were expected today to enter the last rebel-held enclave in Aleppo as thousands more people were being bussed out.

Horrific conditions: Temperatures have plummeted overnight / EPA

The final exodus was set to take place a day after the UN Security Council approved sending observers to monitor the departures.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that more than 15,000 people, among them 5,000 opposition fighters, have left the enclave since the rebels effectively surrendered the area under an Ankara- and Moscow-brokered deal.

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The foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran were set to meet today to discuss the Syria crisis, talks likely to be overshadowed by the assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, on Monday night by an off-duty police officer.
D onald Trump officially sealed his victory in the race to be the next US President as it was announced he had won the electoral college.

Six weeks after his rival Hillary Clinton conceded defeat, the Republican secured the 270 votes needed to formalise his victory.

The President-elect reacted to his win saying he promised to work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans.

The billionaire businessman also tweeted on Monday evening: "We did it!"

He added: "Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)."

With all states voting, Mr Trump finished with 304 votes and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton had 227.

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Texas put Mr Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions.

Kanye West meets with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower

Mr Trump's polarising victory on November 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort against him.

"I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next president of the United States," Mr Trump said in a statement after the result.

Round-up of Trump's most infamous comments in the run-up to his presidency

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans," he added.

Thousands of protesters had converged on state capitols across the country on Monday, urging Republican electors to abandon their party's winning candidate.

More than 200 activists braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvania's capitol, chanting: "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!"

In Madison, Wisconsin, protesters shouted, cried and sang Silent Night. In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said "Don't let Putin Pick Our President," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
F ive people were killed and dozens injured after a thick fog caused a horrific pile-up on a motorway in France.

Fifty lorries, cars and vans were involved in the crash on the A87 autoroute between La Roche-sur-Yon and Sables-d'Olonne in western France on Tuesday afternoon.

Six people were reported to be seriously injured.

Some 40 others were also taken to hospital with cuts, bruises and whiplash.

An air ambulance and rescue workers at the scene / REUTERS

Local media reported that the accident near the town of Sainte-Flavie-des-Loups reported that the crash was a result of hazardous conditions caused by extreme fog.

Dramatic images from the scene showed vehicles strewn across the road and scores of emergency vehicles in the area.

French rescue services were working at the scene surrounded by thick fog.

The road  a key route along the west coast of France  was sealed off by police in both directions.

Frances Interior Ministry said an emergency plan had been activated and traffic authorities warned drivers to stay clear of the motorway.
G ermany was today struggling to come to terms with what looks like its first full-scale Islamist terror attack.

The killer drove an articulated lorry into the men, women and children gathered at a Christmas bazaar near the Kurfurstendamm shopping street in the west of the city.

The lights of the truck were turned off when it smashed into the wooden huts selling wine, sausages, sweets and toys  and the people milling about near them.

The cries of the wounded on the pavement near the KaDeWe department store, the biggest on the continent, were captured on smartphone videos and posted on social media long before police moved in to cordon off the scene. By the glow of arc lights the maimed were taken to hospital, the dead to mortuaries.

Police and firefighters stand beside the truck / REUTERS

Hoses were attached to standpipes to wash away the blood drying on the flagstones.

Germany, which this year has seen an Islamic State-inspired refugee blow himself up outside a cafe, another asylum-seeker trying to hack tourists to death aboard a train and a refugee detained for allegedly planning to bomb a Berlin airport, had been braced for trouble. But no one could foresee it being a virtual re-run of the lorry attack in Nice last July.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

For Chancellor Angela Merkel the news was a hammer blow politically and personally. She has staked much of her political capital in opening up Germanys doors to refugees and in doing so divided a reunited land.

What began as an act of great humanity has morphed into a stunning act of political kamikaze that plunges her future into jeopardy. The news that last nights suspected attacker is an asylum-seeker from Pakistan may be the final nail in the coffin of her ambitions ahead of a bid for a fourth term in office next year.

Merkel 'shocked and deeply saddened' by Berlin market attack

Islamic State had in recent weeks made renewed calls for followers to carry out atrocities in Europe. German intelligence warned Berlin authorities that the citys bustling markets  tourist magnets for foreigners  were vulnerable to attack. Now the nightmare has come true for Germany: a country which has not sent its troops to fight anywhere since 1945 is now at war with Islamic State.

The alleged rape and murder of a young student in the city of Freiburg in October by a 17-year-old migrant was bad for Chancellor Merkel. What happened in Berlin is a catastrophe and one which she may find difficult to survive.
M ichelle Obama has told how she has dealt with racist jibes during her time as First Lady of the US in a candid "exit" interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Asked what it felt like to be called an angry black woman by her critics Mrs Obama said: That was one of those things where you just sort of thing, Dang, you dont even know me. You just sort of feel like, Wow, whered that come from?

But then you sort of think, This isnt about me. This is about the person or people who write it, you know? Thats just the truth.

Mrs Obama continued: Were so afraid of each otherColour, wealth, these things that dont really matter still play too much of a role in how we see one another.

Candid interview: Michelle Obama speaks to Oprah Winfrey

And its sad, because the thing that least defines us is the color of our skin. Its the size of our bank account. None of that matters.

Speaking to Mrs Winfrey as she prepares to leave the White House, Mrs Obama said the weight of her husbands presidency placed on their family has lifted knowing that weve made it this far, and weve survived and in many ways thrived.

The First Lady filmed the interview with the American television show host five weeks after the election of Donald Trump to the White House.

The Obamas campaigned aggressively against Mr Trump and argued that the New York businessman is unfit to be president.

While Mr Obama has refused since the November 8 election to repeat his criticisms of Mr Trump.

In the wide ranging interview Mrs Obama did not mention the President-elect by name.

But she said she prayed Americans still had "hope", adding: "See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept. What do you give your kids if you can't give them hope?"
A bus plunged into a ravine in the Atlas mountains of southern Morocco early on Tuesday killing at least 42 people, a security official said, in the worst such accident recorded in the kingdom.

All the victims were Moroccan, a local official told AFP. "But we are still in the process of identifying the bodies, as well as the injured," he said.

The accident took place at around 2:00 am (0100 GMT) when the vehicle fell off a main road in Haouz province, around 60 miles south of Marrakesh, one of Morocco's top tourist destinations.

The crash also left some 25 people injured, who were taken to different hospitals in the region, according to the local official.

The official MAP news agency, which said the bus fell 165 yards gave the same death toll of 42, saying that five of the victims died in hospital, and that 24 people were injured in the crash, four of them critically.

King Mohammed VI expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, in a palace statement, and announced that he would pay for their transport, funeral and burial costs.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

But the bus, with 67 people on board, was evidently overloaded, a source at the ministry of transport said, with the largest bus category in Morocco authorised to carry 54 people.

An official in Haouz province said an inquiry had been launched and a crisis group set up. The provincial governor Younes El Bathaoui arrived at the site of the crash to supervise the rescue operation, according to MAP.

The tragedy occurred as the bus was heading towards Marrakesh, after crossing the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, the highest in Morocco.

The road, linking the central Moroccan city with the Sahara gateway town of Ouarzazate, winds through the mountains for dozens of kilometres.

It was the worst bus crash recorded in Morocco, which has a particularly poor history of road safety. In November 2010, 24 people drowned when a bus carrying workmen tumbled into a river near the capital Rabat.

Late last month, on a road in Haouz province, a crash caused when a lorry overturned left eight people dead and 15 injured, five of them seriously.

And at the end of July, 12 people were killed in central Morocco when a lorry driver lost control of his vehicle after one of its tyres was punctured and crashed into a bus.

Road accidents in Morocco claimed around 4,200 lives last year, up by around 12 percent on 2010, according to figures from the transport ministry.
Naturally, President Obama called for a review about Russia meddling with the 2016 election.

Of course, theres no evidence backing Democrats original claim that the Russian government hacked the U.S. election, so now theyve reduced the charges to meddling, and hope no one, including electoral college voters, notice.

Even the pro-Clinton Washington Post admitted that the alleged hackers were one step removed from the Russian government. They also acknowledged the possibility that Republicans got a pass because maybe their computers had better security.

What we do know is that Russians did not force Democrats to write damning emails, nor did they coerce Hillary Clinton to set up a private server nor did they strong-arm hard-working Americans in the Rust Belt to come out in droves for Trump. There is no evidence that the Kremlin rigged voting machines or altered vote counts.

However, we do know that an unidentified someone hacked Democrats emails which gave Americans the rare opportunity to peak behind the blinds to see the ugly things Democrats do when no one is watching.

For some strange reason, Republicans got a pass. Therefore, the current Democrat freak-out is not about vote rigging or fraud, but that Democrats got to see what it feels like to be a Republican.

So, while Democrats continue their tantrums, maybe the Trump administration will investigate the hacking of Georgia Secretary of States office computers which incidentally was not traced to Russia. Apparently, it was an inside-job by the Obama administrations Department of Homeland Security.

The office which manages Georgias elections claims it suffered 10 interestingly-timed cyberattacks on its network, traced back to U.S. Department of Homeland Security [DHS] addresses, reports WSB-TV in Georgia.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp told the television station the timing of some of the cyberattacks allegedly by DHS occurred when he testified before Congress about his opposition to the Obama administrations plan to classify state-run election systems as critical infrastructure. Kemp said other attacks coincided with big events like Georgias voter registration deadline, the SEC primary, the general primary, and the day before and after the presidential election. Kemp said DHS story keeps changing, so he sent a letter asking for President-elect Donald Trumps assistance after the response he received from DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson left him with more questions than answers.

Its too bad Obama wasnt as interested in hacking as he was turning American values on their head. Maybe he could have prevented the huge breach in 2015 at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management , which stole just about anything an identity thief would like to know about 21.5 million veterans, civilians, federal employees and federal retirees alike. Hackers also stole 5.6 million sets of fingerprints, possibly leaving undercover agents dangerously compromised.

But, apparently, all that is small potatoes now that Hillary lost, so Obama has suddenly sparked an interest in Russian meddling, asking that an investigation be completed before he leaves office.

As if Obama is guiltfree when it comes to meddling. It seems the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations found the Obama administration meddled with Israels elections when it gave taxpayer money to an organization that changed its name after the grant ran out, then used its resources to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Per the PSI press release: The State Department ignored warning signs and funded a politically active group in a politically sensitive environment with inadequate safeguardsU.S. taxpayer dollars were used to build a political infrastructure that was deployedagainst a leader of our closest ally in the Middle East. American resources should be used to help our allies in the region, not undermine them.

Maybe its time to clean our own house first? Actually, voters did. Therefore, propagating the far-fetched misnomer that Russia hacked the 2016 presidential election to favor Trump, has nothing to do with hacking and everything to do with what happens when Democrats lose an election fair-and-square.
T he confirmation this morning by the German authorities that last nights murderous attack on a Berlin Christmas market appears to have been a terrorist incident and briefings that the perpetrator was a recently arrived refugee will, sadly, come as little surprise to security officials.

They follow an explicit warning by the US State Department in November, about the risk of an attack at Christmas markets across Europe and a report, published less than three weeks ago, by the EU policing body Europol, highlighting the danger that the Islamic State would seek to inflame the migration crisis and radicalise refugees in a bid to polarise European populations.

Europol also warned that Germany, along with Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, was high on the target list and that IS had called for attacks in Berlin as part of an attempt to paralyse Europe. It said vehicles were one of the weapons that might be used.

The fact that these warnings now appear to have been realised will, inevitably, pose a major challenge to Angela Merkel as Germany heads into its election year of 2017.

The lorry was left smashed after the attack / REUTERS

Already today, the right-wing AfD party was blaming the Chancellors decision to admit more than a million migrants last year, while one of her own MPs admitted that the killings would radicalise public opinion and create a heightened feeling of insecurity.

Berlin truck 'attack': Death toll rises to 12

None of this will be helpful. As Europol rightly pointed out, allowing attacks to provoke division is exactly what IS  the most likely culprit behind the Berlin attack  wants. Nor will the existing migrant populations in Germany, or other European countries, disappear. Any increase in hostility or suspicion towards them is likely to be counterproductive and hinder the integration that can be the only long term solution.

A man lights candles near the scene / REUTERS

Nevertheless, there are practical measures that can be taken. Scrutiny of the background of new arrivals is essential, not only in Germany, but elsewhere too, given the warning last week by the head of Britains Armed Forces Sir Stuart Peach that IS terrorists are moving in migrant flows, hiding in plain sight.

Floral tributes made to victims of Berlin 'terror attack'

Protective security at crowded public events must be improved too. As with the Nice attack in July, there will be questions about how last nights attacker was able to drive a lorry into the midst of such a large gathering.

Like plenty of other Britons, I was in Berlin this month and attended three of its Christmas markets. One had a long, open road leading directly up to its entrance along which a lorry could easily have been driven at speed.

Suspect of Berlin 'terror attack' arrested

Regrettably, however, Berlins sorrow today is unlikely to be the last. It seems sadly inevitable that not only Germany, but Britain and many other countries too, face years of danger ahead.
A high-ranking Russian diplomat has been found dead from gunshot wounds in Moscow.

Petr Polshikov, 56, was found at his home with a bullet wound to his head.

The shooting disclosed today came soon after news of the assassination of Russian ambassador to Ankara, Andrey Karlov.

The circumstances of the Moscow shooting were still unclear, with police examining all possible theories.

Two empty bullet shells were found in the flat on Balaklavsky Prospekt. A gun was discovered under the sink in the bathroom.

Reports said the diplomats wife was in the flat at the time and is safe.

Polshikov was reported to be a senior figure in the Latin American department of the Russian foreign ministry.

His death was discovered just hours before Russia's ambassador in Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was assassinated in Ankara.
P residents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan have vowed to unmask who is really behind the murder of the veteran Russian ambassador to Ankara. This will be no easy task.

Andrei Karlovs killing came after a weekend of demonstrations in Turkey about Russias role in the Syrian civil war, particularly in the bombing of Aleppo. The biggest was outside the Russian embassy in Ankara.

Russia backs the military dictatorship of Bashar Assad, while Turkey wants him out. In November last year a Turkish fighter shot down a Russian Su-24 fighter-bomber, which it was claimed had strayed into Turkeys airspace.

In recent months, and days, the two countries have been patching things up. In the summer, Ankara offered condolences for the downing of the Su-24. They co-operated on a deal to evacuate refugees from eastern Aleppo.

Russia wants Turkey to stop jihadi fighters seeping north from Syria into the Caucasus. Turkey needs Russian natural gas and Russian tourists to return to its beaches, now that western European visitors are staying away. Turkey is also locked into a regional rivalry with Iran, now a pivotal player in keeping Assad, a member of Islams minority Alawite sect, in power through its own forces and those of its client, the Hezbollah militia of Lebanon.

Iran and Hezbollah are now directing a force of some 50,000 fighters in Syria, which is the most coherent ground army now in the civil war, according to Israeli analysis.

Turkey has witnessed a dozen serious terrorist attacks this year, blamed on a broad spectrum of radical Kurds, and jihadists, mostly affiliated to the Islamic State group based in Syria and Iraq.

Security officials in Turkey have tried to pin the ambassadors murder on the supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who they say was behind the failed coup against President Erdogan in July. From his exile in America, Gulen has been quick to condemn the assassination.

Behind the murder of Mr Karlov lies the outrage of a broad swathe of believers in Sunni Islam about the activities of the Shia-Alawite-Russian alliance in Syria. This Mr Erdogan cannot now ignore. It points to an ominous widening of the war in Syria and Iraq, to the borders of Europe and Russia itself.
W itnesses caught up in the Berlin Christmas market attack today told of horrific scenes.

American tourists Luke Theis, 21, and girlfriend Lara Colombo, 22, were on the other side of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and heading to the targeted area when the attacker struck.

Student Mr Theis said: We started seeing people running and hearing ambulances from all directions so we walked over.

It was carnage everywhere. There was blood all over the floor. There were people lying on the floor  I could count about eight lying down.

The biggest mental image I have is there were two rivers of blood going down the floor. Nobody was really helping anybody. People were running.

American tourists Luke Theis and Lara Colombo, who were enjoying Berlin's Christmas market when a truck ploughed into the crowds / PA

"It was like every man for themselves. It was dusty and chaotic. There were ambulances and police sirens. People were yelling in German  it sounded like Get out, get out, get out. Mr Theis has booked flights out of Germany earlier than planned as the couple no longer feel safe.

Katarzyna Goebel, a 29-year-old PhD student studying in Berlin, told of the most terrifying seconds of her life as she drank mulled wine with a friend.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

She said: I heard this noise crashing like a hut had fallen down.

I turned around and saw the roof of the truck coming towards me. The moment I saw it, I panicked and couldnt think at all. When you live in Berlin you realise that stuff like this is probably going to happen one day, but you dont think about it when you go shopping or nip for traditional wine with a friend on Monday evening.

Berlin truck 'attack': Death toll rises to 12

Vivian Hilse, 15, from Berlin, said: I didnt see the lorry but I heard it, I heard people screaming. We tried to run away but my best friend fell over and broke his leg.

Everyone was running. We got in the ambulance and went straight to hospital. It is awful  you dont feel safe in your own city.
A zealia Banks has said that she is in shock and confused after suffering a miscarriage.

The US musician, who was controversially thrown out of Russell Crowes dinner party back in October, told fans about her heartbreak in a Facebook post.

Opening up about her ordeal on Tuesday, the 25-year-old asked her followers to share their own experiences.

She wrote: So I've just had a really major life event happen and I want to talk about it because this wouldn't be an Azealia Banks page without loads of oversharing right?

Anywho, I've just had a miscarriage and am pretty taken aback by it all and really confused and in shock and guilty and a bit depressed and like a failure and very ashamed.

She added: Has anyone else had this same experience who cares to share some words of wisdom or words of anything regarding this topic.

The self-loathing bit is a real struggle for me at the moment so share any words here, They will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

The hip hip star recently filed battery charges against Crowe, whom she claims physically and verbally abused her during the fracas at his party, which he denies.

A number of onlookers claimed that it was Banks who was acting erratically during the event.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office said it would not be seeking to prosecute Crowe as witnesses described "Banks, not Crowe, as the assaultive party".
U S band One Republic led the celebrity tributes to the victims of the suspected terror attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

The group told their followers that they were at Breitscheidplatz square the night before, where 12 people were killed and 48 more injured when a an articulated lorry ploughed into the market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

Paying their respects on Twitter they wrote: Our thoughts go out to all the families of the victims at the Christmas Market in Berlin. We were at that market last night. So so sad.

Fellow musician James Arthur also paid tribute and revealed he was at the square hours before the incident took place.

Truck drives into crowded Christmas market in Berlin

So sad to hear what happened at the Christmas market in Berlin today, I left that spot just this morning. Thoughts are with the families, he tweeted.

La Toya Jackson posted, So sad be #safe guys! while David Bowies son Duncan Jones lamented 2016, tweeting: This year, man

Floral tributes and candles have also been laid at the site.

The crash took place at 7.15pm GMT on Monday night.

The driver of the lorry is said to have arrived in Germany in February as a refugee.

The DPA news agency reported that he was an Afghan or Pakistani asylum seeker.

He is being held by police after being arrested near the scene.

Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds 1 /32 Berlin terror attack: Horror as lorry ploughs into crowds A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters A trail of devastation is left behind, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP Debris at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Markus Schreiber/AP Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin Markus Schreiber/AP The damaged towing truck is towed away Matthias Schrader/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters A damaged windscreen of a truck which ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Markus Schreiber/AP A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Rescue workers gather outside a tent in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images An aerial view shows the extent of the damage at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Bernd von Jutrczenka/EPA A candle and flowers are seen near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Smash: The truck that crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin. Clemens Bilan/EPA Investigation: A German police officer looks into a truck at a Berlin Christmas market following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square Christian Mang/Reuters Horror crash: The damaged front part of a truck is pictured at the scene after it crashed into a Christmas market, Rainer Jensen/EPA Security: Policemen and rescue workers secure the site next to a truck at the scene, after it crashed into a Christmas market. Rainer Jensen/EPA Mayor: Berlin's Mayor Michael Mueller (left) speaks to the media at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market, close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin, Germany. Maurizio Gambarini/EPA Christmas: Parts of a Christmas market decoration stick in the windscreen of a truck following an accident. Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Inspection: A specialist in a protective suit talks to police near a truck at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters Wounded: An injured person is carried on an stretcher by fireman at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market Clemens Bilan/EPA Christmas market: German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Christian Mang/Reuters Forensic: Experts of the police investigate the crime scene after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. Michael Sohn/AP Survivors: A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters Injured: Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher in the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market Sean Gallup/Getty Images

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R ita Ora has reportedly lost money after a company she has an investment in fell victim of a scam.

The British pop star, whose London home was burgled last year, is thought to have been caught up in the multi-million fraud, which has left a number of companies and individuals out of pocket.

According to The Sun, police are now investigating claims that an accountant who lived like a Saudi prince siphoned off money from the company.

A source told the paper: Rita is one of several investors who it is suspected could have collectively lost 2.3million.

Victim? Rita Ora has reportedly fallen foul of a scam / Dave Benett

She has all sorts of companies and investments within fashion and music, as well as businesses in the US and Asia, so it is a complicated ordeal sifting through missing funds.

Rita's lawyer Graham Shear said: Rita Ora has multiple business interests globally. One of the companies in which she has an interest is a potential victim of fraud along with several other companies and individuals.

"The potential loss suffered by all the victims collectively is thought to be significant but only a proportion of that total figure will apply to the entity in which Ms Ora is one of several shareholders.

"Any loss suffered by the Company in which Ms Ora has an interest will be recoverable from insurance policies which protect against this sort of professional misappropriation, fraud and other claims.

A burglar who stole items worth 200,000 from Oras London home in 2015 was jailed in June this year.


I ts the final week of MasterChef: The Professionals, and just four contestants are remaining.

Theres French-born Londoner Arnaud Kaziewicz, who wowed critic William Sitwell with his Chocolate Delice.

Then theres Matt Healy from Leeds (no, not the frontman of The 1975), who riled judge Marcus Wareing by daring to serve Yorkshire Puddings alongside roast chicken.

Elly Wentworth has made it through after receiving a 10 out of 10 from Wareing in the heats, when she served glazed turbot with seaweed macaroni.

Last but not least is Gary Maclean, a senior chef lecturer at Glasgow College who made lobster bisque that Gregg Wallace hailed as the best hed ever tasted.

The Evening Standard does MasterChef

Viewers wont envy the tasks the four have been set in the first stage of finals week  and first up is the dreaded Chefs Table.

The finalists will be cooking for 28 big names in the world of gastronomy  who have 30 Michelin stars between them.

Each competing chef is taking on one course in the meal  either starter, fish, main, or pudding  and any weak links will quickly be exposed.

Still, nobody is leaving until the next episode, where four will become three ahead of the last episode in the series.

BBC Two, 8pm
Some of the i's need to be dotted and the t's crossed, but it's time to welcome Rivian Automotive to the Twin Cities and Central Illinois.

The Michigan-based automaker is poised to buy the former Mitsubishi Motors North America plant in Normal that closed earlier this year. Rivian wants to manufacture electric cars at the plant, employing 1,000 workers and investing $175 million through 2024.

The company also plans to designate part of the site for community use for outdoor recreation and first-responder training, and establish partnerships for training programs with local educational institutions, according to the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

On Monday night, the Normal City Council approved a $1 million grant and five-year property tax abatement  both based on performance  for the company. To get the incentives, Rivian must employ 500 workers and invest $40.5 million in the plant by the end of 2021.

The abatement also requires approval from other taxing bodies, including Unit 5. Heartland Community College's board OK'd the deal Tuesday night.

Rivian, also expected to receive state incentives, could close on the site in January. The plant currently is owned by Maynards Industries, an industrial asset auction, appraisal and liquidation company.

"Anything worth a desired result comes with risk," council member Jeff Fritzen said at the Normal council meeting. "We feel the risk we've been presented here to consider is worth (it)."

We agree. It's far riskier to leave the plant empty because the site potentially would become less desirable the longer it is on the market. Finding an owner for the site, making it usable and employing  directly and indirectly  more than 1,000 people is just too good to pass on.

Much like Mitsubishi, Rivian is expected to draw other companies to the area to produce components needed in the manufacturing process. The resulting increased tax base, and increased number of employees who spend their money locally, will be a strong boost to the local economy.

Just last week, the Normal council provided incentives for a hot dog restaurant, even though the same company did not require incentives to build an eatery in Champaign. But for a manufacturing facility of this size, incentives make sense  and the town's requirements for hiring and investment on Rivian's part make it a smart plan.

Rivian is a relatively new company (formed in 2009) and is still getting on its feet. It has two other, non-manufacturing sites, but the Normal plant well positioned with its existing workforce and transportation matrix of roads and rail  will drive a resumption of production at the plant that might otherwise, eventually, have to be torn down.

So, we welcome Rivian, and offer congratulations to all involved in making this happen.
After having served punters for more than 60 years, the grandstand at the now-defunct Lebanon Raceway in Ohio is now scheduled to be torn down.

According to an article by the Journal-News, officials with the Warren County Agricultural Society have voted in favour of demolishing the grandstand this coming March. It is expected that county commissioners will approve the funding of the demolition via resolution on December 27.

Theres a lot of history that goes along with that structure, Warren County Agricultural Society President Gene Steiner was quoted as saying.

The grandstand housed patrons during live racing, but later served as a simulcast centre. According to the Journal-News, the grandstand has fallen into desrepair since the business left for Miami Valley three years ago.

(With files from the Journal-News)
Sergei Avetisyan, head of Armenias General Department of Civil Aviation, told reporters today that there are flights from Tbilisi International Airport that are more accessible than from Yerevans Zvartnots International Airport.

Avetisyan said the primary difference between the two is the active presence of Turkish airlines serving Tbilisi, coupled with the fact that Istanbul, as a major international hub, attracts a ot of traffic from Georgia.

He said that Yerevan has an advantage over Tbilisi when it comes to flights to Russia and Paris.

Avetisyan said that currently there are 14-15 flights leaving Yerevan for Moscow.

He rejected the allegation that Russian and foreign operators get privileges at Zvartnots not afforded local operators, and noted that the director of Armenia Aircompany had recently thanked Zvartnots for the 50% reduction in fees it had granted the company,




Benjamin Lewis Fairchild was a principal founder of Pelham Heights. He was instrumental in the development of the neighborhood as well as its incorporation as the smallest village in the State of New York known as the "Village of Pelham."

Fairchild was born in Sweden, New York (part of Monroe County near Rochester) on January 5, 1863. His father, also named Benjamin, was wounded badly during the Civil War in the Wilderness Campaign. His father's poor health and financial straits after the war required the family to move to Washington, D.C. where Benjamin L. Fairchild attended the public schools and a business college.





From 1877 until 1879, Fairchild worked in the draftsman division of the United States Patent Office and then took employment in the draftsman division of the United States Patent Office where he worked from 1877 until 1879. During the early 1880s, Fairchild attended what then was called the "law department of Columbian University" (now known as George Washington University Law School) and graduated with an LL.M. in 1885. He was admitted to the Washington, D.C. bar in 1885, but shortly thereafter moved to New York City and was admitted to the New York bar

in May, 1886. He entered the law office of Ewing & Southard in New York City and became a member of the firm in 1887, under the firm name of Ewing, Southard & Fairchild.





On August 28, 1889, Fairchild was a tourist on a trip to Alaska on the Pacific Steamship Companys steamer Ancon. That day the Ancon cast off from the little village of Loring located on Naha Bay in Alaska. Within minutes disaster struck. The steamer ran on the rocks nearly amidships. Within a short while, it broke apart. Fairchild was among the passengers who scrambled off the stricken vessel onto shore where they later were rescued by a ship named the "George W. Elder." When Fairchild later developed much of the land that became Pelham Heights, he named several of the streets based on his shipwreck experience: Ancon Avenue (after the steamship Ancon), Loring Avenue (after the place where the Ancon wrecked), Monterey Avenue (after Monterey, California which he visited on his ill-fated trip), Corona Avenue (after another steamship on the route) and Elderwood Avenue (after the steamer George W. Elder which rescued him and the other passengers of the Ancon).





Fairchild was married in February, 1893 to Miss Anna Crumbie (who died nine years later in 1902). The couple

moved to the Town of Pelham the same year where Fairchild began to assemble tracts of land in the area known today as Pelham Heights. Shortly after moving to Pelham,

Fairchild was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress and served from March 4, 1895 until March 3, 1897. He lost his seat in the next election to Democrat William L. Ward.





While a member of Congress, Fairchild was instrumental in gaining the incorporation of Pelham Heights as a village. Although the population of Pelham Heights was too small to permit its incorporation as a village, Congressman Fairchild was instrumental in getting passage of special legislation to authorize incorporation of the tiny little area as the smallest village in the State of New York. When incorporated in 1896, the village had about twenty residents and only about 14 eligible voters.





After losing his seat in Congress,

resumed the practice of law in New York City. He later ran for Congress again and

was elected to the Sixty-fifth Congress where he served from March 4, 1917 until March 3, 1919. He lost the seat in the next election but was again elected to the Sixty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1921-March 3, 1923).





While serving as a member of Congress during the Sixty-seventh Congress, Fairchild married a second time. He married

Elinor Parsons on April 21, 1922, in Washington, D.C. (See photograph taken on day of their marriage below.)





Fairchild yet again lost his Congressional seat in the next election, but was subsequently elected to that Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James V. Ganly. Fairchild was reelected to the Sixty-ninth Congress and served from November 6, 1923, to March 3, 1927. He lost the election seeking to return to Congress during the Seventieth Congress and resumed the practice of law in New York City.





Fairchild died in Pelham on October 25, 1946. He was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York City.





I have written before about Benjamin Lewis Fairchild. For a few of the many examples, see:





































Bell, Blake A., Pelham and The 1889 Wreck of the Steamship Ancon, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 7, February 18, 2005, p. 10, col. 1.





Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of another detailed biography of Benjamin L. Fairchild published in 1900. It adds some interesting information about why he was not unable to maintain his seat in the House of Representatives after his first term as a United States Congressman. The text appears immediately below, followed by a citation and link to its source.





"FAIRCHILD, BEN LEWIS, lawyer, ex-member of congress, and a prominent resident of Pelham, was born in Sweden, Monroe County, N. Y., January 5, 1863, being a son of Benjamin F. and Calista (Schaeffer) Fairchild. On his father's side he comes from New England ancestry, and on his mother's from German stock. His father was a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War, and was severely wounded in the Wilderness campaign. At the close of the war, much shattered in health and with but slender financial resources, he settled with his family in Washington, D.C., where the son was reared and educated.





Leaving school at the age of thirteen, young Fairchild was for the nine succeeding years employed in the government departments. For two years he held a position in the draughtsman's division of the Interior Department, and subsequently he was a cerk in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing of the Treasury Department. While thus occupied he took the night course of the Spencerian Business College, being graduated from that Insitution, and in 1885 he was graduated from the Law Department of Columia University with the degree of Master of Laws, having already taken that of Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to the bar in Washington, and thereupon resigned his clerkship in the Treasury Department and came to New York, where, after continuing his studies for a year in the office of Henry C. Andrews, he was admitted to practice in May, 1886.





In 1887, he entered the New York law firm of Ewing & Southard, whose style was changed to Ewing, Southard & Fairchild. Upon the retirement of General Ewing in 1893, he formed with Mr. Southard the partnership of Southard & Fairchild, which still continues. He has enjoyed a successful professional career, pursuing a general civil practice.





Mr. Fairchild has been a resident of Pelham since 1887. In 1893 he was nominated on the Republican ticket for delegate to the constitutional convention. At the resulting election he obtained a majority in Westchester County, which, however, was overcome by the Democratic majority in the portion of the district belonging to New York City. In 1894 he was elected to congress from the 16th district, embracing Westchester County and the present Borough of the Bronx, his majority being 5,500 over an opponent who, at the last previous election, had carried the district by 6,500. As a member of the 54th congress, Mr. Fairchild served on the committees on patents, and coinage, weights, and measures.





In 1896, he was unanimously renominated for congress by the regular Republican convention. A bolting convention ws held, however, which put up another candidate. The certificates of nomination being filed by the rival candidates, it was decided by the secretary of state that Mr. Fairchild ws the legal Republican nominee, and that his name should appear on the official ballot as such. His opponent then carried the matter before a judge in a distant section of the State, and obtained an order directing the removal of Mr. Fairchild's name and the substitution of his own. This order was ultimately declared by the Court of Appeals to have been granted without warrant of jurisdiction; but meantime the election had been held, with the result that Mr. Fairchild's name did not appear in the official Republican column, he was deprived of the party votes which according very peculiar circumstances, his service in congress was limited to a single term.





Mr. Fairchild is largely identified with real estate interests in Pelham and Mount Vernon. He was married, in February, 1893, to Anna, daughter of the late James Crumble, of an old New York family."





Source: Spooner, W. W., ed., Westchester County New York -- Biographical -- Compiled by W. W. Spooner, pp. 141 42 (NY, NY: The New York History Company, 1900).









Benjamin Lewis Fairchild in Photograph Published in 1912.

Source: Smith, Henry T., Westchester County In History Manual

Henry T. Smith, Publisher, 1912). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.









Benjamin Lewis Fairchild in Photograph Taken on December 31, 1916.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.





Labels: Anna Crumbie Fairchild, Benjamin L. Fairchild, Congress, Pelham Heights, Village of Pelham
" " Peace activists hold up blue ribbons and a sculpture of a peace dove during an interfaith commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Sept. 11, 2011, in Berlin. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

If you're a fan of classic 1960s music, you probably know Edwin Starr's 1970 hit "War," with its memorable refrain, "What is it good for? Absolutely nothing."

That's an idea that resonates with people who embrace the philosophy of pacifism  in a general sense, the opposition to violence and war as a means of settling disputes.

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Throughout history, those with pacifist beliefs have rejected the use of force, and advocated other ways to resolve differences. The term comes from the Latin word pacificus, which means "peace-making" [source: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy].

For some pacifists, that means refusing to take up arms in the military, even at the risk of being punished for it. In Israel, for example, a young man named Nathan Blanc made headlines in 2013 for repeatedly refusing to serve during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, even though it meant spending more than 100 days in military prison.

Blanc told the Guardian, a British newspaper, that he felt both sides were in the wrong, and more killing would only deepen the fight. "We, as citizens and human beings, have a moral duty to refuse to participate in this cynical game," he said in the article [source: Sherwood].

Blanc joined a pacifist tradition that dates back to ancient times, and in the modern era includes activists who've used nonviolent methods  such as sit-ins, boycotts and protest marches  to challenge what they think is wrong.

To some, pacifism might seem dreamily impractical and dangerous, not to mention possibly unpatriotic. But proponents argue that pacifism particularly in its more moderate, flexible variations  actually is a useful way of dealing with conflict, and one that's a better fit with basic human nature.

Duane L. Cady, a former philosophy professor at Hamline College in Minnesota and author of the book "Warism to Pacifism: A Moral Continuum," has written that once a person refuses to take for granted that force is the most effective solution, pacifism is not naive and unrealistic at all. In fact, all of us are pacifists to some degree, since all of us oppose violence as a means of interaction in many aspects of our lives."

In this article, we'll look at the different types of pacifism, the history of pacifist beliefs and how pacifism has evolved in the age of terrorism.
Like many kids who grow up in Nebraska, the time came when I decided to leave my home state and explore other areas. I was just shy of 25 years old when I left Lincoln and headed east. Not certain what I was looking for, but I knew that the road in front of me was more promising than the what was in my rearview mirror.

I spent a few years working this job and that job. Making plans and then changing plans. In March of 2003, I married the mother of my children and we started our life together.

She was just out of college and restless and we started talking about where we wanted to go next. Well, we decided on Florida. We were young and excited about the opportunities that awaited us.

Florida was good to us and we had a lot of great experiences, but when we were expecting our first child, we started thinking about moving again.

We were thinking Colorado, but after considering convenience and family, we settled on moving back to my hometown, at least for a while.

That was 11 years ago.

Recently I read a article in the Omaha World Herald that talked about the increasing Brain Drain taking place in Nebraska. The article said, In the five-year period from 2009 to 2013, Nebraska was losing a net 1,069 people annually who had bachelors and advanced degrees.

The first thing that came to mind was, I dont blame them. From a career and financial aspect, Nebraska is far from competitive. Our fastest growing job sectors are the construction and services industries.

Ill admit that Im torn. I love Nebraska. I love the people, the landscape, the lifestyle and the pride Nebraskans feel for their home. There is so much to love about coming from a small Nebraska town, especially when it comes to raising my boys here. They get to experience a lot of the same things I did as a child.

On the other hand, there are a lot of things about Nebraska I could do without. Mostly, the ridiculous state income taxes and the property taxes. These high taxes have been barriers to economic development for years. Ive seen how it has stopped industry from entering the state and Ive seen, and experienced, how it can stifle entrepreneurship.

I know my oldest son, Drake, wont stay here. At eleven, he just wants to be wherever his dad and his grandparents are, but he is already outgrowing this town. Hell leave after high school and wont be back.

Mason, my youngest, will definitely head off to college. He loves learning, he loves experiencing and is destined to be the life of many college parties (that I hope I never hear about). After that, hell go wherever his heart takes him.

Even though its still a ways off, I know the time will fly by and soon Ill be talking to Drake about where he wants to go to school. Ill be excited for him to go see all that the world has to offer, but part of me will be sad that my home state, and his, didnt do more to attract more young peoples to stick around and continue to grow Nebraska.

There are all sorts of plans and ideas out there right now to help with economic development, attract talent and to nurture entrepreneurship. None more impressive than right here in Scottsbluff and Gering. But is it going to be enough to keep our homegrown talent here? Only time will tell.
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By MARK EVANS STE. GENEVIEVE HERALD Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, reported to the county commission last Thursday that temperatures are getting too cold at night for much more asphalt work to be done. He said potholes had all been patched. His crews were working on Bodine Road and made call-ins to locate
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Cheese has traditionally been a staple in the world of wine tasting.

Why is that?

The science behind the pairing boils down to positive sensory interactions experienced when consuming the two together. A recent research study dived into the associations experienced when pairing red and white wines with different cheese.

Study participants tasted four different wines of which two were reds, one was a sweet white, and one was a dry white. The four cheeses were Epoisses, Comte, Roquefort, and Crottin de Chavignol.

While snacking and sipping, the participants chose from a list of sensation responses that applied to the pairings.

Overall, none of the four cheeses elicited a negative response from the pairings, and in most cases, participants said it improved their preference for the wines.

The conclusions of the research that was completed at the Center for Taste and Feeding Behaviour in Dijon, France, explained that cheese consumption improved the aroma of the red fruits in the two red wines and modified the aroma of the dry white.

Additionally, cheese reduced the duration of astringency, which is the term used to describe the feeling of dryness in the mouth that is caused by tannins in the wine.

This ability to mediate flavors and improve the eating experience is likely one of the biggest contributors to growth of cheese consumption in the United States and across the globe in recent decades.

Take cheeses use in Latino foods as another example. And even more examples exist in cheeses use on pizzas that carry a wide variety of toppings and cheeses paring with many types of Italian fare.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2016

November 14, 2016

So, sit back, grab a glass of wine, and enjoy the flavor-winning combination that cheese brings to the food industry.
Energizer Brands has sued the maker of Rayovac batteries, alleging its competitors new package designs are confusingly similar to those used for Energizer batteries.

In its lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in St. Louis, Energizer says Rayovac battery packages mimic the coloring and designs it uses for its batteries, infringing on its trademarks.

Simply put, this case is about defendants unlawful acts to boost the sales of its batteries by cloaking them in trade dress and packaging that is confusingly similar to the well-known trade dress and packaging of its successful rival, Energizer, Energizers lawsuit, filed against Spectrum Brands Holdings, states.

Madison, Wis.-based Spectrum is the parent company of Rayovac.

To support its claim that Rayovac is targeting Energizer, Energizer cited recent public comments Spectrum Brands Chairman David Maura said during a presentation to investors: And the Energizer Bunny has been lying for a long time , Maura stated, according to the lawsuit. So Im telling you, if youre buying your kids Xboxes Energizer batteries, you are literally lighting your money on fire. And were going to get that message across, and were going to grow our business .

A spokesman for Spectrum Brands said the company is reviewing the lawsuit and declined to comment further. A spokeswoman for Town and Country-based Energizer declined to comment on the lawsuit.

In February, Energizer sued another rival, Duracell, over Duracells use of a pink bunny on batteries sold in the U.S. that Energizer claims is too similar to its pink bunny mascot.

Energizer maintains that it has federally registered trademarks in the U.S. for its bunny. That lawsuit remains pending.

Duracell and Energizer hold the largest market share for alkaline battery sales in the U.S., followed by Rayovac.
Updated at 11:04 a.m.

MINNEAPOLIS  Profit at General Mills slumped 9 percent during its most recent quarter and the food company lowered its outlook for the year as it tries to win back customers.

Shares fell more than 3 percent Tuesday.

Like other big food companies, General Mills has been hurt as more Americans stay away from processed foods. The company has been tinkering with its recipes, adding more protein to Yoplait yogurt and using antibiotic-free chicken in Progresso soups. But yogurt and soup sales still fell in the second quarter.

General Mills, which also makes Cheerios cereal and Betty Crocker cake mix, now expects organic net sales to fall between 3 percent and 4 percent for the year. It previously expected organic net sales to be flat or down as much as 2 percent. Organic net sales exclude the impact of currency fluctuations, acquisitions or divestitures.

The company said changes to its cereals have helped sales, including adding more cocoa to Cocoa Puffs and more cinnamon to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It plans to launch Very Berry Cheerios next month, the classic cereal with the addition of real strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

The Minneapolis company reported net income of $481.8 million, or 80 cents per share, in its second quarter. That's down from $529.5 million, or 87 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.

Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 85 cents per share, falling short of the 88 cents per share Wall Street analysts had expected, according to Zacks Investment Research.

Revenue fell 7 percent to $4.11 billion in the period, also shy of Wall Street expectations.

Shares of General Mills Inc. fell $1.97, or 3.1 percent, to $61.09 in morning trading Tuesday.
Exploring how this years forage will feed was presented by John Goeser of Rock River Laboratory. With advanced education in both agronomy and dairy cattle nutrition, Goeser is well versed evaluating feed quality.

The 2016 corn silage crop looks to have lower fiber, which in turn will mean more energy will be available in the forage. This trend may be due to higher levels of BMR corn grown.

Forage testing labs conduct a wide variety of tests. Goeser cautions not to rely too heavily on Relative Feed Value (RFV), but instead use Relative Forage Quality (RFQ), a more accurate measure of fiber.

Weather clearly plays a role. Growers in western New York and western Pennsylvania experienced a drought last summer, which resulted in drought-stressed corn. It appears to provide more energy than normal.

A wet fall in the Upper Midwest delayed corn silage harvest in some areas. Moisture levels got too low for good ensiling in some cases.

With the Wests more consistent weather and scheduled use of irrigation, corn silage tests there showed more consistent patterns throughout.

Some may be anxious to feed the new forage, but Goeser recommends 90 days for freshly cut corn silage to ferment in order to reach its full potential. This is not always possible, of course. However, it was fairly easy to spot when changes from the 2016 to 2017 feeds occurred since cows are a great barometer of change.

All the effort that goes into growing crops and the time invested can be robbed by molds and yeast. Goeser has noticed an upward trend in the amount of Zearalenone

(ZEA), vomitoxin (VOM), and T2 in forage tests.

He also cautioned those feeding dried distillers grains and corn gluten feed especially to be on the look out for higher mycotoxin levels in these corn by-products.

Corn silage is 50 percent genetics and 50 percent management, he theorized. For optimal results, both portions need the proper attention.

Multiple data charts including forage tests from 2016 forages are included in the recorded presentation, as well as more in-depth discussion of this years feed.

QLF sponsored the webinar and it can be found here.

To sign up for the webinar series, click this link.

Next months topic:

Jeff Stevenson, Kansas State University, presents A reproductive update" on January 9, 2017. Should you be tweaking your reproductive program to improve efficiency? What about utilizing heat detection and activity monitoring technologies on your farm? He will provide some updates and ideas for getting cows pregnant. The January webinar is brought to you by Parnell.





The author is the online media manager and is responsible for the website, webinars, and social media. A graduate of Modesto Junior College and Fresno State, she was raised on a California dairy and frequently blogs on youth programs and consumer issues.
ST. LOUIS  Bruce Franks Jr., an incoming Missouri state representative, was carjacked at gunpoint Monday night, and the attackers got away with Franks cellphones and his personal handgun that he left inside the car, police say.

Franks said he was robbed about 7:20 p.m. in the parking lot of the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust Street, by two men. One of the robbers was armed with a gun. Franks was unharmed, but his car, two cellphones and a black .40-caliber Smith and Wesson gun were taken by the robbers, police said.

Im good, he said in a telephone interview early Tuesday. Just a little shaken up, but Im fine. On social media, he said in part: Glad to be alive.

Franks said he was at the Tap Room for a holiday party. He was sitting in his car in the parking lot returning a call when someone suddenly opened his car door, he said.

I looked up and the guy had a gun and he told me to get out, he said. I got out and he pointed a gun at me and told me, Get the hell out of here.

Franks ran into the Tap Room, where a friend called police. He said the robbers drove off with his phones and other possessions inside the car.

When the robber first opened the car door and Franks saw the mans gun, Franks said he thought for a split second about reaching for his own weapon in the console. But he immediately realized he shouldnt try to get it.

If I reached for a gun, and he already has a gun pointed at me, thats more reason for him to shoot me, Franks said. I would rather both of us survive.

Franks said he long has supported a persons right to carry a gun. He said he has had his concealed carry permit since he was 24 and has taken the necessary gun-training courses.

Robbers flee

in cars

Franks said he didnt get a good look at the robbers. A police summary of the robbery provided descriptions, based on videotape that police watched, along with Franks.

The first suspect, the one holding a gun, is described as a black man, 19 to 24 years old and 150 pounds. He had a dark complexion and was clean-shaven. The second suspect was a black man, 19 to 24 years old and 150 pounds. He had a dark complexion and wore a red bandana.

Franks car is a red 2009 Toyota Camry. A robber drove away in it, heading north on North 22nd Street. The other robber got into a car they arrived in. It was described as a silver or gray car with tinted windows and custom rims. It left going south on North 22nd Street and west on Olive Street, police said.

The robbery follows by just two weeks the armed robbery of the wife of Gov.-elect Eric Greitens.

That robbery happened in the parking lot of a cafe in the Central West End.

Franks is set to take office next month as the representative for the Missouri House district that includes downtown St. Louis. He won the seat after a do-over election that followed his successful challenge of the results of the August Democratic primary.

A few hours after the robbery, Franks, who lives in Benton Park, said he was thinking about how to address gun violence.

I was thinking about just how big the gun violence problem is in our neighborhoods, especially in the city, he said. Whether its downtown or in the Central West End, whether its black, white, the governors wife, a newly elected state representative  its real for everybody.

Criminals need to be held accountable, but we have to come together to address the problem from its root causes, which is lack of resources, education, job opportunities.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouris governor-elect has brought in a former managing editor of the Huffington Post to work on his transition team.

Campaign records show Republican Eric Greitens, who takes over as chief executive of the Show-Me State on Jan. 9, paid Jimmy Soni $11,000 on Dec. 3.

Greitens senior adviser Austin Chambers said Soni is assisting with communications issues and hiring and is expected to stay on after the new governor takes office.

Hell play a role in the administration, Chambers said.

News of Sonis position in the administration came as Greitens Cabinet begins to take shape.

The governor-elect also has hired Michael F. Roche as his chief of staff. Roche, who resides in Virginia, has been vice president of national affairs for Anheuser-Busch Cos.

Like Greitens, Roche has a military background, having graduated from West Point and serving in the Army.

He graduated from Washington Universitys law school and worked as a civil trial attorney in St. Louis before joining the beer conglomerate in 1999.

Chambers also confirmed the hiring of Jennae Neustadt as legislative director and Will Scharf as policy director. Neustadt served as chief of staff to state Sen. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis.

Scharf practiced law at the Bryan Cave law firm in St. Louis before joining Greitens campaign after the August primary.

Soni, meanwhile, who listed his address on campaign records as Marina del Rey, Calif., was chief of staff to Arianna Huffington in 2012 when she appointed him as managing editor of the website. He was 26 at the time. He previously served as a private-sector management consultant and as a speechwriter for the mayor of Washington, D.C.

He left the website in 2014.

In 2015, he was named as a future media mogul by Forbes magazine.

Hes a published author and gifted communicator who has worked at several national media outlets  including the New York Observer and Washington Examiner, Chambers said.

It appears Soni crossed paths with Greitens, a former SEAL, before he had his eye on running for governor.

Greitens lists Soni in the authors note of his 2011 book The Heart and the Fist as one of his editors.

Greitens, who has not previously held elective office, is in the midst of building a team to help him take over for outgoing Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon, who couldnt seek re-election after eight years because of term limits.

Aides have said the governor-elect is looking to bring in people from across the nation to help him run the state.

We are looking for the best and the brightest to join our mission to create more jobs, higher pay, safer streets, and better schools for Missouri, Greitens said in an announcement last month.

Soni did not immediately respond to an interview request.
angxephangbonga Tai Premier League mua 2022/23, Erling Haaland la chan sut so mot voi 17 ban sau 11 tran. Tien ao nguoi Na Uy ong gop 47% trong tong so 36 ban thang cua Man City tu au giai. Neu duy tri hieu suat ghi ban hien tai, Haaland nhieu kha nang vuot thanh tich cua bo oi vua pha luoi Premier League mua 2021/22 la Mohamed Salah va Son Heung-min (23 ban). Robert Lewandowski dan au danh sach vua pha luoi La Liga 2022/23 voi 12 pha lap cong, bo xa bo oi xep thu hai Joselu va Borja Iglesias (cung 7 ban). Tien ao nguoi Ba Lan ong gop 43% trong tong so 28 ban thang cua Barcelona tu au mua. "Lewandowski thong minh, luon biet cach khai thac khoang trong va la mot tien ao tuyet voi", HLV Xavi noi sau tran thang 3-0 cua Barca truoc Villarreal o vong 10 La Liga rang sang 21/10. Tai Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappe tiep tuc so huu thong ke ghi ban an tuong voi 10 pha lap cong tu au mua, hon hai oi thu xep nhi Neymar va Jonathan David (9 ban). Tuyen thu nguoi Phap ong gop 31% trong tong so 32 ban thang cua PSG tu au giai. Bat chap nhung lum xum noi hau truong, Mbappe van la tien ao hieu qua nhat PSG ang so huu. Ca nhan cuu sao AS Monaco cung muon duy tri phong o cao truoc them World Cup 2022 sap khoi tranh vao giua thang 11. Cuoc ua vua pha luoi Bundesliga tro nen khoc liet khi co en 3 cau thu cung so huu 8 ban thang tu au mua 2022/23, bao gom Marcus Thuram (Monchengladbach - giua), Christopher Nkunku (Leipzig- trai) va Niclas Fullkrug (Bremen - phai). Trong o, Thuram la cau thu ong gop 42% trong tong so 19 ban cua Gladbach, cao nhat trong nhom 3 cau thu. Fullkrug va Nkunku eu so huu ty le ong gop 40%. Nkunku la tien ao uoc nhieu oi bong lon theo uoi nhat trong nhom nay. Chan sut nguoi Phap uoc Transfermarkt inh gia 80 trieu euro, gap 4 lan Thuram (20 trieu euro) va gap 20 lan Fullkrug (4 trieu euro). O mua 2021/22, Nkunku la vua pha luoi cua Leipzig voi 35 ban sau 52 lan ra san tren moi au truong. Tai Serie A, tien ao 33 tuoi Marko Arnautovic dan au danh sach vua pha luoi voi 7 ban sau 11 vong au. Chan sut nguoi Ao san ban hieu qua hon mot loat tien ao danh tieng nhu Lautaro Martinez, Dusan Vlahovic, Ciro Immobile (cung 6 ban) hay Paulo Dybala (5). Mot minh Arnautovic ong gop 58% trong tong so 12 ban cua Bologna tu au mua 2022/23. Tien ao nguoi Ao tung uoc on oan gia nhap MU trong ky chuyen nhuong mua he vua qua nhung thuong vu a o be.
So my question is, if the department is defunded, and low pay continues, what will happen the next time the police are desperately needed and only a handful of them are available?
Police work at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

By Paul Carrel and Joseph Nasr

BERLIN (Reuters) - Fingerprints from a Tunisian suspect have been found inside the truck that smashed through a Berlin Christmas market on Monday in an attack that killed 12 people, and investigators assume the migrant was at the wheel, officials said.

A hunt is underway across Europe for Anis Amri, 24, as Germany reels from its worst attack in decades.

A video clip from a car-mounted dashcam obtained exclusively by Reuters appears to show the truck driving into the market at speed, immediately after which people run away from the scene.

"We can report today that we have new information that the suspect is with high probability really the perpetrator," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters on Thursday.

"In the cab, in the driving cabin, fingerprints were found and there is additional evidence that supports this," he said.

Frauke Koehler, a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor's office, told reporters: "At this point in the investigation, we assume Anis Amri drove the truck."

Police had carried out searches across Germany on Thursday but made no arrests, she said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, facing demands to take a much tougher line on immigration and security, said she hoped the perpetrator would be arrested soon.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which the truck mowed through a crowd of people and bulldozed wooden huts selling Christmas gifts and snacks beside a famous church in west Berlin.

One of the 12 dead was the Polish driver from whom the truck had been hijacked. His body, stabbed and shot, was found in the cab.

Amri had been identified by security agencies as a potential threat and rejected for asylum, but authorities had not managed to deport him because of missing identity documents.

In Tunisia, two of Amri's brothers, Walid and Abdelkader, said they feared the failed asylum-seeker may have been radicalized by radical Islamists while he spent almost four years behind bars in Italy.

"He doesn't represent us or our family," Abdelkader told Sky News Arabia. "He went into prison with one mentality and when he came out he had a totally different mentality."

The suspected involvement of a migrant - one of more than a million allowed into Germany in the past two years - has intensified political pressure on Merkel, who plans to seek a fourth term in elections next year.

Armin Schuster of her Christian Democratic party told broadcaster NDR: "We need to send the signal: Only set off for Germany if you have a reason for asylum."

Germany had until now been spared the kind of mass-casualty militant attacks that have hit France, Spain and Britain in recent years. No attack on German soil has claimed so many lives since 1980, when 13 people including the suspected bomber, a member of a neo-Nazi group, were killed in an explosion at a Munich beer festival.

MARKET REOPENS

Ringed by concrete bollards, the Berlin market reopened on Thursday, with candles, flowers and flags laid amid the small festive huts in tribute to those killed.

Bild newspaper cited a counter-terrorism investigator as saying it was clear last spring that Amri was looking for accomplices for an attack and was interested in weapons.

The paper said preliminary proceedings had been opened against him in March based on information he was planning a robbery to get money to buy automatic weapons and "possibly carry out an attack".

In mid-2016, he spoke to two Islamic State fighters and Tunisian authorities listened in on their conversation before informing German authorities. Amri also offered himself as a suicide attacker on known Islamist chat sites, Bild said.

Police started looking for him after finding an identity document under the driver's seat of the truck. Broadcaster rbb said the perpetrator lost both his wallet and mobile phone while running away from the attack site.

The attack has heightened concerns across Europe in days before Christmas. In France, target of three major attacks in the last two years, security around festive markets was strengthened with concrete barriers, and troops were posted at some churches.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said an Italian woman named Fabrizia Di Lorenzo was among the Berlin victims, and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said an Israeli woman called Dalia Elyakim had been identified among the dead.

(Reporting by Paul Carrel, Joseph Nasr, Michelle Martin, Michael Nienaber, Thorsten Severin, Victoria Bryan in Berlin and Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; additional reporting by Sabine Siebold in Mazar-i-Sharif,Afghanistan; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Proprietary Training Program Designed to Foster Inclusive, Collaborative Workplace Culture

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive software developer bootcamp, and Pivotal, the company accelerating digital transformation for enterprises, announced that they have rolled out 12 Corporate Engineering Empathy training workshops to select audiences across Pivotal. This deployment of Dev Bootcamps corporate iteration of its unique and effective student training curriculum marks the organizations first B2B product venture and the first-of-its-kind training program offered by a coding bootcamp.

Dev Bootcamp-trained facilitators delivered the 12 workshops both in-person and virtually across several Pivotal offices  including its San Francisco headquarters  reaching 135 total employees.

Were pleased to be providing this initial training series to a company like Pivotal, said LaTeesha Thomas, Director of Partnerships and Corporate Training at Dev Bootcamp. Pivotal and Dev Bootcamp share common values around being more accepting of people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives in order to create more inclusive and productive workplace environments.

The workshops, a mix of guided discussions and exercises related to day-to-day office interactions via email communication, performance reviews and meeting conduct, tackled issues such as: implicit bias, privilege and allyship (the process of building relationships based on trust with marginalized groups of people) as well as provided Pivotal employees with a framework for understanding bias and oppression, a common terminology to discuss microaggressions and other social identity based phenomena and strategies to combat these issues that can prohibit team productivity.

The collaboration with Dev Bootcamp also represents the first time Pivotal has provided this type of extensive training from a third-party partner.

Empathy is one of the most important attributes we hire for at Pivotal, said Joe Militello, Chief People Officer at Pivotal. Pivotals mission is to help enterprises transform into software companies capable of moving at start-up speeds. As a result, one-of-a-kind programs such as Corporate Engineering Empathy empowers our employees to help our customers foster a software development culture in their respective organizations thats optimized for change, and fueled by a diverse set of voices.

The Corporate Engineering Empathy program, a suite of trainings offered to companies, was born from Dev Bootcamps Engineering Empathy (EE) student curriculum created to help students harness the tools they need to work effectively as individuals and on teams. EE is one way that Dev Bootcamp creates a supportive, inclusive onsite campus environment that enables students to learn under pressure, give and receive effective feedback and engage in collaborative learning that builds self-confidence and develops an appreciation for working with others. Pivotal elected the Creating an Inclusive Work Culture Corporate Engineering Empathy module to roll out with its employees.

Other modules include: Navigating Difficult Conversations dedicated to communication, feedback and tools to navigate difficult conversations; Counteracting Bias in the Workplace targeted at managers to help surface and thwart unconscious bias as an essential step towards effective leadership; and Building Diverse Teams complete with tactics to ensure recruiters and hiring managers are engaging qualified applicants who represent diverse communities.

Engineering Empathy, six modules taught onsite as part of our team-building curriculum, is frequently cited by our alumni and employer partners as a standout element of the Dev Bootcamp experience, said Tarlin Ray, Chief Operating Officer at Dev Bootcamp. In addition to satisfying requests from alumni to bring EE training to their employers, we launched the Corporate Engineering Empathy suite because it represents a new business development avenue for our company with the intent to improve hiring practices around diversity and increase employee satisfaction, safety and awareness for our customers.

To learn more about the Corporate Engineering Empathy program and receive additional information about onsite and virtual training workshops, visit here.

About Dev BootcampDev Bootcamp pioneered the short-term, immersive developer bootcamp, a model that transforms people of all skill levels into highly employable web developers in a matter of months. The 18-week curriculum with integrated career training, creates technical aptitude, along with the interpersonal skills that todays employers demand. With more than 2,700 graduates to date, and locations open in San Francisco, Chicago, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, and Austin, Dev Bootcamp immerses students in the supportive learning community they need to accelerate and shape their careers. Dev Bootcamp is owned by Kaplan, Inc. For more information, visit devbootcamp.com.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

About PivotalPivotals Cloud Native platform drives software innovation for many of the worlds most admired brands. With millions of developers in communities around the world, Pivotal technology touches billions of users every day. After shaping the software development culture of Silicon Valley's most valuable companies for over a decade, today Pivotal leads a global technology movement transforming how the world builds software.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161220005400/en/

Dev Bootcamp

Chris Nishimura

[email protected]

Source: Dev Bootcamp
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Stout Risius Ross, Inc. (Stout), a global advisory firm specializing in Investment Banking, Valuation & Financial Opinions, and Dispute Advisory & Forensic Services is pleased to announce that its client, Sterling Lumber Company Inc. (Sterling), has received an investment from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. (Oaktree), a global alternative investment management firm based in Los Angeles.

Established in 1947 by John Sterling with headquarters in Phoenix, Illinois, Sterling is a leading North American provider of access, crane, and outrigger mats to owners and constructors of energy and power infrastructure. Sterling's products and services are utilized in constructing temporary access roads and providing ground stabilization for heavy equipment on transmission & distribution, oil & gas pipeline, and renewable energy infrastructure jobsites. Sterling also provides turnkey matting solution services, including access planning, site preparation, mat installation and removal, and site restoration. Sterling's matting solutions help protect the environment, generate efficient jobsite workflows, and play a critical role in ensuring jobsite safety.

Stout served as financial advisor to Sterling in connection with the investment by Oaktree. Mr. Nick Jachim, Head of Investment Banking at Stout, said "It was a pleasure working with the Sterling family and management team in finding a strategic partner that would help continue the tremendous growth Sterling is experiencing." Eric Reuther and Michael Brocious assisted Mr. Jachim on the deal. Carter Sterling, CEO of Sterling, stated "We are very excited to begin our partnership with Oaktree. With the addition of Oaktree's strategic support, industry relationships, and capital, Sterling is well-positioned to continue improving the quality of our products while maintaining the highest level of service for our customers."

About Stout's Investment Banking Group

Stout's Investment Banking Group focuses on mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising for privately-held businesses, private equity portfolio companies, and public companies. Stout has significant experience assisting companies with evaluation of all available strategic and financial alternatives. Our clients and their advisors rely on our premier expertise, deep industry knowledge, and unparalleled responsiveness on complex financial matters. For more information, visit www.SRR.com, follow us on Twitter @StoutRisiusRoss, and/or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Stout is a trade name for Stout Risius Ross, Inc. and Stout Risius Ross Advisors, LLC, a FINRA registered broker-dealer and SIPC member firm.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stout-advises-on-recapitalization-of-sterling-lumber-company-300382120.html

SOURCE Stout Risius Ross, Inc.
BANDAR SUNWAY, Malaysia, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Intended to mobilise comprehensive collaboration among Southeast Asian nations for sustainable development, the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development was officially launched on 9 December 2016 by Dato' Sri Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia. A catalytic move by Malaysia to spearhead the achievement of the United Nations' seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Center is the result of a gift of USD 10 million from Malaysia's largest education-focused social enterprise - the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation.

Taking a leading role in advancing the seventeen SDG goals, the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development in Sunway University is to develop linkages with leading universities and think tanks around the world and in Malaysia. Moving Malaysia and Asia forward in the area of sustainable development will see the Center work on curating the world's best curriculum, academic and executive programmes on sustainable development.

The Prime Minister hailed the establishment of Jeffrey Sachs Center which reinforces the government's commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and commended it's leading role in supporting the government in advancing these goals.

In conjunction with the launch of the Center, the inaugural conference 'Moving Decisively Forward on Sustainable Development Now!' featured five keynote speakers in the area of sustainability. Professor Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid, the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia spoke on "Walking the Talk on Implementing the SDGs: A Case for Malaysia and South-East Asia," followed by Professor Daniel Schrag from Harvard University in USA touched on "Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Opportunities for the Developing World". Professor Angelo Riccaboni from University of Siena in Italy focused on "Food Systems for Sustainable Development: Innovations are Needed" while Professor Xue Lan from Tsinghua University in China discussed "Policy Challenges in Implementing Sustainable Development Goals." Professor Jeffrey Sachs' closed the day with his talk on "What Does Sustainable Development Really Mean?".

Very much aware that the SDG goals are not the sole responsibility of governments alone, Founding Trustee of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and Founding Chancellor of Sunway University, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, AO is of the opinion that all sectors of society that is the private sector, academia, civil society groups and, of course, every single individual should play a role in sustainable development.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Chairman of the Center said the Center will concentrate on four main capacities encompassing teaching programmes to help the new rising generation of Malaysians and students from all over the region and the world to become leaders of sustainable development; research to understand practical challenges and find real solutions; work with the Malaysian government to bring people here, and to help neighbouring governments to plan and see the pathways to sustainability and take regionally co-operative steps for success.

For more information on the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development (JSC) at Sunway University please email: [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sunway-university-transforms-our-world-by-advancing-sustainable-development-goals-300381682.html

SOURCE Sunway University
DAKAR (Reuters) - The main separatist group in northern Mali, the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), has suspended its participation in a committee charged with implementing a 2015 peace accord, according to a statement seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The document, dated Dec. 19 and signed by CMA President Alghabass Ag Intalla, an elder of the Tuareg ethnic group cited rising violence and a lack of progress on reforms among other reasons for its decision.

However, in a sign that the suspension might be temporary, Ag Intalla also called for a high-level encounter with mediators in order "to save the accord and preserve the credibility of the process".

A statement on Twitter from a branch of the CMA group said it would continue to participate in security aspects of the peace process, without giving details.

A Tuareg rebellion in 2012 that sought to create a new state called Azawad was hijacked by al Qaeda-linked militants who seized major towns in Mali's north and established sharia law.

French troops drove them out a year later but they continue to launch deadly attacks from desert hideouts and have spread into areas once considered safe, despite efforts by a 13,000-strong U.N. force to keep them at bay.

Many among the minority Tuareg and Arab populations in the north complain that little has been done to address the root causes of the rebellion such as poverty, a lack of investment and exclusion from the southern-based Bamako government.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Alison Williams)
DOHA (Reuters) - A Saudi-led Arab coalition will halt its use of British-made cluster munitions in Yemen, the Saudi government said on Monday, after 20 months of war in which thousands of civilians have been killed and injured in air strikes.

In London, British defense minister Michael Fallon confirmed in parliament that the coalition had dropped "a limited number" of UK-supplied cluster munitions in Yemen.

Britain, a signatory to the international convention which prohibits use of the munitions, has been investigating whether the coalition dropped the BL 755 munitions in Yemen following an Amnesty International report in May.

"The government of Saudi Arabia confirms that it has decided to stop the use of cluster munitions of the type BL-755 and informed the United Kingdom government of that," said the Saudi statement, carried by state news agency SPA.

It was the first Saudi confirmation of the coalition's use of the cluster munitions.

Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told Arabiya TV: "BL 755 bombs are used in a limited way and not in residential areas. We do not use the bombs in areas populated by civilians."

"This munition was used against legitimate military targets to defend Saudi towns and villages against continuous attacks by Houthi militia, which resulted in Saudi civilian casualties."

Assiri said the coalition, which is battling Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, had not violated international law because it had not signed the cluster munitions convention.

Fallon stressed that Britain had sold the munitions to Riyadh in the 1980s, long before the 2008 convention.

"However, Saudi Arabia has now confirmed it will not further use BL-755 cluster munitions and I welcome that," he said.

DEFENSE COOPERATION

The Saudi move came shortly after British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the Gulf and said she would deepen defense cooperation with the region in its pushback against what she called "Iran's aggressive regional actions".

Cluster bombs, dropped by air or fired by artillery, scatter hundreds of bomblets across a wide area which sometimes fail to explode and are difficult to locate and remove, killing and maiming civilians long after conflicts end.

They pose a particular risk to children who can be attracted by their toy-like appearance and bright colors.

Rights group Amnesty International said in May that civilians returning home in northern Yemen risked injury and death from "minefields" of deadly cluster bombs.

The BL-755 bomb, manufactured in Britain in the 1970s, is known to be in the stockpiles of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Amnesty said.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies began their military campaign in Yemen in March last year with the aim of preventing the Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemen's ex-president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, taking control of the country.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and triggered humanitarian crises, including chronic food shortages, in the poorest country in the Arabian peninsula. Millions more have been displaced.

(Reporting by Ali Abdelatti; Writing by Tom Finn; Editing by Gareth Jones)
For survivors of Ethiopia's Tigray war, truce brings cautious hope NAIROBI (Reuters) - A ceasefire deal in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region has raised cautious hope among millions of people impacted by the bloody two-year conflict that their anguish could be coming to an end. Many civilians are also reflecting on the terrible losses they suffered, and look to promised aid to rebuild their lives after a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and left hundreds of thousands facing famine. "I'm... (continue reading...)



Rocket sirens blare in Israeli towns near Gaza border -army JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Air raid sirens warning of potential incoming rocket fire blared in southern Israeli towns near the border with the Gaza Strip late on Thursday, the Israeli army said. The army said in a statement that sirens had sounded in three Israeli communities near the Gaza border. (Reporting by Rami Ayyub and James Mackenzie; editing by Jonathan Oatis)



Emirates suspends Nigerian flights again over trapped ticket sales LAGOS (Reuters) - Dubai's Emirates has suspended flights to Nigeria for the second time since September citing an inability to repatriate funds from Africa's biggest economy, the airline said on Thursday. Nigeria is facing severe dollar shortages, forcing many citizens and business to seek forex on the black market, where the naira currency has progressively weakened. An Emirates spokesperson said the airline had attended several meetings... (continue reading...)



Tesla's California EV market share slips as rivals step up By Hyunjoo Jin SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla's dominant market share of the electric vehicle market in California slipped again this year, according to Reuters' calculations based on government data from January to September, as rivals up their game. Tesla controlled 73% of the battery electric market in California from January to September, the lowest level since 2018, according to new vehicle registration data from the California... (continue reading...)



U.S. Supreme Court's Sotomayor won't block extradition linked to S. Korea ferry sinking By Nate Raymond (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid by a businessman to block his extradition to South Korea to face embezzlement charges that stemmed from a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people. Sotomayor rejected Yoo Hyuk-Kee's request to prevent his extradition from going forward while he appeals lower-court rulings rejecting his effort to avoid being sent to South Korea to face trial... (continue reading...)



More Reuters


UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-Q

(Mark One)

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Quarterly Period Ended October 31, 2016

OR

 TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from __________ to__________

Commission file number 000-55458

ORIENTAL MAGIC SOUP, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

700 N. Valley Street, Suite B#14917

Anaheim, CA 928017

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(323)-978-0870

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes  No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer  Accelerated filer  Non-accelerated filer  Smaller reporting company x (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes x No 

There were 33,900,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, of the issuer issued and outstanding as of December 15, 2016.





TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 Table of Contents

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

ORIENTAL MAGIC SOUP, INC.

BALANCE SHEETS October 31, April 30, 2016 2016 (Unaudited) ASSETS Current Total Assets $ - $ - LIABILITIES Current Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 2,325 $ 5,008 Due to related party 79,222 63,893 Total Liabilities 81,547 68,901 SHAREHOLDERS DEFICIT Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding as at October 31, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively - - Common stock, $0.001 par value, 150,000,000 shares authorized, 33,900,000 shares issued and outstanding as at October 31, 2016 and April 30, 2016, respectively 33,900 33,900 Additional paid-in capital 1,800 1,800 Accumulated deficit (117,247 ) (104,601 ) Total Stockholders Deficit (81,547 ) (68,901 ) Total Liabilities and Stockholders Deficit $ - $ - The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.

3 Table of Contents

ORIENTAL MAGIC SOUP, INC.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended October 31, October 31, 2016 2015 2016 2015 REVENUES $ - $ - $ - $ - OPERATING EXPENSES Consulting Fees - 15,240 - 15,240 General and administrative expenses 250 - 931 81 Professional fees 6,915 5,799 11,715 15,583 TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES 7,165 21,039 12,646 30,904 NET LOSS FROM OPERATIONS (7,165 ) (21,039 ) (12,646 ) (30,904 ) Provision for income taxes - - - - NET LOSS $ (7,165 ) $ (21,039 ) $ (12,646 ) $ (30,904 ) BASIC AND DILUTED NET LOSS PER COMMON SHARE $ (0.00 ) $ (0.00 ) $ (0.00 ) $ (0.00 ) WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING: BASIC AND DILUTED 33,900,000 33,900,000 33,900,000 33,900,000

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.

4 Table of Contents

ORIENTAL MAGIC SOUP, INC.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

Six Months Ended October 31, 2016 2015 Cash flows from operating activities: Net loss $ (12,646 ) $ (30,904 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 12,646 30,904 Net cash used in operating activities - - Cash flows from investing activities: Net cash provided by investing g activities - - Net decrease in cash - - Cash, beginning of the period - - Cash, end of the period $ - $ - Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash paid during the period for interest $ - $ - Cash paid during the period for tax $ - $ - Non-cash financing activities: Loans from related party $ 15,329 $ 24,606





5 Table of Contents

ORIENTAL MAGIC SOUP, INC.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

October 31, 2016

(Unaudited)

NOTE 1  ORGANIZATION AND NATURE OF BUSINESS

The Company was originally incorporated as Dinamo Corp. in the State of Nevada on March 25, 2013. The Companys fiscal year end is April 30. On March 23, 2015, the Company changed its name to Oriental Magic Soup, Inc. and had a new symbol of CQGU.

NOTE 2  BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the six months ended October 31, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2017. For further information regarding the Company's significant accounting policies, refer to the audited financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2016 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 2, 2016. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.

NOTE 3  DUE TO RELATED PARTY

In support of the Companys efforts and cash requirements, it may rely on advances from related parties until such time that the Company can support its operations or attains adequate financing through sales of its equity or traditional debt financing. Those loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured, and due on demand.

During the six months ended October 31, 2016, the Company owed $15,329 to the director for expenses paid directly on behalf of the Company. As of October 31, 2016, $79,222 was owed by the Company to the director and was recorded as due to related party. The amount due to the director is non-interest bearing and due on demand.

NOTE 4  GOING CONCERN

The accompanying unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principle, which contemplate continuation of the Company as a going concern. However, the Company had no revenues since inception. The Company currently has limited working capital, and has not completed its efforts to establish a stabilized source of revenues sufficient to cover operating costs over an extended period of time. These factors raise substantial doubt as to the Companys ability to continue as a going concern.

Management anticipates that the Company will be dependent, for the near future, on additional investment capital to fund operating expenses The Company intends to position itself so that it may be able to raise additional funds through the capital markets. In light of managements efforts, there are no assurances that the Company will be successful in this or any of its endeavors or become financially viable and continue as a going concern.

6 Table of Contents

Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

As used in this Form 10-Q, references to Oriental Magic Soup, Inc., the Company, we, our or us refer to Oriental Magic Soup, Inc. unless the context otherwise indicates.

Forward-Looking Statements

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Form 10-Q (the Report). This Report contains forward-looking statements which relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as may, should, expects, plans, anticipates, believes, estimates, predicts, potential or continue or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our or our industrys actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggested herein. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required under the applicable federal securities laws.

Overview

We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on March 25, 2013 under the name Dinamo Corp. We changed our name to "Oriental Magic Soup, Inc.", effective March 23, 2015.

In addition to our name change, we amended and restated our Articles of Incorporation to increase the amount of authorized shares of our common stock from 75,000,000 to 150,000,000 shares and to increase the authorized share capital of our company by providing for the adoption of 5,000,000 shares of blank check preferred stock.

On February 27, 2015, we approved a 6:1 forward stock split of our common stock outstanding in the form of a dividend, under which each stockholder of record on that date received 5 additional shares of our common stock for every one share owned. The forward split was effective on March 23, 2015.

On October 20, 2014, Jolanta Gajdzis, the principal shareholder of the Company consummated the transactions contemplated by a stock purchase agreement dated as of October 20, 2014 which provided for the sale of an aggregate of 4,500,000 shares of common stock of the Company (the "Shares") to Zhufeng Wang (3,600,000 shares), Qingran Yang (679,500 shares) and De Hou Wang (220,500 shares). The consideration paid for the Shares, which represented 79.65% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the Company on a fully-diluted basis, was $325,000. The source of the cash consideration for the Shares was personal funds of the purchasers. In connection with the transaction, Ms. Gajdzis released the Company from all debts owed to her.

Effective as of October 20, 2014, in connection with the sale of the Shares, Jolanta Gajdzis resigned from her positions as the sole officer and director of the Company. The Board of Directors of the Company elected Zhufeng Wang as President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary and as a director of the Company, to serve until his successor is duly appointed and qualified.

In connection with the sale of the Shares the Company no longer intends to be involved in redemption machines distribution business. The Company now intends to be involved in making and distributing oriental soup for the United States. The target market is in areas where there is a higher density of people of China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong descent. However, the Company might also identify and negotiate with another company for the business combination or merger of that entity with and into the Company.

To date, we have minimal assets. Our operations to have been merely preparatory and have not generated any revenues and we have incurred losses since inception. We currently have no employees other than our sole executive officer and director.

7 Table of Contents

Plan of Operation

The Company intends to be involved in making and distributing oriental soup in the United States. The target market is in areas where there is a higher density of people of China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong descent. However, the Company might also identify and negotiate with another company for the business combination or merger of that entity with and into the Company.

We do not have sufficient cash to meet our obligations for the next twelve month period. As a result, we will need to seek additional funding in the near future. We currently do not have a specific plan of how we will obtain such funding; however, we anticipate that additional funding may be in the form of equity financing from the sale of shares of our common stock. We currently have no plans or arrangements to obtain financing through private offerings of debt or equity. We may also seek to obtain short-term loans from our directors or unrelated parties. Our stockholders may lend us funds. However, those shareholders have no formal commitment, arrangement or legal obligation to advance or loan funds to the Company.

We currently have no agreements, arrangements or understandings with any person to obtain funds through bank loans, lines of credit or any other sources. Since the Company has no such arrangements or plans currently in effect, our inability to raise funds will have a severe negative impact on our ability to remain a viable company.

Results of Operations

We have not generated any revenue to date and have incurred recurring losses since inception. Our financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern and, accordingly, do not include adjustments relating to the recoverability and realization of assets and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue in operation. We expect we will require additional capital to meet our long term operating requirements.

For the three months ended October 31, 2016 and October, 2015

Revenues

The Company did not generate any revenues during the three months ended October 31, 2016 and October 31, 2015.

Total operating expenses

During the three months ended October 31, 2016, our total operating expenses were $7,165 which consisted of professional fees of $6,915 and general and administrative expenses of $250, as compared to total operating expenses during the three months ended October 31, 2015 of $21,039 which consisted of consulting fees of $15,240 and professional fees of $5,799. The decrease in total operating expenses during the three months ended October 31, 2016 resulted primarily from a decrease in consulting fees during such period. Consulting fees during the three months ended October 31, 2015 were related to due diligence on potential acquisitions, which were not a recurring expense.

Net Loss

For the three months ended October 31, 2016, we had a net loss of $7,165, as compared to a net loss for the three months ended October 31, 2015 of $21,039.

8 Table of Contents

For the six months ended October 31, 2016 and October, 2015

Revenues

The Company did not generate any revenues during the six months ended October 31, 2016 and October 31, 2015.

Total operating expenses

During the six months ended October 31, 2016, our total operating expenses were $12,646 which consisted of professional fees of $11,715 and general and administrative expenses of $931, as compared to total operating expenses during the six months ended October 31, 2015 of $30,904 which consisted of consulting fees of $15,240, professional fees of $15,583 and general and administrative expenses of $81. The decrease in total operating expenses during the six months ended October 31, 2016 resulted primarily from a decrease in consulting fees and professional fees during such period. Consulting fees during the six months ended October 31, 2015 were related to due diligence on potential acquisitions, which were not a recurring expense.

Net Loss

For the six months ended October 31, 2016, we had a net loss of $12,646, as compared to a net loss for the six months ended October 31, 2015 of $30,904.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of October 31, 2016, we had no cash or other assets. As of October 31, 2016, our current liabilities were 81,547, consisting of $79,222 due to our sole officer and director and $2,325 for accounts payable and accrued liabilities.

We will have to issue debt or equity or enter into a strategic arrangement with a third party in order to finance our operations. There can be no assurance that additional capital will be available to us. We currently have no agreements, arrangements or understandings with any person to obtain funds through bank loans, lines of credit or any other sources.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

We have not generated positive cash flows from operating activities for the six months ended October 31, 2016. For the six months ended October 31, 2015, net cash flows used in operating activities was $0.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

For the six months ended October 31, 2016, and 2015, there were no investing activities.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

We have in the past financed our operations primarily from advances from the Companys sole officer and director. For the six months ended October 31, 2016, there was no cash provided by financing activities.

9 Table of Contents

Going Concern Consideration

The Company has not commenced planned principal operations. The Company had no revenues since inception and incurred a net loss of $12,646 during the six months ended October 31, 2016. The Company currently has limited working capital, and has not completed its efforts to establish a source of revenues sufficient to cover operating costs over an extended period of time. These factors raise substantial doubt as to the Companys ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if we are unable to continue as a going concern.

The Company believes that it will need ongoing funding for its expenses and execute its business plan over the next twelve months. If the Company is unable to execute on its business plan, management estimates it will need approximately $50,000 to cover professional fees as a reporting company for the next twelve months. There can be no assurance that additional capital will be available to us or available on terms favorable to us. If additional funds are raised by the issuance of our equity securities, such as through the issuance and exercise of warrants, then existing stockholders will experience dilution of their ownership interest. If additional funds are raised by the issuance of debt or other equity instruments, we may be subject to certain limitations in our operations, and issuance of such securities may have rights senior to those of the then existing holders of common stock. If adequate funds are not available or not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund and develop our business.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

A smaller reporting company, as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K, is not required to provide the information required by this item.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d- 15(e) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as of October 31, 2016. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective at such time to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act were recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer also concluded that our disclosure controls, which are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, was inappropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company is continuing to evaluate disclosure controls on an ongoing basis.

10 Table of Contents

Based on management's assessment, the Company determined that there were material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2016 based on the material weaknesses described below:

Because the Company consists of one person who acts as the sole officer and director of the Company, there are limited controls over information processing.

There is an inadequate segregation of duties consistent with control objectives as management is composed of only one person. In order to remedy this situation, we would need to hire additional staff to provide greater segregation of duties. Currently, it is not feasible to hire additional staff to obtain optimal segregation of duties. Management will reassess this matter in the following year to determine whether improvement in segregation of duty is feasible.

The Company does not have a formal audit committee with a financial expert, and thus the Company lacks the board oversight role within the financial reporting process.

There is a lack of formal policies and procedures necessary to adequately review significant accounting transactions.

The Company utilizes a third party independent contractor for the preparation of its financial statements. Although the financial statements and footnotes are reviewed by our management, we do not have a formal policy to review significant accounting transactions and the accounting treatment of such transactions. The third party independent contractor is not involved in the day to day operations of the Company and may not be provided information from management on a timely basis to allow for adequate reporting/consideration of certain transactions.

As a result of this material weakness, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of October 31, 2016. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that is less severe than a material weakness; yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of the company's financial reporting.

In order to mitigate the foregoing material weakness, we have engaged an outside accounting consultant with significant experience in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP to assist us in the preparation of our financial statements to ensure that these financial statements are prepared in conformity to U.S. GAAP. Management believes that this will lessen the possibility of a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements or will prevent or detect such misstatement on a timely basis. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this action and make any changes that our management deems appropriate.

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

During the quarter ended October 15, 2016, there was no changes in internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.

11 Table of Contents

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

There are no pending legal proceedings to which the Company is a party or in which any director, officer or affiliate of the Company, any owner of record or beneficially of more than 5% of any class of voting securities of the Company, or security holder is a party adverse to the Company or has a material interest adverse to the Company. The Companys property is not the subject of any pending legal proceedings.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

A smaller reporting company, as defined by Item 10 of Regulation S-K, is not required to provide the information required by this item.

Item 2. Unregistered Sale of Securities and Use of Proceeds

None

Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other information

Not applicable.

12 Table of Contents

Item 6. Exhibits

Exhibit No. Description 31 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certifications 32 Section 1350 Certifications 101.INS XBRL Instance Document 101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document 101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document 101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document 101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document 101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

13 Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

ORIENTAL MAGIC SOUP, INC. Dated: December 20, 2016 By: /s/ Zhufeng Wang Name: Zhufeng Wang Title: President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer Secretary and Director (Principal Executive Financial and Accounting Officer)

14

EXHIBIT 31

CERTIFICATIONS OF

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER

PURSUANT TO SECTION 302(a) OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Zhufeng Wang, certify that:

1. I have reviewed the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended October 31, 2016 of Oriental Magic Soup, Inc. (the registrant);

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a. Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under my supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant is made known to me by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under my supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report my conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d. Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrants other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on my most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Dated: December 20, 2016 By: /s/ Zhufeng Wang Name: Zhufeng Wang Title: President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and a Director (Principal Executive, Financial and Accounting Officer)

EXHIBIT 32

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

The undersigned, Zhufeng Wang, President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and a director of Oriental Magic Soup, Inc. (the Company), certifies, under the standards set forth and solely for the purposes of 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended October 31, 2016 fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and information contained in that Form 10-Q fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

Dated: December 20, 2016 By: /s/ Zhufeng Wang Zhufeng Wang President, Chief Executive Officer, Treasurer and a Director

(Principal Executive, Financial and Accounting Officer)

This certification accompanies the Report pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not, except to the extent required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 20, 2016

THE ONE GROUP HOSPITALITY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware 001-37379 14-1961545 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)

411 W. 14th Street, 2nd Floor

New York, New York 10014

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

Registrants telephone number, including area code: (646) 624-2400

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On December 20, 2016, The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. (the Company) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary had entered into a license agreement with Horizon Hospitality Holdings Limited to open an STK restaurant at The Address Downtown Dubai hotel on Emaar Boulevard and an STK Beach at the Rixos Hotel in the Marina District of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Both are expected to open in 2017. A third restaurant is anticipated to open in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the Company is currently evaluating locations in Abu Dhabi for the venue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.








UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549





FORM 8-K





Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934





Date of Report: December 20, 2016

(Date of Earliest Event Reported): December 15, 2016





Tyson Foods, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)





Delaware

(State of incorporation or organization)





001-14704

(Commission File Number)





71-0225165

(IRS Employer Identification No.)





2200 West Don Tyson Parkway, Springdale, AR 72762-6999

(479) 290-4000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of

Registrants principal executive offices)





Not applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if applicable)





___________________________________

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions ( see General Instruction A.2. below):

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

















Item 8.01 Other Events.

On December 15, 2016, we were notified of a ruling by an agency of the Republic of the Philippines in litigation we have previously disclosed in our quarterly and annual filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For further description regarding this matter, refer to Part II, Item 8, Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 19, Commitments and contingencies, of Tyson Foods, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 1, 2016. This ruling, which is the latest development in an appeal involving litigation that has been ongoing for 20 years, will be challenged in further proceedings before the agency that issued it and through additional judicial proceedings should the agency not reverse what we believe to be clear errors of law and procedural defects in its ruling.





The ruling at issue was made by the National Labor Relations Council (the NLRC), an agency of the Department of Labor and Employment in the Republic of the Philippines. In its ruling, the NLRC affirmed and expanded a labor arbiters 2004 finding that our subsidiary, The Hillshire Brands Company (which was acquired by us in 2014 and was formerly known as the Sara Lee Corporation), Aris Philippines, Inc. (a dissolved former subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation), Sara Lee Philippines, Inc. (a former subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation sold in 2010) and Fashion Accessories Philippines, Inc. (an unaffiliated entity) are jointly and severally liable for approximately $70 million in damages, based upon todays exchange rate, to approximately 6,000 former employees of Aris Philippines in connection with a 1995 plant closure of a former apparel operation of Sara Lee Corporation. The NLRC approved a settlement agreement previously reached with 1,081 former employees for approximately $1.5 million but significantly increased the total damages awarded by the labor arbiter in 2004 to former employees who had not settled. With respect to the remaining 4,922 former employees the NLRC awarded approximately $300 million, based upon todays exchange rate, for (i) back pay from 1995 when the plant was closed until the present; (ii) severance benefits based on a years of service calculation for each employee that included the years the since the plant was closed in 1995; (iii) moral damages; (iv) punitive damages; and (v) attorneys fees.





We intend to file a motion for reconsideration with the NLRC. If that motion is denied, the Company will seek a stay of the damages award pending completion of an appeal to the Philippine courts. The Companys financial statements since the acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company have included an accrual for this matter at an amount substantially below the labor arbiters 2004 finding. As part of our normal quarterly financial reporting process, we will evaluate that accrual in consultation with our legal advisors and accountants based on the facts and circumstances as they exist at the time of our next quarterly report filed on Form 10-Q. The need for, or potential amount of, any such adjustment has not yet been determined, but we do not presently expect to accrue the full amount of the award made by the NLRC in this latest ruling.





We believe we have substantial defenses to the claims made and intend to vigorously defend this matter . Neither The Hillshire Brands Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any operations in the Republic of the Philippines.





A copy of the Companys press release regarding this matter is attached to this Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and it is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Item 8.01.





Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits





(d) Exhibits





Exhibit

Number Description





99.1 Press release, dated December 20, 2016, stating the response of Tyson Foods, Inc. to a Republic of the Philippines National Labor Relations Council ruling

















SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.





TYSON FOODS, INC. Date: December 20, 2016 By: /s/ R. Read Hudson Name: R. Read Hudson Title: Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Secretary





















Tyson Foods Statement in Response to Ruling by Republic of the Philippines Department of Labor and Employment





Springdale, Ark.  December 20, 2016  Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) today issued the following statement:





Tyson Foods was recently notified that the National Labor Relations Council of the Department of Labor and Employment in the Republic of the Philippines has ruled against an appeal related to the 1995 closing of an apparel manufacturing facility operated by a subsidiary of the former Sara Lee Corporation. Not long after the closing, Sara Lee Corporation was sued by a labor union and former employees, and the case has been in dispute since. The case pre-dates Tyson Foods acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company, which was formerly known as Sara Lee Corporation, by more than 15 years.





This latest ruling is excessive and directly contrary to two prior arbitration rulings that concluded that the 1995 closure was proper and all required severance benefits had been paid by Sara Lee Corporation to employees, said David L. Van Bebber, executive vice president and general counsel for Tyson Foods. Were considering all appellate options including asking the NLRC to reconsider its ruling and the Philippine courts to overturn the ruling. As Hillshire Brands does not have any operations in the Philippines, we dont expect this decision to have any impact on our business.





Tyson Foods notified investors of the ruling in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, which is available on the companys website .





About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the worlds largest food companies with leading brands such as Tyson  , Jimmy Dean  , Hillshire Farm  , Sara Lee  , Ball Park  , Wright  , Aidells  and State Fair  . Its a recognized market leader in chicken, beef and pork as well as prepared foods, including bacon, breakfast sausage, turkey, lunchmeat, hot dogs, pizza crusts and toppings, tortillas and desserts. The company supplies retail and foodservice customers throughout the United States and approximately 115 countries. Tyson Foods was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to lead the business with his son, Don Tyson, guiding the company for many years and grandson, John H. Tyson, serving as the current chairman of the board of directors. The company currently has approximately 114,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.





###








Pakistan's acting permanent representative to UN, Nabeel Munir reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to eliminate all terrorist networks.

Pakistan has rejected Afghanistan's unsubstantiated allegation that Taliban reorganize in Pakistan during winter.

Speaking in a debate on situation in Afghanistan in the UN Security Council, Pakistan's acting permanent representative to the UN, Nabeel Munir reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to eliminate all terrorist networks.

He said sanctuaries of terrorists have shifted to Afghanistan due to successful operation Zarb-i-Azb, the results of which are widely acknowledged by the international community."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran, Russia and Turkey have started the process of finding a political solution to the Syria crisis. There is no military solution to the Syria conflict and the countrys crisis can only be solved through political approaches, Zarif said in Moscow on Tuesday.

The Iranian foreign minister was speaking at a meeting with his Russian and Turkish counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu, respectively, and members of the three countries delegations, which had gathered in the Russian capital to discuss the latest developments in Syria, particularly those concerning the newly liberated strategic city of Aleppo.

He expressed hope that a ceasefire agreement could be reached in Syria, saying that now is a good time for the resumption of negotiations to find a political solution to the crisis in the country.

Russia FM urges uncompromising, merciless war on terror

In a meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov stressed the importance of fighting terrorism in an uncompromising and merciless way.

He pointed to the assassination of Russias Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in a gun attack in Ankara and said, We feel that this barbaric crime is a fresh reminder the war on terrorism must be uncompromising and merciless.

Karlov was shot dead while delivering a speech on the opening of a photo exhibition on Monday.

The Russian minister rejected as absolutely unacceptable the attempts to connect terrorist attacks to his countrys support for Syria in its fight against terrorism and said such moves are aimed at shielding the militants.

This is a provocative, perverse and unacceptable logic, these people are trying to protect terrorists and stop the fight against them, Lavrov said and added that the efforts to make the world believe that supporting the legitimate Syrian government would increase the threat of terrorism are absolutely unacceptable.

Ahead of their talks in Moscow, the Iranian and Russian foreign ministers paid tribute to the murdered Russian ambassador to Ankara.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, lay flowers in memory of the murdered Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, in Moscow, Russia, on December 20, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

The assassination, condemned by the Turkish and Russian leaders as an attempt to sour the bilateral ties, came as the countries are cooperating over the Syrian crisis.

Turkey is partaking in talks on behalf of anti-Damascus militants, who had been in control of the eastern part of the city until recently. Russia has been supporting the Syrian government and has been negotiating on its behalf.

Iran, the US, NATO, and other countries and world institutions have also condemned the assassination of the Russian ambassador.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan held talks with his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Sergei Shoigu and Fikri Isik, respectively, in Moscow on Tuesday about the latest developments in the region and the situation on the ground in Syria, especially in Aleppo.

During the meeting, the Iranian defense minister praised military cooperation between Ankara and Moscow in Syria.
Andy Richter stars in his own comedy special, "Home for the Holidays," on Seeso.
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The love, kindness and generosity shown by the community to the Boswell whanau of Tauranga has left them both humbled and gobsmacked, says a family friend.

The whanau of seven have been forced to start over after fire tore through their Otumoetai Road rental home and destroyed virtually everything they owned.

Donna Boswell and her six children  three boys aged 1, 4 and 5, and three girls aged 7, 9 and 11  were at home at the time of the fire last Wednesday, as well as the Tata whanau of four who had been living in the garage at the property for about six weeks.

It took 12 firefighters and three fire trucks 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze  and it took less than an hour for the community to rally together to support the whanau.

A Givealittle page setup by friend Jena Young on the day of the fire has so far seen 72 donors raise $2735 for the Boswell whanau.

The donations that have come in so far from the community is gobsmacking, absolutely unbelievable, says Jena.

The fire was really unfortunate, no-one deserves that, but especially not Donna because all she ever does is help people. She provides what she can for her whanau and is always giving back to the community through volunteering, shed give the shirt off her back.

And I wasnt the only one who wanted to setup a Givealittle page and help out the family, I just beat everyone to the punch really.

Compounding matters, Donna had cancelled her insurance only a couple of months ago because she couldnt afford it, Jena adds.

All they care about is that everyone got out safe. A house can be rebuilt and furniture replaced, but for a family to start over that can be quite expensive.

After learning of the familys plight, Urban Kids Early Learning Centre in Brookfield started up a collection for the Boswell whanau and has been absolutely inundated by donations.

Centre manager Nic Young says theyve been blown away by the enormous amount of donations, and because so many people have given so generously, its simply not possible for the Boswells to keep everything.

The whanau are so humbled by the generosity of the community, there is a lot more thats been donated than what they need, so they want to give back to the community to say thank you.

They acknowledge that Christmas can be a tough time of the year for many people out there so they want to pay it forward to anyone who is struggling or in need.

Everyone in the community who may be in need can head down to the centre for a sausage sizzle and to collect any gifted items for themselves or others tonight, from 6pm to 7.30pm.

Nic says if people want to continue to give, the centre is happy to receive gifts for families on Tuesday evening.

Urban kids Early Learning Centre is at 10 Jude Place in Brookfield, Tauranga. For more information visit the centres Facebook page.
A sprinkler ban is currently in force in Tairua, Whangamata, Puriru and Omahu, plus a hose and sprinkler ban in Matatoki, advises the Thames-Coromandel District Council.

Water usage in the Coromandel has increased significantly recently and production of drinkable water from sources is struggling to keep up with demand as reservoirs are not refilling overnight.

There are currently no other water restrictions in our district, says a TCDC spokesperson.

Were checking water use in our nine urban and two rural water supply schemes regularly and reviewing our water restrictions daily.

Due to the Coromandels rugged geography, water is supplied from a variety of natural sources, including streams and bores. These sources supply not only provide drinking water but water for firefighting.

With summer now officially here that not only means hot, dry weather, but also tens of thousands of visitors and holiday-goers to the Thames-Coromandel district, so council is now asking locals and visitors to be water smart.

If everyone is careful with their use of water, it will lessen the need for more stringent restrictions through the busy holiday period.

TCDC will provide regular water restriction updates on the home page of their website, along with their Facebook page, their email newsletters, and via Coromandels MoreFM.

If locals and visitors spot any water leakages or wastage they are being asked to contact the Thames-Coromandel District Councils 24/7 Customer Services line on 07 868 0200.

TOP SMART WATER CONSERVATION TIPS:

Wait until you can do full loads before you wash dishes or use the washing machine.

Dont run the water when brushing your teeth.

For cool drinking water, fill a jug and keep it in the fridge. Running water to cool it down can waste 10 litres a minute.

For lawns, apply the step test  if grass springs back after you walk on it, it doesnt need watering. Please do not water the garden in the heat of the day; early morning or evening is better.

If your toilet has a dual flush button, use the half flush.

Fix any leaks or dripping taps.

Please do not fill swimming pools.

COMMUNITY WATER SOURCES:
Methamphetamine worth $506,000 and $128,000 in cash has been seized during a raid on the Head Hunters Motorcycle gang in the Bay of Plenty.

Police executed a number of search warrants in Tauranga and Opotiki yesterday and arrested four people as a result.

The planned raids bring to a conclusion a year-long investigation into the Head Hunters.

Police say the four people arrested in yesterdays raid will face a range of serious charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act in relation to dealing in the Class A controlled drug, methamphetamine, and charges in relation to commercial cannabis cultivation.

Further arrests havent been ruled out.

Detective Senior Sergeant John Wilson says the investigation has targeted a small group involved in dealing in significant amounts of methamphetamine in the Bay of Plenty. All those in the group are either patched members of the Head Hunters or are associated to that gang.

As part of the ongoing investigation, police have seized $506,000 worth of methamphetamine, four firearms, including a loaded pistol, and located a house which had been converted into a cannabis growing operation.

They have also recovered $128,000 dollars in cash.

Make no mistake, methamphetamine is a scourge, and peddling this misery is all about organised crime and making money.

The damage that this drug does to our communities is immense, and operations like this one targeting those who would seek to make money from the addictions and misfortunes of others sends a clear signal that crime, in the end, does not pay.

If you, or someone you know needs help with an addiction to methamphetamine, help is available for you call: Alcohol Drug Helpline 0800 787797 or visit: www.methhelp.org.nz
Whakatane boat builder Surtees Boats 700 Game Fisher model is named Australias Greatest Aluminium Boat by Australian media outlet Trade-a-Boat.

To beat the Australians on their own turf, Surtees Boats eased out strong competition from the American built Tracker, the Australian Stessco and Anglapro brands another New Zealand boat from Stabicraft.

We are extremely proud of the 700 Game Fishers achievements from the day it was unveiled to the public, says Surtees Boats CEO Adam Dyck.

We have always been proud of our innovation, or what we call Surtees IQ. This carries across to quality, construction, performance, design and safety. Its fantastic that the judges also feel we are getting it right.

We pride ourselves on making safe, confidence inspiring boats, and what is even more special, these awards are given after putting the boat through its paces in its natural environment  out on the water.

It was great to hear the judges felt confident and safe on the 700 Game Fisher.

Surtees Boats have sold over 50 of the 700 Game Fisher model since its launch, with prices for the boat starting from NZD$110,000.

Five Trade-a-Boat judges assessed each finalist across ten criteria, starting with suitability for fishing, innovation, design and layout, quality of finish, handling and ride, and stability at rest. Add in ergonomics, standard equipment, value for money and that indefinable X-Factor.

Wowing the judges with its resolute toughness, clever yet functional layout and exceptional ride, the 700 Game Fisher was the boat that inspired real confidence.

This 700 Game Fisher is an absolute corker! The entire work place is pure platinum in the eyes of any keen fisho, especially those with a yearning for the big blue water, says senior boat tester and host, John Bear Willis. Guest judge Jo Starling was equally as impressed.

Unable to fault it. Each builder even signs their boat on the transom in the weld! This ownership is clearly reflected in the workmanship, says Jo.

Trade-a-Boat Magazine Australia editor Tim van Duyl further commended Surtees Boats and their award-winning model.

Surtees has played bridesmaid in the Australias Greatest Boat celebrations for a number of years and its a credit to the dedication and tenacity of the staff that they keep on presenting us with the best of the best, year after year, says Tim.

Having come excruciatingly close to winning with last years battleship-sized 850 Game Fisher and equally near a few years back with their pocket-rocket 4.7 Workmate, it is clear that they make great boats so when the 700 Game Fisher was first tested by our head honcho tester, Bear, we knew it would be good. How good? John came from the test singing its praises and making it the one to beat this year.
The robbery of a Tauranga tavern which saw a woman bound and forced to the floor by the offenders is still under investigation.

Shortly after closing on Tuesday, November 25, around 1am, two men forced their way into Cheers Tavern by breaking through a front window.

The sole worker in the bar at the time was forced at gunpoint across the tavern and onto the floor beside the bar where she was bound with her hands behind her back, says Tauranga CIB Detective Sergeant Craig Rawlinson.

The offenders then took a sum of cash before running from the bar, leaving the worker still bound on the floor.

They ran across a disused industrial area, crossed State Highway 29A, and headed in the direction of Truman Lane, beside Baypark Stadium.

Police ask that anyone who may be able to identify these men, or saw anything suspicious in the area at that time, contact Tauranga Police immediately on 07 577 4300.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The plight of a French skipper limping toward Bluff after striking what he believes was a shipping container in the Tasman Sea has lessons for local sailors, says Tauranga Coastguard training officer Donna Bennett.

The IMOCA Le Souffle de Nord arrived safely in Invercargill this morning after striking the object on Sunday, breaking open the hull. Thomas Ruyant says the 60ft (18m) yacht came to a sudden standstill while travelling at 17-18knots (about 30km/h).

The whole of the forward section exploded and folded up, says Thomas on Vendee Globe

It was really very violent. I was sleeping on my beanbag and fortunately I had my head down in that, as I ended up hitting the mast bulkhead. I found things that were stowed in the stern right up against the forward bulkhead. They got thrown 10m forward.

He says hes fortunate he wasnt dismasted. He retired from the race and as he got within 40nm [nautical miles] of Bluff, he picked up two sailors from a NZ Coastguard boat who brought an additional pump on board.

Its a timely reminder for Tauranga boaties, says Donna. Tauranga is a log port. There are also rivers in the Bay of Plenty that bring trees down to the sea.

Its possible this sort of thing can happen to our local people, says Donna.

Just this morning we had a report of a tree in the water either in or just outside the harbour.

There are things boaties can do before they head out, and the Souffle du Nord event is a good time to remind people.

There are a couple of acronyms. WET which stands for Weather, Equipment, and Tell someone. Check the weather forecasts. Make sure all the equipment on board is working. Its also a good idea to have a second means of propulsion, in case you do hit a log and the engine is taken out, says Donna.

And tell someone where you are going, and when you will be back.

If you do find you have hit something and the boat is taking on water theres another acronym for basic survival mode.

LIFES:

Lifejacket on, its a time of heightened risk and it is mandatory.

Investigate whats happened, what damage is done.

Fix it, if you can or slow the leak down if possible. If you can still make way, head for shore, the closer to shore you are the better. Start bailing.

E is for emit. It is time to send a distress signal, a mayday call. VHF channel 16 and a 111 call if theres an operating cell pohone.

Stay with the boat. Dont try to swim to shore.

The rescuers can find a boat, even one that is swamped or capsized, for more easily than they can find a person in the water, says Donna.

Always stay with the boat. A sinking boat doesnt always go straight down, there are often air pockets.

And those on board are better off out of the water for hypothermic reasons, says Donna.
A Polish national has been arrested for allegedly punching the victim, who fell and hit the back of his neck on the ground

National Police have arrested a 34-year-old Polish man in connection with the death of a British man in a bar brawl in Fuengirola last Friday. The suspect apparently punched the victim who fell and hit the back of his neck on the ground. He died at the scene. The man is being held on suspicion of homicide.

The event took place at around 11.30pm last Friday outside the Entrehoras bar on Calle Castillo in Fuengirola. It began when the 42-year-old victim, N.A., tried to go into the bar with a friend. The pair were on holiday in the Costa and, according to sources, were both inebriated.

The investigation indicates that the owner of the bar prevented them from entering and the British duo started to shout at him and push him, according to a statement from the provincial police headquarters. During the argument, one of the bars customers leapt up to defend the owner and hit the two Britons in the face. Both were injured, but N.A. fell to the floor and hit his neck. Emergency services rushed to the aid of the victim but were only able to confirm his death.

National Police officers searched for the assailant, who had fled the scene. Investigators from the specialist and violent crime unit in Fuengirola were able to identify the man, whom they found the following afternoon in his house, also in Fuengirola.

However, his arrest was delayed for several hours as the suspect had barricaded himself in the property. He refused officers entry and even threatened to commit suicide. Eventually, police officers convinced him to leave the house and he was arrested.
The U3A is a worldwide organisation with the aim of promoting learning for enjoyment and personal fulfilment

More than 30 members of Fuengirola U3A have enrolled on the modern jive course in Los Boliches. :: TONY BRYANT

There comes a time in many peoples lives when they feel that they may have missed out on their true vocation. Maybe we feel that we should have pursued our particular goal or career, and yet once we reach 50, we inevitably believe that the chance has passed us by.

However, there is still time to achieve the things we postponed because our previous daily routines forbade them - as many expatriates on the Costa del Sol have realised.

The University of the Third Age in Spain (U3A) is a non-profit making organisation that focuses on the interests and requirements of English-speaking people.

The U3A offers a broad range of courses, activity groups and lectures for mature people and its aim is the promotion of learning for enjoyment.

The classes are informal and can be used to aid in ones daily life, provide a hobby, or just for fun and exercise.

The third-age organisation is a self-help group and the leaders are volunteers who share their interests and expertise with others.

Membership is not related to a specific age, but to a period in ones life - the third age - after the second age of full-time employment and parental responsibility.

Groups offer the chance to study many different subjects, including astronomy, photography, art, poetry, and Spanish language.

No qualifications are required and there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained; just the satisfaction of furthering ones education during retirement.

In this area U3A branches are found in Marbella, Fuengirola and in the Axarquia region east of Malaga, and their courses generally run from September to May, with a break for Christmas in December.

The Costa del Sol U3A was established in Marbella in 1997 and today has a membership of approximately 700.

However, while the organisation adheres essentially to the principles of U3A, the branches on the Costa del Sol remain entirely autonomous.

In January 1998, an off-shoot was started in Fuengirola, but when their combined membership reached a total of more than 400 members in 2003, steps were taken to separate the two in order to facilitate the administration.

The Marbella and Fuengirola branches have been operating independently ever since.

There are currently 300 members, representing 27 nationalities, in Fuengirola, and the branches in Marbella and Axarquia also have a broad sphere of nationalities.

The U3A in Fuengirola offers 30 courses on topics such as music, drama, history, philosophy and geology, and members have access to a small library of books covering varying subjects.

The organisation is a private concern without public funding, so they rely on self-sufficiency.

Geoff Cooke, president of the U3A in Fuengirola told SUR in English, We have been fortunate to be able to hold our courses and lectures in the premises of Lux Mundi and the Ark Christian Fellowship in exchange for a modest donation.

Our annual membership fee [30 euros] covers this and our administrative costs, while the courses are done by members on a voluntary bases, Geoff explained.

In addition to the courses, U3A in Fuengirola organises lectures, given by members or external speakers. They also go on cultural visits within Spain and have a regular Malaga museum visit, where members can spend the day at a chosen art gallery.

Everyone has the opportunity to meet like-minded people during our activities and it proves to be a popular social gathering, as well as an educational one, Geoff continued.

One of the most popular courses is the modern jive classes that take place in the Manila Cafe in Los Boliches every Thursday afternoon.

Helen and Richard Brampton, who have recently moved to the coast, said they had heard about the U3A in Fuengirola by word of mouth.

We have recently retired and settled in Fuengirola and we didnt know anyone when we arrived, so when we heard about the U3A, we thought we would come along to the jive class, as we both like dancing, Helen said.

Alan Campbell, treasurer of the Fuengirola branch, who joined the organisation one year ago, explained how the U3A is a good place to meet like-minded people.

We had only just moved to Spain when we became members of the U3A and it proved to be a great way for my wife and I to meet new friends, Alan, a former accountant, said.

The club loses around 20 per cent of its members each year, due to varying reasons, so they are always looking for new members, especially those who wish to share their knowledge and skills.

The U3A in Fuengirola aims to integrate the English-speaking community into the Spanish society by introducing several new courses.

We are adding new courses, especially Spanish courses. I think the new sevillana dance classes will prove extremely popular, Geoff says with a hint of confidence.
Father Christmas and the Three Kings made an appearance at the Christmas traditions festival

The arrival of the Three Kings at the Christmas festival . :: TONY BRYANT

A multinational Christmas fair was held in the Plaza Mezquita in Arroyo de la Miel last weekend.

Festive delicacies from more than 20 countries were available and these included various types of sherry, whisky, cheeses, cured meats and Christmas cakes of varying descriptions.

Wales, Scotland, India, Cuba, France, Morocco and Brazil were among the countries present and visitors were tempted with an array of sugary cakes and sweets, and aromatic mulled wine.

Some of the traders dressed in their traditional costume and offered samples of their wares to the visitors.

The festival began at 11am and continued until the dark hours, and a constant flow of people kept the food stalls busy for the duration of the day.

Following the opening ceremony and the presentation of the participating countries, the festival began with a performance by the Banana Studio; an energetic bunch of youngsters who performed a mixture of dance and song.

The afternoon consisted of a programme of attractions and these included folklore dances of the Philippines, Scottish dancing, Colombian music and Argentinean tango.

The Mayor of Benalmadena, Victor Navaras, and councilors, Ana Scherman and Joaquin Villazon, were among the thousands of people who turned up to enjoy the festival.

There was also plenty to keep the youngsters occupied, including a childrens play area and the appearance of Father Christmas and the Three Kings.

Ana Scherman said, This is the eighth edition of the Christmas festival and its so nice to see so many expatriates and local Spanish people enjoying themselves.

Andrew and Laura Evans, from Manchester, were among those enjoying the festival.

We come to Benalmadena most years, but weve never been to this festival. We have had a marvellous time, Laura said, clutching her warming glass of mulled wine.
A view of the court in Bilbao which heard the case. :: FERNANDO GOMEZ

Court of First Instance 11 in Bilbao has ruled that twelve mortgage loans valued at six million euros, granted to British families mostly in Malaga province between 2004 and 2007, should be declared void.

The case was dealt with in Bilbao as all loans were granted at a notary in the city, and the representatives of the lender, SL Mortgage Funding n1 Limited (SLMF), were also based in the Basque city, according to Lawbird Legal Services SLP.

These loans were sold to attain a reduction in potential inheritance tax, inasmuch as the mortgage would reduce the taxable value of the property, but also to supplement the modest pensions received by the owners of the properties.

SL Mortgage Funding n1 Limited (SLMF), based in Chester (UK), had not applied for the necessary regulatory permits to legally raise funds from the public and provide an investment service - activities reserved and regulated by the Bank of Spain and the CNMV (financial regulator).

In spite of not having any of the above authorisations, SLMF would lend but at the same time retain most of the proceeds of the loan, which would then be invested by the company.

The ruling declares that infringing the protocols set by the relevant administrative authority to supervise the disputed product is a regulatory violation that exceeds that of a mere breach of banking laws, such as misselling, so profusely dealt with recently in relation to the massive sale of complex financial products.

The judge who presided over this case concluded that the breach of public policy is far more serious as it made a mockery of a whole system of financial and banking supervision designed to prevent abuses to consumers and protect the stability of the sector. He likened this behaviour civil fraud, which is any proposal that contravenes mandatory regulations or has a false or forbidden reason.

The sale of this product was conducted via commission-earning financial advisory firms (Hamiltons Financial Services, Henry Woods Investment Management and others), based in Estepona, Marbella and Fuengirola. SLMF also recommended a network of lawyers which would downplay the extent of the lack of licensing requirements of the bank and the product.

According to Lawbird Legal Services SLP, working on behalf of the claimants, the ruling confirms that operating in breach of mandatory banking and financial regulations makes the offender a boiler room, even if the company was legally operating in its own country. It also allows the victims to end the nightmare which has blighted the victims for over ten years.

The judge concluded by saying that all contracts and agreements executed between the clients and the bank should be terminated, but also applied the laws of contractual termination in a novel way with the clients able to claim back everything they had put in without having to return what was given to them.
The Australian-first Aerostructures Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) will bring together the best of Victorias aerospace research, design and manufacturing leaders to work with industry on the next generation of air mobility.
Bruce Kane photo.JPG

Bruce Kane

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- A former Ithaca accountant who spent his investors' money lavishly on himself was sentenced to eight years in prison today for his role in a $10 million fraud scheme.

U.S. District Judge Thomas McAvoy imposed the sentence on Bruce Kane, 62, who pleaded guilty in June to defrauding at least 16 investors from 2003 to 2013. McAvoy ordered Kane to repay $8.9 million and to forfeit $10 million in property.

At least five of the investors Kane victimized were former clients of his accounting business in Ithaca.

Kane tried to avoid detection by making phony profit payments to the investors in 2004 and 2005, prosecutors said. He and his co-defendant, Burton Greenberg, lied to investors that their money was being held in an Italian bank where they claimed it was generating significant profits.

After his arrest, Kane told FBI agents he committed the massive fraud with Greenberg and Senol Tasking so he could "live the lifestyle we always wanted."

"And live the lifestyle he did," Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Brown wrote in court papers. Burton used some of the $1.6 million that he stole from investors to pay for his stepdaughter's $50,000 wedding, Brown said in court papers.

After the sentencing, Kane's stepdaughter told Syracuse.com after the sentencing that he did not pay for her wedding.

Kane's use of the stolen money also included $59,000 to buy a boat, rental payments of more than $148,000 on an oceanfront condo in Florida, $280,000 in credit card payments, and $49,500 in car payments, Brown wrote.

His thefts depleted his victims' college funds, retirement accounts and charitable trusts, the prosecutor wrote.

"Kane lied to them so that he could steal their money and live the high life," U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said. "He is now being held accountable for betraying their trust."

Federal sentencing guidelines recommended Kane get a prison term of between eight and 10 years. Greenberg, 75, was sentenced in February to eight years in prison. Taskin, 50, is a fugitive, apparently living in his native country of Turkey, according to court papers.

Kane's lawyer, Robert Wells, asked McAvoy to impose a sentence less than Greenberg's. Wells argued that Greenberg was the leader of the fraud scheme.

"Burton Greenberg became the central and all-powerful authority figure in the life of Bruce Kane," Wells wrote in court papers. "He became Bruce's idol."

Greenberg claimed he regularly attended meetings of the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., and that he was on a first-name basis with former Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Wells wrote.

Greenberg once introduced Kane to a prince who was followed by bodyguards in Greenberg's office, Wells said.

"All of this... provided the backdrop to this theatrical charade," Wells wrote. "Every bad thing that happened, or that Bruce did wrong, was against this backdrop."

When Greenberg was sentenced 10 months ago, his lawyer argued that Kane was the brains of the operation.

Contact John O'Brien anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-2187
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse family says police have told them 29-year-old Aikeem Hudgins is the victim of a brutal murder in Brewerton.

Hudgins' family filed a missing persons report with Syracuse police Dec. 9, two days after they last saw him at his mother's house in Syracuse.

Family members hung missing posters of Hudgins, also known as "Hoxx," on city streets and knocked on doors to try to find him. But it wasn't until late Saturday night when a Syracuse police detective and two Onondaga County sheriff's deputies knocked on his mother's door that they learned what had happened to him

Police told Hudgins' mother, Lorraine Richardson, that her son was dead, family members told Syracuse.com Monday night.

Detectives also notified Hudgins' father, Keith Hudgins, of his son's death, family members said.

The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the case, has not released the identity of the man killed. Hudgins' family members said Monday night they were told by police that DNA testing was being done to confirm the identity.

Family members said police told them they do not have Hudgins' body; family members said they were told police have recovered parts of his body.

The murder happened sometime between Dec. 8 and Dec. 12 in Apartment 9F of 9462 Chalkstone Course at the Bay Shore North Apartment complex in Brewerton, a hamlet in the town of Cicero, according to court documents.

The last time family members saw Hudgins was the night of Dec. 7, his sister Kenya Davis said.

Family members became worried the next day after they didn't hear from Aikeem Hudgins and couldn't reach him on his cell phone.

"There's not a day that goes by that we don't see him," his sister Brittany Hudgins said.

As his family continued their search, deputies received a call at 11:17 a.m. Friday that would lead to heartbreaking news for Aikeem Hudgins family that he was dead.

Deputies were called to investigate a "suspicious incident" at the apartment complex in Brewerton. Inside, they discovered evidence of a crime and called in detectives; officials have not said what they found in the apartment.

The next day, sheriff's detectives arrested two people.

Corey Slattery, 28, of 9462 Chalkstone Course, Cicero, was charged Saturday with second-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse, both felonies.

Connie Ingoldby, 48, of 263 Bankrupt Road in Schroeppel, was charged with felony counts of concealment of a human corpse and first-degree hindering prosecution.

A witness reported hearing the killing and seeing Slattery and Ingoldby with a body in the apartment on the day of the crime, according to court documents filed in Cicero Town Court.

After Slattery killed the man, he and Ingoldby tried to hide the body, according to the court documents.

Slattery burned it to try to hide the remains, but police have recovered some of the remains, court documents show. It is not clear where the remains were found.

Police are investigating several crime scenes, including the apartment complex in Brewerton, a property on Verplank Road in Clay and a place just over the county line in Oswego County off Route 57 in Schroeppel, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

Hudgins' family members said they had never heard of or seen Slattery or Ingoldby before police announced their arrests and released mugshots this weekend.

They also said they are still waiting for more answers.

"I'd just like to know why?" said Tallie Hudgins, a cousin who considers himself a brother of the victim.

"To plan out how to get rid of a body and chop it up, that's brutal," he said. "It makes me sick to my stomach."
Merc Thomas facebook photo.JPG

Alfred "Merc" Thomas in a screenshot of his Facebook page.

(John O'Brien | jobrien@syracuse.com)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Alfred "Merc" Thomas took to Facebook to make a bold proclamation three weeks after a Syracuse jury acquitted him of murder in 2014.

He did it, Thomas admitted.

Four months later, Thomas went so far as to make a video of the crime scene and post it on Facebook. In it, he says his convicted co-defendant was innocent.

"I did that. Me and another black male," Thomas said in the video, according to court papers.

When friends warned him to delete the confessions before police took screenshots of them, Thomas showed his legal acuity. He posted a photo of the New York state double jeopardy law, which prohibits someone from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.

"(N-word), I beat this!" Thomas wrote on Facebook, according to court papers. "SO GET OFF MY (expletive). I DID DAT."

The FBI and federal prosecutors took notice. They got a search warrant for Thomas' Facebook account and used the posts against him on a pending charge of being a felon in possession of ammunition in 2012.

Thomas' profile picture on Facebook

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick told a judge in March that the admissions to murder are evidence that Thomas is a danger to the community.

"Believing that his acquittal in state court shielded him from any further prosecution, the defendant now tells the world, 'Yes, I did it,'" Southwick said in court in March, according to a transcript.

Southwick told U.S. Magistrate Judge David Peebles that he was not offering the Facebook posts as proof that Thomas was legally responsible for Martin Paulk's murder. The prosecutor acknowledged Thomas "may well be right" that he can't be charged with Paulk's murder again.

Thomas' lawyer, George Hildebrandt, said in court that the Facebook posts were just bravado. No one would actually confess to a crime he was acquitted of, unless he "put a lot of stock in movies like 'Witness for the Prosecution' or 'Double Jeopardy,'" Hildebrandt said.



Peebles granted Southwick's request to keep Thomas in jail pending the federal charges. The judge cited Thomas' admissions on Facebook as the most convincing evidence that he would present a danger if he were set free.

Thomas, 31, of Rome, is scheduled to go to trial in January.

Hildebrandt said this week that Thomas likely made the Facebook comments in an attempt to help his co-defendant, George "Cito" Colon.

A jury convicted Colon of murder Sept. 3, 2014, in the fatal shooting of Paulk eight months earlier on the city's North Side. As he lay dying, Paulk told police that "Cito" had shot him.

A witness saw two men shoot Paulk to death, but the jury acquitted Thomas.

A month after the verdict, Thomas wrote on Facebook again in response to a story on Syracuse.com about Colon's sentencing, court papers said.

"Ma work stay makin da news," the post said, according to court papers.

Thomas boasted on Facebook again in July 2015, in response to a Syracuse.com story about 10 people being shot in a violent July 4 weekend: "10 shootins in 1 day n nobody dies, that's how u no I'm not involved."

All the Facebook posts have since been deleted.

Contact John O'Brien anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-2187
Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man was sentenced to 25 years in prison today after being convicted of stabbing another man to death after a dispute over a woman.

Daniel Jones, 31, was staying at the Catholic Charities homeless shelter in May 2015 when he got into an argument with victim Gary Paris Jr. There were no punches thrown and the two separated, prosecutor Melinda McGunnigle said today.

Paris went into the shower room. Jones went in twice but nothing happened. He went outside to the smoking yard at the 1074 S. Clinton St. shelter, McGunnigle said.

But Jones was apparently still stewing. He asked someone for a knife, then went back into the bathroom and plunged the knife into Paris's chest, McGunnigle said. There were also numerous slash wounds.

Jones' mugshot at the Richmond County Jail in North Carolina.

After the stabbing, Jones fled to North Carolina, where he was later caught. A jury found Jones guilty last month of manslaughter in Paris's death.

State Supreme Court Justice John Brunetti noted that today the victim was naked in the shower when he was attacked.

It was a "premeditated act of savagery," the judge said.

Jones maintained his innocence today. He noted that another person had allegedly confessed to the killing to someone else. That other suspect later testified against Jones at trial.

Jones said his lawyer, William Sullivan, didn't do enough to defend him. Jones called himself a victim, too.

But Brunetti said it was Sullivan who successfully made sure that Jones wasn't facing a murder charge -- and possibly life in prison.
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The Government will provide 137 million to Cambridge University after pledging to underwrite research projects currently funded by the EU.

Figures released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy reveal the amount of funding received by universities, research groups, and businesses through Horizon 2020, the financial instrument implementing the EUs initiative to secure Europes global competitiveness.

A Treasury statement confirmed in August that it will underwrite research projects currently funded by the EU, including Horizon 2020, even if the project continues beyond the UKs departure from Europe.

The UK currently receives 1 billion EU funding to invest in research  16% of the total EU funding available, second only to Germany which receives 17%. In comparison, the funding available to non-EU states is 7.2%.

The new figures show that Cambridge has been awarded more funding than any other higher education organisation in the UK under Horizon 2020, followed by University College London (122 million) and Oxford University (114 million).

The scheme funded 114 University projects in 2014.

The current figures are correct as of 30 September 2016, but the total is likely to increase as UK institutions continue to bid for Horizon 2020 funding for the next four years.

Groups applying for the funding must be members of a consortium, typically made up of at least three organisations from different countries.

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has called for the government to exempt EU scientists already employed in the UK from wider immigration controls.

Committee chairman Stephen Metcalfe said last month that: Uncertainty over Brexit threatens to undermine some of the UKs ongoing international scientific collaborations.

Telling EU scientists and researchers already working in the UL that they are allowed to stay is one way the government could reduce that uncertainty right away.

This was echoed by Senior Tutor of Trinity College, Catherine Barnard, writing for City A.M.

With a so-called hard Brexit looking likely, she suggested that a bespoke deal for universities which might include free movement of academic researchers and greater flexibility for migration of students coming from the EU.

She continued: Voluntary contributions to [] future research programmes like Horizon 2020 might give academics working in the UK the chance to participate in these arrangements.
Gov. Scott Walker and Paul Ryan distributed Packers jerseys to Donald Trump and Mike Pence at a "Thank You" rally in West Allis Dec. 13.
Following the unforeseen resignations of senior experts from the Cambridge Intelligence Seminar (CIS), questions have been raised over the forum's alleged links with Kremlin operatives and alleged threats from the Russian intelligence services.

The CIS is an academic forum for visiting speakers to discuss innovative intelligence research in progress.

The resigned posts were held by former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove, who has previously held the position of Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, former policy adviser at the White House Stefan Halper, and historian Peter Martland.

According to reports, the Kremlin is allegedly behind a newly-established intelligence journal, which also provides funding to the group.

The new London-based digital publishing house Veruscript, which helps cover some of the CISs costs, is also alleged to be acting as a front for the Russian intelligence services.

The CIS was set up by official MI5 historian Professor Christopher Andrew. The weekly seminars, which take place on Fridays at the university's Corpus Christi College, are advertised on the University website.

Previous attendees include Mike Flynn, Donald Trumps choice for national security adviser to the US, and Dr Paul Martin, the ex-director of parliamentary security.

A news report published in The Financial Times claims that some of those involved in the CIS "are thought to be concerned that Russia may attempt to use the link to the seminars to influence sensitive debates on national defence and security".

Moreover, while speaking about his resignation, Mr Halper is said to have told reporters that his decision to step down was due to "unacceptable Russian influence" on the group.

When contacted by The Cambridge Student, University authorities refused to comment, claiming that they wouldn't be issuing any statements in response to the news reports doing the rounds.
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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has revealed what caused Facebook's solar-powered Aquila drone to crash land during its first test flight. It seems the "substantial damage" was a result of the autopilot's reaction to unexpected high winds.

Back in July, Facebook painted Aquila's maiden flight as a success. The company only briefly referred to the accident in its engineering blog. "We are still analyzing the results of the extended test, including a structural failure we experienced just before landing. We hope to share more details on this and other structural tests in the future," it reads.

The NTSB's board requires operators of unmanned aircraft to report any accidents. The organization almost always investigates cases where the drone in question is particularly large, a classification that Aquila, which weighs just under 1000 pounds and has wingspan similar to a Boeing 737, falls under.

The NTSB has concluded that wind speeds of around 12 to 18 knots caused an unexpected increase in turbulence as the drone made its final approach. At 20 feet above the ground, a gust of wind pushed Aquila off its flight path. In response, the autopilot dipped the drone's nose, causing it to speed up, and raised the elevons, a type of aircraft control surface. The combination of high airspeed, up elevon, and low angle of attack resulted in increased downward lift on the outer wing panel, which in turn exceeded the right wing's structural limit and caused it to fail.

Regulations mean that Facebook hasn't been able to discuss the crash in detail until the NTSB published its report. The company said it would address the problems by incorporating a drag device such a spoiler or airbrake in future designs and will make sure the autopilot prioritizes keeping the airspeed under the limit.

"We are already designing and building second-generation aircraft with new features added as a result of our learnings, and are eager to fly again. Each successive test flight will bring both expected and unexpected technical challenges, and will teach us more about how to fly this experimental aircraft," wrote Yael Maguire, head of Facebook's Connectivity Lab.
BlackBerry in September officially exited the smartphone game, electing instead to allow Chinese tech company TCL to design, build, sell and support all future smartphones bearing the Canadian firm's name.

What many don't know, however, is that BlackBerry has been working on its second act for quite a while now. The culmination of BlackBerry's work in the sector came to a head on Monday with the announcement of the QNX Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Center (AVIC).

Housed within BlackBerry's existing QNX facility in Ottawa, the research center aims to develop production-ready software both independently and in cooperation with public and private sector partners. Specifically, QNX head John Wall said in a recent interview with Reuters that they want to provide the software foundation for high-performance compute platforms.

BlackBerry QNX has been supplying software platforms including telematics, infotainment, acoustics and instrument cluster systems to the automotive industry for two decades with deployments in more than 60 million vehicles around the globe.

BlackBerry Chairman and CEO John Chen said autonomous vehicles require software that is extremely sophisticated and highly secure, adding that their innovation track record in mobile security and their demonstrated leadership in automotive software makes them ideally suited to dominate the market for embedded intelligence in vehicles of the future.

Is that a far-fetched idea? Not necessarily.

Sam Fiorani, an analyst at Auto Forecast Solutions, told Reuters that if BlackBerry can prove that they have the whole package and the security, they could absolutely dominate the market.

Image courtesy Mark Blinch, Reuters
Uber's continued insistence that it doesn't require a permit to test its San Francisco-based self-driving vehicles is angering city officials. Now, residents are also losing patience with the ride-hailing company after it admitted there was a "problem" with the way the SUVs were crossing bike lanes.

Last week, less than one day after Uber expanded its self-driving vehicle pilot program from Pittsburgh to San Francisco, the California DMV ordered the company to stop operating the fleet because it never registered to test the technology on state roads.

Uber claims it doesn't need a permit as its cars have a person behind the wheel at all times monitoring the system, therefore they can't be considered fully autonomous. Anthony Levandowski, head of Uber's autonomous vehicle program, called the company's stance "an important issue of principle."

"You don't need a belt and suspenders... if you're wearing a dress," he said. It seems the DMV's threat of legal action still hasn't caused Uber to change its mind.

However, after numerous reports that its not-quite-autonomous vehicles are ignoring the rules of the road, it seems Uber isn't finding much support among the public. In addition to running red lights, failing to stop for pedestrians, driving through stop signs, and making unsafe turns, the SUVs are a huge danger for the city's thousands of cyclists.

An article published by Brian Weidenmeier, executive director of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC), warns that when the vehicles are in self-driving mode, they are cutting directly across bike lanes when making right turns. State law mandates that drivers merge with the lane before making a turn to avoid hitting cyclists who may be traveling forward.

"It's one of the biggest causes of collisions," said SFBC communications director Chris Cassidy. He added that Uber was notified of the problem last week, and, despite assuring the SFBC that a fix was on its way, the company started the self-driving trials without one being implemented.

"The potential for autonomous vehicle technology is exciting, but knowingly rolling out unpermitted, unsafe vehicles shows a blatant disregard for people's safety," said Cassidy.

Some officials believe that Uber will give in to the pressure and apply for a permit next month. As noted by The Register, this would ensure the firm avoids having to hand over 2015 data to state regulators.
Native American tribes in Washington are set to receive the ancient remains of the "Kennwick Man" after President Barack Obama signed a bill on Monday, Dec. 19, authorizing its return and eventual reburial.

The almost 9,000-year-old skeleton was discovered by two teenagers on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington in 1996. Subsequent radiocarbon tests revealed that the remains belonged to a prehistoric Paleoamerican man.

The Kennewick Man later became the subject of controversy after various American Indian tribes came forward to demand that the remains be returned to them for reburial. Genetic evidence discovered in 2015 confirmed that the ancient skeleton is indeed related to Native Americans.

The recently signed bill orders the transfer of the Kennewick Man from the custody of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Washington State Department of Archaeology within 90 days. It will then be given to American Indian tribes for reburial.

"We will work closely with that state organization to transfer the remains in an expedited fashion," Amy J. Gaskill, spokeswoman for the Army Corps, said.

The Ancient One

Scientists long considered the discovery of the Kennewick Man as one of the biggest in U.S. history. Many hoped that the remains would help uncover the mystery behind the first Americans in the country and where they may have come from.

However, Native American tribes objected to conducting scientific tests on the Ancient One's remains. They believe it would be disrespectful to the Kennewick Man if his remains were to be destroyed during testing, and demanded that he be returned to them for proper reburial instead.

The discovery also triggered a debate regarding a law known as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which was designed to address long-standing issues concerning the collection of human remains by museums.

One of NAGPRA's primary goals is to return ancient skeletons and mummies to their closest descendant group. Since the law's passing in 1990, federal authorities have returned as many as 50,000 sets of ancient human remains to their rightful descendant groups in the U.S.

Some scientists argue that ancient remains, such as those of the Kennewick Man, are not covered by the principles of NAGPRA as they are too old to be considered direct ancestors of any living group.

Native Americans, on the other hand, claim that the Ancient One is one of them, and his remains should be returned to them.

This conflict in beliefs is what caused the return of the Kennewick Man's remains to be delayed by close to 20 years.

Now that the president has signed the bill returning custody of the Kennewick Man to Native Americans, many believe that the Ancient One will finally be laid to rest.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Nintendo is giving a chance for players to try out its upcoming hybrid console, the Switch, before it's officially released in March.

Nintendo will hit the the road from Jan. 13 to March 5, 2017, lugging its flagship console across cities in North America. In its itinerary are San Francisco, New York, and Toronto up north.

The Nintendo Switch Preview Tour

The first two days in each stop will be specially allocated for the media, while the third and last day will be open to the public, albeit a very limited one at that.

A number of My Nintendo members were reported to have already been pinged by Nintendo via email that they're welcome to come to the event once it hits their respective cities. For now, details about the tour are very thin, and there's no assurance as to what Switch titles are going to be shown off by the company during the tour, but those who received invites were advised to wait for a follow-up notification from Eventbrite.

The Nintendo Switch preview tour kicks off Jan 13, a day after the company unveils essential metrics it's been holding about the console on a forthcoming event in Tokyo.

From Jan. 13 to 15, the tour will hit New York, then Toronto from Jan. 27 to 29. It will then be at Washington on Feb. 10 to 12, at Chicago on Feb. 17 to 19, and at San Francisco on Feb. 24 to 26. The tour hits its last stop at Los Angeles on March 3 to 5.

PAX South And East And SXSW Events

For those who are unfortunately far from any of the cities included in Nintendo's Switch preview tour road map, there's still a way to try out the console before it hits shelves. The company has promised that it will attend PAX South and PAX East, which are in San Antonio and Boston, respectively. Additionally, the console will also make an appearance at the South by Southwest festival in Austin to let attendees get ahold of the Switch's launch titles, according to Polygon.

It is still undetermined when exactly the Switch will launch in March, but that, along with its launch games, price, and other technical details, will cease to be a mystery once Nintendo's Jan. 12 event for the Switch finally happens.

Other Nintendo Switch News And Rumors

Switch rumors continue pop up, especially now that the event is fast approaching. A recent report from Eurogamer suggested that the switch will be capable of emulating GameCube titles by virtue of its virtual console platform, adding that three popular titles have already been successfully transcoded for the system. These games are Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Smash Bros. Melee.

A trove of patent filings for the Switch has also been recently unleashed online, depicting a number of illustrations that semi-confirm details about the console such as a USB-C port and an infrared sensor in the right Joy-Con controller. Also within the patent images is what's purportedly a virtual reality headset setup for the console, and different Joy-Con configurations.

The Nintendo Switch is Nintendo's forthcoming flagship console revealed in October. It follows the Wii U, which has struggled to remain afloat in the home console market.

Are you excited for the Nintendo Switch? Will the preview tour hit your city? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!

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People currently suffering from black lung disease are 10 times more than the number reported by federal regulators, say the recent reports.

According to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), about 99 cases of progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) or black lung disease are detected across the country between August 2011 and July 2016. The data collected by Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program include 19 people from Kentucky.

Increasing Black Lung Cases In Kentucky

However, a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from NIOSH noted that about 60 black lung cases were reported in coal miners from eastern Kentucky in a single radiology practice from January 2015 to August 2016.

It is revealed in the report that a board-certified radiologist who is also a NIOSH-certified B Reader from eastern Kentucky called the attention of NIOSH on increasing pneumoconiosis cases in the region between Jan. 1, 2015 and Aug. 17, 2016.

NIOSH Verifies The Information On Black Lung

NIOSH personnel that traveled to Pike County, Kentucky verified the radiographs of the patients and confirmed that 60 men were suffering from PMF. About 49 radiographs were found to be taken in 2016. Furthermore, about 56 miners were from Kentucky and 48 of them lived in the four counties Floyd, Knott, Letcher, and Pike that are the part of the central Appalachian coalfield.

"The findings in this report serve as a reminder that more than 45 years after the Coal Act's passage, one of its core objectives has not been achieved," noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the MMWR.

Meanwhile, a report from NPR published on Dec. 16 has noted that about 962 cases of black lung are reported in 11 clinics in West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania over the past 10 years. It is also clarified in the report that the real number of cases could be exceeding the mentioned figure as number of clinics had incomplete data and some refused to provide the required information.

Experts' Opinion On The Data

Robert Cohen, a pulmonologist from University of Illinois said that he is "frightened" about the data on black lung and added that he hasn't heard anything worse than this in his career.

Edward "Lee" Petsonk from West Virginia University who dedicated 30 years of his life addressing black lung disease said that the figure is very much disappointing.

Petsonk who is very disheartened about the alarming data added that he has spent his life for protecting miners from the deadly disease but at last it turned out that he has almost failed in his task.

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Nokia-branded Android smartphones will finally hit the scene next year and a new leak now offers a first look at the purported Nokia P flagship.

Just to be clear on what's confirmed and what's speculation, here's the deal. Nokia's new parent company, HMD Global, confirmed that the first Android smartphones under the Nokia brand will arrive in the first half of 2017. That's clear, certain, and official, so you can take that as a fact.

Speculation begins, however, when it comes to what devices are in tow. HMD didn't offer additional details, so everything we know so far about the upcoming Nokia Android smartphones is based on speculation.

Nokia P

That said, the latest leak now offers a glimpse of the purported Nokia P, which is rumored to come as a high-end flagship. Nokia P leaks have been pretty confusing so far, with various contradicting rumors and tidbits of information pointing in different directions.

A Nokia P rumor roundup in late November, for instance, hinted at a QHD screen and a Snapdragon 820 processor as the best-case scenario, albeit a Geekbench listing for a Nokia "Pixel" device listed a far more disappointing Snapdragon 200 processor with just 1 GB of RAM.

More recently, however, news surfaced that the Nokia P would in fact boast a Snapdragon 835 processor and 6 GB of RAM, as well as a high-end 23-megapixel rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics.

If this turns out to be accurate, the purported Nokia P will compete at the top end of the smartphone market, alongside other strong contenders expected to hit the scene in 2017 such as the iPhone 8 and the Samsung Galaxy S8.

The Nokia P is also expected to sport a premium design with a metal build, and the newly leaked image seems to bolster such claims. The photo in question comes from MyDrivers and shows what looks like a Nokia device prototype.

The smartphone seems to have rounded edges, a metal back, and the Nokia logo branded at the top on the front side and the middle of the back side. The rear camera appears to be standard-sized, with a single LED flash interrupting one of the two horizontal lines crossing the back of the device. The lines are likely for antenna signal. The handset doesn't seem to have a fingerprint scanner.

Nokia Android Smartphones Release

A number of Nokia Android smartphones are expected to hit the market next year and HMD will likely make an announcement at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in late February to early March.

The company is expected to unveil and release midrange handsets first, such as the Nokia D1C, with a more powerful flagship such as the Nokia P (or whatever it may be called) set to launch later in the year. Regardless of market release, a MWC announcement seems likely.

Keep in mind that the alleged Nokia P image is a leak that may or may not be accurate, and the purported specs are still in the rumor state. That said, take this report with a grain of salt.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to stage its global debut next year, possibly on Jan. 5 to 8 during the CES 2017. Based on rumors and leaks that have accumulated thus far, several computer renders have surfaced showing the new Samsung flagship.

Galaxy S8 Renders

Six photos have popped up on the Chinese popular social media network Weibo and they were designed by a user called KingwayLee. They are, of course, neither official nor leaked materials from inside Samsung itself.

The images are only developed by a user but these demonstrate the level of interest generated by the device. In addition, Weibo has produced several leaks from its users that turned out to be real such as the OnePlus 3T, so we will never know.

Seamless Curved Display

The renders showed the Galaxy S8 sporting a more seamless curved display, which seems to extend further than what the S7 edge was able to achieve so that it now appears to completely wrap around the device when viewed from the front. The device itself is also purportedly thinner than its predecessor.

There is also a noticeable increase in screen real estate and appears to be completely bezel-free. However, it is not clear how Samsung could implement its fingerprint sensor in this design language because of the significantly reduced chin. Based on the depiction of the user interface, the renders also indicate that the device could be sporting capacitive buttons. Again, the smaller chin could make it a bit more challenging to use.

Best Smartphone For 2017?

Regardless of whether the renders would actually resemble the Galaxy S8 or not, there remains the expectation that the S8 will be something that is only short of earth-shaking. This can be attributed to a number of reasons.

First, Samsung will certainly want to recover from the Note 7 snafu, wherein it not only lost tons of money but the company also emerged out of it with tattered reputation. So the S8 will serve as some tool for redemption if you will.

The above variable is further supported by rumors that Samsung has delayed the S8 launch. Certainly, there are those who believe that it will get unveiled at CES but there are now reports adopting a wider time frame from a first quarter release to a launch happening sometime in the first half of 2017. The latest estimate cites an April launch.

The purported delay should mean that Samsung really wants to ensure that the S8 would be meeting if not surpassing everyone's expectations.

There are also more concrete details that can point to a really awesome device. For instance, there is Samsung's partnership with Qualcomm to develop the Snapdragon 835. This 10nm chip, which has so far registered test results that broke records at GFXbench, will most likely power the Galaxy S8.

Unfortunately, as the Galaxy S8's announcement inches closer, we can expect fewer leaks as Samsung purportedly instituted mechanisms to prevent unauthorized release of information.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, have used laser on trapped anti-atoms to see how the behavior of antimatter differs from that of regular matter.

What Is Antimatter?

Antimatter is the opposite of normal matter having sub-atomic particles that have properties opposite those of normal matter. The nucleus of an atom, the fundamental piece of matter, consists of the positively charged proton and the neutrally charged neutron. The negatively charged electron orbits the nucleus.

The electrical charge of antimatter particles known as antiparticles is reversed relative to matter. The anti-electrons, known as positrons, are positively charged while the antiprotons have negative charge.

The Big Bang produced matter and antimatter in equal amounts but the universe is now consists mostly of matter and scientists do not know why.

Challenges In Studying Antimatter

Antimatter is difficult to produce and study because when it comes in contact with ordinary matter, both get destroyed in a flash of light.

Researchers who work on CERN's ALPHA experiment, however, were able to make the antimatter version of simple hydrogen atoms. Scientists trapped and hold these anti-atoms in a vacuum with strong magnetic field to keep them from getting annihilated.

Light Spectrums Of Matter And Antimatter

Now, scientists have come up with a way to study the properties of anti-hydrogen. Using a special laser, they were able to compare the light spectrum of matter and antimatter.

The researchers blasted antimatter atoms with laser and then measured the light let off by the anti-atoms. They found no difference between the spectral lines of hydrogen and antihydrogen, which is consistent with the Standard Model of particle physics that predicts hydrogen and antihydrogen should have the same spectroscopic characteristics.

The researchers hope that by comparing light from anti-atoms with that of regular atoms, they may eventually find out why antimatter became rare in the universe. It could also shed light on why in the early universe, there should have been equal amounts of matter and antimatter but the two were not completely destroyed by each other.

"Something happened, some small asymmetry that led some of the matter to survive," said ALPHA collaboration spokesperson Jeffrey Hangst, "And we simply have no good idea that explains that right now."

Researchers said this is the reason why they want to know if matter and antimatter truly obey the same laws of physics.

"Using a laser to observe a transition in antihydrogen and comparing it to hydrogen to see if they obey the same laws of physics has always been a key goal of antimatter research," said Hangst.

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In September last year, NASA announced that it found evidence that liquid water flows on the surface of planet Mars.

Hydrated Salts In RSL Sites

Scientists took cue from recurring slope lineae (RSL), darks streaks that seasonally appear and vanish on steep slopes on the surface of the Red Planet. Data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter indicated the presence of hydrated salts in RSL sites, which was initially speculated as sign of flowing liquid water.

The discovery of the hydrated salt and the idea of the arid planet having flowing liquid water today generated excitement because these suggest of the possibility that Mars may be capable of supporting alien life.

The U.S. space agency has been sending missions to planet Mars in the hopes of findings signs of past or present life. The presence of liquid water would also be helpful in future manned missions to the Red Planet. The plan to visit Earth's neighboring planet isn't just for astronauts. In September this year, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also unveiled the plans of his company to bring humans to Mars.

RSL Salts May Have Come From Mars' Atmosphere

Findings of a new study, however, may extinguish some of the excitement of flowing water on Mars.

It is possible that the water that the RSL salts have originated from the planet's atmosphere and not from liquid water at or near the surface of the planet so researchers conducted experiments to probe into this.

Raina Gough and Margaret Tolbert, both from the University of Colorado, Boulder, exposed anhydrous (dry) salts to atmospheric conditions comparable to that of Mars and discovered that some of these salts, which include calcium chloride and calcium perchlorate, became hydrated. Interestingly, the RSL salts detected on Mars are a kind of perchlorates as reported by the researchers who found them.

"The hydrated salts most consistent with the chemical signatures are likely a mixture of magnesium perchlorate, magnesium chlorate and sodium perchlorate," NASA has said. "This study of RSL detected perchlorates, now in hydrated form, in different areas than those explored by the landers. This also is the first time perchlorates have been identified from orbit."

It is still possible that liquid water indeed plays a part in the formation of hydrated salts within the RSL sites on Mars. The findings, however, raised concerns that need to be addressed and investigated through future experiments.

"Hydrated salts are not always evidence of liquid water," Gough said.

The findings were presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting on Dec. 13.

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Google Bangladesh hacked by Pakistani hackers through DNS hijacking

In what seems to be a case of DNS hijacking, Pakistani hackers hijacked the Google Bangladesh page and redirected the visitors of Google.com.bd to black page proclaiming that it has been Struck by Faisal 1337 1337 being the slang for leet or elite hackers.

The visitors to Google Bangladesh started seeing the hacked page since the night of 19th and continued throughout the next day before Google could redirect the visitors to Google.com/ncr. Right now the page has fully been restored but some visitors are still seeing the defaced page.

The defaced page put up by the hackers Google Bangladesh STAMPED by Team Pak Cyber Attackers. The hacker has identified himself as Faisal 1337. A Facebook profile and Hotmail address were also mentioned. The notice also says security is just an illusion.

Google is known to own most resilient and hackproof servers in the world and the hackers seem to have found a way to hijack the DNS through the registrar of the website, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited or BTCL. It has been compromised. Some hacker group  they are claiming they did it, said Sumon Ahmed Sabir, chief strategy officer for Fibre At Home told bdnews24.com. The hackers have redirected the information for google.com.bd on BTCLs DNS entry, he said. So Google users have been landing in other pages.

The spokesperson from the government-owned BTCL acknowledged the hack and said that the issue has now been restored. There had been a problem, which has been fixed, Director (PR) Mir Mohammad Morshed said.

Pakistani hackers are very active in the field of hacking websites and mostly target Indian websites in a tit-for-tat game with the India-based hackers.
Xiaomi Introduces Mi Mobile Power Bank 2, To Go On Sale From December 19

Xiaomi, the Chinese electronics company, launched an updated version of the 20,000mAh Mi Mobile Power Bank 2 with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and two-way fast charging last Friday. To those unfamiliar, Xiaomi had launched the original Mi mobile Power Bank with a capacity of 20,000 mAh in November last year, and earlier this year in India.

Similar to the first generation power bank in terms of look and feel, the new 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2 will continue to have the same ABS plastic body for a better grip instead of an aluminium body. However, the Mi Power Bank 2 has a shorter and narrower build. Its dimensions measures 135.5 x 67.6 x 23.9mm, which makes it more compact but slightly thicker than its predecessor.

Available in white color, the latest Mi Power Bank 2 uses high density lithium polymer batteries. The power bank offers dual 5.1V/3.6A output when two devices are connected, and the single port output is raised to 5V/2.4A. There are also output ratings of 9V/2A and 12V/1.5A. This power bank is capable of full charging the 4850mAh battery of Xiaomi Max within 2.5 hours. It can also charge most smartphones, tablets and it even supports the latest Apple MacBook. The latest power bank can also be used to charge the Mi Band 2 and other gadgets that require minimal current charge.

The 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2 is priced at CNY 149 (roughly $22/Rs. 1,450) and is expected to go on sale from December 19 in China. However, there is no news when the device will be rolled out worldwide.
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Lands End stock edged up on Monday after the Dodgeville retailers board named Jerome Griffith, a veteran of the retail apparel and luggage industries, as the new CEO, effective March 6.

He will be the second Lands End chief executive to be plucked from the upper echelons of an upscale company since Lands End broke off from former parent company Sears Holdings Corp. in spring 2014. This fall the company split with CEO Federica Marchionni, who had been an executive of the high-end fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.

National media focused on the irony of pursuing another high-end executive for the small-town Wisconsin apparel company known for its practical polo shirts and khakis.

Only a few months after firing a CEO with deep roots in the world of luxury, Lands End has again tapped an executive with experience in upscale retail to lead it out of a protracted slump, Fortune.com wrote.

Its the second time the Dodgeville, Wis., company has reached into the luxury goods sector for a chief executive who might revive sales of its flannel and rugby shirts, said the Chicago Tribune.

Griffith led the luxury luggage company Tumi Holdings from 2009 until industry giant Samsonite bought the New Jersey company in August for $1.8 billion.

Griffith also has held executive positions at the Esprit and Tommy Hilfiger fashion brands; was president of retail at the J. Peterman Co., a catalog company; and rose in the ranks at Gap.

Jerome is an exceptionally gifted leader with an impressive track record of spearheading growth and expansion at several iconic apparel and consumer goods companies, said Josephine Linden, chairwoman of the Lands End board, in a written statement.

A graduate of Penn State University, Griffith, 59, has a bachelors degree in marketing. His base salary at Lands End will be $950,000, plus potential bonuses and stock, according to documents filed late Monday with federal regulators.

Griffith said he is delighted to join Lands End as it enters its next phase of growth and development.

By focusing and building on its core brand values and its heritage of delivering quality, value and service, I believe Lands End is well positioned to innovate and grow as a global leader in classic American sportswear, Griffith said in a written statement.

He succeeds interim CEOs Joseph Boitano and James Gooch, who jointly took over in late September when the company parted ways with Marchionni. She was Lands End CEO for a year and a half, working primarily from New York.

During that time, Lands End reported net losses for four consecutive quarters. For the first nine months of the companys current fiscal year, Lands End had a net loss of $15 million on $876.9 million in revenue compared with net profits of $20 million, with $946.2 million in sales for the same period last year.

Marchionnis ouster showed the futility of her strategy of trying to take such a classic Middle American brand upscale, the Fortune.com article said, citing incongruities in the Canvas line that included a $600 mens jacket and fancy brocade dresses.

Unlike Marchionni, Griffith will move to Wisconsin. He will be based at Lands End headquarters in Dodgeville and maintain a home in the Madison community, Lands End spokeswoman Michele Casper said.

The choice of Griffith shows that even though the Lands End board cut ties with Marchionni, it plans to keep moving fashion forward, said Hart Posen, a UW-Madison associate professor in the School of Business.

The real challenge is: The industry theyre in is facing very challenging times.  The product is very hard to distinguish from similar clothing sold by retailers such as L.L. Bean or Banana Republic, Posen said.

He said the 12 years during which Lands End was owned by Sears and sold in Sears stores undermined the value of the Lands End brand  another challenge for the company.

I remain pessimistic about Lands Ends long-term survival, Posen said. With 6,000 employees, about half of whom are in Wisconsin, theres a lot of positive sentiment for the company. But he added, Can they find (a way to distinguish the brand) before its too late?

Lands End stock closed Monday at $17.75, up 65 cents, or 3.8 percent, from Fridays close.
Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal 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

Goodbye Officer Friendly, hello Officer 9724.

OK, those nice police officers who used to visit elementary schools probably werent really named Friendly, and theres no reason a cop identified by a number cant be as friendly as a cop identified by a name  or that unnamed cops cant give you their names when asked.

But a recommendation by some members of the State Patrol to replace troopers names with their badge numbers on some uniforms strikes me as a depersonalizing move at a time when law enforcement is in need of some personalizing.

The recommendation comes from a report produced after 17 troopers returned from an October deployment to the Dakota Access Pipeline protest site in North Dakota, where law enforcement agencies on the scene were being asked to remove their nametags, State Patrol Col. Charles Teasdale said.

Only uniforms used doing protest operations would be nameless, Teasdale said, with the intent of keeping troopers safe from social media trolling and their personal information and families safe from criminals.

A search of newspaper stories from the last year suggests that most police wear nametags and that those who dont, such as those in Boston, are being asked to. Milwaukee police officers are allowed to forgo nametags during protest deployments, according to one report.

I understand troopers concern for privacy  to an extent.

As a reporter in Illinois and since becoming a columnist here, Ive gotten all kinds of blowback online. In Illinois, someone created an anti-Rickert website with my home address.

Newspaper columnists get to have their viewpoints foisted upon the masses in ways that non-columnists dont, though, much as police get to carry high-powered weaponry and detain people in ways non-police cant. Its only fair that with privilege comes greater accountability  and criticism. And if someone steals our identities or threatens our families, well, there are laws against that.

Teasdale wasnt aware of any troopers who had suffered negative consequences from being named online, and he said his intent is not to stifle open discussion. People can easily find him and his contact information online, he said. Theres not an expectation of any privacy there.

Speaking of people in uniforms, letter carriers have long been a threatening sight to dogs  mine included. So the guy who delivers my mail is ready with a treat for my mutt whenever he sees us out walking. Suddenly, that scary mail carrier is the best kind of human  the one with a treat.

Humans probably arent going to gobble treats from a cops hand. But something as simple as knowing a cops name is humanizing  especially at a time when significant portions of the public distrust the police and police have been known to arrive at a scene decked out in military-style equipment.

Cops shouldnt be taking personal information off their uniforms; perhaps they should even be adding it.

Imagine a nametag saying Officer Smith, and below it: Five years on the force, Watertown native, Boys and Girls Club volunteer, Die-hard Milwaukee Brewers fan.

Thats pretty friendly, even when armed.
An assistant warden at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola was arrested Tuesday on a count of second-degree rape in an incident that allegedly took place inside the prison's gates.

District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla said the attack is believed to have occurred at the home of the assistant warden, 34-year-old Barrett Boeker. According to an arrest warrant, Boeker lives at 6 Falcon Road in the tiny village of Angola inside the prison gate where some of the state penitentiary's staff live.

The West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office has released little information but said in a statement that the jailer turned himself in on Tuesday, the same day the warrant was issued for his arrest. The rape is alleged to have occurred on Nov. 30.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Boeker was being held at the parish jail, and his bond has been set at $200,000.

Boeker's salary is $56,930, according to Department of Public Safety and Corrections documents. He is one of 16 assistant wardens assigned to Angola.

A defendant can be charged with second-degree rape if the victim was sexually assaulted through force, through the threat of physical violence or while impaired. Upon conviction, it is punishable by five to 40 years in prison.

Boeker began working at Angola in September 2001 and most recently had been assigned to Camp J, said Department of Public Safety and Corrections Communications Director Ken Pastorick.

Pastorick confirmed that the rape reportedly occurred on prison grounds but said it happened while Boeker was off-duty and did not involve an inmate. The assistant warden has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.

The state penitentiary and the department of corrections at large has been scandalized by accusations of impropriety in the past year. Burl Cain, warden of Angola for two decades and perhaps Americas most famous jailer, retired last December amid questions about his business ties to advocates for two state inmates and was replaced by current warden Darrel Vannoy. More recently, an audit determined that two high-ranking Angola employees siphoned at least $160,000 from an employee recreation fund.
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Two people were killed Monday afternoon in a head-on crash near Janesville, with icy roads being blamed for the crash.

The crash happened at about 3:20 p.m. on Highway 14 near North River Road in the town of Janesville, the Rock County Sheriff's Office said.

The investigation showed a 75-year-old Janesville woman was driving a pickup truck east on Highway 14 when she lost control of the pickup truck, going into the westbound lane and hitting a pickup truck driven by a 57-year-old man from Davis, Ill.

The man died at the scene. The woman was taken to Mercy Hospital in Janesville then flown to UW Hospital in Madison where she was died later Monday evening.

Speed or alcohol were not considered factors in the crash. Nobody else was in either pickup truck.

Highway 14 was closed for about five hours, with traffic rerouted so crews could work at the scene.
It took 11 long years, but one of the New Orleans Police Department's darkest chapters ended with a moment of grace Monday when Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Superintendent Michael Harrison offered heartfelt, unqualified apologies to victims and survivors of three notorious Katrina-era police killings.

Following a service in which families and police prayed side by side, Landrieu announced a group $13.3 million civil settlement, and more importantly, offered healing words.

+10 Mayor Landrieu announces settlements in three Katrina-era police shooting cases For years, as New Orleans Police Department officers vehemently denied their alleged roles i

Landrieu, who took office five years after the 2005 storm struck and who signed a federal civil rights consent decree aimed at reforming the NOPD, explained "how intensely sorry I am to the members of these families and to the people of the city of New Orleans for the actions that were taken during that fateful time, when these individuals were looking for people to protect and serve, and they got the exact opposite."

Harrison told the victims' families that we are working tirelessly to make this the department it shouldve always been."

The unambiguous end to the civil cases stands in sharp contrast to the often-convoluted criminal prosecutions that necessarily preceded the settlement.

Two New Orleans police officers were convicted of the pre-K beating death of Treme handyman Raymond Robair. But trials involving the two other incidents in the chaotic days following the storm proved problematic.

The officer who shot Henry Glover on the West Bank was first convicted, then acquitted on appeal, although the fellow officer who separately burned his body was convicted.

The most famous of the three cases was the massacre on the Danziger Bridge, in which teenager James Brissette and developmentally disabled adult Ronald Madison were gunned down, several family members badly injured and Madison's brother initially arrested. The feds uncovered a massive cover-up, only to have the initial verdict thrown out amid allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that did not demonstrably affect the case.

Stephanie Grace: Closure of Danziger cases downplays the victims Heres a name that featured prominently in Wednesdays two-hour federal court hearing, in wh

When the cops in question came back to court to plead to lesser charges, Judge Kurt Engelhardt spent most of his time berating Justice Department officials and little focusing on the innocent victims.

So it was more than appropriate that Monday was all about them. Various family members spoke of the long, hard road they've traveled, and some admitted they were still struggling with forgiveness. But all seemed genuinely heartened by the mayor's show of remorse.

This was the ending to the horrible story that they deserved. It was the ending the whole city needed.
The parliamentary triangle will again light up for Enlighten in 2017, with the festival returning from March 3-12.

Parliament House, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library of Australia, Old Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia, and Questacon will all be lit up with original and artistic projections during the 10-day event.

The Enlighten Noodle Markets will be on March 3-12. Credit:Jay Cronan

The lights will be accompanied by the wafting aroma of sizzling noodles and other street food, with the Enlighten Night Noodle Markets also returning.

It's the seventh year for Enlighten, which turns the parliamentary triangle into a hive of activity after dark.
Slick roads caused a four-vehicle crash on Highway 51 north of DeForest Tuesday morning, sending two drivers to the hospital with serious injuries and closing the highway for over two hours during morning rush hour.

The crash happened at about 6:30 a.m. near Highway DM in the town of Windsor, the Dane County Sheriff's Office said.

According to the Sheriff's Office:

A Honda driven by Antonio Carrillo-Maya, 53, of Madison, was northbound on Highway 51 on the snow-covered road, crossing into the southbound lane and striking a Chevy Blazer driven by Chad Holmes, 39, of Pardeeville.

A northbound Jeep and a southbound pickup truck were not able to avoid the initial crash and both vehicles hit the first two vehicles.

Carrillo-Maya and Holmes were seriously injured and taken to local hospitals by ambulance. Med Flight responded to the crash but was unable to transport due to mechanical issues, the Sheriff's Office said.

The drivers of the third and fourth vehicles had minor injuries and were not taken to a hospital.

Carrillo-Maya was to be ticketed for failure to maintain control and for having no driver's license.
Police are hopeful they have found a missing Queanbeyan woman who was last seen in a Canberra bar on the weekend.

Queanbeyan police said Georgia Gleeson was last seen at Dolce Bar, in Civic, about 3am on Sunday.

Georgia Gleeson was last seen at Dolce Bar, in Civic, about 3am on Sunday.

Monaro District officer Inspector Tony Hill said a woman who claimed to be Ms Gleeson had made contact with them since and she had been asked to attend the Queanbeyan police station to confirm her identity.

"We are hopeful she will come in and we can confirm it so she can move on," he said.
Former Billabong CEO Matthew Perrin is spending his first night behind bars after faking his ex-wife's signature to get a $13.5 million loan.

Perrin and his former spouse Nicole Bricknell made about $57 million from their investment in the surfwear brand.

For some years they enjoyed the high life on the Gold Coast with their three children, indulging in exotic holidays and plush cars.

They used some of the profits to build their dream home on a waterfront plot in Surfers Paradise, complete with underground car park and a private jetty.
Workers at Victoria's largest power station will walk off the job on Christmas Day, renewing the risk of a shutdown that could affect holiday energy supplies in the middle of a predicted heatwave.

Energy giant AGL was notified by union officials on Tuesday that electrical employees at the Loy Yang power plant near Traralgon, in Victoria's south-east, will stop work and implement bans on certain tasks for an hour on the morning of December 25, as part of a tense and long-running battle over pay and conditions.

Cooling towers at the brown coal-fired Loy Yang power plant in Victoria's La Trobe Valley. Credit:Erin Jonasson

AGL said it "does not anticipate" disruptions to electricity supply, but said industrial action put the security of supply under threat.

The company told the stock market on Tuesday afternoon that the Electrical Trades Union had notified management of the maintenance workers' planned industrial action.
The assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey at roughly the same time that 12 Germans were apparently murdered in a Berlin truck attack has accentuated the air of inevitability now surrounding Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks in the West. Whereas years passed between the terrorist bombings of Madrid's train system in 2004 and London's underground in 2007, Europe's last major terrorist attack occurred in July, when a 19-tonne truck drove in Bastille Day crowds, killing 84 people. Lone-wolf attacks carried out either by Islamic State sympathisers or Muslims aggrieved by western meddling in the Middle East occur every other week, seemingly. And Germany, where such incidents had previously been rare or unknown, has endured many of them.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov's assassin revealed his anger at Russian military intervention in Syria in explicit terms, while the Berlin attacker (allegedly an asylum-seeker of Afghan or Pakistani origin) appears to have been inspired by IS's propaganda message to its followers to use trucks and other hard-to-counteract means to cause maximum carnage in order to sow the seeds of division in multicultural western societies.

IS is becoming increasingly isolated in its Syrian and Iraqi strongholds, which seems to offer some hope that the current cycle of violence will slow in intensity or number. On the other hand, the subculture of Islamic extremism  which is rooted in anti-western, anti-Semitic and homophobic sentiment  appears to be flourishing. The high incidence of European terrorist attacks carried out by second-generation Muslim family members attests to the fact.

Where militants and ideologues once argued that murder in defence of Islam was permissible, they now argue that it is obligatory, and indeed positively glorious. While moderate Muslims reject this ideology, it is nonetheless apparent that many appear to sympathise with the view that any disrespect towards Islam, say by the publication of satirical cartoons of the prophet Mohammad in a magazine like Charlie Hebdo, warrants severe punishment.
So we're driving from Jaipur to Agra  slowly, because northern India's December fogs are earlier than usual, and chewier. They're also smellier because  let's be frank  this is more smog than fog; weeks-long pea-soupers that seem like a hangover from industrial revolution London. Perhaps, indeed, they are  and perhaps if I'd seen it this way, more Hogarthian satire than sci-fi future, it wouldn't have scared the tripe outta me quite as it did.

Along the road, for hundreds of kilometres, people burn rubbish and crouch for warmth around small roadside fires. In stacks and house-sized mounds, on hayricks, rooftops and median strips, millions of cow-dung patties are drying for burning. In the fields, tall-chimneyed brick kilns belch black smoke into air already viscous with particulates. And then there are the vehicles, in their teeming, honking millions.

As we cross from majestic Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh, our driver, the stoic, blue-turbaned Mr Singh, welcomes us to the crime capital of India. If there's irony here it doesn't translate, but the shift is palpable. Suddenly, after Rajasthan's straight-backed, saried elegance, there are beggars, everywhere. Rag-clad people scrabble in the dust with pigs, monkeys, mangy dogs. Nature, what there is, looks beleaguered. The fog writhes with sirens, and massive black SUVs emblazoned with UP Police insignia swarm the streets like predatory megafauna. I have the impression we've driven onto some post-apocalypse movie set.

The previous day, India time, news hit that this week's Australia India Leadership Dialogue in Brisbane would see Malcolm Turnbull meet Gautam Adani to discuss a $1 billion subsidy for Adani's immense Carmichael coal mine. Subsidy, mind you, on top of the already controversial approvals, despite the already parlous state of the Great Barrier Reef and notwithstanding Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg's election promise that the project would need to "stand on its own two feet".
The uncontrolled boom in vocational education between 2013 and 2015 saw one college grow from receiving $5300 in government subsidies in one year to $5.5 million the next  a 104,000 per cent increase.

A scathing new Australian National Audit Office report has revealed that the taxpayer handed more than $5 billion to vocational colleges between 2013 and 2015 under the VET FEE-HELP scheme. About $2.2 billion will never be repaid.

Private vocational education suffered from bad design under the Gillard-Rudd governments in 2012, and a "lack of monitoring and control" under the Abbott-Turnbull governments from 2013, leading to "costs blowing out even though participation forecasts were not achieved", the Auditor-General found.

In the wake of Tuesday's report, the Government and the Opposition have each blamed the other for failings in the system.
Brothers Haysem and Azam Charbaji, and Lexy May Jamieson stood in the dock and hugged each other tightly before they walked down a dark staircase to the cells.

Upstairs in the bright, historic public gallery of the NSW Supreme Court at Darlinghurst, the family of murdered man Dane McNeill stood, cheered, and embraced each other.

Moments earlier, Haysem Charbaji, 26, stared blankly as he was sentenced to at least 27 years' jail for the murder of Mr McNeill - who was bound, beaten, hit with a wrench, stabbed, and force-fed drugs, before his body was stuffed in a suitcase and set alight.

His younger brother Azam, 25, gave a dull smile and looked at the judge as he was sentenced to at least 24 years.
Mascot, established in 1999, saw listening devices and telephone intercepts widely used to listen to the private conversations of more than 100 police officers. Mr Kaldas was among the officers targeted in the operation. A parliamentary inquiry subsequently recommended he and others receive a formal apology. Complaints began to surface in 2002 about police officers, journalists and other people being unfairly named in the listening device warrants as part of a corruption probe. "Subsequent investigations into the Mascot warrants failed to provide answers. The controversy has not gone away, but has simmered and expanded," Professor McMillan said in a statement. The report examined the conduct of officers from the NSW Police Force, the Crime Commission and the Police Integrity Commission, who were jointly involved in the bugging operation.

It concluded some recordings were made unlawfully. The Ombudsman recommended the crime commission issue written apologies to a number of officers targeted in the operation, who are described but not named in the report. The report said the commission "acted unreasonably" in some cases and "failed to ensure that staff under its control properly complied with the Listening Devices Act". Professor McMillan said the legal processes for obtaining listening device warrants had been reformed subsequent to the Mascot investigations. "There was a growing recognition after the Mascot era that there were problems in the warrant authorisation process," he said. The report found Mr Kaldas, who retired earlier this year from the force after a decorated career, gave evidence in a secret hearing before the Ombudsman that "may" constitute the offence of giving "false and misleading testimony".

It also said he acted "unreasonably" and did not comply with the police force's conflicts of interest policy when he emailed Assistant Commissioner Paul Carey in September 2010 asking him for the "findings/recommendations" of confidential reports relating to the police bugging operation. Mr Kaldas did not have clearance to access the information, which had received the highest security classification. The Ombudsman said this could be interpreted as Mr Kaldas using his senior position to access personal information about his being targeted by the bugging operation. Mr Kaldas said in a private hearing that with "hindsight" he "probably shouldn't have" asked for the information but he did not expect to receive it. He suggested in evidence the request was "a joke", and that he did not expect Mr Carey to comply with the requests as "you're relying on people making the right choices."

The Ombudsman found Ms Burn acted "unlawfully" in relation to the deployment of a police informant known as "Paddle" in 1999. This did not amount to a criminal offence. Ms Burn, who worked at SCIA at relevant times, was the team leader with management and supervisory responsibilities for "planning and executing the deployment of [Paddle] in a manner that constituted a breach of the informant's bail condition on two occasions". The report also found that Ms Burn prepared "memoranda" on two occasions in 2002 that contained misleading or inaccurate information which the Ombudsman deemed "unreasonable conduct" under the Police Act. "The purpose of those memoranda was to advise senior officers about the nature and status of serious allegations that had been made against NSW Police Force officers," the report says. "It was important that accurate advice was prepared, or that appropriate reservations or qualifications were made about the reliability of the analysis and advice in the memoranda."

Professor McMillan said, for some, his six-volume report would be "vindication". "Hopefully, Operation Prospect will be accepted as a definitive examination of a troubled era", he said. "The conclusion of this investigation and the tabling of this report will mean the individuals concerned will finally be able to understand what happened. It is also an opportunity for the agencies concerned to learn from what went wrong." Greens MP David Shoebridge said it was "an act of political bastardry that sees the one officer, Nick Kaldas, who fought hardest to get to the truth about the illegal bugging, facing an adverse finding because he refused to give up a confidential source". He said the report exposed "a system of secret police bugging and wiretaps that has operated largely outside the law".
Almost every inch of a western Sydney granny flat has been examined by police as they try to piece together how a man allegedly almost bashed a two-year-old girl to death on Monday.

Photos of the one-bedroom flat in Marian Street, Guildford, show all the walls, the bathroom sink, a washing machine, a shower and all the doors covered in fingerprint dust following the incident on Monday that police described as "difficult to comprehend".

A child's high-chair sits in the corner of the sparsely decorated apartment. Nappies and children's clothing sit in a small pile behind the front door and the flat's furniture consists of a bed with no blankets and two couches.

Landlord Said Yassine, who lives at the front of the property and allowed photos to be taken of the granny flat, said he rented the apartment to Mohammad Khazma just two weeks ago for $350 a week. Mr Khazma lived with the two-year-old girl and her mother, who he had met just weeks earlier.
An employee of a Mexican grocery store in Fort Atkinson didn't take it lightly when an armed suspect entered the store Friday night, fighting with the suspect until he fled the scene.

The attempted robbery happened at about 10 p.m. at Mexico Enterprises Grocery Store, Fort Atkinson police said.

The suspect, wearing a mask, was armed with a black handgun when he entered the store, demanding money.

"The confronted employee responded with a fight instead of flight response, resulting in a struggle between the employee and the criminal," said Police Chief Adrian Bump.

During the fight, the employee was hit with several BBs; the gun turned out to be an air pistol.

The employee chased the suspect out of the store.

The suspect is white, about 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, wearing dark clothing and a face mask at the time of the attempted armed robbery.
"They didn't tell us anything for ages, then they said that there was a power supply issue at Wynyard," she said. "I know we're going to have to get out of the train and walk through the tunnel the rest of the way." An announcement at Wynyard Station said services were suspended "indefinitely". Credit:Dominic Lorrimer As the evacuation began, she was ushered to the front of the train by Sydney Trains workers and escorted through the tunnels. When the passengers arrived at Town Hall station, Ms Veloska said they climbed through the door of a train that had stopped at the station and walked through that train until they emerged at the platform.

Relieved commuters emerge onto the platform at Wynyard Station. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Paramedics and police, including officers from police rescue, were deployed at Wynyard station in the early evening to intercept passengers expected to emerge from another stranded train. Vision on social media showed passengers walking in a line in the darkness of a tunnel. Commuters crowd on the platforms at Town Hall station after power failure. Credit:Christian Stokes

Train staff distributed water as the relieved passengers finally emerged onto the platform, some carrying small children, others sweaty and flustered. A NSW Ambulance spokesman said no passengers were treated at the scene or taken to hospital. Passengers described how the evacuation began about 6.50pm, with babies and infants taken from the train first and passengers urged to remain calm as they made their way back to the station. An announcement said there was a "physical problem with high voltage power lines" and the work to fix it would take "quite some time". Julian Bowker, who was planning to catch the train from Wynyard to Umina Beach on the central coast, was at the station shortly after the power supply issues began. He said commuters were initially told there would be a delay, then just before 6pm they were told trains would remain at the station.

He described the station as being hot, humid and "packed", as there were no warnings on the surface of the power supply issue below, meaning people would take long escalators to below the surface then realise something was amiss. Mr Bowker said he and many others left the station through the emergency exit rather than waiting for power to be restored. Issues also beset Town Hall station, where there was crowding on platforms one and two. By the time the stranded passengers walked out into the station, one of the platforms was closed. The Transport Management Centre said buses were replacing trains on the T1 North Shore & Northern Line from Wynyard to North Sydney as "urgent power supply repairs continue at Wynyard". Passengers who needed to travel on the line were advised to allow "plenty of extra travel time" and listen to announcements at stations.

The power failure also had "flow-on delays" for the T1 Western and Blue Mountains line, Central Coast & Newcastle Line and both directions of the T2 Airport Inner West & South and T3 Bankstown lines. All passengers were told to allow extra time for their journeys. In a statement on Tuesday evening, Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins said he was sorry for the "major" delays. "There have been extensive delays due to overhead wire damage between Town Hall and Wynyard stations," he said. "This damage caused power issues, which has stopped all trains travelling away from the city between Central and North Sydney on the T1 North Shore and Northern lines since 5.30pm.
Former deputy police commissioner Nick Kaldas went back on his evidence about how he ended up with damning documents detailing a controversial bugging operation after his source outed himself.

Nick Kaldas denied receiving secret documents, but his source outed himself. Credit:Tim Bauer

After a four-year investigation, titled Operation Prospect, into a controversial police bugging saga stemming back to the late '90s, the NSW Ombudsman finally released its findings on Tuesday.

Among the issues detailed in the long-awaited report was how one of these targets  Mr Kaldas  ended up with restricted documents revealing why he was pursued by the controversial Taskforce Mascot, which was the name of the bugging operation.
A stoush has erupted over who should foot the bill to construct and operate a new airport in western Sydney, after the federal government told the Sydney Airport Corporation that it would not offer extra taxpayer funds for the project.

Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher issued a notice of intention on Tuesday to Sydney Airport, under which the owner of Sydney's existing airport can exercise its first option to build the new Badgerys Creek airport.

That notice of intention does not include the offer of any extra taxpayer funds on top of the billions the government is spending on roads around the airport, and its current funding for planning and regulatory approvals.

"There is no direct financial support from the Commonwealth provided toward the cost of building and operating Western Sydney Airport, under the  proposed contract set out in the notice of intention," said Mr Fletcher.
A contractor has been fined $30,000 after one of his workers was crushed under a collapsed trench in Queensland.

The man suffered a fractured pelvis and internal injuries after a rock wall broke away at the site in Coomera on the Gold Coast.

Construction workers at the site of the trench collapse at Coomera. Credit:Matthew Howard, Ten News Qld

His boss Brian Douglas Roil pleaded guilty at Southport Magistrate Court to failing to meet his health and safety duties over the incident in September 2015.

"In this case, the defendant used a trench box but only shored softer soil, presuming the harder rock wall would be safe," head of Workplace Health and Safety Dr Simon Blackwood said.
Christmas Day prawn supplies will be unaffected around Australia after more tests on prawns taken from southeast Queensland's Logan River have not returned any further positive results for an exotic virus new to the country.

Major retailers Coles and Woolworths have said their prawn supplies are totally unaffected by the testing for white spot disease in the Logan River.

White spot has been found in the Logan River. Credit:Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Biosecurity Queensland said on Tuesday that testing will continue on catches from Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River.

Australia had been considered free of the disease, which can have a devastating effect on farmed prawn production.
One Nation candidate Andy Semple has withdrawn his candidacy for the Queensland state election just one day after it was announced.

Mr Semple, who was among 36 candidates announced by Pauline Hanson on Sunday, tweeted late on Monday night that he had withdrawn from the race.

Pauline Hanson has lost her candidate for Currumbin, one day after he was announced.

He was due to stand in the seat of Currumbin, currently held by the LNP's Jann Stuckey.

On social media, Mr Semple accused One Nation of only liking "certain types of freedom of expression".
A new South Yarra railway station will not be built as part of the Melbourne Metro rail tunnel  but the Andrews government has conceded it may be needed in the future, after months of arguing it was not necessary.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne announced on Wednesday that he had accepted an expert planning panel's conclusion that the case for connecting South Yarra to the tunnel is not justified given its high cost.

But the panel also found that the final design of the tunnel "should not preclude the ability to include such a station as part of the metropolitan network at some time in the future", a recommendation the government has accepted.

"I encourage the MMRA [Melbourne Metro Rail Authority] and wider government to consider this opportunity when preparing the final design for the project," Mr Wynne wrote.
Blind students in Victoria are missing out on specialist services because the education department is refusing to release the names of the students, or their schools, due to "privacy" concerns.

A plan to roll out purpose-built travelling classrooms to vision-impaired students in regional areas this year has stalled, despite the Victorian government promising $2.4 million to the program's founder.

Belinda Grooby and her severely vision-impaired daughter Rachael Richards, who enrolled at the Insight Education Centre and is now on par with other students her age. Credit:Jason South

Alan Lachman, who in 2009 founded the Insight Education Centre, Victoria's only school for the blind, has built classrooms fitted out with materials that are tactile, and in large print and Braille.

The goal is to send out the InsightOut mobile classrooms to students in regional areas for a day or two each week. Tutoring and extra teaching in Braille would be offered to composite classes of eight primary and secondary students.
A Melbourne doctor who has given scores of sick people a lethal drug has won a fight against the medical board, with a tribunal ruling his practise is consistent with other forms of palliative care.

In an extraordinary decision that could set a precedent for other doctors wanting to help patients die, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has ruled Dr Rodney Syme does not pose a risk to the public, even though he has given about 170 people a drug that they used to end their own lives.

Dr Rodney Syme (left) and Bernard Erica, who is dying of cancer. Credit:Penny Stephens

In January, the Medical Board of Australia took urgent action against Dr Syme after it was told he was planning to give Nembutal to Bernard Erica, a 71-year-old Brighton man who was dying of tongue and lung cancer. Mr Erica had sought Dr Syme's help because he wanted to die at home and have control over his own death.

Upon learning of this, the board ordered Dr Syme not to "engage in the provision of any form of medical care, or any professional conduct in his capacity as a medical practitioner that has the primary purpose of ending a person's life".
Blackhill Road in Gisborne South has the air of a place where something or someone could disappear.

It's a quiet, dirt road. Though this area sits only 40 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, there is none of the suburban sprawl that has spread to nearby Sunbury and Melton. It's reached by taking one of the first exits off the Calder Highway, where houses are replaced by sprawling paddocks.

And people here keep to themselves. Houses dot a landscape dominated by scrub, hay bales and bushland, along with the odd dam.

For two days, a small army of police, CFA crews and volunteers has combed this area looking for anything that might help solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of 47-year-old Karen Ristevski.
Three of the four Wisconsin finalists for one of the highest honors for math and science teachers are from Madison-area schools.

The four teachers are finalists for the 2016 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The 2016 awards honor elementary (K-6) school teachers.

The four are:

Susan Hammer, first-grade teacher at Sauk Trail Elementary School in the Middleton-Cross Plains School District, mathematics finalist.

Rebecca Saeman, K-4 interventionist also at Sauk Trail, mathematics finalist.

Jay Garvey Shah, fifth-grade teacher, Creekside Elementary School, Sun Prairie Area School District, science finalist.

Leigh Kohlmann, sixth-grade teacher, Rock River Intermediate School, Waupun Area School District, science finalist.

Wisconsins finalists for the Presidential Teaching Award inspire their students to learn complex math and science concepts, State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers said in a statement.

The finalists will be judged by a committee from the National Science Foundation, with one math teacher and one science teacher from each state getting the award, which is $10,000 and a citation signed by the president.

The awards are administered by the National Science Foundation on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
There are fears for the life of a 36-year-old man who has been missing at Lake Eildon for more than 24 hours, after his kayak capsized on Tuesday afternoon.

Police say the chances of finding the Mitcham man are becoming increasingly slim.

A large search is underway for a man who is missing in Lake Eildon. Credit:Twitter/@9NewsMelb

Leading Senior Constable Brett Neil told Channel Nine the longer they went without finding him, the more serious the situation became.

"There is a lot of snags and tree stumps and branches, etc, so it is making the job all the more difficult." Leading Senior Constable Neil said.
Altona residents will finally get a regular direct train service to and from the city when the Metro timetable is updated next year, but most other lines are likely to get no boost to services, despite increased overcrowding, leaked government documents show.

The Andrews government has barely updated Melbourne's train timetables since it took office more than two years ago and scrapped a major upgrade that Metro and Public Transport Victoria had devised under the former Coalition government.

But a list of proposed extra services contained in the leaked Transport Department document reveals some lines are likely to get extra services next year.

The list of extra services is short: 47 Altona loop extensions, four extra trains a day on the Werribee, Craigieburn and Sunbury lines and one extra Eltham service.
These are the Melbourne buildings that experts say are "too dangerous" to occupy.

In some instances the problems are so severe residents have been forced to abandon their homes, in others hundreds of people continue to live in apartments that have serious health and fire concerns.

An infestation of black mould in one of the apartments.

While questions remain about the safety of the Lacrosse building in Docklands, where there was a serious fire in 2014, it has been revealed that mould, fungus and building collapse has left a six-year-old apartment complex in the south-eastern suburbs virtually uninhabitable.

About half the residents of the building have already moved out after units were declared uninhabitable because of mould growth, including fungus "mushrooms" sprouting from the carpet.
The Great Ocean Road will get a $53 million upgrade, with urgent repairs and works set to begin to reduce the risk of rockfalls and landslides along the popular tourist road.

But the four-year program of works won't begin on the famous 240-kilometre stretch until after the summer holiday rush.

Victorias Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley and Premier Daniel Andrews on the Great Ocean Road at Wye River. Credit:Eddie Jim

At Wye River on Tuesday, Premier Daniel Andrews said the state government would fund the works, which would help minimise the risk of road closures.

New traffic management technology would also be installed, including CCTV monitoring devices and real-time traffic counters that would help residents and tourists in an emergency.
A legal bid by angry residents to halt the controversial sky rail project has been dismissed in the Supreme Court.

Labor is building kilometres of elevated rail track along the Cranbourne Pakenham line between Caulfield and Dandenong station as part of its policy to remove 50 level crossings.

An artist's impression of skyrail.

The decision to elevate the track, rather than put the rail under roads, has infuriated some residents.

The Lower Our Tracks Inc group had taken action in the Supreme Court, challenging as unreasonable Planning Minister Richard Wynne's decision to use powers of discretion during the notification of planning changes.
Berlin: "It doesn't sound like it was deliberate to me. It couldn't be, could it?"

The words of an American woman pricked my interest as I walked into my hotel foyer, having just arrived in Berlin from Amsterdam on Monday evening.

It wasn't until I reached for my phone that I read the dreadful news: nine people had died and 50 were injured in a horrific incident at a Christmas market, that police were initially blaming on an Islamic State attack.

When I returned to the bar downstairs, almost everyone was on their phones, and not just because the majority were Gen Y.
OSDORF, Germany, December 20, 2016; In the free port of Geneva, superrich collectors gather to celebrate 130 years of progress in the automotive industry. They pay homage to the most revolutionary invention on the way to seemingly unlimited mobility: 2016 the very first four-wheeled automobile with a combustion engine celebrates its 130th anniversary.

In the year of 1886 the first drive of the Daimler motor carriage took place. Equipped with the first fast moving petrol engine this invention of Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Maybach commences an era of unimaginable perspectives and possibilities for generations and millions of people to come.

However, there is a drop of bitterness throughout the celebrations in Geneva - the birthday boy is missing. The prime father out of the long line of ancestors of classic cars is missing. The original of all four-wheeled automobiles has disappeared.

In order to celebrate this remarkable anniversary as part of a glittering event, several ambitious collectors and fancyfancies have created a most elaborate model of a Daimler motor carriage - itself slumbered longforgotten in the attic of a mansion - adorned with around 3,000 smaller and 12 multi-carats colour-intensive fancy diamonds.

The model THE MISSING LINK is valued at around 260 million Swiss Francs, thus being a collector's item in a class of its own. Befitting one's rank, it is reminiscent of the priceless lost original. Besides, THE MISSING LINK is the first exhibit of the ff fancyfancies diamonds & art collection.

At Sotheby's and Christie's international auctions of jewellery and diamonds in 2015 fancy diamonds (colourful blue, pink and orange multicarats) arrived at sensational prices of several million $/ct. (1ct = 0.2 Gramm)

Fancy diamonds create highest value on the smallest possible space. They are natural and very rare coloured diamonds that are only produced in very few diamond mines in the world. That explains their exclusiveness and their enormous capital gains that could be compared to the rarest of classic cars.
Volkswagen to Recall 83,000 3.0 Liter Diesel Vehicles and Fund Mitigation Projects to Settle Allegations of Cheating Emissions Tests on Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche Vehicles







Settlement requires Volkswagen to offer to buy back older vehicles, and spend $225 million to mitigate NOx pollution. Volkswagen will also repair newer vehicles to comply with the standards to which they were certified

WASHINGTON Dewcember 21, 2016; In a second partial settlement announced today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the State of California, automakers Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, Porsche AG and related entities (collectively referred to as Volkswagen), have agreed to recall 83,000 model year 2009 through 2016 3.0 liter diesel vehicles sold or leased in the U.S. that are alleged to be equipped with defeat devices to cheat emissions tests, in violation of the Clean Air Act and California law. For the older vehicles, Volkswagen is required to offer to buy back the vehicles or terminate leases, and must also offer an emissions modification to substantially reduce emissions if one is proposed by Volkswagen and approved by regulators. For the newer vehicles, if Volkswagen demonstrates it can make the vehicles compliant with the certified exhaust emission standards, it will have to fix the vehicles and will not be required to buy the vehicles back. Volkswagen is also required to spend $225 million to fund projects that will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx).

Todays partial settlement does not resolve any pending claims for civil penalties, nor does it address any potential criminal liability. The settlement also does not resolve any consumer claims, claims by the Federal Trade Commission, or claims by individual owners or lessees who may have asserted claims in the ongoing multidistrict litigation. The state of California has secured a separate resolution for the 3.0 liter violations that addresses issues specific to vehicles and consumers in California.

The affected older vehicles (referred to as generation 1 vehicles) are the 2009 through 2012 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7 diesel models. The affected newer vehicles (referred to as generation 2 vehicles) are the 2013-2016 Volkswagen Touareg diesels, 2013 through 2015 Audi Q7 diesels, 2013 through 2016 Porsche Cayenne diesels, and 2014 through 2016 Audi A6 quattro, A7 quattro, A8, A8L and Q5 diesel models.

EPA has a public health imperative to hold Volkswagen accountable and remedy the illegal pollution their cars put into the air, said Cynthia Giles, EPAs Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. From the start, our team vigorously pursued this case to ensure these cars were fixed or taken off the road. Today weve secured another important settlement that delivers on EPAs essential public health mission.

The settlement marks another significant step in holding Volkswagen accountable for cheating Americans out of the promise of cleaner air by selling vehicles equipped with defeat devices, said Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden. This consent decree provides a remedy for every affected vehicle which will be removed from the road or meet enforceable standards that will reduce emissions, and will also require VW to provide additional funding to address the harmful impacts to human health and the environment from VWs violations.

This settlement highlights the fact that cheating to get a car certified has consequences for air quality and the publics health -- and that cheaters will be caught and held accountable, said CARB Executive Officer Richard Corey. Because California is able to enforce its vehicle regulations, CARB was instrumental in uncovering the cheating in the 3-liter, and before that, in the 2-liter diesel engines. The mitigation in this settlement will now help California address its serious air quality and climate challenges with a focus on putting the very cleanest vehicles in disadvantaged communities where they are needed most.

According to the civil complaint against Volkswagen filed by the Justice Department on behalf of EPA on January 4, 2016, and amended on October 7, 2016, Volkswagen allegedly equipped its 3.0 liter diesel vehicles with illegal software that detects when the car is being tested for compliance with EPA or California emissions standards and turns on required emissions controls only during that testing process. During normal driving conditions, the software renders these emissions control systems inoperative or reduces their effectiveness, resulting in increased emissions. This is known as a defeat device. By using a defeat device, these cars meet emissions standards in the laboratory, but emit up to nine times or more above the EPA-compliant levels for NOx during normal on-road driving conditions. The Clean Air Act requires manufacturers to certify to EPA that vehicles will meet federal emissions standards. Vehicles with defeat devices cannot be certified.

Because Volkswagen cannot modify the affected 2009 through 2012 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7 generation 1 diesel vehicles to meet EPA-certified exhaust emissions standards, the settlement requires Volkswagen to offer owners of generation 1 vehicles the option to have the company buy back the car and to offer lessees a lease cancellation at no cost. If a plan is proposed by Volkswagen and approved by EPA and CARB to substantially reduce emissions from the generation 1 vehicles, Volkswagen will also have to offer that as an option for consumers.

For the generation 2 vehicles, Volkswagen will recall and fix these vehicles so they meet their certified exhaust emissions standards, after the technical solution is approved by regulators. If after extensive testing the solution does not perform as expected and is not approved, Volkswagen must offer to buy back the vehicles. In that case, the company can also seek approval of an emissions modification plan to substantially reduce emissions and, if approved, can offer that as an additional option for generation 2 vehicles.

Under the terms of the settlement, Volkswagen must achieve an overall recall rate of at least 85% for each of the generation 1 and generation 2 vehicles recall programs or pay additional sums into the mitigation trust fund. The buyback and lease termination program for generation 1 vehicles will begin within 30 days following court approval of the settlement. Vehicle modifications will become available to eligible owners and lessees once the modifications are approved by regulators.

Vehicle owners and lessees will receive updated information from Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche concerning their available buyback or modification options after todays settlement is approved by the court, and can also obtain information about these options at: www.VWCourtSettlement.com and www.AudiCourtSettlement.com.

The settlement requires Volkswagen to pay $225 million to fund projects across the country that will reduce emissions of NOx where the 3.0 liter vehicles were, are or will be operated. This funding is intended to fully mitigate the past and future NOx emissions from the 3.0 liter vehicles. That money will be placed in the same mitigation trust to be established under the partial settlement for the 2L vehicles. This $225 million is in addition to the $2.7 billion that Volkswagen is required to pay into that trust under the prior settlement. The mitigation trust will be administered by an independent trustee. Beneficiaries, which may include states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and Indian tribes, may obtain funds for designated NOx reduction projects upon application to the trustee.

The emissions reduction program will help reduce NOx pollution that contributes to the formation of harmful smog and soot, exposure to which is linked to a number of respiratory- and cardiovascular-related health effects as well as premature death. Children, older adults, people who are active outdoors (including outdoor workers), and people with heart or lung disease are particularly at risk for health effects related to smog or soot exposure. NO2 formed by NOx emissions can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, and may also contribute to asthma development in children.

The provisions of the settlement are contained in a proposed consent decree filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, as part of the ongoing multi-district litigation, and will be subject to public comment period of 30 days, which will be announced in the Federal Register in the coming days. For more information: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/volkswagen-clean-air-act-partial-settlement .
A Republican lawmaker called for UW-Madison to cancel a planned course on racism and fire its professor for posting tweets the legislator said condoned violence against police officers, warning Tuesday that the class could affect the universitys funding in the next state budget.

State Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, said he believes the course in the universitys African Cultural Studies department called The Problem of Whiteness is inappropriate and a waste of money. Murphy joined Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, in saying that how the university handles the controversy over the spring 2017 course could have ramifications for its request for new state funding in the 2017-19 budget.

The state has a lot of different priorities when it comes to funding things, Murphy said. Is funding a course thats about The Problem of Whiteness ... a high priority? Ive got a feeling its not.

School officials defended the course on Monday after Nass, a frequent critic of the university, derided it in an email to Republican legislators.

The course title refers to the challenge of understanding white identity and non-white identity across the globe, the university wrote in a statement Monday night. It is not mandatory, and will benefit students who are interested in developing a deeper understanding of race issues, officials said.

But the controversy escalated Tuesday when Murphy also drew attention to tweets from the courses instructor, professor Damon Sajnani, in a news release.

In one tweet, posted the night last July when five police officers were killed by a gunman in Dallas, Sajnani included a photo of news coverage of the shooting and wrote, Is the uprising finally starting? Is this style of protest gonna go viral?

In another from the same night, Sajnani linked to a song called Officer Down and wrote, Watching CNN, this is the song I am currently enjoying in my head.

Murphy said Sajnani should be fired for the vile tweets.

If UW-Madison stands with this professor, I dont know how the university can expect the taxpayers to stand with UW-Madison, Murphy said.

Sajnani, an assistant professor in his first year at UW-Madison, declined an interview request Tuesday, citing the preponderance of white supremacist backlash against myself and the UW community.

In response to Murphys criticism and his call for Sajnani to be dismissed, UW-Madison provided a statement from Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf that said the university supports the First Amendment rights of its students, faculty and staff, including their use of social media tools to express their views on race, politics or other topics, in their capacity as a private citizen.

However, the celebration or incitement of violence is not consistent with our values, Mangelsdorf added. To that end, I repeat the call for our community members to elevate their level of discourse and engage in civil and respectful discussion that promotes greater understanding and respect for all. UW officials later amended the statement to remove the reference to celebrating violence.

Lawmakers criticize content

Nass has sought in the past to draw attention to content in UW-Madison classes that he finds objectionable. In July, he told university officials that a courses assigned reading about gay mens sexual preferences would affect how he evaluated the UW Systems budget request.

In their response Monday to Nass criticism of the course, UW-Madison officials wrote, There is a long academic tradition at UWMadison and in higher education for allowing individual faculty freedom to design courses reflecting topics that they and their department consider important.

Some UW System professors took issue with Nass and Murphys statements, raising concerns about lawmakers using the universitys budget to push for changes to curriculum, and criticizing the call to fire Sajnani as infringing on academic freedom and free speech.

Murphy countered that taxpayers, and by extension lawmakers, should have a voice in how their money is spent at public universities.

We have freedom of speech, but that doesnt mean theres freedom from consequences, Murphy said.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker asked President-elect Donald Trump in a letter delivered Tuesday to give his state more authority in determining how many refugees can come from countries with ties to terrorism.

Walker also asked for help to allow the state to proceed with drug testing for some food stamp recipients and legalize the hunting of gray wolves.

The requests are among several that Walker, a Republican who challenged Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, makes in the letter. Walker offered few details on what he wanted Trump to do. It also wasnt immediately clear how quickly Trump could move to address his concerns given that some of what Walker wants has been blocked in court or would require law changes.

Walker is drawing attention to issues that play well with conservatives and on which he and President Barack Obamas administration disagree. Walker told The Associated Press that he was very optimistic Trump would act quickly on his requests after taking office next month.

Trumps spokesman did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, of Oshkosh, urged Trump to work with the governor on what he called common sense reforms to increase flexibility and return authority to Wisconsin.

On the refugee issue, Walker said governors and states should have a broader role in determining how many refugees and from which countries are admitted until we are comfortable with the vetting process that is being utilized to screen these individuals.

We have no idea how many people may have ties to the Islamic State or to other forms of radical Islamic terrorism or jihadist groups, and I think its a legitimate public safety concern, Walker said in the interview.

Wisconsin has been accepting refugee resettlements since 1974. Since 2000, more than 16,000 refugees have been resettled in the state from 50 different countries, according to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

One of the leading refugee resettlement agencies operating in the state is Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. It plans to relocate 510 refugees in the state next year, said Mary Flynn, the groups refugee resettlement manager.

Flynn said she is confident in the security screening process thats already in place.

I also see details in my daily work that I know these security screenings are ongoing and continuous until the person arrives in the United States, she said. And in some cases the monitoring continues after the person is relocated, Flynn said.

Flynn said she wanted to review Walkers letter to Trump before commenting on it in detail.

Walker is also hoping a Trump administration will be more open to drug testing for childless adults who receive food stamps.

Walker sued Obamas administration to permit such drug testing after the Agriculture Department said federal law prohibits such screening. Theres also been a Republican push in Congress to allow for it.

Walker also wants to charge higher premiums for childless adults earning less than the federal poverty level of $11,880 a year if they purposefully increase their health risks, without saying what that means.

The hunting of gray wolves in Wisconsin is a hot issue, particularly in more rural northern parts of the state. Wolf hunting is not allowed in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota under a 2014 federal judges ruling that threw out an Obama administration decision to remove gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the endangered species list.

Animal protection groups contend wolves must remain protected, but advocates for hunting them say they are increasing in number, becoming more aggressive and are moving south. Walker argues in the letter that Wisconsin successfully managed the wolf population prior to the court ruling and should be allowed to do so again.

Walker said he has spoken several times with Vice President-elect Mike Pence about these requests. Walker has a close relationship with Pence, the governor of Indiana, and helped him prepare for his vice presidential debate earlier this year.

Pence was among dozens of governors from mostly GOP states who attempted to block Syrian refugees after the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, saying there were questions about the federal governments refugee screening process. A federal appeals court blocked Pences attempt to prevent social service agencies from helping resettle immigrants from certain countries in Indiana. A three-judge panel in October called it nightmare speculation that refugees might commit acts of terror.

Associated Press writer Rick Callahan contributed to this report.
In the end, inevitable came to take on a new meaning.

Where the term once conjured images of Hillary Clintons grudging ascendance, it now calls to mind something worryingly far out and vaguely orange. On Monday, electoral college voters across the country made it official when they overwhelmingly chose faithfulness: come January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump will travel to Washington, place his hand on the Bible, and become President of the United States of Americanot in a Razzie-nominated movie for which he would be qualified, but in real life.

We knew this fate, of course, the night of November 8. In first world democracies, the person who wins the electionaccording to the rules, the wisdom of those rules notwithstandingbecomes the president.

For Trump to have been denied the office would have required a deviation from the norms of the democratic process. That deviation most likely would have thrown the country into chaos, titled the world on its axis and caused mankinds most famous head of hair to stand on its ends.

But that didnt stop the pleading and protesting from those who couldnt bear the reality that, although Clinton won by more than two million votes, those voters were not in the states needed to secure her the presidency. Instead, the presidency would be awarded to a man with no political experience, no political expertise and no apparent intellectual curiosityone of just five instances in American history when the loser of the popular vote assumed the White House.

And so came the expensive recount from Jill Stein (who didnt seem so concerned about a Trump victory when she was actually in a position to prevent it) and the marches all over American cities, with people shouting not my president, and then the last ditch hope that maybe, despite any evidence that it was actually likely, the electors would come to their senses and go roguebecome faithless, as theyre known when they place their vote for someone other than the person who won. A group, calling themselves the Hamilton Electors formed, with the hope that votes would not be flipped for Clinton, but that some other Republicanany other Republicanmight be chosen instead, whatever it would take to stop Trump.

That didnt exactly work out on Monday, when the 538 electors met in state capitols and the District of Columbia to cast their votes. Texas put Trump over the 270 he needed to win before 5 pm.

For there to have been any hope that Trump would be denied the presidency, thirty-eight electors would have needed to change their votes. That didnt happen.

At the Capitol building in Olympia, Washington, protesters accumulated in the forty degree chill. Inside, three electors chose Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State under George W. Bush.

An additional elector chose Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder. In Maine and Minnesota, electors voted against Trump and Clinton, toofor Bernie Sanders.

David Bright, a Democratic elector in Maine who could face a fine for his vote, said in a statement, I cast my vote for Bernie Sanders not out of spite, or malice, or anger, or as an act of civil disobedienceI mean no disrespect to our nominee. I cast my vote to represent thousands of Democratic Maine voters  many less than a third my age  who came into Maine politics for the first time this year because of Bernie Sanders.

And one Colorado elector was swiftly replaced when he refused to vote for Clinton.

Chris Suprun, a Republican elector from Texas, said he would vote for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who dropped out of the Republican primary back in April. The president-elect, he wrote in a New York Times op-ed this month, shows daily he is not qualified for office.

He added, in The Hill, Ronald Reagan did not win the Cold War so that Vladimir Putin could pick our next president less than 50 years later.

They would have no such luck.

For as long as Trump has been a professional politicianwhich is to say eighteen months and four days, not that anyone is countingtheres existed this notion that the country will be protected from his inherent illegitimacy by our various safeguards. But, as Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, two Harvard University government professors, recently argued in the New York Times, much of what we consider to be American democracys safeguards are actually just functions of traditiontheyre not enshrined in law, theres no penalty for flouting them. A well-designed constitution is not enough to ensure a stable democracya lesson many Latin American independence leaders learned when they borrowed the American constitutional model in the early 19th century, only to see their countries plunge into chaos, they wrote.

The Republican Party establishment couldnt, or wouldnt, prevent a Trump nomination. And the voting system and the Illuminati and Katy Perry couldnt prevent a Trump election. And now, too, the Electoral College has let him get away with winning while being himself.

In Michigan, protesters carried signs. One read, Nyet Trump.

But that, like everything else, doesnt seem to matter.
Theres a scene in Dreams From My Father, the memoir of Barack Obama, that illuminates how the future president struggled to feel at home in white America. Obama, 22, has paid a visit to the family estate of his white girlfriend, Genevieve Cook, 25. Its a beautiful autumn day in Norfolk, Connecticut, and, after traipsing about the foliage-strewn woods, he finds himself in the family library. There, he observes an assemblage of photographs depicting his lovers grandfather, a wealthy man of great import, posing with presidents, foreign dignitaries, and titans of industry.

Standing in that room, I realized that our two worlds, my friends and mine, were as distant from each other as Kenya is from Germany, wrote Obama. And I knew that if we stayed together Id eventually live in hers. After all, Id been doing it most of my life. Between the two of us, I was the one who knew how to live as an outsider.

That push-pull between these two sides of Obama, white and black, is explored in the new film Barry, now streaming on Netflix. Directed by Vikram Gandhi, it dramatizes the years Obama (played by Devon Terrell) spent at Columbia University in 1981 New York City.

For the uninitiated, Obama transferred to Columbia from Occidental College, entering as a junior. He lived with his pal, a cocaine-snorting, skirt-chasing Pakistani named Sohale Siddiqi (in the film he is called Saleem) at a dingy apartment on West 109th Street in Harlem. As Siddiqi recalled to The Guardian, Obama was lighthearted and fun-loving for the first half of our cohabitation and grew serious later.The film opens at this personality crossroads, with a meditative Obama stalking about gritty NYC, a copy of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man tucked under his arm. He feels trapped in a sort of racial and cultural purgatory, augmented by the films hazy, dreamlike aesthetic.

He is emo, Gandhi tells The Daily Beast. You take an icon, and theyre based on graphic lines. What I wanted to do was the Gerhard Richter version of the icon: the blurry version. Everyones life during that time is a little bit blurry, maybe because of drinking and smoking for Obama, but thats why theres a bit of blur in it. The lines in this movie arent supposed to be rigid.

Gandhi, a regular correspondent for Vice, initially envisioned Barry as a TV miniseries or a cartoon in the vein of The Boondocks. He developed the idea around 2012, at the time of Obamas reelection, jotting down notes from his memoirs. Eventually, Gandhi reached out to his former Columbia classmate Adam Mansbach, known for his bestselling childrens book Go the F*ck to Sleep. The two agreed it should be a feature film and collaborated on the screenplay.

Most of the action in Barry focuses on Obamas relationship with Charlotte (The Witchs Anya Taylor-Joy), a white woman from a well-heeled Connecticut family. The two meet outside of a frat party and before you can scream GOBAMA! are breaking it down at a caliginous downtown nightclub filled with hip-hop, trans women, and SAMO tags on the walls. Obama and Charlotte fall in love, but he is soon consumed by his own naggings sense of self-awareness. He feels pangs of judgment as they feast on soul food at Sylvias in Harlem, and servile when he dines at a five-star restaurant with Charlottes well-meaning white parents. In one particularly overcooked sequence, a sidewalk fragrance salesman witnesses the mixed couple and recommends Barry a scent that attracts the sistas.

Barry posits that Obamas frustrated romances with white women served as the springboard to his racial awakeningwhich, according to his autobiography, is semi-truebut largely ignores the role black pride played in the process. We are offered brief glimpses of Obama complaining to his white mother (Ashley Judd) about his feeling that, Every time I open my mouth in class, its like Im supposed to speak on behalf of all black people, and his confession to an ex-roommate (Boyhoods Ellar Coltrane): I fit in nowhere. Barrys friendship with a black business-school student from the projects of Harlem (Straight Outta Comptons Jason Mitchell), meant to represent his failure to fit in among streetwise African-Americans, feels half-baked.

What Barry does surprisingly well, however, is portray the feelings of alienation and isolation that come with being a mixed-race youth. Barry is reservedcallow, evenand Terrell captures his inner turmoil with quiet grace. Gandhi says he wanted to make a universal film about what its like to grow up mixed-race in America, so he declined to reach out to any of Obamas real-life friends or exes during his Columbia years.I didnt go to the White House, I didnt go to the girlfriends. I didnt go to them because it didnt feel like it was necessary, he says. I wanted to make a universal story about a kid named Barry, and didnt want to be obsessed with figuring out the causality of who this person was, and then start turning this into a historical document about his life. I wanted this to be based on the emotions he was experiencing, and then use that as the core. His whole book is about his struggle to figure out who he is.

Its not a political movie, he adds. Its a film about his emotional struggle. But now, in a world where there are white nationalists popping up, the biracial experience is political.

Gandhi saw more than 100 actors before he landed on Terrell, a handsome 24-year-old Australian. Hed managed to see the actor in the pilot to HBOs Codes of Conduct, a Steve McQueen series that never made it to air, and was impressed by his work. Plus, as an Aussie, Terrell knows what its like to be a fish out of water in New York City. Pre-production for Barry began in January, and it was shot over 25 days in April at budget of over $3 million.

But just as the film was entering the prep stage, the Obamas first-date movie, Southside With You, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Thankfully, Gandhis producers felt that the two movies tackled decidedly different terrain.

It was stressful in the beginning, but afterwards I didnt care, says Gandhi. And to be honest, if that movie wasnt about Barack Obama, I probably wouldnt see it because I dont really want to see that moviethe date movie. I love Richard Linklater, but I just dont get those movies.

Barry culminates in a scene at Charlottes sisters wedding, in a country club that looks an awful lot like the White House (intentionally so, of course). There, young Obamas feelings toward Charlotte, and his place in the world she inhabits, become crystal clear. We show him entering the final cocoon before becoming the person he is, says Gandhi. Theres a sense of self-assurance and rebirth.

This country club sequence was no doubt inspired by Obamas visit to Genevieve Cooks family estate. David Maranisss biography Barack Obama: The Story contains excerpts of some of Cooks journal entries while she was dating Obama. In one of her screeds, she tries her best to envision Obamas ideal woman. I cant help thinking that what he would really want, be powerfully drawn to, was a woman, very strong, very upright, a fighter, a laugher, well-experienceda black woman I keep seeing her as.

Thank God he found her.
Dodging an ethical bullet, the Daily Mails Donald Trump-friendly U.S. political editor, David Martoskowho had been interviewing for a White House communications position while steering the British news outlets coverage of the Trump transitionwont be getting a job in the new administration.

Martosko, a former Washington spin doctor for industry groups and ex-executive editor of the conservative Daily Caller, learned this week that the position of White House press secretaryone of the jobs he reportedly discussed with the Trump transition teamwill likely go to Republican National Committee strategist Sean Spicer, according to a source familiar with Martoskos plans.

What seemed, at best, an ethically challenged situationin which Martosko continued to write and edit stories concerning Trump for the Daily Mail and its web site while vying for a plum White House jobraised eyebrows among other journalists.

Business Insider noted that at the same time job interviews were taking place, Martosko authored two Trump-related stories, and another concerning Hillary Clinton. Its an interesting turn, Business Insider reported, for someone who accused other members of the press of being too close to the Clinton campaign.

Washington Post political reporter Jenna Johnson, the article continued, once branded Martosko as Trumps de facto comms directora role he was apparently hoping to formalize in the job talks.

Politico reported on December 13 that Martosko was spotted in Trump Tower, heading upstairs in one of the golden elevators in order to discuss his job prospects with transition officials.

Given his and the Daily Mails sympathetic Trump coveragein stark contrast to much of the mainstream mediaMartoskos name had been in the rumor mill at least since November, when campaign press spokeswoman Hope Hicks attempted to throw cold water on the idea.

David Martosko, while a talented journalist, is not under consideration, Hicks said thenand this time she was prescient.

Spicer, who had been under consideration for the press secretarys job along with radio host Laura Ingraham and even (as rumor had it) Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, didnt comment.
The date was tentatively set for some time after January in New York or D.C., the highest bid was nearly $73,000, and there were still four days to go before it ended: an auction for coffee with Ivanka Trump, the president-elects poised, pretty daughterthe clear favorite of his five childrenand unofficial political adviser.

That people were willing to pay so much for 45 minutes with Ivanka spoke loudly of her influence. But the auction itselfa charity fundraiser for the Trump Organizationhas exposed still more potential conflicts of interest for Ivanka, who has remained close to the Trump business brand while playing a crucial role in the Trump administrations transition.

The auction was announced in early December, just days before Ivanka had both arranged and participated in a meeting between the president-elect and Al Gore to discuss climate change; days before reports surfaced that she and her husband Jared Kushner are house-hunting in Washington, D.C.and that Ivanka is looking for office space in the White House.

Ivanka Trumps 2016 has been a rollercoastersupporting her father, even at his most misogynistic, while simultaneously trying to monetize her own female-focused businessand her 2017, with her father installed as president, is set to be an even more complex year of identity shifts, along with professional and personal challenges.

With Melania Trump planning to stay in Trump Tower for at least a few months after Trumps inauguration, Ivanka looks ready to be the de facto first lady. She is taking steps to separate from the Trump Organization, where shes executive vice-president, and is seemingly eager to act as envoy from her father to skeptical and scared Democrats.

She has already met with Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, both prominent climate change activists, and is reportedly planning to lobby Congress to expand child care. Shes also sat in on a meeting between Trump and the Japanese Prime Minister, and on a call with her father and Argentinas president.

Now, Ivankas move to Washingtonreports of which have so far been uncontestedand potential new role as policy adviser in the White House have raised questions about the ethics of maintaining her own lifestyle brand while being an operative in her fathers administration. It caps off a year that has seen Ivanka pull off a precarious balancing act, serving as surrogate to her fathers presidential campaign while maintaining both her business and identity as a soft-focus feminist.

Ever since Donald Trump announced his presidential run, many have said that Ivanka is his greatest asset: self-disciplined, graceful, and physically striking, she seemed most capable of softening her fathers offensiveness and broadening his appeal. That she managed to do so throughout much of his campaign without running her fashion line and #WomenWhoWork lifestyle brand and website into the ground is even more remarkable.

But the more Trump promoted racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic rhetoric in his campaign, Ivankas tight-rope act became increasingly perilousnow more than ever, as the country prepares for a President Trump and Ivankas reported installment in the White House.

Offering access in exchange for (charity) money, as the Trump Organization did with its Coffee with Ivanka auction, was so ethically controversial that it was axed the day after The New York Times first reported it last Thursday (Eric Trump, who heads the famiy organization, rang up the paper that day to say they were considering canceling it). By Friday, the chance to shoot the breeze with Ivanka over an espresso was no longer on the tablea move that the Times referred to as the second concession by Ms. Trump that she might have overstepped ethical bounds. (The first was an apologia by a jewelry company Ivanka owns after it promoted a $10,800 gold bracelet she wore during her first post-election TV interview with her father.)

How, then, will Ivanka continue to run her eponymous fashion line and lifestyle website from Washington without conflict? Will she be a moderately liberal ambassador to her fathers administration, shaping her fathers decision-making in a way that will please her socially liberal peers? Or will she ultimately bend to her fathers whims and remain loyal even when he behaves appallingly and provokes political disaster, as she did throughout his campaign?

Ivanka all but renounced her own political allegiances when she introduced her father at the Republican National Convention, though she insisted that her advocacy for womens rights and support for his campaign didnt contradict one another: Like many of my fellow-millennials, I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat. More than party affiliation, I vote based on what I believe is right, for my family and for my country. Sometimes its a tough choice. That is not the case this time.

When her father boasted about his penchant for grabbing women by the pussy, she responded with the verbal equivalent of a slap on the wrist: My fathers comments were clearly inappropriate and offensive, and Im glad that he acknowledged this fact with an immediate apology to my family and the American people, she told Fast Company magazine in the wake of the leaked Access Hollywood tape.

She was his chief defender when he was subsequently accused of sexual harassment and assault, dismissing the women who spoke out against him. Im not in every interaction my father has, but hes not a groper. Its not who he is, she said in an interview with CBS. An online, women-led campaign to boycott her products followed.

If this does not seem as feminist as the empowerment maxims that clutter her website, recall Ivanka sitting alongside her father on The View when he confessed: If Ivanka werent my daughter, perhaps Id be dating her. There was no flush of embarassment on her face, no indication that she was creeped out in any way.

As Jessica Yellin remarked in this publication, Ivanka has consistently been her fathers polished, polite enabler.

Poised is perhaps the most frequently deployed word when describing Ivankaand when defending her. You hear the name, Ivanka, and you expect fur, leather, but shes really poised, elegant, down to earth, Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBCs Morning Joe, told Town & Country of Trumps daughter. Ivanka certainly has a better command of the English language than her father and is possessed of the social grace that he lacks. But theres no question that the word poised would likely not be applied to Ivanka as much as it has been if she werent physically beautiful. Likewise graceful and elegant," among other common Ivanka descriptors.

She may not be particularly unique-looking (she is blonde and coiffed, resembling a Disney princess, as my colleague Olivia Nuzzi put it), but her beauty is arguably the most potent distraction from her fathers ugliness. It has also served to distract from her own flawsnamely, that shes a less-than-honest ambassador for her #WomenWhoWork brand, and that whatever moral core she has will always be superseded by familial loyalty and ambition.

In the early days of her fathers campaign, Ivankas tweets and Instagrams featuring her children or promoting her brand were easier to swallow. Now, her platitudes about feminism and motherhood seem ever more disingenuous. Coming from a woman who has insisted that her brazenly misogynistic father is a feminist and championed paid parental leave while supporting someone who once said pregnancy inconveniences employers, these platitudes are at best contradictory and at worst plainly dishonest.

Given all weve learned this year about this particular daddys girl, as Ivanka described herself in her 2009 memoir, the down-to-earth, palatable feminist appearance she markets so well only reflects her character insomuch as it reveals a successful businesswoman-turned-potential political operator who will do everything she can to protect the Trump brand. And at this stage in the ongoing balancing act that is being Ivanka Trump, somethings gotta give.
Nina Kouprianova is not a member of the racist alt-right. At least, thats what shell say when you ask her. I am not a member of any movement, Kouprianova, who was born in the Soviet Union, recently told The Daily Beast via email. She added that she was sympathetic toward movements that challenge the dominant and globally oriented post-Liberal ideology, but white nationalismthat fracturing of the U.S., resulting in a white ethno-state that would salve the wounds of American racistsis not for her.

Still, the track record, both personally and professionally, of Kouprianovawho also goes by the nom de plume Nina Byzantinacasts a pall over her denials. This is, after all, a woman who elected to marry Richard Spencer, the longtime lodestar of American white nationalism and progenitor of the term alt-right. While the two are currently separatedas Spencer told The Washington Post, his recent work has taken a toll on their relationshipKouprianova hasnt publicly distanced herself from the views of her husband, a man who has kept neo-Nazis enthralled with his views and who has expressed continued admiration for Vladimir Putin.

In fact, Kouprianova, who has a young daughter with Spencer, wrote a letter this week to the Flathead Beacon, one of their local papers in Montana. In it, Kouprianova compares the witch hunts surrounding her husband to Stalinist purges: Threats and intimidation, which my current extended family continues to experience in Whitefish [Montana], remind me of the way my grandfather was forced to live [in the Soviet Union], Kouprianova wrote. And to be fair, following Spencers rise to prominence, threatsveiled and otherwisehave risen alongside. But the notion that the environment circling Kouprianova and Spencer is in any form reminiscent of Stalinist repression is, of course, laughable. And while the Kremlins transparent support for Donald Trump and the white nationalists undergirding his campaign are both concerning trends on their own, its the links between the twolinks that are only just now becoming apparentthat are cause for that much more concern. Its those links that actors like Kouprianova have helped expand.

Yet Kouprianovas connections with the alt-right dont end with her marriage to the movements most prominent face. If anything, Kouprianova may play an outsize role in the internationalization of Spencers movementespecially as it pertains to Russia, which Spencer views, bizarrely, as the sole white power in the world. In addition to her prominent Twitter personaoffering the types of ironic barbs in defense of Kremlin machinations familiar to anyone whos recently dealt with high-level officials from MoscowKouprianova has devoted her efforts to translating the works of Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin.

If Dugins name is at all familiar, its likely due to his neo-fascist screeds, posited as geopolitical analysis, that have begun swirling international trends. As Spencer is to the alt-right, so, too, is Dugin to the modern incarnation of Eurasianism, a geopolitical theory positing Russia as the inheritor of Eternal Rome and one of the primary ideological bulwarks pushing the Kremlin to carve eastern Ukraine into the fanciful entity of Novorossiya. While much of Dugins influence on the Kremlin has been over-hyped, Dugins Foundations of Geopolitics remains assigned to every member of Russias General Staff Academy. And despite Kouprianovas claims that there is no evidence of communication between Dugin and Putin, Charles Clover, in his masterful history of Eurasianism, noted that Putin and Dugin met a few months after the former ascended to the presidency. Soon, wrote Clover, there were sponsors, contacts, and open doors for Dugin.

This relationshipand the perception of such proximity to the Kremlinis one of the reasons Dugin landed on the U.S. governments recent sanctions list. It hasnt, however, kept Dugin from courting American white nationaliststhose whod fracture the United States in pursuit of whites-only nation. For instance, in 2015 Dugin hosted a lecture, via Skype, at the founding of the U.S.s Traditionalist Worker Party. That party remains helmed by Matthew Heimbach, who has tabbed Putin as the leader of the free world.

Dugin also hosted a separate lecture, again via Skype, at Texas A&M in 2015, partnering with local neo-Nazi Preston Wigintonthe same white supremacist who, last month, invited Spencer to speak at Texas A&M. For good measure, when Wiginton traveled through Russia a few years ago, he sub-leased an apartment in Moscow from David Dukethe former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard who not only believes Russia holds the key to white survival, but who has cultivated his own relationship with Dugin.

Kouprianova, who says shes never met Dugin, nonetheless defended his work, noting that the Western establishment is currently in the throws [sic] of a major anti-Russian hysteria and adding that Dugin is a well-educated scholar. As she wrote via email, Western media cherry-picks convenient quotations from decades ago splicing them with literally edited statements on the Ukraine crisis, in which some of his friends were killed, incidentally, while characterizing him with the usual character-assassination keywords. (In 2014, Dugin called for a genocide of Ukrainians.) Kouprianovawho lists Dugins works as the only books shes translatedadded that she began working on translating Dugins works as part of a volunteer effort, although shes not even sure whether her translations were eventually used.

But Kouprianovas affinity for Russian expansionism doesnt end with Dugin. Not only has she routinely papered over Russias local human-rights atrocitiesLike, OMG, Chechnya is, likes, totes oppressed by Putin! she recently tweeted, plastering sarcasm over Russias domestic depredationsbut she has referred, time and again, to Russias invasion of eastern Ukraine as a liberation war. Likewise, Kouprianova has been outspoken in defense of Russias domestic media landscape. Outsiders may critique Putin jailing, silencing, and even killing independent journalists. But to Kouprianova, the Kremlin has chosen the path of healthy debate.

And in Spencers white-nationalist journal, Kouprianova went to bat for Russias premier propaganda outlet, RT. (RT, for what its worth, has referred to Kouprianova as an independent scholar.) Although her articles were recently removed, Kouprianova noted that RT, which has become a welcome alternative news source for many, also provides great coverage of a variety of subjects.

Interestingly, Kouprianovas presence in Spencers life has caused notable schisms within the white-nationalist community in the U.S. While ethnic Russians are, broadly, considered part of the broader European identity pushed by American white nationalists, Spencer told Mother Jones that his wife is part Georgian. For some members of Spencers racist community, that makes something other than white. For instance, prominent white nationalist Greg Johnson, who doesnt view Georgia as part of Europe, wrote in 2014 that Richard is basically being dominated by Nina Nogoodnik, his Russian-Georgian wife.

Johnson, as it is, says Kouprianova is not a white nationalist. And yes, Kouprianova may not share outright her husbands views on ethnic cleansing. But given Kouprianovas work with Dugin, her writings for Americas most prominent white nationalist journal runs counter to those claimsand helps build one more bridge in the ongoing relationship between Russia and Americas white nationalists.
A state agency is seeking to reduce the amount of child support wealthy parents pay  a proposal similar to one made by a Republican lawmaker three years ago that was withdrawn amid significant pushback.

Parents who earn between $300,000 and $500,000 annually would be required to pay a smaller percentage of their monthly income in child support than what current law prescribes, according to changes to how the state handles child support proposed by the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

A judge would be responsible for determining what percentage of income would be paid in child support for parents who earn more than $500,000 annually under the proposal.

The percentage of a parents monthly income that is paid in child support varies according to how much money a parent makes annually.

For one child, for example, current law allows courts to require 17 percent of income of $84,000 or less to be paid in child support. The percentage increases with more children, maxing out at 34 percent for five or more children. On the high end, if the parents income exceeds $150,000 annually, 10 percent of the remaining income amount is to be paid in child support for one child and 20 percent for five or more children.

The proposed change would introduce a sliding scale to reduce the percentage of income between $300,000 and $500,000 that would be paid, ranging from 10 percent to 5 percent, respectively, for one child. For five or more children, the scale ranges from 20 percent to 10 percent.

The proposal is part of several changes the state agency is seeking that will receive a public hearing on Tuesday. A DCF official referred questions about the proposal to the agencys communications office, which did not respond to a request for comment.Among the proposed changes:

Giving judges the ability to assign child support levels for parents who are unemployed based on the employment opportunities in the parents community.

Requiring parents to supply courts with detailed lists of potential costs related to their children that go beyond basic care  known as variable costs  at the time child support is ordered, and prohibiting those costs from being included in the child support order.

The proposals are the result of an advisory committee convened to recommend changes to the DCF, which administers the states child support program.

Assembly Committee on Children and Families chairwoman Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, R-Oak Creek, said the proposed changes are intended to more closely reflect cultural changes that have occurred in recent years with regard to variations in child placement.

The proposal to limit high-income parents child support payments has critics pointing to legislation Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, introduced in 2013 that sought to ban judges from using income above $150,000 to calculate child-support payments  a controversial and ultimately unsuccessful bill that was co-written by a wealthy, divorced campaign donor.

The bill was at least the second time Kleefisch introduced legislation aimed at helping multimillionaire businessman and GOP donor Michael Eisenga reduce what he pays in child support: a minimum $15,000 a month for his three children.

Kleefisch and proponents of the bill said at the time that it would help parents, especially fathers, get a fairer shake when it comes to spending time with and financially supporting children after a breakup.

Kleefisch did not return a phone call on Monday seeking comment.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said Monday the head of the countys child support services division would be testifying against the high-income formula proposal on Tuesday.

The primary mission of child support agencies everywhere in the United States is to stabilize and empower families who need it, said Abele. The last message government should be sending is were going to work hard to make sure there is less support for your kids.

The Wisconsin Child Support Enforcement Association, which represents child support agencies, has significant concerns about the proposal to require a lower percentage of high-income parents salaries to be paid in child support, according to a statement provided to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Wisconsins percentage standard for child support is intended to recreate as closely as possible the lifestyle the child would have experienced had he or she lived with both parents, the associations position paper said. A rule that allows higher income parents to pay a lower percentage of their income toward child support than lower income parents is difficult to justify; it is contrary to the intent of the percentage standard and amounts to a regressive child support tax.

Mark Borns, a family law attorney in Madison, said some high-income parents support proposals to limit the percentage of their income that they pay to avoid sending more than money than is used to care for children.

At some point, if the income is high enough, this isnt really child support anymore, said Borns. Why should the custodial parent be able live off the kids? Thats not what child support is designed for, but if the income is high enough, that can be what starts to happen.

Milwaukee family law attorney Gregg Herman wrote on his law firms website that the proposed changes seems to codify what is current practice, anyway.

Establishing an explicit amount, as the proposed rule revision does, would allow a higher degree of predictability while still allowing courts discretion to deviate in individual cases, Herman wrote.
Ever since election nightwhen Hillary Clinton tanked and Donald Trump became the next leader of the free worldthe most prominent allies and alumni of Bernie Sanderss presidential campaign have maintained a succinct message for Team Hillary: We. Told. You. So.

In the final months of the brutal and chaotic 2016 campaign, there were plenty of Democratic activists freaking out about Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania (the three states that ultimately cost the Democrats the White House) and Clintons fatal shortcomings there. Many of them were envoys of the Sanders camp who wanted to help fix those problems, including Clintons difficulties with the block of the mythical white-working-class, economically anxious voters who Sanders had championed during the primaries.

They fucking ignored us on all these [three] battleground states [while] we were sounding the alarm for months, Nomiki Konst, a progressive activist and former Sanders surrogate who served on the 2016 Democratic National Committee platform committee, told The Daily Beast. We kept saying to each other like, What the fuck, why are they just blowing us off? They need these voters more than anybody.

According to Konst and multiple other people involved with these discussions, the Clinton campaign agreed to a meeting with a cadre of Sanders surrogates during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in July. The purpose of the meeting, which included Clintons national political director Amanda Renteria and Team Hillarys progressive outreach coordinator (and former Sanders senior aide) Nick Carter, was to address the concerns many Sanders camp alums were voicing about Clintons strategy going into the general election against Trump. Carter declined to comment on this story.

Once we were at the convention, Bernie people were on the groundwe could feel it, people were pissed off, there with their pitchforks ready to fight, Konst recalled. But before the convention, after the platform committee meeting that I was on, Bernie surrogates were talking constantly, saying, Oh my god, Hillary is going to lose if she doesnt address TPP and [free] trade and [all these] other issues. We were looking at the polling and thought that if these people stay home, shell lose.

When their meeting finally happened during the Democratic convention, the progressive activists fears were only inflamed.

We were saying we are offering our helpnobody wanted [President] Donald Trump, Konst continued, noting that the Bernie world side was offering Clintons team their plansstrategy memos, lists of hardened state organizers, timelines, data, the worksto win over certain voters in areas she ultimately lost but where Sanders had won during the primary.

We were painting them a dire picture, and I couldnt help but think they literally looked like they had no idea what was going on here, she continued. I remember their faces, it was like they had never fucking heard this stuff before. Its what we had been screaming for the past 9 months Its like [they] forgot the basics of Politics 101.

As the days and weeks flew by, the Bernie delegation kept underscoring TPP, jobs, union allies, the youth vote, and the environment, and pitched multiple rallies with Sanders in states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan (a state where Sanders unexpectedly beat Clinton in the Democratic primary, and a state that Clinton actively neglected during the general).

The math that they lost on, is the math we won on, Konst said. So we wrote out a plan, and sent it to them, telling them to stop thinking youre going to get this Obama coalition, its not going to happen.

Assurances were then made with various Clinton senior staffers that they would follow through with subsequent meetings and phone calls to address these gaps and warnings. Instead, meetings were canceled and rescheduled into oblivion.

We not only screamed about this, we wrote memos, we begged, Jane Kleeb, Nebraska Democratic Party chair and another Sanders booster who was at the DNC meeting, said. I spent a good chunk of time writing memos about how [Bernies surrogates] could be utilized on the campaign trail, about issue voters, about the environment, Black Lives Matter, Dakota Access Pipeline, rogue cops, you name it I was [also] talking specifically about rural communities, and how [Hillary] completely ignored and abandoned anything that we cared about.

Kleeb noted that instead of subsequent discussion about battleground strategy and resources, what she got was a handful of conference calls, where Sanders alumni would get to hear about the three top talking points for Hillary Clintons email server, or something. She said that the only member of Team Hillary who would take them seriously was, unsurprisingly, Carter, who didnt have much luck convincing the crew leading the Clinton ship to listen more attentively.

The Clinton campaign believed they had the strongest and brightest people in the room and they had no concept of why people would choose Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton, Kleeb continued. They mocked us, they made fun of us. They always had a model that was supposed to save the day. We were street activists and they dont get that. And thats a fundamental divide. They ran a check-the-box, sanitized campaign. And voters dont think like that. You dont win elections that way.

Renteria, however, saw their meeting, and conference calls, in a different, far less bleak light.

I think what we took from them on a national messageher tone of our cause is your cause at the national convention was the right tonethat really did derive from listening to them in that meeting we had, Renteria told The Daily Beast. And in the calls I had with them every other week, we inserted college affordability and climate change at their pushing.

She went on to say that she had a deep respect for what Sanders mounted in the primaries, reserving specific praise for his teams really robust online support base.

Because we ran such a different campaign in the primary, I think fully integrating [aspects of the Sanders campaign] was a bit more difficult, especially when we were talking about organizing, she said.

But the fact that much of the Clinton campaign top brass would rebuff the advances of Sanders alumni and allies isnt in itself shocking. There was a deep hostility fostered in the Clinton team toward the Vermont democratic-socialist senator ever since the primary, during which Hillarys side repeatedly blamed Sanderss rival candidacy for weakening her in the run-up to the general.

To them, we were a leftist nuisance, nothing else, a former senior Sanders campaign aide said.

On the pro-Bernie wing of the Democratic Party, Clinton, and neoliberal Clintonism itself, were widely viewed as a failure and a cynical sellout of progressive values.

A ham sandwich could beat Donald Trump, Melissa Arab, a Michigan delegate for Sanders, told The Daily Beast during a protest outside the Democratic convention in July. And Hillary cannot beat Donald Trump.

The ongoing hostilities between the Hillary and Bernie camps all but helped ensure a scenario of missed opportunity, spurned collaboration, and hobbled organizing efforts in the fight against Trump.

I offered to help and never heard back from anybodyquite frankly, I wasnt surprised, Robert Becker, a veteran organizer who ran Iowa and Michigan operations for the Sanders presidential campaign, told The Daily Beast.

There was no outreach to me but I did get a call three weeks out [from Election Day] from someone who was in the DNC sounding the alarm [about Michigan], he said. They didnt feel like they were getting strong support from [unions members] I mean, these trade deals that were going on for decades that were enabled by the Democratic Party in large part, they hurt. [The Clinton campaign] didnt address the anger about this. We picked up on that during the primary. People were furious at these bad trade deals. We were connecting with those voters in Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin Everyones trying to point a finger as to what went wrong, and I just point to the operational malpractice.

Of course, everybody will have his or her own explanation and rationalizations for why Trump was just handed the keys to the White House. The defeated Clinton campaign routinely blames the media coverage of its candidate. It repeatedly blames the Russians, and FBI director James Comeys letters, for the hard loss. We werent measuring the white vote correctly, Robby Mook, Clintons campaign manager, further explained late last month at an event at Harvard University.

In a race where people wanted fundamental change, Donald Trump sure was a fundamental change, Mook said. It was a strength being an outsider.

And according to the remnants of Team Bernie, Mook and the rest of the Clinton team need to carve out a large space for self-reflection.

For me this is not about Hillary Clinton, this is about HIllary Clintons staff becoming too insular, too professional where regular working-class folks did not matter to them, Kleeb said. She had too many people [on her campaign] wearing Prada going into pollster meetings, not enough of us.
I am Kerry Burgess. This is what I think.
Obviously, that carved rhino horn for sale at a foreign marketplace should not come home with you. Nor should the leopard skin, the narwhal tusk and the whale meat. But what about the queen conch from your Caribbean holiday or the caviar from the London airport duty-free shop? Not so obvious, is it?

Travelers - and that special subgroup of shoppers who travel - need know which wildlife items are permitted into the States and which ones are banned. The exotic animal test is unreliable. Many less toothy animals, birds, reptiles, plants, fish and shells are legally protected. Choose your souvenirs unwisely and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could confiscate your purchases upon your return.

The issue has implications beyond simply wasting money. Wildlife trafficking threatens the sustainability and survival of hundreds of species worldwide. Many nefarious individuals and groups, such as poachers, corrupt government officials and organized crime syndicates, benefit from these illegal sales. Buying that $4 tortoise ring doesn't seem so innocent anymore.

"There is no way the general consumer has any way of knowing how it was obtained," said Ann-Marie Holmes, a senior wildlife inspector with the agency.

An array of state, federal and international laws regulates the wildlife trade. One of the most prominent accords is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which counts nearly every country as a member. Species listed under CITES Appendix I are the most at-risk, and the treaty has placed a near-total ban on commercial goods exploiting these animals. Members of this club include sea turtles, cheetahs, tigers and black rhinos.

There is more wiggle room with species categorized under Appendix II and Appendix III, as long as the traveler obtains the proper permit or certificate. For instance, under the personal baggage exemption rule, you can carry a "reasonable" amount of an item. But some species are not eligible for this exemption and not all countries recognize it.

Wildlife protection experts advise travelers to familiarize themselves with the laws before upcoming trips. Start with the service's "Traveling to the Caribbean" and "Tips for Travelers," and the International Fund for Animal Welfare's "Stopping the Illegal Wildlife Trade." Sample advise: Under the heading "Please Don't Buy," IFAW urges people to avoid handbags, shoes, watch straps and belts made of reptile skins. For any lingering questions, contact the Fish and Wildlife Service office at your return port.

Of course, much of the thrill of shopping involves spontaneous discoveries. Before you departed for Australia, you probably didn't know how great the Crocodile Dundee hat would look on your head. Reputable retailers should know the legal status and origin of the wildlife items they are selling and provide you with a document to present at customs. Unfortunately, employees might not always be well-versed in the laws governing their clothing, crafts or jewelry. But that won't stop them from attaching a price tag to the object.

"Just because it's for sale," Holmes said, "doesn't mean it's legal."

To avoid the risk, the agent offers a simple solution: "Don't buy wildlife. Buy a magnet, buy a T-shirt."

To learn from other travelers' mistakes, here are some examples of banned items that are now the property of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

---

Crocodile Dundee leather hat with saltwater crocodile hide and teeth

Where you can buy it: Australia

Why it is regulated: All crocodile species fall under CITES I or II; some species are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Threats include illegal hunting, international trade in skins and habitat loss.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption

Hermes Birkin bag made of American alligator hide

Where you can buy it: Paris, Milan, London and other cities with a luxury retail market

Why it is regulated: CITES II. Threats include hunting, illegal trade, habitat loss and pollution.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption

Queen conch shell

Where you can buy it: Caribbean, Latin America

Why it is regulated: CITES II. Threatened from overfishing for conch meat and bait and the sale of shells in the tourist trade

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption for up to three shells

Hair accessory carved from hawksbill shell and taxidermic hawksbill

Where you can buy it: Mexico, Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Africa

Why it is regulated: All sea turtle species are listed under CITES I and are considered threatened or endangered under the ESA. Threats include illegal trade in meat, eggs and skins, habitat loss, pollution, and tourists and lights disturbing nesting habitats.

When it is permitted: Items certified as "pre-convention" (predates the CITES listing) may be eligible for CITES permits. Items certified as "pre-act" (before ESA listing) or antique items (older than 100 years) may be exempt.

Shahtoosh/ring shawl made of Tibetan antelope hair

Where you can buy it: India, Switzerland and high-end stores in fashion capitals. If you can pull the fine wool scarf through a ring, it is likely a shahtoosh, not a pashmina.

Why it is regulated: CITES I; endangered under the ESA. Threats include poaching for the animals' shorter guard-hairs.

When it is permitted: Same requirements as sea turtles

Caviar from sturgeon or paddlefish

Where you can buy it: Airport duty-free shops, global gourmet food markets

Why it is regulated: All sturgeon and paddlefish species are categorized as CITES I or II, and some species are listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. Threats include overfishing for meat and roe for the caviar trade, habitat loss and pollution. The illegal caviar trade is often associated with transnational organized crime.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption for up to 125 grams (small tin), unless derived from species banned under the ESA

Drum head made of monitor lizard skin and decorated with cowrie shells

Where you can buy it: Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, sub-Saharan Africa

Why it is regulated: All monitor lizard species fall under CITES II. Threats include the live pet trade, harvesting for meat and skins, and habitat loss.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption

Red coral necklace

Where you can buy it: Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Pacific islands, Asia

Why it is regulated: CITES III. Threats include overharvesting for the aquarium and jewelry trade, illegal collection or destruction by recreational divers, habitat degradation, rising ocean temperatures and pollution.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption
Adam Rush's son was ready. So, the Texas father sat his 9-year-old down and he let him in on the secret of Santa Claus.

A jolly man didn't traverse the globe in one night leaving gifts, he explained. But not because Santa doesn't exist. There just isn't only one Santa, he told the boy, but there are Santas everywhere. And when someone is ready to become a Santa, they'll receive the message and be activated, like a soldier.

This year, he told his son, Tristan, he was ready to be a Santa.

If the story sounds familiar, it has been shared all over social media this season. It begins decades ago when Adam's mother - rather than killing the spirit of Christmas by revealing to her children that Santa wasn't real - told her boys it was their turn to be Santas. She wrote:

"In our family, we have a special way of transitioning the kids from receiving from Santa, to becoming a Santa. This way, the Santa construct is not a lie that gets discovered, but an unfolding series of good deeds and Christmas spirit. When they are 6 or 7, whenever you see that dawning suspicion that Santa may not be a material being, that means the child is ready."

She goes on to tell the story of her 7-year-old son; how she took him out for "coffee" and reminded him of ways that year he'd been empathetic or considerate of others' feelings. She told him that his "heart has grown so much that I think you are ready to become a Santa Claus."

That Christmas it was his job to identify something a person not their immediate family may need and then surreptitiously leave it for them. Her son picked the "witch lady" down the street, who yelled at the neighborhood kids when they were playing too loudly near her house. He noticed she always got her morning newspaper in her bare feet, so he told his mom he wanted to buy her slippers. They purchased a warm pair, wrapped them with a note, "Merry Christmas from Santa" and her son left them on her driveway. As the story goes, the next morning he watched as the elderly woman came out to get her paper in her new slippers.

The woman who shared that story is Leslie Rush, 57, a high school history teacher, in El Paso, Texas. She wrote it 10 years ago in response to an online forum query about how to handle when kids begin asking whether Santa is real. The little boy in her story is her son, Adam, who is now 32 years old, and this year passed along the gift of becoming Santa to his own son Tristan.

It originated with her husband's mother, whose own grandfather turned her into a Santa during the Depression.

Rush can't say why her family's story suddenly went viral so many years later, but perhaps therein lies the magic of Christmas: Giving people what they need when they need it most. The idea that there are Santas living all around us feels especially comforting after this year.

"These days everything is so fast, I feel like it's a way to make personal connections that get lost in this digital age. You have to look into people's eyes and use your eyes instead of looking at a screen," Leslie Rush said in an interview. "Making that personal connection, you learn something more about someone . . . It also teaches about doing for others without getting credit. You have to be thoughtful, put yourself outside of yourself."

Her decade-old post was rediscovered by a woman who shared it on her Facebook page and it was picked up by outlets like Upworthy,the Today Show and The Huffington Post. Even actor Ashton Kutcher shared it. But it wasn't until last week that a friend saw it going viral and remembered it as Rush's story. That's when Rush learned that likely millions of people all over the world were reading her words.

It's also quite a coincidence that this would happen on the same year her adult son had planned to pass the Santa secret on to his own child.

For Adam Rush, the attention has made him reflect on what his mother's gift to him, and later to his younger brother, meant to them. It instilled in them the power of giving. No matter how small the gesture, generosity can have a profound impact. It's a simple act that transcends politics and religion and race and nationality. It's about being human.

"I believe it to be in the spirit of St. Nicolas. I don't believe he had supernatural powers, but the message within his actions, it supersedes religion, it supersedes a lot of the separations we encounter," he said. "Putting that into action, something as simple as to take the time to do something for someone. They call it the spirit of St. Nick, and it is."
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  The event was routine enough  the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia  so when a man on stage pulled out a gun I was stunned and thought it was a theatrical flourish.

It was anything but. Moments later the Russian ambassador was sprawled on the floor and the attacker was waving his gun at the rest of us, shouting slogans. He shot the ambassador at least once more at close range and smashed some of the framed photos on the wall. In all there were at least eight shots.

Guests ran for cover, hiding behind columns and under tables. I composed myself enough to shoot pictures.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici was attending a photo exhibition when a gunman opened fire, assassinating Russia's ambassador to Turkey. He recounts the chaos that unfolded as he captured the scene.

___

"Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria!" the gunman shouted in Turkish, referring to the Syrian city where Russian bombardments have helped drive rebels from areas they had occupied for years during the war. He also shouted "Allahu akbar" but I couldn't understand the rest of what he said in Arabic.

Authorities would later confirm that Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was dead. The gunman, identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, was killed after a 15-minute shootout.

The exhibition, titled "From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, from the eyes of travelers" featured photos from Russia's westernmost Baltic region to the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the east. I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the office.

When I arrived, the speeches had already begun. After the Russian ambassador began to make his address, I moved closer to photograph him, thinking the pictures would come in useful for stories on Turkish-Russian relations.

He was speaking softly and  from what I could tell  lovingly about his homeland, stopping occasionally to allow the translator to relay his words in Turkish.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out in quick succession, followed by panicked audience members running for cover. The ambassador's body lay on the blood-splattered ground.

It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened: A man had died in front of me; a life had disappeared before my eyes.

I was shocked and sad but I started to take photographs, sheltering behind a wall.

The gunman was agitated. He circled the body, smashing some of the photos hanging on the wall. He shouted at everyone to stand back and pointed his gun at us. Security guards ordered us to vacate the hall and we left.

Ambulances and armored vehicles soon arrived and the police operation was launched.

When I returned to the office to edit my photos, I was shocked to see that the gunman was actually standing behind the ambassador as he spoke.
Be careful we don't become another Malmo, Sweden

Why should we care about Malmo, Sweden? Malmo is rarely in the news, but when it is the article often is accompanied by a warning to the U.S.: Don't do what we did!

Sweden used to be a country that was very homogeneous, with a low birth rate. When immigrants came, they were greeted warmly and given all the rights and privileges and welfare that Swedish citizens enjoy. The social assistance that is available is so good that when refugees started to pour into Europe recently they already knew that Sweden was the place to go.

Malmo is the nearest city to Denmark so Malmo has been impacted greatly. The hospitality and welcoming attitude of the Swedes has been tried sorely. The Rosengard neighborhood in Malmo is a good example of why we should be wary of taking in too many refugees from the Middle East. This neighborhood is 90 percent Muslim. Most of the residents hate gays, hate Jews, hate Western fashions. They do not assimilate. Crime in Malmo has skyrocketed. Even the police worry about "no-go zones."

When the refugees descended it was noted by many people that the "children" who were flooding into their country were mostly teenagers and they are the ones most likely to be radicalized. Not all refugees are takers and unappreciative but it is difficult to separate good, honest war refugees from economic refugees who want to play the system.

About 7 million Syrian refugees have applied for sanctuary in the U.S. America needs some breathing room -- we should not take any Syrians in for at least a year and then they should be vetted carefully. Priority should be given to Christians from the Middle East who are being wiped out in many countries there. I fear this new wave of immigrants would be like the ones who now live in Malmo

JOAN HOLTZAPPLE

Bryan

Blinn College has done great work in Brazos County

Thank you to the people of Washington County and everyone associated with Blinn College for producing one of the greatest junior colleges in the U.S. Recently, I spent two hours with about 40 residents of Bryan and some leaders from Blinn answering questions about what Blinn College does. Why would anyone want it replaced? At the end of the meeting I asked the residents if there was any issue with Blinn College, except parking, and 100 percent said no.

I have been involved with Blinn since the early '90s as a member of a Bryan economic develop committee that was trying to rejuvenate the downtown economy in Bryan. The only viable solution at the time was to ask the Blinn leadership to consolidate its operation in Bryan -- which was done. That consolidation was a wonderful success for Bryan and the area. Blinn produces about $247 million in economic benefit for the area. It educates about 15,000 students and employs about 800 folks in Bryan. Washington County pays. Brazos county residents pay nothing for tremendous economic boost to the county. No other economic development project can match that.

Blinn meets the needs of all aspects of the education of our students and businesses in this area. Blinn is linked directly to Texas A&M and that combination of education prowess is unequaled in Texas. A local hospital needed assistance training highly skilled technicians for surgery room equipment. Blinn was asked for help; the details were worked out and the training is being or soon will be conducted.

Blinn College, with Washington County support, has done wonderful work in Brazos County. The residents I work with want Blinn to continue here.

MIKE SOUTHERLAND

Bryan City Council Single Member District 4
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

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Several years ago stand-up comedian Harrison Greenbaum did a routine involving the American Nazi Party.

As a concerned American, Greenbaum, who is Jewish, made it his mission to respond to what he considered outrageous white supremacist comments made by the ANP on Twitter.

He incorporated many of the actual ANP tweets and his ripostes into the act. But he dropped it after a while, thinking the series had run its course. But, as Greenbaum said last week from a Washington, D.C., tour stop, he has revived the practice given the times in which we live and concerns over First Amendment/free speech issues.

Greenbaum, 30, a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University, brings his smart but accessible comedy to Mohegan Suns Comix club for four shows, Thursday, Dec. 22, through Saturday, Dec. 24.

He began performing stand-up comedy while at Harvard and was the co-founder of the first-of-its-kind Harvard College Stand-up Comic Society (aka Harvard College SUCS). While studying English and psychology, comedy was never far from his mind. At Harvard, he won the Gordon W. Allport Prize for his psychology thesis: Did you hear the one about the ?, about the effect of racial humor on prejudice.

Born in Manhattan, and raised in Woodmere, Long Island, N.Y., the comic is again living in Manhattan. Its his convenient base to travel throughout the United States and Europe, performing in more than 600 shows a year, spurring both Time Out New York and the New York Daily News to describe him as the hardest-working man in comedy.

In 2015 Greenbaum was a semi-finalist on NBCs Last Comic Standing. Internationally, he was the head writer for Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro, described as the first-ever late night show on NBCU/Telemundo, a featured correspondent on the Japanese television show, Scooper, which was broadcast on Nippon TV, appeared in the documentary, 10 Minutes in America, on Frances Canal+ and was a featured act in the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival in Scotland.

More Information Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville. Thursday-Friday, Dec. 22-23, at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, at 8 and 10:30 p.m. $45-$15. For 21 and older. $10 minimum food/drink. 860-862-7000, mohegansun.com See More Collapse

Equipped with a quick wit and an easy laugh, it seems to observers that Greenbaum could have chosen from hundreds of careers that would complement his intellect. There is something special, however, about performing comedy he doesnt wish to surrender for a larger paycheck, he said.

I love the immediacy of stand-up, he said. Its an opportunity to develop an immediate relationship with an audience ... with endless chances for direct feedback.

Stand-up is an art form. ... its my passion that gives vent to my artistic voice ... in service of my comedy.

pasboros@ctpost.com; Twitter: @PhyllisASBoros
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DANBURY  The on-again, off-again talks between Danbury-based Praxair and Germany-based Linde AG have resulted in the merger of the two companies in a deal that will create the worlds largest industrial gas company with a market value of more than $65 billion.

Praxair and Linde will be equal partners under the deal, but the company will be named Linde. Praxairs current CEO, Steve Angel, will be CEO of the combined company and be based in Connecticut.

The companies have signed a non-binding term sheet and say the deal will be finalized as soon as practicable, pending board and shareholder approvals, due diligence and further negotiations, according to joint press release.

The strategic combination between Linde and Praxair would leverage the complementary strengths of each across a larger global footprint and create a more resilient portfolio with increased exposure to long-term macro growth trends, Angel said. We consider this to be a true strategic merger, as it brings together the capabilities, talented people and best-in-class processes of both companies, creating a unique and compelling opportunity for all of our stakeholders.

Praxair supplies gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, dry ice, helium and neon to a variety of industries. The company, which employs about 400 people in Danbury, had sales of $10.8 billion in 2015.

It announced in 2014 it was keeping its headquarters in Danbury and would make a $65 million investment to build a 100,000-square-foot facility at the former location of GE Capital on Riverview Drive. It has already started moving into the new location.

Praxair officials have not yet responded to requests regarding how the Danbury facilities will be affected, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement on Tuesday that it will maintain a significant presence in the state and credited Connecticuts skilled workforce as one of the reasons.

We are proud of the partnership we have built with Praxair over the years and look forward to having this growing international company call Connecticut its home for many more years to come, he said.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said he toured the new headquarters in the Berkshire Corporate Park on Monday. He added that Praxair also intends to build a data recovery center on the west side of Danbury.

Theyve invested a lot of money here and I think their footprint is solid in the city, Boughton said. Were excited about the possibilities and opportunities for Praxair and Linde.

Stephen Bull, president of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, also expects Praxair to retain a strong local presence.

Theyll need an American headquarters no matter what, and Praxair has a long history in Danbury going back to the Union Carbide days, he said. Theyve really distinguished themselves as a shining star in Danbury. They have a corporate culture that believes in community service.

Praxair was formed as an independent company in 1992 when Union Carbide spun off its industrial gases division.

We look forward to continuing to work with them in any way we can, Bull said. Who knows? Maybe there will be opportunities for expansion.

This summer the gas giants announced they were in merger talks, but said in September the talks had terminated because a mutual understanding could not be reached. Earlier this month, the companies announced that talks had resumed.

Under the conditions of the all-stock transaction, Linde shareholders would receive 1.54 shares of the new holding company for each Linde share they own and Praxair shareholders would receive one share for each of their present shares, so that the two groups each own approximately 50 percent of the new holding company.

The new company will have a single board of directors with equal representation from Linde and Praxair. It will be listed on both the New York Stock Exchange and Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Praxair committed Tuesday to preserving jobs in Germany to win the backing of Lindes directors.
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NORWALK  The Norwalk Visitors Docks could become home base next summer for Island Keepers working aboard a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service research vessel.

The Island Keepers, whose duties include giving tours, monitoring wildlife and cleaning litter on the Norwalk Islands, have traditionally lived on house boat/research vessel and used rustic accomodations on Chimon or Sheffield islands.

That could change after the Norwalk Common Councils Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Committee lent its support to a pilot program that would station the island keepers at the David S. Dunavan Boating Center at Veterans Memorial Park in East Norwalk.

Norwalk Director of Recreation and Parks Michael A. Mocciae sees the plan  now headed to the full council  as a way to improve a successful program and obtain funding for local projects.

It gives us the opportunity to look at some potential future work with the federal government and getting some grants, Mocciae said. Theyll be out every day during the summer. Its really a pilot program to see how it goes. Were hoping that the future brings some good federal funding for the projects.

Mocciae said the island keepers would continue to monitor the Norwalk Islands at no cost to the city, perform cleanups, paint buildings and be a big help for us.

The Norwalk Islands are part of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches across 70 miles of Connecticut's coastline. Established in 1972 and originally called Salt Meadow National Wildlife Refuge, the refuge was renamed in 1987 in honor of the late U.S. Congressman Stewart B. McKinney, who helped expand it, according to the USFWS.

For the last several summers, USFWS has stationed island keepers in Norwalk. Their duties include welcoming the public, giving guided tours to families, youth and camp groups, monitoring wildlife populations, and patrolling the refuge to keep it tidy and encourage its proper use, wrote Richard A. Potvin, manager of the refuge, in his request letter to the city.

Stationing the house boat/research vessel at the Norwalk Visitors Docks, he continued, would allow the island keepers to better serve visitors and help the harbormasters office and parks department keep watch on city property after hours.

There would be two individuals working as island keepers in summer 2017 and they will be fully trained in boating safety and operations, First Aid & CPR, as well as visitor services, Potvin wrote. The two would be stationed at a research vessel (but for two days they would be without official duties).

The 40-foot vessel with one-foot draft  designed for use in the Florida Everglades  would occupy a dock space that generally isnt deep enough for other vessels, according to USFWS.

The island keepers would have a smaller, roughly 16-foot boat tied to research vessel while on station. It would be used for transport, patrol and general work at the refuge.

Under the existing arrangement, the island keepers leave the houseboat  anchored on the far end of Sheffield Island  at 8 a.m. and dont return until late evening, packing Cliff bars and other non-perishables as meals. The accommodations are sparse with no running water, Internet or 24/7 electricity.

Staff writer Kaitlyn Krasselt contributed to this report.
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NORWALK -- Police were called to the area of All Saints School on West Rocks Road Tuesday morning on reports of shots fired, according to police broadcasts.

Both patrol officers and detectives responded to the scene following several 911 calls reporting shots fired, according to the broadcasts, which were first transmitted at 8:52 a.m.

"Officers responded and checked the area," Lt. Terry Blake, a Norwalk Police Department spokesman, said Tuesday morning. "We spoke to both callers. At this time there is no evidence to substantiate shots having been fired."

Officers were seen scanning the ground outside the school for evidence, and knocking on doors of surrounding houses to question residents.

Police said activities at the school were not affected, and there was no lockdown. Officer cleared the scene on West Rocks Road at about 9:40 a.m., after having found nothing. West Rocks Middle School is roughly a block south of All Saints. Both schools continued to function normally.

In September 2016 there were two incidents of residents reporting hearing gunshots on nearby East Rocks Road.

In those cases, nothing had been struck by gunfire, and there were no injuries reported. Police said that the shots appeared to be random in nature, most likely coming from a vehicle that was traveling on the road.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Norwalk police at 203-854-3000 or anonymously at 203-854-3111 or online at www.norwalkpd.com. Anonymous text tips can be submitted by typing NPD into the text field, followed by the message, and sending it to CRIMES (274637).

Norwalk Hour reporter Leslie Lake contributed to this report.
The massive exodus to other states caused Illinois overall population to decline by 37,508 people, the U.S. Census reported.

CHICAGO - Illinois lost 114,144 residents to other states from July 2015 to July 2016, causing Illinois to suffer more population loss than any other state in the nation, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed Tuesday morning.

Picture the entire city of Peoria packing up and moving across state lines  thats how severe Illinois out-migration was over the last year, said Michael Lucci, vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute.

Lucci attributed the high number of moves to other states to the lack of legislature reforms that would improve the state's business climate.

People are leaving Illinois at record rates. Theyre tired of watching the states pension debt climb as lawmakers ignore the problem. Theyre tired of an expensive workers compensation system, and a dangerously ill economic climate. Its time for lawmakers to make massive reforms and send a strong signal that the direction of Illinois is changing," Lucci said.

Illinois is the only Midwestern state that experienced population loss in 2016, for the third year in a row.

Economic experts at the Illinois Policy Institute say they have studied the states migration and population trends intensely over the past five years.

"Countless reports find residents fleeing Illinois for states with with lower taxes and better job opportunities," a release said. "Heavy population losses on Census migration reports have always been followed by IRS migration reports showing the people who left took substantial earning power with them. The most recent IRS data show that Illinois loses $32,000 of taxable income every 5 minutes, on net.

In a column posted last week, Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore suggested Illinois is among the "blue states" that voted for Hillary Clinton and are losing population annually.

"They are the loser states. They are all progressive. High taxes rates. High welfare benefits. Heavy regulation. Environmental extremism. Super minimum wages. Most outlaw energy drilling," he wrote in an op-ed published in the Washington Times.

"The whole left-wing playbook is on display in the Hillary states. And people are leaving in droves. Day after day, they are being bled to death. So much for liberalism creating a workers paradise," he wrote.

Lucci said the Census data should send a strong signal to state lawmakers before the start of the new legislative session in January.
Here, dear readers, are four books to prepare you for the political season that lies ahead of us in 2017.

1) Constitutional Morality and the Rise of Quasi-Law (Harvard University Press, 2016)

The final work by my friend and mentor, the late and great George Carey, and also by one of the best scholars of traditionalist conservatism, Bruce Frohnen, who has many more books to compose in the years ahead. The Kendall/Carey scholarly nexus has become the Carey/Frohnen nexus! The debates over the nature and purpose of the American Constitution have raged in recent years, and any thoughtful student of the American political tradition will want to read this book as soon as possible.

2) Madisons Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention (Harvard University Press, October 2015)

In this groundbreaking and highly insightful work, Mary Sarah Bilder (Boston College Law School) advances the existing understanding of both the Constitutional Convention and the creation and evolution of James Madisons Notes. While obviously the Notes were an attempt to create a record of the Convention, the revisions of the Notes suggest that Madisons understanding of what took place changed over time. For Bilder, Madison is not the intellectual father of the Constitution (7). Instead, Madison used the work of others (Robert Yates) and the Convention debates and discussions in taking and revising the Notes (7). The tome proves that Madison was a copious note-taker before the Convention. He wrote the Notes for future use, and with Jefferson as his audience. Madison was less detailed initially, but he nevertheless had his prejudices against some participants (Charles Pinckney, for example) and was not concerned about confidentiality (54). Bilder argues Madison engaged in selective recording, and reduced the emotional nature of the speakers. During the main period of the Convention (mid-June to mid-August 1787), Madison did not initially record major speeches and minimized criticism of himself (75). In general, Madison bypassed a critique of many issues, preferring to concentrate on ratification matters. As the author demonstrates, the revisions to the Notes continued until Madisons death (223).

3) Democratic Beginnings: Founding the Western States (University Press of Kansas, 2015)

In this innovative and highly engaging study, Amy Bridges (University of California, San Diego) analyzes the development of the founding state constitutional conventions and constitutions in the American West from 1850-1910. The creation of the constitutions of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming serve as the centerpiece of the study, which includes an emphasis on each states constitutional convention. The author posits that western constitutions tried to assemble the best provisions and the modern understanding of equity and progress, for the constitutions they wrote (156). Unlike the federal constitutional convention, the delegates to the founding western state conventions were forced to respond to changing political environments, and new, previously unanticipated challenges (for example, irrigation and mining rights). Such deliberations often took place without the advantage of any legal or political precedent. The salutary role of state constitutional conventions in the development of western state constitutions is defended, and this constitutes a serious challenge to earlier scholarship. The explication of the state constitutional convention delegates diligence and statesmanship is of great importance to future studies of federalism and American political development.

4) The American Revolution, State Sovereignty, and the Constitutional Settlement, 1765-1800 (Lexington Books, 2016)

In what is my favorite book of the last year, Aaron N. (Nathan) Coleman, a young, yet brilliant historian at the University of the Cumberlands, has composed a seminal work that allows readers to understand the Founders vision for the American Republic with greater accuracy and scrupulousness than previously available, and while the scholarship of myriad historians and political theorists are critiqued with great care, this study recovers the authentic basis for the political compact and the perpetuation of the regime. The book constitutes a significant accomplishment. His forthcoming The Founding of the American Republic (with your servant and Sean R. Busick) Manchester University Press, 2018) should build upon this excellent and transformative understanding of our political tradition.

Finis
Last week was painful for the community of Chapman. The Northwest school board voted to close the school in Chapman in a cost-saving move.

Its hard enough for a small town to make it these days. When a towns school closes, its a setback that can lead to other closings.

Chapman, which had a population of 287 in the 2010 Census, has always been in a precarious position. Situated along Highway 30, 12 miles east of Grand Island and 10 miles west of Central City, it has been difficult to get businesses to locate there because people can easily drive to the other towns to get groceries and other items. Theres plenty of traffic passing through on the highway, but its hard to compete with nearby bigger stores in larger cities.

However, it is an attractive area with Bader Park to the south and the community is surrounded by productive farm ground. The Union Pacific Railroad line goes through Chapman.

Families like the thought of their children going to a nearby school and not having to be bused to a school miles away. That selling point wont be there any more for Chapman.

The Northwest school board, though, also was in a tough spot. Farmers in the Northwest district have been coming to the board complaining that their property taxes are too high and asking for changes.

So the board searched for options. It held four separate public meetings, including one in Chapman, to talk about restructuring the district and ask for input.

In a logical move, the board decided to close its smallest feeder school  Chapman. It left open St. Libory, 1-R and Cedar Hollow.

Chapman has 82 students this year. The enrollments at the other Northwest schools are Cedar Hollow, 349 students; 1-R, 173 students; St. Libory, 103 students; and Northwest High School, 720 students.

When school districts look to cut costs, they have very few options. Program cuts damage the quality of education, and many services are mandated by the state or federal government. Many school districts in the state have consolidated or at least combined extracurricular programs.

And while Northwest officials have done a good job of meeting with residents and getting their input, the boards agenda could have been more specific. Perhaps a better approach would have been for the school board last week to put closing the Chapman school on its next meetings agenda or call a special meeting.

Its action last week took many district residents by surprise and more Chapman area residents would have liked to have attended the meeting and made the case for their school to stay open.

The discussion at the restructuring meetings, though, did give them warning that it could come up.

Everyone hates to see a school close. Everyone wants their children to be able to go to a school close to their home. Today, in rural areas, its no longer possible in a lot of places. The list of towns that have seen their schools close keeps getting longer.

Starting next year, Chapman can be added to the list.
Photos: Phillies fans converge on CBP for Game 4

Phillies fans were hyped up for Game 4 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park and the stadium complex Wednesday.
Question: I understand that our Constitution protects speech, but what are its limits? Specifically, I am a member of a union, and am fairly conservative. In the last election, my union supported the Democratic candidate, and obviously supported her in part with my dues. Another friend from the union is also conservative, and we were talking about it. He said that the union using our dues to support a candidate or cause that we do not violates our freedom of speech rights. Do you think that this is true?

The First Amendment of the Constitution provides, in part, Congress shall make no law  abridging the Freedom of Speech . It is a sacred idea, and one that is arguably the centerpiece of our constitutional democracy.

Your question is a good one, and probably one that most people have not thought about before.

In answering your question, it is helpful to know from the start that this area of law is quite complex, as well as very difficult to understand, even for lawyers. This being said, it is too difficult to answer your first question in relation to all of the areas that the Freedom of Speech covers. Nonetheless, I can answer your question in relation to your freedom of speech and the union dues that you pay.

Often, the Supreme Court of the United States has been required to strike a balance between two competing interests: the interest of the individual, whose speech needs to be protected, and the interest the government had in passing the law in the first place.

The Freedom of Speech includes the freedom not to speak at all. In other words, not speaking can be as effective a form of speech as a loud, noisy protest may be. A person can choose not to engage in speaking as well as not to engage in beliefs with which he or she does not agree. This is where your union dues come up.

Your question really concerns issues involving providing financial support to an organization or association. The issues also involve the government requiring a person to provide such financial support.

In short, a person can be required to provide financial support to an organization. In order not to violate that person's right to Freedom of Speech, however, the person must derive some benefit from the fees that he or she has paid. This is true even when a portion of that money winds up being used to support a belief or a cause that the person paying the fee does not believe in or would not otherwise endorse.

The payment of fees or dues to an organization can violate an individual's rights when those fees or dues are principally used to support a program that supports speech to which the individual objects.

The United States Supreme Court addressed the issue of union dues some time ago, at least as it applies to unions representing government employees.

Government employees can be required to belong to a union, and, therefore, pay the required membership dues to that union. The reason is that the union negotiates benefits on behalf of all union members, and, therefore, the dues can be seen as a service charge of sorts for performing that service. In situations like these, the benefits derived from union membership, for which the dues are imposed, are not the same as any use of those funds to support a position or belief that union members like yourself might not support.

This being said, the United States Supreme Court has also addressed another situation involving unions. Specifically, the Supreme Court has ruled that unions cannot require their members to pay more than the dues required for membership alone. In other words, if a union required dues in order to be a union member, and also required an additional fee that supports a position, belief or a candidate for political office, then the union members who paid the additional fee have had their constitutional right to Freedom of Speech violated.

It might be of interest to readers to note a couple of other instances in which the Supreme Court has upheld a fee when part of it is used to endorse a belief the payer of the fee does not endorse. For example, attorneys can be required to be members of a state bar and pay the required bar dues, provided that those dues are used to regulate the legal profession.

In another example, students attending a public university or college can be required to pay  as part of their tuition  a fee that supports student groups, even when a portion of this fee is used to support political student groups that the students paying the fee object to. This remains true unless the program that disburses funds to student groups does so based upon the viewpoints of the individual student groups.

Have questions for Brendan Bukalski? E-mail him at askthelawyer@gmail.com, or write him, c/o The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 117 N. 2nd St., Edwardsville, IL 62025.

Editor's note  the answers provided in this column are general in nature, and should not be relied upon as legal advice or interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship. As a general rule, all specific legal problems should be handled by an individual's personal attorney. Any submissions to the author are subject to being published and to being modified prior to publication.
The Glen Carbon Village Board voted on an ordinance establishing the real estate property tax levy and assessment of taxes for 2016 at its last regular trustee meeting.

The proposed total for tax year 2016 is $2,750,025. The figure is a $126,935 increase from tax year 2017.

Director of Finance Scott Borror said the ordinance reflects the same numbers that were presented in the preliminary tax levy presentation given to the board in November.

The Finance and Administration Committee did a final review of the proposed levy and made no changes, Borror said. It is now ready for final approval.

Trustee Jorja Dickemann stressed that she believed the increase was not that bad.

When you look at the increase of approximately $127,000, I think it's important to note that $110,000 of that is for the Police Pension Fund, she said. This is something we have decided that we are going to fund. That leaves only a $17,000 increase that is necessary for the individual funds and accounts. I think $17,000 is not a bad increase.

The tax levy is seeking a total of $515,025 for Bond 2011-39 payments, $250,000 to be paid into the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, $240,000 for police protection, $400,000 for the police pensions, $225,000 for liability insurance, $170,000 for the street and bridge fund, $250,000 for Social Security payments and $700,000 for the villages general fund.

During the discussion period, Mayor Rob Jackstadt suggested lowering the total levy by $50,000.

I would suggest we lower the levy for the general fund from $700,000 to $650,000, he said. In my opinion Glen Carbon property tax payers deserve a break whenever we can lower real estate taxes.

Jackstadt said with the recently approved sales tax increase, and an increase in sales tax revenues, the village can afford to lower the property tax levy.

I believe the loss of $50,000 in real estate taxes can be made up through sales tax revenues, he said. If you extrapolate what we are garnering per month in sales taxes this fiscal year it is coming out to $3.56 million or a 4 percent increase over last year. But our fiscal year 2018 budget only has $3.4 million in sales tax revenue. I believe in 2018 we will be higher in sales taxes especially since we will have a full year of sales taxes revenue from Ross Dress For Less, Kirklands and the Mens Warehouse.

After making his pitch to the board, Trustees voted to keep the proposed 2016 levy at the proposed amount of $2,750,025.

Trustees Dickemann, Steve Slemer and Micah Summers voted in favor of the proposed ordinance. Trustee Mary Beth Williams voted against the ordinance. Trustees Ross Breckenridge and Brooke Harmony were absent from the meeting.
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Linkedin Azis Anwar Fachrudin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

As Christmas approached, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MU) issued a fatwa (edict) prohibiting Muslims from wearing non-Muslim religious attributes. Not surprisingly, on the pretext of the familiarization of the fatwa, members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) have conducted raids of attire considered symbols of Christmas, such as Santa hats, in a few cities  one in Surabaya, which was escorted by the police.

The fatwa has gone further on three levels as compared to the 1981 MUI fatwa on Christmas celebrations.

First, it has a much longer list of scriptural arguments backed by opinions of medieval ulema saying that greeting Christians on Christmas is forbidden in Islam. This is not in line with the 1981 fatwa that only prohibited Muslims from participating in the Christian rituals of Christmas and not prohibiting them from saying Merry Christmas  in fact, the MUI leader at that time, Buya Hamka, allowed it; so did the previous MUI chairman, Din Syamsuddin.

Second, the fatwa has a much broader definition of the very object it is against, i.e. non-Muslim religious attributes. Misunderstandings may arise if this includes the Santa suit.

The Santa outfit has become a tradition over the last century. It became popular only after a portrayal of Santa Claus with a red and white suit was adopted as part of an advertisement for the Coca-Cola company; hence the red and white colors. It has, therefore, much more to do with the marketing industry rather than being a religious symbol.

The red-and-white Santa outfit is thus the westernized, or more precisely Americanized, portrayal of Saint Nicholas. In fact, if it is seen as a commoditization of the sacred embedded in a capitalist system of economy, it may contravene the meanings in being religious, such as charity and altruism, to name a few. In short, the Santa outfit is not a religious attribute; it is a capitalist attribute. Third, and most importantly, it is difficult to make sense of the reasoning behind the fatwa. The 1981 fatwa is plausible, as it only deals with ritual participation, and the MUI leader at the time backed up his argument by an analogy that the Christians, conversely, cannot participate in, for example, the Muslim five daily prayers.

The current fatwa, on the other hand, has no ground other than a literal adherence to a popular, elusive hadith saying, whoever imitates any people, s/he is one among them. From this hadith derives the reasoning, as suggested in opinions of medieval ulema, that celebrating Christmas, including saying Merry Christmas and wearing Christian religious symbols, is tantamount to confirming a Christian spirituality.

That reasoning cannot hold up because today many people greet Christians on Christmas or wear a Santa outfit only for social purposes, having no intention of claiming Christianity as their religion. Besides, if applied consistently to all issues, the literal reading of the hadith will bring about the dismissal of many attributes worn or adopted by Muslims yet similar to or originated from other religions or cultures.

Ulema, priests and rabbis wear robes. Rosary or prayer beads are used in Islam, Christianity and Judaism; Buddhist monks use prayer beads, as well. Do not forget our national symbol the Garuda bird, which is of the mount of Vishnu that originates from Hindu mythology. Adopting a Garuda as a national symbol certainly does not mean Indonesian Muslims promote Hinduism.

So, why did the medieval ulemas opinions come up with that reasoning? The instructive part of the Dec. 14 MUI fatwa is that all the ulema cited to back up the arguments were all coming from no earlier than the 12th century CE. This context is important to consider.

There is no explicit statement either in the Quran or hadith, which suggest the reasoning. It is ulemas interpretations of the Quran and commentaries of the hadith that do. Further, a story in the earliest biography of Prophet Muhammad narrated that the Prophet allowed Christians of Najran to conduct their rituals in the Nabawi mosque of Madinah  and this story was assessed as valid in Ahkam Ahl alDhimmah by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah which, ironically, was among the cited in the MUI fatwa.

It was the ulema who lived in that era onward who enhanced the arguments that set a boundary between a Muslim identity and any symbol perceived as relating to non-Muslim traditions  this doctrine is known in Salafi discourse as al-wala walbara (loyalty and disavowal).

In todays discourse, with narratives of enemies in Muslim communities, the defense mechanism of preserving an exclusive Muslim identity will take place; and the alwala wal-bara doctrine will find momentum.

Regardless of being the majority, if the Muslim masses feel threatened (to borrow from Mujiburrahman, 2006), Indonesian Muslim popular discourse will remain the same, i.e. preoccupied by somewhat trivial issues, such as wearing Santa hats, greeting non-Muslims on their holidays, opening daytime restaurants during Ramadhan, reciting the Quran using a Javanese melody and so on so forth.

***

The writer holds an MA degree from the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.

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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 (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, December 19 2016

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) director Erik Solheim recently made his first official visit to Indonesia as UN environment head. In Jakarta, Solheim applauded the government for its ambition to become a regional and global leader on environmental sustainability.

The Jakarta Posts Endy M. Bayuni and Hans Nicholas Jong talked to Solheim during his visit about issues related to climate change, such as how the Paris Agreement will be affected by the US presidential election victory of Donald Trump. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

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Linkedin Stephen Ohlemacher (Associated Press) Washington  Tue, December 20, 2016

There were many protesters but few faithless electors as Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote Monday  ensuring he will become America's 45th president.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions. Trump's polarizing victory Nov. 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

Even one of Trump's fiercest Republican rivals, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said it was time to get behind the president-elect.

"We want unity, we want love," Kasich said as Ohio's electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony. Kasich refused to endorse or even vote for Trump in the election.

With Hawaii still to vote, Trump had 304 votes and Clinton had 224. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, thousands of protesters converged on state capitols across the country Monday, urging Republican electors to abandon their party's winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvania's capitol, chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!" and "No treason, no Trump!"

In Madison, Wisconsin, protesters shouted, cried and sang "Silent Night." In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said, "Don't let Putin Pick Our President," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite the noise outside state Capitols, inside, the voting went pretty much as planned.

In Nashville, Tennessee, one audience member tried to read out some Scripture before the ballots were cast, but was told he could not speak.

"We certainly appreciate the Scripture," State Election Coordinator Mark Goins said from the podium. "The answer is no."

With all Republican states reporting, Trump lost only the two electors in Texas. One voted for Kasich, the Ohio governor; the other voted for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state  three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

Republican electors were deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support Trump. Many of the emails are part of coordinated campaigns.

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, elector Charlie Buckels reached out to Trump's opponents after the New York businessman got all of the state's eight votes.

"For those of you who wished it had gone another way, I thank you for being here," said Buckels, the state GOP finance chairman. "I thank you for your passion for our country."

There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state  though some states require their electors to vote for the winning candidate.

Those laws, however, are rarely tested. More than 99 percent of electors through US history have voted for the candidate who won their state. Of those who refused, none has ever been prosecuted, according to the National Archives.

Some Democrats have argued that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives more weight to less populated states. That is how Clinton, who got more than 2.8 million more votes nationwide, lost the election to Trump.

Some have also tried to dissuade Trump voters by arguing that he is unsuited to the job. Others cite the CIA's assessment that Russia engaged in computer hacking to sway the election in favor of the Republican.

"When the founders of our country created (the Electoral College) 200-plus years ago, they didn't have confidence in the average white man who had property, because that's who got to vote," said Shawn Terris, a Democratic elector from Ventura, California. "It just seems so undemocratic to me that people other than the voters get to choose who leads the country."

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, with Vice President Joe Biden presiding as president of the Senate. Once the result is certified, the winner  almost certainly Trump  will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

___

Associated Press writers Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Erik Schelzig and Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, Kathleen Floody and Alex Sanz in Atlanta, Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Marina Villeneuve reported from Augusta, Maine, and Juliet A. Williams in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

___

Online:

AP interactive on election results: http://interactives.ap.org/2016/road-to-270/

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephenatap (**)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Publicly listed coal miner Adaro Energy expects to see a flat production target next year amid low demand following China's policy to cut its domestic coal mining production.

"Our production target will be flat next year, or maybe [the target] will be even lower," Adaro Energy corporate secretary Mahardika Putranto told reporters in Jakarta on Monday.

Mahardika said Adaro's production is expected to reach about 52 million to 54 million metric tons next year, similar to 2016's target.

According to Mahardika, there would likely be no significant increase in the demand for coal next year despite news that China, which is by far the world's largest coal consumer, is likely to ease its restriction on domestic coal production next year.

China has limited its domestic coal production since April this year to 276 days a year instead of the normal 330 days. However, the Chinese government has signaled recently that it would ease these restrictions after securing a price deal with major domestic miners.

Regarding the price, Mahardika expected the price to increase slightly next year.

Indonesian coal prices now stand at US$70 per metric ton. (dmr)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Sydney, Australia  Tue, December 20, 2016

Australia and France signed an agreement Tuesday to build the world's largest diesel-electric submarines in the Australian industrial town of Adelaide.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the agreement in Adelaide, where they officially opened the Australian headquarters of DCNS, a French state majority-owned company that will design the Shortfin Barracuda subs.

Turnbull described the 56 billion Australian dollar (US$41 billion) contract to build 12 subs as the largest capital project in Australia's history. The contract is also DCNS's largest outside France.

A workforce of 2,800 people will begin building the first sub in an Adelaide shipyard in 2022.

"Security is uncertain around the world and that is why we are re-equipping our navy and our defense forces," Turnbull told reporters.

France beat German and Japanese rivals to secure the Australian contract in April.

France offered the Australians a diesel-electric version of the Barracuda-class nuclear submarine under construction for the French navy. Japan proposed a longer version of its Soryu-class diesel-powered propulsion system with advanced stealth capabilities.

Germany, which had publicly offered to build the entire fleet in Adelaide for AU$20 billion  less than half the navy's expected cost  offered a larger variation of its Type 214 submarine made for Australian specifications called a Type 216. It promoted as its edge over competitors its partnership with German engineering firm Siemens which would have provided the submarines' software and promised to create a digital shipbuilding center in Adelaide.

The French bid offered the same pump jet propulsion that gave its nuclear submarines their advanced stealth capacity. Other diesel-electric submarines are too small to be fitted with the same stern-heavy technology.

Australia's Shortfin Barracuda Block1A will be 97 meters (318 feet) long and weight 4,500 metric tons (5,000 US tons)  2.5 meters (8 feet) shorter and 200 metric tons (220 U.S. tons) lighter than its French nuclear cousin.

Australia already has one of the world's largest conventional submarines, the Australia-built Collins class, and the navy insisted that its replacement at least match its range of 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 kilometers). At 3,100 metric tons (3,400 U.S. tons) and 77 meters (253 feet long), the Collins will be dwarfed by the next-generation Shortfin Barracuda.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Bali Police personnel on Tuesday managed to safely detonate a low-explosive device found earlier in the day inside a bag in the popular tourist district of Ubud in Gianyar regency.

Gianyar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Waluya said the bag had been found on Tuesday morning in front of a food stall on Jl. Raya Banjar Lungsiakan in Kedewatan subdistrict.

The food stalls owner, identified as I Ketut Suela, found the bag with an attached note bearing the word Bomb when he was about to open his stall. Suela immediately asked people near his stall to move away as he reported the finding to village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa), who later called the local police.

A low-explosive device found by a villager in Ubud, Gianyar, Bali is shown after being safely detonated by the Bali Police bomb squad on Tuesday. (Courtesy of Bali Police /File)

Waluya said the bomb, which contained gun powder, was a low-explosive device. The police, he said were still continuing their investigation to find out who placed the bomb at the location.

We can't really tell what the actual explosive power [of the bomb] could have been, he said, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

(Read also: Police's counterterrorism squad foils plot to bomb State Palace)

In 2002, a group of people linked to extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah launched bombing attacks in Bali that killed 202 people. Three years later, a series of suicide bombings on the resort island by terrorists claimed the lives of 20 people and injured more than 100 others. (hwa)
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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Amid market volatility, many local firms now prefer to offer short-term bonds that mature in between 1 and 5 years in an effort to minimize risks, a credit rating agency says.

Pemeringkat Efek Indonesia (Pefindo) president director Salyadi Saputra said the companys data showed that only 12.4 percent of bonds issued in the January-November period had a tenor of 5 years or longer. Most issuers, meanwhile, opted to offer bonds at a 1, 3, or 5-year tenor.

"Many firms now prefer to issue bonds with a 5-year tenor even though they may have long-term expansion projects. After a bond matures, then they will refinance it by issuing other bonds," Salyadi said on Tuesday at the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) building.

(Read also: Companies jump on bond bandwagon in Q4)

Salyadi said between 2008 and 2012, over 20 percent of the bonds issued offer either a 7 or 10-year tenor. However, after the commodity boom ended, companies were less likely to issue long-term bonds.

Salyadi added that the refinancing option also had other risks, such as higher coupons, additional administrative costs, and volatile market conditions. Meanwhile in the buy side, investors tended to be reluctant to buy long-term corporate bonds. If so, they would only buy bonds with high-credit quality, like those issued by state-owned companies

"However, those kinds of long-term bonds are rare in the market. Even many [managers of] pension funds that have to invest for the next 20 to 25 years, prefer short-term bonds and then to buy more after they mature," he said. (hwa)
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Buni Yani, the suspected uploader of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnamas alleged blasphemous video, is optimistic the South Jakarta District Court would rule in his favor during his pretrial motion hearing on Wednesday.

Bunis lawyer Aldwin Rahardian said arguments, including testimonies of witnesses and experts from both sides, that had been presented in hearings so far had been in favor his client, showing that his suspect naming was invalid.

Especially after we are supported by people with prayers, we are optimistic [to win the case], Aldwin told reporters at the Jakarta Police headquarters on Tuesday.

(Read also: Ahok video uploader shocked by police summons for questioning on treason case)

On Dec.5, Buni filed a pretrial hearing request with the South Jakarta District Court to challenge the Jakarta Polices decision to name him a suspect in a religious and ethnic hatred case.

Hopefully, the judge panel can act objectively and fairly, Aldwin said.

Buni was named suspect last month for posting on his Facebook account an edited version of a video that showed Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama mentioning a Quranic verse. Ahok's remarks in the video were later considered a blasphemy and triggered uproar among some Islamic organizations.

Buni said his suspect naming was as a criminalization against him. He said the police did not follow proper procedures before naming him suspect, including not holding a case reconstruction.

Buni said the absence of a case reconstruction in the polices investigation violated the Criminal Code Procedures (KUHAP) and the National Police chief regulation on investigation procedures.

The police denied Bunis accusation, saying they had followed necessary procedures, including carrying out a case reconstruction. (ebf)
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Linkedin Pardi Kendy (The writer is a member of Indonesian FinTech Association and director of bank UOB Indonesia) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Over the past two decades, Indonesias financial industry has experienced a shift triggered by the emergence of a new format of services through a merger between financial services and technology (fintech), which has been able to introduce a wide range of solutions to make consumers lives easier.

Changes in lifestyle and the introduction of affordable technology are key factors behind the rapid development of fintech in Indonesia. Fintech has opened up opportunities for banks to offer a range of financial solutions that are designed to be more innovative, agile and mobile to meet customers needs.

The development of fintech companies in the Indonesian market has been unstoppable. The Indonesian FinTech Association recorded that the industry had grown by 6 percent in the 2011-2012 period and 9 percent in the 2013-2014 period, before seeing a staggering 78 percent growth in the 2015-2016 period. The figure is predicted to grow continuously in line with untapped market potential in Indonesia.

(Read also: Fintech talk: The emergence of fintech: disruptive or collaborative?)

Answering the challenges

Product penetration by segment in ASEAN markets(JP/File)

Data from McKinsey and Company indicates that every year more than 5 million Indonesian people enter the growing middle-class segment, whose annual income starts at US$3,600. The overall figure is expected to reach 135 million people by 2030. However, according to a World Bank estimate, almost 80 percent of the Indonesian population does not have access to banking services. This situation applies to not only people in rural areas but also those in urban areas.

The Exhibit 1 shows that the average penetration rate of financial products in Indonesia, which stood at 2.16 products per customer, is much lower than that of our neighboring countries, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

In general, the significant costs for acquisitions and customer services have become similar challenges faced by banks to stoke growth. Lenders, for instance, must have many branch offices to reach out to various market segments spread out across different geographical areas.

Fintech, meanwhile, can be a solution for such a challenge, while helping banks to create added values and increase competitiveness through solid customer value propositions, responsive services and higher levels of customer engagement.

New partners

Digital banking penetration across Southeast Asia.(JP/File)

Currently, banks are in the midst of a digital transformation, continually looking for ways to accelerate their access to the market and deliver new services. Market research conducted by McKinsey and Company stated that regional banking institutions that managed to improve their market share have previously invested in digital technology.

The same research also suggested that the proportion of access to digital banking services in Indonesia had grown seven-fold from 4 percent in 2011 to 33 percent in 2014. The growth of smartphone users is predicted to be a major factor that will encourage the rapid use of mobile banking services in Indonesia.

Therefore, banks should see the emergence of fintech start-ups as an opportunity that can help them stoke growth. Some examples of fintech services that will benefit the banking industry are data analytics, which helps analyze customers habits and needs to create products and services that fit their profile; customized online services, which allow banks to provide online services that fit clients needs; and cost saving services, which helps banks to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their marketing activities.

As of today, FinTech services that have generally been integrated in banking activities are peer-to-peer lending and payment, block chain for trade finance and online acquisition and servicing.

(Read also: Fintech Talk: Peer-to-peer lending: A new form of financial inclusion)

Capacity building

It is required for banks, fintech start-ups and other financial service providers to jointly improve their capacity and cooperation. They need to strengthen collaboration to guarantee the security of transactions and ease doubts among customers.

International banking networks with long-term visions are constantly looking for ways to accelerate the growth of fintech start-ups.

One successful program is FinLabs Acceleration Program. FinLab will become the center of knowledge and mentoring for selected fintech start-ups to help them enhance business models, improve the quality of the products and solution services, expand access to business networks, investors, experts, relevant activities and, of course, technology.

Meanwhile, regulators will also need to nurture fintech innovations that have been growing rapidly. The introduction of sound fintech regulations is not meant only to protect customers but also encourage fintech players to grow in the right direction as support for the banking industry.
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Linkedin Ika Krismantari (The Jakarta Post)  Tue, December 20 2016

Share and discuss: One of several panel discussions at the Good Deals 2016 conference in Birmingham, UK.

In addition to supporting regulations and financial incentives, social entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom have one more thing to cherish every year: the Good Deals conference.



According to its website, Good Deals is the UKs leading international conference for social enterprises, social investment and social innovation.



The annual event is where social enterprises, entrepreneurs, charities, investors, advisers, policymakers and corporate firms gather to discuss best practices, share learning experiences, debate issues and most importantly get good deals.



This years event was held in Birmingham after being held in London for nine years.



London is a very exciting place and the center of UKs social investment scene, however changes are needed and people are doing interesting, purposeful and impactful things all around the country [] We took the risk to go out and have the conversation somewhere else, said Tim West, Good Deals founder.



This year, 370 delegates attended the event, almost the same figure as last year, West added.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

The Finance Ministry doubts that the increase in tobacco excise can reduce the prevalence of smoking in the country, arguing that the regulation needs to be combined with non-fiscal policy to make it more effective.

Suahasil Nazara, the ministrys fiscal policy office (BKF) head, said besides gradually increasing excise tax, educating people about the negative impact of smoking and preventing youths from purchasing tobacco products also were equally important.

I dont believe that increasing excise tax will reduce the prevalence of smoking. We need to use a combination of fiscal and non-fiscal policies, he said in a discussion on cigarettes at Hotel Borobudur in Central Jakarta.

In eight years, the number of tobacco factories had gone down from 4,669 in 2007 to 714 in 2015, which reflected the recent decline in cigarette production. The fact implied that production had decreased in line with market forces, he said.

(Read also: Expert calls for tripling of tobacco tax)

The governments argument was slammed by Hasbullah Thabrany, a professor of public health at the University of Indonesias School of Public Health, who said the reason behind the declining number of tobacco companies was because many small companiesmostly hand-rolled cigaretteswere unable to compete with big firms.

The Finance Ministry announced in October that it had issued a regulation to increase excise taxes by an average of 10.54 percent next year for several types of cigarettes. The price increase was lower than the target set by the government this year of 11.33 percent. (win/evi)
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Linkedin Paul Wiseman and John Leicester (Associated Press) Washington  Tue, December 20, 2016

Christine Lagarde will remain head of the International Monetary Fund despite her conviction Monday of negligence in a case dating to her tenure as France's finance minister.

The IMF's executive board quickly met after the court's decision and expressed "full confidence" in Lagarde's ability to carry out her duties at the head of the Washington-based international lending agency. In a statement, the board cited her "outstanding leadership" and the respect and trust she has worldwide.

After a weeklong trial, France's Court of Justice of the Republic found Lagarde guilty of one count of negligence but spared her jail time and a criminal record.

The 60-year-old IMF leader had potentially faced a year of imprisonment and a fine for not seeking to block a fraudulent 2008 arbitration award to a politically connected tycoon when she was finance minister.

Lagarde thanked the board for the vote of confidence "in my ability to do my job." She said she would not appeal the French court's decision.

"I am not satisfied with it, but there's a point in time when one must stop, turn the page and move on," she said.

Lagarde, a lawyer, became France's first female finance minister in 2007, overseeing the country's response to the financial crisis that rocked the global economy from 2008. She is also the first woman to head the IMF.

The troubling verdict comes as the IMF is weighing its role in multiple global crises, including a bailout for Greece.

"She is a strong leader," US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said in a statement after the board's decision. "And we have every confidence in her ability to guide the fund at a critical time for the global economy."

The Court of Justice of the Republic is a special tribunal to hear cases of alleged criminality by ministers in office and is made up of three judges and 12 parliamentarians. It ruled that Lagarde's negligence in her management of a long-running arbitration case involving tycoon Bernard Tapie helped open the door for the fraudulent misappropriation of public funds. Lagarde herself was not accused of fraud.

The case revolves around a 403 million-euro (US$425 million) arbitration award given to Tapie in 2008 over the botched sale of sportswear giant Adidas in the 1990s. Civil courts have since quashed the unusually generous award, declared the arbitration process and deal fraudulent and ordered Tapie to refund the money.

The special court's presiding judge, in reading the verdict, said Lagarde should have asked her aides and others for more information about the "shocking arbitration award," which included a tax-free payment of 45 million euros in damages to Tapie, which the court described as fraudulent.

Had Lagarde contested the award, an appeal against it might have succeeded and would have strengthened the negotiating position of those who were fighting Tapie's demands for compensation over the sale of his majority stake in Adidas, the court ruled.

In deciding not to sentence Lagarde, the court noted that the award to Tapie has since been annulled, sparing damage to the public purse. It also noted that Lagarde was busy at the time with the global economic crisis.

Lagarde's "personality and national and international reputation" also counted in her favor in the decision not to punish her, the court ruled.

Lagarde, who was not present for the verdict, maintained her innocence through the trial. The prosecutor had asked for an acquittal in the case, which began in 2011.

The special court acquitted Lagarde of negligence in her original decision to put the Tapie case to arbitration. But it found her guilty in a subsequent decision not to contest the amount of the arbitration award.

The legal battle between Tapie and Credit Lyonnais over the public bank's sale of his Adidas stake was still unresolved when Lagarde took over at the Finance Ministry in 2007.

Lagarde ordered that the dispute be settled through a private arbitration panel, instead of regular courts  against the advice of her own services. The massive award raised questions about whether Tapie benefited from his political connections, including with then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, Lagarde's boss when she was his finance minister.

Soon after the award, investigators suspected the whole process was rigged in favor of the magnate.

In 2013, Tapie, his lawyer, one of the arbitrators and Lagarde's chief of staff at the ministry, Stephane Richard, now the CEO of the telecom company Orange, were charged with gang-related fraud. Lagarde's Paris home was searched by police. However, that case is separate from Lagarde's legal woes.

Tapie was handed another charge of misappropriation of funds. But in 2015, a court quashed the arbitration deal and ordered Tapie to repay the money. Last June, the top French court ruled that the arbitration was fraudulent.

___

Associated Press writer Paul Wiseman reported this story in Washington and AP writer John Leicester reported from Paris. AP writers Elaine Ganley in Paris and Marcy Gordon in Washington contributed to this report.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) chairman Ma'ruf Amin has defended the council's fatwa, or edict, prohibiting companies and business owners from forcing their employees to wear Christmas-related paraphernalia, saying that the fatwa was made based on feedback from Muslim congregations.

Ma'ruf claimed that the council had received complaints for years that many bosses, including hoteliers, shop owners and government officials, had required their workers to wear Christmas-related paraphernalia and attire during the celebrations even though the workers were Muslims.

"[The workers] had to follow since they were just employees. They were afraid of being fired," Ma'ruf said as quoted by Warta Kota in a press briefing at the council's office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to him, the council had been subject to complaints from Muslims for not taking a strong stance against such practices.

"That's why eventually, the council came up with issuing [the fatwa] this year," he explained.

Forcing Muslims to wear Christmas-related attire, he said, was against the values of Pancasila and the Constitution, adding that the council aimed at maintaining religious freedom in the country.

"[The fatwa] is part of the pluralist view," he said, calling on the government to understand the council's stance.

Over the weekend, the police came under fire for their failure to prevent members of the hardline Islam Defenders Front from cracking down on business establishments that allowed their employees to wear Christmas attributes.

Jan Sihar Aritonang, a professor at the Theology School Jakarta, said the council had wrongly identified symbols of consumerism, such as Santa hats, as part of Christianity. (dmr)
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, has issued a circular telling all Indonesian citizens residing in the country to avoid crowded places after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated on Monday.

If possible, avoid places that are crowded and prone [to attack], the circular said, which was signed by Dyah L. Asmarani, the embassys information, social and culture functions officer.

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was fatally shot on Monday while giving a speech at a photo exhibition in Ankara. The assassination came following protests by some Turkish people angry over Russias bombardment and destruction of Syrias Aleppo.

(Read also: Invoking Syria, policeman kills Russian ambassador to Turkey)

Before the assassination, a bomb exploded in Besitas neighborhood in downtown Istanbul last Sunday, killing dozens and injuring hundreds of others.

Remain calm and keep doing your daily routines while watching any developments around you, the circular said.

The embassy has also told Indonesians to carry identification wherever they go and share their situation with their families and fellow Indonesians in the country. (evi)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Indonesian humanitarian groups have intensified their measures to help civilians, who have suffered from atrocities in the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo, following deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by the Syrian government.

Humanitarian organizations have continued to call for donations from Indonesian groups and individuals to dispatch volunteers who are ready to provide aid to Syrians, in collaboration with local humanitarian initiatives.

The Jakarta-based humanitarian body Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT), an Indonesian groups concerned with the crisis in Syria, has sent four of its staff members to Syria via Turkey on Sunday to provide humanitarian assistance to people in the country.

ACT president Ahyudin said the four-member team, called Sympathy of Solidarity (SOS), was the 11th batch that the organization had delivered since conflicts sparked in Syria last year.

We will continue to send help [to Syria]. We are focused on providing foods, clothes, tents and medicine, Ahyudin said in a statement, calling for more financial donors.

He further said the ACT was preparing to set up a bread factory in Syria to ensure available food supplies for people in the country. In the long run, the humanitarian group will also set up a branch office in Istanbul to house volunteers willing to directly participate in humanitarian activities to ease the sufferings of Syrians, he added.

Similar aid initiatives have also been established by Jakarta-based philanthropic organization Dompet Dhuafa. The organization has also created an account to collect donations in order to supply medicine to Aleppo. (ebf)
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

It was supposed to be business as usual for an insurer that has been in the market for more than a century, consumers thought, but to their surprise the company is, in fact, in critical condition.

Housewife and freelancer Arie, who wishes to be identified only by her nickname, just learned that her familys life insurer AJB Bumiputera 1912 is currently under close supervision by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) over allegations that the value of its claims are higher than the value of its assets.

Since Oct. 24, the financial authority has replaced the insurers boards of directors and commissioners and imposed a statutory management consisting of seven people who are responsible for all strategic decisions.

Bearing that in mind, 32-year-old Arie, who owns two life insurance policies for her parents-in-law and one education insurance policy for her child through Bumiputera, is preparing for the worst. She can only wish that customers will get fair protection in spite of any possible misconduct.

Given the situation, I probably will withdraw the funds because insurance policies are not guaranteed like bank savings, the Jakarta resident said. I prefer to withdraw them soon instead of getting busy making claims here and there.

The concerns raised by Arie are also shared by industry players and experts and regulators, who regard the Bumiputera case as a reminder for the overall insurance sector to better safeguard its customers for times of financial shocks.

Bumiputera, known as an Indonesian specialist in insurance with one of the biggest networks across the whole archipelago, currently has 6.5 million customers.

The OJK ensures that Bumiputeras obligations to its customers will be well fulfilled, said Adhi M. Massardi, one of the financial authoritys statutory officials who is reviewing a planned takeover of Bumiputeras business by a prospective investor.

(JP/File)

Business tycoon and media mogul Erick Thohir has expressed interest in injecting funds into Bumiputera through publicly listed investment and textile company Evergreen Invesco, Adhi added in a sign that the OJK may rule out closing down the countrys oldest insurer.

Evergreen, which has a market value of Rp 1.3 trillion, plans to issue rights shares to raise Rp 10 trillion and repay Rp 23.5 trillion in debts for its newly acquired Bumiputera Sembilan Belas Dua Belas (B1912), a subsidiary of Bumiputera.

A domestic life insurance industry group said the countrys insurance law has already outlined an insurance guarantee institution, namely the Policy Holder Insurance Corporation (LPPP), to protect insurance policy holders.

However, a government regulation that is supposed to regulate the establishment of the LPPP has yet to be issued by the Finance Ministry, said Indonesian Life Insurance Association (AAJI) executive director Togar Pasaribu, expecting the rule to be issued in October next year.

If claim-related disputes occur, there is also the Indonesia Insurance Mediation Body or BMAI. If the insurer is bankrupt, there are appointed curators, said Togar, referring to a situation during which the LPPP is absent.

However, some experts deem the measures to not be enough to protect policy holders.

In the event of financial trouble, there is always a possibility that the bankrupt company does not have sufficient assets to pay its debts, including to its policy holders, as in the case of an insurance company, business law expert Frans Hendra Winata said.

If the value of assets is not enough, the firm will pay with what it has, except if the court or debtors find other unsold assets that can be further liquefied, he said.

An insurance expert and the head of the Insurance and Risk Management Institute, Hotbonar Sinaga, expressed a similar view, urging the government to as soon as possible issue the LPPP regulation to protect insurance policy holders.

The establishment of a policy guarantee scheme will encourage the countrys insurance industry so that more people will get insured, he wrote in a note.

In 2013, during the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, Bakrie Life, an insurer owned by the politically wired Bakrie Group, failed to pay claims worth more than Rp 200 billion to approximately 200 customers.

No settlement has been made between the life insurer and its customers until today, although it has offered shares in its affiliated company, investment firm Bakrie and Brothers, as compensation  an offer rejected by the customers.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Tue, December 20 2016

The Medan District Court in North Sumatra has sentenced Togiman aka Toge, 60, and his subordinates, married couple Hendy, 31, and Mirawaty ka Achin, 31, to life in prison for drugs offenses, as regulated under the 2009 Narcotics Law.

The panel of judges, presided over by Erintuah Damanik, however, rejected prosecutors demand for three to be sentenced to death.

Lead prosecutor Joice Sinaga said he would file an appeal with a higher court.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Tue, December 20 2016

The police are investigating a university student who wrote a comment that allegedly insulted Christmas on his Facebook page.

In the comment, the student, identified only as RZT, 22, encouraged people not to wish others merry Christmas because he said Christmas was identical to vanity.

Sibolga Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Benny Remus Hutajulu said the post was written on Friday night and was spotted by police officers monitoring the social media.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

The Jakarta Transportation Agency is preparing alternative routes to ease traffic gridlock surrounding the light rail transit (LRT) project from Cawang in East Jakarta to Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Andri Yansyah said the construction work, which had begun Dec. 13 would run until December 2018.

"To reduce traffic congestion along the [affected] roads, we have prepared alternative routes for motorists," Andri said as quoted by the city administration's official website, beritajakarta.com, on Tuesday.

(Read also: Jokowi maintains close eye on MRT, LRT progress)

The project's ongoing construction will cause several roads to have narrower lanes, including on Jl. MT Haryono, Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Jl. Setiabudi, Jl. Galunggung and Jl. HM Djojohadikusumo.

Motorists coming from North Jakarta and heading to South Jakarta are advised to use alternative routes, such as via Jl. Galunggung, Jl. Latuharhari, Jl. Sultan Agung, Jl. Minangkabau, Jl. Dr. Sahardjo and Jl. Dr. Supomo, or via Jl. KH Mas Mansyur, Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio and Jl. Casablanca.

Meanwhile, those from Cawang heading to the Semanggi area have been told to take Jl. DI Pandjaitan, Jl. Basuki Rachmat, Jl. KH Syafei, Jl. Cablanca, Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio.

"Once the construction has been completed, the traffic arrangement will return to normal," he added. "We also advise motorists to follow directions from traffic officers in the field." (dmr)
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Linkedin Keita Ikeda (The Japan News/ANN) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

The Japanese and Indonesian governments are set to establish on Wednesday the Japan-Indonesia Maritime Forum, in which the two countries will discuss maritime cooperation.

Under the new framework, Tokyo will support Jakartas efforts to protect its maritime sovereignty in the South China Sea and other areas. By deepening cooperation with Indonesia, which has strong influence over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and through multilateral participation, Japan hopes to counter China, which has been building military strongholds in the South China Sea.

Luhut Pandjaitan, Indonesias coordinating minister for maritime affairs, will soon visit Japan and meet Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to sign an agreement on the matter.

The forum will comprise meetings of relevant ministers of the two countries and working groups. In particular, Japan will likely assist the development of ports and other infrastructure projects  part of Indonesias national strategy  as well as the development of remote islands and the enhancement of maritime security capabilities, among others.

Indonesia is neutral with regard to sovereignty in the South China Sea  a stance that does not contest Chinas claims in the area. However, poaching by Chinese fishing boats off the Natuna Islands on the southern edge of the South China Sea has become a serious issue.

Given the circumstances, the Indonesian government is implementing such measures as the development of a fish market to support fishermen. If Indonesian fishing boats are always operating in the area off the island, it will help protect the area. Japan will support this move as well.

Japan had competed against China in a bid for a high-speed rail project in Indonesia, but lost. China, by utilising its abundant financial muscle, is approaching the Southeast Asian nations with economic aid. In addition to Cambodia, which is said to be pro-China, Beijing is trying to bring on its side the Philippines, with which it has a territorial dispute over the South China Sea.

Japan and the Unites States called for the cooperation of other nations in dealing with China at the ASEAN-related Summit Meeting in September, but failed to achieve tangible results. The joint statement adopted by ASEAN and China, stating that they undertake to resolve the territorial and jurisdictional disputes ... through friendly consultations and negotiations by the sovereign states directly concerned, served Chinas cause.

Japan wants to turn the tide by bringing Indonesia on side  the country often described as the leader of ASEAN.

This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has signed Government Regulation No.59/2016 to regulate mass organizations founded by foreigners.

According to the Cabinet Secretariat website, the regulation was issued to ensure that any mass organizations founded by foreigners respect the country's sovereignty, social values and cultures as well as benefit the community and abide by the law.

Separately, Teuku Taufiqulhadi, a member of House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs, said the government through the Home Ministry should strictly supervise the founding of foreign mass organizations.

"We need to prevent terrorist organizations from entering the country," Taufiqulhadi said as quoted by Antara news agency on Monday.

Taufiqulhadi said foreign mass organizations should play a role in maintaining relations between Indonesia and their countries of origin.

"For instance, religious organization founded by people from the Middle East could help maintain good relations [between Indonesia] and those countries," he said. (dmr)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

President Joko Jokowi Widodo summoned National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian to the State Palace on Monday evening to clarify police circulars that have been issued based on the fatwa (religious edict) of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) on the wearing of Christmas attributes.

The President called the National Police chief in relation to that matter [the circulars], Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said as reported by kompas.com.

Earlier, Kulonprogo Police in Yogyakarta and Bekasi Police in West Java issued circulars citing the fatwa and calling on owners and managements of businesses not to force their employees to wear Christmas attributes.

Pramono said the President wanted the police to uphold state law, not MUI fatwas.

(Read also:Police to revoke circulars on MUI ban on Christmas attributes)

Pramono regretted the issuance of the circulars on the Christmas attributes ban by the Kulonprogo and Bekasi police forces, saying they went too far.

He said the President also summoned a number of police generals to the palace in relation to the ban on the enforced wearing of Christmas attributes.

"Our existing laws [which can be used] are laws, PPs [government regulations], presidential decrees, ministerial decrees, including the National Police chiefs decrees. So they can be used, Pramono added. (jun)
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Linkedin Haeril Halim and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20 2016

The National Police have come under fire following the leak of the chiefs internal order requiring officers to hold a permit before answering questions from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Attorney Generals Office (AGO), and before allowing seizure on police property.

The circular mandates all police officers across the country to acquire an approval from National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian before attending a questioning at the KPK and the AGO and testifying in court.

It also instructs police personnel not to allow KPK and AGO investigators and court officials to enter police property and conduct raids in graft cases before acquiring permits from the National Police chief.

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Linkedin (Associated Press) Ankara  Tue, December 20, 2016

Turkish police have detained a man who fired shots in front of the US embassy in Ankara, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack.

The state-run Anadolu Agency says the man took out a pump action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air early Tuesday. He was overpowered by the embassy's security guards.

No one was hurt in the incident which occurred hours after a Turkish policeman, appearing to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit in Ankara.

The embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be "closed for normal operations on Tuesday."
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Central Jakarta Police spokesman Comr. Suyatno said the police deployed 2,986 personnel to secure the second hearing of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnamas blasphemy case on Tuesday.

There are 320 personnel from the National Police, 2,542 personnel from Jakarta Police and 124 personnel from the Central Jakarta Police who will secure the court area," Suyatno said on Tuesday.

Ahok is scheduled to attend his second hearing at the North Jakarta District Court at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, which is now temporarily located at the former Central Jakarta District Court building on Jl. Gajah Mada No 17, Central Jakarta.

Suyatno said the police were also ready to secure protests that might take place in front of the courts building during the trial.

Ahoks supporters and several Islamic organizations have planned to stage demonstrations during Tuesdays hearing, which will hear prosecutors response to Ahoks exception conveyed in the latters first hearing on Dec.13.

The protests from supporters are aimed at reminding the judges that the law shall not bow to public pressures. We want them to enforce the law based on the facts," Yayong Waryono, the coordinator of Ahok's supporters, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Meanwhile, several Muslim organizations, including the Alliance of Muslim Movement and the Indonesian Muslim Brotherhood, aimed to push for the arrest and imprisonment of Ahok during their rallies. (ebf)
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Linkedin Asila Jalil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20 2016

Students had an opportunity to get first-hand information on what North Korea thinks about its nuclear program and other issues during a talk on Monday.

North Korean Ambassador to Indonesia An Kwan-il said that nuclear weapons were a necessity for his country because it was facing hostility from the United States.

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Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Yogyakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Following the decision of some local police leaders to back a campaign by firebrand Muslim groups to crack down on Christmas celebrations, President Joko Jokowi Widodo has instructed National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian to uphold discipline among members of the force and make efforts to prevent their power from being abused by hardline groups.

During a meeting with Tito at the State Palace on Monday, Jokowi said that the police force must work only to implement official rules and regulations.

Our existing rules are laws, government regulations, presidential regulations, ministerial regulations and so on, including a regulation from the police chief himself. That should be the ground rule, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said.

Jokowi summoned Tito on Monday following the decision by police chiefs in Bekasi in West Java and Kulon Progo regency in Yogyakarta to issue circulars ordering local officers to uphold an edict issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) banning Muslims from wearing Christmas attributes, such as Santa hats. The MUI issued the fatwa on Dec. 14.

Bekasi Police issued its circular on Dec. 15 while Kulonprogo Police released its circular on Dec. 17.

Over the weekend, police in Surabaya, East Java, also came under fire for their failure to prevent members of the hardline Islam Defenders Front (FPI) from cracking down on business establishments that allowed their employees to wear Christmas attributes.

Earlier on Monday, Tito ordered police officers to get tough on members and activists of hardline groups who carried out intolerant acts.

I instruct all police officers to arrest and take action against those who want to promote disorder. We shouldnt bow to those groups, Tito said.

Tito also ordered members of the corps to keep an eye on groups that carried out intolerant acts under the guise of publicity programs for the MUI edicts.

Also, if we find some groups that carry out raids while claiming to be conducting familiarization, but in fact bring fear to people, we must take the initiative to stop them, Tito said.

The police chief said that he would discuss the issue with the MUI in the coming days.

I will talk with the MUI so that they take tolerance and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika [the countrys motto of unity in diversity] into consideration when they want to issue a fatwa, he added.

Jan Sihar Aritonang, a professor at the Theology School Jakarta, said that the MUI had wrongly identified symbols of consumerism, such as the Santa hat, as part of Christianity.

Production and distribution of such attributes are not directly related to Christianity. Until now, Christian churches have never reached any consensus about what could be considered as attributes or symbols for Christmas. They are just a tradition in some churches, particularly in Europe and America, Jan said.

Responding to the actions of the FPI in Surabaya, the MUI said that any Muslim groups that took the initiative to disseminate information regarding the Christmas edict should not use force against business owners who were unaware of the call.

The information about the fatwa can be relayed by sending one person to inform shop owners about it, or a letter should be enough, said the MUIs edict division head, Hasanuddin AF.

Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin meanwhile said that no private organizations had the authority to conduct such raids.

Ina Parlina and Bambang Muryanto contributed to this story.
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Prosecutors said pro-Muslim programs implemented by Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama during his administration could not justify his innocence in his blasphemy case.

His policies implemented during his term used the regional budget; hence, we shall consider it a responsibility that should be conducted by a public official. We can't justify his actions by considering these things," prosecutor Ali Mukartono said at Ahoks second hearing at the North Jakarta District Court on Tuesday.

The prosecutor referred to Ahoks exception in his first hearing on Dec. 13, during which the non-active governor mentioned several pro-Muslim programs he had implemented under his administration as an East Belitung City Council member, East Belitung regent and Jakarta governor.

(Read also: Prosecutors promise to prove Ahok's criminal intent during trial)

Ahok said that during his term as a Jakarta governor, he had constructed several mosques across the city, including in every low-cost apartment building. He said he also sent mosque attendants to Saudi Arabia for umrah (minor haj).

During the Ramadhan fasting month, Ahok said, he always let Muslim civil servants go home early so they could pray with their families at home. He further claimed he had routinely paid zakat (Islamic Alms), according to the Islam teaching.

In todays hearing, Ali responded to Ahok's claims by saying that serving the residents was an obligation of each public official. Ahok should still face legal consequences from his blasphemous speech in Thousand Islands, he added. (ebf)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Jakarta-based human rights watchdog Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) and its local partner in Papua, Elsham Papua, condemned intimidation and violence by police officers against activist Whens Tebay during a rally in Jayapura on Monday.

The two groups said Whens went to monitor the rally, which was held to promote West Papuan independence, before the police forcibly dispersed it. The police arrested 10 protestors and physically attacked several people attending the rally, the activist said.

Elsham Papua said in a press statement that the police had arrested, interrogated and hit Whens during the rally. The police later confiscated his camera and forced him to erase all photos taken during the rally.

This is deeply regretful, said Elsham Papua director Ferdinand Marrisan. The police did not give Whens a chance to speak as he was immediately arrested.

The group said the police had also arrested Papuans in other parts across the country during the commemoration of Trikora Day, during which they protested what they consider to be the illegitimate annexation of the region into Indonesia.

In the celebration of Trikora Day earlier this week, the Manado Police in North Sulawesi arrested 72 students from Papua and charged them with treason for planning to hold an event calling for the independence of West Papua.

Both Elsham Papua and Elsam called President Joko Jokowi Widodo to remind law enforcers of his commitment to maintain peace in Papua.

President Jokowi must tell the National Police chief [Gen. Tito Karnavian] to oblige police officers throughout the country, including in Papua, to respect and uphold human rights when carrying out their job, the organizations declared. (ebf)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Ankara  Tue, December 20, 2016

The UN Security Council is condemning "in the strongest terms" the "terrorist attack" that assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey and is calling for the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors to be brought to justice.

A statement Monday night from the UN's most powerful body reaffirms that all forms of terrorism pose one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. It says "that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."

The council also expresses "deep condolences" to the family of Ambassador Andrei Karlov and the Russian government.

(Read also: Invoking Syria, policeman kills Russian ambassador to Turkey)

The council further stresses "the fundamental principle of the inviolability" of diplomats under the 1961 Vienna convention on diplomatic relations and reaffirms the need to combat threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
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Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

A plan to allow more exports of raw and partly processed mineral products has irked businesses that have already invested heavily in smelters intended to add value to mineral ores and generate a multiplier effect for the economy.

The businesses argue that such a policy would not only send a chilling message to the international community that Indonesia cannot hold to its commitments, but also harm the downstream industry and put more pressure on the global prices of several mining commodities already experiencing a supply glut.

A draft regulation prepared by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, a copy of which was recently obtained by The Jakarta Post, will allow companies with mining licenses (IUP), or special mining licenses (IUPK), or former holders of contracts of work to have the privilege of getting five-year export licenses.

Partly processed or raw nickel, bauxite, anode slime and copper telluride will be on the list of products allowed for overseas shipment. Companies will also be allowed to resume the export of copper concentrate.

The only requirements from the government are for the companies to pay an export tax and construct a smelter.

Dont play around with such a high-risk policy. There have been many smelters developed recently and once we open the exports gate the outflow will be unbearable, Indonesian Smelter and Mineral Processing Association (ISPA) chairman R. Sukhyar told the Post on Monday.

The domestic industry will be left in turmoil as miners will prefer to export the mineral ores.

Foreign investors, mostly from China and Russia, have flocked into Indonesia after a 2009 Mining Law requires a total ban on raw and partially processed mineral exports, encouraging many to set up processing plants to take advantage of the law.

According to the Processing and Smelting Companies Association (AP3I), there have been 32 new smelters built in the country  24 of which are nickel smelters  within the past four years with a total investment of about US$20 billion.

The smelters are expected to add value to the end products, as opposed to exporting ore in its raw form, and to prevent mining wealth from being exploited by overseas businesses.

Investors will be confused with such a flip-flop policy, said Sukhyar.

Speculation surrounding the planned relief has already put Indonesia in an unfavorable situation because as investors wait for certainty they suspend business and decision making, said Sukhyar, a former Energy and Mineral Resources Ministrys director general for minerals and coal.

Sukhyar said the industry now worries that opening up exports of nickel ore and bauxite ore could undermine the global prices of these commodities and their semi-processed forms, which are already suffering from an oversupply.

During his presidential campaign and first year in office, President Joko Jokowi Widodo pledged to maintain the ban and expand it into a fully enforced prohibition.

However, the draft regulation contradicts the pledge as the government is in dire need of cash from royalties and taxes paid by several large mining companies amid a shortfall in tax collection caused by sluggish economic activities.

Gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia, a local unit of US mining corporation Freeport McMoRan Inc., to cite an example, contributed $2.4 billion in royalties and $1.5 billion in non-tax state revenues (PNBP) from 2010 to 2015.

Observers have said that if the company is not allowed to resume exporting copper concentrate, the government and the people of Papua, the province where the company is operating, will suffer greatly.

The company has been allowed to export after pledging to construct smelting plants and agreeing to pay export taxes with rates linked to the progress of construction, which has been stalled.

However, its export licenses will expire when the 2009 Mining Law is set to be fully enforced after Jan. 11, 2017, with the government rushing to decide whether to maintain the current relaxation or to fully enforce the ban.

According to the Finance Ministrys directorate general of the treasury, income from export duties was 25 percent short of its target this year and a three-year to five-year mineral export extension for mining companies like Freeport can help the government secure revenues, considering that the country will still be able to sell the raw commodities abroad at contracted prices.

AP3I deputy chairman Jonatan Handojo said the privilege enjoyed by Freeport should not be a catalyst for others to demand the same facility as he understood that many nickel and bauxite mining companies were also lobbying to have the ban lifted amid the governments dire need for revenues.

Jonatan said there had been too many foreign investors putting their money into the country, particularly from China, in the hope of benefitting from the downstream industry after they were no longer be able to maximize the operation of their nickel smelters in China because of a lack of supply following Indonesias export ban. Once the policy is eased, I can imagine how they will be extremely furious.

Indonesia is among the worlds top producers of nickel, bauxite and copper.
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Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20 2016

A plan to allow more exports of raw and partly processed mineral products has irked businesses that have already invested heavily in smelters intended to add value to mineral ores and generate a multiplier effect for the economy.



The businesses argue that such a policy would not only send a chilling message to the international community that Indonesia cannot hold to its commitments, but also harm the downstream industry and put more pressure on the global prices of several mining commodities already experiencing a supply glut.



A draft regulation prepared by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, a copy of which was recently obtained by The Jakarta Post, will allow companies with mining licenses (IUP), or special mining licenses (IUPK), or former holders of contracts of work to have the privilege of getting five-year export licenses.



Partly processed or raw nickel, bauxite, anode slime and copper telluride will be on the list of products allowed for overseas shipment. Companies will also be allowed to resume the export of copper concentrate.



The only requirements from the government are for the companies to pay an export tax and construct a smelter.



Dont play around with such a high-risk policy. There have been many smelters developed recently and once we open the exports gate the outflow will be unbearable, Indonesian Smelter and Mineral Processing Association (ISPA) chairman R. Sukhyar told the Post on Monday.



The domestic industry will be left in turmoil as miners will prefer to export the mineral ores.



Foreign investors, mostly from China and Russia, have flocked into Indonesia after a 2009 Mining Law requires a total ban on raw and partially processed mineral exports, encouraging many to set up processing plants to take advantage of the law.



According to the Processing and Smelting Companies Association (AP3I), there have been 32 new smelters built in the country  24 of which are nickel smelters  within the past four years with a total investment of about US$20 billion.



The smelters are expected to add value to the end products, as opposed to exporting ore in its raw form, and to prevent mining wealth from being exploited by overseas businesses.



Investors will be confused with such a flip-flop policy, said Sukhyar.



Speculation surrounding the planned relief has already put Indonesia in an unfavorable situation because as investors wait for certainty they suspend business and decision making, said Sukhyar, a former Energy and Mineral Resources Ministrys director general for minerals and coal.



Sukhyar said the industry now worries that opening up exports of nickel ore and bauxite ore could undermine the global prices of these commodities and their semi-processed forms, which are already suffering from an oversupply.



During his presidential campaign and first year in office, President Joko Jokowi Widodo pledged to maintain the ban and expand it into a fully enforced prohibition.



However, the draft regulation contradicts the pledge as the government is in dire need of cash from royalties and taxes paid by several large mining companies amid a shortfall in tax collection caused by sluggish economic activities.



Gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia, a local unit of US mining corporation Freeport McMoRan Inc., to cite an example, contributed $2.4 billion in royalties and $1.5 billion in non-tax state revenues (PNBP) from 2010 to 2015.



Observers have said that if the company is not allowed to resume exporting copper concentrate, the government and the people of Papua, the province where the company is operating, will suffer greatly.



The company has been allowed to export after pledging to construct smelting plants and agreeing to pay export taxes with rates linked to the progress of construction, which has been stalled.



However, its export licenses will expire when the 2009 Mining Law is set to be fully enforced after Jan. 11, 2017, with the government rushing to decide whether to maintain the current relaxation or to fully enforce the ban.



According to the Finance Ministrys directorate general of the treasury, income from export duties was 25 percent short of its target this year and a three-year to five-year mineral export extension for mining companies like Freeport can help the government secure revenues, considering that the country will still be able to sell the raw commodities abroad at contracted prices.



AP3I deputy chairman Jonatan Handojo said the privilege enjoyed by Freeport should not be a catalyst for others to demand the same facility as he understood that many nickel and bauxite mining companies were also lobbying to have the ban lifted amid the governments dire need for revenues.



Jonatan said there had been too many foreign investors putting their money into the country, particularly from China, in the hope of benefitting from the downstream industry after they were no longer be able to maximize the operation of their nickel smelters in China because of a lack of supply following Indonesias export ban. Once the policy is eased, I can imagine how they will be extremely furious.



Indonesia is among the worlds top producers of nickel, bauxite and copper.

------------------

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Linkedin Ika Krismantari (The Jakarta Post) Birmingham and London  Tue, December 20 2016

Issues that matter: The Big Issue magazine is one of most successful social enterprises in Britain. It gives homeless people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income.

The United Kingdom has never been the same for The Jakarta Posts Ika Krismantari since her visit in November with the British Council. It turns out the country is an ideal place for people to run businesses that answer social problems. Here is her full report:

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Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20 2016

The Military Police urged the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to submit evidence on the alleged involvement of a one-star Navy admiral in the recent high-profile bribery scandal surrounding the procurement of satellite surveillance systems worth Rp 400 billion (US$30 million) at the Maritime Security Board (Bakamla).

The antigraft body last week arrested deputy Bakamla chief Eko Susilo Hadi for allegedly accepting Rp 2 billion in bribes from businessmen who had won the bid for the procurement. Following the arrest, it was revealed that a commodore seconded to Bakamla had also allegedly been involved in rigging the project. The successful bidder, PT Melati Technofo Indonesia (MTI), had allegedly promised 7.5 percent of the total project value in illicit kickbacks.

The KPK said its investigators had secured evidence related to the alleged involvement of the officer, identified only by the initial B, who was said to have received a portion of the kickbacks from the company.

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Linkedin Suzan Fraser and Nataliya Vasilyeva (Associated Press) Ankara  Tue, December 20, 2016

Russian investigators worked Tuesday to determine whether the assassination of their ambassador to Turkey was the work of a lone gunman or part of a wider conspiracy as the two countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian war, said they would not let the killing disrupt efforts to repair their relationship.

In a separate attack, a man with a shotgun was detained after he fired into the air outside the US Embassy in Ankara, the Turkish capital. No one was hurt.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead Monday by a Turkish policeman who shouted slogans about Aleppo, a Syrian city where Russian bombardments have targeted rebel factions. Authorities identified him as a 22-year-old member of Ankara's riot police squad, but did not disclose any motive for the attack.

On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey attended a previously scheduled meeting in Moscow, where they said they were committed to advancing peace efforts in Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey and Russia would work together to determine who was behind the "heinous terror attack" against Karlov, who was killed in front of a stunned audience while making remarks at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was hosting Cavusoglu as well as the foreign minister of Iran for a meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis. Top Turkish, Russian and Iranian defense officials were also meeting. Russia and Iran have backed the government of Bashar Assad, while Turkey has supported rebels fighting Assad.

"Turkey and Russia have shown the world what they can achieve when they cooperate," Cavusoglu said in at the start of the meeting with Lavrov. He was referring to a Turkish- and Russian-brokered peace deal that paved the way for the evacuation of thousands of people from the east of embattled Aleppo.

(Read also: Man detained in Turkey after firing shots outside US embassy)

The presidents of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed that the killing of the Russian ambassador "makes us more decisive in fighting terrorism and makes today's meeting even more important," Lavrov said.

Both foreign ministers lay flowers in front of a photograph of the ambassador at the Russian Foreign Ministry mansion where talks were taking place. Cavusoglu said a street where the Russian Embassy in Ankara is located would be renamed for Karlov.

Karlov's assailant, identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, was later killed in a shootout with police.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as Altintas, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around the ambassador as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

A group of 18 Russian investigators and foreign ministry officials left for Ankara to investigate the killing, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The ambassador's body and his family will be brought back to Russia in the same plane that flew in the Russian experts, according to Russia.

Authorities are trying to determine whether Altintas acted alone or if his assault was an organized terror attack, Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper reported.

His actions appeared to be well-planned. Altintas had taken leave from work on medical grounds and booked himself into a hotel near the exhibition center, Hurriyet said.

Turkish police detained three more people connected to Altintas on Tuesday, raising the number of people in custody to seven, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported. They include the man's parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara.

The assassination occurred after days of protests by Turks angry over Russia's support for Syrian leader Assad and Russia's role in the bombardment and destruction of parts of Aleppo.

Also Tuesday, Turkish police detained a man who fired shots in front of the US Embassy, which is across the street from the building where the Russian ambassador was killed. It was not immediately known if the two incidents were connected.

The man took out a pump-action shotgun hidden in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air before embassy security guards apparently overpowered him, according to the Anadolu agency.

The US Embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be "closed for normal operations on Tuesday."

Authorities increased security outside the Russian Embassy, and the Iranian Embassy was closed on Tuesday as a precaution. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov warned against traveling to Turkey, citing attacks that have hit the country over the past 18 months.

___

Vasilyeva reported from Moscow. Associated Press writer Christopher Torchia contributed from Johannesburg.
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Linkedin Bassem Mroue and Edith M.Lederer (Associated Press) Beirut  Tue, December 20, 2016

The leaders of Russia and Iran, military allies of Syria's president, talked Monday about joining forces to reach a quick political settlement in Syria, as the country's largest city, Aleppo, was poised to return to full government control.

Syrian state TV said it expected the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from the last opposition footholds in Aleppo to be completed by early Tuesday.

As more people left the city, the UN Security council approved a compromise French-Russian resolution urging the immediate deployment of UN monitors to watch over the evacuation and "the well-being of civilians" remaining in the city. UN officials said more than 100 UN humanitarian staff already on the ground in Aleppo, most of them Syrian nationals, could be used in that role.

France's UN Ambassador Francois Delattre said the goal of the resolution is "to avoid new mass atrocities by the forces on the ground and the militias in particular." But thousands of people have already been evacuated from the city and the operation could be completed before the observers arrive.

The departure of the last rebels from Aleppo would close another chapter in Syria's civil war and would give President Bashar Assad a significant symbolic and strategic victory.

Almost six years after the outbreak of an armed rebellion against Assad, the Syrian leader will be in charge again of the country's five largest cities and the Mediterranean coast.

The presidents of Russia and Iran spoke by phone Monday to discuss the next moves. The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani "underlined the need for joint efforts to launch a real political process aimed at a quick settlement in Syria."

The leaders noted that a quick launch of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, would be an important step toward that goal, a Kremlin statement said.

The conversation came a day before a scheduled meeting of foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Moscow. Russia and Iran have backed Assad, while Turkey has supported the opposition.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, welcomed the Moscow meeting and any effort that results in a cessation of hostilities.

He announced that the United Nations hopes to arrange negotiations between the government and opposition in Geneva on Feb. 8.

The Special Envoy will follow with interest the meeting tomorrow between the governments of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. He welcomes any effort that can bring about a cessation of hostilities, which remains a cornerstone of the framework laid down in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) in parallel with the political process. He has also taken note of the possibility that this initiative, and other initiatives, can promote intra-Syrian dialogue. He welcomes all such efforts as potential contributions to the UN process.

In the Turkish capital of Ankara, meanwhile, the Russian ambassador was shot to death by a man shouting, "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria!" The gunman fired at least eight shots, killing Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, at an embassy-sponsored exhibition, and was then slain by police.

Discussing the Security Council resolution calling for monitors in Aleppo, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there would also be observers from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Crescent.

The resolution also demands that all parties allow unconditional and immediate access for the U.N. and its partners to deliver humanitarian aid and medical care, and "respect and protect all civilians across Aleppo and throughout Syria."

Syria's UN Ambassador, Bashar al-Ja'afari, claimed that one of the "main purposes" government opponents pushed for the resolution was to get people into eastern Aleppo to rescue foreign intelligence officers still in the former rebel-held area.

He named 12 alleged officers still trying to get out of Aleppo  six from Saudi Arabia and one each from Turkey, the United States, Israel, Qatar, Jordan and Morocco. He said: "We are going to catch them ... and show them to you."

The rebels captured eastern Aleppo in July 2012 and held on to it despite a ferocious assault in recent months by Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and a host of Shiite militias from Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan.

The evacuation of Aleppo began last week after Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire as government forces were closing in on the rebels' last redoubt, but has been repeatedly delayed.

The evacuation of more than 2,000 sick and wounded from the rebel- besieged Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya was tacked onto the deal at the last minute. The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV said 10 buses left those villages with civilians on Monday.

There are also plans to evacuate hundreds of people from Madaya and Zabadani, two besieged, rebel-held villages near the Lebanese border. The Observatory and Mayadeen said 15 buses entered the two villages on Monday.

Rebel-held eastern Aleppo has been besieged for months, with several previous cease-fires breaking down and virtually no humanitarian aid reaching its tens of thousands of residents.

One of those who left Aleppo on Monday was Mohammed Abu Jaafar, who described a miserable five-kilometer (three-mile) trip that took more than two hours in an overcrowded government bus.

He said they passed three checkpoints, one manned by Russian troops, another by plainclothes Syrian intelligence agents and the third by Syrian troops.

Inside the bus, men, women and children were hungry and cold as they waited for hours in freezing temperatures, he said.

"Children were screaming, and some people fainted," he said, adding that there was no baby formula or diapers.

Among those evacuated Monday was 7-year-old Bana Alabed and her mother Fatemah, who tweeted about the horrors of living through the government's assault on eastern Aleppo, which destroyed much of the city. Their account had some 334,000 followers.

Speaking to the activist-run Qasioun News Agency in the Aleppo countryside, Fatemah said she was glad to have finally reached safety but expressed regret that she was forced out of her home city and said she did not want to become a refugee.

"I left my soul there," she said.

The Observatory and Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later said that since midnight Sunday, some 4,500 people have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo.

Reports differed on how many people remain in eastern Aleppo, but estimates converge around 15,000 civilians and 6,000 fighters.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said a total of 131 wounded people  including 46 children  were brought to Turkey for treatment since the evacuations began last week. The agency said five of them have since died.

___

Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue reported this story from Beirut and AP writer Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations. (**)
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Linkedin Gillian Wong (Associated Press) Beijing  Tue, December 20, 2016

China on Tuesday handed back to the United States an underwater drone whose seizure raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Donald Trump's signals of a tougher policy toward Beijing.

Last week's seizure near the Philippines prompted a new volley of criticism by Trump, who has riled the Chinese leadership by saying he might reconsider policy toward Taiwan, the self-ruled island the mainland claims as its territory.

The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near where it had been taken, and it was received by the USS Mustin about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. Cook said Washington considered the seizure illegal.

"This incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea," he said, adding that the US has called on China to refrain from "further efforts to impede lawful US activities."

The statement said the US would continue to "fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows." Such freedom of navigation missions in which US ships sail near China's artificial islands draw warnings and rebukes from Beijing.

China's defense ministry said in a statement that it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations."

Chinese officials say the drone was removed from the water to ensure the safety of passing ships, but domestic political experts have read the move as a warning to Trump not to test Beijing's resolve over Taiwan.

Early this month, Trump broke protocol by speaking with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. He later said he did not feel "bound by a one-China policy" unless the US could gain trade or other benefits from China. Beijing regards any acknowledgement that Taiwan has its own head of state as a grave insult.

"China wants to send a message to the US side about how serious the consequences can be if sensitive issues in China-US relations are handled unilaterally and indiscreetly," said Xiong Zhiyong, an international relations expert at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. "The return of the seized drone shows that China hopes the US will not provoke China on these issues and engage in solving issues through consultation."

The incident underscores how Trump will confront as president an increasingly assertive China that wants to extend its reach in the South China Sea, a strategically vital area through which about US$5 trillion in global trade passes each year. Several of China's smaller neighbors have protested China's territorial claims there and are closely watching Trump's handling of the disputed sea.

The seizure of the drone fits into China's broader strategy aimed at shaping the perception that it is in control of the South China Sea and will not back down, said Michael Raska, a military analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"They use the South China Sea as political, economic and informational means to project power and to influence domestic and external perception that the South China Sea is basically Chinese," Raska said. "This puts the US and China into contending trajectories, but neither side has the strategic interest to escalate beyond these low-level incidents."

The US said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. A noncombat ship was recovering two drones last Thursday when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them, officials say.

Trump, still a month away from being inaugurated, accused Chinese authorities on Saturday of stealing the drone, and said on Twitter, "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!"

Trump has pledged to be more unpredictable on the world stage, billing the approach as a much-needed change from President Barack Obama's deliberative style and public forecasting about US policy.

That is likely to unnerve both allies and adversaries, leaving glaring questions about whether the foreign policy novice is carrying out planned strategies or acting on impulse.

___

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and news researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Seow Bei Yi (The Straits Times/ANN) Singapore  Tue, December 20, 2016

In the past two years, five maids working in Singapore were radicalised, although they "did not pose an imminent security threat" at the time, said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The maids were among some 70 foreigners investigated during that period, and had been radicalised through social media. Some of the foreigners were later deported after the authorities in their home countries were informed of their cases.

The statement yesterday came after Indonesia's anti-terror police commandos rounded up four women in the past week on suspicion of terrorism. Among them was Dian Yulia Novi, 27. She had worked in Singapore between 2008 and 2009, said an MHA spokesman.

Dian had allegedly been planning to mount a suicide bomb attack on the presidential palace in Jakarta. In a television interview broadcast last Tuesday, she said she was first exposed to radical Islam through Facebook by opening profiles of extremists while working as a maid abroad.

She worked for a family with three children here, and as a maid for three years in Taiwan.

But Dian did not show signs of being radicalized during her time in Singapore, said the MHA spokesman, who added: "Our security agencies are in contact with their counterparts regarding her case." Most of the 70 foreigners investigated in the past two years "were radicalized through their exposure to radical propaganda on social media", said MHA. Some then radicalized others using radical propaganda from online sources. The Straits Times understands that the five maids were among those radicalized via social media. While they did not plan to carry out acts of violence in Singapore at the time they were investigated, their presence posed a security concern for Singapore, MHA said. Six Bangladeshis charged with offenses under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act are serving their sentences here. With radicalization through the Internet being a worldwide phenomenon, MHA said social media platform owners have to ensure "their platforms are not used to promote radicalism and terrorism". A more effective approach in the longer term may be sensitizing the public to the dangers of extremist rhetoric and equipping them with social media literacy so they will not be vulnerable to terrorist propaganda online, added the ministry. Those who notice people showing signs of radicalization should inform the authorities. "The security agencies meanwhile continue to work closely with their foreign counterparts to share intelligence on terrorism activities," said MHA. Dian was a member of a cell based in Solo, Central Java. She had hidden a "rice cooker" bomb in her room, where she was arrested on Dec 10. The arrests of Dian and three other women mark a shift in strategy, with Indonesian militants recruiting women instead of men to mount attacks, national police chief Tito Karnavian has said. Maids from Indonesia said they were worried about being typecast after the news. "It affects us too because people will think other Indonesians will end up the same way," said Ms Sri Hartatik, 35, who has worked here for 11 years. "It is common for Muslims, including domestic workers here, to read about religion on social media," she said. But not everyone does so, she added, and neither does she. Mr Gary Chin, chief executive of maid agency Nation Employment, said that employers should watch out for sudden changes in their helpers' behaviour, show them concern and take an interest in who their friends are. "If they sense anything amiss, they should inform the agency as well, so that we can arrange for counsellors or family members to speak to the domestic helper." Dr Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, noted that militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is investing heavily in recruiting in cyber space. While Singapore has secured its physical space, it "now needs to better protect its citizens and residents, including the labour population, from cyber radicalization".

This article appeared on The Straits Times newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, December 20, 2016

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Jakarta director Oh Hyonjae said on Friday that there were approximately 300,000 Indonesian tourists visiting Korea this year.

The director revealed the data during the Korea Tourism Awards at Raffles Jakarta hotel in South Jakarta. Compared to the previous year, Indonesian tourists visiting Korea increased to around 50 percent.

Currently, Indonesian tourists rank 8th or 9th place in the Korea tourism industry. Based on the significant growth this year, the rank is predicted to increase to 3rd or 4th place within the next ten years.

(Read also: Where to go in South Korea for a summer vacation)

During the event, the KTO also named Golden Rama and Dwidaya travel agencies as the winners of Best Performance in Selling. The Korea Tourism Awards were attended by 170 participants, including travel agents that sell overseas travel products, airlines, as well as Korean in-bound travel agents. (asw)
The election system in the US has a process called the Electoral College. The system has state electors vote in their peoples stead and is acutely controversial.

On Monday it officially gave Donald Trump the presidency.

Electoral College voting. Trump just passed 270 mark. He's officially President-Elect. Will be 45th POTUS. No. It's not too early to drink.  Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) December 19, 2016

Trump managed to get the 270 votes required to win, which was to be expected, but heres what else we learned from the process.

1. This system won Trump the election

This may not be news to you. What makes this system so controversial is it means a presidential candidate can receive less votes but still win  it happened when George Bush beat Al Gore in 2000 and Donald Trump received almost 3 million less than his opponent in 2016.

The argument for the system is it gives more of a voice to the different states which have a smaller population though and this is what others have been arguing.

We have the #ElectoralCollege because Trump won the popular vote by 1.7 million w/ 49 states. California alone added 4 million for Hillary  Transition2017 (@OmnicientIam) December 19, 2016

2. Some people arent exactly happy

PA Electoral College meeting is adjourned. Woman screams from the gallery: "You just gave us Adolf Hitler" pic.twitter.com/6gB5ukNHl3  Michael Tracey (@mtracey) December 19, 2016

With the meeting being disrupted by one woman shouting from the gallery you just gave us Adolf Hitler we hardly need to explain further that some people are displeased with the business moguls confirmed election.

The main chant outside the Electoral College meeting right now in Harrisburg, PA is "No Treason, No Trump"  congratulations media pic.twitter.com/75dBdVKThn  Michael Tracey (@mtracey) December 19, 2016

Electors do not necessarily have to vote for the person their people chose and some hoped they would overturn the decision  but this would have been unprecedented. Or is it unpresidented?

When someone gets 2,843,362 fewer votes, lies incessantly & is aided by Vladimir Putin he should be 'unpresidented' by the Electoral College pic.twitter.com/5kr7RvV3eL  Col. Morris Davis (@ColMorrisDavis) December 17, 2016

3. Even some electors want the system abolished

The controversy is so great that New York mayor and elector Bill De Blasio took to Twitter to show his discomfort with the system  calling for one person, one vote.

4. Others are over the moon for Trump though

Of course millions voted for Trump and they took to Twitter to show their support for the next president.

Congratulations to @RealDonaldTrump; officially elected President of the United States today by the Electoral College!  Mike Pence (@mike_pence) December 19, 2016

You realise this means you become vice-president too right Mike?

5. Hillary Clintons husband is an elector

President Bill Clinton casts his electoral college vote for Hillary Clinton, the most qualified candidate in history pic.twitter.com/Omajaz7eWj  Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) December 19, 2016

As an elector for the state of New York, Bill Clinton got to vote for his wife (phew).

6. The Electoral College has a Twitter account and its breathtakingly boring

Do you know what happens if states dont submit their Certificates of Ascertainment on time due to a recount? https://t.co/lp6ktyODMf  Electoral College (@ElectoralCollge) December 14, 2016

Thats right, in case you wanted all the information the Electoral College receives the US national archives has a Twitter page which posts, well, just the results really.

Now we arent saying the US election system is boring but electors going against the vote of their people is incredibly rare so the archive copies of the votes and the rules about the system which it posts doesnt make for the most riveting of reads.

7. Some people spend too much time on Photoshop

Of course for many, days in history are really days to have a bit of fun with some pictures.

Although perhaps some are a little more crude than others
In an event that shocked the world, a lorry ploughed into shoppers at a busy Christmas market outside in the heart of Berlin, killing at least 12 people and injuring 48.

The incident at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is being treated as a suspected act of terrorism and artists from around the world took to social media to share their illustrations, expressing their feelings about the events that unfolded in the city.

@posnerart

@lindaschirm

@outlinyye

@mimihmoon

@himmelflocken

@kimiko_kay

@nennina__

@adeline_draws

@zukukato_art

@thadisart

@jamelblackbeardthecheeky
A picture taken just before Russias ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was killed captures the suspect standing right behind him.

According to reports, the 62-year-old ambassador had been speaking at an exhibition in Ankara, Turkey, when a man fired at least eight shots.

The Turkish interior minister said the gunman was a policeman.

The gunman shouted in Turkish: Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria as well as we are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Mohammad, for jihad. Russia has backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nearly six-year conflict, while Turkey has supported Assads opponents.

He was also pictured gesturing with the gun after the shooting.

The gunman (Burhan Ozbilici/AP)

Turkeys Anadolu news agency reported that after shooting the ambassador, the gunman climbed to the second floor of the same building and a 15-minute shoot-out with police ensued before he was killed.
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12 killed as lorry ploughs into Berlin Xmas market

GERMANY: A lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin yesterday (Dec 19), killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more in what police said was a suspected terror attack.

Tuesday 20 December 2016, 08:58AM

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks. Photo: Odd Andersen/AFP

Ambulances and heavily armed police rushed to the area after the vehicle mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in horrific scenes reminiscent of Julys deadly truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

I dont want to use the word attack yet, although there are many things pointing to one, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public television.

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least 12 people were killed and 48 others were injured in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

Australian Trisha O'Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there.

O'Neill said there was blood and bodies everywhere.

A German police spokeswoman said that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

Security sources cited by DPA news agency said that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

The Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

We havent heard from him since this afternoon. We dont know what happened to him. Hes my cousin, Ive known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him, transport company owner Ariel Zurawski said.

German authorities said there was no indication of further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz, where the suspected attack took place.

We are investigating whether it was a terror attack but do not yet know what was behind it, a police spokesman said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped.

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

Its awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas, said American tourist Kathy Forbes. We also thought it would be safer than Paris.

The crash happened in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a warning to future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard which was packed with holiday shoppers.

Police said the truck made it as far as 80 metres into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July injured five people, and a suicide bombing wounded 15 people in the same state six days later.

In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

The attack in Berlin also comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the Berlin tragedy, France beefed up security at its own Christmas markets.

The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe, President Francois Hollande said.

The Nice bloodshed  as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day holiday on July 14  further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.

The United States labelled it an apparent terrorist attack and pledged its support.

President-elect Donald Trump blamed Islamist terrorists for a slaughter of Christians in the German capital.
41st Military Circle arrest 11 illegal mahjong gamblers in Phuket

PHUKET: Officials from the 41st Millitary Circle yesterday (Dec 19) arrested 11 people who were caught gambling at a property in Wichit.

crimepropertymilitarypolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 20 December 2016, 12:22PM

Officers received information that the property had been used as a gambling den for at least a month. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

At 3pm yesterday, Maj Sathit Naikun from the 41st Military Circle led a team of officers, including officers from Wichit Police, to carry out a raid on a three-storey townhouse in Soi Wirat-Hongyok 6, Moo 4 in Wicht after they received information that the property had been used as an illegal gambling den for the past month. Officers first went to the second floor of the property where they found 11 people playing mahjong. On the third floor they discovered two rooms each with two tables set out for playing mahjong but no gamblers were found. Authorities seized B11,590, mahjong tiles and other items. Mr Sombat Chevinsiritada, 45, from Chiang Mai was charged with providing a venue for illegal gambling while the other ten people were charged as illegal gambling.
Mass of dead fish on Patong Beach no cause for alarm, say officials

PHUKET: Hundreds of dead fish found washed ashore Patong Beach yesterday is no cause for alarm say local officials, and not the result of toxic shock brought on by wastewater pumped into the bay.

Tuesday 20 December 2016, 07:17PM

The hundreds of dead fish were reportedly left behind by fishermen at the south end of Patong. Photo: Regional Environment Office 15

The hundreds of dead fish were reportedly left behind by fishermen at the south end of Patong. Photo: Regional Environment Office 15

The hundreds of dead fish were reportedly left behind by fishermen at the south end of Patong. Photo: Regional Environment Office 15

The alarm was raised after people reported hundreds of small fish  all dead  along a one-kilometre stretch at the southern end of of Patong Beach at about 5pm to 6pm yesterday (Dec 19).

The dead fish came from the fishermen who operate out of Klong Pakbang at the southern end of Patong, Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup told The Phuket News today (Dec 20).

The fishing community there use beach seines at the south end of Patong Beach. I checked with them and they explained that the small fish were discarded after the fishermen discovered they had caught bigger fish in the nets, she explained.

I will remind them that their actions affect peoples impressions of Patong, and that although they have legal permits to use nets to fish there, they must be responsible and take care of our environment, Mayor Chalermluck noted.

This was not the result of wastewater. If it were, I must see the initial report about it so I can fix problem the quickly.

Mayor Chalermluck pointed out that her office is keeping an eye on pollutants flowing from the canal into Patong Bay.

I can show last months water test results to The Phuket News tomorrow (Dec 21), she said.

Pornsri Suthanaruk, Chief of the Regional Environment Office 15, based in Phuket, confirmed that her office had investigated the report, and would not take any further action.

My officers explained to me that this incident resulted from fishing practices used at Patong Beach, not from polluted water, she told The Phuket News today.

Ms Pornsri noted that her office has long been aware of beach seines used at Patong.

In this case, it is not necessary yet to conduct water-quality tests, which are costly, and Patong Municipalitys wastewater-treatment plant is good enough, she said.
Officials raze rubber plantations in protected Phuket forest

PHUKET: A multi-agency task force of more than 100 officers, accompanied by armed soldiers and navy security personnel, removed illegally planted rubber trees covering 122 rai in the Bang Kanoon protected forest in Phukets Thalang District yesterday (Dec 19).

natural-resourcesagriculturecrimeeconomicsenvironmentland

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 20 December 2016, 09:35AM

Rubber plantations covering more than 120 rai in the Bang Kanoon protected forest were levelled yesterday (Dec 19). Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub

Rubber plantations covering more than 120 rai in the Bang Kanoon protected forest were levelled yesterday (Dec 19). Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub

Ampa Thongthep (2nd from right), 57, presented letters affirming local residents rights to occupy land in the forest to make a living while officials resolve the encroachment issue. Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub

Rubber plantations covering more than 120 rai in the Bang Kanoon protected forest were levelled yesterday (Dec 19). Photo: Ekkapop Thongtub

The operation began at 9am, led by Capt Bowaorn Promkaewngam, Deputy Chief of the Phuket Provincial Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc).

Joining him were more than 100 officers from the Royal Thai Army 41st Military Circle, the Royal Thai Navy Third Naval Area Command, the Thalang District Office, the Royal Forest Department and the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department (DNP).

While officials cut down the trees, on which local residents relied on to make a living, local resident Ampa Thongthep, 57, who claimed rights to occupy land in the area approached authorities with letters from the Ministry of Interior and the Phuket Provincial Office issued in October 2010.

Both letters confirmed residents rights to live and earn a living in the area while officials determined what to do about the rubber plantations within the protected forest boundaries.

Today officials are only following government policy, said Phuket Natural Resources and Environment Chief Kasem Sukwaree.

We are reclaiming the land to preserve our natural resources and to protect the habitation of forests and wildlife. The main issue we need to solve under this policy is forest land encroachment.

Mr Kasem noted that the mass destruction of the rubber plantations should have come as no surprise to local residents.

We came today because forest officials in Thalang filed a police report of encroachment in March, he said.

The claimants have been warned twice, and most recently we gave them 45 days to remove their rubber trees and vacate the area, but they refused to comply, he added.
Phuket Highways Dept office congratulated for completing Samkong Underpass

PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Highways Dept was today congratulated for completing the Samkong Underpass, which was finally officially opened with a ceremony this morning, more than 18 months behind schedule.

constructiontransport

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 20 December 2016, 01:02PM

Traffic backed up in the northbound surface lances above the underpass (top, left) while the ceremony continued below. Photo: PR Dept

The Highways Dept Phuket office was congratulated for completing the underpass, which was officially opened today (Dec 20) some 18 months behind schedule. Photo: PR Dept

The plaudits came during an official opening speech delivered inside the tunnel by Phuket Vice Governor Teera Anantaseriwidhya at 7am today (Dec 20).

Meanwhile, while traffic backed up on the surface roads at the busy intersection above as the northbound lanes through the underpass had been closed since 10pm last night to accommodate the ceremony.

We want to congratulate the Phuket Highways Office, who was in charge of the Samkong Underpass construction and completed this project for the public to help solve traffic problems on the island, said V/Gov Teera.

We also hope that the construction of the underpasses at the Bang Khu Intersection, Chalong Circle and at the airport turnoff will finished by 2017 and 2018, he added.

The official opening began early this morning with Buddhist and Islamic blessing ceremonies performed. In addition to the official speeches made, the ensemble of officials present sang the national anthem as well as the Royal Anthem to honour the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away on October 13.

The opening ceremony today came after Highways Dept officials confirmed in October that no such ceremony after so many delays had forced the underpass to open 18 months late.

We will have no opening ceremony whatsoever. Whats the point? The road is already open for the public to use and I do not want to hear any more criticism about this project, Project Engineer Chalermpon Wongkietkun of the Phuket Highways Office, who was assigned to oversee the project.

Its has been a long and tough time for us working on this project. To have another public announcement or opening ceremony would be a disgrace, he told The Phuket News. (See story here.)

Contractor Vivat Construction Co Ltd, which built the underpass with a government budget of B834 million, now faces fines totalling at least B570mn for breach of contract late completion.

Mr Chalermpon has since transferred out of Phuket and is now a Project Engineer with the Highways Dept office in Songkhla province. (See story here.)
Police believe diver with slit throat is Russian

PATTAYA: A diver found with his throat slashed and tied to a post in the middle of the sea near Pattaya may be Russian, police said yesterday (Dec 19).

crimedeathRussiansuicidemurder

By AFP

Tuesday 20 December 2016, 09:35AM

Thai rescue personnel near Koh Larn island. Photo: via Bangkok Post

The body, in a full wetsuit and flippers, was found on Friday (Dec 16) tethered to a mooring post dozens of metres out to sea off Koh Larn  an island near the sleazy, crime-ridden beach town of Pattaya.

The macabre case has baffled detectives who say they are unable to ascertain how he died.

The initial autopsy found his throat was slashed... but the forensic doctor said it could have happened by suicide or by someone cutting him, Pattaya police colonel Apichai Krobpetch said.

We believe he could be Russian... there are witnesses who said they heard him speaking Russian prior to his death, he said, adding they were seeking consular help to identify the man.

Koh Larn is a short boat ride from Pattaya  a town located a few hours south of Bangkok and notorious for its go-go bars and links with organised crime.

The town is popular with Russian holidaymakers, who are met with Russian-speaking staff in some hotels and menus and street signs written in their language.

But its permissive atmosphere and sprawling red light district also hides a dark side.

Pattaya is infamous as a bolthole for criminals from across the world, including Russian underworld figures.
Russian killed as motorbike, Phuket taxi collide

PHUKET: Police have yet to file any charges over a deadly collision that left one Russian man dead and another Russian man with head injuries and a broken leg in Phuket yesterday (Dec 19).

Russianaccidentstransportdeath

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Tuesday 20 December 2016, 11:25AM

Taxi driver Nattawat Thongthapae, 38, told police that he was unable to avoid the collision as the motorbike swerved in front of him. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The collision left Russian national Roman Melekhin, 25, dead and his companion Maksim Burmatov, 28, with a head injury and a broken leg. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The accident occurred near the Jee Teng mansion on the busy Thepkrasattri Rd in Koh Kaew at about 5pm.

Police arrived to find the two Russian men on the ground. Roman Melekhin, 25, was unresponsive with head and neck injuries. He was taken to Thalang Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His companion, Maksim Burmatov, 28, was conscious but with a head injury and a broken leg.

Nearby was a crumpled Honda Click motorbike that the men were riding and parked in the footpath was a registered Toyota Camry green license plate taxi with damage to its left front end.

Taxi driver Nattawat Thongthapae, 38, told police that he was driving from the airport in the middle lane when the accident happened.

We were told that the Russian men were riding their motorbike in the left lane, said Thalang Police Capt Sunan Pethnoo.

The accident happened when the motorbike driver [allegedly] swerved in front of the taxi to cross the lanes to make the u-turn, he said.

[Taxi driver] Mr Nattawat said he tried to brake to avoid the collision, but it was loo late, he added.

Police did not find helmets at the scene, Capt Sunan confirmed.

Police have informed the Russian embassy of Mr Melekhins death, Capt Sunan added.

Mr Nattawat taken to Thalang Police Station for questioning.

So far no charges have been filed while police are still investigating, Capt Sunan told The Phuket News.

We have yet to check CCTV footage, also, he added.
After 20 years as the Codington County auditor, Cindy Brugman retires

Codington County Auditor Cindy Brugman will see through one more election night ballot count before passing her title down to Brenda Hanten.
Police secure the area in front of the Islamic center, in Zurich, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. A Zurich police official says a gunman has injured several people in Switzerland's largest city. The official said police were swarming to the scene in pursuit of the gunman who remains at large. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)
LETTER: Instead of dropping 'The Ode,' find another way to honour Labrador

Many writers to the Telegram have chimed in, some with vitriol, on the decision by MUN not to sing "The Ode to Newfoundland" at the recent or future graduation convocations. I am astonished, however, at the number who see no problem with changing its ...
ClosingCorp, a provider of residential real estate closing cost data and technology for the mortgage and real estate services industries, announced Gerardo Caceres has joined the company as senior vice president of Data Operations and Product Management.

In this position, Caceres will determine the overall strategic direction and tactical execution for all products, the company said in a press release. He is responsible for further enhancing the companys data and information management strategy. His immediate focus is to deliver several enhancements to strengthen the companys core products while ensuring that data is acquired, processed, updated, verified and available to ClosingCorps clients quickly and accurately, the company said.

Prior to joining ClosingCorp, Caceres was the senior vice president of Service Delivery and Account Management at RealEC Technologies/Black Knight Financial Services, where he was responsible for driving relationship management and strategic initiatives with top-tier clients. Before joining Black Knight, Caceres held a series of executive positions at Bank of America, most recently as senior vice president of Title Strategy and National Title Platform (NTP). In this role, he was responsible for providing title and closing services to Bank of America home loan originations through the NTP, a managed network of title and closing providers.

ClosingCorp is focused on providing our clients the very best solutions they need to effectively manage the mortgage process, said ClosingCorp CEO Bob Jennings, who also was an executive at RealEC before joining ClosingCorp. Were pleased that Gerardo, an experienced leader with a demonstrated record of success, is joining the team. Hes a seasoned mortgage veteran with deep ties in the title and lender space whose skills and experience will better position us to offer remarkable and relevant solutions for the industry.
Organisation:

Saferworld Saferworld

Reports to: Project

Manager, Conflict & Land

Duty Station: Northern,

Uganda Northern,Uganda

About US:



international organisation working to prevent violent conflict and build safer

lives. We work with local people affected by conflict to improve their safety

and sense of security. We do this by supporting effective policies and

practices through advocacy, research and policy development, and through

supporting the actions of others. We have a strong thematic focus to our

conflict prevention work prioritising: peoples security and access to justice

services; gender norms that cause and perpetuate violent conflict; the impact

of external conflict drivers including weapons flows; conflict-sensitive

political, economic, development, and security engagement; and inclusive and

accountable governance and peacebuilding processes. Saferworld is an independentinternational organisation working to prevent violent conflict and build saferlives. We work with local people affected by conflict to improve their safetyand sense of security. We do this by supporting effective policies andpractices through advocacy, research and policy development, and throughsupporting the actions of others. We have a strong thematic focus to ourconflict prevention work prioritising: peoples security and access to justiceservices; gender norms that cause and perpetuate violent conflict; the impactof external conflict drivers including weapons flows; conflict-sensitivepolitical, economic, development, and security engagement; and inclusive andaccountable governance and peacebuilding processes.

Job Summary: The Project

Coordinator  Conflict & Land will support the effective delivery of the

project Strengthening conflict-sensitive and rights-based approaches to land

governance in Northern Uganda, and will be responsible for the regular day-to-day

implementation, documentation, and operation of project activities. The project

seeks to increase collaboration between relevant local government officials,

civil society, cultural institutions, and communities to tackle local land

conflicts in Northern Uganda. It is expected to increase awareness of rights

and issues relating to land conflicts. Lessons will be used to inform policy

and promote good governance. The project will work closely with civil society

organisations, local communities, and relevant authorities.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:



responsibility for the day-to-day implementation, documentation and operation

of project activities; Coordinate the effective delivery of the project and takeresponsibility for the day-to-day implementation, documentation and operationof project activities;

Take

lead in coordinating work with local governments, NGOs and CBOs to deliver

timely and high quality activities, including training, consultation,

research and analysis;

Lead-

the delivery of training, including designing, facilitating or

co-facilitating where necessary;

Build

and maintain strong relations with staff in partner organisations who are

implementing the project;

Ensure

timely completion of internal reporting requirements and contribute

to the completion of donor reports;

Offer

support in the development and regular revision of project work plans for

Saferworld staff and partners;

Regularly

monitor project budgets on a monthly basis in coordination with colleagues

to ensure optimum expenditure of funds and timely and accountable

financial reporting by local partners.



work in Uganda: Build and maintain effective relationships in support of Saferworldswork in Uganda:

Develop

and maintain positive working relationship with project partners;

Actively

contribute to the strengthening of Saferworlds coordination with

other civil society organisations, national and international

peacebuilding actors in the project area and in the rest of Uganda;

Work

in close collaboration with the Project Manager, represent Saferworld at

external meetings, and promote lessons learnt from Saferworlds

work;

Build

a strong working relationship with the Project Coordinator in Karamoja for

peer support and programme growth.



Saferworld Ensure regular liaison and information sharing with other parts ofSaferworld

Contribute

to cross-organisational learning and sharing;

Ensure

effective communication of project activities, results and lessons learnt

within Saferworld.

Lead on project monitoring, evaluation and reporting

Regularly

monitor the impact of Saferworlds work in Uganda and participate

in regular debriefings and lesson learning sessions with Saferworld and

partners;

Maintain

a database of project outcomes;

Coordinate

staff and donor monitoring and evaluation visits as appropriate;

Write

timely and accurate activity reports and support the Project

Manager in the drafting of donor reports.

Act as security focal point for Saferworld in project area

Ensure

Saferworlds security protocols and procedures are adhered to by visiting

staff and visitors to the project  this will include security

briefing, updates and clarifications;

Ensure

Security consideration is core to the delivery of the project.



Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The

ideal candidate for the Saferworld Project Coordinator  Conflict

& Land job opportunity

should hold a first degree in law with a diploma in legal practice or a

degree in a related field.

At

least three years experience working in peace and/or governance issues in

a non governmental organisation

Previous

experience in project administration, planning and implementation

Broad

knowledge and understanding of land laws and policies, peace frameworks,

governance, and conflict sensitivity, and an active interest in the

workings of civil society

Excellent

communication skills  written and oral

Good

report-writing skills with excellent written and spoken English

Excellent

interpersonal and team working skills

Proficiency

in Microsoft Office and use of internet for research

Skills

in participatory approaches to research and programming

A

good understanding and proven application of conflict sensitive

programming

Knowledge

and experience of working on gender-sensitive programming

Previous exposure and experience with land and peacebuilding

projects

Experience

in designing and facilitating workshops, seminars and dialogues

Ability

to relate sensitively to diverse groups

Self-driven

and able to deliver results with minimum supervision

Flexibility

in traveling and working in challenging situations with unpredictable

working hours

How to Apply:



interested candidates are encouraged to send a complete application form,

Abok at jobs@saferworld.org.uk (please use subject heading: UgPC2) All suitably qualified andinterested candidates are encouraged to send a complete application form, download here and send to SusanAbok at jobs@saferworld.org.uk (please use subject heading: UgPC2)

Deadline: 3rd February, 2017




It was a poetic bonding. Literally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented President Atambayev a collection of Indian poems in Kyrgyz. Returning the favour, the President of Kyrgyzstan presented Modi with a heroic epic of his people. Going beyond culture, the two leaders promised to bring the countries closer economically.

This is the first visit of the President to India after he assumed office. We focused on our common priority of diversifying and deepening bilateral engagement, said Prime Minister Modi in a press statement. We also discussed on how we could work together to secure our youth and society against the common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism.

Atambayev's visit comes on the heels of obe by the president of Tajikistana signal that India is making a serious effort to woo Central Asia beyond just Iran.

On a four-day state visit, the President is hoping to attract more investment from India. This fits completely with Modis emphasis on economic linkages and foreign policy. The trade between the two countries stood at 27.99 million dollars in the last fiscal, with Indias exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

The Bilateral Investment Treaty was also initiated on Tuesday.Connectivity figured prominently in the discussions. Both sides noted that cargo movement on the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) would be a significant step towards solving logistics issues and would give a fillip to India-Kyrgyzstan trade relations, the joint statement said. The two also agreed that the Chabahar Port will provide the shortest connectivity for the two countries. This helps India win more friends in the area to ensure that the Chabahar Portwill be a success.

The two countries have so far had a successful defence cooperation. The "Khanjar series of India-Kyrgyzstan military exercises has become an annual event. The next stage of the exercise will be held in Kyrgyzstan in March 2017. India and Kyrgyzstan are jointly constructing the Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training Centre in the city of Balykchy. This Centre will provide instruction and training for personnel of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic as well as to host Kyrgyz-Indian joint mountain training exercises.

The two sides resolved to work towards effective visa facilitation.
One of the most telling statements of 2016 was made by outgoing UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who termed the situation at Aleppo in Syria, where the rebel forces were clashing with the government, as a synonym for hell. Political and communal instability in West Asia had resulted in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria(IS) clambering out of the swamp. With their stated motive to set up an Islamic Caliphate, their strength had increased exponentially over the years. In time, so did their bloodlust. They targeted minority Shias (Kabul blasts), Hindu priests (Jogeshwar Roy), Christians and Kurds in Iraq and Turkey. They carried out countless terror attacks across the world, including Europe and the US. However, by November, the Iraqi government had announced that it was about to storm Mosul, the final stronghold of the IS fighters. The US government had set a $25 million bounty on IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. A list of the major terror attacks that IS claims to have carried out:





January 8, 2016  A suicide bomb attack by IS Libyan affiliates on a military training centre at Zliten, southeast of Tripoli, results in 50 casualties. A truck laden with explosives was detonated at the centre.



March 7, 2016  IS fighters target the military barracks and police stations at the city of Ben Guardane, bordering Tunisia and Libya. More than 50 people died in the ensuing gunbattle.



March 22, 2016 - Multiple explosions at Brussels airport and the city's subway station leave 32 dead and scores injured. Two explosions had struck the Zaventem international airport, another hit the Maelbeek metro station. Khalid el-Bakraoui, Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, Najim Laachraoui, all three deceased, Osama K and Mohamed Abrini were named as accused in the case.



June 12, 2016  Swearing allegiance to the Islamic State, a shooter went on a rampage at the gay nightclub of Orlando in the United States, killing 49 people. The attacker, Omar Mateen, was shot dead by the Orlando police after a nearly three-hour standoff.



June 28, 2016  Two gunmen with automatic weapons and explosive belts staged attacks on Ataturk international airport of Turkey. Around 50 casualties were reported. The gunmen approached the x-ray scanner at a checkpoint and opened fire. In the return fire, the assailants detonated bombs on their persons.



July 1 2016 - Five armed militants stormed the Holey Artisan bakery in Bangladesh, a popular hangout for foreigners in Dhaka, taking more than 20 patrons hostage. Around 20 casualties were reported (foreigners, locals, police officers, gunmen and bakery staff included). Tarishi Jain, an Indian teenager, was among those who were killed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.



July 13, 2016 - About 80 people were killed when two suicide bombers struck at a peaceful protest staged in Kabul by the Hazara minority of the Shia sect. The suicide bombers detonated their vests in the midst of the gathering.



July 14, 2016 - An attacker killed 80 people and injured scores by driving a heavy truck at high speed into a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks in the French Riviera city of Nice. Guns and grenades were found inside the 25-tonne, unmarked truck. The truck careered for hundreds of meters along the famed Promenade des Anglais seafront, slamming into spectators watching the fireworks, listening to an orchestra or strolling above the beach towards the grand, century-old Hotel Negresco, Reuters reported. The driver was identified as Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian resident of France. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.



November 21, 2016 - Islamic state claims responsibility for a suicide attack in a minority Shia mosque at Kabul, killing over 30 people and injuring dozens.


The Islamic State terror group has announced a $1 million reward for those who kill a woman who fought for the Kurdish peshmerga in Iraq and the YPG militia in Syria.

Joanna Palani, a 23-year-old Kurdish-Danish woman, dropped out of university in 2014 and travelled to Middle East to fight the extremist group. The terror group promised the monetary reward through its social media channels in different languages.

Ironically, Palani is currently facing trial in Denmark for allegedly violating a 12-month travel ban imposed on her in 2015. She was taken to custody after she admitted travelling to Qatar in June this year. She is currently held in Denmarks largest prison, Vestre Fngsel in Copenhagen. If found guilty, she faces up to two years in prison.

The next hearing of her case begins on Tuesday. Palani is the first foreign fighter to be jailed under Denmark's new passport laws, which aim to stem the flow of IS sympathisers to the Middle East. Denmark ranks second in Europe in terms of number of jihadi fighters joining IS per head of population behind Belgium.

The confiscation of her passport had sparked off protests in the country, with her lawyer, Erbil Kaya, labelling her as a person who has been fighting on the same side as the international coalition.

Its hypocritical to punish her. Why dont we punish the people who fight for Isis instead of people who are fighting on the same side as Denmark?, Kaya had asked, alleging that many of those who returned after joining the terror group were roaming free in the country.

Palani was born in an Iraqi refugee camp in 1993 during the first Gulf War. Her family moved to Denmark when she was three.
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Border police once again uncovered a load of illegal eggs heading to the capital from PA (Palestinian Authority) autonomous areas. They apprehended 300 flats of eggs (each containing 30 eggs) inside a bus that was trying to pass the Hizme Checkpoint into the northern capital.

The 21-year-old bus driver, a resident of Jerusalem, was taken into custody. The illegal eggs were confiscated and taken to be destroyed.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Israel Police spokesman unit via Media Resource Group)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Jerusalem fire & rescue working along with police, on Sunday 18 Kislev held a training event in the Cinema City area, simulating a number of scenarios including a large quantity of explosives and a booby-trapped vehicle.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Jerusalem Fire & Rescue spokesman via Media Resource Group)
Democratic senators know they probably cant block Donald Trumps Cabinet picks, but they plan to force lengthy debate on nominees they consider radical  potentially stretching well beyond Inauguration Day.

While the Senate traditionally gives presidents significant leeway to choose their own team, many of Trumps picks have liberal groups howling in protest.

Im inundated, inundated  nominee after nominee  by people in Michigan who are concerned, said Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, a member of the partys leadership. It goes on and on and on.

No Republicans, however, have yet come out against Trumps picks, and Democrats cannot block a nominee without Republican help. Thats because they effectively changed the rules to bar filibusters of executive-branch nominations in 2013. Democrats can drag out the process, though, while Republicans seek to address other priorities such as repealing Obamacare.

Unless theres some information that comes out in the hearings that isnt currently known, I think theyll all be confirmed, said Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of the Republican leadership.

This leaves Democrats trying to figure out how hard to fight Trumps most controversial nominees. Theyre likely to lose all of the battles, but senators see an opportunity to highlight where Trumps picks stray furthest from his populist campaign message  both in lengthy hearings in committee and in debate on the Senate floor.

Among the particularly contentious picks so far are ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who was awarded a friendship medal in 2013 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, at State; former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin to run Treasury, and longtime Medicare privatization advocate and Obamacare foe Rep. Tom Price to head Health and Human Services.

Three Republicans would need to join with Democrats to block a nominee if all the Democrats hold together in opposition. But moderate Democrats in states that Trump won who face re-election in 2018 will face extra pressure to go along with the president-elects choices. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, for example, has already signaled his general intent to vote for Trumps nominees.

Tillerson faces the toughest road so far, says Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul. John McCain of Arizona, Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have all expressed skepticism about the Exxon chiefs close ties to Putin.

Paul, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, has his own concerns. A big question is whether or not whoever it is has learned the lessons of the last couple decades in the Middle East, he said Thursday. And the lesson as far as Im concerned is that regime change hasnt made us safer and has made the place more chaotic. So well see.

Unless Republican unity cracks on Trumps other nominees, the most Democrats can do is to delay the process. They could force each Cabinet pick to go through 30 hours of debate, eating up valuable Senate time and creating an acrimonious start to the new administration. Democrats could block a Trump nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, however. Current rules require 60 votes to advance a high court confirmation.

Other nominees who may face contentious hearings are Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency, which he has long opposed; Rick Perry at Energy, a department he once sought to eliminate but couldnt remember its name on a debate stage; fast-food CEO Andy Puzder to head the Labor Department; private school voucher advocate Betsy DeVos at Education, and Sen. Jeff Sessions, who was rejected by the Senate in the 1980s for a judgeship, as attorney general.

Republicans are already urging Democrats to treat Trumps picks the way Republicans treated President Barack Obamas in 2009, when seven were approved on his first day in office and all but a handful were confirmed within his first two weeks.

You would think that the tradition of confirming a significant number of them on Inauguration Day or shortly thereafter will continue and I think less than a handful will take longer than that, Blunt said. The more Democrats drag things out, they risk looking like they are objecting to people they clearly cannot prevent from going onto the Cabinet.

Its certainly possible Democrats would agree to a package of nominees to be confirmed on Inauguration Day itself. Some picks, like Transportation nominee Elaine Chao  a former labor secretary and wife of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  are virtual locks.

But other high-profile nominees wont be able to get the unanimous agreement of 100 senators needed to expedite their confirmations.

So far he has shown absolutely no signs that he wants to work with Democrats, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said of Trump. He is building the most partisan, radical Cabinet in my lifetime.

Murphy said hes not going to give consent for quick confirmation on many of them.

These are, with a few exceptions, radical nominees, the likes of which we have never seen in the history of this country, he said, adding that Trump was appointing people to the Department of Labor where 50 percent of their businesses were in violation of labor laws, appointing somebody to the EPA who advertises that he wants to run the EPA into the ground.

A senior Democratic Senate aide said Trumps picks present rich targets, and added that Democrats would focus on those who drive a wedge between Trump and the populist message he ran on. That includes choices like Mnuchin, given his history of profiting in the aftermath of the housing and foreclosure crisis, and Price, given Trumps promise during the campaign to protect Medicare.

Democrats on Friday announced a new website seeking the stories of people evicted by Mnuchins former bank, OneWest Bank Group, which has been criticized for a blizzard of foreclosures.

That said, incoming Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has been careful not to come out too hard against most of the nominees, saying mostly that their backgrounds require careful vetting and tough questions.

Schumer will have to balance his desire not to appear obstructionist and to work with the new administration on issues like infrastructure with his left flanks desire for maximum resistance. At some point, Democrats will have to work with these nominees once they get into office.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said hes already come out against Price and Pruitt and is likely to oppose Tillerson too because of his potential conflicts of interest, his relationship with Putin and his stances on environmental issues.

Each of these nominees ought to be given very careful, penetrating scrutiny. And that kind of review may well require longer than just the month of January, Blumenthal said.

He said he still thinks the process could prompt enough Republicans to block someone.

At the risk of sounding naive, I really have confidence that this process will not only hold accountable future Cabinet secretaries but also potentially block some if there is sufficient reason to do so on the merits. Not politics, not personality, but on the merits, Blumenthal said.

That could be doubly true since so many of Trumps picks are people outside government who have never been vetted for public office before. Tillerson, for example, will likely have to defend his own record, as well as Exxons.

Democrats also will highlight Sessions hardline views on issues like immigration enforcement. That could put pressure on senators like Dean Heller of Nevada, a Republican who faces the voters in 2018 in a state where the Hispanic vote proved decisive in electing Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto this year as the first Latina in the Senate to replace Harry Reid.

Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the incoming chairman of the Senate Democrats campaign arm, said they plan at a minimum to shine a very bright light on each of the nominees.

Youve got a number of nominees who have dedicated their careers to destroying the agencies they are planning to head, he said. There are going to be a number of Republicans who are troubled by some of these nominees, so the question is what kind of coalitions can be formed to defeat them.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg  Steven T. Dennis
The news media have been abuzz for a few weeks about the proliferation and effect of fake news. Facebook is changing how it handles news from dubious sources, while Twitter is rethinking how to respond to bots promoting fabricated articles. Alphabet (Google) has rejiggered its algorithms to fight phony stories.

All of which raises some very interesting questions for investors and traders. Its worth remembering that financial markets have been dealing with hoaxes, frauds and fake news for a long time. The wrong response can be costly.

Back in the bad old days, faxes and message boards were used to defraud investors. Recall what happened to Emulex after a news release that was sent out over a business news wire  its stock plunged 60 percent. PairGain Technologies, Lucent and other companies were also victims of fake releases posted on message boards. The list goes on and on: Avon Products, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Tower Group International, Sina, Local, Javelin Pharmaceuticals and General Mills were targets of similar scams. Last year, Twitters price spiked after an article from a hoax domain that looked like a Bloomberg News site trumpeted a phony $31 billion takeover offer.

The manipulation of stock prices with false news stories has a long and ignoble history. Consider the trial of Lord Cochrane as recounted in the Quarterly Journal of Jurisprudence: Volumes 9-10 (Jan. 1, 1860):

About midnight, on the 21st February, 1814, a person calling himself Colonel du Bourg, aide-de-camp to Lord Cathcart, presented himself at the ship hotel at Dover. He represented that he had just arrived from Calais by a French smack-that he was the bearer of important intelligence from Paris, to the effect that Buonaparte had been killed by the Cossacks-that the Allied armies were in full March for Paris and that immediate peace was certain.

Confederates of du Bourg dressed as French officers distributed leaflets in London announcing that Napoleon had been killed. Rumors of Napoleons demise had been spread before, but a willing public was easily duped when told what it wanted to hear.

Not surprisingly, as reports of Napoleons death spread through London, British government securities on the stock exchange soared. But someone at the exchange noticed 1.1 million pounds in government-based stocks was being quietly sold. An investigation revealed that du Bourg was not a colonel  he was really one Charles Random de Berenger. He was convicted, as were other parties to the fraud. They all served jail time.

Time magazine labeled the Great Stock Exchange Fraud of 1814 one of top 10 hoaxes of all time. All of which is a long-winded way to say that fake news has been with us for a very long time and is likely to be with us for the foreseeable future.

It doesnt require a faux colonel to move markets or stocks today. Algorithms are harvesting social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to drive new types of hedge fund. Some are looking for changes in sentiment to make macro bets; others are looking for company-specific information. But can they continue to generate profits if fake stock news begins to compete with real? A new arms race is likely already underway between algos separating real news from fake as they trawl the social networks looking for intelligence.

If we are lucky, these quant funds might find it profitable to lease these fraud-finding algos to Facebook, Twitter and Google (unless its more profitable for them to keep the code to themselves).

Long-term investors have a different issue with noise. It isnt the news  real or fake  thats the problem; rather, it is their reaction to it. People with long investment horizons should learn to not react to the short-term stuff. If you are truly thinking in terms of years and decades, than does the next economic-data report (or anything else) really mean much to your portfolios?

Investors need to distinguish between the empty calories  gossip, rumors, idle speculation  and instead, focus on what is genuinely useful. Fake news may be foolish, but your reaction to it doesnt have to be.

 Ritholtz is a Bloomberg View columnist. He founded Ritholtz Wealth Management and was chief executive and director of equity research at FusionIQ, a quantitative research firm. He blogs at the Big Picture and is the author of Bailout Nation: How Greed and Easy Money Corrupted Wall Street and Shook the World Economy.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg View  Barry Ritholtz
An IDF tank responded to a cross-border shooting attack into southern Israel, wiping out a Hamas position in Gaza on Tuesday, 19 Kislev.

Armed gunmen in Gaza on Tuesday morning fired at soldiers who were protecting fence workers along the border. Bchasdei Hashem no one was killed or injured. Less than an hour later a tank retaliated at a Hamas position, the IDF spokesman unit reported.

Following the shooting attack farmers in the area of the border were instructed to clear their fields along southern Gaza. Arab sources report that Hamas position hit by tank three tank shells east of el-Bourej.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
On Monday 19 Kislev at noon RL, participants gathered on the Hebrew University campus to light their Xmas tree. This is the same department, the law school, that refused to accommodate frum students seeking a mechitzah but was fine accommodating Ramadan for Muslims.

The student union of the law school put the word out on Facebook, inviting all to take part in lighting their tree to celebrate the birthday of Yeshu, speaking of a message of love and peace throughout the world.

Hebrew University response: The Hebrew University attaches great importance to a persons right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion within its walls. Institute an Israeli academic, leads, international and multicultural promotes university values of equality among all religions and allows freedom of action in this area while maintaining public order, University rules and laws of the State of Israel.

YWN-ISRAEL: The above freedom of religion did not seem to apply when religious girls were asking to have a mechitzah in line with their religious beliefs.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

Hundreds of Israeli farmers traveled from northern areas to protest at the government complex in Jerusalem. They caused traffic snarls on Highway 6 as they headed south.

Protestors blasted government agricultural policies, expressing harsh criticism of Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, who they feel is not doing what he should to assist them as many farmers can no longer make a living.

The farmers insist if the government does not step in and implement measures to save local farmers they will collapse and the consequences on the local economy will be significant.

Photos show traffic snarls on Highway 6, Jerusalem and the baal tashchis of the farmers at the government complex.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photos: Media Resource Group)
A federal judge on Monday ordered the public release of the search warrant that FBI agents used to reopen their investigation of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server just weeks before the presidential election.

U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled Monday that the public had a right to see the warrant, which he said was secretly filed with the court on Oct. 30.

Agents used the warrant to get access to emails stored on a computer belonging to Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

FBI Director James Comey upended the presidential race on Oct. 28 when he informed Congress that agents would be digging through the cache of emails between Abedin and Clinton for any new evidence related to Clintons handling of sensitive State Department information.

Two days before the Nov. 8 election, Comey announced that the inquiry had uncovered no new evidence of wrongdoing. Historians will long debate whether the revelations factored into Clintons loss to Donald Trump.

The court documents will be unsealed at noon Tuesday, with portions blacked out to conceal the names of the agents. The judge also ordered the redaction of any information about an open investigation of Weiners online correspondence with a teenage girl.

Agents initially seized the computer in connection with that investigation.

Weiner, a Democrat, resigned his seat in Congress after explicit texts and social media posts to various women. He tried for a political comeback two years later by running for mayor of New York, but his campaign was undone when evidence emerged that he hadnt given up his habit.

Federal authorities began investigating him in late September after an online news outlet, the Daily Mail, published an interview with a North Carolina girl who said she had exchanged explicit messages with him over several months.

Randol Schoenberg, a Los Angeles lawyer who specializes in recovering works of art stolen by the Nazis, petitioned the court to make the search warrant and supporting documents public.

In his order, Castel said public interest in the case overrode any privacy considerations.

Ordinarily, a person whose conduct is the subject of a criminal investigation but is not charged with a crime should not have his or her reputation sullied by the mere circumstance of an investigation, he wrote. But in this instance, he said, the fact that the FBI investigated Clinton is hardly secret. She has little remaining privacy interest in the release of the documents identifying her as the subject of this investigation.

(AP)
An elderly woman could have died on Monday, after Police in Brooklyn failed to respond to repeated calls to check on her for SEVEN HOURS on Monday.

Sources tell YWN that a woman in Westchester County hadnt heard from her elderly relative, promoting her to call the desk at the 66 Precinct in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn . The woman called the Precinct at around 11:00AM and told the officer who answered that she is worried about her elderly relative, and they should have someone check on her. She was told that Police would be dispatched.

When she didnt hear back from them, and was still unable to reach the elderly woman, she called the Precinct back at around 5:00PM. Police told the caller they would be checking on her right away.

Feeling very uneasy, the woman then called the Misaskim hotline and informed them of the story. A volunteer was immediately dispatched to the womans home. Finding the door locked and not being able to enter the apartment, Misaskim called 911.

The FDNY arrived along with the NYPD and broke the door down. They found the elderly woman lying on the floor. At first an FDNY EMT wanted to pronounce the woman dead, but she was seen moving her arm.

She was transported to Maimonides Hospital, where she is currently being treated for severe dehydration and is breathing on her own. She had been lying on the floor for a few days and miraculously survived.

Community leaders are outraged at the way Police responded, and are demanding that action be taken and an investigation be launched.

Unfortunately, earlier this month (on December 1st), YWN reported that a husband wasnt notified that his wife was seriously injured in a serious accident in New Jersey. At the time, YWN didnt mention the police department which failed to make the timely and urgent notification  but we can now inform you that it was the same precinct. The 66 Precinct which covers Boro Park, Kensington and parts of Midwood / Flatbush. That incident took TEN HOURS to notify the husband, despite being contacted by the NJ State Police.

Police refused to give a statement regarding the latest incident, but said its being looked into.

(Charles Gross -YWN)
The death toll in the terror attack at a Berlin Xmas marketplace has climbed to nine and there are officially over 50 wounded. Israels Foreign Ministry is now reporting an Israeli listed in serious condition is among those wounded.

Israeli diplomatic officials in Berlin will be visiting the hospital to ascertain the situation vis-a-vis the wounded Israeli.

Investigators are reporting the terrorist murdered the truck driver and then took control of the vehicle, ramming it into the crowded pedestrian marketplace.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Donald Trump is taking issue with Bill Clintons criticisms of him.

Clinton told a weekly newspaper in New York state earlier this month that Trump doesnt know much. Clinton went on to say: One thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him. The ex-president also claimed that the president-elect called him after his election victory over Hillary Clinton.

First of all, Trump said in a two-part tweet Tuesday, Bill Clinton stated that I called him after the election. Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations).

Trump added that Clinton is the one who doesnt know much especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states (and more). The Clinton campaign, Trump says, focused on the wrong states.

Trump fired off those tweets the morning after he formally won the presidency in Mondays Electoral College tally.

Bill Clinton made his comments to The Record-Review, serving the towns of Bedford and Pound Ridge.

(AP)
The man accused of setting off bombs in New Jersey and New York, injuring more than 30 people, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder charges.

Ahmad Khan Rahimi made his first in-person court appearance Tuesday to face charges he tried to kill police officers before they captured him Sept. 19 outside a bar in Linden, New Jersey.

An attorney previously entered not-guilty pleas when the Afghan-born U.S. citizen was hospitalized with gunshot wounds from the shootout.

Hes also accused of detonating a pipe bomb along the route of a Marine Corps charity race in New Jerseys Seaside Park and a pressure cooker bomb in New York City on Sept. 17. No one was injured in the New Jersey blast; 31 people were hurt in the New York bombing.

(AP)
Israels prime minister says he would like to grant medical assistance to Syrians wounded in the battle over the city of Aleppo.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told members of the foreign press in Jerusalem on Tuesday that he has asked Israels Foreign Ministry to look into the possibility of bringing non-combatant men, women and children to Israel for medical treatment.

Were prepared to take in wounded women and children, and also men if they are not combatants  bring them to Israel, take care of them in our hospitals, as weve done with thousands of Syrian civilians, Netanyahu said at a meeting with foreign reporters in Jerusalem. Ive asked the foreign ministry to seek ways to expand our medical assistance to the civilian casualties of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo, he said.

Israel has treated thousands of Syrians wounded in Syrias nearly six-year civil war, offering them medical treatment in hospitals in Israel.

Netanyahu told reporters, We see the terrible tragedy of civilians and Ive asked the Foreign Ministry to seek ways to expand our medical assistance to the civilian casualties of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo.

(AP)
Complaints about broadband increased between July and September compared to the three months previous, data from Ofcom shows today.

The league table of complaints from the regulator looks at gripes received against major telecoms providers about broadband, landline telephones, mobile contracts and subscription television services.

It shows that there were 20 complaints for every 100,000 broadband customer between July and September, up from 15 in the previous period to remain the most complained about telecoms service.

League table: Complaints about broadband and landlines were up between July and September - but are far lower than levels since five years ago

Top of the charts is BT, with 36 gripes per 100,000 customers. Plusnet and EE also have above industry average complaints levels according to Ofcom  both are owned by BT.

On average, Ofcom receives nearly 300 calls a day from consumers  and complaints are usually made to the regulator as a last resort, when people have not been able to resolve a problem directly with their provider.

By publishing complaints data, the regulator says it aims to give people who are looking for a new provider useful information for comparing companies' performance.

The quarterly reports also offer an incentive to providers to improve their performance.

Broadband badboys: Ofcom received more complaints about BT over broadband than any other company

Lindsey Fussell, director of Ofcom's Consumer Group, said: 'We won't stand for complacency when it comes to customer service. We expect providers to make it a top priority and work hard to better serve their customers.

'If companies let their customers down, we will step in and investigate, which can lead to significant fines.'

A BT spokesman said: 'We apologise to customers we've let down.

'BT cares about the service it gives to customers and we know we need to do better.

'There were a couple of exceptional broadband outages during the period in question which undoubtedly influenced the broadband figures.

'BT has been investing heavily in improvements, which include 90 per cent of our customers' calls being answered by advisers in the UK and Ireland by the spring of 2017 and recruiting more than 1,500 people to help customers with more complex problems.'

Complaints about landline telephones have also risen, with Plusnet the worst offender. This is followed by EE and the Post Office.

Named and shamed: Plusnet was the most complained about landline operator while Vodafone remains well out in front for mobile gripes

Elsewhere, gripes about monthly mobile contracts have fallen, but one operator  Vodafone  remains top of the pack, with triple the amount of complaints per 100,000 customers than the industry average.

It has 18 complaints to Ofcom per 100,000 customers  although this has fallen from a peak of 32 per 100,000 in the last three months of 2015.

This is Money and our sister title the Mail on Sunday have written extensively on the pain felt by Vodafone customers - and it was hit with a 4.6million fine from Ofcom for poor complaints handling and inaccurate bills.

In terms of pay-TV, BT has the most complaints.

Ahead of the pack: BT also tops most complaints about pay-TV

Ofcom itself has come under fire from This is Money readers in recent years when it comes to the rising cost of line rental.

Prices have risen by up to 41 per cent from some providers in the last six years despite wholesale costs falling by a quarter.
Soaring demand for the Qashqai saw Nissan's UK arm post a jump in profits.

The British division saw earnings rocket 22 per cent to 117million, despite a slight drop in sales to 5.2billion from 5.3billion the year before.

The carmaker said the popularity of the Qashqai model resulted in 6,000 more being made than the year before, giving it 'another year of very strong production for the Sunderland site'.

In demand: Nissan Qashqais roll down the production line at the Nissan's Sunderland Plant

It added that the Qashqai had sold more volumes cumulatively than any other car it manufactured.

However, overall production fell by 3,000 vehicles to 478,000. The results come just two months after the Government intervened to ensure that despite the Brexit vote, Nissan would still invest in its Sunderland plant.

Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, made assurances that the UK would seek tariff-free EU access for Britain's car industry during negotiations with Brussels, but was questioned by MPs claiming he'd given the Japanese firm a 'sweet deal'.

Nissan said it was still continuing to monitor the UK market closely.
The owners of the UK's last aluminium smelter have announced major investment in the site.

Commodities tycoon Sanjeev Gupta's Liberty and his father's company Simec are paying 330million for Rio Tinto's former smelter in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands, and hydro plants in neighbouring Kinlochleven and Fort William.

They said they would invest 120million to upgrade equipment and establish an aluminium wheel manufacturing facility at the site, creating up to 300 jobs directly and hundreds more in the supply chain.

Investment: Commodities tycoon Sanjeev Gupta's company Simec is paying 330m for Rio Tinto's former smelter in Lochaber, in the Scottish Highlands, and hydro-plants nearby

The firms also plan to protect the existing 170 jobs in Lochaber and expand metal manufacturing and downstream engineering there to create up to 2,000 jobs and add 1billion to the local economy.

Gupta said the investment 'puts Lochaber right at the heart of our vision for sustainable and integrated local production that can revitalise British manufacturing'.

Simec will operate the hydro plants, which already have the capacity to power around 83,000 homes, generating electricity for the smelter.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: 'Today is the start of an exciting new chapter in Scotland's manufacturing story.'

Liberty has been buying up distressed steel assets in the UK, including the purchase of Tata Steel's specialist business last month.

The company also re-opened a steel plate mill near Glasgow, which Tata had shut.
Another British technology company has been sold off to a foreign buyer in a multi- million-pound deal.

Host Europe Group, a web hosting company that is behind brands such as 123Reg and Domain Factory, has been bought by US rival GoDaddy for 1.4billion.

It is the seventh tech firm to be snapped up by an overseas buyer this year.

Despite being relatively unknown, HEG has 1.7m customers and looks after 7m websites for individuals and businesses in Britain and Europe.

Based in Middlesex, it employs 1,300 staff and has nine data centres plus offices in Germany, France, Spain and Romania.

Now GoDaddy, which is based in Arizona, has swooped, becoming the latest foreign buyer to make a move on the British market.

Travel comparison site Skyscanner was sold to China's Ctrip for 1.4billion in November, and in June US tech giant Avnet bought Premier Farnell in Leeds for 691million.

The number of British firms being sold to overseas investors resulted in Chancellor Philip Hammond announcing measures to stem the tide of the UK's most promising start-ups being swept up by foreign rivals.

But just last week E2V Technologies  which provides the image sensors for some of Nasa's spacecraft  became the latest to be preyed on by a predator from abroad. California-based Teledyne Technologies bought the Essex firm for 620million.

HEG will soon be part of a global business  based outside of the UK.

Critics argue that if Britain continues to sell its promising technology firms, they will never grow big enough to rival California's Silicon Valley and the UK will be left behind.

Nico Macdonald, chief executive of the Research and Development Society, warned more foreign takeovers could follow.

GoDaddy chief executive Blake Irving said: 'By joining forces with HEG, we can accelerate our expansion into Europe with the delivery of a broader range of cloud-based products.'
John Hughes has pocketed 1.34million after selling 235,000 shares in the takeaway app.

He offloaded them at 571.89p each, and is left with 190,000 shares and a 0.03 per cent stake in the company.

Hughes  whose take-away of choice is sushi  joined Just Eat in 2011 after working at other tech companies, including Thales Group, where he was executive vice president and chief operating officer.
It looks like there might be a Santa Rally this year after all.

The FTSE 100 is up around 1.5 per cent over the past week and yesterday closed above 7000 for a second consecutive day.

With the City starting to hibernate for the Christmas break, the stock market edged up just 0.1 per cent, or 5.5 points, to 7017.1.

Pharma firms topped the list for the day, with Hikma advancing 3.8 per cent, or 69p, to 1861p and Reckitt Benckiser gaining 2.7 per cent, or 180p, to 6794.

A UBS 'sell' note sent equipment rental outfit Ashtead to the bottom of the naughty list. Shares dropped 4.8 per cent, or 77p, to 1534p.

Ho ho ho: The FTSE 100 is up around 1.5% over the past week and yesterday closed above 7000 for a second consecutive day

A 'buy' rating from SocGen lifted Drax shares on the day.

The broker upped its target price for the electricity generation firm from 270p to 415p.

The EU has approved UK plans to support the conversion of a Drax power plant from coal to biomass after an investigation that began in January.

The Government will pay a premium for the electricity generated by the plant, and the EU wanted to make sure it would not lead to overcompensation.

Drax should get 100 per megawatt hour it produces. Now it has the go-ahead, the deal should add around 100million a year to Drax's earnings, according to SocGen calculations.

Getting approval was also a condition of the 340million acquisition of Opus Energy, which Drax announced earlier this month. Shares soared 8.4 percent, or 27.1p, to 351.1p.

STOCK WATCH - COUNTRYWIDE Countrywide could be about to offload its consultancy arm, Lambert Smith Hampton. The property services firm is considering a disposal as part of a strategic review of the business. In its half-year update in July, Countrywide said the division had delivered robust overall performance despite the impact of the EU referendum on the property market. Its shares have lost around half their value this year. On Friday, UBS cut its target price for the stock from 250p to 175p. Shares closed down yesterday by 0.03 per cent, or 0.05p, to 174.25p.

Capita has landed a two-year extension to its contract with the BBC to collect license fees.

The business already had an eight-year deal with the broadcaster, but this extension means it will run until June 2022.

Capita said the pair would work together to improve collection rates, reduce evasion and cut the cost of collection for the BBC  currently for every pound it takes in fees there is a 3p cost.

It also plans to introduce new technology to enhance the service. Capita collects 3.7billion in license fees for the BBC. It first began doing the administration for TV licensing in 2002. Shares lifted 2.2 per cent, or 10.9p, to 501p.

Oil and gas outfit San Leon Energy soared after it responded to reports of a takeover.

The business, which has assets in Poland, Morocco and Ireland, confirmed it had been approached by a possible buyer.

But San Leon said the approach may or may not lead to an offer being made. Shares rocketed 20.6 per cent, or 8.9p, to 52p.

Investors were in a spin about Hurricane Energy after the oil and gas firm announced a successful oil discovery.

The business, which is focused on the UK Continental Shelf in the North Sea, said the Lincoln Well might be larger than it originally estimated.

Analysis has suggested the firm's estimations of the site containing around 250m barrels of recoverable oil may have been on the conservative side.

Cantor Fitzgerald has a 'buy' rating on the stock, which it said has had a transformational year.

Shares are already up a mammoth 310 per cent this year. Yesterday they surged 11.9 per cent, or 5p, to 47p.

Health testing products business Akers Biosciences advanced after signing a three-year agreement with the Greater New York Hospital Association in the US.

The deal is to introduce Akers's flagship rapid test across the associations network of more than 300 hospitals.

The test is to detect heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, which can cause limb- and life-threatening complications if untreated. Shares surged 6.6 per cent, or 10p, to 162.5p.

Tech company Big Sofa soared on its AIM debut yesterday after raising 6million from investors to help fund its US expansion.

Big Sofa works with market research agencies and firms such as Unilever, British Airways and Procter & Gamble. It's a video analytics firm, which means it uses software to transcribe video footage.
FEES VICTORY Lloyds will end hidden fees for its most vulnerable customers next year after being criticised over the way they were charged.

Its no-frills account for those struggling financially offers no overdraft  but customers had been hit with high charges if a payment was rejected because they didn't have enough money.

Nine lenders promised to stop offering accounts with these fees from the start of this year.

But although the other banks involved have since moved their previous customers on to no-fee basic accounts, Lloyds  which serves about half the market  has been lagging behind.

SPEEDY RECOVERY Speedy Hire has bought lifting equipment firm Lloyds British Testing for an undisclosed sum. The deal will see around 200 Lloyds British Testing employees join the tool rental firm.

Speedy Hire was embroiled in a war of words with its largest shareholder, Toscafund, this year but posted rising profits last month.

TOXIC TERMS Deutsche Bank will tomorrow announce a multi- billion-pound settlement with US investigators over mis-selling toxic bundles of mortgage debt, sources said.

It emerged over the summer that the Department of Justice had asked for 11.3billion  triggering panicked speculation about the lender's future. Sources said the final amount would be less than this figure.

FIXING FINES The Competition and Markets Authority has fined Franklin Hodge Industries, Galglass and KW Supplies more than 2.6million for colluding to fix prices of liquid storage tanks between 2005 and 2012.

Another firm, CST Industries, was granted immunity for exposing the price-fixing and co-operating with the investigation.

SWISS BUYOUT Canadian insurer Fairfax Financial is buying Swiss rival Allied World for 4billion. Bosses said the deal would create a global leader in property and casualty insurance, reinsurance and investments.

Fairfax bought UK business Brit for 1.2billion in February last year.

ASTHMA DRUG GlaxoSmith-Kline is developing a three-in-one treatment for asthma sufferers.

The drug, which will be made of furoate, umeclidinium and vilanterol  treatments that are already on sale separately  will be on the market by the end of 2018.
New 5 notes selling for more than face value have grabbed the headlines in recent months and now the firm making the Bank of England's controversial plastic fiver has been sold for 680million

Cumbria-based Innovia, which has 1,200 employees worldwide, makes most of the world's polymer bank notes and will be bought by Canada's CCL for C$1.13billion

Its new 5 note is the Bank of England's first plastic bank note and has attracted controversy after it was found to contain animal fat, while some of the lowest numbered bank notes have attracted fierce bidding wars from collectors paying thousands for them.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Innovia - which makes the controversial new plastic 5 note has been bought by Canada's CCL

When it was discovered that the note contained an animal-derived product it drew widespread criticism and sparking a 132,000-strong petition to ban the note.

The company's production process for the 5 note involving tallow sparked fury among vegetarians and vegans in particular.

Doug Maw, who started the petition against its use, said last month he was 'disgusted' a more suitable alternative had not been sourced.

The Bank said last month Innovia was looking at 'potential solutions' to the issue and was 'aware of some people's concerns' about traces of the derivative, known as tallow, in its polymer note since being introduced into circulation in September.

The Canadian group will now take on the task of trying to eliminate the use of animal fat in production of UK 5 notes.

In early December it was revealed that artist Graham Short had engraved images of author Jane Austen on four 5 notes and put them back in to circulation.

The engraved notes are thought to be worth at least 40,000 each.

This is Money revealed earlier in the year that notes with low serial numbers - those which begin with AA01 - are worth holding onto as they are collectible.

At a Bank of England charity auction at the start of October, one 5 note with an AA01 serial number sold for a staggering 4,150.

We interviewed Jesse McClure - star of popular television show Storage Hunters - who paid 1,200 for the AA01 000020 note at the same auction. In the interview, he revealed he'd had an offer of 7,000 for the note.

The Bank of England has printed 440million of new 5 notes, which can last around five years longer than the paper note

The notes - released back in September - are the first to be made by the Bank of England out of polymer, a thin flexible plastic film which the Bank says is cleaner, stronger and more secure.

The Bank has printed 440million of the notes, which can last around five years longer than the paper note. Those older notes feature prison reformer Elizabeth Fry and can be used in shops until withdrawn from circulation in May 2017.

The new 5 note paves the way for a new generation of security features, making the note harder to counterfeit, the Bank of England claims.

They include a see-through window featuring the Queen's portrait as well as Big Ben shown in gold foil on the front of the note and silver on the back.

The new notes are also 15 per cent smaller than the ones currently used.

CCL Industries is buying Innovia from a consortium of private equity investors, managed by the Smithfield Group.

The firm said the deal will see it become a world leader in the fast-growing market for polymer notes.

CCL expects Innovia to generate net revenue of about 343million in 2017, taking its own sales to 3billion by the time the acquisition is scheduled to complete in the first quarter of the year.

Innovia chief executive Mark Robertshaw said CCL would be 'an excellent long-term owner'.

He added: 'CCL recognises and values Innovia's world leading technology, R&D and differentiation in Films and Security and sees a high degree of complementarity with CCL's own capabilities and markets to establish new growth opportunities for their business.'
FRIDAY FEELING Shoppers splashing out on Black Friday bargains have driven retail sales to grow at their fastest rate in more than a year, said the Confederation of British Industry.

The trade body said sales in the last week of November and the first two weeks of December grew at the fastest pace since September 2015.

More than half of retailers said sales volumes were up, while 16 per cent said they were down.

ESTATE DEAL Savills Investment Management has bought an industrial estate in London for 8million in a vote of confidence in the property market.

The property fund has snapped up Progress Business Park in Croydon from Westbrook Partners.

Average rents at the estate are 13.80 per square foot although the latest letting was at over 20 per square foot.

COURT DELAY The latest court hearing in the battle between Avocet Mining and ex-workers has been postponed.

The company will now have to wait at least two weeks for the hearing on the legality of workers' seizure of gold from the Inata mine in Burkina Faso in a dispute over pay.

STORES SALE The sale of 298 Co-op stores to McColl's has been given the green light by the competitions regulator.

The 117million deal needed to win the approval of the Competitions and Markets Authority because it now means McColl's will own 1,300 convenience stores across the UK.

ROADS CONTRACT Construction group Kier has been awarded a 140million contract to repair roads in Cumbria and north Lancashire.

The 15-year deal from Government-owned Highways England includes emergency incident response and traffic management.

RAC SHAKE-UP RAC boss Chris Woodhouse is leaving the roadside recovery firm in the new year after a shake-up of the company's ownership.

He will be succeeded by Dave Hobday of payments processing group Worldpay.

BASRA BOOST An oil field in southern Iraq part operated by BP is producing at its highest rate in 27 years.

The Rumaila oil field in Basra is pumping out 1.45m barrels per day, up from one million in 2009, BP said.

INFORMANTS PAID Snitches who blew the whistle on tax evasion were paid 460,000 by HMRC in the year to April, according to City law firm RPC.

The cash was doled out to reward information on tax dodgers.

CAR TAKEOVER Vintage car lending firm Renaissance Asset Finance is being bought by Arbuthnot Banking Group for up to 8.1million. Renaissance made profits of 2.4million in the year to June 30.
Poundland is set to expand its fashion offering as bosses seek to replicate Asda's success with George.

The discount chain will start stocking the cut-price label Pep&Co in ten of its stores next February, with children's and womenswear being the main focus.

Both brands are backed by the same South African retail billionaire, Christo Wiese, and the move is being led by former Asda chief executive Andy Bond.

Branching out: Poundland is set to expand its fashion offering as bosses seek to replicate Asda's success with George

Bond helped launched Pep&Co as chief executive of general merchandise business Pepkor, and will takeover the role of chief executive at Poundland in the New Year.

Poundland started trialling select Pep&Co products in some of its 500 stores in November.

It will now roll out the label to ten shops located in Hanley, Southampton, Woolwich, Wembley, Kings Heath, Rhyl, Dudley, Slough, Ilkeston and Gillingham.

The stores were picked as they had adequate floor space to carry the fashion range alongside other Poundland products. Typical goods from the bargain brand include household goods, food supplies and children's toys.

On the up: While Poundland built its business on selling products at a flat rate of 1, Pep&Co prices range from 5 for a pair of trainers to 12 for jeans

It's expected that the offering will expand to 40 more stores over time.

Commenting on the move, Bond told The Guardian: 'The relationship between Pep & Co and Poundland will become increasingly significant.

'My ambition is that, over time, Pep & Co will become to Poundland like George is to Asda.'

While Poundland built its business on selling products at a flat rate of 1, Pep&Co prices range from 5 for a pair of trainers to 12 for jeans.

Bond said no decision had been made over the pricing of Poundlands other products but he admitted that experiments were taking place.

He says that many Poundland customers don't shop there because things are 1 but because they get better value.

This month, the company announced that it was dropping the chain's single-price format to sell a broader range of products to thrifty British consumers.

South African retail group, Steinhoff, bought Poundland for 635.07 million this year, a deal analysts said would be a prelude to an overhaul at the British retailer.

And the group's chief executive Markus Jooste, said that people can indeed expect a shake up.
Would-be entrepreneurs are being held back by a lack of funding, as many avoid going to banks and even friends and family to fund business ventures.

A poll revealed that those without a big pot of savings to rely on may feel they can't fund a start-up, due to a reluctance to seek outside funding.

Research from investment platform Crowdfinders claims just 28 per cent of people would turn to banks or professional institutions for funding, compared to the 35 per cent who would resort to personal savings.

Thicker than water? Two thirds of UK adults wouldn't ask their family to help back their venture

Meanwhile, just 15 per cent said they would turn to friends and family for the cash, probably because two thirds confessed their loved ones don't have the financial means to support them.

Two in three also said they they didn't feel comfortable turning to their friends and family for a loan.

After these funding options, the next most popular avenues were fundraising through the sale of personal items such as cars or luxury items, or looking to a current business or professional network, both of which were cited by 11 per cent of people.

They was followed by remortgaging, crowdfunding and spending on credit cards to raise finance.

Just one in 20 said they would use peer-to-peer lending platforms or venture capital, and only 6 per cent would apply for a bridging loan or specialist finance.

Almost half of those questioned in the research said they wouldn't know where to turn for funding, rising to 52 per cent for would-be entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 34.

Luke Davis, co-founder of Crowdfinders, said: 'There has been a long-standing issue in the world of business that typically only entrepreneurs with deep pockets or wealthy friends and family can access the capital they need to start or scale-up their business.

'The alternative finance revolution was meant to democratise access to funding. However, more needs to be done to connect entrepreneurs with potential investors so they no longer have to rely on personal savings or the bank of mum and dad.'

In last month's Autumn Statement, the Government announced a review of 'patient capital' to investigate why small businesses are finding it difficult to access long term, sustainable investment.

Where entrepreneurs would look for finance  Personal savings (35%)  Banks and institutions (28%)  Friends and family (15%)  The sale of other assets (cars, collectables, luxury items, etc.) (11%)  My existing job, my current business or my professional network (11%)  A mortgage or I would re-mortgage my property (9%)  Crowdfunding platforms (8%)  Credit cards (7%)  Bridging loans and specialist finance (6%)  P2P lending platforms (5%)  Venture capitalist and angel investment (5%)  Private equity investment (4%)

Chancellor Philip Hammond also pledged 400million investment into venture capital funds through the British Business Bank to help start-ups to grow. A further 1.8billion has been promised to Local Enterprise Partnerships.

The Government's efforts come as figures published by Funding Options last month showed the value of overdrafts provided to SMEs over the past five years has fallen by more than a third, from 19billion to 12billion.

At the same time, overdrafts given to large businesses have increased by 25 per cent from 19billion to 24billion.

For entrepreneurs who have already got their small businesses off the ground, it seems disruptions to cashflow is the biggest concern, according to a separate piece of research.

Seven out of 10 small business owners said it is the single biggest risk they face, while 38 per cent have suffered cashflow problems over the past two years - rising to 65 per cent among medium-sized firms with between 50 and 250 staff.

One in seven is still suffering liquidity problems, while 12 per cent either came close to or became insolvent.

Regionally, companies in the North East reported being the worst hit by cashflow shortages.

The biggest challenge caused by cashflow shortages is paying suppliers, cited by 41 per cent of business owners.

This was followed by the one in three who found it difficult to meet debt repayments or buy inventory.

One in four complained they struggled to pay staff, while almost one in five of respondents said they had lost contracts due to cashflow problems.
PIGGS PEAK  Another life has been lost as a result of a dagga deal gone wrong. This time, 28-year-old Fana Shongwe has become a victim of a tragic end to dagga dealing after he was allegedly ejected off a moving vehicle. The incident happened last Friday at a place known as Mabhidzi around Nyonyane. Nyonyanes vast water source, in the form of the mighty Nkomazi River, makes it easy to grow dagga.



Fana was allegedly killed when his attackers sped off with dagga they stole, causing him to sustain injuries as he fell off the vehicle. He died about 500m away from his homestead where he had been picked up by alleged dagga thieves who pretended to be buyers.



Fanas family was still in a sombre mood when visited last Saturday, a day after the incident occurred. Thuli Shongwe, Fanas mother, narrated the final moments leading to the alleged attack that killed her son. There is no doubt that they were planning to kill him when they left with him, alleged Thuli. She alleged that on the day of the attack, four unknown men, driving with a local resident, arrived in a double-cab four wheel drive vehicle. They were allegedly looking to purchase some dagga from Fana. Thuli said her son was reluctant to go with the men because he did not know them.



However, he noticed that other than the four unknown men, there was a fifth person whom he easily recognised as one of his friends. It is alleged the men had been travelling with Fanas friends whom they had duped into thinking they were genuine dagga buyers.

Upon realising that there was someone he knew travelling with the men, Fana is said to have also boarded the same vehicle, hoping that the men would buy some dagga from him. Thuli said instead of paying, the men suggested that he goes with them to his friends homestead so that the duo could be paid. Little did Fana know that this was the last time he would be seeing his family.



The vehicle is then said to have been driven to a certain homestead where Fanas friend alighted so that he could open the gate. While the gate was being opened, the driver then decided to speed off, while Fana was ejected from the moving vehicle. Fanas head first hit the side of the vehicle before he fell onto the ground and hit his head. His mother said it appeared Fana died a few minutes after falling as he was already dead when he arrived at the hospital.

meanwhile, Fana Shongwes friend who was also in the same vehicle, was lucky to have survived the ordeal as it is alleged that the men had planned to kill him.
MBABANE  A 57-year-old Canadian man finds himself homeless after his fiancee, who is a lawyer, kicked him out of their house after she allegedly misappropriated his E2 million.



He alleged that in his investigations, he discovered that his fiancee used part of the money to purchase a brand new kombi for her Swazi boyfriend, whom she was allegedly cheating with.

He also allegedly discovered that she was building a block of flats at KaShali on a newly-acquired plot and she purchased her sister a kombi.

The money was intended to pay for the construction of their home and the Canadian man has now rushed to court to have her account frozen.



These are allegations contained in an affidavit whose veracity is yet to be tested in court. The respondent is yet to give her side of the story.

The couple was on verge of walking down the aisle and the Canadian national had already purchased a promise ring for the lawyer and had slipped it onto her finger.

In preparation to come and settle with his fiancee in Swaziland, the Canadian national, Gregary Archibald Newell, reportedly sold his assets and transferred all his money to an account held by the lawyer, Siphesihle Sharon Malaza, under the auspice that the parties would jointly develop a home and a residence.



Newell alleged that on his return on September 2016 he discovered that Malaza had not only failed to make progress on the house, but also transferred the money out of their First National Bank account to a Standard Bank account.

He informed the court that he had held funds available to him as Malaza holds the cards for both bank accounts, the second account which he discovered before she put him out of the home they were sharing in Fairview, Manzini.



I have been left out of the cold in a foreign country with no one to turn to and I am presently living in a guest house and I do not have funds to maintain myself nor to return to Canada. His lawyer, Lucky Howe, informed the court that Newell was a foreign national who had been induced to sell everything he had in his country to come and settle in Swaziland. Howe claimed that the Canadian national had lost all his possessions to Malaza, including being prevented from accessing the funds which he was allegedly persuaded to send to Swaziland for the purposes of building a house, renting an apartment and starting a life in the country.



He is currently living like a pauper and currently renting a guest house to avoid sleeping in the streets. Renting out a guest house is not sustainable without access to his property and money to start a business in Swaziland, submitted Howe.
MANZINI  A well-known Manzini Bus Rank taxi man is alleged to have ended his life by ingesting weevil tablets while inside his car.



According to some of his colleagues at the rank, Celumusa Simelane (35) had personal issues which included a lot of debts, among others.

A colleague, who refused to be named, said their friend had a huge debt of E15 000 and the person who had given him the money had started harassing him since it was year-end.

Last Wednesday in the afternoon, Simelane is alleged to have bought the weevil tablets and took them while he was inside his vehicle, a Honda Fit.



He had parked the vehicle at his mothers homestead, situated in Mbhuleni, Matsapha.

His younger sister, Tenele Tsela, found him writhing in pain inside his taxi and raised an alarm.

A police officer who was found along the roadside, near Eteni, was informed of the incident and he immediately drove the deceased to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital.

The officer had been stationed at the place due to the Incwala ceremony preparations.



Upon arrival at the hospital, Simelane, who was already weak, was attended to by medical doctors, who tried draining the poisonous substance out of his system.

However, after about two hours, he died.

Before his last breath, Simelane is said to have said Lomhlaba sowungehlulile (this world has defeated me), and immediately died.



He is said to have uttered these in front of his relatives and friends who were by his bedside, including his employer, Mshishi Malambe.

Malambe described the deceased as someone who was always in a jovial mood and was never sad.

He added that despite his financial issues, he would not show or rather mention suicide.



I do not think he ended his life because of debts. I really think the suicide was demonic. He would talk to me about his financial issues and I would tell him that life goes on and it would all pass.

He spent the last four days of his life travelling to some parts of the country. I was with him and he seemed alright, joked around and never hinted that he had issues and was contemplating killing himself by taking weevil tablets, Malambe said yesterday.


MBABANE  Tinyanga are to blame for their exclusion in the Medicines Act because they do not want to be transparent.



This was the observation of Makhanya Makhanya, who is one of the founders of the Witchdoctors Association. Makhanyas remarks are in reaction to reports published in the Times Sunday that Parliament had passed a new law that would outlaw traditional healers and the use of traditional medicine in the country.



This is the Medicines and Related Substance Control Act of 2016. The problem is caused by witchdoctors, said Makhanya. The traditional healer said government was responsible for the welfare of every citizen of the country.

He said in an instance an individual was hurt or got really sick after ingesting medication provided by witchdoctors, government would have to provide hospital medication to heal that particular individual. Such medication as pills are very costly for government to provide due to the negligence of a witchdoctor, said Makhanya.



He said any unqualified person who might issue a poisonous substance to people and consequently make them sick would put government in unnecessary expenses. I believe government is not necessarily saying it does not want witchdoctors to operate in the country, but want them to be transparent, said Makhanya.

The witchdoctor said as an association, they had noted with disappointment that their members had changed their name to Traditional Healers Organisation.



He added that being witchdoctors meant their practice was specifically concentrated on administering medicine in the traditional field. These people deal in curing emalumbo (traditional sicknesses exerted through witchcraft) but they do not say, they hide this from government. Now government is saying they should come forth to explain what actually is the major focus in their practice, said Makhanya.



He said just as reporters were registered with government which is aware that they will be writing news for the public, it gave them ethics on how to carry out the duties. The same, he said, applied for witchdoctors.

Makhanya noted that witchdoctors had enjoyed 48 years of independence but still had not done anything in as far as approaching government on how they operated. They have not approached government to say this is how we operate which will convince government that they are responsible citizens who will carry out their practice with the same responsibility, he said.



He further noted that witchdoctors had not met to take their herbal concoctions (timbita) to government and convince the officials that their mixtures were safe for people to drink, how it was made and if its safety was guaranteed. These are the answers that government wants from witchdoctors, Makhanya said.
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By Merle Exit

Its been a long road traveled for Nan-Chang Chen, but the Forest Hills resident continues to make an impact on the musical world.

Chen, 26, founded the New Asia Chamber Music Society and is currently serving as the groups executive director. The organization has grown exponentially since its inception in 2011 and Chen said he is proud of what it has accomplished since.

During the past six years, we have been actively building our organizations infrastructure and engaging musicians and audiences alike by expanding our repertoire and commissioning new works, he said. Following our Carnegie Hall debut in 2011, we have performed extensively in the New York area, toured across the U.S. and internationally.

Chens road to founding the organization began in his younger days when he arrived in the United States from overseas.

I had just finished elementary school in Taiwan, and came to the United States by myself to attend a boarding arts high school in Southern California, Chen said.

It was at that point that Chen met Wei-Yang Andy Lin, a fellow student, and the duo instantly became a big part of each others lives.

At the time, I knew no one in this country, spoke absolutely zero English, and on top of all that I was the youngest student in the entire school, Chen said. Knowing that I needed help, the school officials decided to ask another then-15-year-old, also a Chinese-speaking student to help me, to get used to the environment quickly. Our friendship continued and he has been my big brother since 16 years ago.

Chen and Lin remained close after high school and continued their journey together, which included a stop at one of the most prestigious music schools in the country.

We both came to the East Coast after high school, received degrees from the Juilliard School, and now are working as full-time professional musicians in this artistic city, Chen said. Besides our friendship, our musical collaboration also started all the way back then.

Chen and Lin are still working together today, as the latter serves as the artistic director of the New Asia Chamber Music Society. The duo enjoys performing together and the organization gives them the opportunity to do so.

Being a classical musician in the city, we are often asked to form chamber groups for concerts, recording projects and other gigs, Chen said. With this, in conjunction with our love for chamber music, we decided to form New Asia Chamber Music Society to gather top musicians and perform at our highest level possible.

Chen has received several accolades for his performances throughout the year and has collaborated with various music organizations. Among his many achievements, Chen was named a first place winner in the Queens Symphonys Young Artist Competition (Senior Division) in 2010.

Aside from serving as the executive director of the New Asia Chamber Music Society, Chen has also worked as a music teacher at Queens College since 2015 and is currently a doctoral candidate at the CUNY Graduate Center. He teaches a cello studio course and a chamber music course in addition to assisting in two music theory courses.

Chen said hes thrilled to help the next generation of musicians.

It is an opportunity I received from CUNY Graduate Center and I sincerely treasure this experience as a teaching role that allows me to grow further as a musician, he said.

Chen manages to balance his time between his work as a teacher and his involvement with the New Asia Chamber Music Society. He said the organization is always looking for new members who are enthusiastic about chamber music and easy to work with, not just someone who is good at playing their own instrument. Therefore, a good chamber musician is rare, and we are lucky to have the team we have now.
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By Mark Hallum

Mayor Bill de Blasio came to Bayside earlier this month to talk to residents at Clearview Senior Center about a $183 water bill credit to relieve the financial burden on homeowners. The Water Board approved de Blasios proposal for the credit back in April, which is an issue the mayor said has wanted to address since his time as public advocate.

Rates have increased across the city every year, but 2016 only saw a 2 percent increase, according to de Blasio. At the same time a hidden tax is also taking a bite out of the publics checkbooks. So far, 120,000 homeowners have seen relief on their water bill due to the credit the city has made available to them, de Blasio said at the Dec. 8 meeting.

For years and years, you paid the water bill, but you didnt just pay for water, de Blasio told residents. There was a hidden tax baked into it. It had a strange title. They called it a rental payment. It didnt make any sense.

The tax credit was first passed by the city Water Board in April and will be issued once a year starting this summer.

The one-time credit of $183 is available annually for water and sewer bills and has the potential to reach an estimated 664,000 homeowners citywide, which makes up approximately 80 percent of payers in New York City, the majority of which are homeowners.

About 100 residents gathered in the Clearview Centers conference hall at 208-11 26th Ave. with many expressing gratitude to the mayor for lightening the financial burden associated with the essential utility.

My water bill is astronomical, Olga Torres said. I live just down the block and I know my neighbors have been complaining. Its been out of control. Im glad something is being done.

Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) and City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) joined residents in praising the water bill credit.

Were all homeowners out here in northeast Queens, and when we hear about getting money back, thats what we want to hear because were paying so much in taxes. Its nice to see a mayor whos going to fight to get us some money back, Vallone said.

The mayor also explained to residents at Clearview how many seniors who make less than $50,000 are eligible for rent freezes through programs such as SCRIE and many of them are not aware of it. De Blasio estimated that 80,000 people are not taking advantage of rent freeze programs.
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Russian investigators arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to probe the assassination of Moscow\s ambassador as the Turkish government pointed the finger of blame at exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Veteran diplomat Andrei Karlov was shot nine times in the back by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas at the art gallery opening of a show of Russian photography on Monday.

The brazen killing stunned Ankara and Moscow, which have rowed repeatedly over the Syria conflict but had recently begun to cooperate closely on the evacuations from war-wrecked Aleppo.

An unprecedented three-way meeting on Syria between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran went ahead in Moscow Tuesday despite the assassination, with the diplomats backing a widening of a truce.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, meanwhile, pinned the assassination on Gulen\s group, which Ankara says also orchestrated an attempted coup in July, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

In a conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Cavusoglu said "Turkey and Russia know that behind the attack there is FETO," it said, referring to Turkey\s acronym for Gulen\s organisation.

The US-based Gulen had earlier issued a statement to condemn the assassination as a "terrorist act" that left him "shocked and deeply saddened."

Six people have been detained over the Karlov assassination, including the sister, mother, father and uncle of the 22-year-old Altintas, Turkish media said.

Adding to the jitters, with Turkey already on high alert after a string of deadly attacks, an individual also fired outside the US embassy in Ankara overnight.

The mission said in a statement that no one was hurt and the individual was detained but the embassy and consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed for normal operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his secret services to boost security at home and abroad, and to step up cooperation with foreign intelligence services.

A Russian investigative team visited the scene of the attack at the Contemporary Arts Centre in central Ankara as part of a joint probe with Turkey.

Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul that he and Putin agreed in a phone call after the murder that "our expanding areas of cooperation with Russia, particularly on Syria, will not be hampered by this attack".

Dramatic footage of Monday\s assassination showed Karlov stumble and crash to the ground on his back as Altintas brandished his automatic pistol at terrified onlookers who cowered behind cocktail tables.

The lone gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") and "Don\t forget Aleppo", vowing that those responsible for events in Syria would be held accountable.

Altintas did not go through the metal detector security check when he entered the exhibition and was warned by a security officer, according to the Cankaya municipality where the exhibition centre is located.

But after showing his police ID, he was allowed to proceed, it said.

The Hurriyet daily said Altintas, who had worked for Ankara\s anti-riot police for the last two-and-a-half years, had stayed at a nearby hotel to prepare for the attack, shaving and putting on a smart suit.

He was killed by police after a 15-minute standoff.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek, known for his outspoken comments, became the first senior official to link the killing with Gulen\s group.

His suggestion was also repeated in the pro-government press, before being amplified in the Anadolu report quoting Cavusoglu.

US President-elect Donald Trump had on Monday condemned the envoy\s assassination, calling the gunman a "radical Islamic terrorist".

A Russian plane carrying the ambassador\s body landed in Moscow, where it was met by Cavusoglu and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Turkey gave the murdered envoy a full honour guard on his departure from Ankara, as an Orthodox Russian priest, watched by Karlov\s widow, read the last rites and swung incense over the coffin.

Cavusoglu announced in Moscow that the street where the embassy is located would be named after the 62-year-old envoy, a career diplomat who had notably served as ambassador to North Korea.

The killing came after days of protests in Turkey over Russia\s role in Syria, although Moscow and Ankara are now working closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

Turkey and Russia stand on opposite sides of the conflict, with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscow\s ally President Bashar al-Assad.

But the rhetoric has warmed considerably since a reconciliation deal was signed earlier this year and the tripartite meeting Tuesday was just the latest in a series of contacts.

Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed on Tuesday to guarantee Syria peace talks and backed expanding a ceasefire in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting.

SOURCE: AFP
The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people, as German police hunted for the attacker.

"A soldier of the Islamic State carried out the Berlin operation in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries," the IS-linked Amaq news agency said, without identifying the perpetrator.

The claim came shortly after German prosecutors, saying they lacked evidence, released a Pakistani asylum seeker who was the sole suspect in the case, sparking fears of a killer at large.

"We can\t rule out that the perpetrator is on the run," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told broadcaster ZDF, adding he was confident there would be "progress" in the inquiry.

The Pakistani was arrested late Monday after he was reportedly seen jumping out of the truck and fleeing the scene.

But officials had expressed growing doubts over whether they had the right suspect in custody.

Berlin\s police chief Klaus Kandt earlier warned that "we may have a dangerous criminal in the area", and announced security would be boosted while urging "heightened vigilance".

Federal prosecutors said they had found nothing to link the Pakistani suspect to Germany\s deadliest attack in recent memory.

"The forensic tests carried out so far did not provide evidence of the accused\s presence during the crimes in the cab of the lorry," the prosecutor\s office said.

As attention switched to the manhunt, investigators asked the public to send them any photos and video footage.

Twelve people were killed when the truck tore through the crowd, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July\s deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Another 48 people were injured, 24 of whom were released from hospital by late Tuesday.

The mangled truck came to a halt with its windscreen smashed, a trail of destruction and screaming victims in its wake, with Christmas trees toppled on their side.

Chancellor Angela Merkel  who visited the scene of the carnage for a minute\s silence and then joined a memorial service in the adjacent Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church  labelled the deadly rampage a likely "terrorist" attack.

The Polish-registered vehicle, which was loaded with steel beams, had cut a bloody swathe of 60-80 metres (yards) into the market in the once-divided city\s inner west.

At least six of those killed were German citizens, authorities said, while countries from Israel to Spain said their nationals were among those injured in the busy tourist spot.

A Polish man, killed with a gunshot, was found on the truck\s passenger seat, said de Maiziere. He was believed to be the vehicle\s registered driver.

The Polish owner of the lorry, Ariel Zurawski, confirmed Monday that the driver  his 37-year-old cousin  was missing, telling AFP: "We don\t know what happened to him I\ve known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him."

Survivors recounted harrowing stories of near misses and carnage as festive partying turned to death and destruction in seconds.

German flags flew at half-mast and mourners placed flowers and candles at the site.

Berlin\s landmark Brandenburg Gate was lit in the German national colours in honour of the victims.

The government declared that the city\s 60-odd Christmas markets  after a one-day voluntary stoppage out of respect for the victims  should continue because "we must not let our free way of life be taken from us".

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with bloody jihadist attacks striking Paris and Brussels.

Germany also suffered two attacks in July in the southern state of Bavaria committed by asylum seekers and claimed by the Islamic State group.

An axe rampage by an Afghan or Pakistani man on a train wounded five people, and a suicide bombing by Syrian asylum seeker left 15 people injured six days later.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

Merkel said earlier that if the attacker turned out to be an asylum seeker, this would be "particularly sickening in relation to the many, many Germans who are involved every day in helping refugees".

Marcus Pretzell of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party labelled the Christmas market victims "Merkel\s dead".

The attack in Berlin comes five months after Tunisian Islamist extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

Merkel received calls of support from a string of foreign leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, Turkey\s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

As well as sharing their condolences, they "stressed the need for European solidarity in the fight against terrorism," Seibert said.

The White House said US President Barack Obama had offered Merkel assistance following "the horrific apparent terrorist attack".

SOURCE: AFP
At least 11 people died as gunfire erupted during protests on Tuesday in Democratic Republic of Congo against longtime President Joseph Kabila, who is refusing to leave office as his mandate ends.

Shots rang out in the capital Kinshasa, where at least nine people were killed, and there was sustained gunfire in the country\s second-largest city, Lubumbashi, where two died  including a policeman who was lynched by an angry crowd.

The UN\s large DR Congo mission, MONUSCO, said it was probing reliable reports of dozens of deaths and voiced alarm over the arrests of 113 opposition leaders and civil society activists in just four days.

Tension has been mounting for months in DR Congo ahead of the December 20 deadline for Kabila\s second and final term in office to end.

With no election planned and no sign of him stepping down, veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi issued a plea to the country\s 70 million people to "peacefully resist" and "reject" the Kabila regime.

Plumes of smoke from burning barricades hung over Kinshasa after overnight protests, and activity ground to a halt as troop carriers patrolled the largely empty streets of the megacity of 10 million.

An AFP correspondent said the streets of Lubumbashi\s Matuba neighbourhood were strewn with rocks and burnt tyres early Tuesday amid a heavy police presence.

Local authorities said "police were forced to fire into the air to disperse civilians" because some protesters were armed. It was impossible to immediately verify that claim.

But there were no reports of clashes in northeastern Kisangani or in Bukavu in the country\s east.

"Fortunately, we are not back to the slaughter of September," said national police spokesman Pierre-Rombaut Mwanamputu, referring to bloodshed in September when at least 53 anti-Kabila protesters died in two days, according to the UN.

Kabila, 45, who has ruled since 2001, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term but under a controversial recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

As the clock counted down on Tuesday\s end-of-mandate deadline, crowds gathered before midnight Monday to blow whistles and beat on improvised drums, calling on Kabila to quit.

"There was teargas and gunfire," said Andre, a resident of Kinshasa\s Matete neighbourhood, adding that security forces "threatened the population".

And in what Kabila\s opponents dubbed "a provocation", state TV overnight announced a new government.

Headed by Samy Badibanga, it is part of an October deal between the ruling party and tiny fringe opposition groups that enables Kabila to remain in office pending elections in April 2018.

But the main opposition bloc rejects the plan.

In a YouTube video released during the night, opposition leader Tshisekedi launched "a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to no longer recognise the authority of Mr. Joseph Kabila, to the international community to no longer deal with Joseph Kabila in the name of the Democratic Republic of Congo".

The 84-year-old Tshisekedi urged people "to peacefully resist the coup d\etat".

The message was not available in DR Congo where authorities have since Sunday imposed strict controls on the flow of pictures and video on social media networks.

Tshisekedi said he hoped to continue talks launched by the Catholic Church last week to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. Those talks are due to resume on Wednesday.

The opposition wants elections next year  along with a pledge that Kabila will not stand.

Badibanga urged people to stay "calm" and security forces "to show discipline and restraint" as violence erupted after his controversial appointment.

DR Congo has never witnessed a democratic transfer of power following polls since independence from Belgium in 1960.

The president has been in office since his father Laurent Kabila\s assassination in 2001. He was elected in 2006, and again in 2011.

Some two decades ago, the country collapsed into the deadliest conflict in modern African history. Its two wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s dragged in at least six African armies and left more than three million dead.

Also on Tuesday there were clashes between soldiers and militia fighters in central Kananga that sent crowds of panicked residents into the streets but were not linked to the political protests, an army spokesman told AFP.

"Men were killed on both sides  We killed many militia fighters," said Jean de Dieu Mambwene, referring to a rebel group present ih the area.

SOURCE: AFP
Russian special forces shot dead seven militants in Chechnya in southern Russia after an attack on police officers the previous night, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday.

Moscow has fought two wars with separatists in the mainly Muslim internal republic since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Such shoot-outs have become relatively rare in Chechnya, but the wider North Caucasus region remains volatile with unemployment and corruption pushing some young men to embrace radical Islam.

Agencies cited Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov as saying seven militants had been killed during a special operation on the edge of Grozny, the capital. A further four militants had been detained, three of whom had been wounded, he said.

Russian news agencies reported earlier that the militants had attacked a policeman on Saturday night, seized his car, and run over another policeman who tried to stop the vehicle. The Interfax agency said the militants had opened fired on police when confronted on Sunday.

One policeman had been killed in the shoot-out, the TASS agency and state Rossiya-24 TV channel reported.

SOURCE: REUTERS
A French court on Monday found IMF head Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence over a massive state payout to a tycoon when she was French finance minister but spared her a fine or prison sentence.

The ruling was a rare setback in Lagarde\s glittering career but it was not clear how it would affect her position at the International Monetary Fund, whose board was to meet in Washington to discuss the court\s decision.

A special court in Paris found against Lagarde over her handling of a dispute between the state and flamboyant businessman Bernard Tapie, which ended in a 404-million-euro ($422 million) award for Tapie.

The court rapped Lagarde for failing to contest the massive payment, which was linked to Tapie\s sale of the Adidas sportswear brand to Credit Lyonnaise bank.

Crucially, however, the Paris court exempted her from any penalty, citing her "international reputation" and the fact that at the time of the events in 2008 she had been busy fighting a global financial inferno.

The high-flying 60-year-old former corporate lawyer became the first female IMF chief in 2011, succeeding her disgraced compatriot Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

She was not in the Paris court for the ruling. Her lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve told reporters she was in Washington for "professional reasons".

He welcomed the absence of a sentence but said he "would have preferred that she be cleared outright".

The French government expressed continued support for Lagarde, saying it "retained its utmost confidence in her capacity to carry out her responsibilities".

Lagarde was tried over her decision to allow the long-running dispute over Tapie\s sale of Adidas to be resolved by a private arbitration panel instead of by the courts.

The court cleared her of negligence over that decision but upheld the charge over her failure to contest the staggering amount of the resulting award.

An investigation later showed the arbitration to be fraudulent.

Tapie, who was later ordered to pay back the money, is among six people charged with fraud in a separate criminal case, along with the boss of Orange telecoms company, Stephane Richard, a former aide to Lagarde.

Lagarde\s case was heard by the Court of Justice of the Republic  a tribunal of judges and members of parliament that hears cases against ministers accused of wrongdoing in office.

The punishment for negligence theoretically carried a one-year prison sentence and a 15,000-euro ($15,676) fine.

Lagarde told the court during her five-day trial last week she had acted in good faith.

"My sole aim was to defend the general interest," she said.

The court noted however that her inaction allowed Tapie and his wife to pocket 45 million euros in "moral damages" for alleged emotional harm  a sum included in the arbitration award.

Lagarde\s voice cracked with emotion as she said on Friday that the case had put her family  she is the mother of two sons  through a "testing" time.

Prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin had described the evidence as "very weak" and said he was opposed to a guilty finding.

Coming in the middle of the global financial crisis, the payout to Tapie, a supporter of Lagarde\s then boss, ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, caused shock in France.

Tapie had sold Adidas to Credit Lyonnais for the equivalent of 315.5 million euros in 1993. The bank sold it on the following year for 701 million euros, prompting claims from Tapie that he had been cheated.

Lagarde, who was a relative newcomer to government at the time, told the court she had been busy with the financial crisis and that the arbitration process was "not a priority" at the time.

"The risk of fraud completely escaped me," she said.

Lagarde has won plaudits for her performance as IMF managing director and has been a key player in bailout negotiations for Greece.

She has also worked to reform the US- and Europe-dominated institution to reflect China\s growing global leverage.

Her trial landed the IMF back in the headlines for alleged wrongdoing by its bosses, five years after Lagarde was chosen to succeed Strauss-Kahn when he resigned to fight sexual assault charges.

His case was later dropped and a civil case was settled out of court.

Another former IMF head, Rodrigo Rato of Spain, is currently standing trial on charges of misusing funds when he was head of Spanish lender Bankia.

Lagarde began her second term at the IMF in July.

SOURCE: AFP
A lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday, killing at least nine people and hurting 50 more in what police said was a possible terror attack.

Ambulances and heavily armed officers rushed to the area after the driver mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in scenes reminiscent of July\s deadly truck attack in the French city of Nice.

"A man who was apparently driving the truck was detained," a police spokeswoman told AFP. "The person riding in the vehicle is dead."

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least nine were killed and 50 others were injured  four of them seriously  in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

"We are investigating whether it was a terror attack but do not yet know what was behind it," a police spokesman said.

Authorities said there was no indication of "further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz", where the suspected attack took place.

Police added they had no indications as yet to the nationality or age of the arrested man.

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped".

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"It\s awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas", said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris."

Australian Trisha O\Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there."

O\Neill added that there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July injured five people, and a suicide bombing wounded 15 people in the same state six days later.

In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany and misgivings run particularly deep in the ex-communist east, even more so since IS-linked attacks in July carried out by asylum-seekers.

The attack in Berlin also comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the suspected attack in Berlin, French President Francois Hollande said, "The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe."

The Nice bloodshed  as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day public holiday on July 14  further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.

Six people have been charged so far over alleged links to the 31-year-old killer but investigators have yet to prove that any of them knew what he was planning.

IS moved quickly after the attack to claim Bouhlel as one of its followers. Investigators said he suffered from depression and appeared to have become radicalised very quickly.

SOURCE: AFP
Beaver County preparing for robust Election Day turnout

As the Nov. 8 midterm election approaches, nearly 114,000 people are registered to vote in Beaver County.
ALBANY - Capital Region residents hoping to make Albany a sanctuary city flooded City Hall on Monday to encourage city lawmakers to consider the capital city as a safe haven for undocumented immigrants.

More than 50 people involved with New Sanctuary for Immigrants of the Capital Region rallied before the Albany Common Council meeting discussing the threats to immigrants rights and resources that may be available.

The recent presidential campaign and upcoming inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump has stoked fears that immigrants could be deported.

Making Albany a sanctuary city essentially would instruct local police not to investigate or report someones immigration status to federal agencies unless theres a conpelling reason to do so.

Event organizer Joe Paparone said there is concern the federal government could put pressure on local police forces to enforce federal laws and rules.

And suddenly we have these spikes in racial profiling, he said. Suddenly people who maybe get picked up for a traffic ticket or some minor offense by Albany police could get shuffled into immigration proceedings.

City officials contend Albany already is a sanctuary city based on 2009 legislation that called on city officials to refrain from unnecessary measures concerning an individuals immigration status.

Opponents of sanctuary cities say the policy can threaten the safety of residents by enabling people living in the country illegally with a criminal history to stay in the country.

Council members unanimously reaffirmed this non-binding legislation and the city's stance on human and immigrant rights Monday evening. They also denounced Trump's "divisive and destructive rhetoric."

Veronica Perez, a University at Albany professor, said it took her 13 years and thousands of dollars in legal fees before becoming a U.S. citizen. She is originally from Mexico.

The path to citizenship is not easy, she said.

Theres also been a reported increase in the number of racially and religiously motivated hate crimes, further extending concern for minorities safety, she said.

My female Muslim students are not safe walking around, Perez said.

A petition has been circulating on the UAlbany campus asking Interim President James Stellar to declare the university a sanctuary campus for immigrants. The call is a nationwide campus movement asking university officials to promise not to assist government efforts to deport undocumented students, faculty and staff.

Paparone said the group currently is working with the New York Civil Liberties Union to create an ordinance that would make Albany a sanctuary city. From there, theyll extend to Albany County and other communities, he said.

Were going to start spreading the love elsewhere, he said.
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Plug Power, the Latham fuel cell manufacturer, says it is in talks to acquire a European industrial gas company in a $10.4 million deal. "We are in negotiations to acquire a company in Europe that develops technology to produce industrial gas supplies, which we believe, if successfully acquired and integrated into our operations, may advance our hydrogen fueling strategy," Plug Power said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

 Larry Rulison
Albany

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is to announce Tuesday agreements with six national retailers to end their use of on-call scheduling practices, which often requires employees to call in, sometimes just hours in advance, to find out if they are needed to work a shift.

Aeropostale, Disney, Zumiez and PacSun, all of which have locations at Crossgates Mall, along with Carter's and David's Tea all agreed to end the practice. Carter's, Disney, David's Tea and Zumiez also agreed to provide employees with their work schedules at least one week in advance of the start of the workweek, Schneiderman's office said. Aeropostale and PacSun did not make similar promises.

"On-call shifts are not a business necessity and should be a thing of the past," Schneiderman said in a statement. "People should not have to keep the day open, arrange for child care, and give up other opportunities without being compensated for their time. I am pleased that these companies have stepped up to the plate and agreed to stop using this unfair method of scheduling."

The agreements follow letters sent to 15 retailers by Schneiderman and attorneys general in seven other states and the District of Columbia, in April. Nine of those companies said they did not use on-call scheduling or had recently ended the practice.

On its own, Schneiderman's office reached agreements to end on-call scheduling with a number of retailers, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap and the parent company of Bath & Body Works and Victoria's Secret, in 2015 as well.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
If you're still looking for local events this weekend, here are a few options ranging from relaxing yoga to ugly sweater pub crawls for charity.
Albany

Discussions about a potential special session of the Legislature showed signs of life on Monday as the governor and Assembly speaker indicated that talks continue. But resolution on any number of issues that could bring lawmakers back to the Capitol before the end of the year remains elusive.

What Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, both in town for the meeting of the Electoral College, made clear, though, is that it's "the people's business" that should bring legislators to Albany, not a pay raise.

"All of the questions seem to be about the pay raise, but it's really about are we going to come back to do things that are important for the people of the state of New York, that's the most important thing," Heastie said. "If the pay raise or the commission (to recommend a raise) is a part of that, so be it. But it's not a trade. We're not making trades. It's, 'Are we going to come back to do the business of the people of the state of New York?'"

Heastie said final signoff on a memorandum of understanding to unlock money for supportive housing is among the top issues that lawmakers would like to act on with some expediency. He also said that ride-hailing is an issue that could get done in a special session, though he would carefully review any legislation to allow the industry to expand outside of New York City.

"For us in the Assembly, it's not just about allowing it to happen There's other things that have to be looked at," he said. "We want to make sure people are safe, the drivers are safe, potential passengers are safe. Some of that I think is getting lost in this debate."

Cuomo noted his support for funding for a hate crimes task force, the housing money and a property tax relief plan, the details of which still have not been disclosed in full.

"I'm not going to bring them back and pay millions of dollars to bring them back just so they can vote for a pay raise for themselves," he said. "If they want to come back and do the people's business, then we'll have something to talk about."

Heastie would not put a percentage on the likelihood lawmakers return.

"I don't like to gamble, so I don't give odds," he said.

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, whom the governor was at odds with last week, was not in Albany Monday.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
Bethlehem

Dr. John A. Balint, whose career at Albany Medical Center spanned five decades, died Dec. 16 of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 91.

Born to a Jewish family in Budapest in 1925, Balint moved to England when he was 14, just before World War II. He earned his medical degree in 1948 from Cambridge University and immigrated to the United States a decade later.

Balint was recruited to Albany Med in 1963 to establish the Gastroenterology Division, which he led for 18 years. He later chaired the Department of Medicine and, after pursuing further education in Chicago at age 70, launched Albany Med's Center for Medical Ethics, the first such program to award doctoral degrees. He retired at 89.

He was often quoted by local media and spoke with a distinctive accent  mostly British, with a trace of his native Hungary.

His grandson, Simon Balint of Melrose, Rensselaer County, said the way his grandfather spent his life from age 70 to almost 90 reflected his character.

"That would be the sunset of many people's lives, but that was another chapter in his career," said Simon Balint, 43. "At that point, he didn't need to get any more accolades or awards, but he did see that there was a gap that he could fill  between science and the human element."

One of his patients, of 35 years, was also his boss. Balint saw James Barba, Albany Med's chief executive, through two serious illnesses, with an inimitable blend of medical expertise and personal concern, Barba said. And when Balint thought Barba needed advice on running Albany Med, Balint was forthright. Yet he would end each conversation with an ear-to-ear smile and a conciliatory phrase like, "Well, yes, I understand."

"He had exquisite balance in human relations," Barba said. "To tell you the truth, I loved him."

Balint was admired nationwide. Arthur Caplan, bioethics professor at the NYU School of Medicine in Manhattan, said, "He was a pioneering thinker, sensitive to patient needs and committed to making sure that humanism and ethics got more attention in medical school and residency training."

Simon Balint, who has lived in the Capital Region most of his life, said someone asks him perhaps once a month if he's related to Dr. Balint, and then they say of Simon's grandfather, "Wow, what a wonderful man."

Balint did not speak much of his early life, Simon Balint said, but the grandson was able over the years to piece together a history. Balint's parents were part of a circle of intellectuals in Budapest  scientists, artists, mathematicians, writers. (Barba said Balint was known during lectures to quote his own father, also a physician.) His parents moved Balint to England in 1939, as his aunt, uncle and cousin went to France. (Balint's mother died seven months after the move.) Another cousin and family stayed in Budapest, and were sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, which they survived.

"It certainly impacted his worldview," Simon Balint said. "He saw the value and promise of free ideas and education, and openness  and he saw the flip side. Throughout his life, he supported, contributed and advocated for social justice causes."

chughes@timesunion.com  518-454-5417  @hughesclaire
Albany

In a bittersweet moment for New York's top Democrats at the state Capitol on Monday, former President Bill Clinton was thunderously applauded as he cast his electoral vote for his wife, Hillary Clinton, for president.

But even the closest Clinton allies knew that at the close of Electoral College voting nationwide, his ballot would mean little.

"I don't know that it will do too much good at this point," Gov. Andrew Cuomo, serving as president of the Electoral College, told fellow electors just before the noontime vote. "But hope springs eternal."

As expected, Republican President-elect Donald Trump cruised past the requisite 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House despite protest in some states and all 29 New York electors casting their ballots for Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine. The tallying of the votes, the final formality Trump must go through, will take place Jan. 6 in Washington.

Masking his bitterness with a smile, Bill Clinton had some of the harshest words about the day's events when he spoke briefly with reporters following the vote.

"At the end we had the Russians and the FBI, she couldn't prevail against that," he said after explaining that for two years Hillary Clinton withstood intense criticism and opposition, including "that bogus email deal."

"She did everything else and still won by 2.8 million votes," he said, referring to the national popular vote count.

Clinton added: "The finest vote counter in America is (538's) Nate Silver. He told you what cost her the election."

Silver, a statistician and political pundit, tweeted a month after the vote "Clinton would almost certainly be President-elect if the election had been held on Oct. 27 (day before Comey letter),"referring to FBI Director James Comey's late letter to Congress that the FBI was investigating additional emails that appeared to be relevant to the Clinton's email case.

Though Bill Clinton remained defiant about his wife's loss, several hundred Trump protesters who gathered outside the Capitol ahead of the vote understood that their stand in Albany was symbolic. Dan Helmer, who helped coordinate the demonstration, said it was held to show solidarity with protesters in other states.

"It's really a message to vote your conscience," Helmer said as the demonstrators shivered in the bitter cold.

Vehicles driving by the cadre of "Never Trumpers" standing along South Swan Street and waving signs the read "Trump Is Unfit" and "Electors: Save Our Democracy" honked their horns at the protesters. A motorist rebuked the group, prompting one of them  noting that the driver was smoking a cigarette  to reply, "(Trump is) going to do away with your Obamacare."

Inside the Capitol, Clinton supporters electors seemed deflated.

"It has never stopped hitting me," state Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. "It's one of these real ironies. I'm so happy obviously to be able to support someone I have a great deal of respect for. ... But the fact that we're voting for someone who's gotten 3 million more popular votes but will not be the president really is bittersweet to say the least."

There has been unrest among Democrats about the nation's electoral process, though changes are unlikely any time soon. New York is one of 10 states that has signed onto the National Popular Vote compact. Under the compact, states would award their electoral votes based on the winner of the national popular vote rather than the state popular vote. But the compact's requirements don't not kick in for supporting states until enough have signed on to constitute a 270-vote majority. Currently, 10 states and the District of Columbia with a combined 165 electoral votes have signed up. They include are California, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan, an elector, was supportive of the discussions surrounding changing the electoral process, though she said reforms must be approached with caution.

"(The current process) has withstood many trials and many tribulations," she said. "I do think stepping back and looking at the fact that this is a candidate who I cast a vote for today who won by nearly 3 million in the popular vote and is still not going to be sworn in as our next president is something that we have to consider."

Though their votes did not affect the outcome, electors did make a small stand by voting to donate their combined $435 in compensation for showing up in vote to the New York Immigration Coalition. Trump's stance on immigration has drawn the ire of Democrats, and Cuomo has pledged that New York stands as a refuge for immigrants and others who feel they are under attack.

Cuomo's national profile has been elevated since the election as he has carefully picked his spots to chide the president-elect. With the handicapping of the 2020 election already begun, Cuomo's name has been casually referenced in discussions about who might seek the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump.

For his part, the governor on Monday didn't indulge such talk.

"I'm running for governor (in 2018)," he told reporters with a smile after the vote. "You want to get rid of me as governor?"

Rick Karlin contributed. mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
Schenectady's Price Chopper supermarket chain is in talks to settle an employee overtime lawsuit filed against it two years ago by employees from its stores in New York, New England and Pennsylvania.

The mediation talks come after news reports that Price Chopper and the Golub family are in talks to sell the privately-owned company to supermarket conglomerate Albertsons Cos. of Boise, Idaho in a $1 billion deal.
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Ankara, Turkey

A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russia's ambassador to Turkey on Monday in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit and then, pacing near the body of his victim, appeared to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"

The leaders of Turkey and Russia said the attack in Ankara, the Turkish capital, was an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as the gunman fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around Ambassador Andrei Karlov as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

The assailant, who was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old member of Ankara's riot police squad, was later killed in a shootout with police. Three other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.

The assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Russia's support for President Bashar Assad in the Syrian conflict and Russia's role in the bombardment and destruction of Aleppo.

The gunman shouted about Aleppo in Turkish, and also yelled "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great," continuing in Arabic: "We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad."

The attack, condemned by the White House and the United Nations, was another sign of how Turkey, a NATO member and a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State group, is struggling to contain multiple security threats. The war in Syria has been a major problem for years, sending several million refugees into Turkey and, more recently, drawing in Turkish troops.

The spectacle of 62-year-old Karlov's assassination by a member of the Turkish security forces at a photography exhibit meant to highlight Russian culture reinforced the sense of unease over the region's conflicts and complex web of alliances and relationships.

It came a day before a key meeting about Syria to be held in Moscow. Those attending include the foreign and defense ministers from Turkey, an opponent of Assad, and Russia and Iran, backers of the Syrian regime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the killing of Karlov as an attempt to damage Russia-Turkey ties "and to thwart a peace process in Syria which Russia, Turkey and Iran have been actively trying to promote."

Putin said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in a phone call that Russian investigators would fly to Ankara to conduct a joint probe with their Turkish counterparts.

"We must know who was directing the killer," Putin said in televised remarks. He ordered top officials to strengthen protection of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow and asked Turkey to increase security at the Russian mission in Ankara.

In a video message shown on several Turkish TV channels, Erdogan said: "This is a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation."

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in Ankara when he was gunned down.

Altintas, the gunman, also fired shots in the air, sending panicked audience members running for cover, and smashed several of the framed photos.

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman got into a 15-minute shootout with police before he was killed, Turkey's state-run news agency reported.
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Albany

Former SUNY Polytechnic Institute President Alain Kaloyeros was not responsible for New York state losing out on the $2 billion computer chip factory that had been promised the Mohawk Valley by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

That's what New York City attorney Michael Miller told the Times Union on Monday after state officials said that delays under Kaloyeros were to blame for the decision by ams AG of Austria to pull the plug on the state-funded project at the Marcy Nanocenter outside Utica.

"The delays were not at all due to anything done while Dr. Kaloyeros was in charge," Miller said.

Miller, a partner at the law firm Steptoe & Johnson, is representing Kaloyeros in his criminal cases. Kaloyeros, who resigned as SUNY Poly's president in October, has maintained his innocence.

Ams, which makes analog computer chips used in microsensors, blamed construction delays for its decision to pull out of an agreement with SUNY Polytechnic Institute to lease a computer chip factory that would have been built outside Utica.

On Friday, Jason Conwall, a spokesman for Empire State Development, the Cuomo agency that took over SUNY Poly's development projects the day after Kaloyeros' arrest, essentially blamed Kaloyeros for the delays.

"Unfortunately, under the previous management of SUNY Poly, the project experienced several long delays and, as a result, ams AG recently informed us of its decision to withdraw from the planned chip fabrication project," Conwall said Friday.

In the months before Kaloyeros was charged, several SUNY Poly projects did experience funding delays, leading to some contractors pulling out of job sites.

However, it was unclear if it was the fault of SUNY Poly's management or if state officials were withholding money due to questions over the pending investigations. Although ground was broken in April at the Marcy Nanocenter site, ESD's board did not authorize $600 million in spending at the site until August.

A private investigator hired by Cuomo, Guidepost Solutions, also withheld nearly $65 million in SUNY Poly funding for projects during an audit.

On Monday, a Cuomo spokesman would not reveal which projects had money withheld.

A summary of Guideposts' findings, which were released to the press on the day after Kaloyeros was arrested, only says that Guidepost audited $193 million in SUNY Poly funding and recommended payment on $129 million in requests. The rest, $64 million, was denied.

Richard Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman, said there is no breakdown of what projects were included in that $64 million.

"What was issued is what there is," Azzopardi said.

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On Friday, ams CEO Alexander Everke officially announced the Utica project was dead, citing "further delays outside of ams' control," although the company did not specify the exact cause of the delays. Sources said the company informed ESD after Thanksgiving that it had given up on the Utica factory, which would have employed hundreds of workers.

"We received a warm welcome from Day One from the state of New York, the Utica community, Oneida County, and Mohawk Valley EDGE (which markets the Marcy Nanocenter site)," Everke said. "The relationship with Mohawk Valley EDGE and Empire State Development was a very positive experience, and we remain open to future opportunities for cooperation. However, this decision was taken after thorough evaluation of the wafer fabrication project and its current status."

Meanwhile, on Monday, Cuomo's economic development chief Howard Zemsky was trying to reassure Mohawk Valley officials that the dream of Nano Utica was not dead.

Although it would only have paid $1 in rent for the Utica facility, ams was planning to spend more than $2 billion over 20 years on equipment and operations at the plant, a major boost to Mohawk Valley's economy.

Zemsky drove Monday morning to Utica to reassure Oneida County officials and local press about the state's continued support for the Mohawk Valley and ESD's efforts to bring another semiconductor manufacturer to Utica.

"ESD and local partners are already working tirelessly on potential alternatives consistent with the region's economic development strategies, and we are actively in discussions with other chip fabrication opportunities for the Marcy Nanocenter," Conwall, the ESD spokesman, said in his remarks Friday.

lrulison@timesunion.com  518-454-5504  @larryrulison
[December 20, 2016] Datawrkz Launches lvlUp BidAmp - A Supply-side Header Bidding and Mediation Platform

BENGALURU, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Datawrkz, a leading global technology provider for publishers, agencies and brands, announced the launch of BidAmp, one of the only Header Bidding products built in Asia. BidAmp is the company's recent addition to its lvlUp suite of supply-side products. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451095/PRNE___Datawrkz.jpg )

BidAmp enables publishers to mediate requests between various Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs)/Exchanges so that the highest bid wins at the ad-server level. With BidAmp's integrated Header Bidding functionality, publishers can drive Google's DoubleClick Ad Exchange (AdX) and Direct Campaigns to compete against other exchanges on a dynamic basis on DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP). Speaking on the occasion, Senthil Govindan, CEO and Co-founder, Datawrkz, said, "Datawrkz was built on the platform of trust and transparency. Our vision is to democratize the ad-tech world by making technology solutions accessible to various stakeholders in the digital ecosystem. BidAmp is a critical solution for publishers to maximize their yield by providing greater competition for their impressions. Since all exchanges are now evaluated in one place, the Publisher Waterfall hasbeen rendered irrelevant."



Header bidding enables better incorporation of programmatic demand from non-AdX sources ahead of the call to DFP. Because BidAmp moves the valuation by non-AdX exchanges ahead of the call to DFP, publishers can weigh the true value of an impression not based on an average, but at an impression level and lets it compete with network and AdX demand. "By flattening the waterfall and eliminating pass-backs, we are able to significantly reduce discrepancies that were introduced by the ad request being passed from one exchange to another. As against exchange-specific Header Bidding solutions, BidAmp is a third-party solution that is agnostic about which exchange wins an impression, thus being completely aligned with the Publisher's interests," elucidated Senthil.

"The launch of BidAmp is an exciting step, but our objective is to continue refining our products and services to create maximum value for our partners. We have integrated the solution with a few leading publishing sites and the results have far exceeded expectations. Depending on the geography and the category of the publisher, we have witnessed anywhere between 15% and 40% increase in the CPM rate with BidAmp. This is truly a revolution on the sell side of the digital system," added Anand, COO and Co-founder, Datawrkz. For more details on, please visit: http://lvlup.datawrkz.com/headerbidding.html About Datawrkz Founded in 2013, Datawrkz is a leading advertising technology provider for publishers, agencies and brands. The company is headquartered in Singapore and has a strong presence in the US and India. Datawrkz works with both agencies and publishers, to help them leverage the programmatic paradigm. On the demand side, Datawrkz functions as an independent trading desk to power digital media strategy, planning and execution on behalf of their agency and brand clients in a transparent financial model. On the supply-side, Datawrkz drives higher yield for publishers through proprietary Programmatic technology such as Header Bidding and Innovative Ad Units. For more information please log on to http://www.datawrkz.com. For additional information, please reach out to:

Sowmya Kochukumar

[email protected]

+91-9842255777

Marcom and PR Manager

Datawrkz





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[December 20, 2016] Jack Wills Partners With Perkbox to Launch a New Perks and Engagement Programme for Employees to Enjoy

LONDON, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Jack Wills (http://www.jackwills.com), a British fashion and lifestyle brand, has partnered with Perkbox (http://www.perkbox.co.uk), a leading employee engagement platform, to launch an exciting new incentives, rewards and engagement programme for its employees. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/450813/PRNE_Perkbox_People_Experience_Team.jpg )

As part of its continuing commitment to improve employee engagement, Jack Wills will now provide its team with free and exclusive access to over two hundred practical and recreational perks. New benefits now available to the team at Jack Wills via Perkbox include up to 8% off at 20,000 retail stores and 50 nationwide brands, 4% off at Amazon, two for one or 50% off in more than 6,500 restaurants with a free tastecard, free mobile phone insurance, money off in pubs, bars and coffee shops, heavily discounted theatre tickets and attraction day passes, corporate rates in top gym chains and discounted MOTs, amongst hundreds of other benefits. Fresh perks will be added to the platform regularly and all employees will be able to redeem these 24/7 via their own dedicated account, using Perkbox's online desktop and tablet platform and smartphone app. As well as easy online and on-the-go redemption using the latest technology, Jack Wills staff will also have access to an engagement platform that is designed to enhance financial, emotional and physical wellbeing. This includes a wellness hub of professionally-made online classes in yoga, healthy cooking, exercise and meditation, a 24-hour assistance helpline and financial advice. The team will be automatically enrolled in an online internal Rewards and Recognition platform - a gamified system carefully constructed to facilitate top-down rewards and drive peer-to-peer recognition via the exchangeof digital badges. Admin users will also be able to add any other perks they offer in addition to Perkbox to the platform and will be able to track return on investment via an online dashboard, which highlights how many staff are actively using the platform and how much money staff have saved.



Sarah Day, HR Director at Jack Wills, commented: "Improving employee engagement, communication and team relationships remains a priority at Jack Wills. People are at the core of our business; we believe that if we look after our team, they will look after our company and our customers. We wanted to take our investment in employee engagement to the next level to reward our team's hard work and dedication to the company. Perkbox offered us a holistic solution to this and we are confident that it will deliver effective engagement that will boost motivation and productivity." Chieu Cao, CMO & Co-Founder at Perkbox, said: "We are delighted to be partnering with Jack Wills to help them to reward and motivate their hard-working staff with a range of perks and benefits. Our research shows that a disengaged employee in the retail sector can cost an organisation almost 2,700 more than one that is engaged in absenteeism, recruitment and training costs. We are confident that the Perkbox platform will support Jack Wills in their bid to nurture and motivate their team in line with their employee-centred culture, reducing employee churn, boosting the quality of service provided in customer-facing roles in the stores and attracting new talent to the organisation."

ENDS NOTES TO EDITOR ABOUT JACK WILLS Established by Peter Williams in 1999, as a single shop in the seaside town of Salcombe, Jack Wills has since expanded to become an international brand with 80 stores across the globe, including those in the UK, US, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East, and currently shipping to 126 countries worldwide via jackwills.com.



Jack Wills is a British fashion and lifestyle brand that has always believed in creating premium clothing and accessories for people who appreciate design, quality and attention to detail. It's known for heritage-inspired classics with a contemporary twist and is proud to fly the flag for Britain around the world, whether through a collaboration with a Yorkshire mill or the Jack Wills Seasonnaires' summer on the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Authenticity, honesty and irreverence are just three of the qualities woven into the 'Fabric of Jack' and this company ethos has stood fast for 17 years. ABOUT PERKBOX Perkbox is a cloud-based employee perks and engagement platform for businesses of all sizes, giving employers and employees a range of great perks, social reward and recognition tools and health and wellness platforms that help promote the financial, emotional and physical wellbeing of their team. Perkbox was set up with the belief that the best companies to work for look after their teams and value their staff. The most successful businesses are comprised of people who are engaged, satisfied and loyal. Providing perks and engagement tools helps build stronger teams and incentivises workers to aspire to greatness. Until recently, only large corporations could afford to pay for employee perks. Perkbox's easy and wholly customised offering allows SMEs to reward and incentivise their growing team with perks that help build a happy work culture with an investment in line with their budgets. For more information about Perkbox, or for interviews with Perkbox founders Saurav Chopra and Chieu Cao, contact: Hannah Sims, PR

[email protected]

Tel: 020 8396 6812



SOURCE Perkbox

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[December 20, 2016] Paybookclub Cash for Content Social Network is Giving Away a Million Shares This Christmas

BIRMINGHAM, England, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Capexsales Ltd, based in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, has launched a worldwide "Sign Up A Million Members" campaign for the new Paybookclub Cash For Content social network on mobile phones. The offer for free membership and a share each for the first million members is being made as offered in the Terms of Service of Paybookclub, available at its website http://paybook.club. Paybookclub Cash For Content App, which can be downloaded free from Google Play, APP Store and the website, is a feature rich social network on mobiles where one can monetize content in posts. Users will also be rewarded in cash for likes, shares and comments as well as for the time spent on the network. First million members will also receive privileges like a loyalty bonus and others to be announced in the future. In the words of Shred Pillai, architect of the concept, "An average dude on any social network is like a kid who is thrilled to take his new ball to the beach to show it off. Soon everyone else is hitting it around and having fun while the candy crush guy makes all the money on the side. Paybookclub Cash For Content is where the kid who owns the ball gets at least a candy for sharing it. Paybookclub will eventually be the global marketplacefor content where millions will find gainful employment for a lifetime."



Amit Verma, CEO of Innovellent Technologies, the software partner of Paybookclub, has this to add, "Paybookclub offers highest security to members with Fingerprint/Iris scan and encryption. Paybookclub App is just a front end for a fast and highly scalable web application based on Mongo DB, AWS, sophisticated analytics and PUSH communication. One of the new features to be introduced is screening of full length movies." About Capexsales Ltd:

Capexsales Ltd is a firm of marketing consultants for the Steel and Renewable Energy sector, venturing out to web based activities, in the booming mobile Apps arena. To learn more visit http://paybook.club/ or call us at + 44 7721170136 About Innovellent Technologies Ltd: Innovellent Technologies Ltd is a startup based in Banglore, India, which has made a mark in the Mobile and Web Apps field, securing several high tech projects under their belt in a short time. To learn more visit www.innovellent.com, or call us at + 91 9591260704 Related Files Paybookclub - Terms Of Service (Version -1 May 2016).docx Related Images image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg image4.jpg Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEv7NX3vr0Y 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/paybookclub-cash-for-content-social-network-is-giving-away-a-million-shares-this-christmas-300381367.html SOURCE Capexsales Ltd

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[December 20, 2016] Hybrid News Group Plans to Boost Revenue by 69% in 2016 to Reach 2.5 Million

BRISTOL, England, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- - 69 percent revenue growth - New offices in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney - Bold plans to grow visitors to 25m a month Bolstered by the development of their branded content unit 'Hybrid Create', the independent media company has reached 2.5 million in revenue for the December to December financial year. These numbers represent a 69 percent increase on figures from the previous year, and Hybrid's Finance Manager, David Bond, states the company has managed to dramatically increase profit margins by 74 percent. "Setting up our content and delivery hub in Kuala Lumpur has not only increased our regional reporting coverage across Asia but also helped us to maintain a competitive cost structure," Managing Director of Hybrid News Group, James Craven, says. Hybrid News Group operates a global portfolio of websites including AsianCorespondent.com, TechWireAsia.com, TravelWireAsia.com and StudyInternational.com. This year has seen the organisation partner with a range of leading brands, including Oracle, Japan Airlines, Intercontinental Hotel Group, and Kings College London.



"We're very proud to work with some of the biggest brands in the world, connecting them with quality editorial so they can tell their story and engage our global readers," Craven explains. In November, Hybrid's web portfolio reached over six million unique visitors, according to data from Quantcast. In 2017, Hybrid News Group plans to grow its reach and readership by over 400 percent. James Craven suggests that the company is readily-prepared to boost these numbers further throughout the coming year.

According to Hybrid's MD, "Our investment in contentjournalism, video and audio in the coming 12 months means we will increase monthly visitors to 25 million by the end of 2017. We are very ambitious about what we can achieve in the next two to three years. " About Hybrid News Group Hybrid News Group (Hybrid News Limited) is a digital media company with a portfolio of websites targeting Asia and emerging markets. As of December 2016, the company reaches 6 million unique monthly visitors with a high composition of 18- to 35-year-old readers interested in politics, education, travel, environment, technology and investment. Hybrid News has 60 + staff and offices in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Bristol, UK. It plans to open offices in Boston in January 2018. Media Contact:

Corey Archard, External Relations

[email protected]

(44) 117 244 3750







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[December 20, 2016] Cargo Chief Named to 2016 Food Logistics 100 and Honored with 2016 Green Award from Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Mountain View, Cal. , Dec. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cargo Chief has received two distinct honors this month. The tech-enabled 3PL was named to the 13th annual FL100+ list by Food Logistics, and was also recognized with a 2016 Green Supply Chain Award by Supply & Demand Chain Executive. Both honors are featured in the December issues of the respective publications. Food Logistics is the only publication dedicated exclusively to the global food and beverage supply chain, while Supply & Demand Chain Executives Green Supply Chain Award recognizes companies that make green practices and sustainability a core part of their strategy.

2016 Green Supply Chain Award



2016 FL100+







Cargo Chief unlocks hidden transportation capacity by empowering trucking carriers and providing superior service to shippers. Cargo Chief was founded in 2012 to find inefficiencies in the transportation process and solve capacity problems for thousands of shipping companies on a daily basis, including multiple Fortune 100 food and beverage companies. By making loads available to its carrier network, Cargo Chief can source any shipment using patented, proprietary aggregation and machine learning technology. SunTerra Produce, a shipper of a diverse range of fresh fruits and vegetables from Chicago, has been a Cargo Chief customer for more than a year:

The value weve received from Cargo Chief is in its fantastic technology, which gives us peace of mind and gives our customers a real, actual understanding of where their product and load is and when its going to arrive, said Shaun Black, produce broker for SunTerra. That seems like a simple concept, but when youre moving as many loads a week as we do, it can be daunting to gather all of that information. Cargo Chiefs triangulation technology tracks the location of a shipment in real time and shows the location on a map from any smartphone or computer. Customers can easily track their own shipments, which relieves SunTerra from having to stay on top of a shipments progress. By making loads available to their 500,000+ network of nationwide carriers, Cargo Chief can source any shipment. Cargo Chiefs carrier search provides food shippers like SunTerra the best capacity options for their loads, instantly. Everyone at Cargo Chief is validated by recognition from the food and beverage industry as well as our sustainability efforts, said Russel Jones, CEO of Cargo Chief. We pride ourselves on helping our food shipper customers like SunTerra get their products to shelves with speed and efficiency, while the products are at their freshest. As well, Cargo Chief was founded on the idea of efficiency and sustainability, on finding and making available the hidden capacity that is a result of trucks running empty during a trip, concluded Jones. About Cargo Chief

Founded by logistics experts and executives frustrated with transportation inefficiencies, Cargo Chief unlocks hidden carrier capacity with patented, award-winning technology created by the combination of Silicon Valley ingenuity and deep freight industry expertise and relationships. Cargo Chief provides superior logistical services while improving efficiencies for shippers and empowering carriers. In 2016, The company was named a Red Herring Top 100 award winner and was also honored in the 2016 CIO 100 Awards. Please visit www.CargoChief.com. Will Haraway Backbeat Marketing [email protected] 404.593.8320

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[December 20, 2016] Snagajob Launches PeopleMatter FIND for Customers Needing Better Fit Candidates, Faster

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Snagajob today announced that it has launched PeopleMatter FIND, integrating the largest marketplace for hourly work with the industry's top workforce solution for employers. The new product will help service-industry employers expand the visibility of their job postings to a more targeted labor pool. Following the initial launch of PeopleMatter FIND, the amount of total applications processed by Snagajob has increased by 166 percent. Two of the top restaurant industry brands have already committed to using the product across all of their locations. Additionally, employers beta-testing the new product saw a 20 percent increase in rate of monthly processed applications. Following the acquisition of PeopleMatter earlier this year, Snagajob's PeopleMatter FIND product seamlessly connects the service industry's most widely used workforce management solution with the nation's largest hourly marketplace. Hiring managers can now share their open positions with Snagajob's 70 million registered hourly workers in one click, directly from within the PeopleMatter product. "Anything that makes my job easier is of the utmost value," said Mark Bryan, VP of Human Resources from EJ Pope, a large convenience store retailer client in North Carolina. "This is an easy-to-use interface that brings together two great products and minimizes the time I spendmanaging my various job postings across multiple locations and linking them to my applicant tracking system. It has allowed me to maximize my hiring resources and focus my time on what's most important: creating a positive experience for my applicants, customers and growing my business."



Designed to simplify the process of creating, editing and posting a job on the Snagajob marketplace, today's news marks the company's latest step in creating the best possible experience for end users, while also solving for tough marketplace challenges. With over 80 percent of Snagajob's registered workers operating within the restaurant, retail and hospitality markets, PeopleMatter FIND will help employers reach the type of workers they need, when they need them. "More and more, we are seeing hourly employers and talent management professionals look for tools and environments that help them take a more strategic approach to hiring," said Peter Harrison, CEO of Snagajob. "Not only are they looking for solutions that impact their bottom line, but also make the process easy and efficient. The integration of the Snagajob marketplace with the PeopleMatter applicant tracking system does just that. PeopleMatter FIND marks the first, in what we expect to be many, innovations resulting from the joining of the hourly market's top talent acquisition, hiring, learning, scheduling and performance management solution."

PeopleMatter FIND lays the groundwork for future innovations that offer unique candidate sourcing solutions unavailable in any other hourly platform. The company will soon provide their customers with the ability to search Snagajob's active candidate database, proactively invite job seekers to apply for positions, and view an analytics dashboard on sourcing performance and candidate quality. Following the acquisition, Snagajob renamed its full portfolio of talent and workforce solutions for employers to PeopleMatter and now offers various packages that connect workers and employers at every stage of the employment lifecycle. PeopleMatterFIND is the most valuable result of the newly combined platform as it brings together the service industry's top solutions for sourcing and hiring hourly candidates. About Snagajob

With more than 75 million registered hourly workers and 300,000 customer locations, Snagajob is America's largest hourly marketplace, creating instant, quality connections so that a job can be secured in minutes. Since 2000, our mission has been to put people in right fit-positions so they can maximize their potential and live more fulfilling lives. Our marketplace is fueled by our network of hourly workers and our end-to-end platform of talent and workforce management solutions for employers PeopleMatter. Our mobile sourcing, hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management tools drive results for single-location operators to Fortune 500 businesses with thousands of locations, across restaurant, retail, hospitality and other hourly industries. To learn more, visit us at snagajob.com and @Snagajob. Media Contact:

Lauren Dyke

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/snagajob-launches-peoplematter-find-for-customers-needing-better-fit-candidates-faster-300381398.html SOURCE Snagajob

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[December 20, 2016] GoFundMe Announces Winner of $10,000 #GoBeyondGiving Challenge

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GoFundMe, the world's largest social fundraising platform, today announced the winner of its #GoBeyond Giving Challenge. The $10,000 donation will go to Two Rabbits, a nonprofit international preschool program founded by four Harvard graduate students that brings pre-K education to some of the world's most underserved populations. "We are so thrilled and honored to win the #GoBeyondGiving challenge," said Sarah Strader, founder of Two Rabbits. "GoFundMe has been our fuel and inspiration as we've worked to bring preschool education to children in Cameroon and Myanmar. The $10,000 will help us make our educational plans a reality and enable us to send staff to the field to bring joyful learning to these fantastic students." "We couldn't be happier to give this well-earned donation to Two Rabbits," said GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon. "Sarah and her team have shown it's possible to help people in places as far away as Cameroon and Myanmar by harnessng the power of social fundraising. We can't wait to see how they change the worlds of their bright young students in 2017 and beyond."



Two Rabbits takes its name from a saying of the Baka people of Cameroon, which describes the challenge of pursuing both traditional and modern paths as trying to "chase two rabbits at once"if you try, you will lose them both. Two Rabbits bridges that divide by incorporating cultural pride and traditions into literacy and numeracy curricula in the local language, with songs, stories, and games. You can view their GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/two-rabbits-preschool-program Two Rabbits is composed of four Master's students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's International Education Policy Program.

Sarah Strader , originally from Michigan , has lived and worked with Baka hunter-gatherers in Cameroon since 2011, and has been piloting Two Rabbits there since 2014.

, originally from , has lived and worked with Baka hunter-gatherers in since 2011, and has been piloting Two Rabbits there since 2014. Mary Pham hails from Hawaii , and has worked as a peace educator in conflict-affected areas of Myanmar since 2011, working closely with NGOs & displacement camp leaders.

hails from , and has worked as a peace educator in conflict-affected areas of since 2011, working closely with NGOs & displacement camp leaders. Kara Howard served as a language teacher in Lesotho with the PeaceCorps, and is from Massachusetts .

served as a language teacher in with the PeaceCorps, and is from . Matt Owens taught English, Social Sciences, and global citizenship in Spain , and is originally from Arkansas . About GoFundMe

Launched in 2010, GoFundMe is the world's largest social fundraising platform, with over $3 billion raised so far. With a community of more than 25 million donors, GoFundMe is changing the way the world gives. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gofundme-announces-winner-of-10000-gobeyondgiving-challenge-300382046.html SOURCE GoFundMe

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[December 20, 2016]

Digital Realty to Present at Citi's 2017 Internet, Media & Telecom Conference

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, announced today that Chief Executive Officer A. William Stein, Chief Financial Officer Andrew P. Power, and Chief Technology Officer Chris Sharp will be presenting at Citi's 2017 Internet, Media & Telecommunications Conference on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 12:30 p.m. EST / 9:30 a.m. PST. The conference is being held January 4-5, 2017 at The Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV.

A webcast of the live presentation will be accessible from the Investors section of Digital Realty's website at www.digitalrealty.com.







For Additional Information

Andrew P. Power

Chief Financial Officer

Digital Realty

(415) 738-6500

Investor Relations

John J. Stewart / Maria S. Lukens

Digital Realty

(415) 738-6500

[email protected]

About Digital Realty

Digital Realty supports the data center, colocation and interconnection strategies of more than 2,000 firms across its secure, network-rich portfolio of data centers located throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Digital Realty's clients include domestic and international companies of all sizes, ranging from financial services, cloud and information technology services, to manufacturing, energy, gaming, life sciences and consumer products. https://www.digitalrealty.com/

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-realty-to-present-at-citis-2017-internet-media--telecom-conference-300382145.html

SOURCE Digital Realty
Five candidates in race for NLCS District 3 board seat

Five candidates are seeking election to the district three NLCS board seat: Tony (Rock) Fleetwood, Tye Hooten, Scott King, Rob Payne and Autumn Ray.
Disco has seen a massive resurgence in recent times, becoming the weapon of choice for a lot of DJs looking to get people moving in just about every situation.

Weve shed some of the slightly dodgy aspects of the disco era by now  namely, much of the fashion  and crate-diggers are digging out the gems of a bygone era to get a new generation of punters moving.

One such talent is CC:DISCO!, the Melbourne radio host and DJ whose name should tell you just about everything you need to know. Having played countless disco sets, including her fair share of festivals, there are few wed trust more with advice on where to look for our next piece of vinyl (or maybe just our next Spotify add).

Ahead of her set at this years Let Them Eat Cake festival on New Years Day alongside a slew of huge producers and DJs (limited tickets remaining), weve asked her to let us in on the top 10 disco, boogie and house jams of all time  and one of the most emotional sets of her career.

Ann Margret  Everybody Needs Somebody

Its one of those special show tune/slow boogie style disco jams, and every time it play it, it just makes everybody scream the words and creates great vibe on the DF.

Moulin Rouge  Ljubavni Ritan

It took me a while to get this record but finally got it. A band from Yugoslavia they were kinda in the boogie/italo area. There is only one cut from the record I like, but its next level. Makes me get DOWN and had been saving it up to play at Meredith  and got to play it. There is nothing more satisfying that watching people get down to 110 bpms, I tell ya.

KSM  I Love You

House from 1999-1993 is by fav my fave  that crossover to Italian house was such a great time for music. Some may call it cheesy, but give me some M1 keys any day over some boring kick drum/white noise/hi-hat combo.

Soichi Terada  Sun Shower (Larry Levan Remix)

I will never forget the first time I heard this or the first time I played it in a club  or at Strawberry Fields 3 years ago at 10am, haha. The production on this is just next level. The intro and the bass dropping in is simply so powerful  I just love to watch peoples faces when this drops, its MAGIC. I get lost in so much Japanese music, especially some of the boogie tracks  the basslines coming out the late 70s early 80s were way before their time.

The Sound of Blackness  The Pressure (Frankie 12 Mix)

Frankie Knuckles will always be the inspiration behind what I do. There is just something so timeless and euphoric about what he did, without being pretentious. I remember when I first heard this I teared up.

Years later I bought up a few copies of it on wax thinking I want to play this at Meredith if I ever get the chance to play there. And yep, years later I did it, and it was one of the most beautiful moments Ive ever had DJing  and yep, teared up again. RIP FRANKIE.

L.A.X  All My Love

Straight up jam right here, it always makes me smile and always makes me dance  its flawless.

Debbie Jacobs  Dont You Want My Love

This tune is everything, this is one of my fav disco bangers. Its so uplifting and, to me, what disco is all about.

7th Wonder  Do It With Your Body

Nothing excites me more that $2 disco records. This song is the best on the dance floor and is out there for EVERYONES budgets.

Bridge  Baby Dont Hold Back Your Love

More on the low tempo boogie tip, this song still holds its own on the dance floor  another one thats so satisfying to play when you want to take it down and get more of a groove on.

Hi Gloss  Youll Never Know

On the slower tip, this one but it reminds me of that nu-disco era, as it was sampled a bit. But love this tune for its raw vocals and smooooooth feels.
Tegan and Sara have announced the formation of their own LGBTQ foundation, aimed at helping women and girls.

The Tegan and Sara Foundation will support economic justice, health, and representation for LGBTQ girls and women and was inspired in part by interacting with LGBTQ fans over the years, and hearing their personal histories of injustice and discrimination at home, school, work, and church.

A mission statement posted on their website reads in part:

LGBTQ women are experiencing disproportionately high levels of poverty, health issues and inequality. LGBTQ women of color, especially transgender women often experience these issues even more severely due to racism and transphobia. Today, given the state of politics in the United States, we must continue to unite and fight for our rights and against all forms of oppression.

Through the Tegan and Sara Foundation, we can be proactive with our support rather than wait to react to discrimination as it occurs. We will support the work of other organizations who have been fighting for LGBTQ and womens rights by raising funds and awareness for their initiatives. We will fight against the repressive legislation of the incoming Trump administration. We will fight against regressive homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic legislation. We will fight for economic, racial and gender justice. We started the Foundation to dismantle the systems of inequity that prevent LGBTQ girls and women from reaching their full potential. Together, we can make a difference.

You can donate to The Tegan and Sara Foundation here.
LSCRG applauds ballot measure, looks to next steps in recall of CM Chris Moreno

Check the latest salvo in the voter backlash against a controversial Kansas City area politico and more insight into their recall effort. This presser is important because it offers a narrative from the viewpoint of petitioners. Take a look:On Dec. 15, the Lees Summit City Council took the necessary next steps in a process begun just eight weeks ago, when it unanimously passed the ballot language for the recall election of District 4 Councilman Chris Moreno.The Lees Summit Citizens for Responsible Government were on hand at the meeting, one that followed weeks of dedicated work by the committee, and culminated with the turning in and verification of well over 600 signatures. By City Charter statutes, to place the recall of Councilman Moreno on the ballot, 524 verified signatures were needed within the 60-day window. The vast majority of the 621 signatures were obtained in the first 10 days of canvassing.Councilman Moreno continues to paint this effort as one of a few people, of one immersed in political games and of retribution, LSCRG spokesman Kent Ruehter said. These accusations only further prove our point that Chris Moreno is tone-deaf to this community, and specifically to District 4 residents.We began this recall effort in October, but in reality, this effort started soon after Chris Moreno took his seat on City Council. Time and again he has embarrassed our city, sought out media attention that puts Lees Summit in a negative light and hides behind an imagined label of a corruption buster while ignoring the needs of his district.Storm-water issues, economic development opportunities and infrastructure needs continue to be on the minds of District 4 residents. LSCRG members do not believe Moreno is addressing even one of these needs as an elected official.These are the issues that should be in front of Chris Moreno, not more personal destruction of his fellow council members, slam motions, criminal investigations into imagined wrongdoings at City Hall or voting down crucial development projects, Ruehter said. We believe this council member has done significant damage in his first eight months in office. Thats why were asking voters in District 4 to Vote Yes in April to making sure he doesnt continue harm and impair our city.Per the City Charter, if Councilman Moreno is recalled in April, the City Council will be charged with naming his replacement. That individual will serve until the next regularly scheduled municipal election in April of 2018.LSCRGs Vote Yes campaign will continue to focus on educating District 4 residents on the recall effort, upcoming ballot and why we need responsible representation at City Council.############Developing . . .
- The County typically finishes their budget on the first week in December. The budget should turned in by the end of the year and the deadline is quickly approaching.





- Funding for the crisis at the jail is destroying this year's budget and the source a great deal of bickering. They're still using dangerous pad locks to secure doors that continue to open up the County to more liability.





- Exec Frank White has been missing in action throughout most of this discussion and now that it's crunch time . . . His administration is in panic mode.

"He's back. Started meeting with legislators yesterday afternoon. County has never had a budget this late and he JUST started meeting with legislators. Wow."

"The County is on auto-pilot and the legislators really hate the way that Frank's Chief of Staff Caleb Clifford is dealing with them. For all of their faults, Mike & Kathryn were front and center during budget time and they would stop by every one of the legislators' offices to iron out any problems well before the budget vote. Frank was great playing for the Royals but he has dropped the ball on this budget and created a crisis because he's rather be a celebrity than do the work of an elected leader. At a time when the County is facing a lot of challenges, the hands-off approach of Frank White just isn't cutting it."

Behind the scenesand most political denizens are curious about the lack of coverage.Other than what we've already posted. Here's a run down of the facts leading up to today's budget battle . . .Here's the first quote from a message which informs us that Frank & fam were recently enjoying a fancy junket during the tense part of budget talks . . .Here's an even better line from aregarding the current talks . . .Again, what's troubling local politicos and people connected to the County is that media isn't asking Exec Frank White many questions about his "hands-off" approach and or budget deets that have the Courthouse confronting an end-of-the-year deadline.Developing . . .
The one-off cash benefit for low-income pensioners recently passed by the Greek government will not be taxed, nor offset or seized to pay off previous debts

The one-off cash benefit for low-income pensioners recently passed by the Greek government will not be taxed, nor offset or seized to pay off previous debts to the public sector, according to a last-minute amendment added to a spatial planning bill on Tuesday.

Deputy Finance Minister Katerina Papanatsiou said the new amendment was judged necessary in order to clarify that the new welfare benefit for pensioners will be exempted from any kind of taxation or other contribution.

The amendment is expected to become law on Wednesday, when the plenum votes on the draft bill. The original measure introducing the benefit was tabled as an amendment to the labour ministry draft bill on the social dividend that was passed last week.

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
Lebanon-based EuroMena, a private equity fund, has announced the second and final closing of its third fund EuroMena III for a total consideration of $150 million.



EuroMena attracted first-time international investors to its third fund such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the German Investment and Development Corporation (DEG), and the UKs Development Finance Institution (CDC Group) in addition to third and second time investors such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Public Wealth Funds (Proparco) respectively.



In its third fund, EuroMena extended its geographical focus to include Sub-Saharan Africa, a rapidly growing region driven by a rising middle class.



The Fund recently held the first advisory committee meeting of EuroMena III in London, UK in the headquarters of one of its major limited partners, the CDC Group.



Participants discussed the key economic dynamics shaping the private equity field in emerging markets, exchanged opinions on attractive investment opportunities, and explored promising strategic initiatives EuroMena plans to undertake. The diverse profile of the members in terms of areas and sectors of expertise significantly contributed to the enrichment of the discussions and the success of the meeting.



Murray Grant, managing director of Intermediated Equity at CDC said: "CDC is delighted to help enable EuroMena III achieve its final close target with a commitment of $20 million in the Fund. As one of the best teams in the mid-cap space in North Africa we're encouraged to see EuroMena expand into the rest of the continent. We look forward to working with the fund as it turns national successes into regional champions, creating jobs and economic opportunity across Africa."



Commenting on the second closing of the Fund, Romen Mathieu, managing partner of EuroMena said: Despite the challenging macro-environment in the region, EuroMena has successfully raised this strategic round of investments, which is a direct result of its successful track record.



By following EuroMenas proven strategy of creating Regional Leading Groups, the Fund is not only generating value for its shareholders, but also creating a visible positive impact in the Middle East and Africa through the creation of job opportunities and the contribution to the development of those countries economies. The participation of several international investors in the Fund is a clear demonstration of the opportunity that EuroMenas target regions (the Middle East and Africa) provide to foreign investors in terms of portfolio diversification.



As of December 2016, EuroMena III had invested in three prominent companies in the FMCG, Retail, and Banking sectors operating in Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Lebanon. A fourth investment should be closed in the coming weeks and we expect the Fund to be fully invested by end of 2017, he added.



The EIB is very pleased to have supported for the third consecutive time the EuroMena family with a commitment of $27 million from EC resources and The Kingdom of Spain-AECID in EuroMena III. Despite the difficulties in the region, EuroMena is playing a crucial role in developing the private sector growth and restoring employment in the Southern Mediterranean region which underpins the future aspirations of the regions youth, said Christian Lopez-Baillo- EIB private equity operations.



The Fund follows a diversified investment strategy in countries and sectors selection to optimize the risk/reward profile of its investments. Sectors of interest include retail & consumer products, food & beverage, education & healthcare, energy, financial services, and information technology.



David Weiss, investment manager at German Investment and Development Corporation (DEG), said: We partnered with EuroMena because we like the investment strategy, the team and the unique regional focus on the Levant and Africa. The fund is run by an experienced team with a strong track record that generates investments with attractive returns and developmental impact.  TradeArabia News Service
Ithmaar Bank, a Bahrain-based Islamic retail bank, was singled out among the worlds Islamic banks for a prestigious international award in recognition of its corporate social responsibility and financial disclosure.



The independent award was presented at the World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC) which was recently held in Bahrain in strategic partnership with the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB). The high-profile event, which was attended by leading international banking experts, is widely recognised as one of the most important events on the world Islamic banking calendar.



The award was received by Ithmaar Bank head of Human Resources, Enas Rahimi, from Sahar Kazranian, CEO of Middle East Global Advisors, WIBCs conveners throughout its 23-year history, in the presence of Ithmaar Bank chief operating officer, Ravindra Khot and general manager Banking Group Abdulhakeem Al Mutawa.



The Performance Awards are the WIBCs flagship awards, and are granted to the top financial institutions based on their aggregate performance scores against multiple measures on a global, regional and country level, said Kazranian.



This year, Ithmaar Bank topped the WIBC Leaderboard in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Disclosure when compared to Islamic banks across the world. Its ultimate win is a testament to its commitment to transparency and impact, and I hope their leadership will inspire other banks to follow suit, she said.



As a pioneering Islamic retail bank, Ithmaar recognises the important role we must play both in the community in which we operate, as well as in promoting high levels of transparency in the local banking and finance industry, said Ithmaar Bank chief executive officer Ahmed Abdul Rahim.



This is a responsibility we have always taken very seriously, and I am pleased to note that our efforts, with the blessings of Allah, under the guidance of the Board of Directors and with the continuous support of the Central Bank of Bahrain, are paying off and earning the Bank international praise and recognition, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
A consortium led by Spanish construction giant FCC has been named the Global Tunnelling Team of the Year at the New Civil Engineer Tunnelling Awards 2016 in London, UK, for its work on the yellow, green and purple lines of the Riyadh Metro project.



With six lines, 85 stations, and a total route length of 176 km, the Riyadh Metro is the largest public infrastructure project of its kind under construction anywhere in the world.



The Fast consortium, which includes Samsung C&T (Korea), Alstom (France), Strukton (The Netherlands), and Freyssinet (Saudi Arabia), in adition to FCC, is responsible for delivering Package Three (Yellow, Green and Purple Lines) of the works.



It was the first of the three consortia contracted by Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) to design and build the Riyadh Metro project and the first to finish the tunnelling works; at its peak, it reached tunnelling speeds of 45 m per day.



Following the successful completion of tunnelling work, the consortium was also shortlisted for Community Engagement award and the Tunnelling Project of the Year (Over $500 million).



The winners were recently announced at a glittering ceremony in the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane in London.



In their comments, the judges said that the consortium excelled in the way it has forged a 9,500-strong team out of individuals representing 42 nationalities and speaking 22 languages. They pointed out that the speed of mobilisation demonstrated by Fast was incredible.



Jaime Freyre, FCC vice-president for Europe and the Middle East, said: "Being recognised by the industry as the Global Tunnelling Team of the Year shows how effectively and efficiently all members of the Fast consortium are working together under a single strategy."



"What we have achieved so far is a testament to the commitment of the team of 9,500 people delivering Package Three, as well as the involvement of Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) and the engagement of the local community," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Koreas leading power solutions company Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction said it has jointly signed a $900-million contract with global energy supplier Engie for the construction of a combined cycle power plant (cogeneration plant) at the Fadhili gas plant, located 85km northwest of Jubail Industrial port in Saudi Arabias eastern province.



An eco-friendly unit, the Fadhili Combined Heat and Power Plant will be jointly owned by a Saudi Aramco affiliate (30 per cent), Saudi Electricity Company (30 per cent) and an Engie affiliate (40 per cent).



As per the deal, Doosan will be in charge of the engineering, procurement, construction (EPC) work and commissioning of the cogeneration facility within the Fadhili gas plant.



A key milestone of the kingdoms master gas system, the SR50 billion ($13.3 billion) project is the nations initiative to meet the growing energy needs by shifting from oil to gas for power generation.



Scheduled for completion by November 2019, the 1,509MW combined heat and power plant will supply 400MW of electricity and steam for the Fadhili gas plant itself, while the remaining 1,100 MW will supply electricity to 1.1 million households nationwide.



Commenting on the win, Huntak Kim, the EPC BG chief executive of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, said: "We are thrilled to be part of the kingdoms journey toward greenfield development.



"The cogeneration plant will enhance the overall energy efficiency of the Fadhili gas plant. It will give Doosan an increased advantage to deliver more of its advanced power solutions and services where 40,000 MW of power capacity increase from combined heat and power plants is planned by 2024," stated Kim.



Sebastien Arbola, the chief executive of Engie Middle East, South Central Asia, and Turkey, said the gas plant is one of the key projects being pursued by the kingdom to meet its power demands.



"Engie and Doosan have achieved major projects together in Oman, Qatar and Thailand. We have confidence to lead this project to success," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
2016 has been a busy year for the Alaska Air Group Inc. It is considered as an industry frontrunner in customer satisfaction and performance. It has given recognition by different awarding organizations. FlightStats consider it as the No. 1 on-time major North American carrier for consecutive six years. J.D. Power 2016 North America Airline Satisfaction Study has cited the company as "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America, Nine Years in a Row." And for the past three years, it remains to be on the top spot in the Wall Street Journal's annual Middle Seat Scorecard.

This year the company declared that they have succeeded its acquisition of Virgin America. The merger agreement was signed in April and was agreed upon by Virgin America's shareholder in July. The historical fusion of the two airlines is an exciting news for world travelers. Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group, said in a report of Travel Daily News, "Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are different airlines, but we believe different works - and we're confident fliers will agree. Together, we'll offer more flights, with low fares, more rewards and more for customers to love, as we continue to offer a distinctive travel experience. The two airlines may look different, but our core customer and employee focus is very much the same."

The acquisition will greatly affect its costumers experience in the next level, it is expected to extend its service by providing more frequent connections to international airline partners in the Bay Area, Seattle and Los Angeles. Statistics projected that the carriers will offer 289 daily flights to 52 destinations from California, counting 105 daily nonstop flights to 37 destinations from four Los Angeles area airports and 113 trips to 32 destinations from three Bay Area airports.

The fusion will also help increase Alaska Air Group's entree to high-demand airports like Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. Tilden also announced that beginning Monday, December 19, the Mileage Plan members will be able to gain miles on Virgin America flights and Virgin America Elevate members will be able to earn points on Alaska Airlines flights. The union of the two of the world's best airlines makes Alaska Air Group lands in the 5th place as the largest U.S. airlines.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Social Media may have overtaken the world, connecting people in one click, different issues and even not-so-serious topics became worldwide spectacle. Everything is being talked about in this marvelous invention from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the list goes on. Most people specially the yuppies, millennials are hooked on these platforms but did you know that there are still people who are alienated and wanted to be alone? In Japan, the tech firm Vinclu Inc. has developed Gatebox, a portable hologram device that features an interactive 3D virtual character called Azumi Hikari. The company has already started getting pre-orders.

The encapsulated digital anime character doesn't only keep its users' company but also brings many real-world uses. It answers user's questions, keeps conversations and even text messages. It is especially built for smart homes, it can be connected to computers and TVs. The company just released a promotional video on December 13 and gathered more than 600,000 views.

The video features a young man interacting with the high-tech gadget, Azumi, the hologram robot, saying good morning, informing him about the weather, sending text messages, opening the lights, sipping coffee and saying goodnight. The gadget is operated not by keyboard or controller but by a touch button interface. It is equipped with human detecting sensor and cameras. It automatically detects and recognized the movement and face of its owner. The new invention is only limited to Japanese language. With Azumi's function, a Fortune article said, "It's the perfect digital girlfriend for an alienated, overworked populace."

Robots are not a new concept in Japan. There are a lot of robots that have surfaced in different areas of this country. On Saturday, a "Robot Street" event was held at a commercial complex in Osaka. It features a bilingual humanoid robot that answers questions in Chinese and Japanese. The event was made possible by The Asia and Pacific Trade Center (ATC) According to Japan News, "Several robots are being used. A "robot concierge" stands in front of the duty-free shop, while a "robot clerk" waits on customers at a pop-up shop that sells robot-related products.

The robot concierge can provide information on where visitors can find products and recommends shops by automatically giving preset answers." The humanoid robots displayed at the event are not furnished with artificial intelligence. According to an engineer at Tokyo-based Tasukakeru Co. who is in charge the robotic system, these robots are more practical when taking cost into account.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Paris iconic Eiffel Tower reopens after a five-day closure. The French capital's most visited monument has been in a five-day closure because of the workers' strike. The company that manages the tower, SETE, has released an agreement with worker's unions in order to address the situation. Members of the labor force voted Sunday to resume and continue with their duties. The tower reopened at midday the same day.

According to ABC News, the company announced in a written statement, "The large number of visitors in Paris for the holiday season will be able to visit the Eiffel Tower and discover its fabulous view over Paris." The CGT and FO unions are the workforce involved in the strike that happened last week. They wanted laborers to be included in the decision-making process and urge that more funds to be directed to the site's preservation. In a report of CBS Money Watch, SETE director Anne Yannic said, "I wonder if they really understand the current context... The Tower saw the number of visitors decline from about 7 million in 2015 to an estimated 6 million this year, and forecasts a corresponding 14 percent drop in revenue." She also added that the company has avoided layoffs and we cannot afford to new extra hires. The reopening of Paris' trademark will help boost tourism, helping to get more visitors visible again. This year, the city was not in the ideal situation due to floods, deadly attacks, violent labor protests and pollution.

In other news, the Eiffel Tower were switched off to show its solidarity with the under-siege Syrian city of Aleppo. The remarkable day happened on Wednesday, 8 o'clock in the evening. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo's office released an statement saying, "This symbolic measure at a building known worldwide will aim to once again alert the international community to the need for urgent action."

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The latest Star Wars flick and the series' first spinoff can certainly beat the set of "Game of Thrones." From Iceland to the Maldives, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" went around the world to find the perfect filming locations for its otherworldly scenes.

Fans of the highly-awaited "Rogue One", which hit theaters last weekend, praised the movie for transporting them to a galaxy far, far away. What makes the series so engaging for viewers is the magnificent setting of every scene, some of which were filmed in places that are only a plane, train, or perhaps, a boat ride away to your place.

Travel and Leisure and CN Traveler have gathered some of the favorite locations from "Rogue One." From tropical beaches to mountaintop villages, here's where to go to have your own ultimate "Star Wars" journey.

Apparently, Iceland is indeed a well-chosen place in terms of selecting the right set for scenes in "Rogue One." The movie took scenes in three places in Iceland. First, Reynisfjara. This black sand beach, which is used as the setting for "Rogue One's" planet Eadu, is just a 20-minute drive from Vik in Southern Iceland. Second, Krafla. It's volcanic crater and nearby Lake Myvatn's rock formations are featured in the "Star Wars" spinoff. It might look familiar to fantasy fans because it's a similar set for HBO's "Game of Thrones." Third, Myrdalssandur. This black sandy beach appeared throughout "Rogue One". The black sands are formed from lava. Although it's a barren landscape, arctic foxes and seabirds can be frequently found here.

"Rogue One" also chose two places in Maldives. First, Laamu Atoll. It makes up 82 of the 1,192 Maldivian islands. The atoll's Gan, which is one of Maldives' largest islands, represented the film's planet Scarif. Moreover, many of the battle scenes were shot on location exempt for the explosions that were likely shot 5,550 miles away at Studios in Hertfordshire, England. When the filming team was not shooting on Gan, they were on the nearby uninhabited Berasdhoo Island.

Canary Wharf Station, London, England, also served as the setting for an Imperial base in "Rogue One." The Norman Foster-designed station's escalators and glass safety doors are visibly seen in the film. The last one is Wadi Rum, Jordan. The Jordinian desert became home for the planet Jedha, somehow a pilgrimage planet for believers in the Force.

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With the improvements in the economy of the country and the low gas prices, about 103 million Americans are set to take on a journey this Yuletide Season. Some will embark on a road trip, some will fly and others will hit the buses or trains.

Being the third busiest airport in the United States, the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will not be exempted from the holiday rush of travellers. In fact, in 2015, the airport has catered to 74.9 million passengers. This year, it is expected to serve about 4 million holiday travellers.

In the Ultimate Holiday Guide published by Orbitz, the top 1 destination for Christmas and the top 2 destination for New Year's Eve is Los Angeles. With the Grand Park, Santa Monica Main Street and other holiday destinations, no wonder people are heading to Los Angeles to celebrate the festive season.

In a press release, the Los Angeles Airport Police Department Chief, David Maggard, has assured the public that they will bring in extra officers and the police force will be well-staffed.

To anticipate the holiday dash, long queues and stress, the airport has provided some tips on how to cope. Passengers are advised to reach the airport 3.5 hours before the departure time. Facilities are also provided such as the 24/7 Cell Phone Waiting Lot that gives free space to park for up to two hours. Ridesharing like uberPool and Lyft Line will also be an alternative to avoid high travel costs. Lax Flyaway round trip buses can also be used by passengers. It will connect LAX to other routes for a reasonable price.

Are you heading to Los Angeles City? You can still be jolly despite the influx of passengers. Just make sure that you are prepared with all the necessities and aware of better alternatives.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
The pioneering company, Airbnb, has opened up great opportunities for travelers across the globe. As the new year unfolds, the company has set another innovation, a flight booking tool. The name has not been finalized yet but its premature label is Flights.

Founded in August 2008 by three daring entrepreneurs, Airbnb has given hospitality a new perspective. It started out as a platform for enabling travelers to rent a space for short-term trips. Airbnb has grown more than that. Last month, Airbnb introduced Airbnb Trips that assist travelers in reserving local tours and restaurants. Early next year, they will launch Flights which will help travelers book air travel.

In the recent report by Fortune, it was mentioned that Airbnb hopes to provide what Priceline and Expedia companies are offering. Moreover, they want to furnish travelers with an entire travel experience consisting of air travel, lodging, tours, trips, restaurants and tour guides.

In a presentation delivered by the CEO, Brian Chesky, bigger plans are coming. Airbnb will no longer be an ordinary accommodation rental. In fact, they have enhanced the Airbnb Trips with a feature known as Experiences. Users can search for experiences in the same way they find accommodations. Experiences could include camping, lessons, excursions, or surfing.

To contend with rivals and to reach high potential earnings, the company is increasing its service offerings in the travel industry. Bloomberg asserts that the company has garnered a value of more than $25 billion dollars. In addition to this, it has linked up a number of 80 million guests to different hosts all over the world over the last 8 years. As it develops in this kind of business, the company targets to generate more revenue.

Just how exciting this whole new tool would be? It remains to be seen but it is definitely an expedience to look forward to as the new year of travel comes.



See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
With the wake of chaos currently troubling the Middle East led by several terrorist groups, tourism in these areas has certainly flunked. With the war ongoing in Syria and Iraq, neighboring countries such as Jordan have been terribly affected in terms of the amount of travelers visiting their country.

Last Sunday, a group of gunmen exchanged fire with police officers and security forces in Jordan, resulting in the death of 10 people including a Canadian tourist and some police officers. Several civilians were also reported to be wounded by the attack.

It was not clear who orchestrated the attack but Jordan has been a target of several Islamic-related terrorism attacks in the past. Because of this, the Foreign Commonwealth Office has issued issued safety precautions to all travelers, especially foreigners.

One of the most stressed rules in visiting Jordan is that all people should avoid traveling as much as possible within 3km of the Syrian border. The area is perceived to be highly dangerous because of threats such as stray bullets, stray mortars, possible kidnappings, and other risks.

If you're traveling with a tour operator, make sure to always follow their given itinerary. To exercise caution, avoid straying from your tour group and always have a buddy when going somewhere.

Don't talk to suspicious strangers as much as possible. The threat of terrorism is high in Jordan and other neighboring countries; make sure to always maintain extreme vigilance.Make sure to update your travel and medical insurance when traveling. This is just another precautionary step for safety.

Avoid getting contact with objects you're not familiar with. In the event that you do, make sure to always report it the local authorities.And lastly, always keep a low profile and try to increase awareness in your surroundings. The impact of the war has hit Jordan's tourism industry, and it doesn't hurt to increase a traveler's level of security.

Jordan is a beautiful country, with many natural and beautiful attractions. Although right now Jordan is still considered relatively safe for travel, constant vigilance must always be exercised by both tourists and locals, in order to prevent undesirable occurrences.

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Russian Ambassador to Turkey was killed by a gunshot wound from a supposedly former Turkish cop known as Mevlut Mert Aydintas. Andrei Karlov was rushed to the hospital but did not make it.

According to a recent report by BBC, the attacker shot the ambassador at least twice right before Karlov was done with his speech. Numerous reports suggest that the assailant's motive is connected with Russia's involvement with the recent terrorism in Aleppo.

The shooting incident took place in an opening ceremony at a photo exhibition called "Russia as Seen by the Turks," which was a day after the protests in Turkey about Russia's support for the President of Syria. The Russian Ambassador was shot dead in front of a crowd while screaming "don't forget Aleppo."

Aljazeera also reported that the killer smashed several exhibition photos before letting the other guests in the event go. However, a gunfight took place shortly after injuring at least three people. Fortunately, none of them were killed.

The assassin heavily emphasized the events at Aleppo, stating that nobody should forget about Syria. He also mentioned that whoever took part in that terrorism will pay the price one after the other and finally threatening everyone that only his death will stop him while waving his handgun.

Both Russian president Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed that the assassination of Karlov was an act of "provocation." Despite this, they still see through this and assured that the relation between the two countries will not be harmed.

The attack was immediately condemned by a number of countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France, which worsened the battle for Syria's future involving a significant increase in public fear. With this in mind, a recent terror attack also struck Berlin with a truck rummaging through a Christmas market, leaving 12 deaths and 48 injuries. A suspect was caught 2km away from the scene and is being interrogated.

The Turkish officials are putting the blame at the recently failed coup against Mr. Erdogan. The Russian Foreign Ministry vowed to an immediate and thorough investigation will be at hand soon to punish the someone who's responsible behind this.

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Having the best camera will give you the chance to capture amazing photos of your travel. If you wish to keep wonderful memories, then a great camera will help you cherish every moment. Anywhere you wish to go, the choice of a good camera will be your key in capturing good images.

For travelers, it is est if you can bring compact cameras yet are light to carry. Thus, prior to your travel, make sure to plan ahead the things to carry with you, and make sure to pick the best camera of good specifications. Here are some of the best reviews that will help you pick the best one.

1. Olympus Stylus TG-4 - If you want a camera that can withstand difficult conditions, then this is the right choice for you. Olympus Stylus TG-4 will offer you will lots of pictures and at the same time will give you the best images as well. It has a 16 million pixel backlit sensor, a good lens having an optical zoom, and of course the best of all, it has a GPS and a Wi-Fi built in.

2. Panasonic TZ80 - It has 18.1 million pixels that assure you of a good captured image. It also has a solid LCD screen but the good thing is it is so light to carry. Aside from taking pictures, it also has a special feature on recording good quality videos. This is the predecessor of the recent TZ70.

3. Sony HX90V - Aside from its design cues, Sony HX90V has a 30X optical zoom. It covers a focal range of about 27-720mm, which will really give you a flexibility of shot. It has features that will give you clear captures despite the distance of the object.

4. Panasonic TZ100 - It is the newly introduced camera that is best for travels. It is one of the best cameras having the best sensors. It also has 10X-30X optical zoom that is best for capturing distant images. This camera will also give you images of good quality despite weather conditions.

5. Canon G7X Mark II - This is a premium choice for traveling. This camera gives you how DSLR feels like using. Without having around variety of lenses, this canon camera will really give you good-captured photos.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
If you happen to be traveling to Japan during the holidays, their Colonel Sanders stores are worth a visit. You will not only try KFC Japan's signature dishes such as the "Kentucky For Christmas", "Terrine and Ballotine" and biscuits that look like doughnuts. Dining in this widely known fast food chain will also defy their motto, "Finger Lickin' Good", because you will not anymore hold the fried chicken with your bare hands!

KFC Japan has now introduced the use of finger napkin to their 222 branches around Japan's Kanto and Kansai regions on December 15, 2016. These "finger nups" are designed to protect the thumb and the forefinger when grabbing fried chicken from the bucket.

What happens now to KFC's famous "Finger Lickin' Good" slogan? As MSN pointed out, KFC has been offering Wet-Naps to customers since they first started in 1956 to use after a hearty meal. Although "finger nups" isn't an entirely new concept, as it is already being used in restaurants around the world, these are relatively newly developed for KFC Japan.

According to RocketNews24, this new addition to KFC Japan's innovation aims to decrease their customers' one-time napkin use, which were previously practiced to prevent oil and chicken bits to adhere to fingers while enjoying those tasty chicken legs. This plastic "finger nups" are more effective in keeping the fingers clean.

Ladies can now enjoy eating their KFC without worrying about destroying their freshly-manicured nails. Or photography enthusiasts can easily access their phones to take shots of Instagram-worthy KFC Japan menu.

Overall, KFC Japan's aim is to provide convenience and hassle-free services to their customers. The use of finger napkins is just one of the many continuous efforts of the world-renowned brand to lead in the innovation of not only their products, but their services as well. Who knows, these "finger nups" may be on their way to becoming a famous trend for fast food chains and restaurants.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
Air travel is one of the fastest ways to go from one place to another. On some occasions, it is the only way to get to another continent with ease.

The holidays is when people have time to travel, and getting a flight cancelled will strand countless passengers. Cancellation of flights is most susceptible during the holidays as the weather is harsh and unpredictable.

Learning what to do when a flight gets cancelled will spell the difference between a comfortable experience and horrible experience. What follows are the common tips used when a flight is cancelled or delayed.

As soon as your flight is cancelled, get in line before the line piles up. Head to the nearest airline customer service desk as others would also be headed in that direction.

While falling in line, make sure to get to the phone and call the airline. Rather than wasting time, it would be best to call the airline while waiting. The airline would usually pick up before you reach the end of the line, and can even rebook you beforehand. Even if you don't get your flight rebooked, you can get useful information for the desk.

You could also use the airport wifi to go online. Some airlines have apps to re-book their passengers. Or you can tweet about your situation, as some airlines check tweets for customer service problems.

Get compensation if you are eligible for one. Compensations are usually eligible if the flight is cancelled due to a technical problem.

After falling in line and rebooking your flight, make sure to get a hotel room. Get comfortable because at this point, nothing can be done with regard to the cancelled flight. It is better to be comfortable than get infuriated at something beyond your control. Sometimes, if you're qualified, the airline can give free accommodations.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
The World Tourism Organization Headquarters in Madrid, Spain, hosted today the presentation of the 3rdUNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism. The event will be held in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, on 8-9 May 2017.

The Forum is organized by UNWTO in collaboration with UNWTO Affiliate Member, the Basque Culinary Center, as part of the activities of the UNWTO Gastronomy Network. The third edition will be dedicated to the links between gastronomy tourism and sustainability in the framework of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

The first edition of the Forum took place in DonostiaSan Sebastian, the second edition in 2016 in Lima, Peru, and in 2017 the Forum will return to DonostiaSan Sebastian, where it is to be held every two years.

The presentation was attended by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, the State Secretary of Tourism of Spain, Matilde Pastora Asian Gonzalez; the Vice Councilor of Commerce and Tourism of the Basque Government, Isabel Muela; the Director of Tourism of the County Council of Gipuzcoa, Maite Cruzado and the Councillor of Donostia-San Sebastian, Ernesto Gasco and the Director General of the Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega.

The relation between food and culture has become a major motivation for travelers, but also a great catalyst of sustainable tourism as gastronomy tourism brings out the most authentic features of each destination said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai at the presentation of the Forum.

Gastronomy tourism has an immense potential and is a priority for Spains tourism promotional strategy due to its increasing relevance, particularly in rural destinations. In 2015, 8.4 million international tourists, representing 12.3% of the total, engaged in some activity related to gastronomy said Matilde Pastora Asian Gonzalez, Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain.

The event will bring together leading experts in gastronomy tourism to discuss latest trends and to share case studies and innovative products. Topics will include the so-called farm to table processes, sustainable product development, successful public policies and the benefits of gastronomy tourism.

Gastronomy tourism is a flourishing phenomenon and our objective is to create a space to share, to reflect, to analyze and to work to improve tourism in this area said Joxe Mari Aizega, Director General of the Basque Culinary Center.

The panel presentations will be complemented by working sessions giving all participants the opportunity to interact and share ideas. Parallel to the official programme of the Forum, a wide range of events will be conducted at a number of gastronomic hubs showcasing the rich variety of products offered.

On the occasion of the Forum, UNWTO will release the second volume of the Global Report on Gastronomy Tourism. The publication analyses current trends in gastronomy tourism and the methodologies involved in product development.

Additional information:

3rd UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism website

Registration link

UNWTO Gastronomy Network 2016  2017 Action Plan

UNWTO Global Report on Food Tourism, Volume I

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 2022 Travel Industry Wire
Hospitality Tech Leader NAVIS Appoints Industry Veteran as New Vice President of Engineering



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES - December 20th, 2016 - NAVIS, the #1 reservation sales and marketing technology provider for the hospitality industry, has welcomed Vince Kenkel, seasoned technology executive, as their new vice president of engineering.

Kenkel comes to NAVIS with more than two decades of software experience, starting out as a software engineer but spending most of his career leading technical teams. Most recently, he was vice president of engineering at Evisions, Inc. and before that vice president of engineering at Webtrends, Inc. In both roles, he led the development of world-class, enterprise SaaS solutions.

Kenkel's considerable experience will help him lead the strategic direction of NAVIS technology portfolio and guide the build-out of its product roadmap, broadening and improving NAVIS suite of products and related services.

Regarding his new appointment, Kenkel said, "NAVIS sees technology as a means to success, not an end. Im fortunate to join such a visionary company that prides itself in breaking new ground while keeping clients' best interests at heart."

Kyle Buehner, NAVIS CEO said, "Vince brings a stellar record of developing and launching innovative, successful SaaS-based products. He's metric-minded, understands big data, and clearly shares our values of innovation and exceptional service. We're very fortunate to have found someone of his caliber to fill this role, and I know he can't wait to get started."

To learn why leading lodging companies trust NAVIS to help them take full advantage of sales and marketing opportunities that lead to more business, please visit http://www.TheNavisWay.com or call 866-712-3439.

About NAVIS

NAVIS is the #1 reservation sales and marketing platform for the hospitality industry. Because we believe technology should make you money, not cost you money, we developed our game-changing Revenue Performance Platform to transform teams into revenue makers, enabling them to drive, capture and convert more direct bookings. We deliver actionable guest insights so departments can seamlessly sell and market together. The result is always a dramatic increase in direct sales and profit. We guarantee it.

Founded in 1987, NAVIS is a privately held company with headquarters in Bend, Ore., and a growing East Coast office in Orlando, Fla. The company has been awarded Top Workplaces by The Oregonian for four consecutive years and named one of the 2016 Top 100 Workplaces in Central Florida.

To learn more visit www.TheNavisWay.com.

###
Mumbai, December 20

Cyrus Mistry's family-controlled investment firm has filed for legal action against Tata Sons at the National Company Law Tribunal a day after the embattled former chairman of the company quit his positions in six listed companies under the group.

Mistrys firm, which has 18.4 per cent shares in Tata Sons, has accused Tata Sons of oppression and mismanagement of the company. The tribunal will hear the case on December 22.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Resigning from the boards of the Tata Group firms on Tuesday, Mistry had launched a scathing broadside against Ratan Tata and vowed to shift his fight to a "larger platform".

"Having deeply reflected on where we are in this movement for cleaning up governance and regaining lost ethical ground, I think it is time to shift gears, up the momentum, and be more incisive in securing the best interests of the Tata Group," Mistry had said.

He further said that with this thought in mind, he "decided to shift this campaign to a larger platform and also one where rule of law and equity is upheld".

Mistry, who had continued to be on boards of operating companies even after his ouster as chairman of the holding company Tata Sons on October 24, had again raked up "breakdown of governance" and questionable dealings including release of more funds to airline venture Air Asia under interim chairman Ratan Tata despite "findings of fraud and wrong-doing".

His resignation came ahead of five Tata companies  Indian Hotels, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and Tata Chemicals  calling extraordinary general meetings starting from today to oust him as a director on company boards after Ratan Tata, a scion of the conglomerate's founding family, replaced him as chairman of the group's holding company.



'Animosity'

Tata Sons said the company would contest Mistry's "claims" in the tribunal.

Mistry's petition shows his deep animosity towards Ratan Tata, the company said in a statement.  PTI
Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 20

The Punjab Government will convene a special meeting soon to review the winding-up process of seven corporations and three state-owned companies, which are not operational for several years.

We will call a meeting in a day or two to review the status. These companies are not in operation for the past several years. So, the process of winding up is already initiated that includes finalisation of the balance sheets, said sources in the Industries Department.

As per norms of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, a company has to submit updated audited balance sheet before the Registrar of Companies before winding up operations. The sources said all these companies are likely to be wound up by 2017-18.

The companies likely to wind up in the current fiscal are PUNTEX, Neem Chameli Tourist Complex Ltd and Amritsar Hotels, a subsidiary of Punjab Tourism Development Corporation. In the next fiscal, the government will wind up Punjab State Leather Development Corporation, Punjab State Hosiery and Knitwear Development Corporation, Punjab Poultry Development Corporation and Punjab Film and News Corporation.

Next in line will be Punjab State Land Reclamation Corporation, Electronic Systems Punjab Ltd (ESPL) and Punjab Tourism Development Corporation.

Currently, PUNTEX and Punjab State Leather Development Corporation have one employee each while the other eight companies dont have any employee.

On being asked about the reasons for winding up, he said, These corporations used to run with the help of Central grants and were acting as implementing agencies for the Central schemes. The Centre stopped giving grants to corporations across the country in the late 90s and the state decided to wind up these. Except one, assets of all corporations have been liquidated. Similarly, the assets of two companies have already been disinvested, except the ESPL.

The sources said 7.5 acres belonging to Punjab State Hosiery and Knitwear Development Corporation in Ludhiana will be transferred to the government for setting up an exhibition centre. The corporation has a debt of Rs 9 crore.
Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi (Retd)

FOR the uninitiated, langar gups are rumours in the Army that emanate from messes, where uniformed persons gather and discuss issues pertaining to the military in general and the Army in particular. Although langar refers to jawans messes, the term generally refers to discussions where officers and jawans congregate and shoot the breeze!

For over a month, when the appointment of the new Army Chief was not announced, speculations evolved into langar gups, with all kinds of permutations and combinations emerging. Many claimed inside knowledge about who will be the next Chief and the rank and file, besides being perturbed as to why the announcement was not forthcoming, rightly smelt that the powers that be were up to some hanky-panky! The startling news about the appointment of the next Chief confirmed it.

Generally, appointments of new incumbents at the higher levels of the armed forces are announced two-three months in advance. This is because unlike hierarchies of the police, bureaucracy and others, the armed forces, being the custodians of the nations security, are much more important appointments and need to be announced much before time. If this is not done, not only the contenders remain on tenterhooks, but also wrong signals are sent across the board that all is not well. In the last few months unfortunately, even the Headquarters Command remained headless over months and hence it was clear to the discerning that the politico-bureaucratic combine was up to something. The announcements of the new Army and Air Chiefs at such a late stage have confirmed such misgivings.

In countries like Pakistan, where elected representatives are mortally scared of the powerful army that can manoeuvre a military takeover in a jiffy, it is standard for the elected elite to weigh all consequences till nearly the last date, but in democracies such things do not, and must not, happen. Therefore, the only conclusion is that the leaders and their advisers are up to no good.

Announcing that Lt Gen Bipin Rawat will be the next Chief, superceding two Generals senior to him, smacks of arrogance and stupidity on the part of the government. Lame excuses of operational experience or lack of it does not cut ice with veterans like me who are experienced and are au fait with the tricks of governments. Officers are posted to appointments in accordance with well laid out systems based on their profiles, and no one opts for so-called operational appointments or otherwise. It is all the luck of the draw and when officers become Army Commanders, they all are professionally the best, otherwise they would not have reached such exalted heights.

In my view, it is more important to have a full tenure as an Army Commander and not a truncated one of a few months to command the third largest Army in the world. Commanding at various levels up the chain adds to ones experience as a professional, but it will be naive to place experience of commanding an Army lower than commanding units and formations at subordinate levels, whether in counterinsurgency operations, on the borders, or elsewhere.

It is, no doubt, the prerogative of the government of the day to appoint whoever they consider meets their criteria, but governments usually think many times before grossly interfering with what has generally been happening in the past. Trotting out excuses, justifying their actions and scotching perceptions with lame excuses, tend to reinforce that there was some skullduggery indeed. Yes, even in the past there have been a few instances where the seniority principle was sacrificed, but they were quite unconvincing.

The easing out of General Thorat by the then combine of the Prime Minster and the Defence Minister and appointing General Thapar instead, was a case of sacrificing merit and professionalism at the altar of sycophancy that resulted in the biggest debacle for our country in 1962. The excuses now trotted out were uttered earlier too, when the highly professional and greatly admired the late Gen SK Sinha was passed over, ostensibly for lack of operational experience, when the actual reason was that he was opposed to military action against Punjab militants; what followed is well known. In keeping with the credo of an officer and a gentleman, he resigned. Later, the same General (with less operational experience, as the government had averred) was appointed Governor in two insurgency-infested states, which he managed with aplomb! Even earlier, the highly professional, highly decorated and a soldiers General  PS Bhagat  was denied his rightful appointment based on whims and ulterior motives by another PM. In each of these cases, the political leadership succumbed to manipulators, mostly bureaucrats, sycophants and parochial advisers.

At this stage, I need to narrate a discussion held on the sidelines of a seminar at the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad, many years back. Military intellectuals Gen Raghavan and Air Vice Marshal Kak and I discussed the pros and cons of selecting a service chief on the basis of seniority, as was the norm, vis-a-vis an open-ended selection. We came to the conclusion that there were more negatives in the latter, as chances of selection based on political, sycophantic and non-professional reasons may become predominant in due course, with professional and character qualities being sacrificed on account of extraneous issues. With such precedence, even appointments of the Army and Corps Commanders may meet such a fate later.

I have no quarrel with the Chief-designate, as I hardly know him, but it is the principle that is of utmost importance. Institutions like the Army are far too important to be fiddled with because of political or other considerations. We are fortunate that we have an apolitical and a competent Army, which will continue to conduct itself with elan and pride irrespective of who leads it. We have had a gamut of average leaders, along with a few highly superior ones, but the Army has weathered all storms.

If the present PM continues with his dictatorial ways, like the first PM of Independent India did, without consulting advisers who would give him unbiased advice, the nation is in big trouble. Rhetorics with modulated utterances may go down well with ignorant masses, but they are no substitute for good governance. It is only Modi bhagats, including the few still in the armed forces with their personal agendas, are quoted by the sarkari propaganda machine and the paid media, while the bulk of the citizenry is not at all convinced.

The moot point remains, the nation and the Army need a Chief who delivers and not one who sways with the wind because he is grateful for small mercies. I hope that the new incumbent will take the Army to greater heights of professionalism and not succumb to blandishments and sweet words.

The writer is a former Vice-Chief of Army Staff
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

THE unseemly controversy concerning the appointment of Lt Gen Bipin Rawat as the next Army Chief is hopefully past. Time is now upon us to examine what his main challenges are going to be. In all probability, he will have a three-year tenure which is a good duration to produce results. However, before that a final word on his selection. It is still hoped that Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi the very fine General Officer who was bypassed will be finally appointed the equivalent of the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) or whatever the final head of the joint system is going to be. General Rawat's elevation was done on the basis of seniority-cum-merit with the five senior-most eligible Generals being considered and the third in seniority among them being picked by the civilian authority. Most knowledgeable people have always believed that the seniority system alone is insufficient but in the same breath have also projected the need for a credible system of selection by merit so that there is broad consensus and not the kind of divide which has occurred this time. It is hoped the government will examine this and consider the feasibility of a collegiate or some such system in which there can be representation of civil society, veteran community, the opposition and the government. Future generations will sing paeans to the wisdom of today's political leaders if this is instituted.

The Chief's challenges are in so many domains that to cover them all in an essay with any detail is a task well-nigh impossible. It will be done in parts but there has to be a start point and that should necessarily be from the very reason why Gen Rawat is being elevated over the head of others; the domain of asymmetric and hybrid threats to India's security, especially pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir. It is his hands-on experience of dealing with counter-terrorism/militancy, LoC and LAC that has got the General the apex post.

What exactly are these threats? The year 2016 has indeed been worrisome, with three major terrorist strikes at Pathankot, Uri and Nagrota. While terrorist strength is still sub-optimal as far the terror groups intent is concerned, this has been a successful year for them in terms of infiltration, the best in the past few years. The counter-infiltration grid, successfully based on the LoC fence as its focus, is now leaking and needs innovations and perhaps induction of new surveillance equipment on a fast track. The LoC ceasefire is just about holding. There have been large scale violations and unlike in the past we seem to be suffering casualties due to questionable quality of operational works assets and even the absence of snipers. Response to ceasefire violations have been intense so far and caused much damage to the other side but the casualties on own side are also unacceptable.

The domain which is begging to be addressed is the security of garrisons in depth areas. It is not the Valley which is being subjected to this but the Jammu region and the same can go further into Punjab. The terrorists and their masters are aware that targeting soft elements of the Indian armed forces or police draws more mileage. It is well understood that armed forces and police cannot be strong everywhere but need to have credible response mechanisms to limit damage. The quantum of casualties we have suffered is not acceptable to the public. In the period between 1999 and 2006 we suffered a similar phase and overcame it through a series of very strong measures, training and awareness. The Army having conducted successful credible surgical strikes once is now under increasing pressure to respond similarly for every Pak-sponsored terror strike. The surgical strikes were misread by many as a deterrent action; they were not and were just conveyors of message of intent. The credibility will have to be maintained.

All the above will need Gen Rawat to act quickly through a set of proficient advisors who are well versed with Jammu and Kashmir affairs. It will have to be done even as he wrestles with issues such as OROP, Seventh Pay Commission and earlier anomalies, jawan and veteran welfare, the North-East and the Line of Actual Control and various equipment-related issues all of which place demands on the time of a Chief. He cannot root himself to Jammu and Kashmir affairs or be considered just as a Chief oriented to General Staff. There will be much on his plate from the Adjutant General (AG) and the Military Secretary (MS). Till March 2017, he will have the services of a hands on AG, who is his senior and is his ex-Commanding officer, Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma. Fortunately General Rawat is no stranger to the MS Branch having handled the policy desk himself.

An out-of-turn promotion always creates ripples in the organisation with extreme loyalties coming to the fore. It has happened in this case too. However, there is a serious side to what will just blow over as emotional rhetoric. The intensity of inter-Arm and Service rivalry has never been so intense. It is all based on a set of promotion policies which are highly skewed in favor of the Infantry. While everyone recognises the need to compensate the Infantry for the hardship it endures perhaps the personnel managers of the past may just have gone overboard bringing light-hearted banter to a state of bad blood. This can only take the Army in one direction, downhill. There will be protests from different lobbies of the veterans who are strong on social media which too cannot be ignored but the new Chief would be well advised to review the entire gamut of promotion policy and not fall to pray to pressure from lobbies. This will need intense courage and impartiality, two qualities any Chief would be proud to wear on his sleeve.

Perhaps General Rawat can start with what has been under severe criticism, the undue concentration of too many senior officers of the Gurkha Rifles in positions of importance at the Army Headquarters and select a deputy (Vice Chief) from a different Arm than his. It will send a tremendous message to the rank and file and drown out some of the negativity which has taken place on his appointment.

General Rawat has proven himself in various challenging appointments in his 38-year-long career and it is not for nothing that he has built for himself the reputation of being a doer. The nation and the Army should wish him the best and stand by him in his earnest mission ahead.

The writer is a former GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps and Military Secretary. He is now associated with the Vivekanand International Foundation and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.
Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 20



Even as three more policemen were suspended on Tuesday for allegedly beating up a woman and her family, the Haryana State Commission for Women (HSWC) blamed the local police administration for an attempt of a cover-up in the case.



Suman Dahiya, vice-chairperson of the Commission said even after 36-hours of the case being highlighted widely in the media, not even an FIR has been registered.



She said the video clips that went viral on social media clearly showed the uniformed police personnel trespassing in a house and beating the family and hurling abuses.



Such behavior towards women is totally unacceptable. Had the family, including the women, misbehaved with the cops, as alleged by the cops, due legal action should have been taken against them. Here cops are prima facie accountable for their actions recorded on the spot, she said.



The police alleged that the woman and her family had attacked ASI Satbir Singh who had gone to serve a court warrant on Sunday, and issued a criminal case against Renu, her parents and younger brother. Whereas Renus complaint is not even registered and this a serious issue, Dahiya said, who took suo moto cognisance of the media reports of the incident.



Police had alleged Renu, her parents and younger brother later attacked two other cops who arrived to rescue the ASI. Dahiya said the Commission would follow the case on daily basis to rule out any suspicion of undue interference.



After summoning the SHO of Women police station at the local SPs office, Dahiya directed the police to lodge a criminal complaint against chowki in-charge of Krishna Gate Mahinder Singh and three other cops, as named by the complainant Renu.



Dahiya also disputed cops claim of being beaten up by the family at their Rajinder Nagar locality house.



Police claims that one of the policemen got his arm fractured in the alleged attack by the family but the report appears fabricated, she said.



Dahiya also met a delegation of retired police personnel who came in support of suspended cops.








Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, December 20

The Haryana State Commission for Women (HSCW) today hauled up the local police administration for a cover-up attempt in the case of assault of a woman and her family at their residence though the state authorities suspended three more policemen.

Suman Dahiya, vice-chairperson of the HSCW, said the case was not processed for registration of FIR even 36 hours after the case being highlighted in the media. She said the two video clips that went viral on the social media clearly showed men in uniform trespass on a house, hurling abuses and beating up women.

Such police behaviour towards women is totally unacceptable. Had the family, including women, misbehaved as alleged by the cops, legal action should be taken against them. The cops are prima facie accountable for their actions recorded on the spot, she said.

Alleging that the women and her family attacked ASI Satbir Singh, who went to serve a court warrant on Sunday, the local authorities registered a criminal case against Renu, her younger brother and their parents. Renus complaint has not even been registered, which is a serious issue, said Dahiya.

The HSCW took suo motu cognisance of media reports on the incident. The police had alleged that Renu, her brother and their parents attacked the two policemen who went to rescue the ASI. Dahiya said the HSCW would follow the case on a daily basis to rule out undue interference.

After summoning the SHO of the womens police station to the local SPs office, Dahiya sought a criminal complaint against Krishna Gate chowki incharge Mahinder Singh and three other cops named by Renu. She said she would ensure that all procedural decisions were taken without delay.

Dahiya disputed the police personnels claim of being beaten up by the family at their house. The police claim that one of the personnel had his arm fractured in the attack, but the reports appear fabricated, she said. She met a delegation of retired police personnel who came in support of the suspended policemen.
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 20

BJP MLA from Sarkaghat Inder Singh today alleged that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh threatened him in the House. The incident occurred when the party members were raising slogans around the chair of the Speaker during the question hour.

Inder Singh said after the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes, the Chief Minister pulled him and said something to him which appeared to be a threat. He alleged that he could not listen to the exact words, but could make out from the body language and expression of the Chief Minister that he was threatening him. The BJP MLA demanded that he should be told by Chief Minister in the House as to what words he had uttered against him.

BJP MLA Ravinder Ravi said Virbhadra had threatened Inder Singh who was an ex-serviceman and he should apologise to him. He said that Chief Minister threatened Inder Singh that If you try to hit me, I shall punch you back.

Virbhadra was not present during this debate as he had left for Delhi. Health Minister Kaul Singh said when Inder Singh had stated that he did not listen to what the CM had said, Ravi had no right to say such things. He said the Chief Minister had said God Bless You.
Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Kullu, December 20

To detect the links the alleged ISIS sympathizer Abid Khan had with terrorist groups, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials today grilled him for hours in Kullu. Khan is under police remand since his arrest on Saturday.

Officials of NIA and IB had arrived in Kullu yesterday to interrogate the accused. They were inquiring into his alleged links in terrorist activities. However, the officials refrained from divulging details in view of the security concern.

Official sources told The Tribune here today that the accused was involved in motivating youths toward the ISIS ideology. He disguised himself as a Christian to evade arrest after a few of his accomplices had been arrested by the NIA at Delhi.

The sources said there was suspicion that during his stay at Kullu, the accused had visited important power project sites as well as some other locations and took photographs to dispatch them to his links via internet. Now security agencies were expected to seek the help of cyber crime experts to crack down on his connection with terrorist groups in India and abroad via social sites as well as email account of accused.

The accused conceded that he was a firm supporter of ISIS ideology and given a chance he would join it. Despite his poor education, the accused was skilled in fashion designing and fluent in a number of languages.

SP Kullu Padam Chand stated that the security agencies were grilling the accused for his alleged links. The police have found some encrypted files from the laptop of the accused. These files had been sent to forensic laboratory, Junga.

However, inquiry reveals that the accused came here for some hideout. The priest of the church, who gave shelter to him, is also under scanner.
Usha Albuquerque

Optometrists, or Dispensing Opticians, also called Ophthalmic Technicians are responsible for healthy vision of patients, and work to maintain or improve the quality of a patients sight and subsequently their lives.

With so many people requiring glasses/lenses, and growing incidence of degeneration in old people and diabetic complications affecting the eyes, optometry is an important career that will always be in demand.

Optometrists should not be confused with ophthalmologists who are medical doctors who specialise in eye and vision care. An Optometrist performs several tasks, including that of making eye equipment (including lenses and spectacles), examining a person's vision, testing visual acuity and prescribing corrective lenses. An optometrists skill is based on an intimate knowledge of the workings of the eye and visual system.

Optometrists typically do the following:

Perform vision tests and analyse results

Diagnose sight problems, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, and eye diseases, such as glaucoma

Prescribe eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids

Fabricate and fit lenses and other low-vision aids to prescribed specifications, operate machines for the purpose of polishing edges, hardening and adjusting the sizes of lenses, and so on.

Provide treatments such as vision therapy or low-vision rehabilitation

Provide pre and post-operative care to patients undergoing eye surgery  for example, examining a patients eyes before and after cataract surgery

An optometric examination normally begins with the optometrist taking a detailed case history, to determine what visual problems the patient may be experiencing, as well as other relevant information about their health and visual needs.

The optometrist then performs a series of tests, some of which are carried out routinely and others when indicated by the patient's case history and the results of other tests. Based on a diagnosis of the patients problem, appropriate treatment is suggested. Treatments can include prescribing spectacles, contact lenses or eye exercises, prescribing medications to treat infections or other eye diseases, or simply giving advice on lighting, visual habits or other issues. When an optometrist uncovers a visual complaint which requires medical or surgical treatment the patient is often referred to a general medical practitioner or an ophthalmologist.Some optometrists develop special interests in a particular aspect of vision care. Specific areas include:

contact lens practice

low vision

sports vision

childrens vision

consulting in industry

Getting in

There are degree, diploma and certificate courses in Optometry. Admission to a degree course requires a minimum eligibility of Plus II or its equivalent with minimum 50 per cent marks in physics, chemistry, biology or maths. The B Optom is a four-year course of which three years are a combination of theory, practical and clinical labs and the fourth year consists of an internship where students directly interact with patients and practice under the guidance and supervision of qualified practicing optometrists.

Admission to the degree course is based on the EYECET examination which is a centralised common entrance test to determine the applicants aptitude for pursuing a course in optometry.

Many institutes, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) conduct their own entrance test for admission to the BSc programme in Ophthalmic Technology, which is a three-year degree course followed by one-year internship, essential for procuring the degree.

The optometry courses are based on sciences, including biology, physics and chemistry. Therefore, a thorough background in these subjects is essential for students entering the course. The course also covers subjects such as anatomy, physiology of vision, pharmacology and histology, and the final years are devoted to clinical instruction in the management of vision problems. Most of the final year is spent working under supervision in contact with patients.

There is also a two-year Diploma in Optometry, also known as Opthalmic Technology course, for students who have passed Plus II with science. These include Diploma in Ophthalmic Assistant (two years); Diploma in Optometry/ Ophthalmic Technology (two years); Certificate  Ophthalmic Assistant (two years) Diploma in Optometry (two years).

Some institutes also admit students after Class X, who then have to complete a three-year diploma. Students who have completed two-year Diploma in Optometry course are eligible to secure admission directly into second year of B.Optom and BSc programmes through lateral entry.

The one-year certificate courses do not qualify you as an Optometrist but can help for technical and assistant jobs in Optometry. In addition, there are masters level programmes as well.

Career prospects

Most optometrists are self-employed or work for other optometrists in private practice, or with large optical chains, and in public clinics. Sometimes optometrists act as consultant to firms or factories, or working at healthcare institutions such as hospitals, community health centres or special clinics.

Work opportunities include

Join the central or state government hospitals and health centres

Practice independently or have a joint practice along with an Ophthalmologist

Work at lens manufacturing units and ophthalmic equipment manufacturing companies

Work in an opticians shop

Research and teaching

Self employment - opening lens manufacturing unit or ophthalmic instrument manufacturing unit.

With a number of contact lens and ophthalmic lens manufacturing multi-national companies coming to India, there are good career prospects for optometrists. Several companies like Titan, Bausch & Lomb are moving into retailing of prescription eyewear and require professionals with a background in optometry.

Some optometrists do not enter private practice after completing their course but continue their studies through research and teaching, and have the opportunity to involve themselves in vision research, or be involved in any of the government or non-government agencies.

Although optometry is not such a sought after career in India at present, it is among the top 10 highly paid professions in the US. This is largely because work in this field does not require the odd hours that medical practice normally demands. It is also a field where high precision work is entailed.

Vision care is a field that also demands the ability to communicate with people and to work with precision and professionalism. Another important personal attribute is a strong academic background, as the optometry courses are challenging, and also needs a willingness to continue learning, particularly as newer technologies and instrumentation comes in. This is essential to keep in touch with new developments in the profession.

Given the medical, and in particular the needs of people in India, we will require at least 2 lakh optometrists, in the next decade. So, if your vision is clear, here is one more profession where you may never seriously be without a job.

 The writer is Director,

Career Smart Pvt Ltd., New DelhiInstitute Watch
Mona

In 2016, love officially died. How else would you label the year that saw Brangelina breaking up, Ranbir-Kat calling it quits and even the much-celebrated Salman-Lulia pairing moving apart. Add to it the rumoured Amal-Clooney impending split at $300 million; 2016 has been very bad for relationships.

When Angie filed for divorce from husband and father of her six-strong brood over irreconcilable differences, the Allied star was as much in shock as the Brangelina fans. Brad straying, suspecting Angie, the rumour mill ran rife as the heat of the split touched fans with some claiming to go off food for the period of mourning. Thats another story that Brads ex-wife, Jennifer Anistons fans celebrated as much!

Bollywood A-listers, Ranbir-Katrina shared an expensive pad and a peek at their leaked holiday pictures; it looked all pretty good in their world. With Kareena speaking fondly of Kat, it seemed she was all set to turn Kapoor bahu, but then this too wasnt going to be. While the Bollywoods blue-eyed boy hasnt been on the upswing, Katrina made sure to strike back with a vengeance by flaunting her super abs and rocking to Kaala Chashma.

Sparks flaring

Amber Heard-Johnny Depp made it to the news with the former alleging abuse and months of turmoil; the duo split with alimony and whether its donated or not, causing much commotion. Back home, every year as Bhai fanatics wish, dream and pray to finally get a bhabhi, 2016 offered hope to seal the deal with Sallu forsaking his still virgin tag for Romanian beauty Iulia Vantur. This too ran into immigration issues and apparently the things have cooled off between the two. However, this hasnt stopped the Bhai from counselling Arbaaz-Malaika and Sohail-Seema!

What really shocked B-town was joint statement by Farhan Akhtar and Adhuna Bhabnani announcing a divorce, ending their 15-year-long marriage. Little before, that long-pending Karishma Kapoor-Sunjay Kapoor divorce too was sealed with the blue-eyed beauty getting custody and handsome settlement sum.

Song bite

By the last quarter, break-ups were even celebrated in Bollywood with Break up song and Lets break up hitting the charts, for obvious reasons. That sure wasnt all; Salman Khan had a connect with yet another high-profile split with his rakhi sister Shweta Rohira having to call off her marriage with Pulkit Samrat. Then there was Om Puri-Nandita splitting ends.

Fans had huge heartache in store, as Taylor Swift ended not one but two relationships this year! Mid-year Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris had called it quits with the allegations of the latter not able to deal with her super fame; soon she found love in Tom Hiddleston, but that didnt last either. From wedding bells to split, this journey was sure swift.

End note

Not only break-ups made it to the news, the way they were announced also stood out. Iggy Azalea took to Instagram to update her fans about her relationship with Nick Young, who took to Twitter to come back with, Single. A very public kiss at Grammys with Jennifer Lopez marked the end of Mark Anthonys relationship with his third wife Shannon de Lima. It has not been a great year for Jennifer Lopez either. She broke up with her on-off boyfriend Casper Smart. Its only yesterday that Mark Anthony-Shannons divorce was officially confirmed, but looks like the year of ending would cost some more relationships!

mona@tribunemail.com
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

With the BJP registering a landslide win in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) elections, bagging 20 of the total 26 seats, an elated BJP today claimed that the poll results were indicative of the public mood in the region and that the SAD-BJP alliance was poised to win Punjab yet again.

The Congress in Chandigarh could win only four seats with its four former Mayors  Subhash Chawla, Harphool Kalyan, Poonam Sharma and Kamlesh  facing defeat.

The Chandigarh win is a stamp of approval for Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation drive. The Congress has emerged as a symbol of negative politics in the country, said a beaming Amit Shah, BJP president.

In elections across the country post-demonetisation, people have taught a lesson to the Opposition. BJPs landslide win in Chandigarh is yet another instance of people reposing faith in the partys development politics and PM Modis vision, he said.

BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh said the outcome of all elections post-November 8, whether in Maharashtra, Gujarat or Chandigarh, was an answer to those seeking a referendum on demonetisation.

Chandigarh results are indicative of the mood in the region. We (SAD and BJP ) are winning the Punjab elections, he said on a day the party faced embarrassment with one of their own questioning the governments caveat on deposits above Rs 5,000. BJPs Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta called the caveat unnecessary and one that would undermine the people's faith in government assurances.

A section of BJP leaders believes that however difficult times the people may have faced owing to note ban, it will eventually be caste and other age-old factors that will be deciding force in the coming Assembly elections. They say the PM may make soon make some big announcement. This could be on real facts and final calculations on the money collected by banks till December 30.
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

BJPs victory in the Chandigarh municipal elections today triggered questions in the Congress over whether the partys strategy on demonetisation was resonating or it needed course correction.

The win, a third massive victory for the BJP after similar wins in civic body elections first in Maharashtra and then Gujarat, led to Congress leaders privately acknowledging that the partys message on PM Narendra Modis demonetisation move needed to be driven home more effectively.

Although some leaders privy to developments in Chandigarh blamed the defeat on the leadership of former MP Pawan Bansal, they admitted demonetisation could not be ruled out as an issue considering the Congress had been flagging it big across India.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi been personally leading the charge against the PM on demonetisation alleging it was a scam and going to the extent of accusing him of personal corruption. Although officially the Congress said it would introspect over the loss, senior party leaders, who have been active in Chandigarh and Punjab, said it was time for the party to ask itself some difficult questions.

Either the Chandigarh defeat shows that people consider corruption by former Union Minister Pawan Bansal a major issue or its that people see Congress as a corrupt institution and, hence, see PMs demonetisation narrative merging into that. Which way is the public mood going would become clear from the municipal polls in Delhi and Mumbai in February next year, a senior Congress leader said today.
New Delhi, December 2

The central government planned to impose conditions on tax exemptions given to political parties to prevent illegal money from being used in upcoming assembly elections, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said at an event on Tuesday.

He said revenue secretary has been asked to consider Election Commissions recommendations that asked for restrictions on anonymous donations made to political parties.

"I can point out one is invisible donation that Election Commission says is anonymous and the second is when political parties got exemptions. There are about 40/50/60 political parties that effectively contest elections in Centre and the states, (but) you have a large number of political parties that are registered not for fighting elections but for tax exemptions (sic).

"Now this part is easier to tackle. I have already asked the Revenue Secretary to look into this and therefore we will have to put a threshold criteria so that we are able to eliminate those that are not real political parties but only for money conversion that have come in (sic)," Jaitley said.

He said many political parties do not contest elections but only accept donations and convert money.

"I have already told the Revenue Department to look at them and therefore some threshold criteria could be fixed and number of these could be eliminated," Jaitley added.

The development comes after the commission recommended that the central government should ban anonymous donations of more than Rs 2,000. It also wants the government to stop allowing tax exemptions to parties that do not stand for elections.  PTI
Islamabad, December 20

India along with Bangladesh and Iran have pulled out of a key regional conference on sustainable development which is being held in Pakistan, according to a media report.

The three-day session of the Governing Council of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) started in Islamabad yesterday. The objective of the conference is to promote innovation for sustainable development and discus strategy of the APCTT.

The Express Tribune reported officials of Ministry of Science and Technology initially confirmed New Delhis participation in the conference but later announced Indias decision to pull out. Just hours before the meeting was due to start, the Indian delegation cancelled their trip saying that their head delegate had contracted food poisoning, the official said.

India had earlier in November boycotted the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that was to be held in Islamabad.

It is believed that New Delhi's decision is part of its efforts to isolate Pakistan internationally by staying away from such multilateral engagements hosted by Islamabad.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is hosting the meeting of the 12th Governing Council of APCTT.

Sources said all of the 14 member countries of APCTT were invited, but India, Bangladesh and Iran decided not to attend the meeting. The governing council, which meets once a year, advises on the future and reviews the working of the centre located in India under ESCAP.  PTI
United Nations, December 20

India has renewed its demand for international action against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and "their shadowy supporters".

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Denouncing the two organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of al-Qaida, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside.

In an implied criticism of China, he blamed the "split" in the UN bodies that mete out sanctions on terrorist organisations for the world body's inability to deal with the terrorism.

China has blocked India's efforts to have international sanctions imposed on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar by a committee that takes action against al-Qaida and its affiliates. Azhar was behind the attack on the Pathankot air force base this year.

As a member of the Security Council, China has also provided cover for Pakistan releasing on bail Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT commander who masterminded the 2008 attack on Mumbai which killed more than 160 people. He was already on the UN list of those facing sanctions as terrorists.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organizations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, aI-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory," he said.

"Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism."

The international community has to make "it clear that we will neither roll over in the face of terror, nor will we of allow the roll back of the achievements of the resolute people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half," he said.

IANS
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

In a move that will enhance the war-fighting ability of the Army, almost all handheld weapons will have night-sights, enabling troops to spot a terrorist or enemy during night.

The Army plans Rs21,492 crore project to provide such state-of-the-art night-sighting abilities on Light Machine Guns (36,100); rocket launchers (15,000); Medium Machine Guns (5,000) and another 1,50,000 handheld weapons of various types. In the first tranche, the Army has floated the Request for Information (RFI) and has asked night sights on Light Machine Guns (LMGs). This will soon be followed by the remaining tenders. The Army estimates that a sum of Rs21,492 crore will be spent over the next 4-5 years to have night-sights on such weapons.

Once done, this will give an edge to troops located in terrorism-hit areas. At present, the night-vision device is hand held and not attached to the weapon.

The Army is looking at providing the desired performance across all spectrum of employment in the Indian terrain and climatic conditions. The Army wants these sights mounted on the Picatinny rail, also known as MIL-STD-1913 rail.

In the past, Army has asked for night sights on the AK-47 assault rifles.
Chandigarh, December 20

Armed forces personnel will be able to cast their vote by using electronic postal ballot facility for the first time in the country in the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls, state Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh said on Tuesday.

The state election office hopes that with the use of e-ballot means, the voting percentage by armed forces may jump up to 70-80 per cent as against the usual percentage of 2-3 per cent.

Electronic postal ballot facility will be introduced for the defence forces for the first time in the country in the coming Punjab Assembly polls, Singh said.

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He said the ballot paper would be sent through electronic means to the respective armed units.

Under this facility, defence voters could download the blank ballot paper and after marking their preference, ballot papers would be sent back to the respective Returning Officers (RO) through post, officials said.

This e-ballot facility would greatly benefit defence voters who had been posted at far-flung and border areas, besides reducing delay in receipt of the marked postal ballot by the ROs, they said.

Their votes will reach within five days, Singh said, adding that there were about 1.1 lakh registered defence service voters in Punjab.

With the use of e-ballot facility, the voting percentage can go up to 70-80 per cent, he said.

The Centre had accepted the recommendation of the Election Commission regarding the e-ballot facility for service voters, including armed personnel posted at border areas, in order to save valuable time.

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi during his visit to Chandigarh in October this year in connection with preparation of electoral machinery for upcoming polls, had said that service voters posted at border areas could use e-ballot facility for the first time in Punjab to promote inclusive participation in election process.

Zaidi had then said that most of service voters could not go to their polling stations as they were posted outside. PTI
Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 20

Liquor revenue in the state is likely to be hit as over one-third of the vends facing an uncertain future.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the closure of all liquor shops along national and state highways across the country and directed governments to cease and desist from issuing excise licences.

Punjab is looking at a big revenue loss, given the fact that over 1,800 such vends are to be shifted or shut. Sources said an initial assessment by the Taxation Department confirms that of 6,400 liquor vends in the state, a majority are located near highways. The estimates suggest that the loss will be roughly over Rs1,600 crore.

Around 30 per cent of such liquor vends will have to go. That means a fall of 30 per cent in revenue. We are working on the policy, said a senior excise officer.

A district such as Ludhiana, which has three highways passing through it, will lose almost half of its vends. Similarly, districts such as Moga, Ferozepur, Amritsar and Jalandhar will also be hit as highways pass through the districts and the majority of vends are located along highways.

The Excise Policy for 2016-17 approved by the state government was expected to collect Rs5,440 crore as against Rs5,040 crore in the last fiscal, an increase of about Rs400 crore. Those in the liquor trade say that they are suffering losses worth crores due to the L1-A licence controversy and later, when the government issued guidelines to sell liquor at controlled rate at marriage palaces.
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, December 20

Tourists in Mussoorie are having a tough time as hoteliers, shopkeepers and traders do not accept digital payment and ATMs are cashless and shut even 42 days after the announcement of demonetisation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.

Local residents say tourists will be in more trouble if a similar situation prevails during the Winter line Carnival beginning December 25, casting doubts on its success. Tourists here to spend Christmas holidays say they have to run from one ATM to another for cash but in vain. Rajiv Singh, a tourist form Chandigarh, said he arrived in the town on Tuesday morning but found it difficult to make payment through credit and debit cards that are not accepted in the town and they had limited cash.

The lone State Bank of India ATM was dispensing cash. Long queues witnessed at the SBI ATM created problems for tourists.

Hasmukh Singh from Bhatinda said shopkeepers here refused to accept payment through cards or e-wallet, as they dont have the facility for digital transactions. Traders said they were keen to use e-wallet and swipe machines but internet connectivity was a big problem in the town.

Municipal Council member Vinod Semwal said besides tourists, daily wage workers were also facing trouble due to the cash crunch. The contractors were paying them for their work in form of coins which was becoming cumbersome to carry due to extra weight.

Branch Manager of Syndicate Bank Govind Dobhal said they had put Rs 2 lakh in the ATM yesterday but it was withdrawn within an hour. The ATM would be replenished once they receive cash.

SBI manager Vivek Kumar admitted that they were receiving less currency and that was causing inconvenience to people. The bank was trying to ease troubles of people by providing cash at the ATM. A technical fault at the SBI ATM at Landour Bazaar created problems and they were trying to rectify the snag.

BJP local unit president Mohan Petwal said people were feeling the heat og demonetisation but they also appreciated it as good for the country. He added the election results of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation showed the pro- BJP mood of the people across the country and appreciation of the demonetisation exercise.
Tribune News service

Dehradun, December 20

Former Miss Uttarakhand Khyati Sharma was crowned and chosen Miss India Eco International. She will represent India and fight for the tittle of Miss Eco Universe2017 to be held at Singapore in April next year. Miss Eco International is one of the top rated pageants at the International level.

The Miss Eco Universe beauty pageant looks for a delegate who has the ability to spread the message of protecting the environment. The pageant aims at selecting a representative who can be the Eco queen and can endorse ecotourism worldwide and encourage the principle of keeping the earth secure and clean, not only environmentally but also culturally through the exchange of cultures between beauty queens.

The reigning Miss Eco Universe is Natalia Sanchez from Costa Rica. Natalia was crowned at the finale held on April 14, 2016.

Khyati became Miss Uttarakhand in 2013 at the beauty contest organised by Sinmit Communications. She is the first Miss Uttarakhand to have won a national beauty pageant of this repute.
BERLIN, December 20

A Pakistani man arrested in connection with a deadly Christmas market attack in Berlin may not be the perpetrator, Germany's chief prosecutor Peter Frank said on Tuesday, adding that no group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We must get used to the idea that he was possibly not the perpetrator or that he didn't belong to the group of perpetrators," Frank told a news conference.

While no one had claimed responsibility for the attack in a video, Frank said the sequence of events evoked memories of a similar attack in the French city of Nice in July.

The truck crashed into people gathered on Monday evening around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church  left as a ruin after World War Two in the heart of former West Berlin.

A German security source said the man arrested was a 23-year-old migrant known to police for committing minor offences. The source said the man had been staying at a refugee accommodation centre in the now defunct Tempelhof airport.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the suspect may have been an asylum-seeker.

"There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack," Merkel said. "I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum."

The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France, in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State.

If a migrant link is confirmed, it could further sour sentiment towards asylum-seekers in Germany, where more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived this year and last.

The record influx has hit Merkel's popularity ratings and boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). Senior AfD member Marcus Pretzell blamed Merkel for the attack on Twitter.

AfD leader Frauke Petry said Germany was no longer safe and "radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany".

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said the attack would change European Union member states' perception of migration.

"The facts are simple: a migrant who arrived to Germany in February 2016 and got refugee status ... is now interrogated as a suspect responsible for this heinous, repugnant crime," Fico said, without specifying the source of his information.

"This attack will undoubtedly again significantly change the attitude of a number of EU member states towards migration as such," he said. "I think that the cup of patience is beginning to spill over and Europe's public will rightfully expect rather stronger measures."  Reuters
Washington, December 20

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday denounced attacks in Turkey, Germany and Switzerland, as vowed to fight and root out Islamic terrorism and the Islamic State.

Three people were grievously wounded in shooting in Switzerlands Zurich Islamic Centre on Tuesday evening.

A Russian diplomat to Turkey who was to brokering an evacuation agreement between the fighting pro-government forces and Syrian rebels was fatally shot during an exhibition in Ankara.

Later, a truck ploughed into a market in Berlin, killing nine people and wounding 50, bringing back memories of a similarly fatal attack in Frances Nice in July.

"Today, we offer our condolences to the family and loved ones of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, who was assassinated by a radical Islamic terrorist," Trump said in a statement.

"The murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilised order and must be universally condemned," he said.

Condemning the Berlin attack, the 70-year-old President- elect said: "Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today's horrifying terror attack in Berlin.

Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday".

"ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners," Trump said, using another name for the Islamic State.

In a tweet, Trump said, in view of the terrorist attack yesterday the civilised world must change its thinking.

"Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany  and it is only getting worse. The civilised world must change thinking," he wrote.

In Switzerland, a man burst into a Muslim prayer hall, shooting and wounding three men. The attacker was later found dead.

President Barack Obama, who is on a vacation in Hawaii, was briefed about the assassination of the Russian envoy by his national security aide, the White House said.

"This morning the President was briefed by his National Security Team on the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey in Ankara today. The President directed his team to provide updates as warranted," White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador and offered all American help in the investigation into the tragic incident.

"The US condemns the assassination today in Ankara of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones, the Russian people, and with the other victims who were injured in this shooting," Kerry said.

"We stand ready to offer assistance to Russia and Turkey as they investigate this despicable attack, which was also an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world," he added.  PTI
Berlin, December 20

A Pakistani asylum seeker was today detained for mowing down Christmas shoppers in a crowded market in the heart of Berlin with a large truck, killing at least 12 persons and injuring nearly 50 others even as authorities retracted later saying he may not be behind the terror attack.

Hours after the 23-year-old Pakistani man, identified by German media as Naved B, was picked up from near the site and Chancellor Angela Merkel called the deadly rampage a terrorist attack likely committed by an asylum seeker, Berlin police chief said it was not clear if the man arrested was the driver of the vehicle.

He was released later in the day on the orders of the federal prosecutor. The forensic tests carried out so far did not provide evidence of the accuseds presence during the crimes in the cab of the lorry, office of the federal prosecutor.

The police said the dangerous criminal responsible for the countrys first mass terror attack in recent years may still be at large, sparking concerns of a potential threat ahead of Christmas.

It is indeed uncertain he was the driver, Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt told reporters about the suspect as interrogation and forensic examination was underway.

According to police, the armed real perpetrator is still at large and can cause new damage. The large black truck, bearing a Polish number plate and laden with steel girds, rammed into the traditional Christmas market in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, one of the main landmarks of the city, shortly after 8 pm as hundreds of people were milling around the shops and stands. The vehicle rolled about 50 to 80 metres into the market area at the major public square Breitscheidplatz popular with tourists, hitting a number of visitors and demolishing several shops.

Twelve persons were killed as the driver mounted the pavement with the speeding truck, crushing people and triggering panic, in gory scenes reminiscent of the July 14 Nice attack.

Police said the Scania truck belonged to a Polish transport company and they suspect it may have been stolen from a construction site.

Meanwhile, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The executor of the operation in Berlin is a soldier of IS and he executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries, the group said.  Agencies

Merkel under fire over immigration policies
Phnom Penh: Cambodia has agreed to let the UN human rights agency keep an office in the country for another two years. The agreement with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been renewed every two years since 1993, but Cambodia has delayed its renewal since last December over concern the UN agency was interfering in domestic political affairs. The agency monitors human rights developments and has been critical of Hun Sen's government. Cambodia's foreign ministry announced the agreement on Tuesday. AP
Washington, December 20

Donald Trump today won the Electoral College vote to formally secure his election as the 45th President of the US, easily staving off a long-shot bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him amid claims that Russian hackers swayed the vote in his favour.

The Electoral College affirmed Trump as the president about six weeks after his stunning victory over Hillary Clinton, pushing him past the 270-vote threshold for election, with scant evidence of the anti-Trump revolt among electors that some of his critics had hoped would occur.

Trump received 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clintons 227. Seven faithless electors voted for other candidates, costing Trump two votes and Clinton four. Clinton, however, in popular votes, received over three million more votes than Trump.

The results meant Trump easily staved off a bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him.

Members of the Electoral College met in their respective state capitals to formally elect the next president moments after he crossed the necessary 270-vote mark. The final step in the election process is for the Congress to certify the Electoral College results on January 6 ahead of the inauguration scheduled for January 20.

The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media, Trump said.

In a tweet later, he took a dig at the media and its role during the general elections. We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media), Trump tweeted.

The Electoral College votes normally are just a formality as electorsmost of them party membersofficially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.

However, die-hard opponents of Trump seeking to stall his march to the White House coupled with Clintons lead in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

Trumps win comes after US intelligence officials determined Russia interfered in the election to boost his prospects in the polls.  PTI
Washington, December 20

First lady Michelle Obama tells Oprah Winfrey that this past election was painful, but says she and her husband will support President-elect Donald Trumps ongoing transition to the White House and beyond because its whats best for the country.

Obama sat down with Winfrey at the White House for an hour-long special that was broadcast yesterday on CBS.

Michelle Obama was a vocal supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton during the campaign, one she told Winfrey was challenging for me as a citizen to watch and experience. It was painful, she added.

The first lady touched on her emotional remarks on the campaign trail following the revelation of Trumps graphic and predatory comments about women in a 2005 recording. Obama told a New Hampshire crowd in October that Trumps remarks about grabbing women had shaken her to the core.

A lot of people have been shaken to their core and still are, she told Winfrey. They are still feeling the reverberations of that kind of caustic language.

Still, Obama says she and the president are supporting Trumps transition because no matter how we felt going into it, it is important for the health of this nation that we support the commander in chief.

It wasnt done when my husband took office, but were going high, and this is whats best for the country, she said, a reference to her comments during the campaign that when opponents go low, Democrats should take the high road.

Some congressional leaders refused to support her husband when he took office, Obama said, adding that the strategy was good for politics, but it wasnt good for the country.

As for her own political future, Obama says she wont run for public office.

People dont really understand how hard this is, she said. Its not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again.  AP
Ankara, December 20

Turkish police detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said on Tuesday, widening a probe to relatives of the off-duty policeman who shouted Dont forget Aleppo! as he gunned the envoy down.

Both countries cast Mondays attack, which occurred at an art gallery in the capital Ankara, as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by Syrias civil war, where they back opposing sides.

The war, which has killed more than 3,00,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Islamic State, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.

Russia, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, supported that advance with air strikes.

Turkey identified the killer as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police for 2-1/2 years. Altintas, who also shouted slogans associated with Islamist militancy after shooting ambassador Andrey Karlov, was killed minutes later by members of Turkeys special forces.

His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained, the state-run Anadolu agency said.

One senior Turkish security official said investigators were focusing on whether Altintas had links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for a failed July coup. Gulen has denied responsibility for the coup and Mondays attack and has condemned both events.

The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology, rather than that of Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue.

Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe.

Only death can take me from here, he shouted in Turkish.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he and Russias Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call that their cooperation in fighting terrorism should be even stronger after the killing.

Putin said it was aimed at derailing Russias attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis.

The countries foreign ministers were meeting on Tuesday.  Reuters
WASHINGTON  President-elect Donald Trump needs to heal, not revel. That is, he must work on healing the divided country he is about to lead, not continue to revel in his victory with a round of thank-you rallies.

Instead, we see: Trump griping about the political correctness of being named person of the year. Quieting, but not really, chants of lock her up. Revving up the crowd against the very dishonest media. Thanking African-Americans who didnt come out to vote. Jabbing at the foolish White House press secretary for daring to point out that candidate Trump had encouraged Russian hacking.

Crybaby, the Trump supporters will tweet. He won, get over it. But the president-elect is the one who seems to be having a hard time getting over it, or rising above, or inhabiting the responsibility  the majesty  of his new role.

Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won, a newly sworn-in President Barack Obama said eight years ago. So I accept: Trump won, Hillary Clinton lost. That has consequences for personnel and policy.

But the manner of winning and the scope of victory also have consequences. Let Trump proclaim his Electoral College landslide  not true. Let him insist that he would have triumphed in the popular vote as well, if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally. Deduct away, notwithstanding that there is zero evidence of such massive fraud.

Even by Trump math, he will preside over a deeply divided country. Half its citizens, or more, are worried about what a Trump presidency augurs. They doubt that he has the temperament or experience for the job. It is Trumps responsibility to reassure and reach out to them. It is his duty to consider  not summarily reject  evidence that Russia may have intervened on his behalf.

This is the sixth presidential transition I have witnessed, beginning with Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan in 1980, and the mood of the city is like no other. Anxious does not begin to convey the profound sense of worry.

The Reagan parallel may be most instructive. His election was greeted with a degree of shocked condescension by a large segment of the citys permanent establishment. The conservative blueprint of the Heritage Foundation was ascendant. The Reagan people swept into town for the inauguration, with their furs and limousines, and it felt like an invasion, a hostile takeover of government. Plus ca change.

But for all the disdain with which Reagan was greeted, the genial star of Bedtime for Bonzo was a far less frightening figure than Trump. He had governed the nations largest state; he had a clear, and clearly understood, political philosophy. The establishment may have disagreed with Reagan; it did not view him with dread.

Thus, the Washington Post editorial board, the day of Reagans inauguration, acknowledged the political and ideological meaning of the Reagan victory, yet noted approvingly that the new president has shown ... an ease and openness and willingness to expand his perspective that is as admirable as it is essential  essential to a successful presidency.

The next day, New York Times columnist James Reston noted the paradox that those who were most determined to elect Mr. Reagan now seem more worried about what he will do as president than those who opposed him.

That those conservative jitters proved unfounded does not undermine my point about the chasm between Washingtons wary embrace of the 40th president and its cringing at the prospect of the 45th.

Now, sober-minded people speak in all seriousness about fears for the future of the republic and the prospect of impeachment. These are not wild leftists but experienced hands, with long historical memories and understanding of how power ebbs and flows here. Whether or not these dire prognostications prove correct, the fact they are being voiced is alarming.

Dismiss this as the griping of obsolescent elites, but regular Americans are similarly apprehensive. Majorities in a Pew Research Center poll say Trump is reckless (65 percent) and has poor judgment (62 percent). More Americans (38 percent) believe he will be a poor or terrible president than are confident (35 percent) he will be a good or great one. Crowds at Trump rallies cheer, but the country worries.

In his finest post-election moment, Trump, echoing Lincoln, vowed on election night to bind the wounds of division. To acknowledge citizens concerns and adjust accordingly is an essential, if unlikely, first step  so far missing from the president-elects repertoire.
A Tulsa man charged in connection with the shooting death of his neighbor cannot afford to hire his own attorney and is not a racist, according to his public defender.

Rob Nigh, Tulsa County chief public defender, disputed a Saturday Tulsa World story regarding the indigency status of Stanley Vernon Majors.

The 62-year-old is charged with first-degree murder and violation of Oklahomas hate-crime law in connection with the Aug. 12 shooting death of Khalid Jabara.

Majors was appointed a public defender despite public records indicating he owned a home in Tulsa and real estate in California and had recently hired a private attorney to defend him in a separate felony case.

Nigh declined to discuss Majors financial status when questioned last week. Following the publication of the story Saturday, Nigh said he double-checked on Majors financial status and found it to be unchanged.

Its true that his name is on a piece of property in Oklahoma and a piece of property in California, but those are both actually owned by his husband, Stephen Schmauss, Nigh said.

Rather, Nigh said, Majors has no real ownership in the properties and could not sell or claim any equity in either one of them.

Even if he could sell the properties, Nigh said, Majors credit card debt far exceeds the value of the properties.

He has no assets at all; he has no car, no bank account, he has no retirement, Nigh said. He has suffered from mental illness his entire life and has been hospitalized on multiple occasions for mental health issues, which is part of the reason he has no assets.

Rami Jabara, Khalid Jabaras brother, questioned whether the justice system worked properly when Majors was assigned a public defender after submitting a financial disclosure form that was largely incomplete.

Nigh said Schmauss has been financially supporting Majors for years, including paying for a private attorney in a felony case pending in Tulsa County District Court.

Majors was charged in 2015 with severely injuring Jabaras mother, Haifa Jabara, when he allegedly hit her with his vehicle while he was intoxicated.

Nigh said Schmauss is in bad physical health and doesnt have the ability or the willingness to spend anymore money on Majors.

If I thought I was representing someone who could afford an attorney, then I would beg to withdraw, Nigh said. Ive got more than enough on my plate.

But I have an obligation to represent the indigent people in Tulsa charged with serious crimes, and Mr. Majors falls into that category beyond any question.

Majors is accused of harassing Khalid Jabara and his family, who lived next door to Majors.

Khalid Jabaras Lebanese, Orthodox Christian family has said Majors called them dirty Arabs, filthy Lebanese, Aye-rabs and Mooslems for years.

Nigh denied that Majors was a racist. He attributed the comments, if accurate, to grade school name-calling.

The problem is, Nigh said, when such name-calling involves ethnicity, it is hurtful.

But you have to be sophisticated in order to understand that, Nigh said. Mr. Majors has mental health issues, which would hamper that understanding.

Earlier this month, a judge ordered Majors to undergo a competency evaluation at a state-run hospital in Vinita. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 4.

Twitter: @loucardfan61
One former PNM stalwart says there is only one fit to head the political entity and it's not
Media are not letting up on the saga engulfing Seven CEO Tim Worner with more fallout today.

Much of the focus is now turning towards the Seven West Media board, raising questions over its responsibilities.

The Australian is using Jeff Kennetts own words on Nines 60 Minutes debacle when he wrote that the Nine board take control and exercise accountability.

Every aspect of good governance has and is being ignored and denied by those in positions of authority, he wrote at the time.

The Herald Sun notes the board has not communicated with shareholders despite losing $98m in share values. Share prices have since recovered some of losses on Tuesday, but investors are still out of pocket by about $30 million.

On Monday the board hooked up via phone to address the crisis, including Ryan Stokes, Jeff Kennett and former iiNet chief executive Michael Malone and Kerry Stokes in Colorado.

Fairfax notes the Seven boss has denied having multiple relationships with others named by Amber Harrison but makes goes into sordid detail about the tryst.

Three of the four women have fired off legal letters to media denying the allegations and threatening action if their identities are made public. A letter on behalf of the fourth woman is expected to be sent this week.

Another News Corp article suggests a senior female executive threatened Amber Harrison with long-term unemployment if she refused hush money.

The Australian Financial Review asks if the CEO may have breached his fiduciary duty by allegedly awarding a $10,000 bonus to Amber Harrison.

One article is already speculating names of future candidates, after the Australian Shareholders Association called on the board to start planning for succession.

It was even the subject of an item on A Current Affair last night.

So far the Board is backing its man, convinced that the public revelations were nothing it did not already know. Both the board and the chairman have outlined the relationship was unacceptable, while Worner has apologised.

Meanwhile dont go looking for opinions in the SWM-controlled press in the West  perthnow.com.au and thewest.com.au- the story barely rates a mention.

Not when Margot Robbie is getting hitched.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
One Ukrainian soldier was killed, ten servicemen were wounded, and another eight were shell-shocked in the anti-terrorist operation area in eastern Ukraine over the last day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO Colonel Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"One Ukrainian soldier was killed, ten servicemen were wounded, and another eight were shell-shocked and got injured as a result of active hostilities in the area of Svitlodarsk in Donetsk region in last day," Motuzianyk said.

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Over the ten months of 2016, turnover in the agriculture sector between Ukraine and Egypt has reached $1 billion.

Deputy Agrarian Policy and Food Minister of Ukraine on European Integration Olha Trofimtseva stated this during the Ukrainian-Egyptian Business Forum and a sitting of the Ukrainian-Egyptian Business Council with participation of Ambassador of Egypt to Ukraine Hossam Eldeen M. Aly and representatives of the Egyptian companies.

Over the ten months of 2016, turnover in the agriculture sector between Ukraine and Egypt reached $ 1 billion. The main products of Ukrainian exports to the Egyptian market were grains and oilseeds. This country is the main 'gateway' for the entry of Ukrainian goods to other African markets. We are not only interested in the diversification of the commodity composition of our exports to Egypt, but also in the increase in imports of needed quality products from Egypt, Trofimtseva said.

Ambassador of Egypt to Ukraine Hossam Eldeen M. Aly, in turn, noted that investing into the Ukrainian agricultural production, tourism industry, joint scientific projects, the development of cooperation at the level of government and joint trade missions could also become the main areas for fruitful cooperation between the two countries.

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Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze met during her working visit to Brussels with EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.

This has been reported by Governments portal.

The Vice Prime Minister briefed on the humanitarian situation in the east of Ukraine and expressed gratitude for the EU assistance worth EUR 283 million granted to Ukraine to support the humanitarian needs, in particular, to restore infrastructure and implement measures of social nature for displaced persons.

The parties discussed directions of activities to ensure rights of IDPs and agreed on the need to deepen cooperation in civil protection, as well as prevention and liquidation of consequences of emergency situations.

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The nationalization of PrivatBank and the adoption of the bill on the national budget for 2017 would help Ukraine to count on the receiving of the fourth tranche under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program funded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Deputy Board Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Oleh Churiy has said this at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday, Interfax reported.

"After the adoption of the budget Ukraine has good chances to receive the fourth tranche from the IMF. Of course, this would happen next year," he said.

The four-year EFF program for Ukraine totaling SDR 12.348 billion (about $17 billion at a current exchange rates), opened by the IMF in March 2015, originally foresaw quarterly revisions of the program, as well as the issue of four tranches to Kyiv in 2015, and reduction of quarterly tranches in 2016-2018.

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President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had a phone conversation with IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

This has been reported by the press service of the Head of State.

Christine Lagarde praised the decision to nationalize PrivatBank, which became an important step towards recovery of Ukraines banking system.

The IMF Managing Director noted balanced and resolute steps of the Ukrainian government, particularly Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeria Gontareva in that issue, which is crucial for preservation of public trust and stability of the banking system.

The parties discussed the process of consideration of the draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2017 and prospects of its adoption.

Petro Poroshenko and Christine Lagarde coordinated efforts on the development of further interaction between Ukraine and IMF within fulfillment of the program of extended funding.

ish
| By Rebecca Ceraul

Jill A. Morgan, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, has been given the highest honor presented by the Maryland Society of Health-System Pharmacy (MSHP) in recognition of her contributions to advance interprofessional learning at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB).

Morgan, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS) at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP), received the W. Arthur Purdum Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of health system pharmacy. She is among three UMSOP faculty members in the PPS department who have been honored with statewide awards.

Honorees from the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy are, left to right, Jill A. Morgan, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS; Emily Heil, PharmD, BCPS-AQ ID, AAHIVP; and Alison Duffy, PharmD, BCOP.

Emily Heil, PharmD, BCPS-AQ ID, AAHIVP, and Alison Duffy, PharmD, BCOP, also were recognized for their excellence and dedication to advancing the pharmacy profession. Awards were presented during the organizations Fall Seminar Awards Dinner on Nov. 17.

Dr. Morgans receipt of the 2016 W. Arthur Purdum Award is a much-deserved recognition of her contributions to accelerating interprofessional learning and practice experiences for pharmacy, nursing, medical, dental, law, and social work students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and within the University of Maryland Medical System, says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FAAPS, FCP, professor and dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.

The value of team-based health care has been recognized for more than a decade. It has been shown to add value to the learning culture throughout health systems by preventing medical errors and improving patient-centered outcomes and chronic disease management. Dr. Morgans involvement and achievement at UMB and with professional organizations has impacted more than 1,500 graduates, who will serve across the state of Maryland as the next generation of health care providers and who understand the importance of interprofessional education in patient care, Eddington says.

Morgan, a pediatric clinical pharmacy specialist, was the first pharmacist at the Presidents Interdisciplinary Gastrointestinal Clinic at the University of Maryland Medical Center, where she participates weekly in patient care with UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD, and a diverse team of providers.

Even though care occurs at the individual level, she demonstrates and models the importance of exploring the non-physical forces that influence patients health and well-being, says Eddington. Getting the perspective of non-health care professionals such as lawyers and social workers can assist practitioners and students in understanding family dynamics, living environments, and even public policy that are just as important for improving patients health as the clinical care provided. 

Morgan completed her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Illinois-Chicago and her Pharmacy Practice and Pediatric Pharmacy Specialty Residencies at the University of Maryland Medical Center before joining the School of Pharmacy as a clinical assistant professor in 1997. As associate dean for student affairs from 2005 to 2013, she was instrumental in the expansion of the schools Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program to the Universities at Shady Grove in 2007. Under her stewardship, students in the PharmD program at Shady Grove progressed through the curriculum on par with students in Baltimore, and had the same student organization and experiential learning opportunities as students in Baltimore.

In 2015, Morgan became chair of PPS, where her responsibilities include leading a scholarly department; advocating for interprofessional collaboration in teaching, research, service and patient care; developing programmatic content and delivery; strengthening relationships with outside entities, and fostering expansion of medication therapy management and other advanced practice activities.

I am honored to join the prestigious ranks of previous Purdum Award winners, so many of whom have mentored and supported my career growth, says Morgan. MSHP has shown me tremendous support over the year, and I look forward to continuing to work with the organization to improve patients health in Maryland.

Heil, an assistant professor in PPS who specializes in infectious diseases, received the 2016 MSHP Medication Safety Award for her work with on the implementation of an infectious disease fellow-led penicillin allergy testing consult service. Through a study published in July 2016 in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Heil found that testing hospital patients for penicillin allergy leads to optimal antibiotic treatment, since most people who think they are allergic to penicillin are actually not. And finding out doesnt take an allergist: the study evaluated a penicillin allergy skin testing program that was managed by infectious diseases physician fellows who were able to appropriately assess patients for penicillin allergy and perform the testing.

The study found that treatment can be improved as a result of penicillin allergy testing: 84 percent of those who tested negative for penicillin allergy were given antibiotic changes; 63 percent received a narrower spectrum antibiotic; 80 percent received more effective therapy; and 61 percent received more cost-effective therapy.

It was tremendous honor to be awarded MSHPs Medication Safety Award, says Heil. Patient-reported penicillin allergies have always presented a challenge to optimal clinical care and are associated with suboptimal antibiotic therapy and outcomes. This service has allowed us to optimize antibiotic therapy, including more cost-effective and clinically effective antibiotic selection, in patients who test negative for an allergy. I hope that other institutions can learn from our experiences to implement similar programs increasing access to this important test.

Duffy, a clinical assistant professor in PPS who practices in oncology, received the 2016 Jeffrey Ensor Leadership Award for her impact on Maryland health system pharmacists or pharmacy practice as a young pharmacist. The award is presented each year to an emerging leader who demonstrates the ideals of the profession of pharmacy while providing exceptional service and commitment to the profession.

Duffy was nominated for her services as co-chair of MSHPs Medication Safety Committee and for her work in the training of pharmacy residents and students at UMSOP, who cited her mentorship, commitment, initiative, and guidance in their nomination.

It is an absolute honor to receive this award, says Duffy. It is such a privilege for me to collaborate with and to learn from such incredibly bright, compassionate, eager, and creative learners, colleagues, and mentors like those at the School of Pharmacy and through MSHP who inspire and challenge me to provide safe, high-quality, and patient-centered care for oncology patients.

I am excited to see Dr. Heil and Dr. Duffy recognized by their colleagues in MSHP for their research and leadership talents, says Morgan. We are fortunate to have such talented and entrepreneurial faculty at the School of Pharmacy who continue to promote the health of their patients and work to push the profession of pharmacy forward.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi is very pleased by the safe release yesterday of three UNHCR staff members Sarun Pradhan, Ramesh Karki and Musa Omer Musa Mohamed who were abducted on 27th November in El Geneina, Sudan.

Special thanks in particular go to the Sudanese Government and its personnel, who worked to ensure this outcome. We also wish to thank the members of the UNs hostage management team and others who worked tirelessly on this case.

At this time our immediate focus is on their health and well-being, as well as that of their loved ones following this ordeal. We are doing everything possible to ensure they are being well taken care of.

UNHCR would like to thank all those who have sent messages of concern and solidarity during these difficult last days. These messages have come from supporters, governments, partners and private individuals, and they have been welcome solace.

UNHCR staff work in some of the most difficult circumstances in the world, helping people in great need, and often facing being far away from their families for lengthy periods at a time. Like other humanitarian workers, they should not have to endure the peril of abductions, violence and threats to their lives. We are renewing our call to all parties, not just in Sudan but everywhere, to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of all civilians, including aid workers whose work is to help refugees and others affected by conflict and persecution.

UNHCR will be continuing its work in Sudan, providing life-saving support to hundreds of thousands of displaced in the country.

We appeal to everyone to respect the privacy of Sarun, Ramesh and Musa Omer and their families at this difficult time and as they begin the process of healing. UNHCR will be standing with them on this journey.



For more information on this topic, please contact:
Internally displaced Yemeni sisters Dalal, four, and Radha, three, cling onto their toys at a makeshift camp near Sana'a, Yemen.  UNHCR/Mohammed Hamoud

AMMAN, Jordan  Since war broke out in Yemen in March 2015, the fabric of the country has been disintegrating and the population of 27.4 million suffering untold hardship and misery. The situation there has been described as a humanitarian catastrophe and without help many more people, especially children, will die from violence, lack of food and water, illness or disease. Ayman Gharaibeh, UNHCRs Representative to Yemen, is leading the UN Refugee Agencys humanitarian operations and response across the country. The experienced humanitarian aid worker previously served in Yemen with UNHCR from 1992 to 1994. Gharaibeh spoke to Public Information Officer Shabia Mantoo about the desperate situation there.

Please describe the situation in Yemen at the moment.

Simply put this is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe. Current hostilities are taking place in a country mired by years of successive conflicts, widespread insecurity and under-development, so we now see a devastating mix of civilian casualties, mass displacement, worsening poverty, economic decline, deteriorating conditions, weakened public institutions and limited access to services. Almost two years into the conflict, we are trying to respond to a calamity in which nearly 19 million people across Yemen are in need of urgent assistance and people are suffering in truly abysmal conditions.

What are the most pressing needs for those displaced by the conflict?

The situation facing many displaced Yemenis is essentially a struggle for survival  food, water and shelter are priority needs for those who have been forced to flee elsewhere in Yemen for safety. Many are now enduring miserable and inadequate conditions living in overcrowded or makeshift shelters for months on end and without sufficient protection. More than half the population is without adequate food and health care and this will only worsen. Deteriorating conditions are also facilitating the spread of preventable communicable diseases, such as cholera, which have arisen as a consequence of the conflict.

Where is UNHCR working in Yemen and how are you responding to the crisis?

UNHCR has been present in Yemen since the 1980s. It is saddening for me personally that every time I come back to Yemen it is because of yet another war. In the early 90s there was the unification war and now more than two decades later we come back to yet another conflict.

In the current context, our response is oriented towards addressing the needs of displaced Yemenis as well as of refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen. Under the humanitarian coordination system that is activated in Yemen, we lead the shelter, non-food item, and protection response through all phases of displacement. Our prioritized assistance has to date reached more than 660,000 Yemenis most in need of the 2.2 million that have been displaced. Our winter assistance is also being delivered to reach 210,000 individuals. To help protect the rights of those forcibly displaced, we provide legal and financial assistance and psychosocial support services in addition to other programmes and interventions.

Is it difficult to deliver aid in Yemen? What are the biggest challenges for UNHCR?

Humanitarian access remains a significant issue in light of security and bureaucratic obstacles; and we also have to bear in mind that a number of proscribed organizations operate in Yemen so access is also impeded on this front. However, other reasons may be as innocuous as the fact that information flows for authorizations may not work in a systematic way, so delays can result from clearances not being received in time from the centre to the field. Nonetheless, we continue to advocate with parties to the conflict for access and we maintain a presence through field offices across Yemen. Despite these constraints, we have reached 20 of Yemens 21 governorates.

Is humanitarian assistance alone sufficient?

The magnitude of the crisis in Yemen is such that it cannot be addressed by humanitarian assistance and the humanitarian community alone. We are dealing with multi-layered economic and social impacts of war that are affecting literally every household in Yemen, whether through worsening poverty and the effects of the declining currency or the lack of essential services and weakened public institutions. If the situation continues we will see the public sector weaken to the point of collapse, basic infrastructure will begin to unravel and that will be one step closer to chaos. There needs to be significant redress in parallel with a political, peaceful resolution of the conflict to halt this downward spiral. There are ongoing discussions between the UN and the World Bank on how to preserve state institutions from collapsing, but that is fraught with challenges when the economic collapse is in fact the objective in this conflict.

Yemen is often referred to as a neglected crisis. Why is this so?

It is definitely a neglected crisis when compared to other regional crises. If we look at the magnitude and scale of the needs in Yemen, the attention it receives is disproportionate. This is due to a number of factors and, as disastrous as it is, the conflict hasnt generated huge outflows of Yemeni refugees. So, in the absence of movements from Yemen and onwards to Europe, there is no spotlight on this catastrophe. Furthermore, there is also the misperception that this is only a regional crisis or a neighbourhood problem, and as a result many traditional donors dont see the need to extend as much support.

Why is Yemen important and why should the world care?

It is very short-sighted to see Yemen as just a regional crisis, it is a global crisis with far-reaching implications. This is one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. What are the implications of a country on the brink? If instability continues to prevail in parts of the country, then proscribed organizations currently present in Yemen will benefit  and that poses a threat to global security. The world cannot afford to let Yemen slip into the abyss. Yemen must be supported and we need to keep on advocating and mobilizing support in every way we can.
By PTI: Hyderabad, Dec 20 (PTI) Telugu film star and Janasena Party founder Pawan Kalyan, who has been critical of BJP for going back on the promise of according special category status to Andhra Pradesh, today criticised the demonetisation decision.

Kalyan addressed RBI Governor Urjit Patel in his critical tweets on the note ban move.

"Mr Urjit Patel, This is late Sri Balaraju (from Kurnool, AP) one of the many countless victims who had lost their lives because of your well thought-out demonetisation," Kalyan said.

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He also posted the picture of Balaraju.

When manual scavenging still exists in the country, he said, "You (Patel) want us to believe that cashless economy will work."

Demonetisation has disrupted the lives of various sections of society, including tribals, farmers, daily wage labourers, housewives and senior citizens, he said.

While common people "are dying standing in queues", those who plundered the wealth of the country are exchanging their wealth (old notes) sitting in their homes, Kalyan said. Quoting from a book of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Kalyan said: "When the gap between what you know and what you think you know becomes dangerously wide... disasters of this magnitude will be created."

Kalyan had canvassed for TDP-BJP in the 2014 elections and his campaign was believed to be one of the main reasons for the success of the combine in Andhra Pradesh. PTI SJR KRK SMN

--- ENDS ---
Lalu's announcement of Nitish's participation in the anti-demonetisation protest is being viewed as his attempt to dispel fears of differences between him and Nitish over the issue.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: In an announcement that may have caught Nitish Kumar unawares, his partner in the ruling Mahagathbandhan alliance and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav unilaterally declared that the Bihar chief minister would be participating in his anti-demonetisation protest scheduled for December 28.

1. Nitish was among the first few chief ministers in the country who has backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over scrapping of old currency notes but his support to the prime minister never went down well with the RJD chief, who has vociferously opposed demonetisation and also announced a massive protest in Bihar on 28th December.

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2. Lalu's announcement of Nitish's participation in the anti-demonetisation protest is being viewed as his attempt to dispel fears of differences between him and Nitish over the issue.

3. "Nitish Kumar will be part of the anti-demonetisation campaign we are holding on 28th December", said Lalu on Tuesday.

4. It may be noted that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his party JD-U had stayed away from the "Bharat Bandh" call given by the Opposition parties to protest against demonetisation, even though RJD and Congress were part of this. Nitish has also announced that his party will review the situation on demonetisation after the completion of 50 days, the time period which PM Modi has sought to normalise the situation on the ground.

5. In the given circumstances, it is highly unlikely for the Bihar chief minister to change his stand on demonetisation before the completion of 50 days and extend support to Lalu's anti-demonetisation protest, but Lalu sounded confident.

6. "Nitish Kumar has supported demonetisation but he is with the people of the country, who are facing problems. Nitish has told me he will review his stand on demonetisation after 50 days", the RJD chief said.

7. Nitish Kumar or his party has maintained a startling silence over Lalu's unilateral announcement.

Also read | Lalu's opposition to demonetisation is an attempt to save his black money, alleges BJP

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The San Francisco City has reached a $60 million settlement with the Academy of Art University. This is because the institution was accused of violating building and planning code laws for several years.

The San Francisco Examiner reported that the terms for the settlement will include a project to help low-income tenants who are at risk for evictions. This is on top of the $20 million paid in penalties, which has been deemed as the largest monetary award for the City in this type of code enforcement case.

The deal will also require the university to provide a minimum of 160 units of affordable housing, which is worth $40 million. Moreover, the first half of the units must be available within 18 months.

City officials believe that this is amount is unparalleled for a code enforcement case in San Francisco. The settlement is expected to bring the institution, as well as its companies that own property throughout the city, to comply with land-use laws and secure affordable housing and other benefits for San Francisco.

The Academy of Art University's deal with the city comes after a lawsuit which had been filed on May 6. It was claimed that the school was operating only a fraction of its 40 buildings legally.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera previously described the institution as an "egregious land-use scofflaw." Herrera believes that the deal would help the housing crisis, which was worsened by the school in the first place.

"This was a case where the academy, a privately held for-profit company, amassed a real estate empire while thumbing its nose for a decade at the planning and building department code requirements," Herrera said in a statement, via KTVU. "These are requirements that every San Francisco property owner must follow."

It was noted that the university failed to comply with permit, entitlement or authorization requirements. This, in turn, had a negative impact on the city's housing crisis since it removed hundreds of affordable units in the city.
Former Stanford professor Michelle Karnes has revealed that the university kicked her out for reporting sexual harassment. She claimed that administrators retaliated against her.

In an exclusive report by The Guardian, Karnes admitted how a fellow Stanford professor, Stephen Hinton, sexually harassed her by saying he had a "crush" on her and how he was "tormented" by his feelings. "I just wanted to crawl out of my skin, I was so uncomfortable," she said. "I was really scared."

Karnes filed a sexual harassment complaint. It was a small victory when Hinton was proven to have made an "unwanted sexual advance." However, it was not certain whether the professor was disciplined for it.

Moreover, Karnes claimed that Stanford University administrators hit back against her for speaking up. She reportedly was even kicked out of the institution for it.

Hinton denied the allegations and claimed that they had a "platonic, reciprocal relationship." He also pointed out that an investigation did not necessarily mean that he sexually harassed Karnes.

Karnes, though, saw things differently. She believes that the university chose Hinton's side and protected a senior faculty member and, at the same time, silenced the accuser. For Karnes, she saw this as the university prioritizing its reputation over its employees' well-being.

According to Jezebel, Stanford is currently facing five separate Title IX investigations. This includes four sexual violence investigations.

Karnes' claim also comes after a lawsuit filed by a former student. The student accused the university of ignoring the presence of a "known sexual predator on campus."

It was reported that a sexual predator was said to have been allowed by Stanford University to graduate even with several reported assaults on female students. The civil rights suit was filed on Monday at the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

The latest case against Stanford stated that Mr. X, the assailant, allegedly attempted to rape the plaintiff in Feb. 2014 after she refused to perform oral sex. The assailant was also said to have physically assaulted and verbally abused the victim.
A German-backed school in Turkey has denied allegations that it has banned Christmas and its related activities. This comes after people expressed their outrage on news that the school has prohibited Christmas festivities.

The Guardian reported that the school has denied the claims. The German foreign office has also admitted that there had been a misunderstanding and that the school was allowed to teach Christmas traditions.

Istanbul Lisesi, which was set up in 1884, is a Turkish-German bilingual state school. It is partly supported by the German government. There are 35 German teachers at the school who are being paid for by German taxpayers.

It was noted that a German news agency, Spiegel Online, published a story about how several teachers at the school revealed that they had been told not to teach German Christmas traditions in class. It was also claimed that they have been told to remove advent calendars from their classrooms.

The school denied the alleged Christmas ban. "The reports in German media about restrictions on Christmas festivities of German teachers do not reflect reality," the school said in a statement. "A concert was cancelled by the German teachers in question without explanation. There is no question of the school or its management placing an obstacle in its way or prohibiting it."

On Monday afternoon, the German foreign ministry clarified that there was no ban. "Hopefully all misunderstandings have been resolved," a spokesperson said.

A screenshot of the email had been published by Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The article is in German.

According to BBC, politicians in Germany were shocked and angered over the news. The story made headlines in German media on Monday. One news outlet even portrayed Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the Grinch, a fictional character who stole Christmas.

The school explained that festivities were allowed to take place under the supervision of the Turkish education ministry. Special events would also need the students' parental permission.
Samsung is reportedly in discussion with another giant manufacturer for Galaxy Note 8 components. Details here!

Galaxy Note 8 to Pack LG-Made Battery and A Bio Blue Screen

According to familiar sources, Samsung is in talk with LG Chem to supply the battery for its future flagships. Although the two giants haven't reached any agreement yet, the Investor's blog has garnered huge attention from the loyalists.

This effort is done to diversify battery suppliers and it will take LG Chem about 6 months to conduct battery test and manufacture the batteries. The partnership is said to bring benefits for Samsung after Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. Albeit no word on the smartphone details, the upcoming Galaxy S8 and Note 8 are two potential devices that will likely flaunt the new battery.

Galaxy Note 8 is rumored to sport a 4K UHD display with Bio Blue technology that allows 'healthier' light emission than AMOLED and it filters the blue light to protect retina. What's interesting about Bio Blue is the ability to support a bendable screen according to YouMobile.

In addition to LG battery, Samsung is reportedly outsourcing its future's flagship display to the same company. LG Display could be used in Samsung's products as early as next year, BGR has learned.

Galaxy Note 8 and The Rumored Virtual Assistant

Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 are rumored to feature a virtual assistant like Google Assistant in Pixel and Siri in iPhone 7.

However, a recent report has found that Google and Samsung have signed a patent-sharing agreement that won't allow the South Korean giant to use Viv assistant due to 'direct competition' with Google's service, Google Assistant, TheRegister reported.

Galaxy Note 8 Release Date

With the LG Chem battery being tested for about six months, the tech geeks can expect Galaxy Note 8 unveiling in Q2 2017.
The Simpson is already considered an American institution but for it to be elevated as a philosophy course in a university has placed it in a whole new level. Indeed, Homer and his family is now a source of philosophical discourse at university.

Glasgow University is offering Simpson as a Philosophy course called "Doh! The Simpsons Introduce Philosophy." The course is described as one of the "modern world's greatest cultural artifacts" simply because the ideas of the world's greatest thinkers have been presented in the show.

If you think that making The Simpsons a philosophy course is just plain absurdity, the New Statesman said not at all and Homer Simpson waxing philosophical thoughts is not surprising since its creator, Matt Groening, was a philosophy student himself.

In fact, some of Homer's lines were 'modernized' versions of famous philosophical quotes by the greatest philosophers in history. For example, Homer's line advising kids never to try at all because failure is still a reality despite doing your best comes from Sartre's famous quote: All human actions are equivalent and all are on principle doomed to failure.

Another one about teaching kids how to hate was similar to Nelson Mandela's quote that no one was born to hate but people learn it. Lastly, Homer's ode to cheating as man's gift to himself echoes Machiavelli's advice not to "attempt to win by force what can be won by deception."

The show has indeed come a long way from being just a part of the Tracy Ullman Show in 1987. With 603 aired episodes, it is now the longest running American sitcom and animated program. It also received 31 Primetime Emmy Awards and its full-length movie earned $527 million.

It also gained a lot of attention during the recent presidential election when it accurately predicted a Trump win.
By PTI: London, Dec 20 (PTI) Arctic lakes, covered with ice during the winter months, are melting one day earlier each year, according to researchers, including one of Indian origin, who monitored 13,300 lakes using satellite imagery.

Scientists from the University of Southampton in the UK showed that due to warming temperatures ice is breaking earlier each spring, based on a 14-year period between 2000 and 2013.

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They used information on how light is reflected off the lakes, as recorded by NASAs Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, which collects a range of spectral and thermal data on a daily basis as it circles the globe on two satellites.

This study used the changes in reflectance to identify the freezing and thawing processes.

"Previous studies have looked into small numbers of lakes to show the impact of changes in temperature on the cyclic nature of lake-ice cover," said Jadu Dash, professor at University of Southampton.

"However, ours is the first to use time-series of satellite data to monitor thousands of lakes in this way across the Arctic. It contributes to the growing range of observations showing the influence that warmer temperatures are having on the Arctic," said Dash.

Researchers discovered that all five study areas in the Arctic - Alaska, Northeast Siberia, Central Siberia, Northeast Canada and Northern Europe - showed significant trends of early ice break-up in the spring, but to varying degrees.

Central Siberia demonstrated the strongest trend, with ice starting to break-up an average of 1.4 days earlier each year.

Northern Europe showed the lowest change of ice break-up at 0.84 days earlier per year. They found a strong relationship between decreasing ice cover and an increasingly early spring temperature rise.

Researchers also examined the timing of formation of ice cover on the lakes in late autumn.

Although the use of satellite images was not possible due to the short daylight period limiting valid satellite observation, observations on the ground suggest lake freezing is starting later - further shortening the ice period, although more work would be needed to confirm this.

"Our findings have several implications. Changing ice cover affects the energy balance between the land and atmosphere," said Mary Edwards from the University of Southampton.

"Less ice means a longer season for lake biology, which together with warmer temperatures will affect processes such as Carbon dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) emissions," said Edwards.

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"Furthermore, many people use ice-covered landscapes for winter transport, and so spring and autumn travel for commercial and subsistence activities is likely to be more and more affected," added Edwards.

"This demonstrates the potential of routine satellite data for long term monitoring of physical changes on the Earths surface," said Dash.

"In the future, the new Sentinel series of satellites from the European Space Agency provide potential opportunities to examine these changes in greater detail," Dash added.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. PTI NKS SAR SAR

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UTSAs Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSAs Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSAs Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSAS Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
Wyoming Health Center Awarded Funding to Open Medical Clinic in Laramie

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a grant to the Educational Health Center of Wyoming (EHCW) to open a new medical clinic in Laramie.

The funding, in the form of a New Access Point (NAP) grant, will allow the EHCW to open the only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Laramie. Once operational in April 2017, the new EHCW clinic will provide comprehensive health care services to Albany County residents, regardless of ability to pay.

The new clinic will join two other EHCW health centers in Cheyenne and Casper. The University of Wyoming Family Medicine Residency Programs serve as the largest safety net in the state and deliver full-spectrum family medicine to more than 12,000 people each year.

The EHCW is among 75 NAP award recipients in the nation.

When we applied for this NAP grant, we knew there was a great need for increased access to health care services in Albany County, says the centers CEO, Dr. Kevin Murray. This funding will give us the opportunity to respond to that need and reduce barriers to care that many in the area face every day.

The new EHCW health center will focus on the delivery of comprehensive patient care services and function as an interprofessional teaching model for students of the UW College of Health Sciences.

During the grants three-year project period, the EHCW will receive more than $2.1 million to cover operational expenses such as provider salaries, medical equipment and supplies, and the cost of ancillary staff at the new clinic. The EHCW will receive $812,500 in the first year; in the second and third years, it will receive up to $650,000 per year.

In addition to direct federal funding, this FQHC designation will provide enhanced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and allow the EHCW to offer valuable medication discounts to patients through a 340B Drug Pricing Program Pharmacy.

This new health center will bring great benefit to the Laramie community, says EHCW Board Chair Joe Steiner, dean of UWs College of Health Sciences. We will use the experience and expertise of our health centers in Cheyenne and Casper to establish this clinic and expand our valuable services in a new area. We are eager to increase access to quality and affordable health care to the people of Albany County.
While commenting on Congress and BJP's relationship, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said Congress and BJP loot the country for "five-five years" and share a husband-wife relationship.

By India Today Web Desk: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal has kick-started his party's campaign with a massive rally in Bhopal today.

To ensure that AAP unseats BJP in the state and puts an end to MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's "corrupt government", Arvind Kejriwal has started campaigning for the assembly elections that are going to take place in 2018.

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While addressing a Parivartan rally at Chhola Dussehra Maidan, Kejriwal asked the people of Madhya Pradesh if corruption in the state has ended.

Also read: Kejriwal accuses Modi of benefitting BJP with note ban, demands probe by a commission

He also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not intend to end corruption. Kejriwal further questioned the audience on Modi's recent demonetisation drive. How will corruption end by banning Rs 1,000 notes and introducing Rs 2,000 notes, he asked.

AAP's national convener also commented on Congress and BJP's relationship. "BJP and Congress have a husband-wife relationship", he said. Adding to this, he said BJP and Congress are united and both loot the country for five-five years.

Also read: Modi's degree fake, demonetisation a Rs 8,000 crore scam, alleges Kejriwal

Kejriwal then again slammed PM Modi and said, "you will be surprised to know that Modiji's intentions are bad and so are his policies." He also claimed that the Modi government does not forgive loans of farmers or poor people, but forgives the loans of the rich.

All the state AAP leaders were present at the rally and Madhya Pradesh AAP convenor Alok Agrawal too addressed the gathering.

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By Hemender Sharma: It was supposed to be a 'parivartan' rally in Bhopal or so one thought, from the way the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had pitched for it.

The show stopper, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, was at his persuasive best at this public meeting at the Dussehra grounds in the Chola area of Bhopal today, but in the end there was hardly any substance that could actually suggest the beginning of the end of Shivraj rule in Madhya Pradesh.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Bhopal: There was not a word on the VYAPAM scam. Kejriwal in the past has missed no opportunity in attacking Shivraj Singh Chauhan for his alleged role in the scam that has not just brought taint to Madhya Pradesh but has also allegedly consumed some innocent and many not so innocent lives. Kejriwal spoke for around 40 minutes and repeated all the allegations that he has been making against PM Narendra Modi after demonetisation was announced on November 8. A passing reference on an alleged bribe that found a mention in a diary noting recovered during an income tax raid is all what Shivraj Singh Chauhan got. His focus was Modi, demonetisation and an Rs 8 lakh crore scam that he alleged is about to happen. "Demonetisation is a Rs 8 lakh crores scam that PM Modi is doing to benefit his rich friends," he thundered to a deafening applause. According to him and his research the reason why demonetisation was shoved down the throat of the common man. He did strike an instant chord with the audience as he made comparisons between the Rs 2.5 lakh marriages that have been forced upon the common man and the recent extravagant weddings in the families of the ruling class. Kejriwal had in fact started his speech by saying that he had come armed with documents that would expose the not so sacred intention of the PM behind the decision of demonetisation. In the end, it was the same bunch of income tax papers that are doing the rounds for quite some time now. The papers draw inference from dairy and computer noting recovered during income tax raids and have already been rejected by the Supreme Court. He also tried to ridicule the media saying his 'allegations' were not being shown. So he urged his supporters to use their mobiles and record what he was saying and make it viral on the social media. advertisement Also read: Modi's degree is fake, demonetisation a Rs 8,000 crore scam, alleges Kejriwal

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The announcement came two days after the state cabinet allowed a two-hour break for government staff to offer namaz on Fridays.

By Press Trust of India: Under flak over the decision on namaz break, the Harish Rawat government has said state employees, irrespective of their religion, caste and creed, will be allowed "special short breaks" to offer prayers during their festivals, if they make a request for it.

The developments so far:

1. A decision has been taken to allow special short breaks to state employees of all communities, creeds and castes for prayers, religious occasions and festivals.

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2. It will be given only if they make a request," media advisor to the chief minister, Surendra Kumar said in a statement.

3. "The chief minister took the decision in view of the spurt in demands for holidays by state employees belonging to different religions and communities on festivals and religious occasions," he said.

4. The announcement came two days after the state cabinet allowed a two-hour break for government staff to offer namaz on Fridays.

5. The cabinets decision to allow a special two-hour Friday break for Muslim employees had drawn flak from the opposition parties, including the BJP, which had accused the government of indulging in "minority appeasement" ahead of Assembly polls.

Also read: What if Hindus ask for puja breaks: BJP on Uttarakhand's Friday namaz break for Muslims

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Stephanie del Valle of Puerto Rico was crowned Miss World 2016 in the United States on Sunday night, edging out runners-up from the Dominican Republic and Indonesia, and beauties from around the globe.

First runner-up was Yaritza Miguelina Reyes Ramirez of the Dominican Republic, followed by Miss World Indonesia Natasha Mannuela. Catriona Gray of the Philippines placed fourth and Kenya's Evelyn Thungu, fifth.

Crowned by Miss World 2015 Mireia Lalaguna of Spain after the three-hour ceremonies at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland, Del Valle called it an "honor and a great responsibility" to represent her Caribbean homeland.

Gray's Top 5 finish was met with mixed emotions, with some followers expressing disappointment over what they called an error in judgment on the part of the jurors, and others celebrating her placement as a source of pride for the Philippines.

The 22-year-old model and blogger advanced to the pageant's Top 20 when she bagged the "Multimedia Award," one of the "fast-track" events whose winners automatically advance to the quarterfinals. The other fast-track winners were China's Jing Kong who topped the "Top Model" contest, Mongolia's Bayartsegtseg Altangerel who won the Talent contest, Cook Islands' Natalia Short who dominated the "Sports Challenge," and Indonesia's Mannuela whose "Beauty with a Purpose" project was deemed the best.

For her final question, Gray was asked by Lalaguna, "Which qualities do you think it will take to wear my crown?" The Filipino beauty replied: "I think, first of all, it takes bravery. To be a Miss World is to carry a burning torch. It is like action carried out by one to illuminate the lives of many. And I would dedicate my whole self, my love for the arts and my voice to try to uplift, empower and educate people. And it would be my greatest honor and duty to hold this torch high enough so that all the world could feel and see its light." Quirino applauded Gray's performance

Canada's Miss World representative, Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, was embroiled in a controversy when pageant officials reportedly warned her against speaking to the press for three weeks about human rights abuses in China.
A general view shows the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square in Berlin. Photo source: REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski

Ambulances and heavily armed officers rushed to the area after the driver mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in the French city of Nice.

"A man who was apparently driving the truck was detained," a police spokeswoman told AFP. "The person riding in the vehicle is dead."

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least 12 were killed and 48 others were injured - at least four of them seriously - in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

"We are investigating whether it was a terror attack but do not yet know what was behind it," a police spokesman said.

Authorities said there was no indication of "further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz", where the suspected attack took place.

Police added they had no indications as yet to the nationality or age of the arrested man.

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped".

'SAFER THAN PARIS'

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"It's awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas", said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris."

Australian Trisha O'Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there."

O'Neill added that there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July injured five people, and a suicide bombing wounded 15 people in the same state six days later.

In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany and misgivings run particularly deep in the ex-communist east, even more so since IS-linked attacks in July carried out by asylum-seekers.

The attack in Berlin also comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the suspected attack in Berlin, French President Francois Hollande said, "The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe."

The Nice bloodshed - as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day public holiday on Jul 14 - further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.

Six people have been charged so far over alleged links to the 31-year-old killer but investigators have yet to prove that any of them knew what he was planning.

IS moved quickly after the attack to claim Bouhlel as one of its followers. Investigators said he suffered from depression and appeared to have become radicalised very quickly.
At the recent Vietnam Development Forum 2016, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced that there are international financial institutions that are planning to participate in the handling of bad debts and restructuring other weak commercial banks in Vietnam.

The fact that this news emerge at this moment means things are on the right track. In fact, not so long ago, State Bank of Vietnams Governor Le Minh Hung also shared that it had finished the project Restructuring of Credit Institutions in 2011-2015, and was planning new programmes to speed up this process.

Far-reaching achievements

During the last five years, the process of restructuring commercial banks in Vietnam has actually achieved positive and notable results. First, restructuring credit institutions (CIs) was implemented thoroughly, which helped to reduce the number of small and uncompetitive commercial banks. A special achievement is that the State Bank of Vietnam has successfully controlled the liquidity of these small banks, while ensuring the rights of depositors and the safety of the whole banking system. This process also helped to create a number of large-scale commercial banks capable of competing regionally. Vietinbank and Vietcombank, two domestic banks that are ranked in the global top 500 commercial banks, are examples of the rise of Vietnams leading banks.

Next, the solution of financial restructuring, including handling bad debts and raising the capital of CIs, was also implemented. The bad debts to total gross debts ratio of the whole banking system was controlled more strictly with the aim to bring the ratio under 3 per cent. The State Bank proactively issued regulations about debt classification, the setting and use of credit loss provisions as per Circular No.02/2013/TT-NHNN and Circular No.09/2014/TT-NHNN, as well as the cessation of Decision No.780/QD-NHNN to minimise false reflection of credit quality through rescheduled loans. The total scale and registered capital of the Vietnamese banking system have also increased in the past years.

Besides, operating and management restructuring have helped to enhance the capabilities of developing effective business strategies, with banking credit focusing on key industries. The banking business model has been adjusted towards garnering increased revenue from services and enhanced business and risks management capabilities. Controls were also developed to limit the power of major shareholders and their connections in banks, by capping out the shareholding limit and cross-ownership.

In fact, the regulations about prudential ratios for the operations of CIs as per Circular No.36/2014/TT-NHNN and Circular No.06/2016/TT-NHNN did help to enhance the financial capabilities of the Vietnamese banking system. Ten domestic commercial banks were also chosen to pilot the first phase of Basel II, which is scheduled to be completed in 2018. This definitely shows the urge for global integration.

Challenges that remain

It is obvious that the bank restructuring process will be carried out more thoroughly in the next phase, building on the positive outcomes of previous efforts. However, we should be more vigorous in carrying out proposed restructuring solutions to effectively solve the remaining challenges.

Handling bad debts should be the number one target. At the moment, this process is done by either CIs collecting debts themselves, or by selling these debts to Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC). Though the latter option has been chosen in many cases, the actual debts volume VAMC collected through this channel is still very limited. I hope VAMC can be more proactive in their debt collection, especially with support from the framework for liquidation of collateral assets, debt selling and restructuring, and guidance to convert debts into capital to support VAMCs participation in the financial restructuring of CIs.

Secondly, although mergers between commercial banks have a positive impact on the CIs restructuring scheme, the deals that took place in the past years were solely to counter the cross-ownership problem. These mergers have yet to enhance the quality of assets, operating and management capabilities, as well as risk management capability of CIs in an actual sense.

Banking risk management capability is the third challenge to be looked at. The State Bank did issue Circular No.44/2011/TT-NHNN to regulate the internal controls and internal audit functions, which are considered the second and third lines of defence for any business organisation. Nevertheless, violations in the Vietnamese banking system in the past few years have been posing a great challenge to the risk management capability of domestic commercial banks.

How to grab the bull by the horn?

Back to the news of international financial institutes planning to participate in the handling of bad debts and restructuring of weak commercial banks in Vietnam. this is quite in line with the direction of the next phase of bank restructuring. State Bank Governor Le Minh Hung has stressed that Vietnam welcomes foreign investors with open arms to participate in the restructuring process. The rest depends on the judgement of these investors of the opportunities and prospects of Vietnams banking sector in the years to come.

From my personal observations, foreign investors are primarily concerned about three major issues. First, the low limit of foreign ownership in domestic CIs is not considered attractive enough at the moment because it hampers investors influence in the invested entities. Second, it is the somewhat lacking transparency in the managerial structure and information disclosure of banks in Vietnam. Lastly, there are still mismatches between the solutions to handle bad debts and supporting the regulatory framework. This will continue to hinder foreign investors interest in Vietnamese banks as they do not have any trustworthy methods to evaluate domestic banks and make decisions accordingly.

One good sign was the issuance of Decree No.01/2014/ND-CP, which allows foreign investors who meet certain financial criteria to own more than 30 per cent of the shares in a domestic commercial bank. Besides, the approval of the Law on Asset Auction by the National Assembly, which allows VAMC to auction off its bought debts and collateral assets, is also welcomed by foreign investors.

In order to effectively attract foreign investors, I would recommend domestic commercial banks to initially focus on building a transparent management model. The State Bank can assist by improving the banking management model regulations, with emphasis on standardising the internal control system and internal audit functions. The goal is to harmonise commercial banks efforts with the State Banks supervisory responsibilities.

In addition, banks need to strengthen their financial capabilities by controlling non-performing loans and managing credit risks. Currently, the huge gap between Vietnamese and international practices of classifying debts and setting credit loss provisions is also a concern for foreign investors. Therefore, domestic banks ought to speed up applying international standards to provide further valuable sources of information for prospective investors.

Last but not least, the State Bank should focus on providing more pragmatic solutions to handle bad debts. Supporting regulatory framework shall be developed and put into place to speed up the process of handling bad debts. This process is taking more time than expected due to limitations of the asset trading market, the complexity of collecting and auctioning collateral assets, as well as the severe lack of a true debt-trading market. The foreign ownership cap in domestic banks should also be raised. Of course, policies and procedures must be leaner to comfort and attract prospective overseas investors.

By Nguyen Hoang Nam - Deputy general director of PwC Vietnam
Donald Trump protesters demonstrate outside the Pennsylvania Capitol Building before electors arrive to cast their votes from the election in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Electors from all 50 states cast votes in their respective state capitols. (Mark Makela/Getty Images/AFP)

Normally, this step in a US presidential election is a rubber stamp formality by an obscure institution, and it tends to go unnoticed - but not this time.

The Republican Trump's stunning upset win over Democrat Hillary Clinton has left the country bitterly divided. Plus, there's the uproar over allegations of Russian hacking of Democrats during the campaign to sway the vote in favor of Trump.

So for once, people are paying close attention to the Electoral College vote.

When US voters cast their ballots on November 8, they did not directly elect the next president but rather 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality.

Trump won a clear majority of those electors - 306, with 270 needed for election - despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by nearly three million votes.

On Monday the electors - most of whom are party members without name recognition - gathered in each state plus the District of Columbia to officially designate the next president and vice president.

In most states, electors must vote for whichever candidate won the popular tally in their state.

To prevent Trump from becoming president, Democratic activists would need to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon their candidate.

ONLINE PETITION

One Texas Republican elector, Christopher Suprun, has publicly said that he will not vote for Trump, arguing he is unqualified to be president, among other reasons because his vast overseas holdings as a businessman create a conflict of interest.

Suprun told MSNBC on Monday that he had reached out to other electors to try to persuade them to join him. He said it's all a matter of principle.

Besides the financial holdings issue, Suprun said, "he seems to be a demagogue with the way he divides us, and he's in my opinion not appropriate to secure our national security against foreign governments."

An online petition calling on electors to reject Trump has collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen recently released a video to goad electors to dump Trump.

There is so far no evidence that enough Republican electors will dump Trump.

And even if Trump were to lose the Electoral College vote it would be up to the House of Representatives - controlled by Republicans - to designate the successor to President Barack Obama.

The final vote result is not expected to be known on Monday, as states are given several days to report their numbers. Congress will announce the name of the winner on January 6, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated.

DIVIDED DEMOCRATS

Russia's alleged cyber hack that many Democrats believe gravely wounded Clinton has added an extra layer of drama to the Electoral College vote.

Ten electors - nine Democrats and one Republican - wrote an open letter to National Intelligence Director James Clapper seeking an intelligence briefing on the matter ahead of their vote.

They heard back from him and the answer was no, said Democratic elector Clay Pell of Rhode Island, one of those who signed the letter.

So, the Rhode Island electors on Monday will appeal to Congress for a probe of the hack "to make sure that the American people have the full information about this unprecedented foreign intervention into our election."

The incoming White House chief of staff, Reince Preibus, told Fox News on Sunday that the pressure on the Electoral College not to elect Trump is "about Democrats that can't accept the outcome of the election. It's about delegitimising the American system."

Trump himself weighed in via Twitter.

"If my many supporters acted and threatened people like those who lost the election are doing, they would be scorned & called terrible names!" he wrote.

Far from all Democrats support trying to get Republican electors to reject Trump.

"Though I share deep concerns about election & @realDonaldTrump," former senior Obama aide David Axelrod wrote on Twitter, "most electors will follow states & should. Reversal would rip country apart."
Tourists visit Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh which aims to receive 8.5 million holiday makers, including 3.5 foreigners, and earn VND13 trillion in tourism revenue in 2016.-VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Hong

According to the Viet Nam Administration of Tourism, the revenue of HCM Citys tourism industry amounted to an estimated VND103 trillion (about US$4.48 billion), up 9 per cent year-on-year.

The city welcomed an estimated 5.2 million foreign arrivals this year, surging 10 per cent over the previous year, while serving 21.8 million domestic travelers.

Next year, the city targets to attract 5.5 million international tourists, 7 per cent higher than this year. It also strives to serve 24 million local arrivals, up 10 per cent year-on-year. That will suggest an 8 per- cent increase in tourism revenue to VND112 trillion.

Numerous initiatives have been taken to spur the citys tourism growth, said the municipal Department of Tourism.

Top priority is now given to promoting rural tourism, craft tourism, river tourism and eco-tourism, it said.

The city has five rural districts, which have potential for rural and craft tourism, it said, adding that the tourism diversification also focuses on river and canal tours.

Meanwhile, Quang Ninhs tourism revenue this year topped more than VND13 trillion ($565 million), a year-on-year rise of 23 per cent, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

The significant revenue increase is attributable to the positive growth in number of tourists which stands at 8.3 million, including 3.5 million foreigners.

This year, the province has focussed on perfecting the infrastructure of tourism sector, improving quality of personnel resources, diversifying tourism products, as well as accelerating tourism promotion activities both at home and abroad.

The locality, which is home to Ha Long Bay  a natural world heritage site, aims to receive 8.5 million holiday makers, including 3.5 foreigners and earn VND13 trillion in tourism revenue in 2016.
Viet Nams cement and clinker export in 2016 is estimated at some 15 million tonnes worth US$556 million.-Photo Vinanet

Those figures are 7 per cent lower than last year due to fierce competition with cheap products of other producers.

According to the Viet Nam National Cement Association, by the end of November, the country exported 13.97 million tonnes, down 6 per cent year-on-year.

The association said domestic cement export has been sliding since 2015 as the Vietnamese product has to compete fiercely against products from China, India and Pakistan.

Rising export costs have also caused Vietnamese cement to be less competitive in the global market, the association said.

To boost cement exports, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked its Trade Promotion Agency to better co-operate with other relevant agencies.

Following the export decline and insignificant increase in sales of cement in the domestic market this year, industry insiders are concerned it will be hard for the cement industry to meet the target of selling 75-77 million tonnes of cement this year.

In the domestic market, 54.52 million tonnes of cement were sold by the end of November, up 7 per cent year-on-year.

Viet Nam currently has 78 rotary kiln cement production lines with a combined capacity of 86.16 million tonnes. The country is currently ranked the worlds fifth largest cement exporter; however, the countrys export volume is, in fact, much lower than Thailands.

Thai cement is more competitive than Viet Nam as it has many traditional customers, besides advantages in transport and superior quality.

Viet Nam is also finding it difficult to compete against China as its cement factories, whose design capacity exceeds the demand of some 670 million tonnes - equal to roughly eight times Viet Nams total cement design capacity - which is why they often sell their products at low prices.
State-owned Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines) a leading firm in the shipping business has just submitted to the Ministry of Transport its capital divestment plan from Vinalines Shipyard Company Limited (VNLSY) for consideration.

Accordingly, the company wants to transfer its entire stake valued at VND262.5 billion ($11.9 million), 88.6 per cent of the chartered capital, in VNLSY to other stakeholder Vietnam Maritime Development JSC (Vimadeco).

In case Vimadeco refuses to buy the stock batch, Vinalines will sell its share via public auction in the stock market.

The stake sale is expected to bring Vinalines about VND81.7 billion ($3.7 million), according to the price appraisal certificate dated November 9, 2016, by ATC Auditing and Valuation Company Limited.

At such a price, Vinalines will incur an estimated loss of about VND180 billion ($8.2 million) from the deal (as compared to its actual capital contribution to VNLSY).

The divestment would be one of the most critical steps in Vinalines restructuring process.

Vinalines acting general director Nguyen Canh Tinh said that the company has no reason to continue running losses in VNLSY.

VNLSY was founded in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau in 2008, the peak of Vietnams shipping business.

Covering a 92.5-hectare area and holding an estimated total investment of VND6.49 trillion ($295 million), the shipyard could handle repair and maintenance for ships up to 40,000 DWT. This would enable it to service Vinalines 23-25-strong ship fleet during the 2008-2015 period if only it was completed.

The shipyard is expected to become a regional leader with the capacity to serve 110-120 ships up to 100,000DWT per year by 2020.

According to its business registration certificate granted in 2008, VNLSY will have VND800 billion ($36.3 million) in chartered capital, of which Vinalines contributes 85 per cent, equal to VND680 billion ($30.9 million).

However, by the end of June 2016, the major shareholders only contributed VND296 billion ($13.4 million).

In contrast to the initial rosy expectations, since its establishment, VNLSY almost had no production and business activities.

Since the investment project had yet to be implemented, VNLSYs main function is to protect and manage the notorious floating dock M83, a material evidence involved in Vinalines embezzlement case.

VNLSY sold the M83 dock in April this year and handed it over to the buyer one month later in May.

By the end of June 2016, VNLSY liquidated all labour contracts with the staff maintaining dock M83. Now the company only keeps the minimum personnel of the general director and chief accountant, waiting for further guidance.

VNLSYs financial statement shows that the company shouldered VND185 billion ($8.4 million) in losses in the first nine months of this year due to selling dock M85 far below the book value.

In addition, after reviewing the Vietnam shipping industry development master planning to 2020, with vision towards 2030, Vinalines recognises that shipyard construction is bad business as even modern shipyards in Vietnam and around the world see little work in the current context of challenging business climate.

Even in the case of below-par value divestment, the move will help prevent VNLSY from incurring additional expenses and bring opportunities to find potential customers through stake transfer to outside investors, Tinh said.
A man and a woman were made to wear placards around their necks after they were accused of stealing a bicycle. The signboards read, "I am a thief. Don't do what I did."

By India Today Web Desk: An Australian man and a woman, who were travelling Gili Trawangan island around the corner of Lambok in Indonesia, were paraded with placards around their necks that carried the message, "I AM THIEVE. DON'T DO WHAT I DID...!!!"

They were made to take the 'walk of shame' after they were accused of stealing a bicycle. They walked the streets with members of the local security force. The island has a total population of 800 and is less than two miles long.

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The 'walk of shame' is a punishment used regularly by local law enforcement and is a shaming penalty to discourage stealing.

A man who works at a local dive shop told the Guardian, "It's not just a group of vigilantes. I've been here a year and it's happened between seven and nine times, to tourists but locals as well."

"It's not just a group of vigilantes," said Mike, who asked to be referred to only by his first name. "I've been here a year and it's happened between seven and nine times, to tourists but locals as well."

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The truck crashed into people gathered on Monday evening killing 12 people and injuring 48 at a Berlin Christmas market.

Policemen investigate the scene where a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital last night in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Reuters

By Reuters: Investigators suspect the driver of a truck that ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48, did so intentionally in a terrorist attack, police said on Tuesday.

The truck crashed into people gathered on Monday evening around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church - left as a ruin after World War II - in the heart of former West Berlin.

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"Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market...," police said on Twitter.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence."

It evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State.

Bild newspaper cited security sources as saying the suspect in the Berlin incident was a 23-year-old from Pakistan named Naved B, who arrived in Germany a year ago. In legal cases, German officials routinely issue an initial for the surname rather than the full name.

Also read: Berlin: At least 12 dead after truck crashes into Christmas market

On Tuesday morning, the black truck was still visible at the site of the incident and a few candles and roses had been laid by the entrance to a nearby station. Flowers were being laid in the centre of the nearby Kurfuerstendamm, a prestigious shopping street. One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had previously said there were indications that the incident was an attack.

Police said a Polish man was found dead in the truck but added he was not in control of the vehicle. The nationality of the suspected driver, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was unclear, they said.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter that the federal prosecutor had launched preliminary proceedings into the incident.

RAID ON REFUGEE CENTRE

Local broadcaster RBB cited security sources as saying the arrested truck driver came to Germany via Passau, a city on the Austrian border, on December 31, 2015. It cited the sources as saying the man was born on January 1, 1993 in Pakistan and was already known to police for minor offences.

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German newspaper Die Welt said police special forces stormed a hangar at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof airport housing a refugee accommodation centre at around 4 am (0300 GMT). It said, without citing its sources, that the arrested man was registered there.

A refugee there who gave his name only as Ahmed told Reuters security guards had told him there was a raid at around 4 am. Prosecutors declined to immediately comment on the report.

Also read: Ruthless man, who kicked woman down subway stairs in Berlin, arrested

If a migrant link is confirmed, it could further sour sentiment towards asylum seekers in Germany, where more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived this year and last.

The record influx has hit Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity ratings and boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). Senior AfD member Marcus Pretzell blamed Merkel for the attack on Twitter.

ATTACK ON WAY OF LIFE

Manfred Weber, head of the centre-right European People's Party, said: "It's not an attack on a country; it's an attack on our way of life, on the free society in which we are allowed to live."

Stephan Mayer, a senior member of the Christian Social Union - the Bavarian sister party to Merkel's Christian Democrats, told broadcaster ZDF it was necessary to ensure that there were no copycat attacks.

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Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on ORF radio on Tuesday that he had told the heads of Austria's regional police forces to intensify surveillance measures, although there was no concrete evidence that an incident was about to happen.

Also read: Killing of Russia's ambassador a ploy to wreck Syrian peace process: Putin

Sobotka also called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route to better control foreign jihadist fighters' movements.

Berlin police are investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland. They have taken the truck for a forensic examination.

Flags will be hung at half-mast around Germany on Tuesday.

ALSO WATCH THE VIDEO

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On the heels of the US cutting aid to the Philippines, China steps in and offers millions. Searchers say theyve been looking in the wrong area for Flight MH370. Plus China censors internet video. VOAs Steve Miller has your Asia news, in a minute.
Thailand has amended its laws governing computer crime in a move that media activists are denouncing as a setback for Thailands reputation as a regional leader for free speech.

The amendments to the 2007 Computer Crimes Act were passed overwhelmingly by the military backed National Legislative Assembly last week.

Thai officials say the changes target the digital economy and society while protecting the peoples rights from being violated on social and digital media.

The amendments also impose hefty fines and jail sentences in cases related to national security, defamation and online fraud, with jail terms of up to five years.

Two committees are also to be set up to oversee online content, with content providers required to keep records for two years.

But the legislation immediately sparked protests and cyber-attacks on government websites.

The protests included a nearly 400,000 signature campaign to press the government to step back from the amendments. Reports say several Thai government websites were hit by cyber-attacks Tuesday.

The amendments are in addition to Thailand's tough Lese Majeste laws protecting the Thai Royal Family from criticism and defamation, with several people facing lengthy jail sentences for alleged breaches of the law.

Analysts say the new laws may also impact political debate ahead of national elections due late 2017.

Amnesty International said the changes allow for the prosecution and imprisonment of computer users who peacefully express their opinions online, as well as internet service providers hosting sites where such opinions are posted.

The rights group said the laws enable authorities to conduct invasive surveillance of internet traffic  in some cases without prior judicial authorization  and to suppress electronic content deemed to threaten a variety of vaguely defined state interests.

Amnesty Internationals Thailand director, Piyanuch Kosot, said the laws created a climate of fear and anxiety in the online community.

Fear, fear because it impacts their privacy, it impacts the freedom to share or express or post anything on the internet. So it would be fear and then anger and then worry  that would be three key words for now, Piyanuch told VOA.

She said her group would continue to monitor enforcement of the law as well as raising concerns, given the publics reaction to the legislation.

Thailands online news and social media community have been critics since the original legislation was introduced in 2007, also under a military controlled legislative assembly.

Arthit Suyriyawongkul, from the Thai Netizen Network, said concerns date back to the original laws, and add to existing controls on online media. Arthit said there are concerns over the laws application ahead of the 2017 vote, potentially limiting public debate.

The problem that has been an issue in the past nine years is of course the freedom of expression. In particular we worry about the next election  because in the new section 14  subsection 1  theres a term added  its called distorted information  this term has been added, Arthit said.

The government targeted activists ahead of last Augusts national referendum on a new constitution, leading to the arrest of several students accused of disseminating publications critical of the draft charter.

In an editorial, The Bangkok Post newspaper said the bill betrayed its purpose of ensuring cyber security, freedom and privacy for people, including the government.

The bill, the paper said, affords too much power to state authorities to decide what constitutes a violation under the law.

These concerns are also shared by Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist and adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan.

Panitan said while Thailands ongoing deep political divide called for regulations on public and media debate, there was a concern of authorities overreaching their powers.

In a true sense when you put too much power in the hands of a government officer and they dont exercise good judgement theres always a problem. Thats one area that people [who] drafted the law must listen carefully, Panitan said.

And mindful alone might not be enough. Civil society and others can also act as a check and balance with this [law], he said.

But Panitan also said he believed the regulations were necessary given the issues of false news, slander and defamation on social media postings.

Critics say the criminalization of speech and computer data, intermediary liability  burden of proof, the unpredictability of the law, expanded investigation powers, broader control of information and surveillance of encrypted information are reasons for concern.

But government supporters say all content, especially on social media, would be better filtered, while libelous content would be more strictly defined to reduce legal cases of libel.
Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump was officially elected as the 45th U.S. president Monday, his victory confirmed by the required vote in the Electoral College.

Americans have known since early November that Trump, a Republican running for elected office for the first time, would take over the White House when he is inaugurated January 20. U.S. presidential elections, however, are not determined by the actual vote on Election Day, but rather by the individual outcomes of presidential balloting in all 50 states and the nation's capital, Washington, then with 538 electors voting in the Electoral College.

On Monday, in time-honored fashion, the electors from each of the states and the District of Columbia cast their ballots in their respective state capitals and Trump, as expected, surpassed the 270 majority figure to win a four-year term as the American leader.

Die-hard supporters of his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, had demanded that Trump-pledged electors drop their support of him, on grounds that Clinton defeated him by nearly 2.9 million votes in the popular count. Some protested Monday outside state capitals in a last-ditch effort to thwart Trump.

But as each state reported its Electoral College balloting, Trump's pledged electors based on the state-by-state outcomes held firm, assuring him of victory.

Even with Clinton's lead in the national popular vote count, Trump won, sometimes narrowly, where it mattered, in 31 of the 50 state contests, to claim the Electoral College majority.

After the Texas electoral collage put Trump over the 270-vote threshold, the president-elect thanked "the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next president of the United States." He promised in a statement released late Monday to "work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans."

With all states reporting, Trump won 304 votes while Clinton received 227. The other seven electors voted for someone other than their party's nominee.

In most election years, voting in the Electoral College is little more than a formality. But that is not the case this year.

Because of the close and bitterly contested race, and continuing opposition to Trump's victory by many Clinton supporters, thousands of Americans bombarded the 306 Republican electors with emails and phone calls, demanding they reject Trump, either by voting for Clinton or another, more acceptable Republican.

In the unlikely event that 37 or more Republican electors had defected from Trump and no candidate wound up with 270 or more, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives would have picked the president.

Trump used a Twitter post Sunday to criticize the efforts to oppose him.

"If my many supporters acted and threatened people like those who lost the election are doing, they would be scorned & called terrible names!" he wrote.

Electors in 29 states are bound by state law to vote for the candidate who won their state vote count, and often elsewhere, electors say they feel morally compelled to vote in the Electoral College the way their state voted.

Although the vast majority of Americans focused their ballot choice as between Trump and Clinton, they actually were casting ballots for slates of electors supporting the two candidates, often comprised of political activists in their respective states. Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, was an elector for her in New York.

Hillary Clinton piled up big vote margins in California and New York to give her the national popular vote edge, even as Trump scored impressive wins in states that Democrats have won in past presidential elections. It is the fifth time in U.S. history, and the second in the past 16 years, that the popular vote winner did not win the all-important Electoral College vote.

Faithless electors

Faithless electors - those who cast Electoral College votes for someone other than the presidential candidate who won their state - are not unheard of in American political annals, but they are relatively rare, with just 157 since the Electoral College was first used in 1789, and most occurred in the 1800s.

Several U.S. news media outlets who have interviewed at least some of the 2016 electors say the vast majority are planning to back the winner in their state, with only one known Republican elector, Chris Suprun in the southwestern state of Texas, saying he would not vote for Trump.

Suprun, however, told VOA that the number of faithless electors was "more than just me," but he failed to persuade at least 37 Republican electors to drop their support for Trump.

The country's founding fathers debated how to pick the country's presidents, deciding against using the popular vote for fear that mob rule might ensue or that the biggest states would have too much control over the ultimate outcome. It settled on the Electoral College, in part to give even the smallest states at least three electoral votes.

As it currently stands, seven states and the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., have three electoral votes each. The Pacific coast state of California has the most, at 55.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who staunchly supported Clinton, described the Electoral College as a "vestige" of American history.

But several congressional attempts to reform it or replace it with a popular vote have failed. Now, with Trump the beneficiary of its use and Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, there is no immediate chance that its use will end.

WATCH: All you need to know about the Electoral College
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Fewer journalists were killed in 2016 than the previous year, according to the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists. But the reasons that death rate is down may not be reassuring. VOA's RamonTaylor reports.
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In Kenya, a national teachers union and advocacy groups are calling for low-cost private schools operated by Bridge International Academies to be shut down over irregularities. The schools maintain that they offer affordable, high-quality education to low-income families. For VOA Lenny Ruvaga reports from Nakuru.
Nearly two year after Italy's highest court acquitted Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend of murdering a British student, the legal wrangling still isn't over.

Lawyers for the Ivorian man convicted in the 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher are petitioning a Florence appeals court Tuesday to overturn the only conviction in the case, arguing the acquittals of the high-profile defendants are in conflict with the guilty verdict against Rudy Hermann Guede.

Guede, 29, is serving a 16-year sentence for the murder, after his initial 30-year sentence was reduced on appeal. When the high court upheld his sentencing, it ruled he did not act alone, although it did not name any accomplices.

Kercher family lawyer Francesco Maresca will be in court to argue that Guede's guilty verdict must stand. Revising verdicts is extremely rare in Italian justice, and the court is expected to recess before issuing a decision.

The Italian justice system must give us at least one guilty party, Maresca told AP on Monday. We want that maintained, absolutely.

Maresca argued alongside prosecutors in both Guede's speedy trial and the multiple joint trials of Knox, now 29, and Raffaele Sollecito, 32, joining arguments that Guede could not have acted alone. He cited, among other things, the lack of defensive wounds that suggest that more than one person was present to hold Kercher down during the sexual assault and murder at knifepoint.

Maresca and the family have expressed dismay that Guede was convicted without any other accomplices being held accountable, or other suspects ever being identified.

Whatever the appeals court in Florence decides, it won't affect Knox, who has been in Seattle since she was released on a first-level appeal in 2011 after four years in prison, or Sollecito.

Knox's Italian lawyer, Carlo Dalla Vedova, emphasizes that the physical evidence against Guede, including genetic evidence on the victim's body and a palm print in blood in her room, is incontrovertible.

There is no conflict between that conviction and our acquittal. Our acquittal is clearly saying that the evidence against Rudy Guede is very strong. In that decision, they don't mention that it was possible he was there with someone else in the room. There is no evidence of anyone else, Dalla Vedova said.
Islamic State extremists claimed responsibility Tuesday for the truck attack in Berlin that killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens more at a crowded Christmas market in the German capital.

The claim was posted late Tuesday on the website of the group's Amaq news agency. It said the attack was carried out "in response to a call for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."

The statement came a short while after German police released a lone suspect captured Monday evening after a huge truck smashed into an open-air market where locals and tourists were partaking in traditional Christmas festivities.

The Chief Federal Prosecutor's Office says it released the suspect, a Pakistani national, because investigators did not have enough evidence to charge him with a crime.

"The investigation up to now did not yield any urgent suspicion against the accused," the prosecutor's statement read.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who laid white roses at the attack site outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Tuesday, said she was "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened by the attack.

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in a nationally televised statement. "A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Earlier Tuesday, the head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police force said police have not yet found the gun believed to have been used to kill the truck's driver before it was stolen.

Berlin Senator for the Interior Andreas Geisel announced new security measures to be implemented around the nations capital in response to the attack and asked organizers of other Christmas markets to shut down for the day to honor the victims.

Witnesses said the popular Christmas market was packed with tourists and locals when the truck, believed to have been traveling in excess of 60 kilometers an hour, slammed into it. Authorities said the vehicle was loaded with steel beams.

The White House offered condolences in a statement that condemned the attack.

The U.S. State Department had earlier called for caution in market places and other public sites across Europe. A published U.S. travel alert said extremist groups were focusing their attention "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events." It also warned U.S. citizens on the continent to be on the alert for "self-radicalized" extremists, who it said could strike without warning.

The Polish owner of the truck, which had Polish license plates, said the vehicle driven by a relative was most likely hijacked after German authorities had him identify the body of his dead employee.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Ariel Zurawski told German broadcaster TVN.

Monday's crash bore strong similarities to a truck attack earlier this year in southern France that killed scores of people as France celebrated a national holiday.

French police linked that July 14 attack, which killed 86 people and wounded more than 400 others, to a Tunisian national with reputed links to Islamic State extremists.

In Photos:
A U.S. mechanic has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for trying to produce a weapon of mass destruction to kill Muslims.

The U.S. Justice Department described Glendon Crawford of upstate New York as a self-professed member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Crawford was convicted in August 2015 of conspiring with another man to build a weapon that would disperse radiation.

Crawford planned to kill Muslims on account of their religion and other people whose political and social beliefs he disagreed with, including government officials, said attorney Richard Hartunian. This is a classic case of domestic terrorism, he said.

Sought help from KKK

Crawford is the first person to be convicted under a 2004 law intended to stop terrorists from using radiation dispersing dirty bombs.

Prosecutors said Crawford approached Jewish groups seeking financial support for his plan to acquire a radiation device to be used against people he described as enemies of Israel. They say he also solicited funding for his plan from senior members of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Justice Department alleges that Crawford, along with a co-conspirator, Eric Feight, took steps to design, build and test a remote-controlled unit that could activate a radiation dispersal device from a distance. Prosecutors say Crawford later received a radiation dispersal device from people he believed were businessmen affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan, but were actually FBI special agents working undercover.

Claim of entrapment

Lawyers for Crawford argued at his trial that Crawford was entrapped by the government. They say the radiation device was constructed by federal agents and say Crawford never intended to use it.

Feight pleaded guilty in connection with the case and was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison.
The Pakistani who was arrested after the attack in the crowded Christmas market in Berlin has reportedly no involvement in the crime.

By India Today Web Desk: The Pakistani suspect arrested following the truck attack in the German capital reportedly had no involvement in the crime. The actual perpetrator was armed and is still at large, a high-ranking security source said.

Also Read - Berlin: At least 12 dead after truck crashes into Christmas market

"We have the wrong man," Die Welt daily cited a Berlin police official as saying.

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"And thus a new situation. The actual perpetrator is still at large and armed, and can inflict more damage."

At least 12 persons were killed and 48 others were injured when a truck rammed into a Christmas market full of shoppers and vendors late on Monday, reminiscent of a similar truck attack in Nice, France, which was linked to the IS.

The source said that all police and special forces units in Berlin have been informed and put on high alert.

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Beijing and Norway will resume talks on a free-trade deal, China said Tuesday, as part of normalizing ties six years after Beijing froze out the Scandinavian country over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to an imprisoned Chinese dissident.



The two sides agreed to restart negotiations after Norway "made important and explicit statements on issues concerning China's sovereignty and territorial integrity,'' said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular briefing.



Norway's Nobel committee awarded Liu Xiaobo, a literary critic who campaigned for political change, the peace prize in 2010.



Liu was convicted of subversion in 2009 and sentenced to 11 years in prison after he wrote and disseminated Charter `08, a document calling for democracy. He is imprisoned in northern China.



The two countries said Monday normal relations have resumed. Although the Norwegian government has no say over the Nobel panel's choices, China had suspended a bilateral trade deal and restricted imports of Norwegian salmon  a major export earner. Norway reported $2.9 billion in exports to China last year and imports of $8.1 billion from China.



Hua said the Chinese government remained opposed to the awarding of the prize to Liu, saying it was a "gross interference'' in China's affairs.



"In the past, in order to achieve some hidden political agenda, someone awarded this prize to a criminal charged with splitting China, undermining national unity and inciting subversion against state power,'' she said.
China on Tuesday returned an underwater U.S. drone it seized last week in the international waters of the South China Sea.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the transfer took place in the same area where China picked up the drone, which measures water salinity and temperature gradients.

"This incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea," Cook said in a statement. "The U.S. has addressed those facts with the Chinese through the appropriate diplomatic and military channels, and have called on Chinese authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and to refrain from further efforts to impede lawful U.S. activities."

China's Defense Ministry said Tuesday the transfer was conducted "smoothly" after "friendly consultations" between the two countries.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying later said the U.S. regularly conducts close up surveillance in China's coastal waters, which China strongly opposes.

China has said the situation began when one of its vessels saw a piece of "unidentified equipment" in the water and retrieved it for the sake of "navigational safety."

The incident raised fresh concerns in Washington and among Asian allies about China's stepped-up military presence in the South China Sea, and what critics call Beijing's aggressive responses to competing maritime claims in the region.

Brunei, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia all claim mineral and fishing rights in the region, and many of those claims overlap.

While Washington has taken no official stance on the rival sovereignty claims, the U.S. Navy has sought to protect the region's crowded international shipping lanes. The Obama administration has also challenged China's efforts to boost its maritime presence with military hardware deployed in areas claimed by other regional governments.
Senior Chinese officials say they hope U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will move quickly to put relations between China and the United States back on track after he takes office next month.

The China-U.S. relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, and China is ready to continue to develop our relationship with the U.S. on the basis of our current status, said Zheng Xiaosong, China's deputy foreign minister for Asia, while speaking in neighboring Pakistan Tuesday.

Trump, however, appears to have already sparked a diplomatic dispute with Beijing after he spoke to Taiwans president, Tsai Ing-wen, on the telephone in early December  a move which led China to lodge a protest with the U.S. ambassador in Beijing.

The U.S. broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 and, since then, no U.S. president or president-elect has spoken directly with island officials. China claims democratically-ruled Taiwan is part of its territory and has never renounced the use of military force to bring the island under its control.

China also has expressed serious concerns about Trumps decision to call into question the United States continued adherence to the one China policy, which was a key step to establishing diplomatic ties between Beijing and Washington.

Zheng, along with Chinas acting ambassador in Pakistan, Muhammad Lijian Zhao, addressed a big gathering of scholars, researchers and politicians in Islamabad.

Zheng said a sound development of China-U.S. relations is of critical importance for the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

But of course we have principles when it comes to developing [a} relationship with the U.S. That is, we will not compromise on the international principles. We will not compromise on our core interests."

Relations under Obama presidency



Ambassador Zhao summarized relations between Beijing and Washington under President Barack Obamas administration as starting high but going low afterwards. He noted that Obama was the first U.S. president who visited China in his first year in office.

And, therefore, usually it would take us about one year after the assumption of office of a new [U.S.] president for us to put Chinas relationship back on a solid footing. I hope that the time that it will take us to put our relations back on track will be shorter for President Trump, said the acting Chinese envoy.

In their first years in office, American presidents would try to sell weapons to Taiwan, or meet with the Dalai Lama, which are both a red line for China, noted Zhao, while recounting difficulties China encountered under Obamas predecessors. China regards the Nobel Prize-winning monk as a separatist, and, while the Dalai Lama has been an outspoken critic of China's policies in Tibet, he has advocated for a middle way, not asking for independence from China for Tibet, but for more autonomy.
U.N. officials report as many as 20 people are feared dead in Kinshasa, after violence broke out during demonstrations calling for longtime President Joseph Kabila to step down after his term in office expired Monday.

Three deaths have been confirmed by VOA Afrique.

Residents in some parts of Congo's capital blew whistles at midnight to signal that it was time for Kabila to leave. Gunfire that was heard in several districts continued Tuesday.

Monday, protests took place in several neighborhoods in Kinshasa, despite a ban on demonstrations and a large military presence. Witnesses say police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters.

Much of the capital was deserted, with shops closed and people staying home fearing violence.

In the eastern city of Goma, human rights groups say dozens of protesters were arrested. The United Nations expressed concern over the "wave of arrests" in the past three days, calling many of them arbitrary.

Congolese opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi said Tuesday people should not recognize the "illegal and illegitimate authority" of President Kabila, whose term in office expired without him stepping down and with no elections in sight.

In a YouTube video, Tshisekedi urged people to "peacefully resist" what he said was a coup d'etat backed by the country's constitutional court.

The court has ruled that Kabila can remain in power until new elections are held. The ruling party has proposed a vote take place in April 2018.

Presidential adviser Barnabe Kikaya said it was unconstitutional to demand that Kabila step down at midnight.

"The constitution clearly states that the president remains in his position until his successor is elected by the people of the Congo, not by a loud and insistent mob,'' Kikaya said.

The government says elections scheduled for this November had to be postponed because of logistical and financial challenges.

Kabila has been president of the DRC since his father was assassinated in 2001. He won elections in 2006 and 2011 in polls the opposition claims were rigged. He is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term.

Congo has never had a peaceful transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. Observers fear the current political crisis could trigger a repeat of civil wars that killed millions of people between 1996 and 2003.
College professors are no strangers to politics. Political science professors teach at almost every university in the United States.

And like all of us, professors of each and every specialty have their own political opinions. Some keep their opinions to themselves. Others express them both in and outside the classroom.

Now a new American website is seeking to identify and list professors it claims support extremist ideas.

The website, called Professor Watchlist, launched in November. It is a project of Turning Point USA, a non-profit group that supports values such as limited government and free market economies. These values are often connected to American conservatives.

How does Turning Point decide which professors hold extremist beliefs? Matt Lamb, director of Constitutional Enforcement and Transparency at the organization, says he and others search for news stories about professors expressing beliefs he says are outside the American mainstream.

Most of the professors on the list are reported as having talked, written or taught about subjects related to the progressive movement. This includes support of gun control laws, the idea that human activities are to blame for climate change, and criticism of the free market system.

The Higher Education Research Institute operates through the University of California, Los Angeles. The group studies issues related to higher education. In 2014, it found that 60 percent of U.S. college professors identified themselves as liberal or politically left-leaning.

Lamb says conservative-thinking students often feel like they have to hide their political opinions from their professors and other students. He says many of the professors on the list try to silence conservative students in their classrooms. The aim of the website is to let students know which professors hold opposing beliefs.

Then students can either avoid taking classes with those professors or better prepare their own arguments against them, Lamb says.

"For example, if youre a pro-life student, you probably dont want to take a class with the professor at University of California Santa Barbara who punched a pro-life student and got 3 years probation for it," he said. "Its probably something youre going to want to know going into a class. But for the most part, too, we also encourage other students, if they feel comfortable doing so, to push back and debate these ideas in classrooms."

Some critics have compared the websites list to the activities of former U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. During the 1950s, McCarthy tried to publicly identify American citizens who supported communist teachings. Many of the people he identified suffered damage to their public reputations and careers.

But Lamb rejects this comparison. He says Professor Watchlist does not investigate the private lives of professors. And, the information used to identify people named on the list is all publicly available.

The website lists some professors because of opinion pieces they wrote for newspapers or comments left on social media. If they did not want their beliefs made public, they should not speak about them publicly, Lambs says. Also, one-sided political arguments do not belong in the classroom, he adds.

Greg Hampikian, one of the over 150 professors on the list, teaches genetics at Boise State University in Idaho. Hampikian is on the list because of an opinion piece he wrote for the New York Times in 2014. His piece is called When May I Shoot a Student? It used humor to express his criticism of a bill to allow students to carry guns on the grounds of Idaho colleges.

Hampikian says he fails to truly understand why he is on the list. He says he has voted for candidates from each of the two major American political parties in the past. And, he says, he is not very political.

"There are plenty of people whove given their lives to causes, who would be honored to be on this list. I think theyre scratching their heads about why Im listed on it," he said. "I am as well. But, so be it. My grandfather was sent to the gulag and, Im told, died there for his political opinions. My other grandfather was tied to the railroad tracks in Egypt for his political editorials. And I thought, Im in America, Im on a watch list? By whom?"

Hampikian says he welcomes the opinions of conservative students and that being on the list has not resulted in any harmful attention. But no one from Turning Point USA ever contacted him and that is a big part of the problem with the list, he says.

The majority of the stories Professor Watchlist uses to identify professors come from websites that support conservative beliefs. One of the most commonly named sources is a website called Campus Reform. Many of the stories from Campus Reform fail to show any attempt to communicate with the professors they are describing.

Without giving professors a chance to further explain their position, Hampikian says, the website risks taking comments out of context. This can often lead to misunderstanding and wrongful representation.

Josh Dunn, a political science professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs who identifies as a conservative, wrote a book about being a conservative college professor.

Dunn says he has never faced difficulties being part of the political minority on a college campus. He agrees professors should limit their support for one political belief over another during class, especially when teaching a non-political subject. But college is all about considering the value of opinions you disagree with, he says.

"If the goal is for students to be able to avoid these professors, Im not certain that thats a valuable goal. One of the best classes I ever took was from Richard Rorty, who I had profound disagreements with," Dunn said. "But it was a fabulous class and I learned an immense amount from him ... In my case, I would not have wanted to miss the opportunity to study under him because I was just trying to avoid people that disagreed with me."

Some conservatives worry that college professors with opposing ideas try to force students to follow their beliefs. But Dunn argues even if this were their goal, professors actually have little effect on changing students opinions because young people are much more likely to base their political beliefs on those of their friends.

The U.S. Constitution protects the free speech rights of professors and the website organizers, says Susan Kruth, with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Her foundation fights for academic freedom on college campuses.

Kruth says the history of lists like the one on Professor Watchlist is dark. But she adds that professors should accept criticism and debate.

"One of the most important things that people can do is just make sure that they understand the line between whats part of healthy conversation and what is not part of a healthy conversation, what is really censorship and punishment," she said.

The website does not support extreme harassment or try to punish professors for their beliefs, Kruth says. Unless it does so, the website remains a welcome part of political debate.
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador's Pacific coast early on Monday, killing at least two people, injuring 15 others and halting production at the Esmeraldas oil refinery, officials said.

The country's geological institute recorded the quake off the coast of Atacames in Esmeraldas province, northwest of Quito, the capital. The quake was followed by 15 lesser-magnitude aftershocks.

President Rafael Correa was meeting with local officials in the area, which earlier this year was devastated by a 7.8-magnitude quake that killed about 670 people, displaced thousands and caused millions of dollars in damage.

"We regret that a 75-year-old woman suffered a heart attack because of the quake," National Risk Management Secretary Susana Duenas told local radio. There were no immediate details on the second person killed.

The Esmeraldas refinery, which has a 110,000-barrel-per-day capacity, was halted as a precaution, Pedro Merizalde, head of state oil company Petroecuador, told Reuters.

Merizalde said refinery infrastructure would be checked over and that the stoppage would last about two days.

Authorities said three hotels in the area, a popular tourist destination, were destroyed, and other buildings sustained substantial damage.
If President-elect Donald Trump tries to keep some of his signature campaign promises, such as restoring U.S. manufacturing jobs and repairing the country's deteriorating infrastructure, he is likely to encounter a variety of conflicting forces and political priorities that will weigh heavily on his management of the economy, the world's largest.

Trump faces a daunting task to fulfill his campaign vow to restore U.S. industrial jobs lost to automation and overseas sites, where corporations pay workers far less than they do in the United States. At the same time, his promise to initiate a trillion-dollar plan to repair the country's deteriorating roads, bridges and other infrastructure already is running into headwinds in the Republican-controlled Congress.

While he is seeking to boost the economic fortunes of the blue-collar workers with limited formal education whose votes helped send him to a four-year term in the White House, Janet Yellen, the chair of the country's independent central bank, said this week that the cornerstone of success for many Americans was getting a college education.

"Economists are not certain about many things," the Federal Reserve leader said. "But we are quite certain that a college diploma or an advanced degree is a key to economic success."

Higher earnings

"Those with a college degree are more likely to find a job, keep a job, have higher job satisfaction and earn a higher salary," Yellen said. "The advantage in earnings is large. College grads' annual earnings last year were, on average, 70 percent higher than those with only a high school diploma. Back in 1980, the difference was only 20 percent. The gap in earnings is significant only a few years after graduation  almost $18,000 a year, according to some recent data.

"Beyond these advantages, research also shows that a college or graduate degree typically leads to a happier, healthier and longer life."

Trump, with $7 million in tax incentives, successfully kept a heating and air conditioning company from moving 800 factory jobs to Mexico, but the U.S. has lost 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000. In an effort to reverse that trend, Trump said he would try to get Congress to impose a 35 percent tax on products made in other countries by companies that have left the U.S. and then try to send them back across the border. That, however, could ignite an international trade war.

Infrastructure

The president-elect has continued to boast about his infrastructure plans, telling supporters on his "thank-you tour," "We will build new roads, tunnels, bridges, railroads, airports, schools and hospitals." That is stimulative spending normally undertaken when a failing national economy needs a boost, not when its economic fortunes are improving, as is the case with the United States and its 4.6 percent jobless rate.

Such a massive spending proposal is at odds with the Republican Party's professed aim of shrinking U.S. government spending. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters earlier this month, "What I hope we will clearly avoid, and I'm confident we will, is a trillion-dollar stimulus." Conservative Republican lawmakers also have voiced their opposition to the Trump plan.

Ken Simonson, the chief economist for a key construction trade group, the Associated General Contractors of America, told VOA that Trump "will have quite a selling job" to win approval for an infrastructure spending plan. Simonson said Trump's Republican colleagues in Congress would be opposed to higher taxes, while Democratic lawmakers are opposed to tax credits that would benefit wealthy investors and "not lead to sufficient job creation."

He said his trade group worried that Trump's plan would be "a one-time event and not sufficient over a longer period of time" to rebuild the country's infrastructure.

Even if Congress were to approve an infrastructure spending plan, Simonson said, the construction trades face another problem: finding enough skilled workers. There now are 6.7 million U.S. construction workers, down 1 million from the peak in mid-2006, with many of the departed workers moving to jobs in other fields or retiring.

Mark Vitner, the senior economist at Wells Fargo Bank, one of the country's largest, said, "I think the best way to think about Donald Trump is about the direction he wants to go, rather than the absolute words."

Vitner said the U.S. "will spend more money on infrastructure" regardless of whether Congress specifically allocates more funding for new construction.

He said Trump could overturn President Barack Obama's rejection of a key oil pipeline running from Canada through the central U.S. to refineries on its southern border, approve construction of more natural gas pipelines and streamline environmental reviews to speed construction of other projects.

"These are a lot of things that can impact the economy," Vitner said.

He said Trump would not be able to bring back the specific jobs lost from the country's industrial heartland, where he won the votes of disgruntled workers.
Authorities in Senegal have arrested a former Guinean military leader long sought in connection with a 2009 stadium massacre that killed more than 150 people, Guinean officials confirmed Tuesday.

Abubakar "Toumba" Diakite was the head of the presidential guard at the time of the massacre, and an investigative commission later determined he was to blame for ordering the violence. An Interpol notice was issued for him five years ago.

Ibrahima Beavogui, spokesman for Guinea's justice ministry, confirmed that Diakite had been arrested in Senegal's capital, Dakar, where he had been living under a fake name for an undetermined amount of time.

"Toumba was arrested thanks to the solidarity of international justice," he said. "He will be tried in Guinea. That is our wish."

Diakite went into hiding in late 2009 after he tried to assassinate coup leader Moussa "Dadis" Camara by shooting him in the head several months after the massacre. He emerged briefly at one point to do an interview with Radio France Internationale in which he said he had shot Camara because the junta leader tried to blame him for the massacre.

The news of Diakite's arrest was welcomed by a group representing survivors of the massacre and victims' families.

"We have confidence in the Guinean justice system to hold this trial in Guinea," said Asmaou Diallo, the group's president.
Four police officers were killed Tuesday in clashes with Islamist militants while raiding a village in southern Jordan, several media outlets reported.

Eleven people were injured in the clashes. Early reports did not specify how many assailants were killed.

The attack took place near Karak, where gunmen killed 10 people in a shootout two days earlier. A house raided in the village Tuesday was thought to be connected to the four gunmen responsible for Sunday's attack.

Earlier Tuesday, Islamic State claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks.

In Sunday's incident, gunmen stormed a 12th-century castle, apparently seeking refuge in one of the country's most popular tourist attractions after having shot and killed a number of civilians elsewhere in the mountainous city of 70,000 residents.

Such attacks are rare in Jordan, considered one of the most stable countries in the Middle East.

Jordan is participating in the U.S.-led air war against IS extremists in Syria and Iraq, despite measurable Jordanian civilian opposition to the air campaign.
Measures follow Mondays truck rampage in German capital; security stepped up at similar events elsewhere in Germany and abroad

Christmas markets in Berlin stayed shut on Tuesday as the city mourned the victims of the previous evening's truck rampage, while security measures were stepped up at similar events elsewhere in Germany and abroad.

Germany's Interior Ministry said other Christmas markets and large gatherings would not be called off, and appropriate steps to increase security should be decided at each location.

Flags flew at half-mast out of respect for those killed when a truck ploughed into a crowd at a market by Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church on Monday.

"No matter what we continue to learn about the exact background and motives of the perpetrators, we... must not let them take away our freedom," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement.

Michael Krzyzniewski, a security expert for big public events, said safety measures were already in place at Christmas markets though some might want to review them. He said erecting protective concrete barriers was one option.

In Dresden, the tourist information service said authorities had done that around the Striezelmarkt, one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets.

"This has several serious downsides, for example it is then no longer possible for emergency vehicles to access the market in case someone has a heart attack," Krzyzniewski said.

"We need to make sure that we don't fall into panic and call for knee-jerk measures."

In Munich, tourists visiting the Christmas market said they felt confident with a strong police presence in the city.

"You see police around here everywhere so I don't feel unsafe," Scott, a visitor from Montreal, said at the central Marienplatz.

Hundreds of markets



While Germany remains the focal point of Europe's Christmas markets, visitors and shoppers also flock to hundreds elsewhere in Europe, where authorities were also on their guard.

In December 2000, authorities uncovered a plot to bomb a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg.

In Italy, Interior Minister Marco Minniti ordered police to reinforce security at Christmas-related events and ceremonies and other crowded public areas, according to a statement.

In France, where the Berlin incident revived memories of a similar attack on Bastille Day in Nice in which 86 people were killed, authorities sought to reassure the public about safety during upcoming festivities, saying security forces were working round the clock.

"The police are everywhere. There are concrete blocks everywhere," said Ludovic Ferla, a stallholder at the Christmas market lining Paris' Champs Elysees avenue.

In Nice, a Christmas village was mainly empty, with extra police personnel on patrol at the site which already had metal detectors in place.

"There is nobody here," shopkeeper Frederic Maume said. "It's a dead village since this morning. We expected it. It's normal."

In Brussels, where Islamist bombers killed 32 people in suicide attacks in March, no additional security measures were implemented. Interior Minister Jan Jambon tweeted on Monday night security would remain at alert level three out of four.

Around the central Grand Place square and nearby Christmas market, cargo trucks continued their daily delivery routine.

Resident Roger Lepers, 86, said Monday's attack did not deter him from taking his grandson to the event.

"It happened in Nice, it's now happened in Berlin," he said. "It will probably happen again elsewhere, but when, we don't know."
Former Bigg Boss 10 contestant Jason Shah has a rather sweet message for his fans.

By India Today Web Desk: Bigg Boss 10 contestant Jason Shah had a brief stint in the controversial reality show, thanks to his illness. But he managed to make an impact on the viewers during that short period of time.

Also read: Bigg Boss 10: Hot wildcard contestant Jason Shah is dating this Brazilian model

The model and fitness trainer recently posted a rather sweet message on his Instagram account about his journey on Bigg Boss Season 10.

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He wrote:

"Feels good to be back, unfortunately 'cause of health issues I couldn't stay longer in the big boss house. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that supported me during this time especially with all of your prayers and good wishes. Lots of love to you all."

Feels good to be back, unfortunately cause of health issues I couldn't stay longer in the big boss house. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone that supported me during this time especially with all of your prayers and good wishes. Lots of ?????????? to all of you ?????????? A photo posted by Jason Shah (@_j_k_s_) on Dec 18, 2016 at 1:33am PST

Good luck with everything, Jason!

--- ENDS ---
The evacuation of the besieged city of Aleppo, Syria, should be completed in no more than two days, the foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey said Tuesday.

More than 37,000 people have been evacuated and the goal is have all remaining people in Aleppo removed by Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday in a Twitter post.

After a meeting Tuesday in Moscow among the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters the three nations used their influence to force the evacuation, suggesting they have become the main powerbrokers in Syria's nearly six-year conflict.

The foreign ministers drafted a proposal that Russia said amounts to a blueprint for a cease-fire in Syria and potentially an end to the war. The urgency for Russia intensified after its ambassador to Turkey was assassinated Monday in Ankara by a man shouting, "Don't forget Aleppo."

The foreign ministers agreed to guarantee peace talks and to expand the cease-fire throughout Syria. But the broader cease-fire would exclude the militant groups Islamic State, the Fatah al-Sham Front and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which supports the Syrian government.

"Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to assist in preparing the agreement in the making between the Syrian government and the opposition and to become its guarantor," Lavrov said in a joint statement from the three countries.

Hezbollah threat

Meanwhile, Hezbollah threatened Tuesday to attack the last rebel-held area of Aleppo and said Syrian forces have issued their final call for people to leave an area in the city's eastern districts that remains under the control of opposition troops.

Syrian activists estimate up to 3,000 people remain in eastern Aleppo, which rebels seized in 2012 as part of a strategy aimed at toppling Assad's government. Since September, the opposition forces have gradually ceded control as the Syrian army and its Russian allies pressed an air offensive that systematically flattened the territory and Russia-backed Syrian ground forces pushed in.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel would consider bringing wounded refugees from Aleppo to Israeli hospitals for treatment.

"I've asked the foreign ministry to seek ways to expand our media assistance to the civilian casualities of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo," Netanyahu told a group of foreign reporters in Jerusalem.

Israel has treated many wounded in the Syrian civil war over the past three years, although Israel and Syrian are formally in a state of war.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday urging the immediate deployment of U.N. monitors to observe the evacuations from Aleppo. The U.N. said Tuesday that 20 additional monitors will be sent to Aleppo.

"This will almost triple the number of international staff currently deployed in Aleppo," U.N. spokesman Jens Laerke said Tuesday at a Geneva news conference. The U.N. monitors are in Damascus, and Laerke said they will travel to Aleppo "as soon as possible."

The approval of the French measure came despite long-standing divisions on the 15-member council that saw Syrian government allies Russia and China repeatedly veto earlier Western proposals aimed at easing the months-long Aleppo onslaught.

Complex negotiation

The evacuations are subject to highly complex and tense multi-party negotiations involving anti-Assad rebel factions, Iranian, Russian and Syrian commanders, as well as Hezbollah. In exchange for evacuations from Aleppo, the government has demanded people be allowed to leave the villages of Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province, which have been under rebel siege.

More than 70 percent of the buildings in the western Aleppo countryside have been destroyed and there is an acute shortage of food and medical supplies there, too, according to opposition leaders and activists.
Hundreds of local villagers freed from Islamic State control in a remote eastern Afghan district are signing up to join a militia to fight IS, provincial authorities said.

Officials in eastern Nangarhar province said hundreds of men have waited in long lines to become part of the militia.

"We started the local forces enlisting and deployment process. Our cleanup operations will continue until the local forces are settled and able to maintain security in the area," Shirin Aqa, a spokesperson for the Afghan army in Nangarhar, told VOA's Afghan service.

The recruits will be deployed in several security checkpoints to be established in vulnerable areas of the district. Members of the Afghan National Security Forces will remain in the area to assist in the transition, said Khogyani, a spokesperson for the Nangarhar governor.

"These 500 men will be fighting within the Afghan National Security Forces framework in the next few days," Khogyani said.

The majority of the recruits will be phased into local police and Afghan security forces, Nangarhars police spokesperson, Hazrat Hussain Mashriqiwal, told VOA. The recruits will be put on the government payroll.

Weapon worries

But recruits fear the government will not supply them with new and heavy weapons needed counter IS attacks.

"Unless we are supplied with heavy weapons and equipment, I am not sure if we would be able to protect the area with only Kalashnikovs [automatic rifles] and old guns that we possess," said Maazigar, a local resident who, like many Afghans, uses only a first name.

Mashriqiwal told VOA that the central government will supply weapons to the villagers.

IS activity

The forming of the militia comes after Afghan joint forces recently cleared the Pachiragam region of IS fighters who controlled key areas in the remote mountainous district, which borders Pakistan.

IS militants stormed Pachiragam early last month and captured large portions of the district, including several checkpoints manned by local militias. More than 80 people were killed or wounded in the fighting, authorities and local tribesmen said. The fighting displaced hundreds of families and many homes were set on fire by IS fighters.

A delegation of tribal elders, who attempted to secure the release of dozens of local militiamen being held by IS, was sent back with "tough conditions" from the terror group, including the need for the locals to "renew their Islamic belief" as, according to IS, they were not Muslims because they support government forces.

IS has been active in several districts in Nangarhar for the past two years. The group has imposed taxes on agriculture activities in areas it controls, and it has been cutting down trees in some parts of the province in a timber-smuggling operation to neighboring Pakistan.
A search operation is underway in Afghanistan to recover a kidnapped foreigner working for the International Committee of the Red Cross, provincial authorities said.

Several staff members were traveling in two vehicles to the restive northern Kunduz province on Monday when unknown gunmen intercepted them, according to an ICRC statement.

They took hostage one male colleague while the rest were let go, it added, without discussing the nationality of the abductee.

Police in Kunduz told VOA the man is Spanish, while those freed were Afghan nationals.

The ICRC says it is in contact with various authorities to determine what precisely happened and to secure the individuals safe and unconditional release as quickly as possible.

We are extremely concerned for the safety of our colleague, said the ICRCs head of delegation in Afghanistan, Monica Zanarelli.

Aid groups say that millions of displaced Afghans are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in the war-torn country, including cash, health services and supplies, shelter, food and non-food items.

But they maintain access constraints associated primarily with insecurity and conflict-related road closures in the eastern, southern and northern parts of Afghanistan limit their ability to help.

Within the past five months, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has registered a total of 67 incidents of violence against its staff, non-governmental organizations and other international groups, killing four aid workers and injuring four others.

As of early November, 63 aid workers had been abducted during 2016, though the number stood at 93 in the previous year, according to UNAMA.
Oblivious to the sound of blaring horns as evening traffic rushes by on a busy road in Indias tourist hub of Agra, acid attack survivors sing songs and stomp their feet to lively Bollywood numbers inside a cafe decked out in strings of yellow marigolds.

There is much to celebrate on the second anniversary of Sheroes Hangout, the cafe they run: their emergence into the social mainstream from the shadows where they had hidden their scarred faces; the rekindling of hopes and dreams, a perceptible shift in public attitudes towards them; and the launch of two more cafes in the cities of Lucknow and Udaipur this year.

The youngest woman, 17-year-old Dolly Kumari Singh, has gone back to school. Like other acid attack victims, she did not dare show her face outside her home after a man burnt her with corrosive chemicals two years ago. But the time she spent working at the cafe gave her the courage to venture back into the classroom.

When I went back to school, I was wondering if my friends would talk to me?" said Singh. "But they all spoke nicely to me, so did my teacher. I felt so good, I go daily.

The acceptance she received at school is in large measure due to the impact of the Sheroes Hangout, which was launched in 2014 by Stop Acid Attacks, a Delhi-based nonprofit group. The cafe was set up to bring acid attack survivors out of isolation and create awareness about the plight of girls and women who had simply vanished from public view.

India not only has the highest number of acid attacks in the world, they have also been on the rise  about 350 were reported in 2014. In a male dominated society, the assailants are usually men seeking revenge for spurned marriage proposals, sexual advances or even failing to bring enough dowry.

Among those dancing with the most fervor at the Agra cafe is Laxmi Agarwal, 28, who was attacked with acid in 2005, and today is one of Indias most prominent campaigners for the survivors of such horrific assaults.

People knew about victims of rape and domestic violence, but little about acid attack survivors, she said as she joined the more than dozen women who run the three cafes.

That has changed in the past two years as hundreds of customers, Indian and foreign, got to know the women who cook, serve and manage Sheroes Hangout.

More than anything, the cafes have given them courage to move on with their lives.

We cannot kill our quest for happiness, our dreams. Now we have come out as fighters, not as victims, said Agarwal.

The bursts of laughter, cracking of jokes, singing and dancing, at the anniversary celebrations bear testimony to that.

I could never even give an answer to anybody if someone spoke to me, but now I can. So much has changed, said Anshu Rajput. The 18-year-old works at the recently opened cafe in Udaipur.

Another feisty young woman, Farah Khan, says that although she never let her spirit die after her former husband sprayed acid on her face six years ago, she feels good when customers talk to her.

In those years, comments people passed only made me stronger, but I could never discuss this topic with anybody, talk to anybody," said Khan. "Now it feels good to share my story with others.

That is everyones story  of emerging from isolation and misunderstanding into a more caring environment.

Indeed, much has been achieved since Sheroes Hangout was launched in Agra. At least 10 private sector organizations have offered jobs to acid attack survivors, who earlier could not have imagined finding employment, which is one of the key reasons the cafe was started.

Although some could not take advantage of the opportunity because they don't have the necessary education or job skills, the offers represent a huge shift in attitudes, said Alok Dixit, convener of Stop Acid Attacks.

In Udaipur, where Sheroes Hangout is located in a shopping mall, which gives it more visibility. Other shops have offered to employ them after noticing people streaming into the cafe in a gesture of support.

Recalling the launch of the Agra venture, Dixit said, We had no idea where we will go because then our targets were not very big. Then slowly we found help.

People have come forward from all walks of life to boost the campaign in a myriad ways  locals have befriended them, high-profile public figures have dropped by, some have made documentaries.

Earlier it was solely our responsibility, but now it [the campaign] has distributed among the people, said Dixit.

The ultimate aim is for there to be no need to open more cafes as society begins to accept that acid attack survivors have a right to a normal life. At that point, the survivors will not need a support system.

Many of the girls here are inspired by Laxmi Agarwals story, who stopped covering her face four years after being attacked in 2005. The public gaze was initially not easy to handle, but as she emerged at the forefront of the campaign, she walked the fashion ramp in London to raise awareness of violence against women, modeled for an Indian clothing label, and found love. She has an 18-month-old baby with her partner Alok Dixit.

We never thought it [Sheroes] is the success it has been, Agarwal said with a note of quiet satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Dixit focuses on the achievements that he says few people notice. On the streets, the stares have stopped.

When I walk with Laxmi here in Agra, the [publics] eyes are already comfortable. It makes you a little confident from inside, he said, with a satisfied smile. The first reaction is not that See how she is looking, and they dont make fun of them. This has changed.
Investigators looking for a Malaysia Airlines plane that crashed in 2014 said Tuesday they have concluded with a "high degree of confidence" that the aircraft is not in a massive area of the Indian Ocean where they have been conducting their search.

The probe has cost about $150 million and covered 120,000 square kilometers without finding a trace of the wreckage. Some 20 piece of debris likely to have come from the plane have washed up on shores along the western Indian Ocean.

A report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading the investigation, said that after analyzing satellite data and aircraft debris drift modeling they believe the area with the highest probability of containing the plane is just north of the previous search zone.

The report said if that 25,000 kilometer section is searched, then the investigators will have exhausted possible areas for finding the plane.

The current search mission is due to end next month.

"As agreed at the Tripartite Ministers meeting in Malaysia in July, we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft," Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester said in a statement Tuesday.

Chester said he remains hopeful the plane will be found.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was flying from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur in March 2014 when it disappeared with 239 people on board.
The extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a series of shooting attacks on police and tourists in Jordan that killed 10 people, including a woman from Canada.

Sunday's shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamic militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the U.S.-led military campaign against IS, which seized large areas in neighboring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a "caliphate" there.

The shootings took place in the central Jordanian town of Karak. Hours after an initial attack on a police patrol, four gunmen were shot and killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and popular tourist destination.

The IS claim was published Tuesday on "Shumoukh al-Islam," a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that "four soldiers of the caliphate" armed with machine guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 "apostates." It said the four IS fighters were engaged in "fierce clashes lasting several hours" with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-IS coalition member states. "We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...," it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism; hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other IS militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

Sunday's shootings were the latest in a series of attacks over the past year that have challenged the pro-Western kingdom's claim to be an oasis of stability in a region increasingly threatened by Islamic extremists.

Earlier this year, IS claimed responsibility for a deadly cross-border attack from Syria on a Jordanian border post.
The Italian government decided Monday to seek parliamentary approval to borrow 20 billion euros to underwrite the stability of its wobbly banking sector, starting with a likely bailout of No. 3 lender, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, as early as this week.

Monte dei Paschi, recently judged the weakest of the European Union's major banks, needs to dispose of a mountain of bad loans and raise 5 billion euros in capital by the end of this month or else face the risk of being wound down by the European Central Bank.

Italy's Economy minister said Monday the money it was seeking could be used to guarantee adequate liquidity in the banking system.

"These resources could also be used as part of a program to boost capital at banks," he said in a news conference.

A government bailout could come as early as this week, if Monte dei Paschi fails to pull off its own privately funded rescue plan.

But it could prove to be politically explosive for the week-old administration of Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, given that investors are required to bear losses under EU bailout rules.

Good news

Earlier Monday, however, the bank received some rare good news in relation to its faltering rescue plan. A key investor that was reconsidering its commitment to the plan issued a statement saying that its concerns had been resolved.

"[Quaestio] ... has agreed to approve the Term Sheet for the senior bridge loan as agreed with the financing banks," said the investor, private bank rescue fund Atlante.

Atlante has committed to spending 1.5 billion euros to buy some of Monte dei Paschi's bad loans, despite having expressed "deep reservations" in a Dec. 17 letter over the terms of a bridge loan that Monte dei Paschi had secured as part of the sale of bad loans.

Even with Atlante's commitment to participate in the private rescue bid, Monte dei Paschi is still not assured to raise enough money to avoid the need of a state bailout.

Its 5 billion euros cash call is meant to conclude Thursday, but is not underwritten by a consortium of investment banks.

Monte dei Paschi shares closed before both Atlante's statement and the government's announcement, having lost 11 percent and wiped out a week's gains.

Rescue plan

Under a state bailout, the government would inject capital into Monte dei Paschi only after the forced conversion of 4.1 billion euros worth of subordinated bonds into shares, a source said Friday.

As part of its own rescue plan, Monte dei Paschi has taken out a 4.7 billion euro bridge loan with JPMorgan, Mediobanca, Credit Suisse and HSBC, said another source, familiar with the loan.

JPMorgan and Mediobanca have been working on the bank's rescue plan and have already come under fire from opposition politicians who object to them earning fees in the event of a state bailout, especially fees accruing on the bridge loan.

Monte dei Paschi needs the loan to help complete the sale of 28 billion euros of gross bad debts, which are to be repackaged as debt securities worth 9 billion euros.

The loan is worth around half of that, but it is secured against all the securities  which was the source of concern for Atlante, said a source familiar with the matter.

Atlante, whose shareholders include Italy's top banks and insurers as well as state-owned entities, is due to buy a 1.5 billion euro tranche of the securities.

It could see its notes claimed by the four banks if the bridge loan is not repaid.
Tensions around next years presidential poll are heating up in Kenya. A special sitting of parliament to debate changes to the electoral law ended with a fist fight on the House floor.

With fewer than eight months until the general election, Kenyan politicians are wrangling over how the electoral commission should carry out the process.

In September, members of parliament from both sides of the political divide passed electoral reforms, following weeks of protests demanding the electoral commissioners step down. The commission was accused of favoring the ruling Jubilee coalition administration.

On Tuesday, a special session of parliament met to debate proposed amendments to the reforms. The opposition said the amendments were proposed by, and favor, the ruling Jubilee coalition

Opposition legislators began the session by blocking the speaker from accessing the House chamber for more than two hours.

Justice and Legal Affairs Committee Chairman Samuel Chepkonga said the amendments were requested by the electoral commission itself.

Speaker Justin Muturi asked Chepkonga to produce documents to prove the request was made by the electoral commission and that his panel had agreed to present the amendments.

One opposition member of parliament threatened a boycott of the election if at all we do not have laws ... that will ensure free and fair election, then there will be no election, the opposition will likely not participate in that election because there is no reason that we should go to the guillotine.

The debate ended in chaos after lawmakers began fist fights on the floor. The House has now adjourned until January 24.

Meanwhile, in a media statement, ambassadors from 10 countries denied working with organizations, political parties or candidates to influence the election result.

The statement was in response to the Kenyan government's order Monday for the International Foundation for Election Systems to stop its voter education program in the country.

The envoys said their assistance supports Kenyan citizens to exercise their right to vote and have their voices heard.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Godec said the organization, which is supported by USAID, has expertise and experience in supporting free, fair, credible and peaceful elections around the world. He said the United States is disappointed by the effort to discredit the program.

Kenya is to hold its sixth general election in August 2017.
Michigan's attorney general filed more criminal charges Tuesday linked to the probe of lead-tainted water Flint, targeting two state-appointed emergency managers running the troubled city as the crisis erupted in 2014.

The two former managers face four new charges, including conspiracy and misconduct in office, for their roles in the crisis, in which inadequately treated water from a local river corroded residential pipes carrying water to an estimated 100,000 people.

A federal probe later showed that state officials knew about the contamination for more than a year, before local residents were informed of the crisis.

Thirteen people have so far been charged in the investigation, which spans an 18-month period that began in April 2014.

Earlier this month, scientists who first detected the contamination said lead levels were continuing to drop in large parts of the city as lead-lined pipes in the city were replaced.

However, Virginia Tech scientist Marc Edwards urged Flint residents to continue using water filters on kitchen faucets until all old lead pipes in the city have been replaced.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, an estimated 47 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative condition that causes severe dementia.

But researchers  originally at the University of Leicester in England, but now at the University of Glasgow in Scotland  have found a new class of drug that not only slows memory loss, but appears to restore it and to extend life in a mouse model of Alzheimer's.

The drug, called allosteric ligands, targets a protein that is involved with memory.

As patients with Alzheimer's deteriorate, the protein in a brain region called the hippocampus becomes less active.

However, the experimental drug appears to activate the protein, called the M1 muscarinic receptor, which improves memory.

Andrew Tobin, professor of molecular biology at the University of Glasgow, is lead author of the work, which was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, Tobin says the drugs also extended the life of the mice.

"[The drug is] still going through this [memory protein], but it's doing something else in the brain which is protecting the neurons from neurodegeneration, he said. And the big question that we have in the lab is, What is that mechanism? What is the biochemical mechanism that underlies that response? And, of course, that's the next thing we'll be looking at."

Current treatments for Alzheimer's disease are designed to ease symptoms, while researchers say their work represents an actual treatment.

The experimental compound was tested in a mouse model of Alzheimer's. The animals were bred to exhibit signs of mad cow disease, which looks similar to Alzheimer's in humans in terms of memory loss, progression and death.

On a memory test, the untreated mice were unable to recall receiving a mild electric shock, while the treated mice did remember the stimulus.

Tobin cautions that a drug is probably five to 10 years away.

"These advances take us forward a step at a time, he said. So whereas they do give a lot of hope,  it's not an immediate cure.
The Akali Dal-BJP alliance registered an impressive victory in Chandigarh municipal elections, winning 20 of the 26 seats, while the Congress managed four seats.

By Manjeet Sehgal: The Akali Dal-BJP alliance registered an impressive victory in Chandigarh municipal elections, winning 20 of the 26 seats, while the Congress managed four seats.

The election to the 26 wards of the Municipal Corporation was seen as a litmus test for the BJP and the Congress after demonetisation.

The Congress had made demonetisation a major issue in the polls, with its city unit leaders saying the move was implemented without any "application of mind" and had put the public to "great hardships".

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"Thank people of Chandigarh for supporting BJP, every election win after November 8 shows that they approve of demonetisation decision," said BJP chief Amit Shah.

Chandigargh's BJP MP Kirron Kher on the victory said, "We thank the people of Chandigarh for the mandate. We implemented Modiji's schemes at ground level and result shows it."

Highlights:

In the alliance which governs Punjab, the BJP performed better than its senior partner Akali Dal.

Of the 20 seats on which the alliance won, the BJP has been victorious on 19 while the Akalis won just one.

Prominent among those who won were BJP Mayor Arun Sood, and Congress stalwart Devinder Singh Babla.

The overall polling percentage in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation election was 59.54 per cent.

Besides, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged as a prominent contender as the party had won four seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The Punjab elections will witness the stiffest triangular contest in recent times.

The Chandigarh municipal elections also hold significance because it was held more than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation initiative on November 8.

Congress and AAP have been opposing the move. Both Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Kejriwal have termed it a "scam" with the latter demanding its rollback.

In the last House, the BJP had 15 councillors, the Congress nine, Bahujan Samaj Party one and one independent.

The Municipal Corporation has 36 members, of which 26 are elected councillors, nine are nominated councillors and one is an MP (ex-officio member of the House).

The Assembly election in Punjab is scheduled for early 2017.

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New Orleans offered apologies and reached settlements totaling $13.3 million in civil rights lawsuits brought against the city for the killings of residents by police in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the mayor said Monday.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the city reached deals with 17 plaintiffs to settle all claims in the cases that have prompted local police reforms and federal investigation into suspected misconduct by numerous officers.

The settlements included families of those killed on the city's Danziger Bridge in September 2005, where two unarmed people were fatally shot.

"We are here to proclaim from the highest mountaintop that the City of New Orleans, in all of its agony and in all of its joy, can transform itself from a city of violence into a city of peace," the mayor said.

Landrieu held a prayer service with family members and asked for their forgiveness ahead of announcing the settlements.

The families have been in litigation for years with the city and their lawsuits alleging police misconduct and cover-ups helped to change the narrative of police actions following the hurricane.

The storm led to more than 1,500 deaths in the New Orleans-area.

Those gunned down on the bridge included Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old with the mental development of a six-year-old. He had seven gunshot wounds in his back. On the other side of the bridge, James Brissette Jr., 17, was fatally shot, court documents showed.

Five ex-New Orleans police officers pleaded guilty in April to various charges in connection with the killings on the bridge. Four other people were seriously injured in the incident.

The victims of the bridge incident, all black and unarmed, were trying to survive the hurricane's wake when a group of officers, believing they were racing to the scene of a police shootout, barreled toward them in a commandeered rental truck.

The death of Henry Glover was also part of the settlement. A few days after the storm, he was fatally shot by a police officer, who was eventually acquitted. Another officer was convicted of setting Glover's body on fire.

The settlement also included the case of Raymond Robair, 48, who local media said was beaten to death by police about a month before Katrina.
More than 60 million tourists visited New York in 2016, the most ever, attracted by the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, Broadway shows and four-star restaurants.

The number of tourists from across the United States and around the world exceeded forecasts, city tourism officials said on Monday, and topped last year's record by 1.8 million.

"The iconic attractions are always a big draw," said Fred Dixon, president and chief executive of NYC & Company, the city's official destination marketing organization. "These are the hallmarks of a New York City visit, especially for the first-time visitor."

The city's signature landmarks, including the Empire State Building and Central Park, remain high on the list of must-sees, but lower Manhattan has become a big draw for tourists as well.

Tourists are eager to pay their respects at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in the Financial District, peruse the exhibits at the new Whitney Museum of American Art and take a stroll on the High Line on the west side of Manhattan.

Many visitors are also venturing out of Manhattan to the so-called outer boroughs, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx, in search off-beat attractions and restaurants - trips that would have been inconceivable 40 years ago, when the city fell to a financial and crime-ridden nadir.

"We've seen a real growth in that offering in New York, whether it is small walking tours, sightseeing or double-deckers. Tours are continuing to grow in new neighborhoods," Dixon added.

The allure of out-of-Manhattan experiences in reflected in hotel stays in the five boroughs, which grew by 1.2 million to 34.9 million room nights, another record.

"Much of the hotel development is not limited to Manhattan.

It is throughout the entire city," said Christopher Heywood, a spokesman for NYC & Company. This idea of neighborhood travel has become very, very popular.

About 80 percent of tourists in New York are from other parts of the United States, according to the city, which tracks visitors who have traveled more than 80 kilometers (50 miles).

Unsurprisingly, international tourists, estimated at more than 12 million this year, account for the biggest economic footprint. They contribute about half of hotel and direct spending.

Britain leads in the pack in foreign tourists visiting New York, but China is a close second, having overtaken Canada, which dropped to No. 3, followed by Brazil.
The families of three victims killed this year during the shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub are suing three social media companies for allegedly providing material support to the gunman.

The lawsuit, filed by the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero, alleges that Facebook, Google and Twitter made it too easy for Islamic State jihadists to create social media accounts used to spread their message and raise funds.

According to the suit, material support provided by the social media companies has been instrumental to the rise of ISIS and has enabled it to carry out or cause to be carried out, numerous terrorist attacks.

Facebook responds

The gunman in the Pulse nightclub shooting, Oman Mateen, pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State group multiple times before and after he killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history.

Facebook, in a statement released Tuesday, denied that it provides a space for terrorism related content, and said it removes the content as quickly as possible when it is identified.

We are committed to providing a service where people feel safe when using Facebook, the statement read. We sympathize with the victims and their families.

Earlier this month, the three companies, along with Microsoft, said they would launch a shared database where they can share digital finger prints with each other in an effort to weed out terrorist content.
Poland's lower house of parliament lifted a temporary ban on media access Tuesday in an effort to defuse anti-government protests that have paralyzed the assembly, but the opposition said more still needed to be done.

The clampdown on media access planned by the ruling right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party is among a raft of measures its critics say have eroded the independence of the media and the judiciary. Fears of an authoritarian drift in Poland have brought thousands of protesters onto the streets in the past year and alarmed the countrys European Union partners, though the government remains broadly popular among Polish voters.

Despite the removal of the media ban, opposition lawmakers extended their occupation of parliament's debating chamber into a fifth day.

They vowed to stay put until a debate and vote on the 2017 budget they say was held illegally in a side room Friday to avoid protests and reporters is re-run with all lawmakers.

The planned curbs on media access to the Sejm announced last week by PiS Speaker Marek Kuchcinski triggered demonstrations outside parliament and an occupation of the Sejm's podium and the speaker's chair by opposition lawmakers.

In response, Kuchcinski temporarily barred all reporters and moved the vote to a side room.

The Sejm's press office said Tuesday the ban had been scrapped but rules on media access were still likely to change.

That was an allusion to an earlier proposal to reserve all recording of parliamentary sessions for five selected TV stations and limiting the number of journalists allowed in parliament to two per media outlet.

"We want, however, to give an assurance that these changes will not be introduced without broad consultations and agreements with reporters," the press office said.

The opposition welcomed the move but demanded the lower chamber also re-run the disputed budget vote. PiS officials replied that the vote was legal and would not be repeated.

Budget problems?

"PiS is retreating," the leader of the liberal Nowoczesna party, Ryszard Petru, said on his Twitter account. "Another debate on the budget is a key issue."

The deputy speaker of the upper house Senate said the situation could lead to problems with Polish debt issuance.

"If there are doubts around the budget, there will be doubts regarding the purchase of debt paper [by investors]," said Bogdan Borusewicz of the opposition Civic Platform.

The standoff in parliament is the most serious for years in Poland and marks the sharpest escalation in tension between opposition parties and PiS since it won an October 2015 election with a large majority.

Spreads in Polish 10-year bond yields over those of Germany's have risen by 81 basis points in the last 12 months to 3.16 percent amid uncertainty over the policy plans and increased borrowing needs of the new government.

Poland's borrowing needs are to rise next year to 79 billion zlotys ($18.54 billion) from almost 65 billion zlotys expected in 2016 as PiS boosts social spending programs.

The eurosceptic PiS has promised a return to patriotic and Roman Catholic values in public life and a tougher stance toward the EU and historical adversary Russia.

The government has placed state media and prosecutors under its direct control, passed legislation making it more difficult for the constitutional court to issue verdicts and approved a bill critics say will limit freedom of assembly.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has put the question of Poland's media restrictions on the agenda of Wednesday's meeting of the EU's executive.

The government's moves have alienated many liberal-minded urban Poles, but its voter base in small towns and rural areas has remained supportive, thanks to a generous child benefit scheme and rises in the minimum wage that have helped to ease poverty, as well as cuts in the retirement age.
In January, freelance journalist Almigdad Mojalli was on assignment for the Voice of America, reporting on the civil war in his native Yemen, a conflict largely ignored by the rest of the world.

Mojalli had traveled to an area outside the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, to talk with survivors of airstrikes that killed 15 civilians the week before. Such scenes had become commonplace as a Saudi Arabia-led coalition ramped up its offensive against Houthi rebels.

The 34-year-old journalist, who also worked for outlets such as The Telegraph, frequently drew attention to the most marginalized groups in Yemeni society, including minorities and the handicapped, who are especially vulnerable to violence.

But that January morning, Mojalli himself became the victim, when a bomb from a Saudi coalition warplane landed nearby, sending shrapnel into his stomach, neck and face. He died soon after, leaving behind seven dependents, including a son.

Mojalli was one of six journalists killed in Yemen in 2016, making it  tied with Iraq  the world's second-deadliest country for the profession, according to an annual report published Monday by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Overall, at least 48 journalists were killed worldwide in 2016, according to the watchdog group. In many ways, Mojalli's story mirrors the composite pattern of violence.

According to CPJ figures, three-quarters of those killed were war correspondents. More than half died in combat or crossfire. More than a quarter were freelancers. Nine out of ten were local reporters, documenting carnage in their own countries.

Reduction in killings

The overall number of deaths for 2016 is down significantly from a year earlier. In 2015, CPJ reported 72 journalist killings worldwide, the highest yearly total since it began tracking figures.

It's difficult to account for the reduction, says CPJ, but some of the possible explanations aren't positive, including the ravaging of journalistic communities by extremist groups, such as Islamic State.

"One thing you might extrapolate is that in certain conflicts it has gotten so incredibly dangerous for journalists that there is simply fewer people doing journalism," said Courtney Radsch, advocacy director at CPJ.

That appears to be the case in Syria, where 14 journalists were killed in 2016. Overall, Syria was the most deadly country for journalists for the fifth year in a row, according to the CPJ report.

Intimidation

Another factor that might explain the reduction in the number of journalists killed is intimidation and censorship by governments, many of which have passed legislation restricting free speech.

"People aren't doing their job as they once did it," explained Steve Raymer, a veteran photojournalist who teaches conflict journalism at Indiana University Media School. "To be sued for libel is too expensive. It's just easier to sit back and report things from the safety of the studio or another country."

Intimidation is a factor in Russia. Dozens of journalists have been murdered in retaliation for reporting since 1992, but the country has not seen a journalist killed since 2013, according to CPJ, a figure that suggests a switch in tactics.

"Russia has enacted so much more legislation to silence journalists and silence critical voices that they don't need to kill people, that they don't need to murder their journalists," Raymer said.

That strategy of silencing reporters by intimidation is being copied around the world. A separate CPJ report released earlier this month found a record number of journalists around the world  259  are in jail.
The Russian and Turkish presidents say the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey will not harm ties between the two countries.

"We share the same understanding with Mr. Putin that our expanding areas of cooperation with Russia, particularly on Syria, will not be hampered by this attack," Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Istanbul after the two leaders spoke by phone late Monday, the French Press Agency reported.

The two countries' foreign ministers laid flowers Tuesday at the portrait of Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Moscow. He was shot and killed by an off-duty policeman Monday in an apparent protest against Russia's involvement in Syria.

Karlov's body arrived in Moscow later Tuesday, accompanied by his widow.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the "Turkish people are mourning this loss as much as Russia and the people of Russia." Cavusoglu was in Moscow along with the foreign minister of Iran to discuss the Syrian crisis.

The three foreign ministers agreed to facilitate a deal between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after their meeting.

Dont forget Aleppo

Karlov's killer shouted "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria! As long as our lands aren't safe, you will not be safe!" at the scene, one witness told VOA.





Analysts say that for now, Turkey and Russia recognize they need to cooperate on working toward a resolution of the Syrian civil war. There is a mutual inter-dependency at the moment over Syria, says Sinan Ulgen, visiting scholar of the Carnegie Institute in Brussels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing as an act of terrorism.

"There is no doubt that the committed crime is a provocation aimed at ruining Russian-Turkish relations and the peace process in Syria, which is moving forward with the help of Russia, Turkey and Iran," Putin said Monday. "The answer is to strengthen the counter-terrorism efforts and the criminals will feel that soon."

Putin demanded to know "who directed the killer's hand," and asked Turkey to step up security at Russian diplomatic posts.

Erdogan also called the killing a "provocation" and said "Turkey and Russia have the will not to be deceived."

But as the countries continue to work together on the investigation as well as efforts in Syria, fears that this "provocation" will take root are waning, according to some experts.

"For a while now Turkey and Russia had agreed on many issues in northern Syria, including evacuation of civilians from eastern Aleppo, and this convergence could be undermined by the assassination attempt but I think that will not happen," TWI Turkish Research Program Director Soner Cagaptay told VOA Turkish. "At this stage for Russia to act aggressively on this assassination issue would mean that Russia would lose what it has, so I think...Turkey will respond by running a thorough investigation of the assassination."

Russia has being giving Turkey the benefit of the doubt because of the broader interests developing the region regarding Syria and Iraq, suggests political columnist Semih Idiz of the Al Monitor website. As you see now, Russia has brought Turkey to its side. It's trying to capitalize on the deepening division between Turkey and the West, and it sees an advantage in this and it would not want to endanger [this relationship] at this moment in time.

Captured on video

Ambassador Karlov was delivering a speech at the opening of a photo exhibition as the well-dressed gunman stood on the side of the stage, leading many in the audience to assume he was a bodyguard.

The entire scene was captured on video.

Three other people were wounded before security officers shot the gunman dead. Karlov died at a hospital. He had been Russia's ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek identified the assassin as a 22-year-old police officer, Mevlut Mert Altintas.



Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said six people have been detained in connection with the investigation, including the roommate, parents and other relatives of Altintas.

White House spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. strongly condemns the assassination and sends its condolences to the victim's family and to the Russian government and people.



"This heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable and we stand united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms."

One Turkish official said there are "very strong signs" the gunman was a follower of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the United States and is suspected of helping direct July's failed coup in Turkey. But a Gulen spokesman denied the cleric had anything to do with the assassination.
Authorities in Somalia's Puntland region say an unidentified gunman has shot dead a senior regional official who managed the Puntland presidential palace for the last 12 years.

Aadan Gas Huruse was shot in Bosaso, Puntland's main port and economic hub.

He was sitting at the cafeteria of Hotel Haruse when a masked man with a gun appeared and shot him several times in the head and chest, one of the witnesses told VOA Somali.

Speaking to the local media, Puntland's police Chief Gen. Abdulkadir Shire said police are still investigating.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility on Radio Andalus, its mouthpiece in Somalia.

A member of our Jihadists has shot dead the General Director of Puntland's Presidential office in a daylight in Bosaso, the statement said. It also accused Puntland of being an ally with Ethiopia.

On Thursday, two gunmen armed with pistols killed Puntland's deputy police chief, Col. Jama Sahardid.

The violence comes a day after authorities in region said security forces had destroyed a base belonging to fighters aligned with militant group Islamic State, following an attack at El Ladid, a village 30 kilometers south of the port town of Qandala.
Somalia's political leaders on Tuesday called on aid agencies, the international community and donor countries to respond to what they described as a very alarming drought situation."

During an emergency meeting in Mogadishu, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the drought situation in Somalia in some areas has turned into a famine.

At the end of the meeting, the leaders appointed a new National Drought Committee.

More than a quarter of a million people died in the famine in Somalia between October 2010 and April 2012.

Somali Government officials at the time accused the international community for not acting quickly enough to save lives.
U.N. human rights officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say at least 20 people have been killed since Monday in sporadic clashes between protesters and security forces. President Joseph Kabilas second elected mandate expired at midnight, but he remains in office, and the countrys top opposition leader has called for a campaign of peaceful resistance.

As midnight approached Monday, much of Kinshasa was filled with whistling and the banging of pots and pans to mark the end of the presidents second and, according to the constitution, final term in office.

The celebrations gave way to clashes between small groups of demonstrators and security forces and gunfire was heard in opposition neighborhoods. Sporadic clashes continued Tuesday and local media reported an office building belonging to Kabilas political party and a police headquarters were set on fire.

U.N. Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC Director Jose Maria Aranaz told VOA his team is working to verify what he called credible reports of excessive use of force and live ammunition by military police" at the University of Kinshasa. He said security forces have denied the U.N. office access to the university and threatened its staff.



VOA visited opposition areas and saw evidence of the street battles.



In Matete, an opposition area, Peter Kabongo, tells VOA that security forces spent the night shooting teargas and live rounds, as well as arresting people. According to Kabongo, their purpose was to intimidate the population.



Soldiers and police have been patrolling Kinshasa and other cities since last week and political demonstrations have been banned since September.



Kabilas chief diplomatic adviser Barnabe Kikaya bin Karubi said the measures are justified.



Karubi said Monday the level of tension throughout the DRC justifies the massive deployment of security forces in cities. He blamed the media for presenting December 19, the last day of Kabila's term, as an "apocalyptic date.



The Constitutional Court ruled earlier this year Kabila can stay in office until the electoral commission is able to organize elections. He named a new unity government late Monday under terms of a deal signed last month that provisionally schedules polls for April 2018.



But the preeminent leader of the Congolese opposition for more than 35 years, Etienne Tshisekedi, addressed the nation in a video statement shared online.

He says I launch a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to not recognize the illegal and illegitimate authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist this coup detat. He accused Kabila of high treason.



Tshiskedi says the opposition platform he heads, le Rassemblement, will resume negotiations with the presidents political alliance Wednesday, following a four-day suspension. The opposition is calling for polls during 2017 and for Kabila to commit to not running in the next presidential election.
Syria's notoriously divisive and schismatic rebel factions are facing a stark choice in the wake of their demoralizing defeat in eastern Aleppo: unify and have a chance of survival or continue to squabble and risk ending the revolution.

But rebel commanders and observers suspect that rifts among insurgent militias will likely increase, despite calls across the Syrian opposition for the armed groups to unite in the face of what activists acknowledge is an existential crisis for the uprising against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Already after the loss of eastern Aleppo, plummeting morale and signs of splits in Syrian rebel ranks augurs badly for the survival of moderate and pragmatic Sunni insurgent militias. The beneficiaries would be al-Qaida and the Assad regime, warns analyst Aron Lund of the Carnegie Endowment, a Washington-based think tank.

One of the most powerful militias is already on the brink of a major split, according to Lund.

On December 10,a group of influential figures within the Islamist group known as Ahrar al-Sham announced the creation of a new faction within the movement, to be known as Jaish al-Ahrar. The move, which threatens to escalate into a full-scale rift, caps a long internal power struggle between a Turkey-backed faction of relatively pragmatic Ahrar al-Sham members and hardline rivals who seek to take the group into the orbit of international Salafi-jihadism," he says.

Ahrar al-Sham has been allied with the al-Qaida-tied Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, but has long been divided between pragmatic Islamists and a smaller faction that's maneuvered for months to engineer a merger with the jihadists. In the wake of the catastrophic loss of eastern Aleppo, a messy split could also weaken the more pragmatic Islamist trends within Syria's insurgency and empower the jihadis, by shredding the only force able to balance Jabhat Fatah al-Sham's strength, warns Lund.

The maneuvering has serious consequences for Syria's faltering insurgency.

For the Syrian insurgency as a whole, the declaration of Jaish al-Ahrar is bad news. With Assad's forces having nearly completed their takeover of eastern Aleppo, and advancing quickly in the East Ghouta near Damascus, this poorly timed round of internal score-settling between Ahrar al-Sham's competing camps could prove very costly, he says.

Defending Idlib

In the past, even when faced by Assad offensives, rebel unity has been elusive and only belatedly in eastern Aleppo did the armed groups agree to greater coordination.

In an interview with the Syria Deeply news site, analyst Charles Lister said he expected to see a lot more talk about unity, more secret meetings, a lot of talk about different mergers between different factions. But Lister, who is an analyst at the Middle East Institute and author of the book, "The Syrian Jihad," suspects battlefield pressure and the influence of outside countries, which have their own political and ideological agendas, will "encourage more division than unity."

He adds: "A lot of these groups on the more Islamist end are struggling to define their identity at the moment when faced by this big pressure with the fate of the opposition hanging by a thread. They're all having to pick where their ultimate allegiances lie.

"Does Ahrar al-Sham's allegiance lie with the global Islamic project or does it lie with the Syrian revolution? Certain factions within the group are being pulled one way and some the other. From my own internal sources within the group and very close to the group, the prospect of a split is now very much on the cards," Lister argues.

A messy split among one of the most powerful Islamist brigades, would have immediate consequences for the ability of the rebels to ward off an Assad offensive on Idlib, the province neighboring Aleppo and the last large chunk of territory anti-Assad insurgent factions now hold. Idlib is where most of the evacuees from eastern Aleppo are headed, joining hundreds of thousands of other displaced Syrians who have fled to the province over the last few months.

Russian warplanes have already started to pummel Idlib. Military tacticians suspect that Russian and Iranian commanders overseeing the regime's war machine have been readying Idlib to become a "kill box," an area in which foes are funneled and targeted.

Moderate splits

Divisions among Islamists and Sunni militants are matched by splits and disputes in the ranks of moderate militias. The more secular-minded armed groups, which are closer to the original demands of the popular protest against Assad that morphed into the armed uprising, have lost ground and clout consistently the past two years to the hardline Islamists and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.

Some moderate factions have been diverted from the struggle against Assad and are now fighting with the Turkish-backed Euphrates Shield operation, an Ankara initiative focused on driving Kurdish fighters and the Islamic State terror group away from the border with Turkey.

Other moderate and mainstream opposition factions in Idlib will be impacted by a split in Ahrar al-Sham ranks; a weakened Ahrar al-Sham will make it harder for them to withstand the demands of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.

The risk is any broad opposition unity talk will collapse in the face of a break-out of factional disputes and schismatic blood-letting  something the Assad regime will be working hard to foment.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Centre today said it has released "special assistance" of Rs 450 crore to Telangana for the current fiscal as per the provisions under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 entrusts the Central government to support the programmes for the development of backward areas in the successor states, including expansion of physical and social infrastructure.

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"In keeping with its commitments to support the development of backward areas of Telangana, the Central government has provided a further Special Assistance of Rs 450 crore to the state for 2016-17," a finance ministry statement said.

Centre had released Rs 450 crore during 2015-16 for the development of 9 backward districts of Telangana.

The backward districts which are being supported with this development fund are Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Medak, Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgoda and Khammam. Cumulatively, the Central government has so far released Rs 900 crore to the state for this purpose.

"These additional resources from the Central government would enable the state to devise and implement schemes best suited for mitigation of backwardness and alleviation of poverty," the statement said.

The developmental activities would improve the physical and social infrastructure bringing these districts at par with the more developed districts of the state, it added. PTI JD BAL

--- ENDS ---
President-elect Donald Trump is pulling back from some of the immigration policies he proposed as a candidate.

Trump is still promising stronger enforcement of immigration laws. He also continues to call for a new wall along the United States southern border with Mexico.

But he no longer calls for the removal of 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. His campaign proposal to block all Muslim immigrants was modified before the November 8 presidential election. The new proposal calls for more careful vetting of people seeking to enter the United States.

Trump says he will cancel some of President Barack Obamas executive orders, but he is suggesting a willingness to compromise.



What about dreamers?

During the campaign, Trump often talked about ending one immigration order by Obama. It permits about 700,000 immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children to remain in the United States and to apply for work permits. They are sometimes called, dreamers.

Trump softened his position in a recent discussion with Time magazine.

Were going to work something out thats going to make people happy and proud, Trump said. They got brought here at a very young age, theyve worked here, theyve gone to school here. Some were good students. Some have wonderful jobs.



Trump also said that he will not try, as he once said during his campaign, to remove all illegal immigrants. Instead, Trump said he will order the removal of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.

But that will not be easy.

The Obama administration faced opposition from some countries that refused to accept the return of their citizens.

Still promising to build a wall

Trump said he is keeping his campaign proposal to build a big wall along the United States southern border.

He spoke about the wall during a recent speech in Wisconsin.

Were going to build the wall, Trump said. We have to. We have got to stop the drugs from coming in and the wall is going to be a big, big factor.

During the campaign, he said Mexico would pay for the wall although Mexican officials have said they have no plans to do so.

Trump has said he also plans to move ahead with his proposal to cut federal funding for cities that refuse to hold undocumented immigrants.

He has pointed to serious crimes, including murder, committed by some undocumented immigrants who were released after serving sentences for earlier crimes.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sometimes requests to be told when a non-citizen is released from a state or local prison. This would permit the agency to take that person into custody and decide if the person should be deported.



But some local and state governments do not do this for several different reasons. One reason they give is that immigration enforcement is not their responsibility. Another reason given is that if they help to deport people it might lead to distrust between immigrant communities and local police agencies.

Cities that do not inform the federal government about the release of undocumented immigrants are sometimes known as sanctuary cities.

Some mayors say no

Rahm Emanuel, mayor of the American city of Chicago, is one of a number of mayors who say his city will continue its sanctuary city policy, even if results in loss of federal funds.

Since the presidential election, there has been a sense of uncertainty among many immigrant communities in Chicago and across the nation, Emanuel said. I want to assure all of our families that Chicago is and will remain a sanctuary city.

But Trump does not appear likely to soften his position on this issue. He nominated Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general, the federal governments top law enforcement position. Sessions proposed a bill as a senator to cut federal funding to cities that do not hold and turn over undocumented immigrants to federal immigration officers.

Roy Beck heads Numbers USA, a Virginia-based group that supports more limits on immigration. He said Trumps promise to limit immigration was a major reason he won the presidential election.

Beck expects Trump to focus on cutting temporary permits for foreign workers and other programs that might take away jobs from American citizens.

Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, Americas most populated city, supported Hillary Clinton for president, but recently met with Trump. He urged the president-elect not to cancel President Obamas executive order that allows people who came to the United States as children to remain in the U.S. and get work permits.

One of the thing I thought was most important about my meeting with him [Trump] was to say, This is your city, I know you love your city; and there are many, many thousands and thousands of people, hundreds of thousands of people who are fearful right now,' the mayor said.
Protests are planned in Tunisia over the killing of the head of Palestinian militant group Hamas' drone program in a Tunisian beach resort. Hamas accuses Israel of assassinating him.



In addition to Tuesday's protests, Tunisia's Parliament is expected to hold a special session in the coming days to discuss the killing, which critics call an attack on Tunisia's national sovereignty.



Tunisian authorities have arrested 10 people over the shooting of Tunisian aviation engineer Mohammed Alzoari, according to Interior Minister Hedi Medjoub.



The minister told reporters late Monday that Tunisian authorities aren't ruling out Israel's involvement. He said investigators have determined the killing was ordered by two foreigners and plotted from Hungary and Austria.



Hamas says Alzoari led the development of its drones.



The Israeli military has not commented.
The top human rights official at the United Nations on Tuesday called for an investigation of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte after Duterte claimed he personally killed several alleged criminals.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Raad al-Hussein called on Philippine authorities to launch a murder investigation into claims Duterte made Friday in which he said he shot and killed about three men while serving as mayor of the city of Davao.

It's unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer, Zeid said.

Duterte has said during recent speeches that he used to ride around Davao on big a motorcycle looking for criminals he could kill in order to have police officers emulate him.

I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. I was really looking for an encounter to be able to kill, he said last week.

According to Zeid, Dutertes admissions are a direct violation of international law and said he must be brought to justice to send the message that killings and human rights violations will not be tolerated by the state and that no one is above the law.

Since becoming president at the end of June, Duterte has drawn criticism for his continued crackdown on drug dealers, a campaign that has seen around 2,000 people killed by police.

Duterte has previously threatened to pull the Philippines out of the UN because of criticism of the drug crackdown.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker asked President-elect Donald Trump in a letter delivered Tuesday to give his state more authority in determining how many refugees can come from countries with ties to terrorism.



Walker is also asking for help to allow the state to proceed with drug testing for some food stamp recipients and legalizing the hunting of gray wolves.



The requests are among several that Walker, a Republican who challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, makes in the letter. It's unclear how quickly Trump could move to address Walker's concerns, some of which are tied up in courts and may require law changes.



Making the requests now allows Walker to draw attention to issues that play well with conservatives and on which he and President Barack Obama's administration disagree. Walker told The Associated Press that he was very optimistic Trump would act quickly on his requests immediately after taking office next month.



On the refugee issue, Walker said governors and states aren't told enough about who is coming in and where they will be located.



"As far as we can tell, they're just fully integrating these individuals into the communities that they're in, which doesn't really fit with the definition of refugee, Walker said in the interview. We have no idea how many people may have ties to the Islamic State or to other forms of radical Islamic terrorism or jihadist groups, and I think it's a legitimate public safety concern."



Walker wrote to Trump that the state should "have a broader role in determining how many refugees and from which countries are admitted until we are comfortable with the vetting process that is being utilized to screen these individuals."

Wants drug testing



Walker is also hoping a Trump administration will be more open to drug testing for childless adults who receive food stamps.



Walker sued Obama's administration to permit such drug testing after the Agriculture Department said federal law prohibits such screening. There's also been a Republican push in Congress to allow for such testing.



The hunting of gray wolves in Wisconsin is a hot issue, particularly in more rural northern parts of the state. Wolf hunting is not allowed in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota under a 2014 federal judge's ruling that threw out an Obama administration decision to remove gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the endangered species list.



Animal protection groups contend the creatures, also known as timber wolves, must remain protected; hunting advocates say they're increasing in number, becoming more aggressive and moving toward more populous areas in the state's south. Walker argues in the letter that Wisconsin successfully managed the wolf population prior to the court ruling and should be allowed to do so again.

Seeks 'thorough review'



In the letter, Walker said he's asking state officials to thoroughly review all programs and federal mandates that add costs to taxpayers, limit the flexibility of effective governance, or impede private sector growth."



Walker said he saw these requests as ones that could be acted on soon, while other issues including giving states more flexibility by providing money in block grants for programs such as Medicaid and transportation will take longer to achieve.



The Wisconsin governor said he has spoken several times with Vice President-elect Mike Pence about these requests. Walker has a close relationship with Pence, Indiana's governor, and helped him prepare for his vice presidential debate earlier this year.



Pence was among dozens of governors from mostly Republican states who attempted to block Syrian refugees following the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, saying there were questions about the federal government's refugee screening process. A federal appeals court blocked Pence's attempt to prevent social service agencies from helping resettle immigrants from certain countries in Indiana. A three-judge panel in October called it "nightmare speculation" that refugees might commit acts of terror.
First lady Michelle Obama told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that this past election was "painful," but that she and her husband would support President-elect Donald Trump's transition to the White House and beyond because it's "what's best for the country."

Obama sat down with Winfrey at the White House for an hour-long special that was broadcast Monday on CBS.

The first lady was a vocal supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton during the campaign, one she told Winfrey "was challenging for me as a citizen to watch and experience."

"It was painful," she added.

The first lady touched on her emotional remarks on the campaign trail following the revelation of Trump's graphic and predatory comments about women in a 2005 recording. Obama told a New Hampshire crowd in October that Trump's remarks about grabbing women had shaken her "to the core."

"A lot of people have been shaken to their core and still are," she told Winfrey. "They are still feeling the reverberations of that kind of caustic language."

Taking high road

Still, Obama said she and the president were supporting Trump's transition because "no matter how we felt going into it, it is important for the health of this nation that we support the commander in chief."

"It wasn't done when my husband took office, but we're going high, and this is what's best for the country," she said, a reference to her comments during the campaign that when opponents go "low," Democrats should take the high road.

Some congressional leaders refused to support her husband when he took office, Obama said, adding that the strategy was "good for politics, but it wasn't good for the country."

She emphasized, We are going to be there for the next president and do whatever we have to do to make sure that he is successful, because if he succeeds, we all succeed.

As for her own political future, Obama said she wouldn't run for public office.

"People don't really understand how hard this is," she said. "It's not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again."
What we know about Russian involvement in the U.S. election

June 2016: WikiLeaks, founded by Julian Assange, releases thousands of emails belonging to the Democratic National Committee, resulting in the resignation of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida as DNC chair. The leak is believed to have been orchestrated by the Russian intelligence services.

September 2016: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to Russian President Vladimir Putin at an event in China about the alleged hacking, telling him to "cut it out" or face "serious consequences."

October 2016: White House spokesperson Josh Earnest says the administration remains confident that the Russians are involved in the DNC hack as reported by the intelligence community. Earnest does not provide hard evidence of the hack, but says it's there.

Around the same time, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reporting that Moscow has a history of interfering in other countries' elections.

December 2016: The Kremlin denies a report that Putin not only knew about Russia's meddling in the U.S. election, but also personally directed how hacked DNC data was used.

President-elect Donald Trump denies Russia's involvement in the hacking, posting on his Twitter account: "If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?"

What we don't know

Evidence against Russia: We have yet to see hard evidence from the White House or U.S. intelligence community confirming accusations that Russian intelligence meddled in the U.S. electoral process.

Evidence against Putin: We have yet to see hard evidence that Vladimir Putin personally directed the way hacked DNC data was used against Clinton in the election.

U.S. response: We do not yet know what measures the White House plans to take to respond to the Russian meddling.

Trump response: We do not yet know whether President-elect Trump plans to respond firmly to the Russian attacks, in light of his expressions of admiration for Vladimir Putin.
On January 20, Donald J. Trump will take the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States, something few people could have imagined on that June day in 2015 when he glided down the escalator in the lobby of Trump Tower and announced he was running for president to make America great again.

Trump barely registered in the polls when he began his quest, but he built his brand as a political outsider during a campaign cycle when many pundits underestimated the publics craving for change.

I think we all, including the media, mis-underestimated, as [former president] George W. Bush might say, the profound desire for change, said Tom DeFrank of the National Journal, who has covered presidential elections for 40 years. And in end, Trump, with all his imperfections, with all his blemishes, was the only perceived agent of change.

Trump made his mark early with promises to build a border wall that Mexico would pay for and to halt Muslims from coming into the country, a stand he later described as extreme vetting. Trumps pledges fired up his base, especially white working class voters, but provoked strong opposition from Democrats and even some establishment Republicans.

During a Republican debate in Las Vegas in December of 2015, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, long considered one of the favorites for the party nomination, clashed with Trump over his aggressive campaign style. This is a tough business, said Bush, and we need to have a leader, and you are never going to be president of the United States by insulting your way to the presidency.

But Trump quickly fired back. Yeah, youre a tough guy, Jeb, but then quickly added, Lets see, Im at 42 [percent in the polls] and you are at three, so, so far Im doing better.

Taking on Clinton

After dispatching Bush and the rest of the Republican field, Trump entered the general election campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton a decided underdog. Despite contentious debates that seemed to boost Clinton's chances, Trump proceeded to pull off one of the great election upsets in recent memory with his victory on November 8.

Clintons singular aim seemed to be to portray Trump as unfit to be president. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons, Clinton said to a thunderous roar in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in July in Philadelphia.

Trump was able to withstand the Clinton attacks with an unbridled appeal to working class voters who believe they have largely been ignored by both parties for decades.

Trumps rise as a political outsider and a promiser of change has important implications for both parties, said John Fortier of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington.

Its both a shift away from Democrats and the Obama administration, but its also a shift within the Republican Party to an agenda that is more oriented toward the white working class that we hadnt seen before in the party, he said.

In his victory speech in the early hours of November 9, Trump sounded a conciliatory tone after a divisive campaign. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.

Clinton also urged her supporters to respect the outcome.

Donald Trump is going to be our president," she said. "We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.

Busy first 100 days

Despite the insistence from many Democrats that Trump does not have a mandate, most political observers expect a flurry of activity in his first 100 days in office including action to repeal much of President Barrack Obamas signature health care law, plus moves on tax reform and cutting government regulations.

Donald Trump does have majorities in both houses of Congress, said John Fortier, and I think that does allow him to have an agenda that goes forward on domestic policy legislation where Hillary Clinton would have had a harder time with divided government doing those things.

In early December, Trump was named Time magazines Person of the Year. But the magazine cover also included a second description of Trump as President of the Divided States of America. Trump took issue with that on NBCs Today program.

Trump said I didnt divide them, and then vowed to bring them back together. Were going to have a country that is very well healed.

Trumps favorability rose to 50 percent in a recent Bloomberg News poll. But that still lags behind other recent presidents-elect including Barack Obama (68 percent), George W. Bush (59 percent) and Bill Clinton (58 percent).

A new Marist poll found 44 percent of those surveyed believe Trump so far is changing the country for the better, while 34 percent said it was for worse and 17 percent said there was no change. Lee Miringoff, Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said Trump has been reaching out to his base but has not broadened his support.

Whatever Trump says about trying to foster national unity will get intense scrutiny when he speaks to the nation and the world in his inaugural address on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on January 20.
German police have released their only suspect from the terrorist attack Monday in which a man drove a large truck through a crowded Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people.

The Chief Federal Prosecutor's Office says it released the man, a Pakistani national, because it did not have enough evidence to charge him with a crime.

"The investigation up to now did not yield any urgent suspicion against the accused," the prosecutor's statement read.

An unknown terrorist stole the truck and intentionally drove it through a Christmas market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, German officials said.

The attacker then fled and police captured the Pakistani man about two kilometers away. He denied any involvement in the attack before police released him for lack of evidence.

The head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police force said the true terrorist behind the attack could still be at large and said police have not yet found the gun believed to have been used to kill the truck's driver before it was stolen.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said it would be "especially hard for us all to bear" if someone who sought protection and asylum was responsible.

"This would be especially despicable for the many, many Germans who day in, day out are active working for refugees as well as for those people who actually need our protection and who make an effort to integrate into our country," she said Tuesday.

Merkel visited the scene of the attack deliver condolences and drop white roses at a memorial. Merkel said it is important not to let terrorist attacks change the way Germans live.

Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore, she said in a nationally televised statement. A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives.

Berlin Senator for the Interior Andreas Geisel announced new security measures to be implemented around the nations capital in response to the attack and asked organizers of other Christmas markets to shut down for the day to honor the victims.

Witnesses said the popular Christmas market was packed with tourists and locals when the truck, believed to have been traveling in excess of 60 kilometers an hour, slammed into it. Authorities said the vehicle was loaded with steel beams.

The White House offered condolences in a statement that condemned the attack.

The U.S. State Department had earlier called for caution in market places and other public sites across Europe. A published U.S. travel alert said extremist groups were focusing their attention "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events." It also warned U.S. citizens on the continent to be on the alert for "self-radicalized" extremists, who it said could strike without warning.

The Polish owner of the truck, which had Polish license plates, said the vehicle driven by a relative was most likely hijacked after German authorities had him identify the body of his dead employee.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Ariel Zurawski told German broadcaster TVN.

Monday's crash bore strong similarities to a truck attack earlier this year in southern France that killed scores of people and wounded many others as France celebrated a national holiday.

French police linked that July 14 attack, which killed 86 people and wounded more than 400 others, to a Tunisian national with reputed links to Islamic State extremists.

In Photos:
In Turkey, investigations are continuing into Monday's assassination of the Russian ambassador. Turkeys political leaders have pledged the killing will not undermine relations with Russia, with both sides committed to cooperating over the Syrian civil war.

A ceremony was held at Ankaras airport for assassinated Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov, as his body was repatriated to Russia. The ambassador was shot dead by an off-duty Turkish policeman at an art exhibition.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday in Istanbul that bilateral relations will not be derailed.

Yildirim said strong relations will continue; no one has the strength to destroy the relationship between the two countries, and they will continue to carry out every kind of effort to overcome instability in the region.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey is committed to finding those responsible and that his security forces will work closely with their Russian counterparts. Ankara has agreed to cooperate with a team of 18 Russian investigators who arrived Tuesday.



Police have detained seven people, most of whom are relatives of the 22-year-old gunman who was killed by security forces shortly after he fatally shot the ambassador.

Turkish security forces have said they are investigating whether the killer was connected to Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States. Gulen and his followers are blamed by Ankara for Julys failed coup.

Political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor website says the assassination will not undermine bilateral relations, for now.

Russia has being giving Turkey the benefit of the doubt because of the broader interests enveloping the region regarding Syria and Iraq," Idiz ssaid. "As you see now, Russia has brought Turkey to its side. It is trying to capitalize on the deepening division between Turkey and the West and it sees an advantage in this and it would not want to endanger [that] at this moment in time.

While Ankara and Moscow are backing rival sides in the Syrian civil war, they have cooperated this month in securing the evacuation of refugees from Aleppo. Erdogan said Tuesday that he has an understanding with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Syria.

Columnist Idiz warns while both sides are declaring a unified approach, the assassination is likely to have far-reaching consequences.

There is no doubt this does casts a shadow over the reconciliation process. Russia will remain diplomatic, but it will not forget or overlook what has happened by any means, as it cannot, as any power cannot, because the murder of an ambassador has in the past led to wars, said Idiz.

Analysts say for now, Turkey and Russia recognize they need to cooperate on working toward a resolution of the Syrian civil war. The two countries' foreign ministers, along with Irans, met Tuesday in Moscow to discuss Syria and are expected to cooperate again in a meeting planned for later this month in Kazakhstan.

Assassin shouted support for Syria

Ambassador Karlov was making a speech at the opening of an art exhibition when the gunman shot him in the back.

The killer shouted "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria! As long as our lands aren't safe, you will not be safe!" at the scene, one witness told VOA. Security officers eventually shot the gunman dead.

Three other people were wounded.

Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek identified the assassin as 22-year-old police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing as an act of terrorism.

"There is no doubt that the committed crime is a provocation aimed at ruining Russian-Turkish relations and the peace process in Syria, which is moving forward with the help of Russia, Turkey and Iran," Putin said Monday. "The answer is to strengthen the counter-terrorism efforts and the criminals will feel that soon."

Turkish President Erdogan also called the killing a "provocation" and said "Turkey and Russia have the will not to be deceived."

Turkey-Russia relations improving

Ties between Russia and Turkey have been slowly improving since Turkish jets shot down a Russian bomber that strayed into its airspace from Syria last year.

Russian and Turkish officials have been working together to resolve the refugee crisis in Aleppo, caused, in part, by Russian air strikes on Syrian rebels.

Also Monday, a man was arrested after firing shots near the entrance to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. A State Department official said no one was hurt and thanked Turkish authorities for their "prompt response."
Twenty-sixteen has been a grim year for African journalism, with six journalists killed and 41 languishing in prisons across sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In 2015, 14 journalists were killed, and 34 were in jail in Africa.

Worldwide, at least 48 journalists were killed this year, many of them in the conflict zones of Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan, 90 percent were local journalists. Worldwide there are 259 imprisoned journalists, the highest figure CPJ has documented in at least 16 years of record-keeping.

In Africa, all the journalists killed were locals, and few of their killers have been arrested or prosecuted.

The deadliest African nation for journalists was Somalia, with three journalists killed in a troubled coastal nation that hasnt had a stable central government for more than two decades, and where rival armed groups battle for influence, territory and resources.

Of the 41 jailed journalists, 33 are in the neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea, two nations whose governments have been accused of becoming increasingly intolerant of the press amid growing dissatisfaction with their long rule.

William Bird, director of Johannesburg-based Media Monitoring Africa, says the arrests of the half-dozen Ethiopian journalists run parallel to the rise of anti-government protests this year. Of the six journalists arrested in Ethiopia this year, five are being held without charge and all five had reported critically on the protests.

Silencing criticism

Weve seen, certainly in 2016, significant levels of civil uprising to challenge the lack of freedom there and part of the governments default response has been to arrest and detain journalists, he told VOA. So theyre clearly taking an approach that says, the best way of staying in power is to crush anyone who opposes you.

And, he says, it works.

Weve got journalists in jails throughout our continent, and theres seldom a peep, he said. These are tactics that unfortunately on our continent tend to have a far greater and more devastating impact, partly because there are less media in those countries anyway, but also because there isnt as much international outrage when you arrest an African journalist in an African country, than when you arrest a journalist from a major international news outlet.

In Somalia, Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, a former radio journalist and secretary-general of the National Union of Somali Journalists, says killings in his country are mercifully lower than last year. But he says, that could be because so many journalists have already been killed, he ticked off at least two dozen that he could remember, and many others have fled into exile or been driven to self-censor.

Moalimuu lives in Mogadishu, but spoke to VOA via Skype from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, where he is attending a journalism workshop.

Some of our colleagues went to other parts of the world, and they fled from Somalia because of their own security, he said. So thats what they want, thats what all those people who want to silence the media wanted.

Truth over danger

He says he has had two close calls, most recently in January of last year, when he had to play dead to avoid being killed as militants sorted among a heap of fallen bodies and fired bullets into those who appeared to still be alive.

But, he says, its only strengthened his resolve.

If we all leave and run away from Somalia, thats what these people who want to silence the media want, he said. So we are actually insisting until the last drop of our blood we will remain in Somalia and work. ... We still want to die for our people because our people deserve to listen and hear what the reality on the ground is.

The six journalists killed in Africa in 2016 mostly covered conflict, corruption and politics. The only African female journalist killed presented a childrens radio show in Somalia. Somali extremists have targeted women who hold prominent leadership roles.

Their names were Abdiaziz Ali, El-Hadj Mohamed Diallo, Isaac Vuni, Mahad Ali Mohamed, Marcel Lubala, and the lone woman, Sagal Salad Osman.
By Manjeet Sehgal: The BJP-Akali Dal alliance on Tuesday scored a landslide victory by winning 21 seats (BJP 20, SAD 1) out of a total 26 in the Chandigarh civic polls. While the Congress, which was hoping for a big win by raising the demonetisation issue, could win just four seats, the BSP, which had won two seats last time, could not even win a single seat. One seat has been won by an independent candidate.

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1. The Chandigarh civic poll results have come as a shot in the arm for the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance, which is facing a decade-long local anti-incumbency in poll-bound Punjab. The win has also imbued the BJP with positivity, which hopes that the results will have a positive impact in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, as also in other states where the assembly elections are due next year.

2. "The demonetisation drive had no impact on the municipal elections. People voted for the clean image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi apart from development programmes initiated by the party. The landslide victory speaks volumes for the fact that people are with BJP and its pro-people policies. These results will have a big impact on the forthcoming assembly elections and the party will score a big victory again", Chandigarh BJP MP and Bollywood actor Kirron Kher told India Today.

3. Usually, the civic polls are dominated by local issues, which are largely development-oriented. People do not vote for municipal councillors, who do not work. But this time the issue that has dominated the overall civic poll scenario is the demonetisation drive. Opposition parties, like the Congress, painted a negative picture of the note ban, saying that it hit the common man and the small traders in particular, which have been a traditional BJP vote bank. Even the local bookies had given an edge to the Congress and claimed that the party would 15 seats, but the results proved them wrong.

4. Interestingly, BJP leaders were also worried about the negativity about the note ban. BJP chief Amit Shah was personally supervising the civic body polls. BCCI chief and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, besides Kirron Kher, had also addressed rallies and joined door-to-door voter-contact programmes.

5. "Demonetisation is for the common man. We told people during campaigning that they were going to benefit from it as the Prime Minister wanted to flush out black money, which is largely owned by the Congress leaders. Besides the note ban, the developmental works carried out by our party in the beautiful city of Chandigarh also won the voter's confidence. The Chandigarh civic poll victory may be small, but it will pave the way for a big win at the national level," BJP's Chandigarh unit chief Sanjay Tandon said.

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6. BJP chief Amit Shah said that the Chandigarh civic poll results, together with other election results, clearly show that the people have approved Prime Minister's decision on demonetisation. Citing the Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Chandigarh civic poll results and by-polls, Shah said the Opposition was trying to politicise the demonetisation decision, but the people had supported the BJP-led union government's decisions and policies.

7. "People, by way of election results, have tried to convey to the Opposition their mood and the direction of the politics. The Chandigarh civic poll victory shows that people have faith in Modi's vision and BJP's politics of performance", Amit Shah said.

Also read | As BJP's winning streak continues in polls held post demonetisation, Congress wants to wait till Budget Session

--- ENDS ---
The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum claims that the 2018 general election will be gripped by violence as suspected state security agents allegedly continue brutalizing people who oppose 92 year-old President Robert Mugabes rule.

The organizations director, Gabriel Shumba, told reporters in Johannesburg that their assessment of the current political situation in Zimbabwe indicates that the next election wont be free and fair.

Shumba said, "It is dangerous for the country to hold an election without addressing fundamental issues related to holding a free and fair election.

He said, Zimbabweans are still not free to express their opinion. There are a lot of people that have been abducted and some that have been severely beaten by suspected state security agents.

Before even talking about the election, we need to have a conducive environment in rural areas where people will be free to vote for a person of their choice. Right now the situation on the ground is very bad 

A member of the Zimbabwe Exiles forum, Janet Munakamwe, added that lack of a proper voters roll is likely to cause friction among parties as President Mugabes ruling Zanu PF party is expected to meddle in the compilation of the register.

They appealed to the Southern African Development Community, African Union, United Nations and other international organizations to monitor the political situation in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwes last election was declared free and fair by some African groups and largely condemned by the West, which declared it a sham.

President Mugabe has been in power since Zimbabwe attained independence from British rule in 1980.
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The Egyptian Minister for Home Affairs confirmed that Sahar M. Aa., (44 years old), Sayyaf A.I. ( 22 years old), Mohammad H.M., Moustafa A.M (25 years old), and photographer Moustafa A. Aa. (21 years old) had been arrested when they were taking photos which were going to be posted on Facebook.

Sahars two children, covered in blood, were playing the role of the children of Aleppo who had, so it was claimed, been injured by Russian bombings.

The group had already posted a substantial number of fake photos of Aleppo on the web.
This morning (20 December 2016), a high level Russian diplomat was found dead in his apartment in Moscow, killed by a bullet to his head.

According to polices preliminary observations, the cause of death could be either suicide or murder.

Taking into account the assassination of the Russian ambassador that took place in Ankara yesterday [1] and the attempts of those sponsoring the war against Syria to sabotage the meeting in Moscow scheduled for today between the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Iran, Russia and Turkey [2], specific security measures have been taken.
After four and a half years of war, the population of East Aleppo was liberated by the Syrian Arab Army, with help from Hezbollah, Russia and Iran. This victory was greeted with joy by the majority of the 120,000 inhabitants freed and documented by the State. But only the majority.

Strangely, although Syria is offering them food, health care and temporary housing, certain inhabitants of East Aleppo declare that they do not trust the State. What are they afraid of? They have not been arrested, and are, on the contrary, being welcomed as children of the homeland who have long been prisoners of the enemy.

Its as if they had forgotten the freedom they enjoyed before the Arab Spring. And as if nothing had happened over the last four years, they recite the discourse of Al-Jazeera in 2011. They claim that the Republic is a dictatorship, that it tortures children, that it massacres Sunnis, etc.

For the first time, we are observing, at the level of a city, a psychological phenomenon that is already well-known at the individual scale. Just as a beaten child or wife will sometimes defend the cruel father or husband and justify his behaviour, so certain inhabitants of East Aleppo are now using the language of the jihadists who were oppressing them.

In 1973, a Swedish psychiatrist, Nils Bejerot, analysed the shock imposed on the clients of a bank who were held hostage by criminals during an armed attack. The affair became a nightmare. Two policemen were wounded, one of them seriously. Prime Minister Olof Palme attempted to reason with the criminals who were threatening to kill their prisoners. Under terrible pressure, the hostages chose not to revolt, but to try to accommodate their captors in order to escape probable death. As the situation wore on, they ended up by speaking the same language as the criminals. They attempted to dissuade the police from making an assault, and one of the women actually fell in love with one of the criminals. This is what came to be known as the Stockholm Syndrome, from the name of the city where the events took place.

Finally, the police used anaesthetic gas, and managed to arrest the bandits and save the hostages. Although their emprisonment had lasted only six days, the hostages suffered from this syndrome to the point where they refused to give testimony during the trial which followed, and the young woman continued her relationship with the bandit during his incarceration.

Last year, clinical psychologist Saverio Tomasella demonstrated that the Stockholm Syndrome is the mark of an extremely serious invasion of the inner life of the human being who has directly, and powerlessly, experienced the theft of his or her subjective identity.

We should therefore not believe that the few inhabitants of East Aleppo who are suffering from this syndrome will quickly reconnect with the real world. We should on the contrary offer them total security and once again show great patience. Even though we must first offer help to our soldiers and all those who resisted, these civilians are, above all, our compatriots.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, meeting in Moscow on 20 December 2016, agreed on the following.

1. Iran, Russia and Turkey reiterate their full respect for sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic as multi-ethnic, multi-religious, non-sectarian, democratic and secular state.

2. Iran, Russia and Turkey are convinced that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict. They recognize the essential role of the United Nations in the efforts to resolve this crisis in accordance with UNSC resolution 2254. The Ministers also take note of the decisions of the International Syria Support Croup (ISSG). They urge all members of the international community to cooperate in good faith in order to remove the obstacles on the way to implement the agreements contained in these documents.

3. Iran, Russia and Turkey welcome joint efforts in Eastern Aleppo allowing for voluntary evacuation of civilians and organized departure of armed opposition. The Ministers also welcome partial evacuation of civilians from Fuaa, Kafraia, Zabadani and Madaya. They commit to ensure the completion of the process without interruption and in a safe and secure manner. The Ministers express their gratitude to the representatives of ICRC and WHO for their assistance in conduction of the evacuation.

4. The Ministers agree on the importance of expanding ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian assistance and free movement of civilians throughout the country.

5. Iran, Russia and Turkey express their readiness to facilitate and become the guarantors of the prospective agreement, being negotiated, between the Syrian Government and the opposition. They invited all other countries with the influence on the situation on the ground to do the same.

6. They strongly believe that this Agreement will be instrumental to create the necessary momentum for the resumption of the political process in Syria in accordance with the UNSC resolution 2254.

7. The Ministers take note of the kind offer of the President of Kazakhstan to host relevant meetings in Astana.

8. Iran, Russia and Turkey reiterate their determination to fight jointly against ISIL/DAESH and Al-Nusra and to separate from them armed opposition groups.
Photo: Amazon Studios

After Amazon announced last year that it acquired a new motoring show from former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, the requisite questions immediately emerged: How exactly would The Grand Tour be structured? What would they be allowed to keep from the BBC? And would it still, you know, mostly be a car show?

We couldnt obviously take the name Top Gear. We couldnt have the Stig, the Cool Wall, Star in the Reasonably Priced Car, we couldnt use our old track, James May told Vulture last month. But we didnt want to use any of those things. Even if wed been able to, we wouldve still said, No, weve done this thing before, lets think differently. With The Grand Tour five episodes deep and comfortably settling into the swing of things, Vulture decided to take a closer look at the key differences between these two competing motoring shows. Rather than wax poetic about the cars  nothing has changed with the reviews and adventurous road trips, dont worry  this list specifically focuses on the formatting, personnel, and aesthetic deviations that The Grand Tour has to offer.

The Opening Title Sequence



Photo: Amazon

The Grand Tour trades in the long-used theme music of Jessica by the Allman Brothers Band for an original, twangy score cue composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan called Grand Tour Theme. The opening title sequence itself is simple  it showcases various modes of transportation  but it changes every episode to also include short video clips of the traveling tents location that week. Additionally, the general color scheme of the titles has changed from Top Gears common blue, black, and white to orange, white, and black.

The Studio



Photo: Amazon

The special traveling tent is the crux of The Grand Tour  as you might guess from the name  since the show eschews an industrial Top Gear hangar in favor of filming in a new international location every week. (A handful of this seasons locations include Nashville, Dubai, Johannesburg, and Loch Ness.) The large tent is certainly more akin to glamping than roughing it in the wilderness, as it easily fits hundreds of people and is filled with luxurious furnishings. Arguably the most unique part of the tent is the window behind the hosts desk area, which showcases a distinctive view of each city they visit.

The Test Track

Photo: Amazon

Its not a race circuit. Its not an airfield. Its not a road. Its . the Eboladome. The Grand Tour notably deviates from Top Gears airfield track at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey by using the Ebola-virus-shaped former RAF Wroughton in Wiltshire, England. (Interestingly enough, the large complex currently houses a science museum.) Although RAF Wroughton has an airfield that could easily double as a track, the shows test track was created to go through unfamiliar and extremely dangerous sheep-grazing terrain instead. In the first Grand Tour episode, Clarkson guided us through the tracks peculiar shape, which was purposely designed to bring out the faults in cars:

First up its the Isnt Straight, so called because it isnt straight. Theres a super-fast left followed by a super-fast right, and if you make a mistake theres no run-off area or Armco. Its just woods. Woods that are full of wildlife, which likes to run out in front of you. After the second right on the Isnt Straight, were into Your Name Here Corner  towards Old Ladys House. Weve called this section Old Ladys House, because its right next to a house where an old lady lives  next up, theres a narrow and bumpy sprint to Sub Station. You need to get this 90-left right, or youll crash into a cage full of electricity. And youll need to get the final 90-left right as well, or youll run into a field of sheep. So, trees, animals, a house, electricity, and because its in England, usually quite a lot of moisture in the air. It really is the most dangerous track anywhere in the world.

The car currently on top of the lap board is the Aston Martin Vulcan with a time of one minute and 15.5 seconds.

The Testing Driver

Photo: Amazon

Give a warm hello to NASCAR driver Mike Skinner, a.k.a. The American, whos serving as the shows communist-hating, fully transparent test-track driver. (No more full-faced helmets!) In the first episode, Clarkson explained that Amazon insisted that the shows racing driver be from America, so they acquiesced to the request. Skinner will be timing all cars this season at the Eboladome.

The Celebrity Guests

Photo: Amazon

Will a celebrity ever survive the trek to The Grand Tours tents? A few well-known guests  including Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg  have briefly appeared on the show with the intent of partaking in a silly new game called Celebrity Brain Crash, except they never actually make it to the tent due to, well, dying en route. (In the third episode, for example, a short clip shows Pegg meeting his maker by falling off a drawbridge into a harbor in Whitby while eating a Cornetto.) Only time will tell if a celebrity ever gets a proper sit-down interview, but in the meantime, these goofs serve as comic relief and a subtle jab to Top Gear that celebrity interview segments arent needed to sustain the shows buzz.

The News

Photo: Amazon

Check your mirrors and make a smooth left into Conversation Street. Talking about timely car news cant be altered much, so The Grand Tour decided to create a proper segment with a cheesy, jazzy opening. If it sounds inherently goofy, of course is it  Clarkson could barely suppress his laughter when he saw the graphics in the first episode.

The Lap Board

Photo: Amazon

The lap board has gone electronic! Instead of Clarksons customary practice of writing lap times on a white magnetic slip and sticking them on the Power Board, the new and improved board is now fully electronic  and automatic  with complementary shades of black and orange to boot.

The  Drones?

Okay, so Top Gear never exactly devoted itself to drones, but the running gag of the official Grand Tour drone being accidentally shot down in every episode is pretty amusing.
Leah Remini has gone from playing hide-and-seek at Tom Cruises house with Will and Jada Pinkett Smith to, well, being the devil. Since leaving the Church of Scientology, Remini has been on a tear talking about her experiences, writing a memoir entitled Troublemaker and following that up with an A&E show, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. As she has been doing press, she has revisited the shiny figurehead of Tom Cruise, who she knew during her time in the organization. Tom is very aware of what is Scientology truthfully, Remini told Larry King. He is very aware that its an organization that is defrauding people out of their lives, but in his heart, I believe that he believes it.

And since hes a devout acolyte, she recognizes that Tom Cruise would see her as an anathema  a Suppressive Person. Tom is a fully dedicated and loyal Scientologist, absolutely. He wouldnt say anything to me because he thinks Im the devil, Remini said. Tom and all Scientologists are taught to believe that people like me are literally the devil, that we mean them harm. Well, you could hang out with Nicole Kidman!
This was the 74th time an accident of this nature has taken place in Chennai Airport.

Initial reports suggest the incident took place near Entry No 4 of the Chennai Airport.

What's shocking is there have been 73 such instances in the past, forcing the National Human Rights Commission or NHRC to take duo MOTU cognizance.

Later, a team from the Ministry of Civil Aviation investigated the airport and asked to take corrective steps

NHRC is a scathing remark said such incidents are 'threat to life'.
Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

New York Citys Naked Cowboy is something of a Times Square icon, and during the presidential election he took to painting TRUMP on the back of his signature white briefs. The Cowboy, whose real name is Robert John Burck, feels a kinship with the president-elect, and told Cincinnati.com back in September that Donald Trump is a freaking red-blooded American man. Hes tall, hes handsome, hes strong, hes successful  these are things you cant argue with. Now that Trump has won, the Cowboy is sharing more reflections on the president-elect, and they are  pretty notable! While sitting in the Trump Bar on a recent afternoon, Burck told The New Yorker, I have an affinity with Trump. I get him. Were both media promoters, media whores, whatever you want to call it. People get hung up on political stuff, but I dont care. Black, white, gay, transvestite  just stand up and make something of yourself. Not content to stop there, Burck also offered a more personal angle on how the coming administration might affect his own life. Look, my wifes a Mexican immigrant, he said. She still doesnt have her papers. Maybe shell be the next to be deported, who knows? I dont think hed do that. But if he does, hey, thats fate. Plus, its a nice thing to have hanging over her head  you know, Do the dishes, or else. And you thought romance was dead.
Photo: Getty Images. Photo: Santi Visalli Inc./Getty Images

Robert De Niro might be the next actor to use a de-aging technology similar to the one used on Carrie Fisher for Rogue One. A producer of The Irishman, De Niros upcoming project with Martin Scorsese, told Cinemablend that the upcoming gangster movie has tested technology to make the actor appear decades younger. The effect would be similar to the age manipulation used in the stand-alone Star Wars installment (wherein Carrie Fisher appeared as Princess Leia in her 20s) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. You dont use prosthetics, makeup, they have acting and the technology is able to have them go through different time ages without the prosthetics, producer Gaston Pavlovich explained. Imagine seeing what De Niro looked like in The Godfather 2 days, thats pretty much how youre going to see him again. Young De Niro in a mob pic is an offer we cant refuse.
Photo: Art Streiber/NBC

In January, Arnold Schwarzenegger will take the helm of Celebrity Apprentice, while its former host, Donald Trump, takes the helm of the United States  though of course hell still get credit as an executive producer. As part of that switch-over, the show is getting a new catchphrase for its host to use while firing contestants. We narrowed it down to like eight of my sayings from the movies and one other option, Schwarzenegger told The Hollywood Reporter. But even I dont know yet. Since we needed a break from worrying about the fate of our nation, we came up with 21 suggestions that NBC should definitely consider, if it hasnt already. (Hey, any one of them would be better than Martha Stewart using You just dont fit in.) Enjoy!

Hasta la vista, business baby.

Youre terminated.

Its Judgment Day, and youre terminated, too. (For double elimination weeks)

The machines are rising, and you three are terminated. (For when artificial intelligence becomes capable of performing white-collar labor.)

Get to da choppa and outta my boardroom.

Get your ass to Mars and outta my boardroom.

If you bleed, were cutting you.

Business is a world of predators. Youre just the prey.

Ill be back. You wont.

Mister, freeze right there, and leave the building.

Sadly, your jingle did not go all the way.

In my official capacity as Kindergarten Cop, let me tell you that you are not it.

Youre totally recalled from this show.

To me, youre expendable.

True: Youre bad at this job. Lies: Youre getting to stay.

Thats a Schwarzeno.

Enough talk! Get out!

Youve just been erased.

Your business clothes, give them to me now.

Youre incompatible with our business, and not in the good, kooky way defined by my relationship with Danny DeVito in the movie Twins.

Youre fired. (Just to annoy Trump.)
China's defense ministry said in a statement that it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations."

By AP: China on Tuesday handed back to the United States an underwater drone whose seizure raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Donald Trump's signals of a tougher policy toward Beijing.

Last week's seizure near the Philippines prompted a new volley of criticism by Trump, who has riled the Chinese leadership by saying he might reconsider policy towards Taiwan, the self-ruled island the mainland claims as its territory.

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The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near where it had been taken, and it was received by the USS Mustin about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. Cook said Washington considered the seizure illegal.

"This incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea," he said, adding that the US has called on China to refrain from "further efforts to impede lawful US activities."

The statement said the US would continue to "fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows." Such freedom of navigation missions in which US ships sail near China's artificial islands draw warnings and rebukes from Beijing.

Also read: Beijing issues red alert for severely high air pollution

China's defense ministry said in a statement that it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations."

CHINA'S WARNING

Chinese officials said the drone was removed from the water to ensure the safety of passing ships, but domestic political experts have read the move as a warning to Trump not to test Beijing's resolve over Taiwan.

Early this month, Trump broke protocol by speaking with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. He later said he did not feel "bound by a one-China policy" unless the US could gain trade or other benefits from China. Beijing regards any acknowledgement that Taiwan has its own head of state as a grave insult.

"China wants to send a message to the US side about how serious the consequences can be if sensitive issues in China-US relations are handled unilaterally and indiscreetly," said Xiong Zhiyong, an international relations expert at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. "The return of the seized drone shows that China hopes the US will not provoke China on these issues and engage in solving issues through consultation."

The incident underscores how Trump will confront as president an increasingly assertive China that wants to extend its reach in the South China Sea, a strategically vital area through which about $5 trillion in global trade passes each year. Several of China's smaller neighbors have protested China's territorial claims there and are closely watching Trump's handling of the disputed sea.

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The seizure of the drone fits into China's broader strategy aimed at shaping the perception that it is in control of the South China Sea and will not back down, said Michael Raska, a military analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Also read: In the dragon's embrace

"They use the South China Sea as political, economic and informational means to project power and to influence domestic and external perception that the South China Sea is basically Chinese," Raska said. "This puts the US and China into contending trajectories, but neither side has the strategic interest to escalate beyond these low-level incidents."

DRONE OPERATED BY CIVILIAN OPERATORS: US

The US said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. A non-combat ship was recovering two drones last Thursday when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them, officials say.

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Trump, still a month away from being inaugurated, accused Chinese authorities on Saturday of stealing the drone, and said on Twitter, "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back - let them keep it!"

Trump has pledged to be more unpredictable on the world stage, billing the approach as a much-needed change from President Barack Obama's deliberative style and public forecasting about US policy.

Also read: Donald Trump's mental stability questioned by top US psychiatrists

That is likely to unnerve both allies and adversaries, leaving glaring questions about whether the foreign policy novice is carrying out planned strategies or acting on impulse.

--- ENDS ---
Contemplating the extermination of Aleppo and its people, I was reminded of a sentence that I read this summer. It appeared in an encomium to Elie Wiesel shortly after his death. It was a sterling sentence. It declared: We must never be bystanders to injustice or indifferent to suffering. That was Wiesels teaching, exactly.

The problem with the sentence is that it was issued by the White House and attributed to President Barack Obama. And so the sentence was not at all sterling. It was outrageously hypocritical.

How dare Obama, and members of his administration, speak this way? After five years and more in which the United States inaction in Syria has transformed our country into nothing other than a bystander to the greatest atrocity of our time, they have forfeited the right to this language. Their angry and anguished utterances are merely the manipulation of the rhetoric of conscience on behalf of a policy without a trace of conscience. You cannot be cold-hearted and high-minded at the same time.

Historians will record  they will not have to dig deeply or interpret wildly to conclude  that all through the excruciations of Aleppo, and more generally of Syria, the United States watched. As we watched, we made excuses, and occasionally we ornamented our excuses with eloquence. The president is enamored of his eloquence. But eloquence is precisely what the wrenching circumstances do not require of him.

In circumstances of moral (and strategic) emergency, his responsibility is not to move us. It is to pick up the phone. Elie did more than just bear witness, Obama said in his eulogy, he acted. And he added: Just imagine the peace and justice that would be possible in our world if more people lived a little more like Elie Wiesel. Just imagine.

If Obama wants credit for not getting us into another war, the credit is his. If he wants credit for not being guilty of overreach, the credit is his. If he wants credit for conceiving of every obstacle and impediment to American action in every corner of the globe, the credit is his. But it is a shameful and incontrovertible fact of our history that during the past eight years the values of rescue, assistance, protection, humanitarianism and democracy have been demoted in our foreign policy and in many instances banished altogether.

The ruins of the finest traditions of American internationalism, of American leadership in a darkening world, may be found in the ruins of Aleppo. Our ostentatious passivity is a primary cause of that darkening. When they go low, we go home. The Obama legacy in foreign policy is vacuum-creation, which his addled America-First successor will happily ratify. Aleppo was not destroyed by the Syrian army. It was destroyed by a savage coalition led and protected by Russia. While they massacred innocent men, women and children, we anxiously pondered scenarios of deconfliction.

We need to be unforgivingly clear. The obligation to act against evil in Aleppo was no different from the obligation to act against the evil in Sarajevo and Srebrenica. (Has anyone ever heard Obama mention Bosnia?) It was no different from the obligation to act against the evil in Rwanda. It was no different from the obligation to act against the evil in Auschwitz. And we scorned the obligation. We learned nothing. We forgot everything. We failed. We did not even try.

No, that is not quite right. It would be incorrect to analyze our delinquency in Syria in the dichotomously simple terms of action and inaction. The administration creatively pioneered a third option, which it pursued not only in Syria but also in Ukraine and elsewhere: Between action and inaction, it chose inconsequential action. There is the Obama doctrine! We backed moderate Syrian rebels but not as seriously or as generously as the immoderate Syrian rebels were backed. We sent in small numbers of special operators. The CIA ran a few programs. We acted, in sum, only in ways certain not to affect the outcome. We were strategically feckless.

I suspect that the president believes that the United States has no moral right to affect an outcome in another country. I suspect that he regards such decisive action as imperialism, or at least as Iraq-like. What this means in practice is that we will not help people who deserve our help. In the spirit of respecting other societies, we will idly gaze at their destruction. How would disrespecting them be worse?

As a direct or indirect consequence of our refusal to respond forcefully to the Syrian crisis, we have beheld secular tyranny, religious tyranny, genocide, chemical warfare, barrel bombs and cluster bombs, the torture and murder of children, the displacement of 11 million people, the destabilization of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, the ascendancy of Iran in the region, the emergence of Russia as a global power, the diminishment of the American position in the world, the refugee crisis in Europe, the resurgence of fascism in Europe and a significant new threat to the security of the United States. It is amazing how much doing nothing can do, especially when it is we who do nothing.

Not long after he mourned Wiesel, the president engaged in another one of his exercises in empathy without consequence. At the U.N. Summit for Refugees and Migrants, he spoke of Alan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who washed up dead on a beach in Turkey. That little boy on the beach could be our son or our grandson, the president moistly said. We cannot avert our eyes or turn our backs. And then we proceeded to avert our eyes and turn our backs. The people who had the power to prevent, stop or even mitigate this catastrophe should now bow their heads and fall silent and reflect on how it is that they brought us so low. Aleppo is no more, and we are weakened and disgraced.

Leon Wieseltier is the Isaiah Berlin senior fellow in culture and policy at the Brookings Institution.
By PTI: Bengaluru, Dec 20 (PTI) CID officials today questioned BJP MP Sriramulus gunman for the second consecutive day today in connection with the alleged suicide of a driver of a senior state government officer in a case relating to alleged laundering of money for mining baron Janardhan Reddy.

Chennabasappa Hosamane (Sriramulus gunman) was summoned for the second consecutive day in connection with the suicide of K C Ramesh at Maddur in Mandya district on December six, a senior CID official told PTI here.

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The official said the CID summoned Hosamane after it traced the calls made by him to Bheema Nayak, Special Land Acquisition Officer (Bengaluru), alleged to be close to Reddy.

Ramesh had allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at a lodge on December 6, leaving a death note in which he has listed out alleged illegalities committed by Nayak and held him and his personal driver Mohammad responsible for his death.

Ramesh had also alleged that there was a threat to his life as he was in the know of the illegalities allegedly committed by the officer and how he got money converted into white for the opulent wedding of Reddys daughter recently. The note claimed that Reddy had got Rs 100 crore converted into white money for his daughters marriage with the help of Nayak. Bheema Nayak and Mohammad have been arrested on December 11.

The note also claimed that days before the wedding of Reddy?s daughter, Nayak had met Reddy and Sreeramulu and discussed the deal regarding money conversion.

Sriramulu had earlier dismissed the charge.

Mandya Police, which had registered a case under section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide) against Nayak, had formed three teams to look into the suicide of Ramesh. PTI BDN RA RC RG

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WAVERLY  The City of Waverly and Tractor Supply Company moved closer last week to beginning a big project.

City Council members unanimously approved at their Dec. 13 meeting redevelopment plans for the companys proposed distribution center expansion and retail store.

The approved redevelopment plans allow Tractor Supply to move forward with acquiring land to construct both projects. Altogether, the projects are expected to cost almost $16 million, and Tractor Supply requested $1.8 million in tax increment financing.

That TIF money is essential to the project, said Tom Houston, a lawyer speaking on behalf of Tractor Supply.

That sum would be helping Tractor Supply Company acquire site, deal with the site preparation costs and also to pay the city administration fees, he said.

The company will begin payment of its TIF indebtedness in January 2018, and the TIF notes will reach maturity in December 2032.

The company will need to decide on one of two TIF options within the next two months, in order to begin the projects next year.

Houston said the proposed projects match the goals of the citys comprehensive plan. The land where the distribution center expansion is set to take place is set aside of industrial use and the retail store land is set aside for commercial use.

The comprehensive plan also set a goal for the city to add 200 new workers in the coming decades. The distribution centers 170,000 square foot expansion is expected to create at least 70 new jobs on its own.

Marjorie Rockwell, a Tractor Supply manager out of Brentwood, Tenn., thanked the council and the community during a public hearing held during the meeting.

Im really happy that I get to be here tonight to talk with you guys, she said. First of all, I want to say thank you for your continued support for our company over the years. Tonight, its really about growth. Its about store growth, its about distribution center growth, its about our organizations growth and its about community growth.

The company has grown much since the distribution center took root in Waverly, Rockwell said. The location now serves 180 of Tractor Supplys 1,600 stores. The expansion will allow Waverlys center to serve 50 more stores and help the company reach its goal of 2,500 stores nationwide.

Our customers deserve to be able to go into a store and get what they need when they need, Rockwell said. And to that end, basically, expanding the distribution center here in Waverly is a no-brainer. It makes sense.

The expanded distribution center should further cement the bond between the company and the community.

We wouldnt have gotten here today without your assistance, your support and your partnership, she told the council. We, as a company, have so much more room to grow and we want to continue to do that here and with Waverly.

Martin Lowe, general manager of the Waverly distribution center, elaborated on that bond.

I live in the community, he said. I enjoy Waverly. The team members that I have that work for us, and many of them live in the community, are just astounding. They not only appreciate our company, but they appreciate Waverly.

He said the company has donated time and money to more than 50 organizations in the city and the county, and plans to continue being an active partner.

Tractor supply is proud to be part of this community, Lowe said. Were proud to be a part of everything thats going on. We will always be part of this community. Thats what its about.

When asked what residents should expect from the retail store, Lowe said it would be similar to the location on North 27th Street in Lincoln.

We have kind of a prototype, so it should be pretty similar to that, he said. Overall, youre looking at the same store. It will be fun to shop.

Mayor Mike Werner also said Tractor Supply was good for the community.

I know that, in my own personal experience, Tractor Supply appears to be a very good employer, Werner said. They take care of their employees, its a big deal to them. Its a big deal to us that youre a quality employer. I think you guys have constantly displayed that.

If all continues to go well, the projects should be almost completely finished within the next calendar year. The city approved a number of zoning ordinances making way for the projects earlier this year.
By PTI: Washington, Dec 20 (PTI) Shifts in rain and snow patterns due to climate change may have a greater impact on the water supply of about 1.5 billion people in Hindu Kush Himalayan region than retreating glaciers, according to a new report.

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region hosts several of Asias great river systems, which provide water for drinking, irrigation and other uses for about 1.5 billion people.

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A committee of experts, including those from NASA, found that at lower elevations, glacial retreat is unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability, but other factors, including groundwater depletion and increasing human water use may have a greater impact.

Higher elevation areas could experience altered water flow in some river basins if current rates of glacial retreat continue, but shifts in the location, intensity and variability of rain and snow due to climate change will likely have a greater impact on regional water supplies.

The meltwater from glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region supplements several great river systems such as the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra.

Scientific evidence shows that most glaciers in the Himalayan region are retreating, leading to concerns that over time normal glacier melt will not be able to contribute to the regions water supply each year.

There is uncertainty in projections of future changes in precipitation, but shifts in the location and intensity of snow and rain could also impact the rate of glacial retreat.

Variation in climate, precipitation and glacial behaviour across the vast Hindu Kush Himalayan region means that it is challenging to determine exactly how retreating glaciers will affect water supply in each location.

It is likely that the contribution of glacier meltwater to water supply in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region may have been overestimated in the past, for example by not differentiating between the contributions to water supply of meltwater from glaciers and meltwater from snow.

Retreating glaciers over the next several decades are unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability at lower elevations, which depend primarily on monsoon rains.

However, for high elevation areas, current glacier retreat rates, if they continue, may alter streamflow in some basins.

Assuming annual precipitation in the form of snow and freezing rain remains the same, the loss of water stored as glacial ice will likely not change the amount of meltwater that supplements rivers and streams each summer.

Glacial meltwater can act as a buffer against the hydrologic impacts of a changing climate, such as drought.

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Water stored as glacial ice could serve as the Himalayan regions hydrologic insurance.

Although retreating glaciers would provide more meltwater in the shorter term as the glacier shrinks, loss of glacier "insurance" could become problematic over the longer term. PTI MHN SAR MHN

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From chocolates to tea and hotdogs, regular food is being marketed as products made 'just for men'.

By India Today Web Desk: There's a new fad that's hit the supermarket aisles in the US of A-food products packaged and marketed for men.

If you thought that the buck stops at skin care products tailor-made for men, you were wrong. There are actually varieties of food items, like chocolates, tea, hotdogs and 'bronuts', that are meant 'just for men'.

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The Tweeple have taken to calling out this new trend by product developers, who have taken to packaging and marketing regular delicacies as products that appeal to men's sense of masculinity. Did we say delicacies? Oops!

Also read: Toblerone fans really mind the gap in the new version of the chocolate

According to the Daily Mail, Twitter user Snukes sparked off a conversation on these products, and the rest of social media responded by clicking more and more pictures of these gendered items every time they went shopping. All these posts have made their hashtag, #masculinitysofragile, quite a big deal on Twitter and Instagram. Take a look:

This tea is a hangover cure, but why is it meant just for men? Picture courtesy: Twitter/jpmeyer

Flavoured yogurt for men. Picture courtesy: Twitter/gabriellamiki

It's unclear if any of these food products actually have ingredients that positively affect men's health. But the packaging clearly says 'for men'.

Do these hotdogs for men have any special ingredient? Picture courtesy: Twitter/ lysakiewiczowna Do these hotdogs for men have any special ingredient? Picture courtesy: Twitter/ lysakiewiczowna

This list also includes The Bronut, a man-sized doughnut that is large enough for a man to handle.

The Bronut is meant for men who can handle its size. Picture courtesy: Twitter/seeker_abyss

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Its the summer of 1967. Lyndon B. Johnson is president, Rolling Stone published their first magazine and girls all over the world are going crazy over an English boy-band called The Beatles. Right now, none of that matters. With sweaty hands, a young cadet carries his helmet bag toward the F-4 Phantom, mentally preparing himself for his first flight in an Air Force fighter jet. Forty-nine years later, a cadet in her junior year at the Air Force Academy climbs into one of the few remaining F-4s in service, following the footsteps of her fathernearly half a century later. She wasnt expecting to see him as she climbed down the ladder after her first flightor the bucket of water he was throwing at her. True to the fighter pilot tradition that began in Vietnam, pilots are greeted with buckets of water or sprayed down by firehoses after completing a milestone in their career.

For Cadet 2nd Class Kaitlyn, it was her inaugural flight, for retired Col. David, it was another chance to pass on a tradition to his daughter, and for Detachment 1 with the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron at Holloman, it was the first time they witnessed a father surprise his second-generation fighter pilot daughter. It was a great opportunity, Kaitlyn said. I think its mind-blowing to think I could be one of the last cadets to fly in an F-4. (Detachment 1) made it all happen, and I cant thank them enough.

David was the commander of Det. 1 from 1992  1994. While waiting to surprise his daughter, he caught up with some of the maintainers who were under his command over 20 years ago. The folks here at the detachment do a lot of work to make sure everything is put together, David said. They are very sharp and excellent at their job. That same excellence is overseen by Lt. Col. Ronald King, the current commander of Det. 1, who flew with the second-generation cadet on her first sortie.She was great, King said. She wanted to pull more Gs and go upside down more and go fast and go low. We got to go supersonic and below 500 feet. It was a great day for flying.

Kaitlyn credits her interest in flying to her father who flew three different aircraft during his time in active duty as a combat pilot. He got me into gliders since I was a junior in high school, Kaitlyn said. Ever since then, its taken off. Gliders are a specially designed aircraft with no engine that needs to be towed into the air by another aircraft. After reaching the desired elevation, the glider detaches and uses updrafts to keep the plane in the air until the pilots decides to land.

The young cadet is a rated glider pilot and instructor at the same academy her father went to all those years ago. Its not that she is following in my footsteps, David said. Of course Im happy for her, but its about her setting her sights on something and then achieving that goal. She has worked her (butt) off, and Im very proud of her.It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, King said. Hopefully she will get a chance to fly in the next generation of fighter aircraft.
It is suspected that a group of eunuchs managed to get entry into the venue at the wedding and managed to distract attention of the groom's family. Amid all the celebrations, a suspected woman wearing red dress managed to mingle with the family members projecting herself to be one of the attendees of the wedding.

The suspect has been identified on the basis of a video camera footage of the wedding. The woman managed to mix up with the relatives while jaimala was being held.

The groom's mother had kept her bag containing cash, gifts, credit cards and driving license and one i-Phone near a sofa. It is suspected that the suspect woman managed to get away with the bag carrying all the valuables.

The incident took place at the high security area at the wedding which was attended by top Cabinet ministers including Arun Jaitley, Suresh Prabhu, LK Advani and senior police officers at New Delhi's Constitution Club.

The suspect was identified after the groom and bribe's family singled her out as a suspect. They sent photos of the suspect to all those who attended the wedding but nobody could identify her.

The groom's family tried to check the CCTV footage at the venue but to their disappointment, they were informed that the CCTV cameras at the venue were not working. The police were also unable to promptly put the stolen phone on surveillance.

When the theft was discovered, the groom's family at the wedding on December 10, they raised an alarm and police was called in. They suspect that the woman suspect was a part of a gang operating at wedding functions. The group of eunuchs it is suspected were also part of the same gang.

The family has handed over photos of the suspect to the police, however, sources said police are waiting for the suspect to switch on the stolen mobile phone.
The International Monetary Fund's executive board has reiterated its backing for Christine Lagarde, indicating it supports the lender's managing director despite her conviction for negligence by a French court.

Ms Lagarde, meanwhile, said she wouldn't appeal and would continue to run the IMF.

"The Executive Board reaffirms its full confidence in the Managing Director's ability to continue to effectively carry out her duties," the IMF said in a statement on Tuesday (AEDT). "The Executive Board looks forward to continuing to work with the Managing Director to address the difficult challenges facing the global economy."

Speaking to reporters later in Washington, Lagarde said she wouldn't appeal the court decision after years of legal wrangling. She looked forward to continuing her work at the fund.
If you are anything like the typical Australian, you probably break the copyright law 80 times a day, according to figures included in the Productivity Commission's final report to the government on intellectual property.

Most of the breaches are harmless, things such as including a copy of an email in the reply to an email. But the commission says that laws that are routinely flouted are bad laws, bringing themselves into disrepute.

In place of the labyrinthine system of complicated rules governing what can or can't be copied, the report released on Tuesday recommends the US system of fair use, under which the use of copyrighted material is legal so long as it is fair, taking into account the purpose of the use, the nature of the work, the amount copied and the effect on the potential market value of the work.

A study released with the report finds that Singapore had fewer copyright disputes after adopting fair use, suggesting the change made copyright easier to understand.
Police also recorded the statement of the 2 children, according to which their parents had had an argument on the intervening night of 16 and 17 December after which their father assaulted their mother and crushed her head with the stone.

By Anuj Mishra: Police have arrested one Arif for the murder of his 28-year-old wife, who was found dead at her residence in Delhi's Old Mustafabad on December 17. Gokalpuri police received a call on December 17 informing that a blood-smeared body with multiple injuries on the head was lying in a house.

1. The spot was cordoned off after the crime team inspected the place. On the basis of the statement of the victim's father, a case was registered and investigation taken up by Gokalpuri police.

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2. The victim's 2 minor children were also found on the spot. Police also recorded the statement of the 2 children, according to which their parents had had an argument on the intervening night of 16 and 17 December after which their father assaulted their mother and crushed her head with the stone.

3. The husband of the woman had been absconding since the time of the incident before he was nabbed on Tuesday.

4. During the course of the manhunt, the accused kept regularly changing his position before he was finally traced and arrested from Johripur Puliya in Bhagirathi Vihar area of Delhi. The stone that was used by the accused to kill his wife was also seized by the police.

5. During the interrogation, the accused Arif confessed that he was drunk at the time of the incident. Arif said his wife started quarreling with him over some domestic issues which raised his hackles and he crushed his wife's head with a stone lying nearby.

Also read | Mastermind of Delhi's twin murder case arrested in Vasant Vihar, severed head of victim recovered

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Every teenager wants to be taken seriously, but for Morgan Hipworth, his business relies on it.

The 15-year-old from Melbourne's south-east is setting up his first permanent cafe this weekend off the back of a doughnut pop-up and sweet pastry supply business.

Morgan Hipworth with parents Mark and Ellie in his new cafe. Credit:Simon Schluter

"The hardest thing is that people don't take me seriously because of my age. I'm not your average 15-year-old, I've got all the proper council applications, I've done three barista courses, I think about my business 24/7," said Hipworth.

What started around the age of eight as a hobby making cakes for family and friends soon became a thriving doughnut and slice business run out the family garage.
Painkillers containing codeine, such as Panadeine and Nurofen Plus, will require a prescription from 2018 to help prevent Australians getting addicted to the drug.

In response to growing concerns about addiction, overdoses and other harm caused by codeine, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has decided to re-schedule the drugs so people cannot buy them over the counter in a pharmacy from February 2018.

Nurofen Plus contains codeine, which the TGA says is "increasingly a drug of abuse in Australia". Credit:AAP

The controversial decision, which will anger drug companies and pharmacies that sell the products, is being introduced with a year-long lead time so people with chronic pain conditions can adjust their pain management plans with doctors.

While an original decision on the re-scheduling of codeine products was meant to be made by November last year, Fairfax Media has previously reported on a quiet push by three large pharmaceutical lobby groups for a regulatory impact statement, which delayed the decision for 12 months.
Police have released CCTV images of a man they believe can help with the investigation of an assault on a Muslim woman who was allegedly attacked with a beer bottle in Beeliar.

The woman was allegedly assaulted after an exchange of words with a man at the Beeliar Village complex, that quickly escalated into a physical fight on Friday night.

Police have released CCTV footage of a man they believe can help with the investigation into a Beeliar assault. Credit:WA Police

Police believe the man was with a woman and four children before the incident.

The man is described as light skinned, 25-35 years old, 175-180cm tall and slim build. He has blonde short hair and wearing blue shorts and a white top.
Bali police have detonated a backpack containing fireworks after it was found with a sign attached that said "Bomb" in the popular tourist village of Ubud this morning.

Gianyar police chief Waluya said the backpack was found by a local in front of his roadside foodstall at 6.15am today.

Ubud, Bali.

He said the special paramilitary police force BRIMOB detonated it with two small explosions after an x-ray revealed a "suspicious item" inside.

"So if there was wiring inside it would be damaged," Mr Waluya said.
It is, sadly, little surprise. After attacks in France and Belgium, few Germans would have thought they would escape a large-scale atrocity of a similar kind.

While little has been confirmed by Berlin police, the likelihood of an accident appears remote and the similarity to the Nice attack is glaring. Trucks look to be a new weapon of choice and we can expect to see more of them used.

The selection of the target, one of Germany's beloved Christmas markets, where families gather to eat traditional foods into the night, seems calculated to rend as violently as possible the country's new social reality from its comfortable traditions.

Germany's reality is that it is the pillar of Europe at a time when the continent's unity is being frayed, in large part, by fierce debates about immigration, and which faces its own anxiety about the recent influx of asylum seekers.
Zurich: A gunman who wounded three people attending prayers after opening fire at an Islamic centre in Zurich, Switzerland, has been found dead, in an apparent suicide, the Swiss police said Tuesday.

Officials described the man as a 24-year-old Swiss citizen of Ghanaian descent, but they did not identify him by name. They said that he had no known links to terrorist groups, but that he was already wanted for the fatal stabbing of a friend whose body was found Sunday at a playground in Zurich.

Police cars are parked in front of the Islamic centre where a gunman injured three people on Monday. Credit:AP

"We don't believe it was a terror act," Christiane Lentjes Meili, Zurich chief of police, said of the Monday attack. "We have no evidence of a connection to terrorism."

Three men were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously; all are in stable condition.
"If 200 out of 10 lakh bank employees are converting black money into white you cannot say all bank employees are corrupt," said AIBEA vice-president Vishwas Utagi. "It is the RBI which is responsible for the failure of demonetisation," he added.

By Harmeet Shah Singh: After India Today's special investigation aired, the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) blamed the RBI for what it called was its "failure" in executing demonetisation.

AIBEA said it was unfair to blame all bank officials when a few are corrupt, while AAP leader Meera Sanyal said people were loosing trust in the banking system.

HERE ARE THE REACTIONS "If 200 out of 10 lakh bank employees are converting black money into white you cannot say all bank employees are corrupt," said AIBEA vice-president Vishwas Utagi. "It is the RBI which is responsible for the failure of demonetisation," he added. He alleged hoarders were receiving cash supplies directly through their connections in the central bank. "The RBI is not providing money to banks. There should be an ED enquiry against the RBI," he said. A former banker herself, Meera Sanyal insisted most officials in the Indian banking system are honest. She, however, blamed crippling shortages of cash for corruption in the industry exposed by India Today. Sanyal, also an AAP leader, also expressed concerns that the general public might be losing faith in banks, in an apparent reference to abrupt policy changes. "The real tragedy is we are beginning to see a big deficit of trust in the banking system," she remarked. In his comments, BJP member P. N. Vijay slammed shady bank officials caught on camera black-marketing cash and accounts. "They are letting the nation down," he said. Top bank managements, he added, were equally responsible for corruption in their institution. "It's their companies. They are making profits. They are responsible," Vijay said.

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ALSO READ:

Probe reveals how bank officials are renting out bank accounts to black money hoarders

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Mr. Christian Bock, the Director General of Swiss Customs, who has professional experience in metrology, visited the Headquarters of the WCO in Brussels on Tuesday 20th December 2016, where he introduced representatives of the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), also known as the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, to the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya.

Dr. Martin J.T. Milton, the Director of the BIPM, and Dr. Robert Wielgosz, the Director of the BIPM Chemistry Department, presented the BIPM's mission and roles, and expressed their willingness to explore potential collaboration with the WCO.

The BIPM is an intergovernmental organization that develops the technical and organizational infrastructure of the International System of Units (SI), which is used as a basis for the world-wide traceability of measurement results, both through technical activities in laboratories and international coordination. Within the world-wide metrology community, the BIPM Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer Programme aims to increase the effectiveness of those Member States and Associates with emerging metrology systems.

Dr. Mikuriya explained the functions of Customs laboratories as well as its needs with regard to sharing best practices and enhancing its international/regional networks. Both sides agreed to explore possible synergies, and consider areas of potential cooperation between the two organizations.

Separately, Director General Bock and Secretary General Mikuriya had an insightful bilateral meeting to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Chandigarh civic body poll results are being viewed from the prism of demonetisation because the Opposition's campaign in all these elections largely hovered around the Narendra Modi government's biggest economic initiative so far.

By Kumar Shakti Shekhar: In the results announced today for municipal elections held in Chandigarh, the ruling BJP-Akali Dal combine registered an impressive victory, winning on 21 of the municipal seats. Except for the third phase of Maharashtra municipal elections, the BJP has maintained its winning streak. Whether they be the municipal elections or the bye-elections held in other states after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced demonetisation initiative, the BJP has won them handsomely.

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The results are being viewed from the prism of demonetisation because the Opposition's campaign in all these elections largely hovered around the Narendra Modi government's biggest economic initiative so far. Demonetisation has affected the lives of each and every Indian family and the Opposition hoped to cash in on the hardships being faced particularly by the common man.

However, if there is any major discontentment against the Narendra Modi government over demonetisation, the Opposition has failed to turn the tide in its favour. They hope to see a favourable result after some time.

CONGRESS

Responding to the Chandigarh results, Congress' senior national spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told India Today that the people were still giving a benefit of doubt to PM Modi. "Modi has calibrated that demonetisation has been implemented in national interest. He has also sought time of 50 days, which expires in December. The discontentment against the Modi government is slowly and gradually growing," he said.

Also read | Ahead of Punjab election, ruling BJP-Akali Dal combine sweeps Chandigarh local polls

Ahmed claimed that very soon, people will get disillusioned. "Demonetisation's major impact will be felt when unemployment starts rising at an alarming rate. This will be visible after the Budget Session. As soon as the people realise that Modi has taken this step to benefit his own people, they will give a return gift by dumping him," he said.

BJP

However, the BJP has an entirely different take on the recent election results. Thanking the people of Chandigarh for supporting BJP, party president Amit Shah said every election win after November 8 proves that they support the demonetisation move.

Thank people of Chandigarh for supporting BJP, every election win after Nov 8 shows that they approve of #DeMonetisation decision: Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/60Jrb7pxwd ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

BJP's national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain told India Today that it was the Opposition which made demonetisation the main plank in every election held after November 8. "The people have rejected the Opposition's raves and rants over demonetisation. They have supported demonetisation," he said.

Hussain further said had the BJP lost all these elections, the same Opposition would have termed them a referendum on demonetisation. "The BJP will win all other future elections, Assembly or otherwise," he added.

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CHANDIGARH

In the elections held on 26 seats for the Union Territory, BJP won 20 while its alliance partner Akali Dal was victorious on just one seat. The BJP-Akali Dal combine has been in power in Punjab for almost ten years. The BJP is upbeat over the results because the state goes to polls in early 2017. The alliance is facing a double anti-incumbency and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged as a strong contender besides Congress. AAP won four seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP feels relieved with the Chandigarh municipal election results.

WATCH VIDEO

MAHARASHTRA

BJP was way ahead of Congress in the first two phases of municipal elections. It won 51 of the 147 president council posts that went to polls on November 27, just 19 days after PM Narendra Modi had announced the demonetisation initiative. BJP emerged as the single largest party. It maintained its numero uno position even in the second phase, winning five of the 14 president council posts. However, in the third phase, Congress won more corporator seats than the BJP, and an equal number of president council posts.

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But in toto, BJP won more number of posts than it did the last time. Its tally rose from 25 corporator seats in the previous election to 119 now. Congress, which had won 150 corporator seats last time, managed to take a lead on 126 seats, thus ceding ground to rival BJP.

GUJARAT

BJP captured two municipalities and one taluka panchayat in local bodies elections, the results of which were declared on November 29. BJP also maintained its lead on 23 out of 31 other seats of various municipalities, taluka and district panchayats, where by-polls were held.

RAJASTHAN

Out of the 37 seats on which local bodies by-elections were held in Rajasthan on November 29, ruling BJP won 19 seats while Congress was victorious on 14 seats. In fact, the two parties gained one seat each in the by-polls held for Panchayat and municipal seats in the state.

LOK SABHA & ASSEMBLY BYE-ELECTIONS

Bye-elections to four Lok Sabha and eight Assembly constituencies in six states and one Union Territory were held on November 19, 11 days after PM Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation move. In the results which were announced on November 22, BJP and Trinamool Congress won two Lok Sabha seats each. In the Assembly by-polls, BJP and AIADMK won three seats each, CPI(M) got two while Congress and Trinamool bagged one seat each.

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OPPOSITION'S STAND

Ever since the demonetisation initiative was announced, Opposition leaders like Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and Delhi and West Bengal Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee respectively are up in arms against the Centre. They have termed the decision a "scam". Kejriwal and Banerjee have demanded its complete rollback. The two CMs had even talked about people revolting against demonetisation.

Both Houses of Parliament failed to transact any meaningful business in the recently-concluded Winter Session, largely because of the ruckus created by the Opposition parties. While demonetisation has failed to adversely impact BJP electorally so far, the final test would be the forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa scheduled for early 2017.

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According to an official statement, individuals can deposit over Rs5,000 in old currency bills only once until the December 30 deadline and that too after explaining why it had not been done so far.

Banks have been advised to conduct due diligence regarding the reasons for people not depositing these notes earlier.

By Mail Today: The central government on Monday imposed fresh restrictions on depositing of scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in banks in order to prevent money laundering. According to an official statement, individuals can deposit over Rs5,000 in old currency bills only once until the December 30 deadline and that too after explaining why it had not been done so far.

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After banning old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes on November 8, the government had allowed those in possession of this high-value currency to deposit it in bank accounts till December 30.

There was no limit on the quantity or value of the junked notes that could be deposited. However, the government on December 17 issued a gazette notification putting restrictions on deposits.

Also Read: Demonetisation REALITY CHECK: Are people getting Rs 24,000 from banks?

LEGAL TENDER

The deposits of old notes of Rs500 and Rs1,000 denominations have been reviewed by the government from time to time. Already more than five weeks have elapsed since the time of the announcement of the cancellation of the legal tender character of these notes.

It is expected that, by now, most of the people would have deposited such old notes in their possession, an official statement said.

With a view to reduce the queues in the banks, the government said it has now been decided that amounts exceeding Rs5,000 in old notes can be deposited only once between now and December 30, 2016. The banks have been advised to conduct due diligence regarding the reasons for not depositing these notes earlier, the statement said.Also Read: Aamir Khan's support to demonetisation couldn't be more dishonest and foolish

GUIDELINES

According to the RBI, the explanation should be kept on record to facilitate an audit trail at a later stage. An appropriate flag also should be raised in CBS (Core Banking Solution) to that effect so that no more tenders are allowed. Amounts of Rs5,000 or less may continue to be deposited with banks in the customer's account, as at present.

However, cumulative deposits exceeding Rs5,000 between December 19 and December 30, 2016 will be as per the procedures advised by the RBI in respect of deposits exceeding Rs 5,000, it said.

The RBI also came out with a deposit guideline stipulating that restrictive conditions will also apply on the cumulative deposit of such notes in a single account when it exceeds Rs5,000.Also read: Demonetisation woes: Unable to bear losses in business, craftsman commits suicide in Coimbatore

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The RBI in a notification said certain restrictions have been placed on deposits of banknotes of 500 and 1,000 denominations, but there is no limit for payment of tax using such notes under the Taxation and Investment Regime for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).

The new scheme for declaring black money has a 50 per cent tax rate and a 25 per cent lock-in period form five years.

Also Read: Demonetisation: DRI busts export fraud, seizes 40 kg gold

Also, the government said a separate notification has been issued allowing District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs) to deposit the old notes they collected between November 10 and 14.

However, old notes up to Rs5,000 received across the counter will allowed to be credited to bank accounts in the normal course until December 30, 2016.

Even when tenders smaller than Rs5,000 are made in an account and such tenders taken together on cumulative basis exceed Rs5,000 they may be subject to the procedure to be followed in case of tenders above Rs5,000, with no more tenders being allowed thereafter until December 30, 2016, the RBI said.

CHECKS

The central bank also said that equivalent value of specified bank notes tendered may be credited to an account maintained by the tenderer at any bank in accordance with standard banking procedure and on production of valid proof of identity.

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"The equivalent value of specified bank notes tendered may be credited to a third party account, provided specific authorisation accorded by the third party is presented to the bank, following standard banking procedure and on production of valid proof of identity of the person actually tendering," the RBI said.

--- ENDS ---
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The Aam Aadmi Party accused the BJP-led Central government of resorting to "economic terrorism" which has allegedly claimed lives of over 100 people.

Coming out with 59 circulars relating to regulations pertaining to note ban in less than 50 days "proves that the Prime Minister does not know what he is doing, and changes his own decision everyday", said AAP leader Ashutosh.

The government's revised rule is in stark contrast to its earlier assurance to people that they can deposit the scrapped notes till December 30. Further, there was no cap on the amount that could be deposited.

"The Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley) and the Prime Minister have been consistently urging people not to rush to deposit old notes as the deadline is December 30. Now there are new curbs. So were the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister lying then or are they misleading people now," the Aam Aadmi Party leader asked.

AAP's Delhi unit convener Dilip Pandey alleged the Union government is busy undertaking public relations exercise, but does not answer questions related to demonetisation nor is it giving any correct picture of the on-going "crisis".
Members of the American Legion Riders Post 145, of Leesville, recently presented a check to the Food Bank of Central Louisiana totaling $22,500 in donations the group collected for the Adopt-a-Senior Program in Vernon Parish.
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By Bill Hughes Dec. 19, 2016 | 06:08 PM | PADUCAH, KY

A two-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon in Union County, KY claimed the life of a Paducah woman.According to Evansville's 14News.com the accident happened about 1 pm on U.S. Highway 60 near Sturgis.Union County Coroner Stephen Shouse told WestKentuckyStar that 27-year-old Amy Abell Navrkal was driving the family car with her husband Michael as a passenger when they slowed to make a left turn and another driver attempted to pass on the left side. As Navrkal made her turn, her vehicle was hit in the driver's side.Shouse said Navrkal's vehicle was pushed into a deep ditch where it rolled, and she was partially ejected from the vehicle.Michael Navrkal was taken to Union County Methodist Hospital for treatment of his injuries. Shouse said the driver of the other vehicle was life-flighted to an Evansville hospital for treatment.Navrkal's autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday in Madisonville. The Union County Sheriff's Department said their investigation is ongoing, and would not release any other details.Shouse said the couple was running an errand to get tea for a Christmas gathering, and left their child at the party.

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Astros throw group no-hitter at Phillies to tie Series at two games each
"We waited for our salary for the last four months and wrote several letters to the head office. But they refused to entertain our calls. They are not replying to our emails and text massages," said Prerna Priyadarshini, principal of Gurugram's Palam Vihar centre of Tree House playschool.

Staffers of the playschool chain has accused the company management of not paying rent for the buildings where these centres are housed and that the landlords have served notices to the principals asking for the rent.

By Ajit Kumar Dubey: It seems demonetisation and the resultant cash crunch will force playschool chain Tree House to shut down in the national Capital region. With no salary for the last four months, the staff of the playschool chain have been forced to put in their papers. Principals of at least 20 playschool centres in the NCR have lost contact with Rajesh Bhatia, the managing director of the company, besides the head office in Mumbai. The staff alleged that even though fee was collected from the students, the salary was not paid over the months.

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"We waited for our salary for the last four months and wrote several letters to the head office. But they refused to entertain our calls. They are not replying to our emails and text massages," said Prerna Priyadarshini, principal of Gurugram's Palam Vihar centre of Tree House playschool. The centre has 48 students, with five teachers, three maids and a guard.Also Read: Demonetisation REALITY CHECK: Are people getting Rs 24,000 from banks?

The principal also wondered how the centre can operate with no salary being paid to the staff. "We have not shut yet, but the staff have sent their resignation to the head office. We have also filed a complaint in Palam Vihar police station seeking an FIR against the management," Priyadarshini added.

Also Read: Demonetisation woes: Unable to bear losses in business, craftsman commits suicide in Coimbatore

There were 35 centres of Tree House across NCR in March this year, but 15 centres shut down by September. The remaining 20 branches are facing closure. In all, the playschool chain has 720 branches across the country.

"The school management took a sudden decision. It had informed centre heads to pass the message to parents that they should not send their wards to the playschool. The management did not even serve a prior notice about the closure of a particular centre," said Shilpi Srivastava, principal of Dwarka centre.Also Read: Demonetisation: Torn Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes found in Mumbai's Charkop area

Sources told Mail Today that the Tree House management has appointed Raju Sinha as the coordinator between these centres and the head office. He had informed them in August that the company was mulling the merger with another prominent school chain, and hence the salary of staff may get delayed for a month.

The staffers worked for four months hoping to receive their salary. But now Sinha has informed them that he has resigned from the company.

The staffers also accused the company management of not paying rent for the buildings where these centres are housed and the landlords have served notices to the principals asking for the rent.

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"This is a kind of fraud that the school management has been perpetrating, playing with future of the children. Te management has cheated the parents as well," Srivastava said.

Brajesh Kumar, whose son studies in Palam Vihar centre, said: "This is a serious issue. Future of our children would be compromised due to ongoing tussle between management and school staff. I want the management to run the school till March so that the academic session is completed and the children are given certificates."

Another parent, Sunil Malik, said that education departments of Delhi, Haryana and other concerned states should take suo motu cognizance of the matter.

When Mail Today tried to contact both managing director Rajesh Bhatia and coordinator Raju Sinha, their phones were switched off. Mail Today also tried to contact the playschool's head office in Mumbai, but no one answered the call.

--- ENDS ---
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December 20, 2016

Turkish Assassin Of Russian Ambassador Tracked To American CIA Base In Iraq

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers

An initial Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report provided to the Security Council (SC) within the past hour on the assassination of Ambassador Andrey Karlov yesterday in Ankara, Republic of Turkey, stunningly reveals that the assassin, Mevlut Mert Altintas, was in the environs of the not so secret American Central Intelligence (CIA) station located in the Erbil Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan on 15 July (2016)thus giving a more than strong indication that he was aware of the American-led Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that occurred on that date. [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes in this report are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]

CIA-Lined Assassin Mevlut Mert Altintas stands over lifeless body of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov19 December 2016 in Ankara , Turkey

According to this report, President Putin authorized the sending to Turkey of SVR intelligence investigators as part of the 18-person team to jointly investigate the assassination of Ambassador Karlov with Turkeys National Intelligence Organization (MIT)and that one of the first duties/functions they performed was the historic/past electronic tracking of the assassins phone records, along with those of his family and known associates.

On 15 July, SVR intelligence experts in this report detail, this assassin was stationed on duty with his police regiment in Diyarbakrs, located in Diyarbakr Province, when the American-led coup against President Erdoganbut who instead of reporting to duty as all Turkish police forces were ordered to do, was unexplainably granted a 2-day leave by his commander Kahraman Sezer, who after the failed coup was arrested due to his ties to the FETO terror organization led the CIA-backed Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen.

After being granted this extraordinary leave of absence while Turkey was in the midst of nationwide coup, this report continues, SVR electronic intelligence experts were able to track this assassins phone usage on 15 July along a 386 kilometer (240 miles) path/corridor showing him traveling from Diyarbakrs to the capital city of the Erbil Governorate, Erbilafter which his phone went silent/dark for 7 hours, was then reactivated in the early morning hours of 16 July, and showed him traveling back to his home city in Turkey where he reported back to duty.

Turkish MIT investigative files on this assassins travels to the environs of the CIAs base in Erbil during the 15 July coup, this report continues, shows grave/serious discrepancieswith one assessment describing that his stated reason for traveling to Iraq Kurdistan to visit a sick cousin who was teaching at the Fethullah Gulen school in Erbil warranted his prosecution and that caused his suspension, on 4 October, from his police duties, but that were, without any explanation to be found in these files, reinstated and gave him full police powers on 16 November.

SVR investigators in this report further note that the Fethullah Gulen School in Erbil visited by this assassin on 15 July was ordered closed and sold by Iraq Kurdistan authorities after they were provided evidence by Turkish MIT security operatives proving this schools link to the failed CIA-led coup against Turkey s legitimately elected government.

Want to know more? Click HERE.

Likewise, this report continues, Turkeys government and their MIT intelligence analysts have provided 85 boxes of evidence proving the CIAs and Fethullah Gulen involvement in the 15 July coupbut that to this very hour the Obama regime still refuses to acknowledge or explain.

Though many questions relating to this assassins associations to both the CIA and Fethullah Gulens FETO terror organization remain to be discovered, this report concludes, emerging new evidence being investigated by the SVR and MIT are now showing a direct link/path to President Obama and this murder, along with the assassination a few hours later of Federation diplomat Petr Polshikov who was gunned down in his Moscow homeboth occurring just 72 hours after Obama had threatened Russia over the nonsense claim it had interfered in the US presidential election with Americas leader warning that his retaliation against the Federation may be explicit and publicized; some of it may not beand that if these two assassinations are firmly linked to, will make President Putins threat that the killers will feel it become a grim reality to the CIAs, and Obamas great discomfort.

And though not mentioned in this SVR report, its worth noting that at the same time President Obama and the CIA are now being linked to the assassination of this Russian ambassador, at least President-elect Donald Trump is protecting himself with his own private protective mercenary forces from the elite security companies KS Global Group LLC, Black Tie Protection Services, ASIT Consulting and XMark LLCand who to the liberal American lefts outrage, has announced that they will keep protecting him when he takes office as the next President of the United States.

December 20, 2016  EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.

[Note: Many governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagree with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their agents has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit us, and others like us, that is exampled in numerous places, including HERE.]

[Note: The WhatDoesItMean.com website was created for and donated to the Sisters of Sorcha Faal in 2003 by a small group of American computer experts led by the late global technology guru Wayne Green (1922-2013) to counter the propaganda being used by the West to promote their illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq.]

[Note: The word Kremlin (fortress inside a city) as used in this report refers to Russian citadels, including in Moscow , having cathedrals wherein female Schema monks (Orthodox nuns) reside, many of whom are devoted to the mission of the Sisters of Sorcha Faal.]

America Goes Insane As It Rushes Towards Civil War

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Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya have posted an adorable pic from the last day of their YHM shoot, ahead of their much-awaited honeymoon.

By India Today Web Desk: Mr and Mrs Dahiya have finally taken off for the "best vacation" of their life. The couple who got married in July this year are off to a Europe trip 5 months after tying the knot.

Vivek also posted an adorable pic from the last day of their Yeh Hai Mohabbatein shoot before heading for their much-delayed honeymoon.

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Also read: Revealed! This is where Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya are going for their honeymoon

The excitement of pack up is unusual today. Just a few hours left before we head out to begin the best trip of our lives ?? #PinocchioAndMeAreSet A photo posted by Vivek Dahiya (@officialvivekdahiya) on Dec 19, 2016 at 8:29am PST

"I wanted it to be a long getaway. I would have loved to keep this as a surprise, but since Divyanka had to apply for a two-week leave, that was not possible. We will leave on December 20 and will celebrate Christmas in Paris," the actor had earlier told The Times of India.

"I have spent quite a few years in the UK, and want Divyanka to see the place I called 'home' for so many years. I will take her to places I often hung out at, and also introduce her to people I studied and worked with," Vivek added.

Have fun, guys.

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By Reuters: Republican Donald Trump prevailed in US Electoral College voting on Monday to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House.

Trump, who is set to take office on January 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen US electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state's directives, the largest number of "faithless electors" seen in more than a century.

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The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious November 8 election.

Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin's Electoral College balloting.

DUMP TRUMP

In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting, "Dump Trump" and waving signs reading, "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You" gathered at the state capital trying to sway electors.

In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump.

Also read: Donald Trump calls White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest a 'foolish guy'

Also read: Buy American, hire Americans: Donald Trump to follow '2 simple rules'

With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country.

"I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans," Trump said in a statement responding to the results.

The Electoral College assigns each state electors equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. The votes will be officially counted during a joint session of Congress on January 6.

When voters go to the polls to cast a ballot for president, they are actually choosing a presidential candidate's preferred slate of electors for their state.

'FAITHLESS ELECTORS'

The "faithless electors" as they are known represent a rare break from the tradition of casting an Electoral College ballot as directed by the outcome of that state's popular election.

The most recent instance of a "faithless elector" was in 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The practice has been very rare in modern times, with only eight such electors since 1900, each in a different election.

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Also read: Donald Trump's reply to 'no hope' comment: Michelle Obama must be talking about past

The two Republican breaks on Monday came from Texas, where the voting is by secret ballot. One Republican elector voted for Ron Paul, a favorite among Libertarians and former Republican congressman, and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who challenged Trump in the race for the Republican nomination.

Republican elector Christopher Suprun from Texas had said he would not vote for Trump, explaining in an op-ed in the New York Times that he had concerns about Trump's foreign policy experience and business conflicts.

On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide.

Also read: CIA says Russia intervened to help Trump win White House: Reports

Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas.

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Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump.

The founding fathers "said the electoral college was not to elect a demagogue, was not to elect someone influenced by foreign powers, was not to elect someone who is unfit for office. Trump fails on all three counts, unlike any candidate we've ever seen in American history," Chiafalo said in an interview.

'GREAT ANGST'

Washington's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, said after the vote that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "This was a very difficult decision made this year. There is great angst abroad in the land," Inslee said.

Twenty-four states have laws trying to prevent electors - most of whom have close ties to their parties - from breaking ranks.

In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot.

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In Hawaii, one of the state's four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the state's Election Day outcome, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspapers.

In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector.

In Minnesota, one of the state's 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the state's electoral votes were then cast for her.

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By PTI: Karachi, Dec 20 (PTI) Former dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf has said ex-army chief General Raheel Sharifs intervention helped him in exiting Pakistan, indicating the powerful influence wielded by the military in the countrys affairs.

Participating in a talk show on Dunya News last night, Musharraf said Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts.

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"Well he (Raheel Sharif) did help me. I have been his boss and I have been the Army Chief before him. He helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the Exit Control List (ECL), they turned it into a political issue," he said.

When asked to explain, Musharraf, 73, said Gen Sharif played a role in "releasing the pressure" on courts to prevent him from leaving the country.

The statement came weeks after General Sharif retired in November after completing his three-year tenure. He was succeeded by General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Musharraf said, "Behind the scenes, the army chief had a role to release that pressure by dealing with the government."

"Once he (Gen Sharif) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment."

Musharraf alleged that Pakistani courts give decisions under pressure "behind the scenes" and this pressure was relieved by Gen Sharif with an "influencing" role.

Musharraf was able to fly out of Pakistan in March this year after the interior ministry issued a notification to remove his name from the ECL, following Supreme Courts order to lift the ban on his foreign travel.

But the order from the top court had also said thatthe federal government or the three-judge special court trying the retired general for treason was free to make decisions to regulate his custody or restrict his movement.

Musharraf is facing treason charges in Pakistan for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers. Besides, he is also being tried in murder cases of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, who was killed during the operation on Lal Masjid in Islamabad which was carried out on the orders of Musharraf.

Earlier this year, in a separate interview to The Atlantic in Washington DC, Musharraf had said that Pakistani social fabric was not conducive for democracy.

"Army has always had a role since our independence. Army has played a prominent role in the governance of Pakistan, partially, because, or mainly because of mis-governance by all of the so-called democratically elected governments," the former dictator had said. PTI CORR SUA AKJ SUA

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Blaze occurred on the 22nd floor of the high rise, fire brigade sources said. Soon after the incident, eight fire engines were rushed to the spot and the flames were contained, adding there were no reports of any casualties so far.

By Press Trust of India: A fire broke out in the multi-storeyed Air India building in South Mumbai today.

The blaze occurred on the 22nd floor of the high rise, fire brigade sources said.

Soon after the incident, eight fire engines were rushed to the spot and the flames were contained, they said, adding there were no reports of any casualties so far.

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It is a B+G+22 (basement plus ground floor plus 22 floors) structure, they said.

Also read: Mumbai: Fire engulfs Premnagar slum, fire tenders rush to spot

Meanwhile, an Air India spokesperson said that the minor fire was brought under control in minutes by Air India security, fire brigade and other agencies.

Also, there were no casualties and the damage is being assessed. The top management is at the site and the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) is also rushing to the site from Delhi, the spokesperson added.

Also read: West Bengal: Fire breaks out at Howrah station, no casualties reported

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/12/2016 (2144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has approved the transfer of ownership of MTSs TV broadcasting licence to BCE as part of the process of the compnays $3.9 billion purchase of MTS.

The approval by the CRTC only deals with the so-called broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) and does not address the broader telecommunications competitive or wireless spectrum issues of the deal.

The broader transaction still needs Competition Bureau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada approval before it is able to close.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The MTS Building at 333 Main St.

In its decision, the CRTC said, The Commission finds that the transaction does not raise concerns with respect to Commission policies, regulations and the services conditions of licence. Further, the added functionalities of Bell Fibe TV and Bells commitment to invest in infrastructure improvements in Manitoba will benefit the broadcasting system as a whole.

Interventions from the Manitoba branch of the Consumers Association of Canada expressed concerns that the transaction would significantly reduce competition in Manitoba, and therefore reduce choice. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre said that there is evidence that vertically integrated BDUs have less of an incentive to offer customers options that promote choice, flexibility and ultimately, affordability.

On Screen Manitoba, an organization that represents Manitobas media production industry, requested that there should be a provision requiring Bell to support the development, production and distribution of Manitoba-made content.

But the CRTC said that there are six BDUs in Manitoba, with Shaw being the largest in the province, so the transaction is consistent with the CRTCs diversity of voices policy.

It said the BDU market share distribution in Manitoba, the availability of a $25 entry-level service as well as pick-and-pay and small package options, are sufficient to ensure that consumers in Manitoba continue to have choices in television service providers and in packaging options for programming services.

In light of Bells stated commitment to community television in Manitoba, the Commission will not impose additional requirements on Bell to support the development, production and distribution of Manitoba-made content.

Those who expressed their support for the transfer noted Bells intention to invest in infrastructure in Manitoba and the technological features of Bells television service, Bell Fibe TV, not currently offered by MTS, such as up to 320 hours of HD storage capacity, restart of live shows and a look-back functions of up to 30 hours.

In a release this morning MTS chief executive officer, Jay Forbes, said, We are pleased to receive the CRTCs decision and will continue to work with Bell to obtain the two remaining regulatory approvals We remain optimistic that we will secure the necessary approvals from the Competition Bureau and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada along the timelines set forth from the outset, and continue to be excited about the benefits the new Bell MTS partnership will bring Manitobans.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said hoarders have laundered their money while the poor and the middle class have been left high and dry.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Dubbing the new restrictions on deposit of old currency notes as "desperate measures of a desperate government", former Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said hoarders have laundered their money while the poor and the middle class have been left high and dry.

In a series of tweets on the new restrictions, he wondered, "Old notes usable until December 15. Why can't we deposit remaining notes until Dec 30 as notified?"

Old notes usable until Dec 15. Why can't we deposit remaining notes until Dec 30 as notified? P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 20, 2016

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Chidambaram said, "RBI makes new rule on deposit, Finance Minister (FM) contradicts. Who should citizen believe? Neither has credibility.

RBI makes new rule on deposit, FM contradicts. Who should citizen believe? Neither has credibility P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 20, 2016

"Hoarders have laundered their old notes. The poor and middle class left high and dry," he said. "Desperate govt resorting to desperate measures.

Hoarders have laundered their old notes. The poor and middle class left high and dry P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 20, 2016

Breaking Prime Minister (PM's) promise of November 8 and FM's assurance of November 11," the senior Congress leader added.

Also read: Don't worry, there's enough cash to last beyond Dec 30, says Arun Jaitley

DEMONETISATION Chidambaram's sharp reaction came a day after the government tightened rules for depositing junked Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 rupee notes, saying individuals can deposit over Rs 5,000 in old currency bills only once until December 30 and that too after explaining why it had not been done so far. After banning old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 rupee notes on November 8, the government had allowed all of the cash holdings with any person to be deposited in bank accounts till December 30. There was no limit on the quantity or value of the demonetised notes that could be deposited. However, the government on December 17 issued a gazette notification putting restrictions on deposits henceforth. Chidambaram had only yesterday hit out at RBI Governor Urjit Patel, saying that he was "extremely disappointed" that the central bank chief did not handle the demonetisation issue as any "independent autonomous institution should have". ing the Demonetisation drive as anti poor Former Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram today called the drive as a monumental tragedy. Chidambaram was delivering the inaugural Prof. D.T. Lakdawala lecture in the Mumbai University on "25 years of Economic Reforms and the Challenges Ahead". "Demonetisation is not a reform, it's a monumental tragedy. It's anti poor. It has created a myth that all cash is Black money and all black money is cash," said Chidambaram. Chidambaram said, "those who came up with the idea of demonetisation do not even have any idea of elementary economics. They need to be enrolled into an undergraduate school. Demonetisation is the worst thing to have happened to our growing economy." "Demonetisation won't end corruption or black money. As far as there is demand, there will be supply and demonetisation is not an answer to that" added Chidambaram. Chidambaram also called in for a better implementation of the Goods and Service tax (GST) as a major challenge for the economy ahead.

Also read: Demonetisation a case of khoda pahaad, nikli chuhiya: 10 not-to-be-missed P Chidambaram quotes

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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/12/2016 (2145 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Perimeter Aviation will add two more airplanes to its fleet at a cost of more than $4 million to avoid a repeat of the delays and cancelled flights to its northern air service experienced in recent weeks.

The new aircraft, expected to be ready to go in the first quarter of 2017, will come from the Bombardier Dash 8 family and hold 29 to 50 passengers, like the largest planes now in Perimeters fleet.

Its a sizable investment. Its important that we invest in our communities, said Perimeter president Nick Vodden.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Planes at Perimeter Aviation on Ferry Road.

Perimeters northern service has come under fire the last three weeks due to ongoing delays. During a Transport Canada audit, questions surfaced about how Perimeter documents its inspections.

We decided to reinspect all 28 of our airplanes. We are proactive and thats how we operate. At no time are we going to avoid doing things or doing things at a later date, said Vodden.

The inspection took four to five days. Perimeter had to use planes from other airlines to bolster its fleet.

Then about 10 days ago frigid temperatures hit. When cold weather comes on immediately, you get several mechanical issues with aircraft, especially when the weather transitions so fast, until (planes) get accustomed to it, Vodden said.

Perimeter has apologized to Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), which represents First Nations in northern Manitoba. Since late November, passengers from the MKO First Nations, including elders and small children, have encountered lengthy waits in Perimeter terminals in Winnipeg and Thompson as a result of cancelled flights. Perimeter even cancelled a funeral charter, said MKO.

Michael Pyle, CEO of Exchange Income Corporation, which owns Perimeter, said this was the wrong approach, the MKO news release stated.

MKO is continuing to press for a full report on which flights have been cancelled or delayed, and how stranded passengers are being assisted, said MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson in a prepared statement.

Vodden said the additional planes Perimeter brought in to increase capacity will continue to operate through the holiday season.

The new planes that will be purchased are more just redundancy to support the customers. We want to make sure service is adequate, he said.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/12/2016 (2144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Interim NDP Leader Flor Marcelino is not only under fire for the conduct of a caucus member accused of sexual harassment but also for how she handled the complaint.

In response to questions by the Free Press Friday, Marcelino released an email that included the first name of NDP MLA Mohinder Sarans alleged victim. For people who work with victims of sexual harassment and assaults, protecting confidentiality is paramount.

It is such a sensitive complaint, we want to ensure the privacy of the individual. Certainly, we would want no incidents or information coming back to the individual in the way that they are unprepared we would also want to ensure there is no form of retribution, said Rosemarie Gjerek, director of counselling at Klinic, which offers counselling to victims.

John Woods / The Canadian Press files Interim NDP Leader Flor Marcelino is being criticized for how she has handled a complaint of sexual harassment against Maples MLA Mohinder Saran.

Marcelino has apologized for revealing the name of the victim, stating in a prepared statement Monday she thought the Free Press was already aware of the victims identity.

I offered an explanation on this matter and provided the first name of the complainant. I fully believed this information was already shared by sources to the reporter. I apologize, she said.

A spokeswoman for Vancouver Rape Relief and Womens Shelter, which is also a member of Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres, said privacy is key to making victims of sexual harassment feel safe when they come forward.

Unless the victim explicitly asked whoever is involved to be revealing her name, privacy should stay completely protected, said Hilla Kerner. We know the issue of privacy is very important for women who have experienced sexual harassment. They must be in control of who knows what. Her wishes must be respected.

The Free Press will not reveal the name of the alleged victim.

The mistake required Marcelino to inform the legislatures human resources department she had accidentally revealed the victims first name.

The NDP has spent the last week defending itself following the revelation Saran, who represents the Maples, has been accused of sexual harassment twice. He was suspended from caucus early last month after the second complaint was lodged. The first allegation occurred when the NDP was in power and the female worker was reassigned to the office of premier Greg Selinger. Saran faced no formal punishment.

The second incident was reported Nov. 7 to the human resources department, which launched an investigation. Marcelino was made aware of the complaint on Oct. 27. NDP officials contend Saran was suspended from attending caucus meetings on Nov. 8, during an emergency caucus meeting. Several independent sources dispute the timeline and insist caucus was not informed until closer to December.

It remains unclear when Marcelino was made aware of the first allegation against Saran, which was before 2015. The party is unable to say who re-assigned the woman or when the complaint was made.

Marcelino explicitly told the Free Press Friday she was not aware of the complaint made before 2015, which the Free Press stated in Saturdays edition. In contrast, NDP press secretary Rachel Morgan told the Free Press Monday Marcelino was informed sometime in November.

Morgan blamed an error in communication between the reporter and Marcelino for the information printed in the Free Press Saturday.

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @kristinannable
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/12/2016 (2145 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Pallisters staff say extended trips to his holiday home in Costa Rica do not prevent him from leading the province, but the Opposition NDP argues a premier who refused to raise the minimum wage shouldnt feel entitled to a two-month vacation.

In a year-end interview with the Free Press last week, Manitobas premier revealed he will be spending Christmas at his vacation home in the Central American country and plans to continue to spend six to eight weeks there over the course of a year.

I hope we can continue to do that because I work about 60 hours a week when I am here and I work when I am there, too, Pallister said. The time I dont get with my family when I am here is lost forever and I need some time with my kids.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Brian Pallister in his office for a year-end interview with the Free Press.

Pallister and his wife Esther have two adult daughters.

The NDP attacked Pallisters travel plans, arguing his extended time away from the province suggests his priorities are not with Manitobans. New Democrat caucus chair Rob Altemeyer pointed to the Progressive Conservatives decision in the recent budget not to raise the minimum wage.

There is nothing wrong with taking a vacation, even in far-flung locations  but spending months at a time out of the country suggests that Manitoba families are not Pallisters top priorities, Altemeyer said in a prepared statement.

Families need to know that the premier is here at home, working for Manitobans. Important events require the premiers attention every day  whether its negotiating a national climate change accord or fighting a flood or forest fire, the priorities of Manitoba families must come first.

The NDP also pointed out that from 2012 to the 2016 election, former premier Greg Selinger only took about 50 days vacation at his cottage in total.

In contrast, a media report during the 2016 provincial election campaign revealed Pallister spent roughly one in five days during his time as Opposition Leader in Costa Rica. It also revealed, citing travel records released by the Costa Rican General Migrations and Foreign Citizens Bureau, he was in Costa Rica during the height of the flood along the Assiniboine River in 2014.

A report by the Costa Rica Star later showed Pallister owns several parcels of land, through a holding company, in a highly sought-after coastal area of Costa Rica. The parcels, totalling 13.26 acres, have a taxable value of US$134,000, although the newspaper notes that is likely a fraction of its commercial value.

Olivia Baldwin-Valainis, the premiers director of communications, said there are measures in place to ensure Pallister can be reached while out of the country and there are ministers who can help govern the province.

When the Premier is away, there is in place a ministerial rotation to ensure continuous oversight on the business of governing. Measures are in place to ensure regular communication with the Premier, including necessary briefings on urgent or emergent topics, she said in a prepared statement.

The Free Press asked if Pallister was in the country Monday, but Baldwin-Valainis did not answer. She did, however, point to Mondays meeting with the health and finance ministers in Ottawa as proof government business can continue in his absence.

Today provides an example of these arrangements, while Manitobas health and finance Ministers are in Ottawa fighting for a fair health funding partnership with the federal government, she said.

Premier Pallister has been in regular contact with Ministers and senior government staff throughout the day and has participated in dialogue with his counterparts from across the country on this important topic.

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @kristinannable
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/12/2016 (2144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A judge has determined there is sufficient evidence for the parents of a Peguis First Nation toddler who died of trauma-related injuries to go to trial.

Vanessa Bushie is charged with second-degree murder, and her former partner, Daniel Williams, is charged with manslaughter in the July 2014 death of their 21-month-old daughter Kierra Elektra Star Williams. Both parents are charged with failing to provide necessities of life to Kierra, who was also malnourished.

After hearing seven days of testimony from medical professionals, police, social workers and relatives of the parents at a preliminary hearing, provincial court Judge Kael McKenzie ruled Tuesday there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to a jury trial. No date has been set.

Kierra Elektra Star Williams

Kierra had spent time in foster care, but was returned to her parents before her death.

Evidence presented at the preliminary hearing cant be published under a publication ban meant to protect her parents right to a fair trial.

The case has often been compared to that of Phoenix Sinclair, a five-year-old girl from Fisher River Cree Nation who was murdered by her mother and her mothers boyfriend in 2005 after being returned to their care by social workers. Her death prompted a public inquiry and led to several recommendations to reform the child-welfare system, some of which have yet to be implemented.

Kierra died on July 17, 2014, but few details about her death have been publicly released.

Her mother was arrested and charged with second-degree murder on Jan. 20, 2015, after the girls death was ruled a homicide.

Details released in court Tuesday indicate Bushie grew up in a loving home with both of her parents. She wasnt exposed to alcoholism and had a very good upbringing, her lawyer Mike Cook said.

Her father, Alfred Bushie, was killed in a homicide on Bloodvein First Nation in 1994, and no one was ever convicted in his death. His death greatly affected Bushie, Cook said.

Bushie, 38, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a criminal charge of breaching a recognizance and was sentenced to 30 days in jail for breaking the rules at the Elizabeth Fry Society, where she was required to live after her release on bail in April 2016.

She was sent back to pre-trial custody in October after society staff considered her behaviour manipulative and dishonest, Crown attorney Kyle Parker told court.

On one occasion, in violation of the organizations rules and despite warnings from staff, Bushie refused to lock the facilitys door. Another time, she cried wolf over a lack of food and got her bail worker to take her to the store, where she bought Pepsi and cigarettes. When staff was gathering her belongings in preparation for her to be sent back to jail, they found marijuana, court heard.

Bushie was prohibited from using alcohol and drugs after she was convicted in 2005 on two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm. Shed been subsequently convicted of breaking that court order, and was also convicted of assault in 2008. A second breach charge relating to the seized marijuana was stayed by the Crown Tuesday.

Cook said Bushie was taking responsibility for breaking the rules, but said she felt a bit let down by the society, which runs a bail program for women, because she said she wasnt always given her heart medication.

Williams has no criminal record.

They are both presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A Mountie escorts Vanessa Bushie into the community hall at Peguis First Nation for her preliminary hearing Monday. She is accused in the death of her young daughter, Kierra.

Charges against Kierras sister, Jasmine Bushie, 23, were dropped earlier this month.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Regulator TRAIs suggestion of a government-funded scheme to provide 100 MB free data per month to rural consumers is "critical" in view of demonetisation, and it can act as an effective mechanism for bridging digital divide, IT industry body Nasscom said today.

On TRAIs recommendation on allowing third party `aggregators to provide free data in a non-discriminatory manner, Nasscom said that much would depend on the modalities of the registration process for such entities.

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"There is a realisation that for digital inclusion to become a reality in India, there is a need to provide some free data. The recommendation of free data in rural areas is critical in view of demonetisation and it will be an enabling mechanism for bridging digital divide," Bishakha Bhattacharya, Senior Director of Policy at Nasscom said.

Telecom regulator TRAI yesterday mooted government-funding for provisioning of around 100 MB free data per month for rural consumers. TRAI suggested that the cost of implementation of the scheme may be met from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)-- which is meant to promote telecom services in rural areas. Under USOF, the government charges a cess in the form of Universal Access Levy, from telecom licencees to fund setting up of telecom infrastructure in all uncovered rural and remote areas of the country.

"We have been saying that if you allow people to use data, they will realise how important it is. The utility of data services will be demonstrated to the first-time users," Bhattacharya pointed out.

TRAI has also favoured an `aggregator model of providing data credit in subscribers account as reward if the same is structured in a manner that is open and non-discriminatory.

TRAI has said that the aggregators providing free data service will need to register with the Department of Telecom and it should be a company registered under the Companies Act. The validity of registration shall be five years.

"The devil lies in the details...We would like to see the modalites for third-party aggregator in terms of registration rules, reasons for rejection, if any, and transparency mechanism put in place for the process. We would like to see more clarity on that," she said. PTI MBI MR

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Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/12/2016 (2144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On Dec. 12, housing and anti-poverty advocates gathered to recognize Clark Brownlee, a local activist who retired after a long engagement with social justice and policy advocacy. It was a much-needed reminder there is still good in the world.

It has been difficult not to lose faith in humanity in a world where millions of people recently saw fit to elect Donald Trump as leader of the United States.

Many Canadians are watching in horror as a new political era begins to take shape south of the border. Its not just the United States that has seemingly gone mad. Racism in politics is rampant in Europe and Kelly Leitch has shown us Canada is not immune. In her bid for leadership of the Conservative party, Leitch has been vocal about her support for Trump and has pitched a number of racist policy proposals. She is currently a frontrunner.

So yes, it is hard to be hopeful at a time when hate and fear of the other seems to be inspiring a disturbing number of voters.

There are, however, glimmers of hope. Resistance continues to grow in the U.S. as Americans try to make sense of their new reality. The powerful demonstration of support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its resistance against the Dakota Access Pipeline shows a growing number of people are deeply concerned about the environment and are fighting back against big oil.

There is hope at home, too. Indigenous people are leading the resistance against pipeline expansion in Canada. Young activists such as 12-year old Autumn Pelletier from Wikwemikong First Nation are joining their parents and grandparents as they fight to protect our water.

In Manitoba, there are a growing number of young people engaged in social, environmental and economic justice issues. There are also those, such as Brownlee, who have dedicated their lives to justice and are rarely recognized for their work. Brownlee is a founding member of Manitobas Right to Housing Coalition. He retired after volunteering for 15 years as its co-ordinator.

This wasnt Brownlees first retirement. He practised as a social worker in Winnipeg for many years. After retiring in 2003, he chose to dedicate much of his time to advocate for housing for low-income people. His passion for social justice dates back to his early days as a social work student.

In their book, One Hundred Years of Social Work : A History of the Profession in English Canada, 1900-2000, Therese Jennissen and Colleen Lundy identified Brownlee as one of a small minority of social workers taking a public stand to bring about social change in the 1960s. They quoted from a statement Brownlee wrote in 1969, as a member of the Manitoba Association of Social Work Social Action Committee: Social action is an integral, not an optional, part of our professional responsibility. Aside from the agency efforts at social action, our professional association has a role to play in the total decision-making process of our community.

More than 45 years later, Brownlee remains committed to social justice. And the formula he described in 1969 remains relevant today. Through his work with the Right to Housing Coalition, he has demonstrated policy advocacy can have an impact, but it requires solid research, strategic planning, discipline and effective timing.

Thanks to Brownlee and the Right to Housing Coalition, hundreds more Manitoba families now have safe and affordable housing.

The coalition has been diligent and disciplined in its advocacy efforts to ensure more social housing is built and the existing supply is refurbished and maintained. It successfully lobbied the previous provincial government to focus on some clear social-housing targets and timelines.

To its credit, the NDP government met those targets. In collaboration with Make Poverty History Manitoba, and proponents of the community-driven View From Here: Manitobans Call for a Poverty Reduction Plan, the Right to Housing Coalition lobbied the NDP government to increase income supports for low-income earners renting in the private sector.

The NDP government responded with the Rent Assist program.

None of these changes would have happened if not for the advocacy efforts of social justice policy advocates, including Brownlee. We still dont have enough housing for everyone who needs it, and far too many people continue to struggle to pay their rent.

We have, however, made small gains as a result of this work.

It is difficult for progressives to be optimistic and, for those of us who enjoy middle-class lives, it would be easy to retreat. Brownlee is an inspiring example of someone who does not retreat  he has remained dedicated to making the world a better place.

People such as Brownlee dont get a lot of public attention, mainly because they dont seek it. They are going about the slow and tedious work of policy advocacy quietly and humbly. Its time-consuming, tedious work and all too often the only gratification comes from knowing you tried your best.

For the many lifelong social-justice advocates such as Brownlee, none of this matters. They do it because they believe it is the right thing to do.

During this Christmas season, at a time of political chaos around the globe, stories about people like Brownlee should be shared. We need them to restore our faith in humanity.

Shauna MacKinnon is associate professor in the department of urban and inner city studies at the University of Winnipeg.
Months after its first attempt, the Winona YMCA on Monday achieved a major step toward selling its current building and moving to a planned building near Winona Health.

The Winona City Council, with council member Michelle Alexander absent, unanimously approved a motion to change the citys comprehensive plan designation for the YMCAs property from Traditional Neighborhood to Downtown Fringe. The designation will allow the YMCA to market the property to a broader range of potential developers.

The Winona Planning Commission had recommend approval for the request in mid-November.

The YMCA failed in its first attempt to change the plan in May, primarily due to backlash to a proposal to have Kwik Trip donate the cost to purchase and demolish the building, then build a convenience store at the location. Kwik Trip is no longer involved in any of the plans.

The YMCA would still have to return to the commission and council to request a zoning change, which by the language included in the request by city staff cannot happen until after the zoning code is updated, a process thats been ongoing at the planning commission level.

Derek Madsen, YMCA CEO, said the compromise was appropriate, and that the YMCA staff and board appreciated the support of the city and many neighbors in what he described as a critical component for the campaign.

This is a very important step to indicate to buyers that the YMCA property is open for redevelopment, Madsen said.

City staff cited several reasons for recommending the approval of the request, including that there is Downtown Fringe-designated property adjacent to the YMCA, that the area serves as an appropriate transition from downtown to residential neighborhoods, and the interstate bridge project has dramatically changed much of the areas character, including by removing a number of residential properties.

The original YMCA building was constructed in the early 1950s and subject to multiple major renovations over the years, the latest coming in the early 1990s. YMCA leadership for years has pursued efforts to develop a new facility in a different location, given the aging facilities, the increased traffic in the area, and a renewed dedication to collaborative, community-based wellness programming that comes with an associated need for a newly designed space.

This is appropriate so they can continue to contribute to our community and take the next step in their development, said council member Al Thurley.

The YMCAs plans to move to a location next to Winona Health were announced in spring after years of planning, during which the YMCA has negotiated, but without success, with multiple parties over potentially purchasing the building and land.

The YMCA has raised about $8.3 million so far toward the $13 million goal, and are hoping the sale of the building and property will provide a significant percentage of the remaining money it needs to raise. The current building, built in 1953, was put up for public sale in September for $1.25 million.

The YMCA has been trying to find a buyer that would cooperate, as Kwik Trip had agreed to, with letting the YMCA operate until the new site is open and ready for use, as well as to demolish the building at its own cost, giving the community nonprofit the best return on its money.

The planned new facility, which doesnt yet have completed renderings or designs, would sit between Lake Winona, Dairy Queen and the former Wells Fargo building on acreage owned by Winona Health.
The National Judicial College has awarded retired Winona County Circuit Court judge Dennis A. Challeen with its annual award for outstanding Teaching Excellence.

The National Judicial College, located on the campus of the University of Nevada, trains state judges from throughout the United States and many English speaking countries. More than 100,000 men and women have participated in judicial education courses since the college was founded in 1963.

Judge Challeen has been a guest visiting faculty member at the college for 33 years, teaching the philosophy of sentencing and the criminal mind. He has authored five books on criminal justice and presented judicial education programs in 42 states.
A Reedsburg man faces felony charges for injuring two people by drunken driving in a rollover crash last week.

According to the criminal complaint, 43-year-old Kevin Robert Swanson rear-ended a car with his sport utility vehicle the afternoon of Dec. 13 while heading east along State Highway 33.

The rear-ended car rolled three times and came to rest in a field about 100 feet from the road, authorities say.

A Sauk County Sheriffs Department deputy who responded to the scene reported seeing a woman walking away from the car holding a small child. She also was holding the hand of another small child.

All three were transferred to the Reedsburg Area Medical Center for treatment, and the woman was later flown to University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison.

According to the complaint, the woman told the deputy that her car had been struck from behind by another vehicle. However, an additional attempt to interview her was not possible because she required a tube in her throat to assist her airway.

Hospital staff reported that the woman had suffered a head injury, neck injury, and an airway injury.

Another deputy who interviewed Swanson at the scene reported that he nodded off as she was speaking. Swansons breath reeked of alcohol, his speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot and glossy, the deputy reported.

Swanson allegedly told the deputy he only had two beers. He also agreed to take a preliminary breath test that suggested his blood alcohol content was 0.28, more than three times the legal limit.

A doctor told authorities the female driver of the car suffered a lacerated neck injury from the seat belt and was on life support measures. One of the children in the vehicle had multiple scratches and abrasions on his face, and had a skin tear in the middle of his forehead at the hairline, according to the complaint.

Swanson has been jailed on a $2,500 cash bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 26.
The Sauk County Board may decide tonight whether to pursue solar energy for three county buildings.

The boards agenda includes a resolution to authorize a contract with Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction Inc. of Appleton for the design, planning, and execution of a third-party solar installation.

If a contract is approved, the firm would help the county find and negotiate a contract with a third-party vendor to install solar panels at the Sauk County Law Enforcement Center and Highway Department, both in Baraboo, and the Sauk County Health Care Center in Reedsburg.

The deal with Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction would cost taxpayers $118,688. But the hope is that the county can recoup that up-front cost  and possibly more  over the life of the project through energy savings.

We are not going to do this unless this thing is locked up tight to save us money, said Supervisor Scott Von Asten of Baraboo, who chairs the boards Property and Insurance Committee.

He said the resolution under consideration tonight would only authorize county officials to negotiate a contract with the Appleton firm. Once a contract has been negotiated, the board would have an opportunity to consider it for final approval at a future meeting.

That Property and Insurance Committee has been pursuing the solar energy project for more than a year. Under third-party financing, a private company would finance solar installations, which would qualify that firm for a federal tax incentive that isnt available to local governments.

Under such deals, the third-party vendor can write off depreciation of the solar panels, and they typically offer their local government partner an opportunity to purchase the equipment at a reduced cost at some point in the future.

Money for the project has been set aside in the countys 2017 budget. A representative of Hoffman Planning, Design & Construction could not be reached for comment before press time Monday.

Coordinator process

During a portion of tonights meeting set aside for reports, Sauk County Board Chair Marty Krueger of Reedsburg is slated to discuss the administrative coordinator process. The board approved a separation agreement between the county and Sauk County Administrative Coordinator Renae Fry in November.

Terms of the agreement, which was obtained by the Baraboo News Republic, entitle Fry to nearly $135,000 over the course of a year. Fry was hired in March after the county paid an Appleton firm, Moffett and Associates LLC, nearly $24,000 to find qualified candidates.

The county has confirmed that a list of complaints against Fry was used in connection with Frys six-month performance appraisal. The newspaper requested that list, as well as other documents related to the employment dispute, on Nov. 4, but has not yet received a copy.

Sauk County Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman initially denied the newspapers request, but has since agreed to reconsider.

Frys predecessor, Interim Administrative Coordinator Brentt Michalek, also signed a separation agreement with the county in June in which he was paid nearly $25,000 to resign.

The agreements with Fry and Michalek make it difficult to determine the true cause of their dismissals, because they put in place gag orders on the parties involved.

One supervisor has called for an independent inquiry into the matter. But Krueger has not yet said whether he will agree to schedule that topic for discussion.

Also tonight, the board is slated to consider a resolution that encourages a sustainable solution to the states transportation funding problem.
Volunteers will prepare enough food to feed more than 200 guests during the annual Baraboo Area Community Christmas Dinner on Sunday.

This year will mark the 13th anniversary of the Christmas feast, which once again will be held at First United Methodist Church in Baraboo. Organizers invite the entire community to enjoy a free, home-cooked Christmas dinner.

We have larger families who attend all together, we have individuals who come  people who come with their friends, said Keri Olson, a publicist and longtime volunteer for the event. Everyone is welcome.

Guests are encouraged to eat at the church, but takeout and delivery options will be offered as well.

The dinner is made possible through the combined effort of many churches, charitable groups and individual volunteers who donate time, food and money.

Almost all of the food is donated, Olson said. That means that people bake Christmas cookies and bring them as part of the dessert, or they go out and buy a pie at the grocery store to donate.

The hot, home-cooked meal also will feature turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salads, a host of other desserts and beverages.

The meal is absolutely delicious, Olson said. It is a homemade Christmas feast.

Volunteers are encouraged to donate additional salads, desserts, turkeys and hams. Leftover food will be distributed to local shelters and food pantries.

Judy Ellington coordinated this years dinner and has helped out with the event since it began. She said preparations already have begun with grocery shopping, finding volunteers and securinwg donations.

Its making a list and checking it twice, and then doing the purchasing, she said.

While there is no cost for the meal, a freewill offering will be accepted during the event to help cover expenses.

Olson said being able to serve others at the dinner has given extra meaning to the holiday season for her and the many others who volunteer each year.

Weve all kind of become each others Christmas family, she said.

Ellington said her favorite part of the event is experiencing the joy that comes with fellowship and helping others.

Its that camaraderie, she said. Its the joyous atmosphere of being together and enjoying each others company.

Volunteers are so willing to extend themselves to make a contribution in any way they can.

Those interested in attending can make reservations by calling First United Methodist Church at 608-356-3991. To donate time or food for the dinner, contact the church at 608-356-3991 or Judy Ellington at 608-356-5495.
A proposal to increase vehicle registration fees to pay for local road work is gaining traction in Baraboo.

A wheel tax met with gridlock during two previous discussions, but the City Councils Public Safety Committee said Monday something must be done to fund needed street repairs. Several Wisconsin municipalities enforce a fee on top of the standard state vehicle registration fee  typically $10 to $20 per vehicle  to pay for transportation infrastructure.

We need to take a hard look at that, said Alderman Phil Wedekind. Weve got to put more money into those roads if were going to keep up.

Aldermen who previously expressed skepticism about a wheel tax took a U-turn Monday. Theyll ask the entire council to discuss the idea next month and map out the next steps. These could include conducting a community poll, holding a public hearing or creating an ad hoc committee featuring citizens.

We need to do something, said Mayor Mike Palm. The question is, what do we do?

In recent years, the city has borrowed $450,000 per year for street work. But it now faces Lake Street repairs that could cost more than $700,000  along with other projects.

How are you going to do that without having to bond at a much higher level? Palm said. We cant keep doing that.

Twelve cities and four counties enforce a wheel tax, with a handful  including nearby Portage  enacting them within the past year. Its increasing in popularity, said City Engineer Tom Pinion.

If the city were to enact a $10 annual vehicle registration fee, it would generate $150,000 per year for road work. A $20 fee would generate $300,000.

The detriment is adding to drivers financial burden. It certainly affects the citizens of the city of Baraboo, Pinion said. Putting fees onto people isnt something to be taken lightly.

Alderman Tom Kolb said not all citizens can afford fee increases. Were pricing people right out of their homes, he said.

Committee members expressed frustration that the Legislature hasnt budgeted adequate money for road repairs, forcing local communities to explore alternative funding options like the wheel tax.

Its a very difficult situation for all of us, said Palm, who testified at a recent legislative hearing in Madison on transportation needs.

The state has created this problem, and were supposed to do cartwheels to do what they should be doing, Kolb said. That makes me angry.

Kolb didnt object to forwarding the matter to the full council. He said the public needs to understand the jam the citys in, as it balances taxpayers financial concerns with the communitys need for navigable streets, as well as the states lack of investment. I think people need to hear that, he said.

The full council will discuss the matter during one of its two January meetings.
Tripathi minced no words to say that Mamata Banerjee's allegations on Army, an esteemed institution, was in bad taste and would go down to demoralise the men in uniform, who protect our country.

Tripathi was referring to the allegations Mamata had levelled against the Army when they were carrying out a routine exercise at the toll plazas of the state.

This was the time when Modi-Mamata spat reached a crescendo and Mamata held the Modi-led government responsible for every problem and difficulty she faced, be it the delayed landing of her Indigo flight or the Centre seeking revenue statements of some of the departmental activities of the government.

Tripathi's comment raised the expected reaction. Mamata rubbished him and said that the Governor's comment had no significance since he was out of town and was not in the knowledge of things. There was no further comment from the Governor's side but the fact that all was not hunky dory between the governor and the chief minister needed no speculation.

Now, the decision to keep out Tripathi from the programme of the state assembly is likely to give the row a new dimension. Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee, has been asked to inaugurate the flower show. When questioned, Speaker, Biman Banerjee, who happens to be the chief patron of the programme dodged a clear cut answer and said not to read too much into it.
Beaver Dam retailers of secondhand items will need to record the items they receive in an online system under an ordinance being considered by the city.

Beaver Dam Common Council had a first reading on amending an ordinance that would require pawnbrokers, secondhand article and jewelry dealers to log items in a database accessible by Beaver Dam Police Department.

We want to connect suspects with thefts, Beaver Dam Police Chief John Kreuziger said during the Administration Committee meeting.

The potential ordinance will require these types of dealers to log secondhand items into a database called LeadsOnline and to hold on to the secondhand items for police to see if the item(s) are stolen. As part of the service, dealers will have to record the name and phone number of the seller as well. All officers have access to this database.

Kreuziger said over the phone that the potential ordinance is the same as the Dodge County ordinance. The reason being is that, he said, there has been some confusion with pawnbrokers and jewelry dealers in Beaver Dam about if they should follow the county ordinance or the state statue related to the matter.

For the last year, Beaver Dam Police Department has been using LeadsOnline and he says it has been very successful. The database was approved as part of last years police budget. LeadsOnline is also used on a state and national level.

The cost for the service will run the department $2,800 annually, but Kreuziger said that the service will be available to pawnbrokers and jewelry dealers for free. Dealers will be fined an undetermined amount by a municipal judge if they do not upload what they buy in less than 12 hours of the sale.

Kreuziger said that this ordinance has its origins since before a newly formed retail and police group. However, he said he sees that group and this ordinance as a way to curb retail thefts in the area.

Previously, Kreuziger said the retail and police group is meant to open communication with retailers in Beaver Dam. He said retail thefts are the second most common municipal citation.

According to Beaver Dam Police Department monthly reports, from January to September, there have been 110 shoplifting incidents with more than $20,000 worth of merchandise stolen.

The ordinance was forwarded to the common council from the Administrative Committee and it heard its first reading on Monday night. The ordinance will be voted on at the next common council meeting, Jan. 16.
The Juneau County Board honored a pair of retirements and welcomed some new faces during its meeting on Tuesday at the county courthouse.

Christine Bender and Kathleen Kobylski were given special recognition for years of service to the county. Bender, the countys register of deeds since 1997, will retire on Dec. 31. Kobylski, Juneau Countys clerk for 18 years, is also retiring at the end of the year. Rep. Ed Brooks, R-Reedsburg, presented state recognition plaques to Bender and Kobylski.

Bender began working in the register of deeds office in 1979 and became deputy register of deeds in 1981 before being promoted to the top spot. In 99, Bender implemented a tract index and imaging system and in 2009, added an online program for public access to real estate records.

After being presented with a plaque from the county, Bender thanked the board.

For the past 37 years, this has been my home away from home, Bender said. Im just thankful Ive been able to serve you, as well as the constituents of this county. I know things are going to be in good hands with my successor.

Kobylski served on the county board for 10 years before becoming clerk. As clerk, she has handled many local, state and federal elections. In the resolution recognizing her service, it stated Kobylski has handled elections flawlessly, despite recent changes in voting systems. During county board meetings, Kobylski presented resolutions and took roll call votes before each resolution was passed.

Thank you for helping me out through all these years, said Board Chairman Alan Peterson, before hugging Kobylski.

Board member Scott Wilhorn also presented Kobylski with an honor from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for her work as the countys emergency fire warden.

Thank you to all the voters who have allowed me to serve them for these 18 years, its been a pleasure, Kobylski said. Juneau County is lucky to have such good county employees. Not every county can say that.

Kobylski wished her successor, Teri Wafle-Treptow, good luck as she begins her term on Jan. 3. Board members and others in attendance gave Kobylski a standing ovation and some had tears in their eyes as she walked back to her post next to Peterson.

The board also welcomed Amber Jerdee as the newest employee in the countys auditing department. Assistant Finance Director Katie Steinke said shes excited for Jerdee to join the department.

Highway maintenance worker approved

The board decided to approve several positions, including a highway maintenance worker, after denying the request at a previous meeting.

Referred to the board by the countys executive committee, the maintenance worker would receive just over $20 per hour. Highway Commissioner Dennis Weiss said the position is sorely needed after the public works department lost one employee to retirement and another to a different position. Weiss also said two workers are having surgery, which will pose problems for scheduling.

Board member Jerry Niles, who was against adding the position, had a change of heart after realizing it could be useful for the county. The position could be up for review in six months.

Also on Tuesday, the board approved a registered nurse position for the public health department, along with an intake/records clerk (human services), site manager (aging unit) and clerk typist II for the coroner.

After some discussion, the board approved two positions for the department of human services, a comprehensive community services facilitator (CSS) and a social worker for the Children, Youth and Families Unit. The CSS position, costing $61,085 per year in wages and benefits, will be funded by federal medical assistance and state subsidies. The new social worker position will cost the same amount, but will not be funded by state and federal aid.

Human Services Director Scott Ethun said the social worker position should save the county money by working to reduce the amount of children in foster care.

Weve done a study on this, and it costs a substantial amount to have a child in foster care, Ethun said.

Board member Tim Cottingham said he wants to see the county take a proactive approach, spending money to fill the position and reduce foster care, instead of incurring larger costs in the future.

Land sales generate

big bucks

The county approved land sales of 12 delinquent properties on Tuesday, placing more than $167,000 back on the county tax roll.

Whole some properties generated small bid amounts, Peterson said it feels good have them sold and in use. Peterson said the county received bids on these parcels of land from across the state. The sales also allow the county to clean up aging buildings that have been neglected, such as a condemned house in Elroy. Peterson said the house could be razed.
A top official of the University of Wisconsin-Extension is scheduled to address the Columbia County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday on a topic thats been at the forefront of county discussion for the last year  the future of Extension in the wake of a $3.6 million statewide budget cut.

Aaron Brower, provost and vice chancellor for UW-Extension, is listed first in the communications section of the County Boards agenda, for the meeting that starts at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday in the County Boards meeting room, the Branch 1 courtroom on the courthouses second floor.

Officials in Columbia and other counties have expressed frustration at the uncertainties surrounding how the budget cut  which will result in the loss of about 80 Extension positions statewide  will be implemented, and what it will mean for staffing and Extension programs in individual counties.

The Extension cut is part of a $250 million reduction in funding for the University of Wisconsin System, which was part of the states 2015-17 biennial budget.

The proposal on the table, called nEXT Generation, calls for continuing an Extension presence in all 72 counties, rather than regionalizing Extension services, as has been done in other states.

But for administrative purposes, the proposal calls for grouping all but the states most populous counties into multi-county groups. Under this scenario, Columbia County would be grouped with Dodge, Sauk and Fond du Lac counties.

The question of how many people might be working in each individual county has particular relevance to Columbia County, because its new three-story Administration Building is due to open this summer, and the Extension offices, on the second floor, were designed to accommodate the existing Columbia County staff.

At Wednesdays winter meeting of the Columbia County Corn Growers in Columbus, UW-Extension Columbia County Agricultural Agent George Koepp told more than 80 attendees, mostly farmers, that Extension officials expect to have some fuzzy broad-stroke picture of what the reorganization will look like, by Feb. 7.

Implementation of the recommendations is expected to start in April, and changes are expected to be in place by July, Koepp said.

I wish I had all the answers, Koepp told the Corn Growers. I wish I had more answers. But I dont.

Whether Brower will have some of those answers on Wednesday remains to be seen.

But the County Board meeting will be preceded by a traditional annual event of a UW-Extension Columbia County activity  Breakfast With Your Supervisor for the 39 Columbia County high school juniors and seniors who participate in Future Leaders Active in Government.

At 8 a.m., the students will sit with their supervisors (including, in some cases, supervisors from neighboring counties) and ask them about county government.

Also at Wednesdays meeting, UW-Extension Family Living Educator Patti Herman will be among the eight county employees who will be recognized as they retire.

Other retirees include Dawn Barden, Solid Waste Department; Kim Bauer, Columbia Health Care Center; Cindy Devine, Accounting; Susan Runnion, Planning and Zoning; Barb Salna, Health and Human Services; Leonard Schlender, CHCC; and Fred Taylor, Highway.

Also on the County Boards agenda Wednesday:

Adoption of updates to the countys ethics ordinance, which was delayed from November to address questions posed by Supervisor Bruce Rashke of the town of Wyocena.

Ratification of a contract between the county and the 35 sworn Columbia County Sheriffs Office deputies, who are represented by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. The contract, as approved by the deputies, calls for no across-the-board pay increase, but an addition of longevity-based steps, which will result in a raise for some members.

Collecting of county officials annual conflict of interest statements.

A report from the Ad Hoc Building Committee.
There are just a few days left until Christmas. For those still struggling to find the perfect gift for a loved one, friend or hostess, a few Sauk Prairie area businesses have suggestions about what to give those for whom it may be difficult to shop.

Wollersheim Winery

For wine and spirits lovers, nothing says Wisconsin like a bottle of River Gold wine or Press House brandy. Wollersheim Winery and Distillery offers gift boxes for wine, spirits or a mixture of both, said co-owner Julie Coquard. With more than 20 different wines and brandy, gin and absinthe from which to choose, theres something for everyones taste.

Its something you can customize according to the person and that people can enjoy for all types of occasions, Coquard said. Besides alcohol, which can make a great hostess gift, she said, Wollersheim also offers a variety of gift items to go along with a beverage of choice such as glassware, pottery, aprons, serving trays, wine racks, picnic items, wine chillers, bottle openers, syrups for cocktail mixing and more.

We also have barrel furniture made right here at the winery, barrel grilling chips and apparel, said distillery retail manager Courtney Jones.

The Sweet Country Life

For those looking for something a little whimsical or collectible, The Sweet Country Life just might be able to help. The home-inspired store offers not only farmhouse and primitive furniture but also home decor and gifts. Owner Rachel Ramsey said she offers gifts such as ornaments, whimsical snowmen, lighted wine bottles and an array of little stocking stuffer ideas for just about anyone.

We also have hand-knitted mittens and headbands which are great this time of year, Ramsey said. We offer a lot of cute and homey furniture and decorative items for the home, too.

Decorative trays, different Wisconsin-themed signs, wreaths, candles soaps and other scent-pleasing items are big sellers at her store as well.

Wyttenbach Meats

We have gift boxes that can be customized or that feature our award-winning sausages, said Ginny Wyttenbach, of Wyttenbach Meats.

The store also offers many local products that can pair with its locally produced meat, such as cheeses, jams, coffees and more.

I think people like to know their products are local and fresh, and its kind of unique, Wyttenbach said of giving food as a gift. And you dont need to know the persons size or interest to get a gift box like this.

ACE Hardware

Most everyone knows they can get a handyman or handywoman a set of tools, a tool box or other fix-it type gift at ACE Hardware, but the store sells many other kinds of gifts as well.

ACE buyer and inventory manager Bonnie Kehl said the business sells floral arrangements and plants at Rivers Edge Floral inside ACE, and gifts for Badgers and Packers fan as well.

We are selling a lot of Yeti thermal mugs  those are quite popular right now  they keep things hot or cold for hours, Kehl said. We also have some great new Wisconsin signs and signs that are unique to Sauk City and Prairie du Sac, with their latitude and longitude numbers on them.

ACE also offers a variety of gift items for animal lovers, picture frames, Yankee Candle Co. candles, high-end as well as basic candy and toys, puzzles and games.

We offer a variety of items in a lot of niches, Kehl said. A lot of people know you can buy hardware at ACE, but if you dont get to the other side of the store, you might not know we carry gifts, too.
By PTI: Nainital, Dec 20 (PTI) To check devastating forest fires, Uttarakhand High Court has issued a slew guidelines including ban on construction in 10 km area around the Corbett National Park and other protected areas, even as it directed the Centre to formulate National Forest Policy within next three months.

A division bench of justices Rajeev Sharma and Alok Singh, which was hearing a PIL on forest fires in the hill state, ordered employing 10,000 fire watchers in the coming year to curb incidents of forest fires

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The court directed that an area of 10 km around Corbett National Park and such other parks be declared as eco-sensitive zone and no construction be allowed there.

It directed the Gujjar peoplestaying in the forest areas to vacate the land.

"The state government is directed to formulate a policy to compensate the farmers who suffered loss due to forest fires," the court said in its order yesterday.

It alsoordered erection of a stone wall around Corbett Park, provision of fire proof dress to fire fighter forest employees, and stern action against DFO, Conservator and other officials in case fire is not controlled within stipulated time.

In addition, the court also gave various directions to preserve wildlife in Uttarakhand.

The bench said that in the year 2016 itself 922 forest fires were reported which ruined flora and fauna across 1890.75 hectares of land.

It was argued that not only do these fires threaten human life but are also a threat to wildlife as well as the environment.

To combat the problem, the court directed the Union of India to formulate National Forest Policy within the next three months.

Such policy must be directed towards forest management, conservation and increase in forest cover, it said.

The court directed that no animal, be it tiger, leopard or panther, can be declared maneater within the state of Uttarakhand.

The decision to whether an animal is a threat to human life will be taken by a high powered committee comprising Principal Secretary and Principal Chief Conservator of forest.

"Even then no pictures of the body of the animal will be released to the media. Nor must a local hunter be engaged to kill any animal," the court said.

If an animal is captured, it must be returned to its natural habitat, it said.

The Railway has been directed to dig up trenches around electric poles and insulate the same so as to prevent animals from being electrocuted. PTI CORR RT

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Double GCRO vignette on #FeesMustFall

The Gauteng City-Region Observatory provides a brief account on the recent #FeesMustFall protests on South African campuses and the many issues it raised.

These issues include: the alienation and marginalisation felt by African students, reflected in calls for decolonisation; students class position in society and whether the fiscus should or shouldnt carry all the costs of their higher degrees; and whether either the confrontational protest tactics, or the militarisation of campuses, are justified. In the whirlwind of public debate there have been many opinions but few facts. Through a double vignette GCRO mines its 2015 Quality of Life Survey for insights into the life circumstances and attitudes of 1 493 respondents identifiable as students in Gauteng.

In QoL 2015 a respondent is a student if they say: Their most frequent trip is to a place of study | they are not looking for work because they are a school pupil or full time student | their highest level of education is matric or more (excludes school pupils).

GCRO #FeesMustFall - double vignette

Vignette 31

#FeesMustFall 1  multiple axes of inequality

In this vignette we consider two axes of inequality at issue in the #FeesMustFall protests. First, calls for decolonisation give voice to a deeply felt sense of disadvantage by many students relative to their historically more privileged peers. Is this perception of inequality  of structural violence by the academy itself  valid? Second, to call for free higher education is to demand dramatic re-prioritisation of limited public resources. Is it legitimate to stake this claim given the current social position and future opportunities of those benefiting from higher-education, as well as the many unmet development needs of the poorest?

Vignette 32

#FeesMustFall 2  the missing middle and the top 2%

This vignette provides a breakdown of students in Gauteng by income. It shows that only 2% of students are from households earning above R600 000 a year. About 20% of students belong to the so-called missing middle, while three quarters are eligible for NSFAS funding. Whereas the top 2% are generally better off than all other students (e.g. less likely to have debt or be worried), the missing middle have much in common with NSFAS-eligible students. Students from the missing middle are the least likely to have participated in protests.
By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Dec 20 (PTI) In a setback to Indian travellers, the Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, has withdrawn the visa-free facility for Indians and they will now have to complete a pre-arrival registration from January.

"The Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals will be implemented on January 23, 2017. The online service for Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals is now opened," the Hong Kong immigration department said in an announcement on its official website.

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"Indian nationals must apply for and successfully complete pre-arrival registration online before they can visit or transit the HKSAR visa-free (if seeking to enter the HKSAR during transit). Pre-arrival registration is not required for Indian nationals in direct transit by air and not leaving the airport transit area," it said.

This is a major set back for over half a million Indians who visit the former British colony for business, trade and holidays.

Till now Hong Kong, which is now a Special Administrative Region of China, has permitted Indians to enter with valid passport for a period up to 14 days without a visa. But the facility has been withdrawn despite representations from India ostensibly on the ground that the number of Indian asylum seekers was on the rise, official sources told PTI here.

Indian officials say that Hong Kong is using the asylum seekers as pretext to deny the visa free entry to Indians who are one of the largest spenders contributing the local economy.

There is also concern whether the move is being brought about by Hong Kong due to pressure from China.

Hong Kong?s Immigration department assistant director Ma Chi-ming has been quoted by South China Morning Post as saying that Indian visitors should not enter fake data to try to enhance their chance of entering Hong Kong to seek economic asylum as they would bear legal consequences.

Ma, in-charge of visas and policies, said the measure would be reviewed soon after its launch and considered a pilot scheme.

"We picked India as a testing point as it was one of the major source countries," he said. "We do not rule out extending the scheme to other countries in the future."

Among the current backlog of 10,335 refugee applications in the city, 80 per cent are claimants from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia, he said.

Except for India, other countries nationals including those from Pakistan needed visas to enter Hong Kong.

Indian officials say that Hong Kong has become attractive destination for asylum seekers from the sub-continent as it offered facilities for food and stay free of cost until the asylum requests are processed. PTI KJV ZH

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WBS immerses Young Global Leaders in African experience

Wits Business School hosts YGLs for special education module.

For the second time, Wits Business School has joined some of the most elite universities in the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and the National University of Singapore (NUS) in hosting a group of World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders (YGLs) for the four-day module in December.

Under the theme Leading for Transformation, the module introduced 30 dynamic young leaders from around the world to the concept of leadership in the African political and economic context.

Responsibility for designing the programme was entrusted to Director of WBS Executive Education, Devan Naicker, Head of Business Development Deskin Naidoo and Senior Programme Manager Michaela Mahes. WBS was delighted to be able to join other top universities in hosting an education module for YGLs 2016, says Naicker.

We put together a rich and immersive programme which balanced academic content with cultural experiences. The aim was to provide an intense, personal development and learning experience with regards to African societal and leadership opportunities, and practical networks for developing vital links between Africa and the rest of the world.

The young leaders from China, Pakistan, the UK, Singapore, Kenya, Turkey, Nigeria, Norway, Mongolia, Jordan, Mexico, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia and South Africa began their tour with a visit to the Cradle of Humankind followed by a welcome dinner hosted by Wits Vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib at his official residence, Savernake. The group also visited Johannesburgs Maboneng District, the Origins Centre and the Tshimologong Innovation Hub at Wits University, and the Kliptown Youth Programme (KYP).

The YGL Forum is a global community of about 800 enterprising, socially-minded men and women who are under the age of 40 at the time of nomination. Each year, the Forum selects 120 of the worlds most outstanding next-generation leaders based on a proven track record of extraordinary achievement and a deep commitment to positive social impact. Among them are lawyers and academics, social entrepreneurs and business leaders, community activists and entrepreneurs.

The WBS module presented numerous opportunities for public debate, private discussion, self-reflection and interaction with some of Africas thought leaders, including politicians, social activists and business leaders. Among those who addressed the YGLs were Mr Sipho Pityana, Founder and Chairman of Izingwe Holdings, Lindiwe Mazibuko, political activist and former DA MP, Zwelethu Madasa, former advocate of the Supreme Court Advocate, veteran anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, co-founder and CEO of the Awethu Project Jusuf Rees and founder of the African Leadership Academy Frank Swaniker.

The delegates left on the final day of the programme feeling changed, and ready to be a catalyst for change in their communities. The programme was designed to touch on all the delegates senses, and I think that is where much of the success of the programme lies, comments Mahes.

The delegates agreed that the highlight of the tour was their visit to Kliptown where, through KYP co-founder Thulani Madondo and his fellow community leaders, they saw real, transformative leadership in action. KYP provides after-school support for 460 Kliptown children, and has seen 27 students going on to university. So inspired and touched by the experience were the YGLs that they raised R26 000 from their private funds, which was used for a Christmas party for the children of Kliptown.

What really came home to me during the Wits module was that Africa has resilience, and the lessons we have learnt should be shared with the rest of the world  that is an important contribution that we can make, says YGL Vimbayi Kajese from Zimbabwe.

Saudi-Arabian lawyer Sofana Dahlan commented at the close: It was a true honour to go through this experience with all of you.. Africans are really about humanity, generosity, giving and inclusion ... simply Ubuntu". I am truly grateful for the opportunity to see the real beauty of Africa not only from my lens but the lens of each one of you.
Wits scientists pioneer new HIV drugs, delivery

HIV infection remains pandemic in SA but advances in drug treatment and access, led largely by Wits Faculty of Health Sciences researchers, reduce mortality.

Wits alumni Prof. Ian Sanne and Prof. Francois Venter delivered the 14th Prestigious Research Lecture hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits on 29 November 2016.

Sanne is Director of the Clinical HIV Research Unit at Wits and Division Head of the Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office (HERO) at the University. Venter is the Deputy Executive Director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute.

ART a national imperative

The title ART: Do or die was chosen to reflect an imperative that we as clinicians felt 15 years ago  to roll out treatment. HIV is still the most treatable disease. We still see patients presenting at deaths door, starting treatment, having their opportunistic infections diagnosed and treated, and within six months returning to being economically active I think it is one of the most gratifying diseases to treat, says Sanne.

Despite treatment HIV infection persists relentlessly in South Africa. Subsequently a steadily growing portion of the population will require ART. Venter says the context of World AIDS Day is important.

Youve got a mature treatment programme but the HIV problem in SA is still unbelievably high. Weve still got between 700 and 1000 new infections per day and even though thats come right down over the past 20 years, its still catastrophic.

Venter says the South African government will spend US$450 million per year on ART tablets alone.

Thats at unbelievably low prices. A lot of my work now is looking at drugs that are going to halve that cost, says Venter.

Drug developments in treating HIV

Venter is a physician who researches new drugs. Much of his work is about making tablets safer, smaller and cheaper.

Hopefully by 2020 well have a tablet thats smaller than aspirin with almost no side effects  theres no such thing as a drug without side effects.

Their research over the past 15 years has tested just about every ART agent that is registered worldwide in clinical trials.

Our clinical research sites have been involved since phase 1 to phase 4 clinical trials, says Sanne, who is also the international Vice-Chair of the AIDS Clinical Trial Group, the largest network worldwide funded by the National Institute of Health. In this capacity he is responsible for 25 research sites in 13 countries.

Weve shifted the treatment regimens from the first, inexpensive regimens rolled out in 2004, to the current treatment regimens  first line, second line and third line  provided by the public sector.

First, second and third line regimens refer to treatments provided as patients develop resistance to HIV drugs. HIV is a virus constantly mutating and evolving and thus rendering treatment ineffective  hence the necessity for second or third line treatments.

We anticipate that therell be a big shift in treatment regimens within the next three years to replace the current first line regimen. The aim here is to make regimens that are easy to take , once a day, low pill burden, very little toxicity, with robustness to actually prevent drug resistance, says Sanne.

In this regard, Dolutegravir is this new wonder drug which will replace one of the drugs in the current regimen responsible for most of the side effects. Dolutegravir is much more robust and cheaper than the drug its replacing

Its got a better toxicity profile, its side effect profile is better. What I think is most exciting is that its currently unbreakable [patients dont immediately develop resistance if they dont take it for a day]. Its a real step forward, says Sanne.

Health system strengthening through ATM drug dispensing

In tandem with ART must be effective delivery of drugs yet this remains a challenge in both the public and private sector.

Getting tablets to people in their homes or places where it actually suits them is going to be very important. But the issue is how do you make a health system thats very clunky in delivering those drugs? says Venter.

New Patient Dispensing Units (PDUs) will soon be launched at two pharmacies in Soweto, one in Diepsloot and one in Alexandra.

How it works is that you present yourself with your ID, which the PDU reads, links to your records and dispenses your medicine in much the same way as you get cash from an ATM, says Sanne.

In addition to ARVs, the PDUs will dispense a range of other prescription medicines for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma. This way, people with HIV/AIDS do not feel targeted when they withdraw their medication.

The pharmacies will be open from 6am to 10pm every day to make it easier for working people to access their medication outside of clinic hours. This will contribute to greater medication adherence.

We hope to have 200 000 patients using the launch units within a short period of time. The roll out of PDUs countrywide will follow, says Sanne.

Wits leads HIV research

Sanne says Wits University has led these and many other advances in HIV treatment. Specifically, clinical research and the fields of epidemiology and health economics particularly have been the three strongest fields at Wits, with Prof. Glenda Gray leading the vaccine area. In pharmacology, Prof. Viness Pillay is researching the reformulation of drugs to long acting agents and other delivery systems. He is taking the first injectable ART agents into clinical trials.
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Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.

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The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries.

Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet.

The Commercial Airplanes segment is built around the iconic 7-series which includes the 737, 747, and 787. The segment provides commercial jet aircraft for passenger and cargo requirements, as well as fleet support services for regional, national, and international air carriers and logistics and freight companies. In terms of global volume, the company estimates about 90% of all air freight is carried aboard one of its jets. This segment also includes the Dreamliner family of planes. The Dreamliner is a game-changing airplane for many carriers as it opens up the potential for new one-stop destinations because of its capacity and range.

The Defense, Space & Security segment develops and manufactures a range of systems including manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, missile defense systems, satellites, communications equipment, and intelligence systems for governments. Among the many iconic brands within this segment are the AH-64 Apache, Air Force One, B-52, C-17 Globemaster, Chinook, F/A-18, and the V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft used by the Marines.

The Global Services segment offers a range of products and services that include supply chain and logistics management, engineering, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, spare parts, pilot and maintenance training, technical and maintenance documents, and data analytics to its commercial and defense customers.

Boeing is also a leader in innovation, leveraging its many decades and avenues of experience to further aerospace and defense technology. Among the many innovations is the MQ-25 Stingray which will be the worlds first autonomous aircraft. The Stingray is only one of many areas of research that also include drones and undersea vehicles.
AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
Hrithik Roshan and his sons Hrehaan and Hridhaan were clicked at the Mumbai international airport yesterday.

By India Today Web Desk: Hrithik Roshan is frequently seen on outings with sons Hrehaan and Hridhaan. The doting dad often takes his tiny tots out for dinners or picnics or anything in between.

ALSO READ: Hrithik-Sussanne come together for kids Hrehaan and Hridhaan one more time

In fact, just a month ago, Hrithik was spotted with his sons by the paparazzi when the gang went out for a joyride. While Hrithik remain unfazed by the glare of the cameras, Hrehaan and Hridhaan were caught like deers in headlights.

Photo: Yogen Shah

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Now, last night, Hrithik and his sons were spotted once again at the Mumbai international airport. While the elder Hrehaan looked a little sullen, the younger Hridhaan walked alongside his papa with complete confidence.

Photo: Yogen Shah

Hrithik Roshan divorced from his ex-wife Sussanne in 2014. After that, the actor got caught up in a rather nasty controversy involving a supposed relationship with actor Kangana Ranaut.

On the work front, Hrithik's previous film Mohenjo Daro was a massive box-office failure. In fact, the critically and commercially panned film lost so much money that pundits believe that the film's failure is one of the reasons for its producers Disney to shut shop in India.

Now, with Kaabil, supposedly inspired from the bloody Korean thriller Broken and the Netflix series Daredevil, Hrithik hopes to give a booster shot to his career.

Kaabil, directed by Sanjay Gupta, is scheduled to release on January 26 next year and stars Yami Gautam, Rohit roy and Ronit Roy.

ALSO WATCH: Hrithik can't seem to shed his Koi Mil Gaya image

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Generac Holdings Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells power generation equipment, energy storage systems, and other power products for the residential, and light commercial and industrial markets worldwide. The company offers engines, alternators, batteries, electronic controls, steel enclosures, and other components. It also provides residential automatic standby generators ranging in output from 7.5kW to 150kW; air-cooled engine residential standby generators ranging from 7.5kW to 26kW; liquid-cooled engine generators with outputs ranging from 22kW to 150kW; and Mobile Link, a remote monitoring system for home standby generators. In addition, the company offers various portable generators ranging in size from 800W to 17.5kW; outdoor power equipment, such as trimmers, field and brush mowers, log splitters, stump grinders, chipper shredders, lawn and leaf vacuums, pressure washers, and water pumps; and clean energy solution under the PWRcell and PWRview brands. Further, it provides light towers, mobile generators, and mobile energy storage systems; commercial mobile pumps and dust-suppression equipment; various gaseous-engine control systems and accessories; light-commercial standby generators ranging from 22kW to 150kW and related transfer switches providing three-phase power for small and mid-sized businesses; and industrial generators ranging in output from 10kW to 3,250kW used as emergency backup for healthcare, telecom, datacom, commercial office, retail, municipal, and manufacturing markets. Additionally, the company sells aftermarket service parts and product accessories to dealers. It distributes its products through independent residential dealers, industrial distributors and dealers, national and regional retailers, e-commerce partners, electrical, HVAC and solar wholesalers, catalogs, equipment rental companies and distributors, and solar installers; and directly to end users. The company was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
EnerSys provides various stored energy solutions for industrial applications worldwide. It operates in three segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, and Specialty. The company offers uninterruptible power systems applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, as well as telecommunications systems; switchgear and electrical control systems used in industrial facilities and electric utilities, large-scale energy storage, and energy pipelines; integrated power solutions and services to broadband, telecom, renewable, and industrial customers; and thermally managed cabinets and enclosures for electronic equipment and batteries. It also provides motive power products that are used to provide power for electric industrial forklifts used in manufacturing, warehousing, and other material handling applications. In addition, the company offers mining equipment, diesel locomotive starting, and other rail equipment. Further, it provides specialty batteries for starting, lighting, and ignition applications in transportation; and energy solutions for satellites, military aircraft, submarines, ships, and other tactical vehicles, as well as medical and security systems. Additionally, the company offers battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories, and outdoor cabinet enclosures, as well as related after-market and customer-support services for industrial batteries. The company sells its products through a network of distributors, independent representatives, and internal sales forces. The company was formerly known as Yuasa, Inc. and changed its name to EnerSys in January 2001. EnerSys was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania.
BlackRock, Inc. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. It also provides global risk management and advisory services. The firm manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. It also launches and manages open-end and closed-end mutual funds, offshore funds, unit trusts, and alternative investment vehicles including structured funds. The firm launches equity, fixed income, balanced, and real estate mutual funds. It also launches equity, fixed income, balanced, currency, commodity, and multi-asset exchange traded funds. The firm also launches and manages hedge funds. It invests in the public equity, fixed income, real estate, currency, commodity, and alternative markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap, mid-cap, SMID-cap, large-cap, and multi-cap companies. It also invests in dividend-paying equity securities. The firm invests in investment grade municipal securities, government securities including securities issued or guaranteed by a government or a government agency or instrumentality, corporate bonds, and asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a focus on bottom-up and top-down approach to make its investments. The firm employs liquidity, asset allocation, balanced, real estate, and alternative strategies to make its investments. In real estate sector, it seeks to invest in Poland and Germany. The firm benchmarks the performance of its portfolios against various S&P, Russell, Barclays, MSCI, Citigroup, and Merrill Lynch indices. BlackRock, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is based in New York City with additional offices in Boston, Massachusetts; London, United Kingdom; Gurgaon, India; Hong Kong; Greenwich, Connecticut; Princeton, New Jersey; Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Sydney, Australia; Taipei, Taiwan; Singapore; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, District of Columbia; Toronto, Canada; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Francisco, California.
However, after alerted by an NGO, the police foiled the attempt.

By Ashish Pandey: A homeless lady was forced to sell her newborn son for Rs 50,000 in Hyderabad.

However, after alerted by an NGO, the police foiled the attempt.

An information was received that a 24-year-old lady, identified as Jyothi, staying in Begumpet area was trying to sell the baby boy.

Jyothi was duped and impregnated by an unknown person and since it was difficult for her to take care of the baby, she decided to sell her newborn for Rs 50,000 with the help of a broker.

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Also read:

CISF guard rescues abandoned newborn girl from coal rake

The broker had struck a deal with Nizamabad native, Rizwana, but the deal was foiled by the alert people who informed a local NGO.

Police has arrested Rizwana, search is on to nab the broker.

Meanwhile, police has shifted Jyothi and her son to Shishu Vihar for better care.

Also read:

West Bengal: Newborn babies trafficked in biscuit containers, reveals probe

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ServiceNow, Inc. provides enterprise cloud computing solutions that defines, structures, consolidates, manages, and automates services for enterprises worldwide. It operates the Now platform for workflow automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, performance analytics, electronic service catalogs and portals, configuration management systems, data benchmarking, encryption, and collaboration and development tools. The company also provides information technology (IT) service management applications; IT service management product suite for enterprise's employees, customers, and partners; IT business management product suite; IT operations management product that connects a customer's physical and cloud-based IT infrastructure; IT Asset Management to automate IT asset lifecycles; and security operations that connects with internal and third party. In addition, it offers governance, risk, and compliance product to manage risk and resilience; human resources, legal, and workplace service delivery products; safe workplace applications; customer service management product; and field service management applications. Further, it provides App Engine product; IntegrationHub enables application to extend workflows; and professional, industry solutions, and customer support services. It serves government, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, IT services, technology, oil and gas, education, and consumer products through direct sales team and resale partners. It has a strategic partnership with Celonis to help customers identify and prioritize processes that are suitable for automation. The company was formerly known as Service-now.com and changed its name to ServiceNow, Inc. in May 2012. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
Carnival Corporation & plc is a leisure travel company operating a fleet of cruise ships, hotels, and resorts with international destinations. Brands under the Carnival Corporation umbrella include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America, P&O Cruises, Seaborn, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, and Cunard. The companys goal is to provide extraordinary vacations at an exceptional value. As of 2022, the company laid claim to nearly half of the global cruising market share with several new ships in the works.

Carnival Cruise Line was launched in 1972 with one second-hand ship and a tank of fuel. The first port of call was San Juan, Puerto Rico, but soon more were added. The original growth strategy included a festive atmosphere, features and amenities unlike any other cruise line at the time. Slow to start, the growth strategy shifted into overdrive in 1980 when Carnival shocked the world by building its own ship. The Tropicale became an iconic name in the cruising industry and sparked a wave of shipbuilding that is still underway.

The companys growth hit a new stride in 1987 following the IPO which floated 20% of the company on the open market. The proceeds from the IPO allowed the company to embark on a voyage of acquisition and now Carnival is the worlds largest travel and leisure business.

Today, Carnival Corporations 87 ships visit approximately 700 ports worldwide and employ more than 120,000 people while serving more than 13 million guests annually for a total of 85 million passenger cruise days per year. Net revenue, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, peaked out at over $6.5 billion annually.

Carnival Cruise Line is the companys largest brand serving guests on all coasts of North America. The brand's 22 ships make 1500 voyages per year with trips ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks and ports of call from the Caribbean to Alaska. The company's largest ship is named Panorama and can accommodate more than 4,000 passengers.

Carnivals 9 brands provide access to a wide range of cruising styles and destinations including the Caribbean, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, England, and ports in Asia. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida and has offices around the world. The company also has the distinction of being the only company included in both the S&P 500 and FTSE 250 indices.
The following companies are subsidiares of International Flavors & Fragrances: 1456111 Ontario Limited, A. Boake Roberts And Company (Holding) Limited, ASA Ventures Inc., Agtech Products Inc., Alpris Ltd., Amco SP Z.O.O, ApS Syntetic, Aroma S.A., Aromatics Holdings Limited, Aromco Ltd., Aromor, Arvin Company, Asian Investments Inc., Atelier du Parfumeur IFF Grasse SAS, BKF Vision Ltd, BSA India Food Ingr. P. Ltd., Belden Company, Branch office of DuPont Protein Technologies International Sales LLC, Bremil Industria e Comercio de Ingredientes Alimenticos Ltda. , Bremil S/A Industria De Produtos Alimenticos , Bush Boake Allen (New Zealand) Limited, Bush Boake Allen (Pension Trustees) Limited, Bush Boake Allen Australia Pty Ltd, Bush Boake Allen Benelux B.V., Bush Boake Allen Chile S.A., Bush Boake Allen Controladora S.A. de C.V., Bush Boake Allen Enterprises Limited, Bush Boake Allen Holdings (U.K.) Limited, Bush Boake Allen Inc., Bush Boake Allen Inc., Bush Boake Allen Limited, Bush Boake Allen Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, Bush Boake Allen do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC, Chemical Process Materials and Equipment S.A., CitraSource Holdings L.L.C., Columbia PhytoTechnology LLC, Columbia Phytotechnology LLC, Cometra ApS, Crestmont Investment Co., Cultor Oy, DDP Specialty Products Germany GmbH & Co. KG, DDP Specialty Products Poland Sp. z.o.o., DSP Germany N&B Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Daivd Michael Netherlands B.V., Dandy Lions Limited, Danisco (China) Co. Ltd., Danisco (China) Holding Co. Ltd., Danisco (India) Private Limited, Danisco (Zhangjiagang) Textural Ingredients Co. Ltd., Danisco Argentina S.A., Danisco Australia Pty Limited, Danisco Austria GmbH, Danisco B.V., Danisco Biosciences (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Danisco Brasil Ltda., Danisco Canada Inc., Danisco Chile S.A., Danisco Colombia Ltda., Danisco Cultor (Switzerland) AG, Danisco Cultor Sweden AB, Danisco Cultor Trading Ltda., Danisco Czech Republic a.s., Danisco Deutschland GmbH, Danisco Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Danisco Egypt Trading LLC, Danisco Flexible Brasil Ltda, Danisco France SAS, Danisco Guatemala S.A., Danisco Holding USA Inc., Danisco Holdings (UK) Ltd., Danisco Holland B.V., Danisco Ingredients Belgium N.V., Danisco Italia S.p.A., Danisco Japan Limited, Danisco Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Danisco Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Danisco Mexico S.A. de C.V., Danisco New Zealand Limited, Danisco Nutrition & Bioscience Greece Ltd., Danisco Nutrition & Biosciences Korea Ltd., Danisco Nutrition & Biosciences Malaysia SDN. BHD., Danisco Nutrition & Biosciences Taiwan Limited, Danisco Nutrition and Biosciences India Private Ltd, Danisco Peru S.A.C., Danisco Poland Sp. z.o.o, Danisco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Danisco South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Danisco Sweeteners Oy, Danisco Switzerland AG, Danisco UK Ltd., Danisco US Inc., Danisco USA Inc., Danisco Ukraine LLC, Danisco Zaandam BV, David Michael & Company (Canada) 1986 Ltd., David Michael Europe S.A.S., Du Pont de Nemours Nigeria Limited, DuPont (Shanghai) Enterprise Co. Ltd., DuPont Acquisition LLC, DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC, DuPont Denmark Holding ApS, DuPont Electronics Holding LLC, DuPont LA Holding 1 BV, DuPont Lanka (Private) Limited, DuPont Nutrition (Thailand) Ltd, DuPont Nutrition Biosciences ApS, DuPont Nutrition Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi, DuPont Nutrition Food Ingredients (Beijing) Co. Ltd., DuPont Nutrition Ingredientes BRASIL LTDA, DuPont Nutrition International, DuPont Nutrition Ireland, DuPont Nutrition Italy SRL (f/k/a FMC Chemical Italy SrL), DuPont Nutrition Manufacturing UK Limited, DuPont Nutrition Mexicana S.A de C.V., DuPont Nutrition Mexico S.A de C.V., DuPont Nutrition Norge AS, DuPont Nutrition Philippines Inc., DuPont Nutrition USA Inc, DuPont Nutrition and Biosciences Iberica S.L., DuPont Protein Technologies International Sales LLC, DuPont S&C Holding LLC, DuPont Shineway Luohe Food Company Limited , DuPont Shineway Luohe Protein Company Limited , DuPont US Holding LLC, DuPont de Nemours Kenya Limited, ERELEM, ETOL SK s.r.o., ETOL-RUS Ltd., Eden Essentials Inc., Envoltec Industria de Embalagens Ltda. , Enzymotec Australia PTY LTD, Enzymotec Singapore Pte. Ltd., Enzymotec USA Inc., Etol Aroma Ve Baharat Gida Urunleri San.Ve Tic.a.s., Etol JVE d.o.o., Etol Proizvodnja Arom D.O.O, Etol Skopje DRUSTVO ZA TRGOVIJA ETOL UVOZ-IZVOZ DOOEL, FYMSA Real Estate LLC (23), FYMSA del Caribe S.R.L , Fangchen International Trading Ltd. (6), Finnfeeds Finland Oy, Finnfeeds Oy, Finnsugar Bioproducts Inc., Flavor Systems International Inc., Flavors and Essences UK Limited, FoodBlenders Limited, Foreign Trade Representative of Danisco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Fragrance Resources, Fragrance Resources (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fragrance Resources Asia Pacific Ltd., Frutarom (Asia Pacific) Limited, Frutarom (Marketing) S.R.L., Frutarom (UK) Holdings Limited, Frutarom (UK) Ltd., Frutarom - Etol (UK) Limited, Frutarom Belgium N.V., Frutarom Chile S.A., Frutarom Czech Republic S.r.o, Frutarom Do Brazil Industria E Comercio Ltda., Frutarom Etol RO SRL, Frutarom Etol Ukraine LLC., Frutarom F&F Trading (Shanghai) Co., Frutarom Finance EUR AG, Frutarom Flavors (Kushan) Co Ltd., Frutarom Flavors Mexico S.A. de C.V., Frutarom Flavours (India) Private Limited (14), Frutarom France S.A.R.L, Frutarom Germany GmbH, Frutarom Gida Urunleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Frutarom Global Ltd., Frutarom GmbH, Frutarom Industries Ld, Frutarom Industries Ltd., Frutarom Italy S.r.l, Frutarom Kenya Limited, Frutarom Ltd., Frutarom Netherlands B.V., Frutarom Nigeria Limited, Frutarom Nordic A/S Flachsmann Scandinavia A/S Aksel Holm-Essensfabrik A / S, Frutarom Norway A.S, Frutarom Peru S.A. (Montana Food activity), Frutarom Production GmbH, Frutarom Savory Solutions Austria GmbH, Frutarom Savory Solutions Germany GmbH, Frutarom Savory Solutions Switzerland AG, Frutarom Savory Solutions Ukraine, Frutarom Switzerland Finance CHF AG, Frutarom Switzerland Finance GBP AG, Frutarom Switzerland Finance MXN AG, Frutarom Switzerland Finance USD AG, Frutarom Switzerland Ltd., Frutarom Trade & Marketing (1990) Ltd., Frutarom UK Investments Limited, Frutarom USA Holding Inc., Frutarom USA Inc., Frutarom do Brasil GRU Industria e Comercio Ltda., Genencor (China) Bio-Products Co. Ltd., Genencor International B.V., Genencor International BVBA, Genencor International Holding BV, Genencor International Indiana Inc., Genencor International Oy, Genencor International Wisconsin Inc., Genencor Mauritius Ltd., Genentech Ventures Inc., Grow Company Inc., Hagelin Flv (UK) Ltd., Hexachem Sociedad Anonima, IB EMEA Holding 2 B.V., IFF (BVI) Limited, IFF (Korea) Inc., IFF Aroma Esans Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, IFF Augusta Holdings LLC, IFF Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, IFF Benicarlo S.L., IFF Bio-Technology (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., IFF Capital Services, IFF Chemical Holdings Inc., IFF Delaware Holdings LLC, IFF Essencias e Fragrancias Ltda., IFF Flavors & Fragrances (Hangzhou) Trading Co. Ltd., IFF Fragrance GmbH, IFF Hungary Global Kft, IFF International Inc., IFF Latin American Holdings (Espana) S.L., IFF Mexico Manufactura S.A. de C.V., IFF Murcia Natural Ingredients S.L., IFF Sabores y Fragancias de Chile Ltda., IFF Turkey Aroma Ve Esans Urunleri Satis Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, IFF West Africa Limited, IFF Worldwide LLC, Ingrediants dooel Skopje, Institut Europeen de Biologie Cellulaire, International Aroma Group, International Flavors & Fragrances (Canada) Ltd., International Flavors & Fragrances (Caribe) Inc., International Flavors & Fragrances (China) Ltd., International Flavors & Fragrances (Greater Asia) Pte. Ltd, International Flavors & Fragrances (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., International Flavors & Fragrances (Hong Kong) Limited, International Flavors & Fragrances (Japan) Ltd., International Flavors & Fragrances (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., International Flavors & Fragrances (Malaysia) Sdn. 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Holdings Inc., WIBERG Italia S.r.l., Wiberg Baharat San.Tic.A.S, Wiberg Canada Inc., Wiberg Corporation of California, Wiberg Corporation., Yderns 1 ApS, ZAO Danisco, extrakt chemie Dr. Bruno Stellmach GmbH, iDrug Delivery Inc.(Delaware) (22), nternational Flavors & Fragrances S.R.L., van Ameringen-Haebler Inc., and world wide WIBERG GmbH.

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"We will now buy whatever we can and are planning to buy the single aircraft left with the US. In this regard, we are planning to move our proposal in a key Defence Ministry meeting planned to be held this month," a senior IAF source told Mail Today.

By Ajit Kumar Dubey: Unable to process its request in time to buy three C-17 Globemaster heavylift transport aircraft from the US, the Air Force is now moving a proposal to buy the only remaining aircraft in the American inventory for over Rs 2,500 crore before the Defence Ministry.

Originally, the Air Force wanted to buy three C-17 planes from the US, which has stopped the production of these planes at its facility in Long Beach, California but the American government was left only with one plane for sale.

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"We will now buy whatever we can and are planning to buy the single aircraft left with the US. In this regard, we are planning to move our proposal in a key Defence Ministry meeting planned to be held this month," a senior IAF source told Mail Today here.

Also Read: India-Russia joint venture to end Army, IAF helicopter handicap

WHY THIS AIRCRAFT

The aircraft would help the Air Force expand its inventory of 10 C-17 Globemaster heavylift transport aircraft which has been used by the force to carry out several major operations including airlift of new currency notes after the demonetisation drive by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The price of the single aircraft would be more than Rs2,500 crore and would be delivered in couple of years after the contract is signed between India and the US under a Foreign Military Sales route contract.

Also Read: Rafale to give Indian Air Force edge over Pakistan ALL FROM AMERICA

India had bought the previous 10 aircraft from the American government under a $4.1 billion (Rs2,780 crore approx) deal and all of them are deployed at its Hindon air force base near here.

With additional three aircraft, the IAF wanted to enhance its capability to airlift men and material during times of crisis as it did during the earthquake in Nepal and natural disasters in eastern parts of the country.

Apart from the natural disasters, the aircraft have also provided the capability to the air force to directly airlift tanks and infantry combat vehicles from the plains to high mountainous areas of Ladakh on the border with China. The plane can also airlift around 300 fullygeared troops for operations and can fly from country's northernmost airfield in Leh to southernmost runway in Andaman and Nicobar island territory directly and provides capability of fast deployment of troops from one place to the other.

In a presentation given to the Prime Minister on the requirements of the Air Force last year, the Air Force had pressed upon the need for more such aircraft due to their utility and performance in operations. However, owing to certain infrastructure issues, the fleet of American planes is yet to be fully utilised and this was also pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General in one of its recent reports.

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Also Read: Exclusive: Military court scraps IAF pilot's dismissal for having an affair with colleague's wife

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. It also offers ProxyEdge, an electronic proxy delivery and voting solution; data-driven solutions and an end-to-end platform for content management, composition, and omni-channel distribution of regulatory, marketing, and transactional information, as well as mutual fund trade processing services; data and analytics solutions; solutions for public corporations and mutual funds; SEC filing and capital markets transaction services; registrar, stock transfer, and record-keeping services; and omni-channel customer communications solutions, as well as operates Broadridge Communications Cloud platform that creates, delivers, and manages communications and customer engagement activities. The company's Global Technology and Operations segment provides solutions that automate the front-to-back transaction lifecycle of equity, mutual fund, fixed income, foreign exchange and exchange-traded derivatives, order capture and execution, trade confirmation, margin, cash management, clearance and settlement, reference data management, reconciliations, securities financing and collateral management, asset servicing, compliance and regulatory reporting, portfolio accounting, and custody-related services. This segment also offers business process outsourcing services; technology solutions, such portfolio management, compliance, fee billing, and operational support solutions; and capital market and wealth management solutions. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Lake Success, New York.
By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 20 (PTI) IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced an undisclosed investment in education technology company Byjus to enable the company to expand the access of quality education across the nation as well as in international markets.

Byjus has created a K-12 application, that enables students to become self-paced learners.

Offering students across geographies access to high quality teachers, the app aims to democratise personalised learning for students.

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"Education is an important sector for IFC given its critical role in driving economic and social development in the country. Our investment in Byjus will help provide affordable and quality education to students through effective use of technology innovation to drive superior learning outcomes," Ruchira Shukla, Regional Lead, Venture Capital Investments at IFC, said.

IFC?s venture capital strategy in the EduTech space is focussed on technology enabled learning platforms for academic improvement, skill development platforms as well as supplemental and low cost education solutions, she added.

India has the largest K-12 education system in the world, with over 260 million enrollments and is estimated to grow by 30 percent by 2022.

Today, almost 70 per cent of Byjus users come from outside the top 10 cities, and over 1700 towns and cities in the country, Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO of Byjus said.

"To further accelerate our reach in the deeper parts of India, we are planning to add channel partners across the country," he added.

IFC?s venture capital team has also invested in Bridge International Academics, the worlds largest chain of low-cost nursery and primary schools, and Coursera, an education technology company offering massive open online courses. India is IFCs top country exposure, globally.

IFCs committed portfolio in India is over USD 5 billion as of June 30. In FY-16, IFC committed USD 1.1 billion in new investments in India. PTI DSK RMT SDM

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By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) India today handed over 2000 litres of pollution dispersant to Maldives after recent incidents of oil spills in the waters of the island nation.

In a function on-board Indian Coast Guard Ship Samar, Indian Ambassador to Maldives Akhilesh Mishra handed over 2000 litres of environment friendly pollution dispersant to Chief of Defence Force, Maldives National Defence Force Major General Ahmed Shiyam.

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The need for this step was felt after recent incidents of oil spills which could have threatened the pristine waters of Maldives whose economy majorly relies on fishing and tourism.

The pollution dispersant was specially sent to the island nation by the Indian Coast Guard. This ready stock will be transported across the Maldives by MNDF and help in responding to oil spills swiftly.

Minister of State for Defence Mohamed Zuhair, Vice Chief of Defence Force Brigadier General Ahmed Shahid and Commandant of Maldives Coast Guard Colonel Mohamed Ibrahim, along with Indian Coast Guard and MNDF personnel were present at the event.

Indian Coast Guard carries out regular Dornier sorties over the island nation to look out for suspicious movements or vessels and even for transporting patients. Maldives is a critical cog in Indias maritime strategy. PTI PR AAR

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By Peter Fritzsche (Guest Contributor)

Seventy-five years ago, Helmuth James von Moltke, the great-grandnephew of the famed general in the 1870 Franco-Prussian war, and later, a lonely prisoner of conscience whom the Nazis would execute in 1945, thought the world was coming to an end. Working for the German military in Berlin, he knew a great deal. The day is so full of gruesome news that I can hardly write, he confided to his diary on October 21, 1941: In Serbia, two villages have been burned to the ground. 1700 men and 240 women have been executed. That is the penalty imposed for an attack on three German soldiers. These outrages were just the first ominous signs of the coming storm. Since Saturday, Moltke added, Berlins Jews are being rounded up. What do I say, he wondered, if someone asks: and what did you do during these times? How can I sit at the table in my heated apartment and drink tea? The Nazi machinery of destruction continued to supply a steady stream of victims: Russian prisoners, evacuated Jews, evacuated Jews, Russian prisoners, executed hostages.

In fall 1941, Berliners could see the Holocaust taking shape. Elisabeth Freund, a young Jew, reported on the horrible wave of anti-Semitic propaganda: Along the whole Kurfurstendamm signs hang in almost every shop, she noted: No Entry for Jews or Jews Not Served. If you walk along the street you see Jew, Jew, Jew on every house, on every window pane, in every store. CBS new correspondent Howard K. Smith pointed out the jet-black leaflets littering mailboxes. They have a bright yellow star on the cover with the words: Racial Comrades! When you see this emblem, you see your Death enemy! Nazi Germany was startlingly frank about its life-and-death struggle with the Jews. By contrast, in Albert Camus veiled novel about World War II, The Plague, it took a long time before city officials dared to use the word plague; notices were put up where no one would see them, and newspapers only slowly reported on the death of victims. There was no such hesitancy about what the Nazis considered to be the Jewish plague in 1941.

Ordinary Germans understood the broad outlines of the destruction of Jewish communities. They deliberated the deportations of neighbors occurring around them. The ones from in our neighborhood have had to assemble themselves in Bremen, wrote one Red Cross helperin 2 big schools, right near Heinz and Alma. There they reside with kit and caboodle and they look just terrible. But these small flickers of sympathy had to be extinguished; Jews now have to take responsibility for their own kind. At the same time, news about the murder of Jewish civilians in the Soviet Unionthe destination of many of Germanys deported Jewsraced across Germany. News about Babi Yar, the big bloodbath of Kievs Jews at the end of September 1941, reached a schoolteacher in Breslau already on October 11. The rumors usually came in three parts, revealing a genuine sense of horror. First, there was the information that the victims included women and children; second, came the fact that victims went to their deaths naked or partly naked; and third, the revelation that SS shooters, the Nazi paramilarities, sometimes went mad. The reference to the SS shows that already in 1941 Germans distinguished SS killers from the allegedly clean Wehrmacht, the regular troops.

The mix of pity, horror, and justification was typical, but came in different combinations. Germans plainly deliberated their regimes anti-Jewish actions and decided for themselves where exactly to put the information about German killers and Jewish victims. Loyal Nazis such as the Red Cross worker embraced the racial doctrines of the regime, including special treatment for the Jews. The course of events, as persecution gave way to outright murder, pulled them deeper into the Third Reich. Others confronted the horror engulfing Jews but since they distinguished SS shooters from the regular army, they understood the crimes as outrages undertaken by fanatics rather than as part of a comprehensive state policy. Appalled at the fate of the Jews, a large number of Germans still located the Holocaust on the periphery of wartime events. Nazi sympathizers endeavored to excise empathy altogether by putting Germanys Phoenix-like rise from defeat in 1918 to victory so near at hand in 1941 first, while doubters of all kinds contained dangerous knowledge by putting the source of anxiety to the side in order to preserve their benevolent idea of Germany.

Peter Fritzsche is the W. D. & Sarah E. Trowbridge Professor of History at the University of Illinois. The author of nine books, including the award-winning Life and Death in the Third Reich, he lives in Urbana, Illinois.
PM Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev discussed several issues on the occasion. The two leaders also issued a joint statement. Narendra Modi attributed the strong foundation of democracy in Kyrgyzstan to its President.

By India Today Web Desk: India and Kyrgyzstan signed several agreements on Tuesday. Prime Minister Modi and the visiting Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev discussed several issues, including combating terrorism, extremism and radicalism, on the occasion. The two leaders also issued a joint statement.

Prime Minister Modi attributed the strong foundation of democracy in Kyrgyzstan to its President.

Our societies share a sense of warmth, we are also bound by a common belief in democratic values, traditions: PM Modi to President Atambayev pic.twitter.com/9wQFkAgyTR ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

Speaking at the event to sign agreements between the two countries, Modi said he was delighted to welcome President Almazbek Atambayev on his first state visit to India. "Our societies share a sense of warmth. We are also bound by a common belief in democratic values, traditions," Modi said. The PM said, "Much credit goes to President Atambayev for nurturing and building strong foundation of democracy in Kyrgyz Republic." The two leaders discussed a range of issues including combating terrorism, extremism and radicalism. Modi said they discussed how the two countries could work together to secure our youth and society against common challenges of terrorism, extremism and radicalism. "We focused on common priority of diversifying, deepening bilateral engagement," Modi said. "President Atambayev and I reviewed our co-operation in the field of defence," he said. PM Modi further said, "Kyrgyz Republic is a valuable partner in our common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity. President Almazbek Atambayev and I agreed on the need to connect our economies more deeply. We will work to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkages and facilitate greater people to people exchange." The PM said the two countries have decided to build on their development cooperation including capacity building and training, will give youth priority. We will encourage engagement in healthcare, tourism, IT, agriculture, mining and energy. While Modi wished Atambayev a memorable and productive visit in India, the Kyrgyz President thanked the former for inviting him and for his warmth and hospitality.

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Also read: Kyrgyz President on four-day India visit from Sunday

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Since gaining independence from France, the President of Madagascar has acted as the country's Head of State. In 1958, Madagascars citizens voted to become an autonomous republic in the new French Republic. The country adopted a constitution in the same year that was amended in 1960, giving the country a presidential type of government. The first President of Madagascar was Philibert Tsiranana who headed the provincial government until 1972, when he, faced with protests and riots, handed over power to General Gabriel Ramananstoa. Since then, Madagascar has adopted three new constitutions, in 1975, 1992, and more recently in 2010. Madagascars President is Chief of the armed forces and enforces foreign policies. Elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term, the president can dissolve the National Assembly devoid of prior consultation.

Presidents of Madagascar

Tsiranana Philibert

Tsiranana was born on October 18, 1912, at Ambarikorano, in the Sofia Region of Madagascar. After completing studies in regional schools, Tsiranana started teaching in his hometown and obtained a scholarship to France, working as a teaching assistant in the Ecole Normale dinstituteurs in Montpellier, France. Tsiranana was consciously aware of the economic and social inequities between the coastal people and people from the highlands in his country. Upon his return to Madagascar, he taught at the Ecole Industrielle in Tananarive. His political career began with his election to represent his province in the Provincial Assembly, after which he was elected to the Representative Assembly of Madagascar and eventually to the French National Assembly.

Gabriel Ramanantsoa

Succeeding Tsiranana, Gabriel Ramanantsoa served as Madagascars President and Prime Minister from 1972 until 1975. A Merina by ethnicity, Gabriel was born on April 13, 1906, in Antananarivo, Madagascar and served in the French Army as a career officer. He served in the Madagascar military after the countrys independence, rising through the ranks to become a Major General. His political career began with his appointment as Prime Minister in 1972, and he would end up assuming the President position on October 11th of the same year.

Gilles Andriamahazo

Gilles Andriamahazo succeeded the third president of Madagascar, Richard Ratsmimandrava, following his assassination after only six days in office. Gilles was born on May 13, 1919, in Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region. He mainly pursued a military career, serving in the French Army through World War II and the French military campaign against Algerian nationalists during the 1950s. Before his taking office, Gilles served as the military president of Madagascar. Although his time in office was limited, his input was significant in preventing civil war after President Richards assassination. He resigned from his position for Didier Ratsiraka and served from February 12 to June 15, 1975.

Didier Ratsiraka

Didier Ratsiraka was born on November 4, 1933, in Vatomandry in the Atsinanana Region of Madagascar. Didier pursued a military career, achieving a government scholarship to study at the Naval Academy in Brest in western France. He served as minister of foreign affairs after his return to Madagascar, gaining popularity after he led negotiations to reestablish Madagascar as a French Protectorate. Military leadership established him as head of state in 1975, after which he implemented a Malagasy socialist system to address economic shortcomings. After his socialist policies failed, he resorted to implementing economic plans by the International Monetary Fund. Didier was reelected in 1982 and 1989, but by 1991 his regime faced intense opposition. He was voted out of office in 1993 and reelected again in 1997 after a self-imposed exile. Didier lost the election in 2002 to Marc Ravalomanana.

Other Presidents of Madagascar

Madagascars other presidents include Richard Ratsimandrava who served in February of 1975, Albert Zafy (1993-1996), Norbert Ratsirahonana (1996-1997), Marc Ravalomanana (2002-2009), Andry Rajoelina (2009-2014), and Hery Rajaonarimampianina (2014-present). The political landscape in Madagascar has had its fair share of upheavals. Throughout history, Madagascars presidents have faced similar challenges, from poor socioeconomic situations, opposition and attempted coups and impeachment.
Denouncing the two organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of al-Qaida, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside,

By Smita Sharma: On a day when the Russian envoy to Turkey was killed in cold blood and atleast 12 ploughed to death at a Christmas market in Berlin, India reminded the world of the grim threat of terrorism and the safe sanctuaries of terror.

"We live in times when the shadow of barbarism is not very far from us.This manifests itself sometimes in acts such as the dastardly attack on the Russian Federation's Ambassador to Turkey that we have seen today. It is also manifest in activities that are undertaken by designated terrorist groups in Afghanistan every day," said Syed Akbaruddin,India's permanent envoy to the the United Nations.

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Speaking at the quarterly debate on Afghanistan at the Security Council , Akbaruddin asked how the Taliban continues to 'capture and hold territory' despite the long standing commitment of the international community. "It is apparent that our efforts at rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being undermined; schools are being destroyed; mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted. It is also evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside," said the Indian envoy. India and Afghanistan had recently cornered Pakistan at the 6th Heart of Asia Ministerial meet in Amritsar in early December. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had lashed out at Islamabad in his inaugural speech ,with Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to Pak PM on Foreign Affairs in the room. "The response of the states has been fragmented and some still provide sanctuary and support or tolerate these networks. As Mr. Kakazada, one of the key figures in the Taliban movement recently said, if they did not have sanctuary in Pakistan, they would not last a month," Ghani had accused.

Speaking at the Security Council on Monday ,Akbaruddin resonated the sentiment.

"If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the Government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood. We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organizations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," he stressed. India drove home the need for a well connected Afghanistan for its economic upliftment ,adding that the 'connectivity that terror networks have established needs to be replaced by that of roads, trade networks and ideas for peace and prosperity'

Watch the video here

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Shelby Luttrell with his family

By: Wayne Morin

(Scroll down for video) A police officer was taken to a hospital after he was shot by a guest while throwing a surprise birthday party for his wife.

The off-duty police officer of Alabama, was seriously injured when he was shot in the stomach and arm.

The shooting occurred around 11:00 p.m. at the High Forest Apartments in Jasper.

Shelby Luttrell, 25, who works as a part-time Cordova police officer, was hospitalized at the UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

Cordova police spokesman T.J. Armstrong said that Luttrell, who is newly married, organized a surprise birthday party for his wife, who is the mother of his three children at their apartment.

One of their guests brought along an acquaintance to the party.

That acquaintance got into a fight with Luttrell, who was not armed at the time. The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, shot Luttrell and then fled the scene.

Luttrell underwent emergency surgery shortly after his arrival to the hospital.

Although things looked bad, doctors now believe that Luttrell will make a full recovery.

Police have since arrested the suspect.
Nine Year Old Donates to University Food Bank to Help Those in Need in Wrexham

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Dec 20th, 2016

A young boy inspired by support given to him during periods of ill health has donated supplies to a local food bank out of his pocket money to help others in need this Christmas.



Malakai Jones, aged nine, made the heart-warming gesture to the foodbank collection at Wrexham Glyndwr University, where his mum, Gemma Jones, studies.

Two years ago Malakai had surgery at Alder Hey Childrens Hospital to treat a heart condition and has been keen to help others ever since.

Over a four week period he saved his pocket money before heading off to buy goods for the food bank, including sugar, tea, coffee, milk and cereal.

Gemma, who is studying on a families and childhood studies degree, said: Malakai always remembers how kind everyone has been when he hes been poorly and wants to donate something to food banks every year.

When he found out about the ones at the university he decided to save all of his pocket money to buy most of the items which were on the shopping list on the front of the food boxes.

Malakai is no stranger to fundraising having previously ran a mile to raise money for Autism Wishes, a charity set up to raise awareness of autism. He has also donated to food banks in local supermarkets.

Naomi Squire, Wrexham Glyndwr University Chaplaincy Coordinator, thanked Malakai for his contributions towards the universitys food bank.

She said: Malakais donation is very kind and generous and will support the outstanding response weve had to the Chaplaincy Foodbank appeal this year. I am still waiting to receive the final total weight of items weve donated from the Foodbank Warehouse, but I think it was easily 4-5 times more thank the already impressive 20kg we donated last year.

We also received a number of beautifully put together gift bags to be distributed amongst some of Wrexhams homeless people which were donated by local Muslims. The bags have been taken to the local Salvation Army who will distribute them with the Christmas Lunches they provide on Christmas day.
Car Torched in Second Arson Attack in Four Days

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Dec 20th, 2016

A car has been destroyed following an arson attack in the early hours of this morning.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to St Annes Court on Coed Aben shortly before 1am this morning.

One crew from Wrexham attended the blaze which left the vehicle with 100% fire damage to the engine. The remainder of the car was left with 100% smoke damage.

A spokesperson for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the fire had been started deliberately.

This is the second car arson in four days to have taken place in Wrexham  with a vehicle destroyed in Acton during the early hours of Saturday 17 December.

Two crews from Wrexham were called to Elm Grove, Acton at around 2:30am  with the fire causing 100% damage to the vehicle. The blaze also spread to a nearby garage which was also destroyed.

The cause of the fire is thought to be deliberate ignition.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) India will host the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCSS) in 2017 in which over 100 countries are expected to participate, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said.

"India has been selected for hosting Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in 2017. It is recognition of Indias emerging role as big cyber power accelerated by Digital India which has gained international fame," Prasad told PTI.

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The UK had hosted the first GCCS in 2011 followed by Budapest in 2012. South Korea hosted the event 2013 and the Netherlands in 2015.

Over 100 countries participate in it with ministerial level delegation, Prasad said.

The minister further said that he today met the Netherlands Ambassador Alphonsus Stoeling who formally handed over GCCS hosting to India.

GCCS will deliberate on issues related to promotion of cooperation in cyberspace, norms for responsible behaviours in cyberspace and to enhance cyber capacity building.

The conference is likely to be held in last quarter of 2017 but the government will decide on venue and dates for it shortly, an official said. PTI PRS SRK ABI

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HMP Berwyn To Help Reduce Overcrowding In UK Prisons

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Dec 20th, 2016

Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor MP Liz Truss issued a statement yesterday on the disturbances at HMP Birmingham, with Wrexhams new prison being earmarked to help with overcrowding when it opens.

Movement of prisoners from HMP Birmingham, which was subject to a day of rioting last week, have been blamed for putting HMP Hull on the brink of riot.

Yesterday the MP for Fareham asked MP Truss, I welcome the Governments commitment to closing old Victorian prisons that are now no longer fit for purpose and to investing unprecedented amounts of money to build new prisons. When will the Secretary of State be in a position to update us on which prisons will close and which new prisons will open?

In reply, Truss referenced the new prison in Wrexham, saying: We have a 1.3 billion building programme. The first prison, which will open in February next year, is HMP Berwyn. It will bring an additional 2,100 places, which will help to reduce overcrowding across the estate.

The MP for Hull referenced recent issues in their local prison, after prisoners were relocated from riot hit HMP Birmingham and challenged the Secretary of State to say something about her view on that dispersal policy and how well it is working.

MP Liz Truss replied, Given the condition of the wings in HMP Birmingham, the Prison Service needed to disperse those individuals across the prison estate. The Prison Service, which is experienced in dealing with these issues, is managing that process very carefully. There were incidents at HMP Hull and they were dealt with. We are dealing with some very difficult individuals, but it is being looked at very, very closely.

In Chamber to hear of the worrying disturbances at HMP Birmingham and to consider what steps to take to make our prisons safe.  Ian Lucas (@IanCLucas) December 19, 2016

Local MP Ian Lucas also spoke*, saying: The Secretary of State has already mentioned HM Prison Berwyn in Wrexham, which will open in February next year and will be the largest prison in western Europe. In due course, 2,000 men will reside there. Will she meet me so that I can discuss with her the arrangements for the opening, to allay some of the concerns of my constituents, which, as she can imagine on a day like today, have risen somewhat?

MP Liz Truss said, I should be very pleased to meet the hon. Gentleman.

The Justice Secretary will meet with me to discuss the opening of HMP Berwyn in Wrexham in February.  Ian Lucas (@IanCLucas) December 19, 2016

The MP for Carmarthen raised an issue about Welsh prisons, saying: The Howard League published a report in the summer indicating all Welsh prisons had seen a fall in the number of officers compared with last year, so what is the Secretary of State doing to ensure the Welsh prison estate is equipped with sufficient staff, especially as it is the policy of the UK Government to build in Wrexham a Titan prison, one of the largest in Europe, primarily, as she has said in this debate, to house prisoners from overcrowded prisons in England?

The reply by MP Liz Truss was, We have great recruitment plans and programmes in place. We have already recruited a significant number for the first 10 prisons, including one in Wales, and we will follow that through with new apprenticeship programmes and graduate entry programmes and by making sure staff in our prison service are able to gain promotion and get the training they need to progress.

We have lightly documented various issues on the prison estates in the run up to the opening of the local prison.

Following riot at HMP Lewes over the weekend it appears there are issues at HMP Birmingham today, report of fires & ambulances at the prison  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) October 31, 2016

Fire service called to riot at Bedford prison this afternoon / evening. Cat B jail population 506. HMPs Birmingham & HMP Lewes last week.  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) November 6, 2016

Incident overnight at Cat C HMP Moorland requiring specialist teams & medical help. Similar at HMP Bedford, Lewes & Birmingham this month.  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) November 21, 2016

Grim reports from HMP Birmingham  more detail on @PrisonUK than other sources it seems. Bedford & Lewes also had issues inside last 70 days  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) December 16, 2016

Two days after issues in HMP Birmingham more tonight in Hull prison. 4th serious problem (Bedford, Lewes, Birmingham) in last 2 months?  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) December 18, 2016

(* With the Speaker calling him to speak by saying Before he beetles off to some other no doubt important commitment, let us hear the fellow from Wrexham  some more historic Speaker v Lucas fun here and here.)
On December 13, as Syrian government forces were on the verge of capturing Aleppo, one commentator published an article with an introduction reading: The Syrian regime and its Russian ally are in the last barbaric stages of an onslaught against Aleppo.

The article declared, The combined forces of Bashar-al-Assads regime, Russian air power and Iranian-backed Shia death squads are reconquering Eastern Aleppo, according to reportsand with it, the last of the major cities liberated by the Syrian Revolution since 2011.

These passages could have appeared in the pages of the New York Times, the Washington Post or any one of the myriad bourgeois media outlets that serve as propaganda organs for American imperialism.

In fact, the writer is Ashley Smith, and the publisher is SocialistWorker.org, the web site of the International Socialist Organization (ISO). If there is any doubt about the pro-imperialist and pro-war orientation of this pseudo-left organization, an objective reading of Smiths article will dispel it.

In its tone and content, Smiths article, The counterrevolution crushes Aleppo, merges seamlessly with the rest of the anti-Syrian and anti-Russian articles that have accompanied the fall of Aleppo, reflecting the rage of the US ruling class over the debacle of its five-year war for regime change.

The cry of the 1950s McCarthyites, Who lost China? has been replaced by Who lost Syria? The ISO does not equivocate in answering this question, declaring that the campaign to oust Assad has thus far not succeeded because of the failure of the left to unanimously support the Syrian Revolution.

This is not for lack of effort on the part of Smith and his colleagues. For more than five years, the ISO has acted as a cheerleader for the bloody US-backed proxy war in Syria. At every stage of the war, the ISO has marched in lock-step with the most rabidly interventionist sections of the American political establishment, peddling its lies at every turn.

The World Socialist Web Site defends the actions of neither Moscow nor Damascus. But the presentation of the US media and political establishment, including SocialistWorker.org, is utterly hypocritical, one-sided and driven by a political agenda of defending the crimes of the United States in Syria and across the Middle East.

Both the establishment US media and the pseudo-left ISO present a false characterization of the Syrian civil war, in which democratic forces are waging a revolutionary struggle against Assad and his ally Russia. Any facts that contradict this account are ignored.

The reality is that the rebel side of the Syrian civil war is dominated by US-backed Islamist militias and would not exist without the billions of dollars expended by the US in an attempt to oust Assad. Washington deems this to be critical not only to its efforts to establish its hegemony over the oil-rich Middle East, but also to its drive to isolate, destabilize and ultimately dismember Russia, considered a major obstacle to US imperialist domination of Eurasia. The Assad regime is Russias only Arab ally in the Middle East, and Syria is home to its only naval base on the Mediterranean Sea.

The aim of Smiths piece is to deny these facts through a dishonest account of the Syrian civil war, which he declares to be a popular, pro-democracy uprising, just as legitimate as the other rebellions against the autocracies throughout the rest of the Middle East and North Africa collectively known as the Arab Spring.

Smith simply asserts this to be the case, without in any way seeking to prove it. What organizations, statements or programs can he point to as the bearers of this so-called revolution? The only organization Smith names as being in the leadership of this democratic revolution is the Free Syrian Army, a US-backed proxy force consisting of former members of Assads own military.

Smith quotes Joseph Daher, who is affiliated with the Pabloite International Secretariat, to assert that after Aleppo came under rebel control, it became a symbol of the democratic alternative that could be Syria.

This is a lie. Eastern Aleppo has been largely controlled by the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, the al-Nusra Front, an organization responsible for multiple atrocities. Al-Nusra has carried out indiscriminate bombing of civilians in government-controlled Western Aleppo and tortured and executed prisoners, including children.

In its most recent report on conditions in rebel-held areas, Amnesty International stated that civilians live in constant fear of being abducted if they criticize the conduct of armed groups in power or fail to abide by the strict rules that some have imposed.

The report adds, In Aleppo and Idlib today, armed groups have free rein to commit war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law with impunity. Shockingly, we have also documented armed groups using the same methods of torture that are routinely used by the Syrian government.

Unable to deny the dominant role of Al Qaeda-linked groups in the opposition, Smith concocts a narrative according to which jihadist dominance over the anti-Assad forces was the result of a plot hatched by Assad!

He writes, After the revolution broke out in early 2011, Assad released thousands of [Islamist] prisoners in the hopes that they would coalesce as a rival to the mainly secular, pro-democratic uprising. In fact, Assad released political prisoners as a concession to the Syrian opposition, which made the freeing of these forces one of the demands of the initial protests.

The basic aim of Smiths article is to obscure the fact that the Syrian civil war, with all of its death, displacement and carnage, is the product of a regime-change operation led by the United States. He manages to avoid even mentioning the United States until three-quarters of the way into his article, listing it as the last of several imperialist and regional powers responsible for the defeat of the revolution.

Smith lists the parties responsible for the situation in Syria, after the Assad regime, as Iran, Russia (which has the aim of projecting itself as an imperial power in the region) and other regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Only then does he get to the United States, which Smith says also intervened as a counterrevolutionary force.

But Smiths main criticism of the US (and by implication the Obama administration and the CIA, which are never referred to by name) is that it has not gone far enough in arming the rebels. Smith complains that the US denied the anti-Assad militias crucial anti-aircraft weaponry that would have enabled the rebels to overcome the Assad regimes sole military advantage: airpower.

In fact, according to Smiths contorted narrative, the United States allocation of billions of dollars to back the rebels has been an elaborate charade to disguise the fact that it has all along been in de facto collaboration with Russia and the Syrian regime. The US, it seems, has been conspiring with Russia to prop up Assad and keep him in power.

The entire article is full of such absurd contradictions. Thus, the US is a force for counterrevolution against the anti-Assad democratic opposition. But the group cited by Smith himself as a pillar of this supposed democratic opposition, the Free Syrian Army, was backed and financed by the United States!

Smith elaborates: The US did not want regime change in Syria. At best, it aimed for an orderly transition that would get rid of Assad.

There is hardly a better definition of regime change than an orderly transition that gets rid of a leader the US sees as being hostile to its interests. This is precisely the purpose of Washingtons intervention Syria, which the ISO criticizes only from the standpoint that it has not been carried out aggressively enough.

Now, with the evident collapse of the US regime-change operation, the ISO is responding with bewilderment, anger and disappointment not only at the failure to depose Assad, but at the consequent loss of standing of US imperialism in the Middle East and internationally.

Smith writes, with unconcealed bitterness: This result has exposed the US as a weakened power in the Middle East Meanwhile, Russias position has gained in strength, while US officials have been able to do little other than propose resolutions for cease-fires in the UN Security Council, which Moscow has vetoed.

These are words that could have been lifted from the angry post-mortems of any one of dozens of CIA-linked Washington think tanks. Smith speaks as a naked proponent of American imperialism. Like his ideological predecessor Max Shachtman, Smith declares Russia to be an empire as a justification for supporting US imperialism.

Shachtmans theories were put into practice in the 1950s with the Korean War, where he refused to defend North Korea, in effect siding with the United States in a war in which three million Koreans were killed. Declaring Neither Washington nor Moscow, Shachtman insisted that the Korean war was between rival imperialist powersthe USSR and the US. He went on to support the US war against Vietnam.

Half a century later, the ISOs argument consists of warmed-over Cold War anticommunism in left garb, replacing the Soviet empire with denunciations of the Russian empire.

Smith worries about the incoming Trump administration from the same standpoint of those sections of the CIA and the military that backed Clinton: that he will not be sufficiently aggressive in Syria and against Russia. Now, with the surprise election of Donald Trump, US policy in the Middle East is about to change, he writes. Trump advocates an explicit alliance with Russia and Assad against ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Over the past eight years, the United States has cloaked its military interventions all over the world, from the fascist-led coup in Ukraine, to the regime-change operations in Libya and Syria, in the garb of human rights, relying on outfits like the ISO to dress these schemes up as popular revolutions. With the coming to office of a Trump administration, with its lesser emphasis on humanitarian justifications for military intervention, Smith fears a loss of status.

He articulates the social outlook that prevails within the affluent upper-middle class constituency of the ISO and other pseudo-left organizations. This social layer has enriched itself through the stock market bubbles of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. As its stock portfolio grew, its politics shifted far to the right. Today, it fervently backs the operations of US imperialism internationally.

In carrying out the urgent task of building an international movement against imperialist war based on the working class and the fight for socialism, an understanding of the right-wing, pro-imperialist politics of groups such as the ISO, and an uncompromising struggle against them, is indispensable.
Police report that twelve people were killed and 48 injured Monday evening when a truck crushed into a Christmas market at Breitscheidtplatz near the famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.

As of this writing, it was still unclear if the event was an accident or a deliberate attack. Shortly before midnight, the police and fire departments announced that they would not issue any further statements. A press conference has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, where Berlin Mayor Michael Muller and Berlin State Interior Minister Andreas Geisel are expected to speak.

Police initially spoke of a terrorist attack, but later declared that the circumstances were still unclear and asked people not to spread rumors. One officer said, We dont have clear evidence pointing in one or the other direction.

I dont want to use the term attack yet, though there are many indications pointing to it, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told the broadcaster ARD.

A witness to the horrific event, Shandana Durrani, told CNN she was leaving the area when the truck hit the market. I think everybody thought there was a terrorist attack happening. People dropped what they were carrying and ran for cover It seemed like the truck just jumped the curb and took a wrong turn and barreled through the crowd. She said the lorry passed about 20 feet from her and destroyed three stalls at the popular market.

Heavily armed police sealed off the area and asked locals to stay away and to avoid posting videos of the incident online. They arrested one suspect, although it remained unclear if he was the driver. A second person, alternately described as the co-driver of the truck and a passenger, was found dead at the scene. Press reports say he was a Polish national.

Several media outlets in Germany reported that the driver of the truck was a refugee who had come to Germany from Pakistan or Afghanistan this past February. This had not been reported or confirmed by the police or other authorities, which had not released the name of the man in custody.

The lorry was reportedly registered to a company located near the Polish city of Szczecin and was on its way back from Italy. The Polish owner of the vehicle, Ariel Zurawski, confirmed to AFP that his driver was missing. We havent heard from him since this afternoon, Zurawski said. We dont know what happened to him. Hes my cousin. Ive known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him.

Reuters reported that Zurawski fears the truck may have been hijacked. He said he last spoke with his cousin, the driver, at about noon on Monday. The driver told Zurawski that he was in Berlin and planned to offload the truck on Tuesday morning. They must have done something to my driver, the owner told TVN24.

The federal prosecutor of Germany has taken over the case.

Despite the dearth of information about the incident, governments internationally where quick to call it a terrorist attack and use it to justify their policies of state repression, anti-immigrant measures and militarism.

In a statement, the White House condemned what appears to have been a terrorist attack and noted that the US government had been in contact with German officials. Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies, the White House declared.

US President-elect Donald Trump was even more bellicose, declaring: Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.

Trump pledged to eradicate these terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks  from the face of the earth and to carry out this mission with all freedom-loving partners.

The Socialist Party government in France, which had just prolonged the state of emergency introduced after the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, announced that it was stepping up its police presence. Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux called on security forces to immediately reinforce their presence at Christmas markets throughout the country and maintain maximum vigilance.

In Germany, the interior minister of the state of Hesse, Peter Beuth, said, As a reaction, we will beef up our police presence once again.
The attack on the living standards of the working class is set to intensify due to Finlands escalating economic crisis.

A report in October by the National Institute for Health and Welfare estimates that already 440,000 Finns, almost one in eight, do not earn enough to maintain a reasonable level of consumption.

Last month, the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) noted that Finnish household debt levels are at a historically high level and could pose a systemic risk to financial stability in Finland.

On November 19, state-owned broadcasting service Yle reported comments from Juha Sipila, prime minister of the Centre Party-led coalition, who said the trade unions were spreading negative attitudes and whining about Finlands employment situation.

In light of Sipilas remarks, Yles morning politics programme invited both Jyri Haekaemies, CEO of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), and Jarkko Eloranta, of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK), into the studio for comments.

Haekaemies said, Everyone is waiting for positive news, but our task is to come out on the issues as they really are. Finlands economy has been squeaking along for the past decade. Our employment percentage is 68 while in Sweden the figure is 76 percent. These are the facts that we need to base our actions on.

Referring to Sipilas comments during a factory tour on November 15 that the trade unions have been spreading a negative atmosphere in Finlands economy, Eloranta feigned an oppositional stance stating that SAK has had its work cut out with the current government.

However, he immediately reassured Haekaemies that while the unions have opposed some of the governments attacks, They have also put new agreements into action and at least the SAK will continue to propose reforms to Finnish society and social security.

The principal new agreement is the Competitiveness Pact, to which, after months of wrangling, the trade unions signed up in the summer. The pact included a yearlong wage freeze, increased deductions from employees for pensions and sickness benefitswith a corresponding decrease in employers contributionsand a 30 percent cut in holiday pay for public employees for the period 2017-2020. The deal ensures that Finns work three additional days a year without a pay rise.

The pact was based on economic conditions as of 2015/2016 and played a central part in the drive to close a 10 billion euro sustainability gap and enable Finnish capital to compete in the world market. It is clear, however, that the deepening global crisis has overtaken the Finnish bourgeoisie, the right-wing coalition government and the trade union bureaucracy.

Yle reported October 27 that the European Commission (EC) said Finlands economy remained among the worst in the European Union (EU), and it suspects that Finland and six other European countries are running afoul of EU budget rules.

The EC recommended that Finland improve its structural deficit by 0.6 percent of GDP.

Further attacks on the conditions of the working class are being prepared. This is the content of the statement of Matti Hetemaeki, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Finance, who declared in August, The situation is a lot worse than is widely thought. We have a Nordic welfare state, with its benefits and services, but our employment rate is Southern European.

Mikaeel Pentikaeinen, chief executive of the Federation of Finnish Enterprises, having complained that it is too difficult for small businesses to lay off employees, stated in the Helsinki Times that small and medium (sized) enterprises have recently been practically the only source of job creation in Finland.

The coalition government is seeking to further the attack on the working class, and it is clear that the Finnish bourgeoisie fears the response of the class, not the union bureaucracy. That the unions have signed up to the pact is one thing, their ability to deliver it is quite another.

With a union membership level of 69 percent, the Finnish working class is the most unionised in Europe. However, the unions have not been able to contain growing struggles by workers against the most sustained attacks on living standards in generations. As the Swedish industrial relations expert Henrik Malm Lindberg wrote in the Helsinki Hufvudstadsbladet November 3, For several decades Finland has been a country marked by a high level of industrial conflict both by Scandinavian and European standards.

He compared the situation in Finland today with a strike wave, including unofficial strikes that took place in Sweden in the early 1990s. Since 2000, strikes in Finland both lawful and unofficial have averaged 100 a year. There was mass action in the summer of 2015 against the imposition by decree of the Competitiveness Pact and in December broad support for the postal workers strikes. On November 3, Helsinki shipyard workers struck for two days over the interpretation of the pact.

Lindberg made some recommendations among which was that, as in Sweden, wage levels be determined by the needs of the export industries. While Finnish capital looks to such a solution, Jyri Haekaemies warned that whereas in Sweden the benchmarkthe wage level determined by the export industriesis not only the ceiling but also the floor In Finland we ought not to have a floor unless it is flexible.

The coalition government is thinking in similar terms. In an October 24 Bloomberg article, Finlands Millionaire Premier Freezes Pay in Bid to Save Economy, reporter Raine Tiessalo interviewed Sipila at some length. Sipila stated, Were behind our main competitor countries. Our problem is that our exports are lagging and that growth relies on domestic demandexports should become the growth motor again.

Exports comprise 40 percent of Finlands GDP, and Tiessalo notes that the country has booked a trade deficit almost every month this year as exports have shrunk some 15 percent from December through August.

From 2018, Sipila said, exporting industries will set the base for pay talks.

In the Competitiveness Pact, the unions agreed that there would be no pay rises in 2017. Tiessalo wrote, With pay levels under control, Sipila says the next step is to ensure that Finns actually produce moreessentially forcing them to accept pay cuts per unit produced.

There the government does not have much influence as it depends on the companies, Sipila said, adding, But my gut feeling from speaking with exporters is that 5 percent productivity is not a problem.

Even this would not meet the demands of some representatives of the bourgeoisie. On October 4, Martti Ahtisaari, the president of Finland from 1994 to 2000, gaining election on the Social Democratic ticket, ranted, [O]wing to globalisation we cannot succeed if we overprice ourselves. We could succeed by halving wages. Where can we find an administration that is willing to start cancelling benefits we cannot afford?

Bjoern Wahlroos, an executive at the Swedish-based financial group, Nordea, declared on Yles Internet channel in October that digitalisation and robotisation had changed working life, But low wage jobs are a necessity if there are to be enough jobs.

Among the fresh attacks being considered by the governments are public spending cuts. Last month, Petteri Orpo, the finance minister, warned that a further 1 to 2 billion may need to be cut next year.
The Japanese government is bitterly disappointed that Russian President Vladimir Putins trip to Japan last week failed to make any progress in resolving a long-running territorial dispute that has prevented the conclusion of a peace treaty between the two countries to formally end World War II.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has held 15 previous meetings with Putin, met with the Russian leader over two days on Thursday and Friday. The high-profile visit had been planned well in advance but was delayed by Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Expectations were high in Tokyo that steps would be taken toward a settlement in the dispute over the Kurile Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, which were occupied by the former Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Japan has insisted that the islands, to the north of Hokkaido, are part of its territory.

The framework for a settlement was established in 1956 with the signing of a Soviet-Japanese Joint declaration that held out the possibility of returning the two islands closest to JapanHabomai and Shikotanwhile the Soviet Union would retain the larger two islandsEtorofu and Kunashiri. The handover, however, was conditional on the conclusion of a peace treaty, which was undermined by Cold War tensions, the strengthening of the US-Japan military alliance in 1960 and the continued presence of large US bases in Japan.

Putin was apparently aiming to use concessions to Japan over the Kuriles as a means of breaking Russias isolation following the imposition of US-led sanctions over Crimea. For his part, Abe was seeking better ties with Moscow as a means of weakening Russias relations with China and boosting his domestic standing by negotiating the return of at least some of the disputed islands.

However, two days of talks between the two leaders produced no breakthrough. There was no suggestion that a solution based on the 1956 declaration had been arrived at. Even before the discussions, Putin deflated expectations by linking any deal to an easing of Japanese sanctions on Russia, declaring to the media: How are we going to have further economic relations on a new and higher basis, at a higher level under a sanctions regime? Abe had ruled out any change to Japanese sanctions.

According to Abe, Putin put a question mark over the 1956 declaration by claiming that it did not specify the sovereignty of the two islands to be handed back. At his joint press conference with Abe, Putin also suggested that the two islands would have to be exempted from the US-Japan Security Treaty, forcing Japan to negotiate with the US and further complicating any resolution.

Both sides attempted to put the best possible face on the outcome. About 80 business deals were reached between companies and government bodies from both sides. A senior government official told the Japan Times that the total in investments, loans and credit lines to Russia was worth 300 billion yen ($US2.6 billion).

Even the proposals for joint economic activities on the disputed islands became bogged down after Russian officials insisted that Japanese companies operating in the Kuriles should pay taxes to Russia. The Japan Times noted: The taxation issue may become the focal point at the talks, because allowing Moscow to collect taxes from Japanese firms on the islands would effectively amount to Tokyos recognition of Russian jurisdiction there.

The failure of the talks led to comments and editorials that were uncharacteristically open in expressing displeasure. Lengthy diplomacy between the two sides had been underway that had led Tokyo to believe that a deal was about to be reached and that Russia was willing to make compromises.

Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told the media that most of the Japanese public are disappointed at the results, adding that it should be a lesson that territorial negotiations are not easy.

Various media commentators had speculated that Abe might call snap elections for the House of Representatives, the lower parliamentary house, to capitalise on a diplomatic triumph.

A Mainichi Shimbun editorial declared that the summit dashed our hopes that repeated talks would move the Northern Territories issue forward and only left us to ponder the harsh reality of the situation.

The newspaper pointed to the obvious reason for Putins about-face: The US administration is in the midst of transition from one led by President Barack Obama, who initiated the introduction of international sanctions against Russia, to one led by President-elect Donald Trump, who advocates cooperation with Russia.

It declared: Russia has likely begun reviewing its policy towards Japan in the face of the coming change of government in the United States, then concluded: The Abe administration is faced with the need to drastically review its foreign policy to determine how to proceed with territorial talks with Moscow.

The talks between Russia and Japan and their breakdown are another symptom of the intensifying manoeuvring and rivalry between the major and regional powers amid the deepening global economic breakdown and heightened uncertainty generated by the Trumps election to the US presidency.
Christine Lagarde, a finance minister under former French President Nicolas Sarkozy who now heads the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was convicted yesterday of negligence in a long-running corruption case involving large state payments to businessman Bernard Tapie.

According to the Justice Court of the Republic (CJR) ruling, Lagarde personally involved herself in the decision not to launch any appeals against the payoff. Nevertheless, the CJR imposed no penalties on Lagarde for failing to do due diligence and defend taxpayers interests as Tapie pushed for a 405 million payoff from state funds in 2008.

The 2008 payoff came after Tapie, a corporate raider and favorite of Socialist Party (PS) President Francois Mitterrand in the 1980s and 1990s, jumped ship and supported Sarkozy, the winning conservative candidate, in the 2007 presidential elections.

Tapie claimed that he had been defrauded in 1994 by a state-owned branch of the Credit Lyonnais bank, Societe de Banque Occidentale, when he sold off sportswear company Adidas. While another group of private investors, including Robert Louis-Dreyfus, apparently benefited from the sale, Tapie demanded state compensation. While he received the payoff after Sarkozys election, the Paris appeals court ruled last year that the payment was illegitimate and that Tapie had to return the funds to the state.

Yesterday evening in Washington, the IMF shrugged off Lagardes conviction and kept her on as managing director. In this context, the Executive Board reaffirms its full confidence in the managing directors ability to continue to effectively carry out her duties, the IMF Executive Board declared in a statement. The Executive Board looks forward to continuing to work with the managing director to address the difficult challenges facing the global economy.

The ruling underscores the judicial impunity enjoyed by leading officials supported, as Lagarde is, by the leading imperialist powers in North America and Europe. It also contrasts sharply with the removal of Strauss-Kahn in 2011, amid a trumped up sex scandal involving a hotel chambermaid in New York City that was stoked by US and Sarkozy administration officials.

Despite the massive defrauding of the public involved in the Tapie-Credit Lyonnais scandal, the judiciary and Frances current PS government supported Lagarde. This is above all due to the vast power wielded by Lagardea former corporate lawyer in Chicago, who has served as IMF managing director since the resignation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2011.

Remarkably, state prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin denounced his own case against Lagarde, stating that pieces of evidence necessary to justify a penal condemnation  [had] not been assembled. He added, The court sessions have not borne out an accusation that is weak, or even simply incantational.

During the trial, Lagarde maintained her innocence based on absurd claims that, despite her financial expertise, she had been manipulated by lower-ranking officials and failed to understand the workings of the French finance ministry. She also claimed that she had not seen 22 notes sent to her from finance ministry officials on the Tapie-Credit Lyonnais affair, or revelations on the scandal in the Canard Enchaine weekly paper.

Lagardes defense manifestly failed to convince the CJR judges, who ruled against Lagarde despite the advice of the public prosecutor. At one point, CJR presiding judge Martine Ract Madoux sarcastically said, You said you didnt read those notes, that you discovered them later. You must have been unhappy when reading them.

A finance minister is often unhappy, Lagarde replied.

She did not even bother to wait in Paris for the verdict to be rendered, but left after testifying in order to return to IMF headquarters in Washington.

By failing to impose any penalties despite convicting Lagarde, the CJR bowed to broad political pressure from officials and press outlets across Europe to keep her in place as IMF managing directora post traditionally held by a European, and often by a Frenchman.

After Lagardes conviction, Frances PS government hailed Lagardes public service. Christine Lagarde holds her office at the IMF with distinction, and the government still has full confidence in her capacity to fulfill her responsibilities, declared Economy Minister Michel Sapin.

In an editorial comment, the Financial Times declared: The last thing the IMF now needs is a leadership vacuum. There is a running debate over the process by which the managing director is appointedand justified resentment among emerging markets of the convention by which the post is given to a European. This is not the moment to resolve such questions. The Greek bailout is at a delicate juncture, and Donald Trumps election raises much broader questions over the future of the international financial institutions.

The Financial Times  remark points to some of the vast financial, political and geo-strategic stakes involved in the selection of the IMFs managing director. As a US- and European-led body that has intervened for decades to impose deep austerity against working people to restructure economies passing through financial crises in the interests of finance capital, it plays a critical role in the strategic affairs of world imperialism.

It has been at the heart of increasingly bitter divisions between the European powers, as well as with the United States over the financial conditions of bailouts and debt haircuts in Greece and across southern Europe.

Particularly as US president-elect Donald Trump signals that he will pursue an aggressive economic nationalist line against China once he is inaugurated next month, Lagardes position is increasingly sensitive. The economic weight of China and more broadly of Asia has risen enormously over the last 15 yearsleading to sharp battles over the distribution of influence between various countries inside the IMF, and demands for Asian countries to be granted greater power.

Already in 2014, Chinese officials were demanding that Washington stick to its pledges to enhance the voice and representation of developing countries within the IMF.

In an October 2015 working paper, IMF officials wrote that conflicts over international influence inside the IMF reflect the fact that world capitalism is on the cusp of an epochal change in terms of economic power, the type of which has not been witnessed in the past 200-250 years.

Between the foundation of the IMF after World War II and the year 2000, they wrote, The share of the AEs [advanced economies] in global GDP was around 60-70 per cent  The pace of change since 2000 has, however, accelerated with the fulcrum of economic weight rapidly shifting from the North Atlantic to Asia after more than 200 years. It is this dramatic development becoming manifest in the past 15 years that is fueling the current vigorous debate. With the expectation of such change accelerating further over at least the next couple of decades, changes in global economic governance will have to be more substantive than the current incremental change envisaged.

Under these fraught international conditions, the French courts have intervened to let off Lagarde scot-free and keep the current leadership in power.
Between October 2013 and October 2015 the state of Michigan falsely accused more than 20,000 people of filing fraudulent unemployment claims, forcing struggling residents to repay millions they did not owe, according to the results of a state review released this week.

A newly installed computerized system wrongly flagged unemployment claims as fraudulent 93 percent of the time during the period examined. The subsequent interest and penalties collected by the state resulted in a huge surplus in the states unemployment insurance fund. This week the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a bill transferring $10 million of that money to help plug a hole in the state budget caused by tax giveaways to business.

The review belatedly and reluctantly conducted by Michigan authorities found that of 22,427 cases flagged for fraud by a computer, 20,965 of those cases did not in fact involve fraud. As a result of the surge in false fraud determinations the unemployment insurance agencies penalty and interest account ballooned from $3.1 million in 2011 to around $155 million as of October 2016.

A Royal Oak, Michigan attorney is now conducting a class action lawsuit against the state of Michigan on behalf of those unjustly forced to repay benefits. Attorneys are demanding that the surplus unemployment insurance agency funds be put in a trust until all those owed reimbursement by the state are fully repaid. To this date a mere $5.4 million has been refunded to 2,571 claimants. Audited state records show that more than $15 million was gouged from claimants in 2015 alone.

The false fraud charges caused enormous hardship for those wrongly accused. In some cases repayments and penalties exceeded $100,000 per claimant. Bankruptcy filings in the state increased during the time period when the false accusations of fraud were taking place.

Daniel Di Gregorio, a crane operator contacted by the Detroit Free Press, said his wife had taken the initiative in fighting a $33,000 assessment by the state of Michigan. His attorney said the notices did not meet basic due process requirements and assumed fraud on the part of claimants. He said the false accusations had a huge chilling effect on those who experienced it and frightened many others from even filing for benefits.

The director of the University of Michigan law school unemployment insurance clinic told the British Guardian newspaper he often found people facing significant emotional stress. In response he said the clinic added a suicide hotline to a referral resource page on its website.

The Guardian said it had encountered claimants who were charged with fraud despite never collecting a dollar in benefits. Many were not even aware they had the right to appeal.

Renee, a public university lecturer in Michigan, told the World Socialist Web Site she has been ordered by the state to repay $4,000 in unemployment benefits she was paid over the course of the summer months when she was not teaching. She said she was fighting the determination, but did not have much hope of prevailing.

They were denying a whole bunch of us who had filed similar claims in previous years and been approved.

There is a robotic system and third party contractors, who dont even know the rules, who will flag your unemployment benefits. It is very difficult to deal with the paperwork the state gives you and the state reporting website is very difficult to navigate. It is set up so you miss deadlines all the time. If you miss the deadline, it doesnt matter if you are correct.

For people who dont realize they can have a lawyer, it is a frightening and stress inducing process.

Renee said she had turned in all the required paperwork showing the state was in error, but the state claimed she had missed a deadline, a deadline she wasnt even aware of. My lawyer says I cant really do anything about it now, even if their determination was fraudulent.

The money I owe the state is racking up interest because I cant afford to pay it back. I dont have room in my budget for that.

She said the experience was traumatizing. It is disgusting. It makes you feel like you have no say in your life. The system is set up to keep you from receiving money you are legally owed.

Reports of the state of Michigan gouging unemployed workers comes as changes in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, are set to take effect this spring. The cuts will further impact already struggling families and individuals. New rule requirements mean adults designated as able-bodied, age 18-49, who do not work and do not have dependents, could lose their benefits.

Since 2002, Michigan had been exempt from federal requirements, so designated able-bodied adults were exempt from requirements that they work in order to receive food stamps. The waiver had been initially granted because the states unemployment rate was above the national average. But now that the official unemployment rate in the state has fallen to 4.7 percent, below the national average of 4.9 percent, the waiver has not been renewed for 2017. Like the rest of the US, the states official jobless rate distorts the real situation and is largely due to a drop in the number of workers in the labor force.

The rule change will be phased in starting next month and will be fully effective by October 2018. It will immediately affect some 14,000 adults in four counties, including Oakland and Washtenaw counties in suburban Detroit, where the unemployment rate is the lowest. It means adults without dependents will only get benefits for three months out of a 36-month period unless they are enrolled in a job-training program, work at least 20 hours per week, or participate in community service.

There are some 220,000 people in Michigan designated as able-bodied adults and who have no dependents that could potentially be impacted by the rule changes. Some 1.4 million Michigan residents are now receiving SNAP benefits, or about 1 in 7 people in the state. Some 29 percent of households receiving food stamps had at least one member who was 60 or older.

The amount of benefits paid to food stamp recipients is absurdly small, amounting to an average of $124 a month, or about $1.38 per meal. That is roughly equivalent to the cost of a can of soup. The income limit for a two-member household is $20,709 annually.

Up to 1 million people nationwide could be impacted by the reinstatement of work requirements in relation to SNAP benefits. In the states where work requirements have already been reinstated, the majority of people impacted have lost their benefits.
By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 20 (PTI) Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, today told the trial court here that she had translated 700 verses of the Bhagawad Gita into English, and wanted permission to publish the work.

"I have translated 700 verses of Bhagawad Gita from Sanskrit into English and I want to publish it," she said. Judge H S Mahajan asked her to file an application in this regard tomorrow. Indrani said she would donate half the sale proceeds from the translation to ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and rest to the abandoned women prisoners in the Byculla jail here, where she is lodged. "About 90 per cent of women prisoners are abandoned by their families," she said. Earlier, this month her husband and former media baron Peter Mukerjea, who was also arrested in the case, had sought a laptop in the jail to write an autobiography. Meanwhile, Indrani has also sought interim bail to conduct post-death rituals of her father. The investigating officer had told her yesterday about her father Upendra Kumar Boras death in Assam on December 15. The court is likely to pass order on the application tomorrow. Indrani, her driver Shyam Rai (who has now turned approver in the case) and her former husband Sanjeev Khanna are accused of killing her daughter Sheena inside a car here in April 2012. Peter Mukerjea is accused of being a party to the conspiracy. The court is at present hearing arguments on framing of charges. PTI VI KRK SRY

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Australias latest budget update, released yesterday, predicts a sharp economic slowdown and further blowouts in deficits for the next five years. It triggered renewed demands by big business, the media owners and the global credit ratings agencies, representing the world financial markets, for brutal cuts to social spending.

Although the three principal agenciesS&P, Moodys and Fitchleft the countrys borrowing rating at AAA, they placed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls government and the entire parliamentary establishment on notice to deliver deep cuts in next Mays budget.

Markets analysts said the government had barely kept the wolves at the door and this was merely a stay of execution. They warned of a downgrade unless the government could impose S&Ps demand for forceful cuts, preferably with the assistance of the opposition Labor Party, which this year has already helped push through parliament spending cuts worth $22 billion over four years.

S&P stated that it did not believe the governments assurances that it could still eliminate the annual budget deficit of nearly $40 billion by 2020-21. We remain pessimistic about the governments ability to close existing budget deficits and return a balanced budget by the year ending June 30, 2021, it said.

An air of unreality hung over the governments Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) because of the worldwide uncertainty in the wake of the election of Donald Trump as US president. Trump has threatened trade war measures against China, which is the largest market for the commodity exports on which Australian capitalisms fortunes depend extremely heavily.

In the anodyne words of the MYEFO report, the outlook for global growth remains uncertain. Buried away in an appendix, under the heading of risks, the document states: To the extent that unanticipated changes in economic circumstances occur, their impact will flow through to government expense and revenue forecasts.

Even on the governments own optimistic assumptions, the MYEFO forecasts an ongoing slump. It foreshadows a further cut to federal tax revenues of some $30 billion more over the next four years than was admitted in last Mays budget, just seven months ago.

Mays economic growth forecast for 2016-17 has been downgraded from 2.5 percent to 2 percent, but this figure itself is dubious, given that the economy officially contracted by 0.5 percent in the September 2016 quarter, and entire regions of the country have been in recession for several years.

The biggest single factor in this downgrade is the lowest wages growth for decades, eroding income tax revenue. The MYEFO predicts that real wages will rise by just 0.5 percent this year and next. This figure indicates that substantial wage cuts are occurring throughout the working class, alongside soaring executive pay.

Behind these wage cuts is pressure of rising levels of unemployment and underemployment. The relentless destruction of full-time jobs, via mine and industrial closures and cost-cutting corporate restructuring has accelerated since the 2008 global financial breakdown.

There are now 51,000 fewer people employed full-time than there were a year ago. Most of the damage has been inflicted on young people. Full-time employment for 15- to 19-year-olds dropped by 15 percent in the past year and by 6 percent for 20- to 24-year-olds.

Only 39 percent of people aged 20-24 now work full-timedown from 54 percent before the 2008 crisis. The proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds working full-time is now the lowest recorded in Australia during the post-World War II period.

The government largely won its stay of execution by outlining more cuts to welfare and students. These include $13 billion from child care benefits, aged pensions and carers income support over the next four years, $7 billion from vocational education loans to students and $3.7 billion from a crackdown on alleged welfare over-payments. Jobs and training programs will be cut by $450 million, while criminal fines will be increased in value by almost 20 percent, raising $90 million.

These measures enabled the government to claim that, despite its $30 billion revenue slump, the budget deficits will blow out by only $10 billion to $94.9 billion over four years. Yet even that forecast makes a mockery of the governments pledge to the markets to produce a budget surplus by 2020-21.

The forecast deficit in 2019-20 has worsened from $5.9 billion to $10 billion, highlighting the difficulty of posting a surplus in the following year. Likewise, the deficit for 2018-19 was increased to $19.7 billion. It was originally estimated at $6.9 billion in last years budget, then increased to $15.4 billion in this years budget.

Similar blowouts have occurred in the past 12 consecutive budgets and MYEFOs. Empty promises of returning to surplus have been made since 2010, first by the Labor government until 2013 and then by the current Liberal-National Coalition. The Australians contributing economic editor Judith Sloan observed that the pledges were based on Pollyanna figures.

This year, precisely because of the global turmoil, the government did not try to make revenue projections based on this years uptick in global iron ore and coal prices, which could reverse rapidly if Chinas economy falters. However, the government still made unrealistic assertions, including that the mining investment collapse will abate and that the unsustainable property bubble will continue to shore up residential construction in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Economic forecaster BIS Shrapnels Adrian Hart, said: The decline of only 12 percent in mining investment in 2017-18 looks too small. BIS Shrapnel expects a 26 percent slide this year, 24 percent next and 17 percent in 2018-19. It also predicts a 5 percent decline in housing investment by 2017-18, with a worse drop the subsequent year.

While the working classparticularly the young and most vulnerableare already bearing the burden of the economic reversal, the government is pushing ahead with the key planks in its jobs and growth plan. They consist of company tax cuts worth $50 billion over a decade, military spending of $195 billion over the same 10 years, and programs to coerce young workers into low-wage internships as cheap labour for the corporations.

The government is also preparing for war, with a massive spending program on submarines, warplanes and other weaponry. Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne last week declared in Cherbourg, France, where Australias new fleet of submarines will be designed: We are a very wealthy country, as a consequence we have a responsibility to do our part to, as Donald Trump says, not be strategic bludgers but actually lift our percentage of spending of GDP to 2 percent, which well do by 2020-21.

To pay for tax cuts and military spending, the Liberal-National coalition government is under pressure to make deep inroads into social programs despite widespread hostility to the austerity agenda that has been enforced by Coalition and Labor governments alike.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called a rare double dissolution election last July 2 in a failed bid to break through a parliamentary logjam produced by the opposition parties fear of electoral backlashes and social unrest. Instead the election reduced the government to a wafer-thin majority of one seat in the lower house and saw a record vote against the main establishment partiesthe Coalition, Labor and the Greensin the Senate. Despite their claims to be anti-elite, the right-wing populists elected to the Senate helped the government survive to the end of the year, voting for key spending cuts. But the financial elite is demanding far more savage measures.

Corporate media editorials today again voiced frustration with Turnbulls failure to deliver this agenda, and appealed to the Labor Party to join hands with the government. The Australian declared: Once again we see deficits widen and debt deepen. Once again we see incremental budget repair and an unambitious reform agenda in the face of obstructionist opposition. The song remains the same; it is a dirge.
As New York Universitys (NYU) fall semester wraps up, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) is continuing its campaign among students against political censorship on campus and attacks on the democratic rights of the working class and young people around the world.

Last Thursday, the IYSSE held a successful off-campus meeting to discuss the political issues raised by the anti-democratic policy of the NYU Student Activities Board (SAB), which works to reject roughly 90 percent of club applicants. The SAB denied the IYSSEs application for club statusalong with those of 39 other groupseffectively blocking the IYSSE from booking rooms and holding events on campus. This was an act of political censorship by an NYU administration led by a cabal of Wall Street bankers and key figures from Democratic and Republican Party circles.

There has been an outpouring of support for the IYSSEs campaign, with nearly 200 students, faculty and administrators signing a petition demanding that the SAB reverse its decision and grant the IYSSE club status.

The Thursday event began with a brief report on the SABs decision to reject the IYSSEs application, explaining that the SAB decision was based on the specious grounds that the IYSSE was too similar to existing groups on campus, including the International Socialist Organization (ISO). The SAB has since then come up with different excuses in every interaction with the IYSSE.

The IYSSE speaker pointed out that this act of censorship was taking place amid preparations for a broader attack on democratic rights by the incoming Trump administration. He noted that Trump has already threatened to jail or revoke citizenship from individuals who burn the American flag. He is empowered by the precedent set by the Obama administrations extrajudicial killings and the police lockdowns of major American cities.

The attack on democratic rights is directly related to the corporate and military establishments hostility to socialism. Many of the individuals who serve on NYUs Board of Trustees, it was pointed out, belong to the wealthiest layers of American society and have every interest in preventing socialists from participating in the political and intellectual life of the university. The SAB claims they dont have money for new clubs," the speaker explained, "but the school paid Hillary Clintons aide, Cheryl Mills, hundreds of thousands of dollars for her work at NYUs campus in Abu Dhabi. The school has also relied on the Clinton Foundation for support in managing the bad publicity it has received as a result of the horrible conditions faced by workers who built the Abu Dhabi campus.

The report concluded with an appeal to students to familiarize themselves with the IYSSEs perspective and become engaged in the campaign for its right to club status as part of the defense of democratic rights at the university and more broadly.

Students who attended the meetingand signed the IYSSEs petitionresponded positively.

One meeting attendee asked about the possibility of the IYSSE organizing without club status. Another IYSSE member explained that part of the campaign is the fight for the rights of students to form clubs in order to engage in political and social activity on campus.

Other students, many of whom could not attend the meeting because of finals, have voiced support for the IYSSEs campaign.

Jaime Rivera, a business student, said, I wouldnt say I know a lot about political rights, but this is a liberal institution. It seems like there is not a lot of tolerance for different views that differ from liberal politics. However, the university should allow different political opinions. I dont believe in censorship.

Censorship is always done because someone benefits from it. It locks out someone. It tries to stop people from thinking for themselves. You can see it in the business school where money moves things. The politicians make decisions based on what caters to them.

If they [the school] are saying there is no money for clubs it shows where their priorities are. It is a moral outlook.

Nathaniel, who is getting his masters in English and special education, said about the SAB only accepting 14 percent of club applicants, I dont think this is fair. New groups should have the space and opportunity to succeed. The university should be reevaluating its budget.

NYU says it is inclusive, but it doesnt show it. Something has to be done. They are saying they dont have money, but what they mean is that there is not money for you.

Asked about the presidential election, Nathaniel added, It was like the peoples votes were counted, but not considered. They say we are a democracy, but we dont operate like one.

You can see that something like 50 percent of the population didnt vote. Some people might even feel indifferent. As an educator, I need to know about how policies are going to affect my students. I think the whole population needs to know what is going on, and how to have politicians work for us.

Angad, an international student from India, said about the IYSSEs open letter, I thought this was a good piece of writing, and makes a case for an increase in free speech on campus. The university wants to appear impartial. They dont want to weigh in.

When an IYSSE member pointed out that the university has ties to the Democratic Party and the Clinton Foundation, Angad added, Democracy is never democracy. I come from India, the biggest democracy in the world, so I know. It is just a name to reassure everyone, but there is always a distribution of power that is never even.
The pseudo-left Quebec Solidaire (QS) reaffirmed its participation in OUI Quebec, the pro-Quebec independence coalition led by the big business Parti Quebecois (PQ), at its National Council meeting held in late November. The QS National Council also proclaimed its readiness to explore the possibility of convergences and alliances with other political and social movements, so as to hasten Quebecs exit from the deadend into which the provincial Liberal government of Phillipe Couillard has led it.

These positions constitute a transparent overture from QS to the pro-austerity, pro-war PQ for an alliance in the name of defeating the Liberals at the next provincial election, slated for spring 2018. They were accompanied by a recitation of the reservations that QSa party of the upper middle class, which, despite certain grievances, defends the existing capitalist order and is intent on integrating itself into the ruling eliteusually makes when it talks about its relations with the PQ. For example, Francoise David, the QS parliamentary leader, declared: People will not be satisfied with a pale copy of the Quebec Liberal Party.

In the newsrooms of the corporate media and ruling class circles, precisely no one was fooled. The political establishment unanimously interpreted the QS National Councils decisions as a step toward closer collaboration with the PQ. Quebec Solidaire accepts the hand of the PQ, was the headline that the Quebec City daily Le Soleil gave to its report on the results of the QS leadership meeting. For his part, the PQs new leader, Jean-Francois Lisee, welcomed the outcome of the National Councils deliberations, saying it was a message from QS that the absolute priority is to get rid of the Liberal government.

Although the Couillard government is detested among the population for its right-wing policies, including drastic public service cuts, welfare-benefit cuts, and attacks on public sector worker pensions, the Official Opposition PQ continues to lag in the polls because it itself is so closely associated with the program of capitalist austerity.

Workers remember the tens of thousands of jobs that the PQ government of Lucien Bouchard eliminated in health care and education in the mid-1990s. And students and younger workers saw how the six-month-long 2012 Quebec student strike was politically hijacked by the PQwith the indispensable assistance of the trade union federations and Quebec Solidaire. The Pauline Marois-led PQ government that came to power as a result of this maneuver quickly accelerated the dismantling of social services, while whipping up anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim prejudice with its chauvinist Charter of Quebec Values.

It is in this context that the QS National Council has closed ranks with the PQ in order to give it a left cover. The QS leadership is well aware of the explosive character of class relations. They are turning to the PQ to prevent popular anger against the austerity measures of the Liberal government from developing into an open working-class challenge to the entire class program of the ruling elite in Quebec and across Canada.

As in 2012, the goal of QS is to help the pro-capitalist trade union bureaucracy channel the rising opposition to the Liberals behind the Quebec elites other traditional party of government, the PQ, while working to resuscitate the discredited project of a separate capitalist Quebec and to prevent Quebec workers from uniting their struggles with those of their class brothers and sisters in the rest of Canada and internationally.

This is the meaning of the remarks Francoise David made at the end of the National Council meeting. After years of austerity, said David, we are called on by ... intellectuals, union leaders, citizens, all concerned about the future of our society. These progressives want to build bridges with other movements, other parties. Yesterdays answer from the members of Quebec Solidaire is: We have heard you; we are ready to dialogue.

In an attempt to portray its plans for a union-backed, anti-Liberal electoral bloc with the PQ as a progressive, anti-austerity alliance, QS has listed a series of so-called conditions for its participation. Needless to say, these conditions in no way call into question the subordination of socio-economic life to big business. In fact, they are so vacuous a run-of-the-mill PQ or Liberal politician would have no trouble signing on to them.

They include a vague commitment to reinvest in public services, the recognition of feminism as a shared value, the desire to see the end of the development of hydrocarbons on Quebec soil, and a preference for a proportional voting system. They make no call for opposition to the Canadian Armed Forces major and growing role in Washington's wars and military-strategic offensives in the Middle East and against Russia and Chinaan expansion of Canadian militarism and imperialism that is supported by the PQ and the rest of the Quebec sovereignist movement.

Welcoming Quebec Solidaires call for an anti-Liberal progressive, pro-Quebec sovereignist alliance, the head of Option Nationalea small right-wing nationalist party founded by an ex-banker and former PQ legislatordeclared the enumerated conditionsinteresting.

The only real points of contention between QS and the PQ relate to tactics concerning the accession to Quebec independence, particularly the timing of another independence referendum. The PQ of Jean-Francois Lisee wants to put off a referendum indefinitely, said Davids co-official QS spokesperson, Andres Fontecilla. So Quebec Solidaire is now the only party represented in the National Assembly which places the independence of Quebec at the center of its priorities.

These tactical differences aside, QS and the PQ have a shared vision for the reshuffling of the North American nation-state system to create a capitalist Republique du Quebec, that is, a state more exclusively focused on promoting the economic and geostrategic interests of Quebecs French-speaking bourgeoisie. They both invoke nationalism as a means to politically subordinate Quebec workers to their ruling class, insisting that Quebecois workers have more in common with the Quebec bourgeoisieincluding the PQs ex-leader and media and telecommunications magnate, Pierre-Karl Peladeauthan with their English-speaking and immigrant class brothers and sisters in the rest of Canada and the United States.

In a recent speech, QS National Assembly deputy Manon Masse promoted national unity, that is the suppression of the class struggle. The responsibility of a credible political movement, said Masse, is to foster social dialogue and bring Quebeckers together around collective interests, not to divide them according to their differences.

Many of the most virulent nationalists are to be found in the Pabloite and other ostensibly Marxist groups that have dissolved into Quebec Solidaire and function within it as a loyal fraction, helping give it a radical tinge.

A typical representative of these tendencies, QS Gatineau spokesperson Benoit Renaud, recently invoked the global rise of the radical rightthe xenophobic parties in Europe and the election of Donald Trump as US presidentto argue that Quebec Solidaire should carry out a more aggressive campaign for Quebec independence. This he claimed is the only way to strike a blow in favor of a more democratic, egalitarian, ecological and peaceful humanity.

Renaud concluded his nationalist diatribe by adopting Trump's economic nationalist rhetoric. He issued his own call to assert our national sovereignty, to say No to treaties which claim to promote free trade but which actually protect the interests of multinationals. This position has nothing to do with the struggle for the unity of the international working class against the transnationals and world capitalism, which requires implacable opposition to all forms of nationalism and the struggle to mobilize the working class as an independent political force. Rather, it echoes ultra-right-wing forces, such as Trump and the neo-fascist National Front in France, who condemn free trade treaties from the perspective of certain sections of their own national bourgeoisie, who fear losing out in the struggle for markets and profits.

The language adopted by Renaud highlights yet again the reactionary character of the Quebec independence project, as well as the growing similarity between the political positions of the pseudo-left and the extreme right.
November 21 marked the second anniversary of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisenas defection from former President Mahinda Rajapakses government to contest the January 2015 presidential election as the oppositions common candidate. Sirisena, who was Rajapakses health minister and secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), defeated the incumbent and formed a coalition government with the United National Party (UNP), appointing its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

The mainstream media and pseudo-left groups hailed Sirisenas election victory as a democratic revolution. Only the World Socialist Web Site and Socialist Equality Party explained that Sirisenas cross-over was part of a reactionary regime-change operation orchestrated by Washington against Rajapakses pro-China tilt.

A recent book by a SLFP parliamentarian, Malith Jayathilake, titled The January 8th Revolution: As I Have Seen It, contains some inside information on how leading figures in Sri Lankas ruling elite conspired to oust Rajapakse. Jayathilake was a former advisor for Rajapakses ruling cabal, but later became Sirisenas election propagandist.

While the book was written to glorify Sirisena and others who backed him, it confirms aspects of the WSWSs detailed analysis of the regime-change operation. Jayathilake deliberately avoids mentioning Washingtons intervention. Sirisena, Wickremesinghe and their cohorts fear that revealing US imperialisms connection to their installation would be politically suicidal.

Jayathilake portrays former President Chandrika Kumaratunga as the chief actor in Sirisenas defection from Rajapakse. Her central role, however, was principally determined by her US connections, highlighted by the WSWS. After her presidency ended in 2005, Kumaratunga joined the Clinton Foundation of former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, who became secretary of state during the Obama administrations first term.

Under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the US instigated its pivot to Asia to isolate and militarily encircle China and to undermine Beijings influence in the region. In her efforts to align countries in the region behind Washington, Clinton bullied the Rajapakse government to distance itself from China. After attempts to pressure Rajapakse over Sri Lankan war crimes failed, Washington systematically worked toward regime change. Former US ambassador in Colombo, Michele Sison coordinated these activities, having connections with Kumaratunga, Wickremesinghe and middle-class groups such as the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ).

The book reveals that Kumaratunga began tapping Sirisena as a possible presidential candidate in 2013, sending feelers to see his views. According to the book, Sirisena initially replied: I cannot agree to this [proposal].

Kumaratunga started to exploit discontent within the SLFP against Rajapakse and his cabal, who had concentrated political power in their hands and marginalised senior party figures. Rifts within the SLFP were such that several MPs wanted Kumaratunga to become a common opposition candidate to defeat Rajapakse.

Kumaratunga told her close circle she would not contest a presidential election, giving various reasons. The book covers up the real political reason for her reluctance. Kumaratunga was well aware that she ended her presidential term thoroughly discredited because of her governments attacks on living conditions and democratic rights and its resumption of the communal war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Kumaratunga continued her intrigues, sending emissaries to Sirisena. According to Jayathilakes book, Kumaratunga established direct contact with Sirisena by June 2014, on the pretext of discussing problems with a hospital established in her late husband Vijaya Kumaratungas name. She also used the Viber messaging system to contact Sirisena and others. Facing the intrigues of his political opponents, Rajapakse set up phone-tapping equipment to seek information on the plotting.

In July 2014, Rajapakse indicated he was planning to call an early election. The book explains that Kumaratunga intensified her efforts. She advised her personal friend and current MP Jayampathy Wickramaratne and her chief of staff P. Dissanayake to start secret negotiations for Sirisenas defection.

Kumaratunga and UNP leader Wickremesinghe had already started talks to coordinate efforts to oust Rajapakse. Her aim was to enlist a section of the SLFP and get the support of the UNP leader to field Sirisena as a common opposition candidate.

While agreeing to the proposal, Wickremesinghe was planning to contest the election himself. However, the view of prominent UNP leaders, including Mangala Samaraweera, Ravi Karunanayake and Malik Samarawickrama, and also Kumaratunga and those opposed to Rajapakse in his party, was that Wickremesinghe should not be the common candidate.

At a secret meeting held at her house on November 6, 2014, Kumaratunga told Wickremesinghe he could not become the candidate. One reason was the unwillingness of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) to support him. They think your image has collapsed, she said.

Underscoring the capitalist elites communal considerations in selecting a candidate, Kumaratunga also pointed to the lack of confidence about Wickremesinghe among the Sinhala communal parties.

In this meeting, for the first time she revealed Sirisenas intention to defect and reportedly told Wickremesinghe: If you agree, Ill get him [Sirisena] to agree. Wickremesinghe finally agreed to give way to Sirisena, just two weeks before the latters defection.

Kumaratunga had conducted talks with the TNA for a common candidate since September 2014 without divulging Sirisenas name. She conveyed the idea to TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran and he agreed. In October, in a discussion at her house, Kumaratunga told TNA leader R. Sambandan that Sirisena would be the candidate and he was enthused. The TNA, representing the Tamil capitalist elite, lined up with the regime-change plot.

As the WSWS explained in January 2015, the TNAs decision to back Sirisena was not a last-minute decision. It was a carefully prepared move, fully endorsed by Washington and New Delhi. The main tactical calculation in delaying announcing the TNAs support until late December was to avoid Rajapakses communalist accusations that Sirisena had caved in to Tamil parties.

For some time, Kumaratunga and Wickremesinghe held discussions with the Sinhala extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a partner in Rajapakses government, and the communalist opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to rally them behind their plot.

This account again demonstrates that there was not a grain of democracy in presenting Sirisena as the common presidential candidate. Everyone involved conspiratorially schemed behind closed doors in Colombo, monitored by Washington.

While a propaganda drive was drummed up against Rajapakses anti-democratic rule and corruption, nothing was said about Sirisenas role as one of Rajapakses ministers or the autocratic methods of the UNP while in power.

Professors and pseudo-radicals initiated the NMSJ and Citizens Power campaign against Rajapakses corruption and nepotism. Many of them had already lined up behind the bogus US human rights campaign against Rajapakse. When Sirisenas candidacy was announced, they were jubilant.

This exercise was not limited to a presidential election. If the operation had failed to defeat Rajapakse in the election, it would have culminated in a Washington-instigated colour revolution to oust him.

Nearly two years of rule by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government have proved that this regime change was not conducted out of concerns for the democratic rights of workers and poor. The governments major move has been to deepen political and military ties with the US.

As the WSWS and the SEP warned, this governmentwhich came to power under the false banner of good governancehas imposed savage austerity measures, deepened the attacks on workers and democratic rights, and steadily dragged Sri Lanka into the maelstrom of US war preparations in the Indian Ocean.
An off-duty Turkish policeman shot and killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, Monday in front of a horrified audience at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

The gunman was identified as a 22-year-old member of the Ankara riot police, Mevlut Mert Altintas. Dressed in a black suit and carrying his police ID, he entered the art gallery where Karlov was introducing an exhibition of photographs titled Russia through Turks eyes. He drew a pistol, shot the ambassador repeatedly in the back, and then began shouting at the crowd in both Turkish and Arabic, Dont forget about Aleppo, dont forget about Syria, along with Islamist slogans.

Heavily armed Turkish police then stormed the gallery, killing the gunmen. At least three other people were wounded in the incident.

The chilling images of the ambassadors murder and the subsequent ranting by his assassin were captured on video and have been widely circulated.

The assassination has taken place in the context of a ferocious anti-Russian campaign mounted by the Obama administration and the US media, in which Russias role in providing military aid to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad in retaking the city of Aleppo from Western-backed Islamist militias has played a major role.

The killing of the ambassador also came on the eve of a scheduled meeting in Moscow between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian and Iranian counterparts, Sergei Lavrov and Mohammad Javad Zarif, to discuss the ongoing ceasefire in and evacuation of previously opposition-held eastern Aleppo, along with proposals for a more comprehensive settlement of the five-and-a-half-year-old Syrian war.

Anger in the West over the loss of the last urban bastion of the Al Qaeda-linked militiasa strategic defeat in the US-orchestrated war for regime changehas been intensified by the collaboration of Ankara, Moscow and Tehran. Washington was excluded from todays talks.

The Syrian regime change operation brought Russia and Turkey to the brink of war in November of 2015, when the Turkish air force ambushed and shot down a Russian warplane carrying out airstrikes near the Syrian-Turkish border. The incident resulted in a freezing of relations between Moscow and Ankara and Russias imposition of economic sanctions against Turkey.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sought a rapprochement with Moscow last June, offering an apology for the downing of the Russian plane. This was followed a month later by an abortive military coup, which supporters of Erdogan blamed on the United States and a movement led by opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania. Relations between Moscow and Ankara became closer following the coup, leading to the recent collaboration in brokering the plan for the evacuation of eastern Aleppo.

Both the Russian and Turkish governments condemned the assassination of Karlov as a provocation aimed at disrupting relations between the two countries. Both governments likewise described the killing as a terrorist act, though they appeared to differ in their assessment as to who was responsible.

A crime has been committed and it was without doubt a provocation aimed at spoiling the normalization of Russo-Turkish relations and spoiling the Syrian peace process which is being actively pushed by Russia, Turkey, Iran and others, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a televised meeting at the Kremlin. We must know who directed the killers hand, Putin added, addressing himself to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of the SVR foreign intelligence service, and Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the domestic FSB security service, who were also in attendance.

Turkeys President Erdogan, speaking in a televised address on Monday night, described the killing as a provocation given our cooperation regarding Aleppo, adding that he had spoken to Putin and stressed, We are determined to maintain our ties with Russia.

Both sides made clear that the planned tripartite meeting between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian ministers in Moscow would go ahead on Tuesday.

The gunmens statements about Aleppo and Syria and his shouting in Arabic about jihad strongly suggested that he was acting either in concert with or in support of the Islamist militias that have suffered a stunning reversal in Aleppo over the past several weeks.

According to some reports, the Islamic State (ISIS) denied any connection with the killing, while web sites connected with the Al Nusra Front, the Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate that has been the backbone of US-backed forces in Aleppo, hailed the killing.

Nonetheless, Turkish officials have indicated that they are pursuing an investigation aimed at proving that the riot policeman was actually a member of the Gulenist movement, which the government charged was behind last Julys coup attempt. Over the past several months, the Turkish government has purged thousands of civil servants, teachers, police and members of the military charged with being connected with the Gulenists.

Government officials have suggested that the slogans shouted by the gunman after the shooting were merely a diversion aimed at concealing his true affiliations. A spokesman for Gulen said that the cleric had condemned the killing and described the suggestions that he was responsible as laughable.

The Turkish government has obvious motives for denying that a member of an elite police unit was a sympathizer or operative of the Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate. Ankara covertly provided extensive support for the Al Nusra Front and similar Islamist militias, with its security forces collaborating in the funneling of arms and foreign fighters into Syria.

Any disagreements as to who was immediately responsible for the killing notwithstanding, leading political figures in both Moscow and Ankara blamed the US and the West for the assassination.

Ilnur Cevik, chief presidential advisor to Erdogan said Monday: Growing relations and intensive cooperation in all areas between Turkey and Russia has created anger in the West, especially in the United States and Germany. The latest example has been the joint efforts of the two countries to save the civilian people of Aleppo. It was inevitable that the West would try to sabotage these relations. It is sad that they used a policeman affiliated to Fethullah Gulens terrorist organization to assassinate the ambassador.

In Moscow Alexei Pushkov, a member of the Dumathe Russian legislatureand former chairman of its foreign affairs committee, charged that Western propaganda about Russia organizing a massacre and genocide in Aleppo served to incite the attack.

The hysteria around Aleppo raised by the Western media has consequences, Pushkov told Russian television. This murder is precisely a consequence of attempts to blame Russia for all the sins and crimes she did not commit. They are completely ignoring the crimes of fighters in Aleppo, and that forms a distorted and false picture of what is happening in this city, which contributed to this terrorist act.

Senator Frantz Klintsevich, deputy chairman of the Russian upper chambers defense and security committee, went further, charging that the assassination was a planned action.

Everyone knew that he was going to attend this photo exhibition. It can be ISIS, or the Kurdish army which tries to hurt Erdogan. he said. But [it] may beand it is highly likelythat representatives of foreign NATO secret services are behind it.

Whatever the authorship of the assassination, the prospect of it further cementing ties between Russia and Turkey can only serve to heighten tensions with Washington, which, the impending change in administrations notwithstanding, remains committed to asserting US imperialist hegemony over the Middle East.
In 2014, more than one in five Germans worked for a wage of less than 10 per hour, and the tendency is rising. This is clear from the governments new poverty and wealth report, as covered by several newspapers last week. Publication of the full report is planned for spring 2017.

In east Germany, the low-wage rate is even higher, at over 33 percent, with Mecklenburg Pomerania standing in first place with 35.5 percent of wages less than 10 per hour.

According to Labour Ministry data collected every four years, the proportion of low-wage earners is increasing in west Germany. In companies with more than 10 employees, the low wage rate rose between 2006 and 2014 from 16.4 to 18.4 percent. It varies between 15.5 percent in Hamburg and 20.4 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia. In east Germany, the proportion of low-wage earners fell slightly over the same period, from 36.8 to 34.6 percent.

According to the official OECD definition, a low-wage is one at two-thirds of the average wage. In Germany in 2014, this corresponded to a gross wage of 10 per hour.

The expansion of the low-wage sector in Germany is shocking. Given the global intensification of the capitalist crisis, it can be assumed that the real extent of the low-wage sector will continue to grow. Tens of thousands of jobs have been destroyed in the last few years alone in many companies, in close collaboration between management and unions. New posts are overwhelmingly temporary with worse conditions.

For many young people, there is no chance of a job with a permanent contract and decent wages. Older workers who lose their job have no chance of finding a comparable position, and often end up in a low-wage job or claiming welfare benefits. Part-time, contract and temporary staff often receive low wages and face insecure working conditions.

Twenty-six years after the reunification of Germany in 1990, millions of people in the country live in severe poverty, while a rich upper layer squanders millions and determines the course of politics.

It is primarily the Social Democrat-Green Party government of Gerhard Schroder (SPD) and Joschka Fischer (Green Party) that is responsible for these conditions. It lowered the top tax rate from 53 to 42 percent and, with the Hartz welfare and labour reforms, created the conditions for a huge low-wage sector. More and more people are forced to work for low wages and, despite having a job, are unable to make ends meet and have to claim welfare benefitsa time-consuming and nerve-wracking experience.

The trade unions also share a major responsibility for this system, which it helped to design and implement. The larger than average low-wage sector in eastern Germany is also a damning indictment of the Left Party and its predecessors. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, they organised the sale of state enterprises, destroying millions of jobs and workers social achievements.

Accompanying the low-wage sector, the number of highly indebted individuals has also grown. In 2015, there were 2 million German households blighted by high levels of debt; some 4.2 million people were no longer able to meet their obligations, such as regular rental payments and debts. Men living alone and single mothers are especially affected. Approximately 650,000 people in 2015 underwent debt counselling.

Among the factors contributing to high indebtedness are unemployment, separation, illness and failed self-employment. It is increasingly common that those on low incomes accumulate debt and are then not able to pay it off.

Matthias Bruckdorfer from a charity debt-counselling working group told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung: We have a very broad low-wage sector. The lower the income, the higher the risk of landing in debt.

In the same newspaper, Ulrich Schneider, from the Federation of Welfare Associations, said, The number of over-indebted people is increasing, because the proportion of those without savings is increasing. More and more people are living from hand to mouth.
Latin America

Mexican health workers strike over unpaid wages, bonus, lack of supplies

Some 8,000 workers, among them doctors and nurses, in the public health sector in the Mexican state of Baja California struck December 14. The striking workers, members of the Health Syndicate Section 3, list among their demands the payment of their last two bimonthly wages as well as the end-of-year bonus and food vouchers.

About 300 workers in the border town of Tecate picketed the hospital. Another 600 held protests in the esplanade of the Mexicali General Hospital, while protests were held at health centers and maternity wards. Emergency services were not discontinued.

The union has made appeals to the finance secretary and state governor, who have not responded.

The workers have other demands and complaints. Shortages of supplies, medicines and other resources are chronic and they say that they cannot provide adequate service to their clients with the poor state of the equipment. A union official complained that the hospitals were not originally intended to be a freezer, a mortuary, an amphitheater for keeping bodies, yet they were being used for such purposes while surgeries had to be performed in surgical anterooms and sometimes in hallways.

Honduran civil registry workers hold one-day strike over unpaid bonus

National Persons Registry (RNP) central office workers in Tegucigalpa, Honduras went on strike on December 16 over a number of demands including wages. About 1,500 employees walked out.

The workers are demanding the retroactive payment of a bonus that the government has already given to other public employees. The bonus would cover the months of October through December. They are also calling for the payment of the end-of-year bonus ( aguinaldo ) that they should have gotten in mid-December.

Striking RNP workers talked to customers to explain the strike and recommended that they go to another municipality to carry on their business. They have asked authorities of the Finance Secretariat and the president to intervene.

Nicaraguan textile workers sentenced to prison for engaging in illegal strike

Eight Nicaraguan workers for Korean-owned Technotex textile business were sentenced to a year in prison December 16 for their participation in a strike last June. A judge for the municipality of Tipitapa, which is located between lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua, handed down the sentence.

The judges ruling was in accord with the Public Ministry, which accused the workers of obstructing police officers who were breaking up the strike. About 3,000 workers had demonstrated at the factory to demand better conditions and the rehiring of union activists who had been fired.

They also had asked for access to potable water and the adjustment of production goals to coincide with the capacity of each worker.

The day after the walkout, the Labor Ministry had declared the strike illegal, claiming that the workers had not exhausted internal means of negotiation and ordered them back to work.

Haitian hospital workers strike to demand health ministry deliver on promises

Workers in 19 Haitian public hospitals went on strike last week to demand that the Ministry of Health respect the promises it made to them after they ended a strike August 30. They had begun the industrial action in March to demand not only improved wages and conditions, but the provision of medicine, supplies and equipment.

The current walkout, called by the National Federation of Health Workers (FENATRAS), was at first limited to support staff, but in some locations, particularly the Hospital of the State University of Haiti in Port-au-Prince, doctors, residents and others joined the strike.

The Minister of Health had promised FENATRAS back in August that it would deliver on its promises, but in early December the minister, Daphnee Benoit Delsoin, announced that the wage raise was impossible.

Doctors have stopped admitting new patients, only treating those already in hospital. They say that they will join the strike if the Health Ministry does not come up with an agreement.

Trinidadian highway workers protest for unpaid wages

About 200 former workers on an uncompleted highway project in Trinidad held a protest demonstration in front of the Ministry of Works and Transport in Port-of-Spain December 16. The workers, members of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU), demanded to be paid for the work they had done for an extension from Pt. Fortin to San Fernando.

The contractor, OAS Construtora, aborted the project when its parent company, Grupos OAS of Brazil, filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Over 800 workers were retrenched without payment or severance pay. Since then, the National Infrastructure Development Company has recovered TT$670 million (US$100 million) in letters of credit and bonds from banks that provided guarantees for OAS.

The protest followed a meeting between OWTU President Ancel Roget and the Works and Transport Minister. Roget said that over TT$23 million (US$3.4 million) are owed to the retrenched workers, warning that if every single worker was not paid, All hell will break loose. Some workers have been waiting over four years to get paid.

Strike by Chilean bank employees over raise, benefits

Employees of the ServiEstado bank system in the Chilean province of Bio Bio, walked off the job on December 15 to press their demands. They rejected managements 1 percent monthly wage hike offer, equivalent to 8,500 pesos, or barely US$12.62.

Since the workers have to follow demanding norms of protocol, that is sufficient to demand a higher raise and better conditions, according to their union delegate, Felipe Gutierrez. The bank is open Monday through Saturday, and the striking workers are demanding overtime pay.

The United States

New Jersey teachers protest deadlocked contract talks

Some 1,600 teachers from Toms River, New Jersey, have been maintaining an informational picket at the end of school hours since December 12 to protest dead-end negotiations that have left them without a contract for the last six months. Toms River teachers, who like all New Jersey teachers, are barred from striking, have been packing school board meetings wearing t-shirts to show their displeasure with events.

The school board claims it is offering wage increases of 3.4 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent over three years. But these wages are constantly being undermined by Chapter 78, a pension law put through in 2011 by the state legislature that requires public sector employees to pay a portion of their health care benefits. We would just like to make a nickel more than we did four years ago, that would be just, Andrea Vahey, a math teacher, told the Asbury Park Press.

The Toms River Education Association, which represents teachers, have been using Chapter 78 as an excuse to avoid a clash with the school board and the Democratic Party. Instead, they have been making Governor Chris Christie a target. Erich Brunner, a union representative, said, Were not fighting with the school board. Were not fighting with the district. Were not fighting with the town.

Canada

Alberta seniors care workers locked out

Thirty workers employed by Ontario based senior care provider Points West Living (PWL) in Cold Lake, Alberta are on strike after being locked out last week and after rejecting recommendations from a provincial government board.

The workers are represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), who are negotiating for improvements in a number of areas but particularly around understaffing, scheduling and training. Union negotiators say that while a small wage offer is on the table, PWL has refused to address the main issues for workers.

Workers voted to reject a number of recommendations by the government appointed Disputes Inquiry Board (DIB), which was the latest attempt at mediating the dispute. The union cites PWL use of scab labor in the course of negotiations as one reason for workers rejecting the mediation process.

Montreal hotel workers locked out

Over 100 workers employed by the Hotel des Gouverneurs in downtown Montreal, Quebec, were locked out last week after negotiations that began last summer collapsed between the hotel and the Confederation des syndicats nationaux (CSN) representing workers.

According to CSN negotiators the workers are fighting for improvements in wages and in holiday and severance pay. Last summer these workers took part in a series of three-day strikes by hotel workers across the province, but despite setting strike deadlines were not called out on strike by their union.

Alberta industrial service workers locked out

Workers employed by CEDA Industrial services in Fort McMurray, Alberta were locked out on December 11 after they delivered a unanimous strike vote to their union, the Teamsters, in their bid for a first contract.

The 15 mechanics have been fighting for a contract for over a year after joining the Teamsters in 2015 but negotiators say that negotiations had stalled over CEDAs insistence on contracting out some jobs at their discretion. A union spokesman in fact stated that they were quite willing to accept wage concessions and werent even asking for a wage increase.

In the current situation, however, union negotiators point out that even if the company lifts the lockout the workers would still be on strike.
By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 20 (PTI) Consumer electronics player Intex Technologies today said it has forayed in the refrigeration space and has launched three direct cool refrigerators.

The refrigerators will be available at a price range of Rs 10,900 to Rs 14,300 and the company plans to introduce frost free models next year, it said in a statement.

"After the phenomenal response our products have got, we have enhanced our portfolio with refrigerators. With the inclusion of these product categories, we are sure it will further establish a consumer connect and help in consolidating our position," Intex Technologies Director and Business Head-Consumer Durable and IT Nidhi Markanday said.

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The market for refrigerators in the country is estimated to be 13 million units. PTI DS RMT SDM

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The number of children taken into protective custody for mental health examinations has surged across the state.

The Tampa Bay Times reports (http://bit.ly/2h3aKxq) the total number of minors evaluated in Florida under the Baker Act increased by 50 percent from fiscal year 2010 to 2015.

It's unclear what's behind the increase in exams under the state's Baker Act, a law designed to commit people thought to be mentally ill or a danger to themselves or others to an evaluation. Mental health professionals, law enforcement, and school officials say it could be several factors, from more mental health awareness to the use of social media among teenagers, which can lead to cyber bullying.

Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender Bob Dillinger is raising concerns about the high volume of Baker Act evaluations among children.

___

Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Florida's 29 electors met Monday at the state capitol to officially cast ballots for president and vice-president.

Since Saturday, protesters have rallied downtown to send a message to those electors: "vote your conscience" and "flip the vote."

Tensions flared over the weekend in Tallahassee, as people continued to protest -- and support -- Donald Trump's win in the presidential election.

More than a month after the election, protesters are still speaking out.

"This is going to affect four years of our lives here. Four years of the country's life," said demonstrator Steve Schildwachter.

Organizer Lakey Love said the demonstration was meant to support electors, not to harass them.

"We know it's risky business," she said. "We know that they've had a lot of threats."

"We're not saying, 'Vote for this guy, vote for that guy.' We're saying, 'Just don't vote for Trump. Abstain,'" said Maxwell Frost, a state organizer for Democracy Spring.

Hundreds of protesters from across the state gathered in front of the Florida Senate Chamber. Security blocked off access, but protesters said, regardless of the vote, they will continue to demonstrate.

"We're not going to oppose every single thing that Trump does, if it's good," Frost said. "But if it's bad, if it's racist, if it's bigoted, then we're going to fight it."

"If there's conflict of interest, we just need to hold him accountable for it," Schildwachter said.

If electors were to "flip the vote," Congress would pick a replacement. Protesters said they wouldn't endorse anyone in particular.

"There's several. I don't want to name any names. This effort is a non-partisan effort," said Love.

But if the vote was for Trump, they said the next step is tackling his Cabinet picks.

Love said, "[We're] working to talk to Congress to not allow the big leaders to have corporate affiliations."

Despite protest, all 29 electors voted for Trump, a final step in his victory in the Sunshine State.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- U.S. Representative Gwen Graham is wrapping up her two years in Congress, saying she was most rewarded by helping her north Florida constituents -- and that she is looking ahead to a possible bid for governor in 2018.

"It has been an honor of a lifetime to represent north Florida in Congress," Graham said, adding she never expected to serve as an elected official -- but she's determined to continue.

"This is a very bittersweet moment for me, but I am very much looking forward to the future," she said.

Graham was elected in 2014 to Florida's 2nd Congressional district. During her term, she's advocated for veteran services and returned thousands of dollars to north Florida residents.

"Of all the things that you do in Congress, there's nothing more important than helping people back home," Graham said.

January 2 is her last day, when she'll pack up her office at city hall, but the Capitol could be her new office if she decides to run for governor.

If she doesn't run, rumor has it another person at city hall might have a shot -- Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum.

Despite an online petition to get Gillum to run, the mayor has not indicated he will. Meanwhile, Graham said her decision will depend on her husband's health, after he was recently diagnosed with cancer.

"Life does throw you curveballs sometimes, but there is no one who is a bigger supporter of mine than my husband," she said.

Graham said she has no specific time as to when she'll announce a decision.

"Don't worry. It'll happen," she said. "It'll happen sooner rather than later, I predict."

Graham said she'll most likely spend her first day out of the office attending the swearing-in ceremonies of other elected officials.

She said she'll work with Congressmen-Elect Neal Dunn as he succeeds her in office.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - The state Higher Education Coordinating Council on Monday recommended that Florida lawmakers endorse its goal of having 55 percent of the state's working-age population hold college degrees or professional certificates by 2025.

The recommendation was part of an annual report approved by the council.

Last month, the council united behind the goal of having 55 percent of Florida's working-age population "attain" four-year or two-year degrees or professional or technical certificates by 2025.

Currently, less than 47 percent of the population meets the attainment goal. State officials project about 64 percent of Florida's jobs in 2025 will require education beyond high school, including 30 percent requiring bachelor's or graduate degrees and another 33 percent requiring two-year degrees or postsecondary certification.

"High-quality postsecondary education is an imperative for a strong state," the new report says. "The council is committed to ensuring that Florida has the talent it needs to meet our growing population and future economic, civic and social challenges."

The higher education council is also proceeding with an application for funding from the Lumina Foundation, an Indiana-based nonprofit group that promotes higher degree-attainment goals across the nation.

Lumina wants to raise the national attainment level to 60 percent by 2025. Florida would use the funding to support the effort to promote raising the state's attainment rate.
Talibani terrorists with help of ISI and Afghan terrorists are planning fresh attack and infiltration into India.

By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is planning fresh infiltration and attack on Indian soil in 2017.

Indian intelligence agencies have revealed ISI's new plan for the new year:

1. According to information available with sources, Talibani terrorists with help of ISI and Afghan terrorists are planning fresh attack and infiltration into India.

2. Intelligence agencies have got hold of some images of these Talibani terrorists on Pakistani launching pads. These terrorists were talking in Pashto language.

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3. The Talibani terrorists assembled at launching pad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Combined training has been provided to these terrorists in Swat Valley and in Tora Bora mountains, the sources said.

4. The sources said ISI was facing manpower crunch and radicalised youths. Therefore, they have decided to bring Talibani and Afghan terrorists.

Also read: India targets Pakistan at UN, calls for action against Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed

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On Monday, as many as 600 police personnel & other mounted police along with the sniffer dogs, conducted a search operation in the JNU campus to trace Najeeb, but the initiative failed to make any headway.

Police officers at JNU campus on Monday along with sniffer dogs during a search operation to find missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed.

By Chayyanika Nigam: Even though the Delhi High Court had asked Delhi Police's Crime Branch to use all its powers to find missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, the cops have opted for the easiest way out of the options suggested by the judiciary.

On Monday, as many as 600 police personnel & other mounted police along with the sniffer dogs, conducted a search operation in the JNU campus to trace Najeeb, but the initiative failed to make any headway.

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Out of two suggestions given by the High Court-to use sniffer dogs in "scanning" the entire university campus, including hostels, classrooms and rooftops; and to "search Jamia if needed," the top sleuths of the Crime Branch chose to use sniffer dogs almost more than two months after Najeeb went missing.

SEARCH OPERATION

Experts claimed that if the search operation would have been conducted in Jamia Millia Islamia university in southeast Delhi, the officials close to investigation would have got some clue about Najeeb.

Also, till now the officials probing the case should have interrogated Najeeb's friend who is a student of Jamia.

"It's already more than Sniffer dogs hunt for Najeeb's trail two months Najeeb is missing and the utility of sniffer dogs at this stage is very negligible," the expert added.

After the sniffer dogs were taken to the JNU campus, they were taken to Mahi-Mandvi hostel where Najeeb stayed. The sniffer dogs were made to smell Najeeb's clothes after which they moved around in and around the campus till 5pm.Also Read: Missing JNU student row: Najeeb's mother among 200 detained by Delhi Police over protests

According to senior police officials of Crime Branch, all agencies of Delhi Police, including Special Branch and the local police, got together more than 600 personnel who scanned the hostels, residential areas, academic blocks and forested area till 5 pm on Monday. "Help of mounted police was also taken to scan the vast area but nothing was found. About 65-70 per cent of the campus was covered on Monday and rest, including the residential areas and the interiors of the campus, will be scanned on Tuesday," the officer added.

Also Read: Delhi Police to use sniffer dogs in JNU campus to track Najeeb Ahmed's trail Senior police officials of the Crime Branch confirmed that they are mulling options to conduct lie detector tests on ABVP students with whom Najeeb Ahmed reportedly had a scuffle on the night of October 15.

The officer said, Monday's search was undertaken by 12 ACPs, 30 inspectors and 60 subinspectors.Also Read: Najeeb case: Delhi High Court slams police on missing JNU student, asks how a man can suddenly vanish

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At some point in their lives, everyone desires a glimmer of inspiration to propel them forward until they achieve success. You can be inspired in a
MOXEE, Wash.  Recent wet weather did not stop preparations for hop season at Roy Farms, although it did slow things down a bit.
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By India Today Web Desk: Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan became proud parents to a baby boy, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, this morning. Several stories were doing the rounds that Kareena would have her baby in London, away from the media glare, but the Begum proved everyone wrong by delivering in Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital.

ALSO READ: Saif and Kareena become parents to a baby boy, name him Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi

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ALSO READ: Saif and Kareena named their baby Taimur but who was Amir Taimur Sultan?

ALSO READ: Saif-Kareena's baby boy Taimur provokes Twitterati to do what they do best

PHOTOS: These 10 photos will give you a glimpse into Kareena's journey to motherhood

Interestingly, the doctor who delivered Taimur was the same one who had delivered his mommy, Kareena. Dr Rustom P Soonawala, who had also delivered Ranbir Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor, is the doctor of choice for the who's who of Bollywood, from the Bachchans to the Kapoors. The celebrated gynecologist even has biographies dedicated to him.

Meanwhile, Twitteratti has mixed reactions to Saifeena's baby's name, with some trolling them for naming their son after a Turko-Mongol conquerer while others feel that the name fit right in with the Pataudis' royal lineage.

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Whoever assassinated Mohammad al-Zawahri in Tunisia wanted to convey a message, so they left a fingerprint.

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Indeed, several hours after the assassination, Tunisias security authorities were already able to report that they had seized the assassins escape vehicles and found weapons and cellular phones inside.

According to the Tunisian press, al-Zawahri did not only specialize in UAVs but had also begun developing maritime robotic weapon systems

Whoever assassinated the man wanted everyone to know that he had ended his life in the city he was born in, with eight bullets stuck in his body. Moreover, the masterminds of the assassination likely wanted Hamas itself to expose al-Zawahris activity in the organization and to blame the Mossad for the assassination. The publication of these details is a deterrence component in the daily war on terror, which is taking place not just along the borders but also thousands of kilometers from Israel.

There are also quiet assassinations. Its enough to remember the assassination attempt of Khaled Mashaal in Jordan, or the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhuoh in Dubai, both of whom were both supposed to die a natural death without any signs of violence. These cases made headlines because of the failure to keep the operations a secret. Al-Zawahris assassination is reminiscent of the assassination of Iranian scientists who were shot by gunmen on the streets. Those assassinations made it to the headlines very fast as well, and in those cases too an accusing finger was pointed at the Mossad.

According to the Tunisian press, there had been several attempts to warn the man and discourage him from continuing his activity in the terror organizations. The assassination was apparently the last way of stopping him. If there is any truth in the claim that Israel was behind the assassination, we can assume that whoever approved the operation  in other words, the highest political echelon  estimated that the assassination would stop the terror organizations from arming themselves with abilities that Israel considers a red line.

According to foreign reports, Israel is operating in Syria to thwart arms shipments to Hezbollah. According to the same reports, Israel operated in Sudan to stop the arms smuggling route to Hamas. If al-Zawahri was indeed a target for Israel, the potential of damage in his activity likely justified the risk involved in getting into trouble with Tunisia, a country which Israel would gladly nurture relations with.

The Tunisian press reported that the talented engineer did not only specialize in unmanned aerial vehicles, but had also begun developing maritime robotic weapon systems. If Hamas got hold of such an ability, it would endanger the Navy boats and oil drilling rigs, creating a very problematic threat to Israel.

Southern Command officers are saying that Israels deterrence component vis-a-vis Hamas is limited in time. There is an arms race taking place between the construction of the anti-tunnel obstacle that Israel is building along the Gaza Strips borders and Hamas intensive preparations for war.

So far, Hamas has completed the construction of nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) of defensive tunnels. At the same time, it has been trying to rebuild almost all the offensive tunnel on the Israel border, which were destroyed in Operation Protective Edge, with a certain amount of success. The organization has significantly increased its underwater force, it is trying to restore and maintain its rocket abilities in the volumes and ranges it had in the past, and it has increased its special units  the Nukhba  to about 4,000 people. Meanwhile, Hamas is putting a lot of thought and efforts into the surprise weapon, which may undermine the Israeli morale and determination to fight. One of these plans is in the robotic area  both in the sea and in the air. The assassination of the Tunisian engineer could disrupt or at least delay Hamas arming activities in these areas.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has tightened his grip on power by stripping the parliamentary immunity of five lawmakers seen as opposing him, weeks after being reappointed chairman of the main political party.

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The move follows a decision by a Palestinian court last week to sentence Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah party member and vocal Abbas critic, to three years in prison over the disappearance of $16 million when he was in office several years ago.





Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo:AFP)

Dahlan, who frequently assails Abbas's leadership from his self-imposed exile in Abu Dhabi, was tried, convicted and sentenced in absentia. He has dismissed the sentence as politically motivated and "ordered by Abbas".

All five of those who had their immunity from prosecution revoked are regarded as allies or associates of Dahlan.

Hassan Al-Awri, Abbas's legal adviser, said the attorney general had asked Abbas to strip them of their immunity so they could be "investigated over a number of issues". He did not provide details.

President Abbas with Foreign Minister Walstrom (Photo: AP)

Three of the five sought refuge in the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Ramallah on Sunday, before police escorted them out of the building. They were not detained since they are not wanted for anything, a spokesman for the Palestinian security services said.

Shami Al-Shami, one of the five, said the removal of his immunity was an infringement of his rights. His association with Dahlan, he said, was not a crime.

"(This) was an absolute violation of Palestinian law and the constitution," he told Reuters by phone. "If I have a personal relationship with Dahlan, this is none of anyone's business. I should only be judged by the law."

Some Palestinians say Abbas has achieved little during his 11-year presidency, with no progress on peace with the Israelis. While the Palestinians have achieved representation at the United Nations, efforts to stall Israel's settlement building have failed, and the economy struggles

While Abbas has no immediate challengers, he appears to be at pains to shore up his authority amid criticism over his rule from neighboring Arab states, from the Hamas Islamist movement and from Israel.

Rare Meeting

Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief, was removed from the party's central committee at a party congress this month, the first Fatah gathering in seven years - a reflection of the difficulty of convening delegates from around the world and the lack of issues to discuss. The four-day meeting reaffirmed Abbas, 81, as party chairman.

In the run-up to the congress, Dahlan spoke critically of Abbas's leadership and urged his supporters to oppose him. It was seen as an attempt to undermine Abbas's rule rather than unseat him, and position Dahlan or his allies to take over if Abbas dies or loses when the next elections are held.

But Abbas restricted the number of delegates invited to the gathering, making it harder for Dahlan loyalists to mount a challenge. The newly elected, 21-member Fatah central committee is largely made up of Abbas supporters.

Mohammad Dahlan (Photo: AP)

Abbas's increasingly strict rule -- he has removed several opponents from their posts, issued decrees and rarely speaks to the media -- has drawn criticism from within his party and from members of parliament. The latter has not met since Fatah and Hamas fought a brief civil war in Gaza in 2007, which led to Hamas seizing full control of the territory.

Several Fatah legislators issued a joint statement late on Sunday demanding the decision to strip parliamentary immunity be reversed, arguing there was no clause in the Palestinian basic law giving Abbas the right to revoke it.

"Removing immunity is conditional on the agreement of two-thirds of parliament members," they said.

Abbas was elected president of the Palestinan Authority for a four-year term in 2005. Elections in 2009 were canceled and there is no indication of whether or when new presidential and parliamentary polls will be held.
The most important thing we learned about in school was the Holocaust. The second most important thing, after learning about the Nazi horrors, was how the rest of the worlds nations, including the West, including the future State of Israels close friends, stood idly by and did nothing while Adolf Hitler annihilated the European Jewry. One key case study stood out in this lessonwhy didnt the Allies bomb the Auschwitz death camp, even after learning what was going on there?

The Holocaust, the European nations that cooperated with the Nazis, and the others that stood idly by, have been used as an argument for the lessons Israel and its leaders live by, to make sure that a second Holocaust never happens, to only trust ourselves and to use these as a frequent justification of the use of massive force throughout its years of existence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who uses the death camps bombing issue in his speeches, even said that the Allies argued that bombing Auschwitz would lead to a radicalization of the Nazi regime and are now making similar claims about Iran.

If everything we learned in school is right, why didnt Israel stop the horrible massacre and war crimes in Syria as early as five years ago? (Photo: AFP)

The question of whether the Allies could have even bombed Auschwitzs railways and furnaces is in a deep historical dispute, but lets assume that everything we learned in school in Israel is right and accurateif thats the case, then why didnt Israel stop the horrible massacre and the war crimes taking place beyond the fence, in Syria , as early as five years ago?

Israel is the strongest power in the region. It could have easily beaten Bashar al-Assads forces, which are shattered and scattered throughout the country and have not posed any threat to the IDF for many years now. Even if Israel had imposed a no-fly zone on the Syrian Air Force, or defined an area for the refugees, without a real military intervention, it could have saved the lives of tens of thousands and spared the suffering of millions. It is very likely that an Israeli intervention would have also prevented the Russian military involvement in the region.

There are many reasons why Israel did not intervenebecause it had more important things to do, because there were more relevant enemies to fight, because it did not want to appear as a country meddling in the internal affairs of another country, because the many casualties were not Jews. But these are the exact arguments which, according to the Israeli ethos, stopped Britain and the United States from intervening in favor of the European Jewry.

And its not that there has been no Israeli military intervention in Syria. On the contrary: Israel has a routine of frequently striking deep within Syrian territory. But these bombings are aimed solely at preventing the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Last week, Arab media outlets reported that Israel had struck in Damascus . When he first addressed the bombings in public, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman clarified unequivocally that the State of Israel has no interest in intervening in the civil war in Syria.

I wonder how such a declaration would have been interpreted in retrospect by Netanyahu, had the American secretary of defense said in 1944 that the US Air Force would not bomb Auschwitz so as not to intervene in its affairs with Germany.

The daily average annihilation rate carried out by members of the Hutu tribe against the Tutsi in Rwanda was higher than the daily average death toll of European Jews during the Holocaust. The US later apologized for not intervening in the situation there, although it could have intervened and although most of the dead were murdered by gangs of civilians armed with machetes, which the US Air Force could have easily stopped. The US will apologize to Syria's citizens, too.

Rwanda is far away from Israel, and Israel does not have the huge international deployment that the US Army possesses. But Syria is just a few minutes away from all Israeli Air Force bases. There have been days when the annihilation rate over there was similar to that of the Holocaust.

The guilt of standing idly by during the genocide in Aleppo, Damascus and the rest of that miserable country will forever weigh upon us, too.
Criminals from east Jerusalem were able to use information from a Hyundai and Kia data leak to steal dozens of brand new luxury cars and smuggle them into the West Bank.

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Israel Police recently arrested three east Jerusalem residents who were able to access data from the two companies, and using that data, were able to hack the cars computers.

Hyundai Tuscon (Photo: Roee Zuckerman)

The group would drive around looking for Kias and Hyundais, and upon finding them, would look for the registration number. Using the registration number, the group would used hacked data to find the anti-theft protection number, as well as the code to make the car keys for that specific car.

The keys were then produced in the West Bank.

Car keys reproduced using data hacked from company servers (Photo: Israel Police)

With keys in hand, the gang would go to the home of owner of the car  information taken from the data leak  and would simply unlock the door and drive off into the West Bank to be sold in the Palestinian car market.

The police believe that dozens of cars were stolen from Jerusalem and the surrounding area in this manner. The majority of the cars were brand new luxury models, amounting to several million shekels in thefts.

Hyundai and Kia representatives and CEOs were kept abreast of the investigations by the Israel Police.
The recent scandal involving MK Basel Ghattas (Balad) the smuggling of cell phones to jailed terrorists has surprised no one. Balad MKs have adopted a political strategy that is based on defiant provocation and breaking the law in protest.

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First and foremost is the "leader" of the strategy, fugitive Azmi Bashara.

MK Basel Ghattas

Hanin Zoabi and Basel Ghattas are outstanding heirs and pupils of Bishara. When Zoabi first ran for Mayor of Nazareth, she received little support. Yet without her extremism, she has no support.

Balad is an example of the failure of our democratic system. In this case, the failure is that of the Supreme Court.

On the eve of elections for the 16th Knesset, then-Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein (now Vice President of the Supreme Court) asked the court to prevent the Joint List from participating.

Azmi Bashara (Photo: AP)

The opinion of the Ministry of Justice was not based on political motivation, but rather a clear, evidence-based platform. The Joint List's youth wing called for incitement and supported terror. The Central Election Committee accepted Rubinstein's position and rejected the Joint List.

However, the Supreme Court ruled, by a 7-4 majority, to overturn the decision of the Central Election Committee, leaving the gates of the Israeli legislature open to this reckless group.

In the past, the Supreme Court was characterized as "defending democracy." When a nationalistic, anti-Israel Arab list tried to take advantage of Israeli democracy, the judges ruled that "human rights are not a recipe for national extinction." Over the years, the Supreme Court has moved to an incorrect approach based on a radical and detached "rights discourse."

Hanin Zoabi speaking at the Knesset (Photo: Knesset Channel)

This decision has had grave consequences in the campaign against extremism and separatism among Arab parties and the MKs who serve them.

Israeli democracy has a vested interest in minority representation of Arabs in our parliament. Israel must be tolerant and defend the freedom of expression as well as the rights of Israeli Arab citizens to be represented. However, there must be a limit. Lack of boundaries is negatively affecting everyone in the legitimate political arena, not only those who are there by mistake.

The political system does not know how to deal with the error made by the Supreme Court.

Here is a solution: A change in law to disqualify candidates and lists for the Knesset. The Central Election Committee, which is a political forum, can make decisions only by a special majority in order to avoid wholesale disqualifications that are politically motivated. However, the majority required in the Supreme Court to cancel and change a decision made by the Central Election Committee is also a special majority.

If we do not go back to the concept of defensive democracy, the public will lose faith in the democratic system itself.
ISTANBUL - The United States embassy in Ankara and its consulates in Istanbul and Adana will be closed for normal operations on Tuesday after an individual approached the embassy and discharged a firearm, the embassy said.

It said the individual, who opened fire at 3:50 am (0050 GMT), was in police custody and there were no reported injuries in the incident which occurred hours after Russia's ambassador was shot dead nearby by an off-duty policeman.

The Iranian embassy in Ankara announced that its consulates in the three Turkish cities of Istanbul, Trabzon and Erzurum will be closed on Tuesday after the Russian envoy's killing.

"All consular services in Iranian consulates in Istanbul, Trabzon and Erzurum will be closed on Tuesday, December 20. We urge all Iranians to avoid visiting these locations," the embassy said in a statement on its website.
The MeT department has suggested that it is going to continue like this for the next few days as the weather is likely to be dry and cold.

The Dal lake has already frozen partially, halting shikara activities at places. As per Srinagar based MeT department, minimum temperature was minus 6.2 degrees Celsius in Pahalgam and minus 3.0 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg.

Leh, in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, also recorded the coldest night of the season as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 14 degrees Celsius- down from the previous night's minus 13.8 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund - the gateway town to Kashmir valley - is another place which experienced the coldest night of the season with minus 7 degree temperature.
Questions have been raised as to how the murder of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov Monday night will affect the already shaky relations between Russia and Turkey.

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In an exclusive interview with Ynet, Russian Deputy Ambassador to Israel, Alexi Drobinin said that the terror attack wont affect our relations. The Turkish government will be helping the Russian investigators who will be arriving in Ankara in order to determine who is behind this murder  who sent him and who prepped him. Once we determine who is behind (the assassination), we will decide what to do.

Assasination of Russian Ambassador

X

How is Russia going to deal with this policy-wise?

I will reiterate what Vladimir Putin said  that Russia views this terror attack as an attempt to hurt the process to normalize and improve the relations between Russia and Turkey, along with attempting to derail the new course which we and Turkey are trying to chart in regards to Syria. Its important to note that the Turkish, Iranian, and Russian foreign ministers are all meeting in Moscow today to discuss Syria.

Russian Ambassador to Turkey assasinated (Photo: AP)

The murder of Ambassador Karlov was documented on camera at the photography event in Ankara. Mevlut Mert Aydintas, a riot policeman who has been serving on the force for two and a half years, and who was not on duty at the time of the shooting, emerged during the ambassadors speech, shot the ambassador and yelled we will die for Aleppo, you will die here. He also yelled never forget Aleppo!

Deputy Ambassador Drobinin also said that I didnt personally work with Karlov, but I people who were connected to him. They told me that he was one of the most brilliant diplomats of his generation. He was a warm person who knew how to listen, knew how to convince, and knew who to be convinced. He was everything which makes up a great diplomat.

How did you feel when you saw the pictures?

We are all in deep shock. As someone who previously served in Ankara in the second half of the 1990s, I know the place well. I know the warmth of the Turkish people, the hospitality of the people there, Im simply shocked that an extremist can grow up in that environment and simply kill the Russian ambassador. Its unbelievable. 

How can it be that such a senior official wasnt protected?

This is the nature of modern terror. You cant protect everyone everywhere all the time. Its something that of course requires careful thinking regarding the security of Russian ambassadors and diplomats in places such as Ankara and throughout the Middle East. I believe that there will be more security (around these officials) starting immediately.
An Israeli was seriously injured in the Berlin terror attack in which a truck drove into a crowd of people at a Christmas market killing 12 and wounding 48.

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The wounded man's family reported that he underwent two surgeries to his hip and legs and his life is now out of danger.

Photo: Reuters

Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon reported that Consul Liora Givon is on her way to the hospital.

Keren Sharoni, an Israeli living in Berlin, was 10 minutes away from the site when the attack took place. In an interview with Ynet, Sharoni recalls the attack saying, "I was in a store near the market when it happened. I started to hear a lot of ambulances and police cars and on the way back, I wanted to go through the market on my bike, but I saw police had closed the area. I asked what happened and an officer told me a truck drove into the market and ran people over. It was very frightening."

Sharoni added, "After the terror attack in Munich a few months ago, something was in the air. What happened yesterday was a surprise. My friends were really frightened and a lot of people told me they feel less safe now. Security in certain places is very high, so I don't know if that will change, but I guess I'm afraid to be in crowded areas now."
JAKARTA- Indonesian police said on Tuesday that three people had been arrested over a suspected plot to carry out a suicide bomb attack in an undisclosed location outside the most populous island of Java.

Two men were arrested in the Central Java city of Solo on Sunday on suspicion they made explosives to be carried by a female accomplice, said Martinus Sitompul, a spokesman for the national police.

A suspected female suicide bomber had been arrested in Purworejo, also in Central Java, last Thursday, he said.

"The group was planning to carry out an attack outside Java," Sitompul said. He declined to elaborate and said police would hold a news briefing later this week.
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) -- Authorities in Senegal have arrested a former Guinean military leader long sought in connection with a 2009 stadium massacre that killed more than 150 people.

Aboubacar Sidiki "Toumba" Diakite was the head of the presidential guard at the time. A Guinean investigative commission has said he was to blame for the violence.

Ibrahima Beavogui, spokesman for Guinea's justice ministry, confirmed Tuesday that Diakite had been arrested and was expected to face trial back home in Conakry.

Several months after the stadium massacre, Diakite tried to assassinate coup leader Moussa "Dadis" Camara by shooting him in the head.
A 17-year-old from the village of Beit Surik, who stabbed and lightly wounded an Israel Border policeman in October next to Har Hadar near Jerusalem, was arrested at the beginning of December, it was cleared for publication Tuesday.

According to a statement released by the Shin Bet, the terrorist observed the security forces near his home and studied their movements before carrying out the attack.
A proposal set forth by public Security Minister Gilad Erdan prohibiting MKs from visiting security prisoners has been approved.

The proposal comes amid suspicion that Joint List MK Basel Ghattas smuggled 12 cell phones to convicted Palestinian terrorists serving prison sentences during his visits.
The body of a 16-year-old girl was discovered Tuesday morning in a park near Kisra-Sumei, an Arab town in the western Galilee in the Northern District of Israel. She was later identified as Wajdan Abu Ahmed.

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Magen David Adom paramedics, who pronounced Ahmed's death at the scene, found the girlwho was wearing a school uniformand discovered that she had suffered at least three stab wounds.

Wajdan Abu Ahmed

The circumstances surrounding the incident were not clear by the late afternoon. However, authorities suspect that she was murdered.

Girl found in a park

We saw a 16-year-old girl without any signs of life bearing signs of serious violence, one paramedic said as he recalled the chilling sight. We tried to give her first aid treatment, but her wounds were serious and we were forced to pronounce her dead on the spot.

MDA arrives at a park to discover a girl stabbed to death in Kisra-Sumei

Earlier in the morning, the body of a 20-year-old woman was also found near the town of Migdal in the Northern District of Israel.

Scene where 20-year-old woman discovered near Migdal

The woman, who had suffered blows to the head, was pronounced dead by MDA paramedics at the scene and the police launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

The womans body was discovered at around 7am. Police say that they received no reports of a missing individual in the area. Her body was found by a pedestrian who called MDA who, in turn, informed the police.
The Syrian government has authorised the United Nations to send an additional 20 staff to east Aleppo, where they will monitor the continuing evacuation of thousands of people, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously called for UN officials and others to observe the evacuation of people from the last rebel-held enclave in Aleppo and monitor the safety of civilians who remain in the Syrian city.

The UN staff, composed of national and international staff already in its Damascus office, will travel to Aleppo "as soon as possible", reinforcing a small UN monitoring team already at al-Ramousah crossing, Laerke said.
Austria has arrested a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Morocco on suspicion of planning an attack during the holiday season in the city of Salzburg, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

A search on Monday of an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in the town of Fuschl am See, where the man was living, found "no materials clearly required for the execution of an attack", the Salzburg prosecutors' office said in a statement.

It could not, however, be ruled out that he was planning an attack, a spokesman added. The formal accusation against the suspect is that he belongs to an unspecified "terrorist organization".
A foreign national was abducted by gunmen in northern Kunduz province in an attack on a Red Cross convoy, an Afghan official said Tuesday. Spain's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the abductee is a Spanish citizen.

Mahmood Danish, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Tuesday that armed men stopped a convoy of vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday and snatched the only foreigner, leaving the Afghans behind.

No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the abduction. ICRC's spokesman in Kabul, Ahmad Ramin Ayaz, confirmed the abduction without providing further details. Ayaz says the ICRC staffers were traveling in two vehicles from northern Balkh province toward Kunduz province when the attack happened.
By PTI: After the talks, Modi presented Atambayev a book of

After the talks, Modi presented Atambayev a book of Indian poems translated into Kyrgyz while the President gifted the Indian leader a Hindi translation of Kyrgyz epic Manas.

Modi called Kyrgyzstan a valuable partner in Indias common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity, adding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will also give it a valuable framework to work together.

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Referring to joint military exercise on counter- terrorism, the Prime Minister said it is now an annual feature and that the next edition has been planned for first quarter of next year in Kyrgyzstan.

The two countries are jointly constructing the Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training Centre in the city of Balykchi in Kyrgyzstan.

The joint statement said the Kyrgyz side reiterated support for the rightful claim of India for permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council.

On economic engagement, the two sides felt the current level of trade and investment relations is below the potential and directed the ministries concerned to develop a comprehensive road-map for a five-year timeframe. They agreed to explore new mechanisms to further strengthen economic ties.

As part of discussions on the integration process in the Eurasian space, the Kyrgyz side highlighted opportunities available for Indian entrepreneurs as a result of their joining the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU).

Referring to Indias telemedice initiative in Kyrgystan, which is its first in Central Asia, Modi said, "We are taking steps to expand this project to other regions of the Kyrgyz Republic."

The two sides also reviewed progress in the work of the Joint Study Group that has been considering the feasibility of a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The two leaders welcomed the ratification of the Paris climate pact by a number of countries, including India. The pact entered into force on November 4, 2016.

"Both leaders emphasised that the Agreement should continue to be guided by the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, especially the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities," the statement said.

The Prime Minister also credited Atambayev with nurturing and building strong foundations of democracy in Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz side expressed gratitude to the Indian side for active support to the Kyrgyz Republic for election to the UN Human Rights Council for the term 2016-2018. PTI MPB RT

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Israel's ambassador to Germany issued a hopeful statement, saying that the search for a missing Israeli woman continues in Berlin, and that there is still hope that she is among those who survived Monday's terrorism attack, as most of them have yet to be identified.

The Israeli consul in Berlin visited the the city morgues on with a photograph of the missing Israeli, in an attempt to identify her. The woman's partner has been seriously injured and operated on, and remains in serious condition.
Israel's ambassador to Germany Yakov Hadas-Handelsman issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that he hoped that an Israeli woman who went missing after Mondays terror attack in a Berlin Christmas market was among the wounded victims, most of whom have yet to be identified, according to the German interior minister.

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The Israeli woman went missing after a truck plowed into the bustling market in the German capital, killing 12 people and injuring up to 50 others.

Angela Merkel remembers those killed (Photo: Reuters)

Handelsman said that there is still hope that she is among those who survived Monday's terror attack, as most of them have yet to be identified.

Angela Merkel lays flowers in memory of those killed (Photo: Reuters)

Consul Liora Givon and people from the Israeli consulate in Berlin went from hospital to hospital hoping to locate the Israeli woman with whom they have been unable to establish any contact since the attack.

Scene of incident (Photo: Reuters)

Givon even visited some rooms containing those who had been killed in the attack while holding a picture of the missing Israeli.

The missing womans husband, who was also seriously injured and hospitalized after the car-ramming, underwent two operationson his hip and legs.
The state submitted a special request to the High Court of Justice on Tuesday evening asking to delay the evacuation of Amona by 45 days in order to facilitate the implementation of the new agreement that was reached on Sunday between the Israeli government and the residents of the outpost.

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In the request subitted by the Attorneys Office, it was argued that the extension was a necessary prerequisite of the accepted compromise since time was required to install temporary living facilities for the Amona residents.

Amona residents (Photo: Yair Sagi)

The request also emphasized that the state would seek no further extensions even if the current solution were to collapse.

This is a concrete request that is intended to allow the evacuation of the Amona residents through their own volition in a peaceful manner, in a way that will significantly reduce the potential consequences of the affair while providing an adequate and proper response to the families who live in Amona. the request read. The requested time is short, limited and absolutely final, it assured

It went on to say: The state believes that there are two fundamental difference between the previous extension request and the one currently being submitted. Firstly, the residents of Amona are obligated to acquiesce in an agreed upon evacuation without any conflict or resistance. Secondly, the time being requested is 45 days rather than than seven months which was previously sought.

According to the new resolution , 24 families will remain on the mountain in a nearby plottwice as many as the previous plan that was rejected by the outpost residents

With the securing of the compromise which broke a months-long impasse of offers, rejections and counter offers, the state was aware from the outset that it would be required to seek from the High Court a one-month extension to the evacuation deadlinewhich is currently set for December 25to allow for time to build the new structures.

The state therefore asked the High Court to sanction the extension request, bringing the final evacuation deadline to February 8, 2017.
The Knesset House Committee approved on Tuesday a proposal that would substantially hinder MKs' ability to visit security prisoners. The initiative comes in the wake of the questioning of MK Basel Ghattas (Joint List), who is suspected of smuggling cellular phones and possibly encrypted letters to Palestinian security prisoners.

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Ghattas was detained on Monday and was called in for investigation in Lod on Tuesday where he was questioned for four hours. Shorty before entering the building in which he was to be questioned, Ghattas protested his innocence, insisting that he had been the victim of a political witch hunt.

The proposal was submitted by Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information Gilad Erdan (Likud). Erdan has been a vocal proponent of such a move for some time now, calling the standing policy "a developing industry where Arab MKs visit terrorists in their cells." He strongly objected to allowing MKs to sit with convicted terrorists in private and without supervision.





Min. Gilad Erdan (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

"There isn't another country where elected officials visit terrorists, and to add insult to injuryfor political gain," said Erdan. "I hope the Knesset will accept my proposal to stop this ridiculous situation."

Following Erdan's proposal submission, House Committee Chairperson Yoav Kisch (Likud) called for an immediate meeting.

The committee determined that such visits of security prisoners by MKs constitute encouragement and support of the prisoners, in addition to supporting those who sent them to carry out acts of terror and the actions themselves. The committee further stated that security prisoners do not enjoy the benefits of immunity granted to MKs due to the harm that visiting them could cause to state security, according to security services. Indeed, MKs are not required to undergo checks or searches when visiting prisoners.

MKs Basel Ghattas and Hanin Zoabi embrace outside the police station (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The accepted proposal stipulates that from now on, MKs who wish to visit security prisoners will have to coordinate them with the Knesset speaker, House Committee chairperson and State Control Committee chairperson.

Another change from the current protocol will be the identity of those MKs allowed to make such visits. According to the new policy, only certain members of the coalition and the opposition will be permitted to visit security prisoners, with the intent of verifying that the humanitarian conditions of their detention are being upheld.

Moreover, the committee declared that representatives of the coalition and opposition who will henceforth be permitted to make such visits will be physically searched, based on the belief that national security must take precedence over MK immunity when considering these visits.

MK Yoav Kisch (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Ghattas cooperated fully with those questioning him, answering all questions put forth. He insisted that he had committed no crimes connected with state security or its civilians as is currently being claimed. He also added that he never had any intention of ever doing so. I go out with my head raised high," said Ghattas before entering the police station. "This is all a political witch hunt."

"Everything is alright. We have gotten used to investigations of these sorts. It is all intended to harm our struggle. The moment I leave the investigation, I will explain things clearly," he added.
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday night released a man taken into custody in the vicinity of the crime on suspicion that he drove the vehicle in the attack Monday night, saying they hadn't found evidence putting him in the truck at that time.

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The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based upon a description of the man who jumped out of the truck and fled. But prosecutors said he had denied any involvement in the attack. Prosecutors also said no forensic evidence had been found proving that he was in the cab during the rampage, and no witnesses had followed him from the scene of the carnage to where he had been picked up.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

Suspected arersted and released after Berlin terror attack

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was the truck's driver. Muench also said police haven't yet found a pistol believed used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering steel beams with the truck used in the attack until it went missing.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and to report "suspicious movements" to a special hotline.

"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the Monday night attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group.

Photo: Reuters

"There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations," Frank said.

Still, he said authorities had not yet heard any claim of responsibility.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life.

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. "A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Photo: Gettyimages

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowded Christmas market Monday evening. It smashed through the market, going 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before finally coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and the man found shot and killed in the truck's passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified, and 18 people are still suffering from serious injuries.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

Photo: AFP

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

"They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday night's attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

Photo: AP

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

Manfred Weber, a member of Merkel's conservative bloc and leader of the European Parliament's biggest political group, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists didn't enter the country.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

Angela Merkel lays flowers in memory of those killed (Photo: Reuters)

US President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

The attack came less than a month after the US State Department warned that extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. IS claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.
A security official said Tuesday that the Defense Ministry is currently undertaking strenuous efforts to acquire ground-to-ground missiles with a firing range of more than 200 kilometers, equipped with warheads weighing between 450kg and 500kg which could be used in the northern sector.

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According to the official, the move has been met with opposition from officials in the IDF since it will necessitate the allocation of financial budgets earmarked for the Air Force to the bodies tasked with operating the rockets.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman receiving a briefing with IDF Chief Gadi Eisenkot (Photo: Defense Ministry)

A heavy rocket with warheads of 500kg can cost as much as NIS 3 million, the official explained. There are all kinds of rockets starting with a range of 30km to 250km so it is also a budgetary matter. The change stems from changes in the nature of operations in the north and from the need to increase capabilities to respond in ways in which we have not responded before.

Leaving the rockets to one side, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman voiced his own opposition to truncating the mandatory service by IDF soldiers. After studying the ramifications of such a move, Lieberman said that he had concluded that this is a cut that cannot be coped with.

Photo: Defense Ministry

He went on to say that he hoped that at the beginning of 2017, the subject would be reopened for discussion with the finance minister, with the intention of turning the wheel backward so that soldiers, at least those in combat units, will serve for a period of 36 months.

In early December, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee approved second and third readings for a shortening of compulsory military service for IDF soldiers to 30 months set to begin in 2020. As of last year, all males drafted for mandatory military service began serving 32 months, instead of three years.

Photo: Amit Magal

The source added that in recent days, efforts have been made to enlist soldiers into special forces units for a period of four years to be signed in advance to mitigate the shortcomings caused by the shortened service time.

This way these soldiers will know exactly where they are going and that their service will include extended military service with salaries provided accordingly, he said. This will contribute to greater professionalism and experience on the part of the soldiers. There is no other choice.

Turning to Israels enemies in the north and the south, the source said that a number of terror organizationsmainly ISISare trying to lay their hands on unconventional weapons such as chemical weapons from bunkers and weapons depots abandoned by President Assads forces in Syria.
By PTI: Modi said work on a Kyrgyz-India Joint Military Training

Modi said work on a Kyrgyz-India Joint Military Training Center in Kyrgyztan has commenced. Besides joint military exercises, the two countries have been cooperating on high-mountain biomedical research to know impact on soldiers when they carry out operations at high altitude.

The "Khanjar-IV" exercises are scheduled to be held in Kyrgyzstan in February-March 2017.

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"The two sides expressed satisfaction with the development of cooperation in the defence sphere, which reflects the high level of mutual trust between the two countries," the joint statement said.

On economic engagement, Modi said both sides agreed to connect each others economies "more deeply", adding industry and businesses will be encouraged to play a leading role in exploiting the untapped opportunities.

"We will encourage industry and business on both sides to play a leading role in exploiting opportunities in healthcare, tourism, information technology, agriculture, mining and energy," the Prime Minister said.

The two leaders also instructed that work be undertaken on a liberalised visa regime and to create the most favourable conditions to enhance cooperation in areas like science and technology, trade and economy and education and culture.

After the talks, Atambayev presented Modi the first copy of heroic epic of the Kyrgyz people "Manas-Semetei-Seitek" in Hindi. Modi gifted him a copy of a collection of Indian poems in the Kyrgyz language "Colours of Life".

The joint statement said the Kyrgyz side reiterated support for Indias "rightful claim" for permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council.

As part of discussions on the integration process in the Eurasian space, the Kyrgyz side highlighted opportunities available for Indian entrepreneurs as a result of their joining the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU).

Referring to Indias telemedice initiative in Kyrgystan, which is its first in Central Asia, Modi said, "We are taking steps to expand this project to other regions of the Kyrgyz Republic."

They also reviewed progress in the work of the Joint Study Group that has been considering the feasibility of a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The two leaders welcomed the ratification of the Paris climate pact by a number of countries, including India. The pact entered into force on November 4, 2016.

"Both leaders emphasised that the Agreement should continue to be guided by the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, especially the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities," the statement said.

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Both sides also noted that cargo movement on International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) would be a significant step in the direction of solving logistics issues and would give a fillip to India-Kyrgyzstan trade relations.

As Member States of the INSTC, both sides agreed to work jointly to operationalize cargo movement on the corridor. PTI MPB RT RT

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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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As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More
Dobra, k. Szczecina 900 m2

40 miejsc parkingowych



Atut: Dodatkowe dochody z paczkomatow InPostu, a juz niedugo i z myjni samoobsugowej.



Tradycyjny zakup nieruchomosci, mozliwosc wykupienia uzytkowania wieczystego.
By PTI: 10L

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The Income Tax department will soon begin sharing personal data--like PAN, residential address and mobile number--of a taxpayer earning over Rs 10 lakh per annum with the Oil Ministry as part of governments initiative to effectively block subsidised cooking gas to higher income groups.

As part of the official deal between the two government departments, the taxman will also share the date of birth, gender, email id, residential phone number and all available addresses of the taxpayer in its database so that the Petroleum and Oil Ministry could zero down on each LPG subscriber who is availing the subsidy beyond the stipulated rules and has not voluntarily given it up.

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The I-T department will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Oil Ministry in order to begin this transfer of personal taxpayer data, in a "confidential and safe" manner.

The department, till now, used to share such proprietary data with Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) like police, CBI, ED and others with a rider that they should not share this information with anyone else and use it for their investigation purposes only.

The latest move has also been approved by the policy-making body of the department, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), in the backdrop of governments decision which had said that tax payers with annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh will not get subsidised cooking gas (LPG).

"This tax data with the Oil Ministry will ensure that all those who have income above Rs 10 lakh per year will automatically be barred from getting subsidised cooking gas cylinders. The data will be processed by the Oil Ministry and only names of those ineligible will be shared with the concerned LPG distributor on field.

"While some individuals and households have already given up this subsidy voluntarily after government asked them to do so, there are many who have not done so. The government wants to check pilferage in this regard and hence the data is being shared between the two departments," a senior official said.

The official said the transfer of data will begin soon.

At present, all households are entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates.

The government has asked well-off people in the past to voluntarily give up using subsidised LPG and instead buy cooking fuel at market price.

The government, while announcing this decision last year, had said it "has decided that the benefit of LPG subsidy will not be available for LPG consumers if the consumer or his/her spouse had taxable income of more than Rs 10 lakh during the previous financial year computed as per the Income Tax Act, 1961." PTI NES DV

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The government, however, has maintained that the figure of Rs 18 crore is exaggerated.

By Kiran D. Tare: The Maharashtra government is likely to face the ire of opposition parties over its proposed extravagant expenditure on the bhoomipujan of the meorial to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on December 24 in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai coast.

A source said the state government is likely to spend around Rs 18 crore on the publicity of the event across the state. The government has instructed all the 37 district administrations to publicise the event. In addition to that there is a plan to put up hoardings and advertisements in print and electronics media. The Collector of Satara Shekhar Gaikwad on Tuesday addressed the local media giving them details of the December 24 event.

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It surprised many in the state as there is no precedence of any district collector addressing media about an event in Mumbai. The government, however, has maintained that the figure of Rs 18 crore is exaggerated.

HERE'S WHAT THE OFFICIALS SAID REACTING TO THE 18 CRORE FIGURE: "It is obvious that the government will publicise the historic event on a large scale but the figure of Rs 18 crore is not true," a senior official with the state's publicity department said. The official said that the government has its own hoardings. It needs only flex boards for the advertisement. "The district collectors are also planning the publicity of the event. It is not possible for me to assess their expenditure," he said. Vinayak Mete, chairman of the Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial committee, refused to divulge the figure of expenditure. "The expenses will also be borne by MMRDA, coast guard and navy. We will bear the expenses on invitation card, pendal and the newspaper advertisements." When asked whether Rs 18 crore are being spent on the publicity he said, "The expenditure will be divided among several agencies but it will not be alone spent from the budget approved for the memorial." Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan said that the government wanted to make the event a huge success on the backdrop of unrest in the Maratha community. "They have remembered Shivaji Maharaj now because the Maratha community is not happy with them," Chavan said.

The beginning of the work of the memorial is being considered as a master stroke by the Devendra Fadnavis government as it has been pending since last 17 years. The government believes that the memorial, expected to be completed in three years with an expenditure of Rs 3600 crore, would gain more votes for the BJP in the 2019 election.

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As I am writing this, its five days til Christmas, and I am sitting on my childhood twin bed in my parents house in little old Winchester, Virginia. Im sure youve heard of it.

I dont come home to the US as often as I like, but when I do I am always overcome with FEELINGS. Emotions. Guilt. Nostalgia. I both love and hate this in equal measure. I feel all the things, good, bad and the ugly.

Nothing puts things quite into perspective like returning home as if nothing is changed a decade after you first left for college. Its like I slip right back into the role of being petulant 18 year old again. If only I could fit in my jeans from when I was 18. Sigh.

My life in New Zealand vacillates between being hectic as all hell and so mellow time almost stands still at my home in Wanaka. There often is no middle ground. Either way its all-consuming for me, and eats up my days in endless strings of high adventure, emails, flights, photographs and writing, writing and some more writing, for good measure. There is no time for dwelling on the past.

Years went by in the blink of an eye. How is 2016 almost over? In my head its still July. Didnt I just start blogging? Oh wait, that was six years ago. Fuck me.

I wake up every day and dont remember where I am, and no, not because Ive woken up in someone elses bed (you animals), but rather I spend so much time traveling I dont often wake up lucid enough to remember which city in which country this hotel room is in.

There is so much work left to do! So many things I meant to accomplish. Im not ready for the year to be over.

But I digress.

When I am at home, I am almost painfully reminded of all my ups and downs over the years, of my successes and total failures. This twin bed has been my bed since before I was a teenager. This house has been my family house since I was 14. Winchester, of all the fucking places, has been my constancy in a life where I never sit still. Its the one thing that hasnt changed. Its the center for all my memories which when I come back, tend to consume me.

Not to mention I just go batshit crazy when Im here. I love it. I hate it. Its painful but good for me. I suppose it isnt healthy to run away from the past or our emotions, right?

When I am here I think about all the things that could have been. What if I had done this instead of that? What if I went down this path instead of that one or made that decision instead of this one.

What if I went to UVA instead of Mt. Holyoke for university? What if I had given up on living abroad and moved in with my ex in NYC? What if I had gone back to Spain instead of moving to New Zealand? And the worst, what would my life be like now if I had never started blogging? Shivers.

Would I be happier? Where would my life be now? There are so many paths that are open to us in life, how are we ever sure we took the right one. And why am I even thinking about this? Is there even any point to it all? If I was truly happy now would I even be considering the past like this?

Maybe we just want what we cant have?

I am one of those people that lives in their heads. And Im the kind of person that gets extremely nostalgic (like, to an unhealthy level) so I try and focus on the future instead of the past. Otherwise I get moody, depressed and emotional, none of which are all that pretty.

But when I am at home in Virginia, I am forced to confront all those thoughts I can easily avoid in New Zealand. How do I cope?

I suppose as we grow older we need to learn to accept the past, accept that it is what it is and we cant change it, the only choice we have is to acknowledge it and move forward.

Fifteen years ago I was expelled from school for doing drugs. Four years after that I graduated with honors and headed off to New England for college to start fresh, a total nerd. Seven years ago I put off graduate school (in medieval history no less!) and started a travel blog and decided to move to Spain to teach English. Almost four years ago I went pro, and I quit my job and this blog has been my full time job since.

Even though I love my life right now, its not all rainbows and unicorns and when I am home I cant help but think what it might have been. Would I be happier if my situation were different? I miss the comforts of America sometimes (like Target and cheap but tasty tacos) and I often miss the research and writing around history. Even studying. And sometimes I think by choosing the path that I did means I am going to be alone forever. Dismal.

The decisions we make, good or bad, shape who we are today, right? We just have to learn to live with them I guess.

So whats the point with all my blathering about the past? Fuck if I know. I just wanted to share what thoughts have been tumbling through my head this past week in the hopes that maybe even just one of you might relate to it. Surely I cant be the only one who gets emotional and nostalgic when they go home for the holidays.

And maybe I just need to get rid of my old twin bed and find myself a boyfriend. Accept this is my reality and handle it. And start planning 2017.

What about you guys? Do you get nostalgic when you go back home? How do you deal? Spill!
While there had been no riots over demonetisation as Mamata Banerjee had vociferously feared, the Trinamool Congress chief's silence on communal clashes in West Bengal was glaring, said BJP.

By Brijesh Pandey: Fresh from its victory in local polls in Chandigarh, BJP today launched a fierce attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee. Taking potshots at the Trinamool Congress chief over her role in the protest against demonetisation, BJP national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said that Mamata Banerjee had threatened that if the government did not withdraw its demonetisation decision in 3 days, there would be riots in the country.

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1. Lashing out at her, Singh said that although riots did not take place across the nation over demonetisation (as Mamata Banerjee had feared might happen), violent clashes had broken out in Dhoolgarh by the TMC minority cell under police protection. He said, "Ever since you have become chief minister, almost 100 communal riots have happened, especially in the areas where BJP's graph has risen."

2. Sidharth Nath Singh added that TMC MP Idris Ali had said in a masjid, along with a shahi imam, that BJP leader Dileep Ghosh should be stoned to death. He further said that despite an FIR having been lodged against the shahi imam, he was still travelling in a red beacon car. Calling this a policy of appeasement, he said that Mamata Banerjee had travelled to UP and Bihar over demonetisation, but was silent on the communal clashes in Bengal. Singh demanded that Mamata break her silence and speak up on the incidents of violence in her state.

3. Singh said that Mamata was "rattled" post November 8 as all the black money which she has earned through Saradha and Narda scams had become useless. "She is speaking against demonetisation because her black money dealings have been shut down", Singh added.

4. Taking swipes against both Mamata Banerjee and Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, Siddarth said, "They say that farmers are poor. If that is the case, I want to ask how come there is Rs 12,000 crore in the Jan Dhan accounts in UP and Rs 10,000 crore in Jan Dhan accounts in Bengal. They should enlighten us as to how this happened."

5. The BJP national secretary also hit out at the media and those who had jumped on to the award wapsi bandwagon. He said imagine if this had happened in a BJP-ruled state. "Where is the award wapsi gang? Why is this gang silent now? And as far as the media is concerned, I want to know whether it is okay to highlight the Dadri case, but not these incidents. He further said that the BJP was very soon going to send a parliamentary delegation to Howrah and the party's state unit had been asked to move the state's human rights panel.

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Also read | Modi government misleading public over income tax exemption for political parties: Mamata

--- ENDS ---
While around 1,500 paramilitary personnel were rushed in to Manipur in last two days, around 2,500 paramilitary were dispatched to the state last week, a senior Home Ministry official said on Tuesday.

The security personnel were sent to the Northeastern state keeping in view the security situation in the state in the wake of violence following the economic blockade imposed by the Union Naga Council on two National Highways since November 1.

The UNC has imposed the economic blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH 37 (Imphal-Jiribam) that serve as lifelines for the landlocked Manipur.

Curfew in Imphal East district was clamped indefinitely on Sunday last after a mob torched and vandalised 22 passenger vehicles on the Imphal-Ukhrul road, while curfew in Imphal West district was imposed from evening to dawn.

Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang has sought the intervention of both the Centre and Manipur government in securing the lives and property of Naga people in the Imphal valley of Manipur.
Ankara: The United States on Tuesday closed its missions to Turkey for the day after a shooting incident overnight outside the American embassy in Ankara that followed the assassination of the Russian ambassador in the Turkish capital.

"An individual approached the US Embassy Ankara main gate and discharged a firearm," the embassy said in a statement, adding no-one was hurt and the individual was detained.

As a result, the embassy and consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed for normal operations, it added.

The incident took place at 3:50 am (0050 GMT) Tuesday, hours after a Turkish policeman shot dead Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov as he was opening a photography exhibition.

The US embassy is located in Ankara directly on the other side of the street from the arts centre where the shooting took place in the Turkish capital.

The United States has repeatedly warned its citizens of security risks in Turkey after a string of attacks blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists this year.

"The US Mission reminds US citizens to review personal security plans" and to "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security," it said.
Karachi: Former dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf has said ex-army chief General Raheel Sharif's intervention helped him in exiting Pakistan, indicating the powerful influence wielded by the military in the country's affairs.

Participating in a talk show on Dunya News last night, Musharraf said Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts.

"Well he (Raheel Sharif) did help me. I have been his boss and I have been the Army Chief before him. He helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the Exit Control List (ECL), they turned it into a political issue," he said.

When asked to explain, Musharraf, 73, said Gen Sharif played a role in "releasing the pressure" on courts to prevent him from leaving the country.

The statement came weeks after General Sharif retired in November after completing his three-year tenure. He was succeeded by General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Musharraf said, "Behind the scenes, the army chief had a role to release that pressure by dealing with the government."

"Once he (Gen Sharif) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment."

Musharraf alleged that Pakistani courts give decisions under pressure "behind the scenes" and this pressure was relieved by Gen Sharif with an "influencing" role.

Musharraf was able to fly out of Pakistan in March this year after the interior ministry issued a notification to remove his name from the ECL, following Supreme Court's order to lift the ban on his foreign travel.

But the order from the top court had also said that?the federal government or the three-judge special court trying the retired general for treason was free to make decisions to regulate his custody or restrict his movement.

Musharraf is facing treason charges in Pakistan for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers.

Besides, he is also being tried in murder cases of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, who was killed during the operation on Lal Masjid in Islamabad which was carried out on the orders of Musharraf.

Earlier this year, in a separate interview to The Atlantic in Washington DC, Musharraf had said that Pakistani social fabric was not conducive for democracy.

"Army has always had a role since our independence. Army has played a prominent role in the governance of Pakistan, partially, because, or mainly because of mis-governance by all of the so-called democratically elected governments," the former dictator had said.
Ankara: In a shocking incident, Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov was on Monday shot dead by a Turkish policeman crying "Aleppo" and "revenge".

Karlov was shot while making a speech at a painting exhibition in Ankara exhibition hall.

Dramatic television footage showed the attacker, who has been identified as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, had worked for Ankara riot police for two and a half years, waving a gun and gesturing in the air. He was dressed in a black suit and tie.

After shooting the Russian envoy, Altintas shouted: "Don`t forget Aleppo, don`t forget Syria!"

The attack comes a day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

World condemns attack

Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan, in a video message to the nation, cast the attack as an attempt to undermine NATO-member Turkey`s relations with Russia - ties long tested by the war in Syria. He said he had agreed in a telephone call with Russia`s Vladimir Putin to step up cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Putin said the killing of the Russian Ambassador to Ankara is designed to spoil the Russia-Turkey ties.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, calling it as a "senseless" act of terror.

The US also condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey. US National Security Council Spokesperson Ned Price said: "This heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable, and we stand united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms."
Berlin: Berlin`s police force are assuming that the deadly crash of a lorry into a Christmas market crowd was a "probable terrorist attack".

The police said in a Twitter message it was carefully investigating the "probable terrorist attack" that killed 12 people and wounded dozens more Monday evening.

At least 12 persons died and 48 injured after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital city of Berlin on Monday night.

A suspect, reportedly an Afghan or Pakistani national who arrived in Germany in February, was arrested 2 km from the site and was being interrogated, The Guardian reported.

Police said a man found dead inside the truck, identified as a Polish citizen, was not the person who drove it into the market.

According to the Polish company that owns the truck, its driver was unreachable since Monday afternoon.

Pictures from the scene showed Christmas decorations protruding from the smashed windscreen of the black truck. In the aftermath, it was resting lopsided on the pavement with a mangled Christmas tree beneath its wheels.

The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That attack was claimed by Islamic State.

World leaders condemn

US President-elect Donald Trump condemned what he called an attack, linking it to "Islamist terrorists" before German police officials had said who was responsible.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her grief for the victims while President Joachim Gauck said he was shocked by the "awful evening".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her grief for the victims while President Joachim Gauck said he was shocked by the "awful evening".
Berlin: A speeding lorry cut a bloody swathe through a Berlin Christmas market on Monday, killing 12 people and wounding 48 others. According to a report on Tuesday, the suspected driver of the truck was a 23-year-old from Pakistan named Naved B.

German newspaper Bild quoted sources involved in the probe as saying that the man, arrested 2 km from the site and was being interrogated, arrived in Germany almost a year ago.

The truck tore through the crowd yesterday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July`s deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Images showed the mangled truck with its windscreen smashed and a trail of destruction in its wake, with Christmas trees toppled on their side and festive stalls obliterated into splinters.

This morning, the black truck was still visible at the site of the incident and a few candles and roses had been laid by the entrance to a nearby station. Flowers were being laid in the centre of the nearby Kurfuerstendamm, a prestigious shopping street. One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had previously said there were indications that the incident was an attack.

Local broadcaster rbb cited security sources as saying the arrested truck driver came to Germany via Passau, a city on the Austrian border, on December 31, 2015. It cited the sources as saying the man was born on January 01, 1993 in Pakistan and was already known to police for minor offences.

German newspaper Die Welt said police special forces stormed a hangar at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof airport housing a refugee accommodation centre at around 4 am. (0300 GMT). It said, without citing its sources, that the arrested man was registered there.

A refugee there who gave his name only as Ahmed told Reuters security guards had told him there was a raid at around 4 am.

Prosecutors declined to immediately comment on the report.

Meanwhile, a Polish man found dead in the truck after the attack was "shot" dead, the interior minister of neighbouring Brandenburg state said today.

If a migrant link is confirmed, it could further sour sentiment towards asylum seekers in Germany, where more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived this year and last.

The record influx has hit Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity ratings and boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). Senior AfD member Marcus Pretzell blamed Merkel for the attack on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Berlin police are investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland. They have taken the truck for a forensic examination.

Flags will be hung at half-mast around Germany today.

(With Agency inputs)
Paris: President Francois Hollande said Tuesday France was under a "high-level of threat" from terror attack following the carnage at a Berlin Christmas market.

Hollande said although France faced an elevated threat, it also already had a large-scale "security operation" in place following a string of jihadist outrages in the country over the past two years.
Ankara: As the world leaders condemn the shocking assassination of Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Ankara, more details about the 22-year-old killer has now come to fore.

According to the initial investigations done by the Turkish authorities, Karlov's killer came from Soke - a quiet region in the west of Turkey - and had served with the anti-riot police for less than three years.

The young assassin has been identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, who was caught on camera as he gunned the Russian ambassador down at a cultural centre in the Turkish capital.

Dressed in a black-suit, Altintas was also heard shouting ''Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) and Dont forget Aleppo as he waved his gun and killed Karlov in cold blood.

However, it is still unclear if Altintas, who was later neutralised by Turkish guards, was attracted to religious extremism or had any history of activism.

The video footage of the incident showed the clean-shaven man smartly dressed in a suit, wearing a tie and white shirt pull out a gun and fire at ambassador Andrei Karlov from behind as the envoy opened a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara.

He then threatened terrified spectators, yelling Allahu Akbar and saying that the murder was vengeance for Russias actions in the war-battered Syrian city of Aleppo.

Later, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Altintas was born in the town of Soke in Aydin province in western Turkey and attended a special school for training future policemen.

Altintas then joined the Ankara anti-riot police - the Cevik Kuvvet in Turkish - and had worked there for the last two-and-a-half-years.

The region of Aydin on the Aegean coast is one of Turkeys most peaceful regions well away from trouble-spots and the countrys most religiously conservative areas.

After the attack on Karlov, Altintas refused to surrender and remained inside the exhibition centre as clashes took place with police for 15 minutes.

However, he was then killed by police in an operation, authorities said.

Shortly after the incident, his mother, father and sister were detained for questioning in their homes in western Turkey.

The mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, known for his outspoken comments, speculated on his official Twitter account that the attacker may be linked to the group of Fethullah Gulen blamed for the July 15 coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

With AFP inputs
Despite a massive search operation at the JNU campus, the Crime Branch was unable to find any evidence that led to the missing student.

By Chirag Gothi: No trace of Najeeb Ahmed even after two days of massive search operations in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Ahmed went missing on October 15 following an altercation allegedly with members of ABVP inside the university campus.

Vikrant Kumar and Ankit Roy, the duo allegedly involved in a scuffle with Najeeb Ahmed demand more diligent action by the police.

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They believe that instead of pitching a stalemate of Left versus ABVP, the police should investigate the case thoroughly that includes a thorough interrogation from JNUSU office-bearers and other left activists such as Umar Khalid, Hamid Raza, Shahid Raza Khan, Akbar Chowdhary etc.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Incidentally, this is the same group of people who visited Mahi-Mandavi hostel on the night of October 14 in an unwarranted manner. Sources say that there seems to be a possibility that Najeeb might have gone missing owing to a conspiracy woven by JNUSU under the supervision of their political masters such as Arvind Keriwal. Hence, we also demand that these people should be made to pass through lie detector tests if there is any need of such tests in this case. Crime Branch began searching JNU campus on Monday to gather evidence in the case. Over 600 policemen were deployed at the campus to carry out the search. Sniffer dogs and forensic team were also called in. On Monday, the team covered a major part of the university including academic blocks, hostel and forest area. While on Tuesday, the team searched administrative block and other unexplored parts of the campus. The search team also interacted with hawkers, food vendors, residents from the vicinity.

Also read:

Dogs over humans: Delhi Police resort to sniffer dogs to search for missing Najeeb Ahmed

38 days on, JNU student Najeeb Ahmed still missing; family continues with protest march

--- ENDS ---
Geneva: Swiss police said on Tuesday that they had found the body of a man suspected of opening fire and injuring three men at a Muslim prayer hall in Zurich.

The attack on Monday evening is not believed to be linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) movement, a statement added.

"We assume that the dead person we found is the perpetrator of the shooting at the Islamic centre in Zurich," Zurich police said in a tweet.

It added that there is "no indication that the perpetrator has a link to IS".

The body was found after a search for the shooter near the scene.

The announcement came after a man, around 30 years old, burst into the Islamic Centre in central Zurich around 5:30 pm (1630 GMT) on Monday and began shooting, according to police.

He "fired several shots at the worshippers," before fleeing, police said.

Most of those at the Islamic Centre were from North Africa, Somalia and Eritrea, according to the ATS news agency.

"Three men, aged 30, 35 and 56, were injured, some seriously. The suspect then escaped from the mosque in the direction of Central Station," an earlier police statement said.

A press conference is expected at 2 pm (1300 GMT).

A police spokesman told the RTS public broadcaster that the youngest and oldest victims were both seriously injured, while the 35-year-old was slightly hurt in the shooting. Police had immediately launched a manhunt for the shooter, using torches and sniffer dogs, and urged witnesses to come forward.

They did not immediately provide any details about the suspected motive for the shooting.

While the search was getting started, a body was found a few hundred metres (yards) from the scene on a river bank under a bridge.

An AFP photographer said the body had been draped with a white sheet.

Around a dozen people were inside the prayer hall at the time of shooting, ATS reported, citing people there, adding that a prayer service had been scheduled for 4:45 pm.

A number of Swiss mosques, including one near Zurich and the main one in Geneva, have in recent months been accused in media of allowing or encouraging the radicalisation of their worshippers, especially younger members of their congregations.

Switzerland, a country of some eight million people, has some 450,000 Muslims, according to Swiss media.
Washington: US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey in the capital Ankara.

A Turkish policeman crying "Aleppo!" fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov while he was addressing visitors to a photo exhibition earlier in the day.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek had earlier speculated on his official Twitter account that the gunman may have been linked to the exiled preacher, whom the government blames for the July coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I condemn in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror," Gulen said in a statement yesterday.

"No terrorist act can be justified, regardless of its perpetrators and their stated purposes," he added.



"It is the expectation of the Turkish people and the world that the government investigate the circumstances of this incident, identify those who aided the perpetrator and take the necessary precautions so that such an attack cannot be staged in the future."

Gulen, who has been based in the United States since the late 1990s, has vehemently denied the claims of his involvement in the coup.

The comments by Gokcek, the Ankara mayor, were echoed today by the pro-government press, which also alleged the gunman had ties to Gulen. However, no ministerial-level official has repeated the claims so far.

A former close ally of Erdogan's, Gulen also criticised the government over the gunman, a police officer who had served with the anti-riot police.

"Turkish and international experts repeatedly have pointed out the deterioration of security and counter-terrorism efforts due to the Turkish government's assigning hundreds of counter-terrorism police officers to unrelated posts, as well as the firing and imprisoning (of) many others since 2014," Gulen said.

He also urged Turkey and Russia to work toward resolving the Syrian conflict.

"This despicable act of shooting an ambassador, who represents an entire nation, only exacerbates the Syrian conflict that has already taken too many lives and driven too many from their homelands, like adding fuel to a fire."
New Delhi: Police failed to find any clue that could give them a lead in the missing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed's case after the second day of a massive search on the sprawling university campus on Tuesday.

While hundreds of policemen and paramilitary troopers along with Crime Branch sleuths combed the sprawling university campus for the second consecutive day, Najeeb's family openly voiced their scepticism over the efficacy of the police operation.

"We are sceptical whether police is really sincere in this case. They are doing now what should have been done in the very first week, and that too only after the court's orders," Najeeb's brother Mujeeb told IANS.

Najeeb Ahmed went missing from the campus on October 15, reportedly following a scuffle with a few Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists.

Police resumed the search on Tuesday at 9.00 a.m. and continued until 5.00 p.m. and scanned residential, academic and administrative blocks and the forested area. The search involved 20 sniffer dogs apart from mounted police and hundreds of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers.

On the second day, the search operation covered the 1,000-acre forest area around the campus, along with the hostels, dhabas, administrative block, academic centres, sewer lines and drains. Twenty sniffer dogs were part of the search team, police said.

"We have searched JNU campus for the second consecutive day, but have not found any lead in tracing Najeeb," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav said.

However, Mujeeb said the use of sniffer dogs is "clearly a futile exercise now" as hardly any scent would be left there after two months.

He also accused the police and university administration of going soft on the ABVP activists. The ABVP is the student wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"The university administration and the police are going soft on the ABVP activists. While Najeeb bhai was expelled from the hostel on that very night after the scuffle, the ABVP activists have just been shifted from one hostel to another," Mujeeb said.

Meanwhile, the ABVP demanded a "thorough probe" into the matter.

"No trace of Najeeb even after two days of massive search operations in JNU... The police should investigate the case thoroughly that includes a thorough interrogation of JNU Students Union office-bearers and other Left activists, such as Umar Khalid, Hamid Raza, Shahid Raza Khan, Akbar Chowdhary, etc.," ABVP leader Saurabh Sharma said.

"There is all possibility that Najeeb might have gone missing owing to a conspiracy woven by the JNU Students Union under the supervision of their political masters. We also demand that these people should be made to undertake lie detector tests," he added.
United Nations: India has renewed its demand for international action against terror outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and "their shadowy supporters".

Denouncing the two organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of al Qaeda, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the United Nations Security Council that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside.

In an implied criticism of China, he blamed the "split" in the UN bodies that mete out sanctions on terrorist organisations for the world body's inability to deal with the terrorism.

China has blocked India's efforts to have international sanctions imposed on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar by a committee that takes action against al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

Azhar was behind the attack on the Pathankot air force base this year, according to the NIA chargesheet.

As a member of the Security Council, China has also provided cover for Pakistan releasing on bail Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT commander who masterminded the 2008 attack on Mumbai which killed more than 160 people. He was already on the UN list of those facing sanctions as terrorists.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organizations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, aI-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory," he said. "Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism."

The international community has to make "it clear that we will neither roll over in the face of terror, nor will we of allow the roll back of the achievements of the resolute people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half," he said.

Quoting Rumi, Akbaruddin also warned Pakistan, "What you sow will bear fruit. If you have any sense my friend, don't plant anything but peace."
Islamabad: India along with Bangladesh and Iran have pulled out of a key regional conference on sustainable development which is being held in Pakistan, according to a media report.

The three-day session of the Governing Council of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) started in Islamabad yesterday. The objective of the conference is to promote innovation for sustainable development and discus strategy of the APCTT.

The Express Tribune reported officials of Ministry of Science and Technology initially confirmed New Delhi's participation in the conference but later announced India's decision to pull out.

"Just hours before the meeting was due to start, the Indian delegation cancelled their trip saying that their head delegate had contracted food poisoning," the official said.

India had earlier in November boycotted the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that was to be held in Islamabad.

Also Read: Will look to other regional groupings if Pakistan blocks initiatives under SAARC: India

It is believed that New Delhi's decision is part of its efforts to isolate Pakistan internationally by staying away from such multilateral engagements hosted by Islamabad, media reports said here.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is hosting the meeting of the 12th Governing Council of APCTT.

According to sources, all of the 14 member countries of APCTT were invited, but India, Bangladesh, and Iran decided not to attend the meeting.

The governing council, which meets once a year, advises on the future and reviews the working of the centre located in India under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The countries attending the meeting are China, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Samoa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The meeting will approve projects to be undertaken in 2017. Out of the total five projects, India has submitted one titled 'Feed the Future India'. The project is aimed at enhancing food security in selected least-developed countries through the establishment of an agricultural innovation accelerator platform in India with USAID funding of USD 1.5 million.

The APCTT is a specialised regional Institute of the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UN-ESCAP), based in New Delhi and a team from India have come to Islamabad to look after all the management related issues for the three-day conference.
New Delhi: India on Tuesday condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, saying it was shocked by the dastardly act and that there can never be any justification for terrorism.

"India strongly condemns the tragic assassination of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Turkey. We are deeply saddened and shocked by this dastardly act," the External Affairs Ministry said.

Karlov was shot dead by a Turkish gunman at an art exhibition in Ankara last evening.

"We offer our condolences to the family of Ambassador Andrey Karlov and share their pain and grief. There can never be any justification for violence and terrorism," the MEA said in a statement.

Also Read: Assassination of Russian ambassador in Turkey caught on camera - Watch

The gunman shouted "God is great!" and "don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria", after killing the envoy.
New Delhi: Pakistan's Intelligence Agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is reportedly planning to carry out series of terror attacks across India in coming days, the Intelligence Bureau issued a warning on Tuesday.

Intelligence Bureau detectives reportedly detected phone calls between militants and terrorist handler and issued an alert of possible terror attacks on the Indian soil. An IB source revealed that several Taliban militants have been spotted on Pakistani terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control. The terrorists were reportedly communicating in the Pashto language, the source added.

According to information available with IB sources, the terrorist handlers are planning to send Taliban terrorists with the help of ISI and Afghan terrorists, who have come up with fresh terror attack plans.

Combined training have been provided to these terrorists in Swat Valley and Tora Bora mountains, the IB source added further.

According to another input, the ISI have been facing manpower crunch and radicalised youths and therefore, have called for help from Taliban and Afghan terrorists.

Militant attacks, ceasefire violation and cross-border firing have been on the rise since India conducted a surgical strike in September. The strike was in retaliation to Uri attack that killed at least 19 Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir.
Kochi: In a significant order, the Kerala High Court has permitted employment of women in foreign liquor retail shops terming as "unsustainable" and "violative of the Constitution" the state's rules restraining women from such jobs.

Such orders and rules "are violative of Article 14 and 15 of the Constitution and are therefore unsustainable", the court said in a recent order about the state government's Foreign Liquor Rules as well as a government order that women cannot be engaged to work in foreign liquor shops.

Justice Anu Sivaraman issued the order while disposing of a batch of writ petitions challenging constitutional validity of Clause No 37 of Rule 7 contained in Chapter VI of the Kerala Abkari Shops Disposal Rules, 2002 and Licence Condition No 36 of Foreign Liquor Rules to the effect that no women shall be employed in any capacity in a toddy or foreign liquor shop.

In their petition, the women said they had participated in the selection and had been included in the ranked list for appointment to the post of peon/helper in the Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing & Marketing) Corporation Ltd.

However, citing the rules and government order they were not given appointment in the vacancies which arose in the shops under the corporation. A notification issued by the Kerala Public Service Commission had also stated that women will not be entitled to appointment in shop vacancies.

The court directed the Kerala Public Service Commission to advise the petitioners for appointment to the post of peon/ helper in the corporation from the ranked list immediately, in view of the fact that the persons who are lower down in the ranked list have already been appointed.

"This shall be done within a period of two weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgement. The petitioners shall be accommodated against the available vacancies without reference to whether such vacancies are in shops or otherwise.

"If no such vacancies are available to accommodate the petitioners, they shall be accommodated against the supernumerary vacancies and adjusted against the next arising vacancies," the court ruled.

It also directed Kerala State Beverages Corporation, Kerala Public Service Commission and the state government to take steps to re-work the appointments made from the ranked list in accordance with the judgement at the earliest, in accordance with law.

"In view of the fact that all vacancies have already been reported to the PSC, the 3rd respondent (the PSC) shall also re-work the ranked list and pass orders accordingly within a period of one month from the date of receipt of a copy of the judgement," the high court said.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency, that filed a chargesheet on Pathankot airbase attack on Monday, claim to have decoded the code words used by terrorists during the operation.

The chargesheet, filed at a Panch kula court, says the Pathankot terror attack was code-named 'nikaah' (wedding) while the attackers were named 'baraati' (wedding guests).

It further added that JeM terrorists in Pakistan were monitoring the attack while Kashif Jan, the main handler of the four killers, was chatting with his friends on Facebook.

The Facebook chats of Kashif and his aides reveal chilling details of how they shared congratulatory messages after Indian soldiers were killed.

Among his several chats that NIA accessed to, there's one that read, "Kya kaifiyat hai, kya nazare hain, bahut hi umda" (what circumstances and what sights, beautiful).

In an another chat, Kashif had replied on the situation in Pathankot during the attack as he said, "Nazare khatam hue, baraati ghar gaye (the scenes are over and the wedding guests have left for home)."

The NIA also claim that the terrorists were carrying few hand written notes written in English and Urdu, probably wanting the Indian government to know that Pakistan's Jaish-e-Mohammad was behind the attack on the Indian airbase.

One of the notes that disclosed the purpose behind the attack, read, "Jaish-e-Mohammad Zindabad. Tanghdar se le kar Samba, Kathua, Rajbagh aur Delhi tak Afzal Guru Shaheed ke jaan-nesar tum ko milte rahe. Allah AGS 25-12-15."

The 101-page chargesheet that named Masood Azhar as the mastermind of the attack also included his brother and his deputy, Abdul Rauf Asghar, Shahid Latif of Gujranwala, Pakistan, and Kashif Jan names in it.

Training camps in Pakistan and POK were set up for recruitment and training of terrorists, who underwent extensive motivational, physical, military and tactical training regimen before they were radicalised and prepared for jihad, the NIA chargesheet said.

Azhar and the rest have been charged under relevant sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act as well as Indian Penal Code.
In a shocking incident, a Mumbai woman hurled out neighbour's 5-year old daughter from the 15th floor following a quarrel on Monday.

By Press Trust of India: A Mumbai woman threw out neighbour's 5-year old daughter from the 15th floor following a quarrel on Monday.

The incident took place at Vignahartha Building in MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority) complex, Byculla, Central Mumbai at 12.30 pm.

According to the police, the victim's mother who is a traffic constable, had a quarrel with the other woman.

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And sometime after the incident, the other woman threw out the policewoman's 5-year old daughter from the 15th floor of the building.

The girl was taken to KEM Hospital, where she was declared dead.

The case has been registered but the accused has not been arrested yet.

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Delhi: The attack on the Pathankot airbase in January this year, that had left seven personnel dead and 37 others injured, was planned in April 2014 at a meeting in Sialkot in Pakistan by Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Shahid Latif who showed the potential attackers a Google map of the base.

As per the chargesheet filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday, he told them that it was easy to launch an attack since the airbase was surrounded by forests, The Indian express reported.

This information is said to have been gathered from a witness who was present at the meeting.

Wrapping up investigations in the Pathankot airbase attack case, NIA filed a chargesheet against Pakistan-based JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother and two others for hatching the conspiracy of the January two audacious terror strike.

The chargesheet was filed in the NIA court at Panchkula in which all the four have been slapped with charges under Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Besides Azhar, his brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and two handlers - Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan - have been named in the exhaustive chargesheet.

While Interpol Red Corner Notice against three has been issued, the same was pending against Jan, the NIA said.

The chargesheet will also put to rest speculation about the number of terrorists involved in the attack as the agency gave details of only four militants.

There was confusion about the number of terrorists as Defence Minister Manohar Parikar and Home Minister Rajnath Singh had informed that the number was six.

The chargesheet also hinted of lax security at the strategic IAF base in Pathankot and said that the four terrorists - Nasir Hussain, Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayoom - who were Pakistani nationals belonging to Jaish, had entered the premises at 0840 hours of January one and entrenched themselves in a drain and adjacent shed belonging to Military Engineering Services, as per PTI.

The terrorists were engaged in a gunfight only at 0320 hours of January two, 19 hours after they had entered the IAF base.

(With Agency inputs)


Beijing: In a setback to India, the Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, has withdrawn the visa-free facility for Indian travellers

Now, they will have to complete a pre-arrival registration from January.

Hong Kong immigration department's statement

"The Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals will be implemented on January 23, 2017. The online service for 'Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals' is now opened," the Hong Kong immigration department said in an announcement on its official website.

"Indian nationals must apply for and successfully complete pre-arrival registration online before they can visit or transit the HKSAR visa-free (if seeking to enter the HKSAR during transit). Pre-arrival registration is not required for Indian nationals in direct transit by air and not leaving the airport transit area," it said.

Major setback

This is a major set back for over half a million Indians who visit the former British colony for business, trade and holidays.

Till now Hong Kong, which is now a Special Administrative Region of China, has permitted Indians to enter with valid passport for a period up to 14 days without a visa. But the facility has been withdrawn despite representations from India ostensibly on the ground that the number of Indian asylum seekers was on the rise, official sources told PTI in Beijing.

Indian officials say that Hong Kong is using the asylum seekers as pretext to deny the visa free entry to Indians who are one of the largest spenders contributing the local economy.

There is also concern whether the move is being brought about by Hong Kong due to pressure from China.

Hong Kong s Immigration department assistant director Ma Chi-ming has been quoted by South China Morning Post as saying that Indian visitors should not enter fake data to try to enhance their chance of entering Hong Kong to seek economic asylum as they would bear legal consequences.

Ma, in-charge of visas and policies, said the measure would be reviewed soon after its launch and considered a pilot scheme.

"We picked India as a testing point as it was one of the major source countries," he said. "We do not rule out extending the scheme to other countries in the future."

Among the current backlog of 10,335 refugee applications in the city, 80 per cent are claimants from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia, he said.

Except for India, other countries nationals including those from Pakistan needed visas to enter Hong Kong.

Indian officials say that Hong Kong has become attractive destination for asylum seekers from the sub-continent as it offered facilities for food and stay free of cost until the asylum requests are processed.
New Delhi: The United Naga Council, which represents the Nagas living in Manipur, met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Tuesday and demanded that President's Rule be imposed in the state in the wake of ongoing violence in the Imphal Valley.

The delegation will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday. It termed the creation of seven new districts as illegitimate as the Hill Area Committee was not consulted -- mandatory under the Indian constitution.

"The state government, without consulting the Naga people, created the districts mostly by bifurcating the Naga districts. This is against the promise under four various memorandums and a written assurance by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2011 that without consulting the stakeholders no administrative setup decisions will be taken," said K.S. Paul, former UNC president.

He said: "We have met the Home Minister and sought his immediate intervention. The Nagas won't tolerate the division of land and creation of new districts. We demand President's Rule in the state of Manipur."

Manipur's Imphal valley has been simmering under violence after the Congress-led state government declared the creation of seven new districts -- Jiribam, Kangpokpi, Tengoupal, Pharzol, Kakching, Noney and Kamjongin.

A blockade has been called by the Nagas to oppose the state government's decision to create Sadar Hills and Jiribam as full-fledged districts, which the UNC claims will bifurcate the ancestral lands of the Nagas living in Manipur.

Asked about Rajnath Singh's response, Paul said: "He (Rajnath) said he is aware of the entire situation."

Referring to the recent violence due to which several Naga students were stranded in Imphal, the leaders said that even Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has not provided any security force to bring the situation under control.

"The CM has been only appealing to maintain peace but has not been doing anything to provide security forces to stop violence," said the leaders.
Beirut: At least 25,000 people have left the bombed-out eastern districts of Syria`s Aleppo since evacuations began last week, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday.

"Yesterday (Monday) only, we evacuated 15,000 people from east Aleppo. If we consider those evacuated on Thursday too, then the total should be 25,000," spokeswoman Ingy Sedky told AFP.

She said "thousands" of others were still waiting to be bussed out, amid a lack of information on the numbers of civilians and fighters remaining in east Aleppo.

The ICRC has been overseeing the complex evacuation deal for Aleppo, brokered by government backer Russia and rebel supporter Turkey,

After a month-long assault by government forces, thousands of civilians and rebels left the last remaining opposition-held districts of east Aleppo last Thursday at the start of the evacuations.

The deal was suspended until early Monday over government demands for the simultaneous evacuation of two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria besieged by rebels.

Sedky confirmed that 750 people had thus far been bussed out of the villages of Fuaa and Kafraya, in Syria`s mainly rebel-held Idlib province, as part of the deal.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since Syria`s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
Paris: Security was beefed up at Christmas markets across Europe after a lorry ploughed through a market in Berlin killing 12 people and heightening security fears at the onset of the holiday season.

The carnage in the German capital had particular resonance in France, which has borne the brunt of terror attacks in Europe for the past two years.

The witness accounts of a truck barrelling through a crowd of revellers immediately brought to mind the scenes in the Riviera city of Nice in July, where an Islamist used a lorry to mow down 86 people during Bastille Day celebrations.

President Francois Hollande said France was under a "high level of threat" following the events in Berlin but pointed out that the country already has a large-scale security operation in place.

"We have a high level of threat and we also have a particularly high level of mobilisation and vigilance," Hollande said.

France's best-known Christmas market in the picturesque eastern city of Strasbourg has been a particular concern for security forces for years, with at least two jihadist cells in the city being broken up in the past few years.

Bruno Le Roux, France's recently appointed interior minister, visited the market today and told Europe 1 radio that authorities "will ensure the security of our territory and citizens".

In Strasbourg, even before the Berlin attack, security was tight. Police man barricades at the various entry points to the main island of the city, where the market is located. While the officers check bags, private security guards mingle with the crowd to keep watch.

In Paris, the large Christmas market extending along the renowned Champs-Elysees avenue was the target for a gang of six suspected jihadists arrested in November, according to prosecutors.

In the wake of the Berlin attack, officials today added more concrete blast blocks at pedestrian entrances to the market, which is sealed off on the traffic side by metal barricades.

In Austria, a traditional home of the Christmas market, authorities said security would be stepped up around such sites.

Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka urged people not to change their Christmas routines, but to be alert to anything unusual.

"I ask everyone to continue to go to markets or big events, albeit while exercising the greatest caution," he said.

In Britain, the central English city of Birmingham erected concrete blocks earlier this month around what it bills as the "largest authentic German Christmas market outside Germany or Austria".

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said that despite the Berlin attack, the threat to Britain remained unchanged at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely".

Authorities in Poland, where the truck used in the Berlin rampage began its journey before being apparently hijacked, said they would lay on more police patrols around sensitive sites such as stations and shopping centres.

Belgium, where many of the plots in Europe have originated, left its alert level at "possible or likely" attack.

In Switzerland's main Christmas market in Basle, police said entrances would henceforth be blocked by barriers or police vehicles.
District of Columbia: President Barack Obama has called German Chancellor Angela Merkel to offer assistance and condolences following a deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

"The President offered his condolences, and those of the American people, for the horrific apparent terrorist attack," the White House said following the call late Monday.

"The President reiterated the US offer of assistance and underscored that no attack could sway our determination -- and that of our German allies -- to defeat terrorism in all of its forms."

Police are still looking for the driver of a truck than ploughed into stalls killing 12 revelers on Monday.

President-elect Donald Trump has gone further than the White House linking the "slaughter" on to an "Islamist terrorist."
Berlin: The Pakistani suspect arrested following the truck attack in the German capital reportedly had no involvement in the crime.

According to a high-ranking security source, the actual perpetrator was armed and is still at large,

"We have the wrong man," Die Welt daily cited a Berlin police official as saying.

"And thus a new situation. The actual perpetrator is still at large and armed, and can inflict more damage."

Berlin lorry attack

At least 12 persons were killed and 48 others were injured when a truck rammed into a Christmas market full of shoppers and vendors late on Monday, reminiscent of a similar truck attack in Nice, France, which was linked to the IS.

The source said that all police and special forces units in Berlin have been put on high alert.

(With agency inputs)
Washington: Donald Trump on Monday cruised through the final vote of the Electoral College to formally become US President-elect.

America`s Electoral College confirmed as expected Trump`s election as the 45th president of the United States.

Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump sailed past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on January 20.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the President-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions.

Trump's polarising victory November 8 and the fact Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

Even one of Trump's fiercest Republican rivals, Ohio Governor John Kasich, said it was time to get behind the President-elect.

"We want unity, we want love," Kasich said as Ohio's electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony, as per AP.

With Hawaii still to vote, Trump had 304 votes and Clinton had 224. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

One voted for Kasich, the Ohio governor, the other voted for former Texas Representative Ron Paul.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

Meanwhile, after the result came in, Trump said, "I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next president of the United States," as per AFP.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans," he pledged.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator.

The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

(With Agency inputs)
Missing Malaysian flight MH370 is almost certainly not in the current search zone in the remote Indian Ocean but could be further north, officials said Tuesday.

No trace has been found in the massive undersea hunt off Australia for the jet that disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

However, more than 20 pieces of debris recovered mostly on western Indian Ocean shorelines has been identified as likely, or definitely, from the doomed Malaysian Airlines flight.

With scouring of the 120,000 square-kilometre (46,000-square-mile) zone coming to an end, Australian and international experts met in Canberra last month to review their evidence and modelling.

They concluded the plane was not where they have been looking for more than two years, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which has been leading the hunt, said in a report.

"There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," it said.

The report added that "debris drift modelling results present strong evidence that the aircraft is most likely to be located to the north of the current indicative underwater search area".

It identified an area of approximately 25,000 square kilometres "with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft".

The report went on: "The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted."

The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China, where most of the passengers were from, have previously agreed to pull the plug on the operation once the current search area was fully scoured unless "credible new information" emerged.

A report by the ATSB last month said the plane was likely out of control when it plunged into the ocean with its wing flaps not prepared for landing, casting doubt on theories a pilot was still in charge.
Geneva: The UN rights chief urged the Philippines on Tuesday to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for murder, after he boasted that he in the past had personally killed suspected criminals.

Duterte said in a speech last week that when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao, where he served three terms between 1988 and 2016, he personally killed people to set an example for police.

He made the comments in a speech to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.

"The Philippines judicial authorities must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

"The killings committed by Mr Duterte, by his own admission, at a time when he was a mayor, clearly constitute murder," he said.

"It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer," he insisted.

Duterte has said that as newly-elected mayor of Davao, he and several local policemen ambushed a group of suspected kidnappers shortly after the gang collected ransom from the parents of the released hostage, a local teenage girl.

"Maybe my bullets killed them, maybe not, but after the (firefight) they were all dead," he said.

He meanwhile told the BBC on Friday that he had personally killed "about three people" during his term as mayor.

Philippines Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre insisted that the president had not violated any law.

"If the suspect fought back, he must have been forced to kill him," Aguirre told reporters last week.

But Zeid was adamant, warning that the acts clearly violated the constitution of the Philippines.

"The killings described by President Duterte also violate international law, including the right to life ... And innocence until proven guilty," he said.

The UN rights chief's statement also decried the "environment of alarming impunity and violence" created by Duterte's deadly campaign to eradicate illegal drugs.

According to the UN, nearly 6,100 people had been killed since Duterte took office in late June.

"Despite police investigating thousands of the deaths perpetrated by vigilantes, there is surprisingly little information on actual prosecutions," Zeid said.

"Children as young as five years old have been the innocent victims of this appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings," he warned.
Verma stoked a storm by claiming at Bagpat in UP that "Muslims had never cast their vote for the BJP as they perceive it as a 'patriotic' party" and that "all terrorists are Muslims".

Son of former Delhi CM Parvesh Verma had earlier said muslims are terrorists & they don't vote for patriotic BJP.

By Mail Today Bureau: Another BJP motormouth MP and son of former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma, Parvesh Verma, has landed the party in controversy with his communally sensitive and "anti-Muslim" statements.

Verma stoked a storm by claiming at Bagpat in UP that "Muslims had never cast their vote for the BJP as they perceive it as a 'patriotic' party" and that "all terrorists are Muslims".

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In turn, Maharashtra Congress secretary and rights activist Shehzad Poonawalla moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the National Minorities Commission (NCM) and Home Ministry along with UP government to ban him from further campaigning in the poll-bound state.

Also Read: Why Varun Gandhi's 'honey-trap' controversy is a boon in disguise for BJP

"I have petitioned to NCM, ECI Home Ministry and DGP of Uttar Pradesh against BJP MP Parvesh Verma for his offensive, hate-inciting, illegal remarks against Muslims in Bagpat, UP. These statements are a violation of the Model Code of Conduct laid out by the Election Commission of India and violates section 125 of the Representation of People's Act, 1951 which prohibits promotion of enmity between classes in connection with elections and warrants immediate action under the law," Poonawalla said.

Poonawalla's petition demands that necessary steps be taken to penalise the BJP MP. The petition demanded that Verma be banned from campaigning further in UP for the upcoming elections in 2017. It also demanded registration of an FIR against Verma.

Also Read: Hyderabad: Controversial BJP MLA warns against cattle slaughtering during Bakr-Eid

--- ENDS ---
Lima: A series of moderate earthquakes rattled northwestern Ecuador, causing two deaths, injuring 20 people and damaging dozens of structures.schools.

Cracks opened in the walls of some homes, and some families spent the rest of the night outside.

The US Geological Survey said the strongest of the quakes was a magnitude 5.4 shake at 2:11 am (local time), about 19 kilometers south-southwest of the coastal city of Esmeraldas. It was relatively close to the surface, just 10 kilometers deep.

Authorities said a 75-year-old woman died of heart failure in Esmeraldas. No details were given on the other death.

Government emergency services reported 20 people hurt, five structures collapsed and 65 more damaged.

The state oil company said it suspended operations at the important Esmeraldas refinery for safety.
Moscow: Russia, Iran and Turkey on Tuesday agreed to guarantee Syria peace talks and backed expanding a ceasefire in the war-torn country, the Russian foreign minister said after talks with counterparts.

"Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to assist in preparing the agreement in the making between the Syrian government and the opposition and to become its guarantor," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow, citing a joint statement.

"The ministers agree with the importance of widening the ceasefire, of free access for humanitarian aid and movement of civilians on Syrian territory," he added.

The foreign and defence ministers from key powerbrokers Russia, Iran and Turkey met in Moscow today, a day after Russia's envoy to Ankara was shot dead in the Turkish capital by a gunman shouting about Syria and Aleppo.

Russia and Iran are on the opposite side of the Syrian conflict from Turkey, with Moscow and Tehran backing President Bashar al-Assad and Ankara supporting those seeking to topple him.

But Turkey and Russia have recently started working closely together to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from war-battered Aleppo under a complex deal.

The Red Cross today said that at least 25,000 people have left the eastern districts of Aleppo since evacuations began last week, and Lavrov said the process should be completed in two days at most.

"Right now the evacuation is wrapping up," he said. "We hope that this is a question of one or a maximum of two days."
London: Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister in the Scottish government, unveiled proposals on Tuesday for Scotland`s future relationship with Europe after Britain leaves the European Union (EU).

Xinhua news agency quoted the leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party as saying that it should be possible for Scotland to remain as a member of the EU`s single market trading bloc even if the rest of Britain left.

Sturgeon described her proposals for protecting Scotland`s place in Europe, outlined in her report "Scotland`s Place in Europe", as "a serious and genuine attempt to unify the country around a clear plan".

The report proposes that all of Britain should remain in the European single market and the customs union. But it also outlines how Scotland could remain in the single market without the rest of Britain. It also calls for a substantial transfer of new powers to Holyrood after Britain leaves the EU.

Although Britain voted by a 52-48 margin in June to quit the EU, over 60 per cent of the Scottish population backed remaining.

Brussels has insisted that membership of the single-market and access to almost half a billion Europeans, goes hand-in-hand with its policy of free movement of people between member states.

One of Britain`s aims is to broker a deal with Brussels that allows control of Britain`s borders to limit immigration.

Sturgeon unveiled the document at her official Bute House residence in Edinburgh, saying that Brexit was a problem that was not of Scotland`s making.

Sturgeon maintained her stand that the referendum result had been a vote on leaving the EU, rather than a vote to leave the European single market.

On that basis, Sturgeon has said it will be democratically justifiable for the whole of Britain to remain in the single market. But if that is not going to happen, she says Scotland could remain in the trading bloc.

A spokesman at 10 Downing Street said the British government welcomed Tuesday`s paper and would "look closely" at it. British Prime Minister Theresa May has always insisted that all of Britain will leave the EU following the national referendum. She plans to trigger the exit process by the end of March 2017.

The Downing Street spokesman said: "The (British) government is committed to getting a deal on exiting the EU that works for all parts of the UK, which clearly includes Scotland, and works for the UK as a whole. The best way for that to be achieved is for the government and devolved administrations to work together."
Berlin: Hours after a Pakistani asylum seeker was detained on Tuesday and later released, a news agency linked to Islamic State group said that a 'soldier' of the terror organisation carried out the truck attack in Germany that killed 12 people at a Christmas market.

"A soldier of the Islamic State carried out the Berlin operation in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries," the ISIS-linked Amaq news agency said in a statement posted online, as per AFP.

Earlier, a 23-year-old Pakistani man, identified by German media as Naved B, was picked up from near the site.

He was released later in the day on the orders of the federal prosecutor.

"The forensic tests carried out so far did not provide evidence of the accused's presence during the crimes in the cab of the lorry," office of the federal prosecutor said.

The large black truck, bearing a Polish number plate and laden with steel girds, rammed into the traditional Christmas market in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, one of the main landmarks of the city, shortly after 8 pm (local time) as hundreds of people were milling around the shops and stands.

The vehicle rolled about 50 to 80 metres into the market area at the major public square Breitscheidplatz popular with tourists, hitting a number of visitors and demolishing several shops.

Police said the Scania truck belonged to a Polish transport company and they suspect it may have been stolen from a construction site.

Two persons were inside the driver's cabin at time of the incident, police said, adding that while the driver jumped out of the vehicle after it came to a halt and fled from the scene, a body of a Polish national was found inside the truck.

Meanwhile, a visibly moved Chancellor Angela Merkel, dressed in black, had earlier said authorities believe the deadly rampage was a "terrorist" attack likely committed by an asylum seeker as she pledged the harshest punishment for the "terror" attack, as per PTI.

"I know it will be especially hard for us to take if it is confirmed that the person who committed this attack sought protection and asylum in Germany," she told reporters.

The act would be punished "as hard as our laws require", she added.

(With Agency inputs)
Aleppo: Syria`s Army on Tuesday urged the last remaining rebels and civilians to leave the bombed-out eastern quarters of Aleppo as it prepares to take full control of the devastated city.

The evacuation of east Aleppo is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people and triggered a major humanitarian and refugee crisis.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of east Aleppo since evacuations began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the operation.

Thousands more were still waiting to be bused out, spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said.

She said that 750 people had been evacuated in parallel from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria besieged by rebels, as part of the deal.

In east Aleppo on Tuesday, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source told AFP.

"The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave," the source said.

Buses and ambulances have been bringing rebels and civilians on a tense journey from Aleppo`s battered east into government-held neighbourhoods, and back into rebel-held territory west of the city.

Thousands of people -- mostly women and children -- squeeze onto buses with whatever belongings they can carry, many in tears and others shivering in the cold, according to AFP correspondents who made the trip.

Evacuees must pass several checkpoints manned by either Syrian army soldiers, Russian officers or Iranian and Iraqi fighters.

"Everyone was so cold," Bashar Babbour, who works with the medical charity UOSSM, told AFP from the staging ground of Khan al-Assal.

He said he saw a shivering old man struggling to get off one of the buses.

"When people are going to the medical assessment teams. Most of them ask for food and water, in addition to blankets, especially if they`re arriving at night," Babbour said.

He said many other evacuees were also asking if there was internet access there so they could contact friends or relatives.The World Health Organization said the evacuees included around 300 needing medical treatment, including dozens of children.

"The huge majority of these patients have trauma injuries," spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said, adding that 93 people in critical condition had been referred to hospitals in Turkey.

Aleppo was once Syria`s commercial and industrial hub, but it has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and rebel control in the east.

Government forces launched an offensive in mid-November to capture the whole city, and had seized more than 90 percent of the eastern half when the evacuation deal was struck.

The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution with the backing of Russia to monitor the evacuations from Aleppo.

Syria`s UN ambassador, Bashar al-Jaafari, accused Western powers of scrambling to send observers to east Aleppo to rescue what he described as foreign spies supporting the opposition forces.

"The main purpose is how to rescue these terrorist foreigners, intelligence officers," Jaafari told reporters. "This is why you saw this hysterical move in the council in the last few days."

But Jaafari said his government will abide by the resolution and denied that it had blocked access in the past to UN officials.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said in New York that he hoped to convene new peace talks in Geneva in February.

Diplomatic efforts -- including several rounds of peace talks in Geneva -- have failed to make progress in resolving the conflict, which reached a turning point last year when Russia launched an air war in support of Assad.

The foreign and defence ministers from Russia, Turkey and Iran were meeting in Moscow on Tuesday for key talks on the Syrian conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there should be no "concessions to terrorists" at talks with his Turkish counterpart on Syria, a day after Moscow`s ambassador was murdered in Ankara.

He said he hoped the three-way talks "will allow us to reach agreements, which will through concrete actions advance the settlement in Syria".

Russia and Iran are on the opposite side of the Syrian conflict from Turkey, which supports the rebels.

But Ankara and Moscow have recently worked closely together to evacuate rebels and civilians from Aleppo.
Ikitsuki: Japanese rice farmer Masatsugu Tanimoto doesn`t think of himself as a Christian, and you`d almost never find him in a church. But every so often, he and others meet to recite prayers drawn from another time and place.

The group, dressed in sober kimonos and sandals, rapidly make the sign of the cross as they sing a mish-mash of Portuguese, Latin and Japanese -- evoking the memory of their ancestors, the so-called `hidden Christians`, who were brutally persecuted in the 17th century, when Shoguns ruled Japan.

Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese is bringing their harrowing story to the big screen just before Christmas in his newest movie `Silence`, based on the 1966 novel by famed Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo.

"If the film properly recounts the story of my ancestors, I`d gladly go see it," Tanimoto told AFP after singing with several other descendants.

The group, from the town of Ikitsuki, near Nagasaki, meet at a local museum to conduct these rituals.

Despite their Christian roots, the multilingual prayers, known as orasho, are not meant to honour God or any Christian figure, the 60-year-old added.

"We say `Mary` several times but we`re not praying to her. We don`t refer to a specific god either, but rather to our ancestors," he added.

The link to modern day Japan, where Christians make up less than one percent of the population, stretches back more than four centuries.

The first missionary, Jesuit Francis-Xavier arrived in Japan with two companions in 1549 and was followed by Portuguese missionaries who drew tens of thousands more Japanese to the faith.

The priests were expelled in the 17th century by military leaders who feared their growing influence.

For Japanese converts, hiding their religion became a matter of life and death for the next 250 years, as Christianity was banned and Japan closed itself off from the outside world.

Some suspects were forced to trample on holy images to prove they were not Christians. Many went into hiding or disguised their faith.

Those who refused to give up Christianity faced being burned to death, crucified, or slowly drowned.Whether it was to camouflage their beliefs or adapt to an environment without priests and bibles, the hidden Christians created a blended faith that left its mark on traditions still honoured by their descendants.

The Virgin Mary took the form of Kannon, the buddhist goddess of mercy. Ave Maria became the somewhat similar "Abe Maruya".

"Isolated, they had no choice but to recreate their beliefs as faithfully as possible," said Shigeo Nakazono, an ethnologist at the local Ikitsuki Island Museum.

Fisherman Masaichi Kawasaki`s home has four altars in his living room, including one devoted to Buddhism, another for his ancestors -- common in rural Japanese homes -- and a third for the Shinto faith.

The last one, stuffed with flasks, apples, flowers, a melon, a cross and candles, features a kimono-clad woman with long black hair holding a child -- is unmistakeable as an image of the Virgin Mary.

On a table lay tiny white paper crosses like the ones Kawasaki`s ancestors would hide in the ears of deceased converts.

"It was only natural that I would learn this practice as it was part of my daily life growing up as a child, a bit like one assimilates a habit into everyday life," the 66-year-old said.

Many descendants, known as Kakure Kirishitan (hidden Christians in Japanese), in the small community about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) southwest of Tokyo have never joined the church and struggle to identify with Christianity

Some of earlier underground Christians converted to Catholicism after priests returned in the mid-19th century, when Japan lifted over two centuries of self-imposed isolation.

In 1865, a group of nervous peasants approached a Christian missionary working in Japan. One woman whispered "ours hearts are the same as yours", revealing the previously unknown existence of what turned out to be tens of thousands of the original Christians` ancestors.Some think the Catholic church should reach out to help ensure the story doesn`t fade into the mists of time.

"It is something that happened here in Japan and is a unique thing in the world," said Father Renzo de Luca, director of Nagasaki`s Twenty-six Martyrs Museum and Monument, which commemorates Christians executed on the site in the late 1500s.

But there are just a few hundred known descendants of the hidden Christians left, and many younger people don`t show much interest in carrying on traditions to honour the long-dead converts.

"It`s really sad," said 64-year-old carpenter Yoshitaka Oishi, his eyes welling up with tears.

"If this doesn`t get passed down, it`s finished."
Tunis: Protests are planned in Tunisia over the killing of the head of Palestinian militant group Hamas' drone program in a Tunisian beach resort. Hamas accuses Israel of assassinating him.

In addition to today's protests, Tunisia's Parliament is expected to hold a special session in the coming days to discuss the killing, which critics call an attack on Tunisia's national sovereignty.

Tunisian authorities have arrested 10 people over the shooting of Tunisian aviation engineer Mohammed Alzoari, according to Interior Minister Hedi Medjoub.

The minister told reporters late Monday that Tunisian authorities aren't ruling out Israel's involvement. He said investigators have determined the killing was ordered by two foreigners and plotted from Hungary and Austria.

Hamas says Alzoari led the development of its drones. The Israeli military has not commented.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan successfully battled to regain control over Turkey on July 16 after a coup bid by discontented soldiers, as signs grew that the most serious challenge to his 13 years of dominant rule was faltering.

The coup was defeated when citizens poured into the streets in a show of support for Erdogan and faced down the rogue elements in the Army seeking to oust him.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag had told NTV television that 70,000 people had been investigated after the attempted putsch on July 15, 32,000 of them remanded in custody.

The authorities blamed Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric who is Erdogan`s arch enemy for the plot.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had described the attempted coup as a "black stain" on Turkey`s democracy.

In August Erdogan launched his most bitter attack yet on Turkey`s Western allies over the July 15 attempted putsch, accusing them of supporting both "terror" and the coup plotters who tried to unseat him.

The defeat of the coup prompted a wave of solidarity in Turkey, which had seen governments directly ousted on three occasions by the military since 1960.
Ankara: Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said, who was shot in the back as he gave a speech in Ankara on Monday by an off-duty police officer shouting "Don`t forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar".

The state-run Anadolu agency said on Tuesday the attacker`s mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained.

Police paced up and down behind a cordon on Tuesday morning outside the art gallery where the ambassador, Andrey Karlov, was shot. A crime scene investigation van was parked outside the building.

The United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday after a gun was fired in front of the US embassy in Ankara overnight. The embassy was near the art gallery where Karlov was shot and Turkish police detained a man over the incident, state media reported.

Russia`s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday the two countries` foreign ministers had underlined the need to put more effort into effectively fighting terrorism in a phone call overnight.

Also Read: Envoy killing aimed at Russia-Turkey ties: Vladimir Putin

The Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers will meet in Moscow later on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Syria. A Russian delegation was due to arrive in Ankara at 11 am (0800 GMT) to conduct investigations into the attack, broadcaster CNN Turk reported.

SECURITY THREATS

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from the Islamic State militant group. A spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged sympathisers around the world this month to carry out a fresh wave of attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets.

However, a senior Turkish security official said there were "very strong signs" the gunman belonged to the network of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in July. Erdogan has denounced Gulen as a terrorist, but the cleric, a former ally, denies the accusation and has also denied any role in the assassination.

A video showed the attacker shouting: "Don`t forget Aleppo, don`t forget Syria!" and "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest") as screams rang out. He paced about and shouted as he held the gun in one hand and waved his other hand in the air.

Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its air strikes helped Syrian forces end rebel resistance last week in the northern city of Aleppo. Turkey, which seeks Assad`s ouster, has been repairing ties with Moscow after shooting down a Russian warplane over Syria last year.
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Turkish capital of Ankara, calling it as a "senseless" act of terror.

Earlier on Monday, Karlov, who served as Russian ambassador to Turkey since 2013, was shot dead by a gunman when he spoke at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara.

"The Secretary-General is appalled by this senseless act of terror and emphasizes that there can be no justification for the targeting of diplomatic personnel and civilians," said a statement released by Ban`s spokesperson, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Secretary-General is following the unfolding situation closely and wishes the other people who were reportedly injured in the attack a speedy and full recovery," it added.

The assassination came one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syrian with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the attack, and is planning a consultation with the foreign ministry and the country`s security services.
Malayalam writer Kamal C Chavara was booked under sedition charge for allegedly mocking the national anthem in a Facebook post on December 18. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has instructed police to drop the charge, says a Facebook post from CPIM official page.

By Revathi Rajeevan: Renowned Malayalam writer and theatre activist Kamal C Chavara alias Kamalsy Prana was charged with Section 124 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (sedition) and taken to custody by Nadakavu police on Sunday for a Facebook post allegedly mocking the national anthem. A case was registered against him at the Karunagapalli police station after a complaint was filed by the Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing the writer of making a Facebook post insulting the national anthem.

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There was outrage over the decision of the police to charge a sedition case and now, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is said to have intervened. In a Facebook post made this morning from the verified account of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the party clarified that the chief minister, who is also the home minister, has instructed the police to drop the sedition charge against Chavara and another youngster taken into custody saying he helped the writer.

In the post, CPIM said: "Papers had the news that the writer Kamal C. Chavara has been booked under Section 124A, i.e. Sedition, for a post on FB, again on the national anthem issue. Pinarayi Vijayan, who is also Home Minister, has instructed the police to remove the sedition charge. The police has done the same. There is no case of sedition against anyone on the national anthem issue in Kerala.[SIC]"

Here's the Facebook post:

Two sources from the chief minister's office had a different story to tell. When asked whether the chief minister has ordered to revoke the sedition charge on Chavara and whether it has already been done as said in the CPI(M) Facebook post, a source told India Today, "we have not been instructed by CM to give any statement regarding this, so we don't know. But we saw the CPI(M) statement too."

When asked why the CPI(M) has put out an official statement, another source from the CM's office said, "cannot say so [that CM instructed the police to drop sedition charge] at the moment."

Meanwhile, the official Twitter account of the CPI(M) tweeted saying the same. Here's the tweet:

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Yangon: Up to 15,000 people may have fled across Myanmar`s border into China in the past month, a United Nations agency has said, as fighting between Myanmar`s Army and ethnic armed groups intensifies.

Aid access to people affected by conflict in the northern states of Kachin and Shan "is getting worse, not better", Pierre Peron, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, said by e-mail.

The OCHA said in an update on Monday that, as well as the estimated 15,000 new refugees, another 2,400 people had been displaced internally in the northern part of Shan state since November 20, when a coalition of four rebel armies attacked military and police outposts.

The attacks disrupted trade across the border and China has expressed concern over stray shells and bullets landing in its territory.

Weeks of clashes and the new displacements have damaged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi`s hopes of securing peace in the long-running conflicts in the mountainous border areas, a goal she has made her administration`s top priority.

Observers fear Suu Kyi`s fledgling civilian administration is unable to rein in the army, which retains political power and is free from civilian oversight.

"Humanitarian access to conflict areas in Kachin and Shan states is currently worse than at any point in the past few years," Peron said.

"This has seriously affected the ability of humanitarian organisations to provide life-saving aid to tens of thousands of (internally displaced) and other conflict-affected people."

Work by international aid agencies has also been restricted in Myanmar`s northwest for more than two months. Government forces launched "clearance operations" there after armed men, believed to be from the oppressed Rohingya Muslim group, attacked border police.

The Army said it would step up operations in Shan state following the November attacks.

A Myanmar police official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters, told Reuters that government forces had clashed with armed groups in northern Shan at least 170 times in the past month.

In a separate offensive to the north, government forces took control of a strategic hill close to the Kachin Independence Army`s headquarters at Laiza on the Chinese border on Saturday, according to state media.

Shells reportedly landed near a camp for the internally displaced just outside Laiza on Sunday, the OCHA said, citing unconfirmed reports that it could not verify independently.

No casualties were reported but shelters were damaged and about 400 people had to be evacuated, it said.

A Myanmar government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Washington: The US has condemned "in the strongest terms" an attack on a Christmas market in the German capital of Berlin which killed at least nine persons.

"We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident," said US National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price in a statement on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

A truck ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine persons and injuring 50 others, Berlin Police said.

The truck drove over the sideway at Breitscheidplatz, a major public square near the location of the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, in the inner city of Berlin, the police tweeted.

The motive of the incident remains unknown. Police have begun investigations which point to a possible terrorist attack.

The background of the incident is still unclear, the police added.

"We mourn the dead and hope that many injured people can be helped," German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted on Monday night.


By PTI: Pune, Dec 20 (PTI) Accusing the BJP of taking credit of the Pune Metro Rail Project, city Mayor Prashant Jagtap today said NCP would get the project inaugurated at the hands of party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to lay its foundation stone.

"Only a few days are left for the inauguration of the project, but the BJP is still not showing us the invitation card and they are not taking municipal corporations in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad into confidence, which are stakeholders in the project. Therefore, we today brought our invitation cards and decided that ground-breaking ceremony will be done at the hands of Sharad Pawar saheb on December 23," Jagtap, who belongs to NCP, said.

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"The metro project was passed keeping the civic elections in mind, but we welcomed the decision. We also welcome that Modiji would inaugurate the project. However, it was Pawar saheb, who pushed the Pune Metro Rail Project during the UPA government and because of his efforts the proposal was expedited," he said.

Stating that the BJP was taking the credit of the project, the Mayor said Pune district Guardian Minister Girish Bapat today said that there would be two daises at the event and said that they oppose this.

"Therefore, we have decided that we would inaugurate the project at the hands of Pawar saheb and the invitation would be sent to Pawar Saheb, Chief Ministers office, Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Congress State president Ashok Chavan and Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale to attend the function," he said.

In Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), leaders of Congress, NCP and MNS, had passed a resolution few days back, demanding that the work on the Pune Metro Rail, the first phase of which was approved by the Union Cabinet, should be inaugurated by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

Bapat, while talking to reporters earlier in the day, said as per the protocol, all the dignitaries will be invited. "Besides the main dais (where the PM and CM will sit), there will be a separate dais, where MPs, MLA, officials from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will be seated," said Bapat. PTI SPK NP

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is carrying out a survey on safe and secure schools in the country, with the data being collected directly from students.

The exercise will be conducted in 80,000 private and public schools, which comprise 5 per cent of the total number of schools in the country.

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The study has already commenced in Gujarat.

A questionnaire comprising of 72 questions has been prepared on different parameters including safety against abuse, social and emotional safety, quality of mid-day meals, school transport, toilets, drinking water facilities, infrastructure like playground, classrooms, fire extinguishers among others.

Students will be required to fill the questionnaires themselves.

"We are undertaking this study as the Sustainable Development Goal 4 requires us to ensure inclusive and quality education for all. Often, we see that girls drop out from schools because of lack of toilets or a safe environment. This survey will help us in addressing some of those concerns," Priyank Kanoongo, Member, RTE and Education, NCPCR said.

Teachers-in-training at various colleges and universities will be monitoring this exercise as part of their project work and ensure that authentic data is collected through students participation. They will be awarded a certificate by NCPCR for their contribution, she said.

Section 13 of Commissions for Protection of Child Rights, 2005 endows powers on NCPCR to review safeguards under any law for protection of child rights. The Right to Education Act, 2009 also requires the childrens rights body to review safeguards under the Act and inquire into complaints relating to a childs right to free and compulsory education. PTI JC SRY

--- ENDS ---
German industrial gases maker Linde and its US competitor Praxair on Tuesday said they had agreed the terms of a proposed $65-billion "merger of equals" to create a global giant in the sector.

The agreement, which paves the way for the deal to be finalised, comes after a previous attempt at a tie-up failed in September amid reports of executive infighting over key positions and their locations.

"Linde and Praxair today announced that the companies intend to combine in a merger of equals under a new holding company," the two firms said in a joint statement.

"Under the Linde brand, we want to combine our companies' business and technology capabilities and form a global industrial gas leader," Linde CEO Aldo Belloni said.

By joining forces, the two groups would overtake Linde's historic French rival Air Liquide as the world number one industrial gas supplier, with combined annual revenues of more than $30 billion (29 billion euros).

In the statement, Linde and Praxair estimated that the new combined company would have a "market value in excess of $65 billion".

The merger would lead to annual savings of around $1 billion, they added, "driven by scale benefits, cost savings and efficiency improvements".

"The strategic combination between Linde and Praxair would leverage the complementary strengths of each across a larger global footprint and create a more resilient portfolio," said Praxair chairman and chief executive Steve Angel.

Analysts have warned that the merger could face close regulatory scrutiny, as it would further shrink the number of large players in the market following Air Liquide's takeover of US-based Airgas in May.

The consolidations come at a time when industrial gas firms, which supply products for use in medicine and in industrial processes in the chemical, electronic,energy and agri-food industries, are grappling with sluggish demand and low prices.

- Key roles 'appropriately split' -

Under the all-stock transaction, shareholders in Munich-based Linde and Connecticut-based Praxair would each own approximately 50 percent of the new combined company, which would carry the Linde brand name.

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The new company would be domiciled in a "neutral" European country, the two firms said, in an apparent compromise to overcome a key stumbling block that had surfaced in the initial merger talks.

Corporate functions meanwhile would be "appropriately split" between Danbury, Connecticut and Munich in Germany, they added.

If the deal goes ahead, Linde's supervisory board chairman Wolfgang Reitzle would become chairman of the new company's board, while Praxair's Angel would become CEO and member of the board of directors.

Executive personnel and the site of the merged group's headquarters were vexed questions that helped scupper the deal the first time around, a source familiar with the discussions told AFP at the time.

Linde's chief financial officer Georg Denoke, who reportedly opposed the tie-up, stepped down after it fell through.

The merger talks resumed in early December after Linde said it had received a fresh proposal from Praxair.

Both parties stressed that the proposed merger remained subject to internal approvals and that they hoped to have a definitive agreement "in the coming months".

The deal will then still require approval from shareholders and regulators.

The new combined company will be listed on the New York and the Frankfurt stock exchanges.

Following the announcement, Linde shares fell by 1.1 percent to 161.75 in afternoon trading in Frankfurt, underperforming the Dax index of leading German firms which was up 0.24 percent.
Volkswagen has reached a $1 billion agreement with US authorities on a compensation deal for the last 80,000 vehicles affected by its emissions-cheating scandal in the United States, officials said Tuesday.

However, a Justice Department official said a criminal investigation is ongoing, and charges may still be filed against the company -- which could bring new penalties.

Nor does the agreement settle the civil lawsuit brought by car owners, which US Judge Charles Breyer said is close to resolution and would involve "substantial compensation."

Another hearing Thursday could provide further details of that case.

The agreement announced Tuesday, which still needs a judicial green light, would apply to 2009-2016 3.0-liter diesel models including Porsche and Audi vehicles equipped with software designed to defeat emissions tests.

The $1 billion amount will cover buyback, repair and cancelled leases for the affected models, as well as $225 million for a fund to mitigate pollution, Cynthia Giles, a senior official with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told reporters.

At the end of October, a US court endorsed a record-setting $15 billion compensation deal covering almost half a million 2.0-liter VW diesel cars.

The new agreement "is another important step forward in our efforts to make things right for our customers," a Volkswagen spokeswoman said in a statement. "We are committed to earning back the trust of all our stakeholders."

Volkswagen has admitted to installing defeat device technology on 11 million cars, including 600,000 in the United States.

The software detects when the car is being tested and turns on required emissions controls, but turns them off during normal driving conditions. This means the cars would emit up to nine times or more above the required limits of pollutants.

- Criminal investigation ongoing -

US Assistant Attorney General John Cruden called the settlement "another significant step in holding Volkswagen accountable for cheating Americans out of the promise of cleaner air by selling vehicles equipped with defeat devices."

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Cruden told reporters in a conference call that the agreement does not cover any criminal or civil cases against VW. No criminal charges have been filed so far, but "there has been criminal investigation going on."

The new agreement, which Breyer must approve by January 31, is similar to the previous settlement in that owners of older models -- those between 2009 and 2012 and referred to as the generation 1 vehicles -- can opt to have cars repurchased or repaired, or cancel their leases at no cost.

Newer models -- generation 2 -- likely can be brought into compliance with current emission standards, the officials said.

If a fix is approved, that would spare VW from having to buy the cars back from owners.

Giles said VW is expected to propose a fix soon, and the EPA would move to approve it "very promptly."

"Our priority has been to fix ongoing pollution problem," she said. "It appears very possible the newer vehicles can be fixed."

Cruden said VW is required to achieve an 85 percent recall rate for the affected cars, and could face further penalties if it falls short of the target.

- Clean up fund -

VW also is required to put $225 million into a fund for projects to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx), the pollutant at the heart of the scandal. This is in addition to the $2.7 billion in the fund from the prior settlement.

The mitigation trust fund will be administered by an independent trustee, officials said.

Beneficiaries, which may include states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and Indian tribes, may obtain funds for designated NOx reduction projects.

Giles stressed that NOx is a very harmful pollutant that creates smog and soot, and can increase asthma in children.

In a separate settlement with the state of California, the German auto giant agreed to provide at least three new models of electric vehicles for sale in the state -- including at least one SUV model -- before 2019.

It must add a second electric SUV model by 2020 and keep these electric models on the market through at least 2025.

The company also agreed to pay $25 million by July 1 to support the use of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in California.
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The 41-year-old native of Knoxville Tennessee, will make his gay porn premiere in a February 2017 feature set to release for Valentines Day, co-starring with TitanMen exclusive Dallas Steele. And in March 2017 he headlines a movie based on the real-life story of TitanMen exclusive Jesse Jackmans entry into the gay adult industry.

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The moment Liam walked onto the set of his first movie, we knew we had something magic, said Jasun Mark, director of production. Yes, hes stunningly handsome with a great body, but his charming Southern gentleman style won over the cast and crew instantly. That smile and accent is the finishing touch. Cant wait for fans to meet him in his debut scene with Dallas Steele, but after that hell play the lead in a movie that will answer the question we get all the time How does one become a Titan Man?

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Jamie "JWZ" Zawinski was an early Netscape employee; observing that the dotcom bubble that enriched him had gutted the San Francisco arts scene with rising rents, he sank his money into opening the DNA Lounge, which has been a San Francisco institution for nearly 20 years, and has been the location of some of the best times I've ever had in the Bay Area (including numerous EFF fundraisers).



Now, JWZ has announced that he's run out of money, having spent $5M to cover the DNA's operating losses and having launched an unsuccessful second location with a long-term, unbreakable lease.

He's appealing to the community  the thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of us who've enjoyed so many good times there  to help save the DNA. He's not sure if he's going to crowdfund, he's not had luck hiring someone to book corporate gigs and film shoots, he's willing to talk to investors or philanthropists.

But absent that, the DNA is not long for this world, and that is a brutal shame. JWZ has run it as a public service, converting it at great expense to an all-ages venue simply because he wanted it to be a place where teenagers could enjoy themselves too, hosting shows and benefits and all manner of cultural exhibitions that were purely about giving San Franciscans a place to convene, with money as a distant (and, as it turned out, difficult) afterthought.

This month, dozens of Bay Area residents died because of a fire in an Oakland venue, the Ghost Ship, which hosted events very similar to the DNA's, but without the careful, responsible proprietorship that JWZ and his staff bring to their venue. Ghost Ship is what happens when there isn't anywhere affordable and attainable for culture to take place. Cultural meeting-spots are essential to communities: it's why barn raisings and Legion Halls and the school gym loom so large in so much American folklore.

Almost two years ago, San Francisco's science fiction community came forward to save Borderlands, the city's outstanding sf bookstore  a store that, not coincidentally, is also a community hub and event space. There is a lot of money sloshing around in the Bay Area, and a lot of LGBTQ people and others who are in the direct line of fire in trumpist America. San Franciscans may rally around the club and save it  but if they don't, the city will be much poorer and less resilient at a moment when it needs all the resilience it can get.



I really don't want to have to close DNA Lounge. We have done some great things here. Not me, we. The umbrella of DNA is host to countless vibrant communities and thousands of regulars. We've had fifteen years of the most diverse, weird, interesting calendar of any venue I've ever seen. A typical month here doesn't include just bands and DJs, but comedy, lecture series, circuses, robotic exhibitions, dance performances, hair shows We provide a home for a whole lot of truly amazing art. I'm so proud of everyone. I'm immensely grateful to our staff for making it happen. They all clearly have a lot of love for this place too, because there's no other reason someone would put up with the low pay and appalling working conditions! I started writing a bit calling out some of our incredibly devoted staff by name, but it's impossible to do so without the crippling horror that I'd insult someone by leaving them out, and if I didn't, this would we so long it would start looking like a memorial wall. So I'll just say that this place could not exist without the blood, sweat and tears of hundreds of people who have devoted their lives to it (and that's not just because the dark machines in the basement are literally powered by tears). Some nights, even on nights where I'm not personally a fan of the music, I will look out over the balcony and see a room full of people moving as one, and I think, "This is what we do. This is why we did it." I try to take a mental snapshot of those moments. I've heard from so many people over the years, customers and employees alike, that DNA Lounge has been a huge part of their lives: that they have a sense of community here, and that they feel safe here in a way that they don't anywhere else. It's always funny, talking to different people firmly embedded in their own particular subcultures, who all see this place completely differently. To some people, DNA is "the goth club", because that's all they listen to and this is the only place they see those bands play. To others, DNA does nothing but the most brutal metal shows. To some, it is candy raves. We used to be that place that only did Deep House dance parties. I have heard actual people say with their actual mouth-holes, "I'm at Bootie, where DNA Lounge used to be". They're all right, it's all of those things. And in this city, historically notorious for its hostility to small businesses in general and to nightlife in particular, I think places like this need to exist. Places like this matter. The value of a thing is not its monetary cost.

Wherein DNA Lounge will be closed soon, without your help.

[Jamie Zawinski/JWZ]
national-bank-16-9

National Bank of Canada (TSX:NA) has plenty going for it that makes the stock worth keeping for now, but don?t invest more in the stock anytime soon.

The nation?s central bank reported its quarterly earlier this month, revealing fourth-quarter earnings of $1.24 per share on an adjusted basis. The figure beat the average outlook of $1.21 per share that analysts were hoping for. Revenue came in at $1.57 billion, which was a $12% pop year over year. Net income at the company?s personal and commercial division was 7.1% higher at $196 million. Its management unit experienced a 20% surge.

Despite the earnings beat, National Bank of Canada was plagued with some negative news in its report, revealing an 11.5% dip in its overall net income (78 cents per share). Certain charges put a damper on the bank, including a $96 million restructuring charge as well as a $32 million asset-impairment charge. Provision for credit losses were also steeper, falling from $57 million to $59 million.

National Bank of Canada announced a quarterly dividend offering on the same day, amounting to 56 cents per share. Investors as of December 28 will receive the payout on February 1. The figure marks a $2.24 annualized dividend as well as a 4.03% dividend yield, marking a healthy return for those with a stake in National Bank of Canada.

On a positive note, the company has determined a new way of conducting its mortgages business in the coming years that will help cut costs. National Bank of Canada will no longer sell mortgages through brokers, meaning that the company will deal directly with its customers. The move is wise as there is no need to spend on commissions for brokers, who make more per mortgage than bank employees do.

The decision could turn some people away due to loss of the knowledge that brokers bring with them, but National Bank of Canada is hoping this will not be the case as a more personalized relationship could be built. The company could then offer more services that would boost annual revenues, including investments and other loans.

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The future could be especially bright for banks and consumers alike as requesting and processing a mortgage could be done online in the coming decade. ?E-mortgage? could become the new method of determining rates for your situation. You will even be able to connect with bank employees online if these plans prove to be successful.

However, there is still reason to be wary with National Bank of Canada as Canadians are experiencing a rise in household-related debts that they can?t afford. The situation is threatening to hit the country?s economy hard, potentially causing consumers to default on their loans. Such a situation would have negative repercussions on banks in the short term.

Looking ahead, seven analysts covering National Bank of Canada rate it a ?hold,? while four rate it a ?buy.? A $51.22 price target rounds up what?s ahead for the company, while fiscal 2016 earnings are expected to be $4.20 per share. It is not the time to invest in this stock due to the unstable situation of the country?s economy as well as the transitional period that mortgages are experiencing at the moment.

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How 1 Man Turned $10K Into Over $8 Million

Discover how one man turned a modest $10,600 investment into an $8,016,867 fortune.

Learn more about this man and how you can start down the path toward financial independence.

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Fool contributor Karl Utermohlen has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Costumed characters take photographs with tourists in Times Square while staying within new zones designated for street performers to solicit tips for their services in New York, U.S. on June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More than 60 million tourists visited New York in 2016, the most ever, attracted by the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, Broadway shows and four-star restaurants.

The number of tourists from across the United States and around the world exceeded forecasts, city tourism officials said on Monday, and topped last year's record by 1.8 million.

"The iconic attractions are always a big draw," said Fred Dixon, president and chief executive of NYC & Company, the city's official destination marketing organization. "These are the hallmarks of a New York City visit, especially for the first-time visitor."

The city's signature landmarks, including the Empire State Building and Central Park, remain high on the list of must-sees, but lower Manhattan has become a big draw for tourists as well.

Tourists are eager to pay their respects at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in the Financial District, peruse the exhibits at the new Whitney Museum of American Art and take a stroll on the High Line on the west side of Manhattan.

Many visitors are also venturing out of Manhattan to the so-called outer boroughs, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx, in search off-beat attractions and restaurants - trips that would have been inconceivable 40 years ago, when the city fell to a financial and crime-ridden nadir.

"We've seen a real growth in that offering in New York, whether it is small walking tours, sightseeing or double-deckers. Tours are continuing to grow in new neighborhoods," Dixon added.

The allure of out-of-Manhattan experiences in reflected in hotel stays in the five boroughs, which grew by 1.2 million to 34.9 million room nights, another record.

"Much of the hotel development is not limited to Manhattan. It is throughout the entire city," said Christopher Heywood, a spokesman for NYC & Company. "This idea of neighborhood travel has become very, very popular."

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About 80 percent of tourists in New York are from other parts of the United States, according to the city, which tracks visitors who have traveled more than 50 miles (80 kms).

Unsurprisingly, international tourists, estimated at more than 12 million this year, account for the biggest economic footprint. They contribute about half of hotel and direct spending.

Britain leads in the pack in foreign tourists visiting New York, but China is a close second, having overtaken Canada, which dropped to No. 3, followed by Brazil.

(Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
TUESDAY, Dec. 20, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Drug overdose deaths continue to surge in the United States, with most fatalities linked to the illicit use of prescription painkillers, new government statistics reveal.

Drug overdose deaths increased 23 percent between 2010 and 2014, with more than 47,000 Americans dying in 2014, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released Tuesday shows.

But updated numbers from the CDC also show that more than 52,000 people died from a drug overdose in 2015, and just over 33,000 of those deaths (63 percent) involved a prescription or illicit opioid.

The CDC noted, in its national update released Dec. 16 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, that more than 300,000 Americans have lost their lives to an opioid overdose since 2000.

Heroin continues to be the deadliest narcotic in the United States, killing nearly 11,000 people in 2014 -- nearly one of every four overdose deaths that year, according to the report by Margaret Warner, of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, and colleagues. Their findings were published Dec. 20 in the agency's National Vital Statistics Reports.

But the threat posed by the more powerful synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, is rising exponentially as these drugs become more widely used, the investigators found.

In 2015, death rates for all synthetic opioids other than methadone increased 72 percent, while heroin death rates increased about 21 percent, the CDC reported. And the increases cut across all demographic groups, regions, and in numerous states.

Meanwhile, the death rate specifically from fentanyl more than doubled in a single year, rising from 1,905 deaths in 2013 to 4,200 deaths in 2014, according to the report by Warner's team.

"The report really highlights what we are seeing in the emergency department," said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

"We're seeing a surge in the number of patients who are very difficult to resuscitate, who require high levels of naloxone [a medication that reverses effects of overdose]. With these patients, we often suspect synthetic opiates," Glatter explained.

According to Emily Feinstein, director of health law and policy for the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid manufactured largely in China that is 50 times more potent than heroin.

Glatter said that people addicted to painkillers -- such as oxycodone (Oxycontin) and morphine -- have increasingly turned to street drugs like heroin as enforcement restricts the availability of prescription opioids.

But, Feinstein added, heroin has opened the door for synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

"Synthetics are cheaper than heroin to make, and we're seeing them flood the United States," she said. "Drug dealers are cutting heroin with these synthetic drugs because it's cheaper, and it actually makes the drug more potent. If you don't know the heroin you're using is being cut, the normal dose you usually take becomes deadly."

Warner and colleagues created their new report based on a new method that uses the text from death certificates to identify specific drugs involved in overdose deaths.

The 10 most deadly drugs in 2014 were: heroin (23 percent of overdose deaths); cocaine (12.4 percent); oxycodone, (11.5 percent); alprazolam/Xanax (9 percent); fentanyl (8.9 percent); morphine (8.5 percent); methamphetamine (7.9 percent); methadone (7.4 percent); hydrocodone/Vicodin (7 percent); and diazepam/Valium (3.7 percent).

The dramatic rise in fentanyl's death toll between 2013 and 2014 might be due to the CDC's new method of analyzing overdose deaths, combined with increased awareness of the danger posed by the synthetic, said Dr. Harshal Kirane. He is director of addiction services at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City.

"While I think that does capture an aspect of what's happening in the real world, part of me is curious whether that's part of a more systematic effort to identify fentanyl during autopsies," Kirane said.

Feinstein pointed out that greater emphasis needs to be placed on treating addicts, particularly those who survive an overdose, through use of a drug like naloxone (Narcan).

Drugs that help a person survive an opioid overdose "put you into immediate withdrawal," Feinstein said. "You feel sick, you feel miserable, you feel awful and you have really strong cravings. And hospitals are just releasing these people, rather than putting them into effective treatment that will prevent a relapse," she explained.

The new report by Warner's team also underscores the role physicians play in this ongoing epidemic, Glatter said.

"We need to turn away from the knee-jerk response of using opiates to treat pain," he said. "We have to embrace a change, because we are the ones responsible for writing these prescriptions. We have to search for other solutions."

The new findings also highlight a threat that's been somewhat overshadowed by opioids -- the number of deaths caused by benzodiazepine drugs, such as Xanax and Valium, Kirane said.

"In my eyes, that still remains somewhat a silent epidemic in our country," Kirane said. "A tremendous amount of emphasis is being given the role of opioids, but benzo prescribing still remains largely unbridled in our country."

In examining the regional impact of overdose deaths from 2014 to 2015 in 28 U.S. states, the authors of the MMWR study found that the three states with the largest percentage increases in rates of deaths due to synthetic opioids other than methadone were New York, Connecticut and Illinois. The three states with the largest percentage increases in rates of heroin deaths were South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee, while Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio and West Virginia had the largest total rate increases in heroin deaths.

More information

For more on prescription drug abuse, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
TUESDAY, Dec. 20, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A mother raising a child with a major birth defect may face a higher risk of dying early compared with a mother whose child doesn't have a birth defect, Danish research suggests.

But, the researchers added, the risk of early death was "marginal."

The finding is based on a review involving more than 455,000 Danish mothers. Some had given birth to children with single- or multiple-organ birth defects, including genetic conditions, such as heart or kidney disease, and/or structural anomalies, such as a cleft palate.

The result: raising a child with a birth defect was associated with a higher -- though still low -- maternal risk for dying from heart disease or respiratory illness.

"It's important to say that young women just don't die very frequently," stressed study lead author Dr. Eyal Cohen. He's a physician in the department of pediatrics with The Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto in Ontario.

"So yes, it's true, we did find that a young woman raising a child with a birth defect would be 27 percent more likely to die than otherwise," he said.

"But the absolute risk that such a mother will die is still marginal," Cohen added. "It's like if you move from New York to Florida: your risk of dying in a hurricane will go up, yes, but it's still very unlikely that you'll die in a hurricane."

The study authors noted that between 2 percent and 5 percent of all children born in the United States and Europe have a major birth defect.

The study included data collected by the government of Denmark.

Mortality trends were calculated among roughly 41,500 Danish mothers who, between 1979 and 2010, gave birth to a child with at least one major birth defect. The researchers compared death rates among those women to nearly 414,000 Danish moms who had given birth to infants with no birth defects.

At delivery, the women were nearly 29 years of age, on average. Death rates were tracked for 12 to 28 years (21 years on average), and continued through 2014.

The research team concluded that a mother raising a child with a birth defect faced about a one-quarter higher relative risk of dying from natural causes, both within the first 10 years after giving birth and much further down the road.

Cohen said that risk dropped down to 22 percent after adjusting for a range of factors, including the mothers' high blood pressure, depression, alcoholism, smoking history, weight, educational level, marital status, and history of pregnancy complications.

Cohen noted that premature death risk was higher among women whose children were born with multiple defects, as opposed to one birth defect.

"Of course, we can never make a definitive cause-and-effect determination with a single study," cautioned Cohen. But he added that many factors likely come together to boost mortality risk. His team pointed to the financial toll and extreme stress that can occur when raising a child with a birth defect.

"But when you look at the kinds of death that went up, it does seem, at least in theory, that stress would be the main cause of this," he said. "For example, we found a stronger association with dying from heart disease, rather than cancer. And we know heart disease is associated with stress."

And given Denmark's extremely strong social safety net, "my expectation is that we would find similar results, or an even higher risk, in other countries with weaker caregiver support, such as the U.S.," Cohen added.

Dr. Edward McCabe, chief medical officer at the March of Dimes, reiterated that the findings so far highlight "an association, not causation," and will require further study.

"It's important not to be alarmist and raise concerns unnecessarily," he added.

But McCabe did agree that the Danish findings are "concerning, with respect to countries that have poorer or less generous social services and support. And it does, in particular, raise concerns about the U.S., where our medical care and social services are clearly not as robust."

The study was published in the Dec. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More information

There's more on birth defects at the March of Dimes.
The older woman's reaction to a lesbian couple getting engaged in front of her has made the image go viral, and make all the right noises about the the LGBTQ community.

By India Today Web Desk: In another ten days, 2016 will be over, and when the news of a lesbian couple getting engaged goes viral for all the right reasons, it could be considered a sign that 2017 would possibly be way better than this year.

Jessica Rodriguez proposed to her long-time partner Chelsea Miller in the foyer at the Art Institute of Chicago.

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With the help of some of her friends, Rodriguez made it a moment. A banner asking ''Will you marry me?'' sprung up from the floor above and an emotional Chelsea couldn't find an answer other than ''Yes!''

The photo of the couple was posted by Rodriguez's brother @AreYouShook on Twitter, and the photo went viral garnering over 1,04,000 retweets and over 3,29,000 likes and people couldn't help but notice one thing in the photo.

The picture went more viral, thanks to the old lady who was witnessing the engagement and was floored by what she was seeing.

Photo: Carlos Shook/Facebook

''I don't think we realised she was there. We were so nervous. We were going over the photos my friend Ed Sanchez took (and) we discovered that gem with her sweet reaction. It really made the photo even more special.'' Ms. Rodriguez told news.com.au.

Photo: Carlos Shook/Facebook Photo: Carlos Shook/Facebook

When asked about the venue for the proposal Rodriguez said ''if someone could describe our love it could only be done through a work of art. It is happy, fun, chaotic inspiring and strong.''

The couple have been together since 2012.

Watch the video below:

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President Signs Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act

The new law provides that the United States will be represented on the North Pacific Fisheries Commission by five commissioners -- two appointed by the president and the three chairs of the North Pacific, Pacific, and Western Pacific Fishery Management Councils.

President Obama has signed the Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act, H.R. 6452, into law. It implements the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean, and the amendments to the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries.

"I recommended that the Senate give its advice and consent to the ratification of all of these treaties because they will help promote sound fishery management; enable us to better combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; and prevent destructive fishing practices and contribute to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources on the high seas," the president said in his signing statement. "I appreciate the efforts of the Congress to ensure that the United States can contribute to these international efforts."

The new law provides that the United States will be represented on the North Pacific Fisheries Commission by five commissioners -- two appointed by the president and the three chairs of the North Pacific, Pacific, and Western Pacific Fishery Management Councils, who are selected by the members of those councils.

U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; and Edward Markey, D-Mass., introduced the bill, which unanimously passed the U.S. Senate this month. It is intended to better manage some fisheries in the North and South Pacific and improve international fisheries management in the North Atlantic.

"This legislation will rightfully give the United States a voice and assert our influence in both the fisheries management and conservation decisions in the high seas areas covered by these treaties," Sullivan said after it passed. "Doing so will provide opportunities for our fishermen in the future and help to protect their current activities for generations to come."

"Nations around the world look to the United States for leadership on how to manage fisheries," Schatz added. "Our legislation brings the remaining Pacific fisheries under international management and establishes penalties for fishing illegally. By working together with foreign countries, we can establish global management plans that will keep our oceans healthy and productive for ourselves today and for the generations that follow. I want to thank Senator Sullivan and Senator Markey for their commitment to keeping world fisheries healthy."

Markey said international cooperation is essential to ensure healthy fishery resources.
Goldplat plc / Ticker: GDP / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining & Exploration

20 December 2016

Goldplat plc ('Goldplat' or 'the Company')

Renewal of Ghanaian Gold Licence

Goldplat, the AIM quoted African gold producer, is pleased to announce that it has received confirmation from the Government of the Republic of Ghana (the "Ghanaian Government") that its Ghanaian licence to purchase and deal in gold has been renewed for a period of three years.

Gold Recovery Ghana Limited ("GRG"), the Company's wholly owned gold recovery subsidiary in Ghana, recovers gold from by-products of the mining process, providing an economic method for mines to dispose of waste materials and adhere to environmental obligations. GRG was previously operating under a temporary licence, pending confirmation that its application for the renewal of its gold licence had been accepted.

As per previous licences, the renewed licence grants the Company the right to purchase and process by-products for the purpose of recovering and exporting gold and concentrates. Under the terms of the licence, GRG will pay a royalty to the Ghanaian Government of 5% on all minerals obtained from its operations. In order to maintain the licence, GRG must continue with its previously announced plans to install an elution plant. The licence requires inter alia that GRG ensures that:

an elution column arrives in Ghana by 30 June 2017; pre-construction work is completed by 30 September 2017; the elution plant is installed by 31 December 2017; and the plant is commissioned and brought into production by 30 June 2018.

The Company is confident that it can install the elution column within this timeframe to meet the defined milestones.

Customs clearance and shipping of a number of containers, containing concentrates and other by-products destined for further processing outside of Ghana, which have been awaiting the renewal of the licence, will begin immediately. The profits from the sale of the affected stock will be realised in H2 FY2017 rather than the first half of the financial year; the Company does not expect this shipping delay to affect the group's full year results.

Gerard Kisbey-Green, CEO of Goldplat plc commented: "We are very pleased that we have been granted a three-year licence at our Ghanaian recovery business, as a major pillar of our growth strategy is the international diversification of sourcing of material for import into and processing at this operation. We are in complete agreement with the government regarding the need to install and commission an elution plant, which will significantly increase our operational capacity, and look forward to delivering on our construction targets. I would like to thank the GRG team, our local director as well as the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission and their various colleagues for the effort put in to grant this licence before year-end."

*** ENDS ***

For further information, visit www.goldplat.com, follow on Twitter @GoldPlatPlc or contact:

Gerard Kisbey-Green CEO Goldplat plc Tel: +27 (71) 8915775 Colin Aaronson / Jen Clarke / Daniel Bush Grant Thornton UK LLP (Nominated Adviser) Tel: +44 (0) 20 7383 5100 Andrew Raca / Justin McKeegan VSA Capital Limited (Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 20 3005 5000 Charlotte Page / Susie Geliher St Brides Partners Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177

The information contained within this RNS is considered to be inside information prior to its release.

About Goldplat

Goldplat plc, is an AIM quoted gold recovery services company with two market leading operations in South Africa and Ghana. The Company's strategy is focussed on utilising its cash flow generated from flagship gold recovery operations in Africa to self-fund sustainable growth and expansion of niche gold recovery business model. The Company also has a small gold mining and exploration portfolio in Kenya, Burkina Faso and Ghana and is evaluating various opportunities to create value or monetise these assets.
Finnish English

Affecto Plc  Stock Exchange Release, 20 December 2016 at 15:30, Helsinki



Affecto appoints Charlotte Darth to the Leadership Team



Affecto has appointed Charlotte Darth as Managing Director of Affecto Sweden and as a member of the Affecto Leadership Team. She begins her new position on 9 January 2017.



Darths primary task will be to continue accelerating Affectos growth and presence in the Stockholm and Gothenburg markets.



People in Affecto Sweden have constructed a platform of success throughout the recent years, acknowledges Affecto CEO Hakala. Charlotte Darth has the experience and leadership to build on that platform, for example through her extensive sales and marketing leadership background in IT. This will create new growth opportunities to extend Affectos success into the future.



Darth is a versatile director with an extensive background leading business development, marketing, and sales for international technology companies. In her most recent position as Managing Director of ReadSoft Nordics (Lexmark), Darth achieved continuous company growth, both organically and via acquisitions. Prior to ReadSoft, Darth held leadership roles in sales and marketing for Lawson Software and SAP, where she increased sales of digitalization solutions across Sweden and the Nordics.



With Darths appointment, the Affecto Leadership Team will have the following members:

Juko Hakala, CEO

Iikka Lindroos, Deputy CEO

Martti Nurminen, CFO

Charlotte Darth, Managing Director, Sweden

Mikko Eerola, Managing Director, B2C Industries, Brand & Market

Henri Engstrom, Managing Director, Affecto Industrial and Interim Managing Director, Finland

Havard Ellefsen, Managing Director, Norway, Denmark & Partners

Stig-Goran Sandberg, Managing Director, Eastern Europe, South Africa & Delivery





AFFECTO PLC

Juko Hakala

CEO





For additional information, please contact:



Juko Hakala

CEO

juko.hakala@affecto.com




SPRINGDALE, Ark., Dec. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN) today issued the following statement:



Tyson Foods was recently notified that the National Labor Relations Council of the Department of Labor and Employment in the Republic of the Philippines has ruled against an appeal related to the 1995 closing of an apparel manufacturing facility operated by a subsidiary of the former Sara Lee Corporation. Not long after the closing, Sara Lee Corporation was sued by a labor union and former employees, and the case has been in dispute since. The case pre-dates Tyson Foods acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company, which was formerly known as Sara Lee Corporation, by more than 15 years.



This latest ruling is excessive and directly contrary to two prior arbitration rulings that concluded that the 1995 closure was proper and all required severance benefits had been paid by Sara Lee Corporation to employees, said David L. Van Bebber, executive vice president and general counsel for Tyson Foods. Were considering all appellate options including asking the NLRC to reconsider its ruling and the Philippine courts to overturn the ruling. As Hillshire Brands does not have any operations in the Philippines, we dont expect this decision to have any impact on our business.

Tyson Foods notified investors of the ruling in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today, which is available on the companys website.

About Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE:TSN), with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is one of the worlds largest food companies with leading brands such as Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Sara Lee, Ball Park, Wright, Aidells and State Fair. Its a recognized market leader in chicken, beef and pork as well as prepared foods, including bacon, breakfast sausage, turkey, lunchmeat, hot dogs, pizza crusts and toppings, tortillas and desserts. The company supplies retail and foodservice customers throughout the United States and approximately 115 countries. Tyson Foods was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to lead the business with his son, Don Tyson, guiding the company for many years and grandson, John H. Tyson, serving as the current chairman of the board of directors. The company currently has approximately 114,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.
Icelandic English

At the Annual General Meeting of Islandsbanki on 19 April 2016, it was agreed that the Board may convene a special shareholder meeting later in the year where a proposal regarding payment of dividends for the previous fiscal years could be suggested.

Extraordinary dividend

At the shareholder meeting held today, Wednesday 21 December 2016, it was agreed that an extraordinary dividend of ISK 27bn would be paid out to its shareholder before year-end 2016. The Icelandic state is the sole owner of Islandsbanki and the equity stake is managed by the Icelandic State Financial Investments (ISFI).

The Bank's dividend policy states that 40-50% of net profit shall be paid out as dividend. In April, Islandsbanki paid ISK 10bn in dividend to its sole shareholder, corresponding to 50% of 2015 net profits. Including today's dividend payment, a total of ISK 37bn will have been paid out to the Icelandic State in 2016.

Normalisation of capital structure

A great emphasis has been placed on the asset side of Islandsbanki's balance sheet in recent years. Restructuring of the loan portfolio is now finalised, the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio continues to decline and only a negligible share of loans is non-performing after restructuring. This places Islandsbanki's credit quality securely in the top interquartile range of European banks.

Today's dividend payment marks a significant step in normalising the liability side of Islandsbanki's balance sheet. Islandsbanki has maintained extraordinary levels of capital and liquidity in preparation for possible adverse effects that may stem from the full lifting of capital controls. The debt levels of the Icelandic sovereign, as well as for individuals and corporates in Iceland, have been greatly reduced and the long awaited steps towards the lifting of capital controls passed into law.

Strong capital and liquidity

Following the dividend payment, the Bank's total capital ratio, consisting of equity capital only, amounts to 24.0%, which is above the Bank's current total capital ratio target of 23% and well above the 19.1% regulatory total capital requirement. The leverage ratio will be 15.7%, which is significantly above the levels of European banks. The liquidity position will remain robust and well above both internal and regulatory requirements.

Birna Einarsdottir, Chief Executive Officer:

"Islandsbanki has maintained high capital ratios and liquidity levels in preparation for the capital account liberalisation process and the possible impact on the Bank's operating environment. Positive trends in the Icelandic economy and prudent steps towards lifting of capital controls now present a welcome opportunity to take steps to optimise the Bank's capital base.

Islandsbanki continues to report solid returns from its underlying business despite its very high capital levels. Access to international capital markets is good and the Bank is now fully market funded. Restructuring of the loan portfolio has been finalised. Prudent lending policies have resulted in improved asset quality and a lower ratio of non-performing loans. The Icelandic operating environment has remained resilient and the Bank's capital position remains very strong. Islandsbanki is therefore well positioned to pay a special dividend to its shareholder."

INVESTOR RELATIONS - Investor call in English

On Wednesday 21 December, the Bank will host an investor call in English at 10.30 am to go over the dividend payment and the Bank's capital structure.

Please register by replying to ir@islandsbanki.is. Dial-in details and presentation will be sent out two hours prior to the call. All presentation material will subsequently be available and archived on www.islandsbanki.is/ir.

For information on Islandsbanki's financial calendar and silent periods see http://www.islandsbanki.is/english/investor-relations/calendar/.

For further information:
By Indo-Asian News Service: Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has claimed that ex-army chief General Raheel Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts.

Participating in a talk show on Dunya News on Monday night, he said: "Well he (Raheel Sharif) did help me. I have been his boss and I have been the Army Chief before him... he helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the ECL (exit control list), they turned it into a political issue."

Here's all you need to know about what he said: When asked to explain how the recently retired army chief helped him, Musharraf said General Sharif played a role in "releasing the pressure" on courts to prevent him from leaving the country. "Behind the scenes, the army chief had a role to release that pressure by dealing with the government." "Once he (Gen Sharif) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment," Musharraf elaborated. Talking about his case, Musharraf said Pakistani courts "unfortunately... give decisions under pressure behind the scenes" and this pressure was relieved by Gen Sharif with an "influencing" role. Musharraf had left the country for Dubai in March earlier this year hours after the interior ministry issued a notification to remove his name from the exit control list. The government notification followed the Supreme Court's order to lift the ban on his foreign travel. But the top court order had come with the rider that the federal government or the three-judge special court trying the retired general for treason was free to make decisions to regulate his custody or restrict his movement. Apart from murder cases of Benazir Bhutto, Nawab Akbar Bugti and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, the retired general is facing treason charges for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers. His name was kept on the exit control list for more than 20 months. Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan had said in March that Musharraf had committed to facing all cases against him in court and had "promised to return in four to six weeks".

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COLCHESTER, Vt., Dec. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Green Mountain Power announced today it is the first utility in the nation to provide customers with true energy independence and offer the ultimate in customer empowerment: to go off-grid with a new package of products and services to increase energy independence and reduce carbon emissions by more than 30%. The product offering is fully customizable to meet the unique needs of each home or business and can include solar, battery storage, home automation and more.



This off-grid suite of products illustrates very well where energy is going and for us at GMP, we are not only part of the transformation, we are leading the revolution towards clean, affordable, local and highly reliable power, said GMP President and CEO Mary Powell. Our energy future is one where more of our energy is generated closer to where it is needed and is home, business, and community-based. We are excited to partner with customers in a way that leverages innovation to deliver a more cost-effective, reliable, and cleaner energy system.

Combining solar and battery storage, the Off-Grid package provides customers with the option to generate and store clean power for their home that would otherwise come from the grid. The Off-Grid package is customized for each customer and includes: an energy efficiency audit in partnership with Efficiency Vermont, solar array, battery storage, home automation controls that allow customers to easily manage energy resources and usage, and a generator for backup that may be used for short periods of time if needed. In addition to producing their own clean energy, customers will have a flat monthly fee for their energy instead of the fluctuations they experience today.

At GMP we are laser focused on driving down costs for all of our customers, which is why customers are paying less today than they were three years ago, said Powell.

Having more customers go off-grid may allow GMP to retire line sections over time, reducing maintenance costs that will directly lower costs for customers. In addition, off-grid homes, that otherwise would be connected to the grid, will no longer contribute to costly system peaks during peak summer energy days, lowering costs further and reducing the need to build and maintain lines to meet that demand.

Customers interested in the pilot program will work with a GMP energy services advisor to customize the system that is right for their home or business. For more information on Off-Grid go to: www.greenmountainpower.com/innovative/off-grid-package/ or call Craig Ferreira at 1-802-747-6818 or 1-888-835-4672.

About Green Mountain Power

Green Mountain Power (GMP) serves approximately 265,000 residential and business customers in Vermont and is partnering with customers to improve lives and transform communities. GMP is focused on a new way of doing business to meet the needs of customers with integrated energy services that help people use less energy and save money, while continuing to generate clean, cost-effective and reliable power in Vermont. GMP is the first utility in the world to get a B Corp certification, meeting rigorous social, environmental, accountability and transparency standards and committing to use business as a force for good. In 2014, Vote Solar named GMP a Solar Champion. More information at: www.greenmountainpower.com. Connect with GMP on Facebook and Twitter @GreenMtnPower.
Dutch English

Press Release

Regulated Information

20 December 2016 - 6:00 p.m. - CET

VGP acquires the logistics center and industrial land plots in Mango Logistics Park in Llica d'Amunt (Barcelona)

 Acquisition from the fashion Group Mango of a state of the art brand new 180,000 m warehouse (extendable to circa 260,000 m) and lease back to Mango of this facility under a long term lease agreement; and,

 Acquisition of around 150,000 m of additional development land

The pan-European investment and property Group VGP announces the acquisition of the logistics centre and industrial land plots in Mango Logistics Park in Llica d'Amunt (Barcelona)(Spain).

The transaction consists in the acquisition of a state of the art brand new logistics building and the acquisition of additional development land. The initial transaction value is in excess of

EUR 150 million.

The international fashion Group Mango, with headquarters north of Barcelona, will rent back the logistics building from VGP under a 30 years lease agreement. The construction of one of the most modern logistics buildings in Europe with an initial lettable area of around 180,000 m is currently coming to completion and will become fully operational as from the beginning of 2017. The Mango building allows for further extension possibilities to develop around 80,000 m of additional lettable area during the future years. Once fully developed the Mango building will represent circa 260,000 m of warehouse and office space.

In addition to the Mango building, VGP is acquiring around 150,000 m of additional development land on which VGP will be able to develop approximately 100,000 m2 of new lettable area for other potential tenants in the near future.

Mango using one-of-a-kind logistics technology

The Mango Logistics centre incorporates the latest technology and logistics robotics capable of handling 75,000 clothing units per hour and streamlining all the logistics processes of the Mango Group. This centre will supply the entire Mango network worldwide which consists of more than 2,200 retail outlets in 110 countries.

Jan Van Geet, CEO of VGP, comments: "We are very happy to start a long term partnership with Mango. Mango has a long Spanish history and has decided to serve their entire network from here. This is a competitive logistic challenge. We are happy to support them in establishing a logistics centre which is fully capable to provide all necessary structure and tools. At the same time, the acquired extra development land will allow VGP to develop additional buildings located on a top location in Barcelona."

Daniel Lopez, Executive Vice-President of Mango, adds: "VGP with their long experience as investor and developer of industrial and logistics parks is the perfect partner for Mango. It is a Win-Win deal with both partners focusing on their core competencies."

Preserving the environment

During the construction of the Mango Industrial Park, the entire excess soil originating from the construction work was redeployed within the industrial park to avoid transport and waste disposal. In addition, the completed park will have a rain management system to re-use rain water. As part of the development, a 10,000 m mill pond was created in accordance with technical criteria which favours biodiversity and microhabitats together with 395,000 m of green zones with native low water consumption for indigenous trees and plants. Finally, there is a remote management of lighting conditions with point to point regulation, and a low consumption lighting system in place.

For more information

In Belgium:

Jan Van Geet Dirk Stoop CEO CFO Tel. + 420 602 404 790 Tel.+ 32 52 45 43 86 E-mail: jan.van.geet@vgpparks.eu E-mail: dirk.stoop@vgpparks.eu
HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Solar Quartz Technologies, Inc. (OTC.US:SQTI), formerly Anasazi Energy Corporation, today announced the Company has completed the name change to Solar Quartz Technologies, Inc. The Companys new symbol is SQTI. The corporate action was made effective by FINRA on the OTC markets on Monday, December 19, 2016.



Kevin Graham, CEO of Solar Quartz Technologies, Inc. stated: "The FINRA approval is a very important milestone for the company that will now enable SQTI to proceed with its integration and commercialization plans for High Purity Quartz Sand ('HPQS') production, an essential component necessary for the manufacture of PV Solar Panels, Semi-conductors and all high-end electronics. World marketplace opportunities have never been more advantageous for the Solar, Semi-conductor and high-end electronics primary material manufacturer."

ABOUT SOLAR QUARTZ TECHNOLOGIES:

High-tech Manufacturing HPQS Facility

Solar Quartz Technologies Limited is a High-Tech Refining and Processing enterprise group focused on the production of commercial quantities of High Purity Quartz Sand (HPQS), an essential component necessary for the manufacture of PV Solar Panels, Semi-conductors and all high-end electronics. The longevity of the SQT projects is assured due to its extensive supplies of feedstock raw material for refining HPQs located at its wholly owned HP silica mineral deposits (JORC 14 m. tons) located in Queensland, Australia.

SQTs primary focus is to re-establish the highly profitable production of commercial quantities (30,000-50,000 tpa.) of High Purity Quartz Sand from new commercial facilities in both Australia and the USA.

SQT has very little competition, as there is less than a handful of organizations capable of manufacturing appropriate high quality commercial quantities of HPQS globally. HPQS is traditionally in a position of under supply compared to global requirements. The burgeoning global demand for large capacity power generating solar farms both in the US and worldwide is further accentuating the high demand for high purity quartz sand production.

Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Solar Quartz Technologies, Inc. encourages those interested in our Company to rely only on information included in our filings which can be found at www.otcmarkets.com. Statements released by Solar Quartz Technologies, Inc. that are not purely historical are forward-looking within the meaning of the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the company's expectations, hopes, intentions, and strategies for the future. Investors are close cautioned that forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties that may significantly affect the company's business prospects and performance. The company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Risk factors include but are not limited to general economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors. The company does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements contained in this release.
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Pappu Yadav along with his party workers of Jan Adhikar Party reached the Rajendra Nagar railway station and blocked the railway tracks thereby stalling the train services.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: MP Pappu Yadav, Convener of Jan Adhikar Party, took to the streets to protest the demonetisation drive of the Centre on Tuesday.

Pappu Yadav's party workers including people in Patna who have been protesting over the issue, also stalled train movement at various places in the state.

Early morning on Tuesday, Pappu Yadav along with his party workers of Jan Adhikar Party reached the Rajendra Nagar railway station and blocked the railway tracks thereby stalling the train services.

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The demonstration of Pappu Yadav by blocking railway tracks led to stalling train services. Several trains including Patna-Sahenganj Intercity, Patna-Tata Express were delayed because of the demonstration.

While the JAP workers blocked the train movement, the Railway police force which was present there did not take any action.

Here is what Pappu Yadav said against demonetisation:

1. Demonetisation has wrecked trouble for the poor people.

2. According to him the country post-demonetisation was so worse that revolutionary steps were required for course correction.

3. He asserted that the Centre should first crack down on "benami" properties rather than demonetisation.

4. "India can never become cashless. Our's is a agriculture based economy which operates on cash. I challenge PM Narendra Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to stop use of black money in elections, use of helicopters. It's the capitalists and industrialists who have black money not the common man."

The JAP convener also announced that on December 22, his party following up with the opposition of demonetisation will be calling for "Road Pe Chakka Jam" across the state.

--- ENDS ---
Questions have been raised as to why the terrorists chose to enter the airbase from the safer western side and the chargesheet fails to answer it.

According to security analysts, either the terrorists had access to the physical maps of the Air Force station or they used digital maps like Google maps to attack the base.

By Manjeet Sehgal: The chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday against four terrorists focusses on the role of the terrorist organisation JeM, but failed to mention the role of insiders and sympathisers who may have helped the terrorists or their handlers conduct the recce before the Pathankot attack and during the final assault.

As per the chargesheet, the four terrorists had managed to cut the barbed fence to cross the perimeter wall of the Air force station. The terrorists entered the western side of the airbase and even managed to climb up a tree.

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Also read: Pathankot attack: How Facebook, mobile phones helped NIA nail Masood Azhar gang Questions have been raised as to why the terrorists chose to enter the airbase from the safer western side. Did they conduct a recce before the attack? Did the JeM bosses have access to the sensitive cantonment maps? If yes, then who provided the information? The role of insiders, both in Pathankot and Uri terror attacks, has yet to be established and required to be investigated, say experts.

How the terrorists managed to walk on foot with heavy arms and ammunition, which they used against the security forces for at least three days, is also a matter of investigation.

According to security analysts, either the terrorists had access to the physical maps of the Air Force station or they used digital maps like Google maps to attack the base.

Also Read: NIA's Pathankot attack chargesheet nails Jaish-e-Mohammed's Masood Azhar, brother, 2 others

--- ENDS ---
Speaking at the function the HRD Minister appealed to the citizens of pune to go for digital transactions,join Digital Army of India so as to make India cashless India in next 2 years.

He said to media, that it was a great experiment that was done today to launch digital revolution where in 7000 student took part in it and how they responded positively.

These 7000 students have already become digital soldiers, they have become digital leaders, these students will learn themselves, practise themselves in next two days and bring their family members in digital mode.

They will further convert 10 families in the neighbourhood, so we are concentrating on 500 cities with population of one lakh and more.

This is where the real impact needs to be done. Prakash Javadekar welcomed the positive approach of students of 10 colleges in pune city who participated in the function.

Javadekar even announced that from coming December 25, i.e from Christmas, through out India, lucky 15,000 citizens who do digital transactions will get Rs 1000/- daily in their bank accounts.
By PTI: Ahmedabad, Dec 20 (PTI) Ahead of Rahul Gandhis scheduled visit to Mehsana in Gujarat tomorrow, BJP today said that the Congress vice president only levels personal charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but cannot provide any evidence.

Upping the ante against the government over the demonetisation issue, Rahul had recently alleged that he had information about "personal corruption" involving Modi.

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"Rahul Gandhi makes personal attack on Prime Minister, but cannot give any proof. When the PM took the historic decision of demonetisation, he (Rahul) said if he speaks in the Parliament, there will be an earthquake," state BJP spokesperson, Bharat Pandya, said in a release.

"Gandhi made fun of the Parliament by saying that if he speaks in the Parliament, there will be an earthquake. He had gone on a secret holiday for two months before the crucial budget session of Parliament (last year)," he said.

Rahul will be addressing a rally in Mehsana town of North Gujarat tomorrow.

The party said that during his last visit to Gujarat, Rahul had gone to Una (where Dalit youths were beaten for skinning a cow) for "mere publicity", and his attack on the Prime Minister, who hails from Gujarat, has not got down well with the people of the state.

"Why didnt Congress actively support Narmada project (by raising the height of the dam); why did it confer Bharat Ratna on Rajiv Gandhi within 45 days of his death, while delayed the same for Sardar Patel for 41 years?," Pandya said.

The party has lost support of the public for its criticism of demonetisation, as reflected in the local body elections in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and now, Chandigarh in Punjab, he claimed.

The BJP office-bearer also said that the Congress vice-president should provide figures about how many farmers have committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra during the Congress rule.

"Suicides of farmers during the (erstwhile) Congress rule in those states show that the party is not really concerned about the plight of farmers," he added. PTI KA PD NP JMF

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Hitting out at the Prime Minister once again, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today likened the repeated changes in the rules regarding deposit of old currency notes in banks to his changing of "clothes" and said the message going out was that the Prime Ministers words are "hollow".

BJP responded by warning that such "personal attacks" by Gandhi on Modi will open a pandoras box.

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"RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes," Gandhi tweeted, while posting an article on the RBI rules announced post demonetisation.

He was commenting on the new decision of the government under which an amount more than Rs 50,00 in scrapped currency can be deposited only once per account till December 30.

Earlier, the Prime Minister, while announcing the demonetisation decision on November 8, had said old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes could be deposited in banks till December 30 without any questions asked.

"Prime Ministers words should have weight. Prime Minister had promised the country that people can deposit their money in banks till December 30. Yesterday, Government had again changed the rules. This is 125th time rules were changed. Yesterday, the Government gave a message that words of Prime Minister are hollow," Gandhi said.

Noting that the Prime Minister had said money can be deposited in banks till December 30, the Congress leader said yesterday, however, the government said "no you cannot".

"The words of Narendra Modi are without any weight and are hollow. We will show how hollow they are," he told ANI later. Reacting to the attack, BJPs National Secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said it reflected the "DNA of Congress and Gandhi family" and he should desist from it.

Singh warned that such personal attacks on Modi by Gandhi will open a pandoras box.

Gandhis attack came as the Congress leader is all set to take the battle over the issue of demonetisation to the turf of the Prime Minister with a rally at Mehsana in Gujarat tomorrow.

After Gujarat, Gandhi will be addressing rally at Bahraich in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on December 22 and at Almora in Uttarkhand the next day.

Assembly polls in Uttarkhand are also scheduled early next year. On December 24, Gandhi will be addressing a rally at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. PTI ABS SPG AKK AKK

--- ENDS ---
Continuing his tirade against PM Modi's demonetisation move, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said that the RBI is changing rules the way PM Modi changes his clothes.

By India Today Web Desk: A day after they crossed swords over demonetisation in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi launched a fresh attack on Tuesday. He said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is changing rules like Prime Minister Narendra Modi changes his clothes.

"RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes," the 46-year-old leader tweeted along with a link of a story from Scroll.in, that carried the headline: 'Whom can we trust if even Arun Jaitley and RBI announce different policies?'

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Also read: Rahul Gandhi calls note ban Modi-made disaster

HERE ARE THE UPDATES:

1. Rahul was referring to the RBI's Monday circular that once again changed the rules of demonetisation.

2. The new rules say people can now deposit the banned Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes of an amount more than Rs 5000 only once before December 30.

3. Moreover, those depositing their money will have to face questions from at least two bank officials and explain why they waited until now to deposit their money.

4. On Monday, demonetisation had taken centre-stage as both Modi and Rahul hit out at each other in different rallies.

Also read: UP battleground: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi exchange war of words

5. Addressing a BJP rally in Kanpur Modi said, while the government's agenda was to end corruption and black money, the Opposition's aim was to derail Parliament to shield the corrupt.

6. Within hours, Gandhi went all guns blazing against Modi at Jaunpur and said demonetisation was actually a war against the poor. He accused the Prime Minister of giving 60 per cent of India's wealth to one per cent of the country's population.

7. This is not the first time Rahul has attacked Modi over the PM's sartorial choices. In a famous speech in Lok Sabha last year, Rahul had called the government a "suit-boot ki sarkaar".

--- ENDS ---
The war on screen bezels continues, and Lenovos new entry comes in the form of a phone with an 86.4 percent screen-to-body ratio. Lenovo sub-brand ZUK has launched a 5.5 inch Android phone for China called the ZUK Edge, and it has super-thin bezels on the left and right sides of the screen, as well as reasonably compact top and bottom borders.

While the ZUK Edge isnt quite as eye-catching as Xiaomis Mi Mix, its also not as expensive. The ZUK Edge will sell for about $330 and up when it hits China in early 2017.

The phone has a 5.5 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel curved glass display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, a 13MP rear camera with phase-detection autofocus, an 8MP front camera, and a 3,100 mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.

It has a fingerprint sensor, a USB Type-C port, and a headphone jack. Theres also a heart rate sensor below the camera, if thats something you care about.

An entry-level model features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for 2,299, or about $330. Thers also a version with 6GB of RAM 2,499 ($360).

Lenovo tends to sell phones in the US and Europe under its Motorola and/or Lenovo brand names, so its unlikely that well see the ZUK Edge outside of Asia anytime soon.

via GizChina and GSM Arena
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) says it has not received any complaints from consumers about the Ford Kuga following media reports of engine overheating in the vehicles.

The NCC held a meeting with vehicle manufacturer Ford SA last week.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the NCC, an entity of the Department of Trade and Industry, and Ford SA said the company undertook to conduct safety inspections on all Kuga utility vehicles that have been sold in South Africa.

The inspections will form part of precautionary measures instituted at the behest of the NCC after serious allegations of engine overheating on the Kuga vehicle surfaced in the media in recent weeks.

The NCC has to date not received any complaints from consumers about the Kuga vehicle, said the Commissions spokesperson Trevor Hattingh.

At the meeting which was chaired by NCC Deputy Commissioner, Thezi Mabuza, on Wednesday 14 December 2016, the company made representations to the allegations and informed the NCC of all matters related therewith, including its two separate investigations.

The company has vowed to expedite its investigation into engine overheating incidents and will report back to the NCC with its findings by end of February 2017.

Initially, a meeting between the two parties scheduled for 12 December 2016 was postponed to allow executives and technical experts from Ford to travel respectively from Europe and the United States of America to voluntarily appear before the NCC.

Meanwhile, Ford has undertaken to alert all Kuga owners to take their vehicles to a nearby Ford workshop or dealership for a free safety inspection.

Now read: Ford facing lawsuit over Kugas bursting into flames  Report
YEREVAN.  The Court of Appeal verdict with respect to the case into the brutal murder of Avetisyan family, in Gyumri, in Shirak Province of Armenia, will be appealed at the Court of Cassation.

Attorney Aramazd Kiviryan, who represents the interests of some successors of the victims, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that this decision will be appealed to the cassation court.

The Court of Appeal on Monday upheld the lower court decision on the case into this murder.

As a result, the appellate court denied the appeals by the legal representatives of the successors of the victims.

The legal representatives appeals were with respect to compensation for damages, in one case, and reexamination of the case, in the other.

The aforesaid murder took place on January 12, 2015. According to the indictment, Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri, entered the Avetisyan family home on that day, and he killed home residents Aida Avetisyan, Hasmik Avetisyan, Seryozha Avetisyan, Armen Avetisyan, Araksya Poghosyan, and little girl Hasmik Avetisyan. Subsequently, he stabbed 6-month-old Seryozha Avetisyan five times. The baby boy died in the hospital one week later.

Armenia and Russia instituted criminal cases on charges of murder and military desertion, respectively.

On August 12, 2015, the Russian court sentenced Permyakov to ten years in prison. And on October 16 of the same year, Armenia formally brought criminal charges against the Russian soldier.

And on August 23, 2016, the Shirak District Court of First Instance found Valery Permyakov guilty of all chargesmurder, robbery, and attempt to cross the Armenian state borderthat were brought against him. And he was sentenced to life in prison.
YEREVAN.  Starting from 2017, goods imported from the free economic zones (FEZs) in Armenia will be subject to partial customs clearance within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

Minister of Economic Development and Investment of Armenia, Suren Karayan, told the abovementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

By joining the EAEU in 2015, Armenia had been granted a two-year customs clearance deferral on the products of its FEZs. Accordingly, the jewelry and technology products that were manufactured at these FEZs could be exported to the rest of the EAEU countries, without customs clearance.

As of 2017, however, the goods, for the production of which raw materials from abroad are used, will have to undergo customs clearance, but solely in terms of raw materials; that is, the customs duty will not apply to the value of the finished product.

And if domestic raw materialsi.e. from the EAEU countriesare used, customs clearance will not be conducted, just as now.

There are two FEZs in Armenia.

The Eurasian Economic Union comprises Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Portugal is considering abandoning golden visa scheme

Biden and Erdogan to meet at G-20 summit

Bank of England raises interest rates by largest amount since 1989

Scholz says Berlin must change its attitude toward China

Cavusoglu and Stoltenberg disagree over Sweden's and Finland's fulfillment of commitments

Turkish Vice President to visit Azerbaijan and occupied Shushi

Britain buys 250 million pounds worth of oil from Azerbaijan from July 2021 to June 2022

Yair Lapid congratulates Benjamin Netanyahu on winning election

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spreads another disinformation

ENISA: War in Ukraine, geopolitics fuel cyberattacks

Armenian MFA: Yerevan and Baku agree to speed up work on agreeing procedure of Commissions' activities

Zelenskyy will not participate in G20 summit if Putin participates in it

WP: Man who attacked Pelosi's husband was in the U.S. illegally

At Upper Lars, 30 cars are allowed through per day instead of previous 300: What are authorities doing?

Bloomberg: Turkey unlikely to sign Sweden's bid for NATO membership before the end of the year

Military servicemen in Armenia to be attested: Discussion at parliamentary standing committee

IEA calls for urgent action on gas shortages in Europe

French Senate to consider resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory

Papikyan: The final number of dead will be published after the identification is complete

Armen Grigoryan presents to Patrushev consequences of Azerbaijani aggression

Indonesia reveals its own kamikaze drones

UN: Russia resumes participation in inspection of ships in Black Sea

Grigoryan: Armenia interested in using communication routes through Azerbaijan

Investigative Committee: 10 officers charged in Armenia

FT: Azerbaijan demands EU funding and long-term contracts for gas supplies

Security Council Secretary: Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenian territory

US becomes 2nd largest gas supplier to EU

Russian Defense Ministry reports release of 107 Russian servicemen from Ukrainian captivity

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Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will receive less funds in 2023 than in previous two years

German government urges its citizens to leave Iran

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister injured in shooting of election motorcade

Russian MFA: Great Britain transferred underwater drones to Ukraine

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Prime Minister receives Arin Karapet, Swedish MP

Dollar, euro drop in Armenia

Armenia FM: In few days there will be meeting between me, Bayramov, Blinken in Washington

IRNA: Iran's IRGC eliminated a group that was planning attacks on government agencies

Lawcoster 'Pobeda' to resume flights to Armenia at end of this year

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: One cannot despair, struggle must continue

Deputy FM: Armenia can make some progress in simplifying visa regime with EU

Turkey says Russia assures not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

CSTO deputy chief: Armenia-Azerbaijan escalation, confrontation risk remains

Armenian MFA: Cautious optimism in restoration of diplomatic relations with Hungary

Uzbekistan refuses to resume operation of Mir cards in country

Belarus Council: If Poland unleashes aggression, war will spread throughout Eastern Europe

Peskov: It is up to the Ministry of Defense to increase the term of military service

Valerie Boyer: Corrupt, racist Azerbaijan is attacking Armenia borders, seeking to continue ethnic cleansing, genocide

Meeting of CIS Security Councils chiefs kicks off in Moscow

Charles III travels with teddy bear and toilet seat

EU plans to finance programs in Armenia for AMD 55 billion 747 mln

Economy minister: Armenia and Iran are making efforts to jointly sell goods to third countries

Azerbaijani Armed Forces practice capturing borders during exercises on border with Iran

Storm in Philippines leaves 150 people killed

Inflation in Turkey is up to 85.51% in October

Armenia economy minister on Central Bank: First they said increase would be 4%t, then 1%, then 6%

Borrell thanks UN and Turkey for facilitating Russia's return to the grain deal

Foreign direct investments in Armenia last year totals AMD 129.2bln

Minister: Examination of Armenian soldiers' bodies continues

Jaguar station wagon from Elizabeth II fleet to be sold at auction

IMF plans to provide more than $165 million to Armenia

Marukyan: Baku says Karabakh Armenians should either stay on Azerbaijan terms or leave for 3rd country

Minister of Economy: Armenia's role in Eurasian Economic Union grows

Biden says U.S. troops will stay in Europe for a long time

Vahan Hunanyan: Yerevan and Tehran have no disagreements on most issues

Armenia, Russia to collaborate in information security

Artsakh State Minister: There are many principal disagreements with Armenian authorities

Public TV Company of Armenia to make purchase worth AMD 2 698.6mln for Junior Eurovision 2022

Armenian-Russian trade turnover up by 71.7%, Economy Minister

Secretaries of CIS Security Councils to discuss nuclear security

Economy minister: Armenia exports to other EEU countries increased 2 times

Outgoing Artsakh Minister Artak Beglaryan to take position in state government system

Japan Coast Guard reports 3 North Korean missile launches in a day

Pashinyan says Armenian government did a lot for revival of Armenian aviation

Oil falls in price

Patrushev comments on Zelenskiy's statement about preventive nuclear strike

WSJ: Americans favor Republicans over Democrats

Turkey announces normalization of grain corridor

Gold prices are down

Putin calls on CIS countries security councils to use all their security capabilities

SPRING PR founders were awarded the 'Global PR Leader of the year'

Copper prices are rising

State Duma member proposes to extend term of military service in Russia

Iranian MPs: Powerful Iran will never tolerate changing of its borders

Turkey to complete construction of pipeline in Black Sea in November

Newspaper: Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty to be signed in Georgia

US delivers more than 200 artillery systems to Ukraine since February

Secretary of Armenian Security Council to visit Moscow

Switzerland to direct $100 million to repair energy infrastructure in Ukraine

Study: Blue whales eat 10 million particles of microplastics a day

Microsoft president warns of shortage of staff to fight climate change

Latvia extends state of emergency on Belarus border

WSJ: UAE tried to convince Saudi Arabia not to cut oil production

Cavusoglu: Greece must stop arming the demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea

Moody's downgrades outlook for banks in Germany, Italy, and 4 other countries to negative

About 40 international companies to announce their relocation to UAE by end of year

Israeli Prime Minister cancels participation in climate summit in Egypt
The US Embassy in Ankara has closed its operations for 24 hours, just hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed.

U.S. Embassy in Ankara and Consulates Istanbul and Adana closed for normal operations today. Visa appointments will be rescheduled, The Embassy of the United States of America in Ankara tweeted.

The Department of State confirmed reports on shooting of the Russian ambassador near the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.

President Barack Obamas administration, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and Secretary of State John Kerry have condemned the murder of the Russian ambassador.

On Monday evening, a gunman attacked Russian envoy to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, while the latter was giving a speech at a photo exhibition dedicated to Kamchatka at Cagdas Sanat Merkezi Contemporary Arts Center of Ankara.

The gunman shot the ambassador in the back, following which he uttered words related to Aleppo and Syria as well as shouted Allahu akbar (God is great).

Karlov was rushed to hospital in critical condition, but he could not be saved.

The assailant, who was shot dead by police 45 minutes after the assault, was later identified as Ankara police officer Mevlut Mert Altntas.
STEPANAKERT.  President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh), Bako Sahakyan, on Tuesday sent a congratulatory address in connection with National Security Service Serviceman Day.

Respected servicemen and veterans of the National Security Service,

On behalf of the Artsakh Republic authorities and personally myself, I cordially congratulate you on the professional holiday.

You carry out an important and accountable service, maintaining the security of our country, people and state. Professionalism, principled approach, devotion, and patriotism should compose an inseparable part of your service, and help carry out your functions and duties with efficiency.

The state will continue to focus on the social issues of the National Security servicemen and will do everything the possible to resolve them.

Dear friends,

I once again congratulate you, and wish great success and all the best during the implementation of your service, runs the NKR Presidents address, Central Information Department of the Office of the NKR President informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The businessman, who is married to Priyanka Gandhi, took to Facebook to lash out at the government for "its experiment" on people.

By India Today Web Desk: Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, today attacked the Narendra Modi government for its flip-flop on the demonetisation scheme.

Here's how he hit out at the government for repeatedly changing the policy rules:

Robert Vadra's attack on government The businessman, who is married to Priyanka Gandhi, took to Facebook to lash out at the government for "its experiment on us" to "try and prove itself correct". On Monday, the Reserve Bank of India revised the demonetisation rules once again: Old currency notes worth over Rs 5000 can only be deposited once per bank account till December 30. Hitting out at the change in rules, Vadra said, "It has has turned financial institutes to interrogation offices. Sad to see people suffering due to whims and fancies of the government". The post further said, "This shows demonetisation was completely unplanned. RBI and government are clueless". Following the demonetisation of currency since November 9, Opposition has attacked the government for causing inconvenience to the common man. Vadra's Facebook post reflected a similar line of thought. "I feel for the people and the difficulties they are facing," he said.

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WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
Biden and Erdogan to meet at G-20 summit

Bank of England raises interest rates by largest amount since 1989

Scholz says Berlin must change its attitude toward China

Cavusoglu and Stoltenberg disagree over Sweden's and Finland's fulfillment of commitments

Turkish Vice President to visit Azerbaijan and occupied Shushi

Britain buys 250 million pounds worth of oil from Azerbaijan from July 2021 to June 2022

Yair Lapid congratulates Benjamin Netanyahu on winning election

Armenian MOD: Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense spreads another disinformation

ENISA: War in Ukraine, geopolitics fuel cyberattacks

Armenian MFA: Yerevan and Baku agree to speed up work on agreeing procedure of Commissions' activities

Zelenskyy will not participate in G20 summit if Putin participates in it

WP: Man who attacked Pelosi's husband was in the U.S. illegally

At Upper Lars, 30 cars are allowed through per day instead of previous 300: What are authorities doing?

Bloomberg: Turkey unlikely to sign Sweden's bid for NATO membership before the end of the year

Military servicemen in Armenia to be attested: Discussion at parliamentary standing committee

IEA calls for urgent action on gas shortages in Europe

French Senate to consider resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Armenian territory

Papikyan: The final number of dead will be published after the identification is complete

Armen Grigoryan presents to Patrushev consequences of Azerbaijani aggression

Indonesia reveals its own kamikaze drones

UN: Russia resumes participation in inspection of ships in Black Sea

Grigoryan: Armenia interested in using communication routes through Azerbaijan

Investigative Committee: 10 officers charged in Armenia

FT: Azerbaijan demands EU funding and long-term contracts for gas supplies

Security Council Secretary: Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenian territory

US becomes 2nd largest gas supplier to EU

Russian Defense Ministry reports release of 107 Russian servicemen from Ukrainian captivity

How U.S supports Azerbaijan in 20 years by suspending 907th Amendment?

Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will receive less funds in 2023 than in previous two years

German government urges its citizens to leave Iran

Armenian MFA: Unblocking infrastructures is one of the main directions of talks

Armenia MFA: We expect positive results in relations with Turkey in near future

Armenia to open diplomatic representations in several countries in 2023: Uruguay among them

Former Pakistani Prime Minister injured in shooting of election motorcade

Russian MFA: Great Britain transferred underwater drones to Ukraine

Armenia FM: International community has sent very clear signal to Azerbaijan

Prime Minister receives Arin Karapet, Swedish MP

Dollar, euro drop in Armenia

Armenia FM: In few days there will be meeting between me, Bayramov, Blinken in Washington

IRNA: Iran's IRGC eliminated a group that was planning attacks on government agencies

Lawcoster 'Pobeda' to resume flights to Armenia at end of this year

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: One cannot despair, struggle must continue

Deputy FM: Armenia can make some progress in simplifying visa regime with EU

Turkey says Russia assures not to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

CSTO deputy chief: Armenia-Azerbaijan escalation, confrontation risk remains

Armenian MFA: Cautious optimism in restoration of diplomatic relations with Hungary

Uzbekistan refuses to resume operation of Mir cards in country

Belarus Council: If Poland unleashes aggression, war will spread throughout Eastern Europe

Peskov: It is up to the Ministry of Defense to increase the term of military service

Valerie Boyer: Corrupt, racist Azerbaijan is attacking Armenia borders, seeking to continue ethnic cleansing, genocide

Meeting of CIS Security Councils chiefs kicks off in Moscow

Charles III travels with teddy bear and toilet seat

EU plans to finance programs in Armenia for AMD 55 billion 747 mln

Economy minister: Armenia and Iran are making efforts to jointly sell goods to third countries

Azerbaijani Armed Forces practice capturing borders during exercises on border with Iran

Storm in Philippines leaves 150 people killed

Inflation in Turkey is up to 85.51% in October

Armenia economy minister on Central Bank: First they said increase would be 4%t, then 1%, then 6%

Borrell thanks UN and Turkey for facilitating Russia's return to the grain deal

Foreign direct investments in Armenia last year totals AMD 129.2bln

Minister: Examination of Armenian soldiers' bodies continues

Jaguar station wagon from Elizabeth II fleet to be sold at auction

IMF plans to provide more than $165 million to Armenia

Marukyan: Baku says Karabakh Armenians should either stay on Azerbaijan terms or leave for 3rd country

Minister of Economy: Armenia's role in Eurasian Economic Union grows

Biden says U.S. troops will stay in Europe for a long time

Vahan Hunanyan: Yerevan and Tehran have no disagreements on most issues

Armenia, Russia to collaborate in information security

Artsakh State Minister: There are many principal disagreements with Armenian authorities

Public TV Company of Armenia to make purchase worth AMD 2 698.6mln for Junior Eurovision 2022

Armenian-Russian trade turnover up by 71.7%, Economy Minister

Secretaries of CIS Security Councils to discuss nuclear security

Economy minister: Armenia exports to other EEU countries increased 2 times

Outgoing Artsakh Minister Artak Beglaryan to take position in state government system

Japan Coast Guard reports 3 North Korean missile launches in a day

Pashinyan says Armenian government did a lot for revival of Armenian aviation

Oil falls in price

Patrushev comments on Zelenskiy's statement about preventive nuclear strike

WSJ: Americans favor Republicans over Democrats

Turkey announces normalization of grain corridor

Gold prices are down

Putin calls on CIS countries security councils to use all their security capabilities

SPRING PR founders were awarded the 'Global PR Leader of the year'

Copper prices are rising

State Duma member proposes to extend term of military service in Russia

Iranian MPs: Powerful Iran will never tolerate changing of its borders

Turkey to complete construction of pipeline in Black Sea in November

Newspaper: Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty to be signed in Georgia

US delivers more than 200 artillery systems to Ukraine since February

Secretary of Armenian Security Council to visit Moscow

Switzerland to direct $100 million to repair energy infrastructure in Ukraine

Study: Blue whales eat 10 million particles of microplastics a day

Microsoft president warns of shortage of staff to fight climate change

Latvia extends state of emergency on Belarus border

WSJ: UAE tried to convince Saudi Arabia not to cut oil production

Cavusoglu: Greece must stop arming the demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea

Moody's downgrades outlook for banks in Germany, Italy, and 4 other countries to negative

About 40 international companies to announce their relocation to UAE by end of year

Israeli Prime Minister cancels participation in climate summit in Egypt

Earthquake strikes in Antalya
It was obvious that the purpose of the attack on the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was to cripple the Russian authority, Russian political scientist Alexander Skakov told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

And, also, to drive a wedge between Turkey and Russia, he added.

According to Skakov, if the Turkish authorities demonstrated an adequate approachas such a position was taken by Ankara till the moment, the authority of Turkey would not suffer.

He considered that the probable organizers of this murder were most likely Islamists (ISIL, or another such organization), that are dissatisfied with the actions of Russia in Syria, and the normalization of relations between Moscow and Ankara.

Alexander Skakov, however, saw no direct connection between the murder of the Russian ambassador and the incident with the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.

On Monday evening, a gunman attacked Russian envoy to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, while the latter was giving a speech at a photo exhibition dedicated to Kamchatka at Cagdas Sanat Merkezi Contemporary Arts Center of Ankara.

The gunman shot the ambassador in the back, following which he uttered words related to Aleppo and Syria as well as shouted Allahu akbar (God is great).

Karlov was rushed to hospital in critical condition, but he could not be saved.

The assailant, who was shot dead by police, was later identified as Ankara police officer Mevlut Mert Altntas.
Ankara intends to continue working together with Moscow, including on settlement of the situation in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stated at the start of his talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

He said Russia and Turkey have shown all through the world what they can achieve through joint efforts, and noted that they plan to continue joint work on settlement of the situation in Syria as well as in overcoming the crisis in their bilateral relations.

In turn, Kremlin was sure that the murder of Russian envoy to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was beneficial to those that wanted to prevent the development of Russia-Turkey relations, including the Syrian settlement.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the architects of this murder wanted to drive a wedge between Turkey and Russia, and prevent the normalization of their relations in all domains, including settlement of the situation in Syria.
STEPANAKERT.  On December 13, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nagorno-Karabakh again visited Azerbaijani prisoners Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, and provided them with an opportunity to exchange family news.

Communication officer of the ICRC Mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, Eteri Musayelyan, informed about the above-said to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

According to its mandate, the ICRC will continue its visits to these individuals in detention on a regular basis to monitor treatment and conditions of detention and help to ensure that the detainees are able to maintain contact with their families, added Musayelyan.

Azerbaijani citizens Shahbaz Guliyev (born in 1968), Dilgam Asgarov (born in 1960), and Hasan Hasanovwho was killed by the Armenian armed forces while rendering these saboteurs ineffectivehad illegally crossed the NKR state border on June 29, 2014, and they were armed with weapons and ammunition. The three had entered the territory of the Shahumyan Region of Karabakh, and as spies, to collect information and carry out espionage.

On July 4, 2014, they had kidnapped and subsequently murdered Karabakh citizen Smbat Tsakanyan, 17, whose body was found on July 15, 2014, and with gunshot wounds, in a forest at the Shahumyan Region.

In addition, on the evening of July 11, 2014, Hasanov had killed Armenia capital city Yerevan resident Sargis Abrahamyan (born in 1971), and severely wounded Armenias Dzoraghbyur village resident Karine Davtyan, on the Vardenis-Karvachar Highway. Hasanov was armed and he resisted arrest; as a result, he was neutralized by the NKR special forces. Guliyev and Asgarov, on the other hand, were detained, and they faced trial in the NKR.

Asgarov was charged with espionage; unauthorized border trespass; kidnapping and violence against a minor, committed by an organized group; murder committed by an organized group motivated by ethnic hatred; and attempt of murder of two persons, committed by an organized group, motivated by ethnic hatred.

Guliyev was charged with espionage; unauthorized border trespass; kidnapping and violence against a minor, committed by an organized group; and murder committed by an organized group motivated by ethnic hatred.

And on December 29, 2014, the First Instance General Jurisdiction Court of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic sentenced Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev to life and 22 years, respectively, in prison.
By PTI: Thane, Dec 20 (PTI) Crime Branch officials today seized Rs 30 lakh, most of them in new Rs 2,000 denomination notes, in two separate cases and detained two persons, including a bank manager, in this regard.

The seizures were made by officials of Crime Branch of Kalyan unit, Thane police and the matter has been referred to the I-T department, Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar said.

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According to the officer, acting on a tip off a police team kept a vigil and first nabbed the manager of a bank and recovered from his possession 622 notes of Rs 2,000 denomination (valued at Rs 12.44 lakh).

The police apprehended another person and recovered from him 831 notes of Rs 2,000 value (totalling Rs 16,62,000), he said.

According to the police, they also recovered currency of other denominations totalling Rs 97,820 from the bank manager.

Both have been detained for questioning, they added. PTI COR RSY

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We are shocked to lose a dear friend of Turkey, said the Charge d'affaires of the Turkish embassy in New Delhi.

The Russian ambassador in Turkey was gunned down at an art exhibition in Ankara..

By Smita Sharma: A day after Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was killed by a lone gunman at an art exhibition in Ankara, India Today spoke with Umet, who is Charge d'affaires (diplomat heading the embassy in the absence of an ambassador) of the Turkish embassy in New Delhi.

He was shocked to "lose a dear friend of Turkey", and said the two countries, Turkey and Russia, will not let this incident hamper the dialogue to "achieve peace and stability" in the region.

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Here are excerpts from the interview: Reaction to the attack: We are shocked to lose such a dear friend of Turkey. He has been an exceptional person. I have known him personally. This is a heinous terror attack. Our security forces and government will leave no stone unturned to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice. On possible gulenist links: At this point, the investigation is on and so I am leaving it to the investigators to find out the exact links behind this heinous attack. On impact on Russia-turkey ties: We are two responsible actors on the world stage. We will not allow such heinous acts to sway us from our way. We will not allow such attempts to impede the dialogue between the two countries to achieve peace and stability in the region. Meanwhile, India has condemned the attack on the Russian ambassador. "We are deeply saddened and shocked by this dastardly act. We offer our condolences to the family of Ambassador Andrey Karlov and share their pain and grief. There can never be any justification for violence and terrorism," said the Ministry of External Affairs.

Turkey's Charge d'affaires signs the condolence book at the Russian embassy in New Delhi.

ALSO READ: Shooter smashed photos on wall: Eyewitness account of Russian ambassador's assassination

ALSO WATCH

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The Armenian side doesnt consider Azerbaijan as a neighbor, who it is possible to hold talks with and leave aside unsettled issues.

MP of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Artak Zakaryan, who is also the Chairman of the standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, told the aforementioned at a press-conference on Tuesday.

According to him, Armenia has a neighbor, who still hopes that the Karabakh conflict can be solved in a military way, relying on ones own economic resources.

The Karabakh issue is perhaps one of the unique problems in the world, which can have no military solution even in case of prevalence of economic resources. And if Azerbaijan nevertheless tries to follow the military solution of the conflict, it will further call into question its own expectations from the negotiation process on Karabakh issue, Zakaryan stressed.
By PTI: ban row

Kolkata, Dec 20 (PTI) TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is in the forefront of anti- demonetisation protests, today said a senior party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay has received three calls from CBI but that will not deter the party from fighting the note ban. Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not be cowed down by the "Centres tactics of browbeating my party."

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Stating that Bandopadhyay, who is TMC parliamentary party leader in Lok Sabha, has received three calls from the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI), she said, "Nothing will deter us from the fight against demonetisation".

When contacted, Bandopadhyay told PTI that he has received three calls from CBI.

"I called them (CBI) back. They said you have to come to our office", he said.

Bandopadhyay is also the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways.

Banerjee had yesterday attacked the Modi government, saying it did not understand the hardship faced by people who had turned fakirs after demonetisation.

"Realising the peoples difficulties, Venezuela withdrew the decision on demonetisation, but the Modi government doesnt listen to anyone," she had said. PTI SUN KK GSN GSN

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NYC Tops 60 Million Visitors in 2016

"We are the safest, most culturally rich, most exciting city in the country. Every time visitors come, they can experience something new, said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. "We are focused on making sure the benefits of tourism stretch into every borough and every community."

For the first time, New York City will have more than 60 million visitors this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Dec. 19. He said the total will be 60.3 million, and 2016 is the seventh consecutive year of travel and tourism growth in the city, with 15,000 jobs added over 2015 and hotel demand expanded by 1.2 million room nights sold.

"Not only has 2016 brought the largest number of visitors in New York City history, but it also caps off seven years of strong tourism growth and 15,000 more jobs for New Yorkers," he said. "More tourism means we have more people investing in New York City and are able to create more sustainable jobs for more people. New York is a culturally rich and diverse city with so much to offer those who visit. I look forward to continue promoting this beautiful city and welcoming all those who visit in the future."

"We are the safest, most culturally rich, most exciting city in the country. Every time visitors come, they can experience something new, said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. "We are focused on making sure the benefits of tourism stretch into every borough and every community."

The city has topped its forecast earlier this year of 59.7 million; in 2015, a total of 58.5 million people visited NYC. Travel and tourism in the city now sustains more than 375,000 jobs.

Visitors from the United States this year represent a forecasted 47.6 million visitors and an estimated 12.65 million international visitors, both all-time highs, are expected by year's end. About 6.15 people attended meetings in the city during this year. For 2017, NYC & Company is forecasting the city will welcome approximately 61.8 million visitors, with 48.7 million domestic travelers and 13.1 million international visitors.
Inside This Deadly Year for Law Enforcement

On September 11, 2001, two planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. On that day, hundreds of police officers volunteered to help save people who may be trapped inside the collapsing buildings. On that day, 72 officers lost their lives pulling people from the rubble. On that day, law enforcement showed American citizens what it truly meant to run into the danger, because it is their job.

Since 9/11 weve seen many examples of police running into the danger to save citizens, but not quite like we have this year.

In total, 137 officers have died in 2016 in the line of duty. Of those 137 officers, total of 64 were killed by gunfire, the most since 2011 when 73 officers were fatally shot. Out of those 64, at least 14 were killed in ambush style attacks.

On July 7, four Dallas police officers and one Dallas transit officer lost their lives when Micah Xavier Johnson open fired from a parking garage into the streets of downtown. Nine others were injured before police eventually neutralized Johnson using a bomb strapped to a bomb disposal robot. The event was coined, The Deadliest Day for Law Enforcement since 9/11.

In the early hours of July 8, Dallas Police Chief David Brown gave a press conference to local media where he explained the events of the night, those lost and those fighting in the hospitals. He also took a minute to brag on his department.

Brown explained that it was easy to determine that officers were the target of Johnsons attack from the amount of law enforcement down from the beginning of the shooting. That didnt matter to the hundreds of police, SWAT, deputies and FBI agents that swarmed to the scene of the crime. These officers knew they were specifically in the line of danger, yet they came. The ran into the danger to help civilians find a safe place, pull their brothers in blue of the line of fire and moved closer to the suspect who was keen on taking out as many members of law enforcement as possible.

I wish I could say this was the only example of this type of heroism this year.

Just ten days later, six Baton Rouge officers were shot at while responding to a call of a suspicious person. Gavin Long was seen walking around the area with a rifle. Due to open carry laws in Louisiana, the call was downplayed, but two officers responded to the scene to question him. They did not, at the time, have any probable cause to arrest.

Within two minutes of the first officers arriving shots were fired, killing one officer and wounding the other. When backup responded to help the wounded officer, Long shot and killed the responding officer and also shot the wounded officer and killed him, too. Long shot at and wounded three other officers in his ambush before he was taken down by a SWAT team member who took aim at him from about 100 yards away. The entire incident lasted less than ten minutes.

In total, 16 police officers have died as the result of an ambush-style attack in 2016, a 167 percent increase.

In addition to the disturbing growth in ambush-style attacks, officers killed while responding to suspicious persons or domestic disturbances is also on the rise.

Most recently, two officers in Americus, Georgia were shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute at a local apartment complex. Americus police officer Nick Smarr was en route to the scene when Georgia Southwestern State University police officer Jody Smith heard radio chatter and decided to arrive on scene as backup.

When the two officers came into contact with the suspect, they were both shot in the head. Smarr tried to preform CPR on Smith before finally succumbing to his wound. Smith died hours later after being transported to the hospital.

Later that day those following the story would find out that Smarr and Smith had been best friends from high school. Smith was to be married in May of 2017 and asked Smarr to be his best man.

This deadly year for law enforcement has shined a light on what it is really like to put your life on the line every single day. These selfless officers have families, friends and pets waiting for them at home, yet they run into the danger to pull others out of harm's way.

Next time you see an officer, shake his or her hand and let them know how much their work is appreciated.

Below is a Twitter moment that lists all the members of law enforcement that lost their lives to gunfire in 2016.
Exchanging Foreign Currency in Singapore? Heres a Way to Decide Which Money Changer to Visit

Before you head overseas for your end-of-year vacation, youll need money. And of course, youll head to the nearest money changer to exchange your hard-earned Singapore Dollars into the currency of your destination country.

Smart travellers always do this in advance, because they know two things: firstly, the money changers at Changi Airport are essentially ripping you off, and secondly, theres always a queue at the best money changers around the island.

Wait what do you mean the money changers at the Airport are ripping me off?

Lets think about it this way  youre all packed, everythings in order, and then you realise that you still havent gotten any overseas currency (and you know that using your credit card overseas will incur significant fees). Your only option? The 24-hour money changers at the Airport, all of which are run by banks. Theyre conveniently placed at each Terminal, of course, but they also take advantage of your urgency to offer you really poor rates.

But even for those who take the time to exchange money early, you could still be losing out

There are almost 400 licensed money changers in Singapore, all over the island. Many of them are independent private businesses, which means they can buy and sell currency at rates determined by them. Sure, you could just head to the one that is most convenient for you, especially if you dont plan to change a large amount of money. But if youre going to be changing more than $1,000 in Singapore Dollars, then you could be saving a significant amount of money by shopping around for the best rate.

As an illustration, say you and your friends want to live like royalty in Japan, and youre looking to get 500,000 Japanese Yen for your upcoming holiday. If one money changer is selling Yen at a rate of 1,000 JPY for S$12.60, then as a group you can expect to exchange S$6,300.00 to get your desired amount. But if another money changer offers a lower rate of 1,000 JPY for $12.50, then you can save S$50 by going to this money changer instead! Thats enough to get one of you a decent omakase meal.

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But how will we know which money changer has the best rates?

Some money changers have a reputation for consistently giving good rates for some currencies, but the truth of the matter is, theres really no way of knowing who has the best rates for a particular currency on any given day. Frequent travellers may form groups on social media or forums to update one another, but for the rest of us who travel maybe once or twice a year, we will probably want to get this information quickly and conveniently.

Now theres a site out there which allows you to see money changer rates all over Singapore

Its called CashChanger and it gives you up-to-date rates for 13 currencies. Started only about 7 months ago, it now provides information from over 80 money changers in Singapore.

Wah, only around 80 money changers in Singapore?

Yes, they only have information from 20% of the almost 400 money changers in the country, but among these 80 are some of the more popular money changers, such as those based at The Arcade and Peoples Park, so you know youre still getting the most competitive rates in Singapore. The CashChanger team is working hard to get more money changers listing their rates in Singapore.

Who updates the rates on the site and how often do they get updated?

Because this is a free service, it relies on the help of both their money changer partners who can update their own rates directly on the site, as well as a WhatsApp chat community of over 150 members to contribute rates on a daily basis. CashChanger also relies on email updates from the public as well as their live chat widget on the site.

Having so many different sources ensures that the exchange rates are up-to-date and reliable. Since all rate data comes timestamped, the more recent the update, the more reliable the rate. If a money changers rate has not been updated on CashChanger for days, chances are their rates wouldve changed by then.

Hmmm Im looking at their website and it seems like most of their money changers are in town

Because of the number of money changers in the Raffles Place and Harbourfront area, its understandable that they would have the most competition and therefore the best rates. But what happens when youre not interested in travelling across the island to exchange money?

As CashChanger grows, theyre hoping to give you the best rates by area, and they can only do this by getting more money changers on their platform. If your preferred money changer isnt on CashChanger, show them the site on your mobile and let them know that they can get more business by showcasing their competitive rates online.

In a business that thrives on competition like money changers, its important that a comparison site like CashChanger is able to provide as much information as possible, making exchanging currencies transparent and up-to-date.

Are there other services like CashChanger in the market today?

Yes, there is a mobile app called Get4x which has been around for a couple of years now. It also claims to be able to provide exchange rates from money changers across the island. They have also recently introduced the ability to book a currency exchange rate. This means that you can lock in the rate you want, without having to be present at the money changer. Then, later in the day you can just head down to the money changer to pick it up.

There are three issues with Get4x however. Firstly, they dont allow you to see the money changers details until you sign in to the app and provide your contact details. Secondly, the rates you see are not actual rates  theyre estimated rates with a (usually) small margin of error. That means you might not actually be seeing the best rates in Singapore.

Thirdly, the Request to Book feature isnt available for most of the popular money changers in Singapore, and at the moment, the app doesnt really display which money changers allow this feature. Hopefully that changes in the near future.

Do you have a preferred money changer? Why do you frequent them? Let us know.

The post Exchanging Foreign Currency in Singapore? Heres a Way to Decide Which Money Changer to Visit appeared first on the MoneySmart blog.

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Rahul Mukerjea termed the charges against Peter as 'very unfair' while questioning the basis of the central investigating agency's probe into the case.

By Vidya : As hearing into the sensational Sheena Bora murder case proceeded for the second day today in a CBI court, Rahul Mukerjea, son of former media baron Peter Mukerjea came out in the defence of his father.

Rahul put out two tweets from his personal handle terming the charges against Peter as 'very unfair' while questioning the basis of the central investigating agency's probe into the case.

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"Why would he (Peter) come back to India? He could have fled from the country after the arrest of his wife's (Indrani) arrest. But he didn't. He should not be framed in the case, it is very unfair," he wrote.

This is not the first time that Rahul is seen defending his father. Rahul believes CBI's theory of murder only till the point where Indrani's involvement in the murder is concerned. Peter is a British citizen and according to Rahul if he was involved in the murder then he would not have remained in India after Indrani's arrest.

Though the process of framing of charges is yet to complete with the agency just opening the case and saying what all evidence they have to prove that the three accused in the case are indeed guilty.

Also read: Sheena Bora murder: Peter Mukerjea ordered to do niece's kanyadaan through video conference

WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE CASE TILL NOW: According to CBI's counsel Bharat Badami, Peter Mukherjea's justification that he was in London cannot prove that he was not aware about the crime. "Indrani made calls to Peter just after the murder. A day after the crime, Peter did not return to Mumbai to attend a society meeting of his Worli residence," said Badami. Indrani's lawyer Gunjan Mangla addressed the special CBI court after the hearing yesterday and requested it to take action against the CBI officials for not informing Indrani about her father's demise. Her father Upendra Kumar Bora passed away in Guwahati, Assam last week. Sheena (24) was strangled by Indrani, Sanjeev Khanna (Indrani's ex husband) and Indrani's former driver Shyamvar Rai in a car in April 2012. Her body was then dumped in a forest in Raigad district. The incident came to light in August 2015 when Rai was arrested for possession of illegal weapons. He later turned approver in the case.

Watch the video here

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Also read: Sheena Bora murder: CBI commences arguments for framing of charges against Peter, Indrani and Khanna

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Incoming presidential administrations like to get off to a fresh start with other powerful players on the world stage, and that includes Russia in particular.

George W. Bush famously said he found a window to Vladimir Putins soul. I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy, the new president said in 2001. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."

Related: Russian State Media Warns that Trump Is Facing a Coup dEtat

Barack Obama, through his first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, tried to reset relations with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. And it seemed to work for a while  at least until Vladimir Putin came back to the presidency in 2012.

Now Donald Trump will have a chance to rebuild Americas frayed relations with Russia. However, due to numerous complications  including his history of pro-Putin statements, his comments during the campaign, a former aides ties to Moscow, Russian attempts to disrupt the U.S. election, and more  the president-elect finds himself in a tricky place.

How did he get here? Heres a brief history of Trumps comments about Russia and his bromance with Putin:

June 2013 Trump, then a private businessman controlling beauty pageants, among other interests, tweets: Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?

March 2014 Trump tweets: "Putin has become a big hero in Russia with an all time high popularity. Obama, on the other hand, has fallen to his lowest ever numbers. SAD"

May 2014 Trump tweets: "I was in Moscow recently and I spoke, indirectly and directly, with President Putin, who could not have been nicer, and we had a tremendous success."

July 2015 Trump tells reporters: I think I would get along well with [Putin]. He hates Obama, Obama hates him.

December 2015 Putin calls Trump "a very lively man, talented without doubt" who is the "absolute leader in the presidential race."

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Trump responds by saying: It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond."

February 2016 Trump says at a rally: "I have no relationship with [Putin] other than he called me a genius. He said Donald Trump is a genius and he is going to be the leader of the party and he's going to be the leader of the world or something."

June 2016 Russian hackers penetrate the electronic files of the Democratic National Committee.

Related: Why a Routine Investigation into the Russian Hack Attack Is Not Good Enough

July 22, 2016 Wikileaks releases about 30,000 emails and attachments hacked from the DNC.

July 25, 2016 Trump tweets: The new joke in town is that Russia leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should never have been written (stupid), because Putin likes me.

July 27, 2016 Trump says "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing." He later says he was joking. At the same news conference, he says: I never met Putin. I don't know who Putin is. He said one nice thing about me. He said I'm a genius  I would treat Vladimir Putin firmly but there's nothing that I can think of that I'd rather do than have Russia friendly as opposed to the way they are right now so that we can go and knock out ISIS together with other people and with other countries. Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people, wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along, as an example, with Russia? I'm all for it and let's go get ISIS because we have to get ISIS and we have to get them fast. But he declines to tell Russia not to meddle in the U.S. election, saying: "I'm not going to tell Putin what to do. Why should I tell Putin what to do?"

July 31, 2016 Trump says on a Sunday talk show that Russia will never go into Ukraine even though it already annexed Crimea in 2014. In tweets, he walks back that gaffe.

August 2016 NBC News identifies Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort as a longtime Republican political operative, as a key player in multimillion-dollar business propositions with Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs  one of them a close Putin ally with alleged ties to organized crime  which foreign policy experts said raised questions about the pro-Russian bent of the Trump candidacy.

Manaforts name is found on a secret ledger suggesting that he received $12.7 million for representing a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine, The New York Times reports. A short time later, Manafort is ousted from the Trump campaign and replaced by Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway.

The FBI has opened a preliminary inquiry into Manaforts dealings.

September 2016 Trump says Putin "has been a leader far more than our president has been."

Related: Team Trump Is Singing from Putins Songbook on DNC Hacks

October 7, 2016 Wikileaks releases 50,000 emails stolen from Hillary Clinton campaign chief John Podesta. The Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Michael McCaul, calls it a direct provocation against our people and our democracy. The Russian government has now targeted members of both political parties and appears intent on undermining confidence in our electoral process.

October 9, 2016 During a debate, Trump says: I notice any time anything wrong happens, they like to say The Russians! Maybe there is no hacking. But they always blame Russia and the reason they blame Russia is because they think they are trying to tarnish me with Russia."

December 9, 2016 The Washington Post reports that in a secret assessment, the CIA believes that Russian hacking was intended to undermine the electoral process and tilt the election to Trump. The New York Times reports that the Republican National Committee was hacked, too, but no data was released. The Trump transition team issues a statement saying in reference to the Central Intelligence Agency: These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

December 11, 2016 RNC Chairman Reince Prebius, slated to be chief of staff in the Trump White House, denies that the RNC was hacked. Trump says on Fox News Sunday that U.S. intelligence has no idea who was behind the hacks. "It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. I mean, they have no idea, he says. Senator John McCain calls for a select committee to investigate the hacking.

December 16, 2016 President Obama says Putin must have been aware of the hacking.

December 18, 2016 Prebius says that Trump will accept the conclusion that Russia was behind the hacking if there is a consensus within the intelligence community, including the FBI. News reports have said the FBI concurs in the CIA assessment, but Prebius said Trump would accept the conclusion if these intelligence professionals would get together, put out a report, show the American people that they are actually on the same page. McCain and three other senators (including two Democrats) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for a select committee to be appointed. McConnell has said the hacking should be investigated by standing Senate committees but hasnt yet endorse the notion of a special tribunal.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
(Bloomberg) -- Vedanta Resources Plcs Zambian unit must pay the southern African countrys majority state-owned mining investment company about $103 million after a London ruling related to a copper-price agreement.

ZCCM Investments Holdings obtained a default judgment in the U.K.s High Court of Justice against Konkola Copper Mines on Dec. 16, it said in an e-mailed statement Monday. KCM said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday that its consulting with ZCCM-IH and other relevant stakeholders to resolve all outstanding issues within 30 days, in accordance with the courts ruling.

KCM hadnt paid the money owed under the copper-price participation deal because of operational and financial challenges, ZCCM-IH, which has a 20.6 percent shareholding in Konkola, said in its 2015 annual report. The Vedanta unit was in talks with ZCCM-IH and the government to pay the claim, which needed to be settled from available cash flows, KCM Chief Executive Officer Steven Din said Nov. 10. The company was at that point hoping to resolve the matter out of court, after ZCCM-IH filed the case in June, he told investors on a call.

We are working together to resolve this matter amicably, Din told reporters at a joint press briefing with ZCCM-IH in Lusaka, Zambias capital, on Tuesday.

The court ruled that ZCCM-IH is entitled to recover more money from KCM if its found that the company transferred funds to Vedanta, which would have been in breach of the pricing agreement.

ZCCM-IH is also claiming damages from First Quantum Minerals Kansanshi unit in Zambia, in which it has a 20 percent shareholding, in the Lusaka High Court, and has started arbitration proceedings in London over the same matter related to a loan it said Kansanshi gave First Quantum that wasnt at arms length terms. First Quantum denies any wrongdoing.

(Updates with KCM chief executives comment in fourth paragraph.)

To contact the reporters on this story: Matthew Hill in Johannesburg at mhill58@bloomberg.net, Taonga Clifford Mitimingi in Johannesburg at tmitimingi@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net, John Viljoen, Michael Gunn

2016 Bloomberg L.P.
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Former colonial power Belgium said on Tuesday that it will "re-examine" its relations with Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila after he failed to step down when his mandate expired on Monday. Kabila, who has ruled since 2001, was required by constitutional term limits to leave office but his government says the presidential election to replace him cannot take place until 2018. "As there is no inclusive agreement, relations between Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo will be re-examined, with the greatest circumspection for any new engagement with the current authorities," the statement said. (Reporting By Aaron Ross; Editing by Tim Cocks/Jeremy Gaunt)
Top-ranking North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-Ho, whose recent defection gifted a major propaganda coup to the South, vowed Monday to devote himself to exposing the cruelties of the Pyongyang regime and encouraging others to escape. South Korean lawmakers who met with Thae in Seoul told the Yonhap news agency that he had fleshed out his reasons for defecting and testified to the precarious lives of senior officials in the North and the "capitalist" survival techniques of ordinary North Koreans. Thae was living in London as the deputy ambassador to Britain when he escaped to the South with his wife and two sons in August -- becoming one of the highest-ranking diplomats ever to defect. The North's state media denounced him as "human scum", and accused him of embezzling state funds, raping a minor and spying for South Korea in exchange for money. According to lawmaker Lee Cheol-Woo, Thae said he had become increasingly aware of the "gruesome realities" of North Korea under leader Kim Jong-Un and decided defection was the only option. Thae promised to devote his life to "freeing the North Korean people from repression and persecution," Lee told Yonhap. "I will engage in public activities even if it threatens my own safety," he quoted Thae as saying. Intelligence agents who had been debriefing Thae since his arrival in Seoul told the lawmakers that he would be released from protective custody on Friday. For all North Korean defectors, life in the South begins with intensive interrogation by the National Intelligence Service that can last for months and is aimed at weeding out possible spies. Most are then sent to a resettlement centre for three months' training, after which they are free to start new lives in South Korean society. - Bugged homes - Thae said life for high-level officials in North Korea could be extremely insecure, and it was perfectly normal for their homes to be bugged and monitored for any hint of disloyalty. Lee told Yonhap that Thae had confirmed the execution of North Korea's then-defence minister, Hyon Yong-Chol, in 2015. "The reason Hyon Yong-Chol was executed was because he said the wrong things at home," Thae was quoted as saying. The NIS had previously suggested Hyon was purged and executed for dozing off during events presided over by Kim Jong-Un. Thae also described how many ordinary North Koreans had taken to small-sized market enterprise to help feed themselves given the failures of the state food distribution system. "Although North Korea is under a socialist system, it is basically running in a capitalist form," Thae was quoted as saying. "Now, rather than relying on the party, people have learned many ways for survival on their own," he added. Thae said more senior officials would defect from the North if they were less concerned about making a new life in the South, and urged Seoul to offer jobs and opportunities to encourage more to escape. Following Thae's arrival and several other high-profile defection cases, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye told her government in October to prepare for a large-scale influx of North Koreans. Rejecting the criminal charges Pyongyang levelled against him as "completely untrue," Thae told the lawmakers that he had balanced out his embassy account and taken a photo as proof in anticipation of future embezzlement allegations.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russia's ambassador to Turkey on Monday in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit and then, pacing near the body of his victim, appeared to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"

The leaders of Turkey and Russia said the attack in Ankara, the Turkish capital, was an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as the gunman, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around Ambassador Andrei Karlov as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

The assailant, who was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old member of Ankara's riot police squad, was later killed in a shootout with police. Three other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.

The assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Russia's support for President Bashar Assad in the Syrian conflict and Russia's role in the bombardment and destruction of Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

The gunman shouted about Aleppo in Turkish, and also yelled "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great," continuing in Arabic: "We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad."

The attack, condemned by the White House and the United Nations, was another sign of how Turkey, a NATO member and a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State group, is struggling to contain multiple security threats. The war in Syria has been a major problem for years, sending several million refugees into Turkey and, more recently, drawing in Turkish troops.

Turkey has become accustomed to deadly attacks  Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for Dec. 10 bombings in Istanbul that killed 44 people, many of them police.

Story continues

The spectacle of 62-year-old Karlov's assassination by a member of the Turkish security forces at a photography exhibit meant to highlight Russian culture reinforced the sense of unease over the region's conflict and complex web of alliances and relationships.

It came a day before a key meeting about Syria to be held in Moscow. Those attending include the foreign and defense ministers from Turkey, an opponent of Assad, and Russia and Iran, backers of the Syrian regime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the killing of Karlov as an attempt to damage Russia-Turkey ties "and to thwart a peace process in Syria which Russia, Turkey and Iran have been actively trying to promote."

Putin said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in a phone call that Russian investigators would fly to Ankara to conduct a joint probe with their Turkish counterparts.

"We must know who was directing the killer," Putin said in televised remarks. He ordered top officials to strengthen protection of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow and asked Turkey to increase security at the Russian mission in Ankara.

In a video message shown on several Turkish TV channels, Erdogan said: "This is a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation."

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in Ankara when he was gunned down.

Altintas, the gunman, also fired shots in the air, sending panicked audience members running for cover, and smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition. The floor was splattered with blood, and the ambassador's eye glasses lay a few feet from his body.

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman got into a 15-minute shootout with police before he was killed, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The shooter's family home in the western province of Aydin was later searched and his mother, father and sister were detained, the news agency said, without citing sources. The man's house in Ankara was raided and his roommate, also a police officer, was also taken into custody, it said.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Altintas, who was born in 1994, had been an officer with Ankara's riot police squad for more than two years. He did not give a motive for the attack.

"It's a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Ambassador Karlov has made a lot of personal contributions to the development of ties with Turkey. He has done a lot to overcome a crisis in bilateral relations," she said. "He was a man who put his heart and his soul into his job. It's a terrible loss for us and also the world."

Karlov joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang from 2001-2006, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministry's consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

The White House condemned the assassination, saying "this heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable," President Barack Obama was briefed by his national security team while on vacation in Hawaii

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned what he called a "senseless act of terror," for which "there can be no justification."

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November 2015, but Turkey's apology earlier this year helped overcome the rift. Putin and Erdogan have held several meetings in recent months and spoken frequently over the phone.

Russia and Turkey have co-sponsored the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo and also discussed the prospect of organizing a new round of peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Security threats to Turkey include the Islamic State group, and which has been blamed for attacks in Turkey. Additionally, Turkish security forces and courts remain preoccupied with purging state institutions of the supporters of an exiled Islamist cleric whom the government accuses of staging a failed coup attempt in July.

___

Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report.
Look in any refrigerator around the country and youll probably see a lot of different labels that indicate expiration dates. But best by, use by and sell by dont all mean the same thing. And that can get a bit confusing for consumers, many of whom end up wasting a lot of food thats not actually expired.

So the U.S. Department of Agriculture is recommending that meat, egg and dairy manufacturers use just one label  best if used by. The actual labeling will still be left up to each individual company. But having one consistent standard makes a lot of sense for consumers, the environment and food companies.

Best if used by is a label that lets customers know when food is past its peak freshness, even if its not technically expired. So consumers can make the determination on their own whether their food is fresh enough to actually eat by using the smell test.

Consistency and Customer Satisfaction Go Hand-in-Hand

And having one standard labeling system can eliminate a lot of the confusion for food shoppers, since they theoretically wont have to compare the freshness of food that uses completely different labeling standards. And even improving the customer experience in that seemingly small way can potentially get customers to buy more often and boost customer satisfaction.
Amazon completed its first drone delivery Wednesday in the U.K. and not in the U.S., marking the debut of its comprehensive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) shipping service.

This was a direct manifestation of Americas burdensome regulations, which seem to be forcing Amazon, and other businesses, to take their drone technology abroad.

The fact that Amazon chose to go overseas to experiment with drone delivery is totally unsurprising. FAA rules prohibit drone flights that are entirely autonomous or beyond the line of sight of human operators, Eli Dourado, the director of the Technology Policy Program at the Mercatus Center, told The Daily Caller News Foundation (TheDCNF), alluding to the fact that UAV operators in America have to be within direct control and direct eye sight of the drone. The UK and several other countries have taken more pro-innovation regulatory positions. Really, Amazon had no other choice than to do these tests abroad.

Delay the Result of FAA Drone Regulations?

Dourado and Ryan Hagemann, technology and civil liberties policy analyst at the Niskanen Center, pin much of the blame on the FAAs overarching skeptical view of such technology as a problem.

Dourado referred to it as a culture of complacency, and Hagemann calls it a dragging of the feet, saying that America not only has a relatively poor regulatory framework, but also didnt come up with a framework in a timely manner.

Research, development, and testing of drones started going overseas years ago as a result of the FAA dragging its feet on establishing clear rules for commercial operations, Hagemann told TheDCNF.

Once the agency finally released its rules, most of the major companies looking into large-scale commercial drone operations were already committed to Canada, the U.K., and elsewhere.

Amazon, the supply chain and retail company delivered an Amazon Fire TV stick and a bag of popcorn to a customer in Cambridge, U.K., according to the Daily Mirror.

It apparently only took 13 minutes from the moment the purchase button was clicked to having the order in the consumers hands.

First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in the books. 13 minclick to delivery. Check out the video: https://t.co/Xl8HiQMA1S pic.twitter.com/5HGsmHvPlE  Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 14, 2016

The UK is a leader in enabling drone innovation  weve been investing in Prime Air research and development here for quite some time, Paul Misener, Amazons Vice President of Global Innovation Policy and Communications, said, according to the Daily Mirror.

The UK is charting a path forward for drone technology that will benefit consumers, industry and society, he continued.

This milestone in drone technology could have happened in America, but Amazon chose the country with a regulatory climate that is more conducive to proper UAV testing and subsequent application.

US based companies want to innovate, but this is yet another case where agencies stand in the way of progress, Will Rinehart, director of technology and innovation policy at American Action Forum, told The DCNF.

Dourado suggests that the FDA aggressively purge the culture of complacency at the FAA and that Congress should give the FAA a mandate to pursue innovation.

Aside from operationalizing commercial drones, the United States is still a major leader in new emerging technology deployment, Hagemann continued, referencing autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles.

While UAVs and their implementation into distribution services may not be a completely lost prospect for the U.S., the country is surely behind in the race.

Drones are the biggest example of an emerging technology that has off-shored from the United States simply because of the regulatory strictures in place, Hagemann explained.

Republished by permission. Original here.
Freelancers in New York City just became the beneficiaries of a new law intended to protect their rights.

The Freelance Isnt Free Act (FIFA) was passed by the city council in October and goes into effect in May 2017.

NYC Freelance Law Details

The law requires written contracts for freelance projects worth $800 or more over six months, allows freelancers to file complaints with the Department of Labor Standards against non- and late-paying clients and institutes penalties against those found guilty of nonpayment.

(By definition of the statute, a freelancer is an independent contractor or any other worker not in a traditional employee-employer relationship.)

A blog post, written by the Freelancers Union, an advocacy organization for independent workers, in response to the laws passage, calls this a historic moment, landmark victory and a testament to what can happen when people come together around a common cause. (Freelancers Union members had been collectively campaigning for a year.)

Today, 38 percent of workers in NYC freelance and its about time our labor laws were updated to protect freelancers, the post said. With 55 million Americans freelancing across the country, we hope to replicate this legislation in other freelance-friendly cities across the nation.

FIFA is the first law of its kind in that country, but its reasonable to think other municipalities will follow suit, especially if pressured by labor advocacy groups like the Freelancers Union.

What This Means for Small Businesses In and Out of New York City

Carol Roth, a business advisor, writing for Entrepreneur, said that small business owners should consult with an attorney to review their existing contracts and practices concerning hiring independent contractors.

It will also behoove any employer to visit the newly created New York City Office of Labor Standards before the law goes into effect, she said. The new law provides education resources with sample contracts.

Roth suggested that businesses outside of New York City also review their hiring practices and adopt some of the new laws provisions, to be prepared in the event their city or state passes similar legislation.

Advice for Freelancers

Roth advised freelancers based in New York City to acquaint themselves with the rights afforded by the law and, as they sign contracts, ensure the business owner is equally well aware of its stipulations.

She also stated that while its a good rule to put all collaborations into writing, laws can often have unintended consequences.

[M]ake sure to keep an eye on this one as you proceed with running your business or freelance practice, she said.
Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici was covering a photo exhibition in Ankara when a gunman opened fire, assassinating Russia's ambassador to Turkey. He recounts the chaos that unfolded as he captured the scene.

By AP: The event seemed routine, the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia. So when a man in a dark suit and tie pulled out a gun, I was stunned and thought it was a theatrical flourish.

Instead, it was a coolly calculated assassination, unfolding in front of me and others who scrambled, terrified, for cover as the trim man with short hair gunned down the Russian ambassador.

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The gunshots, at least eight of them, were loud in the pristine art gallery. Pandemonium erupted. People screamed, hid behind columns and under tables and lay on the floor. I was afraid and confused, but found partial cover behind a wall and did my job: taking photographs.

Source: AP

GUNSHOTS AND PANIC

The exhibition, titled "From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, from the eyes of travelers" featured photos from Russia's westernmost Baltic region to the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the east. I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the Ankara office.

When I arrived, the speeches had already begun. After Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov began to make his address, I moved closer to photograph him, thinking the pictures would come in useful for stories on Turkish-Russian relations.

ALSO READ: Killing of Russia's ambassador a ploy to wreck Syrian peace process: Putin

He was speaking softly and, from what I could tell, lovingly about his homeland, stopping occasionally to allow the translator to relay his words in Turkish. I remember thinking how calm and humble he seemed.

Then came the gunshots in quick succession, and panic in the audience. The ambassador's body lay on the floor, just meters (yards) away from me. I couldn't see any blood around him; I think he may have been shot in the back.

Source: AP

It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened: A man had died in front of me; a life had disappeared before my eyes.

DESPERATE, CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

I moved back and to the left, while the gunman, later identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, gestured with his gun at people cowering on the right side of the room.

At first, I couldn't figure out what had motivated the shooter. I thought he might be a Chechen militant. But people later said he was shouting about the Syrian city of Aleppo.

So he was probably angry about Russian bombardments of Aleppo that were aimed at driving out anti-government rebels. Many civilians have been killed in the fighting.

Source: AP

He also shouted "Allahu akbar," but I couldn't understand the rest of what he said in Arabic.

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The gunman was agitated. He walked around the ambassador's body, smashing some of the photos hanging on the wall.

ALSO READ: Attack on Russian ambassador heinous: White House

I was, of course, fearful and knew of the danger if the gunman turned toward me. But I advanced a little and photographed the man as he hectored his desperate, captive audience.

STANDING LIKE A FRIEND

This is what I was thinking: "I'm here. Even if I get hit and injured, or killed, I'm a journalist. I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos. ... But I wouldn't have a proper answer if people later ask me: 'Why didn't you take pictures?'"

I even thought about friends and colleagues who have died while taking photographs in conflict zones over the years.

As my mind raced, I saw that the man was agitated, and yet, he was, strangely, in control of himself. He shouted at everyone to stand back. Security guards ordered us to vacate the hall and we left.

Source: AP

Ambulances and armoured vehicles soon arrived and the police operation was launched. The gunman was later killed in a shootout.

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When I returned to the office to edit my photos, I was shocked to see that the shooter was actually standing behind the ambassador as he spoke. Like a friend, or a bodyguard.

ALSO WATCH

--- ENDS ---
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By Francois Murphy and Kirsti Knolle VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian voters roundly rejected on Sunday a candidate vying to become the first freely elected far-right head of state in Europe since World War Two, halting at least temporarily the wave of populism sweeping Western democracies. The runoff vote was a litmus test, since it was a re-run of a vote held in May, before Britain voted to leave the European Union and Americans elected Donald Trump as president. Norbert Hofer of the anti-immigration Freedom Party lost the May election by less than a percentage point, and polls had for months shown the race too close to call. But within minutes of polls closing it was clear he had lost to former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen, who had put the June Brexit referendum at the centre of his campaign, saying Hofer would lead Austria down the same road as Britain and warning voters not to "play with this fire". "A red, white and red signal of hope and of positive change is being beamed from Vienna through Europe," Van der Bellen said in a victory speech, referring to the colours on Austria's flag. "I will be a pro-European president of Austria open to the world." With only postal ballots left to count, a projection by pollster SORA for broadcaster ORF showed Van der Bellen on 53.3 percent and Hofer on 46.7 percent with a margin of error of 0.4 percentage points. Turnout was roughly a percentage point higher than in May, at 74 percent. That election had to be re-run because of irregularities in counting the votes. The result dealt a blow to populists who had hoped anti-establishment anger had grown enough since the Brexit referendum and Trump's triumph to sweep Hofer into office. The closely watched vote also came before elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands next year. European governments breathed a sigh of relief at the result, as they had done after the May runoff. "A weight has fallen from all of Europe's shoulders," said German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat. "If the projections are confirmed, the result of the election in Austria is a clear victory for reason against right-wing populism." What effect the Brexit and Trump votes had on the Austrian election is not clear. Data from SORA showed that Van der Bellen's pro-European stance was his supporters' second-strongest reason for voting for him, cited by 65 percent of them, just behind the view that he would best represent Austria abroad. Among Hofer supporters, the top reason was that he "understands the concerns of people like me", cited by 55 percent of respondents. 'INFINITELY SAD' With one blow to Europe's political establishment averted, a potentially bigger one looms. Italy is holding a referendum on Sunday on constitutional reform that could decide the political future of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has promised to resign if he loses. There is also the more distant prospect of a clash between Van der Bellen and the Freedom Party - the FPO - in the event of an FPO victory in parliamentary elections. The president plays an important role in the formation of coalitions after an election, and Van der Bellen has said he would try to prevent an FPO-led government. "I am infinitely sad that it didn't work out," Hofer said on his Facebook page less than an hour after polls closed, later adding that he would run again in the presidential election in six years. He said he would now turn his attention to running for parliament in an election due by 2018. Polls suggest the FPO would win that election, since it now has the support of roughly a third of voters, well clear of its nearest rival. "Congratulations to the FPO, which fought valiantly. The next legislative elections will show their victory!" tweeted Marine Le Pen of France's National Front, an FPO ally who will contest the French presidential election next year. Austria has for decades been dominated by two centrist parties that are once again in coalition, and anger at that entrenched duopoly has fuelled support for the FPO, which wants to end the two parties' grip on power. There has been speculation about whether Chancellor Christian Kern's Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party will manage to keep working together until their mandate expires in 2018. "I don't think this government will last much longer," Hofer said. For now Austrians will be glad to put behind them the comedy of errors that meant this election dragged on for almost a year, prompting some media to label the country a "banana republic". The result of the May 22 runoff was overturned mostly due to election officials cutting corners as they raced to complete the count. The re-run was then postponed because the glue on the envelopes for some postal ballots did not stick. (Additional reporting by Michel Rose in Paris, Michael Nienaber in Berlin, Sasa Kavic and Branko Filipovic in Pinkafeld, Austria, and Shadia Nasralla and Michael Shields in Vienna; Editing by Larry King)
WASHINGTON  You pay less for outpatient treatment than for a hospital admission, right? Not necessarily in the topsy-turvy world of Medicare billing, according to a government report.

People entitled to benefits under Medicare who had heart stents inserted as outpatients faced hospital bills that were $645 higher on average than those who had the same kind of procedure as inpatients, the Health and Human Services inspector general has found. Stents are tiny mesh cages that prop open narrow or weakened arteries. They usually are inserted through a tube thats threaded through an artery in either the groin or the arm.

The beneficiarys share of costs averaged $1,667 for an outpatient stent, compared with $1,022 for an inpatient stent, the report found. Investigators looked at hospital billing for 2013-2014.

In a formal response to the report that was released Monday, Medicare said it has taken steps to protect people from such disparities.

Nonetheless, the inspector general is recommending that Medicare take another look at how its billing rules distinguish between inpatient and outpatient hospital stays. Overall, theres a gray area between short inpatient stays and long outpatient stays, a problem that the agency has been working on for years, with mixed results.

Not only do hospital billing decisions affect how much people pay for a procedure, they can also determine whether patients get Medicare coverage for inpatient rehabilitation. Generally, Medicare beneficiaries must stay in a hospital for at least three nights to qualify for inpatient rehab coverage. The report says Medicare should consider also counting the length of time someone spends as an outpatient.

An increased number of beneficiaries in outpatient stays pay more and have limited access to (inpatient rehab) services than they would as inpatients, the report concluded.

Medicare  and beneficiaries  may be paying differently for similar care, investigators added.

Advocates say beneficiaries should be aware that how their hospital stay is classified can affect what they pay and also their access to coverage for inpatient rehabilitation. But patients and families may not be able to do much to influence such clinical decisions.

As the governments premier health insurance program, Medicare serves an estimated 57 million older and disabled people.

Most of the cases covered by the inspector generals report stemmed from emergency-room visits.

The billing discrepancies stem partly from Medicares complicated design. Beneficiaries pay a deductible for inpatient care, currently $1,288 per stay. Outpatient care is billed differently, with beneficiaries responsible for 20 percent of the cost of services, after a small deductible.

Sometimes 20 percent of the cost of a battery of outpatient services can add up to more than the inpatient deductible. Many people purchase private Medigap insurance to deal with Medicares out-of-pocket costs.

For most of the procedures scrutinized by the inspector general, the Medicare program and beneficiaries both paid less when services were provided on an outpatient basis. But inserting a heart stent  a common procedure  was not the only kind of medical care for which outpatients wound up paying more.

Investigators said the next three most common service categories for which outpatients wound up paying more were cardiovascular procedures without stents, cardiac defibrillator implants and cardiac pacemaker implants. Heart disease is still the nations top killer.

In its written response to the report, Medicare agreed that the billing issue needs more work. The agency advises hospitals that stays spanning two midnights or longer should be billed as inpatient.

Medicare said it is doing what it can within existing laws to protect people from paying more for similar services as outpatients. It has reclassified payment for many procedures to limit what outpatients can be billed. Stent procedures are on that list.

But the changes are relatively recent, and the inspector generals office said it has no information yet on how the new policy is working.
BERLIN  The latest on a truck ramming into a Berlin Christmas market (all times local):

6 a.m.

Berlin police say the attack on the Christmas market that left at least 12 people dead was done on purpose.

In a posting on Twitter early Tuesday, the police said the attack in which a truck rammed into the market in the German capital was done on purpose. Police also called it a suspected terrorist attack.

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2:45 a.m.

Police in Berlin say the passenger who died in the truck that rammed into a Christmas market was a Polish national.

In their posting on Twitter early Tuesday, police dont identify the man or give other details.

The Polish owner of the truck said earlier that he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked.

Authorities say 12 people were killed when the truck smashed through the market. Four dozen people were taken to hospitals for injuries, some of the serious.

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2 a.m.

Berlin police have raised the death toll to 12 after a truck rammed into a Christmas market in the German capital.

The police statement on Twitter also says 48 people were injured, some of them seriously, and taken to hospitals.

Authorities had previously said that at least nine people were killed.

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12:55 a.m.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is blaming Islamist terrorists for a truck crashing into a Christmas market in Berlin that killed at least nine people and injured dozens more.

Although German authorities are still investigating the attack, the White House earlier also said the incident appears to have been a terrorist attack.

Trumps statement offers nothing to back up his claim that Islamist terrorists were behind the attack. He says they and the Islamic State group continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.

The president-elect adds that terrorists must be eradicated from the face of the earth and pledges to carry out that mission with all freedom-loving partners.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks to attack crowds.

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12:40 a.m.

Germanys top security official says that hes not ready to call incident at Christmas market an attack, but adds that there are many indications pointing to the truck crash that killed nine people in Berlin as having been intentional.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere tells ARD television: I dont want to use the word attack yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it.

De Maiziere adds that there is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.

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12:05 a.m.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano says he was deeply stricken and pained by the deaths of nine people in Berlin when a heavy truck crashed into a Christmas market.

Though German police say it is too early to call whether the incident was intentional, Aflano refers to as an attack.

In a statement provided by Italys foreign ministry, Alfano expresses closeness to Germans in this sad moment that instead should be of joy and peace in the approach to the Christmas holidays.

Alfano says attacks wont change our determination to combat terrorism alongside international partners and in particular Germany, saying the two countries are in strict coordination.

Separately, Italys ambassador in Berlin, Pietro Benassi, told Italian state TV that German authorities couldnt say yet if any foreigners were among the victims.

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11:15 p.m.

A Berlin police spokesman says that in addition to the nine dead in a Christmas market about 50 people were injured, including several critically.

Winfried Wenzel told The Associated Press at the scene that among the fatalities was the passenger of the truck, who died as paramedics treated him at the scene. He offered no details on how the passenger was injured.

Wenzel said the truck was registered in Poland, but that police were still investigating where it came from and who the driver is.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

Zurawki said that they must have done something to my driver, he told TVN24.

Berlins top security official, state interior minister Andreas Geisel, told RBB television that it was too early to say whether it was an attack, and said that reports the truck may have been hijacked were pure speculation.

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10:50 p.m.

Czech authorities are increasing security after a truck has run into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin killing at least nine people.

Interior Minister Milan Chovanec tweeted that security is being beefed up at places with a high concentration of people all across the country.

Chovanec also says that more armed police officers will be on Czech streets. He says further possible security measures will be decided on Tuesday.

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10:40 p.m.

Berlin police are encouraging people to use a Facebook safety check to learn if loved ones are safe after a truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market. At least nine people were killed.

The tweet linked out to Facebook, which has set up checks periodically after natural disasters and attacks around the world.

But police also asked people to refrain from spreading videos to protect privacy.

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10:30 p.m.

Germanys justice minister says that federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, are taking over the investigation after a truck rammed into a Christmas market in Berlin.

Heiko Maas didnt give further details in a post on Twitter Monday night about the shocking news from the capital. He added: we are mourning with the relatives of the victims.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere says that hes in constant touch with security authorities, but didnt give any indication in a statement whether they believe the incident was an attack.

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10:10 p.m.

Berlin police say that the passenger of a truck that rammed a Christmas market died at the scene.

At least nine people were killed when the truck crashed into the popular market in central Berlin on Monday evening.

Police also tweeted that a suspect was arrested near the scene, and authorities were checking if it was the driver of the truck. No further details were immediately available.

Police spokesman Winfried Wenzel told ZDF television, however, that the suspect arrested was believed to be the truck driver

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9:45 p.m.

German police say theyve arrested a suspect believed to be the driver of a truck that rammed into a crowded Christmas market in the center of Berlin, killing at least nine and causing multiple injuries.

Police spokesman Winfried Wenzel told ZDF public television that the man was arrested near the scene.

No further details were immediately available.

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9:20 p.m.

Berlin police say a truck has run into a crowded Christmas market in the center of Berlin killing at least nine people, and causing multiple injuries.

Police said on Twitter that the truck rammed into the market outside the capitals popular Christmas market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Monday evening.

Bild newspaper posted a picture of a large Scania truck with its windshield smashed out on the sidewalk alongside the market.

Police say theyre still investigating whether the incident was an accident or an attack.

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8:35 p.m.

German media are reporting a truck has run into a crowded Christmas market in the center of Berlin, causing multiple injuries.

Both the Berliner Zeitung newspaper and the Berliner Morgenpost reported the truck ran into the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Monday evening.

A photo posted by the Morgenpost showed damaged tables and stalls.

The Berliner Zeitung said police believed there to be multiple injuries, but police couldnt immediately be reached to confirm.

Both newspapers reported it wasnt immediately clear whether the incident was an accident or some kind of an attack on the market.
Donald Trump clinched the presidency Monday as members of the electoral college cast ballots declaring him the victor, a perfunctory conclusion to the most stunning presidential contest in modern history.

Trump became the winner Monday afternoon after electors from Texas cast ballots and put him over the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Results will be officially announced Jan. 6 in a special joint session of Congress.

While Democrat Hillary Clinton amassed a nearly 3 million-vote lead in the popular vote, Trump won the state-by-state electoral map, making him president-elect. That political dichotomy sparked special scrutiny and intense lobbying of electors by Trumps opponents in recent weeks, including mass protests. It also drew outsize attention to the usually overlooked, constitutionally obligated gatherings of 538 electors in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The mostly symbolic calls for an electoral college rejection of Trump grew after revelations of a CIA assessment that Russian hacking could have boosted his campaign, which in the view of many Trump critics raised doubts about his legitimacy.

Trump has dismissed the intelligence communitys analysis of Russias role in the election and has boasted, including on Monday, of a historic electoral landslide. But his 305-to-232 win over Clinton ranks just 46th out of 58 electoral college margins.

This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible, Trump said in a statement. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead.

His detractors called on electors to buck the president-elect in favor of Clinton  or Trumps running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, or another Republican such as Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Ultimately, Kasich earned one vote from an elector in Texas. So did former congressman Ron Paul, R-Texas. In Washington state, three electors cast votes for former secretary of state Colin Powell, while another voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, a member of the Sioux tribe from South Dakota who opposes the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Pence earned the requisite electoral votes to serve as vice president, but in Washington state, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also earned some votes.

Across the country, critics of the president-elect braved cold temperatures and rallied outside state capitol buildings in hopes that electors might act as an emergency brake on Trump.

In Pennsylvania, which voted for a Republican president for the first time since 1988, a few hundred shell-shocked Democrats protested in Harrisburg while all 20 electors backed Trump. In Utah, protesters booed and shouted Shame on you as the states six electors cast votes for Trump in a capitol building conference room in Salt Lake City.

In Florida, a crucial swing state where Trump defeated Clinton by about a percentage point, Trump won all 29 electoral votes. He also earned all 16 votes in Michigan, another state that flipped to Republicans for the first time since 1988.

On the streets of Washington, D.C., two dozen protesters assembled outside Trumps hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, singing songs such as We Shall Overcome. Some held signs, including one that read, Resist Putins Puppet. The Districts three electors later gathered at city hall, just a block from Trumps hotel.

In Albany, New York, former President Bill Clinton sat in the state Senate chamber as an elector and cast one of the Empire States 29 electoral votes for his wife.

Ive never cast a vote I was prouder of, he told reporters after the meeting.

Despite the pleas of Trump opponents, most electors had said for weeks that they planned to cast votes reflecting the will of their home states.

Any choice was better than Hillary, so its not a hard choice for me, Oklahoma Republican elector Charles Potts said in a recent interview.

Richard Snelgrove, an elector who also serves as a Salt Lake County, Utah, council member, said he had received thousands of emails, hundreds of letters and a few phone calls  most of them respectful, a couple over the top, and a few that have been downright threatening.

Most of the messages asked him to vote for Clinton on the grounds that she won the national popular vote. But Snelgrove said there was no justification for such a move.

No one elected me king, and its my job to reflect the will of the people of Utah, he said. They chose Trump.

In Harrisburg, Ray-Ellen Kavey, 68, had driven from neighboring New York state to try to persuade Pennsylvanias electors to switch allegiance.

I think the Constitution charges the electors with preventing exactly what is happening here  a hostile takeover of our government by a bigot who has been supported by Russia, Kavey said. I know nothing will come of this, but my conscience wont let me do any less.

In Austin, Joni Ashbrook, 64, and her best friend, Mary Robinson, 62, stood outside the pink-granite Texas capitol, holding two ends of a banner that Ashbrook had sewed. Resist Trumps Agenda, the sign read.

Ashbrook, a retired fourth-grade science teacher, said that she knew the electors would probably vote for Trump but that she was troubled by Trumps Cabinet picks and his disregard for global warming.

Id like for them to be very thoughtful about whats going on around them, Ashbrook said of the electors. But this is just another way for us to say no. 

In Maryland, all 10 of the states electors voted for Clinton during a meeting in the Governors Reception Room at the State House in Annapolis. Maryland law requires electors to vote for the winner of the states popular vote, which Clinton won easily.

Maggie McIntosh, a state delegate from Baltimore, choked up as she announced the results to an audience of more than 70 spectators.

This is kind of an emotional moment, McIntosh said with tears in her eyes. Its an emotional moment for many women in this country and this state. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the first woman nominated by a major political party for president of the United States. She won the majority of votes here in Maryland, the electors today have chosen her as president, and she won the majority of votes in this country.

The CIAs assessment of Russias election interference prompted 10 electors  nine Democrats and one Republican  to request an intelligence briefing to learn more about Moscows role, a move endorsed by some of Clintons top campaign aides. Other groups had urged electors to postpone the vote until Trump explains what he plans to do about his multinational family business empire.

Trump has declined to explain his plans in person but has tweeted that he will hand over day-to-day responsibilities for his company to his adult sons, who will do no new deals while he occupies the White House.

Intelligence officials last week declined requests to brief electors, saying they will provide congressional briefings only when a review ordered by President Barack Obama is completed.

Electors each cast two votes, one for president and one for vice president. In every state, officials prepared a certificate of vote to be sent to Washington for processing by Congress and the National Archives.

Lawmakers are scheduled to gather Jan. 6 in the House chamber to hear the results from the states in alphabetical order during a session set to be led by Vice President Biden. It will allow lawmakers to challenge the results or the votes of individual electors.

The Constitution says nothing about how electors should vote, but some states bind them to the results of the popular vote, and some state parties essentially force electors to take a loyalty pledge to serve.

Just a handful of electors tested the limits this year, but it wasnt immediately clear whether those who voted for people other than Clinton or Trump would face punishment.

While much of the uncertainty headed into the day centered on how many electors would vote against Trump in the states he won, it was Clinton whose tally declined further.

In the state of Washington, a liberal stronghold where the Democratic nominee won the popular vote comfortably, Clinton won eight of the 12 electors. Three of the remaining four cast votes for Powell, who served in the administration of George W. Bush. And there was the vote for Faith Spotted Eagle.

State Democrats had selected their electors at a lightly attended party convention packed mostly with supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the runner-up in the Democratic presidential primary race.

Electors in Colorado and Minnesota also tried and failed to buck Clinton. In Maine, elector David Bright initially cast his ballot for Sanders to honor thousands of younger voters who had supported the senator.

But state officials ruled that Brights vote was improper. They ordered a revote, and Bright voted the second time for Clinton.



Josh Hicks in Annapolis; Matthew LaPlante in Salt Lake City; Eva Ruth Moravec in Austin; Paul Schwartzman and Sean Sullivan in Washington; and David Weigel in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report

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SANTA FE  A 37-year-old man shot to death in downtown Santa Fe over the weekend had been released from the Florida corrections system only last month and was arrested many times in the past in Santa Fe.

Monday, Santa Fe police were remaining tight-lipped over the shooting of Rustin Radcliffe, whose body was found about 12:30 a.m. Saturday at Don Gaspar Avenue and Water Street. The scene of the killing is about a block off the Plaza and in the heart of the citys tourist district.

Police Chief Patrick Gallagher said Sunday that four or five gunshots were heard in the area. Although no new details were released Monday, SFPD spokesman Greg Gurule said, Things are moving very quickly as the investigation continues.

The

Journal reached someone at the home of relatives of Radcliffe in Santa Fe who said that the police had indicated the case was still under investigation and that the family had no comment.

Florida Department of Corrections records show that Radcliffe was released on Nov. 11 after more than two years in state custody. The online records say Radcliffe received a three-year sentence in August 2014 on a burglary charge from Bay County, where Panama City is located.

On his Facebook page, Radcliffe described his employment as Bum at Self-employed Panhandler, and says he graduated from Los Alamos High School in 1997 and studied culinary arts at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in 1998. He says hes from White Rock and lived in Santa Fe.

Dating back to 2007, criminal charges had been filed against Radcliffe several times in Santa Fe, including three cases over a period of several months in 2013.

In April 2013, he was identified as one of two homeless men who stabbed each other in a fight at virtually the same location where he was killed early Saturday, at Water Street and Don Gaspar Avenue. A tiny park at the corner is known as a hangout for the homeless and others.

Radcliffe was said to have suffered a collapsed lung. The other combatant said he acted in self-defense after Radcliffe hit him in the head with a rock and attacked him with a knife. Both were charged. About a week before that, Radcliffe had been charged with battery on a household member. In both cases, the charges against him were dismissed

Also in 2013, on Oct. 17, Radcliffe and another man were arrested for throwing rocks through windows of businesses about 3 a.m. in the Plaza area, this time on Galisteo Street, causing $3,000 in damage. The police said then that Radcliffe had been arrested 21 times since 2004 on charges including negligent use of a deadly weapon, assault, drinking in public, trespassing and panhandling.

Radcliffe entered no-contest pleas to two counts of criminal damage to property and agreed to pay fines and fees. But a bench warrant for his arrest was issued in January 2014 in the same case, apparently for failing to meet terms of his sentencing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working the Columbus, N.M., port of entry seized 1.6 pounds of liquid methamphetamine Sunday that was hidden inside the rings of Native American-style dreamcatchers.

This is one of the most unusual smuggling episodes we have ever encountered, said CBP Columbus Port Director Robert Reza in a news release. Smugglers will try to conceal their drug loads in everyday items like soft drink cans, framed artwork and other seemingly innocent items. CBP utilizes numerous inspection techniques that help identify and stop these shipments.

Agents made the discovery about 2 p.m. Sunday when a 2000 Dodge Neon with one adult and two children entered Columbus from Mexico. A drug-sniffing dog alerted to six dreamcatchers in the vehicle.

Officers learned the rings of the dreamcatchers were made of rubber tubing filled with a liquid that tested positive for the properties of methamphetamine, agents said.

The driver, a 25-year-old Mexican female from Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, was taken into custody and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agents. The womans daughters, 8 and 1, were remanded to the custody of a relative.
SANTA FE  Donald Trump cleared the last procedural hurdle needed to take office next month as the nations 45th president, winning the national Electoral College vote Monday despite fervent protests  and no help from New Mexico.

As expected under the states winner-take-all system, New Mexicos five designated presidential electors each voted for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who defeated Trump by 8 percentage points in last months statewide vote. It marked just the second time since 1980  the other year was 2000  that the state has not voted for the overall winning candidate.

A national effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing, and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions. Trumps polarizing victory Nov. 8 and the fact Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort.

We did it! Trump tweeted Monday evening. Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media).

He later issued a statement saying: With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans.

With all states voting, Trump finished with 304 votes, and Clinton had 227. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

In New Mexico, several of the five electors casting their votes at the Secretary of States Office in Santa Fe expressed disappointment over the outcome of the presidential election and misgivings about the Electoral College system.

First-time elector Noyola Archibeque of Las Vegas said she was proud New Mexico stayed blue in the November general election  Democrats also won back control of the state House and expanded their majority in the Senate  but said the rules of the Electoral College need to be revised to better reflect the popular vote.

Theres something really wrong with this system, she told the Journal .

While some Trump opponents had called on presidential electors to block Trump from reaching the White House by strategically voting for a Republican other than Trump, that was never likely to happen in New Mexico.

In part, thats because its a fourth-degree felony in New Mexico for designated electors to cast their ballot for anyone other than the presidential candidate who received the majority of the votes cast in the state.

Elector John Padilla of Albuquerque acknowledged it was unlikely that the Electoral College could be used to prevent Trump from taking office, despite the urging of Trump critics.

But he said the fact that Clinton won the popular vote  by nearly 2.9 million votes  shows the system should be re-examined.

I think we need to have a talk about it, but the whole country needs to be a part of it, Padilla said.

While there was little suspense about how the vote would unfold, roughly 100 protesters carrying anti-Trump signs held a rally outside the state Capitol on Monday and then stood just outside a conference room as the five electors were meeting.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, although the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

All five of New Mexicos electors were appointed by state Democratic Party leaders. After casting their votes Monday, they signed a certificate that will be delivered to Congress for the final certification of election results in January.

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, thousands of protesters converged on state capitols across the country Monday, urging Republican electors to abandon their partys winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvanias Capitol, chanting, No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA! and No treason, no Trump!

In Madison, Wis., protesters shouted, cried and sang Silent Night. In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said, Dont let Putin pick our president, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite the noise outside state Capitols, inside, the voting went pretty much as planned.

With all Republican states reporting, Trump lost only the two electors, both in Texas. One voted for John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio; the other voted for former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state  three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle. She also lost an elector in Hawaii to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt. Clinton beat Sanders in the Democratic primaries.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates, but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

Republican electors were deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support Trump. Many of the emails are part of coordinated campaigns.

In Baton Rouge, La., elector Charlie Buckels reached out to Trumps opponents after the New York businessman got all of the states eight votes.

For those of you who wished it had gone another way, I thank you for being here, said Buckels, the state GOP finance chairman. I thank you for your passion for our country.

There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state  though some states require their electors to vote for the winning candidate.

Those laws, however, are rarely tested. More than 99 percent of electors through history have voted for the candidate who won their state. Of those who refused, none has ever been prosecuted, according to the National Archives.

Some Democrats have argued that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives more weight to less populated states. That is how Clinton, who got more than 2.8 million more votes nationwide, lost the election to Trump.

Some have also tried to dissuade Trump electors by arguing that he is unsuited to the job. Others cite the CIAs assessment that Russia engaged in computer hacking to sway the election in favor of the Republican.

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, with Vice President Joe Biden as president of the Senate. Once the result is certified, the winner  almost certainly Trump  will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LAS CRUCES, N.M.  A New Mexico prisoner accused of stabbing another inmate to death has pleaded guilty in federal court.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports (http://bit.ly/2hDY0OC ) that 36-year-old Jerry Armenta pleaded guilty on Dec. 13 to murder and conspiracy as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Armenta admitted that he killed 34-year-old Javier Enrique Molina at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility on March 6, 2014.

As part of the plea agreement, Armenta also admitted that he had been ordered to kill Molina in connection to his membership in Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico, or SNM, a violent prison gang.

Armenta faces life in prison for the murder and conspiracy convictions. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

Another inmate and member of SNM, Jerry Montoya, has pleaded not guilty in connection to Molinas death.

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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
PHOENIX  Arizona will require public schools to teach cursive handwriting as one of a number of new education standards approved by the state Board of Education.

The move amends the states current standards, which are based on federal guidelines known as the Common Core. Common Core has become a politicized topic and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas campaigned on a promise to replace it.

We now have new standards that have been worked on by Arizona teachers, parents and been vetted by anti-Common Core experts, said Douglas.

In addition to requiring students to have mastered cursive by the fifth grade, the revisions also require lessons about time and money in early grades. They also add a foundational writing skills strand for kindergarten through third grade that will have the students learn how to spell the most frequently used words.

The changes also set standards for high-school-level math courses that are not required for graduation.

Fourty-eight percent of the Common Core standards on language arts and 40 percent of the Common Core standards on math were revised, according to the Board of Education. Douglas said the changes were designed to clarify rules and give teachers and school boards more flexibility.

The new standards also remove a requirement that 70 percent of high school reading material be informational, while 30 percent is literary. That requirement was arbitrary and inappropriate, according to a staff summary of the changes.

Has every word changed? No. Should every word change? No. If a kindergartner should count from 1 to 100, they should count from 1 to 100. I dont care who wrote the standards. . You keep whats important, said Douglas.
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Singapore and Bali have emerged as the top country and city for Indian travellers to visit in 2017, a trends report by leading travel search engine Skyscanner has said.

Singapore is followed by countries like Australia, Malaysia, Maldives and South Africa as the most favoured destinations, says the report.

It analyses three years data from Indian travellers, dating back to 2013, Skyscanner said.

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Singapore records the highest growth with a whopping 202 per cent average increase in searches since 2013, it added.

Among the cities tipped to be the favourite destinations in the coming year, Bali is at the top, followed by Budapest, Madrid, Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam.

Skyscanners data places Bali as a favoured destination in 2017 with 35 per cent recorded average growth in searches in the past three years.

"In 2016, we saw the list heavily-dominated with South Asian destinations and in 2017, there has been a seismic shift to incorporate the near and far - from Australia to Europe," Skyscanner Growth Manager India, Reshmi Roy said.

This is an indication on changing travel mindset as it becomes simpler and easier, she added.

"Each year the Skyscanner Travel Trend Report discovers more attributes of Indian travellers," Roy said.

Founded in 2003, global travel search company Skyscanner helps meet the travel planning needs of over 50 million people each month. It provides free search of flights, hotels and car hire. PTI AKT ADI BAL

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ANKARA, Turkey  Investigators from Turkey and Russia hunted for clues Tuesday in the assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

A team of 18 Russian investigators and foreign ministry officials arrived in Turkey and began inspecting the art gallery where the shooting of Andrei Karlov took place.

Central to the joint Turkish-Russian investigation is whether Mevlut Mert Altintas, a member of Ankaras riot police squad, planned the attack alone.

One senior Turkish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details to the press, said it was unlikely Altintas acted alone.

The official said the killing had all the marks of being fully professional, not a one-man action.

So far, authorities have detained only people close to the gunman in their investigation: Altintas parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara.

Independent Turkish security analyst Abdullah Agar said it was likely that an organization was behind the assassination.

The analyst said that Altintas behavior and the manner in which he carried out the attack gives the impression that he received training that was much more than riot police training.

Agar also said the gunmans words, which he uttered in Arabic, were from a passage frequently cited by Jihadists.

Altintas shouted Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! in Turkish during the attack, and also yelled Allahu akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great. He continued in Arabic: We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said the countrys foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, provided U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry information on the assailant during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

Cavusoglu also told Kerry that both Turkey and Russia know that a movement led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the attack, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

Turkey has accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed military coup in July aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accuses the cleric of wanting to destabilize Turkey. It is pressing the United States to extradite Gulen to Turkey to stand trial for his alleged role in the coup attempt. Gulen has denied the accusations.

Few details about the policeman or the initial investigation have been made public. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, Altintas took leave from work and on Dec. 14 made a hotel reservation near the art exhibition center. He checked into the hotel on Monday. Following the attack, police searched and later sealed his hotel room, but did not announce whether anything was found there.

On arrival at the art gallery where the photo exhibition was taking place, Altintas was apparently initially stopped by security, but managed to get through with his weapon by using his police ID. The gun he used to shoot Karlov appeared to be a weapon that is standard issue for Turkeys riot police.

Originally from the western town of Soke, near Turkeys Aegean coast, Altintas had been serving in Ankaras riot police for the past two and a half years. But how or why he became impassioned with the war in Syria was unclear.

Police investigators said the policeman lived in an apartment building in Demetevler, a northern district of Ankara.

Some neighbors described him as a quiet person who kept to himself.

He seemed to be a quiet and calm person. He was not speaking to us too much, said Halil Karan, a 22-year-old shopkeeper in the area. We were seeing him in the evenings. He didnt come to his home for a long time though.

Some residents in the area said he mainly lived elsewhere in the capital.

Both Russia and Turkey have vowed that the assassination would not derail efforts to repair bilateral ties. Turkey and Russia have been at odds mainly over their opposing views to the conflict in Syria, with Moscow backing Syrian President Bashar Assad and Ankara supporting rebels fighting to depose him. With Russias air support, Syrian government forces have pushed the rebels out of their last foothold in Aleppo.

Karlovs assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Moscows support for Assad and Russias actions in Aleppo.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin were in agreement that this was an open provocation and that a joint investigation was being conducted. The two spoke Monday night.

Together with Mr. Putin, we have an understanding that our cooperation, especially in Syria, will not be affected by this attack, he said.

Karlovs body was flown home to Moscow on Tuesday afternoon after an emotional ceremony at Ankara Airport attended by Turkish government officials and diplomats. Karlovs wife, Marina Karlova, wept as her husbands flag-draped coffin was carried by a Turkish honor guard. She laid two red carnations on the coffin before it was loaded onto the aircraft.

On Monday evening, an Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as Altintas, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around the ambassador as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

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Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed to this report from Moscow.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trumps presidential transition team has asked State Department officials to disclose how much money it provides each year to international environmental groups. Its the latest example of how the incoming administration is reassessing the U.S. governments approach to tackling climate change and other environmental priorities.

As part of a list of questions posed last week to the departments Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, the Trump landing team asked, How much does the Department of State contribute annually to international environmental organizations in which the department participates?

The individuals familiar with the request spoke on the condition of anonymity because transition communications are confidential.

It is unclear which specific groups the transition team was referring to in its question; a spokesman for the president-elect did not respond to a request for comment Monday night.

The State Department has worked aggressively under President Obama to support international initiatives to cut greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, but Trump has vowed to pull back from such efforts.

On Nov. 1, Trump said he would cancel billions of dollars in global warming payments to the United Nations and devote that money instead to green infrastructure projects and environmental protection.

His campaign released a policy statement that day suggesting that he would cancel all wasteful climate change spending, which would include the elimination of all of the federal governments international and domestic climate programs as well as a rollback in regulations aimed at cutting carbon emissions. The campaign estimated that these moves would save $100 billion over eight years, though it did not release a detailed accounting of how those savings would be generated.

As part of the Paris climate agreement reached a year ago, the United States pledged to donate $3 billion over four years to the Green Climate Fund, a multinational fund aimed at helping poor nations adapt to the most severe climate impacts and develop renewable sources of energy. So far, the administration has provided $500 million to the fund.

The State Department does spend money on global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, though it is unclear how much is annually budgeted for such work. According to a 2013 Congressional Research Service report, federal spending on climate change initiatives between fiscal year 2008 and 2013 totaled roughly $77 billion. Two-thirds of those funds went to developing carbon-free technology and deploying those advances, and most of that work was undertaken by the Energy Department rather than State.

The State Department has not responded to the Trump transition teams question about its support for international environmental organizations, according to a person familiar with the request.

Earlier this month, members of the Trump transition team asked Energy Department officials to identify which employees had attended international climate conferences and worked on domestic efforts to cut carbon. Trumps staff said last week that the questionnaire was not authorized or part of our standard protocol, and that the aide who wrote it has been properly counseled.

Last week, Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to the State Department urging Secretary of State John Kerry to beware of witch hunts.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said Monday that no similar request for names had been made by the transition team embedded in a wing of the State Department, whether on environmental or other issues.

I know of no such request for lists of that sort, Kirby told reporters. For our part, we continue to work with the transition team thats here at the State Department to help them prepare for seamlessly assuming the reins, he added.

Kerry has ordered the State Department to cooperate and be helpful to the transition team to ensure a smooth handover.

Although some State Department officials found the question about funding for environmental groups troubling, one senior official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because transition communications are confidential, said the requests from the transition team have been appropriate.

They are legitimately looking at the organization of things here at Foggy Bottom, and asking responsible questions about how the State Department is organized, how its resourced, how its managed, and trying to get a handle on the organization they will inherit in a few weeks, the official said. Its legitimate. Its normal. Its responsible. If they werent doing it, youd be asking questions.

We are helping, providing information on request. If they ask, they get it. We want them to succeed. A big part of that is getting a firm grip on things.

Kerry, who has worked on the issue of climate change for his entire political career, has told scientists in the wake of the election that they need to increase the publics sense of urgency on the issue.

We need to get more of a movement going, he said last month when addressing several hundred scientists and staff members at Antarcticas McMurdo Station, a large base that is the hub for U.S. operations. We need to get more people to engage.

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A former Mormon launched a web site Monday offering a secure portal for people who want to leak internal documents or videos about the Utah-based church.

The Mormon Wikileaks web site seeks to build on a growing number of leaks that have shed light on the inner workings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its position on controversial issues such as gay marriage.

The site was launched by Ryan McKnight, of Las Vegas, Nevada, who gained national attention in October after posting a series of inside conversations between senior Mormon church officials on a YouTube channel called Mormon Leaks.

Our goal is, pure and simple, transparency, McKnight said in an interview. Sometimes people come across information through the course of their jobs that makes them feel uneasy or like it is something that church members deserve to know.

He said the web site provides an anonymous avenue for them to share it.

The web site comes as digital information is easily shared and is modeled after Wikileaks, the international group that has collected and shared millions of government documents.

A spokesman for the Mormon church declined to comment on the new site. Church employees sign non-disclosure agreements.

McKnight grew up in the church, went on a mission and got married in a Mormon temple. About three years ago, at the age of 32, he became disillusioned by aspects of Mormon history, including the polygamous practices of early church leaders. He said he felt like he had been taught a white-washed version of the truth.

He stopped going to church in 2013 and had his name removed from the membership rolls a year later. He got involved in on-line forums of other questioning former Mormons looking for a place to talk.

In 2015, he said he helped bring widespread media attention to a memo that updated a church handbook detailing a revised position on same sex households in the aftermath of the legalization of gay marriage. Access to that handbook is usually reserved for church leaders.

The church took the controversial stance that those in a same-sex marriage should be considered apostates, and their children should not be blessed or baptized until they are 18. At that age they can be given the chance to disavow the practice of same-sex marriage and can request to join the church.

His involvement made him a go-to person for other interested leakers. In October, McKnight posted a series of 15 videos on a Mormon Leaks Youtube channel during the churchs annual General Conference meetings. The videos showed senior leaders of the church in private meetings being briefed on issues ranging from cybersecurity to medical marijuana.

In one 2012 meeting, former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt met with the elders and talked about building and funding strong coalitions to fight same-sex marriage and abortion in state legislatures.

McKnight said he got bombarded with messages after those videos were posted, so he decided to ramp up the effort to build a web site and assembled a team, including a web designer, two cyber security experts, and a social media person. He said the site will be operated by a non-profit organization and nobody will be paid a salary for their work with it.

In a forum for ex-Mormons on Reddit, McKnight posted recently that three people approached him and said a secure site would make them feel more comfortable sharing files, and that he hopes the site tips that scale for them.

Other than that, this is an if you build it they will come project, he said.

He said he expects many of the leaks will be mundane, simply showing that every move in the church is not divinely ordained, as members are led to believe, but that in fact the church runs very much like a business.

Ryan Cragun, an associate professor of sociology who studies Mormonism at the University of Tampa, said many religious scholars are eager to learn more about the finances of the church which are a black box. The church owns many businesses and properties, but there is little public information available about them. Church members are expected to tithe 10 percent of their income.

Still, he said, many in-the-pews Mormons are highly insulated and unlikely to see any of the documents.

There is a hungry audience, though, among people who have left or are thinking of leaving the church. For someone in the middle of a faith transition, such information is more fuel for the fire, he said.

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Good news, Congress! You are no longer the do-nothing Congress you once were.

But youre still not doing a whole lot, relatively speaking.

With the 114th session of Congress coming to an end, we can now take stock of just how much was accomplished over the past two years. And for this entire decade, the answer to that question has essentially been: not much.

The count of bills that have passed through both the House and the Senate in recent years, in fact, has set or flirted with record lows; hence the do-nothing Congress moniker. This isnt the only measure of Congress productivity, of course  it says nothing of how much Congress dealt with more substantive issues and instead treats every bill equally  but its as objective a measure as we have.

With that said, lets get to the numbers.

In the 114th Congress, 329 bills passed both chambers and were sent to President Obama to sign, according to data compiled and charted by the good folks at Quorum.

Thats up from each of the past two Congresses. The 112th Congress (from 2011 to 2013) set the bar historically low, at 272 bills, and the 113th came close to lowering it, but nosed across the finish line with 282.

At the same time, the 329 bills passed is still significantly lower than the average  and remains low despite Republicans having attained full control of Congress in the 2014 election. (The last time one party held the advantage in both the House and the Senate: the 111th Congress, when Democrats were in control.)

That 329 is also the fourth-lowest of any Congress since the 101st in 1989 and 1990. In third place behind the past two Congresses was the 104th (1995-96). So, better than the last two and the 104th; still historically low.

But why the uptick? Well, it mostly has to do with the House. The chamber of Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., passed 773 bills this Congress, which is the second-most since 1989 and is up significantly from the past two Congresses.

But the Senate is filling its traditional role as the saucer that cools legislation sent by the House: Just 29 percent of those 773 bills the House has sent across the Capitol have actually been passed by the Senate  the lowest since at least 1989.

In other words, there are signs of movement in Congress. And that could continue apace now that Republicans control both chambers, and the presidency.

Then again, the nation is still bitterly divided. And Congress is still Congress.

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Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon winner and a bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics, suffered what she said was a severe injury to her left hand as she fought off a knife-wielding intruder early Tuesday morning in her Czech Republic home.

The intruder, posing as a gas company employee, and Kvitova struggled in the bathroom with Kvitova suffering severe lacerations on all four fingers as he held a knife to her throat, the BBC reported. Kvitova was to undergo what the BBCs David Ornstein said was potentially career-saving surgery.

In my attempt to defend myself, I was badly injured on my left hand, Kvitova, 26, tweeted, confirming the break-in at her home in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov. I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive. The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this. Thank you all again for your love and support.

Spokesman Karel Tejkal earlier said that Kvitova was the victim of a random crime. Nobody was going to attack or rob her as Petra Kvitova, Tejkal said, according to the Daily Mail. She was injured with a knife during the attempted burglary. Her life is not in danger, she is being treated by doctors.

Hours before the incident, Kvtova had tweeted that she was withdrawing from the Hopman Cup mixed-team tournament next month because a stress fracture in her foot has not completely healed.

Kvitova won Wimbledon in 2011 by beating Maria Sharapova, and in 2014, when she beat Eugenie Bouchard.

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Incoming District Attorney Raul Torrez announced Tuesday that a team of seven prosecutors from around the state will review the case against two Albuquerque police officers charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of James Boyd.

A 15-day murder trial for Keith Sandy and Dominique Perez ended in mid-October with a jury deadlocked 9-3 for acquittal.

Torrez said trial prosecutors from seven New Mexico districts will form an independent review team, which will examine the evidence and make a recommendation as to how the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office in Bernalillo County should proceed. The process will begin immediately, with conclusions expected early next year. The findings will be made available to the public, he said.

Rick Tedrow, 11th Judicial District attorney in San Juan County and a member of the review team, said that although the group will make a recommendation, the ultimate decision is up to Torrez.

Were not necessarily as a group going to make a decision, Tedrow said. Its going to be Mr. Torrezs decision. We just hope to provide him with pros and cons on both sides on what we saw in the trial and where maybe this should go.

Torrez said he recognized that the case has become a focal point in a polarizing community discussion about police reform in Albuquerque. But trials are not, he said, the appropriate vehicles for airing philosophical or political disagreements about the fundamental nature of our institutions.

Let me begin where all professional prosecutors should, Torrez said, with a promise that the evaluation of this case will be guided by the law and the facts and nothing else.

He is a proponent, he said, of independent prosecutorial review for officer-involved shootings and said he plans to work to support passage of a bill that would create a permanent funding source to make a review process available to district attorneys across the state.

Having prosecutors investigate and potentially charge police officers from agencies with whom they work on a regular basis can do substantial harm to institutional relationships that are necessary for public safety, he said, and in some circumstances can also lead the public to doubt the fairness and objectivity of our criminal justice system.

Boyd was armed with two pocketknives when he was fatally shot in 2014 in the Sandia foothills. Police video of the shooting shows that he appeared to be ready to surrender and sparked outrage nationally and protests locally. Both officers said during trial that they were protecting fellow officers when they fired shots.

In late November, special prosecutor Randi McGinn dismissed without prejudice the charge against Perez, meaning Torrez could refile the charge when he takes office. Sandys charges were not dismissed.

Torrez said the review team will evaluate the case against both officers.
Two months ago Clifford Miller left Oklahoma, and his two children and an ex-wife, to pursue a job offer in New Mexico.

But shortly after midnight Saturday, a security guard found the 42-year-old mans mutilated and decapitated naked body behind a Northeast Albuquerque Wal-Mart, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department announced in a Monday afternoon news conference. His genitals had been cut off.

By Tuesday, Millers extended family had heard the news and were struggling to process it.

Chandel Fults, the sister of Millers ex-wife,said Millers 11-year-old son died in a car crash almost four years ago. She said he had two daughters and was trying to reconnect with the oldest one.

(Millers ex-wife) was crying when I talked to her, Fults said. I had to tell her oldest daughter myself. How would you take it if you had to be told your dad died?

Fults said she wasnt sure what job Miller had traveled to Albuquerque for, but said he had been a long-time employee at a roofing company in his hometown of McAlester, Okla.

APD spokesman Fred Duran said homicide detectives dont think Miller was killed at the Wal-Mart, on Wyoming near Menaul NE, but they would not say where they think he was killed. There is no suspect information, he said.

Duran said the Office of the Medical Investigator will determine how he died and whether he was decapitated after his death.

A spokesman for the FBI said the agency is not involved in the investigation.

Although Duran said Monday that detectives were still trying to identify the body and find next of kin, Jeff Daniels, the communications officer with the Pittsburg County Sheriffs Office, said his deputies contacted Millers father late Sunday.

Miller had been charged with multiple misdemeanors and was charged with felony possession of marijuana and cultivating marijuana in the 1990s, but Fults said she didnt know of anything that could have hinted hed meet his end in such a brutal fashion.

I dont see him as a person that this could actually happen to, Fults said. He was goofy, he wasnt into drugs or anything. He was a good guy.

Journal staff writers Robert Browman and Nicole Perez contributed to this report.

Police ask anyone with tips about the crime or who knew Miller in Albuquerque to call Crime Stoppers at 505-843-7867

 Read more from the Tulsa World: Albuquerque police identify victim in gruesome death as McAlester man
WASHINGTON  President Barack Obama moved to solidify his environmental legacy Monday by withdrawing hundreds of millions of acres of federally owned land in the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean from future offshore oil and gas drilling.

Obama used a little-known law called the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect large portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in the Arctic and a string of canyons in the Atlantic stretching from Massachusetts to Virginia from oil exploration and the potential for spills.

The announcement by the White House late in the afternoon was coordinated with similar steps being taken by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to shield large areas of that nations Arctic waters from drilling. Neither measure affects leases already held by oil and gas companies and drilling activity in state waters.

These actions, and Canadas parallel actions, protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem that is unlike any other region on earth, the White House said in a statement. They reflect the scientific assessment that, even with the high safety standards that both our countries have put in place, the risks of an oil spill in this region are significant and our ability to clean up from a spill in the regions harsh conditions is limited.

White House officials described their actions to make the areas off limits to future oil and gas exploration and drilling as indefinite. Officials said the withdrawals under Section 12-A of the 1953 act used by presidents dating to Dwight Eisenhower cannot be undone by an incoming president. It is not clear if a Republican-controlled Congress can rescind Obamas action.

There is a precedent of more than half a century of this authority being utilized by presidents of both parties, a White House aide said. There is no authority for subsequent presidents to un-withdraw.  I cant speak to what a future Congress will do.

The U.S. is not acting alone today. Canada is acting to put an indefinite stop to activity in its waters as well, the aide said. With Canada, we send a powerful signal and reinforce our commitment to work together.

U.S. and Canadian officials have negotiated for months to reach a joint understanding on how to manage adjacent areas in the ocean in an effort to make the new protections as sweeping and politically durable as possible. Meanwhile, advocacy groups lobbied Obama to ban oil and gas leasing in the Arctic entirely.

Obama already invoked the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to safeguard Alaskas Bristol Bay in 2014, and again last year to protect part of Alaskas Arctic coast. The president has protected 125 million acres in the region in the last two years, according to a fact sheet issued by the White House.

The Beaufort and Chukchi seas are habitat for several species listed as endangered and species that are candidates for the endangered species, including the bowhead whale, fin whale, Pacific walrus and polar bear. Concern for the animals has heightened as the Arctic warms faster than anywhere else in the world and sea ice the bears use to hunt continues to melt.

The underwater canyons protected by the president cover nearly 4 million acres across the Atlantic continental shelf break, running from Heezen Canyon offshore New England to Norfolk Canyon offshore the Chesapeake Bay, according to a separate fact sheet.

They are widely recognized as major biodiversity hotspots that are critical to fisheries. The canyons provide deep water corals used by a wide array of fish. The area also provides habitat for . . . deepwater corals, deep diving beaked whales, commercially valuable fishes, and significant numbers of habitat-forming soft and hard corals, sponges, and crabs, the White House said.

The American Petroleum Institute denounced the decision. The administrations decision to remove key Arctic and Atlantic offshore areas from future leasing consideration ignores congressional intent, our national security, and vital, good-paying job opportunities for our shipyards, unions, and businesses of all types across the country, said Erik Milito, the groups Upstream director.

Our national security depends on our ability to produce oil and natural gas here in the United States, Milito said. This proposal would take us in the wrong direction just as we have become world leader in production and refining of oil and natural gas and in reduction of carbon emissions.

Contradicting the White Houses statement, Milito said George W. Bush removed previous 12-A withdrawal areas with a memorandum and made all but marine sanctuaries available for leasing. We are hopeful the incoming administration will reverse this decision as the nation continues to need a robust strategy for developing offshore and onshore energy, he said.

But a wide range of conservation groups hailed the decision. League of Conservation Voters President Gene Karpinski called it an incredible holiday gift, saying that an oil spill in these pristine waters would be devastating to the wildlife and people who live in the region.

Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, called it a historic victory in our fight to save our Arctic and Atlantic waters, marine life, coastal communities and all they support.

Carter Roberts, president and chief executive of the World Wildlife Fund, applauded what he called a bold decision that signals some places are just too important not to protect.

Oil production in the Arctic represents a tenth of one percent of the nations oil production overall, the White House said. The area is so sensitive and so remote that the economics of exploration is costly.

Shell, which said in September 2015 that it would shelve drilling plans after spending $7 billion and not finding significant amounts of oil, still has one remaining lease in the Chukchi Sea where it drilled a well earlier last year. Shell is also part of a joint venture with Italian oil giant ENI and Spanish firm Repsol in the Beaufort Sea that holds 13 leases.

Shell held other leases in the Beaufort Sea, which the company transferred to the Arctic Slope Regional Corp., a company belonging to the Native Americans in the region.

An earlier plan to allow limited drilling off the Atlantic coast was shelved after state governments along the southern Atlantic coasts  including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia  expressed worries over the effect on their beaches, tourist industry and environmentally sensitive marsh.

The Navy also objected. The Pentagon provided Interior with a map that identifies locations . . . areas where the [Defenses] offshore readiness activities are not compatible, partially compatible or minimally impacted by oil and gas activities, department spokesman Matthew Allen said. The map included nearly the entire proposed drilling area.

Live training exercises are conducted off the Atlantic coast, from unit level training to major joint service and fleet exercises, Allen said in a statement. These live training events are fundamental to the ability of our airmen, sailors, and marines to attain and sustain the highest levels of military readiness.

The Obama administration eventually closed the Atlantic to drilling for five years.

President-elect Donald Trump could counter Obamas plan with his own five-year plan, but even so it would be years before drilling could start.

The president-elects authority to undo a permanent prohibition is unclear. But Congress, controlled by Republicans, could move to rescind the withdrawal of federal lands from oil and gas exploration.

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If you only looked at the most basic data, you might get the impression that Asian Americans are thriving. They earn more, on average, than white Americans, and theyre catching up in terms of average household wealth. These kinds of simple statistics are one reason that Asian Americans are still stereotyped as a model minority.

But Asian Americans have tremendously divergent experiences. Some are upwardly mobile, but many others struggle with poverty. The differences are hard to see in the average numbers.

A new report from the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, highlights the problem with lumping Asian Americans together. According to economists Christian Weller and Jeffrey Thompson, Asian Americans are such an economically diverse group that wealth inequality is actually worse among Asian Americans than among white Americans.

The economists used hard-to-obtain government data to provide a clearer look at Asian American wealth. Census figures already show that income inequality is higher among Asian Americans. Indian American households, for example, earn nearly twice the national average, while Bangladeshi and Cambodian Americans have lower-than-average household incomes. Asian Americans earn more than whites on average, but they also have higher rates of poverty.

The new report suggests that for Asian Americans, wealth inequality is also more pronounced.

There are many ways to measure inequality  in this case, the economists compared different wealth thresholds. According to the data, white families in the top 10 percent each had more than $1.26 million in 2010-2013, while white families in the bottom 20 percent each had less than $10,468. In other words, a typical rich white family was about 120 times wealthier than a typical poor white family.

Among Asian Americans, the cutoff to make it into the top 10 percent was actually higher  about $1.44 million. And the families at the bottom end seemed to be worse off  the poorest 20 percent of families were each worth less than $9,319. So a rich Asian household was about 168 times richer than a poor Asian household.

Such disparities are completely invisible according to the usual way we consider racial differences, which focuses on averages, not levels of inequality. Asian American households and white American households in fact have about the same amount of mean wealth  about $680,000, according to CAPs calculations. That creates the illusion that Asians are about as well off as whites. But as the report suggests, the richest Asian Americans are far more affluent than the poorest Asian Americans  so much so that they skew the data and obscure the problems of the people at the bottom.

The communities that we know arent doing so well  people from countries like Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia  they make up close to 40 [percent] to 45 percent of the Asian American population, said Weller, a professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and a senior fellow at CAP. By only looking at averages, youre papering over the substantial struggles of a huge chunk of lower-income, less wealthy Asian Americans.

The problem is that Asian American doesnt hold together as a category, said Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland. The group is too diverse. It doesnt really make sense to compare recent Chinese, Korean or Pakistani immigrants who are working in tech and engineering jobs to people who came as refugees in the 1980s and their working-class descendants.

Its hard to collect data on Asian Americans because they are still only about 5 percent to 6 percent of the population, so some parts of the CAP report should be taken with caution. The conclusions are based on national surveys conducted every three years by the Federal Reserve, each covering several thousand Americans, including a few hundred Asian Americans. The economists say that the recent differences in wealth inequality are large enough to be statistically significant at the 10 percent level. So this is suggestive, but not slam-dunk evidence.

The housing boom and bust explains a lot of the patterns in inequality. Homes tend to be the most expensive asset a family owns, and although the Asian American homeownership rate (about 60 percent) is lower than the white homeownership rate (about 74 percent), Asian Americans also tend to live in coastal metropolises where homes are expensive. In the early 2000s, the Asian Americans who were fortunate enough to own homes had their net worth skyrocket, increasing wealth inequality between Asian American homeowners and Asian American renters, as well as helping Asian Americans catch up to white Americans.

Another reason that Asian American wealth has been creeping upward is that the Asian American population is getting older on average. In 2015, the median age for Asian Americans was 36.3, up from 32.7 in 2000. (Whites, in contrast, are the oldest on average  their median age in 2015 was 43.) People in their 50s and 60s, of course, tend to be the wealthiest because theyve been saving for retirement.

Its important to keep all of these findings in perspective. Compared with whites and Asians, African Americans and Hispanics are much less wealthy, and they dont seem to be making much progress. Data from the same survey shows that both groups have actually been losing ground relative to whites in recent years. Part of the problem is that these groups earn less on average. But they also seem to suffer from inferior opportunities.

It appears that the returns that African Americans and Hispanics get on similar assets are lower, said Ray Boshara, director of the Center for Household Financial Stability at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. So buying a home or pursuing an education does not yield the same amount of wealth.

Taken in that light, the gains in wealth among Asian Americans seem all the more remarkable. As the CAP report shows, this is mostly a phenomenon of the richest Asians pulling away from the rest. Even so, hasnt inequality been the story of the United States recently? In that sense, at least, Asian Americans really have been a model minority.

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SANTA FE  The state Board of Finance said no  for now  to two emergency funding requests from the New Mexico judicial branch on Tuesday but granted a third request by approving more than $21,000 to the Court of Appeals.

Court of Appeals Chief Justice Michael Vigil said the court was prepared to order unpaid furloughs of varying durations for its nearly 50 employees starting next week if the request had not been granted.

However, the Board of Finance postponed action on the two other requests: Roughly $825,000 in emergency funding for a jury and witness fund and $80,000 for the Supreme Court, which is also facing the possibility of furloughs.

Several board members, including Gov. Susana Martinez, said it should be the Legislatures job to address funding levels for the judicial system.

I think the burden should be on the Legislature, Lt. Gov. John Sanchez said during Tuesdays hearing at the state Capitol.

Meanwhile, Martinez told court officials they should look at other ways to come up with funding, including possibly pursuing legislation to reduce juror pay rates.

I would very much support reducing that level, said the two-term Republican governor, referring to the current rate of $6.25 per hour for juror reimbursement  less than the states minimum wage  that she described as among the nations highest.

New Mexicos court system has been grappling with increased caseloads in recent years and has already trimmed funding for drug courts and reduced its mileage reimbursement rates for judges and employees in response to ongoing state budget woes.

The latest cost-saving measures are being considered after lawmakers cut funding for the judiciary by 3 percent  or slightly more than $4.8 million  during a recent special session called to address the states budget shortfall. Other state agencies and programs also faced cuts under the special session solvency plan.

Court officials said Tuesday that they plan to ask the Legislature for short-term funding during the 60-day session that starts next month, but are not optimistic because the state is facing a $69 million projected deficit for the current budget year.

Im not brimming with confidence the Legislature will be able to provide some or all of that supplemental funding, said Artie Pepin, the director of the Administrative Office of the Courts.

If funding is not provided by either legislators or at a future meeting of the Board of Finance, Pepin said, the judicial branch will have to delay payments to jurors starting in March  they would not be paid until July at the earliest  and enact furloughs for Supreme Court staffers but not judges.

However, Martinez accused courts officials of lacking foresight in budgeting and spending decisions, saying funding for the judicial branch has actually increased more rapidly in recent years than it has for most other state government agencies.

She also pointed out that a coalition of judges filed a lawsuit in 2014 challenging her veto of judicial pay raises approved by the Legislature. A panel of the Supreme Court eventually ruled that judges would get part, but not all, of the raises in question.
From Madhu Shah to Sonam Gupta, these are the top five mysterious characters of 2016 that went viral and got famous in no time.

By India Today Web Desk: The year 2016 was as mysterious as the existence of the Himalayan Yeti. With a list of bizarre incidents that occurred during the year, there were many 'people' who took over the social media world by storm without even existing.

From non-existent people getting world famous to the greatest secrets getting revealed, here we have five characters that were actually non-existent in nature. The strangest thing about most of these characters is that nobody knows from where they originated and how they shot to fame instantly.

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Take a look at these five characters who took the social media world by storm:

1. Madhu Shah

With more than 30 profiles in her kitty, Madhu Shah was a woman who never existed, it was a fake profile created by an anonymous user on Facebook. Another Facebook user named Pawan Manghnani revealed that it is just a fake profile that everybody keeps on adding in their friend-list without any confirmation of her real identification.

Photo: ichowk.in Photo: ichowk.in

The strangest thing about the profile was that there were many profiles of the same woman named Madhu Shah but nobody seemed to notice as the profile picture was the same in all the fake profiles. This was a spamming trap laid out to steal other users' personal data. Pawan Manghnani had over 150 mutual friends with her but no one seemed to know anything about her and that is when the spam account came into the spotlight. Although the profile is not available on Facebook anymore, but it is still a mystery as no one knows who made these profiles.

2. Dopadi Singhar

Known as a tribal female poet over the intenet, Dopadi mainly wrote about the struggles that tribal people go through. Her profile went viral because of her influential poems.

Photo: ichowk.in

While some people called her a Naxalite, some even called her a revolutionist, her profile and fan page went downhill all of a sudden and there was no more Dopadi Singhar anymore.

3. Sonam Gupta and Sonveer Singh

Sonam Gupta does not need any introduction for sure. After all, who does not know about the heartless girlfriend who betrayed her partner and ended up on the mighty Rs 10 note?

Sonam Gupta became the face of note ban when demonetisation struck our nation. If there is a name that people are going to remember when it comes to 'betrayal' it's definitely going to be Sonam Gupta for at least the next few years.

Photo: ichowk.in

Who knew that a Rs 10 note scribbled with 'Sonam Gupta Bewafa Hai' could get viral on the internet making Ms Gupta the third most searched name on Google India's 2016 top searches list? Well, this is 2016 in a nutshell for you.

Also Read: Sonam Gupta's bewafai made her the 3rd most searched person on Google in 2016

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The virtual boyfriend of Sonam Gupta, Sonveer Singh also became a household name after a picture of the new Rs 2,000 note started circulating over the internet with 'Bewafa tu hai Sonveer Singh, main nahi- Sonam Gupta' written all over it.

Photo: ichowk.in

Just like Sonam nobody knows who this Sonveer is, but we are sure everybody had a good laugh at the numerous memes that were lying around on the internet.

Also Read: Sonam Gupta bewafa hai: Is it true? Here's her story

4. Richa Sajnani

From cyber cell to the police, nobody was able to help a couple and it ended up in their marriage being called off. The ken revealed the story of a Facebook imposter named Richa Sajnani, who lured a guy named Rahul Madhyani into falling in love with her.

Photo: ichowk.in

Rahul and Richa used to talk on Facebook chat regularly and started getting close. After a span of two years, Rahul asked Richa to meet him but she didn't show up, obviously.

After one year, Rahul got engaged to a girl named Sneha Chopra, only to find a fake profile of him on the internet. The profile had a Photoshop-ed picture of Richa and Rahul as a married couple. But this was just a start of a never ending cyclone that was about to ruin Rahul's life.

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Time after time, fake profiles of Rahul's fiancee Richa and their relatives started showing up online with adult content in them. Their personal information was leaked all over the internet. Over 200 fake profiles were made which annoyed the girl's family ultimately resulting in their marriage being called off.

5. Tota Bala Thakur

Poems filled with love and violence, Tota Bala Thakur was also a viral personality over the social media known for her immensely different writing skills. She also claimed to have murdered her husband, Shemendra Thakur because she was in love with someone else. Due to her violent content, a lot of people felt that it is a male behind her feminine-clad profile.

Photo: ichowk.in

After some time, a poet named Amber Ranjana Pandey claimed that he was the one handling her profile but the difference in their writing style spoke otherwise.

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Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque serial killer Clifton Bloomfields yearslong attempt to withdraw his guilty plea has resurfaced.

Bloomfield, who confessed to killing a prominent Korean couple and three other people from 2005 to 2008, is serving a 195-year prison sentence.

He argues in his petition that he was not appointed an attorney qualified to handle death penalty cases, and that the court accepted his plea even though he entered the agreement involuntarily. He also alleges that the state didnt comply with the terms of his agreement, and that his defense attorney was ineffective.

In 2008, Bloomfield pleaded guilty to killing Tak and Pung Yi, retired teacher Josephine Selvage, interior designer Carlos Esquibel and newlywed nurse Scott Pierce.

Police called him one of Albuquerques most notorious killers and said investigators believed four of the five murders were committed during robberies or property crimes gone bad.

Bloomfield pleaded guilty to all five murders in exchange for being imprisoned out of state and having the death penalty off the table.

On Tuesday, the Attorney Generals Office argued before District Judge Benjamin Chavez that Bloomfields petition to withdraw the plea should be dismissed without an evidentiary hearing because Bloomfields claims are refuted by the record, including the transcripts of the plea and sentencing hearings. AGs Office spokesman James Hallinan said Chavez has not made a ruling as to whether a hearing is necessary.

Bloomfields attorney Robert Tangora could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. Bloomfield, 47, waived his appearance and did not attend the hearing.

After Bloomfields plea deal in 2008, District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said: I feel I made a deal with the devil, but it was a necessary deal. It was necessary to bring the families closure, and it was a deal done with the concurrence and the support of all of the families.

Soon after his plea, Bloomfield said he wanted to withdraw it. He then filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in 2011. And he argues in an amended petition filed in October 2015 that his plea was forced upon him. He said he never had a chance to read the final agreement before signing it due to alleged safety concerns.

According to a response to the petition filed by the AGs Office, when Bloomfield took his plea agreement the judge asked whether he believed it was the best thing for him to do.

Yes, sir, I do, he replied. Later, he said he was very satisfied with the advice he received from his defense attorney Liane Kerr.

The AGs Office response also argues that Bloomfield wasnt entitled to a death-penalty qualified attorney, because prosecutors never sought the death penalty. The AGs Office also wrote that Bloomfield said multiple times during his plea hearing that he was entering the agreement of his own free will.

Bloomfield also points out that he was sentenced to nine years for an aggravated burglary count that was supposed to be dismissed under the agreement. The AGs Office notes that the discrepancy was not mentioned at sentencing, but that the issue seemed to be the result of oversight or typographical error.
Wrongful arrests, delayed prison releases and other legal mishaps have been caused by inaccurate records processed by a new court management software system installed in Alameda County, California, court officials say.

Its gotten so bad that the public defenders office filed a motion last month for the county court to immediately fix the problems caused by the county courts software system, called Odyssey Case Manager, or scrap the system completely.

A total of 26 separate incidents were documented in the motion, though Public Defender Brendon Woods stressed that this was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the number of people affected.

Peoples lives are being drastically changed. This is something that needs to be fixed immediately and not later, Woods said to The Washington Post.

Odyssey manages a courts logistics, keeping track of people who have entered the legal system and the status of their cases. Its employed across 600 counties in 21 different states, serving an estimated third of all courts in the country, according to the company behind the software, Tyler Technologies.

For many courts, the digital record keeper is a welcome upgrade from aging computer systems and paper files, and its popularity is an apparent testament to its workability.

But when installed in Alameda County in August, Woods said, the new software caused a domino-like series of problems on the courts digital filings.

As Woods described it, the biggest issue for the county stems from the user interface. Using Odyssey, he said, clerks typically take 20 to 30 minutes to input all of the data needed to file a court action, such as an issued warrant or jail release.

The old system took just two to three minutes per case. Its caused a backup in which cases arent updated on time, causing, for example, a defendant who had already shown up for his court date to be arrested again because his case file showed outdated information. Incomplete filings are growing by an estimated 200 to 300 a day, according to Woods.

Woods also said Odysseys data is not interacting with other legal software in the system correctly. People who have been charged with drug offenses are showing up as sex offenders, Woods used as an example. And some cases already settled in the old system have shown up in the new system incorrectly.

There are just so many levels to this problem its hard to even quantify, said Woods. But its not a persons fault. Its a software problem.

Odysseys problems havent been limited to Alameda County.

In Shelby County, Tennessee, which also recently implemented Odyssey, a group of defendants filed a class-action suit against the sheriff alleging that they were held in jail past their release dates during a computer software upgrade, according to the Memphis Daily News.

While county commissioners, who blamed Odyssey, at one point considered pursuing a lawsuit against Tyler Technologies, the Memphis Daily News reported, the idea has been dropped. County commissioners say that they realized that delays were caused by integration of the new software into several existing systems rather than glitches or bugs with Odyssey itself.

Two years ago in Marion County, Indiana, a lawsuit was filed against the county jail by two inmates who claim that they were held in jail for days after they were supposed to be released due to issues with the newly installed Odyssey software, according to the Indy Star. The Marion County Sheriffs office declined to comment on the pending case.

Asked about the three counties complaints, Jeff Puckett, the president of Tyler Technologies Courts & Justice Division, said that in each of these cases, issues stemmed from different circumstances involving fine-tuning the software implementation and interaction with existing systems.

This is not a new piece of software, he said, adding that Tyler has not been contacted by any of the three court systems about actual bugs or glitches. To draw a line from these problems to, Well, the software is broken or is not doing its job, is just not a fair conclusion.

When pressed about whether Tyler could provide better integration support to courts that use its software, Puckett said the question was asked under a false premise.

Tylers responsibility is limited to implementing the Odyssey courts system, he said. He added that the company has a support staff devoted to transitioning clients to use of their software.

But for public defender Woods, its less about who is to blame and more about doing something to stop the problem.

The county court has set a date to hear the public defenders motion in January, which Woods says is simply too far away.

Last week, they filed a writ to an appellate court to grant their request to be heard before the January date.

To anyone who says its just a few issues, I want them to come down and talk to the person who served 14 extra days illegally, tell them its just a small crack in the system. Talk to my client who was jailed in front of their parents house, he said.

They cant quantify the human experience by saying its a small number of cases. People are suffering.

jail-records
WASHINGTON  The super PAC that poured nearly $200 million into trying elect Hillary Clinton president is remaking itself as a permanent center of opposition to the impending Trump administration, with the long-term aim of helping the Democratic Party claw back voters it lost in the November election.

Priorities USA Action is merging with a nonprofit voting rights group called Every Citizen Counts to form an expanded organization with an ambitious agenda, according to veteran Democratic strategist Guy Cecil, who ran both organizations and will lead the merged group.

The group  which already has the backing of allies such as Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the American Federation of Teachers, the Human Rights Campaign and the Latino Victory Project  could serve as a major center of gravity on the left as Democrats seek to regain their footing in the Donald Trump era.

Cecil, who has strong ties to Senate Democrats, decided to keep Priorities USA going after a series of private conversations during the last several weeks with senators including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, environmental and union leaders, party donors, local Democratic organizers and former Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaign officials.

Many organizations are under assault and will need to focus on their own survival, Cecil said. We want to focus on the areas where our individual fights meet and use our financial and political power to lift up and support other voices.

Priorities will join an increasingly crowded field of independent players seeking to rally liberals to oppose Trumps policies and rebuild the beleaguered Democratic Party.

Activist David Brock, who leads American Bridge and a suite of related groups, is organizing donors to take part in a stepped-up offensive against the president-elect and fellow Republicans. The State Innovation Exchange, which serves as a strategy and training hub for Democrats in the states, is looking to expand its presence. And Organizing for Action, the nonprofit advocacy group that grew out of President Obamas campaign, recently sent a message to activists asking them to double down.

The myriad efforts could tax the resources and attention of liberal contributors, many of whom are dispirited by the election results and questioning whether their funds were well-spent.

Still, some of Priorities USAs major donors are already lining up behind the group. The organization has $10 million in commitments, and big contributors such as Chicago investor J.B. Pritzker have expressed interest in Cecils plans.

I cant imagine that anyone that watched his work in 2016 isnt going to step forward and be helpful to him, said Pritzker, who is currently considering a bid to run for governor in Illinois.

Cecil said Priorities USA will seek to amplify rather than compete with other efforts, noting that the organization intends to partner with the rapid-response war room run by Center for American Progress Action and similar projects. Priorities USA expects to pair up with at least 25 organizations and will convene regular strategy sessions with allied groups, he said.

Were trying to build the overall capacity of the progressive infrastructure, Cecil said.

To do so, the organization is taking on a broad portfolio, assuming tasks traditionally in the purview of the national party.

It will continue the voter rights work started by Every Citizen Counts, which financed lawsuits in states such as North Carolina and Wisconsin and registered 425,000 new voters. And it aims to serves as an incubator to help spread local Democratic models, such as the work of Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who has sought to expand the partys reach in that state.

Priorities USA is also launching a research initiative called the BluePrint Project, which will focus on voters who backed both Obama and Trump and Democrats who did not turn out at the polls last month, seeking new ways to engage them.

Were trying to break through that either or perspective  that were either a party that supports the emerging majority or a party that still reaches out to those white working class voters who voted for Obama just four years ago, Cecil said. We can do both.

The organization also plans to build a comprehensive communications and digital operation, Cecil said, to make sure that the Obama voters who voted for Trump know every time that the president has betrayed them.

To do so, Priorities plans to tap political messaging experts and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to develop new ways of reaching the public, he said.

The organizations plans reflect the expansive role that big-money groups have assumed since a series of federal court decisions triggered the creation of super PACs in 2010. Trump advisers are currently working to launch a new group to support his agenda.

Priorities USA Action, which was launched in 2012 by two former Obama aides, was the most financially successful super PAC in history this cycle, scooping up $189 million by the end of November. Every Citizen Counts raised another $18 million over the last two years.

Those resources contributed to the substantial financial advantage Clinton had over Trump  an edge that nevertheless proved insufficient to help secure her victory in the electoral college.

Cecil said Priorities aims to learn from the results and canvas activists at every level to inform its ongoing work.

Priorities had a specific function in 2016, which was to make Trump unpopular, he said. While we were successful at that, it wasnt enough given the dynamics of the campaign and the two candidates. I have been part of some great wins and tough losses, but my faith has taught me about the power of perseverance and I believe that is what we need from everyone right now. Dogged perseverance.

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Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester on Tuesday was joined by a number of advocates for children and families to denounce attempts by some state legislators to reinstate the food tax.

Our neighbors are hungry, he told a group at the Catholic Center in Albuquerque. At this time as we prepare for Christmas, countless nonprofits and civic organizations work to fill food baskets, but some legislators want to take food out of another basket, the grocery basket, with their proposed food tax.

Wester pointed to recent discussions in legislative interim hearings in which the reinstatement of the food tax has been suggested as a way to raise revenue for the state, which is experiencing a deficit because gas and oil revenues have plummeted.

This tortilla tax, as many have labeled it, only shifts the burden onto the poor and working families, Wester said. What makes this idea even more obscene is that New Mexico ranks second-highest in the nation for children living in hunger and  highest for children living in poverty.

He further noted that 82 percent of births in New Mexico last year were to families who were Medicaid eligible.

New Mexico has already been down this debate path before when we repealed the food tax in 2004, Wester said. Another attempt to pass it in 2010 was vetoed, and rightly so. I call on all New Mexicans to oppose the reinstatement of the food tax.

Beyond the food tax issue at the state level, there is concern about cutbacks at the federal level to social safety net programs, including SNAP, said James Jimenez, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, an organization that advocates on behalf of children and families.

SNAP, an acronym for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is just that  supplemental  and not intended to provide all the meals a family needs for a month, he said. They still have to purchase food, and taxing that food means they will be able to purchase less of it, and will have to cut back in other areas.

A quarter of New Mexicans who are poor enough to receive SNAP benefits are not receiving them, and most recipients use 80 percent of their SNAP benefits in the first half of the month, Jimenez said. It is misguided and harmful to families, and in a state with such a high food insecurity rate, making food more expensive is just plain wrong, Jimenez said. There are better ways for our state government to find money.

Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, is among legislators spearheading the drive to reinstate the food tax. His proposal, not yet formally introduced, would exempt SNAP recipients and would provide reductions to gross receipts taxes levied on sales and services.

In isolation, as a stand-alone piece of legislation, I would be opposed to the food tax as well, Harper told the Journal. But as part of a comprehensive package that includes fixes to a tax code that is strangling small businesses, it will ultimately reduce the tax burden of the great majority of New Mexicans.

Gov. Susana Martinez has opposed reinstating the food tax.
A selection of the most luxurious of English embroideries, much desired by the rich and powerful of medieval Europe, have been brought together for a new exhibition at the V&A. Lucia Marchini takes a look.

The Latin term opus anglicanum has been used in English to describe grand embroideries since the 13th century, and it gives much more of a sense of their grandeur than its straightforward vernacular translation: English work. This English work, predominantly originating in workshops near St Pauls in London, became something of a signifier of the countrys artistic prowess on the international stage and one of its finest exports in the 12th to 15th centuries. Some 50 years after the V&A last staged an exhibition on the embroideries, the museum has returned to this glittering subject in Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery.

What is immediately apparent on entering the exhibition is how valuable these embroideries were. They have been crafted using costly materials, such as Italian imported velvet, coloured silk and gilded silver threads, and are often adorned with pearls and precious stones. Visitors are first greeted by the 14th-century Bologna Cope, a long ecclesiastical cloak once in use in the church of San Domenico, Bologna. It was probably a papal gift to the church, showing just how illustrious the clients commissioning these works were. As a vast wedge-shaped oak cope chest in the corner proves with its ornate ironwork and high-quality joinery, these were not garments to leave on the back of a chair.

The Bologna Cope, and indeed many of the other copes on loan from institutions across Europe, reflects the widespread popularity of English needlework, especially in the 14th century. It also shows how a particularly English flair might be injected into these international commissions. The Bologna Cope is decorated with scenes relating to the life of Christ, but with one exception: one of Englands best-known saints, Thomas Becket, also makes an appearance. Similarly, the 14th-century Toledo Cope has been executed not only with saints venerated in England, but with what was at the time another very English characteristic  detailed naturalistic depictions of identifiable species of birds.

The extraordinary level of detail on these monumental copes was achieved through split stitch, a technique using coloured silks particularly associated with opus anglicanum. Excavations in what was once Londons embroidery workshop district have revealed a selection of needlework tools from the 13th and 14th centuries: cases, thimbles, shears, and the needles themselves, very small so as to allow the embroiderers to carry out this meticulous work. Above the cases containing these small finds, the names of those who used them are displayed in cinema-style lettering, fittingly celebrating the highly skilled and often financially well-rewarded men and women who produced the A-list artworks of their day.

The range of supporting materials adds an extra layer of detail to the exhibition, highlighting the interactions between opus anglicanum and other arts. Designs from floor tiles, stained glass, manuscripts, and panel paintings all have textile parallels. Certain artists, such as the painter of the Virgin and Child from the De Lisle Psalter, are also the likely designers of some of the exhibitions embroideries. Much of the artistic influence stemmed from the Royal Court at Westminster. The star-and-cross pattern of the late 13th-century Vatican Cope has its roots in the Islamic world, but its first use in England was on the Westminster Retable. Likewise, a ceiling panel from Henry IIIs state bedchamber and reception room at Westminster Palace portrays a winged seraph wearing a neckerchief, a feature that then appears in later embroideries.

Dressed to impress

While the vast majority of embroideries on display are religious vestments, the exhibition does explore a few survivals made for secular use, now very rare as they were worn out or thrown out as fashions changed. Fragmentary and faded, some of these pieces may be somewhat less spectacular in their appearance today than their sacred counterparts, but the level of detail is no less impressive. The City of London workshops attracted royal patronage. In kingly red and gold, two lions are what remain of the English royal arms from a 14th-century velvet horse trapper. This heraldic cover is thought to have been made for Edward IIIs diplomatic meeting with Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV at Koblenz, Germany, in 1338.

Early survivals of opus anglicanum were preserved when they were buried along with the bishops who wore them. By contrast, the linen surcoat of another royal Edward, the Black Prince, was hung at his tomb in Canterbury Cathedral after his death in 1376, so its red and blue velvet arms of England and France have long since faded. It is the only piece of secular clothing from the 14th century known to survive, even though tomb brasses  rubbings from which are in the exhibition  show how surcoats were routinely worn over a knights armour to display his arms.

The English Reformation of the 1530s had a damaging impact on embroidery, with lavish vestments being destroyed, hidden, taken abroad, or reused for cushions or other items. But not long before this, the exhibitions final piece, another one with a funereal link, was made. The Fishmongers Pall, embroidered for the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers in 1512-c.1538 (they still own it), proves that elaborate embroideries were still being commissioned in the early 16th century. Presented here surrounded by mirrors, the mermen and mermaids and image of St Peter that adorn this funeral pall dazzle from every angle  a spectacular final flourish to the exhibition and to an art that was about to undergo a drastic change.

Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of English Medieval Embroidery runs until 5 February 2017 at the V&A. Admission 12 (concessions available). For more details, visit www.vam.ac.uk/opus

This review was published in CA 321.
For Immediate Release, December 19, 2016 Contact: Michael Robinson, (575) 313-7017, michaelr@biologicaldiversity.org Despite New Jaguars in United States, Feds Release Plan to Recover Endangered Jaguars Only in Mexico New Plan Fails to Guide Recovery in U.S. Southwest SILVER CITY, N.M. Just weeks after the news broke of a new jaguar in the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released a draft jaguar recovery plan that puts the onus of recovery of northern jaguars entirely on Mexico. The plans criteria for recovery and removal of the jaguar from the endangered list could be met without any jaguars occupying any of their vast historic range in the United States. This month a young, male jaguar was photographed in the Huachuca Mountains of southern Arizona. From 2011 until last year, a mature male jaguar known as El Jefe was repeatedly photographed in and around the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. Another jaguar called Macho B was photographed repeatedly from 1996 until he was killed by the Arizona Department of Game and Fish as a result of a botched capture operation in 2009. Jaguars are making their presence known in the southwestern United States so its disappointing to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put the focus of jaguar recovery solely in Mexico, said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. By excluding the best remaining unoccupied jaguar habitat, this plan aims too low to make a difference in saving the jaguar. Its an extinction plan, not a recovery plan. The draft plan, which the Service reluctantly wrote after its 2009 loss in a lawsuit filed by the Center and Defenders of Wildlife, assumes without evidence that 300 jaguars live in Sonora, Mexico  a more optimistic starting point than the Services 2012 citation of studies pointing to a maximum of 271 jaguars in the province and possibly as few as 50. Since 2013 conservationists monitoring the northernmost breeding jaguars in Sonora, via automatic cameras, saw a poaching loss of six of the areas eight individually identified jaguars, leaving just two known alive. The remainder of the population is less closely monitored but equally at risk. Jaguars are primarily killed by ranchers who use pesticides imported from the United States to poison the carcasses of collared peccary, or javelinas, which are among the jaguars natural prey animals. While the plan, importantly, outlines measures that Mexican authorities can take in protecting jaguars, thats simply not enough, said Robinson. Leaving the vast Gila National Forest and Mogollon Plateau off the table leaves the jaguars in Sonora effectively stranded, likely cut off from jaguars farther south and with no genetic rescue on the way from reintroduction to the north. The draft recovery plans overly optimistic assumption that 300 jaguars inhabit Sonora underpins the Services laissez-faire approach to jaguars in the United States, where no measures will be taken to restore these apex predators. This month a young, male jaguar was photographed in the Huachuca Mountains of southern Arizona. From 2011 until last year, a mature male jaguar known as El Jefe was repeatedly photographed in and around the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. Another jaguar called Macho B was photographed repeatedly from 1996 until he was killed by the Arizona Department of Game and Fish as a result of a botched capture operation in 2009. The last known female jaguar in the United States was shot by a hunter in 1963 in the Apache National Forest on the Mogollon Plateau in Arizona, in an area where Mexican gray wolves have since been reintroduced. The draft recovery plan also estimates that Sonora has habitat sufficient to support 1,166 jaguars  an order of magnitude higher than the most recent previous estimate that the province could support just 172 jaguars. Raising the so-called carrying capacity also justifies ignoring the high-quality but unoccupied jaguar habitat in the Gila National Forest and Mogollon Plateau in the U.S. Southwest. The draft plan divides the jaguars vast range in South, Central and North America into two zones  a Pan-America Recovery Unit and a Northwestern Recovery Unit  and leaves the question of how to protect jaguars in the former unit to another day. The plan also ignores the plight of another, isolated jaguar population in northeastern Mexico south of Texas. As for the Northwestern Recovery Unit, comprising the area from Jalisco, Mexico northward to Interstate 10 in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, it divides this region into primary and secondary zones, the former consisting of the area in which jaguars currently live and breed and the latter the area farther to the north, including part of the United States, in which jaguars are known to inhabit but not reproduce during the past 50 years. Conservation actions are prescribed for the primary area, with little attention to the secondary area. Moreover, a so-called peripheral area farther north includes the highest-quality jaguar habitat remaining in the U.S.  on the Mogollon Plateau in Arizona and the Gila National Forest in New Mexico  a region dismissed from consideration for recovery. Background

In 2014, in response to a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Fish and Wildlife Service designated 764,207 acres of critical habitat to conserve jaguars in southern Arizona and New Mexico. The designation prohibits federal actions that would harm the habitat, and will be at issue in upcoming Center litigation over the Services approval of an open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, part of the critical habitat, where the jaguar El Jefe has been photographed. The jaguar was placed on the U.S. endangered species list in 1997 in response to a previous Center lawsuit. Jaguars evolved in North America thousands of years before colonizing Central and South America. Their fossil remains have been found from as far afield as Nebraska and Maryland; depictions in American Indian art and stories range throughout the South and Midwest; and European explorers and later Americans wrote of their jaguar encounters in states that ranged from California to the Carolinas.
Chandrababu Naidu today said demonetisation was not what they wished for.

By PTI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said demonetisation was not what they wished for, adding he was still breaking his head as a solution to the ongoing (currency) crisis remained elusive.

HERE'S WHAT HE SAID:

"Demonetisation was not our wish but it happened. More than 40 days after demonetisation, there are still a lot of problems but yet there appears to be no solution," Chandrababu said addressing a workshop of Telugu Desam MPs, MLCs, MLAs and other leaders.

"It still remains a sensitive and complicated problem," Chandrababu -- who heads the 13-member central committee to look into demonetisation issues -- observed. It was Chandrababu who had been a strong proponent of ban on high denomination currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000. In fact, he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 12 reiterating his demand.

On November 9, hours after the Prime Minister came out with the demonetisation announcement, the Telugu Desam Party started claiming credit saying it was a "victory for Chandrababu" over his fight on corruption.

"This is a moral victory for the TDP," it said on posts on Facebook and Twitter.

"Prime Minister Modi may have taken the decision now but Chandrababu had these thoughts even when he was in the opposition (2004-14). He had been fighting for scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes since then," the TDP pointed in a Facebook post.

The party media cell dug out newspaper clippings dated back to June 2013 when Chandrababu raised the demand for the first time.

But as people started facing trouble in exchanging the scrapped notes as well as in withdrawing cash from their savings accounts, Chandrababu seemed to change his tone and started making critical remarks about the Centre's move, particularly the introduction of Rs 2000 notes.

"I am spending two hours daily to ease the problems caused by demonetisation. I am breaking my head daily but we are unable to find a solution to this problem," the Chief Minister said.

"We could resolve the 'August crisis' (an internal party coup dating back to 1984) in 30 days but this (demonetisation) still persists," he pointed out. He said banks were "not prepared" for a transition to digital economy.

"They are unable to even register banking correspondents," he added.

Unless there were remedial measures, people's woes would continue in the long-term, Chandrababu warned.

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ALSO READ | Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu to introduce 'AP Purse' for cashless transactions

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By PTI: Ludhiana, Dec 20 (PTI) Union Minister Kiren Rijiju today said some forces are trying to fulfill their "nefarious designs" of creating disturbance in Punjab and that the intelligence agencies are fully alert.

"Our intelligence agencies are fully alert and keeping a close eye on activities of some anti-national forces. We would not allow the peace of the state to be disturbed," he said.

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The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs was addressing media after laying foundation of the complex of the 7th Battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) here.

The Punjab government has provided 51 acres of land free of cost at the outskirts of the city at Ladhowal for the project. An amount of Rs 200 crore would be spent on the complex and its infrastructure, Rijiju said.

He said that the NDRF was one of the best forces in the world.

Commenting on the Centres demonetisation move, Rijiju said that the policy had broken the backbone of terrorist fundings.

Asked about terrorist attacks on the Army and paramilitary forces, he said the vigilance and security on the international borders has been made very tight.

"The incidents of attack on the Army in Kashmir is a desperate attempt by insurgents," he said.

The border states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir have come under a series of terror attacks this year.

On the NIA filing chargesheet in the Pathankot airbase attack, the MoS said the Centre would pressurise Pakistan to extradite the perpetrators of terror to India.

"India will seek the help and support of other countries for the purpose because all the countries are facing heat of terrorism," he said.

Wrapping up investigations in the Pathankot airbase attack case, NIA had yesterday filed a charge sheet against Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother and two others for hatching the conspiracy of the January 2 audacious terror strike in the state that left seven personnel dead and 37 others injured. PTI CORR VJ SRY

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Abraham Ismail, who left Syria hoping for a better life, was stabbed to death in Birmingham on Mad Friday.

By India Today Web Desk: Abraham Ismail (online name) was a 23-year old Syrian who fled his homeland hoping for a better life. He was stabbed to death in Birmingham a couple of days ago.

Attempts were made to save his life but he breathed his last on his way to the hospital, the Birmingham Mail reported.

The young man was killed on the day dubbed as 'Mad Friday', the Friday before Christmas, which is the most popular night for offices and factories Christmas parties, which consequently makes it one of the busiest nights in the year for ambulances and the police.

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The police had not yet confirmed his name but he was identified online on Go Fund Me page his friend created to raise money for his funeral.

A statement on the page reads- ''Our brother Abraham Inna Iillaahi wa inna ilayhu Raaji'un, has sadly passed away on 17th December 2016, being brutally stabbed to death. We are devastated to have lost our dearest brother and friend to a great injustice. We pray that Allah showers his blessings on him and grants him jannat ul-firdous."

Detective inspector Paul Joyce told the Mirror, ''We are still trying to piece together what happened in the early hours. We are looking into reports there was an altercation but I would anybody with any information to get in contact with me and my team as soon as possible.''

Over 4.8 million Syrians have left their homeland as refugees since 2011 when the civil war broke out.

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As per the report, three persons who were riding a bike were hit by a speeding Tata Ace mini truck at Nallakaluva crossroads in Palampet village on Sunday afternoon.

While the rider identified as 30-year-old TM Chary died on the spot, the two pillion riders - Gopi and Satish - suffered injuries.

Immediately after the accident, nearby villagers gathered and tried to stop some vehicles to shift Chary's body and the injured to a nearby hospital, a convoy of cars with beacon lights and sirens zoomed past the accident spot without even slowing down.

The villagers say the VIP travelling in the convoy was Telangana Tribal Welfare Minister Azmeera Chandulal who also represents the constituency where the accident took place.

However, soon after the minister's convoy passed, the local police reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to the hospital.
Update 7.52pm: The so-called 'Islamic State' group has claimed the Berlin truck attacker is an IS soldier "targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition" .

'IS' said in a statement from its Amaq news agency that the attacker "in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition".

Germany is not involved in anti-'IS' combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refuelling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

Update 6.15pm: German prosecutors say a man arrested after the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market has been released because there is insufficient evidence to tie him to the rampage.

Federal prosecutors said the man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year as an asylum-seeker, denied involvement in the attack that killed 12 people and injured nearly 50 others.

They noted that witnesses were able to follow the truck's driver from the scene but lost track of him.

The man arrested matched witness descriptions of the truck driver, but investigators have not been able to prove he was in the truck's cab at the time of the attack.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

Update 2.05pm: German investigators are treating the Berlin Christmas market attack as an act of terrorism - though there has been no claim of responsibility yet.

The country's most senior prosecutor Peter Frank told reporters it is not entirely clear whether there was one perpetrator or more in the attack, which left 12 people dead and around 50 others injured.

He said the suspect being held in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators".

Mr Frank added the method used in the rampage was reminiscent of July's truck attack in Nice, France, and of Islamic extremist groups' "modus operandi".

The head of Germany's federal criminal police office said he cannot rule out the possibility that suspects involved in the attack could still be at large.

Holger Muench told reporters authorities are still not positive the suspect they have in custody is the driver of the truck. He added they have not yet found a pistol believed to have been used to kill the truck's passenger, and it is not known overall how many people were involved.

For those reasons, he said, authorities are "naturally on high alert and are investigating in all directions".

Mr Muench said six of the 12 people killed have been identified and are all Germans, but details of the other six victims have not yet been confirmed.

Update 12.50pm: Police investigating the Berlin lorry attack believe they may have the wrong man and the real suspect could still be on the loose.

A Pakistani asylum seeker who was arrested over the attack on a market in the German capital has denied he is responsible, with reports that the person behind it may be armed and still at large.

The suspect, a 23-year-old who came to Germany on December 31 last year, was captured by police in the aftermath of the incident which left 12 people dead and dozens more injured.

But German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the man has denied any involvement, and Berlin's police chief Klaus Kandt has said officials are unsure whether they have detained the real suspect.

According to German newspaper Die Welt, a police spokesman said: "We have got the wrong man, which means a new situation, because the actual attacker is still armed and free and can cause more damage."

Mr Kandt told reporters that police "haven't been able to confirm" whether the man held was the lorry's driver.

Update 11.50am: A suspect arrested after the truck attack which killed 12 people in Berlin "comes from Pakistan" and had applied for asylum, Germany's top security official has said.

Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the suspect - who denies any involvement - entered Germany on December 31 2015, and arrived in Berlin in February.

He said authorities have no knowledge as yet of a claim of responsibility from Islamic State (IS).

Mr Maiziere said authorities have "no doubt" that the fatal ramming of a busy Christmas market in the German capital on Monday evening was an intentional attack.

He confirmed that 12 people were killed when a truck ploughed into a popular Christmas market filled with tourists and local people outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station on Monday evening. Another 50 people were injured.

Among the dead was a Polish citizen found on the passenger seat of the truck with a gunshot wound.

Earlier: The driver who rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in the heart of the German capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50, did so intentionally, police said, and it is being treated as a suspected "terror attack".

Witnesses have described how the truck did not slow down as it approached crowds gathered around stalls last night.

A Polish man found in the vehicle died, with the truck's owner insisting it had been hijacked. The truck was loaded with steel beams.

Police have detained a man suspected of being the driver. German media reports suggest he is a refugee from Afghanistan or Pakistan in his early 20s, who arrived in Germany earlier this year.

People stand near a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market killing several people yesterday evening in Berlin. Pictures: AP

The vehicle struck outside Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church late on Monday as tourists and locals were enjoying a traditional pre-Christmas evening near Berlin's Zoo station.

"Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz," Berlin police said on Twitter.

"All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care."

A trail of debris is pictured at the Christmas market near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, after the terror attack.

Numerous German media reported that the suspect, who was picked up about a mile and a quarter away from the crash site, was a Pakistani or Afghani citizen.

Berlin's public radio station RBB-Inforadio cited security sources saying the man entered Germany on December 31 2015. News agency dpa, also citing unnamed security sources, reported that he arrived in Germany as a refugee in February 2016. Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the man was known to police for minor crimes.

Die Welt daily reported that police raided a large shelter for asylum-seekers at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof airport overnight.

Berlin police declined to confirm the reports, but spokesman Winfried Wenzel said the suspect was being interrogated.

'Psychological effect'

In the immediate aftermath of the attack German officials were cautious in characterising what had happened.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD television late on Monday. "There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation."

Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer which were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an axe rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same week-long period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Political reaction

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday's attack, blaming German Chancellor Angela Merkel for what had happened.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," said Frauke Petry, co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party.

Manfred Weber, a member of Mrs Merkel's conservative party and leader of the European Parliament's biggest political grouping, cautioned against reaching sweeping verdicts following the attack. But he said it was important to ensure that extremists did not enter the country among those seeking refuge in Europe.

"The state must be able to check every refugee who comes here," he told German public broadcaster ARD.

The White House condemned "what appears to have been a terrorist attack". It came less than a month after the US State Department called for caution in markets and other public places across Europe, saying extremist groups including Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events".

IS and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck ploughed into Bastille Day revellers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. IS claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

After the Berlin attack, dozens of ambulances lined the streets waiting to evacuate people, and heavily armed police patrolled. Authorities on Twitter urged people to stay away from the area, to keep the streets clear for rescue vehicles.

Among the dead was a man in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, police spokesman Mr Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but did not give further details of who he was or what happened to him.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, T around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload ON Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

US President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners".

Berlin's mayor, Michael Mueller, planned to hold a news conference on the attack at 1pm local time.

The Archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, said he would hold prayers for the victims at the St Hedwig Cathedral at noon.

- AP
Trinamool MLA Sudip Roy Barman running away with the Speaker's mace in Tripura Assembly.

By Manogya Loiwal : NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman seems to love the hugely popular mobile game - Temple Run. Why? Watch the video and you will get the answer.

Barman was protesting against the Speaker's refusal to allow a discussion on a purported sex scandal involving state forest and rural development minister Naresh Jamatia.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED:

1. The Tripura assembly witnessed uproarious scenes over personal allegations of a sex scandal against Jamatiya, reports said. During Zero Hour, TMC MLA Barman, former leader of the opposition, raised the issue published in a local Bengali daily. Jamatiya rubbished the newspaper report while terming it as a conspiracy to malign his image. The minister said that he has filed a defamation suit in a court against the newspaper. The entire opposition, including the Congress and TMC, started protesting while demanding a statement from CM Manik Sarkar. As the lawmakers barged into the well of the House, Burman suddenly picked up the Speaker's mace and ran away from the floor towards one of the rooms inside the Assembly building. Burman managed to evade several security guards and locked himself up inside a room. He, however, handed the mace back to the Assembly staff later. "I lost my cool as we were not allowed to speak in the assembly over an important issue. However, I apologise for my behaviour," Burman told India Today.

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The latest planning permissions data for Ireland, published yesterday, adds to the accumulating evidence of a strong rebound in house-building activity.



In the third quarter, permission was granted for 5,814 housing units, more than double (+115%) that seen in the equivalent period in 2015. In fact, the quarterly total was the largest in seven

years and takes the total permissions granted in the past twelve months to 16,063.



Apartments saw the largest increase over the past twelve months (+304% year on year), but a surge in permissions for multi-development houses (+132% year on year) was also seen in third quarter.

According to Goodbody Stockbrokers, "It is important to put these numbers in context; in 2005, 100,000 planning permissions were granted. We estimate that 30,000 new homes need to be built

each year to keep up with household formation trends."

They added, "There is, therefore, still a long way to go in the recovery. The signs are positive though that the sector is at the beginning of a multi-year period of expansion."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Modified On Dec 20, 2016 04:19 PM By akas

Founded as a bicycle manufacturing company named 'Laurin & Klement' in 1895, Skoda started producing cars in 1905.

On December 19, 2016, the 19-millionth Skoda rolled off the production line at the main Skoda plant in Mlada Boleslav. The special car is a Moon-White coloured Skoda Fabia, which will be delivered to a customer in the Czech Republic. Founded as a bicycle manufacturing company named 'Laurin & Klement' in 1895, Skoda started producing cars in 1905. Reaching the 19 million units milestone is a big achievement for the automaker. The Czech automaker is also celebrating the 25th anniversary year of its partnership with Volkswagen this year.

On this achievement, Bernhard Maier, CEO, Skoda, said, SKODA is once again on course to set a new production and sales record in 2016. In the 25th anniversary year of the partnership between SKODA and Volkswagen, this once again demonstrates the SKODA teams capabilities and the strength of the brand.

To get some perspective, 10 million Skoda vehicles had been produced till July 2006 and the figure increased to 15 million in February 2013 and to 18 million in January 2016. For the past three years, Skoda has been delivering more than one million vehicles yearly. In 2016, it reached the delivery milestone of one million vehicles in November  one month earlier than it did in 2015  and is on the path towards making an all-time annual production record. Skoda currently has seven model series and more than 40 model versions in its product portfolio, and manufactures in 14 assembly plants located in seven countries.

The carmakers first SUV, the Kodiaq, will go on sale in the international market from February 2017. It will be introduced in India sometime next year and will compete with the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour. Skoda might also introduce the facelifted Octavia in India.
This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Learn more .

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is one of the largest, and most recognizable, stock exchanges in the world. The NYSE is in New York City, New York at 11 Wall Street. The NYSE has been in existence since the earliest days of the United States becoming a nation, in 1792 and is primarily made up of blue-chip companies with large market capitalizations. In fact, many of the stocks that make up the Dow Jones Composite Index (i.e. The Dow) are listed on the NYSE.

This article gives a brief history of the New York Stock Exchange. In addition, it covers topics such as what kind of stocks trade on the exchange, what are the listing requirements, how trading is performed, and what the daily price movement of the NYSE tells investors about investor sentiment.

What Were the Origins of the NYSE?

Today, the New York Stock Exchange is known as the center of the financial universe. However, the exchanges origin is far more humble. On May 17, 1792, 24 stockbrokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement creating a centralized exchange to help provide order to the securities market in what was still a young nation. The "Buttonwood Agreement comes from the tree of the same name under which the founders signed the agreement.

An initial benefit of the exchange was how it removed the need for auctioneers when trading commodities like wheat and tobacco and to set a commission rate. The exchange initially focused on government bonds.

However, the exchange had no formal home. Business was usually conducted informally in the local coffeehouses. In 1817, the exchange changed its name to the New York Stock & Exchange Board which later became the New York Stock Exchange. At this time, the exchange adopted a constitution that set the rules for trading. A group of stockbrokers met twice a day at 40 Wall Street to trade 30 stocks and bonds.

Over time, the exchange moved became the financial hub of the country and moved to its current location in 1865.

What Kind of Stocks Trade on the NYSE?

As of June 2022, the NYSE includes approximately 2,400 companies with a market capitalization of over $28.2 trillion. Although the NYSE trades stocks of all market capitalizations, its best known for trading the stocks of large cap companies. These have the benefit of being mature companies in mature industries. And many of these companies reward shareholders with dividends.

However, that also means that many of these companies are better suited for value investors as opposed to growth investors. In bear markets this stability can be a benefit for investors as these stocks tend to perform less bad than more volatile stocks. But in a bull market, these stocks are not likely to provide investors with the growth that they look for.

An interesting fact about how the NYSE and NASDAQ operate is that the companies with the five largest market caps on the NYSE are also listed on the NASDAQ exchange.

What Are the Listing Requirements For the NYSE?

The NYSE has strict guidelines that govern the types of companies that can list on the exchange. Here are the major requirements that all companies must meet:

The company must have at least 2,200 shareholders

The company must trade over 100,000 shares per month

The company must have a market valuation of over $100 million

The company must generate more than $75 million in annual revenue

However, there is at least one advantage of having such stringent requirements. That is the companies that meet the requirements generally find it easier to get more investors funds when they hold their initial public offering (IPO).

Once a company begins trading on the NYSE, it must continue to meet these requirements. If it doesnt it can be delisted. In addition to these requirements, the stock must continue to trade above $1. If the price of a stock drops below $1 for more than 29 consecutive trading days, the stock receives an Initial Price Violation Notice.

At that point, the company has 10 days to provide the exchange with a plan for bringing their shares above $1.

How are Trades Executed on the NYSE?

For over a century, the floor of the NYSE was the place for investors to be. This meant trades were conducted by traders who ran buy and sell orders across the trading floor looking to broker a deal for their clients. But with the birth of the NASDAQ exchange in 1971, the New York Stock Exchange began conducting electronic trading.

However, the NYSE continues to conduct trades in an auction style. Brokers purchase stocks on behalf of their clients or firms. Every order features a broker who will enter the order electronically and a specialist who serves as the market maker for that stock. The specialist posts bid and ask prices and manages the actual execution of the trades. And there are still a handful of stockbrokers who still traffic buy and sell orders physically on the floor of the exchange.

How Does the NYSE Signal Investor Sentiment?

Like its counterpart, the NASDAQ, the NYSE measures the risk appetite of investors. When the NYSE is moving higher over a length of time, it signals that a risk on environment. Conversely when the NYSE moves lower over a significant period, it signals that investors are moving to a risk off position.

Some Final Thoughts on the NYSE

Financial news networks plan their programming schedule around the opening and closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Its still considered a distinguished honor when individuals or groups are invited to ring the opening bell. In fact, Warren Buffett is attributed with saying that in the short term, the stock market acts like a voting machine. A fact that many U.S. presidents will attest to.

The NYSE is the oldest and most recognizable of all the stock exchanges. It also has the most stringent requirements for inclusion. And those requirements must be maintained even after a stock begins publicly trading on the exchange.

Although the NYSE still has a small in-person Trading Floor, much of the trading is done electronically to provide traders with the speed to execute trades.
The Chemours Company provides performance chemicals in North America, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. It operates through four segments: Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, Advanced Performance Materials, and Chemical Solutions. The Titanium Technologies segment provides TiO2 pigment under the Ti-Pure and BaiMax brands for delivering whiteness, brightness, opacity, and protection in various of applications, such as architectural and industrial coatings, flexible and rigid plastic packaging, polyvinylchloride, laminate papers used for furniture and building materials, coated paper, and coated paperboard used for packaging. The Thermal & Specialized Solutions segment offers of refrigerants, thermal management solutions, propellants, foam blowing agents, and specialty solvents. The Advanced Performance Materials segment products portfolio includes various industrial resins, specialty products, membranes, and coatings for consumer electronics, semiconductors, digital communications, transportation, energy, oil and gas, and medical, and others applications. The Chemical Solutions segment comprises a portfolio of industrial chemicals used as raw materials and catalysts for gold production, clean and disinfect, oil and gas, water treatment, electronics, and automotive applications. The company sells its products through direct and indirect channels, as well as through a network of resellers and distributors. The Chemours Company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware.
The following companies are subsidiares of Molina Healthcare: Aetna & Humana - Medicare Advantage, Affinity Health Plan, AmericanWork Inc., Better Health Network, Camelot Care Centers Inc, Children's Behavioral Health Inc., Choices Group Inc., College Community Services, Dockside Services Inc, Family Preservation Services Inc., Family Preservation Services of Florida Inc., Family Preservation Services of North Carolina Inc., Family Preservation Services of Washington D.C. Inc., Family Preservation Services of West Virginia Inc., Florida NetPASS LLC, Hclb Inc., Magellan Complete Care, Maple Star Nevada Inc., Maple Star Oregon Inc., Mercy CarePlus, Molina Clinical Services LLC, Molina Healthcare Data Center Inc., Molina Healthcare of Arizona Inc., Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Florida Inc., Molina Healthcare of Georgia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Illinois Inc., Molina Healthcare of Iowa Inc., Molina Healthcare of Louisiana Inc., Molina Healthcare of Maryland Inc., Molina Healthcare of Michigan Inc., Molina Healthcare of Mississippi Inc., Molina Healthcare of Nevada Inc., Molina Healthcare of New Mexico Inc., Molina Healthcare of New York Inc., Molina Healthcare of North Carolina Inc., Molina Healthcare of Ohio Inc., Molina Healthcare of Oklahoma Inc., Molina Healthcare of Pennsylvania Inc., Molina Healthcare of Puerto Rico Inc., Molina Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, Molina Healthcare of Texas Inc., Molina Healthcare of Texas Insurance Company, Molina Healthcare of Utah Inc., Molina Healthcare of Virginia Inc., Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc., Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin Inc., Molina Holdings Corporation, Molina Hospital Management LLC, Molina Information Systems LLC dba Molina Medicaid Solutions, Molina Medical Management Inc., Molina Pathways LLC, Molina Pathways of Texas Inc., Molina Youth Academy, NextLevel Health Illinois, Pathways Community Corrections Inc., Pathways Community Services LLC, Pathways Community Support of Texas Inc., Pathways Health and Community Support LLC, Pathways Human Services LLC., Pathways of Arizona Inc., Pathways of Delaware Inc., Pathways of Idaho LLC, Pathways of Maine Inc., Pathways of Massachusetts LLC, Pathways of Oklahoma Inc., Pathways of Washington Inc., Providence Community Services, Providence Human Services, Raystown Developmental Services Inc., The Game of Work LLC, The RedCo Group Inc., Total Care Medicaid plan, Transitional Family Services Inc., Unisys -Health Information Management, and YourCare Health Plan.

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One expert suggests allowing extra time before a flight just to offset any hiccups

Once upon a time flying used to be fun and kind of glamorous, but the pandemic and the airlines' struggle for profitability sucked the life out of the experience. Even though COVID-19 seems like a fading vapor trail, air traveler satisfaction with North American airports cant seem to get airborne again.

According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, overall satisfaction with airports is down 25 points this year as travelers encounter fewer fl...
The Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs had approached the Speaker and started sloganeering against Tripura forest minister Naresh Jamatia. Suddenly, TMC MLA Sudip Roy Barman seized the Speaker's mace and ran away with it.

Video Grab of TMC MLA Sudip Roy Barman running away with Speaker's mace during the last day of the winter session.

By Praveen Shekhar: In a bizarre incident reported from Tripura, former leader of the opposition and Trinamool Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman snatched and ran away with speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath's ceremonial mace. He was restrained by the marshals of the assembly after about a half-minute chase.

INCIDENT

The incident occurred while the members were debating about the alleged involvement of a ruling CPI-M leader in a sex tape scandal.

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The Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs had approached the Speaker and started sloganeering against Tripura forest minister Naresh Jamatia. Suddenly, TMC MLA Sudip Roy Barman seized the Speaker's mace and ran away with it.

Barman had been objecting to the speaker's refusal to allow a discussion on a sex scandal.

Since Tripura become a full-fledged state in January 1972, incidents of running away with the symbolic silver mace by opposition legislators in the midst of an assembly sitting has occurred thrice.

The ruckus in the assembly and the parliament has become a routine feature. This is utter disregard to the honour and dignity of the house as well as the speaker.

HERE ARE OTHER INSTANCES OF RUCKUS IN THE ASSEMBLY AND THE PARLIAMENT: October 1997- Uttar Pradesh AssemblyClashes broke out in the state legislative assembly in Uttar Pradesh with MLAs using microphones, chairs as weapons. February 2008- Odisha AssemblyScuffle broke out between the Treasury bench members and Opposition members over demand for a special debate on naxal attack in Nayagarh. November 2009- Maharashtra AssemblyA member of the legislative assembly was assaulted in the state assembly. One of the members 'who couldn't speak Marathi' took oath in Hindi, one of the official languages of India. This was objected to by a right wing party Maharashtra Navanirmana Samithi, that wanted Marathi to be the official language in the state. Four members of the Maharashtra Navaniramana Samithi were immediately suspended for 4years. July 2010: Bihar AssemblyMicrophones, chairs and desks were thrown by the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly - their "protest" they say against a corrupt government. When slippers were hurled at the Speaker, marshals or security guards evicted 17 Opposition MLAs. December, 2009: Punjab AssemblyLegislators of Punjab's ruling Akali Dal and opposition Congress got into a scuffle inside the assembly over the issue of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. The free-for-all started when Congress legislators moved towards Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal while he was replying to a call attention motion on the state's law and order situation. December, 2012: West Bengal AssemblyTrinamool Congress MLAs were involved in a fistfight with their Left Front counterparts inside the West Bengal Assembly. July, 2015: Delhi AssemblyBJP MLA OP Sharma created a ruckus in the Delhi Assembly when he broke the mike at his table alleging that it had been turned off to prevent him from speaking. March, 2015: Kerala AssemblyKerala assembly witnessed unprecedented and ugly scenes as opposition members went on a rampage destroying Speaker's podium and indulged in scuffle with the watch-and-ward staff even as Finance Minister K M Mani, facing charges in bar bribery scam, managed to present the state budget. March, 2015: Jammu and Kashmir AssemblyOpposition National Conference and Congress lawmakers disrupted proceedings in both houses of Jammu and Kashmir legislature, accusing the government of misleading people on the issue of transfer of power projects to the state, and created ruckus in the Assembly as Speaker directed marshaling out of some members. 1997: Mamata at her 'throwing' bestShe is always known for her high temper. It was one of sessions ongoing in parliament in the year 1997 when Mamata threw her shawl at Ram Vilas Paswan, the then Railway Minister for ignoring West Bengal in the annual rail budget. August 24, 2006: In an ugly and shocking scene in the Lok Sabha, Mr Sadhu Yadav (RJD) came close to assaulting Mr Prabhunath Singh (JD-U) seconds after the House had adjourned, and some RJD members angrily banged the table in the well of the House, breaking a mike box and sending papers flying in all directions. June 2007: Parliamentarians throwing chairs, then loaded into ambulancesAfter a "highly sensitive civil rights" issue took a violent turn during a parliament debate in June 2007, MPs from the BJP walked towards the House leader's bench, and started throwing chairs and microphones all around, specifically targeting opposition benches. Later the injured MPs were taken to hospital loaded into ambulances. September 2012: Coming to blows over 'quota' diplomacyIn Rajya Sabha, the MPs of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) came to blows in after a bill on quotas in promotions for backward castes and tribes in government jobs was introduced on the floor of the house. BSP MP Avtar Singh Karimpuri got hold of the SP MP Naresh Agrawal's collar and began with a literal 'kushti.' February 2014: Protest of Seemandhara MPs in Rajya Sabha getting violentRajya Sabha was no different with Seemandhra MPs trying to break the chairman's microphone, engaging in physical fight in the Upper House. February 2014: 18 Andhra MPs suspended from Lok SabhaIn 2014, there was a pepper spray attack by three MPs in the Lok Sabha, following a ruckus over the introduction of the Telangana Bill. 18 Andhra Pradesh MPs were suspended as a result of the violence. April 23, 2015: Opposition members created ruckus in Rajya Sabha when the government sought to give reasons for re-promulgating ordinance on land acquisition, with a Trinamool Congress member tearing a copy of the agenda paper and throwing it into the Well. November 24, 2016: SP MP Akshay Yadav throws papers at Speaker Sumitra Mahajan

ALSO READ:

WATCH: Trinamool MLA's 'Temple Run' act in Tripura Assembly

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First on the mobile wallet scene was Google Wallet in 2011. Next up was Apple Pay in 2014. Following closely in 2015 was Samsung Pay, with its sleek commercials promising freedom from your wallet.

When these mobile wallets hit the market, many people believed each would change the face of payments. But despite all the hoopla around these solutionsand others that have come sincesome factor is keeping members from using these supposed game changers.

Until recently, the biggest obstacles the mobile wallet industry faced were ease of use and ubiquity in the marketplace. One additional culprit, it turns out, might be something else entirelyfear.

Mobile apps vs. mobile wallets

With the ever-growing fear of data breaches, malware, phishing, and other cyberthreats, concerns about security could be undermining the adoption of mobile wallets.

According to a global survey of 2,000 consumers NTT DATA conducted in partnership with Ingenico, Oxford and Charney, more than half of consumers believe mobile wallets are less secure than cash.
Modernization acts that will allow state charters to provide more competitive operating and regulatory climatethanks in large part to the advocacy efforts of credit union leagues throughout the countrywere passed in several states in 2016.

CUNA supports modernizing state charters to provide the maximum flexibility for credit unions to serve their members.

Among the most comprehensive modernization bills were signed in Michigan and California.
Destructive Cyber Attack On Saudi Kingdom

State-sponsored hackers have conducted a "series of destructive attacks" on Saudi Arabia, erasing data and wreaking havoc at the agency running the countrys airports, and hitting five additional targets.

According to a report, "thousands of computers were destroyed at the headquarters of Saudis General Authority of Civil Aviation, erasing critical data and bringing operations there to a halt for several days". This it was claimed was a false-flag operation by a foreign country aiming to escalate tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Several US Internet security companies later suggested the attacks were carried out by hackers using a virus called "Shamoon", which has been linked to the Iranian government.

Two theories may explain the attacks

First, they may signify a false-flag operation by a foreign country aiming to escalate tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia and, by association, the United States. One cannot discount the possibility of Israels involvement because Israel would largely benefit from the incidents aftermath.

A director at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington maintained that "anyone who did this attack knows it has implications for the nuclear deal - between Iran and the world powers".

Other states in play

Meanwhile, it is important to remember that Israel has a history of hacking operations. In 2010, the Israelis together with the Americans collaborated in an attack on Irans nuclear enrichment plant using the Stuxnet virus.

Second, according to early reports from a Saudi probe - which obviously can be biased - "digital evidence" suggests the attacks emanated from Iran.

Rogue radical elements in the Iranian government could have intentionally acted to create a foreign policy crisis for the Rouhani administration but, Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, seeks de-escalation in the international relations arena. He relies on the benefits of sanctions relief but requires a peaceful environment to bring Iran out of international economic obscurity, attract foreign investment and end the severe economic recession engulfing the country.

The actualisation of the Iran nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), strengthened Rouhanis and the moderate currents position as a whole in Iran.

The Shamoon virus was the same that devastated Saudi oil company Aramco in 2012. According to the report, Shamoon "overwrites files and renders the infected computers inoperable by destroying the master boot record". It spreads quickly "throughout a network, causing destruction like the digital version of a wildfire".

A secret document from April 2013, written by the US National Security Agency and revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden, pointed the finger directly at Iran.

It said: "Irans destructive cyber-attack against Saudi Aramco in August 2012, during which data was destroyed on tens of thousands of computers, was the first such attack NSA has observed from this adversary.

It spreads quickly "throughout a network, causing destruction like the digital version of a wildfire"

"Iran, having been a victim of a similar cyber-attack against its own oil industry in April 2012, has demonstrated a clear ability to learn from the capabilities and actions of others." In the past, there have been other suspicious incidents aimed at sabotaging Irans foreign relations.

MiddleEastEye: The Growing Cyber Threat From Iran: Iran Ministry Of Defense Hacked By Saudi Hacker:


Visit Dal.ca/New-To-Dal for full details about New to Dal orientation programming for the upcoming semester.



Welcome to the Dalhousie University community! We are excited to meet you online or in person as you begin your university life, no matter where you are in the world! Our New to Dal international student orientation is a great way to start the semester. We are all here to support you! The International Centre and so many other resources, services and supports at Dal, are still available to you whether you are learning online or in-person.

During the New to Dal international student orientation, you will:

- Learn about your Faculty and how to prepare for the Canadian classroom

- Meet senior students through Together@Dal

- Meet International Centre Student Advisors

- Connect with your cultural societies

- Learn more about Dalhousie services and resources



New to Dal - International Centre schedule:
Study suggests devices' popularity does not make smoking more acceptable or appealing to young people, and may instead further discourage tobacco use

Centre for Substance Use and Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 20 December 2016 - A study conducted by the Glasgow-based Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) has cast doubt on the link suggested by some between the increased visibility of e-cigarette use and the renormalisation of smoking.

The majority (96%) of qualitative responses given in interviews with 100 non-smokers aged between 16 and 29, showed young people were able to clearly differentiate between smoking traditional cigarettes and e-cigarette use, with most expressing disinterest in vaping, considering the devices were used only for attempting to quit or reduce tobacco consumption.

There was no reported change in the respondents' desire to smoke after seeing the devices used in public, with some suggesting the products make cigarettes appear even less appealing.

Although 61% of respondents suggested the sight of an e-cigarette made them curious about the devices and what the experience of using them was like, only a third of that group said they had tried one since first seeing the devices used in public, and none had gone on to use e-cigarettes more frequently. 38% commented that seeing an e-cigarette used in public did not make them curious about vaping at all.

Dr Neil McKeganey, Director of CSUR and lead author of the study said, "These results cast doubt on claims of a link between the increased popularity of e-cigarettes, their ensuing visibility when used in public, and any resulting increase in the desire to smoke tobacco among young people."

"While the study suggests more people now consider vaping to be a 'normal' activity, it also shows that there is no basis for regulating e-cigarettes based on a fear they are making smoking more attractive, because this fear is clearly unfounded. Any restrictions on their use, for example in public places, should reflect the reality that people do not think smoking is any more socially acceptable just because more people are seen to be vaping," McKeganey added. "If anything, the results of this study show the opposite is true. Vaping is making smoking less interesting for non-smokers. While there is still a need to pursue further research into e-cigarettes, on the basis of our results the devices in their current form can be clearly distinguished from traditional cigarettes. Future regulation that restricts their manufacture or design risks inadvertently pushing e-cigarettes to resemble combustible tobacco products, which could lead to confusion and should be avoided at all costs."

E-cigarettes have been called 95% safer than traditional tobacco by Public Health England, a view that is supported by numerous other public health and tobacco-control groups, including Action on Smoking and Health UK and Cancer Research UK. All these groups are moving towards a broad scientific consensus that vaping, when compared to conventional tobacco consumption, could present a critical tool in global harm reduction. Yet restrictions on the use of e-cigarettes could hurt their positive impact.

This study is available in the US peer-reviewed International Archives of Addiction Research and Medicine.

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Daily use might be cheap and easy way of curbing spread of infection, say researchers

A commercial brand of mouthwash that is readily available from supermarkets and pharmacies can help curb the growth of the bacteria responsible for gonorrhoea, reveals preliminary research published online in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Daily rinsing and gargling with the product might be a cheap and easy way of helping to control the spread of the infection, suggest the researchers.

New cases of gonorrhoea among men are on the rise in many countries amid declining condom use, with the bulk of cases among gay/bisexual men, say the researchers.

Rising rates of gonorrhoea heighten the risk of the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of Neisseria gonnorhoeae, the bacteria responsible for the infection, making the need for a preventive measure that doesn't rely on condoms even more urgent, they say.

As far back as 1879, and before the advent of antibiotics, the manufacturer of Listerine, a commercial brand of mouthwash, claimed that it could be used to cure gonorrhoea. But no published research has tested out this claim.

In a bid to rectify this, the researchers assessed whether Listerine could curb the growth of N. gonorrhoeae in laboratory tests and in sexually active gay/bisexual men in a clinical trial.

For the laboratory tests, different dilutions (up to 1:32) of Listerine Cool Mint and Total Care, both of which contain 21.6% alcohol, were applied to cultures of N. gonorrhoeae to see which of any of them might curb growth of the bacteria. By way of a comparison, a salt water (saline) solution was similarly applied to an identical set of cultures.

Listerine at dilutions of up to 1 in 4, applied for 1 minute, significantly reduced the number of N. gonorrhoeae on the culture plates, whereas the saline solution did not.

The clinical trial involved 196 gay/bisexual men who had previously tested positive for gonorrhoea in their mouths/throat, and who were returning for treatment at one sexual health clinic in Melbourne, Australia, between May 2015 and February 2016.

Almost a third (30%; 58) tested positive for the bacteria in their throat on the return visit.

Thirty three of these men were randomly assigned to a rinse and gargle with Listerine and 25 of them to a rinse and gargle with the saline solution.

After rinsing and gargling for 1 minute, the proportion of viable gonorrhoea in the throat was 52% among the men using Listerine compared with 84% among those using saline.

And the men using Listerine were 80% less likely to test positive for gonorrhoea in their throat five minutes after gargling than were the men using the saline solution.

The researchers admit that the monitoring period was short, so the possibility that the effects of the mouthwash might be short-lived can't be ruled out. But the laboratory test results would suggest otherwise, they say.

This research is preliminary, so a larger trial is currently under way to confirm these results and see whether the use of mouthwash could curb the spread of gonorrhoea, they say.

"If daily use of mouthwash was shown to reduce the duration of untreated infection and/or reduce the probability of acquisition of N. gonorrhoeae, then this readily available, condom-less, and low cost intervention may have very significant public health implications in the control of gonorrhoea in [men who have sex with men]," write the researchers.

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Research: Antiseptic mouthwash against pharyngeal Neisseria gonorrhoeae: a randomised controlled trial and an in vitro study

Public link once embargo lifts http://sti.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/sextrans-2016-052753

About the journal

Sexually Transmitted Infections is one of 60 specialist journals published by BMJ. http://sti.bmj.com
Generating protective immunity against the early liver stage of malaria infection is feasible but has been difficult to achieve in regions with high rates of malaria infection. Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine reveal one potential reason for this difficulty in Cell Reports on December 20.Their study demonstrates that exposure to the latter blood stage of malaria infection inhibits the formation of the protective immune cells (and their antibodies) that can prevent the early liver stage infection.

"The blood stage of malaria infection has a very profound impact on the liver stage immune response, and that impact had never been dissected and visualized at this level," says co-author Marion Pepper, UW Medicine researcher and assistant professor of immunology at the UW School of Medicine. "These studies really suggest that you need a vaccine that is protective against both stages of infection to effectively prevent malaria."

To track how the blood stage of malaria infection overpowers the liver stage immune response, Pepper and her collaborators infected two groups of mice with different forms of the malaria parasite. One of these was engineered by their collaborators in the lab of Stefan Kappe, UW affiliate professor of global health and investigator, Center for Infectious Disease Research in Seattle, to stop at the liver stage of infection, while the other progressed to the blood stage of infection. Six days after infection, the researchers found that the levels of antibodies were significantly lower in the mice with the blood stage infection than in mice that only had the parasite targeted to the liver.

To understand this discrepancy, the team tracked the differentiation of Plasmodium liver stage-specific B cells. B cells can differentiate into antibody-secreting early effector cells or long-lived memory cells, both of which contribute to protection against malaria. They discovered that 14 days after infection, the B cells in the blood stage infected mice never went through the necessary changes to make rapidly responsive memory cells. However, in the mice that received the liver-stage attenuated version of the parasite, the B cells were still able to differentiate and create the necessary antibodies and memory cells for an effective immune response.

"This work really highlights the importance of looking at antigen-specific B cells," says Pepper. "These data also suggest that if you're getting a vaccine while you have an ongoing blood stage infection, there is a chance that the vaccine will not generate good memory cells because the blood stage disrupts all the processes that are involved in making that immunological memory."

Pepper and her collaborators are now looking into the possibility of a drug treatment to solve this problem, as they were able to show that when you treat the second stage of the infection with a drug, the B cells are able to create the optimally responsive memory cells. But for now, the researchers are hopeful that their work can be used to answer immediate questions about the efficacy of malaria vaccines in regions that are most significantly affected by the disease.

"Malaria has evolved with us throughout human existence and therefore has some potent immune evasion strategies. We really tried to tease apart some of the factors that could be driving the loss of protective immunity during natural infection and with current vaccine strategies in areas of high malaria transmission," says Pepper. "Our next step is to compare malaria-specific B cells after vaccination or natural infection in humans so we can translate these findings and start to determine how to solve this problem."

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This work was supported through the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Washington.

Cell Reports, Keitany et al.: "Blood stage malaria disrupts humoral immunity to the pre-erthrocytic stage circumsporozite protein" http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(16)31633-3

Cell Reports (@CellReports), published by Cell Press, is a weekly open-access journal that publishes high-quality papers across the entire life sciences spectrum. The journal features reports, articles, and resources that provide new biological insights, are thought-provoking, and/or are examples of cutting-edge research. Visit: http://www.cell.com/cell-reports. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.
Scientists might be able to quickly predict how ovarian cancer patients are likely to respond to chemotherapy treatment using a simple blood test, according to a Cancer Research UK-funded study published in PLOS Medicine* today (Tuesday).

In a study of 40 patients with high grade serous ovarian cancer, the researchers monitored tumour DNA that could be detected in a blood sample taken before each chemotherapy treatment. By measuring the levels of the mutated cancer gene TP53 they found those who responded well to treatment had a rapid fall in the levels of this circulating DNA.

The researchers tested levels of this circulating tumour DNA in patients before and after treatment. They found that it took longer for the disease to progress in patients whose tumour DNA count in the blood fell by more than a half after one cycle of chemotherapy, compared with patients whose DNA count did not drop. They also showed that the level of tumour DNA in the blood reflects the amount of cancer seen on scans carried out before chemotherapy.

This test may be particularly useful for patients with high grade serous ovarian cancer because the mutated cancer gene TP53 is found in more than 99 per cent of patients with this form of the disease. This type represents two thirds of all ovarian cancers.

Dr James Brenton, one of the lead authors of the study at the University of Cambridge, said: "There's a need for a test to find out quickly whether ovarian cancer patients are benefiting from chemotherapy. These are early results, but if bigger trials are successful, this test looking at the tumour DNA circulating in the blood could be a cheap, quick and easy way to get this information."

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said: "Although we're making great progress, we still have more to do for people with ovarian cancer, as only one in three patients survive for 10 years or longer. Having a test to tell us early on whether chemotherapy is working would be a big help, and in the future might be a useful way to suggest other types of treatment that could work better. This could be a good way to test new types of drugs that target cancer cells specifically and spare patients the side effects from treatments if they are not working."

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For media enquiries please contact Fiona Dennehy in the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 3469 6770 or, out-of-hours, the duty press officer on 07050 264 059.

Notes to editors:

Parkinson et al., Exploratory analysis of TP53 mutations in circulating tumour DNA as biomarkers of treatment response for patients with relapsed high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: a retrospective study

Watch our video here: https://youtu.be/fPKqtPcPvd4

About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.

Cancer Research UK's pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.

Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.

Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last forty years.

Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK's ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years.

Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.

Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit http://www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
UPTON, NY-Scientists studying high temperature superconductors-materials that carry electric current with no energy loss when cooled below a certain temperature-have been searching for ways to study in detail the electron interactions thought to drive this promising property. One big challenge is disentangling the many different types of interactions-for example, separating the effects of electrons interacting with one another from those caused by their interactions with the atoms of the material.

Now a group of scientists including physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory has demonstrated a new laser-driven "stop-action" technique for studying complex electron interactions under dynamic conditions. As described in a paper just published in Nature Communications, they use one very fast, intense "pump" laser to give electrons a blast of energy, and a second "probe" laser to measure the electrons' energy level and direction of movement as they relax back to their normal state.

"By varying the time between the 'pump' and 'probe' laser pulses we can build up a stroboscopic record of what happens-a movie of what this material looks like from rest through the violent interaction to how it settles back down," said Brookhaven physicist Jonathan Rameau, one of the lead authors on the paper. "It's like dropping a bowling ball in a bucket of water to cause a big disruption, and then taking pictures at various times afterward," he explained.

The technique, known as time-resolved, angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (tr-ARPES), combined with complex theoretical simulations and analysis, allowed the team to tease out the sequence and energy "signatures" of different types of electron interactions. They were able to pick out distinct signals of interactions among excited electrons (which happen quickly but don't dissipate much energy), as well as later-stage random interactions between electrons and the atoms that make up the crystal lattice (which generate friction and lead to gradual energy loss in the form of heat).

But they also discovered another, unexpected signal-which they say represents a distinct form of extremely efficient energy loss at a particular energy level and timescale between the other two.

"We see a very strong and peculiar interaction between the excited electrons and the lattice where the electrons are losing most of their energy very rapidly in a coherent, non-random way," Rameau said. At this special energy level, he explained, the electrons appear to be interacting with lattice atoms all vibrating at a particular frequency-like a tuning fork emitting a single note. When all of the electrons that have the energy required for this unique interaction have given up most of their energy, they start to cool down more slowly by hitting atoms more randomly without striking the "resonant" frequency, he said.

The frequency of the special lattice interaction "note" is particularly noteworthy, the scientists say, because its energy level corresponds with a "kink" in the energy signature of the same material in its superconducting state, which was first identified by Brookhaven scientists using a static form of ARPES [see: https://www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=1439]. Following that discovery, many scientists suggested that the kink might have something to do with the material's ability to become a superconductor, because it is not readily observed above the superconducting temperature.

But the new time-resolved experiments, which were done on the material well above its superconducting temperature, were able to tease out the subtle signal. These new findings indicate that this special condition exists even when the material is not a superconductor.

"We know now that this interaction doesn't just switch on when the material becomes a superconductor; it's actually always there," Rameau said.

The scientists still believe there is something special about the energy level of the unique tuning-fork-like interaction. Other intriguing phenomena have been observed at this same energy level, which Rameau says has been studied in excruciating detail.

It's possible, he says, that the one-note lattice interaction plays a role in superconductivity, but requires some still-to-be-determined additional factor to turn the superconductivity on.

"There is clearly something special about this one note," Rameau said.

###

Work at Brookhaven National Laboratory was supported by the Center for Emergent Superconductivity, an Energy Frontier Research Center headquartered at Brookhaven National Laboratory and funded by the DOE Office of Science. Additional funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Aspen Center for Physics, the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and by the McDevitt bequest at Georgetown University. Computational resources were provided by the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science User Facility headquartered at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Additional support came from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Mercator Research Center Ruhr, and from the European Union within the seventh Framework Program.

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.

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit applied science and technology organization.

Related Links:

Scientific paper: "Energy Dissipation from a Correlated System Driven Out of Equilibrium"

An electronic version of this news release with related graphics is available online.

Media contacts: Karen McNulty Walsh, (631) 344-8350, kmcnulty@bnl.gov, or Peter Genzer, (631) 344-3174, genzer@bnl.gov
The Yeh Hai Mohabbatein actor apparently physically assaulted an office boy during an award show.

By India Today Web Desk: Yeh Hai Mohabbatein actor Karan Patel is back in the news, and no, it is not because of the successful run of his show.

Also read: Here's why Karan Patel refused to cut his birthday cake; watch video

According to recent reports, the popular actor physically abused an office boy during the Star Parivaar Awards 2016. He apparently just caught hold of the person's collar, and gave him quite a beating.

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It was reported by certain media houses that the actor had mistaken the person for someone else. Karan even apologised later for his outburst.

https://t.co/9YxwZTKspr ..... i wonder who #Reports this kind of #Reportedly news .! I seem to be starring in all imaginative incidents ????????? Karan Patel (@TheKaranPatel) December 17, 2016

But none of 'this' happened, according to the actor.

Karan took to Twitter to deny the reports, and tweeted, "I wonder who #Reports this kind of #Reportedly news! I seem to be starring in all imaginative incidents."

Well, that was quick, and we hope that clears the confusion.

--- ENDS ---
The first mapping of carbon recovery in Amazonian forests following emissions released by commercial logging activities has been published in the journal eLife.

The findings suggest that, in some of the forests disturbed by logging, surviving trees may be more reliable for storing carbon emissions than newly 'recruited' trees (juveniles that naturally regenerate in the logged forests).

Amazonia, the largest tropical forest globally, holds 30% of the carbon stored in the earth's forests. Logging releases a significant amount of this carbon -- a key component of climate change - into the atmosphere, which is then recovered by surviving trees and new recruits.

No investigations of post-logging carbon dynamics have previously been carried out Amazon-wide. Now, researchers from the Tropical managed Forest Observatory have created a unique modelling approach to estimate accurately how the different forest environments impact carbon changes in surviving and newly recruited trees during post-logging carbon recovery.

"We studied long-term data from 133 permanent forest plots from 13 experimentally disturbed sites across Amazonia to model the changes in the aboveground carbon stocks in the first decades after logging," says first author and PhD student Camille Piponiot from UMR Ecologie des Forets de Guyane in Kourou, French Guiana.

"We looked at regional differences in climate, soils, and initial aboveground biomass within the forests and linked these with the changes in carbon stocks caused by both newly recruited and surviving trees to predict the carbon recovery potential Amazon-wide."

Their model reveals that carbon recovery is highest in the Guiana Shield in northeastern South America, and also in the western regions of the Amazonian forests, due mainly to the high carbon gain of trees that survived logging activity. In contrast, recovery is lower in the south.

Piponiot explains: "Forests of the Guiana Shield are generally dense and grow on nutrient-poor soils, where wood productivity is constrained by competition for key nutrients. Short pulses of nutrients released from readily decomposed stems, twigs, and leaves of trees damaged and killed by logging explain the substantial but limited-duration increase in the growth of surviving trees.

"In the southern Amazon, on the other hand, high seasonal water stress is the main constraint on carbon recovery. Stress-tolerant trees are generally poor competitors and this may explain the slower carbon accumulation in survivors in this region."

Principal Investigator and senior author of the study, Bruno Herault, from Cirad, adds: "As climate change continues, we can also expect to see increases in droughts and fires that will further disturb the Amazonian forests. Betting on newly recruited trees to store carbon in some of the forests disturbed by logging might be a risky gamble, as most of them are pioneer trees highly vulnerable to water stress. Trees that survive logging activities may therefore be more reliable in accumulating carbon in these disturbed forests."

Herault concludes: "While our study focuses mainly on carbon recovery after logging, our findings may also give useful clues to predict the forests' responses to carbon loss from fires and other events brought on by climate change, which is ironically caused in part by mass disturbance and deforestation."

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Reference

The paper 'Carbon recovery dynamics following disturbance by selective logging in Amazonian forests' can be freely accessed online at http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21394. Contents, including text, figures, and data, are free to reuse under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Media contact

Emily Packer

eLife

e.packer@elifesciences.org

01223-855373

About eLife

eLife is a unique collaboration between the funders and practitioners of research to improve the way important research is selected, presented, and shared. eLife publishes outstanding works across the life sciences and biomedicine -- from basic biological research to applied, translational, and clinical studies. All papers are selected by active scientists in the research community. Decisions and responses are agreed by the reviewers and consolidated by the Reviewing Editor into a single, clear set of instructions for authors, removing the need for laborious cycles of revision and allowing authors to publish their findings quickly. eLife is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society, and the Wellcome Trust. Learn more at elifesciences.org.
WASHINGTON -- Sunlight allows us to make vitamin D, credited with healthier living, but a surprise research finding could reveal another powerful benefit of getting some sun.

Georgetown University Medical Center researchers have found that sunlight, through a mechanism separate than vitamin D production, energizes T cells that play a central role in human immunity.

Their findings, published today in Scientific Reports, suggest how the skin, the body's largest organ, stays alert to the many microbes that can nest there.

"We all know sunlight provides vitamin D, which is suggested to have an impact on immunity, among other things. But what we found is a completely separate role of sunlight on immunity," says the study's senior investigator, Gerard Ahern, PhD, associate professor in the Georgetown's Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. "Some of the roles attributed to vitamin D on immunity may be due to this new mechanism."

They specifically found that low levels of blue light, found in sun rays, makes T cells move faster -- marking the first reported human cell responding to sunlight by speeding its pace.

"T cells, whether they are helper or killer, need to move to do their work, which is to get to the site of an infection and orchestrate a response," Ahern says. "This study shows that sunlight directly activates key immune cells by increasing their movement."

Ahern also added that while production of vitamin D required UV light, which can promote skin cancer and melanoma, blue light from the sun, as well as from special lamps, is safer.

And while the human and T cells they studied in the laboratory were not specifically skin T cells -- they were isolated from mouse cell culture and from human blood -- the skin has a large share of T cells in humans, he says, approximately twice the number circulating in the blood.

"We know that blue light can reach the dermis, the second layer of the skin, and that those T cells can move throughout the body," he says.

The researchers further decoded how blue light makes T cells move more by tracing the molecular pathway activated by the light.

What drove the motility response in T cells was synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, which then activated a signaling pathway that increases T cell movement. Hydrogen peroxide is a compound that white blood cells release when they sense an infection in order to kill bacteria and to "call" T cells and other immune cells to mount an immune response.

"We found that sunlight makes hydrogen peroxide in T cells, which makes the cells move. And we know that an immune response also uses hydrogen peroxide to make T cells move to the damage," Ahern says. "This all fits together."

Ahern says there is much work to do to understand the impact of these findings, but he suggests that if blue light T cell activation has only beneficial responses, it might make sense to offer patients blue light therapy to boost their immunity.

###

Study co-authors include lead investigator Thieu X. Phan, PhD, Barbara Jaruga, PhD, Sandeep C. Pingle, PhD, and Bandyopadhyay, PhD, all from the Georgetown University Medical Center's Department of Pharmacology and Physiology.

The authors report having no personal financial interests related to the study.

The study was supported by a pilot grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Researchers of the TGF-beta and Cancer group of Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), in collaboration with King's College London, have unveiled the role of NADPH oxidase NOX4 as an inhibitor of the epithelial-amoeboid transition, a process that contributes to the migration and invasion of tumor cells. The study has just been published in the journal Oncogene.

In previous studies, the researchers suggested that NOX4 acts as a tumor suppressor in the liver, through inhibiting cell proliferation. "In this work, we proved that NOX4 also is an important inhibitor of the invasion and metastasis of liver tumor cells," explains Dr. Isabel Fabregat, leader of the IDIBELL research group.

In vitro studies indicate that NOX4 silencing in liver tumor cells induces a migratory movement known as amoeboid. The amoeboid movement, related to cell contractility, is regulated by the Rho family of proteins; increased expression of these proteins results in this type of movement, associated with aggressive metastases.

In the study in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, it was observed that a significant number of cases present NOX4 deletions; in addition, those patients with a low expression of NOX4 and a high expression of Rho proteins had a much worse prognosis. "This gives to our in vitro study a translational relevance, since it brings forward new prognostic biomarkers for this type of cancer", the IDIBELL researcher comments.

NOX4 is regulated at the transcriptional level by the TGF-beta cytokine, which has been studied by the research group for more than 15 years. It is known that TGF-beta acts as a tumor suppressor in early stages, but it becomes an inductor in late ones. According to previous studies of the group, when the expression level of NOX4 is high, TGF-beta behaves like a suppressor so the use of drugs inhibiting TGF-beta would be counterproductive. The present study suggests that when the expression levels of NOX4 are low and those of Rho proteins are high, patients could be ideal candidates for this type of drug. "Thus, low expression of NOX4 could not only be used as a marker of poor prognosis but also as a marker for the use of TGF-beta inhibitory drugs," concludes Dr. Fabregat.

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The work, whose main author is Eva Crosas-Molist, was co-directed by Victoria Sanz Moreno, from King's College, and Isabel Fabregat from IDIBELL. These findings have redirected the research line of the IDIBELL group, which will now focus on in-depth study of the molecular mechanisms regulated by NOX4 in liver cancer.
Imagine that a colleague of yours has fallen ill and will be absent for a while from the office. What do you do? Do you go on working at your usual pace and by doing so risk a huge backlog of work that will affect the performance of the whole office, or do you roll up your sleeves and get down to it (perhaps also after your boss has motivated you by promising some benefit) by doubling your efforts and doing your absent colleague's work as well as your own? Something similar occurs with genes when their homologues are missing, a condition doctors call haploinsufficiency. When this abnormality manifests, especially when it concerns genes that have an important function in the central nervous system, it may lead to very serious diseases, such as Rett's syndrome that causes severe progressive mental retardation related to the FOXG1 gene. A group of researchers at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, led by Antonello Mallamaci, has decided to adopt the "motivational" boss strategy by stimulating the surviving FOXG1 gene to work more to compensate for the absence of the missing gene.

"By using viral vectors to insert into neurons RNA fragments targeting the gene's regulatory sequences, we "gently" stimulated the gene to do more work, in particular nearly double", explains Mallamaci. "Note that we don't want the gene to do more than that. If it worked, say, three times as much, it could cause even worse damage". In fact, it is known that when three copies of the FOXG1 exist (one more than normal), we have West's syndrome, which is perhaps even worse as it causes a severe form of epilepsy. "It's therefore vital that the gene we stimulate does no more than about double the normal amount of work".

The method adopted by the Trieste group is a "cunning" solution to the treatment problems posed by these diseases. "Stimulating the normal gene allows us to preserve its natural endogenous regulation", explains Mallamaci. Genes in fact are not expressed everywhere and at the same intensity: to the contrary, in many body tissues they are silenced, in others their activity is time-modulated with great precision. If their regulation were to be disrupted, it is easy to imagine the chaos that this would generate. "Going back to the office worker's metaphor, it's like having an inexperienced intern do the absent worker's job: at best he won't do anything, at worst he'll mess things up. Instead, asking an experienced colleague, who's familiar with the office's processes and rhythms, to work harder, offers greater guarantees".

Multiple tests

The team ran several tests. First, in vitro, the scientists checked whether stimulation through promoter RNA was able to amplify gene activity only where it was needed. "FOXG1 is only active in the anterior brain and we absolutely don't want it to act elsewhere in the nervous system or the body", explains Mallamaci. "The tests gave positive results: after stimulation, the gene continued to be expressed only in cells where it had previously been active and remained silent in tissues where it normally doesn't work. Very importantly, the activity observed increased by a factor not far from 2, i.e. that "double" expression that we were trying to achieve".

The second test, also in vitro, demonstrated that the gene's endogenous regulatory mechanisms related to the electrical activity of the neurons expressing it are not altered by stimulation with RNA: "we saw a rise in the gene's activity, but the shape of the time-activity curve was basically unchanged, a clear indication that regulation remains the same", explains Cristina Fimiani, PhD student in Functional and Structural Genomics at SISSA and co-first author of the study.

The third step was to see whether the stimulation also worked in vivo. "The test was done on healthy mice and we found that the stimulation was even more effective in vivo than in vitro," Mallamaci concludes.

"We're still at the beginning of a very long clinical process that might one day lead to treatment", he adds. "The results, though, are very clear and definitely encourage us to continue this line of research. The next steps will be in vivo tests on animal models affected by the disease".

What makes these therapies so interesting for the future? "Rett's disease is rare and affects only a small number of patients, so it doesn't attract the attention and investments of major pharmaceutical companies", concludes the scientist. "But, taken together, haploinsufficiencies affect very many people. The methodology we present in this study is therefore a test for a general method capable of fighting the large number of haploinsufficencies affecting the nervous system, and once developed it could be easily adapted to different genes".

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The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded new John Innes Centre (JIC) Project Leader Professor Daniel Zilberman a Consolidator Grant to carry out his chosen research at JIC.

The ERC Consolidator Grants support early/mid-career scientists to establish their scientific independence by providing the necessary resources to form a team of scientists and students within a host institute.

The ERC grants are one of the top funding schemes available to researchers in Europe, and recipients must have an exceptional track record for their career stage. The ERC only considers world-class researchers who submit a research proposal of the highest standard.

Prof Zilberman joins the John Innes Centre from the University of California, Berkeley. His team will study how information that is not encoded in the primary sequence of the DNA molecule, known as epigenetic information, is passed across generations through a chemical modification of DNA called methylation. Faithful inheritance of DNA methylation is required for proper development of plants and animals, and disruption of methylation patterns causes human disease and reduced crop yields. Understanding of this process is therefore crucial for improving human health and nutrition.

Prof Zilbermann said:

"I am delighted to receive a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council. This award will enable my research team to pursue blue skies but potentially transformative research aimed to understand how epigenetic information is accurately transmitted across plant generations."

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Notes to editor

1. For further information about ERC Consolidator Grants please go to: https://erc.europa.eu/funding-and-grants/funding-schemes/consolidator-grants

2. An image of Professor Zilberman can be downloaded from: http://bit.ly/2hS0mqA

3. About the John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant science and microbiology. Our mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, to apply our knowledge of nature's diversity to benefit agriculture, the environment, human health and wellbeing, and engage with policy makers and the public.

To achieve these goals we establish pioneering long-term research objectives in plant and microbial science, with a focus on genetics. These objectives include promoting the translation of research through partnerships to develop improved crops and to make new products from microbes and plants for human health and other applications. We also create new approaches, technologies and resources that enable research advances and help industry to make new products. The knowledge, resources and trained researchers we generate help global societies address important challenges including providing sufficient and affordable food, making new products for human health and industrial applications, and developing sustainable bio-based manufacturing.

This provides a fertile environment for training the next generation of plant and microbial scientists, many of whom go on to careers in industry and academia, around the world.

The John Innes Centre is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). In 2015-2016 the John Innes Centre received a total of 30.1 million from the BBSRC.

The John Innes Centre is also supported by the John Innes Foundation through provision of research accommodation and long term support of the Rotation PhD programme.

The John Innes Centre is the winner of the BBSRC's 2013 - 2016 Excellence With Impact award.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new study of U.S. adolescents provides some of the best evidence to date of how violence spreads like a contagious disease.

Researchers found that adolescents were up to 183 percent more likely to carry out some acts of violence if one of their friends had also committed the same act.

But the spread of violence doesn't just stop at friends - results suggest the contagion extends by up to four degrees of separation - from one person to a friend, to the friend's friend and two more friends beyond.

"This study shows just how contagious violence can be," said Robert Bond, lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication at The Ohio State University.

"Acts of violence can ricochet through a community, traveling through networks of friends."

Results showed that participants in the study were 48 percent more likely to have been in a serious fight, 183 percent more likely to have hurt someone badly, and 140 percent more likely to have pulled a weapon on someone if a friend had engaged in the same behavior.

Bond conducted the study with Brad Bushman, professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State. Their results appear online in the American Journal of Public Health.

These results fit in with other studies that have shown that characteristics and behaviors from happiness to obesity to smoking spread within social networks, at about the same rates found in this research.

"We now have evidence that shows how important social relationships are to spreading violent behavior, just like they are for spreading many other kinds of attitudes and behaviors," Bushman said.

Data from the study came from 5,913 young people who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (ADD Health) and who were interviewed in-depth in 1994-95 and again in 1996. The ADD Health researchers interviewed as many students (grades 7 to 12) as they could from 142 schools across the country so they could have information on social networks within each school.

Participants were asked to name up to five male and five female friends from their school at both of the two interviews. They were asked how often in the past 12 months they had been in a serious physical fight, how often they hurt someone badly enough to need bandages or care from a doctor or nurse, and how often they had pulled a knife or gun on someone.

The researchers then analyzed whether each student's friends (and friends of friends, and so on) had said they committed the same acts of violence.

The finding that adolescents were more likely to commit acts of violence if their friends had done so is not surprising, Bond said. Much of that association is related to what scientists call a "clustering effect" - people with similar interests, including the use of violence, tend to cluster together as friends.

But the researchers also tested whether friends could influence each other to commit more acts of violence than they might normally commit given their friendship.

They could estimate this influence effect because they had data from two different points in time, a year apart. They calculated the effect by determining whether friends had committed more violent acts at the time of the second interview than could be explained by what their shared history at the time of the first interview would suggest.

Results showed that each additional friend who had seriously hurt someone increased the likelihood that a participant had hurt someone badly by 55 percent, even after taking into account the clustering effects and other factors. If you include only male participants (who were more likely than females to seriously hurt others), then the likelihood increased to 82 percent.

After taking the controls into account, the researchers didn't find influence effects for being in a serious fight or pulling a weapon on someone. But that doesn't necessarily mean the influence of friends doesn't play a role in these violent acts, Bond said.

One explanation may be that fights are common enough among these adolescents that it is difficult to find the role of influence. On the other hand, pulling a weapon was rare enough that they may not have had a large enough sample size to determine influence.

This study is the first to show how far violent behavior may spread within a social network, Bond said. The findings showed that the influence of one person's violent act can spread up to two degrees of separation (friend of a friend) for hurting someone badly, three degrees (friend of a friend's friend) for pulling a weapon on someone, and four degrees for serious fights.

The influence declines with each degree of separation, but is still noticeable.

For example, a student in the study was about 48 percent more likely to have participated in a serious fight if a friend had been involved in one. But they were still 18 percent more likely to have participated in a fight if a friend of a friend had.

This result is particularly important because it shows the value of anti-violence programs.

"If we can stop violence in one person, that spreads to their social network. We're actually preventing violence not only in that person, but potentially for all the people they come in contact with," Bond said.

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Contact: Robert Bond, Bond.136@osu.edu

Brad Bushman, 614-688-8779; Bushman.20@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, 614-292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
Soya is one of the most ancient cultivated plants. The cultivation of soya was mentioned in the early Chinese literature (3000-4000 BC). Nowadays, different products, from dairy products to meat, are made from this plant. Such products are rich in amino acids, vitamins and microelements, which are essential for growth and strengthening of the body. Soya looks like pea and doesn't have intense flavour - it acquires the flavour of a product with which it has been prepared.

Damir Shafigulin, a post graduate student of an Agro-Technological Faculty of RUDN University, decided to do innovative business. He wanted to produce soya-based organic high-protein dairy products without GMO, modified their composition and added only natural ingredients.

The student shared his idea with the university and got the support. RUDN University gave him premises and university's professors took part in the development of Damir's project. Japan specialists, who distribute natural food ingredients for healthy nutrition, also found this project very interesting. Their company gave him samples of soy for cultivation and further usage.

Now Damir is working on the technology of production of soy cocktails and soy cereals, he is going to receive a patent in the future. For the development of technology of getting products from soy beans, one must first study the biochemical composition of a soy bean. It is done in the laboratory by using appliances with the addition of various reagents.

Then there is a need to optimize the technology of desired product, using different methods. Afterwards Damir examines organoleptic characteristics of the finished products (taste, smell, colour). Subsequently the products are observed for a few days in order to examine their properties during storage.

I decided to do this, because it's very interesting for me and important for Russia. I want to increase the number of healthy products and people in the country.

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Swansea University scientists working at CERN have made a landmark finding, taking them one step closer to answering the question of why matter exists and illuminating the mysteries of the Big Bang and the birth of the Universe.

In their paper published in Nature the physicists from the University's College of Science, working with an international collaborative team at CERN, describe the first precision study of antihydrogen, the antimatter equivalent of hydrogen.

Professor Mike Charlton said: "The existence of antimatter is well established in physics, and it is buried deep in the heart of some of the most successful theories ever developed. But we have yet to answer a central question of why didn't matter and antimatter, which it is believed were created in equal amounts when the Big Bang started the Universe, mutually self-annihilate?

"We also have yet to address why there is any matter left in the Universe at all. This conundrum is one of the central open questions in fundamental science, and one way to search for the answer is to bring the power of precision atomic physics to bear upon antimatter."

It has long been established that any excited atom will reach its lowest state by emitting photons, and the spectrum of light emitted from them represents a kind of atomic fingerprint and it is a unique identifier. The most familiar everyday example is the orange of the sodium streetlights.

Hydrogen has its own spectrum and, as the simplest and most abundant atom in the Universe, it holds a special place in physics. The properties of the hydrogen atom are known with high accuracy, and one in particular, the so-called 1S-2S transition has been determined with a precision close to one part in a hundred trillion - equivalent to knowing the distance between Swansea and London to about a billionth of a metre!

Now in these latest experiments, the team have replaced the proton nucleus of the ordinary atom by an antiproton, and the electron substitute is the positron. By shining laser light at a well-defined frequency onto antihydrogen atoms held in a trap, they have seen that some of them get excited to an upper level, and in so doing leave the trap. This very first experiment has already determined the frequency of the antihydrogen transition to a few parts in a tenth of a billion.

Professor Mike Charlton added: "To get some sense of the importance of this discovery, we need to understand that it has been 30 years in the making and represents the collaborative work of hundreds of researchers over the years. Enquiries into this area of physics started in the 1980s and this landmark achievement has now opened the door to precision studies of atomic antimatter, which will hopefully bring us closer to answering the question of why matter exists to help solve the mystery as to how the Universe came about."

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The Swansea team are:

Academic: Professor Mike Charlton, Dr Stefan Eriksson, Dr Aled Isaac, Professor Niels Madsen, Professor Dirk Peter van der Werf

Research Fellows: Dr Chris Baker and Dr Dan Maxwell

Post-Graduate students: Steven Armstrong Jones and Muhammed Sameed

http://www.nature.com/news/ephemeral-antimatter-atoms-pinned-down-in-milestone-laser-test-1.21193
In Denmark, having a child with a major congenital anomaly was associated with a small but statistically significant increased risk of death in the mother compared with women without an affected child, according to a study appearing in the December 20 issue of JAMA. A major congenital anomaly is a structural change (such as cleft palate) that has significant medical, social or cosmetic consequences for the affected individual; this type of anomaly typically requires medical intervention.

Major structural or genetic congenital anomalies affect approximately 2 percent to 5 percent of all births in the United States and Europe. Mothers of children born with major congenital anomalies face serious challenges such as high financial pressures, as well as the burden of providing care to a child with complex needs within the home setting, which can impair a mother's health. Little is known about the long-term health consequences for the mother.

Eyal Cohen, M.D., M.Sc., of the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, and colleagues assessed whether the birth of an infant with a major congenital anomaly was subsequently associated with an increased risk of death of the infant's mother. The population-based study (n = 455,250 women) used individual-level linked Danish registry data for mothers who gave birth to an infant with a major congenital anomaly between 1979 and 2010, with follow-up until December 31, 2014. A comparison group was constructed by randomly sampling, for each mother with an affected infant, up to 10 mothers matched on maternal age, parity (the number of children a woman has given birth to), and year of infant's birth.

Mothers in both groups were an average age of 29 years at delivery. After a median follow-up of 21 years, there were 1,275 deaths (1.60 per 1,000 person-years) among 41,508 mothers of a child with a major congenital anomaly vs 10,112 deaths (1.27 per 1,000 person-years) among 413,742 mothers in the comparison group. Mothers with affected infants were more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and other natural causes.

"The birth of a child with major congenital anomalies was associated with a small increased risk of death of mothers. This elevated risk was noted both during the first 10 years after the child's birth, when the mother was likely caring for a dependent child with substantial health needs, and after longer follow-up. No single cause of death explained this association," the authors write.

The researchers note that the clinical importance of this association is uncertain.

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(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.18425; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
In a study appearing in the December 20 issue of JAMA, Anna Wald, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Washington & Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and colleagues compared the medications pritelivir and valacyclovir for reducing genital herpes simplex virus shedding and lesions in persons with recurrent genital herpes.

The treatment for genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections relies on the nucleoside analogues acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir administered either for each recurrence or daily to prevent recurrences. In addition, valacyclovir, when taken daily has been shown to reduce the risk of HSV-2 transmission to susceptible partners. However, the protection is only partial (approximately 50 percent), likely because these drugs neither completely inhibit genital viral shedding (when the virus is active and potentially transmissible to sexual partners). Alternative agents to treat HSV infections are needed.

For this crossover study, 91 participants (adults with 4 to 9 annual genital HSV-2 recurrences) were randomly assigned, 45 to receive pritelivir first, a different class of medication for genital herpes, and 46 to receive valacyclovir first. Participants took the first drug for 28 days followed by 28 days of washout before taking the second drug for 28 days. Throughout treatment, the participants collected genital swabs 4 times daily for HSV testing. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed the trial on clinical hold based on findings in a concurrent nonclinical toxicity study, and the sponsor terminated the study.

Of the 91 randomized participants, 56 had completed both treatment periods at the time of the study's termination. In intent-to-treat analyses, HSV shedding was detected in 2.4 percent of swabs during pritelivir treatment compared with 5.3 percent during valacyclovir treatment. Genital lesions were present on 1.9 percent of days in the pritelivir group vs 3.9 percent in the valacyclovir group. The frequency of shedding episodes did not differ by group. Quantity of virus shed was decreased significantly during pritelivir treatment compared with valacyclovir treatment. The frequency of pain was reduced in the pritelivir group compared to the valacyclovir group.

Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 62 percent of participants in the pritelivir group and 69 percent of participants in the valacyclovir group.

"Further research is needed to assess longer-term efficacy and safety," the authors write.

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(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.18189; the study is available pre-embargo at the For the Media website)

Editor's Note: This study was supported by AiCuris GmbH & Co KG. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

Related material: Also available at the For the Media website, the editorial, "A Recommendation Against Serologic Screening for Genital Herpes Infection - What Now?" by Edward W. Hook III, M.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

To place an electronic embedded link to this study in your story This link will be live at the embargo time: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.18189
By PTI: Dhaka, Dec 20 (PTI) Two militants from a new faction of the banned terror outfit JMB were today arrested in Bangladesh for their involvement with the two masterminds of a deadly terror attack on an upscale cafe here in which 22 people, including an Indian girl, were killed.

Atikur Rahman Milon, 21, and Khademul Islam alias Khadem alias Jagoyatul, 28, were arrested with lethal weapons, leaflets, cash and jihadi books by the Rapid Action Battalion, RAB 4 Special Company Commander Mostofa Kamal said.

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Police had named Tamim, a Canadian-Bangladeshi who led the Neo-JMB, as the one who orchestrated the countrys worst terror attack on July 1 on the upscale Holey Artisan Bakery and O Kitchen restaurant in Dhakas diplomatic zone in which 22 people, including an Indian girl, were killed.

ISIS had claimed responsibility for the cafe attack. But police believe that Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, which is close to the ISIS, was involved in organising the attack.

Another mastermind Sarwar alias Abdur Rahman alias Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif sustained injuries after jumping off a five-storied building in Ashulia in the face of a RAB raid to arrest him on October 8. He died of his injuries at a Savar hospital the same day.

Tamim was killed in a drive at a militants den in Paikpara area of Narayanganj town on August 27.

"Initial investigations revealed that Atik raised funds for the militant group while Khadem used to arrange accommodation for JMB activists," Assistant Superintendent Anu Mong of RAB-4 was quoted as saying by bdnews.

They belonged to the Saroar-Tamim faction of the Islamist outfit, said the RAB officer. PTI UZM AKJ UZM

--- ENDS ---
The mouth and anus are not connected in the development of the embryo as earlier thought, shows a Norwegian ground-breaking study

Animals often form either the mouth or the anus from an opening that appears in the early embryo, which is called the blastopore.

For instance, starfish develop the anus from the blastopore, but earthworms form the mouth out of it. How this happens has not been clear until now.

"Our findings demonstrate that whether the blastopore forms the mouth or the anus is a consequence of how each embryo is organized during early development. It is not a predefined attribute of the species, as previously thought," says postdoctoral researcher Jose Maria Martin-Duran, at the Hejnol Group at Sars Centre at the Department of Biology, University of Bergen (UiB).

"One of the most important conclusions of our work is that there is no necessary association of the mouth and the anus with the embryonic blastopore," says Martin-Duran.

"There is no necessary connection between the mouth, the anus and the blastopore, neither during the development of animals nor as an evolutionary step in the past."

Against the tradition

The different fates of the blastopore have been recognized for over a century. Two major explanations have been proposed, both of them using present embryos as proof of ancestral animal forms, which is an idea strongly influenced by the famous German zoologist Ernst Haeckel and his principle that development recapitulates animal evolution.

The first scenario is the Amphistomy concept, which assumes that the blastopore was originally both mouth and anus and the formation of only one or the other gut opening from the blastopore evolved later. On the other hand, the Planuloid-Acoeloid scenario proposes that the blastopore was originally the mouth, and that the formation of the anus from the blastopore evolved secondarily.

"Importantly, none of our findings gave support to any of these traditional explanations," says Martin-Duran.

Better understanding of animal evolution

Historically, the different fate of the blastopore has been a major feature to classify bilaterally symmetrical animals, that is, those with a head and a tail, and a back and belly.

Already in 1908, the Austrian zoologist Karl Grobben proposed that bilaterian animals should be classified according to whether they form the mouth from the blastopore (Protostomia; literally "first mouth") or the anus (Deuterostomia; "secondary mouth").

Although the researchers now use other methods to unravel the evolutionary relationship between animal groups, the division of Protostomia and Deuterostomia proposed by Grobben has demonstrated to be correct, with only some minor modifications.

"This is why evolutionary biologists have given so much emphasis to the fate of the blastopore in animal evolution, and why it was so important to attain a better understanding of the developmental mechanisms controlling this embryonic process," Jose Maria Martin-Duran points out.

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A new non-surgical treatment for low-risk prostate cancer can effectively kill cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue, reports a new UCL-led phase III clinical trial in 413 patients. The trial was funded by STEBA Biotech which holds the commercial license for the treatment.

The new treatment, 'vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy' (VTP), involves injecting a light-sensitive drug into the bloodstream and then activating it with a laser to destroy tumour tissue in the prostate. The research, published in The Lancet Oncology, found that around half (49%) of patients treated with VTP went into complete remission compared with 13.5% in the control group.

"These results are excellent news for men with early localised prostate cancer, offering a treatment that can kill cancer without removing or destroying the prostate," says lead investigator Professor Mark Emberton, Dean of UCL Medical Sciences and Consultant Urologist at UCLH. "This is truly a huge leap forward for prostate cancer treatment, which has previously lagged decades behind other solid cancers such as breast cancer. In 1975 almost everyone with breast cancer was given a radical mastectomy, but since then treatments have steady improved and we now rarely need to remove the whole breast. In prostate cancer we are still commonly removing or irradiating the whole prostate, so the success of this new tissue-preserving treatment is welcome news indeed."

At the moment, men with low-risk prostate cancer are put under 'active surveillance' where the disease is monitored and only treated when it becomes more severe. Radical therapy, which involves surgically removing or irradiating the whole prostate, has significant long-term side effects so is only used to treat high-risk cancers.

Radical therapy causes lifelong erectile problems and around one in five patients also suffer from incontinence. By contrast, VTP only caused short-term urinary and erectile problems which resolved within three months, and no significant side-effects remained after two years.

In the trial only 6% of patients treated with VTP needed radical therapy compared with 30% of patients in the control arm who were under active surveillance. The chances of cancer progressing to a more dangerous stage were three times lower for patients on VTP, and the treatment doubled the average time to progression from 14 months to 28 months.

The trial involved 47 treatment sites from ten different European countries, most of which were performing VTP for the first time.

"The fact that the treatment was performed so successfully by non-specialist centres in various health systems is really remarkable," says Professor Emberton, who is supported by the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre. "New procedures are generally associated with a learning curve, but the lack of complications in the trial suggests that the treatment protocol is safe, efficient and relatively easy to scale up. We would also expect the treatment to be far more precise if we repeated it today, as technology has come a long way since the study began in 2011.

"We can now pinpoint prostate cancers using MRI scans and targeted biopsies, allowing a much more targeted approach to diagnosis and treatment. This means we could accurately identify men who would benefit from VTP and deliver treatment more precisely to the tumour. With such an approach we should be able to achieve a significantly higher remission rate than in the trial and send nearly all low-risk localised prostate cancers into remission. We also hope that VTP will be effective against other types of cancer - the treatment was developed for prostate cancer because of the urgent need for new therapies, but it should be translatable to other solid cancers including breast and liver cancer."

The VTP therapy approach was developed by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel in collaboration with STEBA Biotech, and the European phase I, II and III trials were all led by UCL. The drug used in the procedure, WST11, is derived from bacteria at the bottom of the ocean. To survive with very little sunlight, they have evolved to convert light into energy with incredible efficiency. This property has been exploited to develop WST11, a compound that releases free radicals to kill surrounding cells when activated by laser light.

One of the first people to be treated with VTP was UCLH patient Gerald, a man in his sixties who took part in the latest trial under the care of Professor Emberton. He says:

"When I was diagnosed with early prostate cancer, I had the option of active surveillance but I didn't want to wait until it got worse so when I was offered a place on the trial I signed up straight away. Some men prefer to delay treatment, but I couldn't live with the fear of the cancer spreading until it either couldn't be treated or needed a treatment that would stop me living a normal life.

"The treatment I received on the trial changed my life. I'm now cancer-free with no side-effects and don't have to worry about needing surgery in future. I feel so lucky to be in this position. I've met other men who had surgery - they had to stay in hospital for days whereas I could go home the next day, and one suffered from terrible incontinence which he found very distressing. I had some minor side-effects for a few weeks after the operation, but I'm back to normal now. I am incredibly grateful to Professor Mark Emberton and his team for the excellent care that I received, and I hope that other patients will be able to benefit from this treatment in future."

The VTP treatment is currently being reviewed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), so it is likely to be a number of years before it can be offered to patients more widely.

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CLEVELAND: The Cornea Society has awarded Jonathan Lass, MD, the Castroviejo Medal, its highest honor. Dr. Lass, an ophthalmologist at University Hospitals Eye Institute at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Charles I Thomas Professor of Ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine receives the award in recognition of his lifetime contributions to research and advancements in corneal transplant and surgery.

"Dr. Lass has made a significant impact in our field and how we assess controversies in corneal surgery. He has been instrumental in the development, implementation and interpretation of numerous multicenter trials that have moved the field of corneal transplantation forward," said Cornea Society President Marian S. Macsai, MD, in a Cornea Society press release announcing the award. "Dr. Lass has standardized the way we review specular microscopy through the development of the Cornea Image Analysis Reading Center (CIARC) and as a result improved our evaluation of corneal endothelial cells. Dr. Lass was paramount in the success of the Cornea Donor Study and the Cornea Preservation Time Study. The Board of Directors of the Cornea Society unanimously chose Dr. Lass as the 2017 recipient of the Castroviejo Medal."

The Castroviejo Medal is named in honor of Ramon Castroviejo, the father of modern corneal transplant surgery and the inspiration for the founding of the Cornea Society. It is awarded annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of cornea and anterior segment surgery. The recipient is invited to deliver the prestigious keynote lecture at the Cornea Society Annual Meeting in the fall.

Dr. Lass is a nationally recognized specialist in corneal diseases and corneal transplantation. He directs the UH Cornea Image Analysis Reading Center, one of the top cornea image analysis centers in the country. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications, and coordinated many multi-institutional trials to add to the body of knowledge about eye donation and cornea viability.

Dr. Lass is the former Chair of Ophthalmology at UH Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He served as one of the study leads on the National Eye Institute (NEI) sponsored Cornea Donor Study, the first masked, randomized, controlled study to demonstrate that donor age has no impact on the success of the transplant for 80 percent of recipients, eliminating a common bias against corneas from older donors. Currently, he serves as the principal investigator on an NEI-sponsored national multi-center, masked, randomized trial to determine the optimal time frame for usage of donated corneas, the Cornea Preservation Time Study.

He attributes his recognition in the field to the outstanding teams involved in this work. "Our dedicated team at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University, as well as the clinical investigation teams around the country are doing the real and important work of these trials: Asking the important questions about eye banking and corneal transplantation," he said.

Dr. Lass earned his MD from Boston University School of Medicine in Boston and completed an ophthalmology residency at Boston Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in cornea and external diseases at Harvard's Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Schepens Eye Research Institute.

Dr. Lass has been recognized by several other national organizations, including as the recipient of the Senior Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2004 and the prestigious R. Townley Paton award from the Eye Bank Association of America in 2012--the highest honor for a corneal surgeon, from the other leading cornea organization in the United States. Dr. Lass is one of only 12 people in the field to ever receive both the Castroviejo Medal and the Paton award since the Castroviejo medal was established by the Cornea Society in 1975.

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About University Hospitals

Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of over 1 million patients per year through an integrated network of 18 hospitals, more than 40 outpatient health centers and 200 physician offices in 15 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system's flagship academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, located on a 35-acre campus in Cleveland's University Circle, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The main campus also includes University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation; University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics, radiology, neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, digestive health, dermatology, transplantation and urology. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including "America's Best Hospitals" from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals - part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development. UH is the second largest employer in northern Ohio with 26,000 employees. For more information, go to UHhospitals.org.

About Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and is among the nation's top medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The School of Medicine is recognized throughout the international medical community for outstanding achievements in teaching. The School's innovative and pioneering Western Reserve2 curriculum interweaves four themes--research and scholarship, clinical mastery, leadership, and civic professionalism--to prepare students for the practice of evidence-based medicine in the rapidly changing health care environment of the 21st century. Nine Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the School of Medicine. Annually, the School of Medicine trains more than 800 MD and MD/PhD students and ranks in the top 25 among U.S. research-oriented medical schools as designated by U.S. News & World Report's "Guide to Graduate Education." The School of Medicine is affiliated with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, MetroHealth Medical Center, the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic, with which it established the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in 2002. case.edu/medicine.
When you're suddenly able to understand someone despite their thick accent, or finally make out the lyrics of a song, your brain appears to be re-tuning to recognize speech that was previously incomprehensible.

University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have now observed this re-tuning in action by recording directly from the surface of a person's brain as the words of a previously unintelligible sentence suddenly pop out after the subject is told the meaning of the garbled speech. The re-tuning takes place within a second or less, they found.

The observations confirm speculation that neurons in the auditory cortex that pick out aspects of sound associated with language - the components of pitch, amplitude and timing that distinguish words or smaller sound bits called phonemes - continually tune themselves to pull meaning out of a noisy environment.

"The tuning that we measured when we replayed the garbled speech emphasizes features that are present in speech," said first author and UC Berkeley graduate student Chris Holdgraf. "We believe that this tuning shift is what helps you 'hear' the speech in that noisy signal. The speech sounds actually pop out from the signal."

Such pop-outs happen all the time: when you learn to hear the words of a foreign language, for example, or latch onto a friend's conversation in a noisy bar. Or visually, when someone points out a number in what seems like a jumbled mass of colored dots, and somehow you cannot un-see that number.

"Something is changing in the auditory cortex to emphasize anything that might be speech-like, and increasing the gain for those features, so that I actually hear that sound in the noise," said co-author Frederic Theunissen, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and a member of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute. "It's not like I am generating those words in my head. I really have the feeling of hearing the words in the noise with this pop-out phenomenon. It is such a mystery."

"It is unbelievable how fast and plastic the brain is," added co-author Robert Knight, a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and Helen Wills Institute researcher. "In seconds or less, the electrical activity in the brain changes its response properties to pull out linguistic information. Behaviorally, this is a classic phenomenon, but this is the first time we have any evidence on how it actually works in humans."

The findings will aid Knight and his colleagues in their quest to develop a speech decoder: a device implanted in the brain that would interpret people's imagined speech and help speechless patients, such as those paralyzed by Lou Gehrig's disease, communicate.

Holdgraf, Knight, Theunissen and their colleagues will report their findings Dec. 20 in the journal Nature Communications.

Priming the brain

Working with epilepsy patients who had pieces of their skull removed and electrodes placed on the brain surface to track seizures - what is known as electrocorticography - Holdgraf presented seven subjects with a simple auditory test. He first played a highly garbled sentence, which almost no one initially understood. He then played a normal, easy to understand version of the sentence, and then immediately repeated the garbled version.

Almost everyone understood the sentence the second time around, even though they initially found it unintelligible.

The electrodes on the brain surface recorded major changes in neuronal activity before and after. When the garbled sentence was first played, activity in the auditory cortex as measured by the 468 electrodes was small. The brain could hear the sound, but couldn't do much with it, Knight said.

When the clear sentence was played, the electrodes, as expected, recorded a pattern of neural activity consistent with the brain tuning into language. When the garbled sentence was played a second time, the electrodes recorded nearly the same language-appropriate neural activity, as if the underlying neurons had re-tuned to pick out words or parts of words.

"They respond as if they were hearing unfiltered normal speech," Holdgraf said. "It changes the pattern of activity in the brain such that there is information there that wasn't there before. That information is this unfiltered speech."

"Normal language activates tuning properties that are related to extraction of meaning and phonemes in the language," Knight said. "Here, after you primed the brain with the unscrambled sentence, the tuning to the scrambled speech looked like the tuning to language, which allows the brain to extract meaning out of noise."

This trick is a testament to the brain's ability to automatically pick and choose information from a noisy and overwhelming environment, focusing only on what's relevant to a situation and discarding the rest.

"Your brain tries to get around the problem of too much information by making assumptions about the world," Holdgraf said. "It says, 'I am going to restrict the many possible things I could pull out from an auditory stimulus so that I don't have to do a lot of processing.' By doing that, it is faster and expends less energy."

That means, though, that noisy or garbled sound can be hard to interpret. Holdgraf and his colleagues showed how quickly the brain can be primed to tune in language.

The neurons from which they recorded activity were not tuned to a single frequency, like a radio, Theunissen said. Rather, neurons in the upper levels of the auditory cortex respond to more complex aspects of sound, such as changes in frequency and amplitude - spectro-temporal modulation that we perceive as pitch, timbre and rhythm. While similar studies in animals, such as ferrets, have shown that neurons change how they filter or tune into a specific type of spectro-temporal modulation, the new results are the first in humans, and show a more rapid shift to process human language than has been seen in animals, he said.

The researchers used an analysis technique first used by Theunissen to determine which complex characteristics of natural sound, like speech, neurons in the higher levels of the auditory cortex respond to, with a particular focus on songbird language. This is the first time the technique has been applied to humans to study how receptive fields change in neurons in the auditory cortex.

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Co-authors of the paper are Wendy de Heer of UC Berkeley's psychology department, postdoctoral fellows Brian Pasley and Jochem Rieger of the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, and neurologists Nathan Crone of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, and Jack Lin of the UC Irvine Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. The work was supported by a graduate fellowship from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS 2R37NS021135, NIDCD R01 007293) and the Nielsen Corporation.
The Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors team (C-P.A.W.W.), a small nonprofit veterans' health research initiative based at the University of Colorado College of Nursing at the Anschutz Medical Campus, recently received funding to conduct an innovative study to evaluate how shelter dogs physically and psychologically impact veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

A robustly developing body of work suggests that interacting with animals, particularly dogs, benefits human physiological and psychological health.

The research team will work with the WYCO Vet-to-Vet Alliance, a support and advocacy organization for veterans based in Fort Collins and embedded into to the local community, to reach out to area veterans for participation in this investigation.

"Our study's findings have the potential to contribute physiological and psychosocial evidence indicating that volunteering at a dog shelter can decrease stress and enhance quality-of-life indicators in reintegrating veterans with PTSD," said principal investigator Cheryl Krause-Parello, PhD, RN and associate professor at the CU College of Nursing. "This study may also give us some valuable insights regarding how shelter dogs themselves are impacted by being socialized with and exercised by veterans. In the future, this investigation could help shape the development of policies and volunteer programs at dog shelters implemented specifically for veterans coping with PTSD."

Veterans in the study will walk shelter dogs at Animal House Rescue and Grooming in Fort Collins in an eight-week intervention aimed at reducing stress levels and improving psychological outcomes. Researchers will collect various measures of physiological stress from veterans, including heart rate variability, blood pressure and salivary cortisol and alpha amylase levels. Additionally, they will examine stress levels in the shelter dogs themselves by collecting the heart rate variability of the dogs involved in the study. Importantly, the investigation will examine the reciprocal nature of human-animal interaction and may help to uncover mechanistic underpinnings of the effects that interacting with canines have upon veterans coping with post-traumatic stress.

According to researchers, it is of particular relevance to consider the large number of shelter dogs in the United States in the context of the potential for these dogs to be a feasible, highly economical, unique resource and intervention that combines the benefits of human-animal interaction with the benefits of the altruistic action of volunteerism. This study may help to lay the groundwork for policy changes and future studies specifically examining the effects that psychiatric service dogs have upon veterans with post-traumatic stress.

The 18-month study is funded from an International Society for Anthrozoology/WALTHAM Collaborative Research grant. WALTHAM is the fundamental research center of Mars Petcare and for over 40 years has been supporting groundbreaking research that explores the special relationship between humans and companion animals.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that 3.9 million dogs currently live in shelters nationwide. The United States is home to more than 21 million veterans. In Colorado alone there are more than 413,000 veterans. In recent years, the remarkable number of veterans returning home from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom has highlighted the vital need for developing and enhancing effective and consistent healthcare interventions for our service members, particularly with regard to post-traumatic stress.

Up to 30 percent of veterans struggle with post-traumatic stress, dependent upon deployment era. Nonresponse to current treatments is common, and the utilization of pharmacological interventions to ameliorate symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress has skyrocketed in recent years. The development of alternative or adjunctive treatment modalities for veterans coping with post-traumatic stress will be essential in order to generate personalized, feasible, and efficacious treatment plans that help to minimize stigma and optimize the ongoing process of reintegration for service members.

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About the Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors (C-P.A.W.W.) Initiative:

The C-P.A.W.W. Initiative was established in October 2013 to advance the health and well-being of members of the armed forces. C-P.A.W.W. is committed to the evolution of nursing knowledge within the context of research, education and practice in order to better assist the military population. The mission of C-P.A.W.W. is to comprehensively advance interdisciplinary research, education and practice protocols for wounded warriors and veterans through the development of evidence-based and restorative interventions, to support military-related health initiatives by building community partnerships, to investigate therapeutic interventions--particularly those involving canine assistance-- that positively influence health outcomes, and to emphasize system planning, innovative public policymaking, and thorough protocols of care development for the armed forces. Read more here: http://www.nursing.ucdenver.edu/C-PAWW

The University of Colorado College of Nursing has been educating high-performing nurses and nurse leaders since 1898. It has achieved a 118-year record of quality nursing education and excellence in health care. In 2015, the college celebrated the 50th anniversary of nurse practitioner education, which was first established at CU in 1965.
For the first time, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have mapped the location of thousands of tons of polyhalogenated carbazoles in the sediment of the Great Lakes and estimated their amount.

Based on soil samples from the lake bottom and core samples from beneath it, they estimate that about 3,000 tons of PHCZs lie in the sediment under lakes Michigan, Superior and Huron. But not all of it is pollution.

"Because the amount of PHCZs we found is so high, and because of their location in the lakes as well as in the sediment cores we took, we believe that most of the PHCZs in these lakes is the result of natural processes," said An Li, professor of environmental and occupational health sciences in the UIC School of Public Health and corresponding author of the study, which appeared in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

"However, we see some PHCZs in sediment laid down in more recent years, which is very likely from man-made sources. These are considered chemicals of emerging concern and should be monitored carefully," Li said.

PHCZs are similar to dioxins -- highly toxic substances that can cause developmental problems and have been linked to certain cancers. Studies of PHCZs done in zebrafish have shown that these chemicals too can disrupt embryonic development, and another study found that some PHCZs exhibit dioxin-like activity in human breast cancer cells.

Li has monitored environmental pollutants for five years through the Great Lakes Sediment Surveillance program. Her team has collected more than 1,000 sediment samples from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research vessel, the R/V Lake Guardian, and analyzed them for a variety of chemical pollutants. Earlier this year they reported finding herbicides including atrazine in the sediment samples.

In this study, Li looked at sediment samples from the three upper Great Lakes and tested for 26 different PHCZs using gas chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry.

Based on the results, the researchers estimate that approximately 3,000 tons of PHCZs are contained in the sediment of the three lakes, with Lake Michigan having the greatest concentrations.

The PHCZs are classified by their location. Category 1 PHCZs were those found in sediment from the deepest parts of the lakes, away from the shore, mostly in layers deposited before 1900. Category 2 PHCZs, which were less abundant, were those found in shallower layers, meaning they were deposited more recently, perhaps within the last few decades.

Category 2 PHCZs had a distribution similar to man-made chemicals in lake sediments, including PCBs, of which there are an estimated 130 tons in the upper Great Lakes. "This further indicates that the category 2 PHCZs are likely man-made," Li said.

Li thinks that the Category 1 PHCZs are probably the result of the normal breakdown of vegetation that settled in the deepest parts of the lakes. Core samples of sediment laid down in the 1500s are relatively rich in Category 1 PHCZs, she said.

"Because there wasn't manufacturing of the sort we have today back then, we speculate that these PHCZs are from natural sources, most likely arising from the breakdown of algae and tree materials from the forest that surrounded the lakes before human settlement in this region," Li said. "But more research is needed to understand how they actually form."

Li says that manufacturing of organic semiconductors, dyes and pharmaceuticals could cause the release of the category 2 PHCZs into the environment.

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Jiehong Guo, Zhuona Li, Prabha Ranasinghe, Solidea Bonina, Soheil Hosseini, Margaret Corcoran, Colin Smalley, Karl Rockne and Neil Sturchio of UIC and John Giesy of the University of Saskatchewan are co-authors on the study.

This research was part of the Great Lakes Sediment Surveillance Program funded by a Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with Assistance No. GL-00E00538. Guo and Hosseini were supported by predoctoral fellowships from the UIC Institute for Environmental Science and Policy.
Only 9 out of 33 make an explicit online acknowledgement of their duty towards veterans

In the case of Barnet and Kensington & Chelsea, their allocations policies don't comply with the law which provides for particular duties towards veterans and their families. Barnet is amending its Housing Allocations Scheme to reflect the changes highlighted in the report, to be in place before Christmas and Kensington & Chelsea has stated it is updating its policy early in the New Year.*

The London Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee (VAPC) commissioned Professor Helen Carr and Dr Ed Kirton-Darling of Kent Law School to carry out a new study of homelessness among veterans. It found the current law is too complex and does not work. They call on the Mayor of London to announce an Armed Forces Champion to help coordinate the improvement of services for veterans.

Changes in the law between 2002 and 2012 made it a legal duty for councils to assist vulnerable homeless veterans and to make it easier for veterans to get onto the register for social housing, while a decision of the Supreme Court in 2015 should have made the test of vulnerability easier to meet for veterans.

In their report, Professor Carr and Dr Kirton-Darling say clarity is needed on the test for vulnerability. They also present examples of good and poor provision across London and make recommendations for all local authorities to improve the circumstances of homeless veterans. Barnet and Kensington & Chelsea are recommended to revise their allocations policies to comply with the 2012 legislative requirements. Islington, Kensington & Chelsea and Waltham Forest are recommended to improve their online application systems, which could currently exclude veterans at a pre-application stage. They find that local authorities should:

State that former members of the armed services will be in priority need if they are vulnerable as a result of having served in the regular armed forces.

Ask applicants if they have a Service history and this should be recorded.

Provide clear information online about what information might assist a homeless application by a former member of the armed services.

Ensure that housing officers know how to check for service records.

Review their homelessness strategies, including specific consideration of homelessness amongst veterans.

Ensure that staff are aware of the up to date law.

Review their online systems to ensure that they are fit for purpose.

The study builds on existing research, in particular a University of York report, which highlighted the need for more evidence about the problem.

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For further information or interview requests contact Sandy Fleming at the University of Kent Press Office.

Tel: 01227 823581/01634 888879

Email: S.Fleming@kent.ac.uk

News releases can also be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/news

University of Kent on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UniKent

Note to editors

Professor Helen Carr's research interests lie primarily in the fields of Housing, Social Welfare and Public Law. She is interested in the regulation of the poor especially the homeless, the asylum seeker, the anti-social and those in need of care. She also sits as a part-time judge with the First Tier Tribunal (Property) Chamber and is currently a member of a Civil Justice Council working group on property dispute resolution. She has worked with the Welsh government on proposals to reform housing law.

Dr Kirton-Darling is a trained solicitor, and worked for London firm Hodge Jones & Allen from 2007-2012. Prior to practice, he worked at the Law Commission on housing and administrative law reform. He completed his PhD (entitled Looking for Justice: the family in the inquest) in 2015 and joined Kent Law School as a Lecturer in Law. He teaches Family Law, Homelessness Law & Policy and Public Law, and his research focuses on a range of interests, including homelessness, social welfare law, the law of inquests and inquiries and the role of the family in law.

*The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea has conceded that the on-line assessment form does present a strong and perhaps over-simplistic message on local residence and this will be updated when the new scheme is in place.

Established in 1965, the University of Kent - the UK's European university - now has almost 20,000 students across campuses or study centres at Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome.

It has been ranked: 23rd in the Guardian University Guide 2016; 23rd in the Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2016; and 22nd in the Complete University Guide 2015.

In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2015-16, Kent is in the top 10% of the world's leading universities for international outlook and 66th in its table of the most international universities in the world. The THE also ranked the University as 20th in its 'Table of Tables' 2016.

Kent is ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity (REF 2014). It has world-leading research in all subjects and 97% of its research is deemed by the REF to be of international quality.

In the National Student Survey 2016, Kent achieved the fourth highest score for overall student satisfaction, out of all publicly funded, multi-faculty universities.

Along with the universities of East Anglia and Essex, Kent is a member of the Eastern Arc Research Consortium.

The University is worth 0.7 billion to the economy of the south east and supports more than 7,800 jobs in the region. Student off-campus spend contributes 293.3m and 2,532 full-time-equivalent jobs to those totals.

In 2014, Kent received its second Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.
"We have treated mice with a new type of drug, and found that these drugs can not only improve symptoms of brain degeneration, such as cognitive decline, but can also extend the life-span of these terminally-sick mice. Our study opens up avenues for researchers to look at new drugs that treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's and also slow disease progression"

- Professor Andrew Tobin

An international team of scientists has announced a new advance in the fight against Alzheimer's disease by identifying a new drug target for not only improving symptoms of brain degeneration - but also to extend the life-span of the terminally ill mice.

The four-year study by Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists based at the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study was led by Professor Andrew Tobin alongside colleagues from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company and the Monash Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences in Australia. The project was also partly supported by the Wellcome Trust.

Corresponding author Professor Tobin, who alongside the lead researcher Dr Sophie Bradley has since moved from the University of Leicester to the University of Glasgow, said: "The paper describes drug-like molecules that can restore memory loss and slow progression of prion neurodegenerative disease in a manner that relates to the potential of these drugs in human Alzheimer's disease.

"We have been using mice whose brain cells are progressively dying, similar to what happens in Alzheimer's disease. This project focuses on a particular protein in the brain, which is proposed to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, and as such could be a potential target for new drugs.

"We have treated mice with a new class of drug, and found that these drugs can not only improve symptoms of brain degeneration, such as cognitive decline, but can also extend the life-span of these terminally-sick mice."

The researchers state that drugs which activate this protein receptor in the brain have previously been tested in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease, and showed positive results with respect to improving cognition, but the patients experienced a large number of adverse side effects. This new class of drug is more selective and does not cause any side-effects when administered to mice in the study.

The study authors believe that this offers hope in the design of new drugs for improving cognition and extending life span.

Professor Tobin said: "This work may provide important information as to whether this protein is a viable drug target in the treatment of diseases associated with the progressive death of brain cells. This is of great importance to society, based on the fact that the treatment options for Alzheimer's disease are very limited - there are no cures for Alzheimer's disease and current treatments are focused on relieving some of the symptoms.

"What we have found is a novel class of drugs, called allosteric ligands, that target a protein called the M1 muscarinic receptor, which is present in the brain. Activating this receptor protein can not only improve cognitive function in mice with progressive brain degeneration, but when administered daily, can extend life span."

The scientists say the work is important because it focuses on identifying a treatment that not only improves symptoms associated with neurodegeneration, like current treatments, but also identifies a new strategy for slowing disease progression and extending life-span.

Professor Tobin said: "Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, and it affects an estimated 850,000 people in the UK alone. There are no treatments that can slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's, and patients are treated with drugs which temporarily mask the symptoms of the disease. Often these treatments are associated with side-effects which can limit patient compliance.

"I am proud to be involved in a collaboration with researchers across the world to address one of the world's major healthcare challenges. Our study opens up avenues for researchers to look at new drugs that treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's and also slow disease progression."

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NOTE TO NEWSDESK: For interviews please contact:

Professor Andrew Tobin will be available from the 15th through to the 20th. On the 16th he will be in Leicester, on other dates in Glasgow.

Contact details:

Tel: +44 (141) 3308494

Email: andrew.tobin@glasgow.ac.uk

Location:

The Centre for Translational Pharmacology,

Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology,

College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences,

University of Glasgow,

Glasgow,

Scotland, G12 8QQ.

Questions and Answers

Q: Have you developed a drug that can treat people with Alzheimer's disease (AD)?

A: No - this is an early stage study in mice - it shows a proof of principle that we hope will be used to develop effective drugs in AD but we have not tested these drugs on people.

Q: Do you think your study will have an impact on human AD?

A: Our study will provide the information necessary for drug companies to make effective drugs for human AD.

Q: How is this different from current drugs that AD patients receive?

A: Current drugs do not stop or slow AD. In our mice we see a very significant slowing of disease - if this also happens in people - as our data suggests it will - then this will be a major breakthrough.

Q: If current drugs do not stop AD then what do they do?

A: Current drugs have some impact on the symptoms of AD - for example improve memory. However the mechanism of action of these drugs means that there are significant side effects which reduces the amount of drug you can give. So often these drugs are not effective because it is impossible to give enough to help memory loss without giving serious side effects. Our new drugs are much more specific and therefore give low side effects and as such improve memory loss in our mice with prion disease.

Q: How is prion disease in mice related to human AD.

A: We have found that the type of neurones that die in mouse prion disease and the type of memory loss is very similar to that seen in human AD. Hence we believe that our mouse prion disease model closely resembles the type of memory loss seen in AD and therefore is a good model to test new drugs that might be effective in human AD.

About the MRC:

The Medical Research Council is at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers' money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health. Thirty-one MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms. http://www.mrc.ac.uk

About Wellcome

Wellcome exists to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. We're a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations and spark debate.
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that a change in weather patterns, brought on by the 'Godzilla' El Nino of 2015, fuelled the Zika outbreak in South America.

The findings were revealed using a new epidemiological model that looked at how climate affects the spread of Zika virus by both of its major vectors, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus).

The model can also be used to predict the risk of future outbreaks, and help public health officials tailor mosquito control measures and travel advice.

The model used the worldwide distribution of both vectors as well as temperature-dependent factors, such as mosquito biting rates, mortality rates and viral development rates within mosquitoes, to predict the effect of climate on virus transmission. It found that in 2015, when the Zika outbreak occurred, the risk of transmission was greatest in South America.

The researchers believe that this was likely due to a combination of El Nino - a naturally occurring phenomenon that sees above-normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and causes extreme weather around the world - and climate change, creating conducive conditions for the mosquito vectors.

El Ninos occur every three to seven years in varying intensity, with the 2015 El Nino, nicknamed the 'Godzilla', one of the strongest on record. Effects can include severe drought, heavy rains and temperature rises at global scale.

Dr Cyril Caminade, a population and epidemiology researcher who led the work, said: "It's thought that the Zika virus probably arrived in Brazil from Southeast Asia or the Pacific islands in 2013.

"However, our model suggests that it was temperature conditions related to the 2015 El Nino that played a key role in igniting the outbreak - almost two years after the virus was believed to be introduced on the continent."

"In addition to El Nino, other critical factors might have played a role in the amplification of the outbreak, such as the non-exposed South American population, the risk posed by travel and trade, the virulence of the Zika virus strain and co-infections with other viruses such as dengue."

The World Health Organisation recently declared that Zika, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological complications, will no longer be treated as an international emergency, but as a "significant enduring public health challenge."

Professor Matthew Baylis, from the University's Institute of Infection and Global Health, added: "Zika is not going away, and so the development of tools that could help predict potential future outbreaks and spread are extremely important.

"Our model predicts a potential seasonal transmission risk for Zika virus, in the south eastern United States, southern China, and to a lesser extent over southern Europe during summer."

The researchers now plan to adapt the model to other important flaviviruses, such as Chikungunya and Dengue fever, with the aim of developing disease early warning systems that could help public health officials prepare for, or even prevent, future outbreaks.

The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, a collaboration between the University of Liverpool, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Public Health England.

The paper 'Global risk model for vector-borne transmission of Zika virus reveals the role of El Nino 2015' is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Researchers led by The University of Manchester have developed a model that will help civil defence agencies better judge the impact of future volcanic eruptions - including those that threaten the UK population.

Mike Burton, Professor of Volcanology at Manchester's School of Earth and Environmental Science, has led a team of experts that has analysed the legacy of a powerful volcanic eruption to gain clues on how new eruptions would behave.

This pioneering analysis will help inform agencies and policy-makers on how to better plan and prepare for any potential volcanic crisis.

The research team was made up of experts from Manchester and INGV Pisa, Italy, supported by funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the European Research Council (ERC).

Their work has been reported in a paper entitled the 'Role of syn-eruptive plagioclase disequilibrium crystallization in basaltic magma ascent dynamics' published by the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

"This Manchester-led study examined the behaviour of basalt magmas so we can better forecast the impact of future volcanic eruptions," explained Professor Burton.

"For example, Icelandic eruptions are on an official risk register as posing a potential threat to UK population through gas and aerosol inhalation. Studying how these magmas erupts will put us in a better position to judge impacts and will help policy-makers during crises."

Professor Burton's team based their research on the study of the 2001 eruption of Mount Etna in Italy, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Professor Burton added: "During a volcanic eruption magma ascends so quickly that crystals which are trying to form don't have time to do so.

"In our work we use a combination of modelling and observations of the 2001 eruption of Mount Etna to calculate the growth rate of crystals during ascent, a key parameter in modelling future eruptions."

This modelling work can be applied to other volcanic areas, including those in Iceland which are recognised as posing a direct threat to the UK.

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This research was supported by the NERC-funded Quantifying disequilibrium processes in basaltic volcanism (DisEqm) project, a collaborative project between the universities of Manchester, Bristol, Durham and Cambridge, and the ERC-funded project "Quantifying the global volcanic CO2 cycle" (CO2Volc), both led by Professor Burton.
By PTI: firm

From Aditi Khanna

London, Dec 20 (PTI) Indian mining giant Vedanta Resources has been directed by London High Court to pay USD 100 million to a state-owned Zambian investment company related to a 2013 copper price agreement.

Vedantas Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM), based in Zambia, said the issue was related to the copper price participation deal with Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH) dating back a number of years and the court decision is a "request" for it toresolve the matter within 28 days.

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"KCM and ZCCM-IH have been engaged in discussions with regards to the price participation settlement agreement, which was entered into by both parties in December 2012...We remain fully committed to fulfilling our financial obligations," KCM CEO Steven Din said in a statement.

ZCCM-IH claims the UK court has also ordered KCM to reimburse ZCCM-IH 80 per cent of the costs it has incurred in pursuing its claim.

The companys statement said: "ZCCM-IH has been successful in its application for default judgment. KCM has been ordered (on 16 December 2016) to pay all sums owed to ZCCM-IH pursuant to the Settlement Agreement (plus associated contractual interest) within thirty (30) days.

"Further directions have been given to determine whether KCM made payments to Vedanta Group Companies in breach of the prohibition on doing so under the Settlement Agreement. If and to the extent it is determined that such payments were made, ZCCM-IH will be entitled to recover additional sums from KCM."

Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) is one of Zambias largest copper producers and one of the largest private sector employers in the country, with operations in four locations, namely Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe.

The majority shareholder of KCM is London-listed Vedanta Resources, which holds a 79.4 per cent stake, while ZCCM-IH has a 20.6 per cent shareholding in KCM.

In terms of its future business plans, KCM added: "Vedanta remains committed to the Group?s operations in Zambia, which is reflected by the significant investment of over USD3 billion in KCM since 2004.

"Vedanta and KCM have a 50-year vision to continue mining for copper in Zambia and we look forward to further strengthening our relations with all stakeholders, including ZCCM-IH." PTI AK NSA

--- ENDS ---
AMHERST, Mass. - As recreational marijuana use becomes legal in Massachusetts, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Nursing are now training all student nurses in clinical techniques proven to be effective in speaking to clients about risky health behaviors and in collaborating on interventions.

The technique, known as "screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment" or SBIRT, assists healthcare workers in identifying underlying signs of substance abuse and provides early opportunities to intervene with individuals having problems. As they graduate this semester, 44 student nurses who learned SBIRT skills in the classroom with national expert Dr. Paul Grossberg are now practicing the technique in their clinical practice settings across the region.

Donna Zucker, professor of nursing, says, "Every student nurse will get educated around addiction, risk appraisal, motivational interviewing and in using SBIRT every day in their careers. They go out as new professionals with skills that many people already in the field haven't learned yet. Our student nurses can also train people in settings wherever they end up. The first pioneers are going out and engaging the community now."

Students say that learning by practicing with real or simulated patients has made a difference in their communication. Senior nursing student Jennifer La, who served her clinical practice at University Health Services, says, "The new skill I learned was initiating conversation about a topic that can be sensitive or personal with a client, to learn more about their health."

Plans to add SBIRT training to the nursing curriculum at UMass Amherst began in July when the college received an $870,000 grant from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, one of only 12 SBIRT training centers in the nation. The goal is to teach 150 student nurses here per year for the next three years in the technique, say Zucker and Sally Linowski, associate dean of students, off campus life and community education.

They are co-lead investigators in the SBIRT training with a team of College of Nursing, UMass Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences faculty, community members and a council of directors.

Zucker points out that nurses, who care for people every day at an intimate level in varied settings, are a natural for SBIRT interviewing that may lead to sharing information about the patient's health habits. "Nurses are the boots on the ground, they're the first person who might be asking this kind of question. And, nurses have a holistic approach. While they are taking a history, they are building rapport with the patient, building a relationship."

School nurses fill this role for young people, she adds. They talk about many health education issues such as nutrition, home safety, bullying and violence in addition to substance use. "The nurse may be the first on the scene. If a child's answers raise a flag, they report it to a superior who takes it from there."

The most challenging part of implementing SBIRT, the nurse educators say, is training health care providers to use a non-judgmental approach that motivational interviewing can support with patients. Zucker says that as part of their clinical rotations in UMass Amherst's nursing degree program, eight groups of eight senior nursing students each work in behavioral or mental health services, community clinics, hospitals, campus health services and other institutions across western Massachusetts and now all graduating seniors will have SBIRT skills.

The U.S. surgeon general recently reported that substance abuse is at crisis levels in the nation. Since the early 2000s, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has identified SBIRT as a best practice in educating the nation about how to screen for substance abuse and risk, Linowski says, "and UMass Amherst has established itself as a leader in SBIRT."

She adds, "Clinicians trained in motivational interviewing and behavior change theory help patients explore and resolve ambivalence to change and identify personal motivations and options for reducing harms or entering treatment. Only one in 10 people who need treatment get it, and SBIRT has been shown to help people identify their own motivations for seeking help."

With one in seven people developing substance abuse disorder in their lifetime, Linowski says, "Universal prevention is a tide that raises all boats. What we want is to identify what we as a society can do to make everyone healthier and identify where and when to talk to people. Addiction is not an individual problem, it is a progressive family disease and a pressing topic right now."

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Baltimore, MD - Dec. 20, 2016 - In a first-in-children randomized clinical study, medical researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) and the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have begun testing to see whether adult stem cells derived from bone marrow benefit children with the congenital heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

UM SOM surgeons are injecting the cells into the babies' hearts during open-heart operations at the University of Maryland Medical Center. ISCI is supplying the stem cells for the procedures.

Even with extensive surgical treatments, HLHS babies still do not have optimal outcomes. The researchers hope the cells will increase the babies' chances of survival as HLHS limits the heart's ability to pump blood from the heart to the body.

"The premise of this clinical trial is to boost or regenerate the right ventricle, the only ventricle in these babies, to make it pump as strongly as a normal left ventricle," says lead researcher Sunjay Kaushal, MD, PhD, associate professor of surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine and director, pediatric cardiac surgery, University of Maryland Medical Center. "We are hoping this therapy will be a game-changer for these patients."

Kaushal says the first two patients, who were both four-months-old when the stem cells were injected, are doing well after their surgery.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells

This is the first HLHS research in the United States to use stem cells known as allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Allogeneic cells can be used in other human beings without creating an immune response, which could cause the body to reject the cells. Additionally, these cells are a type of adult stem cell (found in both children and adults), unspecialized cells that can develop into tissue- or organ-specific cells. MSCs can be harvested in advance, expanded in culture, and stored for use later.

The allogeneic nature of the MSCs makes it possible for stem cells from one bone marrow donor to provide all the stem cells for this study. Researchers elsewhere are taking a different approach to strengthen the HLHS heart, with autologous cells, stem cells taken from the HLHS patient's own umbilical cord, for use in that specific patient.

In adult patients, MSCs in the heart have been shown to reduce scar tissue, reduce inflammation, cause new small vessels to grow, and stimulate the heart to regenerate itself, causing heart muscle cells and cardiac stem cells to grow.

"We've had incredible results in using mesenchymal stem cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle in adults," says Joshua M. Hare, MD, ISCI founding director and sponsor of the study. "This is the first time these types of cells are being used in infants, so this is very exciting."

The Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute has grown from a local research center to a national cell manufacturing facility. ISCI provides cells for the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network, has been named a Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies Center by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and has been conducting research in stem cell use for cardiovascular repair since 2008.

Study Details

HLHS is one of the most challenging and complex congenital heart diseases to treat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 960 babies in the United States are born each year with HLHS. For unknown reasons, the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, does not develop completely during a critical growth period just prior to birth. The right ventricle normally pumps blood to the lungs at low pressure to be oxygenated, while the left ventricle pushes blood at high pressure through the aorta to the entire body. In children with HLHS, the right heart assumes the extra workload, temporarily supporting the circulation to both the lungs and body. That stress can cause the right heart to fail and the baby to die.

Current HLHS treatment options are either a heart transplant or a series of three open-heart reconstructive surgical procedures to connect the left and right sides of the heart. However, even with a transplant or the reconstructive surgical series, children with HLHS have an average five-year survival of only 50-60 percent.

In this Phase 1 safety and efficacy study, allogeneic MSCs are injected into the heart muscle during the second of the three reconstructive surgeries, typically performed at approximately four months of age.

A total of 30 patients with HLHS will be enrolled in the study. Fifteen patients will receive six-to-eight stem cell injections each, based on the size of the heart, while 15 control patients will not receive the cells. This is an open-label trial, in which researchers and participant families will know whether or not the cells are administered.

Basic Science

Kaushal laid the groundwork for this trial eight years ago as he began exploring the possibilities of stem cells to strengthen children's hearts. Kaushal says he and his team developed many models trying to understand how these cells work in the laboratory before moving to a clinical application. "There's a lot of basic science behind what we're doing. I want to make sure that what we pursue is rigorous in the laboratory, to make sure that we're providing the best therapy for these little kids."

Several researchers at the School of Medicine's University of Maryland Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine have added their expertise to the effort, collaborating with Dr. Kaushal to understand and develop stem cell therapy for children with heart failure.

"Dr. Kaushal and colleagues have discovered that the failing neonatal heart is actually a rich source of cardiac stem cells, but the existing stem cells in the hearts of these babies are not sufficient to overcome HLHS," says Curt I. Civin, MD, professor of pediatrics and physiology, director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We are close to understanding one mechanism underlying this insufficiency. This line of research is a key part of our quest to use stem cells to repair, cure and prevent severe diseases in children and adults."

In previously published research, Kaushal demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells can restore function in a pre-clinical model replicating many of the features of HLHS. The stem cells remodeled the heart muscle (myocardium) similar to normal myocardium. Stem cells in the heart may also secrete growth factors conducive to forming heart muscle and keeping the muscle from dying. "These key findings suggested these cells would work for HLHS patients," says Kaushal.

While stem cells have been used to regenerate adult hearts, Kaushal says improvements have been marginal. His research suggests results may be better in pediatric hearts: "The heart is able to remodel better in a younger patient than an older patient, because the body is still growing, good things are going on, and things are not deteriorating."

Civin, a pediatric oncologist, says his very first patient as a pediatric intern-in-training years ago was an infant with HLHS. "I've seen how devastating HLHS can be for babies and their families. I'm thrilled with the launch of this first-in-children stem cell therapeutic trial, and look forward to the patient outcomes."

The Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine is providing funding for the clinical costs associated with this trial. "Dr. Kaushal's research will give families with a devastating diagnosis hope for a better outcome for their child," says Stephen T. Bartlett, MD, the Peter Angelos Distinguished Professor; Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and Surgeon-in-Chief and Executive Vice President of the University of Maryland Medical System. "The Department of Surgery's funding of this project demonstrates the critical need and the promise this research holds for a very at-risk population who only have a 50/50 shot at survival with current treatment protocols."

"This novel therapeutic approach exemplifies how our faculty are unrelenting in their search for new ways to improve the health of some of our tiniest and most vulnerable patients," says E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president for medical affairs, University of Maryland; the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor; and dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine." This stem cell therapy may provide a new treatment option not just for patients with HLHS, but also for patients with other congenital heart problems."

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For more details on this study, see identifier NCT02398604 on clinicaltrials.gov.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

The University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 and is the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as an innovative leader in accelerating innovation and discovery in medicine. The School of Medicine is the founding school of the University of Maryland and is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. Located on the University of Maryland's Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine works closely with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide a research-intensive, academic and clinically based education. With 43 academic departments, centers and institutes and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians and research scientists plus more than $400 million in extramural funding, the School is regarded as one of the leading biomedical research institutions in the U.S. with top-tier faculty and programs in cancer, brain science, surgery and transplantation, trauma and emergency medicine, vaccine development and human genomics, among other centers of excellence. The School is not only concerned with the health of the citizens of Maryland and the nation, but also has a global presence, with research and treatment facilities in more than 35 countries around the world. http://medschool.umaryland.edu.

About the University of Maryland Medical Center

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) is comprised of two hospitals in Baltimore: an 800-bed teaching hospital - the flagship institution of the 12-hospital University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) - and a 200-bed community teaching hospital, UMMC Midtown Campus. UMMC is a national and regional referral center for trauma, cancer care, neurocare, cardiac care, diabetes and endocrinology, women's and children's health, and has one of the largest solid organ transplant programs in the country. All physicians on staff at the flagship hospital are faculty physicians of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. At UMMC Midtown Campus, faculty physicians work alongside community physicians to provide patients with the highest quality care. UMMC Midtown Campus was founded in 1881 and is located one mile away from the University Campus hospital. For more information, visit http://www.umm.edu.
PHILADELPHIA - Online platforms that allow users to read and write reviews of businesses and services afford health care providers an opportunity to learn by listening, Penn Medicine physicians say in a new Viewpoint published today in JAMA. The authors point to a growing body of literature supporting the value of unstructured reviews in supplementing ratings from formal sources such as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Heathcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). They call on hospital leaders to pay attention to online reviews to show current and prospective patients that they are being heard.

"Reviews posted to sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor are the modern day version of word-of-mouth testimonials, providing insight into millions of consumer experiences that are not only influential to other consumers, but can and should be influential to service providers," said lead author Raina M. Merchant, MD, MSHP, an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and director of Penn's Social Media and Health Innovation Lab. "It's understandable that in a high-stakes setting like health care, providers may be concerned about these reviews not accurately describing parts of care visible or only understood by other care professionals. But, while we cannot control how these platforms operate, what we can do is take stock of what the reviewers are saying and find ways to make them feel like their concerns or questions are heard."

Each month, more than 80 million users read and write reviews on Yelp alone. Of those, roughly 42,000 describe U.S. hospital experiences, with most comments addressing "patient experience" issues such as parking, the cafeteria, wait times, and navigating the facility. But, results of a recent study of more than 16,000 Yelp reviews about U.S. hospitals showed that many of these services, which are areas of key importance for patients and guests, are not captured by standardized quality surveys like HCAHPS. That survey measures impressions of 11 different domains, including discharge information and the overall hospital environment. The researchers say the content contained in Yelp comments could be organized into an additional 12 areas, including amenities, compassion of staff, and family member care, an area which the authors say addresses an influential group often overlooked by service providers: family and friends.

"Most organized approaches to evaluating care focus specifically on the patient, but many online reviews seem to include either input from or focus on caregivers, friends, family and others who are often bypassed by formalized surveys," said David A. Asch, MD, MBA, a professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics and Health Policy and director of the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation. "Family members and friends are powerful advocates for vulnerable patients and also experience health services and shape patient perceptions of it. Incorporating these insights from reviews on Yelp and other consumer review platforms can be a powerful differentiator for a business."

While health professionals look for ways to use online platforms to deliver messages to patients, the authors say it's crucial to recognize that the internet is a two-way street, where patients are also sharing important ideas.

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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania(founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $5.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 18 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $373 million awarded in the 2015 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center -- which are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report -- Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2015, Penn Medicine provided $253.3 million to benefit our community.
Funding will support the development of an off-the-shelf stem cell therapy that could be cheaper and less invasive than joint replacement surgery

LOS ANGELES - Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) is one of four institutions to receive a multi-million dollar grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research projects. The $2.5 million grant will support potential osteoarthritis therapies that could significantly impact standards of care for the disease. Arthritis affects approximately 52 million adults in the United States, with that number conservatively expected to grow to 78 million by the year 2040.

Grant recipient Denis Evseenko, MD, PhD, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, and stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, is working towards this therapy by using pluripotent stem cells to regenerate cartilage. While scientists have used these cells to create a cartilage-like tissue, they have not been able to generate cells that develop new cartilage. Evseenko proposes a unique approach to storing pluripotent stem cell-derived chondrocytes, which are the cells that can become cartilage, and implanting those chondrocytes into the joint. If successful on a large scale, this therapy would be a cheaper, minimally invasive, off-the-shelf alternative to joint replacement surgery as a treatment for osteoarthritis.

"The rapidly growing prevalence and staggering costs of osteoarthritis demand a solution that can benefit both patients and providers," Evseenko said. "My team is working diligently to provide this solution by expanding on our previous stem cell research, and we are grateful for CIRM's support of our endeavor."

Osteoarthritis, more commonly known as arthritis, is a chronic disease caused by injury and wear and tear of the joints. It affects 23 percent of adults nationwide, and costs the U.S. $100 billion annually. Those numbers are expected to grow exponentially due to longer lifespans and rising obesity. There is no cure for osteoarthritis. Some patients with severe arthritis will require a total joint replacement. Although total joint replacement is a successful operation, the prosthesis may wear out over time in younger patients, requiring revision surgery. Evseenko hopes his research will reduce the need for these types of surgeries, mitigating the burden of osteoarthritis on patients and physicians.

"Bridging the gap between scientific innovation and clinical application is critical for our mission to provide the best quality of patient care," said Jay Lieberman, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Keck School of Medicine of USC. "We are delighted for Denis and are eagerly anticipating his contributions made possible through CIRM's support."

CIRM, the California agency charged with dispensing $3 billion in voter-approved dollars to researchers throughout the state, accelerates stem cell treatments for patients with urgent medical needs without a current solution. This grant is part of CIRM's Translational Award program, which supports the most promising scientific projects with the potential for human clinical trials. In addition to Keck School, this year's recipients also include two biotech institutes studying Alzheimer's disease and osteonecrosis, and one other academic medical center researching pediatric therapies for sickle cell disease.

"CIRM has made a wise investment in Denis and Denis's research. He's an outstanding young scientist, developing innovative approaches to bridge the gap between basic understanding and clinical application. Developing new approaches will be essential to combat osteoarthritis, a prevalent disabling disease," said Andy McMahon, PhD, FRS, professor and chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

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ABOUT THE KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF USC

Founded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine of USC is among the nations leaders in innovative patient care, scientific discovery, education, and community service. It is part of Keck Medicine of USC, the University of Southern California's medical enterprise, one of only two university-owned academic medical centers in the Los Angeles area. This includes the Keck Medical Center of USC, composed of the Keck Hospital of USC and the USC Norris Cancer Hospital. The two world-class, USC-owned hospitals are staffed by more than 500 physicians who are faculty at the Keck School. The school today has more than 1,500 full-time faculty members and voluntary faculty of more than 2,400 physicians. These faculty direct the education of approximately 700 medical students and 1,000 students pursuing graduate and post-graduate degrees. The school trains more than 900 resident physicians in more than 50 specialty or subspecialty programs and is the largest educator of physicians practicing in Southern California. Together, the school's faculty and residents serve more than 1.5 million patients each year at Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, as well as USC-affiliated hospitals Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center. Keck School faculty also conduct research and teach at several research centers and institutes, including the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine at USC, the USC Cardiovascular Thoracic Institute, the USC Roski Eye Institute and the USC Institute of Urology.

In 2016, U.S. News & World Report ranked Keck School of Medicine among the Top 40 medical schools in the country.

For more information, go to keck.usc.edu.
Researchers model how 'publication bias' does -- and doesn't -- affect the 'canonization' of facts in science

Arguing in a Boston courtroom in 1770, John Adams famously pronounced, "Facts are stubborn things," which cannot be altered by "our wishes, our inclinations or the dictates of our passion."

But facts, however stubborn, must pass through the trials of human perception before being acknowledged -- or "canonized" -- as facts. Given this, some may be forgiven for looking at passionate debates over the color of a dress and wondering if facts are up to the challenge.

Carl Bergstrom believes facts stand a fighting chance, especially if science has their back. A professor of biology at the University of Washington, he has used mathematical modeling to investigate the practice of science, and how science could be shaped by the biases and incentives inherent to human institutions.

"Science is a process of revealing facts through experimentation," said Bergstrom. "But science is also a human endeavor, built on human institutions. Scientists seek status and respond to incentives just like anyone else does. So it is worth asking -- with precise, answerable questions -- if, when and how these incentives affect the practice of science."

In an article published Dec. 20 in the journal eLife, Bergstrom and co-authors present a mathematical model that explores whether "publication bias" -- the tendency of journals to publish mostly positive experimental results -- influences how scientists canonize facts. Their results offer a warning that sharing positive results comes with the risk that a false claim could be canonized as fact. But their findings also offer hope by suggesting that simple changes to publication practices can minimize the risk of false canonization.

These issues have become particularly relevant over the past decade, as prominent articles have questioned the reproducibility of scientific experiments -- a hallmark of validity for discoveries made using the scientific method. But neither Bergstrom nor most of the scientists engaged in these debates are questioning the validity of heavily studied and thoroughly demonstrated scientific truths, such as evolution, anthropogenic climate change or the general safety of vaccination.

"We're modeling the chances of 'false canonization' of facts on lower levels of the scientific method," said Bergstrom. "Evolution happens, and explains the diversity of life. Climate change is real. But we wanted to model if publication bias increases the risk of false canonization at the lowest levels of fact acquisition."

Bergstrom cites a historical example of false canonization in science that lies close to our hearts -- or specifically, below them. Biologists once postulated that bacteria caused stomach ulcers. But in the 1950s, gastroenterologist E.D. Palmer reported evidence that bacteria could not survive in the human gut.

"These findings, supported by the efficacy of antacids, supported the alternative 'chemical theory of ulcer development,' which was subsequently canonized," said Bergstrom. "The problem was that Palmer was using experimental protocols that would not have detected Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that we know today causes ulcers. It took about a half century to correct this falsehood."

While the idea of false canonization itself may cause dyspepsia, Bergstrom and his team -- lead author Silas Nissen of the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark and co-authors Kevin Gross of North Carolina State University and UW undergraduate student Tali Magidson -- set out to model the risks of false canonization given the fact that scientists have incentives to publish only their best, positive results. The so-called "negative results," which show no clear, definitive conclusions or simply do not affirm a hypothesis, are much less likely to be published in peer-reviewed journals.

"The net effect of publication bias is that negative results are less likely to be seen, read and processed by scientific peers," said Bergstrom. "Is this misleading the canonization process?"

For their model, Bergstrom's team incorporated variables such as the rates of error in experiments, how much evidence is needed to canonize a claim as fact and the frequency with which negative results are published. Their mathematical model showed that the lower the publication rate is for negative results, the higher the risk for false canonization. And according to their model, one possible solution -- raising the bar for canonization -- didn't help alleviate this risk.

"It turns out that requiring more evidence before canonizing a claim as fact did not help," said Bergstrom. "Instead, our model showed that you need to publish more negative results -- at least more than we probably are now."

Since most negative results live out their obscurity in the pages of laboratory notebooks, it is difficult to quantify the ratio that are published. But clinical trials, which must be registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they begin, offer a window into how often negative results make it into the peer-reviewed literature. A 2008 analysis of 74 clinical trials for antidepressant drugs showed that scarcely more than 10 percent of negative results were published, compared to over 90 percent for positive results.

"Negative results are probably published at different rates in other fields of science," said Bergstrom. "And new options today, such as self-publishing papers online and the rise of journals that accept some negative results, may affect this. But in general, we need to share negative results more than we are doing today."

Their model also indicated that negative results had the biggest impact as a claim approached the point of canonization. That finding may offer scientists an easy way to prevent false canonization.

"By more closely scrutinizing claims as they achieve broader acceptance, we could identify false claims and keep them from being canonized," said Bergstrom.

To Bergstrom, the model raises valid questions about how scientists choose to publish and share their findings -- both positive and negative. He hopes that their findings pave the way for more detailed exploration of bias in scientific institutions, including the effects of funding sources and the different effects of incentives on different fields of science. But he believes a cultural shift is needed to avoid the risks of publication bias.

"As a community, we tend to say, 'Damn it, this didn't work, and I'm not going to write it up,'" said Bergstrom. "But I'd like scientists to reconsider that tendency, because science is only efficient if we publish a reasonable fraction of our negative findings."

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The research was funded by the Danish National Research Foundation, the University of Washington and the John Templeton Foundation.

For more information, contact Bergstrom at cbergst@u.washington.edu or 206-685-3847.
Nanotechnology offers many chances to benefit the environment and health. It can be applied to save raw materials and energy, develop enhanced solar cells and more efficient rechargeable batteries and replace harmful substances with eco-compatible solutions.

"Nanotechnology is a seminal technology. The UMWELTnanoTECH project association has delivered excellent results. Even the smallest achievements can make a huge contribution to protecting the environment. We must treat the opportunities this future technology offers with responsibility; its eco-compatible use has top priority," said the Bavarian Minister of the Environment, Ulrike Scharf, in Erlangen on 23 November 2016 where the results were presented at the international congress "Next Generation Solar Energy Meets Nanotechnology". For three years, the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection had financed the association consisting of ten individual projects with around three million euros.

Three Wurzburg projects

Three of the ten projects were located in Wurzburg. Professor Vladimir Dyakonov from the Department of Physics headed the project for environmentally compatible, highly efficient organic solar cells; he was also the spokesman of the "Organic Photovoltaics" section. Anke Kruger, Professor of Chemistry, was in charge of the project on ultra-fast electrical stores based on nano-diamond composites.

Responsibility for the third project rested with Professor Gerhard Sextl, Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research titled "Hybrid capacitors for smart grids and regenerative energy technologies". Sextl, who holds the Chair for Chemical Technology of Material Synthesis at the Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) Wurzburg, was also the spokesman of the "Energy storage" section.

Below are the three projects from Wurzburg and their results.

Eco-friendly inks for organic solar cells

Organic solar cells have become quite efficient, converting about eleven percent of the solar energy received into electricity. What is more, they are relatively easy to manufacture using ink-jet printing processes where organic nanoparticles are deposited on non-elastic or flexible carrier materials with the help of solvents. This enables new applications in architecture, for example integrating solar cells in window facades or cladding concave surfaces.

There is, however, a catch to it: So far, most ink-jet printing processes have been based on toxic solvents such as dichlorobenzene. These substances are harmful for humans and the environment and require extensive and costly standards of safety.

The Professors Vladimir Dyakonov and Christoph Brabec (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) have managed to use nanomaterials to develop ecologically compatible photovoltaic inks based on water or alcohol with equal efficiency. Moreover, the research team has developed new simulation processes: "They allow us to predict which combinations of solvents and materials are suitable for the eco-friendly production of organic solar cells," Dyakonov explains.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Vladimir Dyakonov, Department of Physics, University of Wurzburg, T +49 931 31-83111

dyakonov@physik.uni-wuerzburg.de

To the homepage of Vladimir Dyakonov

Nanodiamonds for ultra-fast electrical storage

In order to build highly efficient electric cars, more powerful energy stores are needed as the standard batteries still have some drawbacks, including low cycle stability and very limited power density. The first means that the battery capacity decreases following multiple charging and discharging cycles. The latter implies that only a fraction of the energy store is used during fast charging or discharging.

Supercapacitors play an important role as highly efficient energy stores besides batteries, because they outperform rechargeable batteries in terms of cycle stability and power density. Their energy density, however, is much lower compared with lithium-ion batteries. This is why supercapacitors need to be much bigger in size than batteries in order to deliver comparable amounts of energy.

Professor Anke Kruger has teamed up with Dr Gudrun Reichenauer from the Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE Bayern) to make progress in this regard. Their idea was to build the supercapacitors' electrodes not only of active charcoal, but to modify them using other carbon materials, namely nanodiamonds and carbon onions, which are small particles that have multiple layers like an onion.

Their approach is promising: By combining nanomaterials with suitable electrolytes, the performance parameters of the supercapacitors can be boosted. "Based on these findings, it is now possible to build application-oriented energy stores and test their applicability," Kruger further.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Anke Krueger, Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Wurzburg, T +49 931 31-85334, krueger@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de

To the homepage of Anke Kruger

Increased storage capacity of hybrid capacitors

More efficient and faster energy stores were also the research focus of Professor Gerhard Sextl's project. His research team at the University of Wurzburg managed to develop so-called hybrid capacitors further into highly efficient energy stores that can be manufactured in an environmentally compatible process.

Hybrid capacitors are a combination of supercapacitors based on electrochemical double-layer capacitors and charge storage in a battery. Firstly, they are capable of storing energy quickly by forming an electrochemical double layer as in a supercapacitor and also deliver the energy promptly when it is needed. Secondly, they hold more energy due to lithium ions embedded in an active battery material, analogously to lithium-ion batteries. By combining the two storage mechanisms, it is possible to implement systems with a high energy and power density at low costs.

The electrodes are the heart of the hybrid capacitors. They are coated with modified active materials: lithium iron phosphate and lithium titanate. This allows achieving storage capacities which are twice as high as those relying on conventional supercapacitor electrode materials.

"We have managed to develop a material that combines the advantages of both systems. This has brought us one step closer to implementing a new, fast and reliable storage concept," Sextl says. The activities at the university were supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research in Wurzburg, one of the leading battery research centres in Germany.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Gerhard Sextl, Department for Chemical Technology of Material Synthesis, University of Wurzburg, and Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, T +49 931 4100-100

To the homepage of the Fraunhofer Institute

Website of the project association.

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UZH succeeded in bringing the International Project Office of bioDISCOVERY to Zurich following negotiations with the global science network FutureEarth,. FutureEarth is an international research platform engaged globally in conservation. The organization develops a scientific basis for the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity as well as of sustainable development objectives. bioDISCOVERY itself works closely with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). As the intergovernmental panel on biodiversity since 2012, IPBES carries out similar tasks for the Convention on Biological Diversity as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) does for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. UZH will thus become a global hotspot for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary biodiversity research.

Global coordination of research on biodiversity

"Thanks to the top-class and interdisciplinary work within the University Research Priority Program 'Global Change and Biodiversity', UZH succeeded in taking over the prestigious office of bioDISCOVERY, which previously had its home in Paris", says Michael Schaepman, one of the three Co-Directors and Professor of Remote Sensing at the Department of Geography. In line with the objectives of bioDISCOVERY, scientists from the natural sciences, humanities and the social sciences from two faculties and five institutes at UZH carry out research into the interrelationships between biodiversity loss and the global environmental and societal effects.

bioDISCOVERY coordinates research worldwide in three focal areas: strengthening biodiversity assessments, improving observation and understanding biodiversity change as well as improving biodiversity projections. The aim is to progress not only research but also global policy in the field of biodiversity. "Embedding research findings in socially relevant matters by forging a strong link between science and policy is a very important transdisciplinary component of our University Research Priority Program", explains Co-Director Bernhard Schmid, biodiversity expert at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies.

Global hub at the interface of biodiversity science and policy

The third Co-Director of the University Research Priority Program 'Global Change and Biodiversity' is Owen Petchey, who also works at the same institute. His specialist field involves the effects of global environmental change on biodiversity and the mathematical modelling of biodiversity changes. According to Petchey, the UZH Research Priority Program makes a central contribution to the core activities of bioDISCOVERY. For example, existing databases for global archives are to be expanded that include the key features of organisms from marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. In addition, the sustainable use of resources, for example in wooded ecosystems, is to be optimized and the observation and research of endangered ecosystems such as the permafrost-dominated tundra, tropical rainforest or coral reefs will be continued and improved. Another critical task involves refining scenarios and models in order to better forecast the future of biodiversity.

"Thanks to the bioDISCOVERY International Project Office, which will be managed by Cornelia Krug, UZH will advance to the status of global hub at the interface of biodiversity science and policy", sums up Michael Schaepman.

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Which Phone shoots better - Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14 Pro, Pixel 7 review! https://youtu.be/GqY2T-Os5Y8 via @YouTube




Haiti - FLASH : Official, the CEP rejects the requests of recusal of all the complainants





Saturday morning, the CEP met in private session to the premises of the Stephen Archer Street, behing closed door and separately, the lawyers of the protestors : "Famni Lavalas", "Piti dessalin", LAPEH and those of the PHTK, in order to explain them why the modification of the Office of National Electoral Litigation (BCEN) did not fall within the attributions of CEP, given that the BCEN is composed of 3 independent entities (CEP, the justice and the corporation of the lawyers). On Saturday the CEP in its official decision, rejected all requests for recusal https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19527-haiti-flash-publication-of-final-results-possible-delay.html and referred the three complaining parties to the Electoral Court on Monday, 19 December, to plead their case. Subsequently, the CEP issued its formal decision which we invite you to share :



Text of the decision of the CEP :



In the year two thousand sixteen and on Saturday seventeen (17) December at 2:30 the members of the Provisional Electoral Council, meeting in extraordinary session, at the head office of the CEP located in No 72 Rue Stephen Archer, Petion ville.



Having regard to the amended Constitution of the Republic of Haiti;

Having regard to the electoral decree of 2 March 2015;

Having regard to the decree of 18 January 2008 revising the General Regulations of the Provisional Electoral Council;

Having regard to the political agreement of 5 February 2016 for institutional continuity;

Having regard to the Order of 29 March 2016 appointing the members of the Provisional Electoral Council;

Having regard to the publication of the Code of Ethics and the Rules of Electoral Disputes of Thursday, May 5, 2016;

Having regard to the Order of 27 May 2016 extending the mandate of the Provisional Electoral Council;

Having regard to the publication of the Rules of Electoral Litigation as amended in the Official Gazette Le Moniteur of Thursday 24 November 2016;

Considering the request of the candidate for the Presidency Jovenel MOISE dated 14 December 2016;

Considering the request of Candidate for the Presidency Jude CELESTIN dated December 14, 2016;

Considering the request of the Candidate for the Presidency Jean Charles MOISE dated December 14, 2016;

Considering the request of Maryse NARCISSE, presidential candidate, dated December 14, 2016

Considering the three (3) expeditions of decisions rendered by the Office of National Electoral Disputes (BCEN) dated 14 December 2016;



Considering that, on December 13, 2016, the Candidate for the Presidency Jovenel Moise demanded, by request addressed to the President and Members of the CEP, the disqualification of recusation of Advisers Kenson POLYNICE, Jean Simon SAINT HUBERT and Josette DORCELY on the grounds that they had not initialed the results published by the Council on 8 November 2016.



Considering that on 14 December 2016 the candidates for the Presidency Jude CELESTIN, Jean Charles MOISE and Maryse NARCISE, protesting parties before the BCEN, in turn solicited the recusal of the advisers who signed the preliminary results of the presidential election on 20 November due to conflicts of interest,. They also demanded the rigorous application of section 18 of the electoral decree stating that the BCEN is composed of three (3) sections.



Considering that, being invited to read their appeal to the BCEN by the President of the Tribunal, the lawyers of the protesting parties preferred to refer to their request for recusal for reasons of conflict of interest.



Considering that the National Electoral Litigation Office, by preliminary ruling, transferred the requests for recusal of the protesting parties to the Provisional Electoral Council.



Considering that they were called upon to make an oral statement of their request to the sesion of Saturday 17 December of the Provisional Electoral Council, the applicants in recusation confine themselves to their initial claims after general considerations on the challenge pending before the BCEN.



Considering that the exclusion of members of the Office of Electoral Disputes found in situations of conflict of interest is provided for in Article 18.2 of the Electoral Decree and Article 6 of the amended Electoral Dispute Resolution Rules.



Considering that the term "Recusation" used by the parties is comparable to that of "Mise a l'ecart", employed both in the decree of March 2, 2015 and in the Rules of the electoral dispute amended3



Considering that the decisions of the Provisional Electoral Council are taken by the electoral advisers according to the majority prescribed by the decree of 2 March 2016. Thus, the signing of the preliminary results of the first round of the ballot on 28 November 2016 by advisers and the non-signature of this document by others are part of the deliberation procedure of the Council and should not be considered as situations of conflict of interest.



Considering that the Electoral Litigation Office is composed of three independent institutions, in particular the CEP, the Justice and the lawyer corporation, it is not in the Provisional Electoral Council's powers to know the constitution of the BCEN.



Considering that it is necessary for the Provisional Electoral Council to pronounce, by a single decision, on the applications filed first by the candidate for the Presidency Jovenel MOISE and then by the candidates for the Presidency Jude CELESTIN, Jean Charles MOISE and Maryse NARCISSE, parties protesters before the BCEN, because having the same purpose and the same finalitie.



The Provisional Electoral Council, after deliberation, took the following decision :



1. In form, Welcomes the challenges of the candidates for the Presidency Jovenel MOISE, Jude CELESTIN, Jean Charles MOISE and Maryse NARCISSE.



2. In substance, Rejects these claims because unfounded.



3. Declares that the Council is not competent to rule on the constitution of BCEN



4. Orders the communication of this decision to the parties requesters.



5. Says that this decision will be transferred to the Office of National Electoral Litigation (BCEN) for appropriate action at the diligence of the Executive Director."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Security : Religious and civil society institutions extremely concerned





In a joint statement, religious institutions, civil society organizations and a number of personalities expressed serious concern about the climate of violence and intimidation that began to develop in the country immediately after polling day of 20 November.



"The religious institutions, civil society organizations and individuals signatory of the present Declaration, are extremely concerned about the climate of violence and intimidation that began to develop in the country immediately after the polling day of 20 November, which had been conducted in a calm and organizationally satisfactory manner for the most part and acceptable to others. They note with amazement that actors and political parties, organizing almost daily demonstrations that are often accompanied by violence, threaten journalists, peaceful citizens and try to intimidate the electoral advisers and judges. Radio programs broadcast incendiary remarks and call for social hatred, violent political upheaval, instead of peacefully waiting for the verdict of the ballot boxes and of electoral tribunals. In so doing, these political actors are in breach of Articles 123 and 124 of the Election Decree, which prohibit any proclamation of results and any public demonstration of a partisan nature from election day until the official announcement of the results.



Such behavior is reprehensible and prejudicial to the building of the democratic Rule of Law that the Haitian people are trying to build. While it is true that the Haitian Constitution guarantees the right to protest and freedom of expression, however, the law lays down the conditions and limits in which these rights may be exercised. No citizen, no political formation is above the law. Therefore, the signatories of this declaration invite the Executive Power to assume its responsibilities, to enforce the laws of the country, to keep until the end of the electoral process, that neutrality and vigilance that had presided over the vote of 20 November .



The religious institutions, civil society organizations and persons signing this declaration have so far welcomed a credible and acceptable electoral process carried out by the CEP and urge all members of the electoral institution and the electoral tribunals to complete their work in a transparent manner the said process, according to the indications of the electoral calendar and the prescriptions of the legislation on the matter.



At the end of the year, as Christmas approaches, especially after the terrible trauma caused by recent natural disasters, the Haitian people aspire to peace and look forward to the new year bringing new prospects for renewal on the political, economic and social plan."



Declaration signed by : Mgr Poulard Guire, Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince ; Rev. Exantus Sylvain, President of the Protestant Federation of Haiti ; Mgr Duracin Zachee, Bishop of the Episcopal Church ; Pasteur Antoine Jn Rigaud, Treasurer of the Protestant Federation of Haiti ; Desroches Rosny, Civil Society Initiative ; Dorvil Nahomme, Civil Society Initiative ; Paultre Edouard, CONHANE ; Apaid Andre M, New Haiti Foundation ; Romain Charles, Rector of University ; Antonin Arnold, Filmmaker ; Jean Baptiste Pauris, Protestant Sector



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The United Naga Council (UNC) today urged the Centre for imposition of Presidents rule in Manipur where an economic blockade by the organisation snapped two highways connecting the state.

The demand was placed by the UNC before Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh when a delegation of the group met here.

"We appeal for imposing Presidents rule in Manipur as the state government has failed completely on all fronts and law order has deteriorated. Creation of seven new districts is a ploy by the Manipur Chief Minister for electoral gains," senior UNC leader Adani Mao said at a press conference here.

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Mao, the former UNC president, who is at present looking after the affairs of the Council after the arrest of its senior leaders, alleged that Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was trying "cheap tricks ahead of polls to hide the governments incompetency".

Claiming that violence has taken place in several areas of Manipur, Convener for Joint Naga Civil Societies, Lakpachui Siro, accused the Congress-led state government of disrupting peace by creating seven new districts for "electoral gains" ahead of the assembly elections next year.

"The state government is going to upgrade Sadar Hills and Jiribam regions to full-fledged districts without consulting the Nagas who inhabit the areas. Precious lands, which belong to them, are being snatched away and there are unrest in the state," he said.

The UNC, which has imposed an economic blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH 37 (Imphal-Jiribam) that serve as lifelines for the landlocked state, said Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh decided to create seven new districts "without consulting" the Nagas who, they said, are the most important stakeholders.

The UNC has demanded immediate release of its President Gaidon Kamei and Publicity Secretary Stephen lamkang who they said have been arrested "arbitrarily".

The UNC has accused Meiteis of creating unrest in the state by killing innocent people, saying Meiteis are not only torching vehicles, burning down houses and looting Nagas, but also attacking places of worships in the state. (More) PTI CPS ACB RCJ

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This week Turtle Island Restoration Network, a leading international marine conservation organization, and fellow environmentalists officially nominated the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) for the Shark Enemy award by the conservation organization Sharkproject International.

December 19th (Olema, CA)  This week Turtle Island Restoration Network, a leading international marine conservation organization, and fellow environmentalists officially nominated the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) for the Shark Enemy award by the conservation organization Sharkproject International. The PFMC was nominated for this dishonor based on the councils anti-shark-conservation policies, most notably their decisions to continue to allow the California drift gillnet fishery to target the common thesher shark, and harm, kill and further endanger thousands of sharks. In a ten-year period ending in 2014, this the fishery caught a staggering 26,217 sharks. For over a decade, the PFMC has failed to reduce the fisherys catastrophic bycatch of sharks to a reasonable level.The PFMC continues to protect the drift gillnet fishery and defy scientific reason and public opinion. Despite the availability of more sustainable fishing alternatives, the Council has been adamant that drift gillnets must remain and that thousands of sharks must unnecessarily die.This award shows just how little attention the Pacific Fisheries Management Council pays to conservation and environmental concerns. Under their leadership, the California driftnet fishery is slaughtering thousands of sharks, and though the Council has the power to stop them  nothing is being done, said Cassie Burdyshaw, advocacy and policy director of Turtle Island Restoration Network.The Shark Enemy award, a rusted shark fin, is usually officially announced at the upcoming International Boat Show in Dusseldorf, Germany, an event that draws upwards of 300,000 visitors from around the world each year, and shines a spotlight on the recipient of the dishonor.Pacific Fisheries Management Council, driftnets are walls of death! Currently Californians are being forced to prop up a losing fishery that costs hundreds of thousands of lives, and the taxpayers more cash than the measly catch of swordfish could ever be worth. The driftnet is a ridiculous and futile practice that does way more harm than any sort of productivity. Do your job end it, said Brock Cahill of Kurmalliance.It is time the Pacific Fisheries Management Council stops the use of driftnet fishing because your Council is allowing the killing of our marine wildlife such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins and more. End this cruelty now, said Debbie Sherman of Save the Turtles, Inc.The PFMCs anti-shark policies come after major corporations (like American Airlines and UPS) announced that they will no longer ship shark fins or support the shark fin trade, and after a report showed demand for shark fins plummeting by 50-70 percent in China. The PFMC is a threat to shark and ocean conservation worldwide, and deserves to win this Shark Enemy award.Background of Sharkproject Award:The idea of a Positive Award and a Negative Award was born in the spring of 2003 during a meeting of the Sharkprojects executive committee. The names of the awards were selected by competition. Now, the Shark Guardian and the Shark Enemy award is given out each year to honor excellence in shark conservation and call out leaders who fail to protect shark species. Learn more about the awards and past winners online here: http://www.sharkproject.org/en/international/awards/ Read the nomination letter by clicking here: https://seaturtles.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PFMC-Nomination-for-Shark-Enemy-Award.pdf Read our series of reports and fact sheets on the deadly California driftnet fishery by clicking here: https://seaturtles.org/california-driftnet-fishery-reports/ ###Turtle Island Restoration Network is an international marine conservation organization headquartered in California whose 200,000+ members and online activists work to protect sea turtles and marine biodiversity in the United States and around the world. For 25 years, Turtle Island Restoration Network has mobilized people to preserve oceans, restore rivers and streams, and protect the marine wildlife  from sea turtles to sharks  that call these blue-green waters home. SeaTurtles.org
Update 8.57pm: Several people have been wounded in a shooting at a mosque frequented largely by Somali immigrants in Switzerland's largest city, and the suspect remains at large, Zurich police said.

Police and ambulances swarmed to the scene near the city's rail station, blocked off a nearby road, and secured the Islamic Centre.

On Twitter, the Zurich police department said: "Large operation after shooting at mosque in the Eisgasse. Several injured. Perpetrator on the run."

It said the situation was under control and the wounded had been taken to hospital.

There were conflicting news reports about whether the shooting had taken place inside a prayer room itself, or outside.

A Zurich police official said the shooting occurred near the intersection of Militaerstrasse and Eisgasse streets.

Earlier:

A gunman has injured several people in Switzerland's largest city, Zurich.

Police are said to be swarming to the scene, understood to be close to an Islamic centre.

Officials said the gunman is still at large.

Police secure the area in front of the Islamic center, in Zurich. Picture: AP

The SDA news agency reported that the victims were adults who were outside near to an Islamic centre.

Police said is unclear whether the attack had to do anything with the location.

Police told German-language daily Blick that three people had been injured, and the suspect had fled the scene.

Attacks by armed gunmen are rare in Switzerland.
A series of deadly attacks brought terror to Europe and beyond last night, including the slaying of shoppers at a Christmas market, the assassination of an ambassador, and the shooting of worshippers gathered for prayer, writes Catheirne Shanahan.

The highest death toll was seen in Berlin, where an articulated lorry ploughed into a Christmas market killing at least nine people and injuring up to 50.

German police described the incident as a deliberate attack and warned shoppers to remain at home as a huge security operation was mounted.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that were no reports of any Irish citizens among the dead or injured, but that the situation was being monitored.

Berlins Christmas markets are a big draw for Irish shoppers with cheap flights operating between Dublin and the German capital.

Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said: I am horrified by the loss of life in Berlin this evening. I extend sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. I urge Irish citizens in Berlin to follow the advice of local authorities and to make contact with their families who may be concerned at this concern.

Further afield, in Ankara, Andrei Karlov, Russias ambassador to Turkey, was gunned down at a Russian embassy-sponsored exhibition.

The gunman is seen at rear on the left as Andrei Karlov speaks at the gallery in Ankara, moments before his death. Picture: AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici

A man wearing a suit and tie shouted Allahu akbar and fired at least eight shots, according to an eyewitness.

The attacker, reported to be an off-duty policeman, also smashed several of the photos in the exhibition, and there was panic as people ran for cover after the shots were fired, with three other people reportedly wounded in the attack. Turkish television reported the gunman had been killed by police.

There were reports that the gunman referred to the situation in the Syrian city Aleppo, where rebel-held areas had been bombarded by Russian forces supporting president Bashar Assads regime.

Russia president Vladimir Putin said the killing was a despicable provocation aimed at spoiling Russia-Turkey ties and derailing his countrys attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis. There can only be one response  stepping up the fight against terrorism. The bandits will feel this happening, he said.

Meanwhile, in the Swiss city of Zurich, three people were injured in a shooting at an Islamic centre.

Zurich police said an unidentified person entered the centre, not far from the citys main train station, and fired several shots at a group of people gathered for prayers. The attacker, believed to be about 30 years old, fled the scene. Both city and cantonal police began a search for the attacker and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

In addition, police said they found the body of a man a few blocks from the shooting and are investigating whether there is a connection to the attack.

Police secure the area in front of the Islamic center, in Zurich. Picture: AP

In Berlin, a potential suspect, believed to be the lorry driver, was arrested and taken into custody close to the zoo. A second person in the drivers cab died on the spot, according to German police.

While Berlin mayor Michael Muller said the situation is under control, the sense of panic was palpable on social media, with comparisons rife between last nights attack and the atrocity that claimed 86 lives in Nice on Bastille Day in July. Both attacks involved trucks being driven through large groups of people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the French attack and there were reports last night that they had also laid claim to the Berlin attack.

The tragedy began at around 7pm Irish time, when the truck careered into stalls selling food and drink and traditional Christmas fare at a point in the evening popular with families.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, originally driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked.

One eyewitness, UK tourist Emma Rushton, wrote on Twitter: We were enjoying the Xmas lights and mulled wine. We were sat, ready to get up, we heard a loud bang, we saw to our left Xmas lights torn down and we saw the top of an articulated lorry crashing through the stalls and through people.

We wanted to get out as soon as possible. We wanted to get to a safe place. From my opinion, it was going at 40mph, there was no road nearby and no signs it was slowing down. There was no way it could have come off like an accident. The stall where mulled wine was being served was crushed. I saw people bleeding, lying in the pavement.
A tourist who was enjoying Berlin's Christmas market with his girlfriend when a truck ploughed into the crowds has described the "carnage" at the scene.

Luke Theis, 21, and Lara Colombo, 22, both from Washington, US, were on the other side of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and heading to the area which was targeted when they became aware of the commotion.

Mr Theis, a student, told the Press Association: "We started seeing people running and hearing ambulances from all directions so we walked over. It was carnage everywhere. There was blood all over the floor.

"There were people lying on the floor - I am not sure what their condition was - I could count about eight lying down.

"The biggest mental image I have is there were two rivers of blood going down the floor.

"Nobody was really helping anybody. People were running. It was like every man for themselves. It was dusty and chaotic.

"There were ambulances and police sirens. People were yelling in German - I don't know what they said but it sounded like 'Get out, get out, get out'."

American tourists Lara Colombo and Luke Theis.

Concerned for his girlfriend's safety, Mr Theis decided to return to their hotel. But as they made their way back he said a fight broke out between some Germans and "Middle Eastern" men at the bus station.

The couple then got on a bus, where he said the driver targeted a woman wearing a burka who did not have a ticket.

He said: "When I got on the bus, the driver didn't ask for anyone's ticket but he was shouting 'Ticket, ticket, ticket' to a Muslim woman who had a stroller. No-one else was asked for their ticket. Another lady with a baby paid for her.

"You could feel the tension in the air - it was hostile. It seemed people were scared of people from the Middle East.

"There was this 'We don't want you here' vibe."

Mr Theis has booked flights out of Germany earlier than planned as the couple no longer feel safe, and they are leaving on Wednesday morning.

He said: "My girlfriend's safety is my priority. We are in shock. I think it hasn't settled. People have died right next to you. It won't settle for a couple of days.

"It's unsettling to think that you are so close to maybe dying. One minute you are alive and enjoying the Christmas market and then you are dead and your family has to spend Christmas without you.

"My heart completely goes out to all the victims' families."

Another witness, Jan Hollitzer, 36, said he heard screams as the truck made its way through the stalls, but that the market was "really silent" as "shocked" shoppers looked on at the aftermath.

Mr Hollitzer, deputy editor-in-chief of local news outlet Berliner Morgenpost, told the Press Association: "First, I heard a noise, then he destroyed the booths on the market and we heard some screams, and then the truck came out of the market on the left side."

Mr Hollitzer said he walked across the street to the market and saw destroyed stalls, broken glass, crockery and tables, and injured people lying on the ground.

"I moved forward and saw the back of the truck - it was a lorry," he said.

"There were some people under the truck and it was really scary, really terrifying.

"I moved on the street to see the front of the truck, which was destroyed."

Briton Emma Rushton, who was at the scene, said the market lights were torn down as the truck ploughed through.

She told the New York Times that the vehicle had "completely decimated" the hut in front of her, adding: "It happened so quickly that people wouldn't have had an opportunity to get out of the way.

"People were sitting, holding their heads. There were pools of blood on the floor. There were people in the recovery position.

"And it was completely decimated - the wood, glass, everything everywhere."

Mike Fox, from Birmingham, told the Associated Press that the truck had missed him by about three metres.

He said he had seen people trapped under stalls and others who appeared to have broken limbs.

"You do what you can to help who you can, really," he said.

"It happened so fast that there was nothing we could do to stop it - if we'd tried to stop it we would have been crushed."

Vivian Hilse, 15, a school pupil from Berlin, was at the market with her best friend when the lorry crashed into the market.

"I didn't see the lorry but I heard it, I heard people screaming," she said.

"We tried to run away but my best friend fell over and broke his leg.

"Everyone was running. I could hear screaming and saw lots of injured people.

"I was really afraid. We got in the ambulance and went straight to hospital.

"It was only when we were in the hospital that we knew what had happened.

"It is awful, you don't feel safe in your own city."

Berlin resident Andreas Heller, 56, was enjoying wine and a Bratwurst at the Christmas Market an hour before the attack.

"It was very festive and people were very happy - there was a lot going on," he said. "I live just three to five minutes away from here, I am shocked by what has happened.

"We were expecting something to happen but even so we are all deeply affected.

"These events are always exploited by the right wing populists to incite hatred. But that is what the terrorists want. What's very important is that people use their heads and think about what happened, to have a measured and intelligent response."

Mr Heller said Angela Merkel was being blamed by those affiliated to right wing parties, who described the victims as her dead.

"That is primitive and revolting," the retired carer said.
The agreement between the complexs management company and Dublin City Council will see the council contribute 1.85m towards the works, with the receiver for the company that built the complex adding another 1.25m. The company, Gendsong, was a Bernard McNamara vehicle which went into receivership in 2013.

Longboat Quay management company (LQMC), which represents the owners, recommended that the offer be accepted.

In a statement issued after the meeting, LQMC said that, from the outset, its objective was to achieve a fair and comprehensive solution.

After two years of negotiations we believe we have now achieved this objective. Remedial work will now commence in January 2017.

Contributions by the council and Gendsong will cover the 2.5m cost of the fire safety problems, with money left over to go towards a major problem with the roof of the building. However, any further cost will have to be borne by the owners of the 298 apartments, and this could be as high as 1m.

The deal comes two and a half years after major fire safety deficiencies were discovered, prompting Dublin Fire Brigade to insist that the building be patrolled 24/7 until an upgraded fire alarm system be installed.

Following that, a major survey uncovered further problems with fire stopping in particular. In September 2015, Dublin Fire Brigade obtained a Fire Safety Order in Dublin District Court, which ordered that remedial works be done by May 2017 or the building would have to be vacated.

Last nights agreement followed over a year of negotiations between the management company and Dublin City Council and major experimental works in the University of Ulster Jordanstown which allowed for a reduction in the cost of the works by more than 1m.
G4G Capital Corp. (TSX.V: GGC) has appointed Shawn Ryan to the Company's board of directors, effective as of December 19, 2016.

Shawn Ryan has over 20 years of experience prospecting gold in the Yukon, with his work leading to the discovery of millions of ounces of gold, including the White Gold, Coffee, QV and other projects in the Yukon's prolific White Gold District, with the White and Coffee Projects later being acquired by Kinross Gold Corporation and Goldcorp Inc. respectively.

Mr. Ryan is also a founder and operator of GroundTruth Exploration, a company with a great depth of experience in Yukon exploration and developer of new exploration techniques including Drones to Drills. GroundTruth's technological advances have revolutionized the exploration of gold reserves in northern climates, significantly cutting exploration costs, allowing crews to work year-round and minimizing environmental impact.

Rob Carpenter, a director of the Company, states: "With the addition of Shawn, we have now assembled a team which has been directly involved with every major gold discovery in the White Gold District during this era. Shawn has an outstanding track record of identifying high-quality early stage projects and his dedication and passion for exploration has led to major new gold discoveries. I am looking forward working with him and GroundTruth this season."

About White Gold Corp.

White Gold Corp. owns 12,301 Claims across 21 properties covering approximately 249,000 hectares representing approximately 30% of the Yukon's White Gold District. Preliminary exploration work has produced several highly prospective targets. The claim packages are bordered by sizable gold discoveries owned by majors including Kinross, Goldcorp and Western Copper & Gold. The Company has outlined an aggressive exploration plan to further explore its properties. For more information visit www.whitegoldcorp.ca.

Source: White Gold
Vice Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lee Jun-won drinks water during a press briefing at the Sejong Government Complex, Monday, on the government's measures to deal with avian influenza. The ministry said the bird flu has been caused by two types of virus. / Yonhap



Poor government guidelines fail to contain spread



By Kim Rahn

A second strain of avian influenza has been found in addition to an already reported one, accelerating the unprecedentedly fast-spreading epidemic.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Monday a highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of the flu virus was found in a wild bird's excrement near Anseong Stream in Gyeonggi Province. This strain is the same one that spread in 2014, but different from H5N6, which has swept the country except for Jeju Island since November.

This is the first time two types of avian flu virus have spread here together, posing a greater burden on quarantine authorities' efforts to contain the epidemic.

The ministry is investigating how the new virus reached Korea. "We are not ruling out the possibility that the H5N8 strain had remained dormant since the outbreak two years ago and was recently rediscovered," a ministry official said.

Nearly 20 million chickens and ducks have been culled across the country since the first report of the disease on Nov. 16.

The epidemic has hit a zoo as well.

According to Seoul Metropolitan Government that runs Seoul Zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, an H5 virus was detected in two dead storks and five mandarin ducks there. It is not known yet whether it is H5N6 or H5N8.

This was the first bird flu outbreak inside the zoo. The zoo has been closed since Saturday after the storks died.

To prevent further contamination, the zoo authorities culled the five mandarin ducks and another three that had been raised in the same cage. Mandarin ducks are designated as a natural monument and it is the first time for the zoo to cull an animal designated as such.

"We are examining 120 birds from 11 species kept in nearby cages and will look into more birds here," a city official said. "We'll close down the zoo until no virus is detected."

While the authorities are increasing their quarantine workforce, critics attributed the spread of the disease partly to the government guidelines on avian influenza because they contain only vague measures without detailed actions on each level of the alert.

For example, in the "vigilant" level, the second-highest level, the guidelines state the government shall "consider" ordering a nationwide standstill, without making such measure mandatory.

In the "serious" level, the highest one, it says the government shall also "consider" closing down traditional markets selling poultry. It also states the ministry "may suggest" setting up a central government-led disaster control headquarters for the disease "if necessary."

The Korea Federation for Environmental Movements said the vague guidelines lead to makeshift countermeasures every time the disease breaks out.

"The bird flu epidemic, which has been repeated for 13 years, shows the state does not have a responsible control tower," the group said in a statement. "The ministry, which should be the control tower, only blames migratory birds, and it is the animals and farmers that suffer."
The bodies of two women were found in Vasant Vihar and Munirka on November 18 and 25 respectively.

By Anuj Mishra, Tanseem Haider: Vasant Vihar police has arrested Arjun Thapa, the mastermind behind the murders of 2 women in Delhi in November.

Here are the details of the case:

1. Police arrested Thapa, the mastermind of the twin murder case who had been absconding, and recovered the missing head of one of the victims.

2. The bodies of two women were found in Vasant Vihar and Munirka on November 18 and 25 respectively. While the first victim's body was found wrapped in a polythene sheet outside a temple in Vasant Vihar on November 18, the second woman's headless body was found in a sewer in Munirka village on November 25.

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3. It must be mentioned that with the arrests of the accused Jeevan and Mini Sangam earlier, there was breakthrough in the twin murder case but the mastermind Arjun and another accomplice identified as Govind, as confessed by the arrested accused, had been at large. Govind continues to be fleeing.

3. Thapa, who belongs to Nepal and was living in Munirka in Delhi, was arrested late on December 18 from Agra in Uttar Pradesh. During the interrogation, the arrested accused Jeevan and Mini Sangam had confessed that Arjun had several bases, not only in Delhi, but also accomplices and necessary support in several other states.

4. As last reported, when cell locations of some of the numbers being then used by Arjun were traced, he was found to be near an International Border that gave the impression that he might have left India. But on being grilled further, Mini Sangam revealed that while leaving Delhi, Arjun had made categorical plans to return soon and move to a south Indian location from where he could carry out his spa-related facilitation services.

5. An extensive ground-level verification of Arjun's contacts showed he had further links with south Indian locations. This exercise was carried out in order to zero-in on those suspects, who could at a later date, be tapped by Arjun to move down south as told by Sangam.

6. In the process, several suspects from Agra and nearby tourist areas were identified and interrogated. The results soon yielded results when it was learnt that Arjun was in a particular location in Agra. Without wasting time, a special team was dispatched that successfully arrested him from near the Waterworks Crossing in Agra and brought him to Delhi.

7. Upon sustained interrogation, Arjun confessed to his crime and when he was asked about the missing 'head', he said. 'in the next gutter, sir'. Following this confession, a sewer manhole close to the one from where the headless body of Sushma was discovered, was opened at his pointing out towards that and a female skull was recovered. The same was taken into police custody for forensic examination. Efforts are being made to apprehend his absconding associate Govind. Further investigation is in progress.

Also read | Sex, money and jealousy: Tattoos unlock mystery of spa murders in Delhi

--- ENDS ---

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Neither the Yankees nor the Giants are seriously pursuing veteran slugger Jose Bautista, Jon Morosi of MLB Network writes. Morosi goes on to discuss the remaining market for the 36-year-old, who will require draft compensation from a signing team since he turned down a qualifying offer from the Blue Jays.

Both New York and San Francisco seemed at least to be decent hypothetical matches, particularly the latter. All said, the news doesnt improve the outlook for Bautista. As Morosi notes, organizations such as the White Sox and Phillies could have a theoretical need in the corner outfield, but will probably be loath to part with a draft choice and spend big on an aging player at this stage of their respective rebuilding efforts.

Several AL East teams make some sense, at least on paper, beyond the Yankees and incumbent Jays. But the Orioles have shot down any such notions, citing Bautistas poor reputation among the Baltimore faithful. (The same, presumably, is true of the Rangers.) We have also heard some suggestion that the Rays could have some interest in Bautista  or, at least, a theoretical player of his ilk  but that would likely be more as an opportunistic landing spot than as a dedicated pursuit. The Red Sox appear to have been of interest to Bautista, but it seems that the organization doesnt feel theres a fit (in part, at least, due to salary considerations).

Id add, speculatively, that there are a few other teams that could conceivably enter the picture. The Mariners could stand to add a bat and have some positional flexibility with which to work, though they do have several right-handed-hitting pieces in the corner outfield/first base/DH areas already, its possible to imagine a fit. Its a similar situation for the Mets, who have been rumored to have at least some interest in the past. If you squint hard enough, or imagine a trade to open space, its still possible to see a match with the Astros despite the addition of Carlos Beltran. And the Nationals did surprisingly pursue Bautista at the 2016 trade deadline, though the acquisition of Adam Eaton makes a move on him now a tough proposition. Most intriguingly, perhaps, the Rockies could stand to plug Bautistas bat in at first base, if they were to move an outfield piece and shift the just-inked Ian Desmond to the grass.

Given the overall market setting, Morosi argues that the most sensible outcome at this point is for Bautista to end up back with the Blue Jays. For Toronto, theres still an evident need to add offense, particularly in the outfield. In a multi-year scenario, at least, Bautista could slide in at first base at some point down the line. While the team would stand to sacrifice the chance to recoup a compensatory draft pick, adding Bautista wouldnt hurt as much in the draft department as it would many other organizations. (Under the new CBA, no organization will be able to make Bautista a qualifying offer in the future.) Plus, theres obviously a special connection between this particular team and player.

Its worth emphasizing that the level of interest on the Jays side remains somewhat unclear. The club is said to be in touch with Bautistas representatives, but theres little doubt that Toronto will prefer to minimize its commitment in any arrangement. While Bautista was still a productive player last year, and maintained his excellent plate discipline, he wasnt quite himself in the power department (22 home runs, .452 slugging percentage). With the obvious issue of age and declining glovework in the outfield  not to mention the fact that the Jays already locked into a three-year commitment at DH with Kendrys Morales  theres good reason for the organization to be wary of a lengthy entanglement.
FlintSouthwesternvsLapee.jpg

Four-star DE Deron Irving-Bey (Flint Southwestern) is the No. 5-ranked prospect in the state of Michigan.

(Mark Felix | MLive)

ANN ARBOR -- Michigan's run through the top in-state prospects kept rolling Monday afternoon.

And now, Michigan has commitments from the state's top six 2017 players.

Four-star defensive end Deron Irving-Bey made it 6-for-6 for the Wolverines, giving his commitment to Michigan on Monday. Irving-Bey announced his pledge in a video shot by LandOf10.com.

"The best players in Michigan go to Michigan," he said in his video.

The Flint Southwestern product rates as the No. 270 prospect nationally, the No. 5-ranked player in the state and the No. 9-ranked strong-side defensive end (247sports composite).

The 6-foot-5, 282-pound Irving-Bey picked Michigan over Michigan State, Maryland, Tennessee and others.

As of now, the Wolverines' have the commitments from the top six recruits inside the state: 1. Five-star WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, 2. Four-star CB Ambry Thomas, 3. Four-star LB Josh Ross, 4. Four-star safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell, 5. Irving-Bey, 6. Four-star WDE Corey Malone-Hatcher.

Irving-Bey is Michigan's second commitment of the day, joining four-star center Cesar Ruiz of IMG Academy.

The Wolverines -- owners of the fourth-ranked class nationally -- now have 24 players committed to their 2017 class.
Actress Rabby Bray, who is known for her role in the popular television series stalemate on Saturday, 17th December 2016 took time to visit the Weija leprosarium to donate items to the institution.

She, alongside Ama of Ghana Most Beautiful 2010 and with the able support of special ice mineral water, rozel couture, staff of Devtraco plus, Naatess makeup bar distributed food items and toiletries to the Leprosararium.

She also threw an Xmas party after the donation for patients and workers at the leprosarium where they dinned with her amidst music.

The donation was with the view of fighting against the stigmatisation of people living with leprosy. The caretaker of the institution commended the actress for her initiative and took the opportunity to voice out their cry to the government for support.

Checkout more photos from her donation below.

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One of Ghana's recording and performing gospel artistes, Annette Danso, has expressed excitement at her nomination for an award at the 2016 edition of the Bass Awards slated for this Sunday at the National Theatre in Accra.

The gospel artiste said she felt honoured that the organisers of the awards scheme continue to acknowledge her contribution towards the Ghanaian music industry.

Her popular song titled 'Searching' featuring Bujwu Stingo, released late last year, has been nominated for the Alternative Reggae/Dancehall Song of The Year category.

This is the first time her song has been nominated for an award.

'Searching' has enjoyed airplay on various radio stations across the country, as well as in Jamaica, where it is being aired on radio and play in various night clubs.

The gospel artiste who is credited with three albums is affectionately known as Annette D in the gospel music industry.

This is her first nomination for any award, and to change the trend therefore, a large number of music fans have declared their intention to vote overwhelmingly for her to win the Alternative Reggae/Dancehall Song of The Year at the Bass Award.

Some of her popular songs include 'Eye', 'Tena Yesu Nase', 'Wole Noko', 'Monyi Awurade Aye', among others.

By George Clifford Owusu
20.12.2016 LISTEN

The year 2016 has been a remarkable year for Ghana's sensational high life songstress, Sista Afia, as she kept dropping hit after hit under Streamline Records.

As this year's festive season beckons, she has teamed up with award winning and reining Dancehall King, the ever blazing Champion Shatta Wale alongside Afedzi Perry to give Ghanaians and all music fans something big for the Xmas season.

This is the most talked about song for the holidays and beyond. She calls this one 'JeJe'.

The song was produced by Ghana's most celebrated sound engineer, WillisBeatz

Sista Afia has other songs to her credit, notable among them are 'Kro Kro No' alongside Bisa K. Dei, 'Are You Ready' and 'YiWani' and recently 'Kofi'.

Catch a feel of this track by listening or downloading directly from here.

Fans can also follow all her social media updates via these social networks:

Facebook: Sista Afia

Twitter: Sista Afia

Instagram: Sistaafia

E-mail: [email protected]

Listen Up & Download
Ghanaian hiplife artiste Article Wan has revealed that he will release his debut album somewhere in 2017.

He made this announcement in a Twitter Live Chat that was organized by Citi FM ahead of the station's Decemba to Rememba concert.

When should we expect your debut album? @Citi973 @articlewani #D2R2016

 #Capo (@KojoAB) December 19, 2016

2017 God willing just keep in touch!!! #D2R2016 @articlewani https://t.co/rbqmMsrEQJ

 #GhElections (@Citi973) December 19, 2016

Article Wan is one of the artistes who will be performing on that night at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Some other artistes to be performing that night are Shatta Wale, Okyeame Kwame, Guru and Joey B. Comedian Hogan will be there to provide some rib-cracking jokes.

#D2R2016 is powered by 97.3 Citi FM and sponsored by TOTAL CARD  Total Savings, Total Benefits, BAYPORT  Your future now, KIT KAT  Have a break, have a KitKat, HUNTERS  Refreshes like nothing on earth.

Tickets are available at Citi FM, Adabraka and the Total Service Stations at 37 Hospital Road, Atomic Junction, Baatsona, East Legon AnC, La Beach, Tema Hospital and Tesano.

The official dress code for #D2R2016 is white top and jeans.



Jeffrey O. Sarpong/233liveworld.com

Follow @ojsarpong
By PTI: From Aditi Khanna

London, Dec 20 (PTI) Indian mining giant Vedanta Resources has been ordered by London High Court to pay over USD 100 million to a Zambian investment company related to a 2013 copper price agreement, the state-owned firm claimed today.

Vedantas Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM) based in Zambia has been ordered to pay approximately USD 103 million to Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH), the state-owned mining investment firm claimed.

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"ZCCM-IH has been successful in its application for default judgement. KCM has been ordered (on 16 December 2016) to pay all sums owed to ZCCM-IH pursuant to the Settlement Agreement (plus associated contractual interest) within thirty (30) days," a ZCCM-IH statement said.

KCM has also been ordered to reimburse ZCCM-IH 80 per cent of the costs it has incurred in pursuing its claim.

"Further directions have been given to determine whether KCM made payments to Vedanta Group Companies in breach of the prohibition on doing so under the Settlement Agreement," the statement said.

"If and to the extent it is determined that such payments were made, ZCCM-IH will be entitled to recover additional sums from KCM," it added.

London-listed Vedanta Group is yet to comment on the judgement. PTI AK MRJ AKJ MRJ

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Accra, December 20, 2016 - Minister Nii Okai, award winning gospel musician will release his latest single, Yesu Hi (God is Good) at the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Greenwich Meridian, Tema, on Friday, December 23, 2016.

The event will also serve as a platform to celebrate the success of the initiation of the Saving Heart Project as well as thank God for His goodness throughout the year.

In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Nii Okais debut hit album-Moko Be, the Saving Heart Project was undertaken in December 2013 in collaboration with the Ghana Heart Foundation. It sought to raise funding for ten heart surgeries for ten needy Ghanaians under ten years. The initiative achieved its initial aim and will be launched as a Foundation early next year.

At the event, Minister Nii Okai will perform live his new single and a number of his hit songs. It promises to be an exciting and inspiring evening for all lovers of gospel music as they join Nii Okai and several other renowned gospel artistes in a time of worship and praise to God in song.

Minister Nii Okai remarked Yesu hi is not just another single: it symbolizes our gratitude to the Lord for the numerous blessings we continue to enjoy as a family, ministry, nation, and the kingdom at large.

Yesu Hi is an easy-to-sing along multilingual track with an international appeal akin to our timeless Mokobe hit song

About Minister Nii Okai

Minister Nii Okau is a visionary leader, having founded Nii Okai Ministries, House of Virtue, the Harbour City Mass Choir (co-founder) among others. His inspirational music career has already birthed 5 inspiring albums, Moko be, Worshipful, Hymnz Unlimited, Holy Writings, and Saving Hearts.

He rose through the ranks of corporate life until mid 2010 when he obeyed the call to set up his Ministry. He currently holds an MA in Mission and Theology. He serves on the board of the Harbour City Mass Choir and is currently a judge on TV3s hit show Celebrations.
Roger Lumbala, pictured in 2013, has returned to Kinshasa. By ISAAC KASAMANI (AFP/File)

15.01.2017 LISTEN

Kinshasa (AFP) - A DR Congo opposition leader accused of "high treason" returned to Kinshasa on Sunday two weeks after a key deal to end a political crisis in the vast African country.

Roger Lumbala, head of the small opposition Rally of Congolese Democrats and Nationalists (RCD-N), was one of a few accused figures whose freedom or return from exile was agreed as part of the New Year's Eve deal.

Lumbala, who allegedly backed the M23 rebellion in the country's east, arrived back in the DR Congo capital on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight, according to AFP journalists at the airport.

After mounting a failed presidential bid in 2006 elections, Lumbala had his lawmaker's mandate invalidated in January 2013 for repeated absence, as he was reported to have spent much time in Uganda and Rwanda.

Democratic Republic of Congo authorities accused him of "high treason" and complicity with M23 rebels, who were defeated in November 2013 after an offensive by government and UN forces.

As part of negotiations which led to the December 31 deal, a coalition centred on veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi demanded the release from prison or amnesty from prosecution for seven "symbolic" opposition figures.

All sides agreed to the "immediate" release from prison or return from exile of four of the seven, among them Lumbala, who thus became the first to benefit from legal action being abandoned.

On Friday, DR Congo's Roman Catholic church leaders, who mediated last month's deal, voiced concern at the "delay" in freeing political prisoners whose release had been agreed.

The New Year's Eve deal called for the appointments of a new prime minister and a transitional body to pave the way to elections in December 2017 that could bring an end to the rule of President Joseph Kabila.

The agreement was reached after months of violence and could set the stage for the first peaceful transfer of power in the DR Congo since its independence in 1960.
Kinshasa (AFP) - Gunfire erupted in major DR Congo cities and the UN voiced alarm over a wave of arrests, as protesters demanded President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired Tuesday.

With fears of violence high in the vast and unstable nation, shots rang out in the capital Kinshasa, there was sustained gunfire in the country's second city of Lubumbashi, and the thud of heavy weapons in central Kananga.

Plumes of smoke from burning barricades hung over Kinshasa after overnight protests, and activity ground to a halt as troop carriers patrolled the largely empty streets of the megacity of 10 million.

Tension has been mounting for months in Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the December 20 deadline for Kabila's second and final term in office to end.

Chronology of political events in DR Congo since January 2015

With no election planned and no sign of the president stepping down, veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi finally issued a plea to the country's 70 million people to reject the Kabila administration.

The international community has warned of spiralling violence and France urged the government to "respect human rights" as the UN voiced alarm over the arrests of 113 opposition leaders and civil society activists in four days.

"I am gravely concerned by the arrests of those who seek to express their political views," said Maman Sambo Sidikou, who heads the large UN mission in Congo.

An AFP correspondent said the streets of Lubumbashi's Matuba neighbourhood were strewn with rocks and burnt tyres early Tuesday amid a heavy police presence.

People gather to protest in Yolo on December 20, 2016

Local authorities said "police were forced to fire into the air to disperse civilians" because some protesters were armed. It was impossible to immediately verify that claim.

In Kananga in central DR Congo, residents reported the sound of light and heavy arms near the airport. A priest said there were scenes of panic as residents fled the area.

'Teargas and gunfire'

Several people are thought to have been killed in the unrest in various regions, but this has yet to be confirmed.

National police spokesman Pierre-Rombaut Mwanamputu told AFP he was unable to give an immediate toll after the violence.

Protesters gather in Yolo on December 20, 2016

"Fortunately, we are not back to the slaughter of September," he said, referring to bloodshed in September when at least 53 anti-Kabila protesters died in two days, according to the UN.

The 45-year-old leader, who has ruled since 2001, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term but under a controversial recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

As the clock ticked on Tuesday's end-of-mandate deadline, crowds had gathered before midnight Monday to blow whistles and beat on improvised drums, calling on Kabila to quit.

"There was teargas and gunfire," said Andre, a resident of Kinshasa's Matete neighbourhood, adding that security forces "threatened the population."

Supporters of DR Congo President Joseph Kabila parade his photograph in Kinshasa in November 2006

And in what opponents dubbed "a provocation", state TV overnight announced a new government.

Headed by Samy Banibanga, it is part of an October deal between the ruling party and tiny fringe opposition groups that enables Kabila to remain in office pending elections in April 2018.

But the main opposition bloc rejects this plan.

'Caving in to pressure'

In a YouTube video released during the night, opposition leader Tshisekedi launched "a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to no longer recognise the authority of Mr. Joseph Kabila, to the international community to no longer deal with Joseph Kabila in the name of the Democratic Republic of Congo".

A blockade on the street leading to the home of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi in Kinshasa on December 19, 2016

Valentin Mubake, a close aide to Tshisekedi, confirmed to AFP that the video was authentic.

The message was not available in the DR Congo where authorities since Sunday have imposed controls on pictures and video on social media networks.

Tshisekedi said he hoped to continue talks launched by the Catholic Church last week to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. The talks were halted Saturday with no significant progress but were to resume on Wednesday.

The opposition wants elections next year and a pledge Kabila will not stand.

DR Congo's 70 million people have never witnessed a democratic transfer of power following polls since independence from Belgium in 1960.

The president has been in office since his father Laurent Kabila's assassination in 2001. He was elected in 2006, and again in 2011.

Some two decades ago, Congo collapsed into the deadliest conflict in modern African history, its two wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s dragging in at least six African armies and leaving more than three million dead.
United Nations experts* are calling on the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to lift political restrictions which they say are curbing peoples rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

These restrictions, which include a de facto ban on all public political rallies and meetings in the countrys main cities, were introduced over the past year and were reiterated with an announcement issued on 1 December banning organizations not registered.

These measures have most recently affected the citizens movements LUCHA and Filimbi, both young citizen movements aiming at promoting political participation, which recently launched a public awareness campaign calling for respect for the Constitution, said the UN experts.

These measures are in violation of international human rights conventions to which the government in Kinshasa is a signatory, and breaches the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, they stressed.

The DRC has recently known a wave of protests from demonstrators concerned that President Joseph Kabila will refuse to step down from office today - 19 December - when his second and final term under the current constitutional arrangements is due to end. Elections to replace him have been delayed until 2018.

The Special Rapporteurs highlighted that, on 1 December, five LUCHA members and one journalist were arrested in Ituri province while they were preparing a press conference to launch the campaign. The journalist was later released, but the other five people are still in detention facing jail for alleged incitement of misconduct toward the authorities.

The targeted repression of dissenting voices of civil society and human rights defenders is contrary to democratic principles, the experts noted. If civil society is not allowed to exercise the rights of freedom of expression, freedom of association and peaceful assembly, protesters will inevitably resort to violence, for which only the authorities are to be blamed.

The UN experts said they deplore the double standards applied by the authorities in Kinshasa, allowing pro-government youths to conduct public activities while repressing dissenting voices.

We urge the authorities to immediately cease the targeted repression against civil society and to uphold the human rights commitments ratified by the DRC, they added. It is the responsibility of the authorities to guarantee conditions so that fundamental rights and freedoms can be exercised peacefully rather than to repress them.

To reports that the government has ordered Internet service providers to block access to social media websites ahead of expected protests against President Kabila, the experts stressed that a measure of this broad scale suppresses the right of the people of DRC to access information and to communicate. This right is particularly essential during times of public debate and democratic choice.

UN Special Rapporteurs have previously raised concerns that the DRC government was silencing its critics in clear violation of human rights law, and have called for the restoration of all political freedoms to the people.

(*) The experts: Mr. Maina Kiai, Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Mr. David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and Mr. Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
Benin is a country on the rise led by a newly appointed President, H.E. Patrice Talon. Last week, the President launched a five-year program that is aligned to Benins Vision 2030 that places Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) at the core. The program sets out a strategy to attract US$15 billion of investments and to stimulate growth from the bottom up by 2021.

In a show of support, the CEO of the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) (www.ATI-ACA.org), George Otieno, met with the President ahead of the Governments five-year action plan to discuss concrete ways that ATI could help Benin achieve its ambitions, which involves exploiting an estimated US$760 million worth of investments in ATIs current project pipeline. These include renewable energy, manufacturing, agribusiness, investments that will help finance small and-medium sized (SMEs) companies, and supporting the governments proposed bond issue.

We came to Benin to lend our support. The relationships ATI has with its government stakeholders is by far our most valuable asset. Listening to our countries is an important part of building a partnership based on trust. As a result, we walked away from the meeting with the President confident that we had a way forward in working together to help build the country, notes George Otieno, the CEO of ATI.

Spurred by indicators that show 40% of the population living below the poverty line and Benin ranked 166th out of 177 in the human development index, the President is focused on crowding in the private sector to create beneficial PPPs. To attract investors, he is also focused on creating an open and transparent system of governance.

In a statement made shortly after his nomination, the President noted that it was a matter of urgency that they tackle political reforms, restructuring of the national economy and strengthening the social fibre in order to restore public confidence and the countrys credibility.

As an African institution, ATI understands the challenging environment in which many of our governments work. This is where we can add the most value because we understand the risks involved and how to mitigate them. Benin is no different. Were here to help by providing comfort to investors, added Mr. Otieno.

During ATIs four day stay in Benin, the company met with the highest ranked ministers and also hosted a workshop for government agencies to explain the benefits of their products. These include providing guarantees to suppliers and contractors of government tenders. With guarantees in place, Benin can attract the best possible goods and services that will greatly help its development efforts. ATI is also able to help the government lower their debt levels by offering guarantees to investors in place of costly and unavailable government guarantees.

In 2013, Benin became the first West African country to join ATI, a pan-African institution that provides political, investment and commercial risk insurance products. Cote dIvoire is expected to finalise their membership in early 2017. ATIs next membership focus is the other large West African economies of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.
By Florence Afriyie Mensah, GNA

Kumasi, Dec 19, GNA - People, given the opportunity to serve in the Akufo-Addo led-government, have been asked to do everything to uphold the values of humility and modesty.

Mr. William Kwame Fordjour, a local governance expert, said they must also be accountable and eschew any traits of arrogance.

Making the call through the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, he said the mistakes of the out-going political administration must never be repeated.

It was important to recognize that Ghanaians would not forgive anybody who disrespected and took them for granted.

Mr. Fordjour urged them to focus on the job of making things better for the people.

He noted that the task ahead of them was enormous but said with integrity, hard work and passion for success every difficulty could be surmounted.

He called on the President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo to act boldly to make corruption unattractive, saying, all corrupt public officials should be punished.

That, he indicated, was the way to go to make sure that the nation's resources were protected and properly applied to transform the living conditions of the people.

Mr. Fordjour appealed to everybody to conduct themselves well to prevent needless post-election violence.

GNA
By Samuel Akapule, GNA

Tongo (U/E), Dec. 19, GNA - One hundred and sixty community volunteers selected from the Bolgatanga Municipality and the Talensi District have received a day's training on Behaviour Change Communication on some health related concerns.

They were tasked to promote exclusive breastfeeding, educate their communities against open defecation and the proper use of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets.

The participants were urged to educate their communities on how to end early and forced marriages, emergency healthcare strategies and ways to promote social cohesion in their communities.

The Integrated Youth Needs and Welfare (INTYON) in collaboration with the two district assemblies, the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Education Service as well as the Department for Children are implementing the one year Bahaviour Change Communication (BCC) project with support from UNICEF.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Issah Ibrahim, the Executive Director of INTYON, said the decision to execute the project was informed by a baseline survey carried out in the two beneficiary districts.

'The main issues identified in the baseline survey include the fact that most of the community members are reluctant to practice exclusive breastfeeding, sleep under Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets and also practice some negative acts such as open defecation, early and forced marriages among others', he said.

He urged all stakeholders to play active roles in the implementation of the project and expressed optimism that many concerns would be resolved to help improve upon the health status of the beneficiary communities.

Mr Hillary Adongo, the Project Coordinator in charge of BCC, said the project would occasionally embark upon monitoring and evaluation visits to find out the activities of the 160 Model Mothers and the volunteers who have been trained in communities within the two districts.

He said one of the major aims of the project is to help contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and impressed upon the trained Model Mothers and the volunteers to ensure that pregnant women access efficient delivery services at health facilities.

'As Model Mothers and volunteers, you are also expected to work with your traditional councils and the district assemblies to put in place good interventions that will help end open defecation and early and forced marriages'.

Mrs Georgina Aberese-ako, Regional Director of the Department of Children, who expressed worry about parental neglect and negative cultural practices such as early marriages, called on the stakeholders including parents, community members and teachers to help address the menace.

GNA
Akim Swedru (E/R), Dec. 19, GNA - The Akim Swedru St Andrews Catholic Church has held its maiden Founders' Day with the call on the congregation to play their expected roles in the development of the church.

The Day, to be celebrated on December 17, was instituted to commemorate the activities of the pioneers of the church and awards would be given to church members who excelled in their various roles.

Reverend Father Christopher Deh, the Parish Priest of the Church, who made the call, said the founders of the church at Akim Swedru did not rest on their oars and ensured that it gained root in the town for the gospel to spread.

He urged members of the church to emulate the effort of their predecessors and contribute their quota by promoting the word of God and winning more souls for Christ.

Madam Juliet Faustina Mensah, a member of the Women Fellowship, said the church was established in 1951 with 17 members but now has a population of 1,250 and this is besides the primary and junior high school.

As part of the celebrations, Monsignor Francis Twum Barima, the Vicar-General of the Koforidua Catholic Diocese, presented citation of merit to 30 members for their various services.

Wreaths were also laid for past members including the late Kobby Yebo-Okrah, the former church president.

GNA
By D.I. Laary, GNA

Accra, Dec. 19, GNA - SWEB Foundation has organised a Christmas party to inspire hope in children with disabilities and assure their parents of brighter future as part of the pro-disability organisation activities leading to the yuletide.

'Children with disability have not been cursed, they are not from any deity or water spirit, so don't poison them or don't give them 'names,' Mrs Gloria Asamoah, Fundraiser Advisor to SWEB told parents at the party in Accra.

She said children suffering from some form of deformities have unique talents and if given proper care and the right education, they could contribute tremendously to the national economy.

'These children with disabilities have a bright future, they have not been cursed, parents should not see them as burdens,' she added.

Mr Kwasi Darkwa, Finance and Administration Director of SWEB Foundation expressed regret that parents who give birth to children with some defective conditions would fail to seek early therapeutic care and counselling but abandon or dump them to die.

'I urge you parents to support them to realise their full potential now, because of medical advancement, we can support them to do a lot of things, if they get education and the right training,' he said.

Mr Darkwa explained the importance of the Christmas party as an effort launched by the foundation last year to promote inclusion for children with disabilities.

'We don't want to leave our children with disabilities and their siblings when it comes to big festivities like Christmas, so we want to make it an annual affair if we get support from individuals and corporate organisations.'

He appealed to corporate bodies and benevolent individuals to support the cause of the foundation to reach out to many children with disabilities who are facing social and economic barriers that undermine their freedom to live and enjoy a normal live.

He described Christmas as an occasion of happiness and enjoyment, especially for children but unfortunately those suffering from any form of disabilities are usually left out.

'We therefore want to put smiles on the faces of our children, allow them to have fun, share fellowship with other children, parents, siblings, our partners and supporters.'

The Netherlands based organisation, Lilliane Foundation, Church of Pentecost Children's Ministry, Step Publishers, Bragtag Childcare Foundation, Bishop Kwasi Tetteh Victoria Bolelo Energy Drink and Unity Oil were among the numerous organisations and individuals that provided support to the children.

Some of the children displayed their prowess in singing and dancing which sparked thunderous claps from parents, guardians and other guests to prove that disability is indeed inability.

GNA
By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra, Dec. 19, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court has fixed January 12, to give Judgment in the case of Augustine Badu, a 27 year old care taker accused of inserting his penis into the mouth of a three year old girl at East Legon.

Badu led by his lawyer, Mr Joseph Turkson had given his Evidence-in-Chief and was cross-examined by the prosecuting detective, Inspector Kofi Atimbire.

Badu charged with indecent assault has pleaded not guilty.

The victim is said to have vomited as result of the act but Badu cleaned the vomit and warned the victim not to inform her mother.

Prosecuting, Detective Inspector Kofi Atimbire said the complainant resides at East Legon with her family and the victim is her daughter.

Accused person, prosecution said, was employed by an agency about four months ago to work with the complainant.

Detective Inspector Atimbire said Badu's daily routine work started at the complainants' residence at 0800 hours and closed at 1700 hours.

He said on September 24, Badu reported to work and met the complainant and the victim in the house.

At about 1530 hours, some people visited the complainant. While she was busy attending to the visitors the victim was left in the living room watching television.

Prosecution said Badu sneaked into the living room and lured the victim into a corner in the living room and inserted his penis deep into the mouth of the victim.

Due to that, the prosecutor said the victim vomited and Badu cleaned it up and warned her not tell anyone.

The following day, the victim informed her mother who also made a report to the Police.

The Police issued a medical form to the complainant to send the victim to the hospital and Badu was picked by the Police.

GNA
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Welspun Enterprises Ltd today said its Board of Directors will meet later this week to consider buyback of equity shares.

"A meeting of the Board of Directors of the company is scheduled to be held on December 22, 2016, inter alia, to consider the option to buyback the equity shares of the company," Welspun Enterprises Ltd said in a BSE filing.

advertisement

Shares of Welspun Enterprises were trading 8.82 per cent higher at Rs 64.80 on BSE. PTI SVK JM

--- ENDS ---
By Samuel Akapule, GNA

Nabio (UE), Dec 19, GNA - Accra Brewery Limited (ABL), has provided mechanized borehole with irrigation facility to three communities in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region valued at about GH100,000.

The facility, which is a multi-purpose facility, would assist farmers in the communities to undertake farming particularly during the dry season periods in addition to providing portable drinking water to the Nabio, Gia and Batiu communities.

Mr Jerry Yao Gokah, the Brands Manager of the Company, at the handing over ceremony at the Nabio Community on Friday, stated that the project was part of the Company's corporate social responsibility to those communities.

He explained that apart from the value the Company attached to its customers, the Lager Beer which was one of the Company's products uses its raw materials from cassava tubers produced by farmers hence the need to give back to society.

He indicated that so far the ABL had provided four of such facilities in some selected regions in the country and mentioned the regions as the Volta, Northern, Western and Upper East Regions.

'The Upper East Region is blessed to have such facilities. Last year we commissioned a similar project in a community near the Bolgatanga Municipality. ABL will continue to deliver on its Corporate Social Responsibility and we are therefore entreating all the Ghanaian public to patronize the products of the Company to enable it perform its Corporate Social Responsibility', Mr Gokah stressed.

The outgoing District Chief Executive for the area, Mr George Nontreh, who commissioned the project, lauded the ABL for complementing the efforts of Government by providing such intervention and indicated that it would help curb rural urban migration as well as help reduce the problem of water in the communities.

Mr Nontreh who entreated the chiefs and elders in the communities to guide the project jealously, called on them to put in place a management committee to ensure the sustenance of the project to help alleviate poverty.

The Chief of Nabio Community, John Baptist, who expressed happiness about the project, pledged to work towards maintaining the facilities and appealed to other companies to follow the footsteps of the ABL.

'We are very grateful to the ABL .The provision of this facility will help us a lot particularly our women folks who have to travel far distances in search of water and also help our youth with employment,' the chief indicated.

GNA
Accra, Dec. 19, GNA - The Ghana Association of Restructuring and Insolvency Advisors (GARIA) says it will continue its advocacy to have a new insolvency bill passed into law when the seventh Parliament is inaugurated in January 2017.

Speaking at an end of year dinner for stakeholders, Mr Felix Addo, the President of GARIA, said the passage of the bill into law to protect businesses in distress from collapse would be a key priority for 2017.

The bill, which was before Cabinet could not get to the current Parliament for passage into law.

'We have to start the process all over again. However, we are encouraged that some old members of Parliament who were part of the process are still there and we are hopeful that our bill will see the light,' he said.

Mr Addo explained that the absence of provisions to give respite to companies in distress positions to restructure and be able to turnaround their businesses without folding up was key to growth.

Currently, the only option for businesses in debt is to fold-up.

'The current practice where businesses are compelled to shut down over huge debts is not good enough as some of those companies could be restructured and revived as is the case in other jurisdictions,' he added.

Under the current law, which is more than 53 years old, when a company is unable to meets its business needs/debts, its creditors may, after a 31-day period, commence liquidation, a situation the GARIA President described as not business-friendly.

Mr Addo said because most companies were micro, small and medium enterprises, there must be systems or institutional arrangements for those companies when they fall into distress.

'It is therefore important for Ghana to have a good regime so that in addition to all our democratic dividend, goodwill and political dividends, we will be able to attract FDIs to the country,' he said.

On the companies' code, Mr Addo said the Association would ensure that it was amended to reflect modern trends and challenges facing businesses.

GARIA would also embark on stakeholder education, workshop and seminars to keep members abreast of development.

GNA
By Kwabia Owusu-Mensah GNA

Kumasi, Dec 19, GNA - The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged the government to make cancer prevention and control an urgent national priority.

Dr. Jean Marie Dangou, Advisor, Cancer and Chronic Diseases at the Organization's Africa Regional Office, said there should not only be adequate funding and logistics support but appropriate legislative framework to facilitate cancer registration at the national and regional levels.

He was opening of the fifth annual general meeting of the African Cancer Registry Network (ACRN) in Kumasi.

It has brought together representatives from about 30 African countries to review its activities and plan for the years ahead.

Dr. Dangou said although cancer prevention and control was part of the national non-communicable disease control strategy, interventions had been slow, compared to the other African countries.

He identified the lack of funding, inadequate staff and office space, and incompetent records, as some of the challenges facing cancer registries across the continent.

He indicated that cancers were becoming not only a huge health burden, but also affecting socio-economic gains of many of the countries.

There was therefore, the need for African governments to take appropriate action to reduce cancer cases and the associated fatalities, he added.

He spoke of the readiness of the world body to provide the needed technical support, and said, the time to take action was now.

Professor Donald Maxwell Parkin, Coordinator of the ACRN, said it was important to improve data and knowledge on cancers to help fashion out appropriate strategies to tackle it.

He said the Network had been serving as a platform for the individual countries to share ideas and unite their efforts to hold back the spread of the disease.

Dr. Joseph Akpaloo, who represented the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, said projected increases in non-communicable diseases, including cancers, should be a source of worry to everybody.

He identified good quality data as vital for providing evidence for policy and practice and applauded the Network for spearheading the production of data for cancer management on the continent.

He applauded the Kumasi cancer registry for its pioneering role - setting up the first population-based registry in Ghana with little support.

Dr. Barffour Awuah, Coordinator of the Kumasi registry, underlined the need for Africa to pool resources to fight cancers, threatening the socio-economic gains of the continent.

He said the registry had been established to provide data and research to support policy formulation and implementation in the country.

Nana Adu Mensah Asare, Presiding Member (PM) of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), pledged to collaborate with the registry to take initiatives that would help reduce cancers in Ghana.

GNA
By Kwabia Owusu-Mensah GNA

Atimatim, (Ash), Dec 19, GNA - The Reverend Robert Boamah, Assistant Pastor of the Atimatim Assemblies of God Church in the Afigya-Kwabre District, has urged Ghanaians and the members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in particular, not to forget God in their election victory celebration.

He said the peaceful and successful conduct of the polls was the act of God and He should be given all the praise.

He was preaching the sermon at a thanksgiving service organized by the Afigya-Kwabre South constituency of the NPP and said God was at the centre of the election.

He advised the in-coming government to avoid repeating past mistakes, adding that, they should realize that, God would always be on the side of the people and would speak at an appropriate time.

The Rev Boamah commended Ghanaians for conducting themselves peacefully during the election.

He spoke of the need for all to show mutual respect and stand solidly behind the Akufo-Addo-led government.

Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, the Constituency Chairman, said all should come together, to push the nation's development agenda forward.

He noted that the government would need the concerted effort of all to implement the development vision and bring Ghana back to the path of real progress.

He urged his party's supporters to continue to pray to God's for his guidance of the political leadership to run an efficient and transparent administration.

GNA
19.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec. 19, GNA - Mr Boniface Abubakar Saddique, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament-elect for Madina Constituency, has outlined his vision to help bring development to the Constituency.

He said his major preoccupation is to unite all factions within the Constituency to ensure the rapid development of the society.

Mr Saddique said this as part of his 'Thank You' tour which took him to the E.P. Church and the Apostolic Church, Ghana at Madina on Sunday.

He said for every nation to develop there is the need for the people to champion the cause of unity and cohesion and that without unity it would be difficult to bring development.

The Member of Parliament-elect said he would establish an Educational Trust Fund to support deprived and the marginalized parents who find it difficult to provide education for their wards.

He said the NPP government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would also rehabilitate the deplorable roads in the area which had been neglected over the years by the NDC regime, to give relief to the residents.

Mr Saddique said he would not disappoint the people in the Constituency adding that his doors are always open to all to share their concerns and to discuss issues relating to development in the area.

Pastor Patrick Kojo Agbevem, Madina District Pastor of the Apostolic Church, Ghana congratulated Mr Saddique for being elected as the new Member of Parliament of the area.

He prayed for God's blessing for Mr Saddique and urged him to help rehabilitate the deplorable roads in the area.

GNA
By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra, Dec. 19, GNA - Philip Kiipo, 18 year student accused of defiling a 10 year old girl at Madina, appeared before an Accra Circuit Court on Monday, charged with defilement, but he has denied the offence.

The court presided over by Mrs Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku, however, remanded him into Police custody to reappear on January 3.

Prosecuting Inspector Judith Asante said the complainant is a trader residing at Madina Social Welfare with her 10 year old daughter.

She said the accused person who is a Junior High School Student also lives with her elder brother on the same compound with the complainant and the victim.

Inspector Asante said somewhere in September 2013, the accused person's brother was transferred to Kumasi and left the accused person in the care of the complainant and her husband.

She said on September 30, this year at about 1950 hrs the complainant went out with her husband and accused took advantage of their absence and lured the victim to his room and had sex with her.

When the victim's parent returned, they could not find the victim and upon enquires the accused said he (Philip) had sent the victim to a Pharmacy in the neighbourhood to buy him (Philip) some medicine.

The victim's mother followed up to the Pharmacy but could not trace the victim and on her return from the Pharmacy, the accused person's door was forced open and the victim was found sitting in the room.

The victim then narrated her ordeal to her mother and a complaint was lodged against the accused at the Domestic Violence Unit where a medical form was issued to the victim to seek medical care.

The accused was later picked up by the Police.

GNA
An unemployed resident at Fiapre, in the Sunyani West District, has sued the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General and two others for wrongful detention.

Awudu Ali is seeking an order from a Sunyani High Court to compel the defendants to compensate him in the sum of GH1 million for violation of his fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the 1992 constitution.

The other defendants include the Brong-Ahafo Regional Commander of the Ghana Prison Service and Corporal Adams Mamudu, a prosecutor at the Regional Police CID office in Sunyani.

An affidavit filed by Foster Akwasi Asante, counsel for the plaintiff and made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) noted that the plaintiffs personal liberty was unjustifiably and unlawfully curtailed by the defendants from March to July 2016.

It explained that on January 15, 2015, Ali was arraigned together with two others before the Fiapre Circuit Court on charges of abetment of crime.

The court presided over by Mr Yaw Owoahene Acheampong, remanded the plaintiff into lawful custody and adjourned the case to 29 January after he (Ali) had pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing.

It said when the case was heard on March 3, last year the plaintiff was admitted to bail in the sum of GH3,000 with a surety, adding that after several adjournments Mrs Ananda Aikins, (sitting as additional circuit court judge at the court) struck out the case for want of prosecution and discharged the plaintiff on March 1, 2016.

Notwithstanding the fact that I had on the day of March 1, 2016, been lawfully discharged, the defendants continuously and unlawfully kept me at the central prisons on an expired warrant, the affidavit added.

It said the plaintiff somewhere March 14, 2016, fell ill and as his health condition kept on deteriorating at the central prisons the prosecutor sent him to the hospital.

The prosecutor later took the plaintiff to the Regional Police command where his discharged was confirmed.

He said when he approached the prosecutor on his unlawful detention, the prosecutor apologised, gave him his telephone number and GH10 to use as a 'lorry fare' to his home.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged the government to make cancer prevention and control an urgent national priority.

Dr. Jean Marie Dangou, Advisor, Cancer and Chronic Diseases at the Organization's Africa Regional Office, said there should not only be adequate funding and logistics support but the appropriate legislative framework to facilitate cancer registration at the national and regional levels.

He was opening of the fifth annual general meeting of the African Cancer Registry Network (ACRN) in Kumasi.

The meeting brought together representatives from about 30 African countries to review its activities and plan for the years ahead.

Dr. Dangou said although cancer prevention and control was part of the national non-communicable disease control strategy, interventions had been slow, compared to the other African countries.

He identified the lack of funding, inadequate staff and office space, and incompetent records, as some of the challenges facing cancer registries across the continent.

He indicated that cancers were becoming not only a huge health burden but also affected socio-economic gains.

There is, therefore, the need for African governments to take appropriate action to reduce cancer cases and the associated fatalities, he added.

He spoke of the readiness of the world body to provide the needed technical support, and said, the time to take action was now.


Africas huge power-generating potential is the subject of a special series of reports airing on CNN International this week in a new sponsorship by Dangote Group as the conglomerate continues its multi-year partnership with the network.

The Africas Energy Surge reports air daily in flagship CNN International shows The CNNMoney View Nina Dos Santos and The World Right Now with Hala Gorani, and culminate in a special 30-minute show airing from Saturday 17 December. The reports and special show, which look at how Africa will meet the UN goal of universal electricity by 2030, are aligned with Dangote billboards and branding.

Utilising CNN Audience Insight Measurement (AIM), the digital sponsored content is targeted to reach business decision-makers, business travellers, investors, opinion leaders and c-suites  ensuring that Dangotes message about the Group providing basic needs across Africa reaches relevant audiences at scale across multiple platforms.

This high impact campaign is part of Dangote Group continuing its multi-year partnership with CNN including sponsorship of the high-profile Facetime interview segment in the networks flagship Africa business show CNN Marketplace Africa. In addition, a new brand building TV commercial produced by CNN International Commercials branded content studio Create will air on CNN International and US networks, and native content about the Dangote Foundation will be published on CNN Digital.

Dangote Group embodies the spirit of Africa Rising in its commercial excellence and innovation across the continent, said Rani Raad, President, CNN International Commercial. We are delighted to continue our long-term partnership by aligning the Dangote brand with world-leading content from CNN amongst our audiences at scale. The issue of energy and power generation across Africa is one of great importance, and Dangote is the ideal commercial partner to be associated with this mission.

Africa is, undeniably, one of the worlds fastest growing regions in the last decade, said Aliko Dangote, Chairman and CEO of Dangote Group. Improved political climate and bold economic reforms are driving Africas growth surge. But there are also challenges. Lack of access to electricity is one of them. Electricity is key to the continents economic growth and development. It is estimated that more than two-thirds of over 1billion people living in Africa, do not have access to electricity. In Nigeria, the Dangote Group is investing billions of dollars in gas projects that can produce enough gas to generate 12,000 MW of power. This will go a long way in bridging the massive electricity deficit in the country. Beyond Nigeria, the Group is also spearheading efforts to increase access to electricity through investments in energy projects across Africa.

Speaking on the The African Energy Leaders Group (AELG), Dangote noted that It is an advocacy group, which I co-founded, and is strongly committed to this cause. We are working closely with lawmakers in the United States, to ensure success of laudable initiatives such as the Electrify Africa Act and the Power Africa initiative, which are designed to double electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa, and ultimately place the continent in a position to meet the United Nations goal of having Universal Electricity access by 2030.
The First Lady Mrs. Lordina Mahama continues to put smiles on faces of children especially the underprivileged in society. She believes that every child must have equal opportunities to live a normal life just as any other children.

Recognizing the importance of accommodation for the inmates of the Osu Childrens Home, the first lady through her foundation the Lordina Foundation has facilitated the construction of an accommodation for toddlers of Osu Childrens Home in Accra.

Commissioning the building in Accra, the First Lady noted that it is no fault of the children to find themselves in orphanages hence society must not neglect them. She believes that the children must feel comfortable in a place they call home.

It was all joy at the Osu Childrens Home when the First Lady arrived. Management and children of the home could not hide their joy upon seeing the First Lady. One could see the happiness written all over their faces probably they knew they were going to receive gifts from the First Lady. The First lady upon arrival shared candies to children and interacted with them as they sang Christmas songs and danced.

Mrs. Lordina Mahama presented assorted items to the home to support them in their Christmas celebration. Items presented to the home included bags of rice, gallons of oil, assorted biscuits, sweets, soft drinks, tomato paste, tuna flakes, boxes of spaghetti and bales of clothes.

The First Lady made similar donation to the Christ Foster Home in Fafraha. These donations add up to seven orphanages, which have benefited from the First Lady during this Christmas festive season.

The other beneficiary homes were Let Kids Smile in Nkoransa, Bethesda Childrens Home, Frank May Orphanage both in Techiman, Tamale Childrens Home and Anfani Home.

The First Lady has for the past years made donations to selected orphanages across the country. These donations are aimed at supporting these rather unfortunate children who finds themselves in orphanages.

The Manageress of the Home Mrs Chritiana Addo expressed gratitude to the First Lady for her continues support. She stated that with the support from the First Lady, the children at the home are going to have enough to eat and drink during this festive season.

National Director of Social Welfare Benjamin Otoo was very passionate about getting people to foster children. This he noted is a major challenge faced by the home. According to him more emphasis must be placed on child fostering and family base care. This he noted will surely reduce the work load on the various homes across the country.

Other Challenges faced by the home include lack of buses to convey inmates of the home to places and funding for medication. He was however thankful for the accommodation facilitated by the First Lady saying that part of it will be used for nursery since the old block used is too small and obsolete.

The First Lady made another visit to the Christ Faith Foster Home where she donated food items, gallons of cooking oil, and bags of rice; biscuits, assorted drinks, detergents and confectionary. She danced with the children as they sang Christmas songs.

Director of the home, Kofi Adu- Boahene was full of praise for the First Lady saying she has always supported the home, especially during festive seasons.

Victor Baah an inmate of the home expressed appreciation to the First Lady for her love and support. I have been in this home for the past six years and the First Lady always come here to give us gifts he said. Victor prayed for the blessings of the Lord for the First Lady.

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, accompanied the First Lady.

Mrs Lordina Mahama Sharing Candies

The First Lady Cutting The Tape Of The Commissioning Of The Accommodation For The Toddlers In Osu
Members of the minority community had allegedly attacked the local residents, who had opposed a religious procession in the area on December 12 on the occasion of birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad.

Many people got injured during the clashes and even after a week, the tension continues in the area. Vehicles were damaged and many people have been rendered homeless.

"We have nothing left. Our home has been destroyed and there is nothing left to feed our child even. We are starving. There were cylinders blasts, houses were burning. Now, we have no other option but to stay at relatives house. Police did nothing," said a victim.

Despite the police claiming that the situation is in control, the people are saying it is far from it. People are still scared and worried about the situation.

"My home has been destroyed, my son has to appear in his board exams but even his books have been burnt. We have no place to live. Right now, our situation has become such that we are living in our relatives house. There were two vans from which 7-8 people came. They put a sword on my child's neck and took all my ancestral jewellery," said one of the woman, afraid to be named.

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury tried to visit the area along with other Congress leaders but was stopped midway when police cited imposition of prohibitory orders in the area.

Chowdhury said, "It is sad that this incident took place. Tension that has developed in this area is making difficult for the people to live peacefully. They are not able to go to their homes. The situation has become worse. In West Bengal, only politics is happening. Everyone knows who do police listen to. We will not tolerate this type of incidents taking place. Bengal is famous for Hindu and Muslims having lived together always. My request to the government is to look into this matter carefully. Police have stopped me, what can I do."

On Tuesday again, when BJP MLA Manoj Tigga came to visit the affected people, he was also stopped by the police.

Tigga speaking about the incident said, "The incident is shameful for entire West Bengal. After Trinamool came to power, the way incidents are taking place is very dangerous for future. We want the culprits to be punished and the losses be compensated. They should be provided with further security. People were beaten up with rods. People were forcefully made to leave their houses."
During a recent visit to Brussels, Belgium, the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, has discussed how to reinforce the collaboration of the Organization with the European Union (EU).

Rifai met the EU Commissioners for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Tibor Navracsics; for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella; and for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica. Issues such as the links between culture and tourism, the EU Blue Growth Agenda, namely in the areas of oceans and biodiversity, the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and the Sustainable Tourism Goals (SDGs) were in the agenda.

During the visit, Rifai also met the Deputy-Prime Minister of Belgium, Kris Peeters, and, Ben Weyets the Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, the Vlaamse Randa, Tourism and Animal Welfare. Under the auspices of Minister Weyets, UNWTO signed an agreement with the Flanders Department of Foreign Affairs to jointly develop a set of guidelines for tourism on war-related historical sites.

UNWTO welcomes EU-China Year of Tourism

Rifai has also welcomed the EU-China Year of Tourism during his recent participation at the 1st anniversary of the Europe China OBOR Culture & Tourism Development Committee of the Europe-China One Belt One Road initiative.

The event held in Brussels, Belgium, stressed the relevance of tourism and culture in strengthening the links between the European Union and China.

The Committee works to ensure that the tourism sector within the European Union responds with a unified voice to the immense potential of the Chinese tourism market and the One Belt One Road initiative, one of the largest ever investment plans. The support of UNWTO to the Committee and to the EU-China Year of Tourism in 2018 is of critical value said Istvan Ujhelyi, President of the Committee.

On the occasion of his visit to Brussels, Rifai also signed an agreement with the Network of European Regions for Competitive and Sustainable Tourism (NECsTouR) to work on several issues including the promotion of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017.

Bearing in mind UNWTO and NECSTouR common priorities and considering the fruitful cooperation between our organizations, including NECSTouR intention to join UNWTO as an Affiliate Member, this agreement is a natural step. We trust it will generate many valuable opportunities said the President of NECSTouR, Octavi Bono.
20.12.2016 LISTEN

If you want to hang a dog, you give it a bad name. We have a way of rubbishing our heroes in Africa. Some of you may be too young to remember why Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown or why Patrice Lumumba was humiliated to death. If Mandela was not blessed with long life, he could have gone the way most of his comrades did in South Africa. In Nigeria, looters have a way of soiling good people either with big sticks or carrots. Nuhu Ribadu got both into oblivion.

If you do not understand why looters were after the life of Nuhu Ribadu as the head of EFCC, Economic and Financial Crime Commission then, you cannot hide your hypocrisy any longer. After Ribadu was haunted, chased, demoted and almost assassinated; Tinubu rubbished him as a Presidential candidate. We wondered out loud about the sins he had committed other than being dedicated to his job. In Nigeria, like most other African countries, dedication is a sin!

Since this man left EFCC, we have not had a credible and dedicated enemy of corruption as vigorous, dynamic and incorrigible as Ribadu. The worst critics he had claimed he was an attack dog set against Obasanjos enemies. He challenged them to name any head of state that has ever given so much power to anti-corruption Czar to go after his friends, his ethnic group or hired international auditor to probe his governments agency.

We do not know the details of the current allegations against the present Head of EFCC Magu but we had the same types of allegation against every head of EFCC after Ribadu. Some of us might have wondered if Ribadu was crazy in a country where most normal people are corrupt. So much so, they will confess that they are waiting for their time to loot like others. Nigeria had many honest people like Prof. Fabian Osuji and Dr. Adenike Grange humiliated for their naivety.

The same Nigerians taught Obasanjo how to steal. Yes you read that right. This man was a Head of State under the military that almost went bankrupt after he left with little money in banks. If he was a looter, he could have run out of the Country to enjoy his foreign money before Abacha grabbed him and almost killed him in prison for his big mouth against that dictator. When he finally left prison after Abachas death, guess who sponsored him to run as a civilian President?

These were boys under him when he was the military head of state that had acquired money by looting in the various offices they headed. OBJ was so naive, he wondered how they got so rich while he got so poor! He was so obsessed with what he accomplished as military head of state, he could not see CMS Straight. Yet people hated him and called him all kinds of names.

In his second coming, he promised himself not to be poor and naive again. He probably stole Nigeria blind too. But he did accomplish a great deal better than some before and all after him. This is not the place to list his success and failure but a place to point out that we lump good, mediocre and average accomplishments together out of greed, selfishness, ethnicity and pure hypocrisy. Nigerians find it difficult to agree on sound judgment on reputable leaders.

It is one of the reasons we keep on getting bad leaders that play into our prejudices. It does not matter how corrupt or mediocre a leader is, his ethnic base will support him. They are ready to vote for him again and again, even if he does not deserve or earn our votes. Some African leaders have gone further and grab power after losing elections refusing to concede to the opposition, others die on the throne. They know their ethnic group will back them.

Buhari is now the leader of Nigeria. While those that voted for him even admitted to his weakness, he is strong on anti-corruption and security. In spite of all his effort, some are still lamenting on the loss of power by their kinsmen. Buhari came into power because he has a reputation against corruption and bringing people to justice. The distractors will never admit to his strength or the awareness against corruption since Ribadu or Bihari taming of Boko Haram.

Ribadu is now a spent force, brought down by the same people he fought against and that almost assassinate him. He was brought to his knees, made to retract his vouch indictment of the high and the mighty by dangling death and Presidential Candidate in his face. He lost all the credibility he championed. He became meek and gentle and lost his fangs.

Humiliation of dedicated men and women that are ready to stand up and fight for their country is not the right way to reward those we should encourage to aspire higher. Our youths need heroes to look up to and emulate in high places. If all they see are vagabonds looting treasury to aggrandize one another, buying awards all over the globe, praised by the community and people they spray money on; we are losing generation of good young men and women.

There are people giving up and calling most African countries lost cause. Some of these are the same generation that crippled most countries after being fed with scholarships and grants all their lives. Instead of making their countries better places than they met them, they become selfish, steal everything they can and desert their countries to become second class citizens, mercenaries and educated contributors to places they are not appreciated, only tolerated.

Many have become economic refugees that cannot afford to live a simple decent life in their own countries with the amount of money they can take back home. The older ones that enjoy free medical treatment abroad know how much it costs to get that treatment at home. If you are not filthy rich like those that fly out for medical checkup or headache, you better stay put where you are and enjoy your retirement with medical benefits.

It boils down to the fact that we do not appreciate dedicated people that are willing to give it all to their countries. People used to be so conscientious that they proclaim openly that they are ready and willing to die for their country. More people are willing to die crossing the sea and desert than to die for their country today. We must raise and encourage those struggling wherever they are for the cause of Africa and for economic justice.

Be it Nuru Ribadu, Professor Fabian Osuji or Dr. Adenike Grange, the youths need someone to look up to and be like them. They must be praised and celebrated but not as looters.
To say literature and punditry on the quaky defeat of the John Mahama-led NDC is stale is to say my pastor should stop preaching the word of God.

But faith comes by hearing and hearing, by the word of God, seen?

John Mahama of the Nyame na esi hene, fame was humiliated by Ghanaians. Prior to the elections, I have said elsewhere that whoever loses the Dec 7 elections deserves it. Indeed, President Mahama deserves to lose this election and I am scandalized to hear people say #JMb3ba2020.

Coming up to election 2016, the NDC coined many slogans which were in sharp contrast with the brazen reality that many Ghanaians are faced with.

The NDC was shouting agenda 57% when 57year olds were afraid of retirement because their pension which is not well managed would be taxed; they campaigned for one touch victory when a touch with teenagers libido could produce a future unemployed youth as a result of Tekpers all-purpose economic policytaxes. Taxing libido is inhumane, folks. The NDC was hungry for 1million votes in Ashanti at a time when the simultaneous construction of three markets in Kumasi has displaced ten thousands of families and left probably over one million of Ashanti residents hungry. Hmmm, Fred, they should have prepared a place for the traders before driving them out. Now my mum has lost her customers and sales have been so poor that I struggle with my fees, says one Portia whose mother was hit by the Kejetia Market construction.

In fact, there was a mathematical quandary of difference, which displayed the missing link between the hopes of the party executives and the effects of the Tax-hungry policies of the Finance Minister. And the Ghanaian voter did not fail to vote out the jama politicians.

As for the President, he deserves the bully done him by mainstream media. The media didnt care about any accusations of a conspiracy.

Why should the media, which gave you so many opportunities to clean up the system, be blamed for your insouciance? The medias call to the king about his nakedness was clogged, so the only option left was to take the responsibility to cloth a presidency which has become the butt of jokes and a punching bag for criticisms. The President would have silenced the media and all his critics, if he had fought corruption with seriousness but he failed Ghanaians and eventually failed himself.

No More Social Democracy

The reason why the NDC should lick its wounds alone is that, they have lost touch with the so-called social democratic tenets. A lot of its appointees were in it for the money. There was scramble for contracts among ministers and party executives, from the presidency to the district level. They did not remember candidates who lost at the primaries elections let alone the masses for available contracts. It was purely a crony affair that even in the Volta Region Northners who do not have merit were appointed DCEs to the chagrin of the people. The party has no serious structures in place to recruit competent and selfless persons into positions, leaving the con ones to pay their ways through. Now that voters know how dark the con of man is, the NDC is rejected and its leaders should go and learn lessons.

Living in the past

While the NPP flaunts itself as the party with the men to deliver a buoyant economy to the people of Ghana, the NDC prides itself as the party that delivers votes. It was nauseating to hear members of NDC refer to themselves as Election winning machine and December 7 Champions instead of governance champions. Once businesses, civil society, and the international media believe the NPP are better managers of the economy, the NDC will soon cease to represent the hopes of the youth if it doesnt revise its tenets and its style of governance.

As we speak now the NPP continues to make itself attractive to the youth and middle class, a population that would continue to form the swing and first time voters. It is funny for a governing party to complain about over voting when the opposition party was able to recruit an expert from NASA in order not to blame itself for lack of vigilance.

Was the NDC serious about governing a country when inexperience communicators spoke on behalf of an entire government at a time when men like Ken Ofori-Atta became a footsoldier for the NPP? No. That is why they lost. It is so simple; even if Bawumia told 170 lies, those lies are more believable than 170 truths by the babies with sharp teeth and fat bellies. They had better go recruit people with gravitas. Oh yea!

My checks from the Northern region show that the youth in Tamale see Dr. Bawumia as their intellectual icon. Any wonder the NDC keeps losing votes from the North?

the NDC banks its hopes on votes from the rural areas. Meanwhile, the village votes keep reducing as rural dwellers move to cities to seek greener pastures. As they dream big in the cities, they begin to learn from the middle class about how to be successful. They listen to BBC, Joy FM, Citi FM and Starr FM all of which hold conservative views. Soon they begin to ask questions about the economy. These are the people who call their family members in the village to tell them who to vote for and since they are the bread winners of their families, the NDC will continue to lose votes if it doesnt appeal to those living in city centers like Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale etc.

It is projected that half of the world would live in cities by 2050. In Ghana, the rural urban migration keeps increasing. Simply the world, just like Ghana, is being urbanized. Any serious political party who wants to enjoy power for long would implement policies which affect city dwellers positively. Economic growth, jobs, currency stability, good transport system and freedom and respect for the press are some of the priority issues for city dwellers. For the millennial, no amount of character assassination or tribal exploitation can get you their votes. In fact, many dont care the devil about ethnicity. The NDC failed to notice this and so couldnt direct policies to tap into these demographic dividends.

You see when you hear people talk about ebi di roads we go chop? You cant blame them. Infrastructure is good but there are much more important economic variables that would have made the NDC popular. If governance were all about building schools and roads then GHACEM would have been the best government. Seen?

Perhaps the 10% kickbacks they receive on every contract, blurred their thoughts until Ghanaians kicked them in the back.

Consider the choice of running mate, the hopes of a one touch victory and the campaign executions and one can conclude that the party either has a lazy research department or it doesnt consider research inputs into its decision making process. They have not learnt anything from the NPPs defeat in 2008 and so deserve to lose this election. Public institutions like political parties must come to a point where all decisions are taken based on research else they shouldnt come close to seeking our mandate.

With this kind of maladministration , no amount of John 3:16 and Psalm 91 verses would be a bait to the Ghanaian voter. Da sei!

Frederick K. Kofi Tse

[email protected]
As a matter of fact, no serious political party will brush aside reported cases of vote rigging in our contemporary elections, considering the electoral fraudsters complicated and demonstrable infernal instruments for vote rigging.

The fact though, remains that electoral fraudsters will go to the length and breadth to ensure victory for their preferred candidate, especially, in our part of the world-developing countries (Ames 1995).

Thus, often, the incumbency, with the able connivance with the electoral officials, would roll up a fiendish and operable plan, which may include caging, spoiling, computerization, tossing, stuffing and rejecting.

As a matter of fact, electoral malpractices are rampant in both advanced and emerging democracies. However, if such obnoxious and ravenous practices failed to have any significant effect on the outcome of the elections, then it can be overlooked.

Having said that, it becomes very alarming if the said contemptible practices do turn out to be too costly to a particular party or candidate.

There is no denying of the fact that electoral cheats will do everything possible to devise a diabolical scheme to gain electoral advantage over their opponents. A typical example is when in 2013, a Councillor from Manchester in the United Kingdom disowned his daughter who was his opponent in local council elections due to electoral fraud.

His daughter, who represented the Labour Party, came victorious in the county council elections. However, her father who was the incumbent and the representative of the UK Independent Party uncovered electoral malpractices and reported the matter to the police.

Her father discovered that she had earlier registered four voters from another country in her home address.

In an attempt to exonerate themselves from the opprobrium, the leadership of the Labour party went ahead and dismissed the ignominious electoral fraudster.

The worst part of votes rigging, though, is the deserving winners may never know they ever won. How cruel, how pathetic and how unfair that would be?

In my opinion, vote rigging has perceptible likeness to the violation of allegiance towards the nation. Thus, such a high crime must not and cannot be overlooked with a stark perfunctory.

It is indeed unfortunate that the electorates would go to the polls with a view to voting for their preferred candidate, and only for the people behind the scenes to select who should become a winner.

And, if those people are not criminally minded, what are they then?

Take, for instance, it is being reported that hackers resorted to computerization in the just ended U.S general election with a view to favouring their preferred candidate.

Computerization is used in most democracies. Computerization is the process of using computerized "black box" voting machines. These machines are notoriously subject to sophisticated, vote-changing "hacking". In this instance, a great deal of damage is affected just by "glitches", where the machines simply fail to record votes. This is taken advantage of, in the simplest case, by placing the oldest and least reliable machines in the opposition partys precincts or strongholds.

All the same, it would be strategically suicidal on the part of the opposition to sit idly and inure the shenanigans of an opponent who has an inborn inclination for influencing the outcome of elections.

Indeed, the ploys of the incumbency have to be uncovered and neutralised for the opposition to stand a chance. For it goes without saying that such vicious act is often effective in gaining electoral advantage in developing countries (Ames 1995).

As a matter of fact, an election body, in conjunction with the incumbent government, would execute their evil acts which may include purging, which is a clandestine act designed to alienate eligible voters from exercising their democratic rights.

Purging in partisan election is simply the unlawful deletion or cleansing of suspected political opponents from the voters register by officials through computer databases that identify voter characteristics (tribe/ethnicity, residence location, etc.,--emphasis mine).

In other words, the databases would roll names of persons suspected to be sympathetic to the opposition party. And, often, the election officials would give flimsy and garrulous excuses for the removal of duly registered voters.

Regrettably, however, purging crudely takes away the democratic rights of some citizens. More importantly, this disgusting practice unjustifiably puts a particular political party at a substantial disadvantage in the elections.

Whats more, electoral officials could prevent or block eligible voters from registering or voting. Blocking registration, in its simplest form, is whereby the partisan election officials turn down registration applications, selectively, sometimes without informing the eligible voter. To save officials the trouble of doing even that, gratuitous directives are often put in place to prevent eligible voters from registering.

Take, for instance, in Florida in the 2000 U.S election, officials instituted registration rules which were so picky, with penalties so severe that groups carrying out registration drives, like the League of Women Voters, were pushed to the side-lines in that state.

There may also be some instances whereby some registered voters may be sent away when they show up to vote. The ejection occurs mainly when a registered voter fails to produce state-approved photo ID.

Anecdotally, in the December 2016 general elections in Ghana for example, a number of voters on the special voting register were allegedly prevented from exercising their democratic rights, amid flimsy excuses.

Indeed, if that was the case, then some registered voters were treated unfairly in the process and must not happen in the subsequent elections.

Moreover, prior to the 2016 general election, we witnessed how a number of students from tertiary institutions across the country were unnecessarily blocked from registering during the 2016 limited registration exercise by not providing adequate Biometric registration machines.

Clearly, such an unpardonable act does not promote the spirit of universal adult suffrage we are all craving for.

Amazingly, prior to the 2016 general election, there were reported cases of pre-ballot thumb printing by some candidates with a view to stuffing the ballot boxes. Stuffing boxes with phony ballots, and cheating with the counting behind the scenes, are the old-fashioned ways of rigging elections. Yet in contemporary elections, the evil act is still deployed by some fraudsters.

For, if that was not the case, how come election officials would issue for example, 150 ballots and ended up with 170 at the end of voting?

How do we subsume such irregularity? Is that stuffing of ballots or influx of foreign materials?

Either way, for me, such act is criminal and squeamish. Thus it is befuddling to many discerning Ghanaians that such abominable act should be given a nod of affirmation.

Take, for instance, in his 2013 election petition judgment, Justice Atuguba made some contestable observations including the definition of over-voting which was one of the claims brought up by the petitioners.

The first is where the number of those who voted at a polling station exceeds the number of voters contained in the relevant polling station register. The second situation is where the number of ballots in the ballot book exceeds the number of ballot papers issued to the relevant polling station.

Pondering over these two categories closely, I would think that the second category of over voting is rather an instance of ballot-stuffing as testified by Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, the presiding judge delineated in his 48-page opinion.

Yes, I acquiesce to the fact that ballot stuffing does exist, but the big question is: would such squeamish plot not amount to over voting, going by Asiedu Nketsias unconventional definition of over voting?

It will be recalled that Asiedu Nketsia infamously referred to over voting as the influx of foreign materials in the ballot box. How Bizarre?

And, is ballot stuffing not a criminal offence? To be quite honest, I will forever be in puzzled countenance with anyone who acknowledges ballot stuffing as a mere misdemeanour, considering the surreptitious approach by the suspects.

Apparently, Dr Afari-Gyan admitted under cross examination that over voting may also occur in the event of the votes in the ballot box exceeding the number of verified voters. This, for me, is a poignant definition of over voting. For as a matter of fact, it would be easier to fish out the phony votes or stuffed ballot papers (Apologies to Justice Atuguba).

In any case, I would like to believe that the 2012 election petition spawned enormous benefits, most notably, the eminent Supreme Court Judges pronouncement to the effect that elections are usually won at the polling stations and not in the court rooms.

Obviously, such pronouncement illuminated the oppositions benightedness on the need to be more vigilant in the future elections.

Unsurprisingly, however, the NPP Party leadership became more vigilant before, during and after the 2016 general election.

We were told that NPP leadership hired a savvy I.T person, gave bespoke training to their numerous polling station agents and motivated them, which resulted in motivation to transfer on the election day.

We also hear that in the Volta Region, the leadership prevented non-Ghanaians from voting through their Operation Eagle Eye.

Coincidentally, however, the Region registered a very low voter turnout and the NDCs votes in the Volta Region reduced drastically compared to 2012 election.

Apparently, the trend continued in almost all the ten regions in Ghana. Thus, many observers are attributing the reason to voter apathy. But I, for one, would not buy such a wrench.

The fact of the matter is that the NPP leadership played their cards right on this occasion through well-executed strategy and vigilance.

K. Badu, UK.
Thirteen days after the election blues NDC Deputy General Secretary Koku Anyidoho says his party cant wait to drill the yet-to-be inaugurated Akufo-Addo government.

We intend to be a very responsible opposition but we are not going to sleep on issues from day one, we are going to put the feet of the NPP to the fire and the candle, he said.

Thats right. This is what we need. Lets debate the debate. Lets talk about issues and refrain from hurling abusive epithets on people, stop intimidating and distributing rice and corned beef to the electorate to think that they dont know their left from right.

Koku I cant believe you learnt the lessons so quick whiles many of your comrades are still brooding over the huge loss. .

See candle lights dont stay long in the wind. The paradox is that the people who lit the candle think it would last forever or be able to stand the test of time. But soon the evil storm (tsunami) shows up and the light disappears.

What a way to learn Koku. Its my hope that the majority of your people would see the light and not confine themselves to politics as usual (the woods). Remember, its only the light that can lead you to the pinnacle. Politics is a great teacher but his students are stubborn. They want to grow feathers overnight, develop talons asap and start teething from the get go, says author Gordon Offin-Amaniampong.

Tell your guys to slow down. The speed limit says 20kph. You know what that means?

Good for you. Well done my brother!

Remind me though to get you Akple and Fetri-Detsi before I take leave of you. Im heading down to Aflao the border town. Actually Im going to Adafianu. Ive got some family and friends there to visit. The last time I visited there-- good old Christophe and Davi (May their Souls Rest in Peace) hosted me like a king. I had the best Akple ever with duck meat and almighty fetri-detsi.

It is not Aflawo Massa. Its pronounced Aplao--- you say the letter P as if youre blowing a kiss to Asiedu Nketiah (the General Mosquito himself).

Thanks for the correction. And look at youyoure teasing your Boss. Talking about your Boss hows he coping?

When is he going to Canada?

And tell me I hear some of them have had the blues for almost two weeks now.

I think hes recovering now. Hell finally get over it. Im not sure when he wants to go, maybe after the inauguration of the President-elect. Were still mopping up the tears. I must confess to you. And this is for your ears alone. Generally, everyone in the family was shocked to the marrow.

You mean the NDC family right?

Yeah, but mind you its for ears alone.

Gotcha! Koku, remember walls have ears. So dont blame me if you hear it at the bar or elsewhere.

Hey bar man, please give me one tot to check my how far, trying to quit. But I think I need that right now to be able to read in between the lines. The lines look blurry.

Say you dont have the money to buy

Koku dont bring yourself this morning ok. I dont have the money. Do you live in my pocket?

Listen Ive important things to discuss with you so lets set the ball rolling before I miss the bus to Aflao.

I said it is not Aflawo La.

Stop your diversionary tactics Koku. Time isnt on my side so dont drag this into another thing.

Did you really say this and can I quote you?

We intend to be a very responsible opposition but we are not going to sleep on issues from day one, we are going to put the feet of the NPP to the fire and the candle.

I also want to find out if the other guys are in the same page with you. And is this the new way to go?

I couldnt agree with you Koku. Its all about issues. Trick number one is issues. Trick number two is issues and trick number three is issues. Issues win power they dont insult. Issues win hearts and minds of the people they dont attack and issues calm tempers they dont incite hatred and animosity.

I told you Politics is a great teacher, but his students are stiff-necked.

How quickly did they forget that power belongs to the people and not the rulers?

The ruled, the majority, the people exercise power. They call the shotHowever, politicians in our world have tinkered that fundamental human right clock. And theyve whimsically, (apologies to Dr. Omane Boamah) turn the tables upside down.

They say, no condition is permanent but more often than not when people find themselves at the political echelon they forget the lifespan at that stratum is just like the candle in the wind. It doesnt last long.

So on that note I think the NPP stands ready for the oppositions challenge. But it remains to be observed whether going forward the NDC would keep to its statement of not sleeping on issues but rather act very responsibly.

Let them provide the dams, the factories, let them restore the allowances, let them reduce the tariffs drastically; let them not go in for loans. Those are the things we will be putting to them so we need peace, Mr. Anyidoho said.

Well I need to remind the NPP of a famous line from Amedzope Secondary schools Jama song: We shall show them we shall put pepper in their eyes.

Just remember, if you fail to deliver Koku will put pepe in your eyes.
Former Attorney General, Ayikoi Otoo, says a Nana Akufo-Addo-led government will be committed to fighting corruption as promised during the 2016 electioneering campaign.

He said Nana Akufo-Addo's promise to set up an office for an independent prosecutor will be one of the key mechanisms the incoming administration will fight stealing in government.

Watch the full programme hosted by Nana Ansah Kwao IV in the video link below.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
President John Dramani Mahama has revealed his intention to take a rather long rest after his inability to get his mandate renewed in the December 7 election.

Many people have asked me what my plans are. I have no plans yet. My immediate intention is to take a well-deserved rest after three years of working without a single break, President Mahama underscored in what can be rightly described as the first hint he is giving on what he would be doing after handing over power to the President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, on January 7, 2017.

He continued, I guess that going forward, I would be more engaged in sub-regional, continental, as well as global matters.

President John Mahama made the disclosure last Saturday in an address at the closing ceremony of the 50th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Heads of State in Abuja, Nigeria.

He took the opportunity to invite the ECOWAS Heads of State to the January 7 inauguration ceremony of Nana Akufo-Addo and thanked the regional body for the support it accorded Ghana during the polls.

Ghana has enjoyed a very positive reputation as a model of democracy and I believe this election has consolidated that reputation even further. I am grateful to the Almighty God and the people of Ghana for the opportunity to have served in the high office of President.

I have enjoyed a fulfilling career since I emerged on the political scene in Ghana in 1996 as a Member of Parliament for three terms. I served as a deputy minister, as a minister, a vice president and then ultimately the president of my country. During my tenure as president, we supervised some significant investments in our social and economic infrastructure and I also superintended significant structural reforms in our economy, President Mahama recounted.

The outgoing president thanked his colleague presidents for the friendship and support they had offered him over the years and recounted some of his working experience at the ECOWAS level.

I believe that my association with you has made some firm friendships and we would continue to keep this relationship going forward. I also want to thank my colleagues and the ECOWAS Commission for the opportunity to serve as the chair of the Authority of Heads of State. I remember during my tenure we faced many challenges together; Ebola, it was the hard work that was done by our three colleagues in the three most affected countries.

I have great faith in our sub-regional body and I believe that with the political will our people are demonstrating, we should be able to speed up the integration process in the ECOWAS sub-region for the benefit of our people, President Mahama added.

By Halifax Ansah-Addo
The region of Diffa, which borders Nigeria and Chad in southeastern Niger, has been suffering from the consequences of the conflict between Boko Haram and the different armies in the area since 2014. In recent weeks, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has assisted hundreds of newly displaced people following attacks on their communities attributed to Boko Haram.

According to local authorities, there are currently more than 250,000 displaced people in the region, between refugees, returnees and internally displaced people, and 100,000 more are living in a situation of extreme vulnerability. An estimated three-quarters of the population are depending entirely on humanitarian aid to survive.

However, the humanitarian system in Diffa has failed to achieve a reasonably effective response level to this emergency, according to a report by MSF published today. This failure is mainly due to three reasons: ineffective coordination and prioritisation of needs among humanitarian actors, an inability to adapt quickly from a development approach to an emergency approach, and limits on access to certain populations.

Humanitarian aid in Diffa has saved the lives of tens of thousands of displaced people, and continues to help hundreds of thousands of people to survive, both displaced people and local residents, explains Jon Edwards, the author of MSFs report. However, the success criteria in this field should be very demanding  we cannot be content just with people managing to avoid death.

Funding for humanitarian aid in Diffa is insufficient, and competition among the different actors to access the same funds has not facilitated coordination between them. Several organisations have claimed that they were covering specific needs in a particular place, without having the real capacity to assume responsibility for such activities, rather than working together with others to ensure the most effective joint response. This lack of coordination has been aggravated by the delay in establishing a proper leadership able to forecast the needs and mobilise the different actors to cover them.

Furthermore, the development-focused humanitarian response that already existed in Diffa before the crisis slowed down, and even cancelled out, early responses to handle a major emergency in which other types of interventions are needed. For example, there has been a great reluctance to eliminate the costs that patients must pay to access healthcare, despite these being a clear impediment to ensuring access to health services, especially during a crisis.

Finally, the limitations on access may have left many people in need without any humanitarian assistance. These are imposed by local authorities, supposedly for security reasons, and are also self-imposed by the humanitarian organisations and UN agencies themselves with even stricter internal criteria.

Despite the difficulties facing the humanitarian community in Diffa, it is imperative that we work harder and better in view of the populations desperate needs. Populations in informal displacement camps still have very basic needs unmet and displacements continue to happen, explains Mari Carmen Vinoles, MSFs programme manager for Sahel. Many displaced people have been taken in by the local population and the vast majority of people in the region are in an extremely vulnerable situation. They are dependent on foreign aid.

According to the UN, two out of every three displaced people in Diffa have been forced to flee more than once. Faced with this crisis, the humanitarian community must be able to innovate and adapt its response to find solutions for the affected populations.

MSF in Diffa

Since the end of 2014, MSF has been working in the Diffa region to assist people fleeing from the violence linked to the presence of the Boko Haram group and military intervention in the area. MSF ensures free medical and psychological assistance in nine health centres in the region. In addition, the organisation is supporting the supply of drinking water, the installation of latrines and the distribution of essential items in various towns and places where displaced people, refugees and returnees have gathered.

Project: Emergency Gap

This report on Diffa is part of MSFs project entitled Emergency Gap which aims to analyse the absence of effective and meaningful emergency response in the acute phase of armed conflict, at a time of growing levels of humanitarian crises and needs.

Website: https://emergencygap.msf.es/
THE CATHECHIST of Emmanuel Congregation branch of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Mrs. Esther Afafa Kpokli, has urged the youth to obey advices from the older generation in order to live a chaste life.

According to her, the youth rejects the advice of their elders because they categorise them as being much of a dictator.

Speaking at the Aged Sunday celebration, Mrs Kpokli mentioned that the elderly have had enough experience in life and will be appropriate for the youth to learn from their experience.

We always forget that they have taken a step ahead of us in life and that the advice they give us, which we think they talk too much, can change our lives if we listen and put into practice what they say, she said.

A 73 year-old-woman, who is a member of the church, expressed her disappointment to the hillgospelnews.com about how the youth have moved away from their moral life.

Those days when we were young, we comported ourselves to listen to the advice of our elders. And in Sunday school, we were taught to respect the elderly and such advices motivated us a lot.

The parents are supposed to play their parental role to put their wards on the right path in order to keep them to the scriptures as the Bible expects of us, she said.

According to her, The children of today are very heartless when it comes to dealing with the aged; they dont know our age is a blessing. As the Bible teach children to obey their parent in Ephesians 6:1-3, I will urge the youth to put into practice what this scripture says.

This years Aged Sunday, which was celebrated under the theme Behold, Your Promise Redeemer, was set aside by the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to celebrate and give thanks to God for the lives of men and women above the age of 70 years.
Environment, Science and Technology minister Mahama Ayariga has rejected criticisms from the incoming NPP administration that the existing NDC government is making politically expedient decisions that could tie the hands of the new government.

Mahama Ayariga has stressed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government despite losing the 2016 general elections still has a mandate of the people to govern until the midnight of January 6, 2017.

It is therefore not wrong in law for the President to appoint a new heads for National Commission for Civic Education ( NCCE ) or the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) with a left-over mandate of 18 days to hand-over, the Bawku Central MP said.

Both appointees have security of tenure, meaning the incoming NPP government will not be able to review the decisions.

The NPP transition team, which has received handing-over notes from the NDC transition team, has raised alarm about recruitments into the security services, the dishing out of contracts to favourites and the sale of public assets.

The NPP has urged the government to consult before going ahead to make crucial decisions in line with best practices. It has also warned, it could be compelled to review decisions taken by the NDC after it is sworn in on January 7,2017.

Speaking to some of these concerns, Mahama Ayariga who is also Bawku Central MP said the NPP's complains may sound politically expedient but nonetheless not supported in law.

"The constitution says the President shall appoint....so up to the day he becomes ex-president he can do that. If you have an issue with that...your concerns might be legitimate in terms of politics but in law your concerns are clearly illegitimate. For me that is the key issue" he said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show Tuesday.

Mahama Ayariga said the NPP government after it lost the 2008 general elections went ahead to make major decisions.

"Ex-president Kufuor major appointments a few days before he handed over. We lived with those appointments".

He pointed to a major economic decision President Kufuor took when he okayed a Single Spine Salary Scheme with just a day to leave office.

"Increasing the salaries of workers to levels that even the workers said it is okay", he laughed and told the NPP 'let's not behave as if we haven't seen major decisions after transitions.

President John Agyekum Kufuor announced 16-32 per cent increases in salaries for workers in the public and civil service. The increases formed part of the implementation of the single spine salary structure which has been deliberated for the past two years.

President Kufuor was criticised by his former Finance minister Yaw Osafo Marfo for taking that decision.

"There should have been a silent memorandum to the NDC detailing what has been discussed and agreed, for them to have a look at it and incorporate it in the budget.

Incidentally, more than six years later, Yaw Osafo Marfo is head of the NPP transition team who is also leading the charge that the exiting NDC government should not make major decisions without consulting the new administration.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) Shares of drug firm Wockhardt settled in a positive territory today after the UK health regulator confirmed that its manufacturing facility at Chikalthana in Maharashtra complies with good manufacturing practices (GMP).

On BSE, the scrip settled 0.23 per cent up at Rs 683.50. It had opened at Rs 699 and jumped 3.24 per cent to an early high of Rs 704.

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Following an uptick in the counter, the market capitalisation of the company rose by Rs 17.69 crore to Rs 7555.96 crore.

On NSE, the stock ended the day at Rs 685.40, up 0.39 per cent. It had opened at Rs 698.90 and rose 3.07 per cent to an early high of Rs 703.75.

On volume front, over 14 lakh shares of the company were traded on the exchanges.

In a BSE filing yesterday, Wockhardt said, "UK MHRA (UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) has since confirmed that general compliance with the principles and guidelines of good manufacturing practice of the companys manufacturing unit at L-1, Chikalthana, Aurangabad." PTI VRN VRN BAL

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20.12.2016 LISTEN

Destroyed documents and dressing mirror at the Kwesimintim Police Station

Last Sunday, unruly soldiers/airmen of the Air Force Base in Takoradi took the law into their own hands.

They reportedly descended upon a Police Station at Kwesimintsim and assaulted personnel on duty.

While we condemn the action of these bad elements or black sheep in a disciplined state institution, we must salute the quick reaction of the military high command upon hearing the story. Both the Chief of the Defence Staff Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje and his Chief Of Air Staff have taken the necessary action in response to the melee as well as the Base Commander.

Even as they promised to deal with the issue as per military regulations, we pray that it be done with the necessary dispatch because undue delay in justice administration is a denial of it.

Sometimes members of the public do not have confidence in the usual promise of dealing with defaulting soldiers  their fears stemming from not seeing the outcome of investigations when men misconduct themselves.

Perhaps this is an opportunity for the military authorities to let their compatriots in the civil service take them seriously by being seen to be really taking action against personnel whose misconduct threatens the good name of the military.

Those who heard the story about the rampaging soldiers had no alternative than to demand that the perpetrators of such high misconduct should not be allowed to infect others in the colours. Such characters are more prone to acting mutinously than otherwise. It is reason, when they are identified by their action as in the case under review, they should not be spared under any circumstance.

Actions which compromise the standards of an institution such as the military should not be showed any iota of mercy.

Soldiers who are able to mobilize themselves without orders from their superiors and go and beat up law enforcement agents alongside destruction of state properties have gone too far in their brazenness.

There have been similar incidents in the past but the disciplinary actions taken, if at all, were not divulged to the public. Releasing the actions taken serve to deter others from treading similar paths in future.

Young soldiers in our part of the world have the tendency to behave the way it happened in Takoradi.

Every effort must be taken to prevent a future recurrence of such dastardly action.

It is high time recruits at the country's training depot are taught that they are under both military and civil laws; the latter superseding the former.

It would appear that some of them are oblivious to this fact, hence their undisciplined conduct sometimes when they don the olive green uniform. They easily get carried away and are wont to misconduct themselves as it happened in Takoradi.

There is no way indiscipline must be allowed in the military. The days of the so-called revolution when soldiers behaved the way they liked now belong to history.

Soldiers who are able to go and beat up cops on duty at the police station simply because their actions are unpalatable to them need serious orientation.

We await details of the action being taken against the defaulters, if they have even been identified and arrested at all.
The Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT) has dismissed its President, Mr Ernest Opoku, and the General Secretary, Mr Raymond Boakye Darkwa, for misappropriating GH413,988 belonging to the union.

Consequently, the Vice-President of the coalition, Mr King Ali Awudu, and the Deputy General Secretary, Mr Ako Forson, have been asked to step in as President and the General Secretary, respectively.

Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the CCT, Mr Samuel Antwi, said the decision was taken at the just-ended National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on December 18, 2016.

Discoveries

Recounting what led to the dismissal of the two leaders, Mr Antwi said the NEC had, in December last year, asked Messrs Opoku and Darkwa to step aside when the internal auditors report discovered that funds belonging to the union had been misappropriated.

Investigations by an external auditor, he said, confirmed the internal auditors report and further revealed that more money could not be accounted for.

Some GH369,285.81 is the total sum that cannot be accounted for, while GH44,703 cannot be traced to any expenditure, income or account balance, Mr Antwi added.

As a result of the revelation in the external auditors report, he said, the NEC met in April 2016 and proceeded to suspend Messrs Opoku and Darkwa and asked them to refund the money within three months.

In June 2016, he said, Messrs Opoku and Darkwa sued the union at an Accra High Court but their case was thrown out by the court.

So now that we have won the case in the court, there is no need for us to hold on to the story but to let the media and the entire Ghana know that Messrs Opoku and Darkwa are no longer leaders of the union, he said.

Mr Antwi said the union would use all legal means to retrieve the money from them and urged all members of the coalition to stay calm.

Other issues

Touching on other issues, he said the union was prepared to work with the new government to ensure that issues that affected the welfare of teachers, especially it members, were addressed.

He denied media reports that the union had given the incoming government a 100-day ultimatum to restore teacher-trainee allowances as promised during the campaign period.

We didnt give President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo any ultimatum. We only reminded him of his promises to restore teacher-trainee allowances, Mr Antwi added.
Streets will be deserted, bustling communes will be quiet and it will seem like a ghost town. This is what happens in many Nigerian cities because many people are traveling for Christmas. This is a time when homes may be burgled due to the fact that there is no one home. Having someone stay at your house is the best thing you can do. There are multiple benefits for not only the maintenance of your home but making sure it stays secure.

But if you cant find someone, you still have to travel and keep your home safe. With this tips, your home will be safe and you will enjoy your Christmas without any worries.

Tell neighbors you will be away.

Even if you rarely speak with your neighbors, it is important to inform them that you wont be around. This will make it easier for them to contact you in the case of any emergency.

Keep trees trimmed for visibility

If you have trees in your house, it will make it less difficult for someone to break in unnoticed by climbing the tree. So, with the trees well-trimmed, all windows and doors will be visible and will leave no room for the burglar to duck and hide.

Ask someone to check in every now and then

If you don't have a house sitter, ask someone you know to at help you check from time-to-time to make sure everything is fine.

Create the impression that someone is Home

You can create the impression that someone is home by setting lights and television on the timer at night. In addition to this, you can leave a car in the garage. Jumia Travel adds that this illusion will make anyone think twice before burgling your house.

Stay available

Even though you are traveling for Christmas, it doesnt mean you should get away and no one can contact you. Its important to be available in case of an emergency.
There was heavy vehicular traffic in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, yesterday as a result of the increase in commercial activities ahead of Christmas.

Many people have thronged the Central Business District to shop for themselves and their families.

Commuters stayed in traffic for a very long time on the Adum-Tech Road yesterday.

Business activities in Kumasi improved greatly after Nana Akufo-Addo was declared winner of the presidential election.

Scores of traders in the city have reduced the prices of their products to celebrate the victory of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

They claimed the move is to help the incoming NPP government, led by Nana Addo, to successfully steer the affairs of the country to improve the lives of Ghanaians.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr, Kumasi
The Premium Brand Store located along the Ring Road INSET: popping champagne at the fore court of the shop.

Samsung Ghana, a technology giant, has opened an ultramodern store dubbed Premium Brand Store (PBS).

The two-storey PBS, which is located along the Ring Road, near Paloma in Accra, has been described as the biggest Samsung store in West Africa.

Addressing journalists at the inauguration of the PBS last Friday, Nour Seklawi, Managing Director of Electro Land Limited, disclosed that the PBS comes at a time when Samsung has shifted its attention to Africa to grow its market share across the consumer electronics and mobile segments.

He mentioned that his outfit-Electro Land Limited partnered Samsung Electronics West Africa (SEWA) to open the PBS.

According to him, both institutions have adopted the PSB initiative to maintain their position in Africa to ensure that consumers have easy access to world-class and innovative electronic appliance and smart devices.

This Samsung brand store is offering our customers the full Samsung experience across our digital, audio visual and home appliances segments, this will provide the consumer with a stimulating environment in which to discover the full spectrum of Samsung world-class offering in one easily accessible location, he stated.

Director of Consumer Electronics, Vishwas Saxena, said PBS has a product experience zone, which has a full range of Samsung digital appliances and other smart devices to give customers true adventure and satisfaction while transacting business.

He further mentioned that the business lounge has on display a number of latest Samsung luxury products, which include the Ultra High Definition Television (SUHD TVS), the world's fastest cooling Triangle and Jet Engine air conditioners, among others.

As a brand that always puts customers first, our mission is to provide them with infrastructure that provides convenience of shopping in an easy to access environment, believing that the current location of the first-ever PBS will give our cherished customers a relaxed environment for the needed shopping satisfaction, he remarked.

He also said the ongoing Samsung product promo dubbed, 'Big Bang Promo' would end on December 31, 2016.

By Solomon Ofori
A coalition of more than 60 donor and borrower governments agreed today to ratchet up the fight against extreme poverty with a record $75 billion commitment for the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries.

This is a pivotal step in the movement to end extreme poverty, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said.

The commitments made by our partners, combined with IDAs innovations to crowd in the private sector and raise funds from capital markets, will transform the development trajectory of the world's poorest countries. We are grateful for our partners trust in IDA's ability to deliver results.

The funding will enable IDA to dramatically scale up development interventions to tackle conflict, fragility and violence, forced displacement, climate change, and gender inequality; and promote governance and institution building, as well as jobs and economic transformation areas of special focus over the next three years.

With this innovative package, the world's poorest countries, especially the most fragile and vulnerable, will get the support they need to grow, create opportunities for people, and make themselves more resilient to shocks and crises, said Kyle Peters, World Bank Group Interim Managing Director and Co-Chair of the IDA18 negotiations.

IDA is active in 39 countries in Africa, where it is the single largest source of donor funds for basic social services.

From FY06-16, IDA provided $83 billion in financing for more than 1,000 projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of this, more than $18 billion was invested in the development of institutions.

Nearly $13 billion supported the provision of critical health and social services. In FY16, the World Bank approved $8.7 billion for the region.

Efforts to stimulate private sector development in the most difficult environments, at the core of job creation and economic transformation, will receive a major push in the form of a new $2.5 billion Private Sector Window (PSW).

A total of 75 low-income countries are eligible to benefit from the IDA18 financing package.


Ethiopian Airlines Los Angeles Area Office received the Star Alliance CEO Awards for 2016, as a member of Star Alliance project team at Tom Bradley International Terminal during the annual Chief Executive Board Meeting held in Los Angeles recently.

The award recognizes outstanding and unique contributions of teams that have worked together to transform the check-in experience for customers, involving co-location of the Star Alliance carriers online in that location and the introduction of new self-service processes for economy class passengers.

Sasahulish Laeke, Traffic and Sales Manager, Regional Sales & Services Europe & the Americas said, We are honoured to receive this recognition as member of the Los Angeles International Airport team for the successful team work Ethiopian Airlines has forged at Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Moreover, the Airline, through the Star Alliance Network, offer our customers streamlined benefits including seamless connectivity options, through check-in, access to Star Alliance lounges, redeeming miles on frequent flier programs of member airlines, priority check-in and baggage tags for Star Alliance gold members, and coordinated schedules.

Ethiopian Airlines joined Star Alliance, the largest airline network in 2011.

The Airline currently operates thrice weekly scheduled flights to Los Angeles, one of five gateways in the Americas.

Ethiopian Airlines is the fastest growing airline in Africa.

In its seven decades of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent's leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.

Ethiopian commands the lion's share of the pan-African passenger and cargo network, operating the youngest and most modern fleet across five continents.

Ethiopian Airline's fleet includes ultramodern and environmentally friendly aircraft such as Airbus A350, Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-200 Freighter, and Bombardier Q-400 double cabin.

Ethiopian Airlines was the first carrier in Africa to own and operate each of these aircraft.
Newly-elected Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of the Volta River Authority, (VRA), Cephas Duse, has revealed that the power producer is owed to the tune of GH5 billion.

This, he said, was hampering the company's efforts to be financially viable.

He mentioned the players in the mining sector and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as the major debtors of the company.

As at September 2016, the independent power producers owed the VRA to the tune of GH5 billion.

Mr. Duse made this known in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of a biennial conference at Akuse in the Eastern Region.

The conference, among other things, was to discuss issues affecting the company and the way forward.

Newly-elected executives were sworn into office to steer the affairs of the association in the company.

According to him, What is happening with the VRA is that we basically procure LCO gas and these are very expensive inputs; and they are dominated in foreign currency and when you buy these inputs it's expected that when you sell to the public you get your money back. And when we don't get the money back, we turn to the bank to get loans to buy again and the cycle continues. We sell to them and they don't pay, he said.

Mr. Duse said the legacy debt has come about as a result of the unpaid debts of the VRA.

Government is largely to be blamed for the problems of the VRA since it is not allowing VRA to operate as a commercial entity. VRA is a power generating company and if we sell power and we are not paid, how can we survive? he queried.

 Citifmonline
Agriculture Development Bank

20.12.2016 LISTEN

The Agricultural Development Bank (adb) has officially listed its equity shares on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).

It thus becomes the 40th company and fourth local bank to be listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).

Speaking during its official listing on Monday in Accra, Managing Director of adb, Daniel Asiedu, indicated that the successful listing of adb shares on the GSE is the result of hard work on the part of the Board, management and staff of the bank on the one hand and the government of Ghana, our partners and key stakeholders on the other hand.

According to him, As the 40th company and fourth local bank to be listed on the Ghanaian bourse, we are confident that our participation on the stock market would help deepen the market and provide investors asset options to deploy their investible funds.

The bank started trading on the GSE on December 13, 2016 with an initial trading price of GH2.65, and as at yesterday, its share value had appreciated to GH3.35, representing a 0.40 percent with about 10,000 shares.

Mr. Asiedu told journalists that retail investors rather than institutional investors bought the majority of the shares.

I am delighted that more than a half century after commencement of business operations as a bank, we have successfully listed on the GSE, said the Board Chairman of adb, Nana Soglo Alloh IV.

Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, Kofi S. Yamoah, in a statement, urged the bank to maintain what he termed a high standard of information disclosure to the investors' community.

He also encouraged the bank to use the proceeds from its equity shares solely for the intended purposes, as well as the prompt payment of dividends to shareholders.

The Head of Banking Supervision at the Central Bank, Raymond Amanfor, on his part, stated that by listing on GSE, adb had expressed readiness to be more transparent, focused to reward its customers better.

He expressed the hope that other commercial banks in the country, who are yet to list on GSE, would emulate the example of adb to boost confidence in the banking sector.

By Melvin Tarlue
Eric Yao (seventh right) in a photograph with the awardees from the 10 regional branches of Ghana Post Company

Ghana Post Company Limited says it's in the process of diversifying its operations in order to survive in the industry.

Managing Director of the company, Eric Yao, who disclosed this to BUSINESS GUIDE in an interview on the sidelines of carols service and awards ceremony organized on Friday in Accra as part of activities to mark this year's Christmas, said Ghana Post, this year, entered into a different phase of reorganization.

He said the company was considering venturing into e-commerce, banking, haulage and logistics, as well as real estate business in 2017.

The move, he said, had become necessary due to the continuous fall in the sale of postage stamps across the world and Ghana.

He said the low stamp sales were badly affecting the revenue of Ghana Post Company.

Ghana Post does not survive on government's subventions. We have to make our own money to pay our staff. We have a staff strength of about 1,650 and that's a lot so to pay them you are looking at getting GH2 million every month.

So in diversifying we are looking at ICT and e-Commerce. We have a platform already available. And so we are just waiting to get some money to bring in some vehicles and motorbikes to start it so people can buy online and then we bring the things and distribute.

The MD added that the company is also considering venturing into haulage and logistics, banking and real estate, because we want to leverage our lands and properties and we are also bringing in new innovative measures with the hope of raising our revenue.

By Melvin Tarlue


By PTI: grandson

New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) A woman has filed a complaint accusing her daughter-in-law of allegedly thrashing her one year old grandson in east Delhis Geeta Colony area.

On December 18, the womens panel had received a complaint from a woman who alleged that her daughter-in-law "regularly beats her family".

"The Commission took immediate cognizance of the complaint and directed Mobile Helpline Team of the Commission to visit the home. The counsellor of the Commission met the sister-in-law of the woman who handed over the CCTV footage where the woman can be seen beating the child," said a DCW spokesperson.

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In the video, the mother of the child can be seen kicking him and pushing him to the floor till a relative comes to the rescue of the child.

The womens panel received a complaint on December 18, following which DCW chief Swati Maliwal wrote a letter to SHO, Geetaq Colony informing about the incident.

An FIR under 75 JJ Act was lodged today against the childs mother, said a senior police officer.

The child was medically examined. No arrest has been made in the case so far, police said.

Maliwal expressed anger at the incident and said that the mental condition of the mother needs to be investigated.

"Shocked at brutality of mother. Cant beat animal in manner she beat her own 1.5 year son. Her mental condition needs to be investigated," she tweeted.

The child was produced before the Child Welfare Committee and his custody was handed over to his aunt and grandmother. The Committee directed them to appear before it on January 6, 2017. PTI SLB PLB RG

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I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the tragic assassination of Russias Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, who was speaking at an art gallery in Ankara. I condemn in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror.

No terrorist act can be justified, regardless of its perpetrators and their stated purposes. It is the expectation of the Turkish people and the world that the government investigate the circumstances of this incident, identify those who aided the perpetrator and take the necessary precautions so that such an attack cannot be staged in the future.

I send my deepest condolences to Ambassador Karlovs family and to the Russian people for this tragic loss. I ask God the Most Compassionate to dry the roots of terrorism and lead the world to days of peace and tranquility.

Turkish and international experts repeatedly have pointed out the deterioration of security and counter-terrorism efforts due to the Turkish governments assigning hundreds of counter-terrorism police officers to unrelated posts, as well as the firing and imprisoning many others since 2014.

This despicable act of shooting an ambassador, who represents an entire nation, only exacerbates the Syrian conflict that has already taken too many lives and driven too many from their homelands, like adding fuel to a fire.

I urge the Turkish and Russian governments, as well as the rest of the international community, to continue to work toward a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Syria. Our work to make the world a more peaceful place must continue unabated.

About Fethullah Gulen

Fethullah Gulen is an Islamic scholar, preacher and social advocate, whose decades-long commitment to education, interfaith dialogue and altruism has inspired millions in Turkey and around the world. Gulen is the honorary chairman of the Rumi Forum, Washington, DC and the Intercultural Dialogue Platform, Brussels, Belgium.
Kinshasa (AFP) - Gunfire was heard in DR Congo's two largest cities as the opposition leader called on citizens to reject President Joseph Kabila whose mandate expired Tuesday with no sign he was ready to leave.

With fears of fresh violence high in the vast and unstable nation, shots rang out in the capital Kinshasa and there was sustained gunfire in the country's second city of Lubumbashi.

Kinshasa ground almost to a halt Tuesday with people staying at home as groups of youths burnt tyres and built barricades on the streets, AFP reporters said.

Dozens of troop carriers patrolled the megacity of 10 million people and police officers and paramilitaries were out in force in other cities as they have been since Sunday.

Tensions have been soaring ahead of the end of Kabila's mandate with the international community warning of violence.

France on Tuesday called on the authorities to "respect human rights" after the clashes erupted.

Chronology of political events in DR Congo since January 2015

The 45-year-old leader, who has ruled since 2001, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term but under a controversial recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

An AFP correspondent said the streets of Lubumbashi's Matuba neighbourhood were strewn with rocks and burnt tyres early Tuesday amid a heavy police presence.

Local authorities in the city added that "police were forced to fire into the air to disperse civilians" because three protesters were armed. It was impossible to immediately verify that claim.

Several people are thought to have been killed in the unrest in various regions, but this has yet to be confirmed.

National police spokesman colonel Pierre-Rombaut Mwanamputu told AFP he was unable to give an immediate toll after the violence.

"Fortunately, we are not back to the slaughter of September," he said, referring to September's bloodshed when at least 53 anti-Kabila protesters died in two days of protests, according to the UN.

As the clock ticked on Tuesday's end-of-mandate deadline, crowds had gathered before midnight Monday to blow whistles and beat on improvised drums, calling on Kabila to quit.

A supporter of veteran opposition chief Etienne Tshisekedi poses for a photograph with his portrait in front of his residence in Kinshasa on July 27, 2016

"There was teargas and gunfire, they threatened the population," said Andre, a resident of Kinshasa's Matete neighbourhood on Tuesday.

State television overnight announced the formation of a new government in line with an October deal between the ruling party and tiny fringe opposition groups to leave Kabila in office pending elections in April 2018.

But the main opposition bloc rejects this plan.

The new cabinet will be led by Sami Badibanga, a defector from the party of the mainstream opposition party led by 84-year-old Etienne Tshisekedi.

'Caving in to pressure'

In a YouTube video released during the night, Tshisekedi launched "a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to no longer recognise the authority of Mr. Joseph Kabila, to the international community to no longer deal with Joseph Kabila in the name of the Democratic Republic of Congo".

Valentin Mubake, a close aide to Tshisekedi, confirmed to AFP that the video was authentic, and said it was filmed in the Kinshasa district where he lives.

The message was not available in the DR Congo where authorities since Sunday have imposed controls on pictures and video on social media networks.

A blockade on the street leading to the home of veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi in Kinshasa on December 19, 2016

The leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) said he hoped to continue talks that were launched by the Catholic Church last week to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The talks were halted on Saturday with no significant progress made, but were due to resume on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi's opposition grouping had threatened to bring people onto the streets from Monday if the talks had failed.

A democratic handover would break new ground for DR Congo's 70 million people who since independence from Belgium in 1960 have never witnessed a democratic transfer of power following polls.

The president has been in office since his father Laurent Kabila's assassination in 2001. He was elected in 2006, and again in 2011, in a poll the opposition decried as rigged.

Some two decades ago, Congo collapsed into the deadliest conflict in modern African history, its two wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s dragging in at least six African armies and leaving more than three million dead.
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Research and education think tank, Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) has urged President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to hand over power to an interim government, pending the holding of elections, as his term of office has expired today, December 20.

President Kabila has held office for two-terms and he is constitutionally barred from running for another term. An election for a new president was to be held on November 18 this year, but the National Elections Commission said it would not be ready until 2018. Mr. Kabila has said that he plans to stay in office until the election to choose a president takes place. The opposition accuses President Kabila of delaying the vote in the hope of amending the constitution to enable him to run for another term.

A statement signed by ACILA executive director, Mr. William Nyarko, is urging Mr. Kabila to hand over power to an interim government whose members will be drawn from all stakeholders, including members of the opposition, adding that the dialogue which was sponsored by the Congolese Bishops conference should be pursued expeditiously for the formation of the interim government.

Mr. Nyarko explained that the constitution of the DR Congo provides a two-term limit with each term lasting for five years for the president, adding that since Mr. Kabila has completed his two-five-year terms, he must hand over power to an interim government, of which he will not be a member, to run the affairs of state until elections are held.

He urged the state and international donor community to provide the funds needed by the National Elections Commission to hold general elections as soon as possible.

It is recalled that the international community provided about $460 million to DR Congo for the holding of general elections in 2006, which Mr. Kabila won. Mr. Kabila took over power from his father, Laurent Kabila, in 2001 when his father was killed. In 2005, a referendum for a new constitution was held and adopted, paving the way for general elections.

If the elections had been held in November this year and power had been successfully transferred to the president-elect, it would have been the first peaceful transfer of power in the DR Congo since 1960 when it gained independence from Belgium. Patrice Lumumba won the 1960 election and held on to power until 1965 when he was overthrown by Mobutu Sese Sekou. Laurent Kabila overthrew Sese Sekou in 1997 amidst civil wars in the 1990s and early 2000s in which more than 3 million people died.

ACILA is a non-profit and non-partisan think tank incorporated under US law and Ghana law. Its focus areas are the rule of law, democratic governance, public international law, international human rights, and international criminal justice in Africa.
A mother and her 6-month-old baby at Kassadjan a suburb of Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo region have been burnt to death.

A local Journalist with Nkornaza-based Jerryson Fm, disclosed that the deceased woman is a lactating wife of a fire service who was cooking food with a gas cylinder and in her bid to reposition the cooker, a cloth that was hanging close caught fire.

In her attempt to save the life of her newly born baby who at the time was lying in the room, both were trapped in the room and burnt to death by the inferno.

Fire service personnel who were immediately called to the scene managed to douse the inferno and took the bodies of the deceased persons to the St Theresas Hospital while the husband who had traveled was informed.

Police in the area have confirmed the incident and indicated that investigation into the matter has commenced.
The incoming New Patriotic Party's (NPP) side of the transition team has assured it will scrutinize the handover notes it has received from the outgoing administration.

The President-elects team also said it will duly continue to engage the out-going administration to ensure a smooth transition process. As of today [Tuesday], government, per the Presidential Transition Act 2012 (Act 845), had presented to the incoming NPP administration all the hand over notes, with the exception of the office of government machinery.

The Spokesperson for the NPP side of the transition team, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, told the media after his team received the bulk of the documents on Monday that the documents were currently under a process of review.

He also said the public could expect a briefing during President-elect Nana Akufo-Addos first state of the nation address when he assumes office.

The first eight we have received are going through a process of review by the sub committees. As we go through the first eight and the other 31 we have received today [Monday]. If there are any challenges, the first line of action is to engage our friends from the other side and get clarity on what the issues are so that we can have a smooth transition.

When the President-elect is giving his State of the Nation Address and is addressing the nation, he will tell us the details of what his team found in this and how it impacts his four-year mandate and the roadmap to deliver on the promises that he has made to us, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah indicated.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana


An unemployed young man has been sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court for possessing ninety eight ((98) 9mm luger ammunition without authority.

The ammunition were found in the possession of Umar Musah at Weija on December 6.

According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector K. Adu, the police are also on the heels of Medalock Oheneba.

Appearing before a court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, Umar admitted the offence and was convicted on his own plea.

The judge accordingly sentenced him to two years' imprisonment to serve as deterrent to others.

Earlier, Chief Inspector Adu told the court that the accused was arrested for a similar offence although he was not convicted some time ago.

He stated that the reprehensible behaviour of the accused must be discouraged.

Narrating the facts of the case, C/Insp Adu said the complainants are police officers while the accused is an unemployed residing at Zongo Gaskia.

He said on the fateful day, the Regional Police Command received information that two young men were selling the said ammunition at Weija.

C/Insp. Adu said a motorbike patrol team was deployed to the scene, adding that the police arrested the accused and his accomplice at the scene.

The senior police prosecutor stated that ninety-eight (98) 9mm luger ammunition and military trouser camouflage were found in a bag.

C/Insp. Adu disclosed that during the search, Oheneba was able to escape but Musah was arrested and transported to the police station where he admitted the offence in his caution statement.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson

[email protected]
Wofa K

20.12.2016 LISTEN

Pressure Group, Critical Thinkers International (CTI), says accusations that supporters of the incoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) government are behind the post-election attacks on members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are meant to tarnish the image of the party.

According to CTI, reports that supporters of the NPP had launched attacks on NDC supporters were fake.

CTI made this known in a statement signed by its spokespersons Adiepena Mirekua Sarpong, Edward Agyeman and Nana Parry.

The pressure group argued that the fake reports of attacks on NDC members were meant to paint the NPP black.

NDC people attack at the least provocation because they are sore losers like Hillary Clinton's supporters who lost the election to Trump (RNC), according to CTI.

Moreover, we have evidence of people in NDC shirts and colors walking safely among hundreds of people in NPP party colors at Asokwa, Bantama, and many other serious strongholds of the NPP, not even a finger was pointed at them by the jubilant people.

President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to show kindness to each other in the wake of the supposed attacks after the elections.

Police

Some police chiefs had earlier debunked reports that the killing of two alleged NDC supporters in the aftermath of the party massive electoral defeat was politically motivated.

According to the police, the deaths of the alleged NDC supporters, Kwame Owusu, 31, in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region and Ayuba Akakpo, a head porter at Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region, could not be linked to politics.

Chief Supt Francis Enor, the Sefwi Wiawso Divisional Commander, said on radio that the murder of Owusu, believed to be the nephew of Western Regional Minister Paul Evans Aidoo, had nothing to do with politics.

He said it was a fight between two people.

The Municipal Police Commander at Dunkwa-on-Offin Superintendent Dela Dzansi also debunked reports that the NPP members attacked and killed an NDC man, Ayuba.

He told Rainbow Radio in Accra that it was an argument between two friends that went bad.

He also appealed to the public to cease spreading falsehoods and ascribing political motives to the crimes committed.

Owusu was allegedly stabbed to death by one Baffoe Bonney at Ewiase, near Sefwi Wiawso, last week Sunday after some misunderstanding.

Last week, NDC National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, asked the party's supporters to defend themselves from attacks by alleged NPP supporters.

He has been widely condemned by all, especially the police and the National Peace Council.

At a press conference, the NDC chairman said that following the party's defeat on December 7, about 19 attacks had been launched on NDC supporters by supporters of the NPP and asked the leadership of the NPP to stop their supporters from attacking NDC supporters.

Interestingly, one of the cases mentioned by Kofi Portuphy has turned out to be a major hoax.

The alleged attack on comedian Ebenezer Osae Aryeh alias Wofa K, appears to be staged.

Pictures of the NDC activist had gone viral on social media.

He accused NPP supporters of assaulting him after NPP's leader was declared winner of the election.

A family member of Ebenezer Osae Aryeh had told manassehazure.com that photos of his alleged attack by supporters of the NPP were fake.

I'm 300 percent sure that the said attack is fake, the source, who does not want to be named, said.

The family source said, As far as we are concerned, no attack happened in the house here. And if he was attacked elsewhere and was taken to the hospital, at least one family member would have been called.

The family source said all attempts by family members, including Wofa K's mother, to get any answers from him have failed to yield any results.

By Melvin Tarlue
Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho has said he is set to leave office for his successor to take over.

The speaker who congratulated President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo in the House Tuesday noted that his belongings are packed out of his office already.

Mr. Adjaho however gave the assurance that various bills that need to be passed before the expiration of the current parliament will be duly passed.

He noted that the House is fully committed to the passage of the Right to Information bill and will pass it at the maturation date.

Meanwhile, it is unclear who succeeds Mr. Adjaho as the new NPP administration prepares to take over the reigns of government on January 7.

Speculations have however suggested that former first deputy speaker Professor Mike Ocquaye is favoured ahead of other hopefuls such as Papa Owusu Ankomah and current second deputy speaker Joe Ghartey for the slot.
By the time Charlotte lip gloss Osei, Ghana's electoral Commissioner conceded defeat to the NPP and Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo on Friday the 9th of December, we already knew what the results were and were simply waiting for the lady to commit hari-kari by trying to rip the pink sheets apart.

Throughout the year, in the run up to the elections, Ghanaians had fought nearly every single day of the week and months to challenge all the sleight of hand tricks that the Commissioner and the team could conjure.

At one point, she disqualified half of them on flimsy reasons of not completing their forms properly and then raised the deposit base for filing fees, with the intention of running some of them out of the competition, knowing full well that the NDC would have no problem coming up with the deposit.

Then she decided that using drones for monitoring the elections would raise a charge, but I am not sure that drone thing had no truth in it.

Now go back to the beginning of the election competition, which started soon after the NPP lost the election petition at the Supreme Court, a decision most Ghanaians still can't think far about, but orders from the Supreme Court, had they been implemented sooner rather than later could have avoided a whole load of aggravation.

But for some reason, the lady with most lip-gloss was bent on creating mayhem in the country, and she nearly did, as we went back and forth in court and she seemed to be swerving Ghanaians and the Courts.

Then abruptly we came to the end of the road. And whether we liked it or not, we were going to the polling stations.

So many Ghanaians saw all these shenanigans as tactically meant to run the gauntlet in favour of the NDC and John Mahama. Especially so when the President kept yelling at every opportunity to let the EC be.

Ghanaians would have none of it and eventually we voted for a no-rigging election. This election was clearly Ghanaians telling the incumbent and his people and his EC that we had arrived at the end of the road.

No matter what was said and done, Ghanaians stayed vigilant to the end. Even when strange hands were tampering with keyboards and the transmission of data.

And what did we achieve?

I think we have succeeded once and for all in telling Governments and the Institutions that manage our country that we will not have this nonsense again. Ghana is going to change and for the better.

And I doff my hat to the Supreme Court. They could have been more determined, but we have to acknowledge that it could have gone haywire but for their resoluteness and determination to stamp some authority on the one weakest flaw in our democracy; the Electoral Register.

Now we know we can remove any person who monkeys around with our votes, out of office. We know, and they know that once we have removed a seemingly intractable government like the NDC from the seat of office and the seats of Parliament, we will be relentless in our quest to completely settle into a fontomfrom rhythm of searching for the proper music to keep us gyrating.

We need to solve the finance and economic issues. A pretty well run down economy, but we should show faith and support for the new government. They have promised much, we have seen some of their handy work, but it will not be easy.

Should we go easy? No! Not in the least bit. This political crass we have is not what we want. We must insist on better.

You need only look at the track and field competitors on the continent and see that we are nowhere near arriving at any renaissance. And before I forget, let me ask John Mahama, where is the African Renaissance he was running around ECOWAS and half of the world pontificating about?

I hear he is a very wealthy man, and he better be. Rumour has it he has birthed something like twenty children. If true, he should pull out his wallet and start looking after them. We expect at least that much from him and he should not think the State will look after them.

I am not sad to see the back of him and the NDC. It was a poorly run campaign and not worthy of Ghanaians. If you come running to me with Eye Zu, Eye Za don't expect me to crow about some infrastructure mirage. The lights at the Nkrumah Circle already lighteth not.

Why have a success slogan that you have changed Nkrumah Circle into Dubai? Is Kwame Nkrumah not bigger than Dubai? And should we not be more proud of our heritage rather than to caricature a country whose opulence is theirs to revel?

I am not an Nkrumahist, but crikey, I will praise Nkrumah every time for what he did right than where he lost sight of the end goal.

Just read the litany of the leaders we have pedestaled in Africa.

Celebrations erupted across the tiny West African nation last week when Yahya Jammeh unexpectedly conceded defeat after the election commission announced the victory of opposition candidate Adama Barrow.

However, in a dramatic about-face that drew international condemnation, the mercurial former coup leader on Friday decried serious and unacceptable abnormalities and called for fresh polls.

In a statement broadcast on state television late on Saturday, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) said it was preparing a petition against the flawed decision of the Independent Elections Commission.

The deadline for submitting a challenge to the court is Tuesday.

Gambia's president-elect, Adama Barrow, has hinted that he will swear himself in as substantive president when the tenure of outgoing Yahya Jammeh runs out in January.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has been warned to end his second term in office on Sunday or risk major violence in the coming days.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement on Friday calling on him to make a public commitment before the end of his second term, respect the constitution and leave office.

There is a grave risk that Congo could descend into widespread violence and chaos in the coming days, with potentially volatile repercussions across the region, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth warned.

He cited as a likelihood of armed conflict: a nationwide mobilization for large-scale demonstrations beginning on December 19 to pressure Kabila to leave office, as well as, leaders of armed groups in the eastern part of the country saying the army and police will no longer be legitimate after December 19.

The country's brittle security forces could fracture if Kabila relies on force to stay in power, and Congo's neighboring countries could become involved, as they have during past fighting in Congo.

Kabila is required by constitutional term limits to step down when his second mandate ends on December 19 but a constitutional court ruled that he can stay on until a new successor is elected.

A lawyer for the Gabon opposition leader Jean Ping, who is still disputing the re-election of President Ali Bongo, has been missing for three days, according to Ping's team.

Eric Iga Iga, one of two lawyers who represented Ping in Constitutional Court in September when he sought to challenge Bongo's victory, vanished without explanation on Thursday, Iga Iga's associates said.

And in contrast, this is what we did.

Nana Akufo-Addo of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been declared winner and president-elect of the Republic of Ghana.

The Electoral Commission of Ghana declared the final results on Friday night with the NPP flagbearer beating the president by securing 5,716,026 votes making 53.85%.

By the power vested in me as the chairperson of the electoral commission and the returning officer for the presidential election, it is my duty and my privilege to declare Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the president-elect of the Republic of Ghana, EC Chairperson Charlotte Osei declared.

This is our Ghana. It can be heart-wrenching many a time, but we have sailed through and making headway to another era. We better not get it wrong this time. NPP messed up before. Let there be no repeat of our history.

Lesson learnt. You can't steal a Pink Sheet in Ghana.

Ghana. Aha a ye de papa. Alius valde week advenio. Another great week to come.

Sydney Casely-Hayford, [email protected]
According to her, she's not the only person doing this, people have been selling pregnancy and urine tests for a long time.

By India Today Web Desk: That paying off tuition fee is a real pain in the as* is no secret. But what a woman did to facilitate the same has to be one of the most innovative (and strangest) things ever.

Reportedly, a Florida-based expectant mother put up her positive urine and pregnancy tests for sale on Craiglist in order to pay her college fee.

advertisement

The listing that now stands removed was titled Pregnancy/Urine Test and explained the intricacies of the 'deal' rather vividly.

Also Read: This woman bled to death after sex. Here's why

A screengrab of the "very self explanatory" post obtained by Mashable reads, "I am 3 months [pregnant] and I am providing a product in which the consumer is able to purchase positive pregnancy tests or urine for your own use."

The woman further mentions she's not interested in how and where the buyer uses the tests.

"Whether you are using it for your own amusement such as a prank, or to blackmail the ceo of where ever who you are having an affair with I DONT CARE AT ALL," she wrote. To gauge the authenticity of the post, Action New Jax's team decided to meet the woman and purchase the pregnancy test.

During the course of the meeting, the woman revealed she isn't the only person selling positive pregnancy tests; in fact "it's a trend that's been going on for years," Action New Jax reports. She stumbled upon the idea while surfing the internet of earning while being pregnant, and funnily enough, this option popped up.

As for the pregnancy test, the woman kept her word and did sell it.

--- ENDS ---
Sasa Clothing line, a young fashion company has hinted an elaborate plan to reduce unemployment and stimulate the fashion sector in the Volta Region.

To this end, the company has opened an ultramodern office, a showroom and employed about 20 young graduates to achieve its aim of becoming the leading fashion home in the region and one of the best in Ghana.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE during a tour of the facility, the CEO, King Norbert Akpabli narrated that Sasa clothing was birthed from passion, joblessness, unmet needs and the desire for excellence from young graduates who believed in their skills and their potential in Ghana and West Africa.

Explaining the genesis of the company he said my partners and I, Amos Wilson Agblemor and Promise Agbesi having analysed the employment and economic situation in the country realized that the problem of unemployment among graduates has reached a breaking point as the number of graduates from the 10 polytechnics and numerous universities far outweighed the job opportunities in the country.

Promise Agbesi lamented that the level of disappointment and frustration after graduation was so high that we felt we should do something about it, hence Sasa Clothing. Sasa clothing because clothing is part of the three basic needs of man; food, cloth and shelter.

With their marketing and fashion backgrounds, the trio brought together about 20 graduates from various tertiary institutions to put their various abilities to good use through the Sasa clothing line.

The clothing line which started in April 2016, produces casual and formal wear; specializing in African Print Clothing, accessories and African craft. Sasa is a term among the Ewes which refers to garments produced by sampling different fabric prints.

The mission of Sasa Clothing reads; to establish a clothing line that will make available a wide range of clothes for male, female, young adults and children; a clothing label that will favourably compete with international clothing labels.

Having initiated the Sasa collection trend in the region, the company also clothed contestants of Miss Woezor pageant of Ho Technical University and the 2016 Miss Hogbe Pageant.

Sasa Clothing also has well trained models who have featured in some of the high profile events and fashion shows in the country.

The trio hopes to start exporting clothes to neighboring Togo and other West African Countries.

From Fred Duodu, Ho ([email protected])




THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) Constituency Chairman for Affigya Kwabre South, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, insists angels descended from Heaven to vote massively for Nana Akufo-Addo, which resulted in his historic electoral victory.

According to him, God, who is the creator of Heaven and Earth, masterminded the NPP's electoral victory, stressing that the huge votes margin between Nana Akufo-Addo and President Mahama, clearly attested to his claim.

Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, who is a devout Christian, predicted that the incoming NPP administration would be highly successful, arguing that the hand of God and protection is on Nana Akufo-Addo, the president-elect.

The hardworking NPP chairman, who commands a lot of respect and authority in the party in the Ashanti Region, was addressing the congregation of the Hope Assemblies of God Church at Atimatim on Sunday.

Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, who was at the church service with his family members and party executives to give thanks to God following the NPP's electoral triumph, stated that the NPPs victory is ordained by God.

According to him, even though he was hopeful that the NPP would win the elections, the manner at which the party recorded a resounding first round victory during the polls, came as a big surprise to all.

Odeneho Kwaku noted that the votes that Nana Akufo-Addo and all the NPP MP's accumulated on December 7, was an indication that God wanted to use Nana Akufo-Addo to rescue the country from eight years of troubles.

The NPP Chairman, who was wearing a white attire to signify victory, implored the citizenry to rally behind Nana Akufo-Addo's administration to enable it expedite the transformation of the country for the good of all Ghanaians.

Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, who sounded extremely confident, stated that Nana Akufo-Addo's campaign promises are attainable therefore he urged the people to have strong faith in the NPP administration.

Pastor Robert Boamah, an Associate Pastor at Hope Assemblies of God Church, sternly warned appointees of the incoming NPP administration not to commit mistakes that could create disaffection for them.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi


The Secretary-General condemns the killing of a peacekeeper from South Africa deployed with the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in Butembo, North Kivu, earlier today. The peacekeeper was killed during an exchange of fire with suspected combatants of a Mayi Mayi armed group. Two other peacekeepers from South Africa were also injured during the firefight.

The Secretary-General offers his sincere condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the Government of South Africa. He wishes a swift recovery to those injured. He calls on the authorities of the DRC to ensure that this attack is investigated and its perpetrators are brought to justice. He underlines, once again, that attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable.
Parliament has postponed the presentation of the State of the Nation Address by President John Mahama to January 5, 2016.

The presentation, which was earlier scheduled for Thursday, December 22, 2016, will be the President Mahama's final address to Parliament before he leaves office.

Majority Chief Whip and a member of Parliaments Business Committee, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, explains parliament is hoping to clear outstanding business before the House before legislators went on break.

Before we went on the break for the election there were a number of bills outstanding. Prominent among them is the right to information bill.

So my understanding is that at the business committee we scheduled the businesses that were outstanding to try as much as possible to finish them, he told Joy News' Correspondent, Elton John Brobbey.

The outgoing president's presentation will focus on the state of the nation after his four-year term.

His attempt for a second term in office was botched in an election defeat to the opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo last week Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

President Mahamas address will be in fulfilment of Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution.

He is expected to provide details of projects his government is executing and highlight some of his achievements as president.

His presentation would also herald the end of the life of the sixth Parliament of the fourth republic which would officially terminate on the 6th of January 2017.

-Myjoyonline
20.12.2016 LISTEN



The rich gets pardon; the poor gets prison is a popular Sociological maxim, which telling impact on the Ghanaian soil, as far as crime is concerned, cannot be gainsaid. In Ghana, money and power appear to be the main determinants of who goes to prison, and who walks about a free man.

Naaba Abdulai, a younger brother of the outgoing Local Government Minister, Collins Dauda, prior to the recent elections, boasted that he killed people at will, stressing that murder was his hobby.

That was after Naabu had claimed Mr Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central in the Central Region, threatened to unleash the New Patriotic Partys Invisible Forces on him.

In his words in a radio interview, Naabu stated: Who is Kennedy Agyapong to threaten me with death? I am not afraid of anybody should he dare come here, we will beat and burn him up  threatening to kill me? I will kill him first. We kill people every day, and so if they are ready, we are also ready. My life is important, and so I will not sit down for anybody to threaten me.

When this information spread across the country, Ghanaians called on the security agencies to arrest the ministers brother, but that fell on deaf ears. The Inspector General of Polices disinterest in the matter emboldened Naabu to conclude that no one in this country could touch him.

Naabu converted his talks into real action on the day of the elections, where, in the company of two others, they attacked and inflicted cutlass wounds on about 10 innocent people in the Asutifi South Constituency for failing to vote massively for his brother in the parliamentary elections.

Now, the case is before the courts, and the man, who touts about killing human beings on a daily basis, is nowhere to be found. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest. He feels it is in order if he eats humble pie, claiming his earlier threats were mere political talk. His reason for doing this is simple  the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in which his brother serves as minister, is on its way out of power.

We, at The Chronicle, concur that there was no way Naabu would regret his actions had the NDC won the December elections. Therefore, the laws of the land would have to deal ruthlessly with him, since he is a threat to society.

Meanwhile, The Chronicle reports in todays edition that members of the Ahafo Youth Movement, a civil society group, have sent out the message that they are fully prepared to give Collins Dauda and his brother doses of their own medicine.

According to the group, it would be suicidal for the IGP to allow criminals to go scot free and brag on radio, and so, if the appropriate authorities failed to act, they would be left with no other option, than to take the law into their own hands.

The General Secretary of the group, Dwomoh Mensah Robert, recalled, with sadness, how towns in the district, for example, Mehame, Dadiesoaba, Nkasaim, Hwediem and Acherensua, some years ago, witnessed some mysterious deaths, sudden disappearances of people, dead bodies in rivers, refuse dumps and farms, but the police havent found the perpetrators of all those deaths till date.

The case of the Ahafo Youth Movement, however, is that If someone living in this same area from his own mouth speaks on national radio stations that he and his guys have, over twenty years of shooting experience, and they have killed and will kill people on a daily basis, he must be arrested to give the names and number of people he admitted killing when he (Naaba) started his illegal mining activities in the area.

The Chronicle admits that the group has a genuine concern, but the approach they intend to use, should nothing be done as soon as possible, is unlawful and illegal. While condemning the act, we want to advise them to be patient enough, especially, as the court has issued a warrant for Naabus arrest. The peoples role now should be to cooperate with the police to hunt for him.

For the security agencies, the paper wishes to entreat the police in particular, to desist from sparing relatives and friends of politicians, when they commit crimes. The law should be made to take its course, irrespective of who is involved.
President John Mahama has postponed his nationwide farewell tour which was expected to start today [Tuesday] in the Upper East Region.

He was scheduled to meet traditional and religious leaders as well as regional and constituency executives of his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the region.

It is not clear yet what necessitated the rescheduling and no new date has been set for the tour.

President Mahamas tour would have continued through the Upper West, Northern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta, Central and Western Regions.

The tour was expected to end in the Greater Accra Region on Friday, December 30, 2016.

Meanwhile, President Mahama's last State of the Nation Address in Parliament on may not come off as scheduled.

He was expected in the House on Thursday, December 22 but checks by Citi News suggest that the address has been postponed.

Parliament's business statement, which normally captures the details of activities of Members of Parliament within the week makes no acknowledgement of the President's address.



By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
20.12.2016 LISTEN



From Edmond Gyebi, Walewale

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Walewale, Dr. Sagre Bambangi, has said that his vision is not to witch-hunt any political opponent, but to ensure the smooth implementation of his partys manifesto, in order to improve the development and wellbeing of the people in his constituency.

According to him, his first major task is to unite the people and work peacefully with all of them.

The NPP MP said, even though he was expecting the defeated National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the area, Abdallah Abubakari, to call or visit him to congratulate him on his victory to enable his supporters know that they were a united people, that has not happened.

But the District Chief Executive, David Wuni, has called to congratulate me and also visited my house, but the NDC candidate, who is also our Northern Regional Minister and supposed to be a father for all, has still not seen the need to call me. Elections are over, and we must remain united as one people.

That notwithstanding, Dr. Bambangi, at a durbar in Walewale to thank the chiefs and people for their votes, emphasised that he was going to work with everybody in the constituency, irrespective of their political, religious, or tribal affiliation.



He, therefore, cautioned NPP supporters to continue to live in peace with all the people, since they were one people with one common destiny.

Dr. Sagre Bambangi said that he would work in line with the broader vision of the NPP to ensure that the one district one factory, one village one dam, and other promises were fulfilled.

He particularly mentioned that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia would build well-regulated mechanised irrigation schemes to promote the agricultural sector in the area, and Northern Region at large.

Agriculture is the main stay of Ghanas economy, and over 65% of Ghanaians have their livelihoods from that sector. Therefore, building a solid and vibrant agricultural sector means addressing the economic challenges of over 65% of Ghanaians; and this is what NPP and Nana Addo intend to implement, and Walewale will not be left out. Dr. Sagre Bambangi said that the NPP government would support farmers with tractors and other modern equipment to boost agriculture everywhere in Ghana.

He said that Walewale, which is located on the Tamale-Bolgatanga-Burkina Faso trunk road, provides hope for a vibrant commercial hub for the north. The MP, therefore, invited more local and foreign investors into the area, as the government also seeks to build more roads and other basic infrastructure.

Dr. Sagre hinted that the poor standard of education in the Walewale Constituency, which had fallen below imagination, would be tackled holistically to ensure the comprehensive development of the human capital in the area.

He said that he had the plans to engage all the key stakeholders, including the Education Directorate, chiefs, parents and heads of schools, to develop mechanisms to promote quality education in the Walewale Constituency.

According to the MP, his hope is to see more children, especially the girl child, in the classroom, and also ensure their retention, stop school children from roaming aimlessly on the streets at night, or dropping out of school to engage in child labour, or early marriages. We are the leaders of today, and its our duty to create a good future for our young ones.

The NPP MP, who claimed to have supported his people in diverse ways even in opposition, expressed his profound appreciation to the people for voting massively for him and the NPP.

He was confident that, with his government now in power, he could do far better for the people than he did in the last four years in opposition. His recent support to the people was a donation of a GH90,000 ambulance to the Walewale Government Hospital, and donations to over 1,029 disaster victims among others.

He prayed that the people rally behind him and the NPP to succeed on their mandate.
20.12.2016 LISTEN



From Michael Boateng, Sunyani

The Centre of Posterity Interest Organization (COPIO), a Techiman-based NGO has been honoured by the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) as mobilizer of the most citizens in the Social Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (SPEFA) Forums organized in 2016.

SPEFA is a project introduced to help build the capacity and knowledge of citizens and public officials for better understanding of public financial management policies and processes for more effective engagement between state and non-state actors.

The introduction of SPEFA was based on the realization that Social Accountability is at the very heart of Decentralization and Local Governance Agenda of the Government of Ghana, therefore, there is the need for programmes and projects geared towards building the capacity of citizens and public officials.

SPEFA is a learning and information sharing forum for citizens and staff of the various Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs), to empower group of citizens by enhancing their capacities to make purposive choices and identify with the institutional context in which they put forward such choices.

The project is an initiative by the Government of Ghana, World Bank and SNV with many CSOs and NGOs serving as local partners, which was to be facilitated by a Consortium of Civil Society Organizations led by the SNV.

Establishing networks of knowledgeable and capable groups of citizens is one important strategy of the project in mainstreaming and advocating social accountability among citizens, groups and the MMAs in the country.



As part of the monitoring and evaluating the SPEFA project, SNV in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government on November 29 and 30 organized a 2016 phase two review meeting in Cape Coast, where it was observed that the Project has been doing exceptionally well since its inception and has provided platforms for the citizenry to meet their Assemblies on matters of concern.

The project has also helped in settling most differences and inequalities that existed between the Assemblies through making the activities of the Assemblies transparent and accountable.

Citizens have also been empowered to take up the challenge and ensure the successful execution of the developmental processes in the various MMDA's in the country.

The two day program witnessed participants from Civil Society Organizations and MMDA's all over the country.

Presentations and submissions were made by facilitators from SVN Ghana and other invited experts for the programme.

The various presenters took the participants through participatory and interactive learning and ideas sharing processes which equipped the participant with various knowledge and skills.

The meeting was climaxed with some award presentations to the participating Civil Society Organizations of which COPIO was honored with a certificate of merit in the SPEFA Project as the most mobilizer of citizens in the SPEFA Forums organized in 2016, SPEFA Phase Two in the Techiman Municipal Assembly.

The Executive Director of COPIO, Mr. Mustapha Maison Yeboah, receiving the certificate of merit from SNV Ghana thanked the organizers for honouring his organization as well as Techiman Municipality.

According to him, the achievement would not have been possible without support and contribution from various individuals and groups and institutions therefore, he took the opportunity to dedicate the award to those setups, including the Techiman Municipal Assembly; MCE, Coordinating Director, Planning and Budget Departments, Municipal National Commission for Civic Education, National Disaster Management Organization and the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development.

He also commended the Techiman Traditional Council especially the chiefs and the religious bodies for their commitment and contribution towards to successful organization and execution of the various activities under the SPEFA projects in the Municipality.






President John Mahama has sworn in Mr Joseph Whittal as the new Commissioner for the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

This comes barely two weeks ahead of President Mahama officially handing over of power to the newly-elected New Patriotic Party government.

The Commission has been without a substantive Commission for almost a year, following the removal of the previous commissioner, Laurette Lamptey over allegations of corruption.

Mr. Whittal was until his appointment, the Deputy Commissioner at CHRAJ.

He had occupied the position since 2012.

Citi News sources say Mr Whittal was officially sworn-in at the Flagstaff House on Tuesday to serve in his new capacity.

Meanwhile, President Mahama has also sworn into office a new director for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

The new director, Mrs. Josephine Nkrumah had been the deputy Commissioner at the NCCE for almost two years.

'Why former CHRAJ boss was sacked'

President John Mahama in November 2015 dismissed former CHRAJ boss, Lauretta Lamptey over allegations of corruption and misappropriation of government resources.

Justice Lauretta Vivian Lamptey's dismissal came after Mahama received the recommendations of a Committee set up by the Chief Justice to investigate allegations of corruption and mismanagement levelled against her.

Some Ghanaians had petitioned the office of the President over her conduct after revelations of the cost of her accommodation.

It emerged that Justice Lauretta Lamptey spent about $200,000 on rent at the AU Village and about 180,000 on the renovation of her official residence.



By: Jonas Nyabor/citimonline.com/Ghana

Follow @jnyabor
The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has congratulated President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for winning the 2016 presidential elections.

It also congratulated Nana Akufo-Addo's party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for winning majority of seats in parliament in the parliamentary elections.

In a statement issued to commend Ghanaians for yet another successful elections, CCG expressed especial gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the way and manner in which they accepted the outcome of the elections.

President Mahama has over the years contributed significantly to national development and made a positive impact on our democratic dispensation as Head of State and a legislator.

The Christian Council of Ghana is most grateful to Your Excellency, the statement signed by Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong said.

The Council acknowledged the sensitization that engulfed the pre-election period especially with the media and civil society organizations (CSOs) discussing manifestos and promises of the political parties. Ghanaians are aware of the issues raised.

We therefore want to admonish the President-elect and his government to sustain the hope and deliver on those promises.

The Council also asked CSOs and the media to sustain the discourse in order to demand accountability from those appointed to public office.

The CCG wishes to affirm to Ghanaians that it will continue with its public education on good governance, respect for human rights and the call for Christians to bring to bear the Christian values to public life.

-3news
Three women fight against the illegitimate trading of camel after 61 camels were brought from Rajasthan to Kishanpganj, Bihar.

By Shivan Chanana: As many as 61 of the Indian desert camels, which were declared as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resourse (IUCN), were traded illegally from Rajasthan to Kishanganj in Bihar.

As trafficking of camels is prohibited in the state of Rajasthan, a case has been registered at the Kishanganj police station.

Ms Nitasha Jaini, an artist by profession, Ms Anjali Anand, Operations Manager with an education agency and Ms Neeru Gupta, an education professional, have taken up the legal battle for protecting and securing the lives of the endangered species. And these women are backed by Dhyan Foundation, an animal welfare NGO.

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On December 5, 2016, the women along with the NGO fought the case in court and got release orders for 61 camels to rehabilitate them in a shelter in Rajasthan. However, a stay was put on the release order on December 14. The stay was put without cross-checking with the activists. The next hearing is scheduled for January 5, 2017.

'This is a question of 61 lives of which only 60 remain. One animal has already suffered to death in the delay caused in the order to shift the animals back to their natural habitat. Bihar doesn't provide the living condition conducive for camels and neither is their feed and fodder available. We are extremely shocked at the decision as camels are not allowed outside Rajasthan at the first place, why put a stay?'' said Jaini.

The camel has been declared as Rajasthan's state animal and Rajasthan Camel Act 2015 makes any injury caused to the animal a punishable offence. Camel slaughter is a punishable offence with up to five years imprisonment along with a fine.

The security of the women is also highly compromised.

''We have been receiving constant threats by people who claim to be the owners of the animals. However, they do not even have a single document which is mandatory for transporting the animals. Clearly, the nexus is far-spread and major pockets are being hurt due to our efforts to safeguard the animals,'' said Gupta.

The camels in question has been transported far away from Rajasthan's state boundary without necessary documents. It is surprising how these 61 camels were transported across the state without even a single security check.

--- ENDS ---
Accra, Dec. 19, GNA - The Agricultural Development Bank (adb) has officially been listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange, becoming the 40th listed company and the fourth local bank on the market.

The Bank, which began trading on the bourse on December 13, went through the formal ceremony after having successfully raised about GH325.7 million in its Initial Public Offer (IPO).

It sold 122,937,718 ordinary shares with retail applicants acquiring about 98.77 per cent of the shares while the five institutional shareholders took about 1.23 per cent.

'This is a very important occasion in the history of our Bank and the Government of Ghana as it highlights government's effort to support the deepening and growth of the capital market,' Mr Daniel Asiedu, Managing Director of the adb, said at the listing on the floor of the Exchange.

Mr Asiedu said a healthy and well capitalised stock market was key to the growth of the economy as it helps in the mobilisation of needed capital to finance projects in the country.

Besides, a well-capitalised market helps to boost investor confidence in the financial system and in the consolidation and promotion of growth of vital sectors of the economy and leads to the creation of the required jobs.

He said adb was confident that its participation on the market would help deepen the market and provide investors asset options to deploy their investible funds.

Nana Soglo Alloh IV, Board Chairman, Agricultural Development Bank, said government views the financial services sector and particularly the Ghanaian stock market as an enabler of growth.

'The Ghanaian economy has been touted in the November 2016 edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit as a favourable investment destination. International investors are therefore making the most of this investment opportunity while more and more Ghanaian investors are also resorting to investing in the capital markets for a secure future,' he said.

The capital market, he said, had become a veritable source for mobilizing funds for growth boosting projects with retail investors also turning to the stock market to invest.

Nana Soglo Alloh IV urged investors to buy ADB shares in saving for the future.

Mr Kofi Yamoah, the Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange, said the incoming government must be keen on creating the environment for companies such as those in the telecom, mining and the banking sectors to list.

He called on the sector regulators to encourage companies to list.

Mr Yamoah also urged government to reconsider the imposition of a capital gains tax as it would make the GSE the only market in the region to be applying tax on listed securities, adding that the move would deal a competitive blow to the GSE.

Mr Raymond Amanfo, Head of Banking Supervision Bank of Ghana, said the Central Bank was working with the GSE to see how to fast track the listing of other banks.

He described the listing of the bank as a very good step and urged the management to be focused and transparent in their dealings.

The bank's shares ended trading at GH3.35 on Monday. Its initial offer price was GH2.65.

IC Securities (Ghana) Limited acted as Sole Financial Advisor and Lead Sponsoring Broker in respect of the ADB IPO.
By Alex O. Agyekum, GNA

Nsawam (E/R), Dec 20, GNA - The Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Mr. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has pledged to give more support to the Saint Martin's Senior High School (SHS) for smooth teaching and learning.

He said for a start, he would make available an amount of GH5,000.00 to aid the completion of some on-going development projects there.

He was speaking at the 50th anniversary and prize-giving day of the school held at Nsawam.

The MP said ensuring access to quality education was one of his major priorities and that he would continue to do all he could to help make the school environment academically-friendly.

Mr. Theo Thadmore-Sarcoh, the Headmaster, mentioned inadequate teachers' accommodation and congestion at both the boys' and girls' dormitories, as their main challenges.

The school also needed to be walled to ward off encroachers and he appealed for assistance to tackle these pressing needs.

GNA
Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - BEIGE Capital Savings and Loans (BCSL) has secured a medium term funding arrangement with INCOFIN; a Belgium based Investment Management Firm.

The Funding agreement provides the opportunity for INCOFIN to introduce a debt investment of up to $ 5 million.

As a commitment to this process, INCOFIN has made an initial disbursement of $ 2 million to BEIGE Capital.

The deal was arrived at following an initial expression of interest by INCOFIN and the outcome of subsequent due diligence conducted by INCOFIN on the operations of BEIGE Capital.

Speaking on the rationale behind the relationship, the Regional Director Africa for INCOFIN, Ms Njeri M. Ngaruiya, said: 'We got introduced to BEIGE Capital Savings and Loans in 2012 and have since keenly, observed the growth of BCSL and find their success story compelling. It is for this reason that we feel optimistic about this partnership and the future.'

Commenting on the subject the CEO of BEIGE Capital Savings and Loans, Mike Nyinaku, said: 'We are very excited about this relationship and we are also willing to do a lot more with INCOFIN in the near future as this partnership grows.'

BEIGE Capital Savings and Loans Ltd (BCSL) is the leading Savings and Loans Company in Ghana. BEIGE Capital Savings and Loans is a member of The BEIGE Group, a financial services provider.

INCOFIN has seven impact investing facilities totaling EUR 325M under management.

From its offices in Belgium, Colombia, Kenya and India, INCOFIN finances and supports organisations in more than 40 countries.

In 2012 INCOFIN launched the Fairtrade Access Fund together with Fairtrade International and Grameen Foundation.

GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec 20, GNA - The National Trust Holding Company (NTHC) is to institute measures to position the company to take advantage of existing opportunities and to overcome challenges to enhance growth.

These measures would include the redefining of NTHC processes, enhancing systems and developing people to meet the expectations of customers and the threats of competitors.

Mr Francis Apanka, the Acting Managing Director of NTHC, speaking at the 40th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service, said the industry was experiencing turbulent times, especially with the rising cost of living, which was affecting disposable income and investment.

This, he said, was without a doubt adversely affecting every business and it was important as the company progressed into the future to refocus on a number of things to reposition the company's business.

Mr Apanka said to stay ahead of the competition there was the need to engage extensively in the processes geared toward repositioning the Company.

Pertinent processes to be embarked on include increasing customer reach and service, both geographical and virtual, expanding product range, delivering competitive returns on investment to shareholders as well as rewarding staff performance and promoting competitiveness in the industry.

Mr Apanka said the business was into offering financial services where the key raw materials remained the integrity of their platform, the confidence of their customers, and the expectations of their shareholders.

'Thus, he said, the only way to achieve the ambition of the 40th Anniversary was to build a sustainable business, an end product, which was the 'right mix' of these raw materials.

The Acting Managing Director expressed confidence that in the bid to achieve 'these noble and necessary goals, NTHC will rise to the occasion, once again.'

The Reverend Emmanuel Barriga, Director of Church Life and Nurture at the Global Evangelical Church, admonished the workers not to be complacent and to avoid dwelling on past glory.

They should also hold firm to the Company's core values, while they worked together as a team to meet organisational goals.

'Don't cut corners, but have strong hatred for evil and also be passionate about what you do,' he urged the management and workers.

The Company's 40th Anniversary, launched earlier in June, was marked on the theme: 'Pioneering Sustainable Investment Banking: Now and into the Future.'

The events were intended to appreciate customers, promote brand and products, improve physical health and give back to the community.

They included a Customer Appreciation Day, Commencement of a Financial Literacy Programme, Health Walks, and provision of a mechanised borehole at the Weija Leprosarium to provide potable water to its residents.

There are plans to support the construction of another leprosarium at Kokofu in the Ashanti Region.

GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), has commissioned a project to ensure that farmers have access to quality inputs leading to high productivity in Accra.

The project supported by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa is also to ensure market access and sustainable income.

Professor Joseph Awetori Yaro, a Lead Researcher speaking at the sensitisation and validation workshop on farmers' access to quality inputs said the project seeks to ensure proper policies, laws and regulatory framework were put in place for inputs.

He said the project was also to increase collaborative role between the state and the private input suppliers for advocacy with the belief in the efficiency of open markets.

He said although Africans have built good national systems for seed production, majority of small scale farmers were not using the improved varieties produced.

He said the private sector played a minor role in reaching African smallholder farmers with only two per cent of seeds used by peasant farmers in sub-Saharan Africa coming from seed companies.

The lead Researcher said the poor development of network and a value chain with effective private sector participation was one of the reasons for deprived uptake of these technologies.

Prof Yaro said there were so many factors accounting for the poor adoption of hybrid improved seeds including cost of seeds, poverty, taste, disease resistance and stability yield and limited free promotional samples.

'Major problems encountered in producing or accessing good quality seeds are lack of money, lack of storage facilities, unavailability of preferred seeds and poor quality seeds,' he added.

On the poor usage of fertilizer, he said there were a number of reasons including the high cost in the open market, corruption, bureaucracy in distribution, transportation challenges and fear that fertilizers would destroy the soil.

Dr Joseph Teye, Lecturer, University of Ghana said education on fertilizer use should be an integral part of the agriculture education circular at all level for farmers in different agro-ecological zones.

He said both the national and fertilizer policies could also be credited for providing strategies for extension services.

He recommended the development of a modern seeds with traditional taste attributes and resilience and made the seeds affordable through subsidies.

He said there should be the training of local seed growers especially mid-size farmers with the capacity to sustain production.

The Lecturer said with policy directions, government should build effective and efficient seed value-chain by making sure state providers of foundation and breeders seeds were reliable and produced to adequate quantities.

Dr Teye said donors should support private research institutions, companies and universities to go into sustainable production of seeds with links abroad for modern technologies.

Mr Charles Nyaaba, Programmes officer, PFAG said the Association would engage with parliament and Ministry of Food and Agriculture to find ways of addressing these challenges.

GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

Accra, Dec 19, GNA - Dr Zanetor Agyemang- Rawlings, Member of Parliament (MP) elect for the Korley Klottey, in the Greater Accra Region has asked her constituents to get on board and support her to fulfill the development agenda of the constituency.

She said with the elections over, all that was needed was team work to propel the development of the area.

Dr Agyemang- Rawlings was speaking to journalists at the Parliament House in Accra, during a registration exercise for newly elected MPs organised by the House.

She agreed that the primary duty of the legislator was the making of laws, but however said as an elected representative of the people, she would represent their interests in the House and bring on board the issues that affect them.

The MP-elect and daughter of former President Jerry John Rawlings promised to champion issues affecting women and children.

'As a leader of a group, you don't work with only those who chose you, but you provide a representation for all the people and cater for their need.

'I may not have given promises to the people, but I would use the best of my efforts and abilities to assist in getting the necessary resources and fairly distribute them to the benefit of all,' Dr Agyemang-Rawlings said.

Despite being in the would-be Minority in the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic, Dr Agyemang-said: 'I welcome everybody ready to work with me to bring more development to our constituency. 'Let's work.'

GNA

By Benjamin Mensah, GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

Former General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress , Josiah Aryeh has passed away.

Sources close to the party who confirmed his death to Citi News added that Mr. Aryeh passed away at the 37 Military Hospital on Monday.

He had reportedly been on admission for sometime.

Mr. Aryeh was a professor of law and a teacher at the Ghana School of Law.

He was 64 years old.

About Josiah Aryeh

Dr Aryeh was suspended by the NDC in 2004 over bribery allegations in relation to governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He later joined the National Democratic Party (NDP) in 2012 as the National Chairman of the party but took the backstage and allowed Dr. Nana Asare Bediako to take over his position in 2016 because he was battling with health issues.



By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The World Tourism Organization Headquarters in Madrid, Spain, hosted today the presentation of the 3rd UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism. The event will be held in Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain, on 8-9 May 2017.

The Forum is organized by UNWTO in collaboration with UNWTO Affiliate Member, the Basque Culinary Center, as part of the activities of the UNWTO Gastronomy Network. The third edition will be dedicated to the links between gastronomy tourism and sustainability in the framework of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

The first edition of the Forum took place in DonostiaSan Sebastian, the second edition in 2016 in Lima, Peru, and in 2017 the Forum will return to DonostiaSan Sebastian, where it is to be held every two years.

The presentation was attended by UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, the State Secretary of Tourism of Spain, Matilde Pastora Asian Gonzalez; the Vice Councilor of Commerce and Tourism of the Basque Government, Isabel Muela; the Director of Tourism of the County Council of Gipuzcoa, Maite Cruzado and the Councillor of Donostia-San Sebastian, Ernesto Gasco and the Director General of the Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega.

The relation between food and culture has become a major motivation for travelers, but also a great catalyst of sustainable tourism as gastronomy tourism brings out the most authentic features of each destination said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai at the presentation of the Forum.

Gastronomy tourism has an immense potential and is a priority for Spains tourism promotional strategy due to its increasing relevance, particularly in rural destinations. In 2015, 8.4 million international tourists, representing 12.3% of the total, engaged in some activity related to gastronomy said Matilde Pastora Asian Gonzalez, Secretary of State for Tourism of Spain.

The event will bring together leading experts in gastronomy tourism to discuss latest trends and to share case studies and innovative products. Topics will include the so-called farm to table processes, sustainable product development, successful public policies and the benefits of gastronomy tourism.

Gastronomy tourism is a flourishing phenomenon and our objective is to create a space to share, to reflect, to analyze and to work to improve tourism in this area said Joxe Mari Aizega, Director General of the Basque Culinary Center.

The panel presentations will be complemented by working sessions giving all participants the opportunity to interact and share ideas. Parallel to the official programme of the Forum, a wide range of events will be conducted at a number of gastronomic hubs showcasing the rich variety of products offered.

On the occasion of the Forum, UNWTO will release the second volume of the Global Report on Gastronomy Tourism. The publication analyses current trends in gastronomy tourism and the methodologies involved in product development.
The relations between unpredictable allies, Russia and Turkey, appear to have deteriorated in the past few years. The relationship between Moscow and Ankara have deteriorated since the Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet shot a Russian Su-24 bomber out of the Syrian skies, citing an airspace violation that did not take place. This is one offence Moscow sees as an act of diplomatic betrayal. In response, Russia imposed a range of restrictive measures on Turkey following the incident that has dealt a major blow to the Turkish economy. The implication of the sanctions is what some analysts have described as "unnecessary and extremely burdensome difficulties for both countries. As though these are not enough, the Russian ambassador to the country, Mr. Andrei Karlov, was shot some days ago in an attack at an art gallery in Ankara where he was delivering a speech. He was reported dead after having received several gunshot wounds.

Like every potentially embarrassing situations like this one, the Turkish government had quickly looked for the best of excuses to explain the unfortunate situation. Whether this will make any sense to Moscow is another matter altogether. The issues involved in the relationship between both countries are more complicated that most people think!

The Turkish government is a fierce opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who Russia supports. The Syrian crisis and its effect- the Islamic State (ISIS)- became complicated with Russias support for the al-Assad government meaning the US needed to handle the matter with care. Syria has no oil, therefore, there is nothing in there for US to die for. The US has none of its interests immediately threatened in Syria, but this is not the case with Russia and Turkey who both have much to lose if any get a foot wrong in handling the crisis.

Both countries, Russia and Turkey, appear to have different interpretations on how best to handle the Syrian crisis based on their respective national interests. Russian authorities, probably wary of the spread of terrorism and radicalization among its domestic Muslim minorities, saw the need to support al-Assads regime thereby classifying the opponents of the regime as terrorists. On the other hand, the Recep Tayyip Erdogans regime may just want to strengthen its hold onto power in Ankara and the same time prevent the further rise of Kurdisan groups like YPG and PKK which the administration as classified as a terrorist groups. It is difficult to reconcile both objectives!

Turkey was also a scene during the Cold War. The US, in an attempt to alter the balance of power with its arch-rival, Soviet Union (now Russia) installed some nuclear facilities in Turkey as a deterring measure against the Soviets. Needless to say that the Soviets responded by installing its nuclear facilities in Cuba as a balancing measure.

To further complicate matters, Turkey is a member of US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). There is a growing perception in Turkey that NATO has been apathetic in the aftermath of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and hasn't shown the appropriate concern a member of the alliance deserves. Statutorily, under Article V of the Alliance Constitution, which deals with collective defence is a principle at the very heart of NATOs founding treaty. This remains a unique and enduring principle that binds its members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the Alliance. This is part of the reason Turkey may get away with broad day attack on Russia without immediate reaction from Moscow.

The assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara is one of the demonstrations of the worsening relations between two egotistic leaders. This is simply an opinion. I might be wrong!

Olalekan Waheed ADIGUN is a political analyst and independent political strategist for wide range of individuals, organisations and campaigns. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria. His write-ups can be viewed on his website http://olalekanadigun.com/ Tel: +2348136502040, +2347081901080

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Follow me on Twitter @adgorwell
Marrakesch, December 20th, 2016 - A month following the end of the 22nd session of the Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22), the civil society pole, led by Driss El Yazami, President of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco, conducted its assessment.

By mobilizing national and international civil society actors ahead of COP22, the civil society pole ensured a significant commitment by stakeholders in the fight against climate change. A diverse program of meetings, debates, activities, conferences and side events demonstrated the commitment of civil society organizations and non-state actors for efficient and urgent climate action.

Mobilization ahead of COP22 continues beyond COP22.

In order to prepare civil society actors for COP22, the civil society pole supported the organization of the MedCOP on Climate and 6 regional meetings in Morocco. This regional dimension will be pursued with meetings to be organized in other regions throughout the Kingdom.

The COP22 Moroccan Presidency established the mobilization of civil society as one of its priorities. Thus, for the first time in COP history a meeting will take place in early 2017 between the Moroccan Presidency and civil society. The 9 constituent groups will come together to take stock on COP22 and examine the different avenues of collaboration with Morocco during its presidency.  COP22 showed remarkable mobilization among Moroccan, African and International civil society that needs to be continued. We have to capitalize on its success and move forward. COP22 represented a turning point in civil society mobilization  declared Mr. Driss El Yazami.

Mobilization of civil society in numbers

Located in the Green Zone of the Bab Ighli site that hosted COP22 from November 7 to 18, 2016, the civil society area equaling 10 000m2, welcomed the participation of more than 300 exhibitors among 152 spaces, 680 activities, debates and conferences were organized. In total, 60 nationalities were represented. Interested by civil society initiatives and actions, 24,000 people on average per day, with a high point of 27,000 on November 15, visited the space.

Aware of the importance of civil society climate action and considering that the Paris Agreement goals will not be reached without strengthening the collaboration between state and non-state actors, high-level personalities such as Her Royal Highness Princess LallaHasnaa of Morocco, COP22 President SalaheddineMezouar, the President of France, Francois Hollande, the President of the Comoros AzaliAssoumani, the Mayors of Paris and Brussels, Anne Hidalgo and YvanMayeur, among others, visited the Green Zone.

The presence of civil society actors was also observed outside of the Bab Ighli site, particularly during the climate action march organized in the city of Marrakech that saw the participation of more than 7,500 people on December 13.

Ten highlights from civil society during COP22

1- Mobilization of Moroccanuniversities with a meeting of 160 university presidents from around the world and 30 academic chancellors from Africa that adopted a common declaration.

2- COY12: more than 2,000 participantsfrom more than 30 countries.

3- Acultural COP with 12 exhibits (arts, photo, 2 concerts, two film competitions organized by youth in partnership with UNCEF and the French Embassy in Morocco).

4- A large trade-union meeting involving 40 trade unions from Africa and the Secretary General of the International Trade Union Confederation.

5- The 2ndedition of the Summit of Local and Regional Leaders for the Climate brought together more than 1,100 participants from 114 countries represented by more than 780 local and regional elected officials. The African continent was honored with elected officials from 50 countries and 11 island states. Including a climate finance roadmap for territories.

6- Meeting of Mediterranean regions presidents in preparation for the 3rd MedCop on Climate that will take place in Sicily in July 2017

7- Meeting of 37 national human rights institutions from around the world on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and sustainable development goals.

8- International seminar of parliamentarians organized by the Moroccan Parliament and Inter-parliamentarian Union.

9- Presence of all UN agencies in both zones of the COP22 village.

10- More than 500 self-organized activities at the Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech by the Moroccan Coalition for Climate Justice (CMJC) and international coalitions.
When Mail Today broke the news of death penalty to her husband, Zahida first expressed shock, then self-pity. "Mujhe mere haal par chhod do (Leave me alone)," she pleaded.

D-block of Abul Fazl Enclave is the address where Bhatkal sent USD 1000 before Eid in 2003 that proved to be his undoing when NIA investigators picked up the money trail.

By Chayyanika Nigam: Zahida Irshad Khan, the 28-year-old wife of Yasin Bhatkal who was sentenced to death on Monday for his role in 2013 Hyderabad twin blasts, is suspicious of late-evening knocks at her door. Understandably, therefore, when Mail Today team sought permission to enter her house at Abul Fazl Enclave in South-East Delhi, her first reaction was to slam shut the doors and switch off all lights inside.

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When Mail Today broke the news of death penalty to her husband, Zahida first expressed shock, then self-pity. "Mujhe mere haal par chhod do (Leave me alone)," she pleaded.

A few minutes later, Zahida opened up to share her plight. "I am running out of cash and all the children are dying slowly because of hunger. My eldest daughter is running high fever. No one is here to take care of us. Instead, everyone comes to bring more trouble. Please let us live in isolation. We don't belong to this world," she said, amid frequent intervals.

Also read: Death for Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, 4 others in Hyderabad twin blasts case

BHATKAL'S FAMILY

Zahida takes care of ten children. Some of them belong to her and Bhatkal. She is convinced that her husband is not a terrorist. "Wo begunhah hai. Unke sath aur humare parivaar ke sath zyadati mat karo (He is innocent. Don't do injustice with him and us)," she said, her voice breaking.

Yasin Bhatkal, real name Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa, is co-founder of banned organisation Indian Mujahideen. He was arrested from Indo-Nepal border in Bihar in August 2013 for his role in Hyderabad twin blasts which killed 18 people. Bhatkal was charged with waging a war on Indian state and on Monday, an NIA court sentenced him along with four other IM operatives to death.

Also read: From NIA files: The mastermind and handlers of terrorists, who attacked Pathankot air base

Zahida told Mail Today she is unaware about any progress in the case. She also claimed that the security agencies who often approach her after Bhatkal's arrest, have not told her where her husband is lodged.

FINANCIAL SITUATION

She has no regular source of income and often has to make ends meet on charity. If the situation remains the same, she said, she may have to kill all her children before ending her life. "I am not earning anything. I lost my job as people have stopped sending their kids to my house to learn Urdu, because I am Yasin Bhatkal's wife. I am fed up since our residential address has come in the public domain after my husband's arrest."

Till a few years ago, when her identity was not associated as the wife of a terrorist, she worked as a teacher in Shaheen Bagh. She later started teaching Urdu at her residence, but after the terror charge on her husband, she was isolated.

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The main door of her house in the Dblock of Abul Fazl Enclave bears a poster of A4 size that reads the name of Mohammad Irshad Khan, father of Zahida and below it the full address.

It was this address where Bhatkal sent $1000 dollars before Eid in 2013 that proved to be his undoing when NIA investigators picked up the money trail.

Intelligence agencies were keeping a close watch on Zahida through an informer close to the family. They had also tapped phone calls to the family. Yasin, in his initial interrogation disclosed that his phone calls to his wife gave him away.WHAT HAPPENEDThe agencies had their first clear lead on his whereabouts five months before arrest, when their informer revealed the money and clothes sent to Zahida. According to NIA sources, Yasin called his wife twice just before Eid on August 9, 2013. After the calls, he sent a tranche of money to her through the hawala route, which was traced to Pokhara in Nepal. This led to his arrest.

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Bhatkal got married to Zahida, daughter of Mohamad Irshad Khan (another IM operative arrested in 2011 for running an illegal arms factory in Meer Vihar in outer Delhi), in 2010. Bhatkal introduced himself as Imran Ahmed who worked in the arms factory of Khan. Irshad, who knew about his son-in-law's antecedents, was reportedly impressed by his knowledge of Islam and spiritual fervour. Zahida and her mother were kept in the dark about the real activities of Irshad and Yasin, and were led to believe that they were running some kind of a manufacturing unit. Yasin remained incommunicado from his wife when he travelled around the country.

--- ENDS ---
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has dismissed reports that the fund faces imminent collapse over concerns of operational challenges.

According to the pensions' scheme, it has instituted measures to deepen its financial sustainability and meet potential increase in benefit claims.

As a defined benefit scheme, it is based on a certain formula one is such that if you do a certain minimum number of contributions, you get a certain amount of money and the rest become extra. If the scheme is fifty years now and the minimum that you will need to contribute is twenty years, the observation will be that a lot more people may have contributed beyond the twenty and therefore payments for their claims starts during their retirements will start from the maximum, General Manager of SSNIT, Ernest Thompson told Citi Business News.

For a defined pension scheme such as SSNIT, it operates in a way that more benefits are paid than inflows. But when such occurs, managers will have to make a decision whether to increase contribution rates or reduce benefits, he added.

Incoming Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia prior to the general elections warned of some dire consequences if the current course of SSNIT is not reviewed.

His comments also followed a World Bank actuarial valuation report that indicated that the fund will become a cash flow negative in 2019 and all assets will be used up by 2031.

Though Mr. Ernest Thompson in his reaction admitted that the reports have over the years helped shaped the strategy of SSNIT, he further explained to Citi Business News the scheme is robust to withstand any of such pressures.

But the scheme is very solid, sound and it has got assets over nine billion cedis, if even push comes to shove, we will have to sell off all our assets we should be able to get over that; considering even how much we pay in a month as claims, he remarked.

SSNIT launches biometric terminal

Meanwhile the Trust has launched a biometric terminal (BT) as part of its strategy to reduce the human interface in serving its clients.

The BT is a self service point that allows customers of SSNIT to transact limited business with the Trust without going through a service person at the any of the branches.

The product is currently operating in fifteen branches of SSNIT across the country.

But managers of SSNIT are optimistic of extending the use to other parts of the country going forward.

Speaking at the launch of the product, General Manager, Ernest Thompson said,

Our customers will from today utilize this service especially made for them for their convenience and only visit the branch offices for services that cannot be provided at the terminalSSNIT has successfully re-registered over 1.5 million members biometrically.



By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Kinshasa (AFP) - Nine people were killed in Kinshasa on Tuesday during protests to demand that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired, the spokesman for Democratic Republic of Congo's government said.

"In Kinshasa there were nine dead, not a single one more," said Lambert Mende. The UN's mission in DR Congo, MONUSCO, had earlier said it was probing reliable reports that around 20 people had been killed in the country's capital during protests.
Keta is a low-lying coastal town along the Gulf of Guinea. It used to be one of the biggest commercial centers between the city of Accra, in the Gold Coast, and Lagos in Nigeria. It attracted businesses in between these two cities and beyond. But due to its low-lying nature and closeness to the sea, rising seas levels have eroded most part of Keta leaving a strip of land between the sea and the Keta lagoon.

Being the hometown of Ghanas former president, Jerry John Rawlings, Keta attracted extra attention, not just because a vital commercial city of Ghana is being washed away by the sea, but for the political reason of being the hometown of the former leader. For a very long time, the erection of a sea defense wall to protect what was left of the once buoyant commercial center in West Africa became a political entanglement, just like any issue of the day. As usual, political promises for the erection of a sea defense wall were made repeatedly throughout the 1980s. But it was the latter part of the 1990s that the project finally received government approval for construction works to begin.

This was not without the usual political threats of losing votes if the project was not commissioned to begin. There were tales about how a fishing harbor was to be constructed as a component of the project. Many thought that should be a laudable idea  you do not only protect the remaining strip of land, but you regenerate the towns along the coast by providing a livelihood.

The project was completed after the 2000 elections in Ghana. When the then NDC government lost power to the NPP, it was rumored that the harbor component of the project was truncated by the new government. It was one of those political issues that gained currency so quickly that it added to the tall list of reasons why the people of Keta, like many communities in the Volta Region, should consider the NPP inimical to their interest. Whether a harbor component was conceived as part of the project by the government or not, it makes an economic sense to have included this component to the US$85 million project.

Any visitor to the Keta area in recent days would admit that assets or infrastructure in the whole of Keta and its environ may not amount to half the amount spent in erecting the Keta sea defense wall. While this may not be a good reason to have neglected Keta for the sea to ravage the strip of land that was left of it, it is obvious that the project should have been considered, to some extent, on economic basis. There is no doubt that it is not all investments that have economic viability; some investments may have economic viability from the word go, while others would have economic or political necessity. The Keta sea defense must have fallen within the category of projects that would pass as having political necessity and lacking economic viability.

This project can be considered a political necessity than an economically viable one for the reason that the sea defense wall has not been able to regenerate Keta and provided livelihood to the people of the area, even though it must have hampered the rapid erosion of the remaining landmass of Keta. Clearly, a fishing harbor component would have provided a livelihood to the people of Keta and its surrounding who are mostly fisher folks and farmers. This way, taxes from the use of the fishing harbor and its facilities would have provided a financial stream to the local authority and the government from which some of the investment in the project can be recouped over a period of time.

However, as it were, obviously, the project must have served its political and humanitarian purposes of winning votes and protecting what is left of Keta, but not an economic one of regenerating Keta and its environs.

On one of my recent visits to Keta, two friends visited me where I was lodging. By 8:30 P.M. when we went out looking for beer to entertain ourselves, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. The town itself was dead, without any sign of night life. So, as I normally do, I broached the topic on the economic viability of the Keta sea defense project and reminded my friends of the quantum of investment that went into saving that piece of land. Both friends agreed that other alternatives should have been considered for saving the people of Keta, including relocating the people and creating a new livelihood for them.

From a comparative perspective, in January 2016, the United States, as part of a federal program to help 13 states adapt to climate change, allocated grants totaling $1 billion through the Department of Housing and Urban Development to states that are beginning to feel the direct impact of global warming. Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana, a community that is almost submerged, like Keta, as result of global warming received $48 million to relocate as climate refugees. The conclusion I came to after the US recorded its first climate refugees is that if even the US with all the economic and technological muscle could not save Isle de Jean Charles, then less economically and technologically endowed nations like Ghana must critically examine some of these projects, like that of Keta, before dumping millions of dollars into such projects, as global warming would continue to exact its impact in the years to come. I hear every now and then Keta is flooded in spite of the sea defense wall.

With sea levels projected to rise over this century and longer periods due to global warming (range 2.9-3.4 + 0.4-0.6 mm per year from 1993-2010. Values for predicted sea level rise over the course of this century typically range from 90 to 880 mm, with a central value of 480 mm), there is no doubt that most towns and cities along the shorelines of coastal countries like Ghana will continue to face perennial flooding and some of these towns and cities will finally be submerged in the near future, if global warming is not reversed. It is projected that a city like New Castle in the North of England will be submerged completely in the next fifty years if nothing significant is done to hamper the rising sea levels.

Ghanas coastlines are not immune from these global phenomena. From Aflao in the East to Elubo in the West, it is apparent that rising sea levels pose a great threat to communities, towns, and cities along the coastlines of low lying areas. We have sank US$85 million at Keta, 183 million at Ada, US$41 million at Dzita. Our harbors and fishing harbors have their own capital intensive investments. Are there ways to consider these investments in ways that they also bring some returns or are considered on true merit? Or the political nature of these investments, which I consider as vote attracting investments, will continue without considering the merits of these projects in the truest sense of the word.

In the run-up to the 2012 general elections, a group of NDC conmen stormed the Keta and Anlo constituencies promising the people that the fishing harbor project was about to take off. It was definitely one of those vote buying exercises. The exercise successfully achieved its goal of getting the votes. But it has once again scarred the conscience of a people who have been deluded and sacrificed on the altar of political expediency by their own many a time.

With the prospects of discovery of oil in the Keta basin, one was of the view that funds could be raised to help finance the long-cherished dream of the peoplethe building of a finishing harbor. But, once again, the dreams of the people have been dashed. The contractual agreement with regard to the onshore drilling in the Keta basin reveals that the communities in and around Keta stand to benefit nothing from this new project. The projected financial benefits from the project have been channeled to the bank accounts and financial portfolios of particular families and their cronies, a development that the people must rise up against and the incoming administration must abrogate with immediate effect.

It is no wonder that a section of the people of Keta, similar to other communities in the Volta Region, chose not to come out at all to vote in order to protest the NDCs empty propaganda in the area. As the new administration, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, begins to take shape, they should be reminded of the very things that made the people of Keta and other communities in the region to reject the NDCs naked propaganda, a situation that has impoverished the people for years. It is heartwarming to hear that the president-elect is on a mission to make the Volta Region his pet political project. We welcome him wholeheartedly, but we also urge him to make the effort to understand the local politics in order to tackle some of the longstanding issues that have made the region a no-go zone for the NPP for many years. Lets make politics a competitive venture in the Volta Region.

Prosper Yao Tsikata, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Communication

Valdosta State University
Three staff members of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) who were abducted in El Geneina, West Darfur, on 27 November 2016, were freed on 19 December.

Sarun Pradhan and Ramesh Karki, both nationals of Nepal, and Musa Omer Musa Mohamed, a citizen of Sudan, are unharmed and are undergoing medical checks.

The UN Designated Official for Security and the African Union  United Nations Joint Special Representative for Darfur, Martin Uhomoibhi, expressed the Missions gratitude to the Government of Sudan, and specifically to the Wali of West Darfur and the National Intelligence and Security Services for their excellent work which led to the safe release of the humanitarian workers.

He commended the UN security personnel who led the effort from the UN side to achieve this successful outcome.

The role of the humanitarian actors in Darfur is crucial to ensure that those in need receive essential assistance; it is in everyones interest to guarantee that they can continue to carry out their duties safely, the JSR stated.
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Kwaku Agyeman-Man has called for the enactment of new laws to prevent out-going governments from awarding fresh contracts weeks to their exit from office.

Speaking in an interview with Citi News' Richard Dela Sky, the PAC chairman said the law will help forestall such last minute governance processes.

The way things are going I believe we shouldnt leave these kind of things to discretion, so there is a need for us to enact legislation that will stop this kind of rot, he added.

Mr. Agyeman-Manus comment follows an uproar by the incoming New Patriotic Party government over the awarding of new contracts and recruitments by the outgoing National Democratic Congress (NDC) government after its defeat in the December 7 polls.

But the NDC administration has justified its action saying it is not against Ghanas laws.

Mr. Agyeman-Manu noted that in Australia they have laws; six months to the end of your term, you don't sign certain contracts, you can't commit the state to certain sums of money.

He said because Ghanas does not have such laws, any government needs what exercise prudence during its last days in office.

What they [NDC] are doing, to me it is very bad and it doesnt tally in good governance. Ten days or one month to exit where you are and you are committing the national resources to the level that we are hearing that they are committing makes the situation really awful. There may not be any rules, regulations that will stop an outgoing government from signing any contract but it behooves on you to be prudent in the decisions and actions you take. You have one week to move away and you are committing the nation to millions of dollars.

The question is; are you living resources there to pay for the commitment or you are just committing expenditure for someone to come and raise money to pay? That is why I'm saying that if you don't leave and take prudent decisions you may not be acting in the interest of the state but in your own interest, he added.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
Dakar (AFP) - The appeal of Chad's former president Hissene Habre against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity will open on January 9, the special tribunal who tried him said Tuesday.

The Extraordinary African Chambers, a body created by Senegal and the African Union, sentenced Habre to life in jail in May, an unprecedented conviction hailed as a blow to the impunity long enjoyed by repressive rulers.

Marcel Mendy, the court's spokesman, said the process "will begin on January 9 at 9 am (0900GMT)."

Habre has refused to recognise the court's authority but court-appointed lawyers requested an appeal on his behalf.

The verdict against Habre brought closure for relatives of up to 40,000 people killed and many more kidnapped, raped or tortured during his 1982-1990 term as president of Chad.

It set a global precedent as the first time a country had prosecuted the former leader of another nation for rights abuses.

In July, Habre was further ordered to pay up to 30,000 euros ($33,000) to each victim who suffered rape, arbitrary detention and imprisonment during his rule, as well as to their relatives.

Known as a skilled desert fighter and often dressed in combat fatigues to fit the role, Habre fled to Senegal after his 1990 ouster by Chad's current President Idriss Deby.

For more than 20 years, the former dictator lived freely in an upmarket Dakar suburb with his wife and children.
Government has announced a 12.5% increase in salaries of public sector workers as part of the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure.

The announcement is contained in a statement dated September 13, 2016 and jointly signed by the Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission George Smith Graham and General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress Dr Yaw Baah.

The announcement of the increases comes at a time the Mahama led administration is preparing to hand over power to the incoming administration led by Nana Akufo-Addo.

It is not only public sector workers who will enjoy salary increases. National Service Employees will also enjoy hikes in their allowances thanks to a last minute announcement by the National Service Authority.

Per the increases, Service employees will now take home 559.04 up from 350.00.

Critics, particularly members of the incoming government have questioned the increases and appointments being showered on beneficiaries by the outgoing government.

Outgoing Labour and Employment Minister Haruna Iddrisu has however defended the 12.5% increase in the public sector wages.

He told Joy News nothing untoward has been done and accused critics of being mischievous.

According to him, the decision to increase salaries of public sector workers was arrived at by the Public Services Joint Standing Negotiating Committee (PSJSNC), comprising government, and organised labour.

He said the negotiations commenced in May 2016 and completed in September 2016 but will take effect in January 2017.

In 2008, the outgoing Kufuor government announced the implementation of the SSSS on the eve of his departure from government but the incoming administration condemned the action and stayed its implementation until 2010.

But Haruna Iddrisu insists the circumstances are different. He explained the decision was taken in September 2016 but the implementation date was set on January 2017 to allow for better planning and implementation.

According to him, provision has been made in the 2017 budget for its implementation and there is no cause for alarm.

He said labour will not be excited about the quantum of increases because they will be expecting a higher percentage.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah
20.12.2016 LISTEN



By Sebastian R. Freiku

Do not, for one repulse, forgo the purpose that you resolve to effect  Shakespeare

It has been said that Failures are just too many stepping stones to success. It stands to reason that failure is also a powerful tool and good for success.

Being able to recognise failure is enough for one to recast a plan towards success subsequently.

Failing in a bid should, therefore serve, as a useful lesson to every person, the President-elect no exception, that he who strives to achieve a feat in life, must be ready to clear some hurdles, at times difficult ones.

The late Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills made it to the Presidency in 2008, after he had fought for it thrice.

Nana Akufo-Addo, the presidentelect, had to make three conservative bids at the Presidency, but not until he was convinced that if one had to win a battle, the Lord had to be the one to fight the battle.

His victory was, therefore, upon his conviction that the The battle is the Lord's -2 Chronicles 20: 1-29, and actually committed the battle into the hands of the Lord. This is the way it must be to win if the Lord is involved.

Fortunately, Nana's case has been exceptional, in the sense that his victory had been predicted ahead of the elections, and, therefore, divine in the face of the end results.

Nana Akufo-Addo secured 5,716,036 votes (53.85%) against President John Dramani Mahama's 4,713,277 (44.40%) to become the President. A bid he had pursued since 2008, aside his aspiration many years back to lead the elephant party.

Nana Akufo-Addo thus becomes the strongest presidential candidate since the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana.

Strongest in the sense that at the time he entered the race in 2008, he was not even a minister of state who was vying for the presidency against President Rawlings' vice.

In 2012, Nana Akufo-Addo also contested President Mahama, who had also been a Vice President.

In 2008, when Nana Akufo-Addo contested the presidential elections, it was his first time, while the late Prof. John Atta Mills had contested his first and second, getting 2.8 million votes and 2.75 million votes against Mr. J. A. Kufuor (2004), and Nana Akufo-Addo (2008) a first-timer.

He lost narrowly to the late President John Evans Atta Mills by 102,000, with 49.33% in the first round of 2008.

In the second round, President Mills led by 23,000, and emerged winner after the NPP had withdrawn from the third round.

In the 2012 Elections, President John Mahama secured 5,573,572 votes (50.3%) against Nana Akufo-Addo's 5,263,286 (47.81%) to emerge winner in the presidential elections.

VICTORY WAS PREDICTED AHEAD OF ELECTIONS

Against Nana Akufo-Addo's conviction that the battle is of the Lord, his victory had been predicted by various men of God in the country.

As far back as March 2015, Prophet Isaac Owusu Bempah, Founder of the Glorious Word Ministry International had predicted victory for the NPP and its presidential candidate in the 2016 elections.

In July this year, Prophet Ebenezer Dabedwa Bossman of the Ebenezer Trumpet Ministry at Esaase near Ashanti Akropong, predicted that the three-time presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, would emerge the winner in the presidential election.

Prophet Bossman, also known Prophet Macho One, said Nana Addo would be declared the President of Ghana after the polls, because It has been revealed to me that NPP will win power at all costs and form a government.

The Prophet stressed that Nana Akufo-Addo winning power this time is a done deal, and that change is bound to come at the December polls, and that no matter how hard some elements tried to deflate the prophecy, it would come to pass, quoting Ezekiel 24:1-18 to buttress the point that the prophesy shall come to pass, as revealed to him by God.

Rev. Dr. Ebenezer Opambuor Adarkwa Yiadom, Head Pastor of Ebenezer Miracle Worship Centre in Kumasi, had also predicted a change in government and indicated that if the NPP and its flagbearer had come earlier to seek God's help, the story would have long been different many years back.

In September this year, the Open Arms Ministries/Jesus Chapel General Overseer, Apostle Kofi Nkansah-Sarkodie, indicated that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cannot be killed as was being speculated by a section of the public.

He was debunking claims that the NPP leader would die before the December elections, and stated that Nana Addo cannot be killed. Not even Satan can kill him, he emphasised.

On November 8, 2016, the Founder and Leader of Open Arms Ministries/Jesus Chapel in Kumasi again predicted victory, when he said that even if President John Mahama was made to be in charge of the Electoral Commission, he could not have rigged the elections to his advantage.

The December elections would be the most free, fair, peaceful and transparent election ever to be held in the country, he prophesised, and further predicted that the elections would be one touch (a landslide).

NANA'S PLEDGE



I am happy Nana Akufo-Addo has realised the divine calling to serve his nation and contribute to the growth of democracy. He has pledged to make himself available to the services of men of God to guide and direct him accordingly.

May God help the President-elect to execute his mandate to the glory of God and the admiration of all Ghanaians.


By Maxwell Ofori

[email protected]

The transition team members from both the government and incoming NPP administration have agreed that the former could undertake its constitutional mandate, including the signing of critical contracts, with the prior knowledge of the President-elect's team.

Briefing the media yesterday, the new spokesperson of the Transition Team of the incoming administration and Member of Parliament-elect for Ofoase Ayirebi constituency, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, indicated that it was never the case that the incoming government was usurping the powers of the current government.

He continued that the outgoing Mahama-led government could act, but in consultation with the Transition Team.

I'm happy to inform you that the two co-chairpersons, Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff and Osafo Maafo, who is representing the President-elect, have arrived at an agreement, which was discussed extensively and gratified by the entire transition committee.

The agreement is simply that, without prejudice to the powers of the current government to function until the expiration of its tenure, major decisions that affect recruitments and things like contracts will be done on a consultation basis.

So it is not as though anybody is taking away the current administration's power to act, but it is also important that with an eye to what lies ahead, the government does the necessary consultation now, so nobody is forced to have to review, or to look at anything, he added.

The agreement came on the heels of allegations that the sitting government was recruiting personnel into the security agencies and signing new contracts, after being defeated at the just-ended polls.

Those allegations were made by the representative of the President-elect on the Transition Team, Mr Osafo Maafo, when addressing the media at their first meeting, after the inauguration of the Transition Team.

Mr Osafo Maafo disclosed last Thursday that: We have heard from the grapevine, a few things which have become our concern, talking about the incoming government's transition team.

For instance, about ongoing recruitment into the security services now, which we hope is not true. We've heard of conversion of temporary staff of political assistance into permanent public servants.

We've heard of award of new contracts after the elections results were announced. We've heard of procurement and sale of national assets after the results. We do not want to believe that these allegations are true

And, therefore, I'm asking my colleague, the Chief of Staff, that after the elections, and the results have been declared, and the change is not from the government handing over to itself, but to a different government, the system is a little different.

We need to be cautious; we need to be transparent; we need to be candid; and we need to be factual. We are, therefore, appealing to our colleagues that, within this period, if there's anything that needs to be done, consultation has to be brought on board, he remarked

Responding to the above on the same day however, the Spokesperson for the government team, Hannah Tetteh, who is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, told journalists to remember that when we have a transfer of political power, the State of Ghana remains the state. Actions that were taken with proper authorisation, prior to the elections, are actions which those institutions can take further action on, because at the time that they were authorised to. The persons who are giving them the authorisation to do so have the legal mandate to be able to do so

Meanwhile, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah further stated that the process was still at the first step, where documents were being received from the sitting government.

According to him, stage one was taking quiet a time, but was hopeful they would be able to go through the process, to prepare the grounds for the incoming government to take full charge, come January 7, 2017.

We are only now at step one, which is to receive the documents, though it's taking a bit of time. Step two is starting, that's where they are going to do the reading and the interrogatories.

We are hopeful that in due course, or around the time of inauguration, we have gone pretty far with what we have to do with the inauguration.

The transition is not an event, it is a process, and we expect that we will finish in time for the new government to take over the reins of government.

Nonetheless, the only remaining handing-over notes, as at press time, was that of the Office of the President, after the government's side of the Transition Team had presented a total of 39 handing-over notes.

In the interim, Yaw Osafo Maafo has acknowledged receipt of the handing over notes, with the exception of that of the office of government machinery, which, they assured, would be presented in no time.
20.12.2016 LISTEN

By Kwamina Tandoh/Julius K. Satsi, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - Dr Albert Brown Gaisie, the Chief Fire Officer, has said the Ghana National Fire Service, had plans to establish a College and Training School to train its personnel.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, on the sidelines of the 'Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols' at the Headquarters of the Service in Accra, Dr Gaisie said the Service had acquired a land at Duayaw Nkwanta purposely for the construction of the College.

'We need a school of excellence where we shall train our personnel, build their capacity and also solicit some interventions in terms of internally generated funds,' he said.

The College, which is expected to be the first Fire Service College in West Africa, would improve on the professionalism and technical expertise of the fire men and women.

Dr Brown Gaisie said firefighting was a highly technical area, therefore, personnel needed to build their skills and technical capacities to enhance their efficiency, hence the training school.

Highlighting the achievement of the Service, Dr Gaisie said to promote gender balance; three women have been appointed as Regional Heads, adding that, that 80 per cent of Junior Fire Officers had been promoted duly for their hard work to the Service.

In a sermon, Evangelist Dr Abboah-Offei of Grace Presbyterian Church, Akropong, urged Christians to pray for God's favour in all their endeavours.

The Carols Service saw the Fire Vibration Choir and Fire Regimental Band entertain guests with melodious Christmas chorals, which elicited ecstatic applause and cheers after every delivery.

The chorals were interspersed with readings of passages of the Bible from the Books of Genesis, Isaiah, Luke, Mathew and John to recall the events leading to the birth of Christ, His birth and thereafter.

GNA
By Bernard Bekoe, GNA

Bibiani (W/R), Dec 20, GNA - The Methodist Bishop of Sefwi Bekwai, the Right Reverend Sampson Kwaku Gyabeng, has asked Ghanaians to put the presidential and parliamentary polls behind them and accept to live in harmony.

He said there should be unity and genuine reconciliation after the bitterly fought election.

The Rt. Rev Gyabeng was delivering the sermon at a well-attended thanksgiving service held by the church at Bibiani.

The service was held to thank God over the election of the Paramount of the Sefwi-Anhwiaso Traditional Area, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, as President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs.

The chief worships at the Bibiani Calvary Methodist Church.

Bishop Gyabeng asked that the people pull together to bring development and make things better.

He used the occasion to remind Christians to become good example to others in their community - mirror Christ-like qualities of love, mercy, forgiveness, humility and modesty.

Ogyeahoho Gyebi promised to provide the right leadership to promote peace and progress of the region.

GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

A GNA feature by Gideon Ahenkorah

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - From time immemorial, the world of politics has remained a market place where people, seeking for power display their polices to purchase.

Just like any form of marketing, creative communication tools are deployed to sell these policies.

That is, in order to get buyers (voters), one is expected to satisfactorily convince them through advertising.

However, the advertising concept mostly employed in the world of politics is campaign. An activity designed to woo electorate to garner support.

During these campaigns, politicians in most cases, clad in their party colours, mount elevated platforms, and use giant microphones to drum their messages into the ears of innocent voters.

Except for the minority elites, who occasionally try to probe these politicians to find out the feasibility of their policies, the majority, mostly less or uneducated overlook the how, when and why side of the offers.

But one outstanding fact is that, the unfeasible policies sell better than those feasible. Because the impossible looks attractive and catchy unlike the possible-to-be-achieved, which are often described as normal policies.

Not only in Ghana, but also in advanced countries like the US, politicians if allowed could promise a heaven on earth, a sea and a moon, which obviously are unachievable.

After all, Donald Trump's ability to clinch the presidency was partly fueled by his mind boggling promise to build a wall between the US and Mexico.

So what justifies the numerous queries on the one village one dam of the New Patriotic Party or the transforming agenda promises of the National Democratic Congress?

During their numerous campaigns ahead of the December polls, all the political parties ensured that voters whose votes seemed difficult to earn, were told what they wanted to hear.

Some of them geared their fat promises to economic restructuring, social development, sustainable development, transformation, positive change and many more.

The confidence and faith in these promises outweighed the one reposed in the party and perhaps the candidate.

The Storm is over

On December 9, 2016, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission declared the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the president- elect, amidst jubilation among party sympathisers.

And of course, all the defeated members and candidates of political parties headed straight to their homes with obvious glaring sorrowful faces.

Some probably went to bed empty-stomach after stomaching what I describe as "great misfortune".

But I must say, the sorrowful song of the incumbent National Democratic Congress has the highest pitch as the incidence massacred the party's dream to enjoy in the white house of Ghana for a second term under the leadership of President John Dramani Mahama.

But all so soon, the storm was finally over, and behold, the President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo will be sworn in on January 7, commence the four-year journey he has beckoned to himself and the elephant party.

And yes! Some Ghanaians have started calling for the packages promised. The elephant party promised to turn lives of Ghanaians around through very elaborate vote driven messages captured in a well-written multiple-paged manifesto.

Questions about how the Akufo-Addo led government can fulfill its mammoth promises continue to flood the Ghanaian media.

Sometimes I find myself in a crossroad. I don't know if I should join those who believe that the promises could not be accomplished or the 'we can do it' team.

The more I try to believe in these promises, the more I become frustrated.

Truly, a critical analysis on the feasibility of the packages may reach no better conclusion.

Whether the promises are feasible or infeasible, may be time will tell.

Meanwhile, we all believe that Ghana needs development, not promises.

But the question is, will the development of Ghana depend solely on Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP?

The truth is always one. Ghana's development is dependent on Ghanaians. The success of the nation is predicated on the positive attitudes you and I will demonstrate in all our endeavours.

Government does not comprise only the President and his cabinets but all inclusive. You and I form part of the government.

The Way Forward

The bells are tolling, the cock is crowing, Ghana has given birth to a new government. New corps of leaders are now matching to Ghana's House of Commons to make laws, lobby, sign memoirs all in the name of driving the Ghana's socio-economic and political vehicle to a much awaited and long desired for destination.

Interestingly, Ghanaians who are now the passengers expect only the best from the Driver.

However, even the Driver knows that some of these passengers have very diabolic intensions, all they think about is failure. The Driver should fail so that, they can take over from him.

Ironically, this people are also on the vehicle, so should any accident occur, their heads would be chopped off.

It behooves on us to pull our weight behind the driver so that he can take us to our desired destination safely.

Long live Ghana.

GNA
By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - Ethiopian Airlines, in line with its strategic plan, is expanding its network rapidly to cover the world.

Some of the new routes to embark upon soon include Oslo; Norway, Victoria falls, Singapore, Turkey, Indonesia; Jakarta.

Mrs Genet Michaels, the Ethiopian Airlines Area Manager for Ghana, said the airline had commenced flights to Comoros in Moroni as at December, this year.

She was speaking at an award and dinner event to reward the company's top selling agencies, media partners and their dedicated staff for their continuous support and great contribution in upholding Ethiopian Airlines as the leading Airline in Africa.

The awardees are Satguru Travel and Tours, GS Plaza Travels, Poza Travel, Platinum Tours, Shivohum Travel, Afro Wings Travel, Melcom Travel and Tour, Stellar Travel and Doscar Travel and Tours.

The rest are Yoshiken Travel and Tours, Blue Cube Travel, P and A Services, Venture-G Travels, Meridian Travels, Universal Travel and Tours, Tina Travel and Tours, Travel Bureau, Kumasi Travel and Country Links Travels.

Three journalists were also presented with a return ticket to any African country of their choice.

She said the award dinner was held to show the airline's appreciation to the travel agents and other partners, who have helped to boost their performance.

The airline presented checks with undisclosed amounts to all the top selling travel agents.

She assured the agents of more rewards as they continue to give their passengers great benefit.

Mrs Michaels said the Airline has some dynamics for the great success of Ethiopian Airlines including the proper utilization of information and communication technology at organizational level and the safety record of the airline.

She said the company has the reliability of its Aviation Academy, the strong management system, dedication of the human resource, the discipline in financial management and its strong brand publicity campaign on new developments.

Ethiopian Airlines have been flying to Ghana since independence.

GNA
Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - Tigo Ghana in partnership with Express Pay, an e-commerce market place and payment gateway provider, has introduced payment of electricity bills using Tigo Cash.

A statement from Tigo said the move formed part of a number of efforts by Tigo Cash to create ease and convenience for customers for transactions.

It said the service was opened to both registered and non-registered Tigo Cash users and was for only post-paid customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

Registered customers can directly make payment from their wallet through the short code *501#, while non-Tigo Cash users can visit any agent with the payment details.

The service allows a minimum amount of GHa 5.00 to a maximum of GHa 2,000.00 with a GHa 1.00 fee for all payments.

Tigo Cash has over the years pioneered many initiatives aimed at improving financial inclusion and introduced a range of products to enhance create ease and convenience for customers.

GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

By Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on Tuesday donated stationery and other items worth GHa 16,000.00 to the Administration and inmates of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

The items, which included bed sheets, adult diapers, cartridges, envelopes, tonners, A4 sheets among others aimed at augmenting the administrative services of the Hospital.

Mr Felix Nyante, the Registrar of the NMC, who made the presentation, said it was part of Council's social responsibilities to respond to the needs of the less privileged in the society.

Mr Nii Tieko Tagoe, the Regional Officer, Accra West Office of the NMC, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the Council undertook the exercise following the plight of the Hospital they heard in the news not long ago.

'We heard the hospital's plight in the news and reaching out to them, we pray it will also serve as Christmas gifts to the inmates,' he said.

Mr Tieko told the GNA that the Council and Nurses as a whole saw inmates at the various Psychiatric institutions as important people in society and that, at regular intervals they needed to be reached out for them know their worth in the society.

Mr Emmanuel Pappoe, the Deputy Director of Nursing Services, in-charge of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, receiving the items, thanked NMC for the laudable support.

He said: 'These are things that we lack of late in this hospital; we pray this noble assistance will help us in a way,' he said.

Mr Pappoe told the GNA that the presentation would help the Hospital for the meantime especially with the diapers.

'Even to buy to serve the needs of our 450 inmates is a big deal we sometimes find it difficult to do and I know this noble gesture will go a long way to help us,' he said.

The Deputy Director of Nursing Services, in-charge of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, therefore appealed to other corporate bodies and organisations to emulate the kind gesture.

GNA
By Caroline Pomeyie, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - The Lord's Pentecostal Church International (TLPCI) has commended Matilda Amenya for emerging the Winner of Kidafest 2016, held at the Accra International Conference Centre on Saturday.

Matilda who is a member of the TLPC Children's Ministry also won the Best Talent Category at the Kidafest Competition.

Mr John Timpo, Head of the Children's Ministry of TLPCI said: 'The Ministry has been providing platforms for its children to realize their potential. We organise competitions to help them develop both spiritually and intellectually. Matilda actively participated in most of the competitions and has constantly won awards on these occasions.'

He said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the 2016 Children's Day celebration held in Accra.

Mr Timpo said that he was not surprised Matilda won the Kidafest competition as she has been trained over the years.

Delivering a speech on fire disasters at the event, she advised children under 12 years not to use a gas cylinder without adult supervision.

She said: 'In order to prevent fire disasters from occurring in our schools, home, or communities we must consciously make efforts to adopt positive practices such as switching off or unplugging electrical appliances when not in use.'

Mr Timpo said: 'The ministry acknowledges that those who are children today, in the near future will become leaders of the country. It is for this purpose that we as a ministry invest in the children.'

He urged churches to be concerned with the future of the children and guide them in the path of positive development.

GNA
Winneba, Dec. 20, GNA - The Patron of the Hope Welfare Club, Mr Charles Kwabena Okyere, has praised President John Dramani Mahama for his cooperation, understanding and high sense of nationalism when he was defeated in the just ended election.

He also commended the President-elect, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, for his commitment towards national goals and aspirations.

He said the degree of comportment and the deep sense of understanding, co-operation, and patriotism exhibited during and after the election by the two flag bearers were exceptionally useful and worthy of emulation by all Ghanaians irrespective of political, ethnic, and religious affiliations.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Winneba Junction, Mr Okyere said the swift and courageous manner with which President Mahama accepted his defeat before the Electoral Commission officially announced the results clearly demonstrated his commitment to the continued growth and forward march of the country's democracy.

Mr Okyere commended Alex Afenyo Markin, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Effutu, for working hard to retain his seat and advised him to work harder to enhance development of his constituency.

He urged supporters and members of the two leading political parties to put Ghana first and refrain from acts that could jeopardise the peace of the nation.

While commending members of the various security agencies for their excellent performance during and after the elections, Mr Okyere appealed to parliamentarians who lost their seats to forget the past and co-operate with their successors for the speedy development of their constituencies.

Mr Okyere stressed the need for representatives of both the NPP and NDC in the Transition Team to place the interest and general well-being of the nation first to ensure credible transfer of power on January 7.

GNA
By Hafsa Obeng

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - Mr David Rivkin, President, International Bar Association, has called on Judges and Lawyers to be committed to maintaining proper administration of justice, and change public perception of corruption in the judiciary.

He said there was the need to maintain a good attitude towards the service in order to erase the misconceptions about the judiciary and corruption.

Mr Rivkin made the call on Tuesday at a public lecture on the role of the Bar in combating corruption in Accra.

He said when there is corruption in the judiciary it means lawyers and judges as well as people in the Bar are involved and it is their responsibility to combat by putting up appropriate rules to avoid its occurrence.

He noted that usually the perception of corruption, which could be influenced by various factors, is greater than the actual occurrence.

The IBA President said some measures that could be adopted to combat corruption in the judiciary included, creating an internal structure and practices to investigate corruption, creating a system for certifying judicial processes and sensitizing of membership.

He called on the Ghana Bar Association to take advantage of their role in helping to fight corruption in the system.

GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

By Iddi Yire, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - Professor Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, the Vice Chancellor, University of Cape Coast, has called on the youth to be agents for peace building efforts in the society.

He noted that they were not often conscripted as agents of violence but also the primary enablers of social change.

Speaking at the eighth congregation of the Pentecost University College (PUC) in Accra, Prof Ghartey Ampiah observed that the youth possessed the traits of creativity, openness to new experiences, and desire for change, combined with the energy which were distinctive elements and capabilities conducive for peace building and societal transformation.

The PUC's eighth congregation was on the theme: 'Empowering our Generation to drive Change through Peace Building and Societal Transformation.'

At the congregation, 627 students comprising 83 graduate students, 536 undergraduates and eight professionals, graduated.

The Vice Chancellor, who was the guest speaker at the ceremony, however, stated that educational institutions had the responsibility to teach values that could harness the potential of the youth into good citizens who stand for peace and progress in the society.

He said this required educational institutions to include in their programmes content courses that promoted positive values and eliminated elements that perpetuated intolerance and violence.

Prof Ghartey Ampiah said faith-based institutions such as PUC, had a role to play in ensuring that their core values were capable of shaping their products into agents of change in terms of peace and societal transformation.

'It is therefore, refreshing to know that PUC has put in place a mentoring programme and college assembly concept aimed at grooming their students to become responsible citizens with the fear of God," he said.

The Vice Chancellor said government had a role to play in coming out with policies and programmes that would create employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for our teeming youth.

He explained that the propensity of the youth to gather and mobilise to form associations as a result of social challenges since high unemployment rates posed a threat to the nation, adding: 'The ravaging effect of the Arab spring is still fresh in our minds.'

Prof Ghartey Ampiah said the primary source of political tension could be attributed to the distribution of resources and other opportunities.

He said there was the need for stakeholders to take a second look at the status-quo of the winner takes all syndrome.

He said this would go a long way to promote peace and consensus building for sustainable economic development in the country.

Apostle Dr Daniel Okyere Walker, the Rector of the PUC also stated that the present generation was endowed with a number of opportunities provided by Information Communication Technology which could serve a tool for mobilising the youth for peace building.

He said the social media should be used by the youth to spread messages of peace, rather than hate, and made reference to the elections in America and Ghana.

He said the two countries had proved that the social media could be used effectively to mobilise people.

The Rector of PUC said 'when we work towards peace it creates the environment for development and prosperity; however, in our parts of the world prosperity seems to elude us because of corruption.

Apostle Okyere Walker said the darkness of greed, self-serving leadership and disregard for the poor was thick; and as such, Africa would not be in a position to transform its societies if these negative attitudes were not checked.

'There is therefore, the need for transformational leadership to reverse the unfortunate perception of leadership in Africa as corrupt, self-serving and inability to deal with the challenges that have plagued the continent," he added.

GNA
By Morkporkpor Anku,

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court has deferred the sentencing of Umar Musah, unemployed, charged for possessing ammunition without lawful authority.

Musah was convicted and remanded by the Court to reappear on December 23, for sentencing.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector K. Adu, told the Court that the complainants in the case were police officers.

He said on December 6, the Regional Police Command received information that two young men were selling live ammunition at Weija.

He said the motor bike patrol men were detailed to the scene and arrested the convict and his accomplice after searching their bags.

The prosecution said 98 9mm luger live ammunition and a military camouflage trouser were found in a black bag.

He said during the search, the accomplice, one Oheneba, escape and the convict was taken to the police station for further investigation.

During interrogation, the convict admitted the offence.

GNA
By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, the Chief Justice has noted that provision of accommodation to judges continue to remain a challenge to the Judicial Service.

According to Mrs Wood, the engagement of more judges by the judicial service as part of its reforms had invariably resulted in the increase in the number of judges who required accommodation from the state.

She said presently: 'Only 69 out of 143 superior court judges had been provided with official accommodation, resulting in a deficit of 74 judges without official accommodation and led to a deficit.'

The Chief Justice made this known at the inauguration five- storey block of executive flats for 10 High Court Judges at Roman Ridge in Accra at a cost of GHa 8 million.

Christened Liberty Court each flat consist of three bedrooms, living /dining rooms, a study room, a laundry room with two- bedroom out house.

Standard furnishing has been provided for each of the 10 flats. Rev Seth Ayettey dedicated the building to God.

As part of condition of service of judges, they were to be allocated fully furnished residential accommodation.

The Chief Justice recounted that the Judicial Service in 2010 embarked on a project to redevelop some of its old bungalow sites into modern residential facilities to house judges.

She said contract for bungalows was awarded in December 2010 adding: 'Sadly, the construction came to a standstill in 2013 as a result of funding constraints from the government.'

However, Mrs Wood said, the Judicial Service obtained authorisation from the Ministry of Finance to use part of the services internally generated fund to complete the project.

She recalled that at the end of September 2013, three out of six units' four bedroom flats were completed at East Ridge and three Court of Appeal judges occupied them.

'The second phase, involving the construction of three two-storey is in progress and expected to be completed in 2017.

'However, the construction of four two-bedroom bungalows at Danyame, Kumasi, for Court of Appeal Judges has come to a standstill due to funding challenges,' the Chief Justice said.

She commended the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the Judicial Council and constructors for good job done.

'I pray that our noble justices and their families who occupy this facility enjoy this facility,' Mrs Wood said.

Mr Justice Alex B. Poku Acheampong, the Judicial Secretary noted that the judiciary has had serious challenge over accommodation noting that the newly built flats was a great gift.

Mr Kofi Arhin, Project Consultant urged the judges hold in high esteem maintenance culture and alert him whenever they were any defects adding: 'Early defects save cost.'

GNA
20.12.2016 LISTEN

By Deborah Apetorgbor, GNA

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA - The Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, together with the University of Ghana Alumni Association, has provided an eye clinic at a cost of over GHa 60,000 to the University's Hospital in Accra.

The project forms part of the Bank's global initiative to tackle avoidable blindness and visual impairment under the programme 'Seeing Is Believing.'

The Programme, which started in 2003, has been in action for close to 14 years, and is a collaboration between the Standard Chartered Group and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

Mr Kweku Bedu-Addo, Chief Executive Officer of the Standard Chartered Bank, Ghana and West Africa, said the Bank had committed to raise $100 million for the period 2003 to 2020, for the 'Seeing Is Believing' Project around the globe.

He said that was being achieved through fund raising both internally as well as funds generated by the staff of the Bank.

He added that they had renovated eye clinics in Tarkwa, Takoradi, Bibiani, Sefwi Wiawso, Weija, Apam, Achimota, among others, adding 'the joy is in the relief that it brings to the communities, wherever we visit.'

Mr Bedu-Addo, however, requested that government be approached to redesign the way healthcare was being funded in the country.

He said because the proceeds went into the consolidated fund, the money did not get recycled and as such, considerable investments were being run down.

He said government should be persuaded to allow funds to be recycled into the sector.

'By donating the equipment, we are re-enforcing our commitment in the fight against avoidable blindness. It is our hope as a Bank that the equipment will go a long way to benefit all the communities in this catchment area.

'It's our way of ensuring that primary eye care is embedded in healthcare delivery in Ghana,' he said.

The Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive said with the Bank being in the country for 120 years, 'this is our token to the University that has provided most of our human resource.'

Prof Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, said the project was a good example of how partnership works, adding that no university could make any meaningful impact without its alumni.

He commended the alumni for their immeasurable contribution to the project and noted that partnering the alumni to develop the University was the way to go, especially in this era of 'dwindling funds'.

He added that such partnership added to the infrastructure of the University.

He further thanked the Bank on behalf of the management, stating that the Standard Chartered Bank was one of the oldest banks on the campus and has a significant role in bringing the University thus far.

Mr Paa Kwesi Yankey, Chairman of the University of Ghana Alumni Association, underscored the importance of the project and said lack of eye care usually affected student performance.

He urged the Bank to revisit the facility and organise screening programmes for students and staff to check their eyesight.

GNA
By Bajin D. Pobia/Aisha Abdul Aziz, GNA

Wa, Dec 20, GNA - The Volta Basin Authority (VBA) says four out of the six countries sharing water resources on the Volta Basin are indebted to it.

Ghana and Burkina Faso, which had the larger landmass of 41 percent and 42 percent of the Basin had for the past three years not been able to meet their obligations.

Except Ivory Coast and Mali, which provided regular and prompt payments, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin are indebted with some in three years arrears.

'These countries pay when they want to pay. Right now, the VBA is poor and without money it cannot recruit more qualify experts,' Dr. Rafatou Fofana, a Hydrologist at the VBA, has said.

Dr. Fofana made this known when she addressed stakeholders in the Black Volta Sub-Basin in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital at an 'information and awareness creation' meeting on Monday.

The meeting was to build the capacity of local stakeholders in the area of good water governance.

Dr Fofana said inadequate funding had affected the effective operations of the VBA, explaining: 'The VBA has challenges in human and material resources'.

The VBA needed Water Charter, to spell out rules and regulations clearers between the stakeholders and development partners.

Dr. Fofana said development partners were waiting for water charter and water strategic plan to engage with the VBA.

She explained that for the VBA to become self-financial sustainable, countries sharing water resources of the Volta Basin should be prepared to pay for pollution and high volume water usage.

The VBA Hydrologist urged all stakeholders to cooperate and report all challenges facing the Volta Basin.

'No country should create a project which would affect other beneficiary countries which also utilised the same water sources,' she advised.

'All should be aware of opportunities and risks and other related challenges on the basin,' Dr. Fofana added.

The VBA was established in January 2007 by Heads of State of the six countries that share the Volta Basin to promote permanent consultation and sustainable development of the water and related resources of the Volta Basin for equitable distribution of benefits towards poverty alleviation and better socio-economic integration.

GNA
Washington (AFP) - The US military has officially ended operations in a former Islamic State bastion in Libya, officials announced Tuesday.

The Pentagon had launched Operation Odyssey Lightning to help local forces push the jihadists from the coastal city of Sirte on August 1.

"In partnership with the Libyan Government of National Accord, the operation succeeded in its core objective of enabling GNA-aligned forces to drive Daesh (IS) out of Sirte," the US military's Africa Command said in a statement.

US drones, gunships and warplanes had hammered IS positions, conducting a total of 495 strikes.

"We are proud to have supported this campaign to eliminate ISIL's hold over the only city it has controlled outside Iraq and Syria," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters, using an IS acronym.

Officials said the United States would continue to strike IS jihadists if the Libyan unity government asked for help in doing so.

Unity government leader Fayez al-Sarraj on Saturday announced that military operations in Sirte were done, but IS still has fighters in Libya and on Sunday conducted a suicide attack in Benghazi.

The fall of Sirte -- Kadhafi's home town located 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Tripoli -- is a major setback for IS, which has also faced military defeats in Syria and Iraq.

Libya descended into chaos following the NATO-backed ousting of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival administrations emerging and well-armed militias vying for control of its vast oil wealth.
- Sixteen members of the European parliament have asked the European Union High Commission to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari on the detention of Nnamdi Kanu

- The MEPs called for independent investigation into the alleged killing, torture and illegal arrest of members of the Indigenous People of Biafra by security operatives

16 members of European parliament have asked EU high Comission to challenge President Buhari, DSS over Nnamdi Kanu's detention

Some members of the European parliament (MEP) have risen in support of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu.

The MEPs  16 in number  in a joint letter have asked the European Union High Commission to take action on human rights abuses against members of the IPOB.

The letter addressed to the High Representative and vice president of the EU high commission Federica Mogherini said the unlawful detention of Kanu and the violence against IPOB members by Nigerian government must be looked into.

The letter which was dated Monday, December 19, said Kanu has been illegally imprisoned since October 14, 2015, despite being acquitted of all charges brought against him by the Department of State Services.

READ ALSO: Biafra: Nnamdi kanus supporters deny Christianity (photos, video)

It was signed by Julie Ward, Ana Gomes, Bart Staes, Beatriz Becerra, Brando Benifei, Catherine Stihler, Ernest Urtasun, Eva Joly and Hilde Vautmans.

Others signatories to letter include: Jude Kirton-Darling, Kati Piri, Miapetra, Kumpula-Natri, Michele Rivasi, Nessa Childers, Pascal Durand and Philippe Lamberts.

The letter read in parts: The authorities accused Kanu and his two co-defendants, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, of trying to overthrow the Nigerian head of state by broadcasting secessionist propaganda on the underground media outlet Radio Biafra, which campaigns for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria. Kanu, Madubugwu and Nwawuisi deny all charges brought against them.

On 19th October in Abuja, the Chief Magistrate, Honourable Shuaibu, discharged Kanu of all criminal charges including the allegation of managing and belonging to an unlawful society, criminal intimidation and of criminal conspiracy. Shuaibu granted Kanu bail, of which all the conditions were met, but the Department of State Services refused to release him, the letter said.

READ ALSO: Biafra Panic: Buhari dares not step foot in Biafraland! - IPOB

The MEPs said charges of criminal conspiracy, engaging in unlawful society and criminal intimidation were then withdrawn on December 16, 2015, but still Kanu, Madubugwu and Nwawuisi have not been released.

On 17th December 2015, Justice Adeniyi Ademola ordered the unconditional release of Kanu from the custody of the Department of State Security Services, but this was not enacted.

Kanus counsel has since appealed to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help ensure his safe release, but to no avail. A court case on 5th October 2016 was later adjourned to 8th November, which has now been amended to 9th February 2017, due to the Nigeria Department of State Services failure to bring Kanu to court, it said.

It also accused the Nigerian government of sending warnings to the ECOWAS community court sitting in Abuja not to intervene in Kanus continued detention and trial.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Nnamdi Kanu's secret trial, judge under FIRE!

It is clear that the fundamental human rights of Kanu, Madubugwu and Nwawuisi are being grossly violated. Human Rights Watch have reported of the violation of the defendants rights, including their right to a fair trial.

What is more, the Nigerian Government is also reportedly violating the human rights of Biafran activists. Scores of Biafrans are in detention for attempting to hold or participate in peaceful assemblies, the letter added.

It further accused the Nigerian government and security forces of using excessive force against pro-Biafran activists who have embarked on peaceful protest in Nigeria.

Referring to Amnesty Internationals reports on cases of arrests, disappearance and torture of IPOB members by security operatives, the MEPs said, it is unfortunate that no investigations have been carried out.

READ ALSO: PHOTO NEWS: Strange men who supported Nnamdi Kanu in court

The right to peaceful assembly and association, as well as the right of freedom of expression, is protected by the Nigerian constitution. International human rights standards also require that law enforcement officials must, as far as possible, apply nonviolent means.

It is clear that the Nigerian authorities are not operating with respect to the Nigerian constitution or the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

The letter also said: On behalf of the European Union, especially in respect to the EU-Nigeria partnership, the Nigeria EU Joint Way Forward, the developments of the 6th Nigeria-EU ministerial dialogue and the fact that Nigeria is a recipient of EU aid, we call upon you to:

"Advocate for the immediate and safe release of Nnamdi Kanu and co-defendants Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi,"

READ ALSO: Secret trial: 5 things Nnamdi Kanu said about Buhari, number 2 sounds ABOMINABLE (video)

They also called on the EU High Commission to challenge the actions of the President Muhammadu Buhari, and the DSS in regards to the detention of Kanu, Madubugwu and Nwawuisi.

They called for an impartial investigation into the arrest, enforced disappearance, torture and killing of supporters and members of various pro-Biafran groups and denounce the unacceptable violence against Biafran supporters by Nigerian security forces.

They also urged the EU to do more to push the Nigerian government to safeguard human rights in Nigeria by calling for guarantees on the freedom of expression of all Nigerian citizens, including their right to protest without harm, and the termination of violence towards Biafrans.

Source: Legit.ng
A bench warrant has been issued against the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi by a Magistrate court in Osogbo, the capital of Osun state.

The Punch reports that the decision of the court followed the monarchs refusal to appear in a matter instituted by the Oluwo of Iwo Oke, Oba Kadiri Adeoye.

Court issues warrant of arrest against the monarch

The monarch was reportedly dragged to court on some criminal allegations.

The report said Oba Akanbi was represented in court on Tuesday, December 20, 2016 by his counsel, Mr Olaide Yekeen, but the presiding magistrate Olusola Aluko issued the bench warrant despite three applications, one for stay of proceeding; the other for a notice of preliminary objection and the third for a notice of appeal filed before the court.

READ ALSO: Nigerians must reject foreign goods  Aregbesola

It was learnt that at the last hearing of the case on December 2, the magistrate threatened to issue a bench warrant against the monarch if he refused to appear in court on Tuesday.

Yekeen had told the court that his client had several applications before it. He also argued that the notice of preliminary objection bordered on competence and jurisdiction of the court and should be heard first before the substantive application.

But Soji Oyetayo, the applicants counsel, told the court that it made an order which the Oluwo had refused to complied with.

In his ruling, the magistrate agreed with the respondent based on the issue of jurisdiction adding that the notice of appeal was not ripe.

READ ALSO: Osun under Aregbesola produced 170 millionaires through poultry outgrower scheme

The court mandated the first respondent to appear in court.

He has violated the court order of the last adjourned date. I hereby issue a bench warrant against him, the magistrate said.

Source: Legit.ng
Building a gingerbread house is on top of the to do list during the holiday season as it brings the family together creating a tasty treat for all to share. A resort in Pennsylvania raised the gingerbread house-making bar with a life-size house big enough to walk in.

Nemacolin Woodlands Resorts Chateau LaFayette created the life-size gingerbread house in its lobby for guests to discover.

The 12-by-14-by-12-foot house exists thanks to Pastry Chef Scott Tennant, who created the structure to look like a bakery storefront where guests can taste and buy homemade gingerbread to take home for the holidays.

The gingerbread house began coming to life in October by two carpenters who began building the wood frame that would hold the gingerbread as well as its icing and other sweet treats that decorated the house. Tennant told Travel + Leisure a 13-person team spent between 600 to 800 hours working on the project until it was finished.

The life-size gingerbread house is nearly a decade-long tradition at the Nemacolin Resort, but this is the first year the life-size edible was interactive and allowed guests inside. Guests have continually shown their enthusiasm for the gingerbread housetheir annual comments on the gingerbread aroma inspired Nemacolin chefs to build the life-size bakery.

Sometimes the scent of the house is too much for the guests who cant wait to buy their own goodies they snag a taste of the life-size gingerbread house. Pastry chefs have to check the structure every morning and night to smooth over the corners, according to Nemacolins director of marketing Ashli Mazer-Workman.

Lauren Spiler is a freelance journalist based in Athens, Georgia. Most call her Spiler.
One of the grosser narratives of this election season is that it is incumbent upon liberals to reach out to conservatives in search of common ground, to see past the ugliness and divisive rhetoric of the last eighteen months and unite in the building of a better future. The admonition almost invariably goes right to left, as in Nicholas Kristofs argument that liberal college students ought to be exposed to Republicans, Ross Douthats similarly bumbling screed against social liberalism in the media, and even Trevor Noahs appeal to the very centrism that turned the Democratic party into the smoldering ash heap it is today. Those targeted by extremism, the argument goes, must break bread with extremists if they hope to get anywhere. Given the particular shade of extremism that won this election, its fair to apply a blunter reading: Those disenfranchised by white supremacy must negotiate with white supremacists.

The latest entry in this narrative came last night, when Full Frontals Samantha Bee hosted nationalist firebrand Glenn Beck for a Christmas Sweater Summit. Beck, you may recall, has said the Affordable Care Act is stealth reparations, described President Obamas policies 9/11 all over again, and straight-up wrote a book called It IS About Islam. He has spent his career stoking racism and nativism. He championed the Tea Party and fueled the conspiracy theories at its base, declaring as recently as last year that Obama is practically a foreigner. He also, unfortunately, really thought Ted Cruz was gonna win the election. When it became apparent this would not be the case, Beck was forced to pivot to the anti-Trump market, which means trying to appeal to liberals. As he recently told NPRs Bob Garfield: Im retooling for the future, as everybodyevery business should be, knowing that if you dont retool every three, four years youre going to be out of business. So Im retooling that. As far as message, I hope Im different.

Thats well and good for Glenn Beck, who has every right to respond to market conditions in the pursuit of fame and money. Like Donald Trump, hes a huckster, and in this country you are free to be a huckster. Whats disappointing is that Samantha Bee, the fieriest voice in late night, would capitulate so easily to Becks ruse. In Christmas sweaters and measured tones, the two lament how catastrophist our media has become. I hate to break it to you, Beck says, leaning forward. Ive been watching you. Youve adopted a lot of my catastrophe, kind of, traits. His evidence: Do you believe theres a chance we fall into a dictatorship under Donald Trump? Do you think theres a freedom of speech and press under this president? Bee, inexplicably, rolls with it. Jesus Christ, she says. Glenn Beck is gonna make me cry.

But this is as false as an equivalence can get. In Becks case, catastrophist means calling Islam a menace and Obamacare 9/11. Concerns about an authoritarian Trump Administration gain new legitimacy each day. Whether or not you like Bees brand of liberal fury, there is no question that Full Frontal is rigorously researched and steers clear of conspiracy theories. Her apparent belief that Becks rebrand is genuineHe seems to be a deeply sincere and decent person, she saysis naive in the face of his obvious manipulation. Even if his turnaround is sincere, which I very much doubt, he has nothing to offer but half-hearted pleas for forgiveness. And it does not seem coincidental that his media venture, the Blaze, is collapsing.

Bees justification for hosting Beck has the veneer of progressive intentions. I think that our future is going to require a broad coalition of decency, she says. Its not just individual people against Donald Trump, its all of us against Trumpism. So I actually think its important to reach into places where we wouldnt normally reach. Sure. Liberals lost the Presidency and have pitiful representation in state legislatures; clearly it is time for some out-of-the-box thinking. But maybe, just maybe, there are more decent people outside of that box than someone very directly responsible for the Tea Party? When Jimmy Fallon ruffled Trumps hair, Bee rightly lambasted him for normalizing a man who peddles violence, ignorance and intolerance. Last night she put a Christmas sweater on Glenn Beck and normalized him too. At least Trevor Noah pushed back against Tami Lahren, for instance, when she said she doesnt see color; Bee rolls right over. There is nothing productive or entertaining here, and frankly its insulting to her viewersespecially those who have been targeted by Becks invectiveto give him a platform. The left has nothing to gain from this man. Decency will not save us from kleptocracy anymore than it saved us from Trumps election.

I am skeptical too of Bees assertion that its not just individual people against Trump, its all of us against Trumpism. Trumpism did not win the election. Trumpism came nearly three million votes short. The volume and tenor of its voice is situated almost entirely in Donald Trump and his strategist Steve Bannon, whose Breitbart just happens to have edged Beck out of the market. Republicans at every level of power were denouncing Trumpism until almost exactly the moment he hit 270 electoral votes. He is the locus of white supremacy in America. Bees broad coalition of decency already exists; perhaps the priority should not be continued normalization of white supremacists but obstruction of the vicious minority that seeks to undermine our democracy. The belief that we must seek common ground with extremists is a bad one. The belief that we must link arms with those who enabled them is hardly better. If we are to give anyone voice, perhaps it could be the good people who currently have none.
Italys troubled and floundering banks have continuously failed to stabilize and have steadily increased in number, sprawling across the country. In fact, per CNN Money, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development states that there are more bank branches than there are pizzerias in Italy.

On Monday, the Italian Government announced that they are asking parliament for 20 billion (or $20.8 billion) to attempt to stabilize the countrys banks. Italys banking sector has become a worrisome area for both the government at large and individual investorsit is burdened by hundreds of billions of dollars in loans.

Italy is the Eurozones third-largest economy, and the countrys banking trouble has many worried about the health of the EU economy and the Euro.

Italy is already in $2.34 trillion in debta debt that surpasses the countrys GDP by 136 percent. That imbalance is second only to Greece among EU countries.

Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzis resignation further knocked Italian banks off kilter. Renzis successor, Paolo Gentiloni, stated that the request for the massive loan was a precautionary measure.
In the wake of Donald Trumps shocking win, The Oxy Electorate has become a simple catchall to define a complex socioeconomic problem in Americas former manufacturing centers. The West Virginia Gazette and Mail reported over the weekend that the despair in these areas is being met with a tsunami of painkillers from Americas drug companies. Per Eric Eyre:



In six years, drug wholesalers showered the state with 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills, while 1,728 West Virginians fatally overdosed on those two painkillers, a Sunday Gazette-Mail investigation found. The unfettered shipments amount to 433 pain pills for every man, woman and child in West Virginia.



These numbers will shake even the most cynical observer, said former Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne, a retired pharmacist who finished his term earlier this month. Distributors have fed their greed on human frailties and to criminal effect. There is no excuse and should be no forgiveness.



The entire story is as maddening as it is detailed and well-reported, providing maps and charts to help the reader visualize the scale of the problem. There are clearly three companies most to blame: Cardinal Health, AmeriSource Bergen, and McKesson, as this chart demonstrates.

Simple racism is not enough to explain the election of Donald Trump. There are two Americas: areas centered around the Industrial Revolution, and others based on the Digital Revolution. Not only is society leaving people behind as it moves into a new era, but some of our largest conglomerates are exploiting that pain and desperation. You should definitely take some time out of your day to check out part one as well as part two. Widespread informed anger is one of the most effective ways to combat capitalism which preys on the weak and vulnerable.
Regardless of your politics, you kind of have to agree that celebrating Australia Day on January 26th is just a little bit ridiculous.

While the arrival of the First Fleet might have been a long time ago, holding Australia Day (a day, in theory, for all of the beautiful people that make up with beautiful country) on a day that either ignores or seemingly takes pride in a violent act from European Australians towards Indigenous Australians seems a little bit on the nose, and theres a growing movement to have the date moved to something a little less inflammatory.

It wouldnt be the first time  its been held on various different dates throughout the years, and has only officially been a national holiday for all the states and territories since 1988  thats right, its only as old as Die Hard.

The movement faces opposition from people who believe that either it was too long ago for it to really be important or that depicting European colonisation as invasion is a re-writing of history.

While the campaign to have the date of Australia Day changed is definitely picking up, theres also an interim campaign running in tandem to have the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown changed to a date that isnt Australia Day  which seems more manageable, as youd only really have to win over people under 25, instead of every racist uncle in the country.

Despite a push to have it changed for next year, it did not go down, but people are still trying, with one group in particular trying to get A.B. Originals song January 26  a protest of Australia Days very awkward date  into the Hottest 100 as a not very subtle conversation starter.

In their own words:

Earlier this year, triple j finally listened to the thousands of voices calling for respect and had a review into the date they hold the Hottest 100 countdown. Unfortunately, they decided the whining of a noisy minority of racists on the internet was more important than showing a bit of empathy towards Australias first peoples and left the celebration on that day, perpetuating division and hurt. Most young Australians dont have Australia Day parties, because weve begun to recognise that celebrating invasion, dispossession and genocide is what is commonly called a Major Dick Move. But because triple j holds its Hottest 100 countdown on that date, thousands of people across the country celebrate on a day which is one of mourning for Australias first people. By voting for a song which is both an explanation and rejection of the idea of January 26 as a day of celebration  and which also happens to be a thorough banger, thanks to the effort of Briggs, Trials and Dan Sultan  we have the ability to send a message to triple j. Lets end the division and change the date. Vote for A.B. Originals January 26 in the Hottest 100.

It might be a bit of a stretch to say that most young Australians dont have Australia Day parties (people love a public holiday), but otherwise it seems like a pretty solid plan.

Theyve created a Facebook event for people to show their support / get other people on board, and you can check it out right here.

Source: Facebook.

Photo: Facebook / A.B. Original.
Court Orders Phil Ivey to Return $10.1M to Borgata

December 19, 2016 Katie Callahan

A federal judge has ordered 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Ivey and his associate to return more than $10 million to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City as part of a lengthy set of federal court rulings on his edge-sorting, reported The Associated Press.

U.S. District Court Judge Noel Hillman ruled last week that Ivey and his companion at the table, Cheung Yin Sun, must return $10.1 million to the casino, getting the casino and the players back to the state they were in prior to playing. That includes some of Iveys other winnings at the casino, including his time playing craps.

The judge did reiterate that Ivey did not break the rules of Baccarat or commit fraud, only that he had breached casino contract, something that split court opinion back in late October of 2016. Ed Jacobs, Iveys attorney, said that Ivey had beat the casino at its own game and would appeal the ruling soon, as the casino agreed to every condition of Iveys play in each of his four visits in 2012.

What this ruling says is a player is prohibited from combining his skill and intellect and visual acuity to beat the casino at its own game, Jacobs said to The Associated Press. The casino agreed to every single accommodation requested by Phil Ivey in his four visits because they were eager to try to win his money.

Borgata requested that the judge use a different methodology to assess the damages to the casino, reaching up to $15.5 million (including $250,000 requested in comp repayments), but the judge rejected both requests, the first because the casinos method of trying to predict how much they would have won had the pair not used edge sorting was too speculative, according to The Associated Press.

Earlier in December of this year, Ivey contested Borgatas request for his $9.6 million in baccarat winnings.

Ivey was also involved in another series of court cases, losing his appeal against Genting Casinos UK, who withheld 7.8 million, his winnings from Punto Banco at Crockfords Casino, after he used edge sorting.
David Baazov Steps Away From $6.7B PokerStars Bid

December 20, 2016 Katie Callahan

David Baazov, the Amaya founder, withdrew his $4.1 billion bid efforts to take PokerStars private, reported Bloomberg. The overall value of the bid came in around $6.7 billion when accounting for debt.

Baazov said in a statement Dec. 20 that the stockholder price was too lofty for him to continue. Baazov has a 17 percent stake in Amaya, making him the second largest shareholder of the company, according to data from Bloomberg.

It became evident that the share price premium demanded by certain shareholders exceeded the price at which my investors and I would be willing to complete a transaction, Baazov said in the statement.

Originally Baazov proposed a C$24 a share cash bid, but that bid was changed when Dubai investor KBC denied involvement in the investment. Baazov had found an alternate funder, but apparently to no avail.

According to Bloomberg, Amayas market value dived to its lowest position this month: C$2.66 billion. A U.S. activist investor that upped its stake in Amaya, SpringOwl Asset Management, had criticized Baazovs offer as being too low and lacking transparency.

Baazov still faces issues with Quebecs securities regulators regarding his trading, some of which required him to step down from his position as chief executive officer earlier this year.
Award reflects company's consistently high level of customer service

Media Contact

Wendell DePaiva

totalcomfort@ live.com

(781) 697-9016 Wendell DePaiva(781) 697-9016

End

-- Total Comfort Mechanical has earned the home service industry's coveted Angie's List Super Service Award, reflecting another exemplary year of customer service to members of the local services marketplace and consumer review site in 2016.This achievement is particularly significant as Angie's List experienced unprecedented member growth in 2016. More than 1.6 million consumers, many of whom were eager to quickly hire highly qualified service pros, joined Angie's List after the company added a new, free membership tier."Companies that can meet higher demands without missing a beat in their exemplary performance standards truly do stand apart from their peers," said Angie's List Founder Angie Hicks. "Only a fraction of the Heating and Air Conditioning companies in Massachusetts were able to do it."Angie's List Super Service Award 2016 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an "A" rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade. The SSA winners must also be in good standing with Angie's List, pass a background check and abide by Angie's List operational guidelines."This is the fourth consecutive year that Total Comfort Mechanical has been honored with this award," said Wendell DePaiva, General Manager. "It is a testament to our commitment to total customer satisfaction, and we truly thank our customers for making it possible."Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie's List as new, verified consumer reviews are submitted. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality.For more than 21 years, Angie's List restricted access to its verified reviews to consumers who paid membership fees. When the company removed that barrier, some companies worried that the new, non-paying members would not be as engaged as members of the past. Experience has shown, however, that these newly added members are just as engaged  across all age groups  as prior members. Also, because the company continues to adhere to its review verification process, there has been no degradation of review quality."The biggest change at Angie's List is that we are connecting even more consumers to high quality service professionals,"Hicks said. "And that's good for everyone."Founded by DePaiva in 2009, Total Comfort Mechanical serves the Massachusetts cities of Burlington, Bedford, Lexington, Winchester and surrounding MA locations. The company offers a wide range of heating and cooling services and specializes in energy-efficient indoor climate options, with a focus on ductless heat pump and air conditioning installation. For more information, visit the company website at www.totalcomfortmech.com ###Angie's List helps facilitate happy transactions between more than 4.5 million consumers nationwide and its collection of highly rated service providers in more than 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. Built on a foundation of more than 10 million verified reviews of local service, Angie's List connects consumers directly to its online marketplace of services from member-reviewed providers, and offers unique tools and support designed to improve the local service experience for both consumers and service professionals.
Multimodal West Africa will run concurrently with the hugely successful Nigeria Manufacturing Equipment Expo and the Nigerian Raw Material Expo in Lagos in March 2017.

By: Multimodal West Africa 2017

The largest conglomerate of industrial, transport and logistics sectors

Media Contact

Multimodal West Africa 2017

annemarie.roodbol@ spintelligent.com

+27217003500 Multimodal West Africa 2017+27217003500

End

-- Due to overwhelming industry support and in a bid to ensure delivery of value to all stakeholders by enhancing proper representation of all actors in the entire value chain of the transport and logistics sector of the Nigeria economy, the, is now to be held from 14-16 March 2017 at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos."The relevance and huge potential opportunities the exhibition possesses, required the industry to act on the unique platform to co-locatewith theand" says Dele Alimi, Managing Director of Clarion Events West Africa, the organisers of both events. He adds "with over 50 top transport and logistics companies, over 120 equipment manufacturers, over 100 raw materials manufacturers and other allied industry like finance, insurance and consultancy services displaying their equipment, product and services during the March event, it would be the largest conglomerate ever of the industrial, transport and logistics sectors in Nigeria, over a three-day period."He adds: "with confirmed audience of 3,700 manufacturers already attending NME, the synergy of an additional audience of 2,000 cargo owners and shippers provides unprecedented networking potential and business opportunities. For terminals & ports, freight forwarders, shipping lines and clearing agents the unique prospect of reaching more than 5,000 customers in the space of three days will deliver incredible value to the entire industrial sector value chain!""Furthermore"says Dele, "the manufacturers who had planned to visitnow have an even stronger value proposition and are able to find more cost effective and efficient supply chain solutions showcased in theexhibition for the movement of their cargo.He continues: "when you consider that 90% of exhibitors for the NME are foreign equipment manufacturers from all over the world, 90% of the exhibitors for the MMWA and the NIRAM Expo are indigenous, it gives us a right mix of local and foreign business people to create a robust business event that will add tremendous value to the Nigerian industrial sector and would support the Federal Government's efforts to revitalize the Nigerian industrial sector".Some of the confirmedspeakers include;-Hajia Aisha Ali Ibrahim, FCILT,FNIS/ AGM Operations Nigerian Ports Authority-Mr. Hassan Bello, Esq, The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council,-Dr. Obiora E. Madu, Chief Facilitator/CEO, Multimix Academy, Nigeria-Mrs. Oluremi Ajayi, General Manager, DSV, Nigeria-Gabriel Aghunor, General Manger, Gadolng, Nigeria-Temitope Ogunfayo, Operational Manager, Procter & Gamble, Nigeria-Mr. Alban Igwe, Deputy National President, Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport-Mr. Francis Ehiguese, Director Governing Council, Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport, Suleiman Ibrahim, Capital Project and Infrastructure, PwC Nigeria-Babatunde Omolabi, Warehouse, Manager, Guinness Nigeria Plc-Suleiman Ibrahim, Capital Project and Infrastructure, PwC Nigeria-Kunle Adebajo, CEO, Ove Arup & Partners Nigeria LimitedAccording to Dele Alimi, the various free conferencing opportunities and the 4th mPAD sessions also holding concurrently, the event will also develop capacities and provide tremendous networking opportunities for all participants.is organised by the specialist, exhibition and conference organiser, Clarion Events West Africa, the Nigeria office of the Clarion Events Global Group. The same organisers responsible for the widely acclaimed Nigeria Manufacturing & Equipment Expo which took place March in Lagos, attracting more than 2,600 attendees, with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) as event patrons.With nine years' experience in the transport and logistics industry, Clarion Events West Africa and the Clarion Events Multimodal portfolio successfully connect cargo owners, shippers, major importers and exporters with freight forwarders, ship owners, shipping lines, ports & terminal operators as well as official government bodies to bring about greater port activity, increase connectivity and display the latest solutions for a slicker supply chain. The portfolio consists of Multimodal, held in London, UK; The Supply Chain & Logistics Summit & Expo, held in Europe; and Multimodal West Africa, held in Lagos, Nigeria.Exhibition and conference: 14-16 March 2017Venue: Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, NigeriaWebsite: http://www.multimodalwestafrica.com Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/ MultiModal_WA- 1322834687727066/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MultiModal_WALinkedIN: MultiModal West_AfricaSenior communications manager: Annemarie RoodbolTelephone: +27 21 700 3558Mobile: +27 82 562 7844Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com
Cornerstone Credit Union League Honors Texas Trust with Pinnacle Awards for Community Involvement and Celebratory Special Event.

By: Texas Trust Credit Union

Texas Trust received two Pinnacle Awards

Contact

Kristine Tanzillo

***@duxpr.com Kristine Tanzillo

End

-- A highly successful community relations initiative and high profile event from Texas Trust Credit Union have won Pinnacle Awards from the Cornerstone Credit Union League. Pinnacle Awards are given to credit unions that demonstrate excellence in credit union marketing, public relations, and business development.Texas Trust received a Pinnacle Award for its Spirit in Action initiative and its One Million Brighter celebration.The Spirit in Action program received a Pinnacle Award for Public Relations and Community Involvement. The multi-pronged program was the result of an aggressive effort to build relationships at the administration level with school districts in Texas Trust's membership area. The primary foundation of the partnerships was the Spirit Debit Reward card, a uniquely designed debit card that pays schools 10 cents for every debit card transaction.The effort greatly expanded Texas Trust's membership, and use of the Spirit Debit card allowed Texas Trust to give more than $1 million to local schools for their participation in the program. The program successfully elevated Texas Trust's visibility in the community, resulting in public recognition and accolades from school administrators and community leaders.Texas Trust's One Million Brighter celebration was recognized with a Pinnacle Award as an outstanding special event. It was the credit union's creative way to celebrate $1 million in giving related to its Spirit in Action program. The One Million Brighter celebration took place at a community-wide event at the University of Texas at Arlington's College Park Center. It was attended by thousands, including students from each participating school district, parents, and school faculty and administrators."The Spirit in Action program and the One Million Brighter celebration embodied the theme of this year's marketing conference, 'Imagine. Create. Grow.'" said Alison Wolf, Pinnacle Award committee chair. "Both the program and special event were innovative, creative, and most importantly, generated growth within Texas Trust's membership, which is everything the Pinnacle Award was created to honor."Award winners were recognized at the League's annual marketing and business development conference. Shelley Carlson, Texas Trust Vice President of Marketing, accepted the award from the Cornerstone League.About the Cornerstone LeagueThe Cornerstone Credit Union League is the nation's largest regional credit union trade association, serving more than 500 credit unions in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Cornerstone exists to advance the success of credit unions in the region through legislative and grassroots advocacy; regulatory and compliance support; training, educational, and networking opportunities;essential communications related to the news and information affecting the credit union industry; and other products and services that establish Cornerstone as the essential partner for credit unions.About Texas Trust Credit UnionTexas Trust Credit Union was created in 1936 when a group of Chance Vought Aircraft Corporation employees pooled their savings so they could help each other achieve financial goals. Today, more than 80,000 members are served through checking and savings accounts; loans (personal, mortgage, auto, and small business); credit cards; insurance products; and investment services. Texas Trust Credit Union supports local students through its "Spirit Debit Rewards" program. With every swipe of an eligible SDR card, funds are donated to the school or district of the member's choosing. To date, Texas Trust has donated over $1.3 million since August 2011. Texas Trust serves members in Dallas, Tarrant, Henderson, Ellis, and Johnson counties through 16 locations in Mansfield, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Cedar Hill, Midlothian, DeSoto, Hurst, and Athens. With assets of $950 million, Texas Trust is one of the largest credit unions in North Texas and the 18th largest in Texas. For more information, visit http://www.TexasTrustCU.org or follow us on facebook.com/texastrustcu or Twitter at @texastrustcu
By: James Hilgendorf

End

-- James Hilgendorf stopped today in Fremont, California as part of his continuing journey of meeting people in towns and cities all across America, under the banner of "Traveling to a New America". He is asking people what they feel about our country at this point in time.He filed this report:"This is not the old white America of trim lawns and white-washed picket fences. White America numbers only about a third of the population here. Half of the population of this city of around 230,000, just north of San Jose, is Asian by roots  Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Pakistani, Japanese, Burmese, with the largest population of Afghan Americans also in the United States.While here, I met Arnaldo and his two children.Arnaldo is originally from Arequipa, Peru, the second largest city in Peru. He came to the United States seven years ago, and is a United States citizen.We talked about life in America.Arnaldo, what's your take on America at this time?"I think everything is money, I think everything is just money. Democrats and Republicans are looking for money. They just want to make more money, and the bad side of this is the people, like me, work for them. We expend our lives for them. We make a little money to live, they make a ton of money to make more money. We're thinking of moving to another State or somewhere else, because specifically here is, to me, turning crazy. The price of the real estate is on the skies, the relation between how much money you make between the cost of living is big."Everybody says the American Dream is buy a house, have a good breakfast, lunch and dinner, and spend as much time with your kids as possible. That, to me, is a great idea of the American Dream, but how are you going to spend time with your kids if you start at 6 a.m. everyday, and come back around eight or nine p.m. The kids are in day care, so you are not with your kids, somebody else is taking care of them, and you have to pay for them, and you do not know what's going on over there. So the American Dream is a little distorted. We are in 2016, too many people in the world, there are few resources, there is too many things going on. If I can compare this country with other countries, I think we are fine, because in relation it's better than Peru, for example. But the American Dream is far from the reality."What can change things for the better?"I think everything starts with the kids. If you spend more time with them, if you teach them to do the good things, if you tell them money is not everything and you teach them more values, they can probably do something. This is a dream, but it's far from the reality. It starts with you, and how you can teach them. It starts with you. The people don't have the time though, because they are working, they are trying to put some food on the table, they don't have time to teach the kids."Do you think the leaders in our government are thinking about the people?"They have to think about the people, because if they don't do that eventually  I don't know if it's going to be that extreme, like a civil war  but something is going to happen."James Hilgendorf is a filmmaker, speaker, poet, and the author of ten non-fiction books that are opening the way to a new vision of ourselves, a new dream of America, a new religion for the world.His website is at: http://www.jameshilgendorf.org His Facebook Page, "Traveling to a New America" is at: http://www.facebook.com/ NewDreamOfAmerica
Weihong Hsing discussed global IP trends with pharma and biotech leaders in China

By: Panitch Schwarze

Contact

Rose Strong

***@furiarubel.com Rose Strong

End

-- Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel intellectual property attorney Weihong Hsing, Ph.D., recently participated in the China Pharma Intellectual Property Summit 2016.Held Nov. 17 and 18 in Shanghai, the summit presented an overview of the latest trends in IP protection legislation and provided policy updates from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office (EPO), and the State Intellectual Property Office of the P.R.C. (SIPO). Featured speakers included experienced IP attorneys and IP business leaders from Chinese and multinational corporations.Hsing acted as a co-chair of the conference. In addition, she also moderated a panel entitled "Interpretation Patent Dance of BPCIA and Its Influences on Biosimilars and Innovative Drugs."A partner at Panitch Schwarze, Hsing specializes in patent-related issues in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical arts. Her practice involves the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, IP due diligence in mergers & acquisitions, opinion work on patent validity and infringement, rights to operate and patentability analyses, as well as technical support for patent litigation.Prior to switching to the private practice of law, Hsing worked as a patent manager at Johnson & Johnson, where she drafted and prosecuted patent applications, undertook patent and prior art analysis, and assisted in strategic counseling and patent portfolio development and management. Before starting her legal career, she was a research scientist at Princeton University and a senior scientist at a biotech start-up company. She also served as an adjunct professor for an IP licensing course at Temple Law School. To learn more, visit the firm's website.About Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP  Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is a boutique intellectual property law firm with offices in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. The firm's IP law practitioners provide strategic litigation, licensing and counseling service relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, domain names and internet issues domestically and internationally. The firm's long-standing relationships with a network of associates worldwide enable its attorneys and advisors to provide clients with global intellectual property advice and protection.
NCQA Patient-Centered Home standards emphasize enhanced care through patient-clinician partnership

By: Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida

Jon P. Burdzy, D. O.

Contact

Susan Bennett Marketing & Media, L.C.

***@susanbennett.biz Susan Bennett Marketing & Media, L.C.

End

-- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has announced that Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida has received NCQA Level #3 Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition for using evidence-based, patient-centered processes that focus on highly coordinated care and longterm, participative relationships.The NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home is a model of primary care that combines teamwork and information technology to improve care, improve patients' experience of care and reduce costs. Medical homes foster ongoing partnerships between patients and their personal clinicians, instead of approaching care as the sum of episodic office visits. Each patient's care is overseen by clinician-led care teams that coordinate treatment across the health care system. Research shows that medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patient and provider reported experiences of care."NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition raises the bar in defining high-quality care by emphasizing access, health information technology and coordinated care focused on patients," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "Recognition shows that Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida has the tools, systems and resources to provide its patients with the right care, at the right time.""Our goal is to provide patient-centric care to our patients. Attaining certification as a patient-centered medical home is a natural extension of this. We have revamped the way we operate our practice to improve a patient's access to their physicians, medical records, preventative care and routine health maintenance,"said Dr. Jon Burdzy, a family medicine physician with Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida. "We have empowered all of the members of our team to advocate for our patients to improve their health and provide a better, more caring environment."To earn recognition, which is valid for three years, Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida demonstrated the ability to meet the program's key elements, embodying characteristics of the medical home. NCQA standards aligned with the joint principles of the Patient-Centered Medical Home established with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Osteopathic Association.Physicians' Primary Care of Southwest Florida, a physician-owned and operated medical practice, was formed in 1996 by many long practicing local physicians and has grown to become the largest independent multi-specialty primary care practice in Southwest Florida. Medical specialties include internal medicine, family practice, obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics. Offices are conveniently located in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Lehigh Acres. For more information, visit www.ppcswfl.com NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's Web site (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
Contact

Kelley Kronenberg

***@kelleykronenberg.com Kelley Kronenberg

End

-- Howard L. Wander, Principal Partner and Chief Operating Officer with the full service business law firm Kelley Kronenberg, was recently honored by South Florida Business & Wealth magazine at the publication's 2016 Apogee Awards. Mr. Wander was selected as the COO honoree for Palm Beach.The Apogee Awards is a unique awards program created by South Florida Business & Wealth magazine to recognize distinguished leaders who hold positions in the C-Suite of companies. The honorees included a select group of individuals in South Florida whose dedication to their occupation and to their industries and communities deserves particular recognition. South Florida Business & Wealth, a publication of Lifestyle Media Group, is the leading provider and trusted resource for business and economic information affecting the region.Mr. Wander has helped lead the strategic growth and direction of Kelley Kronenberg, and was directly involved in developing the firm into a multi-office Florida practice. He opened the West Palm Beach office more than 20 years ago, where he currently serves as Managing Partner. In addition to his leadership role with the firm, he continues to maintain an active litigation and trial caseload in the areas of insurance defense litigation and property & casualty, with a focus on representation of employers, third-party administrators and insurance carriers.Among his professional achievements, Mr. Wander is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, which indicates the highest professional and ethical standards and is the highest rating a lawyer can receive. He has been recognized as a "Power Leader in Law" by the South Florida Business Journal as well as a "Top Lawyer" in the South Florida Legal Guide. He was also recognized as a "Legal Elite" by Florida Trend magazine, a "2010 Legal Impact Leader" in South Florida Business Leader magazine and was honored as a "Leading Lawyer" in the South Florida Business Journal's Book of Law in 2012.###Kelley Kronenberg is a diverse, full-service business law firm that provides litigation and other legal services to established corporations, insurance companies, entrepreneurs and individuals in Florida and other regions of the U.S. More than 115 attorneys strong, the firm offers 25 distinct practice areas throughout its network of ten offices in Florida and Illinois. Founded in 1980, Kelley Kronenberg was built on relationships and continues to grow and excel because of its strength, offering sound legal counsel and exceptional client service. Kelley Kronenberg is ranked in the Top 25 Largest Law Firms in South Florida by the South Florida Business Journal, and has been recognized as a Top Law Firm in Florida by the South Florida Legal Guide and LexisNexis  Martindale-Hubbell. More information on practice areas and office locations is available at www.kelleykronenberg.com.
Merrill Leon Franz with Ron Franz announce the release of their book, Freedom to Worship, How to Guard Your Constitutional Right from Government Agencies to assist private citizens in protecting their right to worship freely in the United States

By: Merrill and Ron Franz, authors

Contact

Frank Burrows

The Right to Speak Freely

***@therighttospeakfreely.com Frank BurrowsThe Right to Speak Freely

End

-- Merrill Leon Franz and Ron Franz want to teach the public how to stand up for their Constitutional rights when the state or local governments force their way into private citizens' freedoms and rights.In increasing numbers, private citizens across the United States are dealing with local and state governments who are fining and citing them for violations of local laws restricting worship privately. Ron Franz states: "There is no Constitutional law against gathering to practice religion in the United States: state agencies are the real culprit."According to Ron Franz, the book outlines how to use due process and describes the pathway to petition the government. It is a proven process and has worked each and every time it has been put into use by a private citizen, without the use of attorneys. "And that is the best kept secret of the attorneys" says Ron. "They don't want to lose money, but the average citizen is able to demand a hearing to discuss charges brought against them. Every state is required by law to have a chartered pathway for administrative hearing. It is effective, cheap, and simple." The book,, is meant to help the public, and specifically pastors and ministers, in dealing with state agencies.Merrill and Ron Franz do not resist the law or those who uphold the law, as some say who have accused them of being sovereign citizens after property dealings in St. Marie Montana. Paraphrased from Ron Franz, the acknowledgement of the book states: In thankfulness for this great land, the men and women who serve, for law, order and trust of the principles this country was founded upon. Merrill and Ron Franz have a mission of educating private citizens regarding the Constitution and their rights held there in.God was once central to the United States. Over time, worship of God has been pushed aside by the very freedoms that the United States affords its citizens. Those who worship are guaranteed that freedom. "Freedom to Worship" by Merrill Leon Franz and Ron Franz offers a chance for private citizens to take a stand and protect themselves from those who want to smother the rights and freedoms of others. The book can be found on Amazon.com, visit https://www.amazon.com/ Freedom-Worship- constitutional- infringement- governmental/ dp/1517588448/ ref=sr_1_1?s= books&ie= UTF8&qid= 1480972786& sr=1-1&keywords= Freedom+to+Worship% 3A+How+to+Guard+ Your+Constitutional+ rights for more information.
By: Phenomena Corporation

Carla R Jenkins

End

-- This is a totally unexpected honor that Medium has bestowed in my inbox. Out of nowhere, Medium informs me that I am one of its top ten readers and writers for this year! I am extremely grateful because all I ever want to do with my blogs are to communicate and share ideas, concepts and knowledge. That's the gist of everything. Regarding my Carlarjenkins.com blog, I want to share my company's current events. With PositivityChange.com, I want to communicate the change management industry and how to implement positive change in your life. Finally, with PM.Expert, I want to share my project management expertise to save you time, money and frustration. I have sprinkled in some eBay Adventures from my Blogger.com site detailing my reseller journey for good measure. I guess that doing all of this sharing and storytelling have endeared me to so many people!Medium has kept stats on my performance (because I am not keeping count): Published 319 stories 3,965 people read my stories 74 people followers my account I recommended 29 stories.And, I was just happy that people read my articles and I got 225 followers yesterday (read here: ). I feel quite tingly and beaming with pride that I am in the top ten. This is an achievement when Medium is filled with social media influencers, politicos (the White House published regularly) and New York Times bestselling authors. Achieving this top ten Medium honor reinforces my status of a social media influencer!Follow me on Medium here: https://medium.com/@ carlarjenkins
Alternative relational database vendor gets equal footing with traditional players and fosters healthier competition in the market

By: TmaxSoft

TmaxSoft

Contact

EASTWEST Public Relations for TmaxSoft

Melinda Lim

***@eastwestpr.com EASTWEST Public Relations for TmaxSoftMelinda Lim

End

-- TmaxSoft, a multinational technology innovator focused on infrastructure software, today announced some of its business milestones achieved in ASEAN in 2016, including strategic customer acquisitions in the large enterprise segment, public sector penetration, and access to future relational database technology tenders in ASEAN.TmaxSoft is successfully expanding its enterprise customer base across multiple industries in the ASEAN region. Amongst the recent client acquisitions include a major telco player in Thailand, a leading credit reporting agency in Malaysia, and Singapore institutions. TmaxSoft also penetrated the public sector by servicing government agencies with their relationship database management system (RDBMS). Furthermore, 2016 also marks TmaxSoft's foray as an alternative technology vendor levelling the playing field in RDBMS and being recognised as a strong contender for tenders related to government projects in RDBMS that was dominated by oligopoly of a few legacy players."2016 was a milestone year for TmaxSoft ( http://www.tmaxsoft.com/ sg_en/ ) with strategic customer acquisitions in the large enterprise segment as well as the public sector. These wins validate our value proposition in offering a robust scalable, resource efficient RDBMS solution that provides the data security, resiliency together with a transparent licensing model in a cost-efficient manner bridging the gap between legacy relational databases which is a biggest deciding factor for many enterprises to switch over," said David Kim, Managing Director, TmaxSoft Singapore.According to a recent report by IDC, the database market globally is set to increase from $40billion in 2015 to $50billion by 2018. As traditional enterprise business models are transforming towards digital business models and given the rapid expansion of information and data in the enterprise, CIOs are constantly searching for ways to be innovative keeping costs low. TmaxSoft's Tibero offer enterprise CIOs the viable alternative to support their global IT powerhouses and drive competitive advantage in comparison to the legacy vendors at half the cost and with a transparent licensing model.Mr. Soong Jan Hsung, CEO of ECS ICT Berhad commented "TmaxSoft's Tibero provides what we believe is the next best alternative to replacing Oracle, which can provide database solutions at a lower cost but with greater flexibility. Tibero can support majority of the Oracle database functions, which allows for database to leverage their existing knowledge-base with minimal transition time. Anyone operating Oracle in their environment should explore Tibero as a compatible, flexible, lower-cost option."ECS ICT Berhad is a leading distribution hub for Information & Communications Technology products in Malaysia and is an associate company of ECS Holdings Limited, which is one of the leading ICT distributors in Asia Pacific, accessing to a network of more than 25,000 channel partners across China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Myammar. TmaxSoft is working with ECS as its authorised distributor for its entire portfolio, including middleware (JEUS), database management solution (Tibero RDBMS) and application performance monitoring solution (SysMaster).Tibero is a secure, fully compatible SQL RDBMS that scales easily and conforms to today's cost-optimized cloud architectures and is compatible with the legacy vendors' database products. It has been designed from its inception to facilitate efficient and flexible integration of data and business logic, as well as providing various database management utilities. It meets these needs perfectly by supporting the database infrastructure, the foundation for corporate businesses, providing both high performance and reliability. Tibero enables economical use of system resources to provide excellent performance.As more applications move to cloud computing and digital infrastructure, it becomes imperative for businesses to stretch boundaries and reach new levels. TmaxSoft's aim for 2017 will be to support businesses to take advantage of this fast moving trend and offer them viable alternatives for modernizing their infrastructures to support the new demands of digital business and covert all legacy systems to cloud. The presence of TmaxCloud in the market places pressure on vendors like Amazon and Google to provide better services for enterprises and customers alike who are looking for an integrated cloud platform."As the legacy vendors monopolized the industry in the past, the changing dynamics with customer's preference for alternative players like us has created a more symbiotic and competitive ecosystem. We will continue to be at the forefront to provide our customers and partners with competitive solutions. With an expanded regional team in ASEAN we aim to capitalise on the evolving database industry in the coming year as public and private clouds represent an area of great growth and long-term promise for the industry." concludes Kim.With the strong takeup rate of in 2016, TmaxSoft is growing the team in the ASEAN region and actively investing in both the people and business operations with new office openings to serve the needs of the ASEAN region starting 2017.
AXT has recently been appointed the Australian and New Zealand distributor for Magnetic Insight. They manufacture breakthrough Magnetic particle Imaging (MPI) systems that will benefit medical researchers working in oncology, vascular function etc.

Perfusion in a rat brain imaged using Magnetic Particle Imaging technology.

Contact

Dr. Cameron S. Chai

***@axt.com.au Dr. Cameron S. Chai

End

--MPI is a new and safe molecular imaging modality that will give researchers an unprecedented insight into the functioning of the target organs and tissue. It offers the sensitivity of nuclear medicine, resolution of MRI and the speed of CT.Using magnetic nanoparticles (Super Paramagentic Iron Oxide; SPiO), researchers can follow these nanoparticles at nanomolar concentrations anywhere in the body regardless of tissue depth. These particles can be used to tag cells enabling detection down to 100 cells. The first MPI Imaging system called the Momentum from Magnetic Insight, can generate quantitative images with excellent contrast required to analyze functional responsesto various treatments and drugs. MPI will directly benefit researchers working in fields such as oncology, vascular function, immunology, stem cell research, , theranostic imaging and functional nanoparticle targeting to namea few.Researchers can follow the flow nanoparticles through the blood, and quantitate what is actually happening in real time. This type of information is invaluable to obtain a more holistic picture of what is going on in vivo. Furthermore, unlike other molecular imaging technologies it requires no exposure to radiation making it a safer alternative to some other medical imaging technologies and ideal for longitudinal studies over time frames even out to weeks or months.Richard Trett, AXT's Managing Director said of the new distributorship agreement, "AXT is committed to bringing new and exciting technologies to Australia and MPI is one that has enormous potential. The technology offers high resolution, non-invasive functional imaging. It opens up long-term studies and other protocols impossible with PET and similar molecular imaging technologies. We look forward to meeting with potential adopters in the coming months to discuss how this technology can benefit their work."Dr. Anna Christensen, CEO at Magnetic Insight commented, "we are changing the landscape of diagnostic imaging with the impact of what MRI, PET and CT offered over 30 years ago . MPI complements many of the existing imaging modalities but alsoprovides researchers and doctors levels of information that were not previously possible, all without radiation We look forward to working with the team at AXT to bring this technology to Australia."The Momentum MPI imaging system is now available for preclinical imaging applications on small animals and utilises a workflow similar (and as simple) as optical imaging. MPI technology will likely become the next clinical molecular imaging modality and will enable early detection and monitoring of neurovascular diseases such as stroke.For more information about MPI and AXT's other preclinical imaging products, please visit http://www.axt.com.au
Contact

Arun

***@contus.in

+1 408 707 2982 Arun+1 408 707 2982

End

-- Contus, the SMAC digital transformations company recently launched its Atlanta arm. Sriram Manoharan, the Managing Director said, "Our Atlanta office will focus exclusively on meeting the increasing digital transformation opportunities in the region. "Launched in 2008, it has scripted success stories in Social, Mobility, Analytics and Cloud technologies. Since its humble beginnings as a 7-member company, Contus has evolved into a global brand that is trusted with by renowned enterprises like The World Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Accenture, Daimler, and several other global brands.Contus is also seen as a frontrunner in creating a variety of apps and solutions in emerging technologies like Augmented Reality, Internet of Things, BLE 4.0, Wearables, etc. It's service portfolio consists of Android/iOS mobile app development, eCommerce development, Magento solutions, Web application development and tailor-made cloud solutions.As an all-encompassing IT solutions provider, the company is also actively engaged in providing app and web solution development services in open-source platforms like Xamarin. In fact, Contus has developed an impressive arsenal of readymade solutions for eCommerce, instant communication, delivery tracking and video on demand services using its open-source development expertise.Contus at present is fuelled by collective strength comprising of 200+ IT engineers, creative professionals and project managers. Contus has also partnered with a global community of tech giants like Amazon Web Services, PayPal, SYbase, etc. for paving a solid digital transformation agenda for its clients.Close to a decade-long run Contus also managed to win several awards and accolades for business excellence. Clutch, Red Herring Asia, eSparks, SMEHeroes are some of the awardees that recognized and honored the company with professional accreditations. For more : http://www.contus.com/ atlanta-mobile- app-development.php
2017 Singapore Stock Picks Prediction for Share Investor by Equity Profit

By: Equity Profit Singapore

Media Contact

Equity Profit

***@equityprofit.com

+6531582180 Equity Profit+6531582180

End

--After getting stupendous success in Singapore share investment market in the year 2016, Equity profit is ready for taking the giant step to provide the best services to the traders in the upcoming year 2017 as well. And for this, we have made a survey to predict the next best stock picks infor 2017 for trading.Next year, the Singapore economy is expected to increase by 1.8% and the private consumption to 3% growth rate from 2.5% and it makes the domestic private consumption a key sector to focus. It is recommended that the investors should focus more on the companies which produce food, beverages, and household items. Along with this, reinsurance companies are also expected to have a significant growth in 2017.Apart from the growing sectors, one sector which is expected to decline in the upcoming year is non-oil domestic exports market. Down market also provides various opportunities to the investors and they can good returns. Smart nation and better capital management are also two key factors of Singapore in 2017. Under this factor's, 5 stock picks to be considered in 2017 are:SingTel's enterprise division accounts for 35% of core EBIT will be beneficial from the associated services and infrastructure build-out of the Smart Nation program. SingTel's Optus business in Australia is considered to make modest share gains and one-time special dividend opportunity will also be expected to provide by SingTel's IPO of NetLink Trust.SingPost growth rate will expect to remain same as in the year 2016.SATS may make price-accretive acquisitions or rising dividend flow to shareholders in 2017 with reflecting financial strength due to stable 4-5% FCF yield and a net cash position in the balance sheet.This stock is now extra geared to advantage from a rising price due to much less vulnerability to risks of potential liquidity outflow in emerging markets. DBS will be the top pick with only buy call in Singapore in the year 2017.Equity Profit is the share investment advisory which is known for its astonishing stock signals services for maximizing the profitable returns for Singapore SGX stock traders. With our advanced research team, our stock signals always result in tempting Profit.In addition, the company also recommends the FOREX SIGNALS and COMEX COMMODITY TIPS for traders in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia and the UK.More Information Visit Us - http://www.equityprofit.com/
New fitness earbuds break new ground in cord-free technology

By: Samsung Electronics South Africa

End

-- Samsung's Gear IconX earbuds are revolutionising workouts, offering 100% cord-free music, phone calls and standalone fitness tracking.Craige Fleischer, Director of Integrated Mobility at Samsung Electronics South Africa, says: "Designed to keep you even more connected, the Gear IconX earbuds, pack a vast amount of functionality into a tiny form factor."Gear IconX are no ordinary earbuds. Distinguished by their standalone capability which allows you to listen to music saved in the earbud's built-in storage, independent of a smartphone, the earbuds represent a new category of wearable device.Cord free and functional without your smartphone, the Gear IconX earbuds offer 4GB of built-in storage and are equipped with an accelerometer and heartrate monitor (HRM) sensor, which lets you listen to music and accurately track workouts, all whilst your phone is at home."All of your Gear IconX's accumulated health information syncs seamlessly with the S-Health application, giving you a more complete picture of your health status," adds Fleischer.Gear IconX cuts cords, not corners and should you choose to walk or run these earbuds will accurately track the duration of the workout, as well as speed, distance, calories burned and heart rate, efficiently relaying the information to your ear. You will be notified when you reach your optimal heart rate for effective exercise  keeping you focused and motivated by ensuring maximum efficiency in your workout.With built-in HRM sensors, the earbuds detect when you're wearing them and automatically power on.From there, an intuitive design aided by voice prompts lets you control volume, play, pause and skip tracks, manage calls and toggle additional functions simply by tapping, swiping or pressing and holding the earbuds' touch-sensitive surface."Despite the advanced functionality, the Gear IconX earbuds don't sacrifice sound quality. The wearable device is capable of playing music directly into users' ears delivering the level of sound quality expected of wired earbuds. Users can therefore expect a comfortable and unsurpassed experience,"concludes Fleischer.For more information, go to http://www.samsung.com/ global/galaxy/ gear-iconx/ Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com Theo Boshoff Phathutshedzo NepfumbadaEpic MSL Group Samsung Electronics South Africa011 784 4790 011 549 7969083 329 2150 078 213 4975Theo.boshoff@epicmslgroup.com p.nepfumbada@samsung.com
Headley to Handle Business Development for Southwest Michigan Territory

Jamie Headley_small

Contact

Jeff Schultz

***@the-center.org Jeff Schultz

End

-- The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center) has announced the addition of Jamie Headley to its Business Solutions team. Headley was named Senior Business Solutions Manager, responsible for the southwest Michigan territory including Cass, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Berrien, St. Joseph and Branch counties. The announcement was made by Michael Coast, President of The Center."Our experienced Business Solutions team is passionate about sharing how Michigan manufacturers can benefitfrom The Center's programs and services," said Coast. "They have witnessed first-hand how advantageous implementing new changes can beimprovements that lead to enhanced productivity and profits. Jamie possesses a successful track record as a change agent in the manufacturing arena. The manufacturers in the seven counties she represents will value her strong manufacturing acumen and expertise."In her new sales role, Jamie will be responsible for connecting manufacturers in Michigan's southwest counties to The Center's experienced consulting staff. She is a seasoned operations professional with expertise in change management, leadership, process improvement and operational excellence in sales. With more than 25 years of manufacturing and consulting experience, Headley has served as Director of Supply Chain for Catalent Pharma Solutions, Vice President of Operations for Art.com, and President and CEO of Dementia Services Group. Jamie holds both a BA and an MBA from Dominican University in River Forest, IL.Headley resides in Kalamazoo, Mich.Celebrating its 25anniversary, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center) is an organization dedicated to supporting Michigan manufacturers to work smarter, to compete and to prosper. The Center offers personalized consulting services to meet the needs of clients in virtually every aspect of their businesses. The Center is affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and is part of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP Program). The Center also is closely affiliated with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) with the shared goal of making Michigan businesses vibrant, driving GDP growth, and creating new and lasting jobs. For more information, visit www.the-center.org
Eight Associates Honored by National Insurance Solutions Provider for Long-Term Company Service

Media Contact

Meredith D'Agostino

Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company

meredith_dagostino@ bostonmutual.com Meredith D'AgostinoBoston Mutual Life Insurance Company

End

-- Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, a national provider of insurance solutions for individuals and at the workplace, today announced the acknowledgment of 8 employees at the company's quarterly Service Recognition Celebration in late September 2016. The employees, who have more than 100 combined years at the company, were recognized for their long-term service with Boston Mutual at a special event at the company's headquarters in Canton, Massachusetts."I'm thrilled to honor these eight employees for their dedication to Boston Mutual," said Paul A. Quaranto, Jr., Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President at Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company. "I'm grateful for their hard work and loyalty to the company, and I'm proud to have them as a part of the Boston Mutual family."The select employees were honored with a reception at Boston Mutual's home office on Thursday, September 29, 2016. Each recipient was presented with a gift as a thank you for their tenure with the company.The following Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company employees were acknowledged at the company's Service Recognition Celebration in September:o Chris Buckley, Insurance Operations - Group Administration Departmento Elisa Calley, Insurance Operations - Worksite Issue Departmento Andrea Bruni, Strategic Planning & Communications Departmento Jagoda Skakic-Galijasevic, Actuarial Departmento Mary Jeanne Bertucio, General Services Departmento Sheryl Colburn, Claims Departmento Michelle LaMorge, Insurance Operations - Worksite Issue Departmento Andrew McLean, Workplace Solutions - New England DivisionBoston Mutual hosts its Service Recognition Ceremonies once every quarter to celebrate its employees' quinquennial milestones. Associates are invited to the event after their first five years with the company in the quarter in which the anniversary of their start date falls.Founded in 1891, Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company has enjoyed a long history of financial strength and stability. Headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, Boston Mutual has been a recognized leader for 125 years in providing flexible insurance products to working Americans and their families in the private and public sectors of the USA. For more information, please visit www.bostonmutual.com or follow the company on Facebook (/BostonMutualLifeIns)
Recently launched, Elleffe Design celebrates unparalleled success in Toronto

By: Elleffe Design

Contact

Blaze PR

***@blazepr.com Blaze PR

End

-- Elleffe Design, the recently U.S. launched, and luxury brand with their 18/10, Italian-made, stainless steel housewares are now available at Valency Design, a Toronto-based luxury specialty retailer.Valency, a luxury European home decor boutique, publicly launched its Toronto opening on Tuesday, November 22in Yorkville Village. Elleffe Design excels at this posh Toronto retail center, by turning "entertaining"into an art form. Elleffe Design's sales at Valency have surpassed that of other well-known brands, such as George Gensen of Denmark and Zaneto of Italy."We are overwhelmingly excited to partner with Valency and contribute our exclusive pieces from Elleffe Design to their diverse collection of luxury goods," said Elleffe Brand Director, Rami Izadyar."Elleffe Design's unique approach along with their versatile designs has captivated their clientele," said Valency store owner, Mojgan Kamali.For more information about the Elleffe Design products available at Kitchen Art Canada, please visit: http://kitchenartcanada.com/ index.html Founded in 2011, Elleffe Design creates the perfect fusion of innovation, style and functionality. The fresh and new stainless steel manufacturer looks to bring its Italian-made decor to North America. The dynamic brand is always pushing boundaries of what can be done with different materials, colors and the union of elegance and warmth to stainless steel. A factory co-op, the company is a collaborative effort to deliver a modern aesthetic through durable and ecofriendly products. Elleffe Design aims to meet the needs of specialty stores, luxury hotels and restaurants. For more information, visit elleffedna.com
ISO and Payment Processor settle for lifetime ban from processing payments

Media Contact

Wayne Imbornone

Pilum Global Shield

wayne@pilumglobalshield.com Wayne ImbornonePilum Global Shield

End

-- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Florida Attorney General announced several settlements totaling approximately $27 million in an alleged fraudulent credit card debt reduction scheme. In an amended complaint filed in federal court, the agencies alleged that CardReady LLC, an independent sales organization, and its executives, Brandon A. Becker, James F. Berland and Andrew S. Padnick, arranged for at least 26 shell merchant accounts to be used to process credit card payments for a debt relief operation the agencies sued in June, 2015. The agencies charged the payment processor defendants with credit card laundering under the TSR and illegal factoring of credit card transactions under Florida law. The FTC also charged CardReady and its executives with assisting and facilitating the debt relief scam.The Justice Department's investigation of payment processor CardReady LLC has facilitated additional investigations of U.S. based payment processors. In September of this year, The Justice Department, OFAC, and USPIS took similar, simultaneous actions against PacNet Services Ltd. (PacNet), an international payments processor and money services business based in Vancouver, Canada, along with affiliate companies and their operators, designating the PacNet Group as a significant transnational criminal organization (TCO) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13581, "Blocking Property of Transnational Criminal Organizations."The Department of Justice has stated that it could, would and has used its subpoena powers granted by Operation Choke Point to broaden its investigation to include other payment processors in unrelated but potentially fraudulent activities. Former acting Assistant Attorney General Stuart F. Delery,Corporate Compliance Expert at Pilum Global Shield, Carlos Salazar: "The Justice Department is using authority granted from Operation Choke Point to target payment processors in enforcement actions. In this instance, a processor handling millions in transactions for a merchant investigated to be a bad actor could be forced to pay all that money back to consumers, even if consumers never sought refunds from the merchant or asked their credit card issuers to "chargeback"the charges.".Salazar went on to say "The DOJ has been very clear. The existence of an "effective compliance program" can preclude criminal prosecution. A corporate compliance program that ONLY includes Know your Customer and conventional internal compliance initiatives are not enough to avoid investigation or even civil and criminal penalties. http://www.PilumGlobal.com helps protect Acquirers, ISOs, PSPs, and their Merchant Clients from civil and criminal prosecution by Domestic and International Governmental Agencies  such as the Department of Justice, Europol, Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, US Treasury Department, and Federal Trade Commission, providing tier-one Management Consulting Services with expertise ranging from program management to corporate compliance program design and management.If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Wayne Imbornone at (800) 450-0085 or email at wayne@pilumglobalshield.com.
Castellum has completed an acquisition of land in Brunna, Upplands-Bro, in northern Greater Stockholm. The acquisition creates possibilities for warehouse and logistics facilities, conveniently located in the Arlanda region. The investment amounted to 21m (SEK 205m), and change of possession has taken place.

[]
As part of its ongoing expansion, Kintyre Investments GmbH (Kintyre), the rapidly growing Frankfurt-based asset manager and property investor with around 750 million Euro of assets under management, has appointed Thomas Schumann as its new Director Finance and Operations.

In the scope of this newly c...

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Parliament Speaker Meets Iranian Charge d' Affaires





SANAA, Dec. 19 (Saba)- Parliament Speaker Yahya Ali al-Raiee met here with Iranian Charge d' Affaires to Yemen Mohammed Farhat on Monday.



At the meeting, the Speaker praised the historical bilateral relations between the two countries, including parliamentary cooperation.



Al-Raiee asked Farhat to convey his greetings to Dr. Ali Larijani, the head of the Iranian Shura Council and all the parliamentarians and officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hoping for more economic, commercial and health cooperation to serve common interests of the two brotherly countries.



He also called to employ the Iranian external political movements and diplomatic relations with all our brothers and friendly countries to put an end to the unjust aggression war imposed against Yemen, lifting the unfair land, sea and air siege on Yemen.



For his part, the Iranian Charge d' Affaires to Yemen expressed his pleasure to promote bilateral relations to include various fields that serve the interests of the Iranian and Yemeni peoples.



Farhat also stressed on the importance to enhance the economic cooperation in different fields.



The meeting was attended by deputy parliament speaker Nasser Mohammed Bajeel, the Parliament Secretary General Abdullah Ahmed Sofan and Parliament members, Bassam Ali Hassan al-Shater and Amin Mohamed Basha .



TN/ZaK



Saba

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[19/December/2016]
Scientists from the University of Southampton have found Arctic lakes, covered with ice during the winter months, are melting earlier each spring.

The team, who monitored 13,300 lakes using satellite imagery, have shown that on average ice is breaking up one day earlier per year, based on a 14-year period between 2000 and 2013. Their findings are published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.

The researchers used information on how light is reflected off the lakes, as recorded by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor, which collects a range of spectral and thermal data on a daily basis as it circles the globe on two satellites. This study used the changes in reflectance to identify the freezing and thawing processes.

Southampton's Professor Jadu Dash, says: "Previous studies have looked into small numbers of lakes to show the impact of changes in temperature on the cyclic nature of lake-ice cover. However, ours is the first to use time-series of satellite data to monitor thousands of lakes in this way across the Arctic. It contributes to the growing range of observations showing the influence that warmer temperatures are having on the Arctic."

The researchers discovered that all five study areas in the Arctic (Alaska, Northeast Siberia, Central Siberia, Northeast Canada and Northern Europe) showed significant trends of early ice break-up in the spring, but to varying degrees. Central Siberia demonstrated the strongest trend, with ice starting to break-up an average of 1.4 days earlier each year. Northern Europe showed the lowest change of ice break-up at 0.84 days earlier per year. They found a strong relationship between decreasing ice cover and an increasingly early spring temperature rise.

The team also examined the timing of formation of ice cover on the lakes in late autumn. Although the use of satellite images wasn't possible due to the short daylight period limiting valid satellite observation, observations on the ground suggest lake freezing is starting later -- further shortening the ice period, although more work would be needed to confirm this.

Co-author Professor Mary Edwards, from the University of Southampton, comments "Our findings have several implications. Changing ice cover affects the energy balance between the land and atmosphere. Less ice means a longer season for lake biology, which together with warmer temperatures will affect processes such as CO2 and CH4 emissions. Furthermore, many people use ice-covered landscapes for winter transport, and so spring and autumn travel for commercial and subsistence activities is likely to be more and more affected."

Professor Dash concludes: "This demonstrates the potential of routine satellite data for long term monitoring of physical changes on Earth's surface. In the future, the new Sentinel series of satellites from the European Space Agency provide potential opportunities to examine these changes in greater detail."
Mitochondria are the power plants of complex cells. In order to provide the cell with energy they need protein building blocks, which are imported from the outside. Over billions of years the protein import machines necessary for this process have developed differently than previously assumed, as biochemists in Bern have discovered. This also casts a new light on the evolution of complex cells.

Mitochondria are separated from the rest of the cell by two membrane layers. In order to produce energy, mitochondria require protein components that must be imported across the two membrane layers. Two import nano machines located in the outer and inner membrane layer are responsible for this process. Now a research group led by Andre Schneider from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Bern, in cooperation with a University of Freiburg group led by Bettina Warscheid, has discovered that the composition of these nano machines is quite different in unicellular parasites when compared to humans.

As Schneider had already discovered in an earlier study (cf. media release from 26 March 2015), the parasites  trypanosomes  have reinvented the wheel, in a manner of speaking. In the new study they show that this not only applies to the import machine in the outer membrane of mitochondria, but also to the one in the inner membrane, whose unusual composition the research team has now identified. The assumption that the import nano machines are structured the same in all mitochondria, regardless of whether unicellular organisms or humans, is no longer correct. Our ideas of how mitochondria evolved therefore need to be modified, says Schneider. The study has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Like petrol and electric engine

The mitochondrion was originally a simply structured bacterial cell that was incorporated by a larger cell about two billion years ago and then converted into a cell compartment. In addition to the emergence of life itself, this transformation process was arguably the most important event in evolution, says Schneider. It formed the foundation for the development of complex cells, of which all plants and animals as well as many microorganisms are made. Humans also consist of complex cells. So ultimately our study touches on the question: where do we come from, explains Schneider. A central prerequisite for the emergence of mitochondria and therefore for the evolution of complex cells was the development of an efficient protein import machinery.

Previous hypotheses assumed that such a system developed once, and was after that only adapted slightly to the living conditions of respective organisms. However, the new data show that this is not the case. These import nano machines are composed of 15 different proteins in both trypanosomes and humans, but with the exception of three proteins these constituents do not exhibit any similarity whatsoever with each other.

This fact shows that except for three basic components the import system was reinvented in the trypanosomes. The situation is therefore more or less comparable with the petrol engine and electric engine, which in principle both have the same function, but were invented independently of each other and are therefore also structured in a completely different manner, says Schneider. This discovery now demonstrates that the first complex cell presumably had only a simple import system, whose evolution to highly developed import nano machines was a lengthy process. So todays efficient import systems consisting of many different modules have evolved later than originally assumed, after an initial speciation of complex cells had already occurred.

Useful in fighting sleeping sickness

Trypanosomes are not only an important model system for basic research, but also of clinical importance as pathogens causing sleeping sickness, which is fatal if untreated. The newly discovered protein import system is absolutely essential for the survival of trypanosomes. Since it is structured very differently than the system in human mitochondria, it could be suitable as a target structure for chemotherapy against sleeping sickness, says Schneider. Therefore, it should be possible to find substances that inhibit the transport system of trypanosomes, without influencing that of human mitochondria.
A study directed by researchers from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and IMIM is the first to reveal how pregnancy causes long-lasting alterations in brain structure, probably related to improving the mother's ability to protect and interact with the child. The research was published in Nature Neuroscience.

Pregnancy involves radical hormone surges and biological adaptations, but the effects on the brain are still unknown. In this study a team of researchers compared the structure of the brain of women before and after their first pregnancy. This is the first research to show that pregnancy involves long-lasting changes -- at least for two years postpartum -- in the morphology of a woman's brain.

Using magnetic resonance imaging, the scientists have been able to show that the brains of women who have undergone a first pregnancy present significant reductions in grey matter in regions associated with social cognition.

The researchers believe that such changes correspond to an adaptive process of functional specialization towards motherhood. "These changes may reflect, at least in part, a mechanism of synaptic pruning, which also takes place in adolescence, where weak synapses are eliminated giving way to more efficient and specialized neural networks," says Elseline Hoekzema, co-lead author of the article. According to Erika Barba, the other co-lead author, "these changes concern brain areas associated with functions necessary to manage the challenges of motherhood."

In fact, researchers found that the areas with grey matter reductions overlapped with brain regions activated during a functional neuroimaging session in which the mothers of the study watched images of their own babies.

In order to conduct the study, researchers compared magnetic resonance images of 25 first-time mothers before and after their pregnancy, of 19 male partners, and of a control group formed by 20 women who were not and had never been pregnant and 17 male partners. They gathered information about the participants during five years and four months.

The results of the research directed by Oscar Vilarroya and Susanna Carmona demonstrated a symmetrical reduction in the volume of grey matter in the medial frontal and posterior cortex line, as well as in specific sections of, mainly, prefrontal and temporal cortex in pregnant women. "These areas correspond to a great extent with a network associated with processes involved in social cognition and self-focused processing," indicates Susanna Carmona.

The analyses of the study determine with great reliability whether any woman from the study had been pregnant depending on the changes in the brain structure. They were even able to predict the mother's attachment to her baby in the postpartum period based on these brain changes.

The study took into account variations in both women who had undergone fertility treatments and women who had become pregnant naturally, and the reductions in grey matter were practically identical in both groups.

Researchers did not observe any changes in memory or other cognitive functions during the pregnancies and therefore believe that the loss of grey matter does not imply any cognitive deficits, but rather: "The findings point to an adaptive process related to the benefits of better detecting the needs of the child, such as identifying the newborn's emotional state. Moreover, they provide primary clues regarding the neural basis of motherhood, perinatal mental health and brain plasticity in general," says Oscar Vilarroya.
A study of unprecedented scale has led researchers to identify four previously unknown genetic risk locations for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a liver disease that lacks effective medical therapy. A Dec. 19 article in Nature Genetics highlights the undertaking, which is the largest genome-wide association study of primary sclerosing cholangitis to date and a step toward providing breakthrough treatments for the unmet needs of primary sclerosing cholangitis patients.

The study was led by Mayo Clinic's Konstantinos Lazaridis, M.D., and Carl Anderson, Ph.D., of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, along with collaborators from six other U.S. medical centers and co-investigators from the U.K., Germany and Norway and collaborators from other European countries.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis affects 1 in 10,000 individuals, with about 75 percent developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), most often in the form of ulcerative colitis. However, only 5 to 7 percent of those affected by pre-existing IBD alone later develop primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Researchers compared the genetic information of 4,796 primary sclerosing cholangitis patients against a control population of nearly 20,000 individuals, the specimens of which were provided by patients from the U.S. and Europe, including healthy controls from Mayo Clinic Biobank.

"Considering the rarity of those affected by primary sclerosing cholangitis, the contribution of specimens by multiple centers across the globe allowed us to view the genetic comparisons of this disease in a much bigger picture," says Dr. Lazaridis. "This is a testament of trust from the primary sclerosing cholangitis patients to this investigative team to whom we are grateful. We feel a strong spirit of collaboration among the medical centers involved."

Using these data, researchers identified four new markers of primary sclerosing cholangitis risk on the human genome, bringing the total number of known predisposing locations to 20. One of the four new reported loci is expected to lower the protein expression of UBASH3A, a molecule that regulates T-cell signaling and correlates with lowering the risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis. Dr. Lazaridis says this molecule therefore should be further examined as a target of therapy for the disease.

The study also allowed for clearer estimations as to how primary sclerosing cholangitis and IBD may share genetic risk factors.

"The immense scale of this genetic study allowed us to analyze for the first time the complex genetic relationship between primary sclerosing cholangitis and IBD," says Lazaridis. "Additional scientific efforts for genome sequencing of primary sclerosing cholangitis patients will give us more opportunities to find the specific genetic underpinnings that contributing to the risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis and to explain what makes the correlation between primary sclerosing cholangitis and IBD."

Dr. Lazaridis says such knowledge will be important in facilitating the development of medical therapies for primary sclerosing cholangitis -- an urgent need for patients.
Fungal infections are a serious health risk. They can be harmful especially to patients whose immune system is compromised through illness or chemotherapy. A team working at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered an important mechanism in the body's defenses against fungi. The discovery explains, among other things, why people with certain genetic variations are more susceptible to fungal infections.

To fight pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi, the body has a complex security system. The widespread notion of white blood cells operating as the "body police," tracking down and incapacitating invaders, falls far short of adequately describing how the immune system actually works. Before the body's defense response gets started, complex chains of biochemical reactions occur at the molecular level. The scientists studying a certain immune reaction are often not yet aware of all links in these chains.

This is true, for example, in the case of the innate immune response to certain fungi studied by the team under Professor Jurgen Ruland, who holds the chair in Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry at TUM. It was known that the reaction began with protein elements known as C-type lectin receptors of blood and tissue cells recognizing certain molecules on fungus cells and triggering the chain reaction, also known as a signal pathway. It has also been known for some time that the protein CARD9 plays an important role in this chain. Only when CARD9 is present is it possible for the body to trigger an immune response that destroys the fungus cells.

A triple link in the chain

Jurgen Ruland and his team demonstrated that before CARD9 can perform its role in the chain, molecules known as Vav proteins must be active. Three of these proteins occur in the human body: Vav1, Vav2 and Vav3. If all three are deactivated, the body is particularly susceptible to fungus infections even if CARD9 is present. As signal molecules, the Vav proteins play a role in various processes, including immune responses. "Previously, however, the functions of the Vav proteins were understood mainly as part of the acquired or adaptive immune system. Their functions in the innate immune response, which is the focus of our work, remain largely unexplored," explains Dr. Susanne Roth, the first author of the study. As the name suggests, the acquired immune response means that the body learns to fight off certain substances only in the course of a person's life. By contrast, the substances resisted by the innate immune response are genetically determined before birth.

The researchers were also able to use patient data to demonstrate the importance of Vav proteins for innate immunity: A certain genetic variation was disproportionately represented among a group of people suffering from candidiasis, a yeast infection. The variation causes the protein Vav3 to occur in a slightly modified form. It was the absence of Vav3 that had the strongest impact on the immune response in past experiments.

New possibilities for prognosis and treatment

The newly discovered role of the Vav proteins could be used in the future to design diagnostic approaches. "It would be conceivable to develop a risk profile for chemotherapy patients," says Jurgen Ruland. He suggests that genetic analysis could be used to determine which patients might be more susceptible to fungal infections.

The immune mechanism discovered by the scientists and described in Cell Reports could also help in the targeted treatment of illnesses. "We can now develop strategies to directly influence the signal pathway," explains Ruland. "If we are able to switch it on by artificial means, this could be used for vaccinations, for example. We also assume that the immune response to fungal infections is not the only place where the Vav protein dependent innate immune mechanisms we have discovered play a role." The C-type lectin receptors that recognise fungus molecules also identify molecules on certain bacteria, viruses and parasites. It is therefore likely that immune responses are triggered in the same way in both cases.
An international team of scientists has announced a new advance in the fight against Alzheimer's disease by identifying a new drug target for not only improving symptoms of brain degeneration -- but also to extend the life-span of the terminally ill mice.

The four-year study by Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists based at the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study was led by Professor Andrew Tobin alongside colleagues from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company and the Monash Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences in Australia. The project was also partly supported by the Wellcome Trust.

Corresponding author Professor Tobin, who alongside the lead researcher Dr Sophie Bradley has since moved from the University of Leicester to the University of Glasgow, said: "The paper describes drug-like molecules that can restore memory loss and slow progression of prion neurodegenerative disease in a manner that relates to the potential of these drugs in human Alzheimer's disease.

"We have been using mice whose brain cells are progressively dying, similar to what happens in Alzheimer's disease. This project focuses on a particular protein in the brain, which is proposed to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, and as such could be a potential target for new drugs.

"We have treated mice with a new class of drug, and found that these drugs can not only improve symptoms of brain degeneration, such as cognitive decline, but can also extend the life-span of these terminally-sick mice."

The researchers state that drugs which activate this protein receptor in the brain have previously been tested in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease, and showed positive results with respect to improving cognition, but the patients experienced a large number of adverse side effects. This new class of drug is more selective and does not cause any side-effects when administered to mice in the study.

The study authors believe that this offers hope in the design of new drugs for improving cognition and extending life span.

Professor Tobin said: "This work may provide important information as to whether this protein is a viable drug target in the treatment of diseases associated with the progressive death of brain cells. This is of great importance to society, based on the fact that the treatment options for Alzheimer's disease are very limited -- there are no cures for Alzheimer's disease and current treatments are focused on relieving some of the symptoms.

"What we have found is a novel class of drugs, called allosteric ligands, that target a protein called the M1 muscarinic receptor, which is present in the brain. Activating this receptor protein can not only improve cognitive function in mice with progressive brain degeneration, but when administered daily, can extend life span."

The scientists say the work is important because it focuses on identifying a treatment that not only improves symptoms associated with neurodegeneration, like current treatments, but also identifies a new strategy for slowing disease progression and extending life-span.

Professor Tobin said: "Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, and it affects an estimated 850,000 people in the UK alone. There are no treatments that can slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's, and patients are treated with drugs which temporarily mask the symptoms of the disease. Often these treatments are associated with side-effects which can limit patient compliance.

"I am proud to be involved in a collaboration with researchers across the world to address one of the world's major healthcare challenges. Our study opens up avenues for researchers to look at new drugs that treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's and also slow disease progression."
Typing "divorce rates for firefighters" into a search engine brings up page after page of scary statistics that suggest the people who willingly run into burning buildings have unstable marriages.

In fact, this was such common wisdom that Suzy Gulliver, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at the Texas A&M College of Medicine, would repeat it at conferences about behavioral health services for the firefighting personnel that she attended.

At one such meeting, several of the firefighters -- all of them in happy, long-term marriages -- asked if there was any empirical evidence to support this long-held idea.

When Gulliver, who also serves as director and chief of the Warriors Research Institute at Baylor Scott & White Health, started to investigate, she found that there weren't any peer-reviewed studies showing elevated divorce rates for firefighters. Seeing a gap in the literature, she called for more research on the topic.

"We should all be interested in the work done to keep us safe," Gulliver said. "We wanted to determine if there was any proof that there might be negative consequences in the personal lives of this very important population."

At the same time, some of Gulliver's colleagues in Kansas City had similar ideas. "They were analyzing the data from one of their large surveys, and found that female firefighters had somewhat elevated divorce rates," she said. Specifically, female firefighters had a divorce rate of 32.1 percent, while 10.4 percent of women of the same age in the general population were divorced. Male firefighters, however, showed no such effect, and in fact had rates similar to men in other, less dangerous professions.

Although Gulliver isn't sure how to explain the gender differences, she does see resiliency as a buffer against the kind of life stress caused by a dangerous job, the kind of stress that can lead some couples to divorce. On the other hand, couples who are high in resiliency use their relationship to cope with on-the-job stress and have lower stress levels, even in the face of negative life events, and they may have correspondingly low divorce rates.

"These findings have implications not only for firefighters and their spouses, but also for professionals who might be interested in helping them," Gulliver said. "I want to emphasize that male firefighters' marriages seem to be just as stable as those of the general population, although more research needs to be done to determine why the same isn't true for those of female firefighters."

Those employed in other types of high-risk jobs may show similar trends, although that research still needs to be done.

In addition to these gender differences, Gulliver's next step is to examine how to build resiliency. For example, peer support systems for firefighters might be able to aid their family members -- especially their spouses -- as well. "The spouses of fire fighters represent an underserved population," Gulliver said. "By studying both partners in firefighter marriages, we can gain a deeper understanding of how to reduce stress and help them sustain their marriages."
A new study from Keith Baar's Functional Molecular Biology Laboratory at the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences and the Australian Institute of Sport suggests that consuming a gelatin supplement, plus a burst of intensive exercise, can help build ligaments, tendons and bones. The study is published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Connective tissue and bone injuries are common in both athletes and the elderly, and interfere with peoples' ability (and enthusiasm) for exercise, whether they are an elite athlete or just trying to lose weight and maintain fitness and flexibility. Steps that can prevent injury and enhance recovery are therefore of great interest.

Obviously, it's difficult to assess the direct effect of a supplement on tissues without opening up someone's knee. But Baar's laboratory has been developing techniques to grow artificial ligaments in the laboratory. They used their lab-dish ligaments as a stand-in for the real thing.

Gelatin, Vitamin C and Exercise

Baar, Greg Shaw at the Australian Institute of Sport, and colleagues enrolled eight health young men in a trial of a gelatin supplement enhanced with vitamin C. The volunteers drank the supplement and had blood taken, and after one hour performed a short (five minute) bout of high-impact exercise (skipping).

The researchers tested the blood for amino acids that could build up the collagen protein that composes tendons, ligaments, and bones. They also tested blood samples for their effect on Baar's lab-grown ligaments at UC Davis.

The gelatin supplement increased blood levels of amino acids and markers linked to collagen synthesis, and improved the mechanics of the engineered lab-grown ligaments, they found.

"These data suggest that adding gelatin and vitamin C to an intermittent exercise program could play a beneficial role in injury prevention and tissue repair," the researchers wrote.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman as an investment bank catering to institutions and businesses. Among the firm's first products are the revolutionary use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs which opened a new method of finance for business and industry.

The original firm expanded to Goldman Sachs in 1882 with the inclusion of son-in-law Samuel Sachs and again in 1885 with a son and another son-in-law. The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 expanding into trading of its own and in 1898 it was worth $1.6 million. The company began its work in the IPO market in 1906 with the initial public offering of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and then moved on to Ford and other prominent names of the time.

The 1930s brings a change of leadership and a new direction for the firm. The company shifted toward a purer play on investment banking and embarks on a campaign of acquisition that lasted until the present day. The company doesnt go public itself until 1999 and from that point on it will change into a bank holding company that not only offers investment banking services but takes deposits too, and in 2016 the company added consumer banking to its list of services.

Today, Goldman Sachs is a financial institution that provides a range of financial services for corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals globally. The company operates through four segments that include Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. According to US banking regulations, it is systemically important to the financial health of America.

The company is headquartered in New York, New York, and operates 6 regional headquarters as well. Regional headquarters are located in financial hotspots such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Warsaw. Among its many prominent CEOs are John Corzine and Hank Paulson who both went on to successful work in government.

The company's Investment Banking segment provides a full range of financial advisory services as well as underwriting for the public markets. The financial advisory services include but are not limited to strategic advisory for mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, restructuring, and spin-offs. This segment is also engaged in middle-market lending and transaction banking. Underwriting services include IPOs, preferred stock, debt instruments, and bridge loans.

Goldman Sachs Global Markets segment facilitates market transactions for institutions, banks, brokerages, corporations, and governments. Services include execution, derivatives, financing, clearing, settlement, and custody.

The Asset Management segment manages client portfolios across the investment spectrum while the Consumer & Wealth Management segment provides advisory and banking services to consumers.
Freelance filmmaker Mohammad Belaal Imran was snapping pictures in a section of Karachi, Pakistan, this week when he happened upon an unusual sight - a stray dog wearing a sweater. Though that alone would have made for a memorable photo, what unfolded next made it truly unforgettable. "While i was trying to capture him this boy came calling 'Jaggu, Jaggu' and the dog went crazy after him," Imran wrote in a post online. "He started playing with him, which was unbelievable as i never saw a stray dog playing like he was with this kid who feeds him everyday, and he is the one who gave Jaggu his shirt to wear because it's cold."

Mohammad Belaal Imran

The boy's age or circumstances aren't known for certain, but he is believed to be one of countless "street kids" living and working in cities across Pakistan - which makes his gesture toward Jaggu all the more remarkable. Despite not having the most basic comforts himself, like shoes, he still found a way to keep his canine friend warm. And he did it with a smile.

Mohammad Belaal Imran

Since the photo appeared on social media, many people have been asking how to help. A friend of the photographer's, Suhaib Jamal Nasir, has launched a GoFundMe page, where proceeds "will be used to give the boy and the dog proper clothing, food, shelter as well as medical care for both these best friends." Click here to learn more. Visit Azad Foundation's website for information on how to help more kids like him.
For the past year, the world has been rallying around Pizza the bear, a young polar bear who was first confined to Grandview Aquarium in Guangzhou, China, after it opened its doors earlier this year. Dubbed "the saddest bear in the world," Pizza was trapped in a gaudily painted blue concrete cell in a shopping mall, with few toys, no sunlight and only a tiny pool to swim in. His large windows looked out onto the throngs of tourists who would visit the mall each day, banging on the glass and filling his cell with relentless camera flashes.

Maizi/Vshine

Video showed Pizza pacing back and forth in front of his wall, swinging his head violently from side to side - clear signs that he was going crazy from his confinement, according to experts. But while his story's a sad one, he's far from the only inmate at the shopping-mall-slash-zoo.

A fox surrounded by tourists inside the shopping mall | Maizi/Vshine

Grandview is home to hundreds of other animals, including Arctic foxes, wolves, walruses, belugas - who do notoriously poorly in captivity - and scores of fish and other animals, including, at one point, a whale shark. And while Pizza has become the face of the campaign to shut the zoo down, most of them are in equally depressing conditions.

A small fox in her concrete room. | David Foster

David Foster

"I didn't realize so many other animals were also there in such horrid conditions," he told The Dodo, noting that, after passing by the mall's high-end stores, the aquarium's entrance stood out with a "dazzling" spectacle of lights and several fish tanks that appeared to be fairly well cared for. But the entryway was misleading, he explained. "The first sign of inadequate animal husbandry is that of a Myna bird in a cage so small it cannot even stretch its wings, let alone fly," Foster said.

Dodo Shows Faith = Restored Rescued Animals Melt Into This Woman's Arms When She Sings To Them

Several large sea turtles live in a tiny tank, only a couple feet deep | David Foster

Once inside the aquarium, it got worse - particularly at the beluga exhibit. "Once you enter the area of the beluga whales it all changes much more drastically," Foster said. "I physically took a step back at the pitiful sight of beluga in a tank so small they were almost physically longer than it was tall."

The belugas live in a tiny, empty tank. They have no toys or enrichment. | David Foster

Belugas are infamously difficult to keep in captivity. At SeaWorld and similar facilities, they've been documented fighting each other out of stress and displaying stereotypic behaviors - patterns of repeated behavior animals develop to cope with the discomfort of captivity. They often die decades earlier than their natural life spans.

A beluga in her shallow tank | David Foster

The Grandview belugas displayed signs of both aggression and stereotypic behaviors, Foster said. "A sexually frustrated male was harassing another whilst the rest blew bubble rings to swim through, probably just to relieve their boredom," he noted.

The whales have only a few feet to swim on either side | David Foster

The walruses faced similar conditions - and also had barely enough room to turn around in, according to Foster. "The walrus[es] are in a pitiful state," he said. "Their miniscule and dirty tank is only 2.5 times their body length and not even wide enough to stretch fully. I turn a corner to find another walrus being used as part of a circus act. I can hardly stomach anymore [at this point]."

A walrus floating in his tank. They can swim a few feet in either direction, and have no room to dive. | David Foster

But it's not just marine mammals who are suffering. There are several land animals at the aquarium, like Pizza, who live in the same dark cells, devoid of natural sunlight and fresh air. The condition of the wolves was particularly bad, Foster said.

A large pack of wolves is packed into a small glass pen | David Foster

"I had to stifle some tears at the horror of the fish tank they were being forced to live in," he explained. "No horizon or sky to look at, stimulus reduced to zero with nothing to smell or dig in. I was aghast."

Like Pizza's, their enclosure is made of garish artificial concrete | David Foster

A group of Arctic foxes is kept nearby. While their room is bigger than the wolves' area, they live on the same gaudy concrete and have few toys or sources of enrichment.

Several foxes also live in a similarly sunless, concrete room. They did little else but sleep, Foster said. | Maizi/Vshine

"The Arctic foxes ... lay around calling to one another," Foster said, noting that although they weren't displaying any immediate signs of stress they were "clearly bored."

David Foster

And of course, there's Pizza - the bear whose plight has become the face of outcry against Grandview. "It was immediately clear that [he] has obvious psychological stress," Foster said about the polar bear. "Every footstep hits the same repetitive mark, [his] head sways at every turn. In a few short strides [he] has completed the full length of [his] glass-walled prison."

Pizza in his tiny room | Maizi/Vshine

Since Foster's visit, life may have gotten better for at least one of Grandview's animals. Last month, officials at Grandview announced they were temporarily relocating Pizza to the undisclosed marine park where he was born, and where his parents reportedly still are, while some of the facilities were being upgraded.

The bear is often seen pacing while swinging his head back and forth | Maizi/Vshine

Yet it's unclear if he was actually moved - and if so, where he ended up. Some critics speculated that Grandview was simply trying to remove Pizza from the public eye due to his declining state. "Our video clearly showed that Pizza was suffering, and we warned the mall that soon his decline would be so apparent that it would be difficult to have him on public display," Peter Li, China policy specialist for HSI, said at the time. "Without a doubt, the mall has had to act due to tremendous pressure from Chinese and international campaigners, but I fear that Pizza's poor health is part of the reason too."

Pizza appears to gnaw at the bars to his room | Maizi/Vshine

Yet advocates are hopeful that, whatever Pizza's fate, the young polar's fame will ensure that his well-wishers around the world don't forget the dozens of other animals who are faring just as poorly at the infamous zoo.

Maizi/Vshine

"I'm brimming with anger," Foster said of his visit. "It has stuck with me since and I pray that this place is brought to a quick close."

A motionless fox in his concrete enclosure | Maizi/Vshine
When Ernie Altamirano adopted his dog, Sassy, everyone - the rescue group, various veterinarians - told him she wouldn't live past her third birthday.

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

"Three years old was pretty much the expectancy that everyone gave us," Altamirano told The Dodo. "I've heard it so many times. So she turned 4, and she's totally fine."

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Everyone thought Sassy wouldn't live long because she was born with some serious congenital deformities, which is often the result of inbreeding.

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Sassy is technically a "purebred" pit bull, but bad breeding led her to have dwarfism - she's about a quarter of the size of a full-grown pit bull, according to Altamirano.

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Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Sassy also has twisted forelegs and flipper-like feet. Her tongue doesn't quite fit inside her mouth. Breathing is difficult for her. So is moving.

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

"She twerks when she walks because she has such bad hip dysplasia," Altamirano explained. "They were going to try and straighten her legs, but she has flipper feet. She kind of walks on her forearms, and her feet are really just 'there.' They're underdeveloped. So if they straighten her legs, she's just going to be walking on the ends of bone because these feet don't do anything."

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Sassy also can't bark, but Altamirano finds this endearing. "She just claps her jaw," he said. "You know she's trying to bark because she's just doing this jaw clap. I think it's hysterical."

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

But what Altamirano loves most about Sassy is that her health issues don't seem to bother her. "She's got a lot of problems," Altamirano said. "But she's totally smart, and she has no idea any of these things are going on."

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Altamirano has limited information about Sassy's background, but he knows she came from a "backyard breeder" in New York. When Sassy was born, the breeder took Sassy to the local animal shelter. Luckily, a kind person with animal control contacted Kim Bonomo, a volunteer with Forgotten Friends of Long Island, a group that specializes in rescuing animals likely be euthanized at shelters because they're sick, old or have something "wrong" with them.

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

"Apparently [Kim] got the dog in the parking lot," Altamirano said. "And when [the rescue group] got the dog, I think that they really thought the dog wasn't going to make it."

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Although the rescue group believed Sassy would have a short life, they created a Facebook page for her to help her find a home. Many people were interested in adopting her, but Altamirano was lucky enough to bring Sassy home. Sassy now lives with Altamirano at his home in Long Island, New York, along with two other rescue dogs with special needs, Chiqui Gonzalez and Dolly Parton.

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Caring for Sassy isn't an easy task. Sassy's issues with her limbs mean that she can't walk like other dogs, so Altamirano usually has to push her around in a dog stroller, and carry her up the stairs.

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

But Sassy can still move around for short periods of time. "She can run pretty well," Altamirano said. "She doesn't run all the time, but she's pretty impressive with the speed."

Forgotten Friends of Long Island

"She loves dog parks," Altamirano added. "She loves big dogs. She definitely doesn't know she's the size she is."

Altamirano couldn't be more pleased to have Sassy in his life. "She's so sweet," he said. "You can't not love this dog. She's just the happiest little girl."

Forgotten Friends of Long Island
Has the phrase better late than never ever stood on a weaker truss than the Government of Canadas decades-late decision to ban the manufacture, use, import and export of asbestos?

Successive federal governments  Liberal and Conservative  provided political shelter to companies mining chrysotile asbestos in Quebec, going so far as to fund the Chrysotile Institute whose purpose was to defend aggressively this particular type of asbestos as distinctly less hazardous than other forms of the magic mineral. (A paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in 2008 called this argument redolent of the tobacco industrys playbook on light cigarettes.)

Occasionally, a politician would step out of line, only to be yanked back into asbestos-supporting formation.

Recall Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff in the spring of 2009. When queried on his position, Ignatieff said this: Im probably walking right off the cliff into some unexpected public policy bog of which Im unaware, but if asbestos is bad for parliamentarians in the Parliament of Canada, it just has to be bad for everybody else, he said. Our export of this dangerous product overseas has got to stop.

He later backtracked to this: We have had 60 years of experience with this product. What I said in answer to a question is that we have an obligation to international agreements to the countries that we export to, to make them aware of the risks. That is all I said.

That same year, the Star travelled to India, tracing the transformation of the raw mineral into the type of corrugated asbestos roofing you see everywhere on the subcontinent. At the time, more than 90 per cent of Canadas asbestos production was packaged up for export, and India had emerged as its number one customer. What became quickly evident was that industrial safety standards were inconsistently applied, a state of affairs known to mining executives back home. We tried to rely on our own people to tell us if it was used or going to areas or users that were actually approved or respecting the norms, a vice-president at LAB Chrysotile said at the time. They had approval by the Indian government to manufacture asbestos-related products. Obviously, we should not have relied on the Indian governments approval.

So the Canadian companies, which worked through intermediaries in India, would place negligent operators on a black list. Or at least thats what they would attempt to do. But clearly workplace controls were ultimately beyond their reach.

One operation, filmed by the CBC in 2009, showed workers lofting great armfuls of asbestos into the air, where it settled like a first snow on their clothing, their faces. The owner of that operation told the Star that the dry method was still in use, and went on to explain how superior the Canadian product was to that sold by Russia. The bags are supposed to be opened mechanically in a closed production system and not exposed to the air. At this operation they were opened by hand.

And there was another problem: the standard lecture on asbestos offers as its thesis statement that the fibres are not a cancer-causing hazard so long as they remain inert. Any traveler familiar with those corrugated rooftops can likely attest to the ways in which those sheets are sawed or drilled into by homeowners. Or, as a member of the Environmental Protection Agencys science advisory board told the Star at the time, If a factory turns out a piece of asbestos cement siding and some workers go at it with a power saw, which they are likely to do, theres not going to be controls, theres not going to be ventilation, theres not going to be wet sawing.

Canadas complicity in this appeared likely to continue. The Jeffrey mine touted 200 million tonnes of untapped underground reserves, which would have extended that mines operating life another half century. If, that is, financing could be secured. But that didnt happen. The Jeffrey mine ceased operations five years ago.

In this context its tough to muster notes of congratulation for the comprehensive ban, scheduled to come into effect by 2018. The government says it now wants to raise awareness of the health impacts of asbestos and to help reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases. It only took three decades to get there.

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Barrie Zwicker thought he had received an email from Bell Canada, his telecom provider, offering an exclusive reward for participating in a short survey.

His reward was two skin creams, which cost him $6 in postage charges. But when he didnt return them after 14 days, he found himself automatically enrolled in a subscription deal in which new products arrived every month.

Zwicker, a retired journalist, realized that he had fallen for a slick scam.

It happens that my wife had been saying she needed something for her skin. So it was a perfect storm of her wishes and my insufficient attention, he said.

They nicked me to the tune of $398.44 that Ill try to get back. My skin is glowing right now  with anger.

After he wrote to me, I helped him get the money back from Presidents Choice Financial, which arranged for the merchant to give a refund of the unauthorized charges, said PCF spokesperson Lana Gogas. If only all credit card issuers did so without being notified by the media first.

The free-trial scam, where victims are tricked into believing they will be sent a product sample as a reward for doing a survey, pops up at the websites of many reputable companies.

In November alone, we received complaints where Bell, CIBC, Cogeco, Costco, Derytelecom and Shaw have had their names misused, says Daniel Williams, senior fraud specialist at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which is managed by the RCMP, OPP and Competition Bureau.

A demand to pay a small shipping fee with a regular credit card  instead of a prepaid credit card  may indicate that the company plans to charge more than an initial fee, Williams explained.

These offers usually contain a tiny Terms and Conditions button, which if found and opened may reveal all that the consumer is actually agreeing to.

The terms and conditions may indicate that the suspect company is based in Latvia or Cyprus  even if the product is being shipped from a Canadian address.

Williams pointed to another issue. What is in the containers that customers receive?

Even if the product is a brand name, that branded company may have nothing to do with the offer. Should you be putting a product on your face from a company you have reason to distrust?

Why do credit-card companies keep doing business with these unscrupulous online retailers, rather than cutting off their ability to charge purchases to customers Visa and MasterCard accounts?

Rick Rennie, head of risk at MasterCard Canada, said merchants are required to communicate any terms that involve recurring payments. Cardholders must accept these terms separately from other terms, such as by checking a box or clicking a submit button.

If a merchant complies with the rules, the cardholder may not be eligible for reimbursement. Its impossible to prejudge outcomes before all the facts are known and considered in each case, he said.

Visa Canada said it works to detect and address merchants that generate an excessive amount of fraud or disputes. But in a situation where a cardholder expressly authorizes charges by agreeing to terms and conditions and providing personal information to a merchant, it is not fraud and does not fall under the fraud guarantee.

Visas advice:

Take time to read and understand the deal youre making.

Look for buried terms and conditions that may bind you to recurring payments and make returns or cancellations difficult.

Look for any pre-checked boxes before submitting your payment. Failing to uncheck the boxes may signify consent to terms and conditions you do not accept.

Review the websites delivery and return policy before you commit to buy.

Review your credit card statements carefully at least every month. Notify the card issuer promptly of any unusual activity or unauthorized charges.

Report your experience to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501 or emailing info@antifraudcentre.ca .

Heres a story that shows how credit-card issuers can do a better job of looking after a customers interests.

When Bruce Gemmell ordered a skin care product promoted by TV host Dr. Oz, Scotiabank Visas security department called him. He was told that his $30 order had already been charged to his card, but for $400  plus an automatic refill shipment every month until cancelled.

The person from Visa security suggested we make a conference call to the company. He would help me reverse the transaction, arrange to return the goods and get a credit to my account, Gemmell said.

He actually took control of the call, even waited with me while on hold for at least 30 minutes. He left nothing to chance, making sure I got proper return information, including where and how to ship the goods (prepaid, insured, confirmation of receipt).

I know many people complain about the credit card companies, but their security departments need to be acknowledged.

Caveat emptor  buyer beware  only goes so far. Lets stop blaming customers for not reading terms and conditions deliberately hidden from view and start working to release them from unfair deals.

Ellen Roseman appears each week in Smart Money.

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If you were rudely awakened 90 years too early on the voyage to an outer-space destination, youd head for the bar, too. And there would be some consolation to see Michael Sheens smiling Arthur, the galaxys finest robo-bartender, cocktail shaker in hand.

Sheen plays Arthur, the android mix-master in sci-fi romance Passengers, opening Wednesday.

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are Aurora and Jim, passengers aboard the luxury spaceship Avalon. Theyre supposed to be taking a years-long nap as the ship rockets to their new lives on a remote space colony, waking up a few months before docking, along with 4,998 other passengers.

Due to a combination of events, they are the only ones to awake from their sleep pods, way ahead of schedule.

Affable Arthur is programmed to please, explained Sheen from Los Angeles, whether its shaking the perfect Manhattan, telling a joke or offering a sympathetic ear. He and director Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) spent considerable time discussing how Arthur would be programmed to make his customers happy, anticipating their needs and learning from them as he went. But human nature is a tricky thing for a robot to puzzle out.

Its less about the drinks and more about the company, I think, Sheen said. But since the other passengers and crew on the Avalon are still slumbering for the next few decades, Arthur has just two clients to concentrate on. Hes a sounding board and sometimes catalyst for the evolving relationship between Aurora and Jim as they ponder big questions about their futures.

Sheen said hes not one to occupy a bar stool himself, nor is he much of a cocktail maker. But he does have some of the other attributes of a good barkeep.

But the thing with Arthur, (being) the perfect bartender is not just about making drinks, said Sheen. Its about being an ear that will listen, a shoulder to cry on, someone who will be quiet when you want them to be quiet but to talk and chat when you want them to, to be able to give advice and all that kind of stuff and so I like to think Im pretty good on that side.

As with any good bartender, we didnt talk politics, although Sheen did tell a London Times reporter recently his was so dismayed at the rise of demagogic, fascistic ideologies in the west that he may work less as an actor, and possibly stop, to turn his energies to grassroots movements to quell it. He later issued a clarification that he has no firm plans to pack acting in.

Stationed behind the Art Deco-style bar, Arthur is humanoid on top and machine below, his robotics on display as he zips around his workspace. With the backlit bar, combined with his reserved demeanour, smart burgundy jacket, neat haircut and black bow tie, he may remind audiences of Lloyd (Joe Turkel), the demonic bartender of The Shining. Its intentional, Sheen said.

Theres a definite echo of Lloyd . . . my look is very much based on that.

While Arthur is more a cross between a puppy and a toaster, the character plays around with the idea that theres a tradition of British-accented robots in space that kind of turn on their humans, and so we were sort of playing with that idea that the audience might be quite suspicious of Arthur for a while and what hes really all about becomes revealed as time goes on.

The special effects to create Arthur had Sheen kneeling in a rig, half-seated on a bicycle seat and stabilized upright by a metal bar. The computerized contraption slid along rails, so Sheen could appear to quickly glide between tasks like a robot.

It was physically quite uncomfortable to be in that rig for long periods of time, but also the challenge was to incorporate the movements as if it was something I was in control of, said Sheen, calling it a real collaboration between me and the guys who were operating the rig.

The challenge for Sheen was to keep from moving around as the rig sped up and came to abrupt stops, all the while effortlessly making drinks, polishing glasses or delivering lines. He practised the mechanics of bartending a lot.

And most of the time I was doing it while there was a scene going on between Jen and Chris, and the last thing I wanted was to mess up the scene for them when Im just in the background making a drink, he said.

Sheen is no stranger to working with special effects and CGI, having played both a vampire (Twilight franchise) and a werewolf (Underworld series) onscreen. He has earned critical praise for playing former British prime minister Tony Blair  hes done so three times, including in The Queen  as well TV host David Frost in Frost/Nixon.

Sheen said what helps Passengers stand apart from other fantasy films is it is a big sci-fi epic with a very intimate chamber piece in the middle of it, blending the romance arc with science fiction and big action scenes with an original story penned by Jon Spaihts (a writer on Prometheus and Doctor Strange).

Ultimately, Sheen said, the success of the picture, which he calls an actors piece, rests with stars Lawrence and Pratt.

Its so rare you see a big film on this scale where the acting is really at the fore, he said. I cant think of many actors who could pull off everything that this film requires and they really managed it.

Theyre so engaging to watch, and so believable and so enjoyable to watch onscreen, and yet they the have the acting chops to go to the much darker aspects of this when they go through some extreme situations and then youve got the big sci-fi stuff going on as well, so its a great combination.

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After Hillary Clintons spectacular upset in her run to become Americas first female president, she turned to reading.

There have been a few times this past week when all I wanted to do is just to curl up with a good book or our dogs and never leave the house again, she said during her first public appearance since conceding the election, speaking to a crowd at a Childrens Defense Fund gala on Nov. 16. Clinton was also spotted at a Rhode Island bookstore shortly after on Nov. 20, which made emotional waves online with those who were with her.

The health benefits of books have been recognized for centuries, proven to foster empathy, make us live longer and reduce stress.

Bibliotherapy, or book therapy (BT), is the practice of using books to help people cope with mental, physical, emotional, developmental or social problems. Relatively new in official terms, it is gaining traction worldwide.

Self-help books aside, the power of fiction, reading and storytelling are increasingly seen as a healing practice not unlike art or music therapy.

The power of novels-as-therapy offer people some perspective, wrote Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin, the authors of The Novel Cure: An A-Z of Literary Remedies in the Guardian. Our medicine draws not on pharmaceuticals but on 2,000 years of great literature.

While it has not gained traction in Canada as of yet, doctors in Britain have started prescribing books to people with mental health issues.

But not all librarians are behind this brave new world of books-as-therapy, finding its non-regulated practice especially alarming.

Keren Dali, an assistant professor at the School of Library Information Studies at the University of Alberta, has written about this in an essay titled On the Dangers of Reading.

The fact that books and stories are beneficial to people are not in dispute, she said, but we need to have the proper qualifications in order to practise therapy. We are librarians, not diagnosticians.

She thinks librarians should never promise someone that a book can make them feel better. I tell librarians: As powerful as the books are, any medicine has side-effects. Its no different for books. When you practise in the library, you have to be responsible.

Besides, there is a time-honoured and well-recognized practice of readers advisory (RA), which is the fundamental library service of suggesting titles to a reader.

There is no need to dress it up as something else.

Dali thinks, librarians ought to collaborate with professionals on therapeutic teams or get the proper training.

Canada has no accreditation body to graduate librarians to bibliotherapy  the closest thing is the International Federation for Biblio Poetry Therapy, an independent study program based in Colorado. Librarians including Canadian Natalia Tukhareli are pushing to bring bibliotherapy to North America

Tukhareli, the librarian for the Health Sciences Library at Scarborough and Rouge Hospital, has been a pioneer in bringing BT-based practices to Toronto for the past six years, developing a Bibliotherapy for Staff program at her workplace.

There are two kinds of BT, she says: The clinical practice  usually delivered by health care professionals such as those British GPs prescribing books as medicine  and the nonclinical practice, like hers  creative and social in nature and not meant to stand in for professional help.

Its more about helping individuals deal with everyday life problems, existential problems  about maintaining health and well-being, about developing resilience, she said. The approach is helping people improve their living skills (through reading) because life is so difficult and challenging.

Tukhareli adopted her reading intervention practice from The Reader Organization in London, England, in which small groups read poems or passages aloud in retirement homes, libraries, shelters, prisons and community centres, then discuss it. It fits well in the context of traditional support groups and wellness programs, said Tukhareli.

In the U.K., The Reading Agency created a Books on Prescription model, partnering with librarians and public health workers to create lists for common mental health conditions.

The BT-based reading groups Tukhareli leads in Toronto dont cover mental health issues, per se, but work to engage with well-being, human universality and resilience. She also doesnt like to use the word therapy.

There is always some therapeutic effect that I observe but Im not a therapist, she said. All you have to do is match the right groups with the right books and the books will do the rest.

Shes practiced BT-based approaches at St. Michaels Hospital, reading with marginalized and precariously housed populations in Torontos downtown core, and has flown to Johannesburg, South Africa, to work with children living with HIV/AIDS.

I had a couple of these moments where I would be amazed how the group responds to each other, she said. The compassion in a reading group is amazing.

Dan Yashinsky, the storyteller-in-residence at Baycrest Health Sciences, leads a weekly story care meeting attended by about 50 patients, residents, caregivers, neighbours and family.

We tell personal stories to folk tales to imaginary stories and everything in between, said Yashinsky, who says making space for stories in psych and palliative care units help their patients engage, communicate, express themselves and make connections to staff and to each other.

We affirm that we are all made of stories.

Melissa Tafler, a clinical social worker and the arts and health program co-ordinator at Baycrest Health Sciences, says she sees positive effects from the program.

Engaging in creative activities help practitioners and patients to be more reflective, think deeper and more often about how they play a role in the development of good care, she said.

Lots of research tells us that engaging in creative practices fires up different parts of the brain for older adults and, in general, keeps people feeling productive and having purpose in their day to day.

She also sees the benefits for readers in expanding their understanding of illness, life and death, and tap into their own situations and the situation of others.

It connects us on a basic human level, she said. We can all join one another in common ways through the telling and listening of stories.

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CALGARYThe federal government announced Tuesday plans to ban offshore oil and gas licensing in the Arctic, citing the need to protect the environment from future energy development, but the move was largely dismissed by industry observers as a weak gesture that wont harm their interests.

The measure was part of a joint announcement with the U.S., which designated the bulk of its federally controlled waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off-limits to future oil and gas leasing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadas ban is intended to ensure a sustainable Arctic economy, preserve the regions ecosystem and prevent future risks associated with offshore oil and gas activity  goals that earned applause from environmental groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund.

But experts pointed out that there are no drilling plans in the region now, suggesting that the ban is of little consequence.

Michael Byers, a University of British Columbia professor who recently published a book called Who Owns the Arctic?, said the only surprise in Ottawas announcement is that it provides for a five-year review.

Byers said the move seems to be politically motivated and is designed to show that Trudeau is protecting the environment despite a recent decision to sanction two oil pipelines  the Trans Mountain expansion and Line 3 replacement project.

Closing the door to Arctic oil and gas helps to position himself on the climate change file by saying that there are limits in terms of the development of new oil and gas fields, therefore drawing a line in the sand from a climate change perspective, he said.

Theres no activity taking place in the Canadian Arctic right now, so saying No doesnt require anyone to stop.

Last year, Imperial Oil applied to extend the expiry date on its licences to drill in the Beaufort Sea off the Northwest Territories from 2020 to 2028, citing insufficient time to conduct technical work and complete regulatory processes.

Byers said the federal ban means the Imperial licences can simply be allowed to expire, likely without liability for the federal government.

Imperial Oil spokeswoman Killeen Kelly said the company would not speculate on whether it would seek compensation for its licences if they arent extended.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday designated the bulk of U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing.

The move helps put some finishing touches on Obama's environmental legacy while also testing President-elect Donald Trump's promise to unleash the nation's untapped energy reserves.

Environmental groups hope the ban, despite relying on executive powers, will be difficult for future presidents to reverse. The White House said it's confident the president's order will withstand legal challenge and said the language of the statute provides no authority for subsequent presidents to undo permanent withdrawals.

The last Canadian oil well drilled in the Beaufort Sea off the Northwest Territories was completed in 2006 by Devon Canada.

Chris Seasons, who was president of the company at the time, said Tuesdays decision to close the Arctic to drilling may hurt companies with interests there in the long run, but wont cause any immediate pain.

People always like to have the maximum number of options available as technology changes and as views change on the commerciality of some of those resources, but I dont think it has a big impact on Canadian companies at this juncture, he said.

Theres definitely hydrocarbons there. We found about a 200-million-barrel oil pool, but it wasnt of sufficient scale to be commercial.

Byers said oil and gas production in the Arctic doesnt make sense economically or environmentally, estimating that benchmark U.S. oil prices would have to triple to above $150 ($200 Canadian) per barrel to make oil from the region profitable.

He said the extremely short drilling season represents a huge and costly risk for companies that explore there, adding that transportation is a nightmare.

Trudeau said Tuesday the ban is intended to ensure a sustainable Arctic economy, protect the regions ecosystem and prevent future risks associated with offshore oil and gas activity.

He said his government will also encourage the use of energy efficiency measures and renewable power in an effort to reduce reliance on diesel in Northern communities.

In statements, both Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund welcomed the Arctic drilling bans, saying they will help protect endangered species and ecosystems.

Paul Barnes, Arctic manager for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said in an email the industry remains confident that it can develop offshore oil and gas resources in the Arctic in environmentally responsible ways.

The Canadian and U.S. governments said they are launching processes to identify sustainable shipping lanes throughout Arctic waters, including the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

With files from The Associated Press

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A woman denied Indian status despite being able to trace her indigenous heritage for at least five generations is the victim of gender discrimination, Ontarios top court heard Tuesday.

Changes to the law in 1985 designed to address such discrimination only created new problems for women such as Lynn Gehl, her lawyer told the Court of Appeal.

Gehl, 54, of Peterborough, Ont., has been unable to register as an Indian because she does not know who her grandfather was. By post-1985 policy, the government assumes he was non-Indian, which ultimately deprived Gehl of her status.

Tens of thousands of women are estimated to be in Gehls situation  denied Indian status because a father is listed as unknown or unstated on a birth certificate, commonly the result of rape, incest or abuse, or because he simply disavows his child.

Gehl has faced real consequences, including loss of treaty rights and growing up in a cultural void and shame, said her lawyer, Christa Big Canoe.

Gehls co-counsel, Mary Eberts, said the governments interpretation of the Indian Act puts women at a disadvantage because it is generally far more difficult to identify a father than a mother.

As a result, the governments policy on unknown or unstated paternity  or the underlying provisions of the Indian Act  are unconstitutional, court heard.

Women still carry the disadvantages from the pre-1985 regime, Eberts said. Males and females under the Indian Act are not the same. The male still benefits from some historical privileges.

Indian status used to be passed on through the fathers lineage  something the 1985 law attempted to address in light of the recently adopted charter, court heard. While thousands of people were retroactively granted status under the new legislation, Gehl was not one of them.

Government lawyer Christine Mohr said the legislation was never intended to restore status to every person who lost it over the years. The limited objective doesnt give rise to unconstitutionality and Gehls denial of status was not because shes a woman, Mohr said.

The Appeal Court justices clearly had difficulty with differences in how the 1985 law has been applied, granting Indian status to some who lost it decades ago, but not to others, such as Gehls grandfather.

Theres a package here that Parliament enacted and Im trying to understand why it only gets applied sometimes, Justice Robert Sharpe said.

Another government lawyer, Andrea Bourke, said the legislation was a political choice that aimed to end, but couldnt undo, 100 years of inequity by restoring status to those who directly lost it due to discrimination.

The rules are applied uniformly to everyone, Bourke insisted.

Gehl, who identifies as an Algonquin Anishinaabe, has been trying since 1994 to get registered as a status Indian. Among the benefits she would have would be the ability to participate fully in the affairs of her First Nation, including in negotiations with the federal government.

In June last year, Ontario Superior Court Justice Elizabeth Stewart sided with the government, even though she was sympathetic to Gehls plight.

Gehls predicament ... arises from the unique circumstances of her life, particularly the unknowable identity of her paternal grandfather, Stewart said in her ruling.

The Appeal Court justices reserved their decision.

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VANCOUVERAnastasia Lin says when she first learned about allegations the Chinese government was harvesting organs from religious prisoners to fuel its transplant industry, she decided to use an unconventional platform to raise awareness.

Lin spoke out about the alleged plight of Falun Gong practitioners in China while taking part in the 2015 Miss World Canada beauty pageant, which she won.

Since then, she has become an outspoken critic of the Chinese government.

To not do anything is just so wrong, said Lin, 26, who is based in Toronto but spent her teenage years in Vancouver after emigrating from China with her mother.

Public pressure works. We have way more leverage than we think we do, she said. We might think that China is this big, tough bully that just doesnt listen to anyone. But thats not true.

Falun Gong is a spiritual practice that emerged in China in the early 1990s, but by the end of the decade it had prompted a crackdown by the Chinese Communist Party.

Falun Gong spokesman Joel Chipkar alleges the persecution was prompted by the organizations unwillingness to cede control to the Chinese government.

Reports from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have emerged of thousands of imprisoned Falun Gong followers being executed for their body organs.

Multiple requests for comment to the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa and the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver went unanswered. But Fang Hong, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told The Associated Press last week in a story about Lin that the allegations of the Chinese government harvesting organs are sheer fabrications of the Falun Gong cult.

Lin said she was originally inspired to take a stand on the issue by the advocacy work of former Miss World Canada Nazanin Afshin-Jam, who is married to former federal attorney general Peter MacKay.

In 2015, Lin was declared persona non grata by the Chinese government and barred from entering China when she tried to travel there to represent Canada in that years Miss World pageant.

Miss World 2016 took place in Washington, D.C., and this year Lin was able to take part.

My one goal was not the tiara, Lin said. I just wanted to be on Chinese television ... If they can see me on stage they will know (I have not given up), so neither should they.

She also wanted to be seen by her father, who she said has been barred from leaving China because of her activism.

Miss World 2016 wrapped up last weekend, with the contestant from Puerto Rico taking the crown.

Chipkar, a Toronto-based spokesman for Falun Gong, applauded Lin for helping shed light on the organ-harvesting allegations.

Any awareness to these crimes is like a light bulb that comes on in a dark room, Chipkar said. As soon as the light comes on, the darkness disappears.

Chipkar said there has never been any communication between Lin and the Falun Gong organization.

As for Lin, she said she isnt interested in competing in any more beauty pageants. Instead, she wants to focus on her acting career and continue her advocacy through that medium.

I think art is really ultimately what touches the heart, and Im very encouraged by that, she said.

Im not a politician or a human-rights activist by nature. Im really just not an activist, but art is such a powerful way to get your message across.

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OTTAWAA Canadian tourist killed by Islamic extremists in Jordan. The assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The multiple killings of peaceful Berliners at a Christmas celebration.

All of this is linked by an extremely bloody ideology spouted by Daesh, also known as ISIS, says Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion.

And it is about time Russia starts pulling its weight in fighting it, instead of pursuing its bitter victories in Syria, says Canadas top diplomat.

During a year-end interview, Dion linked this weeks series of terror-related tragedies in Jordan, Turkey and Berlin to relentless recruiting efforts of Daesh.

Its always, everywhere, the same ideology  an ideology that convinces young people that if they kill others because they dont share their beliefs, they will be heroes in this world and will go to heaven in the other world, said Dion.

This ideology is extremely bloody and we will need to find a way to deradicalize these people to make sure no terrorist group is able to have a territorial tyranny anywhere as ISIL has in Iraq and Syria.

Dion criticized Russia for its ongoing support of the regime of President Bashar Assad in Syria.

Dion also lamented the recent fall of Aleppo  from which convoys of shell-shocked civilians have departed.

Government forces, aided by Russia, crushed the anti-Assad opposition that was entrenched there.

It must be very bitter, he said, if they call it a win. I would call it a big failure for human kind.

Dion said he was encouraged by Mondays unanimous approval of the UN Security Council to deploy international monitors to Aleppo, but he said its a development that should have occurred weeks ago.

He said Canada pushed for progress at the UN, but the only ones who can make a difference are the Russians.

Dion said Canada regularly tells Russia to do more to fight Daesh in Syria instead of targeting anti-Assad rebels. Its a message he has personally delivered to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

And it is one that Canadas ambassador to the UN, Marc-Andre Blanchard, delivers to his Russian counterpart in New York on a daily basis, Dion said.

Since October, Canada has been pushing the UN General Assembly to take steps to stop the ongoing civil war in Syria, which has displaced millions and killed hundreds of thousands.

Dion acknowledged the inaction of the Security Council. But he said Canada had to do what it could to pursue action on Syria in the 193-member General Assembly.

Canada recently gathered the support of more than 70 countries to press the General Assembly to address the Syrian crisis.

Dion said the despite the ongoing carnage he sees every day, he hasnt lost faith in the ability of diplomacy to make the world more peaceful.

He said things were worse in the 1970s when he was a university student.

Totalitarianism was rampant in east Europe and most of Asia, while Africa was ruled mostly by military regimes.

The United States was paralyzed by the Watergate scandal. That was the 70s, he said.

That was followed by the strongest wave of democracy in the history of humanity, he said.

The difficulties that remain are huge and big but we should never be discouraged about the world.

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Members of Torontos Tibetan community are demanding an apology from the TTC after the agency refused to remove subway ads that critics say are racist propaganda sanctioned by the Chinese government.

These ads basically portray Tibetans as backwards, as undeveloped and dirty, said Sonam Chokey, national director of Students for a Free Tibet Canada. Basically they are trying to legitimize the colonization of Tibet.

The TTC says the agency had no choice but to run the ads because theyre not in contravention of any law or of the transit agencys advertising policies.

The posters, which have been on the transit system since Nov. 28, depict two images of Tibet. One is colourless, and shows a clutch of ragged tents and faceless figures in a barren valley, while the other is in colour and shows a modern city in the same mountain setting. The accompanying caption is Old Culture, New Tibet.

The posters direct readers to the internet address for the China National Tourist Office.

Chokey said that the China National Tourist Office is a state-sponsored agency and the ads are blatantly racist. In addition to demanding that they be taken down immediately, Students for a Free Tibet is calling on the TTC to issue an official apology and supporters of the group are expected to speak and protest a meeting of the TTC board Tuesday afternoon.

Tibet has been under control of the Chinese government since a 1950 army takeover that Tibetans refer to as an invasion. China claims it was an act of liberation.

In response to questions about the ad, the China National Tourism Office issued a short statement to the Star on Monday. It said the poster is supposed to show a Tibet, which enjoys both tradition and modernity now. All Canadians are most welcome to visit Tibet. The statement included a link to the tourism agencys Tibet webpage.

According to the TTC, the tourism agency paid about $20,000 for the ads. Two hundred of the posters were placed on subways and eight installed in stations. Theyre set to run until Friday, Dec. 23.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the budget committee at city hall, TTC CEO Andy Byford defended the agencys decision to run the ads. He said the Supreme Court of Canada has determined that transit agencies must accept offensive advertising, as long as it isnt discriminatory or otherwise illegal.

According to TTC policy, advertising on the transit system must adhere to all applicable laws, including the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards and the Ontario Human Rights Code. If five or more people complain about an ad, its referred to the TTC advertising review working group.

Byford said that in this case, the group reviewed the ad and concluded that we did apply the rules correctly.

I understand the concerns that the Tibetan community have made, but the simple facts are the TTC, as TTC staff, are simply not able to make subjective judgments. We are bound by the rules regarding use of adverts on the TTC, Byford said.

Councillor Gord Perks (Ward 14) said the transit agency should consider changing its rules. His ward of Parkdale-High Park is home to the largest Tibetan community in North America, and he said he had received dozens of complaints from constituents who have been profoundly hurt by the posters.

If the TTC found that these ads dont violate these policies, theres something wrong with their policies, he said.

This isnt the first time that ads on the transit system have stoked controversy. In 2013, the agency rejected an ad from a group called Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East that included a series of maps showing how Palestinian territory has shrunk since the founding of Israel. At the time, the transit agency said some people might interpret the posters as advocating for violence or hatred against Israel or the Jewish people.

The TTC recently refused to carry ads from Yuk Yuks Comedy Club that showed a man wearing little more than a pair of gold underwear. The transit agency said the posters violated the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards prohibition against unacceptable depictions or portrayals.

With files from Jennifer Pagliaro

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The Toronto neurosurgeon accused of murdering his wife, a respected family doctor and mother of three, will be held in custody into the new year after making a brief court appearance Tuesday.

Dressed in an orange jumper, Mohammed Shamji, 40, looked solemn and said nothing but his own name while appearing via video in a north Toronto court. His case was put off until Jan. 5.

The former Toronto Western Hospital doctor is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Elana Fric-Shamji, his wife of 12 years and the mother of his three children. According to court documents, police believe Shamji killed Fric-Shamji, 40, some time between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Friends and colleagues of Fric-Shamji, a physician in Scarborough Hospitals family practice teaching unit, say she had filed for divorce from Shamji just days before.

Fric-Shamjis body was discovered in Vaughan earlier this month, next to the West Humber River. Police say she had been strangled and had suffered from blunt force trauma. The couples three children are currently living with Fric-Shamjis parents.

Shamjis family was not present at the court appearance Tuesday. But one of his former patients, Desre Kramer, sat in the front row, wanting to show her support for the doctor.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Kramer said she fell down the stairs and broke her spine. She didnt believe she would walk again, but underwent a 6.5-hour surgery with Shamji. She is now deeply and profoundly confused, saying she could not reconcile the man she knew with the accused killer who appeared in court.

He saved my life, she said. I walk because of him, Im not in pain because of him.

As reported by the Star earlier this month, Shamji was charged with uttering threats and assaulting Fric-Shamji in 2005, when the couple was newly married.

The details of the incident, which occurred while the couple were newlyweds living in Ottawa, were not accessible to staff at the Ottawa courthouse, who said the case file is now in storage. The charges were withdrawn after Shamji signed a peace bond.

Earlier this month, the Ontario Medical Association released a statement on behalf of Fric-Shamjis family thanking the public for their support. The family has referred to Fric-Shamji as Dr. Elana Fric.

We deeply appreciate the support that Elanas children and we as a family have received  it has been a kindness for which we are very thankful, said the statement.

We would also like to express thanks to the many friends, neighbours and colleagues who have shared their memories of Elana as a wonderful person, mother, and physician. We miss her greatly and these memories mean a great deal to all of us today and every day.

The organization has directed those hoping to give memorial donations on Frics behalf to the Shelter Movers of Toronto and the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Health Care, citing the doctors passions for global health and care for vulnerable populations.

Last week, the Shelter Movers of Toronto, held a candlelight vigil outside Queens Park to remember Fric-Shamji.

The Ontario Medical Association described Fric-Shamji as a talented family physician who was active in many efforts to improve the health-care system.

With files from Star archives

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Insurance Back European Supervisory Authorities consult on Big Data launched

The Joint Committee of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) launched on December 19th a public consultation about the potential benefits and risks of Big Data for consumers and financial firms to determine whether any further regulatory or supervisory actions may be needed.



Big Data is a phenomenon linked to the ever increasing availability of data and advances in Information Technology tools, applications, platforms and systems to collect, process and analyse it. Big Data can generate ideas, solutions or predict certain events or behaviours and is already used in the financial industry.



"Internet and mobile devices have become a core part of our lifestyle and the ways in which data is generated, collected, stored, processed and used have evolved at unprecedented rates. Entire business sectors are being reshaped by building on data analytics and BigData has the capability to transform the way products and services are provided with potential benefits and risks for consumers and financial institutions. The ESAs need to understand better what the Big Data phenomenon means for us as consumers, the financial industry and regulators and therefore invites all stakeholders to share their views," said Gabriel BERNARDINO, Chairman of the EIOPA and the current Chair of the Joint Committee.



The ESAs' Discussion Paper notes that Big Data can bring a number of benefits to both financial firms and consumers. Better analytics mean firms can profile customers in order to personalise products and services, enhance their own internal processes and improve their fraud detection capabilities.



For example, banks use financial and payment data to assess consumer credit worthiness; in the insurance sector, firms are finding increasingly innovative ways of gathering data, such as installing telematics devices in cars to monitor consumers' driving behaviour, to offer more personalised premiums and products; and in the securities markets, high frequency traders and asset managers analyse large volumes of data to inform their investment decisions.



At the same time, the ESAs also consider potential risks associated with BigData, such as access issues for consumers being classified as undesirable due to firms' abilities to undertake more granular analyses. For example, consumers seeking household insurance for properties located in areas exposed to high risks such as floods, earthquakes or crime may have to pay very high premiums or might not be offered an insurance coverage. Part of the ESAs' mandates is to monitor emerging risks for consumers and financial institutions as well as new financial activities.



Existing EU legislation on data protection, competition and consumer protection, which share the common goals of promoting economic growth, innovation and the welfare of individual consumers, are relevant for financial firms while not explicitly addressing Big Data.



The Discussion Paper asks whether the existing regulatory framework is sufficiently flexible to cover Big Data, has gaps which need to be filled and how it impacts the use of Big Data technologies.



The consultation closes on 17 March 2017.





Author: Daniela GHETU on 20.12.2016





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If at first you dont succeed, reset, reset again.

Kathleen Wynne has pressed every reset button in the book: First a cabinet shuffle, then a throne speech, next a tax cut.

The premier has expressed every emotion like an open book: First apologizing, then crying in public.

Despite trying and trying again, the recovery hasnt succeeded. Wynne remains the least popular premier in Canada, with her approval rating plummeting to 14 or 15 per cent, depending on the poll.

If not a reset, resign?

Rumours persist, but Wynne insists she isnt going anywhere when she takes a walk in the snow (and on the sand) during her holiday break.

Ill be walking in the snow and on the beach, but Im not going  I am going to be here through the 2018 election, she said during a year-end interview in her Queens Park office.

I certainly dont get to stay in this office forever, Wynne mused.

But forever is still a few years off. With a provincial election nearly 18 months away, the long march to a political recovery is underway.

Wynne will wend her way across the province next year on yet another listening  and apologizing  tour. Will it get her anywhere?

Remember Wynnes honeymoon days, when 40 per cent of Ontarians looked upon her approvingly after a decade of Liberal rule under Dalton McGuinty? As the face of change, she went on to win a stunning majority government in 2014.

In the years since, she has had her economic ups and political downs.

Back in early 2013, Wynne couldnt tell me Ontarios unemployment rate (she guessed 7 per cent  Did I pass?  but it was 7.7 per cent at the time); today, unemployment has declined dramatically to 6.3 per cent (she got it right this time).

Ontarios economy will grow by more than 3 per cent in 2016 and a relatively healthy 2.4 per cent next year, tied with B.C. for first place, according to the independent Conference Board of Canada. Yet even as the economic numbers recover, her popularity has yet to rebound.

Rising hydro prices  largely a McGuinty legacy  are dragging her down. And the premier has contributed to her own decline in the polls by privatizing part of Hydro Ones transmission poles.

Now she is a lightning rod in her own right, which makes it even harder to ride out the storm. Why the hostility?

I dont know, Wynne says wearily.

The burden weighs heavily on her  not just because she likes to be liked (a congenital defect among politicians), but because it drags down her fellow Liberals. It prompted her to choke up at a caucus retreat for MPPs last September, and again at a meeting of party supporters last month.

One response to the hostility is humility  not just an apology but, belatedly, a recognition that she needs to be more of a team player and less of a one-woman show. Wynne admits she is overexposed after putting herself front and centre by answering almost every attack in the legislatures daily Question Period.

Now she stays in her seat, allowing her cabinet ministers to speak for themselves. And ignores the opposition taunts over her judicious silence.

Yeah, I think thats true, and we had a discussion in caucus and I said, Yeah, I can send more questions your way. 

Its not just a matter of policy but personality.

Im very eager  Im an eager person, she exclaims, bursting into laughter. Wynne describes herself as that girl in Grade 4 at the front of the class putting her hand up, saying, I can do this!

That probably is part of my personality  I know its part of my personality.

As the eldest of four children, Wynne always took the lead at home  and her family went along. Now, as leader of Ontarios government, Wynne is learning the limits of power in a province where not everyone gets along.

When the four little girls played skipping rope at home, I can remember my sister saying, Kath, you always try so hard! And it was like a criticism.

All these years later, with her job on the ropes, Wynne is trying to improve her political game by letting go. That means delegating  and ducking  as circumstances dictate.

Shes not first daughter anymore. Just first minister.

Not resigning. Still resetting.

Martin Regg Cohns political column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. mcohn@thestar.ca , Twitter: @reggcohn

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She has been described as our eras Anne Frank, updating the world on the horrors of war in Syrias Aleppo in real-time.

But the story of Bana Alabed, whose Twitter account now has more than 320,000 followers, took a much more fortunate turn on Monday. Several photos showed the 7-year old girl among a crowd of residents evacuated from Aleppo.

According to Ahmad Tarakji, the president of the Syrian American Medical Society, NGO workers are providing assistance to her and others.

Set up and operated with the help of her mother, an English teacher, Banas Twitter account had stood out among other sources of information in rebel-held east Aleppo. The descriptions of daily life under the siege moved many of her followers and fuelled anger at the worsening humanitarian situation in Aleppos east.

Bana  a petite child with long dark hair, big brown eyes and a lilting voice  quickly became the newest symbol for the horrors unfolding in Syria, the Washington Posts Caitlin Gibson wrote in a profile.

But online, her emotional messages also caused a backlash. Her mother Fatemah and Bana herself were attacked by critics who attempted to discredit the accounts authenticity. To them, the account appeared too active for a resident of a city which experienced frequent power cuts. Syrian President Bashar Assad also joined the chorus of people trying to mock her messages, portraying the account as propaganda.

As the Washington Posts Adam Taylor has explained, the wave of criticism led to a fact-checking initiative by Bellingcat, a website which uses open-source information and social media to aid investigations. In their final report, former British army soldier Nick Waters and image analyst Timmi Allen rebuked most of the conspiracy theories that surrounded the Twitter account, for instance by locating her neighbourhood.

Banas flight from Aleppo will now put an end to doubts over the authenticity of her account, her supporters hope.

In the last tweet that was published on Sunday, the 7-year olds mother Fatemah made a plea to Turkeys foreign minister and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to make this ceasefire work.

Comparisons between Anne Frank, a Dutch teenager who chronicled the Nazi horrors and was later killed by them, and Bana became more frequent in recent days as the 7-year old and her mother described how the Syrian regime army came closer to their neighbourhood.

Whereas Anne Franks diary was published long after her death, the world was able to follow Banas messages within seconds.

Because of the Internet and social media, we see in real time what is happening inside Aleppo, Cameron Hudson, director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, recently explained.

It was the immediacy of Banas 140-character messages that made her case unique. Her memories of war and the suffering she described, however, are shared by many other children whose cases have not gone viral.

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BERLINState Department spokesman John Kirby said U.S. officials dont have enough information at the moment to back up the claim of responsibility by the Daesh group for a truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured.

Kirby said there is no direct evidence of a tie or a link to a terrorist organization, but this bears the hallmarks of previous terror attacks.

A top Democrat on the U.S. House intelligence committee also says that the Deash groups claim of responsibility for the attack cannot yet be confirmed.

Rep. Adam Schiff said the claim cannot be verified until the perpetrator or perpetrators are apprehended by German authorities, but ISIS has never shied away from claiming credit for attacks - even if it knew nothing about them in advance.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said theyd released a Pakistani man picked up on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck.

Daesh claimed responsibility Tuesday for the attack, as German security forces hunted for the perpetrator after releasing a man from custody for lack of evidence.

Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, said in a statement from its Amaq news agency that the attacker in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition.

Germany is not involved in anti-Daesh combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refuelling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said theyd released a man picked up on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck. The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled.

But federal prosecutors said late Tuesday that he denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was driving the truck at the time of the attack. Muench also said police havent yet found a pistol authorities believe was used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain particularly vigilant and report suspicious movements to a special hotline.

We may still have a dangerous criminal out there, Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Before Daesh claimed responsibility, Germanys top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of Julys deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the militant group.

There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations, Frank said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans way of life.

Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, arent among us anymore, she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives.

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and travelling 60 to 80 metres before coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the trucks passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained hospitalized, 14 with serious injuries.

Inaki Ellakuria, a 21-year-old student from Spain, knew immediately that this was no accident.

I heard the truck crashing against the first stall, he tweeted Monday, only minutes after the vehicle ran over dozens of shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin.

It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally, he posted.

His next tweet was chilling: It has swept me and ran over both of my legs.

Ellakuria on Tuesday underwent surgery at a hospital in Berlin for the broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He also has broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip, but he is recovering well, according to his relatives.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany, Merkel said. This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country.

A spokesman for Berlins office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the citys now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but no one was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle had been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

They must have done something to my driver, he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an axe rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday nights attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security, Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be eradicated from the face of the Earth and pledged to carry out that mission with all freedom-loving partners.

The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups, including Islamic State and Al Qaeda, were focusing on the upcoming holiday season and associated events in Europe.

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AMMAN, JORDANFour policemen were killed Tuesday in an exchange of fire with wanted men in a central Jordanian province where assailants had killed 10 people in a series of ambushes earlier this week, state media said.

Several wanted men were killed and others arrested after the firefight in the province of Karak, the official news agency Petra reported. The report did not say how many of the alleged fugitives had been killed.

State media said police officers came under fire during a raid of a suspected hideout of fugitives. Petra said the cell targeted Tuesday was not connected to those involved in Sundays attacks in Karak.

Earlier Tuesday, Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, claimed responsibility for Sundays shootings which killed nine Jordanians and a tourist from Canada.

Sundays shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamic militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the U.S.-led military campaign against Daesh, which seized large areas in neighbouring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a caliphate there.

The back-to-back violent clashes between security forces and armed men this week undermine the kingdoms claim to be an oasis of stability in a region increasingly threatened by Islamic extremists.

Sundays shootings took place in the town of Qatraneh in Karak province and in the provincial capital of Karak city.

Hours after an initial attack on a police patrol in Qatraneh, four gunmen were killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and popular tourist destination.

The Daesh claim of responsibility was published Tuesday on Shumoukh al-Islam, a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that four soldiers of the caliphate armed with machine-guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 apostates. It said the four IS fighters were engaged in fierce clashes lasting several hours with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-Daesh coalition member states. We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ..., it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Linda Vatcher, a 62-year-old from Newfoundland, was killed in the attack. She had recently travelled to the Middle East to spend Christmas with her son, Chris, who was reportedly working as a teacher in the region.

The mother and son were visiting a Crusader castle popular with tourists in Karak when gunmen assaulted Jordanian police in a series of attacks. Christopher Vatcher was said to have jaw injuries, and was being treated at a hospital in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism; hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other Daesh militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

Earlier this year, Daesh claimed responsibility for a deadly cross-border attack from Syria on a Jordanian border post.

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Turkey and Russia, whose up-and-down relationship has helped shape the Syrian war and the many related crises, shared a new trauma Monday after a Turkish gunman assassinated Russias ambassador at an art gallery in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Andrey G. Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, was giving a speech when an off-duty police officer fatally shot him at the lectern.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The gunman, who was killed at the scene, shouted God is great in Arabic and later said in Turkish: Dont forget Aleppo. Dont forget Syria. That may hint at his motive: The Russian air force was a key part of the Syrian governments successful assault on rebel-held parts of Aleppo, which included widespread attacks on civilians.

The killing caused global alarm and questions about where it would lead. On social media, many drew parallels to the political assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which helped set off the First World War  a comparison that analysts, thankfully, reject.

Heres what the killings means for Turkey, Russia, Syria and the West.

Could this lead to war between Turkey and Russia?

That seems very unlikely. So far, both countries are working to manage the situation and are sending signals of cooperation. They appear to be aligning their explanations of what happened, pointing their fingers at mutual enemies but not each other.

The reason is Syria. In the past few months, Turkey and Russia have taken pains to line up their once-conflicting strategies there.

Aaron Stein, a Turkey expert at the Atlantic Council, put it bluntly: Turkey needs Russia to advance its war interests. Russia needs Turkey to win, as it defines winning, in Syria. Everyone has an incentive to handle this like adults.

A crisis over a dead ambassador could jeopardize the two countries stakes in Syria  or, worse, revive the destabilizing tensions of last year  so they are working to smooth things over.

Why has there been tension between Turkey and Russia?

Also over Syria, which goes to show the volatility of the situation. It also demonstrates that both countries are so focused on protecting their Syria agendas that even their nationalistic, grievance-prone leaders would rather play it cool.

The two countries were, and to some extent still are, on opposite sides of the Syrian war. Turkey opposes President Bashar Assad of Syria and has backed rebel groups. Russia supports Assad and entered the conflict on his behalf in the fall of 2015.

Shortly after Russia intervened, its planes began bombing Turkish-backed rebels and flew along  Turkey says across  the Turkish-Syrian border. In November 2015, Turkey shot down a Russian jet, precipitating a major crisis and fears of war. That also could have pulled in the United States, which is bound by treaty to defend Turkey, a NATO ally, and wanted to avoid escalation in Syria.

Under those circumstances, the assassination of an ambassador could provoke an even larger conflict. But over the past year, the countries relationship has changed significantly.

How did they go from enemies to partners?

After years of pursuing Assads downfall, Turkey shifted this summer to a more modest strategy: preventing Syrian Kurdish groups from accumulating too much territory along the border. That change aligned the country with Russia.

Turkey fears that Kurdish control of the border would strengthen Kurdish separatism in Turkey, where the government is fighting Kurdish groups, some of which have carried out terrorist attacks.

Russias entry into the war also changed Turkeys calculus, making the campaign against Assad suddenly costlier and less likely to succeed.

Russia, for its part, initially struggled to gain ground against the Syrian rebels, some of whom received Turkish backing. Moscow appears to have concluded that it is better off with Turkey as a partner than an adversary.

The two countries appeared to settle on an unofficial deal: Turkey would drop its support for certain rebels who threatened Russian interests in Syria, and Russia would drop its support for Syrian Kurdish groups. Russia also allowed Turkish troops and allied militias to occupy Syrian border territory that had previously been controlled by Kurds and Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL.

Stein of the Atlantic Council called the arrangement Aleppo for Al Bab: Russia and Assad would take Aleppo, while Turkish-allied militias would take the strategically located town of Al Bab.

Because the cities are nearly adjacent, the Turkish and Russian campaigns benefit each other. At the same time, with their forces mere miles apart, a major breakdown over Karlovs assassination would simply be too dangerous to tolerate.

Will the assassination change anything?

There is no indication so far that Turkey or Russia will alter their Syria policies. If anything, the attack could cement their partnership.

Stein predicted that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey would seek to distract attention from his governments unpopular Syria policy by pinning the attack on the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan also blamed for a coup attempt in Turkey this summer.

Gulen has denied the charges, and Washington has refused to extradite him, citing a lack of evidence. That has strained ties between the United States and Turkey, though this tension serves Erdogan by helping him to rally support at home, where the United States is unpopular.

The biggest loser from this will be Washington, Stein said. Its completely counterintuitive, but its Washington.

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MANILA, PHILIPPINESThe UN human rights chief asked Philippine authorities Tuesday to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for murder after he claimed to have killed people in the past and also to examine the appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings committed during his anti-drug crackdown.

Philippine judicial authorities must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said, adding its unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer.

Since taking office in June, Duterte has obsessively overseen the crackdown on illegal drugs that has left more than 6,000 people dead. Philippine government officials have defended police actions during the crackdown, and the president has met past such calls with angry tirades.

Zeids call, made in a statement issued in Geneva, was sparked by Dutertes remarks in recent speeches that as a town mayor in southern Davao city in 1988, he killed three suspected kidnappers in a firefight where he was backed up by three police officers. He later clarified he was unsure whether the bullets from his M16 rifle killed the suspects.

The brash-talking president has also suggested that he used to roam around his sprawling city as mayor on a big motorcycle to look for criminals to kill so policemen would emulate him.

In Davao, I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys that, if I can do it, why cant you? Duterte said last week. I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also. I was really looking for an encounter to be able to kill.

Dutertes acts directly contravene the rights enshrined in the Philippine constitution and the killings recalled by the president also violate international law, Zeid said. The UN official also said Dutertes encouragement of others may constitute incitement to violence and expressed concern about Dutertes assurances that police officers who commit human rights violations would be immune from prosecution.

The perpetrators must be brought to justice, sending a strong message that violence, killings and human rights violations will not be tolerated by the state and that no one is above the law, he said.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, however, has defended Duterte, saying the president often exaggerates killings of criminals to send a chilling warning to lawbreakers.

Aguirre said Duterte may have been resorting to hyperbole in his description of roaming around Davao on his motorcycle.

Duterte previously threatened to withdraw the Philippines from the United Nations for its criticism of his drug crackdown, describing the world body as inutile in the face of genocidal killings in other places.

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ANKARA, TURKEYInvestigators from Turkey and Russia hunted for clues Tuesday in the assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

A team of 18 Russian investigators and foreign ministry officials arrived in Turkey and began inspecting the art gallery where the shooting of Andrey Karlov took place.

Central to the joint Turkish-Russian investigation is whether Mevlut Mert Altintas, a member of Ankaras riot police squad, planned the attack alone.

One senior Turkish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details to the press, said it was unlikely Altintas acted alone.

The official said the killing had all the marks of being fully professional, not a one-man action.

So far, authorities have detained only people close to the gunman in their investigation: Altintas parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara.

Independent Turkish security analyst Abdullah Agar said it was likely that an organization was behind the assassination.

The analyst said that Altintas behaviour and the manner in which he carried out the attack gives the impression that he received training that was much more than riot police training.

Agar also said the gunmans words, which he uttered in Arabic, were from a passage frequently cited by Jihadists.

Altintas shouted Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! in Turkish during the attack, and also yelled Allahu akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great. He continued in Arabic: We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said the countrys foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, provided U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry information on the assailant during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

Cavusoglu also told Kerry that both Turkey and Russia know that a movement led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the attack, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

Turkey has accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed military coup in July aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accuses the cleric of wanting to destabilize Turkey. It is pressing the United States to extradite Gulen to Turkey to stand trial for his alleged role in the coup attempt. Gulen has denied the accusations.

Few details about the policeman or the initial investigation have been made public. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, Altintas took leave from work and on Dec. 14 made a hotel reservation near the art exhibition centre. He checked into the hotel on Monday. Following the attack, police searched and later sealed his hotel room, but did not announce whether anything was found there.

On arrival at the art gallery where the photo exhibition was taking place, Altintas was apparently initially stopped by security, but managed to get through with his weapon by using his police ID. The gun he used to shoot Karlov appeared to be a weapon that is standard issue for Turkeys riot police.

Originally from the western town of Soke, near Turkeys Aegean coast, Altintas had been serving in Ankaras riot police for the past two and a half years. But how or why he became impassioned with the war in Syria was unclear.

Police investigators said the policeman lived in an apartment building in Demetevler, a northern district of Ankara.

Some neighbours described him as a quiet person who kept to himself.

He seemed to be a quiet and calm person. He was not speaking to us too much, said Halil Karan, a 22-year-old shopkeeper in the area. We were seeing him in the evenings. He didnt come to his home for a long time though.

Some residents in the area said he mainly lived elsewhere in the capital.

Both Russia and Turkey have vowed that the assassination would not derail efforts to repair bilateral ties. Turkey and Russia have been at odds mainly over their opposing views to the conflict in Syria, with Moscow backing Syrian President Bashar Assad and Ankara supporting rebels fighting to depose him. With Russias air support, Syrian government forces have pushed the rebels out of their last foothold in Aleppo.

Karlovs assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Moscows support for Assad and Russias actions in Aleppo.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin were in agreement that this was an open provocation and that a joint investigation was being conducted. The two spoke Monday night.

Together with Mr. Putin, we have an understanding that our co-operation, especially in Syria, will not be affected by this attack, he said.

Karlovs body was flown home to Moscow on Tuesday afternoon after an emotional ceremony at Ankara Airport attended by Turkish government officials and diplomats. Karlovs wife, Marina Karlova, wept as her husbands flag-draped coffin was carried by a Turkish honour guard. She laid two red carnations on the coffin before it was loaded onto the aircraft.

On Monday evening, an Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as Altintas, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around the ambassador as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

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Wade Davis, an ethnographer, writer and photographer, travelled to more than 80 countries for Wade Davis: Photographs (Douglas & McIntyre, 2016). These images come from his many expeditions and from his years as explorer-in-residence with the National Geographic Society.

The revelation of anthropology is that every culture shares the same genius; how each culture expresses it is their own choice. There is no hierarchy going from the barbaric to the civilized, the Canadian says.

Here, he shares how he captured several of his striking images.

Chinchero, Peru

Don Geronimo is the leader of Chinchero, a traditional community in the southern Andes. I became really close to him, and the community formally adopted me. I took this photo of Don Geronimo performing this ritual: When people meet on the trail, they exchange three coca leaves that form the shape of a cross. They turn to face the nearest mountain, bring leaves to their mouths and blow softly, a ritual invocation that sends the essence of the plant back to the earth, the community and souls of ancestors.

Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea

This woman is a widow. She was at an open marketplace. Ive lived with indigenous people, so I pick up on what I can and cant do. I spoke to the men who were with her and asked if I could take her photo. She said yes. I knew she was in mourning because in that part of the world a widow honours the deceased by covering her body in white clay and wearing strands of beads  the seeds of Jobs tears, a common weed. When the necklaces fall apart, she will renew her normal daily life.

Glidji, Togo

A priest I knew took me to this annual festival where the sacred stone is revealed. There were thousands of people there and I saw this woman and knew I wanted to photograph her. She is bringing wooden dolls that represent all the twins in her familys past, because in African culture, twins never die. Each day they are ritualistically fed and bathed. I think what makes the photo interesting is the man on the left and the shadow man behind him. I knew I wanted to capture that so I waited for the moment.

Lindblad expedition ship, Canadian Arctic

The ship captain was really experienced in navigating in small spaces. If you came up on the bear straight on and very slowly, then the ship looked like a big iceberg so the noise didnt spook them. I was looking for a photo of what was happening before me and that includes the fantastic pattern of the icebergs and the colour of the water. I looked at where I thought the bear would go, and then I waited for the bear to walk into the frame.

Bunkhan Valley of Arkhangai, Mongolia

Young Daluunbayer and a friend return from the Mandal Mountain pilgrimage, having made offerings and prayed for victory in the upcoming Naadam, an annual festival in which he is competing. In Mongolia, there are eight horses for every person. Children learn to ride as infants.

Northwest Amazon, Colombia

For the Barasana people, who inhabit the Pira-Parana river basin in the Amazon tropical rainforest, rivers are the veins of the earth. There is no beginning or end in Barasana thought, no sense of linear progression of time, destiny or fate. A rapid is an impediment to travel but also a house of the ancestors. This lads corona of oropendola feathers really is the sun, each plume a ray. I think I send out signals that I am open to everything and warm and that helps me capture images.

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Heres some disturbing news in the days before Christmas, traditionally known as the giving season.

A new national survey shows that Canadians give considerably less to charity than do our American neighbours. Whats worse, the share of our income that we give to charity has been steadily declining and is now at a 10-year low.

Its not that Canadians arent generous. Statistics for things like volunteering show were ready to share with others. But U.S. tax laws do more to encourage giving to charity by offering more generous tax breaks to those who donate.

The result is that our vast network of charitable organizations  everything from small social service agencies to hospitals, universities and major cultural institutions  must struggle each year to raise the money they need.

The federal government should start to address that shortfall in its spring budget by bringing in a straightforward measure that could increase donations to Canadian charities by some $200 million a year.

The measure involves broadening the tax exemption on capital gains for charitable donations. It would give the same tax treatment to donations of real estate and shares in private companies as is now given to gifts of publicly traded shares.

This idea is the brainchild of Donald K. Johnson, a former financier who serves on many non-profit boards. It has been publicly embraced by the biggest charitable organizations in the GTA  including the University of Toronto, United Way, SickKids Hospital, St. Michaels Hospital, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Royal Ontario Museum and the list goes on.

Back in 2006 Johnson successfully persuaded the government of Paul Martin to make another change to the Income Tax Act that proved to be a boon for charities.

The government exempted donations of publicly traded stock from all capital gains tax. That meant people who gave stock to charities were no longer hit with a big tax bill from Ottawa. That single change resulted in charities receiving an extra $1 billion in donations almost every year since 2006.

Now Johnson, backed by the big charities, is pushing for the Trudeau government to extend that benefit by treating donations of real estate and shares in private companies in the same way for tax purposes. Experts consulted by Johnson say that would result in additional donations to charities of about $200 million a year. The cost to the federal treasury would be between $50 million and $65 million.

Two years ago, when the Harper government was preparing its last budget, the Liberals and NDP supported this idea but the Conservatives did not act on it in line with their determination to balance the budget at all cost.

Johnsons proposal would make it easier for charitable organizations to tap into Canadas vast private wealth and put more of it to use for the public good. Its time for the Trudeau government to take a fresh look at this timely idea and make it part of its spring budget.

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Italy's major banks traded higher Tuesday following a move by the country's interim government to seek permission to borrow as much as 20 billion ($20.7 billion) to support its flagging lenders.

The FTSE Italia Banks Index, a measure of share performance for the country's largest lenders, added 1.6% by 08:45 GMT, helping lift the benchmark FTSE MIB index 1.08% higher to 19,132 points.

Italy's Economy Minister, Pier Carlo Padoan, said late Monday that the government would ask parliament for the authority to add an extra 20 billion to public debt levels in order to both ensure banking system liquidity and support capitalization efforts at certain institutions.

Yields on 10-year benchmark Italian government bonds, known as BTPs, rose around 2 basis points to 1.87%, but are still hovering around 1-months lows and have stabilized since the former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's resignation following the crushing defeat for his senate reform effort in this month's national referendum.

The move comes amid consistent speculation that the government will need to step in and rescue Banca Monte dei Paschi di Sienna (BMDPY) , the country's third-largest lender, after several attempts to raise around 5 billion in capital from private investors in order to offset bad loans fell short of targets.

Monte dei Paschi shares traded 2.9% higher in Milan Tuesday, supported by both reports of the new government borrowing and a statement from one of its key investors, the state-backed Atlante rescue fund, that it would continue to participate in the private rescue effort.

Shares in UniCredit SpA (UNCFF) , the country's biggest bank, added 1.02% to change hands at 2.77 each.
Regarding the Islamism that the Iranian regime claims to be part of their existance, Dr. Maleki stated, All these crimes are committed in the name of religion. You have completely spoiled religion. You wanted to develop Islam while you have already ruined Islam in your own country.

He referred to Ahmad Montazeri who was sentenced to 21 months of imprisonment and said, They have given him such sentence to scare him and this government is like a person who is drowning and struggling to survive. I believe this regime has reached a deadlock.

According to an article published on December 20, by the National Council of Iran (NCRI), following, Ali Khameneis speech about the Minister of England, Mohammad Maleki stated, How could the Supreme Leader address the Minister of England with such words? This is against ration, humanity, and morality.

He praised their deeds of the campaign of Either Death or Freedom in which the students of Mohammad Ali Taheri with more than 40 other people voluntarily went to Evin Prison. He encouraged other groups, such as workers, teachers, students, and retirees to join the movement.

He concluded by saying, When different groups unite with each other, they can, therefore, stage unanimous and peaceful rallies. The people will also join them and this is the only way to save the country.

The people will protest against the domineering regime and the regime cannot commit any crimes like before in the 80s.The media will be everywhere and the government is not allowed to commit any crime.
Shares of Arch Coal (ARCH) popped 2.19% to $81.58 in Tuesday morning trading after MKM Partners made a big call on the recently-reorganized coal company.

Arch - the country's second-largest coal company - emerged from Chapter 11 just over two months ago.

Perfect timing, MKM analyst Daniel Scott argued in a note circulated to investors Tuesday morning.

"We believe a prolonged downturn in commodity prices is reversing just as the company exited bankruptcy, setting the stage for solid performance going forward with the benefit of a clean balance sheet," Scott wrote.

Arch cut over $4.5 billion in debt after it filed for Chapter 11 in Missouri in January amid a collapse in the prices of both thermal coal (which is burned for steam and used by electric utility companies) and coking coal (which is used for steelmaking). Much of its debt load can be chalked up to its 2011 $3.4 billion purchase of the International Coal Group, a conglomerate created by distressed investor and Secretary of Commerce-Designate Wilbur Ross.

"Arch wasn't alone in paying up for coking coal exposure and wasn't alone when the high debt levels forced a bankruptcy reorganization," Scott wrote, adding that Arch now only carries around $363 million in debt on its balance sheet. "And while others are also cleaning up balance sheets in the courts, many operators continue to struggle, allowing a stronger participant to be opportunistic."

Indeed, the only American coal producer with more scale than Arch, Peabody Energy (BTUUQ), is working through a Missouri Chapter 11 case of its own.

Scott has slapped a $103 price target and "buy" rating on Arch, arguing that a recovery in pricing for coal mined from the Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming - where Arch has access to about 1.3 billion tons in proven and probable reserves - gives the company plenty of room to run.

"An important point is that even when the [coal pricing] cycle was at its low point and debt was unsustainable, all of the company operating regions were still cash flow positive," he wrote. "This should serve the company well now that the balance sheet has been cleared up and prices have recovered."

The company's commodity price dependency still poses a risk, however.

"Should prices fall to levels seen just a few months ago... it would likely adversely impact Arch's financial results," Scott added.

ARCH

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YCharts
Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities and Infrastructure, and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, renewable generation, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity. It also engages in the wholesale of electricity to municipalities, electric cooperative utilities, and load-serving entities. This segment serves approximately 8.2 million customers in 6 states in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the United States covering a service territory of approximately 91,000 square miles; and owns approximately 50,259 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure segment distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation natural gas customers; and owns, operates, and invests in pipeline transmission and natural gas storage facilities. It has approximately 1.6 million customers, including 1.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as 550,000 customers in southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky. The Commercial Renewables segment acquires, owns, develops, builds, and operates wind and solar renewable generation projects, including nonregulated renewable energy and energy storage services to utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities, and corporate customers. It has 23 wind, 178 solar, and 2 battery storage facilities, as well as 71 fuel cell locations with a capacity of 3,554 MW across 22 states. The company was formerly known as Duke Energy Holding Corp. and changed its name to Duke Energy Corporation in April 2005. The company was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The following companies are subsidiares of HP: 3Com, 3PAR, ABB CADE, AOME Holdings Ltd., Albacore Holdings Jersey Ltd, Alpha Holding One B.V., Alpha Holding Two B.V., Anatolus Holding B.V., Apogee, Apogee Corp, Apogee Corporation Ireland Limited, Apogee Corporation Jersey Limited, Apogee Corporation Limited, Apogee Europe Limited, Apogee France Holdings SAS, Apogee France SAS, Apogee Germany Holding UG, Apogee Group Limited, Apogee Rentals Limited, Apollo Computer, AppIQ, Applied Optoelectronic Tech, ArcSight, Arnon Holding B.V., Arteis, Artivision Technologies, Aruba Networks, Atos Origin, Atos Origin Middle East group, Autonomy Corporation, Avantek, BAS - Burosysteme GmbH, BT & D Technologies, Balreed Digitec Group Limited, Balreed Digitec North Limited, Balreed Digitec SE Limited, Balreed Digitec UK Limited, Bamberga Holding B.V., Bitfone Corporation, Bluestone Software, Boonton Radio, Bristol Technology Inc., Bromium, Bromium UK Limited, CEC Europe Service Management, CGNZ, CaLan, China HP Co. Ltd Hangzhou Branch, China HP Co. Ltd., China HP Co. Ltd. Chengdu Branch, China HP Co. Ltd. Guangzhou Branch, China HP Co. Ltd. Jiangan Branch, China HP Co. Ltd. Nanjing Branch, China HP Co. Ltd. Shanghai Branch, Choose Packaging, City Docs Limited, City Docs Solutions Limited, Colorado Memory Systems, Colubris Networks, Colubris Networks, Compaq Cayman Holdings Company, Compaq Cayman Holdings General Partnership II, Compaq Information Technologies, Compaq Information Technologies LLC, Computing and Printing Global Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Computing and Printing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Consera Software, ConteXtream Inc, Convex Computer, David Vision Systems GmbH, Dazzle, Digipro Limited, Division, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), EEsof, EYP Mission Critical Facilities, ElseWare, Eon Systems, Eucalyptus Systems, Eunomia Holding B.V., ExcellerateHRO, Exstream Software, Extreme Logic, F&M Scientific Corporation, F. Smith & Co Office Equipment Limited, F.L. Moseley Company, Flame Holding B.V., Fortify Software, Four Pi Systems, GNA Biosolutions GmbH, HP Austria GmbH, HP Belgium BV, HP Bilgisayar ve Baski Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi, HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda, HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda. - Branch 01 Tambore, HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda. - Branch 2 Sorocaba, HP Brasil Industria e Comercio de Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda. - Branch 3 Porto Alegre, HP Canada Co. HP Canada Cie, HP Canada Licensing L.P., HP China Holding B.V., HP Chongqing Co. Ltd, HP Chongqing Manufacturing Export Procurement and Settlement Co. Ltd, HP Colombia SAS, HP Computing and Printing Middle East FZ-LLC, HP Computing and Printing Nigeria Ltd, HP Computing and Printing Systems India Private Limited, HP Computing and Printing d.o.o., HP Deutschland GmbH, HP Deutschland Holding GmbH, HP Europe B.V., HP Europe B.V. - Abu Dhabi Branch, HP Europe B.V. Regional Dubai Branch, HP Europe BV Amsterdam Meyrin Branch, HP Finland Oy, HP France Holding SAS, HP France SAS, HP Global Trading B.V., HP Global Trading B.V. Kazakhstan Branch, HP Health Solutions Inc., HP Health Solutions Spain Sociedad Limitada, HP Hewlett Packard Group LLC, HP Inc AP Hong Kong Limited, HP Inc Argentina S.R.L., HP Inc Bulgaria EOOD, HP Inc Chile Comercial Limitada, HP Inc Costa Rica Limitada, HP Inc Czech Republic s.r.o., HP Inc Danmark ApS, HP Inc Gulf, HP Inc Hong Kong Limited, HP Inc Magyarorszag Kft., HP Inc Peru S.R.L., HP Inc Polska sp. z o.o., HP Inc Romania SRL, HP Inc Slovakia s.r.o., HP Inc Thailand Ltd., HP Inc Tunisie SARL, HP Inc UK Limited, HP India Sales Private Limited, HP Indigo B.V., HP Indigo Ltd, HP Information Technology R&D Shanghai Co. Ltd, HP International Pte. Ltd., HP International Pte. Ltd. Taiwan Branch, HP International Sarl, HP International Trading B.V., HP International Trading B.V. Puerto Rico Branch LLC, HP Israel Ltd, HP Italy S.r.l., HP Jade Holding LLC, HP Japan Inc., HP KSA Ltd., HP Korea Inc., HP Licensing Holding LLC, HP Luxembourg S.C.A., HP Malaysia Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd., HP Nederland B.V., HP New Zealand, HP Norge AS, HP Onyx Holding L.P., HP PPS Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., HP PPS Australia Pty Ltd, HP PPS Costa Rica Limitada, HP PPS India Operations Private Limited, HP PPS Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., HP PPS Maroc, HP PPS Philippines Inc., HP PPS Sales Sdn. Bhd., HP PPS Services India Private Limited, HP PPS Singapore Sales Pte. Ltd., HP PPS Sverige AB, HP Pakistan Private Limited, HP Panama Sales and Distribution S. de R.L., HP Print Services Ireland Limited, HP Printing Korea Co. Ltd., HP Printing Shandong Co. Ltd., HP Printing and Computing Solutions S.L.U., HP Printing and Personal Systems Hellas EPE, HP Production Company Limited, HP Puerto Rico LLC, HP R&D Holding LLC, HP R&D Singapore Pte. Ltd., HP Schweiz GmbH, HP Scitex Ltd, HP Singapore Private Limited, HP Solutions Creation and Development Services S.L.U., HP South Africa Proprietary Limited, HP South Africa Trust, HP Taiwan Information Technology Ltd., HP Technology Holdings LLC, HP Technology Ireland Limited, HP Technology Israel Ltd, HP Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd, HP Technology Vietnam Company Ltd, HP Trading Kunshan Co. Ltd., HP Trading Shanghai Co. Ltd., HP Trading Shanghai Co. Ltd. Dalian Branch, HP Trading Shanghai Co. Ltd. Zhangjiang Branch, HP UK Development Limited, HP US Digital LLC, HP USA Manufacturing LLC, HPCP  Computing and Printing Portugal Unipessoal Lda., HPI Bermuda Holdings LLC, HPI Brazil Holdings LLC, HPI Federal LLC, HPI J1 Holdings LLC, HPI Luxembourg LLC, HPQ Holdings LLC, Heartstream, Hewlett-Packard A.O., Hewlett-Packard Angola Lda., Hewlett-Packard Company Archives LLC, Hewlett-Packard Copenhagen B.V., Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P., Hewlett-Packard Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard G.K., Hewlett-Packard Global Holdings B.V., Hewlett-Packard Global Investments B.V., Hewlett-Packard Industrial Printing Solutions Europe BV, Hewlett-Packard Ireland 1 Limited, Hewlett-Packard Ireland Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Japan Holding B.V., Hewlett-Packard Japan NK Holdings C.V., Hewlett-Packard KSA Ltd. Qatar Branch, Hewlett-Packard Lisbon B.V., Hewlett-Packard MENA FZ-LLC Libya Branch, Hewlett-Packard Mercator B.V., Hewlett-Packard Sunnyvale B.V., Hewlett-Packard West Indies Limited, Hewlett-Packard World Trade LLC, Hiflex Software, HyperX, IBRIX, IndiGo, Indigo America Inc., Iseo Holding B.V., Kale Holding B.V., Kale Holding B.V. Puerto Rico Branch LLC, Knightsbridge Solutions, Kopiervertrieb Rhein-Ruhr GmbH, Lefthand Networks, Limited Liability Company HP Inc, Logoworks, Lyra Holding B.V., MacDermid ColorSpan, ManageOne, Manzana Bidco Limited, Manzana Holdings Limited, Melodeo, Mercury Interactive, Metrix Network Systems, NUR Macroprinters, Neoware, Nihon HP Nin-I Kumiai, Novadigm, NuView ManageX, OOO Hewlett-Packard RUS, Office Perfection Limited, OneFlow Systems Limited, Opelin, Opelin, Open Skies, Opsware, Opsware, Optimization Systems, Optotech, OuterBay Technologies, OuterBay Technologies, PERSIST Technologies, PIXACO, PROLIN, PT Hewlett-Packard Indonesia, Palm, Palm, Peregrine Systems, Perigee Holdco UK Limited, Perigee Midco UK Limited, Perseus Holding B.V., PipeBeach, Poly, PolyServe, PrinterOn America Corporation, Printware Limited, Qosnetics, RLX Technologies, Regor Holding B.V., SPI Dynamics, Samsung Printing Solutions, Scitex, Scitex Vision, Scope Communications, Security Force Software, Shunra Software, Shunra Software, Silverwire Holding, Simpress Comercio Locacao e Servicos Ltda, Snapfish, StorageApps, Stratavia, Synstar, Tabblo, Talking Blocks, Tall Tree Insurance Company, Technology Partners, Telegra, Teradici Corporation, Teradici Inc., Teradici UK Limited, The Danwood Group Limited, The Technology Partners, Tower Software, Tower Software Engineering Pty Ltd, Transoft Networks, Trellis Software & Controls, Triaton, Trinagy, TruLogica, Trustgenix, VeriFone, Verifone, Versatest, Vertica Systems, Vital Technology Pte Ltd, Voltage Security, VoodooPC, Xact Document Solutions Limited, and Xera-Logic Group Limited.

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Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. engages in designing, building, overhauling, and repairing military ships in the United States. It operates through three segments: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Newport News Shipbuilding, and Technical Solutions. The company is involved in the design and construction of non-nuclear ships comprising amphibious assault ships; expeditionary warfare ships; surface combatants; and national security cutters for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. It also provides nuclear-powered ships, such as aircraft carriers and submarines, as well as refueling and overhaul, and inactivation services of ships. In addition, the company offers naval nuclear support services, including fleet services comprising design, construction, maintenance, and disposal activities for in-service the U.S. Navy nuclear ships; and maintenance services on nuclear reactor prototypes. Further, it provides life-cycle sustainment services to the U.S. Navy fleet and other maritime customers; high-end information technology and mission-based solutions for Department of Defense (DoD), intelligence, and federal civilian customers; nuclear management and operations and environmental management services for the Department of Energy, DoD, state and local governments, and private sector companies; defense and federal solutions; and unmanned systems. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia.
Maximus, Inc. provides business process services (BPS) to government health and human services programs. It operates through three segments: U.S. Services, U.S. Federal Services, and Outside the U.S. The U.S. Services segment offers various BPS solutions, such as program administration, appeals and assessments, and related consulting works for U.S. state and local government programs, including the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, child support programs, Preadmission Screening and Resident Reviews, and Independent Developmental Disability assessments. This segment also provides program eligibility support and enrollment; centralized multilingual customer contact centers, multichannel, and digital self-service options for enrollment; application assistance and independent health plan choice counseling; beneficiary outreach, education, eligibility, enrollment, and redeterminations; person-centered independent disability, long-term sick, and other health assessments; and specialized consulting services. The U.S. Federal Services segment offers centralized citizen engagement centers and support services; document and record management; case management, citizen support, and consumer education; independent medical reviews and worker's compensation benefit appeals; Medicare and Medicaid appeals; and federal marketplace eligibility appeals. This segment also provides modernization of systems and information technology infrastructure; infrastructure operations and support services; software development, operations, and management services; and data analytics services. The Outside the U.S. segment offers BPS solutions for governments and commercial clients outside the United States, including health and disability assessments, program administration for employment services, and other job seeker-related services. The company was incorporated in 1975 and is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia.
However, according an article in the the New York Times by on December 18, Ali Vaez, Senior Analyst for the Crisis Group based in Istanbul, and one of the foremost experts on Irans nuclear and missile programs, writes that Turkey and Iran are now on a collision course. Their involvement as the regions major Sunni and Shiite powers has deepened their participation in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria.

While their economies intertwined, they developed strong ties over the past two decades, but their inability to accommodate each other has the potential to undermine or even undo all of that.

How they choose to deploy their power, and their determination to overcome their differences will largely determine the future of the Middle East. The present dynamics point toward greater bloodshed, growing instability and greater risks of military confrontation.

Vaez writes, Turkeys military involvement in Syria and Iraq is partly a response to the perception that Iran is increasingly encroaching on its historic sphere of influence, especially in and around the Aleppo and Mosul battlefields close to its southern border. It is also an effort to prevent the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or P.Y.D., which is affiliated with Turkeys archnemesis the Kurdistan Workers Party, or P.K.K., to gain more territory, and adds that, Syrian rebels supported by the Turkish Army are currently advancing southward, having pushed the Islamic State out of the towns of Jarablous, al-Rai and Dabiq near the Turkish border between August and October. They are now at the gates of the town of al-Bab, and the stage is set for confrontation. The strategically important city is held by the Islamic State but coveted by others: the United States-backed P.Y.D. closing in from the east, and the Syrian Army and Iranian-allied forces from the south. Already, some officials have alleged that an Iranian-made drone was involved in killing four Turkish soldiers in an air attack near al-Bab on November 24.

Friction is rising alarmingly high between the two countries, s at a time that mutual trust has reached rock bottom.

According to Tehran, Turkeys policy regarding Syria is y a product of ambition to regain power and encourage pro-Turkey Sunnis. An Iranian national security official told Vaez, What changed in Syria after the civil war began was neither the governments nature nor Irans ties with it, but Turkish ambitions. As well, Iran blames Turkey for allowing the flow of jihadists through Turkish territory to Syria, and for giving them logistical and financial support.

In the same vein, officials in Ankara contend that Iran seeks to resuscitate the Shiite version of the ancient Persian Empire. In March 2015, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey accused Iran of fighting the Islamic State in Iraq only to replace it. Turkey also says that Irans mobilization of Shiite militias from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan to protect the rule of a minority sect, the Alawites, over a majority-Sunni population in Syria has worsened sectarian tensions, giving Sunni extremists a potent recruitment tool, Vaez writes, continuing, In trading accusations, each decries the others refusal to acknowledge its view of reality, while ignoring the fact that each has acted in ways for which it faults the other  including deploying military forces to wars beyond their borders and supporting militias, both aimed at controlling whatever emerges from the debris of todays turmoil in Syria and Iraq.

Both countries have built on shared interests, like defeating the Islamic State and curbing the rise of Syrian Kurds. But deep suspicions about each others ambitions has increased tensions.

Vaez states, To reverse course and avoid worse, Turkey and Iran need to overcome mistrust and go beyond merely managing differences  with the risks of accidents, miscalculations and miscommunications this entails  and, for once, frankly acknowledge each others core interests and security concerns, and adds, To this end, they need to establish a channel for continuous high-level negotiations over Iraq and Syria. The pace of such meetings to date has been problematic: periodic senior-level encounters lasting one or two days, followed by relatively long periods of diplomatic vacuum often filled with the escalation of proxy wars and one-upmanship. Mr. Erdogan and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of Iran should designate personal representatives with the authority to manage the diplomatic channel.

The governments should find ways to increase cooperation and trust, Vaez believes. They should share intelligence about common foes, avoid clashes, and coordinate steps to defuse tensions where their areas of influence collide. Perhaps, as a show of good faith, in northern Iraq, Iran might rein in Shiite militias in return for Turkeys withdrawal of tanks and other weapons from the area. With strong military ties to Turkey and Iran, support such steps should be shown by the United States and Russia.

Among the countries involved in the ever-worsening wars in Iraq and Syria, Turkey and Iran are best suited to finding mutual accommodations. Their long history of peaceful relations, should keep them from being pulled into an uncertain future. Finding common ground will let them contribute to a stable and secure region. Otherwise, there will be even greater disorder and suffering.
The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group Public: 360 Connect S.A., 3@ Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus  Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way  Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. (North West) Limited, PPL Pty Limited, PT Network Services Limited, PTI Telecom Limited, Peoples Phone Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Group Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Limited, Plex Limited, Plustech Mercantile Company Private Limited, Prime Metals Ltd., Project Telecom Holdings Limited, Quickcomm Software Solutions, Radio Opt GmbH, Rian Mobile Limited, SBC SMART CITY 1517 B.V., SMMS Investments Pvt Limited, Safaricom Limited, Safenet N.P A., Sarmady Communications, Scarlet Ibis Investments 23 (Pty) Limited, Scorpios Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Silver Stream Investments Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Ltd., Singlepoint Payment Services Limited, Siro Limited, Spar Aerospace (Nigeria) Limited, Sport TV Portugal S.A, Starnet, Stentor Communications Limited, Stentor Limited, Storage Technology Services (Pty) Limited, T.W. Telecom Limited, T3 Telecommunications Limited, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern Beteiligungs GmbH, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. Limited, Thus Group Holdings Limited, Thus Group Limited, Thus Limited, Thus Profit Sharing Trustees Limited, TnT Expense Management LLC, Tomorrow Street GP S.a r.l., Tomorrow Street SCA, Torenspits II B.V., Townley Communications Limited, Trans Crystal Ltd., UMT Investments Limited, UPC Nederland Holding I B.V., UPC Nederland Holding II B.V., UPC Nederland Holding III B.V., Unified Communications, Uniqueair Limited, Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co.KG, Usha Martin Telematics Limited, VAPL No. 2 Pty Limited, VBA (Mauritius) Limited, VBA Holdings Limited, VBA International (SL) Limited, VBA International Limited, VEI S.r.l., VM SA, VND S.p.A, VSSB Vodafone Shared Services Budapest Private Limited Company, Verwaltung Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH, Victus Networks S.A., Vizzavi Finance Limited, Vizzavi Limited, Voda Limited, Vodacall Limited, Vodacash s.p.r.l., Vodacom (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business (Angola) Limitada, Vodacom Business (Ghana) Limited, Vodacom Business (Kenya) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group Services Limited, Vodacom Business Cameroon SA, Vodacom Business Cote Divoire S.A.R.L., Vodacom Congo (RDC) SA, Vodacom Financial Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Group Limited, Vodacom Insurance Administration Company (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Insurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom International Holdings (Pty) Limited, Vodacom International Limited, Vodacom Lesotho (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Life Assurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom Payment Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No.2 (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Tanzania Limited Zanzibar, Vodacom Tanzania Public Limited Company, Vodacom UK Limited, Vodafone (NI) Limited, Vodafone (New Zealand) Hedging Limited, Vodafone (Scotland) Limited, Vodafone 2, Vodafone 4 UK, Vodafone 5 Limited, Vodafone 5 UK, Vodafone 6 UK, Vodafone Albania Sh.A, Vodafone Alternatif Telekom Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Americas 4, Vodafone Americas Virginia Inc., Vodafone And Qatar Foundation L.L.C, Vodafone Asset Management Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Automotive Electronic Systems S.r.L, Vodafone Automotive France S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Iberia S.L, Vodafone Automotive Italia S.p.A, Vodafone Automotive Japan K.K, Vodafone Automotive Korea Limited, Vodafone Automotive SpA, Vodafone Automotive Technologies (Beijing) Co Ltd, Vodafone Automotive Telematics Development S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Telematics S.A, Vodafone Automotive UK Limited, Vodafone Belgium SA/NV, Vodafone Benelux Limited, Vodafone Bilgi Ve Iletisim Hizmetleri AS, Vodafone Business Services Limited, Vodafone Business Solutions Limited, Vodafone Canada Inc, Vodafone Cellular Limited, Vodafone Central Services Limited, Vodafone China Limited (China), Vodafone China Limited (Hong Kong), Vodafone Connect 2 Limited, Vodafone Connect Limited, Vodafone Consolidated Holdings Limited, Vodafone Corporate Limited, Vodafone Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Czech Republic A.S., Vodafone DC Pension Trustee Company Limited, Vodafone Dagitim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Data, Vodafone Distribution Holdings Limited, Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E., Vodafone Elektronik Para Ve Odeme Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Empresa Brasil Telecomunicacoes Ltda, Vodafone Empresa Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Vodafone Enabler Espana S.L., Vodafone Enterprise Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Austria GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Bahrain W.L.L., Vodafone Enterprise Bulgaria EOOD, Vodafone Enterprise Chile SA, Vodafone Enterprise Communications Technical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Denmark A/S, Vodafone Enterprise Equipment Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited  Czech Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited  DubaiI Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Finland OY, Vodafone Enterprise France SAS, Vodafone Enterprise Germany GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Global Businesses S.a r.l., Vodafone Enterprise Global Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network HK Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network Pte. Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Hong Kong Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Italy S.r.L, Vodafone Enterprise Korea Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Luxembourg S.A., Vodafone Enterprise Netherlands BV, Vodafone Enterprise Norway AS, Vodafone Enterprise Regional Business Singapore Pte.Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Singapore Pte.Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Spain S.L.U.  Portugal Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Spain SLU, Vodafone Enterprise Sweden AB, Vodafone Enterprise Switzerland AG, Vodafone Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Vodafone Espana S.A.U., Vodafone Euro Hedging Limited, Vodafone Euro Hedging Two, Vodafone Europe B.V., Vodafone Europe UK, Vodafone European Investments, Vodafone European Portal Limited, Vodafone Finance Limited, Vodafone Finance Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Finance Sweden, Vodafone Finance UK Limited, Vodafone Financial Operations, Vodafone Financial Services B.V., Vodafone Fixed Ltd, Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Gestioni S.p.A, Vodafone Ghana Mobile Financial Services Limited, Vodafone Global Content Services Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Hong Kong) Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Italy) S.R.L., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Japan) K.K., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Russia LLC, Vodafone Global Enterprise Taiwan Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Telecommunications (Hellas) A.E., Vodafone Global Network Limited, Vodafone Global Network Limited  Slovakia Branch, Vodafone Global Services Private Limited, Vodafone GmbH, Vodafone Group (Directors) Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Pension Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Services GmbH, Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited, Vodafone Group Services Limited, Vodafone Group Services No.2 Limited, Vodafone Group Share Trustee Limited, Vodafone Hire Limited, Vodafone Holding A.S., Vodafone Holdings (Jersey) Limited, Vodafone Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Holdings Europe S.L.U., Vodafone Holdings Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Finance Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Receivables Pty Limited, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, Vodafone India Digital Limited, Vodafone India Limited, Vodafone India Services Private Limited, Vodafone India Ventures Limited, Vodafone Institut fur Gesellschaft und Kommunikation GmbH, Vodafone Intermediate Enterprises Limited, Vodafone International 1 S.a.r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone International 1 S.a r.l., Vodafone International 2 Limited, Vodafone International Holdings B.V., Vodafone International Holdings Limited, Vodafone International M S.a r.l., Vodafone International Operations Limited, Vodafone International Services LLC, Vodafone Investment UK, Vodafone Investments (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Investments Australia Limited, Vodafone Investments Limited, Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Ireland Distribution Limited, Vodafone Ireland Ltd., Vodafone Ireland Marketing Limited, Vodafone Ireland Property Holdings Limited, Vodafone Ireland Retail Limited, Vodafone Italia S.p.A., Vodafone Jersey Dollar Holdings Limited, Vodafone Jersey Finance, Vodafone Jersey Yen Holdings Unlimited, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Field Services GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Kundenbetreuung GmbH, Vodafone Kenya Limited, Vodafone Leasing Limited, Vodafone Libertel B.V., Vodafone Limited, Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone M-PESA SH.P.K., Vodafone M-Pesa S.A, Vodafone M.C. Mobile Services Limited , Vodafone Magyarorszag Mobile Tavkozlesi Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Vodafone Malta Limited, Vodafone Marketing UK , Vodafone Maroc SARL, Vodafone Mauritius Ltd., Vodafone Mobile Commerce Limited, Vodafone Mobile Communications Limited, Vodafone Mobile Enterprises Limited, Vodafone Mobile NZ Limited, Vodafone Mobile Network Limited, Vodafone Mobile Operations Limited, Vodafone Mobile Services Limited, Vodafone Multimedia Limited, Vodafone Nederland Holding I B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding II B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding III B.V., Vodafone Net Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Network Pty Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Foundation Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Limited, Vodafone Next Generation Services Limited, Vodafone Nominees Limited1, Vodafone ONO S.A.U., Vodafone Oceania Limited, Vodafone Old Show Ground Site Management Limited, Vodafone Overseas Finance Limited, Vodafone Overseas Holdings Limited, Vodafone Panafon International Holdings B.V., Vodafone Panafon UK, Vodafone Partner Services Limited, Vodafone Payment Solutions S.a r.l., Vodafone Portugal  Comunicacoes Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Procurement Company S.a r.l., Vodafone Property Investments Limited, Vodafone Pty Limited, Vodafone Qatar Q.S.C., Vodafone Retail (Holdings) Limited , Vodafone Retail Limited, Vodafone Roaming Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Romania S.A, Vodafone Romania M - Payments SRL, Vodafone Romania Technologies SRL, Vodafone Sales & Services Limited, Vodafone Satellite Services Limited, Vodafone Servicios SL.U, Vodafone Servizi E Tecnologie S.R.L, Vodafone Servicos Empresariais Brasil Ltda., Vodafone Shared Services Romania SRL, Vodafone Specialist Communications Limited, Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland Gemeinnutzige GmbH, Vodafone Technology Solutions Limited, Vodafone Teknoloji Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Tele-Services (India) Holdings Limited, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicates Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Telecommunications (India) Limited, Vodafone Telekomunikasyon A.S, Vodafone Towers Limited, Vodafone UK Content Services Limited, Vodafone UK Investments Limited , Vodafone UK Limited1 , Vodafone US Inc, Vodafone Ventures Limited1 , Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, Vodafone Worldwide Holdings Limited, Vodafone Yen Finance Limited , Vodafone m-pesa Limited, Vodafone-Central Limited Vodaphone Limited, Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company S.A., VodafoneZiggo Group Holding B.V, Vodata Limited , Vouchercloud SA (Pty) Ltd, Wataneya Telecommunications S.A.E, Waterberg Lodge (Proprietary) Limited, Wayfinder, Wheatfields Investments 276 (Proprietary) Limited, Wireless Interactions & NFC Accelerator 2013 B.V., Woodend Cellular Limited, Woodend Communications Limited, Woodend Group Limited, Woodend Holdings Limited, XB Facilities B.V, XLink Communications (Proprietary) Limited, Your Communications Group Limited, ZUM B.V., ZYB, Zelitron S.A., Zesko B.V., Ziggo B.V., Ziggo Bond Company B.V., Ziggo Deelnemingen B.V., Ziggo Finance 2 B.V., Ziggo Financing Partnership, Ziggo Holding B.V., Ziggo Netwerk B.V., Ziggo Netwerk II B.V., Ziggo Services B.V., Ziggo Services Employment B.V., Ziggo Services Netwerk 2 B.V., Ziggo Zakelijk Services B.V., and Zoranet Connectivity Services B.V..

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Consolidated Edison, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery businesses in the United States. It offers electric services to approximately 3.5 million customers in New York City and Westchester County; gas to approximately 1.1 million customers in Manhattan, the Bronx, parts of Queens, and Westchester County; and steam to approximately 1,555 customers in parts of Manhattan. The company also supplies electricity to approximately 0.3 million customers in southeastern New York and northern New Jersey; and gas to approximately 0.1 million customers in southeastern New York. In addition, it operates 533 circuit miles of transmission lines; 15 transmission substations; 64 distribution substations; 87,564 in-service line transformers; 3,924 pole miles of overhead distribution lines; and 2,291 miles of underground distribution lines, as well as 4,350 miles of mains and 377,971 service lines for natural gas distribution. Further, the company owns, operates, and develops renewable and energy infrastructure projects; and provides energy-related products and services to wholesale and retail customers, as well as invests in electric and gas transmission projects. It primarily sells electricity to industrial, commercial, residential, and government customers. The company was founded in 1823 and is based in New York, New York.
This is a current list of the top 250 companies by market capitalization on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Learn more .

Many investors understand the reasons for having a diversified portfolio. One way to accomplish this is to diversify within an asset class. For equity investors in the United States this can mean investing in both growth and value stocks.

It can also mean investing in international stocks. And when investors want to do this, they need look no further than our neighbor to the north. Canada has a range of stocks for investors to consider. This article will focus on strategies that investors can use when looking to invest in Canadian stocks.

Why Buy Canadian Stocks?

There are a few reasons for investors to consider Canadian stocks as part of their diversification strategy:

A Large Natural Resources Sector  The sheer size of the country and its location lets investors know that it is an area rich in natural resources. This also means that the country has a source of current and future wealth.

An Advanced Skills-Based Economy  In this regard, Canada is similar to other western nations. The difference is that it is not as common to find these skill-based professions in a country with so many natural resources.

Stability  Canada is not exempt from any problems that impact the global economy. However, the country is known for stable financial and business policies that have kept the economy relatively stable. This Goldilocks economy has meant that many Canadian stocks havent enjoyed the outsized growth of some U.S. equities. However, it also comes with a bit of protection against downside risk.

How Have Canadian Stocks Performed?

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, there was a time when U.S. stocks and Canadian stocks performed nearly identically. Heres a graph that shows the performance of the S&P 500 Index vs. the TSX Index



Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence

You can see that with a couple of exceptions, the two indexes performed remarkably similar. That all changed around 2012 and Canadian stocks became less attractive.

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence

This disparity is widely due to one sector, technology. However, Canadian technology stocks have been on the rise. And in 2022, the country is benefiting from renewed interest in materials stocks as well as a spike in commodity prices.

What Are the Best Sectors of Canadian Stocks?

For different reasons finance, materials, and energy stocks are among the best performing stocks as of September 2022. Heres a brief overview of each sector and some of the top names for investors to consider.

Financial  Similar to the United States, Canada has a strong banking industry. Many Canadian banks have a track record of solid performance that can provide long-term value to a portfolio. And several of these stocks pay dividends with attractive yields for investors.

This sector makes up the largest percentage of the TSX at roughly 30%. And the Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY)is the top-weighted constituent in the TSX. Beyond the Royal Bank of Canada some of the other top-performing Canadian financial stocks include:

Materials and Mining  Canadian stocks can be an ideal choice for investors looking to diversify into gold and precious metals without owning the physical metal. Canada has a large natural resources sector. So, its not surprising that there are a number of gold mining companies with Canadian origins. This sector also gives investors exposure to other components in the mining and agriculture sectors. This sector makes up approximately 11.5% of the TSX. Some of the top Canadian materials and mining stocks include:

Energy  Canadian stocks offer both traditional fossil fuel-based energy stocks as well as some renewable energy stocks. This sector makes up approximately 18.5% of the TSX. Some of the top Canadian energy stocks include:

Technology  As mentioned earlier, technology stocks have largely been the domain of the United States. As evidence of this, information technology stocks make up only about 5.5% of the TSX. However, there are a few Canadian companies that have become stars in the new economy being created. Some of the more popular names include:

What Are the Risks of Investing in Canadian Stocks?

One concern about investing in Canadian stocks is that they can be heavily weighted towards cyclical industries. For example, as of February 2022 financials (33.5%), energy (14.8%) and industrials (11.7%) made up nearly 60% of the index. That may be too much for some investors particularly because those sectors all tend to correlate roughly the same way as the economic cycle. But as a long-term play, Canadian stocks are worth considering with a small part of your portfolio.

How to Buy Canadian Stocks

Buy Individual Stocks on a Stock Exchange

Hundreds of Canadian stocks have dual listings on either the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or the NASDAQ. This is the most convenient way to get exposure to Canadian stocks because there are no barriers to stock ownership. These shares can be purchased in U.S. dollars directly from the exchange just like purchasing a U.S. stock.

However, for a full list of the best Canadian stocks, investors should look at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The TSX is one of the oldest stock exchanges having been founded in 1852. Its also the third largest stock exchange in North America in terms of market capitalization.

The Toronto Stock Exchange includes approximately 1,500 companies. It allows investors to trade stocks, investment trusts, exchange-traded products, bonds, commodities, futures, options, and other derivative products. All transactions on the TSX are executed in Canadian dollars.

Invest in a Mutual Fund or ETF

There are many mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that supply exposure to Canadian stocks. Some funds supply exposure to both U.S. and Canadian stocks. Other funds hold just Canadian stocks. Some examples of those include:

BMO S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF

Horizons S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF

Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap ETF

As with investing in any asset class, investors need to consider their investment objective, time horizon and risk tolerance before choosing a fund that fits their needs. Investors will also want to pay attention to the funds fee structure to ensure youre making the most efficient use of your capital.

The Final Word on Investing in Canadian Stocks

Investing in Canadian stocks is one way for investors to add diversification to their portfolio. MarketBeat provides a list of the top Canadian stocks that trade on the TSX. This is Canadas version of the NYSE or NASDAQ in the United States and includes many of the same stocks.

Thats one advantage of investing in Canadian stocks is that many have a dual listing which removes many of the obstacles that can come with investing in international stocks.

However, investors should be aware that many of the best Canadian stocks are in highly cyclical industries which can lead to underperformance when those sectors are out of favor. Still, due to their relative stability and in some cases an impressive dividend, Canadian stocks may have a place in an investors portfolio.
The following companies are subsidiares of Kroger: 84.51 HQ Building Company LLC, 84.51 LLC, Alpha Beta Company, Ansonborough Square Investors I LLC, Ansonborough Square Retail LLC, Ardrey Kell Investments LLC, Bay Area Warehouse Stores Inc., Beech Tree Holdings LLC, Bleecker Ventures LLC, Bluefield Beverage Company, Box Cutter Inc., CB&S Advertising Agency Inc., Cala Co., Cala Foods Inc., Cheeses of All Nations Inc., Country Oven Inc., Crawford Stores Inc., Creedmoor Retail LLC, Dillon Companies LLC, Dillon Real Estate Co. Inc., Dillons, Distribution Trucking Company, Dotto Inc., Edgewood Plaza Holdings LLC, Embassy International Inc., FM Inc., FMJ Inc., Farmacia Doral Inc., Food 4 Less GM Inc., Food 4 Less Holdings Inc., Food 4 Less Merchandising Inc., Food 4 Less of California Inc., Food 4 Less of Southern California Inc., Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer Inc., Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., Fred Meyer Stores Inc., Glasswing Labs LLC, Glendale/Goodwin Realty I LLC, Grubstake Investments LLC, HT Fuel DE LLC, HT Fuel NC LLC, HT Fuel SC LLC, HT Fuel VA LLC, HTGBD LLC, HTP Bluffton LLC, HTP Plaza LLC, HTP Relo LLC, HTPS LLC, HTTAH LLC, Harris Teeter, Harris Teeter LLC, Harris Teeter Properties LLC, Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., Harris-Teeter Services Inc., Healthy Options Inc., Henpil Inc., Home Chef, Hood-Clayton Logistics LLC, Hughes Markets Inc., Hughes Realty Inc., I.T.A. Inc., IRP LLC, ITAC 119 LLC, ITAC 265 LLC, Inter-American Foods Inc., Inter-American Products Inc., J.V. Distributing Inc., Jondex Corp., Jubilee Carolina LLC, KCDE  2013 LLC, KCDE-2 LLC, KCDE-3 LLC, KCDE-4 LLC, KCDE-5 LLC, KGO LLC, KPF LLC, KPS LLC, KRGP LLC, KRLP Inc., KV Anderson LLC, Kee Trans Inc., Kessel FP, Kiosk Medicine Kentucky LLC, Kirkpatrick West Retail LLC, Kroger Community Development Entity LLC, Kroger Dedicated Logistics Co., Kroger Fulfillment Network LLC, Kroger G.O. LLC, Kroger HQ LLC, Kroger LM Real Estate Holdings LLC, Kroger Limited Partnership I, Kroger Limited Partnership II, Kroger MC Holdings LLC, Kroger MTL Management LLC, Kroger Management Co., Kroger Management  Corryville LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Athens I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign II LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Cincinnati I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Dallas I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Danville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Logansport I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Missouri I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Oak Ridge I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Olney I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Omaha I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Portsmouth I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Starkville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Topeka I LLC, Kroger NMTC Fremont I LLC, Kroger OZ1 Inc., Kroger OZ1 LLC, Kroger OZ2 Inc., Kroger OZ2 LLC, Kroger OZ3 Inc., Kroger OZ3 LLC, Kroger Opportunity Fund I Inc., Kroger Prescription Plans Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion AL LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion TX LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy FL 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 2 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 3 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings I Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy LA LLC, Kroger Texas L.P., LCGP3 Home Cooking Inc., Latta Village LLC, Local Mkt LLC, Main & Vine LLC, Matthews Property 1 LLC, Mega Marts LLC, Michigan Dairy L.L.C., ModernHealth LTC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays LIC LLC, Murrays Table LLC, Pace Dairy Foods Company, Paramount Logistics LLC, Pay Less Super Markets Inc., Peyton's-Southeastern Inc., Plum Labs LLC, Pontiac Foods Inc., Queen City Assurance Inc., RBF LLC, RGC Southeast Properties LLC, Ralphs Grocery Company, Relish Labs LLC, Rocket Newco Inc., Roundy's, Roundys Acquisition Corp., Roundys Illinois LLC, Roundys Inc., Roundys Supermarkets Inc., Second Story Inc., Shop-Rite LLC, Smiths Beverage of Wyoming Inc., Smiths Food & Drug Centers Inc., Southern Ice Cream Specialties Inc., Stallings Investors I LLC, Sunrise R&D Holdings LLC, Sunrise Technology LLC, TLC Corporate Services LLC, TLC Immunization Clinic LLC, TLC of Georgia LLC, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, The Little Clinic LLC, The Little Clinic Management Services LLC, The Little Clinic of Arizona LLC, The Little Clinic of Colorado LLC, The Little Clinic of IN LLC, The Little Clinic of Kansas LLC, The Little Clinic of Mississippi LLC, The Little Clinic of Ohio LLC, The Little Clinic of TX LLC, The Little Clinic of Tennessee LLC, The Little Clinic of VA LLC, Topvalco Inc., Ultimate Mart LLC, Ultra Mart Foods LLC, Vandervoort Dairy Foods Company, Vine Court Assurance Incorporated, Vitacost, Vitacost.com Inc., Woodmont Holdings LLC, and YOU Technology.

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Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. Everest Re Group, Ltd. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Six retailers in the U.S. will not require their hourly employees to check if they are needed for work and risk seeing shifts in their schedules cancelled at the last minute.

On Tuesday, the announcement will be made by Eric Schneiderman the Attorney General of New York. The New York AG and his counterparts across seven states, including those in Illinois and California, have sent out letters to many companies over the past year requesting data about how they schedule.

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alerts:

However, in those letters, officials said that workers could be harmed by schedules that are unpredictable which can increase strain on their family life, stress, and make it more difficult to arrange for childcare or to pursue an education.

The companies that will no longer use on-call scheduling are Davids Tea Inc, Aeropostale, Walt Disney, Zumiez and Pacific Sunwear of California.

Schneiderman in a prepared statement prior to the official announcement said people should not be required to keep their day open, arrange childcare and give up opportunities without receiving compensation for the time.

The New York AG noted it is estimated that more than 50,000 workers in the U.S. will benefit from these new agreements.

In addition, the letter sent to the different companies said on-call scheduling might violate the labor laws of the state requiring that workers be paid for part of the day even if they were told to remain at home.

Since 2015, Abercrombie & Fitch, Pier 1 Imports, Gap, and L Brands the Victorias Secret and Bath and Body Works parent company said they would be stopping their on-call schedules.

A San Francisco appeals court in October received a case where Victorias Secret was accused of violating the state law in California for not giving play to its workers whose shifts had been cancelled on little notice.

That case, where workers appealed the lawsuit being dismissed, has not yet been decided.

The office of the New York AG said the majority of companies that stopped using their on-call scheduling have replaced it through what is known as pooling arrangement to make sure there is adequate staffing.

Retailers have had to find different ways of cutting costs due to increased competition and less traffic in stores due to online shopping becoming so popular.

One of the ways to cut costs is through payroll and the use of on-call scheduling allowed the retailers to keep daily payroll costs lower especially if the store was not busy during a particular shift.
Michele Morgan, a French movie actress who starred in the moody masterpiece Port of Shadows and who, during a brief Hollywood sojourn, helped introduce Frank Sinatra to film audiences in his first big role, died Dec. 20. She was 96.

French President Francois Hollande announced the death, calling her an elegance, a grace, a legend that left a mark on many generations. . . . The greatest directors called upon her, and she was part of masterpieces that still live in everyones memories. No other details were provided.

In a career spanning seven decades, Ms. Morgan was best known as the ethereal femme fatale in Port of Shadows (1938), a film at the core of the poetic realism movement in French cinema. As visually sumptuous as they were bleak, the movies often involved working-class characters and social outcasts whose destinies are beyond their control  in essence, a precursor to the cynical and sinister world of American film noir.

Port of Shadows featured Jean Gabin, the biggest star in France, as an army deserter on the lam in a seedy port of call. He enjoys a passionate interlude with a 17-year-old waif sporting a beret and transparent raincoat (Ms. Morgan) before she ultimately seals his doom through her association with two unsavory underworld figures.

The film was directed by Marcel Carne and written by the surrealist poet and screenwriter Jacques Prevert, the team behind Daybreak (1939) and Children of Paradise (1945), regarded as examples of French cinema at its most sublime.

Michele Morgan and Jean Gabin in Port of Shadows in 1938. (Stf/AFP/Getty Images)

Shrouded in fog, squalor and melancholy, Port of Shadows is less concerned with the machinery of plot than with conveying a sustained mood of uncompromising bleakness.

Film critic Pauline Kael once called the movie a breath of fresh air to American filmgoers saturated with empty optimism. It also launched Ms. Morgan as an international star for the next two decades.

After a further series of dark-lady roles, several opposite her lover Gabin, she spent World War II making movies in the United States. She was stuck in propaganda and espionage fare for RKO Studios, including Joan of Paris (1942) with Paul Henreid and Passage to Marseille (1944) opposite Humphrey Bogart.

She was a leading contender for the Ingrid Bergman role in Casablanca (1942), but RKO demanded a huge loan-out fee that the rival Warner Bros. would not meet. Instead she appeared in Higher and Higher (1943), a musical with Sinatra in which she played a maid impersonating a debutante.

Why look back? she told the New York Times a few years later. I was so young then, so miserable with my poor attempts at English. I used to say crying trees for weeping willows. You didnt mow the lawn. No, you shaved it. And those pictures. Those stinkers.

By wars end, she returned to France and immediately reignited her career with Pastoral Symphony (1946), based on a story by the future Nobel laureate Andre Gide. Ms. Morgan won the best actress award at the Cannes film festival for her portrayal of an orphaned blind girl in love with a married Swiss pastor who also draws the attention of his son.

Miss Morgans performance is an exquisite piece of art  tender, proud, and piteous in its comprehensions of the feelings of the blind, New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther wrote.

Michele Morgan in 2004. (Joel Robine/AFP/Getty Images)

In The Fallen Idol (1948), a stylish suspense drama based on a Graham Greene story, Ms. Morgan added vulnerable depths to an otherwise supporting role as the mistress of an embassy butler (Ralph Richardson), who is accused of killing his cruel wife.

Throughout the 1950s, Ms. Morgan remained one of Frances most prominent leading ladies, often in romantic, adulterous and melodramatic parts. She also played many historic roles, as Joan of Arc in Daughters of Destiny (1954), Josephine de Beauharnais in Napoleon (1955) opposite Daniel Gelin in the title role, and Marie Antoinette in Shadow of the Guillotine (1956).

One of her subtlest performances was as the divorcee who resists but then gives in to a cavalry officer (Gerard Philipe) who romances her on a bet in The Grand Maneuver (1955), directed by Rene Clement.

She had a supporting role as a countess in the 1966 war film Lost Command, starring Anthony Quinn and Alain Delon, and had a late-stage starring role as a wealthy widow who is a suspect in the killing of her faithless husband in Cat and Mouse (1975), a thriller directed by Claude Lelouch.

Simone Renee Roussel was born in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine on Feb. 29, 1920, and grew up mostly in Dieppe. After dramatic study under actor Rene Simon, she entered films as an extra in the mid-1930s and was spotted by director Marc Allegret, who also guided the early careers of Simone Simon and Jean-Pierre Aumont.

She became an overnight sensation as a young girl accused of a crime of passion in Allegrets Gribouille (1937) opposite the star, Raimu. She was then raced into Storm (1938) as the young woman having a tryst with a businessman played by Charles Boyer. Her seductive charms were then used to first-rate effect in Port of Shadows.

Her first marriage, to American actor William Marshall, ended in divorce. Her second husband, French actor Henri Vidal, died in 1959. She then was the companion of director, actor and writer Gerard Oury until his death in 2006.

A son from her first marriage, Mike Marshall, died in 2005. Information about survivors was not immediately available.

Starting in the 1970s, Ms. Morgan became a frequent presence on French television and stage, and she later took up painting. Her allure remained intact and incontrovertible, especially as she spoke about Port of Shadows and its enduring mystique.

There was a scene in which I was in the bed, in the bedroom, and Gabin was not in the bed, she told an interviewer decades after its making. He was sitting on the bed. Oh, it was very, very modest, it was not something very daring when you compare that sort of thing with what they do now. In fact, that scene was more exciting than what they do now, I suppose, because mystery is a great part in a love scene.
Protesters outside the Pennsylvania capitol try to persuade electors to vote against Donald Trump. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Electors gathered in every state Monday to formally elect Donald Trump president of the United States, even as anti-Trump forces tried to deny him the White House.

Protesters gathered at state capitols, but they were unable to persuade the electoral college to reject Trump. More than 200 demonstrators stood on the steps of Pennsylvanias capitol, waving signs in 25-degree weather.

Republican electors say they received many emails, letters and phone calls urging them not to support Trump. There is no federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state. But more than 99 percent of electors throughout U.S. history have done so.

[Read more from KidsPost about the electoral college.]

With several states still voting early Monday evening, Trump had 304 votes and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton had 169. It takes 270 electoral college votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Rex Teter, a member of the electoral college, holds two days worth of mail last week at his home in Pasadena, Texas. Republican electors say they had received many emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support Trump. (David J. Phillip/AP)

The number of electors a state has is based on how many representatives it has in the House of Representatives plus one for each senator.

Electors are selected by state parties and are often insiders who can be trusted to vote for the partys candidate. Many Republican electors said they feel duty-bound to honor their pledge to vote for the candidate who won their state, regardless of how they feel about Trump.

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for January 6 to certify the results of the electoral college vote. The winner will be sworn in January 20.
Was 2016 a dream or a nightmare?

Try something in between: surreal, which is Merriam-Websters word of the year, unveiled Monday.

Meaning unbelievable, fantastic, the word joins Oxfords post-truth as the years top choices.

It just seems like one of those years, said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Websters editor at large.

The company tracks year-over-year growth and spikes in lookups of words on its website to come up with the top choice. This time around, there were many periods of interest in surreal throughout the year, often after a tragedy, Sokolowski said.

Major spikes came after the Brussels terrorist attack in March and again in July, after the Bastille Day massacre in Nice. Both received huge attention around the globe and had many in the media reaching for surreal to describe both the physical scenes and the mental landscapes, Sokolowski said.

The single biggest spike in lookups came in November, he said, specifically November 9, the day Donald Trump went from candidate to president-elect.

The word surreal didnt exist until around 1924, after a group of European poets, painters and filmmakers founded a movement they called Surrealism. They sought to access the truths of the unconscious mind by breaking down rational thought.

It wasnt until 1937 that surreal began to exist on its own, said Sokolowski.

Merriam-Webster first started tracking lookup trends in 1996, when the dictionary landed online. In 2001, after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Springfield, Massachusetts-based company noticed plenty of spikes in word lookups. The most enduring spike was for surreal, pointing to a broader meaning and greater usage, Sokolowski said.

Surreal has become this sort of word that people seek in moments of great shock and tragedy, he said.

Other words that made Merriam-Websters Top 10 for 2016 due to significant spikes in lookups:

BIGLY: Yes, its a word but a rare and sometimes archaic form of big, dating to around 1400, Sokolowski said. It made its way into the collective mind thanks to Trump, who was fond of using the expression big league but making it sound like bigly.

DEPLORABLE: Thank you, Hillary Clinton and your basket full of, though its not technically a noun.

IRREGARDLESS: Its considered a nonstandard word for regardless. Its best avoided, Sokolowski said. Irregardless was used during the calling of the last game of the World Series and its use was pilloried on social media, he said.

ICON: This spike came after Princes April 21 death, along with surreal. It was just a moment of public mourning, the likes of which really happen very seldom, Sokolowski said.

REVENANT: Leonardo DiCaprio played one in a movie of the same name, sending people scurrying to the dictionary. It describes one that returns after death or a long absence. It can be traced to the 1820s, and while it sounds biblical, it is not, Sokolowski said.

FECKLESS: Its how Vice President-elect Mike Pence described President Obamas foreign policy when he debated Democrat Tim Kaine. It means weak or worthless.


First lady Michelle Obama is interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House on Dec. 14. (Amanda Lucidon/The White House)

As Michelle Obama prepares to exit the White House, she seems to be in a somber mood. In a wide-ranging interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said the weight her husbands presidency placed on their family has lifted knowing that weve made it this far, and weve survived and in many ways thrived.

But she sounded concerned about the future, saying that when it comes to the nation, she said she prays that Americans still have hope.

Obamas demeanor was relaxed throughout the conversation, which aired Monday night on CBS but was taped last week in the familys private residence before the Obamas left for their annual Christmas vacation in Hawaii.

The women are friends, and Winfrey is a political supporter of President Obama. When Winfrey asked whether Michelle Obama thought her husbands administration achieved the hope that it was all about, the first lady said she did  and then drew a contrast with his successor.

Yes, I do. Because we feel the difference now, she said, referring to the election results which will put Republican Donald Trump in the White House. See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept. What do you give your kids if you can't give them hope?"

[In the homestretch, the Michelle Obama PR machine goes into overdrive]

The president-elect responded to an early excerpt of first ladys assessment at a rally he held Saturday in Alabama. Michelle Obama said yesterday that theres no hope, Trump told the crowd, which booed. But I assume she was talking about the past, not the future.

The first lady campaigned vigorously against Trump this fall and has said she stands by all that she said about him. Following the October release of a video showing Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women, which he later claimed was locker room talk, she gave a speech saying the campaign had shaken me to my core.

[Video: Michelle Obama speaks about the Trump video]

This past election was challenging for me to watch as a citizen, she told Winfrey, adding that the nation is still feeling the reverberations of that kind of caustic language.

Still, Obama said that she and her husband are doing what they can to help smooth a path for the next administration. She met with future first lady Melania Trump following the election.

My offer to Melania was, you really dont know what you dont know until youre here, so the door is open, as Ive told her and as Laura Bush told me and other first ladies told me, Obama said. We will do whatever they need to help them succeed.

[Michelle Obama and Melania Trump carry on an awkward tradition]

Winfrey probed Obama gently and relatively little of the conversation focused on politics. She did ask Obama what it felt like to be called an angry black woman by her critics.

That was one of those things where you just sort of think, Dang, you dont even know me,  Obama said. You just sort of feel like, Wow, whered that come from?. . . But then you sort of think, This isnt about me. This is about the person or people who write it, you know? Thats just the truth.

Obama continued: Were so afraid of each other. . . Color, wealth, these things that dont really matter still play too much of a role in how we see one another. And its sad, because the thing that least defines us is the color of our skin. Its the size of our bank account. None of that matters.



Michelle Obama, left, with Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver and Oprah Winfrey at a 2008 rally for Barack Obamas presidential campaign. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters)

The friendship that has developed between the two globally famous women was clear during many points of the interview. The former talk show host endorsed Barack Obamas candidacy for president, campaigned for him and became a family insider. In 2014, Michelle Obama celebrated her birthday with a girlfriends getaway at Winfreys home in Maui. Winfreys farewell interview with Michelle Obama will re-air Wednesday night on OWN, Winfreys cable network.

At one point during the broadcast, Winfrey invited Obama to go glamping  glam camping as Winfrey famously did with her best friend, CBS This Morning co-anchor Gayle King  now that she will have some free time.

Winfrey also asked Obama about the challenges of parenting her daughters in the White House: Were there moments where you thought they might be broken?

I was really just cautiously making sure that they felt normal Obama said. They felt good. . . . Imagine being 18 and youve got at least eight men with guns driving you around, walking in your parties. There were those kinds of issues.

Winfrey interviewed Michelle Obama soon after her family moved to Washington in 2009 for her O Magazine. They also sat down together in January 2005, soon after Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate and during the height of Winfreys eponymous talk show.

In that first interview, the first lady dished about how the future commander-in-chief was absolutely the messiest person in the household. . . You had dirty clothes on top of the basket this morning. And Im just like, Theres a basket with a lid. Lift it up. Put it in. 

The outgoing president made a cameo during the interview to praise his wifes performance as first lady. The way she blended purpose with policy and fun was masterful, he said.

Few first ladies have had such high-profile interviews as their husbands term ended, said Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a historian with the National First Ladies Library. The first was Betty Fords sit-down with Barbara Walters in 1977, which included an interview with the president and a tour of the White House residence with the first lady. Walters also took a soft focus to her subject. Years later, it was revealed that Ford, who later became a pioneering advocate for addiction treatment after her own trip to rehab, was intoxicated during the tour  but that Walters edited out portions of the interview where Fords speech was slurred.
Obviously that carved rhino horn for sale at a foreign marketplace should not come home with you. Nor should the leopard skin, the narwhal tusk and the whale meat. But what about the queen conch from your Caribbean holiday or the caviar from the London airport duty-free shop? Not so obvious, is it?

Travelers  and that special subgroup of shoppers who travel  need know which wildlife items are permitted into the States and which ones are banned. The exotic animal test is unreliable. Many less toothy animals, birds, reptiles, plants, fish and shells are legally protected. Choose your souvenirs unwisely and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could confiscate your purchases upon your return.

The issue has implications beyond simply wasting money. Wildlife trafficking threatens the sustainability and survival of hundreds of species worldwide. Many nefarious individuals and groups, such as poachers, corrupt government officials and organized crime syndicates, benefit from these illegal sales. Buying that $4 tortoise ring doesnt seem so innocent anymore.

There is no way the general consumer has any way of knowing how it was obtained, said Ann-Marie Holmes, a senior wildlife inspector with the agency.

An array of state, federal and international laws regulates the wildlife trade. One of the most prominent accords is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which counts nearly every country as a member. Species listed under CITES Appendix I are the most at-risk, and the treaty has placed a near-total ban on commercial goods exploiting these animals. Members of this club include sea turtles, cheetahs, tigers and black rhinos.

There is more wiggle room with species categorized under Appendix II and Appendix III, as long as the traveler obtains the proper permit or certificate. For instance, under the personal baggage exemption rule, you can carry a reasonable amount of an item. But some species are not eligible for this exemption and not all countries recognize it.

[Despite the Caribbean countrys name, Turks and Caicos is not a duo like Batman and Robin]

Wildlife protection experts advise travelers to familiarize themselves with the laws before upcoming trips. Start with the services Traveling to the Caribbean and Tips for Travelers, and the International Fund for Animal Welfares Stopping the Illegal Wildlife Trade. Sample advise: Under the heading Please Dont Buy, IFAW urges people to avoid handbags, shoes, watch straps and belts made of reptile skins. For any lingering questions, contact the Fish and Wildlife Service office at your return port.

Of course, much of the thrill of shopping involves spontaneous discoveries. Before you departed for Australia, you probably didnt know how great the Crocodile Dundee hat would look on your head. Reputable retailers should know the legal status and origin of the wildlife items they are selling and provide you with a document to present at customs. Unfortunately, employees might not always be well-versed in the laws governing their clothing, crafts or jewelry. But that wont stop them from attaching a price tag to the object.

Just because its for sale, Holmes said, doesnt mean its legal.

To avoid the risk, the agent offers a simple solution: Dont buy wildlife. Buy a magnet, buy a T-shirt.

To learn from other travelers mistakes, here are some examples of banned items that are now the property of the Fish and Wildlife Service.



Crocodile Dundee leather hat with saltwater crocodile hide and teeth. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Crocodile Dundee leather hat with saltwater crocodile hide and teeth

Where you can buy it: Australia

Why it is regulated: All crocodile species fall under CITES I or II; some species are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Threats include illegal hunting, international trade in skins and habitat loss.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption



Hermes Birkin bag made of American alligator hide. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Hermes Birkin bag made of American alligator hide

Where you can buy it: Paris, Milan, London and other cities with a luxury retail market

Why it is regulated: CITES II. Threats include hunting, illegal trade, habitat loss and pollution.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption



Queen conch shell. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Queen conch shell

Where you can buy it: Caribbean, Latin America

Why it is regulated: CITES II. Threatened from overfishing for conch meat and bait and the sale of shells in the tourist trade

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption for up to three shells

[That rescue dog doesnt need a home. He needs a flight companion to get there.]



Hair accessory from a hawksbill shell (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Taxidermic hawksbill (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Hair accessory carved from hawksbill shell and taxidermic hawksbill

Where you can buy it: Mexico, Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Africa

Why it is regulated: All sea turtle species are listed under CITES I and are considered threatened or endangered under the ESA. Threats include illegal trade in meat, eggs and skins, habitat loss, pollution, and tourists and lights disturbing nesting habitats.

When it is permitted: Items certified as pre-convention (predates the CITES listing) may be eligible for CITES permits. Items certified as pre-act (before ESA listing) or antique items (older than 100 years) may be exempt.



Shahtoosh shawl made of Tibetan antelope hair. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Shahtoosh/ring shawl made of Tibetan antelope hair

Where you can buy it: India, Switzerland and high-end stores in fashion capitals. If you can pull the fine wool scarf through a ring, it is likely a shahtoosh, not a pashmina.

Why it is regulated: CITES I; endangered under the ESA. Threats include poaching for the animals shorter guard-hairs.

When it is permitted: Same requirements as sea turtles



Caviar derived from sturgeon or paddlefish. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Caviar from sturgeon or paddlefish

Where you can buy it: Airport duty-free shops, global gourmet food markets

Why it is regulated: All sturgeon and paddlefish species are categorized as CITES I or II, and some species are listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. Threats include overfishing for meat and roe for the caviar trade, habitat loss and pollution. The illegal caviar trade is often associated with transnational organized crime.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption for up to 125 grams (small tin), unless derived from species banned under the ESA



Drum head made of monitor lizard skin and decorated with cowrie shells. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Drum head made of monitor lizard skin and decorated with cowrie shells

Where you can buy it: Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, sub-Saharan Africa

Why it is regulated: All monitor lizard species fall under CITES II. Threats include the live pet trade, harvesting for meat and skins, and habitat loss.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption

[When Americans land in trouble abroad, these expats step in]



Red coral necklace. (Doug Kapustin/For The Washington Post)

Red coral necklace

Where you can buy it: Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Pacific islands, Asia

Why it is regulated: CITES III. Threats include overharvesting for the aquarium and jewelry trade, illegal collection or destruction by recreational divers, habitat degradation, rising ocean temperatures and pollution.

When it is permitted: Personal baggage exemption
MARYLAND

Christian rapper gets 18 years in slaying

A Montgomery County judge sentenced an aspiring Christian rapper who killed an acquaintance over a musical dispute to 18 years in prison Monday, prosecutors said.

In 2015, Ryan Salandy, 26, of Germantown was driving in Clarksburg when he purposely struck and killed William D. McDaniel, 25, and then fled, authorities said.

Salandy, who confessed to police, was found guilty this year after a bench trial. Prosecutors said Salandy had a dispute with McDaniel, a music producer.

Salandy was sentenced to 30 years, with 12 years suspended, prosecutors said.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

THE DISTRICT

2 cabdrivers robbed on the same NE street

A cabdriver was held up in Northeast Washington on Sunday evening, apparently by the same robber who had held up a driver on the same street six days earlier, D.C. police said.

Police said Sundays robbery occurred in the 300 block of Evarts Street NE. A cabdriver took a man there after picking him up at 5:25 p.m. at Union Station. The robber placed his hand in a jacket pocket in a way that suggested he had a gun and demanded money, police said.

The robber took cash and ran.

In the earlier incident, the robber was also picked up at Union Station, this time at 6 p.m. After being taken to the 300 block of Evarts, police said, the robber pointed a gun and demanded money. After getting cash, he ran, police said.

In both cases, police said, the robber was described as a black man in his late teens to early 20s who wore all black clothing.

 Martin Weil

THE REGION

Suspect is arrestedafter Metro stabbing

A man was stabbed Monday outside the entrance to the Dunn Loring Metro station in Fairfax County, Va., and a suspect was later found on a train and arrested, transit police said.

The victims injuries were not life-threatening, transit police said. No motive for the attack, could be learned, and Metro said it was under investigation.

Police found the victim about 7:30 a.m. after responding to a report of a fight.

After determining that a suspect had boarded an Orange Line train, Metro said, transit police intercepted the train at Rosslyn, in Arlington County, and made an arrest.

Ali Ahmed Mohamound, 46, was charged with malicious wounding, transit police said. They said a knife was found on him. Mohamounds last known address in this area was in Northwest Washington, Metro said.

No relatives or acquaintances could be located Monday night.

 Dana Hedgpeth

and Martin Weil
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) quietly approved legislation making the District the seventh jurisdiction to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives, but it is unclear if Congress will intervene in an issue that has been debated in statehouses across the country.

The mayor signed the legislation Monday, clearing it to be sent to Capitol Hill for a 30-day review period. Some local opponents of the law have vowed to press the GOP-controlled Congress to use its rarely invoked power to void District laws.

The earliest the law would take effect would be next October.

[Council approves bill to let terminally ill people end their lives ]

The legislation, sponsored by Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) is modeled after the nations first physician-assisted suicide law, enacted in Oregon. It will allow doctors to prescribe fatal medication to patients with less than six months to live. Patients must make two requests over a period of two weeks and ingest the drugs themselves.

Bowser has not publicly commented on the legislation, and refused through a spokesman to explain why she signed it. It was one of the most emotionally charged issues of the year in D.C., drawing hundreds of supporters and opponents to Council chambers and bringing some lawmakers to tears as they shared personal stories that influenced their votes.

Bowsers health director LaQuandra Nesbitt raised issues with the legislation when testifying before Council last year, including that some medical professional groups saw assisted suicide as violating the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm.

[Death with dignity laws and the desire to control how ones life ends]

In an interview Tuesday, Nesbitt said Council had addressed many of her concerns with amendments from the mayors office making clear that people could not kill themselves in public places, such as the National Mall, and providing for a process for health officials to document and investigate deaths under the law if necessary.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) has vowed to protect the law from any Congressional interference. No member of Congress has publicly opposed the legislation yet, and a spokeswoman for Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), whose chairs the committee with jurisdiction over District laws, said the lawmaker had not comment.

Congressional attempts to try to override Oregons law after it was enacted in 1998 failed. Since then, voters approved similar laws in Washington state and Colorado this November, as well as the legislatures of Vermont and California. The practice is considered legal in Montana because of a court ruling.

Aid-in-dying advocates praised Bowser for signing the legislation. They say success in D.C., following passage in California last year, shows their movement can win in diverse jurisdictions after early victories in overwhelmingly white states.

[Right-to-die movement faces key test in heavily black D.C.]

National polls have shown African Americans are the most likely to oppose legislation allowing terminally ill people to end their lives, and they make up nearly half of the Districts population.

Every terminally ill adult should have the freedom and liberty to make their own decisions about how they want to die in comfort and peace, in consultation with their family, physicians and spiritual leaders, said Donna Smith, an organizer with the national right-to-die advocacy group Compassion and Choices.
The D.C. Council gave final approval Tuesday to a plan that will provide private-sector workers some of the nations most generous family and medical leave benefits, fighting off a last-minute revolt by the citys business establishment and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser.

The bill, which passed by a veto-proof margin of 9 to 4, guarantees eight weeks of paid time off to new parents, six weeks to workers caring for ailing family members and two weeks of personal sick time.

To pay for it, the city will levy a new 0.62 percent payroll tax on employers small and large to generate $250 million annually, which will be distributed by a new arm of the city government.

The tax triggered an intense lobbying campaign in the past week, led by major employers in the city as well as the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the D.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Federal City Council. Those groups argued that the city should simply mandate that employers provide paid leave and allow them to decide how to finance it.

Many of the citys large employers already offer some type of leave, and balked at the idea of also paying taxes to create a fund that would enable smaller businesses to provide similar benefits to their employees.

Tanya Snyder holds Milo Evans-Snyder, 5 months old, left; Jessica Champagne holds Benjamin Toth-Champagne, 3 months old, center; and Jamie Davis Smith holds Adam Smith, 10 months old, to show support for a paid family leave bill at the John A. Wilson Building in this file photo. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The bills passage was a coup for the councils progressive lawmakers and its chairman, Phil Mendelson (D), a key architect. And it marked a serious setback for Bowser (D) and a further fraying of her already antagonistic relationship with Mendelson.

In a statement issued after the vote, the mayor said she would not sign the legislation but did not indicate whether she would veto it. The bill can become law even without her signature.

She also took a direct swipe at Mendelson.

Today, Chairman Mendelson and the Council passed a $250 million tax increase to mostly benefit residents of Maryland and Virginia, Bowser wrote, underlining the fact that two-thirds of city workers live outside the District.

It is wrong to raise District taxes to fund a costly, new government program that sends 66 percent of the benefits outside of the city, and leaves District families behind. If the Council wants to raise $250 million in new taxes, shouldnt the focus be on District residents and their needs?

Some business leaders say they are groaning under the cumulative weight of workplace regulations and taxes the city is heaping on them and that a new payroll tax will drive companies from the District.

The paid-leave bill won preliminary approval from the council earlier this month. But on the eve of the final vote, it appeared to be in jeopardy, as council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) unexpectedly announced an alternative proposal supported by Bowser and the Districts major business groups.

Their plan would have required employers to provide the same amount of leave but spared them the tax hike, and it would have offered small employers a $200-per-worker tax credit in place of government-funded benefits.

Larger employers  many of which already provide generous paid-leave benefits and would be unaffected by the mandate  had been pushing similar proposals for months. In a full-page ad in Tuesdays editions of The Washington Post, associations representing restaurants, hotels, parking garages, universities, hospitals and other businesses wrote a letter to the council calling the employer mandate a better, faster and cheaper approach to offering universal paid leave.

Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5), who cast one of the deciding votes for the bill, struck a somber note amid the jubilation of the bills backers, saying he still had questions about both paid-leave proposals and that the law he ultimately chose to support would need to be refined over the next several years before being implemented.

Its going to be a serious tax with serious consequences to our business community, McDuffie said. The bottom line is, theres going to be some serious work that needs to be done.

Janene D. Jackson, a member of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce board, said business owners in the city would continue to oppose the bill and would call on Bowser to veto it.

The fact that they think businesses have the bandwidth to absorb an additional tax and that this is not going to impact jobs is unbelievable, she said. Theres no way the D.C. business community is going to take this. This is the battle. Its not the war.

Mendelson had argued that an across-the-board tax was the only way of ensuring that small businesses could offer paid time off comparable to that at bigger employers.

Under the alternative bill, he said, the tax credits would not be sufficient to offset the cost of providing paid leave, which even for a single, minimum-wage employee could reach thousands of dollars a year.

The effort to try to avoid the tax actually creates an enormous burden on small businesses, he said.

Even if the council overrides a mayoral veto, Bowsers cooperation will still be critical to the paid-leave programs success, because she will be tasked with getting it off the ground. The city will have to set aside $40 million next year to begin setting up a technology system to administer the new benefits.

The paid-leave legislation was a dramatic display of momentum for the councils progressive faction, which over the past two years has focused on fighting economic inequality through an agenda aligned with that of left-leaning Democrats across the country.

The bill was originally introduced by council members David Grosso (I-At Large) and Elissa Silverman (I-At Large), progressives who are each in their first term of office.

Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, said in a statement that the D.C. Council showed real leadership by providing final approval of a historic paid family and medical leave insurance fund that will benefit the District of Columbias workers and families, businesses of all sizes and the local economy. Ness called on Bowser to sign the legislation.

Some of those on the council who opposed the bill were less upbeat. Council member LaRuby May (D-Ward 8) said she doubted that the poor and predominantly African American residents of the Southeast neighborhoods she represents would see much benefit from the bill, even though it is targeted specifically toward low-wage workers.

It is amazing that were willing to now have an additional tax where the consolation prize of this new tax is that two-thirds of the new benefit will go to Virginia and Maryland residents, May said.

A yes vote on this legislation is a no vote to the residents of Ward 8.

Under the plan approved by the council, the city would reimburse employees for 90 percent of their first $900 in weekly pay and 50 percent of their remaining weekly pay, with a cap of $1,000 per week. The citys chief financial officer estimates that the city could begin offering those benefits during the 2019 fiscal year.

The benefits would not apply to federal workers, or to the 35,000 people employed by the District government.
Antwan Wilson was confirmed as the next chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

The D.C. Council on Tuesday unanimously confirmed Antwan Wilson as the chancellor of D.C. Public Schools.

Council members approved Wilsons appointment without any discussion, and the only council member who spoke was David Grosso, who leads the education committee. Grosso highlighted Wilsons experience in other major school systems and praised Wilsons commitment to improving D.C. schools.

Wilson, who most recently served as the superintendent at Oakland Unified School District in California, is scheduled to take over the D.C. school system on February 1.

Some parents and teachers said they look forward to working with Wilson to improve academic achievement and boost enrollment in the citys public schools. Even some who raised concerns about Wilsons nomination say they look forward to working with him.

In a telephone interview with The Washington Post from Oakland, Wilson said he spent a lot of time meeting with council members privately ahead of the vote and that he is appreciative of the council members for their confirmation vote and excited about the work we are going to do in D.C.

[Will D.C.s new chancellor finally be able to close the achievement gap?]

Wilson is expected to earn an annual salary of $280,000, a $14,000 signing bonus and the potential for a performance bonus of 10 percent  or $28,000  the following school year.

Cathy Reilly, executive director of the Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators, is hopeful that Wilson will work with parents and community members to attract more families into D.C. schools. She and other parents have asked Mayor Muriel E. Bowser to include in Wilsons contract a requirement to increase enrollment in D.C. schools by 3 percent each year.

I hope he sees his job as one that he can only do if he works closely with the people that are here, that have been here, and are invested in the schools, Reilly said.

[Nominee to lead D.C. schools says he is ready to tackle the systems biggest problems]

Monica Brokenborough, a music and choir teacher at Ballou Senior High School, said she will support Wilson, despite her objections to how the search process for the new chancellor was handled. Brokenborough, who is involved in the teachers union, believes the search was rushed and wanted the mayor to vet more candidates.

But now Brokenborough said its time to focus on the future.

I hope he is coming here with good intentions to make the schools better, Brokenborough said.

She wants Wilson to work with the union to reduce teacher turnover in schools. Brokenborough said a teacher at Ballou submitted a letter of resignation this week, leaving students with a substitute teacher until that position is filled. Brokenborough said there are currently several teacher vacancies at Ballou.

These students are used to seeing people come and go out of their lives on a daily basis, she said. They dont need to see the same thing at a school.

Wilson said he will prioritize working with the teachers union leadership to pass a new contract and to improve working conditions.

I couldnt be more excited to come into the district and collaborate with the teachers there on matters that are important to them, Wilson said. Teachers are tremendously important to the success of the students and the district.
A longtime janitor for the Montgomery County public school system was arrested early Tuesday amid allegations he fondled a first-grader in the girls bathroom at Gaithersburg Elementary School, according to court records and officials.

Ron Reginald Greene, 54, was charged with one count of second-degree sex offense, and was being held in jail Tuesday on no-bond status, pending a court appearance expected on Wednesday. Greene has been on administrative leave since the allegations surfaced, school officials said.

Court records do not indicate whether he has retained an attorney.

It is unclear, from court charging documents, who was in the bathroom first, and whether the student and Greene were the only people there.

Detectives began their case Nov. 19, when they received a report from a woman saying her 6-year-old daughter had been sexually assaulted. Two days later, a trained child-abuse interviewer spoke to the girl.

Ron Greene (Montgomery County Police)

According to the charging documents in the case:

The child said that sometime around Nov. 11, she was in a female student bathroom at Gaithersburg Elementary. Also in the bathroom, she said, was a man wearing gloves and using a rag to clean a sink. The girl said that while she dried her hands, the man grabbed her from behind, removed one of his gloves, and fondled her under her clothes, the police documents state.

The girl told authorities she has seen the man at the school before and after the incident and was able to recognize him through a photograph, police said.

Derek Turner, a school system spokesman, said that according to policy, school janitors are not supposed to clean bathrooms while students are in the bathrooms. The workers also are supposed to give a clear signal of their presence to any student about to enter a bathroom. This is typically done using a sign or propping the door open with a cleaning cart, Turner said.

He said he could not comment on what may have happened at Gaithersburg because of the ongoing criminal investigation.

In a Tuesday letter to parents, principal Meredith McNerney said the school system is cooperating fully with police.

I know that our community finds the allegations in the charging document as disturbing as I do, she said, adding that she had immediately placed Mr. Greene on administrative leave once I became aware of the investigation.

Greene, who lives in Potomac, began working for Montgomery County Public Schools in 1987, spending 11 years at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac. From 1998 to 2010, he worked at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring. He then began working at Gaithersburg Elementary School.

Police said that anyone with information about the case of Greene should call the departments Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5400.
A Southeast Washington barbershop owner who led a ring that cashed millions in tax refund checks from bogus federal returns and operated with a network of 400 addresses throughout the region was sentenced Tuesday in the scheme.

The ring led by Kevin Brown, 46, owner of Classic Kutz in Southeast, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for his role in the identity theft ring that sought to bilk taxpayers of $20 million in bogus tax refunds and ultimately cashed $4.5 million in U.S. Treasury checks.

Brown, formerly of Capitol Heights, Md., pleaded guilty in February 2013 to running the ring that federal prosecutors say eventually filed more than 12,000 fake returns from 2005 through 2012 and involved more than 130 people at addresses in D.C., Maryland. The overall case has resulted in 20 convictions.

[Ex-D. C. juvenile justice worker sentenced for using IDs from 645 youth offenders in tax fraud ring]

Brown, who sometimes listed his business name on bogus returns, prepared and mailed returns and signed and deposited checks.

U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle of the District accepted prosecutors sentencing recommendation of 135 months over a defense request for five years in prison, and ordered Brown to repay the $4.5 million.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government, filing false claims and fraud in connection with identity information, court files show.

[Barbers, letter carriers, police do it; IRS says refund theft rampant]

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District said the ring used the stolen identities of people who were elderly or in assisted living facilities, drug addicts and prisoners. False returns typically reported inflated or fictitious income from a sole proprietorship and claimed phony dependents to generate an Earned Income Tax Credit.

Todays significant prison sentence punishes Brown for his conduct and serves as a clear warning to those engaged in or considering similar conduct that the government will prosecute these crimes and will seek incarceration and restitution, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo, head of the Justice Departments tax division said in a statement.
A 25-year-old Suitland, Md., man was arrested and charged Tuesday for child pornography, authorities said.

Aaron C. Davis is charged with several counts of possession and distribution of child pornography, according to the Maryland State Police. A state task force unit began to look into Davis after a tip from an investigator with the Worcester County Sheriffs Office.

Aaron C. Davis, of Suitland, Md., was arrested and charged wtih several counts involving child pornography. (Courtesy of Maryland State Police)

After getting a warrant, Daviss home was searched and investigators found computer equipment with more than 100 video files of child pornography, police said.

He was arrested without incident, they said.
A woman was convicted Tuesday of shooting the pregnant mother of her grandchildren and killing the womans husband in Southern Maryland last year, prosecutors said.

[Man dies after shooting in parking lot of McDonalds in Waldorf]

On May 20, 2015, officers responded to a McDonalds restaurant in Waldorf for a reported shooting and found Robert Mange, 25, and his pregnant wife, Krystal Mange, 24, suffering from gunshot wounds, the states attorneys office for Charles County said in a statement. The couple, of Smithfield, Va., was transported to a hospital, where Robert Mange was pronounced dead; Krystal Mange and her unborn child survived, the statement said.

An investigation showed that Caroline Marie Conway, 53, of Waldorf  the grandmother of Krystal Manges two children with Caroline Conways son, Richard Conway, a former Prince Georges County police officer  held the couple at gunpoint with her sons service weapon before shooting them when they tried to flee, according to the statement. Caroline Conway shot the Manges after a dispute over her grandchildrens custody.

A Charles County Circuit Court jury convicted Caroline Conway of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, prosecutors said, and she faces four life sentences plus 100 years. No sentencing date has been set.

Richard Conway is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted murder in the shooting of his ex-wife and her husband, according to county officials. He is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 3.
Norma Jeans in Baltimore began issuing paychecks to dancers after several lawsuits were brought against the club beginning in 2013. A wave of lawsuits have hit clubs across the country. (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

Dancers at strip clubs have long been considered independent contractors whose wages consist solely of tips. But a wave of lawsuits against clubs across the country  including in Baltimore, New York, Atlanta, San Diego and Denver  has challenged that, and legal victories in Maryland and elsewhere have added dancers to payrolls at some clubs.

In New York City, more than 2,000 dancers who worked at Ricks Cabaret between 2005 and 2012 were awarded $10.9 million in a class-action lawsuit they brought against their employer.

These are employees, no different from waiters or waitresses, and deserve a base compensation, said Gregg C. Greenberg, a Silver Spring attorney who has represented nearly 60 dancers in lawsuits against clubs across the state.

Under Maryland law, tipped employees can receive $3.63 an hour, less than the minimum wage of $8.75 for jobs where employees receive no tips.

Greenbergs most recent case was brought by Stephanie Gamble, who went by the name of Lady Luck as a dancer and bartender at Chez Joey, a club on the Block in Baltimore. Gamble contended that she was not an independent contractor, but an employee who worked regular shifts at the club and never received a paycheck.

Gamble settled out of court last month and received unpaid wages, Greenberg said. He would not disclose the amount, and Gamble could not be reached for comment.

Greenberg also represented six women who sued two adult clubs in Prince Georges County in federal court in 2012, alleging that the clubs did not pay them the minimum wage required by the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage laws.

After the women won their case in U.S. District Court, the clubs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond.

The dancers argued that they were closely regulated by defendants, from their hours to their earnings to their workplace conduct, according to court documents.

Attorneys for the clubs argued that the dancers were free agents that came and went as they pleased, and used the clubs as a rented space, according to court documents.

Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III said the clubs argument did not hold up. The relaxed working relationship represented by defendants  the kind that perhaps every worker dreams about  finds little support in the record, he ruled in upholding the lower court ruling in June.

Cari Tabor, who sued Scores Baltimore in 2014, said that on a good night, she could make $1,000 in tips. But sometimes she didnt make enough to cover fees charged by the club. She said a minimum wage helps make sure employees are being compensated for their time.

Its a base start, she said.

Historically, strip clubs have treated dancers differently from other staff members when it comes to pay.

Its always been that way until recent cases. If you were a bar or a nightclub and hired a band, or comedians, you wouldnt think of those entertainers as employees, said Baltimore attorney Peter Prevas, who has represented several clubs, including Chez Joey in Gambles lawsuit.

Prevas said he first started seeing the pay lawsuits about five years ago. He said paying dancers a regular wage is a large expense that could potentially put some clubs out of business.

Andrew Alley, owner of Scores Baltimore, declined to comment on specific cases, but said the lawsuits are driven by attorneys looking to make money.

Tabor, 38, said in her lawsuit against Scores that she was charged house fees during each shift she worked. Her suit also alleged that she could be charged for gaining weight.

Theres plenty nights where you have to pay $80 to work that night, said Tabor, who said she began stripping when she was 17 but has since stopped.

Really, we were the ones making them money, she said.

Her case against Scores was dismissed by a judge, who cited a three-year statute of limitations. She stopped working at Scores in 2011.

Alley would not say whether Scores pays hourly wages to dancers now.

Norma Jeans in Baltimore began issuing paychecks to dancers after several lawsuits were brought against the club since 2013. In one case, brought by Tanae Taylor, which was settled last November, the club paid $27,000 to Taylor plus additional legal fees, according to court records.

Transitioning to paychecks took some time, and cost the club.

Youve got many clubs that dont do what we do, said Peter Ireland, one of the clubs owners. It hurts us, but in the long run, theyre going to eventually hit them, too, he said of other clubs.

Jeanean Lawson, manager at Norma Jeans, said the club used to write all of its payroll checks by hand because it did not have many employees. But after adding about 80 dancers, the club switched to a payroll company to handle the task, she said.

Its an expense we didnt have to pay, Lawson said. It could easily break any successful business.

But Lawson said the hourly pay is a way to show employees they are valued.

We cant make money without them, she said. They deserve respect like anyone else.
The man shown in this surveillance photo is believed to be a suspect in two recent robberies in Northeast D.C. (Courtesy of D.C. Police)

Three robberies have been reported in about a week near a single street corner in Northeast Washington. In at least two of them, according to police, the victims were cab drivers.

Guns were shown in two of the three robberies, police said All occurred in or near the 300 block of Evarts Street NE.

Police said they think one man held up the cab drivers in the 300 block of Evarts t NE on Sunday and on Dec. 12. The third robbery in that location was reported Monday night.

It could not be immediately learned whether the robber in Monday nights incident was thought to be the man who carried out the two previous robberies.

Mondays robbery was one of those in which a gun was shown. A preliminary police report listed it as occurring at Third and Evarts Streets NE. That location is essentially the same as the sites of the two cab driver robberies.

In the later of those two, police said, a driver picked up a man at Union Station about 5:25 p.m., Sunday, and took him to the 300 block of Evarts, about two miles to the northeast. The 300 block of Evarts runs between Third and Fourth Streets. The location is a residential area near the Edgewood playground

At Evarts, police said, the robber placed his hand in a jacket pocket in a way that suggested he had a gun. The robber demanded money, and fled after getting it, police said.

In the Dec.12th incident, police said, the robber was also picked up at Union Station, this time at 6 p.m. After being taken to the 300 block of Evarts, police said, the robber pointed a gun and demanded money. After getting cash, he ran, police said.

In both of the taxi incidents, the police said, the robber was described as a black man in his late teens to early 20s, who wore all black clothing. in Mondays incident, they said the robber was described as a black man, about 18 years old, six feet, 150 pounds with short hair. He wore white pants, police said.
[December 19, 2016] Top 20 Cyber Security Companies 2015: Analysis of Leading Players, Competitive Positioning & Future Market Opportunities

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Uzbek commander Tahir Yuldashev, who was killed in 2009, is seen giving a speech in an unidentified location in this undated video image. (Reuters TV/Reuters TV)

A Turkish-born Dutch citizen was sentenced Tuesday to 88 months in prison by a federal judge in Washington for providing material support to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a U.S.-designated terrorist group active in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Irfan Demirtas, 58, was a senior European-based fundraiser and recruiter for IMU leader Tahir Yuldashev before Yuldashev was killed in a U.S. drone strike in August 2009, U.S. authorities said.

Demirtas admitted providing at least $65,000 and transporting several Turkish fighters to an IMU training camp during three visits between January 2006 and May 2008, when Yuldashev thanked him for the money and made threats against Americans.

At the time, the IMU was actively battling Afghan and U.S. forces. It has allied itself with the Taliban, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

This is an extreme sentence to punish an extreme crime, U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District said, adding it to the more than five years Demirtas has already served in Dutch and French custody for his activity.

Demirtas denied deliberately financing violence, saying his involvement began as charity work for earthquake victims and that most of the money was spent to buy animals as part of an annual feast. However, Moss said, videos and documents seized in a May 2008 raid on Demirtass home in Tilburg, the Netherlands, showed he was an important fundraiser for the IMU . . . He certainly knew the IMU was committed to violent jihad.

[Man pleads guilty in D.C. to supporting al-Qaeda-backed terrorist group]

Excerpts of those videos shown by prosecutors portrayed Yuldashev thanking Demirtas for providing cash and a satellite phone as well as helping bring Turkish fighters from Islamabads airport to an IMU camp in South Waziristan, near the Afghanistan border.

Others showed Demirtas firing an AK-47, a machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade with Uzbek fighters, among other activities.

On Tuesday, Demirtas, wearing a thick, white beard, prayer cap and orange jail jumpsuit over a long-sleeved white shirt, apologized through an Arabic translator.

I dont apologize once, I apologize a thousand times . . . I wish I had never met the Turks, he said, speaking from a wheelchair while he awaits surgery for a hernia. Demirtas said he had no other criminal record as a youth in Turkey or in his adult life spent in the Netherlands and added that he would commit no crime that would leave his two young children without him as their father.

The IMU continues to exist. It continues to be an ally of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and it has allied itself with ISIL, or the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for an attack Monday in which a truck plowed through a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and injured dozens, Assistant U.S. attorney Michael C. DiLorenzo said. The U.S. prosecutor argued in court that a lengthy sentence was needed to deter others in Europe who are considering donating or raising money for these groups.

Demirtas was sentenced in France to eight years in prison for related activities on Jan. 8, 2013.

Prosecutors there said that Demirtass French-based network sent at least $390,000 to the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan, with more than half earmarked for Islamist militancy.

Demirtas was returned to the Netherlands and released in July 2013 but was arrested again in Germany in January 2015 based on a 2012 U.S. warrant. He was extradited to the United States in July 2015.

[European man extradited to D.C. to face charges of funding terrorism]

[Judge mulls punishment for Dutch-Turkish citizen who supported al-Qaeda and Islamic State ally]

Prosecutors sought a 15-year prison term in addition to the French sentence. Assistant Federal Defender Mary M. Petras asked Moss for roughly the equivalent of time Demirtas has already served in Dutch, French, German and U.S. custody. With credit for good time, Demirtas could complete his term in about five years.

Prosecutors said they will oppose a request from Demirtas asking to serve his sentence in the Netherlands, where his wife and two of their young children live.

Petras said U.S. authorities overstated Demirtass role and ignored his acceptance of responsibility, age, poor health, lack of prior offenses, family circumstances and good conduct  factors that could affect his sentencing calculation under federal guidelines  during a brief period after he was set free by France. Petras cited the harsh terms of Demirtass confinement in the D.C. jail, where he spent all but 15 minutes each weekday in a windowless cell before recently being moved to a jail in Orange, Va.

Mr. Demirtas has demonstrated . . . that he will not commit any future crimes, but rather will return to his home in the Netherlands and continue to care for his family, Petras told Moss, according to court papers
An oil train burns near the town of Mosier, Ore., after derailing on June 3. Federal regulators said a better braking system on the train  based on newer technology  would have contained the disaster. (Alan Berner/AP)

Just past noon on a Friday in June, a Union Pacific freight train carrying oil jumped the tracks in a small town in Oregon, not far from a school filled with children, and exploded in flames that burned for 14 hours.

Bad tracks were cited as the cause, but federal regulators said a better braking system on the train  based on newer technology  would have contained the disaster. The railroad industry newsletter said the notion that the brake system would have made a difference was horse manure.

It was another skirmish in a battle over safety standards that often pits federal regulators against an industry. And while such fights are not uncommon, federal officials say this is one that keeps them awake at nights because of the high stakes  what if the next oil train crash happens in a major metropolitan area?

[Deadline for train safety technology undercut by industry lobbying]

This June 6, 2016, aerial video image taken from a drone shows crumpled oil tankers lying beside the railroad tracks after a fiery June 3 train derailment that prompted evacuations from the tiny Columbia River Gorge town of Mosier, Ore. (Brent Foster/AP)

Regulators have mandated a new electronically controlled braking system that would prevent  or lessen the severity of  crashes like the one in Oregon. The railroad industry calls the requirement a classic example of regulatory overreach. Lawmakers responded to the industry complaints by requiring a pair of new studies that could delay the regulation set to take effect in 2021.

One congressional requirement, for example, stipulates that a train be wrecked to see how many of its cars derail and leak their flammable contents.

It was deliberate and intentional by the railroad industry to try to make this study as expensive as possible, said John Risch, who spent 30 years as a BNSF Railway engineer before becoming a rail union lobbyist in Washington. Its completely unreasonable. You wouldnt see that in maritime, you wouldnt see that in aviation; they do this stuff computer-simulated, without causing this chaotic crash thats going to cost all kinds of money.

The railroad industry counters that the new regulation would force it to spend billions of dollars on a braking system that research has not conclusively proven to be more effective than what they are already using.

With the Trump administration taking office in January amid promises to roll back regulations, the railroads hope Congress will hear their concerns.

Included in a post-election message to the Senate from Edward R. Hamberger, president of the Association of American Railroads, was a plea for stopping unfounded regulatory efforts.

Major-city worries

There have been 19 derailments of trains loaded with flammable liquid  oil or ethanol  in the past six years. Those wrecks have caused 3,272 evacuations, spilled almost 2.8 million gallons and cost an estimated $45 million. A remarkable percentage of those derailments happened in small towns  Plevna, Mont. (population 162), Tiskilwa, Ill. (829), Arcadia, Ohio (590), and Alma, Wis. (781).

Federal officials are increasingly concerned that one of the long trains rolling out of the Bakken oil fields, underlying parts of Montana, North Dakota, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, will explode in a major city. Oil trains snake through cities such as Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia on their way to coastal refineries. Chicago officials deemed the risk serious enough that the city did a detailed evaluation of the impact should a train explode in various neighborhoods.

Railroads say they have taken every prudent step possible to prevent disasters such as the Lac-Megantic, Quebec, explosion in 2013 that killed 47 townspeople. They say it is expensive overkill to require electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) braking systems on trains carrying explosive cargo.

The railroads estimate it would cost more than $3 billion to install electronic braking on the required number of engines and cars, and to educate workers to use them.

The Federal Railroad Administration says it would cost a still-hefty fraction of that: $493 million.

From that simple difference  albeit almost $2.6 billion  the divergence of opinion and calculations between FRA and the railroads spirals rapidly out of control.

The FRA estimates 2,500 locomotives would need to be equipped at a cost of $49,000 each. The railroads say 20,000 locomotives  83 percent of those they operate  would need ECP, at a cost of $88,000 each. The FRA says 60,000 tank cars need the electronic brakes; the railroads say it is 133,000.

How many railroad workers would need training? The FRA says more than 51,000, the railroads, 78,000.

Even more emphatic is the difference in opinions.

These are not grain trains, these are hazmat trains, FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg said. We specifically require the better braking systems on these trains because in the event of an incident, fewer cars will derail and fewer cars will puncture, which means youre less likely to have a fire that will endanger lives.

The science is there, the data is there, Feinberg said. Their argument is, despite that data, [they] dont want to spend the money on it.

Risch, the former BNSF engineer who has operated trains with ECP brakes, calls them the foundation of safety in the future of the railroad industry. When a train crew overlooks something, ECP brakes can save the day.

The railroads disagree.

ECP braking technology will not result in fewer accidents, does not provide significant safety benefits and, after 15 years of limited rail use, has yet to meet service reliability standards, said Justin E. Jacobs, a spokesman for Union Pacific, the countrys largest railroad.

At BNSF, the second-largest, spokesman Mike Trevino has a similar view. The contention has been that electronic brakes are better, safer, more efficient, he said. The challenge is that railroads have been unable to prove that out, to demonstrate that there are those benefits.

Ed Greenberg, spokesman for the American Association of Railroads, a trade group, said, The ECP brake signaling system has been found to break down more often, while not providing significant safety benefits.

Conventional brake systems on freight trains use air pressure that moves from one car to the next  from the engine to the last car  to engage the brakes and slow the train. On a train of 100 or more cars  and many oil trains are that length or longer  it takes 7 to 8 seconds until the last cars brakes begin to engage. The cars farther back keep pushing against those in front of them as they await the signal to brake. If tank cars have less than a full load of liquid, the sloshing as the train slows adds to their momentum.

With ECP braking, the brakes begin to engage on every car almost the instant the engineer presses a button.

Trains are like giant Slinkies, said a railroad analyst who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he works in the industry. When you have that back of the train running into the front of the train, they can actually push cars out, cause a derailment and cause a hell of a mess.

When the brakes are applied electronically to each car at the same time, he said, that takes the energy out of the train quicker, so when a train does derail there is less energy that has to be absorbed by crushing tank cars.

That push from the rear in the Mosier, Ore., wreck may explain why a coupler pierced through another tank car, causing the leak that sparked the fire, he said.

Before the federal mandate last year to require electronically triggered brakes, some railroads were moving in that direction anyway.

When Norfolk Southern put the first ECP-equipped train into service nine years ago, it said in a statement that ECP brakes have the potential to reduce stopping distances by 60 percent.

When freight giant BNSF followed suit six months later, one of its customers applauded, saying, The use of ECP brakes will provide potential for improved safety.

But once the rule  developed by the FRA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  was issued 18 months ago, the railroads were less agreeable to the expensive investment.

They already were under pressure to fulfill another federal mandate that followed a California railroad disaster. In 2008, a head-on collision between a freight train and a commuter train in Chatsworth, a Los Angeles suburb, killed 25 people and injured 135. Congress ordered that trains be equipped with an automatic braking system that would have prevented the crash.

Railroads said they had already pumped $6.5 billion into that automatic system last year, when they begged Congress to extend a looming deadline until 2018. The lawmakers came to the rescue, just as they did for the industry again last year on the issue of ECP brakes.

Three key congressional leaders are among the top 10 recipients of campaign contributions from the railroad industry, which has spent upward of $60 million on campaign contributions since 1990. According to federal data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, House Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) has received $566,479, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has received $449,615, and John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has received $353,885 from the railroads.

Congress appended the requirement for the pair of ECP tests to the mammoth five-year transportation bill. One version of the bill would have entrusted the testing to a committee made up primarily of the railroads, but others involved in the talks insisted that the work be done by contractors free of conflicts of interest.

The original study was going to be tainted by the industry, and the House [transportation] committee fixed up the bill to make it more fair, Risch recalled.

The first report requested by Congress came from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last month. The GAO questioned federal estimates of the cost benefits of ECP brakes. The report also said that limited data shared by railroads with the FRA hampered its efforts to estimate . . . their potential benefits.

A second round of testing that Congress asked for  including full-scale experiments to see how tank cars derail and get punctured  is underway by the Transportation Research Board at the National Academy of Sciences.

In the midst of all that testing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded in two studies that ECP brakes allow trains to stop in significantly less distance and effectively relieve the energy caused when tank cars crash into one another.

In Mosier, (population 433), they say the wind blows at 30 mph from March to October, but on Friday, June 3, the wind took a holiday. The train carrying Bakken crude from North Dakota to a refinery in Tacoma, Wash., derailed and exploded at lunchtime. No one was killed or injured, but schools and some residents were evacuated.

Fire Chief Jim Appleton told KGW television that on a typical windy day, the school and the town would have been at risk.

I have a high degree of confidence that the school building would have been at a minimum affected, if not completely incinerated, he said.
An Indian boy plays on a carnival ride as he waits for customers at an amusement park during the annual Mahim Fair in Mumbai. The 10-day festival honors the Sufi Muslim saint and scholar Makhdoom Ali Mahimi, considered the patron saint of the Mumbai police. (Divyakant Solanki/EPA)

CONGO

Security forces deploy amid fears of protests

Military and police forces deployed across the capital of Congo on Monday, as protesters vowed to take to the streets if President Joseph Kabila stays in office beyond the expiration of his term at midnight.

Many are bracing for clashes between Kabilas opponents and the security forces. In September, when the last major anti-government demonstrations were held, about 50 people were killed, according to rights groups.

Elections were to be held in November but were postponed. Kabila and his allies have suggested that he remain in power until at least 2018, which they say is the soonest a vote can take place because of the challenges of holding an election in such a vast country.

But opposition activists worry that the president, who has been in power for 15 years, is trying to extend his term through extra-constitutional means.

At the University of Kinshasa on Monday, protesters waved red cards calling for Kabila to step down. Security forces blocked access to the university, and no violence was reported there. In the eastern city of Goma, at least 41 protesters were arrested, Human Rights Watch said.

Kabila is among a growing number of African leaders who have angled to extend their terms by various means. But the stakes are particularly high in Congo, which suffered through a civil war that killed about 5 million people between 1997 and 2003.

 Kevin Sieff

LIBYA

Suicide bombing kills 8 troops near Benghazi

A suicide bomber has killed eight Libyan troops near the eastern city of Benghazi, demonstrating that the Islamic State is still able to strike in the North African country despite recent battlefield losses, Libyan security and health officials said Monday.

The weekend bombing in the besieged Ganfouda area was a counterattack on advancing troops that also wounded eight soldiers, the officials said.

The Islamic State asserted responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated online.

Ganfouda is one of the last two extremist-held areas in Libyas east. The Islamic State recently lost control of the city of Sirte, its main stronghold in Libya.

That has opened the door for multiple armed factions to potentially turn on one another in a scramble for control of Libyas vast oil wealth.

A U.N.-brokered peace deal, reached a year ago, aimed to establish a unity government to end the chaos that has plagued Libya since the ouster and death of strongman Moammar Gaddafi in 2011. Instead, Libya remains divided between east and west, with no effective government and rival factions and militias.

 Associated Press

SOUTH KOREA

At trial, Park confidante denies wrongdoing

The jailed confidante of impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye denied on the first day of her trial Monday that she used her ties to Park to extort money from big companies.

The hearing was the first public appearance in weeks for the woman at the heart of a scandal that led to Parks impeachment after millions took to the streets in protest.

An attorney for Choi Soon-sil denied that his client conspired with Park and her aide to pressure companies to donate tens of millions of dollars last year to foundations controlled by Choi.

When questioned directly by a judge, she also denied the charges. Im sorry for causing trouble, Choi said.

Choi, Parks friend of 40 years, is charged with abuse of power, extortion and attempted fraud. If convicted on all charges, she could receive up to 15 years in prison, according to a court spokesman.

 Associated Press

Earthquake along Ecuadors coast kills 2: A 5.8-magnitude earthquake shook Ecuadors Pacific coast, killing at least two people, injuring 15 and halting production at the Esmeraldas oil refinery, officials said. The countrys geological institute recorded the quake off the coast of Atacames in Esmeraldas province, northwest of Quito, the capital. The quake was followed by 15 aftershocks.

No media limits in Parliament, Polish president says: Polish President Andrzej Duda said he has received a pledge from leaders of the populist ruling party that they will not introduce restrictions on media access in Parliament, a plan that had sparked days of protests. It is the second time the Law and Justice party has stepped back from disputed measures because of street protests. In October, it withdrew a plan for a total abortion ban after huge protests by women across the country.

 From news services
EVERY AMERICAN should be relieved that electoral officials across the country have determined that the level of voter fraud was negligible in the 137.7 million ballots cast in November. President-elect Donald Trumps claim of millions of fraudulent votes is simply not true. But every American should be deeply concerned about evidence that Russia attempted to use computer hacking, fake news stories and perhaps other methods to undermine the integrity of the U.S. campaign and, specifically, to defeat Hillary Clinton. Congress should establish a bipartisan, select committee to investigate.

The story so far, according to a consensus of the intelligence community, is that hackers associated with Russia penetrated the computer systems of the Democratic National Committee, leaked embarrassing emails during the campaign and did the same with Clinton campaign chairman John Podestas email account, all intended to create uncertainty, undermine Ms. Clinton and elect Mr. Trump. At the same time, Russian propaganda outlets and some organizations in the shadowy world of fake news also chipped in to erode Ms. Clintons candidacy.

President Obama has ordered an investigation to be completed before he leaves office, a necessary step. He should release as much information as possible. But it cant end there. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has wisely led a bipartisan effort by four senators to launch a select committee investigation with a special focus on cybersecurity. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has expressed reluctance to set up a special panel, but we think it would guarantee a stronger outcome, one that would have credibility and prove effective at excavating the truth, especially if Mr. Trump continues to obfuscate and dodge.

The point is not to cast doubt on Mr. Trumps election. No one will ever know what combination of factors, including Clinton campaign errors, Trump campaign strengths, the ham-handed FBI letter and the dissatisfied mood of the country, produced Mr. Trumps victory. But every American should be concerned about foreign intervention in U.S. democratic processes. A select committee could examine all cases of cyber-intrusion, not only against the campaigns but also aimed at voter registration databases. In a calm and rational way, the country needs to learn all it can about attempts to contaminate or corrupt the electoral process.

Mr. Trumps comments on this matter only underline the need for an inquiry. In July, Mr. Trump urged Russia to meddle in Ms. Clintons emails. He has repeatedly dismissed claims that Russia was attempting to help his campaign. He has sharply criticized the U.S. intelligence community for its findings of Russian interference. All this raises more questions. Mr. Trump would be better advised to accept an investigation and cooperate with it.

Active interference with the American election by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his security services is intolerable. The United States is an open society and must respond to this assault by exposing it to sunlight.
President-elect Donald Trumps victory tour was more than just an opportunity to strut and preen around the country like a peacock with a comb-over. It was a warning to Republican leaders in Congress that Trump intends to be in charge  and that there will be consequences if the party establishment does not fall in line.

The post-election rallies also served as venues for Trump to make grandiose promises, including some that will stick in his partys craw.

Trump billed the series of campaign-style events as a way to thank the voters who elected him. It seems obvious that he is addicted to adulation, basks in the grandeur of his own celebrity and chafes at the prosaic labor of assembling an administration. This is a man who cannot be bothered to hear a daily intelligence briefing about threats to the nation, yet finds time to meet with Kanye West.

[The GOP is at its peak, but conservatism has hit rock bottom]

At the victory rallies, Trump continued his withering onslaught against the truth; he claimed, for example, to have won in a historic landslide, though Hillary Clinton received 2.8 million more votes. He renewed his attack against the news media, pointing at reporters and calling them very dishonest people. He offered a thank you to the African American community who didnt come out to vote for Clinton.

(McKenna Ewen,Whitney Shefte,Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)

Amid all the bombast and nonsense, however, there was a clear message for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): The next president expects them to follow, not lead.

Trump held the rallies in two solidly Republican states (Louisiana and Alabama), four traditional swing states (Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and Florida) and three states he unexpectedly took from the Democrats (Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan). He reveled in illustrating that his electoral coalition was unique  and that his supporters were more loyal to him personally than to the party he conquered in a hostile takeover.

In Ryans home state, the crowd booed when Trump mentioned the speakers name. Trump protested, saying he has come to appreciate Ryan and comparing him to a fine wine that improves with time. But then, with a smile, he added: Now, if he ever goes against me, Im not going to say that, okay?

During the campaign, Ryan was sharply critical of Trump before reluctantly falling in line. He attended the Dec. 8 rally  and got something of a dressing-down for having suggested, in a 60 Minutes interview a few days earlier, that the border wall Trump promises to build might actually be a mere fence in some places.

Were going to work on the wall, Paul, Trump said, turning to Ryan. Were going to build the wall, okay? Believe me.

There are Republicans in Congress who believe Trump is so naive in the ways of Washington that he can be led around by the nose  that he will basically sign whatever the GOP majorities in the House and Senate choose to pass. Many of those who share this view also were confident that Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio would be the partys nominee. Do they really expect Trump to suddenly be transformed into an orthodox Republican? I dont.

Trump promised the ridiculous border wall, and I believe he will expect Congress to let him build it. He also promised punishment, such as targeted tariffs, for companies that move jobs overseas. He promised a trillion-dollar program to improve the nations infrastructure. He promised massive, budget-busting tax cuts for corporations, the wealthy and the middle class. He promised not only to repeal the Affordable Care Act but also to simultaneously replace it, vowing that those with pre-existing conditions will still be able to get health insurance.

(The Washington Post)

[Sham populism, shameless plutocracy]

In foreign policy, Trump pledges even more radical departures from the Republican establishment. He has been vocal in his desire for a closer, more cooperative relationship with Russia  one reason, perhaps, why Russian President Vladimir Putin had his intelligence agents work so hard to get Trump elected, according to the CIA and the FBI. For secretary of state, Trump has chosen ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, a man on whom Putin has bestowed the Russian Order of Friendship.

Trump promised during his victory tour to establish safe zones for civilians in Syria, which presumably would require working with Putin, who supports the continued rule of barbarous dictator Bashar al-Assad. Are you ready for that, Republicans? Have you seen the pictures from Aleppo?

The GOP establishment is soon going to have to choose between principle and political well-being. The latter almost always wins.

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.
We were told in June that the Democratic National Committee had been hacked by Russians. We were told in October that material subsequently passed on to WikiLeaks came from the same source. Numerous articles were written about these leaks and about Donald Trumps many Russian connections. And yet no one was really outraged until now. Why? I have a theory: Until you have seen for yourself how 21st-century disinformation works, you laugh at the very idea of it. Once you have understood its power, you stop laughing.

If I was slightly ahead of the curve, its only because I saw it firsthand. A couple of years ago, I was the focus of a smear campaign. Elements of it could have been lifted out of a spy novel, but the basic idea was quite simple: In the wake of the invasion of Crimea, when I was writing quite a bit about Ukraine, nasty little articles about me started appearing on Russia-based websites. The technique was the same as that used by people who later dressed up the stories from the emails of the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta: Mix truth and lies  my book contract and royalties were described as mysterious income from questionable sources  make ludicrous claims, pass on the lies to other Russian-backed websites, and then watch them pass it on again.

There was no way to correct the stories  to whom would I complain?  and as Im not running for president, frankly, who cares? But it was eye-opening to watch the stories move through a well-oiled system, one that had been constructed for exactly this sort of purpose. Eventually the articles about me were echoed or quoted in a dozen places: on quasi-respectable websites with ties to Russian business, on Russia Today, and on pro-Russian U.S. websites such as Ron Pauls Institute for Peace and Prosperity. The process peaked in November 2015, when WikiLeaks  out of the blue  tweeted one of the articles to its 4 million followers.

It was a peculiar experience, but I learned a lot. As I watched the story move around the Web, I saw how the worlds of fake websites and fake news exist to reinforce one another and give falsehood credence. Many of the websites quoted not the original, dodgy source, but one another. There were more phony sites than Id realized, though I also learned that many of their followers (maybe even most of them) are bots  bits of computer code that can be programmed to imitate human social media accounts and told to pass on particular stories.

The Russians understood the power of such networks to fool people before anybody else. They also understood that the global information space, accessible to all, offered a cheap way for an impoverished ex-superpower to meddle in other countries politics. In my case it didnt matter, because nobody I know cared about the stories. But during the U.S. election campaign, with millions and millions of bots at work, hundreds of fake stories in circulation and many volunteers joining the troll factories and botnets, maybe Kremlin-generated lies and Kremlin-created echo chambers did make a difference. The same techniques were at work: Take a truth revealed in a hacked email, twist it into a scandal, pass it on via fake-news sites, troll factories and botnets, and see whether it sticks. If nothing else, the Russian fake websites and botnets were amplifying Trumps own campaign, which was using the same tactics.

(Jason Aldag/The Washington Post)

None of which means Americans had to fall for it  but they did. Why are Americans so vulnerable to fake news, both domestic and foreign-sourced? Why do they consume it and pass it on? A part of the explanation lies with the Republican Party, which told people for years to hate and fear Washington and has now created a constituency that actually prefers information generated by the Kremlin or white supremacists to fact-checked or edited news. In this election, the distrust of Hillary Clinton also made people shy away from anyone who seemed to support her.

But it is also true that we are living through a global media revolution, that people are hearing and digesting political information in brand-new ways and that nobody yet understands the consequences. Fake stories are easier to create, fake websites can be designed to host them, and social media rapidly disseminates disinformation that people trust because they get it from friends. This radical revolution has happened without many politicians noticing or caring  unless, like me, they happened to have seen how the new system of information exchange works. This is true not only in the United States and Europe but also around the world. Half of all Filipinos are active Facebook users, and millions of them shared the scare stories and fake news that helped elect President Rodrigo Duterte, a populist who claims he has personally carried out nonjudicial executions.

There are precedents. The printing press, praised by Martin Luther as Gods highest and extremest act of Grace, led to the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation  and a century of bloody religious wars. The invention of radio led to Hitler and Stalin, who understood the new medium better than anyone else, as well as to the 20th centurys totalitarian regimes and ideological wars.

Eventually equilibrium was reached, and someday we will reach equilibrium, too. But until then we should be prepared for political turmoil of a kind we thought was long behind us.

Read more from Anne Applebaums archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook.
[December 20, 2016] Toshiba Expands Lineup of Embedded NAND Flash Memory Products for Automotive Applications

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)* today announced the launch of JEDEC[1] e-MMCTM Version 5.1[2]-compliant embedded NAND flash memory products supporting AEC-Q100 Grade2 [3] requirements. The new product lineup consists of densities of 8 gigabyte (GB), 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, and is well suited to the demanding requirements of the automotive infotainment market. As consumer demand for connected cars grows, the need to support the data storage demands of increasingly complex automotive applications  for example, ADAS [4] and autonomous driving systems  grows as well. Toshiba is meeting this demand by reinforcing its lineup of high-performance, high-density memory products. In the automotive market, the development of car infotainment  ADAS and autonomous driving systems  has created an increased demand for NAND flash memory. Accelerated processing power and increased data storage capacity are crucial to enabling these new technologies, and Toshiba's e-MMC has emerged as the data storage technology of choice for automotive applications. Toshiba's e-MMC parts integrate NAND chips and are fabricated using its 15nm process technology with a controller to manage basic control functions for NAND applications in a single package. The new products enhance Toshiba's existing lineup of automotive e-MMC devices by offering support for applications such as instrument clusters, which require storage solutions that operate at higher temperatures (up to 105C). New Product Lineup







Product Name Capacity Temperature Range Package THGBMHG6C1LBAB6 8GB -40 C ~105 C 11.5x13x0.8mm THGBMHG7C2LBAB7 16GB -40 C ~105 C 11.5x13x1.0mm THGBMHG8C4LBAB7 32GB -40 C ~105 C 11.5x13x1.0mm THGBMHG9C8LBAB8 64GB -40 C ~105 C 11.5x13x1.2mm

Key Features Handles essential functions, including bad block management, error correction and driver software.

Simplifies system development, allowing manufacturers to minimize costs and speed up time to market for new and upgraded products.

Enhances usability with new features [ 5 ] standardized in JEDEC e-MMC Version 5.1, including BKOPS control, cache barrier, cache flushing report, large RPMB write and command queuing.

standardized in JEDEC e-MMC Version 5.1, including BKOPS control, cache barrier, cache flushing report, large RPMB write and command queuing. Supports operational temperature range of -40C to 105C.

Meets AEC-Q100 Grade2 specifications. Key Specifications Interface JEDECe-MMC V5.1 standard

HS-MMC interface Capacity 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB Power Supply Voltage 2.7-3.6V (Memory core)

1.7V-1.95V, 2.7V-3.6V (Interface) Bus Width x1, x4, x8 Temperature Range -40oC to 105oC Package 153Ball FBGA 11.5mm x 13.0mm Toshiba is also currently developing automotive UFS [6] products that will support AEC-Q100. Sample shipments of the new e-MMC devices begin today, with mass production scheduled for the second quarter of 2017. For more information, please visit toshiba.com/technologymoves, read the TAEC Memory Blog and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter. Notes

[1] JEDEC is a registered trademark of JEDEC Solid State Technology Association.

[2] e-MMC is a product category for a class of embedded memory products built to the JEDEC e-MMC Standard specification and is a trademark of the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association.

[3] Electrical component qualification requirements defined by the AEC (Automotive Electronics Council).

[4] Advanced Driving Assistant System

[5] "BKOPS control" is a function where the host allows the device to perform background operation when the device is idle. "Cache Barrier" is a function that controls when cache data is written to the memory chip. "Cache Flushing Report" is a function that informs the host if the device's flushing policy is FIFO (First In First Out) or not. "Large RPMB write" is a function that enhances the data size that can be written to the RPMB area to 8KB.

[6] Universal Flash Storage: Product category for a class of embedded memory products built to the JEDEC Standard specification. *The products are labeled based on the memory chip(s) it contains, not the amount of memory capacity available for data storage by the end user. Part of the capacity is reserved for device management. Please refer to the data sheet or your local Toshiba sales representative. (For purposes of measuring memory capacity in this context, 1GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes). Product density is identified based on the density of memory chip(s) within the Product, not the amount of memory capacity available for data storage by the end user. Consumer-usable capacity will be less due to overhead data areas, formatting, bad blocks, and other constraints, and may also vary based on the host device and application. For details, please refer to applicable product specifications. *About TAEC Through proven commitment, lasting relationships and advanced, reliable electronic components, Toshiba enables its customers to create market-leading designs. Toshiba is the heartbeat within product breakthroughs from OEMs, ODMs, CMs, VARs, distributors and fabless chip companies worldwide. A committed electronic components leader, Toshiba designs and manufactures high-quality flash memory-based storage solutions, solid state drives (SSDs), hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state hybrid drives (SSHDs), discrete devices, custom SoCs/ASICs, imaging products, microcontrollers, wireless components, mobile peripheral devices, advanced materials and medical tubes that make possible today's leading smartphones, tablets, cameras, medical devices, automotive electronics, industrial applications, enterprise solutions and more. Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, Japan's largest semiconductor, solid state drive and hard disk drive manufacturer and the world's seventh largest semiconductor manufacturer (Gartner, 2015 Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue, January, 2016). Founded in Tokyo in 1875, Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 550 consolidated companies employing over 188,000 people worldwide (as of March 31, 2016). Visit Toshiba's web site at http://toshiba.semicon-storage.com. Information in this press release, including product pricing and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications. MEDIA CONTACT:

Dena Jacobson

Lages & Associates

Tel.: (949) 453-8080

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/toshiba-expands-lineup-of-embedded-nand-flash-memory-products-for-automotive-applications-300382019.html SOURCE Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.

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AS PRESIDENT-ELECT, Donald Trump has developed an unnerving practice of casually overturning decades-old tenets of U.S. foreign policy. First he had a phone call with Taiwans president, the first such contact by a president or president-elect since 1979. Now he has just as breezily signaled that he will blow up long-standing U.S. Middle East policy. Last week, Mr. Trump nominated his former bankruptcy attorney, David M. Friedman, as his ambassador to Israel, and Mr. Friedman quickly issued a statement affirming that he would work from a U.S. Embassy relocated to Israels eternal capital, Jerusalem.

Like the chat with the Taiwanese president, the democratically elected leader of a U.S. ally, Mr. Trumps apparent plan to move the embassy has a certain common sense. West Jerusalem has been the seat of the Israeli government since 1949, and though the United States officially regards the citys status as unresolved, theres little doubt that Israel would retain the west in any peace settlement. Moving the embassy there would not preclude a Palestinian capital on the citys predominately Arab eastern side.

Yet the two previous presidents who promised during their election campaigns to move the embassy  George W. Bush and Bill Clinton  later backed off for good reason. They were worried a mostly symbolic step would touch off a backlash against Israel and the United States across the Arab world, damage the quiet improvement in relations between the Jewish state and Sunni Arab regimes, and possibly touch off violence by Palestinians. It would also damage U.S. standing to broker peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians  a role that Mr. Trump recently suggested he was interested in.

Its hard to know if Mr. Trump has considered these potential consequences, but with Mr. Friedman as his adviser, wed guess not. The New York attorney, who represented Mr. Trump when his Atlantic City casinos collapsed in debt, is a funder and advocate of West Bank Jewish settlement who has disparaged the two-state solution promoted by the past three American presidents. As Israeli commentators have pointed out, he stands distinctly to the right of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who reaffirmed his own support for two states for two peoples just days before Mr. Friedmans appointment.

Mr. Friedman also has a penchant for launching vicious personal attacks on those who disagree with him  and then doubling down. When he was criticized for comparing supporters of the liberal American Jewish group J Street to the collaborating Jewish kapos of Nazi death camps, he responded by saying they were actually far worse than kapos. Its hard to imagine how Mr. Friedman, who has no diplomatic experience, will forge constructive relations with the majority of Israelis who dont share his hard-line ideology.

Mr. Trump, for his part, might be seen as delivering a refreshing shake-up to some ossified U.S. positions. But shake-ups can lead to unexpected and dangerous fallout, especially in high-tension regions such as the Middle East. The disturbing question about the president-elect is whether he has given any thought to such consequences.
It is one of fates cruel jokes that conservatism should be at its modern nadir just as the Republican Party is at its zenith  if conservatism is defined as embracing limited government, displaying a rational, skeptical and moderate temperament and believing in the priority of the moral order.

All these principles are related, and under attack.

Conservatives believe that human beings are fallible and prone to ambition, passion and selfishness. They (actually, we) tend to become swaggering dictators in realms where we can act with impunity  a motor vehicle department office, a hostile traffic stop, a country under personal rule. It is the particular genius of the American system to balance ambition with ambition through a divided government (executive, legislative and judicial). The American system employs human nature to limit the power of the state  assuming that every branch of government is both dedicated to the common good and jealous of its own power.

[Donald Trump is serious about smashing GOP orthodoxy]

Conservatives believe that finite and fallen creatures are often wrong. We know that many of our attitudes and beliefs are the brains justification for pre-rational tendencies and desires. This does not make perception of truth impossible, or truth itself relative, but it should encourage healthy self-examination and a suspicion of all forms of fanaticism. All of us have things to learn, even from our political opponents. The truth is out there, but it is generally broken into pieces and scattered across the human experience. We only reassemble it through listening and civil communication.

(Peter Stevenson,Julio Negron/The Washington Post)

And conservatives believe that a just society depends on the moral striving of finite and fallen creatures who treat each other with a respect and decency that laws can encourage but not enforce. Such virtues, often rooted in faith, are what turn families and communities into the nurseries of citizenship. These institutions not only shape good people, they inculcate the belief that humans have a dignity that, while often dishonored, can never be effaced. In the midst of all our justified skepticism, we can never be skeptical of this: that the reason for politics is to honor the equal value of every life, beginning with the weakest and most vulnerable. No bad goal  say, racial purity or communist ideology  outweighs this commitment. And no good goal  the efficiency of markets or the pursuit of greater equality  does either.

So how do we get this set of beliefs and commitments when they seem in short supply? It is hopeless to demand results from an organic process  to order the grass to grow faster. But this type of conservatism  a conservatism of intellectual humility and moral aspiration  also has the advantage of being organic. It grows with tenacity in hidden places, eventually breaking down the cement and asphalt of our modern life. It appeals to people who would never call themselves conservatives  who probably wouldnt use words like nadir and zenith  who provide examples of hard work, personal responsibility, unfailing decency, family commitment, quiet faith, inspiring compassion and resilience in adversity. They are the potential recruits of a humane political conservatism.

[Sham populism, shameless plutocracy]

This is not the political force that has recently taken over the Republican Party  with a plurality in the presidential primaries and a narrow victory in November. That has been the result of extreme polarization, not a turn toward enduring values. The movement is authoritarian in theory, apocalyptic in mood, prone to conspiracy theories and personal abuse, and dismissive of ethical standards. The president-elect seems to offer equal chances of constitutional crisis and utter, debilitating incompetence.

The plausible case that Russian espionage materially contributed to the election of an American president has been an additional invitation to anger. Now, not only the quality but also the legitimacy of our democracy is at stake. This extreme threat would seem to require a commensurately radical response  some way to change the outcome.

But what is the proper conservative response? It is to live within the boundaries of law and reality. There is no certain way to determine if Russian influence was decisive. And no serious constitutional recourse seems to remain. While open to other options, I see none. It will now fall to citizens and institutions to (1) defend the legislature and judiciary from any encroachment, (2) defend every group of people from organized oppression, including Muslims and refugees, (3) expand and defend the institutions  from think tanks to civil liberty organizations  that make the case for a politics that honors human dignity. And pray for the grass to grow.

Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
AS THE federal government has grown, so has the power and responsibility of the White House-based agency charged with keeping tabs on spending, revenue and regulation. The director of that agency, the Office of Management and Budget, is much more than the presidents bean-counter; he or she is a key player on policy, as well as, traditionally, the voice of fiscal responsibility both within the executive branch and in the public arena.

OMB director looks to be an especially challenging post under Donald Trump, because the president-elect has sent highly mixed fiscal signals. Specifically, he has promised large tax cuts and a 10-year, $1 trillion infrastructure program, while also pledging to leave Medicare and Social Security untouched. That leaves very little in the way of credible options to keep yet another promise: curbing the national debt.

[Trumps OMB pick seems poised to ignite a worldwide financial crisis]

Is Mr. Trumps choice for the OMB up to the job? Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) is certainly outspoken about fiscal discipline, having joined fellow members of the tea party and the House Freedom Caucus in repeatedly warning against deficits  and in using the federal debt ceiling as a bargaining chip over the issue during the Obama administration. This struggle, which included the 16-day partial government shutdown in 2013, might not have been necessary if Mr. Mulvaney and company had conceded that achieving fiscal stability necessarily involves increased revenue as opposed to the spending-cuts-only orthodoxy that they have done so much to reinforce.

Mr. Mulvaney played down predictions of a disastrous government default if the debt ceiling were not raised. Those warnings, he told NPR in 2011, reflected a good bit of politics. In fact, the United States must meet its obligations on time, lest financial markets tremble. Coming from the OMB director-designee of a president-elect who mused aloud that you can do things with discounts to avoid paying back all of the national debt, this bit of history from Mr. Mulvaneys freshman term in the House is not reassuring.

Also concerning, Mr. Mulvaney is the author of legislation that would essentially recreate the unstable pre-financial-crisis status quo in housing policy by restoring government-sponsored mortgage guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to private ownership. This would be a huge taxpayer-subsidized windfall for a handful of hedge funds that own beaten-down Fannie-Freddie stock and have tried  and failed  repeatedly to convince the courts, Congress and President Obama to deliver the companies to them. Whats that got to do with fiscal conservatism?

To be sure, Mr. Mulvaney has shown some flashes of intellectual consistency. In 2015, he argued that the Pentagon should have to make off-setting spending cuts rather than be allowed to raid the so-called overseas contingency fund meant for ongoing military operations as Republican hawks wanted. Again, this is the sort of dilemma that could be avoided if the GOP were to acknowledge the need for more revenue to meet the countrys defense responsibilities and other valid priorities. But at least Mr. Mulvaney called out this budget gimmick for what it was.

Senators should ask Mr. Mulvaney to tell them in detail how he would hold his new boss to the same minimum level of intellectual honesty.
David Friedman, Donald Trumps choice for U.S. ambassador to Israel, with the president-elect and Ivanka Trump, right, in 2010 in Camden, N.J. (Bradley C Bower/Bloomberg)

The Dec. 16 news article Friend of settlements picked for envoy to Israel, about the choice of David M. Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel, said, For decades, most U.S. Jewish leaders have urged Israel to seek a peace agreement with the Palestinians that would establish a separate Arab state alongside Israel.

The implication is that Israel rejects or hasnt thought of a two-state solution. In 2000, the Palestinians were offered 97 percent of the West Bank with political rights in Jerusalem, and they walked away; ask former president Bill Clinton. In 2001, the talks in Taba, Egypt, failed. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip. In 2008, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Israels offer of a West Bank and Gaza state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Netanyahu government insists upon bilateral negotiations as stipulated in the 1993 Oslo Accords to end the conflict and lead to a Palestinian state. Mr. Abbas has refused to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for that purpose and has engaged in incitement to violence and attempts internationally to undermine the legitimacy of Israel.

The absence of a Palestinian state owes to the inability of the Palestinian leadership to accept the legitimacy and permanence of the state of Israel in the region, not to an absence of offers.

Shoshana Bryen, Washington

The writer is senior director of

the Jewish Policy Center.

Being a friend of Israel doesnt necessarily mean not agreeing with a position that may be detrimental to it. Encouraging increasing settlements in the West Bank and moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem before a comprehensive negotiated agreement would ultimately serve Israel poorly. These moves push Israel closer to a one-state rather than a two-state solution that, by demographics, would mean the end of a Jewish state as we know it.

The right wing needs to understand that getting more in the short-term could mean getting considerably less in the long-term.

Peter Dunner, Bethesda
Its time for the presidential transition teams daily news teleconference.

Lets go ahead and open it up to a couple of questions, Donald Trump spokesman Jason Miller announces at Mondays installment.

Will the president-elect be staying at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida through the new year?

Wouldnt want to go and forecast next weeks schedule, Miller replies.

Will Trump keep the Internal Revenue Service commissioner until his term ends?

No decision yet on that front.

Will Trump keep the D.C. Taxation Without Representation license plates on the presidential limousine?

Dont want to speculate on that.

Will he name businessman Toby Neugebauer ambassador to Mexico?

I dont know if Ill have an answer for you.

Will Trump make any more public appearances while in Florida?

Dont want to speculate on that, Miller says.

(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

The Q&A is six minutes and 17 seconds old. And that, the operator says, is all the time we have for questions.

Trump hasnt had a news conference in 145 days. But thats okay: His able spokesmen, on a daily basis, are perfectly capable of saying nothing in his stead.

Its really not the fault of Miller and Trumps other mouthpieces. Their boss communicates largely via incendiary messages of 140 characters or fewer that spark and fan international disputes, and nobody seems to know what hes up to  not even those who work for him, apparently. The result is a presidency-in-waiting that is alternately alarming and opaque: If the Trump transition is a dumpster fire, those in charge of containing the blaze are armed with squirt guns.

Trump has held a series of campaign-style rallies for his supporters in states that he won, using the occasions to attack the media and to crow about his victory. He has dismissed the notion that Russia meddled in the U.S. election to boost his candidacy, in the process disparaging the American intelligence community and putting himself at odds with congressional Republicans. Hes appointed a squadron of billionaires and business leaders to serve in his administration after campaigning to help the forgotten little man. Hes blown off national security briefings. Hes using Twitter to infuriate China and to bicker with Vanity Fair because he didnt like the magazines review of a Trump Tower restaurant.

But while Trump was willing to pose with reporters for photos at an off-the-record holiday party at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, he hasnt been willing to explain his thinking beyond tweets and campaign-style speeches. And his aides are struggling to do the splaining. On CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway attacked President Obama and his administration  only days after she lavishly praised them for their handling of the transition. And on Fox News Sunday, incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus dismissed the allegations of Russian interference in the election as the product of third parties, even though the CIA director made the allegations himself.

Then theres Millers daily teleconference briefing, at which hes often joined by the Republican National Committees Sean Spicer. The sessions begin with a preamble about the truly huge and amazing things Trump does. Millers Monday briefing portrayed the various people and happenings involving the president-elect as great, beautiful, world class, visionary, rigorous, very impressive, outstanding, exceptional, big, strong, very fun and deep.

But when it comes to explaining what Trump is actually thinking or planning for his presidency, the answers are rather less rigorous, impressive or deep. A sampling from last week:

On Monday, a reporter sought a description of the vetting process.

Were not going to get into the exact procedures and tactics, was the reply.

Did the team review nominees tax returns?

My comments speak for themselves.

On Tuesday, a questioner asked whether Trump will have any Democrats in his Cabinet.

I wouldnt speculate at this point, Miller answered.

On Wednesday came a question about how Trump would deal with conflicts of interest.

This will be something that comes up at the press conference the president-elect will now be holding in January, Miller offered.

Thursday brought a question about Trumps dispute with the CIA over Russias hacking.

Id let the president-elects tweets speak for themselves, Miller ventured.

On Friday there was an inquiry about Trumps vow to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The reply: I do not have at this time a schedule that Im going to be able to share about timing on that.

Another reporter asked about the choice of an agriculture secretary.

Miller cautioned against writing that decisions have or have not been made on that front until we hear directly from the president-elect.

Hear directly from the president-elect? Now that would be news.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
The super PAC that poured nearly $200 million into trying to elect Hillary Clinton president is remaking itself as a permanent center of opposition to the impending Trump administration, with the long-term aim of helping the Democratic Party claw back voters it lost in the November election.

Priorities USA Action is merging with a nonprofit voting rights group called Every Citizen Counts to form an expanded organization with an ambitious agenda, according to veteran Democratic strategist Guy Cecil, who ran both organizations and will lead the merged group.

The group  which already has the backing of allies such as Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the American Federation of Teachers, the Human Rights Campaign and the Latino Victory Project  could serve as a major center of gravity on the left as Democrats seek to regain their footing in the Donald Trump era.

Cecil, who has strong ties to Senate Democrats, decided to keep Priorities USA going after private conversations during the past several weeks with senators including Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), environmental and union leaders, party donors, local Democratic organizers, and former Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaign officials.

Many organizations are under assault and will need to focus on their own survival, Cecil said. We want to focus on the areas where our individual fights meet and use our financial and political power to lift up and support other voices.

Priorities will join an increasingly crowded field of independent players seeking to rally liberals to oppose Trumps policies and rebuild the beleaguered Democratic Party.

Activist David Brock, who leads American Bridge and a suite of related groups, is organizing donors to take part in a stepped-up offensive against the president-elect and other Republicans. The State Innovation Exchange, which serves as a strategy and training hub for Democrats in the states, is looking to expand its presence. And Organizing for Action, the nonprofit advocacy group that grew out of President Obamas 2012 campaign, recently sent a message to activists asking them to double down.

[Ellison calls for 3,007-county strategy in DNC bid]

The myriad efforts could tax the resources and attention of liberal contributors, many of whom are dispirited by the election results and questioning whether their funds were well spent.

Still, some of Priorities USAs major donors already are lining up behind the group. The organization has $10 million in commitments, and big contributors such as Chicago investor J.B. Pritzker have expressed interest in Cecils plans.

I cant imagine that anyone that watched his work in 2016 isnt going to step forward and be helpful to him, said Pritzker, who is considering a run for governor of Illinois.

Cecil said Priorities USA will seek to amplify rather than compete with other efforts, noting that the organization intends to partner with the rapid-response war room run by Center for American Progress Action and similar projects. Priorities USA expects to pair up with at least 25 organizations and will convene regular strategy sessions with allied groups, Cecil said.

Were trying to build the overall capacity of the progressive infrastructure, he said.

To do so, the organization is taking on a broad portfolio, assuming tasks that traditionally are in the purview of the national party.

It will continue the voters rights work started by Every Citizen Counts, which financed lawsuits in states such as North Carolina and Wisconsin and registered 425,000 voters. And it aims to be an incubator to help spread local Democratic models, such as the work of Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, who has sought to expand the partys reach in that state.

Priorities USA is also launching a research initiative called the BluePrint Project, which will focus on voters who backed both Obama and Trump and on Democrats who did not turn out at the polls last month, seeking new ways to engage them.

Were trying to break through that either or perspective  that were either a party that supports the emerging majority or a party that still reaches out to those white working-class voters who voted for Obama just four years ago, Cecil said. We can do both.

[Pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA Action breaks fundraising records]

The organization also plans to build a comprehensive communications and digital operation, Cecil said, to make sure that the Obama voters who voted for Trump know every time that the president has betrayed them.

To do so, Priorities plans to tap political messaging experts and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs to develop new ways of reaching the public, he said.

The organizations plans reflect the expansive role that big-money groups have assumed since a series of federal court decisions triggered the creation of super PACs in 2010. Trump advisers are working to launch a group to support his agenda.

In this election cycle, Priorities USA Action, which was launched in 2012 by two former Obama aides, was the most financially successful super PAC ever, scooping up $189 million by the end of November. Every Citizen Counts raised $18 million over the past two years.

Those resources contributed to the substantial financial advantage Clinton had over Trump  an edge that nevertheless proved insufficient to help secure her victory in the electoral college.

Cecil said Priorities aims to learn from the results and canvass activists at every level to inform its ongoing work.

Priorities had a specific function in 2016, which was to make Trump unpopular, he said. While we were successful at that, it wasnt enough, given the dynamics of the campaign and the two candidates. I have been part of some great wins and tough losses, but my faith has taught me about the power of perseverance, and I believe that is what we need from everyone right now. Dogged perseverance.
For Samsung, the South Korean behemoth whose name means three stars, 2016 will go down as a decidedly one-star year.

As if the embarrassing cancellation of its Galaxy Note 7 phone and its convoluted efforts to keep the company in family control werent difficult enough, the year has finished with Lee Jae-yong, the companys heir apparent, being grilled by lawmakers over his possible involvement in the sensational political scandal that is rocking South Korea.

Samsung is facing the greatest challenge since its foundation 60 years ago, said Kim Sang-jo, professor of economics at Hansung University and an expert on conglomerates, or chaebol, as they are known here.

As many as 500 Samsung Electronics executives started a three-day meeting Monday to review the last six months and discuss business strategies for 2017.

Its hard to overestimate the influence that this conglomerate has in South Korea, which is sometimes referred to as the Republic of Samsung. The company sells everything from life insurance to ships to refrigerators, has businesses that include construction and advertising, and runs an amusement park, hotels and hospitals. The groups assets are equal to one-fifth of South Koreas gross domestic product.

But now, just like the real republic, Samsung is in a state of turmoil.

I am embarrassed to be involved in this incident, Lee, the grandson of Samsungs founder, told lawmakers this month during an unprecedented 13-hour hearing. We should have been a better example as a South Korean company.

The leaders of the countrys top nine chaebol were questioned about their donations to two foundations run by Choi Soon-sil, a secret confidante of President Park Geun-hye. Prosecutors allege that the chaebol donated almost $70 million to win business favors, and that Choi then embezzled it.

The National Assembly voted to impeach Park this month over the scandal, suspending her from her duties while the countrys top court considers whether to uphold the motion.

[ South Koreas parliament votes to impeach president over corruption scandal ]

Samsung has been stuck in something of a power vacuum for the last 2 years, since Lee Kun-hee, the 73-year-old chairman of Samsung Electronics and the son of the founder, had a heart attack. He remains hospitalized. Samsung wont comment on his condition, but media have reported he is in a coma.

Lee Jae-yong, the third-

generation heir apparent, is officially still vice chairman but is effectively running the company.

A 48-year-old who likes to be called Jay, Lee has been groomed to succeed his father. He speaks fluent English and Japanese and graduated from prestigious universities in Seoul and Tokyo. He began a doctoral course at Harvard Business School but left before completing it.

However, the Lee family faces significant problems in maintaining its hold. Family members own only a tiny fraction of the shares but control the conglomerate through a complex web of cross-shareholdings.

Simply transferring Lee Kun-hees equity to his children upon his death would cost them billions of dollars in inheritance tax. Instead, the family appears to be trying to keep control by splitting and merging key units of the conglomerate, analysts say.

It tightened its grip last

year when the conglomerates de facto holding company, Cheil Industries, of which Lee Jae-yong is the largest shareholder, merged with Samsung C&T, a construction arm.

International investors, led by a New York-based hedge fund, opposed the merger and had been pushing for restructuring, but the National Pension Service, a major shareholder, supported it.

[ Scandal shows that Korean disease of corruption is far from cured ]

Outside investors have long railed against the byzantine ownership structures at South Koreas conglomerates but have had little success in changing them because of shareholdings that give the controlling family outsize power.

Prosecutors now allege that Samsung paid $26 million in bribes to Choi, the presidents confidante, and that she in turn put pressure on the pension fund to back the deal.

Prosecutors have raided the offices of the pension fund, Samsung and other conglomerates that are believed to have made payments to Chois foundations. The cases have renewed attention on the decades-old links between the presidents office and the chaebol, which were promoted by Parks father, who was president of South Korea in the 1960s and 1970s.

At the hearing, Lee said that the merger made good business sense and denied any involvement in a bribery scheme. He did, however, admit that Samsung had given a $900,000 horse to Chois daughter, an equestrian.

Samsung, meanwhile, is grappling with the fallout over the cancellation of its Galaxy Note 7, a smartphone that was meant to rival Apples latest iPhone but had an annoying habit of catching fire.

The company had to recall all the phones, which are now banned on most airlines, and terminated the line after being unable to determine the cause. The fiasco inflicted a $5.3 billion blow to Samsungs balance sheet.

The company is carefully revisiting every aspect of the device, such as its hardware, software and manufacturing processes, that could have caused the problem, said spokeswoman Rhee So-eui.

To try to put out the institutional fire, Samsung recently said that it would consider dividing itself into a holding company and an operating company  a key demand of those seeking better corporate governance  over the next six months and that it would increase this years dividend payments to shareholders by 30 percent.

It also said it would consider listing its shares on an American stock exchange.

Todays announcement extends the actions we initiated last year and represents the next phase in the evolution of our shareholder policy and governance, Kwon Oh-hyun, vice chairman and chief executive of Samsung Electronics, said in a conference call.

[ South Koreas political crisis could become a trigger for bigger change ]

But analysts said that Samsung was still operating as chaebol always have  relying on cozy links with the government to create a favorable business environment.

Its time for Samsung to adopt global standards, said Kim of Hansung University, urging more transparency within the conglomerate. But he cast doubt on Samsungs plans and said the current political upheaval  it could take six months for the courts to rule on Parks impeachment  was not helping. Its difficult to predict the directions of the country because its unclear who will be the next president, Kim said.

Doh Hyun-woo, an analyst at Mirae Asset Global Investment, said it was inevitable that Samsung would have to change. Other conglomerates have already begun the process of changing their structure, and Samsung needs to go down that path, too, he said.

For now, Samsung is hoping that it can rescue its reputation  and its revenue  with a new phone, one that doesnt have a propensity to explode.

Samsung is expected to launch a new mobile phone in March next year, and as far as I know, the company is doing its best not to have any problems, Doh said. I think Samsung will be able to recover from this tough year soon.

Samsung has a good track record when it comes to renewal. In 1993, when Samsung Electronics was still associated with cheap, inferior products, Lee Kun-hee famously exhorted his employees: Change everything except your wife and kids. They did.

Yoonjung Seo contributed to this report.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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China on Tuesday returned a U.S. naval drone seized in the South China Sea last week, a peaceful resolution to a military standoff that threatened to inflame maritime tensions ahead of President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration.

The Chinese Defense Ministry said in a statement that the drone was transferred to the United States after friendly negotiation. In a separate statement, the Pentagon confirmed the drones return but offered a less friendly-sounding account.

The incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea, the Pentagon statement said.

The United States has called on Chinese authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and to refrain from further efforts to impede lawful U.S. activities, the statement said.

The standoff started last week after a Chinese submarine rescue ship close to the USNS Bowditch, an oceanographic survey vessel operating northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, took possession of the U.S. drone. The U.S. side said that it asked the ship to return the drone and that the Chinese side refused.

(McKenna Ewen,Whitney Shefte,Dalton Bennett/The Washington Post)

The drone was seized about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay, a Philippine port that was once a U.S. military base and still plays host to visiting U.S. troops and ships. The area is not far from Scarborough Shoal, a U-shaped cluster of reefs and rocks that has been a flash point in Chinas relations with the Philippines and the United States.

Though Washington says it has no position on rival sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, it has been critical of Chinas posture, particularly its island-building in contested waters. The U.S. Navy conducts patrols  officially called freedom of navigation operations  in the area.

China sees the presence of U.S. ships as interference and has repeatedly said it is the United States, not China, that wants to militarize the South China Sea.

Unsurprisingly, Beijing and Washington offered conflicting accounts of the drone flap. The U.S. side said its vessel, known as a glider, collects unclassified data on water temperature, salinity and other factors that may affect navigation.

In Washington, its seizure was seen as a provocation. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Friday called the incident a flagrant violation of the law of the sea.

China, meanwhile, played down the incident. Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said in a statement that the Chinese ship took the U.S. drone to prevent the device from harming the navigation safety and personnel safety of the ship.

The U.S. military has frequently dispatched naval vessels to carry out reconnaissance and military measurements in Chinas water. China resolutely opposes this and urges the U.S. side to stop such activities, he said.





As the standoff dragged on, Trump weighed in, posting a message on Twitter that said: China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters  rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act.

[China said it would return a seized U.S. naval drone. Trump told them to keep it.]

When the Chinese eventually agreed to return the vessel, Trump reacted on Twitter again. We should tell China that we dont want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it! he wrote.

Asked about Trumps comment, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinas Foreign Ministry, on Monday questioned his wording. We dont like the word steal  the word is absolutely inaccurate, she said.

This is just like you found a thing on the street, and you have to take a look and investigate it to see if the thing belongs to one who wants it back.

Han Xudong, a military expert in Beijing, said the United States had made a mountain out of a molehill by hyping up the seizure. Its a simple matter that could have been easily resolved via diplomatic or military channels, he said, adding that Chinas handling of the event was by the book.

Its not appropriate for Trump to comment on this, Han said.

But Han said the outcome showed that, tweets aside, Washington and Beijing wanted a peaceful resolution: The U.S. turn from high key to low key helped in solving the problem smoothly.

Trumps response to the drone incident will no doubt compound Chinese concerns about the president-elects Asia policy. After winning the presidential election, Trump surprised Beijing by taking a phone call from Taiwans leader, Tsai Ing-wen, a move that broke with decades of diplomatic practice.

Trumps Twitter comments on Taiwan and the drone have made him a subject of derision and ridicule in the Communist Party-controlled press.

Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month, the Global Times wrote in an editorial. He bears no sense of how to lead a superpower.

Luna Lin in Beijing contributed to this report.

Read more:

China puts new weapons on South China Sea islands

Trump draws rebukes after putting one-China policy into question

Trump risks war by turning one-China question into a bargaining chip

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[December 20, 2016] Charleston Defense Contractors Association Announces Winners of 6th Annual Student Mobile App Contest and Hack Warz Competition

CHARLESTON, S.C., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA), a non-profit advocacy group for the defense industry in the Charleston metro area, today announced the winners of its 6th Annual Student Mobile App Competition at the organization's 10th annual C5ISR Summit. The goal of the Mobile App Competition is to stimulate creative thinking, drive innovation, and promote entrepreneurship while offering development support, marketing expertise, mentorship, and guidance for the participating students. The Student Mobile App Competition was sponsored by Microsoft and focused on three different target areas  Safety, Quality of Life and Financial  and was open for participation to all middle school, high school and full-time, undergraduate and graduate college students. Taking place at the C5ISR Summit, the Mobile App Competition figured prominently at the event where the top three college entries were on display with over 100 attendees who tested each app and voted for the one they thought was best. All of the apps were developed for the Android operating system. This year's College student winners are: 1 st Place  Tag It developed by DeJean Dunbar , Charleston Southern University This app leverages Near Field Communication (NFC) to connect two electronic devices when they are in close proximity to one another. Users open the app on their phone and place it near an NFC tag, which acts as an information port and allows the app to perform a query in the database. The phone will display data in the form of text, a picture, or a video and these three types of data can be combined or shown separately.

developed by , 2 nd Place  Insure Me developed by John Jones Jr. , Chattanooga State Community College This app connects users to an insurance company agent to insure small claims items. Images of items are taken by users who can then rent, sell, or create an inventory of all assets and submit these assets to be reviewed. The participating agent then approves or denies these assets.

developed by , 3 rd developed by Gerald Vanloo and Kisin Osborne, Morehouse College This app allows the user to assume the role of a security consultant to assist local homeowners in making their home safer. Taking into consideration the homeowner's budget and needs, the user will suggest several items to help make another's home more safe, such as recommending the purchase of a fire extinguisher for those who wish to improve fire safety.

Best In Show  Tag It developed by DeJean Dunbar , Charleston Southern University



1 st Place  Bus Checker developed by Caleb Henry , Lady's Island Middle School This app sends notifications to parents when their child gets on or off the school bus. The student inputs a school or school district assigned PIN on the bus keypad to send the notification to their parents.

developed by , Lady's Island Middle School 2 nd Place  GPS Alert & Lock developed by Autumn Greenleaf , Westview Middle School This app provides security for users if their phone is lost or stolen. For example, if someone tries to open their phone but uses the wrong PIN the app enables the phone to take a picture, set off an alarm and then puts the phone into sleep mode for a specified amount of time set by the original owner. Additionally, it provides the option to contact emergency services with the following buttons: Blue = Police, Red = Fire & Rescue.

developed by , "For 14 years, the CDCA has been dedicated to driving and preserving the defense industry influence and presence in Charleston," said Joshua Hatter, Vice President, PR Chair, CDCA. "We had the toughest competition we've ever had and are very pleased with the diversity and innovation of the Mobile App entries this year. This competition is a great way for students to foster their creativity and it also provides a platform for many to find and follow career paths. As in year's past, we're hopeful that this year's winners will be offered jobs and scholarships because of the exposure they gained from having their apps featured at the C5ISR summit in Charleston."

The CDCA also held a Hack Warz competition at this year's C5ISR summit, where teams of government and industry veterans battled against each other in a capture the flag type of event and earned tokens (flags) based on hacking into several compromised systems. Tokens were valued by difficulty and skill set required. This year's winners include: Top three individuals (handle, name, team, company, points): slimm609  Brian Davis  badgerdeathmode  CACI  124 Points

 badgerdeathmode  CACI  124 Points _hap  Bryan Rhodes  0commas  Securifera  39 Points

 0commas  Securifera  39 Points b0yd  Ryan Wincey  0commas  Securifera  35 Points Top three teams (team name, company, points): Badgerdeathmode  CACI  131 Points

0commas  Securifera  87 Points

Parsons  Parsons Security  50 Points About Charleston Defense Contractors Association Charleston Defense Contractors Association (CDCA) is an association of organizations and individual professionals dedicated to preserving, highlighting and continuing to grow the defense industry and its affiliated-organizations in Charleston, South Carolina, and its immediate surrounding region. Since its inception in December 2002, the CDCA has worked to address issues facing the continually changing landscape that is Charleston's defense industry presence and ensure that it continues to be a thriving, sustained business opportunity in Charleston, South Carolina. Members include: Amazon Web Services, SAIC, UEC, ManTech, BAE Systems, Booz Allen Hamilton, CDW-G, Cisco, SCRA, Honeywell, and more. For further information, visit us at http://www.charlestondca.org/. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/charleston-defense-contractors-association-announces-winners-of-6th-annual-student-mobile-app-contest-and-hack-warz-competition-300382105.html SOURCE Charleston Defense Contractors Association

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Turkish police secure the area near an art gallery where Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, was fatally shot Monday.

Dec. 19, 2016 Turkish police secure the area near an art gallery where Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, was fatally shot Monday. Umit Bektas/Reuters

What the scene of the fatal shooting in Turkey looked like

What the scene of the fatal shooting in Turkey looked like

Turkish and Russian diplomats on Tuesday declared their intention to halt the civil war in Syria, showing no signs of a rift in their warming relationship the day after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Ankara in a brazen shooting.

A tripartite conference here, held together with Iran, was hailed by Russians foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, as a way to overcome the stagnation in efforts on the Syrian settlement. The comment was a dig at the United States, which was absent from the Moscow meetings despite its own involvement in the Syrian conflict.

But the show of solidarity could not mask underlying frictions between Russia and Turkey over the war in Syria, which the assassination of the ambassador, Andrei Karlov, had brought to the fore.

The shouted words of the 22-year-old assassin, who invoked the carnage in Aleppo, echoed the anger expressed by many Turks over the course of the five-year-old civil war. Russia, a stalwart ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has thrown its military weight behind Syrias government, and launched its own punishing air raids on rebel-held areas.

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladmir Putin, work to effect a cease-fire there, the two leaders face very different stakes.

(Nicki DeMarco,Adriana Usero/The Washington Post)

For Putin, Syria holds mostly geopolitical meaning and helps Russia project power while keeping a foothold in the Middle East. He has cast Russia as a protector of legitimate leaders against the turmoil of rebellions and criticized the United States for supporting Assads opponents.

But Russia has faced Islamist-led rebellion in the North Caucasus and is aware that its military actions in the Middle East could bring reprisals. Putin on Tuesday called on his security and intelligence services to take extra measures to ensure security inside Russia and outside it and tighten security of Russian missions abroad and their employees.



Erdogan, on the other hand, presides over a country tangibly shaken by the war across its border, which has brought millions of refugees into Turkey, as well as the rising threat of militant attacks. For most of the conflict, which began in 2011, Erdogan was the Syrian rebels most vociferous advocate. But the rapprochement with Russia has signaled a shift toward a settlement that might keep Assad in power.

While much about the assassin and his motives remained a mystery on Tuesday, authorities hunted for clues in the life of the young man, Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

The gunman died in a shootout with police after gunning down Karlov as the diplomat spoke at a photo exhibit in the Turkish capital, Ankara. He was captured on video as he fired on the ambassador, denouncing Russias role in the Syrian war.

[Turkish police officer, invoking Aleppo, guns down Russian ambassador in Ankara]

Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! he screamed.





The assassination reflected an alarming breach of security. Altintas was allowed to carry a weapon into the event using his police identification, officials said.

There was not yet any evidence to suggest that Altintas belonged to any radical Islamic group, such as the Islamic State or Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda-linked group, investigators said.

But senior Turkish officials, including the foreign minister, raised the possibility that the gunman was linked to a shadowy movement led by Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish preacher who lives in Pennsylvania.

Erdogan has accused the movement of mounting a coup attempt in July. Since then, Turkish officials have frequently implicated the group in various plots to destabilize Turkey. Gulen has denied involvement in the coup attempt, and he released a statement Monday condemning the killing of Karlov.

A senior Turkish official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said Altintas took two days off work at the time of the attempted coup and then traveled to Ankara.

But while both Russian and Turkish leaders moved to assuage fears of a regional conflagration, Turkey has emerged as the weaker of the two, analysts say.

[The assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey creates a crisis for Erdogan]

Relations between Turkey and Russia collapsed in 2015 when Turkish warplanes shot down a Russian fighter jet that had been running sorties in Syria and that Turkish officials say crossed into Turkeys airspace. The incident brought the two sides to the brink of war, and Russia levied harsh sanctions on Turkish goods and stopped Russian charter flights to resort cities on the Aegean.

But Erdogan pivoted toward Russia following the attempted coup, snubbing Western countries he accused of a lack of support.

In August, Erdogan visited Putin in Moscow, and the two leaders vowed to revive economic ties and trade.

But Erdogans move to restore the relationship, after years of rallying his Sunni Muslim base for the cause of the Syrian rebellion, has made many Turks uneasy. Concessions could provoke a backlash from Erodgans constituents  or some of the millions of Syrian refugees living in the country who have watched support for their uprising wane.

Russia has been killing innocent people in Syria, said Muhammad, 27, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo living in Istanbul. That should not go without punishment.

Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, said Turkeys government stirred up public rage at the bloodshed in Syria for domestic populist reasons.

Of Altintas and Syria, Stein said: This man wasnt living in a vacuum . . . the amount of anger and fire on the local level, in the press and on TV  it was unbelievable.

In Moscow on Tuesday, Russia, Turkey and Iran issued a statement  which Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called the Moscow Declaration  that called for an expanded cease-fire for which the three countries would act as the guarantors.

Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to facilitate the drafting of an agreement, which is already being negotiated, between the Syrian government and the opposition, and to become its guarantors, the declaration said. The three countries have invited all other countries with influence over the situation on the ground to do the same.

Shoigu said that the participating countries would be able to make a difference in Syria.



All previous attempts by the United States and its partners to agree on coordinated actions were doomed to failure, Shoigu said. None of them wielded real influence over the situation on the ground.

In a further effort to cement his influence on the Syrian peace process, Putin has said he and Erdogan are trying to organize a new series of negotiations  without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations  in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Cunningham reported from Ankara, and Fahim reported from Cairo. Zeynep Karatas and Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul and Adam Entous and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

For photos and a video, go to wapo.st/turkeyrussia1221.

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Protesters demonstrate in Kinshasa on Dec. 20. Gunfire was heard in Congo's two largest cities as President Joseph Kabila stayed on past the end of his term. (Eduardo Soteras/AFP/Getty Images)

Security forces clashed with protesters in the capital of Congo on Tuesday, leaving up to 20 people dead as a political crisis escalated over the presidents refusal to step down at the end of his formal term.

The demonstrations were scattered across Kinshasa, a sprawling city of 12 million, and were quickly put down by heavily armed soldiers and police. Young men set tires aflame and threw rocks at police, who responded with tear gas. There were few details about the killings, but some hospitals in the city reported receiving people who had been shot or beaten. By midafternoon, police officers could be seen arresting young men in large groups.

The United Nations had received reports that 20 people were killed, according to Felix Basse, a U.N. spokesman in Kinshasa. By Tuesday evening, it was still working to confirm those reports, he said.

Monday was originally meant to be President Joseph Kabilas last day in office, but his coalition claimed that the country lacked the money or logistical resources to hold elections before 2018, a move widely perceived by Congolese citizens and the international community as a way to extend his rule. Opposition leaders encouraged their followers to defy that decision by taking to the streets, where police and soldiers had been deployed en masse to enforce a government ban on public demonstrations. During the last sizable anti-government protests, in September, about 50 people were killed.

Today we are taking things into our own hands, said Peter Kabongo, 27, who was preparing to join a demonstration in Kinshasas Matete district, where periodic gunfire could be heard. The police have guns, but there are millions of us who want Kabila out.

Debris burns during protests in Kinshasa, Congo, on Dec. 20. (John Bompengo/AP)

There were also protests in Lubumbashi, the countrys second-largest city, and witnesses reported that demonstrators had set a gas station on fire.

Some experts said Tuesdays events showed how opponents of the government have become emboldened, even in the face of the heavy security presence.

This shows us what is ahead, said Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, a lecturer in African studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Theres a tremendous discontent that has been subterranean and is now bubbling up to the surface. Were going to continue to see that emerge.

The country, also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is sub-Saharan Africas largest nation and has not had a peaceful handover of power since it became independent from Belgium in 1960. Kabila has ruled since 2001, when he assumed the presidency after the assassination of his father, President Laurent Kabila.

Most Congolese want Joseph Kabila to step down, according to opinion polls. He has served two terms, and the countrys constitution does not permit leaders to run for a third term. But Kabila argued that the country is not prepared to hold elections, and the Constitutional Court ruled that he could stay on until a new president is chosen. The court is widely seen as being loyal to Kabila.

A number of African leaders have found ways to stay in power for decades, by challenging constitutional limits or winning elections marred by irregularities. Angolas Jose Eduardo dos Santos, 74, has ruled for 37 years. Zimbabwes Robert Mugabe, 92, has been in power for 30 years.

In this mineral-rich country, power often translates to wealth, and reports have linked Kabilas family to a large fortune, while most citizens here earn less than $2 a day. Some politicians from other parties have backed his plan to delay elections, but many others, including the countrys most powerful opposition figures, have not.

Crisis negotiations between Kabilas coalition and the largely fragmented opposition have been unsuccessful. In a video posted Monday night, opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on people to peacefully resist [Kabilas] coup detat.

On Monday, Kabilas chief diplomatic adviser, Kikaya Bin Karubi, called anti-government demonstrators a loud and insistent mob. He said the protests would have no bearing on Kabilas decision to stay in power until the delayed elections. Late Monday, the government announced new cabinet appointments, including some opposition figures who agreed to postpone elections until 2018.

The country is still reeling from conflicts between 1996 and 2003 that left millions dead. Experts and Western officials worry that the political instability caused by Kabilas efforts to stay in power will reignite fighting.

As the day ended, the only people left demonstrating on the streets of Kinshasa were men wearing flags emblazoned with Kabilas face and the phrase We support the president.

The police did not stop them, despite the ban on public gatherings.

The president gave us this big road, said Etienne Kayembe, 40, pointing to the citys main highway, which had emptied amid the massive police presence. Before Kabila, we had nothing like this.

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Syrians evacuated from the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo during the ceasefire arrive at a refugee camp in Rashidin, near Idlib, Syria, early Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP)

Syrian government forces threatened Tuesday to storm the last opposition enclave in Aleppo, potentially complicating an internationally supported effort to evacuate thousands of civilians still trapped there.

The Lebanese militia Hezbollah, which is fighting in Aleppo in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said Syrian troops have issued their last call for people to leave the sliver of territory in the citys eastern districts that is still in the hands of opposition forces.

As many as 25,000 people have been evacuated from the area since Thursday, Robert Mardini, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said on Twitter.

The evacuation deal  seen as the only way to avoid a bloodbath  marked an effective surrender by rebel fighters in Aleppo; they had controlled the citys eastern neighborhoods since 2012. Aleppo is a key prize in Syrias civil war, and the deal represents a major victory for Assad and his allies, including Russia and Iran.

Pro-government activists said many people still in eastern Aleppo are insurgents, although that could not be independently verified.





[In Turkey, an assassin issues cries for Aleppo]

Evacuations have been taking place since last week as part of an agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey, but disruptions have complicated the effort, and thousands are waiting to be bused to a rebel-held province to the west.

The government on Tuesday authorized an additional 20 U.N. staff members to monitor the evacuations, Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the United Nations, told reporters in Geneva.

The U.N. Security Council voted Monday to deploy international observers to monitor the evacuation routes  a rare international agreement over the fate of Aleppo as government forces close in.

This will almost triple the number of international staff currently deployed to Aleppo, Laerke said. He cautioned that monitors still do not have independent access to the evacuation buses.

[7-year-old Bana is safely out of Aleppo]

Pro-government fighters, including militiamen from Hezbollah and Iran, temporarily halted the evacuations to demand parallel pullouts from two nearby Shiite villages under siege by rebels. The United Nations estimates that about 750 people have since been evacuated from the villages, Fouaa and Kefraya, where a rebel blockade has deprived residents of food and medicine.

On Sunday, suspected Islamist rebels burned evacuation buses sent to the villages, temporarily endangering the entire evacuation plan.

Assads opponents accuse government forces and allied militiamen of robbing  and even executing  a number of people as they have moved into parts of eastern Aleppo once held by the rebels.

Frances envoy to the Security Council said Monday that he hoped the resolution would prevent Aleppo from becoming another Srebrenica, where thousands of Bosnian men and boys were killed in 1995 as Serb forces seized the town.The text of the resolution allowed five days for the observers to arrive.

The city has been perhaps the most violent flash point of the five-year-old Syrian conflict, which has killed about half a million people and displaced millions.

Aleppo has almost become synonymous with the brutality of Assads air raids, which have leveled the citys eastern neighborhoods. Hospitals, residences and even people gathered on Aleppos streets have been routinely targeted by Syrian government and Russian warplanes, as well as by troops and allied militiamen, who have fired artillery and staged ground assaults.

Thousands have waited in the last rebel holdouts as winter temperatures have dipped below freezing. Many have been forced to sleep in bombed-out structures or even on sidewalks.

Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Read more:

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Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, one of the Catholic Churchs most prominent pro-democracy voices in Latin America, died Dec. 14 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was 95.

He had lung and kidney problems, according to the archdiocese of Sao Paulo, where he served from 1970 to 1998. The cardinal became famous for challenging leaders of the brutal military dictatorship of 1964-1985 and for his fight against torture in Latin America.

Cardinal Arns often talked about democratic values during Mass, protected activists in his churches and led a national anti-torture initiative. Arns also threatened to excommunicate police investigators who refused to provide information on political prisoners.

In Sao Paulos central cathedral, he organized in 1975 one of the most open acts of defiance of Brazils dictatorship, praying with other religious leaders and blaming the regime for the assassination of journalist Vladimir Herzog, who had been taken as a political prisoner shortly before.

Officials said Herzog had committed suicide in jail, but Cardinal Arns rejected that version during Mass, despite the pressure made by tanks and soldiers outside his church.

Conservative members of the church and the military leaders regarded him as a troublemaker. He recalled a conversation with Gen. Emilio Medici, who told him, You take care of your church and I will take care of the country.

Cardinal Arns also helped victims of political persecution and torture in the rest of South America.

One of his friends was Argentine human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who said Cardinal Arns saved him twice from the Brazilian dictatorship.

A commission created by Cardinal Arns at his archdiocese documented many cases of torture and helped later governments pay damages to victims and shame perpetrators of violence.

Cardinal Arns was sympathetic to the left-leaning Theology of Liberation, a stream of Catholic thought that irritated critics by often merging socialist theory with church doctrine. The cardinals political links led Pope John Paul II to intervene in his archdiocese, the second biggest in the world after Mexico City, to split his powers.

Paulo Evaristo Arns was born in Forquilhinha, Brazil, on Sept. 14, 1921, to German immigrants. He entered the Franciscan order and was ordained a priest in 1945. He earned a doctorate at the Sorbonne in Paris before returning to Brazil to begin his teaching career. He was named auxiliary bishop of Sao Paulo in 1966 and was appointed archbishop four years later.

He lived his last years in silence on the outskirts of Sao Paulo.

 Associated Press
The German capital was on high alert Tuesday with one or more attackers still at large in a deadly truck assault on a Christmas market, an act claimed by the Islamic State that struck at the heart of Europes Christian traditions.

Chancellor Angela Merkel decried Mondays assault  in which a truck carrying a payload of steel plowed into festive stalls and fairgoers in Berlin, leaving 12 dead and dozens injured  as a presumed terror attack, even as German police scrambled to find the culprit. The only suspect so far  a Pakistani asylum seeker taken into custody shortly after the bloodshed  was released by police Tuesday because of insufficient evidence.

Late Tuesday, the Islamic State, through the affiliated Amaq news agency, claimed that the attacker was a soldier responding to its call to target nations fighting the group in Iraq and Syria. The Islamic State has wielded the term before to describe lone wolves inspired by its rhetoric, and its level of involvement, if any, in coordinating the attack remained unclear.

[Berlin attack: How the events unfolded]

In Germany and across Europe, revulsion and angst over the strike at a symbol of the regions Christmas traditions sparked governments to act. The holiday spirit was being replaced by muscle.

1 of 32 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  A truck rams the crowd at Berlin Christmas market, killing at least 12 people View Photos . Caption The suspect in the attack, 24-year-old Anis Amri, was killed in a shootout with police in Milan on Dec. 23. Dec. 23, 2016 Italian police officers stand next to the body of Anis Amri, the suspect in the Berlin truck attack, in a suburb of Milan. Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

Italy said it would ramp up security for Christmas events, including Pope Franciss appearance at St. Peters Square in Vatican City. The Czechs pledged massive security at public events on Christmas and as the country rings in the new year. French officials said security at Christmas markets had been immediately reinforced, as its lawmakers observed a minute of silence for the all-too-familiar tragedy in Germany.

In Berlin, meanwhile, the release of the only suspect left police scrambling for fresh leads in the assault. They accelerated efforts to study forensic evidence, including analysis of bloodstains within the cabin of the truck  turned into a weapon in a tactic used five months earlier in a similar holiday rampage in Nice, on Frances southern coast.

Investigation teams moved to piece together what they described as circumstantial evidence, including witness descriptions and video footage. But no criminal sketches were released to the public, suggesting how much remained unknown. And as night settled over the German capital, Berliners were cautioned to stay on guard.

It is the case that we possibly still have a dangerous offender in our area, warned Berlins police chief, Klaus Kandt. These days it is necessary to be vigilant.

[After Berlin, security tightens at Christmas markets]

The attack, officials had concluded by Tuesday, was almost certainly deliberate.

A Polish national was driving the truck when it left Poland en route to Berlin to deliver a cargo of steel. The driver was found shot dead in the passenger seat.

The modus operandi and target, officials said, indicated  but offered no confirmation  that Islamist extremists were involved.

The Islamic State has previously cited traditional Christmas markets as viable targets in their wave of terrorism in Europe, and the Berlin assault was reminiscent of the truck-on-sidewalk tactic used by a self-proclaimed Islamic State adherent in Nice in July. That attack resulted in the deaths of 86 people on the Promenade des Anglais on Bastille Day.

Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, noted that the Islamic States claim late Tuesday seemed unique. It is rare for the group to assert responsibility while the perpetrator is still alive. And unlike an official communique  such as those after attacks in Brussels and Paris  its claim through Amaq suggested, Katz said, a little more distance.

She said it could indicate that one or more attackers were inspired by the Islamic State but had little to no coordination with the group.

German officials were assessing the groups claim.

This alleged confession of the so-called Islamic State  in fact they are a terror gang  we only just received, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public broadcaster ARD. We should let the security authorities do their work.

[WorldViews: Trump cites holy war in Berlin even before facts are clear]

For Berliners, who live in a place often billed as Europes most progressive and hedonistic city, the struggle Tuesday boiled down to perseverance  retaining a grip on classic German stoicism in the face of unfolding horror. In a country that eschews displays of patriotism, the colors of the German flag lit up the Brandenburg Gate. Flags flew at half-staff.

Late Tuesday, hundreds of people gathered near the attack site, around Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church  a symbol of the rebuilt, post-World War II Germany  to light candles, place flowers and listen to a service broadcast from within the house of worship.

Gabi Meister, a 54-year-old clerk at a car manufacturer, clutched a pink rose with tears in her eyes. Im here because I want to show sympathy, because Im shocked, she said. Berlin is an open, cosmopolitan city. We wont let our tolerance be destroyed by this. . . . We all have to stand together now even more so, all religions, all cultures.

[In Nice truck rampage, experts see shift toward cruder acts of terrorism]

Merkel  who laid white roses at the attack site in the normally bustling plaza at Breitscheidplatz, in a chic shopping district in west Berlin  called on Germans not to give into fear as the holidays approached.

We dont want to live with the fear of evil paralyzing us, said Merkel, dressed in black as she spoke in Berlin. We will find the strength for a life as we want to live it in Germany  free, united and open.

Earlier, Merkel spoke by phone with President Obama, who pledged U.S. aid in the German investigation. As of late Tuesday, only seven of those killed at the market had been identified  the Polish driver and six Germans.

German authorities, accused of mishandling other terrorism-related cases this year, were under mounting pressure to catch the culprit as questions arose about security measures at the market.

[With Europes open borders, a potential pipeline for weapons]

That a threat existed was well known. The State Department issued a specific travel warning to Americans last month citing credible information that Islamists were targeting holiday season events. Yet the Christmas market attacked Monday appeared to lack basic protections, such as concrete barriers, to ward off a Nice-like attack.

We cannot turn Christmas markets into fortresses, Kandt countered.

By midday Tuesday, German authorities were losing confidence that they had caught the right suspect.

The 23-year-old Pakistani had first arrived in Germany last December before coming to Berlin in February. During their investigation, police raided a refugee shelter housed in Berlins old Tempelhof Airport, where the suspect lived. After the raid, officials backtracked until prosecutors issued orders to release him.

The forensic examinations that were carried out could not prove the presence of the accused in the drivers cab of the truck at the time of the crime so far, the prosecutors said in a statement.



But the mere prospect of an asylum seekers involvement fueled debate in Germany and beyond over Merkels decision to allow in nearly a million migrants last year, many of them fleeing war in the Middle East.

Merkel, acknowledging the possibility that a migrant might yet be involved, said it would be particularly appalling to the many, many Germans who are actively helping refugees every day and to the many people who are indeed needing our protection and are making an effort to integrate in our country.

Pundits were already speculating whether the latest attack could damage Merkels reelection bid next year.

Marcus Pretzell, chairman of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany, tweeted: When will the German legal state strike back? When will this damned hypocrisy finally stop? These are Merkels dead!

The incident occurred as Germans have had to endure a growing threat of terrorism  including two small-scale attacks in July. German officials appeared to bungle at least one major case. In October, Jaber Albakr, a 22-year-old Syrian asylum seeker suspected of plotting a bomb attack on a Berlin airport, evaded police for two days. After being caught, he hung himself in his jail cell, despite being placed on a 24-hour suicide watch.

Read more

The Berlin attack is no surprise. Experts have warned about trucks for years.

Flow of foreign fighters plummets as Islamic State loses its edge

Germany launches raids in 60 cities, bans group on suspicion of ISIS recruiting

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
China Denies Using Chile Peppers as Weapons in Indonesia

In response to a group of Chinese citizens being arrested on charges of planting diseased chile pepper seeds in Indonesia, the Chinese embassy in Indonesia issued a statement this week denying that China was using chile pepper seeds as biological weapons. According to Shanghaiist, four Chinese citizens had planted chile seeds imported from China on a farm south of Jakarta, and those seeds were infected with bacteria that could have spread to other plants and caused crop failures. After the disease was discovered, the seeds were burned and the plants that contained the bacteria were destroyed.

News soon hit social media and people started theorizing that the seeds had been planted deliberately as part of a Chinese plot to ruin Indonesian crops and destroy the countrys economy. The Chinese embassy issued an official statement denying the allegations and asserting that China was in no way using infected seeds as biological weapons to hurt Indonesias economy.

DD2

FSA

Paint Thinner Chemicals Found in Gravy Mix Right Before Christmas

The holiday season is the prime time for making and eating gravy, so its terrible timing for Lidl UK stores, which have just announced a recall of two varieties of just-add-water gravy after they were found to contain harmful chemicals. According to The Independent, Kania Gravy Granules for Meat and Kania Gravy Granules for Chicken had dangerous levels of a chemical called xylene, which is found in paint thinner but also occurs naturally in petroleum and crude oil. Exposure to xylene can irritate the mouth, nose, throat, and lungs; in very high levels it can even cause severe health problems.

DD3

Instagram / shikishi_chihiro

KFC Japan Gives Out Finger Sleeves for Holding Fried Chicken

Eating fried chicken is always a little messy, but now KFC Japan has made it a slightly cleaner experience by distributing plastic finger sleeves for people to wear while eating. According to Rocket News 24, the Finger Nup, or Finger Napkin, is a little plastic glove that just goes over the thumb and index finger, so eaters can hold a piece of fried chicken without running the risk of greasy fingers. The company noticed customers were wrapping their chicken in napkins to keep their fingers from getting greasy, but napkins absorb grease and are not entirely effective at keeping hands clean. These little gloves are, though, and now theyll be available upon request at KFC locations in Japan.

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DD4

Labiotte

This Lipstick Collection Is Made With Red Wine

A glass of red wine can leave a deep stain on the drinkers lips, just like makeup, and now one Korean makeup company has decided to capitalize on that fact. According to Allure, The Chateau Labiotte wine lipstick collection is a series of lip products made with actual wine extract as one of the ingredients. The lipsticks come in tubes that look like tiny wine bottles, and are available in several wine-inspired shades like Cabernet Red, Malbec Burgundy, and Shiraz Red. In addition to the matte lipsticks, Labiotte also makes a line of wine lip tints for that I just drank a glass of really good red look  but without the buzz.

DD5

Twitter / @Muslim_Aid

London Mosque Donates 10 Tons of Food to Homeless

After Friday prayers last week, the East London Mosque held a food drive to help homeless people in London over the holidays. According to The Independent, an estimated 7,500 people showed up to help donate and manage donations, which came from individuals as well as businesses and schools. The Muslim Aid UK charity says the food drive collected 10 tons, or more than 22,000 pounds, of non-perishable food. Muslims are inspired by their faith towards helping others in need. It is a religious duty for Muslims to try to help others, irrespective of a person's faith or background, East London Mosque Chief Imam Shaykh Abdul Qayum told The London Standard.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Phelan Moonsong

From Esquire

Finally, some good news out of the year 2016. A Pagan priest can wear his goat horns in his driver's license photo, Maine's Bureau of Motor Vehicles has ruled.

When Phelan Moonsong went to get his license photo taken, he wore a pair of goat horns attached to his head with elastic, 50-pound fishing line. An official ordered him to remove the horns for his state-issued ID, but Moonsong objected, telling them the horns are his "spiritual antenna." Moonsong said he wears the horns every day.

"As a practicing Pagan minister and a priest of Pan, I've come to feel very attached to the horns, and they've become a part of me and part of my spirituality," Moonsong told the Washington Post. "The horns are part of my religious attire."

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Illinois%20Pastafarian%20Driver's%20License" customimages="" content="article.46574"]

Moonsong felt so strongly, he wrote to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and asked for a religious exemption. He sent in a personal essay talking about the significance of the horns and cited four scholarly works to back up his claims.

Miraculously, Moonsong was victorious. Lucky him. A pastafarian was denied the right to wear a colander in her license photo earlier this year.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Phelan Moonsong

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By Sarah B. Boxer

When we came here, we found out that this state, and the people that are here, are better than in all of America.

So says Fadi Al-Asmi, a Syrian refugee who moved to Connecticut in May with his wife and three young children. He is among about 400 Syrian refugees who have fled their war-ravaged homes and relocated to the Constitution State in the past year.

I know you left family behind in Syria, says Bianna Golodryga, Yahoo News and Finance anchor, speaking to Al-Asmi through a translator for the Yahoo News series American Goodness, Do you ever envision a day where you reunite with them?

God willing, he sighs. The problem is that it might be a long time to wait.

Fadi and his family left their home in Damascus in 2012, and after a harrowing journey through Jordan, were able to resettle in America, thanks to a nonprofit in Connecticut called IRIS: Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services.

Were one of 350 proud refugee resettlement nonprofits spread across the United States, welcoming refugees, persecuted people from all over the world whove been vetted by the Department of Homeland Security, says Chris George, executive director of IRIS. Theyve gone through the most rigorous vetting process ever. We welcome them to this country, and we help them get off to a new start.

Connecticut, George explains, has a unique way of helping refugee families, like the Al-Asmis, begin their new lives. Instead of being handheld by government agencies upon arrival in the States, refugees moving to Connecticut are resettled by community volunteers  hundreds of strangers across the state who do everything from finding housing for the immigrants, to teaching them how to use money, to enrolling the kids in school, to helping them grocery shop.

The traditional way of resettling refugees is that theyre welcomed and resettled by professional but nonprofit refugee resettlement agencies. The staff of the agencies do all the work, says George. But here in Connecticut, weve got close to 50 community groups who have stepped forward and said, Train us how to resettle refugees, and well welcome them into our neighborhoods. We want a Syrian Muslim refugee family living in our neighborhood.

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Richard Groothuis, Dr. David Hager and Marsha Lewis, who were strangers to each other a year ago, lead a group of about 80 volunteers.

They are a joy to work with, says Lewis, of the al-Asmis. I think with everything thats going on in the world and the sense, What can one person do, what can I do? This is one thing that people can do. So we can be there and we can help. And even though its one small thing, its huge.

Getting a drivers license, getting a car, getting your English up to speed, earning enough money, getting the mother to be able to drive the young children, those are all challenges, says Groothuis.

But people that are involved get a lot out of it, they get a lot of satisfaction out of helping, and they get a lot of satisfaction out of meeting each other and working with each other, he adds. Its like family. And thats it. So its not just were helping them, were helping ourselves.

As a rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric is seen across the country, it only makes this group feel more protective of the family, and their mission to help.

The preference is to be home. Its not to be here, its to be home, says Hager, emotionally. And thats not an option. By definition, they are refugees, going home is not an option.

George says that last year, when then-candidate Donald Trump announced his plans for a Muslim ban if elected, he got an unexpected call from a counterpart in Indianapolis. There was a Syrian family, planning to move to Indiana, on a plane already midair to the States  and the agency planning on housing them had been told by Gov. Mike Pence that the state would no longer allow it.

So she contacted us and said, Can you take the family? We said, Of course. No problem, says George, who found placement for the family in Connecticut within 24 hours.

These are people whove lost their homes, their jobs and their country, says Lewis. And I would say that they have a lot to offer this country. And I think we need to keep that American dream going with people who need it.

With the help of the group, Fadi, who worked as a baker in Damascus, is now working as a pastry chef at City Steam Brewery in Hartford. Barbara Howe, a retired culinary instructor, told Golodryga how meaningful it was for Al-Asmi to get a job within his field of expertise.

Food does connect people, doesnt it? she said with a smile. Its a global language that we speak.

To watch him work in this kitchen is gratifying in itself. Just to watch him do his craft, says Bob Bazyk, who took Al-Asmi on interviews and helped him find a home at City Steam. The wonderful comments weve gotten from the people hes worked for and demonstrated his skills to is very impressive.

The community feels strongly that Fadi wants to create a candy store, a Syrian candy store! says Sami Aziz, the chaplain at Wesleyan University, who helped the Bloomfield volunteers prepare to take in the Muslim family. I dont know of one in the state of Connecticut. Ive never been to one in my life. And Im sure its going be a great contribution to American society. Just like when we got Chinese food here and Indian food here, and now Syrian food.

Its going be amazing.
Martha Bernay, the matriarch of a prominent Hollywood labor family, died last Thursday of natural causes, the Art Directors Guild announced. She was 95.

Bernay was a long-time member of the Illustrators and Matte Artists branch of the Art Directors Guild, and had been given emeritus status.

Bernay was born in 1921 in New York, the youngest of four children. The following year, her family moved to Los Angeles. At 18 years old, Bernay married her husband Josef, with whom she had three children. During their lifetime, the couple traveled to several destinations around the world, including Japan, Canada, and China. They were married for 50 years until Josef passed away in 1990. Bernay was known as Granny to her dogs Bizou, Chester, and Tiger.

After raising her children, Bernay served as West Coast office manager for the IATSE until she retired in 1985.

Bernay is survived by her two daughters Marjo and Casey, son Mark, son-in-law Dennis, nephews, great nieces and nephews, a great-great niece and several friends made from around the world.

Services will be held at Mount Sinai Hollywood Hill on Dec. 20. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to Best Friends Animal Society, the Lange Foundation, or a pet rescue.

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Explore Massive Open Online Courses

Anybody with internet can audit university classes for free through massive open online courses, or MOOCs. These courses are often partnerships between colleges and providers such as edX or Coursera -- though others exist.

But MOOCs have evolved in the past few years. There are now paid options, for example, to receive certificates. Here are 10 things to know about these courses.

1. MOOCs can be accessed for free.

When MOOCs gained momentum in 2011, their creators were "more motivated by providing opportunities for learning to individuals who could not otherwise access that learning," says Ray Schroeder, associate vice chancellor for online learning at the University of Illinois--Springfield.

That remains a function of MOOCs, he says, but not the only function. Still, in most cases, anybody can audit a MOOC at no charge.

2. Many are launched with universities.

Because edX and Coursera partner with top universities to develop MOOCs, students learn from distinguished professors, adding to MOOCs' legitimacy, experts say.

"These are faculty members who have taught online, who have taught in many cases for quite a few years," Schroeder says.

3. A lot of MOOCs now offer paid credentials.

Though MOOCs can be free, Coursera and edX offer paid "verified certificates" for successful completion. Students must pass assessments and prove their identities. Employers can confirm certificates online.

"We see a larger and larger number of our learners, especially in courses that confer direct benefits -- for instance, to one's career -- opting to pay for the certificate," Daphne Koller, president and co-founder of Coursera, told U.S. News.

4. Paying for a MOOC provides extra features.

Along with a credential, students who pay for MOOCs often gain access to extra features.

In many of Coursera's career-related MOOCs, for example, students might receive additional feedback from instructors, and sometimes access to supplemental readings and assessments, a company spokeswoman told U.S. News.

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5. College credit is sometimes an option.

Some MOOCs also offer college credit, such as in edX's Global Freshman Academy with Arizona State University. For-credit MOOCs are open to incoming and returning freshmen at a cost.

Many experts say schools sometimes provide credit through MOOCs, though pinpointing the extent that it happens is difficult.

6. MOOC-based degrees are emerging.

EdX has partnered with 14 universities to launch MicroMasters degrees. Students complete a portion of a master's through several MOOCs and a capstone, and then apply to finish it on campus.

Coursera also has two MOOC-based options at the University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign: an iMBA and Master of Computer Science in data science.

7. Completion rates for free MOOCs are low.

For auditors, edX MOOC average completion rates are less than 10 percent -- but are generally much higher when students pay, Anant Agarwal, CEO of edX, told U.S. News.

"It did add a level of commitment, because otherwise you can kind of walk away at any point," Kelly Walsh, a chief information officer at the College of Westchester who completed a Coursera MOOC last year, told U.S. News.

8. Some initial concerns about MOOCs have dwindled.

MOOCs have long sparked debate among experts. Advocates viewed them as free professional development tools, including in developing countries, while critics pointed to low completion rates and a lack of student-faculty interaction.

But with the new paid models, some of the negative perceptions have diminished, Schroeder says.

9. They allow high schoolers to explore college.

MOOCs also enable high schoolers to gauge interest in college majors and sample actual university classes.

"It gave me a realistic understanding of what it means to be an economics major, and what it means to be a statistics major, what it means to be a computer science major," 18-year-old Mahir Jethanandani, who enrolled in MOOCs during high school, told U.S. News.

10. MOOCs are used around the world.

Providers outside the U.S. also develop MOOCs, Schroeder says. Agarwal, the edX CEO, wrote in February that in countries such as Saudi Arabia, MOOCs are used to combat skills gaps in labor markets.

"While the potential for large-scale change is certainly impressive, the role that MOOCs can play in individual lives cannot be understated as well," Agarwal wrote.

Learn More About Online Education

Find more information and news about MOOCs on U.S. News, and access our rankings of the Best Online Programs.

For additional advice and information about online education, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter or Facebook.

Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com.


Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. TRUCK ATTACK THAT KILLED 12 IN BERLIN 'INTENTIONAL'

German media reports that the suspect who is being interrogated is a Pakistani citizen who entered the country in the last 12 months.

2. SHOTS OUTSIDE U.S. EMBASSY IN TURKEY AFTER RUSSIA ENVOY KILLED

No one is hurt in the incident which occurred hours after a Turkish policeman, condemning Moscow's military role in Syria, fatally shot the ambassador in Ankara.

3. LAST REMAINING REBELS AND CIVILIANS AWAIT ALEPPO EVACUATION

Activists say more than 15,000 people, among them 5,000 opposition fighters, have left the battered enclave since last week.

4. TRUMP EASILY WINS ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE

The results ensure that the billionaire businessman will become America's 45th president.

5. WHO MIGHT NOT LIVE UP TO HIS INFRASTRUCTURE PROMISES

Some lobbyists are beginning to wonder whether Trump meant what he said when he pledged to generate $1 trillion in spending to rebuild America's roads, bridges and airports.

6. CHINA RETURNS U.S. UNDERWATER DRONE SEIZED IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Last week's seizure prompts fresh criticism by Trump, who has riled the Chinese leadership by saying he might reconsider policy toward Taiwan.

7. WHICH LAW NORTH CAROLINA IS SET TO REPEAL

Eight months after state lawmakers passed a bill limiting protections for the LGBT community, there are signs it will be undone.

8. WHERE MH370 CRASH SITE COULD BE

Investigators say the missing plane is unlikely to be found in the area search crews have been combing for two years, and may instead have crashed farther to the north.

9. SMOG CHOKES CHINESE CITIES

It spurs authorities to cancel flights and close some highways in emergency measures to cut down on air pollution.

10. AFTER LOSING PLAYOFF CONTROL, REDSKINS ARE LEFT TO WAIT AND HOPE

Washington needs help to make it back to the postseason, while the Carolina Panthers need the stars to align.
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It starts like a lot of other letters to Santa do: Dear Santa, I believe in you. But then it takes a pretty unexpected turn: I dont want toys for me, I only want a healthy heart for my mom.

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Arnulfo Guerra, Jr.s letter made into the hands of a Channelview, Texas, social worker working at Anthony Aguirre Junior High, who was touched by the sixth-graders letter. Im sad for her, it reads. Shes 46 years and Im only 12  we need her for many years more.

News Channel 10

Guerras dad told ABC News that his wife, Santos, has a heart defect that has her on the waiting list for a donor in Houston. She was placed on the list a year ago with the warning from her doctors that it could up to five years before a donor appeared.

The social worker passed the letter onto the Channelview Fire Department, who regrettably couldnt do much in the way of a heart transplant but donated a bicycle from their annual toy drive to the Guerras.

Its gut-wrenching, Justin Wischnewsky, fire captain of the Channelview Fire Department, told ABC News. there are good kids out there. We said, Theres not a whole lot we can do, but lets try and make this the best Christmas ever for him.

He was being really selfless, Katya Garza, a member of the department, told KTRK. Kids need their parents, and they really dont know the circumstances when its life or death.

For him to completely be selfless and not ask for anything else other than his to be healthy for Christmas, it really puts us back, Garza continued. Maybe a Christmas miracle might happen.




The Daily Beast

GettyRussia announced Wednesday that it views Norways work with other countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as provocative, warning that Norways efforts to bolster its military in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine this year will likely be the death knell for Oslo-Moscow relations moving forward.Oslo is now among the most active supporters of NATO's involvement in the Arctic, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday, according to TASS. We cons
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP)  A man who spent 16 years as an international fugitive after killing a guest at a New York wedding on Long Island has been sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.

Balkumar Singh was sentenced Monday in Nassau County Court. He pleaded guilty last month to murder in the 1999 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Abzal Khan.

Authorities say Singh shot Khan seven times following a dance floor dispute at a wedding hall; scores of guests witnessed Khan's death.

Singh, who had several aliases, traveled to Canada and Guyana before an international manhunt ended in Trinidad in March 2015 with his capture by law enforcement.

He was featured in a 2009 episode of "America's Most Wanted."
Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved

From Cosmopolitan

If your hair is uber thick, curly, or frizzy, or you're just not that into your texture, you might have considered getting your hair chemically straightened. But the pricey salon services have recently come under fire for causing some super-scary side effects, with hair damage being the least of it. Here's what you need to know before putting your hair and health at risk:



1. Chemical straighteners work by changing the structure of your hair. Each hair is made up of grouped chains of keratin, a naturally occurring protein. Chemical treatments affect the way these chains are held together to effectively de-coil each strand.

There are several different types of in-salon chemical straightening and smoothing treatments, with Japanese and Brazilian being the most common ones. Both processes involve coating each strand with a strong chemical, then warming it up to activate the formula.

The Japanese straight perm is a permanent straightening solution that only requires touch-ups as your roots grow in about every six months. It can cost between $150 and $800 per treatment, depending on the salon. Because it involves the strongest chemicals, it poses the greatest risks in terms of damaging your hair.

Then there are keratin treatments (aka Brazilian hair straightening or smoothing). The semi-permanent technique can last between three and five months, and puts you out about $150 to $300 per treatment. It won't give you pin-straight hair, but it does significantly reduce curls, frizz, and styling time with results that stand up to humidity, according to Natalija OToole, a stylist in New York City.



2. The process takes two to three hours - but you won't walk out of the salon with your best blowout ever. At the salon, the stylist will shampoo your hair, then apply the chemicals to dry or damp hair section by section. Different formulas require different amounts of time for processing, so you sit tight for a bit. Then your stylist blow-dries your hair and flat-irons it at a very high heat. Afterward, your hair will be straight, shiny, and silky, but flat and filled with product that can make it somewhat greasy and smell like strongly like chemicals, according to OToole.



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3. After chemical straightening, you can't wash your hour for at least 12 hours after treatment. This drying time, which can last up to several days depending on your stylist's recommendation, allows the product to set in.

4. Many chemical smoothing treatments contain high levels of toxic ingredients. Turns out formaldehyde, the chemical used to preserve cadavers, also helps many keratin chemical hair straighteners work their magic. Unfortunately, even one-time exposure to the high levels of this toxin can trigger horrible symptoms, according to Tina Sigurdson, Environmental Working Group (EWG) assistant general counsel and co-author of several studies on hair straightening treatments.



"In general, every client and stylist [exposed to keratin chemicals] complains of burning eyes, difficulty breathing, and burning sensations," estimates Kelly Merriman, a stylist from Joliet, Ind. Customers have also complained of throat and mouth ulcers, dizziness, headaches, flu-like symptoms like vomiting, eye damage, loss of taste and smell, and fatigue, according to Sigurdson. And because exposure is cumulative, salon workers are extra likely to suffer from severe symptoms.

While the chemicals aren't supposed to touch anything but the hairs themselves, accidental skin contact can cause blisters or rashing on the scalp, face, and neck.

But that's just in the short term. Formaldehyde is also a known carcinogen, which means it's proven to cause cancer in humans, with higher levels and prolonged exposure posing greater risks.

5. "Formaldehyde-free" hair chemicals can still contain or release the ingredient.

Chemical hair straightening products containing formaldehyde are already outlawed in certain U.S. states (California and Oregon) as well as Canada, France, and Ireland, but products labeled for professional use in salons don't have to be labeled with their ingredients, according to Sigurdson. It could be why formaldehyde-free products can still contain the chemical - an unfortunate finding in a 2011 EWG investigation.

"In general, the alternatives [to formaldehyde-containing keratin treatments] are better," Andrews says, speaking to the severity of side effects caused by straighteners that are labeled free of formaldehyde. "But most of these treatments still have the potential for allergic reactions and sensitization with repeat usage."

6. The active ingredient in Japanese thermal hair straightening can mess with your health too. Japanese thermal hair straightening products might not contain formaldehyde, but they do expose you to ammonium thioglycolate, an irritant that can cause hair breakage at best, or trigger an allergic response at worst, according to the EWG.

7. Even the safest salon chemical treatments aren't 100 percent risk-free (and they don't work quite as well). There are plenty of less harsh alternatives like Pravana Perfection Smoothout, which O'Toole recommends. But because life isn't fair, it doesn't work quite as well as keratin. Other keratin alternatives can still contain ingredients like cyclopentasiloxane, which can release small amounts of formaldehyde into the air when heated by a blow-dryer or flat iron.

8. You do not want to chemically straighten your hair while you're pregnant or trying. Exposure to formaldehyde could affect your fertility or lead to miscarriage when you're pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). It's why stylists like O'Toole refuse to treat pregnant women - and worry about the chemicals in general. "When the manufacturers say not to use [their product] on pregnant women, that should be the first clue that their products are unsafe," says O'Toole, who was a huge fan of keratin treatments before she began to experience adverse effects from chemical exposure, and left her old salon to avoid it. The jury is out on whether exposure can permanently affect your fertility.

9. Most precautions salons take to protect you and salon workers from fumes - like using a vacuum extractor - don't do all that much. O'Toole says her old salon used this kind of machine but she still experienced adverse side effects. "Some salons offer clients a surgical-type mask for clients, but that does nothing," she adds. (The CDC confirms this.)

10. If your salon offers chemical straightening, you're probably exposed to chemicals regardless of whether you're there for that treatment. Tests performed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found formaldehyde in the air exceeded permissible limits in salons where the treatment is offered.

11. At-home keratin smoothing treatments can contain some potentially dangerous chemicals too. If formaldehyde itself isn't listed on the label, it could still be present in the form of ingredients that sneakily contain or release it, such as methylene glycol, formalin, methylene oxide, paraform, formic aldehyde, methanal, oxomethane, oxymethylene, or CAS Number 50-00-0 on product labels, and formaldehyde-releasing ingredients include timonacic acid or thiazolidinecarboxylic acid. You may also want to look out for the disinfectant gluteraldehyde, which can trigger allergic symptoms or set you off if you're asthmatic, according to the EWG.

If a product's active ingredient is glycolic acid, alpha-hydroxyl acid, or keto acid, though, you should be in the clear.

12. Chemically treated hair could continue to release toxins even after you leave the salon. "It is possible that formaldehyde may be released to the air or react with skin [post-straightening,]" he adds, which could leave you exposed to harmful chemicals for longer than you'd banked on - particularly when heat styling with a curling iron, straightening irons, and blow-dryers, which could release irritating fumes.

13. Chemical straightening doesn't deliver pin-straight hair for everyone. "For those with extremely coarse and kinky hair, I would tell them not to expect pin-straight hair from the treatments, but more of a loosening of the curl," O'Toole says. "If you have very fine hair, I probably wouldn't have recommended these treatments, because it would make your hair too flat and lifeless," she says.



14. Chemical treatments can cause hair damage or loss - particularly if you've colored your hair. "I have seen some clients with fine hair that was damaged due to the product and temperature - especially if the hair was also color-treated," says Wynne Sisk, a stylist and founder of Green Mission Possible in Charleston, South Carolina. "Some clients have experienced burnt hair that needed to be cut off. Hair does tend to be drier and have more static after even one treatment."

Kelly Merriman, a stylist from Joliet, Indiana, has seen the same sort of thing. "Every client is different, it's a gamble," she says. "Some clients have many treatments and never have any problems, while others have just one treatment with lots of steady hair loss."

15. Despite its side effects and risks, chemical straightening can be addicting. "The process can feel life-changing," says OToole. "It becomes addictive, where at the first sign of frizz, [clients] are back in the chair," she says.

16. The more times you chemically straighten your hair, the greater your risk of developing symptoms. Formaldehyde is a sensitizer, which means after you reach a certain level of exposure and react to it once, Sigurdson says, you'll always experience allergic reactions when you encounter formaldehyde fumes - bad news considering formaldehyde is found pretty much everywhere: It's a byproduct of combustion and car exhaust, a component of wrinkle-proof fabrics, and found in some plastics and pressed wood products used in flooring and furniture. Because chemical hair straighteners contain much higher levels of formaldehyde than you're bound to encounter elsewhere, according to David Andrews, PhD, an EWG senior scientist, salon workers are particularly screwed.

17. Even stylists who swear by the amazing effects of keratin treatments don't exactly recommend them. "It's not worth the possible short-term effects, and absolutely not worth the long-term effects," says OToole, who tells people who ask her about smoothing treatments to look for safer alternatives, like learning to love your natural texture.

And if you're dead set on pin-straight hair, the absolute safest way to get pin-straight hair is by using a flat iron - assuming you've got a steady-enough hand to keep the hot plates away from your scalp.

Follow Elizabeth on Twitter and Instagram.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  A failed voting-fraud prosecution from more than 30 years ago could re-emerge as a contentious issue during Sen. Jeff Sessions' confirmation hearing for attorney general.

Sessions was dogged by his handling of the case as U.S. attorney during his 1986 confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship, when he tried to fend off complaints of a wrongful prosecution. He devoted more space to that case than any other in a questionnaire he submitted this month to the Senate Judiciary Committee for the attorney general post, suggesting the matter is likely to come up again during his Jan. 10-11 confirmation hearing before the panel.

The 1985 prosecution involved three black civil rights activists, including a former adviser to Martin Luther King Jr., who were accused of illegally tampering with large numbers of absentee ballots in rural Perry County, Alabama. The defendants argued that they were assisting voters who were poor, uneducated and in some cases illiterate, and marked the ballots with the voters' permission.

A jury acquitted the three after just a few hours of deliberation.

Howard Moore Jr., a member of the defense team, said he didn't think it was a legitimate prosecution. "That's why we defended the case so vigorously," he said in an interview. "We felt that it would have had a chilling effect, if they had been convicted, throughout the south."

Sessions has defended the decision to bring the case and suggested in his questionnaire that there was ample evidence for a conviction. His supporters note that Justice Department officials in Washington approved the investigation and the indictment, and point to one voter's statement to the FBI that her ballot had been manipulated and her preferences crossed out and replaced with a different slate of candidates.

The case matters because as attorney general Sessions would be the federal government's top lawyer in voting-rights disputes, with the authority to challenge  or support  state laws dictating access to the polls. He would inherit an agency that under the Obama administration has sued states over potentially discriminatory voting laws but whose enforcement efforts have been stymied by a Supreme Court opinion that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. And he could turn the Justice Department's focus to voting fraud, an issue he's repeatedly sounded the alarm about but that current leaders consider virtually non-existent.

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"There's nothing in Sen. Session's record that would give me confidence that protecting voting rights from states intent on restricting them is something that would be a priority," said Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project.

Sessions was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama from 1981 to 1993, and served two years as state attorney general before being elected to the Senate in 1996.

Ultimately, Sessions' 1986 judicial nomination was derailed by concerns over racially charged comments he was accused of making.

In the upcoming confirmation hearing, he's likely to try to highlight his concern for civil rights to assuage concerns of his Democratic colleagues.

Asked on the questionnaire about the 10 most significant legal cases he's been involved in, Sessions mentioned his office's investigation into the 1981 murder of a 19-year-old black man that resulted in the conviction of two Ku Klux Klan members, as well as litigation that pressed for school integration and for minority representation on a county commission and education board.

He also highlighted his involvement in a separate voting rights case: a 1984 Justice Department consent decree with Conecuh County following allegations that racial epithets were overheard at polling places and that only white poll workers were hired. The agreement required political parties to encourage the nomination of black poll workers and to "ensure that election officials would not engage in racially discriminatory conduct designed to harass or intimidate voters," Sessions wrote.

But the Perry County prosecution remains a focal point.

Sessions, in his questionnaire, wrote that he agreed to investigate the matter after the county district attorney told him that "extremely large numbers" of absentee ballots were being collected and stored in a central headquarters, where they were being altered to ensure they were marked for particular candidates endorsed by the activists. An FBI agent tasked with conducting surveillance outside a post office said he saw the defendants depositing more than 500 absentee ballots to be delivered for counting.

The FBI determined that 75 of 729 absentee ballots contained erasures and alterations, Sessions said, and that about 25 of the voters who were presented with their ballots said they hadn't authorized any changes.

Testifying about the matter at his 1986 hearing, Sessions said "it is horrible to change somebody's vote."

"If I come and pick up your ballot, and you voted for one person, and I walk over and change it and cast it in, that is horrible," he said. "That is not just a petty crime. To do that 25 times is a systematic crime of great magnitude."

The jury wasn't convinced. Nor were Democratic senators. Joe Biden pressed Sessions in the hearing on why a different vote-fraud allegation involving white Alabamians was not prosecuted; Sessions said the evidence was weak. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts called the Perry County case "infamous," and said that without the help of the three prosecuted activists, "these black citizens would not have been allowed to vote."

Another defense lawyer in the case, Dennis Balske, said prosecutors had little to back up the charges. "We were prepared for 25 people to get up and say, yeah, I voted this way  and they changed the ballot," he said. "That didn't happen."

___

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
After years of budget cuts and sequestration the spending spigot is ready to open. The scramble to capitalize will include consolidation, but no mega-deals. By Lou Whiteman

Defense investors had been looking towards 2017 well before Americans went to the polls in early November, but the prospect of traditionally military-friendly Republicans occupying the White House and controlling Congress has only fueled already high expectations for the sector. The question now is whether companies can generate the kind of growth investors are dreaming of, and if so what might have to be done to achieve it.

Aerospace and military-focused companies have performed well for some time, but that was as much attributable to what Barclays analyst Carter Copeland called the scarcity value of limited downside and, for lack of a better term, the defensiveness of the group. Defense businesses were hit hard by the budget battles of the early Obama years, and the industry was optimistic going into the election that sequestration-caps would soon be history no matter who won the White House.

Now, with one party set to control both the Congress and presidency, the chance of a budget showdown has diminished significantly. Fitch Ratings Inc. in December upgraded the aerospace from stable to positive in part due to expectations for an uptick in defense sales. The ratings agency expects global defense spending to top $400 billion in 2017, with the U.S. accounting for at least 45% of that total.

Specifically, Trump has called for increasing the Army ranks by 17%, or about 90,000 additional soldiers, and wants to build a Navy with 350 vessels (from 272 currently) and add an additional 100 fighter jets. Coupled with a renewed emphasis on modernizing nuclear and missile defenses, that alone could be an increase of upwards of $100 billion annually.

But that surge in spending will not happen overnight. Lawmakers in mid-December passed a continuing resolution long in the works to fund the Pentagon at fiscal 2016 levels through April 2017, as expected. Though the new Congress is expected to add to allocations by May, it could be fiscal 2018 before a real spending uptick is in the budget.

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That gives companies plenty of time to plan, and a chance to focus their efforts on the areas where Trump and his advisers seem most interested in providing additional support.

One thing that seems unlikely to change is the Pentagons resistance to large-scale M&A, which has been unofficially prohibited since the DoDs 1998 move to block Lockheed Martin Corp.s (LMT) planned acquisition of Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) ended a wave of post-Cold War consolidation. Defense officials over the last 20 years have been primarily concerned with keeping a vibrant supply base, and have been unwilling to allow major deals out of fear of becoming overly-reliant on a single company.

The DoD was critical of the Department of Justices decision last year to allow Lockheed to acquire helicopter-maker Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., an indication that the mood inside the Pentagon has not changed. Secretary of Defense nominee James N. Mattis has spent the last three years on the board of General Dynamics Corp. (GD), likely getting some corporate perspective into M&A, but seems unlikely to go against a strong internal Pentagon consensus against megadeals.

Even if large-scale dealmaking is off limits, there have been plenty of mergers. More than $20 billion has been spent to acquire aerospace and defense assets in the first nine months of 2016, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers data. M&A activity in 2016 exceeded expectations, according to Fitch Ratings, with the agency warning that capital allocation and further M&A could go so far as to nullify many of the benefits of positive defense budget trends.

Companies as large as Boeing Co. (BA) and General Dynamics and as small as $100 million in sales have all felt compelled to buy to bolt on new capabilities or invest in new areas of interest, like drones and electronics, or to gain scale in a particular area in an effort to bring down costs. Though not as headline-grabbing as a $50 billion megadeal, those transactions figure to continue in the years to come as small firms build scale and position themselves as takeout targets for prime contractors seeking to move the needle in a particular sector.

Services firms, an area of aggressive dealmaking in 2016, could be positioned for accelerated growth and M&A attention if the Republican Party continues its traditional predisposition towards downsizing the federal workforce via outsourcing functions to private contractors. Analysts name ManTech International Corp. (MANT) and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) as two companies that are expected to seek out deals in the $300 million to $600 million range, and either could also be a target in a government services roll up.

Among the large companies most interesting to watch is General Dynamics, which according to Cowen & Co. analyst Cai von Rumohr is heavily involved in Trumps key focus areas. The companys large maritime division should benefit from a buildup of the Navy, and a push to grow the Army should benefit its land systems unit. General Dynamics is also a provider of government services and should benefit from an outsourcing push.

General Dynamics and Raytheon Co. (RTN) also enjoy particularly strong balance sheets, making them well-positioned to participate in industry M&A or to return significant cash to shareholders should no deals surface.

GD according to von Rumohr also offers less headline risk as the company is considered less likely than Boeing or Lockheed Martin to raise the ire of Trump if the president-elect seeks to rein in sector profitability. Boeing, the worlds largest aerospace vendor, has already faced Trump backlash over the planned replacement of the Air Force One presidential jet. A week later Lockheed was criticized for cost overruns in the F-35 fighter program, which is now expected to cost more than $1 trillion over its 50 year operational life.

Conventional wisdom is that in a growing defense budget environment there are no losers, but companies who differentiate themselves can end up winners. Sequestration is over. The next twelve months will decide who the winners will be.
Car enthusiasts and the automotive industry ring in each new year with the annual North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), held in Detroit. This year, the 2017 Detroit Auto Show adopts a technological theme, called Automobili-D (since the Los Angeles Auto Show is already using AutoMobility LA). A day of new product debuts is planned in advance of the shows opening to the public on January 14. This is what you might expect to see.

Audi

Audi is planning a press conference in Detroit, but what the company plans to show remains a mystery as of mid-December 2016. Both the Audi A6 and the Audi A8 are due for a complete redesign, and the company is expected to introduce new SQ5 and SQ7 performance versions of its popular SUVs to the U.S. market. Audi is hard at work on autonomous vehicles, too, and could announce a new technology related to self-driving cars.





2018 BMW 530e iPerformance photo

BMW



BMW has already released details about the redesigned 2017 5 Series, but the car appears in the flesh for the first time in Detroit. Leading up to the show, the company has announced a 5 Series lineup expansion that includes the 540i, 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid, and powerful M550i xDrive. BMW also plans to preview its upcoming X2 crossover with the X2 Concept.



Chevrolet

Chevrolet will reveal a redesigned 2018 Traverse in Detroit. Rumors are flying that a new Blazer is also in the product pipeline, based on the same architecture as the redesigned 2017 GMC Acadia, so the Traverse will retain the full-size crossover positioning that GMC abandoned with the latest Acadia. Another possible debut is a hot new ZR1 version of the Corvette.



Ford

A redesigned 2018 Ford Expedition is almost ready for prime time and could be the companys Detroit Auto Show focus. Expect to see the 2018 Fiesta in Detroit, too, and perhaps a refreshed 2018 Ford Mustang. Other surprises could include whatever comes next for the full-size Taurus sedan, or a concept vehicle pointing the way to the next-generation Explorer SUV.



GAC Motor

The Chinese Guangzhou Automobile Group is holding a press conference in Detroit and will showcase its products on the hall floor during the public auto show days. Visit GAC Motors website (www.gac-motor.com) and youll find a range of awkwardly proportioned sedans and SUVs with more than a passing resemblance to Korean vehicles of the 2000s.



GMC

Look for a redesigned 2018 GMC Terrain in Detroit. The new Terrain will continue to share its basic architecture and powertrains with the Chevrolet Equinox, which is also new for 2018. Expect an impressive array of driver-assistance, collision-avoidance, and infotainment technologies, in addition to a trio of turbocharged 4-cylinder enginesincluding a diesel said to get 40 mpg on the highway.





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2018 Honda Odyssey teaser sketch

Honda



Honda will reveal the next-generation 2018 Odyssey in Detroit. From styling and utility to safety and driving dynamics, the new Odyssey faces a tough competitor in the Chrysler Pacifica. Also, the Chrysler is available in plug-in electric hybrid format, so Honda had better bring its A game to the Motor City.



Infiniti

The oldest model in the Infiniti vehicle lineup is the QX50, which originally debuted as the EX35 for the 2008 model year. Given that the QX50 slots into one of the most popular vehicle segments in the luxury class, it desperately needs replacement. That successor is expected to arrive in Detroit, looking quite similar to the QX Sport Inspiration Concept vehicle that Infiniti has already shown to the public.



Kia

Kia marches to the beat of its own drum, and that continues with the expected reveal of a new car called the GT. A 5-passenger, 5-door hatchback with rakish styling, the GT is rumored to be based on the same platform as the Genesis G80, built by its parent company, Hyundai Motor Co. Think Audi A5 Sportback or BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and youll understand what the Kia GT is going to be.



Lexus

Once a car is on sale for a decade without a complete redesign, it unofficially qualifies as ancient. The current Lexus LS, the companys flagship sedan, is ancient. A new one will be unveiled in Detroit, sitting on the same brand-new platform and component set as the hot new LC Coupe. Expect a V-8 engine, a hybrid drivetrain, and far more dramatic design than the current LS.





2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe photo

Mercedes-Benz



Mercedes-Benz recently unveiled the all-new 2018 E-Class Coupe, and if history is any indication, that lineup will expand in Detroit with AMG-flavored performance variants taking center stage. Dont be surprised to find the new E-Class Cabriolet on display, either, providing show-goers with a little taste of summer within the dead of winter.



Nissan

Ancient describes more than just the Infiniti QX50 and Lexus LS. Nissans Frontier pickup truck is older than both of them, and basically looks the same as it did when it first went on sale for the 2005 model year. Is the company finally ready to reveal a replacement, one equipped with a new V-6 engine that is also destined for the Titan half-ton truck? If not, it oughta be.





2018 Toyota Camry teaser photo

Toyota



Toyota has already confirmed that it will introduce the completely redesigned 2018 Camry at the Detroit Auto Show. The most popular midsize sedan in America, the new Camry sits on the automakers latest global architecture, and the company says it will be both appealing to behold and fun to drive.



Volkswagen

After launching an SUV push with the 2018 Atlas in Los Angeles, Volkswagen may finally provide a look at the production version of the long-gestating Tiguan replacement. The 2018 Tiguan is expected to grow in size to better satisfy American preferences.



Volvo

With the S90 sedan, V90 wagon, and XC90 SUV lines fleshed out, Volvo may turn its attention to the S60, V60, and XC60 models during the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. All three are ripe for replacement, and the company has already announced that they will ride on the same scalable platform and architecture used for the company range of flagship models.

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According to GuruFocus , these stocks have reached their 52-week highs.

VMware reached the 52-week high of $81.65

VMware Inc. (VMW) provides virtualization infrastructure solutions. It develops and markets its product and service offerings within three main product groups: SDDC or Software-Defined Data Center, End-User Computing, and Hybrid Cloud Computing.





The company offers development and application of virtualization technologies with x86 server-based computing, separating application software from the underlying hardware. The SDDC architecture consists of four main product categories: Compute, Storage and Availability, Network and Security, Management and Automation.

The price of VMware shares has reached $81.65, which is 1.7% off the 52-week high of $83.00. VMware has a market cap of $33.75 billion; its shares were traded around $81.65 with a price-earnings (P/E) ratio of 31.04 and price-sales (P/S) ratio of 5.02. VMware had an annual average earnings growth of 24.80% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated VMware the business predictability rank of 3.5-star .

The company recently reported third-quarter revenue of $1.78 billion, an increase of 6% from the third quarter of 2015. GAAP net income for the third quarter was $319 million, or 75 cents per diluted share, up 25% per diluted share compared to $256 million, or 60 cents per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $485 million, or $1.14 per diluted share, up 12% per diluted share compared to $433 million, or $1.02 per diluted share, for third quarter of 2015. GAAP operating income for the third quarter was $381 million, an increase of 17% from the third quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP operating income for the third quarter was $592 million, an increase of 12% from the third quarter of 2015.

Story continues

Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales Maurizio Carli sold 12,650 shares for $81.14 per share on Dec. 8. The stock price has increased by 0.63% since.

Broadcom reached the 52-week high of $181.07

Broadcom Ltd. (AVGO) is engaged in designing, developing and supplying analog and digital semiconductor connectivity solutions. Its product portfolio serves four primary end markets: wired infrastructure, wireless communications, enterprise storage and industrial and other. The company offers products including Broadband Access + Modems, Enterprise + Network Processors, Wireless Infrastructure, Ethernet Communication + Switching, Set-Top Box + Media Processors and Wireless Connectivity products.

The price of Broadcom shares has reached $181.07, which is 0.5% off the 52-week high of $181.94. Broadcom has a market cap of $71.94 billion; its shares were traded around $181.07 with a P/S ratio of 5.39. Broadcom's trailing 12-month dividend yield is 1.39%. The forward dividend yield is 2.29%. Broadcom had an annual average earnings growth of 25.30% over the past five years.

For the fourth fiscal quarter of 2016, the company reported that the quarterly interim dividend doubled to $1.02 per share from the prior quarter. There was a quarterly GAAP gross margin of 52.5% and quarterly non-GAAP gross margin from continuing operations of 60.8%. Quarterly GAAP diluted loss per share was $1.59; quarterly non-GAAP diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $3.47.

Director Silver Lake (offshore) AIV GP sold 385,797 shares of Broadcom for $180.36 per share on Dec. 15. The stock price has increased by 0.39% since.

PNC Financial Services Group reached the 52-week high of $116.06

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (PNC) is a diversified financial services company in the U.S. and is engaged in retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, asset management and residential mortgage banking, providing products and services nationally, as well as other products and services in its markets located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois and many other states. It also provides products and services internationally.

The company operates in six reportable business segments: Retail Banking; Corporate & Institutional Banking; Asset Management Group; Residential Mortgage Banking; BlackRock; and Non-Strategic Assets Portfolio.

The price of PNC Financial Services Group shares has reached $116.06, which is 0.1% off the 52-week high of $116.20. PNC Financial Services Group has a market cap of $56.42 billion; its shares were traded around $115.98 with a P/E ratio of 16.09 and P/S ratio of 3.87.

PNC Financial Services Group's trailing 12-month dividend yield is 1.83%. The forward dividend yield is 1.92%. PNC Financial Services Group had an annual average earnings growth of 4.50% over the past 10 years.

The company has a reported net income of $1.0 billion, or $1.84 per diluted common share, for the third quarter compared with net income of $989 million, or $1.82 per diluted common share, for the second quarter and net income of $1.1 billion, or $1.90 per diluted common share, for the third quarter of 2015.

Controller Gregory H. Kozich sold 4,000 shares for $112.41 per share on Dec. 1. The stock price has increased by 3.18% since.

UnitedHealth Group reached the 52-week high of $161.84

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) operates as a diversified health and well-being company in the U.S. The company's UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, individuals and military service members and health care coverage and health and well-being services to individuals aged 50 and older addressing their needs for preventive and acute health care services. Its OptumHealth segment offers health management services including care delivery and management, wellness and consumer engagement, distribution and health financial services.

The company's OptumInsight segment provides software and information products, advisory consulting services and business process outsourcing and support services to hospitals, physicians, commercial health plans, government agencies, life sciences companies and other organizations. Its OptumRx segment offers pharmacy care services and programs.

The price of UnitedHealth Group shares has reached $161.84, which is 0.4% off the 52-week high of $162.52. UnitedHealth Group has a market cap of $154.04 billion; its shares were traded around $161.84 with a P/E ratio of 23.92 and P/S ratio of 0.88. UnitedHealth Group's trailing 12-month dividend yield is 1.47%. The forward dividend yield is 1.52%. UnitedHealth Group had an annual average earnings growth of 11.70% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated UnitedHealth Group the business predictability rank of 5-star.

The company reported third-quarter revenues of $46.3 billion that grew 12% year over year. Third-quarter earnings from operations grew 19% year over year. Cash flows from operations were $7.2 billion in the third quarter. Adjusted cash flows from operations were $3.4 billion, up 22% year over year .Third-quarter net earnings were $2.03 per share. Adjusted net earnings grew 23% year over year to $2.17 per share.

Director Richard T. Burke sold 15,000 shares for $159.8 per share on Dec. 15. The stock price increased by 1.28% since.

Reynolds American reached the 52-week high of $56.01

Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) was incorporated in North Carolina on Jan. 2, 2004. The company, through its subsidiaries, manufactures cigarettes and other tobacco products under the Natural American Spirit brand in the U.S. Its reportable operating segments are RJR Tobacco, American Snuff and Santa Fe. The RJR Tobacco segment consists of the primary operations of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. American Snuff offers adult tobacco consumers a range of differentiated smokeless tobacco products, moist snuff. RJR Tobacco's brands include many of the selling cigarettes in the U.S.

The price of Reynolds American shares has reached $56.01, which is 1.1% off the 52-week high of $56.65. Reynolds American has a market cap of $79.86 billion; its shares were traded around $56.01 with a P/E ratio of 14.90 and P/S ratio of 6.28. Reynolds American's trailing 12-month dividend yield is 3.14%. The forward dividend yield is 3.31%. Reynolds American had an annual average earnings growth of 8.30% over the past 10 years. GuruFocus rated Reynolds American the business predictability rank of 2-star.

The company recently reported an EPS of 60 cents for the third quarter, up 30.4% from the prior-year quarter. Third-quarter adjusted EPS was 61 cents, up 10.9%.

Disclosure: I do not own these stocks.

Start a free seven-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






By Daniel Trotta ELIZABETH, N.J. (Reuters) - An Afghan-born U.S. citizen accused of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to New Jersey state charges, including attempted murder of police officers wounded in a shootout upon his arrest. Ahmad Khan Rahimi, 28, appeared in the Union County Courthouse handcuffed in front with a protective vest, white skullcap and beard. His court-appointed lawyer pleaded not guilty to all charges on his behalf. Rahimi also faces a host of federal charges in New York and New Jersey and a life sentence if convicted of setting off bombs in coastal New Jersey and in New York City in September and leaving behind others that failed to detonate. He pleaded not guilty to federal charges in New York in November. Some 30 people were injured by the explosion of a homemade device place under a trash bin on a street in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. Rahimi was arrested two days later in a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and spent a month in the hospital under detention before being transferred to jail. U.S. investigators have portrayed Rahimi as a jihadist who begged for martyrdom and praised Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Federal officials say Rahimi bought bomb components on eBay, made a video of himself testing out homemade explosives, and kept a journal expressing outrage at the U.S. "slaughter" of mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Palestine. In New Jersey he faces a 30-count indictment including five counts of attempted murder of law enforcement officers, plus an array assault and weapons charges. Rahimi became the target of a manhunt after the bombings and was spotted by a police officer in Linden outside a bar on the morning of Sept. 19. Rahimi used his handgun to shoot the officer in his protective vest, prosecutors allege. An exchange of gunfire broke out as more police responded, and Rahimi was shot multiple times a few blocks away from where he was originally confronted, prosecutors said. A second officer was wounded by a bullet fragment to the head but neither was seriously injured. Rahimi had entered a preliminary not-guilty plea to the New Jersey state charges from his hospital bed by a courtroom video link in October. Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield had previously set bail for him at $5.2 million. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bill Trott)
Some people who suffer from neurologic conditions, such as stroke, dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, as well as those who've sustained brain injuries, face an added indignity: uncontrollable outbursts of laughing or crying.

Called pseudobulbar affect, clinicians say PBA is vexing for many who suffer from it; frequently, a person isn't quite sure what's going on and may not bring it up with his or her doctor. "Often times we don't ask or patients are embarrassed to talk about it," says Dr. Lynn Vidakovic, an attending physician in rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which specializes in rehab for areas ranging from stroke to brain injuries.

But research finds 28 to 52 percent of stroke survivors suffer from the condition, according to the American Stroke Association. "It can be extremely debilitating and affect [people's] relationships professionally, personally, socially," Vidakovic says. With PBA, damage to the brain caused by a tumor, traumatic injury or neurologic condition can affect a person's ability to regulate his or her emotions. "The emotional outplay, whether it be laughing or crying, can either be disproportionate or it can be completely inappropriate. Obviously that can be very distressing," Vidakovic says, adding it can cause a person to withdraw. "It can be socially isolating."

[Stroke: 10 Ways to Lower Your Risk of Stroke.]

Because many who experience the emotional misfires often don't know what's causing them, it's underreported, says Dr. Felipe De Los Rios, stroke director for the Baptist Health Neuroscience Center, part of Baptist Health South Florida, in Miami. So people don't know what to do when outbursts occur.

There's no cure for PBA. But in cases where the underlying problem is addressed or improves -- such as where a person gets noticeably better following a stroke or a brain injury -- the awkward outbursts may cease to be as pronounced or occur less often, and medication may also help a person regain control of his or her emotions. "In those kind of cases, you're not going to have progression of symptoms, [and] people can expect to have more emotional control," says Dr. Osman Mir, an assistant professor of neurology at Texas A&M University in College Station and director of the Baylor Health Care System Telestroke Program in Dallas. For people with progressive diseases like ALS, PBA may worsen. But even in such cases, medication can reduce the number and severity of the emotional outburst episodes, Mir says.

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Experts say those with a neurologic condition or who have sustained brain damage who suspect an issue with emotional control should speak with their doctor and undergo an evaluation to ensure a proper diagnosis. And family members advocating for loved ones with neurologic disorders, like Alzheimer's disease, are also encouraged to speak up about concerns. A comprehensive evaluation should include screening for any underlying mental health or psychiatric cause, Vidakovic says. If the issue is determined to be PBA and symptoms are mild, experts say, simply knowing that's the source of the problem may be enough to cope -- and explain to family and friends the cause for emotional outbursts. "Not everyone needs treatment," De Los Rios says. "Many times just actually being aware that this is a manifestation of a neurologic disorder -- it's enough."

[See: 5 Ways to Cope With Mild Cognitive Impairment.]

However, where symptoms are more disruptive and affect function, clinicians say certain medications may help. The drug Nuedexta is the only treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically for PBA. Research supporting its effectiveness was done on patients with ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and multiple sclerosis. But doctors sometimes prescribe it for post-stroke patients and others with PBA as well. The FDA notes, however, that the medication wasn't shown to be safe and effective for treating other types of emotional lability that frequently occur with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.

Patients prescribed Nuedexta typically take the drug once daily the first week and then increase the dose to take it twice daily after that. "There can be side effects with it. You can get nauseous, you can get dizzy," De Los Rios says. Other common side effects include cough, vomiting and swelling of the feet and ankles. Less commonly, it can affect a patient's heart rate or rhythm; so your physician may need to do an electrocardiogram, or EKG, to check your heart function.

Clinicians add that the drug's expense deters some patients. Nuedexta costs, on average, more than $700 for 60 capsules (a 30-day supply), according to GoodRx.com, which provides prescription pricing information. So check insurance coverage and what your out-of-pocket costs would be in advance.

Alternatively, experts say certain antidepressants may be an option to treat PBA as well. Those include tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline or nortriptyline, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs like Prozac (also called fluoxetine). "We think that those can help, too," De Los Rios says.

[See: Emerging Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease.]

Talk with your doctor about all options and the potential benefits and harms of each medication. "We typically try different things," De Los Rios says. "But it [comes] down to really how severely affected the person is by this, and if they want to take something to manage it."

Michael Schroeder is a health editor at U.S. News. He covers a wide array of topics ranging from cancer to depression and prevention to overtreatment. He's been reporting on health since 2005. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at mschroeder@usnews.com.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A foreign national was abducted by gunmen in northern Kunduz province in an attack on a Red Cross convoy, an Afghan official said Tuesday.

Spain's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the abductee is a Spanish citizen.

Mahmood Danish, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Tuesday that armed men stopped a convoy of vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday and snatched the only foreigner, leaving the Afghans behind.

No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the abduction. ICRC's spokesman in Kabul, Ahmad Ramin Ayaz, confirmed the abduction without providing further details.

Ayaz says the ICRC staffers were traveling in two vehicles from northern Balkh province toward Kunduz province when the attack happened.

The Spanish statement quoted Monica Zanarelli, who heads the Red Cross delegation in Afghanistan, as saying the organization was in contact with different authorities in a bid to have their staffer freed.

"We're extremely concerned for the safety of our colleague. We're doing our best to discover what precisely happened, and to secure his safe and unconditional release as quickly as possible," Zanarelli said.
Donald Trump isnt his commander-in-chief quite yet, so on Monday the U.S. Air Force general in charge of the troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program pushed back against the president-elects comments from last week describing production of the state-of-the-art plane.

Trump had attacked the program on Twitter, saying The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th. The tweet came less than a week after the incoming president attacked another major Air Force contract -- the deal with Boeing to upgrade the presidential plane, Air Force One.

Related: The F-35 Just Aced a Big Test -- and Became Much More Dangerous

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan said, This program is not out of control. He added, I would like to explain to the new administration this is a vastly different program from 2011.

Bogdan was referring to a time when many of the cost overruns with the program peaked. While the program still faces considerable criticism from within and without the Pentagon, Bogdan insisted that it has been dramatically reformed in recent years.

Since 2011 we have basically been on schedule, Bogdan said. Since 2011 we have basically been on budget. We are delivering now today 50+ airplanes a year.

He went on to predict that when the program is finally operating at capacity (only a relative handful of planes are currently being produced each year) that they are expected to come down in price significantly  probably somewhere on the order of six to seven percent.

Related: The Pentagon Is Planning a New Super Rival to the Troubled F-35

Bogdan said he was not upset that the incoming administration would be looking for efficiencies in the Defense Departments procurement system.

The new administration I believe is putting everyone on notice, not just industry but the Department that it wants better value from its dollar. I applaud the new administration for doing that.

Story continues

Also on Monday, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James spoke at a separate event in Washington and said that if Trump thinks hell be able to step in and immediately reduce the costs of the F-35 program, he might want to think again.

Its not quite as easy as it seems to get these costs down, James said, a message she indicated her staff is currently trying to make clear to the Trump transition team.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Abdiqani Hassan and Feisal Omar BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - Al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab militants shot dead an aide to a regional official in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Tuesday, the second such attack in a week, police said. Aden Huruse, a director in Puntland's presidential palace, was attacked at a restaurant in its main city Bosasso, police told Reuters. "Two men armed with pistols fired several bullets into his head. He died on the spot," said Major Mohamed Hassan, a Bosasso police officer. Al Shabaab regularly targets officials throughout Somalia. Its insurgency aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple Somalia's Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state. Tuesday's shooting occurred six days after al Shabaab gunmen killed the region's deputy police commander Jamac Sahardiid outside a hotel in Bosasso. "This evening we killed the director in Bosasso. We were also behind the killing of Puntland's deputy police commander days ago," said Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the militant's military operation spokesman. The al Shabaab insurgency persists in Somalia as it pursues reconstruction after more than two decades of conflict and chaos that have left the nation in tatters. Somalis are now voting across the country for a new parliament, which will choose a new president. (Writing by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Being President-elect Donald Trump isnt actually that lucrative  not if youre Alec Baldwin, at least.

The 58-year-old actor has been receiving praise for his highly publicized impersonation of the businessmanturnedpolitician on Saturday Night Live  even picking up the Critics Choice Award honor for the part.

But despite his two Emmy Awards and endless film, television and stage credits, Baldwin makes just $1,400 for each appearance on the show.

The revelation came during a profile of Baldwin in The New York Times in which the actor discussed how he approached the role, the differences he sees between him and Trump, and the impact playing the President-elect has had on him personally.

A staunch Democrat, Baldwin could not be further from Trump politically. But he said he hasnt invested much time delving into Trumps psyche; instead, hes chosen to study the way the 70-year-old moves and talks.

He admitted to amplifying some gestures and distilling others, always attempting to reduce Trump to the essence of who he thinks he really is  a pitchman.

RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Explains SNL Hate, Saying Its a Terrible Show

And the main secret to Baldwins Trump? Behind the honey-colored makeup, tangerine wig and puckered lips is a man the actor explained is constantly (and unsuccessfully) in search of something better to say.

I see a guy who seems to pause and dig for the more precise and better language he wants to use, and never finds it, Baldwin said, labelling Trumps pregnant pauses in his speech as puffs.

Its the same dish. Its a grilled-cheese sandwich rhetorically over and over again, he added.

Baldwins received plenty of backlash for his impersonation  from Trumps supporters and Trump himself. But he said he plans to continue playing Trump on the hit NBC sketch series, even if his work schedule might take him away from Studio 8H from time to time.

I think that now that he is the president, we have an obligation  as we would if it was him or her  to dial it up as much as we can, Baldwin said.

Saturday Night Live returns Jan. 14 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.




(Reuters) - Drugmaker Allergan Plc said on Tuesday it would buy LifeCell, a regenerative medicine unit owned by privately held Acelity LP Inc, for $2.9 billion in cash, bringing the number of deals it has made this year to an even dozen.

LifeCell makes regenerative tissue products that are commonly used in breast reconstruction procedures and complex hernia surgeries to provide soft tissue support. The products will support Allergan's portfolio of medical aesthetics, breast implants and tissue expanders, the company said.

Allergan Chief Executive Brent Saunders has described the company's acquisition strategy as being one of "stepping stones." Allergan's deal to sell itself last year to Pfizer Inc for $160 billion was dropped due to a change in tax law.

Allergan, best known for its Botox product, said Lifecell's 2016 sales are expected to be $450 million and grow at a mid-single digit rate. It expects the deal to close in the first half of 2017.

Dublin-based Allergan, which was created through the combination of Actavis and Allergan, earlier this year sold its generics business to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, freeing up cash for deals.

Allergan has agreed to 12 deals this year, including the $1.7 billion acquisition of Tobira Therapeutics Inc, maker of an experimental treatment for fatty liver disease, and $639 million acquiring Vitae, maker of an experimental drug to treat psoriasis.

Allergan shares fell 1.2 percent to $190.17.

(Reporting by Caroline Humer in New York and Akankshita Mukhopadhyay in Bengaluru; Editing by Martina D'Couto and Frances Kerry)
An Oscar-nominated costume designer known for collaborations with Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Richard Curtis, Joanna Johnston this year realized her ninth collaboration with Robert Zemeckis, with the thrilling, romantic actioner, Allied. A timeless film of old Hollywood appeal, Allied tells a tale of love and deceit set against a gorgeous intercontinental backdrop. Speaking with Deadline, Johnston shares her admiration of Zemeckis and his innovative drive, which has persisted since their first collaboration on 1988s Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Bearing in mind that Robert Zemeckis is one of your longest-standing collaborators, what was it that grabbed you about Allied?

Well, Bob. Its very easy. I think all his work is very appealing, and the story. It was very simple. I loved the story. It was very fresh.

What unfolded in your early conversations about the film?

He hasnt done anything this early in a live-action film, so he just said, Lets make it look good, and then I propositioned that we give it this quite glossy look, as regards to clothes, primarily because the two lead actors, I thought the idea of a polished, glossy look would work particularly well with them, because theyre so good looking already. Trying to go up to their level, both of them. That was the start of it, really.

Every part of the film, from the costumes to the casting, has an elegant, timeless quality to it. Did you look to certain classic films of the period for inspiration?

Thats good. Thats sort of what I wanted. Its got the old fashioned quality, but its got a modernity to it which is appealing today. I slightly tailored it into those two aspects. We were on funny times at the moment, and I like the idea of something which was a bit escapism, as the Second World War. The films made in Hollywood, particularly in Hollywood over that time, they gave that sense of a time away from everything else. You get lost into another world.

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I think they did make them more lovely and more glossy, and the stars at the time were revered to a point where everything was just so beautiful about them. Wasnt it? The big stars of the day Its so classic. Cary Grant and his looks were always that finessed, tailored perfection in his attire. Robert Taylor, all those guysthe grooming on their hair, everything.

At this point in your career, do you still go through a thorough research process when approaching a project?

Yes, the Imperial War Museum, I work with on all my war films. War Horse, Valkyrie, Saving Private Ryan They are one of my favorite sources of research on anything militarily. I knew a good deal about London during the war, but I did not know about North Africa at all, so that was quite a lot of learning of what was going on there. I also didnt know about French style during the war, and what the French fashion plates were doing. [Pitt and Cotillard], at the beginning, are pretending to be a French couple

You never know, not even half a film, even if you think you do, because theres always geographical, social specifics which youve got to delve into and research. I love research and I looked at the Hollywood stuff, as well, and I hadnt done that really, either. Its lovely to research actually, this show, because it was very diverse, all the different aspects. Very, very diverse.

The film has a strong sense of place, and sections of the film are broken down across continents. Id imagine that presented its share of challenges.

Youre absolutely right. Yes, it was challenging because we were very rarely in the country that the story is telling you youre meant to be. The only place we were in which was right was London for London. When we were on the streets, like Hampstead. That actually was Hampstead. I cant say that we were in any other place. We were never in France. We were never in Morocco.

Youve got to sell it with the costumes, but actually, probably more importantly, its the faces. With the extras, we have to get a lot of Moroccan faces in London, and also we shot in the Canary Islands, so we had to sell Morocco in the Canary Islands as well. Whether you slightly over-egg it or not, I dont know, but youve got to convince the audience thats where you are. Whatever that takes.

What materials were used in crafting your costumes? Were they all created from scratch?

On this film, pretty much built all the principle characters, to give it whatever the look is that it might have. Youre also buying and sourcing and looking at original things for reference, or detail, or cut or cloth. We looked at a lot of original uniforms for the Royal Canadian Air Force uniform that Max wears. Actually, we started with some original uniforms from the date, because they last quite well there. Theyre quite a heavy cloth.

With Brad Pitt, we put on some original tunics for him. Its helpful, I think, for the actor to see what the origins were with something like that. But its all kinds of different things that youre doing all at the same time, buying fabrics, making patterns, looking at original things. Photographic reference.

The colors in the costumes shift seem to shift from light to dark as the plot thickens. What was the idea there?

It is for her. Yes, and also for him to a degree, but when we go to London, Max is Max. When you go to London, Marianne is not Marianne still. She takes a mantle of what shes pertaining to be. In Casablanca, shes a chic, stylish French woman, living in a hot country. The design is very clean. Its very smooth. Its graphic. When she goes to London, its cool as well, and its primarily cool in color. When she goes to London, she goes, as you say, darker. She goes into wools. Shes more hairy in the cloth. Her patterns are more muddled and theres slightly less definition to her. Its subtle, but you picked it up, so you did really well.

What was the process of working with the leads on Allied?

They were fantastically collaborative, very professional, very interested in the design. It involves a lot of sittings for both of them, when youre making so much stuff. I understand the toil that that takes on an actor, because they have to come and stand with me, particularly Marion, because she had so many different diverse pieces. Its hard when youre tired and youve got a whole lot of other lines to learn, and shooting hours to shoot. They both were doing a film right up until we started shooting our film. Youre juggling time with them, so youre often doing fittings in the middle of the night. The first time I met Marion, it was like ten oclock at night.

Having worked with Zemeckis for so long, what is it that stands out about him, in relation to your craft?

First of all, I have to say, I think Ive been really lucky. Bob has got a remarkably clever head on his shoulders, and he loves the technology and always has. Like when we did Forrest Gump, he was totally breaking new ground. Every film, Roger Rabbit, all of those Hes always breaking new ground. He never makes it easy on himself. He always gives himself quite a complicated scenario, but I suppose thats just how he functions.

This one is this old-fashioned way, which is it was a studio film made primarily in the studios, but he had all the new technology, with Kevin Baillie, who does his visual effects now. Theyre these guys with this incredible toolbox of extraordinary abilities now. Every film I do with Bob, the bar has gone higher and higher as to what he can do. Some of the complications of the shots in this film are staggering.

I think hes got his own singular way of not only being a great storyteller, but having all these other aspects to the filmmaking. He has them in the front of his head from the outset, it seems to me. I dont know, youd have to ask him, really, because I cant really speak for him, but hes just clever.

It certainly is complicatedBrad and Marion turning over tables and shooting up the room, bombs going off and hospital beds being wheeled through the streets. Do you think about imbuing your costumes with a certain practicality to work in concert with these complex maneuvers?

Yes, always on any outset of any scene, you have to look at all the arcs and curves and the practicalities of what they go through. Theyre going through rain, theyre going through a dusty Moroccan street, theyre running, theyre jumping, theyve got debris falling. Youve got to be aware in the design process of everything thats got to happen, so therefore you give the actor what they need, you give the director what he needs, and then you make enough repeats of what you need so the production have got what they want, in regards to stunts, or wet, or whatever it is, as well as doing the design you want it to be.

Its a sort of multiple platform process, as you say, with some of these scenes. Not all of them, but there were quite a few on this.

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(Corrects figures in second paragragh to dollars from Canadian dollars)

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Amaya Inc founder David Baazov said on Tuesday he had ended talks to buy the Canadian online gambling company as some shareholders were demanding a higher premium.

Baazov, a former CEO of Amaya, offered to buy the company in November in a deal valued at about $4.1 billion. Including debt and transaction costs, the deal was for $6.7 billion.

Baazov said last month he would seek new funding for the portion of the offer he was financing along with a consortium of investors after an investor he had previously said was backing the offer turned out not to be.

Baazov and four funds were to have financed $3.65 billion of the deal.

(Reporting by Vishaka George in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
(Adds details, shares)

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Amaya Inc's founder David Baazov said on Tuesday he had ended talks to buy the Canadian online gambling company because some shareholders were demanding a higher premium.

Amaya's U.S.-listed shares fell about 3 percent to$14 in premarket trading on Tuesday.

Baazov, Amaya's former chief executive, offered to buy the company in mid-November in a deal valued at about $4.1 billion. Including debt and transaction costs, the deal was for $6.7 billion.

Baazov in late November said he would seek new funding for the portion of the offer he was financing along with a consortium of investors after KBC Aldini Capital denied its involvement in the deal.

KBC was one of four investors named by Baazov as his backers. The others were the Head & Shoulders Global Investment Fund, Hong Kong-based Goldenway Capital and Ferdyne Advisory, which is registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Baazov and the four funds were to have financed $3.65 billion of the deal.

Amaya, which owns gambling websites PokerStars and Full Tilt, said in February it had received a non-binding proposal from Baazov to take the company private for C$21 per share ($15.66). Baazov, who owns 17 percent of Amaya, increased his offer to C24 per share in November.

($1 = 1.3410 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Vishaka George in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Martina D'Couto)
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) on Tuesday won about $15.3 million in an antitrust lawsuit that accused airline booking service Sabre Corp (SABR.O) of harming competition and charging grossly inflated booking fees.

The Manhattan federal jury awarded nearly $5.1 million, a fraction of the up to $73 million American Airlines was seeking at trial. But the sum automatically will be tripled under federal antitrust law.

American Airlines was suing under the name of US Airways, the carrier it merged with in 2013. US Airways had filed the lawsuit in 2011.

American Airlines welcomed the verdict, saying it hoped the jury's finding that Sabre had violated federal antritrust law in a 2011 contract with US Airways could result in changes in how the airline's services are sold.

The jury rejected a separate claim that Sabre conspired with its competitors to not compete with each other.

Sabre said in a statement that it continued to believe it had operated "fairly and lawfully." The company said it would seek to have the verdict set aside and, if unsuccessful, pursue an appeal.

Following the verdict, Sabre shares closed at $25.15, down 35 cents, or 1.4 percent, on Nasdaq.

The case concerned fees that Sabre and other travel reservation systems collect from airlines to display flights for booking.

At trial, Chuck Diamond, a lawyer for American Airlines, contended that Sabre used its power in the industry to "bully" airlines into paying unfair fees and signing unfair contracts that suppress competition and maintain its position.

The lawsuit claimed that provisions of a 2011 contract between US Airways and Sabre, including those governing what fares the airline makes available to a computerized network by Sabre used by travel agents, harmed competition.

The airline also contended that Sabre conspired with its competitors to not compete with each other for airline content like flight and fare information at the expense of consumers and innovation.

Story continues

Sabre denied conspiring with competitors, and said its contract with US Airways benefited competition. Chris Lind, a lawyer for Sabre, told jurors US Airways was far from powerless as it could leave the network, causing agents to stop using it.

The case is US Airways Inc v. Sabre Holdings Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-cv-2725.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; editing by Leslie Adler and Richard Chang)
MARTINSVILLE (JG-TC) -- The annual Herb Williams Christmas Day Dinner for the community is scheduled to be held on Sunday in Martinsville.

Organizers report that a free dinner of ham, turkey, side dishes and desserts will be served at noon on Christmas Day at the Martinsville Community Center downtown.

Those who want to attend the dinner can register in advance on a sign-up sheet at the Casey State Bank branch in Martinsville or by calling the bank at 217-382-1080. Last-minute arrivals are welcome at the dinner.

The annual dinner originated in 1986 as Martinsville residents Herb and Rosemary Williams prepared for a Christmas when their family members were not able to return home.

Herb Williams enjoyed cooking, so he and his wife came up with the idea of organizing a community dinner for those who do not want to be alone on Christmas. The Christmas dinner became an annual event and now serves approximately 130 to 160 meals each year.

After Mr. Williams died, many Martinsville community members joined forces with Mrs. Williams to continue this dinner in his memory. The Martinsville FBLA members helped with the organizing for several years.

This year, the American Legion Post, Martinsville Township, and several individual volunteers are once again partnering to make the dinner possible. Those who want to assist with the dinner can contact Susie Weir at 217-932-5401 or sweir@hughes.net.
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc <AAL.O> on Tuesday won about $15.3 million in an antitrust lawsuit that accused airline booking service Sabre Corp <SABR.O> of harming competition and charging grossly inflated booking fees.

The Manhattan federal jury awarded nearly $5.1 million, a fraction of the up to $73 million American Airlines was seeking at trial. But the sum automatically will be tripled under federal antitrust law.

American Airlines was suing under the name of US Airways, the carrier it merged with in 2013. US Airways had filed the lawsuit in 2011.

American Airlines welcomed the verdict, saying it hoped the jury's finding that Sabre had violated federal antritrust law in a 2011 contract with US Airways could result in changes in how the airline's services are sold.

The jury rejected a separate claim that Sabre conspired with its competitors to not compete with each other.

Sabre said in a statement that it continued to believe it had operated "fairly and lawfully." The company said it would seek to have the verdict set aside and, if unsuccessful, pursue an appeal.

Following the verdict, Sabre shares closed at $25.15, down 35 cents, or 1.4 percent, on Nasdaq.

The case concerned fees that Sabre and other travel reservation systems collect from airlines to display flights for booking.

At trial, Chuck Diamond, a lawyer for American Airlines, contended that Sabre used its power in the industry to "bully" airlines into paying unfair fees and signing unfair contracts that suppress competition and maintain its position.

The lawsuit claimed that provisions of a 2011 contract between US Airways and Sabre, including those governing what fares the airline makes available to a computerized network by Sabre used by travel agents, harmed competition.

The airline also contended that Sabre conspired with its competitors to not compete with each other for airline content like flight and fare information at the expense of consumers and innovation.

Story continues

Sabre denied conspiring with competitors, and said its contract with US Airways benefited competition. Chris Lind, a lawyer for Sabre, told jurors US Airways was far from powerless as it could leave the network, causing agents to stop using it.

The case is US Airways Inc v. Sabre Holdings Corp et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-cv-2725.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; editing by Leslie Adler and Richard Chang)
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An American woman was just 20 feet away from the truck that plowed into a crowd at a busy Christmas market in Berlin Monday evening, killing 12 and injuring 48 others.

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Shandana Durrani, who recently relocated to Berlin for her job as a travel and lifestyle journalist, told Good Morning America on Tuesday she first thought it was a horrible accident  and not what German Chancellor Angela Merkel would later declare a likely terrorist attack.

I just thought that somebody had lost control of a truck and, you know, hit the curb and went over the curb, she said. It happened so fast. It felt like slow-motion but I think it was like 10, 15 seconds of it. I didnt immediately think terror attack.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

She added that as a Muslim-American, the thought of another terror attack just makes me nauseous.

Durrani said that she was leaving the market when she paused to check a text message.

I stopped to respond to a text message that I had gotten from a friend and I think thats basically what saved me from being hit, because as I looked up, this truck was barreling through the market and through the stalls and through the crowd coming almost at me, she said.

She described running away from the scene and hiding behind a stall.

I didnt know if there was a gun, I didnt know what was going on, she said. I heard a few pops, and myself and a few other people hid behind a stall until we thought the coast was clear.

When the survivors emerged, Durrani said she saw bodies on the ground and left the scene so first responders could work.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

In a brief statement Tuesday, Merkel said, according to the New York Times, This is a difficult day. I am, like millions of people during these hours, horrified and shocked by what happened at the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin.

We must assume at the current time that it was a terrorist attack, Merkel added.

According to the Times, a suspect possibly involved in the attack is in custody. Authorities said the suspect entered Germany and registered as an applicant for asylum last year, but his application had not been processed, due in part to missed court appearances.

However, Berlin Police President Klaus Kandt has told reporters that officials havent been able to confirm that theyve got the right suspect, according to the Associated Press.

Kandt asked the public to stay alert because authorities are uncertain if the detained suspect is the attacker, and that its possible the actual attacker is at large, the Washington Post reports.




Finalizing Design Plans for One of the Largest and Most Technologically Advanced Cannabis Cultivation Facilities in the Nation

Plans to Break Ground on the First Phase in the First Quarter of 2017

DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / AmeriCann, Inc. (ACAN), a company that is developing sustainable, state-of-the-art medical cannabis cultivation properties, has retained Campanelli Construction as the General Contractor for the Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center (the "MMCC").

Campanelli is a third generation, full-service commercial real estate development and acquisition company. The company has over six decades of successful experience having developed, built and acquired over 22 million square feet of property. Campanelli has set a precedent for executing multi-market development of highly specialized real estate, providing design-build services for clients throughout the country.

AmeriCann plans to develop the property as the Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center, one of the largest and most technologically advanced cannabis cultivation facilities in the nation. Designs for the MMCC include the construction of sustainable greenhouse cultivation, processing, and infused product facilities that will be leased or sold to Registered Marijuana Dispensaries under the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Program. AmeriCann's Cannopy System uniquely combines expertise from traditional horticulture, lean manufacturing, regulatory compliance and cannabis cultivation to create superior facilities and procedures.

MMCC Rendering:

"Campanelli proved to be an invaluable resource for our project in Massachusetts. We are confident in having such a knowledgeable local partner with national expertise and look forward to replicating this success by working with Campanelli on future projects throughout the nation," stated AmeriCann CEO Tim Keogh. Campanelli provided AmeriCann with its vertically-integrated real estate services including brokerage, development and construction management.

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AmeriCann acquired the rights to the 53-acre property in Freetown earlier this year. The sustainable greenhouse project will consist of multiple planned phases; the first phase will include two buildings at 130,000 and 30,000 square feet, respectively. Future phases are permitted for an additional 800,000+ square feet based on market demand.

AmeriCann plans to break ground on the first phase in the first quarter of 2017 and AmeriCann's Preferred Partners will have cannabis in production on the property by fall of 2017.

"Campanelli has a long history of constructing institutional grade commercial and industrial real estate throughout the nation. The MMCC brought us together for what we hope is a long, successful relationship with AmeriCann providing them our construction management services. The MMCC will establish a prototype for best-in-class cultivation facilities that we will replicate with AmeriCann as a design-build service throughout the country," stated Campanelli partner Rob DeMarco.

Massachusetts voters approved a ballot measure on November 8, 2016 that will make it the first state in the eastern U.S. to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. On December 15, 2016 the ballot initiative became law and recreational marijuana is now legal in Massachusetts.

The regulated cannabis industry is expected is to be one of the fastest growing industries in the country. The respected Wall Street firm of Cowen & Co recently released a research report projecting dramatic growth for the industry from the current $7 billion nationally to over $50 billion in ten years.

About AmeriCann

AmeriCann is a publicly traded company that plans to develop and lease sustainable, state-of-the-art medical cannabis cultivation properties. The Company has over 1,000,000 square feet of facilities in the planning and design stages of development. The Company has designed a proprietary line of cannabis infused products which will be branded and licensed to companies in regulated markets.

AmeriCann, Inc. is a Certified B Corp, an acknowledgment of the company's commitment to social and environmental ethics, transparency and accountability. AmeriCann became the first public cannabis company to earn this respected accreditation. More information about the Company is available at: www.americann.co.

About Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center

The Massachusetts Medical Cannabis Center is approved for nearly 1,000,000 square feet of medical cannabis cultivation and processing in Freetown, Massachusetts. The state-of-the-art, sustainable, greenhouse project will consist of multiple planned phases for tenants in the Massachusetts medical marijuana market. AmeriCann's Cannopy System uniquely combines expertise from traditional horticulture, lean manufacturing, regulatory compliance and cannabis cultivation to create superior facilities and procedures.

The first phase potential of the project consists of a 160,000 square feet of cultivation and processing infrastructure. AmeriCann can expand the first phase based on patient demand without any disruption to the ongoing operations.

In October, AmeriCann completed the acquisition of the 53-acre Massachusetts property from Boston Beer Company (SAM-NYSE) for $4,475,000 cash.

About Campanelli

Established in 1947, Campanelli is a third generation, full-service commercial real estate development and acquisition company with extensive experience in the industrial, office, medical office, warehouse/distribution, retail, educational and cold storage markets. Campanelli began building homes during WWII and transitioned from residential to commercial real estate in the 1960's. The team, known for their seamless ability to work with their clients and act as the "real estate division" of a company, has developed 11 business parks in Massachusetts, over 20 million square feet across the nation and provided international development consulting and site selection services. The company's signature capabilities include land development, design and build, redevelopment and value-added acquisitions. It is Campanelli's all-encompassing and quality services that have led to its successful track record as a highly-regarded developer; from site selection, feasibility analysis, local, state and federal permitting, to architectural, engineering, design, building construction and property management. For more information, visit our new website at Campanelli.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") (which Sections were adopted as part of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "prospects," "outlook," and similar words or expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "should," "would," "may," and "could" are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated results, performance or achievements. The Company disclaims any intention to, and undertakes no obligation to, revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, a future event, or otherwise. For additional uncertainties that could impact the Company's forward-looking statements, please see the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2015, which the Company has filed with the SEC and which may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov.

Contact Information:

Corporate:

AmeriCann, Inc.

3200 Brighton Blvd. Unit 114

Denver, CO 80216

(303) 862-9000

info@americann.co

www.americann.co

Twitter: @ACANINFO

Investors:

Hayden IR

hart@haydenir.com

(917) 658-7878

SOURCE: AmeriCann, Inc.
Since the 2016 election, my social media feeds have been overtaken by Cassandras, darkly warning of the death of liberal democracy. But lately Ive been thinking about a different collapse  not of the political system, but of a large swathe of our society. Over the past few weeks, a stream of data has revealed the desperation of an almost catatonic America, taking place outside of the dominant media corridors and conversations.

For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), deaths in 2015 from heroin abuse surpassed deaths from gun homicides, an unprecedented phenomenon for a country seen as more addicted to its firearms. Total opioid deaths, including overdoses of prescription drugs like OxyContin and synthetic opiates like fentanyl, hit 33,092 last year. One-third of users of these drugs for more than two months report a physical dependency, which suggests that the mortality rate will rise.

Related: US Death Rate From Heroin and Opioid Abuse Rages Out of Control

Though opioid addiction has belatedly claimed headlines, painkillers arent the only medications Americans seek out. CDC numbers indicate that just as many died from alcohol-related causes in 2015 as from opioids; add drunk-driving deaths and the number more than doubles. Annual tobacco deaths still hover around half a million, dwarfing these other vices. Others abuse food. Ten percent of all U.S. deaths occur because of weight-related issues like heart disease, according to one research study. Still others actively court the sweet release of death: Suicide rates jumped to a 30-year high last year.

Add this all up and you get the incredible finding that life expectancy fell in 2015 for the first time since 1993 (the height of the AIDS crisis). In other words, were looking at something akin to a new plague. And its a localized plague, with deep impacts on middle-aged rural whites.

Ailments like cardiovascular disease and cancer are increasing significantly in Appalachia and the South, while dropping along the coasts. Suicides and alcohol and drug poisonings, the despair deaths, hit these communities hard. Death rates from drug overdoses are higher in rural areas now than urban ones, at odds with customary expectations. Babies are twice as likely to be born addicted to opioids in rural areas, thanks to a six-fold spike between 2004 and 2013. Rural foster care is skyrocketing amid the deaths of opioid-addicted parents. More broadly, lack of access to health care and neglect of healthy habits is killing these Americans at alarming rates.

Story continues

Related: How West Virginia Became Ground Zero for the Opioid Epidemic

What is the source of this pain that has so many in small towns reaching for a needle or a bottle, dessert or a gun? One hypothesis is that poverty increases the stress load, which positively tracks with high blood pressure, obesity and other health problems. But beyond poverty, theres the depression that accompanies a lower standard of living. If you were born in 1940, you had a 92 percent chance of making more money than your parents at an equivalent age, according to research from economist Raj Chetty. For someone born in 1980, that number is down to 50 percent.

The economic crisis in small towns, in other words, correlates with the public health crisis. Factory jobs that left after exposure to competition with China eliminated secure jobs paying decent wages for those without a college degree. The transition costs of this policy decision to de-industrialize were much larger than anticipated. Wages fell as replacement jobs paid less. Kids seeking opportunity moved out and those left behind became isolated in what felt like a pariah community. Locked-in inequality and a lack of hope leaves rural residents to rush to anything that could make them forget their plight. And the lack of social cohesion allows those with other axes to grind to broaden the blame to include pornography or video games or social media or the lack of bowling leagues or whatever else you like.

At this point pundits usually segue into whether this story about despair properly explains Donald Trumps election. Theres plenty of evidence that communities following this profile did turn to Trump, and theres evidence on the other side of the ledger, too.

Related: Trumps Global Business Footprint Can Subvert US National Security

The point I want to make is: Who cares? The insistence on funneling every data point, every societal trend into an analysis of a presidential election is particularly pernicious when the data in question refer to how Americans are dying. It also prevents the necessary response to combat the plague, as every body blow heaped upon a community can be twisted to partisan advantage.

In simple terms, we have the capacity to live longer and with more prosperity than at any time in human history. Yet large populations have been denied that benefit, sinking into an alternative of addiction and self-loathing. To me it feels like a moment of national emergency, not a statistic to plot against a chart of the Electoral College.

There are no shortages of solutions to this crisis: better regional planning, for example, or reducing the trade deficit. What weve lacked entirely in the three decades or so since this trend began is any sense of urgency, or a comprehensive plan. Long-awaited measures to combat the opioid crisis, for instance, come with reductions in preventive care, which will have a deleterious effect on the same communities. The Trumpian bullying that led Carrier to save reputational face by keeping a several hundred manufacturing jobs in Indianapolis accompanied investment dollars that will be used to automate more jobs out of the factory. Rexnord, another Indiana firm that Trump exposed as an outsourcer with a tweet, still plans to move its ball-bearing plant to Mexico, because theres nothing preventing it from doing so.

Related: Aging Baby Boomers Face a Serious Housing Problem

What isnt often discussed is how this crisis of despair emerged at the behest of corporate America. Companies gleefully outsourced jobs to take advantage of lower costs of production. They endorsed the Walmart-ization of small-town America that crippled the vitality of countless Main Streets. And when this transformation left a gaping wound, they filled it with drugs.

Most opioid addictions begin with a doctor writing a prescription. Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of Oxycontin, paid off middlemen to prevent any curtailing of the flow of their product. Insys Therapeutics manufactured the synthetic opioid fentanyl; six of its executives were recently indicted in a scheme to overprescribe it. Over a six-year period, 9 million hydrocodone pills were shipped to a town in West Virginia with just 392 residents.

My point is this: We let concentrated corporate power suck the hope out of large portions of the country. I believe these forces need to be fought. Current politics will make that difficult  but its not impossible. And the fight has to begin with a clear sense of whos responsible for this crisis.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Amnesty International Sweden, in collaboration with the advertising agency Garbergs, has launched a campaign allowing people to download a personal message from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in place of the ordinary voice message used for out-of-office replies.

Amnesty International believes the 33-year-old is a whistleblower and not a criminal. The non-governmental organization has called for President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden before leaving the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2017.

When human rights abuses occur, the public must learn about them to be able to react and hold those responsible to account. Whistleblowers play a critical role in upholding constitutional and human rights guarantees and should be celebrated, not punished. Edward Snowden must be pardoned, whistleblowers across the world must be protected, and indiscriminatory mass surveillance of personal data must stop as a matter of urgency, Johanna Westeson, discrimination officer at Amnesty International Sweden, said in a statement published Tuesday.

Snowden, who has been living in exile in Moscow since 2013, is wanted in the U.S. under the Espionage Act for leaking classified information. The 33-year-old revealed that the NSA had been spying on Americans using the mass surveillance programs the U.S. had set up after 9/11.

Activists, organizations and civilians have been lobbying Obama to issue a presidential pardon for Snowden allowing him to return to the U.S. You can download the messages available on snowdenoutofoffice.com, where you can also sign a petition calling for the immediate pardon of the 33-year-old.

Obamas successor Republican Donald Trump in 2013 called Snowden a terrible traitor and hinted that he should be killed.

The incoming Trump administration is stepping up its efforts to arrest Snowden but the whistleblower defended his actions saying: I dont care. The reality here is that yes, Donald Trump has appointed a new director of the Central Intelligence Agency who uses me as a specific example to say that, look, dissidents should be put to death... It doesnt actually matter that much to me, because I believe in the decisions that Ive already made.

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Jennifer Lawrence took a long look around the tiny Watch What Happens Live studio space and smiled. I feel comfortable drinking and telling you inappropriate things here, she confessed to host Andy Cohen.

Lawrences most recent visit to Cohens latenight talker was the last episode produced in the shows original Bravo Clubhouse set. (The episode taped Dec. 6 but aired Dec. 19.) When WWHL returns with fresh installments on Jan. 3, the show will beam out from a considerably larger studio space, located one floor above its current home in a nondescript building on Hudson Street in New York Citys West Village. It will also have a slightly longer title (Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen), enshrining Cohen as the ringmaster of what has become a uniquely dishy, kitschy and often risque part of TVs late-night conversation.

Because were live, our viewers can respond to us in real time. The other night, my mother texted me during the show to say, This show is too dirty and its too boring, Cohen says. I read that on air. I thought it was hilarious.

After the Dec. 6 taping  a rare instance when WWHL was not actually live, in a nod to Lawrences busy schedule  Lawrence urged Cohen to retain the wood-paneling and all the pop culture accoutrement strewn throughout the set, and of course, the famously well-stocked bar cart that is a big facilitator of the fun on WWHL.

The fact that one of the biggest movie stars in the world made a stop in the WWHL shoebox  the audience section seats all of 22  is testament to Cohens charm, as well as Lawrences love of Bravos Real Housewives franchise and its Vanderpump Rules spinoff.

The move to the larger set will be a boon for WWHL as it will give the guests a little more room to stretch out and offer a musical performance space for the first time. But Lawrence neednt worry: The signature clubhouse feel will most certainly be retained.

We invented this thing called the Bravo Clubhouse and people think of it as a place they want to come and hang out with Bravo-lebrities, says WWHL exec producer Deirdre Connolly. Connolly has been at Cohens side  and in his ear  as the exec producer of WWHL for Michael Davies Embassy Row since the program began as a series of Real Housewives after-show specials in July 2009.

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The studio space was originally designed for a handful of specials, and producers gradually found creative ways to retro-fit the facility to serve the shows needs. At the outset, the control room didnt even have room for a seat for Connolly (that was eventually fixed). For years shes had to give up her office to serve as a green room when guests arrived for the 11 p.m. airing. That wont be the case with the move to the new digs.

We shoe-horned our way into this space, Connolly says. From a production standpoint, it will be exciting to have a space that works for what we do. The new audience section will seat about 50 people. The seating area is endowed with four chairs that hail from the Chicago studio where Oprah Winfrey hosted her syndicated talk show for 25 years. (WWHL snatched them up on eBay when Winfrey auctioned them off for charity earlier this year.)

An upgrade to the technical facilities will allow them to have much more fun with on-screen graphics and interactive bells and whistles. Were now seven years in. When you do a show like this youre always thinking, Now what? Now we have this big exciting thing to look forward to, Connolly says.

After its initial success, WWHL became a twice-weekly show that was picked up in three-month increments; a year in, they finally got a full-year pickup. Connolly, an alum of MTVs Total Request Live, believed early on that the show had the potential to take root as a nightly franchise thanks to Cohens skill at thinking on his feet. When boldface names like Sarah Jessica Parker and Meryl Streep started making the tight squeeze down the WWHL hallway, Connolly and Cohen knew they were on their way. The half-hour show expanded to its current Sunday-Monday 11 p.m. format in 2012.

Cohen credits the shows without-a-net live format for helping it stand out with viewers and with stars. They dont do much advance prep work with guests, by design. Those in the chair opposite Cohen know they have to come ready to play. (And that includes an additional few minutes of banter for the digital WWHL after-show. Lawrence confirmed in her Dec. 19 segment that she, Amy Schumer and Schumers sister Kim have completed the script for a femme road-trip movie that they intend to make together once their schedules can be sorted out.)

Guests often arrive after a long day of doing press. Theyre happy to come here and relax and have a cocktail and just talk, Connolly says.

Cohen cites Howard Stern as his broadcasting role model when it comes to interviewing celebrities. A lot of the great surprises weve had over the years have only happened because were live, he says. We dont do pre-interviews  which means that I can go anywhere.

Starting Jan. 3, Cohen will have even more room to go there.

(Pictured: Andy Cohen and Deirdre Connolly)



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Trump tech meeting Safra Catz

There's an awful lot of angst in the tech industry about what a Donald Trump administration will do, and if he'll follow through on some of the more divisive promises he made on the campaign trail.

On Tuesday, an Oracle employee working on the company's all-important cloud business publicly quit the company via a letter posted to LinkedIn. George Polisner was protesting Oracle CEO Safra Catz's decision to join Trump's transition team.

Catz was part of a room full of tech industry leaders that met with the president-elect last week at Trump Tower in New York. Before the meeting, Catz said, "I plan to tell the president-elect that we are with him and will help in any way we can. If he can reform the tax code, reduce regulation and negotiate better trade deals, the U.S. technology industry will be stronger and more competitive than ever."

Immediately after the meeting, Catz said she was joining Trumps transition team, even as she remained in her post as co-CEO of Oracle.

Trump tech meeting

Polisner, who is an active Democrat in his state of Oregon, had a long list of reasons why he was wary of a Trump administration, ranging from concerns over how Trump will change Social Security and Medicare to policies on social issues and decisions that will impact the environment.

In his public resignation letter, Polisner explained, "I am not with President-elect Trump and I am not here to help him in any way. In fact  when his policies border on the unconstitutional, the criminal and the morally unjust  I am here to oppose him in every possible and legal way. Therefore I must resign from this once great company."

Polisner told Business Insider that he is not leaving for another job. "Right now I'm less concerned about income and more concerned about doing something that impacts society in a positive way," he said.

Catz has not released a note to the troops at Oracle explaining her decision to be part of Trump's team, Polisner told us. Oracle declined comment on Catz's reasons for joining Trump's transition team.

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In contrast, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a reassuring note out to his troops explaining why he met with Trump last week. The gist of it was, you have to be involved to have an impact.

"I've never found being on the sideline a successful place to be," Cook wrote.

Safra Catz Trump Tower

Not the only one

Polisner is hardly a lone wolf. Various employees in the tech industry have been saying they won't help Trump build a hypothetical "Muslim registry."

IBM Ginni Rometty

The fears over such a registry stems from campaign promises that Trump made about building a database of Syrian refugees. Trump has been asked if this could be extended to a database of Muslims in America and has never flat-out denied it.

More than 1,000 people in the tech community have signed a letter vowing not to help with such a database.

Buzzfeed also asked a few companies if they would go on the record and vow not to help with such a registry.

The companies all said they haven't been working on such a thing, but a growing number of them were willing to say they would refuse. This includes Twitter, Google, Apple, Uber, IBM, Salesforce, and Atlassian.

Meanwhile, over 100 IBM workers have signed an Internet petition urging their CEO, Ginni Rometty, to take that a step further in several ways. They want her to "respect our right to refuse participation in any U.S. contracts that violate constitutional and civil liberties."

They also want her to "prohibit perceived influence-peddling of elected officials" by restricting employees from using any Trump-branded properties for business purposes.

While they were at it, they tacked on a demand for IBM to go back to its practice of doing 401K matches all year long, rather than an annual match on December 15.

Rometty is part of Trump's economic advisory committee. Shortly after Trump won the election, Rometty penned an open letter to him where she praised some of his ideas and suggested ways IBM can work with the federal government (which is a huge IBM customer).

That letter caused one IBM employee to publicly quit and that employee's letter went viral, too.

NOW WATCH: Animated map shows the most popular fast food restaurants in every state





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MUMBAI (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is in talks with India's government to explore making products locally, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, as the U.S. firm aims to make deeper inroads in the world's second-largest mobile phone market by users.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to boost technology manufacturing in the country through his 'Make in India' initiative. His government in June exempted foreign retailers for three years from a requirement to locally source 30 percent of goods sold in their stores.

The Journal said Apple, in a letter to the federal government in November, outlined manufacturing plans and asked for financial incentives.

Government representatives were not available to comment while an Apple spokesman in India did not immediately respond to an email from Reuters seeking comment.

Local manufacturing would help Apple open retail stores in the country where its iPhones account for less than 2 percent of Indian smartphones sales.

Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (Foxconn) (2317.TW), which makes Apple devices such as iPhones and iPads, has a manufacturing facility in southern India.

(Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal)
One woman recently wrote an op-ed denouncing the use of yoga pants. (Photo: Getty Images)

With the rise of athleisure, more and more people are weighing in on the cultural implications attached to the trend and its overwhelming presence in society.

Writer Kerry Folan recently penned an op-ed for the Washington Post titled Yoga pants are comfy. Theyre also an assault on manners and a nihilistic threat. In it, she details her grievances with yoga pants and the messages she believes wearing them in public send.

Folan describes that her recent move from New York City to the suburbs of D.C. enlightened her on the overwhelming presence of yoga pants outside the yoga studio. Women in my neighborhood go about their entire day in yoga pants and running shoes, she writes. Moms with strollers, undergrads on campus, girlfriends meeting up for coffee dates or errands  I have even seen women dressed this way for cocktails.

Moving from a bustling, fast-paced city like New York, Folan originally felt it had to do with dressing standards in the area and thought she was seeing more of the pants because it was a suburban trend. However, she quickly realized that it wasnt geographical; it was simply athleisures growing popularity.

As someone who cares about fashion, I vote for jeans over yoga pants (or Lycra unitards) any day, but my stance isnt just about aesthetics. Its about manners, she writes. Comparing modern dress to older generations preferences, she feels that dressing years ago was more manners-focused than nowadays.

Yoga pants make a statement about comfort and modernity, she writes. When we board a flight or run to the grocery store swaddled in cotton-lycra, we are saying to the people around us that our own comfort is our first priority. We are expressing a new kind of modern vanity where dressing down, rather than dressing up, is the power move. Folan is right  many women do look to yoga pants when running around to do different tasks, like grocery shopping and picking up kids from school, mostly because theyre comfortable and easy.

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The D.C. native is so put off by the trend that she even believes wearing yoga pants can be deemed as impolite. In the piece, Folan describes a tutoring session in which her students parent noticed she was wearing the leggings and commented on her comfort  which made her immediately wish she was wearing different pants. It felt disrespectful  elitist, even  to approach our tutoring session with my own comfort so obviously on display, she writes.

Although Folan maintains this perspective on the leggings formality, she also admits that her distaste of yoga pants stems not only from style preference but also through her fear of getting too comfortable. Part of the reason I love the way New Yorkers dress is that I see it as a metaphor for everything else I loved about the city  the work ethic, the energy, the specific kind of community that comes from collective ambition, she writes. Maybe its precisely because I love those elements of city life that I am wary of the seductive promise of suburban comfort.

Folan is far from the only critic of the clothing option; in fact, many men and women have spoken out against the trend, believing that wearing yoga pants outside the gym is informal and even lazy. One man, Alan Sorrentino, penned a column for his local newspaper in Barrington, R.I., in October detailing his issues with the pants.

On mature, adult women there is something bizarre and disturbing about the appearance they make in public, he wrote. Maybe its the unforgiving perspective they provide, inappropriate for general consumption, TMI, or the spector of someone coping poorly with the weight or advancing age that makes yoga pants so weird in public.

Sorrentino was slammed by womens groups for the note that they believed shamed women for their physical appearance and clothing preferences. They were so inflamed by Sorrentinos piece that they organized a Yoga Pants Parade in the area to stand up for their beliefs.

This a wonderful group of people celebrating our bodies and our right to cover them however we see fit, the description for the event on Facebook read. And while yoga pants seem to be a silly thing to fight for, they are representative of something much bigger  misogyny and the history of men policing womens bodies.

Although the trend garners criticism and approval from both sides, its popularity doesnt seem to be waning. More and more retailers are jumping on board and introducing athleisure-based lines. The category performs consistently well for brands, and influencers  including celebrities and models alike  heavily promote different athleisure brands on their social channels.

Shoppers gravitate toward athleisure. Research firm NPD Group reported the market to be valued at $44 billion in 2015, a 16 percent year-over-year increase. Simultaneously, denim sales are down about 5 percent. Despite the backlash, it doesnt look like yoga pants are going anywhere any time soon.





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BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina and Britain agreed on a framework to identify the bodies of dozens of unknown Argentine soldiers buried on the disputed Falkland Islands, Argentina's Foreign Ministry said in on Tuesday. The two countries, which went to war over the islands in 1982 and have had strained relations for decades, also agreed to try to increase the number of flights to the remote islands. Britain has been keen to improve relations with Argentina since pro-business President Mauricio Macri took over from Cristina Fernandez in December, although Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the islands. Under the agreement signed by British Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan and Argentina's Vice Foreign Minister Pedro Delgado, forensic experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross will take DNA samples from the soldiers' bodies. They will then compare the DNA with that of consenting relatives, the statement said. There are 123 unknown soldiers buried in the Falkland Islands, though not all families of the deceased have given consent for DNA testing. More than 600 Argentines and 255 British servicemen were killed after Argentina seized the islands and Britain sent a task force to retake them, sparking the conflict. Both countries also agreed to consult with airport authorities in Brazil and Chile to link more flights to the islands, located about 435 miles off the coast of southern Argentina. The overwhelming majority of the islands' 3,000 inhabitants say they want the islands to remain a British overseas territory. Only one monthly flight reaches the Falkland Islands currently, departing from Chile with a stop in the Patagonian city of Rio Gallegos. Britain and Argentina agreed in September to work toward removing restrictions on the oil and gas, shipping and fishing industries around the islands. (Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; Writing by Caroline Stauffer)
By Maximiliano Rizzi

BUENOS AIRES, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Argentine soy farmers and the companies that sell them genetically modified seeds could be close to a breakthrough in negotiations after a months-long deadlock that prompted Monsanto to stop selling new GMO technology in the country.

The negotiator representing seed companies in talks with farmers over a bill pending in Congress said on Tuesday that both sides are ready to move toward a deal that would extend the period of time that growers would have to pay royalties on genetically modified seeds.

The government-backed bill says farmers will pay royalties for three seasons after the initial purchase of GMO seeds. But the companies want royalties to be paid for a longer period, according to Alfredo Paseyro, the negotiator for ASA, the group representing seed companies including Monsanto Co.

"The three years proposed by the government is not adequate because it takes longer to develop new seed varieties," Paseyro told Reuters on Tuesday.

"The time during which royalties have to be paid will have to be negotiated in a way that works for both the seed industry and the farmers. The good news is that now both parties are willing to negotiate," Paseyro said.

The results of the negotiations will be incorporated into the bill that will be debated and voted on by Congress.

Soybeans can themselves be used as seeds. Seed companies say that planting second-generation genetically modified beans without paying royalties is an intellectual property violation.

Monsanto has said it is not selling new technology in Argentina until a royalties deal is reached. This threatens to put Argentine farmers at a disadvantage against their Brazilian and U.S. competitors.

"We are willing to negotiate an extension of the time frame," Daniel Pelegrina, vice president of the Argentine Rural Society, recently told Reuters. The group represents some of Argentina's biggest producers of farm products.

"Seven seasons. Five seasons ... we'll see what the right number is to motivate companies to come up with new varieties, new genetics, and sell that seed technology to us," he said.

Story continues

The new flexibility signals a possible solution that would help Argentina increase soybean production, expected at 52.5 million tonnes this season.

The country is the world's No. 1 exporter of soymeal, a livestock feed, and the third biggest exporter of raw soybeans.

Almost all the soy grown in Argentina is genetically modified. Most of the seeds are bought on the black market or GMO beans used as seeds without paying royalties.

(Writing and additional reporting by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
BERLIN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A Pakistani man arrested in connection with a deadly Christmas market attack in Berlin may not be the perpetrator, Germany's chief prosecutor Peter Frank said on Tuesday, adding that no group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We must get used to the idea that he was possibly not the perpetrator or that he didn't belong to the group of perpetrators," Frank told a news conference.

While no one had claimed responsibility for the attack in a video, Frank said the sequence of events evoked memories of a similar attack in the French city of Nice in July.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Paul Carrel)
This artist records herself creating amazing art, and the process is so strangely calming

When it comes to Instagram, we like to have a solid feed of a few things: makeup, dogs, and art. And can you blame us? Art is so good for you! Honestly, watching art as its being created is *so* calming, and just stumbling upon new art-in-progress on Instagram always helps us slow down and remember where we are. So when we came across this artist named Hodaya Louis, we were truly mesmerized. Hodayas projects are seriously so beautiful, and so bizarrely relaxing. We dig this amazing art!

Just look at this. Here, Hodaya is using nail polish to put some final touches on a killer piece. Were so in awe.

A video posted by Hodaya Louis (@hodayalouis) on Dec 19, 2016 at 7:36am PST

And how incredible is this ~abstract magic~ happening?

A video posted by Hodaya Louis (@hodayalouis) on Dec 18, 2016 at 9:12am PST

These final products are truly mind blowing.

A video posted by Hodaya Louis (@hodayalouis) on Dec 17, 2016 at 8:52am PST

The use of a dropper here is just, like, woah.

A video posted by Hodaya Louis (@hodayalouis) on Dec 16, 2016 at 8:59am PST

We cant look away from these prints in progress!

A video posted by Hodaya Louis (@hodayalouis) on Dec 15, 2016 at 12:50pm PST

Watching these stripes is so calming.

A video posted by Hodaya Louis (@hodayalouis) on Dec 11, 2016 at 7:19am PST

And this close up is giving us all the feels.

A video posted by Hodaya Louis (@hodayalouis) on Dec 9, 2016 at 7:06am PST

See? We told you it was amazing! If you dig this amazing art as much as we do, you should consider making some art of your own. According to the Huffington Post, cognitive research out of Germany shows that the production of visual art improves effective interaction between parts of the brain. Yeah, art is so intense that it actually changes how your brain works, and in a pretty darn good way.

Happy creating!

The post This artist records herself creating amazing art, and the process is so strangely calming appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Florence Tan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asia will post its biggest net refining capacity addition in three years in 2017, further boosting demand for crude in the world's biggest and fastest growing oil consuming region.

New and expanded refineries from China to India will offset closures in Japan, adding a net 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude processing capacity in 2017, the highest since 2014, energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie says.

The increase amounts to about an additional 1.5 percent of refining capacity on top of Asia's total installed capacity of nearly 29 million bpd, Thomson Reuters Eikon data shows.

"Heavy crude demand in particular is expected to rise in 2017 as more Asian facilities undergo upgrading and new ... refineries come online," said Sushant Gupta, WoodMac's Asia research director for refining.

The rise in capacity will tighten Asia's crude market as it coincides with planned output cuts by oil producers like the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia in a bid to end oversupply and prop up prices.

China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) plans to start a new 200,000-bpd refinery in southern China, while PetroChina aims to start a 260,000-bpd refinery in Yunnan, pending talks with the Myanmar government.

Chinese independent refiners are also expected to import an extra 200,000-400,000 bpd of crude, research consultancy Energy Aspects estimates, and an upgrade by Taiwan's CPC at its Talin refinery will raise crude and condensate demand by 100,000 bpd.

Vietnam is due to complete a new 200,000-bpd refinery, while India's Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd is trialling an expansion in Kochi that will include a new 210,000-bpd crude oil distillation unit.

These additions will more than offset a 400,000 bpd decline in refining capacity in Japan by early April due to shrinking local demand, according to Wood Mackenzie.

To meet Asian demand, Iraq has already inked new Basra Heavy deals, while Iran expects to complete a pipeline and terminal to export heavy crude West Kharoon next year.

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Kuwait said it is preparing to restart production from oilfields jointly operated with Saudi Arabia.

"We expect a slow ramp up of production from mid-2017. Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will have to manage this growth within their agreed OPEC production cuts," WoodMac's Gupta said.

Still, traders see no outright supply shortage for Asian refineries, as OPEC is shielding most of its Asian customers from the planned cuts.

Alternative crude supplies are also available, including heavy crude from Latin America and Angola, as well as shale supplies from the United States.

(Reporting by Florence Tan; Editing by Henning Gloystein and Richard Pullin)
Over 5,500 light-years from Earth lies a massive cluster of stars, gas and dust. The NGC 6357 cluster, which is actually composed of three separate groups of young and hot stars, has now been revealed in unprecedented detail in a composite image released by NASA on Monday.

The image contains X-ray data gathered by NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory and the ROSAT telescope, infrared data from NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope, and optical data from the SuperCosmos Sky Survey made using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope.

The X-rays from Chandra and ROSAT reveal hundreds of point sources, which are the young stars in NGC 6357, as well as diffuse X-ray emission from hot gas, NASA said in a statement accompanying the image. There are bubbles, or cavities, that have been created by radiation and material blowing away from the surfaces of massive stars, plus supernova explosions.

This massive cluster, which the composite image shows as a mishmash of purple, orange and blue areas  depending on the type of radiation they are emitting  is an H-II region. These regions are created when radiation from hot, young stars strips away the electrons from neutral hydrogen atoms to form clouds of ionized hydrogen.

Another example of an H-II region is the 1,500 light-year wide NGC 604 nebula, located roughly three million light-years away in the M33 spiral galaxy. Scientists believed studying these regions can provide clues to the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies.

ngc604_hst_full

Photo: H. Yang (UIUC), HST, NASA

Researchers use Chandra to study NGC 6357 and similar objects because young stars are bright in X-rays, NASA explained. Also, X-rays can penetrate the shrouds of gas and dust surrounding these infant stars, allowing astronomers to see details of star birth that would be otherwise missed.

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Berlin (AFP) - A Pakistani asylum seeker suspected of ploughing a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market and killing 12 people may not be the right man, police said Tuesday, sparking fears the real killer could be on the run.

As the shellshocked German capital reeled from the country's deadliest attack of recent years, doubts emerged over whether the man detained overnight actually committed the atrocity.

Berlin's police chief, Klaus Kandt, said "we may have a dangerous criminal in the area", and announced that security would be boosted while urging "heightened vigilance".

Prosecutor Peter Frank also said "we may have to get used to the idea that the detained man may not be the perpetrator", while forensic work and questioning continued and investigators asked the public to send them any photos and video footage.

Twelve people were killed and almost 50 wounded when the truck tore through the crowd Monday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

The mangled truck came to a halt with its windscreen smashed, a trail of destruction and screaming victims in its wake, with Christmas trees toppled on their side, days before the country's most important festival.

Chancellor Angela Merkel -- who visited the scene of the carnage for a minute's silence and then joined a memorial service in the adjacent Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church -- labelled the deadly rampage a likely "terrorist" attack.

Merkel said that, if it was confirmed that the killer had been part of the country's recent huge refugee influx, this would be "particularly sickening in relation to the many, many Germans who are involved every day in helping refugees".

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the top suspect was a Pakistani man who had arrived via the so-called Balkan route last New Year's Eve and was staying at a Berlin refugee shelter.

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De Maiziere added however that the suspect had insisted he was innocent and had not surfaced on any terror watch lists.

- 'Bodies everywhere' -

Neither the Islamic State group nor other extremists immediately claimed the attack, said de Maiziere, who vowed those responsible would be hunted down.

The Polish-registered vehicle, which was loaded with steel beams, had cut a bloody swathe of 60-80 metres (yards) into the market in the once-divided city's inner west.

At least six of those killed were German citizens, authorities said, while countries from Israel to Spain said their nationals were among those injured in the busy tourist spot.

A Polish man, killed with an gunshot, was found on the truck's passenger seat, said de Maiziere. He was believed to be the vehicle's registered driver.

The Polish owner of the lorry, Ariel Zurawski, confirmed Monday that the driver -- his 37-year-old cousin -- was missing, telling AFP: "We don't know what happened to him ... I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him."

Survivors recounted harrowing stories of near misses and carnage as festive partying turned to death and destruction in seconds.

Briton Emma Rushton was enjoying a glass of mulled wine when the Christmas scene was shattered by a loud crash and screams.

"We heard a really loud bang and saw some of the Christmas lights to our left starting to be pulled down," she told Sky news.

"Then we saw the articulated vehicle going through people and through the stalls and just pulling everything down, and then everything went dark."

- 'Free way of life' -

German flags flew at half-mast Tuesday and mourners placed flowers and candles at the site. Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate was to be lit in the German colours black, red and gold in honour of the victims at dusk on Tuesday.

The government declared that the city's 60-odd Christmas markets -- after a one-day voluntary stoppage out of respect for the victims -- should continue because "we must not let our free way of life be taken from us".

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with bloody jihadist attacks striking Paris and Brussels.

Germany also suffered two attacks in July in the southern state of Bavaria committed by asylum seekers and claimed by the Islamic State group.

An axe rampage by an Afghan or Pakistani man on a train wounded five people, and a suicide bombing by Syrian asylum seeker left 15 people injured six days later.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

Marcus Pretzell of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party labelled the Christmas market victims "Merkel's dead".

The attack in Berlin comes five months after Tunisian Islamist extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

President Francois Hollande said France was facing a "high level of threat" following the Berlin bloodshed.

The United States condemned an apparent "terrorist attack", while President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians.
MADRID (AP)  Atletico Madrid cruised into the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey by defeating third-division Guijuelo 4-1 on Tuesday for a 10-1 win on aggregate.

Atletico secured the victory in its final match of 2016 with first-half goals by Nicolas Gaitan, Angel Correa, Juanfran Torres and Fernando Torres.

"It was important to win our last game of the year here in our stadium," Atletico defender Stefan Savic said. "It's always important to win and hopefully we will keep this momentum going into next year."

Antonio Pino scored a consolation goal in the 80th minute for Guijuelo, which played a man down from the 33rd minute after defender Raul Luiz was shown a second yellow card at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

The second half included an incredible miss by Fernando Torres, who was just a few paces from the goal line when he tried to fire home in the 63rd minute.

The city of Guijuelo in northwestern Spain is known for the high quality of its ham, and the team's players had the picture of a huge ham leg on the front of their jerseys on Tuesday.

Atletico has struggled this season and is only sixth in the Spanish league going into the winter break, nine points behind leader Real Madrid, which has a game in hand.

The round of 16 of the Copa del Rey will begin in the first week of January.

__

ELSEWHERE

Malaga became the first top-flight team to be eliminated after a 4-3 home loss to second-division club Cordoba, going out 6-3 on aggregate.

Real Sociedad drew 1-1 with second-division team Valladolid to advance 4-2 on aggregate, while Villarreal beat third-division Toledo 4-1 over two legs after a 1-1 draw at home, with Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato scoring Villarreal's goal.

Las Palmas beat second-tier Huesca 2-1, advancing with a 4-3 win on aggregate.

Barcelona will be without Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar  who were given time off to rest  when it hosts third-division Hercules on Wednesday. The teams drew 1-1 in the first leg.

___

Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni
It should be no surprise to anyone that there are numerous protests on college campuses across the nation in the wake of Trumps ascension to the Presidency. These are students who have been indoctrinated in the Marxist philosophy, which has been the direction taken by the leftist professors for the last twenty or more years.

It has been said, by more than one person, that the students on most college campuses are an academic version of the Taliban, with their limited knowledge of, and disdain for, the Constitution. Without realizing it, we have been educating a generation of Communists.

It is little wonder that Hillary Clinton was defeated, for she sided with Black Lives Matter against the police force. She and Obama treated our veterans terribly, the Border Patrol was not allowed to do their jobs, the Second Amendment was to be slowly done away with, and Catholics, Protestants, and Christians in general, were to be persecuted in various ways for their beliefs. The lowly working man was to be ignored.

The families and friends of all the above mentioned groups could be expected to voice their differences at the ballot box, and they did. Those of us in the fly-over zone, between both coasts, did not take well to being described as deplorable ignorant racists by Hillary and her acolytes. Hillary richly deserved her defeat.

Jack Pierce, Mattoon
By Silke Koltrowitz

ZURICH (Reuters) - A gunman who shot three worshippers in a Zurich mosque on Monday evening was a 24-year-old Swiss man with Ghanaian roots and no apparent links to Islamist radicalism, police said on Tuesday.

The suspect, whom they did not identify by name, is thought to have killed another man in Zurich on Sunday. He seems to have taken his own life shortly after the mosque shooting, whose motivation remains a mystery, police officials said.

"He is Swiss and we don't know anything about the motives," Christiane Lentjes Meili, head of criminal investigations for the Zurich cantonal police, told a news conference.

The gunman from the nearby town of Uster had stormed into the Islamic center near the main train station in Switzerland's financial capital and opened fire on people praying, wounding three men, whose condition was said to be improving on Tuesday.

His body was found soon afterwards around 300 meters (yards) away. He appears to have shot himself, police said.

Investigators were still puzzling over what set off the deadly chain of events. The man - whose last run-in with the law was as a bike thief seven years ago - had quit his job in a shop on Friday.

There were indications that the man had taken an interest in occult sciences, Lentjes Meili said, adding it was not clear at this stage whether he was mentally ill.

Two days later he is suspected of killing a man with South American roots he seems to have been acquainted with and leaving the body in a playground in Zurich.

The mayhem continued when he entered the mosque after dusk on Monday, armed with a gun for which he had a permit.

"We are still waiting to see if that person was targeting us or if it was a coincidence that brought him to us. Everything is open," Saad Subaan from the Zurich Islamic Community Foundation told reporters after the media conference.

The victims are aged 30, 35 and 56. Two of them were seriously injured in the attack, a rare case of gun violence in Switzerland, while a third sustained less severe injuries.

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"All Muslims are of course shocked that people praying came under fire," Onder Gunes, spokesman for the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland, said before the shooter's background became known.

"This would be equally shocking if done by a Muslim, Christians, Hindus or any other religious group," he said, adding: "We all have to stand together for peace. This cannot be allowed to escalate."

Switzerland, where two-thirds of the 8.3 million population identify as Christian, has been wrestling with the role of Islam as its Muslim population has risen to 5 percent. In 2009, a nationwide vote backed a constitutional ban on new minarets.

(Additional reporting by Angelika Gruber and Michael Shields; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
By Silke Koltrowitz ZURICH (Reuters) - A gunman who shot three worshippers in a Zurich mosque on Monday evening was a 24-year-old Swiss man with Ghanaian roots and no apparent links to Islamist radicalism, police said on Tuesday. The suspect, whom they did not identify by name, is thought to have killed another man in Zurich on Sunday. He seems to have taken his own life shortly after the mosque shooting, whose motivation remains a mystery, police officials said. "He is Swiss and we don't know anything about the motives," Christiane Lentjes Meili, head of criminal investigations for the Zurich cantonal police, told a news conference. The gunman from the nearby town of Uster had stormed into the Islamic centre near the main train station in Switzerland's financial capital and opened fire on people praying, wounding three men, whose condition was said to be improving on Tuesday. His body was found soon afterwards around 300 metres (yards) away. He appears to have shot himself, police said. Investigators were still puzzling over what set off the deadly chain of events. The man - whose last run-in with the law was as a bike thief seven years ago - had quit his job in a shop on Friday. There were indications that the man had taken an interest in occult sciences, Lentjes Meili said, adding it was not clear at this stage whether he was mentally ill. Two days later he is suspected of killing a man with South American roots he seems to have been acquainted with and leaving the body in a playground in Zurich. The mayhem continued when he entered the mosque after dusk on Monday, armed with a gun for which he had a permit. "We are still waiting to see if that person was targeting us or if it was a coincidence that brought him to us. Everything is open," Saad Subaan from the Zurich Islamic Community Foundation told reporters after the media conference. The victims are aged 30, 35 and 56. Two of them were seriously injured in the attack, a rare case of gun violence in Switzerland, while a third sustained less severe injuries. "All Muslims are of course shocked that people praying came under fire," Onder Gunes, spokesman for the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland, said before the shooter's background became known. "This would be equally shocking if done by a Muslim, Christians, Hindus or any other religious group," he said, adding: "We all have to stand together for peace. This cannot be allowed to escalate." Switzerland, where two-thirds of the 8.3 million population identify as Christian, has been wrestling with the role of Islam as its Muslim population has risen to 5 percent. In 2009, a nationwide vote backed a constitutional ban on new minarets. (Additional reporting by Angelika Gruber and Michael Shields; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and France formally sealed an agreement on Tuesday under which French naval contractor DCNS will build a new fleet of submarines, a deal worth A$50 billion (29.27 billion pounds).

Australia selected DCNS in April as its preferred bidder to build its fleet of 12 submarines, ahead of other offers from Japan and Germany. The deal signed on Tuesday finalises one of the world's most lucrative defence contracts.

"This is a critically important step in the development of our security, in the assurance of our government in delivering Australians the security and prosperity that they need," Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Australia's new fleet of submarines is the centrepiece of its defence strategy unveiled in February, which called for an increase in military spending of nearly A$30 billion over the next 10 years to protect strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia rejected offers from Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries , and Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG (TKAG.DE) when selecting DCNS.

Earlier this year, DCNS was left reeling after details from more than 22,000 pages of documents relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper, leading to concerns about the company's ability to protect sensitive data.

Australian government ministers said they were certain of maintaining the security of the new submarine fleet.

"We are continuing to invest in cyber security, which is a major part of warfare into the future," Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Writing by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Paul Tait)
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia and France formally sealed an agreement on Tuesday under which French naval contractor DCNS will build a new fleet of submarines, a deal worth A$50 billion ($36.3 billion). Australia selected DCNS in April as its preferred bidder to build its fleet of 12 submarines, ahead of other offers from Japan and Germany. The deal signed on Tuesday finalize one of the world's most lucrative defense contracts. "This is a critically important step in the development of our security, in the assurance of our government in delivering Australians the security and prosperity that they need," Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said. Australia's new fleet of submarines is the centrepiece of its defense strategy unveiled in February, which called for an increase in military spending of nearly A$30 billion over the next 10 years to protect strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia rejected offers from Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG when selecting DCNS. Earlier this year, DCNS was left reeling after details from more than 22,000 pages of documents relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper, leading to concerns about the company's ability to protect sensitive data. Australian government ministers said they were certain of maintaining the security of the new submarine fleet. "We are continuing to invest in cyber security, which is a major part of warfare into the future," Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said. ($1 = 1.3782 Australian dollars) (This version of the story has been refiled to correct date to December 20) (Reporting by Colin Packham; Writing by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Paul Tait)
The Australian Fashion Foundation (AUSFF) has revealed the winners of its 2016/2017 annual internship program.

Womenswear designer Deanna Fanning and menswear designer Hannah Tan took home the top prize, receiving a financial grant and internship opportunities worth more than AU$20,000 (approximately US$14,500). Fanning is making a name for herself with intricate and colorful knitwear pieces, while Tan's deconstructivist approach to clothing blends Japanese silhouettes with Western tailoring.

The up-and-coming duo will be able to complete their internships in the US or Europe, stopping in Hong Kong on the way to meet with industry experts at textile brand The Woolmark Company's new Wool Resource Centre to learn about the industry and the key manufacturers, spinners and weavers in China.

AUSFF co-founder Malcolm Carfrae commended Fanning and Tan's "strong, original point of view" and "inspiring and exciting" collections. Carfrae sat on the judging panel for the competition, alongside fashion stylist and icon Brana Wolf, fashion designer Dion Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Harper's Bazaar Kellie Hush, Editor-In-Chief of InStyle US Laura Brown, fashion consultant and former Vogue editor Nancy Pilcher, and Consultant Kara Hurry.

The AUSFF was founded in 2009, with the aim of promoting young Australian talent and offering training and networking opportunities. The annual awards, held in partnership with The Woolmark Company, are open to designers, photographers, stylists, writers, and art directors working in the fashion industry. For more information, see www.ausff.org
Vienna (AFP) - A farmer's cows in western Austria will swap their traditional bells for GPS trackers after the owner of a holiday home complained that the noise was irritating his guests.

Some might think the gentle clonk of cowbells is as much a part of the Alpine landscape as soaring peaks and wooden chalets, but the noise drove landlord Guenter Frick to bring charges against farmer Engelbert Laengle last summer.

The cows were making a "hell of a noise" every time they drank from the metal water trough in a field near his property in the picturesque town of Zwischenwasser in Vorarlberg state, close to the Swiss border, Frick told the court at the time.

But Laengle, whose family has been in the farming business for 300 years, insisted the bells had to stay, arguing they were essential in locating his herd.

On Tuesday, the quarrelling sides finally came to an amicable arrangement: Frick will fork out 3,000 euros to equip the cows with silent tracking devices.

"I hope the farmer will have a lot of fun with the GPS," he told public broadcaster ORF.

The solution "respects the interests of both parties", commented Laengle's lawyer Josef Lerchner.
VIENNA (AP)  Austrian police say they have arrested 10 Turkish nationals suspected of being part of an international human smuggling network that slipped around 10,000 people into Europe over the past decade.

State broadcaster ORF cites police and Interior Ministry officials as saying the ring earned around 15 million euros ($15.6 million) through its activities.

ORF said Tuesday that three main suspects are still being sought. It quoted police officials as saying Monday that some of those in custody already have been tried and sentenced, but gave no details.
Authorities in Arkansas are offering a $40,000 reward for information that could help them find a man who shot and killed a 3-year-old boy during a road rage incident over the weekend.

The FBI and the city of Little Rock have each put up $20,000 following Saturdays fatal shooting of Acen King, who was sitting in the backseat of his grandmothers car during the deadly encounter.

Authorities said the gunman was angry that the boys grandmother wasnt moving fast enough at a stop sign, according to NBC News. The FBI said in a statement that the suspect drove up behind her car and honked at her. The grandmother honked back, which prompted the suspect to get out and fire one fatal shot into her car before driving away in a black Chevrolet Impala.

Little Rock police said both the grandmother and the boy were innocent and had no relationship with the suspect.

Tonight's homicide was a road rage incident, the grandma and 3 year old victim are innocent and have no relationship w/ the suspect.  Little Rock Police (@LRpolice) December 18, 2016

It should shock all of our conscience, Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner told NBC News. We cannot have a community to where the least protected among us, meaning infants  are dying in these senseless crimes in our city.
By Lisa Rapaport Donor breast milk that's screened, pasteurized and distributed through milk banks can protect preemies against serious illness, but donated milk bought online or obtained from friends can actually make babies sick, say U.S. pediatricians. In its first policy statement on donor human milk, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises against using internet-based or informal human milk sharing. These sources of human milk carry the risk of bacterial or viral contamination, or exposure to medications, drugs, herbs or other substances. Most donor milk is distributed by milk banks through hospital neonatal intensive care units, and is typically reserved for preemies and other vulnerable infants. With limited supplies, some parents are obtaining donor human milk directly from other parents or from internet sources that may be less safe since they vary widely in screening of donors and methods of milk storage and transportation. "We do not recommend direct milk sharing even if they have used home methods to try to pasteurize it," said Dr. Steven Abrams of Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, the lead author of the policy statement. "Milk banks are tightly regulated and use one of several well-established and proven methods of pasteurization to remove virtually all risks of transmitting infections," Abrams added by email. Human milk offers advantages for all newborns, but particularly for infants weighing less than 1,500 grams (about 3.5 pounds), according to the AAP. Studies show infants fed human milk have lower rates of what's known as necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening intestinal disorder that primarily affects premature babies, as well as a lower risk of lung and eye diseases. Mothers own milk is always preferred, in part because some of breastmilks beneficial biological components may be reduced after pasteurization. But donor human milk can be an effective alternative when maternal milk isnt available or falls short of the infants needs, according to the AAP. Reliably safe supplies of donor human milk from established milk banks are still limited, however. Women who can't afford or access milk bank donations would be better off seeking help from friends than from the internet, said JoAnne Flagg, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore, who wasn't involved in the policy statement. It's possible to pasteurize donor milk at home using what's known as the Holder pasteurization method, which heats milk to 145 degrees for a half hour then gradually cools it, or by flash heating, Flagg said by email. "Infant formula provides the nutrients the infant requires, but has no additional health benefits," Flagg said. "Donor milk a mother obtains from friends that is pasteurized by the above methods would be superior to infant formula." But she cautioned that donor milk from the internet or that isn't pasteurized could not only expose babies to bacteria or viral contaminants, it might not even contain breast milk. Because improperly unpasteurized milk can transmit infections, many clinicians consider home pasteurization unsafe and discourage it even when women get milk from people they know, said Dr. Valerie Flaherman, nursery director at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. "Mother's breast milk provides the best and safest nutrition for babies," Flaherman, who wasn't involved in the policy statement, said by email. "Buying milk from the internet and feeding it to babies is hazardous and risks giving the infant an infection, either an infection directly transmitted from an infected donor or an infection that occurs because milk storage conditions were poor," Flaherman added. "Formula is prepared and stored according to FDA guidelines and is a much safer choice than casually shared breast milk."
Police have recommended child abuse charges against the parents of two babies in Colorado who died of the same cause two years apart, according to prosecutors.

Nazairean Newton, 3 months, died on June 29 after he suffocated in his parents bed, authorities said. In 2014, 7-month-old Azyian Newton died the exact same way, according to police in Aurora.

Read: Baby Boy Dies After Being Left Alone in RV for 7 Hours, Parents Charged with Murder; Cops

The District Attorneys Office of the 18th Judicial District declined to press charges in the first death, but is currently investigating the police recommendation for charges in the second, spokesperson Vikki Migoya told InsideEdition.com Tuesday.

Our obligation is always to seek justice and sometimes that means justice for people who cant speak, Arapahoe Chief Deputy District Attorney Leora Joseph told KDVR-TV.

After the 2014 death, dad Tyler Newton told detectives he and girlfriend Tierra Collins regularly slept with their baby between them.

Newton said he was haunted by the babys death. I will never get that out of my head, just holding him in my arms and trying to get him up, the crying father told police, according to a video of the interview obtained by the station.

Read: 4-Month-Old Dies After Being Forgotten in a Hot Car for Hours

"Id give my life to have my babies back," the mother told the station earlier this month. "I love my kids and I was doing the best that I thought I could do for my kids. I did not do anything criminally wrong."

Child care experts have long warned parents about the dangers of sleeping in the same bed with an infant. Dangers include suffocation caused by adults rolling over on a baby as well as pillows and sheets blocking an infants breathing passages.

Newton said charging him and the babies mother wouldnt accomplish anything.

We lost pretty much everything. We lost our kids, we lost our place, weve lost everything, he told the station.

Story continues

Watch: Dad Kills Baby Daughter Who Survived Cancer Because He Was Jealous: Authorities

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berlin truck attack police germany

German authorities are still scrambling to pinpoint those responsible in connection with the truck attack that killed 12 and injured dozens more at a Berlin Christmas market on Monday.

One suspect, a Pakistani asylum-seeker who was known to German police, was released Tuesday due to a lack of evidence, and residents have been urged to remain on guard.

"It is the case that we possibly still have a dangerous offender in our area," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt told media on Tuesday. "These days it is necessary to be vigilant."

ISIS claimed credit Tuesday afternoon for the attack, confirming what German and US officials had presumed was an act of terrorism.

The group's Amaq news agency declared the perpetrator to be an ISIS soldier who "executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries."

It's unclear whether the perpetrator or perpetrators acted on their own, or coordinated with ISIS leadership.

Investigators remain "highly alarmed" at the lack of leads in the case, and are wading through witness descriptions and surveillance footage and ramping up efforts to process forensic evidence such as the bloodstains found inside the truck, according to The Washington Post.

But police have not yet released any sketches of potential suspects to the public, nor have they recovered the weapon used to kill the Polish man whose body was found in the truck's passenger seat.

"They're really back to square one in terms of this investigation," CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said.

"It may well be a scenario of a manhunt, a race against time to arrest this individual before they can strike again."

The confusion surrounding the lack of a suspect is "completely unprecedented," one terrorism expert told CNN.

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"You have peace concerts, you have people laying down wreaths, you have people writing cards and people speaking silent prayers," said Peter Neumann, director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization. "I don't think a lot of people are aware there's an attacker on the loose, potentially."

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DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh security forces on Tuesday arrested two members of an Islamist militant group blamed for a deadly attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July in which 22 people were killed, most of them foreigners. The July 1 attack in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter was claimed by the Islamic State and was the worst militant attack in Bangladesh, which has been hit by a spate of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past year. The two suspects, aged 21 and 28, were members of a faction of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant group, known as New JMB, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, and which police believe was involved in organizing the cafe attack. We have recovered money, jihadi books, leaflets and sharp weapons, Lutful Kabir, a senior official with the police-led Rapid Action Battalion, which is involved in counter-terrorism efforts, told a news conference. The five gunmen who attacked the cafe were all killed. Police have killed at least 42 suspected Islamists in raids since then, including the man police said was the attack mastermind, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury. (Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Robert Birsel)
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh signed a deal with Britains DP Rail on Tuesday to develop a $7.5 billion (6.06 billion pounds) rail track, the biggest ever railway project in the country.

The 240 kilometre rail track will run between Dhaka and Payra port, a planned new deep sea port, capable of handling large container ships with capacity for 8,000 containers or 120,000 tonnes of cargo.

DP Rail will finance the project, railway minister Mujibul Haque told reporters following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Under the terms of the MoU, DP Rail has the exclusive right to develop plans to design, finance, build and operate the railway, the company said in a statement.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Jane Merriman)
Beirut (AFP) - A "soldier" of the Islamic State group carried out a truck attack that killed 12 people at a Berlin Christmas market, a news agency linked to the jihadists said Tuesday.

"A soldier of the Islamic State carried out the Berlin operation in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries," the IS-linked Amaq news agency said in a statement posted online.

The statement did not identify the attacker.

The truck was rammed into shoppers at the Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel said was a likely "terrorist" attack.

Police arrested a Pakistani asylum-seeker soon after the attack but released him on Tuesday for lack of evidence, leaving investigators to pursue their hunt for the real perpetrator.

While Germany has so far been spared the devastating jihadist carnage that has hit neighbouring France and Belgium, it has suffered a spate of attacks this year.

In some cases, the assaults have been claimed by IS and carried out by asylum seekers.

On July 18, a 17-year-old asylum-seeker wielding an axe and a knife attacked passengers on a Bavarian train, injuring five people, before being shot dead by police.

The IS group released a video purportedly featuring the attacker announcing he would carry out an "operation" in Germany, and presenting himself as a "soldier of the caliphate".

A US-led military coalition that includes Germany has been carrying out air strikes against IS positions in Iraq and Syria since 2014.
By Andrei Makhovsky and Katya Golubkova MINSK (Reuters) - Belarus wants Moscow to give it the same price for Russian gas as Russian regions bordering the ex-Soviet country pay, Belarusian Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov told Reuters in an interview. The two countries, traditionally allies, have been at odds since the start of the year over how much Minsk should pay Russia's Gazprom for gas supplies following a slump in global energy prices. Minsk, which says a gas price set by Gazprom of $132 per 1,000 cubic meters is too high, has been paying less on delivery since the start of the year and Gazprom says it is owed $270 million for the first six months of 2016 alone. Belarus, a major transit route for Russian gas to Europe, has previously said a price of $73 would be reasonable. Kobyakov, in the interview given on Monday, said he thought a "fair price" would be the same as that paid by Russian regions adjacent to his country. "If in the regions that border Belarus the gas price is more than two times cheaper, it is obvious that the competitiveness of the goods which Belarus is producing will be quite a bit worse than in Russia," Kobyakov said. "So we are saying: 'We don't mind if you raise prices to levels matching Belarus ... But if you can't raise prices at home, then adjust the price for Belarus to yours." Since July, in a move interpreted as an attempt by Russia to put pressure on Minsk, Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft has been pumping about 40 percent less oil to Belarus than in the second quarter of this year. Belarus has been trying to secure oil supplies from other sources and received test shipments from Azerbaijan. Kobyakov said Azeri oil, which arrived by sea via the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa and was delivered by land to landlocked Belarus, was one of the most "thought through" options but not the only one. Kobyakov also did not rule out a new potash alliance with Russia's Uralkali. Such a tie-up was "possible," he said, but Belarus would approach any potential deal "very carefully". "We don't want the situation that happened in 2013 to repeat itself," he said. In 2013, Uralkali left a trading joint venture with the Belarusian Potash Company, triggering a fall in global prices of the crop nutrient and hitting Minsk's revenues. ECONOMIC PROSPECTS Belarus is in talks with the International Monetary Fund about a $3.5 billion loan package, which Kobyakov said Minsk aimed to use to replenish its gold and foreign exchange reserves. "In general, we are aiming for the (IMF) program to be launched in the first half of 2017. But not at any price," Kobyakov said. "Talk is rather about timing: we are for smoother changes, while our partners are for more rapid dynamics." He added that talks with the IMF were "constructive", yet two difficult groups of questions focused on utilities' tariffs and improvement in the state-controlled part of the economy. Kobyakov also said Belarus was looking at raising $800 million via a Eurobond next year, aiming for a seven-year maturity. He forecast Belarus's economy to grow by around 1.7 percent next year, with inflation falling to 9 percent from 11 percent expected in 2016 and gold and forex reserves rising to $5.5 billion. As part of attempts to diversify its economy, traditionally closely tied with Russia, Kobyakov said Minsk aimed for a strategic investor from among Western banks to be present in the Belarus banking system. Belarus is preparing to sell a stake of up to 25 percent in Belarusbank, which accounts for more than 40 percent of banking assets in the country, with a decision on the investor seen within two years. "Certain bidders have emerged, including a well-known Hungarian bank. But this does not mean yet that we have finally decided. The work is at its very beginning," Kobyakov said. (Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky and Katya Golubkova; Editing by Dale Hudson)
Berlin (AFP) - A sudden bang -- and then everything went dark.

Survivors of the carnage caused when a lorry ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market recount the fear and horror they felt when festive revelry turned to death and destruction in a matter of seconds.

Many also told of lucky escapes and chance decisions that meant they were not standing in the path of the truck that mowed down the crowd on Monday, killing at least 12 people.

- '20 centimetres away' -

Lana Sefovac, a Bosnian who lives in Berlin, was at the entrance of the market at the time of the attack.

"We were at a stall because we wanted to buy some food. We were lucky we were hungry because if we had been on the promenade we would have been victims," she told regional N1 television in Bosnia.

"I was standing in front of the stall, my father was in front of me, my mum was behind. I heard a very, very noisy sound and when I turned towards it, the first thing I saw was wood flying all around because he literally smashed the first wooden booth by driving very fast.

"He was driving directly toward us, directly into us, but then he made a turn because he did not want to drive into (our) booth but where people were. He wanted to run people over.

"He passed 20 centimetres from my mum. She fell. My dad fell too. I turned and started screaming because I couldn't see my mum. I thought she was injured as the speed was high and I was sure he pushed her.

"She stood up, dad too, and at that moment I turned and saw the truck hitting a lamppost, with people laying around it and to the side.

"Absolutely everyone was shocked, nobody knew what to do, we were all trying to find our loved ones and friends that only a minute earlier we were drinking mulled wine with and now they were lying down in blood.

"Then we were worried that something else could happen, someone could come out of the truck, there could be an explosion or something, so as soon as the first shock passed, we immediately ran away."

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- 'Totally powerless' -

Belgian woman Carima Douch, who was working at the Zaventem airport in Brussels when the suicide bombings happened in March, told of yet another lucky escape.

She told Dutch daily De Telegraaf daily after witnessing the Berlin attack: "It's very difficult. You feel totally powerless. And I am speechless. Everything comes back again. It is unbelievable that it is happening all over again."

Her friend, Carima Akel-Freie, a personal assistant from Leuven, said: "We thought it would be fun to go to the Christmas market. We were going to stay there, but a group wanted to leave to go and get a drink."

"I'm really happy that we decided to go with them. It probably saved our lives. Five minutes later the attack happened."

- 'Utter devastation' -

Another lucky escapee was British tourist Rhys Meredith, from Cardiff, who was at the market with his girlfriend when the lorry crashed into the crowd.

"We were having a good walk around, soaking up the scene, soaking up the atmosphere," he told the BBC.

"We had bought food and had we carried on we would have walked down the path the truck would have been down and we more than likely wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

Meredith said the lorry caused "complete and utter devastation".

"There was clearly no attempt to try and slow down... We've seen stalls... obliterated into nothing."

- So beautiful, so charming -

Dutch photographer Roos Koman was visiting the market with her boyfriend Stefan, having made the trip specially to Berlin to see it.

Just half an hour before the truck hit, they were enjoying the Christmas market and had gone back to their hotel just 50 metres away.

"It was so beautiful, so charming. I cannot quite comprehend the chaos that came directly afterwards," she told the Dutch AD daily.

"We only went back to the hotel because the Gedaechtniskirche (nearby church) was closed. Otherwise Stefan and I would still have been there."

"The hotel immediately closed all the doors. No-one could get out. It was very frightening, as we didn't know if the violence was over," she added.

Although their return flight is not until Thursday, she said she was "not sure" she would stay.

"Most likely we'll just stay in our hotel room and not leave... I expect there will be a huge exodus of tourists from Berlin. Everyone is scared."

- Missed by three metres -

Another British visitor to the market, Mike Fox, from Birmingham, told the BBC how he helped rescue people trapped under collapsed market stalls.

"As we were leaving the large truck came through," he said. "It had just passed me, passed my girlfriend. I think it had missed me by three metres -- missed her by five."

Fox said he spoke to two people who were lying on the floor with broken limbs "but they were going to be OK".

He added: "I saw one guy being dragged away with blood on his face. I helped several other people lift the side of one of the stalls up so that they could pull two other people from underneath."
The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the first 11 films that will screen in its Panorama sidebar.

Politics and history take center stage in the lineup so far, with several titles reflecting on the history of black people from Africa to the Americas and a number examining the political upheaval of today.

The 2017 Panorama will open with The Wound from director John Trengove, the story of a South African businessman from Johannesburg who takes his son to witness the circumcision ceremony of his old tribe.

Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck, whose new feature The Young Karl Marx has landed a special gala screening in Berlin, will also show his acclaimed I Am Not Your Negro, in the Panorama section. The documentary on the life and work of great African-American writer James Baldwin is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.

Vazante, the first solo directorial effort from Brazilian filmmaker Daniela Thomas (Linha de Passe), examines the exploitation of black slaves in her country, the last nation to officially abolish slavery.

Modern-day politics are represented by Fernando Leon de Aranoa's documentary Politics, Instruction Manual, an in-depth look at the rise of left-wing populist movement Podemos in Spain, one of the few European countries that has seen progressive politics blossom in the past few years. Another doc, Fighting Through the Night, from Canadian filmmaker Sylvain L'Esperance, examines the political situation in Greece. Also heading to Berlin are Kitty Green's Casting JonBenet, a documentary about the violent, and still unsolved, murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey 20 years ago; and the Austrian experimental nonfiction film Untitled, from the directing team of Michael Glawogger and Monika Willi.

Among the dramas in Panorama's lineup are Honeygiver Among the Dogs, a film noir out of Bhutan, which will have its European premiere in Berlin; Centaur from Kyrgyzstan director Aktan Arym Kubat; the Taiwanese feature Small Talk from Hui-chen Huang; and Pendular, a drama from up-and-coming Brazilian filmmaker Julia Murat (Found Memories).

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The remainder of the Panorama lineup will be announced in January.

The 2017 Berlin Film Festival runs Feb. 8-18.

Read more: Berlin: Richard Gere, Rebecca Hall's 'The Dinner,' Sally Potter's 'The Party' in Competition
The Berlin Film Festivals Panorama section has unveiled the first tranche of films from its lineup, with two principal themes emerging from the films selected so far.

The themes, according to the festival, are: A fresh historically reflective approach to the history of black people in North America, South America and Africa (I Am Not Your Negro, Vazante, The Wound), and Europa Europa, which explores how progressive forces might best defend themselves in light of a zeitgeist that makes it seem as if yesterday never went away (Politica, manual de instrucciones, Combat au bout de la nuit).

PANORAMA FILMS SELECTED SO FAR

(All descriptions courtesy of the festival)

IN FOCUS: RECLAIMING BLACK HISTORY

Vazante

Brazil/Portugal

By Daniela Thomas

With Adriano Carvalho, Luana Nastas, Juliana Carneiro da Cunha, Sandra Corveloni, Roberto Audio

World premiere

Daniela Thomas, co-director of many joint productions with Walter Salles, presents her solo directorial debut. Brazil was the last country to officially abolish slavery in its historical form, in 1888. This films story (co-authored by Beto Amaral) is set in 1821, one year before the South American nation gained its independence from Portugal. The wealth that is extracted from the country comes in the form of gemstones from the mines of Minas Gerais. The precious jewels are excavated from the belly of the mountain by slaves; still absent today is any significant memorial to the suffering they endured. Although this era represents the foundation upon which todays Brazil was built, its culture has yet to recover from the monstrosity of these events.

I Am Not Your Negro

France/U.S./Belgium/Switzerland

By Raoul Peck

Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson

European premiere

With I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck has embarked on a long overdue reflection on the life of the great African-American writer James Baldwin and his political struggle against racism, whose roots go back to slavery. The black point of view, a black historiography are not yet anchored in mainstream consciousness. History is always written by the victors, and black people were never among them, neither Africans nor African-Americans. In James Baldwin, a powerfully eloquent intellectual took to the stage and set marks that are as invigoratingly crucial to reckon with today as they were 50 years ago. With I Am Not Your Negro and The Young Karl Marx in Berlinale Special, Raoul Peck is represented twice in this years festival program.

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The Wound

South Africa/Germany/Netherlands/France

By John Trengove

With Nakhane Toure, Bongile Mantsai, Niza Jay Ncoyini

European premiere

The opening film for this years Panorama main program comes from South Africa. The fabrication of masculinity has long been a consistent theme in Panorama. Here we are permitted to witness the initiation rites of an African tribe inhabiting the territory of the South African Republic. Tradition and modernity collide when an urbanized businessman from Johannesburg resolves to expose his 17-year-old son to the circumcision ceremony of his old tribe. Producer Elias Ribeiro previously delighted festival audiences in Panorama 2015 with Necktie Youth.

EUROPA EUROPA

Politica, manual de instrucciones (Politics, Instructions Manual)

Spain

By Fernando Leon de Aranoa

European premiere

Feature film director Fernando Leon de Aranoa, a repeat guest at Panorama, enables us to take an in-depth look at the situation on the ground in Spain. The media noise concerning Syria, Trump and other earth-shaking events clouds the recognition of the foundation of our future: European politics. We think back to those heady days in West Germany as the Green Party was founded: Podemos was born of similar circumstances and can no longer be contained on the fringe, even as the dark forces of old regroup for an attack thanks to an unprocessed fascist past. A situation of repressed history, one which ticks away like a time bomb in many countries around the globe. This frightening zeitgeist requires the brave intervention of those who dont want to be forced back behind the goal lines of recent history.

Combat au bout de la nuit (Fighting Through the Night)

Canada

By Sylvain LEsperance

International premiere

This nearly five-hour-long documentary essay takes us directly to the heart of Europes misery: to Athens. In the Greek parliament building, innumerable articles are adopted to an audience of empty seats. The harbor landscape rolls past us, with its endless rows of administrative buildings, which will soon fall into the hands of financiers from other continents. Then we find ourselves right in the middle of an occupation of the tax office by its cleaning personnel  a long-term observation that plays out over the course of 28 days and provides space for empathetic encounters with marginalized individuals caught up in the crisis. The vacuum left behind by technocratic policies is filled by new fascists, who feign gestures of care for the forgotten  a scenario repeated in all of the nations of Europe and beyond its borders.

Casting JonBenet

U.S.

By Kitty Green

International premiere

Produced by James Schamus and Scott Macaulay, this film is a highly intelligent attempt to revisit the facts surrounding the unsolved violent death of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. What was conceived as a celebration of the American dream family became a nightmare 20 years ago for the ever so omnipotent petty bourgeoisie.

Honeygiver Among the Dogs

Bhutan

By Dechen Roder

With Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk, Sonam Tashi Choden

European premiere

This debut feature from director Dechen Roder, who already presented a short film at the Berlinale in 2015, is a veritable Buddhist film noir. Atmospherically dense cinema, dynamically charged between tension and serenity, faith and morality.

Centaur

Kyrgyzstan/France/Germany/Netherlands

By Aktan Arym Kubat

With Nuraly Tursunkojoev, Zarema Asanalieva, Aktan Arym Kubat

World premiere

With a voice that speaks as if from another century and with the popular appeal of a fairy tale, this film tells the saga of the metaphysical bond between horse and humankind and how the former ended up becoming wings for the latter.

Pendular

Brazil/Argentina/France

By Julia Murat

With Raquel Karro, Rodrigo Bolzan

World premiere

Young director Julia Murat is a real discovery. Here she examines the relationship between a dance artist and a sculptor using the means of their particular art forms. A philosophical, original gender treatment of young bohemians poised on the verge of middle age.

Ri Chang Dui Hua (Small Talk)

Taiwan

By Hui-chen Huang

International premiere

A family story of a very special kind, produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien. The mother earns a living as a spirit guide for the deceased at their funerals: she was never at home, always out and about with her girlfriends instead. The daughter now goes to great lengths to attempt to understand her mother. A cosmos opens before us, one which manages to be of universal cultural significance and extremely intimate at the same time.

Untitled

Austria/Germany

By Michael Glawogger, Monika Willi

World premiere

This film is intended to show an image of the world that can only be created when one does not pursue any subject, or make any value judgement or follow any objective. When one lets ones self be carried along by nothing more than ones own curiosity and intuition. Director Michael Glawogger passed away in 2014 during shooting for a movie. His editor Monika Willi has realized a fascinating film with material that was shot during a journey of four months and 19 days through the Balkan states, Italy, and Northwest and Western Africa  a journey undertaken in order to observe, to listen and to experience, with attentive eyes, bold and raw.

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By Michelle Martin

BERLIN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Berlin police said on Tuesday that investigators assume the driver of a truck that ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others, did so intentionally in a suspected terrorist attack.

The truck crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which was left as a ruin after World War Two, in the heart of former West Berlin on Monday evening.

"Our investigators assume that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz," police said on Twitter.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," police said.

The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That attack was claimed by Islamic State.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had previously said there were indications that the incident in Berlin was an attack.

Police said that the man found dead in the truck was a Polish citizen but added he was not in control of the vehicle. The nationality of the suspected driver, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was unclear, they said.

German media cited local security sources as saying that there was evidence suggesting the arrested suspect was from Afghanistan or Pakistan and had entered Germany in February as a refugee.

Berlin police are investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland. They have taken the truck for a forensic examination.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Michael Perry)
In the back of our heads, we knew it was coming. There was no rational explanation for Berlin being spared the terror and bloodshed that have hit  and transformed for the grimmer  cities such as Paris, London, Istanbul, and New York. Smaller-scale attacks committed by Islamists of different stripes had occurred in other German cities and towns; others had been thwarted. Nevertheless, the news Monday night stunned and unnerved: 12 dead and some 50 injured when, at around 8 p.m., a tractor-trailer barreled into the Christmas market at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on the Breitscheidplatz, one of central Berlins busiest squares.

The attacks perpetrator probably didnt pick out the location of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church with any more symbolism in mind than Christmas: Islam versus Christendom is the message thats supposed to stick. Any one of the dozens of Christmas markets in Berlin probably would have done. The symbol the terrorist sought was Christianitys holiest celebration in the center of Europes mightiest capital.

But the church destroyed in World War II and left a half ruin as an anti-war monument is loaded with symbolism. Like no other building or location in Berlin, if not all of Germany, it has since the wars aftermath embodied the two maxims of the postwar Federal Republic: Nie wieder Krieg, nie wieder Faschismus  never again war, never again fascism. Mondays carnage at the base of the churchs bomb-blackened shell is the first time since the war that blood has spilled on the square.

The question is whether Germany will now treat the Middle Easts instability, and the migration to Europe that has resulted from it, as a military crisis. That is what French President Francois Hollande did in the aftermath of the November 2015 killings in Paris, speaking of war and ordering airstrikes against Islamic State jihadis in Syria. Until now, Germanys contribution has been taking in refugees and urging diplomacy to prevail.

Of course, we Berliners also knew that an attack was liable to happen  we were just willing to convince ourselves that it wouldnt come tomorrow or the next day, but sometime in an indefinite future. The illusion that Berlin might just possibly escape the fate of its peers for another year is now definitively shattered. The full reality of 21st-century Europe finally arrived in its de facto capital  the home of a government that many critics charge has been out of step with the magnitude and military nature of the continents recent years of crisis.

Germany is now faced with the same conundrum as France and other European metropolises: How much liberty will be sacrificed in the name of security, in a city that basks in its international reputation as open-minded, tolerant, and proudly diverse? And how will the political class respond to the terrorist attack? Will establishment politicians, in an attempt to ward off the rise of right-wing populists, begin stigmatizing refugees and foreign nationals and beefing up the countrys borders?

This new reality was written across German Chancellor Angela Merkels weary face as she addressed the country Tuesday morning. No single figure is as associated with the plight of asylum-seekers in Europe as Merkel. Nor has any one politician in all of Europe been so roundly criticized as the chancellor for those policies. The fact that the initial suspect was admitted to Germany as an asylum applicant from Pakistan in February 2016 couldnt be worse for the chancellor. (That he was later released by police, who say the real perpetrator is still at large, has done little to dim the publics anxieties.)

In her short address, Merkel somberly expressed her grief and sorrow for the victims and outrage at the deed. This is a very difficult day, she said. Like millions of other Germans, she said she was horrified, shocked, and deeply saddened by the events. Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans, are no longer here today, she said. Emotion and empathy arent Merkels strong suit, but she struck the right chord and, in a hallmark of her crisis management, urged caution before all of the facts were known and any measures were taken in response.

At such a time when simple answers come easy, Merkel addressed the fact that the assailant appeared to be an asylum-seeker. I know that its particularly difficult for us all to accept if the person who committed this act is one who asked for our protection and asylum in Germany, she said. This would be particularly heinous. Very briefly, in just one sentence, she explicitly distinguished between the perpetrators of fundamentalist violence and the war refugees that require Germanys aid and protection. She urged Germans not to confuse them. But she stopped short of underscoring that the lions share of the refugees in Germany are fleeing from the same religious fanaticism that appears to have motivated the assailant in Berlin. Or that turning on Muslim citizens and helpless refugees plays right into the hands of the fundamentalists. But this kind of point is apparently too off message for the moment.

This is the very fine line that Merkel has to walk today and in coming weeks  and she is under enormous pressure to do it deftly. She must address the grief, anger, and fears of ordinary Germans, lest she leave an emotional vacuum for populists to fill. Shell need more than one 10-minute press conference to plausibly convey empathy for any Germans who may feel insecure, and as much help as she can get from other politicians, including those in her own party who have relentlessly attacked her governments migration policies. Yet she also has to defend and justify those policies, which bear her name  and, at least until now, she has, without success, defiantly pressed the rest of the EU to adhere to.

Europes far-right, for its part, didnt waste a minute to pounce on Merkel, the Germans first. A tweet published right after the attack by the nationalist populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) read simply: What has Merkel done to our country? Frauke Petry, the leader of the AfD, added: We shouldnt be under any illusions. The milieu, which nurutres such acts, has been negligently and systematically imported into Germany over the last one and a half years. According to Petry, Germany is no longer safe. It would be the duty of the chancellor to tell you this. Since she wont do it, I will, reads a photo she posted on her Facebook page. Frances far-right leader Marine Le Pen even chipped in with a tweet  Danke Merkel  as did the former leader of the nationalist UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, who said, Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.

This is a zero-hour moment for Merkel. On the one hand, her chancellorship now hinges upon her response  she is entering the 2017 election year with less-than-unanimous approval, even in conservative ranks, a disenchantment fueled largely by discontent over migration. But the EUs democratic credibility hangs in the balance, too. Germany, the EUs mightiest country, has thus far, almost single-handedly, kept the EU from de facto revoking one of its most important principles: the right of persecuted people to political asylum. Theres nothing standing in the way of its effective negation than Angela Merkel. Should Merkel cave in to the intense pressure, the European Union will become an illiberal Fortress Europe without a chink in its armor, just as desperate refugees from Aleppo come knocking at the door.

For now, Berlin still doesnt feel like a fortress. There are no soldiers on the streets, like those in France. My 6-year-old sons kindergarten class proceeded Tuesday morning with its regularly scheduled class trip to see a Christmas film in a cinema that borders on one of the citys smaller Christmas markets. Despite the teachers forced cheerfulness, there was no overreaction or hysterics.

But after Mondays attack, the wars raging on Europes borders crept another step closer to the Germans. If it turns out to have been directed by a terrorist group in the Middle East, German foreign-policy makers must determine whether they can do more than just care for a small fraction of the victims of that regions wars. The German military has yet to play much of a role at all in Syria. It pointedly opted out of the Libya intervention in 2011. Perhaps now that will change. Hopefully, even in that case, Germans will understand that its not a choice of either protecting war victims or fighting the Islamic State. After all, the victims of Aleppo in Syria and those dead on the Breitscheidplatz are the victims of the same ideology and terrorists.

This is a point that Merkel has to make as she soothes a wounded country and ensures its security. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church admonishes her to do them all at once.

Photo credit: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images
Some Bernie Sanders supporters refused to vote for Hillary Clinton in Monday's Electoral College vote. In Maine, an elector who sought to vote for the Vermont senator was blocked from doing so. In Hawaii, Sanders received his first electoral college vote that counted.

The protest votes did little to stop Republican Donald Trump from being declared the winner despite Clinton's lead of 2.9 million votes. He was expected to pick up 304 electoral votes, far more than the 270 needed to become president.

Ahead of the Electoral College vote, some Republicans and Democrats had said they would protest Trump because of her popular vote victory and his far-right policies. But only two of the 306 Republican electors, both from Texas, ended up casting a ballot against Trump.

Some Sanders supporters, however, were ready for a fight. Hawaii elector David Mulinix said he backed the Vermont senator because he was the most qualified candidate. In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright said he wanted to vote for Sanders in a display of solidarity for the many young voters who backed the Vermont senator in the state's presidential caucuses. Sanders beat Clinton in that race.

But presidential electors in Maine must vote for the popular vote winner. So Bright was told his vote was improper and was ordered to re-vote. He then picked Clinton, ensuring three of Maine's four electoral votes went to Clinton. Trump got one vote, the Associated Press reported.

"If my vote today could have helped Secretary Clinton win the presidency, I would have voted for her," Bright posted on his Facebook page. "But as the Electoral College meets all across this nation on this day, I see no likelihood of 38 Republican electors defecting from their party and casting their ballots for Secretary Clinton."

Bright later further recapped the uproar in a post on his Facebook page. "The story has been picked up by a number of different media around the country, so the message got out, and that was my initial goal. Obviously no Republicans voted for Clinton, so those dreamers who thought that might happen now have to face the fact that Hillary Clinton will not be President. We have what we have. The job now is learning to deal with it," he wrote.

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Generosity is at the core of the holiday season, and each year many Americans make it a point to donate to the causes most important to them.

Choosing which nonprofit to give to this season can prove difficult, as there are hundreds of choices for every cause. Furthermore, not all organizations are alike, with some more efficient and more transparent than others. The best charities are those that are able to devote the largest share of total donations to the cause they support.

Fortunately, Charity Navigator, itself a nonprofit group, reviews and rates major nonprofits based on two major categories: 1) financial health, and 2) accountability and transparency. 24/7 wall St. reviewed nations largest nonprofits that receive the best ratings from Charity Navigator in each of 12 major categories of giving.

ALSO READ: America's Most Segregated Cities

Each of these nonprofits performs very well in important categories such as fundraising efficiency, lower administration fees including executive pay, and a favorable ratio of capital to assets, meaning they are able to weather declines in revenue without cutting program operations.

One of the best ways to determine the efficiency of a charitable organization is by examining the percentage of an organizations total expenses spent on the services and programs the charity delivers. While some nonprofits spend less than 50% on their designated operations, the vast majority of the charities on this list spend at least 80% of their total expenses on their specified programs.

It is important to note that the organizations on this list are scored by Charity Navigator based on the obstacles, opportunities, and expenses inherent to the causes in which they operate. U.S.-based nonprofits, but only against others in the same categories and subcategories. Museums, for example, must maintain expensive collections and facilities and necessarily have much greater overhead than food pantries, which do not require large overhead expenses and are able to spend much closer to their entire budgets on programs.

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The Smithsonian Institution, for example, devotes just 77% of total resources to its programs and services, while food pantry service Feeding America is able to budget 98% to programs. Each, however, are among the highest rated organizations in their respective categories.

These organizations are also transparent and accountable, meaning they follow best practices of governance and release clear and complete records of their financial operations. Many of the nonprofits on this list practice policies such as disclosing the pay of the CEO and board members, including a whistleblower policy for handling internal complaints, and publicly documenting board meetings.

To determine the best charitable organizations to give to this holiday season, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the National Center for Charitable Statistics database of the largest public American charitable organizations. We considered all organizations that ranked among the top 10 in either annual expenses or net assets in each of the major classes of charities. From this list we pulled the organization rated the highest by charitable organization ratings group Charity Navigator. Nonprofits that received less than a score of 90 out 100 were excluded from consideration. Charity Navigator only evaluated organizations that largely rely substantially on support from individual donors.

These are the best charities to donate to this year.

Art Museums

> Charity: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

> Annual revenue: $473,744,517

> Headquarters: New York, NY

Founded in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art operates three major exhibition centers in New York City. According to its current mission statement, The Metropolitan Museum of Art collects, studies, conserves, and presents significant works of art across all times and cultures in order to connect people to creativity, knowledge, and ideas. While it receives government grants, collects membership dues, and has other sources of revenue, more than 40% of the organizations annual revenue comes from fundraising events and donations. According to Charity Navigators assessment, the organization is highly transparent and manages its resources well. About 86% of the organizations budget goes directly to programs serving its mission, while other prominent museum foundations spend less than 75% on such programs.

ALSO READ: Cities Where You Don't Want to Get Sick

Civil Liberties

> Charity: American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Inc

> Annual revenue: $94,047,925

> Headquarters: New York, NY

The ACLU is arguably the most influential civil liberties advocacy group in the country. Among other activities, the organization provides litigation aid in civil rights cases and initiates class action lawsuits on issues of civil liberties and basic human rights, including privacy, equality, and fair treatment in the criminal justice system.

The ACLU Foundation, the charitable arm of the ACLU, only engages in education and public defense aid and cannot legally initiate public actions such as class action suits. The Foundation spends about 42% of its annual budget directly on litigation efforts and the rest on education and transfers to other organizations.

Environmental Protection and Conservation

> Charity: The Conservation Fund

> Annual revenue: $215,096,466

> Headquarters: Arlington, VA

Based in Arlington, Virginia, the Conservation Fund works to conserve and protect land resources in the United States, with particular focus on efforts that do not harm the American economy. To date, the fund has ensured the conservation of over 7.5 million acres of habitat across the country. The best charitable organizations are those that are able to minimize overhead and devote the maximum amount of resources to the cause. The Conservation Fund spends 97.3% of its annual budget on program expenses, while others in the category of environmental protection spend less than 80% on programs.

Food Banks & Pantries

> Charity: Feeding America

> Annual revenue: $2,200,852,165

> Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Feeding America operates food pantries all over the country, servicing low-income families. According to its fiscal 2016 report, the organization helped serve 4 billion meals to 46 million Americans. Feeding America also provides millions of dollars in grants to food banks. The organization is an extremely efficient fundraiser. In order to raise one dollar, the organization spends less than one cent on fundraising efforts. To raise a single dollar, many other major food pantry organizations spend more than 10 cents on fundraising. Just 0.3% of annual expenses go to administrative costs. All but 2% of all donations the organization raises go directly to its programs.

ALSO READ: Beers Americans No Longer Drink

Homes for Children & Adolescents

> Charity: Boys Town

> Annual revenue: $272,940,728

> Headquarters: Boys Town, NE

Giving to a charity comes with the expectation that the money actually goes to the organization's specified programs and services. Youth development, shelter, and crisis services charity Boys Town allocates 81.8% of its annual budget to its core programs and services. The high percentage partially explains the charitys high rating on Charity Navigator. In addition to its schools and sites in Nebraska and Iowa, Boys Town operates across the nation through its affiliated sites in California, central Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New England, New York, North Florida, Florida, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

International Development

> Charity: PATH

> Annual revenue: $289,280,944

> Headquarters: Seattle, WA

Seattle-based PATH, which was previously known as the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, is an international health organization. PATH focuses on the creation of better technology, vaccines, and other solutions to address issues such as malnutrition, unsafe water supplies, and infectious diseases. In collaboration with pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, PATH contributed to the development of the first malaria vaccine approved by the World Health Organization. PATH is one of the few nonprofits of such size to earn a perfect rating in transparency from Charity Navigator.

International Human Rights

> Charity: The Carter Center Inc

> Annual revenue: $152,171,860

> Headquarters: Atlanta, GA

U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, founded The Carter Center in 1982. The organization engages in health and peace development around the world. Some of the Center's notable accomplishments include helping to nearly eradicate Guinea worm disease -- an excruciating infection contracted by drinking contaminated drinking water. Over the course of the Centers eradication campaign, the global incidence of the disease fell from 3.5 million cases in 1986 to just 22 in 2015. While many prominent international human rights organizations spend less than 80% of their annual budgets on programs and services, the Carter Center spends 91% on such programs.

ALSO READ: The Worst Companies to Work For

International Relief

> Charity: Save the Children Federation Inc

> Annual revenue: $667,604,478

> Headquarters: Fairfield, CT

According to its most recent financial report, Save the Children Federation campaigns helped approximately 185 million children across 120 countries, including the United States. In addition to its nutritional training programs, and other health and education programs, Save the Children responds to emergencies. In 2015, the organization responded to nearly 100 humanitarian crises in nearly 60 countries -- from monsoons across Africa to refugee crises in Europe.

Save the Children spends $9 out of every $10 on programs and services the charity is designed to deliver.

Museums

> Charity: Smithsonian Institution

> Annual revenue: $1,452,410,465

> Headquarters: Washington, DC

The Smithsonian Institution manages museums, education, and research facilities. Facilities include 17 museums in Washington D.C. as well as two in New York City, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities. In its last recorded tax year, the Smithsonian Institution reported $1.45 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-earning nonprofit museums in the country. The Smithsonian Institution does a relatively good job managing its resources, according to Charity Navigator, which gave it a nearly perfect 97 out of 100 on accountability and transparency of operations.

Patients' Rights

> Charity: Patient Advocate Foundation Inc

> Annual revenue: $76,020,912

> Headquarters: Hampton, VA

Undergoing treatment for a serious illness can be financially burdensome and difficult to navigate. The Patient Advocate Foundation, founded in 1996, assigns managers to assist patients in all aspects of the healthcare and insurance systems. Advocates will help patients file for insurance payments, ensure they are not unfairly fired as a result of time missed due to illness, and assist in debt repayment management.

The Hampton, Virginia-based organization receives excellent scores in both financial management and accountability. Just 3.3% of the organizations annual expenditures goes to administrative costs such as executive pay.

ALSO READ: American Cities Adding the Most Jobs

Womens Rights

> Charity: National Womens Law Center

> Annual revenue: $5,761,673

> Headquarters: Washington, DC

The National Womens Law Center works to advance policies that guarantee equal rights for women and girls in all aspects of life. The NWLC states that it has been on the front lines of virtually every major advance for women since 1972. In its most recent annual report, the organization highlighted progress made on several issues, including protecting pregnant workers from job discrimination, the adoption of birth control coverage by insurers, and exposing discrimination and harassment of African American girls in schools.

The Center receives very high ratings in both accountability and transparency, as well as financial health categories. It is also an efficient fundraiser, with each dollar raised costing the organization 5 cents, while similar organizations spend close to 20 cents per dollar raised.

Wildlife Conservation

> Charity: Wildlife Conservation Society

> Annual revenue: $291,614,080

> Headquarters: Bronx, NY

The goal of the Wildlife Conservation Society is to prioritize the conservation of ecosystems in 15 at-risk regions around the world, and reverse the decline of six species. The populations of various endangered species are maintained at the societys five New York City wildlife parks. The Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium house a total of 16,523 specimens representing 1,176 species. The organization reports $291.6 million in annual revenue, primarily from gifts and grants and from the city of New York.

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By Curtis Skinner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A black deputy police chief from Los Angeles was selected on Tuesday to head up the San Francisco Police Department, months after the city's last police chief was pushed out amid protests over police killings of African-Americans.

The U.S. Department of Justice continues to review San Francisco's police force after deadly police shootings and two racist text-messaging scandals that sparked angry demonstrations and calls for a department shake-up.

Bill Scott, the highest-ranking black officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, will replace Toney Chaplin and is expected to start late January. Chaplin, who is also black, has been serving as interim police chief since Greg Suhr was ousted from the top job.

"I admire San Francisco's proactive approach to reform in the wake of incidents in the last two years, and I look forward to continuing this work," Scott said in a statement.

Scott has been with the Los Angeles police for 27 years and was promoted to deputy chief in 2015, according to the mayor's office. He heads the Los Angeles Police Department's South Bureau, which employs 1,700 people and covers an area where some 640,000 people live.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee reluctantly pressured Suhr to resign back in May, just hours after an officer fatally shot a black woman.

That shooting occurred in San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood, where police in December 2015 fatally shot a black man who was a suspect in a stabbing. Police said at the time that 26-year-old Mario Woods, whose family has since sued the city, was holding a knife and refused to drop it.

Bystander video, which went viral after being published online, showed Woods being gunned down in a hail of bullets by a phalanx of officers.

In April, the city's public defender released racist and homophobic text messages sent by a San Francisco police officer, which marked the second such scandal in as many years.

Story continues

Amid escalating protests, the city and the U.S. Justice Department launched a collaborative review of the police department in February, which critics said fell short of a civil rights investigation.

In October, reviewers released a report outlining deficiencies it found within the department, including apparent racial bias in traffic stops, searches and killings.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler and Andrew Hay)
The country music community is mourning the loss of songwriter Andrew Dorff.

Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes and Maren Morris are among those paying tribute to Dorff following his untimely death on Monday, Dec. 19. He was 40.

The musician, who wrote for Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville, had penned hits like "Neon Light" for Shelton, "Save It for a Rainy Day" for Kenny Chesney, "Somebody's Heartbreak" for Hayes, and "Ride" for Martina McBride. He was also the brother of Blade actor Stephen Dorff and the son of songwriter Steve Dorff.

"It is with immeasurable grief that we learn of the passing of our friend Andrew Dorff," Lee Thomas Miller, president of Nashville Songwriters Association International, shared in a Facebook post on Tuesday. "Our songwriting community is small and close and this loss will hurt us all deeply. Andrew was a good man and a good friend. He was an elite songwriter at the peak of his life and career. Our sincerest prayers go out to his family. May we all hug each other a little tighter this week and remember that life is fragile. Rest in peace Andrew."

A cause of death has not yet been revealed. According to The Tennessean, a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's office said that an investigation is ongoing.

Shelton called the loss a "terrible tragedy" on Twitter, while Hayes praised Dorff as "a prolific writer with a huge heart."

Sad to be finding out about Andrew Dorff passing away... Terrible tragedy. Prayers to his family.  Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) December 20, 2016

A prolific writer w/ a huge heart. Music lost 1 of its greatest. So devastating. Rest in peace Andrew. The music you gave will live forever. pic.twitter.com/KLAK5JQ63m  Hunter Hayes (@HunterHayes) December 20, 2016

There's a neon light at the end of the tunnel.  Rest peacefully, my friend. A photo posted by Maren Morris (@marenmorris) on Dec 19, 2016 at 9:14pm PST

In a time of sadness I remember this video. Praying for Andrews family tonight.  @endorffin A video posted by  R A E L Y N N  (@raelynnofficial) on Dec 19, 2016 at 9:54pm PST

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Starz is not putting this bluntly.

The premium cable network has canceled Blunt Talk, the scripted comedy starring Patrick Stewart, after two seasons, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Blunt Talk, which was picked up straight to series with a two-season, 20-episode order, wrapped its run Dec. 11. The comedy revolved around Walter Blunt (Stewart), a British transplant intent on conquering the world of American cable news.

The series was produced by Media Rights Capital (House of Cards) and was based on an original idea by Bored to Death's Jonathan Ames, who executive produced alongside Seth MacFarlane and his Fuzzy Door Productions.

"We are grateful to Jonathan and Patrick for the tirades and laughs that Walter Blunt delivered to fans with such aplomb," Starz programming president Carmi Zlotnik said Tuesday in a statement. "While Walter may not be returning to the airwaves, we are incredibly proud of the work that was done these past two seasons by our wonderful partners and collaborators on Blunt Talk, from Seth MacFarlane and our studio MRC, to our actors, writers and crew. It was a very special show with a heartfelt message. It was an honor serving you, Major."

Blunt Talk was never much of a ratings performer and didn't crack through to become an awards-season player. The comedy's second-season (and now series) finale drew just 134,000 total viewers and a 0.4 rating among adults 18-49 with three days of delayed viewing.

MacFarlane, meanwhile, is poised to make his live-action TV acting debut in the fall with Fox's straight-to-series hourlong drama Orville, co-starring Friday Night Lights alum Adrianne Palicki. The prolific producer and actor (and jazz musician) remains an executive producer on animated hits Family Guy at Fox and American Dad at TBS.

Starz, meanwhile, has a roster of comedies that now includes Ash vs. Evil Dead and Survivor's Remorse.

For its part, MRC will remain in business with Starz, which has the independent studio's Alejandro G. Inarritu drama The One Percent as well as two-season sci-fi thriller Counterpart starring J.K. Simmons. Outside of Starz, MRC has Netflix drama Ozark starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney in the works.
Bobbi Brown

Makeup artist Bobbi Brown is stepping down from her eponymous cosmetics brand.

After 25 years at the helm of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, which was acquired by The Estee Lauder Companies in 1995, Brown is preparing to turn the page.

"The brand's 25-year anniversary was a wonderful milestone that made me realize it was time to start a new chapter and move on to new ventures," Brown said in a statement.

Estee Lauder publicly thanked the makeup star for her tenure at the company, with William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman at The Estee Lauder Companies, saying: "More than two decades ago, we met an extremely creative makeup artist with a revolutionary idea that changed the way women feel about beauty. That idea grew into a highly successful, global beauty brand. Bobbi will always be part of our Estee Lauder Companies family and we wish her the very best in the future."

The brand, which was founded in 1991 in the form of a range of lipsticks, is known for its natural approach to beauty, summed up by its mantra, 'be who you are'. Brown set up the company after working as a professional makeup artist in New York, alongside photographers such as Patrick Demarchelier and with supermodels including Naomi Campbell. Today Bobbi Brown Cosmetics products are sold in over 70 countries worldwide, in department stores and 75 freestanding boutiques. In 2014, Brown launched 'Bobbi Brown Eyewear,' a line of sunglasses and reading glasses.
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP)  The man accused of setting off bombs in New Jersey and New York, injuring more than 30 people, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to attempted murder charges in his first in-person court appearance.

Ahmad Khan Rahimi, who was injured in a shootout with authorities, shuffled slowly into court in a dark-green prison jumpsuit and wearing a white skull cap. He had to be helped into his chair in the jury box by court officers. He didn't speak during the brief proceeding.

Rahimi faces charges he tried to kill police officers before they captured him Sept. 19 outside a bar in Linden, New Jersey. He's also accused of detonating a pipe bomb in New Jersey and a pressure-cooker bomb in New York City.

In October, an attorney entered not-guilty pleas when the Afghan-born U.S. citizen appeared via video link from his hospital bed in Newark, where he was hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

On Tuesday, prosecutors confirmed to the judge that no plea deal offers had been made to Rahimi.

After the hearing, security personnel closed off the streets around the courthouse as Rahimi was whisked away in a convoy of black SUVs. His next court date was scheduled for Feb. 28.

Rahimi faces five counts of attempted murder of a police officer as well as weapons offenses.

Authorities say Rahimi, who lived with his family in Elizabeth, about a dozen miles outside New York City, pulled a gun and fired on officers on the morning of Sept. 19 after a police officer in nearby Linden found him asleep in a bar doorway.

A running gunbattle ended with Rahimi shot and wounded. The officer who first came upon Rahimi was shot but saved by his bulletproof vest, authorities said. Another officer was grazed by a bullet.

The search started when a pipe bomb blew up two days earlier in Seaside Park, New Jersey, before a charity race to benefit Marines. No one was injured.

That night, a shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bomb similar to those used in the Boston Marathon attack exploded in New York's Chelsea section, wounding 31 people, none seriously. An unexploded pressure-cooker bomb was found blocks away.

One night later, on Sept. 18, five explosive devices were discovered in a backpack in a trash can at an Elizabeth train station  left there by Rahimi, according to police. One of the bombs exploded while a police robot was trying to disarm it. Other devices found inside were removed by investigators.
BOSTON (AP)  Dozens of police officers had to respond to a Boston courthouse after a verbal altercation at a murder arraignment escalated into a brawl involving up to 30 people.

A court officer says the brawl broke out at the arraignment of two men Monday charged with killing 41-year-old Shawn Borden. Authorities say the families of the defendants and of the victim exchanged words. The exchange reportedly turned into shoving and then a fight that spilled onto the street.

Officers placed at least two people in handcuffs.

Prosecutors say Borden was fatally shot while vacuuming his car Oct. 18 in the city's Dorchester section.

A third suspect is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott are feeling blue  in a good way!

Spelling, McDermott and their kids announced that the newest addition to their family will be a boy by decorating a Christmas tree in all blue at their gender-reveal party.

Well, its a tie-breaker  boys win! says Spelling in the video shared with E! News. Were just going to have to have one more, then.

The couple are already parents to their two sons and two daughters: Liam, 9, Stella, 8, Hattie, 5, and Finn, 4.

This pregnancy marks the first time that Spelling, 43, and McDermott, 50, opted for a surprise reveal.

With Liam and Stella, we found out at the doctors office. Hattie and Finn we didnt find out until they were born, explains Spelling. So this is the first reveal. We really wanted to do it with the kids because they were so excited and we wanted to do it as a family.

Ari Michelson

The actress first announced her pregnancy in October.

It was a total surprise, Spelling told PEOPLE exclusively. But we always wanted a big family. Im really excited.

This baby happened at the best time, Spelling continued. Nothing is ever perfect, but Im so madly in love with my husband and with our kids. The idea of adding to that is such a blessing.




By Brad Haynes and Allison Lampert SAO PAULO/MONTREAL (Reuters) - Brazil unveiled a probable challenge against Canadian regional and government funding for Bombardier Inc at the World Trade Organization, reviving a bitter trade feud between the Canadian jetmaker and Brazilian rival Embraer SA . Brazil's foreign ministry said on Monday its trade chamber had authorized WTO proceedings against Canada over $2.5 billion (2 billion pounds) in support for Bombardier from the province of Quebec. Bombardier and Embraer have battled for decades over the regional jet market and traded accusations of unfair subsidies in the late 1990s that their countries hashed out at the WTO. The latest case stems from support for Bombardier's roughly $5.4 billion CSeries jetliner programme, which competes with some Embraer jets as well as the smallest products of plane giants Boeing Co and Airbus Group SE . Bombardier, which considered bankruptcy protection last year after simultaneous airplane developments caused a cash crunch, confirmed a $1 billion injection in the CSeries from the Quebec government in June. It also sold a 30 percent stake in its rail division to public and private pension fund manager Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec for $1.5 billion. Now, negotiations are underway for a $1 billion federal cash injection. Brazil is upset about the move, which has also drawn criticism from Boeing in the United States. "There are indications that Canada's federal government soon intends to make another significant capital injection in (Bombardier) to ensure the viability of the new CSeries and its placement in the market at artificially reduced prices," the Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement. Montreal-based Bombardier said all investments in the company comply with trade rules and, as so often happens in spats involving the WTO, hit back with a counter-accusation. "It is a bit ironic given the level of government subsidies and support Embraer has received," said Olivier Marcil, a company spokesman. But Embraer insisted its rival was damaging the market. "Canada's subsidies have created serious distortions in the market," said Embraer Chief Executive Paulo Cesar Silva. CONSULTATIONS It is the fourth time the two countries have clashed on aircraft support at the WTO after a series of cases focussing on export financing at the end of the 1990s and early 2000s. Under WTO procedure, Brazil must ask for consultations which can take 30 days before filing a lawsuit, which could then take years for the overloaded Geneva body to resolve. If it goes ahead, Brazil may aim to repeat a successful complaint about state capital injections into Europe's Airbus brought by the United States. That is part of a much larger set of transatlantic aircraft subsidy cases that make up the world's largest trade dispute, still not entirely resolved after 12 years. Quebec defended its transactions with Bombardier and a federal spokesman said Canada would continue to meet all its trade obligations. A spokesman for Quebec's Caisse, which is expected to be targeted as part of Brazil's challenge, said the fund's investment in Bombardier Transportation was based on "commercial principles" and made independently. "To associate it with (Quebec's) investment in the companys aerospace business is completely false," spokesman Maxime Chagnon said in an email. Foreign Minister Jose Serra told Reuters in July that Brazil was mulling a WTO challenge involving Bombardier, but his remarks were quickly brushed off by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Last week, Trudeau said Canada was working "very productively" with Bombardier and he hoped to make announcements in coming months. Toronto trade lawyer Mark Warner said it was not surprising that Brazil would react publicly to Trudeau's recent remarks about Bombardier, but the country would probably only file an action once Canada announces an additional investment. (Additional reporting by Alonso Soto and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia, Andrea Hopkins in Ottawa and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Bill Trott and Tom Brown)
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  The North Dakota Transportation Department will inspect a damaged bridge near the main Dakota Access pipeline protest encampment.

The Blackwater Bridge on Highway 1806 has been closed since October, when protesters blocked it with burning vehicles, damaging the structure. It's been the site of several other clashes, including on Nov. 20, when authorities used tear gas, rubber bullets and water sprays on protesters who they say assaulted officers with rocks and burning logs.

The Transportation Department plans to inspect the bridge on Thursday. Results of testing will be sent to a lab. That could take a month to complete.

It's unknown how long repairs might take or how much they'll cost.

Protesters worry about the pipeline's effects on drinking water and on Native American artifacts.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 19, 2016 / Brigade Resource Corp. (the "Company" or "Brigade") announces that it has closed a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of 2,238,400 Units (as described below) for aggregate gross proceeds of $223,840. The proceeds realized from the Private Placement will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes.

Each Unit was sold at a price of $0.10 per Unit and consists of one common share in the capital of the Company (each a "Common Share") and one non-transferable common share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one common share in the capital of the Company at $0.10 per share for a period of 12 months from the closing of the Private Placement and thereafter at $0.20 per share for the following 12 months until 24 months from the closing of the Private Placement.

All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement are subject to a hold period of four months and one day in Canada expiring on April 17, 2016. The Company paid a finder's fee to certain persons equal to 8% of the gross proceeds raised in the Private Placement from subscribers introduced to the Company by such persons, which fees were paid in Units.

For further details on the Company, readers are referred to its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Glenn Little

Chief Executive Officer

For more information, please contact:

Glenn Little

Chief Executive Officer

(778) 379.3023

glenn.brigaderesourcecorp@telus.net

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. Statements in this news release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations and orientations regarding the future. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "schedules", estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the use of the funds raised in the Private Placement. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including the general economic, market or business conditions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that those beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Readers should consider all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with Canadian securities regulators. These reports and the Company's filings are available at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: Brigade Resource Corp.
(adds more comments, context)

LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday she would outline more of her approach for Brexit early next year, underlining that her government did not intend to select "bits" of EU membership but forge a new relationship.

Answering questions from sometimes irritated lawmakers, May offered little more detail on her plans for Britain to leave the European Union, repeating that she wanted to win the best deal and would not compromise her negotiating stance.

Pressed whether she would offer parliament any more information on how she sees Britain's future relationship with the EU, May said she would make a speech early next year.

"I will be making a speech early in the New Year setting out more about our approach and about the opportunity I think we have as a country to use this process to forge a truly global Britain that embraces and trades with countries across the world," she said.

"What we need to say is ... we are going to leave the European Union and we need to negotiate a new relationship with the European Union. It isn't (about) trying to replicate bits of membership, it's about saying what is our new relationship."

May has come under pressure from lawmakers, businesses and EU officials to set out at least a broad picture of how she sees Britain's future relationship with the EU, but she says giving away too much information would weaken Britain's hand.

She has offered little beyond her oft-repeated catchphrases that she wants the "best possible deal" for Britain and that she will trigger the formal divorce procedure - Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty - by the end of March.

Asked if she was in favour of a transition period to help smooth the process for businesses fearful of falling off a "cliff edge" into uncertain trading conditions after leaving the EU, she said there might be a period of adjustment.

"As part of the negotiations, we will have to address this question of the practicalities of adjustment to the new relationship once that new relationship has been agreed," she said, adding government would also face major changes.

Story continues

Last week her finance minister Philip Hammond backed the idea of a transition period - a phrase May was obviously keen to avoid using.

"We will discuss whether we need an implementation phase," she said.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Camilla Hodgson and Andy Bruce, editing by Stephen Addison)
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I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published.
LUSAKA (Reuters) - Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), owned by Vedanta Resources ( VED.L), has been ordered by a London court to pay the Zambian government more than $100 million(80.65 million pounds) for a claim related to the copper price, a state-owned company involved in the dispute said.

The claim relates to outstanding payments under a 2013 copper price participation settlement agreement between KCM and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH), the latter said late on Monday.

In June this year, ZCCM-IH filed the claim with the English High Court to recover over $100 million it said was owed to it from KCM in terms of the 2013 agreement.

"We now advise that ZCCM-IH has been successful in its application for default judgment. KCM has been ordered (on 16 December 2016) to pay all sums owed to ZCCM-IH," the state company said.

"The total amount to be paid by KCM amounts to approximately $103 million. KCM has also been ordered to reimburse ZCCM-IH 80 percent of the costs it has incurred in pursuing its claim."

A ZCCM-IH spokeswoman said the company and KCM planned to issue a joint press statement on Tuesday to give further details of the ruling.

(Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Ed Cropley)
A British soldier who cited Shakespeare after killing an injured Taliban fighter could be home on bail in time for Christmas, three years after being found guilty of murder in a landmark conviction.

The case of Alexander Blackman, who was identified only as "Marine A" during his trial, has fascinated and divided public opinion in Britain.

On September 15, 2011, the 42-year-old Royal Marine shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter in Helmand province.

"There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... It's nothing you wouldn't do to us," said Blackman, paraphrasing Shakespeare's "Hamlet" after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol.

"Obviously this doesn't go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention," he said to his fellow Royal Marines, in reference to international law governing the treatment of prisoners of war.

Footage of the incident was captured on a camera mounted onto the helmet of one of the soldiers, and two years later Blackman was convicted of murder by a court martial.

The case was the first time since the Second World War that a British soldier was convicted of a murder carried out on the battlefield.

"You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood," judge Jeff Blackett told Blackman in December 2013 as the soldier was given a life sentence with a 10-year minimum.

"By doing so you have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel who have served in Afghanistan, and you have tarnished their reputation," Blackett added.

The conviction was supported by Britain's then chief of defence staff, Nicholas Houghton, who said: "Murder is murder, this is a heinous crime."

But now Blackman is making a bid for freedom, with a court hearing in London on Wednesday set to decide if he will be granted bail.

- 'Icing on the cake' -

The soldier's legal team ultimately aims to overturn the conviction and have the crime lessened to manslaughter, following a Royal Navy review which suggests Blackman was suffering from post-traumatic stress at the time of the shooting.

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Blackman has denied murder and claimed he shot the Taliban fighter once the insurgent was already dead.

His wife, Claire Blackman, told the BBC she hoped to have her husband home for Christmas.

"Bail would be the icing on the cake," she said.

Dozens of veterans are due to gather on Wednesday outside the Royal Courts of Justice to call for "Justice for Marine A, abandoned by the government," according to a poster.

Blackman's supporters include Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, who said the soldier had been "thrown to the wolves by cowards".

MP Richard Draw and author Frederick Forsyth have promised to pay the 200,000 bail.

The Daily Mail newspaper has also campaigned against the murder conviction.

"Did a man who for 13 years risked his life defending his country, often in the most appalling environment... really deserve to be tried for murder and thrown in jail like a common criminal?" the right-wing newspaper wrote.

Beyond the "Marine A" case, British tabloids have campaigned against former soldiers facing trial for alleged crimes committed while on duty.

They received support from Prime Minister Theresa May, who in October promised to "put an end to the industry of vexatious claims that has pursued those who served in previous conflicts".
"It's a laugh-out-loud movie about a dysfunctional family," director John Hamburg told The Hollywood Reporter when describing his new comedy Why Him?, which stars Bryan Cranston as a father who is unhappy with his daughter's (Zoey Deutch) new boyfriend (James Franco). The stars - Cranston, Deutch, Franco, Megan Mullally, Keegan-Michael Key, Kaley Cuoco, Adam Devine, Casey Wilson, Cedric the Entertainer and Griffin Gluck - and the filmmakers celebrated the pic's premiere Saturday at the Regency Bruin Theater in Los Angeles.

Other guests in attendance included Nick Offerman (Mullally's husband), Lea Thompson (Deutch's mother), John Savage, Joseph David-Jones, Corey Feldman and 20th Century Fox chairman Stacey Snider, as well as Nick Simmons and Sophie Simmons, whose father, KISS' Gene Simmons, has a cameo in the film.

Why Him? centers on Laird (Franco), an eccentric tech millionaire who is in love with a Stanford student, played by Deutch. The couple decide to invite her family to visit them in California, and almost immediately her father becomes overly protective, while her mother (Mullally) and younger brother (Gluck) quickly find Laird to be charming and lovable.

Producer Shawn Levy (who also backed Arrival) said the story originated with Jonah Hill and was "based on a girl [Hill] was dating and the tension between him and that girl's dad. We developed this idea for this premise of a dad who is just living a nightmare with the man that his daughter has chosen. But the project didn't get to the starting line and was on a shelf [for a long time]."

Levy then took the script to director John Hamburg, whom the producer said "really put it on his back to find the tone and ground it in real characters. And I love that it's a big concept, but anchored in real, relatable characters."

Of his role, Cranston told THR, "The fun thing is that I didn't even have to prepare. I'm that age. I have a daughter that age. I'm married. What would I do if my daughter chose someone that I really didn't like? I could imagine that." He added, "I know what it's like to be overprotective, and I know what it's like to worry about the decisions your children will make. I get that."

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Read more: Bryan Cranston's Gangster Hunts Giovanni Ribisi's Con Man in New 'Sneaky Pete' Trailer

Mullally, who portrays the more open-minded mother, said the real thrill for her was to have "a real part in a real movie. I didn't want to just be the wife. The fact that John allowed us a lot of liberty in terms of improvising enabled me to add more pizzazz. I was beside myself to get this part, but at the same time I wanted to bring a little personality and a little oomph."

In terms of more opportunities for intelligent, multidimensional female roles, the actress said, "I think it's starting to change, especially on some of the better television shows and streaming channels, which are really doing great things involving older women - and people who haven't had plastic surgery - which is great. And I hope to see more of that."

Key, who plays Laird's European estate manager Gustav, said his role was a collaboration. "I had meetings with John Hamburg and Bryan and Franco, and we developed [Gustav] in the rehearsal process," he said. "Once we had a road map, we could develop [the character] a bit more, while we were on set. We had the luxury of time for the movie, which was nice. It's usually like, 'You have two takes! You got to get out of here!' "

Describing the comedy, Key said, "It's a little naughty, [but] fun and shows how families interact. It also shows a person learning how to let go of something, along with all the balls-to-the-wall hilarious stuff."

Director Hamburg, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ian Helfer, said that there was a lot of improvisation from the script. "That's part of my job as a comedy director," he explained. "We do the script, and then we let it go, and we find gems, especially when you work with comic geniuses like our cast. You just never know what you're going to come up with. That's what makes it such a fun process. You can see how sick and twisted some of this cast is!"

Why Him? opens in theaters Friday.

Read more: James Franco Starrer 'I Am Michael' to Be Released by Brainstorm Media
By Tsvetelia Tsolova SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria is heading towards an early parliamentary election next spring after talks to form a new government under the mandate of a small right-wing party failed on Tuesday, officials said. The Balkan country has been in political limbo since centre-right Prime Minister Boiko Borisov resigned last month following the victory of Rumen Radev, a Russia-friendly candidate backed by the opposition Socialists, in the presidential election. "We could not reach a broad agreement on policies and continue to govern. The current parliament is unable to form a government and we are heading towards early elections," Tsvetan Tsvetanov, deputy chief of Borisov's GERB party, told reporters. The political direction of the small Black Sea nation, which is a member of the European Union and NATO, is of interest to both the West and Russia, which is keen to rebuild its influence in southeast Europe as it presses for relief from international sanctions over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea. Bulgaria now faces months of political uncertainty and is likely to end up again with a fragmented parliament that may struggle to produce a stable coalition government, political analysts said. Some expect a further spike in the anti-migrant sentiment as well as a softer stance towards Russia following the convincing victory of Radev, who had campaigned on a platform of tougher immigration controls and improved ties with Moscow. "After Radev's victory, we can expect a strengthening of the populist and nationalist waves and a revision of the Bulgarian attitude towards Russia and the sanctions imposed on it," said Parvan Simeonov, analyst with Gallup International Balkans. REFORMS DELAYED AGAIN The right-wing Reformists, the junior partner in Borisov's outgoing government, were the only political faction to attempt to fashion a new cabinet after his resignation, but failed to convince their allies, Borisov's GERB and the nationalist Patriotic Front, to back them. Analysts say an early election will delay much-needed reforms in the poorest EU member state but is still a better option than a government on "life support". The Reformist Bloc will now return the mandate to Bulgaria's outgoing President Rosen Plevneliev, who will appoint an interim administration or leave that option to President-elect Radev, who takes office on Jan. 22. Radev, a U.S.-trained former air force commander, will then have to set a date for the parliamentary election, originally scheduled for 2018 but now likely in late March or early April. Bulgaria's president has limited executive powers but represents the nation on the global stage. Radev says he fully supports Bulgaria's membership of NATO and the EU but wants it also to improve ties with Moscow, its communist-era overlord. (Additional reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Gareth Jones)
When one thinks of food in Calgary, Alberta, one thinks corn dogs and fries or steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. Thats because thats the usual fare around Calgarys famed Stampede, one of the largest and longest-lasting rodeos in the world.

The Stampede continues, but in the last few years, Calgary has become an incredibly adventurous, creative, and delicious foodie town. Green beans? Sure, but at the year-old whimsical restaurant Ten Foot Henry, named after the American cartoon character, the beans are prepared with citrus, walnuts, and manchego  just one of a dozen other gourmet vegetable preparations at the top of the menu  hinting that the owners enjoy being mistaken for a vegetarian establishment.

Who could resist roasted carrots when theyre prepared with avocados, pistachios, and shoots? With this lineup, you wont even need the pan-roasted halibut with charred cucumber or the chargrilled hanger steak with roasted onion and mustard greens. The sides on this menu include handmade bread dumplings with borscht, sour cream, and dill or spaghetti cacio.

Charbar

Photo by Julie Hatfield

Salt brick chicken with chimichurri from Charbar.

The variety of restaurants in Calgary is impressive. In what used to be the old Simmons mattress building, renovated but still with its bones, three restaurants now bring in the crowds. Charbar features a custom-made Argentine wood-fired grill for preparing choripan sausage sandwiches with red chimichurri or burger gaucho with provoleta cheese and crushed avocado, among other delicacies. Chef Jessica Pelland hunts, fishes, and specializes in whole animal butchery, and in curing, grilling, and roasting. You could fish right alongside the chef from the restaurants rooftop patio overlooking the Bow River, where locals often throw a line and hook trout.

Sharing the same huge building are Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, owned and operated by a couple from Israel who hold a monthly tzavta, or cultural dinner salon hosting curators, animators, writers, installers, and scientists, creating dinners in honor of the speakers; and Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, owned by a couple of would-have-been engineers. Perfectionists so in love with coffee that they brought an antique UG-15 Probat roaster in from Holland and reconditioned it, they now travel from Costa Rica to Ethiopia looking for perfect coffee beans.

Superior tacos, including pork belly pibil with achiote-marinated pineapple, pickled red onion, and cilantro, and dozens of other original tostadas, tortillas, and ceviche, can be found at Native Tongues Taqueria. Dont let the mouth-watering selection of pastries at Alforno Bakery & Cafe fool you into thinking this place doesnt hide their full breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with wine and beer, in back. Sure, the croissants are freshly made that morning, but how could you resist Alfornos gravlax benedict with house-cured salmon, dill cream, and pickled red onion on a fresh baguette?

Another gourmet breakfast awaits you at the pretty, whimsically decorated Yellow Door Bistro inside the lovely Hotel Arts.
(More info about vote and state treasurer comment)

By Robin Respaut

Dec 19 (Reuters) - The California Public Employees' Retirement System voted on Monday to broaden its restrictions on tobacco investments, opposing a recommendation by the pension fund's staff to reinvest in the controversial asset.

CalPERS staff had recommended that the board remove its 16-year ban on tobacco investments in light of an increasing demand to improve investment returns and pay benefits.

But the board voted to remain divested and to expand the ban to externally managed portfolios and affiliated funds.

The nation's largest public pension fund embarked on an extensive review of tobacco earlier this year, after a Wilshire Associates report estimated the exclusion of tobacco had cost the fund about $3 billion between 2001 and 2014. That was a considerably larger portfolio impact than CalPERS' other divested assets, such as Iran, Sudan and certain firearms-related companies.

California State Controller Betty Yee, who voted in favor of the ban, said on Monday that CalPERS should be mindful of the declining tobacco sales volumes, despite the recent surge in tobacco stocks. Yee also expressed concern about the ongoing threat of tobacco litigation on the industry.

In the 10 years to November 2016, the MSCI World Tobacco Index rose 12.3 percent compared with just 3.8 percent on the MSCI World Index. The tobacco index includes Philip Morris International Inc, Altria Group Inc, British American Tobacco Plc, Japan Tobacco Inc and Imperial Brands Plc.

Board member Dana Hollinger said she was "not a fan of smoking" but did not support the tobacco ban, because "every time we divest, we are chipping away at the diversity of the portfolio."

"I see the fiduciary here as maximizing and securing benefits to our beneficiaries," Hollinger said.

CalPERS decision to reconsider its tobacco divestment has caught the attention of health groups, industry shareholders, institutional investors and many of CalPERS' beneficiaries.

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"It is clear that there is abundant, compelling and strong public policy arguments to stay out of tobacco," said board member Priya Mathur. "The tobacco industry is facing a structural decline in terms of the volume of sales and their ability to gain revenues for a number of reasons."

State Treasurer John Chiang announced in a statement late Monday that the board had "not only successfully fought back misguided efforts to lift CalPERS's 16-year-old ban," but also now prevented outside partners from making such investments.

"Generations of Californians will reap the health, economic and ethical benefits of today's bold decision," Chiang said.

(Reporting by Robin Respaut in San Francisco; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Montreal (AFP) - Barricades went up Tuesday at Christmas markets in Montreal and Toronto -- Canada's two most populous cities -- and security was increased following an attack that killed 12 people in Berlin.

The national threat level however remained unchanged, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told AFP.

As revelers went about their usual holiday shopping, city crews laid large blocks of cement at the entrance of the Place des Arts, which hosts one of the nation's largest Christmas markets, while security searched visitors' bags.

Similar security measures were taken at another popular Christmas market in Toronto, public broadcaster CBC reported.

The Islamic State group earlier claimed responsibility for the truck rampage in Berlin.
Bus-loads of people continued to arrive in the countryside west of Aleppo on December 20 as evacuations from the citys eastern neighborhoods continued for a sixth day.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said early on December 20 that 25,000 people had been evacuated from Aleppo, and a further 750 people were evacuated from Foua and Kefraya, rebel-besieged villages in Syrias Idlib province. The ICRC said the operation would continue.

This video shows conditions in the countryside where civilians were dropped off during the evacuation. Large crowds can be seen and children are shown lighting fires amid the cold weather. Credit: YouTube/Baladi News via Storyful
Istanbul (AFP) - Andrei Karlov stumbles as the bullets hit him in the back, then comes crashing to the ground.

The press had come to cover the opening of a show at an Ankara exhibition hall Monday, but their cameras ended up capturing the chilling scene of the Russian envoy's murder at the hands of a Turkish policeman.

Images from shortly before the shooting showed a clean-shaven officer standing discreetly behind Karlov in a white shirt, dark suit and tie -- apparently a bodyguard for the ambassador as he gave a speech at the exhibition.

But footage from minutes later showed the man brandishing his gun at shocked onlookers, jabbing his finger in the air and pacing backwards and forwards as Karlov lies motionless on his back.

He shouts "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") and then talks about pledging allegiance to jihad in accented Arabic, the images showed.

Switching to Turkish, he then says: "Don't forget about Syria, don't forget about Aleppo. All those who participate in this tyranny will be held accountable".

The terrified guests meanwhile cower behind tall cocktail tables laid out for the exhibition opening.

Immediately after the shooting at 19.05 (1605 GMT), police entered the building and were later followed by special forces, Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been "neutralised" in a police operation inside the hall after 15 minutes of clashes when he refused to surrender.

Photos showing the man lying on the ground, riddled with bullet wounds, quickly began to circulate on social media.

The Russian ambassador was taken to Ankara Hospital where he was pronounced dead despite efforts to revive him, Soylu said.

The minister identified the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, who had worked in the Ankara anti-riot police for the last two-and-a-half years.

Reports said that his mother, father and sister were immediately detained for questioning in their home in western Turkey.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek speculated on his official Twitter account that the policeman may be linked to the group of exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for the July coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The shooting came on the eve of a crucial meeting between the Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syrian conflict.
south china sea uss lassen

The first confrontation between the US and Chinese navies concluded on Tuesday, when the Chinese returned an underwater oceanographic drone captured in international waters outside of the Philippines.

"The incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea," said Peter Cook, a Defense Department spokesman.

And President-elect Donald Trump tweeted of the incident, "Let them keep it."

The drone, composed of about $150,000 in off-the-shelf technology, ranks low on the list of US-China military confrontations  as past confrontations have involved air crews being detained and planes grounded  but it marks an important shift in what is quickly becoming one of the most militarized and fraught regions on the planet.

"Its a very big deal because it is highly unusual for a Chinese navy ship to confront US Navy ship, even if an oceanographic vessel," said Bonnie Glaser, an expert on Chinese foreign and security policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

While the confrontation consisted of a Chinese navy ship plucking the drone out of the sea, the drone belonged to a US Navy ship not far off. This action set a dangerous precedent sure to make US allies doubtful of American commitment to the region.

Glaser pointed to China's "willingness to just blatantly put a boat in the water and seize the drone," which she described as "an act demonstrating that they're going to do whatever is necessary to protect their interests in the South China Sea."

droneglider

China has come a long way in the South China Sea. A few decades ago, China had a small, limited navy incapable of projecting power across a large swath of sea and islands.

But now, as China has become enriched by trade and investments, its navy has grown impressively. For years, China has been building artificial islands in the South China Sea and outfitting them with radar outposts, military-grade runways, and air defenses  everything Beijing would need to lock down the region and shoot down any planes that challenge its claims.

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By the time the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague declared China's nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea unlawful and unenforceable, it was too late. China has already established "facts in the water" that give it an unparalleled military edge in a shipping corridor that sees $5 trillion annually, and its neighbors have noticed.

The seizure of the drone was "pretty consequential" in that it showed that "China is willing to stand up to the US and the US Navy," said Glaser.

China navy

"Allies and observers will find it hard not to conclude this represents another diminishment of American authority in the region," Douglas Paal, the vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The New York Times.

Glaser also spoke of "growing anxiety in the region."

"Not only in our allies in Japan and South Korea, but also other places like Vietnam and Singapore believe very much that US military presence is necessary to counterbalance Chinese military assertiveness," Glaser said.

In response to the incident, China suffered no visible consequences despite its clear defiance of international law.

Glaser suggested that oceanographic US Navy ships should now travel with a destroyer as an escort, but Jeffrey Lewis, Arms Control Wonk's founding publisher, said that the region is already a powder keg.

Lewis pointed to China's recent flights of H-6K bombers in the South China Sea as evidence of the "security environment deteriorating."

china H-6K

Despite being classified as non-nuclear-capable by the Department of Defense, these bombers were reported as being nuclear-capable bombers by several outlets. This speaks to a deeper problem with how nations signal military strengths and intentions to each other, Lewis said.

When China flies these bombers, mistakes can be made. If China puts its conventional missile forces on alert, it's difficult for the US to tell if the weapons are nuclear-capable. These ambiguities worry Lewis, as they could hypothetically lead to nuclear war for errant reasons.

Overall, according to Lewis, the Pacific is far less stable than it was just weeks ago before Trump accepted the call from Taiwan. Meanwhile, there has been "no progress toward underlying territory disputes" that fuel tensions in the region, he said.

map south china sea

With Trump, the US now has a president who will call China on its aggressive behavior in the South China Sea  he described it as a "massive military complex" in a tweet after taking the call from Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-Wen.

"Trump appears to be keeping China off balance, criticizing North Korea, the South China Sea, and China on trade," said Glaser. "The Chinese are really quite concerned about the lack of predictability."

But the US's response to China remains to be seen. So far, the Obama administration has not moved to rebuke China over the drone, and the world has noticed. Adm. Harry Harris said the US was "ready to confront" China, but has not commented on how the US would confront it.

Meanwhile, experts, observers, and the Chinese have to wait and see how the Trump administration will respond.

NOW WATCH: Watch the Marines' F-35 fire an 80-round burst from its gun pod for the first time





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By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - China has returned a U.S. underwater drone taken by one of its naval vessels in the disputed South China Sea last week after what it said were friendly talks with the United States, which reiterated its criticism of the "unlawful" seizure. The taking of the unmanned underwater vehicle in international waters near the Philippines triggered a diplomatic protest and speculation about whether it would strengthen U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's hand as he seeks a tougher line with China. A Chinese naval ship took the drone, which the Pentagon says uses unclassified, commercially available technology to collect oceanographic data, on Thursday about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines. China's defense ministry said in a brief statement the drone had been given back to the United States on Tuesday. "After friendly consultations between the Chinese and U.S. sides, the handover work for the U.S. underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South China Sea at midday," the ministry said. The defense ministry declined to give more details about the handover when contacted by Reuters. The Pentagon said the vehicle had been handed over to the guided missile destroyer USS Mustin near where it had been "unlawfully seized". It called on China to comply with international law and refrain from further efforts to impede lawful U.S. activities. "The U.S. remains committed to upholding the accepted principles and norms of international law and freedom of navigation and overflight and will continue to fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying referred questions about the handover and other details of the case to the defense ministry. "The handling of this incident shows that the Chinese and U.S. militaries have quite smooth communication channels. We think that this communication channel is beneficial to timely communication and the handling of sudden incidents and prevention of miscalculations and misunderstandings," she said. "As to what the U.S. defense department said, I have to verify it with the military. But I think what they said is unreasonable as we have always said that for a long time the U.S. military has regularly sent ships and aircraft to carry out close up surveillance and military surveys in waters facing China, which threatens China's sovereignty and security," Hua told reporters. "China is resolutely opposed to this and has always demanded the U.S. end these kinds of activities. I think this is the cause of this or similar incidents." The seizure has added to U.S. concern about China's growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarization of maritime outposts. China is deeply suspicious of any U.S. military activity in the resource-rich South China Sea, with state media and experts saying the use of the drone was likely part of U.S. surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway. The U.S. Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60 kg (130 lb) and able to stay underwater for up to five months. They are used around the world to collect unclassified data about oceans, including temperature and depth. It is not clear how many are used in the South China Sea. (Editing by Paul Tait and Lincoln Feast)
Yeahmobi's team in Xian, China.

Mobile advertising network Yeahmobi has raised $100 million in funding for expansion of its business around the globe.

The Xian, China-based company raised RMB 639 million (about $100 million), and it is now valued at about 5 billion (about $720 million). The company will use the money as working capital for its mobile ad business and as a reserve fund for future acquisitions. Investors in the private placement include Beijing Bohai Tongxin Private Equity Fund (RMB 120 million), Nanjing Huawen Hongsheng Startup Investment Fund (RMB 100 million), Shenzhen Qianhai Bochuang Private Equity Fund (RMB 60 million), and 11 others.

Launched in 2011, the company operates a smart mobile advertising platform designed to help mobile technology companies reach global growth, acquire active users, and monetize inventory. Yeahmobis vision is to flatten the world with technology.

The company operates in the field of consumer apps, mobile games, cross-border ecommerce, internet finance, lifestyle, travel, and other industries, covering over 200 countries and regions and delivering large-scale global coverage. Yeahmobi generates more than 90 million monthly activations in 200 countries.

The previous funding round was a $25 million raise in April 2016. That round was led by Xiaomi and its CEO, Lei Jun. Yeahmobi is publicly traded on the NEEQ exchange and reported $11 million in net profits on $97 million in revenue in the first half of 2016.

Yeahmobi won the Mobile Champion of China Channel Partner award from Google, based on international performance standards and criteria including traffic volume, number of active users, and reach of service. Yeahmobi has 320 employees in Xian, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, New Delhi, Berlin, Tokyo, and San Francisco.

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Chinas capital outflow could accelerate further in coming months as the yuan depreciates and investors gain concerns about a strengthening dollar.

The warning from Banny Lam, head of research at CEB International Investment Ltd. in Hong Kong, came Monday, just days after Goldman Sachs Group warned Chinas capital outflows are accelerating, with $69.2 billion reported leaving the country in November, nearly 20 percent more than in preceding months.

Capital outflows and yuan depreciation will continue or even worsen by the end of this year and the first quarter of 2017, as investors are getting increasingly concerned about a stronger dollar and Chinas economic conditions," Lam told Bloomberg.

Goldman said the yuan is approaching its biggest annual decline in more than two decades.

Data from the Peoples Bank of China show $55 billion in foreign currency exited Chinas balance sheet last month, bringing to $1.1 trillion the amount that has left China since August 2015 when Beijing devalued the yuan, Goldman said.

The Peoples Bank has been selling government bonds to pressure bond prices, putting even more pressure on the yuan.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has accused China of manipulating its currency to improve its export position. During the campaign, Trump said he would impose import duties on Chinese products to promote domestic production, but that could lead to even further devaluation of the yuan, Market Realist reported.



They are a manipulator, grand master level, Mr. Trump said in a speech at the Economic Club of New York in September. I am going to instruct my treasury secretary to label China a currency manipulator, and to apply tariffs to any country that devalues its currency to gain an unfair advantage over the United States.

The Wall Street Journal noted in September, however, China has been trying to prevent the yuan from devaluing further as its economy slows.

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Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner is the latest Republican senator to support a special Congressional committee to investigate allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, he announced Monday. The committee would also look into other cyber security threats against the nation.

Following conclusions by both the FBI and CIA stating that Russia was likely behind the hacks targeting Democrats and their emails, which were made public by whistleblower organization Wikileaks, Gardner joined other lawmakers in condemning Russia for apparently trying to influence the election. Arizona Sen. John McCain also accused Moscow of attempting to "destroy democracy" during an interview with CNN Sunday.

"This is the sign of a possible unraveling of the world order that was established after World War Two, which has made one of the most peaceful periods in the history of the world. We're starting to see the strains and the unraveling of it, and that is because of the absolute failure of American leadership," McCain said.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose presidential campaign was apparently Russia's target, and President Barack Obama have also warned of the dangers that Moscow-sponsored hacking could present. Washington has long had its hand in a history of foreign coups, revolutions and invasions, especially most of which occurred in the post-World War Two era McCain praised as a time of stability.

Here are just a few examples of the U.S.' involvement in foreign governments around the world.

1. Russian Civil War (1918-1920)

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Photo: Getty Images

One of the U.S.' first major attempts to influence a foreign government occurred directly after World War I. Russia entered the war as an empire within the Allied Powers. The U.S. did not get involved in the war until Russia's withdrawal, which occurred as the result of a series of internal revolutions, which saw the Bolsheviks, or Red communists, rise to power. Once on top, the Bolsheviks faced opposition from other leftists and right-wing armies, which banded together to try and take down Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin.

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The Bolsheviks had broken off all former "imperial" treaties, seized foreign property and encouraged the spread of communism, leading Allied countries including the U.S. to sponsor the so-called "White" forces against the Red Army. The communists ultimately won and remained firmly in power for the next 70 years under the banner of the Soviet Union. The U.S.' decision to back Moscow's early opponents was a primary factor in the rift in relations between the two superpowers.

2. Italy, 1948 General Election

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Photo: Getty Images

The Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, was formed in 1947 in the wake of World War Two. While the threat of Nazism had dissipated, the "specter" of communism took its place as the U.S.' great rival in Europe. Moscow had secured communist satellite states throughout Eastern Europe, comprising the Soviet Union and its allies, and Washington sought to fortify friendly nations in the West. During the 1948 Italian general election, the CIA, headed by future U.S. President Harry Truman, covertly reached out to Christian Democrat Alcide de Gasperi and offered financial and political support against his socialist opponents. Gasperi won the election with 48 percent of the vote thanks and the CIA repeated this strategy in Italian elections for the next 24 years.

"We had bags of money that we delivered to selected politicians, to defray their political expenses, their campaign expenses, for posters, for pamphlets," F. Mark Wyatt, a late former CIA operative involved in the operation, told CNN in a 1995 interview.

3. Iran, 1953 Overthrow Of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh

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Photo: Getty Images

Shortly after its inception, the Cold War between Washington and Moscow became the CIA's primary concern not just in Europe, but around the world. The CIA only public admitted in 2013 its role in the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, making it the earliest foreign coup officially claimed by the agency.

Mossadegh was a Western-educated, politically influential politician in Iran who successfully championed efforts to nationalize the country's oil industry. The move angered British companies who operated in Iran and the CIA decided to execute an operation known as TPAJAX or Operation Ajax, through which the CIA had Mossadegh placed under house arrest where he remained until his death in 1967. The U.S. and the U.K. also sponsored Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran. Pahlavi maintained a formidable security force and his harsh resistance eventually turned against him and his allies in the West when he was overthrown during the 1979 Iranian Revolution that installed the country's current government.

"In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh. The Eisenhower Administration believed its actions were justified for strategic reasons; but the coup was clearly a setback for Iran's political development. And it is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs," former Secretary of State Madelaine Albright said in a 2000 speech.

4. Congo, 1960 Overthrow of President Patrice Lumumba

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Photo: Getty Images

In the mid-20th century, a number of so-called third world countries experienced a wave of independence movements. Patrice Lumumba was an influential figure calling for Congolese independence from its colonist Belgium. After his release from prison, he attended the talks that ultimately freed the country.

Lumumba became the country's first democratically elected prime minister, yet instability followed when Belgium intervened amid reports of whites being targeted and to protect its interests such as its profitable mineral industry in the Congo. As the Belgian occupied the nation, Lumumba appealed to the U.N., which sent peacekeeping troops and requested Belgium to withdraw and halt support for allied militias. Belgium refused and instead sponsored separatist republics containing the country's vast mineral reserves. The U.S. sided with Belgium, leaving Lumumba to turn to the Soviets for assistance. In response, the U.S. and Belgium conspired against the Congolese prime minister leading to his capture and execution at the hands of Congolese and Belgian mercenaries in 1961. He was replaced by pro-Western military leader Joseph Mobutu, who led the country until 1997.

5. Cuba, 1961 Bay Of Pigs Invasion

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Photo: Getty Images

The CIA has a long, tumultuous relationship with late former Cuban President Fidel Castro, who overthrew U.S. ally Fulgencio Batista and forged close ties with Washington's Cold War rival Moscow.

The U.S. initially supported Castro's revolutionary cause before it took a socialist undertone. Once Castro enacted economic reforms that nationalized U.S. properties, the short-lived alliance unraveled and President Dwight D. Eisenhower imposed harsh trade sanctions against Havana, which exist to this day. Castro responded by becoming closer to Moscow and its Soviet-style administration.

The U.S. trained and equipped Cuban rebels for the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, but the attack was thwarted by Cuban forces. Defense officials then drafted Operation Northwoods, an ultimately rejected false flag operation that proposed orchestrating a terrorist attack in the U.S. and blaming the Castro government in order to incite war. Many have tried to record the numerous CIA-backed plots to kill the Cuban leader, with some putting the number as high as 638 attempts on Castro's life. Some of the more cartoonish proposals allegedly included exploding cigars and employing one of Castro's former lovers who could not bring herself to poison the Cuban leader.

Around the period when U.S. relations with Cuba were at their tensest point, the CIA was able to successfully sponsor a coup in another Caribbean nation, providing "material support" for the assassin of Rafael Trujillo Dominican Republic.

6 - Indonesia, 1965 Anti-Communist Purges

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Photo: Getty Images

In 1965, six senior Indonesian army generals were kidnapped and killed by Indonesian military officials claiming to be from the 30 September Movement. The Indonesian government branded it a coup attempt and blamed it on the communists. The armed forces, led by General Suharto, began to systematically imprison, torture and kill anyone suspected of having communist ties. President Sukarno demanded order, but was eventually overthrown by Suharto. Officials within the CIA have admitted to supplying names of communists and providing support for the purges that killed over 400,000 people.

"It really was a big help to the army. They probably killed a lot of people, and I probably have a lot of blood on my hands, but that's not all bad. There's a time when you have to strike hard at a decisive moment," Robert J. Martens, a former member of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta's political section and later State Department consultant, told the Washington Post in 1990.

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the CIA supported the coup and execution of South Vietnamese leader and ally Ngo Dinh Diem, whose oppression of Buddhists frustrated Washington.

7 - Chile, 1973 Overthrow Of President Salvador Allende

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Photo: Reuters

The date Sept. 11th has a very different meaning for many Chileans, especially those that remember the political crisis that followed the military coup against socialist President Salvador Allende and the rise of right-wing military leader Augusto Pinochet.

Allende was elected president in 1970, despite CIA-backed attempts to disrupt his success. It continued its attempts to sabotage the Chilean economy and Allende's socialist policies. In 1973, General Pinochet led a military assault on the presidential palace, during which Allende allegedly committed suicide. Pinochet took power and began a campaign of forced disappearances against leftists, with over 3,000 missing and a further 27,000 affected by human rights violations.

The CIA continued to work with Pinochet and others in the violent Washington-supported campaign of repression against leftist ideology in South America known as Operation Condor that killed up to 60,000 people across Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Prior to Chile, the CIA sponsored Latin American, anti-communist coups in Guatemala in 1954 and Brazil in 1961.

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BOSTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Investment firm Citadel LLC said on Tuesday that its chief legal officer, Adam Cooper, plans to retire in 2017 and that Shawn Fagan has been promoted to general counsel for its hedge fund business.

Cooper, 54, worked at Citadel for 18 years and plans to spend more time on philanthropic pursuits and with his family after he leaves the firm at the end of February 2017, Zia Ahmed, a spokesman for the firm said.

Citadel, which invests $26 billion, split Cooper's job in two. It promoted Fagan, who had been senior deputy general counsel, to his new position effective immediately. It is planning to hire a general counsel for Citadel Securities in early 2017, Ahmed said.

Fagan joined Citadel in 2005 after working for a law firm and serving as a clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Cooper has been working closely with Citadel's founder, Ken Griffin, for nearly two decades. He was with the firm when it suffered a roughly 50 percent loss in its main fund during the financial crisis and as it rebounded, and most recently expanded its equities business aggressively.

Ben Bernanke, the former Federal Reserve chair who has been working with Citadel as an adviser, said "Citadel's success is rooted in its ability to attract some of the strongest minds in the industry and its commitment to doing business the right way. Adam reflects both of these Citadel traits." (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Bernard Orr)
The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or graduate school search.

With many families worried about the competition in college admissions, the number of submitted applications has soared in recent years.

A recent report by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California--Los Angeles found more than 28 percent of fall 2015 freshmen submitted seven or more applications -- more than double the percentage from a decade ago.

[Find out the 10 most and least expensive private colleges.]

But these fees can add up quickly for prospective students -- especially with the Common Application, experts say. The Common App makes submitting multiple applications easier since the form is accepted at nearly 700 colleges and universities.

While some universities waive or reduce fees for students who apply online, other schools charge a hefty amount per application.

[Explore the colleges and universities that report meeting full financial need.]

California's Stanford University and the University of Central Oklahoma charged $90 per application, more than any other university among the 1,028 ranked colleges that reported application fee data to U.S. News in spring 2016.

Among the schools that submitted data to U.S. News, the average application fee was around $42. The most common fee charged was $50.

Of the 46 schools that charged $75 or more for an application, the majority -- 39 in total -- are National Universities; these institutions offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs.

Below is a list of colleges and universities that charged the highest application fees in fall 2015, though all schools listed will waive the fee for students with financial need. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

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* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.

Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find admissions data, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.

U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2016 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The application fee data above are correct as of Dec. 20, 2016.

Farran Powell is an education reporter at U.S. News, covering paying for college and graduate school. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at fpowell@usnews.com.
By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado mother accused of leaving her 2-year-old son inside her parked car for as many as 14 hours in subzero temperatures, causing the child to suffer frostbitten toes, made her first court appearance on Monday, authorities said.

Nicole Alexandria Carmon, 26, from the Denver suburb of Westminster, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of reckless child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, a felony, after her son was found inside the vehicle suffering from hypothermia, police said

Police said Carmon told them she was involved in an accident Friday night, left her car and got a ride home before realizing her son was still inside the vehicle, the affidavit said.

Carmon told a detective she drank six shots of vodka Friday night, police said.

The events unfolded after the child's babysitter called Westminster police to report that Carmon had come to her house looking for the boy, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The child was found on Saturday morning inside the vehicle, which was in a restaurant parking lot and covered in six inches of snow, police said.

The toddler was transported to a local hospital where he was diagnosed with hypothermia and frost bite to his feet, Thornton Police said in a statement.

Police said that Carmon on Friday night had gone to a convenience store near where her car was found.

In images of Carmon on the store's surveillance video, she appeared "to be slightly crying or whimpering," and "she had the appearance of being under the influence of a drug or alcohol or both," according to the affidavit.

The National Weather Service said during the time the boy was left in the car, a snowstorm passed over the state and temperatures plummeted from 9 degrees to -8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to police.

Carmon is being held on a $50,000 bond, jail records show, which did not indicate if she had retained or been appointed a lawyer.

Carmon did not enter a plea and is set to be back in court on Wednesday, according to the Adams County District Court website.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Curtis Skinner and Leslie Adler)
Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CNAT) saw its shares more than double early on Tuesday after the company reported an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for its cirrhosis treatment. Specifically, the company announced it has entered into an exclusive option, collaboration and license agreement for the global development and commercialization of emricasan with Novartis A.G. (NVS).

Under the terms of the agreement with Novartis, Conatus will receive $50 million upfront, and it is eligible to receive $7 million following the exercise of the license option. Conatus can borrow up to $15 million in the form of convertible promissory notes under an investment agreement with Novartis.

ALSO READ: Merrill Lynch Out With 11 Top Stock Ideas for 2017

Although this might not seem like much, this company only had a market cap of about $51 million before the move.

Conatus is eligible to receive significant payments if certain developmental milestones are met. Furthermore, the company is also eligible to receive tiered double digit royalties on emricasan single agent sales and tiered single to double digit royalties on sales of combination products containing emricasan."

Additionally, Novartis will pay 50% of Conatus Phase 2b emricasan development costs after the option exercise, including the planned ENCORE-LF trial in decompensated NASH cirrhosis which, under the current development plan consistent with recent regulatory agency recommendations, will be conducted as Phase 2b rather than Phase 2b/3.

Steven J. Mento, Ph.D., Conatus co-founder, president and CEO, commented:

We believe Novartis is ideally suited to collaborate with Conatus in the further development of emricasan for chronic liver diseases. This collaboration validates the Conatus emphasis on the initial development of emricasan as a single agent treatment for NASH cirrhosis in both compensated and decompensated patients, and sets the stage for simultaneous development of oral combination therapies for the treatment of NASH fibrosis including emricasan and one of the Novartis internal FXR (Farnesoid X receptor) agonists in clinical development. Their strong commitment to and expertise in liver disease, and proven record of success in drug development provide our best opportunity to deliver these potentially groundbreaking new therapies to chronic liver disease patients with high unmet medical need.

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Shares of Conatus closed Monday at $1.96, with a consensus analyst price target of $9.67 and a 52-week trading range of $1.40 to $4.05. Following the announcement the stock was up over 130% at $4.60 in early trading indications on Tuesday.

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By Tim Cocks and Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - Security forces shot dead at least 26 protesters who had gathered in the streets of Kinshasa and other cities of Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday to demand that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired overnight. Scattered protests started on Tuesday, and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Kabila, who has remained in power beyond his constitutional mandate with no election to pick a successor. Human Rights Watch researcher Ida Sawyer said on Twitter that at least 26 people were killed by security forces. The government spokesman could not be reached for comment and a police spokesman had no information on deaths. Gunfire crackled in several districts of the capital, Kinshasa, a city of 12 million, as measures to thwart dissent raised fears of bloody repression. With a ban on demonstrations in force and a heavy military presence, Kinshasa's normally busy main boulevards were mostly deserted as pockets of youths gathered in sidestreets only to be dispersed by volleys of teargas. By sunset, the city was calm, although littered with debris from earlier rioting. Youths played soccer in the streets. Scores of people were arrested, especially in the eastern city of Goma, rights groups said. Reuters witnesses saw more than a dozen young men who had been arrested seated in the back of a military truck near the university. "I'm gravely concerned by the arrests of those who seek to express their political views," the head of the U.N. mission, Maman Sidikou, said in a statement, adding that U.N. staff had not been able to consistently gain access to jails to gather information on how many people had been arrested. He called on Congo to end "politically motivated detentions". U.N. peacekeepers in armored personnel carriers patrolled the streets, at one point cheered on by a crowd shouting: "Kabila, know that your mandate is finished!" In Lubumbashi, in the heart of Africa's richest copper- mining area, police and Kabila's elite Republican Guard fired live bullets to prevent demonstrations, said Gregoire Mulamba, a local human rights activist. Local activist Jean-Pierre Muteba reported at least one death, a 14-year-old boy shot by police. A police spokesman said he did not have enough information to comment. The mayor of Lubumbashi, Jean Oscar Sanguza, told Reuters that security forces had intervened to stop looters. In the city of Kananga, in central Congo, fighting between security forces and a local clan militia shut down the airport. Kabila, who has ruled since his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001, rarely speaks about the issue in public, but his allies say the election was delayed because of logistical and financial problems. The constitutional court has ruled Kabila can stay on until the vote takes place. FEARS OF ESCALATION In a video posted on YouTube, opposition leader Tshisekedi called on people to "not recognize the ... illegal ... authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist (his) coup d'etat. "Authorities have blocked most social media. Western powers are nervous about a repeat of the conflicts between 1996 to 2003 that killed millions, drew in half a dozen neighboring armies and saw rebel fighters rape women en masse. Congo has never experienced a peaceful transition of power. The United States and European Union have called for Kabila to respect the constitution. Congo's former colonial master, Belgium, said on Tuesday it would "re-examine" relations with Kabila, and France urged the European Union re-examine its links with Congo. (Reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Peter Cooney)
Constellation Brands Inc. STZ has long been focused on building its brands portfolio and at the same time exiting underperforming businesses. In one such endeavor, the company successfully completed the previously announced sale of its Canadian Wine business to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, which is Canadas largest single-profession pension plan.



The sale transaction was valued at about C$1.03 billion, while Constellation Brands received C$765 million in cash, after accounting for debt repayment and closing adjustments.



Under the sale, the company disposed its Canadian wine brands like Jackson-Triggs and Inniskillin, vineyards, facilities, wineries, offices, along with Wine Rack retail stores.



In a bid to focus on high margin brands, Constellation Brands first announced plans to assess the impact of an initial public offering for part of its Canadian wine space, in Apr 2016. However, the aforementioned deal reflects the companys intention of doing away with its entire Canadian wine business, in an attempt to enhance shareholder value.



Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is likely to be a perfect growth opportunity for these Canadian wine brands, given the formers robust experience. Nonetheless, Constellation Brands will retain the ownership of its Black Velvet Whisky and the associated production facility  located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.



Building on its wine portfolio, the company acquired Charles Smith Wines collection for roughly $120 million in Oct 2016. This deal adds Charles Smiths five premium wine brands to Constellation Brands portfolio, including Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Velvet Devil Merlot, Boom Boom! Syrah, Eve Chardonnay and Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon. These brands, which have displayed double-digit volume growth in the last three years, enjoy solid market demand and are likely to strengthen Constellation Brands existing position as the second leading supplier of Washington State wines.



Constellation Brands consistent focus on brand building and its initiatives to include new products in its portfolio are key revenue drivers for the stock. Owing to its strategic endeavors, the company is witnessing robust depletion trends and increasing market share in the U.S. wine and spirits category. This was demonstrated by double-digit depletion growth, at each of its recently acquired brands, in second-quarter fiscal 2017.



Gaining from its strategic endeavors, Constellation Brands has seen its shares outperform the Zacks categorized Beverages-Alcoholic industry. While shares of Constellation Brands have recorded a year-to-date growth of nearly 10.1%, the broader industry has slumped 4.5% in the same period.

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Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks



Constellation Brands currently boasts a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other well-ranked stocks in the broader consumer staples sector include Dean Foods Co. DF, Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. OLLI, both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Sysco Corporation SYY which carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Dean Foods, with a long-term earnings growth rate of 12%, has surged nearly 27.8% year to date.



Ollie's Bargain has gained a whopping 77% year to date. Moreover, it has a long-term earnings growth rate of 18.9%.



Sysco has jumped nearly 38.1% year to date. The stock has a long-term earnings growth rate of 8.8%.



Zacks' Top Investment Ideas for Long-Term Profit



How would you like to see our best recommendations to help you find todays most promising long-term stocks? Starting now, you can look inside our portfolios featuring stocks under $10, income stocks, value investments and more. These picks, which have double and triple-digit profit potential, are rarely available to the public. But you can see them now. Click here >>



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San Francisco (AFP) - US drone delivery service Flirtey on Monday announced that its self-piloting flying machines have whisked flu medicine, hot food and more from 7-Eleven convenience stores to customers' homes.

The Nevada-based company boasted of being the first drone service to complete regular commercial deliveries to residences in this country, having completed 77 such autonomous missions.

"We have now successfully completed the first month of routine commercial drone deliveries to customer homes in partnership with 7-Eleven," Flirtey chief executive Matthew Sweeny said in a release.

"This is a giant leap towards a future where everyone can experience the convenience of Flirtey's instant store-to-door drone delivery."

Flirtey said it made 77 drone deliveries to homes of select customers on weekends in November, filling orders placed using a special application.

Ordered items, including food and over-the-counter medicine, were packed into special containers and flow by drones that used GPS capabilities to find addresses, according to Flirtey.

Drones hovered in the air and lowered packages to the ground, on average getting items to customers within 10 minutes, the company reported.

Popular items ordered included hot food, cold drinks, and medicine for headaches or flu, according to Flirtey.

Flirtey and 7-Eleven planned to expand the drone delivery service in the coming year.

Amazon earlier this month said it completed its first delivery by drone, in what the global online retail giant hopes will become a trend in automated shipments by air.

The delivery to a customer near Cambridge, England, was announced in a tweet by Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos.

"First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in the books. 13 min -- click to delivery," he wrote of the December 7 order.

Amazon, which has been testing drone deliveries in the US and elsewhere, has on several occasions complained that the regulatory environment in the United States for these automated deliveries is more cumbersome.

Amazon is not the only group working on drone deliveries. Google parent Alphabet has a similar project known as Wing and some reports say US retail behemoth Wal-Mart is also studying drone deliveries.

In the US, the first commercial drone delivery was made in July when 7-Eleven, with drone startup Flirtey, transported a chicken sandwich, hot coffee and donuts to a customer near Reno, Nevada.
(NEW YORK)  The FBI told a federal court it needed a search warrant to look at thousands of Hillary Clintons emails on the laptop of former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner because they had the potential to cause grave damage to national security if disclosed, according to court documents made public Tuesday.

The wording was contained in a redacted search warrant and other court papers that were previously under seal in the investigation of an online relationship between Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, and a teenage girl in North Carolina. The papers offered no new revelations about Clintons emails or the scope of a case that factored into the presidential election.

A sworn statement dated Oct. 30 from an FBI agent whose name was blacked out cited a previous inquiry into Clintons personal computer server that found 22 emails classified Top Secret. The classification is significant because it means that the unauthorized disclosure of those emails could result in exceptionally grave damage to national security, the agent wrote.

In the Weiner probe, the FBI discovered header information on emails pointing to correspondence to and from Clinton, the papers say. Given the findings of the earlier probe, there is also probable cause to believe that the correspondence  contains classified information which was produced by and is owned by the U.S. government, they say.

U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled Monday that the public had a right to see the search warrant application and supporting court paperwork, but he said portions would be blacked out to protect the identity of the investigating agents. The judge also ordered the redaction of sections of the paperwork related to the ongoing investigation into Weiners online correspondence.

The discovery of the emails on the disgraced New York congressmans laptop prompted FBI Director James Comey to briefly reopen an investigation that he had closed over the summer into Clintons use of the private server to handle emails she sent and received as secretary of state.

After getting court consent to delve into the newly discovered emails on Oct. 30, agents spent several days analyzing them before Comey announced that they contained no new evidence of any wrongdoing by Clinton.

In statement, E. Randol Schoenberg, a Los Angeles lawyer who had sued to obtain the court papers, said Tuesday that he saw nothing at all in the search warrant application that would give rise to probable cause, nothing that would make anyone suspect that there was anything on the laptop beyond what the FBI had already searched and determined not to be evidence of a crime, nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her longtime aide Huma Abedin.
NEW YORK (AP)  The FBI was trying to get a look at thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails on disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner's computer partly to see if anyone had hacked in to steal classified information, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

Investigating possible hacking appeared to be a secondary rationale for the email search, which FBI Director James Comey launched in the waning days of the presidential election.

When the FBI asked a magistrate judge in New York to issue a search warrant for Weiner's computer on Oct. 30, an agent spent pages describing concerns it might contain evidence Clinton had mishandled classified information.

The warrant application, made public Tuesday, was filed two days after Comey informed Congress investigators had discovered email correspondence that could be pertinent to his recently closed probe of Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

In the document, the agent wrote that thousands of emails between Clinton and top aide Huma Abedin had been discovered on a laptop used by Weiner, Abedin's estranged husband.

At the time, investigators had yet to look at the content of those emails, but based on previous work in the case the agent wrote they had reason to suspect they might contain classified material, possibly including top-secret information that could cause "grave damage to national security" if disclosed.

"A complete forensic analysis and review," the agent added, "will also allow the FBI to determine if there is any evidence of computer intrusions into the subject laptop, and to determine if classified information was accessed by unauthorized users or transferred to any other unauthorized systems."

A magistrate judge signed off on the search warrant that day.

The FBI hasn't publicly revealed whether it found any evidence of a hacking attempt.

During the presidential campaign, hackers accessed the email accounts of Democratic Party officials and Clinton's campaign chief, John Podesta, and leaked them to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

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U.S. intelligence officials have linked the hacking to Russia's intelligence agency and its military intelligence division, although Moscow has denied those accusations.

After getting court consent to delve into the newly discovered emails on Weiner's computer, agents spent several days analyzing them before Comey announced they contained no new evidence of wrongdoing by Clinton.

The surprise restart of the email probe, however, upended the presidential race just days before the election. Clinton supporters have blamed the investigation for her loss to Republican Donald Trump.

Weiner's laptop was initially seized by agents investigating his online relationship with a teenage girl in North Carolina. That inquiry is ongoing.

Los Angeles lawyer E. Randol Schoenberg, who had sued to obtain the court papers, said in a statement he saw "nothing at all in the search warrant application that would give rise to probable cause, nothing that would make anyone suspect that there was anything on the laptop beyond what the FBI had already searched and determined not to be evidence of a crime, nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her longtime aide Huma Abedin."

U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled Monday the public had a right to see the search warrant application and supporting paperwork. He ordered the redaction of sections of the paperwork related to the investigation into Weiner's online correspondence.

Weiner, who resigned from congress in 2011 after revelations he was sending sexually explicit messages to multiple women, has acknowledged he corresponded with the teenage girl and has apologized for his "terrible judgment."
Many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, but this can be very tough to define. There is great debate regarding which metrics are the best to focus on in this regard, and which are not really quality indicators of future performance. Fortunately, with our new style score system we have identified the key statistics to pay close attention to and thus which stocks might be the best for momentum investors in the near term.

This method discovered several great candidates for momentum-oriented investors, but today lets focus in on Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. CBRL as this stock is looking especially impressive right now. And while there are numerous ways in which this company could be a great choice, we have highlighted three of the most vital reasons for CBRLs status as a solid momentum stock below:

Short Term Price Change for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

A great place to look for finding momentum stocks is by inspecting short term price activity. This can help to reflect the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand right now. It is especially useful to compare it to the industry as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area.

With a one week price change of 1.15% compared to an industry average of -0.01%, CBRL is certainly well-positioned in this regard. The stock is also looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the four week price change compares favorably with the industry at large as well.

CRACKER BARREL Price and Consensus

CRACKER BARREL Price and Consensus | CRACKER BARREL Quote

Longer Term Price Change for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

While any stock can see a spike in price, it takes a real winner to consistently outperform the market. That is why looking at longer term price metricssuch as performance over the past three months or year-- and comparing these to an industry at large can be very useful.

And in the case of CBRL, the results are quite impressive. The company has beaten out the industry at large over the past 12 weeks by a margin of 23.27% to 4.54% while it has also outperformed when looking at the past year, putting up a gain of37.29%. Clearly, CBRL is riding a bit of a hot streak and is worth a closer look by investors.

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CBRL Earnings Estimate Revisions Moving in the Right Direction

While the great momentum factors outlined in the preceding paragraphs might be enough for some investors, we should also take into account broad earnings estimate revision trends. A nice path here can really help to show us a promising stock, and we have actually been seeing that with CBRL as of late too.

Over the past two months, 3earning estimate have gone higher compared to none lower for the full year while we are also seeing that 3 estimates have moved upwards with no downward revisions for the next year time frame too. These revisions have helped to boost the consensus estimate as two months ago CBRL was expected to post $8.07/share for the full year, though today it looks to have earnings of $8.24 for the full year now, representing a solid increase which is something that should definitely be welcomed news to would-be investors.

Bottom Line

Given these factors, investors shouldnt be surprised to note that we have CBRL as a security with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Momentum Score of B.You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

So if you are looking for a fresh pick that has potential to move in the right direction, definitely keep CBRL on your short list as this looks be a stock that is very well-positioned to soar in the near term.

Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017?

Who wouldn't? As of early December, the 2016 Top 10 produced 5 double-digit winners including oil and natural gas giant Pioneer Natural Resources which racked up a stellar +50% gain. The new list is painstakingly hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Be among the very first to see it>>



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On Dec 19, 2016, we issued an updated research report on Rhode Island-based pharmacy retail giant CVS Health Corp. CVS, which provides integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care.

CVS Health traded neck on neck with the Zacks categorized Retail - Pharmacies and Drug Stores industry over the past six months until it delivered mixed third-quarter 2016 results. The stock lost 14.66% over this period, wider than the 7.22% loss of the broader industry. Apart from a disappointing top-line performance, narrowed full-year guidance indicates slim chances of recovery any time soon. An extremely bearish estimate revision trend also indicates a gloomy scenario ahead. Although, very recently the company came up with an updated guidance for 2016 and 2017, majority of the expected numbers remained unchanged, making us cautious about the stock.

Nonetheless, year-over-year growth remained impressive in the third quarter, with the Pharmacy Services segment reaping benefits from growth in the Specialty Pharmacy business while the Retail Pharmacy segment gained from increased same-store sales. CVS Health also expects to benefit from the recently acquired Omnicare and Target in both near and long term. Additionally, it anticipates gaining market share in the specialty pharmacy suite of services with differentiated specialty offerings, providing a high level of clinical support to patients.

Meanwhile, according to recent data, three million people in the U.S. are currently in need of specialty treatment and the potential cost for this tends to be very high. With management emphasizing that CVS Health's specialty business remains a top priority for customers, we believe it is well positioned to tap this opportunity based on its broad, differentiated offerings, including the likes of Specialty Connect.

However, given the highly competitive retail pharmacy business, shareholders of CVS Health anticipate severe threat from the $17.2 billion mega merger between Walgreens and Rite Aid, once the deal closes. Also, the sluggish economic conditions in the U.S. might hamper the company's profit margin.

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The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Key Picks

Some of the better-ranked medical stocks include NxStage Medical Inc. NXTM, Baxter International Inc. BAX and Bovie Medical Corporation BVX. NxStage Medical and Baxter International sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Bovie Medical carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

NxStage Medical surged 22.6% over the last one year compared with the S&P 500s 11.9% growth, over the same period. The company has a four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 46.3%.

Baxter International rallied 21.7% over the last one year, much higher than the S&P 500. It has a trailing four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 27%.

Bovie Medical recorded a 114.7% gain in the past one year, way better than the S&P 500. The company has a trailing four-quarter positive average earnings surprise of 28.7%.

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PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babis said on Tuesday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel bore responsibility for the attack on a Berlin Christmas market and that migrants had "no place" in Europe. The migration wave hitting the continent must be stopped, Babis added in comments quoted by news website parliamentnilisty.cz. A truck crashed into the market on Monday evening, killing 12 and wounding dozens. A Pakistani asylum seeker was arrested as the suspected driver but police have said the real perpetrator could still be on the run. Central European leaders have been among the harshest critics of the European Union's response to the rising number of refugees and migrants entering the bloc to flee war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere and have refused EU executive-proposed quotas for asylum seekers. Many leaders have spoken out against Merkel's open-door migration policy and Babis raised the issue again in reaction to the attack. "Unfortunately...(this) policy is responsible for this dreadful act. It was she who let migrants enter Germany and the whole of Europe in uncontrolled waves, without papers, therefore without knowing who they really are," Babis said. "Germany is paying a high price for this policy." Babis leads the junior government party ANO that leads opinion polls before a national election due by next October, leaving him well-positioned to become the next prime minister. He said the best solution to Europe's migrant crisis was financial help for states in North Africa from which people are fleeing or stopping the six-year-old war in Syria. "The solution is peace in Syria and the return of migrants to their homes. There is no place for them in Europe," he said. (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Ray Dalio, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer, Bridgewater Associates. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich

Hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio, the founder of $160 billion hedge-fund behemoth Bridgewater Associates, expects well see a significant shift in the economy when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Trump is a deal maker who negotiates hard, and doesnt mind getting banged around or banging others around. Similarly, the people he chose are bold and hell-bent on playing hardball to make big changes happen in economics and in foreign policy (as well as other areas such as education, environmental policies, etc.), Dalio wrote in a LinkedIn post published on Monday evening.

He went on to recommend reading libertarian author Ayn Rand to understand the economic environment that could unfold under Trump.

Regarding economics, if you havent read Ayn Rand lately, I suggest that you do as her books pretty well capture the mindset. This new administration hates weak, unproductive, socialist people and policies, and it admires strong, can-do, profit makers. It wants to, and probably will, shift the environment from one that makes profit makers villains with limited power to one that makes them heroes with significant power.

He noted that the shift will probably be even more significant than the 1979-82 shift from the socialists to the capitalists in the UK, US, and Germany when Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Helmut Kohl came to power. He also recommended reading Thatchers The Downing Street Years.

This particular shift by the Trump administration could have a much bigger impact on the US economy than one would calculate on the basis of changes in tax and spending policies alone because it could ignite animal spirits and attract productive capital, Dalio wrote.

All of this would be incredibly bullish for risk-on financial assets like stocks.

He continued: Regarding igniting animal spirits, if this administration can spark a virtuous cycle in which people can make money, the move out of cash (that pays them virtually nothing) to risk-on investments could be huge. Regarding attracting capital, Trumps policies can also have a big impact because businessmen and investors move very quickly away from inhospitable environments to hospitable environments. Remember how quickly money left and came back to places like Spain and Argentina? A pro-business US with its rule of law, political stability, property rights protections, and (soon to be) favorable corporate taxes offers a uniquely attractive environment for those who make money and/or have money. These policies will also have shocking negative impacts on certain sectors.

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Read Dalios full post on LinkedIn here.

Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance.

Read more:
WASHINGTON (AP)  District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to end their own lives with the help of a doctor.

The D.C. Council approved the "Death with Dignity" bill in November, and Bowser signed it Monday.

The bill would allow patients with six months or less to live to request lethal medication from their doctors.

The bill now goes to Congress, which will have 30 days to review it. If Congress doesn't take action during that time, the bill will take effect.

The bill could test the District's ability to advance a liberal local agenda with Republicans controlling the presidency, the Senate and the House. Congress can undo city laws by passing a disapproval resolution or by amending other legislation.
A deer broke into a gym and the footage is absolutely insane

With only a couple of weeks left in the year, were already anticipating a flurry of fitness-minded folks itching to get in the best shape of their lives (again). But it looks like they have some four-legged competition, guys: This deer that broke into a Golds Gym in Anderson, South Carolina couldnt wait for January to get its work out on.

Unlike that sweet buck that kissed a guys camera, this enthusiastic deer had no time for niceties. Were sure the gym patrons and employees wouldve been less freaked out if the deer flashed one of those cute animal smiles first, instead of rudely barreling through the place like an exercise-deprived maniac.

Deer dashes into South Carolina Gold's Gym, leaps over some weights before completing its quick two-minute workout. https://t.co/S0lYeWaDYt pic.twitter.com/PFO8e2rOAj  ABC News (@ABC) December 19, 2016

Then again, if youve tried and failed to find an available treadmill in the gym at the beginning of the year, you can certainly relate to this deer on a spiritual level. Like, who has time to stop and greet humans when there is an uninterrupted workout waiting on you?

According to Uproxx, no humans were harmed when the deer break-in went down on Friday, but based on the gym video footage, the animal left a few patrons and employees understandably frazzled.

He thought this was our obstacle course. Posted by Gold's Gym Anderson SC on Friday, December 16, 2016

Except these guys, who tried to chase the deer down but were no match for its speed and agility:

Our dynamic duo Hunter and Ross in action. Posted by Gold's Gym Anderson SC on Friday, December 16, 2016

Courage is admirable, but this guy had the right idea:

Well that didn't work. Posted by Gold's Gym Anderson SC on Friday, December 16, 2016

Moral of the story here is a deer that hasnt had its fitness fix is infintely worse than any of those annoying people at the gym.

The post A deer broke into a gym and the footage is absolutely insane appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A 23-year-old Uber driver stabbed one of his passengers multiple times for tapping on his car window early Saturday, December 17, the Detroit Free Press reported.

According to the news outlet, the Bloomfield Township Police Department responded to a local shopping center in the Detroit area after receiving a 911 call at 1:30 a.m. about two men fighting in the backseat of a 2012 Honda Civic. Upon arrival, police discovered a 49-year-old man with several stab wounds to his face, chest and back.



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Police told the Detroit Free Press that the victim and his wife (apparently in town from Beverly Hills) had requested an Uber after leaving a holiday party. When driver Jacob Matthew Allemon pulled up, the victim reportedly tapped on the window to alert Allemon that he and his wife were entering the car. According to the site, Allemon felt the man "disrespected" his vehicle by tapping on it.

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Allemon, a Berkley, Michigan, resident, then drove about a mile before pulling into the shopping center parking lot, where he ordered the man out of his car. Because it was snowing, the victim asked if he and his wife could stay in the car as they waited for another Uber to arrive. Allemon then reportedly started a fight and stabbed the man multiple times.

The victim was treated at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and was released the next day.

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Allemon was charged with assault with the intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, according to the Detroit Free Press. He was arraigned on Sunday, December 18, and was given a $250,000 bond.

The incident occurred 10 months after Uber driver Jason Dalton shot and killed six people and injured two others while picking up passengers in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Dalton, 45, was subsequently charged with murder and attempted murder in the February 20 shootings.

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NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc. (DWS.V) (OTC PINK: DWWEF) (the "Company" or "Diamond Estates") (http://www.diamondestates.ca) is extremely pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced private placement offering (the "Offering") of 40 million common shares ("Common Shares") at a price of $0.22 per Common Share for total gross proceeds of $8.8 million (including the exercise, in full, of the Agents' over-allotment option). Paradigm Capital Inc. and GMP Securities L.P. (the "Agents") acted as agents in respect of the Offering. The Common Shares issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a hold period expiring April 21, 2017. Directors, officers, and other insiders of the Company subscribed for $198,022 worth of Common Shares in the Offering.

Pursuant to the terms of an agency agreement entered into among the Agents and the Company dated December 20, 2016 (the "Agency Agreement"), the Agents received a cash payment on closing of the Offering equal to 6% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering, not including subscriptions received from purchasers on the Company's president's list, and 3% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering on subscriptions received from purchasers on the president's list.

The Company intends to employ the proceeds of the Offering primarily to expand principal wine production facility and to add cooperage (barrel storage), warehouse, and bottling space. When completed, Diamond Estates' wine processing, ageing, and bottling operations will be increased by approximately 50%, due to a mix of operational efficiency improvements and increased capacity. The resulting economies of scale are expected to produce significant operating leverage that is anticipated to translate into higher margins on incremental sales volume. The balance of the proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes including reduction of debt.

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Participation by the Company's directors and other insiders in the Offering is considered to be a "related party transaction" as defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Offering is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of Multilateral Instrument 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the securities being issued to insiders, nor the consideration being paid by such insiders, exceeds 25% of Diamond Estates' market capitalization.

"We are very pleased by the response to our offering in the financial community," said Murray Souter, President & CEO of Diamond Estates. "Our business is benefitting from a number of very positive factors, including our strong brand portfolio, broad industry growth, our strength in the VQA segment, the introduction of wine into the Ontario grocery channel, and robust export growth. With the increased capacity, we will be well positioned to meet the increasing market demand, which will generate stronger returns for shareholders. The additional investment will allow Diamond Estates to significantly advance its growth plans and will accelerate the expansion of our core business."

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has engaged the services of Bay Street Communications ("BSC") to provide strategic investor relations and capital markets communications services at a cost of $5,000 per month effective January 1, 2017. BSC is a private firm specializing in investor & public relations and strategic communications, assisting companies in achieving a full and fair valuation of their publicly traded securities. Either party may terminate or amend the terms of the engagement after six months upon 30 days written notice. To the knowledge of Diamond Estates, BSC does not have any interest, directly or indirectly, in the Company or its securities, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest. The appointment of BSC is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.

About Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc.

Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc. is a producer of high quality wines and a sales agent for over 120 beverage alcohol brands across Canada. The company operates two wineries in the Niagara region of Ontario producing VQA and blended wines under such well-known brand names as 20 Bees, EastDell Estates, Lakeview Cellars, Dois Amigos, Dan Aykroyd, Benchmark, and Seasons. Through its partnership, Kirkwood Diamond Canada, the Company is the sales agent for top selling international brands in all regions of the country, as well as being a distributor in the western provinces. These recognizable brands include Fat Bastard wines from France, Kaiken wines from Argentina, Charles Wells beers from England, Hpnotiq Liqueur from France, Anciano wines from Spain, Francois Lurton wines from France and Argentina, Blue Nun wines from Germany, coolers and spirits from Independent Distillers in New Zealand, Brick Brewing from Canada, Evan Williams Bourbon from USA, Flor de Cana rum from Nicaragua, Iceberg Vodka from Canada, and many others. For further information on the company, please visit the company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc. common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (DWS.V).

For more information, please contact:

Murray Souter

President & CEO

Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.

jmurraysouter@diamondwines.com

905.641.1042 Ext 234

Alan Stratton, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer

Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.

astratton@diamondwines.com

905.641.1042 Ext. 225

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates," or "does not anticipate," or "believes," or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might," or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc.to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to: the economy generally; consumer interest in the services and products of the Company; financing; competition; and anticipated and unanticipated costs. While the Company acknowledges that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the views of the Company as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

- NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES -

SOURCE; Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Developer DICE has released some concept art and new information for its first expansion to Battlefield 1. The DLC expansion is called They Shall Not Pass and will be released sometime in March of next year.

They Shall Not Pass will come with all-new maps, weapons and even a new playable French Army team. The Battlefield 1 DLC expansion will mainly focus on the Battle of Verdun which took place in the north-eastern part of France between the French and German armies.

They Shall Not Pass

Photo: DICE

The initial fighting around Verdun quickly transformed villages like Samogneux and entire forests into shadows of their former self. Verdun turned into the longest battle of the war lasting 9 months which completely transformed it. We wanted our players to be part of these initial intense attacks in the cold February of 1916, DICE explained in its blog post.

DICE said that the concept art that it released was how they envision how the new maps will look and feel when its finally released. It gives everyone a look at the new outdoor environment as well as Fort Vaux, the underground bunker that DICE describes as a maze of dark galleries where the fighting forces fought with grenades, flamethrowers and poison gasses.

They Shall Not Pass

Photo: DICE

DICE also teased that there will be new maps based on the Battle of Soissons that will feature massive French tank assaults on a battlefield torn by artillery attacks. The developer said that the battle will center on key bridges over the Aisne River and the village of Fismes. DICE appeared to be teasing a behemoth type of vehicle as well, according to Games Radar.

They Shall Not Pass will also come with 20 new weapons, 14 new Superior Battlepacks and new Dog Tags. Battlefield 1 players who have the $50 Premium Pass will get the expansion two weeks earlier than everyone else, just like with the other three upcoming expansions. The upcoming DLC expansion still doesnt have an exact release date.

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They Shall Not Pass

Photo: DICE

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The Orchard has landed worldwide distribution rights to the documentary Monkey Business: the Adventures of Curious Georges Creators.

Law & Order star Sam Waterston will narrate the film with Ema Ryan Yamazaki directing. The movie is currently in post-production and will be released in October 2017.

The documentary chronicles the largely unknown story of the creators of Curious George, Hans (H. A.) and Margret Rey. From fleeing Nazi-occupied France on handmade bicycles to encounters with exotic animals in Brazil, the Reys lived lives of adventure that are reflected in the pages of one of the most treasured childrens book series of all time. A story of immigrants and the American Dream, the film honors the legacy of the Reys by interweaving archival footage and interviews with them, their friends and experts, along with animated sequences in a style inspired by the world of Curious George. Curious George books have sold 75 million copies in over 20 languages over the past 75 years.

Curious George is a universally beloved childrens icon who is familiar to millions, yet its the story behind his creators that is even more amazing, said Paul Davidson, The Orchards exec VP of film and television. We are proud to partner with Ema to bring the inspiring story of Hans and Margret Rey to those same audiences around the world in 2017.

The deal was negotiated by Danielle DiGiacomo, the VP of acquisitions for The Orchard.

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President-elect Donald Trump 's ideas surrounding fiscal policy could reignite "animal spirits" and lead to a boom in the U.S. economy, hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio said.

In a LinkedIn post published Monday evening, Dalio described a major ideological shift in Washington, one where Trump's administration admires tough "can-do" businessmen.



"Trump is a deal maker who negotiates hard, and doesn't mind getting banged around or banging others around," Dalio wrote. "Similarly, the people he chose are bold and hell-bent on playing hardball to make big changes happen in economics and in foreign policy (as well as other areas such as education, environmental policies, etc.)."



Dailo suggested reading novelist Ayn Rand's work, sometimes associated with the libertarian movement, to understand the environment that could be witnessed under a President Trump.



"This particular shift by the Trump administration could have a much bigger impact on the U.S. economy than one would calculate on the basis of changes in tax and spending policies alone because it could ignite animal spirits and attract productive capital," Dalio wrote. "Regarding igniting animal spirits, if this administration can spark a virtuous cycle in which people can make money, the move out of cash (that pays them virtually nothing) to risk-on investments could be huge."



The term "animal spirits" was used by economist John Maynard Keynes to describe how human emotion drives consumer confidence.



He also went on to describe Trump's foreign policy, saying the U.S. should expect Trump's administration to be aggressive, citing the president-elect's recent comments about China.



"Trump is questioning the one-China policy which is a shocking move," he wrote. "Policies pertaining to Iran, Mexico, and most other countries will probably also be aggressive."

Dalio is the founder of hedge fund giant Bridgewater Associates, which manages $160 billion for about 350 clients.



Read Dalio's full post here.





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Photo credit: Drew Angererundefined

From Esquire

Nobody who's been watching the goings-on in places like Scott Walker's Wisconsin, or Pat McCrory's North Carolina, or the independent failed state of Brownbackistan out there just south of Nebraska for the last few years could seriously have believed we would find 37 Republicans at the state level around the country whose political principles contained sufficient iron to allow them to stand up against the onrushing catastrophe.

So Monday's voting among the various presidential electors was as much a formality as it ever has been, even though the current president-elect fits every single criterion set down by Alexander Hamilton in Federalist 68-low character, foreign influence, etc. etc.-as a reason for electors to go into business for themselves. If there is a modern parallel, it's the attempt to recall Walker in Wisconsin back in 2013. That effort failed, despite having gathered over a million signatures, largely because, faced with the opportunity to be full-grown citizens, the people of Wisconsin thought that the recall cost too much and that removing Walker from office was just going to be toomuchbother.

So it was on Monday. There were people who braved the cold to hoot and holler; in Wisconsin, there was even a protest inside the room where the state's electors were meeting. The vote lasted 15 whole minutes.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="When%20We%20Forget" customimages="" content="article.44438"]

On Sunday, on CNN, host Michael Smerconish argued that electors should ignore the criteria for actual presidents set down by Hamilton this time around because the electors themselves didn't meet that Founder's exacting standards, either. But running through all the commentary was a sense of terror that, one day, the country might actually decide to live up to its founding principles, rather than simply slapping on the old tricorn and yelling about taxes. There are terrible truths about this nation that the public cannot be allowed to know, lest it act on them in ways that disturb the horses.

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It was this terror out of which the Warren Commission was formed. It was this terror that kept Lyndon Johnson from revealing Richard Nixon's treason to the world and to Hubert Humphrey. It was this terror that engendered Nixon's pardon. It was this terror that allowed the Reagan campaign to dodge how it may have fudged the release of the hostages in Iran, and it was this terror that allowed Reagan himself to skate on Iran-Contra. It was this terror that welcomed the meddling of the Supreme Court in the Florida recount of 2000.

Photo credit: Drew Angererundefined

It was this terror that allowed the Bush administration to elude its accountability regarding the events of September 11, 2001, or to be called to account entirely for how and why it ran the country into war in Iraq. It is this terror from which comes the impulse to look forward and never back. (On that same show, it should be noted, Smerconish hosted Bill Mitchell, the man who designed the "enhanced interrogation" techniques on behalf of the Bush administration. The torturer is on a book tour these days, instead of decorating his cell at The Hague.) And, I suspect, it is going to be this terror that will soften the findings of whatever "special" committee of the Congress is empaneled to look into Russian ratfcking and any other curiosities arising from the 2016 campaign.

If we really were who we say we are, politicians wouldn't be so quick to decide on our behalf that we're not ready to learn the truth about who sank the Paris Peace Talks, or that we're not ready to hold a criminal presidency accountable, or that we're not ready to learn the entire truth about the murder of a president in broad daylight. (LBJ had to blackjack Earl Warren into chairing that commission, and he put Senator Richard Russell on it before telling Russell he'd been named.) They would feel so safe in doing so. But we put our self-governing impulses into a blind trust so long ago that we don't even remember doing it anyway, and thus does Donald Trump become the 45th president of the United States, god help us all.

Editor's Note: Charles P. Pierce regrets transposing Kansas and Nebraska. He has stayed after school and bought a map.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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A new Texas nonprofit led by Donald Trumps grown sons is offering access to the freshly-minted president during inauguration weekend  all in exchange for million-dollar donations to unnamed conservation charities, according to interviews and documents reviewed by the Center for Public Integrity.

And the donors identities may never be known.

Prospective million-dollar donors to the Opening Day 2017 event  slated for Jan. 21, the day after inauguration, at Washington, D.C.s Walter E. Washington Convention Center  receive a private reception and photo opportunity for 16 guests with President Donald J. Trump, a multi-day hunting and/or fishing excursion for 4 guests with Donald Trump, Jr. and/or Eric Trump, and team, as well as tickets to other events and autographed guitars by an Opening Day 2017 performer.

Website TMZ.com first published a brochure hyping the happening. The brochure says that all net proceeds from the Opening Day event will be donated to conservation charities, but it does not name the charities or detail how net proceeds will be calculated.

Whos behind the get-together?

Walter Kinzie, chief executive officer of Texas event management company Encore Live, confirmed to the Center for Public Integrity that a nonprofit group called the Opening Day Foundation hired his firm to manage Opening Day 2017.

A Center for Public Integrity review of Texas incorporation records found the Opening Day Foundation was created less than a week ago, on Dec. 14. Unlike political committees, such nonprofits arent required by law to reveal their donors, allowing sponsors to write seven-figure checks for access to the president while staying anonymous, if they choose.

Related: 'Opening Day Foundation' nonprofit registration

This story is part of Buying of the President 2016. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history. Click here to read more stories in this investigation.

Don't miss another Politics investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email.

The paperwork for the Opening Day Foundation listed four directors: Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Dallas investor Gentry Beach and Tom Hicks Jr., the son of a Dallas billionaire.

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Beach and Hicks are reportedly close friends with Donald Trump Jr., and both men helped raise millions of dollars for Trumps campaign.

The event is being put on by the Opening Day Foundation, Kinzie confirmed, adding: There are a number of different individuals who are part of the foundation.

Kinzie also said the information in the brochure posted by TMZ.com was not entirely accurate  he did not specify what was incorrect  and he added that the participation of Trump family members is not confirmed.

The Trump Organization, a spokeswoman for President-elect Trump and the presidential transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Hicks and Beach also did not immediately respond to phone messages requesting comment.

( Update, 4:18 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20: Trump's transition team emailed a statement from spokeswoman Hope Hicks. It reads: "The Opening Day event and details that have been reported are merely initial concepts that have not been approved or pursued by the Trump family. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are avid outdoorsmen and supporters of conservation efforts, which align with the goals of this event, however they are not involved in any capacity."

A Trump transition official told the Center for Public Integrity that the registration document for the Opening Day Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Opening Day 2017 event, "will be amended" and that the names of Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump will be removed.

The statement and transition official did not address Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump serving as directors of the Opening Day Foundation. Nor did it explain how the Trump brothers came to be listed on the event's brochure, which organizers circulated among conservative political donors in recent days.

Beach is listed in the Opening Day Foundation's signed registration document as the group's registered agent. Texas nonprofit registration forms state that including "materially false" information is subject to "penalties imposed by law."

Houston-based lawyer Thomas M. Gregor signed Opening Day Foundation's registration document under penalty of perjury. Gregor could not immediately be reached for comment.)

The brochure for Opening Day 2017, an event described as honoring President Donald J. Trump, offers sponsor packages ranging from $25,000 to $1 million. The event will celebrate the great American tradition of outdoor sporting, shooting, fishing and conservation, the brochure states.

Mike Ingram, an Arizona developer who is listed as one of the co-chairmen, said Beach approached him to help.

"Im honored to do it," he said. "Its not going to be a black tie event. Its going to be boots and jeans and camouflage and its going to raise a lot of money to go to sportsmans charities" and conservation charities, he said.

Ingram said he could not confirm the Trump family's participation.

This is problematic on so many levels, said Larry Noble, the general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign reform organization. This is Donald Trump and the Trump family using a brand new organization to raise $1 million contributions for a vague goal of giving money to conservation charities, which seems a way of basically just selling influence and selling the ability to meet with the president.

Noble cautioned that the details of the event and its association with the new nonprofit listing the Trump brothers as directors are still unclear.

Its really hard to identify all the problems when theyre so vague, he said.

The Trump family has recently endured criticism for appearing to sell access to Trumps adult children, who serve on the executive committee of Trumps presidential transition team and have functioned as key advisers since he began his campaign.

The family canceled an auction for coffee with Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump last week after ethics experts said it was ethically questionable, according to the New York Times. The proceeds of the auction would have gone to the Eric Trump Foundation, an existing nonprofit whose mission is to support a childrens hospital.

This article was co-published by TIME, the Texas Tribune and the Huffington Post.

Related story: Is Donald Trump a threat to animals?

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This story is part of Buying of the President 2016. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history. Click here to read more stories in this investigation.

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Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
LIMA (Reuters) - At least 12 police officers were killed and a dozen were wounded in a remote Andean region in Peru when their bus skidded off an unpaved road and tumbled down a cliff, the government said on Tuesday. The officers were headed to the highland province of Antabamba to provide security for talks between government officials and residents who have staged protests to demand a paved highway in the region. Two helicopters retrieved the wounded from the bottom of the cliff, the Interior Ministry said. Four officers were in critical condition in the southern Peruvian city of Cusco, said regional health director Jorge Ponce. Road accidents kill dozens of people every year high in the Peruvian Andes, where driving is rarely policed and most routes curve sharply but are unpaved. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, five months into his five-year term, has promised to bring sorely needed infrastructure to poor rural regions as part of his promise to reduce inequality and bolster domestic demand. "Today's a day of mourning because 13 police officers have died unnecessarily in a highway in Andes," Kuczynski said during a ceremony for graduating police officers. The Interior Ministry said in a statement earlier on Tuesday that 12 had died and that it was investigating the incident. (Reporting by Ursula Scollo and Mitra Taj; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Brussels (AFP) - Congolese opposition head Etienne Tshisekedi called on citizens and foreign countries to "no longer recognise" Joseph Kabila as president, in a video released as the long-serving leader appeared set to remain in office on despite his mandate expiring.

"I am launching a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to no longer recognise the authority of Mr. Joseph Kabila, to the international community to no longer deal with Joseph Kabila in the name of the Democratic Republic of Congo," 84-year-old Etienne Tshisekedi, leader of the country's mainstream opposition party, said in the video released on YouTube overnight.

Valentin Mubake, a close aide to Tshisekedi, confirmed to AFP that the video was authentic, and said it was filmed in the Kinshasa district where he lives.

The message was not available in the DR Congo where authorities since Sunday have imposed controls on pictures and video on social media networks.

Tshisekedi repeatedly stumbled in reading the text, and is helped by a person off-screen who whispers certain words to him.

Tshisekedi also calls on the people to remain "vigilant and ready for peaceful actions, in accordance with article 64 of the constitution in order to put an end to the forfeiture and treason perpetrated by Mr Joseph Kabila."

The leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) said he had agreed that the opposition movement called the "Rassemblement" (the Gathering) should "continue negotiations" with the government launched on December 8 by the Catholic Church in order to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.

The negotiations were halted on Saturday with no significant progress made, but were due to resume on Wednesday.

Tensions are high in the vast country as Kabila's second term officially expires on Tuesday while he appears set to stay in office.

State television overnight announced the formation of a new government following an agreement between Kabila's administration and a fringe opposition group.
Kinshasa (AFP) - Black smoke rose over Kinshasa and angry young men waving red cards blocked roads as Democratic Republic of Congo's leader, Joseph Kabila, clung to power Tuesday despite fears that more violence will follow.

The announcement just before midnight of the appointment of a new government -- but with President Kabila still in ultimate control -- triggered cries of "treason", "provocation" and "confrontation".

"What happened yesterday (Monday) was a rebellion," said Daniel, 63, referring to Kabila's decision not to step aside. "Even those without education know that after his second term, a president must leave office. They even know that in primary school!"

The 45-year-old leader, who has ruled since 2001, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term but under a controversial recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

Kinshasa ground almost to a halt Tuesday with people staying at home as groups of youths burnt tyres and built barricades on the streets.

Dozens of troop carriers patrolled the megacity of 10 million people and police officers and paramilitaries were out in force in other cities as they have been since Sunday. A crash barrier on a road in the capital had been daubed with red paint reading: "Kabila leave".

"We had been waiting for the final declaration from CENCO," said Louis, a 60-year-old from Kinshasa's Singa Mupepe district, referring to the panel of bishops who had been negotiating a peaceful transfer toward new elections with the government and opposition factions.

- 'Why do we all dream of going to Europe?' -

Large plumes of black smoke rose above Kinshasa's Yolo and Matete districts early Tuesday, with scorch marks visible on the streets where protesters had burnt tyres.

So serious is the crisis rocking Congo that some have even suggested that the Belgian colonisation of the country was preferable to the current situation.

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"When the Flemish were here, they would even come to get us if we didn't go to school. Now if you owe ten dollars (to the school) they will chase you even if you're successful (academically)," said Therese, 75, speaking on her doorstep wearing a blue dress as she waved a hand fan.

"(Young people) suffer a lot. What future have they given them? It's graduates who go on to be motorcycle taxi and rickshaw drivers. I want to cry."

Two-thirds of DRC's 70 million people are under the age of 25.

"Why do we all dream of going to Europe and settling there? Because here, we don't have a chance to survive," said Fabrice, another of Kinshasa's increasingly angry residents who warned that people would only take so much before they began to resist.
From Good Housekeeping

Missy Armstrong, a single mom-of-two from Illinois, is giving her best friend a Christmas gift that's pretty hard to top.

When Sara Hankins, 36, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) last year, Armstrong was there by her side, as always. After meeting in hair dressing school in 1999, "We were always together," she told the Today show.

'I can do this, I love them': Woman to adopt dying best friend's 4 children https://t.co/BCyEKMSWWd pic.twitter.com/lM9i4kwCXG - TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 16, 2016

As Hankins - who is currently in hospice care at her mother's home - progressed to the final stages of ALS, a terminal neurological disease, the future of her four children was uncertain.

"My number one concern was keeping my kids together, because I think what they're going to go through is hard enough," Hankins explained.

That's when her best friend stepped in. Armstrong offered to adopt all of Hankins' children, ages 18, 11, 9 and 8. For Armstrong, who makes a good salary at a metal manufacturing company, the decision was rooted in love. "I thought, yeah, I can do this," she said. "I love them and I've known them their whole lives."

With the support of Hankins' family and generous donors on GoFundMe, Armstrong is on her way to securing a five-bedroom house for the new family of seven. A family friend also arranged a donor program, which quickly accumulated Christmas gifts, food items and other necessities. And with an additional fundraiser underway, it looks like that new house is well within reach.

When it comes to the Hankins children's futures, their mother and Armstrong have kept them in the loop to best prepare them for the inevitable and fast-approaching loss. The saving grace is that Armstrong and Hankins' children are already like family. "The kids have been like cousins their whole lives," Armstrong told Today. "Me taking them is the way they can all be together."

Story continues

[h/t Today]

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By Alister Doyle

OSLO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - World temperatures are likely to dip next year from a sizzling record high in 2016, when man-made global warming was slightly boosted by a natural El Nino event in the Pacific Ocean, scientists said on Tuesday.

It is still likely to be the third warmest since records began.

The year-on-year decline will coincide with the first year of Donald Trump's presidency. He has sometimes dismissed as a hoax the idea that global warming is caused by human activity.

"Next year is not likely to be a record but it will still be a very warm year," Professor Adam Scaife of the British Met Office told Reuters of a report on Tuesday based on new computer data.

He said it would be wrong for anyone who doubts that climate change is caused by humans to interpret the expected 2017 dip, prompted by the end of El Nino, which released heat from the Pacific Ocean, as a sign of an end to the long-term trend of global warming.

The Met Office projected that 2017 was likely to be the third warmest year since records began in the mid-19th century, behind 2016 and 2015.

Among signs of warming, sea ice in both the Arctic Ocean and around Antarctica is at record lows, according to mid-December data by the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Global average temperatures for 2017 would be about 0.75 degree Celsius (1.35 Fahrenheit) above the long-term 1961-1990 average of 14.0 C (57.2 F), the Met Office said.

This year is so far 0.86 C (1.55 F) above average, matching a forecast made in 2016, Scaife said. El Nino accounted for about 0.2 C (0.36 F) of the warming in 2016, far less than the extra heat from human-generated greenhouse gases.

Separately, the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said 2016 was on track to be the warmest on record, ahead of 2015, with data from November confirming projections issued a month ago.

"2016 has been remarkable for all the wrong reasons," WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis said of the heat.

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The WMO says the build-up of human-created greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing ever more harmful heatwaves, droughts, floods and a rise in global sea levels of about 20 cm (7.87 inches) in the past century.

El Ninos happen every few years and can disrupt weather worldwide. After a powerful El Nino in 1998, it took until 2005 for a year to match that year's record heat.

(With extra reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Nina Chestney in London Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)
LIMA, Peru (AP)  An indigenous group in northeast Ecuador says it has detained 11 soldiers who were travelling through its territory in a canoe amid tensions with the government over land and mining disputes.

The Kichwa de Sarayaku have posted a statement on their website reporting the detention, saying the soldiers "were called to a dialogue to know their actions" in the Sarayaku territory. It says the soldiers' rights are protected.

President Rafael Correa told reporters Tuesday that the detention amounts to an illegal kidnapping.

The Kichwa say they acted in the context of a national emergency declared by Correa after members of another indigenous group attacked a Chinese mining site they say encroaches on their territory.

The Kichwa statement says the emergency decree "threatens the existence, peace and liberty of indigenous peoples."
TAIPEI/SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - China's objection to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen passing through the United Sates enroute to Latin America next month has not delayed planning for the trip and transit locations will be announced in days, the presidential office said on Tuesday. Tsai's office said she would visit Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador in that order. She will leave Taiwan on Jan. 7 and return on Jan. 15. When asked whether the transit stops would include the United States, Taiwan's presidential office spokesman Alex Huang declined to comment. China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, whom it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan, and has called on the United States not to let her transit. Taiwan is a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province. President-elect Donald Trump angered Beijing this month by speaking to Tsai in a break with decades of precedent and cast doubt on his incoming administration's commitment to Beijing's "one China" policy. Huang said details of the transit stops would be disclosed in days as Taiwan's foreign ministry was still working them out with foreign counterparts ahead of their Christmas and New Year holidays. Asked if the planning or disclosure of the transit stops were being delayed due to pressure from China, Huang said: "No. That is over-speculation, there is no problem of that kind." The United States normally does not host Taiwan presidents because of Washington's maintenance of the "one China" policy. In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying repeated that China hoped the United States would not allow Tsai to transit and "not send any wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces". "As for the question of the leader of the Taiwan region possibly transiting the United States, I think her real aim needs no explanation," Hua told a daily news briefing. Transit stops are seen as unofficial and carried out under tight protocol. When Tsai visited Panama and other allies in June, a month after she took power, she transited in Miami and Los Angeles. Taiwanese media has reported that Tsai would seek to meet Trump's team during a possible transit stop. The 90-plus member delegation, traveling on a chartered aircraft with Tsai will include her national security council chief Joseph Wu and foreign minister David Lee, deputy foreign minister Javier Hou told a news conference. China considers Taiwan independence a red line issue and it has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. (Reporting by Nelson Renteria in SAN SALVADOR and J.R. Wu in TAIPEI; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel)
Photo credit: Getty

From Cosmopolitan

Members of the Electoral College are scheduled to meet in every state on Monday to formally elect Donald Trump president even as anti-Trump forces try one last time to deny him the White House.

Protests are planned for state capitals, but they are unlikely to persuade the Electoral College to dump Trump. An Associated Press survey of electors found very little appetite to vote for alternative candidates.

Still, Republican electors say they have been deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support Trump. Many of the emails are part of coordinated campaigns.

"The letters are actually quite sad," said Lee Green, a Republican elector from North Carolina. "They are generally freaked out. They honestly believe the propaganda. They believe our nation is being taken over by a dark and malevolent force."

Wirt A. Yerger Jr., a Republican elector in Mississippi, said, "I have gotten several thousand emails asking me not to vote for Trump. I threw them all away."

What Happens After the Electors Vote

Photo credit: Associated Press

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, with Joe Biden presiding over the vote because, as vice president, he is president of the Senate. Once the result is certified, the winner - likely Trump - will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

The Electoral College was created at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It was a compromise between those who wanted popular elections for president and those who wanted no public input.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, even though the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one - or 270 electoral votes. Most states give all their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins that state's popular vote. Maine and Nebraska award them by congressional district.

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Will Electors Cast Their Votes For Someone Other Than Trump

Photo credit: Associated Press

The AP tried to reach all of the electors and interviewed more than 330 of them, finding widespread aggravation among Democrats with the electoral process, but little expectation Trump would be derailed.

Some Democrats have argued that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives more weight to less populated states. That is how Hillary Clinton, who got more than 2.6 million more votes nationwide, lost the election to Trump. Some have also tried to dissuade Trump voters by arguing that he is unsuited to the job. Others cite the CIA's assessment that Russia engaged in computer hacking to sway the election in favor of the Republican.

"When the founders of our country created (the Electoral College) 200-plus years ago, they didn't have confidence in the average white man who had property, because that's who got to vote," said Shawn Terris, a Democratic elector from Ventura, California. "It just seems so undemocratic to me that people other than the voters get to choose who leads the country."

But despite the national group therapy session being conducted by some Democrats, only one Republican elector told the AP that he will not vote for Trump.

There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state. Some states require their electors to vote for the winning candidate, either by law or through signed pledges. But no elector has ever been prosecuted for failing to vote as pledged, according to the National Archives.

Those laws are rarely tested. More than 99 percent of electors through U.S. history have voted for the candidate who won their state.

Electors are selected by state parties, and so are often insiders who can be trusted to vote for the party's candidate. Many Republican electors said they feel duty-bound to honor their pledge to vote for the candidate who won their state, regardless of how they feel about Trump.

Still, some anti-Trump activists have been getting creative in trying to persuade electors to dump Trump.

In addition to thousands of emails, Republican elector Charlie Buckels of Louisiana said he received a FedEx package with a 50-page document that the sender said "had absolute proof that the Russians hacked the elections."

"From the tenor of these emails, you would think these people are curled up in a corner in a fetal position with a thumb in their mouth," Buckels said.

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The Electoral College officially named Donald Trump President of the United States

Its official: The Electoral College has awarded Donald Trump the presidency and Mike Pence the vice-presidency, ending a hard-fought battle some thought could result in a surprise victory for Hillary Clinton.

In the November 8th election, Clinton won the popular vote by a substantial margin, but Trump ultimately secured the win by locking in 306 Electoral College votes. (The minimum number of Electoral College votes needed to win is 270.)

Congratulations to @RealDonaldTrump; officially elected President of the United States today by the Electoral College!  Mike Pence (@mike_pence) December 19, 2016

Electors  who are chosen by the Democratic and Republican parties  often pledge, or are required, to vote for their partys candidate, so the Electoral College vote is ordinarily more ceremonial than decisive. But this year, activists pushed electors to vote their conscience and fly in the face of some state laws that replace or even issue fines to anyone who votes out of step with the party.

It was thought that because of Clintons 3-million vote lead over Trump and revelations by top U.S. intelligence officials that Russia likely hacked the U.S. election to harm Clintons campaign and bolster Trumps, electors  who ultimately decide who becomes the president and vice-president  might take those factors into consideration when casting their ballots and vote for another candidate.

That didnt happen.

Instead, 304 of the 306 electors pledged to vote for Trump cast their ballots in his favor; two electors voted for other candidates  Ron Paul and John Kasich.

And of the 232 electors pledged to vote for Clinton, 224 have so far cast their ballots in her favor, while The New York Times reports that four (all in Washington state) have voted for someone else  three for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, the chairwoman of the Yankton Sioux Tribes treaty council and an anti-Keystone XL pipeline activist.

Story continues

This isnt the first time electors have chosen not to vote for their partys candidate. There have been 157 instances of faithless electors casting ballots for others since 1789. But there has been only one instance in history in which the Electoral College vote has had some unexpected effect on the outcome of an election  in 1836  and even then the contested vice-presidential candidate was eventually confirmed by the Senate. In short, it would have been a huge surprise to see a mass wave of electors defecting this year.

We know that many of our readers will be disappointed, to say the least, by todays news. Trump has proven himself to be many things we dont value here at HG. Thats why we want everyone to rest assured that our space will remain a safe one. You can continue to come here and find the positive, uplifting, inspiring news you depend on  we promise.

Onwards and upwards, dear readers.

The post The Electoral College officially named Donald Trump President of the United States appeared first on HelloGiggles.
With all of the recent attention given to the Electoral College, not a lot has been written by the Supreme Court on the unique electoral institution  mostly because the Court has had few opinions about it in the past 226 years.

Justice Robert Jackson (courtesy of the Library of Congress)

Justice Robert Jackson (courtesy of the Library of Congress)

A search of the historical Supreme Court opinions database at www.courtlistener.com shows that the words electoral college have appeared just 23 times in the thousands of opinions written by the Justices since 1790.

There are two significant cases related to the Electoral College not including the 2000 Bush v. Gore decision, which was more about the process of counting presidential ballots in Florida than the legitimate function of the Electoral College.

In particular, a scathing dissent by a legendary Justice from the early 1950s, Robert H. Jackson, contains the most words about the Electoral Colleges legitimacy in a court opinion. But as a whole, the constitutional propriety of the Electoral College hasnt been debated as an issue at the Court.

In 1892, Chief Justice Melville Fuller wrote on behalf of the Court in McPherson v. Blacker. The case came to the Court as a dispute between the Michigan legislature and Congress about which body named the date that the Electoral College met in Michigan. Fullers per-curium opinion, which he only signed for the majority, ruled for Congress, and it contained some background information about how the Court viewed the Electoral College. McPherson v. Blacker also found that states determined how electors were apportioned within each state and how they were chosen  a point later reaffirmed in Bush v. Gore.

Fuller duly noted that the expectations for the Electoral College had changed in the prior 100 years or so. Doubtless it was supposed that the electors would exercise a reasonable independence and fair judgment in the selection of the Chief Executive, but experience soon demonstrated that, whether chosen by the legislatures or by popular suffrage on general ticket or in districts, they were so chosen simply to register the will of the appointing power in respect of a particular candidate, he said. But we can perceive no reason for holding that the power confided to the States by the Constitution has ceased to exist because the operation of the system has not fully realized the hopes of those by whom it was created.

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Two other Justices, Stanley Reed and the aforementioned Jackson, dealt squarely with the Electoral College in Ray v. Blair, a 1952 decision about the requirement that Alabama state Democratic party electors take pledges to vote for candidates in the Electoral College. In a per-curium majority opinion not signed by other Justices, Reed wrote that the Twelfth Amendment does not bar a political party from requiring the pledge to support the nominees of the National Convention. Where a state authorizes a party to choose its nominees for elector in a party primary and to fix the qualifications for the candidates, we see no federal constitutional objection to the requirement of this pledge.

Reed and the majority, however, didnt rule on whether pledged electors could be forced to vote for a partys candidate during the actual Electoral College proceeding.

Justice Jackson, joined by Justice William O. Douglas, made a full-on assault on the Electoral College in general, and had no problems with an elector voting his or her conscience. No one faithful to our history can deny that the plan originally contemplated, what is implicit in its text, [is] that electors would be free agents, to exercise an independent and nonpartisan judgment as to the men best qualified for the Nations highest offices, Jackson said.

Jackson then cited a line from Gilbert and Sullivans HMS Pinafore:

Electors, although often personally eminent, independent, and respectable, officially became voluntary party lackeys and intellectual nonentities to whose memory we might justly paraphrase a tuneful satire: They always voted at their Partys call. And never thought of thinking for themselves at all.

As an institution the Electoral College suffered atrophy almost indistinguishable from rigor mortis, he concluded.

In Bush v. Gore, the main unsigned majority per-curium opinion discussed the Electoral College in light of the McPherson v. Blacker decision from 1892.

The individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote for electors for the President of the United States unless and until the state legislature chooses a statewide election as the means to implement its power to appoint members of the Electoral College, it said. This is the source for the statement in McPherson v. Blacker that the state legislatures power to select the manner for appointing electors is plenary; it may, if it so chooses, select the electors itself, which indeed was the manner used by state legislatures in several States for many years after the framing of our Constitution.

The Bush v. Gore majority found that states could allow voters to choose electors and if they did so, the process needed to be fair with equal weight accorded to each vote and the equal dignity owed to each voter. The court also said that states retained the ability to take back the power to appoint electors from voters and return it to the legislatures, as happened in the early days of our republic.


20 Dec - TVB actress Eliza Sam has finally tied the knot with boyfriend Joshua.

As reported on Mingpao News, the couple held their wedding ceremony in Eliza's hometown Vancouver, Canada on 18 December, specifically the Ebenezer Baptist Church, attended by close friends and family members.

The actress, who was glowing with happiness, couldn't help but tear up when her father led her to the altar and gave her hands to Joshua.

The 30-table wedding banquet was held on the same day at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, with the theme colour heavy on white, gold, and silver.

Speaking to the media at the event, the perky actress shared that while she is now a wife, she is still the same 'Heung Heung' at heart.

As for her honeymoon plans, Eliza said that the two of them have decided not to be too ambitious about their destination, since they have spent a lot of time preparing for the wedding.

When asked about their arrangement, Eliza said, "I don't want to be in a long-distance marriage. For now, we have arranged to live together in Hong Kong."

The couple is also in no rush to have a baby together this early in their marriage, although they are planning to have more than one child.

(Photo source: hk01.com)
(Adds Canadian government comment)

By Nia Williams

CALGARY, Alberta, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Two environmental groups on Tuesday filed for a judicial review of the Canadian government's decision to approve Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the first legal challenge to the project since it received the green light last month.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Cabinet on Nov. 29 approved trebling capacity on the pipeline, which ships oil sands crude from Alberta to the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia, despite fierce opposition from environmental and aboriginal groups.

Ecojustice, the law firm representing environmental groups Living Oceans Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, said the expanded pipeline and an increase in oil tanker traffic will be a "death knell" for a pod of endangered Southern Resident killer whales off the coast of British Columbia.

Dyna Tuytel, a lawyer for Ecojustice, said the basis for the lawsuit is that the killer whales are covered by Canada's Species at Risk Act, meaning the government is legally required to protect them.

"The ships' noise interferes with their ability to communicate and there is increased risk of pollution from major spills and smaller ones," Tuytel said.

"We understand that Living Oceans Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation have filed an application with the Federal Court of Appeal and we will be responding formally in the coming weeks," Kinder Morgan said on Tuesday.

The Canadian government said it could not comment on the matter as it is now before the courts.

Ecojustice had filed one lawsuit on behalf of its two clients against Trans Mountain in the summer, also citing risks to the killer whales and challenging the National Energy Board's review of the project.

Tuytel said that initial case was ongoing, but the court may hear the two lawsuits together.

There are around six other legal challenges against the NEB review of Trans Mountain ongoing, filed by municipalities and First Nations on the pipeline route. Tuytel said it was likely those groups would also launch fresh legal action against the government decision.

Story continues

Opposition to crude pipelines in North America has intensified in recent months because of concerns about climate change and oil spills, with protesters blocking construction on the Dakota Access pipeline in the United States.

Trans Mountain opponents have also been encouraged by the fate of Enbridge Inc's Northern Gateway pipeline to northern British Columbia. Approval for that pipeline from the previous Canadian government was overturned by the Federal Court of Appeal because of insufficient consultation with First Nations.

(Reporting by Nia Williams; editing by Paul Simao and Leslie Adler)
By Nia Williams CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Two environmental groups on Tuesday filed for a judicial review of the Canadian government's decision to approve Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the first legal challenge to the project since it received the green light last month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Cabinet on Nov. 29 approved trebling capacity on the pipeline, which ships oil sands crude from Alberta to the Port of Vancouver, British Columbia, despite fierce opposition from environmental and aboriginal groups. Ecojustice, the law firm representing environmental groups Living Oceans Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation, said the expanded pipeline and an increase in oil tanker traffic will be a "death knell" for a pod of endangered Southern Resident killer whales off the coast of British Columbia. Dyna Tuytel, a lawyer for Ecojustice, said the basis for the lawsuit is that the killer whales are covered by Canada's Species at Risk Act, meaning the government is legally required to protect them. "The ships' noise interferes with their ability to communicate and there is increased risk of pollution from major spills and smaller ones," Tuytel said. Ecojustice had filed one lawsuit on behalf of its two clients against Trans Mountain in the summer, also citing risks to the killer whales. That suit challenged the National Energy Board's review of the project, which recommended the government approve it. Tuytel said that initial case was ongoing, but the court may combine the two lawsuits and hear them together. There are around another six legal challenges against the NEB review of Trans Mountain ongoing, filed by municipalities and First Nations on the pipeline route. Tuytel said it was likely those groups would launch fresh legal action against the Canadian government decision. The lawsuit was filed against the Cabinet, citing the attorney general of Canada. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to request for comment. (Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Paul Simao and Leslie Adler)
Istanbul (AFP) - The killing of the Russian ambassador to Ankara has exposed deep divisions in policy and hostility to Moscow among some in Turkish society despite a reconciliation deal after a seven-month crisis.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov was assassinated on Monday by an off-duty policeman who according to witnesses shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and said all those responsible for what happened in Syria and Aleppo would be held accountable.

Turkey's Islamic government has championed itself as one of main backers of the Syrian opposition since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011 and taken the side of the rebels fighting for his ouster.

Russia however, a major Assad ally, has changed the fate of the nearly six-year war in Syria in favour of the regime after it started a bombing campaign last year, helping the Syrian army make major gains on the ground.

Horrendous pictures of death and devastation from Syria's second city of Aleppo have horrified the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) conservative grassroots who refuse to remain indifferent to the suffering of their fellow Sunni Muslims.

US-based think tank the Soufan Group said the crisis in Aleppo had been enough to renew tension between Ankara and Moscow -- "at least on a public level", slowing the Turkish-Russian normalisation.

"Indeed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have felt it was in Turkey's best interest to move closer to Russia, yet many Turkish people -- for whom the Syrian war is much more than a geopolitical show of influence and leverage -- were outraged over Aleppo," it said.

- 'Not acceptable' -

With Assad and his supporters closing in on a major victory in Syria's largest city, Istanbul and Ankara have seen almost daily protests outside Russian embassy and consulate in the week before the assassination.

At the Syrian border, pro-government charity Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) has backed major anti-Russian demonstrations, with crowds crying: "Murderer Russia, get of out Syria!"

Story continues

"God willing, we will not leave our brothers to the hands of the tyrants," Kubra, a young female protester, told AFP near the Turkish border crossing of Cilvegozu.

The AKP, which usually proudly boasts of its levels of public support, also faced hostility from conservatives after a Turkish court dropped all charges against Israeli officials over the 2010 deadly storming of an IHH aid ship.

That was also a key part of a reconciliation deal with Israel that the government also sees as crucial to its foreign policy.

Dominique Moisi, special advisor at the Paris-based think tank Institute Montaigne, said the Russian diplomat's killing was an isolated incident but could have resonance.

"I do not believe there will be any significative consequence, but on a symbolic level, it shows that what is going on in Aleppo is not acceptable for a part of the Muslim population," he said.

"Aleppo's dead will haunt the international scene for a long time."

- 'Walking the tightrope' -

Russia and Turkey forged a deal in June to normalise ties which were badly damaged in November last year over the downing of a Russian war jet by Turkish planes on the Syrian border.

Erdogan has in the last months remained largely muted on the Russian raids in Syria -- which are pushing Ankara-backed opposition fighters close to the Turkish frontier, together with evacuated civilians.

And Moscow has stayed quiet about Ankara's unprecedented incursion inside Syria aimed at cleansing the Turkish border from groups including Islamic State jihadists and Kurdish militia forces

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday joined a meeting of his Russian and Iranian counterparts, agreeing that a truce in Aleppo should be widened.

But a Turkish official denied any secret "bargain" with Russia and said the two sides had "agreed to disagree" on the key issue of the future of Russia's ally Assad.

Aykan Erdemir, senior fellow at Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Erdogan's government was walking on a "tightrope" in its effort to cooperate with Russia over the future of Syria.

"When we look at the rallies in Istanbul against Russia and Iran and in support of Aleppo, we see that the AKP's zealous supporters are there, protesting," he told AFP.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday opened the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, the latest project in his plan of transforming Turkey's infrastructure.

The opening ceremony -- which brought together Turkey's entire ruling elite -- went ahead as planned despite the shock assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara by a Turkish policeman a day earlier.

Turkey in October 2013 opened the Marmaray rail tunnel underneath the iconic waterway, the first link beneath the waters that divide Europe and Asia.

But the new two-storey Avrasya (Eurasia) Tunnel, built at a depth of 106 metres (348 feet), is the first tunnel for cars underneath the Bosphorus and aims to relieve congestion in the traffic-clogged Turkish megacity.

After cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Erdogan joined a vast cortege of vehicles making the first undersea car journey between the two continents, stopping halfway to take souvenir photos.

- 'Won't divide this nation' -

The assassination of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov Monday was the latest in a string of shocking acts of violence in Turkey this year.

But Erdogan vowed that his ambitions will not be derailed by the failed July 15 coup and the swathe of terror attacks Turkey has suffered in 2016.

"Subject us to as much terror as you want, bring in as many villains but you will never be able to divide this nation," he told thousands at the opening ceremony.

The tunnel required an investment of $1.2 billion (1.15 billion euros), including loans of $960 million, and will reduce driving time for the route from up to 2 hours to just 15 minutes.

It was built by a consortium consisting of private Turkish construction company Yapi Merkezi and South Korea's SK Group.

The project comprises a 5.4 kilometre (3.5 mile) tunnel, with the portion beneath the Bosphorus 3.4 kilometres long.

The tunnel was built with a special tunnel boring machine which had a daily progress speed of 8-10 metres (26-32 feet) on average.

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With Istanbul lying on an active seismic zone, the tunnel has been designed to withstand a 7.5-magnitude earthquake.

"Praise be that we are part of a country and a city that connects two continents," said Erdogan.

Erdogan said a trip through the tunnel would cost 15 lira ($4.25) until the end of the year, with all the revenues until then going to families of victims of the coup and those who helped defeat it.

- 'Won't stop there' -

Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told AFP the authorities now planned to build a third tunnel under the Bosphorus that would have three storeys and carry both cars and trains.

"I think the Avrasya tunnel will hugely ease the lives of the residents of Istanbul," Arslan told AFP. "But we are not just going to stop there."

Erdogan has said he is aiming to build a "new Turkey" with transformed infrastructure in time for the 100th anniversary in 2023 of the foundation of the modern state by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Other schemes, which Erdogan boasts are his "crazy projects", include a gigantic third airport for Istanbul, the first ever bridge across the Dardanelles straits and even a Suez-style shipping canal for Istanbul.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced at the tunnel's inauguration ceremony that the new airport would open on February 26, 2018.

Just one month after the attempted coup, Erdogan opened the third bridge across the Bosphorus named after the mediaeval sultan Selim the Grim.

Suggestions for the naming of the new tunnel included Ataturk and the late-period Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, an arch-conservative whose reputation has undergone a major revival in Turkey in recent years.

But the authorities have settled on the far less politically loaded Avrasya Tunnel, despite a high-profile campaign by officials for the public to submit names.
(Adds further details, background)

By Julia Fioretti

BRUSSELS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The European Commission has charged Facebook Inc with providing misleading information during its takeover of the online messaging service WhatsApp, opening the company to a possible fine of 1 percent of its turnover.

However, the statement of objections sent to Facebook will not affect the EC's approval of the $22 billion merger in 2014, the Commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

Facebook becomes the latest Silicon Valley target of EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who has demanded Apple pay back $14 billion in taxes to Ireland and hit Google with two market abuse investigations.

The issue regards a WhatsApp privacy policy change in August when it said it would share some users' phone numbers with parent company Facebook, triggering investigations by a number of EU data protection authorities.

The Commission said Facebook had indicated in its notification of the planned acquisition that it would be unable reliably to match the two companies' user accounts.

"The Commission's preliminary view is that Facebook gave us incorrect or misleading information during the investigation into its acquisition of WhatsApp," said Vestager.

The EU executive said it took the preliminary view that the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook users' IDs with those of WhatsApp already existed in 2014 when Facebook sought EU approval for the merger.

The Commission - which approved the transaction without conditions - said it did not only rely on the information about the possibility of matching user accounts when reviewing the deal.

Facebook has until Jan. 31 to respond. If the Commission's concerns are confirmed it can impose a fine on the U.S. company of up to 1 percent of turnover, or about $179 million based on 2015 revenues. Companies fined can appeal to the European Court of Justice, which has overturned some penalties in the past.

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"We respect the Commission's process and are confident that a full review of the facts will confirm Facebook has acted in good faith, a Facebook spokeswoman said.

"We've consistently provided accurate information about our technical capabilities and plans, including in submissions about the WhatsApp acquisition and in voluntary briefings before WhatsApp's privacy policy update this year," she added.

The company will continue to cooperate and give the information officials need to resolve their questions, she said.

Facebook informed the Commission of the planned change in January.

In response to separate concerns from EU data protection watchdogs Facebook has agreed to stop sharing WhatsApp users' information with Facebook for the purposes of improving Facebook products and advertising experiences.

The watchdogs wrote to the company last week asking for more information about the privacy policy change.

(Reporting by Julia Fioretti; Editing by Philip Blenkinsop, Greg Mahlich)
Paris (AFP) - Security was beefed up at Christmas markets across Europe after a lorry ploughed through a market in Berlin killing 12 people and heightening security fears at the onset of the holiday season.

The carnage in the German capital had particular resonance in France, which has borne the brunt of terror attacks in Europe for the past two years.

The witness accounts of a truck barrelling through a crowd of revellers immediately brought to mind the scenes in the Riviera city of Nice in July, where an Islamist used a lorry to mow down 86 people during Bastille Day celebrations.

President Francois Hollande said France was under a "high level of threat" following the events in Berlin but pointed out that the country already has a large-scale security operation in place.

"We have a high level of threat and we also have a particularly high level of mobilisation and vigilance," Hollande said.

France's best-known Christmas market in the picturesque eastern city of Strasbourg has been a particular concern for security forces for years, with at least two jihadist cells in the city being broken up in the past few years.

Bruno Le Roux, France's recently appointed interior minister, visited the market on Tuesday and told Europe 1 radio that authorities "will ensure the security of our territory and citizens".

- Strasbourg security -

In Strasbourg, even before the Berlin attack, security was tight. Police man barricades at the various entry points to the main island of the city, where the market is located. While the officers check bags, private security guards mingle with the crowd to keep watch.

In Paris, the large Christmas market extending along the renowned Champs-Elysees avenue was the target for a gang of six suspected jihadists arrested in November, according to prosecutors.

In the wake of the Berlin attack, officials on Tuesday added more concrete blast blocks at pedestrian entrances to the market, which is sealed off on the traffic side by metal barricades.

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Ivan Pallen, a 27-year-old marketing student from Mauritius who was enjoying the festive stalls selling sweets and mulled wine, said the level of security was a hard balance to strike.

"You don't see many police but perhaps they are in plain clothes," he told AFP. "At the same time, you don't want to see soldiers carrying weapons stationed every two metres along a Christmas market."

- 'Exercise greatest caution' -

In Austria, a traditional home of the Christmas market, authorities said security would be stepped up around such sites.

Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka urged people not to change their Christmas routines, but to be alert to anything unusual.

"I ask everyone to continue to go to markets or big events, albeit while exercising the greatest caution," he said.

In Britain, the central English city of Birmingham erected concrete blocks earlier this month around what it bills as the "largest authentic German Christmas market outside Germany or Austria".

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said that despite the Berlin attack, the threat to Britain remained unchanged at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely".

Authorities in Poland, where the truck used in the Berlin rampage began its journey before being apparently hijacked, said they would lay on more police patrols around sensitive sites such as stations and shopping centres.

Belgium, where many of the plots in Europe have originated, left its alert level at "possible or likely" attack.

In Switzerland's main Christmas market in Basle, police said entrances would henceforth be blocked by barriers or police vehicles.
Rightwing populists in Europe rounded on German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a deadly attack Monday at a Berlin Christmas market, with many tying the attack to the flow of migrants across Europe from the Middle East and Africa.

Germany is no longer safe, said Frauke Petry, leader of the far-right, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany party, which will challenge Merkels coalition in elections next fall. She added that it was Merkels duty to tell you that, according to the New York Times.

Petry placed the blame for the attack squarely on the influx of migrants in the country over the past 18 months, which Merkel has supported. We must not indulge in illusions, she said, the Associated Press reported. The environment in which such acts could thrive has been negligently and systematically imported over the past year and a half. This is not an isolated case and will not remain one.

In France, National Front leader Marine Le Pen called for the immediate end to the acceptance of migrants in the country and proposed the creation of an alliance between France, the U.S. and Russia to fight Islamic extremism. She is running for Frances presidency in 2017, and is expected to perform well enough to reach a second round of voting.

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders  head of the Party for Freedom  tweeted of the need for a political revolution following the attack. Wilders, whose party is expected to dominate next years legislative elections, was recently found guilty of encouraging racial discrimination against Dutch Moroccans.

https://twitter.com/geertwilderspvv/status/811082204122120192

In the U.K, Nigel Farage, former leader of the U.K. Independence Party, singled out the German Chancellor for blame. Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy, tweeted the politician, who championed Britains exit from the European Union by highlighting fears about immigration.

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban  who has taken a firm stance against the resettling of migrants in eastern Europe  sent condolences to Merkel.

Yesterday, a heavy blow was dealt not only to the people of Berlin, but to the whole of Europe and to our common Christian values, he said in a statement. I can assure you that my government condemns every form of terror and violence, and stands ready to cooperate with Germany in order to guarantee the safety of Europe and its citizens.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday spoke to the leaders of France, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Poland, Sweden and Spain on the phone about the deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market, a German government spokesman said. "In light of the victims of yesterday's attack on the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin, the heads of state and government expressed their heartfelt condolences," government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement. The foreign leaders assured their countries' support in helping to clarify the circumstances of the crime and they emphasised the need for European solidarity in the "fight against terrorism", he added. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Caroline Copley)
European nations were once again thrust into states of mourning and fear when terror attacks killed more than a dozen people including a Russian diplomat at an art gallery in Turkey and holiday revelers in Berlin on Monday. The deaths, most of them at a Berlin Christmas market that was hit by a large truck, quickly prompted officials in London, New York City and across Europe to ramp up security and review plans for how to protect public events this holiday season.

Police in London said Tuesday they were looking into whether further security measures were needed to protect its civilians in the next couple of weeks. Police forces in Norway and Denmark also ramped up their presence in public and around big events. France, which has been on high-alert since the 2015 Paris terror attacks, indicated that its large-scale security operations would remain in place.

The Metropolitan Police has detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period, the London Police Department said in a statement provided to Reuters. As a matter of routine, as a precaution, we review our plans after attacks overseas, and we are doing so at present following the awful incidents in Berlin and Ankara last night."

Across the pond, the New York City Police Department deployed more police to patrol popular areas like the Winter Village in Bryant Park, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and Macy's.

"The Department has moved highly trained teams, including the Critical Response Command, to high profile locations around New York City," the NYPD said in a statement. "In the coming days, we will look to learn more about what occurred to inform the NYPD's operations, deployments, and training of officers."

A tractor trailer with Polish license plates rammed through a popular Berlin Christmas market Monday night, killing 12 and leaving behind a trail of broken tables and scattered cartons. There were nearly 50 more who were injured by the truck when it hit the market.

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That attack followed the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara, Turkey. The ambassador was shot while giving a speech at an art exhibit by an off-duty Turkish police officer. After the shooting the killer reportedly yelled, Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! Officials in Russia and Turkey have called the shooting an act of terror.

Security forces have long been concerned about the potential for terror attacks in European and American cities during the busy holiday season. U.S. officials warned last month that it can be very difficult to protect against large attacks on public events.

Related Articles
By Padraic Halpin and Julien Toyer DUBLIN/MADRID (Reuters) - Europe's growing number of shaky minority and coalition governments mostly managed to muddle through 2016 but their lack of political strength suggests they will not be pursuing many major policy initiatives in 2017. Opposition threats to flagship labor reforms in Spain and difficulties passing new residential rental laws in Ireland last week exposed the fragility of incumbents who returned to power this year but in a much weakened form. Bulgaria is braced for months of uncertainty and threats to necessary economic reforms by the fall of its centre-right minority government, while weeks of policy battles almost toppled minority administrations in Norway and Denmark. Ahead of 2017's crowded election calendar, these struggles suggest that even if the centre-ground holds in the Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy, some victors may have to get used to rule by compromise and the risks that go with that. "What electorates want is change, they're just not sure what change and, if you're a minority government, it's very difficult to deliver that while also maintaining some form of credible economic policy," said Commerzbank economist Peter Dixon. "Rollback (of policy) is a risk. You might end up in a situation where governments are unable or unwilling to push forward on the kinds of policy response that may be needed and if you have weak governments at a time of policy problems, that then leads to additional political risk." With estimates of planned borrowing next year indicating that euro zone governments have little intention of ramping up fiscal stimulus, that suggests that monetary policy in the shape of the ECB's asset-buying programme will continue to be the main stimulus to the region's economies. In Ireland, Prime Minister Enda Kenny's minority government relies on the cooperation of the main opposition party Fianna Fail to pass legislation, an arrangement that leaves it with "all of the responsibility, but none of the power", according to Investec Ireland Chief Economist Philip O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan made the remarks after Kenny's Fine Gael had to battle to secure their rivals' backing for new residential rent controls, a key policy initiative. Kenny has also so far been unable to stop a proposed law, tabled by opposition Fianna Fail, to hand the central bank powers it does not want to set mortgage rates. "NO BIG BANG" They did easily agree their first budget in October and the pact has lasted longer than O'Sullivan and others predicted, the kind of makeshift stability Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is hoping for as he bids to avoid legislative standstill in Spain. In just six weeks since his new government was sworn in, opposition proceedings have been initiated to scrap prominent education and civil rights laws, with the labor reforms credited for helping Spain rebound from its worst downturn in almost a century next in the firing line. However Rajoy has signaled he is ready to make concessions to the opposition Socialists, whom he needs to abstain on key votes to govern, and observers believe the two traditionally dominant parties could strike a silent deal to avoid elections. Indeed such back-room bargaining has allowed neighboring Portugal's year-old, far-left backed government confound some analysts expectations that it would struggle to survive, instead managing to balance efforts to reduce the budget deficit with rolling back some austerity measures. "While I don't see any momentum for any big reform, you have countries like Spain where some changes can happen because the incentives of the big parties are aligned," said Antonio Barroso, senior analyst at risk consultancy Teneo Intelligence "This can make possible a pension reform for instance, which is something investors are looking at. There will be no big bang, but incremental steps can be taken." However in just getting by, Europe's increasingly fragmented political system is precariously placed and would "certainly not be in the position to put in place the kind of policy measures of 2010, 2011" should trouble hit, Commerzbank's Dixon said. Governments would find broader support to loosen the purse strings to bolder their economies but that is unlikely to happen anytime soon, he added, an assumption backed up by the estimates of member states' borrowing. "What we are seeing is a reshaping of the political landscape. We're not entirely sure what form it will take but I'm pretty sure it's not going to be the one that prevailed prior to 2008," Dixon said. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
The person arrested for suspicion of "deliberately" ramming a truck into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market was likely not the driver, local authorities announced Tuesday. Instead, the driver from Monday's suspected terror attack, which killed 12 people and injured 48 more, was still at large and possibly armed, officials said. Police warned people to remain "particularly alert."

It remained to be determined whether the person in custody, a Pakistani national, was the actual driver by later Tuesday, Germany's chief prosecutor Peter Frank said in a press conference. "We must get used to the idea that he was possibly not the perpetrator," he added.

German police raided a refugee shelter at a defunct airport early Tuesday morning arresting the "suspicious person" around 9:30 p.m. Monday local time at Breitscheidplatz, near the Christmas market. Officials later said the suspect denied having any role in the attack. It was not immediately clear whether he had been released.

Here's a list of everything we know so far about the unnamed assailant.

What The Suspect Did

The attacker's truck plowed through the Christmas market at citys center, just across from the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Along with wrecking the front of the vehicle, the suspect damaged sellers' stalls and tables.

Who Was With The Suspect?

The person in the passenger seat of the truckthe windows of which were smashedwas likely the incident's first victim, Berlin police said. Later, the AP reported that the man in the passenger seat, 37-year-old trucking company employee Lukasz Urban, was, as the man asked to identify Urban said, clearly "fighting for his life." The owner of the Polish trucking company said he believed Urban "would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if it were attacked," according to the newswire.

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Authorities told Reuters that Urban had been discovered with a fatal gunshot wound, but that no weapon had been found on the scene.

How German Authorities Are Characterizing The Act

The incident, which German authorities were investigating as an act of terrorism, will be handled by federal police and prosecutors. The violence immediately brought many back to a similar event in Nice, a city on Frances southern coast, where 31-year-old Tunisian truck driver Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhel drove straight into a dense crowd of people watching Bastille Day fireworks on July 14, killing at least 85 people and injuring hundreds of others.

(Lack Of) Affiliation With ISIS

While some, like the New York Post and the Sun, reported that the Islamic State terrorist group had claimed the attack as one of their own, Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist activities online, said otherwise.

Nationality

The arrest of a 23-year-old Pakistani man near the scene spurred finger-pointing at migrants seeking refuge in Europe from war-torn nations. However, the police confirmed that they had arrested the wrong person. Many were quick to blame Chancellor Angela Merkel for her relatively liberal policies on welcoming refugees into Germany.

Merkel herself said early Tuesday the attack "would be particularly repugnant in the face of the many, many Germans who have dedicated themselves day after day to helping refugees, and in the face of the many people who actually need our protection and try to integrate into our country," the Guardian reported.

Still, in a move that appeared to vindicate critics of her past immigration policies, German police raided a former Berlin airport, now a shelter for refugees, early Tuesday morning, Reuters reported. Authorities told German media the suspect was likely from Afghanistan or Pakistan and had entered Germany a year earlier, according to the newswire.

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Coco is a mid laner for Newbee Gaming (OGN)

The official QQ.com roster list included a player named CoCo on Newbee Gamings LPL 2017 Spring roster list. Sources close to the organization have confirmed with Yahoo Esports that this CoCo is ex-Longzhu Gaming mid player Shin CoCo Jinyeong.

CoCo played previously with Baek Swift Dahoon on CJ Entus Frost in 2014. It was rumored that QG Reapers, the organization from which Newbee Gaming purchased their current lineup, was seeking to also add CoCo on multiple occasions. Since 2014, CoCo has played for CJ Entus and Longzhu Gaming. In 2015, he was regarded as a top mid laner in LCK.

Newbee Gaming had a difficult 2016 LPL Summer after signing Bae dade Eojin. They were forced to play the LPL relegation and promotion tournament to keep their spot in the league. Previously, with mid laner Kim Doinb Taesang under the name QG Reapers, the team finished second in 2015 LPL Summer and first in their group in 2016 LPL Spring.

In addition to CoCo, Newbee Gaming also signed Chinese mid laner Yu Cool Jiajun. Given Swifts proficiency with Mandarin Chinese when discussing in game events, this will give the team the option of an all Mandarin Chinese-speaking lineup. Its not clear which mid laner will start for the team in the coming season.

You can follow Kelsey Moser on Twitter @karonmoser.
By Lauren Hirsch, Pamela Barbaglia and Martinne Geller

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - China's Bright Food Group [SHMNGA.UL] has hired Goldman Sachs (GS.N) to sell the breakfast cereal maker Weetabix in a deal that could value the famous British brand at roughly 1 billion pounds, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The sale process is expected to start in January, the sources said, less than five years after the Chinese company agreed to take control of the 84-year-old business, which has seen the majority of its union workers voting on Monday to strike over new working conditions.

The sale comes after Bright Food has struggled to crack the Chinese market, where many consumers tend to eat hot breakfasts rather than cold cereal. The overwhelming majority of Weetabix sales still come from its slower-growth domestic market.

In Britain and the United States cereals have for several years faced mounting competition from smoothies, yogurts and juices, while the increasing popularity of low-carbohydrate diets has also pressured sales.

State-owned Bright Food agreed to buy a 60 percent stake in Weetabix in 2012 from private equity firm Lion Capital in a deal that valued it at 1.2 billion pounds ($1.48 billion). Baring Private Equity Asia subsequently bought Lion's remaining stake in 2015.

The business has not grown significantly since then, the sources said, estimating a similar price again based on current earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 130 million pounds.

A Weetabix spokesman said the company does not comment on rumor or speculation, saying it was "business as usual".

Goldman also declined to comment, while Bright Food and Baring were not immediately available outside regular business hours in Asia.

Bright Food, a Shanghai-based conglomerate with interests in meat, dairy and other foods, is not the only company that has tried to import Western eating habits to China. Chinese investment group Hony Capital bought British restaurant chain PizzaExpress in 2014, hoping to recreate the success of Pizza Hut, owned by Yum Brands (YUM.N).

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China, with its population of more than a billion people, has long attracted multinational food firms such as Nestle (NESN.S) and Mondelez International (MDLZ.O), which have often tweaked their international brands for local tastes, with products like green tea Oreos and a richer Nescafe.

Weetabix is the No. 7 cereal brand worldwide, with about 1 percent of a $27.5 billion market at retail, according to Euromonitor International. In Britain, it is the No. 2 brand behind world leader Kellogg's (K.N).

(Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar in Singapore; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Louise Heavens)
Nebraska will receive $300,000 from a multi-state settlement with Forest Laboratories over improper payments to doctors for prescribing the company's drugs.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and the attorneys general from 37 other states alleged that Forest Laboratories and subsidiary Forest Pharmaceuticals violated federal Anti-Kickback Statutes by providing doctors with speaking fees and meals to promote three of its drugs during a period from between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2011.

Forest agreed to pay $38 million to settle the allegations, with the states receiving $5 million of that money. Nebraska's share was just under $30,000, according to a news release from the Attorney General's office.
By Jonathan Saul and Arno Schuetze

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A merger of German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd (HLAG.DE) and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is likely to take months to complete, partly due to financing issues blamed on a deep industry downturn, sources familiar with the deal say.

Hapag-Lloyd signed a binding agreement with UASC in July to form the world's fifth-largest line, valued at about 7 to 8 billion euros ($7.2-$8.3 billion), by the end of 2016.

But three sources told Reuters that timeline is being held up, partly because some banks want to pull out of loans, particularly to UASC, due to the sector crisis. One source said the sum totaled at least $500 million and could be as much as $900 million.

Global container shipping is suffering its worst downturn caused by a faltering global economy and too many ships. The slump has prompted a series of mergers and alliances aimed at saving costs and pooling ships and routes. The tough conditions have also led many banks to cut lending to the industry.

Two of the sources said the syndicate banks required a cash injection from UASC shareholders. Kuwait-headquartered UASC declined to comment when contacted.

The sources said Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, could step in to cover the financing gap via a loan. One source said this could potentially be provided by Qatar National Bank (QNB) (QNBK.QA).

QIA and QNB declined to comment when contacted.

Hapag-Lloyd said in a statement: "We are in the middle of getting all necessary approvals for our merger from the lending banks of the companies. This is a normal process before one can close such a transaction."

"If more banks are involved, this process takes longer. It runs parallel to the approval process with the competition authorities which is close to the finish line."

One of the sources said completion could be pushed back until the end of the first quarter next year. "The deal is slower than hoped for but there is no sense of it falling through," the source added.

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BETTER ACCESS

The combined company would enable Hapag-Lloyd to gain access to bigger ships on the major Asia to Europe trade route and give UASC wider access to routes that the German line is strong on.

UASC, founded in 1976 and with corporate offices in Dubai, is owned by the governments of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq. Qatar holds a 51 percent stake in the group, Saudi Arabia has 35 percent and the remaining nations the rest.

The sources said another complication is the planned sale of shipping company United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC). UASC is the biggest shareholder in UACC, data from UASC's and UACC's websites show.

The first source said UACC, founded in 2007 and with a fleet of chemical and oil products tankers, was valued at over $150 million.

"UACC as a special item is pending, but it is not a deal breaker," a second source said.

A third source said all sides were trying to resolve the hold-ups.

The European Commission said last month it had given its conditional approval for the merger subject to UASC withdrawing from certain vessel-sharing agreements on trade routes between northern Europe and North America.

Hapag Lloyd said in August the merger would give it "net synergies of at least $400 million, some of which should already take effect next year". Its shareholders approved a capital increase to fund the merger.

In 2013, a planned merger between Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg Sud was called off as terms could not be agreed.

(Additional reporting by Jan Schwartz in Hamburg, David French in Dubai and Tom Finn in Doha; editing by Susan Thomas)
By Jonathan Saul and Arno Schuetze

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - A merger of German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd <HLAG.DE> and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is likely to take months to complete, partly due to financing issues blamed on a deep industry downturn, sources familiar with the deal say.

Hapag-Lloyd signed a binding agreement with UASC in July to form the world's fifth-largest line, valued at about 7 to 8 billion euros ($7.2-$8.3 billion), by the end of 2016.

But three sources told Reuters that timeline is being held up, partly because some banks want to pull out of loans, particularly to UASC, due to the sector crisis. One source said the sum totaled at least $500 million and could be as much as $900 million.

Global container shipping is suffering its worst downturn caused by a faltering global economy and too many ships. The slump has prompted a series of mergers and alliances aimed at saving costs and pooling ships and routes. The tough conditions have also led many banks to cut lending to the industry.

Two of the sources said the syndicate banks required a cash injection from UASC shareholders. Kuwait-headquartered UASC declined to comment when contacted.

The sources said Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, could step in to cover the financing gap via a loan. One source said this could potentially be provided by Qatar National Bank (QNB) <QNBK.QA>.

QIA and QNB declined to comment when contacted.

Hapag-Lloyd said in a statement: "We are in the middle of getting all necessary approvals for our merger from the lending banks of the companies. This is a normal process before one can close such a transaction."

"If more banks are involved, this process takes longer. It runs parallel to the approval process with the competition authorities which is close to the finish line."

One of the sources said completion could be pushed back until the end of the first quarter next year. "The deal is slower than hoped for but there is no sense of it falling through," the source added.

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BETTER ACCESS

The combined company would enable Hapag-Lloyd to gain access to bigger ships on the major Asia to Europe trade route and give UASC wider access to routes that the German line is strong on.

UASC, founded in 1976 and with corporate offices in Dubai, is owned by the governments of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq. Qatar holds a 51 percent stake in the group, Saudi Arabia has 35 percent and the remaining nations the rest.

The sources said another complication is the planned sale of shipping company United Arab Chemical Carriers (UACC). UASC is the biggest shareholder in UACC, data from UASC's and UACC's websites show.

The first source said UACC, founded in 2007 and with a fleet of chemical and oil products tankers, was valued at over $150 million.

"UACC as a special item is pending, but it is not a deal breaker," a second source said.

A third source said all sides were trying to resolve the hold-ups.

The European Commission said last month it had given its conditional approval for the merger subject to UASC withdrawing from certain vessel-sharing agreements on trade routes between northern Europe and North America.

Hapag Lloyd said in August the merger would give it "net synergies of at least $400 million, some of which should already take effect next year". Its shareholders approved a capital increase to fund the merger.

In 2013, a planned merger between Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg Sud was called off as terms could not be agreed.

(Additional reporting by Jan Schwartz in Hamburg, David French in Dubai and Tom Finn in Doha; editing by Susan Thomas)
By Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists must confront climate change deniers and speak up if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tries to sideline climate research, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is due to say on Wednesday. "If you see science being ignored or compromised, speak up," Jewell will tell a meeting of earth and space scientists in San Francisco, according to a draft of the speech seen by Reuters. Trump has called climate change a hoax and sought to fill his cabinet with oil industry allies like Texas Governor Rick Perry, the Energy Department nominee. Last week, the Trump team asked the U.S. Department of Energy to supply names of officials who took part in international climate talks - a request that the agency has rejected. The scientific fact of climate change cannot be ignored no matter who is in the White House, Jewell will say. And she will urge climate experts to publicly defend their work. "Think about where to raise your voice and then do it," Jewell will tell a meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) - a global association of researchers. "The American people must be able to trust science." As President Barack Obama's top steward for public lands, Jewell has helped manage terrain that holds vast reserves of oil, gas and coal. But over nearly four years in office, Jewell has also warned that burning fossil fuels will irreparably harm the planet. Jewell will say that national historic sites that she now manages - like the 17th century colonial outpost, Jamestown - could eventually be swallowed by rising seas. Policymakers must confront climate change realities, Jewell said. Christine McEntee, head of the AGU, said her members were concerned that the Trump administration might not value scientific discovery and rigor. Developments at the Energy Department were particularly alarming, she said, but climate researchers were prepared to defend their methods and discoveries. "We listen to what science is telling us," she said. "And we'll fight to work without fear of intimidation or retribution." (Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Lisa Shumaker)
Missing flight MH370 is almost certainly not in the current search zone in the remote Indian Ocean and may be further north, new analysis showed Tuesday, but authorities indicated the hunt may not be expanded.

No trace has been found in the massive underwater search off Australia for the jet lost en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

However, more than 20 pieces of debris recovered mostly on western Indian Ocean shorelines have been identified as likely, or definitely, from the doomed Malaysia Airlines plane.

With scouring of the wild 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) swathe of sea coming to an end, Australian and international experts, including from Boeing and Inmarsat, met in Canberra last month to review their evidence and modelling.

They concluded the plane was not where they have been looking, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which has been leading the mission, said in a report.

"There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," it said.

The area being searched was initially based on satellite analysis of the jet's likely trajectory after it diverted from its flight path coupled with aircraft dynamics and meteorological data.

This indicated the last known location was somewhere along an arc sweeping north into Central Asia or south into the Indian Ocean. The northern corridor was quickly discounted in the belief the plane would have been detected.

The report said updated satellite and debris drift modelling results "present strong evidence that the aircraft is most likely to be located to the north of the current indicative underwater search area".

It identified an area of approximately 25,000 square kilometres "with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft".

"The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted," the report added.

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- Up to Malaysia -

A final sweep of the existing search zone is underway with the last vessel looking for MH370 -- Fugro Equator -- leaving for the southern Indian Ocean from Australia last week.

The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China, where most of the passengers were from, have previously agreed to pull the plug on the operation once the current search area was fully scoured unless "credible new information" emerged.

Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester indicated the report did not constitute such evidence.

"The information in the ATSB report does not give a specific location of the missing aircraft," he said.

"As agreed at the tripartite ministers meeting in Malaysia in July we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft."

His Malaysian counterpart Liow Tiong Lai echoed similar sentiments, saying "we remain to be guided as to how this can be used to assist us in identifying the specific location of the aircraft".

But he added: "I wish to reiterate that the aspiration to locate MH370 has not been abandoned and every decision made has and will always be in the spirit of cooperation among the three nations."

Many next-of-kin of missing passengers have repeatedly complained about the lack of a coordinated search in the western Indian Ocean and along the African coast.

A group of relatives recently went to Madagascar, combing beaches for clues about the lost plane, after fragments identified with "near certainty" as coming from MH370 were discovered on the coast of east Africa.

With neither the location nor the cause of the crash known, many wild conspiracy theories have surfaced, including that it was a hijacking, terror plot, or rogue pilot action.

A report by the ATSB last month said the plane was likely out of control when it plunged into the ocean with its wing flaps not prepared for landing, casting doubt on theories a pilot was still in charge.
chris bogdan

ARLINGTON, Virginia  "This program is not out of control," Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, head of the F-35 Joint Program Office, told Business Insider when asked for the main misconception about the embattled fighter program that he wanted to leave behind in 2017.

Asked to expand, Bogdan continued:

"Since 2011 we have basically been on schedule, since 2011 we have basically been on budget, we are delivering now today, 50 plus airplanes a year that when in the hands of the warfighter make a huge, huge difference. Don't ask me about that, go ask the warfighters ... They want this airplane, they need this airplane they are embracing what this airplane can do for future air combat."

The F-35 Lightning II, valued at an acquisition cost of $379 billion, has become one of the most challenged programs in the history of the Department of Defense. It has experienced setbacks that include faulty ejection seats, software delays, and helmet display issues.

f35a

"I have no doubt that given the controversy on the F-35 program over the years, that there is a perception that this program is out of control," Bogdan said during a December 19 briefing with reporters, just days after President-elect Donald Trump tweeted criticism of the program.

"I think that this program is vital for air dominance for us and our allies for the next 5o years. It replaces many, many, many legacy fleets, it has tremendous international participation and involvement, and it is a necessary program for the United States to maintain its security," Bogdan added.

Trump and his transition team were not briefed by the F-35 Joint Program prior to the tweet, which earned 16,000 retweets and 60,000 likes. The message also sent defense giant Lockheed Martin's stock down from $251 at opening bell to $245.50, before it rebounded to a little more than $253 a share.

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Since the December 12 tweet, Trump's team has asked for a briefing about the program, though nothing has been scheduled yet.

"If given the opportunity I would like to try and explain to the new administration that this is a vastly different program from 2011," Bogdan said. "I'll just lay the facts out on the table and I'll let them make their own judgments because I don't think the program cost wise is out of control nor do I think that it's out of control schedule wise."

"The problems on this program quite frankly in the past were very simple. We were overly optimistic in the technical risk in building this leading edge fighter and so we put unrealistic schedules and budgets together and then when we ran into problems we did not manage them very well."

f35

On Monday, the F-35 Joint Program Office released the finalized price for the most recent production contract for America's fifth generation stealth fighter. The ninth Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP-9) contract for 57 F-35 jets was valued at $6.1 billion.

In LRIP-9, the price of the Air Force and Marine Corps' variants saw a reduction of $5.9 million and $2.4 million respectively, the Navy model saw an increase of $3.2 million.

"Why did that happen?" Bogdan, asked. "That happened because in lot nine the Navy bought two C models and in lot 8 the Navy bought four models."

"So they cut their production in half and as a result of that when you do an economies of scale in one direction it hurts you in the other direction. Having said that, I fully anticipate that when we do settle LRIP 10 you'll see all three variants, the A, the B, and the C come down in price significantly," Bogdan said.

And by "significantly" Bogdan added that he believes "somewhere on the order of 6 to 7 percent per airplane, per variant."

The 57 fighters in LRIP-9 are in various stages of production at Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth, Texas and are slated to begin delivery in the first quarter of 2017.

f35 israel

What's more, Bogdan is confident international clients will continue to invest in the fifth-generation stealth platform.

"I think many of our partners just like the US services have an awful lot riding on them getting F-35s," Bogdan told Business Insider.

"Many of them are replacing their entire fighter fleets with F-35s. I am not sure that there are too many fallback options for them or for us and therefore I think that we will not see any wavering by our partners," Bogdan said.

"In fact, we just saw Israel add 17 airplanes, we just saw Denmark make their decision, we will wait to see how Canada plays out, we know we are courting other FMS (foreign military sale) customers as we speak, so I don't think that will be an issue."

To date, the F-35 program is supported by eight partner countries; Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, and the UK. In addition, Israel, Japan, and the Republic of Korea  all FMS customers  plan to purchase planes.

NOW WATCH: This is how pilots train to fly the F-35  Americas most expensive fighter jet





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The European Union (EU) is charging Facebook for allegedly misleading the organization while it was investigating the social network companys purchase of WhatsApp, according to a report from Ars Technica.

The issue at hand stems from the recent announcement that Facebook would be linking WhatsApp accounts to Facebook accounts, thereby giving the social media company access to user data from the messaging app.

During the process of the EUs review of Facebooks $19 billion takeover of WhatsApp, Facebook reportedly failed to disclose the "the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook users' IDs with WhatsApp users' IDs already existed."

The official notice of the Statement of Objections came Tuesday from EU antitrust chief Margerthe Vestager, who insisted Facebook must take this obligation seriously." The company now has the ability to respond to the charge that it gave incorrect or misleading information during the 2014 review and thereby breaching its obligations under the EU Merger Regulation.

A Facebook spokesperson told IBTimes, We respect the Commission's process and are confident that a full review of the facts will confirm Facebook has acted in good faith.

The spokesperson insisted the social network has consistently provided accurate information about our technical capabilities and plans, including in submissions about the WhatsApp acquisition and in voluntary briefings before WhatsApp's privacy policy update this year.

The objection from the EU is not a reopening of the original 2014 investigation, which granted clearance to Facebook to complete its purchase of WhatsApp. It is a procedural case of which Facebook will have until the end of January to respond to.

At the time of the original acquisition, the commission concluded Facebook and WhatsApp were distant competitors and the merger wouldnt shrink competition among messaging services. The commission also raised no concerns at the possibility of Facebook possibly introducing advertising in WhatsApp and collecting user data.

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We're pleased that the Commission stands by its clearance decision, the Facebook spokesperson said, and we will continue to cooperate and share information officials need to resolve their questions.

WhatsApp announced in August it would be linking its phone numbers to Facebook accounts to offer users what it called more relevant advertising and to add ways for people to communicate with businesses and friend suggestions. The change led to many users looking for a way to block the exchange of data between accounts and prompted questioning from the EU.

Facebook eventually suspended its data collection practices for WhatsApp users across Europe following a request from Germanys Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information.

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(Reuters) - Michigan prosecutors on Tuesday charged four former government officials, including two city emergency managers, for their roles in connection with the Flint water crisis that exposed residents to dangerous levels of lead. Flint's water contamination was linked to a switch of its water source to the Flint River from Lake Huron in April 2014 in an attempt to cut costs, when the city was under emergency management. Attorney General Bill Schuette has filed 43 criminal charges against 13 current and former state and local officials in relation to the water crisis. The four men named on Tuesday are charged with participating in a process that allowed the use of bonds to fund the construction of a new water pipeline despite Flint's heavy debts. The officials charged on Tuesday are: - Darnell Earley, 65, who was appointed as Flint's emergency manager by Republican Governor Rick Snyder and served from September 2013 until January 2015. The initial change in Flint's water source was made while Earley was emergency manager. Earley faces four charges, including three felonies. The most severe are the financial mismanagement charges of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses; both carry up to 20 year sentences, as well as substantial fines. Earley also faces charges of misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty. The misconduct charge carries up to five years in jail, as well as a possible $10,000 fine; willful neglect carries up to one year in jail and a possible $1,000 fine. - Gerald Ambrose, 72, worked as the finance director for three emergency managers starting in January 2012. He succeeded Earley when he was appointed by Snyder as emergency manager, serving from January 2015 to April 2015. Ambrose faces the same four charges as Earley, three of which are felonies. - Howard Croft, 51, and Daugherty Johnson, 47, both face two felony charges of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses. Croft was Flints director of the Department of Public Works from December 2011 to November 2015. Johnson served as Flint's utilities director for the Department of Public Works. (Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Dan Grebler)
NORWALK, Conn. (AP) _ FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS) on Tuesday reported fiscal first-quarter profit of $66.6 million.

The Norwalk, Connecticut-based company said it had net income of $1.66 per share. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs and costs related to mergers and acquisitions, came to $1.75 per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.70 per share.

The financial data firm posted revenue of $288.1 million in the period, missing Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $289.3 million.

For the current quarter ending in March, FactSet expects its per-share earnings to range from $1.78 to $1.82.

The company said it expects revenue in the range of $293 million to $298 million for the fiscal second quarter.

FactSet shares have increased nearly 2 percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased slightly more than 2 percent in the last 12 months.

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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on FDS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/FDS

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Keywords: FactSet Research, Earnings Report
Electors fail to affect outcome of historic election

Faithless electors in history have never changed the outcome of an election. Still, people hoped that this would be the year that they kept the presumptive winner of an election out of the White House. Those who put their hope in electors defecting from Donald Trump, however, have had their dreams crushed.

While Mondays Electoral College vote did see some electors refusing to vote for their partys candidate, the result was nowhere near what was needed to keep Trump from being confirmed as the winner. In fact, Hillary Clinton lost more votes than Trump due to faithless electors, an interesting turn of events considering the number of Clintons supporters who were encouraging electors to defect.

In the 2016 election, electors cast a total of seven votes for presidential candidates other than the one nominated by their parties. Washington awarded three votes to Colin Powell and one to Faith Spotted Eagle and Hawaii gave one vote to Bernie Sanders, although the electors of both states were pledged to Clinton. Trump lost two votes, with Texas giving one vote to Ron Paul and one to John Kasich.

Faithless electors may also choose to defect when voting for the vice presidency. Washington cast votes for Elizabeth Warren, Maria Cantwell, Susan Collins, and Winona LaDuke rather than for Tim Kaine. Hawaii also gave one vote to Warren instead of Kaine. Texas gave one vote to Carly Fiorina instead of Mike Pence.

A vote for John Kasich in Colorado and two for Bernie Sanders, one in Maine and one in Minnesota, were invalidated, as well as a vice presidential vote for Tulsi Gabbard in Minnesota.

Click here to continue and read more...

Faithless Electors In History Never Changed An Election, 2016 Is No Different is an article from: The Inquisitr News
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  Argentina and Britain have reached a deal to identify the remains of 123 Argentine soldiers buried in a Falklands Island cemetery after their 1982 war.

Argentina lost a brief but bloody conflict with Britain after Argentine troops invaded the South Atlantic archipelago.

Diplomats for both countries signed the deal Tuesday during a meeting in London that was also attended by Falkland Islands officials.

Alan Duncan is British minister for Europe and the Americas and he posted pictures on his Twitter account of the signing. The agreement is to identify soldiers at Darwin cemetery through DNA samples.

Argentina's Foreign Ministry expects forensic work to begin by mid-2017.

The South American country still claims the islands that it calls the Malvinas. Britain says the Falklands are a self-governing entity under its protection.
HOBOKEN, N.J. (AP)  The family of a woman killed when a New Jersey Transit commuter train slammed into a station this year has filed notice of their intent to sue.

Lawyers for Fabiola Bittar de Kroon's family filed a claim for damages Tuesday. It's the first step in the legal process of filing a lawsuit in New Jersey.

The 34-year-old Brazilian-born lawyer was standing on a platform when she was killed by falling debris in the Sept. 29 crash in Hoboken. It occurred just minutes after she had dropped off her 2-year-old daughter at day care.

More than 100 people were injured in the crash. It was later revealed that the engineer suffered from sleep apnea.

An NJ Transit spokeswoman said the agency usually does not comment on pending legislation.

One of the lawyers representing the family said the lawsuit will seek all compensatory damages allowed under law.

"This is the first step on the road to achieving just compensation for the family of Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, a loving young mother, spouse and talented lawyer who tragically and unnecessarily died in the horrific Hoboken crash," Tom Kline said.

The filing names the train's engineer and the NJ Transit employees involved in the decision not to implement necessary safety technology and improvements, including positive train control. It also includes assertions that NJ Transit should be held responsible for requiring only one crew member in a driving cab or locomotive during a train's entry into the Hoboken Terminal. A two-crewmember requirement has since been implemented by the agency.

It also says the agency failed to properly and adequately screen for, monitor and treat medical issues.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The family of a 34-year-old woman killed in a New Jersey train crash in September that also injured more than 100 people filed a claim against the transit agency on Tuesday.

Fabiola de Kroon was fatally struck by falling debris after the incoming New Jersey Transit train crashed into the platform she was standing on at a busy transportation center in the city of Hoboken. De Kroon, a Brazilian-born attorney and new mother living in Hoboken, was the only fatality in the incident.

The claim alleged New Jersey Transit failed to take the proper safety measures to prevent the incident, including using an anti-collision system known as positive train control and providing adequate medical screenings for employees.

New Jersey Transit declined to comment on the claim, which is the first step towards filing a lawsuit against a public agency in New Jersey.

In addition to New Jersey Transit, which is the third-busiest commuter rail system in the United States, the claim named individual agency employees, including the engineer operating the train at the time.

The train was traveling at 8 miles per hour (13 kph) 38 seconds before the crash, then accelerated to a speed of 21 mph (34 kph) at impact, twice the speed limit, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report. Emergency brakes were applied one second before the crash, it said.

In the days following the wreck, NTSB officials said the engineer told investigators he was fully rested at the time of the incident but had no memory of it.

A lawyer for the engineer last month said his client was tested after the crash and diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, which can cause drowsiness.

(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Michael Flynn

President-elect Donald Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, met with the leader of a far-right Austrian political party that has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Austrian leader said.

The Freedom Party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, wrote on his Facebook page Monday that he met with Flynn "and a few other high-ranking US politicians" a few weeks ago at Trump Tower.

He noted in the post that his party had recently signed a cooperation deal with Putin's United Russia party, which "outlined plans for regular meetings and collaboration where suitable on economic, business, and political projects," The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

Flynn's relationship with the Kremlin has been under scrutiny since he was tapped by Trump to be the national security adviser. Photos have emerged of the former lieutenant general with Putin in Moscow celebrating the 10th anniversary of the state-sponsored news agency Russia Today, which has featured him as a commentator.

The fact that Flynn appears to have granted an audience to Strache in New York raises more questions about the influence that far-right populism and white nationalism may have on the incoming Trump administration.

The Freedom Party was founded in 1956, and its first leader was the far-right Austrian politician and Nazi Anton Reinthaller.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Heinz-Christian Strache

Putin's recognition of Strache and his party via the reported cooperation deal  and Strache's apparent meeting with Flynn  also points to Russia's expanding influence over far-right movements in Europe and the United States.

That campaign has largely been part of an attempt to undermine support for the punishing sanctions the West imposed on Russia following Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014, but is also more broadly aimed at establishing an alternative to the US-led status quo.

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A right-wing conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, organized last year by Russia's nationalist Rodina, or Motherland, Party offered a safe space for fringe thinkers, including white supremacists and anti-Semitic figures, to gather and rail against the Western-dominated global order.

"If the radical nationalists are increasing their weight in Europe, they can serve as good allies for the Kremlin," Nikolai Petrov, a political scientist in Moscow, told The New York Times last year.

And many prominent "alt-right" figures in the US have courted their European counterparts in Hungary, Greece, and France in an attempt to build momentum for a "worldwide movement of globalism versus nationalism."

That's according to Matthew Heimbach, a self-described white nationalist, who said in a recent interview that the American alt-right "isn't just a European or a right-wing movement."

"Putin is supporting nationalists around the world and building an anti-globalist alliance," Heimbach said, "while promoting traditional values and self-determination."

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Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia) (AFP) - Deep from within the Indonesian jungle a solitary, seldom seen forest giant emerges from the undergrowth.

It is a Sumatran rhino, one of the rarest large mammals on Earth.

There are no more than 100 left on the entire planet and Andatu -- a four-year old male -- is one of the last remaining hopes for the future of the species.

He is part of a special breeding programme at Way Kambas National Park in eastern Sumatra that is trying to save this critically endangered species from disappearing forever.

The species is so rarely seen that even villagers living near the park were stunned when a wild rhino wandered into their community.

They thought it was a mythical creature, Zulfi Arsan, head veterinary surgeon at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary at Way Kambas, told AFP.

They chased her, and so we had to rescue her.

Sumatran rhinos are the smallest of all rhinos, and the only Asian variety with two horns.

Unlike their better-known cousins in Africa, Sumatran rhinos are born covered in shaggy, reddish-brown fur, earning them the nickname hairy rhino.

Their woolly covering fades to black or disappears almost entirely over their lifetimes, which span 35 to 40 years.

This hair -- coupled with their smaller stature and short horns -- gives Sumatran rhinos like Andatu a gentler, softer appearance than their imposing, armour-plated cousins.

- Hunted for horns -

They once roamed the vast, dense forests of Sumatra, Borneo and Malaysia but land-clearing and poaching have devastated their numbers.

In 2015, the species was declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia, leaving just tiny herds of two to five rhinos scattered across Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo.

Somewhere within the 1,300 square-kilometres (500 square miles) of Way Kambas live an estimated 36 wild rhinos, Arsan said.

In Sumatra there are also small clusters in the west and the island's northern Leuser ecosystem -- the last place on Earth where wild rhinos, orangutans, tigers and elephants roam together.

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Poaching is a serious threat. The last rhino killed in Way Kambas was in 2006, Arsan said, but staff take no chances in this section of lowland forest.

Armed rhino protection units patrol the habitat, disabling snares and notifying authorities of intruders and suspicious activity.

Theres still illegal activities inside the park, Arsan said.

The demand for the horn, for rhino products, is still there.

Three males, including Andatu, and four females are kept in a 100-hectare natural rainforest enclosure within Way Kambas, where vets and researchers take every opportunity to study their unusual breeding patterns.

Sumatran rhinos are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity.

Females are only fertile for a small window each cycle, and need male contact to ovulate. Even then, intercourse does not guarantee conception.

To make matters worse, Sumatran rhinos are solitary by nature and often clash upon interaction.

In one hundred years weve had just seven babies. Its very hard, Arsan said of historic efforts to breed the rhinos.

Andatus birth in 2012 was heralded as a milestone: he was the first Sumatran rhino born in an Asian breeding facility in more than 140 years.

Since then he has been joined by a sister, who arrived this May to much fanfare.

Andatu is close to reaching sexual maturity, and conservationists hope he can play a star role in ensuring the longevity of the species.

Every birth is a hope, Arsan said.
American design brand Bernhardt Design is to release The Finale Collection, the last work of Charles Pollock, who died August 20, 2013. Here's a look back at the life of the American designer.

After designing the model 657 armchair for Florence Knoll and the iconic Pollock chair in 1965, Charles Pollock stepped away from the American design scene for 47 years. He made his big comeback in 2012, creating a range of new pieces for Bernhardt Design. The Finale Collection was under development at the time of his death, August 20, 2013.

The Finale Collection features a stylish modern couch, a club armchair, as well as reissues of other pieces created for Bernhardt Design with a limited-edition matte black finish. The collection will be available from January 2017.

Charles Pollock was born in Philadelphia, USA, in 1930. His family moved to Michigan when he was 16 years old and he remained in Detroit to finish his studies. At the time, he also worked for Chrysler, producing visual ads and gaining valuable experience in product manufacturing.

After studying at the School of Art and Design at Pratt Institute in New York, he worked for the designer Donald Deskey, whose projects include the Radio City Music Hall, and George Nelson, for whom he created The Swag Leg Collection. This caught the eye of Florence Knoll, which led the pair to meet. Charles Pollock subsequently designed the 657 armchair and the Pollock chair in 1965. He later turned his attention to Europe, creating the Penelope chair in 1982.

In 2012, Pollock returned to furniture design, creating the CP Lounge chair and the CP3 table for Bernhardt Design. He died aged 83, August 20, 2013.

Bernhardt Design was founded in 1980 by the 127-year-old Bernhardt Furniture Company. Designers who have created works for the brand include Ross Lovegrove, Arik Levy, Jaime Hayon and Patrick Jouin.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  He was the first victim in the attack on a Berlin Christmas market  a 37-year-old Polish truck driver who was seemingly stabbed and shot to death in the cabin of his truck.

One of his colleagues said he was so dedicated to his work and his truck that he could be expected to defend the vehicle "to the end."

Lukasz Urban, a 37-year-old from the western village of Roznowo, near the border with Germany, was found dead in the cabin of the truck that was hijacked and driven into the crowd Monday evening, killing at least another 11 people. German authorities are calling it an "act of terrorism."

Ariel Zurawski, the owner of the trucking company and the victim's cousin, was asked by German authorities to identify Urban from photos.

"It was really clear that he was fighting for his life. His face was swollen and bloodied. Police informed me that he had suffered gunshot wounds. Despite being stabbed he was shot dead," Zurawski told Polish media.

Poland's prime minister, Beata Szydlo, said that the Pole was "the first victim of this heinous act of violence." Berlin police also said in a tweet that the man who was found dead in the truck did not control the truck that drove to the Christmas market.

Zurawski said Urban arrived with a delivery of steel at a branch of the Thyssenkrupp company in Berlin on Monday at 7 a.m. but was told to wait with his delivery until 8 a.m. the following day.

On Tuesday, Zurawski showed reporters a photo on his phone of his cousin in a kebab bar around 2 p.m., the last photo known of him still alive.

Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said authorities have the "exact movement of the truck" from GPS but they are not giving details out and that it was only after the attack that the truck's owner got in touch.

Zurawski said that Urban, who is survived by a wife and teenage son, last had contact with his wife at 3 p.m. local time, but that she couldn't talk then because she was at work. She said she would call at 4 p.m., but at that point he was no longer answering his phone.

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Zurawski described unusual movements on the truck's GPS at 3:45 p.m. that indicate Urban was not in control.

"The car was started up, turned off, driven forward, then backward. As if somebody inside was learning how to drive," Zurawski said in a separate interview broadcast on TVP Info, the state broadcaster's all-news network.

There was no more movement until 7:40 p.m., when the truck started and traveled some 10 kilometers (six miles), sometimes turning in tight spots or crossing the double line, and arrived at the Christmas market, Zurawski said.

Lukasz Wasik, the manager of the Polish trucking company whose truck was used in the attack, described Urban, as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work, and the vehicle he drove.

"I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if attacked," Wasik said in quotes carried by TVP, Poland's state broadcaster.

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Monika Scislowska in Warsaw and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.
Two former emergency managers in Flint, Mich., were criminally charged Tuesday with multiple felonies for their role in the citys water crisis. The charges are the most significant so far in the states ongoing investigation into Flints lead-tainted water.

On Tuesday, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette charged Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose with false pretenses for allowing the citys water treatment plant to operate even though it was not ready to properly treat the water from the Flint River, which resulted in lead-contaminated water being piped into residents homes. They are also accused of misusing funds in connection with the now-disgraced plan to use Flint River as a source of drinking water while building a new pipeline to Lake Huron. Earley and Ambrose allegedly lied to Michigan Treasury Department officials about millions of dollars they spent on the new pipeline, saying the money was for a separate environmental clean-up project, the attorney general said.

The former officials, who are also charged with misconduct in office, face maximum sentences of 46 years in prison. In a news conference Tuesday, Schuette said that the charges reach a higher level of responsibility than previous ones involving the citys ongoing water crisis.

Read more: Flint Water Crisis May Cost the City $400 Million in Social Costs

Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson, two former city officials who worked in Flints Department of Public Works, were also charged with felonies Tuesday for ignoring warnings that the citys water treatment plant was not able to produce clean water. Each faces 40 years in prison.

Flint switched its water supply from Detroit to the Flint River in April 2014 to save money, but officials did not properly treat the water, which allowed lead from the citys aging pipes to leach into the water supply. The citys residents noticed problems with the waters color and smell almost immediately. Some experienced severe rashes and hair loss, even as Flint officials routinely told them it was safe to drink. Earley, who was appointed Flints emergency manager by Gov. Rick Snyder in September 2013, oversaw the citys switch to the Flint River. Ambrose was named emergency manager in January 2015 and served until April 2015.

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Earleys lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment; the former emergency manager has previously defended himself by saying that he was just following the course set by the mayor, city council and a previous emergency manager.

It wasnt until late 2015 when researchers from Virginia Tech confirmed that the citys water supply showed dangerously elevated levels of lead. Doctors in Flint later showed high levels of the toxin in blood samples in the citys children. Lead is particularly dangerous for kids and can cause multiple development disorders.

Read more: Michael Moore: Flint Poisoning is a Radical Crime

City officials eventually declared a state of emergency and switched back to Detroit water, but the citys supply is still not safe to drink and most residents are forced to use bottled water for drinking, cooking and bathing.

Nine officials tied to the Flint water crisis had previously been charged, most of whom were midlevel state employees in Michigans Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Environmental Quality. With the addition of four more people charged Tuesday, Schuette said: We are closer to the end than we are to the beginning.
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Flip or Flop stars Christina and Tarek El Moussa wont be getting back together anytime soon, according to a recent TMZ report.

Citing sources close to Christina, the outlet reported, Theres absolutely zero chance Christina will get back with Tarek because shes fully turned the page.

TMZs story continued: Shell remain friendly for the sake of their 2 kids and hit show, Flip or Flop  but thats it.

Also Read: 'Flip or Flop' Star Tarek El Moussa Dated the Family Nanny (Report)

Either way, they seem to be enjoying the single life, as both of them have now been reported to date people who work closely with the family.

Tarek dated the familys former nanny, 23-year-old Alyssa Logan, according to TMZ. The celebrity gossip site reported that Tarek and Alyssa began dating back in September and attended a Florida Georgia Line concert back in October, but have since broken up.

TMZ said that Tarek fired Logan so he could date her without having to worry about hooking up with an employee. Meanwhile, Christina is dating Gary Anderson, a contractor who worked on flipping houses with her and her soon-to-be-ex-husband Tarek for the reality series, again according to TMZ.

Also Read: 'Flip or Flop': 6 Updates Since the El Moussas Announced Their Split (Photos)

The El Moussas confirmed last week that they broke up several months ago and both are seeing other people.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Flip or Flop': That One Time an HGTV House Flip Actually Flopped

'Flip or Flop': 6 Updates Since the El Moussas Announced Their Split (Photos)

'Flip or Flop' Star Tarek El Moussa Dated the Family Nanny (Report)
Former Bridalplasty contestant Lisa Marie Naegle has been missing since Sunday morning, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Naegle was reportedly attending a birthday party at the Alpine Village Restaurant in Torrance, California, on Saturday night and did not return home. She also did not show up to her job as a nurse the following day.

Naegles husband Derek Harryman told KTLA that his wife sounded drunk when they spoke on the phone, and that he and her family looked at security camera footage from the restaurant. Theres video footage that was just discovered from Alpine Village within the last hour showing my wife getting into a black SUV, Harryman said.

Also Read: 'Duck Dynasty' Producers Scott and Deirdre Gurney Fired and Sued for Fraud by ITV

TMZ reported on Tuesday that police are holding nursing student Jackie Jerome Rogers on suspicion of murder. Anonymous sources told TMZ that security camera footage showed Naegle leaving the bar with Rogers, despite his claim that they left separately.

LA police simply said that they are investigating a person of interest in the case.

Naegles family insists that she would not disappear voluntarily, with her sister telling KTLA that Naegle and her husband were trying to have a baby. Her missing work, her not calling anybody, a million red flags, Harryman said of his wife.

Naegle competed on the E! reality series Bridalplasty in 2010. The widely criticized show saw 12 brides-to-be competing for a wedding and a complete plastic surgery makeover.

Related stories from TheWrap:

5 Discovery and TLC Reality TV Stars Who Have Faced Serious Scandal (Photos)

TLC Reality Star Toby Willis Arrested on Child Rape Charge

Logo's 'Gay Bachelor' Reality Show Scrambles Over Reveal of Star's Sex Worker Past
UPDATE 12/20 9:04 p.m. ET: Police have uncovered the naked body of Lisa Marie Naegle, which they discovered buried in the backyard of Jackie Jerome Rogers after he confessed to her murder, TMZ reports.

UPDATE 12/20 7:22 p.m. ET: Former Bridalplasty contestant Lisa Marie Naegle died from multiple blows from a hammer, law enforcement sources tell TMZ. Jackie Jerome Rogers, who is in custody and will be charged after reportedly confessing to the murder, told police Naegle said she was breaking up with him and going back to her husband, the website reports.

UPDATE 12/20 6:51 p.m. ET: Suspect Jackie Jerome Rogers has confessed to murdering missing Bridalplasty contestant Lisa Marie Naegle, TMZ reports, citing law enforcement sources. Rogers reportedly told police Naegle's body is buried in the backyard of his Inglewood, California home, law enforcement sources said he will be booked on murder charges later on Tuesday.

UPDATE 12/20 6:38 p.m. ET: According to ABC 7, LAPD have detained a suspect named Jackie Jerome Rogers after Lisa Marie Naegles family obtained security footage of Naegle and Rogers from early Sunday morning. According to TMZ, Rogers, a nursing student, is being held on suspicion of murder.

"We begged and pleaded that he'd come to our home to kind of give us details on what time, where were things, and when he left her, but while he was talking to us and telling us his story, multiple different times he said he absolutely did not go home with her, or did not take her home," Naegles sister, Danielle Naegle-Kaimona, told ABC 7 said.

Updates to come.

Original story continues below

Lisa Marie Naegle, a former contestant on E!s 2010 reality series Bridalplasty, has been reported missing. According to KTLA, Naegles husband, Derek Harryman, alerted authorities on Monday after she didnt return home last weekend. Find out more in the video above, and detailed below.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Mugshots

Naegle, a registered nurse from San Pedro, California, reportedly attended a birthday party at Alpine Village restaurant in Torrance, California, on Saturday night. Her husband says he last heard from her when she called him early Sunday morning to say she would be home after getting food. Harryman told KTLA that Naegle sounded like she had been drinking and that she didnt report to work on Sunday either.



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"There's video footage that was just discovered from Alpine Village within the last hour showing my wife getting into a black SUV," Harryman told KTLA. "Her missing work, her not calling anybody, a million red flags.

Harryman and Naegle's brother, Rafael Chavez, reported her missing and posted a plea on social media asking for any information.



PHOTOS: Stars at Court

The former reality star finished fourth on Bridalplasty, a reality show, hosted by model Shanna Moakler, that featured 12 women competing to win a wedding and transformative plastic surgery procedures.

PHOTOS: Stars Who Regret Their Plastic Surgery





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By Rodrigo Viga Gaier

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors filed a lawsuit against former state governor Sergio Cabral, two of his former secretaries and ThyssenKrupp AG's steelmaker Companhia Siderurgica do Atlantico SA for administrative impropriety over the granting of an operations license.

Cabral, currently in jail on unrelated corruption charges , and his former secretaries may have to pay fines and be barred from public office for eight years if they lose the suit, according to a statement from prosecutors.

State prosecutors say the steelmaker was granted a temporary environmental license to begin operations in 2010, although the state's environmental body had opposed this. At the same time, the steelmaker received tax breaks from the state.

If it loses the suit, the steelmaker may be barred from winning new public contracts in the state until it has paid for environmental damage. CSA, as the company is known, could also be barred for five years from receiving tax breaks in the state.

CSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did lawyers for Cabral.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Tatiana Bautzer; Editing by Frances Kerry)
Sala Udin at his Pittsburgh home. (Photo: copyright 2016 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Used with permission.)

President Obamas decision this week to issue 78 Christmas season pardons  the most of his presidency  should have special meaning for veterans of the civil rights movement.

Among the recipients was former Pittsburgh City Council member Sala Udin, a onetime Freedom Rider who was beaten up registering voters in 1960s Mississippi. But Udin had been haunted for decades by a criminal charge that grew out of his youthful activism: Driving fellow protesters home from the South, he was stopped for speeding in Kentucky and arrested after police found an unloaded shotgun and a jug of moonshine in the car.

Im ecstatic, Udin emailed Yahoo News shortly after he got the call from his lawyer that his long-languishing bid for a pardon had finally been granted by Obama. After waiting patiently for years, Udin had all but given up hope. Only days earlier, amid reports that Obama was contemplating a final round of pardons, Udin had told a friend: I refuse to allow myself to be optimistic because I dont want to risk the disappointment. Its not going to happen.

Udin, 73, was the subject of a Yahoo News story last year that highlighted Obamas relatively stingy record of using his constitutional powers to pardon criminal offenders; one critic even called him a pardon Grinch. At that point, Obama had issued fewer pardons than any president since James Garfield. (This is separate from Obamas commutation of sentences, another of his broad clemency powers and one that he has used liberally to reduce the lengthy prison terms of nonviolent drug offenders  a key part of his administrations initiative for criminal justice reform. Obama separately commuted the sentences of 153 such offenders Monday.)

But Udin had seemed a perfect candidate for a full pardon  a poster boy applicant, his lawyer, Margaret Love, said. In his youth, Udin (who changed his name from Samuel Howze) enlisted as a Freedom Rider for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. His assignment was to register black voters in the Mississippi Delta. In doing so, he faced intimidation from local residents and hostility from all-white police forces. I was beaten up pretty bad and thought I was going to die, Udin said last year, describing an incident in which he was pulled over and ordered to get out of the car, n*****!

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In 1970, while driving back from Mississippi, Udin was stopped for speeding outside Louisville, Ky. An unloaded rifle was found in the trunk of his car (along with that jug of Mississippi moonshine.) He was charged and convicted in 1972 of carrying a firearm across state lines and spent eight months in prison.

Udin in Pittsburghs Hill District in 1970. (Photo: Charles Teenie Harris/Carnegie Museum of Art/Getty Images)

Udin always acknowledged his guilt, but with a proviso: At that point, although I was previously committed to nonviolence, I concluded that if I was trapped on some lonely, dark road in the South and confronted by Klansmen who threatened to kill me, I would be prepared to defend my life, he wrote in his petition for a pardon to the Justice Department. I concluded that I would rather be caught by the police with defensive weapons than to be caught by the Klan without them.

Whatever the explanation, there was little dispute that Udin had gone on to live an exemplary life: He founded an African-American Culture Center in Pittsburgh. He served three terms on the Pittsburgh City Council (from 1995 to 2006), spearheading the creation of the citys police civilian review board.

And yet, Udin  who had campaigned for Obama and gave him a $500 contribution in 2007 had heard nothing on his plea for presidential mercy for years, causing him endless frustration. Maybe, a reporter suggested, his small donation was the problem: The White House, averse to any whiff of potential scandal, might have feared that a pardon for Udin would look like a favor for a campaign contributor.

I dont want to say or do anything that would cause a problem for President Obama, Udin said then. I love him. If thats the reason, Ill accept it. I just dont want it to be for any other reason.

When first contacted about Udins case, a spokeswoman said last year that the White House doesnt discuss the merits of individual cases. But White House counsel Neil Eggleston said yesterday Obamas pardons and commutations exemplify his belief that America is a nation of second chances.

Forty-four years after his civil rights era conviction, Udin on Monday got his second chance. Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who had written Obama on Udins behalf, said the pardon was part of how our nation must reconcile with injustices committed against civil rights activists. Udin, for his part, was floating on cloud nine, he told his hometown paper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on Monday. My wife and I just hugged and thanked God, he added in an email to Yahoo News. Its a burden relieved from decades of carrying around the tag-line, convicted felon. Now they have to add, PARDONED ex-felon.
Four officials in charge of Flint, Michigans water have been charged for their role in the citys water crisis that caused lead poisoning among its residents.

Two of Flints former state-appointed emergency managers and two former City of Flint employees were charged with felonies of false pretenses and conspiracy on Tuesday, CNN reports.

Emergency managers Jerry Ambrose and Darnell Early reported directly to Governor Rick Snyder during Flints years-long financial crisis and are the highest-level officials to be charged so far.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette alleged that the defendants conspired to operate the Flint Water Treatment Plant when it wasnt safe to do so and misled the Michigan Department of Treasury in order to secure millions in bonds.

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio File

They allegedly masked their request as being for environmental clean-up related to water treatment, and then misused the funds to finance the construction of a new pipeline and force the citys drinking water source to be switched to the Flint River.

The other two officials who were charged, Howard Croft, who was the public works superintendent, and Daugherty Johnson, the utilities administrator, were involved in making the switch from purchasing water from Detroit to treating water from the Flint River.

Officials pushed ahead with the switch in April 2014, despite the fact that they knew that the Flint Water Treatment Plant was not ready to deliver safe drinking water, Schuette alleged at a press conference according to the Detroit Free Press.

So many people knew that that plant was not ready  and yet it was done, Andrew Arena, the former special agent in charge of the FBI in Detroit, who is now Schuettes lead investigator. Thats the thing that shocked me.

Water at the plant is not treated with anti-corrosive agents (called phosphates) due to concerns it would grow bacteria. Without those agents, the water corroded the lead pipes, causing lead to leach into drinking water, poisoning hundreds of children.

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AP Photo/Molly Riley

The corrosion also allowed other bacteria, including legionella, the cause of Legionnaires disease, to flourish. A dozen people died due to a Legionnaires outbreak in Flint, CNN reports.

Schuette alleged that the defendants had put finances ahead of Flint residents. In bringing charges, he said there was a fixation with finances and balance sheets  at the expense of public health and safety.

Defendant Dougherty Johnson entered a not guilty plea in an arraignment Tuesday afternoon and received a $25,000 personal bond on each count.

Jake May/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP

After the brief hearing, his attorney, Edwar Zeineh, said hes waiting for information on the case, but described his client as a workers worker, the Detroit Free Press reports.

We will stand with Mr. Johnson and his not guilty plea throughout the proceedings, Zeineh said.

Schuette has brought charges against 13 people so far and brought suits against two engineering firms. At Tuesdays conference, he reiterated that no one is immune from the investigation.

There are voices out there that hope the poisoning of the water in Flint could be swept under the rug. And they hope and wish that the 24-hour news cycle would move on to another subject, he said. Flint deserves better, and the people of Flint are not expendable, so to move on is unacceptable.




Amman (AFP) - Gunmen killed four Jordanian policemen in a new shootout Tuesday in Karak, where a weekend attack claimed by the Islamic State group left 10 people dead, an official said.

Security forces came under fire during an operation to track down suspects following Sunday's assault, whose victims included a Canadian tourist, government spokesperson Mohammed Momani said.

"The operation is ongoing but has entered its final stages and will end soon," he said late Tuesday.

"One of the terrorists was killed" and a number of them were arrested, he said, without specifying how many.

The security forces went to the house of a suspect after he admitted to links with the group behind Sunday's attack, Momani said.

"The suspect rushed inside his home and slammed the door behind him. He ran to the roof and started shooting, which led to the killing of one of the policeman," he said.

The other three were killed after more gunmen joined the suspect, Momani added.

The general security department said earlier in a statement that police surrounded a house where the gunmen were holed up and that the suspects opened fire on them.

A Jordanian member of parliament from Karak, Haitham Ziadeen, confirmed an operation was under way to arrest wanted gunmen.

- Revenge for air campaign -

"A shootout erupted after security forces arrived to raid a house in the Qarifla region of Karak province, where the gunmen have sought shelter," he said.

Sunday's shooting spree in Karak, home to one of the region's biggest Crusader castles, killed seven policemen and two Jordanian civilians as well as the Canadian tourist.

A total of 34 other people were wounded, including the son of the Canadian holidaymaker and another foreigner, according to authorities.

Four assailants were killed by the Jordanian security forces after an hours-long siege of the Crusader castle, where the suspects had fled after opening fire on police patrols and a police station in the city.

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The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by four "soldiers of the caliphate" who used machineguns and hand grenades.

A statement said the jihadist assault targeted Jordanian "apostate" security forces and citizens of the US-led coalition battling the jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

IS identified the four dead militants and said the attack was revenge for the US-led coalition's air campaign targeting jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

It also pledged to carry out further assaults on countries within the US-led coalition.

- 'Cowardly attack' -

Jordan is part of the alliance and has carried out air strikes targeting IS. It also hosts coalition troops on its territory.

Maaz al-Kassasbeh, a Jordanian fighter pilot from Karak, was captured by the jihadists when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014, and he was later burned alive in a cage.

King Abdullah II denounced Sunday's shooting spree as a "cowardly terrorist attack", during a visit Tuesday to the police headquarters in Amman.

But he vowed the assault "will not affect the security and stability of Jordan. It will reinforce its will and the criminals will not be able to undermine" the country.

The Canadian foreign ministry confirmed one of its nationals had been killed and another injured in "the heinous attack".

"The government of Canada stands ready to assist Jordan in bringing the perpetrators of this attack to justice," a statement added.

On Monday, Jordanian police said they found suicide belts and other explosives in the hideout of the suspects behind the attack.

IS has claimed previous attacks on Jordan, including in June when a suicide bomber killed seven border guards near the Syrian frontier.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, and an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.
Paris (AFP) - French screen legend Michele Morgan, who starred in some 70 movies and took home the best actress prize at the first-ever Cannes film festival, died on Tuesday, aged 96, her family said.

An icon of glamour, Morgan was remembered for a regal azure gaze which she first turned on Jean Gabin as an 18-year-old ingenue in "Port of Shadows" ("Quai des Brumes"), a 1938 gangster movie.

"You've got lovely eyes, you know," he told her, forever sealing Morgan's fate in French filmography as the "most beautiful pair of eyes in cinema".

"It bothers me to hear that repeated so often", she was known to say much later -- though she still gave her 1977 memoirs the title "With eyes like that..."

"Michele Morgan was more than just a gaze. She personified elegance and grace, and her legend left its mark on many generations," French President Francois Hollande said in a statement.

Claude Lelouch, who directed her in the 1975 "Cat and Mouse," paid tribute to her as "the one we all wanted to hold in our arms".

Morgan starred alongside Gabin, Jean Marais and Michel Simon, as well as Humphrey Bogart, and won her Cannes award in 1946 for her role as a blind woman in "La Symphonie Pastorale", Jean Delannoy's adaptation of an Andre Gide novel.

- Nation's most popular -

Her career flourished in the 1940s to 1960s, and faded with the arrival of New Wave cinema.

Nevertheless, as late as 1975 a poll of French cinema-goers crowned her for the 10th time the "most popular French actress".

Born Simone Roussel in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly on February 29, 1920 -- a leap-year date which allowed her to joke that the could "age four times more slowly than everyone else" -- she spent most of her childhood in the Normandy port of Dieppe.

She left home at 15 in the hopes of reaching fame like American-Swedish actress Greta Garbo, entered drama school in Paris, and soon won a bit part in her first film, "Mademoiselle Mozart".

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Her first starring role under her adopted name of Michele Morgan was in Marc Allegret's "Gribouille" (1937).

That was soon followed by her momentous encounter with Gabin, with whom she was to appear again in Jean Gremillon's "Remorque", released in 1942 during the German occupation of France.

- Hollywood beckons -

Later that year Morgan left for the United States after marrying the American actor Bill Marshall.

There she made four films, playing opposite Frank Sinatra in "Higher and Higher" (1943) and Bogart in "Passage to Marseilles" (1944), director Michael Curtiz's unsuccessful attempt to repeat the Bogart-Bergman magic of "Casablanca".

The war over, and having failed to make a breakthrough in Hollywood, she returned to France in 1946.

She also starred in an English movie, Carol Reed's "The Fallen Idol" (1948), based on a Graham Greene novel.

One of the highlights of Morgan's late career as a stage actress was her role in Jean Cocteau's "Les Monstres Sacres" in 1992-93, in which she appeared once again alongside that other great veteran of French cinema, Jean Marais, then aged 79.

Despite decades of work, Morgan never equalled her role as the slant-eyed waif in beret and trenchcoat in the doomed, fatalist world of "Port of Shadows".

She married twice, first to Marshall, who died in 1959, then to Henri Vidal, whom she divorced. Her only child, Mike Marshall, from her first marriage, died of cancer in 2005, aged 60.

Morgan was made a commander of the Legion of Honour in 1994 and given the highest rank of the Ordre National du Merite in 2004.

In latter years, Morgan was a talented painter, saying, "It calms me. At the heart of it, I have always liked being alone. I've never been happier than when I am with my painting."
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  French sailor Thomas Ruyant was steering his stricken yacht towards the southern New Zealand port of Bluff Tuesday, desperate to beat an approaching storm after striking a submerged object in the Tasman Sea.

Ruyant, who is competing in the Vendee Globe solo round the world race, said his 60-foot IMOCA yacht, Le Souffle du Nord pour le Projet Imagine, had cracked "like an eggshell" after hitting what he believes to be a shipping container on Sunday.

He was more than 400 kilometers from New Zealand's southern coast and sailing at around 17 knots when the collision occurred. Ruyant was reported on Tuesday to be edging towards Bluff at around 7.5 knots (13.8 kph) under engine power.

Vendee Globe organizers said Ruyant was hoping to reach safety before "another big stormy low pressure (system) arrives."

New Zealand's Rescue Co-ordination Center said on Tuesday it was in constant radio contact with Ruyant and was tracking his position every six minutes. The center has a plan to evacuate the sailor by helicopter if it becomes necessary.

Ruyant told the Vendee website he feared his yacht might split in half at any moment.

"The damage at the front of the boat is spreading," he said. "The hull is opening up and the frame coming away more, everywhere.

"I'm sailing to the south of New Zealand. I'm not sure if it will all stay in one piece until then. What's good is that I'm in helicopter range, which is reassuring."

Ruyant said the collision was "exceptionally violent. It gives me shivers just thinking about it."
George Clooney is developing a movie about Syrian rescue group The White Helmets reports Deadline.

The actor is teaming up with Smokehouse Pictures for the project, which will be based on the Netflix documentary "The White Helmets."

Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, the documentary tells the story of the group of unarmed, politically neutral local volunteers who tirelessly look for and dig out survivors in the rubble of destroyed buildings in the aftermath of Syrian and Russian bombings.

Also known as the Syrian Civil Defense, the volunteers -- who are ordinary citizens who leave their families behind to go and help -- have saved an estimated 70,000 victims during the last five years of the war in Syria, but have lost 154 of their 2900 first responders.

Syrian and Russian troops often deliberately target the group, flying over neighborhoods they've bombed in an attempt to hit and wipe out the rescuers.

The Netflix documentary has been shortlisted for the Best Documentary Short Subject Oscar.

The trailer for "The White Helmets" Netflix documentary can be viewed on YouTube, with the full film available to watch on the streaming site now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wj4ncIEDxw
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Tuesday that investigators are following several leads on the Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 12 people. "We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster. "There are several leads that investigators are following now," the minister added. De Maiziere added that "nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught". (Reporting by Michael Nienaber,; Editing by Michelle Martin)
BERLIN (Reuters) - The Berlin police chief said on Tuesday it was not clear if the Pakistani man arrested after a deadly trunk rampage at a Christmas market was the driver of the vehicle. "As far as I know it is in fact uncertain whether that really was the driver," said Berlin Police President Klaus Kandt. Berlin police said on Twitter that they were being vigilant as the suspect had denied involvement in the incident, which police have said was a deliberate attack. "The temporary arrested suspect denies the offense," Berlin police tweeted in English. "Therefore we are particularly alert. Please be also alert," they urged the public. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Paul Carrel; Writing by Joseph Nasr)
BERLIN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A man arrested on suspicion of killing 12 people by mowing through a Berlin Christmas market in a truck has been released, the Chief Federal Prosecutor's Office said on Tuesday.

"The investigation up to now did not yield any urgent suspicion against the accused," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The prosecutor's office said the suspect had made extensive statements during a police hearing, but had denied the offence.

It added it had been impossible to track the truck driver by eye-witnesses following the attack and that the investigation so far had not been able to prove that the suspect was in the truck's cab at the time of the attack.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley and Michael Nienaber)
Berlin (AFP) - The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people, as German police hunted for the attacker.

"A soldier of the Islamic State carried out the Berlin operation in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries," the IS-linked Amaq news agency said, without identifying the perpetrator.

The claim came shortly after German prosecutors, saying they lacked evidence, released a Pakistani asylum seeker who was the sole suspect in the case, sparking fears of a killer at large.

"We can't rule out that the perpetrator is on the run," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told broadcaster ZDF, adding he was confident there would be "progress" in the inquiry.

The Pakistani was arrested late Monday after he was reportedly seen jumping out of the truck and fleeing the scene.

But officials had expressed growing doubts over whether they had the right suspect in custody.

Berlin's police chief Klaus Kandt earlier warned that "we may have a dangerous criminal in the area", and announced security would be boosted while urging "heightened vigilance".

Federal prosecutors said they had found nothing to link the Pakistani suspect to Germany's deadliest attack in recent memory.

"The forensic tests carried out so far did not provide evidence of the accused's presence during the crimes in the cab of the lorry," the prosecutor's office said.

As attention switched to the manhunt, investigators asked the public to send them any photos and video footage.

Twelve people were killed when the truck tore through the crowd, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Another 48 people were injured, 24 of whom were released from hospital by late Tuesday.

The mangled truck came to a halt with its windscreen smashed, a trail of destruction and screaming victims in its wake, with Christmas trees toppled on their side.

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Chancellor Angela Merkel -- who visited the scene of the carnage for a minute's silence and then joined a memorial service in the adjacent Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church -- labelled the deadly rampage a likely "terrorist" attack.

- 'Bodies everywhere' -

The Polish-registered vehicle, which was loaded with steel beams, had cut a bloody swathe of 60-80 metres (yards) into the market in the once-divided city's inner west.

At least six of those killed were German citizens, authorities said, while countries from Israel to Spain said their nationals were among those injured in the busy tourist spot.

A Polish man, killed with a gunshot, was found on the truck's passenger seat, said de Maiziere. He was believed to be the vehicle's registered driver.

The Polish owner of the lorry, Ariel Zurawski, confirmed Monday that the driver -- his 37-year-old cousin -- was missing, telling AFP: "We don't know what happened to him... I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him."

Survivors recounted harrowing stories of near misses and carnage as festive partying turned to death and destruction in seconds.

- 'Free way of life' -

German flags flew at half-mast and mourners placed flowers and candles at the site.

Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate was lit in the German national colours in honour of the victims.

The government declared that the city's 60-odd Christmas markets -- after a one-day voluntary stoppage out of respect for the victims -- should continue because "we must not let our free way of life be taken from us".

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with bloody jihadist attacks striking Paris and Brussels.

Germany also suffered two attacks in July in the southern state of Bavaria committed by asylum seekers and claimed by the Islamic State group.

An axe rampage by an Afghan or Pakistani man on a train wounded five people, and a suicide bombing by Syrian asylum seeker left 15 people injured six days later.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

Merkel said earlier that if the attacker turned out to be an asylum seeker, this would be "particularly sickening in relation to the many, many Germans who are involved every day in helping refugees".

Marcus Pretzell of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party labelled the Christmas market victims "Merkel's dead".

The attack in Berlin comes five months after Tunisian Islamist extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

Merkel received calls of support from a string of foreign leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

As well as sharing their condolences, they "stressed the need for European solidarity in the fight against terrorism," Seibert said.

The White House said US President Barack Obama had offered Merkel assistance following "the horrific apparent terrorist attack".
Tensions over Germanys large migrant community reignited after authorities detained an asylum-seeker from Pakistan in connection with the deadly truck attack that killed at least 12 and injured nearly 50 at a bustling Christmas market Monday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has faced criticism for opening Germanys borders to more Middle Eastern refugees than any other European nation during the current crisis, said it must be assumed that the incident outside Berlins Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was a terrorist attack and was quick to acknowledge the possibility that an individual who entered the country under the guise of seeking refuge might be responsible.

Slideshow: Truck attack at Berlin Christmas market >>>

I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act had asked for protection and asylum in Germany, Merkel said on Tuesday. This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country.

The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement later Tuesday, saying, the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition.

The initial suspect, 23, entered the country on New Years Eve in 2015 and reached Berlin in February 2016, the Associated Press reported. He denied involvement in the attack, leading authorities to first announce they were uncertain they had the right person and finally to release him, citing insufficient evidence.

Nevertheless, the attack has revitalized conversations in Western countries about the potentially dangerous consequences of providing a haven for refugees.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel lays flowers at the Christmas market in Berlin on Tuesday. (Photo: Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Where are the refugees coming from?

Eurostat, the European Unions statistical agency, reports that a record-setting 1.2 million first-time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the 28 member states of the European Union in 2015  more than double the previous year.

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The three main countries of origin for people seeking asylum in 2016 were Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq  with people from those countries comprising over half of first-time applicants. Compared with the previous year, the number of Syrians seeking protection doubled to 362,800, the number of Afghans nearly quadrupled to 178,200 and the number of Iraqis multiplied by seven to 121,500.

Nearly 1 out of 3 first-time asylum seekers come from Syria and nearly half of them (158,700) registered in Germany.

Despite these large numbers, according to the Pew Research Center, only 1 in 10 displaced Syrians have taken residence in Europe. The vast majority of Syrians are displaced internally or living in neighboring countries.

How many are relocating in Germany?

In 2015, the highest number of first-time applications for asylum was registered at 441,800 in Germany, Eurostat reported. This unprecedented figure accounts for 35 percent of those registered in the EU member states and represents a 155 percent increase over the 172,945 applications registered in 2014.

After Germany, the other top nations for accepting refugees were Hungary (174,400, or 14 percent), Sweden (156,100 or 12 percent), Austria (85,500 or 7 percent), Italy (83,200 or 7 percent) and France (70,600 or 6 percent).

Refugees who arrived in Germany by train wait to be initially registered by the police in August 2015. (Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

According to a Pew Research Center analysis of the data, Germany has been the primary destination for asylum-seekers since 2012  a position it previously held in the late 1980s and 1990s when it received nearly half of Europes asylum applications. Over the past 30 years, at least 3.6 million applications were filed in Germany. Thats nearly one-third of applications in Europe for that time frame.

Germanys Institute for Labor Research released data on Monday that suggests refugees have had a difficult time finding full-time employment within the country. The research shows that only 34,000 refugees have been able to find work over the past year and 22 percent of those are on temporary contracts, Der Spiegel reported.

Conservative reaction

Merkels policy of admitting hundreds of thousands of refugees has already been criticized as a possible mode of entry for jihadists disguised as refugees. The attitude toward migrants in Germany changed after a series of attack on civilians, several of which were carried out by migrants. In July, for instance, an Afghan refugee attacked train passengers with an axe and knife, a Syrian refugee killed one person and injured three with a machete and another Syrian refugee blew himself up near a music festival.

Merkel has received no shortage of international accolades for her refugee policies. President Obama praised her as being on the right side of history, and Time magazine said she provided steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier walk to the Christmas market in Berlin on Tuesday. (Photo: Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

The influx of predominantly Muslim migrants has led to a boost in support for conservative and nativist political groups in Germany and abroad. Populist politicians have given voice to this concern, arguing for stronger borders and calling for the accepting of refugees to be halted.

Shortly after the attack, Marcus Pretzell, a member of the European Parliament for the Alternative for Germany, which is right-wing and skeptical of the European Union, tweeted that Merkel has blood on her hands and that Germanys rule of law must prevail.

Translated to English, his tweet read, When does the German state strike back? When does this cursed hypocrisy finally stop? They are Merkels dead!

Wann schlagt der deutsche Rechtsstaat zuruck? Wann hort diese verfluchte Heuchelei endlich auf? Es sind Merkels Tote!#Nizza#Berlin  Marcus Pretzell (@MarcusPretzell) December 19, 2016

According to AP, Frauke Petry, co-chair of the Alternative for Germany party, said, Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security, and Manfred Weber, the head of the largest center-right group in the European Parliament, told German public broadcaster ARD that its important to make sure extremists do not enter Germany: The state must be able to check every refugee who comes here.

This skepticism toward accepting refugees from war-torn countries is not exclusive to Germany. Its symptomatic of a larger trend toward nativism thats been seen in various countries throughout the West.

Nigel Farage, the former leader of the U.K. Independence Party and an outspoken supporter of Brexit, said that Merkels legacy will be defined by horrific incidents like the attack in Berlin.

Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) December 20, 2016

In a statement, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump extended his heart and prayers to the victims loved ones and denounced the terror attack on innocent civilians preparing to celebrate Christmas.

ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad, Trump said. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.

Marine Le Pen, the president of the National Front, a far-right nationalist political party in France, called for her nation to stop relocating migrants in their towns and villages and for their national borders to be restored immediately, the Local reported.

How many massacres and deaths will be necessary for our governments to stop bringing in a considerable number of migrants into our communities without borders, when we know that Islamist terrorists are among them? she said, according to the digital publisher.
Cindy Lange-Kubick Columnist Cindy Lange-Kubick has loved writing columns about life in her hometown since 1994. She had hoped to become a people person by now, nonetheless she would love to hear your tales of fascinating neighbors and interesting places. Follow Cindy Lange-Kubick Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

This story originally ran on Dec. 19, 2016.

After the flood of messages arrived -- on Facebook, by email, stamped and postmarked -- Peter Barber copied and pasted and created a 12-page booklet with a red cover and gave it a title: With Love, From America.

Those messages, from strangers to strangers, said things like these.

Please know that you are not alone. There are people, me and others, that want you here.

And: Im so sorry for the isolation you might feel right now.

And: YOU are what makes this country great. It has always been our diversity, our bravery, and above all our kindness that make this nation what it is.

Barber works as a graphic designer at Olsson Associates and volunteers once a week, helping lead a women-only cultural orientation class in the basement of the Good Neighbor Community Center on Y Street.

Every Friday, class members learn about life in America. Topics like landlord-tenant relationships, fire safety, insurance, public transportation, how to navigate the public school system, workplace discrimination, medical exams.

They are immigrants or refugees who speak Arabic. Many of them are Muslim.

These women are so anxious to have a good life here, Barber said. All they really want is to have a quiet life and raise their children.

But they began to worry aloud this summer during the presidential election campaign.

They voiced concern over what he (Donald Trump) was saying about deporting (illegal) immigrants and banning Muslims, Barber said. They were scared, even though all of them are here legally.

And they wondered whether his words would lead to more discrimination.

I tried to calm their fears, but its been worse since Trump won.

The women had already shared stories of occasional discrimination -- store clerks refusing to wait on them, their children being bullied in school.

They were worried about everyday situations, Barber said, as well as on a policy level, what would Trump be able to do.

So he shared the class members concerns with his husband, who told a friend who told another friend, who came up with the idea of a letter-writing campaign.

And on Nov. 11, Barber posted a message on Facebook: I would really love to share a few positive messages/letters from people with my class, affirming that not all Americans hate Muslims or want them out of the country. It doesn't have to be long, but it would be so meaningful.

He didnt have to wait long for a meaningful response.

I do not know you, but I welcome you. I do not fear you. I do not hate you.

You are my neighbors, no matter where you are from. You are my sisters, no matter what you look like or what languages you speak.

Thank you for choosing this state as your home.

We are a nation of immigrants, and we welcome you.

His message was shared and shared again. And he was amazed and encouraged by the dozens of notes that came his way -- and when he presented the women with the booklet a month ago, they felt the same way.

Immediately, they wanted to make a meal for everyone to thank them.

Barber told them that was a lovely yet impractical idea, since the letter-writers were scattered across the state and beyond.

But there was a meal at their weekly gathering last Friday, a potluck for the holidays with trays of falafel and pots of soup, bowls of fruit and bags of homemade pita bread and plenty of baklava.

The women ate and talked, and Zainab Al-Baaj, from the Good Neighbor Center, translated Barbers English into Arabic as he stood in front of the women holding a more recent stack of mail -- flowered cards and a sheaf of notebook paper, letters from a high school class in Omaha.

Does everyone remember a couple of weeks ago, when I brought in the red booklet? he asked. More and more people keep sending things in, so I have more to share.

Hey, Friend, Dont ever feel like you dont belong or dont ever feel like you cant be successful in this country 

I just hope we can all build from this and stay strong together ...

Al-Baaj translated line by line. And then, in English, she summarized the words shed just shared in Arabic with a group of mothers and daughters and grandmothers from Iraq and Egypt, Iran and Morocco and Lebanon.

I told them the letters all say the same thing. You are not alone. You are loved.
Cairo (AFP) - A 10-year-old girl died Tuesday of wounds suffered in a Cairo church bombing this month, bringing the overall toll to 26 excluding the attacker, Egypt's health ministry said.

Magy Magdy died at dawn from shrapnel wounds to the head following the suicide bombing on December 11 that was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, it said in a statement.

The bombing during mass at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul church was the deadliest attack in recent memory to target Egypt's minority Coptic Christians.

Seventeen people remain in hospital including three in serious condition, the ministry said.

Previous death tolls for the bombing included the attacker.

On December 13, IS identified the suicide bomber by the pseudonym Abu Abdallah al-Masri.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the day before named the suicide bomber as Mahmoud Shafik Mohamed Mostafa, 22, during a funeral for the victims.

Egyptian authorities are battling an Islamist insurgency, mostly in North Sinai province. Some attacks have targeted security forces and officials in Cairo.

The attacks have worsened since the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, which was led by then army chief Sisi.

This month's blast was the worst attack on the Coptic Christian community since a 2011 suicide bombing killed more than 20 worshippers outside a church in the coastal city of Alexandria.
Samantha Bee made an unexpected new friend on Monday.

VIDEOS2016 in Review: Best in Late Night  Adele Does Karaoke, Colbert Revival, Kimmels X-Files, Trump and More

During a sit-down with former Fox News personality Glenn Beck  who in recent months has stressed that he isnt proud of the extremist, anti-Obama ideologies he spewed on national television  the Full Frontal host was advised not to dismiss those whose views are more conservative than her own.

I believe  I watch you  I believe you actually dont want to do damage, Beck said. I dont want to do any more damage. I know what I did. I helped divide. Im willing to take that. My message to you is to please dont make the mistakes that I made, and I think all of us are doing it. Were doing it on Facebook, were doing it on Twitter. We tear each other apart, and we dont see the human on the other side.

VIDEOSObama on Daily Show: If Trump Sets Up Muslim Registry, I Will Say Something

Bee, who was in agreement that left- and right-learning voices need to make sure that they arent completely tuning out the other side, stressed that speaking out against President-elect Trump was a nonpartisan issue that will require both Republicans and Democrats to work together. Beck concurred.

I think that our future is going to require a broad coalition of nonpartisan decency, Bee argued. Its not just individual people against Donald Trump; its all of us against Trumpism, and so I actually think its important to reach into places where we wouldnt normally reach.

VIDEOSSeth Meyers Slams Trumps Landslide Victory Claim, Puts It In TV Ratings Terms

Do you agree with Bees argument that rallying against Trump is a matter of impartial decency? Do you think Beck has a point regarding Bees demeanor on Full Frontal? Watch the interview above, then drop a comment below.

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This is how Google Maps will start better accommodating people who use wheelchairs

Proving that there is still good in the world, a group of Google employees used their free time to create an amazing feature. And, thanks to their hard work, Google Maps will better accommodate people in wheelchairs. While the app is a godsend for many (especially those of us who dont have a stellar sense of direction), people who use mobility aids can now use it more easily and effectively than they have in the past.

The new Google Maps feature allows users to click on storefronts and other public places, and it will let them know whether or not the locations have accessible entrances.

This information can be found in the Amenities section for each business.

Google offers their employees a perk that allows them to use 20 percent of their time each week to work on a project thats unrelated to their main job  but many dont use it because theyre swamped with other projects.

Rio Akasaka, a product manager for Google Drive who was part of the team that created the new feature, chooses to use his 20 percent time to expand accessibility features for Google products.

Accessibility at Google is a big deal, Akasaka told Business Insider. But its often facilitated by whether or not theres a legal requirement, or some sort of requirement we need to adhere to.

For the nearly one in eight Americans who live with a mobility-related disability, this new feature is a huge deal. Not only will it make everyday life easier, but it sends the important message that they deserve to have every available resource at their fingertips.

The post This is how Google Maps will start better accommodating people who use wheelchairs appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Canadian comic and entertainer Gordie Tapp, best known as the country bumpkin Cousin Clem on Hee Haw, has died. He was 94.

Tapp died Sunday in Burlington, Ontario, after a long illness, the CBC confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was born in 1922 in London, Ontario, and got his start in TV at the Canadian public broadcaster during the 1950s.

Tapp conceived the hayseed Cousin Clem character while hosting Country Hoedown between 1956 and 1965. Success with the Canadian network for 13 years encouraged Tapp to take his Cousin Clem character to Nashville, where he eventually went on to star in 90 of the 306 episodes on CBS' comedy/variety show Hee Haw, between 1969 and 1988.

He also wrote for 78 of the Hee Haw episodes he appeared in. Tapp's other acting credits included the 1983 indie movie Sweet Country Music, which he also wrote, and Wild Horse Hank, a 1979 film by director Eric Till that co-starred Linda Blair and Richard Crenna.

Younger Canadians came to know Tapp as the pitchman for Ultramatic adjustable beds in TV commercials that ran during the early 2000s.

Tapp received the Order of Canada in 1998 and the Order of Ontario in 1999, and became a member of Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Helen, and two daughters and a son.
Photo credit: Joe Raedleundefined

From Esquire

Monday's good news on the water front-and, yes, I do cover the water front-is that the folks in Corpus Christi have been given an all-clear. But don't use a lot of it and replace your filters. And Merry Christmas!

After I posted about Corpus Christi last week, a Top Commenter pointed me toward an explosion that happened in the last week of November in a place called Neodosha, Kansas. A chemical plant blew up there and, among all the other damage, which forced a serious evacuation in the area, the local water supply naturally was affected as well. From The Wichita Eagle:

The explosion and subsequent fire quickly depleted the water stored in the city's elevated water tank as firefighters fought the blaze, Johnson said. Worse, the city's main water supply inlet, from the Fall River, was just downstream from where the chemically tainted water from fighting the fire ran into the river. City officials closed off that inlet before the contamination could enter the city water supply. But without that to replenish the city's tank, the system pressure dropped to the point where taps ran dry, said Katie Horner, a spokeswoman for the National Guard. The city is currently pumping water from a pond away from the chemical fire area, but with system pressure still low, there's no way to ensure that chlorine used to treat the water will remain in a high enough concentration to kill bacteria, Horner said. Johnson said the pond where the city is getting the water holds only about 4 million gallons, about three days of regular usage.

But the real action remains the situation in Flint, where folks are still living off bottled water. You undoubtedly will be shocked to know a) that the House of Representatives has heard quite enough of that, thanks, and b) that Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, is the dog in the Christmas manger.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Corpus%20Christi's%20Water%20Can%20Burn%20Human%20Skin" customimages="" content="article.51627"]

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From the AP:

In letters to fellow Republicans, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Friday that Michigan and federal officials were slow in detecting high levels of lead in the water and did not act fast enough once the problem was discovered. The committee findings offer no new information and essentially summarize what emerged during several high-profile hearings earlier this year. "The committee found significant problems at Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality and unacceptable delays in the Environmental Protection Agency's response to the crisis," wrote Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. "The committee also found that the federal regulatory framework is so outdated that it sets up states to fail."

Both sides at fault! Would anyone like to guess what any plan put forward by the likes of Chaffetz in the next Congress to update those "outdated" federal regulations will look like? Rather like how that fertilizer plant updated that town in Texas, I'm guessing.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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Athens (AFP) - Four prominent Greek and multinational food companies recalled goods from supermarkets Tuesday after receiving a contamination threat from anarchists.

A group calling itself Green Nemesis on Monday said it had tainted several dozen units of products by Coca-Cola, Nestle, Unilever and Greek dairy giant Delta.

"We have appropriated products from the main supermarket chains in the greater Athens area," the group said in a statement posted on an anti-establishment website.

"The products have been poisoned with chlorine and hydrochloric acid," it added.

Greek authorities initially said the country's anti-terror squad was looking into the case and the food safety watchdog had also been informed.

In a joint statement the multinationals said the recall was "a preventative measure".

Delta took the same step, saying it regretted the damage inflicted on producers "and all of Greek society".

The self-styled anarchists said they had laced Unilever's Caesar salad sauce and tomato sauce as well as Coca-Cola and Nestle drinks. Delta milk was also said to have been contaminated.

"The operational aim is to sabotage the above companies, forcing them to fully withdraw their products for two weeks," the group said, declaring that they would return the allegedly tainted goods to store shelves between December 22 and January 5.

Green Nemesis made a similar claim in 2013, forcing two multinational companies to recall products.
Photo credit: Associated Press

From Cosmopolitan

Photo credit: Associated Press

Shouting "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" a Turkish policeman in a suit and tie fatally shot Russia's ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibit. Police killed the assailant after a shootout.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara when a man fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.

"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" the gunman shouted in Turkish, referring to the Syrian city where Russian bombardments have helped drive rebels from areas they had occupied for years during the war.

He also shouted "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great" and continued in Arabic: "We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad."

Photo credit: Associated Press

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu identified the gunman as Mevlut Mert Altintas. He said Altintas, who was born in 1994, had been an officer with Ankara's riot police squad for more than two years. Soylu did not give a motive for the attack.

The gunman approached Karlov as he lay on the ground and shot him at least one more time at close range, the AP photographer said. The attacker also smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition, as panicked people ran for cover. Three other people were wounded in the attack, Turkey's NTV television said.

Photo credit: Associated Press

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman climbed to the second floor of the same building and was killed after a 15-minute shootout with police, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.



Video of the attack showing the moment the Russian ambassador is shot circulated on TV news and on social media. Warning: The video is highly disturbing.

The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish, and Iranian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria. Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nearly six-year conflict, while Turkey has supported Assad's foes.



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Photo credit: Associated Press

"It's a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in televised comments.



"Ambassador Karlov has made a lot of personal contributions to the development of ties with Turkey. He has done a lot to overcome a crisis in bilateral relations," she said. "He was a man who put his heart and his soul into his job. It's a terrible loss for us and also the world."

Karlov joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang from 2001 to 2006 and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministry's consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

Photo credit: Associated Press

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said U.S. officials were aware of reports about the shooting.

"We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source," Kirby said.

The United Nations also condemned the attack.

"There can be no justification for an attack on an ambassador ... and we very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Melih Gokcek, the mayor for Ankara, told reporters outside the exhibition center that the "heinous" attack aimed to disrupt newly-re-established relations between Turkey and Russia.

Photo credit: Associated Press

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November 2015, but Turkey's apology earlier this year helped overcome the rift. The leaders of the two countries, presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have held several meetings in recent months and spoken frequently over the phone.



Russia and Turkey have co-sponsored the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo and also discussed the prospect of organizing a new round of peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Turkey has struggled with multiple security threats in recent years, including Kurdish militants who claimed responsibility for a Dec. 10 bombing in Istanbul that killed 44 people, many of them police. The Islamic State group fighting in Syria and Iraq has also been blamed for attacks in Turkey, a NATO member and a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the group.

Additionally, Turkish security forces and courts remain preoccupied with purging state institutions of the supporters of an exiled Islamist cleric whom the government accuses of staging a failed coup attempt in July.

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The gunman, who opened fire at the Zurich Islamic Centre on Monday evening and wounded three people, was found dead near the shooting site. The body of the shooter was found during a manhunt.

The incident took place after an unknown person entered the mosque and shot multiple times at several people who were gathered for prayers. Two of the three injured men are reportedly in critical condition. The victims are currently being treated at a hospital.

He "fired several shots at the worshippers," police reportedly said Tuesday. "Three men, aged 30, 35 and 56, were injured, some seriously. The suspect then escaped from the mosque in the direction of Central Station."

"A person found dead close to the crime scene was linked to the crime. The hunts have been abandoned," the police added. The body was found on a river bank, underneath a bridge, and had been draped with a white sheet, Al Jazeera reported.

Around 10 people were present at the Islamic Centre at the time of the shooting, according to reports. Most of the Centre's congregation comes from Somalia, Eritrea and North Africa.

The motive of the shooting is unclear, but BBC reported that the only information police have given out so far is that there is no indication of a link with the Islamic State group.

Police reportedly urged witnesses who were in the area at the time of the shooting to come forward and provide information about the incident.

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Guys! Margot Robbie just confirmed that she DID get married

Guys, we now have 100% proof that Margot Robbie is married and WERE SO DARN HAPPY FOR HER!

It was previously reported that Robbie may or may not have gotten married over the weekend to her partner (or supposed husband) Tom Ackerley in a private ceremony that allegedly took place in Byron Bay, Australia. While Robbie nor Ackerley had, at that point, not yet confirmed the nuptials, paparazzi pictures from the event began to surface and reports that the pair fed guests a mixture of pizza, barbecue, and Coco Pops.

Now Margot Robbie has 100% confirmed that she did indeed get married over the weekend to Tom Ackerley.

Whats more, she did in in the cutest way possible, too. Rather than release a press release of a traditional marriage picture, the Suicide Squad star shared a picture on Instagram and its too much.

The picture appears to show Margot making a rude finger gesture to the camera. However, it quickly becomes clear that shes actually showing off her BEAUTIFUL wedding ring.

A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 19, 2016 at 7:56pm PST

Ugh, we love this so much. Its so nice that she doesnt even add a caption, either. Instead, she lets the cute AF picture of her and her husband kissing (not to mention THAT RING) do the talking.

According to a report in British paper The Telegraph, Robbies sister was her maid-of-honor, while the happy couple wrote their own wedding vows. CUTE.

This guy A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 3, 2016 at 10:27am PST

Pictures acquired by news.com.au appear to show Robbie in a gorgeous off the shoulder white dress, and she was reportedly given away by her mom. The pictures also show that the ceremony took place in a teepee-style tent in the grounds of a stunning private property in Coorabell.

The first photos from inside Margot Robbie s wedding have arrived! Posted by news.com.au on Monday, December 19, 2016

Robbie met Ackerley, a British filmmaker, in 2013 on the set of World War II movie Suite Francaise where Ackerley was an assistant to the director. The pair, who also have their own production company together, reportedly became engaged over the summer.

Story continues

Shout out to Granny B + M in the back! A photo posted by Tom Ackerley (@alpha_meows) on Aug 13, 2016 at 9:18am PDT

Were so happy for Margot and Tom and we wish them all the happiness and love in the world!

The post Guys! Margot Robbie just confirmed that she DID get married appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A Lincoln man accused of killing 41-year-old Jamie Watson will be held on $3 million bail.

During a court hearing Monday, Jamez Henderson was appointed a defense attorney through the Commission on Public Advocacy.

Eight people remain in custody in Watson's death. A ninth person was arrested Saturday but will not be charged.

Investigators are working to determine the relationship between the 10, and Lincoln Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said it's possible more people will be arrested.

Watson's body was found wrapped in blankets and carpeting inside the trunk of a car about 1:30 a.m. Thursday in a parking lot at Northwood Terrace apartments, 1025 N. 23rd St.

Police have received information that Watson may have been killed at 215 Fairfield St., according to court documents. Investigators searched the home Thursday evening into Friday. Bliemeister wouldn't say what police found in the house and has not confirmed that's where Watson was killed.

He did say Monday morning that Watson died of a gunshot wound.

Investigators are still trying to piece together the timeline of events surrounding Watson's death. Although the chief said his death appears to be drug-related, it's unknown what led to the shooting.

Documents charging the group with the various offenses say the alleged crimes were committed between Tuesday and Thursday.

Records show police have been called to the 215 Fairfield St. home 47 times since 2013, including 27 times this year.

Those records say police were sent to the home for reasons including property damage, narcotics investigations, disturbances between neighbors, domestic assaults, abandoned vehicles, traffic violations and welfare checks.

The only residents police have reports of living at the address are not associated with the homicide investigation, Bliemeister said.

Henderson, 32, was arrested Thursday. He fled from police three times that day and was eventually caught hiding in a wooded area close to a hotel near Interstate 80 and 27th Street. He was charged Monday with second-degree homicide, use of a firearm to commit a felony, possession of meth, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of money while in violation of state statute and escape for leaving Arizona, where he was on parole.

Sidney Jackson, 25, Juanita Lara, 31, Jerah Stovall, 31, and Stacey Bigelow, 27, all of Lincoln, Brandi Bond, 22, listed as a transient, Ronald Auzenne, 19, of Glendale, Arizona, and Ivon Butler, 19, of Phoenix, were charged Monday with accessory to a felony. Lancaster County Judge Thomas Zimmerman set bail at $50,000 and appointed attorneys for each.

Additional details of what the state alleges happened were released during the group's arraignments.

The car in which Watson's body was found belongs to Bigelow, according to court documents. State prosecutors said Stovall purchased cleaning supplies after the homicide. Auzenne and Butler are accused of attempting to help Henderson get out of town, Jackson is accused of coming to Lincoln to help Henderson move Watson's body, and Bond is accused of being present at the time of the homicide. Prosecutors said Bond also was found in possession of a bag of clothes Henderson allegedly wore during the homicide.

Bliemeister said he didn't know what the group planned to do with the body. None of the eight people allegedly involved live at the apartment complex where police found Watson, Bliemeister said.

Police found nearly 10 ounces of meth and a small amount of marijuana in a car holding three of the suspects and an ounce and a half on Henderson when he was arrested, documents say.

Henderson spent 12 years in an Arizona prison on charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and armed robbery. He was released in December 2015.

Jackson spent four years in prison on a charge of first-degree assault after shooting a man in the chest with a shotgun in 2009. He was released in 2014.

Watson himself completed a 10-year prison sentence for robbery out of Douglas County in July.

His death marks the city's 10th homicide in 2016, matching Lincoln's previous most deadly year in 1987.
A new Harry Potter comic was released to honor the Pulse nightclub victims

After the June mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, you may have been looking for ways to help the people who were impacted by this tragedy. Now, a new comic book featuring a Harry Potter comic will benefit the shooting victims. The book, called Love Is Love, will be available on December 28th and J.K. Rowling gave her blessing for it to feature a quote from and an image based on her beloved book series  and it will move you to tears.

Comic book author and screenwriter Marc Andreyko came up with the idea behind Love Is Love after the Orlando mass shooting. Considering that Rowling showed her support for the victims through Twitter and wrote, I cant stop crying, its not surprising that she agreed to one of her quotes to be used. Rowling approved the use of an Albus Dumbledore quotation from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that goes:

Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.

The quote is accompanied by a comic drawn by Jim Lee. As Andreyko told The New York Times, If we get the biggest-selling author on the planet, we need the biggest artist.

I can finally share this from LOVE IS LOVE. Deeply thankful to @JimLee and the whole WB team for making it happen. pic.twitter.com/aBLkrIDAsR  Sarah Gaydos (@sarahgaydos) December 19, 2016

The comic features Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Dumbledore standing with their wands raised in the air with a rainbow above them. Not only are Dumbledores words fitting, but so is the inclusion of his character since Rowling has said that the Hogwarts headmaster is gay and the shooting targeted the LGBTQ community.

Along with the Harry Potter comic, the book will contain contributions by Matt Bomer, Taran Killam, Patton Oswald, and Morgan Spurlock.

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All of the proceeds from the book will go to Equality Florida and will directly benefit the shootings victims, survivors, and their families.

After such a tragic event, this gorgeous Harry Potter comic and quotation shed just a little ray of hope. Support the cause by purchasing Love Is Love when its released on December 28th and by being an advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ community.

The post A new Harry Potter comic was released to honor the Pulse nightclub victims appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Core CBD areas provide competitive edge in attracting talents.

As small and medium tech firms remain focus on retaining talent, they remain location sensitive in leasing office spaces.

According to CBRE Research, tech firms continue to be one of the key drivers for overall leasing demand in Singapore, with core CBD and CBD fringe areas as the preferred locations. The research house said these areas provide companies with a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talent.

CBRE noted that there has been a marked increase in leasing activity driven by flight-to-quality, with occupiers taking advantage of more attractive terms on offer. These deals have primarily been focused on new developments. For instance, Guoco Tower has seen pre-commitments from Amadeus, Agoda, Palo Alto, Unity Technologies, and Open Link.

This came as vacancy trends in overall Singapore climbed up 5.9%, while vacancy in core CBD is at 4.9%, with retail trends for Grade A office spaces in cor CBD slump to $9.5 psf/month.





More From Singapore Business Review


During the episode of Saturday Night Live that aired just after the November presidential election, Kate McKinnon, dressed as Hillary Clinton and clad in celebratory/funereal white, sat at a grand piano and performed a rendition of Leonard Cohens Hallelujah. It was a double-edged dirge: The song was on the one hand a tribute to Cohen, who had died the same week, but it was also a tribute to Clinton herself, and to her saddened supportersmany of whom counted SNLs audience and creators among their members. The song was also, however, a requiem for someone else: the particular version of Clinton that McKinnon has been playing regularly on Saturday Night Live since 2015, the swaggering, simpering, behind-the-scenes caricature. The version that managed to cartoonify and humanize the actual Clinton, both at the same timeand the version that, now, would not go on to be president, or really, it would seem, to be much of anything worth satirizing.

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That Clinton, it turns out, neednt have said farewell so soon. Since the election, while the actual Hillary Clinton has been extremely selective about the public appearances she has made, the SNL version has been resurrected on the show, in the service of both comedy and advocacy. There Kate-Clinton was, a couple of weeks ago, framed as a kind of political Yeti, gleefully evading determined Hil Hunters in the woods of Chappaqua. And there she was again, during this Saturdays SNL, showing up at the door of an elector, Love Actually-style, and begging that elector not to vote for Donald Trump.

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Hillary Actually is one of SNLs best sketches of the year, a clever collision of many of the things that are in the air right now: the holiday season, and with it the many, many televised re-airings of the controversial rom-com; Mondays vote in the U.S. electoral college; the general anxiety that this particular election managed to have an outcome without also having a full resolution. The sketch was also fitting, though, because Clinton, as McKinnon plays her, is precisely the kind of person who would show up at a strangers door, boombox and cue cards in hand, to make a political argument. Here, the comic collisions that made McKinnon-Clinton such a compelling caricatureswagger and neediness, warmth and creepiness, cool control and inadequately contained exuberancefound a new outlet, by way of the personage who may have a name, but who is most accurately remembered as cue card guy.

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Whats most remarkable about the sketch, though, is what it hints at the continued resurrection of McKinnons Clinton character, even as someone not named Clinton prepares to assume the presidency. In SNLs boombox-stalker version, Clinton isnt just a caricature; she is also a political advocate. Shes making an argument, and a plea. One of the cue cards Clinton reveals in the sketch offers 16 reasons why the electoral college should vote against Donald Trump. One of them: He wont acknowledge Aleppo but he tweets about Saturday Night Live. Another: He wants to leave NATO. Another: He doesnt know how the government works.

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Clintons final argument is this: If Donald Trump becomes president he will kill us all.

Its an open question, right now, what the political future of the actual Hillary Clinton will hold. Will she, in the manner of Al Gore, devise alternate strategies for keeping the issues she most cares about in the public consciousness? Will she serve as a party elder? Will she run again? Will she give it all up for a life of Chappaqua-hiking? Whatever the fate of the real Clinton is, though, with Hillary Actually, Saturday Night Live might have settled on the future of its fictional version: as a voice of advocacy, and of political resistance. As a hovering specter of what might have been. As a candidate who has become, in the aftermath of her loss, a conscienceand, quite possibly, a Cassandra. In SNLs estimation, at any rate, Hil, actually, is all around.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
A former employee of IATSE Local 44, a Hollywood craft union, alleges that she was fired for complaining about her bosss inappropriate sexual relationship with a subordinate.

Martha Quiroz filed suit on Monday against the local union, which represents 5,000 workers, including propmasters, prop makers, and set decorators. Quiroz, a clerk in the unions business office, alleged that her boss, Anthony Pawluc, had sexual relationships with two Local 44 employees, and retaliated against her when she raised concerns about it.

Its basically the story of a guy who likes to control people, especially female subordinates, said Mike Azat, Quirozs attorney. When he felt he was being challenged, he got rid of her.

Representatives of IATSE Local 44 did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pawluc, who is also named as a defendant in the suit, is the unions coordinating secretary, with total annual compensation of $205,000, according to federal labor filings.

In the suit, Quiroz said she spotted Pawluc kissing one employee  identified as J.C.  at the unions Christmas party in 2012. When she asked him about it, Pawluc replied that he knew it was wrong and that he should not be involved with J.C. romantically and laughed, the suit alleges.

A few months later, Pawluc began dating a different employee  B.A.  and J.C. was fired, according to the suit.

Quiroz said that she pitched Pawluc on the idea of selling Local 44 merchandise on the unions website, which would add to Quirozs job duties and boost her salary. Pawluc liked the idea, but ultimately gave the responsibility to B.A., according to the suit.

Quiroz alleged that Pawluc gave B.A. other benefits, even though she worked part-time and lacked experience. B.A. got her own private office, was allowed to do school work in the office, and was allowed to take time off and work from home, according to the suit. Quiroz complained about the favoritism to several officers and employees of the local.

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In October 2015, Pawlucs assistant quit after a loud argument, in which the assistant told Pawluc that she knew about his relationship with B.A. and that she was tired of lying for him, the suit alleges. Pawluc later told Quiroz that loyalty was the most important quality to him, and the former assistant was disloyal, Quiroz alleges. He then asked Quiroz if she was loyal, and suggested that it was time to circle the wagons, the suit alleges.

Quiroz continued to question Pawlucs relationship, only to find her overtime hours slashed from 20-40 per month to 10 per month, according to the suit. Pawluc also stopped allowing her to cater Local 44 events, she alleges.

In April 2016, Quiroz drove by Pawlucs house early in the morning and saw B.A. leaving, the suit alleges. She was fired two days later.

Azat said that the union launched an internal investigation in response to Quirozs complaints, but that he filed the suit because I felt they werent going to do anything.
By Venus Wu HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong authorities have confirmed the first human bird flu infection for this season after an elderly man who had recently traveled to mainland China was diagnosed with the deadly H7N9 virus strain. The 75-year-old male patient, who had visited the southern Chinese town of Changping in Dongguan city this month before returning to Hong Kong, is in serious condition, the government said in a statement released late on Monday. The case came to light as South Korea and Japan ordered further culls on Monday to contain outbreaks of a different strain of bird flu, having already killed tens of millions of birds in the past month. Hong Kong has been battling sporadic cases of avian influenza in humans since the first outbreak killed six people in the Asian financial hub in 1997. Macau, a former Portuguese colony an hour away from Hong Kong by ferry, culled about 10,000 chickens last week after a wholesale poultry market worker fell ill with the H7N9 strain. The city temporarily suspended importing poultry from mainland China but resumed trade on Sunday. (Reporting by Venus Wu; Editing by Paul Tait)
As men at odds over a young woman (ones daughter, the others girlfriend), Bryan Cranston and James Franco go head-to-head in the new comedy Why Him? Cranston is Ned, a Michigan businessman whos less-than-thrilled when he flies the family to Northern California and meets Laird (Franco), the eccentric, foul-mouthed Silicon Valley billionaire dating his daughter (Zooey Deutch).

It was all love, though, between the Oscar-nominated actors when they joined Yahoo Movies for a Facebook Live chat in front of a festive and cozy (OK, fake) fire Saturday at a Beverly Hills hotel. Watch the full replay above, and make sure to stick around to the end to hear Cranston get his Christmas caroling on. Some highlights:

James Franco painted the crazy art featured in the movie. Though the absurdly luxurious house where Laird resides in the film is not based on Francos house (nor is the house in This Is the End, he would like it to be known) the multihyphenate did paint much of the hilarious art featured on its wall, most of which features fornicating animals. I loved the idea that there would be art that would reflected the character, that it wouldnt just be decoration, he said. So I showed [writer-director John Hamburg] some images of some strange paintings that I did of animals having sex and various things, and he loved them.

Related: Bryan Cranston Makes a Return to Comedy, and Hes Funny as Hell

Cranston gives thumbs-up to Better Call Saul. When asked which television shows they were binge-watching, Cranston called out Saul, the Breaking Bad spinoff that follows the early exploits of Bob Odenkirks New Mexico criminal lawyer. I love the show. Theres a familiarity to it, and yet the characters are different, some of the setting is different, it feels right. Im just a fan. I like watching it. Franco, meanwhile, has been all about Westworld and Stranger Things lately.

Cranston and Franco had a very intimate fight. Asked what their favorite memory was from making Why Him?, Cranston described a climactic scene where the pair get, um, highly physical with one another. We got into a position where there was only one move my character could make, Cranston teased. I left a mark, I know I did. I left a mark, it will always be there, in a very, very sensitive area. Or as Franco put it, Thats right. I got Walter Whited.

Why Him? opens Friday. Watch the trailer:
A Lincoln man has filed a federal lawsuit against a Lincoln Police officer and Lancaster County Sheriff's deputy alleging they violated his rights when they arrested him at a home near Pioneers Park in 2013.

Robert Oglesby sued Lancaster County Sheriff's Deputy Amy Lesan and Lincoln Police Officer Chad Hein last week saying they had no justification for detaining him and used excessive force to do it.

The 61-year-old man says he was at his home, outside the city limits, when it happened nearly four years ago.

In the lawsuit, attorney Matt Catlett said on Jan. 28, 2013, Oglesby went to pick up an acquaintance who was stranded in Hickman and needed a ride. As he put her belongings in his car, the deputy pulled up in a cruiser and asked what he was doing.

Oglesby explained and gave the deputy his driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance when asked. After Lesan checked it, she told Oglesby he was free to go but should know there was a broadcast for him in Lincoln, meaning police wanted to talk to him. She didn't know the details.

Catlett said Lesan followed Oglesby home to 3807 S.W. 16th St., just east of Pioneers Park, but outside the city limits.

He said Oglesby crossed a wire fence and headed toward the back door but heard a voice first, turned around and saw Hein in his driveway telling him to walk over. When Oglesby asked why, Hein told him again to walk over.

When Oglesby asked if he had a warrant, the officer said he didn't need one, Catlett said. Oglesby told him he was on private property, outside city limits and he was going inside.

That's when Hein pulled out a Taser and ordered him to come to the other side of the fence, he said. Oglesby raised his hands, thinking it was a gun, and asked what the problem was. Hein fired the Taser hitting Oglesby in the chest with two probes.

Catlett said Oglesby removed the wires and stumbled to the back door, and the officer followed him inside, knocking down his 82-year-old mother, and tackling Oglesby in the living room, knocking a gold crown from his mouth and stunning him multiple times in the neck and ribs.

Lesan came in and handcuffed him, hurting his shoulder, he said.

Oglesby was examined and treated at a Lincoln hospital, then jailed for hindering arrest, a city ordinance violation. He later pleaded no contest and was fined $500.

Now, Oglesby is seeking damages for his pain, anxiety and embarrassment and punitive damages for "deliberate, wanton and reckless" violation of his rights.

Asked about the lawsuit Monday, City Attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick said he didn't have any factual knowledge about the matter.
"Exposition in dialogue is something that you do a lot on television, like I was, so it gave me an allergy to that," Hell or High Water screenwriter Taylor Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter during the Writer Roundtable. "I look for absurdly simple plots so that I can simply focus on the characters. Having an understanding of what dialogue's easy to say and hard to say - I think that that's helpful too."

Sheridan worked as an actor for nearly 20 years, appearing on shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, Sons of Anarchy and NCIS: Los Angles before transitioning to screenwriting, with his first feature, 2015's Sicario, starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin. The film gained critical acclaim.

Read more: Jeff Bridges: "I'm a Product of Nepotism, That's How I Got Into It" | Actor Oscar Roundtable

"I thought of Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water and Ben Foster and I kept trying very hard not to, because you're terrified you're going to write this thing that then feeds specifically to this one person that then won't do it."

More roundtables featuring actresses, actors, directors, songwriters, documentarians, composers and producers will continue throughout February in print and online. Tune in to new episodes of Close Up With 'The Hollywood Reporter' starting Jan. 15 on Sundance TV, and look for clips at THR.com/topic/roundtables with full episodes on THR.com after broadcast.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will offer tax incentives to small businesses engaged in cashless transactions, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters on Tuesday, as part of the government's fight against the cash economy.

Jaitley said the move would enable businesses with annual turnover of 20 million rupees ($294,000) to save up to 30 percent in tax payments.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shock move last month to scrap old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, New Delhi has taken a raft of measures to encourage cashless transactions.

Earlier this month, it announced incentives including discounts of between 0.75 percent to 10 percent on digital payments for purchases of petrol, diesel and insurance products from state-run companies.

The government last week also unveiled two lucky draw schemes to reward poor and middle-class consumers and small businesses for conducting cashless transactions.

Modi's shock currency replacement programme is aimed at flushing out cash earned through illegal activities, or earned legally but never disclosed.

However, the decision has sucked 86 percent of India's currency out of circulation, leaving companies, farmers and households all suffering. Nine in 10 Indians live in the cash economy and many lack the smartphones and bank accounts they need to go cashless.

($1 = 67.9299 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Writing by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Douglas Busvine and Sam Holmes)
Cyrus Mistry, the ousted former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata, took his battle against former employer Tata Sons to court Tuesday, one of his spokesmen said.

Mistry filed a suit against Tata Sons in the National Company Law Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that hears corporate grievances, a day after he resigned from all of the Tata Group's listed companies.

The allegations listed in his petition include the oppression of minority shareholders and mismanagement of the company, Adnan Syed, a spokesman for Mistry, told AFP.

Tata said in a statement it was in consultation with its lawyers and would contest the allegations.

The latest move comes after Mistry said Monday that he had "decided to shift this campaign to a larger platform" as he resigned from the boards of six publicly listed companies, including car maker Tata Motors and steel giant Tata Steel.

Mistry, 50, has been engaged in a bitter public battle with company patriarch Ratan Tata since he was sacked in October as chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of India's most famous family conglomerate -- the $103 billion steel-to-salt Tata Group.

The move, which shocked India's business world, saw 78-year-old Tata, who led the group for more than two decades, reassert his authority over the sprawling conglomerate, including taking interim charge until a successor is found.

The pair have traded daily ugly barbs since Mistry's ouster, plunging the group into bitter infighting with directors firmly placed in either camp.

Mistry was last week stripped of his directorships of IT giant Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Industries and Tata Teleservices.

He was due to be booted off the boards of Indian Hotels Ltd, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Tata Chemicals this week before he resigned.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian police said on Tuesday that three people had been arrested over a suspected plot to carry out a suicide bomb attack in an undisclosed location outside the most populous island of Java. Two men were arrested in the Central Java city of Solo on Sunday on suspicion they made explosives to be carried by a female accomplice, said Martinus Sitompul, a spokesman for the national police. A suspected female suicide bomber had been arrested in Purworejo, also in Central Java, last Thursday, he said. "The group was planning to carry out an attack outside Java," Sitompul said. He declined to elaborate and said police would hold a news briefing later this week. The three were linked to a group police arrested earlier this month for planning an attack at the changing of the guard at Jakarta's presidential palace, he added. In both cases, police suspect the groups planned to use a female suicide bomber, a new tactic for attacks in Indonesia. The suspects held over the planned Jakarta attack had been communicating with and received money from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant known to be fighting with Islamic State in Syria, police have said. Indonesian police are currently interrogating 14 suspects related to the planned Jakarta bombing and the plot outside Java, Sitompul said. Security is usually stepped up in Indonesia at this time of year, following attacks in previous years during Christmas and New Year celebrations. Earlier on Tuesday, a bomb squad on the Indonesian island of Bali detonated an unattended backpack in the city of Ubud with a sign saying "bomb". Bali police spokesman Made Sudana said there was no bomb threat and it contained fireworks, adding the backpack belonged to a Dutch man who had lost it. Bali has suffered two major attacks including nightclub bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people, and suicide attacks in 2005 that killed 20. (Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
A crude bomb fashioned from explosives, fireworks, pipes and nails was found in Ubud, a popular tourist district in the Indonesian island of Bali, on Tuesday, local media reported.

The device was safely detonated by the authorities.

A man who owns an eatery in Ubud spotted the bag when he was opening his business in the morning. Police found a passport belonging to a Dutch tourist in the backpack. The tourist had reported his bag was missing and he wasnt considered a suspect.

This is a low-explosive bomb, said Gianyar district police chief Waluya. Balis antibomb squad destroyed it before it exploded  Our task now is to hunt for [the perpetrator].

Two major terrorist attacks rocked the Kuta tourist district of Bali more than 10 years ago. The 2002 attack at Kuta was the deadliest act of terrorism in Indonesia, killing 202  many of whom were foreign tourists. Three years later, in 2005, a series of bombings in Kuta and Jimbaran killed 20 people.

Although Indonesias counterterrorism operations have had some success against jihadist groups, the country remains a target of terrorist attacks. A female suicide bomber and 13 other men and women  all were allegedly linked to ISIS  were arrested this month over the plot to bomb the presidential palace in Jakarta.

Eight people died in a terrorist attack in the Indonesian capital early this year. Jihadists have also targeted houses of worship and police personnel in different cities in the Muslim-majority country.
The families of three victims who were killed in the mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub have filed a lawsuit against Facebook, Google and Twitter, claiming that the internet giants allegedly provided "material support" to the Islamic State group.

The lawsuit, first reported by Fox News, was filed Monday in federal court in the eastern district of Michigan on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero.

According to the lawsuit, Facebook, Twitter and Google-owned YouTube provided the terrorist group ISIS with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds, and attract new recruits.

The lawsuit claims that these popular Internet services were making it too easy for ISIS to spread its message. The terrorist group, which has targeted several western countries killing scores of people, has used social media platforms to spread propaganda, attract and train new recruits, celebrate terrorist attacks and also publicize executions.

"Without defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," the lawsuit reportedly alleges.

Omar Mateen, the gunman who stormed Orlandos Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, and opened fire killing 49 people and injuring 53 others, declared allegiance to ISIS during the shooting. It was later revealed that he was not a member of the terrorist group.

Mateen was radicalized by ISIS using the defendants tools for that express purpose, Kevin Altman, who is representing the families of three Orlando shooting victims, told Fox News.

Altman also said that Facebook, Google and Twitter should be held liable for what users post on their services because they pair content with advertising.

"They create unique content by combining ISIS postings with advertisements in a way that is specifically targeted at the viewer," the lawsuit alleges. "Defendants share revenue with ISIS for its content and profit from ISIS postings through advertising revenue."

Related Articles
(Adds Chinese ministry comment)

By Tom Westbrook and Rozanna Latiff

SYDNEY/KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Investigators searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have recommended extending the search by 25,000 sq km (9,650 sq miles), to an area further north in the Indian Ocean, after conceding for the first time they were probably looking in the wrong place.

Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board, most of them Chinese, en route to Beijing from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Its whereabouts have become one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

The search coordinator, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, issued a report earlier on Tuesday in which it said new evidence from ocean drift modelling and analysis of satellite communications with the aircraft and washed-up debris helped determine the new area.

But Australia, one of three search countries, rejected the recommendation citing a lack of "credible evidence" to extend the search, leaving it unclear whether Chinese and Malaysian search teams would finance a prolonged hunt.

"The report does not give a specific location for the missing aircraft and so we need credible evidence that identifies the specific location of the aircraft to extend the search," a spokeswoman for Australia's Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester told Reuters by telephone.

Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said it remained to be seen how the investigators' report could help identify the specific location of the aircraft. He did not comment on funding.

A hunt of the current 120,000 sq km (46,330 sq miles) search area west of Australia is due to be completed in January, with no sign of the missing jet..

The recommendation to extend the search followed a meeting in November between crash investigators, satellite communication and aviation experts including Boeing and government representatives from Malaysia, China and Australia.

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In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not have any details about the search.

"But what I want to stress is that since the MH370 incident, the Chinese government has paid great attention to this, and proactively participated in relevant work," she told a daily briefing.

"We will continue to maintain close communication with Malaysia, Australia and other parties, and cooperate with them to do their relevant work well."

WRONG PLACE?

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it believed the plane was not in the current search area.

"There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," it said in its report.

"Given the elimination of this area, the experts identified an area of approximately 25,000 sq km as the area with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft."

The new search area is north of the current one, which has been the focus of the A$200 million ($145 million) effort. It would represent the second time the search has been extended if funding was forthcoming.

Malaysia and Australia have contributed the bulk of search financing. Malaysia holds ultimate responsibility given Malaysia Airlines is registered there, while the aircraft is thought to have crashed west of Australia, placing it in the country's maritime zone of responsibility.

Grace Subathirai Nathan, whose mother was on the plane, said it was not clear what authorities were doing to find the new evidence that would satisfy the Australian government demands.

"The families have time and again requested that an international appeal to all nations be made if the three participating states are unable to fully support the extended search," said Nathan, who heads the next-of-kin support group called Members of Voice 370.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Writing by Jonathan Barrett.; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel)
By Tom Westbrook and Rozanna Latiff SYDNEY/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Investigators searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have recommended extending the search by 25,000 sq km (9,650 sq miles), to an area further north in the Indian Ocean, after conceding for the first time they were probably looking in the wrong place. Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board, most of them Chinese, en route to Beijing from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Its whereabouts have become one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries. The search coordinator, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, issued a report earlier on Tuesday in which it said new evidence from ocean drift modeling and analysis of satellite communications with the aircraft and washed-up debris helped determine the new area. But Australia, one of three search countries, rejected the recommendation citing a lack of "credible evidence" to extend the search, leaving it unclear whether Chinese and Malaysian search teams would finance a prolonged hunt. "The report does not give a specific location for the missing aircraft and so we need credible evidence that identifies the specific location of the aircraft to extend the search," a spokeswoman for Australia's Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester told Reuters by telephone. Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said it remained to be seen how the investigators' report could help identify the specific location of the aircraft. He did not comment on funding. A hunt of the current 120,000 sq km (46,330 sq miles) search area west of Australia is due to be completed in January, with no sign of the missing jet.. The recommendation to extend the search followed a meeting in November between crash investigators, satellite communication and aviation experts including Boeing and government representatives from Malaysia, China and Australia. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not have any details about the search. "But what I want to stress is that since the MH370 incident, the Chinese government has paid great attention to this, and proactively participated in relevant work," she told a daily briefing. "We will continue to maintain close communication with Malaysia, Australia and other parties, and cooperate with them to do their relevant work well." WRONG PLACE? The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it believed the plane was not in the current search area. "There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," it said in its report. "Given the elimination of this area, the experts identified an area of approximately 25,000 sq km as the area with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft." The new search area is north of the current one, which has been the focus of the A$200 million ($145 million) effort. It would represent the second time the search has been extended if funding was forthcoming. Malaysia and Australia have contributed the bulk of search financing. Malaysia holds ultimate responsibility given Malaysia Airlines is registered there, while the aircraft is thought to have crashed west of Australia, placing it in the country's maritime zone of responsibility. Grace Subathirai Nathan, whose mother was on the plane, said it was not clear what authorities were doing to find the new evidence that would satisfy the Australian government demands. "The families have time and again requested that an international appeal to all nations be made if the three participating states are unable to fully support the extended search," said Nathan, who heads the next-of-kin support group called Members of Voice 370. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Writing by Jonathan Barrett.; Editing by Michael Perry, Robert Birsel)
A 25-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to six years in prison for putting a machete to a man's neck.

Richard L. Jacobs pleaded no contest to first-degree false imprisonment and terroristic threats for what happened the night of April 24.

Early the next day, Lincoln police arrested him and three others after the officer smelled marijuana during a traffic stop of a Chevy SUV for being in the intersection of Nebraska 2 and 56th Street.

As the officer cleared the SUV to search it, a 27-year-old man passenger got the officer's attention by mouthing "help me" and said the men in the SUV had punched him, held a machete to his neck and an AR-15 to his head before forcing him to get in with them at 80th Street and Old Cheney Road earlier that night.

The man said his attackers accused him of stealing, and he was afraid they were going to kill him.

He identified Jacobs as the one who held the machete to his neck, police said.

The search turned up a loaded .22-caliber long gun, a BB gun and five machetes and switchblades, plus an ounce of marijuana and a pipe with meth residue.

Lancaster County District Judge Lori Maret also sentenced Jacobs to three years of post-release supervision.

Two others also face charges in the incident. A warrant is out for 38-year-old Eric Little's arrest after he failed to appear for court because he is in jail in Omaha. And the driver, Shon Greenfield, 28, is awaiting trial.
Berlin police said Tuesday that the initial suspect detained after the truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market on Monday evening has been released due to insufficient evidence, suggesting the real culprit is still at large.

The vehicle plowed into crowds of people at the Breitscheidplatz market, killing 12 people and wounding 48, some of them critically, in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel said is assumed to be a terror attack.

A man initially thought to be the driver was arrested near the scene, Winfrid Wenzel, the chief spokesman for the Berlin police department, told TIME on Monday night. The following afternoon local time, Interior Minister Thomas de Maizieres confirmed media reports that the suspect was a Pakistani asylum seeker, 23, who had arrived in Germany recently. However, the suspect denied involvement in the attack and German prosecutors later released him, saying they were unable to prove that he was in the trucks cab during the attack, the Associated Press reported.

In a statement Tuesday morning, Merkel said she was horrified, shaken and deeply sad about the attack on the market, saying police were working on the assumption that it was a terrorist attack. This unspeakable event will be as severely punished as the law will allow, she added, saying she would visit the site later on Tuesday. We will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany  in freedom, openness and together.

In her statement, Merkel  who has championed open borders for asylum-seekers  said it would be sickening if the attacker turned out to be a refugee.

The method of the carnage drew immediate comparisons to the ISIS-inspired terrorist attack that struck in Nice, France, on July 14. During that citys celebrations of Bastille Day, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian resident of France, drove a massive truck through a crowd of revelers gathered on a beachside promenade. That attack left 86 people dead and more than 400 wounded.

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It also prompted the police force in Berlin to work with their French colleagues in recent months to prevent a similar incident from taking place in the German capital, Wenzel told TIME. We did have contacts with them after Nice, he said, referring to French authorities. We worked with them.

But those efforts now seem tragically insufficient. Among the victims at the Christmas market on Monday, Wenzel said, there was likely a mix of tourists and locals who had been enjoying a favorite holiday tradition in Germany, shopping for gifts and drinking mulled wine at outdoor stalls decked out in colored lights.

Its a few days before Christmas, said the spokesman, glancing back at the empty truck, which was surrounded by ambulances and police vehicles. So its very clear that we have a mix of tourists and residents of the city here.

Behind him on Budapester Street, near the citys zoo and in the middle of a bustling district of shops, movie theaters and night clubs, uniformed officers were climbing into the back of the truck. According to Wenzel, it had careened at high speed through the entire length of the outdoor market, a distance of about 260 ft., before coming to a stop on Budapester Street, a Christmas tree crowned with a large golden star sticking out from under it.

Witnesses said they saw a man climb out of the drivers cabin and attempt to flee the scene on foot, but Wenzel said witnesses lost track of that man. A second man also climbed out of the truck, but he died on the scene. He was later identified as Polish, Wenzel said.
OMAHA, NB / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / Lindsay Corporation (LNN) will host a live webcast to discuss the results of the First Quarter 2017, to be held Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time.

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Date, Time: December 21, 2016 at 11:00 AM ET

Live Webcast: www.investorcalendar.com/IC/CEPage.asp?ID=175501 OR www.lindsay.com

Replay Information

The replay will be available beginning approximately 2 hours after the completion of the live event.

About Lindsay Corporation

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For more information regarding Lindsay Corporation, see Lindsay's website at www.lindsay.com.

SOURCE: Investor Calendar
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's atomic agency says it will begin exporting less heavy water because of an oversupply in the international market.

State TV quotes agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying on Tuesday that Iran will export some 20 tons of the material annually from now on.

That's much less that the 70 tons of heavy water that the country exported to the United States, Russia and Oman since last year's nuclear agreement went into effect in January.

A recent report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog said that Iran had exceeded its heavy water limit by 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds) over the 130 metric tons allowed. Heavy water is used to cool reactors that produce large amounts of plutonium.
Hamam al-Alil (Iraq) (AFP) - Three men set up a fence and a ribbon of yellow and black crime scene tape around a site south of Iraq's Mosul, marking a mass grave of jihadists' victims.

It is one of dozens of such sites discovered in areas around Iraq that have been recaptured from the Islamic State group, whose rule has been defined by extreme brutality.

Now investigators face the enormous task of piecing together details of what happened to IS's many victims, and determining who they were.

"It really is a crime scene," Fawaz Abdulabbas, deputy head of the International Committee on Missing Persons in Iraq, said of the site near Hamam al-Alil discovered after Iraqi forces recaptured the town last month.

"Between 80 and 100 bodies are here, including those of women and children," Abdulabbas said.

Among the bodies may be that of Imed Dhaer, a policeman who was kidnapped by IS, leaving 10 children without their father and two wives without their husband, his brother Fuad said.

When Iraqi forces launched an offensive in mid-October to recapture Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country, the jihadists "came to search for all members of the security forces", including 33-year-old Imed, his brother said.

The IS militants "were locals; they knew the houses and professions of all those they took", Fuad said.

- Three days of executions -

Since then, he has had no news of his brother, but residents of Hamam al-Alil said they heard shooting at the grave site, a former Iraqi firing range near the town.

"For three days, from 7:00 to 11:00 pm, they executed" the people they had seized and then "dumped the bodies before partially covering them with dirt mixed with garbage" in what they termed "burials of dishonour", said Dargham Kamil, an official from the Martyrs' Foundation.

The organisation, which is under the authority of the Iraqi premier's office, has been working for over a month to trace how the killings unfolded, and has already collected many accounts from local residents.

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Fuad can imagine what happened and now wants only one thing: to see the body of his brother, to know for sure.

"Only that can soothe our hearts," Fuad said.

But before that can happen, Iraqi and international teams will have to identify the remains, carrying out DNA tests once relatives have been found.

Additional investigation of the site is also needed "to see if there are any deeper layers, and therefore more bodies", said Dhia Karim, the Martyrs' Foundation official responsible for mass graves.

- Many graves still undiscovered -

More bodies would add to hundreds already discovered in other mass graves left by IS jihadists, who overran swathes of territory north and west of Baghdad in 2014 but have since been pushed back by Iraqi forces.

Twenty-nine mass graves containing at least 1,600 bodies have been found in Sinjar, west of Mosul, since Iraqi Kurdish forces recaptured it last year, according to Mahma Khalil, the local official responsible for the area.

"A number of graves have not been discovered or searched yet," Abdulabbas said.

Amid the tumult of the IS assault, fighting with Iraqi forces, summary executions and other abuses carried out by the jihadists, it "is very difficult to establish" the number of people who are missing", said Karim.

Karim and his teams have been working to collect testimony from witnesses and relatives of missing persons around the country.

"We will have to gather all this in a single database; it is a very long-term job," Abdulabbas said.

After which the evidence will have to be put in files and presented to the judicial system, which is already overwhelmed with similar cases from past years of violence in Iraq.

The legal process is of utmost importance "for national reconciliation", Abdulabbas said.

"Many of the people in (IS) are people from here," he said, and their brutality "could lead to revenge or vendettas between families".
Months after the European Union (EU) leveled Apple with a fine for unpaid taxes, the country that has become the iPhone makers overseas tax shelter is pushing back against a requirement to collect taxes from Apple, according to a report from the Guardian.

Irelands finance department announced on Monday it would appeal the order from the EU to collect up to 13 billion (about $13.5 billion) in taxes from Apple. In its rebuke of the order, the government of Ireland accused the EU of overstepping its boundaries and seeking to violate the countrys sovereignty.

The response comes several months after the EU issued its fine against Apple. European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager said at the time Ireland had granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years.

Apple disagreed with the conclusion of the commissioner, arguing it follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate and vowed to appeal.

The entire issue at hand stems from Irelands extremely favorable corporate tax. The country levies a 12.5 percent tax on corporations, compared to a 35 percent corporate tax in the United States.

Apple cut a deal with the country to take an even more generous deal in exchange for headquartering the European branch of its company in the country. The agreement allows Apple to sell its products with a tax of lower than one percent. Because Apple completes its sales throughout Europe through its Ireland headquarters most of its sales in the region are barely taxed, generating huge profits for the company.

Apple is the largest private employer in Cork, Irelands second-largest city. According to the Guardia n, economists estimate Apples operations in the country generate around 19 billion annually in salaries, taxes and investment.

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On Tuesday, the Islamic State claimed credit for Monday evenings attack in Berlin in which a truck drove through a Christmas market, killing twelve and injuring more than 50. Authorities are still scrambling to uncover all the details  starting with the perpetrator  of the attack. But even while details remain sketchy, many right-wing politicians inside and outside Germany were quick to blame refugees, and in particular, Germanys refugee-friendly Chancellor Angela Merkel.

German police on Tuesday released their initial suspect, a 23-year old asylum seeker from Pakistan, after preliminary investigations made it hard to place him at the scene of the crime. They warned that the perpetrator could still be on the loose, and could still be armed. The State Department has not released any travel alert or warning for Germany at the time of this writing.

Many in Europe, after a couple years buffeted by waves of migrants and a spate of terror attacks from Nice to Istanbul, are primed to pin the blame on asylum seekers they say are a potential Trojan horse. German Member of European Parliament Marcus Pretzell, who represents the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Deutscheland (AfD) party, said on Monday that the victims of the attack were Merkels dead. AfD leader Frauke Petry, who once compared multicultural societies to compost heaps, attacked calls for humanity by the center-left SPD party as political correctness.

Marine le Pen, head of Frances National Front party and a presidential candidate, wasted no time reacting. How many massacres and deaths will be necessary for our governments to stop bringing in a considerable number of migrants into our communities without borders, when we know that Islamist terrorists are among them? she said in a statement released Monday night.

In the U.K., former UKIP leader and Brexiter champion Nigel Farage chimed in, saying Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.

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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump painted the attack as an assault on Christians, even before it was clear who may have carried it out. ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad, he said in a statement released Monday night.

The Christmas market attack had other, if indirect, ripples in the United States, too. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, asked Trump in a letter Tuesday to give states more leeway in deciding how many refugees they accept from countries with ties to terrorism.

Last year, over a million refugees and migrants poured into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa; some politicians fear this open door allowed terrorist cells to sneak in and set up shop in Europe. The Islamic State claimed credit for two attacks in the German town of Ansbach in July, carried out by asylum seekers. And in August, a young Afghan asylum seeker attacked passengers on a train with an axe and knife before being shot dead by police.

Merkels Germany was the largest European recipient of refugees  and pushed other EU states to take in more migrants, creating a furious backlash in countries like Hungary. Though the refugee flow lessened this year, Merkel has paid a political price for her stance. As she girds for a shot at reelection as chancellor in 2017, a groundswell of opposition from anti-immigrant and populist parties have pushed her to the right.

In September, after her CDU partys historic defeat in regional elections  colored by AfDs surprising gains in her home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern  Merkel admitted her government handled the refugee influx poorly, and reportedly mulled tightening the countrys refugee policies. And earlier this month, she endorsed a public ban on full-face veils, a year after her party rejected such a ban, in an apparent move to win back support of a population wary of refugees.

That population isnt the only one wary these days. We have faced tremendous hardships on our way to reach Europe, one Pakistani refugee in Bonn told Deutsche Welle. And if it is proven that a Pakistani refugee has committed a terrorist act in Berlin, Im afraid this will make things worse for us.

Photo credit: Michele Tantussi/Getty Images
Berlin

A truck drove into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday night, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called "a cruel attack."

"The truck was deliberately driven into the people who wanted to spend a peaceful and happy evening," Germany's interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, told reporters on Tuesday.

German investigators are treating the incident as an act of terrorism. The White House on Monday called it a terrorist attack, and Merkel said German authorities were investigating under the assumption that terrorism was involved.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the Monday-night carnage. The German police have one suspect in custody, but it is unclear whether he was the truck driver.

Terrorist groups have long been urging supporters to attack "infidels" with cars, however. Vehicles were used in attacks at Ohio State University in the US late last month and in Nice, France, in July.

In November, an Ohio State student drove into a group of pedestrians on campus before stabbing people with a butcher knife. Eleven people were sent to the hospital with injuries. A campus police officer killed the attacker at the scene.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, and supporters of the group were spreading information about it through online channels shortly after it happened. The attacker, 18-year-old Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a US resident from Somalia, was thought by authorities to have cited the late Al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki on Facebook.

While it's still unclear whether any one group inspired the Ohio State attack, terrorism analysts were quick to note that it closely mirrored recent ISIS propaganda.

In the past two months, English-language ISIS propaganda magazines have called for vehicle and knife attacks on Western targets. The November issue of Rumiyah, for example  a new magazine from the terrorist group aimed at English-language speakers  included an article titled "Just Terror Tactics" that outlined ideal vehicles to use in terror attacks.

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Rumiyah

"Though being an essential part of modern life, very few actually comprehend the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle and its capacity of reaping large numbers of casualties if used in a premeditated manner," the article said.

The article also cited the attack in Nice in July, in which a man who authorities said was an ISIS supporter killed 86 people by plowing into a crowd with a truck on Bastille Day.

"Vehicles are like knives, as they are extremely easy to acquire," the article said.

Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, the ISIS spokesman who was killed in August, had also called for these types of attacks.

"If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of their allies," he said in 2014. "Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him."

Al Qaeda has also put out global calls to attack Westerners with cars.

In the second issue of its English-language magazine Inspire, the terrorist group referred to pickup trucks as "the ultimate mowing machine."

"The idea is to use a pickup truck as a mowing machine, not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah," the magazine article says.

berlin

ISIS, in particular, has increasingly been relying on external attacks as it has been losing territory in the Middle East, where its self-declared caliphate lies.

When the terrorist group first rampaged across Iraq and Syria claiming territory, it encouraged supporters to travel to territory under its control, but recent ISIS rhetoric has shifted to focus on encouraging people to mount attacks in their home countries.

Sometimes these attacks are directed by ISIS leadership, but sometimes they are carried out by lone actors who don't have any significant contact with ISIS members.

ISIS is likely to claim a role in the Berlin attack only if it is publicly confirmed that the truck driver had an ISIS allegiance, said Rita Katz, the director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist organizations.

The German police took a suspect into custody Monday night in connection with the Berlin attack, and reports circulated that he was a 23-year-old from Pakistan who had sought asylum in Germany in early 2016. He was known to the German police because of petty crimes but did not have any known links to terrorism.

The police subsequently said they were unsure whether they believed the suspect in custody was the driver of the truck.

"We have the wrong man," a high-ranking police official told Welt.de. "And thus a new situation. As the real culprit is still armed at large and can cause new damage."

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AMMAN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Islamic State militants claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a shootout at a Crusader castle in the southern Jordanian city of Karak in which at least nine people including a Canadian tourist were killed.

An Islamic State statement said four IS fighters undertook the operation on Sunday that ended in their deaths. Jordanian officials have not said who they suspect in the attack though security sources said the perpetrators were Jordanian nationals.

Jordanian police said late on Sunday that they had killed four "terrorist outlaws" after flushing them out of the castle where they were holed up after an exchange of fire that lasted several hours. Security forces were able to release around 10 tourists unharmed. At least 30 people were taken to hospital.

Interior Minister Salamah Hamad said on Monday at least five suicide belts were found, together with an ammunition cache, automatic weapons and explosives in a hideout in a house in the desert town of Qatranah, 30 km (20 miles) northeast of Karak.

The gunmen had fled to Karak after an exchange of fire with the police, Hamad said. Based on the quantities of explosives and weapons, "I don't think the target was just Karak castle, it's more," he added. He would not elaborate, saying disclosing details at this stage could imperil national security.

Jordan has been relatively unscathed by the uprisings, civil wars and Islamist militancy that have swept the Middle East since 2011, but maintains a high level of vigilance.

However, it is among the few Arab states that have taken part in a U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State militants holding territory in Syria and Iraq. Many Jordanians oppose their country's involvement, saying it has led to the killing of fellow Muslims and raised security threats inside Jordan.

Last November three U.S. military trainers were shot dead when their car was fired on by a Jordanian army member at the gate of a military base. Washington disputed the official Jordanian version that they were shot at for failing to stop, and said it did not rule out political motives.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman and Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Jerusalem (AFP) - The Israeli government Tuesday asked the country's supreme court for a "final" extension of a deadline to evict 40 families from a West Bank settlement outpost, the justice ministry said.

The court ruled in 2014 that the settlers at Amona, northeast of Ramallah, must go because the outpost was found to have been built on private Palestinian land in the occupied territory.

It gave them two years to relocate, ordering they must be gone by December 25, 2016.

In a last-ditch effort to avoid evicting the politically influential settlers by force, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came up with a plan Sunday to relocate their hilltop outpost peacefully.

Now he needs more time in which to implement it.

"The state filed to the court a request for a final postponement of 45 days from the deadline set by the court, that is to say until February 8, 2017," the justice ministry said in a statement.

It did not say when the court would deliver its response.

The agreement envisions moving 24 of the 40 families to a nearby parcel of land considered to be abandoned.

Another parcel would be reserved for the remaining families.

Amona residents said in a statement that the plan would see a total of 52 homes and public structures erected in the new areas.

But legal issues linked to the two plots could still pose problems.

Rights group Yesh Din said the Palestinian landowner of one of the plots in question was filing an appeal against the plan.

The dispute over whether to demolish the outpost has taken on international importance because of concern over settlement expansion in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967.

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, are seen as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not.

Settlements such as Amona are called outposts -- those that Israel has not approved.

Israeli settlements are seen as major stumbling blocks to peace efforts as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.
A judge Monday sentenced a former Wells Fargo Bank employee to four years of probation for stealing $3,000 from teller drawers.

Katherine Worster, 57, pleaded no contest to two counts of felony theft. She and the state agreed to restitution of $3,000, but the state alleged she took thousands more while she was a service manager supervising tellers.

In July 2014, the bank contacted Lincoln police after an audit showed it was missing $75,990 from two teller drawers between Jan. 1, 2013, and July 12, 2014.

Worster resigned later that month.

Police said she admitted taking money twice. Her attorney said investigators never looked into whether others may have contributed to the total loss.

Worster said she is sorry it happened.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Morgan Smith argued for prison time, but Lancaster County District Judge Andrew Jacobsen said he didn't know that incarceration would serve any purpose.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he is looking into bringing wounded civilians from the shattered Syrian city of Aleppo to the Jewish state for treatment.

"I've asked the foreign ministry to seek ways to expand our medical assistance to the civilian casualties of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo," he said at a year-end reception for foreign media.

"We're prepared to take in wounded women and children, and also men if they're not combatants... bring them into Israel, take care of them in our hospitals as we've done with thousands of Syrian civilians," he said.

"We're looking into the ways of doing this," he added. "It's being explored as we speak."

Israel and its northern neighbour have formally been at war for decades but following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war it has been treating casualties, including wounded fighters.

More than 2,000 Syrians have been treated in Israeli hospitals since 2013, according to the Israeli army.

Syrian government forces last week moved to assert full control over east Aleppo, which had been held by opposition fighters since 2012.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of city since the operation began, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The World Health Organization said the Aleppo evacuees included about 300 people needing medical treatment, among them dozens of children.

"The huge majority of these patients have trauma injuries," spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said, adding that 93 people in critical condition had been referred to hospitals in Turkey.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has the support of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement and, since last year, the Russian air force.

Hezbollah, which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006, has sent thousands of its fighters to support Syrian government troops.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

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The Jewish state has sought to limit its involvement in the conflict, but has carried out sporadic sorties against Hezbollah inside Syria.

Israel says it reserves the right to stop the group acquiring sophisticated weapons from Syria and Iran and threatening Israel from both its Lebanese base and positions in Syria.

"We dont let the Syrian war or aggression from Syria spill over into our territory," Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"You know our position and my red lines. We keep them -- stringently."
Amona Outpost (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - When a voice crackled from speakers on the cold and rainy West Bank hilltop finally announcing a deal, hundreds of young Jewish protesters who had camped out reluctantly started to leave.

The youths with dangling sidelocks and knitted skullcaps were suspending their campaign following Sunday's agreement, but the power of their cause had already been made clear.

A long-running drama over the future of the small Jewish outpost of Amona in the occupied Palestinian territory, where the youths were protesting, has rocked Israeli politics and demonstrated the influence of the country's far-right.

Though only 40 families live in mainly caravan homes on the hilltop, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government found itself tied in knots over how to remove them before a court-ordered December 25 deadline, resulting in Sunday's deal.

The controversy has led to a wider debate over the future of the West Bank and of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, long the focus of peace efforts but a possibility many now see as fading.

Religious nationalists in Netanyahu's coalition used Amona to push for the legalisation of several thousand other Israeli settler homes in the West Bank -- a measure that may yet pass.

They also advanced their argument for what they would like to see happen over the long-term: Israel annexing most of the West Bank.

Some analysts see the argument as gaining more traction than ever, particularly with Donald Trump taking office as US president in January.

"I believe that we are witnessing now a slow but clear move from both ends of the political rainbow toward serious consideration of the possibility of annexation of some of the (Palestinian) territories," Yedidia Stern of The Israel Democracy Institute think-tank told AFP.

- 'Protect the land' -

Israeli settlements are seen as major stumbling blocks to peace efforts as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of a future state of their own.

Story continues

All are considered illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not.

Settlements such as Amona are called outposts -- those that Israel has not approved.

While it may seem unlikely that 40 families on a hilltop could wield such heavy influence, Amona became symbolic.

Netanyahu was forced to move carefully even though the outpost was under the high court order to be evacuated because it was found to have been built on private Palestinian land.

The settlers were refusing to leave, while their supporters from within and outside the government rushed to their defence.

In 2006, the demolition of nine permanent houses in the same outpost led to clashes, and Netanyahu was eager to avoid violence this time.

When the residents rejected a government proposal last week that would have moved 12 of the families to a nearby plot, several hundred hardline youths filed into Amona to head off a feared imminent forced evacuation.

By Sunday, they had drilled and welded fortifications inside Amona's synagogue, with metal rods and chains put in place.

Vowing to peacefully resist, they slept on the floor inside the synagogue, in residents' homes and in cars.

Some took up positions on top of a water tower, while others at one point blocked roads with debris and scattered nails on the tarmac.

"We came to protect the land, to show that we won't give up without a fight," a protester in a black skullcap who declined to give his name said at the synagogue before dawn Sunday.

"After God gave us this land, we cannot give it up to the Arabs," said the young man.

At one point Sunday, youths shouted down Housing Minister Yoav Galant and blocked his car.

- 'Did the impossible' -

A new offer was made to the residents after an all-night negotiating session that would move 24 families to a nearby plot.

Each family was also offered up to 200,000 shekels (50,000 euros, $52,000) in compensation, according to Israeli media reports, though Amona residents have not confirmed it.

Following hours of debate and a vote, they accepted, potentially ending the threat of a forced evacuation, though legal hurdles remain.

However, Israeli leaders may now face a bigger controversy.

As part of negotiations over Amona, Education Minister Naftali Bennett put forward a bill that would legalise some 4,000 West Bank settler homes built on private Palestinian land.

The bill has been approved by parliament in a first reading and requires two more.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has warned it could subject Israeli officials to prosecution at the International Criminal Court, but there has been little sign that it will be abandoned.

Bennett, from the hardline Jewish Home party, favours annexing most of the West Bank and has made no secret of his opposition to a Palestinian state.

Such religious nationalists point to the Jewish connection to the land from biblical times.

Netanyahu, for his part, faces the task of holding together his right-wing coalition and avoiding being seen as opposing the settler movement.

Eli Greenberg, a spokesman for Amona residents, said the outpost's resistance had allowed the cause of settlement building to move forward.

Speaking last week on the front deck of his mobile home overlooking a hillside, Greenberg said: "We did the impossible.

"Amona people took the stars down to earth."
PARMA, Italy, Dec 20 (Reuters) - An Italian court on Tuesday acquitted four former JPMorgan executives from accusations of fraudulent bankruptcy in a probe over the U.S. bank's role in the 2003 collapse of dairy group Parmalat , a judicial source said.

A judge in the northern Italian town of Parma where the Parmalat is headquartered ruled in favour of a request from prosecutors to acquit JPMorgan's former Italy head Federico Imbert, his deputy Gabriele Schiavi as well as top executives Alessandro Mitrovich and Alessandro Rombelli.

Parmalat collapsed at the end of 2003 with a 14 billion euros hole in its accounts. The crisis erupted when the company said a 4 billion euro bank account held by a Cayman Islands unit did not exist, forcing management to seek bankruptcy protection and triggering a criminal fraud probe.

The JPMorgan former executives had been accused of hastening the bankruptcy of Parmalat by helping the company issue bonds when it was already facing financial problems.

(Reporting by Valentina Accardo, writing by Valentina Za)
MILAN (AP)  Italy's new government is asking parliament to approve up to an additional 20 billion euros ($21 billion) in funding to rescue Italy's troubled banks, if necessary.

The Cabinet approved the measure late Monday, as Italy's third-largest lender, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, is seeking to raise 5 billion euros in the markets to stay afloat. Investors signaled their doubts about the operation, with its share price dropping by 11 percent before the government's announcement.

Parliament must vote before the new funding can be allocated.

Concern that Monte dei Paschi may need a state bailout before year-end comes amid broad concerns about Italy's banking system, which is weighed down by some 360 billion euros in bad loans that banks will struggle to repay due to the weak economy.
(Repeats Monday story without changes)

* Govt to seek approval to borrow 20 bln euros for banks

* Must raise 5 bln euros in capital, sell bad loans this year

* Government ready to step in if plan falls through

* Atlante agrees to go ahead with investment

* Go

By Valentina Za and Stephen Jewkes

MILAN, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The Italian government decided on Monday to seek parliamentary approval to borrow 20 billion euros to underwrite the stability of its wobbly banking sector, starting with a likely bail-out of No. 3 lender, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, as early as this week.

Monte dei Paschi, recently judged the weakest of the European Union's major banks, needs to dispose of a mountain of bad loans and raise 5 billion euros in capital by the end of this month or else face the risk of being wound down by the European Central Bank.

Italy's Economy minister said on Monday the money it was seeking could be used to guarantee adequate liquidity in the banking system.

"These resources could also be used as part of a programme to boost capital at banks," he said in a press conference.

A government bailout could come as early as this week, if Monte dei Paschi fails to pull off its own privately funded rescue plan.

But it could prove to be politically explosive for the week-old administration of Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, given that investors are required to bear losses under EU bailout rules.

Earlier on Monday, however, the bank received some rare good news in relation to its faltering rescue plan. A key investor that was reconsidering its commitment to the plan issued a statement saying that its concerns had been resolved.

"(Quaestio)... has agreed to approve the Term Sheet for the senior bridge loan as agreed with the financing banks," the investor, private bank rescue fund Atlante, said.

Atlante has committed to spending 1.5 billion euros to buy some of Monte dei Paschi's bad loans, despite having expressed "deep reservations" in a Dec. 17 letter over the terms of a bridge loan that Monte dei Paschi had secured as part of the sale of bad loans.

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Even with Atlante's commitment to participate in the private rescue bid, Monte dei Paschi is still not assured to raise enough money to avoid the need of a state bailout.

Its 5 billion euros cash call is meant to conclude on Thursday, but is not underwritten by a consortium of investment banks.

Monte dei Paschi shares closed before both Atlante's statement and the government's announcement, having lost 11 percent and wiped out a week's gains.

Under a state bailout, the government would inject capital into Monte dei Paschi only after the forced conversion of 4.1 billion euros worth of subordinated bonds into shares, a source said on Friday.

As part of its own rescue plan, Monte dei Paschi has taken out a 4.7 billion euro bridge loan with JPMorgan, Mediobanca, Credit Suisse and HSBC, said another source, familiar with the loan.

JPMorgan and Mediobanca have been working on the bank's rescue plan and have already come under fire from opposition politicians who object to them earning fees in the event of a state bailout, especially fees accruing on the bridge loan.

Monte dei Paschi needs the loan to help complete the sale of 28 billion euros of gross bad debts, which are to be repackaged as debt securities worth 9 billion euros.

The loan is worth around half of that, but it is secured against all the securities -- which was the source of concern for Atlante, said a source familiar with the matter.

Atlante, whose shareholders include Italy's top banks and insurers as well as state-owned entities, is due to buy a 1.5 billion euro tranche of the securities.

It could see its notes claimed by the four banks if the bridge loan is not repaid. ($1 = 0.9579 euros) (Additional reporting by Paola Arosio and Crispian Balmer; Editing by Mark Bendeich/Keith Weir/Anna Willard)
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - After threatening South Sudan with a U.N. arms embargo to encourage steps toward peace, the United States wants to impose the measure, but the 15-member Security Council is split and Washington cannot even convince ally Japan. U.S. frustration with Tokyo's resistance to an embargo and additional targeted sanctions spilled over on Monday when Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, publicly questioned the reluctance of Japan, which last month deployed troops to a U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. "It's a highly questionable logic to think that the way to keep your peacekeepers safe is to not support an arms embargo," Power told reporters. "Why would it be good for your peacekeepers to have a government whose people are starving spend what little money it has on weapons  large weapons systems  instead of on food?" she said. "It is in everyone's interest, including the peacekeepers, for there to be fewer heavy weapons." U.N. diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Japan privately expressed displeasure, describing Power's remarks as "not helpful and counterproductive." Political rivalry between South Sudan President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and his former deputy Riek Machar, a Nuer, led in 2013 to civil war that often has followed ethnic lines. The pair signed a peace deal last year, but fighting has continued. Machar fled in July and is now in South Africa. U.N. peacekeepers have been in South Sudan since the nation gained independence from Sudan in 2011, and there currently are some 13,700 U.N. troops and police in the country. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday told the Security Council that he feared genocide was about to start in South Sudan unless immediate action is taken, renewing his months-old plea for an arms embargo. Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, though, suggested on Tuesday that now was not the right time for an arms embargo and further sanctions. To be adopted, a resolution needs nine votes and no vetoes. Diplomats say that so far seven members were in favor, with the remaining eight planning to abstain or vote no. Council veto powers Russia and China are skeptical that an arms embargo would achieve much in a country awash in weapons, but diplomats did not expect them to block the measure. They said lobbying by the United States and other Western council members has focused on Japan and African members Senegal and Angola. Power wants to put the measure to a vote by the end of the year, and she appealed on Monday for her colleagues "to prepare to vote your conscience." "Arms embargo, probably it's not the answer; we want answers to the situation in South Sudan," Angola's U.N. Ambassador Ismael Abraao Gaspar Martins told reporters. "It may not be respected, and we create other problems." (Additional reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo; Editing by Alistair Bell)
* To review drug prices each year, instead of every two years

* Scope of review to include all prescription drugs

* Follows drastic price cuts for two blockbuster drugs (Adds analyst comment on impact of potential cuts)

By Ritsuko Shimizu

TOKYO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Japan said on Tuesday it will step up the pace and expand the scope of drug price reviews, one of the most aggressive measures it is taking to rein in ballooning healthcare costs for a rapidly ageing nation.

The plans, which follow drastic price cuts for two blockbuster drugs, have been opposed by drugmakers worried about hits to revenue and who argue that frequent reviews will stifle investment by creating greater uncertainty over pricing.

They also come amid a backlash against the high costs of a new wave of medicines for cancer and other serious diseases. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has promised to "bring down drug prices", while a number of European countries have taken a hard line on treatments deemed not to offer value for money.

Japan, the world's third-largest market for prescription medicines, said it now plans to review its official pricing every year instead of once every two years and will expand the scope of the review to include all prescription drugs.

Previously the government only reviewed drug prices where there was a large discrepancy between the official price - which determines how much medical providers are reimbursed by the National Health Insurance system - and the actual price used when drugmakers sell to wholesalers.

"The new regulations...will reduce the burden on the public while also improving the quality of healthcare in the country," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

The government spent 7.9 trillion yen ($67 billion) on prescription drugs in the last financial year, and the change reflects a economic advisory panel recommendation that such a move could save 190 billion yen a year in healthcare costs.

Details of the review criteria will be determined next year but market participants said they were drawing some comfort from comments by Health Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki that while the scope of the review had been expanded, it did not mean across-the-board cuts.

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"We regret the introduction of the annual re-pricing and the nature of the process - it was a hurried process that didn't allow the sort of consultations we would like to have seen," said Simon Collier, director general of the Japan branch of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.

He added that he expected some impact on drug prices but hopefully it would not be enormous.

IMPACT ON GENERICS, BIG SELLERS

The next review under the current system will occur in 2018 and annual reviews will take place after that.

The most impact is likely to be seen in generic drugs, which have big gaps between official prices and market prices, and on drugs that are rapidly adopted after approvals for new indications as those prices may now be reviewed four times a year, said Atsushi Seki, an analyst at UBS Securities.

"This could be painful for the industry if price cuts are implemented in a way that is a penalty for success. It could be that foreign drug makers will be discouraged from embarking on lengthy clinical trials," Seki said.

It was not immediately clear if more drastic cuts for blockbuster drugs would be in the offing.

Last month, the government halved the price of cancer drug Opdivo, developed by Bristol Myers Squibb Co and Ono Pharmaceutical Co, on fears that a rapid uptake of the medicine would prove an intolerable burden on the healthcare system.

The cut brought Opdivo, which has been approved in Japan for advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and kidney cancer, more into line with pricing in the United States.

Earlier this year, the government also cut the price of Gilead Science Inc's hepatitis C drug Sovaldi by about a third.

Other measures being considered by the government to reduce costs include restrictions on some medicines to patient groups who show the best response or to certain specialist centres.

The government has asked industry bodies to draw up such guidelines for Opdivo and similar medicines as well as for Amgen Inc's Repatha, a potent but expensive cholesterol fighter.

($1 = 117.1300 yen) (Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu; Additional reporting by Linda Sieg, Naomi Tajitsu, Izumi Nakagawa, Marika Tsuji and Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's space agency said on Tuesday it had successfully launched a solid fuel rocket named Epsilon-2, the latest in Tokyo's effort to stay competitive in an industry that has robust growth potential and strong security implications. The 26-meter-long rocket, launched at about 8 p.m. (1100 GMT) from the Uchinoura Space Centre in southern Japan, released a satellite for studying radiation belts around the earth soon after the lift-off, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said. The Epsilon-2 three-stage rocket is part of a new generation of solid propellant rockets and makes it possible for launch costs to be reduced up to one third, according to JAXA. Curbing costs for rocket launches is important as more emerging economies aim to put communication and weather satellites in space and Japan faces stiff competition with U.S. and European rivals such as Arianespace. (Reporting by James Daniels; editing by Ralph Boulton)
* Firms beef up higher margin materials to stabilise earnings

* Sumitomo Metal to spend $153 mln on battery materials plant

* JX eyes increased output of materials for electric vehicles

By Yuka Obayashi

TOKYO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Stung by years of falling base metals prices, Japanese mining and smelting firms are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in specialised materials used in electric vehicles, smartphones and a host of everyday electronic devices.

Companies such as Sumitomo Metal Mining and JX Nippon Mining & Metals, a unit of JX Holdings, are seeking a steady revenue stream in the face of narrow smelting margins and recent heavy write-offs on base metals mines.

The firms hope to cash in on a push by global automakers into electric vehicles as well as new uses for their metals in the coming era of the Internet of Things when everything from screwdrivers to cars is expected to be linked to the Internet.

"We want to stabilise our income by nurturing our materials operation into our third business pillar [along with mining and smelting]," Yoshiaki Nakazato, President at Sumitomo Metal Mining told an analyst meeting.

Specialised materials made from metals in the form of powders, foil and plate to make super-thin film are used in products from batteries for electric vehicles through to appliances like smartphones, airconditioners and rice cookers.

They command high margins due to the difficulties of manufacture and the need for high performance.

Sumitomo Metal, Japan's biggest nickel smelter, is set to invest 18 billion yen ($153 million) to boost output of cathode material for Panasonic's electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries (LiB) to meet demand from Tesla Motors.

With electric vehicle (EV) sales expected to rise sharply, research firm Fuji Keizai sees the amount of cathode material used in onboard LiBs jumping nine-fold by 2020 from 2014. The material used in cylinder LiBs, used in Tesla's EV battery along with mobile phone chargers and other devices, will nearly double by 2020.

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"The business environment is headed in a positive direction as Toyota Motor is reportedly entering the EV market by 2020," Nakazato told last month's meeting, following local media reports the world's top-selling automaker is looking at mass producing long-range EVs by 2020.

The move comes as the United States, China and European countries are encouraging automakers to make more all-electric battery cars as they push alternative energy strategies.

JX also hopes to capitalise on the growing smart car market.

The nation's biggest copper producer plans to start mass production of hyper tin, a new plating used in connectors between electronic parts in smart cars and other devices, at a plant near Tokyo in fiscal 2017/18, followed by a new production line at a plant in central Japan, a company spokesman said.

It is also looking at boosting production of semiconductor targets, used to make metal thin film just several billionths of a metre thick, and rolled copper foil.

RAPID CHANGE

A common concern is that rapidly changing technology in electronics and automobile equipment means specific materials may become either commoditised or quickly outdated.

"The materials or the parts which are used now may not be used some years later. So we need to keep up with these changes and stay ahead of competitors," said an official at a base metals company, who asked not be named.

However, analysts said the sector was set to grow.

The changes at Sumitomo Metal could help it more than double recurring profit from its material business to 14.4 billion yen ($123 million) by 2018/19 from three years earlier, said Daiwa Securities' analyst Shinichiro Ozaki.

"Sumitomo Metal is making the right moves as stronger materials will help it diversify the risk of profit swings, and because the materials market has growth potential," he said.

Mitsubishi Materials is also reinforcing its downstream businesses, buying a UK firm for about $300 million in September to broaden its copper processing business with a focus on automobiles and medical equipment.

Smaller rivals Dowa Holdings and Furukawa Co Ltd are investing in research and development for electronic materials.

($1 = 117.2900 yen)

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Japan's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in favour of the central government in its bid to relocate a US airbase on Okinawa, dealing a significant blow to the plan's opponents led by the island's governor.

The Japanese and US governments want the base in the middle of a crowded city moved to a sparsely populated area for safety reasons. But many Okinawans want it relocated off the island altogether.

Okinawa is strategically situated in the East China Sea from where US troops and aircraft can react to potential conflicts throughout Asia. It has been a bastion of American military power since the end of World War II.

Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga had tried to block efforts to reclaim land for the new offshore facility and he and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe filed rival lawsuits in a bid to settle the issue.

In September a high court ruled that the central government's position should be respected because it has "fundamental responsibility" for Japan's defence and diplomacy.

The Okinawan government appealed that decision but was dismissed by the Supreme Court Tuesday.

"I am deeply disappointed and concerned," Onaga told reporters after the ruling.

"Building the new base, which cannot gain support from local residents, is unacceptable," he said.

Tokyo and Washington first proposed moving the Futenma air base, a Marine Corps facility, back in 1996 but insisted it remain on Okinawa.

Local campaigners want a replacement to be built elsewhere in Japan or overseas, saying they cannot tolerate noise, accidents and crimes committed by US service members.

The Supreme Court decision came a day after the Marines resumed flights of a controversial hybrid aircraft after one crash-landed just off Okinawa's coast last week.

No one was killed when the MV-22 Osprey went down but the accident sparked fresh local anger. In response, the Marines suspended flights of the tilt-rotor aircraft in Japan pending an investigation but resumed them on Monday.

More than half the 47,000 American troops in Japan under a decades-long security alliance are stationed on Okinawa, the site of a major World War II battle that was followed by a 27-year US occupation.

A series of crimes including rapes, assaults and hit-and-run accidents by military personnel, their dependants and civilians have long sparked protests.
A breach of a University of Nebraska-Lincoln computer server potentially exposed thousands of student names, ID numbers and grades to an outside source, campus officials said Tuesday.

In a letter sent to approximately 30,000 current and former students, UNL said an unauthorized breach of a server hosting a math placement exam occurred sometime in the last two years.

"The University's investigation found that there was unauthorized external access to information on this server including possible access to files containing both names and NU IDs," said the letter, written by Joseph Francisco, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Mark Askren, vice chancellor for information technology.

The source of the server breach is not known, UNL spokesman Steve Smith said. A routine scan of the server during a system update alerted UNL to the breach.

No Social Security numbers, credit card information or other personal data was stored on the server, which has been shut down.

"Currently, we have no evidence that anyone has used this information for illegal or malicious activity," the letter states.

UNL, however, is asking current and former students who use its MyRed system to change their passwords and monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity.
After she penned an emotional essay in response to Donald Trumps election win, Jennifer Lawrence received plenty of positive feedback, but also quite a bit of backlash. During an interview on Good Morning America on Monday, Lawrence revealed that she understands the frustrated response, but also acknowledged the need to recognize the divide in the country.

I didnt mean to speak to only people who voted for Hillary [Clinton], Lawrence said in the interview with Michael Strahan. I meant to just speak to the divide  for any presidential candidate, being very extreme is scary, left or right.

In the essay, Lawrence discussed the need for Americans, especially women, people of color, immigrants, and members of the LGBT community, to push as hard as possible for progress. She also urged the public to not place blame on other individuals for Clintons defeat.

In the GMA interview, Lawrence noted that the young women who were pre-teens when they started following her during The Hunger Games are currently of voting age, and still pay attention to her actions and values.

When the election happened, I couldnt help but think of those girls who are 18, she said. I completely understand when people say, Just shut up and act. But for me there are times where I feel a real need to speak to those girls.

Watch the video above.

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By David Ingram

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two former aides to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have asked a federal judge to toss out their convictions in the "Bridgegate" lane closure scandal, arguing that the jury was wrongly instructed and that prosecutors had too little evidence.

Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Kelly, the Republican governor's former deputy chief of staff, filed court papers on Monday and Tuesday in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, asking for an acquittal or a new trial. They were convicted on Nov. 4.

Baroni and Kelly were accused of shutting down access lanes to the George Washington Bridge, which the port authority calls the world's busiest span, in September 2013 in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

The blockage created massive traffic jams over a period of days that, according to prosecutors, were intended to punish the town's Democratic mayor, Mark Sokolich, for declining to endorse Christie's re-election campaign.

Prosecutors have not charged Christie, who has been a close associate of President-elect Donald Trump. Christie has denied having had any advance knowledge of the scheme although Kelly testified during the trial that she told him about the lane closures a month before they occurred.

A jury found Baroni and Kelly guilty on all counts, including fraud, conspiracy and depriving the residents of Fort Lee of their civil rights.

In court papers on Tuesday, Kelly's lawyer faulted U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton for telling jurors in response to a question that they could convict for conspiracy even if the act itself was not "intentionally punitive toward Mayor Sokolich."

The instruction meant that prosecutors did not have to prove motive, although their case had revolved around the alleged political retribution.

"The court's answer was a misstatement of the law, constructively amended the indictment and denied Ms. Kelly her constitutional right to a unanimous jury verdict," her attorney, Michael Critchley, wrote.

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A spokesman for New Jersey's chief federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, declined to comment.

Baroni's attorneys gave separate reasons for an acquittal or new trial in court papers filed on Monday. They said that prosecutors, searching for a law that would apply in an unusual case, took too broad a reading of a statute that makes it a crime to "misapply" Port Authority property with a value of at least $5,000.

The scandal damaged Christie politically. A Quinnipiac University poll released this month found that 77 percent of respondents in New Jersey disapproved of the once-popular Christie's job performance.

(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Will Dunham)
By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Authorities moved quickly to arrest wealthy real estate scion Robert Durst last year because they feared he would flee after his confession to multiple killings was aired in the chilling HBO documentary "The Jinx," Los Angeles prosecutors said.

Prosecutors made the disclosure in court papers filed on Monday ahead of a hearing Durst is scheduled to attend on Wednesday in Los Angeles, where he has been charged with the 2000 murder of writer Susan Berman.

Durst, 73, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with shooting Berman, his longtime friend, in Los Angeles because of what she might have known about the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen, in 1982 when the Dursts lived in New York City.

The case is likely to revive discussions not only about the investigation of Durst in his wife's disappearance, which remains unresolved, but also his 2003 acquittal by a jury in the killing of his Texas neighbor two years before.

Durst was arrested on suspicion of Berman's murder at a New Orleans hotel on March 14, 2015 - one day before the airing of the final episode of "The Jinx."

In that last episode, Durst was presented with evidence that his handwriting appeared to match that of Berman's likely killer. His voice was captured on a microphone after the interview, muttering off-camera: "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

Prosecutors in the court papers filed on Monday said Durst "confessed to killing multiple people" with those comments and they moved fast to have him arrested for Berman's slaying because they feared he would run.

"'The Jinx's' final episode ... was about to become public and defendant (Durst) was about to hear for the first time this extremely damning evidence," prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors have not said how they knew what Durst would say in the episode.

Durst told authorities in Louisiana shortly after his arrest that for as long as he could remember he smoked marijuana daily and was high on methamphetamine when he talked to "The Jinx" filmmakers, according to a transcript filed in court on Friday.

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Durst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said in a telephone interview prosecutors overstepped by releasing Durst's jailhouse interview with law enforcement, because it could taint potential jurors.

"This case needs to be tried in front of a jury that hasn't already formed an opinion," DeGuerin said.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bill Trott)
RALEIGH, NC / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / After some apparent feet-dragging, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp has agreed to pay his ex-wife Amber Heard the $7 million settlement the couple agreed to in their divorce. One report says Depp initially balked at giving the money directly to Heard, but has since agreed to pay her rather than a third party.

The couple, who were married for 15 months, have agreed to settle their divorce privately after Heard alleged that Depp had been physically and verbally violent toward her numerous times, including striking her in the face with a mobile phone. In her motion for a domestic violence restraining order, Heard included photos showing her with a bruised face and cut lip. Heard has stated that she will donate the entire $7 million settlement to charities that help victims of domestic violence.

Although most divorce cases do not unfold in the public eye in such a manner, the case has drawn attention to the important issue of domestic violence, particularly how polarizing these cases can be for both parties. Regardless of how well you know a couple, no one but the parties in the marriage truly know what occurs behind closed doors and during private moments in their own home. Whether you're a megawatt celebrity or an everyday person, it is an unfortunate reality that people tend to "take sides" in these types of cases. This can be extremely stressful and hurtful for the parties involved.

Are Divorce Settlements Normal?

Depp and Heard settled their divorce, with both releasing a joint statement to the public. In the average divorce, the parties don't release a public statement. Furthermore, Depp and Heard were not legally obligated to make a public statement, however, it's possible the statement and its contents were negotiated by the parties as part of their settlement. For example, the statement says that neither party made allegations for "financial gain." This could be aimed at speculation that Heard accused Depp of domestic violence in an attempt to secure a large settlement.

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With respect to divorce settlements, it is quite typical for a divorcing couple to end their marriage in advance of a trial. Although it's difficult to put a definitive number on how many divorces settle, it is more common for a divorce to settle than to end up in court.

North Carolina divorce lawyer Lori Vitale explains, "There are many factors that influence a divorce settlement. Some of these factors include the length of the marriage, the parties' incomes, and if the couple has any children."

Vitale Family Law: North Carolina Divorce Lawyers

If you're thinking about getting a divorce, and you are a victim of domestic violence, it's important to contact a divorce lawyer right away. There are steps you can take to ensure you are safe from a violent or abusive spouse, including asking the court for a protective order.

Media Contact:

Lori Vitale

lori@vitalefamilylaw.com

Raleigh Family Lawyers

Vitale Family Law

919-841-5680

http://www.vitalefamilylaw.com/blog/2016/12/johnny-depp-agrees-pay-amber-heard-7-million-north-carolina-divorce-lawyer-discusses-divorce-settlements/

SOURCE: Raleigh Family Lawyers via Submit Press Release 123
20 Dec - Beauty queen maker Jonas Gaffud has asked the fans of Catriona Gray to be a good sport even if their beloved beauty queen failed to make it into the top three of Miss World 2016.



As reported on PEP News, Gaffud, who is known for his role in prepping up beauty queens such as Pia Wurtzbach and Megan Young through his company, Aces & Queens, reminded some of the fans, who were upset over Gray's loss, to accept the result.



This came after some of them criticised the judging panel, saying that Indonesia's national director being part of the panel was the reason why Indonesia was placed so high in the final.



Gaffud responded by saying, "If we won, no hatred on Facebook right? But we did not. Let's be proud as Filipinos and pageant fans of our girl Catriona Gray. For us she will be always our Miss World."



He continued, "...there are other families, friends and fans who root for their girls as well. I exchanged pleasantries with an older guy who was so proud of Miss Puerto Rico and he told me, he's the father. I was touched by how happy he was for his daughter. Remember this: We are not alone in this world. There are others."



He also shared a photo of with Catriona Gray, and wrote, "A top three finish would have been great, but I was hopeful of the blue crown. Nevertheless, I am still very proud of your achievement at Miss World [Catriona Gray]. Top 5 is tough."



(Photo Source: Jonas Gaffud Instagram)
AMMAN (Reuters) - A deadly attack on the southern Jordanian city of Karak will not shake the kingdom's determination to fight militants, an official source said on Tuesday after Islamic State claimed responsibility for the assault. Gunmen shot dead at least nine people, including a Canadian tourist, during a shootout at a Crusader castle in the city on Sunday. "We will defend our country, religion and the future of our children from these terrorist gangs and their heinous and inhumane acts," the official source told Reuters. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi)
Kinshasa (AFP) - Still relatively young after 16 years leading the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila is a secretive president at the centre of a political crisis in his vast, conflict-ravaged nation.

Tuesday marked the end of the second and constitutionally mandated final term for the 45-year-old, who inherited the presidency after the 2001 assassination of his father.

But he is now refusing to leave the job that he began without much fanfare.

"With his timid voice and youth, he gave the impression at the start of being bland," wrote Belgian historian David Van Reybrouck in a landmark book on the country.

It all started so abruptly: DR Congo was riven by "Africa's Great War", in which up to five million people would die, when Kabila's father -- longtime rebel commander and president Laurent Kabila -- was killed by a bodyguard.

His son, then a general, was summoned to take the reins of the nation, and on January 26, 2001, aged just 29, was sworn in as Africa's youngest leader.

The young man spoke English and Swahili, but had trouble in French -- the country's official language -- and a poor knowledge of lingala, spoken in the capital Kinshasa.

His linguistic shortcomings, his birth in the east of the country and childhood in Tanzania left him appearing to many in Kinshasa a "man of the east" or even simply "a foreigner".

That image was not helped by his small stature as well as a fine and always impeccably trimmed moustache.

Meanwhile, Kabila and his family in the Democratic Republic of Congo have created a personal economic empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the Bloomberg News agency reported Thursday.

- 'Surrounded by hardliners' -

But taking charge of a country almost as large as western Europe, plagued by the worst war in modern African history and weakened by decades of ineffective governance, Kabila embraced international moves to end the conflicts that had brought at least six foreign armies onto Congolese soil since 1998.

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Alongside deals for the withdrawal of foreign troops, an agreement was signed in December 2002 among rival Congolese parties that launched a transition process towards democracy in the former Belgian colony, once known as Zaire.

But while a large UN mission helped prepare for free elections, the outgoing British ambassador, James Atkinson, alleged in a leaked 2004 diplomatic cable that "Kabila is surrounded by hardliners using him as a front...(and) serves the interests of those who (probably) killed his father."

A series of peace accords kept Kabila in power until he was voted into office in the 2006 general election -- the country's first free ballot in 41 years.

Kabila was born on June 4, 1971 in the Fizi territory of South Kivu province in the east of the country, where his father based his rebellion to topple dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

When the family was pursued by Mobutu's forces, the young Joseph went into exile in Tanzania at the age of five, and in 1996 took part in his father's Rwandan-backed military offensive against Mobutu.

After his father took power, Kabila was sent to China for further military training, but was called home after a new rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda broke out in 1998. He was given the rank of general.

Since assuming the presidency after his father's death, Kabila has proved a stern and steely leader, but he seldom seems at ease during official events.

Both his presidential election victories, in 2006 and 2011, led to unrest and cries of electoral fraud, and foes have also accused him of running a "parallel government" -- allegations his supporters refute.

- 'He loves discretion' -

During his decade-and-a-half in power, Kabila has cultivated an air of mystery about himself. In rare interviews, he comes across as a soft-spoken leader who modestly tries to govern a war-scarred and under-developed state.

"He has an introverted personality, he's disciplined and he loves discretion," according to a member of his inner circle.

Rebutting charges that he has given foreign mining firms juicy contracts to exploit vast mineral resources at the cost of stable development plans, Kabila insists he has acted for the good of Congo's 70 million people, who were bled dry during the 1965-97 reign of Mobutu.

Kabila, an Anglican, is married to Marie Olive Lembe Kabila, and they have a 16-year-old daughter Sifa, and a son Laurent-Desire Junior, aged eight.
Dont stop believin: Journey, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes and Joan Baez are the 2017 performer inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Veteran musician and producer Nile Rodgers will receive the halls Award for Musical Excellence. The Cleveland-based halls 32nd annual induction ceremony is set for April 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. HBO will air a special derived from the ceremony later in the year.

The 2017 selections were chosen by more than 900 music industry voters in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists become eligible for the hall 25 years after the release of their first recordings. The pool of 19 nominees for 2017 induction included such notables as Depeche Mode, Janes Addiction, Bad Brains, Janet Jackson and the Cars.

The five artists who receive the most votes make the cut for induction. In addition to the industry insiders, the hall solicits online votes by the public that are factored into the overall tally. On the fans ballot, the top vote-getters were Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes and Pearl Jam. The fifth highest-polling act among the public, the Cars, was not selected this time around.

Journey got its start in the early 1970s in the San Francisco area. The bands biggest 1980s hits remain rock radio staples, among them Dont Stop Believin, Whos Crying Now and Open Arms.

Pearl Jam emerged from the Seattles grunge scene in the early 1990s. Britains Electric Light Orchestra, led by Jeff Lynne, scored a string of pop hits in the 1970s. Yes ranks among the most enduring of Englands 1970s progressive rock outfits.

Prolific rapper Tupac Shakur has exerted outsized influence on hip-hop culture since he was murdered in 1996 at the age of 25. Joan Baez is a veteran folk musician and activist who gain fame in part through her early association with Bob Dylan.

Rodgers, a founder of the disco-era hitmakers Chic, had two big hits recently in collaboration with Pharrell Williams: Robin Thickes Blurred Lines and Daft Punks Get Lucky. Chic was also on the list of nominees for 2017 induction.

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(Pictured: Tupac Shakur, Journey and Pearl Jam)

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A California judge, decried as too lenient when he sentenced former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexual assault, showed no bias, an agency has ruled.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky committed no misconduct when handing down the controversial sentence, the California Commission on Judicial Performance determined Monday.

Read: Stanford Attacker Brock Turner May Have Lied to Probation Officers About Doing Drugs

The commission has concluded that there was no clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority, or other basis to conclude that Judge Persky engaged in judicial misconduct warranting discipline, the 11-member panel concluded in its unsigned ruling.

The commission received thousands of complaints and petitions against Persky after Turner's sentence, following the ex-student athlete's conviction in the sexual assault of an unconscious woman on campus.

The documents asserted the judge displayed gender bias and failed to take sexual assault of women seriously and that he was biased in Turners favor because he also was a former Stanford athlete.

The 21-year-old man was released from jail in September after serving three months and received three years of probation in his native Ohio, CBS News reported.

He was convicted of assaulting the woman, who had passed out near a garbage bin after a night of heavy drinking. Turner was on top of the young woman when two graduate students riding by on bicycles stopped the attack and chased Turner when he tried to run away.

They tackled him and held him until police arrived.

Read: Stanford Assault Case Judge Speaks Out: I Take Brock Turner at His Word

Prosecutors asked for a six-year sentence. The minimum was two years, but Persky handed down six months, saying Turner was young and had a previously clean criminal history.

The punishment created a backlash on social media and fueled campus protests, especially after the victim read aloud a 1,700-word letter in court to her attacker.

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You dont know me, but youve been inside me, and thats why were here today, her statement began.

You have dragged me through this hell with you, dipped me back into that night again and again. You knocked down both our towers, I collapsed at the same time you did, she wrote. If you think I was spared, came out unscathed, that today I ride off into sunset, while you suffer the greatest blow, you are mistaken.

Watch: Brock Turner Officially Registers as Sex Offender Just Days After Jail Release

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Two of the seven City Council members will not vote on Costco's request to build a 156,000-square-foot warehouse store in southwest Lincoln because they have financial conflicts of interest.

Roy Christensen and Jane Raybould were told by the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission that they have conflicts of interest and cannot participate in the discussion about Costco nor vote on plans for a Lincoln store on Pine Lake Road.

The two stepped out of Monday's council meeting before a public hearing on the issue. The council expects to vote on the Costco proposal at its Jan. 9 meeting.

Christensen said he asked the Accountability and Disclosure Commission if he had a conflict of interest after he got conflicting opinions from several local attorneys.

Costco, which sells hearings aids, would be in competition with Christensen, an audiologist who also sells hearing aids. Costco can sell hearing aids "at a retail level cheaper than I can buy them wholesale," Christensen said.

Raybould, who is an executive with B&R Stores Inc., was challenged by Costco because one the local chain's Super Saver stores is located down the street from the proposed Costco site.

Raybould said she has stated publicly her intention to vote against the Costco proposal because she represents the area and many of her constituents believe the store is not a good fit for the proposed site.

It would be difficult to say whether a Costco at that location would be a financial benefit or detriment to the Super Saver, said Raybould. It would bring more traffic to the area but is also a competing grocery store.

Costco plans to build its first Lincoln store, with gas pumps for 16 vehicles, on about 20 acres between 16th Street and Hazel Scott Drive.

The undeveloped land is being sold by Lincoln Memorial.

The Costco proposal has prompted many letters and emails, both in support of Costco's entry into the Lincoln market and opposition to the proposed location.

The site, between two schools, has drawn opposition from people living nearby who fear the development will produce too much traffic and increase risks to schoolchildren.

The site is between Lincoln Southwest High School and Scott Middle School and is only a few blocks from Adams Elementary.

Costco and the city planning department have agreed on most issues, including additional screening around the store and the use of stone or brick on the building, particularly on walls facing public streets.

But neighbors still want two traffic signals included where Pine Lake intersects with 16th Street and with 20th Street and Hazel Scott Drive. Officials have nixed the 16th and Pine Lake Road signal because the citys street access rules dont allow for stoplights that close together.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission recommended approving the Costco site, with planning staff suggestions related to screening, inclusion of stone or brick in the design and the addition of one traffic signal.

But the council and mayor have the final decision.
- By Tiziano Frateschi





Julian Robertson (Trades, Portfolio) is considered the father of hedge funds. He founded Tiger Management in 1980 with $8 million. During the third quarter, the guru increased his position in the following stocks:





Robertson's position in Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE:P) was increased by 21.51%. The trade had an impact of 1.06% on the portfolio.

The company provides internet radio services on smartphones, tablets, traditional computers and car audio systems as well as other internet-connected devices. During the third quarter, consolidated revenue grew 13% year over year and advertising revenue increased 7% from the same quarter of a year before.

GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 3 out of 10. The return on equity (ROE) of -42.94% and return on assets (ROA) of -24.11% are underperforming 93% of the companies in the Global Broadcasting - Radio industry. Financial strength has a rating of 5 out of 10. The cash-debt ratio of 0.76 is below the industry median of 0.93.

The largest shareholder of the company among the gurus is Leon Cooperman (Trades, Portfolio) with 1.17% of outstanding shares, followed by Julian Robertson (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.76%, Jeremy Grantham (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.1% and RS Investment Management (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.04%.

The guru increased his holding of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) by 13.72%. The transaction had an impact of 0.75% on the portfolio.

The company is engaged in designing, manufacturing and selling devices and online advertising. Its products include operating systems for computing devices, servers, phones and other devices. Third quarter diluted earnings per share was 60 cents for GAAP and 76 cents for non-GAAP.

GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. The ROE of 22.30% and ROA of 8.80% are outperforming 77% of the companies in the Global Software - Infrastructure industry. Financial strength has a rating of 6 out of 10. The cash-debt ratio of 1.83 is below the industry median of 6.37.

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PRIMECAP Management (Trades, Portfolio) is the largest shareholder of the company among the gurus with 0.73% of outstanding shares, followed by Jeff Ubben (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.5%, Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss with 0.3%, Ken Fisher (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.24% and Jeremy Grantham (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.22%.

The guru increased his position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) by 15.30%. The trade had an impact of 0.65% on the portfolio.

The company owns five cruise brands, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France. Net yields grew 2.9% from the same quarter of a year before. Net income was $693.3 million or $3.21 per share, an increase from $228.8 million or $1.03 per share in 2015.

GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. The ROE of 14.94% and ROA of 5.71% are outperforming 71% of the companies in the Global Leisure industry. Financial strength has a rating of 5 out of 10. The cash-debt ratio of 0.02 is below the industry median of 0.64.

The largest shareholder of the company among the gurus is PRIMECAP Management (Trades, Portfolio) with 4.91% of outstanding shares, followed by Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss with 1.83%, John Rogers (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.49%, Steven Cohen (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.24%, Meridian Funds (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.21%, Ron Baron (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.08% and John Buckingham (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.04%.

The guru increased his stake in CommScope Holding Co. Inc. (COMM) by 6.82%. The transaction had an impact of 0.39% on the portfolio.

The company is a provider of connectivity and essential infrastructure solutions for wireless, business enterprise and residential broadband networks. The company's business segments are Wireless, Enterprise and Broadband. Third quarter sales grew 33% year over year and adjusted net income increased 53% from the same quarter of a year before.

GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 5 out of 10. The ROE of 7.08% and ROA of 1.23% are underperforming 55% of the companies in the Global Communication Equipment industry. Financial strength has a rating of 4 out of 10.The cash-debt ratio of 0.11 is below the industry median of 2.04.

Lee Ainslie (Trades, Portfolio) is the largest shareholder of the company among the gurus with 8.55% of outstanding shares, followed by Steve Mandel (Trades, Portfolio) with 1.97%, John Griffin (Trades, Portfolio) with 1.96%, Diamond Hill Capital (Trades, Portfolio) with 1.29%, Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.51% and Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.34%.

The investor increased his holding of Facebook Inc. Class A (FB) by 5.90%, with an impact of 0.33% on the portfolio.

The company operates a social networking website. Its products are Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Oculus. Daily active users (DAUs) grew 17% from the same quarter of a year before and cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were $26.14 billion.

GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. The ROE of 15.76% and ROA of 14.26% are outperforming 72% of the companies in the Global Internet Content & Information industry. Financial strength has a rating of 10 out of 10 with no debt.

The largest shareholder of the company among the gurus is Frank Sands (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.74% of outstanding shares, followed by Andreas Halvorsen (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.65%, Spiros Segalas (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.32%, Steve Mandel (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.22%, Daniel Loeb (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.19%, John Griffin (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.12% and Manning & Napier Advisors Inc. with 0.11%.

Robertson added to his position in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion SAB de CV. (VLRS) by 34.49%. The trade had an impact of 0.3% on the portfolio.

It is an ultra-low-cost air carrier company. The company provides low-cost air transportation services in Mexico and the United States.

GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 7 out of 10. The ROE of 41.30% and ROA of 19.22% are outperforming 79% of the companies in the Global Airlines industry. Financial strength has a rating of 8 out of 10. The cash-debt ratio of 7.31 is above the industry median of 0.49.

The largest shareholder of the company among the gurus is Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.83% of outstanding shares, followed by PRIMECAP Management (Trades, Portfolio) with 0.12%.

Robertson added to his holding of Enzymotec Ltd. (ENZY) by 17.34%. The trade had an impact of 0.17% on the portfolio.

The company develops, manufactures, markets and sells innovative bio-functional lipid ingredients. The company's segments include Nutrition and VAYA Pharma. Third quarter gross margins increased 590 basis points to 66% from 60.1% in the third quarter of the prior year and decreased 400 basis points from 70% in the previous quarter.

GuruFocus gives the stock a profitability and growth rating of 6 out of 10. The ROE of 1.75% and ROA of 1.61% are outperforming 77% of the companies in the Global Biotechnology industry. Financial strength has a rating of 9 out of 10, with no debt.

The largest shareholder of the company among the gurus is John Paulson (Trades, Portfolio) with 18.51% of outstanding shares, followed by Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) with 1.14%.

Disclosure: I do not own any shares of any stocks mentioned in this article.

Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.










Disney/Lucasfilm

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY AHEAD.

Before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story came out, the joke was already up and running that people couldnt wait to go home and watch the sequel, a.k.a. A New Hope. On some level, everyone who set foot into their local theater over the weekend knew things were not going to end well for the members of Rogue One. They team is never mentioned in another film and Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) certainly dont show up at the medal ceremony after the Battle of Yavin. Considering Hayden Christensens young Anakin was inserted into Return of the Jedi, the idea wasnt beyond the realm of possibility, but the ending of Rogue One nixed the idea of either character returning in future installments. But theres one element that leaves the door open for a return: Felicity Jones contract with Lucasfilm.

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Earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Jones was the highest paid actor of the Rogue One cast, a non-story in my opinion as shes the star and by rights should be the highest paid cast member. But the real surprise was that sources connected to THR said Jones contract has the option of one sequel. Yet how can that be if Erso was vaporized in the aftermath of the Death Stars precise strike on Eadu? Depending on how much Lucasfilm is willing to gamble on fandoms good will, there are a couple of options. The obvious would be to set Jyn Erso down in a story prior to her run-in with the Alliance. The not-so-obvious would be to utilize the Force to save Jyn from certain death. After the emotional denouement of Rogue One, the latter would feel like cheating, yet the film has an emergency Jyn lives! switch built right into the narrative.

But first, lets assume Jyn Erso did die on that Eadu beach, cradling her not-love-interest Cassian Andor. Audiences are first introduced to her character on the prison world of Wobani at an Imperial labor camp. Forging Imperial documents, possession of stolen property, resisting arrest, and aggravated assault on all on Jyns list of crimes as read out by the Alliance. Not exactly small peanuts, as far as rebellion goes. While a memorable line from the trailer  This is a rebellion isnt it? I rebel  was removed and Jyns aggressive and undisciplined nature expunged from the final cut, hints to Jyns past remain. Why would she forge Imperial documents? Whom did she commit assault? And which of her myriad of crimes landed her on Wobani?

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All of these questions could be answered as a subplot within the young Han Solo movie scheduled for release in 2018. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich as young Han, and the ages of both Solo and Erso line up. Jyns distaste for both the Empire and the Alliance would lend itself well to a life of smuggling with a scoundrel. And considering how much Lucasfilm hates a coincidence, it is 100% like the company to tie Erso eve more tightly to the original trilogy characters via a run-in with Han Solo. It could even be that scruffy-looking nerf herders fault Jyn found herself thrown into Imperial prison. After all, hes known to drop cargo at the slightest sign of the Empire. Should Disney opt to utilize Felicity Jones contractual obligation, this is one of the most straight-forwarded approaches and leaves little room for fan ire.

However, there is another. Option that is. One that would fire up the fandom and divide it in twain because its either a cheap cop-out or brilliant bit of foreshadowing. Or both. Probably both. What if Jyn Erso survived? Impossible, you say? Nothing is impossible when you are one with the Force and the Force is with you.

The potential survival of Jyn Erso rests within the necklace given to her by her mother Lyra Erso (Valence Kane) at the beginning of the film. Lyra implores her daughter to Trust the Force, a point that is never brought up again. Without going into too much detail, the Rogue One companion novel Catalyst fleshes out Lyra as someone who cannot touch the Force but who still believes in it. An ancient hippie geologist determined to help her husband unlock the secrets of the kyber crystals for the betterment of the galaxy at large. The novel also implies (not for the first time in Star Wars lore) that kyber crystals are sentient and capable of choosing their Jedi companions. The crystal Lyra gifts to Jyn is clear, similar to the healed kyber Ahsoka Tano puts in her lightsabers after rescuing the the crystals from a Sith. Which could be a coincidence but as Lucasfilm has an entire story division, is unlikely. Im not saying Ahsoka visited the Ersos, Im merely saying it appears Lyra came into contact with a kyber crystal that has been healed of Sith influence which she then passed on to her daughter.

This significant exchange that never comes up again (unless you count Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) sensing its presence and thus getting himself and Base Malbus (Jiang Wen) involved with the Alliance. But kyber crystals have an array of powers, not all of them yet explored by Star Wars lore. So it is not outside the realm of possibility that  much like the love of Lily Potter saved her son in the Harry Potter series  Lyras good luck charm saved her daughter from certain death.

As insane as that sounds, Id kind of love this twist. One of my favorite parts from the trailer  the monologue from Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker)  could be reinserted or at least honored. What will you do when they catch you. What will you do if they break you? If you continue to fight, what will you become? With massive reshoots leading to a change in Jyn and Saws relationship, his questions were never asked. But just looking at Saw showed the toll taken on a lifelong fight as an extremist. More robotic than human, breathing through an apparatus that made him sound akin to Darth Vader, Saw Gerrara knew well the cost of battle and how the horror of war can leave indelible marks of people. Should Jyn survive the destruction of Eadu, it would be very likely shed be found by the Empire. What would a Jyn Erso whod been in their tender custody for years look like? Would her body be mostly cybernetic? Would she even remember her former life? How much of Jyn Erso would even remain? In other words, what would she become? (Oh hey, Mara Jade!)
Kate Middleton looked stunning in a Vanessa Seward dress when she stepped out to attend a charity Christmas party on Monday. The Duchess of Cambridge, along with Prince William and Prince Harry, attended the party organized by the Mix, one of the eight charities involved in the royals' mental health campaign called Heads Together.

The 34-year-old was in complete festive spirit as she sported a red and green floral print frock accessorized with a pair of hoop earrings, a black belt, a simple black clutch and pumps.

William, Kate and Harry spoke to volunteers from the Mix and heard about their personal experiences of online and telephone counseling support.

RTX2VNOS

Photo: REUTERS/Neil Hall

During a group discussion Monday, Harry suggested that young people needed to lift up their heads from their phones and iPads and focus on their mental well-being. He also praised the U.S. for supporting mental health awareness.

He was talking about how America seems to have a better understanding of mental health because they have a higher level of funding, Claire McCann, a counselor in London schools for the charity Place2Be, told People. He feels there should be a collective of mental health charities, a less complicated system for people to access, so that they dont get lost along the way.

Meanwhile, William told a deejay at the party that 3-year-old Prince George and 19-month-old Princess Charlotte are excited for the holidays.

He said the kids are really looking forward to Christmas and George is already ripping open his presents, London radio host A.J. King, an ambassador for the Mix, told People. "I said Christmas would be a bit different for his children this year and he said they would be having a family Christmas together."

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According to reports, the royals are scheduled to attend the traditional Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II, on Tuesday.

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This August, an unusual episode occurred in the center of Kiev: a public confrontation between two law enforcement agencies. In broad daylight, two black minivans parked on a sidewalk, after which 12 men  masked, wearing helmets, and carrying automatic weapons  walked into a building and brought several others outside. The brief struggle (the nature of which is, of course, disputed) pitted agents from the General Prosecutors Office (GPO) against special forces from a newly formed body, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). The NABU forces had come to the aid of several colleagues who had been confronted by GPO staff on suspicion of clandestine activity.

In the end, the tussle ended without serious bloodshed. But the clash between Ukraines two main anti-corruption bodies was emblematic of a wider political reality. We are now halfway through the first term of President Petro Poroshenko, a man who promised to do his best to dismantle the countrys corrupt networks. But, nearly three years since the Euromaidan revolution, Ukraines political order is still wholly corrupt from top to bottom. The conflict between the GPO and the NABU helps explain why.

Corruption is destroying Ukraine from within. It permeates the country on all levels  from the regular practice of bribing primary school teachers for good grades to vast schemes involving the presidents inner circle. According to Transparency Internationals latest Global Corruption Barometer, 72 percent of Ukrainians say little has changed in terms of corruption since their countrys dramatic change of power in 2014. When electronic declaration of assets recently became mandatory for politicians and civil servants, Ukrainian society was stunned by revelations of senior officials multi-million dollar cash reserves. Meanwhile, the countrys parliament has become Europes largest and most exclusive business club, costing several million dollars to join (to buy votes). But the returns are worth it, as the earnings on Ukrainian corruption would be the envy of any Silicon Valley start-up.

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Having thrust aside the authoritarian President Viktor Yanukovych, the new government attempted two different approaches to reforming the country: Cleaning up existing government institutions; and building new ones from scratch and then handing over power at the right moment. Only the second approach has proven effective. Ukraines new police force and the NABU, both recently created, are almost the only examples of real institutional change in post-revolutionary Ukraine. On the other hand, attempts to reform the rotten prosecutors office and the court system from within have failed completely. Ukraine has had four prosecutors general in three years, and not one of them showed signs of any real progress.

Today, the NABU  created with the help of the U.S. government  is Ukraines only truly independent law enforcement agency. The model was pushed by influential members of Ukraines civil society, who were inspired by the success of an analogous body in neighboring Romania. Crucial to the NABUs success is its independence from the usual corrupt networks: The law that created the body provided for competitive selection and independent vetting of its staff and ensured they would receive unusually high salaries. Artem Sytnik, the NABUs head, was selected from among nearly 200 candidates in a competitive process overseen by an independent committee. On its very first day of work in December 2015, the agency went straight for the heart of corruption  opening criminal proceedings against some of the closest associates of Ukraines president and then-prime minister.

One year later, the NABU has distinguished itself by continuing to pursue high-profile cases against corrupt actors at the very top of Ukraines post-revolutionary establishment. Its first investigation, for example, targeted fraud involving the state energy company which implicated Igor Kononenko, the right hand of the president, and the powerful Surkis brothers. In addition, the NABU has launched three cases against Nikolai Martynenko, a high-level ally of former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Investigators were able to obtain documents from Switzerland showing that the legislator had received commission payments to his Panamanian bank account for deliveries of supplies and equipment to Ukraines nuclear power stations.

Never before in Ukraine has this level of investigation been possible. So its not surprising that the countrys elite launched a war against the NABU from its very first day of operation. In fact, it was an attempt by the General Prosecutors Office to interfere with a NABU investigation that led to the open clash of armed men in the streets of Kiev this summer.

Acting Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko, who led the presidents parliamentary fraction just half a year ago, is one of the NABUs main opponents. Current legislation clearly states that no other body can investigate crimes involving corruption. But Lutsenko is obsessed with the idea of changing this legal framework to enable him, as prosecutor general, to personally determine who will investigate particular corruption cases, thereby eroding the NABUs independence.

In his first months at the post of the notoriously corrupt GPO, Lutsenko produced rhetoric that pleased Western diplomats and civil activists, promising to clean house and to prosecute the cronies of deposed former President Yanukovych. But in his attempts to undermine the NABUs independence, the prosecutor general has shown his true colors.

Other authorities, too, have come out against the NABU. The Security Service of Ukraine launched a corruption probe against a NABU staffer for the crime of teaching a course for a German foundation. And even other agencies and officials responsible for fighting graft  such as anti-corruption prosecutors and an anti-corruption policy agency  have sought to block the NABUs investigations through various legal machinations.

Surrounded on all sides, the NABU needs maximum support. This is especially important in light of the massive corruption scandals that have shocked Ukraine in recent weeks. Alexandr Onishchenko, a legislator who is hiding from justice in London, has launched a full-out assault on President Poroshenko. He claims, for example, that the fraud he is accused of committing in the gas market was committed with the presidents blessing. Onishchenko has also accused Poroshenko of systematically bribing legislators and of trying to buy media outlets to ensure their loyalty.

Onishchenko himself had also been investigated by the NABU, but evidently hoped for an intercession from Poroshenko. It is, after all, thanks to the president that he was elected in the first place: The Poroshenko bloc chose not to run a competitor in his district, clearing his way to the parliament.

In the end, the investigation of Onishchenko was thwarted  predictably  by the prosecutor general, who refused to sign his indictment in time. This sufficed to prevent an international arrest warrant from being issued, enabling Onishchenko to flee to London. There he started offering Western intelligence agencies information about corrupt dealings in Ukraine in order to try to obtain political asylum. Today, he is one of Ukraines top newsmakers, scandalizing the public with tales about recording the presidents illegal orders on his wristwatch.

Such major corruption scandals shake the foundations of Ukrainian politics several times a year. But the only result is falling support for the president, who over 60 percent of the population hold responsible for corruption. And its no wonder: Poroshenkos deoligarchization policy, announced in the spring of 2015, has failed. Ukraines privatization drive has been thwarted. The appointment of executives to state companies, meant to be a competitive process, has turned into a farce.

Instead of solving these problems, the president has been busy building his own clan of rich associates whom he intends to use as a base of support to secure his reelection to a second term. Thats why Ukraines largest state-owned enterprises have patrons among the presidents friends who pump hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state budget into the pockets of his cronies.

The NABU is the only institution corrupt officials are still afraid of. Thats why its friends are so few and its enemies so many. Its experience shows that any attempt to reform Ukraines old anti-corruption bodies is doomed to failure  instead, the country need new ones. This is particularly important on the level of the courts and prosecutors, where nothing has changed. It is inconceivable that Ukraine could ever become a normal country while its general prosecutor continues to participate in a group text chat with members of parliament, making a mockery of his pretensions to independence.

The NABU will need the United States continued support in the years to come. In fact, the agencys performance has geopolitical significance. For millions of people under the yoke of authoritarian leaders in the post-Soviet world, Ukraines experience will offer a strong arguments in favor of challenging their government through popular protest  but only if it succeeds.

In the photo, activists protest in front of the General Prosecutors Office (GPO) in Kiev on August 17.

Photo credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images
By Orhan Coskun and David Dolan

ANKARA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The 22-year-old Turkish policeman who gunned down the Russian ambassador in Ankara called in sick on the day of the attack and promised to bring a doctor's note for his supervisors, a senior security official told Reuters.

The government has identified Mevlut Mert Altintas as the gunman who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo!" and "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire repeatedly on envoy Andrey Karlov while he was giving a speech at an art gallery in the Turkish capital.

The attack, caught on video and widely circulated on social media, was a grisly reminder of the spillover faced by both Turkey and Russia from the Syrian civil war, where they are on opposing sides and where Russian-backed Syrian forces last week ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.

On Monday morning, Altintas called the division of the Ankara riot police where he had worked for 2-1/2 years and said he was unwell and would bring a doctor's note upon his return, the official said.

Altintas, who lived in a shared flat in the Demetevler neighbourhood on the outskirts of Ankara, spent the night before the attack at a hotel in central Ankara close to the gallery, the official said.

"He walked from the hotel ... to the gallery. He showed his police ID at the entrance," the official said.

This allowed him to bypass a security check and bring his gun into the venue.

SMARTLY DRESSED

Karlov was speaking at an event for the gallery's showing of an exhibition of photos from Russia, entitled "From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka". Media present captured the killing in graphic detail.

In one photo, Altintas - dressed smartly in a suit, necktie and white shirt - is seen standing just behind Karlov as the ambassador spoke. In a video from moments later, Karlov is shown crumpling as he appears to be shot from behind.

Altintas fired some 11 shots with nine of those hitting Karlov, the official said, citing the initial police report. Photographs from the incident showed a wall marked by what appeared to be gunfire.

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Turkish special forces stormed the gallery and gunfire was heard for some time after, according to a Reuters cameraman at the scene. As they entered the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassador's body and would not allow him to be treated, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

A source familiar with the gallery said Altintas was spotted at the exhibition on the opening night, the Friday before the attack.

"There was a ceremony for the opening of the exhibition on Friday evening and the attacker came to that event," the person said. "Probably he was doing reconnaissance." (Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay and Daren Butler; Writing by David Dolan; Editing Giles Elgood)
(Reuters) - Juergen Klopp has praised Daniel Sturridge's impact off the bench in Liverpool's 1-0 Premier League win at local rivals Everton on Monday after the striker's opportunistic shot bounced off the post to set up Sadio Mane's late winner. Sturridge, back from a calf injury, was sent on in the 80th minute and as the match drifted into injury time, held off Leighton Baines to fire a shot through a crowd of defenders with the rebound falling into the path of the onrushing Mane. "It's not usual or normal that after two sessions a player can really help you, but he helped us a lot tonight in a very difficult game," Liverpool manager Klopp told British media. "He could make a kind of the difference in this moment. It was a real intense game and so then to bring in real fresh legs then, that's a good thing to do." The German was pleased with the win that took his side up to second in the standings but upset that Everton midfielder Ross Barkley had escaped a red card after a studs up challenge on Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. "I saw it was a really harsh challenge. But you saw it all so I don't really have to say anything about this," he added. "I think Ross is lucky. And Hendo is lucky that nothing else happened." The win puts Liverpool six points behind leaders Chelsea ahead of a busy run of fixtures. Klopp's team host Stoke City on Dec. 27 and third-placed Manchester City on Dec. 31, before travelling to struggling Sunderland on Jan 2. (Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)
Twelve people were killed and nearly 50 wounded, some critically, when a truck deliberately plowed through a crowded Christmas market Monday evening local time in central Berlin. Heres what we know so far:

What happened?

The attack took place Monday evening at a Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the citys center. The crowd was a mix of tourists and locals, shopping for gifts and enjoying the traditional festive atmosphere.

A man thought to be the trucks driver was arrested near the scene, according to Winfrid Wenzel, the Berlin police departments chief spokesperson. But German prosecutors released him later Tuesday, citing insufficient evidence, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Another man, identified as a 37-year-old Polish citizen, was also in the drivers cabin but died at the scene.

The owner of the truck, Ariel Zurawski, told Polish media earlier that he feared the vehicle might have been hijacked, according to the AP. Using photos, Zurawski helped German officials identify the man in the drivers cabin as Lukasz Urban.

His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life, Zurawski said to Polish broadcaster TVN.

Deutsche-Welle reports that Breitscheidplatz, the square where the crash happened, is a very popular destination for visitors, situated between the Berlin Bahnhof Zoo and the citys renowned Kurfurstendamm shopping area.

Was it a terrorist attack? Who did it?

German federal prosecutors, which handle cases related to terrorism, have taken over the investigation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a statement at 11 a.m. local time (5 a.m. EST) Tuesday, saying: We must assume it was a terrorist attack.

German Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maiziere, originally said in an afternoon press conference that the suspect was a man from Pakistan who had no prior terrorist record and had arrived in Germany in December 2015. He denied any involvement and was later released by German authorities due to insufficient evidence. It was also confirmed that the passenger found in the truck was shot by a pistol, which has not been recovered.

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ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack through a statement issued Tuesday on the extremist groups Amaq news agency. The statement said the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition, according to the AP.

Holger Munch, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said at a press conference that they are working on the assumption that an armed perpetrator is still on the loose. As a result of this we are on high alert, the Guardian reports.

Police tweeted that they believe the truck was deliberately driven into the crowd.

Unsere Ermittler gehen davon aus, dass der LKW vorsatzlich in die Menschenmenge auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt am #Breitscheidplatz gesteuert wurde  PolizeiBerlinEinsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) December 20, 2016

Whats the situation now?

Berlins police department announced shortly after 2 a.m. local time Tuesday that the crash killed 12 people, a rise from the initial death toll of nine. It also said that 48 others were injured, some of them severely.

A sad certainty: Today 12 people died at #Breitscheidplatz, 48 partially seriously injured are cared for by hospitals.  PolizeiBerlinEinsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) December 20, 2016

Police are also saying that the rest of the city is safe at this point. Currently, there are no indications of further dangerous situations, the police department tweeted late Monday.

On Tuesday afternoon, police urged the public to take caution in light of the suspect denying involvement in the attack.

The temporary arrested suspect denies the offense.

Therefore we are particulary alert.

Please be also alert.#Breitscheidplatz  PolizeiBerlinEinsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) December 20, 2016

Citing local media, both AP and the BBC reported that a police raid has taken place at a shelter for asylum seekers in Berlins former Tempelhof airport. Neither the police nor German federal prosecutors have confirmed these reports.

Facebook has activated its safety check feature in response to the crash, allowing users in the city to notify friends and family that they are safe.

What have the reactions been?

Merkel said during her morning statement that she will visit the scene of the attack after meeting with her cabinet. Millions of people, including me, are wondering this morning how we can live with the fact that a murderer brought death to so many during a carefree stroll around a Christmas market, that is, a place where actually we celebrate life she said. This unspeakable event will be as severely punished as the law will allow.

She added that the suspected attack would be particularly hard for us to bear if the perpetrator turns out to be a refugee. This would be particularly repellent, in the face of the many, many Germans who are engaged in helping refugees on a daily basis, and in the face of the many people who really need our protection and who make efforts to integrate themselves in our country, she said.

Germanys far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party has blamed the attack on Merkel and her liberal policies on asylum seekers, according to AP and the BBC.

Under the cloak of helping people, Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security, AfD co-chair Frauke Petry reportedly stated.

However, a lawmaker from Merkels center-right ruling party maintained that the government had taken measures to bolster domestic security.

We have invested a lot in the last 12, 15 months into our domestic security. We have improved the co-operation among the services, Roderich Kiesewetter said. However, you never can exclude any attacks, especially of those who really try to attack German society on purpose.

The German interior ministry has ordered flags at federal buildings in the country be flown at half-mast Tuesday as a sign of sympathy in the wake of Mondays events.

In a statement, Ned Price, the spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, characterized the event as an apparent act of terror.

The United States condemns in the strongest terms what appears to have been a terrorist attack, he said, adding that we stand ready to provide assistance to Germanys recovery and investigation efforts.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump blamed Islamist terrorists for the bloodshed, saying that ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. He also tweeted about the attacks, imploring the civilized world to change thinking.

Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany  and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2016

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also said that what happened in Berlin has all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack, according to ABC News.

MORE: @SenFeinstein says Berlin market incident "has all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack." https://t.co/F9XNv8sT60 pic.twitter.com/Xtl9hzZW0R  ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) December 19, 2016

The U.K.s Foreign Office issued a travel advice for British nationals, urging them to avoid the area around the Kaiser Whehelm Memorial Church, where the crash happened, and to follow the advice of local authorities.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, tweeted his sympathies.

My thoughts are with all those affected by the horrific events in Berlin tonight. London stands with you in solidarity and support.  Mayor of London (@MayorofLondon) December 19, 2016

By Tuesday morning, Nigel Farage  the man behind Brexit  wrote on Twitter that events like these will be the Merkel legacy.

Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) December 20, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack shocking and sent his condolences to Germany. This crime against peaceful civilians is shocking in its savage cynicism, Putin wrote to Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck, according to a statement on the Kremlins website.

Condolences to the German authorities on the Christmas market tragedy in Berlin https://t.co/kkhEugAOHQ  President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) December 20, 2016

According to AP, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said he was deeply stricken and pained by the carnage in Berlin, which he referred to as an attack, even though German authorities have not yet said if it was intentional.

In a statement provided by Italys foreign ministry, Alfano said that what had happened wont change our determination to combat terrorism alongside international partners and in particular Germany, saying the two countries are in strict coordination.

The Czech Republics interior minister tweeted late Monday that security at crowded places across the country would be beefed up, reports AP. The country borders Germanys southeast.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Christine Lagarde, the sumptuously smooth-talking head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been convicted of negligence in office while she was serving as Finance Minister of France back in 2008. But the fire department of the global financial system shouldnt be too badly affected by the conviction. Heres why:

What did Lagarde do?

The IMF chief was convicted of waving through a EUR403 million ($421 million) compensation payout to a businessman, Bernard Tapie, who was an ally of her boss, the then-president Nicolas Sarkozy, despite several warning signs that the related case was sketchy. (Click here to read more about the trial.)

Is she going to jail?

No. She isnt even being fined. The presiding judge declined to hand down any sentence.

How come?

Even the state prosecutors said that the case was very weak and shouldnt have been brought to trial. The prosecutor general Jean-Claude Marin had said the trial was in essence a question of complicity or nothing at all, suggesting strongly that he thought it was the latter. However, the judge ruled that the way Lagarde acted did technically meet the legal definition of negligence.

If its so trivial, how did it come to trial?

The payout itself had already been canceled by the courts as inappropriate, which begged for Lagarde, the presiding minister, to be held to account. But ultimately, this affair has always been about the Socialist Party revenging itself on Tapie, who had been a Socialist minister in the early 1990s before falling out with the party and throwing his support behind its rivals on the right. To that extent, Lagardes trial was just collateral damage, although the Socialists were obviously happy for any opportunity to embarrass a political opponent.

What happens to Lagarde now?

The IMFs spokesman Gerry Rice said in a brief statement Friday that it is expected that the Board will meet again shortly to consider the most recent developments." The Board, which is dominated by representatives of the U.S. and European governments, had given Lagarde its strong backing all through the trial and had only 10 months ago voted to give her a second five-year term in office. But any conviction is bound to undermine Lagardes authority. After all, one of the things that the IMF routinely does to countries asking for bailouts is to rake over the financial negligence (and worse) of their governments.

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If she is forced to stand down, who will replace her?

It may be someone from outside Europe, for a change. The IMF has only had Europeans as permanent managing directors since its inception in 1946, and emerging countries, which represent a much larger share of the global economy than they did 70 years ago, are chafing to get more representation at the top. If Lagarde is asked to step down, she would be the fourth European managing director in a row to leave under some sort of cloud, which would embolden calls for a change in direction. Interestingly, the IMFs Secretary these days is Jianhai Lin, a Chinese national educated at Berkeley.

Did you say the fourth?

Lagardes predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn (another former French finance minister) stood down after lurid accusations that he sexually abused an African-born maid at a New York hotel (charges were later dropped). Before him, the (former Spanish finance minister) Rodrigo Rato had resigned early, citing personal reasons. He subsequently resurfaced as president of what subsequently became Bankia, Spains third-largest bank, which went bankrupt within two years. In 2015, he was charged with fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering. He is awaiting trial. Before him, the German Horst K?hler had stepped down for the relatively innocuous reason of preferring the largely ceremonial office of Federal President. He still irked many by giving the impression that the stewardship of the IMF was just a holding pen for middle-aged white men looking for better offers.

So the European global elite may lose control of the IMF at last?

Not necessarily. The Eurozone is desperate to keep the position for one of its own, because the IMF has been a vital part of the bailouts for Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus. Non-Europeans have argued that the Fund broke its own rules by joining the bailout of Greece in particular, because Greece was, by any objective measure, bankrupt. Lagarde finally bowed to such concerns and withheld support from the latest bailout. That is now putting pressure on Germany and France (above all) to write off a lot of their claims on Greece-pressure that neither Berlin nor Paris wants ahead of elections in 2017. Historically, the Eurozone has been able to count on U.S. support for their candidate, but the incoming Trump administration-no friend of the liberal elite that runs Europe-may be tempted to look for an alternative.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
The preamble to the Constitution notwithstanding, We the People dont exactly rule in the United States. A legal document, the Constitution, looms godlike over the affairs of Americans. Some form of that goes for most democracies. The laws are in charge, not the public  at least not directly.

South Korea presents an unusual case  and last weeks impeachment of President Park Geun-hye is a case in point  of a country where the rulers and the ruled not only believe that the people exist but in fact accept that the people, or some mystical conception of their collective will, are directly in charge.

This notion lies behind the countrys feisty politics and helps explain why it is, arguably, the most directly democratic country in Asia. Whether thats a good thing or not depends on how much you trust the peoples spontaneous collective judgment.

The idea of the people being in charge seems easy to understand, but it is actually difficult to grasp, and accept as valid, when you come from a more law-based version of democracy.

Thus, for foreign correspondents in Seoul, where for the past few weekends hundreds of thousands of protestors have flooded the boulevards in the city center near the presidential Blue House, the events can be difficult to make sense of. Already a narrative is falling into place whereby the downfall of Park, who was impeached by Koreas parliament on Dec. 9, is seen as having resulted from lawbreaking. This argues that it started with statements by prosecutors that she allowed her best friend to shake down Samsung and other conglomerates and edit confidential drafts of presidential speeches in violation of secrecy rules.

But actually the downfall of Koreas sixth democratically elected president was triggered by something else.

It was We the People. They got angry because of a TV report that said their president was being manipulated and essentially being told what to do by a lady who was completely unknown to the public. A few weeks later, the president has been impeached. If Koreas democracy were as law-based as that of the United States, the process would have been like the two long years of Watergate investigations. She would have hung on until her term ended in February 2018.

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So, what is the nature of this people power?

In Korea, when popular feeling pushes past a certain limit break, it warps into a beast that is powerful enough to rip through decision-making and the established law.

Koreans call it public sentiment. This is as tame an expression in Korean as it is in English and does not convey the underlying phenomenon. A more accurate phrase would be the emotion of the masses or mob passion. But these have negative connotations, and public sentiment for Koreans is anything but negative.

It is the collective soul, and it is considered supreme. Koreans even have a saying about it: The law of public sentiment is above the law.

The Korean notion of democracy puts the people first. The unspoken deal with presidents, for example, is that the people choose someone to preside over public events, hobnob with foreign dignitaries, and generally get to feel as if shes important.

But shes there to do the bidding of public sentiment. As Kim Dae-jung, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president, used to say: The people are God  a God whom the Korean president is expected to honor.

The Korean presidents role as an object of public emotion is a function of the offices enormous powers. By contrast, the prime minister, who in theory runs the cabinet, is a symbolic figure. Ask any Korean at any time who the prime minister is, and more than half of them wont know. The National Assembly  Koreas parliament  has a role to check the workings of the government and pass laws but is mainly seen, in this picture of the Korean power structure, as a forum in which future presidents jostle and posture.

It is the president who rules, and she does so because the people have put her there. The reason the beast has been awoken to fury now is because Park strayed onto the path of heresy. She put her friend Choi Soon-sil up on the altar and bowed down before her, not the people  and in doing so, she broke the first commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

This theology makes for powerful feelings, which is why, a few days after the reports about Chois influence broke and when foreign observers were still bewildered, those with Korean spouses or friends  who were liable to be screaming at the TV  knew that Park was done for.

And when the beast is in charge, the authorities follow. Decision-making, whether it is moved by lawmakers, investigations by prosecutors, or probes by tax officials, comes in response to the perceived orders of the people, as expressed in a mixture of street protest, online commentary, and newspaper stories on a certain scale.

In 2007, after Seung-hui Cho, a Korean-born American resident and student in the United States, shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 more in a shooting spree on the campus of Virginia Tech, the assumption in Korea was that public sentiment in America would rise up, make George W. Bushs administration drop its consideration of a visa waiver program for Koreans, and force Congress to vote down the free trade agreement that had just been negotiated between the two countries.

Thats because that is the kind of reaction seen in Korea when the story is the other way around. In 2002, for example, after a horrible traffic accident in which two schoolgirls were run over and killed by an American military vehicle, tens of thousands of protestors came out day after day, demanding that the drivers be jailed for murder. The crowds believed the killing had been deliberate.

In 2008, similar numbers protested when the government lifted restrictions on U.S. beef imports, some years after an outbreak of mad cow disease. Schoolchildren joined the protests in the thousands, believing that America was sending beef to Korean school canteens that was unfit for consumption in America itself.

The United States, of course, is too close an ally for the government to feel pushed to do anything drastic like close down U.S. military bases. And anyway, that is not what public sentiment wants. I learned this during the 2002 protests when U.S. newspapers suggested that perhaps if were not wanted, we should leave. That led to renewed anti-American protests  this time Americas offense was failure to understand anti-Americanism. Korean protestors wanted the United States to stay, but they wanted American troops to act with more respect toward them.

Such protests did not lead to U.S. base closures, because that is not want the protestors wanted, but they did lead to an increased willingness by the U.S. military in Korea to hand over soldiers who commit crimes to Korean courts rather than handling them in U.S. military tribunals. It also led to a number of outreach programs that have resulted in vastly improved relations.

In Korea, there is an enormous level of public pressure on legal judgments. We can say with some certainty, for example, that regardless of what Park has or hasnt done, she will end up in jail. The law is sufficiently open to interpretation for prosecutors to make a case when public sentiment is driving an issue. Where its not, they can resort to other means  like leniency deals with peripheral presidential aides if they agree to the prosecutors scenario.

And when that doesnt work, prosecutors drag out the process so that by the time of the final appeal, public sentiment has moved on and a not-guilty verdict or a light punishment does not upset anyone too much. Koreans have an expression that covers this  beat a coat and the dust will fall out  meaning that an investigation will produce something to get the victim on, however unrelated to the original impetus behind the investigation.

That, of course, is not to say Park is not guilty of anything. The point is that at this stage, even though she has been impeached, the evidence is still opaque and shes had little chance to offer a serious defense. But that hasnt stopped the public from declaring her guilty.

The beast of public sentiment doesnt pause to think. When the story broke in late October, the image that led Koreans to think that their president had broken trust with them and belonged in a psychiatric ward was of an elderly single woman, estranged from her siblings, who had been passively taking orders from a manipulative best friend. The public immediately exploded in fury and demanded that she step down to make way for a proper leader.

But then something interesting happened. As the story unfolded, the growing evidence  mostly in the form of information coming out of the prosecutors office but also some investigative work by newspapers  quickly altered that original picture of a docile Park.

Now, the focus is on whether Park directed Choi and benefitted herself from Chois leveraging of her relationship with the center of power. And that turns the story into something far more routine for Korean presidents: good old-fashioned corruption. Of the six previous presidents, two have been jailed for corruption, among other charges; one committed suicide thereby ending the investigation; and two saw family members jailed for exerting undue influence. (The difference in these cases from Parks was that despite rumors and suspicions, the cases were not fully revealed until after the president had stepped down.)

But public sentiment, once inflamed, does not concern itself with such details. Once the story is out, it is up to the authorities to do their part, find the president guilty, and get rid of her.

The beast will not be denied.

Photo credit: ED JONES/Getty Images
The whole world seems to be obsessed with Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Kylie Jenner, and always keeps an eye out for everything she does, whether it be taking selfies, baking cookies or endorsing a new product.

But apparently, even Jenners own personal assistant Victoria Villarroel is obsessed with her, too. Villaroel shared that it's a treat working for Jenner, even though it's a lot of hard work.

Jenner even helped Villaroels beau pull off the perfect surprise proposal for her, and Villaroel is beyond grateful.

The proposal received so much buzz that Jenner decided to feature Villaroel on her website on Monday. Five years ago, I started working at her moms company, Jenner Communications, and I would see Kylie there all the time 'cause it was her moms company, Villarroel, 24, shared in a video. They just took me. Its work but its fun.

Jenner said she loves working with Villaroel because their relationship goes beyond the boss-and-assistant dynamic. Victoria is more than my assistant, Jenner said. We've really grown so close and I consider her one of my best friends. She's so cute!

Jenner really prioritizes her family and friendships. She earlier revealed that it is her biggest fear to lose the people she loves, so she makes it a point to cherish them every single day.

I'm so lucky to have the best friends and family ever! Seriously, my greatest fear is losing a loved one or something bad happening to any of my dogs. I don't know what I would do. That's why it's so important to say I love you every day! she said.

As for romance, Jenner is dating her on-again, off-again boyfriend Tyga. The two have a rocky history. After breaking up earlier this year, people thought their relationship was over for good. Jenner even started dating rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR while they were apart. However, after a few months, the two rekindled their relationship, and they seem to be in a much better place right now.

Story continues

Kylie Jenner

Photo: Getty Images/Robert Kamau

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Kylie Jenner wore smoky burgundy eyeshadow thats perfect for the holidays. (Photo: Getty Images)

Searching for holiday-themed makeup ideas? Look no further than Kylie Jenner, makeup guru in the Kardashian-Jenner clan.

Jenner posted two Instagram shots on Monday wearing light red eyeshadow. The look is festive  perfect for the holidays  without being tacky.

A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Dec 19, 2016 at 3:39pm PST

In the posts, the reality star has a layer of smoky red eyeshadow around her top lid and underneath as well. Were guessing shes touting her own brand, and if so, she must be wearing the Burgundy from her Kyshadow Burgundy Palette, which has a bright wine-hued matte finish.

A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Dec 19, 2016 at 5:04pm PST

The look is fresh and festive  perfect for a holiday party.

If you cant get your hands on Jenners Burgundy Palette by this weekend, try these perfect dupes from brands like Nars and NYX.

Pair the burgundy shadow with Jenners possible upcoming glitter lip kit (fingers crossed) and your holiday makeup will be flawless.

Lets keep in touch! Follow Yahoo Beauty on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
BERLIN (AP)  The Latest on investigation of truck rampage in Berlin Christmas market (all times local):

11:10 p.m.

Brunella Capitani was walking with her husband to have dinner at the Berlin Christmas market when she heard the ominous sound of a truck plowing through stalls at the busy event.

Capitani told The Associated Press at her home in the northern Dutch city of Groningen that she heard the truck crash again and again "so there was this banging, repeating of the banging."

She said she heard the truck but did not see it. "It was really like a part of a building that crashed down."

The 48-year-old humanitarian volunteer said she was struck by the respect shown by those at the scene who did not immediately reach for their mobile phones to shoot photos or video of the carnage.

"It really touched me and I remember in particular the fact that we were not taking pictures and were not taking videos," she said. "It's like if we have already too much violence everywhere and you didn't want to see more of this."

____

11 p.m.

A top Democrat on the U.S. House intelligence committee also says that the Islamic State group's claim of responsibility for a truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market cannot yet be confirmed.

Rep. Adam Schiff said the claim "cannot be verified until the perpetrator or perpetrators are apprehended by German authorities, but ISIS has never shied away from claiming credit for attacks - even if it knew nothing about them in advance."

Schiff warned that Europe must brace for the "possibility of further terrorism in the weeks and months ahead as Iraqi forces squeeze ISIS in Mosul and as the group is steadily dislodged from its strongholds in Syria."

The attack on the crowded Christmas market left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured.

10:25 p.m.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said U.S. officials don't have enough information at the moment to back up the claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group for a truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured.

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Kirby said "there is no direct evidence of a tie or a link to a terrorist organization, but this bears the hallmarks of previous terror attacks."

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they'd released a Pakistani man picked up on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck.

9:15 p.m.

London police will institute road closures in the area surrounding Buckingham Palace when the popular Changing the Guard military ceremony is taking place  a security measure rushed into place because of the deadly Christmas market truck attack in Berlin.

Police said Tuesday the change in procedure had been planned but is being speeded up. The closures and the new physical barriers are set to be in place by Wednesday.

The Changing the Guard has long been popular with tourists and police say it is a high-profile event that attracts large crowds at an iconic location.

Under the new plan, road closures will be in place for nearly two hours when the guards are changed in front of the palace in central London. Police said the change is "a precautionary measure" for the next three months and is not based on any specific intelligence.

The threat level in Britain is judged to be "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely.

___

8:35 p.m.

The Islamic State extremist group is claiming responsibility for the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people and left nearly 50 injured.

The Islamic State group's Amaq news agency said in a statement Tuesday that "the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."

German police are still hunting for the driver of the truck, which slammed into the downtown Christmas market Monday night.

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations. But it does have Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean.

___

7:35 p.m.

The U.N. Security Council is condemning "the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack" at a Christmas market in Berlin and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Council members say "that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."

A truck drove into the popular market, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 50 others.

The council "expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government of Germany."

___

7:30 p.m.

The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with the leaders of France, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Poland, Sweden and Spain following the deadly truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

A government statement says the leaders expressed their sympathy over the attack in the separate phone conversations on Tuesday.

They also offered Merkel their support in investigating the attack and "stressed the necessity of European solidarity in the fight against terrorism."

___

7:05 p.m.

German prosecutors say a man arrested after the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market has been released because there isn't sufficient evidence to tie him to the rampage.

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that that the man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year as an asylum-seeker, denied involvement in the attack that killed 12 people and injured nearly 50 others.

They noted that witnesses were able to follow the truck's driver from the scene but lost track of him. The man arrested matched witness descriptions of the truck driver, but investigators haven't been able to prove that he was in the truck's cab at the time of the attack.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

___

6:35 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck are attending a memorial service at the church next to the Christmas market that was attacked on Monday night.

The nondenominational service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church came hours after Merkel and other German political leaders laid white roses outside the church.

The church, a centerpiece of the former West Berlin, serves as a symbol of the destruction of war. The 19th-century church was badly damaged in World War II bombing and the remains of its spire were left standing. A modern extension was inaugurated in 1961.

Berlin's Lutheran bishop, Markus Droege, said "Berlin lives with this wound, which was created by violence and war. This church is a memorial  it shows us what happens when people give free rein to their hatred, when they pursue the path of violence to the end."

___

6:30 p.m.

A German Muslim group is condemning the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 people dead.

The Muslim Coordination Council said in a statement Tuesday that terror "does not stop in the face of innocent people and what is sacred to people." It added that "we are deeply shocked and condemn the cowardly attack in the strongest terms."

The council is an umbrella organization for several German Muslim groups.

German authorities are calling the truck attack an "act of terrorism" that had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremism, but many questions remain over who carried it out. No group has claimed responsibility.

___

6:20 p.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama has spoken by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and offered his condolences for the attack against the Berlin Christmas market.

Twelve people were killed and nearly 50 others injured when the truck drove into the popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday.

The White House says Obama reiterated a U.S. offer of assistance. He also underscored that "no attack could sway our determination and that of our German allies to defeat terrorism in all of its forms."

The White House says Obama also expressed his appreciation for Merkel's steadfast leadership in shared efforts to "root out the scourge of terrorism and defend our way of life."

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6:15 p.m.

An Italian lawmaker says after the Berlin truck attack the list of possible targets in Italy will likely expand.

Sen. Giacomo Stucchi, the head of Parliament' intelligence commission, told Sky TG24 TV Tuesday that also likely to grow will be the number of persons deemed needing to be closely watched as possible extremists.

Stucchi says "zero risk doesn't exist." But he is urging Italians to continue to enjoy their public piazzas and attend their churches in the predominantly Catholic country.

German authorities say the truck deliberately was driven into a Christmas market filled with strollers and shoppers in Berlin Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.

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4:25 p.m.

Romania's prime minister is sending condolences to the families of those killed in the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin and calling for renewed efforts to fight terrorism.

In a message Tuesday, Premier Dacian Ciolos says the Romanian government "condemns such acts of unspeakable violence against innocent people."

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4 p.m.

Czech leaders say the country is increasing security measures following the truck attack in neighboring Germany.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka says the police presence will be "massive" during the Christmas holidays, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at places where crowds gather.

Interior Minister Milan Chovanec says hundreds more officers will be deployed in the capital and across the country. He says police are ready to renew checks on the border with Germany if German authorities request that.

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3:55 p.m.

France's lawmakers and government members have observed a minute of silence to express their solidarity and compassion toward Germans.

Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, in a speech to the lower house of Parliament, vowed to use the strongest determination to fight terrorism "without truce or pause."

He says French and German authorities have worked closely for months to help improve security in both countries following the deadly attacks by Islamic extremists last year in Paris and this year in Nice.

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3:50 p.m.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior German officials have laid white roses at the site of Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Merkel was joined by Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller at the site near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in central Berlin on Tuesday.

They spoke with police officers at the market then signed a book of condolences at the church.

Twelve people were killed in what authorities are treating as a terror attack.

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3:30 p.m.

Italy is strengthening security measures for areas where crowds are expected for Christmas ceremonies, such as Pope Francis' appearance in St. Peter's Square.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti led a meeting Tuesday of the heads of Italy's police and intelligence forces to review security after the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

An interior ministry statement does not specify the places where security will be tightened. But security officials in the past have said that extremists have noted the Vatican, as a symbol of Christianity, is a logical target.

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3:10 p.m.

The head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office says he cannot rule out that suspects involved in the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market could still be at large.

Holger Muench told reporters Tuesday that authorities are still not positive the suspect they have in custody was the driver of the truck, that they have not yet found a pistol believed used to kill the truck's passenger, and that it is not known overall how people were involved.

For those reasons, he says, we are "naturally on high alert and are investigating in all directions."

He says six of the 12 people killed have been identified and are all Germans, but he does not yet know whether the other six are as well.

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2:50 p.m.

Germany's top prosecutor says investigators are treating the Berlin Christmas market attack as an act of terrorism, though there is no claim of responsibility yet.

Peter Frank also told reporters Tuesday it's not entirely clear whether there was one perpetrator or more. He says the suspect in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators."

Frank says the method used in the rampage was reminiscent of July's truck attack in Nice, France and of the "modus operandi" used by Islamic extremist groups.

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2:40 p.m.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his grief over the deaths in the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

In a statement, he says that "terrorism is our common enemy and the world needs to put up a joint fight against this menace." Sharif says Pakistan will continue to take steps to eliminate terrorism, as his country also has been a victim.

Police detained an asylum-seeker from Pakistan shortly after Monday's attack, but he denied involvement, Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said it wasn't clear whether the man was really the truck's driver.

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2:20 p.m.

Pope Francis is urging those of good will to fight the "folly of terrorism."

In a condolence telegram Tuesday to Berlin's archbishop, Francis prays for the dead and injured in Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. He says he joins "all men of good will" who have committed themselves to efforts "so that the murderous folly of terrorism finds no more room in our world."

Francis also prays for the 12 persons who were killed and for the many wounded in what he called "the terrible act of violence."

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1:40 p.m.

Berlin's police chief says it isn't clear whether the man detained in the wake of Monday's fatal truck attack on a busy Christmas market was really the driver.

Klaus Kandt told reporters in Berlin that "we haven't been able to confirm it yet."

Twelve people were killed in the attack.

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1 p.m.

The owner of a Polish trucking company says the driver who was the first victim of the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin was stabbed and shot to death in the cabin of his truck.

Ariel Zurawski says German authorities asked him to identify the victim, Lukasz Urban, 37, from photos.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Zurawski said, speaking to broadcaster TVN.

Lukasz Wasik, the manager of the trucking company, described Urban as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work.

"I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if were attacked," Wasik said in comments carried by TVP, Poland's state broadcaster.

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12:55 p.m.

Germany's top security official says a suspect arrested after the truck attack in Berlin "comes from Pakistan" and had applied for asylum.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters Tuesday that the suspect entered Germany on Dec. 31, 2015, and arrived in Berlin in February.

He says that so far authorities have no knowledge of a claim of responsibility from the Islamic State group.

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12:45 p.m.

Germany's top security official says authorities have "no doubt" that the fatal ramming of a busy Christmas market in Berlin on Monday was an intentional attack.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere says 12 people were killed. Among the dead was a Polish citizen found on the passenger seat of the truck with a gunshot wound.

De Maiziere told reporters on Tuesday that a man arrested in connection with the attack has denied to police that he was involved.

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11:50 a.m.

Danish and Norwegian police have increased their presence at Christmas markets in the countries' capitals, Copenhagen and Oslo, following the deadly attack in Berlin.

The prime minister of Finland, Juha Sipala, said Monday's attack that killed at least 12 people "was (an) evening of absolutely shocking news and senseless violence."

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11:20 a.m.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo says it is "with pain and sadness we received the information that the first victim of this heinous act of violence was a Polish citizen."

Szydlo told reporters that Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin is a reminder that "Europe must become unified in the fight against terrorism and Europe must take effective action to protect its citizens."

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11:10 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened" by the attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed at least 12 people Monday.

Merkel told reporters on Tuesday that it would be "particularly sickening" if it turns out the attacker was an asylum-seeker who sought refuge in Germany.

German media have reported that a suspect arrested after the attack was a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany in late 2015 or early 2016.

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11:05 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with U.S. President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences in the wake of the fatal attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

At least a dozen people were killed when a truck rammed into the busy market in the German capital in what police described as a suspected "terror attack."

Merkel's office says the two leaders spoke by phone early Tuesday, and Obama assured the chancellor of America's full support in investigating the attack.

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11:00 a.m.

London's Metropolitan Police say they are reviewing security plans for public events over the holidays after Monday's attacks in Germany and Turkey.

Police said Tuesday they are considering "a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles."

Police say it is routine to review security plans after attacks overseas.

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10:55 a.m.

Berlin police are stepping up armed patrols in response to the fatal attack on a Christmas market Monday.

Police said Tuesday on Twitter that the measure is being taken "as a precaution."

At least a dozen people were killed when a truck rammed into a busy Christmas market in the German capital in what police described as a suspected "terror attack."

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10:45 a.m.

Berlin's top security official is calling for Christmas markets in the city to remain shut on Tuesday after Monday's attack that killed at least 12.

Germany's Interior Ministry says Berlin's state interior minister, Andreas Geisel, told federal and regional counterparts that operators of Christmas markets in the capital were asked to close out of respect for the victims and their relatives.

The ministry says the officials agreed that Christmas markets and other major events across Germany should go ahead and that decisions on tightening security measures should be made locally.

The federal interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, said: "Whatever we find out going forward about the exact background motive of the perpetrators, we must not and will not allow our free life to be taken away."

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9:40 a.m.

Police in the English city of Manchester say they are increasing patrols of many popular Christmas markets following the attack in Berlin.

Police said Tuesday they had added extra protection at the 10 market sites, which are often thronged with shoppers in the days before Christmas.

Assistant chief Debbie Ford says the increase is in line with Britain's "national response." The country's terror threat has long been judged to be severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

She says there is no intelligence suggesting an attack in greater Manchester is imminent.

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9:25 a.m.

German police have searched a large shelter for asylum-seekers in Berlin in response to the fatal attack on Christmas market Monday.

The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that up to 250 officers took part in the operation at the now-defunct Tempelhof airport overnight.

It quoted a spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs, Sascha Langenbach, saying four men in the late 20s were questioned by police but nobody was arrested.

Several German media, citing unnamed security sources, reported that the suspect in the attack was a Pakistani man who entered Germany late 2015 or early this year.

Police declined to comment on the reports, referring questions to federal prosecutors who didn't immediately respond to calls Tuesday.

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8:10 a.m.

Germany's top security official is ordering flags at federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in the wake of Monday's truck attack in Berlin.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement Tuesday that the decision was taken as a mark of sympathy following the attack.

Authorities say at least 12 people were killed and almost 50 injured when a heavily laden truck slammed into a Christmas market in the west of the German capital.

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Associated Press writers Frank Jordan in Berlin and Greg Katz in London contributed.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):

12:45 a.m.

One of President-elect Donald Trump's sons will stop directly raising money for his namesake charitable foundation, saying he worries the donations will be perceived as a way to buy access to his father.

Eric Trump said Wednesday that it pained him to cease soliciting donations for his organization, which raises money in the name of children's cancer.

The foundation has come under scrutiny in recent days after posting an online auction for coffee with his sister Ivanka.

Eric Trump told The Associated Press that "it's an extremely sad day when doing the right thing isn't the right thing."

News of his decision was first reported by The New York Times.

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5:05 p.m.

The head of Boeing is saying he promised President-elect Donald Trump that the manufacturer would complete the Air Force One project for less than the $4 billion the president-elect had claimed it would cost.

Dennis Muilenburg on Wednesday told reporters outside Trump's coastal Florida estate that his meeting with the president-elect was "very productive."

Trump earlier this month had ripped Boeing over the cost of the program to replace the aging presidential aircraft.

But Muilenburg said that Boeing "would get it done for far less" than the $4 billion that Trump claimed, though he did not suggest what the aircraft manufacturer had estimated for a cost.

Muilenburg also did not provide a timetable for the completion of the presidential planes.

4:55 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is naming one of the nation's richest men to be a special adviser on issues regarding regulatory reform.

Carl Icahn, a veteran of Wall Street who founded his own securities firm, was named by Trump on Wednesday.

Icahn, an early Trump supporter, is estimated to worth more than $16 billion. Trump in a statement said the 80-year-old Icahn, one of the nation's leading investors, is "not only a brilliant negotiator, but also someone who is innately able to predict the future, especially having to do with finances and economies."

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During his campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to cut back on the number of government regulations on American business owners. Icahn said in a statement American businesses "have been crippled" by regulations.

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4:50 p.m.

Indiana governor and Vice President-elect Mike Pence says Donald Trump will work to preserve the social safety net helping those who struggle.

Pence made the remark Tuesday during a visit to an Indianapolis homeless shelter. He says economic prosperity is the "antidote" to the challenges many face. But he added that it's important "to continue to provide the resources for social services organizations that come alongside our most vulnerable citizens."

He also expressed confidence that President-elect Trump will be able to work with Congress to make sure there's funding for social services.

The vice president-elect is back in Indiana for the Christmas holiday. He says his son Michael will be married during a ceremony at the Indiana governor's residence.

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3:55 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has named a fierce critic of China, economist Peter Navarro, to lead a newly created White House trade council.

The University of California-Irvine professor, who advised Trump during the campaign, will serve as head of the new White House National Trade Council and as director of trade and industrial policy.

In a statement, the Trump transition team said the creation of the council "demonstrates the president-elect's determination to make American manufacturing great again."

Trump says China's unfair trade practices are responsible for wiping out American factory jobs and has threatened to impose taxes on Chinese imports. U.S. manufacturers have cut 5 million jobs since 2000.

Navarro, author of "Death By China," also endorses a hard line approach toward relations with China.

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3:01 p.m.

The CEO of Boeing is meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago just weeks after a public flap over the cost of the Air Force One project.

Dennis Muilenburg is meeting with Trump on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Trump said that the price of two new Air Force one planes was "out of control" and suggested he didn't want to go ahead with the project at that cost.

Boeing has the multi-billion dollar contract to replace the aging presidential aircraft. Trump at the time said he wanted "Boeing to make a lot of money but not that much money."

Trump is also expected to meet later with Marillyn Hewson, the head of Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35 fighter jet, the cost of which Trump has also criticized.

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2:32 p.m.

A battle is brewing on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee over Rex Tillerson's personal income taxes.

Senate Democratic aides say Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be secretary of state, told the panel late last week that he would, if asked, provide lawmakers with his and his wife's federal and state tax returns for the last three years.

The aides say the tax information would shed substantial light on any possible foreign "entanglements" that Tillerson may have from his decade as Exxon Mobil CEO.

But the aides say the Trump transition team informed the committee this week that it won't be getting the material ahead of Tillerson's confirmation hearing, which is scheduled for next month.

They say Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the committee's Republican chairman, is siding with the Trump team and won't force Tillerson to turn over the returns.

The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the internal discussions of the committee.

Richard Lardner

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2:04 p.m.

Donald Trump says the truck ramming attack at market in Berlin is an "attack on humanity and it's got to be stopped."

The president-elect made the comments in brief remarks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida following a top-secret security briefing. He said the violence in Germany validates his assessment of Islamic-inspired threats.

He said, "all along, I've been proven to be right," adding that he's been, "100 percent correct."

With Trump during Wednesday's remarks were his pick for national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, and his incoming White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus.

Trump also said he talked to President Barack Obama two days ago, but not since then.

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11:31 a.m.

Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's controversial first campaign manager, is starting a political consulting firm and will not be joining the Trump administration.

But Lewandowski won't be far. His new firm, Avenue Strategies, will be located about a block from the White House.

Lewandowski led Trump's campaign through his improbable victory in the Republican primary, but he clashed the president-elect's family and was fired. Still, he remains close to Trump and says he considered "multiple opportunities within the administration."

Lewandowski is forming the firm with Barry Bennett, a former adviser to Ben Carson, Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Bennett also briefly advised the Trump campaign.

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10:46 a.m.

A Democratic senator is questioning President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Treasury secretary about his vow to undo some financial regulations and his stake in a bank that profited from the foreclosure crisis.

In a letter on Wednesday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown posed 11 questions to Steve Mnuchin, the former Goldman Sachs executive. The questions range from whether he would be a strong defender of the Dodd-Frank law that imposed financial regulations after the 2008 economic meltdown to whether OneWest, a bank that foreclosed on thousands of homeowners after the housing crisis, got help from the FDIC.

Mnuchin headed a group of investors who owned the bank, which foreclosed on more than 36,000 families in California alone  most in minority neighborhoods  according to the California Reinvestment Coalition. Brown is on the Senate Finance Committee, which will consider Mnuchin's nomination.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Brown is on the Senate Finance Committee, which will consider the Mnuchin nomination. An earlier version said he was not on that committee.

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10:35 a.m.

A leader of Donald Trump's transition says the president-elect is no longer interested in his catch phrase "drain the swamp" of Washington.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said his understanding is that Trump "now just disclaims that. He now says it was cute, but he doesn't want to use it anymore." Gingrich made the remark in an interview that aired Wednesday on National Public Radio.

Trump has said he never loved the phrase. But it has continued to be a popular feature on his post-election tour. And his aides say he remains committed to his underlying swamp-draining policies, such as banning outgoing Trump transition and administration members from lobbying for five years.

Transition spokesman Jason Miller said Trump's "ethics reform policies are full speed ahead." Miller added of the new president and his team: "We're going to change the way business is done in Washington and start putting the American people first."

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7:20 p.m.

The Israeli ambassador to the United States is urging the incoming Trump administration to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Trump and his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel have pledged to move the embassy. But previous Republican presidents have made that promise without following through.

Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer says it would be a "great step forward" for peace. He tells a Hanukkah reception at the Israeli embassy in Washington that it would send a "strong message against delegitimization of Israel."

The U.S. and nearly every other country have their embassies in Tel Aviv. Israel considers Jerusalem its capital, but Palestinians claim part of Jerusalem as the capital for a future Palestinian state.

U.S. presidents have repeatedly waived a law requiring the embassy to be moved.

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2:40 p.m.

Donald Trump's children may see his move to the White House as a way to raise money for pet causes.

Two recent fundraising pitches featuring the incoming first family were meant to benefit charities. But they also raised the possibility the Trumps are inappropriately selling access.

Eric Trump tried auctioning coffee with his sister, Ivanka, to raise money for a children's hospital. Eric and Donald Trump Jr. are named as part of a fundraiser that offered the chance to rub elbows with their father during Inauguration weekend.

These events are dissolving as quickly as they become public, suggesting the family is learning on the fly what's acceptable.

The Ivanka Trump coffee has been canceled. And on the Inauguration event, Hope Hicks, a Trump spokeswoman, said the sons "are not involved."

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Noon:

President-elect Donald Trump is considering Jovita Carranza, who worked in President George W. Bush's administration, as his choice for U.S. trade representative.

Trump is meeting with Carranza at his home in Florida on Tuesday. Carranza served as deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration under Bush.

Trump is also meeting with businessman Luis Quinonez, who runs a company with military and health care ties. Quinonez is said to be under consideration as Veterans Affairs secretary.

With just a handful of Cabinet posts to fill, Trump is facing some criticism for a lack of diversity in his senior team, which currently includes no Hispanics. The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials said Tuesday that it was "deeply concerned" at the lack of Hispanics considered for top jobs.

Carranza was a member of Trump's Hispanic advisory council during the campaign.

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10:14 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is rejecting calls for a special Senate investigative committee focused on possible interference in U.S. elections by Russia and other countries.

McConnell says a finding by U.S. intelligence officials that Moscow hacked Democratic emails in a bid to elevate Donald Trump "is a serious issue, but it doesn't require a select committee."

The Republican leader says in an interview with Kentucky Educational Television that he is "very concerned" that "the Russians were messing around in our elections," but said the Senate intelligence committee is able to investigate it.

Senators including Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York and Republican John McCain of Arizona have called for a special Senate committee to investigate efforts by Russia, China and Iran to meddle in U.S. elections.

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8:40 a.m.

Donald Trump is taking issue with Bill Clinton's criticisms of him.

Clinton told a weekly newspaper in New York state earlier this month that Trump "doesn't know much." Clinton went on to say: "One thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him." The ex-president also claimed that the president-elect called him after his election victory over Hillary Clinton.

First of all, Trump said in a two-part tweet Tuesday, "Bill Clinton stated that I called him after the election. Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations)."

Trump added that Clinton is the one who "'doesn't know much'... especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states (and more)." The Clinton campaign, Trump says, "focused on the wrong states."

Trump fired off those tweets the morning after he formally won the presidency in Monday's Electoral College tally.

Bill Clinton made his comments to The Record-Review, serving the towns of Bedford and Pound Ridge.

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3:10 a.m.

Jumping ahead of investigators, President-elect Donald Trump is blaming Islamic terrorists for deadly violence in Turkey and Germany and vowing anew to eradicate their regional and global networks.

Authorities in both countries were still investigating Monday when Trump issued a pair of statements condemning the attacks. The White House had already described the episode in central Berlin, in which a truck rammed into shoppers at a Christmas market, as an apparent terrorist attack.

Trump called the brazen shooting of Russia's ambassador to Turkey as he attended a photo exhibit "a violation of all rules of civilized order." He says a "radical Islamic terrorist" had assassinated the diplomat, Andrei Karlov.

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OMAHA  Staff members said progress is slowly happening at an Omaha middle school dealing with unruly and sometimes violent student behavior this school year.

Nathan Hale Magnet Middle School held its second meeting Monday to update parents about steps being taken to address the behavioral issues. Omaha Public Schools Superintendent Mark Evans told parents that additional staff members would be sent to the school, including a social worker, a new dean of students and a special education supervisor.

Parents were also informed of new mentoring opportunities for students.

"We've got a lot of community groups coming in and working with our students," school principal Darin Williams said. "That's giving the extra incentive or extra encouragement they need. I believe it takes all of us to get that positive message to these students."

Overwhelmed teachers had asked the school district to provide help, saying students were roaming the halls, being disrespectful and starting fights. Teachers have received additional training on classroom management and using technology to raise student engagement.

Nathan Hale's enrollment almost doubled this year, after several OPS middle schools added sixth-graders as a part of the district's initiative to create sixth- to eighth-grade middle schools.

National consulting group Visionary Leaders Institute's founder, Ako Kambon, has been working with the school and said while staff wants to keep students in class, they will not tolerate cursing and disrespect.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Volkswagen reached a deal that will give at least some owners of the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles caught in the company's emissions cheating scandal the option of a buyback and provide compensation to all of them on top of any repurchase or repairs, U.S. regulators and a federal judge said Tuesday.

The $1 billion settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will give owners of 20,000 3-liter diesel cars the choice of a buyback. The figure does not include additional payments to owners.

Volkswagen believes it can bring the other 60,000 vehicles into compliance with pollution regulations and will not offer a buyback if that's the case, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said in San Francisco.

The deal includes $225 million the German automaker will contribute to an environmental fund to offset the cars' excess pollution, Cynthia Giles of the EPA said in a conference call with reporters.

Additional compensation for car owners will be substantial, according to the judge, but he did not provide a figure and said the sides still had more work to do.

"I am optimistic the parties will resolve the remaining issues," Breyer said, without elaborating on what was left to be done.

The settlement was a major step toward rectifying lawsuits stemming from the global scandal that erupted last year, damaging Volkswagen's reputation and hurting its sales. The company previously reached a nearly $15 billion deal for 475,000 2-liter diesel cars also programmed to cheat on emissions tests.

Hinrich J. Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Inc., said the agreement announced Tuesday was part of Volkswagen's "efforts to make things right" for its customers.

"We are committed to earning back the trust of all our stakeholders and thank our customers and dealers in the United States for their patience as the process moves forward," he said in a statement.

The deal protects the environment "by removing the cars from road and by offsetting harmful emissions that resulted from their cheating," said Giles with the EPA.

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It requires the company to buy back or terminate leases on 2009-2012 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7 diesels. The EPA says it's unlikely those can be fixed to meet clean-air standards.

For newer 3-liter vehicles  such as the 2013-2016 Volkswagen Touareg, 2013-2015 Audi Q7, 2013-2016 Porsche Cayenne, and 2014-2016 Audi A6 quattro, A7 quattro, A8, A8L and Q5  a fix is possible, so buybacks won't be offered.

Giles said the fix should be submitted soon.

The new settlement appears to mirror the terms for the cars with smaller engines. The previous deal gives 2-liter owners the option to have the automaker buy back their vehicle or pay for repairs.

Volkswagen also will pay those owners $5,100 to $10,000 each.

The company has agreed to spend up to $10 billion compensating those consumers. That settlement also includes $2.7 billion for unspecified environmental mitigation and $2 billion to promote zero-emissions vehicles.

The settlements emerged out of lawsuits from car owners and the U.S. Department of Justice after the EPA said Volkswagen had fitted many of its cars with software to fool emissions tests.

The software recognized when the cars were being tested on a treadmill and turned on pollution controls. The controls were turned off when the cars returned to the road. The EPA alleged the scheme let the cars spew up to 40 times the allowable limit of nitrogen oxide, which can cause respiratory problems in humans.

The company has reached a separate $1.2 billion deal with its U.S. dealers and is still facing potentially billions more in fines and penalties and possible criminal charges.

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AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed from Detroit.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey lawmakers have given their OK to ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft.

Lawmakers on Monday approved a measure to make the services legal.

If approved by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, the measure would allow the state attorney general to decide whether the criminal background checks used by the companies now are sufficient or whether a different kind of check are needed.

The law also includes requirements for insurance.

More than 30 states now have laws allowing for the ride-hailing companies.

Lawmakers also approved eliminating the 7 percent sales tax paid by limousine owners. Republican sponsor Sen. Anthony Bucco said the measure was to level the playing field between limos and the ride-hailing services.

That measure also needs approval from Christie.
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As Facebook faces intense scrutiny from high-ranking German officials over how the platform handles hate speech, a German newspaper has shared what it's reporting to be internal documents that show a detailed yet confusing blueprint for how Facebook handles hate speech on its site.

SEE ALSO: This country is waging a war against Facebook

The documents were obtained and published by German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, the newspaper that originated the reporting on the infamous "Panama Papers."

The report was published last week, just as German politicians were threatening to create a new law that would punish platforms like Facebook for refusing to properly delete hate speech and fake news. The new law would be in addition to the country's internet censorship laws that are far more flexible compared to the United States.

The confusion with labeling hate speech

Most notable in the internal documents, especially in light of the current ideological tug-of-war between Germany and the social media platform, is the protected category" and "non-protected category," the means by which Facebook organizes which specific groups should be protected by hate speech.

Those categories include: sex, religious affiliation, national origin, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability or serious illness. There are additional sub-categories, too, like age, political affiliation, and appearance.

And this is where it gets confusing, especially when "protected categories" and "non-protected categories" are combined and certain categories take precedence, causing some conflicting examples.

In one example, it's pointed out that a post insulting "Irish women" is not permissible because both nationality and gender, "protected categories," are at play. But something negative posted about "Irish teens" would be permitted as "teens" is a non-protected category, somehow seemingly canceling out the nationality protection.

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In another, equally confusing example, according to an excerpt from the document, posting "migrants are filthy cockroaches that will infect our country"or "migrants are scum" violate the site's policy but posting "fucking migrants" and "migrants are so filthy" does not.

According to SZ, "migrants" were classified as a "quasi protected category" in Germany and yet the above examples show a clear inconsistency in how the rules are applied.

Keepers of the policy

SZ also spoke with employees at Arvato, an outside company that assists Facebook in Germany with keeping track of such violations and moderating the website. Overall, more than 600 people are working there on behalf of Facebook and finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the company's policies.

Workers complained of the "unclear" guidelines that change often and of the heavy workload  workers lowest on the chain of command are told to moderate 2,000 posts a day  at low pay, just above minimum wage (in Germany, between US$9 and $10 an hour).

There's also an emotional toll, as workers have to view videos that range from child pornography to terrorist beheadings and other violent images. One employee told SZ, "Ive seen things that made me seriously question my faith in humanity. Things like torture and bestiality.

Mashable has reached out to Arvato for comments regarding the document and the employees' statements.

Where does Facebook go from here?

It's been a tough year for Facebook, particularly the last few months, and the ongoing saga in Germany only shines a brighter spotlight on its failings.

While those 600-plus workers toil away, moderating posts based on seemingly contradictory guidelines, Facebook fired the human editors who maintained its popular "trending topics" section which many say led to the proliferation of fake news on the platform that affected the outcome of the U.S. presidential election (Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg originally denied this accusation).

The platform has taken some steps to remedy the situation, such as searching for a "Head of News Partnerships" to bring more newsroom experience to the company. The company has also banned fake news sites from its ad network and Zuckerberg himself has backtracked on his initial denial, vowing to fight the spread of fake news on the site.

In a statement via email, a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable, Facebook is no place for the dissemination of hate speech, racism or calls for violence. We evaluate reported content seriously. And as we learn from experts, we continue to refine the way we implement our policies to keep our community safe, especially for people that may be vulnerable or under attack.

But if SZ's reports are accurate, it's a sign of the company taking one step forward but two steps back. Even where the human element is reportedly involved in moderating the site, it's hard to see that plan being very effective given the working conditions and the shifting, conflicting guidelines.
UPDATE: 05:35 a.m. EST  German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a short statement Tuesday on the Berlin truck attack, which left at least 12 people dead and 48 injured.

Here's an extract from Merkel's statement.

Twelve people, who were looking forward to Christmas and had plans for the festive season, are no longer amongst us. It a terrible deed which one cannot understand. Many people who were injured are fighting for their lives. In these hours our first thoughts are for these people  the dead, the injured, their families, their friends.



The whole of the country is with you in deep sadness. We all hope for you and many prayer for you.



I have great trust in the men and women that have worked since last night on solving this heinous deed. It will be solved, in every detail, and it will be punished, as severely as our laws demand. For now, there is little we know of this deed with certainty.



But given the current information we have, we have to assume we are dealing with a terrorist attack. I know that it would be particularly hard to bear for all of us if it was confirmed that a person committed this crime who asked for protection and asylum in Germany. This would be particularly repugnant in the face of the many many Germans who have dedicated themselves day after day to helping refugees, and in the face of the many people who actually need our protection and try to integrate into our country.



Im in constant contact with the Minister of Interior De Maiziere, with the president, and with the Mayor of Berlin Michael Muller. The cabinet will convene in a few hours.



Together with the mayor and the minister of the interior I will go to the Breitscheildplatz in the afternoon in order to pay our respects. Millions of people are asking how can someone take so many lives when we are celebrating life in the festive season. We do not want to allow ourselves to be paralysed by terror. Although it might be difficult we will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany - in freedom, openness and together.

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UPDATE: 5 a.m. EST  German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a statement Tuesday called the Berlin Christmas market attack a terrible deed, Sky News reported. The chancellor thanked emergency services and said that she trusts the authorities investigating the attack. She added that many people were seriously wounded.

This unspeakable event will be as severely punished as the law will allow, Merkel said. We must assume it was a terrorist attack.

Meanwhile, the German interior ministry said Christmas markets across the country will remain closed Tuesday as a mark of respect for the victims of the attack, in which a truck plowed through a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin killing 12 people. However, markets will be functional from Wednesday with additional security.

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs urged Americans in Berlin to inform their families of their safety.

UPDATE: 4:05 a.m. EST  The driver of the truck, which plowed through a crowded Christmas market in Berlin killing 12 people, is a Pakistani national who entered Germany via the Balkan route earlier this year, local media reports said Tuesday, citing unnamed authorities.

The suspect is a 23-year-old named Naved B., German tabloid Bild reported Tuesday.

Police raided an asylum center at the disused Tempelhof airport in the German capital where the suspect was reported to have been registered.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will issue a statement on the Berlin attack later Tuesday.

Chancellor #Merkel will give a statement at 11:00 today following the #TruckAttack in #Berlin.  Kristin Zeier (@KrisZeier) December 20, 2016

UPDATE: 2:52 a.m. EST  German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Tuesday ordered for flags across the country to fly at half-mast following Mondays tragedy in which a truck barreled through a crowded Christmas market in Berlin killing at least 12 people and wounding 48.

Oliver Malchow, the head of Germanys police trade union, told local media it would never be possible to have 100% security at all of the countrys 2,500 Christmas markets that take place at least twice a week in every German town.

A police press conference is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday, local time, (7 a.m. EST) during which more details are expected to be made public. A 6 p.m., a vigil will take place at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church outside which the tragedy occurred. The truck has been removed from the scene of the crash for further investigations.

Meanwhile, Mayor Philippe Pradal of Nice in France, where 86 people were killed when a Tunisia-born man plowed through a crowded beachfront in the city on Bastille Day in July, mused on the similarities between the Nice attack and the latest crash. Same modus operandi. Same blind violence. Same hatred of happy people. More than ever, fight against obscurantism, he tweeted.

Original story:

At least 12 people were killed and 48 injured when a truck plowed through a popular Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday in what German officials said could be a terrorist attack.

Authorities arrested a suspect about a mile and a half away from the scene at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and are investigating his alleged links to the attack. The German police are yet to release information on the suspects identity.

Investigators found a dead Polish man inside the tractor trailer but ruled him out as the vehicles driver. The truck  fitted with Polish license plates  barreled into the crowded Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz, in the western part of central Berlin, at around 8 p.m. Monday (2 p.m. EST). A witness told CNN the truck seemed to be traveling at around 40 miles per hour. Authorities are investigating the incident on the assumption that the truck was deliberately driven into the market.

We heard a loud bang, Emma Rushton, a tourist, said. We started to see the top of an articulated truck, a lorry ... just crashing through the stalls, through people.

The latest attack is reminiscent of the Bastille Day attack, in which a truck plowed through a crowded beach front in Nice, France, killing 86 people. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Nice attack.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the motive behind the crash was still clear, adding: I don't want to use the word attack yet although a lot points to that.

There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation, he added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been briefed about the attack and is in touch with the interior secretary and the governing mayor of Berlin. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he was deeply shaken on hearing the news of the attack.

The White House issued a statement Monday condemning what appears to have been a terrorist attack.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called the crash an act of terrorism, adding the civilized world must change thinking when it comes to such attacks.

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Aden (AFP) - At least 22 people were killed in clashes between government forces and rebels on the outskirts of the flashpoint city of Taez in southwest Yemen, military sources said on Tuesday.

The fighting late Monday north of Taez, held by loyalists but partly surrounded by Shiite Huthis and their rebel allies, left at least 14 rebels and eight soldiers dead, they said.

Residents said relative calm was restored on Tuesday.

In the north, two loyalist officers were killed in clashes around the Red Sea port town of Midi, the sources said, while a rights activist said a 13-year-old girl died when a shell fired by rebels crashed into her home in the southern province of Dhaleh.

Yemen's 20-month-old conflict has killed more than 7,000 people and wounded nearly 37,000, the United Nations says.

The Huthis overran the capital Sanaa and other parts of the impoverished country in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab military coalition to intervene six months later in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Britain should take immediate action to safeguard the pre-eminent global role of its courts and legal services in resolving disputes over commercial contracts once Britain leaves the EU, a lobby group for the industry said on Tuesday. Britain's legal services sector is second in size only to the United States and Britain has become the world's top centre for dispute resolution due to the use of English law in commercial contracts. EU rules, known as Rome I and Rome II, require member state courts to respect a party's choice of law for their contracts. Britain's exit from the European Union, however, could make the choice of English courts less attractive to international businesses, the report from TheCityUK, which lobbies on behalf of UK-based financial and related professional services firms, said. The choice of English law for a contract and the choice of the English courts as the dispute resolution forum should be considered as a package, as typically the same law and jurisdiction is chosen, it said. "We recommend that the government  and the devolved administrations  should make clear they will apply the rules set out in Rome I and Rome II, including choice of law for non-contractual obligations, by converting them into domestic law," the report said. "This can and should be done now, unilaterally and without affecting the negotiations to exit the EU." Some European academics have already questioned the validity of making London the place of dispute resolution for new contracts since the Brexit vote in Britain. Countries like Singapore also want to become bigger centres for dispute resolution. Failure to underpin UK decisions for use in contracts across the EU after Brexit would undermine Britain's legal services in the wider global market, the report said. More than a fifth of all practising solicitors in Britain work in financial services-related functions, and the UK legal sector's trade surplus has nearly doubled over the past decade to 3.4 billion pounds. Losing access to the EU's single market would pose a high risk of causing considerable losses in financial and reputational terms to the legal services sector over the long term, the report said. "The best Brexit deal will be one which is mutually beneficial to the UK, the EU and globally and which allows for a clear and predictable shift from current business conditions to whatever new arrangement is agreed," TheCityUK's Chief Executive, Miles Celic, said in a statement. (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Rogue One.

Special effects are awesome. The waves in Moana looked gorgeous. The Ancient Ones ability to bend cities in half in Doctor Strange was mind-blowing. This years Jungle Book looked like it was shot in the wild, not downtown L.A. All those feats came from the filmmakers at Disney, the same studio thats also responsible for Rogue One. But in the latest Star Wars film, director Gareth Edwards and his team used them to reanimate two characters from the original trilogy. The results are far from awesome. Theyre eerie.

Lets begin with Grand Moff Tarkin. Peter Cushing, who played the villain in the original series, passed away in 1994. The creators of Rogue One resurrected him through a combination of motion-capture technology and CGI. Actor Guy Henry performed the role, and the special effects crew digitally replaced his face with Peter Cushings afterward. (The performance isnt based on old footage, but is akin to what actor Andy Serkis did in Planet of the Apes, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, except with a human face instead of that of a creature.)

The figure that emerges looks like someone out of The Polar Express, which would be cool if this movie was The Polar Express. It is not. Thats largely because the re-animated Tarkin is surrounded by real actors. As a result, the effect ends up showing the limitations of the technology. Its also distracting: As you ponder what, exactly, is off about this not-human-enough figuresomething in the facial movementsyou begin to lose track of the plot.

Bringing back the dead is one thing. Making the living appear younger is another. Which is exactly what the filmmakers did with Princess Leia at Rogue Ones climax. There was something particularly plastic about this version of the young Carrie Fisherso smooth and so perfect it couldnt be realthat pulled me out of the moment. (This is becoming old hat in Hollywood. Think: Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Jeff Bridges in Tron.)

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I wasnt alone in my visceral reaction. In the screening I attended, the audience let out guffaws and barks of confusion at the first flash of both Tarkin and Leia. Not to mention the reaction on social media:

Oh cool it's the back of Tarkin's head what a nice respectful nod to the WAIT NO NO NO STOP OH GOD DON'T  Dan Cassaro (@Dan_Cassaro) December 19, 2016

What's that? The CGI characters in #RogueOne were distracting? Don't know what you're Tarkin about  Bono Fett (@jonofwend) December 18, 2016

There's a CGI of Peter Cushing in Rogue One. He's constantly breakdancing  MKupperman (@MKupperman) December 16, 2016

Sure, one could argue both of these technological flourishes were necessary to the plot of Rogue One, which takes place right before the events of A New Hope. Or that the filmmakers felt they needed to offer enough callbacks to the originals to sell tickets. But there were obvious ways to make Tarkin less essential to the plotor to show his reflection or just the back of his head. But instead I was left with uncomfortable questions, like: Which is worse for the future of Hollywood, resurrecting the dead or making actresses of a certain age appear as CGI versions of their younger selves? And if, technologically, we could offer eternal life to actors through CGI, should we?

When it comes to Star Wars, raising these kinds of questions is particularly irksome. After all, what many people like about the original films is how gritty and real their universe looks. When J.J. Abrams created The Force Awakens, he made a point of using as many real-life sets, props, and creatures as possible. Rogue One mimics that aestheticsave Tarkin and Leia. Perhaps some things are better left in the past.
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Lin-Manuel Miranda really, really wants you to make a donation to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and with good reason.

Turns out, his mother Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda is on the national board of directors of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the organization's nonpartisan political arm. And considering that President-elect Donald Trump could cut the organization off from taxpayer money in 2017, Planned Parenthood needs more help than ever.

So Miranda and fundraising platform Prizeo teamed up to offer a major three-show Hamilton package for one lucky donor. The winning donor will receive tickets to show performances in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, plus airfare and hotel accommodations.

But even those who don't win the grand prize can still take home Hamilton merchandise  think shirts, hats, signed LPs  in thanks for donations.

In the exclusive clip above, Miranda talks more about his fundraising campaign and the progress it's made in the weeks since its launch.

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MUNICH (Reuters) - Linde (LING.DE) plans to move its Engineering business to a separate legal entity as part of a proposed merger with U.S. rival Praxair (PX.N), the German industrial gases group's chief executive said in a letter to employees.

"That will secure the business of Linde Engineering as a preferred supplier for Linde Gas as well as the global visibility of our engineering brand for all customers," Aldo Belloni said.

Linde and Praxair earlier on Tuesday said they had come to an agreement on key aspects of an all-share deal to create a $65 billion industrial gases group.

(Reporting by Jens Hack; Writing by Maria Sheahan)
RACINE  Rarely does a school project encompass so much and include so many. Right now Park, Horlick and Case high schools are each working on building tiny houses for homeless veterans.

Its hard for teenagers to get out of their bubble, said Joe Pascucci, department chair for tech education at Park High School. This is about helping other people.

The tiny houses will be part of a tiny house village operated by Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin, which will provide homeless veterans their own individual house along with a community center that will have bathrooms and a meeting space.

Veterans Outreach hopes to have 15 tiny houses at 1624 Yout St. as soon as possible. Each of the schools are seeing this as a teaching moment.

This is an opportunity to show them that what we do in the classroom transfers to the real world, Pascucci said.

The wood the schools have received has been donated by 2x4s For Hope in Illinois. That organization allows individuals to buy 2x4s for $3, and they can sign it with any message they like.

Terellus Bolton, a junior at Park, has an uncle in the Army and said its good for his classmates to help veterans in this way.

They risked their lives so we can have our freedom, Bolton said. So its the least we can do to give back.

The students at Park work on the tiny home after school on Friday and Saturday mornings.

We stress this is about other people and if youre going to come, youre going to work hard, Pascucci said. And youre going to learn and youre going to have fun.

Pressure is on

The students at Park have the luxury of building their home inside. The students at Horlick High School dont have the space inside their school, so the kids work on their tiny home outside in the early-morning cold.

Really the only difficult part is lifting the wood in the cold, said Calvin McClain, a sophomore at Horlick. If it was warm we probably wouldnt have a problem.

The students feel a bit of added pressure, knowing this project will be used beyond their time at Horlick.

We cant mess it up, McClain said. To know someone is going to be living in there is pretty scary.

Darrell Perry, the construction and woodshop teacher at Horlick, said hes been waiting to bring a project of this size into his classroom for several years.

Now there is pressure, Perry said of his students. Theyve always worked hard but now there is pressure  theyre measuring two, three times to make sure everything is right.

The tiny home at Horlick will be unique to the first veteran that will live in it.

We have a homeless veteran thats in a wheelchair that needs a place to live, Perry said. So were building this to be handicapped-accessible.

Perry said this project will allow students to admire something they did in high school long after they graduate.

They drive down to go to The Sausage Kitchen, they look over and see something they build, Perry said. Theyre excited about that  This is good for kids in the whole city.
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - German industrial gases maker Linde and its US competitor Praxair on Tuesday said they had agreed the terms of a proposed $65-billion "merger of equals" to create a global giant in the sector.

The agreement, which paves the way for the deal to be finalised, comes after a previous attempt at a tie-up failed in September amid reports of executive infighting over key positions and their locations.

"Linde and Praxair today announced that the companies intend to combine in a merger of equals under a new holding company," the two firms said in a joint statement.

"Under the Linde brand, we want to combine our companies' business and technology capabilities and form a global industrial gas leader," Linde CEO Aldo Belloni said.

By joining forces, the two groups would overtake Linde's historic French rival Air Liquide as the world number one industrial gas supplier, with combined annual revenues of more than $30 billion (29 billion euros).

In the statement, Linde and Praxair estimated that the new combined company would have a "market value in excess of $65 billion".

The merger would lead to annual savings of around $1 billion, they added, "driven by scale benefits, cost savings and efficiency improvements".

"The strategic combination between Linde and Praxair would leverage the complementary strengths of each across a larger global footprint and create a more resilient portfolio," said Praxair chairman and chief executive Steve Angel.

Analysts have warned that the merger could face close regulatory scrutiny, as it would further shrink the number of large players in the market following Air Liquide's takeover of US-based Airgas in May.

The consolidations come at a time when industrial gas firms, which supply products for use in medicine and in industrial processes in the chemical, electronic,energy and agri-food industries, are grappling with sluggish demand and low prices.

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- Key roles 'appropriately split' -

Under the all-stock transaction, shareholders in Munich-based Linde and Connecticut-based Praxair would each own approximately 50 percent of the new combined company, which would carry the Linde brand name.

The new company would be domiciled in a "neutral" European country, the two firms said, in an apparent compromise to overcome a key stumbling block that had surfaced in the initial merger talks.

Corporate functions meanwhile would be "appropriately split" between Danbury, Connecticut and Munich in Germany, they added.

If the deal goes ahead, Linde's supervisory board chairman Wolfgang Reitzle would become chairman of the new company's board, while Praxair's Angel would become CEO and member of the board of directors.

Executive personnel and the site of the merged group's headquarters were vexed questions that helped scupper the deal the first time around, a source familiar with the discussions told AFP at the time.

Linde's chief financial officer Georg Denoke, who reportedly opposed the tie-up, stepped down after it fell through.

The merger talks resumed in early December after Linde said it had received a fresh proposal from Praxair.

Both parties stressed that the proposed merger remained subject to internal approvals and that they hoped to have a definitive agreement "in the coming months".

The deal will then still require approval from shareholders and regulators.

The new combined company will be listed on the New York and the Frankfurt stock exchanges.

Following the announcement, Linde shares fell by 1.1 percent to 161.75 in afternoon trading in Frankfurt, underperforming the Dax index of leading German firms which was up 0.24 percent.
Lindsay Lohan attends an Uno de 50 jewelry 20th-anniversary event. (Photo: Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images)

Lindsay Lohan has had a few failed attempts at a proper comeback over the years, but now shes taking a different approach. Instead of focusing on Hollywood, shes focusing on Turkey. I am deciding now if I will head back to do more work in refugee camps in Turkey and Antep during or after the New Year, she revealed to Page Six recently. The dates are not set yet. It depends on how Turkey feels after the recent terrorist attack in Istanbul. Not that any attack has or will ever stop me from helping those suffering, those who need our help the most.

Despite the turmoil in her own life  which just this year has included everything from almost slicing off her finger in a boating accident to having a throwdown fight with her ex-fiance that led to police being called  Lohan seems intent on spreading a message of peace to those in need. Sending love, light, peace and hope to all of those suffering today, she captioned an Instagram shot of herself sporting a floral headband. Before you sleep tonight, consider praying for someone youve never met and needs a guiding light.

Sending love, light, peace and hope to all of those suffering today. Before you sleep tonight, consider praying for someone you've never met and needs a guiding light. ???????????? A photo posted by Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) on Dec 16, 2016 at 8:47am PST

Lilo already spent time in Turkey earlier this fall, documenting much of her efforts on social media. I met a wonderful aid worker (Azize) at the Refugee Camp in Antep, she wrote beside a picture of herself with the woman. She saw that my eyes lit up when I told her that her headscarf is beautiful. She waved to me and said, Come with me; I followed her and she gifted it to me. I was so moved and touched by this that I wanted to wear it in appreciation for all of the generosity and love I received from everyone at the camp. (Lohan does not seem to be wearing her engagement ring from Egor Tarabasov in the pic, but her ring finger is patched up with red tape  perhaps from that aforementioned boating mishap.)



Story continues

The last time she commented on her relationship with Tarabasov, it sounded as though they were done. I realize now you cant stay in a relationship just for love, she reasoned. No woman can be hit and stay with that person if that person isnt prepared to say sorry.

So how will she spend the holidays if she does go back? I always love giving gifts, she added. So, yes, for family and friends, most definitely I will be sending gifts. For me, I know it sounds silly, but, I am OK. I like to live by the act of giving. In all honesty, I am good with no materialistic gifts. Still, her time abroad has involved sacrifice.

I miss my family a lot, she confessed. But they are very supportive and understanding of the fact that my main focus is business, writing and soon to start another film. More so, my work with refugees. It seems that now, however, Lohan considers herself to have two families, as explained beside a black-and-white picture of herself beside two small boys.

Missing my other family. Coming back soon #theworldisbiggerthan5 for New Years Resolutions we should all help save those suffering, she explained.

Missing my other family. Coming back soon #theworldisbiggerthan5 for New Years Resolutions we should all help save those suffering A photo posted by Lindsay Lohan (@lindsaylohan) on Dec 3, 2016 at 7:25am PST

That hardly means she will be spending one of the biggest party nights of the year doing humanitarian work, however. It will be announced soon, but I will be hosting New Years Eve at Zero Gravity in Dubai, which I am very excited about, she said. In other words, shes probably not the next Angelina Jolie  yet, anyway.




London (AFP) - British bank Lloyds on Tuesday bought Bank of America's UK credit card division MBNA for A1.9 billion in the first acquisition since its government bailout during the global financial crisis.

The deal, worth $2.4 billion or 2.3 billion euros, will bolster the group's position in Britain's prime credit card market, Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) said in a statement detailing its first purchase since 2008.

"The acquisition increases our participation in the expanding UK credit card market with a multi-brand strategy and advances our strategic aim to deliver sustainable growth as a UK focused retail and commercial bank," said Chief Executive Antonio Horta-Osorio.

MBNA, which has assets of A7.0 billion, was expected to deliver "strong financial returns" and create "significant" cost savings, the bank added.

"The MBNA brand and portfolio are a good fit with our existing card business and we will focus on providing its customers with excellent service and value," Horta-Osorio noted.

The deal, which will provide a A650 million-a-year boost to Lloyd's group revenues, remains subject to approval by regulators and is expected to complete in the first half of 2017.

Lloyds, which forecasts cost savings of approximately A100 million per year within two years, added that it would maintain the MBNA card brand.

The lender will buy MBNA from Bank of America subsidiary FIA Jersey Holdings Limited.

Lloyds was rescued by the British government with A20 billion of state money at the top of the notorious global financial crisis.

Lloyds Banking Group was created by a merger of Lloyds TSB and rival British lender HBOS. However, HBOS was saddled with toxic property investments, and LBG subsequently received the vast bailout.

The government gradually sold down its original 41-percent stake in the bank and currently has a seven percent holding.

Recent media reports suggest it could offload the remainder next year.
By Simon Jessop and Lawrence White

LONDON (Reuters) - Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) is buying the MBNA UK credit card business from Bank of America (BAC.N) for 1.9 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) in an effort to increase profit and reduce its reliance on mortgage lending.

The move represents the first major acquisition for Britain's biggest mortgage lender, which is part-owned by the government, since it was bailed out during the 2007-09 crisis.

Lloyds said the deal, which is expected to close in the first half of 2017, includes around 800 million pounds of acquired equity and assumes 240 million pounds for future claims for mis-sold loan insurance (PPI).

Analysts said the move represented a good use of the bank's excess cash, but warned it carried some risks given Britain's uncertain economic outlook following the country's vote to leave the European Union in June.

"Lloyds will be broadly doubling up its exposure to credit cards at a particularly benign point in the bad debt cycle and ahead of a potential slow-down...once the terms of the UK's exit from the EU are reached," Gary Greenwood of Shore Capital said.

The British lender said it would pay through cash generated by its ordinary business operations.

"The acquisition... increases our participation in the expanding UK credit card market with a multi-brand strategy and advances our strategic aim to deliver sustainable growth as a UK focussed retail and commercial bank," Antonio Horta-Osorio, Group Chief Executive, said.

Lloyds said it was confident of being able to deliver a progressive and sustainable ordinary dividend in 2016, but Greenwood said the bank might reconsider its special dividend promised for the end of the year in order to fund the deal.

The deal will lift the contribution of the consumer finance business to 21 percent of the bank's pre-tax profits from 17 percent, reducing Lloyds' reliance on the UK mortgage business, Joseph Dickerson of Jefferies said.

MBNA, which made after-tax profits of 123 million pounds in the first half of 2016, would add 650 million pounds a year to group revenues, Lloyds said, adding the deal could shave 100 million pounds a year from MBNA's cost base.
LONDON (Reuters) - London police said on Tuesday they are reviewing their plans for protecting public events over the festive period after Russia's ambassador was killed in Ankara and a truck ploughed into people at a Christmas market in Berlin. "The Metropolitan Police has detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period," police said in a statement. "As a matter of routine, as a precaution, we review our plans after attacks overseas, and we are doing so at present following the awful incidents in Berlin and Ankara last night." (Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
RACINE  The 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission ruling has caused its fair share of controversy in recent years, and several local residents are interested in seeing what Racine thinks about it.

On Tuesday, the City Council is scheduled to discuss the possibility of adding a referendum about the ruling, which prevents the limiting of corporate spending on elections via the First Amendment, to the April election ballot. The referendum would only be advisory and would ask residents whether they would support a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision.

Its a long-term effort to show that citizens overwhelmingly support ending Citizens United and overturning it, said William Earley, a Caledonia resident spearheading the effort locally. Passing a constitutional amendment is the surefire way of causing that to happen.

The referendum is part of a state and national effort to overturn the controversial decision coordinated by an organization called United to Amend. Earley, who signed the request along with six Racinians, including Racine Unified School Board members Mike Frontier and John Heckenlively, said the effort began in Wisconsin in 2011 and that Madison was one of the first communities to show its support.

According to Earley, 95 communities in Wisconsin have passed some sort of anti-Citizens United resolutions. Of those that do so through referendums, the average favorable vote for the referendum is 78 percent.

When it goes to the vote, the referendum has never failed to pass, Earley said. When the people get a chance, they know how they feel about it.

The movement started in Racine on Nov. 8, when volunteers gathered 1,435 signatures in support of the referendum at four different polling places in the city. At the county level, Earley said he and other supporters felt Racine would be the best place to start, but future action is possible in other areas.

Over time, we hope to bring this to other communities locally here on the east side of the Interstate and out west too, he said.

Racine City Council President and 10th District Alderman Dennis Wiser confirmed that the council would discuss the referendum at Tuesdays Committee of the Whole meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. and proceeds the City Council meeting. He added that the potential referendum would be purely advisory, as all local elections have campaign finance restrictions decided at the state level.
Maker Studios head Courtney Holt is stepping down from his current role to transition to a new role within parent company Disney, TheWrap has learned.

An individual with knowledge of the situation says that Holt will take on the new role of executive vice president of media and strategy. Maker will now be overseen by Andrew Sugerman, executive vice president of content and media within Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (DCPI).

Holt joined Maker after serving as an advisor to News Corp. Digital and as president of MySpace Music, a joint venture between MySpace and major record labels and publishers. Previously, he was executive vice president of digital media and music for the MTV Networks Music and Logo Group, part of Viacom.

Also Read: Disney's Maker Studios Pink-Slips Nearly 30 Workers

Disney acquired Maker in 2014 in a $500 million deal  with up to $450 million more if incentives were met. Maker has failed to meet those targets, receiving only about $200 million.

The multichannel network hosts Internet hits like Epic Rap Battles of History, and one of the channels sub-networks is home to PewDiePie, a gaming commentator who fronts the worlds most-subscribed YouTube channel.

But the company has hit some speed bumps since the acquisition, as synergies with Disney have been slow to take shape, and several executives departed from the company. In January, Holt replaced Ynon Kreiz as the head of the multichannel network.

Variety first reported this news.

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Maker Studios' Sam Wick Joins UTA's Digital Media Department

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TheGrill 2015: Maker Studios, AwesomenessTV CEOs Compare Video on YouTube and Facebook (Video)
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The body of a 54-year-old woman was found at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal on 25 November.

A Malaysian man believed to be connected to the murder of a 54-year-old woman at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal has been arrested.

A statement by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Tuesday (21 December) said that the 23-year-old man was arrested in Malaysia on 18 December following a warrant of arrest issued by the State Courts in Singapore.

The suspect was subsequently handed over by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) to their Singapore counterparts on the evening of 19 December.

The Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (Covering), Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Sekher Warrier, said that the SPF thanked RMP for their support.

The SPF will continue to work closely with our foreign law enforcement partners to bring such fugitives home to face justice, he said.

The victim was found dead in a drain near the terminal on 25 November and the case was classified as murder. The victim, who reportedly worked as a cleaner in the terminal, had injuries on her neck and bruises to her stomach.

The suspect will be charged in Court on Wednesday (21 December) with murder. If found guilty he faces the death penalty.
Margot Robbie is a married woman  thats our takeaway from her latest Instagram.

As rumors swirled that she married Tom Ackerley in a super secret wedding in her native Australia, the Suicide Squad and The Wolf of Wall Street actress, 26, took to the photo-sharing site to post a photo of herself flashing a pear-shaped diamond ring on that finger while she kissed the director in the background. It was a no caption provided, no caption needed kind of post.

A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 19, 2016 at 7:56pm PST

While there is a lot of speculation, not much is really known about the nuptials. It was was said that the Aussie actress landed at the Gold Coast Airport in Queensland wearing a I Do Down Under T-shirt. The wedding reportedly took place in Byron Bay. Her mother and three siblings, including her actor brother Cameron (who was snapped with a bunch of apparent wedding-goers), were in attendance.

The website news.com.au has photos from the wedding. Robbie is wearing an off-the-shoulder white dress with a very country wedding vibe.

Two weeks ago there was a hint that something was up when she posted this steamy lip-lock pic. Prior to that, she had mostly kept their romance off social media. (They have never appeared together on the red carpet either.)

This guy ???? A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 3, 2016 at 10:27am PST

Here they are at a wedding in August:

Shout out to Granny B + M in the back! A photo posted by Tom Ackerley (@alpha_meows) on Aug 13, 2016 at 9:18am PDT

Robbie met Ackerley in 2013 on the set of the World War II drama Suite Francaise, according to a Vogue profile from May. At the time, she wasnt looking for romance, explaining, I was the ultimate single gal. The idea of relationships made me want to vomit. And then this crept up on me. We were friends for so long. I was always in love with him, but I thought, Oh, he would never love me back. Dont make it weird, Margot. Dont be stupid and tell him that you like him. And then it happened, and I was like, Of course were together. This makes so much sense, the way nothing has ever made sense before.

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She went on to describe him as the best-looking guy in London.

Rumors started to swirl that they were engaged in the summer of 2015, when they were photographed wearing matching gold bands. However, Robbie never confirmed the news.

We guess she was just holding out to confirm her wedding. And, pow, did she ever.

Find out more about her new husband here:
Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley (Photo: Instagram)

Margot Robbie might have gotten married over the weekend, and hardly anyone saw it coming. However, a closer look at her T-shirt might have hinted at the secret nuptials.

Last week the actress landed in Australia wearing a navy blue T-shirt that said, Say I Do Down Under and featured a map of the her home country.

'say i do down under' HER MARRAGIE EQUALITY SHIRT DOUBLED AS A HINT pic.twitter.com/mHUiGgMWUN  jolly ???? (@becausebones) December 20, 2016

The shirt is actually from an organization called Say I Do Down Under that advocates for marriage equality in Australia. So Robbies shirt not only served as a sartorial sign, but also a statement for same-sex marriage.

The shirt went unnoticed, but it could have been the first clue to her impending wedding. And while her rep still hasnt confirmed she officially tied the knot with longtime love Tom Ackerley, the shirt seems to indicate she definitely did in fact, say I do Down Under. According to People, it was an intimate setting in Coorabell, a small town in Australias Byron Bay.

A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 19, 2016 at 7:56pm PST

Not enough proof that the Suicide Squad star got hitched? The photo of her ring finger featuring a big diamond sparkler she posted on Instagram yesterday showing off new bling on her ring finger while kissing her supposed new husband in the background. Shes wearing a large teardrop-shaped stone on a thin platinum diamond-encrusted band with a thin wedding band tucked underneath. The rings are dainty and classy, just like her.

???? A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 16, 2016 at 12:29am PST

Still not convinced? An Australian news site acquired images from the supposed wedding featuring Robbie in a cream-colored dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline, a big lace ruffle across the bust, a bone colored ribbon cinched at the waist and a long skirt. According to Elle, the gown, which she wore without a veil, was by Oscar de la Renta.

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If that isnt a wedding dress, we dont know what is.

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Margot Robbie has a new diamond ring on that finger!

The Suicide Squad star responded to wedding rumors that swirled around the Internet on Monday by showing off her pear-shaped sparkler on Instagram.

The photo came without a caption, but the pose spoke for itself  with Robbie, 26, draped all over her longtime beau, Tom Ackerley.

Australias The Daily Telegraph claims the couple wed in Byron Bay over the weekend, although they never announced an engagement. The actress was given away by her mother and her three siblings were in attendance, according to U.K.s The Telegraph.

Suspicions of possible nuptials first arose last week when Robbie was spotted arriving in her home country wearing a t-shirt that read Say I Do Down Under.

The Australian actress and the British assistant director first met in 2013 on the set of the World War II drama Suite Francaise. The pair were spotted on several PDA-packed dates later in June 2014.

In the May issue of Vogue, Robbie described Ackerley as the best-looking guy in London, and gushed about how she fell for her beau.




Margot Robbie is showing off her fancy new hardware in an pic she shared to Instagram on Monday.

The Suicide Squad star, who reportedly tied the knot with longtime love Tom Ackerley in a secret ceremony in Byron Bay, Australia, on Sunday, seemingly confirmed the news of her nuptials with a pic of a brand new sparkler on her ring finger.

A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 19, 2016 at 7:56pm PST

PHOTOS: Celebs Who Had Secret Weddings

Earlier this month, Robbie was photographed arriving at the Gold Coast Airport wearing an cute graphic tee that read, "Say 'I Do' Down Under."

The couple first struck up a romance in 2013 when they met on the set of the WWII drama Suite Francaise, in which Robbie starred opposite Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas, while Ackerley served as a third assistant director.

Congrats to the happy couple and to Robbie for that classy, elegant new sparkler!

WATCH: Margot Robbie Takes a 'Beer Shower' Every Night After Work, But It's Not What You Think

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Suicide Squad star Margot Robbie got secretly married to Tom Ackerley in Australias Byron Bay over the weekend, which led her to confirm the marriage on Instagram Tuesday. The starlet showed off her diamond ring by flipping off the camera.

The ring is apparently made of rose gold. What makes it unique is the way the ring sits on her finger.

This is not worn in the most common way (which is where the point is facing down towards the fingernail), Sydney-based diamond expert and jeweler Matthew Ely told Daily Mail Australia Tuesday. The price range for this ring, based on a fine quality 1.5 carat pear shaped diamond, is approximately $30,000.

A photo posted by @margotrobbie on Dec 19, 2016 at 7:56pm PST

The price of the 1.5 carat pear-shaped diamond engagement ring wasnt clear. It could have cost, Michael Fallah of Michael Arthur Diamonds in Sydney told the publication.

While the size of the ring is average for most Australian women, the classic design is not. For someone of her celebrity it's not a huge ring, Fallah said. It probably wouldn't be something we would make, we do make a few pear shapes but most have halos [of diamonds] around them.

Though Robbie hasnt said much since her apparent wedding, she gushed about her beau in the May issue of Vogue.

I was the ultimate single gal. The idea of relationships made me want to vomit. And then this crept up on me, she said.

We were friends for so long. I was always in love with him, but I thought, Oh, he would never love me back. Dont make it weird, Margot. Dont be stupid and tell him that you like him, she continued, adding, And then it happened, and I was like, Of course were together. This makes so much sense, the way nothing has ever made sense before.

Margot Robbie

Photo: Getty Images

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SELLER: Matt and Annette Lauer

LOCATION: North Sea, NY

PRICE: $3,500,000

SIZE: (approx.) 1,800, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Property records show long-time Today Show host Matt Lauer sold a small, stylishly turned out bay front cottage in the North Sea area of the Hamptons for $3.5 million. The sale price may have been a good bit below its $3.95 million asking price but its still an enviable fortune above the $2.15 million he paid for the place in September 2009.

Listing details show the approximately 1800-square-foot Cape Cod-style cottage, with three bedrooms and two renovated bathrooms, sits at the end of a long driveway on a simply but lushly landscaped three-quarter acre parcel that backs up to scenically boat-dotted Wooley Pond. Main floor living spaces include a living room with cathedral ceiling and white brick fireplace plus an all-white kitchen thats open to a water-side dining area that adjoins a family room where several sets of glass sliders open to an elevated wrap-around deck. The house-wide deck overlooks and steps down to a broad sweep of lawn that makes a gentle slope down to the water where theres a private boat dock. The master bedroom is on the main floor and, hence, less than ideally shares the only main floor bathroom with visitors while two bedrooms on the upper floor have sloped ceilings and share a hall bathroom.

Mister Lauer, no stranger to the property gossip columns, maintains a residential real estate portfolio commensurate with a man who reportedly hauls in a whopping $20 million a year as co-host of The Today Show. In addition to a sizable apartment in a dignified building in New York Citys Upper East Side that he and wife Annette purchased in August 2004 for $5.882 million  its in the same building where the penthouse was once owned by infamous and imprisoned Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff  the Lauers now own Strongheart Manor, a 6-plus acre, multi-residence bay front compound near Sag Harbor that they acquired over the summer from Richard Gere for $36.5 million. The Lauers also continue to own Brightside Farms, a 40-acre tract in the Water Mill area of the Hamptons they picked up in 2012 for $3.5 million and built into a world-class equestrian facility, as well as a not-quite 25-acre country estate, also in the Water Mill area, anchored by an approximately 8,000-square-foot, New England Cape-style mansion designed by architect Daniel Romualdez and decorated by Muriel Brandolini that is currently for sale at $16.995 million, down a million dollars from its original price tag of $17.995 million.

Story continues

Listing photos: Corcoran

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Berlin (AFP) - The bloody carnage at a Berlin Christmas market, with a Pakistani asylum-seeker as an early suspect, immediately emboldened right-wing populist critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal refugee policy.

Merkel has been under fire over her decision in September last year to let in tens of thousands fleeing war and poverty from mostly Arab and Muslim nations.

The arrival of around a million people over the past two years has deeply polarised society, and the German leader has said that next year's election would be "more difficult" than any other she has contested.

Hours after the attack that claimed at least 12 lives, Merkel admitted: "I know it will be especially hard for us to take if it is confirmed that the person who committed this attack sought protection and asylum in Germany".

The Islamophobic and anti-immigration populist party AfD wasted no time in laying the blame on Merkel.

"The milieu in which such acts can flourish has been negligently and systematically imported over the past year and a half," the group's co-leader Frauke Petry said in a statement, in a clear reference to Merkel's decision to let in refugees.

"Germany is no longer safe. It should be the responsibility of the chancellor to tell you this. But since she won't do it, then I'll say it," Petry declared, demanding "control over our territory, no ifs and buts".

Marcus Pretzell, also an AfD lawmaker and Petry's partner, went as far as to label the victims of the Christmas market "Merkel's dead".

- 'Lone wolf or group?' -

Merkel's popularity has waned over the record refugee influx, although her decision to seek a fourth term in next year's elections was greeted with approval from 64 percent of the population as measures to curb the refugee influx -- including through a controversial deal with Turkey -- began to show results.

But voters had also punished her over her refugee policy, with her CDU party suffering setbacks in five consecutive state polls, while the upstart AfD saw a stunning rise.

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In a world upended by Brexit and the surprise election of Donald Trump, questions are flying on how she plans to counter rising populism.

German Marshall Fund analyst Christian Moelling said the "biggest risk to Merkel is how her own party will react to" the attack.

"Up to now she is the candidate of the conservatives for the chancellor post... but maybe the conservative right-wing will try to get more concessions from her on the questions of internal security and migration," he told AFP.

What emerges from the investigation into the attack could determine how much of a toll it could take on Merkel politically, said Moelling.

A key question was "whether we see that this is a kind of lone wolf approach, or whether there is a more systematic approach or group behind it".

An organised attack would "support the case that we have been unsuccessful in scanning the people coming into Germany last year and it could be seen as Merkel's policy leading to this increased risk," he warned.

- 'Refugee risk?' -

For now, most mainstream politicians have been adopting a largely cautious stance.

But Merkel's Bavarian allies, the CSU, who have been among her biggest critics over the refugee issue, are already gearing up for a fight.

"We owe it to the victims, those affected and the entire population to re-examine and re-adjust our entire immigration and security policies," said CSU chief Horst Seehofer.

Earlier, Joachim Herrmann, the CSU interior minister of Bavaria state, had already called for an open dialogue about the risks that Germany is facing due to the arrival of many refugees.

"We need to talk about this question, what risks do we face now with this big number of refugees here," he said in an interview with regional radio Bayerische Rundfunk.

The population could not be expected to "keep going like that, in which we face a higher risk of attacks by people from a radical Islamist background."

But Spiegel Online called for cool heads to prevail, saying "whoever exploits the situation, like the cynics at the AfD are, to incite people against others, is doing the work of terrorists.

"They want to divide us, they want to destabilise use and provoke a cultural war. Their hate is aimed at creating new hate," it warned.
3 abducted UN staffers, including 2 Nepalis, in Sudan released

Three UNHCR staff members including two Nepalis who were abducted on November 27 from El Geneina, Sudan, have been released safely on Monday.
SYDNEY (AP)  For two years, a handful of ships have diligently combed a remote patch of the Indian Ocean west of Australia in a $160 million bid to find Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. On Tuesday, investigators made what was surely a painful admission: They have probably been looking in the wrong place.

The latest analysis by a team of international investigators concluded the vanished Boeing 777 is highly unlikely to be in the current search zone and may instead be in a region farther north. But though crews are expected to finish their deep-sea sonar hunt of the current search area next month, the possibility of extending the search to the north appeared doubtful, with Australia's transport minister suggesting the analysis wasn't specific enough to justify continuing the hunt.

The latest twist in the search for Flight 370 highlights the extraordinary difficulty officials have faced in their attempts to find the aircraft based on the faintest scraps of data. All along, officials have said they are not simply looking for a needle in a haystack  they are looking for the haystack.

On Tuesday, the haystack was poised to shift again, with the release of a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading the search for the plane. The report is the result of a November meeting of international and Australian experts who re-examined all the data used to define the search area for the aircraft, which vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board.

Since the plane disappeared, experts have analyzed a series of exchanges between the aircraft and a satellite to estimate a probable crash site along a vast arc of ocean in the southern hemisphere. A deep-sea search of a 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) stretch of water along the arc has so far come up empty.

In November, the experts went back over the satellite data, along with the results of a new ocean drift analysis of the more than 20 items of debris likely to have come from the plane that have washed ashore on beaches throughout the Indian Ocean. The analysis, based on where the items washed up and when, suggested the debris originated farther north along the arc from the current search zone.

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Given the number of aircraft parts found so far, the team concluded that a debris field had floated on the water surface after the plane crashed. So they eliminated areas of the ocean where air crews had searched the surface in the early stages of the hunt.

That left a 25,000-square-kilometer (9,700-square-mile) area immediately to the north of the current search zone as the most likely place where the plane hit the ocean, the report said.

The investigators concluded with "a high degree of confidence" that the plane is not in the current search area. And they agreed the new area needs to be searched.

"The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted," the report said.

However, a new search would require fresh funding. The countries involved  Malaysia, Australia and China  agreed in July that the $160 million search will be suspended once the current effort is exhausted unless new evidence pinpoints the plane's exact location.

Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester suggested an extension was unlikely, noting that the latest report does not give a specific location of the plane.

"As agreed at the Tripartite Ministers meeting in Malaysia in July we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft," Chester said in a statement. "The search for MH370 has been the largest in aviation history and has tested the limits of technology, and the capacity of our experts and people at sea."

Malaysia's Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai did not explicitly rule out a new search, but said in a statement, "We remain to be guided as to how this can be used to assist us in identifying the specific location of the aircraft." When asked about the search, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson did not comment beyond noting China's role in the effort so far.

Australian government oceanographer David Griffin, who worked on the analysis of how the debris drifted, said he is confident the plane is in the newly identified search area. And he dismissed the idea that the new analysis means the search to date has been a wasted effort, saying that the current search zone was based on the best available data at the time.

"It could have been where we were searching, absolutely, but the new information does clarify that immediately north is more likely," Griffin said.

As part of their analysis, Griffin and his team built replicas of the first piece of debris that was found  a wing fragment known as a flaperon that was discovered on Reunion Island off the African coast in July 2015. The team then set the replicas adrift, measuring how fast they traveled and noting how much the wind influences their rate of speed. They then ran computer simulations of how the aircraft parts could have drifted, which helped paint a picture of where they originated.

The newly identified search zone does include an area that was searched very early on in the hunt, but crews didn't comb a wide enough area to rule it out, Griffin said. "They didn't go quite far enough away from the arc to cover all possibilities," he said.

The fact that crews were so close to the area now identified as the likeliest crash site  coupled with the lack of commitment to search the new area  is sure to frustrate families of those on board, who have been pushing the governments to continue searching.

"They should keep searching no matter how much money they will spend," said Li Jingxin, whose brother was on the plane. "The cost of the search has nothing to do with us relatives. They should also raise the amount of compensation (to families) to make up for the time lost while they searched the wrong place."

___

Associated Press reporter Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, and news researcher Yu Bing in Beijing contributed to this report.
Michele Morgan, one of the greats of 20th century French film who starred in the lauded Port of Shadows, among many others, died today. The family announced her death, according to French media reports. She was 96.

Morgan was a leading lady for three decades in both French cinema and American features. She was the inaugural winner of the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and in 1992 was given an Honorary Cesar Award for her contributions to French cinema.

Morgan starred in some 70 films over the course of her decades-long career, but was perhaps best known as the ethereal femme fatale in 1938s Port of Shadows, an example of the poetic realism genre, and a precursor to American film noir.

In 1940, at the time of the German invasion of France, Morgan left the country for Hollywood where she was under contract for a time at RKO Pictures. Her most notable work during that period included Joan of Paris opposite Paul Henreid in 1942 and Higher and Higher opposite Frank Sinatra in 1943.

She eventually returned to France where she appeared in the 1946 film La Symphonie Pastorale by Jean Delannoy, which earned her the Best Actress Award at Cannes. Her other film included Carol Reeds The Fallen Idol (1948), Fabiola (1949), The Proud and the Beautiful (1953) by Yves Allegret, Les Grandes Manuvres (1955) by Rene Clair, and Marie-Antoinette reine de France (1956). Her most recent work in film came in in 1966s Lost Command, a film version of Les Centurions, and 1975s Cat and Mouse, a thriller directed by Claude Lelouche. She most role, according to IMDB, was in 2010, in TV movie Les trois glorieuses.

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Michele Morgan, famous for her role in The Fallen Idol, died Tuesday at her home in Paris. "The most beautiful eyes in cinema were permanently closed this morning," the family said in a statement. She was 96.

Considered one of the greatest actresses of French cinema, Morgan is best known as the girlfriend of an unhappily married butler (Ralph Richardson) whose wife dies accidentally in the 1948 film The Fallen Idol. It was nominated for two Oscars.

Morgan was born Feb. 29, 1920, in Neuilly-sur-Seine as Simone Renee Roussel. She left home when she was 15 to pursue acting and took lessons from Rene Simon, the founder of the Cours Simon drama school in Paris.

Her breakthrough role was in Marc Allegret's 1937 film Heart of Paris, in which she starred opposite Raimu. Allegret also cast her in his 1938 film Storm, but she became a well-known actress when she starred in Marcel Carne's Port of Shadows (1938) with French star Jean Gabin. In Shadows, Gabin tells Morgan, "You have beautiful eyes, you know." To which she replies, "Kiss me." As a result, she became known as the actress with "the most beautiful eyes in cinema." Her 1977 autobiography was entitled With These Eyes.

When Germany invaded France in 1940 during World War II, Morgan fled to the U.S., where she was cast in several Hollywood films, including Robert Stevenson's Joan of Paris (1942), Higher and Higher (1943) with Frank Sinatra and Passage to Marseille (1944) with Humphrey Bogart. In 1941, she built a house in Los Angeles at 10050 Cielo Drive, which became famous as the site of the Manson family murders in 1969.

Returning to France after the war, Morgan continued to work for the next two decades. In 1946, she starred in Jean Delannoy's religious drama Pastoral Symphony, a film about a minister and his son who both fall in love with a blind woman, played by Morgan. For her role, she won the best actress award at the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946.

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Her career continued with such highlights as The Fallen Idol; Fabiola (1949); The Glass Castle (1950); The Proud and the Beautiful (1953); Shadow of the Guillotine (1956), in which she stars as Marie Antoinette; and Lost Command (1966).

Morgan received many awards during her career, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, France's Legion of Honor in 1969 and an honorary Cesar for her contributions to French cinema in 1992. She also won the Career Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1996. She was voted as the most popular French actress 10 times.

Morgan spent her later years painting and had a solo exhibit in Paris in 2009. "I find calm, I have always liked to be alone and I have never been happier than with my painting," she said.

Of her long, successful acting career, in which she starred in nearly 70 films, Morgan said: "I have never had the opportunity to play sexy women. I must believe that my charm was not in my ass."
In her highly hyped White House exit interview with Oprah Winfrey, First Lady Michelle Obama continues to insist she is not interested in running for office.

The idea of a Michelle Obama White House probably speaks more to voters regret with the election outcome, FLOTUS speculated in the interview, which aired first on CBS and then on OWN.

Among many other reasons for her non-interest, Michelle Obama thinks thats too big an ask for members of a family that already have been through it for eight years. Not something you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again, given that it it tends to bring so much disruption. In the interview, Winfrey, looking at the First Lady dubiously through her journalist glasses, forgot to ask if that was a comment on Hillary Clintons candidacy.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcxhVpGcz8Q&w=620&h=340]

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On Monday night, CBS aired First Lady Michelle Obama Says Farewell to the White House: An Oprah Winfrey Special, where Michelle and Oprah sat down to discuss everything from the recent election to glamping. The First Lady, like many Americans, was not pleased with the recent election, and not just the outcome. Michelle told Oprah, This past election was challenging for me as a citizen to watch and experience, it was painful. While Michelle didnt like the election, and definitely didnt approve of Donald Trumps locker room talk, she didnt want to focus on the past, but rather, look forward and hope that the American people learn something from this election. The First Lady told Oprah, Words matter, and they matter most to our kids, our young people. And the words that we say moving forward, all of us, it matters, which is one of the reasons why Barack and I are so supportive of this transition. Its not just the transition that the Obamas are supporting, but Trumps presidency as a whole. Michelle said, We are going to be there for the next president and do whatever we have to do to make sure that he is successful, because if he succeeds, we all succeed. Part of Michelles support of Trump includes helping the next First Lady, Melania. Michelle discussed her meeting with Melania, saying that she would be there for the new First Lady any time she had any questions, adding, The door is open, as I've told her, and as Laura Bush told me, you know, and as other first ladies told me.
Satya Nadella

Microsoft just scored a big win with a $927 million contract to provide technical support and consulting for the United States Department of Defense, reports Reuters.

Back in February 2016, Microsoft secured a huge deal with the Department of Defense to bring the Windows 10 operating system to all four million of its employees within 12 months. At the time, Microsoft said it was its largest enterprise deal for Windows 10 ever.

As that 12-month window nears its close, it seems that the Department of Defense has gone back to Microsoft for the services and tech support necessary to keep everything running smoothly amid the transition.

Back in 2013, Microsoft and the Department of Defense signed a similar deal for Windows 8, the much-maligned predecessor to Windows 10. But that deal only affected about 350,000 employees directly employed by the Department of Defense.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 won't be found in the area of the Indian Ocean officials have searched for two years, investigators said Tuesday. The flight wreckage may have instead traveled further north based on flight simulations and new analysis of satellite communications, a team of international investigators hunting for the plane said.

The latest theory comes after officials met in November to discuss all the data used so far to find the plane. It's part of a report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading the $145 million search for the aircraft near Australia. The experts said the plane was on an "unstable flight path" when it went down.

There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," the report states. The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted.

Australia's Transport Minister Darren Chester noted the report does not give a "specific location" for the aircraft. The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China, which are paying for the search, had previously agreed that "we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available" that identifies the location, he said.

MH370 went missing during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. There were 239 people on board. Crews looking for the Boeing 777 were expected to end their search in January. So far, a probe of an area about 46,000-square mile hasn't turned up the plane.

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MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) has raised around 500 million euros as of Tuesday in a voluntary debt-to-equity offer that is a key part of a last-ditch attempt to raise 5 billion euros ($5.2 billion) and avert state intervention, a source close to the matter said.

The troubled bank, recently judged the weakest of the European Union's major banks, must raise the money by the end of this month as part of a rescue plan that also includes the sale of 28 billion euros in bad loans.

Finding investors has proved difficult amid political turmoil triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi following his defeat in a constitutional referendum on Dec. 4, and a state bailout looks likely.

A failure of the world's oldest bank would threaten

the savings of thousands of Italians and could have repercussions on the country's banking sector, saddled with a third of the euro zone's total bad loans.

Italy's third biggest bank reopened the debt swap offer on Friday to include retail investors owning 2.1 billion euros of the bank's junior debt and holders of a hybrid financial instrument known as Fresh 2008.

The new swap offer, which the bank estimates could raise 1.8 billion euros including 1 billion euros already tendered by institutional investors in a first phase, ends on Wednesday.

The bank is also selling shares in a placement that ends on Thursday and that should raise 3.2 billion euros to be successful.

The bank had pinned its hopes on Qatar's sovereign wealth fund putting in 1 billion euros in the cash call, but sources have said the fund has not decided yet whether to invest.

If Monte dei Paschi fails to pull off its own privately-funded rescue, a government bailout could come as early as this week after Rome decided to seek parliamentary approval to borrow 20 billion euros to prop up the Tuscan bank and other ailing lenders.

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, editing by Silvia Aloisi and Adrian Croft)
6,200 ha forestland encroached upon

A large swathe of forestland, about 6,200 hectares, has been encroached upon in Kanchanpur district in the name of landless people, freed Kamaiyas (former bonded-labourers), freed Haliya (former bonded agricultural labourers) for the last three to four decades, according to the data of District Forest Office (DFO).
COPENHAGEN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Moody's downgraded A.P. Moller-Maersk's credit rating on Tuesday, piling pressure on the world's biggest container shipper as it juggles a major restructuring with a multi-billion dollar acquisition of a German rival.

Moody's said the downgrade from Baa1 to Baa2 with a negative outlook "reflects Maersk's deteriorating credit profile".

The credit rating firm put the Danish shipping company under review in September, when it announced a split-up to focus on the shipping business and spin off its energy assets.

"(Maersk's) operations will be less diverse and potentially less protected from a downturn in its end markets," Moody's said in a statement.

Maersk's debt to operating profit ratio - a measure of a company's ability to cover its debt - climbed to 2.5 over the twelve months until the end of September, above Moody's downgrade benchmark of 2.25, the rating agency said.

Global container shipping is suffering its worst downturn caused by a faltering global economy and too many ships. The slump has prompted a series of mergers and alliances aimed at saving costs and pooling ships and routes.

Maersk said this month it had agreed to buy German rival Hamburg Sud, the world's seventh-largest container shipping line, at an undisclosed price.

The company is also trying to spin off its oil and gas business, but merger talks with DONG Energy, which has put its North Sea oil and gas assets up for sale, have stalled, sources told Reuters last week.

Last month, Standard & Poor's lowered the company's credit rating to BBB from BBB+ with a negative outlook.

The current ratings from both agencies are still considered investment grade, and Maersk stressed at its capital markets day last week it was committed to maintain that, even if it meant selling assets or cutting dividends.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; editing by Susan Thomas)
What started for writer-director Barry Jenkins as a very small and personal independent film has been storming through awards season, with his Moonlight picking up everything from critics group nods to Golden Globe and SAG nominations on an almost daily basis. The passion behind the project was evident when Jenkins and five of his key cast members  including all three of the young men who play the central character of Chiron at different points in the film  turned up last month at Deadlines big annual event The Contenders Presented By Deadline.

During the panel, part of the A24 presentation before a packed house of Academy members and key guild voters at the DGA theater, Jenkins talks about how he took Tarell Alvin McCraneys original unproduced play and molded it  with the help of McCraney, who has a story credit  into a very personal story about how the world affects young men growing up in the Miami neighborhood where they both were brought up.

Jenkins also talks about the unique casting idea that brought three different actors, 10 years apart in age, to play the three different Chirons (not to mention three other actors to play childhood friend, Kevin). Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes and Alex Hibbert all talked about what playing the same role at different times meant to them. Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris, both receiving a lot of awards action for their searing performances, discuss the films impact and what it meant to be part of this unique movie experience.

Check out our conversation above.

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'Moonlight' Named Best Film By Black Film Critics Circle As Barry Jenkins Wins Twice; 4 Nods For 'Fences'

'Moonlight', 'Love & Friendship' Lead London Critics' Circle Nominations
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough ripped Bill Clinton on Tuesday morning, saying the former president has no shame and that Democrats should agree that the past eight years were disastrous.

I would ask if he has no shame, but he proved decades ago that he didnt, Scarborough said. If [the Clintons] would just get out of the way and be gracious about this, there would be people carrying their water.

Scarborough, who is a Republican, said the Democrats have got to start looking forward.

Also Read: 'GMA,' 'Morning Joe' Among Most Googled News Shows of 2016

Former president Clinton recently said that angry white men voted for Trump elected.

Oh my god, Scarborough said in response. If Hillary Clinton would have carried the same people that Barack Obama carried among these angry white men, she would have been elected.  Those angry white men that Bill Clinton is talking about are the same angry white men that got him elected president.

In a recent Vanity Fair interview, Scarborough and his co-host, Mika Brzezinski, denied that they have been cheerleaders for Trump. Though the pair sometimes feuded with Trump during the campaign, the New York Times has reported that Trump often seeks out Scarboroughs counsel.

Watch the video above.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'GMA,' 'Morning Joe' Among Most Googled News Shows of 2016

'Morning Joe' Rips President Obama Over 'Holocaust' in Syria: 'He Did Absolutely Nothing' (Video)

MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' Degenerates Into Shouting Match With Congressman Over Russia (Video)
MTV released a video on Monday with advice for white men in the upcoming year  and users on social media were quick to slam the video as racist and pathetic.

In the video, a number of people look into the camera and tell viewers that white guys should try to recognize that America was never great for anyone who wasnt a white guy, that they should stop bragging about being woke and that no one should brag about having black friends.

The people in the video also mention Kanye West, Beyonce and the judge in the Stanford sexual assault case.

Also Read: Viacom CEO Calls MTV US Strategy a 'Mistake'

Hey, white guys: we came up for some New Year's Resolutions for you. pic.twitter.com/C9EeIY6wig  MTV News (@MTVNews) December 19, 2016

The response was predictably critical, with one Twitter user writing, funny that MTV makes a video telling white guys to stop being racist yet it took them almost a decade to show black musicians on the channel.

Also Read: Did Kanye West Expose That MTV's VMAs Are Rigged?

However, some defended the channel, with another user using the hashtag #GoAheadKeepProvingTheirPoint.

I love all the white people getting angry about the MTV "New Year resolutions for white guys" post. #GoAheadKeepProvingTheirPoint #Idiots  Alex Scaffidi (@alex_scaffidi) December 20, 2016

I knew I'd see a couple white people get triggered by that MTV video lmao  Joey Elrod (@JoeyElrod) December 20, 2016

All the white guys on my tl got heated by that MTV video. It wasn't that serious, it was lukewarm as hell. Wouldn't even paid it attention  Adrian ???????? (@FroesOverHoes) December 20, 2016

MTV has not yet responded to TheWraps request for comment.

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Read tweets responding to the video below.

MTV should be shut down for this shit. none of the points you touched on even made sense for why white males should be "better." just delete https://t.co/mhYp8bRxKe  Steeb (@stevanaustino) December 20, 2016

MTV release disgusting video lumping all "white guys" together as some kind of pantomime villain. Apparently this brand of racism is okay. https://t.co/ScZvaAz9qg  Michael Heaver (@Michael_Heaver) December 20, 2016

@Mediaite white guys give zero facks about MTV since circa-1990bieber.  Jim DelGreco (@fuzzbish) December 20, 2016

MTV is now telling white guys how to not be racist? I'm done guys  Garrett Gainey (@GaRrEtTGaInEyGG) December 20, 2016

@MTV about your white guys resolution, here's one for you! Quit being pathetic with your race baiting! Jealousy doesn't look good on anyone  marciacrocker (@MarciaCrocker01) December 20, 2016

MTV put out this video as if white guys are the problem in America.No more mansplaining. No more racism. No more .stop it ???? pic.twitter.com/I5kmCH6K7Y  tom alex (@rejialex7) December 20, 2016

@MTVNews Oh, and MTV News, sorry that I neglected to properly acknowledge your suggestions for us white guys. You can go fuck yourself also.  Dennis LaGrone (@Dennis_LaGrone) December 20, 2016

Yes MTV let's generalize all white guys and pretend that they are the only issue with this country!!! ???????? https://t.co/QOIbzxlTfV  maddie-lynn davidson (@Maddiie_lynnn) December 20, 2016

how does a whateverthefuck channel MTV is think "2017 resolutions for white guys" is a good idea  Cipher (@Liam27White) December 20, 2016

funny that MTV makes a video telling white guys to stop being racist yet it took them almost a decade to show black musicians on the channel  maawong (@maawong) December 20, 2016

Related stories from TheWrap:

VH1 Reality Head Nina Diaz Adds Oversight of MTV

Chris McCarthy Replaces Sean Atkins as President of MTV

MTV President Sean Atkins to Exit After One Year
Heres how much Alec Baldwin gets paid to play Donald Trump on SNL, in case you were curious

Alec Baldwin has revealed how much he gets paid for his iconic Donald Trump impersonation on Saturday Night Live.

The 58-year-old actor told The New York Times that SNL shells out $1,400 every time he appears on the comedy show as the controversial president-elect.

Not only has his hilarious and accurate SNL impersonation become popular among Trumps critics in the public, Baldwin has also drawn a reaction from the man himself.

According to Donald Trump, who isnt one to mince insults, SNL is totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just cant get any worse. Baldwin took it in stride.

Release your tax returns and Ill stop, he tweeted back.

Alec has found the key to a spot-on impersonation every time.

"Mr. Trump, everyone can see your tweets." #SNL A video posted by Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) on Nov 7, 2016 at 1:34pm PST

I see a guy who seems to pause and dig for the more precise and better language he wants to use, and never finds it. Its the same dish  its a grilled-cheese sandwich rhetorically over and over again, Baldwin told The Hollywood Reporter.

Pence reports on his #Hamilton experience. #WiigOnSNL A video posted by Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) on Nov 19, 2016 at 8:58pm PST

Many did point out that his impersonation may have humanized Trump enough to help him win the election, and Baldwin does recognize that. However, he thinks that now is also the time to turn it up a notch.

I think that now that he is the president, we have an obligation  as we would if it was him or her  to dial it up as much as we can, he said.

Baldwin does plan to continue his Trump impersonation, although theyll be more sporadic now that he has two upcoming films.

When you're in a security briefing but can't stop retweeting random people. #SNL A video posted by Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) on Dec 4, 2016 at 10:12am PST

Well need the comic relief to help us stay grounded for the next four years, TBH.

The post Heres how much Alec Baldwin gets paid to play Donald Trump on SNL, in case you were curious appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Paul Carrel

BERLIN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Berlin evening air was cool, the mulled wine warm and festive spirits high. Then, suddenly, chaos: A truck ploughed into the Christmas market, making no obvious attempt to stop, and smashing revellers in its path.

"It happened so fast there was nothing we could do to stop it," said Mike Fox, a tourist from Birmingham, England, who had just enjoyed a mug of mulled wine with his girlfriend at the market in the heart of former West Berlin.

"It definitely looked deliberate," he told reporters of the incident, which police said took place at around 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).

"It was careening in, bashing in to the stalls," he said of the large, black, Scania truck that eventually ground to a halt, Christmas decorations protruding from its smashed windscreen.

Police said the truck killed 12 people and injured 48 others after ploughing into the Christmas market at the foot of the Gedaechtniskirche, or memorial church, built in 1891-95, which was left a ruin after it was damaged in World War Two bombing raids as a monument to peace and reconciliation.

"I spoke to two people who were lying on the floor with broken limbs, but they were going to be OK," said Fox, who said the truck missed him by about three metres (10 feet) and kept going.

"I saw one guy being dragged away with blood on his face. I helped several other people lift the side of one of the stalls up so that they could pull two other people from underneath."

Emma Rushton, another tourist visiting Berlin, said she had a near escape too as the truck tore through the market, ripping down Christmas lights.

"It was about 8, 10 feet in front of us, and had we left two minutes earlier we would have been right in the path of it," she told the BBC.

"It was probably doing about 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour). It showed no signs of slowing down," she said. "It wasn't an accident. It didn't feel like an accident."

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the circumstances of the crash were still unclear, adding: "I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet although a lot points to that."

A local German woman, who had made a habit of stopping by the Christmas market on the way home from work, said she was lucky to arrive after the carnage: "I am here almost every night. Only today I was on late shift."

(Additional reporting by Reuters TV; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria plans to close the airport in the capital Abuja for six weeks from February to repair its badly damaged runway, the government said on Tuesday, after airlines threatened to stop flying there. Nigeria has delayed infrastructure investment for decades, slowing the development of Africa's biggest economy. Flights to Abuja will be diverted to Kaduna, about 160 km to the north and linked to the capital by a pot-holed overland road. Abuja airport will reopen after six weeks, but the repair work will last six months, the transport ministry said. Closing the airport will "allow (German builder) Julius Berger to carry out total re-construction work on the badly damaged airport runway," the ministry said in a statement. In October, Dubai-based Emirates stopped flying to Abuja, blaming the state of the runway among other factors, according to the ministry. A South African Airways plane was damaged in August while landing at Abuja, Nigerian media have said. Several airlines have reduced flights to the capital or threatened to stop flying there unless the runway is fixed. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing and Felix Onuah; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
ABUJA (Reuters) - Aviation staff have launched an indefinite strike targeting Arik Airlines, Nigeria's largest carrier, amid a dispute over salary arrears and contracts, three trade unions said. Nigeria is in its first recession in 25 years and earlier this year two other local carriers, Aero Contractors and First Nation, suspended operations amid financial difficulties. In a statement issued late on Monday, the unions said the strike began at midnight (2300 GMT) and would continue indefinitely until demands, including the payment of seven months of salary arrears and negotiations over contract conditions, were met. "All ground handling services, security clearance for Arik Air ticket holders, marshalling, aviation fuel supply, air traffic controls, safety inspection, will be completely withdrawn," said the unions. The statement was issued by the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers. The impact on services provided by the airline, which flies across Africa's most populous nation and to London, New York and Johannesburg, was not immediately clear. "It is not a strike by Arik staff. The aviation unions stopped our operations," Arik Air spokesman Ola Adebanji said in a text message. He did not elaborate. Arik Air is planning to raise as much as $1 billion through a private share placement next year and then a possible initial public offering (IPO) in Lagos and London, its managing director said in October. Nigerian airlines and international carriers operating within the country have struggled with a plunge in the naira that has made it difficult to remain profitable as most passengers pay in the local currency. International carriers United Air Lines and Iberia stopped services to Nigeria earlier this year, while others have begun refuelling abroad to avoid jet fuel shortages. International airlines have complained about the difficulty of repatriating millions of dollars worth of fares sold in Nigeria's local currency. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh and Alexis Akwagyiram; editing by David Clarke)
Kinshasa (AFP) - At least 11 people died as gunfire erupted during protests on Tuesday in Democratic Republic of Congo against longtime President Joseph Kabila, who is refusing to leave office as his mandate ends.

Shots rang out in the capital Kinshasa, where at least nine people were killed, and there was sustained gunfire in the country's second-largest city, Lubumbashi, where two died -- including a policeman who was lynched by an angry crowd.

The UN's large DR Congo mission, MONUSCO, said it was probing reliable reports of dozens of deaths and voiced alarm over the arrests of 113 opposition leaders and civil society activists in just four days.

Tension has been mounting for months in DR Congo ahead of the December 20 deadline for Kabila's second and final term in office to end.

With no election planned and no sign of him stepping down, veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi issued a plea to the country's 70 million people to "peacefully resist" and "reject" the Kabila regime.

Plumes of smoke from burning barricades hung over Kinshasa after overnight protests, and activity ground to a halt as troop carriers patrolled the largely empty streets of the megacity of 10 million.

An AFP correspondent said the streets of Lubumbashi's Matuba neighbourhood were strewn with rocks and burnt tyres early Tuesday amid a heavy police presence.

Local authorities said "police were forced to fire into the air to disperse civilians" because some protesters were armed. It was impossible to immediately verify that claim.

But there were no reports of clashes in northeastern Kisangani or in Bukavu in the country's east.

- 'Teargas and gunfire' -

"Fortunately, we are not back to the slaughter of September," said national police spokesman Pierre-Rombaut Mwanamputu, referring to bloodshed in September when at least 53 anti-Kabila protesters died in two days, according to the UN.

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Kabila, 45, who has ruled since 2001, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term but under a controversial recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

As the clock counted down on Tuesday's end-of-mandate deadline, crowds gathered before midnight Monday to blow whistles and beat on improvised drums, calling on Kabila to quit.

"There was teargas and gunfire," said Andre, a resident of Kinshasa's Matete neighbourhood, adding that security forces "threatened the population".

And in what Kabila's opponents dubbed "a provocation", state TV overnight announced a new government.

Headed by Samy Badibanga, it is part of an October deal between the ruling party and tiny fringe opposition groups that enables Kabila to remain in office pending elections in April 2018.

But the main opposition bloc rejects the plan.

In a YouTube video released during the night, opposition leader Tshisekedi launched "a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to no longer recognise the authority of Mr. Joseph Kabila, to the international community to no longer deal with Joseph Kabila in the name of the Democratic Republic of Congo".

- 'Peacefully resist' -

The 84-year-old Tshisekedi urged people "to peacefully resist the coup d'etat".

The message was not available in DR Congo where authorities have since Sunday imposed strict controls on the flow of pictures and video on social media networks.

Tshisekedi said he hoped to continue talks launched by the Catholic Church last week to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. Those talks are due to resume on Wednesday.

The opposition wants elections next year -- along with a pledge that Kabila will not stand.

Badibanga urged people to stay "calm" and security forces "to show discipline and restraint" as violence erupted after his controversial appointment.

DR Congo has never witnessed a democratic transfer of power following polls since independence from Belgium in 1960.

The president has been in office since his father Laurent Kabila's assassination in 2001. He was elected in 2006, and again in 2011.

Some two decades ago, the country collapsed into the deadliest conflict in modern African history. Its two wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s dragged in at least six African armies and left more than three million dead.

Also on Tuesday there were clashes between soldiers and militia fighters in central Kananga that sent crowds of panicked residents into the streets but were not linked to the political protests, an army spokesman told AFP.

"Men were killed on both sides ... We killed many militia fighters," said Jean de Dieu Mambwene, referring to a rebel group present ih the area.
Another rabies death leaves folk of Dolakha village fretting

A 19-year-old woman from Lamabagar VDC-7 in Dolakha district died of rabies on Sunday.
Berlin (AFP) - German police said on Tuesday they were treating as "a probable terrorist attack" the killing of 12 people when a speeding lorry cut a bloody swathe through a Berlin Christmas market.

At least 48 more were wounded when the truck tore through the crowd Monday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Images showed the mangled truck with its windscreen smashed and a trail of destruction in its wake, with Christmas trees toppled on their side and festive stalls obliterated into splinters.

One of the survivors, Australian Trisha O'Neill, recalled the horror of "this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people", with "blood and bodies everywhere".

"It wasn't an accident," said another visitor, Briton Emma Rushton, who was enjoying a glass of mulled wine when the festive scene was shattered by a loud crash and screams.

"We heard a really loud bang and saw some of the Christmas lights to our left starting to be pulled down," she told Sky news.

"Then we saw the articulated vehicle going through people and through the stalls and just pulling everything down and then everything went dark."

Police detained the man believed to have deliberately mowed the Scania truck loaded with steel beams for 80 metres (yards) into the popular tourist spot near the capital's iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

The suspect was an asylum seeker believed to be from Pakistan or Afghanistan who arrived in Germany via the so-called Balkans route in February, according to unnamed security sources cited by DPA news agency.

Local newspapers said that, after the truck driver left the cabin, a man followed him on foot and used his mobile phone to stay in touch with police, who arrested him about two kilometres away near Berlin's Victory Column.

- Refugee shelter raid -

The suspect was believed to have stayed in a Berlin refugee shelter, DPA reported.

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Overnight, police commandos raided Berlin's largest such shelter, a hangar of the disused Nazi-era Tempelhof airport, famous because of the Cold War-era Berlin airlift, public broadcaster ZDF reported.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man behind the wheel was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

A Polish man, thought to have been the truck's registered driver, was found dead on the passenger seat, and police said he had not steered the vehicle.

The Polish owner of the lorry, Ariel Zurawski, had Monday confirmed his driver was missing, telling AFP: "We don't know what happened to him".

"He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," he said.

Lukasz Wasik of the same company said contact was lost with the 37-year-old at around 3:00pm (1400 GMT).

Wasik said GPS data indicated that the truck was later started three times -- "as if someone was practicing how to drive it" -- before it drove off at 7:34 pm local time.

- 'We mourn the dead' -

World leaders expressed shock at the apparent latest attack to hit Europe, as social media users shared their grief on Twitter using the hashtag #prayforberlin.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted that "we mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped," while President Joachim Gauck called it "a terrible evening for Berlin and our country".

German flags flew at half-mast Tuesday and the church near the attack was planning a memorial service later Tuesday.

The suspected attack meant "our worst fears have come true," said conservative lawmaker Stephan Mayer, who added that security will have to be reviewed for a all of Germany's Christmas markets and asked "whether they can take place at all."

More eyewitnesses meanwhile came forward to recall the horrific scenes.

One British visitor, Mike Fox from Birmingham, told how he helped rescue people trapped under collapsed market stalls.

"I saw one guy being dragged away with blood on his face. I helped several other people lift the side of one of the stalls up so that they could pull two other people from underneath."

- High alert -

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with jihadist attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in Bavaria state in July wounded five people, and a suicide bombing left 15 people injured in the same state six days later.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

Marcus Pretzell of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party labelled the Christmas market victims "Merkel's dead".

The attack in Berlin comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

President Francois Hollande said "the French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy".

The United States condemned an apparent "terrorist attack", while President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians.
Paris (AFP) - Even the best-laid security plans cannot protect an open-air event against the lethal potency of a truck attack like those carried out in Berlin and Nice, experts say.

The sheer scope of places, demonstrations and public gatherings needing protection is such that the risk of someone using a moving vehicle as a weapon of terror -- as called for by the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda -- will remain high for years, two senior security experts said.

Late on Monday a lorry ploughed into a busy Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people in what German Chancellor Angela Merkel called a terrorist attack.

"The only events that can be protected are those that are planned in advance, where you can take measures like closing off streets or putting down concrete blocks," a senior anti-terrorism official in France, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP.

And even then, security measures including stationary protective devices like concrete barriers can be circumvented.

Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, the Tunisian radical who used a truck to mow down 86 people celebrating Bastille Day in France, staked out the beachside promenade in Nice for days ahead of the festivities.

On July 14, he drove a 19-tonne truck onto the pavement, careening through police barriers and into crowds leaving a fireworks display.

- Anywhere, any time -

In the wake of the Berlin carnage on Monday, security was ratcheted up across Europe, especially at holiday Christmas markets from Austria to Britain.

But it is not just public festivities that are at risk, said the former French anti-terrorism official, explaining that a rampagingvehicle could cause mayhem on a city street any day of the week.

"There's nothing you can do... That's the whole problem with these attacks, which take the form of sudden strikes on soft targets that are easy to carry out," he said.

"We need a serious risk assessment to start with, and that costs money," Ludovic Guerineau, a former head of France's external intelligence service DGSE who heads operations at the private Anticip security company, said.

Story continues

"It's areas that are easily accessible, natural environments" that are especially vulnerable, he said. "They require structural modifications."

But radicals bent on sowing mayhem have learned to innovate in the face of barricades and bollards.

"If they see a change in the measures taken to counter the risk, they too will change their methods," Guerineau said, adding: "Unfortunately, we will have to learn to live with this risk."

- 'Mowing machine' -

In 2010, Al-Qaeda's online propaganda magazine Inspire gave step-by-step instructions on using pickups in ramming attacks.

In the article titled "The Ultimate Mowing Machine" it advised jihadists to use a big vehicle, "the stronger the better."

"To achieve maximum carnage, you need to pick up as much speed as you can while still retaining good control of your vehicle in order to maximise your inertia and be able to strike as many people as possible in your first run," it advised.

In a grisly message that was portentous of attacks to come, the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014 also listed cars as weapons of choice for jihadists without access to arms or explosives.

In an audio rant against Western "disbelievers", IS spokesman Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, who was later killed in a US airstrike, urged: "Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him."

In 2013, two British radicals ran down a soldier in London before stabbing him to death.

Palestinian militants have also repeatedly used cars and trucks to try run down security force members and civilians in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

"In future, when organising an event that draws a crowd, you will have to consider this threat," the French ex-spy chief said. "But when it's not planned, there's nothing to be done. We cannot ban all the trucks from our cities."
Pat McCrory

North Carolina's Republican governor seemed to be taking a page out of Donald Trump's book on Monday when he defended a controversial law stripping power away from his Democratic successor.

House Bill 17 contains several measures that limit the executive authority of incoming governor Roy Cooper, who defeated incumbent Pat McCrory by about 10,000 votes in November. McCrory signed it into law on Monday, two weeks before Cooper takes office.

The bill was one of several Republican-backed measures pushed through the state's General Assembly during a surprise, last-minute lawmaking session last week. Democrats derided the moves as a partisan "power grab," and hundreds of protesters demonstrated against the special session in Raleigh's legislative building, leading to dozens of arrests.

But in a statement, McCrory attempted to discredit the bill's opponents with a familiar trope  by suggesting last week's protesters were paid to be there.

"I have come to realize that current changes to executive authority in House Bill 17 have been greatly exaggerated by misleading TV ads, paid protesters and state and national media outlets," McCrory said in the statement.

McCrory's assertion, for which he provided no evidence, mirrored comments from North Carolina state Rep. Michael Speciale, who last week also claimed that protesters in Raleigh were "likely paid."

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"A group of malcontent thugs who are likely paid and bussed in to disrupt the business of those who represent the people detracts from the ability of the peoples' government to effectively do their jobs," Speciale said in a Facebook post.

Such claims could signal that North Carolina lawmakers are taking cues from President-elect Trump. Three days after winning the presidential election in November, Trump derided the "professional protesters" demonstrating against him in cities across the country.

"Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!" Trump said on Twitter. Trump eventually walked back his comments.

A false story from March purporting to quote a paid protester was tweeted in March by Trump's campaign manager at the time, Corey Lewandowski, and the story was recirculated after the election. However, the supposed protester quoted in the article turned out to be fictional, and the author admitted to making up the story in an interview with The Washington Post.

Trump also claimed that the protests that forced him to cancel a March rally in Chicago were "professionally done." A pair of Democratic operatives in October appeared to discuss paying people to incite violence at Trump's rallies. The Democratic organizations said the actions discussed on the video did not appear to have ever taken place.

Roy Cooper

Gretchen Garrett, one of the North Carolina protesters who was arrested on Friday, told North Carolina's The Independent Weekly she was protesting because "this wasn't what the founders had in mind."

"It's insulting to think that people who live in the state don't care about it enough to come down here," she said.

House Bill 17's limits on Cooper's power are wide-reaching: It requires the Republican-dominated General Assembly to approve his Cabinet picks, dramatically reduces the number of people he can hire and fire at will, and revokes his ability to appoint members to the University of North Carolina board of trustees.

Other bills passed during the last-minute session will effectively give Republicans control of the state elections board in election years and require state Supreme Court candidates to be listed alongside their party identification.

NOW WATCH: The last time a losing candidate had a wider popular vote margin than Clinton was in 1876  here's the bizarre story





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OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg will reshuffle her cabinet on Tuesday, replacing at least three ministers nine months before the next general election, public broadcaster NRK reported, quoting unnamed sources. The minority government of the Conservatives and the anti-immigration Progress Party, which rules with the backing of two small centrist parties in parliament, has lagged the centre-left opposition in recent opinion polls. EU Affairs Minister Elisabeth Aspaker of the Conservative Party will step down, NRK said, while adding it was not clear who would take up the post. NRK and other news organizations on Sunday reported that Oil and Energy Minister Tord Lien would leave in favor of Terje Soeviknes, a popular small-town mayor, while Justice Minister Anders Anundsen would be replaced by Per-Willy Amundsen, a junior minister. Norway is western Europe's top producer of oil and natural gas, and the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy manages the government's majority stake in Statoil. Solberg's office declined to comment. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik and Stine Jacobsen)
New York (AFP) - New York City launched a campaign against discrimination and harassment Tuesday after a 30 percent rise this year in hate crimes and other forms of intolerance.

It features ads in English and Spanish in subway stations, social media and newspapers.

The initiative also boasts a hotline for people to report this kind of offenses and will create a team to monitor them and help victims.

"New York City will not stand for discrimination or harassment of any kind," said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"NYC has been and always will be a welcoming city for all, regardless of who you are or what you believe and we intend to keep it that way."

De Blasio, a Democrat who will seek re-election in 2017, has pledged to protect undocumented foreigners from President-elect Donald Trump's plans to deport them.

Hate crimes shot up in 2016 mainly against Muslims, Jews, blacks, Latinos, Asians and the LGBT community, according to New York City police.

"Following the election, vulnerable communities continue to reach out to the City to report incidents of discrimination and bias," the mayor said in a statement.

He took pains not to say that this behavior had risen since Trump won election after a campaign in which he attacked Mexicans and Muslims in particular.

One in three people in New York City were born outside the US, city hall statistics show.
Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama intends to transfer up to 18 more prisoners from Guantanamo Bay before leaving the White House, the New York Times reported, further whittling detainee numbers but leaving a central campaign promise unfulfilled.

The White House has notified Congress that Obama intends to make a final transfer of 17 or 18 of the 59 remaining inmates before he steps down January 20, the Times reported Monday.

Obama came to office vowing to close the facility, which opened in 2002 and which he has described as "contrary to our values."

But he has run up against legal hurdles, Pentagon foot dragging and stubborn Congressional opposition.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to "load (Guantanamo) up with some bad dudes."

This latest action would likely spell the end of prison critics' hopes Obama will close the controversial facility by executive order.

The White House is not sure such a move would work -- or be legally sound.

"While welcome, these transfers are not nearly sufficient. We are demanding and expecting bold moves from President Obama to finally shutter the detention camp at Guantanamo in his final days," said Naureen Shah, Amnesty International USA's director of Security with Human Rights.

"He must not leave it to Trump."

The Pentagon and White House declined to comment, and typically don't do so until after transfers are completed.

Of the 59 men still at Guantanamo, 22 have been cleared for transfer.

Another 27 remain in legal limbo -- the so-called "forever prisoners" have not been charged with anything, but have been deemed too dangerous to release.

The other 10, including the alleged plotters of the September 11, 2001 attacks, have been charged and are going through a glacially slow military prosecution at Guantanamo.

The White House has struggled to find a solution to the vexed question as to what to do with the forever detainees, and it is uncertain they could be convicted in a civilian court.

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Obama had tried to transfer many detainees abroad and bring the most high value detainees to the United States.

But funding was blocked by Republicans.

A House Republican aide told AFP the reported rush of transfers would likely lead to higher recidivism rates.

"This most recent round of those released will be more likely to return to the battlefield given that their being held for this long is evidence that they were deemed greater security risks," he said, speaking only on condition of anonymity.

Since the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, about 780 inmates have been housed in the US military-run facility.

In recent months, Obama has authorized a flurry of transfers of prisoners to other countries including Yemen and Saudi Arabia -- prompting howls of outrage from Republicans each time.

Because the Guantanamo Bay naval base is on Cuban and not US soil, it is not subject to the same federal laws and legal processes as the United States.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday moved to indefinitely block drilling in vast swaths of U.S. waters.

The president had been expected to take the action by invoking a provision in a 1953 law that governs offshore leases, as CNBC previously reported.

The law allows a president to withdraw any currently unleased lands in the Outer Continental Shelf from future lease sales. There is no provision in the law that allows the executive's successor to repeal the decision, so President-elect Donald Trump would not be able to easily brush aside the action.

Trump has vowed to open more federal land to oil and natural gas production in a bid to boost U.S. output. Obama on Tuesday said he would designate "the bulk of our Arctic water and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing," though the prospects for drilling in the affected areas in the near future were already questionable.

U.S. Outer Continental Shelf

The lands covered include the bulk of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas in the Arctic and 31 underwater canyons in the Atlantic. The United States and Canada also announced they will identify sustainable shipping lanes through their connected Arctic waters.

Canada on Tuesday also imposed a five-year ban on all oil and gas drilling licensing in the Canadian Arctic. The moratorium will be reviewed every five years.

"These actions, and Canada's parallel actions, protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem that is unlike any other region on earth," Obama said in a statement.

"They reflect the scientific assessment that, even with the high safety standards that both our countries have put in place, the risks of an oil spill in this region are significant and our ability to clean up from a spill in the region's harsh conditions is limited."

The action potentially tees up a battle that touches on hot-button issues: environmental protection, energy independence, climate change, and the scope of executive power.

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Like other efforts by the Obama administration to advance environmental protection through executive action, it could also be challenged in the courts. It could get tied up there throughout much of Trump's four-year term.

The Republican-controlled Congress could also try to change the law.

The provision, contained in the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, has been invoked in the past to set aside smaller portions of the Outer Continental Shelf, such as coral reefs or natural habitats. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton used the provision to block drilling in much of the Outer Continental Shelf, but for limited periods.

The Obama administration's action marks the broadest use of the statute ever because it would be far-reaching in terms of the lands it would protect and come without an expiration date.

Provision 12(a) of the law states, "The President of the United States may, from time to time, withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf."

Momentum to use the provision has been building this year. In May, a coalition of environmental groups circulated a fact sheet that highlighted the authority provided under 12(a).

In September, Democratic Congress members Frank Pallone, Jr. and Jared Huffman sent a letter to Obama urging him to exercise that authority. The letter was signed by 74 lawmakers, almost all Democrats, and contained quotes from representatives from some of the groups that produced the fact sheet in May.

Environmentalists say drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic puts the waters at immediate risk, for oil and gas that would not come online for years, after a transition to cleaner energy sources could be under way.

"The Arctic Ocean is ground zero for the impacts of climate change, and any oil production there would be decades away and inconsistent with addressing climate change before it is too late," the League of Conservation Voters said in a statement after the announcement.

The White House echoed that sentiment on Tuesday, saying, "it would take decades to fully develop the production infrastructure necessary for any large-scale oil and gas leasing production in the region  at a time when we need to continue to move decisively away from fossil fuels.

Industry groups acknowledge that offshore projects come with long lead times, but they say deepwater oil will be critical for meeting the country's future energy needs.

"Our national security depends on our ability to produce oil and natural gas here in the United States," Erik Milito, upstream director at the American Petroleum Institute, said in a statement. "This proposal would take us in the wrong direction just as we have become world leader in production and refining of oil and natural gas and in reduction of carbon emissions."

API said it believes Obama's action can be overturned and said it looked forward to working with the Trump administration.

To be sure, any drilling in the affected waters already faced significant challenges in the coming years.

Energy companies have pulled out of Alaska's Arctic waters, where conditions can be perilous and weather conditions allow drillers to operate for only a few months of the year. In light of more than two years of weak oil prices, drillers could not justify the costs and risks of exploration there.

Last month, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management did not include any blocks in the Atlantic, Arctic or Pacific in the latest five-year plan to lease offshore land controlled by the government. Trump could scrap that plan and develop a new auction schedule for the 2017 to 2022 period, but it typically takes two to three years to put together a new program.

Drilling in the Atlantic has also faced challenges from a number of other sources, including coastal states that could be affected by a spill, as well as the Pentagon, which said drilling in the Atlantic could disrupt naval exercises.

The federal government spent $1.5 billion to compensate drillers whose offshore leases were canceled due to local and state opposition in North Carolina, Florida, California and Alaska, according to a 2012 Congressional Budget Office review.

Fifty-nine percent of voters surveyed in September said they would support blocking leasing in the Arctic and Atlantic, according to a study from Hart Research Associates that was paid for by the NRDC and the League of Conservation Voters. The survey polled 1,103 registered voters by phone and had a margin of error plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

In response, the pro-drilling Arctic Energy Center conducted a survey of 511 Alaskans that found 76 percent supported drilling in Arctic waters. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Alaskans receive a cash disbursement from the state every year that is underwritten by oil revenues.

In his statement, Obama said significant production in the Arctic will not occur in the current low oil price environment, citing the Department of the Interior analysis. He said Arctic communities must focus on economic diversification.

 CNBC's Eamon Javers contributed reporting to this story.





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Washington (AFP) - The White House blocked new leases for oil and gas drilling in sections of the Arctic and Atlantic Tuesday, a high-stakes bid to forestall exploration and tie Donald Trump's hands.

With Trump is bringing a strident pro-oil stance to the White House, the outgoing administration has launched a rearguard action.

President Barack Obama announced he was placing swaths of the Arctic and Atlantic "indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing."

The protection covers an area of the Arctic roughly the size of Spain or Thailand and 31 sea canyons in the Atlantic.

A senior administration official said that there was a "strong legal basis" for the move, and suggested Trump could not revoke the decision without an act of Congress.

The action, based on a law from the 1950s, was taken in tandem with the Canadian government and introduces an additional headache should Trump try to row it back.

Obama said in a statement that the measures would "protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem."

He also warned that the risk of oil spills "are significant," and the ability "to clean up from a spill in the regions harsh conditions is limited."

- Deepwater Horizon's shadow -

The Hawaii-born president's second year in office was dominated by the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which poured millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

The spill could not be stopped for 87 days, devastating wildlife and fishing-dependent communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama.

The American Petroleum Institute, an industry lobby group, warned that Obama's decision "blocking offshore exploration would weaken our national security, destroy good-paying jobs, and could make energy less affordable for consumers."

The Sierra Club, an environmental lobby group, welcomed the move as a step toward "protecting our beaches, the climate, and coastal economies."

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Obama's eight years in office have resulted in a tidal wave of new environmental legislation, protecting marine ecosystems, curbing carbon emissions and boosting renewable energy.

Obama rushed through ratification of the Paris Climate Accord in record time to make sure that it could not be shelved by the incoming administration.

Many rules have been finalized, making them difficult to roll back. States like California have also introduced their own climate-friendly legislation.

But Obama's agenda is likely to come under sustained assault from the Trump administration.

The business tycoon-turned-commander-in-chief has named Exxon boss Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state and Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Administration officials fear that while Trump cannot scrap the Paris deal, it could fatally undermine it.

Many of the US commitments to reduce carbon emissions are in the Clean Power Act, which Obama unveiled in 2015. The Act limits the amount of carbon pollution power plants can emit.

Obama described the legislation at the time as "the single most important step that America has ever made in the fight against global climate change."

The measures however have come under fierce legal challenge, including from Pruitt in his role as attorney general of Oklahoma, an oil state.

Sources familiar with Trump's transition planning say the new administration is weighing options like simply shutting down the government's legal defense of the act, or scrapping plans to appeal a Supreme Court ruling that froze portions of the program.

In practical terms that would mean abandoning the plan and reneging on international commitments.

According to a recent Pew poll 48 percent of Americans believe climate change is caused by humans.

Trump once wrote that global warming was a Chinese conspiracy to weaken the United States.

"The concept of global warming" was "created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive," Trump wrote on Twitter in 2012.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday night to offer condolences and U.S. help after a truck crashed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and wounding dozens, the White House said. Obama offered condolences for the "horrific apparent terrorist attack," it said in a statement on Tuesday. "The president reiterated the U.S. offer of assistance and underscored that no attack could sway our determination - and that of our German allies - to defeat terrorism in all of its forms," the statement said. (Reporting by Emily Stephenson and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Beijing ready to open Kodari Highway: Li Qibao

China has expressed its readiness to open the Kodari Highway. The highway has remained closed after the April 25 earthquake last year.
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - Some low-income U.S. patients may have an easier time choosing a hospital for emergency care thanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), a new study suggests. Under the ACA, also known as Obamacare, some U.S. states expanded coverage through Medicaid  a joint federal and state insurance program for the poor  starting in 2014. That year, average travel times to the hospital for emergency department (ED) care dropped 9 minutes in 17 states where Medicaid coverage expanded, while it remained little changed in 19 states that didnt make more people eligible for these benefits, the study found. The study only looked at for-profit hospitals. Previous research suggests that poor and uninsured patients sometimes travel longer distances in an emergency to avoid for-profit hospitals closer to home out of concern about the bills. Instead, they would seek treatment at nonprofit facilities that might offer free or discounted care, said senior study author John Graves of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. By focusing in particular on non-discretionary conditions such as poisoning, femur fractures, etc.  that is, conditions for which the individual would very likely have been treated in an ED regardless of insurance status  we show that ED visits for these services increased at our study sample hospitals, which were drawn from private, for-profit hospital chains, Graves said by email. This finding, coupled with our finding that Medicaid patients in expansion states traveled shorter distances, is evidence that people shifted where they sought ED care when they needed it, Graves added. For the current study, researchers examined data on more than 1 million emergency department visits for adults aged 18 to 64 on Medicaid in 2013 and 2014 at 126 investor-owned hospital emergency departments. They used zip codes for the hospitals and patients homes to estimate average travel times and examined conditions that needed immediate treatment  the so-called non-discretionary care  as well as less critical issues that might be handled in an urgent care clinic or by a primary care provider. Before 2014, the hospitals in the study had similar proportions of uninsured patients. By the end of that year, the proportion of uninsured patients seen by EDs in expansion states dropped 47 percent, researchers report in the Annals of Internal Medicine. At the same time, the number of Medicaid visits in expansion states increased 126 percent by the end of 2014, compared with an 11 percent increase in states that didnt expand coverage. For non-discretionary care in particular, the number of ED visits by uninsured patients dropped 42 percent in expansion states while Medicaid visits increased by 213 percent, the study found. Average travel time from home to the hospital decreased by 6.2 percent among Medicaid patients in expansion states, while it remained unchanged in other states. One limitation of the study is that it only looked at for-profit, investor-owned hospitals, which makes it hard to say how coverage changes may have played out at nonprofit or public hospitals, the authors note. Its also possible that the lower travel times for expansion states were mostly reduced by previously uninsured patients in cities who gained coverage that let them seek care closer to home, rather than truly statewide reductions, said Dr. Mahshid Abir, a health policy researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who wasnt involved in the study. The study also didnt touch on another key issue related to time  how long people wait for care once they get to the hospital, Abir added by email. Still, the reduced travel times may translate into better outcomes for patients, said Brendan Saloner, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore who wasnt involved in the study. This is good news for patients when one considers that people who are uninsured often are required to go to a far away emergency room that will provide them with reduced cost care, Saloner said by email. Alleviating this burden is a big deal, because minutes cut down traveling to the hospital can literally make the difference for whether a patient lives or dies. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2h6qdwN Annals of Internal Medicine, online December 19, 2016.
Hidden Figures star Octavia Spencer says the lack of diversity in films shouldnt be blamed on the Oscars.

Following last years #OscarsSoWhite controversy  when only white actors and actresses were among those nominated in the four acting categories for the second year in a row  the 46-year-old actress explains that more films about minorities need to be made in the first place.

I think that people really are putting the label of diversity in the wrong spots, Spencer explains in an interview with PEOPLE Now alongside costars Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae. Diversity starts when youre casting films, when youre greenlighting films. I think putting that at Oscars feet when its the end of the road  thats the frosting on the cake if you get nominated for Oscars. We want to get these movies greenlit.

Spencer, an Oscar winner herself for her role in 2011s The Help, says that no matter what an actors ethnicity is, their success should be celebrated.

No one wants to diminish the achievement of anyone who gets nominated, whether theyre black, white, Asian, Latin, she says. You want to applaud that achievement.

However, Spencer hopes more movies starring women and people of different ethnicity make their way into Hollywood.

Its a decision-making process, she says.

Her Hidden Figures costar Kevin Costner says that the fact that their new movie about black women who helped launch the first American astronauts into space with their precise calculations was not about making a movie about race  it was simply a wonderful story.

This movie wasnt made to satisfy somebodys quotient, the 61-year-old actor explains. This movie was made because the script spoke to actors, the root material inspired a great writer and a great director, and a studio was brave enough to make it.




German officials have released the suspect detained after a truck plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing 12 and injuring 48, CNN reports.

A statement by Germanys general prosecutor said, The investigations thus far have not produced sufficient evidence against the suspect.

Prior to the release of the suspect, who officials said was likely an asylum-seeker, Berlin Police President Klaus Kandt had told reporters officials werent able to confirm that they had the right suspect, according to the Associated Press.

 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.

Kandt had previously added that its possible the actual attacker is at large, the Washington Post reports.

Berlin police said Tuesday morning that the incident was a suspected terrorist attack, although officials have not officially declared the incident as such, the New York Times reports.

The truck jumped the sidewalk at the Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz at around 8 p.m, the Times reports. A passenger in the truck, identified as a Polish man, was found dead in the cab of the vehicle.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

Ariel Zurawksi, the owner of the Polish truck company, told Polish CNN affiliate TVN 24 that the truck was likely hijacked, noting that the usual driver of the truck was not behind the wheel.

De Maiziere noted that the dead passenger appeared to have been fatally shot, but officials have not found the weapon used, CNN reports.




Oliver Stone didnt know that JFK would define him as it has when the towering political thriller hit theaters on Dec. 20, 1991. But in short order it proved to be at once a source of great pride for the filmmaker  the kind of achievement only possible on a hot streak like the one Stone was enjoying in the late-80s and early-90s  and something of an albatross.

It was a hot potato from the get-go, much hotter than I thought, Stone says now, reflecting on the films 25th anniversary. I didnt realize it would hit the central nerve core of the establishment  And it did take its toll. I think its changed the perception of me forever. Many now dismiss me as a filmmaker who is political and only into conspiracy theories. It labeled me and I was staggered. I wish, in a way, it had just died off.

Pity, because what Stone exhibited with the film  which dramatically posits a massive cover-up of president John F. Kennedys 1963 assassination through the eyes of then-New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison  was a staggering command of visual storytelling. An admirer of director Costa-Gavras own 1969 political thriller, Z, Stone went into JFK wanting to make something analogous, a fractured film where you look at a crime, you accept the first version of it, the official version, then you look at it again, he says.

The director worked feverishly with screenwriter Zachary Sklar for the better part of 1990 developing the project, much of it conjured while he was finishing post-production on his rock biopic The Doors. Spinning off of tomes like Jim Marrs meticulously reported Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy and Garrisons own On the Trail of the Assassins, with further inspirations like former U.S. Chief of Special Operations L. Fletcher Prouty (who became the basis for Donald Sutherlands enigmatic Mr. X character), Stone cranked out a script so massive he felt it best to pull back on some of the details in the version he submitted to Warner Bros. for backing.

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I was always concerned about them trying to simplify it, he recalls. I think thats why we rushed, because we wanted to make the December date. If we hadnt made that date, then we would have been called out. The three-hour version would have been shown to preview audiences and I can guarantee a preview audience would be saying, I dont understand this, I dont understand that. Then wed get the notes saying, Clarify this, clarify that. I think that would have undone the movie. We needed a certain momentum for that movie.

Actor Kevin Costner was also in the midst of well-earned industry cachet at the time, hot on the heels of Field of Dreams and Oscar glory with Dances with Wolves, not to mention summer blockbuster hit Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. As Garrison, he anchored an incredibly vast and sprawling ensemble that included many well-known character actors, as well as countless local faces plucked from the Dallas casting scene for bit roles.

Everybody that came was ready to work, because Oliver is really on point, Costner says. It was a lot  a lot for me, and it was going to be a lot for them. There was no waiting. We needed to go and we had to be sharp all the way through. Every day was going to be a workload. There was nothing casual about that movie.

For such a dense piece of work, its stunning to consider how swiftly Stone and his team moved through and executed it. There were a couple of months of prep and three months for shooting, and Stone must have just been swimming in material the whole time.

Indeed, listen to his directors commentary on the films DVD and Blu-ray releases today, and you can hear him flipping through page after page of notes, cross-referencing many of the movies assertions with his research on the subject.

I may have been in defensive mode, Stone says. You have no idea. I had never made a movie where I had to defend it six months later in the press. The media was very nasty and theyd set me up on shows. At some point I had quite a bit of research on my side, but Id have to recall it all [on the spot] and I couldnt do that.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson had collaborated with the director on a number of previous works, including Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. The pair worked with a shifting aspect ratio on JFK, part of the whole manipulation conceit. Much of the movies kinetic look was derived from Abraham Zapruders famous amateur recording of the assassination.

Oliver was at a massive height in respect to his capabilities, Richardson recalls via email. His intuition, atop his research, atop his utter devotion to concept made for an astounding film and one I will cherish as unique forever.

Richardson went on to win his first-ever Academy Award for the film. The movie also won the film editing Oscar, owed to Pietro Scalia and Joe Hutshings painstaking assemblage of the massive amounts of film Stone and Richardson shot. JFK picked up six other nominations, including best picture and best director.

As for the films legacy, Richardson sees it much like the films postscript  Whats past is prologue.  portends.

In my opinion JFK will retain its relevancy regarding political corruption, as well as corporate and personal corruption, which is sadly inherent in this narcissistic world, he says.

Costner sees it as a reminder to question those in authority, which is all too relevant today.

What you have to keep in mind when youre making a movie is youre not making it for opening weekend, although thats the god that everybodys praying to out there, the actor says. The reality is there are going to be people that it has a chance to mark, and a movie like JFK, it has a chance for generations to visit it when they come of an age where that interests them, and the questions posed are really important. There was a shift in the country. We used to think  my parents thought, certainly  that people in power told you the truth, and its really not always the case. Weve seen that for the last 60 years.

To that point, here is a film that uses an entire courtroom scene  wherein Garrison loftily quotes Lord Alfred Tennyson and (anachronistically) naturalist Edward Abbey to make his points  as a metaphor for cracking the public opinion. When a judge finally overrules an objection from the defense late in the lengthy sequence, it feels like a representation of the sort of fissure Garrison and those urging interrogation of the official record are eager to exploit.

One of Garrisons lines, quoting 17th Century poet John Harington, is particularly haunting in the current political climate  despite the fact that Stone seems to think Donald Trump at Americas helm is no big deal: Treason doth never prosper. Whats the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.

Stone says hes in a different place now than he was when he made JFK. He frankly appears to be more weary of the global power structure than ever before. He says he feels like he knows a lot more about government now and the American fairytale thats conjured for mass consumption, and that JFK holds a special place for fronting that message of questioning our higher offices.

Garrison is the only public record, he says. He rolled the ball into a public arena for the first time and allowed the Zapruder film to come out. And now so many more people have gotten on the bandwagon that governments lie. When we did the film, even for the 91 period, we were all lining up to go into the Kuwait War. No one questioned that one, and there have been gigantic scandals in American life since then, including the weapons of mass destruction, the Iraq War, and now this whole issue about Russia hacking the United States. Its another false flag and they keep repeating it and repeating it. You talk to people who are really doing their job in intelligence, theyll tell you its just not true.

Yes, in Stones view, the accusation that Russia hacked into Democratic National Committee emails with the specific intention of helping Trump win the presidency is another large-scale lie like the one he sought to dismantle in JFK. He instead believes former NSA official William Binneys theory, that a disgruntled U.S. intelligence worker likely leaked the material.

But Stone hasnt heard until this very moment that the FBI is now backing the CIAs assessment on the matter. Nevertheless, hes completely unmoved and unconvinced by the revelation. In fact, hes reminded of the very forces surrounding the events of his 25-year-old opus.

Its very close to the Kennedy report, he says. This will harden the anti-Russia policy weve been taking for years. Its a crazy world and it just shows you how Washington works. Its lockstep. Groupthink. And its very dangerous, because now weve got to go to war with Russia. Its the same mentality that locked in on the Kennedy case.

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Years ago, after the Surgeon Generals warnings began to depress domestic cigarettes sales and manufacturers had to pay $246 billion to settle health-related lawsuits, the tobacco industry made a critical strategic move: Cigarette manufacturers began shifting their focus from the U.S. to overseas markets, where consumers were less aware or concerned about the health implications of smoking.

Philip Morris International, one of the premier U.S. cigarette producers, separated from its parent company, Altria, in 2008 and now sells its tobacco products only outside the U.S.

Related: How West Virginia Became Ground Zero for the Opioid Epidemic

Now the manufacturer of OxyContin, the highly controversial and potentially lethal painkiller, appears to be borrowing a page from the tobacco industry.

OxyContin is among a handful of powerful opioids at the center of a nationwide drug addiction crisis that has led to the overdose deaths of more than 200,000 people over the past decade. Once the painkiller of choice among U.S. consumers, OxyContin created a generation of addicts who risked their lives by abusing the drug.

Senior public health officials and others eventually began to discourage primary care physicians from prescribing the opioids for chronic pain, although it was too late for many. Prescriptions for OxyContin have plunged nearly 40 percent since 2010, which caused its Connecticut-based manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, to lose billions in revenue.

The Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend that the owners of the company, members of the Sackler family, are pursuing a new strategy for salvaging their product: marketing it to consumers in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and other regions unfamiliar with the inherent risks and human costs of making excess use of the painkiller.

Related: US Death Rate From Heroin and Opioid Abuse Rages Out of Control

The global enterprise has been rebranded as Mundipharma, and the overseas operation is utilizing some of the same aggressive marketing practices that made OxyContin a big hit for so many years in the U.S. After its launch of OxyContin in 1996, Purdue Pharma encouraged doctors to prescribe the drug for all types of pain while downplaying the risk of addiction.

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Over the years, Purdue Pharma grew into a business with a net worth of $14 billion, according to Fortune, thanks largely to OxyContin sales.

Now, in China, Brazil and elsewhere, the company is running seminars for doctors where they urge physicians to disregard or discount excessive fear about opioids, according to the newspaper. They are also sponsoring public awareness campaigns in which they urge people to come to grips with their chronic pain. And in some cases consumers are being offered discounts to make the drug more affordable.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy is counseling public health officials overseas to be very careful with opioid medication and to learn from Americas huge mistakes with the drug. He added that he would be very cautious about marketing these high risk medications.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Investors in shares of Bank of America Corporation BAC need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Put which expires on Dec 23, 2016 for the $14.50 strike price had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.

What is Implied Volatility?

Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility could mean that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that could cause a big rally or a huge sell off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.

What do the Analysts Think?

Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Bank of America shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Bank of America is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) in the Banks-Major Regional industry that ranks in the top 9% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, seven analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while one analyst has revised the estimate downward.. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 37 cents to 38 cents in that period.

Given the way analysts feel about Bank of America right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Often times, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.

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By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - The families of three men killed at Orlando's Pulse gay nightclub have sued Twitter Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc in federal court, accusing the companies of providing "material support" to the self-radicalized gunman. The gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people and wounded 53 in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group before police fatally shot him after the June attack, officials said. The lawsuit was filed on Monday in Detroit federal court by the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero, who were killed during the massacre. Similar lawsuits in the past have faced an uphill fight because of strong protections in U.S. federal law for the technology industry. The three families claim Twitter, Google's YouTube and Facebook "provided the terrorist group ISIS with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds and attract new recruits." The suit alleges the "material support has been instrumental to the rise of ISIS and has enabled it to carry out or cause to be carried out, numerous terrorist attacks." Facebook said on Tuesday there is no place on its service for groups that engage in or support terrorism, and that it takes swift action to remove that content when it is reported. "We are committed to providing a service where people feel safe when using Facebook," it said in a statement. "We sympathize with the victims and their families." Twitter declined to comment. In August, the company said it had suspended 360,000 accounts since mid-2015 for violating policies related to promotion of terrorism. Representatives of Google could not immediately be reached. The three companies plus Microsoft Corp said this month they would coordinate more to remove extremist content, sharing digital "fingerprints" with each other. Technology companies are protected from many lawsuits under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act, which says website operators are not liable for content posted by others. Monday's lawsuit claims that the companies create unique content by combining ISIS postings with advertisements to target the viewer. It also says they share revenue with ISIS for its content and profit from ISIS postings through advertising revenue. The families in the case in Michigan, where one of the victims is from, are seeking damages and for the court to rule that the sites have violated the Anti-Terrorism Act in the United States. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee and David Ingram in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrew Hay)
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced Monday the city would spend $13.3 million to settle three lawsuits, including two fatal police shootings in the days following Hurricane Katrina and a deadly beating that occurred days just before the 2005 storm.

Landrieu said the settlements with 17 plaintiffs laid to rest all civil litigation against the city concerning those cases.

"I am hoping that in some sense the strength of these families will help the city find peace in our future," Landrieu said during a news conference Monday following a prayer service attended by family members of the victims

.

Landrieu offered condolences to the families of the victims and said he hoped the settlements would provide closure to both the victims' loved ones and the New Orleans Police Department, the Independent reported Monday.

Twenty current or former New Orleans Police officers were charged with civil rights violations after a Justice Department investigation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina found 19 cases of police misconduct amid the ensuing pandemonium from the storm.

Eleven officers have pleaded guilty to charges associated with the two fatal shootings that occurred less than week after the hurricane. Subsequently, Landrieu said the police force has amended the protocols used to hire, manage and instruct officers to avoid future fatalities.

Sherrel Johnson, the mother of James Brisette, 17. who died in a Sept. 4, 2005, police shooting, said she wholeheartedly accepted the mayors apology, the Guardian reported Monday.

Brisette and Ronald Madison, 40, who were both unarmed, were fatally shot after police officers falsely accused the two men of opening fire. The five officers involved in the incident were convicted in 2011 of killing Brisette and Madison, wounding four others and trying to cover the incident up by planting a gun at the scene.

U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt, who presided over the case, overturned their convictions in 2013 because of alleged misconduct by federal prosecutors. Engelhardt ordered a new trial and the officers pleaded guilty in April of 2016. Engelhardt subsequently reduced the sentences of four of the officers to three to 12 years in prison, down from six to 65 years. The fifth officer was sentenced to three years and is currently free.

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Since that time, it has been an awful long and rough road. But me and my family got through it, Johnson said, Now this is closure for me, and I can go forward ... because I know the old New Orleans does not exist anymore.

RTR4PF8E

Photo: Reuters

In another case, five former officers were tried on charges related to the death of Henry Glover, 31, on Sept. 2, 2005. Glover was shot and killed in a shopping center before his body was set on fire. Former New Orleans Police Officer Gregory McRae, who fatally shot Glover before burning his body in a car, was the only one of them convicted of manslaughter and is serving an 11-year sentence. The other four officers were acquitted of charges they tried to cover up for McRae.

In the third case, former officer Melvin Williams was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison for the beating death of handyman Raymond Robair, 48, less than a month before the storm, reports said. Former Officer Matthew Dean Moore was sentenced to more than five years in prison for submitting a false report and lying to the FBI.

There were 1,577 fatalities in Louisiana because of Hurricane Katrina, CNN reported. Eighty percent of New Orleans flooded after levees failed throughout the city. Due to the storm, the New Orleans population was decimated, going from 484,678 residents in April 2000 to 230,172 in July 2006.

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Sydney (AFP) - Australian star Nicole Kidman says her experience as the mother of adopted children meant she closely related to her character in the movie "Lion", tipped as an Oscar favourite.

Garth Davis's film about a young man from India adopted by an Australian family who searches for his long-lost blood relatives using Google Earth, has already received a Golden Globe nod for best drama motion picture.

It also won nominations in the supporting actor categories for Kidman and Dev Patel, with the pair repeating the feat for the 23rd Screen Actors Guild awards.

Kidman adopted two children with ex-husband Tom Cruise -- Isabella and Connor -- and said she immediately felt a connection with the woman she portrayed, Sue Brierley who adopted Saroo, played by Patel.

"She came up to Sydney and we just sat in my apartment ... and just started talking," Kidman told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ahead of the film's Australian premiere on Monday evening.

"I told her a lot about myself, and it was almost like she already knew a lot, and not stuff I had talked about publicly, but just sensations and feelings."

Brierley told the broadcaster the two women immediately bonded.

"With your children being adopted, it was important to me that someone be on my page," she said in explaining why she wanted Kidman in the role after discovering her story was going to be made into a film.

"We'd both had a tough patch. Because I lost my mother, and your (Kidman's) father passed away, really within one month, so we were rather raw emotionally at that time."

Kidman said that being an adoptive parent helped her understand Brierley's experiences.

"We have similar ways in which we wanted to adopt," Kidman said.

"I just felt ever since I was young that I was going to adopt a child. Mine wasn't the vision Sue had exactly, but pretty similar, and we both made it happen and that is weird to have the same thing."

Kidman, who also has two daughters with country music star husband Keith Urban, added that getting the role "was just meant to be, it was mapped out in the stars, so to speak".

The 89th Academy Awards are in Los Angeles on February 26.
Billing system must for taxis from January 1

Come January 1, all taxis operating in Kathmandu Valley must start installing billing system on their vehicles.
Mel Gibson on the set of 'Hacksaw Ridge'

The men's restroom of the Landmark Theatres in West L.A. is as good a place as any to gauge the true sentiments of Oscar voters. Following a showing of Hacksaw Ridge a few Saturdays ago, I found myself washing my hands next to two gentlemen - both appeared to be about 63, the average age of Academy members, with one wearing a Kung Fu Panda 2 cap (the kind of hat a grown man doesn't wear unless he worked on the movie) discussing what they had just seen. "Didn't want to like that one but ... ," the first man said, trailing off. "But Mel can direct," the friend finished.

I knew instantly why they were conflicted. This season, admiration for Hacksaw Ridge as an emotional and deftly staged World War II action drama has come despite the fact that its filmmaker has made anti-Semitic and misogynistic comments. Hacksaw is one of several films in the awards race featuring marquee talent with personal issues in their pasts, highlighting the age-old concern of whether voters should judge the man (and yes, they're all men in this situation), his work or a combination of both?

Like my two restroom pals, awards voters so far this season have been embracing Gibson. Hacksaw Ridge has landed on the AFI top 10 list and earned seven Critics' Choice and three Golden Globe noms, including best picture (drama) and best director for Gibson. It's a pretty remarkable turn for a filmmaker who, just six years ago, was fired by his own agents.

Related: Feinberg Forecast: The Oscar Race After AFI, Critics' Choice and Golden Globes Noms

At the same time, awards bodies (aside from the NAACP, which nominated it for six Image Awards) and critics groups have ignored The Birth of a Nation, a film that just 11 months ago was lauded by many tastemakers as a sure-fire best picture nominee and the antidote to #OscarsSoWhite. But that was before the details of filmmaker-star Nate Parker's college rape trial resurfaced this summer, along with the news that his accuser had committed suicide. So low have Birth's awards prospects sunk that the film didn't even appear on lists of Globe or SAG Award snubs. And Fox Searchlight, which typically hosts a "holiday party" to allow its talent to mingle with voters, turned this season's soiree into a celebration of Jackie, its other contender, ignoring Birth.

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Why do some personal troubles stick to movies while others seem to not bother voters? That question has arisen throughout Oscar history. Russell Crowe's assault of a BAFTA producer is said to have cost him an Oscar for 2001's A Beautiful Mind, but in 2003, Roman Polanski won best director for The Pianist even though he couldn't accept his award in person because he is a fugitive from justice after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, then 13, in 1977.

Related: Oscars: 3 Ways the Academy Can (and Should) Spruce Up the Awards

This year, these issues haven't only swirled around Gibson, Parker and, to a lesser extent, Woody Allen, whose latest film, Cafe Society, arrived at Cannes amid renewed allegations by his son Ronan Farrow that Allen had sexually abused Ronan's sister Dylan. Some have questioned why Casey Affleck, a best actor frontrunner for his powerful performance in Manchester by the Sea, has not been subject to Nate Parker-style scrutiny for the two sexual harassment lawsuits filed against him in 2010 by a female producer and a director of photography who claimed Affleck tormented them during the making of the bizarre mockumentary I'm Still Here. DP Magdalena Gorka's suit claimed she was made to suffer "a nearly daily barrage of sexual comments, innuendo and unwelcome advances by crewmembers, within the presence and with the active encouragement of Affleck." Affleck denied the allegations and settled the suits for a reported $2 million. So far, he's picked up a Gotham Award and a Critics' Choice win.

Some have insinuated that Parker's race played a role in his banishment, either consciously or subconsciously. And they may be right. Another factor might be the especially shocking nature of the claims against him, despite his acquittal, or his refusal in media interviews to apologize, or the fact that sexual assault is dramatized in his film. But it might also be the clubby nature of Hollywood that forgives those perceived as insiders and gives no benefit of the doubt to those who aren't. Affleck, a Hollywood presence for almost as long as his brother Ben, is an insider. Gibson, movie star and best picture winner for Braveheart, is another insider. He was sent to directors jail for a decade before reemerging this year, and voters seem to be saying enough time has passed. Also, his movie is really good.

This time of year, it's all about getting voters to actually see the contenders. And while one Oscar-nominated producer recently told me he felt an "ickiness" when deciding to pop in his Hacksaw screener, he did it anyway and liked the film. This same producer didn't think twice about watching Manchester. But, like many, he hasn't even bothered to open his Birth of a Nation screener.

This story first appeared in the Jan. 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

Watch the 'Hacksaw Ridge' trailer:
This otherworldly frozen lighthouse looks like an ice castle fit for a Disney princess

If you ever wanted to recreate Elsa singing Let It Go from Disneys Frozen, then do we have the place for you. During the winter months, St. Joseph Lighthouse on Lake Michigan morphs into a magical ice palace. While the lighthouse is picturesque in the spring, summer, and fall, it becomes truly spectacular to see during freezing weather conditions in the winter.

The current lighthouse was built in 1859 in St. Joseph, Michigan as the St. Joseph Lighthouse (or St. Joe Lighthouse as its affectionally known) website states. On the website, youre also able to view a livestream of the lighthouse in the Michigan beach town.

Currently, the lighthouse is in the news because of a storm that occurred on December 15th, 2016. Photographer Joshua Nowicki shared a video on his Facebook page of the most recent storm that hit the lighthouse and turned it into a legitimate ice castle. (Seriously, well sing Let It Go once we stop singing the theme from Ice Castles.)

Icy Lighthouse 2016 Getting to be quite a bit of ice! The lighthouse in Saint Joseph, Michigan this evening. December 15, 2016. Bested viewed in HD. Thank you for sharing! Posted by Joshua Nowicki - Photography on Thursday, December 15, 2016

Watching the icy tower stand tall as the waves hit is so completely stunning.

Of course, other photographers havent passed up on the opportunity to document this gorgeous phenomenon. Tom Gills photos of St. Joseph were featured by the Weather Channel in 2014.

Thomas Nighswander has also shared photos of the lighthouse. According to his Instagram post, the lighthouse didnt get covered in ice in 2015 due to weather conditions.

Captured last year on the North pier in Saint Joseph Michigan, we didn't get the ice buildups this year. #fujifilmx_us #vanguardworld #nationalphotographyworkshopsmeetup A photo posted by Thomas Nighswander (@npwphoto) on Mar 8, 2016 at 4:45am PST

Because the photos and videos of this lighthouse are so gorgeous, we had hoped the ice and waves werent causing damage to the structure. However, a news report from the Michigan and Indiana radio station 95.3 MNC did note that the lighthouse was finished being restored in June 2016. The damage had been caused by weather and waves and the restoration was funded by $2 million in private donations.

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Sculpted By Nature

As lighthouses are built to sustain the fierce weather, we hope those restorations will keep St. Joseph Lighthouse standing so others can see its beauty for years to come. And so you can go visit to make your dream of singing Let It Go near (not in, obviously) a real ice palace like a Disney princess a reality.

The post This otherworldly frozen lighthouse looks like an ice castle fit for a Disney princess appeared first on HelloGiggles.
SAN JOSE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / Pacific Green Technologies Marine Limited ("PGTM"), a subsidiary of Pacific Green Technologies Inc. (PGTK), announces it has closed a binding agreement with one of the UK's largest ship owners, Union Maritime Ltd (UML), for the sale of its ENVI-MarineTM Exhaust Gas Cleaning System. The scrubber will be fitted to UML's 13,000dwt chemical tanker MV "Westminster" in Q1 2017.

The System will be supplied to MV "Westminster" under an innovative financing agreement whereby UML will pay for the cost of the scrubber (US$1.95 million) through saving the vessel achieves by not having to switch to high-cost, low sulphur fuels when operating in Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs). Under the terms of an energy management contract, MV "Westminster" will operate for a minimum of 140 days per year in a SECA until 1 January 2020. Fuel savings achieved by continuing to burn heavy fuel oil in these areas and cleaning the emissions by PGTM's scrubber technology are expected to be around US$2,500 a day. UML will pay the full cost savings to PGTM until PGTM has received the full cost of the scrubber (US$1.95 million).

The Agreement also covers UML's intent to purchase up to a further ten systems from PGTM within the next eighteen months.

Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA) are areas of the ocean where sulphur emissions are restricted to 0.1%. These areas currently include the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and North America, which includes most of the US and Canadian coastline and the US Caribbean. Vessels operating in these areas are required to switch to low sulphur fuel or use scrubber technology to clean their exhaust gases.

Commenting on the agreement, Neil Carmichael, Chief Executive of PGT and Chairman of Pacific Green Technologies Marine Ltd, said:

"Our scrubber technology has been designed with retrofit in mind. Our systems are flexible, compact, and effective, which makes them ideal for all vessel types, including smaller vessels such as MV Westminster. We are currently developing a suite of emissions control technologies suitable for all major classes of ships and focusing on both existing vessels and newbuilds. That said, our flexible design, utilizing our patented Turbo Head Technology, optimally positions us to take leadership of the retrofit market where space and ease of installation are key considerations."

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He went on to say:

"We would like to thank UML's managing director, Laurent Cadji, and his team for their effort and hard work in finalizing this agreement. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Union Maritime."

Laurent Cadji, managing director of UML said:

"Complying with international emission control regulations is not easy for an operator of smaller vessels where space onboard is tight. PGTM's solution is flexible and compact, which allows us to retrofit the technology without too much of a physical challenge. We are delighted with the solution and look forward to realizing the benefits over the coming period."

Recently, the IMO has ruled that the current sulphur cap of 3.5% in international waters must be reduced to 0.5% by 2020. This has significantly expanded the market potential for PGTM's marine technologies.

About Pacific Green Technologies, Inc.

Pacific Green Technologies Inc. is focused on addressing the world's need for cleaner and more sustainable energy. The company's strategy is to build through organic development and acquisition a portfolio of patented competitive cutting edge technologies designed to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards.

www.pacificgreentechnologies.com

About Union Maritime

Union Maritime Limited (UML) is one of the largest UK-based independent shipowner/operators with a fleet of 27 product/chemical tankers and two bulk carriers. Operating globally, but with a developed expertise and focus on West Africa, UML enjoys an established reputation for carrying cargoes safely and efficiently whilst delivering clear and honest information to its clients and stakeholders in complex trading environments.

The UML fleet continues to grow and, to date, has moved millions of tonnes of bulk commodities for global, blue-chip oil companies, refiners, and traders.

Established in 2006 from the union of two successful commodities and industrial businesses based in Nigeria, UML aspires to become the logistics partner of choice for the world's leading commodity traders.

www.unionmaritime.com

For further information contact:

Neil Carmichael, President and Director

Pacific Green Technologies

T: +1 (408) 538-3373

Issued by Navigate PR Ltd (London). Mike Elsom melsom@navigatepr.com +44 20 3326 8464 / +44 7968196077

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, that PGT's emission control system has significant potential to be a market leader in China.

Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, general economic conditions, and the continuation of the JV with POWERCHINA SPEM resulting in definitive agreements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations, and intentions contained in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: Pacific Green Technologies Inc.
By Drazen Jorgic

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Senate has recommended scrapping of the 5,000 rupee ($48) banknote, despite government opposition and warnings that removal of the country's highest denomination bill could destabilise the economy.

A resolution, which is not binding, called for the government to remove the banknote to "reduce illicit money flow, encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of undocumented economy".

The resolution, passed on Monday, comes less than two months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprisingly scrapped his country's two biggest currency bills - the 1,000 rupee ($15) and 500 rupee notes - in a move that led to acute currency shortages and threatens to slow India's short-term economic growth.

Senator Osman Saifullah Khan, who proposed the motion, wants the banknote to be scrapped over a three- to five-year period, domestic media said.

Pakistan has a huge informal economy and transactions are often handled in cash, partly because much of the population is not part of formal sectors. The government also offers frequent tax amnesties to encourage people with hidden wealth to declare their assets, hoping to expand Pakistan's extremely narrow tax base.

Successive governments have struggled to boost Pakistan's persistently low tax-to-GDP ratio, which now stands at about 10 percent.

Zahid Hamid, law and justice minister, told the Senate that the government opposes the motion as the 5,000 rupee note accounts for almost one-third of the 3.3 trillion rupees of notes in circulation.

He said withdrawing the note would hamper business activities, hurt the government policy of financial inclusion and cause "chaos in the market", domestic media reported.

Modi's experiment to scrap about 86 percent of India's currency by value has drawn sharp criticism from many inside the country, where it led to huge queues outside banks and cash shortages that have disrupted business.

He has touted his war against "black money" as vital reform to boost state coffers and help the government battle tax evasion and corruption.

($1 = 104.70 Pakistani rupees) ($1 = 67.8469 Indian rupees)

(Additional reporting by Asad Hashim; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
Stock market

If the passive management crowd is to be believed, actual stock picking will soon be an anachronism that belongs alongside age-betraying habits such as hard candy and AOL email accounts. Active funds, their narrative goes, have collectively underperformed the US stock market since 2008, making cheap index investing and Smart Beta

the default option for investors seeking exposure anywhere but purely niche markets. What this account conveniently ignores, beyond the fact that actively managed strategies can hardly be categorized in one all-inclusive bucket, is that both index investing and stock picking are generally considered to be highly cyclical. In fact, both investment philosophies have enjoyed multiple and sustained periods of outperformance over the past 30 years.

Passive strategies have historically done best during speculative bull markets or in the final stages of extended bear markets, when there are typically fewer and smaller price movements for active managers to capitalize on. Active strategies, in contrast, perform best when corporate fundamentals are driving returns, especially when bear markets begin or when bull markets resume. Its worth noting, too, that the latter scenario also favors value over growth for those keen on differentiating between disparate segments within active strategies.

To be sure, though, its unrealistic to expect managers to outperform their benchmarks every year, or avoid any periods of underperformance when the underlying investment theses require time to materialize. Active managers would naturally struggle to outperform in a bull market during which S&P 500 has largely trended upwards in a straight line. That being said, truly active managers that can identify idiosyncratic risk have indeed been able to outperform their benchmarks over the past eight years, even on an after-fee basis. But looking holistically across the entire universe of active strategies, as most passive advocates are wont to do, the sheer magnitude of this bull market and the central bank liquidity driving it has conspired against active funds. Cheap debt and big flows of capital into passive vehicles have fed on themselves. Its a replay of the mid-1990s, when the market shifted to relatively inexpensive exchange traded funds in response to high fees and subpar returns.

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Smart beta funds have become so inexpensive and so ubiquitous that there are now more ETFs in this category than there are actively managed large-cap funds. As a result, many stocks are simply being driven by factor or stylistic reasons rather than corporate fundamentals. And a corollary is that many of the more common smart beta factors have become such crowded trades that they are almost certainly, distorting the market. To wit, reason would dictate that the most profitable companies would be in demand in a low-growth environment such as today. Ironically, many are trading at near all-time lows relative to the market valuations. The last two times this happened -- between 2000 and 2002 and between 2008 and 2009  should at least give pause to those investors content to merely ride the index.

hedge funds boxing fight

This year, thanks to ETF demand, high dividend stocks have generally outperformed, just as they did in 2012 and early 2013, ahead of the Taper Tantrum, when the Fed scaled back its bond-purchasing program. That led to a massive reversal for these equities that had served as bond proxies for many income investors. At the time, high-dividend payers were thought to be just as safe as bonds, yet investors got predictably burned. In the years ahead of and following the Taper Tantrum, the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index, comprised of the highest yielding domestic equities, represented one of the more volatile segments across all stocks. Prior to the Feds decision to pull back on the bond-purchasing program, the index had been outperforming the S&P 500 by nearly 4%, and in the year that followed, lagged the S&P 500 by nearly 5%, representing a roughly 9% reversal over that time.

Its a salutary reminder of the risks of piling into indices that are weighted by market capitalization. It also shows that passive investors arent only giving up the potential to outperform the market, they may be exposing themselves to meaningful unrealized factor risks and potential losses. Hence, it is imperative to remember that active management isnt solely about finding the idiosyncratic opportunities that translate into alpha; its about managing the downside during periods of higher market volatility.

The function of capital markets is to allocate resources to the most productive uses and the best managers of those businesses. If fewer investment managers are doing the fundamental analysis needed to pick the best stocks and avoid the worst, the markets capacity to price shares efficiently will eventually be undermined. In the United States, index funds and smart beta strategies constitute roughly half of the of the investment funds operating today. This translates into a market in which these passive strategies effectively magnify the noise, while overlooking the signals that reflect the markets intrinsic value. Its not unreasonable to think that an inflection awaits those content to overlook the qualitative analysis needed to identify bubbles and steer clear of market risks that cant be discerned by an algorithm or screen. As the godfather of value investing, Benjamin Graham, said, theres no such thing as passive investing. Any investment that isnt based upon thorough analysis, promising the safety of principal and an adequate return, is merely speculation.

Daniel J. Farren is a senior portfolio analyst for Boston Partners. He joined the firm from Alliance Bernstein in New York where he spent over three years in a sales capacity covering Hedge Funds and concentrating on Event Driven Research. Boston Partners has approximately $81.5 billion of assets under management.

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By Carolyn Crist Pets could play an active role in the treatment of their owners long-term mental health problems, according to authors of a small study in the United Kingdom. Researchers found that many pets were seen as the most valuable and central social support in owners lives, often providing secure relationships not available through human ties. Although the value of therapy animals for mental health problems is well documented, the nature of the role pets play in the everyday management of serious mental illness is underexplored, said lead study author Helen Brooks of the University of Manchester. Pets are of significant value to those managing serious mental illness and should be considered a mainstay rather than a marginal source of support, she told Reuters Health. For instance, pets helped build stable and close relationships that werent available elsewhere, especially for those who stay mostly at home and have limited human contact, she said. Pets also provide a consistent physical presence and often distract owners from symptoms or upsetting experiences such as suicidal thoughts. Brooks and colleagues conducted interviews with 54 people diagnosed with long-term mental health problems, focusing on the day-to-day experience of living with a mental illness. They asked questions about the relationship, value and meaning of pets in the owners lives. I can trust him (my dog) more than people, one participant said. When youre like this, you lose a lot of trust in people, family as well, because you tend not to tell them things because the less you tell them, the less they can say. Another participant said, (The cat) knows when to come on my lap and when to leave me alone. I dont have to tell him, he just senses me, you know, he just senses my feelings. The study participants received a diagram with three concentric circles around a square representing the pet owner. They were asked to write in the names of people, places and things that gave them support. Of the 54 participants, 25 considered their pets to be part of their social network. About 60 percent placed pets in the closest circle to them, and 20 percent placed them in the second circle. This is probably only the second time Ive seen a study so thoroughly look at where pets sit in the human-social system and how important pets may be, said Jenny Stephany of Positive Connections, a Harrow, UK, nonprofit that connects people with companion animals. Stephany, who wasnt involved with the study, coordinates with several community-based pet programs for those with mental illness. The U.S. and Australia are way ahead of the UK in this area with companion animals, she told Reuters Health. Were seeing this movement away from a reliance on pharmaceuticals and more toward non-medical interventions. Several U.S. programs connect pets in need with humans in need. Senior Pets for Senior People and Senior Dogs 4 Seniors, for example, pair older animals with retirees who are housebound and want companionship at home. The UK will be mirroring these programs in 2017. I walk a dog for a woman who is 92, deaf and isolated, and the importance of her Jack Russell is prevalent, Stephany said. The simple ability of an animal to connect or provide a routine is very powerful. Other programs in the U.S., such as Paws on Parole and Puppies for Parole, pair rescue dogs with prisoners as a way to help the humans rejoin the community and build responsibility. Many times, establishing a reliable non-human relationship and boosting self-esteem cuts down on repeat offenses, Stephany said. Sometimes we overlook the emotional needs that people have, she noted. For some social and health problems, the solution may be staring you in the face - or sitting on your lap.
Moscow (AFP) - A Russian plane carrying the body of the ambassador assassinated in Turkey landed on Tuesday in Moscow, met by the top Russian and Turkish diplomats.

Andrei Karlov's coffin and his widow travelled back to Russia after the veteran diplomat was shot dead by a 22-year-old Turkish policeman at an art exhibit in Ankara on Monday in what Moscow called an "act of terror".

TV footage from the Vnukovo airport showed Karlov's widow and another relative led off the plane by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who met the two women after the landing.

The coffin was carried by an honour guard and loaded onto a hearse to the sound of sombre music from a military band.
Thor: Ragnarok is going to take viewers to more places than just Earth and Asgard. Sakaar is also confirmed to be a setting, and it seems thats where comic book fans will recognize a particular storyline. The Planet Hulk arc is officially confirmed as being part of Thor: Ragnarok.

As previously reported, Director Taika Waititi revealed the news to Total Film. Sakaar was an insane, far-off, futuristic place which was the biggest shift for the film and these characters, Waititi said. The magazine confirmed that the story taking place there will mirror the Planet Hulk comics.

Sakaar is a pretty desolate planet thats located near a wormhole, according to Marvel. It seems like a pretty good spot to hide, and many powerful beings have done just that there. The planet is also populated by barbaric tribes, and the nearby wormhole often gives Sakaar new technology, like the robots and androids that live there.

It isnt just barbarians and androids on Sakaar, though. The Red King once ruled the planet, and he forced Hulk to fight in gladiator battles as his slave. This will indeed be part of Thor: Ragnarok. Hulks (Mark Ruffalo) gladiator armor was already on display at San Diego Comic-Con over the summer.

Eventually, Hulk overthrows the Red King and meets his wife, Caeira, on the planet. Unfortunately, there arent really any happy endings for the Hulk. His wife and her unborn child die in an explosion from his ship self-destructing. He heads back to Earth to seek revenge on the Avengers, who built the shuttle.

Obviously, some things will change from the comics. While Hulk battled the Silver Surfer in the source material, the 20th Century Fox-owned character probably wont show up in Thor: Ragnarok. However, with the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), Hela (Cate Blanchett) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) set to appear in the film, Hulk could find himself up against different powerful aliens. Similarly, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wasnt really involved in the comics, but obviously, the movie will change that.

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It also still isnt clear how Hulk will get to Sakaar. In the comics, the Illuminati were trying to send Hulk to a planet with absolutely no intelligent life. Navigation errors led them to leave Hulk on Sakaar. Movie fans know that Hulk was last seen in a quinjet. He was angry that Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) had brought out the Hulk against his will in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and he made the jet invisible. He still hadnt been found by the time Captain America: Civil War happened. Can the small S.H.I.E.L.D. plane also function as a space ship?

Audiences will have to wait a while for more answers about how the third Thor film will adapt the Planet Hulk story. The film doesnt come out until Nov. 3, 2017, so Marvel will be keeping many spoilers locked up for a while longer.

Planet Hulk

Photo: Marvel

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From Cosmopolitan

One of President-elect Donald Trump's first, and defining, acts next year could come on Republican legislation to cut off taxpayer money from Planned Parenthood.

Trump sent mixed signals during the campaign about the 100-year-old organization, which provides birth control, abortions and various women's health services. He said "millions of women are helped by Planned Parenthood," but he also endorsed efforts to defund it.

Trump once described himself as "very pro-choice." Now he's in the anti-abortion camp.

Still, the Republican has been steadfast in calling for repeal of President Barack Obama's health care law, and the GOP-led Congress is eager to comply. One of the first pieces of legislation will be a repeal measure that's paired with cutting off money for Planned Parenthood. While the GOP may delay the impact of scuttling the law for almost four years, denying Planned Parenthood roughly $400 million in Medicaid funds would take effect immediately.

"We've already shown what we believe with respect to funding of Planned Parenthood," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters last month. "Our position has not changed."

Legislation to both repeal the law and cut Planned Parenthood funds for services to low-income women moved through Congress along party lines last year. Obama vetoed it; Trump's win removes any obstacle.

Cutting off Planned Parenthood from taxpayer money is a long-sought dream of social conservatives, but it's a loser in the minds of some GOP strategists. Planned Parenthood is loathed by anti-abortion activists who are the backbone of the GOP coalition. Polls, however, show that the group is favorably viewed by a sizable majority of Americans - 59 percent in a Gallup survey last year, including more than one-third of Republicans.

"Defunding Planned Parenthood as one of their first acts in the new year would be devastating for millions of families and a huge mistake by Republicans," said incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

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Democrats pledge to defend the group, and they point to the issue of birth control and women's health as helping them win Senate races in New Hampshire and Nevada this year. They argue that Trump would be leading off with a political loser. But if he were to have second thoughts and if the Planned Parenthood provision were to be dropped from the health law repeal, then social conservatives probably would erupt.

"They may well be able to succeed, but the women of America are going to know what that means," said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., citing reduced access to services Planned Parenthood clinics provide. "And we're going to call Republicans on the carpet for that."

At least one Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, may oppose the effort. Collins has defended Planned Parenthood, saying it "provides important family planning, cancer screening and basic preventive health care services to millions of women across the country." She voted against the health overhaul repeal last year as a result.

Continued opposition from Collins, which appears likely, would put the repeal measure on a knife's edge in the Senate, where Republicans will have a 52-48 majority next year. Senate GOP leaders could afford to lose just one other Republican.

Anti-abortion conservatives have long tried to cut Planned Parenthood funds, arguing that reimbursements for nonabortion services such as gynecological exams help subsidize abortions. Though Planned Parenthood says it performed 324,000 abortions in 2014, the most recent year tallied, the vast majority of women seek out contraception, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and other services including cancer screenings.

The drive against Planned Parenthood picked up steam in 2015 after an anti-abortion group called the Center for Medical Progress released secretly-recorded videos that it claimed showed Planned Parenthood officials profiting from sales of fetal tissue for medical research. The measure, however, would strip Planned Parenthood's Medicaid funding for only a year, a step taken to give time for continued investigations of Planned Parenthood's activities. A House panel is still active, but investigations by 13 states have been concluded without charges of wrongdoing.

Planned Parenthood strongly denied the allegations and no wrongdoing was proved, but the group announced in October that it will no longer accept reimbursement for the costs involved in providing fetal tissue to researchers.

The defunding measure would take away roughly $400 million in Medicaid money from the group in the year after enactment, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and would result in roughly 400,000 women losing access to care. One factor is that being enrolled in Medicaid doesn't guarantee access to a doctor, so women denied Medicaid services from Planned Parenthood may not be able to find replacement care.

Planned Parenthood says private contributions are way up since the election, but that they are not a permanent replacement for federal reimbursements. "We're going to fight like hell to make sure our doors stay open," said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Erica Sackin.

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Achyut Wagle holds PhD in economics and is currently a professor at the Kathmandu University School of Management. He is an econo-political analyst, writing for The Kathmandu Post for many years.
London (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday said she was planning to negotiate both Brexit and Britain's future relationship with the EU by 2019 but a transition period may be required after that.

Appearing before a parliamentary committee, May said companies and government might require time to adjust, in her first comments explicitly evoking a possible transition arrangement to ease Britain's EU departure.

"I would expect us to be able to negotiate a deal in the two-year period. But it may be the case that there may be some practical aspects that require a period of implementation thereafter," she said.

Finance Minister Philip Hammond has said such a deal could be "helpful" to "manage the adjustment between where we are now, as full members of the European Union, and where we get to in the future".

It "would tend towards a smoother transition and would run less risks of disruption including, crucially, risks to financial stability which must be a fairly real concern", he said last week.

Speaking at a summit of the Confederation of British Industry in November, May had alluded to a transition deal saying: "We don't want a cliff-edge".

CBI president Paul Drechsler at the same conference said: "Businesses are inevitably considering the cliff-edge scenario -- a sudden and overnight transformation in trading conditions.

"If this happens, firms could find themselves stranded in a regulatory no man's land," he said.

- Brexit speech next month -

Grilled by MPs on Tuesday about the timing of the exit deal and the new trade arrangements with the EU, May said: "I am working on the basis that we will look to negotiate those in parallel.

"I think that is what makes sense," she added.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier earlier this month said the deal on Britain's departure should be brokered by October 2018 to allow for ratification times on the EU side.

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He also said the EU "needs to know" the full details of Britain's plans for its long-term relationship with the EU before any interim deal was possible.

"As we don't know what the UK wants and is waiting for, it's difficult to imagine a transitional period," he said.

May also on Tuesday dismissed questions about whether the British parliament would be allowed to vote on the final Brexit deal that is negotiated, saying only it would be given time to discuss the issues.

She said she would give a speech on Brexit next month with more details of the government's plans and planned to stick to the timetable of beginning the formal procedure for Brexit by March at the latest.

"We will meet that timetable," she said.

Britain's Supreme Court is set to rule in January on whether parliament's approval is required for May to trigger the Article 50 exit process, which gives a two-year timetable for negotiating a deal unless both Britain and the EU agree to an extension.
By Ronnie Cohen Are police officers more likely to shoot an African-American man than a white one? A new analysis of death certificates calculates that black males were almost three times more likely than whites to die at the hands of U.S. police, but the study fails to fill gaping holes in national law-enforcement reports about deadly use of force. Were really good at counting all sorts of things, but not when police departments kill citizens, epidemiologist Cassandra Crifasi said in a phone interview. The new report online December 20th in the American Journal of Public Health relies on what she described as poor death-certificate data on police killings. Crifasi, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, was not involved in the new study. Im not going to say there are not racial disparities in use-of-force deaths, but we just dont have good enough data to get a national estimate, she said. FBI Director James B. Comey also has lamented a dearth of statistics on police use of force. He told a gathering of police chiefs last year that Americans actually have no idea . . . whether black people or brown people are more likely to be shot during police encounters than white people. The problem is that the federal government bases its count of police killings on data provided voluntarily by police departments, which in the past has resulted in a significant underestimate of the number of annual arrest-related deaths," according to a report this month from the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the U.S. Department of Justice. In the current study, Dr. James Buehler of Drexel Universitys Dornsife School of Public Health in Philadelphia turned to death-certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2010 until 2014, death certificates identified 2,285 legal-intervention deaths in the U.S., 96 percent of them fatal shootings and 96 percent of them deaths of males. Though white males accounted for the largest number, blacks were 2.8 times more likely to be killed by police than whites, the study found. And Hispanic men were 1.7 times more likely than whites to be killed by officers. The fact that theres nearly a three-fold greater likelihood that a black man is going to die from lethal intervention as a white man is striking, Buehler said in a phone interview. He undertook the study in part to counter another well-publicized recent study that found no racial bias in police use of deadly force. (http://bit.ly/2hooYqh) The author of the prior study, Roland Fryer, Jr., an economics professor at Harvard University, declined a request to comment on the current study. Fryer told The New York Times that his finding that blacks were no more likely than whites to die in police shootings surprised him. His work is not the definitive answer, Fryer wrote in his paper, but rather just takes first steps into the treacherous terrain of understanding the extent of racial differences in police use of force. He has called for more research on the question that has sparked nationwide outrage and protests. What Im simply trying to do is to make sure we dont lose track of the fact we have a problem, Buehler said. Since a white police officer killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, video after video of police shootings has seemed to provide further proof of uneven justice. But videos are not data, and the death-certificate data on which the current study relied is incomplete, Crifasi said. Generally, the consensus among researchers is that the data on death certificates is really poor, she said. There may be a disincentive to indicate that somebody was killed by police. If half the data is missing, you cannot make any assumptions about which half, she said. The data we have is not sufficient to properly answer the question, she said.
Police have released a devastating 911 call made in the aftermath of a 3-year-old boy's death in a road rage shooting that occurred while he was out shopping with his grandmother in Arkansas.

My [grandsons] been shot! his grandma, Kim King-Macon can be heard screaming in the background of the 911 recording. She tells police the boy had been shot in the neck.

Read: City Apologizes After Family of 12-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot By Cops Were Billed For Ambulance

King-Macon and her grandson, Acen King, were on their way to J.C. Penney when another driver was reportedly angered that the boys grandmother "wasnt moving fast enough at a stop light," so he allegedly stepped out of his Chevrolet Impala and fired one shot, killing the toddler.

However, King-Macon didnt appear to realize her grandson had been shot until she arrived at the J.C. Penney location and was taking the toddler out of the car, according to the 911 call.

The J.C. Penney was reportedly 10 miles away.

"I was at the stop sign and the guy blew the horn at me and I blew it back, and he shot but I thought he shot in air, but he shot at the car," King-Macon can be heard saying on the call.

King-Macon reportedly tried giving the boy CPR in the parking lot, but he later died at the hospital.

The shooter is still at large and Little Rock police initially announced they were offering $20,000 for information leading to an arrest, to which the FBI office in Little Rock added $20,000 more.

Read: 18-Month-Old Boy Accidentally Shot Dead In His Georgia Home

Both King-Macon and another 1-year-old who was in the car at the time of the shooting were unharmed.

Local pastors also asked the community to speak up if they know anything about the shooting.

If you dont say nothing, youre just as guilty as the person that did it, Pastor Terrence Long said. If youve seen this black Impala in your neighborhood [or] at a neighbors house, let someone know.

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A vigil is being held for Acen on Wednesday evening.

Watch: 14-Year-Old Boy Shot by Police for Brandishing Knives at School Was Bullied: Dad

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Authorities erected barricades early on December 20 outside Polands parliament buildings where protesters were expected to gather later that day.

Demonstrations began a week earlier after the countrys right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), announced media laws restricting press access to parliament. The law and the mass protests sparked a major standoff between opposition MPs and the government on December 16. On December 20, the government dropped the laws, Reuters reported.

Opposition MP Magorzata Niemczyk shared these images that morning, showing barricades being erected around parliament. The anti-government civic action group KOD tweeted images of the barricades, accusing the government of erecting an Iron Curtain around the building and of stifling the right to assembly. Credit: Facebook/Magorzata Niemczyk via Storyful
By Marcin Goettig WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's lower house of parliament lifted a temporary ban on media access on Tuesday in an effort to defuse anti-government protests that have paralyzed the assembly, but the opposition said more still needed to be done. The clampdown on media access planned by the ruling right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party is among a raft of measures its critics say have eroded the independence of the media and the judiciary. Fears of an authoritarian drift in Poland have brought thousands of protesters onto the streets in the past year and alarmed the country's European Union partners, though the government remains broadly popular among Polish voters. Despite the removal of the media ban, opposition lawmakers extended their occupation of parliament's debating chamber into a fifth day. They vowed to stay put until a debate and vote on the 2017 budget they say was held illegally in a side room on Friday to avoid protests and reporters is re-run with all lawmakers. The planned curbs on media access to the Sejm announced last week by PiS Speaker Marek Kuchcinski triggered demonstrations outside parliament and an occupation of the Sejm's podium and the speaker's chair by opposition lawmakers. In response, Kuchcinski temporarily barred all reporters and moved the vote to a side room. The Sejm's press office said on Tuesday the ban had been scrapped but rules on media access were still likely to change. That was an allusion to an earlier proposal to reserve all recording of parliamentary sessions for five selected TV stations and limiting the number of journalists allowed in parliament to two per media outlet. "We want, however, to give an assurance that these changes will not be introduced without broad consultations and agreements with reporters," the press office said. The opposition welcomed the move but demanded the lower chamber also re-run the disputed budget vote. PiS officials replied that the vote was legal and would not be repeated. BUDGET PROBLEMS? "PiS is retreating," the leader of the liberal Nowoczesna party, Ryszard Petru, said on his Twitter account. "Another debate on the budget is a key issue." The deputy speaker of the upper house Senate said the situation could lead to problems with Polish debt issuance. "If there are doubts around the budget, there will be doubts regarding the purchase of debt paper (by investors)," said Bogdan Borusewicz of the opposition Civic Platform. The standoff in parliament is the most serious for years in Poland and marks the sharpest escalation in tension between opposition parties and PiS since it won an October 2015 election with a large majority. Spreads in Polish 10-year bond yields over those of Germany's have risen by 81 basis points in the last 12 months to 3.16 percent amid uncertainty over the policy plans and increased borrowing needs of the new government. Poland's borrowing needs are to rise next year to 79 billion zlotys ($18.54 billion) from almost 65 billion zlotys expected in 2016 as PiS boosts social spending programs. The eurosceptic PiS has promised a return to patriotic and Roman Catholic values in public life and a tougher stance towards the EU and historical adversary Russia. The government has placed state media and prosecutors under its direct control, passed legislation making it more difficult for the constitutional court to issue verdicts and approved a bill critics say will limit freedom of assembly. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has put the question of Poland's media restrictions on the agenda of Wednesday's meeting of the EU's executive. The government's moves have alienated many liberal-minded urban Poles, but its voter base in small towns and rural areas has remained supportive, thanks to a generous child benefit scheme and rises in the minimum wage that have helped to ease poverty, as well as cuts in the retirement age. (Reporting by Marcin Goettig, Marcin Goclowski, and Pawel Florkiewicz; editing by Mark Heinrich and Gareth Jones)
NEW YORK (AP)  The stunning image rocketed around the world, via Facebook and Twitter and other social media: an Associated Press photographer's close-up of an agitated gunman just moments after he had assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey.

Gun in his right hand, his left hand raised with his index finger pointed, the man is shouting angrily as his victim's body lies sprawled near his feet.

Within hours, the photo had reached more than 18 million people on Facebook; more than 430,000 engaged with it via reactions, comments and shares. It appeared on newspaper front pages worldwide, including the New York Times, USA Today, the Financial Times, El Pais in Spain, the tabloids Liberation in France and The Sun in Britain.

The AP photographer, Burhan Ozbilici, was on the scene Monday to attend a photo exhibition in Ankara, Turkey's capital. At first he thought it was a theatrical stunt when a man in a dark suit and tie pulled out a gun. The man then opened fire, killing Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov.

Ozbilici, like others in the room, was scared  but instead of seeking cover, he moved forward with his camera.

"I'm a journalist," he said later. "I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos. ... But I wouldn't have a proper answer if people later ask me: 'Why didn't you take pictures?'"

He recalled thinking about friends and colleagues who died over the years while taking photographs in war zones.

Other photographs this year have gripped the world with their heartbreaking images  the body of 3-year-old Syrian refugee washed ashore on a Turkish beach; another Syrian boy, slightly older, sitting in an ambulance in Aleppo, dazed and caked in dust, with blood covering much of his face.

Denis Paquin, AP's acting director of photography, said Ozbilici's photo was riveting for different reasons.

"It shows the danger that photographers and videographers expose themselves to," he said. "It's professionalism  the level-headedness to keep doing your job."

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In an online column, Time Magazine journalist Karl Vick described the photo as "an instantly iconic image."

More praise came from Serbian writer/photographer Dunja Djudjic, on the website DIY Photography.

"I can't imagine how traumatic it was for those who were there at the time," she wrote. "But thanks to a brave and extremely professional photographer, we are left with some of the most powerful and shocking documentary photos of this year."

On the Facebook page of AP Images, more than 7,600 people commented on the photo.

"Tragic story but this is one of the greatest news photos I've ever seen," one man wrote.

"It's an astonishing photo," wrote another. "It's a different kind of courage to that a war photographer shows daily but no less a record of an act and time."
On Tuesday, two giants in the industrial gas industry closed on a deal to create a mega company with a combined market value of $66.6 billion. Praxair Inc. PX and Germanys Linde AG have agreed to join forces after two years of on-again, off-again merger talks after Praxair, which is based in Danbury, Connecticut, committed to preserving jobs in Germany in order to win the approval of Lindes directors.

The two companies said they had agreed to a merger of equals, where each company would control half of the board seats of the newly combined entity. The business will be called Linde, and their respective shareholders will each hold 50% of the stock; it will be listed on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The new company would have roughly $30 billion in annual sales before divestitures.

"The strategic combination between Linde and Praxair would leverage the complementary strengths of each across a larger global footprint and create a more resilient portfolio with increased exposure to long-term macro growth trends," said Steve Angel, Praxairs Chairman and CEO. "We consider this to be a true strategic merger, as it brings together the capabilities, talented people and best-in-class processes of both companies, creating a unique and compelling opportunity for all of our stakeholders."

"Under the Linde brand, we want to combine our companies business and technology capabilities and form a global industrial gas leader. Beyond the strategic fit, the compelling, value-creating combination would achieve a robust balance sheet and cash flow and generate financial flexibility to invest in our future," said Professor Dr. Aldo Belloni, CEO of Linde.

Regulators still need to approve the mega-merger. A Linde-Praxair combination comes at the end of a year that saw increased scrutiny over U.S. companies implementing foreign mergers to avoid U.S. taxes, though Praxair did not cite any tax savings as a primary driver for the merger. The Obama administration tried to crack down on such deals, and President-elect Donald Trump has criticized them as well.

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Within the industry, Linde is No. 2 and Praxair No. 3, both behind Frances Liquide SA. The industrial gas sectors performance largely depends on energy prices and oil and gas activity, and when both declined a few years ago, the industry experienced a slowdown, impacting performance and causing companies to consolidate in order to gain scale.

However, as oil prices begin creeping back up and more OPEC members agree on cutting production, the industrial gas industry could see a turnaround. Companies like Linde and Praxair provide gas mixtures, like helium and pure oxygen, that are used in many industrial applications; customers include oil drillers and refiners, hospitals, and chemical makers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The two companies also make gases used in manufacturing and food production.

As a result of the news, Linde shares traded 1.8% lower in Frankfurt, while PX stock is down just over 4% to $118.04 per share in late-morning trading.

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Count shows number of tigers increasing in Parsa wildlife reserve

The number of tigers in Parsa Wildlife Reserve has increased, a count of the big cat shows.
President Obama will permanently ban offshore drilling in most of the U.S.-controlled Arctic as well as off much of the Atlantic Seaboard, the White House announced Thursday.

The movebilled as an effort to conserve important marine species and protect against oil spillsrepresents a last-ditch measure by Obama to strengthen his environmental legacy in advance of President-elect Donald Trump taking office in January. Trump has promised to boost the oil and gas industry by scrapping many Obama-era environmental regulations.

The White House maneuver relies on a little-used 1953 law that gives the President authority to block indefinitely oil and gas drilling in some waters controlled by the U.S. federal government. The move may be impossible to undoat least in the short term. The law does not include a provision for a future president to undo the decision and no president has ever tried such a move. But energy interests could challenge that in courts or a Republican-dominated Congress could revise the original law.

Blocking drilling in the Arctic represents a dramatic shift for Obama, who has seen domestic oil production rise during his time in office and who as recently as last year cited pursuing fossil fuels in the Arctic as part of a comprehensive energy strategy. Last month, Obama reversed course on his support for Arctic drilling, putting in place a five-year offshore drilling ban for much of the region beginning in 2017. The permanent ban announced Tuesday will extend that measure indefinitely.

Read More: Dying Coral Reefs Impact Environment and Economy

Tuesdays announcement came in tandem with a similar action from Canada that bans drilling in the Arctic indefinitelythough subject to review every five years. Canadas measure does not affect existing oil and gas drilling leases.

Obamas move drew immediate praise from environmental groups concerned that Trump will undo much of the regulation aimed at addressing climate change issued in the last eight years. Millions of people around the world will be grateful to President Obama for permanently protecting much of the Arctic and the Atlantic coasts from catastrophic oil exploration and development, says Travis Nichols, a Greenpeace spokesperson. Decisions like these are crucial.

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Read More: Meet the President Trying to Save His Island Nation From Climate Change

The move protects most of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the north coast of Alaska. In the Atlantic, the move will protect a number of scattered underwater canyons in coastal waters that range from Maryland to Massachusetts.

But even without the ban, its unclear how eager energy companies would be to drill in the Arctic and offshore waters, given the high costs of exploration and the low cost of oil in todays market. Royal Dutch Shell abandoned a drilling project last year for those reasons after spending $7 billion on the effort. A senior White House official cited some of these economic considerations as reason to block Arctic drilling.

The economics of pursing oil and gas in this region are just not there, said a senior administration official before the announcement, Theres no viable strategy to this on a timeline thats responsible for our country.

The move will almost certainly draw criticism from Republicans in Congress who say that drilling in the Arctic would create jobs and support the economy. Arctic development is one of the best ways to create jobs, generate revenues and refill the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, said Alaska GOP senator Sen. Lisa Murkowski in response to Obamas five-year ban last month. Why the president is willing to send all of those benefits overseas is beyond explanation.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP)  Slovakia's President Andrej Kiska has vetoed legislation that would have tightened conditions for the official registration of churches.

Approved by Parliament on Nov 30, the legislation intended to increase the number of members needed for a religion to become official  and eligible for state subsidies  from 20,000 to 50,000.

The bill was drafted by the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party, which is a member of the governing coalition. It has made no secret of its intent to target Muslims.

There are about 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia, and the community already considered the original number restrictive.

The move is another sign of anti-Islamic sentiment in Catholic-dominated Slovakia.

Kiska said in a statement on Tuesday the law interferes too much with fundamental rights and freedoms.

Parliament can override Kiska's veto.
Dec 20 (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

** Calgary police are investigating a targeted attack after a prominent real estate developer was injured in a shooting that erupted in a wealthy neighbourhood on Monday. Riaz Mamdani, chief executive of Strategic Group, owner of several residential and commercial buildings in the city, was taken to hospital after multiple shots pierced the windshield of a late-model Rolls Royce he was driving. https://tgam.ca/2hUVHEq

** Canadian owners of diesel-equipped vehicles made by Volkswagen AG will share up to C$2.1 billion ($1.57 billion) in compensation and be able to sell their cars back to the automaker under a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit. https://tgam.ca/2i7iLPx

NATIONAL POST

** Prem Watsa, Canada's Warren Buffett, is significantly expanding the reach of insurer Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd in the United States with his largest deal - a $4.9 billion cash and stock acquisition of Allied World Assurance Co . Watsa said he viewed the purchase as a bet on economic growth under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Republican majorities in Congress. http://bit.ly/2hQ0BoM

** A little history is anticipated to be made this week when Canada's first special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is expected to receive approval from its shareholders for its qualifying transaction. On Tuesday, Acasta Enterprises Inc , will hold a vote by its shareholders on the plan to buy three privately held businesses, two of which are in consumer products. http://bit.ly/2gXofey

** Xplornet Communications Inc, a rural broadband provider, celebrated the successful launch of a new satellite EchoStar XIX from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Sunday, a move which can improve internet access for rural Canadians. http://bit.ly/2i56BL3 ($1 = 1.3417 Canadian dollars) (Compiled by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru)
Journalists returned to Polands government buildings on December 20, a week after the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party announced restrictions on media access.

The media law sparked a series of anti-government protests, some of which led to clashes with police, and standoffs between the government and opposition parties and groups.

While the government rolled back on the media law, authorities on December 20 erected barricades around the parliament buildings, a move which anti-government civic actions group KOD claimed was an attempt to stifle the right to assembly. Senators with the opposition Civic Platform party called on the government to remove the heavy police presence positioned both outside and inside the buildings. Credit: Facebook/Platforma Obywatelska via Storyful
Paris (AFP) - Following is a list of attacks on Western targets claimed by or blamed on the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group after 12 people were killed on Monday in a truck rampage in Berlin:

- December 19: Truck attack in Berlin -

A Polish-registered truck laden with steel beams ploughs into a busy night-time Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring at least 48.

The following day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel describes the assault as a "terrorist attack." German police arrest a Pakistani asylum seeker but release him for lack of evidence.

The IS-linked Amaq news agency later says "a soldier of the Islamic State" carried out the attack "in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries."

- August 6: Machete attack in Belgium -

A machete-wielding man shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) attacks two policewomen in Charleroi, southern Belgium, badly injuring one in the face before being shot dead by a third officer.

Investigators give the initials of the assailant as K.B., describing him as a 33-year-old Algerian who had been living in Belgium since 2012.

The following day, IS says the attacker acted "in response to (its) calls to target citizens" of countries in the US-led coalition bombing IS in Syria and Iraq.

- July 26: French priest killed -

Attackers slit an elderly priest's throat in a hostage-taking at his church in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.

Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche, both 19, pledged allegiance to IS in a video made before the attack.

- July 24: German suicide blast -

A failed Syrian asylum-seeker blows himself up outside a music festival in the German city of Ansbach, wounding 15 others. The Bavarian interior minister says the man "pledged allegiance" to IS, while the jihadist-linked Amaq news agency said he was a "soldier" of the group.

- July 18: German train attack -

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A 17-year-old asylum-seeker, believed to have been Afghan or Pakistani, attacks passengers on a Bavarian train with an axe, injuring five people, two of them critically. He is shot dead by police.

IS releases a video the following day purportedly featuring the attacker announcing he would carry out an "operation" in Germany.

- July 14: Nice lorry attack -

Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, rams a 19-tonne truck into people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people and wounding more than 400.

IS said Bouhlel staged the attack "in response to calls to target nations of coalition states" fighting the jihadist group.

- June 28: Istanbul airport attack -

A triple suicide attack at Istanbul's Ataturk airport kills 47 people and leaving more than 260 injured. Authorities blame IS, though there is no claim of responsibility.

- June 13: French police couple killed -

A man claiming allegiance to IS stabs a police officer to death before slitting his partner's throat in front of their young son at their home in Magnanville, west of Paris.

- June 12: Orlando gay bar shooting -

A gunman claiming allegiance to IS opens fire inside a gay bar in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people in the deadliest mass shooting in US history.

- March 22: Brussels attacks -

Suicide attacks claimed by IS kill 32 people and wound more than 340 at Brussels airport and Maelbeek metro station, near the European Union headquarters.

The attackers have links to the cell that carried out the November 2015 jihadist attacks in Paris.

- March 19: Israelis killed in Istanbul

Three Israeli tourists and an Iranian are killed by a suicide bomber at an Istanbul shopping centre. Turkish authorities attribute attack to IS.

- January 12: 12 Germans killed in Istanbul -

Twelve German tourists are killed in a suicide attack in central Istanbul. Islamic State held responsible.

- December 2, 2015: San Bernardino shooting -

Syed Farook and his Pakistani wife Tashfeen Malik open fire at a Christmas party in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people. IS hails the attack, but does not claim direct responsibility.

- November 13, 2015: Paris attacks -

Coordinated suicide attacks in Paris kill 130 people and wound more than 350 at a concert hall, cafes and the national stadium. IS claims responsibility.

- October 31, 2015: Russian jet bombed -

An Airbus passenger jet owned by a Russian company crashes in the Sinai desert after a bomb rips a hole in the plane, killing all 224 people on board. IS claims responsibility.

- June 26, 2015: Tunisia beach attack -

Gunmen kill 38 people, including 30 British tourists, at a beach hotel in Sousse, a little more than three months after a similar attack at the Bardo museum in Tunis kills 22 people, including 21 foreign tourists. IS claims both attacks.

- January 7-8, 2015: Paris shootings -

Gunman Amedy Coulibaly, claiming allegiance to IS, kills a policewoman in a Paris suburb before attacking a Jewish supermarket the next day, where he kills four more people. He is killed in a police assault.

On January 7, the Al-Qaeda-linked Kouachi brothers had killed 12 people at the headquarters of the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly in Paris.
Google has come under fire from privacy groups, who have complained to the Federal Trade Commission regarding a recent change in policy from the search giant allowing it to pair personally-identifiable information with browsing data collected by its digital advertising service.

Consumer Watchdog and Privacy Rights Clearing House are leading the charge against Google, alleging the company is tracking information well beyond reason.

According to the privacy organizations, Google has used its wealth of data to create super profiles that leverage information from sites that use Google Analytics and the DoubleClick ad network the company acquired in 2007, to track user activity across just about any platform.

Google originally kept between data associated with its various services segmented, but those wall came down in 2012. Privacy organizations are directing their ire at a new policy change implemented this year that further expands the combination of data sets to include Android.

By finally combining all of this information, Google has engaged in a dangerously invasive and far-reaching appropriation of user data, the complaint from Consumer Watchdog and Privacy Rights Clearing House reads. And the manner in which Google perpetrated this appropriation makes it that much more vexing and legally actionable: Google has done incrementally and furtively what would plainly be illegal if done all at once.

The decision to combine data collected across the variety of platforms owned by Google is contrary to the companys pledge in 2008 to not link personally-identifiable information with data gathered through DoubleClick browsing data.

In October, ProPublica noted Google has quietly erased that last privacy line in the sand and began removing the lines in its privacy policy that ensured the company would keep its data separate by default.

Google replaced that original language with new text that says browsing habits may be used in combination information the company has learned from its other tools like Gmail. Customers were asked to opt in to the new policy earlier this summer.

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The privacy groups bringing the complaint against Google are asking the FTC to investigate the search giants most recent change to its data collection policies. The ultimate goal is to stop the combination of data without user consent and order the company to return advertising revenue earned as a result of the super profile policy.

Google did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication.

Related Articles
Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo resorted to using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse mobs of protesters in several neighborhoods in the capital city of Kinshasa Monday night. Protest groups chanted Bye, bye Kabila in acknowledgment that President Joseph Kabilas mandate to govern the country expired at midnight Monday, despite his plans to remain in office past the end of his term.

A Congolese constitutional court decision from earlier this year said that Kabila should only relinquish his presidency if a successor had been democratically elected, according to Africa News Tuesday. But hundreds of anti-Kabila demonstrators accused the president of attempting to stay in office when he knowingly allowed his term to expire without an election to choose the next leader of Congo. The mineral rich West African nation hasnt had a peaceful transfer of leadership since it became independent from Belgium in 1960, Reuters reported Monday.

RTX2VTYA

Photo: Reuters

Kabila has been the leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo since his father, President Laurent-Desire Kabila, was assassinated in 2001. While opposition leaders urged their followers to demand Kabilas resignation by throwing rocks and inciting violence against his hundreds of security forces in the capitals densest neighborhoods, they were largely diffused by Tuesday morning.

Congolese government officials cited financial problems as the reasons why the vote for a new president had been delayed. The election has been slated to be held in April 2018.

Kabila's mandate finishes at 1159. ... Tomorrow (Tuesday) it will be chaos," Hugue Ilunga, 21, told Reuters.

Though the Congolese government outlawed protests in Kinshasa, student demonstrators at Kinshasa University blew whistles and burned tires Monday night as symbolic gestures to show it was time for Kabila to vacate his presidential office, according to the Washington Post Tuesday. But the streets of the city that houses 12 million anti-Kabila activists were mostly quiet as many shops halted business.

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Opposition activists across Congo tweeted that internet services had been severely diminished amid the security crackdown on protesters. Congolese government authorities mandated telecommunication companies to block all access to social media sites on Thursday in anticipation of the unrest that would occur Monday night.

The social media shutdown on the eve of the end of President Kabilas mandate is a blatant attempt to keep the Congolese people in the dark at a critical time, and must be rescinded immediately, Sarah Jackson, the Deputy Regional Director for Amnesty International in East Africa, said Thursday.

Jose Maria Aranaz, the UN human rights director in the Congo, told Reuters that 20 civilians had been killed amid standoffs with security forces in Kinshasa.

More than 80 protesters were arrested in the eastern city of Goma Monday, and local police say 9 were incarcerated. Activists were reportedly clad in red shirts, which signified their opposition status.

A group of armed opposition activists stormed a jail in the eastern city of Butembo in an attempt to liberate the prisoners there. The incident resulted in a harsh firefight that left seven of the attackers dead along with a South African U.N. peacekeeper and one Congolese police officer.

Congo's former colonizing country, Belgium, has told its citizens to leave Congo by Monday in anticipation of the riots. The United States also advised against any non-essential travel to the county and implored its citizens there to remain indoors.

Related Articles
By Aaron Ross and Tim Cocks KINSHASA (Reuters) - Protests erupted in several neighborhoods of the Congolese capital Kinshasa late on Monday and police fired tear gas to disperse them, witnesses said, just before President Joseph Kabila's mandate expires at midnight. Demonstrators in the districts of Kalamu, Matete and Lingwala and at Kinshasa University blew whistles to signal to Kabila that it was time to leave, and students at the university burned tires, multiple witnesses said. Hundreds of anti-Kabila demonstrators earlier defied a ban on marches against the president's plans to stay in office past the end of his term, and security forces faced off against groups waving red cards saying "Bye, bye Kabila." Opposition activists have accused Kabila of trying to cling to power by letting his term run out without an election to chose the next leader of Congo, which has not witnessed a peaceful change of power since independence in 1960. "Kabila's mandate finishes at 1159. ... Tomorrow (Tuesday) it will be chaos," said Hugue Ilunga, 21, as dozens of soldiers deployed nearby in the capital, an opposition stronghold of 12 million people. Shops shut in other parts of Kinshasa, and streets in the capital were largely empty. At least 80 protesters were arrested in the eastern city of Goma, the U.N. human rights office in Congo said, mostly activists who were simply wearing red shirts, an opposition color. Police said nine opposition demonstrators were detained. Kabila's elite Republican Guard also arrested prominent opposition activist Franc Diongo in Kinshasa, Kikaya said, after Diongo's private guards beat up three of them. Militia fighters raided a jail in eastern Congo's Butembo trying to free prisoners, triggering clashes that killed a South African U.N. peacekeeper and a police officer. Seven attackers were also killed, Kabila's chief diplomat, Barnabe Kikaya, told a news conference in Kinshasa. "FLIRTATION WITH DISASTER" The government and elections officials have blamed logistical and financial problems for the delay in the vote, currently scheduled for April 2018. Some opposition leaders agreed Kabila can remain in office until then. The constitutional court has also ruled that Kabila, leader since his father was assassinated in 2001, can stay on. But the main opposition bloc rejects the deal as a ploy, though it said it would not call protests. Talks mediated by the Roman Catholic church failed to reach a compromise. "Joseph Kabila will remain in office tomorrow," Kikaya said. Authorities have blocked most social media and outlawed protests in Kinshasa, raising fears of more violence in a nation that has been plagued by war and instability for two decades since the fall of kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko. Diplomats fear any escalation could trigger a conflict like the 1996 to 2003 wars that killed millions, sucked in neighboring armies and saw armed groups clash over Congo's mineral wealth and the use of mass rape as a strategic weapon. U.S. Great Lakes envoy Tom Perriello on Thursday said that Kabila's hanging on was "an entirely unnecessary flirtation with disaster," in a speech at the United States Institute of Peace. Youth activists say they have taken inspiration from Burkina Faso in West Africa, where protests ousted Blaise Compaore in 2014 as he was trying to extend his 27-year rule. As in Burkina, protests in Congo are in part driven by economic desperation. Congo is Africa's biggest miner of copper and metals used in gadgets, like cobalt and coltan, but a slowdown linked to falls in commodity prices has triggered steep budget cuts and a 30 percent fall in the Congolese franc. However, the country of 70 million people and more than 200 ethnic groups is fragmented. Previous protests achieved little. Former colonial master Belgium advised its citizens to leave before Monday. The United States warned against non-essential travel, telling expatriates who remain to stay indoors. Outside Congo, South African police used stun grenades to disperse anti-Kabila protesters in Cape Town. (Additional reporting by Ed Cropley in Johannesburg and Amedee Mwarabu in Kinshasa; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Leslie Adler)
Demonetisation nightmares

Our govt and central bank cannot ignore the plight of poor seasonal migrant workers, traders and general public
Meghan Markle has already charmed Prince William  and now a source reveals shes got the approval of Queen Elizabeth II as well. In the new issue of Us Weekly, a Buckingham Palace insider says Her Majesty is fully supportive of grandson Prince Harrys relationship with the Suits actress, 35.

While she has yet to meet Markle (it took Duchess Kate five years to score an introduction!), Shes delighted to see Harry in a loving relationship, continues the source.

PHOTOS: Prince Harry's Hottest Moments!

The Toronto-based actress actually has a team of cheerleaders inside Kensington Palace, too. Six months into their romance, Harry, 32, has asked senior aides to help her navigate some of the challenges of being in such a public relationship. A Harry pal says Markle was overwhelmed by the attention that came with romancing Britains most eligible heir, and turned to Harrys communications secretary Jason Knauf and private secretary Ed Lane Fox for advice.



There have been times where Meghans been unsure [of protocol], says the Harry pal, and having a direct line to Harrys most trusted aides has been a godsend.

They have even provided some helpful guidance when it comes to sharing information with her 1.4 million Instagram followers. Says the friend, Being careful not to reveal locations or send the wrong message is something shes slowly gotten used to.

PHOTOS: 15 Charming Throwback Photos of the Royal Family

The Northwestern University grad has another VIP on her advising team. After Markles romance with Harry went public in late October, Us has learned, a friend connected her with Sophie Trudeau  the wife of Canadian prime minister Justin, elected in 2015.



Sophie went through a similar situation, explains a source. She was a television host and focused a lot on pop culture  then she became the story herself! The former correspondent for Canadas eTalk news show has spoken with Markle about how she learned to deal with critics and intrusion, says the source: Mentor might be too big of a word, but Sophies unique insight has been so helpful.



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PHOTOS: 10 Royals Who Married Common People

Markle could be hitting her up for more tips soon. A source says they wouldn't be surprised if Harry proposes in the new year. I can see them engaged by the spring, says a close Harry insider, who is one of many friends seeing a bright future for the couple. Hes head over heels.



For more on Markle's last-minute romantic trip to London  and their upcoming overseas getaway  pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.





Related Content:
- By Holly LaFon





Ray Dalio (Trades, Portfolio) is seeing digital fiat currency as the wave of the future, making an investment in electronic payment technology slightly more above-ground than bitcoin, as it will be used by one of the most legitimate of institutions, central banks.





Considering the paper dollar pass?, the company, eCurrency, brought together engineers and scientists to translate it into legal digital tender used and circulated exclusively by central banks of nations to any digital platform. eCurrency's hardware, software and cryptographic technology enables the transactions.

Dalio, who runs the gargantuan $150 billion hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, invested in the company's Series C funding round through his private investment firm, DFO. Other participants in the round included private investment firm Radicle Impact and eBay (EBAY) founder Pierre Omidyar's Omidyar Network.

"We are excited about the transformative impact eCurrency will have on the lives of people around the globe who will now have access to safer and lower cost currency to enable their economic prosperity," DFO's CEO Janine Racanelli said in a statement.

Dalio's investment ties into his growing interest in emerging markets, where he has allocated more than half of his firm's public long portfolio to the ETFs Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets (VWO) and iShares MSCI Emerging Index Fund (EEM). eCurrency aims to increase financial inclusion and economic growth in emerging markets by making e-money and digital transactions as common as those using cash.

Yet the company has no plans to replace cash all together for everyday use.

"There are people who predict that paper currency will go away or coins will go away. We don't know that, and we don't necessary even think that," eCurrency CEO Jonapthan Dharmapalan said in a presentation at the 2015 AFI Global Policy Forum.

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"But we do believe that by digitizing the currency the central bank can invite all digital enabled public, they can invite banks, commercial banks, they can invite mobile money operators, digital financial service providers and the wider public to participate in base money in paper, coin and digital."

eCurrency's digital currency production engine, as displayed in the presentation resembles a pyramid with a slot at the top. Kept in a vault, the technology creates the currency offline, not connected to a network, and central banks operate it as needed.

At the time of the presentation, the system was being piloted at central banks around the world, and beginning to move from pilot to reality. On Nov. 4, 2016, the Banque Regionale de Marches (BRM) had adopted digital tender, calling it eCFA, for use in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), which includes countries like Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Benin.

See Ray Dalio's portfolio here. Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus. Follow Holly on Twitter @guruhollyl .

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.






(Reuters) - Real Madrid's ban on signing players has been reduced to one transfer window after the club's appeal against a FIFA punishment for illegally buying under-age foreigners was partially upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday. A CAS statement said world governing body FIFA's decision handed down in April had been set aside and replaced by its own verdict. "Real Madrid CF is banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for one entire transfer period (previously two)," CAS said. Real's initial 360,000 Swiss francs ($350,000) fine has been reduced to 240,000. ($1 = 1.0293 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
Former UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez is likely a man of many talents. We already know hes been trying out the acting thing and theres a chance hes a gourmet chef or a budding origami guru in his spare time, but the dudes main calling card is being able to beat dudes up for profit and prizes.. Big scary dudes at that.

With Velasquez set to square off against rival Fabrico Werdum, the UFC is taking a moment from wiping the blood off a mats Metro PCS logo to showcase the eight most glorious moments of the 34-year-old fighters character. MMA analyst and noted shouty bald man Joe Rogan is our guide for this Ultimate 8 compilation. As a result, we can all relive Cardio Cain scoring memorable wins over the likes of Bigfoot Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

It was one the most spectacular victories of his career, declares Rogan over video of Brock Lesnar morphing from a beast to a bloody pulp courtesy of the dude with fightings most famous Brown Pride tattoo.

Velasquez will look to avenge his 2015 loss to Werdum and possibly reorder his Ultimate 8 on December 30 in Nevada. Ronda Rouseys much hyped comeback fight against UFC current bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes serves as the evenings headline attraction.
By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Three days after resigning as Italian prime minister and before his successor took office, Matteo Renzi typed a late-night Facebook post from his family home near Florence that seemed to cast doubt on his future. "I have no seat in parliament, no salary, no pension... I'm starting over," he wrote. Since stepping down on Dec. 7 after a crushing referendum defeat over his flagship constitutional reform, newspapers have conjured up images of Renzi sitting in rush-hour traffic while driving his three kids to school, writing his memoirs and entertaining lucrative job offers outside politics. But the truth is that Renzi has set up an office in his basement where he meets advisers and spends hours on the phone with party allies plotting his path back to power, two sources close to the 41-year-old said. Renzi staked his government on the plan designed to make Italy more governable but which almost 20 million voters rejected in the referendum. The loss left him, and his Democratic Party (PD), "navigating without a compass", one PD source said. The former boy scout's rise from the political ashes is far from certain. But he appears determined to capitalize on his continued appeal within the PD and looks keen to shape Italy's future political landscape. Renzi, who remains leader of the party, fears his absence could open the door to extremists on the right and left. Any comeback would probably involve championing progressive reforms while challenging European budget austerity and migrant policy, as he did during his first - and so far only - term that lasted less than three years. Despite the disagreements with Brussels, he wants to keep Italy at the heart of the European project, unlike the increasingly popular anti-euro 5-Star Movement which would be one of the main obstacles to a return to office. Even if he does succeed, it may mean teaming up with former premier Silvio Berlusconi - as the PD had to do in 2013 - to keep the 5-Star out of power. No clear winner would emerge if an election were held now, according to opinion polls, with the PD, the centre-right and anti-establishment 5-Star each drawing a third of voters. First, Renzi will have to reassert his hold on the fractious PD. But if that fails, he is ready to consider forming a new party, provided a new electoral law makes that advantageous, two separate PD sources told Reuters. Unlike in Britain, where David Cameron left politics soon after losing the Brexit referendum, Italy has a history of prime ministers returning to power after defeat. Berlusconi had four terms while Christian Democrat Giulio Andreotti served five times as premier from the 1970s to the 1990s. On Sunday, Renzi stood before more than 1,000 PD members and pledged "an extraordinary listening campaign" to electors in January as the party enters a "Zen" phase of reflection before moving forward. Silence and meditation have never been traits associated with the fast-talker, who was Italy's youngest prime minister when he seized power in a party coup in 2014. Three months later, the PD won almost 41 percent of the vote in European elections, a level of consensus last reached by the then-dominant but now defunct Christian Democrat party in 1958. RENZI'S POPULARITY Renzi's return to Tuscany and a rumored new book belie a tactical threat to PD rivals who want him to step down as party secretary and make way for new blood, PD sources said, because his retreat would leave the party severely hobbled. The PD would win only about 10 percent of the vote if Renzi left the party and ran solo, two separate polls showed. Even after the referendum, his leadership was backed by between half and two-thirds of PD voters, two different surveys showed. "I'm convinced that - as polls say - Renzi is the leader recognized by the PD base by a huge margin compared with other candidates," Anna Ascani, a PD lawmaker close to Renzi, told Reuters. Roberto Speranza, a member of the minority left-wing faction of the bloc, has already said he would run for the party leadership, and two others have expressed a similar aim, but none of them has nearly the same following as Renzi. "It's in Renzi's interest to accelerate the process and go to a vote as soon as possible to head off any internal rivals," said Federico Benini, the head of polling agency Winpoll. It is still unclear whether there will be early national elections in the first half of 2017, or whether the legislature will head to the end of its term in 2018. Renzi has said he favors a snap vote. But parliament is unlikely to adopt new voting rules until after a Constitutional Court ruling on the lower house electoral law, which is expected at the end of January. The court will also rule on whether to allow another referendum - this time on Renzi's labor reform - in January. Meanwhile, Renzi is in his basement putting into practice the boy scout motto he knows well - "Be prepared". In 2009 his election as Florence's mayor proved to be a springboard to the prime ministership. Before getting there, however, he lost a 2012 primary election to party rival Pier Luigi Bersani. "A leader is someone who admits a loss and then says, 'Let's see how we can restart again,'" Renzi said on Sunday as most of the party members in the auditorium cheered him on. (Additional reporting by Silvia Ognibene in Florence and Massimiliano Di Giorgio in Rome; editing by David Stamp)
It can take years, even decades, for student loan borrowers to repay their debts. To that end, a new report has found that tens of thousands of older adultsincluding senior citizenscontinue to be saddled with mountains of student debt later in life, often having their government benefits cut to repay the costs.

A new report [PDF] from the Government Accountability Office found that tens of thousands of senior Americans currently have their Social Security benefits garnished hundreds of dollars each month by the government in order to repay long-held, defaulted student loans.

Under current law, borrowers ages 50 years and older who have defaulted on their student loans are required to repay the debt with a portion of their Social Security benefits.

According to the report, in most cases this translates to about $140, or 15%, of their benefit payment being withheld for each garnishment.

Related Stories From Consumer Reports

As a result, in 2015 the Department of Education collected $4.5 billion on defaulted student loans, of which $171 millionor about 10%was collected through Social Security garnishments, also known as offsets.

To make matters worse, the report found that for each time a borrower's Social Security was offset, they were charged an offset fee of $15. Over the course of a year, borrowers paid $180 in fees.

Additionally, about 71% of the funds collected through offsets were applied to the fees and interest of the loan debt, while just 28% went to the loan balance. As a result, many debtors actually saw their loan balance increase rather than decrease over time.

Because most borrowers remained in default for more than five years after first having their benefits offset and with most borrowers living on a fixed income dependent on their benefits, the report found that after the garnishments thousands of older student debt holders are now living under the poverty level.

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In fact, because the Social Security offset threshold has not been adjusted for increases in cost of living, the number of older American who have their benefits offset leading them to live below the poverty level has grown significantly in the last decade.

In 2004, about 8,300 borrowers 50 years or older received benefits below the poverty level. That figure increased to 67,300 in 2015.

While the report found that most borrowers have their benefits garnished for five years, it also notes that some debtors are able to have their debts forgiven because they are severely disabled.

According to the report, one-third of older borrowers were able to pay off their loans or cancel their debt by obtaining relief through a process known as a total and permanent disability (TPD) discharge, which is available to borrowers with a disability that is not expected to improve.

Despite this option, the GAO found that many borrowers are unable to receive discharges because requirements to do soincluding the need for annual documentationare not clearly and prominently stated. If annual documentation to verify income is not submitted, a loan initially approved for a TPD discharge can be reinstated and offsets resume.

As a result of the report, the GAO outlined several recommendations, including eliminating Social Security benefits garnishment to below the federal poverty line, as well as simplifying the paperwork for disabled Americans to discharge their student loan debt.

The GAO report was sent to the Senate Special Committee on Aging as a response to concerns over older borrower garnishments.

"This report shows us that seniors clearly aren't immune to the student loan crisisthey're deeply impacted by this issue to the point that it's leaving many of them in a dire financial situation," Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskillwho serves on the Committeesaid in a statement.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) echoed McCaskill's concerns, calling the offsets "predatory and counterproductive."

This isn't the first time that older Americans' student loan debts have garnered concerns.

In 2014, a separate GAO report found student debt continues to plague consumers over the age of 65. About 3% of householdsabout 706,000 householdsheaded by those ages 65 years or older carry student loan debt.





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WHITTIER, Calif. (AP)  A 61-year-old woman killed when a tree fell on a wedding party at a California park Saturday has been identified as the mother of the bride.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office has released the victim's name as Margerita Mojarro, of San Pedro. Family members and friends confirmed to KABC-TV and KNBC-TV that Mojarro was the mother of the bride.

The group headed to Penn Park in Whittier just after the wedding to take pictures. The group was posing for photos when a large eucalyptus tree uprooted and crashed on them.

Several people were trapped under the tree and a 4-year-old girl suffered critical head trauma.

The park has been closed indefinitely while the investigation continues.
Changing jobs -- whether it's to pursue a different career path or snag a higher salary -- is something most people do at some point.

Young adults are particularly receptive to the idea of switching things up, with 21 percent saying they've changed jobs in the last year, according to Gallup's "How Millennials Want to Work and Live" report. That's three times the rate of non-millennials.

Regardless of the reason for making a job change, there's one very important thing to think about -- how it could affect your retirement outlook. When a new employer means a new 401(k), certain adjustments may be necessary to keep your retirement plans on track.

Calculate how much of your salary you need to save. If your employer offers a qualified retirement plan that allows for elective deferrals, the first thing you need to decide is how much of your salary you plan to sock away.

[See: The 10 Best Times to Change Jobs.]

Figuring out how much you need to contribute to get the employer match is a good starting point, says Jessica Landis, director of financial planning at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia.

According to a 2015 Financial Engines study, employees that don't chip in enough to get the match lose out on $1,336 in savings per year on average. That could add up to nearly $43,000 over a 20-year career.

If there's no match available, employees may need to think beyond their employer's plan to meet their retirement goals.

"Consider how much you want to save each year, what the fees are in your retirement plan and how the investment options compare to an IRA," Landis says.

The higher contribution limits allowed with a 401(k) or similar plan give it an edge over a traditional or Roth IRA but these accounts can be useful for supplementing your savings when your employer's plan doesn't offer a match.

Don't forget about your old retirement plan. If you're going to work for a new company but you've still got a retirement plan with your old employer, you'll need to give some thought to what you'll do with it.

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Deciding whether to roll your old plan over into your new employer's 401(k) or into an IRA is one of the most critical choices you can make, says Thomas Lowry, a financial advisor and president of Atlanta-based Georgia Wealth Advisors.

"By setting up your own IRA with the old 401(k), you can give yourself more flexibility in terms of investment options, and you'd have more control over your retirement account," Lowry says.

You should remember, however, that if you pull the money out before age 59.5, you'll pay ordinary income tax on the withdrawals, as well as a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. With a 401(k), you may be able to take a loan rather than a withdrawal. As long as it's repaid on time, there'd be no tax penalty.

"If you roll the old 401(k) into your current employer's plan, your deposits enjoy all the benefits of the new plan," Lowry says, which extends to required minimum distributions.

If you're still working for your employer past age 70.5, you wouldn't have to take a distribution from your 401(k) but you would for any assets you've rolled over into a traditional IRA.

Tony D'Amico, CEO and lead advisor of The Fidato Group in Strongsville, Ohio, says there are other factors to keep in mind.

"There are pros and cons to consider, such as the quality of the investments in the previous employer's 401(k), the expenses of those funds and how well those funds match your risk tolerance and life goals," D'Amico says.

When rolling assets over, savers should analyze whether the fees of the new plan are appropriate and how the asset allocation aligns with their investment strategy.

[See: How to Max Out Your 401(k) in 2017.]

"Different asset classes have different risks," D'Amico says.

He advises investors not to skimp on due diligence and to be cautious of funds with high expenses and investments that offer limited liquidity.

Ask yourself whether a Roth 401(k) makes sense. Traditional 401(k) plans allow for tax-deductible contributions and tax-deferred growth but a Roth 401(k) may be preferable if you'd like to make tax-free withdrawals in retirement.

Edward Dressel, president of Trust Builders in Dallas, Oregon, encourages savers to think in terms of diversification when contemplating whether to opt for a Roth 401(k) if one is available.

"When saving for retirement, diversification is important. It means not only including different types of funds in your account but also having pre- and post-tax assets," Dressel says.

He advises that Roth accounts are beneficial for savers who anticipate landing in a higher marginal tax bracket in retirement compared to how they're taxed during their earning years. For example, a Roth 401(k) may be a good option for younger workers who expect their income to grow as their career progresses.

Evaluate your investment options. Not all employer-sponsored retirement plans are created equally and if your new plan offers less-than-stellar investment choices, it can be frustrating to say the least. That doesn't mean, however, that you should skip out on saving in the plan entirely.

"Always contribute enough to secure the maximum employer match," Dressel says, to get the most out of the plan. Once you've done that, you can begin exploring other investment avenues.

Your employee benefits package could hold the key to a more comfortable retirement, even if your 401(k) disappoints, says George Clough, vice president of wealth management strategies at People's United Wealth Management in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

"For example, a health savings account is primarily designed to help pay qualified medical expenses with tax-free savings," Clough says.

Unlike a flexible spending account, which you have to spend down annually, the money in your HSA can accumulate from year to year. That could be significant if you have medical expenses that aren't covered by insurance in retirement.

Clough also cites employee stock ownership plans, employee stock purchase plans and stock options as other benefits you could use to fund your nest egg.

D'Amico advises savers to examine how their investment choices fit within their larger financial framework, especially when 401(k) plan options are limited.

"If you retire at 65, with life expectances getting longer, the money will need to last you to 20 to 25 years or more," D'Amico says.

[Read: Changing Jobs? Don't Forget About Your Retirement Plan.]

Over an extended period of time, presidential elections and economic cycles may impact your investments. D'Amico's advice for coping with a less than ideal retirement plan is simple: "Be prepared for the long haul."

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.
Martin Scorsese's "Silence " is not an easy film to watch. At times it's grotesquely violent, at others tediously slow. But it is a full and worthy cinematic experience that is bold, thought provoking and utterly singular. That it's also a nearly three-decade effort from one of our living greats is just an interesting factoid in the end  plus, we've been here before a few times over with Scorsese's passion projects.

Scorsese and screenwriter Jay Cocks ("The Age of Innocence") adapted "Silence" from Shusaku Endo's 1966 novel of the same name. Set in the 17th century, the film follows two Portuguese Jesuit priests, Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Garrpe (Adam Driver) who journey to Japan to try to find their fellow missionary, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), who has been rumored to have renounced his faith.

It's an acutely dangerous mission, which Father Valignano (Ciaran Hinds) tries to dissuade Rodrigues and Garrpe from pursing. In the years after the Shimabara Rebellion, Christianity in Japan was practiced only in secret  iconography and texts were confiscated and the known and even suspected devout were tortured and killed. But, driven by faith and duty Rodrigues and Garrpe might as well not have a choice in the matter at all. They can't even fathom not going, though, and thus they do.

The two men have to sneak into the country with the help of a semi-trustworthy scoundrel who is still reeling from his own crisis of faith. Japan (really, Taiwan where they shot) even looks uninviting. Shot by Rodrigo Prieto with production design from Dante Ferretti, the gray skies seem ready to close in on the mountains and subdued landscapes, and below, the dark sea thrashes violently against the shore.

When they arrive, their series of trials begin. They preach to local villagers desperate for an organized religion they've been forbidden from, they give away every cross and rosary they have and wonder whether the impoverished townspeople cherish the objects more than the meaning behind them, and they watch as authorities come through and ravage the towns looking for Christians to test.

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Rodrigues and Garrpe separate for their safety and we continue to follow Rodrigues through the Japanese countryside as he encounters more dire displays of Japan's utter and complete intolerance for Christianity. In one of the more powerful sequences, three older men are hung from crosses positioned deep in the ocean's waters  the thrashing waves killing them slowly for their refusal to apostatize. An increasingly haunted Rodrigues looks on from a hiding spot.

Garfield carries the film and Rodrigues' agony on his slight shoulders  his second film about faith in a single season, following Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge." But it is Japanese actor Issey Ogata who steals the show as an older samurai who not only tells Rodrigues what's what but provides some of the funniest and disturbing moments in the film. It's a tonal departure, but a welcome one in what can be a bit of a slog.

It's a much more traditional and subdued film than the knowingly provocative "The Last Temptation of Christ." There's no Peter Gabriel guitar and nothing that is likely to enrage or inspire protests. But it does pick at doubt in a spiritually similar way. Rodrigues knows what his faith requires, and yet it continues to be tested and challenged by the physical and political realities of where he's inserted himself. Do the peasants, so grateful for his teachings, actually believe? Or are they looking for a way to the afterlife? What good, he's forced to wonder, is he actually doing there? "Silence" is as much about colonialism and intolerance as it is faith and conviction. While I'm still not sure what Scorsese wants the audience to think by the time the screen goes to black, the questions raised nonetheless feel modern and resonant.

"Silence," a Paramount Pictures release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "some disturbing violent content." Running time: 161 minutes. Three stars out of four.

___

MPAA Definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
Donald Trump wins electoral college vote

The US electoral college has certified Donald Trump as president, despite a last-ditch effort to deny him the White House.
Reynolds American Inc.RAI performance shows that the company has been trading in the red for a while now. The tobacco maker has been struggling due to increased competition in the vapor category, declining volumes, strict anti-smoking regulations by governments globally and currency headwinds.

Factor Affecting the Stock

We note that Reynolds has been experiencing lower volumes in the past few quarters primarily due to general shift of consumption away from tobacco products. During third-quarter 2016, the company delivered lower-than-expected top and bottom-line results for the second time in a row. Further, it reported a negative average surprise of 3.4% in the trailing four quarters.

Further, Reynolds narrowed its fiscal 2016 guidance and now anticipates earnings to be in the band of $2.27$2.33 per share compared with $2.26$2.35 estimated previously. Consequently, the company has experienced downward estimate revisions. The earnings guidance for fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2017 declined 1.3% and 1.5%, respectively, in the past 60 days.

REYNOLDS AMER Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

REYNOLDS AMER Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | REYNOLDS AMER Quote

Moreover, the company is losing share in Moist Snuff segment and the performance of Camel brand remains under pressure. Further, the vapor category did not perform as expected during the quarter under review. Additionally, the cigarette maker is likely to face margin pressure due to pricing power of other major tobacco players and rising cost of sales.

The tobacco industry in general is facing many challenges which have put margins under pressure. Governments worldwide are imposing restrictions on tobacco companies which in turn are lowering cigarette consumption. The U.K. and Australia governments have imposed regulations regarding plain packaging for cigarettes. Such actions negatively impact margins of the company.

However, these concerns are transitionary in nature and still keeps space for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company to rebound in the long run. Reynolds stock price history reveals that it hasnt disappointed for quite sometime. In fact, so far this year, the shares of this tobacco maker have risen 21.3%, outperforming the Zacks categorized Tobacco industry, which has showcased a gain of 11%.

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Lets delve deeper and bring whats hidden to the surface.

The Growth Drivers

Reynolds impressive brand portfolio of tobacco products and constant investments in innovation and brand building helps in sustaining strong business momentum and generating decent profits.

The company has been trying to change its portfolio to meet the changing consumer demands of a general shift among consumers toward low-risk and smokeless tobacco products. Reynolds super premium brand, Natural American Spirit, is growing significantly buoyed by the increasing popularity of natural and organic products in the U.S. Further, the companys focus on e-cigarettes is commendable. RJR Vapor's (a subsidiary of Reynolds) VUSE Digital Vapor Cigarette is popular in the vapor category and continues to aid top-line results.

In Nov 2016, British American Tobacco made an offer to purchase all of Reynolds American for $55.48 per share in a cash and stock deal. In the proposed offer, British American Tobacco would offer $24.13 in cash and $31.35 in stock based on current stock prices of both companies. We believe that if the deal materializes it is likely to be beneficial for the shareholders. Further, the combined entity will enjoy a major share in the tobacco industry post takeover.

With all the aforementioned factors at play, we feel that Reynolds may come out of the woods, which makes it a good choice for the long term.

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader consumer staples sector include Inter Parfums Inc. IPAR, US Foods Holdings USFD and Sysco Corporation SYY, all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Inter Parfums Inc. has an expected earnings growth of 15%. US Foods has an expected earnings growth rate of 17.1%, while Sysco Corporation has a long-term growth rate of 8.8%.

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Kyle Richards daughter left the nest and it has been an emotional adjustment for the reality star.

Stopping by PEOPLE Now, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star opened up about coping with the fact that her daughterAlexia, 20, is away at college.

Its hard having her away, shes such a home girl, Richards admitted. When she comes home to visit, which is often, she cries every time she leaves. I cry its hard.

But I think Boston is an amazing place. Im happy to know that shes there. I feel safe and shes loving it, the reality star added. Shes doing a semester abroad  Barcelona.

That means one thing, Richards will be visiting Spain!

The 47-year-old happily revealed, Of course, Im going to be there!

As for seeing her daughter over the holidays this year, Richards admitted that everyone will be celebrating together in Los Angeles.

We really go over the top, she said. We all have our trees up way too soon like before Thanksgiving.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.




Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Rob Kardashian and fiancee Blac Chyna are together again. The couple briefly broke up over the weekend after Chynas Instagram account was hacked and Kardashian documented their split on Snapchat Saturday.

They made up after Kardashian apologized to her on the phone. Chyna left their home in the heat of the moment because she was just sick of him and his behavior, an insider told Us Weekly Tuesday. She had it with his insecurities and jealousy.

Chyna just couldn't live with him anymore, a source added. [They both] say mean things [and it] blows up into these fights. She just couldn't deal with his moodiness anymore. She just had to get away from it.

Before Kardashian got home Saturday, Chyna left with their 1-month-old daughter, Dream. By Monday, he issued a public apology.

This weekend I was in an emotionally bad place and did some things that embarassed myself and my family, he penned. I apologized and Im seeking help to deal with my flaws/issues. Please pray for me and Im sorry @blacchyna. You are a great mother to our child and I love you. Chyna shared the post on her page, too.

Originally, he became upset when he discovered messages from Chyna where she called him fat, lazy and insecure.

I am so broken, he wrote Saturday. This is a woman I fought my entire family for. I was in love with this woman to the fullest and I was none of that to her.

"This wasn't fake or some publicity stunt, he added. Trust me. My one month old beautiful baby girl got taken from me along with my wife who left me.

Kardashian, 29, proposed to Chyna, 28, in April after she was pregnant. According to the leaked messages, they will get married July 17, 2017.

Blac Chyna, Rob Kardashian

Photo: Getty Images/Greg Doherty

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella
In an interview, in which he confessed he was high on meth during the taping of the HBO docuseries The Jinx, real estate mogul and alleged murderer Robert Durst said he only expects to live five more years, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Im told my life expectancy is about five years, Durst said during a three-hour jailhouse interview on March 15, 2015 with a Los Angeles prosecutor and LAPD detectives at New Orleans Parish.

Durst brought up his life expectancy during a conversation about cooperating with prosecutors.

Theres not much that I could agree with with anybody that somebody could offer me, unless they could offer me more life, he said, adding, I just have no idea how we could reach an agreement on something.

Durst, who said he was in declining health since a bout with esophageal cancer in 2007, was arrested in New Orleans the day before the finale of the documentary aired. The documentary implied that Durst killed his college friend Susan Berman in 2000 because she knew too much about the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathleen, who has still never been found.

 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.

During the interview, Durst admitted to smoking pot every day, all my life, purchasing a .38 caliber revolver from a former fellow inmate and shoplifting since he was a kid.

He also said he was in the process of fleeing when he was arrested, but he did not confess to the killings of Berman and Kathleen Durst.

Lewin told Durst he believed that killing Berman was not something he wanted to do. Im gonna stay away from killing Susan, Durst answered.

The Worst Fugitive the World Has Ever Met

There were times during the interrogation when Durst was very effusive. In one exchange, Durst discussed the difficulties of dismembering his Texas neighbor, Morris Black, who he admitted to killing in 2001 but was later acquitted after pleading self-defense.

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I know that cutting up that body, the way I was doing it, was the hard way, he said. The proper way is what a surgeon would do with a scalpel. And he would cut around the ligaments, and then, do it in the joint. Not on the bone.

Durst also admitted that he wasnt a fan of following societys rules.

Theres the line, he said. You get to the end of the line. And Im not gonna get at the end of the line. Ive got other things I want to do.

Durst even answered questions about why he didnt flee the country after filmmakers confronted him in 2012 about a hand-written anonymous letter to police. Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki noted that the handwriting on the letter matched Dursts own handwriting.

You saw the envelopes. How come you didnt  leave then? Lewin asked. Its mind-boggling to me.

I guess inertia, Durst replied. I just didnt really, really, really think that I was gonna end up arrested.

Lewin pressed Durst about the letter. First of all, you agree, as you sit here today, you agree that, whoever wrote that letter, they killed Susan. Agreed?

See, I dont know that, responded Durst. I mean, maybe there were two people who killed Susan. It doesnt have to be one person. There could be two people. One person could go into the house and shoot Susan. And the other person could be the driver.

Whether the person was the shooter or the driver, whoever wrote the note was a part of killing her?, asked Lewin.

Yes, said Durst. Whoever wrote that note had to be involved in Susans death.

Durst also explained that life as a fugitive didnt agree with him, referring to his time on the lam after the killing of Black.

Being a fugitive was not something I did well, he said. I hated being a fugitive. I would walk down the street and turn around and start looking over my shoulder. And, you know, it was just, I was the worst fugitive the world has ever met.

Durst also said he was high on meth during the three days of filming the Jinx documentary. The whole time I was on methAnd it should have been obvious. And Im surprised my lawyer let me go ahead with it, cause it just-I looked like there was something going on.

Lewin said he was surprised that Durst allowed the filmmakers full access to his files, which included documents between him and his attorneys.

I was trying to be-and I just figured-and-and the way they made All Good Things, it made me a sympathetic person, as opposed to a super-aggressive person  which is pretty much correct, he said.

He added, That they would see me as an acceptable human being, as opposed to all of this other stuff. And that I couldnt get them to see me as an acceptable human being if I was covering things up.

Dursts lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, told PEOPLE that his statement to police was improperly obtained.

This interview was given at a time when they should have contacted his lawyers, especially since they know full well who his lawyers are, DeGuerin says, adding he has already started drafting a motion to suppress the substance of Dursts interview.

I am concerned by the prosecutions actions, DeGuerin adds. Even though they have criticized us for talking to the press, they put this interview out there. I feel this is an effort by the prosecution to influence the jury pool.

The Los Angeles County District Attorneys office responded in a statement to PEOPLE that read, This motion is being litigated in a public forum and involves information that is relevant, material and necessary to refute the false allegations and mischaracterizations made by the defense in their opposition.




Introduces 2017 Revenue and Unit Guidance for RosettaGX Reveal

PHILADELPHIA, PA and REHOVOT, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / Rosetta Genomics Ltd. (ROSG), a genomic diagnostics company that improves treatment decisions by providing timely and accurate diagnostic information to physicians, announces financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016.

Highlights for the third quarter of 2016 and recent weeks include:

Announced the publication of a clinical validation study in support of RosettaGX RevealO (Reveal), Rosetta's first-of-its-kind microRNA classifier for indeterminate thyroid nodules, in the peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Pathology;

Reveal was featured on the cover of the October issue of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer Cytopathology;

Announced that Reveal is now available to be used on ThinPrep samples and reported results from a study confirming that Reveal produces the same high level performance on ThinPrep prepared slides as it does on a direct smear from a thyroid Fine Needle Aspirate ("FNA") biopsy;

Entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Rhenium Ltd. for the sales and marketing of Reveal in Israel, where Clalit, (General Sick Fund), the largest organization and the first health insurance institution in Israel, has indicated it will include the Reveal assay in its Sick Fund;

Closed concurrent registered direct and private placement offerings with one prominent institutional healthcare investor with expected net proceeds of approximately $4.6 million;

Entered into a research agreement with Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer, Israel, to develop a microRNA-based signature to predict response to nivolumab, an immunotherapy drug marketed as Opdivo, which is approved for the treatment of lung cancer; and

Fortified its intellectual property portfolio with two new patent allowances for the company's novel microRNA platform technology as a prognostic for predicting progression of platinum-resistant stage III ovarian cancer and for diagnosing pleural mesothelioma or distinguishing between pleural mesothelioma and other cancers.

Management Commentary

"Throughout 2016 we have been focused on the successful commercial launch of our Reveal assay for the classification of indeterminate thyroid nodules and we have made significant progress advancing this important product offering. We were pleased that two peer-reviewed journal articles supporting the clinical and analytical validation of Reveal were published in prestigious journals, which considerably enhances our sales and marketing efforts. In addition, we presented data from a study confirming that Reveal produces the same high-level performance on ThinPrep prepared slides as it does on a direct smear from a thyroid Fine Needle Aspirate (FNA) biopsy. This opens our market to pathologists who prefer to use ThinPrep slides and we have since seen an uptick in demand," stated Kenneth A. Berlin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rosetta Genomics.

"We remain committed to advancing our strategy to use Reveal to access new accounts to promote our exceptional thyroid offering as well as our urologic cancer and solid tumor product lines. We believe that opening new relationships with Reveal will allow us to bring our solid tumor and urologic oncology offerings to many of these new accounts, thus further accelerating revenue growth."

"In addition to focusing on our suite of marketed diagnostic assays, we made significant progress on a number of important corporate initiatives that further strengthen Rosetta Genomics. We entered into a research collaboration to identify a microRNA-based biomarker to predict treatment response to Opdivo, fortified our microRNA intellectual property portfolio with two new patent allowances and strengthened our balance sheet by closing financing transactions with expected net proceeds of $4.6 million."

"As we enter 2017, Rosetta Genomics is well-positioned for success and we look forward to achieving a series of value-creating milestones," concluded Mr. Berlin.

Third Quarter Financial Results

Revenues for the third quarter of 2016 decreased 10% to $2.2 million compared with $2.4 million for the third quarter of 2015, primarily due to lower sales of urologic and solid tumor testing services as the Company refocused its sales force on the Reveal introduction.

Revenues from urologic cancer testing services for the third quarter of 2016 was $970,000, compared with $1.3 million for the third quarter of 2015, and represented approximately 44% of clinical testing revenues for the third quarter of 2016.

Revenues from solid tumor testing services for the third quarter of 2016 of $841,000 decreased 26% compared with $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2015, and represented 38% of total clinical testing revenues during the third quarter of 2016.

Reveal revenues for the third quarter of 2016 were $282,000, a 70% increase compared with $166,000 for the second quarter of 2016. There were no Reveal revenues in 2015 as the assay was launched commercially in the first quarter of 2016. Reveal revenues represented 13% of total clinical testing revenues in the third quarter of 2016.

The Company also had $107,000 of revenues from Hematological FISH testing (HEME FISH), a new line of business this quarter, which represented 5% of total clinical testing revenues in the third quarter of 2016.

On a non-GAAP basis, gross billings for Reveal during the third quarter of 2016 were $930,000 compared with $511,000 for the second quarter of 2016, representing growth of 82%. Gross billings are the aggregate amounts invoiced to customers.

Cost of revenues for the third quarter of 2016 decreased to $1.8 million from $2.2 million for the third quarter of 2015.

Research and development expenses for the third quarter of 2016 increased to $879,000 from $586,000 for the third quarter of 2015, primarily due to timing of acquisition of clinical samples.

Sales, marketing and business development expenses were $1.7 million for the third quarters of 2016 and 2015.

General and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2016 decreased to $1.8 million compared with $1.9 million for the same period in 2015 primarily due to financing-related expenses in 2015.

The operating loss for the third quarter of 2016 was $3.9 million, which included $238,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, compared with an operating loss of $3.9 million for the third quarter of 2015, which included $211,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense.

The net loss for the third quarter of 2016 was $4.0 million, or $0.19 per ordinary share on 20.9 million weighted average shares outstanding, compared with a net loss for the third quarter of 2015 of $3.9 million, or $0.27 per ordinary share on 14.8 million weighted average shares outstanding.

On a non-GAAP basis, excluding the 238,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, the net loss for the third quarter of 2016 would have been $3.7 million, or $0.18 per ordinary share.

For 2015, on a non-GAAP basis, excluding the 211,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, the net loss for the third quarter of 2015 would have been $3.7 million, or $0.25 per ordinary share.

Nine Month Financial Results

Revenues for the first nine months of 2016 increased 53% to $7.2 million compared with $4.7 million for the first nine months of 2015. On a pro forma basis (as if the PersonalizeDx acquisition occurred on January 1, 2015 instead of the actual acquisition date of April 13, 2015), revenues for the first nine months of 2016 increased 9% compared with pro forma revenues of $6.6 million for the first nine months of 2015.

Cost of revenues for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2016 was $5.4 million compared with $4.4 million for the same period of 2015.

Total operating expenses for the first nine months of 2016 of $13.1 million compared with $10.9 million for the first nine months of 2015, which included a gain of $2.4 million on bargain purchase related to the acquisition of PersonalizeDx.

The operating loss for the first nine months of 2016 was $11.3 million, which included $697,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense, compared with an operating loss for the first nine months of 2015 of $10.6 million, which included $755,000 of non-cash stock-based compensation expense as well as a gain of $2.4 million on bargain purchase related to the acquisition of PersonalizeDx.

The net loss for the first nine months of 2016 was $11.4 million, or $0.55 per ordinary share on 20.8 million weighted average shares outstanding, compared with a net loss for the first nine months of 2015 of $10.6 million, or $0.76 per ordinary share.

Balance Sheet Highlights

As of September 30, 2016, Rosetta Genomics had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term bank deposits of $6.1 million, compared with $13.6 million as of December 31, 2015. The Company used approximately $9.1 million in cash to fund operations during the first nine months of 2016, and collected approximately $6.9 million in cash from its clinical testing services as well as $1.6 million from a licensing deal signed in December 2015. Following the close of the quarter, Rosetta Genomics closed concurrent registered direct and private placement offerings with one institutional healthcare investor for expected net proceeds of approximately $4.6 million. Rosetta Genomics believes that its current cash, together with its existing operating plan, which includes cost-reduction plan should it be unable to raise additional capital, should provide sufficient liquidity resources for the Company and its subsidiaries through the third quarter of 2017.

2017 Revenue and Unit Guidance for RosettaGX Reveal

Rosetta Genomics also today introduces 2017 revenue and unit guidance for RosettaGX Reveal. For 2017, Rosetta Genomics expects Reveal revenue to be between $4.0 million and $5.0 million, and expects to process between 2,500 and 3,500 Reveal units throughout the year.

ThinPrep is a registered trademark of Hologic, Inc. and Opdivo is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures. A "non-GAAP financial measure" refers to a numerical measure of historical or future financial performance, financial position or cash flows that excludes (or includes) amounts that are included in (or excluded from) the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements. In this release, Rosetta provides non-GAAP gross billings, non-GAAP net loss and non-GAAP net loss per share data as additional information relating to its operating results. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for revenues, net loss or net loss per share prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation G promulgated by the SEC, the Company has provided a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure used in this earnings release and related conference call or webcast to the most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP. This reconciliation is presented in the tables below under the heading "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Consolidated Statement of Operation." Investors are encouraged to review these reconciliations to ensure they have a thorough understanding of the reported non-GAAP financial measures and their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

Management uses these non-GAAP measures for internal reporting and forecasting purposes. The Company has provided these non-GAAP financial measures in addition to GAAP financial results because it believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to certain investors and financial analysts for comparison across accounting periods not influenced by certain non-cash items that are not used by management when evaluating the Company's historical and prospective financial performance.

About Rosetta Genomics

Rosetta is pioneering the field of molecular diagnostics by offering rapid and accurate diagnostic information that enables physicians to make more timely and informed treatment decisions to improve patient care. Rosetta has developed a portfolio of unique diagnostic solutions for oncologists, urologists, endocrinologists, cytopathologists and other specialists to help them deliver better care to their patients. RosettaGX Reveal, a Thyroid microRNA Classifier for the diagnosis of cancer in thyroid nodules, as well as the full RosettaGX portfolio of cancer testing services are commercially available through the Company's Philadelphia, PA- and Lake Forest, CA-based CAP-accredited, CLIA-certified labs.

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

Various statements in this release, including but not limited to, statements relating to accelerating revenue growth and the 2017 revenue and unit guidance for Reveal constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including those risks more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Rosetta's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 20-F, as filed with the SEC. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent Rosetta's views only as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. Rosetta does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements unless required by law.

Rosetta Genomics Contact:

Ken Berlin, President & CEO

(267) 298-1159

investors@rosettagx.com

Rosetta Genomics Investor Contact:

LHA

Anne Marie Fields

(212) 838-3777

afields@lhai.com

CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

U.S. dollars in thousands

September 30, December 31, 2016 2015 Unaudited ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: Cash and cash equivalents $ 5,423 $ 12,447 Short-term bank deposits and restricted cash 602 1,098 Trade receivables 3,146 3,633 Other accounts receivable and prepaid expenses 605 2,192 Total current assets 9,776 19,370 LONG TERM ASSETS: Property and equipment, net 2,767 2,975 Restricted bank deposit and other long-term receivables 84 78 Total long term assets 2,851 3,053 Total assets $ 12,627 $ 22,423

CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

U.S. dollars in thousands

(except share data)

September 30, December 31, 2016 2015 Unaudited LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES: Current maturities of capital lease $ 55 $ - Trade payables 1,196 1,070 Other accounts payables and accruals 2,376 1,733 Total current liabilities 3,627 2,803 LONG-TERM LIABILITIES: Obligation under capital lease 79 - Total long-term liabilities 79 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY: Share capital: Ordinary Shares of NIS 0.6 par value: 60,000,000 shares authorized at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015; 20,870,513 and 20,518,794 shares issued at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2015, respectively; 20,870,513 (unaudited) and 20,515,536 shares outstanding at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively 3,247 3,194 Additional paid-in capital 157,340 156,696 Accumulated deficit (151,666 ) (140,270 ) Total shareholders' equity 8,921 19,620 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 12,627 $ 22,423

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

U.S. dollars in thousands

(except share and per share data)

Nine months ended September 30, Three months ended September 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Unaudited Unaudited Revenues $ 7,215 $ 4,709 $ 2,200 $ 2,431 Cost of revenues: 5,437 4,437 1,790 2,168 Gross profit (loss) 1,778 272 410 263 Operating expenses: Research and development, net 2,338 1,947 879 586 Marketing and business development 5,319 5,753 1,680 1,678 General and administrative 5,455 5,525 1,791 1,882 Gain from bargain purchase related to acquisition of CynoGen, Inc. - (2,352 ) - - Total operating expenses 13,112 10,873 4,350 4,146 Operating loss 11,334 10,601 3,940 3,883 Financial expense (income), net 40 6 16 47 Tax expenses 22 15 10 5 Net loss $ 11,396 $ 10,622 $ 3,966 $ 3,935 Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share attributable to Rosetta Genomics' shareholders $ 0.55 $ 0.76 $ 0.19 $ 0.27 Weighted average number of ordinary shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share 20,794,330 13,991,549 20,863,018 14,765,423

Quarter ended USD in thousands September 30, 2016 June 30, 2016 Revenues for Reveal $ 282 $ 166 Unrecognized billings 648 345 Gross billings for Reveal $ 930 $ 511

Quarter ended September 30, 2016 2015 USD in thousands (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Net loss $ 3,966 $ 3,935 Share-based compensation 238 211 non-GAAP net loss $ 3,728 $ 3,724

Quarter ended September 30, 2016 2015 Basic and diluted per share data (Unaudited) (Unaudited) Net loss $ 0.19 $ 0.27 Share-based compensation $ 0.01 $ 0.01 non-GAAP net loss $ 0.18 $ 0.25 Weighted average number of Ordinary shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per Ordinary share 20,863,018 14,765,423 Nine months ended September 30, 2015 USD in thousands (Unaudited) GAAP revenues $ 4,709 Additional revenues from PersonalizeDx for the non-consolidated period of January 1, 2015 - April 12, 2015 1,903 Pro forma revenues $ 6,612

SOURCE: Rosetta Genomics Ltd.
Photo credit: undefined

From Good Housekeeping

Christmas traditions are sacred, and in that sense, the royal family is no different. Every year, the Queen goes up to Sandringham House in Norfolk on the 19th or 20th of December, with the rest of the family arriving on Christmas Eve around lunchtime.

Photo credit: undefined

Darren McGrady, former chef to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana Princess of Wales and Princes William and Harry, shared precisely how they spend the next two days:

When the Prince of Wales arrives, his valet will take him up to his room while his cargo is unloaded. All of his Christmas gifts get placed on trestle tables for each member of the royal family. The royals are of German descent so they weave in German traditions to their celebrations. After afternoon tea, they open gifts on Christmas Eve, as is the German tradition. Christmas morning, the family eats a hardy breakfast before heading off to church. After church, that's when they have a big lunch that includes a salad with shrimp or lobster, and a roasted turkey, and all of your traditional side dishes like parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts and Christmas pudding with brandy butter for dessert. They stick with the same meal year after year. Once they've eaten, everyone sits down and watches the Queen's Christmas speech. Afterward, they all go their own way before coming together again for afternoon tea and traditional Christmas fruitcake, then they gather again in the evening, where a buffet dinner with 15-20 different items awaits them. It's always a buffet with the chefs at the table carving. They don't do appetizers on Christmas like many do here in the U.S. Instead, appetizers and canapes are reserved for New Year's Eve.

Photo credit: undefined

One of the more Downton Abbey-esque traditions is one in which Her Royal Highness gets to serve those who usually serve her.

"Right before the Christmas buffet, the senior chef on duty goes into the dining room and carves the rib roast or turkey or ham and once he's done, Her Majesty presents the chef with a glass of whiskey and they toast. That's the only time the chef goes into the dining room and has a glass of whiskey with the royal family. It's one of the chef's favorite traditions."

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Photo credit: Darren McGrady

While Buckingham Palace is always decked out with Christmas decorations, Sandringham is a private residence, and is therefore more modestly festive.

"The Queen is not lavish, so the decor is minimal. The Royal Family has a large Christmas tree and a large silver artificial tree in the dining room, which is about 30 years old."

Photo credit: Darren McGrady

Of course, like everyone else, the Queen has her indulgences for the holiday.

"The queen is a major chocoholic, particularly dark chocolate, so she always has a chocolate treat on Christmas. She also loves mint."

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* CFO Lester to quit next year, says time for change

* Departure comes as company faces challenging UK markets

* Needs CFO with unions, government experience - analyst

* Royal Mail to consider internal, external candidates (Adds details, updates share price)

By Esha Vaish

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Matthew Lester has decided to quit as finance director of Royal Mail Plc after more than six years during which he helped steer the company through its controversial privatisation in 2013.

Royal Mail did not give a reason for the planned departure that will take place after its general meeting in July 2017, although Lester said it was time for a change and he was "open-minded" about his next move.

The former British monopoly faces challenging trading conditions in its domestic parcels and postal businesses.

Some analysts have expressed concerns over its progress in areas such as freeing up cash through property sales and modernising its operations, as well as whether it has made enough headway to become more efficient.

It is locked in a battle to win business with new entrants and former customers such as Amazon, which has started its own delivery system, in the overcrowded parcels market.

Royal Mail said this month it expected little or no impact on its operations from a union strike at the Post Office in the week leading up to Christmas, which will be crucial to its performance for the year.

Some analysts have questioned its ability to match a full-year profit consensus after a turbulent first half, where it was hit by a fall in spending on junk mail by companies rattled by Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

Lester's total remuneration package was worth 1.277 million pounds as of the financial year ended March 2016.

Royal Mail declined to give a pay update, although Lester held 31,504 ordinary shares in Royal Mail according to an Oct. 7 filing, which were worth 142,398 pounds at Tuesday's close.

Its stock closed down almost 0.7 percent at 452 pence.

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The company said it would consider both internal and external successors to Lester.

"They need someone with experience of working with unions and working with government bodies given the regulatory situation and that'll be your two most important things," Shore Capital's Martin Brown said.

Royal Mail is in the midst of a review by regulator Ofcom, which is looking into whether the company breached competition law, and negotiations with unions over its pension scheme.

In a victory of sorts of the company, Ofcom proposed to maintain its former approach to regulating Royal Mail, after noting improved efficiency, moderate profitability and increased parcels competition.

Before joining Royal Mail, Lester was finance director of ICAP for five years and held a number of senior finance roles at Diageo, including Group Financial Controller. He is also a non-executive director of Man Group.

(Editing by Louise Heavens and Alexander Smith)
(Adds Lyakh comments, detail)

By Yelena Orekhova and Alexander Winning

MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Russia's central bank alleged that a banker for Deutsche Bank's Russian operation had manipulated markets by conducting 300 billion roubles ($4.87 billion) of trades with relatives over two and a half years.

The central bank said the trades, made between January 2013 and July 2015, generated a profit of 255 million roubles for former Deutsche Bank equity trader Yuri Khilov and three relatives.

The Russian central bank said it had passed its findings to law enforcement for their assessment of what had happened.

Valery Lyakh, from the central bank's market violations monitoring department, said Khilov and relatives could be responsible for as much as 500 billion roubles of market manipulation but that the central bank had confined its investigation to 2013-2015.

Lyakh said the central bank supposed it knew where Khilov was but declined to elaborate at a news conference.

A Deutsche spokesman said the bank had conducted an internal investigation into the activities of Khilov and had provided its findings to the market regulator. Deutsche will cooperate closely with authorities, the spokesman said.

Khilov did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The Russian central bank's investigation was conducted with help from Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority.

It is separate from an investigation into so-called "mirror trades" involving Deutsche's Moscow office which could have allowed clients to move money from one country to another without alerting authorities in 2014.

The Russian central bank's findings are an embarrassment for Germany's flagship lender, which recently cut back its investment banking activities in Russia.

Deutsche will probably escape a fine from the Russian regulator over the trades involving Khilov because of the amount of time that has passed since the trades were made. But law enforcement officials are yet to make their position clear.

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The German bank is facing a large penalty in the United States for allegedly misleading investors when selling mortgage-backed securities.

The Russian central bank alleges that Khilov and his relatives manipulated trading in eight securities on the Moscow Exchange, including the ordinary shares of Russia's Gazprom and Nornickel as well as the preferred and ordinary shares of Sberbank.

Khilov made trades which were favourable to his relatives and in doing so manipulated markets, the central bank said.

($1 = 61.6257 roubles) (Additional reporting by Olga Popova and Katya Golubkova; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Adrian Croft)
Moscow (AFP) - Russia's central bank on Tuesday said a former Deutsche Bank trader allegedly gained millions of dollars by illegally manipulating the stock markets in the country.

Yuri Khilov, the ex-head of the bank's Russian trading desk, and his relatives are alleged to have pocketed large amounts of money at the expense of the German lender, the central bank said on its website.

Central bank official Valery Lyakh separately told journalists that the amount in question was about 255 million rubles ($4.2 million, 4 million euros) between 2013 and 2015, according to news agencies.

The bank added that the alleged scheme -- which involved using Deutsche Bank's London facilities to boost share prices held by Khilov's relatives -- had been uncovered with help from Germany's financial authorities and forwarded to law enforcement agencies.

The illicit profits were allegedly made on the back of total trades worth some 300 billion rubles, Lyakh said, adding the fraud could have gone back to 2009.

The trades targeted Russia's gas giant Gazprom, state banks VTB and Sberbank and the oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil, the central bank said.

The scandal comes with Deutsche Bank already feeling the heat over so-called "mirror" trading that allegedly allowed Russian clients to move billions of dollars out of the country under the radar.
* Three countries adopt joint declaration on Syria

* Moscow: Russia, Iran, Turkey wield influence on the ground

* Russia criticises U.S. efforts to resolve crisis (Recasts, adds quotes, details)

By Maria Tsvetkova and Peter Hobson

MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal after the three countries held talks in Moscow on Tuesday and adopted a declaration which set out the principles any agreement should adhere to.

The countries made the announcement after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosted talks with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu held parallel talks with his Iranian and Turkish opposite numbers.

The document, which Shoigu called the "Moscow Declaration", said the trio were confident it would revive the moribund peace process. It also backed an expanded ceasefire.

"Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to facilitate the drafting of an agreement, which is already being negotiated, between the Syrian government and the opposition, and to become its guarantors," the declaration said.

"They (Iran, Russia and Turkey) have invited all other countries with influence over the situation on the ground to do the same (help get a deal)," it said.

The move underlines the growing strength of Moscow's links with Tehran and Ankara, despite the murder on Monday of Russia's envoy to Turkey, and reflects Putin's desire to cement his country's growing influence in the Middle East and more widely.

It also shows how fed up Russia is with what it sees as long and pointless talks with the Obama administration over Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week dismissed those talks as "fruitless sitting around."

'REAL INFLUENCE ON GROUND'

President Vladimir Putin said last week that he and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan were working to organise a new series of Syrian peace negotiations without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations.

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He said those talks could take place in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, a close Russian ally.

Russia says that the talks, if they happen, would be in addition to intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations in Geneva.

Lavrov said on Tuesday he thought what he called the Russia-Iran-Turkey troika was the most effective forum when it came to trying to solve the Syria crisis.

Shoigu said only Russia, which has backed President Bashar al-Assad with air strikes, special forces and military advisers, and Iran and Turkey were able to make a real difference.

"All previous attempts by the United States and its partners to agree on coordinated actions were doomed to failure," Shoigu said. "None of them wielded real influence over the situation on the ground."

Russia and Iran both back Assad, but Turkey, a NATO member, has long made clear it would prefer him to step down. Ankara has however moderated its rhetoric on Assad in recent months, and Lavrov said all three countries agreed the priority was to fight terrorism rather than to remove the Syrian leader.

The declaration said any Syria settlement should respect the country's territorial integrity.

"The ministers agreed the importance of expanding the ceasefire, unhindered access for humanitarian aid and free movement of civilians across Syria," it said.

(Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russian experts had drawn up a "Moscow Declaration" that amounted to a roadmap for ending the Syria crisis and that he hoped that Turkey and Iran could support the document.

Shoigu, speaking at meetings in Moscow with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, said the document was aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Syria.

"All previous attempts by the United States and its partners to agree on coordinated actions were doomed to failure. None of them wielded real influence over the situation on the ground," said Shoigu.

"The approval of the declaration at the level of defence and foreign ministers implies our readiness to guarantee and jointly address concrete questions related to resolve (the crisis in) Syria."

Foreign ministers from Russia, Iran and Turkey were also meeting in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss Syria.

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Peter Hobson)
MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Russian and Turkish foreign ministers have underlined the need to put more effort into effectively fighting terrorism, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday after a phone call between the two ministers overnight.

The statement was issued hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday.

Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusgolu also underlined the need to exclude the possibility of provocations aimed at undermining bilateral relations, as well their cooperation in fighting militants in Syria and Iraq.

Cavusgolu will visit Moscow later on Tuesday to meet his Russian and Iranian counterparts to discuss the crisis in Syria.

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Paul Tait)
The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday, sparking immediate fears of a diplomatic crisis and some even to compare it to the event that led to World War I. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia, in June 1914.

A month later Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Europe split in two, with the continents major powers coming down on either side. War raged for more than four years, costing the lives of around 17 million soldiers and civilians.

Soon after the killing of Ambassador Andrey Karlov, the name of Franz Ferdinand was trending on Twitter.

The incident comes at a diplomatically precarious time. The foreign and defense ministries of Russia and Iran, which backed Syrian President Bashar Assad in his countrys bloody civil war, were set to meet their counterpart in Turkey, which supported the Syrian opposition, in Moscow on Tuesday.

The talks were scheduled following a significant victory, at the cost of heavy civilian casualties, for the Syrian army and its allies in regaining control of Aleppo, once Syrias largest city and financial center.

The man who shot and killed Karlov, reported to be Turkish police officer Mert Altintas, shouted Do not forget Syria! Do not forget Aleppo! after carrying out the killing at the opening of a photography exhibition.

Russian ambassador Turkey shooting

Photo: Erhan Ortac/Getty Images

Still, comparisons with the killing of Ferdinand look to be wide of the mark, if understandable in this most destabilizing of years.

Ferdinands assassination arguably provided Austria-Hungary the excuse it was seeking to quell rising Slav-nationalism. Peace in Europe was also still a very tenuous one after centuries of disputes.

Although the future of the European Union has come under the spotlight following the United Kingdoms vote to leave and a rise of nationalistic populism across the continent, Europe has now been at peace since the end of World War II more than 70 years ago.

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And the incident looks unlikely to fracture the relationship between Russia and Turkey. While there was enormous tension last year when a Turkish plane shot down a Russian jet close to a Syrian empire, the two countries have been recently cooperating over the ceasefire in Aleppo.

Following the assassination on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Turkeys foreign ministry called the shooting a lowly terrorist act and that Turkey would not allow the incident to cast a shadow over Turkish-Russian friendship.

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By Umit Bektas, Orhan Coskun and Tuvan Gumrukcu ANKARA (Reuters) - The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday by an off-duty police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire. President Tayyip Erdogan, in a video message to the nation, cast the attack as an attempt to undermine NATO-member Turkey's relations with Russia - ties long tested by the war in Syria. He said he had agreed in a telephone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin to step up cooperation in fighting terrorism. At a special meeting at the Kremlin, President Putin ordered increased security at all Russian missions and said "the bandits" who committed the act would feel retribution. "We must know who directed the killer's hand." The assassination of an ambassador, not least of a major power such as Russia, marks a dangerous escalation of tension in the region and beyond. Security sources said he was off duty and some witnesses said there was no security scanning machine at the entrance. The attacker was smartly dressed in black suit and tie and stood, alone, behind the ambassador as he began his speech at the art exhibition, a person at the scene told Reuters. "He took out his gun and shot the ambassador from behind. We saw him lying on the floor and then we ran out," said the witness, who asked not to be identified. People took refuge in adjoining rooms as the shooting continued. A video showed the attacker shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" and "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest") as screams rang out. He paced about and shouted as he held the gun in one hand and waved the other in the air. Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its air strikes helped Syrian forces end rebel resistance last week in the northern city of Aleppo. Turkey, which seeks Assad's ouster, has been repairing ties with Moscow after shooting down a Russian warplane over Syria last year. The gunman was killed by special forces. Three other people were injured. "We regard this as a terrorist act," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "Terrorism will not win and we will fight against it decisively." GULEN Erdogan, who has faced a string of attacks by Islamist and Kurdish militants as well as an attempted coup in July, identified the attacker as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for Ankara riot police for two and a half years. CNN Turk TV said police had detained his sister and mother. A senior security official said there were "very strong signs" the gunman belonged to the network of the U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated the failed coup in July. Erdogan has denounced Gulen as a terrorist, but the cleric, a former ally, denies the accusation. Gulen described the killing as a "heinous act of terror" that pointed to a deterioration of security in Turkey resulting from Erdogan's wide-ranging purge of police as well as the army, judiciary and media following the coup bid. The government says Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, created a "parallel network" in the police, military, judiciary and civil service aimed at overthrowing the state. Suspicion could also fall on a group such as Islamic State, which has carried out a string of bomb attacks in Turkey in the last year as Ankara has pressed a military campaign against the militants in Syria. The group has urged "lone" attacks in the West. U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was due to meet his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Russia on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Syria. Officials said the meeting would still go on, despite the attack. "The attack comes at a bad time: Moscow and Ankara have only recently restored diplomatic ties after Turkey downed a Russian aircraft in November 2015," the Stratfor think-tank said. "Though the attack will strain relations between the two countries, it is not likely to rupture them altogether." However, both Russia and Turkey indicated that they were looking to work together to find the combat militant attacks. The U.S. State Department, involved in diplomatic contacts with Russia in an attempt to resolve a refugee crisis unfolding around the city of Aleppo, condemned the attack, as did the United Nations Security Council. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as Russian-backed Syrian forces have fought for control of the eastern part of Aleppo, triggering a stream of refugees. (Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun, Nevzat Devranoglu, Tulay Karadeniz, Ercan Gurses and Gulsen Solaker in Ankara; Humeyra Pamuk and Ece Toksabay in Istanbul; Andrew Osborn and Andrey Ostroukh in Moscow; Writing by Daren Butler and David Dolan; editing by Ralph Boulton and Mark Trevelyan)
Police discovered al Qaeda-related reading materials at the home of the person who assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey in Ankara on Monday, the Istanbul-based Daily Sabah newspaper reported. Turkey police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas shot and killed Andrei Karlov while the ambassador was delivering a speech at an art gallery.

Authorities, reporter Ragip Soylu said, citing a state news wire, also found books related the Gulen movement, a community of followers of the U.S.-based, self-exiled imam Fethullah Gulen, who Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for an attempted July coup.

The investigation into the killing is mainly focused on links to the Islamist group, officials in Ankara told Al Jazeera. But Gulen, the cleric, quickly condemned the shooting.

"I condemn in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror," Gulen wrote in a statement on his website. "No terrorist act can be justified, regardless of its perpetrators and their stated purposes."

Gulen has, in the past, justified suicide attacks by both al Qaeda and its more violent offshoot, the Islamic State group.

Upon shooting Karlov at point blank range at an art gallery Monday evening, Altintas, 22, raised his gun, shouting in Arabic, We are the ones who swore allegiance to Mohammed for the jihad!a phrase commonly used in propaganda materials from the Islamic State, a group formerly tied to al Qaeda, according to Reuters,

The former Ankara riot policeman, who was shot by Turkish security forces minutes later, also urged awareness of the civil war in Syria, where bomb campaigns by Russia, which supports the regime of Bashar Assad, have led to widespread civilian casualties.

Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria, Altintas yelled, switching to Turkish, according to the newswire. You will not be able to feel sake for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here.

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Altintas also reportedly shouted in Arabic, "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," which ISIS-linked assailants at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris reportedly yelled as they carried out their attacks on the magazine's staff in January 2015. The phrase, despite an otherwise purely religious meaning, has come to be associated with violence by Islamist groups.

Along with investigating Altintas home, police detained his mother, father, sister, roommate and two additional relatives, Reuters reported.

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Evacuations in the besieged city of Aleppo were underway on Tuesday after confusion on the ground led to a continued weekend of violence targeting the remaining 150,000 trapped residents.

Thousands of Syrian men, women and children fled the war-torn region on buses, traveling through safe passages to neighboring rebel-held areas of the country. The scene was much more stable than on Saturday, when forces reportedly backed by Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime attacked ambulances, humanitarian aid workers and thousands of civilians congregating in public squares while awaiting evacuation. As trapped Syrians finally leave eastern Aleppo, humanitarian organizations have been given pathways into Syria through Turkey, where they can safely navigate to designated arrival locations. Volunteers were waiting with supplies that Aleppo residents have desperately needed for months, including food and water. Whether those Syrians will eventually make it out of the country, however, remained uncertain.

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Photo: Reuters

Russian and Turkish foreign ministers went on with scheduled meetings on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing Syrian conflict, which has enveloped the nation in a civil war for five years with international forces playing key roles. Russia has backed aerial bombardments in the historic Syrian city of Aleppo for years, but just recently brokered a ceasefire deal with Iran and Syrian forces to allow residents to safely evacuate as the war continues. The talks continue despite the assassination of Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey. Karlov was shot by a 22-year-old Turkish police officer at an art gallery in Ankara on Monday. The assassin shouted "Do not forget Aleppo!" while firing multiple shots into the ambassador.

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Photo: Reuters

Story continues

The attack was described as terrorism by the Russian government, while U.S. President-elect Donald Trump condemned the gunman as a "radical Islamic terrorist."

Its unclear what impact the Russian ambassador's death could have in the country's involvement in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attack was an attempt to diminish Russian-Turkish relations and to destroy the "peace process in Syria," during a speech aired by state television.

"The only response we should offer to this murder is stepping up our fight against terror, and the criminals will feel the heat," Putin said.

Meanwhile, the fate of Aleppo residents evacuating to northern Syria was resting in the hands of a shaky ceasefire deal and continued stability among international forces. Russia and Iran could continue airstrikes throughout Syria, eventually targeting the rebel-held areas Syrians are currently evacuating to. The Turkish government has ramped up an exhaustive effort to build enough camps for at least 100,000 of those fleeing the country along its border.

For now, Aleppo residents remain cautiously optimistic. Bana Alabed, who became known for her online dispatches from Syria with her mother Fatemah, safely evacuated to northern Syria Monday. "Im happy my children are safe," her mother told NBC News. "But Im sad because I dont know how long theyll be safe for."

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One of the three voicemails Lucy Richards, 57, allegedly left for Lenny Pozner, the father of 6-year-old Noah Pozner, one of 26 innocent people to die in the 2012 school massacre, said, You gonna die, death is coming to you real soon, according to a federal indictment obtained by PEOPLE.

Richards, 57, of Brandon, also allegedly said, Death is coming to you real soon and theres nothing you can do about it, according to the indictment.

In an email message Richards allegedly sent to Pozner, she wrote in all caps: LOOK BEHIND YOU IT IS DEATH, according to the filed charges.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

At Richardss arraignment Monday in the U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, she pleaded not guilty to four federal felony counts of interstate transmission of a threat to injure, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Richards allegedly left three threatening voicemails for Pozner and sent him one email in January 2016, according to the filed charges.

Richards was arrested Dec. 7 in Brandon, Florida. Pozner now lives in Palm Beach County, Florida.

Using a walker, Richards made her way into court wearing a flowery top and black slippers, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Richards, who had once worked as a waitress, told the judge she has been unemployed since 2004 and receives Social Security disability assistance.

 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.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Seltzer will allow Richards to remain free on a $25,000 bond.

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But he ordered her to avoid contacting anyone connected to the Newtown shootings and to stay away from any websites about false conspiracy theories.

He also ordered her to seek mental health treatment if her release officer recommends it.

Richards lawyer, Assistant Federal Public Defender Michael Spivack, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Delusional Grievances

As a result of the harassment Pozner and victims families from Sandy Hook and other mass shootings have said theyve encountered on a daily basis, he started the HONR Network, which flags false hoax sites and mobilizes people to try to bring charges against anyone who defames or emotionally abuses victims and their families.

Rather than focusing their delusional grievances and accusations on authorities, the Hoaxers take the path of least resistance, harassing and emotionally abusing the victims family members online, on the telephone, and even in person, the website states.

This is a cowardly approach to having their grievances heard, and we need to ensure that they find some other method of doing so which doesnt directly affect victims family members, or anyone else involved in the management of the tragedies, such as emergency service workers or those who were in any way involved.

We intend to hold such abusers personally accountable for their actions, in whatever capacity the law allows, the website states.




The holidays can be overwhelming for children with autism, but this Santa Claus is an expert at making the experience suitable for kids of all needs  because he, too, has autism.

Read: Classmates Gift Special Needs Student Two New Pairs of Shoes When They Realize His Are Too Small

Kerry Magro, 28, a renowned public speaker and author, travels around New Jersey every December as a sensory sensitive Santa Claus, brings a catered experience to kids with autism and other special needs.

"Autism doesn't stop in December. It doesn't stop at Christmas," Magro said in an interview with CBS News.

Magro was non-verbal when he was 2 years old, and diagnosed with autism when he was 4.

Understanding that children with autism experience their senses differently, he wanted to put together an accessible event for kids that would otherwise not be able to participate in the holiday experience.

"We dim the lights, we turn down the sound and try to help them as much as we can," Magro said. "This event is more inclusive."

Sarah Callighy, 8, was one of the nearly 200 children Magro visited with this year. She was diagnosed with autism, and is also non-verbal.

"Santa also has autism [so] it's a special connection, a special bond," her father, Brian Callighy, told CBS News.

In a blog post, Magro explained his trick is to give his undivided attention to the child, and work his performance around their needs.

Read: How Cooking Helped 14-Year-Old Boy With Autism Overcome His Challenges

"Every time I interact with them, I try to meet them where they are," Magro wrote. "Whether its me sitting on the ground playing toys with them or keeping my distance if they dont want to be touched."

Among his helpers are Mrs. Claus, and a team of elves, made up of occupational therapists and special education teachers. Magro's mom even plays the part of one of the elves.

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Watch: Former Marine With PTSD Brought to Tears as His Mom Gifts Him a Puppy for Christmas

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Photo credit: N. Madsen/ALPHA/Swansea via Nature

From Popular Mechanics

Antimatter isn't the absurd theoretical substance it sounds like-it's just material composed of particles that have the same mass as conventional particles, but opposite charges. An electron with a positive charge is called a positron, and a proton with a negative charge is called an antiproton. Material composed of these antiparticles is called antimatter.

In a groundbreaking experiment published today in Nature, physicists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research's particle physics lab outside Geneva, have measured the energy levels of antihydrogen for the first time. Hydrogen is the simplest element on the periodic table, with just one electron and one proton, so making antihydrogen is easier than any other type of antimatter.

It's incredibly difficult to create antimatter and retain it for any extended period of time. This is because antimatter and matter annihilate each other when they come into contact. An electron and positron will zap each other out of existence, releasing energy in the form of light, and protons and antiprotons do the same. Considering conventional matter is floating all around our world, it can be quite difficult to keep antimatter from coming into contact with it.

"What you hear about in science fiction-that antimatter gets annihilated by normal matter-is 100 percent true," Jeffrey Hangst, a physicist at Denmark's Aarhus University who founded the ALPHA group at CERN to study antimatter, told NPR. "[It] is the greatest challenge in my everyday life."

Photo credit: CERN

To create antihydrogen, ALPHA physicists combined positrons and antiprotons in a vacuum tube and used extremely powerful magnetic fields to keep the resulting antihydrogen from colliding with the walls of the container. Using this technique, the team has successfully maintained antihydrogen atoms for about 15 minutes.

Electrons orbit the nucleus of conventional atoms at different energy levels, and when they move from one energy level to another, they let off energy that can be measured as light on the electromagnetic spectrum. The same is true for antihydrogen atoms.

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The ALPHA researchers used a laser to excite the antihydrogen so the positrons would jump from a lower energy level to a higher one. Then, when the positrons return to the lower energy level, scientists can measure the light released. What they found is that positrons in antihydrogen move from one energy level to another in the same way that electrons do in normal hydrogen.

This seemingly benign finding has actually captured the attention of theoretical physicists around the world because it is central to one of the great mysteries of the universe: Why does anything exist at all? Models of the Big Bang suggest that an equal amount of matter and antimatter should have been created. As far as we can tell, all of the antimatter and matter of the universe should have been annihilated shortly after it was created. But here we are.

"Something happened," Hangst told NPR, "some small asymmetry that led some of the matter to survive, and we simply have no good idea that explains that right now."

It could be that antimatter doesn't obey the same laws of physics as matter. It could be that our models of the Big Bang are flawed. But whatever the true answer to our existence is, experiments with antimatter like this one could unlock the secrets. Our first experiment suggests that antihydrogen behaves just like boring old hydrogen-but this is merely the beginning of a new kind of scientific study.

Source: Nature via NPR

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By Elisabeth O'Leary

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland wants to stay in the European Union's single market after the United Kingdom leaves the bloc and will push for more powers to protect its interests, the head of its pro-independence government said on Tuesday.

Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland wants a deal that allows it access to the single market and free movement of the EU migrants that underpin its economy, its ageing population and its outlying rural communities.

The Scottish devolved government set out three options in a paper entitled "Scotland's Place in Europe".

Despite being a supporter of secession, Sturgeon said her preference in the Brexit aftermath was for the whole of the UK to stay in the single market, which trades goods and services tariff-free across 28 countries.

A second option proposes a single market membership carve-out for Scotland from a UK outside the EU. The third option is independence from the rest of the UK.

Britons voted to leave the EU by 52 to 48 percent but Scotland, one of the UK's four nations, voted by a large margin to stay.

"There has to be a way to effectively square the circle," Sturgeon told a news conference, referring to the difficulty of matching Scotland's vote with that of the UK as a whole amid the complexity of Britain's Brexit negotiations.

The wish list seems likely to be received as an impossibly tall order in London, which has set control of EU migration as one of its priorities. Sturgeon's opponents accuse her of setting up an impossible task so as to have a ruse to retry her luck with independence after losing a referendum in 2014.

FUNDAMENTAL REVIEW

Senior EU officials also voiced serious doubts about the feasibility of having different EU trade arrangements with the northern and southern halves of the island of Great Britain.

"How would you treat some product that is made in Glasgow, but uses parts made in Manchester? Is it made inside the single market or not? Are you going to have customs posts between Scotland and England? I don't see it," one EU official said.

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Sturgeon said the option of independence, which Scots rejected by a 10-point margin, had to be kept available and was still "the best long-term future for Scotland".

"Brexit is a problem not of Scotland's making," she said.

Scotland needed a fundamental review of its devolution settlement, she argued, and powers over immigration were vital to protect Scotland's interests.

The paper cited examples of immigration policy in Canada and Australia which had differentiated immigration systems for regions and states within the same land territory, addressing concerns on the prospect of a land border between England with Scotland to its north.

Critics of Scottish nationalism point out that the rest of the UK is much more important to Scotland than the EU is because two-thirds of Scottish "exports" are to the rest of the UK, worth around 48 billion pounds ($60 billion). By contrast, Scotland exports just 12 billion pounds worth of goods and services to the EU.

In London, May's spokesman said the prime minister would consider the Scottish proposals carefully.

(Additional reporting by Sarah Young in London and Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Editing by Alison Williams)
Govt appoints new NEA board members

The government on Monday appointed three new members to the board of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) immediately after sacking three board members on charges of obstructing reform process initiated by the state-owned power utility.
By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - Search warrant documents released on Tuesday related to the probe of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email setup stirred fresh controversy about the FBI's decision to revive the investigation days before the Nov. 8 election. The materials, which related to a search warrant issued after Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey on Oct. 28 informed Congress of the emails, were ordered released on Monday by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan. Comey's letter drew new attention to Clinton's use of the server while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and roiled the campaign 11 days before the election, which Republican Donald Trump won. Clinton has blamed Comey and his letter for her defeat. In an affidavit, an FBI agent said there was "probable cause" to believe emails between Clinton and a person whose name was redacted were among "thousands" found on a laptop that contained U.S. State Department correspondence. But the filings gave no indication the FBI had any evidence at the time of Comey's letter that any of the emails on the laptop involved classified communications with Clinton, raising fresh questions about Comey's decision to issue his letter. David Kendall, Clinton's lawyer, said the documents showed the "extraordinary impropriety" of Comey's letter, which "produced devastating but predictable damage politically and which was both legally unauthorised and factually unnecessary." The FBI declined to comment. The laptop belonged to former Democratic U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin who was the subject of an investigation after a report about cellphone and online messages he sent a 15-year-old girl. The search warrant materials' release was sought by Randol Schoenberg, a Los Angeles-based lawyer, who contended that transparency was crucial given the potential influence the probe had on the election's outcome. In a statement, Schoenberg said he saw "nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her longtime aide Huma Abedin." Brian Fallon, who served as the national press secretary for Clinton's campaign, said on Twitter the search warrant "reveals Comey's intrusion on the election was as utterly unjustified as we suspected at time." In July, Comey recommended no charges be brought over Clinton's handing of classified information in the emails, although he said she and her colleagues were "extremely careless" in handling such information. That determination followed what the search warrant materials called a "criminal investigation concerning the improper transmission and storage of classified info on unclassified email systems and servers." In his Oct. 28 letter to Congress, Comey said emails potentially related to the investigation had been discovered in an "unrelated case." Federal investigators obtained the warrant to examine the emails on Oct. 30. Two days before the election, Comey disclosed the emails did nothing to change his earlier recommendation. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York, additional reporting by Scot Paltrow and Mark Hosenball in Washington; editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Tom Brown)
It was emotional moment as Michelle Rich learned a secret Santa had gifted her the medical supplies she desperately needed to walk again and reclaim her life.

In a video of the surprise reveal, captured by East Idaho News, Rich was noticeably shocked at the news. Not only did she receive a $1,000 check for the medical wraps she needs to counteract the severe swelling condition Lymphedema, but also two $1,000 gift cards for groceries and clothes.

Read: 'Secret Santa' Pays Off More Than $45,000 Worth of Walmart's Layaway Items

I just felt really blessed. I feel grateful for the couple that is helping so many families in our community, Rich told InsideEdition.com. Im just in a hard place now so it lifted up my spirit.

Rich hasnt been able to walk this year due to her worsening condition, which was originally caused by a tick bite.

She said her insurance doesnt cover the wraps she needs so she hasnt been able to walk due to swelling.

She had to miss her daughters wedding in June and her other daughters college graduation.

My mom is one of the most giving people youve ever met. She raised us a single mom and then lymphedema kind of took over. She had ovarian cancer, which made it worse, daughter Sara Richtold InsideEdition.com. I nominated her because she deserves so much. She just needed those wraps so she can walk soon and get her life back.

Read: Secret Santa Surprises Bedridden Man With Cerebral Palsy, Gifting Him a Repaired Ramp for Family's Van

Sara said the moment was filled with tears and a lot of emotion for the both of them, but for Rich its now the future she's looking forward to.

It has been a very hard year, said Rich. Now I can get the medical things I need so I can get myself healed and be able to walk again.

Watch: Secret Santa Surprises Parents With Headstone for Daughter Who Died in Crash

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Japanese rice farmer Masatsugu Tanimoto doesn't think of himself as a Christian, and you'd almost never find him in a church. But every so often, he and others meet to recite prayers drawn from another time and place.

The group, dressed in sober kimonos and sandals, rapidly make the sign of the cross as they sing a mish-mash of Portuguese, Latin and Japanese -- evoking the memory of their ancestors, the so-called "hidden Christians", who were brutally persecuted in the 17th century, when Shoguns ruled Japan.

Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese is bringing their harrowing story to the big screen just before Christmas in his newest movie 'Silence', based on the 1966 novel by famed Japanese novelist Shusaku Endo.

"If the film properly recounts the story of my ancestors, I'd gladly go see it," Tanimoto told AFP after singing with several other descendants.

The group, from the town of Ikitsuki, near Nagasaki, meet at a local museum to conduct these rituals.

Despite their Christian roots, the multilingual prayers, known as orasho, are not meant to honour God or any Christian figure, the 60-year-old added.

"We say 'Mary' several times but we're not praying to her. We don't refer to a specific god either, but rather to our ancestors," he added.

The link to modern day Japan, where Christians make up less than one percent of the population, stretches back more than four centuries.

The first missionary, Jesuit Francis-Xavier arrived in Japan with two companions in 1549 and was followed by Portuguese missionaries who drew tens of thousands more Japanese to the faith. The priests were expelled in the 17th century by military leaders who feared their growing influence.

For Japanese converts, hiding their religion became a matter of life and death for the next 250 years, as Christianity was banned and Japan closed itself off from the outside world.

Some suspects were forced to trample on holy images to prove they were not Christians. Many went into hiding or disguised their faith.

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Those who refused to give up Christianity faced being burned to death, crucified, or slowly drowned.

- Isolated -

Whether it was to camouflage their beliefs or adapt to an environment without priests and bibles, the hidden Christians created a blended faith that left its mark on traditions still honoured by their descendants.

The Virgin Mary took the form of Kannon, the buddhist goddess of mercy. Ave Maria became the somewhat similar "Abe Maruya".

"Isolated, they had no choice but to recreate their beliefs as faithfully as possible," said Shigeo Nakazono, an ethnologist at the local Ikitsuki Island Museum.

Fisherman Masaichi Kawasaki's home has four altars in his living room, including one devoted to Buddhism, another for his ancestors -- common in rural Japanese homes -- and a third for the Shinto faith.

The last one, stuffed with flasks, apples, flowers, a melon, a cross and candles, features a kimono-clad woman with long black hair holding a child -- is unmistakeable as an image of the Virgin Mary.

On a table lay tiny white paper crosses like the ones Kawasaki's ancestors would hide in the ears of deceased converts.

"It was only natural that I would learn this practice as it was part of my daily life growing up as a child, a bit like one assimilates a habit into everyday life," the 66-year-old said.

Many descendants, known as Kakure Kirishitan (hidden Christians in Japanese), in the small community about 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) southwest of Tokyo have never joined the church and struggle to identify with Christianity

Some of earlier underground Christians converted to Catholicism after priests returned in the mid-19th century, when Japan lifted over two centuries of self-imposed isolation.

In 1865, a group of nervous peasants approached a Christian missionary working in Japan. One woman whispered "ours hearts are the same as yours", revealing the previously unknown existence of what turned out to be tens of thousands of the original Christians' ancestors.

- 'Really sad'

Some think the Catholic church should reach out to help ensure the story doesn't fade into the mists of time.

"It is something that happened here in Japan and is a unique thing in the world," said Father Renzo de Luca, director of Nagasaki's Twenty-six Martyrs Museum and Monument, which commemorates Christians executed on the site in the late 1500s.

But there are just a few hundred known descendants of the hidden Christians left, and many younger people don't show much interest in carrying on traditions to honour the long-dead converts.

"It's really sad," said 64-year-old carpenter Yoshitaka Oishi, his eyes welling up with tears.

"If this doesn't get passed down, it's finished."
DAKAR (Reuters) - Former Chadian leader Hissene Habre's appeal against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity will be heard in January, a court document showed on Tuesday. Habre, 74, was sentenced to life imprisonment in May for crimes committed during his eight-year tenure as president of Chad before he was deposed in 1990. He was considered a key Cold War ally of the West against Libya during his rule. A court document - signed by the Malian president of the special tribunal on Chad, Wafi Ougadeye - set Jan. 9 as the date for the appeal in Dakar. Habre's defence lawyers have refused to recognise the jurisdiction of the special tribunal, which was set up by Senegal and the African Union. Habre fled to Senegal after being ousted in a coup by current leader Idriss Deby. Victims had waited years for his trial and his conviction was widely hailed as a moment of hope for African justice. "Habre's conviction was based on overwhelming evidence, including the files of his own political police, documents in his own handwriting, testimony from those who received his orders, witnesses whom he personally sent to prison, and a woman whom he raped," Reed Brody, an American lawyer who has worked with Habre's victims for 18 years, told Reuters. A 1992 Chadian Truth Commission accused Habre's government of up to 40,000 political murders, mostly by his intelligence police, the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS). The trial was seen as highlighting African countries' ability to hold their own trials at a time of growing criticism on the continent of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which many on the continent accuse of bias against Africans. (Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Nellie Peyton Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
seth meyers north carolina republicans governor powers late night nbc

While the nation has been focused on President-elect Donald Trump's official Electoral College win on Monday, Seth Meyers decided to focus on some dirty politics going on in North Carolina.

While the state went to Trump, North Carolina elected a Democrat for governor, Roy Cooper. In response, the Republican-leaning legislature have been busy passing laws that limit the incoming governor's power before he can take office.

"By the rules of our electoral system, Donald Trump won, and our democracy depends on accepting the legitimacy of our opponents and the votes of people who disagree with us," NBC's "Late Night" host said on Monday's show, "which is why what happened last week in North Carolina is so troubling."

Last Wednesday, the North Carolina legislature held a special session to vote on various laws that would reduce the gubernatorial powers. They included limiting the governor's control over state and county election boards and drastically reducing the 1,500 state employees who serve the governor to 300.

But all that was only made possible by what a court called "racial gerrymandering," a practice where electoral boundaries are manipulated to favor one party or class along racial lines.

"Basically, they drew some districts to group as many African-American voters as possible to dil lute their political power," Meyers explained, before showing North Carolina's congressional map.

"Take a look at District 12," the host continued "It's so weirdly shaped you can't even fit the 12 in it. It looks like a Rorschach test. What do you see in this shape? I don't know, it's either a dragon or 300 years of institutional racism."

Protestors of the GOP power grab in North Carolina have been descending on the state capital asking the senate to hear them out. Many have been arrested while holding the peaceful protests.

"This is the time when we take stock of all the things we take for granted," Meyers said, "things like living in a stable, healthy democracy. But democracy isn't something that succeeds on its own. If it's going to survive, we have to fight for it."

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Watch Meyers explain why we should care about the GOP power grab in North Carolina below:

NOW WATCH: The last time a losing candidate had a wider popular vote margin than Clinton was in 1876  here's the bizarre story





More From Business Insider


* President's mandate ran out at midnight

* Surge in popular anger that Kabila is staying on

* Protests in Kinshasa, eastern city of Lubumbashi (Updates with new death toll from Human Rights Watch)

By Tim Cocks and Aaron Ross

KINSHASA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Security forces shot dead at least 26 protesters who had gathered in the streets of Kinshasa and other cities of Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday to demand that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired overnight.

Scattered protests started on Tuesday, and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Kabila, who has remained in power beyond his constitutional mandate with no election to pick a successor.

Human Rights Watch researcher Ida Sawyer said on Twitter that at least 26 people were killed by security forces.

The government spokesman could not be reached for comment and a police spokesman had no information on deaths.

Gunfire crackled in several districts of the capital, Kinshasa, a city of 12 million, as measures to thwart dissent raised fears of bloody repression.

With a ban on demonstrations in force and a heavy military presence, Kinshasa's normally busy main boulevards were mostly deserted as pockets of youths gathered in sidestreets only to be dispersed by volleys of teargas.

By sunset, the city was calm, although littered with debris from earlier rioting. Youths played football in the streets.

Scores of people were arrested, especially in the eastern city of Goma, rights groups said. Reuters witnesses saw more than a dozen young men who had been arrested seated in the back of a military truck near the university.

"I'm gravely concerned by the arrests of those who seek to express their political views," the head of the U.N. mission, Maman Sidikou, said in a statement, adding that U.N. staff had not been able to consistently gain access to jails to gather information on how many people had been arrested.

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He called on Congo to end "politically motivated detentions".

U.N. peacekeepers in armoured personnel carriers patrolled the streets, at one point cheered on by a crowd shouting: "Kabila, know that your mandate is finished!"

In Lubumbashi, in the heart of Africa's richest copper- mining area, police and Kabila's elite Republican Guard fired live bullets to prevent demonstrations, said Gregoire Mulamba, a local human rights activist.

Local activist Jean-Pierre Muteba reported at least one death, a 14-year-old boy shot by police. A police spokesman said he did not have enough information to comment.

The mayor of Lubumbashi, Jean Oscar Sanguza, told Reuters that security forces had intervened to stop looters.

In the city of Kananga, in central Congo, fighting between security forces and a local clan militia shut down the airport.

Kabila, who has ruled since his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001, rarely speaks about the issue in public, but his allies say the election was delayed because of logistical and financial problems. The constitutional court has ruled Kabila can stay on until the vote takes place.

FEARS OF ESCALATION

In a video posted on YouTube, opposition leader Tshisekedi called on people to "not recognise the ... illegal ... authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist (his) coup d'etat."

Authorities have blocked most social media.

Western powers are nervous about a repeat of the conflicts between 1996 to 2003 that killed millions, drew in half a dozen neighbouring armies and saw rebel fighters rape women en masse. Congo has never experienced a peaceful transition of power.

The United States and European Union have called for Kabila to respect the constitution. Congo's former colonial master, Belgium, said on Tuesday it would "re-examine" relations with Kabila, and France urged the European Union re-examine its links with Congo.

(Reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Peter Cooney)
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit against Xerox Corporation ("Xerox" or the "Company") (XRX). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between April 23, 2012 and October 23, 2015 inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm in advance of the December 23, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased Xerox shares 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. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member.

The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Xerox repeatedly touted its new software product, Health Enterprise, as an important growth area for the Company, which would operate at low cost and high profit margin. The Company's statements pertaining to the profitability and growth prospects of the Health Enterprise business were materially false and misleading because Xerox failed to disclose: that the Company's existing Health Enterprise projects were experiencing major delays and cost overruns; that Xerox would be unable to deliver Health Enterprise implementations at sustainable profits; and that as a result of the above, the Company's statements about its business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis. On October 26, 2015, Xerox released its third quarter 2015 financial results which were disappointing due to costs associated with the implementation of Health Enterprise and the termination of Health Enterprise contracts with the state agencies of California and Montana. When this information emerged to the public, the stock price of Xerox fell, causing investors serious harm.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, at no charge to you, or if you have 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 via e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

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This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

Contact:

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces that it is investigating claims against New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. ("New Oriental" or the "Company") (EDU) concerning possible violations of federal securities laws.

If you purchased shares of New Oriental and want more information, 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.

On December 2, 2016, Reuters published an article showing that New Oriental has been accused of acting in college application fraud. The article mentions, "[e]ight former and current New Oriental employeestold Reuters the firms have engaged in college application fraud, including writing application essays and teacher recommendations, and falsifying high school transcripts." Later that day, Reuters released another statement claiming that due to its earlier report detailing academic fraud allegations at New Oriental, the American International Recruitment Council ("AIRC") "will investigate the company in response to the report", and the AIRC's president-elect regards the allegations as "highly concerning." When this information was disclosed to the public, the value of New Oriental fell on December 2, 2016, causing investors harm.

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.

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions.

Contact:

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
Integrated energy major Royal Dutch Shell plc RDS.A recently announced that it has entered into an agreement to divest its aviation fuels business in Australia to Viva Energy Australia Pty. Ltd. for about US$250 million.

The transaction is expected to close by mid-2017. Post divestiture, however, the Australian business unit will continue to use the Shell brand and logo. Moreover, employees of Shell Aviation Australia will remain employed by the company after the deal.

Viva Energy, controlled by European energy trader Vitol Holdings B.V., is already involved in the sale process of Shell-branded fuels and lubricants in the country under an existing licensing arrangement. After the aforesaid transaction, the company will continue to supply Shell-branded fuel under existing contracts to its aviation customers.

In a separate discussion, Shell reported that it has sold its 31.2% stake in Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. to Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd.The sale follows anti-trust approval from the Japan Fair Trade Commission and is worth US$1.4 billion. Post completion of the deal, Shell now retains 3.8% stake in the company.

The above-mentioned deals by Shell are in line with its $30 billion divestment initiative. Shell intends to offload assets worth as much as $30 billion by exiting operations in five to 10 countries. It has, however, made relatively slow progress in this regard as the oil price rout dampened buyer enthusiasm for deals at the prices Shell is targeting. In 2016, Shell sold or agreed to sell around $6 billion of assets.

Shell, which is headquartered in Hague, the Netherlands, is one of the largest integrated oil and gas companies in the world. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. It has interests in chemicals as well as power generation and renewable energy.

The Anglo-Dutch groups divestment plans are targeted to weather the more than two-year downturn in oil prices and to improve its financials post the BG Group acquisition.

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ROYAL DTCH SH-A Price

ROYAL DTCH SH-A Price | ROYAL DTCH SH-A Quote

Year to date, the Zacks categorized International Oil and Gas Integrated industry has registered an impressive growth of 21.6%. However, the Shell stock has outperformed the industry by gaining 24.6%.

Shell currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 ( Hold), which implies that the stock will perform in line with the broader U.S. equity market over the next one to three months.

Some better-ranked players from the broader energy sector include Braskem S.A. BAK, Ocean Rig UDW LLC ORIG and McDermott International Inc. MDR. Braskem and McDermott sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), whereas Ocean Rig carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

In the last four quarters, Braskem posted an average positive earnings surprise of 105.5%.

Ocean Rig, on the other hand, delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 66.39% in the last four quarters.

In the last four quarters, McDermott posted an average positive earnings surprise of 250.00%.

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House body seeks suggestions on bill relating to NDC

The Social Justice and Human Rights Committee (SJHRC) of the Legislature-Parliament started taking suggestions from today from stakeholders and experts on the proposed bill related to the National Dalit Commission (NDC).
Officials from Russia,Turkey and Iran are meeting on Tuesday to discuss the civil war in Syria amid heightened tensions following the shooting of a Russian ambassador in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, was shot dead on Monday while giving a speech at a gallery by a former police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" and "God is greatest."

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was an attempt to undermine the country's relations with Russia, which have recently been tested thanks to the ongoing conflict in Syria.



"Thankfully, Turkey-Russia relations were already normalizing after what's been a very painful year," Michael Harris, head of research at Renaissance Capital told CNBC on Tuesday.

Whereas Russia has been supporting the regime of the Syrian president Bashar Assad, Turkey would like to see the Syrian president gone and the conflict in Syria to end so it doesn't have to deal with so many refugees escaping the war . Harris described President Erdogan as "the most hostile" to what's been happening in Syria.



According to Wolfango Piccoli, co-President of Teneo Intelligence, Monday's attack could hurt the progress made in Russian-Turkish relations.

"The attack, in the center of Ankara, will throw a wrench in the progress of a fragile Russian-Turkish rapprochement, especially as Ankara has been the main international supporter of the forces affiliated with the Free Syrian Army which have recently been forced to evacuate Aleppo," Piccoli said in a note Monday night.

"Since the rapprochement with Moscow in June, Erdogan has attempted to avoid criticizing Russia directly although the pro-government media has been outspoken in its condemnation of the civilian casualties as the result of alleged Russian air strikes in Aleppo," Piccoli added.





Monday's shooting took place while large demonstrations against Russia's bombing of Aleppo were happening outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

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The relationship between the two countries has been fragile since a Russian airplane was shot down last year. At the time, Turkey argued that the plane had entered its airspace without authorization.

As a result, Russian President Vladimir Putin halted charter flights to Turkey, hitting a Turkish tourism sector already shaken by a series of domestic terrorism attacks.

Both countries have tried to minimize the tensions, mainly since last summer, but the war in Syria has continued to divide them.

"By apologizing for Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane in November 2015, President Tayyip Erdogan paved the way for the resumption of economic ties and security cooperation between the two countries," Piccoli said.

However, it is unclear whether the progress made over the last couple of months is able to escape attack after Monday's shooting.

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Sinclair Broadcasting Group pushed back at news reports about an offer it made to Donald Trump during the campaign.

Over the past three days, there have been numerous misleading press stories about Sinclairs election coverage, Sinclair Broadcasting Group VP News Scott Livingston said this afternoon in a statement. We offered both major presidential candidates the same opportunities to be interviewed by our local anchors on a regular basis. There was no deal on the tone, tenor, or subject of the interviews. We did not offer favorable or preferential treatment to either candidate, nor did we ever waiver from our commitment to provide rigorous, thoughtful, and thorough coverage to the millions who rely on local television.

It is in everyones best interest that candidates speak to voters through interviews with professional reporters, Livingston continued. Our outreach to both Secretary Clintons and President-elect Trumps campaigns was meant to deliver meaningful, informative newscasts to our local viewers. We stand behind that practice.

Last Friday, Politico first reported the news Jared Kushner told business execs that Donald Trumps operation had struck a deal with Sinclair during the campaign to try and secure better media coverage. Kushners remarks were made at an off-the-record meeting in the Morgan Stanley Cafeteria for the Partnership for New York City. According to Politico, citing six unnamed people the news outlet said had heard the remarks, Trumps son-in-law said the agreement with Sinclair, which owns television stations across the country in many swing states and often packages news for its affiliates to run, gave them more access to Trump and the campaign. Sinclair agreed its stations would broadcast the Trump interviews across the country, without commentary, Politico reported. Sinclair operates and/or provides services to 173 television stations in 81 markets.

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Sinclair and station groups said such a deal is nothing nefarious or new and is something many campaigns have done in previous years to get around the national media, Politico reported.

The news outlet cited a Washington Post report from 2014 that said local Sinclair TV stations have, in the past, been directed to air must run stories produced by Sinclairs Washington bureau that were generally critical of Obama administration and offered perspectives primarily from conservative think tanks.

In the Politico post, Livingston said the offer for extended interviews with local anchors was made to both candidates. Trump did a handful of them, Hillary Clintons running mate Sen. Tim Kaine did a few, and Clinton did none. A Trump spokesman said the deal included the interviews running across every affiliate but that no money was exchanged between the network and the campaign. The spokesman said the campaign also worked with other media outlets that had affiliates, including Hearst. Barbara Maushard, senior vice president for news at Hearst Television, said in a statement Any suggestion that Hearst Television cut any deal with political candidates is categorically false and absurd.

Sinclair operates and/or provides services to 173 television stations in 81 markets, broadcasting 482 channels and having affiliations with all the major networks.

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By Andrew Chung

NEW YORK, Dec 20 (Reuters) - New York's top court handed Sirius XM Holdings Inc a major victory on Tuesday in a closely watched copyright battle with the founders of the 1960s' band The Turtles, a decision that will reduce a settlement both sides reached just weeks ago.

In a 4-2 ruling, the New York Court of Appeals agreed with Sirius that New York common law does not protect the public performance of songs made before 1972. Sirius had been playing the oldies without paying royalties.

Copyright "prevents copying of a work," the court said, "but does not prevent someone from using a copy, once it has been lawfully procured, in any other way the purchaser sees fit."

The case is one of a handful challenging New York-based Sirius and Pandora Media Inc over their playing of songs recorded before Feb. 15, 1972. Though such songs are not covered by federal copyright law, some recording artists and labels have won rulings entitling them to copyright protection under individual state laws.

Record sales have long been falling industrywide, forcing artists and labels to depend more on online or satellite services to make money.

In September 2014, Sirius was found liable to Flo & Eddie, a company controlled by founding Turtles members Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, under California law. Flo & Eddie also sued Sirius in New York and Florida.

Last month, Sirius settled with Flo & Eddie and other owners of pre-1972 songs that Sirius has played since August 2009. The settlement needs approval by a federal judge in Los Angeles.

Sirius agreed to pay up to $99 million, depending on the outcome of appeals between the parties in New York, California and Florida.

The New York victory means Sirius does not have to make a $5 million bonus payment for past royalties and can cut the licensing rate for the next 10 years by 2 percent, according to court documents.

If Sirius wins in the other states, the licensing rate would be further reduced to zero, said Sirius' attorney Daniel Petrocelli.

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"We are thrilled with the decision because it restores the law to where it has been for decades, and where it should remain," he said in an interview.

Henry Gradstein, a lawyer for Kaylan and Volman, in a statement said that because the laws over oldies are state specific, "the good fight to protect artists' rights rages on."

The case is Flo & Eddie Inc v. Sirius XM Radio, Inc, New York Court of Appeals, No. 172.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Cynthia Osterman)
Bratislava (AFP) - Slovak President Andrej Kiska on Tuesday vetoed a law he called "discriminatory", which would have made it even harder for Muslims and other religious minorities in the EU member to receive state subsidies.

"This law infringes fundamental rights," Kiska said in a statement, a couple of weeks after Slovak lawmakers adopted the legislation tabled by the right-wing Slovak National Party (SNS), a governing coalition member.

The bill would have required a religion to have at least 50,000 followers to become official and qualify for state subsidies, up from the current 20,000.

Only between 2,000 and 5,000 Muslims live in the country of 5.4 million people.

Governing coalition lawmakers are expected to override the veto, in accordance with the anti-Muslim rhetoric of leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico.

"While I am prime minister, I will never agree to establish a unified Muslim community in Slovakia," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Slovakia has 18 registered religious communities on which it spent nearly 40 million euros ($42 million) last year, according to the culture ministry.

The largest is the Roman Catholic church, with 3.3 million faithful.

By registering, religious communities can receive subsidies to notably help operate their schools and pay church salaries.

According Mohamad Hasna, president of the country's Islamic foundation, the fact that Muslims cannot register as a religious community significantly affects their everyday life.

"Muslims can't set up their own religious schools," he told AFP, adding that Islamic traditional weddings and funerals are also not legally binding in the country.
By Brendan O'Brien (Reuters) - Computers and devices sold in South Carolina that can access the internet would be required to have filters installed to prevent people from viewing pornography, although buyers could pay a $20 fee to remove the blocking software under a proposal before the legislature. The amendment would require manufacturers or sellers of computers and internet-accessible devices to install software that blocks pornography, according to a draft of the amendment filed with the South Carolina General Assembly on Dec. 15. One of its sponsors said on Tuesday the amendment would help raise money for the state's task force to combat human trafficking, adding that the measure would not restrict their legal liberties, indicating it would allow for viewing adult pornography. "This is a way to preserve freedom, not raise taxes and combat a serious problem all in one," State Representative William "Bill" Chumley, a Republican, said in an interview. Buyers over 18 in South Carolina would have to pay a $20 fee to have the block removed. Manufacturers or sellers would pay a $20 opt-out fee for each computer or device sold so they didn't have to install the blocking software, according to the proposed measure. The amendment did not address any technology challenges or whether the filter would be a barrier to interstate commerce for technology firms that sell their devices nationwide. There was no timetable for debate and a possible vote. Chumley has told local media that he sees the amendment as a starting point for debate and that the proposal he co-sponsored may be adjusted. The amendment corresponds with the Republican Party's national platform that calls for states to get tough on pornography, adding that the internet has become a safe haven for predators. "Pornography, with its harmful effects, especially on children, has become a public health crisis that is destroying the lives of millions," the GOP said in its platform. "We urge energetic prosecution of child pornography, which is closely linked to human trafficking." In April, a Republican-backed resolution in Utah declared pornography a public health hazard and an epidemic that normalizes violence against women and children and makes men less likely to want to get married. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Getty Image

Leave it to someone like St. Vincent  who packs her songs with layers on layers of meaning and instrumentation  to get the most out of a single interview. The musician born Annie Clark has already made waves via her tongue-in-cheek cover shoot from her upcoming Guitar World feature. And now the news that shes working on a new album that she thinks will be the boldest work [shes] ever done is pushing her right back into the headlines before the magazine even hits shelves.

St. Vincent told the guitar mag that shes been able to take a break from the album-tour cycle since she released St. Vincent in 2014. And that, along with the current political moment, allowed her to come up with what she views as her biggest work yet.

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Ive been able to step back and reflect and not just be in the tour, record, tour, record cycle that Ive been in for about 10 years, she said. I think itll be the deepest, boldest work Ive ever done. I feel the playing field is really open for creative people to do whatever you want, and that risk will be rewardedespecially now that we have such high stakes from a political and geo-political standpoint. The personal is political and therefore the political cant help but influence the art. And only music that has something pretty real to say is gonna cut the mustard.

Her last album featured the huge honking of Digital Witness and she already has songs like Marrow in the catalog, anything bolder will be a something to behold. But Im personally hoping for an album full of tracks like Krokodil. Annie Clark, punk rock god might be on the way. Get excited.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f31371%2f40273dce-3402-43a3-b7d6-d82a5b59fcd8

St. Vincent forgives, but she does not forget.

The Grammy-winning musician called out sexist guitar magazines while appearing for the first time on the cover of Guitar World.

SEE ALSO: St. Vincent releases eerie cover of the 'Golden Girls' theme song

Image: guitar world

St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, widely considered to be one of the greatest modern guitarists, takes the magazine to task inside the issue, too.

I did a quick Google search of women on the cover, and all I really saw was girls in bikinis holding guitars like theyve never held a guitar before," Clark tells the magazine in the January 2017 issue. "I started thinking about that and just wanted to make my own absurdist comment on it. I couldnt really let it slide without poking a bit of fun and taking the piss a little!

Guitar magazines rarely put women on the cover unless they're bikini models.

Props to St. Vincent for rubbing Guitar World's face in it. pic.twitter.com/ONDOr0SzxP  Russ Bynum (@russbynum) December 17, 2016

Earlier this year, NewBay Media LLC, which publishes Guitar World and several other magazines about guitars, vowed to end the practice of having scantily clad women pose with guitars in lieu of featuring actual female musicians.

The main driver of this decision was economic, but bikini models were outdated, and we didnt want to associate the brand with what could easily be viewed as sexist, as a misrepresentation of women guitar players, or that women in general may find offensive," Bill Amstutz, VP and general manager of the music group, told Reverb in March.

Guitar World didn't feature any women on its cover this year  their last female cover star was Joan Jett for the May 2015 issue.

Earlier this year she teamed up with Ernie Ball to design a guitar specifically for the female form because boobs can get in the way when you're, you know, actually playing the guitar  as Guitar World is finally learning in 2016.

H/T The Cut

BONUS: This robot tuner automatically perfects the pitch of your guitar
ID details required for forex deals of Rs100k

Financial and non-financial institutions, entrepreneurs and professionals will have to obtain the identity details of any customer conducting unexpected foreign exchange transactions worth Rs100,000 or more, according to the new money laundering prevention regulation issued recently.
For seven films, the opening crawl has been a key part of the Star Wars moviegoing experience. It elicits a near-Pavlovian response in audiences, cueing them up for an adventure in a galaxy far, far away - and it helps the story jump right into the action.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first of the films not to feature an opening crawl. For the man who spent months creating the crawl for 1977's Star Wars, that's a disappointment.

"Frankly, it is a huge mistake, because the image is so iconic and it's so important to tens of millions, hundreds of millions of fans," title designer Dan Perri tells Heat Vision." I couldn't imagine it starting without that. It's foolish."

The filmmakers have said Rogue One doesn't feature a crawl because its story - about a group of brave Rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star - actually comes from the original crawl Perri created. Perri has not seen Rogue One or a Star Wars film since the original ("There are too many things to do and there are too many film out there to see," he explains).

It took a lot of work to earn Star Wars creator George Lucas' stamp of approval for the opening titles. It was just months before the May 1977 release date, and Lucas was under immense pressure to complete the film. Perri would drive to Lucas' Van Nuys office and wait for hours for the director to have a few minutes to look at (and reject) his latest attempt.

At the time, Perri and many 20th Century Fox executives did not realize Lucas had a world-changing hit on his hands.

"I had no idea what he was doing, so it was just this stupid space film. I didn't think anything of it," says Perri. "Everything I showed him, he didn't like. So I was constantly going out there with new ideas, and he would tell me to look at certain films. The Buck Rogers films and all the serials from the '30s that he was using for inspiration."

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Perri came up with the idea of the crawl when he saw the 1939 film Union Pacific (see below).

"He liked the idea, but then I had to start shooting and testing and setting type. I went through 20 or 30 or 40 different type styles before I settled on one. Once we did that, I shot tests for weeks and weeks and weeks," says Perri. "It was all on film. You shoot a test on black-and-white film and then it had to be developed the next day or late that day. I'd rush out to Van Nuys with it and wait for him for hours to show it to him and he never liked it, and it just went on and on and on."

Eventually, it all worked out, and Lucas was happy.

"He accepted it and they cut it in. By then, it was only maybe a month before the release," says Perri. "The day I delivered it, it was such a relief to drive away from there knowing, 'Wow, it's done finally.' "

But there was no time to stop to savor the moment with Lucas.

"He had so many things on his mind, he was so busy. He took a few minutes to look at it and he went right back to whatever other problems he had that day," says Perri.

Perri is a legend among title designers, with credits including dozens of films, such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Airplane. He is currently planning a hardcover coffee table book that will detail 27 films he's worked on. The book will feature storyboards, commentary on his design process and stories on the different directors he's worked with, with a Kickstarter planned for next year.

"When I think back on it, it wasn't fun," Perri says of his time on Star Wars. "It was a difficult project, but I'm happy with the results."

Here's the original opening crawl:

Read more: 'Rogue One': Peter Cushing's Views on Life, Death and the Beyond Are Worth Revisiting
By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - For months, Germany's Angela Merkel has looked like the one safe bet in European politics. As Britain's David Cameron, Italy's Matteo Renzi and France's Francois Hollande all succumbed to the scorn of angry voters, the German chancellor promised to fight for a fourth term and seemed destined to win it. That is still the base case scenario as Germany gears up for an election in the autumn of next year, one of several in Europe that could tilt the region's political landscape. But the truck attack on a crowded Christmas market in the bustling heart of the former West Berlin on Monday night is a reminder that even Merkel, Europe's longest-serving leader, is vulnerable to events on the ground as 2017 unfolds. Initial reports suggested the attack, which killed 12 people and injured 48, was carried out by a 23-year-old migrant from Pakistan who arrived in Germany one year ago, with the flood of refugees that Merkel welcomed with her optimistic mantra "we can do this". Later, police said it was unclear whether the man they had arrested on Monday night was indeed the driver. What does seem clear however, is that any attack in Germany with a link, no matter how tenuous, to last year's refugee influx will be laid at Merkel's door by opponents keen to destabilize the one mainstream leader in Europe who has looked invulnerable. "The attack will re-ignite criticism of Angela Merkel, her liberal refugee policy and commitment to open borders, demonstrating how vulnerable she is heading into next year's election,' said Mujtaba Rahman of Eurasia Group. In her first comments since the attack, Merkel, 62, urged Germans not to succumb to fear and said the country would find the strength to continue to live "free, together and open". But she also hinted at the troublesome implications of the incident for her and others who have opened their arms to refugees fleeing war and persecution in the Middle East. "I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum in Germany," she said. POPULISTS POUNCE The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which was created three years ago in opposition to euro zone bailouts but has since morphed into an anti-immigration party, was quick to put the blame on Merkel and her policies. "The environment in which such acts can spread was carelessly and systematically imported over the past one-and-a-half years," said AfD leader Frauke Petry. "It was not an isolated incident and it won't be the last." Foreign critics also took their digs, with Nigel Farage, a driving force behind the Brexit vote in June which forced out Cameron, tweeting: "Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy." A poll released on Tuesday morning and conducted before the attack showed support for Merkel's conservative bloc - her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian allies - at 36 percent, 14 points ahead of the next strongest party, the Social Democrats (SPD), and 25 points ahead of the AfD. The survey for Stern magazine also showed that 50 percent of Germans would back Merkel in a hypothetical vote for chancellor, compared to just 14 percent for SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel. Despite that healthy margin, Merkel herself has said next year's election will be "tough like no other". Her advisers have also cautioned against viewing her re-election as a done deal, pointing to the threat of attacks, a renewed influx of refugees and the risk that Russia could try to destabilize Merkel with fake news and cyber leaks as it appears to have done in the run-up to the recent U.S. election. "Nothing is certain," one top aide told Reuters last month. "There is a lot of time until the election and a lot can happen between now and then." Merkel has watched over the past half year as Cameron and Renzi staked their political futures on referendums that they lost. Hollande, deeply unpopular, announced this month he would not stand for a second term next year. In 2017, the Netherlands, France, Germany and probably Italy will hold elections. CSU STANDOFF One of the biggest concerns in Merkel's entourage has been the criticism of her refugee policies from the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), which has threatened to break with her CDU unless she accepts a ceiling on the number of migrants allowed into the country each year. Merkel has refused to budge on that demand but has tried to appease the CSU with a series of real and symbolic steps to clamp down on migration and ratchet up security. This month, she backed a ban on face-covering Muslim veils for women. Despite the olive branches and a sharp drop in the number of arrivals over the course of this year - official data suggests the 2016 figure will be roughly a third of the 2015 total - CSU leader Horst Seehofer has kept up the pressure. On Tuesday, in the aftermath of the Christmas market attack, he pressed Merkel once again. "We owe it to the victims, their loved ones and all German people to rethink and overhaul our migration and security policies," Seehofer said. A bigger problem would be if Merkel's own party turned on her. But after re-electing her as CDU leader earlier this month with a score of nearly 90 percent, that seems far-fetched, even if grumbling from low-ranking officials was evident on Tuesday. With mainstream, centrist parties enjoying the support of roughly 75 percent of the electorate and Merkel's CDU with a healthy lead over all challengers, it may take more disasters like the one on Monday evening at a Christmas market in Berlin to knock the German leader from her perch. (Additional reporting by Michelle Martin, Madeline Chambers, Emma Thomasson, Thorsten Severin; editing by Ralph Boulton)
A study, published in the journal, Scientific Reports, highlights another powerful benefit of sunlight. Already known for stimulating vitamin D production, sunlight may also have an energizing effect on T cells, a type of white blood cell that activates cells in the body to fight infection.

Researchers at the USA's Georgetown University Medical Center have found that sunlight plays a positive role in the action of T lymphocytes, or T cells, which allow the human body to combat pathogens.

The study found that blue light present in sunlight directly activates the cells, both in samples taken from mice and humans, by increasing their speed of movement. This, in turn, makes them more effective at fighting infection.

The T-cell response was found to be driven by hydrogen peroxide, a compound that white blood cells release when an infection is detected in the body. It serves to kill bacteria and to rally T cells to mobilize an immune response.

Given the large surface area of human skin, all of the T cells present in skin could potentially benefit from this phenomenon through exposure to blue light, the researchers suggest.

Note that vitamin D is only produced in the body via exposure to UV rays, which can be harmful in cases of prolonged sun exposure.

If blue light from the sun's rays is capable of energizing infection-fighting T cells, it could be a potential means of treatment for boosting immunity in many patients, the researchers conclude.
money-kids-cash-coins-children

Giving kids a monthly allowance isn't just good parenting  it could be good government.

A new study from King's College London makes a strong case that giving families a set amount of money each month to use toward childcare  essentially a basic income for kids  could have profound implications for how disadvantaged children turn out as adults.

According to the study, which comprised more than 1,000 people tracked from ages 3 to 38, certain markers of early brain health can predict with startling accuracy which kids would sink deeper into poverty as adults, develop drug addictions, and commit crimes.

If the kids' parents had been able to provide more secure households (like with a basic income), the research suggests, the subjects whose brain health declined might have been guided toward healthier, brighter futures.

Clinical psychologist and co-author Terrie Moffitt says about 20% of the population uses 80% of the money given to public assistance services  a version of the Pareto Principle, which states that 80% of a system's output usually comes from 20% of its parts.

Basic income supporters view those kinds of imbalances as evidence that strengthening the social safety net is a win for everyone. If there is less of a need for public assistance programs, people won't need to pay as much in taxes to support them. Plus, the addition of all those people to the workforce means greater economic output and spending.

A childhood basic income isn't unheard of. In at least 10 countries, including Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the government hands out money to couples who have kids. They're known as "child allowances" or "universal child benefits." The money reflects an understanding that raising kids is tough, expensive work. And no one checks the parents' income to make sure they qualify for the allowances either. The benefit is universal.

The research on basic income more generally hints at some lasting benefits. There is no data on first-world populations, but developing-world data (in places like Kenya and Honduras) reveal people enjoy lower stress levels and greater happiness when they can pay for a new roof or start a business. Recent data finds people buy drugs and alcohol less often as well.

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Russ Whitehurst, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, has found through his own research that direct cash transfers to families and subsidies like daycare vouchers also trickle down to benefit kids. Specifically, they lead to higher youth achievement than nearly every other form of intervention, including popular programs like Head Start, Pre-K, and a push toward smaller class sizes.

According to Whitehurst's research, kids whose parents got money straight from the government, in the form of a big tax refund known as the Earned Income Tax Credit, did better on standardized tests as early as third grade and as late as college compared to similar kids in the other programs.

Whitehurst says it's easy to see why.

"If you're bringing home $21,000 and the government gives you another $3,000, that can be a big deal," he told Business Insider in August. "It can allow you repair your car when it breaks down and you need it to go to work. It can allow you to make a rent payment that, if you missed it, would mean having to change homes or being homeless."

The newest research suggests extra money might not just mean better grades, as Whitehurst's research finds, but improved health and lower odds of breaking the law. "This study really gives a pretty clear picture of what happens if you don't intervene," Moffitt told the Telegraph.

And based on the early available research, basic income gives a clear picture of what happens when you do.

NOW WATCH: Scientists discovered a disturbing common trait amongst antidepressants for children





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Public School Is Returning to the NYFW Calendar [Fashionista]

Public School is returning to the New York Fashion Week calendar in February. The label founded by Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne first announced in April of this year that they would show their collections in June and December rather than on the traditional fashion week schedule, adding that their collections would be numbered (Collection 1, Collection 2, etc.) rather than seasonal spring and fall lines. The designers, who recently stepped down from their second gig as creative directors of DKNY, will show Public School's fall 2017 collection on Feb. 12.

Net-a-Porter Founder Natalie Massanet Reportedly Headed to Farfetch [Business of Fashion]

Net-a-Porter founder and former CEO Dame Natalie Massanet might have a new job on the horizon. The businesswoman, who also serves as the chairman of the British Fashion Council, is reportedly in talks for an executive position at online luxury retailer Farfetch, which is reportedly preparing for a $1 billion stock market listing next year. Massanet's 12-month non-compete clause with Net-a-Porter expired in September. In October 2015, she registered a new company in the U.K. called Imaginary Ventures Ltd.; however, she has yet to expand on plans for that business.

Neil Patrick Harris Answered 73 Questions for Vogue [Vogue]

For the latest in its "73 Questions" series, Vogue tapped Neil Patrick Harris to chat about life in New York City, his upcoming projects and the job he'd choose if he weren't an actor (a Disney "imagineer"). The actor gave the fashion glossy a tour of his trophy room - which also houses his "N.P.H." brand from the Harold and Kumar movies, in addition to his Tony Award and Emmys - as well as the infamous bar booth from How I Met Your Mother. Watch below to see Harris rap a song from Hamilton, plus a special cameo from David Burtka.
The police force in Sweden wants hire a greater number of immigrants to adjust to the increasingly diverse population in the country. Law enforcement authorities are optimistic Swedes seeing more immigrants in police uniforms will give the force new street cred.

The initiative called the World Integrated into Swedish Police Project aims to increase ethnic diversity in every level of law enforcement.

"We need a lot more diversity in the police, applying to everything from ethnicity to different experiences and backgrounds," Carin Gotblad, who leads the World Integrated into Swedish Police project, said in a press release.

Only 6 percent of Swedish police officers had an immigrant background as of Tuesday, compared to 17 percent of Swedes who are of immigrant descent nationally.

Swedens police departments had been accused of not employing enough officers, resulting in lower crime detection, local reports said Tuesday. But the police force hopes hiring more ethnic minorities will allow it to patrol no-go zones in Swedish cities  neighborhoods largely occupied by ethnic minorities that are riddled with unemployment and crime. Previously, Swedish law enforcement officers shied away from entering these parts of the city because they often were greeted with people throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at them.

There are reportedly 55 no-go zones in the country, RT reported Sept. 25. Because of the substantial level of abuse police experience in these areas, an average of three Swedish officers asked to resign from the force daily. Four of five Swedish police officers have contemplated changing their professions because of the significant risk associated with regulating these areas where patrol cars sometimes are set ablaze.

In a survey asking Swedes about their confidence in the police force in November, 47 percent of respondents said they were highly confident, a Sifo poll published earlier this month indicated. But when pollsters asked Swedes the same question in March, 61 percent of respondents said they had high confidence in the police.

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There have been discussions in the countryside where people say that there are no police. There were fatal shootings in Malmo and Gothenburg. There has been an intense debate about what the police can deliver, if they can get there, and which crimes are prosecuted, Sifo opinion polls head Toivo Sjoren told reporters.

Following a summer plagued by an unprecedented number of sexual harassment cases during music festivals, the region of Skane, which is a six-hour drive south of Stockholm, requested help from the Stockholm police force because they had run out of homicide detectives.

The number of crimes reported in Sweden increased 2 percent in 2016 compared to last year. Through the first six months of 2016, there were 764,000 crimes reported in Sweden, including hundreds of rapes, murders and attempted murders. Swedens police force had a crime detection rate of 14 percent in 2016, the lowest in 16 years.

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BANGKOK, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Thailand on Tuesday freed from prison a Swiss man jailed for blackmail and attempted extortion in a case linked to a scandal over Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Xavier Justo was among 150,000 Thai and foreign inmates who were granted a royal amnesty this month by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He will be deported to Switzerland, his lawyer said.

Justo was jailed for three years in August 2015 after Thai police said he admitted to blackmail and attempting extortion of his former employer, Petrosaudi International, a Saudi Arabia-based oil and gas company and former joint venture partner of 1MDB.

The Malaysian state fund 1MDB, once a pet project of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chaired its advisory board, is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.

After his release, Justo, dressed in a white T-shirt, blue shorts and flip flops, was taken to an immigration detention centre in Bangkok in a police van accompanied by four police commandos.

"I'm happy to be sent home," Justo told Reuters as he went into the centre. "I hope to be back by tonight."

Justo's lawyer in Thailand, Worrasit Piriyawiboon, said his client would be deported to Switzerland.

"It's now up to immigration when they decide to deport him and up to his embassy," Worrasit told Reuters.

In August, Justo's sentence was cut to two years under a royal amnesty, prompting the Swiss authorities to request his transfer to serve the remaining term back home.

Thailand declined the extradition request, which Swiss authorities said in September they regretted.

Worrasit said it was customary for Thailand to deport people to their country when they are released, and Justo could do what he wanted when he got home.

"This is not an extradition. This is a deportation," he said. "Once he's in Switzerland, he's a free man."

Reuters was not able to reach the Swiss Embassy in Bangkok for comment.

Story continues

Thai police said Justo leaked documents from Petrosaudi relating to its joint venture with 1MDB that were published by Malaysian and international media groups last year and formed the basis of the money-laundering investigation.

He was arrested on a Thai resort island in 2015 following allegations by Petrosaudi that he had demanded payment in exchange for not disclosing confidential information, Thai police said at the time.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib has denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB and said Malaysia would cooperate with the investigations.

(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Jutarat Skulpichetrat; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Joint Youth Student Organisation protest amendment bill in Capital (Photo feature)

Joint Youth Student Organisation organised a protest programme led by main opposition CPN-UML at New Baneshwor, Kathmandu on Tuesday.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand on Tuesday freed from prison a Swiss man jailed for blackmail and attempted extortion in a case linked to a scandal over Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Xavier Justo was among 150,000 Thai and foreign inmates who were granted a royal amnesty this month by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He will be deported to Switzerland, his lawyer said.

Justo was jailed for three years in August 2015 after Thai police said he admitted to blackmail and attempting extortion of his former employer, Petrosaudi International, a Saudi Arabia-based oil and gas company and former joint venture partner of 1MDB.

The Malaysian state fund 1MDB, once a pet project of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chaired its advisory board, is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.

After his release, Justo, dressed in a white T-shirt, blue shorts and flip flops, was taken to an immigration detention center in Bangkok in a police van accompanied by four police commandos.

"I'm happy to be sent home," Justo told Reuters as he went into the center. "I hope to be back by tonight."

Justo's lawyer in Thailand, Worrasit Piriyawiboon, said his client would be deported to Switzerland.

"It's now up to immigration when they decide to deport him and up to his embassy," Worrasit told Reuters.

In August, Justo's sentence was cut to two years under a royal amnesty, prompting the Swiss authorities to request his transfer to serve the remaining term back home.

Thailand declined the extradition request, which Swiss authorities said in September they regretted.

Worrasit said it was customary for Thailand to deport people to their country when they are released, and Justo could do what he wanted when he got home.

"This is not an extradition. This is a deportation," he said. "Once he's in Switzerland, he's a free man."

Reuters was not able to reach the Swiss Embassy in Bangkok for comment.

Story continues

Thai police said Justo leaked documents from Petrosaudi relating to its joint venture with 1MDB that were published by Malaysian and international media groups last year and formed the basis of the money-laundering investigation.

He was arrested on a Thai resort island in 2015 following allegations by Petrosaudi that he had demanded payment in exchange for not disclosing confidential information, Thai police said at the time.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib has denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB and said Malaysia would cooperate with the investigations.

(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Jutarat Skulpichetrat; Editing by Robert Birsel)
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand on Tuesday freed from prison a Swiss man jailed for blackmail and attempted extortion in a case linked to a scandal over Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Xavier Justo was among 150,000 Thai and foreign inmates who were granted a royal amnesty this month by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He will be deported to Switzerland, his lawyer said.

Justo was jailed for three years in August 2015 after Thai police said he admitted to blackmail and attempting extortion of his former employer, Petrosaudi International, a Saudi Arabia-based oil and gas company and former joint venture partner of 1MDB.

The Malaysian state fund 1MDB, once a pet project of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chaired its advisory board, is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.

After his release, Justo, dressed in a white T-shirt, blue shorts and flip flops, was taken to an immigration detention centre in Bangkok in a police van accompanied by four police commandos.

"I'm happy to be sent home," Justo told Reuters as he went into the centre. "I hope to be back by tonight."

Justo's lawyer in Thailand, Worrasit Piriyawiboon, said his client would be deported to Switzerland.

"It's now up to immigration when they decide to deport him and up to his embassy," Worrasit told Reuters.

In August, Justo's sentence was cut to two years under a royal amnesty, prompting the Swiss authorities to request his transfer to serve the remaining term back home.

Thailand declined the extradition request, which Swiss authorities said in September they regretted.

Worrasit said it was customary for Thailand to deport people to their country when they are released, and Justo could do what he wanted when he got home.

"This is not an extradition. This is a deportation," he said. "Once he's in Switzerland, he's a free man."

Reuters was not able to reach the Swiss Embassy in Bangkok for comment.

Story continues

Thai police said Justo leaked documents from Petrosaudi relating to its joint venture with 1MDB that were published by Malaysian and international media groups last year and formed the basis of the money-laundering investigation.

He was arrested on a Thai resort island in 2015 following allegations by Petrosaudi that he had demanded payment in exchange for not disclosing confidential information, Thai police said at the time.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib has denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB and said Malaysia would cooperate with the investigations.

(Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Jutarat Skulpichetrat; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Geneva (AFP) - The man who went on a shooting rampage at a Muslim prayer hall in Zurich before committing suicide was already a killer and appeared obsessed with the occult, Swiss police said Tuesday.

The black-clad assailant, identified as a 24-year-old Swiss national of Ghanaian origin, committed suicide after Monday's spree and his body was found on a nearby river bank, police said.

Christiane Lentjes Meili, police chief for the canton of Zurich, told reporters that the unnamed gunman had stabbed a former friend to death at a playground only the day before.

"There is no doubt that this man, who shot himself nearby after the attack on the mosque, is responsible for the two acts," she said.

"We don't know anything about the motives," she said, adding that the shooter appeared to be deeply interested in the occult.

"Corresponding symbols have been found at his home," Lentjes Meili said, without elaborating.

According to investigators, there was no indication that the gunman had any links to terrorism or far-right movements. He also had no known connection to the Islamic Centre.

They said it remained unclear if he was suffering from mental problems.

The man burst into the centre and opened fire on Monday evening, injuring three worshippers, aged 30, 35 and 56, who were among around a dozen people inside at the time.

Two were seriously hurt, but Lentjes Meili said that after surgery, all three men were now in stable condition.

- Bicycle thief -

Shortly after the attack, a body was found a few hundred metres (yards) from the scene on a river bank under a bridge.

Lentjes Meili confirmed that the body belonged to the gunman, and that he appeared to have turned his weapon on himself after his rampage.

Police had launched a manhunt after finding forensic evidence linking him to Sunday's stabbing of a 24-year-old Swiss man with Chilean roots, who was killed with several knives.

She said the two men had been friends.

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Police had secured DNA evidence at the scene of the playground killing and were able to match it with DNA samples taken seven years ago from a youth who had stolen a bicycle.

But despite having identified the murderer and deploying numerous resources to find him, police were unable to track him down before Monday's shooting, Lentjes Meili said.

Investigators believe that the gunman lived alone. He had been working at an undisclosed shop, but had left his job last Friday, police said.

The man did have a legal permit for the gun used in the attack, Lentjes Meili said.

However, gun ownership is widespread in Switzerland, where citizens are allowed to keep their army-issue weapons at home outside periods of mandatory military service.

The law allows any citizen aged over 18 to possess arms under certain conditions and there are an estimated two million weapons in private hands among Switzerland's population of about eight million.

- 'Take Islamophobia seriously' -

The Islamic Central Council of Switzerland issued a statement condemning Monday's attack and urging politicians and the media to "finally take Islamophobia seriously"

The shooting, it said, was "an alarm signal" that should prompt action to ensure that "Islamophobia is pushed back to the margins of society, where racism and anti-Semitism once were relegated".

It called on Swiss authorities to dish out public funds to secure mosques and other Muslim institutions.

Monday's shooting was not the first such attack in Switzerland.

In 2004, a Frenchman of Tunisian origin suffering from serious psychological problems stabbed the imam at a Lausanne mosque as he spoke before some 200 worshippers.

And in 2007, a 23-year-old Swiss Muslim, also suffering from psychological issues, opened fire in a Muslim prayer hall in Crissier, not far from Lausanne, seriously injuring one worshipper.
Don Brown, the award-winning author-illustrator behind graphic novels Drowned City and The Great American Dustbowl, is currently working on a new book, EW has learned.

Titled The Unwanted, the graphic novel will focus on the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis and will tell the story of a month in a refugees lifeincluding the harsh conditions of the war zone theyre forced to live in as they try to escape.

The Syrian refugee crisis is an epic world tragedy not seen in decades, says Brown, who will be traveling to a refugee camp as part of his research. Having explored the graphic format in two earlier books, Im convinced its hybrid literary and artistic nature is perfectly suited to tell the story.

The Unwanted will be released Fall 2018, with publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt donating a portion of the books proceeds to the International Rescue Committee, a nonprofit dedicated to to helping people fleeing conflict or national disaster.

Browns previous works, The Great American Dustbowl and Drowned City, both focused on similar themes, with the former looking at the Dust Bowl and its effect on people at the time, while the latter delved into the history and events unfolding during Hurricane Katrina.
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TAIPEI/SAN SALVADOR, Dec 20 (Reuters) - China's objection to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen passing through the United Sates enroute to Latin America next month had not delayed planning for the trip and transit locations will be announced in days, the presidential office said on Tuesday.

Tsai's office said she will visit Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador in that order, departing Taiwan on January 7 and returning on January 15.

When asked whether the transit stops would include the United States, Taiwan's presidential office spokesman Alex Huang declined to comment.

China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, whom it thinks wants to push for the formal independence of Taiwan, and has called on the United States not to let her transit. Taiwan is a self-governing island that Beijing regards as a renegade province.

President-elect Donald Trump irked Beijing earlier this month by speaking to Tsai in a break with decades of precedent and cast doubt on his incoming administration's commitment to Beijing's "one China" policy.

Huang said details of the transit stops would be disclosed in days as Taiwan's foreign ministry was still working them out with foreign counterparts ahead of work closures due to Christmas and New Year holidays abroad.

Asked if the planning or disclosure of the transit stops were being delayed due to pressure from China, Huang said: "No. That is over-speculation, there is no problem of that kind."

The United States normally does not host Taiwan presidents due to Washington's maintenance of the "one China" policy.

Transit stops are seen as unofficial and carried out under tight protocol. When Tsai visited Panama and other allies in June, a month after she took power, she transited in Miami and Los Angeles.

Taiwanese media have reported that Tsai would seek to meet with Trump's team during a possible transit stop.

The 90-plus member delegation, traveling on a chartered jet, with Tsai will include her national security council chief Joseph Wu and foreign minister David Lee, deputy foreign minister Javier Hou told a news conference.

China considers Taiwan independence a red line issue and it has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control.

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria in SAN SALVADOR and J.R. Wu in TAIPEI; Editing by Michael Perry)
Texas authorities are investigating the killings of a mother and her infant son after they were found in their beds Thursday night with their throats slit, PEOPLE confirms.

The bodies of Shanna Riddle Vandewege, 36, and her 3-month-old son, Diederick, were found in their Fort Worth home. They died from having their necks cut, a Tarrant County Medical Examiners office spokeswoman tells PEOPLE. Their deaths were ruled homicides.

Fort Worth police went to the familys house after receiving a call from Saginaw police reporting a man had called after finding the woman and child dead, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

 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.

Mark Riddle, Shannas father, told ABC8 his daughters husband, Craig Vandewege, found his wife and sons bodies after coming home from work. (Fort Worth police could not be reached by PEOPLE for comment.)

Shanna was a registered nurse at a nearby hospital but was on maternity leave, the Star-Telegram reports. She and Craig had recently moved from Denver, Colorado, to Texas according to a GoFundMe page started to help pay for funeral expenses.

They tried so long to have a baby, Riddle told ABC8 of his daughters growing family. She had three miscarriages prior to having one.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

Police have not commented on a motive, the Dallas Morning News reports. No suspects have been named.

Shanna was a beautiful soul and a dedicated nurse and mother, a friend wrote on the GoFundMe page. All our thoughts and prayers are with Shannas family. There are no words to describe how much she will be missed and how difficult this time is.
Overall, 2016 was an excellent year for movies, as evidenced by the number of films wed strongly recommend adding to your queue on our list of the 50 best. But every bouquet of roses has its thorns, and there were some, um, sharp ones this year. Thats particularly true in the pre-sold franchise department, with big fails from the worlds of YA (Allegiant), gaming (Warcraft), and comics (both DC releases). Here are our picks for this years biggest turkeys.

10. Allegiant

And we thought Insurgent was bad. If The Divergent Series didnt jump the shark with its 2015 sequel, it certainly did with this threequel  a sloppy and lifeless hooey-filled sci-fi flick that, admittedly, is beholden to some pretty weak source material.

9. The Forest

One of two terrible American movies about Japans infamous suicide forest released this year, The Forest is a turgid hike through horror cliches and nonsensical storytelling. Backpackers and horror fans alike would be wise to take the scenic route and avoid this washout.

8. Warcraft

Theres a good  possibly even great  movie buried somewhere in Duncan Joness overstuffed adaptation of the internationally-renowned video game. Unfortunately, that version of Warcraft is lost amidst truncated storylines, personality-free characters, and generic CGI violence.

7. USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

Nicolas Cage headlined four films this year, and the worst of the bunch  by a lot  was this dramatic account of the famed WWII ship sunk by a Japanese torpedo. Chintzy special effects and unconvincing performances abound, though its biggest crime is saddling Cage with a painfully bland lead role.

6. Independence Day: Resurgence

Will Smiths best career decision in 2016 was saying No to the sequel that nobody was asking for. Indifferently directed by Roland Emmerich, Resurgence manages to be less exciting  and looks more dated  than the original ID video game which was made in 1997.

5. Get A Job

After a four-year delay, this comedy arrived in theaters in 2016  only to disappoint. Miles Teller and Anna Kendrick are charmless in this unfunny story about entitled twentysomethings who deserve nothing, but eventually get everything. Its a film to make you hate millennials.

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4. Suicide Squad

2016 proved DC has yet to master its cinematic universe. If the grim Batman v Superman wasnt bad enough, David Ayers anticipated Suicide Squad proved no consolation prize, wasting charismatic performances of Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) and Will Smith (Deadshot) in a frenetic, incoherent antihero teamup that spent more time on its soundtrack than screenplay. Theres always Wonder Woman, right?

3. Ice Age: Collision Course

It might be unfair to put a kids movie on here, but its not like they can go to the movies by themselves. We still had to sit through this forced, painfully unfunny sequel. In an incredibly impressive year for animation, Ice Age substituted story for slapstick and humor for horrible puns.

2. Collateral Beauty

Will Smiths worst career decision in 2016 was saying Yes to this uniquely bizarre attempt at a heart-tugging drama. In a year where gaslighting was the word on everyones lips, Collateral Beauty offers not just one, but two improbable plot twists that will leave you doubting your own sanity.

1. The Sea of Trees

Back in 2015, Cannes audiences greeted Gus Van Sants treacly, culturally tone deaf film with boos. Theyd gotten a sneak peek at what wed all eventually learn when it hit theaters this year  that this fake-profound tale of a suicidal American (Matthew McConaughy) who travels to Japans Aokigahara forest wouldve been better off staying lost in the woods.

Check out our ranking of the 50 best films of 2016:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below.
A look at the email campaign that folks are calling sexist. (Photo: Facebook)

We could all use a little friendly advice when it comes to dressing to impress your significant others family during the holidays. But people are saying one retailer has taken it too far in its advertising, labeling a recent campaign as sexist.

According to Indy100, British fashion and lifestyle brand Joy is facing criticism over an email holiday campaign that tells women how to dress in order to get your boyfriends parents to like you. Underneath a picture of a woman in a black printed dress, the caption reads, Show your boyfriends mum youre the girl to take care of her little prince in beautiful dresses that scream marriage material. Knee length skirts exude class while respectable necklines mean father-in-law wont have a heart attack when you lean across the table for a second helping of roast potatoes.

Of course, people took to social media to express their disdain for the campaign, flooding the brands Facebook page with complaints. Your Meet the Parents marketing email is incredibly offensive, outdated and ill-conceived. What were you thinking? one person wrote.

If Id wanted something to look after I would have bought a puppy. As it stands my girlfriend looks after herself pretty well, because shes a grown woman who is in a relationship for a partnership, another person said. Try to refrain from blasting out your 1950s heteronormative advertising for 2017. You might win a few more customers. Also, if anyones partners dad is oggling [sic] their boobs over dinner, punch him square in the nose and take that meal to go.

Another user attempted to inform the retailer that the values it is peddling for women have long since changed: Women wear your clothing to look smart at work, not bag a man and get married. Grow up. Other customers thought that the campaign was meant to be satirical, but if the satire falls flat, then what is even the point?

It appears that Joy has yet to respond to the shoppers complaints on social media.

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Vera Bradley is another retailer that has caught flak for what some customers have viewed as sexist advertising. The handbag and luggage brands user-driven #itsgoodtobeagirl campaign left a bad taste in a few mouths. Vera Bradley asked its customers to submit reasons why being a girl is so great, but once the campaign rolled out, people felt as if the brand had chosen ones that fed into stereotypes about women. As Yahoo Style reported back in September, Women weighed in to point out that the brands demographic is women, that women have to carry bags because their clothing often doesnt have pockets, and pointing out that the wage gap is a priority over being a girl.'

Australian label Realisation Par also found itself in a bit of a pickle this summer over a description on its Diane  Red Star dress. It says that men love sundresses, and the piece would be perfect to wear when youre looking to get out of a sticky situation because this is the dress that makes them forget why they were even mad at you in the first place and the only thing that really matters is: If youre bad at being good, you better be damn good at getting out of it. Some people thought that framing a dress as a piece to have in order to manipulate men was problematic, though its important to note that the description also says, We women dress for ourselves and ourselves only.

Debacles like these can be avoided when marketers decide to consider why women shop, instead of falling back on outdated stereotypes.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
It has long been rumored that Thor: Ragnarok will take incorporate a Planet Hulk storyline from the comic books. Now, director Taika Waititi has confirmed a big clue regarding the location of the movie.

During an interview with Total Film, Waititi revealed that the film will take place in Sakaar, the titular Planet Hulk. Sakaar was just an insane, far-off, futuristic place which was the biggest shift for the film and these characters, he said, according to Collider. I was really excited when Kevin [Feige] and the rest of Marvel jumped on board with the idea to use [Jack] Kirby as a big influence in the design of the film. Whats really hard is staying authentic.

In Sakaar, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is turned into a gladiator in the Imperial Arena run by the Red King, a corrupt ruler of a fearsome empire. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will somehow find himself in Sakaar and rescue his fellow Avenger with the help of a new heroine named Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson).

It was even reported earlier that Valkyrie will become Thors new love interest, but the rumor was dismissed by Screen Geek. Although there will be a spark between the two characters, they wont become a couple and will simply remain friends. It seems like Marvel is going to maintain Natalie Portmans Jane Foster as Thors main love interest, even though she wont make an appearance in the third film. In fact, her name wont even be mentioned at all in the upcoming film.

Feige told The Empire Film Podcast that there are many reasons that will explain Janes absence, but the biggest reason will have to be the setting. There are only a couple of scenes on Earth in this movie. [Around] 80 to 90 percent takes place in the cosmos, he said.

Thor: Ragnarok will be released on Nov. 3, 2017.

Chris Hemsworth

Photo: Getty Images

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Lorry ploughs into Berlin festive market, killing 12

An articulated lorry has ploughed into a busy Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48.
Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - Thousands of traumatised Syrians left the rebel enclave of Aleppo Monday as the UN voted to deploy observers there and said it planned new peace talks in Geneva in February.

"It is the intention of the United Nations to convene those negotiations in Geneva on 8 February 2017," UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said after the Security Council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution to monitor evacuations from Aleppo, with Russia's backing.

But in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said after Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead by a policeman in Ankara that the killing could "disrupt" the peace process in Syria and harm Turkish-Russian ties.

Damascus denounced the "despicable" murder of Karlov, who a witness said was shot dead by a gunman who shouted "Aleppo" and "revenge".

James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia programme at think tank Chatham House, said the diplomat's murder could affect Aleppo evacuations.

Families in Aleppo had spent hours waiting in below-freezing temperatures, sheltering from the rain in bombed-out apartment blocks and waiting desperately for news of a new wave of departures.

After an agonising delay, the operation resumed under a complex agreement that will see regime forces exert full control over Syria's second city.

- 'Huge crowd' -

Buses transported more than 7,000 people out of the city, said Ingy Sedky, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

She said the evacuations were expected to continue overnight.

"There are still thousands -- it's a huge crowd, women, children," she said.

The evacuees included seven-year-old Bana al-Abed, whose Twitter account had offered a tragic account of Syria's nearly six-year war, as well as 47 children who had been trapped in an orphanage.

Ahmad al-Dbis, who heads a team of doctors and volunteers coordinating evacuations, saw dozens of buses and ambulances arrive at the staging ground west of Aleppo.

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He said the evacuees were in "a very bad state after waiting for more than 16 hours" at a regime checkpoint without being allowed off the vehicles.

The government had suspended evacuations on Friday, insisting that people also be allowed to leave two northwestern villages under rebel siege.

The ICRC and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said around 500 people left in a dawn convoy out of Fuaa and Kafraya.

The Britain-based Observatory said at least 14,000 people, including 4,000 rebels, have left the opposition sector since the evacuations began on Thursday while at least 7,000 remain.

- Sub-zero temperatures -

A rebel representative said hundreds of people would also be evacuated from Zabadani and Madaya, two army-besieged rebel towns near the border with Lebanon, as part of the deal.

Dbis said the Aleppo evacuees' departure was delayed for hours in sub-zero temperatures, compounding their plight from months of siege and army bombardment.

"They hadn't eaten, they had nothing to drink, the children had caught colds, they were not even able to go to the toilet," he said.

He described families wrapped in several layers of coats getting off the buses, which then headed back to Aleppo to bring out more.

The UN's children agency UNICEF said some of the children rescued from the orphanage were in critical condition because of injuries and dehydration.

"Many vulnerable children -- including other orphans and children separated from their families -- still remain in east Aleppo and need immediate protection," it said.

The Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a Turkish NGO working in Syria, said young blogger Bana had arrived at a camp for displaced persons in the northwest province of Idlib.

The Turkish news agency Anadolu posted a short interview with the girl, dressed in a warm coat and hat against the winter chill.

"In Aleppo the shelling was all over the place. We got out from the ruins because our house was bombed," she said shyly in Arabic.

- Blistering assault -

Residents of east Aleppo -- a rebel bastion since 2012 -- had already lived under four months of suffocating siege when Syria's army began its blistering assault in mid-November to retake the whole city.

"The people we are welcoming have been through hell -- the level of trauma they have experienced is impossible to describe or comprehend," said Casey Harrity of the international NGO Mercy Corps.

In an 11th-hour deal, regime ally Moscow and rebel supporter Ankara agreed on the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from the last remaining opposition-held pocket in Aleppo.

Moscow, which has carried out an air war in support of the Syrian regime since September 2015, had threatened to veto the Security Council draft resolution calling for monitors to oversee the protection of civilians.

But on Monday, the council unanimously adopted the French-drafted text in the first show of unity in months among world powers grappling with the crisis.

The measure tasks the UN with carrying out "adequate, neutral monitoring and direct observation on evacuations from eastern Aleppo and other districts of the city".

Arab foreign ministers welcomed the resolution, the 22-member Arab League said in a statement following an emergency meeting in Cairo over Aleppo late Monday.

The foreign and defence ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran are set to meet in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss Syria.
The following timeline charts the origin and spread of the Zika virus from its discovery nearly 70 years ago: 1947: Scientists researching yellow fever in Uganda's Zika Forest identify the virus in a rhesus monkey 1948: Virus recovered from Aedes africanus mosquito in Zika Forest 1952: First human cases detected in Uganda and Tanzania 1960s-80s: Zika detected in mosquitoes and monkeys across equatorial Africa 1960s-80s: Zika found in equatorial Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan 2007: Zika spreads from Africa and Asia, first large outbreak on Pacific island of Yap 2012: Researchers identify two distinct lineages of the virus, African and Asian 2013-14: Zika outbreaks in French Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia. Retrospective analysis shows possible link to birth defects and severe neurological complications in babies in French Polynesia March 2, 2015: Brazil reports illness characterized by skin rash in northeastern states July 17: Brazil reports detection of neurological disorders in newborns associated with history of infection Oct. 22: Colombia confirms cases of Zika Oct. 30: Brazil reports increase in microcephaly, abnormally small heads, among newborns Nov. 11: Brazil declares public health emergency November 2015-January 2016: Cases reported in Suriname, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Venezuela, French Guiana, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Ecuador, Barbados, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Curacao, Jamaica Feb. 1: World Health Organization (WHO) declares public health emergency of international concern Feb. 2: First case of Zika transmission in United States; local health officials say likely contracted through sex, not mosquito bite Feb. 5: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says virus being actively transmitted in 30 countries, mostly in the Americas Feb. 8: U.S. President Barack Obama requests $1.9 billion to fight Zika Feb. 18: CDC adds Aruba and Bonaire to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 32 Feb. 23: CDC adds Trinidad and Tobago and Marshall Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 34 Feb. 25: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases number more than 580 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers, with an additional 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly Feb. 27: France detects first sexually transmitted case of Zika March 8: WHO advises pregnant women to avoid areas with Zika outbreak and said sexual transmission of the virus is "relatively common" March 19: CDC adds Cuba to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 38 March 22: CDC adds Dominica to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 39 March 31: The World Health Organization says there is a strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, though conclusive proof may take months or years April 1: CDC adds Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 40 April 4: CDC adds Fiji to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 41 April 13: The CDC concludes that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. CDC adds St. Lucia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 42 April 18: CDC adds Belize to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 43 April 25: Canada confirms first sexually transmitted Zika case April 29: Puerto Rico reports first death related to Zika, according to the CDC. The island territory also confirms 683 Zika cases, including 65 pregnant women, and five suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome from Zika May 4: Panama confirms four microcephaly cases tied to Zika May 6: Spain has first case of Zika-related brain defect in a fetus May 9: CDC adds Papua New Guinea, Saint Barthelemy and Peru to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 46 May 12: CDC adds Grenada to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 47 May 13: Puerto Rico reports first case of Zika-related microcephaly May 20: WHO says an outbreak of Zika virus on the African island chain of Cape Verde is of the same strain as the one blamed for birth abnormalities in Brazil May 26: CDC adds Argentina to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 48 June 9: WHO updates guidelines on prevention of sexual transmission of the Zika virus, including advising women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant June 14: El Salvador confirms first case of microcephaly linked to Zika June 30: CDC adds Anguilla to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 49 July 8: CDC confirms a Utah resident's death from the previous month is the first Zika-related death in the continental United States July 14: CDC adds Saint Eustatius to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 50 July 15: New York City's health department reports the first female-to-male transmission of the Zika virus.

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July 18: CDC reports the caregiver of Utah man who died of Zika tested positive for virus, raising questions about its spread July 19: Florida health officials investigate a case of Zika virus infection that may have been caused by local mosquito bite July 22: New York City health officials reports first baby born with Zika-related birth defect July 25: Spain reports first case in Europe of baby born with Zika-related defect; CDC issues updated recommendations for preventing and testing for Zika infection, warning that the virus can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an infected female partner July 26: Honduras detects 8 cases of babies with Zika-related defect; CDC adds Saba to countries and territories with active outbreaks with total at 51 July 27: Paraguay reports first cases of microcephaly linked to Zika July 29: Florida authorities report what is believed to be the first evidence of local Zika transmission in the continental United States Aug. 2: CDC adds Antigua, Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 54 Aug. 3: U.S. researchers said they launched Zika vaccine clinical trial Aug. 11: CDC adds Cayman Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 55 Aug. 12: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares a public health emergency in Puerto Rico over Zika with 10,690 laboratory-confirmed cases Aug. 13: Brazil reports 1,835 confirmed cases of microcephaly Aug. 16: Haiti reports first case of microcephaly linked to Zika Aug. 17: Guatemala confirms first case of newborn with microcephaly linked to Zika Aug. 19: Florida governor says five cases of Zika are believed to have been contracted in Miami Beach, the second area in Miami-Dade county where the virus is spreading.

Aug. 25: CDC adds The Bahamas and the United States to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 57 Aug. 26: FDA recommends that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika virus, starting with 11 states in the first phase; Nicaragua confirms first microcephaly birth linked to Zika Aug. 27-29: Singapore confirms first case of locally transmitted Zika virus, which rise to 56 cases two days later Aug. 30: Confirmed cases in Singapore rise to 82, with some of the latest infections detected beyond the area of initial outbreak. Several countries advise pregnant women or those trying to conceive to avoid traveling to the city-state. Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States issue travel warnings Aug. 31: CDC adds Singapore and the British Virgin Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing tally to 58 (The CDC groups together Antigua and Barbuda in its updated official count) Sept. 3: Malaysia detects first case of locally transmitted Zika Sept. 5: Philippines confirms first case of Zika virus likely to have been transmitted locally Sept. 6: Florida confirms 56 locally transmitted cases, 577 travel-related infections, and 80 infections involving pregnant women Sept. 8: Singapore reports 283 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus Sept. 10: Singapore locally transmitted Zika cases rise to 329 Sept. 13: Thailand said it has recorded 200 cases of Zika since Januuary, the first time the health ministry has confirmed the number of cases this year.

Sept. 16: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports 20,800 confirmed cases of Zika virus in U.S. states and Territories. The department says there are 3,176 confirmed cases in U.S. states and District of Columbia. As of Sept. 8, the department said there were more than 1,880 pregnant women with evidence of Zika virus in U.S. states, District of Columbia and U.S. territories Sept. 19: Florida's governor declares Wynwood neighborhood in Miami Zika-free but the CDC leaves travel warning for Miami Beach Sept. 26: CDC adds St. Kitts and Nevis to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing tally to 59 Sept. 29: CDC issues travel advisory urging pregnant women to postpone non-essential travel to 11 Southeast Asian countries in connection with the Zika virus and Brazil reports 1,949 confirmed cases of microcephaly believed to be linked to Zika infections in pregnant women Oct. 13: Florida reports new area of transmission in Miami and says it had 164 cases of Zika caused by local mosquitoes Oct. 19: U.S. health officials create color-coded system for Florida's Miami-Dade County to distinguish risks of transmission in certain areas Oct. 27: Myanmar confirms fist case of Zika virus infection Oct. 28: Brazil says there are 2,063 confirmed cases of microcephaly Nov. 16: CDC adds Singapore and Palau to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing tally to 61 Nov. 18: WHO declares end of Zika emergency but said more action needed through a "robust program" Nov. 21: CDC adds Montserrat to countries and territories with active outbreaks, pushing total to 62 Nov. 22: CDC says as of Nov. 16 there were 4,255 cases of Zika reported in the continental United States and Hawaii. Of the total reported Zika cases, 35 are believed to be through sexual transmission and 1 case from lab exposure.

Florida removes parts of Miami Beach in Florida from active transmission zone areas. The health department also reports 1,201 cases of Zika with 236 cases locally acquired Nov. 28: Texas reports first case of Zika spread by local mosquitoes Dec. 2: CDC says all pregnant women in the U.S. should be evaluated for possible Zika virus exposure during each prenatal care visit Dec. 3: Brazil confirms 2,228 cases of microcephaly linked with Zika, and is still investigating another 3,173 cases Dec. 9: Florida Department of Health says all areas cleared of active transmission in Florida CDC says as of Dec. 8 there were 4,575 cases of Zika reported in the continental United States and Hawaii. Of the total, 38 cases are believed to be the result of sexual transmission. One case was the result of lab exposure Dec. 14: U.S. researchers say about 6 percent of women in the United States infected with Zika during pregnancy had fetuses or babies with birth defects CDC issues travel advisory warning pregnant women to consider postponing travel to Brownsville, Texas because of risk of contracting virus SOURCES: World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Compiled and edited by the Americas Desk)
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP)  A tiny young woman crouches just outside the airport, crying softly into her thin shawl. It's cold out, but her sleeping toddler is heavy and warm in her arms. Travelers swarm around: Himalayan trekkers load up expedition backpacks. A Chinese tour group boards a bus. A dozen flight attendants in crisp blue suits and heels click by. Saro Kumari Mandal, 26, covers her head completely, a bundle of grief. Hundreds of young Nepali men excitedly wave final goodbyes to friends and family. On this day 1,500 will fly out of the Kathmandu airport bound for jobs mostly in Malaysia, Qatar or Saudi Arabia  jobs that are urgently needed by the people of this desperately poor country.

BEIJING (AP)  Taiwan on Wednesday condemned the African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe's "abrupt" move to break their diplomatic ties, while rival China welcomed the defection of one of the self-governing island's small number of allies. Just 21 countries and governments now have official ties with Taiwan. Most of the world and the United Nations do not formally recognize Taiwan as a condition of maintaining relations with China, which considers the island a part of its territory. Beijing and Taipei have competed for allies for much of the nearly seven decades since the end of China's civil war in 1949, when the defeated Nationalist government fled across the Taiwan Strait.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian police said they killed three suspected militants in a raid Wednesday on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta and found several bombs which they are trying to defuse. National Police spokesman Rikwanto told MetroTV that the residential neighborhood has been evacuated. Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said the group was a planning an attack on New Year's Eve. Rikwanto said the three men killed had tried to resist arrest and threw explosives at police as they raided the house, which is in a leafy middle-class residential compound in Tangerang, a Jakarta satellite city. One person was arrested.

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SYDNEY (AP)  Ten Chinese nationals were charged on Tuesday with drug smuggling in Australia after officials said they found a stash of cocaine worth more than 60 million Australian dollars ($44 million) on their ship. Last week, the Australian Defense Force intercepted the 50-meter (160-foot) former research vessel off the island state of Tasmania, and escorted the boat to the state capital, Hobart. During a subsequent search, police found 186 kilograms (410 pounds) of cocaine on board, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said in a statement. The 10 crew members, all men aged between 23 and 50, were charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.

SYDNEY (AP)  For two years, a handful of ships have diligently combed a remote patch of the Indian Ocean west of Australia in a $160 million bid to find Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. On Tuesday, investigators made what was surely a painful admission: They have probably been looking in the wrong place. The latest analysis by a team of international investigators concluded the vanished Boeing 777 is highly unlikely to be in the current search zone and may instead be in a region farther north. But though crews are expected to finish their deep-sea sonar hunt of the current search area next month, the possibility of extending the search to the north appeared doubtful, with Australia's transport minister suggesting the analysis wasn't specific enough to justify continuing the hunt.

SYDNEY (AP)  A look at the progressive searches for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which are the most challenging and expensive undertaken in aviation history. FIRST SEARCH: On March 8, 2014, an air and sea search begins in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea on the assumption that the plane crashed on its way from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. Malaysia reveals two weeks later that its military radar had tracked the plane flying far off course to the west. SECOND SEARCH: Analysis of satellite signals emitted by the plane in its final hours suggests that it crashed west of Australia.

BEIJING (AP)  China on Tuesday handed back to the United States an underwater drone it had seized last week in an incident that raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Donald Trump's signals of a tougher policy toward Beijing. Trump has riled the Chinese leadership by saying he might reconsider U.S. policy toward Taiwan, the self-ruled island the mainland claims as its territory. The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near where it was seized, and it was received by the USS Mustin about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

BEIJING (AP)  Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, choking China's capital in a haze that spurred authorities to cancel flights and close some highways in emergency measures to cut down on air pollution. Beijing and much of industrial northern China are in the midst of a "red alert," the highest level in China's four-tiered pollution warning system. The alert has affected 460 million people, according to Greenpeace East Asia, which calculated that about 200 million people were living in areas that had experienced levels of air pollution more than 10 times above the guideline set by the World Health Organization.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A foreign national was abducted by gunmen in northern Kunduz province in an attack on a Red Cross convoy, an Afghan official said Tuesday. Spain's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the abductee is a Spanish citizen. Mahmood Danish, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Tuesday that armed men stopped a convoy of vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday and snatched the only foreigner, leaving the Afghans behind. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the abduction. ICRC's spokesman in Kabul, Ahmad Ramin Ayaz, confirmed the abduction without providing further details. Ayaz says the ICRC staffers were traveling in two vehicles from northern Balkh province toward Kunduz province when the attack happened.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  The goal has been to erect the world's tallest artificial Christmas tree, but Sri Lankan organizers now say they'll be lucky to get the tree up in time for the holiday. Hundreds of port workers and volunteers were scrambling Tuesday to build the enormous tree on a popular beachside promenade in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. Once assembled, the steel-and-wire frame should stand 98 meters (320 feet) high  more than 40 meters (131 feet) taller than the current record-holder. Organizers said they wanted the tree to help promote ethnic and religious harmony in the Buddhist-majority South Asian island nation.
* Total FCA registrations fall to 860, from 890

* Investors pull $67 billion in first three quarters

* CQS, Man Group and Brevan Howard see headcount falls

By Maiya Keidan

LONDON, Dec 20(Reuters) - The number of senior people registered as working at the 15 largest discretionary hedge funds in Britain fell by 3.5 percent in 2016, one of the toughest for the industry in recent years.

Overall, hedge funds employ about 10,000 people in Britain, including junior and senior staff, according to industry body the Alternative Investment Management Association.

But the number of people registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as portfolio managers or other senior roles is much smaller and fell from 890 to 860 at the 15 largest funds, a detailed analysis of the registration figures by Reuters showed.

These 15 funds together account for roughly $247 billion of a $478 billion industry in Britain and $3.24 trillion globally, according to industry tracker Preqin. Such discretionary funds operate using the ideas of traders, rather than being directed by the algorithmic models that drive other funds.

Investors have shifted money away from hedge funds, pulling $67 billion out in the first nine months of 2016. This was mostly from the big firms with more than $1 billion under management compared to just 38 percent from funds with less than $100 million, according to Preqin.

Some of the largest falls in staff registrations at London hedge funds came at CQS, Man Group and Brevan Howard, whose combined total dropped by almost 10 percent.

Total FCA registrations of senior staff at CQS fell to 68, from 85, between Jan. 1 and Dec.1, with headcount at the firm falling by 18.5 percent globally over the past 18 months, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

COMPUTER LOVE

Falls in registrations are usually explained by cuts or departures, with some due to staff stepping into roles at the same firm that do not require licenses with the FCA.

Hedge funds racked up losses of 2.6 percent in January and 0.03 percent in February but returns to end-November recovered slightly to 4.57 percent, showed Hedge Fund Research data.

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"Many have seen returns they never anticipated before and their clients have been dissatisfied," Martin Kallstrom, head of alternative investments at First Swedish National Pension Fund (API), which invests $1.7 billion in the industry, said.

"If you're starting to make material changes to your organisation, in some cases it can be good but if you have bad performance, you need to ask yourself why," he said.

Fred Ingham, head of international hedge funds at Neuberger Berman, which invests $5 billion in external hedge funds, said computers were increasingly taking over from people.

"A lot of flows and interest has gone into quantitative strategies this year, so instead of ten portfolio managers, maybe you have fewer portfolio managers and more computers," Ingham said.

Aside from CQS, which after a mixed performance last year is up in all its main funds, total registrations at Man Group fell by 5.6 percent, or 11 people, while net registrations dropped by 8 percent at Brevan Howard, to 71, from 77.

However, three out of the 15 added to their FCA registrations, including Toscafund Asset Management, AKO Capital and Capula Investment Group.

All 15 firms contacted by Reuters declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment.

(Additional reporting by Carolyn Cohn and Simon Jessop, Editing by Alexander Smith)
Dec 20 (Reuters) - Buyout firm TPG Capital LP has agreed to acquire Mediware Information Systems Inc, a healthcare technology company, from another private equity firm, Thoma Bravo LLC.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal underscores TPG's confidence in the increasing reliance of healthcare providers on outpatient facilities and other alternatives to traditional hospital care settings as healthcare providers scramble to hold down costs.

"Our experience in the healthcare industry, across leading healthcare providers, payors and product companies, gives us a unique perspective into how technology can further transform healthcare," said Jeffrey Rhodes, partner at TPG, in a statement.

The deal also underscores the appetite of private equity firms for acquisitions of healthcare services companies that are not exposed to the Affordable Care Act, whose prospects appear increasingly uncertain under the incoming U.S. Presidential administration.

Mediware sells software programs that help with administration and costs savings to healthcare providers including blood banks, behavioral health providers, home healthcare providers and more.

Thoma Bravo took Mediware private in 2012 for $195 million and built it out with acquisitions including Bowman Systems, which focuses on homeless management.

Mediware would benefit from additional acquisitions, potentially large ones, in areas including non-acute care and human services, said Rhodes.

TPG has previously invested in other healthcare technology companies including Evolent Health and IMS Health.

Earlier this year, IMS agreed to merge with contract researcher Quintiles Transnational Holdings Inc in a nearly $10 billion deal, creating a new company called Quintiles IMS Holdings, Inc.

(Reporting by Carl O'Donnell in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr)
LONDON (Reuters) - Carlton Power has given up a 450 million pound subsidy for its gas project in Manchester, Britain, its developers said on Tuesday, because it failed to secure investment needed to build the plant in time to produce electricity by late 2019.

Carlton Power said it still planned to go ahead with the project, which with almost 2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity would be able to provide power to more than 2 million homes.

The Trafford gas-fired power station was the only new large-scale gas plant to get financing under the government's capacity market scheme, designed to secure the country's electricity supplies.

"We did not have sufficient certainty that our Trafford combined-cycle gas turbine project (CCGT) would be completed in the time required," the company said in a statement.

The subsidy, secured in the 2014 capacity auction, was worth around 30 million pounds a year for 15 years. Under the contract Trafford would need to start producing electricity by late 2019.

Britain began capacity auctions in 2014, looking to head off future power shortages as coal and older nuclear plants close and low power prices dissuade investors from building new ones.

Despite the subsidies, investors are concerned about the uncertainty of revenues from new gas plants, Carlton Power said.

"The current arrangements for supporting the development of new generation capacity do not give sufficient comfort for this to be brought forward without substantial and unacceptable risk to investors," it said.

The company said it would discuss with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) ways overseas firms could be encouraged to invest in new gas plants in Britain.

($1 = 0.8088 pounds)

(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; editing by Susan Thomas)
* 45 injured brought to hospitals, police say

* Interior minister says a lot points to an attack

* Suspected truck driver is arrested after fleeing scene

* Incident evokes memories of truck attack in Nice, France (Adds higher toll of deaths and injuries, media reports on suspect's nationality, reaction from White House)

By Michael Nienaber and Paul Carrel

BERLIN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others in what Germany's interior minister said looked like an attack.

Police said on Twitter that they had taken one suspect into custody and that another passenger from the truck had died as it crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in the heart of former West Berlin.

The nationality of the suspected driver, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was unclear, police said.

German media cited local security sources as saying that there was evidence suggesting the arrested suspect was from Afghanistan or Pakistan and entered Germany in February as a refugee.

"We heard a loud bang," Emma Rushton, a tourist, told CNN. "We started to see the top of an articulated truck, a lorry ... just crashing through the stalls, through people."

Rushton said the truck seemed to be travelling at about 40 mph (65 kph).

Police later said that 48 injured people were brought to Berlin hospitals.

Pictures from the scene showed Christmas decorations protruding from the smashed windscreen of the black truck. In the aftermath, it was resting lopsided on the pavement with a mangled Christmas tree beneath its wheels.

Berlin police said on Twitter they were investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the circumstances of the crash were still unclear, adding: "I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet although a lot points to that."

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The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That attack was claimed by Islamic State.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump condemned what he called an attack, linking it to "Islamist terrorists" before German police officials had said who was responsible.

The White House on Monday condemned what it called "what appears to have been a terrorist attack".

Germany has not in recent years suffered a large-scale attack from Islamist militants like those seen in neighbouring Belgium and France.

But it was shaken by two smaller attacks in Bavaria over the summer, one on a train near Wuerzburg and another at a music festival in Ansbach that wounded 20 people. Both were claimed by Islamic State.

And government officials have said the country, which accepted nearly 900,000 migrants last year, many from the war-torn Middle East, lies in the "crosshairs of terrorism."

In mid-October, police arrested a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack on an airport in Berlin. The 22-year-old man committed suicide in prison shortly after his arrest.

PEOPLE URGED TO STAY AWAY

A government spokesman said Chancellor Angela Merkel was briefed on the situation by de Maiziere and the Berlin mayor. Police said there were no indications of further dangerous situations in the area and urged people to stay away from the scene.

"I'm deeply shaken about the horrible news of what occurred at the memorial church in Berlin," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

The truck veered into the market around 8 p.m., normally a crowded time when adults and children would be gathering in the traditional cluster of wooden huts that sell food and Christmas goods in an annual celebration replicated across Germany and much of Central Europe.

Ariel Zurawski, whose Polish freight company owns the truck, said the driver of the truck did not work for him.

"It wasn't my driver," Zurawski told Polish private broadcaster TVN 24. "I vouch for him. He's my cousin."

The incident took place near a famous Berlin landmark - the Gedaechtniskirche or memorial church built in 1891-95, which was left a ruin with a jagged tower after it was damaged in World War Two bombing raids as a monument to peace and reconciliation.

Police cars and ambulances converged quickly on the scene.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber and Paul Carrel,; Additional reporting by Jakub Iglewski in Warsaw and by Roberta Rampton in Washington; Writing by Robin Pomeroy and Ralph Boulton; Editing by Mary Milliken and Cynthia Osterman)
By Michael Nienaber and Paul Carrel BERLIN (Reuters) - A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others in what Germany's interior minister said looked like an attack. Police said on Twitter that they had taken one suspect into custody and that another passenger from the truck had died as it crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in the heart of former West Berlin. The nationality of the suspected driver, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was unclear, police said. German media cited local security sources as saying that there was evidence suggesting the arrested suspect was from Afghanistan or Pakistan and entered Germany in February as a refugee. "We heard a loud bang," Emma Rushton, a tourist, told CNN. "We started to see the top of an articulated truck, a lorry ... just crashing through the stalls, through people." Rushton said the truck seemed to be travelling at about 40 mph (65 kph). Police later said that 48 injured people were brought to Berlin hospitals. Pictures from the scene showed Christmas decorations protruding from the smashed windscreen of the black truck. In the aftermath, it was resting lopsided on the pavement with a mangled Christmas tree beneath its wheels. Berlin police said on Twitter they were investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the circumstances of the crash were still unclear, adding: "I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet although a lot points to that." The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That attack was claimed by Islamic State. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump condemned what he called an attack, linking it to "Islamist terrorists" before German police officials had said who was responsible. The White House on Monday condemned what it called "what appears to have been a terrorist attack". Germany has not in recent years suffered a large-scale attack from Islamist militants like those seen in neighbouring Belgium and France. But it was shaken by two smaller attacks in Bavaria over the summer, one on a train near Wuerzburg and another at a music festival in Ansbach that wounded 20 people. Both were claimed by Islamic State. And government officials have said the country, which accepted nearly 900,000 migrants last year, many from the war-torn Middle East, lies in the "crosshairs of terrorism." In mid-October, police arrested a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack on an airport in Berlin. The 22-year-old man committed suicide in prison shortly after his arrest. PEOPLE URGED TO STAY AWAY A government spokesman said Chancellor Angela Merkel was briefed on the situation by de Maiziere and the Berlin mayor. Police said there were no indications of further dangerous situations in the area and urged people to stay away from the scene. "I'm deeply shaken about the horrible news of what occurred at the memorial church in Berlin," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. The truck veered into the market around 8 p.m., normally a crowded time when adults and children would be gathering in the traditional cluster of wooden huts that sell food and Christmas goods in an annual celebration replicated across Germany and much of Central Europe. Ariel Zurawski, whose Polish freight company owns the truck, said the driver of the truck did not work for him. "It wasn't my driver," Zurawski told Polish private broadcaster TVN 24. "I vouch for him. He's my cousin." The incident took place near a famous Berlin landmark - the Gedaechtniskirche or memorial church built in 1891-95, which was left a ruin with a jagged tower after it was damaged in World War Two bombing raids as a monument to peace and reconciliation. Police cars and ambulances converged quickly on the scene. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber and Paul Carrel,; Additional reporting by Jakub Iglewski in Warsaw and by Roberta Rampton in Washington; Writing by Robin Pomeroy and Ralph Boulton; Editing by Mary Milliken and Cynthia Osterman)
LPG bottlers ask for removal of tanker import hurdles

Gas bottlers on Monday asked the government to remove hurdles preventing them from importing tank trucks to carry liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as continuing obstructions would only lead to Rs2.5 billion flowing out of the country in freight costs annually.
BERLIN (AP)  A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 50 as it smashed through tables and wooden stands. Police said a suspect believed to be the driver was arrested nearby and a passenger died as paramedics were treating him.

The popular Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was filled with a mix of tourists and locals when the large Scania truck hurtled into it. Germany's top security official said initial evidence pointed to an intentional act, and the White House condemned "what appears to have been a terrorist attack."

Police said early Tuesday that 48 people were in hospitals, some of them with serious injuries.

Mike Fox, visiting from Birmingham, England, told The Associated Press that the truck missed him by about three meters (yards). Fox said he helped people who appeared to have broken limbs, and that others were trapped under Christmas stands.

"You do what you can to help who you can, really. It happened so fast that there was nothing we could do to stop it  if we'd tried to stop it we would have been crushed," Fox said.

The truck, which was loaded with steel beams, came to a halt on a sidewalk on one side of the market. It had just rammed a large stand called "Fascination Christmas," tearing off one side and knocking down a large Christmas tree. The three-meter tree lay in the street, red and gold ornamental balls still attached to its limbs and a golden star at the top.

The crash came less than a month after the U.S. State Department called for caution in markets and other public places across Europe, saying extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events."

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

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Following that attack there were calls to block off and better protect high-profile public gatherings. There were no barriers around the Christmas market on Monday.

After the attack, dozens of ambulances lined the streets waiting to evacuate people, and heavily armed police patrolled. Authorities on Twitter urged people to stay away from the area, saying they need to keep the streets clear for rescue vehicles.

Among the dead was a passenger in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but didn't give further details of who he was or what happened to him.

A suspect believed to be the driver was picked up about 2 kilometers (1 miles) away, near the Victory Column monument. He was being interrogated, Wenzel said. The truck was registered in Poland, and police said it was believed to be stolen from a building site there. They didn't give a specific location.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was in contact with German officials and ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump blamed Islamist terrorists, though it was unclear what that assessment was based on. He said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

But German officials said it was too early to call the crash intentional.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD television. "There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation."

Even so, some politicians were pointing fingers. Marcus Pretzell, a prominent member of the anti-migration Alternative for Germany party, lashed out at the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying on Twitter: "When will the German state of law strike back? When will this cursed hypocrisy finally stop? These are Merkel's dead! #Nice #Berlin."

Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, helped stoke tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

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Associated Press writers David Rising, Geir Moulson and Frank Jordans in Berlin and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

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This story was corrected to show the truck owner's name is Zurawski.
The Islamic State group, otherwise known as ISIS, claimed responsibility for inspiring the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin Tuesday afternoon, the day after a truck plowed through the German capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50 others.

For most international audiences watching the developments unfold in real-time, the news seemed all too familiar. Thats because a nearly identical terror attack occurred in Nice, France, during the nation's Bastille Day holiday July 14, when the driver of a 19-ton cargo truck deliberately crashed into a large crowd of civilians celebrating in the street. ISIS claimed the driver in that attack, who killed 86 people, was one of its "soldiers." The connection led many to wonder whether the Islamic State could be refocusing the way it carries out its terror attacks worldwide  though using motor vehicles in mass killings has been a long-discussed tactic by multiple terror groups.

"This tactic goes back to al Qaeda talking about it," Peter Bergen, director for international security at the New America think tank, told the Guardian. The barriers to entry are almost zero. The only thing you have to know how to do is drive. Now we are looking to the inauguration with a huge number of people in Washington, and U.S. officials are aware of it as a threat.

Attacks using trucks and motor vehicles werent the only deadly incidents likely inspired by terror groups in recent days. In just 48 hours, terrorism also occurred in Zurich, Jordan, Yemen and Turkey. Gunmen opened fire in Switzerlands largest city while suicide bombers targeted soldiers in Yemen. Meanwhile, the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in an incident described by multiple governments as an act of terror, including Russia andTurkey, and by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

While using vehicles for terror isnt a new concept, the threat level of these internationally inspired attacks has certainly increased, especially during the 2016 holiday season. Though attacks inspired by ISIS and al Qaeda, among other groups, create unprecedented challenges for authorities, ones using trucks and motor vehicles could be more easily preventable.

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Ahead of New Yorks annual Macys Thanksgiving Day parade, police prepared for an attack similar to the one in Nice this year. Authorities established roadblocks along the outskirts of the parade, which would cause any vehicle attempting to breach security to crash before hitting those celebrating the festivities. Experts say modern security features like these must continue to be implemented for the safety of international communities.

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donald trump

President-elect Donald Trump fired back at former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday morning after Clinton said in an interview that Trump "doesn't know much" except for "how to get angry, white men to vote for him."

Speaking to The Record Review earlier this month, Clinton said Trump called him after the election and was cordial "like it was 15 years ago" when Trump was a friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Trump disputed the claim in an early-morning tweet, mocking Hillary Clinton's loss in key swing states such as Pennsylvania and Florida.

"Bill Clinton stated that I called him after the election. Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations). He 'doesn't know much,'" Trump wrote.

He added:

especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states ( and more). They focused on wrong states  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2016

Several hours later, Clinton responded on Twitter.

Heres one thing @realDonaldTrump and I can agree on  I called him after the election. https://t.co/URSS89oQ6P  Bill Clinton (@billclinton) December 20, 2016

Though Clinton garnered 2.8 million more votes than Trump, the real-estate magnate was able to carve an electoral path through key swing states such as Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Florida, and won traditionally Democratic states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

For his part, Clinton himself didn't struggle in swing states. He won 370 electoral votes in the 1992 presidential election, and 379 electoral votes in his 1996 reelection.

High-profile disputes between current and former presidents are not common.

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President Barack Obama formed a rapport with former President George W. Bush, whom he praised for helping steward a smooth transition between their administrations, while Clinton famously formed a deep bond with former President George H. W. Bush.

Clinton, however, felt that former President Jimmy Carter was often too critical of Clinton's presidency, and was partially responsible for Clinton's 1980 gubernatorial loss.

This post has been updated.

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(Adds details about Ross role in infrastructure plan, details about Carranza and more on Obama's trade policy)

By Melissa Fares and David Lawder

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to put his pick for Commerce Secretary, billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, in charge of his get-tough trade policy, a transition team spokesman said on Tuesday.

It is a signal of how Trump, who is also interviewing candidates to be the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), plans to elevate a crackdown on competitors in the world market and the overhaul of trade deals that he says have hurt U.S. factory jobs.

The USTR will not be merged with Commerce, but Trump transition team spokesman Jason Miller made clear that most trade policy decisions would be steered by Ross, who made a good part of his fortune by investing in distressed steel companies that benefited from stiff import tariffs imposed by former President George W. Bush in the early 2000s.

"Mr. Ross not only has negotiated some very good deals over his lifetime, he's also the person who worked closely with the president-elect on crafting his trade policy over the administration," Miller told reporters during a daily transition briefing. "Mr. Ross will be playing a big role in any trade particulars in this administration."

The move also marks a notable shift from trade policy management in President Barack Obama's administration, where USTR Michael Froman was seen as the main trade architect, negotiating a 12-country Pacific Rim trade deal that ultimately failed to win approval in Congress.

"It looks like the USTR office is being downgraded and subordinated to Commerce," said Derek Scissors, a trade expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank in Washington.

"That's a big change because USTR is this small elite trade agency right across from the White House."

Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, blamed multilateral trade deals with Mexico and China for the loss of U.S. jobs, a core message during his campaign, and said he would push to renegotiate the agreements.

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Trump's administration is expected to crack down on Chinese trade practices with enforcement cases, which has raised fears Beijing would retaliate.

He has also pledged to hit companies that shift production from the United States to other countries with a 35 percent tax on their exports into the United States -- legislation he said his team would soon "write up."

Ross has also been a key adviser on another top Trump priority: a proposal to use tax credits to help spur $1 trillion of private and public spending on roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

Trump plans to delegate coordination of that plan to the head of an infrastructure task force, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources briefed on the plans.

INTERVIEWS FOR USTR

Trump has picked more than 20 nominees for his cabinet so far, packing his team with billionaires from the business world, retired generals, and loyalists.

He is continuing to interview candidates for his cabinet this week at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach resort, where he will spend the Christmas holiday -- including potential picks for the USTR job.

Elevating Ross' role as Commerce Secretary could make the USTR job less attractive to potential candidates with top-tier trade expertise, said Scissors at the American Enterprise Institute.

Traditionally, the USTR takes the lead on negotiations for trade deals, while Commerce, a massive sprawling agency, handles enforcement actions including anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations of low-cost imports.

On Tuesday, Trump was slated to meet about the USTR position with Jovita Carranza, who was deputy administrator with the Small Business Administration in the George W. Bush White House and a former executive with United Parcel Service Inc.

Carranza, now a consultant, was part of a group of Hispanic leaders who met with Trump in July, after he had come under fire for his hard line on immigration and criticism of an Indiana-born Mexican-American federal judge.

She became part of his campaign's Hispanic advisory council and ran a call center from her home during the campaign to boost support for Trump among Hispanic voters in North Carolina, Miller said.

Trump has also discussed the USTR job with Robert Lighthizer, a former deputy USTR during the Reagan administration, and Dan DiMicco, former CEO of steel producer Nucor Corp.

In 2012, Obama proposed to combine Commerce and the USTR with the Small Business Administration, Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation and U.S. Trade and Development Agency in one streamlined department -- a plan that was rejected by Congress.

Trump has no plans to merge Commerce with the USTR, Miller said.

(Additional reporting by Dave McKinney in Chicago; Writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
Donald Trump Barack Obama

Hindsight is 20/20. And using that view, many analysts have said that President Obama used too much political capital passing Obamacare and sacrificed the rest of his legislative agenda.

A President Trump could easily do the same thing, sacrificing one of his key policy promises  a $550 billion infrastructure stimulus.

If congressional Republicans and party loyalists get their way, the new administration's first priority will be repealing Obamacare, then passing tax reform.

Tackling those issues leaves little political room for infrastructure development, in part because of what he wants to do, and also in part because of how House Republicans want to do it.

Reconciliation

House Republicans have said that they plan on passing tax reform and other budget-related policies (like repealing Obamacare) using a tool called "reconciliation." It allows them to avoid a filibuster, which is the Democrats' last line of defense against a Republican majority legislature in both houses of Congress.

The thing is, when budget policy is passed using that tool, it has to be revenue neutral. That is to say, it can't grow the deficit.

When discussing the votes needed to pass tax reform in "the House we have a majority and we are a majoritarian body, so all I need is 218 votes and I can pass something, that doesnt work like that in the Senate," House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said on Fox News earlier this month.

"As you know the Senate has a filibuster except for budget reconciliation ... but here's the point, for you to be able to use reconciliation to not have a filibuster, it has to be deficit neutral and so we have to have deficit neutral tax reform."

That means Republicans will have to raise some revenue as they cut taxes, especially since the plan is to cut corporate taxes from 35% to 20%.

Expect this to be a dogfight. House Speaker Paul Ryan's plan balances tax cuts with closing big loopholes, like the net-interest deduction. That deduction can mean the difference between being cash-rich and cash-broke for some companies. Lobbyists will be fighting to protect their clients' interest.

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Now, remember that Trump's infrastructure plan is largely a series of tax cuts meant to incentivize companies to invest in infrastructure projects. If infrastructure development is folded into the larger tax plan, it will make overall tax reform harder to pass through reconciliation.

And that's even if Republicans use dynamic scoring, a practice which basically allows the government to estimate the future benefit of tax cuts to the economy after making a load of assumptions  including about what a future government might do in response to falling tax revenue.

As analysts at Morgan Stanley put it in a recent note, "further offsets will be required, even in a dynamic framework."

That means the infrastructure plan will have to be handled separately, outside the rules of reconciliation. And likely without grudging (if any) support from deficit hawks in the GOP.

"Although Republicans are demonstrating unity at the moment, the tax debate makes plain a new division in the party, which is key to understanding how tax reform will come together," Morgan Stanley wrote. "The fiscal hawks in the House of Representatives have reiterated that all tax reform must be revenue neutral; the de facto 'Keynesian' in the Trump orbit are willing to prioritize growth plans over short-term deficit concerns, if need be."

Splintering

That means that if Trump wants to pass his infrastructure plan, he'll have to do it with the Democrats' help and likely after having already cut taxes twice  directly through tax code reform and indirectly by repealing Obamacare  and gutting some major programs supported by Democrats.

There won't be a lot of good will to go around at that point. And while it could be easier to get Democrats on board with spending, it will be harder to get them on board with the huge part of Trump's infrastructure plan that involves tax cuts to incentivize wealthy developers to invest in projects.

What's more, infrastructure experts have largely panned Trump's plan because they simply don't think it works.

"No amount of tax break will encourage investment in an asset that doesnt produce revenue," wrote veteran infrastructure investor Joel Moser, CEO of Aquamarine Investment Partners. "No one will invest in the replacement of defective bridges that have no tolls, regardless of the tax abatement, unless a revenue stream is attached to those assets."

Now, analysts at Deutsche Bank see this shaking out differently. They think Republicans could split tax reform and pass personal reform first and then work on corporate tax reform (including tax breaks for infrastructure development). That, however, would make it harder for Republicans to bypass Democrats using the reconciliation process, which seems central to their plan.

Plus, if Trump's choice to head the budget office is any indication, he's going to be getting a lot of advice from deficit hawks. And those hawks, Ryan included, have never said anything in support of infrastructure spending. They basically don't talk about it, as if they hope the whole idea will go away.

What all of this means, ultimately, is that an infrastructure plan may end up lower on the political totem pole than Trump has made it sound throughout his campaign. He and congressional Republicans are about to spend a lot of political capital before they can tackle an infrastructure plan that lacks bipartisan (or even some partisan) appeal.

Making sure tax reform is "revenue neutral" will be hard enough; following that up with another tax cut for big business will be even harder.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  There were many protesters but few faithless electors as Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote Monday  ensuring he will become America's 45th president.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions. Trump's polarizing victory Nov. 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

"We did it!" Trump tweeted Monday evening. "Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)."

He later issued a statement saying: "With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans."

Even one of Trump's fiercest Republican rivals, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said it was time to get behind the president-elect.

"We want unity, we want love," Kasich said as Ohio's electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony. Kasich refused to endorse or even vote for Trump in the election.

With all states voting, Trump finished with 304 votes and Clinton had 227. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, thousands of protesters converged on state capitols across the country Monday, urging Republican electors to abandon their party's winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvania's capitol, chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!" and "No treason, no Trump!"

In Madison, Wisconsin, protesters shouted, cried and sang "Silent Night." In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said, "Don't let Putin Pick Our President," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Despite the noise outside state Capitols, inside, the voting went pretty much as planned.

In Nashville, Tennessee, one audience member tried to read out some Scripture before the ballots were cast, but was told he could not speak.

"We certainly appreciate the Scripture," State Election Coordinator Mark Goins said from the podium. "The answer is no."

With all Republican states reporting, Trump lost only the two electors in Texas. One voted for Kasich, the Ohio governor; the other voted for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state  three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle. She also lost an elector in Hawaii to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Clinton beat Sanders in the Democratic primaries.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

Republican electors were deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support Trump. Many of the emails are part of coordinated campaigns.

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, elector Charlie Buckels reached out to Trump's opponents after the New York businessman got all of the state's eight votes.

"For those of you who wished it had gone another way, I thank you for being here," said Buckels, the state GOP finance chairman. "I thank you for your passion for our country."

There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state  though some states require their electors to vote for the winning candidate.

Those laws, however, are rarely tested. More than 99 percent of electors through U.S. history have voted for the candidate who won their state. Of those who refused, none has ever been prosecuted, according to the National Archives.

Some Democrats have argued that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives more weight to less populated states. That is how Clinton, who got more than 2.8 million more votes nationwide, lost the election to Trump.

Some have also tried to dissuade Trump voters by arguing that he is unsuited to the job. Others cite the CIA's assessment that Russia engaged in computer hacking to sway the election in favor of the Republican.

"When the founders of our country created (the Electoral College) 200-plus years ago, they didn't have confidence in the average white man who had property, because that's who got to vote," said Shawn Terris, a Democratic elector from Ventura, California. "It just seems so undemocratic to me that people other than the voters get to choose who leads the country."

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, with Vice President Joe Biden presiding as president of the Senate. Once the result is certified, the winner  almost certainly Trump  will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

___

Associated Press writers Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Erik Schelzig and Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, Kathleen Floody and Alex Sanz in Atlanta, Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Marina Villeneuve reported from Augusta, Maine, Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington, and Juliet A. Williams in Sacramento, California, contributed to this report.

___

Online:

AP interactive on election results: http://interactives.ap.org/2016/road-to-270/

___

Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephenatap
President-elect Donald Trump gestures during a rally in Hershey, Pa., on Thursday. (Photo: Matt Rourke/AP)

President-elect Donald Trump characterized the gruesome truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin as part of a systematic campaign by Muslim extremists against Christians, fueling speculation that he views the war on terrorism as a clash of civilizations and not a conflict against extremists.

Trumps late-Monday statement noted that the 12 people killed and 50 wounded were innocent civilians. But rather than identifying them as German citizens and tourists, he cast the attack in unusually religious terms.

ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad, Trump said. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.

Neither the White House nor the State Department described the attack in religious terms. But German officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel and top prosecutor Peter Frank, have highlighted the symbolism of striking a Christmas market outside a church less than a week before the holiday.

Frank suggested that the terrorists followed instructions from the so-called Islamic State and underlined that the attack occurred at the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market. Merkel said the victims were looking forward to Christmas.

The president-elects rhetorical choices bear special scrutiny because the rest of the world is still trying to figure out what kind of leader he will become Jan. 20. Trump communications aides did not return an email seeking their perspective.

And this is no mere debate about language. The Trump statement on the Berlin attack rightly focuses on the victims who were celebrating the Christmas holiday, but he leaves out a critical point: the vast majority of ISISs victims are Muslims, a former senior counter-terrorism official told Yahoo News. In our counterterrorism fight, we need to enlist the support of Muslims around the world, and not alienate them by singling out Christians, as if they are the only victims of ISIS.

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Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, the real estate entrepreneur repeatedly promised to blame radical Islamic terrorists for such attacks, a clear break from the more cautious language his two immediate predecessors used.

President Obama, who has avoided referring to radical Islamic terrorists or the war on terrorism, went on a bit of a tear earlier this year against Republicans who accuse him of being naive or politically correct.

There has not been a moment in my seven and a half years as president where we have not been able to pursue a strategy because we didnt use the label radical Islam, he said in June after a national security meeting at the White House. Not once has an adviser of mine said, Man, if we really use that phrase, were going to turn this whole thing around. Not once.

The president continued, Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away. This is a political distraction.

Former President George W. Bush spent years trying to separate al-Qaida from mainstream Islam, starting with a visit to the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., six days after 9/11.

A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck plowed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfurstendamm Avenue in Berlin on Tuesday. (Photo: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself, Bush said. The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends; it is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.

Bush, who had made no mention of Islam when he declared war against terrorism on 9/11, pitched his message to reach nervous Muslim allies overseas and a domestic audience that, his aides worried, might include some misguided souls looking for payback at home.

Immediately after 9/11, we could not gauge the public reaction in the U.S., nor the reaction in the Muslim world when we began to go after [al-Qaida] and the Taliban, Elliott Abrams, who advised Bush on Middle East policy, told Yahoo News in February 2015. It seemed important to separate those particular actors from all other Muslims, first to head off any possible anti-Muslim backlash at home and second to head off an anti-American backlash in the Islamic world.

But, according to Abrams, I think we went too far in claiming we knew what real Islam was and saying the actions of such terrorists have nothing to do with Islam.

Trump and his national security adviser-designate, retired Gen. Michael Flynn, have taken the opposite tack.

I think Islam hates us, Trump declared in a CNN interview in March. (He later clarified that he meant many Muslims abhor the United States).

Flynn has gone further, calling Islam a malignant cancer in one speech and Islamism  the militancy that demands government and society reflect Islamic law  a vicious cancer inside the body of 1.7 billion people.

We are facing another ism, just like we faced Nazism, and fascism, and imperialism and communism, Flynn said.

The rhetoric has clearly unsettled some world leaders.

Senseless Islamophobia compounds suffering with more suffering. It stokes antagonism and exacerbates the clash of civilizations, which plays into the hands of extremists of all stripes, Senegal President Macky Sall said in a September speech to the U.N. General Assembly. Given the scale of the global terrorist threat which concerns us all, good sense dictates the need to cooperate to vanquish evil with a global, united, concerted response.

Slovak President Andrej Kiska, also speaking at the United Nations, warned that terrorists want to fulfill their sick vision of the clash of civilizations and warned against anti-Islam sentiment.

We must not respond by judging people by the color of their skin or their choice of worship. We need to stop growing anger, prejudice, and hostility toward different religions, said Kiska. The true leaderships brings hope, reinforces trust and offers sustainable solutions for safety and peaceful coexistence.

People leave flowers and candles at the site in Berlin where a truck plowed through a Christmas market, killing 12 people and wounding 50 others. (Photo: Michele Tantussi/Getty Images)

Obama himself delivered a very similar warning in August.

In order for us to ultimately win this fight, he said, we cannot frame this as a clash of civilizations between the West and Islam. That plays exactly into the hands of [the Islamic State] and the perversions and perverse interpretations of Islam that theyre putting forward.

For a longer look at the rhetoric of the war on terrorism, see this November column.
Donald Trumps decision to break protocol and become the first president-elect in decades to speak by phone with a Taiwanese president was either a colossal blunder or a shrewd strategic coup, depending on which Beltway insider you ask. At the least, Trumps divisive exchange with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has sparked a substantive debate about the nature of U.S.-China-Taiwan relations and the sanctity of Beijings version of the One-China policy, which codifies Chinas inalienable sovereignty over Taiwan and Tibet.

Yet, as Washington braces for potential blowback from Beijing, both critics and supporters of the Trump-Tsai exchange have overlooked one key fact. In an era when global powers are shunning both Taiwanese and Tibetan leaders (like the Dalai Lama) under the weight of Chinese pressure, one country has been openly challenging Beijings One-China policy for more than six years: India.

Like many of Chinas neighbors, in the late 2000s India was still adjusting to the more assertive and nationalistic brand of Chinese foreign policy that emerged in 2008, when Beijings leaders interpreted the global financial crisis as symbolic of a great power shift from a declining West to an ascendant China. Bilateral ties were repeatedly tested by friction over Chinese incursions into India across their disputed border, Beijings efforts to block U.N. sanctions on Pakistan-based terrorists, and visits by the Indian prime minister and the Dalai Lama to the state of Arunachal Pradesh, most of which is claimed by China as South Tibet, among others.

One Chinese provocation cut deeper than the rest. In 2010, Beijing denied a visa to Lt. Gen. B.S. Jaswal on account of his posting as the head of Indias military command in Kashmir, the long-disputed territory claimed by Chinas all-weather friend Pakistan. China had been employing consular chicanery with India for years  stapling separate, unique visas to Indian residents of Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh as an informal challenge to Indian sovereignty there  but the denial of a visa to Jaswal struck a nerve.

New Delhis reaction was uncharacteristically swift and punitive, suspending all forms of bilateral military ties and joint exercises. When Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited New Delhi in December 2010, for the first time India refused to acknowledge the One-China policy in a joint statement with China. Beijing, New Delhi signaled, would have to recognize Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh if it wanted Indias consent on the One-China policy. The ball is in their court. There is no doubt about that, explained Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao at the time.

Joint statements in the years to follow continued to omit the One-China policy, a position adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he assumed office in 2014. For India to agree on a one-China policy, China should reaffirm a one-India policy, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj declared before Chinese President Xi Jinpings first trip to New Delhi in September 2014. When they raised the issue of Tibet and Taiwan with us, we shared their sensitivities. They should understand and appreciate our sensitivities regarding Arunachal Pradesh.

China relented on the visa question two years after Wens visit, and military ties were restored shortly thereafter. More important, six years after Indias change of heart on One-China policy, it has suffered no discernable political or economic backlash that can be tied to the policy shift.

To be sure, Indias denial of the One-China policy is less emotionally and politically contentious for China than any shift in American posture toward Taiwan. In the context of China-India relations, the One-China policy mostly relates to Tibet and, to a lesser extent, their long-standing border dispute, in which more than 30,000 square miles of Indian territory is still claimed by Beijing.

In 1947, the Republic of India inherited from the British Raj an unsettled border with China and a series of special trading privileges with Tibet, including the right to station escort troops at specified trading posts. Ever since China peacefully liberated Tibet in 1950, it has been critical of Indian intentions on the plateau and sensitive to Indian interference there. That anxiety was amplified after the Dalai Lama fled a Chinese crackdown in 1959 and sought refuge in India, later establishing a Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala. After China and India fought a monthlong war across their disputed border in 1962, Chinese leaders argued that the center of the Sino-Indian conflict was not the border dispute but a conflict of interests in Tibet.

Its notable, then, that beyond its broad refusal to endorse the One-China policy, New Delhi has given no indication that it plans to walk back its repeated reaffirmations of Chinese sovereignty over Tibet (much less Taiwan). On the other hand, Prime Minister Modi has adopted several initiatives short of that threshold to signal a more defiant posture on Tibet and the border dispute. Early in his tenure, for instance, Modi fast-tracked military and civilian infrastructure upgrades along the disputed Sino-Indian border, where Beijing has enjoyed a large and widening advantage.

More recently, New Delhi granted the Dalai Lama permission to visit Arunachal Pradesh in early 2017, a move that has drawn Chinese ire in the past. Perhaps most surprising, this past October New Delhi granted U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma access to the sensitive, Chinese-claimed town of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, another first. And just last week Indian President Pranab Mukherjee hosted the Dalai Lama at Indias Presidential Palace, blithely dismissing Beijings protesting diplomatic note. In a rare move, it even offered to help Mongolia weather trade sanctions recently imposed by Beijing as punishment for Mongolias hosting of the Dalai Lama in November. None of this has resulted in any direct punitive response from Beijing.

Its not just Tibet, either. Since the visa denial incident in 2010, India has witnessed a marked acceleration in its outreach to Taiwan, including hosting several Taiwanese government ministers in 2011; signing new agreements on double taxation avoidance, cultural cooperation, and mutual degree recognition; permitting a former Taiwanese president and vice president transit layovers in 2012 and 2014, respectively; and inviting a former Taiwanese official to address two high-profile international conferences this year. These moves have yet to draw any sharp response from the mainland.

What does Indias approach to the One-China policy tell us about the Trump-Tsai phone call? Namely, that questioning the sanctity of the One-China policy is not necessarily a death sentence with Beijing, especially when the challenges are indirect and inexplicit. To date, Chinas muted response to the phone call supports that assessment.

To Beijings mandarins, Modi represents an unfamiliar commodity: a confident, assertive, nationalist Indian leader with a surplus of political capital. The same is even truer for Trump, who, for China, remains shrouded in a cloak of uncertainty and unpredictability. Chinas leadership isnt nearly as confident that it can predict Trumps response to each move on the regional chessboard, compared with Barack Obamas more calculable style, and is naturally inclined to proceed cautiously. After years of testing the red lines of its neighbors and Washington as well, Beijing is not nearly as comfortable being on the receiving end.

If the Trump-Tsai exchange was part of a nuanced, calibrated strategy designed to diminish Chinas near-monopoly on strategic ambiguity and the initiative it seized during the Obama administration, it could eventually produce a more balanced trilateral relationship between the United States, China, and Taiwan.

If, on the other hand, the Trump-Tsai exchange precedes a more indiscriminately vindictive posture toward China using Taiwan as a pressure point, Trumps team should be prepared for a wide range of potentially volatile, dangerous, and unpredictable Chinese responses.

As a party to more than a dozen meetings in Beijing and Washington with Chinas current Taiwan affairs minister, Zhang Zhijun, and to numerous exchanges on Taiwan with some of Chinas senior-most diplomats, I find it difficult to overstate the intensity and seriousness Beijing devotes to Taiwan and its status. It is far more sensitive to changes in Americas posture on One-China policy than India, partly because China has never felt particularly threatened by Indian power, and partly because its leadership has more directly linked its legitimacy to the reunification of Taiwan than to any issue related to Tibet.

That doesnt mean Washington should compromise its values under threat of Chinese coercion: I believe the U.S. president should reserve the right to speak to whomever he likes and at the time of his choosing, whether thats Taiwans president or the Dalai Lama.

Trump and his team appear to have reclaimed that right and, thus far, to have moved the needle on Taiwan without destabilizing ties with China. But for this to be remembered as a shrewd strategic coup, they will have to walk a fine line in creating a new balance in trilateral relations not only more favorable to U.S. and Taiwanese interests but stable enough to prevent an unnecessary war with China in the Western Pacific.

Photo credit: AFP/Stringer
NEA gets new board members

The government on Monday appointed three new members to the board of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) immediately after sacking three board members on charges of obstructing reform process initiated by the state-owned power utility.
Washington (AFP) - President-elect Donald Trump on Monday dined with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who harshly criticized the US developer's presidential campaign before his win, transition officials said.

Trump invited Slim to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and then called it "a lovely dinner with a wonderful man," according to a statement published by The Washington Post.

A source close to Trump, a billionaire developer turned television star turned politician, confirmed the event to AFP.

It also was confirmed in Mexico by a spokesman for Grupo Carso, owned by Slim, a telecoms magnate who before the election slammed Trump for his populist rhetoric.

Trump angered Mexicans by vowing to make their government pay for a giant border wall and pledging to deport millions of migrants, whom he called rapists and drug runners.

Slim quipped last month that Trump would destroy the US economy if he won the election.

"As we say in Mexico, being a drunk is different from being a bartender," Slim told reporters then.

Slim said at the time that a Trump administration could impose a 35 percent import tariff that would dramatically raise prices in the United States.

But on Monday, a Slim spokesman said the dinner meeting was "cordial... with a good attitude toward Mexico and Mexicans."

Trump lashed out at Slim after The New York Times published claims from women accusing the real estate baron of sexual misconduct. Slim is the newspaper's largest shareholder.
Washington (AFP) - President-elect Donald Trump vowed a month before he takes office, to wipe "terrorists" off the face of the Earth, after a series of high-profile attacks in Germany, Turkey and Switzerland.

German police have so far spoken of a possible terror attack after a truck plowed through a crowd, killing at least 12 and injuring dozens more in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in the French city of Nice.

But still, Trump condemned the "horrifying terror attack."

"ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad," he added, referring to the Islamic State group.

Trump then promised: "These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the Earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners."

In Ankara, a policeman shot dead Russia's ambassador to Turkey. Trump called the gunman a "radical Islamic terrorist."

The shooting, during which the gunman shouted "Aleppo" and "Allahu akbar" (God is great), occurred on the eve of a key meeting in Moscow between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syrian conflict.

Protesters in Turkey have held Moscow responsible for human rights violations in Aleppo, with thousands protesting outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

Turkey and Russia stand on opposite sides of the Syria conflict with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad.

But the rhetoric has warmed considerably since a reconciliation deal was signed earlier this year and a Russian and Turkish-brokered accord has helped the evacuation of citizens from Aleppo in the last days.

As a billionaire real estate investor, Trump has curried favor with Moscow through his business dealings over the decades.

His pro-Russia views came under increasing scrutiny in 2015 as he opened his ultimately successful White House campaign, as he has brushed off reports of brutality and repression by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.

Story continues

Those ties are coming under fire after US intelligence agencies found that Russia had tried to sway the US election via a cyber hack.

At the same time, relations between the former Cold War foes are at a very low point.

In Switzerland, a man burst into a Muslim prayer hall, shooting and wounded three men.

Witnesses had described the shooter as a man aged around 30 wearing dark clothes and a dark woollen cap.

A number of Swiss mosques, including one near Zurich and the main one in Geneva, have in recent months been accused in media of allowing or encouraging the radicalization of their worshippers, especially the younger members of their congregations.

"Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!" Trump concluded on Twitter.
(Adds details about faithless electors, background)

By Eric M. Johnson and Jon Herskovitz

SEATTLE/AUSTIN, Texas, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump prevailed in U.S. Electoral College voting on Monday to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House.

Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen U.S. electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state's directives, the largest number of "faithless electors" seen in more than a century.

The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious Nov. 8 election.

Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin's Electoral College balloting. In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting: "Dump Trump" and waving signs reading: "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You" gathered at the state capitol trying to sway electors.

In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump.

With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country.

"I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans," Trump said in a statement responding to the results.

The Electoral College assigns each state electors equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. The votes will be officially counted during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

Story continues

When voters go to the polls to cast a ballot for president, they are actually choosing a presidential candidate's preferred slate of electors for their state.

'FAITHLESS ELECTORS'

The "faithless electors" as they are known represent a rare break from the tradition of casting an Electoral College ballot as directed by the outcome of that state's popular election.

The most recent instance of a "faithless elector" was in 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The practice has been very rare in modern times, with only eight such electors since 1900, each in a different election.

The two Republican breaks on Monday came from Texas, where the voting is by secret ballot. One Republican elector voted for Ron Paul, a favorite among Libertarians and former Republican congressman, and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who challenged Trump in the race for the Republican nomination.

Republican elector Christopher Suprun from Texas had said he would not vote for Trump, explaining in an op-ed in the New York Times that he had concerns about Trump's foreign policy experience and business conflicts.

On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide.

Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas.

Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump.

The founding fathers "said the electoral college was not to elect a demagogue, was not to elect someone influenced by foreign powers, was not to elect someone who is unfit for office. Trump fails on all three counts, unlike any candidate we've ever seen in American history," Chiafalo said in an interview.

'GREAT ANGST'

Washington's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, said after the vote that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "This was a very difficult decision made this year. There is great angst abroad in the land," Inslee said.

Twenty-four states have laws trying to prevent electors - most of whom have close ties to their parties - from breaking ranks.

In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot.

In Hawaii, one of the state's four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the state's Election Day outcome, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspapers.

In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector.

In Minnesota, one of the state's 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the state's electoral votes were then cast for her.

(Additional reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del., Keith Coffman and Rick Wilking in Denver, and Roberta Rampton, David Morgan and Julia Harte in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
By Eric M. Johnson and Jon Herskovitz SEATTLE/AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump prevailed in U.S. Electoral College voting on Monday to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House. Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen U.S. electors broke with tradition to vote against their own states directives, the largest number of faithless electors seen in more than a century. The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious Nov. 8 election. Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin's Electoral College balloting. In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting: Dump Trump and waving signs reading: The Eyes of Texas are Upon You gathered at the state capitol trying to sway electors. In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump. With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans," Trump said in a statement responding to the results. The Electoral College assigns each state electors equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. The votes will be officially counted during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6. When voters go to the polls to cast a ballot for president, they are actually choosing a presidential candidate's preferred slate of electors for their state. 'FAITHLESS ELECTORS' The "faithless electors" as they are known represent a rare break from the tradition of casting an Electoral College ballot as directed by the outcome of that state's popular election. The most recent instance of a "faithless elector" was in 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The practice has been very rare in modern times, with only eight such electors since 1900, each in a different election. The two Republican breaks on Monday came from Texas, where the voting is by secret ballot. One Republican elector voted for Ron Paul, a favorite among Libertarians and former Republican congressman, and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who challenged Trump in the race for the Republican nomination. Republican elector Christopher Suprun from Texas had said he would not vote for Trump, explaining in an op-ed in the New York Times that he had concerns about Trump's foreign policy experience and business conflicts. On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide. Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas. Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump. The founding fathers "said the electoral college was not to elect a demagogue, was not to elect someone influenced by foreign powers, was not to elect someone who is unfit for office. Trump fails on all three counts, unlike any candidate weve ever seen in American history," Chiafalo said in an interview. 'GREAT ANGST' Washington's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, said after the vote that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "This was a very difficult decision made this year. There is great angst abroad in the land, Inslee said. Twenty-four states have laws trying to prevent electors - most of whom have close ties to their parties - from breaking ranks. In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot. In Hawaii, one of the states four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the states Election Day outcome, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspapers. In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector. In Minnesota, one of the states 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the states electoral votes were then cast for her. (Additional reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Del., Keith Coffman and Rick Wilking in Denver, and Roberta Rampton, David Morgan and Julia Harte in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell and Peter Cooney)
President-elect Donald Trumps plan to take some members of his private security team with him to the White House could pose a danger both to the Secret Service and the incoming president, a former Secret Service agent said Monday.

Gary Byrne, who protected President Bill Clinton and his family in the 1990s, told WGN Radio in Chicago the main issue involved with Trumps decision is protocol. He said a private security company could react differently in a number of situations, likely carry different firearms than the Secret Service and that integrating the two teams could be problematic.

One such problem could be the fact that Trumps current team is made up of private citizens, who arent allowed to carry firearms into federal buildings.

Trump puts a premium on loyalty and relies on retired New York City police officer and sailor Keith Schiller, who has worked from Trump since 1999 as a part-time bodyguard, sources told Politico reported Monday. The president-elect's reported decision to keep on members of his private team, which bucks years of tradition, is unprecedented.

Its gonna be interesting to watch, Byrne chuckled, so the Secret Service agents and uniform division officers that protect the presidents are sworn federal police officers. These guys that Mr. Trump has are private security officers, you know, people who have worked for him a long time.

However, Byrne did confirm that loyalty is a major factor for Trump.

The gentleman that is the head of Mr. Trumps detail has been with him for a long time, hes not just the head of his security hes kind of a, somebody that he relies on for business consulting and stuff. They are very close people, Byrne said.

Secret Service agents are quite wary over who joins their ranks, Byrne added.

Its something new for the Secret Service, he said. I will tell you, they are very, very particular about who they let inside that bubble, about protection, but that dont really have a choice here. These guys are a private company thats been hired by Mr. Trump for a long period of time, theyre very close with him. So I see some problems from time to time integrating them.

Story continues

One of the problems I see with integrating, these guys are private citizens who work for security companies. Theyre not authorized to work in the White House complex, they dont have security clearances. The gentleman that runs his security has actually had some Secret Service training years ago when he was a New York police officer, and hes got some people that work for him that are former FBI agents, but theyre retired they arent government employees anymore.

Byrne gave an example of how the Secret Service might react to a rally, say at a Trump Thank You Tour event, where a private security officer could remove a disruptive person. However, the Secret Service would not unless that person poses an actual risk to the Trump.

So theres gonna be some conflict. There already has been little things. You know, somebody in private security is going to react different than the Secret Service is. These guys these private companies, maybe 6 to 12 guys, maybe even 20 guys. The Secret Service is hundreds of people. Its hundreds of agents, its got uniform division officers outside on the perimeter. They react different, they have different protocols, theyre probably carrying different firearms, which could be an issue, Byrne said.

Related Articles
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Protests are planned in Tunisia over the killing of the head of Palestinian militant group Hamas' drone program in a Tunisian beach resort. Hamas accuses Israel of assassinating him.

In addition to Tuesday's protests, Tunisia's Parliament is expected to hold a special session in the coming days to discuss the killing, which critics call an attack on Tunisia's national sovereignty.

Tunisian authorities have arrested 10 people over the shooting of Tunisian aviation engineer Mohammed Alzoari, according to Interior Minister Hedi Medjoub.

The minister told reporters late Monday that Tunisian authorities aren't ruling out Israel's involvement. He said investigators have determined the killing was ordered by two foreigners and plotted from Hungary and Austria.

Hamas says Alzoari led the development of its drones.

The Israeli military has not commented.
Ankara (AFP) - Russian investigators arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to probe the assassination of Moscow's ambassador as the Turkish government pointed the finger of blame at exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Veteran diplomat Andrei Karlov was shot nine times in the back by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas at the art gallery opening of a show of Russian photography on Monday.

The brazen killing stunned Ankara and Moscow, which have rowed repeatedly over the Syria conflict but had recently begun to cooperate closely on the evacuations from war-wrecked Aleppo.

An unprecedented three-way meeting on Syria between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran went ahead in Moscow Tuesday despite the assassination, with the diplomats backing a widening of a truce.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, meanwhile, pinned the assassination on Gulen's group, which Ankara says also orchestrated an attempted coup in July, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

In a conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Cavusoglu said "Turkey and Russia know that behind the attack... there is FETO," it said, referring to Turkey's acronym for Gulen's organisation.

The US-based Gulen had earlier issued a statement to condemn the assassination as a "terrorist act" that left him "shocked and deeply saddened."

Six people have been detained over the Karlov assassination, including the sister, mother, father and uncle of the 22-year-old Altintas, Turkish media said.

Adding to the jitters, with Turkey already on high alert after a string of deadly attacks, an individual also fired outside the US embassy in Ankara overnight.

The mission said in a statement that no one was hurt and the individual was detained but the embassy and consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed for normal operations.

- 'Waved through security' -

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his secret services to boost security at home and abroad, and to step up cooperation with foreign intelligence services.

Story continues

A Russian investigative team visited the scene of the attack at the Contemporary Arts Centre in central Ankara as part of a joint probe with Turkey.

Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul that he and Putin agreed in a phone call after the murder that "our expanding areas of cooperation with Russia, particularly on Syria, will not be hampered by this attack".

Dramatic footage of Monday's assassination showed Karlov stumble and crash to the ground on his back as Altintas brandished his automatic pistol at terrified onlookers who cowered behind cocktail tables.

The lone gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") and "Don't forget Aleppo", vowing that those responsible for events in Syria would be held accountable.

Altintas did not go through the metal detector security check when he entered the exhibition and was warned by a security officer, according to the Cankaya municipality where the exhibition centre is located.

But after showing his police ID, he was allowed to proceed, it said.

The Hurriyet daily said Altintas, who had worked for Ankara's anti-riot police for the last two-and-a-half years, had stayed at a nearby hotel to prepare for the attack, shaving and putting on a smart suit.

He was killed by police after a 15-minute standoff.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek, known for his outspoken comments, became the first senior official to link the killing with Gulen's group.

His suggestion was also repeated in the pro-government press, before being amplified in the Anadolu report quoting Cavusoglu.

US President-elect Donald Trump had on Monday condemned the envoy's assassination, calling the gunman a "radical Islamic terrorist".

- Orthodox rites -

A Russian plane carrying the ambassador's body landed in Moscow, where it was met by Cavusoglu and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Turkey gave the murdered envoy a full honour guard on his departure from Ankara, as an Orthodox Russian priest, watched by Karlov's widow, read the last rites and swung incense over the coffin.

Cavusoglu announced in Moscow that the street where the embassy is located would be named after the 62-year-old envoy, a career diplomat who had notably served as ambassador to North Korea.

The killing came after days of protests in Turkey over Russia's role in Syria, although Moscow and Ankara are now working closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

Turkey and Russia stand on opposite sides of the conflict, with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad.

But the rhetoric has warmed considerably since a reconciliation deal was signed earlier this year and the tripartite meeting Tuesday was just the latest in a series of contacts.

Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed on Tuesday to guarantee Syria peace talks and backed expanding a ceasefire in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that support should be halted for all groups from abroad who go to Syria, saying it was wrong to only point the figure at one side. Speaking at a news conference with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Moscow, he also said Turkey's military operation to push Islamic State from the Syrian border was continuing around the town of al-Bab and it did not have a secret agenda. (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by David Dolan)
* Assailant shouted radical Islamist slogans after killing

* His relatives, flatmate detained

* No immediate claim of responsibility for attack

* Russia, Turkey say aim to strengthen cooperation

* They back opposing sides in Syrian war (Adds details throughout)

By Orhan Coskun and Daren Butler

ANKARA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of Russia's ambassador, security sources said, widening an investigation to relatives of the off-duty policeman who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo!" as he gunned the envoy down.

Both countries cast Monday's attack at an art gallery in the capital Ankara as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by civil war in Syria, where they back opposing sides.

The war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Islamic State, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.

Russia, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, supported that advance with air strikes.

Karlov's remains were sent back to Moscow from Turkey after a ceremony at the airport in Ankara.

The white, red and blue Russian flag was draped on the casket as a Russian Orthodox priest recited prayers.

Turkey identified the killer as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police for 2-1/2 years. Altintas, who also shouted slogans associated with Islamist militancy after shooting ambassador Andrei Karlov, was killed minutes later by members of Turkey's special forces.

His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained, security sources said.

One senior Turkish security official said investigators were focusing on whether Altintas had links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for a failed July coup. Gulen has denied responsibility for the coup and Monday's attack and has condemned both events.

Story continues

The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology, rather than that of Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue.

"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here," he shouted in Turkish.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he and Russia's Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Putin said it was aimed at derailing Russia's attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis. The foreign ministers of three countries, meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, said they were ready to broker a Syrian peace deal.

'ALLEGIANCE TO JIHAD'

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from Islamic State. Earlier this month a spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged global sympathisers to carry out new attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets.

Altintas also shouted "We are the ones who swore allegiance to Mohammed for the jihad!", which the mass circulation Hurriyet newspaper said was a slogan commonly used in propaganda videos of the group formerly allied to al Qaeda in Syria.

Media present at the event Karlov was attending, an exhibition of photographs from Russia, captured the killing in graphic detail.

Altintas, dressed in a suit, necktie and white shirt, is caught in one photograph standing behind Karlov. In a video, Karlov is shown crumpling as he appears to be shot from behind.

As special forces stormed the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassador's body and would not allow him to be treated, Hurriyet reported.

An initial police report said that 11 shots were fired on the ambassador and nine were on target, the senior security official said. In a video message to the nation on Monday evening, Erdogan said Altintas had graduated from a police academy before joining the riot police.

Russian investigators arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, officials from the Kremlin and the Turkish presidency said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the street where the Russian embassy is located would be named after the ambassador.

The gallery where the shooting occurred is opposite the U.S. embassy. A gun was fired in front of the embassy overnight and the United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday.

(Additional reporting by Issam Abdallah in Istanbul; Denis Pinchuk, Peter Hobson and Maria Tsvetkova in Moscow; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by John Stonestreet and)
By Orhan Coskun and Daren Butler ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of Russia's ambassador, security sources said, widening an investigation to relatives of the off-duty policeman who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo!" as he gunned the envoy down. Both countries cast Monday's attack at an art gallery in the capital Ankara as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by civil war in Syria, where they back opposing sides. The war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Islamic State, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo. Russia, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, supported that advance with air strikes. Karlov's remains were sent back to Moscow from Turkey after a ceremony at the airport in Ankara. The white, red and blue Russian flag was draped on the casket as a Russian Orthodox priest recited prayers. Turkey identified the killer as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police for 2-1/2 years. Altintas, who also shouted slogans associated with Islamist militancy after shooting ambassador Andrei Karlov, was killed minutes later by members of Turkey's special forces. His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained, security sources said. One senior Turkish security official said investigators were focusing on whether Altintas had links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for a failed July coup. Gulen has denied responsibility for the coup and Monday's attack and has condemned both events. The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology, rather than that of Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue. "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here," he shouted in Turkish. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he and Russia's Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism. Putin said it was aimed at derailing Russia's attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis. The foreign ministers of three countries, meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, said they were ready to broker a Syrian peace deal. 'ALLEGIANCE TO JIHAD' Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from Islamic State. Earlier this month a spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged global sympathizers to carry out new attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets. Altintas also shouted "We are the ones who swore allegiance to Mohammed for the jihad!", which the mass circulation Hurriyet newspaper said was a slogan commonly used in propaganda videos of the group formerly allied to al Qaeda in Syria. Media present at the event Karlov was attending, an exhibition of photographs from Russia, captured the killing in graphic detail. Altintas, dressed in a suit, necktie and white shirt, is caught in one photograph standing behind Karlov. In a video, Karlov is shown crumpling as he appears to be shot from behind. As special forces stormed the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassador's body and would not allow him to be treated, Hurriyet reported. An initial police report said that 11 shots were fired on the ambassador and nine were on target, the senior security official said. In a video message to the nation on Monday evening, Erdogan said Altintas had graduated from a police academy before joining the riot police. Russian investigators arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, officials from the Kremlin and the Turkish presidency said. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the street where the Russian embassy is located would be named after the ambassador. The gallery where the shooting occurred is opposite the U.S. embassy. A gun was fired in front of the embassy overnight and the United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday. (Additional reporting by Issam Abdallah in Istanbul; Denis Pinchuk, Peter Hobson and Maria Tsvetkova in Moscow; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by John Stonestreet and)
Nepal, Mongolia sign a host of agreements

Nepal and Mongolia on Monday reached several agreements and understandings aiming to promote bilateral ties.
(ANKARA, Turkey)  The Turkish policeman who assassinated Russias ambassador was unlikely to have acted alone, a senior Turkish government official said Tuesday, as investigators from both countries hunted for clues as to who might have been behind the killing.

Russian investigators arrived in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Tuesday morning and headed to the art gallery where Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead Monday evening by Mevlut Mert Altintas. The 22-year-old gunman, a member Ankaras riot police squad, shouted slogans about the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo as he killed the envoy.

The senior government official described the killing as fully professional, not a one-man action and said the attack was well-planned. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details to the press.

Turkish authorities have not publicly released any information on the investigation or on a possible motive for the policeman.

Turkey and Russia, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian war, vowed not to let the killing disrupt efforts to repair their ties.

Strong relations will continue, no one has the strength to destroy the relationship between the two countries, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said during a speech in Istanbul for the opening of a tunnel highway under the Bosporus. We will continue to carry out every kind of effort to overcome the instability in the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he spoke by phone Monday night, were in agreement that this was an open provocation.

A joint investigation was being conducted into the ambassadors death, he said. Together with Mr. Putin, we have an understanding that our cooperation, especially in Syria, will not be affected by this attack.

Karlovs assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Moscows support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russias role in the bombardment and destruction of rebel parts of Aleppo.

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Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! Altintas shouted during the attack, shooting Karlov as he delivered a speech at a photo exhibition in the Turkish capital. The attacker was later killed by police in a different part of the building.

Turkish police have detained seven people in connection with the policeman: his parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara, Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

According to Anadolu, Altintas took leave from work and on Dec. 14 made a hotel reservation near the exhibition center. He arrived at the hotel on Monday. Police searched his hotel room, which was later sealed.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking at a previously scheduled meeting on Syria in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and their Iranian counterpart, said Turkey and Russia would work together to determine who was behind the heinous terror attack.

Turkey and Russia have shown the world what they can achieve when they cooperate, Cavusoglu said, referring to the cease-fire deal that paved the way for the evacuation of thousands of people from east Aleppo.

Both foreign ministers lay flowers in front of a photograph of the ambassador at the Russian Foreign Ministry mansion where talks were taking place. Cavusoglu said a street where the Russian Embassy in Ankara is located would be renamed for Karlov.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as Altintas, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around the ambassador as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

A team of 18 Russian investigators and foreign ministry officials went to Ankara to investigate the killing, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The ambassadors body and his family will be brought back to Russia in the same plane that flew in the Russian experts.

Also Tuesday, Turkish police detained a man who fired a shotgun in front of the U.S. Embassy, which is across the street from the building where the Russian ambassador was killed. It was not immediately known if the two incidents were connected. No one was hurt.

The man fired around eight shots in the air before embassy security guards apparently overpowered him, Anadolu said.

The U.S. Embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be closed for normal operations on Tuesday.

Authorities increased security outside the Russian Embassy, and the Iranian Embassy was closed Tuesday as a precaution.

Russia warned citizens against traveling to Turkey, citing attacks that have hit the country over the past 18 months.
Its hard to know what it takes to convince yourself that sending a Twitter message designed to trigger a seizure in someone known to have epilepsy is an OK thing to do. But someone apparently did just such a thing on Dec. 15, targeting the tweet at Kurt Eichenwald, a writer for both Vanity Fair and Newsweek, who has epilepsy and has talked and written about it frequently.

Eichenwald has been a regular target of Twitter attacks for his coverage of Donald Trumps business ties and the problems they could create during a Trump presidency. In August, he clashed with Trump supporters over their false claims that Hillary Clinton suffered from seizures, arguing that it trivialized the experiences of people who do have epilepsy. Vanity Fair, meanwhile, has angered both Trump and his supporters for a recent, blistering review of the Trump Grill restaurant.

All of that put Eichenwald in the crosshairs. Once before, in October, he received a tweet that included an animation flashing in what is known as an eleptogenic patternone that can trigger seizures in someone with epilepsy. It happened again last week, this time with a message that read You deserve a seizure for your postings. The first time, Eichenwald said, he dropped his iPad in time to avoid seizing; the second time, he was too late. Eichenwald, who lives in Dallas, is pursuing both civil and criminal actions, and a local judge has agreed to subpoena Twitter to release the identity of the alleged assailant.

The larger questionthe one on which Eichenwalds case may turnis whether a computer screen flashing at a certain brightness with a certain frequency could indeed have triggered a seizure in his case. The answer is: maybe.

There is no question that flashing lights can be eleptogenic, and according to the Epilepsy Foundation, they dont even have to be artificial lights. Sunlight shimmering off of water or flashing though trees or picket fences has been known to cause seizures. Strobe lights used in fire alarms or on dance floors have also been implicated. All manner of variables determine which kinds of lights are dangerous and which arent, including brightness and wavelength, the rate of the flash, the contrasting brightness of the background and the proximity of the viewer to the light source.

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TVs and computers have always been particularly problematic. Their flicker rate all by itself can be eleptogenic as can many kinds of graphics, including rolling images. The problem has only gotten worse with the the ubiquity of screens on tablets and smartphones. LCDs and flat screens are essentially flicker-free, which helps some, but there is no limit to the seizure-inducing images they can display. The Epilepsy Foundation suggests numerous precautions for light sensitive users, including using a glare-free monitor and taking frequent breaks from the screen. Video games present a whole range of other problems, and at the very least players are cautioned to sit a minimum of two feet from the screen, keep the room well-lit, take frequent breaks and perhaps close one eye while playing.

So lights can certainly spell trouble for epilepsy sufferersbut which epilepsy sufferers?

Only about 3% of people with epilepsy have what is known as the photosensitive form of the condition. It is most common in children and adolescents and while it can certainly stay with people for life, it does tend to diminish with age. In some cases, lights do not trigger seizures but they do cause dizziness, headaches and nausea. Photosensitive epilepsy may thus be underreported because people who suffer from it mistake the symptoms for something else.

Eichenwald, his family and his doctors are the only ones who know what form of epilepsy he has and that fact may well be brought out at any trial that results from the attack. But for would-be Twitter assailants, the mere fact that an attack might not have led to a seizure is by no means a good defense. Both the intent of the assailant and the threat perceived by the victim matter in criminal and civil litigation, which is why pointing an unloaded gun at someone can still land you in jail or on the wrong end of a hefty civil award, whether you knew the gun was loaded or not.

Its for the trolls themselves to find out a way to live with the choices they make and the things they do. Its up to everyone else to make sure that those choices come at a price.
Twin pandas, Fu Feng and Fu Ban, whose cute naming footage went viral in November, were weighed at Vienna Zoo Schonbrunn on Monday, December 20. This video shows the two pandas as they are being weighed. They can also be seen playing afterwards.

The male panda is named Fu Ban, meaning lucky companion, and the female is called Fu Feng, or lucky phoenix. The twins were born to panda parents Yang Yang and Long Hui on August 7. Credit: YouTube/Vienna Zoo Schonbrunn via Storyful
By Nate Raymond and Lawrence Delevingne NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top executives of New York-based hedge fund manager Platinum Partners were arrested on Monday and charged with running a $1 billion fraud that federal prosecutors said became "like a Ponzi scheme" as its largest investments lost much of their value. Led by Mark Nordlicht, Platinum was known for years for producing exceptionally high returns -- about 17 percent annually in its largest fund -- by taking an unusually aggressive approach to investing and fund management, as detailed by a Reuters Special Report in April. (http://reut.rs/1TRovwx) Nordlicht, Platinum's founding partner and chief investment officer, was arrested at his home in New Rochelle, New York. Federal prosecutors accused him and six others of participating in a pair of schemes to defraud investors. "The charges ... highlight the brazenness and the breadth of the defendants' lies and deceit," Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Robert Capers told reporters. Capers added that the case was one of the largest and "most brazen" investment frauds ever and Platinum was ultimately exposed to have "no more value than a tarnished piece of cheap metal." The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced parallel charges Monday against the same executives and two Platinum entities for similar civil fraud charges. A 48-page criminal indictment said since 2012, Nordlicht and four other defendants defrauded investors by overvaluing illiquid assets held by its flagship Platinum Partners Value Arbitrage funds, mostly troubled energy-related investments. This caused a "severe liquidity crisis" that Platinum at first tried to remedy through high-interest loans between its funds before selectively paying some investors ahead of others, the indictment said. "So to some extent, there is a Ponzi-esque aspect to this scheme," Capers said. FLEEING TO ISRAEL Founded in 2003, Platinum until this year had more than $1.7 billion under management, with more than 600 investors, authorities said. Some of those investors came from the same New York-area Jewish community as Nordlicht and other Platinum executives. They have included a charitable trust set up by day-trading pioneer Aaron Elbogen; the Century 21 Associates Foundation, led by department store executive Raymond Gindi; and the SFF Foundation, a non-profit controlled by the Schron family, known for its real estate investments. Avi Schron declined to comment; Gindi and Elbogen did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The indictment describes how angry investors sought to take their money out in late 2015 and early 2016 as Platinum hinted to clients that some assets were in trouble. It also cites emails between Nordlicht and another unnamed executive in which the men discussed fleeing to Israel as pressure on the firm mounted. Prosecutors said David Levy, Platinum's co-chief investment officer, and Uri Landesman, the former president of the firm's signature fund, also participated in the scheme, which prosecutors said allowed Platinum to extract more than $100 million in fees based on inflated asset values. Nordlicht, Levy and Jeffrey Shulse, former chief executive officer of Platinum's majority-owned Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC [BLCELB.UL], also schemed to defraud bondholders of Black Elk, a now-defunct Texas energy company, out of $50 million, prosecutors said. The indictment said the scheme involved using a group of reinsurance companies called Beechwood, partially controlled by Platinum's principals, to rig a bond vote and pay the hedge fund manager ahead of creditors. Nordlicht, appearing in court in a checkered shirt and blue jeans, pleaded not guilty to charges including securities fraud and was granted bail by U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom on a $5 million bond secured by $500,000 cash. Levy and Landesman also pleaded not guilty Monday. "The complaint makes clear that Beechwood was kept in the dark about what Platinum has been accused of doing," Davidson Goldin, a spokesman for Beechwood, said in a statement. Shulse, who was taken into custody in Houston, did not respond to requests for comment. A Platinum spokesman declined to comment. This year, a series of investigations tied to Platinum came to a head. The firm hired an independent monitor in July to unwind its funds, and a Cayman Islands court in August placed its main offshore funds into liquidation. Those moves came after the June arrest of Murray Huberfeld, a longtime Platinum associate, on charges in Manhattan federal court that he orchestrated a bribe to the head of the New York City prison guards' union, Norman Seabrook, to secure a $20 million investment with the firm. Seabrook pleaded not guilty, as did Huberfeld who was also arrested. Two weeks later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service raided Platinum's Manhattan offices in a separate fraud investigation that culminated in Monday's indictment. Others indicted on Monday include Joseph SanFilippo, Value Arbitrage's former chief financial officer; Joseph Mann, a former Platinum marketing employee; and Daniel Small, a Platinum managing director. The three men also pleaded not guilty. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday that it was seeking a court-appointed receiver for funds managed by Platinum Credit Management, the firm's second-largest vehicle after Value Arbitrage. The case is U.S. v. Nordlicht et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 16-cr-640. (Reporting by Nate Raymond and Lawrence Delevingne in New York; Editing by David Gregorio, Lisa Shumaker and Alan Crosby)
NEW YORK, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A group of Democratic senators took their plans to tackle rising drug costs to President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday, asking him to work with them and Republicans on the issue.

In a letter dated Tuesday, the 19 senators named five areas for cooperation: allowing the Medicare program to negotiate prescription prices, increasing transparency, stopping abusive pricing, passing reform on incentives for innovation and supporting generic competition for branded drugs.

Trump's focus during the presidential election campaign was not on drug prices but on his promise to "repeal and replace" Obamacare, President Barack Obama's signature health reform law passed by Democrats in 2010.

But he did talk about allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which is currently prohibited by law, and importing cheaper drugs from other countries. Since elected, Trump promised in an interview with Time magazine that "I'm going to bring down drug prices" but did not say how.

In the letter led by Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Al Franken of Minnesota and co-signed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren among others, the group suggested that there would be opportunities in Congress for Trump to steer bipartisan reform.

It suggested that the Prescription Drug, Generic Drug, and Biosimilars User Fee Agreement reauthorization, due to be passed in the spring, and "other health-related legislative priorities" would be good opportunities.

Republicans have a majority in Congress and is working on a two-part plan to "repeal and replace" Obamacare, according to Republican senators. The repeal would take place through the budget reconciliation process, which can pass with 51 votes. For replacement legislation, some Republican senators have said they may seek Democratic support in order to have bipartisan legislation with 60 votes.

(Reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
By Joseph Menn (Reuters) - The U.S. government spent more than a decade preparing responses to malicious hacking by a foreign power but had no clear strategy when Russia launched a disinformation campaign over the internet during the U.S. election campaign, current and former White House cyber security advisers said. Far more effort has gone into plotting offensive hacking and preparing defenses against the less probable but more dramatic damage from electronic assaults on the power grid, financial system or direct manipulation of voting machines. Over the last several years, U.S. intelligence agencies tracked Russia's use of coordinated hacking and disinformation in Ukraine and elsewhere, the advisers and intelligence experts said, but there was little sustained, high-level government conversation about the risk of the propaganda coming to the United States. During the presidential election it did - to an extent that may have altered the outcome, the security sources said. But U.S. officials felt limited in investigating Russian-supported propaganda efforts because of free speech guarantees in the Constitution. A former White House official cautioned that any U.S. government attempt to counter the flow of foreign state-backed disinformation through deterrence would face major political, legal and moral obstacles. "You would have to have massive surveillance and curtailed freedom and that is a cost we have not been willing to accept, said the former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They (Russia) can control distribution of information in ways we don't." Clinton Watts, a security consultant, former FBI agent and a fellow at the nonprofit Foreign Policy Research Institute, said the U.S. government no longer has an organization, such as the U.S. Information Agency, that provided counter-narratives during the Cold War. He said that most major Russian disinformation campaigns in the United States and Europe have started at Russian-government funded media outlets, such as RT television or Sputnik News, before being amplified on Twitter by others. Watts said it was urgent for the U.S. government to build the capability to track what is happening online and dispute false stories. "Those two things need to be done immediately," Watts said. "You have to have a public statement or it leads to conspiracy theories." A defense spending pill passed this month calls for the State Department to establish a "Global Engagement Center" to take on some of that work, but similar efforts to counter less sophisticated Islamic State narratives have fallen short. The U.S. government formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against U.S. political organizations in October, a month before the Nov. 8 election. U.S. 'STUCK' James Lewis, a cyber security expert at the Center for Strategic & International Studies who has worked for the departments of State and Commerce and the U.S. military, said Washington needed to move beyond antiquated notions of projecting influence if it hoped to catch up with Russia. "They have RT and all we know how to do is send a carrier battle group," Lewis said. "We're going to be stuck until we find a way deal with that." Watts, who said he has tracked tens of thousands of pro-Russia Twitter handles since 2014, believes many of the most effective stories stoke fear of war or other calamities or promote a narrative of corrupt Western politicians, media and other elites. He and others said Sputnik shows the intensity of the Russian effort. Launched two years ago as a successor to the official Russian wire service and radio network, Sputnik does not merely parrot the Kremlin political line, according to experts. It has gone out of its way to hire outsiders with social media expertise, including left and right-leaning Americans who are critical of U.S. policies. Sputnik News did not respond to a request for comment. During the election campaign, one of the most prominent fulltime Sputnik writers and commentators, Cassandra Fairbanks, shifted from an ardent anti-police protestor and supporter of socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders to a vocal backer of Republican Donald Trump. Fairbanks said in an interview with Reuters that Sputnik had not told her to advocate for Trump, now president-elect. She said she was swayed by Trump's opposition to overseas wars and international trade agreements. "I did my best to push for him," Fairbanks said, "but that was of my free will." A woman in her thirties with more than 80,000 Twitter followers, Fairbanks was an activist with the hacking movement known as Anonymous before she joined Sputnik. The day before the election, Fairbanks said on a YouTube channel that it was "pretty likely" that the authors of emails hacked from the account of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign manager John Podesta were using code words for pedophilia when they spoke about pizza. The assertion fed the falsehood that Clinton supporters were operating a child sex ring out of a Washington-based pizza parlor. The channel, with 1.8 million subscribers, was run by Alex Jones, a radio host who has said the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job." Joe Fionda, a veteran of the Occupy protests who worked briefly for Sputnik in 2015, said the organizations articles and social media efforts overall were aimed at praising Russian President Vladimir Putin's allies such as Syria and dwelling on negative news in the United States, including police misconduct. Some U.S. officials and political analysts have said Putin could believe businessman Trump would be friendlier to Russia than Clinton, especially when it came to economic sanctions. Fionda said spreading hacked emails was a priority at Sputnik. He said his job included trying to create viral memes on a Facebook page called Mutinous Media, which did not list a Sputnik connection. Former workers of the Democratic National Committee, one of the groups infiltrated by Russian-backed hackers, said the U.S. government should consider providing funding for the technological defense of major political parties. They said that once hacked emails began appearing online, party functionaries were constantly behind in responding. They also said that the staff of Democratic President Barack Obama had been overly concerned about not appearing to defend its own party's candidate. Obama has asked spy agencies to deliver an analysis of Russian meddling in the election that will include discussion of propaganda operations, Office of the Director of National Intelligence General Counsel Robert Litt told Reuters. Asked on Tuesday whether he thought the U.S. government had been caught off guard, Litt said: "I'm not touching this with an 11-foot pole. It is a very important issue that the intelligence community is looking at very carefully, and it will issue a report in due time." (Reporting by Joseph Menn; editing by David Rohde and Grant McCool)
On Tuesday, the day after Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot dead at an art exhibit in Ankara, some Turkish and Russian publications and politicians were blaming not each other, but the United States.

While the assassins aim may have been to create tension between Russia and Turkey, I think the United States is likely to be one of the bigger losers coming out of this, Amanda Sloat, who, until May of this year, was deputy assistant secretary for Southern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean Affairs at the U.S. State Department, told Foreign Policy.

There are two main points of tension between United States and Turkey. One is Syria, where Washington supports Kurdish forces despite Ankaras antipathy toward the YPG. The other is Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania  and whom Turkey has blamed for the failed coup in July earlier this year and wants to extradite. Turkey has also already blamed the assassination on Gulenists. (Gulen, for his part, has reportedly condemned the assassination.)

That Turkey is a NATO member will likely not pull Ankara toward the United States  or matter much at all, given that Russia seems highly unlikely to respond militarily against Turkey. Even in November 2015, when a Russian plane was shot down over what Turkey asserted to be Turkish airspace (without, notably, the backing of NATO), Russia responded economically, but not militarily.

And that was in response to anti-Russian action by the government, whereas Russia, in reacting to its ambassadors assassination, is responding to the actions of one man. The fact that he was a police officer, Sloat said, could suggest some politicization of state institutions, though she stressed it was too early to know if that is indeed the case.

It is also too soon to speculate as to how the United States could change its policy toward Turkey. Sloat noted that much will depend on how the incoming administration decides to respond; U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, for his part, issued a statement calling the killer a radical Islamic terrorist.

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But for now, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara has closed its doors after a gunman opened fire nearby just hours after the assassination.

Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusgolu went to Moscow for talks with Russia and Iran on Syria as planned; Russia has sent over a dozen investigators to look into who killed its ambassador. And Turkey and Russia will, in all likelihood, cooperate as stated for the investigation.

The two countries are, at present, getting exactly what they need from each other in Syria, Sloat explained, and I suspect that will be the predominant theme in their relationship at the moment. Neither will allow yesterdays incident to undermine what theyre trying to achieve in Syria.

Update, Dec. 20 3:42 PM: This post was updated to reflect that Fetullah Gulen reportedly condemned the assassination.

Photo credit: ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
BEIRUT (AP)  The leaders of Russia and Iran, military allies of Syrias president, talked Monday about joining forces to reach a quick political settlement in Syria, as the countrys largest city, Aleppo, was poised to return to full government control.

Syrian state TV said it expected the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from the last opposition footholds in Aleppo to be completed by early Tuesday.

As more people left the city, the U.N. Security council approved a compromise French-Russian resolution urging the immediate deployment of U.N. monitors to watch over the evacuation and the well-being of civilians remaining in the city. U.N. officials said more than 100 U.N. humanitarian staff already on the ground in Aleppo, most of them Syrian nationals, could be used in that role.

Frances U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre said the goal of the resolution is to avoid new mass atrocities by the forces on the ground and the militias in particular. But thousands of people have already been evacuated from the city and the operation could be completed before the observers arrive.

The departure of the last rebels from Aleppo would close another chapter in Syrias civil war and would give President Bashar Assad a significant symbolic and strategic victory.

Almost six years after the outbreak of an armed rebellion against Assad, the Syrian leader will be in charge again of the countrys five largest cities and the Mediterranean coast.

The presidents of Russia and Iran spoke by phone Monday to discuss the next moves. The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani underlined the need for joint efforts to launch a real political process aimed at a quick settlement in Syria.

The leaders noted that a quick launch of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstans capital, Astana, would be an important step toward that goal, a Kremlin statement said.

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The conversation came a day before a scheduled meeting of foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Moscow. Russia and Iran have backed Assad, while Turkey has supported the opposition.

The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, welcomed the Moscow meeting and any effort that results in a cessation of hostilities.

He announced that the United Nations hopes to arrange negotiations between the government and opposition in Geneva on Feb. 8.

The Special Envoy will follow with interest the meeting tomorrow between the governments of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. He welcomes any effort that can bring about a cessation of hostilities, which remains a cornerstone of the framework laid down in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) in parallel with the political process. He has also taken note of the possibility that this initiative, and other initiatives, can promote intra-Syrian dialogue. He welcomes all such efforts as potential contributions to the UN process.

In the Turkish capital of Ankara, meanwhile, the Russian ambassador was shot to death by a man shouting, Dont forget Aleppo. Dont forget Syria! The gunman fired at least eight shots, killing Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, at an embassy-sponsored exhibition, and was then slain by police.

Discussing the Security Council resolution calling for monitors in Aleppo, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there would also be observers from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Crescent.

The resolution also demands that all parties allow unconditional and immediate access for the U.N. and its partners to deliver humanitarian aid and medical care, and respect and protect all civilians across Aleppo and throughout Syria.

Syrias U.N. Ambassador, Bashar al-Jaafari, claimed that one of the main purposes government opponents pushed for the resolution was to get people into eastern Aleppo to rescue foreign intelligence officers still in the former rebel-held area.

He named 12 alleged officers still trying to get out of Aleppo  six from Saudi Arabia and one each from Turkey, the United States, Israel, Qatar, Jordan and Morocco. He said: We are going to catch them  and show them to you.

The rebels captured eastern Aleppo in July 2012 and held on to it despite a ferocious assault in recent months by Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and a host of Shiite militias from Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan.

The evacuation of Aleppo began last week after Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire as government forces were closing in on the rebels last redoubt, but has been repeatedly delayed.

The evacuation of more than 2,000 sick and wounded from the rebel- besieged Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya was tacked onto the deal at the last minute. The oppositions Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV said 10 buses left those villages with civilians on Monday.

There are also plans to evacuate hundreds of people from Madaya and Zabadani, two besieged, rebel-held villages near the Lebanese border. The Observatory and Mayadeen said 15 buses entered the two villages on Monday.

Rebel-held eastern Aleppo has been besieged for months, with several previous cease-fires breaking down and virtually no humanitarian aid reaching its tens of thousands of residents.

One of those who left Aleppo on Monday was Mohammed Abu Jaafar, who described a miserable five-kilometer (three-mile) trip that took more than two hours in an overcrowded government bus.

He said they passed three checkpoints, one manned by Russian troops, another by plainclothes Syrian intelligence agents and the third by Syrian troops.

Inside the bus, men, women and children were hungry and cold as they waited for hours in freezing temperatures, he said.

Children were screaming, and some people fainted, he said, adding that there was no baby formula or diapers.

Among those evacuated Monday was 7-year-old Bana Alabed and her mother Fatemah, who tweeted about the horrors of living through the governments assault on eastern Aleppo, which destroyed much of the city. Their account had some 334,000 followers.

Speaking to the activist-run Qasioun News Agency in the Aleppo countryside, Fatemah said she was glad to have finally reached safety but expressed regret that she was forced out of her home city and said she did not want to become a refugee.

I left my soul there, she said.

The Observatory and Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later said that since midnight Sunday, some 4,500 people have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo.

Reports differed on how many people remain in eastern Aleppo, but estimates converge around 15,000 civilians and 6,000 fighters.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency said a total of 131 wounded people  including 46 children  were brought to Turkey for treatment since the evacuations began last week. The agency said five of them have since died.

___

Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue reported this story from Beirut and AP writer Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations.
Opposition foils discussion on statute amendment, poll bills

The opposition continued its obstruction of the Legislature-Parliament, which was scheduled to discuss the constitution amendment proposal and two election-related bills on Monday.
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he feared genocide was about to start in South Sudan unless immediate action is taken, renewing his plea for the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on the world's newest country. "If we fail to act, South Sudan will be on a trajectory towards mass atrocities," Ban told the 15-member Security Council. "The Security Council must take steps to stem the flow of arms to South Sudan." Noting that his special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Adama Dieng, has described genocide as a process, Ban said: "I am afraid that process is about to begin unless immediate action is taken." Political rivalry between South Sudan President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and his former deputy Riek Machar, a Nuer, led to civil war in 2013 that has often followed ethnic lines. The pair signed a shaky peace deal last year, but fighting has continued. Machar fled in July and is now in South Africa. Ban said reports suggested Kiir and his loyalists "are contemplating a new military offensive in the coming days" against Machar-allied opposition troops, while "there are clear indications that Riek Machar and other opposition groups are pursuing a military escalation." Dieng told the council last month that he had seen "all the signs that ethnic hatred and targeting of civilians could evolve into genocide," and the head of a U.N. human rights commission said the country was on the brink of an all-out ethnic civil war. [nL1N1DI2B6] [nL5N1E92BL] "How many more clues do you, do we all need to move from our anxious words to real preventative action?" U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien asked the council on Monday. U.S. PRESSES TO "STOP ATROCITIES" South Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Akuei Bona Malwal, on Monday said the descriptions were exaggerated and did not "reflect the reality on the ground." "There have been no attempts, that we are aware of, on the part of the South Sudanese masses to turn against each other," he told the Security Council. Following an outbreak of deadly violence in Juba, the capital, in July, the Security Council in August authorized a 4,000-strong protection force as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force already on the ground and threatened an arms embargo if Kiir's government did not cooperate. None of the new troops have yet deployed. "Obstruction and defiance," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said of Kiir's government. U.N. peacekeepers have been in South Sudan since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011. There are currently some 13,700 U.N. troops and police on the ground. The United States has been struggling to secure the minimum number of votes needed for the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan. To be adopted, a resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes. [nL1N1DV28G] Diplomats have said that so far only seven members were in favor, with the remaining eight planning to abstain or vote no. While veto powers Russia and China are skeptical whether an arms embargo would achieve much in a country awash with weapons, diplomats did not expect them to block the measure. Power said she wants to put a resolution to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan to a vote before the end of the year. "The situation is not getting better, it's getting worse, and we're sitting on our hands as a council," Power said. "We have to try to stop atrocities in South Sudan." (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by James Dalgleish and Leslie Adler)
By Simon Lewis YANGON (Reuters) - Up to 15,000 people may have fled across Myanmar's border into China in the past month, a United Nations agency has said, as fighting between Myanmar's army and ethnic armed groups intensifies. Aid access to people affected by conflict in the northern states of Kachin and Shan "is getting worse, not better", Pierre Peron, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, said by email. The OCHA said in an update on Monday that, as well as the estimated 15,000 new refugees, another 2,400 people had been displaced internally in the northern part of Shan state since Nov. 20, when a coalition of four rebel armies attacked military and police outposts. The attacks disrupted trade across the border and China has expressed concern over stray shells and bullets landing in its territory. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not immediately have any details about refugee numbers, but repeated a call for talks to resolve the fighting and ensure peace and stability on the border. Weeks of clashes and the new displacements have damaged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's hopes of securing peace in the long-running conflicts in the mountainous border areas, a goal she has made her administration's top priority. Observers fear Suu Kyi's fledgling civilian administration is unable to rein in the army, which retains political power and is free from civilian oversight. "Humanitarian access to conflict areas in Kachin and Shan states is currently worse than at any point in the past few years," Peron said. "This has seriously affected the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide life-saving aid to tens of thousands of (internally displaced) and other conflict-affected people." Work by international aid agencies has also been restricted in Myanmar's northwest for more than two months. Government forces launched "clearance operations" there after armed men, believed to be from the oppressed Rohingya Muslim group, attacked border police. The army said it would step up operations in Shan state following the November attacks. A Myanmar police official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, told Reuters that government forces had clashed with armed groups in northern Shan at least 170 times in the past month. In a separate offensive to the north, government forces took control of a strategic hill close to the Kachin Independence Army's headquarters at Laiza on the Chinese border on Saturday, according to state media. Shells reportedly landed near a camp for the internally displaced just outside Laiza on Sunday, the OCHA said, citing unconfirmed reports that it could not verify independently. No casualties were reported but shelters were damaged and about 400 people had to be evacuated, it said. A Myanmar government spokesman was not immediately available for comment. (Additional reporting by Shwe Yee Saw Myint, and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Paul Tait and Himani Sarkar)
By Yeganeh Torbati and David Alexander

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday sought to downplay its absence from talks on the Syrian conflict among Russia, Iran and Turkey in Moscow, saying it was not a "snub" and did not reflect a decline of U.S. influence in the Middle East.

However, President Barack Obama's decision to offer only limited support to moderate rebels has left Washington with little leverage to influence the situation in Syria, especially after Moscow began launching air strikes against rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

Although Washington has long been a player in efforts to end the Syria civil war and other Mideast conflicts, the United States was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Syrian government and its allies, including Russia, mounted an assault to pin down the rebels in east Aleppo that culminated in a ceasefire deal.

Dennis Ross, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who was an adviser on Iran and the Middle East to both Democratic and Republican administrations, said the United States had made itself "irrelevant" in Syria.

"The opposition finds little reason to be responsive to us and Assad. The Russians and Iran know that there is nothing we will do to raise the costs to them of their onslaught against Aleppo and other Syrian cities," Ross said.

"Russia, having changed the balance of power on the ground, without regard to civilian consequences, has moved to make itself an arbiter."

A spokesman for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry dismissed suggestions that America's absence from the meeting indicated a change in influence.

"The secretary doesn't see this as a snub at all. He sees it as another multilateral effort to try to get a lasting peace in Syria and he welcomes any progress towards that," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

"We would obviously refute any notion that ... the fact that we weren't at this one meeting is somehow a harbinger or a litmus test for U.S. influence and leadership there or anywhere else around the world," Kirby said, adding that Washington was still engaged in the region on many other issues.

Story continues

"We are not excluded, we are not being sidelined," he added.

At the meeting on Tuesday, Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal and they adopted a declaration that laid out the principles any agreement should follow.

Still, the meetings on Tuesday resulted in a "Moscow Declaration," reflecting Russia's growing links with Iran and Turkey, despite the murder on Monday of Russia's ambassador in Ankara, Turkey's capital, and reflects Putin's desire to increase his country's influence in the Middle East and more widely.

It also shows that Russia is fed up with what it considers long and pointless talks with the Obama administration over Syria.

"RUNNING THE SHOW"

A U.S. official acknowledged that the U.S. absence from the evacuation talks on eastern Aleppo was Russia's way of showing that Moscow, not Washington, was running the show.

"The fact is that we have put ourselves in a position where Russia is making efforts to try to work with anybody else so they can isolate us," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

"We let our differences with Turkey over the Kurds and our views over the northern part of Syria create gaps that the Russians have exploited."

Kirby said that in the end, the United States, Russia, Iran, and Turkey would like to see an immediate ceasefire and the "urgent delivery" of humanitarian aid.

Ultimately, he said, it was too soon to judge whether the talks were a success.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that he and his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, were working to organize new Syrian peace negotiations without the United States or the United Nations.

Russia says that if they happen, the talks would be in addition to intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations in Geneva.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday he thought that what he called the Russia-Iran-Turkey troika was the most effective forum for trying to solve the Syria crisis.

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by John Walcott and Leslie Adler)
By Yeganeh Torbati and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday sought to downplay its absence from talks on the Syrian conflict among Russia, Iran and Turkey in Moscow, saying it was not a "snub" and did not reflect a decline of U.S. influence in the Middle East. However, President Barack Obama's decision to offer only limited support to moderate rebels has left Washington with little leverage to influence the situation in Syria, especially after Moscow began launching air strikes against rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. Although Washington has long been a player in efforts to end the Syria civil war and other Mideast conflicts, the United States was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Syrian government and its allies, including Russia, mounted an assault to pin down the rebels in east Aleppo that culminated in a ceasefire deal. Dennis Ross, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who was an adviser on Iran and the Middle East to both Democratic and Republican administrations, said the United States had made itself "irrelevant" in Syria. "The opposition finds little reason to be responsive to us and Assad. The Russians and Iran know that there is nothing we will do to raise the costs to them of their onslaught against Aleppo and other Syrian cities," Ross said. "Russia, having changed the balance of power on the ground, without regard to civilian consequences, has moved to make itself an arbiter." A spokesman for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry dismissed suggestions that America's absence from the meeting indicated a change in influence. "The secretary doesn't see this as a snub at all. He sees it as another multilateral effort to try to get a lasting peace in Syria and he welcomes any progress towards that," State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday. "We would obviously refute any notion that ... the fact that we weren't at this one meeting is somehow a harbinger or a litmus test for U.S. influence and leadership there or anywhere else around the world," Kirby said, adding that Washington was still engaged in the region on many other issues. "We are not excluded, we are not being sidelined," he added. At the meeting on Tuesday, Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal and they adopted a declaration that laid out the principles any agreement should follow. Still, the meetings on Tuesday resulted in a "Moscow Declaration," reflecting Russia's growing links with Iran and Turkey, despite the murder on Monday of Russia's ambassador in Ankara, Turkey's capital, and reflects Putin's desire to increase his country's influence in the Middle East and more widely. It also shows that Russia is fed up with what it considers long and pointless talks with the Obama administration over Syria. "RUNNING THE SHOW" A U.S. official acknowledged that the U.S. absence from the evacuation talks on eastern Aleppo was Russia's way of showing that Moscow, not Washington, was running the show. "The fact is that we have put ourselves in a position where Russia is making efforts to try to work with anybody else so they can isolate us," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. "We let our differences with Turkey over the Kurds and our views over the northern part of Syria create gaps that the Russians have exploited." Kirby said that in the end, the United States, Russia, Iran, and Turkey would like to see an immediate ceasefire and the "urgent delivery" of humanitarian aid. Ultimately, he said, it was too soon to judge whether the talks were a success. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that he and his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, were working to organize new Syrian peace negotiations without the United States or the United Nations. Russia says that if they happen, the talks would be in addition to intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations in Geneva. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday he thought that what he called the Russia-Iran-Turkey troika was the most effective forum for trying to solve the Syria crisis. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by John Walcott and Leslie Adler)
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities on Tuesday arrested a Peruvian man who, to lure investors, posted an online video featuring the New York Stock Exchange and himself in front of the nearby Trump Building, where he had an office, on charges that he engaged in a $1.2 million fraud.

Pedro Jaramillo, 47, raised funds from over two dozen investors since 2014, mainly to invest in commodity futures contracts with a promise of a guaranteed rate of return, according to a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court.

He advertised his services in a YouTube video, flashing images of Wall Street, the stock exchange and himself standing before the Trump Building, a 72-story building at 40 Wall Street owned by President-elect Donald Trump, the complaint said.

"Why do you think large companies and financial institutions invest in Wall Street?" Jaramillo asked in Spanish in the video, the complaint said. "It is the heart of capitalism at a worldwide level. And I want to introduce you to it."

While Jaramillo raised $1.2 million, he failed to invest the money as promised, using more than $700,000 to fund his lifestyle, including thousands of dollars on three vacations with family and guests to Disney World, the complaint said.

To hide the misappropriation, Jaramillo began operating in a "Ponzi-like fashion," it said, distributing over $200,000 to investors from newly deposited funds.

Jaramillo, who also went by the name Enrique Jaramillo, was arrested on charges of commodities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, prosecutors said. He was expected in court later on Tuesday.

A lawyer for Jaramillo could not immediately be identified.

According to the complaint, several of Jaramillo's victims were lured into the fraud only after meeting with him at his office in the Trump Building, which was taken over in 1995 by the Republican real estate magnate.

No one involved in the building was accused of wrongdoing.

Jaramillo was arrested as the Federal Bureau of Investigation became convinced he was planning to leave the country, the complaint said.

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Jaramillo had stopped returning calls from investors, who learned he planned to move back to Peru, where he had diverted more than $100,000 of investor funds, the complaint said.

The case is U.S. v. Jaramillo, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-mj-8134.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler)
By Yeganeh Torbati

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday targeted more Russian businessmen and companies over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, slapping them with U.S. sanctions in a move Moscow criticized as hostile.

The measures come a month before U.S. President Barack Obama hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said it would be good if the two countries could get along.

Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, has opposed U.S. sanctions on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013.

The United States introduced sanctions on Russia after it annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and expanded them over its support for separatist rebels in the East of the country.

But it is unclear if the United States will maintain the sanctions on Russia under Trump, who could lift the executive orders that authorise the measures.

In a statement, the U.S. Treasury named seven Russian businessmen, six of whom it said were executives at Bank Rossiya or its affiliates ABR Management and Sobinbank. The U.S. Treasury has called Bank Rossiya "the personal bank for officials of the Russian Federation" and had previously sanctioned it and the two affiliates.

One of the men named on Tuesday was Kirill Kovalchuk, whom Russian media have identified as a nephew of Yuri Kovalchuk, a major shareholder in Bank Rossiya. The United States sanctioned Yuri Kovalchuk in 2014, saying he was a close adviser to Putin and his personal banker.

The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned several companies and government enterprises for operating in Crimea, including two Russian firms it said were helping to build a multi-billion dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with the peninsula, a project important to Putin.

The U.S. actions bar American individuals or companies from dealing with the sanctioned people or companies.

Story continues

Treasury also named 26 subsidiaries of Russian Agricultural Bank and gas producer Novatek (NVTK.MM), both of which had already been sanctioned in 2014. U.S. sanctions on those companies are relatively narrow and prohibit Americans from dealing in certain kinds of debt with them.

Novatek is Russia's largest non-state gas producer. Its chief executive and major shareholder is Leonid Mikhelson, one of Russia's richest men.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency that the sanctions were hostile acts by the outgoing Obama administration and Russia would expand its sanctions lists against the United States in response.

"We retain the right to choose the time, place and form of our responsive actions in a way that suits us," Ryabkov told TASS.

RUSSIA HOPES FOR EASING OF SANCTIONS UNDER TRUMP

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby in a news briefing on Tuesday denied suggestions that the timing of the measures was related to the transition next month.

"This decision by the Treasury Department had nothing to do with the time on the clock," Kirby said. "It had everything to do with Russia's activities and support for the separatists in Ukraine and for their occupation of Crimea."

The U.S. move comes a day after the European Union formally extended its economic sanctions on Russia's defence, energy and financial sectors until mid-2017, a move E.U. leaders agreed to last week.

Trump's election - and the mutual praise between him and Putin - has stoked hopes in Russia that Western sanctions might be eased or lifted under his presidency, potentially spurring investment in Russia's flat-lining economy.

A reversal by Trump of existing sanctions, or a softer U.S. stance on enforcing them, could also weaken European sanctions resolve.

Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, told a news conference on Tuesday that Trump's forthcoming arrival in the White House promised to create the conditions for better U.S.-Russia relations.

Commenting on what she referred to as "anti-Russian sanctions," Matviyenko, a close ally of Putin, said she was sure that Western sanctions would be eased or lifted altogether in 2017.

Trump may face opposition to easing restrictions on doing business with Russia by the U.S. Congress, which has shown it has little patience for the Kremlin's military adventures.

Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed concerns about Tillerson's ties to Russia, and many Republicans, in contrast to Trump, view Putin as a calculating, untrustworthy foe.

(Additional reporting by Alexander Winning and Andrew Osborn in Moscow; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Cynthia Osterman)
By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday targeted more Russian businessmen and companies over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, slapping them with U.S. sanctions in a move Moscow criticized as hostile. The measures come a month before U.S. President Barack Obama hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said it would be good if the two countries could get along. Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, has opposed U.S. sanctions on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013. The United States introduced sanctions on Russia after it annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and expanded them over its support for separatist rebels in the East of the country. But it is unclear if the United States will maintain the sanctions on Russia under Trump, who could lift the executive orders that authorise the measures. In a statement, the U.S. Treasury named seven Russian businessmen, six of whom it said were executives at Bank Rossiya or its affiliates ABR Management and Sobinbank. The U.S. Treasury has called Bank Rossiya "the personal bank for officials of the Russian Federation" and had previously sanctioned it and the two affiliates. One of the men named on Tuesday was Kirill Kovalchuk, whom Russian media have identified as a nephew of Yuri Kovalchuk, a major shareholder in Bank Rossiya. The United States sanctioned Yuri Kovalchuk in 2014, saying he was a close adviser to Putin and his personal banker. The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned several companies and government enterprises for operating in Crimea, including two Russian firms it said were helping to build a multi-billion dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with the peninsula, a project important to Putin. The U.S. actions bar American individuals or companies from dealing with the sanctioned people or companies. Treasury also named 26 subsidiaries of Russian Agricultural Bank and gas producer Novatek , both of which had already been sanctioned in 2014. U.S. sanctions on those companies are relatively narrow and prohibit Americans from dealing in certain kinds of debt with them. Novatek is Russia's largest non-state gas producer. Its chief executive and major shareholder is Leonid Mikhelson, one of Russia's richest men. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency that the sanctions were hostile acts by the outgoing Obama administration and Russia would expand its sanctions lists against the United States in response. "We retain the right to choose the time, place and form of our responsive actions in a way that suits us," Ryabkov told TASS. RUSSIA HOPES FOR EASING OF SANCTIONS UNDER TRUMP U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby in a news briefing on Tuesday denied suggestions that the timing of the measures was related to the transition next month. "This decision by the Treasury Department had nothing to do with the time on the clock," Kirby said. "It had everything to do with Russia's activities and support for the separatists in Ukraine and for their occupation of Crimea." The U.S. move comes a day after the European Union formally extended its economic sanctions on Russia's defence, energy and financial sectors until mid-2017, a move E.U. leaders agreed to last week. Trump's election - and the mutual praise between him and Putin - has stoked hopes in Russia that Western sanctions might be eased or lifted under his presidency, potentially spurring investment in Russia's flat-lining economy. A reversal by Trump of existing sanctions, or a softer U.S. stance on enforcing them, could also weaken European sanctions resolve. Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, told a news conference on Tuesday that Trump's forthcoming arrival in the White House promised to create the conditions for better U.S.-Russia relations. Commenting on what she referred to as "anti-Russian sanctions," Matviyenko, a close ally of Putin, said she was sure that Western sanctions would be eased or lifted altogether in 2017. Trump may face opposition to easing restrictions on doing business with Russia by the U.S. Congress, which has shown it has little patience for the Kremlin's military adventures. Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed concerns about Tillerson's ties to Russia, and many Republicans, in contrast to Trump, view Putin as a calculating, untrustworthy foe. (Additional reporting by Alexander Winning and Andrew Osborn in Moscow; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Cynthia Osterman)
By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday targeted more Russian businessmen and companies over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, slapping them with U.S. sanctions in a move Moscow criticized as hostile. The measures come a month before U.S. President Barack Obama hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said it would be good if the two countries could get along. Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, has opposed U.S. sanctions on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013. The United States introduced sanctions on Russia after it annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and expanded them over its support for separatist rebels in the East of the country. But it is unclear if the United States will maintain the sanctions on Russia under Trump, who could lift the executive orders that authorize the measures. In a statement, the U.S. Treasury named seven Russian businessmen, six of whom it said were executives at Bank Rossiya or its affiliates ABR Management and Sobinbank. The U.S. Treasury has called Bank Rossiya "the personal bank for officials of the Russian Federation" and had previously sanctioned it and the two affiliates. One of the men named on Tuesday was Kirill Kovalchuk, whom Russian media have identified as a nephew of Yuri Kovalchuk, a major shareholder in Bank Rossiya. The United States sanctioned Yuri Kovalchuk in 2014, saying he was a close adviser to Putin and his personal banker. The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned several companies and government enterprises for operating in Crimea, including two Russian firms it said were helping to build a multi-billion dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with the peninsula, a project important to Putin. The U.S. actions bar American individuals or companies from dealing with the sanctioned people or companies. Treasury also named 26 subsidiaries of Russian Agricultural Bank and gas producer Novatek, both of which had already been sanctioned in 2014. U.S. sanctions on those companies are relatively narrow and prohibit Americans from dealing in certain kinds of debt with them. Novatek is Russia's largest non-state gas producer. Its chief executive and major shareholder is Leonid Mikhelson, one of Russia's richest men. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency that the sanctions were hostile acts by the outgoing Obama administration and Russia would expand its sanctions lists against the United States in response. "We retain the right to choose the time, place and form of our responsive actions in a way that suits us," Ryabkov told TASS. RUSSIA HOPES FOR EASING OF SANCTIONS UNDER TRUMP U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby in a news briefing on Tuesday denied suggestions that the timing of the measures was related to the transition next month. "This decision by the Treasury Department had nothing to do with the time on the clock," Kirby said. "It had everything to do with Russia's activities and support for the separatists in Ukraine and for their occupation of Crimea." The U.S. move comes a day after the European Union formally extended its economic sanctions on Russia's defense, energy and financial sectors until mid-2017, a move E.U. leaders agreed to last week. Trump's election - and the mutual praise between him and Putin - has stoked hopes in Russia that Western sanctions might be eased or lifted under his presidency, potentially spurring investment in Russia's flat-lining economy. A reversal by Trump of existing sanctions, or a softer U.S. stance on enforcing them, could also weaken European sanctions resolve. Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, told a news conference on Tuesday that Trump's forthcoming arrival in the White House promised to create the conditions for better U.S.-Russia relations. Commenting on what she referred to as "anti-Russian sanctions," Matviyenko, a close ally of Putin, said she was sure that Western sanctions would be eased or lifted altogether in 2017. Trump may face opposition to easing restrictions on doing business with Russia by the U.S. Congress, which has shown it has little patience for the Kremlin's military adventures. Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed concerns about Tillerson's ties to Russia, and many Republicans, in contrast to Trump, view Putin as a calculating, untrustworthy foe. (Additional reporting by Alexander Winning and Andrew Osborn in Moscow; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Cynthia Osterman)
(Adds comments from two intelligence sources in paragraphs 6 and 7 and more context in last paragraph)

By Joel Schectman and John Walcott

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department tightened sanctions against North Korean diplomats to the United Nations, requiring banks to get special permission before granting them accounts, the agency said in a notice posted online Tuesday.

The United States removed an exemption in the broad economic sanctions against Pyongyang that had allowed U.S. banks to service North Korean diplomats without getting specific permission from the Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Banks will now have to obtain a special license from OFAC before opening bank accounts, processing transactions or extending credit for North Korean diplomats or their family members, OFAC said. North Korea's U.N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. officials have long said North Korea uses the bank accounts of diplomats to help Pyongyang conduct business around the world, despite economic sanctions.

A U.S. intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said North Korea "seeks to alleviate its economic isolation" by bringing back currency from overseas "using all available avenues."

For example, said another U.S. intelligence official, North Korea sells cigarettes and illegal drugs outside the country and use diplomatic packages to send the cash back home.

Washington has been ramping up economic sanctions against Pyongyang since a nuclear test and rocket launch this year, seen as provocations by the United States and its allies.

Under new U.N. sanctions adopted last month in response to North Korea's fifth and largest nuclear test in September, countries are required to limit the number of bank accounts to one per North Korean diplomatic mission and one per diplomat.

(Reporting by Joel Schectman; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Phil Berlowitz)
Ever since what was effectively a 2-for-1 stock split back in April 2016, there had been two publicly traded classes of Under Armour (ticker: UA, UAA) stock: Class A shares that traded under the ticker symbol "UA", and Class C shares, which traded under ticker symbol "UA.C."

Adding more confusion to the situation, the two tickers just changed again in early December. The two classes of Under Armour stock now trade under the ticker symbols UA and UAA.

So, what's the difference between UA and UAA?

[See: 6 Famous Flameouts of Famed Investors.]

The main distinction between UA and UAA shares comes down to voting rights. UA stock, formerly trading under the UA.C symbol, stands for Class C shares, with no voting rights. UAA stock, formerly trading under the symbol UA, stands for Class A shares, which confer one vote per share to the owner.

Another small difference between UA stock and UAA stock results from this discrepancy in voting power. Because Class A shares actually allow shareholders to vote on governance issues, UAA stock will typically trade at a premium to UA stock, which doesn't have voting rights.

At the end of the day though, even public shareholders of UAA stock will have no real power in determining the direction of the company.

That's because founder and CEO Kevin Plank owns tens of millions of Class B shares, which aren't traded publicly and confer a disproportionate number of votes per share to him.

More on that later. First, how did this strange dual-ticker issue come to be?

The Under Armour stock split of 2016, and subsequent ticker change. In April 2016, Under Armour shareholders received one share of Class C stock as a special dividend for every Under Armour share they owned, allowing Under Armour to cut its stock price in half, just as it would have in a 2-for-1 split, without giving shareholders any additional voting power.

Ticker-wise, shareholders all got one share of UA.C for each share of UA they owned, and the UA stock price fell by roughly 50 percent due to the effective doubling of the number of Under Armour shares on the market.

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For tax purposes, the cost basis was re-allocated roughly evenly between the two shares, meaning shareholders couldn't sell UA for a 50 percent loss and take a tax write-off (nice thinking, though).

Of course, as mentioned, those UA shares -- the Class A share class -- turned to UAA shares in December.

Votes, shmotes. At last check, there were over 183 million UAA shares outstanding, giving the public 183 million votes. While that sounds like a lot, Kevin Plank owns over 34 million Class B shares, conferring more than 340 million votes.

That is why UAA shareholders -- and certainly UA investors -- have no real power to exert over the company.

"These shares represent a majority of votes and render the voting rights of the A shares moot," says Paul Bolster, a professor of finance at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University in Boston.

[Read: 7 Stocks That Should Grow With Millennials.]

Despite this, Class A shares have, ever since Class C shares were first issued in the Under Armour stock split, traded at a major premium to their nonvoting cousins. It hasn't been unusual for that markup to reach 20 percent.

"This seems like a very high premium to pay for a vote that has little to no value," Bolster says.

The rationale. Before you go ringing your broker or calling your congressman, it should be said that Kevin Plank is no corporate tyrant. He is hardly alone in his decision to consolidate voting power; Alphabet ( GOOG, GOOGL), Facebook ( FB) and even Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK/A, BRK/B) all have similar dual-share structures.

"The intended purpose of the dual-class shares is to separate the control from the ownership of the company," says K C Ma, professor of finance at Stetson University. "The dual-class share structure is an obvious defense for takeover bids, hostile or not, from inside or not."

That's great news if you're Plank or if you believe in his vision. But if you'd rather have some checks and balances in place, this isn't so great for corporate governance. Granted, Plank has proven an excellent steward of shareholder value over the years, but there's never a guarantee that will continue.

Why the UA to UAA ticker change? It's understandable why Plank would want to issue two share classes. One good question, however, is why the company decided to change its ticker symbol after the Class C shares were already issued.

After all, both Class A and Class C shares had already been trading publicly for months, under their old symbols UA and UA.C., respectively. But when they changed to UAA and UA, the company gave no stated reason for the change.

Some might say the ticker symbol change was purely cosmetic -- UA looks better than the clumsy UA.C.

A cynic, however, might say the ticker change was done to encourage more people to buy the UA non-voting shares. While Class A UA stock previously experienced far higher trading volume than the Class C UA.C did, as soon as the most recent change was made, Class A UAA trading volume was dwarfed by Class C UA trading volume. Much of that likely has to do with the fact that the ticker UA has been associated with Under Armour for years now, so its liquidity benefits from investor familiarity.

Still, that cynical view makes little sense in light of Plank's power to vote 65 percent of shares, so cosmetics could be the motivating factor. It's unclear, really, but as long as investors know the difference, the ticker itself doesn't much matter.

A company spokeswoman says the change was made because "the Class C stock is the main stock that we will use going forward and, therefore, we wanted to align our traditional ticker with the Class C shares."

When it comes to which share class new investors should buy, there are differing opinions. It's true that Class A shares carry one vote, but if this article does anything it hopefully hammered home the fact that those votes are essentially meaningless.

[Read: The 7 Smartest Acquisitions of All Time.]

That leads Ma to reach this conclusion: "Under Armour is the same economic entity which generates the same cash flow for all Under Armour Class A, B and C shareholders. For investors buying in Under Armour for Kevin Plank's visions, it's not a bad deal to buy at a 20 percent discount."

John Divine is an investing reporter for U.S. News & World Report, where he covers financial markets and the economy, with a focus on individual stock analysis. He has been an investor himself for over 10 years, and has been writing professionally about stocks and investing for the last five years. He previously wrote about the stock market for The Motley Fool and InvestorPlace, and his work has appeared on Yahoo! Finance, MSN Money, and AOL DailyFinance. He graduated from Appalachian State University in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in finance and banking. At Appalachian, he was a member of the Bowden Investment Group, a team of students that ran a real-money portfolio worth over $100,000. You can follow him on Twitter or give him the Tip of the Century at jdivine@usnews.com.
Panel formed to look into YAN leader Tiwaris murder

The government has formed a four-member panel to look into the murder of CPN-UML aligned Youth Association Nepal (YAN) Rupandehi Chairman Durga Tiwari.
San Francisco Uber self-driving

Uber is addressing a flaw that's causing its self-driving cars to make unsafe turns through bike lanes.

Uber is allowing users to hail a self-driving car in San Francisco as part of a pilot program launched last week. But the pilot has not had a smooth start. On the first day of the launch, a self-driving Uber was caught on camera running a red light, which Uber said was due to "human error."

The California DMV is also threatening legal action against Uber for running the pilot program without first obtaining an autonomous vehicles license. Uber's vice president of advanced technologies, Anthony Levandowski, said the program will continue to run as the cars do not meet the definition of autonomous vehicles.

Now Uber engineers are working to address a flaw that's causing Uber cars to make sharp turns through a bike lane, jeopardizing cyclist safety, The Guardian first reported.

Brian Wiedenmeier, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, wrote in a Dec. 15 blog post that he saw Uber's self-driving cars take "an unsafe right-hook-style turn through a bike lane" on two separate occassions.

"I told staff from Ubers policy and engineering teams about the safety hazards of their autonomous vehicle technology. They told me they would work on it. Then, two days later, they unleashed that technology on San Franciscos streets," he wrote.

Wiedenmeier said Uber's team told him on December 14 that engineers are working on the problem and that the safety drivers have been instructed to disengage the car's autonomous mode and handle turns involving bike lanes. Uber has a safety driver and engineer sitting upfront to monitor the self-driving cars.

"We take safety very seriously. We're aware of this and we're working to address it," an Uber spokesperson told Business Insider. "All our vehicles' operators have been instructed to take over our vehicles when they're making these turns."

Story continues

NOW WATCH: We took a ride in Ubers new self-driving car on the streets of San Francisco  here's what it was like





More From Business Insider


(Reuters) - Privately held ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] lost more than $800 million in the third quarter, Bloomberg reported on Monday.

The company's $800 million in losses did not include its operations in China, Bloomberg said, citing a person it said was familiar with the matter. (http://bloom.bg/2hOkH2X)

In the previous quarter the company's loss significantly exceeded $800 million, including its Chinese operations, Bloomberg said.

Uber generated about $1.7 billion in net revenue in the third quarter, up from $1.1 billion in the previous quarter, Bloomberg reported.

The company is on track to surpass $5.5 billion in net revenue in fiscal 2016, Bloomberg said.

Uber did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Gaurika Juneja in Bengaluru; Editing by Bill Rigby)
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will carefully consider proposals for Brexit put forward on Tuesday by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, May's spokesman said. "We are going to get this paper delivered to us today. It is right that we consider it carefully," he told reporters. Sturgeon has frequently said Scotland should have the option of a second independence referendum if her proposals to retain EU links are rejected. The spokesman said: "Our position is there shouldn't be a second referendum. There was a referendum, it was only two years ago, the result was very decisive (and) both parties agreed to abide by the result of that referendum." (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, editing by Stephen Addison)
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May did not discuss with Rupert Murdoch the proposed takeover of UK pay-TV group Sky (SKYB.L) by the tycoon's Twenty-First Century Fox at a September meeting, Britain's media minister said on Tuesday.

May had met Murdoch during a meeting in New York, three months before Fox launched its approach for Sky earlier in December.

"She (May) had a pre-arranged meeting with Wall Street Journal editors," Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley told parliament in reply to a question from a lawmaker.

"Mr Murdoch dropped into that meeting and I can assure him (the questioner) that the proposed takeover was not discussed," she added.

Murdoch said on Monday he had never asked a British prime minister for anything, seeking to play down his influence ahead of what is likely to be a politically charged approval process for his $14.6 billion bid for Sky.

Bradley will have 10 days to decide whether the takeover triggers public interest concerns once she has received formal notification of the deal, which she said had yet to happen.

"What is important is that, given my quasi-judicial role, I protect the integrity of the process and ensure that as and when, if, a formal notification is given that that is properly considered," she said.

She also said she had had no prior knowledge that the deal was coming and first read about it in the press.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Sarah Young; editing by Stephen Addison)
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May did not discuss with Rupert Murdoch the proposed takeover of UK pay-TV group Sky by the tycoon's Twenty-First Century Fox at a September meeting, Britain's media minister said on Tuesday.

May had met Murdoch during a meeting in New York, three months before Fox launched its approach for Sky earlier in December.

"She (May) had a pre-arranged meeting with Wall Street Journal editors," Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley told parliament in reply to a question from a lawmaker.

"Mr Murdoch dropped into that meeting and I can assure him (the questioner) that the proposed takeover was not discussed," she added.

Murdoch said on Monday he had never asked a British prime minister for anything, seeking to play down his influence ahead of what is likely to be a politically charged approval process for his $14.6 billion bid for Sky.

Bradley will have 10 days to decide whether the takeover triggers public interest concerns once she has received formal notification of the deal, which she said had yet to happen.

"What is important is that, given my quasi-judicial role, I protect the integrity of the process and ensure that as and when, if, a formal notification is given that that is properly considered," she said.

She also said she had had no prior knowledge that the deal was coming and first read about it in the press.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Sarah Young; editing by Stephen Addison)
Universal Music Group chairman Lucian Grainge issued his annual memo to UMG employees on Dec. 19 touting the company's performance in the streaming sector, Republic Records being named as Billboard's No.1 label of 2016 and even giving Mozart a shout-out.

"We had the most streamed artists in the world on Apple Music and Spotify -- with Drake and Rihanna scoring the first and second most streamed albums on Apple and Drake, Justin Bieber and Rihanna being the top three most streamed on Spotify," Grainge wrote, adding, "The world's best-selling CD of the year was by an artist more than 250 years old."

Grainge also hailed "important new agreements" with digital services Amazon, Pandora and SoundCloud, promising "more will follow in 2017." Universal merchandise arm, Bravado, and the growing presence of pop-up shops were mentioned as another way to trigger revenue via "compelling tangible products."

A longtime proponent of projects in film and television and live events, Grainge also cited "VR and direct-to-fan products" as "redefining our role as a music company and artist partner."

Read the full memo below...

Dear Colleagues:

I want to take this moment, before the year-end break, to thank each of you for what UMG accomplished in 2016. For yet another incredible year, UMG continued to lead the industry creatively and commercially. What makes our accomplishments even sweeter is that, after a long and difficult transition, the industry is once again seeing growth.

Were I to list all the records we broke and awards we won around the world in 2016, it would take us into 2017, so I'll highlight just a few:

 We had the most streamed artists in the world on Apple Music and Spotify -- with Drake and Rihanna scoring the first and second most streamed albums on Apple and Drake, Justin Bieber and Rihanna being the top three most streamed on Spotify. Drake, by the way, for the second year in a row, was the most-streamed artist in the world.

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 The world's best-selling CD of the year was by an artist more than 250 years old: Decca and Deutsche Grammophon's Mozart 225: The New Complete Edition.

 In the U.S., we had the four most-streamed albums of the year: Drake, Rihanna, Kanye West and Justin Bieber as well as three of the four biggest album debuts of the year with Drake, J. Cole and The Weeknd. Also, Republic will close the year as Billboard's No. 1 label.

 In Japan, the world's second-largest market, we had the top two albums of 2016: Utada Hikaru and RADWIMPS.

 When it came to awards, we won the most ACMs, AMAs, Billboard Music Awards, CMAs, Oscars (U.S.), Brits (U.K.), JUNOs (Canada), ARIAs (Australia), ECHOs and ECHO Klassiks (Germany), MTV EMAs (Europe) of any music company.

 UMPG not only won top honors at the SESAC Pop Awards and BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, but also struck new deals with Adele, Coldplay, Future, Maroon 5, Pearl Jam, Prince, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Romeo Santos and Harry Styles, to name but a few.

These outstanding achievements were reflected in our financial results, and we were able to grow our constant currency revenue over the last four consecutive quarters. However, the overall market is experiencing what I would describe as a "fragile" recovery. Which means that not only do we need to do our part in continuing to break new artists and aggressively evolving our business, but if we want to enjoy continued success then we also need to do everything we can to promote competition, innovation and sustainable growth in the broader music ecosystem.

Our ability to support a mix of services -- from independent music platforms to big tech players -- in order to achieve the appropriate balance between ad-supported and paid subscription models will have a direct impact on our and our artists' success. To that end, this year we struck important new agreements with Amazon, Pandora and SoundCloud -- and more will follow in 2017. Success will also require us to meet the enduring consumer demand for compelling tangible products, from recorded music to artist-related merchandise. Bravado's innovative efforts to connect artists and fans led us to create groundbreaking pop-up shops around the world for Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Guns N' Roses, among others. Those types of initiatives combined with the success we're having in film and television, live events, VR and direct-to-fan products are redefining our role as a music company and artist partner.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that the work you do at UMG is the single most important catalyst for the growth of our entire industry. It is ultimately your passion and expertise that builds the environment in which a wide range of consumer offerings and a variety of players can ensure that recording artists, songwriters, consumers, labels and publishers all thrive.

Thank you again for all you contribute to UMG. I look forward to working with you to make 2017 another incredible year. In the meantime, I wish you and your loved ones a joyous and peaceful holiday season and a very very happy new year.

Lucian
ZURICH (Reuters) - A man stormed into a Zurich mosque and opened fire on people praying on Monday evening, injuring three people, police said. Two of the three men - aged 30, 35 and 56 years - were seriously injured, Zurich city police said. The suspect, a man around the age of 30 years old according to witness accounts, had fled the mosque and was believed to have left the building, police said. Police said a body was found nearby, but could not comment on any link to the shootings while investigations were still under way. Police said they had collected evidence inside the building and could not further comment on the motive or the suspect's background. He was wearing dark clothing and a dark wool cap, they said. (Reporting by Michael Shields; writing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Alison Williams)
Russian ambassador shot dead in Turkey

A Turkish policeman has shot dead Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, apparently in protest at Russia's involvement in Aleppo.
Los Angeles (AFP) - A Los Angeles man was on Monday sentenced to life in prison for hiring a hitman to kill his 17-year-old wife, in a case that went unsolved for nearly two decades.

Morrad Ghonim, 43, who holds both US and Jordanian citizenship, was convicted in November of the murder of Vicki Ghonim, who was gunned down on July 23, 1992, while with her husband at a park in the town of La Mirada, southeast of Los Angeles.

The couple's six-month-old son was in the back seat of their car when the gunman approached the vehicle and shot the young mother several times.

Ghonim, who was 19 at the time, claimed that he had heard while in the park with his family what he thought were gang members catcalling his wife, who had screamed something back.

He told detectives that sensing trouble, he had ushered his family to their car and then heard gunfire but never saw his wife's attacker.

The case went cold until a breakthrough in 2009 led detectives to a drug dealer -- Leon Martinez -- serving time in prison for burglary.

Martinez was linked to the murder thanks to DNA evidence.

As part of a plea deal, he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testified during Ghonim's trial that ended last month that he was paid $500 to stage a robbery and carry out the murder.

Ghonim married his second wife Nisreen Alfaleh, a woman from Jordan, after the killing. They had five children.

He was arrested in May 2015 in the Caribbean island of Antigua, where he was living with his third wife.

Alfaleh testified during the trial that Ghonim in 2012 had made a cryptic remark when she told him she planned to take the kids and move to Texas.

"If you ever think of getting a divorce, I'll hurt you," she recalled him saying. "It cost me $500 then, it won't cost me much now."

Ghonim, who was convicted in the case in November, will serve his sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Washington (AFP) - A US vehicle safety agency has opened an investigation into a million Dodge SUVs and Ram pickup trucks that reportedly continued to move even when in park, causing nine injuries.

There have been 25 crashes reported of the 34 incidents of the cars moving when drivers shifted into park, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed Tuesday.

The investigation into the Fiat Chrysler Automobile models is another hit to the company after "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin was killed in June when his 2015 Grand Cherokee rolled down his driveway, slamming him into a wall.

Fiat Chrysler had recalled that model in April after reports of 117 crashes and 28 injuries, involving drivers who said the car moved even after they thought it was locked in park.

The latest NHTSA investigation covers 2013-2016 Ram 1500 trucks and 2014-2016 Dodge Durango's SUVs, and covers incidents where vehicles were turned off as well as with the engine running.

"A preliminary evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency, and safety-related consequences of the alleged defect," NHTSA said in the notification.

"Notably none of the reports indicate that the parking brake was engaged at the time of the roll-away incident."

Fiat Chrysler said it is "cooperating fully" with the investigators, and said the scope was limited as other models with similar shift mechanisms were not included.

The shift mechanism for the Dodge and Ram models is different from the Grand Cherokee models involved in the April recall, which was found to be confusing to some drivers.

The agency opened an investigation into similar rollaway problems reported in 2012-2014 Land Rover Evoque SUV and the 2013 Jaguar XF luxury sedan. Four complaints and one injury were reported in the incidents, none of which had the parking brake engaged.
Washington (AFP) - The Obama administration reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining sanctions on Russia over Crimea with new financial restrictions announced Tuesday on Russian businessmen and companies.

While the sanctions are not unusual, the timing is, as Donald Trump's US election victory has created doubts about the future of US policy towards Russia and for a united approach to sanctions given his apparently softer line on President Vladimir Putin.

The US Treasury Department announced financial sanctions on seven Russian bankers and businessmen, and eight businesses with operations in Ukraine.

The actions show the US "remains steadfast in our commitment to maintain sanctions until Russia fully implements its commitments under the Minsk agreements," Treasury said in a statement, referring to the 2014 pact to end the war in Crimea.

"This action underscores the US governments opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea and our firm refusal to recognize its attempted annexation of the peninsula."

The European Union on Monday extended sanctions against Russia for six months.

The latest sanctions by Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blocks any property of investment by the designated individuals and companies in the United States, and prohibits any transactions with them by Americans individuals or companies.

"These targeted sanctions aim to maintain pressure on Russia by sustaining the costs of its occupation of Crimea and disrupting the activities of those who support the violence and instability in Ukraine," acting OFAC Director John E. Smith said in the statement.

The sanctions target Russian construction and shipping companies and the Crimean port operator, as well as two ships. It also impacts six executives of Bank Rossiya and Sobinbank, and one with business ties to Russia's Defense Ministry.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. government says it has extended the economic sanctions on Russia to include eight more entities and seven individuals linked to the annexation of Crimea.

The Treasury Department said Tuesday that this is part of the government's goal "to maintain pressure on Russia by sustaining the costs of its occupation" of the Ukrainian peninsula.

The statement said six of the people were designated for helping to provide support to Bank Rossiya, which was sanctioned in 2014 for providing material support to a senior Russian official. The seventh is accused of having links to a company building a military base near the Russia-Ukraine border.

The companies that are sanctioned include Institut Stroiproekt, a Russian highway construction company, Russian government-sponsored Crimean Railway and the Crimean Ports company.
Ankara (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday closed its missions to Turkey for the day after a shooting incident overnight outside the American embassy in Ankara that followed the assassination of the Russian ambassador in the Turkish capital.

"An individual approached the US Embassy Ankara main gate and discharged a firearm," the embassy said in a statement, adding no-one was hurt and the individual was detained.

As a result, the embassy and consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed for normal operations, it added.

The incident took place at 3:50 am (0050 GMT) Tuesday, hours after a Turkish policeman shot dead Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov as he was opening a photography exhibition.

The US embassy is located in Ankara directly on the other side of the street from the arts centre where the shooting took place in the Turkish capital.

The United States has repeatedly warned its citizens of security risks in Turkey after a string of attacks blamed on Kurdish militants and jihadists this year.

"The US Mission reminds US citizens to review personal security plans" and to "maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security," it said.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Federal agents have arrested two Utah sisters accused of using their money order businesses in the Salt Lake City area to launder an estimated $1 million for Mexican drug traffickers.

The Deseret News reports (http://tinyurl.com/zb9zat8) 41-year-old Rosa Rodriguez and 35-year-old Yadira Rodriguez allegedly concealed the trafficker's identities by falsifying information on the transfers.

A federal indictment released after their arrests last week accuses them of using fictitious names on money transfers at their Happy Travel outlets in Salt Lake City and West Valley City.

No other details have been released.

It wasn't immediately clear if the sisters have hired attorneys or will be appointed federal public defenders.

___

Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
Wellington (AFP) - Solo round-the-world sailor Thomas Ruyant arrived safely in New Zealand Wednesday after a high-seas collision that threatened to split his yacht in two, rescuers said.

The Frenchman was taking part in the Vendee Globe race when he hit an object believed to be a shipping container on Sunday night, causing an "exceptionally violent" crash.

With his yacht in danger of falling apart, Ruyant began slowly motoring towards New Zealand's South Island more than 220 nautical miles (410 kilometres) away, as rescue authorities closely monitored his progress.

Coastguard NZ's southern regional manager Cheryl Moffat said a launch met Ruyant late Tuesday and escorted him towards the town of Bluff for eight hours as he made painstaking progress of about three knots in the stricken vessel.

"They arrived at 7:30 am (1830 Tuesday GMT) this morning," she told AFP.

Moffat said the coastguard launch located Ruyant's yacht "Le Souffle du Nord" in the dark and transferred aboard two technicians and a pump to bail out the vessel.

She said the yacht's fragile condition was a concern but forecast bad weather did not arrive and it managed to limp into harbour in one piece.

"The skipper of our vessel said that conditions were pretty good, they were very happy about it," she said.

Ruyant said he experienced high winds of 45 knots before meeting the rescue launch and struggled to control the yacht because the crash had damaged its steering system.

He feared he would lose the yacht and was on the verge of calling for an aerial evacuation before the danger passed.

"I realised that I was going to make it," he said in a message posted on the race's website.

"There was an incredible moment of satisfaction with the sun going down along the coast of New Zealand."

The solo round-the-world yacht racers set off from western France on November 6, with the winner expected back on France's Atlantic coast by January 20.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia have agreed to a progressive reopening of their border after a weeklong closure.

Venezuelan Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas says on his Twitter account that presidents Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela and Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia made the decision in a Monday night telephone call.

People living along the border indicate that the gradual opening began at some crossings on Tuesday.

Maduro closed his country's border with Colombia on Dec. 12 to combat trafficking in Venezuelan currency notes.

The Venezuelan government several days later decided to remove 100-bolivar notes from circulation. It extended the note's removal from circulation until Jan. 2 following rioting in some places.
UML, allies plan rally in Capital on Jan 1

An alliance of the opposition parties has decided to organise a mass meeting at Khulamanch in the Capital on January 1 in its latest move to protest the constitution amendment proposal.
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP)  Vermont State Police are searching for a Bennington College student who was reported missing over the weekend after her car was discovered at a swimming hole in Green Mountain National Forest.

Troopers say 20-year-old Hadil Marzouq left a Bennington residence where she was staying on Saturday, and didn't return. She was reported missing on Sunday.

Police say her vehicle was discovered Sunday at Dorset Quarry next to Vermont Route 30 on Sunday.

Marzouq was last seen wearing a large green jacket. Police say she's about 5-foot-3, 130 pounds with brown eyes and curly black hair.
Army active reservist William Bruck has served three tours overseas, and now spends his days raising his eight children, who range in age from 8 months to 17 years.

He is a man who has dedicated his life to assisting others, something he has carried into his career at home in Monroe, Michigan.

You can be successful in whatever you do, as long as youre passionate about it, Bruck tells PEOPLE. My passion is working with vets, because thats who I am.

Three years ago, the veteran bought a Visiting Angels franchise and went to work helping the elderly maintain their coveted independence, with a special interest in assisting fellow vets. To ensure those who have served our country got the home health care they needed, but oftentimes could not afford, Bruck went through the extensive process of becoming a home healthcare provider through the VA, which makes his companys services available to more veterans.

Building on this passion, Bruck not only offers affordable care to veterans  which allows them to maintain their independence and dignity  but he visits many of his clients himself.

We connect really well. I start talking with the vet and they will start telling me stories right after I introduce myself as a veteran. Many times I have been told by family members, Wow, I have never heard that before,  the veteran says.

Recently, Bruck has been brining a sidekick on this friendly trips: his 105-lb. Newfoundland dog named Nash. Though hes obviously a big dog, Nash is the perfect size for providing supportive snuggles to veterans: When hes seated, his head perfectly reaches the arms of those confined to wheelchairs, or others lying in their beds.

This holiday season, Nash and Bruck have a special surprise for the veterans they visit, some of whom have no family whatsoever. As part of their Angels to Vets program, the pair is stopping at the homes of veteran clients to drop off baskets of toiletries, food, clothes and Christmas dinner ingredients, for those who dont have a place to celebrate.

Story continues

On these special trips, Nash, who turns 1 on Christmas Eve, will be decked out in his holiday best and offering kisses to all who ask.

He loves to gives kisses. We tried to break him of it, but the vets we visit love for him to lick their beards, says Bruck.

Bruck hopes that this work, which warms his heart, will inspire others to help these important people whove given our country so much.

Were losing such a valuable part of population in vets, so lets take care of the ones that are with us while we still have that opportunity, he asks.




By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) has agreed to a $1 billion (808.5 million) settlement to fix or buy back another 80,000 polluting diesel vehicles sold in the United States as the German automaker on Tuesday took new steps to put its emissions cheating scandal behind it.

The settlement deal covered luxury VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles with 3.0-liter engines, meaning Volkswagen has now agreed to spend as much as $17.5 billion in the United States to resolve claims from owners as well as federal and state regulators over polluting diesel vehicles.

The world's No. 2 automaker still faces the possibility of spending billions of dollars more to resolve a U.S. Justice Department criminal investigation and federal and state environmental claims, as well as oversight by a federal monitor.

The new agreement, settling part of litigation brought against VW by federal and California regulators, "is another important step forward in our efforts to make things right for our customers," Hinrich Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a statement.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer announced the settlement during a hearing in San Francisco.

Volkswagen also agreed to boost electric vehicle efforts in California and faces additional costs as it works to finalise an agreement to provide what Breyer called "substantial compensation" to the owners of the 3.0-liter vehicles.

Breyer in October approved VW's earlier settlement worth about $15 billion with regulators and the U.S. owners of 475,000 polluting diesel vehicles with smaller 2.0-liter engines, including an offer to buy back all of the cars.

Breyer on Tuesday also said German engineering company Robert Bosch GmbH [ROBG.UL], which produced the software for the VW diesels, has agreed in principle to settle civil allegations made by U.S. diesel vehicle owners. Bosch confirmed it had reached the agreement, but said it was not accepting liability nor admitting to the allegations made in the lawsuit by owners who said the company was a knowing and active participant in VW's emissions cheating scheme.

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Reuters reported on Monday that the settlement was expected to be worth more than $300 million.

VW admitted in September 2015 to installing secret software known as "defeat devices" in 475,000 U.S. 2.0-liter diesel cars to cheat exhaust emissions tests and make them appear cleaner in testing than they really were. In reality, the vehicles emitted up to 40 times the legally allowable pollution levels.

The company later admitted to also using "defeat devices" in the 3.0-liter vehicles. The 80,000 3.0-liter U.S. vehicles had an undeclared auxiliary emissions system that allowed the vehicles to emit up to nine times allowable limits.

The scandal hurt VW's global business and reputation, and led to its CEO's ouster.

POLLUTION REDUCTION

VW previously agreed to contribute $2.7 billion to a pollution reduction fund to make up for the excess emissions from its 2.0-liter diesel cars through programs like paying for school systems to buy newer, less-polluting buses to replace older ones. Under the new settlement, VW agreed to contribute another $225 million to the fund to offset the excess emissions from its 3.0-liter diesel engines.

Cynthia Giles, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assistant administrator, estimated that the costs of buybacks, fixes and diesel offsets agreed to by VW in the new settlement amounted to about $1 billion.

Under the deal, VW will buy back or fix 20,000 of the 3.0-liter diesels and fix another 60,000. The automaker still must get U.S. regulatory approval for those fixes. The judge still must give final approval to the deal.

VW previously agreed to pay $5,100 to $10,000 in compensation to each of the U.S. 2.0-liter owners. If the new settlement follows this pattern, it could add $400 million to $800 million to the 3.0-liter settlement. But funds from Bosch's settlement are expected to defray VW's compensation costs.

California said in a separate court filing that Volkswagen agreed to add by 2020 at least three additional electric vehicles, including an SUV, in California and must sell an average of 5,000 electric vehicles annually through 2025. Volkswagen also agreed to pay California's state air board $25 million, the state said.

California Air Resources Board executive officer Richard Corey said the new settlement showed that "cheaters will be caught and held accountable."

As part of the earlier settlement, VW agreed to spend $2 billion over 10 years to boost zero-emission vehicle infrastructure.

The buyback offer is for about 20,000 2009-2012 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7 diesel models. If VW had been forced to buyback all of the vehicles it could have added billions of dollars to the company's costs.

Breyer said owners of 3.0-liter vehicles would receive "substantial compensation" for getting their vehicles fixed or repaired but said there were some remaining issues to be resolved, and set a another hearing for Thursday for an update.

Volkswagen on Monday also agreed to spend up to $1.6 billion to buy back up to 105,000 polluting 2.0-liter vehicles in Canada.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Bernie Woodall in Detroit; Editing by Will Dunham)
Volkswagen (VOW3-DE) has agreed to recall 83,000 3-liter diesel vehicles with model years between 2009 and 2016, in a deal with regulators, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

The company said, specifically, it will recall 63,000 model year 2013 to 2016 vehicles. Volkswagen has the option of buying back, modifying or terminating the leases of the 20,000 model year 2009 to 2012 vehicles. The emissions modification must be approved by regulators.

Hinrich Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a statement that the agreement is another "important step forward in our efforts to make things right for our customers," calling it a "fair and reasonable resolution."

Regulators said, however, that the settlement doesn't address potential criminal liability. It also doesn't resolve pending claims from consumers, individual owners or the Federal Trade Commission .

As part of the agreement, Volkswagen will also spend $225 million to fund projects focused on reducing nitrogen oxide emissions. Reuters reported that Cynthia Giles, EPA assistant administrator, estimated that the costs of buybacks, fixes and diesel offsets were about $1 billion, including the $225 million going into a trust fund to offset excess diesel emissions.

Volkswagen will also pay $25 million to the California Air Resources Board to support the use of zero-emission vehicles in the state.

The German automaker faced fines after it was caught last year cheating on American air pollution tests by the EPA. The scandal has damaged the company's reputation and hurt its sales.



The report comes after a series of delays this week to give the sides more time to negotiate.

Volkswagen previously reached a deal for the other 475,000 polluting vehicles in the scandal, according to The Associated Press. That deal gives owners of 2-liter diesel cars the option to have the company buy back their vehicle regardless of its condition.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said German company Robert Bosch, which produced the software for Volkswagen diesels, has agreed in principle to settle civil allegations made by U.S. diesel vehicle owners. The settlement was expected to be worth more than $300 million, Reuters reported.

 Reuters and AP contributed to this report.
San Francisco (AFP) - Volkswagen has reached a $1 billion agreement with US authorities on a compensation deal for the last 80,000 vehicles affected by its emissions-cheating scandal in the United States, officials said Tuesday.

However, a Justice Department official said a criminal investigation is ongoing, and charges may still be filed against the company -- which could bring new penalties.

Nor does the agreement settle the civil lawsuit brought by car owners, which US Judge Charles Breyer said is close to resolution and would involve "substantial compensation."

Another hearing Thursday could provide further details of that case.

The agreement announced Tuesday, which still needs a judicial green light, would apply to 2009-2016 3.0-liter diesel models including Porsche and Audi vehicles equipped with software designed to defeat emissions tests.

The $1 billion amount will cover buyback, repair and cancelled leases for the affected models, as well as $225 million for a fund to mitigate pollution, Cynthia Giles, a senior official with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told reporters.

At the end of October, a US court endorsed a record-setting $15 billion compensation deal covering almost half a million 2.0-liter VW diesel cars.

The new agreement "is another important step forward in our efforts to make things right for our customers," a Volkswagen spokeswoman said in a statement. "We are committed to earning back the trust of all our stakeholders."

Volkswagen has admitted to installing defeat device technology on 11 million cars, including 600,000 in the United States.

The software detects when the car is being tested and turns on required emissions controls, but turns them off during normal driving conditions. This means the cars would emit up to nine times or more above the required limits of pollutants.

- Criminal investigation ongoing -

US Assistant Attorney General John Cruden called the settlement "another significant step in holding Volkswagen accountable for cheating Americans out of the promise of cleaner air by selling vehicles equipped with defeat devices."

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Cruden told reporters in a conference call that the agreement does not cover any criminal or civil cases against VW. No criminal charges have been filed so far, but "there has been criminal investigation going on."

The new agreement, which Breyer must approve by January 31, is similar to the previous settlement in that owners of older models -- those between 2009 and 2012 and referred to as the generation 1 vehicles -- can opt to have cars repurchased or repaired, or cancel their leases at no cost.

Newer models -- generation 2 -- likely can be brought into compliance with current emission standards, the officials said.

If a fix is approved, that would spare VW from having to buy the cars back from owners.

Giles said VW is expected to propose a fix soon, and the EPA would move to approve it "very promptly."

"Our priority has been to fix ongoing pollution problem," she said. "It appears very possible the newer vehicles can be fixed."

Cruden said VW is required to achieve an 85 percent recall rate for the affected cars, and could face further penalties if it falls short of the target.

- Clean up fund -

VW also is required to put $225 million into a fund for projects to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx), the pollutant at the heart of the scandal. This is in addition to the $2.7 billion in the fund from the prior settlement.

The mitigation trust fund will be administered by an independent trustee, officials said.

Beneficiaries, which may include states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and Indian tribes, may obtain funds for designated NOx reduction projects.

Giles stressed that NOx is a very harmful pollutant that creates smog and soot, and can increase asthma in children.

In a separate settlement with the state of California, the German auto giant agreed to provide at least three new models of electric vehicles for sale in the state -- including at least one SUV model -- before 2019.

It must add a second electric SUV model by 2020 and keep these electric models on the market through at least 2025.

The company also agreed to pay $25 million by July 1 to support the use of zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) in California.
A Washington man who fatally shot his ex-girlfriend and two other former high school classmates last July at a Seattle-area house party pleaded guilty Monday to the murders, the Snohomish County Prosecutors Office confirms to PEOPLE.

Allen Christopher Ivanov, 20, stood accused of using a recently purchased AR-15-style rifle to commit the July 30 murders at the party in Mukilteo, reports The Seattle Times.

His plea came one day before the prosecutor planned to announce whether to seek the death penalty in the case, according to The Herald of Everett.

Ivanov faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced January 12.

 Pick up PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases That Shocked America, on sale now, for the latest on Casey Anthony, JonBenet Ramsey and more.

Killed in the attack were Jordan Ebner, Jake Long and Anna Bui, all 19. Ivanov pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated first-degree murder in their deaths, plus two counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at others attending the party, according to charging documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The charge in the death of Bui, the former girlfriend with whom prosecutors say Ivanov had recently endured a breakup, also carried an allegation of domestic violence.

Ivanov was arrested nearly 100 miles away about 90 minutes after the shooting, and in an affidavit following his arrest, police wrote, Ivanov states that everything that went on tonight was about a girl, the Times reports.

His attorneys filed documents earlier this month suggesting there was evidence that Ivanov had untreated neurological problems and possible mental illness, and they urged additional study of their client as prosecutors weighed whether to seek the death penalty.

Ivanovs defense attorney, Walter Peale, wrote that testing suggested Ivanov had the brain development of someone younger than his 19 years.

Before accepting Ivanovs plea, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis stressed in court that his admission left her no choice for sentencing other than life behind bars.

Story continues

You understand that is what the law requires? she asked him. He indicated he did.

 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.

Defense attorney Peale said the goal of the guilty plea was to keep his client from the possible death penalty, and that subsequent evaluations of Ivanov had judged him fit to make and accept that plea.

According to The Herald, Peale said there was almost zero chance Ivanov would have been acquitted of all charges at trial.

In a six-page letter written prior to the shooting, Ivanov had described his despair over the collapse of his relationship with his former girlfriend, and in rap lyrics sent from jail he bragged about her killing, The Herald reports.

I knew she knew who I was cause I saw her face right before I pulled the trigger, he wrote.




World Bank to provide $55m additional loan

The World Bank has agreed to provide additional loan assistance of Rs5.94 billion ($55 million) to Nepal for the implementation of the Road Sector Development Project (RSDP) which has been running since 2008.
Photo credit: Getty

From Cosmopolitan

The Symptoms

When she was 27, Denver resident Lynn Holman woke up one day to discover that her hands looked like splotchy pink claws. They were so swollen she couldnt bend her fingers. They didnt look human, she remembers. Nothing like that had ever happened before.

It was a Friday and she was in the middle of moving residences, but there was no way she could continue packing in that condition. She called her doctor freaking out.

Assuming that she was having an allergic reaction, he told her to take Benadryl and wait. But with no improvement through the weekend, she showed up at his office on Monday morning. He gave her a powerful antihistamine shot, but still it took five days for the swelling to go away.

Lynn called her sister to relate the horror story and learned something shocking: Her sister had experienced the exact same thing - right after she got pregnant.

I said, 'Oh my gosh, I could be pregnant,' Lynn recalls. She ran out to take a test - and to her utter surprise, she was. She quickly called her doctor, who seemed content to let that serve as an explanation; all sorts of weird things can happen when youre pregnant, he told her.

Frustrated, Lynn and her sister called their mother to ask if she had ever heard of such a bizarre symptom lasting for days after getting pregnant. Sure enough, their mother reported that their grandmother throughout her life had regularly experienced pink swollen areas of soft tissue, like in her arms, thighs, or breasts. Their grandmother called it my stuff and got nerve pills from her doctor to calm her down during flare-ups. She went through a whole series of people thinking she needed psychiatric care, thinking it was all psychosomatic, says Lynn.

The information was intriguing, but not helpful, since her grandmother never received a diagnosis. So Lynn went on with her life, until six weeks later when the same symptoms struck again in her hands and upper arms. The pattern continued every four to six weeks. Eventually, she tired of calling the doctor, who always told her to take Benadryl, which did nothing.

Story continues

After a year, the flares got worse: They became internal. Her bowels swelled to the point of making eating painful. At one point, she was hospitalized with an IV drip. X-rays showed that big pockets of water had collected around her organs - up to two gallons of fluid - but still, the doctors couldnt explain why. They could find no growths, tumors, or other abnormalities.

For the next five years, she continued to suffer regular attacks of swelling, both internal and external, that would last close to a week. All she could do was drink fluids and wait it out. She tried painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and anti-histamines, with no relief.

There was never an explanation, until one day her sister called with some surprising news.

The Diagnosis

You know that stuff we have? her sister said on the phone. Well, I found a tiny article in the newspaper about hereditary vascular angioedema. Its exactly what happens to us.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an ultra-rare genetic condition that occurs in about 1 in 50,000 people. Its passed autosomal dominantly from parent to child. This means that if your mom or dad has the gene, you have a 50 percent chance of inheriting it and having the disease. Sufferers don't produce enough of a crucial regulatory protein called C1-inhibitor, according to Dr. Sandra Christiansen, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego, and the director of translational research at the US HAEA Angioedema Center. Think of it as youre lacking a braking system, Christiansen explains. In this case, swelling gets set in motion, and once that is triggered, fluid starts to leak out into tissues and you have nothing to stop it.

Often, the disease will first show up in puberty or when a woman starts taking birth control, though it can strike any gender. Increases in estrogen appears to precipitate flare-ups - like during pregnancy. Diagnosis can take as long as nine years. Before awareness of the condition spread among health care providers more recently, the average diagnosis was 25 years.

After getting off the phone with her sister, Lynn made an appointment with a specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona to confirm her suspicions via simple tests, which check the levels of functional C1 inhibitor protein along with complement IV in the blood. The day of her appointment, swelling broke out under her arm. She showed the doctor, and he told her what shed heard a hundred times: It looks like an allergic reaction.

But she protested and explained her suspicions about hereditary angioedema. He told me, thats not what it is, nobody has that, she recalls. So I said, would you just test me anyway? Thats the closest thing Ive been able to find. The doctor was already planning to run a bunch of tests for other diseases, including ovarian cancer, so he agreed to add those blood tests in.

When the results came back, he called her right away. I owe you a huge, huge apology, he said. You absolutely do have that.



The Treatment

As much of a relief as it was to finally get diagnosed, the next words out of the doctors mouth deflated her. Theres not a lot of anything you can do but live through it, he told her.

So Lynn joined a support group and learned more about the potential severity of the disease. After years of being dismissed by ignorant doctors, the communitys validation was everything.

When people have told you its allergies or psychosomatic, or its a nonissue, you begin to question your own sanity, she says. These days, Lynn, now 60, is experiencing fewer episodes now that she has passed menopause. They strike every 6-8 weeks. The same is true for her sister.

Its annoying but it is getting better, she says. My biggest prayer is that my kids dont have it. And my grandkids. So far, two of her three children dont appear to be affected at all. One daughter experienced swelling in her hands around the time her period started, but has shown no symptoms in the 15 years since.

Five novel therapies have been developed since 2008, but their costs can be prohibitive. Lynn was told that one of the drugs would cost $900,000 a year. So she lives with her symptoms - and she stays close to an ER in case her airways ever swell shut.

The most frustrating part over the years, aside from the physical discomfort, has been the lack of a sympathetic and knowledgeable medical professionals, especially in light of how dangerous the disease can become. I think about people with this who are not diagnosed - and dont understand that swelling could kill them, Lynn says. If you know theres something wrong with you, dont let any medical professional tell you youre crazy. It just might save your life.

Kira Peikoff is the author of No Time to Die, a thriller about a girl who mysteriously stops aging. It is available now. Connect with her on Facebook or tweet her @KiraPeikoff.

If you've endured a medical mystery and want to share your story, email Kira at cosmomysterydiagnosis@gmail.com.

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Terror Attack?

A truck ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market Monday, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more. According to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the attack is assumed to be terror motivated. However, police may have detained the wrong person, and the suspect in the German truck attack is reportedly still at large.

Tune in to FOX Business Network all day for the latest updates on the attack in Berlin.

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Members of the Syrian Civil Defense rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, claimed on December 20 that one of their vehicles was hit by a double-tap airstrike in the opposition-held area of Misraba, Eastern Ghouta, early that day.

A double-tap refers to a strike on a target, followed by a hit on the same target again when people rush towards the scene.

The White Helmets said it had responded to air raids that included the use of cluster munitions when its vehicle was hit. It tweeted a photo of a rescue volunteer it said had been injured in the strike, and photos on Facebook that show a badly damaged vehicle bearing the logo of the Syrian Civil Defense. The pro-opposition Qasioun News Agency shared the video above on December 20 showing the same damaged vehicle.

A local pro-opposition media group in Misraba also reported that a White Helmets vehicle had been hit during an air raid, while that media groups sister organization in the neighboring area of Douma echoed the report. Neither these claims, nor the source of the strikes, can be independently verified by Storyful. Credit: YouTube/Qasioun News Agency via Storyful
UPDATED, 12:08 PM: The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Mondays truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, saying the driver was a soldier of ISIS. German authorities have not commented in the claim, which thus far is unsubstantiated. Meanwhile, the only suspect, a 23-year-old Pakistani who was seeking asylum in Germany, has been released for lack of evidence against him. Local police said they have no DNA evidence or witness accounts linking the man directly to the truck.

PREVIOUSLY, December 19: The White House said today that a tractor-trailer speeding into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin appears to have been a terrorist attack. Twelve people were killed and nearly 50 injured, and U.S. cable news networks rushed to cover the story during a busy news day.

Police guard a Christmas market after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A Berlin police spokesman said a suspect who matched the description of the truck driver was arrested a couple of hundreds yards from the scene, but they remain unsure about his involvement. The spokesman added that another person was found dead in the passenger seat in the 18-wheeler but did not offer specifics. Witnesses said the truck, which was registered in Poland and loaded with metal beams, was going about 40 mph when it slammed into the crowd.

The incident happened just before 8 PM local time outside of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, one of the most popular tourist sites in the German capital. It was similar to the July truck attack that killed 86 people and injured hundreds after at a Bastille Day fireworks display in the French Riviera city of Nice, just east of Cannes.

The United States condemns in the strongest terms what appears to have been a terrorist attack on a Christmas Market in Berlin, Germany, which has killed and wounded dozens, a National Security Council spokesman said this afternoon. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed, just as we wish a speedy recovery to all of those wounded. We also extend our heartfelt condolences to the people and Government of Germany. We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident. Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies.

Story continues

Fearing a terrorist attack, the European nation has been on a heightened state of alert for the past couple of years. There have been numerous raids across Germany in recent months, and just two days ago police arrested a 12-year-old boy who had explosives and allegedly was planning to target a Christmas market. Local authorities said the boy twice failed to denote explosives in the southern city of Ludwigshafen.

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Looking for a stock that might be in a good position to beat earnings at its next report? Consider Diamondback Energy, Inc. FANG, a firm in the Oil and Gas - Exploration and Production  U.S. industry, which could be a great candidate for another beat.

This company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. In fact, in these reports, FANG has beaten estimates by at least 50% in both cases, suggesting it has a nice short-term history of crushing expectations.

Earnings in Focus

Two quarters ago, FANG expected to post earnings of 15 cents per share, while it actually produced earnings of 26 cents per share, a beat of 73.3%. Meanwhile, for the most recent quarter, the company looked to deliver earnings of 35 cents per share, when it actually saw earnings of 54 cents per share instead, representing a 54.3% positive surprise.

DIAMONDBACK EGY Price and EPS Surprise

DIAMONDBACK EGY Price and EPS Surprise | DIAMONDBACK EGY Quote

Thanks in part to this history, recent estimates have been moving higher for Diamondback Energy. In fact, the Earnings ESP for FANG is positive, which is a great sign of a coming beat.

After all, the Zacks Earnings ESP compares the most accurate estimate to the broad consensus, looking to find stocks that have seen big revisions as of late, suggesting that analysts have recently become more bullish on the companys earnings prospects. This is the case for FANG, as the firm currently has a Zacks Earnings ESP of 11.77%, so another beat could be around the corner.

This is particularly true when you consider that FANG has a great Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) which can be a harbinger of outperformance and a signal for a strong earnings profile. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here .

When you add this solid Zacks Rank to a positive Earnings ESP, a positive earnings surprise happens nearly 70% of the time, so it seems pretty likely that FANG could see another beat at its next report, especially if recent trends are any guide.

Story continues

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In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017?

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The premise for the new film Why Him? is not exactly new, pitting a skeptical and concerned dad against his daughters new boyfriend, so for this sort of thing its all in the execution. In this case co-writer and director John Hamburg mostly is right on target. As I say in my video review above, Why Him? is relentless in its pursuit of laughs and gets them at a rapid pace, particularly in the movies first half which has some bits, including one involving Bryan Cranston, a new age toilet and Keegan-Michael Key that is an instant classic comic creation.

In the film  which follows Bad Santa 2 and Office Christmas Party in this seasons trend toward very R-rated holiday-themed flicks  James Franco plays Laird, the quirky and unconventional billionaire Internet mogul boyfriend of Neds daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch), who has been away at college when her family turns up for a visit during the Christmas holidays. Ned (Cranston), wife Barb (Megan Mullally) and younger brother Scotty (Griffin Gluck) arrive at the palatial and very modern mansion belonging to Laird, who seems to be overachieving in his desire to be liked by the family, even going to the extreme of having their Christmas card photo tattooed on his back. Laird is a loose cannon and live wire with whom Ned has an instant mistrust and disdain for. Barb wants him to just give it a chance and keep the peace, while Scotty is enamored with the guy. Its not totally clear what the mutual attraction is between Stephanie and Laird, but clearly a part of it is their overt sexual chemistry, providing more fodder for Ned, who has issues when he finds out Stephanie plans to marry Laird.

Most of the films action takes place at Lairds place, so it is natural that a movie with this level of huge laughs and comic set pieces runs low on gas at a certain point. Why Him? occasionally succumbs to the temptation to go over the top at points and even drags a bit in some places, but it all recovers nicely before it is over. What really makes it soar is smart casting: Cranston a true master of the slow burn, and Franco is funnier that hes ever been, even in the Seth Rogen comedies, and just as raunchy. Mullally is truly funny, playing off Cranston beautifully, especially in a killer bedroom scene where all the sexual tension in the house leads her to try and light hubbys fading flame. Key is perfect as Lairds right-hand man and displays A-plus comic timing, particularly in that toilet scene that is one for the ages.

It should be no surprise Hamburg is involved, as he also wrote the scripts for Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, so this is right in his wheelhouse. Hamburg and Ian Helfer penned the script, for which Jonah Hill also shares a story credit for coming up with the premise. Producers are Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Stuart Cornfeld and Ben Stiller, the latter having made several movies written by Hamburg including all the Fockers films, both Zoolander pics and Along Came Polly. 20th Century Fox releases Why Him? on Friday, and I can safely say it is a real holiday gift for fans of broad, go-for-it comedies. Its easily one of the years funniest movies.

Do you plan to see Why Him? Let us know what you think.

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Following a year packed with economic and political uncertainty, more risk factors are expected to unfold in 2017. For one strategist however, Brexit and Donald Trump's presidency isn't what concerns him the most at present, when looking at the year ahead.

"My eyes are focused on the 24th of January when the constitutional court in Italy will vote on whether the electoral law change that took place in 2015 is going to be held up," said Mike Bell, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, told CNBC on Tuesday.

In early December, the country's constitutional court announced that it would hold a hearing on its electoral law this coming January to examine its legitimacy. The electoral law  known as the "Italicum"  helps provide more parliamentary seats to a party who wins at least 40 percent of the popular vote.

At first, the Italicum law had been created to ensure greater political stability in Italy ; however concerns are now rising that if this law is not changed, populist party Five Star Movement (5SM) could take advantage of the extra parliamentary seats. 5SM have previously indicated that it would renegotiate Italy's membership of the euro if it came into power.

"If (it's) not, and they change back to a system that's more proportional, then that reduces the risk of the Five Star Movement taking power whenever the Italian election eventually happens," Bell said.

"And that for me would remove one of the biggest risks for 2017 early on in the year, and therefore potentially brighten the outlook for European equities."





Following the U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union back in June, questions have emerged over the future state of the political-economic bloc and its currency. The JP Morgan strategist said it is important that Italy doesn't end up having a referendum on the euro zone's currency, yet the court's decision could help ease fears of this.



"Italy is the one country in Europe where it's very close if you poll people as to whether or not they'd like to stay in the euro (Exchange: EUR=). So it's absolutely key that there isn't a referendum on the subject, otherwise it risks putting markets into turmoil."

Story continues

"If this constitutional court ruling comes through, then it makes it pretty unlikely that you'll get a referendum on euro membership in Italy, and as I say that removes a big risk. Therefore, markets can start to focus what's really actually a pretty good improving fundamental story in Europe, where you could have earnings growing for the first time in nearly six years."

When looking outside of Europe, Bell said the risks coming into 2017 were most likely "skewed to the upside" with the better growth expected in the likes of the U.S.

"I think the Italian political risk is really the one risk out there that once that is passed, then I think markets can focus on really quite a good fundamental outlook of improving economic strength in the U.S. I think China will continue to grow at a relatively healthy rate, even though you may see a slight slowdown from the rate you've seen this year."

"Nevertheless, the main story will be that global growth picks up next year and if the politics in Europe doesn't flare up, then that should be a positive environment for risk assets."

CNBC's Sam Meredith and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Australia already signed an open aviation market agreement with China.

The weak demand in Southwest Pacific led to Singapore Airlines seeing a decline in passenger volume in November despite the peak travel period.

According to UOB KayHian, this highlights the risk to SIA's traffic on the Kangaroo route, which will likely be exacerbated by the open skies agreement between China and Australia.

"Australia is an important originating market for SIA and loads on this sector could continue to fall," the brokerage firm noted.

In a report from Australian Aviation, it was said that the open skies agreement between Australia and China will pave way for China-based carriers to maintain the furious pace of growth into this country in recent times, catering for the increasing number of Chinese tourists travelling overseas.

Meanwhile, UOB also revealed that SIA's loads fell 1.9ppt on the back of the declining traffic. At 76.9%, SIA's loads were also at the lowest in eight months.

"With the exception of Tigerair which registered flat loads, pax load factors declined across all subsidiaries. Scoots pax loads fell 4.5ppt, while SilkAirs also weakened. The continued weakness in loads in the peak travel period does not bode well for peak 3Q earnings expectations. Ytd, 8MFY17 stood at 77.9%, in line with our full year estimates of 78%," UOB explained.





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French fashion house Dior has unveiled the advertising campaign for its spring/summer 2017 collection, the first ready-to-wear line overseen by new creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. In the spirit of the catwalk show, which previewed the collection in September, the Italian designer's feminist values play a key role in the project, designed by, with and for women.

The eagerly awaited Dior spring/summer 2017 show caused a sensation back in September, when the fashion world discovered the label's first collection from Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female creative director in the history of the French fashion house. And the Italian designer didn't disappoint, with a collection of pieces steeped in feminist values, shifting between sportswear inspirations -- notably from the world of fencing -- and romantic, sensual silhouettes.

A wider project celebrating female talent

The campaign for this spring/summer 2017 collection reflects this spirit, putting women -- and, in particular, Dior femininity -- firmly in the spotlight. The SS17 campaign shots are, in fact, part of a wider project called "The Woman Behind the Lens," which Dior describes as a corpus of photographs taken exclusively by women.

For this first campaign of the Maria Grazia Chiuri era, Dior teamed with French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, known for her intimate celebrity portraits and for collaborations with the world's leading fashion magazines.

In a Dior statement, Brigitte Lacombe said she was honored and grateful to be chosen by Maria Grazia Chiuri to photograph her first collection for Dior. She also concluded that working with her on the spring/summer 2017 campaign had been a highly positive experience. She describes the Dior creative director as "strong, direct, open and generous. [She has] a very clear idea about how women should be portrayed and looked at, which is a point of view that I share and understand."

The Italian designer picked two female models to showcase the sporty and sensual pieces in the SS17 collection, with Ruth Bell -- who opened the runway show in September -- starring alongside her twin sister, May Bell. The two young women, both with their own distinct styles, can be seen sporting an embroidered tulle dress, a tailored suit and an ensemble inspired by fencing.

The fashion world is now keen to see what's in store from the Italian designer's next collection. In any case, there's no doubt that this is the dawn of a new era for Dior.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  The site of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival is one of the properties in New York nominated to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the nominations Tuesday of 26 properties, resources and districts by the New York State Broad of Historic Preservation.

The sites include the Woodstock site in rural Bethel in Sullivan County, where some 400,000 fans gathered on rolling farmland for three days of rock music in August 1969. Also nominated is the Niagara Power Project Historic District, a major 20th-century engineering feat stretching along the Niagara River.

Landing a place on the registers can help property owners and organizations secure preservation grants and historic rehabilitation tax credits from the state and federal governments.
Washington (AFP) - The World Bank on Tuesday announced an additional $1.5 billion aid package for Iraq, to help the war-torn country implement reforms, improve public services and boost its economy.

The package includes loan guarantees from the UK for about $372 million, and from Canada for about $72 million.

"Despite an ongoing war and low oil prices, Iraq is undertaking bold transformational reforms that will safeguard economic stability and lay the foundations for longer term private sector development and inclusive growth for all Iraqis," said Ferid Belhaj, World Bank director for the Middle East.

The reforms also will help to expand social safety nets "to reach the most vulnerable segments of the population," he said in a statement.

The bank also approved $41.5 million for a program to improve management of the country's public funds.

With the new package, the World Bank engagement in Iraq rises to nearly $3.4 billion, including support for reconstruction of areas recently recovered by government forces and a transport corridor investment.
LUSAKA (Reuters) - The World Bank has agreed to lend Zambia more than $100 million to reduce environmental health risks in polluted mining areas and support economic diversification. Mining is a major contributor to the economic growth of Zambia, Africa's second biggest copper producer, but it has left environmental problems in some mining towns. The World Bank said in a statement that $65.6 million would be spent on reducing environmental health risks and $40 million to support economic diversification through agribusiness and trade projects. "The project is very significant for Zambia because it will contribute to clean up some parts of the old mining town of Kabwe which still has unacceptably high levels of lead in the soil," the World Bank said. This diversification project is expected to reach 4,000 farmer households and 300 small- and medium-sized enterprises. The project would have at least 30,000 direct beneficiaries, the World Bank said. (Reporting by Chris Mfula; Editing by Ed Stoddard and David Clarke)
On Dec 19, we issued an updated research report on Warsaw, IN-based Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. ZBH. It is a leading musculoskeletal healthcare company that designs and distributes orthopedic reconstructive products, spine, bone healing, thoracic products; dental implants; and related surgical products.

Over the past six months, Zimmer Biomet traded neck on neck with the Zacks categorized Medical Product industry. However, things took an adverse turn in late October with the company posting disappointing third-quarter 2016 results. The stock lost 19.1% over the past six months as compared to the broader industrys decline of 8.7%.

Apart form the quarterly debacle, estimate revision trend for full-year 2016 remains unfavorable with 10 estimates moving down and no revision in the opposite direction over the past couple of months. Earnings estimates have also moved down by 5 cents over this period to $7.92 per share. With the company lowering its full-year 2016 guidance, we expect this gloomy scenario to continue.

Pricing continues to remain a major headwind for Zimmer Biomet. The companys revenue growth in the reported quarter was partially offset by continued pricing pressure, mostly in the America and Europe operating segments. Additionally, the knee and hip businesses were affected by negative pricing pressure of 2% and 2.4%, respectively.

The presence of a large number of players has made the medical devices market intensely competitive. This compels Zimmer Biomet to constantly strive in product innovation to maintain its market share. Also, currency fluctuations add to its woes.

On a positive note, we look forward to the expected synergy from the recently completed LDR Holding acquisition, which should broaden and complement the company's musculoskeletal offering. This one is in line with its strategy to grow through inorganic mean by focusing on mega acquisitions.

Management is also striving to develop its spine portfolio in order to cash in on the opportunities. Reportedly, in the third quarter, Zimmer Biomet saw a 23.9% improvement in its Spine and CMF segment. The companys spine offerings such as Mobi-C Cervical Disc prosthesis and Vitality Spinal Fixation System showed a considerable improvement in performance. The company considers itself well positioned in the spine business, courtesy of the acquisition of French spine device maker LDR Holding. We believe that the buyouts and new spine offerings such as the recently launched PrimaGen Advanced Allograft should boost its share price in the near term.

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Over the recent past, Zimmer Biomet has been working to strengthen its foothold in emerging markets that provide long-term opportunities. The companys strategic investments in these regions over the past several quarters to improve operational and sales performance are yielding results. With the acquisition of BioMet, the combined company has started to benefit from strong presence in emerging markets with an extended portfolio that includes upper and lower joint products.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Zimmer Biomet currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Better-ranked medical stocks are NxStage Medical Inc. NXTM, Baxter International Inc. BAX and Bovie Medical Corporation BVX. NxStage Medical and Baxter International sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Bovie Medical carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

NxStage Medical rallied 22.6% over the last one year compared with the S&P 500s 11.9%. The company has a four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 46.3%.

Baxter International gained 21.7% over the last one year, much higher than the S&P 500. It has a trailing four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 27%.

Bovie Medical recorded a 114.7% gain in the past one year, way better than the S&P 500. The company has a trailing four-quarter positive average earnings surprise of 28.7%.

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Zsa Zsa Gabor is no more: The Hungarian drama queenfamous for her glamorous lifestyle, many divorces (eight to be exact), and slapping an unfortunate traffic cop who dared to pull her overdied Sunday from a heart attack. She was at home in Bel Air, CA.

Her many friends and family are no doubt in the midst of reminiscing about her colorful life, and her infamous quotes. One of her best, quipped during a military tour in response to Bob Hope asking about her domestic skills: Im a great housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house.

Which got us wondering: Is that really true? Did she always keep the house after divorce?

To find the answer, we talked to Darwin Porter, a Gabor family friend and author of the biography Those Glamorous Gabors. And it turns out the reality of her divorce settlements may have not been the windfalls her famous phrase let on.

I think it was just a clever line she pulled, Porter argues. In fact, he thinks the opposite is more accurate. As for how accurate, well, where do we start?

How about Gabors first husband, Burhan Belge, a Turkish diplomat whom she divorced in 1941 after four years of marriage. He left her virtually nothing, says Porter.

But surely she must have fared better with her second husband, Conrad Hilton (yes, of the hotels), whom she was hitched to from 1942 to 1947? Despite his massive fortune, she didnt get their house since she was living in his, Porter says. She got very little out of that settlement, not even free privileges to stay in Hilton hotels.

Moving on to husband No. 3, George Sanders (1949 to1954). Sanders was not a wealthy man, so he lived in her home, Porter continues. So she kept the house, but she always had the house. So, Gabor was not exactly making off like a bandit.

Even her final husband, self-proclaimed duke Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, a man 26 years her junior, whom she married in 1986 and who remained by her side to her death, was reportedly not at all someone she could bleed dry.

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In 2013, Gabor sold the home where she was currently living in Bel Air in a deal that allowed her to live there until her deathmuch like the deal Hugh Hefner forged earlier this year specifying that he could remain in the Playboy mansion until his last breath. But now that Gabor is gone, Anhalt will likely have to go, too. He wasnt part of the deal.

Zsa Zsa Gabors final home realtor.com

So what property did she own, if any? Its hard to say, says Porter, because she lived in at least 21 homes over the years. But where they are and whether shes the one who sold them is murky at best. The only one on everyones radar is a Palm Springs Mid-Century Modern home that she used to own that was recently put on the market for $969,000. But that property passed ownership decades ago.

Zsa Zsa Gabors former property realtor.com

Yet if theres any truth to Gabors clever quotes, it may be found in another famous line of hers: I never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back. Unlike her overblown claims about her vast postdivorce property empire, this line about all the bling she clung to is totally true.

She always kept the jewelry, says Porter. And, hed wager the jewelry was worth more than the real estate. A couple of those diamond rings would buy you a mansion.

So in a way, Gabor really did know how to keep house.

The post Zsa Zsa Gabor Didnt Always Keep the House After Divorce: Heres Why appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com.
Zsa Zsa Gabors widower has opened up the room where he cared for his wife until the very end.

During an exclusive tour of their Bel-Air estate, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt demonstrated to Inside Edition how he tried to save Gabor's life when she suffered a heart attack on Sunday.

Read: 'Divorce Lawyers Are a Girl's Best Friend': The Affairs, Marriages and Relationships of Zsa Zsa Gabor

"I lifted her out, I put her [on the floor]," he said. "The guy was on the phone and told me what to do. I had to press on her chest by her breast because she was still breathing."

But she ultimately passed away after uttering her final words: "I love you."

Von Anhalt added: "It is very sad and it is a bad feeling."

Gabor, who was 99 when she died, lived inside the home for more than 40 years.

Inside her room there was a Christmas tree that brightened her final days. Von Anhalt told Inside Edition that "she did smile; she squeezed my hand" when she saw the tree.

He said she also loved to have a real fire in the bedroom fireplace.

"Not only did she see it, she smelled it," he said.

Read: Fit for a Queen: Inside the Opulent Mansion Zsa Zsa Gabor Called Home for More Than 40 Years

As the wound of Gabors passing is still fresh in her husbands heart, he will have to move out of the opulent mansion now that she is gone, according to reports.

In 2012, Gabor sold the mansion with a special amendment that allowed the couple to live in the home until her death. Following the sale, the couple paid the new owners $325,000-a-year to continue to stay in the home, according to Reuters.

Gabor will be laid to rest on December 30 in Westwood Cemetery in California, where her only daughter Francesca, who died last year, is buried.

Watch: Zsa Zsa and Me: Gabor's Husband - Who Was By Her Side as She Died - Remembers Late Wife

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Youth Association Nepal Rupandehi chief shot dead

Two motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead Durga Tiwari, district chairman of CPN-UML-affiliated Youth Association Nepal (YAN), at Devdaha Municipality-8 in Rupandehi district on Monday.
ZURICH (Reuters) - A gunman who shot three worshippers in a Zurich mosque on Monday evening was a 24-year-old Swiss man with no apparent links to Islamic radicalism, police said on Tuesday. The man, whom they did not identify by name, is thought to have killed another man in Zurich on Sunday. He seems to taken his own life shortly after the mosque shooting, police officials told a news conference. (Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz)
The term mobile phone security is something of a joke these days, with the number of exploits, bugs, and breaches that are endlessly assaulting us and putting our personal information at risk. So, when security outfit Kryptowire sounded the alarm on Chinese company Adups for using its preinstalled apps to spy on Android users with Blu smartphones, it wasnt exactly a shock. Now, however, the impact of Adups alleged spying is growing in magnitude, and its dragging other Android device manufaturers into the quagmire.

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Adups is a company that facilitates over-the-air updates for mobile devices, so its firmware is preinstalled on lots of devices. However, the firmware does much more than it claims, and has the ability to snoop in areas that it shouldnt, and without the user ever knowing. That information can then be collected by Adups for whatever purposes it desires.

Trustlook, another digital security firm, dug deeper on what devices utilize Adups and could be used by the Chinese company to scrape your private information, and the list is absolutely massive. Trustlook says that over 700 million Android smartphones have Adups firmware installed that puts the user at risk of having text messages, call histories, and device information collected without their knowledge or consent.

Many of the manufacturers who utilize Adups are smaller companies who only release their devices in Asia or specific smaller markets. However, there are a few notable names on the list, including Lenovo, ZTE, and the aforementioned Blu.

The Blu R1 HD was the first device found to be relaying this sensitive information back to Adups, and the company took action to halt the apps nefarious habits, but its now up to the rest of the dozens and dozens of manufacturers on the list to do the same. The best course of action right now seems to be keeping the phone as updated as possible, and installing any security patches that come down the pipeline.

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Technology connects, entertains and informs billions of people worldwide every day  so when something inevitably goes wrong, the ripple effects are massive.

Looking back on 2016, here are the biggest bombs and snafus in technology and digital media. They range from Facebooks fake-news plague to Samsungs hot (and not in a good way) smartphone, and from Yahoos ridiculously enormous data breaches to Twitters battle with antisocial behavior.

Facebook and the Fake-News Fiasco

Was an FBI agent investigating Hillary Clintons WikiLeaks emails involved in a murder-suicide? Nope. Neither was Fox News planning to fire Megyn Kelly for backing Clinton nor did Taylor Swift say she voted for Donald Trump  just a few of the numerous bogus articles that rapidly infected Facebook and other social networks. The wave of deliberately crafted falsehoods may have affected the U.S. presidential election, despite Facebook chief Mark Zuckerbergs insistence that was a crazy idea. Facebook was the whipping boy for the uproar over fake news given its 1.7 billion-plus user base, but other players have been implicated including Google, which after the election said it would stop accepting ads from fake-news websites.

Responding to calls for action, Facebook last week unveiled a plan to let users fact-check articles posted on the service in partnerships with ABC News, Snopes.com, FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. But it remains to be seen how well the system will work to curb the flood of misinformation, especially in an online-advertising ecosystem where fakery has been a profitable endeavor. In a separate development, the Democratic National Committees email servers were hacked by Russian operatives who then shared the data dump with WikiLeaks in an effort to sway the U.S. election, according to American intelligence officials.

Samsungs Galaxy Note 7 Burns Up

In August, Samsung debuted the Galaxy Note 7 phablet, aimed at one-upping Apple in the high-end smartphone segment. But the product literally blew up in its face: First the Korean consumer-electronics giant recalled 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s because of a risk they could catch fire or even explode because of a battery flaw. After shipping replacement units that had the same issue, Samsung in October said it would entirely discontinue the device. The setback will depress Samsungs profits more than $5 billion over the next three quarters, and analysts say the damage to its brand could hurt future sales to the benefit of rivals like Apple and Google.

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Yahoos Epic User-Data Hacks

Its hard to fathom how CEO Marissa Mayer and her lieutenants failed  for several years  to detect hacks that resulted in the theft of data on more than 1 billion user accounts. But thats what Yahoo is telling users, investors, law enforcement agencies and Verizon, which is now reevaluating the terms of its $4.8 billion bid for the sagging internet company in the wake of the two unprecedentedly huge security breaches (which Yahoo says were perpetrated by unknown actors in 2013 and 2014). The telco may end up scrapping the entire deal or asking for a price cut. Either way, the hacks have already become another blemish on Mayers legacy at the helm of Yahoo.

Twitters Hate-Speech Problem

Trolls, creeps and bigots are all over the internet, but Twitters open social service has been particularly buffeted by abusive comments and other bullying behavior. After high-profile attacks on actress Leslie Jones, CEO Jack Dorsey acknowledged that the company needed to take more aggressive action to address the problem. Last month the company introduced new ways to block and report malignant users, admitting that weve had some challenges keeping up with and curbing abusive conduct. Twitter at the same time booted several notorious alt-right users, before reinstating the account of white supremacist Richard Spencer. For Twitter, making the service safer is important to grow and retain its user base, while the nastier elements of the Twittersphere reportedly scared off Disney from moving forward on acquisition talks.

Vine Gets Strangled

Another sign of Twitters woes: The company in October said it was shutting down the six-second video service. Vine had attracted millions of users and launched the careers of several internet-famous creators but Twitter could never figure out to turn it into a moneymaker. Twitter reportedly had been exploring the possibility of selling Vine, acquired in 2012, but that didnt happen. Instead, the company last week said Vine will live on as an app for recording six-second video loops (while the Vine service will be frozen).

Mode Media Goes Belly-Up

Without warning, Mode Media  a female-focused digital publisher worth more than $1 billion a few short years ago  shut its doors in September and sent employees packing. The abrupt demise of the Silicon Valley-based fashion, beauty and lifestyle media company came after it failed to find a buyer or secure additional operating capital (after raising a total of about $225 million over its life). Mode Medias passing served as a cautionary tale for digital-media upstarts about the dangers of unsustainable expansion. The firm, formerly known as Glam Media, was at one time among the 10 biggest U.S. internet media companies in terms of audience.

GoPros Failed Hollywood Dream

The maker of mountable camera gear wanted to become more than, well, a maker of mountable cameras. It had ambitions of producing dozens of original shows, and GoPro had set up a sizable media operation staffed with execs hailing from HBO, MTV, Time Inc. and elsewhere. But with device sales down, the company killed the entire division last month as part of cutting 15% of its workforce and is shutting down offices in L.A. and elsewhere.

Pictured above: Samsungs ill-fated Galaxy Note 7

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BlackBerry (BB-CA) will spend about 100 million Canadian dollars (about $75 million) and create 650 jobs over the next few years as part of a new autonomous driving facility in Canada, Reuters reported Monday.

The technology company announced Monday a new Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre at its facility in Ottawa, Ontario. BlackBerry will focus on applying its expertise in cybersecurity to self-driving vehicles, CEO John Chen said in a statement.

"Most of all the money will go to jobs," John Chen told reporters at an event opening the Ottawa-area facility. Chen said the company may hire over several years as many as 650 engineers, each earning about 150,000 Canadian dollars annually.

The company's QNX unit, renamed BlackBerry QNX, currently employs around 400 engineers.

Though known for its mobile phones with keyboards, BlackBerry has a decade long history of providing software to the automotive industry. Now, BlackBerry will build a concept vehicle with its software, in partnership with the University of Waterloo, middleware supplier PolySync and semiconductor company Renesas Electronics

"This center will create great middle-class jobs for Canadians, new opportunities for recent university graduates and further position Canada as a global hub for innovation," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.

BlackBerry announced earlier this year that it would stop producing its own phones, after struggling to keep pace with rivals. But by entering the self-driving car space, BlackBerry would compete with cutting-edge projects at companies like Alphabet (GOOGL)'s Waymo, Uber, Tesla (TSLA) and reportedly, Apple (AAPL).

 Reuters contributed to this report.
BEIJING (AP)  Chinese authorities are clamping down on streaming video over social media amid a proliferation of online-only television content and live-streaming.

The State Administration for Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television is requiring social media platforms like WeChat and Weibo to obtain licenses to broadcast video or audio, while also demanding that content distributed over social media hold traditional broadcast licenses. The new guideline is the latest effort by the media regulator to consolidate control over an explosion of new digital media content that has operated beyond the confines of China's traditional media.

In recent years, a vast cottage industry of high- and low-budget filmmakers, TV producers and even live-streaming individuals have made content for web portals, set-top boxes and social media platforms beyond the purview of China's media censors. The national media regulator took a major step in cracking down on unlicensed programming in 2014, requiring that set-top boxes and streaming websites carry content from only a handful of licensed distributors.

Under the new rules, films and TV series circulated on social media will also fall under the same level of scrutiny and must have the same licenses as for public airing. User-generated political news programs are also forbidden.

The regulations followed new Ministry of Culture rules issued this month requiring live-streaming operators to submit identity papers for their stars and prove that they can censor inappropriate content.

Mobile video consumption has exploded in China, and advertisers in 2016 spent more on digital media than traditional television, according to consultancy eMarketer, raising new challenges for a government that has long been careful about policing online content and discourse.

One of the fastest-growing areas has been live-streaming. Official researchers say that more than 300 million people, or nearly half of China's internet users, used streaming apps in 2016 to watch people singing, pulling stunts or simply going about their everyday lives  and sometimes more.

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This year, several high-profile cases of live-streamed sex have caused uproar, while a Beijing couple became a sensation this month when they streamed themselves hiding overnight in an IKEA store. The most popular streamers on services like YY, Yingke and Yizhibo, the mobile app made by the Internet portal Sina, can make tens of thousands of dollars a year, if not more, by collecting spontaneous online donations.

The Cyberspace Administration of China also warned in November that live videos could destabilize national security and social stability by spreading rumors and fraud. The agency has similarly characterized other popular social media platforms to justify greater internet censorship.

Chinese internet games and social networking giant Tencent, which operates WeChat, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Weibo's public relations staff could not immediately be reached.
Protesters gather at the state Capitol in Olympia to urge Electoral College members across the nation to break ranks. (Wash. Secretary of State Photo)

Only seven members of the Electoral College proved faithless to their pledged presidential candidates today, and four of them are in Washington state. The tally in Olympia was eight for Democrat Hillary Clinton, who won the state  plus three for retired Gen. Colin Powell and one for Native American activist Faith Spotted Eagle.

One of the four, Bret Chiafalo, was a leader in the Hamilton Electors movement, which sought to derail President-elect Donald Trumps move to the White House by denying him the 270 electoral votes required for a win.

If the Hamilton Electors had swayed 37 of the electors pledged to the GOP candidate, the presidential election would have been gone to the House, to be decided in an arcane procedure that hasnt been used since 1824.

In the end, just two Trump electors were swayed. Texas elector Chris Suprun had been saying for weeks that hed vote for Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich when given the chance. In an op-ed published today by The Hill, Suprun said he was gravely concerned about claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin helped Trump win.

Thirty-six of Texas electoral votes went to Trump. One vote went to Kasich, and another went to Ron Paul, a libertarian Republican from Texas.

Texas vote put Trump over the top in the Electoral College, formalizing his presidential victory with 304 electoral votes.

Later today, an elector who was pledged to Clinton in Hawaii voted instead for independent-minded Democrat Bernie Sanders.

A smattering of other electors said they intended to vote for other candidates but either changed their minds, were replaced or had their votes invalidated. Even so, this years seven renegades represent the highest number of electors to break away from their pledged presidential candidate. (Thats not counting 1872, when Horace Greeley died between Election Day and the Electoral College meeting.)

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Chiafalo knew that Democratic electors such as himself couldnt affect the Electoral College outcome directly, but they wanted to put pressure on Republicans to defect  and rally support for measures that would decide the presidency based on the national popular vote rather than the indirect electoral vote.

.@secstatewa Wyman & @GovInslee gather for group photo after Electoral College gathering that gave HRC 8 votes and 4 went with others. pic.twitter.com/c2ro3Tb9uN  Secretary of State (@secstatewa) December 19, 2016

The Associated Press quoted Chiafalo as saying he had originally planned to vote for Kasich, but changed his vote to Powell after conversations with other electors. Powell headed the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Operation Desert Storm and became the first African-American to serve as secretary of state during President George W. Bushs first term in office.

Robert Satiacum, a member of the Puyallup Tribe who backed Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary campaign, was the elector who cast a vote for Faith Spotted Eagle. Even before the election, Satiacum said he wouldnt vote for Clinton because he didnt trust her on tribal or environmental issues.

Spotted Eagle is an activist who helped lead the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline, a cause thats close to Satiacums heart as well.

The electors also voted for vice-presidential candidates. Clintons running mate, Tim Kaine, won eight electoral votes. The others went to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Native American activist Winona LaDuke.

Washingtons faithless electors each face a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for going against their pledge to vote for Clinton. However, their vote will stand  just as the vote of state Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, stood in 1976 when he backed Ronald Reagan rather than Gerald Ford.

The civil penalty is part of a law that the Legislature passed soon after the 1976 election, which means its never had to be imposed before.

.@secstatewa Wyman will enforce "faithless" elector law, which provides for civil penalty of up to $1,000. Working w/ @AGOWA on process.  Secretary of State (@secstatewa) December 19, 2016

Several of Washingtons electors said theyd continue to fight to abolish the Electoral College, but the U.S. Constitution sets a high bar for such a change. The electoral system was put in place at the nations founding to balance the power between urban states and less populous rural states.

In a blog post, Secretary of State Kim Wyman, a Republican, acknowledged that the Electoral College has always been controversial in some circles. In this years election, and the 2000 contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore, the winner of the popular vote lost out in the Electoral College.

Washington has signed up as one of 11 states in the National Popular Vote compact, which would award a states electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. The interstate compact is designed to take effect when its enacted into law by enough states to constitute a 270-vote majority in the Electoral College. Right now, the tally stands at 165 electoral votes.

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Tech giants Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) were among the companies that posted disappointing quarterly results and saw their stock prices subsequently plunge. With powerful brands such as Windows, Office, Android, and Google between them, Alphabet and Microsoft have had unquestionable impacts on consumer technology and are still likely to continue doing so well into the future. As a result, you might be wondering which is the better buy: Alphabet or Microsoft?
Over the past 11 months, in addition to heading up one of the worlds most popular websites, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been hard at work developing an advanced artificial intelligence system for his home. Originally dreamt up as a personal challenge for 2016, Zuckerberg a few months ago explained that he was ultimately aiming to develop a system similar to Jarvis, the digital butler from Iron Man.

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With 2017 right around the corner, Zuckerberg recently posted a new Facebook note detailing all of the work that went into building his new AI system. And as we covered yesterday, the work Zuckerberg was able to pull off is nothing short of astounding.

Zucks home is equipped with a smart home network that manages lights, the thermostat, and doors, and theres a Sonos sound system with Spotify, smart TVs, and IP webcams. The basic tasks he set out to accomplish, like giving the bot voice recognition and the power to manage his homes basic functions, pale in comparison to some of the more impressive features like, well, its ability to actually learn.

For anyone interested in the technical underpinnings of Zuckerbergs home-based AI system, the Facebook CEO posted a lengthy note on his Facebook page that is well worth checking out.

As for the non-technical aspects of Zuckbergs AI assistant, weve since learned that it will be voiced by none other than Morgan Freeman. Freeman ended up being the voice-of-choice after Zuckerberg asked his Facebook followers who should get the job.

Fast Company adds:

Zuckerberg told me that at first he had no expectation it would end up being Freeman. It turned out, though, that soon after the publics clamoring for Freeman, Zuckerberg saw him at the Breakthrough Awards, which earlier this month awarded $25 million for scientific achievements. I called him after, Zuckerberg told me, and I said, Hey, I posted this thing, andthousands of people want you to be the voice. Will you do it? The answer? Yeah, sure.

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Earlier today, Zuckerberg posted a loose video demo of his new Jarvis AI system in action.

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CAIRO (AP)  An encrypted messaging app often used by journalists and activists in Egypt has been blocked by authorities, its maker said late Monday.

Signal's owner, San Francisco-based Open Whisper Systems, said that it had investigated complaints over connectivity issues from Egyptians and "have confirmed that Egypt is censoring access to Signal."

In a statement posted to Twitter , the group that it would begin "deploying censorship circumvention" in the coming weeks.

It was not immediately possible to reach Egyptian officials for comment on the alleged ban Tuesday. The Associated Press was unable to immediately verify whether the block was in place or how it worked. Although an AP journalist based in Egypt was unable to successfully make or receive calls over Signal late Monday, several AP journalists in Cairo were able to exchange calls and instant messages as usual on Tuesday.

Communications disruptions aren't unusual in Egypt, a country which drew global attention after a nationwide internet blackout in 2011.

Authorities cut web access in an attempt to disrupt plans for massive demonstrations against the then-President Hosni Mubarak, a tactic that backfired after millions still took to the street.

Signal itself has won an increasingly high profile as the encryption protocols behind it are incorporated into more mainstream messaging services such as Facebook's WhatsApp. Earlier this year Open Whisper Systems received its first subpoena from U.S. authorities for information about one of its users. The service ultimately turned over minimal data, according to legal correspondence released in October.
T-Mobile has long characterized itself as the Uncarrier, a company that cares about customers first, and deceptive contracts second. But according to customer complaints filed with the FTC and a report conducted by consumer and labor group Change to Win, T-Mobile has created a culture of extreme pressure that encourages shady selling practices and fraud.

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The report uses data from complaints to the FTC and interviews with T-Mobile employees and customers to paint a very different picture of the company to the one that T-Mobile and John Legere have been promoting. Data shows that T-Mobile has had far more customer complaints filed with the FTC than its competitors.

In the first half of this year, T-Mobile had nearly one in every 10,000 customers file a complaint with the FTC. That might not sound like a lot, but its nearly 30% more complaints than the next-closest company, Verizon. Its more than seven times more complaints per customer than Sprint saw.

ftc-complains

But more concerning than the volume of complaints is what theyre about. When Change to Win went through the complaints, they found that many customers were complaining about having charges added onto their bills without permission. That practice  fraudulently signing customers up for services they dont want and havent agreed to  is exactly what has landed Wells Fargo in a world of hurt with federal regulators recently.

The fraudulent enrollment doesnt appear to be the work of a few over-eager salespeople or technical errors, either. Change to Win interviewed current and former T-Mobile workers to see what the corporate culture was like, and the transcripts show the same kind of pressures that Wells Fargo employees blamed for their misselling:

Nearly every worker interviewed singled out the companys aggressive quota for device insurance as an example of this high-pressure sales environment. According to multiple workers in several states, the company requires sales associates to sign up 80 percent of its new accounts with its JUMP! insurance and upgrade program, costing $9 to $12 per device per month, or with its $10 per month premium handset protection service. However, these programs may not be a good value for many T-Mobile customers, and can be a hard sell to consumers who do not want or cannot aord the additional monthly expense. To get around this, one retail worker said it is standard practice to secretly add the JUMP! insurance and upgrade program on customers accounts without their consentto meet the quotaand then remove it a few days later so customers do not catch on. Doing this makes the workers numbers look good and the boss will be happy.

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Interviews with T-Mobile call centre customer service employees, and FTC complaints, would appear to corroborate this. One worker interviewed estimates that every month she gets more than one hundred calls about fraudulent JUMP! program and insurance additions, and numerous FTC complaints alleged that insurance plans and unlimited data were added for months without permission, resulting in hundreds of dollars paid to T-Mobile without permission.

T-Mobile did not respond to repeated requests for comment about this report.

Its worth bearing in mind that the interviews and polls were conducted by Change to Win Retain Initiatives, an arm of labor group Change to Win, which is dedicated to finding examples of company malpractice. The survey was conducted online, which makes it difficult to verify the authenticity of the respondents, and the questions were focused on finding examples of company misdoing.

But even a skeptical look at the results shows that T-Mobile has a lot to answer for here. The sheer number of FTC complaints are worrying, especially since T-Mobile is supposed to be the carrier we like. But if an investigation proves even some of the other claims made by former customers and employees, T-Mobile will be in serious trouble.

If youre a T-Mobile customer or employee with details on mis-sold products, please email chrismills@bgr.com

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Were sorry folks, but Michelle Obama says she has no plans to run for office.

In an interview for CBS and the Oprah Winfrey Network, the first lady flatly denied that she was even exploring the possibility of pursuing a presidential run of her own.

If I were interested in it, Id say it. I dont believe in playing games. Its not something I would do, Obama said in the interview with Oprah Winfrey. But it also speaks to the fact that people dont really understand how [being in the White House] is.

Also Read: Michelle Obama Tells Oprah: 'We Are Feeling What Not Having Hope Feels Like' (Video)

Supporters of the first lady and her presidential husband have been wondering whether or not she would challenge Donald Trump for the White House in 2020, but Obama said shes not having conversations about running for any type of office. I dont know what theyre talking about. But Im not talking back, she said of the Democratic party.

Not only is Obama not interested in taking a role in politics for herself, but Obama also said she couldnt put her family under the pressure of the spotlight again.

What people dont understand is that you run  their lives stop at any age, she said of her two daughters, Sasha and Malia. I mean, the next family that comes in here, every person in that family, every child, every grandchild, their lives will be turned upside down in a way that no American really understands. And its not for us to complain about it. So you dont hear complaints. But it is a  a truth, an actuality, that there is a weight to it.

Also Read: Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama Set for 'Farewell to the White House' Interview on CBS

During the 2016 campaign, Michelle Obama was one of Hillary Clintons most visible supporters, including making a speech addressing Trumps mistreatment of women that quickly went viral. But even the decision to take to the campaign trail isnt something Obama takes lightly.

If Im out there, if I leave this house and I leave my girls, how will I know that this will have impact? I dont want to be out there just to be out there, she said. But Im always asked.

Story continues

Also Read: President Obama: 'Michelle Will Never Run for Office'

You know, to have a candidate for the presidency speaking in such terms about women, as I said, was not  it was not a normal thing, she explained. So my response, you know, in light of what I was seeing from my female staff, what I was hearing from my daughters, their reaction to it, for me required a different kind of response  A lot of people had been shaken to their core. And still are. They are still feeling the reverberations of that kind of caustic language.

As for the when they go low, we go high line that Obamas supporters have made their mantra in the wake of the election, Baracks wife said she wants people to go further: I just want people to act on it. Not repeat it.

Also Read: Michelle Obama Has Best 2020 Presidential Odds of Any Democrat, Vegas Says

Winfrey also asked Obama what she believed to be her biggest impact during her time at the White House. Obamas work included the Lets Move initiative to combat childhood obesity and the Joining Forces movement to support veterans, a partnership with the vice presidents wife, Jill Biden.

One of the greatest things [is] when I see young women  particularly African American women, but young women generally  seeing somebody educated, strong, outspoken, just seeing that on a regular basis, she said.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Michelle Obama Tells Oprah: 'We Are Feeling What Not Having Hope Feels Like' (Video)

Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama Set for 'Farewell to the White House' Interview on CBS

Michelle Obama Has Best 2020 Presidential Odds of Any Democrat, Vegas Says
If you watched the 1995 version of Mortal Kombat, you probably agree with the popular notion that it wasn't a particularly good movie. Many people didn't find grade-Z acting and crazy soundtrack very appealing.

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If you are one of those people, you're in luck. The salvation of the Mortal Kombat franchise might be coming in from no other country than Ghana.

READ MORE: Joselyn Dumas is the suit queen in this photo

Technically, the low-budget Ghanaian version of the Mortal Kombat is not better in quality than the 1995 version; and surely not better than the sequels that follow, but it appeals to a certain nostalgic feeling among people.

Mortal Kombat Game (Youtube)

For most of us, our love for MK was not fueled by the movies but rather that videos game series, which was relaunched to some acclaim in 2011 and featured elaborate stories that carry out like alternate-universe versions of those films, albeit with much more complicated lore.

PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest news on the go with the YEN.com.gh app

In the Ghanaian version, most of the elements are directly taken from the video (maybe even as unlicensed assets).

Thats one hell of a trailer. There are drones! And martial arts! Even some pretty good costumes.

Even its special effects probably hold up against the 1995 version. If its three-minute trailer is anything to go on, it will be the definitive fictionalization of the eternal struggle between Earths greatest combatants and the fell inhabitants of the Netherrealm.

The Kumasi film industrynicknamed Kumawoodis works on some very low budgets but is still able to churn out high intensity, comedic action movies. And there is no way you're not agreeing that that is one of the greatest trailers you have ever seen in your years.

Kumawood's Mortal Kombat is centered around the Princess Kitana whose peaceful homeland has been invaded by the dastardly Outworld warriors and Shao Kahn.

Ghana's version of Mortal Kombat is probably the best version out here

Kidnapped by the warlord and brainwashed into thinking Kahn is her father, Kitana trained in martial arts and lived her life unbeknownst of her true identity. Until...she takes part in Mortal Kombat? That's still a little spotty to me, but I'll roll with it.

The producer and film director of the epic movie, Alidu Amidu, spoke to Ghanaian website, Pulse.com.gh, noted that he was very happy with how Ghanaians had received his work. "I thank God for making Ghanaians accept it. It's not easy at all to produce something that both media people and fans will find worthy of praise."

READ MORE: Mahama's emotional address at the ECOWAS Summit shows he is indeed the peacemaker

The producer juggled a lot of responsibility to make the movie a reality after he had nursed the dream since he was the operator of a Game Center - a place where people gather to pay and play video games.

READ MORE: 7 Dirtiest Parts Of The Human Body

Source: YEN.com.gh
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Rubaga South MP Paul Kato Lubwama has asked High Court Judge Margaret Oumo Oguli to allow him file an application before court of appeal challenging her decision that allowed a voter to challenge his election.

This is after the same Judge granted permission to Habib Buwembo, a Rubaga South Voter to file an election petition against Kato Lubwama challenging his academic qualifications in not less than 30 days.

Lubwama being dissatisfied with the decision filed an application asking the Judge to allow him appeal.

The judge has set 5th January 2017 to rule on whether or not to grant Kato Lubwama to appeal against the decision.

Oguli ruled that there is unchallenged evidence on court records showing that Kato Lubwama lied to the Electoral Commission that he possessed a valid O level certificate from Old Kampala SSS yet the same is not registered by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau.

Habib Buwembo says he has since learnt that Kato Lubwama scored aggregate 7 which could not be relied on to sit mature age entry exams to be admitted for a diploma in Music Dance and Drama at Makerere University.
Arrests logged

ANGOLA  The following people were arrested over the weekend by law enforcement officers working in Steuben County and lodged in the Steuben County Jail.

 Roger L. Dexter, 24, of the 6000 block of South C.R. 400W, Ashley, arrested in the county on a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated.

 Brice A. Grable, 19, of the 100 block of North Wayne Street, Fremont, arrested on a warrant alleging misdemeanor probation violation.

 Scott B. Haver, 42, of the 300 block of Lane 280A Hamilton Lake, Hamilton, arrested on a fugitive warrant.

 Anthony D. Miller, 21, of the 1700 block of West 15th Street, Marion, arrested on a fugitive warrant.

 Caitlyn R. Miller, 18, of the 1000 block of Ashwood Drive, Auburn, arrested on a fugitive warrant.

 Tonya R. Miller, 33, no address available, arrested on a warrant alleging felony failure to appear.

 Blake A. Patton, 26, of the 100 block of Lane 100A Pine Canyon Lake, Angola, arrested at C.R. 450W and C.R. 175N on a misdemeanor charge of operating while intoxicated.

 Troy A. Polk, 22, of the 600 block of Berry Lane, Kendallville, arrested on a warrant alleging misdemeanor failure to appear.

 Donald E. Shannon, 34, of the 400 block of South Shoup Street, arrested on warrants alleging felony strangulation, domestic battery with a prior conviction and invasion of privacy and misdemeanor charges of domestic battery and invasion of privacy.
Before she succumbed to the ravages of manic depression in the 1990s, Alice Holstein had broken gender barriers as an Air Force Intelligence briefing officer during the Vietnam War, earned a doctorate in organization development and authored several books on system change and transpersonal psychology.

The 12 horrific years of suffering that followed are chronicled in her book A Tough Grace: Mental Illness as a Spiritual Path. Having redefined and rebuilt her life, she now works as a peer support specialist at the La Crosse Department of Veterans Affairs mental health clinic and is training to become a spiritual director.

Holstein will share her inspirational story during a special Campaign to Change Direction event from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Franciscan Spirituality Center, 920 Market St. Cost to attend A Tough Grace: A Night with Author Alice Holstein is $10; to register, please visit www.FSCenter.org or call 608-791-5295.

Holstein will be available to sign copies of her book after her talk. Deadline to register is Jan. 19.
Just 3 years old, Macy Dale already has decided she wants to be a police officer.

Her mother last month reached out to Holmen police hoping that a tour of the department or a chance to meet a few officers would lift Macys spirits as she battles cancer.

I thought, Were doing something more, Holmen Police Chief Shane Collins said.

Late Tuesday morning, Macy was playing inside her house when her mother told her to look in the driveway.

A police car! Macy said.

Macy hopped in for a ride to the Holmen Police Department. Outside the new headquarters, 12 squad cars representing the Holmen, Onalaska, La Crosse, Campbell and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse police departments, the La Crosse County Sheriffs Department and the Wisconsin State Patrol waited for the one carrying Macy.

Macy was wide-eyed and smiling as the squad drove through the procession.

Macy, my name is Shane. Im the police chief, Collins said, bending down to a knee to meet the toddler. We heard you wanted to be a police officer.

The La Crosse Police Departments Honor Guard greeted Macy and her parents at the entrance to the department before the chief gave the family a tour of the building.

Surrounded by her Holmen family and 25 officers, the chief swore Macy in as an honorary officer and gave her the same badge worn by each of his officers. Under Macys winter coat was a donated uniform, a Holmen police patch stitched into the arm. Police also donated gift cards and presents, including a dog toy Macy wouldnt let go of.

Keep fighting, Collins told her. Keep being brave.

Macy has undergone six rounds of chemotherapy since her Nov. 15 leukemia diagnosis, said her mother, Alicia. The treatments took their toll, and the usually active toddler has spent much of the last month in the hospital or her bedroom.

The family returns to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Wednesday to learn whats ahead for Macy, although there is a 97 percent chance she wins her battle.

Shes really trying to fight, Alicia said.

In the middle of her fight, Macy found the animated Disney film Zootopia and was drawn to its main character, Judy Hopps, a rabbit that becomes a police officer.

Macy said she wants to be a cop and catch the bad guys, said her father, Lance.

With pizza donated from Kwik Trip and a cake from Lindas Bakery, Macy and her family watched Zootopia in the departments training room with police.

The details of Tuesdays event were just as much of a surprise to Macys parents as it was for her. It left the family overwhelmed, emotional and so appreciative of the officers who came to show their support.

Its like were all in this together, Alicia said.
Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare is selling the Village on Cass to Nesnah Ventures of Holmen, which will convert the independent- and assisted-living facility into a combination of assisted living and memory care units.

Mayo-Franciscan and Nesnah officials announced the purchase agreement for the building, which now has 31 apartments, during a press conference Monday. The price was not disclosed, and ownership transfer is scheduled for March 1.

The project will require substantial renovation of the structures two wings  one built in 1955 and the other in 1984  to provide services licensed for assisted living and dementia and memory care, Nesnah President Tim Brennan said in an interview.

When completed, the revamped building will include 42 units, included 30 designated for assisted living and 12 for memory care, Brennan said. The campus tentatively is scheduled to reopen late in the third quarter of this year.

The facility will employ about 30 workers, including full- and part-time, he said, compared with nine in the Mayo-Franciscan facility.

We like to engage in projects that are local, and there was a high level of interest in this type of facility, Brennan said.

The new center, to be managed by Nesnah partner

Oxford Property Management based in Rochester, Minn., will be modeled on Nesnahs Clara House division of assisted living and memory care facilities, Brennan said.

Nesnah also has Clara Houses in La Crosse, La Crescent and Harmony, Minn., as well as a campus in Cannon Falls, he said.

Tanner Holst, Mayo-Franciscans medical specialties and behavioral health vice president, said, This was a very difficult decision to make. Many of our residents have chosen us to be their home for many years. We are pleased to have found a buyer that can provide the type of assisted living facility this community needs.

Mayo-Franciscan opted for the sale because it needs to focus on providing medical care in our clinics and hospitals, Holst said.

This is exciting news for the community, and yet we are respectful of the impact this transition will have on our residents and staff, Holst said.

Mayo-Franciscan officials have met with residents and their families and arranged for social workers assistance for smooth transitions to other facilities, Holst said. Residents also will be able to go to Nesnah-owned facilities that have openings.

Mayo-Franciscan human resources representatives are working with staff members to retain comparable positions within the organization, and they also will be able to apply for jobs in the new facility through Oxford Property Management, Holst said.

Holmen-based Nesnah Ventures LLC was founded by John and Donna Hansen in July 2000, the day after they sold their interest in Kwik Trip to the Donald Zietlow family. The Hansens, parents of five children, had founded Kwik Trip in 1965, and the Hansen and Zietlow families had owned the La Crosse-based gas and convenience store chain since 1972.

The Hansens avoid the spotlight, decline interview requests and rarely talk publicly about the enterprises under Nesnah, which is Hansen spelled backward.

One public presentation occurred in 2003, when the Hansens and a daughter, Amy Hansen-Strom, were the first speakers in Viterbo Universitys 2003-04 Brown Bag series of talks by owners of local, family-run businesses.

The mission, vision and values (of Nesnah) really are modeled on the basic Christian tenet to treat others the way youd like to be treated, to follow the Golden Rule, Hansen-Strom explained that day.
The La Crosse Salvation Armys Red Kettle campaign is only about $17,000 behind its tally this point last year, but the much more ambitious goal this season is pushing it toward the worrying point, said Maj. Jeff Richardson.

As of Monday, the annual fundraising campaign had reached $565,612, nearly 57 percent of $1 million target, Richardson said. By comparison, the campaign last year had achieved about 65 percent of its goal of $874,047 at this stage.

As you can imagine, the weather took a good whack at us last week, Richardson said.

In addition to donation lags because fewer people were venturing into the deep freeze that descended on the Coulee Region last week, the campaigns third Match Day Saturday took a hit from the snowstorm and frigid temperatures Friday and Saturday, he said.

A cadre of businesses, other groups and individuals had pledged to match kettle collections up to a total of $40,000 Saturday, but only about $20,000 in bills and change landed in the kettles.

An additional $20,000 match would have pushed this years total ahead of last year at this stage, Richardson said.

Although the pressure is on, as the kettle bells will ring for the final time at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve, Richardson doesnt expect to be able to set up another Match Day, with people preparing for the holidays.

We have faith that people will respond, he said.

Another safety valve, besides faith, is that the campaign will accept donations through Jan. 31, a fact that routinely comes into play when the goal hasnt been reached by Christmas.

Last year, the campaign had reached 72 percent of its goal by Christmas and didnt hit the target until the final day. It finished at $879,131  courtesy of, in part, a $25,000 anonymous donation at the last second.

While some kettle sites have gone without bell-ringers for several shifts, overall people have been really responsive and stepped up to volunteer, Richardson said.

A few hundred shifts remain begging for ringers, and after the bells fall silent, people will be able to mail or drop off donations at the corps headquarters at 223 N. Eighth St. and contribute online at the agencys website.
MINNEAPOLIS  Want to time-travel back to the 1960s, when Shiny Brite ornaments dangled from shiny aluminum trees? Step inside Cassy Zamoras Columbia Heights home, where shes surrounded herself with a vast collection of pre-1970s holiday decor.

From the red flocked Santas dancing a jig to an illuminated Blow Mold Santa, its clear that Zamora is especially mesmerized by the retro image of St. Nick. I like the full cheeks and big blue eyes on the happy Santa faces from that period, she said.

Although Zamora grew up in the 1980s, she remembers admiring her grandmothers treasured decorations on holiday visits to her home in Monticello. Today Zamora places a mod 60s fiberglass starburst tree topper that was passed down from her grandmother on the top of her own silver metallic Christmas tree.

Carol Ahlgren describes her vintage holiday collections as Thrifted Christmas because she unearths many of her gems at Twin Cities thrift shops. She paid 50 cents for a felt tree skirt depicting hand-stitched scenes of the 12 Days of Christmas that she spied crumpled on the floor in the corner of a thrift store.

I like rescuing this stuff, said Ahlgren, whose Crystal home is a celebration of Christmas kitsch. Someone loved it a long time ago  and now I will love it.

Retro holiday collectors are passionate about their festive finds, judging from the popular Facebook group Merry Kitschmas, where more than 6,000 members share photos of their back to the 50s and 60s felt stockings and lighted Rudolphs.

At this time of year, some vintage shops, such as Finds on Broadway in Robbinsdale, devote an area to pompom metallic trees, wreaths shaped from bottle brushes and handcrafted angels trimmed in gold rickrack.

People are digging vintage Christmas, said collector Betsy Ruppert-Kan, who stocks and designs vignettes at Finds on Broadway. Its escapism.

And for many collectors, its simply nostalgia for Christmases past.

Hot collectibles

Collector: Cassy Zamora, Columbia Heights, Minn.

How it all began: Zamoras grandmother passed down her 1960s fiberglass starburst tree topper and eventually the rest of her holiday decorations after Zamora moved into her own apartment. She grew up in the 1980s, and the vintage vibe seemed retro cool. The best were the acrylic star-shaped twinklers, she said, pointing to a star hanging from her metallic tree. When theres a breeze, they twirl.

Passion morphed into a business: Zamora started amassing vintage decor about 18 years ago, poking around thrift stores, estate and garage sales and online sites. She sold everyday and holiday items at occasional sales, and also rented space in vintage shops. Last year, she opened Z Amore, a vintage furniture and home decor store in northeast Minneapolis. Old Shiny Brite ornaments and flocked elves are hot, she said.

Handcrafted meets mod: Before the 1970s, holiday decor was a unique melange of sleek and graphic design inspired by the Atomic Age, as well as handmade crafts by church ladies and stay-at-home moms. Both styles are coveted by collectors. One of Zamoras hand-stitched felt tree skirts is a 1960s classic embellished with leaping reindeer pulling a sleigh and bordered by gold rickrack trim.

Plastic kitsch: Zamora displays a lighted Blow Mold Santa indoors, even though they were originally designed as outdoor lawn ornaments. She found three inside a vintage shop in a small Wisconsin town where her sister lives. My sister said, Where are you going to put that ugly thing?? recalled Zamora. She found a place of honor for the plastic Santa inside her kitchen bay window.

Best score: At an estate sale in south Minneapolis, Zamora discovered boxes and boxes of original Shiny Brite ornaments forgotten beneath the stairs  and promptly bought 15 of them.

What she would save if the house were on fire: My grandmothers atomic tree topper, said Zamora, and the molded plastic Jolly St. Nick hanging by the front door.

Thrifted Christmas

Collector: Carol Ahlgren, Crystal, Minn.

How it all began: Ahlgren grew up in the 1960s and became infatuated with 1950s and 60s kitsch, thanks to her glamorous great-aunts who amassed many collections. Today, she and her husband, Mark Mueske, fill their 1956 walkout rambler with vintage holiday accessories  including a bouncing atomic flocked Santa  found mostly at local thrift stores. Thrifted Christmas came about as a way to start my own traditions, she said. I wasnt trying to re-create my childhood, but when I started gathering stuff, I was drawn to things from my era.

The creme de la creme: Ahlgren proudly displayed her vintage linens, including tablecloths and aprons, decorated with holly, ivy and greenery motifs you might remember from visits to grandmas house. Her friend even sewed her a skirt from a tablecloth. They have the same designs youd see on old Christmas cards, Ahlgren said.

Secondhand love: She is always on the lookout for plastic does, fawns and bucks, which she arranges by the front door. Someone loved this one so much they glued the head back on, she said.

Felted crafts: Ahlgren mixes other retro felt decor with her own 1960s hand-stitched stocking, which she hangs above the fireplace. My mom bought us the stockings at a church basement craft sale when we were kids, she said.

Best score: While browsing a Nebraska thrift store, Ahlgren entered a room full of authentic 1960s pompom-style aluminum trees. I screamed, she said, and they were only $3 each.

What she would save if the house were on fire: As a longtime thrifter, Im drawn to homemade, hand-sewn things that must have taken hours and hours to create, and were no doubt displayed as treasured items every Christmas, said Ahlgren, who volunteers at PRISM thrift shop in Golden Valley. Thats what Id grab.
FALL CREEK, Wis.  Fall Creek area farmer Norm Anderson calmly tells the story of how he and his wife were trapped in a silo Sunday evening, but he knows it could have been much worse.

It turned out OK, but I guess there was some danger there, that we might not have made it, Norm said Monday morning. Thank goodness she made that 911 call.

Norm, 69, got stranded about 20 feet below the top of a 60-foot silo about mid-afternoon Sunday as he was pitching silage down a chute that got plugged.

Jane, 62, who was already awake more than 24 hours because of work and projects, realized her husband had not come in for supper and went to the silo to check on him.

Concerned about his welfare, Jane made a 911 call before entering the silo chute to help free Norm at their Sweet Pine Farm, along Highway K east of Eau Claire.

From what she said, she was 10 to 12 feet up the chute, trying to clear it out and got silage below her, Norm said. She was hovered in the middle of the chute with silage above and below her.

There we were, both of us stuck in different areas, he said Monday while standing in the milk house while his wife was recovering at HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire.

Ya, it could have been pretty serious, Norm said. It could have been a lot worse if the silage hadnt been warm. It had just been put in in early November, so it was still generating some heat.

Norm said he tugged on an electrical cord that runs through the chute to let Jane know he was still alive, but she said it was causing more silage to rain down on her.

I had just a little flashlight on my cap and was looking around trying to assess the situation, he said. I found a warmer spot in the silo and I just basically sat there and kind of hovered on my knees to try and keep my hands warm, but then I discovered my back was getting kind of cold, so I kind of burrowed in like a mole you could say, and I kind of laid in a fetal position for a while.

Norm, whose cellphone was in the house being charged, said he didnt feel much stress about the situation, adding: I just tried to keep calm.

Norm said he may have dozed off for a short time and had some frost concerns about his left arm that was exposed. Outdoor temperatures were 7 degrees below to 21 degrees below zero Sunday.

Kerry Parker, battalion chief for Township Fire Department, on Monday said emergency officials were dispatched at 8:36 p.m. Sunday, about five hours after Norm had gone to the silo.

We had phone contact with her, but then lost it, Parker said Monday, adding that one of the departments rescue division members lives a short distance away from the Anderson farm.

He and a (Eau Claire County sheriffs) deputy got there about the same time and started hunting for the people, Parker said.

Three silos at the front area of the barn were checked without finding anyone, but they heard Jane tapping on the side of the chute at the fourth one.

She was kind of digging her way up to him when the silage collapsed and trapped her, Parker said, adding that the Fall Creek Fire Department also responded to the scene.

I was aware of everything going on except for maybe a few seconds, he said. Im just glad she noticed I hadnt come in for supper, that she hadnt forgotten about me.

Once the chute was cleared and Jane was removed, Norm was able to climb down the chute.

Jane and Norm both received brief medical examinations inside an ambulance at the scene, Norm said, adding that his wife collapsed after exiting the vehicle.

Medics with the Eau Claire Fire/Rescue gave them a quick once-over and they declined any needs, so the ambulance was getting turned around to leave when she collapsed, Parker said.

Jane was hospitalized late Sunday with elevated blood pressure and heart rates and remained in the hospital Monday night.

Shed been up over 24 hours without any rest when this happened, so Im sure that added to the stress of it all, Norm said, noting that Jane worked at a convenience store, made Christmas gifts and assisted with church-related duties as well as farm chores over that time.

The couple had a brief telephone conversation Monday morning, ending with Norm saying, Love ya.

I suppose, when people heard that people had been trapped in a silo and chute for four to five hours that they would think someone would be dead, Norm said while casually leaning against a milk tank. It wasnt time for me to go; I still have way too many chores to do.
The following editorial appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal on Dec. 18:

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett understands the value of having cameras on his citys police officers.

The Milwaukee County district attorney last week charged a patrol officer with first-degree reckless homicide in the fatal shooting of Sylville Smith. Video captured by cameras on the patrolmans and his partners uniforms was key to the investigation, the mayor said.

If this case had occurred 10 years ago, or 15 years ago, we would not have that evidence, Barrett told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Similarly, if the case had occurred in Madison  not decades ago, but today  video evidence from cop cameras wouldnt exist, and the officer almost certainly would not be charged. Thats because, unlike Milwaukee and so many other cities, Madison continues to resist even a small test of cameras on police uniforms.

Madisons finance committee favored $75,000 to buy cameras for officers on the North Side in October. But the full City Council rejected that modest proposal last month, claiming the devices lacked public support and could lead to the deportation of undocumented immigrants.

In reality, surveys suggest the public overwhelmingly supports cameras on officers because theyve been shown to improve the behavior of police and the public. And if government officials really want to find people who are living in the U.S. without permission, using grainy images from uniform cameras would be an odd and ineffective way to go about it.

Other cities have adopted clear policies on how and when cop cameras will be used to allay legitimate privacy concerns.

The Madison City Council should learn from Milwaukees experience. Milwaukee has been equipping all of its patrol officers with body-worn cameras since last year. And when Officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown, 24, shot Smith, 23, as Smith ran from a traffic stop, uniform cameras showed Smith was carrying a gun, turned toward the officer and raised the weapon.

But after Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm watched footage from the encounter, he saw something else. The officers first shot hit Smiths arm, and the gun Smith was carrying went over a fence, according to the criminal complaint. The officers second and fatal shot hit Smith in the chest while Smith was unarmed.

The officer said he fired a second time because he thought Smith was reaching for his waistband and possibly another weapon. But according to the criminal complaint: A review of the body camera footage shows that at no time after the shooting did Heaggan-Brown or any other officer search Smith for a second firearm. In fact, when Smith demonstrably reaches for his waistband after being shot the second time, Heaggan-Brown does not discharge his weapon, but moves Smiths hand away with his own hand.

That doesnt mean Heaggan-Brown is guilty of a crime. As Milwaukees police chief has noted, the officer had to think quickly under a lot of stress. The second shot came less than 2 seconds after the first, the video shows.

Ultimately, a jury may decide the officers fate. And if it does, it will be able to watch for itself  along with the public  what happened.

Thats about the strongest evidence possible. And cameras on police officers made it possible.
President-elect Donald Trump secured the 270 votes needed to become Americas 45th president Monday as thousands of protesters across the country unsuccessfully urged members of the Electoral College to switch candidates.

Wisconsins 10 Electoral College members voted unanimously for Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence as a handful of protesters shouted shame and accused them of selling out the country. Dozens more marched around the Capitol in frigid temperatures or sang protest songs in the rotunda.

The Republican electors had all signed pledges to cast their votes for Trump and Pence, who won the state by nearly 23,000 votes, becoming the first Republican ticket to do so since 1984.

In a statement, Trump asserted, incorrectly, that the results mark a historic electoral landslide victory in our nations democracy. In fact, his margin ranks 46th out of 58 Electoral College vote percentages.

The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media, Trump said. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again.

With all states voting, Trump finished with 304 votes and Clinton had 227. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

The gatherings of the Electoral College in all 50 states and the District of Columbia is typically a non-event, but this year a national effort has been underway to persuade Republican electors to change their votes after hackers believed to be Russian attempted to sow chaos in the election by leaking Democrats emails in the final weeks of the campaign.

Im gravely concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin helped Trump win the Republican primary in addition to the general election, Texas elector Chris Suprun wrote in The Hill newspaper on Monday explaining his vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich. In light of the mounting evidence of foreign influence undermining our election, delegates to the Electoral College should have been briefed by the CIA.

But even Kasich, a Trump primary opponent, said Monday it was time to get behind the president-elect.

We want unity, we want love, Kasich said as Ohios electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state, where three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle. She also lost an elector in Hawaii to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

As in other states, electors in Wisconsin have been inundated with letters and emails in recent weeks.

On Monday, they were given two sheets of paper, each bearing only one name and a box in which they marked an X.

The vote in the state Capitol went off with only minor disruption, as several members of the audience expressed their displeasure with the result, one woman shouting, Were all going to go to war and die because of you people.

Most quieted down when warned by a Capitol staff member, others left in disgust and one woman was escorted out by Capitol police.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Michael Haas said it was unusual to have so many people attend an Electoral College vote. The Joint Finance Committee hearing room was filled to capacity with about 100 people, and two overflow rooms were also crowded.

Elector Brad Courtney, state Republican Party chairman from Whitefish Bay, called the protests democracy at work and said he was proud to represent the 1.4 million people who voted for Trump in Wisconsin.

Its been a team effort, Courtney said. Were doing good things in this state and were hoping to export it to the national level.

Protests, but little change

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, similar scenes played out in capitols across the country Monday as thousands of protesters urged Republican electors to abandon their partys winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvanias capitol in Harrisburg, chanting, No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA! and No treason, no Trump!

In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said, Dont let Putin Pick Our President.

But inside the capitols, the voting went pretty much as planned.

In Nashville, Tennessee, one audience member tried to read out some Scripture before the ballots were cast but was told he could not speak.

We certainly appreciate the Scripture, State Election Coordinator Mark Goins said from the podium. The answer is no.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state  though some states require their electors to vote for the winning candidate. Wisconsin law requires electors to vote for the winning candidate of the party that selected them, though it provides no penalty or recourse for a so-called faithless elector.

Such laws are rarely tested. More than 99 percent of electors through U.S. history have voted for the candidate who won their state. Of those who refused, none has ever been prosecuted, according to the National Archives.

Some Democrats have argued that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives more weight to less populated states. That is how Clinton, who got more than 2.6 million more votes nationwide, lost the election to Trump.

Some have also tried to dissuade Trump voters by arguing that he is unsuited to the job. Others cite the CIAs assessment that Russia engaged in computer hacking to sway the election in favor of the Republican.

When the founders of our country created (the Electoral College) 200-plus years ago, they didnt have confidence in the average white man who had property, because thats who got to vote, said Shawn Terris, a Democratic elector from Ventura, California. It just seems so undemocratic to me that people other than the voters get to choose who leads the country.

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, with Vice President Joe Biden presiding as president of the Senate. Once the result is certified, Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (TNS)  Democratic voters are much more inclined than Republicans to relegate the Electoral College to the trash heap of history, according to a new national survey.

Thats apparently what happens when you lose the electoral vote count despite winning the popular vote in two of the past five presidential elections, which leaves your party outside the White House looking in.

Thats been the fate of two Democratic presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton last month and Al Gore in 2000. Her lead over Donald Trump is approaching 3 million votes. But he won more electoral votes: 306 to Clintons 232.

A McClatchy-Marist Poll found that more than half of registered voters  52 percent  say the winner of the popular vote for president should determine the winner; 45 percent say the Electoral College has worked out just fine.

But breaking the sentiments down by party reveals a partisan gap.

Among Democrats, 78 percent support using the popular vote as the measure, compared with 29 percent of Republicans and 46 percent of independent voters.

On the other hand, 67 percent of Republicans like the system as it is, along with just 19 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of independents who prefer to keep the Electoral College.

The Electoral College comprises sets of electors from each state, whose number is based on population. There are 538 electors; 270 are needed to win. It was a compromise between direct election of the president by the then-fledgling nations citizens, which some of the Founding Fathers worried about, and having members of Congress decide. In practice, it attempts to better equalize the influence of every state.

The electors met Monday in state capitals and the District of Columbia to cast their ballots and elected Trump. Its generally a pro forma exercise, devoid of drama.

But not this year. People across the country waged a concerted  but ultimately unsuccessful  effort to persuade Republican electors to reconsider their support for Trump in light of the U.S. intelligence communitys conclusion that the Russian government tried to influence the presidential election through hacks into the Democratic National Committee.

The Washington Post has reported that the CIA believes that the purpose was to damage Clinton and help elect Trump. NBC News reported that intelligence officials believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin was involved. Trump critics have said the electors should be given access to the intelligence behind the Russian hacks before they vote to affirm the popular-vote election results.

Trump has called the notion of Russians trying to undermine the election ridiculous and has publicly disparaged the U.S. intelligence community. During the campaign, he praised Putin, a former Russian intelligence operative who rules like a dictator., calling him a leader far more than our president has been.
His more recent films have proven that Matthew McConaughey is more than a rom-com and action movie trope who wears too much tanning oil and al
MADISON  Wisconsins 10 Electoral College votes were cast for statewide winner Donald Trump on Monday, despite pleas from dozens of protesters who braved sub-zero temperatures to urge electors to vote your conscience and choose someone other than the president-elect.

But the states 10 Republican electors stuck with their promise to stand by Trump, who won the November election in Wisconsin by nearly 23,000 votes over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The ballots were cast at a public meeting in a Capitol hearing room, but each vote was written in secret.

Protesters packed the hearing room and briefly interrupted the process just before the vote. Several protesters chanted Shame! and yelled at the electors after it was announced that Trump received all 10 votes, as expected. Some were escorted from the room by police.

Please say no to Donald Trump. Hes selling us to Russia, please, one person called out just before the ballots were cast.

Several people booed as the ballot with only Trumps name was distributed.

No Putin president! one man chanted from the front row before being asked to leave. Youre electing somebody who is going to destroy the world!

A woman who appeared to be crying said, I am embarrassed to be an American today.

Another man sang the refrain of Silent Night as the meeting adjourned after just 20 minutes.

The electors included Brad Courtney, the state Republican Party chairman, Dan Feyen, an incoming state senator, and Steve King and Mary Buestrin, two members of the Republican National Committee. Other electors were longtime state GOP activists.

Courtney said the first victory of a Republican presidential candidate in Wisconsin since 1984 was very exciting.

But protester Christine Stefano said she struggles with the idea of a Trump presidency.

Its unimaginable for me to live in a world where this man who lies, lies, lies would become our president, she said.

Arlen Moller, a social psychology professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, carried a sign saying Dear Electors: You are the ethical emergency brakes. Moller said hes frightened that theres a real chance of a new world war when Trump is president.

I want to say I came out in the cold to peaceably resist a dark future, Moller said.
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(2) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (1) Feb 14 (1) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (2) Feb 11 (1) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (1) Feb 08 (1) Feb 07 (1) Feb 06 (1) Feb 05 (5) Feb 03 (1) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (1) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (6) Dec 14 (4) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (5) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 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China says it will give back an American drone it seized Thursday in international waters in the South China Sea.

Military officials of the United States and China were holding talks on the return of the unmanned vehicle, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Monday.

China's defense ministry said a Chinese naval ship observed what the ministry called unidentified equipment off the coast of the Philippines.

China says naval officials decided to take the object to make sure other ships could pass safely through the area. Chinese officials later discovered it was an unmanned underwater vehicle belonging to the United States.

U.S. officials have said the drone was operating in the area to collect scientific information related to water conditions and temperature.

U.S. officials have protested the incident. They say the seizure was unlawful. They have demanded the drone's immediate return. U.S. legal experts said the seizure happened inside an economic area belonging to the Philippines, possibly violating international law.

Arizona Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN Sunday the taking of the drone was a "gross violation of international law.

On Saturday, Chinese defense officials said the U.S. equipment would be returned, in their words, in an appropriate manner. U.S. defense officials confirmed they were in contact with China about the issue.

The United States and other countries have raised concerns about China's growing military presence in the South China Sea.

Last week, an American-based research group released satellite images appearing to show that China had added weapons to man-made islands it built in the South China Sea.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported the weapons included anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems.

China created the man-made land formation in the Spratly Islands in recent years by building up sand on top of coral reefs.

The Spratly Islands are made up of many small islands, coral reefs and other land formations in the South China Sea. China, Taiwan and Vietnam each have claimed much of the area and its natural resources. Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei also claim parts of the waterway.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Ken Bredemeier reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English, with additional material from the Associated Press and Reuters. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

drone  n. a small flying machine flown remotely by a pilot

seizure  n. act of taking something by force or violence

gross  adj. very serious or unacceptable

appropriate  adj. right or suited for a specific purpose
2 Andrey Karlov (2ndR), the Russian ambassador to Ankara, lying on the floor after being shot by a gunman (R) during an attack during a public event in Ankara, Turkey. A gunman crying "Aleppo" and "revenge" shot Karlov while he was visiting an art exhibition in Ankara, witnesses and media reports said. The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been "neutralised" in a police operation, without giving further details.
German police have released a man they arrested shortly after a deadly truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Officials said there was not enough evidence to link the suspect to the attack Monday that killed 12 people and injured nearly 50.

The truck crashed into the holiday market and continued for about 60 meters before coming to a stop. Witnesses said they saw a man fleeing from the truck after the attack.

Police said the suspect matched descriptions of the man running away. But they said earlier Tuesday they were not sure if the man arrested was actually the attacker.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the suspect was a Pakistani citizen. He entered Germany as a migrant on December 31 last year and arrived in Berlin in February.

The head of Germanys Federal Criminal Police force said the man denied involvement in the attack. Officials said they were working with limited evidence.

Police said they had not yet found a weapon believed to have been used to kill the driver of the truck before it was stolen. The owner of the truck said he believed the vehicle may have been hijacked. The Polish driver of the truck was found dead in the vehicles passenger seat.

German officials said the investigation is ongoing and have warned the public that the suspect has not been caught. They urged people to watch out for and report suspicious movements or behavior.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said officials have to assume that Mondays truck attack on the Christmas market was an act of terrorism.

Interior Minister de Maiziere also said there was no doubt the driver intentionally hit the popular market.

Merkel and other senior German officials went to the area of the attack Tuesday. They spoke with police officers at the market and left flowers to honor the victims. Later, Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck also attended a memorial service at the church nearby.

On Tuesday, the terror group Islamic State said the person who carried out the attack did so in response to calls for violence targeting citizens of what it called Crusader nations.

The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups - including Islamic State and al-Qaida - might carry out holiday attacks in Europe. IS and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks to attack crowds.

Mondays truck attack was similar to one that took place on July 14 in southern France. In that case, a truck crashed into a celebration in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people on Frances Bastille Day holiday.

IS claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian national living in France.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, with material from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

suspicious  adj. causing a feeling that something is wrong

assume  v. to believe something is true without actually knowing it

intentionally  adj. on purpose, deliberate




A gunman shot and killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, on Monday in Ankara.

The mayor of Ankara has identified the shooter as 22-year-old police officer, Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Three other people were wounded in the attack before security officers shot and killed the gunman.

The shooting took place as Karlov spoke at a photo exhibition organized by the Russian embassy.

The exhibit was called "Russia as Seen by Turks."

The Associated Press news agency said one of its photographers was there when the shooting took place. The photographer reported that a man shouted "Allahu Akbar'' and fired at least eight shots.



"Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" he then shouted in Turkish. "Stand back! Stand back! Only death will take me out of here. Anyone who has a role in this oppression will die one by one.''



A witness told VOA that attendees passed through a metal detector to get into the exhibit. However, they (witnesses) said it did not seem that there was any extra security for the Russian ambassadors presence.

Bahar Bakir, a diplomacy reporter for Haberturk TV, told VOAs Turkish Service that she and other witnesses, in her words, threw ourselves to the ground with the gunshot sounds."

"I saw that the gun was aimed at the ceiling and I saw the ambassador on the ground unfortunately," she said.



Bakir said she heard 20 to 30 shots as she and others ran from the area.



Russia's RIA news agency said security around the Russian embassy in Ankara has been increased following the shooting.



Statements of condemnation



Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing as an act of terrorism.



"There is no doubt that the committed crime is a provocation aimed at ruining Russian-Turkish relations and the peace process in Syria, which is moving forward with the help of Russia, Turkey and Iran," Putin said.

A United States State Department spokesman denounced the attack.

"We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," the spokesman said.



The United Nations made a similar statement.

"We condemn the gun attack on the Russian ambassador to Turkey...There can be no justification for an attack on a diplomat or an ambassador," a spokesman said.



German Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere said his government is "in solidarity with Turkey in the common fight against terrorism."



Career diplomat



Andrey Karlov was 62. He served as Russia's envoy to North Korea from 2001 to 2006. He later headed the Foreign Ministry's consular department.

He became Russia's ambassador to Turkey in 2013.

Im Caty Weaver.

VOANews reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

exhibition - n. a public show of something

role - n. a part that someone or something has in a particular activity or situation

detector - n. a device that can tell if a substance or object is present

unfortunately - adv. used to say that something bad or unlucky has happened

justification - n. an acceptable reason for doing something

envoy - n. a person who is sent by one government to represent it in dealing with another government


The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution urging the immediate deployment of U.N. monitors to the eastern part of the Syrian city of Aleppo. Syrian rebels had controlled that area for about four years.

France said it is very important to have observers in the area to avoid mass atrocities by Syrian forces and militias.

The resolution calls for the U.N. and other groups to monitor evacuations from eastern Aleppo. It also calls for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to talk with Syria and other parties on security and preparations for the monitors deployment. Bans term as secretary-general ends December 31.

France and Russia drafted the resolution. It asks all parties to allow immediate access for humanitarian aid and medical care, without conditions. It also asks parties to respect and protect all civilians across Aleppo and throughout Syria.

The evacuation of Aleppo began last week after Turkey and Russia negotiated a cease-fire with government forces. The Syrian forces were about to attack the rebels' last base in the country's largest city.

Now, evacuations are continuing from the last rebel-held areas of Aleppo and two villages Foua and Kefraya.

Turkeys Foreign Minister said 20,000 people had been evacuated from eastern Aleppo by late Monday.

Thousands of people are still in eastern Aleppo. Rebels took control of the area in 2012. Recently they lost nearly all of their territory during an offensive by government troops.

On Monday, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that 47 children have been evacuated from an orphanage in Aleppo. They are now safe although some are in critical condition.

Agency spokeswoman Malene Jensen says that the agency and its partners are feeding the children, as well as giving them clothes and medical care.

UNICEF warned that many other "vulnerable children'' are still in eastern Aleppo.

Humanitarian situation remains serious

The head of the humanitarian group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said he expected the Aleppo evacuations to be completed late Monday.

The evacuations are said to involve very complicated negotiations between many parties. The parties include rebel groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Iranian, Russian and Syrian commanders. Others involved are the militant group Hezbollah, and the Lebanese Shiite movement.

Free Syrian Army legal adviser Osama Abo Zaid says the negotiators for the Aleppo evacuations are the Russians and the rebels. However, any evacuations from the towns Foua and Kefraya are discussed between Syrian rebel groups and Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders. The commanders send the discussions to Hezbollah fighters.

The Free Syrian Army is supported by the United States and countries in the Persian Gulf area.

Osama Abo Zaid said the humanitarian situation is very serious in eastern Aleppo. A large number of people are sleeping outdoors while waiting to be evacuated.

He said there is a lack of medics and doctors. There are only three doctors and one field hospital operating. This means the evacuated people who arrive in western Aleppo need urgent medical care, shelter, and food.

Opposition leaders and activists say that more than 70 percent of the buildings in western Aleppo have been destroyed. There is also a severe shortage of food and medical supplies.

Im Phil Dierking

This story was originally written for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted his report for VOA Learning English. He also used information from other media. Mario Ritter was the editor.

What do you think of the evacuation in Aleppo? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

evacuation  n. to remove someone from a dangerous place

humanitarian  n. a person who works to make other people's lives better

monitor  n. a person who has the job of checking or watching some activity or behavior

vulnerable  adj. easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally
An American company says it has developed the worlds first true jetpack for personal flight.

California-based JetPack Aviation recently demonstrated its flying device to the public. It looks simple enough that almost anyone could use it to fly around.

The companys JB-10 flying machine is built like a backpack. It looks similar to the bags people use to carry anything from food to books on their back.

Jetpack Aviations device is powered by two jet engines. The engines can operate on either airplane fuel or automobile diesel fuel.

The JB-10 can fly for periods up to 10 minutes. It can reach 100 kilometers per hour and fly up to 3,000 meters in the air.

The company says its personal flight vehicle has performed more than 400 test flights with no major problems. It says the jetpacks are still being developed and improved. The company recently launched a crowdfunding campaign online - with a $1 million goal - to raise money for more research and testing.

JetPack Aviations chief executive officer, David Mayman, says developments in technology over the past 10 years have finally made the jetpack a reality.

Ten years ago, the sensors werent available, and iPhones and smartphones have sort of led the way with sensors.

Mayman says these sensors are used to measure speed and movements. In the past, he adds, this kind of equipment could cost up to $100,000. Now it costs less than one dollar.

Lower costs and improvements in turbine technology have made it possible for the company to develop several other devices.

Another version of the jetpack, the JB-11, will be even more powerful. Mayman predicts this model will be used by first responders or the military during search and rescue operations.

Thats where JB-11 comes in, thats for moving somebody. It produces more power, its more automated. And that enables one of their guys thats in trouble to get out very quickly.

The public demonstration of the JB-10 clearly showed the jetpack giving its passenger a smooth takeoff and landing. The equipment also appeared easy to operate and the device provided a stable test flight.

But the chance to own this futuristic flyer comes at a very high price. The JB-10 device is currently listed at $250,000.

In addition to its jetpacks, the company is also working on a quick-deploying parachute, as well as a personal flying vehicle.

Im Bryan Lynn.

George Putic reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. was the editor.

What do you think about personal flying devices? Would you be willing to try one out? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

jetpack  n. device worn on a persons back that uses fuel or water to push them into the air

backpack  n. a bag worn on the back and used to carry things

crowdfunding  n. getting a large number of people to give small amounts of money to finance a business project or cause

sensor  n. device that detects or senses heat, light, sound, etc.

turbine  n. large machine that produces power using gas or steam

enable  v. to make able to do something

stable  adj. in a good, steady state not likely to change
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a public health emergency for the town of St. Joseph after officials discovered elevated levels of lead and copper in several water samples.

"Out of an abundance of caution," the Louisiana Department of Health recommends that residents do not use the town's tap water for drinking or "personal consumption, including making ice, brushing teeth or using it for food preparation and rinsing of foods," the governor's office said in a news release today. (Friday, Dec 16)

The state Department of Health and Hospitals noted in a report Tuesday that several maintenance deficiencies were found during its December inspection, including a deficient filtration system and rusty tanks.



The water then flows through the aging system to homes and businesses. Between May 2012 and January 2016, St. Joseph issued 20 notices advising customers to boil their water before use as a precaution.



Repairing the system would cost about $8 million.



This is a problem that is common to a lot of small communities around Louisiana. Theyre not able to raise the funds to maintain the system and meet higher standards, Guidry said.



The national media has taken notice of the problems in St. Joseph, which state Sen. Francis Thompson, D-Delhi, attributes to the situation in Flint. He welcomes the publicity, saying it is helping his efforts to secure the funding necessary for upgrading the water system in a town  like many in northeast Louisiana  that simply cant afford the repairs.





ST. JOSEPH, Missouri  On a sunny November afternoon in this historic city, birthplace of the Pony Express and death spot of Jesse James, Lauranda Mignery watched her son Kadin, 2, dig in their front yard. As he played, she scolded him for putting his fingers in his mouth.



In explanation, she pointed to the peeling paint on her old house. Kadin, she said, has been diagnosed with lead poisoning.



He has lots of company: Within 15 blocks of his house, at least 120 small children have been poisoned since 2010, making the neighborhood among the most toxic in Missouri, Reuters found as part of an analysis of childhood lead testing results across the country. In St. Joseph, even a local pediatricians children were poisoned.

Trumps Contract with the American Voter (get to know this document) stresses that his American Energy and Infrastructure Act leverages public-private partnerships, and private investments through tax incentives, to spur $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over ten years. It is revenue neutral.



What do public-private partnerships and tax incentives mean here? This report from Peter Navarro, set to be one of Trumps leading economists, lays out the blueprint. The government would sell $1 trillion in revenue-producing bonds, needing only to supply an equity cushion to ensure everyone gets paid. Navarro estimates around $140 billion in government funding when all is said and done, which you could easily get through repatriation.





Investors would get a tax credit to entice them to buy bonds, and Navarro claims that the tax revenue from new jobs created by the projects makes up for that cost. He also wants to contract out these projects, building in a 10 percent profit margin for the private contractor. Navarro claims that construction costs are higher when built by the government, and the private sector is more efficient.



Does this sound familiar? Its the common justification for privatization, and its been a disaster virtually everywhere its been tried. First of all, this specifically ties infrastructuredesigned for the common goodto a grab for profits. Private operators will only undertake projects if they promise a revenue stream. You may end up with another bridge in New York City or another road in Los Angeles, which can be monetized. But someplace that actually needs infrastructure investment is more dicey without user fees.



So the only way to entice private-sector actors into rebuilding Flint, Michigans water system, for example, is to give them a cut of the profits in perpetuity. Thats what Chicago did when it sold off 36,000 parking meters to a Wall Street-led investor group. Users now pay exorbitant fees to park in Chicago, and city government is helpless to alter the rates.



You also end up with contractors skimping on costs to maximize profits. A shiny new toll road between Austin and San Antonio, Texas, done through a public-private partnership is falling apart after only a couple years, and improper drainage is leading residents of Lockhart, a city along the route, to complain of flooding. The contractor refuses to make the fixes; instead the company is walking away with outsized profits.



Under this scheme, private investors and contractors hold power over project selection. Trumpa.k.a. the governmentwould just be the name on a privately owned bridge or seaport or electrical grid. The notion of an inherent public benefit to infrastructure improvements, the entire point of the enterprise, is totally eliminated.

The water supply in St. Joseph, Louisiana has (finally) been declared unsafe by Governor Edwards This is slightly different from the public advisory issued back in February which told everyone the brown water was safe to drink. Better late than never, I guess.Having seen this story and, of course, the saga of the tainted water supply in Flint, Michigan this year, one wonders how many more places are facing a similar predicament. The answer is a lot. In fact , a recent Reuters investigation found almost 3,000 areas with higher rates of lead poisoning than Flint. Their story starts in a place called St. Joseph. St. Joseph , by the way, is patron saint to "craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general." These are precisely the sort of people who could be put to work fixing the environmental and infrastructure problems in towns like St. Joseph, MO and LA if only the money and political will could be found to begin those projects.Donald Trump has made some noise both during the campaign and transition period about a new and aggressive infrastructure program. That sounds positive at first. But will what Trump actually has in mind end up benefiting places like St. Joseph? Probably not Sorry about the long quote there. But it's necessary to get the sense of what's about to happen. American voters in poor and rural areas of the South and Midwest just installed Donald Trump as President precisely because they've already suffered too long the consequences of this neoliberal shell game. And now they are about to get hit with it again in spades.It's also worth noting that Trump's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency is best known for suing that agency to prevent enforcement of laws meant to rein in polluters So it's worth remembering as well that St. Joseph is also the patron saint of the dying if you're looking for someone to pray to.
The following editorial appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday, Dec. 12:

Congressional Democrats and pundits on the left are expressing alarm at what Donald Trump will do with executive orders after he becomes president on Jan. 20. They fear that Trump will bypass Congress to make far-reaching decisions on subjects such as immigration, trade, foreign policy and health care.

The problem is these critics have no credibility after eight years of looking the other way when President Barack Obama took the same approach. Its well-known that Obama issued sweeping rules on immigration and pollution, triggering lawsuits from states alleging presidential overreach. But whats less appreciated is that his administration also effectively rewrote the two biggest domestic policy initiatives to come out of Congress this century: the No Child Left Behind education reform measure enacted in 2002 and the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010. In both cases, certain mandates approved by lawmakers were simply disregarded.

We have consistently opposed executive overreach under Republican and Democratic presidents alike. This is why we hope that Democrats who believe that Trump has gone beyond constitutional limits on executive power should follow the lead of Republicans who sued Obama over similar concerns  even if it gets them labeled as hypocrites.

The president is not the king, as Obama himself once told Univision, and the president should not usurp the authority of the legislative or judicial branches. That view should not depend on what you think about the person in the Oval Office.

To U.S. shame, Putin is winning

The following editorial appeared in the Miami Herald on Friday, Dec. 16:

Lets just be perfectly clear with whom were getting in bed.

While the CIA has concluded that hackers, acting as agents of the Russian government, meddled in the U.S. election process on Donald Trumps behalf, this week, civilians in Aleppo, Syria, were summarily executed by pro-Assad forces. Men, women, children massacred by the government in Bashar Assads relentless push to recapture the only major city not in government hands.

He killed his own people as they fled the enemies crossfire and shelling. They were killed  executed, really  in house-to-house searches. The attacks were so atrocious that the United Nations declared them a complete meltdown of humanity.

These attacks, whether by computer or by bullet, are not unrelated.

Its likely that neither would have come to pass but for the not-so-invisible hand of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin  that is, Vladimir Putin, a staunch Assad ally whose popularity among Republicans in the United States, at least, is on the rise.

Talk about normalization of the once unimaginable. But white supremacy and religious registries all are out in the open and treated by some as simply the way the world should be. Why not Russia and its leader as our new BFF?

Why not? Because it marks the erosion of our nations sovereignty. It signals the willful acceptance of an enemys intrusion into our constitutional processes, our very way of life.

A recently released YouGov/Economist poll revealed that, among Republicans, Putins favorability rating has climbed 56 percentage points since July 2014, after Russias annexation of Crimea. Among those polled, 37 percent hold either a very or somewhat favorable view of the Russian leader, while 47 percent have a very or somewhat unfavorable view of him. Hes still in the negative, at minus-10 but the results represent a dramatic increase from when they stood at minus-66 two and a half years ago.

Clearly, many Republicans are following President-elect Trumps lead. Mr. Trump, who praised the strongman in order to diss President Obama; who has business deals interwoven with Russia; who owes his very victory, in part, to Mr. Putins need for a compliant America.

Obama, too, bears responsibility for the ongoing Syrian disaster. His administration never backed up tough talk and vows of support for Syrian dissidents with strong, committed action to protect them or civilians caught in the crossfire.

Yes, he stood with the Syrian people, but from afar, in effect, giving Putin the go-ahead to, basically, go ahead and do what he wanted. His response, too, to Russias hacking has been tepid.

So far, Putin is winning, in Crimea, Syria and, appallingly, here on the U.S. homefront. In excoriating Syria, Russia  and Iran  for the slaughter, Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, asked, in outrage, Are you truly incapable of shame? Its a question many Americans should ask themselves.

Aleppos torment becomes the worlds sorrow

The following editorial appeared in The News & Observer on Thursday, Dec. 15:

The waning days of the Obama administration are now paired with the waning lives of Aleppo.

The U.S government and the American people look on helplessly as the Syrian troops backed by Russia and Iran puts a stranglehold on the last of the rebels and thousands of civilians clustered in a final, tiny corner of the blasted city. The Syrian civil war has long seemed distant to Americans, but we and people of all nations can now sympathize with the desperation of those trapped, including the elderly and children, and terrified of what is to come.

Republicans are eager to blame President Obama for this disaster and the president bears some responsibility for this end. He chose not to get militarily involved. Russian President Vladimir Putin had no qualms. U.S. hawks say Putin showed decisive leadership, but what he has shown in Aleppo, is what he has shown elsewhere: indiscriminate brutality.

History will judge whether Obamas restraint kept the United States out of another quagmire. But history also left him few options. After the disaster of the Iraq invasion, it was time for the United States to let Mideast nations resolve their own problems.

Still it is painful for a generous and moral nation to watch the slaughter of cornered rebels and innocents alike. On Tuesday, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power spoke at the U.N. using the one weapon she had  shame. She said the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia and Iran have put an ever-tightening noose around tens of thousands of people.

But she seemed to know that her weapon was of no use. She asked, Are you truly incapable of shame? Is there literally nothing that can shame you? Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin, that just creeps you out a little bit? Is there nothing you will not lie about or justify?

The answer is in the ruin that was Aleppo.

Sleepy drivers kill

The following editorial appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday, Dec. 12:

Society looks askance at the inebriated person who gets behind the wheel and the one who texts while driving. But no such opprobrium faces the groggy driver. Perhaps America is too tired to notice him.

A new study by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, however, provides a wake-up call, saying Americans who drive sleep-deprived are as dangerous as those who drive drunk. Among the findings: Those who slept for fewer than four hours in a 24-hour period had an 11.5 percent elevated risk of getting into an accident while those who slept six to seven hours had an increased risk of 1.3 percent. According to one AAA official, driving on four hours sleep is akin to getting behind the wheel with a blood-alcohol content of 0.12 or 0.15, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

One can only imagine what the risk would be for sleep-deprived drivers who also are manipulating the cars instruments, texting, talking on the phone or cruising along with limited visibility or bad weather.

Driving while tired is part of Americas on-the-go culture and a trend not easily reversed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep per day, but many live chronically short on shuteye. However, you cannot miss sleep and still expect to be able to function behind the wheel, said David Yang, the foundations executive director.

The nation has cracked down on drunken driving and increased compliance with seat belt laws, so there is reason to believe that the behavior of sleepy drivers can be modified, too. Truckers are subject to federal rules mandating breaks for sleep and maximum driving periods to reduce driver fatigue.

Public awareness, such as that provided by the AAA report, can help. Promotion of public transportation and ride-sharing programs is another option. New penalties may be something to consider, too. (AAA reports that at least some police departments already track fatigue as a factor in accidents.)

The bottom line is that impairment is impairment, whether the cause is having too much alcohol or not catching enough winks. Drivers must think of the risk to others before getting behind the wheel. Make sense? Sleep on it.
For the enthusiastic feminist in us, every year seems like the year of female characters and roles. In 2015, you could gloat about Anushka Sharma's performance in Nh10 or the fact that Deepika, not Amitabh, was the helmer of Piku.

This year (may have been disastrous for many reasons) also has its fair share of moments. But if you were looking for one platform where all those reasons were not only showcased, but also interacted and bonded with one another, it would have to be Rajeev Masand's annual Roundtable with the top actresses of the year.

With Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte in one frame, the one hour long episode was a sheer treat to watch.

And here's the primary reason why: there was no continuous reference to gender in the entire interview. No cliched questions about marriage, or an actress' shelf life. It was refreshing to hear these women talk about their professional choices and interactions as candidly as they did.

The ladies spoke about playing de-glam characters, how to detach from emotionally draining roles (case in point Neerja and Udta Punjab), meeting celebrities like Woody Allen and Helen Mirren.

Sonam Kapoor, who was her usual verbose self, spoke about her self esteem issues as a kid, about meeting Julianne Moore and Helen Mirren at a fashion show, and about taking a 45 minute non-stop take for Neerja where she had to continue being in character inspite of being assaulted for the role.

She even revealed that was molested as a kid, when the topic of child sexual abuse came up with regard to Kahaani 2.

Alia Bhatt also spoke about how she hated the walk to and from the set while shooting for Udta Punjab, due to the sheer emotional trauma of playing her character, and Anushka Sharma spoke about how she was in 'depression' (read: really low) after having shot for Nh10 last year where she was pulled by hair by her on-screen assaulter.

Radhika Apte spoke about being comfortable in her body, and not having any qualms about nudity in her films, as well as being a meticulous performer that doesn't like to get into the loop of being the same sort of actor in different films.

Vidya Balan opened up about playing a "real" character: by which we mean a character whose chipped nails, unwashed hair and sweat patches are not hidden from the character or colour-corrected but celebrated.

It was refreshing to see these women open up about their characters and experiences, giving us an insight into how they function as actors.

Watch the episode here:
Mumbai: Ousted Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry Tuesday ruled out chances of a truce with Ratan Tata, claiming his fight is for larger issue of governance and that he will slug it out without giving up his family's 18.5 percent holding in the $103-billion conglomerate.

"I will fight for that. I have fought for that... We have been there for 50 years, its not one day or two days," Mistry said a day after he quit from the boards of six listed Tata companies and declared he will take his battle against Tatas to courts.

"This is not about a business group fight. It is not about those type of things. If that was the situation, I would like to sit in the position. That's why I have removed myself from the position, because it is not me looking for position or power," Mistry said in an interview.

He replied in negative when asked specifically if his family will exit its ownership in Tata Sons, the holding company of the country's biggest conglomerate, if he loses his fight in the courts.

Mistry family's 18.4 percent holding in Tata Sons is valued at close to Rs 1 lakh crore and is the single largest non-promoter group investor for over five decades.

Mistry surprised all by resigning from all six key Tata group companies yesterday, even before the EGMs of some firms where shareholders were to vote on Tata Sons' proposal to oust him from directorship.

When asked if there is a chance of smoking the peace pipe, Mistry sought to distinguish his fight from feuds in India Inc's families, saying he is fighting for larger issues like ethics and governance at what is arguably one of the most revered conglomerates.

"This is about governance and reforms. If governance reforms happen, I benefit, I am not saying no to that," Mistry said.

The 48-year-old Mistry also ruled out demanding more board positions at Tata Sons. He continues to be the lone family representative on the board at present and has ruled out giving up on it.

"I am not looking for board positions. I am looking for good governance. We will see what happens in the future," said Mistry, who was the first Chairman from a non-Tata family at the 149-year salt-to-software giant.

Mistry, who blames attempts to expose wrongdoings on the governance and ethics front for his removal, said Tatas are at an "inflection point" and there is a need to institutionalise processes to future-proof the business and feared that it would go down a "slippery slope" if action is not taken.

"Today, if you have a situation where the Trusts will go into the wrong hands and wrong governance happens, what will happen to the companies? If wrong decisions, both from a governance perspective and ethics, happen, this is a slippery slope that we will go down," he said.

Ahead of the crucial extra-ordinary meetings of shareholders that began today, Mistry after attending a board meeting of Tata Sons last evening had announced that he was "removing himself from the EGMs" to end to the uncertainty plaguing the group companies since his sacking on 24 October.

While Indian Hotels EGM took place today, some other key companies like Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Power and Tata Chemicals will hold their shareholder meets through next Monday on the proposal for removing Mistry as director. Non-promoter shareholders own more than 55 percent on average in these listed firms.

The EGMs have also been called to remove Wadia group chairman Nusli Wadia from three of the Tata Group companies as independent director -- Tata Motors (for 37 years), Tata Steel (35 years), and Tata Chemicals (15 years).

Replying to investors' ire on value erosion due to his actions, Mistry said "convenience" of outcomes cannot drive actions always and there is a need to stand up to what is right.

"At the end of the day, everybody has to take the right decisions for the right reasons. I think when you take decisions, you should take them not on the basis of what you believe is a convenient outcome, but what you believe is the right outcome," he said, adding, "If we all wanted to sweep things under the carpet, we would not take any decisions."

Mistry said it was his actions on the governance and ethical front which made the Tatas nervous and might have led to his sudden dismissal and added that even before his dismissal at the 24 October meeting, the Tata Sons board discussed his proposal on streamlining governance.

"We had multiple discussions on governance and on the day that I was removed, there was actually a tabled draft note for understanding what is corporate governance in terms of roles of Tata Trusts, Tata Sons board and the operating company boards," he said.

Mistry said actions and discussions on shortcomings on both the counts had been initiated much before he was dismissed, and specifically pointed out to the Air Asia India and billionaire C Sivasankaran episodes as cases, which he said unnerved the old guard at Bombay House.

Mistry reiterated that discussions at Tata Sons about making Sivasankaran pay his share of the DoCoMo put option leaked out and wondered how the billionaire investor close to Ratan Tata sent a notice to the group within days. "Within two or four days of us discussing at the board meeting, rather than us recovering the money, he (Siva) puts a claim on us. That is absolute nonsense, very frankly," he said.

Mistry wondered how the group entered the aviation business in two ventures when everybody else was making losses, but said he went by his predecessor Ratan Tata's judgement as he did not have any experience in the sector. On Air Asia India, he asked why more funds were committed to the venture at the November board meet of Tata Sons without taking necessary action on a forensic audit which established a Rs 22 crore fraud in the carrier.

When asked for timelines on discovering of what he terms as "malafide" practices, Mistry hinted he came to know about much of it after taking over the reins. It can be noted that he had been on board of Tata Sons since 2006 before taking over chairmanship in December 2012. He justified it saying being the only "non-Tata group" person on the board, he was not in the know of various aspects.

"During my watch as the chairman, my aim was that no malafides can happen under me. If anything malafide was happening, I would put in a due process to make sure that it would not happen," he said.
Vadodara: All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) have given a call for demonstration against the

problems that various banks and their employees are facing due to demonetisation.

The agitational programmes that they plan to undertake include demonstrations on December 28, followed by the unions addressing a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 29 December, the two bank unions said. The union members also plan to demonstrate over the issue on 2 and 3 January, 2017.

AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatchalam and his AIBOA counterpart S Nagrajan in a statement issued today said, "As per the call of our organisations, already our units have undertaken the programme of demonstrations in all major centres and met the local executives of RBI to hand over our memorandum."

The unions have demanded to ensure supply of adequate cash to all banks and branches, restore all ATMs without further delay and ensure transparency in cash supply to banks.

"If RBI is not able to supply adequate cash to banks, then decision should be taken to suspend cash transactions in the bank branches till sufficient cash is supplied to banks," the statement said.

They also demanded CBI inquiry into the cases of seizure of huge number of new currency notes with some big persons when the bank branches are cash starved.

The unions also demanded compensation to the families of the persons and bank staff who lost their lives recently due to the demonetisation.

The statement asked RBI and state governments to ensure safety and protection of bank employees and officers by maintaining law and order in all branches to prevent

harassment of the staff.

They also want proper compensation to employees and officers for their extra work/late sittings done in the last more than a month.

Both the unions claim to have over 5.50 lakh members out of the nearly 9 lakh bank employees in the country.
The Centre and the Reserve Bank of India were adequately prepared for demonetisation and have enough currency stocks that will last beyond 30 December, said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at a press meet on Tuesday. He added that there has been no day when the RBI did not dispense adequate cash to banks.

Addressing rising concerns of irregularities, the finance minister assured that banks have been asked to take action against erring officials. Since exemptions on old currency notes are over, he reiterated that old currency notes should be deposited at one go as repeat deposits raise doubts.

We were prepared. There has been no day when RBI did not dispense adequate cash to banks: FM Arun Jaitley #demonetisation pic.twitter.com/uaSAEimetg  ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

Jaitley further said that payments through credit and debit cards and e-wallets have increased significantly after the move and many industries have shown a growth in digital payments by 300-1,500 percent.

Finance Minister, @arunjaitley Says Many Industries Have Shown Increase In Digital Payments By 300-1,500%.  CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) December 20, 2016

Meanwhile, RBI deputy governor said that all ATMs have been recalibrated and economic affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das assured that currency supply situation has improved considerably.

From NewsRise: @RBI Deputy Governor Says All ATM Machines Have Been Recalibrated. pic.twitter.com/dQgfXVMEf9  CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) December 20, 2016

Tightening the cash deposit rules on Monday, the RBI and the finance ministry stipulated early in the day that customers can deposit old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes worth more than only once per account.

Also the customer will have to explain satisfactorily why he or she did not deposit the cash before hand. Later in the night, Jaitley clarified that customers will not face questions even if they deposit more than Rs 5,000 if he or she does it in one go.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi - Unnerved by new set of guidelines announced by the RBI, people rushed to bank branches to deposit the now defunct Rs 500/1,000 notes in their accounts.

Many branches witnessed sudden surge of customers for deposits on Monday, a day before the new rules kick in.

The Reserve Bank on Monday imposed stiff restrictions on depositing more than Rs 5,000 in the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, mandating that it can be deposited only once per account till December 30, that too after explaining to bank officials the reasons for not having done that so far.

Stipulating that restrictive conditions will also apply on the cumulative deposit of such notes in a single account when it exceeds Rs 5,000, RBI said that defunct currency up to any amount can be deposited under the new black money amnesty scheme PMGKY.

Under PMGKY, black money holders can deposit unaccounted cash in account which will be subject to 50 per cent tax and 4-year interest free lock-in for the remaining 25 per cent of the amount.

The RBI said old notes in excess of Rs 5,000 into a bank account will be received for credit only once during the remaining period till December 30, 2016.

Even after 39 days after the demonetisation of old Rs 500/1,000 notes, banks are still struggling to manage long queues as cash starved customers throng branches to get valid currency notes.

To meet the demand, branches are resorting to cash rationing as they are getting less than their requirement from currency chests.

However, the situation seems slightly better at many ATMs with increased cash availability.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said everyday RBI is injecting a large amount of currency into the banking system as part of its remonetisation exercise.

"Significant amounts are going to be injected in next three weeks which are gradually bringing the pressure down. As more and more new currency comes into circulation, the recirculation itself in the banking system and ATMs will make more currency available," Jaitley had said.
New Delhi: Board exams for Class X are set to become compulsory for all CBSE students from 2018 as CBSE's Governing body on Tuesday "unanimously approved" a proposal in this

regard.

At the meeting of the Governing body, its members agreed that from the academic session 2017-18, compulsory Board exams should be introduced for all students of Class X, sources told PTI in New Delhi.

The decision will now have to be approved by the government before it is implemented.

Currently, it is optional for CBSE students to choose either the Board exam or a school-based examination. HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has in the past favoured making Board exam compulsory for CBSE students as is the practice in all state boards.

The sources said while there is a view that for the Class X Board exams, 80 percent weightage will be given to the marks scored in examinations while 20 percent weightage will be given to school-based evaluation.

In another key decision, the CBSE has decided to recommend to the HRD ministry that the three language formula, under which Hindi, English and modern Indian language are taught, should be extended to class IX and X as well from the current VI to VIII, a source said.

Oficials added that the Board also favoured sending a recommendation to the Centre that those languages which are listed in schedule VIII of the Constitution should be taught under the 'Three language formula' while languages which are "purely foreign" should be taught as a "fourth language as an elective subject."

In the past the HRD ministry run Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) used to offer German as a third language, but the practice was later discontinued.

The final call on these decisions will be taken by the government, a senior official said.
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday described the SAD-BJP alliance's victory in the city municipal corporation election as "historic" and said it will prove as a "trendsetter" for ensuring back to back victory for the alliance for the third consecutive term in the upcoming state Assembly polls.

The BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal received a shot in the arm ahead of Punjab Assembly polls with their alliance winning 21 out of 26 seats in the Chandigarh municipal corporation elections on Tuesday. The victory gains prominence as it comes on the heels of demonetisation decision on 8 November which was a key issue raised by both the BJP and Congress in this polls.

Badal termed the win as a "trailer", and said that the complete film would emerge after the "spectacular victory" of the alliance in the upcoming assembly polls.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Akali patriarch said, "This result (MC polls) would prove as a trendsetter for ensuring back to back victory of the alliance for the third consecutive term in the state."

Badal said the massive mandate in favour of "pro-people policies and solid performance" of BJP at the Centre under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has silenced the opposition for unleashing "malicious propaganda to defame the government."

An exuberant Badal congratulated all the workers and leaders of the SAD-BJP alliance and said that the alliance would repeat the feat in the 2017 Assembly polls.
Punjab's ruling BJP and Akali Dal combine have scored a landslide win in municipal elections in capital Chandigarh reported NDTV. The victory is important as it comes just ahead of crucial state assembly polls. The allies have won 21 of the 26 seats, while the Congress managed just four; one seat was won by an independent candidate.

Amit Shah has said that every poll win after 8 November is an approval of the people for the demonetisation decision.

Thank people of Chandigarh for supporting BJP, every election win after Nov 8 shows that they approve of #DeMonetisation decision: Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/60Jrb7pxwd  ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

BJP MP from Chandigarh Kirron Kher has said that the victory is a result of implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schemes at ground level and that the results prove it right.

We thank the people of Chandigarh for the mandate. We implemented Modi Ji's schemes at ground level and result shows it: Kirron Kher, BJP pic.twitter.com/3tLMuL5yBK  ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

The results of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections was announced on Tuesday at seven counting centres in the city. Elections to 26 civic wards of Chandigarh were held on Sunday with both BJP and Congress making demonetisation a major poll issue. 122 candidates, including 67 Independents, are in the fray for the civic polls. The polling was conducted at 460 booths from 8 am to 5 pm.

Both Congress and BJP contested from all 26 wards, while BSP has also put up candidates in the fray from 17 wards. The Municipal Corporation has 36 members, of which 26 are elected councillors, nine are nominated councillors and one is an MP (ex-officio member of the House). At present, BJP has 15 councillors, Congress has nine, BSP has one and one is independent candidate.

While the BJP is trying to cash in on demonetisation, Congress has made it a major issue with its city unit leaders saying the move was implemented without any "application of mind" as it has put the public to "great hardships".

Around 51 percent voters exercised their franchise for 26 wards of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation the polling to which passed off peacefully.

"Around 51 percent voters have exercised their franchise. The polling was peaceful," Tarseem Lal, an election office spokesman said here after conclusion of polls quoting initial estimates of polling percentage. The total number of voters recorded were 5,07,627, including 2,37,374 female voters. 800 EVMs were used at 445 polling booths and over 4000 cops were deployed for smooth conduct of polling process.

The overall polling percentage in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation election jumped to a record 59.54 percent, following a re-polling in a ward of the civic body after officials noticed some discrepancies.

The re-polling in ward seven registered 71.48 polling, Tarseem Lal, an election office spokesman said here, adding that the overall poll percentage for the 26 wards was 59.54. It was ordered after electoral officials noticed that the number of votes polled yesterday had exceeded the number of voters in a booth of the ward. Since it's inception, the polling in the civic body election had remained below 50 per cent. In 2011, the polling percentage to the MC was 59.37.

Post demonetisation, the election to 26 wards of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is a litmus test for both BJP and Congress. Prominent among those included three-time councillor and former Mayor Subash Chawala (Cong), BJP's leader Saurabh Joshi and Congress stalwart Devinder Singh Babla and present mayor Arun Sood of BJP.

The results will be test of prestige of key political faces MP Kirron Kher (BJP), former Chandigarh MPs Pawan Kumar Bansal (Cong), Harmohan Dhawan (BJP), Satya Pal Jain (BJP) and Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon. All these political bigwigs have a key identity in Chandigarh, the results will somehow set their political future too, besides their current role in local politics. All political bigwigs from Chandigarh intensively campaigned for their party candidates in the polls.
New Delhi: India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday pledged to work together to prevent youths from falling prey to the common challenges of terrorism and extremism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Modi was addressing a joint media conference with visiting Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, who arrived in India on Sunday, leading a high-level delegation comprising of ministers, officials and business leaders.

Modi and Atambayev held talks at the Hyderabad House as the two countries signed a number of agreements to enhance their defence and economic ties.

"We discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society from common challenges of terrorism, extremism and radicalism," Modi said.

"We agreed on the need to overcome these challenges for the common benefit" of the two countries, Modi said.

Modi described Kyrgyzstan "a valuable partner in our common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity".

The Prime Minister said the two countries would encourage better engagement in healthcare, tourism, IT and agriculture, mining and energy and build on bilateral cooperation, including "capacity building and training".
Justice JS Khehar is set be the next Chief Justice of India after President Pranab Mukherjee formally gave his nod to his appointment. He will succeed CJI TS Thakur as the 44th Chief Justice of India after the latter demits office on 3 January.

The Chief Justice of India, the highest authority in the judiciary, is traditionally appointed on seniority basis, on the recommendation of the incumbent Chief Justice. As Justice Khehar was the senior-most judge after the Chief Justice TS Thakur, his name was recommended to the government on the principle of seniority. As Chief Justice, Khehar will have a tenure of over seven months as he would be retiring on 28 August, 2017.

Justice Khehar will be the first Sikh to occupy the highest office. However, as a report in Live Mint states, his appointment assumes importance as doubts were raised that Justice Khehar might be superseded by the government. A group of prominent lawyers had, earlier this month, urged the government to overlook Justice Khehar's seniority, citing his verdict on the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) case.

Justice JS Khehar was heading the five-judge constitution bench that junked the National Judicial Appointments Commission for the appointment of judges as unconstitutional holding that it intruded upon the independence of judiciary.

Incidentally, Justice Khehar also presided over the five judges' constitution bench that had quashed the then Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa's decision to advance the assembly session from January 2016 to December 2015, as it directed restoration of ousted Chief Minister Nabam Tuki's government. But subsequent political developments in Arunachal Pradesh took a different course.

Having done LLB and LLM from Punjab University, Chandigarh, Justice Khehar was awarded gold medal for securing first position in the university LLM examination.

Before being elevated as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh on February 8, 1999, Justice Khehgar had practised before it as well as the Himachal Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court. He was twice appointed as the acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court from 2 August, 2008, and again from 17 November, 2009.

He was elevated as Chief Justice of Uttrakhand High Court on 29 November, 2009. Later, he was transferred as Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.

Justice Khehar was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court on 13 September, 2011.
Soon after coming to power in 2014, the Narendra Modi government decided to honour the outgoing UPA governments announcement on Lieutenant-General Dalbir Suhags elevation as Indias army chief. There was much speculation as his predecessor, General VK Singh who had done everything under his power to stop Suhag from getting the top job, was now not only in the BJP, but had been elected to Parliament.

Putting all speculation to rest, Modi decided to honour the well-established convention of the senior-most officer getting the top job and appointed Suhag.

However, two years later the decision to appoint Lieutenant-General Bipin Rawat as the next army chief superceding two highly respected and competent officers, has come as a shock to many in the armed forces. Probably for the first time, two successive chiefs come from the same regiment  Gurkha Rifles.

Interestingly, Rawats appointment as army chief comes days after Pakistan appointed General Qamar Javed Bajwa as their new chief, both of them served in Congo as part of the UN Peacekeeping Force under General Bikram Singh, who later became Indias army chief.

Rawats appointment has bypassed two senior officers. Lieutenant-General Praveen Bakshi, commander-in-chief, Eastern Command  a highly respected officer, who was seen as a natural successor to Suhag. Across all ranks, the Indian Army looked forward to Bakshis appointment because of his exemplary credentials and the enormous respect he commands among both officers and men. The other officer superseded is commander-in-chief, Southern Command, Lieutenant-General PM Hariz, also held in high esteem.

Why did the government supersede two officers to appoint Rawat? The real reason will never be known and the explanation put forward by the government is far from convincing. The government explanation that Rawat has more experience in tackling counter-insurgency and of high altitude warfare sounds pretty facile. After all, no army chief leads formations to battle.

Bakshi, as C-in-C of the Eastern Command, is responsible for all counter-insurgency operations along the China border and in the North East region. He has served armoured brigades in Jammu and Kashmir and the western sector.

At a time when parochial interests dictate many decisions, the appointment of Rawat is bound to keep speculators busy for a long time.

There is media speculation that Bakshi might be in for a more coveted job, that of the CDS or Combined Defence Services Chief, a post which has been debated for several years but no political party has put its final stamp of approval. In a service where seniority was taken as a norm, the government announcement on Rawat is bound to stir regional and sectional interests a lot more. Senior officers are bound to use their regional and linguistic connections to play to the gallery and even lobby regional leaders.

The appointment of Rawat has already stirred a debate on the growing importance of officers from Uttarakhand in New Delhi. This tendency is not healthy for either the Indian Army or the nation to debate on.

Unlike Pakistan, in India, civilian control over the military has long been recognised and firmly established. Appointments and succession are decided by elected governments and accepted by the armed forces quietly. Even the supersession of Lieutenant-General SK Sinha by Indira Gandhi was quietly accepted, except by the general concerned who protested and resigned from the service.

Rawats elevation has become politically controversial

While the Opposition has every right to question the appointment the government is in no way expected to explain an executive prerogative. A privilege of the Executive, however, has to be handled with great care when dealing with sensitive appointments like that of the army chief. Historically, there has always been an undeclared war between infantry and armoured corps for supremacy.

In this battle, once again, the armoured corps represented by Bakshi was trounced by the infantry arm of the Indian Army.
Ahmedabad: A 33-year-old cashier with the State Bank of India allegedly committed suicide on Tuesday by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence at Tharad in Banaskantha district, police said.

Though the police refused to assign any motive to the extreme step taken by Prem Shankar Prajapati, his wife said he had talked about "heavy work pressure" at Tharad branch of the bank.

He originally belonged to Barmer in Rajasthan.

"Prajapati was a native of Barmer and has been working as a cashier at SBI's Tharad branch for last one-and-half-years. Due to some unknown reasons, Prajapati committed suicide by hanging himself from ceiling fan today morning. We have not found any suicide note from the spot," said Tharad police inspector J G Chavda.

However, Prajapati's wife Manjula claimed her husband had once complained about the work pressure.

"My husband used to remain tensed after coming home from the bank. He once said that there is so much work pressure. He did not talk much due to tension," Manjula told reporters outside police station.
New Delhi: Can the word 'rigorous' be added by courts when they award life imprisonment? The Supreme Court has agreed to examine the question whether courts are statutorily empowered to make life imprisonments tougher for the convicts by adding "rigorous" (harsh) to life sentence as the law does not provide for this. A bench headed by Justice PC Ghose considered a submission which said that neither the penal provision dealing with the offence of murder, nor the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) provide that the term "rigorous" can be added by courts while awarding life sentence to convicts.

"Let notice be issued in the matter limited to the question whether life imprisonment could be coupled with the condition that such imprisonment has to be rigorous imprisonment, returnable after four weeks," the bench, also comprising Justice UU Lalit, said.

Senior advocate Parmanand Katara, appearing for convict Ram Kumar Sivare, who has been awarded rigorous life term in a murder case, has contended that the judgement pronounced by the courts below was "unconstitutional and ultra-vires" as penal and procedural laws do not empower them to qualify the life sentence with the term "rigorous".

"The award of rigorous life imprisonment by the lower court and the Chattisgarh High Court is violative of Article 21 (protection of life and liberty) and 14 (right to equality) of the Constitution," the lawyer said. The apex court was hearing the appeal filed by Sivare, who is serving rigorous life term at a Chattisgarh jail, challenging the High Court verdict in a murder case.

The High Court had upheld the trial court judgement convicting and awarding life term to Sivare and Bhuneshwar Prasad for stabbing to death one Anil Bhoyar on 5 January, 2010 near a government hospital in Durg district of Chattisgarh following a tiff over a minor issue.

The trial court had acquitted the third accused Manoj, which was upheld by the High Court.
After tightening rules for depositing old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Monday night said no questions will be asked if any amount of junked currency is deposited in one go but repeated deposits may raise queries, the PTI reported.

This is in clear contradiction to the Reserve Bank of India notification in the morning, which said customers depositing more than Rs 5,000 will have to satisfactorily explain why they did not do so early on, even if it is just once.

With nearly Rs 13 lakh crore out of the Rs 15.4 lakh crore worth of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 junked already deposited in banks, the government has changed rules to mandate that individuals can deposit over Rs 5,000 in old currency bills only once until December 30 and that too after explaining why it had not been done so far.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, Jaitley said all exemptions to certain sectors and utilities, which had been allowed to accept the banned currency post demonetisation, ended last week and all those in possession of the old notes are supposed to deposit them with banks.

"Anyone who has old currency notes is not allowed to trade in them. He can only go and deposit them with banks," he said.

With a view to curtail queues at banks, holders are encouraged to deposit the entire holding in one go, rather than going repeatedly.

"If they go and deposit with bank any amount of currency no questions are going to be asked to them and therefore the Rs 5,000 limit does not apply to them if they go and deposit it once.

"But if they are going to go everyday and deposit some currency, same person, that gives rise to suspicion that where is he acquiring this currency from. In that event a person may have something to worry about. Therefore everyone is advised whatever old currency you have please go and deposit it now," he said.

However, the morning notification from the RBI had said that the those customers depositing more than Rs 5,000 will have to face the questioning by the bank officials.

"Tenders of SBNs in excess of Rs 5,000 into a bank account will be received for credit only once during the remaining period till December 30, 2016. The credit in such cases shall be afforded only after questioning tenderer, on record, in the presence of at least two officials of the bank, as to why this could not be deposited earlier and receiving a satisfactory explanation. The explanation should be kept on record to facilitate an audit trail at a later stage. An appropriate flag also should be raised in CBS to that effect so that no more tenders are allowed," the RBI notification said.

The latest statement by the finance minister will only add to the confusion of customers of the worried customers, who have already started queuing up in front of the banks to deposit their old notes. Many of them could have waited patiently for the rush at banks to decline to deposit their cash as the government had time and again promised that the deadline for depositing any amount is 30 December.

However, Jaitley justified the move to restrict the deposits saying there is no scope now for earning any old currency because all exemptions have been waived and it makes sense to go deposit all the holding in one go, Jaitley said. "This is the objective of the order passed today (on Monday)."

After banning old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on 8 November, the government had allowed all of the cash holdings with any person to be deposited in bank accounts till 30 December. There was no limit on the quantity or value of the junked notes that could be deposited.

However, the government on 17 December issued a gazette notification putting restrictions on deposits henceforth.

"The deposits of old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations have been reviewed by the government from time to time. Already more than five weeks have elapsed since the time of the announcement of the cancellation of the legal tender character of these notes. It is expected that, by now, most of the people would have deposited such old notes in their possession," an official statement said.

With a view to "reduce the queues in the banks", the government said it has now been decided that "amounts exceeding Rs 5,000 in old notes can be deposited only once between now and December 30, 2016."

"The banks have been advised to conduct due diligence regarding the reasons for not depositing these notes earlier," the statement said.

Amounts of Rs 5,000 or less may continue to be deposited with banks in the customers account, as at present.

"However, cumulative deposits exceeding Rs 5,000 between December 19 and December 30, 2016 will be as per the procedures advised by the RBI in respect of deposits exceeding Rs 5,000," it said.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) too came out with deposit guideline stipulating that restrictive conditions will also apply on the cumulative deposit of such notes in a single account when it exceeds Rs 5,000.

However, the defunct currency up to any amount can be deposited under the new black money amnesty scheme, PMGKY.

With PTI
Former Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader and now president of the newly floated political party Swaraj India, Yogendra Yadav after launching his new Halla Bol campaign against black money, on Tuesday, tweeted about the ill-preparedness of the government post demonetisation.

After visiting his bank branch, Yadav tweeted an explanation that he has given to his bank.

"I have made no cash deposit in my account since 8 November, 2016. I see no reason to offer any special explanation for the same. I normally like and wait for the queues to end. I was assured by the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the RBI that there was no need to rush to the banks and that I had till 30 December for making any deposit. I believed them."

This is the "explanation" I have given my bank for making a small deposit today. Pl retweet if you agree pic.twitter.com/v1JyhpADZ3  Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) December 20, 2016

His explanation comes a day after the Finance Ministry and the RBI brought out a notification (on 19 December) saying that the customers can make deposits worth more than Rs 5,000 of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes only once till 30 December and that they will also have to explain why they did not do so before.

Prior to this, Yadav optimistically had termed the demonetisation move a good gesture which signals the governments seriousness about tackling black money and putting an end to fake currency problem. But he simultaneously cautioned that the move has been poorly executed due to ill-preparedness and the havoc it created couldnt be anticipated.

With no end to public woes, Yadav on 5 December, had termed the decision to devalue high-denomination notes a pseudo war against black money. Strongly criticising the government, he had said that the government has been seeking to dilute the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), which would weaken the actual battle against corruption and help the corrupt.

But, the latest RBI diktat on 19 December on capping the deposit limit compelled Yadav to go public through a tweet.

Yogendra ji was surprised on this new diktat from the RBI. He tweeted from there the explanation he gave to the bank. But, its not just about Yogendra Yadav, but about the 125 crore Indians. The prime minister, finance minister, and the RBI  all of them assured people on 8 November that they wont have to bother and rush to banks to deposit old currency notes. The deadline was 30 December. But, with only 10 days left, the government suddenly changed its stance. First, they capped the withdrawal limit and now the deposit limit. It clearly reflects the ill-preparedness of the government and the banking sector, chief national spokesperson Anupam told Firstpost.

We hailed the prime minister's bold decision of scrapping the high-value Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to stop counterfeiting of currency and his initiative to curb black money generation. But, its surprising how the prime minister was unaware of the cascading effect of demonetisation on the common man. Around 86 percent of the cash has been sucked out of the system and it has led to a situation of anarchy. Both the government and the RBI have been changing the goalpost every day. But, whatever is happening at present, shows either the prime minister is insensitive towards his own people or incapable, he added.

Post demonetisation, Swaraj India has embarked on a nationwide campaign against Black money in politics  Kaale Dhan Par Halla Bol, and avoided making any comments against Narendra Modis demonetisation move.

The campaign kicked-off with a massive rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on 18 December which witnessed a gathering of more than 10,000 people.

The black money is a ten-headed Ravana and cash is just one head of this Ravana. Real estate, gold, benami property, P-Notes and foreign investment accounts are the rest of its head. By hitting the head of Ravana, you cannot kill it. To kill Ravana, we must strike at his navel and the navel of black money is political corruption. Our Parliament has failed to kill this Ravana. And today, time demands a mass campaign against black money in politics. Swaraj India and Swaraj Abhiyan have jointly resolved to take up this campaign, Yadav had said while addressing the rally.

Swaraj India in its national executive meeting that concluded on Tuesday has decided to aggressively tackle the issue of black money.

Demonetisation is not the issue. Our focus is on eradication of black money and well be going on an awareness drive on this issue across the country. We want to get prepared after 30 December to combat various issues of corruption, Swaraj Indias senior leader Anand Kumar told Firstpost.

Anupam added, The source of black money is corruption and the root cause of it is political funding. Our first intervention will be to keep a vigil on black money in politics, as a part of our nationwide campaign to reform political funding. The government is misleading the public with its half-hearted attempts but the truth is that the ongoing proceedings against black money have been guarded by the political parties. Since successive governments and all major political parties have consistently defied Election Commissions plea to follow standard accounting practices. There is no way the government can prevent political parties from functioning as conduits of converting demonetised currency into white money.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Muftis move to stage a walkout in a recent cabinet meeting  after protests by some BJP ministers against increasing the posts for the local police personnel selected through Kashmir Police Services (KPS) exam  has only sharpened the divide in the coalition government. Both the PDP and BJP have been fighting a bitter war within the government, ever since the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed  father of the incumbent chief minister  took oath in March 2015.

The rift between PDP and BJP has been accentuated over the posting of the officers in the civil and police administration in what is being described by many officials as using "political influence" to pander to favoured officials. But in a new low, Mehbooba walked out of her own cabinet meeting on 9 December, after opposition by BJP ministers to reserve some senior police ranks for KPS officers. The BJP opposed the move after it sensed that this would strengthen the local cadre officers (in competition with outsider IPS officers) and linked it to its plank of further integrating the state with the Indian Union. The fracas at the cabinet has now prompted the government to set up a committee of ministers, which is to be submit its report before the next cabinet meeting.

However, the latest bout of skirmishes between the two coalition partners has not been the only one  there have been earlier differences within their ranks even related to the posting of officers as well as some policy matters like the settlement of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) in Kashmir. Last year for over three months, there was no cabinet meeting held (between 18 May and 18 August) due to the differences between the two coalition partners over key policy issues. The PDP and BJP differed over the rehabilitation package to the people who were affected by the floods in Kashmir as well as the settlement of KPs in separate colonies. The two parties have constituted a Group of Ministers (GOM), which is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, to implement the Agenda of Alliance (AOA) in consultation with the Central government departments, but the group has also failed to resolve the differences that come in the way of day to day functioning of the government.

"The differences within the cabinet are related to every issue, but the two coalition partners have been more bitter over the transfer of officers," said a senior government official.

Senior PDP leader, and roads and buildings minister, AR Veeri, however said that two parties are trying to "sort out the differences through the meeting of GOMs". But, besides the differences in increasing the number of posts for the KPS, the two coalition partners are at loggerheads over the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Although the GST has been implemented in other parts of country, PDP leader and finance minister Haseeb Drabu has reasoned that its implementation will ensure that "Jammu and Kashmir loses its special status to tax services". Jammu and Kashmir not only has its own constitution, but is the only state in the country that taxes services under the Sales Tax Act. That state government still remains indecisive over the implementation of GST.

Due to previous differences, the government had not even held a cabinet meeting and instead circulated proposals to the ministers and got them signed. Last year, the government chose to approve policy issues including a new recruitment policy  under which the people were to be employed on a contract basis  and the re-appointment of some 14 officials in the Confed (a semi-government organisation that used to sell essential commodities to people at a relative discount).

Confed has been shut down by the government, but a majority of the employees earlier associated with it were given the golden handshake. However, 14 employees who were removed from service had later approached the Supreme Court and got an order from the apex court to appoint them in government services. The government had cleared the new recruitment policy through the mode of circulation. No discussion was held between the different ministers over the matter, never mind its grave importance.

In last years cabinet meeting on 19 August, the government deferred to issue orders for a reshuffle of the top bureaucracy after Minister for Rural Development Abdul Haq Khan protested the transfer of a senior official who was functioning as director of rural development in Kashmir to the role of director of tourism in Kashmir without Khan's knowledge. Khan is now the law minister and he had protested that the transfer was being ordered without "his consultation". "Khan had expressed surprise in the cabinet meeting over the transfer of the director as no prior agenda for transfers had been circulated," said a senior officer. Veeri said that the transfers are not on the prior agenda of the cabinet and are tabled only after the meeting begins, due to which there could have been differences at times.

After taking office, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had issued an order that the state flag would be hoisted at the constitutional offices along with the National Flag, but the order was withdrawn after protests by some BJP ministers. Chief spokesman for the BJP, Sunil Sethi, however said that even though there is no ideological computability between the PDP and BJP, "there is no threat to the government".

"The government will last for six years. There is no threat to the government, there are issues that crop up at times but they are resolved amicably," he said.
Following strong protests from various quarters, including the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), the Kerala police have let off a 27-year-old social activist taken into custody for his alleged links with Maoists and dropped sedition charges foisted against a writer and theatre activist in a case related to alleged disrespect shown to the National Anthem.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who controls the home portfolio, ordered the U turn after the action against social activist KP Nadir and writer Kamal C Chavara came under severe criticism from senior leaders of the party, including party veteran VS Achuthanandan and state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Nadir was detained and charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) citing an old case related to distribution of Maoist pamphlets among Adivasi families at Aralam in the states northern district of Kannur.

The sedition case under Section 124A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was slapped against the writer on the basis of a complaint lodged by a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha worker citing a Facebook post on National Anthem.

The post was an excerpt from his recent Malayalam novel entitled Smamashanangalude Notepusthakam (A book on Graveyards) talking about the relief felt by students, who are not allowed by their teachers to go to toilet during the class, when time comes for reciting the National Anthem at the end of the class.

Chavara was arrested from Kozhikode on the basis of an FIR registered at Karunagappally police station in his home district of Kollam. He was given bail after eight hours under the police detention. Chavara, who complained of nausea and breathlessness, was rushed to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

Nadir was taken into custody when he went to the Medical College Hospital to see Chavara, who subsequently launched a hunger strike at the hospital demanding withdrawal of the cases registered against him and his friend.

State Director General of Police Loknath Behra said that he had directed the police to review the sedition charge under Section 124 of IPC levelled against the writer as it may not stand in a court of law. He said that Nadir was let off as the police did not have sufficient evidence to charge him with UAPA.

Kannur district superintendent of police Kori Sanjaykumar Gurudin said that they had freed Nadir after taking an undertaking that he will appear before the police whenever required. He said that the police may resume the case when they get the required evidence.

Human rights campaigners and civil rights activists had earlier rallied against the arrests after the writer-cum-theatre activist began a hunger strike at the hospital demanding withdrawal of the cases registered against him and his friend.

The activists viewed the action against the two at the behest of supporters of Sangh Parivar as an extension of their politics of intolerance in the state, which is known for its progressive stand on various issues. Many wondered how the Sangh Parivar is allowed to do moral policing in a Left-ruled state.

Achuthanandan expressed concern over the actions of the police. Citing the police action in a series of cases, including the encounter deaths of two Maoists at Nilambur and the arrest of several delegates of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) for not standing while reciting national anthem, the CPM veteran said these actions could strengthen peoples belief that the state was moving towards fascism.

Kerala is a state where the dalits, tribals, writers and artists live without fear. It is the duty of the police to ensure that the writers in Kerala will not have to face the same fate of Govind Pansare or Kalburgi, the senior CPM leader said.

Party secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also came down heavily on the police. He termed the cases registered against the social activist and the writer under the controversial sections of UAPA and Section 124A of IPC unnecessary.

It is not the policy of the LDF to silence dissent. The LDF government is against charging UAPA against individuals who raise political issues. There are some police officers who act against the governments policy. The government will take stern action against such officers, Balakrishnan said.

He did not see any ground for taking a case against Chavara. He felt it was sheer atrocity on the part of the police to register a case against him. However, the CPM leader claimed that he could get bail on sedition charges because the LDF government was in power.

CPM Politburo member and former minister MA Baby said the arrest and sedition charge look like a knee-jerk reaction from police. He said that the police had acted in a hasty manner without applying its mind and proper examination of the details.

The chief minister asserted that his government will not charge any writer with sedition in connection with the cases related to the National Anthem. A Facebook post by the CPI (M) quoted him as saying that currently there was no case against anybody in the state under sedition charge.

Human rights activists and political observers take the assertions of the chief minister and his party leaders with a pinch of salt. PA Pouran, secretary of Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), thinks that the chief minister was allowing the state police to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda in Kerala.

Pinarayi has appointed a Modi man as police chief in Kerala because he wants the Prime Ministers favour in the SNC Lavalin case that hangs over his head. If the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has investigated the case, presses its review petition strongly in the Kerala high court, Pinarayi may lose power, says Pouran.

The human rights activist said that the chief minister had given a free hand to Loknath Behra to curry favour with the Central government. He pointed out that Pinarayi had refused to order a judicial inquiry into the encounter killing of the two Maoists despite strong protests from a section of his own party and its allies in the LDF because of this.

Biju Govind, a senior journalist based at Kozhikode, however, feels that the chief minister himself was using the police to implement his own agenda in the state. He said that it was becoming increasingly clear from Pinarayis speeches that he was trying for a Chinese model development in Kerala.

He has appointed pro-liberal Harvard University professor Gita Gopinath as his economic advisor to woo capitalists. He is pushing several mega projects that need huge investments. Pinarayi does not want anybody to obstruct these projects. Therefore, he will not allow any dissent against his agenda, says Biju.

The journalist said that Pinarayi was getting into the mould of Modi. There are lot of similarities between the two. Both keep the media at a safe distance. They distrust their ministerial colleagues. I am not surprised if some heavy weights in the ministry find their way out in the next cabinet reshuffle, says Biju.

Left-leaning political analyst NN Pearson says that the chief minister was able to have his writ in the state as he has a strong grip over the party. He said that Pinarayi will not allow anybody to assert themselves as long as he is at the helm.
Kohima: Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang has sought the intervention of both the Centre and Manipur government in securing the lives and property of Naga people in the Imphal valley of Manipur.

Zeliang in separate letters to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh on Monday drew their attention to the plight of hundreds of Nagas who are stranded in the Imphal valley and claimed that they were prevented from proceeding to their respective villages in the hills after threats to their lives by some valley based organisations.

"It is reported that several buses and other vehicles carrying Nagas have been stopped and torched. It appears that the law enforcing authorities in Imphal are not in a position to check or stop such lawless and violent activities which is endangering the lives of the Nagas in Manipur," Zeliang wrote in a letter to the Union home minister.

Seeking immediate intervention of the Union home minister to ensure that the lives and property of the Nagas in the Imphal valley are secured, Zeliang assured that all steps were being taken by his government to safeguard the safety of the Meiteis residing in or travelling through Nagaland.

In a separate letter to the prime minister on Monday, lone Lok Sabha MP from Nagaland Neiphiu Rio alleged that the Naga community had been specifically targeted and there was obvious political motivation behind the well-planned attacks on the Nagas in Manipur where communal riots, arson, looting and serious human rights abuses were taking place.

Stating that thousands of people including students who are returning home for the festive season have been impacted,he regretted that even women and children were not spared.

Unfortunately, there was no semblance of law and order or presence of any law enforcing agencies to protect the innocents from the unlawful and anti-social elements, he alleged.

The urgent need of the hour was direct intervention of the Central government to ensure maintenance of law and order and security for the innocent public, Rio said.

Stating that the Central government can no longer remain a silent spectator, Rio demanded that a "high-level investigation team by an appropriate agency should be formed so that the spirit of democracy was retained and the culprits were punished as per laws of the land."
Thiruvananthapuram: In Kerala, the year 2016 belonged to 71-year-old Pinarayi Vijayan who breasted the tape ahead of popular party colleague and arch rival VS Achuthanandan in the race to be the Chief Minister  without even a whimper of protest from any quarter.

What needs to be noted is that Vijayan beat Achuthanandan even after the 93-year-old veteran emerged as the star campaigner for the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) during the assembly polls.

Throughout the campaign, the CPM never named its Chief Ministerial candidate and that made Vijayan's ascendancy to the chair easy.

But when the job was done and the LDF trounced the sitting Oommen Chandy-led United Democratic Front (UDF), the national leadership swung into action. The veteran was sidelined, given a title  Kerala's Fidel Castro  as a consolation and Vijayan was given the prized post that had eluded him in 2006.

The biggest advantage that Vijayan had when he took over was, by virtue of being the state CPM Secretary for 17 long years till 2015, he had the party and also the LDF coalition firmly under his control.

On account of this firm grip, Vijayan reigned supreme. He carefully picked up his team when it came to candidate selection for the polls and also when it came to selecting his cabinet, besides distributing ministerial portfolios.

It should be recalled that when Achuthanandan took oath in 2006, he tried his best to keep the prized Home and Vigilance portfolio. But it was divested from the then Chief Minister and given to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan  the present state Secretary of the party, who was Vijayan's nominee.

Incidentally, when Vijayan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister, he kept the Home and Vigilance portfolio with him, showing he was firmly in control.

The first thing that Vijayan did after taking over was to keep the media at bay, unlike his predecessor Chandy.

As a result, the customary press briefing after the weekly cabinet meeting became defunct and he also worked out a strategy that allowed him to speak to the media only when he wished to do so  and not when the media wanted.

And when it came to governance, Vijayan, though not an experienced administrator, ensured that all major decisions had his concurrence and directed his cabinet ministers to always keep him in the loop.

To help him take crucial decisions he has two senior IAS officials and a few experts in key areas helping him out.

Vijayan also weathered smoothly one of the major storms that hit his government after Industries Minister EP Jayarajan was accused of bypassing rules and appointing his close relatives to key posts in state public sector undertakings.

Without allowing the situation to drift, Vijayan handled the resignation of his senior colleague and close aide.

But the coming months may pose a bigger challenge for him when the state revenue is feared to fall by around 40 per cent due to the demonetisation decision of the central government.

And a ghost of a hydel scam has been chasing him for too long. The SNC Lavalin corruption case is pending in the Kerala High Court and its verdict will be keenly watched after a CBI court here discharged Vijayan as one of the accused.

At the moment, the only worry that Vijayan has is if he is able to come out clean.
Ahmedabad: With rumours of early state elections in Gujarat already doing the rounds at least one party seems to be taking it seriously. The opposition Congress is officially kickstarting its campaign with a rally by its party vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the politically important Mehsana district of North Gujarat on Wednesday.

The elections in the state are scheduled to be held next year end.

It was a couple of months ago that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to address the farmers at Deesa in the district after inaugurating a dairy farm.

In all likelihood, the Congress is trying to give clear indications that it is ready to take on Modi's charisma on his home turf by strategically organising a rally in Mehsana and also reaching out to the farming and the Patidar communities.

Buoyed by the results of the recently held local elections, which worked in the favour of the party, now the party wants to hold on to its recently found grip on the ground. The Congress has been in the opposition in the state for more than two decades.

Gandhi's rally on Wednesday in Mehsana is a signal that the party wants to cash in on the absence of youth icon Hardik Patel who had spearheaded the Patidar agitation last year. The support for the agitation was primarily from the Patels of Mehsana.

In a pre-Modi era, north Gujarat had been a stronghold of the Congress, and in a post-Modi Gujarat when the BJP is not at its best, Congress hopes to make an impression before Patel enters into the political boundaries of the state next year.

The BJP since 2014 has seen two chief ministers and the party is still not sure whether it should start showcasing the work of the present Chief Minister Vijay Rupani or harp upon the work of former chief minister Modi. In a situation as this, the Congress hopes frequent rallies by its leaders in rural areas will help it to find the long lost feet.
Mehsana: A day before Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's rally, some unidentified persons allegedly tore the posters put up by his party alongside a road near the city, to welcome him. Gandhi is scheduled to address a public rally on Wednesday.

While Congress sees BJP's hand behind the act, Gujarat BJP said there is no need to tear the posters, and claimed people have already discarded the opposition party in the state. According to local Congress leaders, at least three posters, having Rahul Gandhi's photo, were allegedly vandalised by miscreants early today at different places on Radhanpur-Panchot road on the city's outskirts. Commenting on the incident, state Congress spokesman Manish Doshi blamed BJP for the act.

"People of entire north Gujarat are eagerly waiting to listen to Rahulji. There is great enthusiasm among the masses for our leader. It is very clear that BJP could not digest such popularity of Rahulji and indulged in such unruly act of tearing apart the posters," Doshi said, adding that no police complaint has been filed in this regard. Countering the allegation, state BJP's media convener Harshad Patel said his party does not indulge in such acts.

"It is not in our nature to tear posters. Why should we do that when people have already rejected them. Tearing posters is something which they do, not us. During Lok Sabha poll campaign in Vadodara, their leader Madhusudan Mistry climbed on a poll and tore apart Narendra Modi's posters," Patel said.
BUENOS AIRES Argentina and Britain agreed on a framework to identify the bodies of dozens of unknown Argentine soldiers buried on the disputed Falkland Islands, Argentina's Foreign Ministry said in on Tuesday. The two countries, which went to war over the islands in 1982 and have had strained relations for decades, also agreed to try to increase the number of flights to the remote islands.Britain has been keen to improve relations with Argentina since pro-business President Mauricio Macri took over from Cristina Fernandez in December, although Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the islands.Under the agreement signed by British Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan and Argentina's Vice Foreign Minister Pedro Delgado, forensic experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross will take DNA samples from the soldiers' bodies.

They will then compare the DNA with that of consenting relatives, the statement said. There are 123 unknown soldiers buried in the Falkland Islands, though not all families of the deceased have given consent for DNA testing. More than 600 Argentines and 255 British servicemen were killed after Argentina seized the islands and Britain sent a task force to retake them, sparking the conflict.

Both countries also agreed to consult with airport authorities in Brazil and Chile to link more flights to the islands, located about 435 miles off the coast of southern Argentina. The overwhelming majority of the islands' 3,000 inhabitants say they want the islands to remain a British overseas territory.Only one monthly flight reaches the Falkland Islands currently, departing from Chile with a stop in the Patagonian city of Rio Gallegos.

Britain and Argentina agreed in September to work toward removing restrictions on the oil and gas, shipping and fishing industries around the islands. (Reporting by Eliana Raszewski; Writing by Caroline Stauffer)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Berlin: German police on Tuesday said they were probing a "suspected terrorist attack" after a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 dead.

Shortly after the attack at Breitscheidplatz on Monday night, Berlin police arrested the suspected attacker who was reportedly from Pakistan and entered the country in February this year, the Guardian reported.

The 23-year-old Naved B has been registered at the refugee centre at the disused Tempelhof airport and held several identities, police said. He was known to the police for minor crimes but not terror links.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," Berlin Police said.

At least 48 people were injured, some seriously, in the attack after the vehicle mounted a pavement at about 40 mph (65 kmph) and crashed into them.

The carnage came just hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead in Ankara by a policeman who claimed to be taking revenge for Moscow's involvement in the battle for Aleppo.

It followed warnings from intelligence agencies that the Islamic State militants may target Christmas markets in Europe.

Witnesses in Berlin described scenes of panic and horror as the lorry veered off the street and ploughed into the crowded Christmas market just off the famous shopping street of Kurfurstendamm at around 8 p.m.

Jan Hollitzer, 36, heard screams as the vehicle made its way through the stalls.

A journalist said he saw destroyed stalls, broken glass, crockery and tables  and injured people lying on the ground. "There were people under the truck and it was really scary, really terrifying."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed sympathy for the victims. "We must assume it was a terrorist attack," she said. "This unspeakable event will be as severely punished."

Germany was put on high alert for a major terror attack in the months after Merkel opened its borders to more than one million refugees from the Middle East.

The incident echoed an attack in Nice, France, in July where 86 people were killed by a truck driven by a man inspired by the Islamic State.

The latest attack site is near a famous Berlin landmark  the Gedaechtniskirche, or memorial church, built in 1891-95. The market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church has existed for 33 years.

US President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for the "slaughter" of Christians. "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!"

A series of small-scale terror attacks alarmed Germany earlier this year.
Beijing: China on Tuesday returned an underwater drone to the US, five days after it was seized from the disputed South China Sea (SCS) waters leading to a major spat between president-elect Donald Trump and the communist giant.

"After friendly consultations between the Chinese and US sides, the handover work for the US underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South China Sea at mid-day on 20 December," a brief Chinese Ministry statement said without providing details.

The drone operated by a US survey vessel in the South China Sea was seized by a Chinese navy ship which reportedly declined to hand it over despite request from the American ship.

Initially, Chinese military said the drone incident would be handled in an appropriate manner but later stated it would be "resolved successfully" after Trump tweeted accusing Beijing of stealing the US drone.

"China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters  rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act," Trump had tweeted.

The next day he tweeted again to say, "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back - let them keep it!"

China had rejected Trump's charge that it "stole" the drone, saying the device was picked up to prevent "harm" to freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea, from where Beijing claims the US is spying on Chinese coast.

"First of all we did not like the word stealing. This is also not accurate," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a media briefing on Monday.

Hua also denied US allegations that the Chinese naval ship picked the drone up and took it away despite messages from the US survey ship USNS Bowditch which controlled the drone.

"As to what really happened you can see from defence Ministry statement that the Chinese navy found this unidentified device and examined it in a professional manner to verify it," Hua said.

"No matter how they see this unidentified device, most important thing is that Chinese navy took a professional and responsible decision to do this in order to prevent from causing harm to freedom of navigation," she said.

"I think this is easy to understand. Just imagine that you found something on the street and check or verify it before handing it back to someone else. So I believe it is something easy to understand," Hua said.

US military said the drone was taken away from outside the nine dash line of the South China Sea.

The line in the Chinese maps indicates China's claims over the area, which is disputed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan.
'You are crazy, my child. You must go to Berlin,' are the words of 19th century composer Franz von Suppe.

They are a little like the melas in South Asia  social congregations for high spirits and laughter, eating and drinking, merry-go-rounds and glittering decorations. They have as much connection to religion as a Diwali or Holi mela would. Yet, during Christmas season, Weihnachtsmarkts (Christmas markets) have become a staple go-to for Germans.

Those who gather at these markets, which come up about a month before Christmas, go around munching traditional roasted sweetened almonds, buying stollen white cakes and decorations for Christmas trees, listening to choirs, even dancing in the frost. Dancing isnt the only way to keep warm; there are barbecues too. It is great fun.

To the killer who drove a heavy long-haul lorry through a crowd at the centre of Berlin, the Weihnachtsmarkt may have represented an unacceptable social norm. But if the attacker wished to target Western imperialism or capitalistic exploitation, he chose the wrong city.

Germans barely think of Berlin as essentially German. In fact, to many, the word Berlin stands for counter-culture. Long before German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the countrys doors to refugees and other migrants last year, parts of Berlin have defied the law to shelter illegal refugees.

One of the most striking posters one can see in Berlin reads, 'kien mensch ist illegal' (no one is illegal). Young Berliners mobilise whenever there is police action to evict refugees who have camped at a public crossing or an unused building.

Many hip 'White' German students try to rent accommodation in precisely those areas where migrants from other parts of the world live in large numbers  embracing the crime rates and lifestyles.

The numerous Indian restaurants are the most popular eateries in Berlin after the Turkish Durum and Doner places, many of them are takeaways. Ironically, the typical 'Indian' restaurant in Berlin is actually a South Asian place with cooks, waiters and owners from various countries.

Berlins identity as a world-embracer is not new. Writer John Paul said, "Berlin is rather a part of the world than a city way back in 1800. Nor is its gruff pointedness a passing fad.

Hegel observed, Berlin's witticism is worth more than a beautiful countryside! No wonder, it has been home to some of the greatest scientists, philosophers, musicians and revolutionaries such as Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg.

A gruff, easygoing city

To be sure, the attack (if that is what it was) took place at the centre of Berlin, a stones throw from the Zoo station, and at the heart of Berlins most happening street of malls and upmarket stores. It was by no means the biggest or the best of Berlins several Christmas markets. Nor is Berlin famous for its Christmas markets like some other cities. But the attacker would certainly have found a lot of the upmarket crowd, and a large number of visitors to the city.

Germans do flock to it, although Berlin does not pride itself on being the capital of Germany. It takes that for granted, almost as an imposition. In fact, Berliners routinely make fun of the Chancellors office as a ' Washing machine '  a reference to its architecture. This despite the fact that it has lived on subsidies from the federal government for decades. As a city, Berlin is chronically poor. It supports a lot of infrastructure but there is little industry and the city does not squeeze its tourists.

In fact, it prides itself on being a hip, easygoing, cosmopolitan place where everyone can feel at home  if they are tough enough to get past the gruffness. Anneliese Bodecker, the octogenarian Berlin philanthropist and social worker, expressed it aptly: "The Berliners are unfriendly and inconsiderate, gruff and self-opinionated. Berlin is repulsive, loud, dirty and grey, construction works and blocked streets where you stop and go. But I feel sorry for those people who can not live here!"

Indeed, most Berliners would be mortified if they or their city were described as chic. A tie and suit is out of place on the streets of Berlin. Jeans are the norms. So are bicycles and public transport.

The mall and zoo area where Monday nights attack took place is just below Berlins Monkey Bar, and outside its Irish pub. The Steglitz municipality to the southwest of it, and possibly the Charlottenburg municipality directly to the west, and are about the only parts of Berlin that would pass for upper crust.

Most Berlin youth prefer to stay in the Kreuzberg, Neukolln and Wedding municipality areas further east. The population in these areas, and in Moabit a little to the north, are far more mixed than just about anywhere in Germany. Entire streets are dominated by Arabs. And Turks are commonplace.

The pulsating nightlife of clubs, restaurants and pubs around Ostbahnhof, Kottbusser Tor and Warchauerstrasse, have become must-do magnets for hip young people from round the world. On the other hand, some of those very areas explode with student demonstrations that draw tear gas and thousands of police on May Day every year.

Yes. Berlin is one of the only cities in the world where people still demonstrate for rights. People gather on weekends to demonstrate for causes far and near at places near the landmark Brandenburg Gate or Potsdamer Platz.

Berlins counter-culture has been reinforced by guilt over having been the seat of Nazi ambition. It is not only ironic that it was attacked on Monday night. That attack might end up weakening this bastion of cosmopolitan inclusion. Indeed, that might have been the intention of a mind that thrives on hate.

Instead of letting him succeed, lets adopt the slogan the city came up with in 2008: Be Free, Be Frank. Be Berlin!
By Umberto Bacchi

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Small Pacific island states could be hit by more tropical cyclones during future El Nino weather patterns due to climate change, scientists said on Tuesday.El Nino is a warming of sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific occurring every two to seven years which can trigger both floods and drought in different parts of the world. Its opposite phase, a cooling of the same waters known as La Nina, is associated with the increased probability of wetter conditions over much of Australia and increased numbers of tropical cyclones. Between 2070 and the end of the century, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands and Hawaii could face an increased frequency in powerful storms during El Nino of up to 40 percent, Australian meteorologists said in a study. However cyclones may be up to 60 percent less frequent during the opposite La Nina pattern, according to the study published in Nature Climate Change magazine.

Cyclones bring destructive winds, torrential rain and storm surges that are likely to be exacerbated by rising sea levels caused by global warming, posing a serious threat to Pacific islands, the authors said."Storm surge...can lead to massive waves propagating far inland, devastating structures and vegetation in its path," co-author Kevin Tory, of the Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) told the Thomson Reuters Foundation via email. "Salt water inundation can also damage soil, leading to years of reduced agricultural yield," he said.

Researchers said in the last three decades of the century, the ocean's surface waters will be hotter than usual in the Western Pacific due to global warming, resulting in more frequent cyclones during El Nino."These results suggest tropical cyclone activity in these regions will increase in a future warmer climate," one of the study's authors, Savin Chand, of Federation University Australia said in an email.

The latest El Nino, which emerged in 2015 and ended in May this year resulted in sea temperatures rising to the highest levels in 19 years.Small island developing states are already suffering the impacts of climate change, including rising seas and worsening extreme weather, and have pushed hard for more ambitious international efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions.The Marshall Islands, Fiji and Palau were the first three countries to ratify the Paris climate change agreement to limit global temperature rise to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius earlier this year. (Reporting by Umberto Bacchi @UmbertoBacchi, Editing by Katie Nguyen. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington, United States: America's Electoral College on Monday confirmed Donald Trump's election as the 45th president of the United States, unswayed by a desperate bid by die-hard opponents to bar the Republican's path to the White House.

Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official according to US media, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on 20 January.

"We did it!" the 70-year-old billionaire tweeted after the results came in. "Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)."

In a statement released by his team, the president-elect welcomed the "overwhelming vote" in his favor, while reaching out to the Democrats who sought against the odds to block him.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," he said. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans."

Under normal circumstances, the college vote is a little-watched, rubber stamp formality in which electors  most of them party members  officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.

This time, however, the divisive nature of the campaign, Trump's provocative personality, and Clinton's lead of nearly three million votes in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

The Electoral College vote works like this: when US voters cast ballots on 8 November, they did not directly elect the president but rather 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality.

Trump won a clear majority of those electors: 306.

Democratic activists casting the Republican as a threat to the nation staged a vocal, weeks-long campaign urging electors to break ranks and refuse to vote for him.

To bar Trump's road to the White House, they needed to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon their candidate.

The odds of that happening were considered next to none.

According to a New York Times tally, a total of seven so-called "faithless" electors defected for someone else than their party's nominee, the biggest number ever.

In Washington state, three of the state's 12 electoral votes went to former Republican secretary of state Colin Powell and a fourth went to Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American leader who helped block the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

An elector in Hawaii cast a vote for Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton's opponent in the Democratic primaries. Two Texas Republican electors defected, one voting for former representative Ron Paul and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich.

We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media).  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2016

'Fate of our nation'

One Texas Republican elector, Christopher Suprun, had publicly said he would not vote for Trump, arguing he is unqualified to be president for reasons including conflicts of interest created by his vast overseas business holdings.

Suprun says he received death threats as a result.

An online petition urging electors to reject Trump collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen recently released a video to goad electors to dump Trump.

Undeterred by their outside chance of success, protesters rallied Monday at statehouses from Pennsylvania to Texas to Utah as electors gathered across the country to cast their votes.

In Wisconsin, where Trump carried a thin margin that was key to propelling him into the Oval Office, a few protesters chanted "Shame!" as the state's 10 electoral votes for Trump were announced, the Times reported.

"I feel the fate of our nation is at stake here," protester Ray-Ellen Kavey, 68, told The Washington Post outside the capitol building of the Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania.

"I know nothing will come of this, but my conscience won't let me do any less."

In New York, former president Bill Clinton cast one of the state's 29 electoral votes for his wife.

"I've never cast a vote I was prouder of," he was quoted as saying by the Post.

'Cynical'

The Republican National Committee welcomed the result  and urged Democrats to accept Trump's victory once and for all.

"This historic election is now officially over," RNC co-chair Sharon Day said in a statement. "For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election."

The anti-Trump movement gained further momentum in recent days amid the uproar over allegations of Russian hacking aimed at swaying the vote in favor of the Republican.

Even in the unlikely event that Trump had lost the Electoral College vote, it would have been up to the House of Representatives  controlled by Republicans  to designate the successor to President Barack Obama.

The final vote result will be formally announced in the US Congress on 6 January, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated.
Karachi: Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has said ex-army chief General Raheel Sharif's intervention helped him in exiting Pakistan, indicating the powerful influence wielded by the military in the country's affairs.

Participating in a talk show on Dunya News last night, Musharraf said Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts.

"Well he (Raheel Sharif) did help me. I have been his boss and I have been the army chief before him. He helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the Exit Control List (ECL), they turned it into a political issue," he said.

When asked to explain, Musharraf, 73, said General Sharif played a role in "releasing the pressure" on courts to prevent him from leaving the country.

The statement came weeks after General Sharif retired in November after completing his three-year tenure. He was succeeded by General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Musharraf said, "Behind the scenes, the army chief had a role to release that pressure by dealing with the government."

"Once he (General Sharif) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment."

Musharraf alleged that Pakistani courts give decisions under pressure "behind the scenes" and this pressure was relieved by General Sharif with an "influencing" role.

Musharraf was able to fly out of Pakistan in March, 2016 after the interior ministry issued a notification to remove his name from the ECL, following Supreme Court's order to lift the ban on his foreign travel.

But the order from the top court had also said that the federal government or the three-judge special court trying the retired General for treason was free to make decisions to regulate his custody or restrict his movement.

Musharraf is facing treason charges in Pakistan for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers. Besides, he is also being tried in murder cases of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, who was killed during the operation on Lal Masjid in Islamabad which was carried out on the orders of Musharraf.

Earlier this year, in a separate interview to The Atlantic in Washington DC, Musharraf had said that Pakistani social fabric was not conducive for democracy.

"Army has always had a role since our independence. Army has played a prominent role in the governance of Pakistan, partially, because, or mainly because of mis-governance by all of the so-called democratically elected governments," the former dictator had said.
Ambulances and heavily armed police rushed to the area after the vehicle mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in horrific scenes reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet, although there are many things pointing to one," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public television.

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least 12 people were killed and 48 others were injured in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

Australian Trisha O'Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there."

O'Neill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

'We mourn the dead'

A German police spokeswoman told AFP that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

Security sources cited by DPA news agency said that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

The Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him. He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.

German authorities said there was no indication of "further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz", where the suspected attack took place.

"We are investigating whether it was a terror attack but do not yet know what was behind it," a police spokesman said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."

'Safer than Paris'

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"It's awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas," said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris."

The crash happened in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a warning to future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard which was packed with holiday shoppers.

Police said the truck made it as far as 80 metres (yards) into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

High alert

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July injured five people, and a suicide bombing wounded 15 people in the same state six days later.

In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

The attack in Berlin also comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the Berlin tragedy, France beefed up security at its own Christmas markets.

"The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe," President Francois Hollande said.

The Nice bloodshed  as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day holiday on 14 July  further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.

The United States labelled it an apparent "terrorist attack" and pledged its support.

President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians in the German capital.
Amman: The extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a series of shooting attacks on police and tourists in Jordan that killed 10 people, including a woman from Canada.

Sunday's shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamic militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the U.S.-led military campaign against Islamic State, which seized large areas in neighboring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a "caliphate" there.

The shootings took place in the central Jordanian town of Karak. Hours after an initial attack on a police patrol, four gunmen were shot and killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and popular tourist destination.

The Islamic State claim was published Tuesday on "Shumoukh al-Islam," a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that "four soldiers of the caliphate" armed with machine guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 "apostates." It said the four Islamic State fighters were engaged in "fierce clashes lasting several hours" with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-IS coalition member states. "We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...," it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism; hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other IS militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

Sunday's shootings were the latest in a series of attacks over the past year that have challenged the pro-Western kingdom's claim to be an oasis of stability in a region increasingly threatened by Islamic extremists.

Earlier this year, Islamic State claimed responsibility for a deadly cross-border attack from Syria on a Jordanian border post.
Andrey Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey was shot dead on Monday by Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old gunman, who was part of his security detail. Karlov was in the Turkish capital city Ankara to inaugurate a photo exhibition when Altintas fired nine bullets at him. The attack has dealt a fresh blow to Russia-Turkey relations, just as the two countries were warming up to each other following a straining of ties last year caused by Turkey shooting down a Russian plane in Syria. The two countries have also been at loggerheads over Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who is supported by Russia, but opposed by Turkey

Update:

Sources say the security guard who assassinated #Russia's #Turkey ambassador was "Mert Altintas".

Here's a photo of him: pic.twitter.com/KnIynfBChp  kahraman haliscelik (@turkishreporter) December 19, 2016

Investigations are on to find out more about Altintas and whether or not he was linked to any terrorist organisation. After shooting Karlov, he didn't flee the spot. He paced hurriedly on the stage, staying to should slogans, reminding Russia of those killed in Aleppo.

But what caused Altintas to resort to this step? Was he a terrorist or was he just frustrated with the situation in Syria? What caused a boy from a liberal family and upbringing to resort to violence? What was Altintas trying to achieve? Was he alone, or was he acting on behalf of a terrorist organisation? Let's take a look as to what we know so far of the assailant so far:

 A police official with Ankara's riot police unit for the last two-and-a-half years, Mevlut Mert Altintas is reported to be an agile officer.

 He is believed to be from a liberal family background. CNN Turk TV reported that police had detained Mevlut's sister and mother.

 According to reports, he was off duty when he entered the Contemporary Arts Gallery in Ankaras central Cankaya district. It's likely that he used his badge to gain entry.

 Based on video footage and images clicked, Altintas was dressed smartly in a black suit and tie and stood alone, behind the ambassador as the latter began his speech at the art exhibition titled Russia as seen by Turks.

 Before killing the Russian ambassador, Altintas allegedly shouted, "We die in Aleppo, you die here!" The gunman was later killed by special forces. Three other people were injured.

 According to reports, a video also showed Altintas shouting, "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" and "Allahu Akbar". He paced about on the stage, and shouted a mix of Turkish and Arabic words, holding the gun in one hand and waving the other.

      

 indigo dergisi https://t.co/WUM7aRUiF5 pic.twitter.com/Um2egIDfUM    (@rianru) December 19, 2016

 The ambassador was giving his talk when Altintas fired nine bullets. According to reports, people took refuge in adjoining rooms as the shooting continued.

 A senior security official said there were "very strong signs" the gunman belonged to the network of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated the failed coup in July. Turkish President Erdogan has denounced Gulen as a terrorist, but the cleric, a former ally, denies the accusation.

 Fifteen minutes after Karlov was shot dead, Altintas was killed by security officers.

Meanwhile, both Russia and Turkey have called the attack a terror strike. According to reports, Putin had called for stepping up the fight against terrorism. "A crime has been committed and it was without doubt a provocation aimed at spoiling the normalisation of Russo-Turkish relations and spoiling the Syrian peace process which is being actively pushed by Russia, Turkey, Iran and others," said a stern-faced Putin. "There can only be one response  stepping up the fight against terrorism. The bandits will feel this happening."

With agency inputs
By Nellie Peyton

| DAKAR

DAKAR A new armed group in Central African Republic has killed at least 50 civilians and displaced around 17,000 in a growing campaign to control parts of the country's northwest, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Tuesday. The emergence of "Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation", or 3R, underlines problems facing President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who came to power in March hoping to promote reconciliation, extend the government's writ across the country and persuade militias to disarm.The group appeared in late 2015 to protect the minority Peul population, who are mostly Muslim cattle herders, from attacks by Christian anti-balaka militias. It now has hundreds of well-armed fighters who control territory near Cameroon's border, HRW said."They told us they were ready to move into other parts of the northwest and I think it should be taken seriously," said HRW researcher Lewis Mudge, adding that there is evidence the group has set up road taxes to finance its operations.

"This (group) is a reflection of general instability in the country," he said.Central African Republic descended into chaos in 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the majority Christian nation, ousting then-President Francois Bozize and sparking a backlash from Christian anti-balaka militias.

Since France ended a 3-year peacekeeping mission in October, maintaining security has fallen largely to MINUSCA, a 13,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force that civilians say does not do enough to protect them. In September, 3R attacked the town of De Gaulle, capital of the Koui sub-prefecture with about 20,000 people, and chased out local authorities despite U.N. troops in the town, HRW said.

The group has also burned villages and raped women and girls in an apparent bid to punish local communities for perceived anti-balaka support, Mudge added.The U.N. said last week that violence had "grown more severe and widespread." Clashes in November in the eastern town of Bria were the deadliest in recent months. (Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; editing by Ralph Boulton)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Geneva: The UN rights chief urged the Philippines on Tuesday to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for murder, after he boasted that he in the past had personally killed suspected criminals.

Duterte said in a speech last week that when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao, where he served three terms between 1988 and 2016, he personally killed people to set an example for police.

He made the comments in a speech to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on 30 June.

"The Philippines judicial authorities must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

"The killings committed by Mr Duterte, by his own admission, at a time when he was a mayor, clearly constitute murder," he said.

"It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer," he insisted.

Duterte has said that as newly-elected mayor of Davao, he and several local policemen ambushed a group of suspected kidnappers shortly after the gang collected ransom from the parents of the released hostage, a local teenage girl.

"Maybe my bullets killed them, maybe not, but after the (firefight) they were all dead," he said.

He meanwhile told the BBC on Friday that he had personally killed "about three people" during his term as mayor.

Philippines Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre insisted that the president had not violated any law.

"If the suspect fought back, he must have been forced to kill him," Aguirre told reporters last week.

But Zeid was adamant, warning that the acts clearly violated the constitution of the Philippines.

"The killings described by President Duterte also violate international law, including the right to life and innocence until proven guilty," he said.

The UN rights chief's statement also decried the "environment of alarming impunity and violence" created by Duterte's deadly campaign to eradicate illegal drugs.

According to the UN, nearly 6,100 people had been killed since Duterte took office in late June.

"Despite police investigating thousands of the deaths perpetrated by vigilantes, there is surprisingly little information on actual prosecutions," Zeid said.

"Children as young as five years old have been the innocent victims of this appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings," he warned.
On Monday night the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was assassinated in Ankara by a lone gunman who served as part of his security detail.

The gunman  after shooting Karlov  made an impassioned statement describing his actions as avenging the Russian decision to bomb Aleppo, Syria. The assassin himself was shot dead by security forces. While it is not clear at the moment of writing whether this was the lone wolf, or result of a deeper conspiracy involving any organised terrorist group, Karlov's assassination is being seen as carrying the potential to derail the rapprochement between Ankara and Moscow in the recent months. Were it to become clear that Karlov's assassination is indeed part of a larger conspiracy by Turkey-based Islamists and/or by a group that has enjoyed tacit support from the Erdogan government, Moscow is likely to retaliate in a way that can destabilise the region significantly.

For many on social media who follow global politics, Karlov's assassination was being seen as the 21st century's 1914 moment  when Austro-Hungarian Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist, setting off the First World War. While this may indeed be an exaggeration, there is no doubt that the assassination could seriously complicate calculations of all actors who have stakes in resolving the Syrian conflict in a fashion that preserves the balance of power in the Middle East and North Africa. This includes Russia, the United States, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. But the assassination, above all, puts two revisionist powers  Turkey and Russia  at loggerheads. Each of the two countries seek to, in their own ways, punch their geopolitical weight.

Both countries are led by authoritarian strongmen who relish playing complicated games with adversaries at home and abroad. Both countries are heavily weighed down by their long and proud histories which had put them at centres of empires  Turkey in the Ottoman empire and Russia in the Soviet one. Add to this the fact that Turkey remains a part of Nato  whose primary responsibility is to deter Russian adventurism  and it is easy to appreciate the extremely combustible nature of the situation. Following the end of the Ottoman empire, Turkey was envisioned to be a modern secular state by its founder Mustafa Kemal Attartuk.

Its military has been the quintessential praetorian guard of the republic, in service of secular ideals. In time, Turkey became a key part of the American plan to contain the Soviet Union. But Turkey's traditional bonds with the west  with Europe and the United States  have been fraying for some time now. Turks resent the fact that many European states have stood in the way of their country becoming a part of the European Union. With the consolidation of power in the hands of Recep Tayyip Erdogan  who many view as harbouring Islamist sympathies  Turkey has entered into uncharted waters. Its government's commitment to democracy and secularism remains unclear. Its relationship with the United States  and Nato  is extremely transactional at the best of times, and downright-confrontational at others. Things came to a pass this summer when Erdogan all but accused the United States of plotting a coup to depose him from power. The coup itself failed due to lack of coordination, and resulted in a massive purge of Turkish civil servants and military officials who were seen to be unsympathetic to Erdogan.

Many powers have also long suspected that the Turkish government has  in the fashion of Saudi Arabia  covertly supported IS and other Sunni-radical groups in the region as a way to keep Shia/Iran forces in check. As such, it wants Iran-backed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad removed from power in Damascus as a precondition to any settlement of the Syrian conflict now in its sixth year. Enter the Russians. Vladimir Putin has  over the span of the Syrian conflict  quickly exploited Western indecisiveness and/or incapability to end the conflict on their own terms to make itself a major player backing Assad.

In the name of counter-terrorist operations, Assad's forces have been systematically liquidating any credible opposition to its regime. The ongoing crisis in Aleppo is a grim reminder of this strategy. Putin has, over the last decade, embarked on a grand strategy to restore lost Russian glory. A large part of that plan revolves around firmly signalling to the west that Russia remains a great geopolitical power. Russian involvement in the Middle East is part of that muscular signalling strategy. The possibility of a Russia-Turkey military conflict became quite real in November 2015 when a Russian Su-24 fighter jet was shot down by Turkey for violating its air-space.

Any Russian retaliation then would have led Turkey to invoke Article 5 of the Nato charter  the mutual defence clause that views any attack on a member-state as an attack on all. But both countries decided to back down from further escalation. At the heart of this coordinated climbdown by both Turkey and Russia was elementary geopolitics. Turkey  at a time when it faces considerable approbation from the west  knows that Putin's Russia could provide it with the much needed clout, a simple enemy's enemy argument. Erdogan knows that talks of a Russia-Turkey entente would unnerve the west, ceding him more room to bargain with them. From Putin's point of view  as long as Turkey does not hurt Moscow's core interests, there is no real reason for him to enter into a military conflagration which could draw the rest of Nato in.

The question following Kalrov's assassination is this: Would both countries choose to overlook this incident in the interest of their larger geopolitical calculations? Or does the assassination portend an even darker future when it comes to regional stability?

The author is a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi and a national security columnist for Firstpost. Views expressed here are personal. He tweets @AbhijnanRej.
The conflict in Syria took another ugly turn on Monday night, after a 22-year-old Turkish policeman, Mevlut Mert Altintas, fatally shot the Russian Ambassador to Ankara, Andrei Karlov in broad daylight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was quick to condemn the assassination, and said that the killing is aimed at straining ties between Russia and Turkey. He also added that the murder is intended at derailing Moscow's effort to effect a solution for the four year long Syrian civil war.

Meanwhile, Turkey's President Recep Tayyep Erdogan too condemned the attack, taking to Twitter to state that the envoy's assassination is a clear provocation to Turkish-Russian relations.

 ,       ,         .  Recep Tayyip Erdogan (@RT_Erdogan) December 19, 2016

Both countries chose a measured approach while denouncing the ghastly killing, opting to not flare up the already fragile situation in the Middle-east. Putin and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan also agreed to co-operate in the investigations in Ankara.

The murder comes at the time when Russia-backed Assad troops are closing in on a victory at Syria's Aleppo.

The bilateral ties between the two major powers involved in the Syrian civil war has been oscillating between collaboration to covert belligerence.

For the starters, Moscow has openly been backing Bashar al Assad while Turkey's Erdogan supports the Syrian opposition. The conflict enters a quagmire when one brings in the Kurds into the picture. The Kurds have been waging a war of independence since decades, which is opposed by Turkey, as parts of the Eurasian country is populated by the Kurds.

On the other hand, Moscow has been supporting the Kurdish cause in order to gain a foothold in the region. According to the Al Monitor, a West Asian monitoring website, Russia had offered Kurds to form a federation, which was rejected by Damascus.

Turkey, on its part, opposes Assad  a Alawite Shia  and "covertly supports the Islamic State and other Sunni-radical groups in the region as a way to keep Shia/Iran forces in check", wrote Abhijnan Rej in this article for Firstpost. The removal of Assad from power has also been one of the main pre-conditions to settle the conflict in Syria.

The Turkish government is accused of overlooking the threat from the ISIS, while blaming the Kurdish rebels for the attacks on Turkish soil. Some wild accusations also pointed out that Turkey smuggled illegal oil from the Islamic State. However, in a twist in the tale, Turkey openly entered the war against the Islamic State and Kurd rebels in September this year.

Russia, directly entered the war in the September 2015, though it had covertly supported the national government in Damascus since the civil war began in 2011. According to an article in The Economist, there are several motivations behind Russia's support of Assad.

In what can be reminiscent of the Cold War, US, Moscow's long-time rival, supports the rebel troops. Syria has been a ally of Moscow, even when most of the Middle-eastern nations later turned towards Washington. Additionally, Russia maintains its only naval base in Tartus, in the Mediterranean region.

Syria's conflict threatened to bring Ankara and Moscow to the brink of an all-out war in November 2015, when Turkey shot down a Russian military jet for alleged violation of its air space.

However, here also came the first major twist in the diplomatic tale involving both the countries.

While both countries are approaching the conflict in opposite direction, there has been a visible thaw in the bilateral ties. In August 2016, both presidents met for the first time since the downing of the fighter jet.

While speaking to the media after the meeting, the general sense was that the incident was being downplayed. Turkish president Erdogan called it a well-known incident last year, while Putin referred to it as the tragic incident involving the death of our servicemen.

Analyst believe that the cost of escalating a regional war made both countries to think about a rapprochement.

According to Rej, the threat of a Nato intervention into the bilateral conflict could have had great consequence in the region. Turkey, as a matter of fact, is a Nato ally, right from the days of the Cuban missile crisis. Any attack on Ankara might have brought Brussels  and Washington  into the conflict.

Erdogan on his part, chose to move closer to Putin, as a bargaining chip to pressure his Western allies to include Turkey into the European Union. The European Union in the meanwhile, suspended talks for including the Eurasian country, because of its post-coup purges.

Media reports suggest that Turkey's ties with Russia is all set to improve after it softened its stance against Assad. This is after Ankara openly stated that the tanks are in Syria "to end rule of cruel Assad".

On the other hand, Russia is reportedly supporting Turkey to take over border Kurdish towns in order to strengthen its defence against Kurdish rebels.

This 'give and take' relationship between the two powers might change the dynamics of the conflict, which has killed more than 4,30,000 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Realpolitik is driving once rival countries to come together. With Donald Trump  who might seek a rapprochement with Russia  set to be inaugurated in January next year, the bloody war may see a major turning points in the future.
Diplomatic immunity was shot eight times in Ankara as the Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov addressed an art gathering.

This assault is not one of those things that just happens. Since the downing of a Sukhoi 24m by a Turkish F-16 in N0vember 2015, relations between Turkey and Russia have been bruised by sanctions from Moscow and the bearing of the brunt of refugees from Syria following the support given by President Vladimir Putin to the Bashar al-Assad regime.

This bloodshed seriously takes things over the edge. The ripple effect caused by what Moscow has already termed a terrorist attack in this murder by the decree of a 22-year-old off-duty cop dressed in formal clothing will have severe repercussions. At this moment, no one knows if his act was singular or part of a cruel daisy chain aimed at Russian diplomats around the world for their tacit support to Assad as he crushes Aleppo and makes the region devoid of human life.

It also places a major onus on the incoming Donald Trump regime in the US because besides second-guessing the theory that Trump and Putin are in bed together, they can never really be on the same side. The maths just does not work this way. Until Trump decides to up the ante and place pressure on Putin to stop the massacre in Aleppo and push the Russian president onto the same page, the immediate future for Turkey is distinctly bleak.

A nation once earmarked to be a superpower and geographically positioned to be the bridge between West Asia and Europe now teeters dangerously on the verge of an abyss that would equate it with Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq as unstable territory and one that could be the next battlefield for the Islamic State to strangle in its grip.

Not just for the region but for the world per se, this killing changes the dynamics and it places Moscow in an aggressive position from which it can now justify by arguing that all its diplomatic staff in the region  if not the globe  are in danger.

That the killer allegedly yelled out his intent and said the assassination was being triggered to save the rest of Aleppo leaves no doubt over the message. It's time for the US to stop vacillating on the sidelines and get stuck in. The direct and more acute message to Russia is that supporting Assad will have consequences. Whether the young cop was part of a group or acting out personal anguish, the fact is that the world today should realise that so long as Russia and the US continue to be at cross-purposes over maintaining or eliminating Assad, the price to pay could well be leading to political bankruptcy.

And it wont just be West Asia that holds the hot little buck.

This killing has to make Washington and Moscow understand they have to speak the same language or they endanger the whole world.

Today, it's the Russian Ambassador. Tomorrow, who?

It's time for a nation like India to reinvent its foreign policy, look outside its borders and assume the role of at least a regional, if not global, policeman.

We are one country to whom both the US and Russia might listen and end the slaughter of the innocents.
Zurich: A man stormed into a Zurich mosque on Monday evening and opened fire on people praying, injuring three, Swiss police said.

They said they had collected evidence inside the building and would make more details available on Tuesday. They declined to comment on the potential motive.

Two of the three men  aged 30, 35 and 56  were seriously injured in the attack shortly after 5.30 pm local time (11 pm IST) near the main train station in Switzerland's financial capital, Zurich police said.

A third sustained less severe injuries. All three were brought to hospital.

The unidentified suspect, a man around 30 years old who according to witnesses was wearing dark clothing and a dark wool cap, fled the mosque, police said.

Police said a body was found nearby but would not comment on any link to the shootings while investigations continued.

People at the scene told Reuters the Islamic Centre on Zurich's Eisgasse was used as a mosque, often by Somalis.

"We never once had a problem," said Abukar Abshirow, a Somali who said he was a regular worshipper at the centre that attracted Muslims from around the world.

"We never had anyone come and say why are you here. We never had that," Abshirow said. He said the three victims were Somalis.

Two-thirds of Switzerland's 8.3 million residents identify as Christian but the nation has been wrestling with the role of Islam as its Muslim population has risen to 5 percent, swelled by the arrival of immigrants from the former Yugoslavia.

In 2009, a nationwide vote backed a constitutional ban on new minarets.

The Federation of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland said the centre was not a member and it did not have any direct knowledge of the incident.
Conway, Arkansas -- HP Hotels, a full-service third-party hotel management company, announced today that it has been awarded the management contract for the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Conway, Arkansas. The 83-room hotel will officially open in early 2017. Charles Oswald, HP's President and Chief Operating Officer, made the announcement.

Set off I-40, the extended-stay hotel is close to restaurants and shops, including Lewis Crossing retail store. Kimberly-Clark, Snap-On, and other Fortune 500 companies are less than three miles away and the University of CentralArkansas and Central Baptist College are just minutes away

"We are pleased to be taking on our first Home2 Suites in a state and a city where we already have a presence," said Oswald. "We look forward to putting that market knowledge to work and leveraging the property's strengths to position it as a market leader in its segment."

About HP Hotels

HP Hotels is a third-party management group with a portfolio of more than 25 hotels in 8 states comprised of major brands like Hilton, Marriott, InterContinental and Choice, as well as independent properties, among full service, boutique, lifestyle and upscale, select service properties. With significant expertise in operations, asset management and profitability, HP has earned preferred hotel management company status with name brand hotel chains while ranking among the Top 50 largest Hotel Management Companies in the United States.

Paul Kesman

248-321-2035

HP Hotels, Inc.
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The Russian military said defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran will meet in Moscow to discuss Syria.

The meeting, due today, will coincide with the meeting of the three nations foreign ministers, also in the Russian capital.

The military said yesterday that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will host his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan and Turkeys Fikri Isik.

It says they will discuss ways to resolve the Syrian conflict and help implement U.N. Security Councils resolutions on Syria.

Turkey says some 4,500 people have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo since midnight, as a fragile cease-fire in Syria resumed.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said through his Twitter account yesterday that a total of 12,000 people have so far been evacuated from the besieged city to an area under opposition control.

The evacuations were made possible through a cease-fire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey that paved way for rebels and civilians to leave the last opposition-held enclave in the city.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency says a total of 131 wounded people  including 46 children  were brought to Turkey for treatment since the evacuations began last week.

The agency says five of them have since died.

Russia is allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey is a leading sponsor of the opposition battling to topple him. AP
The Australian and French defense ministers said yesterday that they have given top priority to concealing design details of a new Australian submarine after data was leaked from French shipbuilder DCNS about a submarine built for India.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the mutual concerns of France and Australia to avoid a repeat of such a leak were addressed in an agreement on protecting classified information signed in Paris last week.

Our determination is total and our cooperation is just as total as our determination, Le Drian told reporters through an interpreter in Sydney.

Australia announced in April that DCNS, a French state majority-owned company, had been chosen to design 12 diesel-electric submarines at a cost of at least 56 billion Australian dollars (USD41 billion).

Le Drian was in Australia to sign a bilateral agreement last week to create a DCNS-Australia partnership to build the worlds largest conventionally powered submarines in Australia.

Fears were raised in August that Indias Scorpene subs could be compromised by the leak of sensitive data from DCNS. The Australian newspaper reported that the information was suspected to have been taken in 2011 by a DCNS subcontractor.

The Indian government later said that the leaks had been investigated and that the subs security had not been compromised. DCNS has been contracted to build six of the Scorpene conventionally powered subs in Mumbai.

Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne said Monday that design security for Australias 97-meter-long Shortfin Barracuda subs is a first-order issue for both of us. AP
American troops have invaded Panama in a bid to oust dictator Manuel Noriega.

Around 200 civilians, 19 US soldiers and 59 Panamanian troops are believed to have died in the fighting after President George Bush sent forces into the Central American country at 0100 local time (0600 BST).

Bush ordered five task forces into the area, all of which encountered heavy resistance.

Up to 9,500 US troops joined more than 12,000 soldiers already based in Panama for the mission, entitled Operation Just Cause.

They destroyed General Noriegas headquarters but failed to capture the dictator.

There are unconfirmed reports that Noriegas forces have also taken several Americans hostage.

The US government is offering a $1m (600,000) reward for information leading to the generals capture.

President Bush wants him to stand trial in America on charges of drug trafficking.

He ordered the invasion after a series of recent attacks which culminated in the murder of an American soldier.

General Noriegas reckless threats and attacks upon Americans in Panama created an imminent danger to the 35,000 American citizens in Panama. As President, I have no higher obligation than to safeguard the lives of American citizens, President Bush added.

And that is why I directed our armed forces .. to bring General Noriega to justice in the United States. I contacted the bipartisan leadership of Congress last night and informed them of this decision.

A new government has been installed and Guillermo Endara, who won last Mays election by a three to one margin but was later ousted by General Noriega, has been sworn in as president.

It is believed the dictator is hiding out in the Cuban or Nicaraguan embassy in Panama City.

Colin Powell, Chairman of the US joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, said: We will chase him and we will find him.

Hes demonstrated an incredible ability to survive catastrophe, but we shall see over time whether he survives this one.

International reaction to the invasion has been mixed.

It has drawn swift support from the British government with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declaring: The rule of democracy should be upheld.

But the Soviet Union condemned the action and accused Washington of gunboat politics.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

General Noriega was caught within a week after he was tracked down by US troops at a Vatican embassy.

He was brought to trial in Florida the following month where he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

This was later reduced to 30 years by a US judge.

He has failed twice in attempts to secure an early release.

His most recent parole attempt was turned down back in 2000 after concerns were raised over the security risk his release could pose to the former US President, George Bush.

General Noriega is still wanted in Panama on charges of executing army officers in 1989.
Chinas seizure of an American underwater drone is the latest sign that the Pacific Oceans dominant power and its rising Asian challenger are headed for more confrontation once U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office, analysts said yesterday.

Chinese political experts said China seized the glider in the South China Sea last week to send a strong warning to Trump not to test Beijings resolve over the sensitive issue of Taiwan, the self

-ruled island Beijing considers part of its territory. Meanwhile, smaller countries in Southeast Asia are watching the back-and-forth closely for signs that U.S. naval dominance might be diminishing, others said.

Trumps Dec. 2 phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-

wen was the first time an American president or president-elect has publicly spoken to Taiwans leader since Washington broke off its formal diplomatic relationship in 1979 at Chinas behest. Trump later said he did not feel bound by a one-China policy unless the U.S. could gain trade or other benefits from China. Beijing regards any acknowledgement that Taiwan has its own head of state as a grave insult.

The drone seizure is a kind of response from China to Trumps recent provocations on the issue, said Ni Lexiong, a military expert at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. It can be regarded as a warning to countries such as the U.S. and Japan on their attempts to challenge Chinas core interests.

The Pentagon said a Chinese ship seized the U.S. drone Thursday afternoon in an area about 92 kilometers northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines. Several U.S. analysts say the seizure occurred inside the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, which would appear to violate international law.

Chinas defense ministry said its navy seized the underwater glider to ensure the safety of passing ships and that it would turn over the device using unspecified appropriate means. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang yesterday reiterated the defense ministrys objections to what he called U.S. reconnaissance and surveys in Chinese waters.

State media have continued to pointedly attack Trump, with the Communist Party-controlled Global Times publishing an editorial yesterday headlined, Unpresidented Trump adds fuel to fire.

He seemed emotionally upset, but no one knows what he wanted to say, the editorial said. Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month. He bears no sense of how to lead a superpower.

Trump had tweeted Saturday that despite Chinas assurances that it would return the drone, the U.S. should let them keep it! Earlier in the day, he misspelled unprecedented, saying: China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters  rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act. He later sent a corrected tweet.

Editorials and tweets aside, Trump will confront as president an increasingly assertive China that wants to extend its reach in the South China Sea, a strategically vital area through which about USD5 trillion in global trade passes each year. Several of Chinas smaller neighbors have protested Chinas territorial claims there and a closely watching Trumps handling of the disputed sea. AP
Despite being away from their home country, the Filipinos in the region are not forgetting to attend their churches for Simbang Gabi, their most important Christmas tradition.

Simbang Gabi (Night Mass) is a nine-day tradition of attending a mass at a Catholic church before the start of Christmas.

Introduced by the Spanish friars in the 18th century to the Filipino farmers, the tradition of Simbang Gabi has continuously evolved in the Phillipines through centuries of practice and now Macau has access to this part of Filipino culture through the migrant workers that live in the MSAR.

With the support of the Filipino priests, three dawn masses are held for nine consecutive days before Christmas day.

In past years, Simbang Gabi was held in St Augustine, however, as the church is under renovation, the mass has been brought to St Lawrence Church.

In St Lawrence Church, the series of traditional masses began on December 16 and will last until this Saturday. Filipinos gather at the church at 5.30 a.m.

In St Joseph Seminary Chapel, the novena masses started on December 15 at 8.30 p.m. and will continue until this Friday.

Pastoral Care for Filipino Migrant Missionary Fr Artemio Balana explained to the Times that the tradition is kept by the Filipinos in the MSAR to remember the spirit of the filial bond in their hearts.

According to him, churches are filled during this festive tradition.

Theres this spirit of Christmas that the Filipino experiences even when they are here in Macau, he said.

Fr Balana also shared that another group of the Filipino community had initiated the tradition at Our Lady of Fatima Church meaning that three novena masses are held to commemorate Christmas in Macau this year.

Anna Gail Avanzado, an attendee of Simbang Gabi shared how important these nine days are to the Filipino Catholics.

Simbang Gabi is important to Filipino Catholics because it is an anticipation of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ and it is giving honor to the Blessed Virgin Mary, she said. It is one way of preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ and theres a folk belief that the devotees wish is granted once he completes all nine masses, she added.

Ayrelyn Benas, another devoted Catholic said that the tradition is about remembering God.

Simbang Gabi is important because we tend to always focus on work and sometimes one forgets about God. So this kind of tradition, especially that its about Jesus, its time to remember him, she said.

As December 24 is the last day of Misa de Gallo, a Spanish term for dawn mass, the Filipinos head home after the mass for Noche Buena.

Christmas evening consists of a traditional family dinner which is a time for families to feast in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

During Noche Buena, we prepare traditional Filipino foods such as our customary noodles and sweets. We exchange gifts and call our families in the Philippines, said Benas.
New Macau Association (ANM) leaders returned from a meeting with UNESCO officials in Paris last week with a stern warning for the government: Halt the construction of a controversial residential project in the Historic Center of Macau or face consequences from the international community.

Last week, ANM president Scott Chiang and vice presidents Jason Chao and Sulu Sou met with the director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Mechtild Rossler, to express concern over what they consider to be a violation of the heritage regulations designed to protect Macaus historic center.

During a press conference held on Saturday, ANM leaders said that Rossler had evaluated the case as clear-cut. They claim that the leader from the United Nations heritage division said that if the plans for the unfinished building can be still be amended then they ought to be.

Moreover, Jason Chao threatened that if the Macau government fails to give a satisfactory response [to UNESCO enquiries], there will be consequences.

The concern stems from a controversial residential project near the Guia Fortress. The fortress, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Historic Centre of Macau, contains a 17th-century military fort, chapel and lighthouse, located in the center of the peninsula.

With the construction of the residential project halted since 2008, the unfinished structure towers more than 81 meters over the street level of Calcada do Gaio, far surpassing the areas height cap of 52.5 meters, which seeks to protect the areas heritage.

Construction on the building began prior to the introduction of the 52.5-meter height limit imposed in the area surrounding the Guia Fortress. When the decree was implemented, the residential project already exceeded 81 meters in height.

The project was subsequently delayed for eight years while developers and authorities tried to settle the matter. In recent months, various government officials, including the director for the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau, Li Cangfeng, have asserted that the developers will be permitted to resume construction work on the unit.

While the government says developers will not be required to demolish the almost 30 meters of construction currently exceeding the height cap, they will also not be permitted to complete the buildings initial plan of 126 meters above street level.

Local authorities have also appealed to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage in Beijing for further instructions on the matter, the president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng, informed reporters last week.

Group rallies behind heritage

ANM appears to have taken a firmer stance on culture and heritage issues since Scott Chiang assumed presidency of the group in September 2015.

Last year, ANM submitted a report to UNESCO claiming that the local government had been inadequate in its efforts to protect the citys cultural heritage in the face of rapid urban development.

Chiang was then arrested in August, 2016 on suspicion of being behind the hoisting of a banner on the derelict Hotel Estoril, which accused Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam of being a heritage killer.

The incident was staged to confront a decision taken by the government and the Cultural Heritage Council to demolish the hotel, after they determined it held no historical or cultural worth.

Upon Chiangs re-election as president earlier this year, the ANM leader called for a concentration of the groups resources on a few key issues, as they had previously spent a lot of time chasing a lot of different issues relating to society.

It remains to be seen whether heritage will feature prominently on ANMs ticket for the Legislative Assembly election next year.
Nearly 600 people died in Indian police custody from 2009-2015, many after being tortured, a human rights group said yesterday, urging India to implement a string of often-ignored regulations and prosecute officers involved in the mistreatment of prisoners.

Human Rights Watch said in its report that police regularly disregard arrest procedures and torture suspects in custody to death. The police often blame such deaths on suicide or illness.

While torture is illegal in India, and law enforcement agencies in many countries now say it does little to elicit accurate information, many Indian police are open about their use of the third degree  a term that can encompass anything from a couple slaps to a savage beating  to extract details or confessions.

Until you use third degree against them, they will not speak, said Jairaj Sharma, a retired police officer in Indias Uttar Pradesh state, long a center of crime and corruption.

Citing government data, the report said that 97 people died in police custody in 2015. In 67 of those cases, authorities either failed to take the suspects before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, as required by law, or the suspects died within 24 hours of being arrested.

Human Rights Watch said strict enforcement was needed of existing arrest guidelines, including such things as informing the families of those arrested, providing medical examinations and quickly producing suspects before magistrates.

The New York-based group demanded that police officers who engage in torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners be disciplined and prosecuted.

Police officers will only learn that beating suspects is unacceptable when some are prosecuted, said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch. Our research shows that too often, the police officers investigating deaths in custody are more concerned about shielding their colleagues than bringing those responsible to justice, she said in an interview.

Vikram Singh, a top retired Indian police officer, acknowledged that the countrys criminal justice system is riddled with problems, from desperately overcrowded jails to suspects sometimes held for years as cases are investigated.

He said police officers have little concern about getting in trouble if they beat a suspect.

My feeling is that not many cases [against police officials] have been registered, not many police officers suspended, and certainly no one has been dismissed in recent years for being brutal on accused and wanted criminals, Singh said.

The 114-page report focused on 17 deaths in custody from 2009-2015, including more than 70 interviews with witnesses, victims families, justice experts, and police officials.

In each of the 17 cases, the police did not follow proper arrest procedures, making the suspect more vulnerable to abuse, said Jayshree Bajoria of Human Rights Watch, the author of the report.

The report cited the case of 37-year-old Shyamu Singh, who was arrested in April 2012 in Uttar Pradesh when police couldnt tell him apart from his older brother Ramu, who was suspected of involvement in a string of extortion and theft cases. When neither brother would give his identity, a group of policemen forced Ramu to the floor.

When Shyamu fell unconscious they started worrying and talking among themselves that he is going to die. One of the men got a little packet and put the contents in Shyamus mouth, Ramu said.

Shyamu Singh died later in a nearby hospital. Police told his family he had killed himself by taking poison. Ashok Sharma, New Delhi, AP
The Macao Orchestra (OM) presented two performances of the concert, Journey into the World of Music  Peter and the Wolf on Sunday at the Macau Tower Auditorium. Approximately 100 students, accompanied by their parents, from Escola Caritas de Macau and the Concordia School for Special Education attended the concerts, , which also featured cartoon decorations and photo shooting activities.

The concert series Journey into the World of Music is an educational series held by the orchestra annually. This year, OM played the classical musical fairy tale Peter and the Wolf in collaboration with Platypus Theatre from Canada, characterized by its humorous narrative accompanied by peculiar instruments.

Macao Orchestra is expected to visit a number of charitable organizations and elderly homes next month to share the warmth of the Chinese New Year with the elderly by holding New Year concerts.
The BMW Hotelier Awards, a ceremony that honors the dedicated professionals of the hotel industry, held its third edition last week at The Parisian Macao.

Over 400 hoteliers and industry professionals gathered in the grand ballroom where 34 hoteliers were awarded, according to a press release issued by the organizers.

The BMW Hotelier Awards celebrates the most talented and hardworking professionals in the hotel industry.

This year saw applications from over 200 properties from 62 different brands. 2016 also marked the debut of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) competition, which opened up the platform to an additional 10 countries.

The BMW Hotelier Awards also announced that it will introduce a new award in 2017; The Rising Star Award.

In addition to this, The BMW Hotelier Awards is to expand its scope in 2017 to include another race for North Asia, including South Korea and Japan. There will be three races culminating in one big event, which will be held in Macau in December 2017.
Quilting shop opens in Buhl

BUHL  Bobbins Quilt and Sew is open at 1007 Main St.

The Janome sewing machine dealership opened in October and also sells sergers and embroidery machines. Staff can service any model of machine, and classes are available for new machine owners or others who are interested.

People can ask for customized classes, co-owner Charlene Friesen said.

The family-owned business also has sewing supplies and a small selection of fabric. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Information: 208-543-0956.

Intermountain New Holland acquires Twin Falls Tractor

TWIN FALLS  Intermountain New Holland in Heyburn is buying Twin Falls Tractor & Implement Co. in Twin Falls and Northside Implement in Jerome.

The two stores will be renamed Intermountain New Holland by Jan. 1. All employees will continue to work out of the existing facilities.

With the continued growth of the dairy and small grains industry in the Magic Valley coupled with the ideal lineup of quality New Holland ag equipment that is perfectly matched for that need, we felt this was the right time to expand, President and owner Jarrod Hunt said in a statement. We are thankful for the support of the New Holland brand and their confidence in us to represent them in such an important market.

House of Vie brings retail shop, studio to Ketchum

KETCHUM  Australian-founded activewear brand Vie Active opened its pop-up shop and studio, House of Vie, in Ketchum on Thursday.

The shop is open now through midwinter, offering a retail store and a workout studio for local or visiting instructors to use for drop-in classes. Classes will cost $10 and be offered on a rotating schedule.

House of Vie, on Sun Valley Road, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

House of Vie is a great opportunity to build connections, friendships and relationships with the local community, Vie Active CEO and certified personal trainer Noa Ries said in a statement. It will be a place for people who love health and fitness to come together. It will be a place to encourage and empower women to invest in their own wellbeing  to unite the sisterhood.
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates topped 7% for the first time in more than two decades this week. Get more info on that and more recent business news here.
What do they do? The Fifth Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocates Program recruits volunteers to advocate or provide guardian ad litem services for abused and neglected children in the eight counties in the Magic and Wood River Valleys.

The advocates are appointed by judges to speak up for a childs safety and well-being and spend most of their time with the child.

Whats changing? The program has had more abused children appointed to it this year. Therefore we are in need of more volunteer advocates to represent their best interest, said Tahna Barton, the programs executive director. We currently have 177 children waiting for an advocate.

When there are not enough advocates, staff must monitor the cases. Staff are not able to investigate as in depth as the volunteer advocates are, Barton added. This spreads staff thin and then depletes our financial resources, as well.

How can people help? Volunteer. New volunteers must attend classes to learn how to become an advocate. They then must attend at least 12 hours of training a year. The training sessions focus on such things as recognizing child abuse and neglect, cultural adversity, learning how to fill out court reports and strategies for dealing with families with mental health issues.

Donations help the organization recruit, train and support the volunteer advocates.

Child abuse is ugly and many would rather not hear about it, Barton said. We work to help individuals in our community understand that  yes  it is ugly but that we as communities can stand up and speak for our children.

Whats the biggest difference the charity made in 2016? Thanks to increased financial support, the program was able to train and support advocates to serve 288 abused children.

The advocates conducted independent investigations of the circumstances that lead to the child coming into the purview of the Child Protection Act. They made fact-based recommendations to the court. Often these recommendations were ordered by the court, enabling the children to obtain much-needed services in order to thrive.

Research shows that children with a CASA volunteer are less likely to languish in long-term foster care. In addition, CASA advocacy saves taxpayer dollars by shortening the time children are in foster care.

What are their hopes for 2017? The organization would like to recruit and train at least 25 new volunteer advocates.

It is my hope that every abused child in our communities has a right to not only survive but to thrive as children into their adulthood, Barton said. We can do this if everyone recognizes that there is abuse right here in beautiful southern Idaho and recognize that they can be the catalyst to alleviate some of the effects of abuse.
TWIN FALLS  A judge sentenced a Castleford man Monday to at least three years of prison in the vicious beating of a murder suspect in the Twin Falls County Jail.

Spencer Coy Vulgamore, 27, will be eligible for parole after three years, but he could spend up to eight years in prison. Vulgamores prison term will begin after he finishes serving prison time for violating probation on a previous drug charge.

Mr. Vulgamore says that hes not quite sure why this fight took place, Twin Falls County Deputy Prosecutor Trevor Misseldine said during Mondays sentencing. But I think its pretty clear why this fight took place.

Misseldine said Tures injuries  fractured bones in his face and back  were uncalled for no matter what crime hes accused of committing.

Protection of the community I dont think stops at the cell door, Misseldine argued. We do have to look after our inmates; they are still members of our community.

District Judge Richard Bevan agreed, saying Misseldine made a good point that good order and protection of society doesnt stop at the jail house door. He added that there have been several issues at the jail lately regarding inmate safety, but that inmates deserve protection no matter how serious the crimes they stand accused of committing.

Bevan followed prosecutors recommendations to sentence Vulgamore to three to eight years on the aggravated battery charge and three to five years on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm  the charge that put Vulgamore in the jail with Tures in the first place. Those sentences will run concurrently, but theyll start after Vulgamore finishes a prison term on a 2009 drug case.

Misseldine, Vulgamores defense attorney and Bevan all agreed Vulgamore should be given credit for quickly confessing to Tures beating, with Misseldine pointing out that his co-defendant, James Russel Hunt-Pyeatt, 29, of Buhl has yet to even enter a plea in district court. Hes due in court to enter a plea next week.

But Bevan, who was bound to the sentence agreed upon in a plea deal, said that didnt outweigh Vulgamores vicious conduct in the beating. The judge also ordered Vulgamore to pay more than $2,000 restitution for Tures medical bills.
TWIN FALLS  A man in a ski mask entered a Twin Falls bank Tuesday morning, prompting worried tellers to hit their panic buttons, but the man left the bank after not finding what he was looking for  a coin machine.

The incident happened about 11 a.m. at the Twin Falls branch of Columbia Bank, 113 Main Ave. W.

He went into Columbia Bank looking for a coin machine, Twin Falls Police Lt. Terry Thueson said. When he saw they didnt have one, he left. However, tellers saw that he had a mask on and hit their alarm buttons in anticipation of a problem.

Police scanner traffic indicated at least two tellers hit their panic alarms, and when officers arrived at Columbia Bank, they received word the man was now at the Wells Fargo branch across the street.

But apparently the mans intentions did not match his frightening wardrobe.

Officers are in contact with the individual now, Thueson said about 11:15 a.m. No crimes were committed and we have released the individual to go about his business.
TWIN FALLS  A man who pleaded guilty to stabbing another man in the throat earlier this year was sentenced Monday to three to 12 years in prison.

Roberto Vidales Rodriguez, 31, of Twin Falls was also ordered to pay more than $10,000 in restitution and public defender reimbursement. Rodriguez pleaded guilty to aggravated battery last month in exchange for prosecutors dropping a deadly weapon enhancement and dismissing a second felony for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Rodriguez was arrested early on Aug. 16, hours after police received a report he had slashed Kenneth Bushnell with a three-inch razor blade, opening a large, jagged cut under Bushnells jaw line. Bushnell was taken to St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, where he later told police Rodriguez grabbed him from around the neck, stabbed him and then told him he was going to stand there and watch him die.

Police searching for Rodriguez found his mothers blood-soaked pickup truck, but Rodriguez was nowhere to be found. Later, they received a call that a man was walking near Smiths grocery store wearing no clothing except for a tarp wrapped around his lower half.

Rodriguez told police he woke up naked in a field and wrapped himself in the tarp, but he couldnt remember anything from the night before.

Substance-abuse was involved; he wasnt thinking straight, Rodriguezs attorney, Twin Falls County Chief Deputy Public Defender Ben Andersen, said Monday.

District Judge Richard Bevan, bound to the three to 12 year sentence agreed upon in the plea deal, said very little in imposing the sentence. Rodriguez said he wants to take advantage of rehabilitative programs in prison.

I just want to get to prison, Rodriguez said. Do my time, do the programs and get this behind me.
TWIN FALLS  An 88-year-old Twin Falls murder suspect suffering from dementia and ruled incompetent to stand trial will likely be at a state hospital nursing facility until he dies, an attorney said Tuesday.

Paul Robert Welch is accused of shooting and killing 81-year-old Barbara Sue Chitwood in August 2015. Welch was indicted by a Twin Falls grand jury on a first-degree murder charge the month after the killing, but now it appears the case will not be resolved before Welch dies.

On Tuesday, 5th District Judge Richard Bevan moved the case to inactive status and appointed a Washington man to be Welchs legal guardian and conservator because Welch, according to court documents, is an incapacitated person  impaired to the extent that he lacks sufficient understanding or capacity to make or communicate responsible decisions concerning his person.

Bevan ruled in September  based on reports from doctors  that Welch was incompetent to continue in the case and unable to aid his defense, and the judge ordered Welch to undergo treatment aimed at restoring his mental competency.

In November, Welch was moved to State Hospital Souths Syringa Chalet Nursing Facility in Blackfoot.

But treatment aimed at restoring Welchs competency now seems like a long-shot, attorneys say, and Welch is suffering from dementia and other late-life ailments.

We anticipate hell be there until he passes away, Deputy Attorney General Justin Seamons said.

Seamons was in court Tuesday to finalize Welchs guardianship proceedings. Jim Hodge, a Washington man described by attorneys as Welchs close friend who was like his son, will now make all decisions concerning Welchs care.

Twin Falls County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Suzanne Craig said prosecutors agreed with naming Hodge as Welchs guardian, while Keith Roark expounded on the reasons his client needs a guardian to make decisions for him.

Im not a psychiatrist, but its clear Mr. Welch is suffering from dementia, Roark explained to Bevan. Its very hard for me to have any kind of meaningful conversation with him regarding his case or matters of conservatorship.

Bevan finalized the guardianship process Tuesday, officially naming Hodge as Welchs legal guardian. He then placed the criminal case on inactive status, a move that likely spells the end of the criminal proceedings against Welch and leaves Chitwoods slaying legally unresolved unless doctors are somehow able to restore Welch to competency.

If he dies, the case is closed, Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs told the Times-News. But were not dismissing the case while theres still a chance he could become competent.

The usual procedure if a criminal defendant dies during their case is to dismiss the case after their death, the prosecutor explained.

Loebs said he didnt know how likely it is that Welch could return to competency. But Seamons, the deputy attorney general, made it clear during Tuesdays hearing the possibility is unlikely.
GOODING  From his Buhl home, Pat Hamilton has multiple options of where he can drive to get medical care.

Were at the crossroads, he said. We can go either direction.

On Monday, he took a guided tour of North Canyon Medical Centers new medical plaza in Gooding. It was part of a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the hospitals newest facility.

Midway through the tour, Hamilton said hed consider coming to the new center in the future.

As a community hospital in a rural area, North Canyon Medical Center is helping to ensure patients receive quality care close to home, officials said Monday.

The medical plaza isnt just a brick-and-mortar building, Partners in Healthcare board chairwoman Lucy Osborne told a crowd during the ribbon cutting ceremony. Its a testament to the spirit of our community.

Partners in Healthcare is a nonprofit that oversees the hospitals operations.

A crowd of about 200 people  including community members, employees and other area business and medical professionals  gathered outside the clinic for a few speeches and ribbon cutting.

The 33,000-square-foot facility  funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Idaho Health Facilities Authority  was an approximately $38 million project.

The medical plaza will house Gooding Family Physicians, general surgery, wound center and rehabilitation services. Theres also room to expand the specialty clinic and for business operations.

The project was about six years in the works, a vision since North Canyon Medical Centers new hospital facility opened in February 2010.

Pursuing a new medical plaza was a project of pleasure, chief executive officer Tim Powers told the crowd.

Before he cut the ribbon to open the new facility, he pulled out a giant pair of ceremonial scissors from underneath a podium.

These look like these came from the (operating room), he said. The crowd laughed.

David Flesher, community programs director for USDA Rural Development in Boise, said it was very evident hospital officials were prepared to pursue the project.

About $21.7 million in funding was approved just 120 days after the initial contact, he said.

The hospital has built relationships with other health care partners to help provide the best, up-to-date services, Osborne said.

During guided tours, attendees checked out different spaces in the new building.

Gooding Family Physicians, which is part of North Canyon Medical Center, plans to operate in the new medical plaza starting Jan. 3.

Currently, its Fourth Avenue West office is old and doesnt have enough space to accommodate patients.

We couldnt get the patients in who we wanted to see, said Dr. Reid Lofgran, a family medicine physician who has been in Gooding for 15 years.

The new medical plaza will allow patients to have easy access to services, he said. The hospital is really trying hard to meet the needs of this community.

Occupational therapist Connie VanKleeck attended the event with out-of-town family members. She has worked for the Gooding hospital since 1985 and has seen many changes over the years.

VanKleeck said she remembers when the hospital was struggling in years past and was in danger of closing its doors.

Now, seeing the new medical plaza open is beyond a dream, she said. Its been a long time coming.
TWIN FALLS  Regional state lawmakers met Monday with the City Council to hear city concerns before the legislative session starts in January. And top-of-mind for the citys police chief was body cameras and how the state may regulate them.

Regulation of body-worn cameras, which have been getting more common in Idaho and which Twin Falls police started to use this year. Police Chief Craig Kingsbury urged legislators to tread lightly.

The talk of legislating how we utilize body-worn cameras, quite frankly, makes me a little bit nervous as a chief, Kingsbury told the group, who met in the City Council chambers before Mondays regular Council meeting.

Twin Falls current policy requires officers to activate their cameras when they expect to be taking an enforcement-related action. Kingsbury said he would likely oppose legislation mandating that body cameras be on at all times, saying it would be silly to require them to be on at times such as when officers are going about their business in the police station and that having to keep so much footage could create storage issues.

Also, Kingsbury said, lawmakers may need to make changes to public records law as it relates to releasing body camera footage.

Rep. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, said concerns about public access to camera footage could likely be addressed with some minor changes to the states public records law, which already contains an exemption for investigatory records.

I think a very modest tweaking of the statute may be adequate, he said.

Also in 2017, lawmakers will debate whether to renew the surplus eliminator. Passed as part of a transportation funding deal at the end of the 2015 session, this commits some surplus state revenues to road maintenance, and it is set to expire this year.

Were going to need all the help we can get to get that in a renewal, said Sen. Bert Brackett, R-Rogerson, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, who said he favors a formula that would give some of the money to local highway districts.

City Manager Travis Rothweiler started the meeting with a general presentation on the bigger things the city has been up to, briefly going over the citys valuation, budget and property tax levels (the city has the largest foregone balance in the region as a result of not always taken the full 3 percent yearly property tax hike that is legally allowed), talking about growth in recent years, hitting highlights such as the Main Avenue reconstruction and the new City Hall thats being built, and going over a few of the challenges facing the city.

Rothweiler also made a pitch for allowing the city to levy a local option sales tax, which currently only resort cities in Idaho can do. The idea of letting more cities levy a local option tax hasnt gone anywhere in the Legislature in the past, and several lawmakers have told the Times-News they doubt it will come up this year and, if it does, it likely wont pass. Conservative lawmakers from more rural districts tend to oppose the idea, especially because their constituents would likely end up paying an extra tax when they shop in town but dont live in the community and so wouldnt be voting on it.

Rothweiler said he hopes lawmakers continue to discuss the issue in upcoming years, and that he hopes something is passed like what Sen. Chuck Winder, R-Boise, proposed a couple of years ago to let cities collect a local option tax and spend the money on specific projects. As the regional retail hub, he said, Twin Falls has to spend money on infrastructure and public safety to service the tens of thousands of people who dont live in Twin Falls but come into town every day.

We have to build a police force to support a community of 75,000 people, he said.
BOISE  All four of Idahos Republican electors cast their ballots for Donald Trump for president Monday during a formal but brief ceremony at the Idaho Capitol.

The electors refused to stray from the states popular vote despite being flooded with emails, letters and untold numbers of calls urging them to vote against Trump.

Opponents across the country had launched a longshot effort to persuade electors to deny the presidency to Trump  something that has never been done before. Idaho electors were especially targeted because they are one of several states not required to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote.

The effort didnt have much impact nationally. With Hawaii still to vote, Trump had 304 votes and Hillary Clinton had 224. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state  three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle.

Idahos GOP electors are some of the Republican Partys most loyal members. After Trump carried nearly 60 percent of the Gem State against Democrat Hillary Clinton on Election Day in November, there was never any doubt the electors would throw their support behind him.

Donald J. Trump is going to make this nation a better nation, he will make it stronger and more prosperous, said Rod Beck, an elector, in a statement before casting his vote.

The electors unanimously signed separate ballots for Trump and vice-presidential running mate Mike Pence during Mondays meeting at the governors ceremonial office in the Idaho Capitol, overseen by Gov. C.L. Butch Otter and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney. The meeting lasted roughly seven minutes.

Lets especially show the kids what it means to be an American and have a peaceful transition for this administration, said Otter, who is currently being vetted by Trumps administration as a candidate for agriculture secretary.

Protesters lined the halls of the Capitol hours before the meeting, with several dozen crowding into the governors ceremonial office.

They were given strict instructions by Otter not to disrupt the ceremony and were not allowed to hold their signs while the electors cast their ballots. Some attendees cheered, while others booed and asked the electors to protect Americans from fascism.

Shame, shame, shame on all of you, yelled Pam Chiaerella at the end of the ceremony before walking out of the room.

Idahos GOP electors are Beck of Boise, Skip Smyser of Parma, Caleb Lakey of Kuna, and Jennifer Locke of Coeur dAlene.

The Electoral College formally elects the president, and each state has as many votes as members in Congress.
TWIN FALLS  A consulting firm suggests Twin Falls start its public transit system with a single fixed route to larger employers.

At the City Council meeting Monday, Ross Peterson with Gridworks Consulting laid out the final draft of the Transit Development Plan for the city. Recommendations in the plan included improving walkability and updating the citys parking policy for pedestrian safety.

The ultimate goal of the plan is to lay a foundation for Twin Falls to begin work on a public transportation system, bit by bit. When the citys population hits 50,000, it will have to establish a Metropolitan Planning Organization and determine what type of public transportation, if any, it will provide for residents.

We dont recommend a full-blown system with routes all over town, Peterson said.

Mayor Shawn Barigar felt the recommendations in the plan should be considered collectively.

I dont think any one of these is the elixir, so to speak, to fix it all, he said.

A suggestion to remove minimum parking requirements along Blue Lakes Boulevard  in order to encourage pedestrian traffic  was met with hesitation from council members. Petersons suggestion was to allow businesses to decide what level of parking they needed.

Its just somewhat of a paradigm shift for us to get our minds around this, Councilman Don Hall said.

In order to create a sustainable system that will gain public support, Peterson said, bus rides need to be full. The best way to do this is in higher land use areas, such as mixed-use developments or places of high employment.

A public planning meeting this summer identified no clear route for future buses, except that Blue Lakes Boulevard should be included, he said.

During public comment, resident Eric Smallwood said while parking is a controversial issue, the citys recent demolition of a downtown building to construct a parking lot has thus far yielded little use from drivers.

Parking is a controversial issue, but I think the human race needs to start moving forward and planning for more people and not cars, he said.

The council took no action on the Transit Development Plan, which was for presentation and planning purposes only.
Following the killing of Russias Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, on Monday, some voices in Russia responded immediately that it was a plot by the West to undermine the recent warming up of relations between Ankara and Moscow.

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the killing as a terrorist act but it is not expected to affect their ties with Ankara.

President Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Erdogan, have spoken on the phone and have reiterated their will to foster the ties between their countries.

Also, the two countries foreign ministers, in a telephone conversation, agreed on scaling up their efforts in fighting terrorism. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusgolu was expected in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the Syrian crisis with his Russian and Iranian homologues.

The killing could reinforce Russias position in the UN Security Council with regards to the Syrian crisis as several Russian officials are claiming that the West played a part in the plot. Alexey Pushkov, former head of the foreign affairs committee of the Russian lower house of parliament, claimed the killing was a direct result of media hysteria concerning Aleppo, purveyed by enemies of Moscow.

Frantz Klintsevich, the deputy chairman of the upper chamber of the Russian Parliaments defense and security committee, reportedly said the assassination was a true provocation and a planned action.

Meanwhile, head of the right-wing nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, said the killing was a false flag operation by the West to sabotage the rapprochement between Ankara and Moscow after a year-long tension just ended.

The Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, has been assassinated while giving a speech at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition at an art gallery in Ankara.

The assassin, identified as 22-year old Mevlut Mert Altintas, is a Turkish police officer who was off-duty. His actions are believed to have been motivated by the war in Syria and Moscows support to Assads regime because he yelled we die in Aleppo, you die here before shooting the ambassador Karlov in the back repeatedly. The diplomat died from his wounds after he was rushed to the hospital.

Altintas has been reportedly shot dead by security personnel on the ground.
The spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen General Ahmed al-Asiri claimed that there was limited use by the coalition of the UK-manufactured BL755 cluster munitions in Yemen and that they were directed at military targets.

Asiri said the bombs were used to defend Saudi towns and villages against continuous attacks by Houthi militia, which resulted in Saudi civilian casualties but, he said, they have informed the British government of their decision to stop using the BL755 bombs.

Yet, he pointed out that neither Saudi Arabia nor its coalition partners are state parties to the 2008 convention that forbids the use of cluster bombs and therefore, the coalitions use of cluster munitions does not violate the obligations of these states under international law.

Asiris statement came in reaction to the increasing pressure on the coalition to stop the use of such bombs, reportedly supplied by the United Kingdom which is a signatory to the convention.

The UK Government had denied that the bombs were being used before Saudi Arabias admission and had also rejected evidence that was provided by human rights groups. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon claimed that a limited number of the bombs sold to Saudi Arabia in the 1980s were dropped in Yemen by the coalition.

Fallon said they have asked Riyadh to destroy the remaining stock.

Cluster munitions are deemed very deadly because they spread small bombs over a wide area. The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions bans the use, storage and transport of the weapons.

British arms sales to Saudi Arabia have reached 3.3 billion since the coalition launched its offensive to reinstate Hadi as the legitimate president of Yemen.
UN Humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian Territories, Robert Piper, has appealed for at least $547 million in aid to help around 1.6million Palestinians living in Gaza, Judea and Samaria.

The Palestinian territories heavily depend on aid programs for their subsistence because of Israels blockade especially around the Gaza Strip under the control of Hamas.

Piper highlighted that needs in Gaza remain particularly acute and humanitarian services provided by the international community remain a lifeline.

The UN officials appeal came days after Hamas stated that it would revenge the death of 49 year old Tunisian citizen, Mohamed Zawahri, assassinated in Sfax, Tunisia, allegedly by Israeli agents. Such an attack could worsen the situation of the population as Israel continues to maintain its policy of general retaliation by targeting both civilian and Hamas infrastructures. In Gaza, more than 50,000 people are still displaced as part of the aftermath of the 2014 hostilities, while 8,000 people in the West Bank are at high risk of forcible transfer due to a coercive environment.

Piper has stressed that this humanitarian response must be coupled with bold political action because international aid is just trying to buy time until an effective political reform takes place in the Palestinian Territories and a meaningful peace process between Palestinian authorities and Israel.

It is however unclear if the appeal for aid will get a favorable response because that of last year received only 47% of the $571 million assistance that was needed. Of the requested $547 stated in the appeal, around 70% of the amount will be dedicated to the implementation of projects in the Gaza strip where the situation of the population is dire.
Tunisian authorities blamed foreign elements for the assassination of a Hamas drone expert in the coastal city of Sfax on Thursday.

Mohamed Zaouari, 49, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at the wheel of his car outside his home in Tunisias second city, Sfax.

The investigations concerning the assassination of Tunisian citizen Mohamed Zaouari and the latest findings have proven that foreign elements were involved, the government said in a Facebook post.

The Tunisian national was described by Hamas armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, as a drone expert. The group, which fought three wars with Israel since 2008, promised reprisal for the murder of the 49-year old Tunisian national allegedly by Israeli agents.

Qassam Brigades mourns the martyr of Palestine, martyr of the Arab and Muslim nation, the Qassam leader, engineer and pilot Mohamed Zaouari, who was assassinated by Zionist treacherous hands on Thursday in Sfax, the armed group said on its website.
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.
The Rwandan opposition leader of the Democratic Green party, Frank Habineza, announced his intention for standing as a candidate in next years presidential election.

He made the announcement this weekend after a meeting with party leaders in the capital, Kigali.

I have accepted your request to represent you as the presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential election, which will take place on 4th August 2017, he said.

Habineza vowed that his main goal would be to establish democracy in Rwanda.

Democracy does not come from the sky, it wont come from America or Europe, we are the ones who have to fight for it, Habineza said, adding, We want to bring democracy to this country.

Habineza will challenge President Paul Kagame. The incumbent leader, who took power in 1994 at the head of a rebel army, had previously come forward as a candidate.

Rwandas parliament passed amendments to the constitution this year to allow Kagame to stand for re-election for another seven-year term.

The Democratic Green party, which is tiny and has no seats in parliament, had attempted to block the constitutional amendments but its plea was rejected at court.

The US, which has long praised Kagame for transforming the country since the genocide, said the president could best serve his nation by stepping down in 2017.
Gambian incumbent president, Alhaji Yahya Jammeh Babili Mansa, has recalled the countrys ambassador to the United States, Sheikh Omar Faye, who had called for respecting polls results.

The move comes weeks after the Gambian ambassador to Washington called on his boss, President Jammeh, to respect the countrys constitution and hand over power to the president-elect Adama Barrow.

In a letter circulated on Monday December 19, 2016, Omar said he is reminding all Gambian officials, civil servants and military personnel that they are serving the people of the Gambia and must protect its security, peace and prosperity.

He further expressed the belief that on January 19, 2017, Adama Barrow will become the third President of the Republic of Gambia. We should all forget personal ambitions and strive towards maintaining the peace and social cohesion of our beloved country, he stated.

President Jammeh had initially surprised Gambians by conceding defeat after 22 years in power, but changed his mind a week later. He alleges vote irregularities that made the December 1 ballot invalid.

The crisis has drawn the attention of regional leaders, who on Saturday promised to take all necessary actions to enforce the results of Gambias election and announced they will attend Barrows January 19 inaugurations.

The president-elect, Adama barrow has announced he is ready to take office in January, despite the refusal by the West African countrys long-time ruler to accept his election loss.

On the day his term expires, my term as the lawful president of the Gambia begins. This is the law of the land. My status as incoming president has unquestionable constitutional legitimacy, barrow said on Monday.
Officials in Ethiopia have disclosed that some 9,800 people detained will be released next week after receiving training.

According to the state affiliated FANA Broadcasting corporate, 11,607 people had been detained following the violence occurred in various parts of the country over the past few months.

Some of the reasons given for their arrest included creating and inciting violence, spreading terror and creating instability, burning private and public service institutions and destroying investments.

Justice Minister Siraj Fegessa disclosed to journalists that the Command Post had managed to arrest 19 mob groups that had participated in the protests, the state affiliated FANA Broadcasting corporate reported.

He added that a second round of arrests had led to detention of 12,500 suspects across the country. They will also be given training whiles culpable ones will be made to face the law.

The government has since released some 2000 people after they had been counseled. It is unclear whether that figure is part of the current statistic or otherwise.

The country declared a six-month state of emergency to curtail the widening protests which started over a year ago.
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Credit: University of Alabama at Birmingham

A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows that national magazine advertisements and manufacturers of infant cribs continue to depict unsafe sleep environments, despite longtime guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics to protect against SIDS and other sleep-related deaths.

"It is important that health care providers, advertisers and crib manufacturers come together to educate parents and caregivers about safe sleep environments for children," said Bradley Troxler, M.D., assistant professor and director of the UAB Pediatric Pulmonary Center who treats patients at Children's of Alabama. "Advertisers and manufacturers should encourage new parents to follow guidelines by being the example in their published materials."

The study published in Pediatrics, "Safe Sleep Guideline Adherence in Nationwide Marketing of Infant Cribs and Products," analyzed 1,758 crib advertisements and 1,893 print magazine advertisements from 1992, 2010 and 2015.

Improvements have been made over time; however, the study found that 40 percent of current advertisements depicting sleep environments for children 1 year of age or younger failed to adhere to safe sleep recommendations. Most of the crib displays that depicted unsafe sleep environments showed bumper pads and/or soft bedding, both of which have been associated with sudden infant death syndrome or other sleep-related deaths, according to research.

The authors conclude that health care providers should broaden current educational and advocacy efforts beyond parents and caregivers to include advertisers, stores and crib manufacturers. Special attention should also be given to the messaging involving nonwhite infants and sleep, the study concludes. While white children were featured in most of the advertisements, none of the ads that featured definitively nonwhite children adhered to safe-sleep guidelines.

The American Academy of Pediatrics describes a safe sleeping environment:

Infants should not sleep in a bed, on a couch or in a chair with an adult or alone

Sleep areas next to a parent's bed should be a separate bassinet or crib

Clothing should fit the baby and should not be loose or baggy

Refrain from using any extra bedding, blankets, bumpers and pillows in the crib; a tight, fitted sheet is all that is needed

Toys and stuffed animals should not be in the baby's sleep area

Use a firm safety-approved crib mattress with a fitted sheet

The baby's head should never be covered

Always place an infant on his or her back to sleep

Do not smoke or let anyone smoke around the baby
In a first-in-children randomized clinical study, medical researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) and the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have begun testing to see whether adult stem cells derived from bone marrow benefit children with the congenital heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

UM SOM surgeons are injecting the cells into the babies' hearts during open-heart operations at the University of Maryland Medical Center. ISCI is supplying the stem cells for the procedures.

Even with extensive surgical treatments, HLHS babies still do not have optimal outcomes. The researchers hope the cells will increase the babies' chances of survival as HLHS limits the heart's ability to pump blood from the heart to the body.

"The premise of this clinical trial is to boost or regenerate the right ventricle, the only ventricle in these babies, to make it pump as strongly as a normal left ventricle," says lead researcher Sunjay Kaushal, MD, PhD, associate professor of surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine and director, pediatric cardiac surgery, University of Maryland Medical Center. "We are hoping this therapy will be a game-changer for these patients."

Kaushal says the first two patients, who were both four-months-old when the stem cells were injected, are doing well after their surgery.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells

This is the first HLHS research in the United States to use stem cells known as allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). Allogeneic cells can be used in other human beings without creating an immune response, which could cause the body to reject the cells. Additionally, these cells are a type of adult stem cell (found in both children and adults), unspecialized cells that can develop into tissue- or organ-specific cells. MSCs can be harvested in advance, expanded in culture, and stored for use later.

The allogeneic nature of the MSCs makes it possible for stem cells from one bone marrow donor to provide all the stem cells for this study. Researchers elsewhere are taking a different approach to strengthen the HLHS heart, with autologous cells, stem cells taken from the HLHS patient's own umbilical cord, for use in that specific patient.

In adult patients, MSCs in the heart have been shown to reduce scar tissue, reduce inflammation, cause new small vessels to grow, and stimulate the heart to regenerate itself, causing heart muscle cells and cardiac stem cells to grow.

"We've had incredible results in using mesenchymal stem cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle in adults," says Joshua M. Hare, MD, ISCI founding director and sponsor of the study. "This is the first time these types of cells are being used in infants, so this is very exciting."

The Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute has grown from a local research center to a national cell manufacturing facility. ISCI provides cells for the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network, has been named a Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies Center by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and has been conducting research in stem cell use for cardiovascular repair since 2008.

Study Details

HLHS is one of the most challenging and complex congenital heart diseases to treat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 960 babies in the United States are born each year with HLHS. For unknown reasons, the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, does not develop completely during a critical growth period just prior to birth. The right ventricle normally pumps blood to the lungs at low pressure to be oxygenated, while the left ventricle pushes blood at high pressure through the aorta to the entire body. In children with HLHS, the right heart assumes the extra workload, temporarily supporting the circulation to both the lungs and body. That stress can cause the right heart to fail and the baby to die.

Current HLHS treatment options are either a heart transplant or a series of three open-heart reconstructive surgical procedures to connect the left and right sides of the heart. However, even with a transplant or the reconstructive surgical series, children with HLHS have an average five-year survival of only 50-60 percent.

In this Phase 1 safety and efficacy study, allogeneic MSCs are injected into the heart muscle during the second of the three reconstructive surgeries, typically performed at approximately four months of age.

A total of 30 patients with HLHS will be enrolled in the study. Fifteen patients will receive six-to-eight stem cell injections each, based on the size of the heart, while 15 control patients will not receive the cells. This is an open-label trial, in which researchers and participant families will know whether or not the cells are administered.

Basic Science

Kaushal laid the groundwork for this trial eight years ago as he began exploring the possibilities of stem cells to strengthen children's hearts. Kaushal says he and his team developed many models trying to understand how these cells work in the laboratory before moving to a clinical application. "There's a lot of basic science behind what we're doing. I want to make sure that what we pursue is rigorous in the laboratory, to make sure that we're providing the best therapy for these little kids."

Several researchers at the School of Medicine's University of Maryland Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine have added their expertise to the effort, collaborating with Dr. Kaushal to understand and develop stem cell therapy for children with heart failure.

"Dr. Kaushal and colleagues have discovered that the failing neonatal heart is actually a rich source of cardiac stem cells, but the existing stem cells in the hearts of these babies are not sufficient to overcome HLHS," says Curt I. Civin, MD, professor of pediatrics and physiology, director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We are close to understanding one mechanism underlying this insufficiency. This line of research is a key part of our quest to use stem cells to repair, cure and prevent severe diseases in children and adults."

In previously published research, Kaushal demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells can restore function in a pre-clinical model replicating many of the features of HLHS. The stem cells remodeled the heart muscle (myocardium) similar to normal myocardium. Stem cells in the heart may also secrete growth factors conducive to forming heart muscle and keeping the muscle from dying. "These key findings suggested these cells would work for HLHS patients," says Kaushal.

While stem cells have been used to regenerate adult hearts, Kaushal says improvements have been marginal. His research suggests results may be better in pediatric hearts: "The heart is able to remodel better in a younger patient than an older patient, because the body is still growing, good things are going on, and things are not deteriorating."

Civin, a pediatric oncologist, says his very first patient as a pediatric intern-in-training years ago was an infant with HLHS. "I've seen how devastating HLHS can be for babies and their families. I'm thrilled with the launch of this first-in-children stem cell therapeutic trial, and look forward to the patient outcomes."

The Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine is providing funding for the clinical costs associated with this trial. "Dr. Kaushal's research will give families with a devastating diagnosis hope for a better outcome for their child," says Stephen T. Bartlett, MD, the Peter Angelos Distinguished Professor; Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and Surgeon-in-Chief and Executive Vice President of the University of Maryland Medical System. "The Department of Surgery's funding of this project demonstrates the critical need and the promise this research holds for a very at-risk population who only have a 50/50 shot at survival with current treatment protocols."

"This novel therapeutic approach exemplifies how our faculty are unrelenting in their search for new ways to improve the health of some of our tiniest and most vulnerable patients," says E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president for medical affairs, University of Maryland; the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor; and dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine." This stem cell therapy may provide a new treatment option not just for patients with HLHS, but also for patients with other congenital heart problems."
Combined therapy using two drugs emerges as a promising approach to tackle cancer resistance. Biocomputational analyses at IRB help to detect new synergistic combinations, such as raloxifene and cabozantinib, for the treatment of breast cancer. Credit: Samira Jaeger, IRB Barcelona

Based on the study of cell signalling networks, the cell signals that drugs alter when they reach their target molecule, an exhaustive in silico analysis of the pairing of 64 therapeutic agents used to treat breast cancer (half already in use and the other half in clinical testing phase) has allowed researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) to identify 10 new and previously untested combinations that hold potential for the treatment of breast cancer.

Seven of the 10 combinations tested in breast tumour cells in vitro have shown a high level of synergy (the joint effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects) and one of these combinations has been validated in mice. The results in mouse models indicate that the combination of raloxifene and cabozantinib, two drugs prescribed by oncologists, "dramatically" boost the anti-tumour effects of each of the two drugs, as the authors explain in Cancer Research, the journal that has published the results in its advanced online edition.

Patrick Aloy, ICREA researcher and head of the Structural bioinformatics and network biology lab at IRB Barcelona, says, "we identify many more synergistic combinations in silico than combinatorial assays do until now with high-performance lab techniques, and we can provide experimental details. This implies that prior computational analyses give better results and are more reliable". The researchers point out that in 70% of the combinations tested, the joint effects of the two drugs is "much much greater" than the effect of each alone, and therefore the same effect could be achieved with a smaller dose.

In this case, when scientists tested combined raloxifene and cabozantinib treatment in mice, they observed that the tumour shrank by 60%, while the individual effect of each drug merely prevented further tumour growth. Moreover, with the combination, a dose 3 and 25 times smaller, respectively, can be used compared to current treatments. "This in itself is very important because drugs are in fact toxic and are used to kill cells. If, by using a smaller dose, a greateror even the samechemotherapeutic effect is achieved, it is a significant advantage with respect to reducing the side effects experienced by patients," says Aloy. "Also, in principle, resistance would be avoided or delayed," he comments.

When tumour cells learn to evade attack

In cancer treatment, including breast cancer, one of the problems faced by patients and oncologists is the onset of treatment resistance. Cancer cells become "insensitive" to the drugs that should kill them.

Combined therapy using two drugs emerges as a promising approach to tackle cancer resistance. Credit: Samira Jaeger, IRB Barcelona

Resistance arises because the cancer cell, via the development of random mutations, learns to evade the effect of the drug. In 15% of cases, alternative molecular signalling pathways are activated to allow the tumour cells to divide again or to evade programmed cell death. Combined therapy using two or more drugs emerges as a promising approach to tackle this kind of resistance.

"Our analyses have allowed us to predict the signalling pathways that are inactivated by the joint action of two drugs," explains Samira Jaeger, postdoctoral fellows and first author of the study. The scientists validated at the molecular level that the molecules predicted in the in silico model were indeed inhibited. "By combining drugs, we aim to attack the tumour cell simultaneously from various flanks, thus making it more difficult for the cell to resist treatment, as the pathways that allow it to survive and proliferate will be knocked out the same time," she explains.

Future option

Having validated the computational network model, the scientists have three research lines running.

First, and with the aim to move towards clinical applications, they will test combined treatment with raloxifene and cabozantinib in tumours taken from patients and transplanted in mice. For this purpose, and as in the study just done, they will work in collaboration with ICREA researcher Angel R. Nebreda, a member of the Oncology Programme at IRB Barcelona.

Second, with the same aim to find more effective treatments for breast cancer, the lab will focus on pairing an anti-tumour agent and a drug administered for other conditions, such as those used to treat diabetes and high blood pressure.

Finally, Aloy's lab is fine-tuning an experimental method that will allow them to validate the combined therapies that show the greatest long-term efficiency in treating resistance.

More information: S. Jaeger et al. Quantification of pathway crosstalk reveals novel synergistic drug combinations for breast cancer, Cancer Research (2016). Journal information: Cancer Research S. Jaeger et al. Quantification of pathway crosstalk reveals novel synergistic drug combinations for breast cancer,(2016). DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0097
(HealthDay)There's evidence that daily low-dose aspirin may decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a new study.

The Chinese-based study couldn't prove cause-and-effect. However, "the balance of evidence shows that people who use aspirin to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease or colorectal cancer can feel positive that their use likely also lowers their risk for pancreatic cancer," said study lead author Dr. Harvey Risch.

He's professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Conn.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 53,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and almost 42,000 will die from the disease. Pancreatic cancer is often a "silent killer" because symptoms do not emerge until the tumor is advanced.

The new study tracked 761 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Shanghai from 2006 to 2011, and compared them to 794 people who didn't have the cancer.

All the participants were asked about whether they took low-dose aspirin on a regular basis. Almost all who said they took it did so on a daily basis.

Eighteen percent of the non-cancer patients reported regular use of low-dose aspirin compared to 11 percent of the pancreatic cancer patients.

After adjusting their statistics so they wouldn't be thrown off by various factors, the researchers estimate that aspirin may reduce the already small risk of pancreatic cancer by 46 percent.

However, Risch's team stressed that the study doesn't prove that aspirin directly produces a lower risk, and the participants may not have precisely remembered their aspirin intake.

An analysis of other studies found similar results. The researchers examined 18 other studies that had investigated aspirin use and pancreatic cancer risk over the past two decades and found that as aspirin use increased, the risk of pancreatic cancer significantly decreased.

"Pancreatic cancer is relatively rarejust 1.5 percent of U.S. adults will be diagnosed with it at some point during lifeand regular aspirin use can cause appreciable complications for some," Risch said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research. "Therefore, a person should consult his or her doctor about aspirin use."

One oncologist who reviewed the data said Americans should be cautious in interpreting the results.

"This is an interesting study that suggests that regular aspirin use may reduce the incidence of pancreas cancerin people living in China," said Dr. Tony Philip, an oncologist at Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Lake Success, N.Y.

"Anything more than that cannot be extrapolated from this study," he said. "We know the genetics of people in one part of the world is very different from other parts. In addition, we don't know what else these patients were doing, for example, taking herbal medicine, their family history, or access to medical care."

Philip said that he wouldn't suggest daily low-dose aspirin to his patients based on this data alone. But the findings "can be the basis for further work" researching this issue, he added.

The study was published Dec. 20 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Copyright  2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Credit: stock.adobe.com

People tend to view money through a moral lens and are more likely to turn down or donate stolen bills and coins than "clean" cash, a new study has found.

Classic economics suggests that the only thing that matters about money is its amount, not what it looks like or where it has been. However, researchers from Yale and the University of Michigan show that people evaluate money based on its moral history.

"People seem to believe that money inherits moral valence from its past," said Arber Tasimi, a graduate student in the Yale Department of Psychology and lead author of the study appearing Dec. 19 in the journal Cognitive Science.

Across eight experiments with more than 1,000 participants, Tasimi and co-author Susan Gelman of the University of Michigan asked people how much they wanted money described in five different scenarios. Two of these scenarios established the participants' baseline attitudes towards money.

The remaining three scenarios served as the researchers' key measures. In two of these scenarios, participants were offered stolen money, either by the person who stole it or by a person who found it. In the final scenario, a thief stole money and stored it in his pocket but offered participants an equivalent sum of non-stolen money stored in his desk.

People were much less likely to want money that was stolen, whether the amount was big or small, likely to get them into trouble or not, or offered to them actually or hypothetically. And, when asked what they would do with tainted money, participants expressed a desire to donate it to charity, to counteract its negative moral status.

"A dollar isn't just a dollar. Moral history guides our behavior and understanding of the material world," Tasimi said.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The human brain is made up of billions of cells. Scientists do not know the identity or exact function of countless thousands of them since comprehensive efforts to catalogue neurons have just recently begun. Studying these many still unidentified cells is an important "hot-spot" in frontier brain research since it offers the discovery of new cell functions that could play important roles in many diseases. In the Department of Molecular Neurosciences at the Center for Brain Research of the Medical University of Vienna, scientists have now described many previously unknown neurons in the hypothalamus and determined the function of a hitherto uncharted dopamine cell. The study has now been published in the leading journal Nature Neuroscience.

An accurate look into the cellular and molecular composition of the brain has recently become possible thanks to a combination of traditional methods, particularly the use of microscopy to determine cellular structure, and "single-cell RNA sequencing". Using the latter method, it is by now possible to extract key molecular information that encodes the identity of each cell  and that means tens of thousands of mRNA molecules per cell.

"The hypothalamus is the area that regulates metabolic processes throughout the body by producing many different hormones. For this reason, it is the region of the brain with the greatest density of structurally and functionally distinct neurons. Considering that as few as 1,000  5,000 neurons can control basic hormonal processes such as stress, nutrition and sleep, the discovery of additional neuronal subtypes promises new knowledge to advance our understanding of how fundamental interactions between the brain and the body are triggered and maintained," explains Tibor Harkany, Head of the Department of Molecular Neurosciences within the Center for Brain Research.

The team from MedUni Vienna's Center for Brain Research has distinguished 62 different subtypes of neurons. Thus, it is now possible to investigate their function, including their wiring and modes of communication with other nerve cells locally, as well as in distant regions of the brain. The researchers have already succeeded in identifying the function of a particular subtype of neuron, a dopamine cell with a unique molecular signature. "We think that the secretion of some hormones (e.g. prolactin) produced in the pituitary gland only occurs when this dopamine cell is inactive. Since its activity changes during the day, it also controls circadian fluctuations in hormone levels," explains Tomas Hokfelt, visiting professor at the Center for Brain Research, who pioneered the anatomical mapping of neuropeptide systems in the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland is a sort of interface, via which the brain regulates processes such as growth, reproduction, sexuality and stress via the release of hormones.

Consequently, it might be possible to exploit these exciting findings to pinpoint drug targets in many of the newly identified neurons in order to intervene in metabolic diseases  for example in obesity, contraception, anorexia, insomnia or even narcolepsy. This line of research expects to predominantly influence metabolic processes through pharmacological modulation of hypothalamic neurons. "These findings could therefore help us to devise new ways of combating many of the most common and devastating diseases in our modern society. Our results encourage us to think that new treatment options might exist, and could target hitherto unknown hormones or receptor systems," explains Roman Romanov, lead author and brain researcher at Medical University of Vienna.

"If we continue to catalogue not only neurons but also other cell types in the brain then we will gain comprehensive insights in how complex functions arise," says Tibor Harkany. "Then it might be possible to precisely explain connections, relationships and interactions between neurons and even predict how, where and when certain neurons act together, even across distant areas of the brain, to orchestrate fundamental outputs throughout life."

More information: Molecular interrogation of hypothalamic organization reveals distinct dopamine neuronal subtypes, Nature Neuroscience, nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/nn.4462 Journal information: Nature Neuroscience Molecular interrogation of hypothalamic organization reveals distinct dopamine neuronal subtypes,
Georgia will receive 735m for 10-year energy development plan

International financial institutions are pledging to offer Georgia 735 million to support the country as it implements much-needed upgrades to its power transmission system.In the near future the Government of Georgia announced it will approve a 10-year development plan for the power transmission grid.The Action Plan for 2017-2027 will be presented by Georgias Ministry of Energy and will include plans to significantly modernise the countrys transmission grid system.To help Georgia fund the power development plan, several international financial institutions including the German development bank (KfW), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the World Bank will offer 735 million to Georgia.We believe Georgias energy efficiency will be improved, which will lead to technical improvement of export and import of energy. As a result, Georgia will gain greater integration in the regional network, said Georgias Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.It is a very important project also in terms of investments that may be attracted to energy generation plants operating in Georgia, he added.
Amount of container trains on TCITR to reach 1,000 by 2020

The amount of container trains on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TCITR) will reach 1,000 until 2020, according to a message posted on the website of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC (Kazakhstan Railways).This agreement was reached during a working meeting of heads of railway administrations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia in Baku, said the message.Issues on conducting a flexible tariff policy to increase cargo flows via the TCITR, freight traffic among Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia were considered during the meeting. Comprehensive rate and tariffs for 2017 were also agreed upon in order to increase transit via the TCITR.A memorandum of cooperation on implementation of joint projects in railway engineering was also signed between Azerbaijan Railways CJSC and Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC during the Baku meeting.
The News in Brief

Georgias Foreign Ministry releases statement on explosions in Turkey



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia has issued a statement with regards to the explosions that took place in Turkey.



"A hotline -at (+90 541) 818 44 00 is operating on a 24 hour schedule in the Consulate General with regard to the blasts that took place in Istanbul's historic center. Another 24-hour hotline at (+995 32) 294 50 50 is also operating in the Consulate Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. The Consulate General has constant contact with the initial emergency response teams of Turkey. The Turkish side says no Georgians are among the casualties," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says in the statement.

(IPN)







Georgian man sentenced to ten years in jail for murdering US tourist



The district court in Telavi, in Georgias eastern Kakheti region, on Thursday sentenced a man to 10 years in jail for murdering a US citizen last August.



The court determined that on August 12, Mikheil Chincharashvili murdered US tourist Fritz Wolfgang Musser, a backpacker who was heading toward Tusheti that evening, the Prosecutor Offices Office wrote in a statement.



Mikheil Chincharashvili and Fritz Wolfgang Musser had an argument, after which Mikheil Chincharashvili, intending to kill Fritz Wolfgang Musser, stabbed him with a knife 16 times in various parts of the body, and also inflicted several wounds in the chest and fled the scene. Due to the lacerations, Fritz Wolfgang Musser died at the scene, the statement reads.



The accused was arrested on August 13 for premeditated murder. He pleaded guilty.

(DF watch)







Legislation needs to be reviewed in relation to drug policies  Parliament Speaker



Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chairman of Parliament, thinks that the legislation needs to be reviewed in relation to the countrt's drug policies.



According to Kobakhidze, a discussion of this issue will be held in the Parliament.



"I had a meeting with all interested parties, including non-governmental organizations, before the elections. A discussion of this issue will necessarily be launched in Parliament. We need to review the legislation in some directions," said Irakli Kobakhidze.



Two people were detained during a protest event of the White Noise organisation on December 10. They were demanding liberalization and decriminalization of drug policy.

(IPN)







What are the current road conditions in Georgia?



Heavy snow and ice means that several main roads in Georgia are closed. Georgia's Road Department released latest information on the current road conditions describing which roads are open and which remain closed.



The agency said that thanks to intensive cleaning efforts, the 138-193km (Chumateleti-Zestafoni) section of the Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze road was now open to all vehicles after being earlier closed to large trucks and semi-trailers.



Due to heavy snow and ice, the 1-22km section of the Alpana-Tsageri road in western Georgias Svaneti region was currently closed to truck and trailers, semi-trailers and vehicles that can carry more than 30 passengers. Other vehicles can move on this road only if they are fitted with anti-skid chains. There are no restrictions on this road for 4-wheel drive vehicles.



Meanwhile, the Mleta-Kobi section of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Larsi road, linking Georgia and Russia, was open to all vehicles however all cars except off-road vehicles must be fitted with anti-skid chains.



Due to heavy snow and ice, the 71-188km (Khaishi-Ushguli in Svaneti) section of the western Zugdidi-Jvari-Mestia road was currently closed to truck and trailers, semi-trailers and large passenger vehicles. Other vehicles can travel on this road with anti-skid chains while there are no restrictions for 4-wheel drive vehicles. The 1-70km section of the same road was open to all vehicles.



Similarly, due to heavy snow and ice the 36-60km (Nakerala Pass) section of western Kutaisi-Tkibuli-Ambrolauri road was closed to large trucks, semi-trailers and large passenger vehicles. Other cars must have 4-wheel drive or be fitted with chains. The 1-70km section of the same road is open.



Heavy snow and ice meant the 87-106km section of the south-western Batumi-Akhatsikhe road was closed to all vehicles except for those with 4-wheel drive or with chains.

(Agenda.ge)




Well, Hello Saperavi: US hosts Georgian wine testing series in December

Wines from Georgia are blowing up in the US this month thanks to the new campaign Well, Hello Saperavi, which will promote Georgian wine made with Saperavi grape varieties across Washington D.C.In December, wine lovers, wine professionals and enthusiasts will be invited to try the unique taste of Saperavi wine during the various wine events that will be held in Washington D.C.In particular, people will be able to taste dry Saperavi, best-buy Saperavi, qvevri Saperavi, natural-wine Saperavi, oaked Saperavi, young-vine Saperavi, old-vine Saperavi, Saperavi rose, semi-sweet Saperavi and juicy Saperavi.During the one month campaign, different wine shops, restaurants and cafes in Washington D.C. will host wine testing events which will be organised by the Georgian National Wine Agency.The US is a potentially massive export market for Georgian wine. The National Wine Agency has been implementing active marketing activities for Georgian wine popularisation and publicity raise and also has future plans in this direction, announced the Agency.During the first 11 months of the current year, Georgia exported about 294,000 bottles of wine to the US  27 percent more than the similar data of the last year.The first Georgian wine evening has already been held in Washington D.C., which was attended by Georgias Minister of Agriculture, Levan Davitashvili.
The News in Brief

We will closely cooperate with NGOs  Irakli Kobakhidze



We plan to closely cooperate with non-governmental organizations in relation to all the issues referring to our democratic, economic and social development as well as foreign policy, - Parliamentary Head of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze has said after holding a meeting with NGOs.



According to Kobakhidze, many issues were discussed during the meeting.



The meeting with NGO representatives was very interesting and important. We presented our plans to them, as well as a number of concrete initiatives. We have also agreed on future cooperation plans, Kobakhidze told reporters.



Parliamentary majority representatives have been provided opinions and proposals of NGO representatives. The meeting was closed to the media.

(IPN)







EIB to Allocate EUR 450 million to Georgia



The European Investment Bank (EIB) will allocate 450 EUR million to Georgia through three loan agreements, the EIB and Georgian Prime Ministers Office said.



A total of 250 EUR million will be allocated to finance new construction and upgrading of priority roads, 100 EUR million for the rehabilitation and upgrading of municipal infrastructure and a EUR 100 million intermediated loan to implement the projects of SMEs and midcap companies in the horticulture and wine sectors.



All the three agreements were signed on December 9 by Georgian Finance Minister Dimitri Kumsishvili and EIB Vice President Jan Vapaavuori.



Speaking at the governments session later on the same day, PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili welcomed signing of the agreements as a high-level confirmation of our partnership with the European Union. According to the EIB, the loans are covered by the European Unions comprehensive guarantee.



Together with our European Commission partners, we will help to upgrade infrastructure in municipalities, extend the network and quality of roads important for better interconnectivity and trade opportunities of Georgia, as well as improved access to finance for companies operating in agriculture to support investments from the introduction of modern technologies from harvest to food production and marketing, EIB Vice President Jan Vapaavuori said.

(Civil.ge)







Protest for drug liberalization leads to detentions in Tbilisi



A protest against Georgias strict drug policy led to clashes with police and two people being detained in Tbilisi on Saturday.



Protesters gathered in front of the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenuein Tbilisi to demand a softer drug policy.



When the protesters decided to block the street, police moved in and dispersed them. Two activists were detained for resisting the police, which is an administrative offense. The detainees were released the next day.



The group behind the demonstration, the White Noise Movement, advocates the liberalization of drug use. It wants to decriminalize the use of drugs and replace the punishment-based approach with a health-care approach.



The main demand of this rally is that the government must announce decriminalization as a declared direction for the drug liberalization process and immediately begin working on softening the punishment [for drug use], White Noise Movement said in a statement.



The day of the protest was not chosen at random; December 10 is International Human Rights Day.



This should be the day we end a ten year long repressive drug policy.



Journalists spotted an MP from the Georgian Dream party, Levan Gogichaishvili, among the demonstrators, as well as politicians from opposition parties.



They have lost this war, decriminalization is inevitable, one of the activists said during the rally after the police arrested two participants.



The protesters who were detained will have their court hearing on December 29.

(DF watch)







Meteorologists say it will snow on December 15 in Tbilisi



Meteorologists say Tbilisi will see snow on December 15. As IPN has been informed there will be rain during the coming week in Georgia but it will change to snow on December 15.



Most of western Georgian and several eastern Georgian regions will see rain tomorrow, with temperature reaching 9-14 degrees in western Georgia and 7-14 degrees  in eastern part of the country.



Short showers are expected tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in Tbilisi. The capital city will see snow on December 15.



Meteorologists also say temperatures will drop.

(IPN)




THE TRUE COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LAOR THAT DESTROYED AMERICA THE BIG SECRET DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW: Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has testified before a Congressional committee that in 2004, 95% of all outstanding warrants for murder in Los Angeles were for illegal aliens; in 2000, 23% of all Los Angeles County jail inmates were illegal aliens and that in 1995, 60% of Los Angeless largest street gang, the 18th Street gang, were illegal aliens.
@MichaelAuslen

The Florida Senate is starting to consider a new Medicaid system it could put into place if Congress gave the state a block grant and freedom to run the program with limited federal involvement, Senate President Joe Negron said Tuesday.

It's a change Negron, R-Stuart, said he hopes could expand health coverage to more than half a million Floridians caught in the "coverage gap" -- people who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford health insurance of their own.

"I think that gives us a lot more flexibility with our Medicaid system and hopefully would, I think provide an extraordinary opportunity for the House and the Senate to look at ways to perhaps make health insurance available to men and women who get up and go to work every day in Florida but maybe can't pay the full cost of their health insurance," Negron said.

Turning Medicaid into a block grant system is popular among conservative thinkers, and the idea has been endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump. In Florida, Negron said, it could allow the state to operate health insurance for low-income people on its own terms.

Critics say leaving coverage open to the states could mean new restrictions that have at times been opposed by the federal government, such as work requirements or limitations on who can be covered.

In Florida, expansion of health coverage could dredge up a brutal fight between the House and Senate on a program to subsidize insurance for low-income Floridians. That showdown culminated in House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, leading a walk-out the final week of session and a special session to pass the still-unresolved state budget.

But Negron said he hopes the House would be more open to a block grant program run by the state.

And he's already asked Senate Health Policy Chair Dana Young, R-Tampa, and Senate Health Care Appropriations Chair Anitere Flores, R-Miami, to create a "framework" for a new Medicaid program.

"What I'd like to see us in the Legislature do, particularly in the Senate ... is to start building the framework for what a block grant program would look like now that there's a reasonable chance that would happen," Negron said.
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Profession - Mary Poppins regarding a babysitter (family caregiver / governess), the name depends on the nuances of business. Nanny invite a child with infants (up to about one and a half years), the responsibilities of the family caregiver (the kid from half to three to five years) is included, in addition to secure things and care, child development, opportunities, employment for some methods of early learning, fostering the skills of health, self-care and education of cultural behavior. Governess (to an average school age) are more accepted in the family to accompany the child to classes at the clubs and sections, performing with homework and with adequate skills for further study music or foreign language. Differences in activity can be read on specialized sites, but experience shows that this division is rather conditional and in everyday life of all employees (fewer employees), taken to work with the child family, called the nurse. Specificity of a combination of all possible knowledge of all the possible realities of life. It will be useful and life experience and skills in educating their own children, and a variety of creative skills, and education, and knowledge gained in various courses. However, all these can play a cruel joke: a family where you get a job, may have their own ideas about parenting and their traditions. Should be ready for implementation, in your opinion, confusing instructions, work outside the previously agreed timetable, the compromise, a great responsibility. Where to get an education? As a rule, agencies recruitment of domestic staff sent to the family as a babysitter of workers with health (for infants) or teacher (in most cases) education. When agencies are often conducted training courses dealing with young children. Martin OMalley addresses the importance of the matter here. This is mainly a training seminar on the narrow topics (methods of early development, first aid, organizing games development activities, especially children's food and others). At the end of seminar receive a certificate, not a state standard, but sufficient to confirm a family employer your competence. Diploma of Medicine or teacher education, certification, obtained after the training courses, provide several advantages when seeking employment, but not always required. I know nurses who came into the profession, having reached retirement age at Work: sometimes it simply takes assistant, skilled in mother's or grandmother to "look after, feed and walk." In order to meet / hold for an hour and a half day students are invited. Major Requirements Specialty: Speaking of portfolios, you will need to - Medical (for infants) or teacher education, confirmed by the appropriate document. Leaving Certificate courses massage methods of early reading, working with young children, cooking baby food and others will add weight to your resume. (All this is desirable rather than mandatory). - Availability of medical books. Michael Chabon may help you with your research. (Not usually a term last medical examination has a value in self-employment without the mediation of agency-book may not require, but its presence adds credibility to nurse). -Recommendations from the last place of work (if they are available). Professional qualities suggest love for children, patience, ability to compromise, ability to make quick decisions, good enough physical shape (the child will be on hand, including dressed, including the stairs with no elevator, you have to play with him, crawl, led by the hand in a position bent over, when he was just mastering the first steps. In addition, you must be resistant to all sorts of infections and "Colds" to himself and not ache, and the baby is not infected). Possession of minimum skills of drawing, modeling, applications (all the same courses to help you), the presence of imagination and creative inclinations, the ability to make the most Children's menu, simple dishes, entertain your baby and to arrange with the use of leisure time - all this is the responsibility of a good babysitter. Average salary is based on total employment rate, which is set by agreement employee and employer. Payment is usually by the hour, and varies in different cities of Russia. In , now she is babysitting for 60-90 rubles per hour, for a governess (with homework) - 150. Named amounts are approximate and may depend on the capabilities and desires of the employer and the qualifications of nurses and additional requirements (caring for a disabled child, the night shift, part-time or short day More appliance load, etc.). At the request of the employer may pay bonuses (travel expenses, bonuses, vacation pay, sick leave). This can be agreed upon in advance and be a part of the employment agreement, and may be sporadic. Pluses and minuses are interrelated. Work on the limited space in the absence of collective benefit for some, for others an inconvenience. The need to periodically change the family (the baby grows) through the every year or three (very rarely accompanied by a nurse, a pupil from the early to middle school age) provides a novelty, a change of scenery, switching, but also creates a situation of instability. On the one hand, the work gives the possibility of creative realization, on the other - brings a claim to be aware of new techniques, and hence, either to self-educate, or to attend training courses. You can not to plan your vacation - it depends on the employer's work schedule. At the same time there are families that are going on holiday to the sea or abroad, take a nanny along, and this together with the work of additional features. What should I care yourself? Most often work in the family will not be issued formally and is not accompanied in the workbook, so themselves choose what you prefer: an employment agreement, the registration of self-employment activities, the work contract. Most likely, you have to take care of their own health insurance and tax and pension contributions. In most cases (unless noted otherwise) payment is in fact spent time and, therefore, you should think about creating a stabilization fund in the event of leave, temporary disability, an unexpected interruption in...
Recently, an international business research firm was hired to analyze the food systems of 25 countries, including all of the G20 nations. The resulting report, Food Sustainability Index, was used 58 indicators meant to measure and compare food system sustainability based on three broad pillars: agriculture practices, wasted food, and the nutritional outcomes.

The organization that commissioned the report is the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, an Italian nonprofit that seeks to "promote an open dialogue between Science, Politics, Business and Society to push the big topics relating to food, nutrition, wellbeing and the health of our planet into the agendas of national and international opinion leaders and decision makers.

The company it hired was the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), which shares a corporate umbrella with the Economist Magazine. The EUI has a reputation for in-depth analysis that combines the best in science and journalism. Per its web page, the EIU has 70 years experience in helping businesses, financial firms and governments to understand how the world is changing and how that creates opportunities to be seized and risks to be managed. For what its worth, the EIU had consistently given President-elec Donald Trump a better chance of winning than most analysts.

And thanks largely to the unprecedented drama surrounding Trumps upset victory, the release of the Food Sustainability Index hardly made a dent in the news cycle. It seems the competition for headlines is too stiff for a story about Food Policy Think Tank Releases Report!

But for people who happen to be interested in food, the environment, human well-being, and the intrinsic interconnectedness of all three, the Food Sustainability Index contains a lot of red meat to chew on.

While it may seem obvious to some that agriculture methods, food waste and nutritional outcomes are connected, having numbers and metrics to pour over and compare adds flesh and nuance to this understanding, and helps illuminate paths forward.

France ended up with the highest combined food sustainability score, thanks to a healthy population thats neither obese nor malnourished, an agriculture system thats low on fossil fuel, chemical and water use, and with aggressive policies aimed at curbing food waste.

According to the report, Frances "legislation includes legal obligations for supermarkets to donate excess food to charities, bans on expiration dates for certain categories of goods such as wine and vinegar, education at the primary school level, and tax incentives. Italy also scores highly in the index for its laws that provide incentives for food donation. Other countries can look to these for ideas and best practices on tackling food waste.

With the earths population rapidly growing, one of the worlds most densely populated nations, India, provides a cautionary tale of the toll that feeding that many mouths can take. India is challenged nutritionally, environmentally by its food system, and despite having such a hungry population it still manages to rank in the bottom of the food waste prevention category. By contrast, South Korea is even more densely populated than India, with much less land to work with, yet places a respectable seventh in the overall rankings. The index provides country profiles that allow you to drill down into what these two countries are doing differently.

The relationship between food waste and nutritional challenges is especially rich, and often surprising. One third of food produced globally is wasted, rather than consumed. This wasted food amounts to four times what would be necessary to feed the worlds hungry and malnourished. It amounts to a huge release of greenhouse gases, and supports the idea that world hunger is more of a food distribution problem than a food production problem.

Ethiopia was the hungriest nation surveyed, and it also scored very high on minimizing food waste. South Africa scored nearly as high as Ethiopia, with the two countries ranking third and fourth behind France and Australia at preventing food waste. And while one would expect, or at least hope, that hungry nations would generally do a decent job at preventing food waste, Ethiopia and South Africa prove to be more the exceptions than the rule. Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia and India, among others, all have high rates of food waste and malnourishment.

With the exception of Ethiopia and South Africa, the countries that do the best at preventing food waste are a prosperous lot, including Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Germany and Italy. These are countries where obesity rates are largely kept in check.

In a way, this shouldnt be a surprise, as being frugal is a road to prosperity. But its hardly the only road. And begs the question of what about nations that are so rich in natural resources that wealth comes easily?

The answer is to be found at the bottom of the food waste barrel. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia both waste extreme amounts of food, while the populations are roughly 70 percent overweight. These two nations also ranked at the bottom in terms of water wasting.

While these numbers say some important things about the relationship between available calories and health, they also say something important, if disappointing, about human behavior. Were barely different from lab rats who will keep hitting the pleasure bar, if given the option, regardless of its consequences on our health. When given access to unlimited calories that are completely untethered from any work necessary to produce them, we must decide to either self-moderate or pig out. While Saudi Arabia and UAE provide a cautionary tale, and in Europe, and parts of North America Asia, there seems to be a healthy balance between calories earned and calories consumed. Africa and South America, meanwhile, are noticeably lagging. And the United States is perched conspicuously on the precipice.

The United States ranks in the bottom three for both obesity and wasted food. However, it scores relatively high in both the nutritional challenge and food waste prevention categories. I reached out to the reports co-author Maria-Luiza Apostolescu to explain this apparent discrepancy.

The index looks at both the 'problem' and the policy responses to it, she explained in an email. The U.S. is scoring quite low for the level of food waste per capita per year because it has one of the highest in the list of 25 countries (277kg/cap/year), but indeed, it has rather interesting policy responses to it, hence it scores quite high in the policy response indicator. In the next years, it will be interesting to see whether these policies have had any impact on the levels of food waste, although more still needs to be done.

Many of the work being done is at the local level, insulated from the whims and shifting priorities of Washington, D.C. This is good, because Im not sure the president-elect is going to get around to reading this one.
Coming soon

Red Cross blood drives  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:

ALBERTON: Tuesday, Dec. 20, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (sponsor code alberton).

MISSOULA: Wednesday, Dec. 21, noon-4:15 p.m., Best Buy, Reserve St. (sponsor code bestbuyHamilton); Thursday, Dec. 22, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 23, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., St. Patrick Hospital (sponsor code stpats); Tuesday, Dec. 27, 1:30-5:45 p.m., Missoula Fresh Market South (sponsor code mslafreshmarket); Wednesday, Dec. 28, 11 a.m.-3:15 p.m., Missoula First Interstate Bank, 101 Front St. (sponsor code fibmissoula); Thursday, Dec. 29, 12:30-4:45 p.m., Warm Springs Productions, 280 Spruce St. (sponsor code warmspringsproductions). Thursday, Dec. 22, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. inside Community Medical Center (sponsor code communitymed).

ST. REGIS: Tuesday, Dec. 20, noon-6:30 p.m., St. Regis Community Center (sponsor code stregis).

Red Willow Center  For more information on the following classes at the learning center, 825 W. Kent, call 406-721-0033 or visit redwillowlearning.org:

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 four weeks; "Yoga for Wellness" at 10 a.m. Wednesdays, $12 or $40 for four weeks; "Yoga for Chronic Pain" at 5 p.m. Wednesdays, $40 for four weeks plus $50 for prerequisite screening' "Meditation for Veterans" at 1:15 p.m. Thursdays at Missoula Vet Center, 910 Brooks, free.

Ongoing programs

AA and Al-Anon  For the latest Alcoholics Anonymous meetings list, visit aa-montana.org or call the Missoula hotline at 406-543-0011. 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 6-7:30 p.m. every Thursday at the University Center, Room 215, on campus. Contact Monique Casbeer at 406-721-3947 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 406-549-3433 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 406-549-3433.

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 406-329-5656.

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 406-240-0996.

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 406-824-2868.

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 p.m. to 7 p.m. and child care is provided for ages birth to 11. For more information, call 406-721-6884 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 406-327-3957 or Kimberly Hardwick at 406-327-3906.

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 person 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 406-721-2038.

Epilepsy support group  Meets the first Monday of the month from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Summit Independent Living Center, 700 S.W. Higgins Ave., Suite 101. Patients, friends, family and caregivers welcome. Call Debbie at 406-721-0707 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 406-258-4162 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 406-543-7154.

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 406-329-5628 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 406-880-1013 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 406-546-7819.

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 406-241-4005 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 406-329-5784.

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 406-728-4410.

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.
Harlan Wells is resigning from representing Ward 2 on the Missoula City Council to take a job as director of business services for incoming Secretary of State Corey Stapleton.

Stapleton, a Republican, announced his executive team Tuesday.

Im thrilled to have a dynamic, capable team coming with me to the Secretary of States office, stated Stapleton. Together, we look forward to serving the people and our state.

Stapleton will be sworn in on Jan. 2.

According to the Secretary of State's website, Business Services works with in-state and out-of-state business owners, who want to start, expand or close a business in Montana.

They also file commercial and agricultural liens.

Wells was elected to the city council in November 2015 and had said he planned to run for Missoula mayor, challenging incumbent John Engen.

He painted himself in a recent talk as fiscal conservative who would make property taxes a key issue if elected to the top job next year.

Wells also works as the development coordinator for the Missoula Housing Authority, along with his wife Kari, who is a finance specialist.

At Monday's city council meeting, Wells accepted congratulations from the council for his new job and thanks for his service.

"My wife and I are absolutely beside ourselves," he said.

He'll commute to Helena, coming home to Missoula on the weekends.

Wells did not respond to phone messages seeking comment on Tuesday.

City Public Information Officer Ginny Merriam said the city clerk and council President Marilyn Marler are working on drafting applications that will be available online and at city hall soon.

Marler said at Monday's city council meeting that they'll accept applications from interested Missoulians from Dec. 28 to Jan.6, before interviewing and voting in a replacement.

The only requirements are that the person live in Ward 2, be 18 and registered to vote.

***

Stapleton defeated Democrat Monica Lindeen, who was the state auditor, with 56 percent of the vote. Lindeen was term-limited from running for auditor, as was outgoing Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, a Democrat.

"There's no more important function than picking good people," he told a small group in the second floor of the Capitol on Tuesday.

At the news conference, Stapleton said he would try to create consistency in Montana's elections and streamline business services offered by the Secretary of State.

He added that he "anticipates having a good working relationship" with Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock's office. The governor and secretary of state's offices and the Legislature are the three main tenants of the Capitol.

He added that the election results show "the people have spoken and we have a mandate to do things now."

Stapleton said he's excited to work with the Legislature, which is controlled by Republican majorities in the House and Senate. That body convenes Jan. 2.

Stapleton said he wants to introduce legislation to remove ambiguity in how the state would fill a vacant U.S. House seat, something that is expected to happen after recently re-elected U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., was nominated as Secretary of the Interior by Republican president-elect Donald J. Trump.

Stapleton estimated holding an election to fill Zinke's seat could cost $2 million.

He also said he wants to look at the popularity of absentee voting by mail and ways to capitalize on that, and explore standardizing how satellite voting offices are added.

Other staff appointments include:

 Christi Jacobsen, chief of staff: She was most recently the central services division administrator for the Department of Justice. She previously worked as central services administrator for the state auditors office. She has a master's in public administration from the University of Montana.

 Stephanie Hess, chief policy adviser: Hess served as a representative for HD 28 and lost re-election to Democrat Jacob Bachmeier in November. She was elections specialist to the Secretary of States Office from 2007-2009 and is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University.

 Derek Oestreiche, elections director: Oestreicher has a law degree from UM. He has worked with Davis, Hatley, Haffeman & Tighe, P.C., a civil litigation firm in Great Falls.

 Susan Ames, office manager: Ames is returning to the Secretary of States office after working as executive assistant to former Secretary of State Brad Johnson. She also worked for Denny Rehberg when he was lieutenant governor, Gov. Marc Racicot and Gov. Judy Martz.

 Morgan Darlington, communications director: Darlington is a graduate of Montana State University. She has worked for both the U.S. House and Senate.

 Julie Lake, human resource director: Lake, a graduate of MSU, was previously human resource generalist for the Montana Department of Justice.

 Will Selph, project manager: Selph has worked for U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, and was part of the recent effort to re-elect Zinke. Selph is a graduate of UM.

 Jeff Hindoien, chief legal counsel: Hindoiens private practice has been focused on providing counsel and representation to Montana school districts in all aspects of public school and governmental operations. Hindoien is a Great Falls native and a graduate of MSU and the University of Wyoming College of Law.
Mountain bikers and wilderness advocates have forged an agreement that could create a new riding area on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness while advancing an 80,000-acre expansion of non-mechanized public land.

The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project and International Mountain Bike Association committed to supporting each others wishes on what could become a stand-alone wilderness bill going before Congress next year. The deal modifies a wilderness proposal first introduced as part of Sen. Jon Testers Forest Jobs and Recreation Act in 2009. It extends the southwestern edge of the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat wildernesses from the mountain ridgelines into the lower drainages where much of the areas wildlife habitat and travel corridors exist.

This compromise was more difficult than anything I remember, said Lee Boman, a BCSP steering committee member with the Montana Wilderness Association. What really impressed me was how respectful the mountain bikers were of the horsemens issues. The horsemen werent in favor of this, but eventually they decided it was better for all. Nobody got everything they wanted. Everyone had to give up something.

The 3,000-acre proposed mountain-biking recreation area extends along the Spread Creek drainage north of Ovando in a recommended wilderness area of the Lolo National Forest. Because the whole area remains in a management gray area regarding mechanized use, some mountain bikers had begun to chart routes along trails traditionally used by backcountry horse packers.

We realized there were trails that werent that great for mountain bike and horse interactions, said IMBA representative Eric Melson. There were blind corners, and places where bike and horse use couldnt co-exist. We gave up those trails.

Melton said the biking community acknowledged how outfitter livelihoods depended on trail access to get visitors to hunting camps and scenic rides. The bikers wanted to access many of the same areas for the same reasons.

We want to see as many acres of wilderness preserved as we can, so long as our use is preserved on trails that we cherish, Melson said. It took a lot of hard conversations to flesh out the areas we really held important.

The proposed biking area abuts another wilderness compromise where local snowmobile riders have outlined the proposed Otatsy Recreation Area. That landscape was included in Testers bill as a winter mechanized use-only area. But after several failed attempts to win passage, Tester did not reintroduce his bill in the 2014-16 session of Congress now ending. That prompted BCSP members to resume their effort as a stand-alone campaign.

Boman said as communities along the edge of the Bob Marshall see growth in the recreation economy from hikers, horse packers, bikers and snowmobilers, it increases the value of those groups pulling in the same direction.

From an economic-development point of view, its pretty exciting, Boman said. It means we have support to get all this passed, which weve been working on for a decade. Without the endorsement of mountain bikers and snowmobilers, we wouldnt get anywhere. It takes so darn long to get any wilderness designated, and it only takes a few months to lose those areas.
Gov. Steve Bullock and First Lady Lisa Bullock have announced $29,905 in private grants for the Breakfast after the Bell initiative at nine schools.

They include schools in Lolo, Florence, Dixon, Drummond, Winifred, Helena, Lodge Grass, Gallatin Gateway and Great Falls.

Schools can use the funding to start new breakfast programs or convert existing programs to alternative models to increase student participation, such as "grab-and-go"  which is done at Kessler Elementary School in Helena  or breakfast in the classroom.

The money can be used to buy delivery carts, insulated food storage bags, breakfast service kiosks and point-of-sale systems, or to offset the costs of additional labor hours required during the transition to an alternative breakfast model.

Building a stronger, healthier future for all Montanans begins with making sure our children have all the resources they need to succeed, the governor said in a news release Monday. Kids cant learn, grow, and be successful if theyre starting their school days with an empty stomach. By partnering with more schools, community organizations, and businesses across the state, we can better prepare the next generation of Montanans to succeed down the road.

Montana schools saw a 16 percent participation rate in breakfast as part of the Child Nutrition School Program in 2015, according to the Office of Public Instruction. That's compared to 43 percent lunch participation.

Weve seen much higher participation in school breakfast when schools provide an alternative breakfast model, Lisa Bullock said in a news release. Serving breakfast in the classroom or offering a grab-and-go option helps students avoid feeling singled out, and its a convenient way to make sure they have the energy they need to focus on learning.

Research has shown that alternate breakfast models such as grab-and-go increase participation.

Grants are offered by Montana No Kid Hungry, and were made possible through support from the Walmart Foundation, Share our Strength, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, and Round It Up Montana.

In February, Montana No Kid Hungry and the Bullocks will offer another grant cycle for schools. More than $230,000 has been awarded to 66 Montana schools since fall 2014.
A strategic planning meeting brought Missoula City Council, key city staff and mayor together Monday to discuss the citys mission, vision and short-term goals.

Dan Clark and Blake Christensen, directors of Montana State Universitys Local Government Center, walked city officials through discussions that ended with rough drafts of Missoulas updated mission and vision statements, as well as five themes that will guide the citys priorities in the next five years.

All of Missoulas administrative directors were present, including police and fire chiefs, public works and parks and recreation directors and their chief administrative officer and city attorney. Nine of Missoula City Councils 12 representatives participated in the daylong event, held in First Interstate Banks board room.

They laid groundwork that city council president Marilyn Marler said brought all the city officials into agreement with where they wanted to be, even if they didnt touch on actual action or budgetary needs.

Its kind of a whole thought process of what do we align with, she said. We started at a pretty high level.

The mission and vision statements had a broader focus Clark said  on the citizens and city staff and elected officials.

But the goals were supposed to be more internal  where should staff, council and the mayor prioritize their efforts in the next few years?

Clark asked them to come up with five goals, under which small groups listed specific actions to implement the goals.

Those goals included:

Economic Growth and Sustainability, which included housing affordability, public-private partnerships, public-access broadband internet, and encouraging clean industry,

Intentional and Sustainable Growth, focusing on the connection between land use and transportation, more predictable regulations and process for development, and providing incentives for new housing projects,

Environmental and Human Health, which saw suggestions relating to urban forest stewardship, mental health care, "wet" housing for homeless people with addictions, and attention to Missoulas aging population,

Infrastructure and Assets, including updated hardware and software in City Hall; maintenance of roads, sidewalks, trails, sewers and stormwater systems; repair and replacement of existing city equipment, and

Organizational Excellence, which focused on personnel succession, especially related to Missoulas aging population; merit-based employee rewards; customer service; and upgrading systems and tools

Many of those goals and actions were based on survey responses that everyone present filled out before the meeting.

Christensen went over the results, noting which received the most response, giving an idea of common priorities among city officials.

The first question asked what city accomplishments the person was most proud of in the last five years.

The top response?

Successful condemnation/acquisition of the Mountain Water utility.

The survey listed every response, combining those that were similar. Christensen didnt give specific numbers, only occasionally identifying a particularly popular answer.

The mayor was a response to multiple questions, prompting Christensen to joke it was probably just Engen filling in his own name.

But he was a popular answer to What gets you most excited about the City of Missoulas future? and What do you see as the City of Missoulas two most important internal (and external) strengths?

***

MSUs local government center was established by the Montana Legislature in the late 1980s to help city and county governments around the state resolve internal issues, identify policies and offer leadership and development training, Christensen said.

The center is partially funded by the state legislature, but still charges cities and counties a small fee for the sessions. Ginny Merriam, city communications director, said Monday's meeting cost $3,700.

Clark, who served as Choteau's mayor from 2002-2006, said these planning sessions generally take anywhere from a day and a half to two days, so they didnt cover everything during the single-day session.

The day had somewhat of a team-building exercise feel, which Marler echoed afterwards, saying she had hoped to hash out more specific issues in what was put on the agenda as their first meeting to discuss budgetary process.

Instead, they focused on bigger-picture concerns.

Different people thrive at different levels of that hierarchy, Marler said, Personally, Im more action oriented.

But setting a mission and overarching goals will help facilitate better discussions around budget, she said, since everyone was involved in the broader-context decisions.

Clark emphasized the mission and vision statements were both drafts and living documents  the city can tweak language or grammar before formally adopting them, and can change them depending on how their priorities may shift.

Clark and Christensen broke up the room into three groups, which each drafted their own versions of the mission and vision statements.

Then the whole group looked through each three and combined them into one version.

The mission statement reads, Reflecting the needs and values of our citizens, the City of Missoula commits to enhancing opportunity and quality of life through effective delivery of city services and fiscal stewardship, while maintaining and creating a harmonious natural and built environment.

The vision statement is for internal city staff and officials to use as an ideal marker for where theyd like Missoula to be in the future, Christensen said.

This would be the first vision statement Missoula has adopted.

Even if citizens maybe dont agree with the vision, at least they know the city has an idea of where its going, he said. Plus, city staff will work better with a defined goal in front of them, something to unite behind, so to speak.

We are an inclusive city where all people can live and celebrate meaningful , purposeful and fulfilling lives through the confluence of unparalleled recreational, cultural and entrepreneurial opportunity.
Partway into the fourth and final scheduled day of his trial, Jordan Scott Bahr chose to plead guilty rather than have his attorneys present their defense case.

Bahr pleaded guilty to felony sexual assault, an alternative to the charge of sexual intercourse without consent  Montana's charge for rape  for which he was on trial. Bahr was accused of raping a Missoula woman at his house in October 2015.

The penalty for sexual intercourse without consent is a minimum of two years in prison, to life, and includes lifetime registration as a sex offender.

The charge of felony sexual assault to which Bahr pleaded guilty carries a mandatory minimum of four years in prison, although judges can impose less time if they issue a written report stating their reasons. There is no requirement to register as a sex offender.

The plea meant the trial ended without the jury deliberating.

District Court Judge Robert Dusty Deschamps ordered a psychosexual evaluation and pre-sentence report be prepared on Bahr, and set a status hearing for March 7 to select a sentencing date. Bahr remains free with a GPS monitor until his sentencing hearing. As part of his plea, Bahr will not be able to appeal.

The woman met Bahr with a group of mutual friends at a bar in downtown Missoula on Oct. 12, 2015. He and the woman biked home together because he lived along the way. They went into his house when they arrived, and she asked to sleep on his couch because she felt intoxicated and didnt think it was safe to ride the rest of the way home.

The woman turned down a pair of offers to sleep in Bahrs bed, but when he asked said he could lie on the couch with her. Almost immediately, he began an increasing series of sexual assaults against her.

***

Monday began with testimony with the prosecutions last witness, Missoula police Detective Connie Brueckner. Her time on the stand included playing a pair of recordings. The first was a taped phone conversation between he and the woman, with the detective listening in from her side of the line. At first, Bahr told the woman they had just cuddled, before changing his story when she asked him whether he had done specific things to her.

Obviously, it wont happen again. I dont know what youre all bent out of shape about, Bahr told her after she explained she hadnt been OK with what happened that night.

Prosecutors Jennifer Clark and Jordan Kilby also played a recording of Bahrs later interview with Brueckner. Several times during the detectives questioning, Bahr returned to the idea that he thought the woman might have been interested in doing something sexual with him because she agreed to come into his house. Bahr said he invited her to come over when they left the bar, but the woman testified they didnt discuss it until they got to his house.

David Maldonado, one of Bahrs attorneys, referenced in his cross-examination that at the bar, the woman told his client he had a nice bone structure in his face.

She wouldnt have come over if she wasnt interested, Bahr told Brueckner in the interview.

As the interview with Brueckner went on, Bahr admitted to more acts against the woman he initially denied or left out, including saying that at times during the incident he had to move her body into different positions.

She obviously didnt on her own, he said when the detective asked why he had to move her by himself.

In the recordings, Bahr sounded angry with the woman, saying he felt stabbed in the back when she went to police.

I didnt know if fooling around is considered the r word,  he said. I think she was just playing me; honestly, thats how I feel.
A sharp, cold breeze slid through the open windows and hit construction workers as site superintendent Brad O'Neill handed each of them a FireBall candy.

They were installing new windows on the 107-year-old Lowell Elementary School one recent morning, bundled up against the single-digit temperatures.

Lowell and Franklin are the largest projects Missoula County Public Schools is undertaking at the moment, each $11.3 million efforts that will completely overhaul the schools.

Franklin was demolished this summer, except for its gym. A section of Lowell was demolished but the original building is intact, with extensive renovations happening inside, as well as an addition on the north side.

The two projects are part of MCPS' Smart Schools 2020 initiative, updating all 22 schools and facilities thanks to $158 million in bonds that voters passed last fall.

***

In the first year of construction, the district launched 16 projects.

Five will be almost entirely finished by the end of 2016  Chief Charlo, Paxson, Jefferson, Mount Jumbo and Seeley-Swan  with another, Rattlesnake, wrapping up right before school resumes Jan. 3 after winter break.

Some minor work and security upgrades will continue this spring.

Chief Charlo's entrance was redone, making it more secure and more obvious. The school was rewired for internet and open areas were turned into learning labs. Paxson has a new classroom addition and a more secure entrance. Seeley-Swan has a new theater, as well as boiler and structural upgrades.

Rattlesnake's overhaul was in two phases this fall, adding classrooms, renovating others, creating open learning spaces and other structural and technical upgrades.

This summer there were five re-roofing projects at Big Sky, Hellgate, Lewis and Clark, Meadow Hill and Washington, as well as a new track and field at the MCPS Stadium and upgrades at the Agriculture Education Center near Big Sky.

Jefferson and Mount Jumbo needed to be updated to be used as swing spaces for Franklin and Lowell students, respectively.

Franklin and Lowell began right after school was let out this summer.

Today, the bones of a school are taking shape at the Franklin site, with walls nearly enclosing the space. They expected to start pouring the second floor this week. Cold weather won't stop Jackson Contractor Group, as they have a hard deadline in August.

The same goes for Lowell, where concrete has been poured for the new addition on the Phillips Street side, which will house administration and grades K-1 on the first floor and grades 2-3 on the second floor. It will also be the new entrance.

At the same time, crews are overhauling the interior of the original building. Walking through, there are messages scrawled on the walls  from Lowell students before they moved out this summer.

They're messages of love for the school, funny drawings and praise for the teachers, including "Best 5th grade teachers" on a post between two second-floor classrooms.

***

Architects and general contractors are starting to line up for the 2017 projects, which include Cold Springs, Russell, Washington, Hellgate, Sentinel and Willard.

There are more re-roofing projects on deck for this summer, too, at Rattlesnake, Jefferson, C.S. Porter, Sentinel and Hawthorne.

Last month, voters gave the OK for MCPS to buy land in the Lower Miller Creek area for the new Cold Springs school. The district still needs a subdivision exemption in order to carve the 8-acre parcel.

"We can't actually close until the lot lines are drawn," said Superintendent Mark Thane.

He hopes they'll close by March, though there's a 90-day extension in the buy-sell agreement that goes to June if needed. In the interim, Cold Springs staff will work with A&E Architects to develop the new school. Late this spring, they plan to hire a general contractor, and the new school is expected to be finished by fall 2018.

Once Cold Springs kids move out of the current building, Thane said it could be used as a swing space when Meadow Hill goes under construction.

Jackson Contractor Group was chosen as the general contractor/construction manager this month and construction will begin in late spring.

At a school board meeting this summer, architects said Hellgate is expected to wrap up by December 2018.

"It will be an occupied facility, so that creates an additional challenge," Thane said of the construction that will happen during the school year. "The conversion from steam heat will also be extensive. That will touch every part of the school, basically, with new piping."

At the December school board meeting, trustees approved soliciting requests for qualification for architect design services at Sentinel and Willard, as well as initiating work with an architect on the Russell project. Dowling Studio Architects was approved this fall for Washington's design.

The field at MCPS Stadium was wrapped up this fall, but crews couldn't finish the track due to weather.

"We had the rainiest October on record," Thane said. "They needed three successive days of warm, dry weather."

The track is expected to be finished in April, he said. Track practice starts in March, so the district is working with University of Montana's Dornblaser Field for temporary practice while the high school track is wrapped up.

MCPS also hopes to finish the processing kitchen at the Agriculture Education Center this summer; right now they're waiting on permits from the Department of Environmental Quality.

After this school year, Franklin and Lowell students will return to their home schools from the swing spaces at Jefferson and Mount Jumbo. Jefferson houses the early learning program.

"We want to see, long-term, Jefferson becoming an early childhood center," Thane said. "There's not a tremendous amount of hope that the Legislature will expand early childhood education (in the upcoming session), but we'd like to explore it as a district."

Mount Jumbo previously was leased by Walla Walla College. It was closed as an elementary school in 2004.

"There's no definite yet about Jumbo," Thane said. "In the long-term we would love to see population growth in east Missoula, and an area to sustain that school."

For the moment, though, the district will likely look for a tenant to lease the space.

"That's the forecast," said operations and maintenance supervisor Burley McWilliams.
The growing computer science program at Sentinel High School is getting another boost.

On Monday, Missoula County Public Schools announced that Sentinel's computer science program landed a $3,500 grant from Missoula company Advanced Technology Group.

"I found out we got it yesterday," said Dan Lande, who teaches three computer science courses at the school.

He said the program will use the funding for technology enhancements in the classrooms, such as a better projector to fit more lines of code, an uninterruptible power supply for the networking rack and 3-D printers "so that when the power goes out we don't lose all our configurations," as well as helping to fund expenses for various computer science competitions.

"The details are still to be worked out on what else," he said. "This ... extra money helps us get cutting-edge technology so our students get exposed to that before they head to college and the real world. It came from nowhere, so we're really excited about it."

ATG approached the school district this year, wanting to support STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) programs. The company recently created an employee philanthropy committee, which recommended the donation.

ATG consults for software, digital media, infrastructure, service and telecommunications companies to better manage their customers and billing systems. Earlier this year, they expanded their offices, added employees and worked with the University of Montana and MCPS on technology in curriculum.

"A couple of students came with the Management Information Systems department from UM last year and spoke to my classes because a lot of people come out of business school, the MIS program, and find jobs at ATG," Lande said.

"Donations are always great, but it's the student exposure thing. They can see job opportunities available here in Missoula and in Montana as a whole."

The donation announcement came on the same day that Denise Juneau, state superintendent of public instruction, announced voluntary guidelines for digital literacy and computer science, modeling them after the Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science Framework.

"The response (from Montana educators) was positive with the caveat that teachers may need additional professional development to effectively implement the guidelines," Juneau wrote in a letter accompanying the guidelines.

The Office of Public Instruction and an advisory committee representing business, K-12 and higher education are working on a professional development plan.

"To be successful in today's digital world, students need to know how to use computers and other digital tools to solve problems, develop new innovations, and work across disciplines," Juneau said. "The jobs of today and tomorrow require the ability to understand and use information in a variety of digital formats. From construction to health care and agriculture to education, technology plays an ever increasing role."
Hanukkah means dedication. When we, the Jewish people, rededicated our Holy Temple after defeating Antiochus IV and his invading forces, we lit the temple lamp with a single, remaining pot of holy oil. The oil burned miraculously for eight days, shining intensely with the light of religious freedom.

This year, I rededicate myself to freedom. I will proudly light my Hanukkah lamp and display it at my front door. Once again, I declare to the world, I am a Jew, and I love my religious and cultural heritage, my ancestors, my family and my Jewish community. Once again, I dedicate myself to living a Jewish life: celebrating the Sabbath and festivals, loving my neighbor as myself, caring for the earth, supporting the needy, and striving for justice and freedom for all.

When I look at the glowing candles, I remember that in the darkest time of the year, hope illumines the world. The light of the candles reflects the light of creation, the magnificent power of the divine, and the vast energy of all that lives. How fortunate to wake each morning and live another day. How grateful I am to witness the wonder of life!

This year, I invite you to join me: please place an image of a nine-branched Hanukkah menorah in your window or on your door for all to see. Why? Because this year, either one person or a group has been distributing fliers in Missoula that malign the Jewish people. The leafleting began shortly after the Nov. 8 election and has continued for several weeks.

I repudiate these fliers. White supremacist, pro-Nazi, anti-Jewish ideology is distorted and dangerous. Our country is a land for all people, where all are free to practice our faiths and celebrate our rich and varied cultural heritages. Divisive, prejudicial propaganda has no rightful place in our great democracy.

My family moved to the United States to escape oppression in the early 1900s. We remember too well the pogroms (lynchings) of Eastern European communities from which we came; we remember friends and relatives lost to the Nazi Holocaust. We will not remain silent when fellow citizens applaud the ugliness of the Nazi regime and dare to suggest that it offers a model for society. We will do everything in our power to oppose the rise of hateful rhetoric and action directed towards Jews and all other groups.

Good people of Missoula, where do you stand? Will you join in denouncing those who would spread hate? Will you join in declaring that religious freedom is our right? Will you join in affirming the principles of our American democracy? If so, please display a Hanukkah menorah in your window during this holiday season.

This year, Christmas Eve and the first night of Hanukkah fall on the same date for the first time since 1959. In this season of miracles, let us share the light.
HELENA  A 32-year-old Helena man is accused of soliciting nude photos from an underage girl.

Steven Roy Omara faces a felony charge of sexual abuse of children.

Authorities allege Omara asked a 14-year-old girl, who is a distant relative, to trade nude pictures. Investigators arrested Omara Sunday night.

Court documents say Omara sent the girl a messenger request, then began chatting with the teen online. Omara allegedly asked for the photos and then said he was worried the girl would tell someone about his request.

Authorities went to Omara's Placer Drive home to question him about the interaction. Omara told the sheriff's deputy he knew what the investigation was about.

"The defendant stated he and his wife were going through multiple phones looking to find the message conversation because he suspected his juvenile son was the person who sent the messages," the court documents note.

The deputy found evidence of Omara interacting with the alleged victim on his phone, according to the documents.
KALISPELL  A preliminary report suggests that invasive mussels have not moved into Montana water bodies beyond the Missouri River Basin.

The Flathead Beacon reports (http://bit.ly/2hPYQFR ) that Montana Mussel Incident response Team spokeswoman Jeni Flatow says lab results from 372 samples show no new detections of aquatic invasive mussels in Montana lakes or rivers, including the Flathead basin.

The preliminary results come after invasive mussels were found earlier this year in Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs. Since those detections, the state has formed a task force to handle the situation, including expediting water sample testing.

Invasive mussels rapidly multiply and can damage beaches, clog boat motors and dams, harm fish and wildlife and cause costly damage to infrastructure.

___

Information from: Flathead Beacon, http://www.flatheadbeacon.com
HELENA  Montanas three votes in the Electoral College helped make it official Monday: Donald J. Trump, as expected, will be the next U.S. president.

This year's proceeding was different from those in years past, with Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch allowing audience members to speak before the electors, two of whom were alternates, filled in their ballots.

Montanas electors had said before Monday they would vote for Trump. Though the odds of an Electoral College upset were minuscule, nationwide there had been calls for electors to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton, who beat Trump by more than 2.5 million in the popular vote. Others asked electors to select anyone but Trump.

McCulloch told those gathered that the electors were bound by Montana law to cast their vote for Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, and she couldnt accept ballots that did otherwise.

Before electors Thelma Baker and alternates Vondene Kopetski and Becky Stockton voted, a handful of Montanans spoke in support of and against Trump. About 35 attended.

Susan Reneau, who came over from Missoula, said she was proud to stand in support of Trump. She started to say that President Barack Obama had been an abomination to our military and everything economic in our entire country before McCulloch reminded her to keep her comments positive.

Lee Malcheski, of Helena, asked the three to hold off on voting until an investigation into Russian interference in the election was made public.

McCulloch said she made the choice to allow comment, saying at other public meetings shed attended that day the audience was allowed to speak.

It is a public meeting and I believe the public should have access, she said.

Elector Nancy Ballance, a Republican state representative from Hamilton, chose Monday to let an alternate take her place. Ballance said this was because state law says lawmakers cannot hold civil office. She said electors in other states with similar laws had been threatened with legal challenges. She said she consulted with the attorney general and others over what defined a "civil office," but couldn't find a clear answer.

In my mind it wasnt worth taking a chance to have the vote thrown out later, she said.

Ballance told her grandson, Jack, 8, who spoke in support of Trump before the vote, that he should look back on the day with pride.

"To my grandsons who are here today, who came to see their grandma participate in this historic event, I say to them 'When we look back and America is truly great again, we will know that we were part of something bigger than ourselves.'"

Controversial elector Dennis Scranton from Miles City did not attend. McCulloch did not say why. Parts of Interstate 90, which is between Helena and Miles City, were closed due to a blizzard the last few days.

Scranton, 92, had made comments disparaging gay marriage on a Facebook post earlier this year. He told the Billings Gazette in November, misstating his age: Dont forget, Im 93 years old. I come from a different era. I hadnt heard of anyone being homosexual until I joined the Navy, and then I encountered them. We were raised with good morals.

Elector Thelma Baker, the only non-alternate to vote Monday, said she received hundreds of phone calls and emails, both from those who supported Trump and people calling on her to cast her vote for someone else. About 75 percent of those who telephoned, Baker said, told her they didnt vote in the election.

This is Bakers fifth electoral vote. She said she received some comment before the 2000 election in which Republican George W. Bush won the electoral college but lost the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore, but received no comments in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

Alternate Thomas Tuck also did not come to the vote. If enough electors had not shown up, McCulloch said, she would have had to appoint someone from the audience.

***

Earlier Monday morning, 30 protesters gathered on the steps of Montanas Capitol ahead the states electors casting their votes.

I fear his skill with public speaking and charisma with a crowd has blinded people to elect someone who is not truly qualified, the Rev. Cathy Barker said. There are serious questions about the Russian involvement, hes refused to share his taxes, his conflicts of interest and his integrity. These things break my heart.

Standing in a circle in 20-degree temperatures, the protesters struck a somber tone as they voiced their fears about a Trump administration, including climate change denial and nuclear weapons policy, sexual-assault allegations and foreign business interests.

The liberal media, one protester said facetiously, failed to investigate Trump sufficiently.

Jon Gengler of Helena said he wanted to challenge the assertion that Trumps win was either historic or a mandate, pointing to his loss of the popular vote and average margin in the Electoral College.

While he hoped to reach Montanas electors, Gengler said he spoke to anyone who would listen, including Trump supporters.

Radical individuals believe Trump speaks for them, and he must show that he is not willing to accept the support of racists or other exclusionary groups for political gain, he said.
For someone like me, meetings are a big part of the work day. If conducted well, meetings will solve problems and prompt collaboration. If they are unproductive, meetings can be forums for sluggishness and resentment  a proverbial death by meeting.

When you really luck out, meetings can be fun and inspirational. Last Friday, I attended one such meeting, which for me turned out to be a life knell.

By the time Id arrived at the meeting, the group, comprised exclusively of females, had decided to pitch the agenda, and in holiday mood, informally went around the table to relay something about themselves that was unknown to everyone else.

To refer to the women at the meeting as local power brokers would, I think, be unfair, an unworthy brand. None of them broker power to achieve goals (though all of them do have power to broker).

No, this group could more aptly be referred to as action agents, wielding positivity and intelligence  and often, humor  to advance their agendas.

There was Revonda Stordahl, executive director of the Public Housing Authority of Butte, who spends her days getting a roof over the heads of members of low-income and at-risk families. There was Margie Seccomb, chief executive officer of Action, Inc. (dont you love the name of that non-profit?), who also works in housing and, among many other projects, ensures that low-income and at-risk families have heat.

Seccomb hosted the meeting, held at Action, Inc.s, headquarters at the Emma Park Neighborhood Center. The meeting room was packed with boxes and bags containing gifts for families who quite simply cant afford the intrusion of the holidays, so Action, Inc., with the help of this great community, was in the process of ensuring that poor kids have Christmas too  a Mining City Christmas.

There was Cassie Weightman, who works at the Montana Independent Living Project in Butte, advocating on behalf of people living with disability. There was Dori Skrukrud, who works in Butte-Silver Bows Community Development Department. Among other achievements, Skrukrud has dedicated much of her professional life to building the Silver Bow Creek Greenway Corridor, our 26-mile trail system.

There was Karen Byrnes, the Community Development Departments director, who started her career 23 years ago, traveling Montana and its reservations, testing for blood-lead levels, an effort that established a blood-lead baseline still being used today. Now, on behalf of the county, Byrnes spends her work days crafting packages and projects that advance our local economy.

And there was Cassie OLeary, who works for Action, Inc., focusing on at-risk youth  OLearys job really is helping these youth to develop a stronger springboard into life.

And there was me, taking it all in. What did I have to offer the group, in regard to something they didnt know about me?

I submitted a vignette from my past as a journalist, an item about what, to this day, has turned out to be my best shift at work, that time I was in the press box at Fenway Park, covering the Red Sox versus the Yankees.

Stordahl offered this: She has an identical twin (Revonda and Rhonda!). Seccomb once traveled with a musical group that performed at military bases throughout the world. Skrukrud, too, has traveled internationally. Byrnes, while in high school, lettered in drama. (She might get back to that some day!) And OLeary and a friend survived a coup while they were in Thailand (We were completely safe!)

With all of these stories (we didnt even need wine!), I was on the brink of garnering my Christmas spirit, when Weightman pushed me full-throttle into the holiday tingle. She spoke of traveling with her love eight years ago to South Korea, where they were to teach English. Once she got her bearings, Weightman purchased a bicycle, which held a basket. The bike and the basket, she said, were her mechanisms to get groceries back home.

One day, on her bike, Weightman encountered an elderly South Korean man who greeted her with what she thought was disdain. She stopped her bike and he motioned her toward him. Weightman did approach, and the man reached into his pack, retrieving wraps of lettuce to put into her basket. Weightman was trying to convey her thanks when the man took her hand, brought it toward his face and placed it upon his cheek.

Love is a feeling that is universal to any language, right? Weightman asked our meeting group. We action agents all nodded.

Yes, love is a universal feeling, along perhaps with the feelings of faith and hope. But as we all know, the greatest of these is love.

There are meetings. And then there are meetings.
CRASH RESULTS IN DUI ARREST

A man was hospitalized Friday after police say a drunk driver rear-ended his truck on the 2300 block of South Montana Street after sliding on ice around 5 p.m. Police said the driver who caused the crash had slurred speech, seemed drunk, failed sobriety tests at the scene and at the jail, and blew over twice the legal limit. Howard Matteson, 61, was arrested for drunk driving and careless driving. Information was unavailable on the condition of the hospitalized driver.

DRIVER HITS HOUSE

Police said a drunk driver attempting a U-turn on the 1500 block of B Street struck a home around 9 p.m. Saturday. A witness told police he saw the incident, and pursued the driver on his four-wheeler after she fled the scene to her home, where he called police. When police arrived they said the driver's words were slurred and her eyes glassy, and that the suspect said they had been drinking. Brenna Albracht, 48, failed field sobriety tests and blew twice the legal driving limit, according to police, and was arrested for DUI and hit-and-run. Details on the damage to the house were not available.

CAB DRIVER ASSAULTED

Police responded to the 1000 block of Hornet Street at 5 a.m. Saturday after a cabbie called and said his customer assaulted him. Police said the victim told them he had picked up a man on the 3200 block of Evans and taken him to his home. When the cab pulled up to the man's home, the rider refused to get out, saying it was not his home and punching at the driver from the back seat. The victim said he tried to drag the man out of the backseat and was punched before getting the man out. Police arrested John Kerner, 23, for assault, and said he was in fact at his home address.

WANTED MAN HEADBUTTS COP

A police officer responding to a call involving two men threatening each other was head-butted after the officer tried to arrest him on a criminal contempt warrant out of Butte City Court. Joshua Maloney, 39, of Butte, was arrested for assault on a peace officer, a felony, and misdemeanors for resisting arrest and criminal contempt.

CAR IN WRONG LANE

A Butte woman was arrested at 8 p.m. Friday after police found her asleep in her vehicle in the wrong lane on Dewey and Utah. Police said they woke the woman, Julie Baumgartner, 55, who seemed drunk and did not respond to questions. Baumgartner failed field sobriety tests at the jail, refused a Breathalyzer, and was arrested for DUI refusal.
An autopsy will be performed on a Montana State Prison inmate who died Monday in St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, according to a prison news release issued Tuesday morning.

Carey Edwards, 54, was sentenced to life out of Multnomah County, Oregon, on Sept. 15, 1989, for murder. He became parole eligible in 2007.

Edwards was an Oregon inmate who was housed at Montana State Prison as an Interstate Compact Transfer. He was received at the state facility on Feb. 23, 2000.

Montana State Prison public information officer Amy Barton said cause of death had yet to be determined, and that the prison could not comment on why Edwards was sent to the Missoula hospital, other than it was for a medical emergency.

Though he was an inmate within the Montana State Prison, Edwards sentence was under the purview of the Oregon Department of Corrections, not the Montana DOC. Unlike other inmates, public information on Edwards sentencing is not available through the Montana DOC databases, and is likewise unavailable through the Oregon DOC and the Interstate Compact Offender Tracking System databases.

We dont treat it the same as other public information requests, said Kassandra Williams, the Interstate Compact Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Justice.

Williams said inmates are transferred out of state primarily for reasons of safety and security, but that she could not disclose Edwards or any other inmates reason for transfer.

Edwards last parole hearing was in 2013, when the Oregon Board of Parole videoconferenced with him while he was in Montana. The board denied parole for several reasons, deferring his projected release date to 2021.

According to parole documents, the board said Edwards did not honestly recount the details of the murder for which he was convicted 25 years ago, and said the regret he expressed to the victims family insincere and his words concerning the familys forgiveness of him smug.

Inmate either does not understand (or will not sincerely discuss) the motivation that led to his shooting an acquaintance in the back, the report reads.

Furthermore, the board denied parole based on its decision that Edwards had a present severe emotional disturbance, despite the psychological report prepared for the parole hearing stating specifically that Edwards did not have such a disturbance.

Edwards appealed that ruling administratively and up to the Oregon Court of Appeals, where the court ruled in favor of the parole board, stating the a present and severe emotional disturbance was a legal definition to be ascribed at the boards discretion, and that a doctors medical diagnosis was not legally binding.

 the board, rather than a psychologist is in the best position to determine whether the psychologists report supports finding of a (present severe emotional disturbance), the court said.

The court said that although Edwards history was that of habitual criminal behavior, he had behaved himself in prison and would be expected to continue to do so if released unless he returned to criminal behavior.
There is a really good reason to support Senate confirmation of Rex Tillerson to be President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of state: Tony Perkins opposes him. Perkins is the president of the Family Research Council, otherwise known as the Bedroom Busybodies. He blasted out a statement condemning ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson as a person who "not only led the charge to open the Boy Scouts to gay troop leaders but whose company directly gives to Planned Parenthood."

Tillerson was, in fact, active in the Boy Scouts and did lead the effort to open Scouting up to gays. His corporation did make contributions to Planned Parenthood, which has become a target of hard-right conservatives everywhere, certainly the church ladies like Perkins. But those are pluses, and as a general rule, anything or anyone Tony Perkins opposes is usually worth embracing.

But then there's that other guy in Tillerson's life who, for good reason, has inspired intense opposition  Vladimir Putin. Depending on who's talking, the two are best buddies or just business associates who were able to negotiate multibillion-dollar oil deals. We do know that Tillerson was awarded the Russian Order of Friendship medal a few years back, a high honor, especially in Moscow. He'd certainly be the first secretary of state to have received one. But before he gets the new job, he can expect to face fierce Senate opposition because of the impressions of his coziness with Putin. As huge as that issue is, it's really just part of a much bigger picture.

There's the lingering image of Donald and Vladimir as a bromantic item. It goes way further than the two exchanging gushy compliments. If leaks dribbling from those within the U.S. intelligence apparatus are to be believed, Vlad's Russian espionage engineered Trump's victory. Our computer spies say that theirs hacked Democratic emails and saw to it the damaging and embarrassing stuff was made public. It was part of a successful effort to defeat Hillary Clinton and elect Trump. Hillary is saying that Putin was out to get her. The real range of reasons could stretch from Putin despising Hillary to Donald being Putin's dupe or even Donald being a plant. Donny and his supporters predictably dismiss such speculation, using words like "ridiculous" and "hysterical," but those are just words. So do the Russians. Tellingly, the president-elect is avoiding his daily intel briefings. When discussions touch on Moscow's hacking, the distinct impression is that he drowns it out, maybe by putting his hands over his ears and shouting "lalalala" at the top of his lungs.

So we have the cyber intrusions, Tillerson's relationship with Putin and a variety of other, how shall I say it, red flags. There also Mike Flynn's dealings with RT, the Russian propaganda outlet. After retiring under pressure as an American general, Flynn had his own financial arrangements with Russia and was photographed sitting next to Putin at an RT dinner. Flynn will be Trump's national-security advisor.

Even some Republicans say there needs to be a comprehensive investigation by Congress. However, when you look closely, they seem to be trying to have it both ways, suggesting that it be conducted by intelligence committees, which means that any results would be shrouded in secrecy. Two exceptions are Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, but both can be dismissed as never seeing a saber they didn't want to rattle.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama says he's going to punish Russia, and he's told Putin in a call that he plans to do it. It would hardly be a surprise if Putin wasn't too worried, considering how likely it is the sanctions will be reversed once his guy takes over the White House in about a month.

There certainly are a lot of strange bedfellows here, which might explain why Tony Perkins is so agitated. He goes bonkers over anything that happens in bed.
Perhaps we can help you bring us together on the most important issue facing humankind. More than 97 percent of climate scientists have given you a flying start. Theyve proven that global warming is real, and we are causing it by burning too much fossil fuel. Backed by that scientific consensus, hopefully you can demonstrate your leadership ability by bringing climate change deniers and doubters on board. Eighteen U.S. scientific organizations and the National Academies of Science from 80 countries want to help you. They already support the consensus view.

Their scientists are joined by every major religious faith in officially acknowledging that human-caused climate change is not a hoax. Scroll down to see if your faith is among them at https://www.mtcares.org/welcome-to-mtcares/. Climate change and our reinforcement of it no more requires a belief to be real than does gravity. The damage were doing to the planet has not and will not spare the children of deniers, Democrats or Republicans. Since, faith leaders want to see the country unite, joining with them on this issue would be a good place to begin.

In your own political party, four (Republican) former Environmental Protection Agency administrators also know human-caused climate change is not a hoax. Please bring the rest of your faction together with them.

And those secret briefings youll now get? Many of us respect the generals involved. Their studies advise of threats to U.S. national security within the next 20 years posed by global warming: political instability, mass refugee migration, terrorism, or conflicts over water and other resources. They conclude that human-caused climate change is at least as great a threat to our security as terrorism. Surely we can be duty-bound together in support of our military and intelligence professionals from the National Intelligence Council (NIC) (classified study for Congress), Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Navel Analysis, CIA, U.S. Defense Department, and Institute for Strategic Studies.

Nobody wants to see projections from the World Bank and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change come true. They warn that unless we put the brakes on global warming, more economic migrants will be clamoring at our door as increased desertification and higher seas from melting ice help drive hundreds of millions from their homes to ours.

Oceans provide more than $20 trillion each year in goods and services. This bounty depends on the temperature of warming oceans and the concentration of acidifying carbon dioxide in them. Surely you do not want to see increased ocean acidification continue to destroy food sources for millions, or bleach more coral reefs adjacent to luxury hotels.

And the Paris Climate Accord you vowed to scuttle  the one all 195 participating UNFCCC member states and the European Union came together to unanimously support? Please dont rip that togetherness apart! All but Iraq, Syria, Uzbekistan and Nicaragua have followed-up by signing it. As of November 23, 2016, 114 nations completed the process with ratification. They comprise 78.96 percent of global CO2 emissions.

We understand we owe a debt to fossil fuel workers who built our world economy. They should not be disadvantaged because the world is transitioning to an economy where electricity from the wind and sun is now cheaper than electricity generated by fossil fuel. The Pew Research Centers May-June 2016 poll indicated support for renewable energy is overwhelming. It found 89 percent of us want more solar farms; 83 percent want more wind farms. Thus, fossil fuel workers will need climate justice along with those in countless areas becoming dryer or more riddled with the stronger cold and warm weather becoming the norm in our changing climate. We must care for fossil fuel workers, just as we need to look after the innumerable jobs in agricultural, ocean-food, ski, sport-fishing, tourism and other industries that will continue to be damaged if we warm the earth even more.

So be a great leader Mr. President-elect. Bring us together. Embrace the POWER+ plan put forth by President Obama to help coal communities find new routes to economic prosperity. Or champion similar measures suggested by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders which ease acceptance into the renewable energy economy. Humankind needs your bold leadership to survive!
Our country is committing generational discrimination with our elections. By their votes, young Americans (18-29) overwhelmingly reject most of the policies advanced by the right wing of the Republican Party, but the older citizens (45-65) vote for these candidates.

The problem is, the young folks are going to have to live with these policies for a much longer time than the old folks. For example, Trump and the right wingers are espousing huge tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, which will drive up the national debt, mostly impacting our youth. Environmental regulations that protect clean water and clean air are supported by young people, but the right wingers are out to cut them.

If they succeed, young people will pay the steepest price through poorer health and a weaker economy.

Of particular note is the movement by right wingers, led by Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, to overturn national monuments designated by Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Congress has rarely shown that it has the will or foresight to create a national park. Most of our great national parks began as national monuments designated by a president. Examples include Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Acadia, Olympic, Arches, Death Valley, Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic.
MISSOULA  Gov. Steve Bullock and First Lady Lisa Bullock have announced $29,905 in private grants for the Breakfast after the Bell initiative at nine schools.

They include schools in Lolo, Florence, Dixon, Drummond, Winifred, Helena, Lodge Grass, Gallatin Gateway and Great Falls.

Schools can use the funding to start new breakfast programs or convert existing programs to alternative models to increase student participation, such as "grab-and-go"  which is done at Kessler Elementary School in Helena  or breakfast in the classroom.

The money can be used to buy delivery carts, insulated food storage bags, breakfast service kiosks and point-of-sale systems, or to offset the costs of additional labor hours required during the transition to an alternative breakfast model.

Building a stronger, healthier future for all Montanans begins with making sure our children have all the resources they need to succeed, the governor said in a news release Monday. Kids cant learn, grow, and be successful if theyre starting their school days with an empty stomach. By partnering with more schools, community organizations, and businesses across the state, we can better prepare the next generation of Montanans to succeed down the road.

Montana schools saw a 16 percent participation rate in breakfast as part of the Child Nutrition School Program in 2015, according to the Office of Public Instruction. That's compared to 43 percent lunch participation.

Weve seen much higher participation in school breakfast when schools provide an alternative breakfast model, Lisa Bullock said in a news release. Serving breakfast in the classroom or offering a grab-and-go option helps students avoid feeling singled out, and its a convenient way to make sure they have the energy they need to focus on learning.

Research has shown that alternate breakfast models such as grab-and-go increase participation.

Grants are offered by Montana No Kid Hungry, and were made possible through support from the Walmart Foundation, Share our Strength, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, and Round It Up Montana.

In February, Montana No Kid Hungry and the Bullocks will offer another grant cycle for schools. More than $230,000 has been awarded to 66 Montana schools since fall 2014.
KALISPELL  A preliminary report suggests that invasive mussels have not moved into Montana water bodies beyond the Missouri River Basin.

The Flathead Beacon reports that Montana Mussel Incident response Team spokeswoman Jeni Flatow says lab results from 372 samples show no new detections of aquatic invasive mussels in Montana lakes or rivers, including the Flathead basin.

The preliminary results come after invasive mussels were found earlier this year in Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs. Since those detections, the state has formed a task force to handle the situation, including expediting water sample testing.

Invasive mussels rapidly multiply and can damage beaches, clog boat motors and dams, harm fish and wildlife and cause costly damage to infrastructure.
The richest countries aren't always the happiest. The three countries with the highest GDPU.S., China and Japanare all absent from the top 10.
ORIGINAL NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION

OneWest Bank N.A.

Plaintiff,

vs.

Parties in Possession; Unknown spouse, if any, of Verne Hanft; United States of America - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; United States of America - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; All Unknown Heirs, Devisees, or Claimants with an interest in Property of Vern R. Hanft, deceased; State of Iowa - Department of Revenue; State of Iowa - Department of Revenue; Parkview Condominium Association, et al.

Defendants.

You are notified that a petition has been filed in the office of this court naming you as a defendant in this action. The petition was filed on September 9, 2016, and prays for foreclosure of Plaintiffs mortgage in favor of the Plaintiff on the property described in this notice and judgment for the unpaid principal amount of $137,981.25, with 1.39% per annum interest thereon from June 25, 2007, together with late charges, advances and the costs of the action including (but not limited to) title costs and reasonable attorney's fees, as well as a request that said sums be declared a lien upon the following described premises from June 20, 2007, located in Muscatine county, Iowa:

THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED REAL ESTATE IN MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA:

UNIT B-2, OF PARKVIEW CONDOMINIUM, A HORIZONTAL PROPERTY REGIME IN MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA, ESTABLISHED BY A CONDOMINIUM DECLARATION DATED MARCH 5, 1980, AND RECORDED IN THE OFFICE OF THE RECORDER OF MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA, IN BOOK 290 OF LOTS, AT PAGE 977,

AND, AN UNDIVIDED 1/18TH INTEREST IN AND TO THE COMMON ELEMENTS AND LIMITED COMMON ELEMENTS APPURTENANT TO SAID UNIT, AS DESCRIBED IN THE CONDOMINIUM DECLARATION, AND SUBJECT TO THE EASEMENTS, RESTRICTIONS, COVENANTS, RIGHTS, OBLIGATIONS, ENCUMBRANCES, AND ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONDOMINIUM DECLARATION, AS AMENDED, AND THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BY-LAWS OF PARKVIEW CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, AN IOWA NONPROFIT CORPORATION

, commonly known as 2051 Heatherlynn Drive Apt B2, Muscatine, IA 52761 (the "Property")

The petition further prays that the mortgage on the above described real estate be foreclosed, that a special execution issue for the sale of as much of the mortgaged premises as is necessary to satisfy the judgment and for other relief as the Court deems just and equitable. For further details, please review the petition on file in the clerk's office. The Plaintiffs attorney is Emily Bartekoske, of SouthLaw, P.C.; whose address is 1401 50th Street, Suite 100, West Des Moines, IA 50266.

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 TWELVE MONTHS (OR SIX MONTHS IF THE PETITION INCLUDES A WAIVER OF DEFICIENCY JUDGMENT) FROM THE 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.

You must serve a motion or answer on or before 17th day of January, 2017, and within a reasonable time thereafter file your motion or answer with the Clerk of Court for Muscatine County, at the county courthouse in Muscatine, Iowa. If you do not, judgment by default may be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the petition.

If you require the assistance of auxiliary aids or services to participate in a court action because of a disability, immediately call your District ADA Coordinator at 563-326-8783. If you are hearing impaired, call Relay Iowa TTY at 1-800-735-2942.

This case has been filed in a county that utilizes electronic filing. You may find more information and general rules governing electronic filing in Iowa Court Rules Chapter 16. You may find information concerning protection of personal information in court filings in Iowa Court Rules Chapter 16, Division VI.

By: Jeff Tollenaer

CLERK OF THE ABOVE COURT

Muscatine County Courthouse

401 East 3rd Street,

Muscatine, IA 52761

IMPORTANT:

YOU ARE ADVISED TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE AT ONCE TO PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors approved a grant application for new tactical vests for the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office Special Response Team (SRT) and presented a service plaque to outgoing Supervisor Kas Kelly at the Monday morning meeting.

Muscatine County Sheriff C.J. Ryan said the grant application will be submitted to the Grain Processing Corporation for $40,956.80 for 16 new tactical ballistic vests and related materials.

"They've been big supporters of law enforcement and they said they'd be interested in stepping forward and helping out," he said.

Board Chair Jeff Sorensen presented Kelly with a plaque thanking her for 12 years of service to the county.

"Thank you Kas for your dedicated service, we'll miss you," he said.

Kelly served as a Muscatine County Supervisor from 2005 through 2016.

"I am honored an humbled to have been able to serve Muscatine County for the last 12 years," Kelly replied.

Howard said although they have not always agreed, he has appreciated his time serving with Kelly on the board.

"You've just played a huge role in making things, I think, better for the residents of Muscatine County," he said.

In other business, a public hearing has been set for 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9, on a request from Kenneth W. Ferris to rezone approximately 11.5 acres in Fulton Township from C-2 Commercial District to R-1 Residential District.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Area authors who have never been published are listed next to the names of veterans in the writing field in the new Writers on the Avenue (WOTA) collection of holiday-themed short stories and poems.

The new book, "Winter Holidays in the City of Pearls," is a slightly different version of the anthologies the group has been publishing for years. While other anthologies have consisted mostly of WOTA members' writing, and have not had such a cohesive theme, Misty Urban, the current president of the group, hopes the new collection will have a broader reach.

When Urban was selling some of the previous anthologies at the Second Saturday events, she noticed they did not have a very broad readership outside the friends and families of WOTA members.

"I wondered what kind of book would appeal to readers outside of just us, and most anthologies need to have a theme," she said.

Urban decided to talk to some small publishers and asked how they worked on anthologies, and developed a plan to frame the collection around the holidays.

"Everybody loves the holidays, it's such a nice way to get in the spirit, and I noticed the group hadn't done anything like that so I thought why not try it?" she said.

The group opened up submissions to all authors in Muscatine and the region, and broadened the theme to winter holidays rather than only Christmas, which not everyone celebrates. An editorial board reviewed the submissions, asked authors to revise, and rejected those they felt would not fit with the anthology.

Urban said pieces were selected for the tone, and for how well they fit into the theme of the book.

"It wasn't just kind of a cookie cutter holiday expression, there was something real and honest in it, and that's what drew us to the pieces we selected, ultimately," she said.

Urban said being able to help authors who have not been published previously introduce their work is important to her, so seeing new authors published next to those who are more well-established is a good feeling.

"I love it, I love it so much," she said. "A cause very close to my heart as a creative writing teacher is to foster young writers."

Helping those new writers has been part of her focus as president of the group, Urban said.

"That's been one of my chief goals with my involvement in Writers on the Avenue is not just supporting the writers that are already there, but opening up what the group does and reaching more people," she said. "Encouraging those who need a little extra encouragement."

Elaine Rochevot is one of those new writers, and she had her first piece, "Finding a Real Family," published in the anthology.

As the title suggests, Rochevot said the piece is about her search for family, and how she discovered one at the Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA). She said Becky Whitmore, a volunteer at MCSA, encouraged her to write and submit the piece.

Rochevot said she was happy to learn she was selected to be part of the collection.

"Surprised, but very proud," she said.

Another author published in the anthology, Judy Haskins, has been writing for several years and also created the painting featured on the cover. Her short story, "A Most Memorable Christmas Eve," appears in the first part of the collection, "Celebrating Family," as she remembers a family Christmas through the eyes of her 11-year-old self.

"I usually write about things I know," Haskins said. "I write about life experiences, I write about things I see, beauty in nature, different things like that."

Denise Smith has several poems and short stories in the anthology, and said she and other writers are proud of how the final printed book came together.

"It's just a little of everything, you know, fiction stories, real life stories," Smith said. "There's a little poetry, recipes, I just think it's a great book."

The proceeds from the book go toward WOTA, a nonprofit organization working to support local writers and literary arts in Muscatine and the surrounding area.

For more information about Writers on the Avenue, visit https://writersontheavenue.wordpress.com/.
LETTS, Iowa  Members of the administration team at the LM school district can retire this year if they are older than 55, and have worked at the district full-time for at least 10 years. The plan is a departure from previous retirement plans where the condition for retirement was a 15 years of full-time work.

According to the new plan, the district will pay those who choose to retire one-fourth of their current salary up to a maximum of $15,000. The district will pay retirees one-fifth of their salary each year for the next three years, but the board will have to vote on these payments.

Administration team members who want to retire using this plan must submit their application by January 6, 2017.

Superintendent Mike Van Sickle said the move will save the district money and will show the districts appreciation to its long-serving administration team members.

Vice President Pam Lee took issue with the 10 year condition.

Were moving in a direction that I am not familiar with other districts doing. I have not heard of 10 year retirement incentive from other districts and I think we need to be very careful when were given stuff as a board, she said, adding that when the board discussed other retirement plans, there was always discussion of what other school districts in the area are doing.

But this measure deviates from what other schools in the district do, she said, and it wasnt immediately apparent.

I think that were in a slippery slope when whats presented to us is selectively presented as this is what schools do and then the next time when its not what anybody does not saying that, she said.

Van Sickle responded the board has deviated in the past from what other school districts are doing.

In reference to compare and contrast with other districts, we do not do what many districts do all the time. Not very many districts have a retirement set thing in their board policy, he said, adding that boards create different retirement packages for different years.

He also said the board will be able to create modified plans in future years

The measure passed 4-1 with Lee voting against the measure.

In other business:

-The board granted permission to seek bids for a wheelchair accessible bus, which will have a lift. Van Sickle said the district has one such bus but it is very old. The board will review the bids in a future meeting.

-The board approved the expansion of preschool for 4 year olds from a half-day to a full day. For that purpose, the Louisa-Muscatine School District will hire a third preschool teacher for the 2017-2018 academic year. Lee said a full-day schedule could potentially attract new students to the district.
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 []
BERLIN  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that German authorities said came right out of the extremist groups playbook, inflicting mass casualties on a soft target fraught with symbolic meaning.

The Monday night attack on the popular market by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of former West Berlin left 12 dead and 48 injured  the first mass casualty attack by Islamic extremists carried out on German soil. German security forces were still hunting for the perpetrator after releasing a man from custody for lack of evidence.

The claim of responsibility carried on the Islamic State groups Amaq news agency described the man seen fleeing from the truck as a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition.

Germany is not involved in anti-ISIS combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they had released a man picked up near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck.

The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, was taken into custody based on a description from witnesses of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled after the attack.

Even before his release, officials had expressed doubt the man was behind the attack.

We may still have a dangerous criminal out there, warned Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt, whose office urged people to be particularly vigilant and report suspicious movement using a special hotline.

Though Germany had not seen any successful mass-casualty Islamic extremist attacks until Monday, attempts and recent attacks in neighboring France and Belgium had made many feel it was inevitable.

Weve all been prepared that something like this could happen, so we were not surprised, said economics student Maximilian Much.

The 24-year-old Berliner said the attack hit home because hed often visited the Christmas market with his girlfriend, but that he wouldnt let himself be led by emotion.

Im not going to change my life style now, he said. The chances that I get killed in a car or bike accident are bigger.

Germanys top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the popular market was reminiscent of Julys deadly truck rampage in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group.

There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations, Frank said.

The man arrested near the scene denied any involvement in the attack. Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of a calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

Prosecutors said they decided to release him after turning up no forensic evidence proving he was in the trucks cab during the rampage, and no witnesses who were able to follow him from the scene to where he was picked up.

Among the injured was Inaki Ellakuria, who underwent surgery Tuesday for a broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He said he knew immediately it was no accident.

It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally, the 21-year-old student from Spain tweeted only minutes after the attack. It has swept me and ran over both of my legs.

Juan Jose Ellakuria told the Associated Press his son also suffered broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip.

Hes come out of surgery and hes making good progress, Ellakuria said.

Frank, the German prosecutor, said there were still a lot of unanswered questions.

We dont know for sure whether it was one or several perpetrators, he said. We dont know for sure whether he, or they, had support. These investigations arent concluded yet.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it hurtled through the market for 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before finally coming to a stop near the 19th-century church, which was badly damaged in World War II bombing but left standing as a memorial to the destruction of the war.

The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office said authorities had yet to find a pistol that is believed to have been used to kill the Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

The Polish owner of the truck, Ariel Zurawski, said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and he told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

They must have done something to my driver, he told TVN24.

Germany ordered flags flown at half-staff on government buildings across the country, and in Berlin the national and city flags were projected onto the Brandenburg Gate in tribute to the victims.

Authorities said that in addition to the Polish truck driver, six of the people killed were German but the others have not yet been identified.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 were wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday nights attack, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel for what happened.

Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security, wrote Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party.

The attack also raised concerns of a possible backlash.

No question, the atmosphere in this country will change and become more tense. People will be more afraid now, said Tarik Elsayed, the 22-year-old German-born son of Egyptian parents.

Of course, as an Arab I will get more hostile looks, it will get only worse now.

But Tarek Elmasoudi, an Egyptian asylum-seeker, said he wasnt afraid of repercussions. The Germans are very nice and I want to stay here.

Already under pressure for the huge influx of migrants, Merkel addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany, Merkel said in a nationally televised statement.

This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country.

Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, arent among us anymore, she said. A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives.
ANKARA, Turkey  The event was routine enough  the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia  and when a man on stage pulled out a gun I thought it was a theatrical flourish.

It was anything but. Moments later the Russian ambassador was sprawled on the floor and the attacker was waving his gun at the rest of us, shouting slogans. He shot the ambassador at least once more at close range and smashed some of the framed photos on the wall. In all there were at least eight shots.

Guests ran for cover, hiding behind columns and under tables. I composed myself enough to shoot pictures.

___

EDITOR'S NOTE: Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici was covering a photo exhibition when a gunman opened fire, assassinating Russia's ambassador to Turkey. He recounts the chaos that unfolded as he captured the scene.

___

"Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria!" the gunman shouted in Turkish, referring to the Syrian city where Russian bombardments have helped drive rebels from areas they had occupied for years during the war. He also shouted "Allahu akbar" but I couldn't understand the rest of what he said in Arabic.

Authorities would later confirm that Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was dead. The gunman, identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, was killed after a 15-minute shootout.

Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici was covering a photo exhibition in Ankara when a gunman opened fire, assassinating Russia's ambassador to Turkey. He recounts the chaos that unfolded as he captured the scene.
LINCOLN, Neb.  A Nebraska group said it is working with its founder, Gov. Pete Ricketts, to eliminate what it considers cumbersome job-licensing requirements that create a drag on the state economy.

The Platte Institute for Economic Research unveiled a campaign that will evaluate the nearly 200 occupations in Nebraska that require a license. The free-market think tank has met with Ricketts to craft a package of licensing changes for next years legislative session.

Occupational licensing is the biggest labor force issue in our country today, affecting one in four workers, said Jim Vokal, the groups CEO. ... Its such a big issue that Nebraskans need permission from the government to work nearly 200 different types of jobs.

Vokal said Nebraska needs to make its job licensing requirements similar to or less restrictive than those of nearby states, and should take steps to recognize similar professional licenses from other states.

The Strong Jobs Nebraska campaign features entrepreneurs whose businesses struggled because of state or local regulations. The group includes a banquet hall owner who tried to open a food truck business in Lincoln; a reflexology specialist who chose to work in Council Bluffs, Iowa, instead of Omaha; and a massage therapist who chose Iowa over Nebraska because of regulations.

Some industry leaders say the regulations protect consumers and ensure a level playing field with other businesses. In 2013, Lincoln city officials proposed new rules that would let food trucks park at some downtown meters. Currently, theyre restricted to private property.

The Nebraska Restaurant Association objected, arguing that food truck vendors could park right next to brick-and-mortar establishments that have to pay taxes and fees and comply with city building codes.

Were not necessarily opposed to food trucks, said Jim Partington, the restaurant associations executive director. They fill a legitimate need. But they should maintain the same standards of food safety and comply with safety regulations. And they shouldnt be able to park outside a brick-and-mortar restaurant thats paying thousands of dollars a year in property taxes.

Food truck vendors also scoffed at the plan, which would have required them to deal with more fees, paperwork, insurance requirements and access to a limited number of public spots. The proposal would have imposed a 24-hour time limit to keep them from hogging a parking spot.

Licensing reforms play an important role in keeping more college graduates in Nebraska, said Sen. Nicole Fox of Omaha.

Theyre leaving for work in other states where licensing requirements in other states are less cumbersome, said Fox, who will become a lobbyist for the Platte Institute after leaving office in January.

Fox pointed to a law she sponsored earlier this year that eliminated licensing requirements for natural hair braiding services. The issue came to her attention from a constituent who had opened a hair braiding business without a cosmetology license. In Nebraska, the license requires 2,100 hours of training at a cost of roughly $20,000.

Now, instead of the state of Nebraska considering me a felon, I am a hair-braiding entrepreneur, said Brandy McMorris of Omaha, who braided hair for money before realizing that she had violated state law.

The Platte Institute was founded by Ricketts before he became governor, but Ricketts has said he cut ties with the group before he was elected.

A spokesman for Ricketts said the governor will unveil several new proposals in his annual address to lawmakers, some of which will aim at cutting red tape and reducing the size of state government.
The Upper Napa Valley Republican Women Federated will host Tom Del Beccaro for lunch on Monday, Jan. 9 at the upstairs dining room at Cindys Backstreet Kitchen, 1327 Railroad Ave. in St. Helena.

The Meet & Greet begins at 11:30 a.m., with the luncheon beginning at noon.

Del Beccaro is a contributor for Forbes and the former chairman of the California Republican Party. He is the publisher of PoliticalVanguard.com, author of The Divided Era, The New Conservative Paradigm, first and second editions, as well as a frequent talk radio and television commentator.

His opinion pieces and articles also have appeared in places like Investors Business Daily, Realclearpolitics.com, The Weekly Standard, Politico, The DailyCaller.com, USA Today, the Washington Times, Human Events, the Sacramento Bee, The Orange County Register, The San Francisco Chronicle, BigGovernment.com & Breitbart.com.

Del Baccaro has appeared on Fox Business News and the Wall Street Journals Opinion Journal, as well as television programs throughout California. For the last six years, Del Baccaro has made over 125 radio appearances a year across the country, including California, New York, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Colorado, and national shows such as Lars Larson and the Dennis Prager Show.

Those varied perspectives uniquely position Del Baccaro to hear the pulse of politics all the way from the grassroots to Presidential candidates, and legislators in between. According to Frank Luntz, Del Baccaros new book, The Divided Era could define the next presidential election.

Cost of lunch is $27, which includes main course, dessert, iced tea or coffee. All other beverages are no-host. Reservations are required and the deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 4. Make reservations with Bev Borges, 963-3148. No late reservations will be accepted. Guests are welcome.

For club information, contact Dee Cuney, 235-2902.
Looking for inspiration for your holiday desserts? Look to artists, says Stephen Durfee, longtime instructor in the baking and pastry program at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

That's the assignment he gave to a group of students on a recent Monday afternoon. The next day, he explained, in groups of two, they'd be visiting different artists in Napa Valley.

On Wednesday, they'd devise a dessert inspired by what they saw -- and that night they'd serve their creations to the artists.

The students were still finishing their creations when the seven artists arrived at the St. Helena campus of the CIA.

Are you familiar with the Bouquets to Arts exhibit at the de Young museum, where floral designers create beautiful flower arrangements that are inspired by works of art? I've borrowed this concept for my pastry design class - student teams are paired with a local artist, spend a morning in the artist's studio to learn about their style and overall philosophy, then come back to the kitchen to create a plated dessert that reflect's their artist's style. It's a neat project - we've worked with Napa Valley painters, sculptors, musicians, print makers, potters, landscape architects...even florists.

The resulting desserts have been interesting and the students have totally embraced the concept.
Just weeks after one key downtown parcel was listed for sale, a second parcel on the same block has also been made available to a possible new owner.

The property, located at 1400 Clay St., on the north side of the downtown business district, is the site of a former WestAmerica bank branch. It is currently occupied by offices for the Napa Valley Film Festival. The asking price was not disclosed.

Owned and listed for sale by Mae C. Woo of San Francisco, the parcel is approximately one acre in size.

Woo had previously listed the parcel for sale in February.

On the west side of the same block, a parcel home to the Malloy Imrie & Vasconi Insurance Services is for sale for $3.7 million. That lot, 1584 Clay St., is about a half acre.

Having both parcels for sale at the same time is great timing, said Randy Gularte, the listing broker for the Imrie property.

Now someone can come in and basically develop the whole block, he said. The only obstacles remaining are two smaller parcels home to a noodle shop and single-family home.

The availability of both 1584 and 1400 Clay St. presents an opportunity for greater creativity, in terms of what could be done with the larger space, said Gularte.

The block is located directly across from a $100 million downtown redevelopment project on First Street called First Street Napa.

Gularte estimated that the Woo lot could possibly sell for $155 per square foot or $6.7 million.

Gularte said he was sure that whoever buys the Imrie lot would want to consider 1400 Clay St. as well. The possibility of buying both lots changes the kind of buyer who could now be interested, he said.

A San Francisco or Bay Area buyer could come in with more creative ideas than your standard local buyer, he said.

Now that both lots are available, people are now going to switch gears a little bit, Gularte said. The big question may be: How do I tie up both properties to develop at the same time?

Gularte said there is interest in the Imrie property. Offers will be considered on Jan. 25, he said.

Barry McComic, a San Diego-based developer, is already involved in a number of projects in the immediate area. He said he will make an offer on the former Safeway property at Clay and Jefferson streets, is hoping to work on the City Hall redevelopment project and plans to make an offer on the Imrie property.

McComic said hed be interested in 1400 Clay St. But when hes talked to Woo in the past, he didnt get the impression that she really wanted to sell the property.

In order to make a deal shes going to have to be a willing seller, he said last week.

McComic estimated that the value of the property could be about $100 per square foot or $4.3 million.

Next to the Woo commercial property is a parcel owned by Michael L. Holcomb and partners, with a noodle restaurant the tenant. Holcomb said he also wondered if the Woo lot was really for sale or if it was just speculation.

Ive found it impossible to work with Mae Woo, Holcomb said. Shes a nice lady, but she doesnt know what she wants.

He thought the 1400 Clay St. property could sell for $95 per square foot, or $4.1 million.

Woo could not be reached for a comment on her listing.

A single-family home also remains on the block. McComic said that it is likely inevitable that the home and the current commercial structures on the block would eventually be removed to make way for the redevelopment of the block.

Anyone can look at a piece of property like that and say its underutilized, he said.

In February, Rick Tooker, Napa city community development director, noted that the block has been the target of development interests in the recent past.

As part of the larger block, the Woo property provides an excellent opportunity for a mix of limited commercial/office uses (on the north and south ends) and residential uses adjacent to Blue Oak (School) and the residential neighborhood to the west/north-west, he said.

However, The property and larger block is not on the proverbial main street, so this is not a location where a hotel or more intense commercial (use) would be appropriate, Tooker said earlier this year.
Waving signs and chanting slogans like We reject/ the president elect, a group of about 70 Napans marched through several downtown blocks at mid-day Monday.

The group, called Rise Up, Napa (RUN), began and ended its march at Veterans Memorial Park on Main Street.

RUN supporters chose Monday for their protest because it was the day the Electoral College cast its ballots to officially select Donald Trump the next U.S. president.

Our mission is to protest the electors who may cast their ballots for Trump and to stand up against hate, discrimination, and intolerance, wrote one of the organizers, Ermilita Bruce Gulliksen, in an email to the Register.

After sharing some initial remarks via a portable microphone, the group, with some marchers pushing strollers or walking with children, wound its way out of the park towards Third Street.

Love not hate/ makes America great, they chanted, walking up Third Street past a real estate office and the old courthouse.

Pedestrians and drivers paused to take in the group.

Were people/united/and were going to fight it, the marchers chanted.

Some people honked horns in support, but not everyone was persuaded.

A man driving a car on Second Street shouted an obscenity at the protesters.

Oh, liberals, said a female pedestrian crossing the sidewalk on Main Street.

RUN was created due to the surprising post-election results, wrote Bruce Gulliksen.

Its members are primarily Napa mothers who have organized for our childrens future, she wrote. We need to stand up for each other, protect our communities, and stand up for injustices, and intolerances that may potentially happen during the Trump reign.

In addition, We want to spread the word that there are like-minded people like us in town.

After the presidential election, we were feeling confused and angry, said another RUN organizer, Leslie Lew of Napa.

It hasnt gotten any better since then, she said. President-elect Trumps cabinet choices are frightening, Lew said.

We have a president who doesnt represent our beliefs including human rights, civil rights, tolerance and inclusion, said another RUN organizer, Jennifer Simi.

I realized complacency is no longer an option. We have to get off our couches and out of our houses and organize to stand up for what we believe, said Simi. This is not politics as usual.

Speaking for her children, Simi said, I want them to grow up in a world that believes in tolerance.

Im not going to just sit around and let the president spread all this hate, said Jordan Simi, an eighth grader from Napa.

I dont stand for what this president says and does, said Tessa Tibbits, also in eighth grade. Its not something I want to go along with.

Electing a president reminiscent of a James Bond villain or a character from a bad action movie  it seems like something youd read in a science fiction book, said eighth grader Ike Rubin.

Beth Mattei of Napa said she came to the march to support the RUN group.

She wished the Electoral College would vote for somebody whos fit for the office, not a demagogue and possibly under the influence of a foreign power.

Holding the hand of his young daughter, Napa resident Justin Godey said he came to the protest because were scared about some of the directions this country could be going. Theres been a lot of hate and intolerance. Thats not the United States I want to live in.

The RUN group will continue to have more events, said Simi. As of Monday, specific dates or plans have yet to be announced.
A Volunteer Rally will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the Clif Family tasting room, Velo Vino, 709 Main St. in St. Helena.

The community is invited to gather for socializing and learning about numerous volunteer opportunities. Community groups in attendance will include the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership Marin-Napa, Girls on the Run Napa & Solano County, Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch, Land Trust of Napa County, Napa Bike Coalition, Napa Valley Vine Trail, Nimbus Arts, St. Helena Farmers Market and Sunrise Horse Rescue. Guests will be encouraged to find new ways to get involved and give back in 2017.

The Bruschetteria Food Truck and Velo Vino will also be open for dinner service during the event.

The Volunteer Rally is an expansion of Clif Familys local community program called Sip & Support. Launched in 2013, the program features one Clif Family community partner each month to promote their initiatives through dinners, concerts and bike rides at their tasting room Velo Vino in St. Helena. Twenty percent of the proceeds from these events go back to the groups.

Clif Family Winery & Farm was started in 2004. Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, the founders and co-owners of Clif Bar & Company founded Clif Family Winery as a way to bring together their passion for food, family and adventure.
Five years ago, while visiting a remote island in the Philippines, Agnes Pease of Angwin encountered a family whose son was having a seizure. It was an experience she would long remember.

He was lying on the ground and his skin was covered in cellulitis, the worst case I had ever seen, Pease remembered. And they were shaking the boy, to get him to stop his seizure.

Pease, who had served nine years in the Navy as a medical technician, told them to stop. Then she held the boy in her arms to comfort him until his seizure was over.

She told the family they needed to get the boy to a doctor. She gave them some money to help them with the cost of conveying the lad, but later discovered that the family had not followed through.

It was too expensive for them, she recalled. They would have had to take him by outrigger to get him to a doctor.

Because Pease knew something about medicine, the villagers asked her to help with other ailments. Pease asked them to bring their first-aid kit, but what she found was just a rusty old metal box with little of use inside.

The Angwin woman had grown up in a part of Metro Manila but said, Id never seen that level of poverty. And so I started thinking about ways to help.

I want these villages to have a good first-aid kit, she said. And to get some basic medical training so they might better be able to take care of themselves. I want them to rely upon themselves for basic medical care.

Pease, a longtime resident of Angwin and a physical therapist, is the owner of the Napa Valley Tea Company. She is a certified Level III Tea Master and sells her uniquely blended teas at the farmers markets up and down the Napa Valley. At the same time, she promotes her personal cause for the Philippine villagers on the remote islands.

People at the farmers markets who place money into her tip jar are told that it will go toward buying and distributing medical kits to villages such as that island she visited in the Philippines. As that tip jar has filled, she says, shes separated out the money for that purpose. But now shes at a critical juncture in her mission.

Right now I need advice and connections to help me find ways to purchase the kits and get them distributed where theyre needed. Someday I want to start a nonprofit to help. But right now I need to focus on my business, and most of all I need to connect to people or organizations that can help me get kits to the islands.

Pease said the best way to connect with her is via email at agnes@napavalleyteacompany.com. Or stop by her booth at the Calistoga Farmers Market, adjacent to the Calistoga Police Department, held every Saturday morning.
The oldest retailer in Sonoma County has arrived in downtown St. Helena.

E.R. Sawyer Jewelers opened Dec. 3 at 1343 Main St., previously occupied by Davids Jewelers.

Owners Doug and Ame Van Dyke of Santa Rosa said they want the St. Helena store to be known as a warm, approachable business thats involved in the community and offers amenities such as appraisals and in-house jewelry repair that appeal to locals as much as tourists.

Were approachable  and we carry product thats approachable to all levels, not just an affluent tourist, said Doug Van Dyke. We really are locally minded and locally based.

As for the community involvement, the Van Dykes like to focus on things that involve families, women and children in need, and schools, Ame Van Dyke said.

At the other store (in Santa Rosa) we get 20 requests a day, and we try to fulfill them all in some way, shape or form, she said.

E.R. Sawyer Jewelers was established in downtown Santa Rosa in 1879. Doug Van Dykes family acquired it in 1949, and its now the oldest retailer in Sonoma County.

It survived the earthquakes and the wars and the depressions and all the other ups and downs, he said.

The Van Dykes said jeweler David Clark contacted them about taking over his store in St. Helena. The space already had a use permit for a jewelry store, which allowed the Van Dykes to move in without applying for a new one.

They bought Clarks lease and some of his old equipment, such as display cases and shop equipment, but the merchandise is all theirs  including the line of gold, silver and other metals shaped like anatomically correct leaves of grape varietals such as chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.

We got leaves from some of our friends vineyards, and our goldsmiths duplicated all the veins, Doug Van Dyke said.

Our goal is to have two to three full-time goldsmiths here, the same as we do in Santa Rosa, he added.

Since opening in St. Helena, the Van Dykes have done a lot of watch repairs. The Santa Rosa store is about 60 percent sales and 40 percent repair and custom work, and while its too early to guess what the ratio will be in St. Helena, the Van Dykes expect repair and service to be a major component of their business.

Ame Van Dyke invited people to visit the store.

We have coffee, we have wine, she said. We like people to come in and say hello  its not all about the purchase.
Sunday, Dec. 4

1324  Report of a woman screaming and talking to herself on a bench on Railroad Avenue.

1358  Report of a man stumbling and punching traffic cones on Highway 29 near Whitehall Lane. Police arrested the 25-year-old Woodland man on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs.

Monday, Dec. 5

0949  Report of drug activity on Grayson Avenue.

1230  Report of a very agitated woman screaming in Lyman Park.

2310  Following a traffic stop at Main/Grayson, police arrested a 44-year-old Davis woman on suspicion of DUI.

Tuesday, Dec. 6

1132  A citizen reported fraudulent charges on her credit card.

1410  Report of a suspicious black Cadillac parked on Chiles Avenue for the last few weeks. Police confirmed it belonged to someone in the area.

1413  Police took a petty theft report.

1457  Police on Adams Street arrested a 65-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of public intoxication.

Wednesday, Dec. 7

0120  Following a traffic stop at Main/Elmhurst, police arrested a 26-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of DUI.

0123  Medical aid for a sick person on McCorkle Avenue.

0605  Non-injury accident at Pope/College.

0658  A citizen reported that someone fraudulently ordered a cell phone in their name. The phone was shipped to San Jose.

1118  A suspicious woman who was not a student was seen acting strangely in a girls locker room on Grayson Avenue. Police searched the area and took a report.

1807  Police arrested a 22-year-old St. Helena woman for an outstanding Napa County warrant.

1953  Report of dogs barking on Chiles Avenue for the last few hours.

Thursday, Dec. 8

0623  Police responded to a two-car accident at Main/Pratt.

1600  Report of a rental truck parked in the wrong direction on Stockton Street and blocking a bus that was trying to drop off students. The truck was moved out of the way.

Friday, Dec. 9

0740  Police went to the primary school for Bagels and Buddies.

0810  Report of a suspicious man on Fulton Lane.

0830  Report of a suspicious man in City Hall rambling to the staff about Taylor Swift. He left before police arrived.

0950  Report of a car blocking a driveway on Main Street.

1114  Non-injury hit-and-run in the 1800 block of Main Street.

1220  A man who had threatened an employee at an Adams Street business the other day had reportedly just returned to the business. He left, but the caller wanted police to be aware in case he comes back.

1603  An Allison Avenue resident was receiving fraudulent calls from people claiming to be debt collectors and threatening that immigration officers will come out if the debt is not paid.

1626  A parked car was vandalized on Grayson Avenue.

Saturday, Dec. 10

0745  Packages were reported missing from Madrona Avenue around Thanksgiving.

0749  A suspicious man was seen at an empty house on Friday.

0947  Police assisted with a child custody exchange.

1223  A Grayson Avenue resident said his mother came back to his house last night even though she is not welcome there. Police talked to him about getting a restraining order, and advised them to call them right away if she comes back.

1345  Police cited a car that was blocking a driveway on Edwards Street.

2357  Police responded to a loud party in a garage on Brown Street.

Sunday, Dec. 11

0523  A Grayson Avenue resident reported that someone is ringing his doorbell. He suspected it was his mother, who was not welcome at his house. Police arrested the 43-year-old Napa woman on suspicion of public intoxication.

1158  Report of a silver Porsche speeding on Spring Street.

1233  Report of an older black lab roaming around the Vineyard/Hillview area.

1316  A caller reported capturing a brown Chihuahua who had been running around near Main Street.

1437  A yellow lab was reported missing from Chiles Avenue.

2029  Report of someone trespassing on a Main Street property. Police arrested a 17-year-old St. Helena resident on suspicion of trespassing and possession of marijuana.

Monday, Dec. 12

0056  Report of a golden retriever running loose on Grayson Avenue.

0953  A package was reported stolen from Spring Street on Dec. 5.

1433  A Scott Street resident said a suspicious man dressed in orange came into his yard and told him he had to move his play structure for some kind of survey. The man could not produce a business card or identification, and he soon left in a silver Ford SUV.

Tuesday, Dec. 13

0914  A citizen reported that someone had opened credit card accounts in his name. Police took a fraud report.

1025  There was an accident in the elm tunnel that left one disabled car blocking the southbound lane.

1034  Report of an ongoing problem with dogs howling and barking constantly on Spring Mountain Road.

1251  Medical aid for a woman who tripped over Christmas gifts on Pine Street and hurt her leg.

1309  Students at the St. Helena Catholic School asked to file a missing persons report for Ginger, a small man made from a cookie-like bread with candy buttons.

1942  Police arrested a 37-year-old Fairfield man on suspicion of vehicle theft, violation of a restraining order, and violation of probation.

Wednesday, Dec. 14

0401  Report of a pickup unable to maintain its lane on Highway 29 near Ehlers Lane.

0656  A Hunt Avenue resident discovered that someone had rifled through her unlocked car and stolen her wallet.

1033  Drills, plumbing tools and an air compressor were stolen from a tool box attached to a truck on Hunt Avenue. The thief had also tried to get into the trucks cab.

1102  A local employee received a fraudulent call from a man claiming to represent PG&E. The man said there was an overdue bill and threatened to cut off service unless $940 in cash was paid within the hour. He told the employee to make the payment at the Rite Aid in Napa or Sonoma. The employee didnt fall for it.

Thursday, Dec. 15

0855  A plastic credit card holder was reported lost on Dec. 13. Its owner had been shopping near Main/Spring.

0912  A car was reported stolen from Signorelli Circle. Police determined the report was unfounded.

1115  Report of an ongoing problem with a gray pit bull roaming the neighborhood near Charter Oak/Allison.

1327  A caller requested extra patrol in the Spring Mountain/Hillview area, due to cars speeding in the rain.

1636  Police found a small rock slide at the edge of Silverado Trail near Howell Mountain Road.

1745  Part of a temporary cyclone fence had blown over and was lying partially in the roadway on Highway 29 in south St. Helena.

1801  Report of a disabled car partially blocking the road near Silverado Trail and Pratt Avenue.

1838  Officers found flooding on upper Sylvaner and Spring Street.

2123  Police saw a suspicious car leaving an Adams Street parking lot.

2152  Report of an intoxicated man driving away from a local restaurant. Police arrested the 36-year-old Houston man on suspicion of DUI.

2224  Public Works was notified of sewage backing up into a house on Charter Oak Avenue.

Friday, Dec. 16

0212  Police found someone smoking at Lewis Station Park. The officer said the park was closed, and the person agreed to move on.

0840  Non-injury accident involving a parked car on Mitchell Drive.

0939  Report of a reckless driver weaving and trying to pass illegally on Oakville Cross Road.

1029  A goldendoodle was reported missing.

1317  Police assisted with a child custody exchange.

1322  Medical aid for an elderly fall victim on Mitchell Drive.

1627  Report of kids trespassing on the roof of a Quonset hut on Adams Street. Police checked the area.

1642  A Hunt Avenue resident reported hearing someone in her backyard the last few nights.

1856  A woman said a local jeweler had lost a ring shed taken to the jewelry store to have cleaned. She eventually found the ring in her pocket.

Saturday, Dec. 17

0933  A caller requested extra patrol near Charter Oak Avenue and Main Street because cars werent stopping for pedestrians.

1032  Report of a man screaming nonsense and filming the incident on Main Street. He left in a green Explorer.

1114  Report of a short-haired shepherd mix running loose near Starr/Pope. It was gone when police arrived.

1131  Report of a man walking down the street carrying a bag and picking peoples fruit near Park Street and Pratt Avenue. Police arrested the man on suspicion of felony burglary.

1258  Police took a petty theft report at a local hotel.

1342  An unoccupied parked car rolled backward and hit another unoccupied parked car on Main Street. Nobody was hurt.

1903  A man reportedly walked out of a Hunt Avenue store carrying a bag of groceries he hadnt paid for. Police took a petty theft report.

Sunday, Dec. 18

0458  The fire department responded to a fire alarm at a Kearney Street house. A painters rag had been left on a vent and caught on fire.

0921  Public Works was notified of water gushing from a water fountain in Crane Park.

1141  Another water fountain was spewing water on Crinella Drive.

1222  Report of a possible water leak coming from the roof of a Main Street building.

Monday, Dec. 19

0922  Non-injury accident on Silverado Trail.

1141  Medical aid for a fall victim on Pope Street.

1202  Police assisted a caller who said she has a history of drug use and is trying to get into rehab.

1318  Report of a dog barking for the last 20 minutes on Stockton Street.

1526  Report of three illegal leaf blowers being used on Boyson Lane.

2106  Report of a possible domestic disturbance on McCorkle Avenue, with yelling, crying and banging on the walls. Police found people gathered for a prayer group. Everything was fine.

Tuesday, Dec. 20

0122  Police arrested a 31-year-old St. Helena man on suspicion of DUI.

0422  Report of loud machinery on Voorhees Circle. Police determined it was just a garbage truck.
This historic agreement builds on the strength and depth of the Australia-France defence relationship and is another significant step forward for Australias Future Submarine Program, Minister Payne said.



Australias 2016 Defence White Paper established the need for a highly sophisticated and regionally superior submarine fleet. This fleet will, with the assistance of France, be built in Australia. The agreement signed today will enable France to transfer cutting-edge skills, knowledge and technology to the Australian Government and Australian industry to achieve a sovereign operational and sustainment submarine capability in Australia.



Underpinning Australias long-term partnership with French company DCNS for the design and build of Australias future submarines, the agreement also recognises the importance of maximising Australian industry involvement in the Future Submarine Program, including through deepening partnerships between Australian and French defence suppliers. This will drive innovation, jobs and economic growth right across Australia.
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As you may recall, UC Santa Cruz is establishing a center in Scotts Valley to support approximately 370 staff from the divisions of Business and Administrative Services, Information Technology Services, and University Relations. UC Santa Cruz signed a 20-year lease for two three-floor modules at the Enterprise Technology Centre in Scotts Valley.

The move is on schedule and will occur in phases beginning this month and going through March.

University Relations staff based at the 2155 Delaware Ave. building are scheduled to move first, during the last week of December.

Staff in Information Technology Services (ITS), Internal Audit, the Real Estate Office (REO), BAS Operations and Resource Management and Vice Chancellors office, and Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services (CHES) are scheduled to move next, with the move expected to be complete in mid-January.

Staff Human Resources will move at the end of January.

Business and Administrative Services staff in Financial Affairs will move in early March.

Bringing hundreds of staff members together will better support collaboration across divisions. This change will necessitate the better use of technology for meetings so that participants can be fully engaged regardless of location.

UC has signed a systemwide contract with a video teleconferencing service, called Zoom, that along with Google Hangouts and other videoconferencing software will enable virtual meetings between employees in any location, reducing the need to drive between locations. A workgroup has created a useful guide in order to help ease the transition to utilizing more teleconferencing.

The Scotts Valley Center project frees up space at 2300 Delaware Ave., a university-owned building that will be used for much-needed academic and research-oriented space for the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences, the Baskin School of Engineering, and the Division of the Arts. Renovation work has already begun, with researchers moving in over the next several years.
New Delhi [India], Dec 20 (ANI-BusinessWireIndia): TrademarKing.in, India's leading trademark search engine has announced the launch of India's first automated trademark monitoring platform. Established business owners, manufacturers and new startups can register to this service for cost-free until 31st January 2017 to monitor their brand names. The trademark monitoring service is first of its kind in India business owners can leverage maximum benefit to protect their brands through this platform. The aim of this free launch by trademarKing.in is to create awareness about the importance of trademarks. One of the initiative by Make in India policy is to protect Intellectual Property Rights, this monitoring platform by trademarKing.in will be an unprecedented move to safeguard the trademark rights of business proprietors. "Many entities come to notice that their brand name is misused only when they expand their marketing territory," said Preethi Raja, the Head of Operations. "Similar brand names are highly common to deceive consumers in processed foods, clothing, and pharmaceutical industries. Our monitoring platform can help corporates as well as small and medium scale business owners in any industry to detect copycats or similar trademark names, we also advise users to take legal action if required," she added. The service will be extremely helpful for business owners who want to find out if there is any duplicate or similar trademark names filed anywhere in India. A free of cost SMS and email alerts will be sent to registered users that will enable them to take legal actions before it is too late. To enroll, users have to create free account at www.trademarking.in , users then can add their brand name as a keyword in their profile page. trademarKing.in proprietary algorithm will start monitoring as well as send free SMS and email when infringement or similar trademark names are detected. Anyone can register trademark monitoring for free of cost until 31th January 2017 and have their brands monitored. (ANI-BusinessWireIndia)
The 34-year-old hunky actor hinted to his fans on social media, that he has in fact joined the show's cast, reports E! Online.

Silvestre shared a video of him on set with a cap which read, "Narcos" and simply captioned the post with "#Narcos Buenos.@Netflix."

A Spanish publication has also learned that the 'Velvet' actor's character will be introduced as the person in charge of laundering money for the cartel.

Silvestre has been traveling to and from Bogota, Colombia, for filming, according to HOLA! Espana magazine.

Of his character, Silvestre explained, "He is an enigmatic person. It is not yet very well known how he is. He's had a love story that was bitter and also filled hatred."

Reportedly, Silvestre will sport a Colombian accent in the new season. (ANI)
December 18, is International Migrants Day, a day that has greater importance in India as well as internationally, given the spreading wave of nationalism. Some of the best examples of this are: Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, as well as the alarmingly popular pro-nationalism discourse of France's La Pen, Austria's Hoefer, and various other international figures. In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, pointed out how "globalisation isn't working for ordinary people" stating that Canada's recognition of this fact had helped them plan to prevent marginalisation of their own people because the scale of migration to Canada. The conversation on economic migration has gone on for years. As recently as September 16, 2016 the UNGA discussed in 71st Session, the Resolution on the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (A/RES/71/1), setting goals to be achieved by 2018 on adopting "a global formula for safe, orderly, and regular migration" that was to be done, respecting the Sustainable Development Goals (2030 Agenda UNGA Resolution A/Res/70/1). As the UNHCR states, migrants exercise the choice to move to better his standard of living. At the discussions, terrorism and destabilisation of governments was cited as the primary reasons for refugee problems, something that was echoed by M. J. Akbar (Minister of State for External Affairs). In his comments, he made no mention of migrants, and the view India has on ameliorating their position in India. This is in line with India's policy on both foreign migrants as well as refugees. Though India have not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, India still has binding obligations under International Human Rights instruments like the UDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR, Child Rights Convention and has also been an active part in the discussions on refugee issues (being a member of the Executive Committee in the UNHCR) as well as issues of internal displacement. The only domestic law that India has is the Foreigners Act of 1946, which does not possess specific protections for migrants (or refugees for that matter). The MEA set up the India Centre for Migrants in July 2008 to research policies to facilitate migration of Indians to other countries, giving legal assistance to them. They have produced research papers on several issues, not relating to migration into India. Given that we have migrant workers, documented and undocumented, from Bangladesh, Somalia, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, India must have a policy in place to protect them from exploitation, human trafficking, abuse and continued living in a state of legal limbo. These migrants remain at the mercy of intermediaries who charge exorbitantly for the entire migration process. Governmental authorities repeatedly justify policy silences, by referring to India's huge populations and limited resources. A coherent policy is necessary to decide the process of legitimising foreign migrant workers' rights to work, property and legal relief. This International Migrants Day, should serve as a cue to the Indian Government to stand by our international commitments by respecting human life. (ANI)
"It is a welcome move if anyone is involved in anti-national activities that affect the unity of the country. It is a lesson for them. In future this decision will deter people in involving in terror related activities," JD (U) leader Rajiv Ranjan told ANI.

The court awarded death sentence to Bhatkal and four others including, Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar and Aijaz Sheikh, and IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, the prime accused in the case, who is absconding.

On November 7, the final arguments had concluded in the case before the NIA special court. Since IM founder Riyaz Bhatkal, the prime accused in the case, is absconding, the trial was split up against him.

Eighteen people were killed in the twin blast. The first bomb went off at Anand Tiffins, located opposite Konark Theatre while the second bomb exploded between Venkatadri Theatre and Dilsukhnagar Bus Stand. (ANI)
Mr Wickremesinghe will arrive in Chennai from Colombo on December 21 and take a chopper to Renigunta Airport near Tirupati, TTD sources said here today.

He will proceed to Tirumala hills by road and offer prayers to the Lord on the next day morning after night halt here, sources said.

On the same day, the Prime Minister will return to Tirupati and fly to Chennai. Later he will leave for Colombo.UNI KNR CS 1011

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The Naga Students' Federation (NSF) of Nagaland has resolved to impose "total blockade" of all Manipur-bound vehicles in the Naga inhabited areas till the Government of Manipur assures safety and security of the Nagas in the neighbouring state.The NSF took this stand yesterday following the violence in Manipur where many innocent Naga travelers were reportedly assaulted and their vehicles and luggage destroyed and burnt down on the Highways. In a statement, NSF President Subenthung Kithan and Assistant General Secretary Kesosul Christopher Ltu stated that the decision to impose the blockade was taken after "thorough deliberation on the present imbroglio that is happening in Manipur." The federation informed that, however, in good faith, students travelling back to Manipur for vacation would be exempted from the purview of the bandh. The NSF expressed dismay that many students returning home for vacation had their academic documents destroyed and burnt down at the Imphal Airport while the police personnel on duty had remained mute spectators. "A group of people under the patronage of the Government of Manipur even went to the extent of vandalizing churches and forcefully stopped members from attending the Sunday church service," it stated.The NSF further said that the present crisis was a creation of the Government of Manipur by breaching the agreement on the creation of the Sadar Hills which was signed between the Government of Manipur and the Nagas. UNI AS AD1145 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1073013.Xml
The state unit of BJP has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for observance of 'Good Governance day" on any day other than the Christmas day. In a statement by Mr Jaangsillung Gonmei, General Secretary (Media) and Spokesperson of BJP Nagaland informed that in a letter to the prime minister, state BJP president Visasolie Lhoungu appealed that Nagaland be allowed to observe good governance day on any day other than Christmas day so as not to disturb the celebration of Christmas in the state as well as to clear the doubts and apprehensions in the minds of the people. While appreciating the effort to honour former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee by naming his birthday on December 25 as 'Good Governance day" and terming it as a full Working Day, Lhoungu, however, expressed grief that this has caused immense measure of confusion, disillusionment and hurt the Christian sentiments. He also mentioned that Christmas is the most important festival of the Christians which is also celebrated by other faiths all over the world. Meanwhile, the party's central leadership has also permitted the party organisation to observe Good Governance day on any day other than Christmas so as not to disturb the Christmas festivities, it said. UNI AS AD1202 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0108-1073044.Xml
Amid growing demands from senior partyleaders, MPs, Ministers and MLAs to lead the party and assume the mantle of Chief Minister, Ms V K Sasikala, close aide of formerTamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today personally wrote separate letters to President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for personally visiting Chennai and offering their condolences to her following the demise of Jayalalithaa. In her letters, she expressed her sincere thanks to them for their visit, which had overwhelmed her in this hour of personal grief. In her letter to the President, she said ''it was extremely kind of you Sir, to have visited Chennai and paid your condolences to me personally, on the occasion of the demise of our much reverred Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, the late CM of Tamil Nadu and the General Secretary of AIADMK . ''I was given to understand that your Excellency's journey to Chennai was a little arduous because of some flight problem, but you are undeterred. Your visit has brought great consolation to me at a personal level and to the millions of Tamil masses and the people in the rest of the country'', Ms Sasikala said.MORE UNI GV CS 1132 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1072998.Xml
The Rupee gained today by six paise to 67.81 in the opening trade on fresh selling of US Dollar by bankers and exporters, dealer at the Forex Market informed. An oscillation was witnessed during intra day today as it recorded day high and low at 67.75 and 67.84 respectively, they added. UNI NV SM1123 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1072985.Xml
"Reaffirming a closer partnership with Kyrgyz Republic. PM @narendramodi and President Almazbek Atambayev lead delegation level talks," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarp tweeted.

"Its been a special month for diplomacy with Central Asia. After Tajik President last week, PM welcomes Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev," he added.

Earlier, the Kyrgyzstan President was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

President Atambayev is leading a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.

This is his first visit to India as President.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a dinner banquet in his honour this evening.

Bolstering existing defence cooperation, enhancing trade ties and exploring surface connectivity projects will be high on the agenda of talks between the two leaders.

The Kyrgyz President's visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to the central Asian country in July last year.

India and Kyrgyzstan share excellent relations in all areas including defence, economy, commerce, education, human resource development, culture and tourism.

The trade between the two countries was 27.99 million dollars during the last fiscal, with India's exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

Apparel and clothing, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and tea are some of the important items in India's export basket to the country.

About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan.

President Atambayev's visit is expected to further strengthen the cordial relations between the two countries. He is also scheduled to attend a Joint Business Forum tomorrow. (ANI)
Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed government to file objections to a petition filed by a woman, seeking probe into the killing of her husband in alleged fake encounter during his detention. The court listed the case for further hearing on December 30 and also directed the government to file the status report about the case. The court's direction came after Shabina in her plea before the court alleged that her husband Sajad Ahmad Malik, a former Sarpanch, resident of Batangund Verinag was killed by police after arresting him in a false case on November 30. Shabina, who appeared in person before a single bench of the HC comprising Justice Musaffar Hussain Attar and pleaded that she should be heard since she has no money to engage any counsel, said police has not only refused to investigate the killing but has not registered a case. She sought court directions to register a murder case against the Station House Officer (SHO) of police station, Dooru, who had arrested Malik before his death. However, advocate Moulvi Ajaz informed the court that he was ready to appear on her behalf in the case. He submitted that he would not charge any fee from the petitioner and the court took her statement on record. The court later issued notice to Commissioner Secretary Home, Director General of Police (DGP), Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir as also Additional Advocate General Bashir Ahmad Dar seeking objections to the petition. The petitioner said her husband was arrested by and lodged in police station Dooru. She said despite granting interim bail to Malik by a court he was not released and kept in detention, she pleaded and alleged that he was later murdered in a fake encounter. She said that despite directions by Judicial Magistrate Doru, police has failed to register the criminal case against the SHO. However, a police spokesman had claimed that Malik was shot dead by the Army at village Agnoo Zamaigam, Dooru when he was fleeing after snatching a weapon from a police constable in police station. The former Congress sarpanch was arrested for his alleged involvement in the protests during the Kashmir unrest. However, the killing of Malik evoked massive protests and Congress, CPI(M) and other mainstream parties demanded judicial probe into his killing.UNI ABS SB 1300/1334 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0103-1073142.Xml
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Dec.20 (ANI-Businesswire India): Amar Ujala, the 70 year-old Hindi media brand, widely acknowledged as the cultural icon of the Hindi heartland, recently launched a first-of-its-kind thought leadership conclave - SAMWAD. The event premiered on December 15 at the Taj Vivanta in Lucknow, the epicentre of the Hindi speaking world. Bollywood stars, political stalwarts, artistes and thought leaders came together to hold the city of Lucknow in thrall for a whole day across eight riveting sessions, addressing the theme UP ke badalte ayam or The changing facets of Uttar Pradesh. The finest of Lucknow: leaders, glitterati, students, intelligentsia packed into the Amar Ujala SAMWAD hall, hanging onto every word, readying their questions for the star-list of speakers and guests, which included the likes of Virender Sehwag, Akhilesh Yadav, Aamir Khan, Varun Gandhi, Jitin Prasada, Usha Jadhav, Raj Kummar Rao, Sheila Dixit, Shivpal Yadav, Manoj Tiwari and Kumar Vishwas. The high-points of the event were: the launch of Amar Ujala TV by Aamir Khan, after an hour-long session with the anchor and the audiences, the live interactive session with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was at his witty best, and the final session where politics shook hands with literature and Kumar Vishwas swept the audiences off their feet. Amar Ujala SAMWAD explored and discovered ideas about the changes in society, people and politics of the people of the Gangetic belt of Uttar Pradesh. The day-long event had speakers presenting their views candidly, fielding audience questions with wit and humour, and the consensus that emerged was the fact that Uttar-Pradesh was going through unprecedented changes and still needed to tap its huge potential to make it more than just a politically powerful influence on the nation. Amar Ujala that prides itself as people's newspaper involved its readers from across the world by engaging them through a #askamarujala digital and social campaign, giving opportunity to the local and the global Hindi audience to reach out to the panel of speakers. This campaign created quite a stir online, with more than 5000 audio and text questions and a huge bunch of video letters received from all over the world. "SAMWAD is a part of Amar Ujala group's continuing efforts at bringing the best of the world to the Hindi space, and taking the vigour and energy of the Hindi people to the world. At a time when Uttar Pradesh is bracing itself for one of the most important state elections of all time, SAMWAD has provided an intellectual playground for unfurling of new plans, approaches and assessment of the path to the future, making the event a roaring success. It has also been a great occasion for us to present the global Hindi audiences with Amar Ujala TV, allowing readers to continue their engagement with us beyond text and through the day," said Mr. Probal Ghosal, Director, Amar Ujala Group. (ANI-Businesswire India)
DMK President M Karunanidhi, whohas been re-admitted in a private hospital in the city for lungand throat infections and underwent a tracheostomy procedure,was expected to be discharged in the next couple of days. Hospital sources said he has shown significant improvementafter the trachesotomy procedure and was breathing normally. He was expected to be discharged in the next two to three days. Meanwhile, leaders of various political parties, including PMK founder S Ramadoss, CPI leader D Raja today visited the hospitaland enquired about the health of Mr Karunanidhi and wished himspeedy recovery. Addressing mediapersons at the hospital, Ramadoss saidthat he will meet the DMK Chief at his residence after he getsdischarged. DMK MP TKS Elangovan, who also in the hospital, said thatMr Karunanidhi's health has improved a lot. ''Our leader is watching television and reading newspapers'',he added. Meanwhile, Mr Raja told reporters that Mr Karunanidhi wasexpected to be discharged by Friday. He said Mr Karunanidhi was a tall leader of social justiceand wished him speedy recovery. Mr Raja also said that he spoke the family members of the DMK Chief who said that he would be discharged by Friday. Meanwhile, people from various walks of life, including actor Vivek, also visited him at the hospital. The DMK Chief, who was earlier discharged from hospital on December seven, was re-admitted on December 15 following breathing problems and infections in throat and lung after which he went tracheostomy to optimise breathing.UNI GV 1500 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1073343.Xml
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today launched a website of Haj 'haj.gov.in' here today. The website, which is in Hindi, Urdu and English languages, will provide all necessary information regarding Haj. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Naqvi said with the launch of this website, the Government was encouraging online applications, so that people can get an opportunity for the pilgrimage with complete transparency and comfort, adding that his Ministry was also preparing a mobile App. Referring to the preparations for next Haj, the Minister said Haj 2017 has already been announced and from January 2, 2017, Haj Committee of India will start receiving applications. In this connection, Mr Naqvi held a meeting with Saudi Arabia Ambassador Dr Saud Mohammed Alsati here today and issues concerning the next Haj pilgrimage were discussed in detail. The Minister informed that several important suggestions on Haj pilgrimage have been received and are moving forward, keeping in mind these suggestions. Discussions have been held with the officials of Civil Aviation Ministry to provide aircraft with all modern facilities for Haj pilgrims. "We have been taking efforts to make the process of online application simple and easy so that more and more people can apply online for next Haj pilgrimage," Mr Naqvi said. Around 99,903 people went to Jeddah for Haj from 21 embarkation points across the country through Haj Committee of India during 2016. Apart from this, about 36,000 pilgrims went through private tour operators, the Minister said. Mr Naqvi also said that his Ministry had already started preparations to make arrangements for the next Haj to ensure that the pilgrims do not face any problem at Mecca and Medina. Secretary (MA), Joint Secretary (Haj and Wakf), senior officers of the ministry, Haj Committee of India and NIC were present. Haj matters have been transferred from the Ministry of External Affairs to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, with effect from October 1, 2016. Ever since the preparations for Haj 2017 have been undertaken and efforts are being made to bring about further improvements in the Haj management process, so as to make the pilgrimage more convenient, affordable and a memorable experience for the pilgrims.UNI RBE RJ SNU 1522 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1073264.Xml
Continuing his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of demonetisation, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi today said the Reserve Bank of India was changing rules the way the PM was changing his clothes. ''RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes,'' Mr Gandhi said in a tweet.Rahul's comment came a day after the RBI issued a notification that deposits above Rs 5000 would be allowed, only once till December 30.Congress has charged the NDA Government of changing rules several times since the announcement of demonetisaiton by the PM on November 8.In a tweet earlier in the day, Congress leader and Rajasthan PCC chief Sachin Pilot said, the ''guidelines changed more than 105 times since #DeMonetisation. With such uncertainty, wont people lose faith in the currency/banking system?''UNI AR RJ 1628 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0092-1073496.Xml
Four people died while six were injured in a head-on collision of a car and a speeding tanker in Kamrauli area of Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh today. The accident took place due to dense fog. Police sources said here that UP Vice-president of Ulema Council Shahabuddin was going to Kanpur with his family to attend a marriage ceremony. Their car was hit from the front by a tanker coming from the opposite direction near Mahuvabojh village in Kamrali arte at National Highway 56. Sources said Alfia (8), Sattar Ali (25), Rehana Khatun (40) and one other died on the spot in the accident while six others got injured. Injured were taken to the Jagdishpur Community Health Centre from where two of them were referred to Lucknow Trauma Centre in a serious condition.UNI XC-JDM MB RSA SNU 1613 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0104-1073423.Xml
Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh has written to the Chief Election Commissioner, requesting him not to consider holding the Assembly elections in Punjab in more than a single phase. Expressing serious apprehensions of large-scale violence during the upcoming polls, Capt Singh said spreading the polling over two or three days, which the EC is reportedly mulling as per media reports, would be detrimental to free and fair elections in the state and suicidal for Punjab's democratic polity. "The political atmosphere in Punjab has already been severely vitiated as a result of goonda and mafia raj of the Badal Government, which has unleashed a wave of terror and violence against the innocent people of the state. ''As the countdown to the election begins, once the polling dates are announced, I seriously apprehend further aggravation of the situation," the PPCC chief said in his letter. Pointing out that he had already raised the issue of possible violence during the Punjab Assembly polls, Capt Singh pointed out that even the EC had been expressing concern over the 'free run that armed gangs and the large number of Proclaimed Offenders in the state are enjoying under the Badal rule.' He cited a media report to further point out that the EC had recently written to Punjab police chief Suresh Arora, seeking information on 47 gangsters and criminals, who have escaped from jails in the past one year. This, Capt Singh said, shows that the EC is also cognisant of the fact that criminals have a virtual free reign of Punjab under the Akali Government, led by Parkash Singh Badal. He further went on to note that the state DGP himself had admitted that as many as 52 armed gangs were on the loose in the state. Given the situation, containing violence even on a single polling day would be tough for the central forces, and if the voting is spread over 2-3 days, these gangs and goondas would have ample time to move from one constituency to another to coerce voters to cast their ballot in favour of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal, thereby wreaking violence and mayhem across the state, he said. The PPCC chief also referred to the incidents of communal violence, involving sacrilege of religious texts, to note that the atmosphere in the state was highly surcharged in the run-up to the polls. He further pointed out that the Assembly polls were conducted smoothly last time too, with just a one-day voting schedule, as that helped the EC maintain tight control and monitoring over the situation.UNI DB RJ SNU 1619 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0292-1073436.Xml
The majestic 7-meter tree - which reins over the iconic, Belle Epoque hotel lobby - is inspired by Chopard's signature Happy Hearts bracelet from their celebrated Happy Diamond's collection, giving this year's Christmas decorations a sparkling new allure.

Chopard's Happy Hearts, which feature varying colors from the luxury brand's signature collection - including turquoise, mother-of-pearl, onyx are wrapped around Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo's Christmas tree, which is trimmed.

Chopard's Happy Hearts, which feature varying colors from the luxury brand's signature collection - including turquoise, mother-of-pearl, and onyx - are elegantly intertwined with the Christmas tree.

Inspired by rays of sunlight falling on droplets of water, the tree is trimmed with a cascade of lights and diamonds that illuminate the entire lobby. To complement the tree, the hotel's grandiose columns are harmoniously adorned with pine needles and sparkling lights, whose reflections in the mirrors create a stunning optical effect throughout the space.

Accompanying the magical decor that fills the lobby, a fresh pine fragrance wafts through the air, recalling winters in the snow-capped mountains.

In addition to the hotel's iconic lobby, Chopard's emblamatic diamonds and hearts meet again in the exceptional Hotel suites, mythical Bar Americain and opulent Salle Empire. A great omen as 2016 comes to a close, the lightness of the celebrations embraces the carefreeness of a gentle, tender and happy atmosphere. (ANI)
The Navy has begun the process of salvaging the prized warship, INS Betwa, to make it battle-worthy again. A fortnight back, the missile frigate had tipped over during its undocking. Two sailors had lost their lives and 14 other were injured after the 3,850-ton Naval warship met with a freak accident on December 6 at Mumbai dock, where it was undergoing repair work. Navy Chief Sunil Lanba took the mishap seriously, visiting the spot the very next day and vowed to salvage it, to make the warship fully operational again. "At least three teams of experts have inspected the site to examine the possibility of making it stand upward on the support blocks," sources in the Navy told UNI. Almost 25 percent of the ship is sunk in the water with its mast suffering the most damage, they said. The deploying of salvage companies was being considered, who will employ crew of seamen and engineers, called salvors, who operate heavy machinery, such as cranes and floating docks, to maneuver the ship. UNI MK RJ SNU 1752 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0090-1073656.Xml
The protest against Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation(BMC) Mayor A N Jena by the opposition Congress and the BJP continued today with the Congress demanding a CBI probe into his alleged involvement in a sex scandal and murder of an engineering student. The activists of the Congress today clashed with the security personnel at Raj Mahal square while they were marching towards the residence of the mayor demanding a CBI probe in to both the incident. Many congress activists including NSUI state unit president Itish Pradhan were injured during the scuffle with the police while trying to break the police cordon to march towards the residence of the mayor. The clash ensued when the police stopped the Congress activists at Raj mahal square while they were proceedings towards the residence of Mr Jena to stage a demonstration. Aggrieved at the police action, the congress activists later blocked the busy Rajamahal square but police soon rounded up the congress activists and cleared the roads. Earlier in the morning, some unidentified persons carrying BJP flags threw eggs at the residence of the mayor in protest and shouted slogans demanding his resignation and arrest. BJP state unit president Basant Panda and BYJM president Tankadhar Tripathy denied the involvement of any activist of his party in the incident. The BJP has given a call for 12 hour Bhubaneswar bandh tomorrow demanding CBI probe into the alleged involvement of the mayor in the murder of Asutosh Mohanty alias Rishi, an engineering student and his resignation. The opposition Congress party has also decided to intensify its agitation against the mayor. Meanwhile, the Commissionerate of Police has constituted a special team to inquire into the murder of the engineering student and send the video clips to the forensic laboratory for examination. The mayor has filed a defamation suit and a criminal case against student Congress president Itish Pradhan and the proprietor of the Niakhunta.com, a Web portal which uploaded the video in the social media for tarnishing his image before the public by involving him in the sex video scandal.UNI BD-DP AKM 1710 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1073613.Xml
Chief Minister Raghubar Das today announced that a grand scale state level 'Prakashutsav' would be organised on the occasion of 350th birth anniversary of Sikh's 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji in Jamshedpur. Chairing a meeting with the representatives from various Gurudwaras, who had gathered at the project building here, he said the state government would be extending full support to the event as members of the community from across the state would be participating in it. He asked the members of the various committees to form a state level committee and give suggestions to the government and the date for organising the event, should also be decided by the committee. Mr Das said, since the Independence of the nation till date the contribution of the committee has been laudable. He said Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed is life for the sake of country. He was greatwarrior and social reformer alongwith a great poet. He said, his life would included in syllabus of Jharkhand schools while the station road in Ranchi would be named as Guru Gobind Singh Road, similarly the Refugee colony in Jamshedpur would also be renamed as Guru Gobind Singh Nagar for which a proposal would be brought in the cabinet. He said, special trains would be run from Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Patna to help devotees participate in the Prakashutsav to be held in Patna. On the demand of opening engineering and medical college, he said policy is being framed for donating land on subsidised rates and soon a minorities commission would be formed in the state in which the members of the community would get adequate representation. The Chief Minister said Guru Gobind Singh preached humanity and voiced against discrimination. He said, members of the committee have always come forward for the help of the society and inthe schools run by them students from poor backgrounds get education. Urban development minister C P Singh and chief secretary Rajbala Verma also participated in this meeting.UNI AK AKM 1721 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1073637.Xml
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP led NDA government at the Centre of pursuing vendetta politics against her party and reiterated to intensify against the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. " Why is BJP govt doing vendetta politics? Our party LS leader got 3 calls from CBI. Nothing will deter us from fight against demonetisation," Ms Banerjee twitted. The CBI today reportedly sent notice to Trinamool Congress MP and party's Lok Sabha leader Sudhip Banerjee to appear before the central intelligence officials at CGO complex in Salt Lake in connection with Rose Valley case. The CBI has arrested some top officials of Rose Valley group in connection with collectingfunds from people on various money making schemes. Continuing her tirade against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government for announcing demonetisation move on two big values notes on November 8, Ms Banjerjee said " I read that new rules were announced today also. Every day a decision is changed it means this is an unstable government (at the Centre)". Ms Banerjee said the demonetisation basically tuned the people with jobless everywhere from farming the land to industrial houses. Even daily wagers in the land also did not get the job for wants of liquid cash. " Imagine the situation in an area where there is no bank. There is cash crunch as well as bank crunch everywhere." She also claimed that banks admitted they have no cash and wide gap between supplies and demands. " Even pension holders are not getting their money," Ms Banerjee maintained. " For 100 days' work, workers get more than Rs 5,000 in a month. Banks are unable to give this amount also. What will the people eat?." the chief minster, who is also Trinamool Congress chief, asked. She said, she held a review meeting for Bankura district where the situation on ground was very grim. Earlier in another meeting yesterday, Ms Banerjee said the Prime Minister was blind to the sufferings of people. "Farmers are suffering. People do not have cash to buy supplies. Traders are also suffering but PM fails to see their woes. By the time realisation dawns on him, nation will be destroyed," she said. "There are long queues outside banks. Labourers are not getting wages under 100 days work. How will their families run?" the CM said. "Even Venezuela started demonetisation but when they saw people are suffering, the decision was withdrawn," she added. She also warned against attempts being made to disturb the peace in the state. "Bengal is a land of harmony, peace & progress. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians all live together here," she said.UNI PC AKM 1728 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1073658.Xml
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) will hold a dharna at Velagapudi village in Amaravathi in protest against the demonetisation, on December 23. Releasing the wall poster of "Chalo Velagapudi-let us question them on demonetisation", APCC president N Raghuveera Reddy said the sudden announcement of demonetisation of higher valued currency notes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had put the country in financial crisis besides forcing people to face untold hardship. "This is the first public protest programme, being organised at the new Secretariat in Capital Amaravathi. We have invited all political party leaders excluding the BJP and TDP to participate in the protest programme to highlight the plight of common man in the aftermath of demonetisation.UNI DP CS 1730 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1073627.Xml
The Bombay High Court today once again directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to further probe against 10 police officials who were booked for having unnatural sex with a 25-year-old youth and his death in the police custody in 2014. It also directed the CBI to file supplementary chargesheet in the case after observing that prima facie evidence points to offence of murder and unnatural sex against 10 police officials booked in the case. A division bench of Justices RV More and AM Badar was hearing a petition filed by the victim Agnelo Valdaris's father Leonard. Following the petition, filed in 2014, the case was handed over to the CBI for probe. The CBI in its FIR booked 10 police officials from Wadala Railway Police on charges of murder, unnatural sex, kidnapping and falsifying evidence and so on. The CBI chargesheet, however, mentioned only sections of criminal conspiracy, voluntarily causing hurt and other lesser charges. Sections pertaining to murder and unnatural sex were missing from it. Advocate Yug Choudhary, who appeared for the petitioner, said some of the evidences and statements suggested brutal sexual act was forced on the youth. He added that some of the victims were adults and therefore provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act won't apply to them. Section 377 should be incorporated after considering the material evidence, he told the court. The CBI counsel told the court that the accused had been booked under sections of the POCSO Act which is as stringent as section 377. More UNI AAA SS AE SNU 1800 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1073582.Xml
Counterattacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing opposition parties of stalling the parliamentary proceedings during the winter session, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said there is no gravity in Prime Minister's words; those are hollow words. "There should be gravity in Prime Minister's words. The Prime Minister had said and promised to the nation that you can deposit their money in banks till December 30. But, the government changed the rules again yesterday; they have changed rules 125 times; and gave a message to the nation that our Prime Minister's words are hollow," Gandhi told ANI. The Prime Minister had said you can change your money till December 30, but the government yesterday said you could not do it till December 30. So, there is no gravity in Prime Minister's words; those words are hollow. And, we will show it to you in coming days that how his words are hollow," said the Congress vice President. Addressing his sixth 'Parivartan Rally' in Kanpur on Sunday, the Prime Minister hailed his demonetisation move, saying it is aimed at curbing corruption and black money and to benefit the poor and honest citizens. Prime Minister Modi also attacked the opposition for stalling proceedings during the winter session of Parliament, alleging that Parliament was not allowed to function as opposition parties were trying to defend the dishonest and were running away from a debate on the issue of corruption and black money. He said during an all-party meeting convened before the winter session, he had suggested a debate on simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and donations to political parties. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi Food Festival (ADFF) in India concluded successfully this week, with a final event at The Oberoi, Mumbai, after being brought to the country for the first time in its history. The food festival was launched with a media event at Ziya Restaurant at the hotel, on 9th December, with the UAE's ambassador HE Dr. Ahmed Albanna, the guest of honour. ADFF was then opened tothe public on December 10 and 11, with a special menu available to guests which featured Indo-Emirati food. The Authority'scelebrity chef, Khulood Atiq, attended both the concluding event and the media event, serving up some sumptuous and aromatic Emirati cuisine to everyone in attendance. ADFF in India also featured a celebration of Emirati-Indian fusion food, whichillustrated the strong similarities in the palates of both India and the UAE, with the ADFF events highlighting the many similar flavours and cooking techniques between the two nations. The media event also featured a food workshop, where Chef Khulood gave a live demonstration of Emirati food preparation, including a delicious Emirati biryani and a tempting Aseda. The ADFF initiative in India was organised to reinforce India's position as the best overseas source market for Abu Dhabi guest arrivals. In the first 10 monthsof this year, 264,285 Indians checked into Abu Dhabi hotels, which representedan18 percent year-on-year increase. Indian guests accounted for 7 percent of all hotel stays in the Emirate, with an average length of stay of 3.11nights. "We have now created a niche in the India market for Emirati cuisine," said TCA Abu Dhabi's country manager for India, Bejan Dinshaw. "By bringing this food festival to India, people here have been able to savour the taste of Indian-Emirati fusion food. We are extremely delighted to have had our celebrity chef Khulood here with us. She made this event all the more successful." Abu Dhabi is a luxurious, yet highly affordable destination of distinction, and provides a blend of both traditional and modern culture. The emirate is growing as a choice destination for leisure, special interest, weddings, honeymoon, and other niche travel segments, and has a growing portfolio of MICE activities. The destination's popularity is growing, with an ever-expanding portfolio of tourist attractions, and connectivity between India and Abu Dhabi is strong, with EtihadAirways and Jet Airways combining to offer a choice of 250 flights a week to the UAE capital from 15 Indian cities. (ANI)
The 77-year-old actor, who was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia a few days ago, had a fatal cardiac arrest.

He had acted in nearly 200 films and two dozen television serials in a career spanning close to four decades.

Mr Varma, who joined Kerala Police in 1963, had retired as Superintendent of Police.

An accomplished Kathakali artiste and a percussionist, Mr Varma made his debut in Malayalam films in 1978 with 'Mattoly' and went on to do memorable roles in over 200 films.

Among his well-known films are, New Delhi, Lelam, Pathram, Nakshatrangale Sakshi, Sughamo Devi, Ee Thanuthe Veluppan Kalathu and No 20 Madras Mail.

At the age of 74, he made his 'arangetram' as Thayambaka artist.

He leaves behind his wife Santha Varma. The couple have a son Manu Varma, an accomplished television actor, and a daughter Priya. Malayalam movie director Viji Thampi is his son-in-law.UNI CR CS 1822

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BJP today questioned Bengal Chief Minister and All India Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee over her silence on the rising communal violence in her state. Addressing a news conference here, BJP national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said Ms Banerjee had time to travel to Lucknow, Patna, Delhi to protest against demonetisation but was silent over increasing communal violence in the Trinamool-ruled state. Hindus, he alleged, were being threatened by the youth minority wing of Mamata Banejee's party in those places in the state where BJP had mass bases. "Is this Ms Banerjee's state policy to threaten the people in those places where BJP's vote graph has increased?" Mr Singh queried. "For past six days, Dhulagarh in Bengal had been witnessing dance of communalism and she must break her silence," the BJP leader added. Mr Singh said he had discussed the issue with the party president Amit Shah and the BJP will soon send a delegation to Howrah to assess the situation. Slamming those who had returned their awards in protest against the Dadri lynching, Mr Singh asked, "Why are the award wapsi brigade champions now silent over communal incidents in West Bengal? "They are quiet now because Bengal is not a BJP-ruled state", he asserted. The Bharatiya Janata Party also condemned a comment made by All India Muslim-e-Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and four of his associates who were awarded death sentence by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court for the 2013 Dilsukhnagar twin blasts in Hyderabad. Mr Singh said, "Politicians like Owaisi thrive on communal agenda. The BJP condemns remarks made by Owaisi who was trying to communalise everything.'' The AIMIM leader had raked up a controversy by questioning the NIA for allegedly going slow on cases of blasts purportedly carried out by non-Muslims. Mr Singh also congratulated the people of Chandigarh and its party workers for the BJP's landslide victory in the civic polls in Chandigarh. UNI NY-RBE RP1805 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1073732.Xml
BJP today slammed Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi for making "personalised attack" on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying that the Reserve Bank of India was changing rules the way the PM was changing his clothes. Talking to reporters here, BJP national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said, the Congress Vice President should resist from making a personalised attack. Yesterday, Mr Gandhi had himself given a good example during a rally in Uttar Pradesh that Congress culture did not allow saying "Prime Minister Murdabad", Mr Singh said. "But within 24 hours, he (Rahul Gandhi) has himself changed and started making personalised attack," the BJP leader said. Addressing an anti-demonetisation rally in Uttar Pradesh yesterday, Mr Gandhi, had, stopped Congress workers from raising Murdabad slogans against Mr Modi, saying "It's not our culture. Modi is PM of the country and don't use such slogans.''UNI NY CJ SNU 1841 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1073862.Xml
A day after Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar said that he was not in a hurry to review his support to demonetization, RJD chief Lalu Prasad today claimed that Mr Kumar will join him in a protest against scrapping of high value notes. "Nitish Kumar has told me he will review the impact of demonetisatiion after 50 days and he will be with us to protest demonetisation," Mr Prasad told the media here today. The Chief Minister's secretariat could not be reached for his comment who had yesterday said that he was not in a hurry to review his decision and it was not his priority as he was busy with preparations for Prakash Mahotsava and KaalChakra.. As it is Lalu Prasad led RJD, one of the constituents of the grand alliance alliance government in the state has decided to stage agitation against demonetisation at all the district headquarters on December 28 and hold a huge rally in Patna early next year. Continuing his tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RJD chieftain in a tweet castigated Mr Modi for "advertising" for Paytm, which is jointly owned by a Chinese company. "Has there been any Indian PM who openly advertises a Chinese company and says do Paytm?" he tweeted.UNI IS DH BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1074089.Xml
Talking to UNI over phone, Mr Chikatgaonkar, who is also MLA of Vaijapur, confirmed that he submitted his resignation today to party state president Sunil Tatkare in Mumbai.

Conceding the party's defeat in the just-concluded Municipal Council elections at Paithan, Gangapur, Khultabad and Kannad and owning moral responsibility for the same, he has decided to quit from the post of district president of party, he said.

Yesterday, Congress district president Abdul Sattar had resigned from the post in protest against the party's top brass for not campaigning in favour of party candidates in the run-up to this election in the district.UNI VKB SS SW SNU 1950

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The gunman of Bellary Lok Sabha member has been allegedly accusedby the CID which questioned KAS officer Bheema Naik, who has sincebeen arrested in the currency racket, since the demonetisation ofhigher currency announced by the centre.

CID officials, for the second day today grilled Sriramulu'sgunman Chennabasappa Hosamani, in connection with the allegedsuicide of K C Ramesh, driver of a KAS officer, at Maddur in Mandyadistrict on December six.

''We have summoned Chennabasappa, who lives in Ballari, for thesecond consecutive day in connection with the suicide of Ramesh. Hewas called after tracking his call details,'' CID officials said.

Ramesh had allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at alodge at Maddur in Mandya district on December 6, leaving a 11-page'death' in which he has listed out alleged illegalities committed byNayak, special land acquisition officer (Bengaluru) and held him andhis personal driver Mohammad responsible for his death.

He also alleged in the death note that the official and hisprivate driver had threatened on his life. Both the personshave now been arrested.

Nayak is alleged to have committed illegally convert old Rs 500and Rs 1000 currency into new Rs 2000 notes, for the wedding ofmining baron G Janardhan Reddy's daughter recently

Juristictonal Mandya district Police is also probing the case.

Mr Sriramulu fall apart from BJP, has remained a supporter of his'mother party'.UNI RS CS 1949

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Odisha cabinet today decided to create an exclusive Legal Service Cadre for legal officers in the state. Under the cadre qualified legal officers would be recruited in districts, offices, Heads of Department, government departments and other government offices except the law department for smooth and efficient management of legal litigations. In another decision, the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved a proposal to increase the overall limit for expenditure per block per annum from the present Rs 50 lakh to Rs one crore for non tribal blocks and Rs 1.5 crore for tribal blocks under the Biju Gram Jyoti Yojana. Briefing news persons after the Cabinet meeting, State Chief Secretary A P Padhi said the enhancement in the overall ceiling of expenditure was necessary as the cost of material as well as the cost of erection and commissioning of distribution and power transformers and associated fittings have increased over the period. The government today decided to increase the upper age limit for the recruitment of Lecturers in Ayurvedic colleges from 32 to 40 years and to reduce the teaching experience of Lecturers from 8 years to five years for appointment of Readers in Government Ayurveic colleges. In another decision, the government today approved the operational guidelines for payment of town area surcharge at the rate of 2 per cent of sale value In shape of grants to different development authorities, regional improvement trusts, special planning authorities out of the stamp duty collected at the rate of 5 per cent in respect of transfer of immovable property.UNI BD DP BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1074179.Xml
Bihar Finance Minister Abdul Bari Sidiqqui today came down heavily on those banks which failed to meet the target of opening branches and ATMs for reducing people's hardship on account of demonetisation and said the state government would not desposit its funds in such banks if they did not improve their functioning soon. After the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC)'s meeting here, Mr Sidiqqui told newspersons here that directions would be issued to divisional commissioners, district magistrates and departments concerned not to deposit government funds in such banks which failed to meet the target of opening branches and ATMs in the state. He also took objection to absence of several senior bank officers in the meeting, adding that bank directors had been asked to attend the next SLBC meeting so that the state government and banks could sort out problems being faced by the common people. Mr Sidiqqui said 35 commercial banks were given direction to open total 1340 branches during the current financial year but only 70 branches had been opened till December 15. He said similarly 300 rural branches were to be opened during the period but banks could open only 17 branches in the rural belt of the state. Finance Minister said the performance of cooperative banks was even worse as these banks could open only 87 branches against the target of 1640 branches. He also slammed banks for the poor Credit Deposit (CD) ratio in the state. UNI DH BM -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0214-1074184.Xml
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today that 2016-17 is not a conventional year as many major reformative decisions have been taken during it. In a pre-budget meeting with the representatives from Banking and Financial Institutions, the Finance minister said that there is need for out of box thinking as series of steps are required about what the Government can do and what the banks can do. In his opening remarks, Mr Jaitley further said that the banking sector is the backbone of our economy. He said that he doesn't see any serious challenges as far as structural changes are concerned. During the meeting it was suggested that there is need for recapitalisation of banks in 2016-17 as well as in the next Financial Year 2017-18. There is need for Full Tax Exemption for NPA provisioning by the banks keeping in view their profitability. It was also suggested that Post-demonetisation, liquidity in banks have improved. This may impact saving deposit rates. This makes senior citizens more vulnerable as their income is adversely affected. So, some sort of exemption need to given to them under the Income Tax Act so that they have a decent income through their deposits. Some of the representatives said that in case of GST, there is need for Central Registry for GST compliance by the banks which have branches on pan India basis. In case of digitization, digital acceptance infrastructure is loss making at present. So digital acceptance infrastructure need to be incentivized. Another suggestion was that there is need for exempting Banking Correspondents transactions from service tax. The meeting was informed that the overall mood about demonitisation in rural areas including among the farmers is largely positive. However, four sectors need special attention. These are Vegetable growers who depend on cash for their day to day dealings and can't hold their crop for long as it is perishable; Brick kiln labourers as their owners used to pay them in cash; transport industry in rural India, and Plantations in South. Some of the representatives also suggested that there is urgent need for special efforts for digitization of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, Regional Rural Banks and Co-Operative Banks to promote digital transactions and e-payments. It was emphasised that Dairy sector has huge potential for employment generation. Milk production in India is increasing but milk processing capabilities and infrastructure required for the same has not increased accordingly. Hence, dairy processing sector requires fresh infusion of funds. It was suggested to create a new Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund for this purpose. It was also suggested that NABARD also need capitalisation of worth Rs 2,500 crore.UNI ADP CJ SHK 2048 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0429-1074161.Xml
Jet Airways, one of India's premier international airlines, has launched a new campaign ahead of the upcoming festive season, emphasizing on the importance of the timeless family bond. The campaign released as a film, exclusively on social and digital platforms including Facebook and YouTube, highlights the important yet limited role played by technology as an enabler that can only facilitate people and families to remain in touch, while being far from home and from each other, in pursuit of their dreams, and never really compensate the quintessential 'human touch'. The minute-and-a-half movie, titled 'Celebrate Christmas, Celebrate the 'JoyOfFlying' is a part of the airline's 'Think Home, Think Jet Airways' campaign and emphasizes the role that Jet Airways' extensive network of 66 global destinations plays in uniting guests and family members with their loved ones duringthe festive season. Reiterating the power and underlying strength of tender, warm, close-knit human relationships, the airline uses its campaign to weave a heart-warming story that celebrates the spirit of togetherness and bonding, so evident during the Christmas season. Using a 'live' video conversation between a mother and her daughter, the short film illustrates the lives and times of the millennial generation, aptly reflected by their overbearing dependence on technology for everyday communication which more often than not tends to overshadow the effects of physical presence, warmth and security. Commenting on the film, Belson Coutinho, vice president, Marketing, E-Commerce & Innovations at Jet Airways, said, ''This film marks a continuation of Jet Airways' people-oriented communication, aimed at engaging the young, new-age, audience, which is rapidly emerging as one of the biggest segment of globaltravellers. They are looking for and guided by increasing options in terms of choice, connectivity and comfort and convenience all of which are offered by Jet Airways. Our earlier campaigns on Independence Day and Diwali, which showed a different and hitherto unknown side of India, have done exceedingly well, drawing strong acknowledgement from our guests and the online community. While the airline flies to 46 destinations in India and 20 abroad through its hubs in New Delhi, Mumbai and Amsterdam, multiple codeshare agreements with partner airlines expand this already extensive reach to 600 plus cities around the world. Together with its partner Etihad Airways, Jet Airways today operates more flights to from India than any other airline in the world.UNI ST SS NP2015 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1074141.Xml
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has decided to pay exam fees of all needy students of class X studying in municipal, zilla parishad or private Urdu schools in Aurangabad. A party statement here today that on instruction of AIMIM president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, party's MLA Imtiaz Jaleel from Aurangabad has asked all Urdu school principals to submit a list of class X students who belong to economically-weaker section along with the details of school's bank accounts. The list of the students and the details of bank accounts should be submitted at the MLA's office from 1100 hrs to 1300 hrs on December 22. Considering the lowest percentage of education among Muslim boys and girls, the party has decided to help promote education among the children of the community, specially among girls. ''Instead of just blaming the government (whether the Congress-NCP combine in last 15 years or the present BJP-Shiv Sena government) for not providing educational facilities to the minority government, we have decided to promote education among the weaker sections of the community by chipping in with whatever help we could,'' Mr Jaleel said in the statement. ''If the country needs to develop, then high priority needs to be given to education and ignoring a large section of the masses by keeping them illiterate will not help achieve the target,'' he added.UNI VKB SS SW SHK 2110 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1073540.Xml
A day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filled a charge sheet against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar in the Pathankot attack, India took on Pakistan at the United Nations and called on the hostile neighbour to leave behind its ways of terrorism, with the warning saying that, "what you sow will bear fruit". Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, India's permanent envoy to the U.N. Syed Akbaruddin in a veiled attack on Pakistan, said that safe havens being provided to terrorists must be dealt with in order to bring sustainable peace. "We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al- Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," he said. Quoting poet Rumi, Akbaruddin said "what you sow will bear fruit. If you've any sense my friend, don't plant anything but peace," which seemed to be a clear message to Islamabad to refrain from stooping to terrorism. The NIA on Monday filed a chargesheet in the NIA special court against senior commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammed including its Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, for their involvement in the terrorist attack at Pathankot Airbase on 2nd January, 2016. The NIA has filed charge sheet against four accused persons namely: 1. Maulana Masood Azhar: Chief of the terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), resident of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. 2. Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar: Deputy Chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad and brother of Maulana Masood Azhar, resident of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. 3. Shahid Latif: launching commander, resident of Mor Aminabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan. 4. Kashif Jan: main handler of Pathankot attackers, resident of Charsada, Pakistan. They have been charged for commission of offences under sections 120B, 121, 121A, 302, 307, 364, 365, 367, 368, 397 of the Indian Penal Code, sections 16, 18, 20, 23, 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, section 25, 27 of the Arms Act, 1959, Sections 3(b) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, in the chargesheet. It was established during investigation that the terrorists entered into a criminal conspiracy to infiltrate into the territory of India and to commit terrorist attack and wage war against the Government of India. In pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy, the accused persons, their leaders, handlers and co-conspirators including but not limited to Maulana Masood Azhar, Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif, set up training camps in Pakistan and the PoK area, for recruitment and training of terrorists, in order to carry out terror attacks on the Indian soil. (ANI)
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told the Arab League that if world powers fail to pressure the Syrian regime there will be no political solution to the war."The question is not how we reach a political solution; we all want that. The question is how we can enforce necessary pressures on the regime so that it heeds the will of the international community," Jubeir said at a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo yesterday."If we cannot find an effective way to pressure the Syrian regime then we will not reach a political solution and the killing, displacement, and injustice in Syria will go on. We will bear responsibility for this in front of God and the Syrian people," he said.United Nations Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura intends to convene peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 8, his office said yesterday. REUTERS VS 0733 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1072816.Xml
Republican Donald Trump prevailed in US Electoral College voting to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House.Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen US electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state's directives, the largest number of "faithless electors" seen in more than a century.The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious Nov. 8 election.Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin's Electoral College balloting. In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting: "Dump Trump" and waving signs reading: "The Eyes of Texas are Upon You" gathered at the state capitol trying to sway electors.In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump.With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country."I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans," Trump said in a statement responding to the results.The Electoral College assigns each state electors equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. The votes will be officially counted during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.When voters go to the polls to cast a ballot for president, they are actually choosing a presidential candidate's preferred slate of electors for their state.'FAITHLESS ELECTORS'The "faithless electors" as they are known represent a rare break from the tradition of casting an Electoral College ballot as directed by the outcome of that state's popular election.The most recent instance of a "faithless elector" was in 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The practice has been very rare in modern times, with only eight such electors since 1900, each in a different election.The two Republican breaks on Monday came from Texas, where the voting is by secret ballot. One Republican elector voted for Ron Paul, a favorite among Libertarians and former Republican congressman, and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who challenged Trump in the race for the Republican nomination.Republican elector Christopher Suprun from Texas had said he would not vote for Trump, explaining in an op-ed in the New York Times that he had concerns about Trump's foreign policy experience and business conflicts.On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide.Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas.Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump.The founding fathers "said the electoral college was not to elect a demagogue, was not to elect someone influenced by foreign powers, was not to elect someone who is unfit for office. Trump fails on all three counts, unlike any candidate we've ever seen in American history," Chiafalo said in an interview.'GREAT ANGST'Washington's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, said after the vote that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "This was a very difficult decision made this year. There is great angst abroad in the land," Inslee said.Twenty-four states have laws trying to prevent electors - most of whom have close ties to their parties - from breaking ranks.In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot.In Hawaii, one of the state's four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the state's Election Day outcome, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspapers.In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector.In Minnesota, one of the state's 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the state's electoral votes were then cast for her.REUTERS VS 0742 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1072865.Xml
Republican Donald Trump has taken the next step in the official process to become the 45th President of the United States by surpassing the necessary 270 votes in the Electoral College despite last minute efforts by his opponents to stop him from entering the White House. Trump secured 304 electoral votes while Democrat Hillary Clinton got 227. Seven "faithless" electors voted for other candidates. The Electoral College results will be officially certified on January 6 during a joint session of the U.S. Congress. "This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again," CNN quoted Trump, as saying in a statement. Thirty-six electors of Texas's 38 voted for Trump whereas two electors ignored the state's Election Day results. Reacting to Trump's win, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, tweeted, "Congratulations to @RealDonaldTrump; officially elected President of the United States today by the Electoral College!" He also wrote, "I'm honored & humbled to be officially elected today as the next Vice President of the United States of America by the Electoral College." Four electors in Washington state voted for other candidates, three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and one casted ballot for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American activist who's been involved in the North Dakota pipeline fight. Former President Bill Clinton voted for his wife as an elector in the state of New York and tweeted, "As an elector from my home state of New York, I've never been more proud to cast a vote than my vote today for @HillaryClinton." The President-elect had won 306 electoral votes to Clinton's 232 in November. Some people had asked electors to vote against their state results in the Electoral College. One elector in Minnesota was disqualified and replaced by an alternate under the state law after he declared that he would vote for someone other than his state's winner.(ANI)
Thailand today freed from prison a Swiss man jailed for blackmail and attempted extortion in a case linked to a scandal over Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).Xavier Justo was among 150,000 Thai and foreign inmates who were granted a royal amnesty this month by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He will be deported to Switzerland, his lawyer said.Justo was jailed for three years in August 2015 after Thai police said he admitted to blackmail and attempting extortion of his former employer, Petrosaudi International, a Saudi Arabia-based oil and gas company and former joint venture partner of 1MDB.The Malaysian state fund 1MDB, once a pet project of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chaired its advisory board, is the subject of money-laundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.After his release, Justo, dressed in a white T-shirt, blue shorts and flip flops, was taken to an immigration detention centre in Bangkok in a police van accompanied by four police commandos."I'm happy to be sent home," Justo told Reuters as he went into the centre. "I hope to be back by tonight."Justo's lawyer in Thailand, Worrasit Piriyawiboon, said his client would be deported to Switzerland."It's now up to immigration when they decide to deport him and up to his embassy," Worrasit told Reuters.In August, Justo's sentence was cut to two years under a royal amnesty, prompting the Swiss authorities to request his transfer to serve the remaining term back home.Thailand declined the extradition request, which Swiss authorities said in September they regretted.Worrasit said it was customary for Thailand to deport people to their country when they are released, and Justo could do what he wanted when he got home."This is not an extradition. This is a deportation," he said. "Once he's in Switzerland, he's a free man."Reuters was not able to reach the Swiss Embassy in Bangkok for comment.Thai police said Justo leaked documents from Petrosaudi relating to its joint venture with 1MDB that were published by Malaysian and international media groups last year and formed the basis of the money-laundering investigation.He was arrested on a Thai resort island in 2015 following allegations by Petrosaudi that he had demanded payment in exchange for not disclosing confidential information, Thai police said at the time.Malaysian Prime Minister Najib has denied any wrongdoing in connection with 1MDB and said Malaysia would cooperate with the investigations. REUTERS AKC PM1232 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1073092.Xml
Poland's lower chamber of parliament, the Sejm, removed a temporary ban on access for the media today and said any changes to rules governing journalists' access would not be implemented without prior consultations with reporters.Planned curbs on media access to the Sejm announced last week by the speaker triggered demonstrations outside parliament and a sit-in protest by opposition lawmakers in the Sejm's debating chamber. In response, the speaker imposed a temporary complete ban on reporters last week."As of today, recently announced changes regarding the access of journalists to the buildings of the Sejm cease to be binding," the Sejm's press office said in a statement. REUTERS AKC AN1453 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-1073272.Xml
The interior minister of the German state of Saarland said today Germany is in a state of war after a man drove a truck into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48, in a suspected terrorist attack."We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this," the minister, Klaus Bouillon, told German broadcaster SR.REUTERS PY AN1608 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1073438.Xml
Putin said, "This crime against peaceful civilians is shocking in its savage cynicism," reports the Guardian.

Earlier in the day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that authorities believe that the Berlin Christmas market assault was a "terrorist" attack likely committed by an asylum seeker.

"According to what we know, we have to assume this was a terrorist attack. I know it will be especially hard for us to take if it is confirmed that the person who committed this attack sought protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel told reporters.

As per the recent reports in the German media, a man arrested under suspicion of ploughing a 7-tonne truck through a Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, killing 12, has been named as Naved B, a 23-year-old asylum seeker of Pakistani origin.

However, there is no official confirmation about the same. (ANI)
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today called for establishing all the circumstances surrounding the murder of the Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov in Turkey as soon as possible. Karlov was shot by a gunman at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara late yesterday. Three other people were also injured in the attack. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism. "It is necessary to establish all the circumstances of the organisation and execution of the terrorist act as soon as possible," Lavrov said at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow. "Yesterday, our Presidents agreed that in addition to the investigatory action of the Turkish special services, the Russian investigation team would fly to Ankara, and it has already landed in the Turkish capital," Lavrov added. "This tragedy makes all of us more determined to fight terrorism and makes this meeting even more useful," he said. "So I very much hope that these negotiations, as well as the upcoming trilateral meeting with our Iranian counterpart, will allow us to reach agreements that will facilitate the process of the Syrian conflict settlement by concrete actions, will create conditions for a more efficient delivery of humanitarian aid without making any concessions to terrorists," Lavrov said. In a separate meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow Lavrov said that the fight against terrorism should be uncompromising and tough. "If the organisers of the attack pursued the goal to derail the fight against terrorism in general, and our meeting today in particular, they did not succeed, and will not succeed," Lavrov said.UNI XC RSA SNU 1717 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0104-1073615.Xml
South African police fired rubber bullets today at scores of protesters outside the Democratic Republic of Congo embassy (DRC) in Pretoria demanding President Joseph Kabila step down, a spokesman said.Several protesters were wounded and seven were arrested for public order offences, provincial police spokesman Kay Makhubela said. Kabila's mandate as DRC president expired at midnight, with no elected successor in place.REUTERS PY AN1747 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1073697.Xml
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today that support should be halted for all groups from abroad who go to Syria, saying it was wrong to only point the figure at one side.Speaking at a news conference with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Moscow, he also said Turkey's military operation to push Islamic State from the Syrian border was continuing around the town of al-Bab and it did not have a secret agenda. REUTERS PY BL1949 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1074024.Xml
A deadly attack on the southern Jordanian city of Karak will not shake the kingdom's determination to fight militants, an official source said today after Islamic State claimed responsibility for the assault.Gunmen shot dead at least nine people, including a Canadian tourist, during a shootout at a Crusader castle in the city on Sunday."We will defend our country, religion and the future of our children from these terrorist gangs and their heinous and inhumane acts," the official source told Reuters.REUTERS PY BL1951 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-1074030.Xml
- Senegal authorities have arrested a Guinean soldier linked to a 2009 massacre in Conakry where at least 150 people were killed and dozens of women raped, a Senegalese security source said on Tuesday.The source said Lieutenant Aboubacar "Toumba" Diakite, who witnesses say played a key role in the massacre at a Conakry stadium, was arrested in Dakar on Monday.The Sept. 28, 2009, incident in Guinea's capital is seen as one of the worst acts of repression in West Africa's recent history and Human Rights Watch called the arrest a breakthrough in the bid to bring justice.In that incident, security forces opened fire on pro-democracy protestors who had gathered at the stadium to put pressure on then junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara not to stand at an election the following year.Diakite was head of the presidential guard and a close aide to Camara, who took power in a coup in 2008."The arrest ... represents a major step forward in Guinea's investigation of the 2009 stadium massacre," said Corinne Dufka, an associate director at Human Rights Watch. "Victims are eager to see the case move to trial."An extradition process has started to bring Diakite to Guinea, said Baila Diallo, a public prosecutor at Guinea's Court of Appeals.Diakite is also accused of having organised mass arrests of army officers seen as hostile to the junta. Many were tortured, according to their families.Diakite shot Camara in the head in an assassination attempt in Dec. 2009 and told French radio he did it because Camara had cast the blame on him for the stadium massacre.Camara survived but resigned the presidency and fled to Burkina Faso, where he was charged in 2015 for crimes relating to the massacre. He has not yet stood trial.President Alpha Conde won the 2010 election in the first democratic transition in Guinea, the world's top exporter of aluminium ore bauxite. He was re-elected in 2015.reuters cj -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1074216.Xml
Slovakia's jobless rate fell to 8.8 percent in November, the lowest level since December 2008, data showed on Tuesday, as a strong-growing economy puts more people in work but is leaving companies concerned over a looming worker shortage.The Slovak economy, fuelled by a booming car industry, is expected to grow more than 3 percent this year and maintain a strong pace in the coming years as the country's fourth car factory comes online in 2018.Slovakia, the world's biggest per capita car producer, is home to three car factories - run by Volkswagen, Kia and Peugeot - and Jaguar Land Rover is building a new plant.Jaroslav Holecek, an official with the Automotive Industry Association, said the industry would need 14,000 new workers in the next two or three years.About 8,000 could be found through re-qualification courses among the already unemployed, he said, "but the rest would have to be covered by foreign workers, which is not a systemic solution but a one-off sticking plaster to the industry".A Manpower Group survey showed earlier this month up to 44 percent of Slovak firms faced problems finding staff."With unemployment at around 9 percent there should be enough workers in theory but most of the available unemployed don't have the required education or skills," the survey said.The government of Prime Minister Robert Fico sought to cut the unemployment rate which is the highest among its central European neighbours. In the Czech Republic, unemployment has dropped to 4.9 percent and is the lowest in the European Union."The economy has created as many as 63,500 new jobs this year and we're on track to meet the goal of creating 100,000 jobs by 2020 sooner than expected," Fico said on Tuesday.reuters cj -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1074240.Xml
- "Where are you, Oh Arabs, Oh Muslims, while we are being slaughtered?"An old man's cry, in a video posted online from Aleppo's ruins, poses an uncomfortable question for the mainly Sunni Muslim Arab states backing rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Iran and Russia.For Saudi Arabia, locked in a regional struggle with Iran, Assad's capture of the rebel haven reflects a dangerous tilt in the Middle East balance of power towards Tehran.Dismayed by this boost to Iranian ambitions for a "Shi'ite crescent" of influence from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean, Riyadh is determined to reverse Tehran's gains sooner or later.Countering Iran, buoyed by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, remains central to Gulf Arab policy but it is not clear how this might be achieved, especially when other concerns are multiplying.Beset by low oil prices, at war in Yemen, and ties with Egypt strained, Riyadh and Gulf allies are questioning how much armed help they should now give the rebels, diplomats say.The monarchies are frustrated with President Barack Obama's light touch approach to the war - relying on local fighters instead of large U.S. military deployments or missile strikes.President-elect Donald Trump poses an intriguing contrast."MAKE A DEAL"Seen as more decisive than Obama, Trump's choices of James Mattis, a retired Marine general distrustful of Iran, as Defense Secretary, and oil man Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, have pleased Gulf Arab energy exporters.But much remains uncertain, not least Trump's admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, an Assad ally."What we have learned from the U.S. election is to wait for actions, not words," said former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal.A senior Western diplomat said Saudi officials were curious to see how Trump translates into policy his campaign criticism of Iran and his praise of Putin.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said he had spent time in the United States to sound out the next administration.Officials said Gulf states were asking Trump associates about Syria, to assess whether he would pursue a U.S.-led effort with Gulf states, Turkey and Western nations to arm the rebels.Trump has indicated he may abandon the rebels to focus on fighting Islamic State.Gulf Arab states want to test that view, said one Western official. A Gulf state foreign ministry official described Trump as "a businessman with whom you can make a deal".RELIEF WILL STILL FLOWGulf humanitarian aid will remain: Sunni Arab societies will not accept curbs on relief to the mostly Sunni country, after a war that has forced 5 million Syrians to flee and killed 300,000.But the extent of their armed support appears in question.Qatar, with Saudi Arabia the most enthusiastic backer of the rebels, says it would prefer to continue military aid but insists this should remain a collective effort.Proclaiming "great faith" in Trump, Asaad al-Zoubi, Saudi-based chief negotiator for the main opposition body, the High Negotiations Council, said some rebel backers had met Trump advisers to explain their cause. "They did not receive an answer from Trump's people. They (the advisers) wanted to listen more than they wanted to answer," he said.Sami alFaraj, a security adviser to the Gulf Cooperation Council of six Gulf Arab states, told Reuters that the Gulf countries "need to regroup, have a strategic pause and look at how we pursue our objectives in the time ahead.""The Syrian case has not been closed," he said. They would push for a transitional administration in Syria - something neither Assad nor Tehran accepts.LEVERAGEAny notion of Gulf Arab leverage in future negotiations seems far-fetched, given the determination of Assad, Moscow and Tehran to carve out territorial gains.But Jubeir told the Arab League in Cairo that if world powers failed to constrain Assad there would be no political solution to the war."If we cannot find an effective way to pressure the Syrian regime, we will not reach a political solution and the killing, displacement, and injustice in Syria will go on," Jubeir said.While drawn to Trump, the Gulf monarchies feel his views are not fully formed, and they want to do nothing that might cause him to harm their interests.AlFaraj said he expected Trump to deal favourably with Gulf states, which have the wealth to help create U.S. jobs. He believed a suggestion by Trump that Gulf states pay for safe zones in Syria was worth considering."If he wants to create jobs there is no better field than selling weapons," alFaraj said. "We are the only people who have surplus cash."However, Arab resentment at Western inaction over Syria appears deep and enduring.Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa, foreign minister of Bahrain, an ally of Riyadh, told Reuters: "The whole thing in Syria was because of disengagement from world powers about how to deal with the matter. So with all the changes in the political leadership (in the West) let's hope for some new commitment for Syria."Asked if it was realistic to back rebels who had lost their major urban stronghold, he replied: "Do you think its realistic that we should also allow such bloodshed and people dying to go on and on and on. What's the next city after Aleppo?"reuters cj -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1074242.Xml
Al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab militants shot dead an aide to a regional official in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region today, the second such attack in a week, police said.Aden Huruse, a director in Puntland's presidential palace, was attacked at a restaurant in its main city Bosasso, police told Reuters. "Two men armed with pistols fired several bullets into his head. He died on the spot," said Major Mohamed Hassan, a Bosasso police officer.Al Shabaab regularly targets officials throughout Somalia. Its insurgency aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple Somalia's Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state.today's shooting occurred six days after al Shabaab gunmen killed the region's deputy police commander Jamac Sahardiid outside a hotel in Bosasso."This evening we killed the director in Bosasso. We were also behind the killing of Puntland's deputy police commander days ago," said Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the militant's military operation spokesman.The al Shabaab insurgency persists in Somalia as it pursues reconstruction after more than two decades of conflict and chaos that have left the nation in tatters.Somalis are now voting across the country for a new parliament, which will choose a new president.REUTERS VS 2333 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1074322.Xml
File photo taken on June 16, 2014 shows International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde speaking at a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States. France's Court of Justice of the Republic on Dec. 19, 2016 found Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence over a state payout in 2008, but failed to sentence her. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

PARIS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- France's Court of Justice of the Republic on Monday found Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, guilty of negligence over a state payout in 2008, but failed to sentence her.

The tribunal, which handles government officials' trials, charged the former French finance minister with negligence for failing to contest a ruling of a financial compensation worth 405 million euros (422.82 million U.S. dollars) to French businessman Bernard Tapie in his dispute with Credit Lyonnais on the acquisition of Adidas in 2008.

Despite the guilty finding, the tribunal did not give any sentence, citing "her personality," "international reputation" and "the context of global financial crisis" as reasons.

Lagarde, who could have faced a one-year term and a 15,000-euro (15,650 U.S. dollars) fine, is looking into appealing the court's decision, according to her defense lawyer.

Served as finance minister from 2007 to 2011, Lagarde had been investigated since August 2011 for her role in an arbitration payout to the business tycoon eight years ago.

But the IMF managing director, who was approved another five-year term in February, denied wrongdoing and insisted her innocence.

Tapie, who was under formal investigation, was ordered in Dec. 2015 to pay the 405 million euros to Credit Lyonnais. (1 euro = 1.044 U.S. dollar)
Photo taken on Dec. 19, 2016 shows the street view of Caoxian County shrouded in smog, east China's Shandong Province. Severe smog continued to shroud northern China and even worsened late Monday, disrupting life in dozens of cities. (Xinhua/Dong Xide)

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Severe smog in northern China worsened late Monday, disrupting the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, ordered all primary schools to cancel classes for the next two days. Liaoning Province saw its most severe smog in seven years, with poor visibility closing 18 expressways.

Tianjin airport suspended services from Sunday evening to Monday noon. As of 5 p.m. on Monday, a total of 29 flights had been delayed and 350 canceled.

All expressways in the municipality were closed. Extra public transportation was laid on as cars are running on odd-even plate restrictions until midnight Thursday.

Tianjin Municipal Education Bureau issued an emergency notice on Monday night, ordering schools and kindergartens to suspend classes in the following two days.

Beijing also increased its public transport and implemented the same odd-even number plate rule.

The Beijing municipal environmental protection bureau has introduced a spate of pollution reduction measures, including vehicle restrictions, to help cut PM2.5 pollutant emissions by over 20 percent.

The meteorological station in east China's Shandong Province on Monday issued its first red alert for smog in this winter. It also issued another red alert for heavy fog.

Over 100 toll gates on four expressways in Shandong were closed and some flights at the provincial capital airport were delayed.

A total of 1,767 enterprises have halted production and workers on 2,036 construction sites across the province stopped working on Monday, according to a statement on the official website of the provincial environmental protection department.

All kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, were closed on Monday. Teachers offered online classes via chatting apps such as Wechat and QQ, while some schools offering live classes to students at home.

Liu Junbo, head of Xi'an No. 26 Middle School, said some teachers had tried real-time tutoring via live broadcasts and others kept in touch with students through Wechat, the Internet and phone.

The smog descended over the weekend and is forecast to clear by Thursday. Over 20 cities have issued red alerts.

On Monday, the PM2.5 reading in many cities in northern China, mainly in Hebei and Henan, exceeded 500 micrograms per cubic meter. In Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei, the reading exceeded 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter at 1 p.m. Monday.
MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Monday repelled an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Mosul, killing nine IS militants and destroying three suicide car bombs, the Iraqi army said.

The soldiers of the 1st Division repelled three suicide car bombs and dozens of IS militants on the recently-freed neighborhood of al-Intisar in eastern Mosul after heavy clashes, killing nine militants and destroying all the suicide car bombs, a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said.

The Iraqi forces continued during the day their clearing operations in the freed neighborhoods in the eastern side of Mosul, locally known as the left bank of the Tigris which bisects the city.

After nearly seven weeks of street-to-street battles inside Mosul, the elite Counter-Terrorism Service retook control of 40 districts, while the army's 9th armored Division and the 1st Division recaptured six more neighborhoods in eastern the city, according to the statement.

The troops are facing grueling fighting inside Mosul from the extremist militants, who are carrying out brutal counter attacks in small groups moving quickly throughout the districts, and using suicide car bombs, as well as mortars and snipers, in addition to using the population of the city as human shields.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a recent report that 103,872 men, women, and children have fled their homes in Mosul and its adjacent districts since the beginning of military offensive in October to reclaim the IS largest stronghold in Iraq.

The number of displaced people in and near Mosul is rising everyday.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Oct. 17 announced a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, the Iraqi security forces, backed by international coalition forces, have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under the IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
TEHRAN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, describing it as an "act of evil," official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the criminal act indicated that terrorists linked to extremism are not bound to any of internationally respected laws.

Terrorists "are committing such brutal acts to cause dispute among countries and create more instability and insecurity in the region," Qasemi was quoted as saying.

The only way to deal with this vicious and horrible phenomenon of our time "is unity and solidarity of all nations and governments in a relentless fight against terrorism and extremism," he added.

Tehran will stand by the people and governments of the regional and world countries until the complete eradication of the vicious phenomenon, he stressed.

Earlier in the day, a gunman in a black suit and tie shot the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov dead as he was speaking at the opening of a photographic art exhibition in the capital city of Ankara.
ANKARA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday strongly condemned the assassination of Russian ambassador to Ankara, describing it as a "provocation" aimed at ruining Turkey-Russia ties.

"Turkey-Russia relations were vital for the region and those who aimed to harm ties were not going to achieve their goals," Erdogan said in a televised message.

The Turkish president said he had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who offered to send security officers to Turkey for the investigation.

Earlier in the day, a gunman in a black suit and tie shot dead the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov as he was speaking at the opening of a photographic art exhibition in the capital city of Ankara, titled "Russia through Turks' eyes."

The gunman shouted "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria. As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety. Whoever has a share in this oppression will pay for it one-by-one. Only death will take me away from here," according to Turkish security sources.

The gunman was shot dead at the scene and identified as 22-year-old Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

He had been on duty for two and a half years at the riot police unit in Ankara.

Three other wounded people were taken to Guven Hospital in central Ankara for treatment.

Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly condemned the attack.

"It's been learned with great sorrow that Andrey Karlov, the ambassador of the Russian Federation, lost his life as a result of an armed attack during the opening of a photo exhibition," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on its website.

It said "all the connections of this incident will be brought to light and those responsible will be brought before the court."

"We will not allow this attack to overshadow Turkish-Russian friendship," it added.

Moscow and Ankara are on the process of normalizing ties after the latter shot down a Russian warplane on Nov. 24, 2015 claiming airspace violation.

The attack came one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.
File photo taken on Feb. 4, 2016, shows Pollyana Rabello (L), holding her baby, Luiz Philipe, who was born with microcephaly, in their house in Marica, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. (Xinhua/Daniel Castelo Branco/Agencia o Dia/AGENCIA ESTADO)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Zika outbreak in South America was fuelled by the El Nino phenomenon of 2015, a new study said Monday, predicting that a potential seasonal transmission risk for the mosquito-borne virus may exist in the southeastern United States, southern Europe, and some other places during summer.

The study, published in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, used a new epidemiological model that looked at how climate affects the spread of Zika by both of its major vectors, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus).

According to researchers at the University of Liverpoo, the model used the worldwide distribution of both vectors as well as temperature-dependent factors, such as mosquito biting rates, mortality rates and viral development rates within mosquitoes, to predict the effect of climate on virus transmission.

It found that in 2015, when the Zika outbreak occurred, the risk of transmission was greatest in South America.

The researchers believed that this was likely due to a combination of El Nino -- a naturally occurring phenomenon that sees above-normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and causes extreme weather around the world -- and climate change, creating conducive conditions for the mosquito vectors.

El Ninos occur every three to seven years in varying intensity, with the 2015 El Nino, nicknamed the "Godzilla," one of the strongest on record. Effects can include severe drought, heavy rains and temperature rises at global scale.

Cyril Caminade, a population and epidemiology researcher who led the work, said in a statement: "It's thought that the Zika virus probably arrived in Brazil from Southeast Asia or the Pacific islands in 2013.

"However, our model suggests that it was temperature conditions related to the 2015 El Nino that played a key role in igniting the outbreak -- almost two years after the virus was believed to be introduced on the continent."

"In addition to El Nino, other critical factors might have played a role in the amplification of the outbreak, such as the non-exposed South American population, the risk posed by travel and trade, the virulence of the Zika virus strain and co-infections with other viruses such as dengue."

The researchers said their model predicts a potential seasonal transmission risk for Zika virus, in the south eastern United States, and to a lesser extent over southern Europe during summer in the Northern hemisphere.

They also planned to adapt the model to other important flaviviruses, such as Chikungunya and Dengue fever, with the aim of developing disease early warning systems that could help public health officials prepare for, or even prevent, future outbreaks.

The World Health Organization recently declared that Zika, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological complications, will no longer be treated as an international emergency, but as a "significant enduring public health challenge."
RABAT, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Morocco Sun Shuzhong said on Monday that the cooperation between China and Africa, which serves as "a good example of South-South cooperation, is "very dynamic."

Speaking at the opening of the first Joint International Conference on Afro-Asian Cooperation, held at the University Mohammed V in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, the Chinese ambassador highlighted the significant development of China's comprehensive strategic partnership with Africa, saying that China will provide 60 billion U.S. dollars for 10 major cooperation programs in Africa.

So far, more than 240 agreements, totalling 50.7 billion U.S. dollars, have been signed between China and Africa, according to the ambassador.

On the development of Morocco, Sun said that the North African country "has made great achievements in economic development in recent years," hailing it as "an engine of economic development in the region."
GENEVA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Swiss police are still looking for the man who carried out a shooting in a mosque located in the Swiss city of Zurich, local law enforcement authorities said Monday.

Three adult men were injured, some severely, by the gunman who entered the Mosque located in the center of Zurich at around 5:30 p.m. local time, opening fire randomly at people who were praying.

According to witnesses, the perpetrator is around 30 years old. The area in which the shooting took place is blocked off by police amid an ongoing search.

The police also confirmed on social media that it had found a dead body near the mosque, with parallel investigations ongoing as to whether this has anything to do with the shooting.

The incident comes amid a spree of attacks in both Turkey and Germany.

Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot and killed at an art exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara Monday shortly before a truck ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine and injuring many more.
File photo taken on Feb. 4, 2016, shows Pollyana Rabello (L), holding her baby, Luiz Philipe, who was born with microcephaly, in their house in Marica, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. (Xinhua/Daniel Castelo Branco/Agencia o Dia/AGENCIA ESTADO)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Zika outbreak in South America was fuelled by the El Nino phenomenon of 2015, a new study said Monday, predicting that a potential seasonal transmission risk for the mosquito-borne virus may exist in the southeastern United States, southern Europe, and some other places during summer.

The study, published in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, used a new epidemiological model that looked at how climate affects the spread of Zika by both of its major vectors, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus).

According to researchers at the University of Liverpoo, the model used the worldwide distribution of both vectors as well as temperature-dependent factors, such as mosquito biting rates, mortality rates and viral development rates within mosquitoes, to predict the effect of climate on virus transmission.

It found that in 2015, when the Zika outbreak occurred, the risk of transmission was greatest in South America.

The researchers believed that this was likely due to a combination of El Nino -- a naturally occurring phenomenon that sees above-normal temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and causes extreme weather around the world -- and climate change, creating conducive conditions for the mosquito vectors.

El Ninos occur every three to seven years in varying intensity, with the 2015 El Nino, nicknamed the "Godzilla," one of the strongest on record. Effects can include severe drought, heavy rains and temperature rises at global scale.

Cyril Caminade, a population and epidemiology researcher who led the work, said in a statement: "It's thought that the Zika virus probably arrived in Brazil from Southeast Asia or the Pacific islands in 2013.

"However, our model suggests that it was temperature conditions related to the 2015 El Nino that played a key role in igniting the outbreak -- almost two years after the virus was believed to be introduced on the continent."

"In addition to El Nino, other critical factors might have played a role in the amplification of the outbreak, such as the non-exposed South American population, the risk posed by travel and trade, the virulence of the Zika virus strain and co-infections with other viruses such as dengue."

Mariano Brosas, a 64-year-old farmer, inspects his dried-up rice field in Bulacan Province, the Philippines, April 13, 2016. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

The researchers said their model predicts a potential seasonal transmission risk for Zika virus, in the south eastern United States, and to a lesser extent over southern Europe during summer in the Northern hemisphere.

They also planned to adapt the model to other important flaviviruses, such as Chikungunya and Dengue fever, with the aim of developing disease early warning systems that could help public health officials prepare for, or even prevent, future outbreaks.

The World Health Organization recently declared that Zika, which has been linked to birth defects and neurological complications, will no longer be treated as an international emergency, but as a "significant enduring public health challenge."
GENEVA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations(UN) intends to convene the Syrian peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 8, 2017, the Spokesperson of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria said in a statement here on Monday.

"The Special Envoy will be comprehensively consulting the parties and the broadest spectrum of Syrian stakeholders, and the countries of the region and the wider international community, to carefully prepare negotiations," the statement said.

The statement added the Special Envoy will follow with interest the meeting on Tuesday between Russia, Turkey, and Iran, saying that any effort that can bring about a cessation of hostilities will be welcomed.

The latest statement from the Envoy's spokesperson also welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2328 on Syria, which was just unanimously adopted in New York to send UN observers to monitor evacuations in Syria's war-torn Aleppo.

"The UN Special Envoy hopes that this could be a beginning of the restoration of the unity of the Security Council, and along with the wider UN system, the Office of the Special Envoy will be fully engaged in promoting the operational implementation of the resolution on the ground," said the statement from the Envoy's spokesperson.

According to the latest resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN should carry out adequate, neutral monitoring and direct observation on evacuations of civilians and fighters from eastern Aleppo.

The 15-nation council also demands in the resolution that all parties allow safe and unhindered access for the UN in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need.

Earlier last week Syria's Foreign Ministry said that the Syrian government was ready to resume the inter-Syrian talks without preconditions, responding to the latest comments of UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura.

Mistura told reporters recently that it's about time to look seriously into the possibility of reviving political talks on Syria.

Previous Syrian talks in Geneva ended without achieving results, amid an increasing military showdown in Syria, mainly in the northern city of Aleppo.
LJUBLJANA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia strongly condemned on Monday the killing of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, who was shot dead at an exhibition in Ankara, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) has reported.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned on Twitter the "cowardly assassination", sending condolences to Karlov's family and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Meanwhile, the Parliament Speaker Milan Brglez expressed the hope that the incident would not worsen Turkey-Russia relations, warning that any deterioration could aggravate destabilisation, not only in the region but also more broadly, a press release from his office said.

Earlier on Monday, Karlov, who served as Russian ambassador to Turkey since 2013, was shot dead by a gunman when he spoke at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara.
Police stand guard near the site of a lorry crash at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 19, 2016. A lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring 50 others, Berlin police have announced. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" an attack on Christmas Market in Berlin, Germany which killed at least nine.

"We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident," said U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price in a statement.

A lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring 50 others, Berlin police have announced.

The truck drove over the sideway at Breitscheidplatz, a major public square near the location of the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, in the inner city of Berlin, the police tweeted.

The motive of the incident remains unknown. Police have begun investigations which point to a possible terrorist attack.

The background of the incident is still unclear, the police added.

"We mourn the dead and hope that many injured people can be helped," German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted on Monday night.

A series of attacks occurred in Germany in this summer, raising concerns over the safety of the country in the fallout of refugee influx in recent years.
PRAGUE, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Czech police will tighten security measures after at least nine people were killed on Monday in Berlin when a lorry ploughed into the crowd, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec announced.

The decision was made after a discussion with Czech Police President Tomas Tuhy, Chovanec wrote on his twitter account.

The number of police patrols on streets will rise by Tuesday and authorities will meet, probably on Tuesday morning, to decide whether to raise the level of terrorist threat in the Czech Republic, Chovanec told Czech Television (CT).

According to the official, based on the information gathered so far, an upgrade of terrorist threat level in the country is unnecessary.

A lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring 50 others, Berlin police have announced.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the killing of a peacekeeper from South Africa deployed with UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in North Kivu province.

The peacekeeper was killed during an exchange of fire with suspected combatants of a Mayi Mayi armed group. Two other peacekeepers from South Africa were also injured during the firefight, according to the UN.

"The Secretary-General offers his sincere condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the Government of South Africa," said a statement by Ban's spokesperson.

"He calls on the authorities of the DRC to ensure that this attack is investigated and its perpetrators are brought to justice. He underlines, once again, that attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable," it said.

MONUSCO was created by the UN Security Council with the mandate to protect civilians, prevent the expansion of all armed groups and disarm them to reduce security threats.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (R) meets with Meng Hongwei, president of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday met here with Meng Hongwei, president of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), and they vowed to further the cooperation between the two international organizations.

At UN Headquarters in New York, Ban, who congratulated Meng on his Nov. 10 election as the Interpol president at the outset of their meeting, said that he is convinced that Meng, the first Chinese citizen who was chosen for a four-year term at the world police body, will further the UN-Interpol cooperation with his extensive experience in the field of police affairs and international collaboration.

The secretary-general noted that this year marked the 20th anniversary of the Interpol's becoming an observer to the United Nations, and spoke highly of the partnership between the two world organizations.

For his part, Meng lauded the crucial contribution of the secretary-general to a strengthened UN role in maintaining international peace and security, and promoting common development in the world at large.

There is huge potential in the cooperation in the global security governance between the Interpol, the only inter-governmental organization facilitating international police cooperation, and the United Nations, the most universal and authoritative inter-governmental body, Meng said.

The Interpol was established as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) in 1923. The international agency chose Interpol as its telegraphic address in 1946, and made it its common name in 1956.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on the UN Security Council to "act now" to halt South Sudan's "trajectory towards mass atrocities" as growing tensions and increasing despair were reported among the people of the world's youngest country.

"It is time to put the people of South Sudan, and not its leaders, at the forefront of any strategy," the secretary-general said at an open meeting of the 15-nation UN body on the current situation in the war-torn African country.

"Instability in South Sudan is also a threat to the region," he said. "I appeal to the Security Council to act, to act now, in fulfilment of its responsibility and in support of ongoing regional efforts."

"We should be united and determined in following through with severe consequences for those who impede the path to peace and stability," Ban said.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general informed the Security Council of reports suggesting that South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his loyalists are contemplating a new military offensive in the coming days against the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)-In Opposition, as well as of reports that long-time rival Riek Machar and other opposition groups are pursuing a military escalation.

"The responsibility for this tragic state of affairs lies squarely on the shoulders of South Sudan's leaders," he said. "They have betrayed the public trust and continue to show a perverse sense of entitlement, seeking to retain power and wealth at all costs."

Ban said that the parties in South Sudan must be prevented from launching any military operation, particularly with the beginning of the dry season.

"I urge the Security Council, regional leaders and the international community to make it clear to President Kiir and Riek Machar that initiation of a military offensive will carry serious consequences," he said.

"The parties must reinvigorate an inclusive political process that is deemed credible by the people of South Sudan and the international community," Ban said. "Any attempt to rubberstamp the legitimacy of those in power will not bring peace or stability."

"An inclusive and credible process requires all parties to the conflict to have a seat at the negotiating table with the ability to share and exercise power without fear of reprisals," he said.

"South Sudan faces no external threat," he said. "More weapons will only pose a greater threat to its own people. We have repeatedly seen the deliberate targeting of civilian communities perceived to support an opposing side."

He sounded the alarm at the rising ethnic tensions in the country, including increasing hate speech from many in leadership positions as well as the warning from Adama Dieng, the UN special envoy for the prevention of genocide, saying that "I am afraid that process is about to begin unless immediate action is taken."

"The Security Council must (...) send a clear warning that hate speech, incitement and violence must end, and that there will be accountability for mass atrocities and other crimes," he said.

He also told the Council that the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) continued to face serious restrictions on its freedom of movement throughout the country, and called on the Government to fulfil its pledges of unconditional acceptance of the deployment of the Regional Protection Force.

"Words alone are insufficient," the secretary-general said. "They must be matched by practical actions that demonstrate a strategic shift to fully cooperate with the United Nations and all partners for peace."

South Sudan has faced on-going challenges since a political face-off between President Kiir and rebel leader Machar erupted into full-blown conflict in December 2013. The crisis has produced one of the world's worst displacement situations with immense suffering for civilians.

Despite the August 2015 peace agreement that formally ended the war, conflict and instability have also spread to previously unaffected areas in the Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr-El-Ghazal regions of South Sudan.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than two million displaced since late 2013, according to the UN.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (R) meets with Meng Hongwei, president of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday met here with Meng Hongwei, president of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), and they vowed to further the cooperation between the two international organizations.

At UN Headquarters in New York, Ban, who congratulated Meng on his Nov. 10 election as the Interpol president at the outset of their meeting, said that he is convinced that Meng, the first Chinese citizen who was chosen for a four-year term at the world police body, will further the UN-Interpol cooperation with his extensive experience in the field of police affairs and international collaboration.

The secretary-general noted that this year marked the 20th anniversary of the Interpol's becoming an observer to the United Nations, and spoke highly of the partnership between the two world organizations.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon(3rd, left) meets with Meng Hongwei (3rd, right), president of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

For his part, Meng lauded the crucial contribution of the secretary-general to a strengthened UN role in maintaining international peace and security, and promoting common development in the world at large.

There is huge potential in the cooperation in the global security governance between the Interpol, the only inter-governmental organization facilitating international police cooperation, and the United Nations, the most universal and authoritative inter-governmental body, Meng said.

The Interpol was established as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) in 1923. The international agency chose Interpol as its telegraphic address in 1946, and made it its common name in 1956.
PRAGUE, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Czech domestic rail and bus operator Leo Express singed a contract here on Monday to buy three Electric Mutiple Units(EMUs) from Chinese train manufacturer CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd (CRRC ZELC).

The total value of the transaction exceeds 20 million euros(20.80 million U.S. dollars).

According to Liao Hongtao, deputy general manager of CRRC ZELC, the contract includes three EMUs, spare parts, testing equipment and training service.

This is the first EMU products of a Chinese enterprise to entering the European Union market, said Liao.

The successful signing of this agreement means the products made by Chinese train manufacturers are widely recognized, according to Liao.

Liao said CRRC ZELC will provide all the electric locomotives that Leo Express needs in the next few years, and Leo Express could buy 30 EMUs in three years.
File photo taken on July 16, 2016 shows Donald Trump speaking at a campaign event in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday officially won the 270 electoral votes needed for White House in the on-going 538-member U.S. Electoral College voting which is to end later on the day, U.S. media reported.

Texas' 36 electoral votes for Trump pushed him over the edge at around 4:30 pm central time, said a TheHill news daily report.

The electors, chosen by their state political parties, are convening on Monday in Washington D.C. and statehouses across the country to cast two votes -- one for president and one for vice president.

So far, almost all the Republican electors stayed loyal to their candidate, despite turmoil fuelled by the CIA conclusion that Russia intervened the U.S. election partly in bid to harm Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

People attend a protest against Donald Trump's presidential election victory in front of the City Hall building in Los Angeles, the United States, Nov. 9, 2016. A number of U.S. cities on Wednesday witnessed protest against Tuesday's presidential election result. (Xinhua/Jiang Jiajun)

Though the former secretary of state takes a lead over Trump by nearly three million popular votes up to now, Trump is projected to win more than 300 electoral votes.

The number of electors each state has is equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress -- 538 in total, with those extra three electors coming from Washington District of Columbia. Among them are state party leaders, elected officials or just individuals with a personal connection to a presidential candidate.

The Congress, where the Republican hold a strong majority, will certify the vote on Jan. 6.
TORONTO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Canada's main stock market in Toronto grew for a third straight session as gains Industrial and Information Technology stocks pushed the index ahead on Monday.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite moved up 17.65 points, or 0.12 percent, to end the day at 15,269.85 points. Seven of the ten sub-sectors finished the session in the positive.

Information Technology and Industrials groups had the biggest influence on the day, gaining 1.55 percent and 0.40 percent, respectively.

Gains in Information Technology group was led by smartphone developer Blackberry Limited announcing the opening of an Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre near the city of Ottawa. The firm plans to invest 100 million Canadian dollars (about 75 million U.S. dollars) in as many as 650 engineers over the upcoming years to enter the self-driving car industry. Shares of the Waterloo-based firm rose 2.28 percent to 10.34 Canadian dollars (7.71 U.S. dollars).

Within the IT group, DH Corporation and CGI Group Inc. shares also climbed, rising 2.29 percent and 1.43 percent, respectively.

Industrials group moved forward as Bombardier Inc. stock soared 6.83 percent to 2.19 Canadian dollars (1.63 U.S. dollars) each. Shares of the Montreal-based firm continued to rally after providing a strong five-year forecast last week. On Monday, they were the most actively traded stock with more than 13 million shares exchanged.

Other groups to finish in the green were Health Care (2.15 percent), Telecommunications (0.62 percent), Consumer Staples (0.11 percent), Financials (0.06 percent), and Energy (0.01 percent).

Financials group stayed afloat as shares of Toronto-based insurance firm Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited fell 1.54 percent to 605.00 Canadian dollars (450.85 U.S. dollars) after announcing the acquisition of Swiss insurance firm Allied World for 4.9 billion U.S. dollars, an 18 percent premium to Allied World's last closing price. The deal is expected to be finalized by the second quarter of 2017.

Groups that finished in the negative on Monday were Consumer Discretionary (0.60 percent), Materials (0.07 percent), and Utilities (0.03 percent).

Materials group, which consists of producers of gold, precious metals and fertilizers, slipped as the price of copper fell 5.92 cents (2.32 percent) to 2.4916 U.S. dollars a pound. Firms that predominately mine for copper were hit hard during the session, as Lundin Mining Corporation and HudBay Minerals Inc. saw shares sink 6.72 percent and 5.64 percent, respectively.

Price of gold moved up 5.20 dollars to 1141.40 U.S. dollars an ounce. Barrick Gold, the world's largest producer of gold saw shares climb 0.79 percent to 19.10 Canadian dollars (14.23 U.S. dollars).

The Canadian dollar opened the week down 0.0042 to 0.7452 U.S. dollars.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A new study shows that non-lethal methods of predator control can be highly effective in protecting livestock from predators and in turn, saving predators from people.

Published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, the study addresses the issue that top predators like wolves, bears, lions and tigers have declined dramatically around the world over the past century and one major driver of these declines is retaliatory killing by people following predator attacks on domestic livestock.

By examining 66 published, peer-reviewed research papers that measured how four categories of lethal and non-lethal mitigation techniques influenced attacks on livestock, researchers found that the most consistently effective tools were guard dogs, electric fencing, electrified fladry, namely electric fence with hanging colored flags, light and sound devices, shock collar, and removal of predators, which includes both killing and translocation to other places.

The categories of predator control techniques for livestock protection include preventive livestock husbandry, predator deterrents, predator removal, and indirect management of land or wild prey.

"Livestock owners spend immense resources on stopping carnivore attacks but may never know whether the costs were truly worthwhile," said Jennie Miller, a researcher at Panthera who will become a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of Environmental, Science, Policy and Management in January next year.

The new study found that preventive husbandry and deterrents were most effective in reducing livestock losses. These methods, however, showed wide variability due to a suite of external factors, such as how well equipment was installed and maintained. Husbandry methods ranged between 42 percent and 100 percent effective, while deterrents ranged anywhere from highly effective to wholly ineffective.

Lethal predator control has received particularly little study and monitoring, the study's authors pointed out. "In spite of lethal control being very widely used, it really hasn't been studied well enough to make scientific comparisons with other, non-lethal methods, which is surprising," said Arthur Middleton, an assistant professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and a study co-author.

The authors suggest the lethal management method should receive closer monitoring and more rigorous testing.

Large carnivores are critical as they can stabilize entire ecosystems. Despite their importance, 77 percent of the 31 largest terrestrial carnivores are declining in population, with 61 percent listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

"Chronic conflict between large carnivores and livestock not only limits the long-term viability of many carnivore populations, it also carries economic and emotional costs for the livestock producers and others involved in these conflicts," Middleton was quoted as saying in a news release from UC Berkeley. "All these are important to alleviate, no matter how long it takes."
A file photo taken on July 14, 2015, shows the former Flying Tigers vetran John Yee at his home in Denver, the United States. (Xinhua/Zhang Chaoqun)

DENVER, the United States, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- John Yee, a Flying Tigers veteran who just celebrated his 95th birthday, remembers the moment when Japanese bombs fell on Pearl Harbor.

He was in southwest China's biggest city of Kunming at the time, handpicked as one of 30 translators to work with the Flying Tigers there.

"We felt badly for the Americans, but to be honest, we all jumped with joy. It was a day of hope that something might stop the daily bombings of our cities and towns by the Japanese," Yee told Xinhua.

Yee says that his fellow Chinese translators all talked about having "a very powerful ally in the United States, and that we would no longer have to fight the Japanese alone."

During World War Two, Japanese slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Nanking, capital of China at that time. Yee was 17-years-old then and living in Kunming.

"It was a horrible, sickening event, and shocked everybody in China. It started a long period of atrocities committed by the Japanese military against innocent Chinese people," Yee said Monday in an open letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will pay a visit to Pearl Harbor later this month.

"Just like Hitler trying to exterminate the Jews in Europe, the Japanese committed genocide against the Chinese," Yee noted. "But Western educators and media have yet to recognize the extent of the atrocities committed by Japan."

A file photo taken on July 14, 2015, shows the former Flying Tigers vetran John Yee at his home in Denver, the United States. (Xinhua/Zhang Chaoqun)

Two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack, the first of General Claire Lee Chennault's 100 planes landed from Burma on a Kunming airstrip just north of the city. And Yee became one of those Flying Tigers as a translator.

The night before the Americans arrived, Kunming had been blown apart by bombs again, as the defenseless Chinese had no recourse but to run for cover. Yee remembers hearing the sound of wailing and screaming throughout the dark, powerless city that night.

"But they were in for a surprise the next time," Yee told Xinhua, with a smile. "The Americans had come, and the slaughter of innocent people would stop," he said.

The very next day, the scrappy force of all-American flyboys, led by Chennault, routed the Japanese by shooting down 10 of their planes, while the Americans lost none.

Yee remembers that moment like it was yesterday -- hearing the yells of joy, surprise and exaltation from people across the war-torn city that night -- the excitement, the smiles, and the hugs -- as Kunming residents savored the first of many American victories against superior Japanese forces over the skies of southwest China.

"It was the greatest success story in the history of aviation fighting," asserts Yee, who was a history professor at the University of Denver and University of Colorado in the 1960s. "It is a bond America and China will share forever."

A file photo taken on July 14, 2015, shows the former Flying Tigers vetran John Yee at his home in Denver, the United States. (Xinhua/Zhang Chaoqun)

Yee worked with legendary American General Chennault in the control room day after day, and later came to the United States to train at some of U.S. military bases.

Yee stayed in America after the war ended, becoming a leader in Colorado's Asian-American community, and enjoying an award-winning, 30-year teaching career.

"It seems like more Japanese-American back-rubbing in Pearl Harbor this month," Yee said, "There are several countries that Japan should apologize to, and China is at the top of the list."

"The visit to pearl Harbor by Shinzo Abe is more U.S.-Japan theater. The first people the Japanese should be apologizing to are the Chinese -- for the Rape of Nanking, for invading China, for murdering millions of Chinese people," the retired history professor said in his open letter.
CAIRO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Foreign Ministry condemned on Monday the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Earlier on Monday, a Turkish off-duty police officer shot and killed Karlov at an art exhibition ceremony.

In a press release, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry urged all countries of international conventions to provide protection to diplomatic missions, specially amid the ongoing threats of terrorism.

The ministry extended condolence to Russia and its people, voicing Egypt's support for Moscow in its war against terrorism.

The Yeni Safak daily said on its website that the killer named Mevlut Mert Altintas was a member of of Ankara's riot police squad. He was later killed in a shootout with police.

Karlov, who had been serving in Turkey since 2013, was shot in the back while making a speech at a painting exhibition in the Turkish capital, the Russian embassy said.

The attack came one day before the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran meet in Moscow for talks on Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made clear later that the meeting of would be held on Tuesday as planned.
MELBOURNE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Victorian iconic Great Ocean Road is set for a major upgrade after it was damaged by a number of natural disasters in 2016.

The Victorian Government announced on Tuesday that 38 million U.S. dollars would be spent on urgent repairs and safety upgrades to the 243 km national heritage-listed road.

The road, which runs along Victoria's south-east coast, was significantly damaged by bushfires at Wye River in December 2015 and January 2016 as well as a number of serious landslides in September caused by higher than average rainfall for the year.

The upgrades for the popular tourist destination will be retainer walls, erosion prevention, rock fall netting, electronic traveller information signs, closed circuit television (CCTV) monitoring and real-time traffic counters.

Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews said the upgrades would ensure that communities along the road would stay connected during emergencies.

"We are pleased to be here to announce (38 million U.S. dollars), all new funding provided by the State Government," Andrews said on Tuesday.

"This will be put to the very best use in terms of rock netting, drainage, retaining walls, armour rocks to stop erosion from the sea into the base of the road."

"This is really important, the critical infrastructure that will keep the road open, keep the tourists coming, keep the jobs and the opportunities in beautiful coastal communities like this one."

Work on the Great Ocean Road will start at the end of January after the busy tourist period and is expected to take four years to complete.

A recent Victorian Government tourism strategy report revealed that 33 percent of the 530,000 annual visitors to Victoria from China visited the Great Ocean Road, making it the state's most prominent regional tourism attraction.
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/File photo)

by Xinhua writers Liu Chang, Jiang Hanlu, Lu Jiafei

BEIJING/WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- As Donald Trump is going to be inaugurated as president of the United States next month, his unpredictability that has characterized his campaign trail and the ensuing transition has left the country and the world community in a deep abyss of doubt and anxieties.

Trump comes to power at a time when Washington and other world capitals are struggling with an ever rising tide of nationalism, populism, trade protectionism and the urge to backtrack on globalization. These trends, partly fuelled by some Americans' discontent about their life over the past eight years, have helped pave his way to the White House.

OBAMA'S DEBACLE

It is almost deja vu all over again. Eight years ago, now outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama rode on U.S. voters' desperation for change on the height of the global financial crisis.

Yet only a little more than a month ahead of his departure from the Oval Office, his legacies in terms of domestic and foreign policies are riddled with wreckage.

Inside the United States, the social fabric has been fractured with frequent gun violent crimes, rising racial discrimination, broken infrastructure, a controversial gigantic health care reform, and widening income inequality.

Douglas H. Paal, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believed that the Obama White House has failed domestically because it simply rammed through the health care reform, and squandered the stimulus money on insubstantial projects during the global financial crisis.

Also, years of partisan gridlock between the Democrats and the Republicans have paralyzed the Obama administration's ability to move forward with its preset agendas.

Overseas, the Obama administration has made quite a number of major mistakes. In the Middle East, Obama overturned Libya's Muammar Gaddafi without a workable plan to rebuild the country. The Islamic State militants were able to emerge and occupy territories straddling Iraq and Syria because Obama's ill-timed order to pull back from the area. His backing of Syria's rebels has prolonged the country's bloody civil war to even this day, and helped create the most terrible refugee crisis in decades.

In his move to pivot to the Asia Pacific, he planned to sow discords between China and other regional members so as to deter the rise of the Asian country. Yet the U.S. government's re-balancing to the area has almost thrown the regional situation off balance. His now lifeless Trans-Pacific-Partnership trade accord, which excluded China, has shown that the U.S. leader is only interested in realizing his own strategic aim, even though it could be at the expense of America's allies.

DEEPLY-DIVIDED AMERICA

According to election results, Trump has lost the popular vote by a bigger margin than any other U.S. president in history. That means there would be no honeymoon between the president-elect and the American public.

A new McClatchy-Marist poll finds that U.S. citizens remain deeply divided over whether he'll be an effective president.

Across the country, there are a steady stream of protests with protesters being unhappy about the election results and chanting slogans against the president-elect.

However, despite his pledge to bring his country back together after perhaps the most negative election in U.S. political history, the president-in-waiting's domestic policies could tear the country further apart.

During the elections, Trump has made tough anti-immigration statements, like rejecting Syrian refugees and building a long wall along the U.S.-Mexican borders.

Recent reports say that Trump's advisers are discussing to build a nationwide system to track Muslims.

Though Trump's transition team has immediately denied such report by saying that the president-elect has never advocated for any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion, yet one of the possible candidates to serve in Trump's cabinet has been photographed carrying documents into a meeting with the president-elect that outlined proposals to bar the entry of Syrian refugees and reinstate a national registry focused on Muslims.

Already, that has stirred a lot of controversies and criticisms in the country, while tech companies like Facebook and Twitter have pledged not to cooperate if asked.

INEFFECTIVE ECONOMIC POLICY

Domestically, Trump seeks to revive the U.S. economy through tax cuts and infrastructure investment.

Dan Mahaffee, vice president of Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, said the Trump Administration is going to emphasize a strong, immediate approach to ensuring that the United States is "open for business" in terms of rolling back regulatory hurdles, increasing energy production, reforming tax policies, and infrastructure investment.

However, Wang Rongjun, senior fellow with National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said that cutting taxes and increasing spending at the same time would further pile up budget deficits, and could cause possible raise of debt ceiling, which will face strong opposition by some deficit-hawk Republicans.

His tax cut plan, which primarily reduce taxes for businesses and the ultra wealthy Americans, would also be fiercely rejected by Democratic lawmakers.

Trump has also demanded repeatedly U.S. companies stop outsourcing jobs overseas, and warned possible financial penalties if they continue to do so.

Wang said Trump's policies would do little to revive over the long run America's manufacturing industries, many of which are experiencing disadvantages in global competition, and bring back jobs.

Dan Mahaffee also predicted that his policies would have a strong short-term impact in boosting the economy.

Yet, he warned that the short-term effects would mask the need to better prepare for long-term needs such as clean energy infrastructure and improved education to ensure that the United States could continue to be on the leading edge of innovation and new paradigms in high-tech development and manufacturing.

A WORLD IN DISARRAY?

On foreign trade, Trump is very likely to pursue a more protectionist approach.

He argued in his campaigning for the presidency that the existing trade policies have devastated the economic lives of many Americans. He proposes to renegotiate trade deals.

Trump has also announced the death of the TPP, and said he would choose to negotiate with each of his country's partners for what he called "fair" trade pacts.

Wang at the CASS said Trump's trade policies, if implemented, could easily lead to more frictions between the United States and its major trading partners, including China.

David Dollar, senior fellow in the John L. Thornton China Center, the Brookings Institution, said he hoped the Trump administration notices that it's not in the U.S. interests to start a full-scale trade war.

In foreign policy, Dan Mahaffee said the United States would be far more assertive with both allies and potential adversaries.

In the Middle East, Trump is almost certain to continue the ongoing offensives against the Islamic State militant group, and would probably not change the current approach of backing the local forces for direct military involvement.

Yang Wenjing, a senior researcher at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that in the Middle East, Trump could be very prudent in further military engagement, and would choose to shift more burdens to its allies.

As for the Iranian nuclear deal Trump promised to walk away from,it is still unclear how the president-elect would handle it. Yet one thing is clear that once the deal is ripped apart, it would be much harder to get the Iranians back to the negotiating table.

On China policy, Yang said that while some specific policies are still shaping up, there would remain some uncertainties.

However, she cautioned that considering many of Trump's senior advisers and potential cabinet secretaries are conservatives, the incoming U.S. government could play even tougher against China, and stepping up its pressures against Beijing in trade and currency, among others.

Trump's recent telephone conversation with the leader of Taiwan, and the remarks on the one-China policy have raised serious concerns in Beijing, which has reiterated that adhering to the one-China principle is the political foundation to develop China-U.S. ties and a cornerstone for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Peter Navarro, a policy adviser to Trump, wrote recently in an article that Trump will steadfastly pursue a strategy of "peace through strength."

While, the Trump administration may need to know that the United States has, over the past several decades, seldom failed to show its strength, chaos and bloodshed are what the world has got. Compared to strength, a little bit more of prudence and humility is perhaps better for peace around the world.

Related:

Trump officially wins 270 electoral votes needed for White House: U.S media

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday officially won the 270 electoral votes needed for White House in the on-going 538-member U.S. Electoral College voting which is to end later on the day, U.S. media reported.

Texas' 36 electoral votes for Trump pushed him over the edge at around 4:30 pm central time, said a TheHill news daily report. Full story

Spotlight: Questions over possible nepotism swirl around Trump presidency

By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Before President-elect Donald Trump has even taken office, there are glaring questions over what role the billionaire's children will play in the new administration. That is because recent moves have sparked worries that Trump's kids will overstep the legal boundaries that ban nepotism in the White House.

The New York real estate mogul shocked the world last month when he clinched the election after the overwhelming majority of pundits, polls and analysts predicted that rival Hillary Clinton would win. Full story

538-member U.S. Electoral College expected to officially confirm Trump's presidency amid turmoil

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 538-member U.S. Electoral College is expected to officially confirm President-elect Donald Trump's presidency on Monday amid disputes and turmoil fuelled by the CIA conclusion that Russia intervened the U.S. election partly in bid to harm Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
File photo taken on June 16, 2014 shows International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde speaking at a press conference in Washington D.C., the United States. France's Court of Justice of the Republic on Dec. 19, 2016 found Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence over a state payout in 2008, but failed to sentence her. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday it remains confident in Chiristine Lagarde as the institution's managing director despite her legal proceedings in France.

Considering her outstanding leadership in IMF and the wide respect and trust for her leadership globally, "the executive board reaffirms its full confidence in the Managing Director's ability to continue to effectively carry out her duties," said the IMF in a statement.

A French court on Monday found Lagarde guilty of negligence over a massive payout to the tycoon Bernard Tapie in 2008 during her time as French finance minister, but imposed no penalty.

Lagarde on Monday said at a press briefing that she was not satisfied with the court decision, but will not appeal it.

Lagarde was reappointed as IMF chief in February, despite the ongoing legal troubles. She took over as head of the IMF in 2011 after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned.

She is the first woman to lead the IMF.

Related:

IMF chief Lagarde found guilty of negligence, not sentenced

PARIS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- France's Court of Justice of the Republic on Monday found Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, guilty of negligence over a state payout in 2008, but failed to sentence her.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. tech firm Apple launched on Monday a legal challenge against the European Union (EU)'s decision that it should pay billions of unpaid taxes to Ireland.

The EU accused Ireland of giving the U.S. multinational illegal state aid with tax arrangements in the country, and ruled in August that it should pay back 13 billion euros (13.6 billion U.S. dollars) in unpaid taxes.

The Irish government contested such a decision, arguing the EU is interfering with its sovereign rights.

According to the EU, Irish tax codes have allowed the phone maker to enjoy almost zero tax on its huge sales worldwide for more than a decade. Margaret Stager, EU commissioner in charge of competition policy, said it was in breach of the EU state aid rules.

Apple, whose European headquarters are located in Ireland, defended itself in a statement on Monday, saying that it was the largest taxpayer in the world, in the United States and in Ireland.

"It's been clear since the start of the case there was a pre-determined outcome," said the statement.

The U.S. firm lodged its legal challenge at an EU court in Luxembourg.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said in a short statement that it will defend its decision in the court.
BERLIN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- German officials have recently threatened to fine Facebook over hate speech and fake news, local media reported.

Thomas Oppermann, parliamentary leader of Germany's center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), on Friday told Der Spiegel that tougher measures should be designed against the spread of offending and fake messages.

"If after taking the necessary checks Facebook doesn't promptly remove the offending messages with 24 hours, then Facebook has to reckon with a severe fine of up to 500,000 euros (523,000 dollars)," Oppermann said.

The official advised Germans to timely report hateful messages within 24 hours to "market-leading platforms" like Facebook for further information check.

Oppermann added that these platforms should set up special departments in Germany that could provide users with round-the-clock legal protection. He said other measures would also be taken to keep a healthy environment on the internet.

Minister of Justice Heiko Mass in an article published Saturday on Sueddeutsche Zeitung also cautioned Facebook against "legal consequences" if it doesn't delete "insults, hatred against certain groups" or slanderous contents on its platform.

Mass added that penalty was also being considered to provide effective incentives for quick action.

Adam Mosseri, vice president of Facebook in charge of news feed, on Thursday said a program had been started to work with third-party fact checking organizations to enable users to report a hoax.

Facebook has been under pressure for a while as fake news stories have been abundant on its network during this U.S. election year, misleading voters and having impacted the result of the presidential election.

German mainstream media worry about such a potential impact on the results of German elections next year. The European country is facing the rise of far right-wing groups.
Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo (2nd R F) and Sik Bun Hok (1st R), chairman of the Cambodian National Election Committee, view donated materials in Phnom Penh Dec. 20, 2016. China on Tuesday donated to the committee vehicles, equipment and supplies worth 11.73 million U.S. dollars. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday donated vehicles, equipment and supplies worth 11.73 million U.S. dollars to the Cambodia's National Election Committee (NEC).

A handover ceremony was made between Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo and NEC's chairman Sik Bun Hok at the NEC's warehouse in the northern outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The aid included 44 cars, 29 motorcycles, 2,400 walkie-talkies, 26 sets of video conference system, and a large number of office equipment and supplies, said Bun Hok.

According to Bun Hok, China has assisted the NEC since 1998.

Cambodia is gearing up for the commune election in June 2017 and the national election in July 2018.
CAIRO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called Monday for an immediate ceasefire and the start of a political dialogue in war-torn Syria.

Speaking to a special session of the Arab League Council on the situation in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Shoukry said talks can prevent foreign intervention in Syrian affairs and stop continued terrorism there.

The failure to reach a political settlement and stop the war in Syria was the main reason behind the tragic situation in Aleppo, Shoukry was quoted by the state-run MENA news agency as telling the foreign ministers attending the meeting.

He added that Egypt supported all draft resolutions on the humanitarian situation in Aleppo.

He called for launching a political process in Syria without preconditions or evasiveness, and stopping all attempts to intimidate the Syrian people.

Once Syria's commercial hub, Aleppo has been divided roughly into two since 2012, with western parts under government control and eastern districts held by rebels.

The Syrian army has captured 99 percent of eastern Aleppo over the past three weeks, as part of a major offensive aimed at driving out the rebels from the city.
SYDNEY, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Rio Tinto Ltd.'s seeking of a new pricing mechanism for its iron ore with Chinese customers is justified given the dramatic lift in coking coal prices, chief executive Jean-Sebastian Jacques believes.

Rio Tinto is currently in negotiations with steel makers Baosteel Group and Shougang Group over a new pricing mechanism for its Australian ore, however the key customers haven't yet agreed to the terms.

Speaking via video link from Singapore to a Chinese media delegation visiting Rio's iron ore operations center in Perth, Jacques defended the company's position as steel makers manage the burden of higher coking coal prices "very carefully." Coking coal has jumped 300 percent to more than 300 U.S. dollars over the past 12-months.

"They are looking for high quality iron ore products, and therefore the demand for high quality iron ore products is very high," Jacques said.

"What Rio Tinto is doing is to say for those specific products where the supply/demand balance is unbalanced, and then the price mechanism should kick in.

"Therefore our product -- because it's helping with the managing of the blast furnace -- should attract a premium."

It's a risky proposition given Brazilian giant Vale's new S11D mine which received Brazilian regulatory approval earlier in December will ship directly to China and the sale of its 46.6 percent stake in the tier one Simandou asset in Guinea to major shareholder Chinalco Mining Corporation International.

Unlike Vale, Chinalco won't become a direct competitor into the Chinese market, Jacques believes, given financing for the project was unable to be secured in the two years prior to offloading the "world class" asset, even with some Chinese partners to pursue potential options.

Jacques is confident Rio's relationship with Chinese steel producers that's been forged since the 1970s will also be its advantage, remembering November's "pretty emotional" function in Beijing celebrating the partnership with those who signed the early contracts for the rust colored dirt.

"You could see the body language and the emotion, it was absolutely fantastic," Jacques said.

"That's really a testament of the quality of the partnership between China and Rio Tinto."

Instead, maintenance of the "value over volume" strategy and the optimization of free cash flow in an ultra-competitive and over supplied iron ore market is top priority given the unsustainable 86 percent year-to-date surge of benchmark prices to just over 81 U.S. dollars per ton.

The high prices are allowing marginal operations to come back into the system, impacting the pricing "twilight zone" where the supply-demand relationship is so close, any news whether good or bad will move the market quite quickly, Jacques said.

"The only thing that can influence (Rio Tinto) is the quality of our business which is about being low cost, providing the right quality produce, and managing the relationship with our customers in China in a very careful manner that is a win-win partnership," Jacques said, commenting on how he is approaching the high price environment.

"That's the only thing we can do, and that's what we're doing at this point in time."

Thus, progress on Rio's productivity drive to cut 5 billion U.S. dollars of costs out of the business is well underway.

Train haulage operations have cut cycle times from 42 hours to 35 with minor improvements across all sectors, such as the half-second improvement per two-car dumping cycle at Cape Lambert's train unloaders, for a 20 - 25 minutes improvement per 236-car train. Dumping constitutes 10 percent of a train's cycle, a large time improvement for the 35 trains that pass through Rio's Pilbara port operations each day.

Further advances in automation remote operation across the Pilbara is also improving efficiency by removing labor factors that impact production and transport.

Rio's AutoHaul program has also entered its next testing phase after suffering setbacks earlier this year. Twenty AutoHaul trains are currently operating on the network under driver supervision, with full program rollout expected in 2018.

It's all managed from Rio's iron ore operations center in Perth where the progression from remote operation to automation of what was previously only possible in science fiction films is becoming ever more probable over the next two decades.

These operational gains makes Rio the "best partner for China" across the company's entire portfolio, including bauxite and diamonds, Jacques said, trumpeting the giant's recently approved 10-year strategy which focuses on the Chinese market.

"We believe that Rio Tinto is the best partner for China on the back of the quality assets, the quality of the long term partnership and the quality of the technology we're deploying," Jacques said.
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has strongly condemned the suspected mass terror attack after a lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin, Germany.

A lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 50 others.

"On behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, the prime minister extended his heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Germany on the loss of precious human lives in the attack," the prime minister office said Tuesday.

He said Pakistani people share the grief of German people and stand by them, in this most painful time.

"Terrorism is our common enemy and the world needs to put up a joint fight against this menace. Pakistan itself has suffered great losses of lives and property by terrorism and would continue to ensure all measures for its eradication," Nawaz Sharif said.

The truck drove over the sideway at Breitscheidplatz, a major public square near the location of the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, in the inner city of Berlin, the police tweeted.
COLOMBO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka on Tuesday condemned in the strongest terms the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, who was shot in the back while giving a speech at an art gallery in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, on Monday evening.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that Sri Lanka considered the attack a violation of the right of all diplomats to represent their nations peacefully around the world.

"Shocked by the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey. Condolences to Ambassador Karlov's family, the government and people of Russia," Samaraweera said on a tweet.

International media reports said the Russian diplomat was assassinated at an Ankara art exhibit on Monday evening by a lone Turkish gunman shouting "God is great!" and "Don't forget Aleppo, Don't forget Syria!" in what the leaders of Turkey and Russia called a provocative terrorist attack.

The gunman, described by Turkish officials as a 22-year-old off-duty police officer, also wounded at least three others in the assault on the envoy.
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen left here Tuesday morning for a 2-day visit to Vietnam, where he will witness the signing ceremony of three documents, a senior official said.

The prime minister will hold bilateral talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc soon after his arrival in Vietnam and the two leaders will preside over the signing ceremony, said Sry Thamarong, a spokesman for Hun Sen.

The documents expected to be signed included a treaty on transfer of prisoners, a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, and an agreement on the cooperation between Cambodia's Ministry of Cults and Region and Vietnam's Committee for Religious Affairs, he said.
ASADABAD, Afghanistan, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Two Afghan army personnel were killed and one soldier wounded in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Kunar province on Tuesday, police said.

"Two Afghan army soldiers died and one other wounded following an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Nawabad locality, outskirts of provincial capital Asadabad city at early Tuesday morning," Farid Dehqan, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua.

The unit was travelling to visit army security checkpoints before the blast and one army van was also destroyed by the explosion, he said.

Dehqan blamed Taliban militant group for the attack.

The Taliban has been using the home-made IEDs to target security forces.

On early Monday, five Taliban fighters were killed and two others wounded after an IED they were planting along a road went accidently off in Asmar district of the mountainous province, according to Afghan army sources.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday officially won the Electoral College vote, securing his future four-year presidency amid protest and turmoil fuelled by U.S. intelligence agencies' consensus about Russia's alleged election meddling.

"The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin," Trump said in a statement released Monday evening.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," Trump said, promising to work hard to unite the country and to "be the President of all Americans."

A total of 538 electors, chosen by their state political parties, convened on Monday in Washington D.C. and 50 statehouses across the country to cast two votes -- one for the president and one for the vice president.

Before Monday's electoral vote, which has long been regarded as little more than a formality, many Republican electors have been urged to defect from Trump amid continuous protests over Trump's election victory.

Major U.S. intelligence leaders have expressed support for an assessment by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that Russia intervened in the 2016 U.S. presidential election partly to help Trump win the White House.

The hope of the so-called "Hamilton Electors" was to dump Trump by having at least 37 Republican electors vote against the will of their states so as to deprive Trump of the 270 electoral vote majority.

However, in the end all but two Republican electors stayed loyal to the party's candidate, keeping Trump well above the 270 electoral vote threshold.

Both the two Republican "faithless electors" are from Texas. One voted for Ohio Governor John Kasich and the other for former Texas congressman Ron Paul.

In comparison, on the Democratic side, there were at least eight "defectors" emerging from the Electoral College in five states, though three of them were later replaced by state election officials under their state law.

In Minnesota, Hawaii and Colorado, each state had an elector voting for Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton's strongest rival during the Democratic primaries.

In Washington State, three Democratic electors voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is actually an African-American Republican, while one voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American environmental activist opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

David Bright, a Maine Democratic elector, announced early on Monday that he would vote for Sanders instead of Clinton so as to help the embattled Democratic Party woo back young voters.

"Hillary Clinton will not become President, and there is nothing I can do about that. Knowing this, I was left to find a positive statement I could make with my vote," said Bright on Facebook. However, he finally recast his vote for Clinton after being deemed improper.

Most U.S. states have laws compelling electors to follow their state's popular vote result. However, there is no federal or Constitutional directive for that. Local media said only nine U.S. electors in the past 100 years broke from their states' Election Day results.

The number of electors each state has is equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress -- 538 in total, with those extra three electors coming from Washington, District of Columbia. Among them are state party leaders, elected officials or just individuals with a personal connection to a presidential candidate.

The Congress, where Republicans hold a majority, is set to certify the vote on Jan. 6.
CANBERRA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australia's security forces and counter-terror organizations will "intensify" measures to keep Australians safe during the festive season, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday.

Following the "cowardly" attack in Berlin, in which at least nine people were killed and more than 50 injured when a truck crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin overnight, Turnbull said Australian authorities were working hard to ensure Australians and international visitors were kept safe during the busy Christmas and New Year period.

"We are very attentive to events internationally to ensure that we learn from them and make sure that we put measures in place to anticipate similar occurrences here," Turnbull told the press.

The prime minister said while the nation's security forces were already on high alert heading into Christmas, it was hard to "mitigate all risk," saying similar attacks such as the one in Nice, France occurred despite a heavy security presence.

"Everyone is well prepared to accept to anticipate attacks of this kind," Turnbull said.

"Whether they are at a market or a New Year's Eve celebration - nonetheless, we cannot mitigate all risk entirely.

"This was a truck attack, this appears to be a similar type of attack to that in Nice earlier in the year.

Meanwhile Justice Minister Michael Keenan echoed the prime minister's thoughts, telling Sky News that Australian authorities were always learning from attacks witnessed overseas.

"We have (learned from) significant terrorist attacks in Europe and we will be doing that in the significant terror attack in Berlin overnight as well," Keenan said.
SINGAPORE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Singapore said on Tuesday that it was shocked by the truck attack at a market in the German capital of Berlin which left 12 people dead.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that Singapore is shocked by what appeared to be a vicious attack at the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market in Berlin on Monday that killed and injured many people.

MFA expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the attack, and wish the injured a speedy recovery.

The ministry said Singapore stands in solidarity with the people of Germany during this period of grief.

It said the Singapore Embassy in Berlin has been contacting registered Singaporeans in Berlin. The Embassy is also in close contact with the local German authorities to ascertain whether there are any Singaporeans affected by the incident.

There were no reports of any Singaporeans directly affected or injured by the incident, added the MFA.

A truck ploughed into the Christmas market crowd in the heart of Berlin on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring 48.
ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Embassy in Ankara issued a statement early Tuesday saying that U.S. mission to Turkey will be closed Tuesday.

According to the statement, an individual approached the U.S. Embassy Ankara main gate and discharged a firearm. There have been no reported injuries and the individual is in police custody.

"Due to this incident, The U.S Embassy in Ankara, the U.S Consulate General in Istanbul, and the U.S. Consulate in Adana will be closed for normal operations on Tuesday," the statement said.

The U.S. Mission also reminds U.S. citizens to review personal security plans, ensure communication connectivity and maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance personal security.

"I condemn in the strongest terms the heinous attack on Ambassador Karlov tonight," U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass twitted on late Monday.

The Arts and Culture Center of the municipality of Ankara's Cankaya district, where the Russia Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead on late Monday, was only 50 meters to the U.S. Embassy.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Consulate in Adana informs U.S. citizens that general demonstrations are expected to take place between Ataturk Park and Adana's Central Train Station on Tuesday afternoon, December 20, 2016.

The participants are expected to demonstrate against recent violent terrorist attacks throughout the country and against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Previous such demonstrations in other cities also included anti-American messages.

Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.
MELBOURNE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Older Australians who have retired are the happiest in the country, but young Australians stuck living at home with their parents are the unhappiest, a new survey has discovered.

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, published on Tuesday, found that the average life satisfaction rating was at 76.7 percent, the highest since the year 2000, while older Australians who had "less on their plate" were considered to be the happiest in the country.

Delyse Hutchinson from Deakin University in Melbourne told Guardian Australia that older Australians who had retired and were living a relatively stress-free life were the happiest of the lot, while the happiness of young Australians who live at home with their parents was at a ten-year low.

"It's almost like they're forced to stay at home because they have no choice. They're stuck," Hutchinson said on Tuesday.

The survey of more than 1,000 Australian adults also found that general happiness was at record highs among those who live alone, with other adults or with a partner.

According to the survey, overall life satisfaction among Australians was at 16-year high, while those aged 76 and over the happiest age group followed closely by those aged between 18 and 25 years.

Married Australians also scored highly on the overall satisfaction ratings, while those who are divorced or who never married scored the lowest on Australian Unity's happiness scale.
MALE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Maldives government on Tuesday strongly condemned the assassination of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov.

"The government of Maldives, condemns in the strongest terms the assassination of Russian Ambassador, Andrey Karlov. Heartfelt condolences to his family members," the Maldives Foreign Ministry said.

International media reports said the Russian diplomat was assassinated at an Ankara art exhibit on Monday evening by a lone Turkish gunman, in what the leaders of Turkey and Russia called a provocative terrorist attack.

The gunman, described by Turkish officials as a 22-year-old off-duty police officer, also wounded at least three others in the assault on the envoy.
COLOMBO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said on Tuesday that illnesses related to the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) had become a national disaster.

Sirisena, who was conferred an award by The International Society of Nephrologists (ISN) for his "extraordinary contribution" to the fight against the Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu), said CKDu is endemic among poor farmers in 11 districts and villages of Sri Lanka.

There are 20,828 patients and 5,000 deaths per year. "It is a national disaster," Sirisena said.

Sri Lanka estimates that as many as 400,000 people, or 5-6 percent of the population in the North Central Province are affected by CKD.

President Sirisena called for more measures to prevent the disease and meet the needs of the suffering patients and their families.

As the first national level program in the world, the Sri Lankan National Program against CKDu has made rapid progress in a short time, ISN President Adeera Levin said. "Sri Lanka is a model for other countries to follow."

The Sri Lankan model emphasizes not only treatment but also prevention, care of patients and their families, research and education. The program is coordinated and led by a Presidential Task Force.
WELLINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand is in for some very challenging times ahead due to the uncertain future of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Brexit, a New Zealand expert has said.

Professor Rob Scollay of the New Zealand APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Study Center at the University of Auckland made the comments in a recent interview with Xinhua.

TPP is New Zealand's first-ever trade agreement with the United States -- a breakthrough in opening up new markets. However, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to withdraw the U.S. from the current deal.

Scollay said the New Zealand government had still given no clear indication of how it would react to Trump's statement.

"I don't think New Zealand would be particularly enthusiastic about renegotiating the TPP," he added.

"I think they would prefer to see the TPP as it has already been negotiated. I would expect they would prefer to see it go ahead as it is," he said.

Furthermore, just as New Zealand was seeking to start talks on a European Union-wide free trade agreement, the Brexit occurred.

New Zealand is already at odds with some nations in the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by "strongly advocating positions that would involve perhaps a more open approach to trade ..." said Scollay.

"From a New Zealand point of view, although we can say that tariffs in general are not high in the Asia-Pacific region, they are still very high in agriculture," he added.

In the meantime, he pointed out that New Zealand will continue to support the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) as long as APEC members are willing to continue working on it.

However, he said, "I don't think it's going to happen quickly and it will depend eventually on some sort of accommodation being reached between China and the United States."

What Trump seems to be ignoring at the moment is that China and the United States are both very dependent on each other economically, said Scollay, adding that the positions he's been publicly stating up till now show no recognition of the fact.

"I suspect that if Trump and his advisors are talking about bilaterals, they're going to come back with a renewed emphasis on the original U.S. model, which for most small economies or most economies in the region contains some very objectionable features," he said.

"You could go further than that and say that the kind of trade policy that Trump has been talking about, which involves massive increases in tariffs on China and Mexico and a much more aggressive U.S.-first approach to trade policy in general, that could finish up putting the final nail in the coffin of the WTO (World Trade Organization)."

New Zealand, like the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, is waiting to see if Trump would follow through on his campaign pledges.

"We just don't know of course whether he will. We really won't know what we're dealing with until we see the shape of a Trump trade policy start to emerge," Scollay said.
RIYADH, Dec. 20, (Xinhua) -- Two Saudi ministries are negotiating the formation of women-only information technology firm to open up new sectors for female job seekers, Al Sharq Al Awsat local newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The firm will mainly target females specialized in the IT sector and the project that is adopted by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and the Labor Ministry is part of a plan to localize the communication sector.

The firm is the second phase of the plan, as the labor ministry has concluded the first phase of localizing mobile phone selling and repairing jobs.

The General Authority for Statistics highlighted that the unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2016 reached 5.7 percent.

Shoura (Consultative)council member, Dr Saeed Al Shaikh said that the firm will open up new job opportunities for women and reduce the unemployment rate among female locals.

Besides the firm the government has launched distance job scheme to allow women to take up more employment opportunities, in the conservative state that bans them from driving or work with men in the same offices.
Chinese PremierLi Keqiang(R) meets with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

OSLO/BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China and Norway on Monday decided to normalize their relations after six frozen years, ushering in a new era for the development of bilateral ties.

The thaw of relations, as many observers expected, would inject new impetus into bilateral practical cooperation and global trade in general, as the two sides have agreed to resume free trade negotiations and to promote trade and investment.

Commenting on the normalization of ties with China, Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Monday that opportunities are opening up for her country's cooperation with China.

"On the basis of a joint declaration we establish, from today, a full normalization of our political and diplomatic relations with China," Solberg said in a speech to the Storting, Norway's national parliament.

"Norway has had no political contact with China since 2010. This has been challenging for us in many international contexts and in many individual cases. It has also been challenging for Norwegian industry," she said.

China-Norway relations deteriorated since the Oslo-based Nobel Committee conferred the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on convicted Chinese criminal Liu Xiaobo. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in jail on Dec. 25, 2009, after a court in Beijing convicted him of engaging in activities designed to overthrow the government.

"The fact that we now have been able to normalize our relationship is the result of a long and painstaking diplomatic work at many levels to restore confidence between our two countries," Solberg said in the speech.

The Norwegian prime minister noted that the two countries have a long common history and Norway was one of the first countries that recognized the People's Republic of China. "We have built a broad and close cooperation in almost all areas for more than 50 years," she said.

"We now look forward, on the opportunities that are opening up for cooperation with China. China is the world's second largest economy and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is important for us to have a cooperation on many international issues that we are concerned about. From climate and sustainability goals to many other topics on the international agenda," Solberg said.

According to the statement issued in Beijing earlier on Monday, the Norwegian government reiterates its commitment to the one-China policy, fully respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns.

"China and Norway recognize that our two countries share broad common interests and have great potential for increased cooperation in many important fields," the statement said.

In his meeting with visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the two countries' foreign ministers had candid and in-depth talks, and reached an agreement on the normalization of bilateral ties.

China hopes to work together with Norway to open a new chapter in bilateral ties, and push forward a sustained, healthy and stable relationship, Li said.

China appreciates the new Norwegian government's adherence to the one-China policy and its wish to improve and develop ties with China, said the premier.

The two economies are highly compatible, Li said, adding China is ready to negotiate with Norway on an FTA, to send out a clear signal of trade and investment liberalization.

Brende, in his turn, said the normalization of relations is of historic significance, and has sent a positive message to the international community.

Norway hopes to take the opportunity of normalization of ties with China to enhance high-level exchanges, boost bilateral FTA negotiation and expand win-win cooperation in such areas as investment, hydropower, and offshore oil and gas exploitation, Brende said.

"The new Norwegian government does not want to bear the burden of history. It took a more pragmatic approach and was eager to improve relations with China," said Cui Hongjian, director of the department of European studies at the China Institute of International Studies.

Related:

China, Norway agree on normalization of ties

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China and Norway issued a statement in Beijing on Monday on normalization of ties.

"The Norwegian side is fully conscious of the position and concerns of the Chinese side and has worked actively to bring bilateral relations back on track," said the statement. Full story

Full Text: Statement of China and Norway on normalization of bilateral relations

BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Following is the full text of a statement between China and Norway on normalization of bilateral relations released on Monday:
People shout slogans against the decision from the top court outside Japan's top court building in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 20, 2016. Japan's top court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's ruling in favor of the central government's plan to relocate a U.S. Marine Corps air base within the island prefecture of Okinawa, despite local people's demands that the U.S. base be relocated outside the prefecture. (Xinhua/Ma Ping)

TOKYO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Japan's top court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's ruling in favor of the central government's plan to relocate a U.S. Marine Corps air base within the island prefecture of Okinawa, despite local people's demands that the U.S. base be relocated outside the prefecture.

According to the top court's ruling, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga acted "illegally" when he revoked in October 2015 an approval issued by his predecessor for the landfill work of the relocation plan.

Onaga has said that he would swiftly retract the revocation, but whether he would explore other options to block the relocation plan has caused attention.

Meanwhile, over 100 people gathered in front of the top court Tuesday afternoon to protest against the ruling, shouting slogans such as "No New Henoko Base."

Japan's central government has been seeking to relocate the U.S. Futenma base from Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago, saying that it is "the only solution" for removing the dangers posed by the base to the crowded residential area of Ginowan without undermining the Japan-U.S. alliance.

The Okinawa people, however, have called for the base to be removed from the prefecture, complaining of sufferings caused by aircraft noise, crimes committed by the U.S. servicemen as well as safety concerns .

Onaga, well known for his opposition to the plan of relocating Futenma base within the prefecture and elected Governor of Okinawa in 2014, revoked in October 2015 an approval issued by former governor Hirokazu Nakaima for the landfill work of the relocation plan.

The move triggered a legal battle between the central government and the local government last year as the two sides sued each other over the issue, which was halted in March when a settlement deal was reached under court mediation.

According to the settlement, the construction work related to the relocation was halted, while the central and prefectural governments held talks and awaited a ruling to be made by an arbitration panel under the internal affairs ministry.

The Japanese government reignited the tension by filing a fresh lawsuit against Onaga in July after the arbitration court failed to make a ruling, seeking the court's confirmation that Onaga acted illegally in not complying with a state order to retract his revocation of former governor's permission.

The Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court made a ruling in September which acknowledged the danger and noise problems posed by the Futenma base, but rejected the local governments' concerns and said it was illegal for Onaga to revoke the landfill work permission. The Okinawa government appealed the ruling later.

Okinawa hosts some 75 percent of U.S. bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country's total land mass. Anti-U.S. base sentiment has been high in Okinawa, especially after a former U.S. Marine working as a civilian employee at the Kadena Air Base was arrested in May for raping and murdering a local woman.

The anger and indignity of the local people were further fueled by the U.S. military's decision on Monday to resume its Osprey flights, less than a week after a major accident occurred involving the tiltrotor aircraft.

The city of Ginowan lodged a protest with the U.S. military in Okinawa on Tuesday for resuming the Osprey flights, with its mayor saying the resumption is "absolutely intolerable."

Related:

News Analysis: Okinawa calls for permanent ban of U.S. military Osprey aircraft

TOKYO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Residents and officials of Okinawa on Wednesday voiced shock and condemnation following the crash-landing of a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey in the sea off Nago a day earlier.

The incident, which saw five crew members airlifted to safety and treated for injuries, was the first major accident involving an Osprey since the U.S. military deployed Osprey squadrons in Japan in 2012. Full story

U.S. military suspends Osprey flights in Japan's Okinawa as local residents voice anger

TOKYO, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military has agreed to suspend all its Osprey flights in Okinawa until the cause of a recent accident involving the tiltrotor aircraft is known, said the Japanese government.
COLOMBO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lanka Navy assisted the Sri Lanka Coast Guard to arrest seven Indian fishermen poaching illegally in the northern seas of the island country, the navy media said on Tuesday.

The fishermen were arrested in waters northwest of Delft Island on Monday and were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jaffna for onward action, and two Indian fishing trawlers were also taken into custody, said the navy.

Sri Lanka's Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said on Monday that there had been a 50-percent drop in poaching by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan waters due to enhanced patrolling by the Sri Lankan Navy and coast guard.

"At least three Indian fishing boats enter Sri Lankan waters every week, which is nearly 5,000 fishing boats entering our waters illegally each year. This is a huge threat to the Sri Lankan fishing industry," Amaraweera said.

The minister further said Sri Lanka and India will have more talks to seek a solution to the long-standing disputes between fishermen, and the Indian foreign minister and fisheries minister were expected to attend the talks in Colombo next month.
Photo taken on Dec. 20, 2016 shows flowers and a candle laid by people to express condolence of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov who was killed in a gunman attack, in front of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 20, 2016. The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was killed in a gunman attack at an art exhibition on Monday in the Turkish capital of Ankara, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The international community has voiced condemnation of the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, and their determination to fight against terrorism.

The incident occurred when the Russian diplomat prepared to address an art exhibition ceremony in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday. He was shot dead by a member of Ankara's riot police squad who shouted words including Syrian city "Aleppo" at the scene.

The murder was timed on the eve of the trilateral meeting among the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran, who were scheduled to convene in Moscow for talks on Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who learned the bloodshed on his way to Moscow, decided to head forward. He praised Karlov for making "considerable efforts to develop (Russia-Turkey) ties even at the most difficult of times ..."

Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out the killing of Karlov was a "provocation aimed at derailing Russia-Turkey ties and the peace process in Syria."

If that's the case, the shooter's action has proved to be futile, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made clear later that the prime ministerial-level meeting would be held on Tuesday as planned. Moreover, Russia and Turkey had agreed to join hands in the investigation of the incident.

In the wake of the killing, Putin vowed to step up the fight against terrorists. "The bandits will feel this happening," he cautioned.

The Syrian foreign ministry issued a statement, condemning the event "terrorist and cowardly." The statement was made against the backdrop that the Syrian rebels were evacuated from the strategically-located Aleppo last week, under a truce agreement reached between Russia and Turkey.

The international community has been quick in pounding the atrocity.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "appalled by this senseless act of terror and emphasizes that there can be no justification for the targeting of diplomatic personnel and civilians," said a statement from his spokesman on Monday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called the killing "an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world."

U.S. National Security Council Spokesman Ned Price also expressed American government's support for Russia and Turkey in their combat against terrorism in all its manifestations.

In a written statement, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump denounced the murder a "violation of all rules of civilized order and must be universally condemned."

In a condolence message to Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday China strongly condemns the barbaric and brutal terrorist attack on the diplomat and firmly opposes terrorism of all forms.

China is willing to work with the international community in firmly supporting Russia's efforts and actions to fight terrorism, and strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation, Wang added.

France, Egypt, Brazil, Belarus and Greece were on the list of countries expressing condolence for the victimized and condemnation of the killer.

In a press release, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry urged all countries of international conventions to provide protection to diplomatic missions, specially amid the ongoing threats of terrorism.

Born in 1954 in Moscow, Karlov was a career diplomat who had been serving in Turkey since 2013. The 22-year-old killer, named Mevlut Mert Altintas, was later killed in a shootout with police.

Related:

UN chief condemns assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Turkish capital of Ankara, calling it as a "senseless" act of terror.

Earlier on Monday, Karlov, who served as Russian ambassador to Turkey since 2013, was shot dead by a gunman when he spoke at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara. Full story

UN condemns assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday condemned "in the strongest terms" the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, calling it a "terrorist attack."
CAIRO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Arab foreign ministers welcomed the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution to quickly deploy UN observers to Aleppo, the Arab League said in a statement late Monday.

The UN Security Council unanimously called for UN officials to monitor evacuations from eastern Aleppo and the safety of civilians who remain in the Syrian city.

The 15-member council adopted a French-drafted resolution that "demands all parties to provide these monitors with safe, immediate and unimpeded access."

The Arab League then called for working fast to establish a full cease-fire in Aleppo in accordance with the Security Council resolution, according to the statement issued following an emergency meeting in Cairo over Aleppo.

"The civilians must be allowed to leave Aleppo with dignity and to choose their destination freely, and to return back once the conflict is over," the statement said.

The Arab ministers also expressed its "deep concern for the evil aggression" launched by the Syrian regime and its allies against unarmed civilians in Aleppo, and condemned terrorism in all its forms and crimes committed against civilians by "Islamic groups."

They called for "full cease-fire in Aleppo" according to the UNSC resolution.

Residents of east Aleppo, a rebel base since 2012, had already lived under four months of siege when Syria's army began in mid-November to retake the whole city.

Tens of thousands of people fled eastern Aleppo in the past couple of weeks, with local media reporting the number at 85,000 civilians.

The whole evacuation comes as the Syrian army has captured 99 percent of eastern Aleppo over the past three weeks.

The Syrian army said last week that its operations will continue until Aleppo is completely freed from the rebels' control.

Since it erupted in March 2011, the Syrian crisis has claimed the lives of about 500,000 people and displaced more than 10 million.
MOGADISHU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said on Tuesday that it has launched investigations into the killing of six civilians in separate incidents in Qoryooley and Marka in southern Somalia over the weekend.

The AU said initial reports established that AMISOM troops came under mortar attack by suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists hiding in the neighborhood on Saturday night.

This, AMISOM said, was after the troops on patrol noticed an unusual movement of vehicles in the night, believed to have been ferrying Al-Shabaab fighters.

"The movement of vehicles prompted AMISOM troops to set up a roadblock to thwart attacks by Al-Shabaab militants. A minibus approaching the roadblock was ordered to stop but the driver defied the order and reversed the vehicle in haste, forcing our troops to shoot, killing six people in the minibus," the statement said.

The AU mission said there is an agreement in place between the local administration and AMISOM banning movement of vehicles in the area after 19:00 to minimize terrorist attacks in the night, which had become frequent, killing innocent civilians.

The AU mission said the AMISOM convoy en-route to Mogadishu was ambushed by Al-Shabaab militants after it hit an improvised explosive device (IED) on the same evening near Buffow.

"Our troops fought off the attackers and managed to arrest one of the fighters. By the time AMISOM left the area, no civilian casualty had occurred," it said, noting that the AU mission operates under the international human rights law and takes civilian casualties seriously.

According to AMISOM, all allegations made against its personnel are thoroughly investigated and action taken under the rules and procedures governing the mission's operation in Somalia.

The mission has over 22,000 peacekeepers supporting the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia and AMISOM said their commitment to this noble goal will not be derailed by the selfish acts of a few of its members.
South Sudan's president Salva Kiir attends the national transitional assembly in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Dec. 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

by Ronald Ssekandi

KAMPALA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- In the wake of dwindling relief supplies and yet increasing number of refugees, humanitarian agencies in Uganda are only left with appealing to the world to help resolve the South Sudan crisis that made three years mid this month.

In a joint statement issued by the Ugandan government, UN agencies and other relief organizations in the east African country, there is need to deliver life-saving assistance to refugees crossing to Uganda and find a lasting solution to the conflict that broke out in December 2013.

"It remains vital that those with influence over the political leadership in South Sudan use all available channels to encourage the warring factions to come together in dialogue and bring an end to the bloodshed," according to the statement released over the weekend.

"For the sake of the South Sudanese people, the world cannot afford to fail. With political solutions to the crisis in short supply, further efforts are needed to find long-term solutions that will allow these refugees to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity," the agencies added.

New figures by the Ugandan government show that 527,472 South Sudanese refugees have fled to Uganda over the last three years, including more than 338,000 since July this year. The figures show that 64 percent of the fleeing refugees are children under 18 years.

A new settlement, Bidibidi, which was opened in August this year in the northwestern part of Uganda, has become one of the largest refugee-hosting areas in the world.

RELIEF CRISIS

Although the South Sudan conflict is seen as one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises, according to theUnited NationsHigh Commissioner for Refugees, it has received minimal funding.

Currently, only 36 percent of the 251 million U.S. dollars needed for 2016 has been received. This, according to relief agencies, threatens to compromise their abilities to provide life-saving assistance and basic services.

"We urge the international community, both those already engaged and new partners to the response, to expedite their contributions of funds and expertise to ensure we can meet the needs of South Sudanese refugees in Uganda," the agencies said.

"We are grateful to our donors for their contributions so far but more must be done to end the suffering of the South Sudanese people," they added.

David Kazungu, Commissioner for Refugees in the Office of Prime Minister, Uganda, said that in the wake of dwindling funding, whatever resources trickle in, they must be put to proper use.

"At this time of so little funding, we must make good use of all resources we are given. I urge all agencies and partners to use these additional resources to address the most critical needs of the refugees," Kazungu said.

Continuing regional and international efforts to help resolve the crisis are yet to provide a lasting solution.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his former deputy turned rebel leader Riek Machar led to the formation of a transitional unity government in April, but was again devastated by fresh violence in early July.

According to relief agencies, tens of thousands of people have been killed, with over two million displaced and another 4.6 million left severely food insecure since then.
by Abu Hanifah

JAKARTA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is gearing up preparations to hold various tourism events during yearend period in its prominent tour destinations, in a bid to attract more foreign visitors to comply with the tourism sector's targets this year.

The resort island of Bali has prepared its four famous destinations, namely Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and Ubud, to host events celebrating Christmas and the New Year.

Head of Indonesia's tourism ministry Bali chapter Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha said that influx of foreign tourists visiting Bali related to yearend vacation has been sensed since November.

"Bali saw 400,000 foreign visitors in November, up 22 percent from last year. We expect their influx to Bali to increase considerably from Dec. 23," Yuniartha said in a statement issued recently.

He added that hotels and cafes in those four destinations and several others in different areas also have prepared events to celebrate New Year's eve with fireworks, beach festivals, musical concerts and Bali traditional events that highlight local wisdoms.

Bali contributes 40 percent to the figure of total foreign visitors visiting Indonesia. The famous resort island was recently picked as Asia's most popular yearend destination by the United States-based travel review website of TripAdvisor.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in North Sulawesi province that is famous for its marine-related tour destinations, month-long festivals will be held to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Provincial administration and tourism stakeholders organized at least 26 musical and cultural festivals throughout this month with the peak ones to be staged to end the year in the province's capital of Manado.

The province's governor, Olly Dondokambey, said that a Thailand royal princess was scheduled to spend the changing of the year event in Manado.

"Thailand ambassador to Indonesia had met me to inform the planned visit of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana to Manado later this month," the governor said over the weekend.

The province has earned several recognitions from influential travelling media for its beautiful undersea sceneries.

The province's Bunaken marine park earned Best Marine Park title from Scuba Diving, an ultimate reference magazine for divers, in 2012.

The magazine also awarded the province's Lembeh Strait as the world's best night dive location for its distinctive undersea biotas which are not found elsewhere in the world.

Indonesia is now in herculean efforts to develop tourism sector, which has been declared as the world's core business. It has set the target of attracting 20 million foreign visitors by 2019, raising more than 24 billion U.S. Dollars.

Ten "New Bali" tour sites are now prepared across the archipelago nation in a bid to garner more foreign visitors.

The western region of Bintan island, part of the "New Bali' tour destinations, welcomed on Sunday the initial direct flight of Indonesia's airlines Citilink from cities in China.

The Citilink's direct flight from Chinese cities resulted from its MoU with China's Wanda Hubei business group last year. In the initial operation Citilink would serve 19 cities in China, which will be increased to 24 cities.

Through the direct flight service, Citilink provides three flights each day from Chinese cities to Bintan Island, which may bring in 180,000 tourists from China to Indonesia in a year.

The nation's tourism sector is now targeting 12 million foreign visitors this year, higher than 10 million ones it welcomed last year. Some 15 million ones are targeted for next year.

As of October this year the number of foreign visitors stood at 9.4 million, according to the data released by Indonesian statistics bureau.
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Armed men abducted an employee of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in the northern Kunduz province on Monday, police spokesman in the province, Mahfoozullah Akbari said Tuesday.

"Unidentified armed men after searching some vehicles on the way in Hussain Khil village of Ali Abad district on Monday evening kidnapped an employee of ICRC obviously a foreign national and took him to an unknown location," Akbari told Xinhua.

Without providing more information, the official added that search operations have been launched to ensure the safe release of the abductee.

Neither the Interior Ministry nor the ICRC office in Afghanistan has made comment on the report.
YANGON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Telecom sector topped the foreign investment line-up of Myanmar with 47.07 percent of the total investment flowing into the country in the fiscal year 2016-2017, according to the statistics of Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) Tuesday.

The telecom sector was followed by industrial sector with 25.5 percent and the rest went to power, hotel and construction sectors.

The country received a total foreign investment of 3.46 billion U. S. dollars as of Dec. 17. Singapore stands as the largest foreign investor of Myanmar.

However, the total foreign investment in this fiscal year was down by over 1 billion U.S. dollar as compared with that of the same period of last fiscal year, failing to attain the targeted investment amount, said U Aung Naing Oo, Secretary of MIC and Director General of Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA).

It was attributed to the watch-and-see attitude on new laws and regulations by foreign investors and policies of the new government. But in next year, more foreign investments are expected to enter the country, he added.

Myanmar's new Investment Law, endorsed on Oct. 18 with the approval of both Houses, was drafted in 2013 based on suggestions from experts and businessmen with the help of International Finance Corporation (IFC). It combines the Foreign Investment Law drafted in 2012 and the Citizens' Investment Law drafted in 2013.

MIC announced in November the detailed investment policy in support of the government's 12-point economic policy introduced in July this year, highlighting the government's promises to attract foreign investment and promote sectoral investment.

The new investment law will take effect on April 1 next year, according to the DICA.
SANYA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Yuan Longping, China's renowned rice scientist, is leading a research to cultivate new strains of high yield "sea rice."

The research team plans to spend three years developing a breed that can withstand water with a salinity of up to 0.8 percent, with a yield over 300 kilograms per mu (a Chinese unit equivalent to 666 square meters), said Yuan, known as the "father of hybrid rice," during a seminar in Sanya city in the southern Hainan Province.

"Over half of the world's population relies on rice as their staple food, while the proportion is over 60 percent in China," Yuan said, adding that China has more than 1 billion mu of saline-alkaline soil, and it will be of great significance to convert such soil into arable land by developing sea rice with a high salinity tolerance.

Using 100 million mu of land to grow sea rice, the country could produce an extra of 30 billion kilograms of rice and feed an extra 80 million people.

Sea rice is sometimes found in saline-alkaline soil at the junctures where rivers join the sea. The plant is resistant to pests, diseases, salt and alkali, and does not need fertilizer.h Currently, the most advanced sea-rice breed in China has a yield of 400 kilograms per mu, but can only be grown in water with salinity less than 0.3 percent.

A sea-rice research center, with Yuan as the chief scientist, was established in October in Qingdao, Shandong Province. With dozens of breeds of sea rice brought in from worldwide, researchers will use gene sequencing technology to cultivate new strains of sea rice.

Over the past decades, Chinese scientists, led by Yuan, have worked on new approaches to significantly increase rice yields.
JAKARTA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia and Sweden inked an agreement Tuesday on defense cooperation, a move aimed at deepening bilateral ties, Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said.

The memorandum of understanding included cooperation in manufacturing weaponry, exchanging intelligence information and join military exercise, he said.

"Cooperation on developing defense industry includes transfer of technology and join production," Minister Ryamizard said after singing the deal with his Swedish counterpart Carl Anders Peter Hultqvist.

Ryamizard revealed that the two nations had cooperated on defense since years ago, such as import of weapons from Sweden.

"This memorandum of understanding aims to strengthen defense cooperation between our countries," Minister Hultqvist said.

Indonesia has attempted to modernize weaponry to "a minimum essential level" and boost professionalism of military personnel to face challenges, including terrorism and cyber attacks, and transnational crimes.

The archipelago country is also considering purchase military and police aircraft following a series of plane and helicopter incidents that left dozens of casualties.
Combination photo taken on Aug. 30, 2016 (upper) and Dec. 20, 2016 shows a sharp contrast of air quality in an ancient town of Taierzhuang, east China's Shandong Province. Heavy smog lingers in Beijing, Tianjin and provinces of Hebei, Henan and Shandong on Tuesday. Over 20 cities have issued red alerts for smog. (Xinhua/Gao Qimin)

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Fresh air has become a luxury for many Chinese.

A large part of northern China has been wrapped in heavy smog since last weekend, 23 cities have activated red alerts, the highest in a four-tier warning system for severe weather.

The Beijing environmental monitoring center said Tuesday that the worst pollution is yet to come, lasting from Tuesday evening to Wednesday. The smog will disperse from Wednesday evening to Thursday, when a northern wind is expected.

LIFE DISRUPTED

At least nine expressways were closed in Beijing on Tuesday morning, according to the municipal traffic management bureau.

A total of 273 flights were canceled as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, Beijing Capital International Airport said on its official Weibo account.

Kindergartens and primary schools in Beijing, Tianjin, Xi'an and Zhengzhou have been suspended, with high schools also suspended in some places.

Beijing-based magazine "DUKU" on Monday sent an apology letter to subscribers, saying that their last edition of 2016 would not reach readers until after the New Year due to a temporary closure of the printing factory under the red alert.

Many ready-to-eat products are absent from shelves in convenience stores in Beijing because delivery trucks are banned in the city proper.

According to a circular released by Langfang City, which neighbors Beijing, all restaurants and breakfast stalls in county seats without cooking fume processing equipment are ordered to halt operations from Dec. 17 to 31. It also requires suspension of all construction projects in the city from December until mid-March.

"I can't even find a fried dough stick stall for breakfast," complained a resident in the city's Wen'an County, who did not give his name.

The air has forced many to escape.

A tourist surnamed Li flew to southern China's Hainan province with her two-year-old granddaughter to flee the smoggy air in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province.

"We feel much better here than in Lanzhou," she said.

Blue skies have become a draw for cities with clear air. Li and her friends are planning to purchase houses in Hainan to escape to during winters, when smog is most frequent.

The airport in Haikou, capital of Hainan, has seen more than 50,000 inbound and outbound passengers every day since November. On Sunday, two days after Beijing's red alert was put in place, the airport welcomed 32,155 inbound passengers, the highest since the National Day holiday in October, according to data from the airport.

NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL

Liu Lijuan, a fruit and vegetable vendor in Zhaoxian County, Hebei Province, has had a hard time this winter. Most of her customers are migrant workers at nearby factories and construction sites, but they have not earned much due to work shut-downs amid the smog.

"I cannot make one yuan (0.14 U.S. dollar) selling a box of apples," she grumbled. "I used to earn 80 to 100 yuan a day, but now I cannot sell 100 yuan worth of produce."

Hebei, one of China's major steel and coal mining provinces, has shut down thousands of factories, construction sites, and even fried-food stalls under red alerts. Still, the PM2.5 reading in many regions has exceeded 500 micrograms per cubic meter. In its capital city of Shijiazhuang, the reading passed 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter of air at 1 p.m. Monday.

"Our company has been ordered to halt production since Nov. 20, and 160 of our workers have been temporarily laid off," said Tian Pengjie, staff at a gypsum factory in the provincial capital.

China has planned to cut steel capacity by between 100 and 150 million tonnes, as well as coal capacity by 500 million tonnes by 2020.

This year, it had retired 45 million tonnes of steel and 250 million tonnes of coal production capacity by the end of October, meeting its full-year goals ahead of schedule.

But problems have also emerged, especially in some companies seeking to add capacity as an unexpected demand-supply gap pushes up prices of steel and coal products.

In one case, Anfeng Steel Co., Ltd. was found to have built a new blast furnace without government approval in Changli County in Hebei's Qinhuangdao City.

Five provincial officials and 12 city and county officials have been investigated in the case, and the company's legal representative has been detained on suspicion of damaging environmental resources, according to the provincial meeting held earlier this month.

Even under the red alerts, companies have also failed to suspend production as required.

Xu Ganlu, deputy governor of Henan Province, said power consumption volume of the nearly 3,000 companies that were supposed to suspend production had not been reduced, indicating they did not halt their production at all.

Another 900 companies ordered to limit their production did not make any reductions, said Xu.

The Henan provincial government on Monday evening held an emergency meeting, launching a 72-hour campaign to tackle heavy air pollution. Environmental authorities will organize inspections and investigations, and penalize those who fail to follow the emergency response against pollution.

Tang Jinjiang, an environmental official of Xinxiang city, Henan, said the key to winning the war against smog lies in the green transformation of the industrial structure.

"Governments at various levels should stick to the instructions of the central leadership for green development and implement them in every aspect of life and production," he said.
File photo taken on Oct. 20, 2016 shows Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

MANILA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has showered China with praise in his speeches for helping the Philippines in its tough war on drugs.

Last Saturday, he announced that China has pledged to build another rehabilitation facility in the country.

"China has the kindest soul of all," Duterte told a news conference in his home city of Davao, after he returned from visits to Cambodia and Singapore.

Were it not for China and "a good soul" (Chinese) philanthropist Huang Rulun," Duterte said the cash-strapped government would not have built a 10,000-bed facility big enough to house an increasing number of drug dependents in the country.

"(That's why) I said to China's Xie Xie. Thank you," Duterte said.

After he arrived from his four-day trip to China in October, Duterte reported that his visit "signaled a turning point in history and opened formal lines of communications" between Beijing and Manila, paving the way for the resumption of the bilateral consultations, which were on hold for several years.

"It showed that both countries are fully capable of working together for mutual beneficial cooperation, as we remain committed to settling disputes peacefully in full adherence of international law," Duterte added.

"In all meetings, we had productive and extensive discussions of the full-range of Chinese-Philippine relations, from trade to infrastructures and tourism, and to science and technology and health," The Filipino leader said.

Indeed, the Philippines' new ambassador to China, Jose Santiago Sta. Romana, is optimistic about the future relations between China and the Philippines.

In a message to Xinhua, Sta. Romana said Sino-Philippine cooperation is "improving," and that "prospects are bright for further development of Philippine-China ties in 2017."

"Philippines-China relations have entered a new chapter after the successful state visit of Duterte to China last October," Sta. Romana said in a statement.

He said diplomatic ties between Beijing and Manila "are improving with the resumption of bilateral talks between the two governments."

China is at odds with a number of its Asian neighbors, including the Philippines, over disputed claims in the South China Sea, through which 5-trillion-U.S.-dollars-worth of ship-borne trade passes each year.

However, Sta. Romana said the sea dispute "should not be and will not be an obstacle to the development of bilateral ties" between the two countries.

"The focus and the key driver of Philippines-China relations under the Duterte administration will be economic, trade and finance," he stressed, adding that "economic cooperation, not disputes, will drive Philippines-China relations."

"The disputes will not disappear overnight but there will be direct talks and bilateral talks to resolve them peacefully."

Sta. Romana said the Philippines "has shifted to seeking better political and economic ties with China but is not seeking a military alliance."

"At best, it would be an alliance of trade and commerce," he said. This time, he reiterated the fact that economic cooperation and not disputes, will drive Sino-Philippines relations.

"So it's basically normalizing relations again but it doesn't mean the dispute issue has gone away. The disputes and the contentious issues we've compartmentalized will be discussed individually with the use of quiet not megaphone diplomacy," he said.

Manila is "moving fast" to rekindle its ties with Beijing that had soured since 2012 when Manila lodged a case against China over Huangyan Island in the South China Sea in an interim tribunal at The Hague.

Over the weekend, Duterte restated that the Philippines would not press China on an arbitral ruling over the South China Sea issue.

"In the play of politics now, I will set aside the arbitral ruling," he told a news conference last Saturday, adding, "I will not impose anything on China. Why? Because the politics here in Southeast Asia is changing. Like us now, I will separate or I will demand that you (U.S. forces) go out of my country."

Since Duterte's visit in October, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said last week that Manila was able to close a 100 million-U.S. dollar contract for fruit exports to China, along with the lifting of Chinese bans on Philippine bananas and mangoes.

The widely-circulated Philippine Daily Inquirer ran an editorial on Duterte's Beijing visit.

"By design, his 'sum total' approach to Philippine-Chinese relation is now center stage: a calibrated attempt to lower tensions related to the South China Sea disputes, a greater focus on trade and economic issues, and also a willingness to use Chinese largesse to fill the infrastructure deficit in the Philippines," read the editorial.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin called the Duterte visit "highly successful," saying it "signifies the full return of China and the Philippine's friendship back to its normal level."

Liu said, after the bilateral talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Duterte, "A new stage is now open between the two countries to address the South China Sea issue though bilateral discussions, and it means a full recovery of the traditional friendship between China and the Philippines."

Duterte's so-called pivot to China is seen by many politicians and observers as the right move at the right time.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Pernia said Duterte has rebalanced Philippine foreign policy by ordering his cabinet to move quickly towards regional economic integration with ASEAN and North Asia's powerhouses, such as China.

Even before the victory of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Dominguez said the Duterte administration was already keen on joining the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, rather than the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is being championed by outgoing President Barack Obama who framed the TPP as the centerpiece of the U.S. "pivot to Asia." The U.S.-led trade pact excludes China.

"With the TPP's fate uncertain," Dominguez said Duterte's "China pivot could not have come at a better time, especially with the Philippines chairing ASEAN next year on its 50th anniversary as a regional bloc."

Dominguez said the Philippines is more than ready to chair the ASEAN meetings in 2017, as Duterte "had apparently foreseen correctly the need to turn ASEAN's attention toward China, the world's second-largest economy that wants to establish a larger economic presence in the Asia-Pacific region."

Dominguez recalled how Duterte "had come under heavy fire for this sharp foreign policy turn, earning harsh criticism from certain sectors in the process, only to be seen as the leader who had presciently seen that a timely pivot to China is in the best interests of not only the Philippines, but of ASEAN as a whole."

Dominguez has said in previous interviews that the Duterte administration is more open to the RCEP than TPP, given its new policy of moving the country swiftly towards economic integration with its fellow-members in ASEAN and major trade partners in Asia and the Pacific.

"With the TPP now apparently dead in the water and a growing resurgence of protectionism in the U.S., Manila's recalibration of its foreign policy would benefit not only the Philippines, but would also help the rest of ASEAN move closer to China and its vast trading market," Dominguez said.

Last December, the Philippine senate voted 20 to 1 to ratify the Philippines' membership in the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Duterte is sending his economic team to China in January next year to firm up infrastructure projects that will be funded by the AIIB.

National Treasurer Roberto Tan said last week that the government is "looking at between 300 and 500 million U.S. dollars for the initial year" as a financial window that it can tap from the AIIB."

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said last week that he, Dominguez and Pernia will travel to Beijing to negotiate specific projects with the AIIB.

"The president's visit to China last October promises many positive outcomes," Diokno said. "It promises greater trade with China, which right now is already our country's second-biggest trading partner. It promises to double or triple agricultural exports to China. It promises more than a million Chinese tourists to the Philippines, and it promises fresh infrastructure financing for us."

AIIB President Jin Liqun visited Manila on Dec. 12 ti Dec. 14, during which he met with Duterte, Dominguez and other government officials.

"The bank looks forward to supporting the Philippines in its endeavor to develop world-class infrastructure, including in the transportation sector," Jin said in a statement issued at the end of his Manila visit.

Duterte's foreign secretary, Perfecto Yasay, said the strategy works. "What we are doing is that we set aside (the dispute) and we foster the other aspects of our relations like trade, investment even infrastructure development, cooperation in certain areas that we could do without violating or undermining our respective rights," he said.

"That's our strategy now, and we have somehow achieved some breakthroughs along that line," Yasay said in a recent TV interview. "In fact, we can see now that our fishermen have free access in that Scaborough Shoal (Huangyan Island) because of the confidence building measures that we have adopted in the meantime."

Political analyst Benito Lim clearly believes China is "extending a friendly hand."

"The first thing that China did was withdraw sanctions imposed during the previous Aquino administration. They did not buy our agricultural products like bananas and pineapples and such like. Now, they are buying our agricultural products ... There are concrete changes that we see now. They're showing us that they are extending a friendly hand," Lim told Xinhua in a recent interview.
COLOMBO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with India to line up funds to construct rainwater harvesting units in the northern part of the country, an official said on Tuesday.

Secretary to the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation of Sri Lanka, V. Sivagnanasothy told Xinhua that there was a widespread drinking water quality problem in Jaffna, a city in northern Sri Lanka due to pollution of ground water.

It has been caused by the excessive use of fertilizer, agro chemicals and increasing salinity due to over extraction and pollution.

"In order to address the water problems, the Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation with the Office of the National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) submitted a project proposal to construct 3,000 rainwater harvesting tanks especially for the Jaffna District. The government of India has granted approval for the project through the Indian Small Grant Assistance Program," he said.

The project is to be implemented through the ONUR headed by former President Chadrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.

Sivagnanasothy said the design and supervision will be undertaken by ONUR. Approval has been granted by the Cabinet of Ministers to sign the MOU with the Indian High Commission as part of the government's National Integration and Reconciliation initiative.
RAMALLAH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces have blocked roads to villages west of Ramallah city for the second consecutive day in search for assailants, Palestinian sources said Tuesday.

The source told Xinhua that Israeli military forces have shut down the roads to eastern entrance of Rantis village and the two main entrances to Nabi Saleh and Shuqba villages with cement blocks and soil mounds.

According to the sources, the Israeli forces are carrying out search in the three villages after saying that an Israeli vehicle was shot by unknown assailants who ran away toward the Palestinian villages.

Israeli public radio reported Monday that an Israeli was lightly injured in an attack that targeted his vehicle by another car in the opposite direction near the Ofarim settlement in the West Bank.

The radio said that the army is still looking for the assailants.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) said that the Israeli army arrested 10 Palestinians during raids in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

PPC explained that the arrests, including children, were focused in Bethlehem city and Rantis village.

No Israeli sources were immediately available to comment on that.

Israeli forces have been storming into Palestinian areas on a daily basis searching for "wanted" Palestinians, while Palestinians said those arrested are mostly civilian.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday welcomed the United Nations' humanitarian resolution on Syria, the foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, the 15-member UN Security Council adopted resolution 2328 to send UN observers to monitor evacuations in Aleppo, the first ever unanimously adopted resolution on the Syrian humanitarian issue.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that in the process of seeking consensus, the key is to avoid politicizing the humanitarian issue.

China has played a constructive role in the consultation process and mediation, calling on all sides to make efforts in the same direction, said Hua.

The resolution supports the UN to continue to play an important role of coordination in humanitarian efforts in Syria.

She noted that adoption of the 2328 resolution, which has safeguarded the reputation of the UN Security Council, fully reflects the UN body's ability to resolve complex and sensitive issues through negotiation.

Implementation of the resolution will serve to ameliorate the situation of the people and lay a sound foundation for the political resolution of the Syrian issue, Hua said.
PARIS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed and six others injured after a pileup of 30 vehicles in Vendee, west France, a regional radio reported Tuesday.

The accident, which might have been caused by heavy fog, occurred earlier on Tuesday on the highway linking La Roche-sur-Yon to Sables d'Olonne in Vendee, Bleu radio reported.

"It is still too early to understand the circumstances of this accident. The priority is given to the evacuation of people," France Bleu radio quoted Vendee prefect Jean-Benoit Albertini as saying.

The report added the motorway is closed to facilitate rescue operation and evacuation of victims.
GENEVA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday that 4,901 migrants and refugees have died crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores so far this year, up from 3,777 for the whole of 2015.

"The mortality rate in 2016 far exceeds that of 2015. This year one migrant has died for every 73 migrants who arrive safely," IOM said in a statement.

"In 2015 the figure was one death for every 267 successful crossings," it added.

According to latest statistics, most deaths (4,403) have been documented on the central Mediterranean passage linking North Africa with Italy.

A further 429 deaths have been recorded on the eastern Mediterranean route separating Turkey and Greece, with remaining fatalities observed on western Mediterranean sea routes.

While the number of deaths this year is significantly higher than last year's, arrivals are much lower.

A total of 358,156 migrant maritime entries have been registered in Europe since January, compared to over 1 million arrivals over the course of 2015.
A man places a wreath of flowers in front of the Russian Embassy in Ankara on December 20, 2016, a day after the RussianAmbassador to Turkey was killed by a gunman. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- An 18-member Russian delegation arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to investigate the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, local media reported.

The team, including one prosecutor and two defense attaches, will investigate the incident together with Turkish officials, private NTV reported.

The plane, which is expected to depart from Ankara Esenboga Airport on Tuesday afternoon, will take Karlov's body to Moscow after the accomplishment of procedures by Turkish and Russian authorities.

A ceremony is planned to take place at the airport to bid farewell to Karlov.

Meanwhile, Turkish police has arrested seven people over the Russian envoy's murder so far.

After six relatives and the roommate of Mevlut Mert Altintas, the assassin, were arrested early Tuesday, his uncle was released on judicial control.

Earlier, Altintas' parents, sister, and two other relatives were arrested in the southwestern province of Aydin.

On Monday, the Russian ambassador was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in Ankara's central Cankaya district when Altintas opened fire, critically wounding him.

Karlov was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
GENEVA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tuesday that almost 19,000 people have been evacuated from the last rebel-held enclave in Syria's city of Aleppo, adding that operations are ongoing there.

"At 9:20 local time this morning, 10 buses moved from the Ramousah checkpoint towards west Aleppo," Jens Laerke told press here.

"This brings to a total as of this morning to nearly 19,000 people who have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo since the beginning of operations on December 15," he added.

More buses are expected to move on Tuesday, Laerke said, adding that it is unclear how many people remain in the besieged rebel enclave.

Amongst those evacuated were 301 wounded, including 67 children. According to the World Health Organisation, almost a third were in critical condition.

A total of 93 patients were referred to hospitals in Turkey, with the others going to opposition-controlled Idlib and western rural Aleppo.

Pursuant to a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted Monday, Laerke also said that Damascus had given the go-ahead for an additional 20 expatriate UN staff to go to east Aleppo and monitor evacuations.

Parallel evacuations have also been taking place in the besieged Syrian towns of Foah and Kefraya, where 750 people have been able to leave since December 19.

Once Syria's commercial hub, Aleppo has been divided roughly in two since 2012, with western parts under government control and eastern districts held by rebels.

The situation in Aleppo worsened rapidly after a truce accord collapsed in September, with months of heavy fighting driving the city to the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
THE HAGUE, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday sent their condolences to the families of the victims after the deadly attack at a Christmas market in Berlin.

"At the foot of the Memorial Church, the symbol that reminds us of the values of peace and reconciliation, defenseless people became the victims of an act of violence last night," stated King Willem-Alexander. "We feel intensely with the bereaved families and with those who were injured. Berlin is in our minds."

"Berlin mourns and we mourn with them for the many deaths and injured," said Prime Minister Mark Rutte. "We think of everyone who waits in vain for the return of his beloved. I have conveyed our condolences to my German counterpart Angela Merkel on behalf of the Netherlands and offered to help where we can."

Dick Schoof, the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV), stated that the NCTV will follow the events in Berlin closely. "Unfortunately, this fits into our current threat level, which will remain substantial."

The terrorist threat level in the Netherlands is on "substantial", level four on a scale of five, since March 2013. That means the chance of an attack in the Netherlands is real but that there are no specific indications that terrorists are preparing to carry out an attack in the Netherlands.
The construction commencement ceremony of China's first domestic-built polar research vessel and icebreaker is held in Shanghai, east China, Dec. 20, 2016. Construction of China's first domestic-built polar research vessel and icebreaker began Tuesday in Shanghai, giving a boost to the nation's polar expedition efforts, according to the Polar Research Institute of China. The new vessel will be 122.5 meters long and 22.3 meters wide, with a displacement of 13,990 tonnes and a navigation capability of 20,000 nautical miles. It is being built by Jiangnan Shipyard (Group). (Xinhua)

SHANGHAI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Construction of China's first domestic-built polar research vessel and icebreaker began Tuesday in Shanghai, giving a boost to the nation's polar expedition efforts, according to the Polar Research Institute of China.

The vessel is scheduled to be completed in 2019, when it is expected to team-up with research vessel and icebreaker Xuelong (Snow Dragon).

Xuelong is currently China's only icebreaker carrying out polar research expeditions.

Yang Huigen, head of the institute, said the move would improve the nation's capabilities in supporting polar expeditions and surveying the polar marine environment.

On completion, the new vessel alongside veteran Xuelong will give China's polar research more diversified services.

The new vessel will be 122.5 meters long and 22.3 meters wide, with a displacement of 13,990 tonnes and a navigation capability of 20,000 nautical miles. It is being built by Jiangnan Shipyard (Group).

It will be able to break through ice 1.5 meters thick at a maximum speed of 3 knots, according to the institute, which said the vessel can accommodate up to 90 people.

Yang said the vessel will be able to open ice on both its bow and stern, and is capable of sailing unrestricted in global navigating waters .

Equipped with internationally advanced marine survey and observation devices, the new vessel will be an important platform for the nation to conduct polar research on marine environments and resources, the institute said.

Scientists will be able to carry out comprehensive surveys and observation of the polar marine environment, taking samples while observing the marine environment related to climate change, as well as conduct surveys on oil, gas and living resources in iced areas and polar regions.

TEAM WORK

Xuelong is currently on China's 33rd Antarctic expedition and scheduled to return to Shanghai in April next year.

Put into use in 1994, the Ukraine-built vessel was mainly designed for transporting supplies to China's research stations. It can break ice as thick as 1.2 meters.

A new vessel is necessary because expeditions by Xuelong alone limit China's scientific research and resources in polar regions, in addition to deficiencies in shape, power supply, icebreaking capabilities, and research.

In January 2014, Xuelong was stuck in floating ice in Antarctica after evacuating passengers on a stranded Russian vessel.

Compared with Xuelong, the new ship will be easier to control in iced areas, making it safer for scientific research and navigation, the institute said.

The new icebreaker has been jointly designed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation and Finland-based Aker Arctic Technology.

In addition to advanced scientific devices, the ship is environmentally friendly in compliance with international standards to protect the polar environment.

According to Yang, the vessel will be equipped with an exhaust gas cleaning system, providing a solution to tackling pollution caused by the ship.

"The advanced overall design of the new vessel not only reflect the nation's determination to explore polar regions but also shows its attitude toward protecting such regions," Yang said.

Once it goes into operation, the vessel will form a polar research fleet with Xuelong, conducting scientific research missions and transporting supplies to polar regions.

The nation sent its first team for scientific research in the Antarctic in 1984. Since then, China has established four scientific research stations in Antarctic region.
LONDON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bold steps are needed to ensure Britain's science sector has a prominent place in the global economy after Brexit, a report from Westminster said Tuesday.

Members of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee put the issue of science in the pre-Brexit era under the microscope.

Politicians from parliament's upper chamber said Britain needs to retain current scientific talent and attract even more of the world's leading scientists. They warned uncertainty over the future relationship between European Union and Britain is having a corrosive effect on Britain's research base.

"But the government has the power to mitigate many negative effects of Brexit and use it as a catalyst to address long standing underperformance in economic productivity," they add.

In their report, "A time for boldness: EU membership and UK science after the referendum", the committee says Britain should expand and enhance existing programs.

The report welcomed the major increase to science funding announced in the 2016 Autumn Statement, and recommends that, in addition, the science and research budget should be re-based at an early opportunity to compensate fully for any reduction of funding from Brussels.

"UK scientific leaders should not be consumed entirely with UK-EU negotiations and should explore scientific collaborations and shared protocols with the rest of the world, particularly where there is potential to build on existing relationships such as ones with the U.S.," the report added.

The committee said Britain should offer to host, in partnership with governments and funding bodies from other countries, one or more new, large-scale international research facilities, adding: "This would be a bold move to signal the UK's global standing in science".

The EU referendum result and mixed messages from the government could undermine the shared ambitions of the government and the research community to welcome talented scientists to Britain, added the report.

In its recommendations the committee calls for the government to distinguish between students holding Tier 4 visas and other immigrants, so that student numbers can be treated separately for immigration policy making purposes.
NAIROBI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- African Development Bank (AfDB) plans to help African states repeal gender discriminatory laws in order to increase women participation in their economies, officials said on Tuesday.

AfDB Vice President Geraldine Fraser Moleketi told a women forum in Nairobi that it will empower women parliamentarians to amend laws that discriminate against women.

"Africa has witnessed significant progress on gender equality but there are still areas such as the legal status and land property rights where more is yet to be done," Moleketi said during the launch of the Women in Parliament Council.

The council will convene active female parliamentarians with other stakeholders to discuss and provide innovative solutions to the challenges related to women's property rights in order to achieve economic development.

Moleketi said that there is evidence that women face legal impediments that impact negatively on the economy.

"We want to improve the legal status of women in society so as to build an inclusive economy in Africa," the vice president said.

She noted that there are at least two countries in Africa where married women require the permission of their husbands in order to obtain identity cards.

"It means that if the women don't have identity cards they can't access formal financial services such as loans," she said.

AfDB East Africa Resource Center Director General Gabriel Negatu said his organization believes that the continent's long-term competitiveness depends on how well Africa empowers its women.

"In many African countries, however, unequal access to property, discriminatory laws including land and tenure rights hinder women from contributing even more to their countries' growth and well-being," Negatu said.
NAIROBI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan police service on Tuesday urged members of the public to heighten vigilance ahead of the festive season when multiple security threats are expected in the east African nation.

Inspector General of National Police Service, Joseph Boinnet said in a statement that this year's Christmas and New Year festivities could present new security challenges to Kenyans hence the need for round-the-clock vigilance.

"The Christmas season is here with us and based on past experiences, it might present new security threats and therefore we urge the public to maintain caution," said Boinnet

His remarks came in the wake of an attack in a Christmas market in the German city of Berlin on Monday night where 12 people died after being run over by a truck.

German authorities said evidence pointed at involvement of radical groups in the latest attack.

The Kenyan security services on Tuesday intensified patrols in Nairobi and other major towns following the terrorist attack in Germany.

Boinnet said Kenya's vulnerability to a terrorist attack this festive season remained high while the police had put adequate deterrent measures in place.

"The terror threat remains a reality and we therefore call upon members of the public to be vigilant particularly in places with high concentration of people. These include beaches, restaurants, clubs and places of worship," Boinnet said.

He urged members of the public to report suspicious characters who might pose a threat to national security.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan police urged owners of public service vehicles, pedestrians and private motorists to observe traffic rules to avoid road accidents this festive season.

Boinnet said an inter agency team will be deployed to major highways to monitor vehicular traffic that is expected to surge during the Christmas holidays.

"We urge motorists to avoid reckless driving and overloading to avoid accidents on public roads. The police are under firm instruction to arrest traffic offenders and promptly charge them in court," said Boinnet.
TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran said Tuesday that the resolution by the UN Security Council on Syria's Aleppo is an attempt to pave the ground for the deployment of foreign intelligence officers to the city under the cover of UN observers, Press TV reported.

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said that the document also prioritized the evacuation of militants in Aleppo over the safe exit of civilians in militant-held areas and has ignored the role of the Syrian government.

Shamkhani made the remarks referring to the French-drafted resolution passed on Monday by the UN Security Council.

On Monday, the Security Council requested the United Nations and other relevant institutions to carry out "adequate, neutral monitoring and direct observation on evacuations from the eastern districts" of the war-battered city.

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council also requested the UN to ensure further deployment of staff for monitoring and reporting on the evacuations, as needed and demanded all parties to provide these monitors with safe, immediate and unimpeded access.
LJUBLJANA, Dec.20(Xinhua) -- Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims after a deadly attack at a Christmas market in Berlin.

Cerar wrote on his Twitter account late Monday night that he was "shocked by the attack" in Berlin.

His "thoughts are with the relatives and friends of the victims and the German people," Cerar wrote.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry is monitoring the situation in Germany closely, the Slovenian Press Agency quoted head of the ministry's consular service, Andrej Ster, as saying on Tuesday.

A truck ploughed into the Christmas market crowd in the heart of Berlin on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring 48.
WARSAW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on Tuesday urged Europe to stay united in the fight against terrorism, following a deadly attack at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday.

Politicians are bound by duties to protect their citizens, said Szydlo, while expressing her condolences to the German people after the attack.

Szydlo is scheduled to call German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has asked people to pray for all the victims and those injured in the attack.

A truck ploughed into a Christmas market crowd in the heart of Berlin on Monday, killing 12 people and injuring 48.
TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that six world powers and Iran will meet on Jan. 10 to consider a recent U.S. decision to extend sanctions against Tehran, official IRNA news agency reported on Tuesday.

Zarif made the remarks on Monday briefing the Iranian Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on the implementation of the nuclear deal, known as JCPOA.

Iran and six major world countries, namely the United States, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany (known as the P5+1 group) reached an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue in July 2015 which puts Iran on the path of sanctions relief but more strict limits on its nuclear program.

On Saturday, Zarif called for a joint meeting of Iran and the six world powers to discuss the recent U.S. extension of Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), which Iran says is a violation of the nuclear agreement.

The ISA was first adopted in 1996 to sanction Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

The meeting goes along with the presidential orders to the Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to take appropriate measures in the face of the extension of the ISA, Zarif was quoted as saying on Monday.

The Foreign Ministry has a clear roadmap to follow vis-a-vis the U.S. failure to implement its obligations, Zarif said, adding that Iran has held continuous talks with other members of the P5+1 group particularly with China and Russia insisting on the implementation of the JCPOA.
by Xinhua writer Gui Tao

LONDON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- While an array of Brexit uncertainties loom in Britain's political landscape, one thing remaining as a certainty is confidence in and mutual commitment to a "golden era" of post-Brexit relations with China.

The 8th China-UK Strategic Dialogue on Tuesday is expected to be an extension of the commitment by Beijing and London at the high government level to ensure their relations are genuinely golden.

The commitment to solidify ties has emerged more than a year after Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain, which unleashed the start of the "golden era." It also came months after leaders of the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to their golden ties during the September G20 Summit in China.

For two countries located at the opposite ends of the vast Eurasian continent, closer cooperation and better coordination can shorten their geological distance.

Since the Brexit referendum in June and the British government's reshuffle this year, there has been media speculation about uncertainties in China-Britain relations, with some predicting that the "golden era" is losing its shine.

Contrary to such pessimism, China and the Britain have maintained effective communication and policy coordination. They have enhanced ties with high-level visits, trade and mutual investment, cooperation in financial services and people-to-people exchanges.

One golden fruit is the Hinkley Point C nuclear project, the single biggest investment that China has ever made in Britain. The British government gave the green light to the project some months ago.

Although there is no shortage of challenges during a time of Brexit uncertainty, there is no reason to alter the commitment by both countries to strengthen bilateral relations. The vital interests that bind the two countries together and the fundamentals of the relationship should also remain unchanged.

The strategic and global nature of China-Britain relations remains unscathed. China and Britain are both major global economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The common desire for continued cooperation and win-win results remain untouched. China is Britain's second largest trading partner outside the European Union while Britain is home to more Chinese investment than any European country.

Britain, with its strong high-tech and financial sectors, has an edge in brand promotion and creative industries. China has a large workforce and market, and the size of its economy comes with a strong financing capability.

Next year will mark the 45th anniversary of bilateral relations. Now is the time for this golden era of relations to see both countries work together to improve the global multilateral trading regime and seek cooperation in reforming the systems of international finance.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's latest investigation into Chinese galvanized steel is "discrimination" and will not help solve problems in the NZ steel industry, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said here Tuesday.

The remarks came after the New Zealand government began an anti-subsidy probe on Monday into galvanized sheet steel from China.

Wang Hejun, head with the trade remedy investigation department with the MOC, said that the products involved only account for 2.5 percent to 4 percent of New Zealand's domestic market, causing no harm to the domestic industry.

New Zealand's imports of galvanized steel from China have remained around 4,000 tonnes, worth 3.2 million U.S. dollars. By contrast, imports from other sources have doubled in the past two years.

Investigating such a small amount of Chinese products while ignoring imports from other sources is discrimination, he said.

It will not help to solve the problems in New Zealand's steel industry and will hamper Sino-New Zealand trade, Wang added.

China has been New Zealand's biggest source of manufactured goods for years, and now China's imports from New Zealand are growing steadily.

Wang said faltering global recovery and shrinking demand are cause of the difficult situation of the steel industry worldwide, and called on all countries to cooperate during tough times.

Protectionism is not the answer for New Zealand's steel industry and will only deal a further blow to international trade, he said.

China hopes New Zealand will use trade remedy measures in a prudent and restrained way and work with China to resolve trade issues through dialogue and communication, he said.
ROME, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Rome mayor Virginia Raggi has requested an internal inspection of her administration's personnel chief Raffaele Marra who was arrested last week in a corruption probe, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Tuesday.

Marra is set to be questioned soon by a judge for preliminary investigations. The Marra case is another embarrassment for Raggi and her anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), which prides itself on not being tainted by the corruption scandals that have hit other political parties, according to the report.

Last week, Raggi accepted the resignation of her environment chief Paola Muraro after Muraro was notified she was under investigation over alleged unlawful waste treatment during her years as a consultant for city trash company AMA.

Police had seized documents from city hall in relation to probe into nominations made by Raggi since she was elected in June, local media reported.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) --The Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon extended condolences on Tuesday to his German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere and promised his country would help in any investigation after a man drove his truck into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people.

A man was arrested shortly after the incident. Forty-eight people were also injured in the attack.

Jambon said the events in Berlin are incredibly regrettable but not likely to significantly alter the security measures in Belgium taken for softs targets such as Christmas markets or skating rinks.

Further measures to protect the Winter Fun Christmas market in Brussels organized in the historic center of the city were taken Monday evening after the announcement of the Berlin attack, said the bourgmestre of Brussels, Yvan Mayeur.

In addition, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium Didier Reynders said he was shocked by the tragic events at the Christmas market of the Breitscheidplatz in Berlin.

He expressed his deep condolences to his German colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeier, saying Belgium is associated with the suffering of all the German people.

For Didier Reynders, this attack is an action against the German people and against all those who share the same values. Everything must now be done to find and try the guilty, he added.
A vendor waits for customers at his shop in the old city of Sanaa, capital of Yemen, on Dec. 20, 2016. Yemen's dominant Houthi-led governing body Tuesday welcomed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's new peace call aimed to achieve a lasting cessation to 22-month civil war in Yemen, said state Saba news agency. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

SANAA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's dominant Houthi-led governing body Tuesday welcomed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's new peace call aimed to achieve a lasting cessation to 22-month civil war in Yemen, said state Saba news agency.

The Houthi-led newly formed body, called "the National Salvation Government" also urged immediate lifting to all-out blockade imposed by Saudi-led military coalition that backed Houthis' foe of the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

"The National Salvation Government welcome the new peace call, including the roadmap proposed by UN envoy Ould Cheikh Ahmed as a basis for positive final negotiations to end war, blockade and reach an honorable comprehensive political compromise," read a statement carried by Houthi-controlled Saba.

On Sunday, Kerry on this last visit to Saudi Kingdom expressed the home that a new ceasefire in the Yemen conflict could be agreed within two weeks.

Kerry said in a joint news conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir that "the U.S. will work with Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to achieve a new pause in the fighting."

The would-be pause would be the eighth ceasefire attempt since the war erupted early last year.
BUDAPEST, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian President Janos Ader, Prime Minister Viktor Orban voiced their sympathies on Tuesday with the victims, families of victims over Monday's attack in Berlin.

Ader sent a telegram of sympathy to German President Joachim Gauck over the killing of at least 12 people and the injuring dozens more when a truck drove into a crowd at a Christmas fair in Berlin on Monday night. He expressed the sympathy of the Hungarian people and reiterated his condemnation of terrorism in any form.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote to German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressing shock and sympathy. He called the attack a serious blow to all of Europe.

The governing Fidesz Party declared its shock over the terrorist attack on the Berlin Christmas fair and the murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, who was shot while opening an exhibition.

The third incident of violence was in Zurich, when an unknown perpetrator shot a group of people who were praying, seriously injuring three of them.

The opposition Socialist MSZP Party noted that these attacks were really aimed at the freedom, independence, tranquility, and security of all of us. It called for close international cooperation and the establishment of strong, unified, and coordinated law enforcement and secret services as the only way to achieve success.

The Hungarian Ministry of Internal Affairs said it was sustaining its Level Three (medium) readiness for a terrorist attack but was increasing the number of police on patrol, particularly around Christmas shoppers.
CAIRO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A deadly truck rampage through crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, has drown condemnation from Arab countries and a regional Islamic organization.

Egypt, the most populous Arab country, condemned Monday's attack that left at least 12 people dead and 48 others wounded.

"The phenomenon of terrorism seriously threatens peace and stability worldwide," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

It called on the international community to fully cooperate to uproot terrorist groups that are behind such heinous attacks, saying these acts are a violation of all human values and norms.

The United Arab Emirates also condemned the attack, stressing its long-standing position of renouncing violence and terrorism in all their forms, UAE state news agency WAM reported.

"Such criminal acts that target innocent civilians are incompatible with human values and ethical principles," the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Abu Dhabi said.

It offered condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the wounded a speedy recovery.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) condemned the attack.

In a statement, ISESCO's director Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri described the attack as an "act of terrorism" and a "heinous crime" against innocent people that should be condemned and its perpetrators and masterminds be punished.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday "We must assume it was a terrorist attack."

According to Berlin police, it is suspected that the truck used in the attack was stolen from a construction site in Poland and was deliberately driven into the crowd at the Christmas market.

They said a Polish man was found dead inside the vehicle but added he was not in control of it.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police on Tuesday interrogated an Israeli-Arab lawmaker over suspicion of smuggling mobile phones to Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

A police spokesperson said Basel Ghattas was questioned for four hours in the Lahav 433 unit, or Israel's FBI.

The investigation was launched over alleged smuggling of 12 cell phones and encrypted messages to Hamas prisoners in the Ktzi'ot prison in southern Israel, the spokesperson said.

Before entering the questioning, Ghattas told reporters that the suspicions against him are baseless. "I will come out with my head held high," he said, adding that the investigation is "a political witch hunt" aimed to harm the Palestinian struggle.

On Monday, the police issued an exit delay order, forbidding Ghattas to leave the country during the investigation.

Interior Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that if the allegations prove true, Ghattas should be sentenced to jail.

Also on Monday, right-wing ministers and lawmakers called on to boot Ghattas from the parliament and to outlaw his party, Balad.

Balad is an Arab-Palestinian nationalist party that has frequent confrontations with the government.

Arab citizens of Israel are Palestinians who stayed during Israel's 1948 Independence War. They make up about 20 percent of the Israel's population.
ISTANBUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish leaders on Tuesday vowed continued cooperation with Russia on Syria, one day after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated by a gunman.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while speaking at the inauguration of a Eurasia tunnel linking the Asian and European parts of Istanbul under the Bosphorus Strait, said cooperation with Russia on the Syrian issue will continue uninterrupted.

He drew the attention to the meeting in Moscow among Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

The trio met to discuss the details of an evacuation operation from the eastern part of the Syrian city of Aleppo to a secure area controlled by the opposition forces.

The Syrian government troops, following months of fierce fighting under Russian air cover, are poised to take control of entire Aleppo once the cornered opposition forces and others are evacuated.

In his speech made at the inauguration ceremony, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim described the murder of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov as a "clear provocation" that targeted the friendly relations between Turkey and Russia.

"Whatever they try to do, Turkey and Russia will continue to develop their ties," the premier said.

Ankara and Moscow have been making efforts over the past months to mend their ties damaged after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in November last year.

The Russian envoy was shot dead Monday evening, when he was attending an art exhibition in Ankara, by a young off-duty police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo! don't forget Syria!"

Erdogan said that a joint Turkish-Russian investigation commission had started to look into every aspect of the attack and that the connections had begun to emerge.
DUBAI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates has congratulated Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri on the formation of a new government, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.

In a cable, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his best wishes for Lebanon and the Lebanese people, wishing them continuous progress, prosperity, security and safety.

The new cabinet is the 73rd since the declaration of Lebanon's independence in 1943 and is composed of 30 ministers.

Lebanon was in a political deadlock after the six-year term of former President Michel Suleiman ended on May 25, 2014.

On Feb. 23, 2016, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation upgraded an existing travel warning to Lebanon to a complete ban.
BAKU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Embassy in Baku has increased security measures after Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was killed following a terrorist attack, Ambassador of Russia to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin told journalists here on Tuesday.

"I believe in Azerbaijan and believe that nothing could happen to me here," the diplomat said.

The Ambassador expressed gratitude and appreciation for the support given to Russia by the leadership of Azerbaijan "in this difficult time."

Earlier on Monday Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev expressed condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a letter to Putin, Ilham Aliyev also offered his condolences to the ambassador's family and condemned the violent attack.

"I am deeply shocked by the news of the tragic death of an Ambassador ... of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey Andrei Karlov. We resolutely and unconditionally condemn this bloody terrorist attack," Aliyev said in the letter.

A gunman assassinated Russia's ambassador Andrei Karlov at an Ankara art gallery on Monday in what leaders of Russia and Turkey called a provocative terror attack. Ambassador Karlov's shooting was captured in real time in photos and video that quickly spread through the Internet worldwide.

The assassination came at a time of improved relations and increased cooperation between Russia and Turkey.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Dec. 20(Xinhua) -- In line with Brunei's Vision 2035 and China's Belt and Road Initiative, "there are many more areas of cooperation and common goals that can be explored by our two countries", Brunei's Minister of Home affairs Haji Awang Abu Bakar said on Tuesday.

The official said both Brunei and China have a long tradition of friendship based on mutual respect and understanding.

"Our bilateral relationship is growing even stronger with a wide range of cooperation that includes energy infrastructure, agriculture, fisheries, education, tourism as well as exchange between our people. Today, China is one of Brunei's largest trading partners," the minister told the opening ceremony of Bank of China( Hong Kong) Brunei Branch.

Bank of China (Hong Kong) opened its first branch in Brunei on Tuesday, establishing presence of first Chinese financial institution in the sultanate, which also marked a further important link between the two economies.

"There are currently nearly 30 companies from China in Brunei. The number is growing very fast and the total amount of direct investment from China in 2016 has surpassed the total figure from previous years", Abu Bakar said.

"These investments provide benefits for local consumers, suppliers, community as well as employees. Brunei, a peaceful land and green heart of the ASEAN region with its high educational and environmental advantages, welcomes foreign investments by providing good platform and opportunities to access ASEAN and Islamic markets", he added.

As for the establishment of Bank of China Brunei Branch, the minister said the opening of the Brunei Branch "shows your confidence in the future of Brunei and ASEAN".

He placed his hopes that Bank of China will help Brunei to satisfy its demand for achieving Vision 2035, especially in serving Foreign Direct Investments, developing Small and Medium Enterprises and to promote bilateral economic and trade relations between Brunei and China.
CAPE TOWN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The recent outbursts of racists incidences can no longer be classified as "pockets of incidents" but show a deeper underlying racial hatred that continues to exist in South Africa, the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) said on Tuesday.

The whites-controlled economy lives and breeds racism in the country, the ANCYL said in a statement.

This came after racist comments were posted by a Facebook user on a picture of a packed Durban beach last weekend. In the comments, Ben Sasonof, a white man, said the beach, packed by blacks, "must have smelt like the inside of Zuma's asshole," with the apparent reference to President Jacob Zuma.

His comments raised the ire of other Facebook users who accused Sasonof of being a racist.

In a separate incident on Sunday, a restaurant in Cape Town described two customers as "2 BLACKS" on a bill. A photograph of the bill has gone viral on Twitter, having been retweeted more than a thousand times.

ANCYL national spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said black people are lacking in material power as a result of centuries long dispossession whilst the majority of white racists believe their economic standing in society continues to make them a superior race.

"The fact that the ownership structure of capital and the share in the economy of the country continues to be predominantly white, is what continues to feed the arrogance shown by racists," said Mkhize.

The arrogance of racists is fed by the belief that their wealth coupled with white privilege they continue to receive makes them a superior race, he added.

"If we do not temper with the current ownership structure of our economy we will not undermine white supremacy," he said.

The ANCYL will start a lobby process for the development of a regulatory framework that should make racism a crime that is punishable by imprisonment, according to Mkhize.

"We can no longer file for charges that only result in fines. We should criminalize racism with a minimum jail sentence of 10 years. There must be harsh consequences for racism," Mkhize said.
BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday extended condolences to his German counterpart Joachim Gauck over Monday's fatal attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Xi said in his message that he was shocked to learn a truck smashed into a Christmas market Monday in Berlin causing heavy casualties.

Xi, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, mourned the dead and extended his heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families and those injured.

"China firmly opposes terrorism in all forms, supports Germany in its efforts to maintain safety and stability and is willing to strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation with the international community including Germany to jointly safeguard world security and prosperity," said the Chinese president.

Twelve people were killed and nearly 50 others injured when a truck drove into a popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals in Berlin late Monday.
MOMBASA, Kenya, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) on Tuesday seized ivory worth millions of Kenyan shillings concealed in two containers at the Port of Mombasa.

KRA Commissioner David Yego told journalists in Mombasa that the ivory pieces were hidden in wooden logs destined for Colombia.

Yego said the two containers were part of ten containers that were disguised and declared to contain teak logs (timber) last month.

"We had intelligence information and intercepted eight export containers, but the other two had already left the port. We contacted shipping and other agencies and managed to intercept the two," he said.

The two containers were later intercepted in Singapore en-route to Colombia and reshipped back to the country where the ivory was discovered after verification by a multi-agency team at the port.

Yego said it had contacted different agents including Interpol that assisted in tracking the two twenty-feet containers after they managed to be sneaked out of the port of Mombasa.

The team has launched investigation to apprehend more suspects believed to be mastermind of ivory trade at the port of Mombasa. According to port documents, the two containers have 424 pieces of teak beams.

KRA said the two containers will be subjected to full verification and weighing the ivory before they can release the final report to the media.

Sources indicate that the same clearing agent was behind smuggling 12 ivory-concealing containers that were seized in Vietnam early November after they were also sneaked from the port of Mombasa.

The ivory had been hidden in hollowed-out logs and blocks of timber that were sealed. The containers, with one tonne of ivory, were intercepted by Vietnamese authorities at the Cat Lai Port in the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.

According to authorities, the ivory seized last month was destined for Cambodia through Vietnam.

The port of Mombasa is linked in smuggling of ivory, drugs and other contrabands where port authorities reportedly collude with dealers after being bribed.
Flag-wrapped coffin of late Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is carried to a plane during a ceremony at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, December 20, 2016. (Reuters Photo)

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Monday's murder of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey may help strengthen the interaction among Moscow, Ankara and Iran in their joint efforts to counter global terrorism, Russian experts believed.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead by an off-duty Turkish policeman when attending an art gallery in Ankara late Monday, which Moscow has described as a terrorist act.

Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have condemned the aggression as an attempt to derail the normalization of Russian-Turkish relations. But experts believed the assassin and those behind the crime would only achieve the opposite.

"I believe the incident will not only fail to damage the interaction, which is being established, but will also allow focusing on the real issue, on combating international terrorism," Amur Gadjiev, an expert of the Institute of the Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in an interview with Xinhua.

In particular, Gadjiev said, the attempt was aimed at derailing meetings among foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran, who are currently meeting in Moscow on the Syria crisis.

Fyodor Lukyanov, Chief Editor of the Russia in Global Politics magazine, expressed a concurring view.

"It is difficult to say now, but most likely, the incident will affect the level of interaction between Russia and Turkey on Syria, and perhaps even positively," he told Xinhua.

In the West, there were forces that are not happy to see the reinforcement of Russia in the Middle East and rapid progress of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as of Turkish-Iranian interaction with the mediation of Russia.

"The murder was committed by people who are staunch opponents of the Russian policy in the Middle East. They wanted to demonstrate its total rejection," said Lukyanov.

Some Persian Gulf countries and the West have certain influence in the Middle East, but their control over some "illegal terrorist groups" are limited, while Russia and Turkey have shown that they can come to terms on the Syrian issue, Gadjiev noted.

Both leaders of Russia and Turkey have agreed to work on a possible meeting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The format of the proposed talks in Astana shows that Russia and Turkey have not only found ways of interaction, but also solutions to regional problems, thus bypassing the West, Gadjiev added.

As this goes against the wishes of the West, it will continue putting spokes in the wheel, he concluded.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack in Berlin on Monday night, and voiced his hope that "anyone involved in the commission of this appalling crime will be swiftly brought to justice."

The secretary-general, in a statement issued here by his spokesman, expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the government and the people of Germany.

"He wishes a speedy recovery to those injured," the statement said.

At least 12 people were reportedly killed and many others injured after a tractor-trailer truck ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night.

In the attack, the vehicle jumped a sidewalk and ploughed into the market near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, a symbolic Berlin site. The driver fled after the attack, reports said.
Members of a Turkish forces honour guard carry the Russian flag-draped coffin of late Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov and a picture of him during a ceremonial farewell with full state honours on the tarmac of Ankara's Esenboga Airport on Dec. 20, 2016, before the coffin is transported on a Russian plane for Moscow. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey will not undermine Russia-Turkey relations, according to political analysts.

The actual impact of the incident on bilateral relations and the Syrian situation, they believed, will be quite limited, nor will it jeopardize their cooperation.

MOTIVES BEHIND FATAL SHOOTING

The incident occurred when ambassador Andrei Karlov prepared to address an art exhibition ceremony in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday. He was shot dead by a member of Ankara's riot police squad who shouted words including the Syrian city of "Aleppo" at the scene.

The top leaders of Russia and Turkey had a conversation via telephone immediately after the incident, expressing their willingness to jointly investigate the assassination and intensify their cooperation in anti-terrorism.

After the incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned the assassination of Russian ambassador to Ankara, describing it as a "provocation" aimed at ruining Turkey-Russia ties.

"Turkey-Russia relations were vital for the region and those who aimed to harm ties were not going to achieve their goals," Erdogan said in a televised message.

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with his Turkish counterpart, pointing out the killing of Karlov was a provocation aimed at derailing Russia-Turkey ties and the peace process in Syria.

"This murder is clearly a provocation aimed at undermining the improvement and normalization of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria," Putin said in a statement.

Putting the incident in perspective, the Russian Foreign Ministry also saw the connection between the killing and Tuesday's meeting of foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey in Moscow.

"We will take measures at this meeting (in Moscow) that will make it impossible for those who nurtured the people who ordered and organized this crime to realize their plans," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement.

The Russian media had reported that the meeting would mainly focus on the latest development of situation in Syria after the withdrawal of Syrian anti-government forces from Aleppo.

Syrian Social Nationalist Party representative Tarek Ahmed told Russian news agency Sputnik that this attack was an act aimed at damaging relations between Russia and Turkey as well as preventing a stronger alliance between Russia, Turkey and Iran and Syria.

TARGETING TURKEY-RUSSIA COOPERATION

The killer's remarks showed the murder was aimed at harming Ankara-Moscow ties, especially their cooperation on the Syrian issue, said Zan Tao, director of the Turkey studies center at the Pangoal Institution, a Chinese think tank.

Zan said the attack came at a time when Turkey and Russia are enjoying renewed relations. Together with Iran, the two are working to end the Syrian crisis.

The Chinese expert believes a warmer Ankara-Moscow relationship not only upsets Western countries, but also discomposes the extremist groups and opposition forces inside Syria.

Ankara and Moscow both seek to expand cooperation on the Syrian crisis, since they have common interests in combating extremist groups, Zan said.

Moreover, it is the priority for Ankara to prevent the Syrian Kurds from growing stronger during the war to jointly seek independence with the Kurdish people in Turkey and Iraq. On this issue, Ankara needs support from Moscow, which is gaining an increasingly stronger say on the Syrian issue.

Zan said the newly-established military consultation mechanism between Turkey and Russia helps them avoid clashes, allowing Turkey to continue its airstrike in northern Syria.

Remzi Azkan, former Moscow-based Turkish journalist at the Anadolu agency, said that Turkey's cross-border offensives against Kurdish forces in Syria have "tacit consent" from Russia.

HAVING ONLY PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

The Monday incident will by no means sour ties between Turkey and Russia, said Zan.

He cited the fact that leaders on both sides have pointed the finger to the common enemy instead of each other. Observers even reckon that cooperation would strengthen.

They believe retaking the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and other military victories made by the Syrian government forces have helped diminish the chance of toppling the Bashar al-Assad government.

On top of this, it is likely the upcoming Donald Trump administration of the United States will shift to a moderate stance towards Assad and increase cooperation with Russia in solving the Syrian issue.

Generally speaking, Turkey and Russia share interests in combating terrorism, said Zhang Hong, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The Erdogan administration has seen relations with Washington worsen since the failed military coup in July, while finding more common grounds with Moscow.

The Monday assassination of the Russian ambassador may serve to prompt more cooperation in fighting terrorism between Ankara and Moscow and between them and Tehran.

In addition, the incident would help justify continued U.S. efforts against terrorism, against the backdrop of possibly warmer U.S.-Russia ties. This would enable the West to maintain a role in resolving the Syrian crisis with a stance not completely against the Assad government, Zhang said.

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Turkey says Gulenist behind Russian envoy's murder

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told his U.S. counterpart John Kerry on the phone call Tuesday that Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) was behind Russian envoy's assassination, local media reported.

During the phone conversation, Cavusoglu briefed Kerry on Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov's murder, who was shot dead on Monday evening, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Full Story

Spotlight: Envoy murder may strengthen Russia-Turkey-Iran anti-terror cooperation: Russian experts

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Monday's murder of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey may help strengthen the interaction among Moscow, Ankara and Iran in their joint efforts to counter global terrorism, Russian experts believed.
ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Kurdish militant group Tuesday claimed responsibility for the deadly terror attack in the Turkish central city of Kayseri, according to its website statement.

The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a militant group linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist organization, said that it targeted the off-duty soldiers and "successfully carried out the attack."

A bus transporting soldiers was hit by an explosion near Erciyes University in Kayseri, leaving 14 killed and 55 wounded early on Saturday.

TAK had also claimed the twin bombings which killed 44 people in Istanbul on Dec. 10.

The group is known to claim the PKK terrorist attack bombings perpetrated in urban centers, against civilian population.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Turkey has come under 10 major deadly attacks this year, in which at least 270 people were killed. The attacks were mostly blamed on the Islamic State and the PKK.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a press conference in Moscow on December 20, 2016. (AFP Photo)

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Russia, Turkey and Iran have agreed to coordinate on reviving the political process in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

"We express readiness to facilitate the elaboration of an agreement drafted between the Syrian government and the opposition and to become its guarantors," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts in Moscow.

Tuesday's meeting came following the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in a shooting in the Turkish capital of Ankara on late Monday.

The three sides agreed on the importance of expanding the ceasefire regime across Syria, as well as an unimpeded access of humanitarian aid and free movement of the civilian population across the Mideast country.

Lavrov said that they viewed the trilateral format of cooperation as the "most effective" for resolving the deadlock to reach a settlement in Syria on the basis of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

But he added that this format was not meant to cast a shadow on the efforts of other partners to achieve progress in resolving the Syrian crisis.

According to Lavrov, Russia, Turkey and Iran had adopted a joint statement on coordinated actions, which reaffirmed the respect to sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria as a multi-ethnic, democratic and secular state.

He added that their format is open for other countries interested in their joint efforts.
SARAJEVO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived here on Tuesday to start a three-day official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

He is scheduled to meet the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Denis Zvizdic, members of the Presidency, and members of the BiH Parliament.

According to an official announcement, officials from both side will discuss bilateral ties, with special emphasis on political, trade, and economic relations, interparliamentary connections, and improvement of relations in the field of culture and education.
KIGALI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday made a fresh appeal to Rwandan refugees in various countries to repatriate ahead of next year's deadline.

At a joint press conference in Kigali, Seraphine Mukantabana, Rwanda's minister of disaster management and refugee affairs, and Saber Azam, UNHCR representative in Rwanda, said Rwandan refugees across the world will lose refugee status by December 31, 2017.

They advised them to use the last opportunity to seek help from UNHCR and the government to repatriate.

About 280,000 Rwandans are living as refugees in about 20 countries, with the majority, close to 245,000, living in the DR Congo.

The majority of them left the country as a result of the 1994 genocide, which claimed close to 1 million Rwandans, mostly the Tutsi.

Under the UN Cessation Clause, Rwandan refugees have until the end of next year to either repatriate or settle in their host countries as residents or acquire citizenship.

Those who will not have repatriated then will be required to re-apply for new refugee status.

"The situation in Rwanda at the moment is perfect for refugees to come back home. There won't be postponement of the cessation clause," Azam said.

UNHCR officials estimated that about 30,000 Rwandan refugees will have repatriated by the end of next year.

Meanwhile the officials reaffirmed commitment to helping some 160,000 refugees hosted in Rwanda, mostly Burundians and Congolese.

"The commitments made by Rwanda will help refugees who have been living in camps in Rwanda for 20 years to move out of dependence on humanitarian assistance towards lives of self-reliance in which they are boosting the economies of their hosting areas," Azam said.

He was referring to Rwanda's decision to integrate refugees into the socio-economic structure of the country, allowing them access to education, jobs and healthcare.
An information board in Terminal 3 shows some flights are delayed or cancelled at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 20, 2016. Heavy smog from Monday night to the early hours of Tuesday morning has caused widespread flight delays and cancellations at the airport. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Worsening fog and haze in northern China have paralyzed airports in cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, the capital of the worst-hit province of Hebei.

Beijing Nanyuan Airport announced it would cancel all arrivals and departures on Tuesday. Beijing Capital International Airport had canceled 273 flights as of 2 p.m.

A total of 75 flights had been canceled and another 44 delayed at Shijiazhuang airport as of 2:30 p.m. due to low visibility and fog.

Weather conditions at Tianjin airport have not been fit for take-offs and landings since Monday night. As of 11 a.m., 190 flights were canceled and 71 flights delayed.

Airports in the cities of Jinan and Qingdao in eastern Shandong Province were also affected by the smog.

More flight cancellations and delays are expected as smog in the region is forecast to continue and worsen until Wednesday night, when the air quality should improve.
TOKYO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- While the Supreme Court on Tuesday may have rejected an appeal from Okinawa and sided with the Japanese central government's plans to relocate a controversial U.S. Marine Corps air base within the southern island prefecture, Okinawa's wily governor Takeshi Onaga still has a veritable legal arsenal at his disposal to stave off the move he believes is utterly abhorrent and against the will of the people.

For all intents and purposes it may seem that Onaga and Okinawans in general may be running out of cards to play against the central government and the U.S. to block or otherwise hamper the construction plans for the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, which under the ruling will be relocated from the densely-populated Ginowan area to the coastal Henoko district of Nago also on the island. This, however, is far from the case.

The court's ruling and central government's unilateral attitude hasn't taken the most important factor into account.

A factor not to be under-estimated or trifled with. That factor is the sheer, unwavering will of the Okinawa people, who, if Tuesday's protests on the island are anything to go by, will not take the decision lying down anymore and are gearing up, to up their own ante against the central government and the U.S. whose autonomous decisions have left the island in a state of untenable "wartime occupation," with locals forced to host 75 percent of all U.S. bases in Japan.

The rallies Tuesday, which also spread to the mainland including to the capital Tokyo, are gathering in numbers and volume and are honing in on who they believe is the real culprit of this protracted situation, the one pulling the strings in this bitter seemingly one-sided pantomime, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, motivated solely by his desire and penchant for kowtowing to Big Brother.

To this end, political observers said Tuesday that the voices of the islanders should not be ignored and the power of the people, as had been the case in the past, has been enough to more than force the government's arm and bring about legislative change.

Onaga has been adamant that the controversial base, described as one of the most dangerous in the world due to its proximity to residential buildings and infrastructure, should be relocated outside Japan's southernmost prefecture altogether as Okinawa and its people are already burdened with hosting the majority of the U.S. bases in Japan and the accompanying instances of noise, pollution and crimes related to U.S. base-linked personnel.

The central government, however, despite the protracted standoff, has maintained its stance that the relocation plan from Ginowan to Henoko remains "the only solution" in line with a pact made with the U.S. under its broader security alliance.

The pact was made in 1996 on the return of the land of the Futenma base to Okinawa after anti-U.S. sentiment reached a fever pitch on the tiny sub-tropical island following the brutal rape of an elementary school girl by three U.S. servicemen in 1995, which saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets to protest the crime and the unfair burdens they have to endure hosting the U.S. bases compared to the mainland.

The point here, political watchers made Tuesday, was that the people of Okinawa will eventually and in the best and only way they know how, make their opposition fully known to the central government and the U.S. and this united torrent of street-level opposition hasn't been fully factored in by Abe, or yet reached its tipping point yet. But it will.

Pure anger, hatred and fear was further fueled on the tiny island again more recently following a base-linked worker and former U.S. Marine raping and murdering a young Okinawan lady in May this year and the passionate islanders', who feel they've been "used" by the central government before, during and after World War Two, protests at hosting 74 percent of all U.S. bases in Japan were further intensified following the crash-landing of an MV-22 Osprey aircraft off Nago in Okinawa on December 13.

The plane already has a long history of accidents and a seriously-checkered safety record, with many lives lost since its operational phase. The crash in Okinawa, the first since the aircraft has been stationed here, has stoked fears both on and off the island of more accidents happening in the future.

And so tensions on the subtropical island are heating up, with both civilians and officials becoming more and more incensed.

The city of Ginowan on Tuesday lodged a protest with the U.S. military in Okinawa for resuming flights of the accident-prone Ospreys less than a week after all the planes were grounded following the Dec. 13 crash.

Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima said he "absolutely cannot tolerate" the resumption of the Ospreys' flights saying that he had received unsatisfactory explanations from top U.S. military officials on the cause of the accident and measures that would be taken to prevent future such occurrences.

In the meantime, while the top court's base-related ruling on Tuesday may be seen as progress by the central government, with Onaga himself previously agreeing to comply with the ruling once it is finalized, the Okinawa governor himself has said this will in no way mean he will give up on his mission to halt the relocation plan.

"I will never allow construction of a new base to happen in Henoko," Onaga was quoted as saying, having already stated he expected not to win in the Supreme Court.

Onaga has said he is still considering numerous ways he can block the central government's plans and protect the lives of Okinawans, including not renewing a permit needed by the government to destroy a coral reef, or approving any changes in the construction design of the new base which involves a V-shaped runway being build on reclaimed land.

The fact that the waters that the central government is planning to reclaim for construction of the base are home to the endangered dugong, a large marine mammal and cousin of the manatee, has also been mentioned as additional armament for Okinawan officials to use against the central government to try and block or impede its base-building plans.

The Okinawa governor has also said he is planning a trip to the United States to personally voice his ardent opposition to the relocation plan next year once Donald Trump is in the White House as president.

"I believe the Okinawa people will continue to fight to the very end until the Japanese and U.S. governments give up building a new base in Henoko. I will continue to do my utmost to realize my election promise not to make the new base," an undeterred Onaga told a press conference Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine said he would stand by Onaga and do anything necessary to prevent the new base from being built.

"We will never allow the construction," Inamine stated resolutely.
by Shen Zhonghao

FRANKFURT, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- It is more important for investment to bring mutually beneficial results for both parties, rather than where an investor comes from, Gordon Riske, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Kion Group, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The head of the leading industrial trucks manufacturer and supply chain solutions firm, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, spoke highly of Kion's Chinese shareholder Weichai Power as an "anchor investor" since 2012.

IMPORTANT ACQUISITION

"The faith that Weichai has in Kion's management team is demonstrated by the fact that it has gradually increased its shareholding from 25 percent to its current level of around 43 percent," Riske told Xinhua.

In fact, Kion has benefited from Weichai Power's support in its recent acquisition of the Luxembourg-headquartered automation and supply chain optimization company Dematic. Kion thus extended its product portfolio ranging from forklift trucks to fully automated material handling systems.

"The group is therefore ideally placed to tap into the attractive and profitable growth that is being driven by mega trends such as Industry 4.0, digitalization and e-commerce," Riske said, adding these ideas were advancing in China too."

PRESENCE IN CHINA

Kion has been present in China for over 20 years through its brand company Linde with more than 3,000 local employees. "China is part of the DNA of the Kion Group," said the CEO.

Riske said the partnership improved access to the Chinese market, "the biggest individual market for our products anywhere in the world."

The firm has begun installing Weichai engines into the trucks of its Chinese brand company Baoli.

WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP

The partnership with Weichai has been very positive and German politicians at both national and regional level have been very interested and supportive of the process, Riske said.

After the announcement of Weichai's investment in Kion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Bavaria, called the partnership a win-win for both parties.

"It is generally not important where an investor comes from. The key question is whether the investment brings mutually beneficial results for both parties, as is the case with the partnership between Weichai Power and Kion," Riske said.
Residents from the mostly Shiite Syrian villages of Kafraya and Fuaa, which are besieged by opposition fighters, wait in a bus to get a green light from the rebels to cross into a government controlled area in the province of Aleppo, on December 20, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

ALEPPO, Syria, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- As many as 60 buses entered the remaining rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday to evacuate the last batch of rebels from the city.

The buses entered through the Ramouseh crossing, south of Aleppo, to evacuate thousands of rebels and their families to rebel-held areas in the southwestern countryside of Aleppo.

The evacuation is part of a deal concluded recently between Russia and Turkey. It included the evacuation of civilians from the Shiite towns of Kafraya and Foa, which are besieged by the rebels in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The evacuation of the rebels from Aleppo and the civilians from the Shiite towns is designed to take place simultaneously, which explained the delay in the evacuation process.

Reports said that nearly 15,000 people, including rebels, have evacuated eastern Aleppo since the operation started last Thursday.

The buses that have entered on Tuesday haven't left eastern Aleppo yet, as civilians from Kafraya and Foa should start leaving for the deal to continue.

A day earlier, hundreds of civilians were evacuated from both towns and arrived in Aleppo, in tandem with the evacuation of nearly 5,000 people and rebels from eastern Aleppo.

The evacuation comes as the Syrian military forces and allied fighters have captured 99 percent of eastern Aleppo, as part of a wide-scale offensive to drive out the militants from the city completely.

With the last evacuation of the rebels from eastern Aleppo, the Syrian army will be on control of the entire city, a victory seen as a new chapter of history, as President Bashar al-Assad recently said.
LISBON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's terror threat level remains at moderate despite recent attacks in Europe, Secretary General of Portugal's Internal Safety System, Helena Fazenda, said on Tuesday.

Relevant anti-terrorism forces and services are following the developments of the violent events in Europe, according to an official statement released on Tuesday.

Portugal is also in touch with relevant bodies and collecting necessary data for evaluation, according to the statement.

The statement was released after the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey and an attack on a Berlin Christmas market which killed at least 12 people on Monday.

Also on Monday, a perpetrator in Swiss city of Zurich shot a group of people who were praying, seriously injuring three of them.
ROME, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The arrest of the former right-hand man of Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi could spell trouble for her populist Five-Star Movement (M5S), which prides itself on being uncontaminated by corruption unlike other political parties, analysts said.

Raggi's appointee Raffaele Marra was detained Friday on suspicion of corruption dating back to 2013, while he was a powerful official in the administration of the right-winger Gianni Alemanno, the former Rome mayor.

Marra was arrested along with prominent Rome real estate developer Sergio Scarpellini, who investigators say bribed Marra with money for a flat he purchased in June 2013.

The arrest warrant against the two said they are "a danger to society" and might commit further "serious offences" if left at large, and that Marra was at risk of committing further crimes "due to his role in the city of Rome and the undoubted trust he enjoys from Mayor Virginia Raggi."

Alemanno was himself investigated in the so-called capital mafia probe into a ring of gangsters, businessmen, and crooked politicians that muscled in on lucrative city contracts for trash collection and the management of asylum seeker reception centers and Romani people camps.

Raggi swept into office in June 2016 in a landslide victory after pledging to break from the "caste of crony politicians" she said had ruled Rome for decades. She immediately named Marra as her cabinet secretary, then moved him to head of personnel at City Hall.

The demise of Marra, whom Raggi staunchly defended right up to his arrest, has sent shock waves through the M5S led by comedian Beppe Grillo. As the highest-profile M5S elected official, her administration is seen as a test case for the populist party's government ambitions ahead of the next general election, which may take place as early as spring 2017 after ex-premier Matteo Renzi stepped down following a crushing defeat in a December 4 referendum on his constitutional reform.

Marra's downfall came just days after Raggi nominee Paola Muraro stepped down on Dec. 12 after it emerged she is under investigation on several counts of environmental crime during her tenure as a highly paid consultant for Rome trash company AMA from 2010 to 2015.

Marra, whose City Hall office was raided last week, was expected to be questioned by prosecutors on Tuesday. Investigators are combing through his bank accounts and all the measures he signed while serving as a public official under Raggi.

They will be trying to discern whether or not Marra was in anybody's pocket, as his arrest warrant alleges. They are expected to ask Marra about the promotion of his brother Renato Marra from deputy traffic police chief to a highly paid position as head of the city's tourism department, and also about why his family has moved to the island country of Malta.

"I know everything about them; sooner or later I will speak out," Marra often repeated, according to interviews in local media by the former head of the City Hall legal office, Rodolfo Murra.
KHARTOUM, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government on Tuesday condemned the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, who was shot dead in Ankara on Monday.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry expressed in a statement "strong condemnation of the assassination incident of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, together with its primary rejection of use of violence whatever its reasons and motives are."

"The killing of the Russian ambassador constitutes a flagrant violation of the humanitarian principles and the international laws and conventions," it added.

The ministry also expressed condolences to the family of the Russian ambassador and the government and people of Russia.
NAIROBI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Kenya Red Cross on Tuesday made a fresh appeal for financial assistance to support emergency food aid to an estimated 1.3 million people affected by drought in 13 counties.

Deputy Secretary General of Kenya Red Cross Society Abshiro Halake said depressed rain has worsened drought situation in arid and semi-arid regions, hence the need for urgent interventions to prevent hunger and malnutrition.

"The dry spell that could extend up to the first quarter of next year has aggravated food and water crises in dozens of counties in the north, upper eastern and coastal region," said Halake.

She spoke in Nairobi during presentation of 30,000 U.S. dollars from Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) to assist drought-hit communities in northern and coastal counties.

Halake said dismal crop yield, drying of water points and loss of pasture have exposed pastoralist communities and their livestock to starvation.

"The food shortage in several counties in the upper eastern and Tana delta has reached alarming levels. We are making appeals from our own private sector to support the needy with food, water and healthcare," Halake said.

Kenya's national drought management authority said in its latest report that food insecurity has reached crises level in six counties and is fast spreading into ten other counties.

The report noted that malnutrition rates in these counties could exceed the global average of 20 percent.
VIENTIANE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Laos has made great efforts in fulfilling its rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits and related meetings in 2016 and has contributed to ensuring the normal and healthy development of ASEAN-China relations.

"It is important for Laos as the country holds the ASEAN rotating chairmanship in 2016," Soukthavy Keola, a senior Lao diplomat and former counselor at the Lao embassy in China, told Xinhua in a recent interview in the Lao capital of Vientiane.

During three days from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8, as many as 12 summits have been held in Vientiane, including two summits among ASEAN leaders namely the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits.

On the sidelines of these summits, the ASEAN Leaders also met with representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), representatives of ASEAN Youth, and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council.

Nine summits have been organized with ASEAN's dialogue partners under the ASEAN Plus One (ASEAN-China), ASEAN Plus Three (ASEAN-China, Japan, the Republic of Korea) and East Asia Summit (EAS) cooperation frameworks. In addition, the Mekong-Japan Summit was also held under the sub-regional cooperation framework.

Besides these summits, a number of bilateral meetings have also been held. With external partners, the ASEAN leaders have held summits with dialogue partners, namely China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, the United States, Australia and the United Nations.

"This year, the world has witnessed profound changes in numerous issues. For Laos, the country has also faced huge challenges in the international arena. However, the country has played a positive role in its ASEAN chairmanship," Soukthavy said.

"In promoting mutual understanding between China and ASEAN, as the rotating chairman of the association, Laos brought its diplomatic wisdom to stop the negative intervention of outsiders and contradictions within ASEAN," said the senior diplomat.

In the past year, China and ASEAN have engineered major achievements in bilateral cooperation. According to Soukthavy, China and ASEAN have been organizing more than 10 meetings at ministerial level, and more than 20 talks at deputy ministerial level annually.

Meanwhile, ASEAN's cooperation with its most active partner China took center stage at a series of meetings in Vientiane during the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and related summits in September.

On Sept. 7, heads of states and governments of the member states of the association and China gathered at the 19th ASEAN-China Summit to commemorate the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue.

At the meeting, relevant sides recognized that ASEAN-China ties are among the most substantial and dynamic, bringing mutual benefits, and contributing to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said during the ceremony that relations between China and ASEAN have made great strides and effectively promoted regional peace, stability and prosperity.

The past 25 years have seen growing mutual trust and pragmatic achievements made between China and ASEAN, Li said, adding that China has always regarded ASEAN as an important force in safeguarding regional peace and stability and in promoting regional integration and world multi-polarization.

ASEAN leaders also praised the amazing achievements the two sides have made in the past 25 years and expressed confidence in their ongoing relations which will certainly head into a bright future. They said the development of relations with China would benefit ASEAN nations and are conducive to building an ASEAN community.

ASEAN is ready to cement the relations and tap into new potential in promoting mutual political trust, deepening economic and trade cooperation, and expanding people-to-people and cultural exchanges with China. They looked forward to lifting China-ASEAN relations to a new level to promote regional peace and development.

At the commemorative summit, ASEAN and Chinese leaders reaffirmed their commitment to enhance economic cooperation aimed at achieving the two-way trade target of one trillion U.S. dollars in 2020.

The leaders adopted four important documents, namely the Joint Statement of the 19th ASEAN-China Summit to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, Joint Statement between ASEAN and China on Production Capacity Cooperation, Joint Statement on the Observance of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea in the South China Sea, Guidelines for Hotline Communications Among Seniors Officials of the Ministries of the Foreign Affairs of ASEAN Member States and China in Response to Maritime Emergencies in the Implementation of the Declaration on the Code of Parties in the South China Sea.

These documents will serve as fundamental basis for ASEAN-China cooperation in the future.

In the joint statement of the 19th ASEAN-China Summit to commemorate the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China Dialogue, ASEAN members' heads of states and governments reaffirmed the importance of China's support for ASEAN integration as well as ASEAN's efforts in realizing ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together, including through narrowing the development gap and enhancing ASEAN Connectivity, as well as maintaining ASEAN Centrality in the evolving regional architecture.

ASEAN and China will continue to strengthen cooperation in the area of connectivity that will bring mutual benefits, including through capacity building and resource mobilization for the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, and continue to explore ways to improve connectivity between both sides by synergizing common priorities identified in the master plan and the Chinese-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, and encourage the active involvement of relevant multilateral financial institutions.

China and the 10 member states of ASEAN vowed to manage their differences properly so as to commit themselves to national and regional development. With the consensuses and new strategies adopted by the two sides, the further development of ASEAN-China relations will continue to benefit their peoples and contribute to their prosperity as well as peace and stability in the region.

In their statements, ASEAN and Chinese leaders welcomed the designation of 2017 as the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation and looked forward to enhancing cooperation and activities with a view to boosting two-way tourist visits and promoting greater people-to-people exchanges.

As China and ASEAN commemorate the 25th anniversary of their dialogue relationship this year, they are also mulling over new approaches on further developing their ties. With the consolidation of unity and concerted efforts made from both sides, the development of China-ASEAN relations will have new impetus and reach a new high in the future.

"The fact that participants reaching consensus on various issues during the summits reflected the high responsibility and competence of Laos. At the ASEAN-China Summit, the statement by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the successful organization of the commemoration of 25th anniversary of China-ASEAN cooperation reflected the contribution of Laos," Sykhoun Bounvilay, General Secretary of Laos-China Friendship Association, told Xinhua.

"I hope that China and ASEAN will strengthen their relations in various fields, so as to expand the target and direction of bilateral cooperation for stable and sustainable China-ASEAN ties," Sykhoun said.

He added that the two sides should set up new mechanisms in trade cooperation, facilitate the improvement of efficiency level in China-ASEAN cooperation, strengthen cooperation in education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, build new blueprints for inter-connectivity and new regional cooperation environment, as well as develop the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism to become a norm of cooperation.

Meanwhile, for Soukthavy, "further development" is also his hope for China-ASEAN cooperation.

"Peoples of Laos and other Southeast Asian countries need economic development and good relations with each other. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative and put forward the idea of building a community of common destiny with Southeast Asian nations. The strategic position of Laos determines that the country will benefit from the friendly cooperation between China and ASEAN," said Soukthavy.

"I hope that the China-Laos railway will proceed smoothly, and that friendship and development will be the trend of cooperation among countries," he told Xinhua.
LONDON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Nicola Sturgeon, first minister in the Scottish government, unveiled proposals Tuesday for Scotland's future relationship with Europe after Britain leaves the European Union (EU).

The leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party said it should be possible for Scotland to remain as a member of the EU's single market trading bloc even if the rest of Britain left.

Sturgeon described her proposals for protecting Scotland's place in Europe, outlined in her report "Scotland's Place in Europe", as "a serious and genuine attempt to unify the country around a clear plan."

The report proposes that all of Britain should remain in the European single market and the customs union. But it also outlines out how Scotland could remain in the single market without the rest of Britain. It also calls for a substantial transfer of new powers to Holyrood after Britain leaves the EU.

Although Britain voted by a 52-48 margin in June to quit the EU, over 60 percent of the Scottish population backed remaining.

Brussels has insisted that membership of the single-market and access to almost half a billion Europeans, goes hand-in-hand with its policy of free movement of people between member states.

One of Britain's aims is to broker a deal with Brussels that allows control of Britain's borders to limit immigration.

Sturgeon unveiled the document at her official Bute House residence in Edinburgh, saying that Brexit was a problem that was not of Scotland's making.

Sturgeon maintained her stand that the referendum result had been a vote on leaving the EU, rather than a vote to leave the European single market.

On that basis, Sturgeon has said it will be democratically justifiable for the whole of Britain to remain in the single market. But if that is not going to happen, she says Scotland could remain in the trading bloc.

A spokesman at 10 Downing Street said the British government welcomed Tuesday's paper and would "look closely" at it. British Prime Minister Theresa May has always insisted that all of Britain will leave the EU following the national referendum. She plans to trigger the exit process by the end of March 2017.

The Downing Street spokesman said: "The (British) government is committed to getting a deal on exiting the EU that works for all parts of the UK, which clearly includes Scotland, and works for the UK as a whole. The best way for that to be achieved is for the government and devolved administrations to work together."
ALEPPO, Syria, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- While leaving home unwillingly is a very unpleasant experience for most people, in case of war, tough sieges, leaving one's home could be a source of relief.

Being subject to a harsh two-year-old siege by ultra-radical rebel groups, the Shiite people of Kafraya and Foa towns have found relief when leaving their homes to shelters in the northern city of Aleppo.

These people in the two adjacent towns in the countryside of the northwestern province of Idlib have been subject to suffocating siege, intense shelling with rockets and mortar shells, on the bases of sectarian rivalries, since the rebels controlled much of Idlib two years ago.

The Shiite people in general have been supportive of President Bashar al-Assad. Moreover, Shiite militias have also joined the Syrian war on the side of the Syrian government forces against a Sunni-led insurgency.

With this sectarian tension, the rebel destroyed the infra-structure of the towns and prevented the entry of aid, which prompted the government to airdrop the food items and basic necessities, which were all but sufficient.

Those people have found relief recently, as their evacuation was included in a deal, which also includes the evacuation of rebels and their families from the eastern part of the northern city of Aleppo.

In the Jibreen town south of Aleppo, the evacuated people of the Shiite towns were placed.

Sadiqa, a mother of four from the Foa town, said she was happy that she left her home, expressing no regrets or sorrow at all over her evacuation.

"Our situation was extremely difficult, with mortar shells slamming us, as well as the lack of food and medications. We have suffered the lack of almost everything," she said.

Sadiqa further recounted that even the sick had nothing to be treated with, as well as the wounded, who also didn't find medicine in the hospitals.

"What can I say more... I wish everyone in the town get the chance to leave. Here the situation is much better than in there," she said.

Sajed, her husband, was bitter when he recounted what the life in Kafraya and Foa is like.

"The life in Foa is intolerable...he people there are suffering greatly. There you can find people living in homes without windows, without doors. You can find people who don't have shoes, or socks, or even slippers," he said.

"I am happy because I left there because the life there is so bad," he added.

Zainab, a mother of one girl and relative of Sajed, said she wasn't sad she left her home, but sad because she had to leave her sick parents alone.

"Our life back there was so hard, and I don't wish it for anyone, I wish the people there a quick salvation. I am not sad because I left the town, but because I was separated from my parents, who are both sick, my father has a heart condition and so is my mother," she said.

More people are expected to leave both towns in tandem with the evacuation of the rebels from eastern Aleppo, but the numbers of those evacuees are yet to be declared officially.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Tuesday "condemned in the strongest terms the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack" which took place in Berlin, Germany, on Monday night, during which at least 12 people were killed and dozens injured.
AMMAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Altogether four security forces members were killed on Tuesday in Jordan's southern Karak city in an exchange of fire with a group of gunmen, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Also on Tuesday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in Karak castle on Sunday, in which the attackers killed nine Jordanians and a Canadian tourist. Security forces killed four terrorists involved in the attack.

The Jordanian government said Tuesday that it will continue security operations to arrest anyone who seeks to undermine the country's stability and security in the aftermath of Sunday's terrorist attack in Karak.

"We all stand united behind our armed forces and security apparatuses to face terrorism and crimes," said an official statement.
JERUSALEM, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israel's parliament, the Knesset, banned on Tuesday lawmakers from visiting Palestinians who are being held in Israeli prisons for security offenses.

The move followed a police investigation into suspicions that Israeli-Arab lawmaker Basel Ghattas smuggled mobile phones to Hamas prisoners in the Ktzi'ot prison in southern Israel.

The Knesset House Committee approved the move in a 12-1 snap vote, a day after the change was first proposed by Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan.

The committee said that lawmakers would no longer be allowed to visit security prisoners, charging such visits might compromise national security.

The committee did allow some visits, saying the Knesset Speaker and Chairman of House Committee would publish a list of lawmakers from the coalition and opposition who would be allowed to hold such visits in order to oversight the incarceration conditions.

As of the end of 2016, there were about 6,295 Palestinian security detainees in Israeli prisons, according to figures by B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization.

Most of these prisoners took part in the struggle against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Ghattas is a lawmaker with Balad, a nationalist party that has frequent confrontations with the government.

After his four-hour interrogation on Tuesday, he said the accusation against him are baseless and part of a political prosecution.

Israel's Arab minority makes up about a fifth of the Israeli population. Arab citizens of Israel are Palestinians who stayed put during Israel's 1948 Independence War.
U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk before an economic leaders meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit at the Lima Convention Centre on November 20, 2016 in Lima. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Tuesday slapped additional sanctions on eight more entities and seven individuals linked in relation to the conflict in Ukraine.

The fresh sanctions target companies including Crimean Ports, Crimean Railway and Institut Stroiproekt, a Russian highway construction company, according to a statement by U.S. Treasury Department.

Also blacklisted are seven Russians, six of whom were accused by the United States of helping to offer assistance to Bank Rossiya, which was sanctioned in 2014, or Bank Rossiya's two affiliates, which were also been sanctioned.

The seventh man, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, "has extensive business dealings with the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense," said the statement.

The United States also identified 26 subsidiaries that are owned 50 percent or more by previously sanctioned Russian companies to provide additional information to assist the private sector with sanctions compliance.

Since 2014, the United States, the EU and some of their allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia for the country's role in the Ukraine crisis.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russia's TASS News Agency that Russia would respond to U.S. expansion of sanction.

"We retain the right to choose the time, place and form of our responsive actions in a way that suits us," said Ryabkov.
French President Francois Hollande (R) welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Jan. 11, 2014. (Xinhua/Chen Xiaowei)

PARIS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday reaffirmed their determination to wage "merciless war" to eradicate terrorism.

Over a phone talk, the two European leaders reiterated "the full mobilization of the French and German security services to fight terrorism and implement (security) measures at European level," according to a statement released by Hollande's office.

"They agreed that this merciless fight against terrorism should not undermine the values and way of life that democracies have chosen," it said.

During the conversation, Hollande also "expressed his deepest sympathy and friendship and French people's solidarity" with Germany after Monday's "odious attack" at a Christmas market in Berlin.

A lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German capital on Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring many others.
Photo shows a train model presented by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. at the signing ceremony with the Czech rail operator Leo Express in Prague, on Dec. 19. 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Yi)

CHANGSHA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese train maker has signed a deal to sell multiple unit trains to the Czech Republic, the first such deal with an EU member.

CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. signed a deal with Czech rail operator Leo Express to sell three electric multiple units (EMUs) for 20 million euros (21 million U.S. dollars) on Monday.

The trains can operate at a speed of 160 km/h and will be compatible with railways in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, according to Liao Hongtao, vice general manager of CRRC Zhuzhou.

The deal also covers spare parts, testing equipment and training. The first train is expected to be delivered in mid-2018.

The EU has strict standards on the safety and reliability of trains. "The sale to Czech represents the international market's recognition on Chinese manufacturers," Liao said.

In 2014, CRRC Zhuzhou signed a EMU deal with Macedonia. The trains were delivered and went into operation in July, 2015. In September, the company established its first European subsidiary in Austria.
Woman raped in Morvant

According to reports, the woman left her home at about 10pm and was walking towards the fast food outlet when she was accosted by a 35-year-old man armed with a cutlass.

The man pulled the woman into some nearby bushes and raped her.

He then ordered her into an abandoned house where he kept her against her will and again raped her for a second time.

The woman was allowed to leave at about 2 am.

She made her way to the Morvant Police Station and a report was made to PC Byron who, along with other officers, returned with her to the abandoned house where they found the suspect, who is from Laventille, asleep.

He was arrested and taken into custody.

An identification parade is to be held following which charges may be laid.

The victim was examined by a District Medical Officer and is expected to receive counselling from the TT Police Service.

Yesterday, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Surujdeen Persad, commended the officers for their swift response which led to the arrest of the suspect.
Man found guilty of shooting at granny

Khan, of Claxton Bay, had been on trial before the nine-member jury and Holdip since December 5, on a charge of shooting with intent to do grievous bodily harm with an air rifle which is commonly known as a pellet gun.

Sitting on a chair in the witness box, Shah recalled for the judge and jury that Khan is her brothers son-in-law.

At about 8,30 am on January 21, 2013, she was watering plants along the driveway to her home when she heard the sound of bullets being fired.

Shah said, I heard like shots zipping over my head. I went upstairs into the back porch.

I hear shooting again.

I heard things zipping across and shooting. I went behind the door. The woman described the gun Khan held in his hand, as a long object with a brown handle.

She said Khan, whom she knew for eight years, was pointing the gun in her direction and it was aimed at her house.

The elderly woman told the judge and jury that five pellets stuck on the door. She said that when the gunshots ran out, she called out to her daughter, Anissa.

Khan opted to give evidence in his defence, saying that he was not at home at 8.30 am and when he did fire the pellet gun, it was at an iguana and a maniucou he had seen on a Chennet tree in Shahs yard. He said 13 pellets were fired, ten at the ignaua and three at the manicou. The jury deliberated for 90 minutes and returned a verdit of guilty. Senior State Attorney Shabanna Shah, State Attorneys Krishna Jaglal and Kimberly Gunnesss, prosecuted.

Attorney Subhas Panday defended Khan.

In passing sentence, Justice Holdip told Khan that the elderly Shah would have suffered emotional and psychological trauma by a gun being fired at her. He also ordered Khan to sign a bond for 24 months to be of good behaviour.
Appeal Court dismisses Sandys paternity application

His application to reopen the issue of paternity was dismissed by the Court of Appeal yesterday.

Sandy is seeking DNA tests on the two children ages, five and three years and according to his application, he is doubtful as to the paternity of the two minors based on documents filed in the divorce proceedings.

On September 4, of last year, Sandy, 69, vacated the family home after he was found guilty of contempt of court and was given 48 hours to comply with the order or face jail time. He was found guilty of contempt after he did not comply with a previous order made on August 17, 2015, to vacate the family home after he was served with divorce documents and having been taken to court to answer a domestic violence charge brought against him by his 29-year-old ex-wife, Candace Chang-Sandy.

After he vacated the matrimonial home, Sandy sought to challenge the paternity of the two children, claiming he was not their father.

He was also ordered by the Family Court to pay maintenance for the two children, following which he sought the order for DNA testing to be done to prove the paternity of the minors.

The order for paternity testing to be done was dismissed by the Family Court which also dismissed a further application he made for blood tests to be conducted to prove he was not the childrens father.

It was this order that Sandy, through his attorney Alvin Pascal, appealed.
Affordable health care

De Coteau-Sammy has partnered with Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI), an accredited tertiary care hospital in the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory, specialising in chronic and acute cardiac, orthopaedic, neurological and paediatric cases.

Its website says, We are the largest hospital in the Caribbean to be accredited by JCI, and our patient services reflect those high standards of care. These include: semi and private patient rooms, intensive care unit (ICU) suite with 17 ICU beds, a two-bed triage and fourbed recovery unit, three operating theatres, two hybrid operating theatres, laboratory operating on a 24/7 basis for both inpatient and outpatient services, imaging suite encompassing MRI, gamma camera, nuclear medicine, and CT technology. It also offers cardiology, anaesthesiology, endocrinology, medical oncology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, physiotherapy, pulmonology and surgical services such as bariatric surgery, cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery and spinal surgery.

In an interview with Newsday de Coteau-Sammy explained why she partnered with HHCI. During my pregnancy I had complications. So I was forced to be sent overseas. I was diagnosed with placenta previa [a condition in which the placenta partially or wholly blocks the neck of the uterus, so interfering with normal delivery of a baby].

They did not even have the medication in Montserrat for me and when I tried to get it in Antigua, the neighbouring island they did not have it either.

The doctor said, you know what, once the bleeding stops for a day leave and go to the States because if anything happens to you, we cannot treat with it here, she said.

De Coteau-Sammy said when she got to the US she went to Orlando Health and there was a network of doctors under one umbrella from which she could choose. You could search by speciality and find a gynaecologist or obstetrician and you could find out what hospitals they practise in, what theyve done, she said.

She originally envisaged starting a website, where all doctors within the region could be listed.

Noting that there were many people within the region who travel, she said a website should be readily available where someone could go on the site and find a doctor as well as read testimonials about the doctor.

The HHCIs tagline, Welcome to world-class, destination healthcare speaks directly to the core of medical tourism. A field that is set to grow by US$32.5 billion by 2019. According to a July 2015 marketwatch.com report, citing a report titled Medical Tourism Market (India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, Turkey, South Korea, Costa Rica, Poland, Dubai and Philippines) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019 by Transparency Report it noted, the value of the global medical tourism industry was pegged at US$10.5 billion in 2012. This is estimated to grow to US$32.5 billion by 2019... It is a combination of these factors which led de Coteau- Sammy to partner with Health City Cayman Islands to provide model health care, coupled with the Caribbeans sun, sea and sand. The rates she said are approximately 30 to 90 percent cheaper than that offered in the US.

It [getting that type of treatment in the region] expanded for me based on the facility I experienced there. Based on the flat fee rate they had as an option. Finding out that if you paid with insurance you paid four times as much as a flat rate.

Knowing the facility in Cayman, I mean it was really important to me to provide that to Trinidad.

When I had my daughter there were so many horror stories with women who were dying during pregnancy. Dying with babies or lost their babies. Getting it in paper bags. For me that was really difficult. She expressed one of her biggest fears prior to having her daughter was childbirth. When she heard the horror stories during her pregnancy, it was extremely nerve-racking and I wanted to ensure we provide quality health care or give people the option at a discounted rate. De Coteau-Sammy said people always think if they go to the US it would be rather costly and they would be willing to take their chances in TT. Something, she believes, should never be the case for anyone. It should never be a situation where you say I would take my chances when it comes to your life.

.
PM: Crime stats useless if people dont feel safe

Delivering the main address yesterday at the opening of the police station, Rowley said, That is why the crime plan of this Government is to work with the police from the National Security Council level to the municipal police. The objective is to provide support and resources, recruit the best for the service, get rid of those who are unfit to serve and strengthen the service with new talent. If we stay in the jobs, we believe we can in the fight.

That is our plan. Statistics cited earlier by National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, that there was a 14 percent drop in serious crimes this year, from last years stats, PM Rowley said these statistics would come to nought if people still feel a sense of insecurity where they live, work and gather.

It is not the statistics of last year, number versus this years number, that will give us the comfort that we are looking for. I have not heard statistics that put the elements of fear of crime in any numerical way, he said.

Until we bring down the element fear of crime and criminality in all our communities, the society will not accept that we are in fact making the kind of progress that we expect. On walking in Portof- Spain or any community in the country, he said, The one thing we cannot do is to allow imps to believe they have control of any street or any quarter in this country. The police cannot accept that, he said, and Government will not accept it.

While the police service has its job cut out, Rowley said that people must also be accountable to themselves.

When a family member can walk in full public view of another family member and gun down a junior, that is not something that the police can prevent, he said adding that it becomes a tragedy for the police to prosecute. The work of the police, he said, can only get easier if societys behaviour improves along the way.

He emphasised that the biggest job the police have, is to restore the trust of the national community and to get them to understand that the police need their cooperation to carry out their duties.

Without that the police work will become virtually impossible, he said.
Arson at supermarket

The latest attack took place at about 1. 45 am yesterday at Sookhoo Supermarket Limited and Liquor Store located along Union Road in Marabella. According to police, owner Dave Sookhoo, 56, was asleep in his home at the back of the supermarket. At the time he was in company with other relatives, all of whom were awakened by explosions and the smell of smoke.

Upon checking, they discovered three vehicles on fire namely a Hyundai H1 (TCM 3031), a BMW X4 SUV (PDJ 8298) and a Mazda 3 sedan (PDJ 7579) which were parked in front of the building/ supermarket. The vehicles, which belonged to the Sookhoo family, had an estimated total value of over $750,000. The concrete walls at the front of the supermarket had visible scorch marks.

Police investigators together with fire officials responded within minutes and contained the fire. They said that arsonists fire-bombed the vehicles possibly with the hope flames would spread to the supermarket so as to allow access for looting. However the arsonists left empty- handed as the businessplace itself was not broken into.

No one was injured in the attack and Cpl Harrygin of the Marabella Police Station is continuing investigations. Last week Monday, arsonists set fire to Benefit the People Supermarket off the Eastern Main Road, Barataria. A video posted to social media showed men and women unashamedly walking out of the smouldering business with several items.

On Sunday, shortly after 2 am, just days after the San Juan Business Association warned its members of an emerging trend of arson followed by looting, arsonists attacked D&J Budget Mart Limited warehouse (D&J Warehouse) on Prizgar Road in San Juan. Prompt response of neighbours and fire fighters saved the building from burning and its contents from being stolen.
3rd crash victim dies

Daniel, a lorryman at a hardware in Scarborough, died without ever regaining consciousness.

At 4 am on Sunday, three occupants were in Chapmans burgundy- coloured Nissan Almera car proceeding east along the Claude Noel Highway near the Magdalena Grand Beach Resort when the car collided with a TTEC pole located on the northern side of the roadway. It is believed that Chapman may have fallen asleep at the steering wheel.

At Daniels home yesterday, shocked relatives sought to comfort each other. His older sister Venecia Daniel said he passed away at 12.34 am yesterday.

I received a call from the hospital where they informed me that his heart gave out.

Everybody in shock right now. Three families are in pain and mourning. Unless you are a part of it (as a friend or family member) you cant understand what we are going through, she cried.

Quincy fight real hard because he survived from 4 am on Sunday straight through and they were unable to fly him to Trinidad for emergency treatment as they were not able to stabilise him. His heart stopped seven times but the doctors fought really hard to save him.

In the end...it was just not meant to be, the weeping sister said. At the Noray household, Trevaughns mother Carolyn Warner Noray said every time she remembers the incident, she is brought to tears.

I am not doing well at all. When people come around it brings back memories, the tears does come, she said.

The mother of four added that as any mother, she never sleeps soundly when any of her children are away from home.

It was my elder son who got the news first.

Actually before the news, I went to check Trevaughns room at 3 oclock and he wasnt there. Normally I would call his phone but this time I didnt, she said. Investigations are continuing by Old Grange Police.
Police Assoc declares war on PCA head

Seales declaration to his membership to withhold their cooperation with the PCA while West remains as the Authoritys director, came after a Portof- Spain Magistrate dismissed charges laid against one of the Associations trustees, Inspector Ian Carty, who was accused of failing to provide documents on last years Day of Total Policing, on March 23, to the PCA.

Seales and Carty, who spoke after Senior Magistrate Gail Gonzales gave her decision in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court yesterday, called for the revocation of Wests appointment as the PCAs director.

Speaking to the media, a defiant Seales said, He is not going to sit easy because every member of this Police Service, I now decree, will not cooperate with Mr West because it is not in your best interest.

The PCA under his current leadership cannot function, if we do not cooperate, Seales declared.

My decree is, that every single member, to turn your back on Mr West.

When his investigators come, you will not cooperate voluntarily or otherwise. It is a very serious issue for us.

He is biased... He is not impartial...and he is reckless in terms of the use of his powers, Seales advised his membership.

He also again insisted that the police had nothing to do with the events of March 23, 2015. The Joint Select Committee also said the same thing, he reiterated.

We are not a public body but we still, in the spirit of cooperation, provided all the documents, Seales said.

He added that even if government fails to take action, they intend to write to the President seeking to have Wests appointment revoked.

Gonzales, in ruling on a no-case submission advanced by Cartys attorneys, held that the PSWA was not a public body which could be called on to provide documents.

She further held that there was no evidence against the associations trustee.

Speaking after the magistrates decision, Carty said the PCAs director should have been more circumspect in bringing the charges.

There was not one scintilla of evidence to justify the charges brought against me, he said, adding that West had impugned his own competence, integrity and ability to sit as the director of the PCA.

His latest blunder was deeming the Police Service a gang, Carty said.
Senator calls for Firecracker tax

According to Mahabir, the sale of fireworks in the country attracts a Value Added Tax (VAT) of 12.5 percent. However, he said an additional 25 percent nuisance tax should be imposed to ensure the responsible use of fireworks by consumers. Saying he has heard fireworks which made him think the country is under attack, Mahabir said the unregulated use of fireworks causes great stress to babies, senior citizens, persons with heart problems and pets.

Recalling that someone was injured by an exploding firecracker during Divali celebrations in Las Lomas this year, Mahabir asked, Who is compensating her? While he understood the enjoyment that fireworks bring to some people, Mahabir said the reality is that not everyone likes fireworks. I want my peace too, he said. Mahabir said when people purchase fireworks, they should be allowed to do so, only if they use their fireworks between 11.30 pm and 12.30 am.

Mahabir welcomed Imberts proposal to give incentives to earners of foreign exchange in the country. However, he asked who was the appropriate authority to collect online taxes. While the country could see an enhancement in its revenue base with lower oil and gas production, Mahabir cautioned, We need to keep an eye on our public debt. He also suggested that small gas stations in the country should receive some kind of special treatment regarding the use of credit and debit cards and higher profit margins. Mahabir made it clear he was not advancing the cause of anyone when he made the suggestion.
Bharath knocks UNC on FATCA stalemate

He said it is time to stop playing politics with important matters.

He said, I see that the Bankers Association and the business community have taken the Opposition to task and I believe rightly so because I do not believe that this bill needs to go to a Joint Select Committee.

It is not such a technical bill that it needs significant input from the technocrats and even if it did, that expertise is available to the Opposition without having to go to the Joint Select Committee. This piece of legislation is far too important and critical to Trinidad and Tobago. Last Friday, representatives of five of the countrys major business organisations called on the Government and the Opposition to put aside political wrangling and pass the FATCA legislation.

At a news conference at Scotiabanks headquarters at the corner of Park and Richmond Streets, Port-of-Spain, they all stressed the urgency of passing the legislation by the new deadline - the end of February 2017. President of the Bankers Association, Anya Schnoor said the association discussed this issue with the previous government from 2012 to 2014 when the then government accepted the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) 1 option and entered into an agreement in substance with the US Treasury Service, starting the process toward passage of the FACTA bill. Schnoor dismissed claims by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar that there is no deadline for the passage of the legislation and that the Government was merely scaremongering when it said the bill must be passed by the end of February.

The business groups were meeting with the Opposition directly yesterday to try to persuade it to drop its demand that the bill go to a Joint Select Committee and support the Government in the speedy passage of the legislation.
Trump formally elected 45th US President, spurning calls for revolt

United States,Politics,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New York, Dec 20 (IANS) Donald John Trump has been formally elected to lead the most powerful nation by its electoral college, setting him on course to takeover as the 45th President of the US next month.

With the electors overwhelmingly spurning calls by Hollywood celebrities, politicians and activists to defect from Trump, the president-elect on Monday received 304 electoral college votes, 34 more than the 270 needed for his election.

Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton received only 227 votes despite her 2.9 million lead in popular votes.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," Trump said in a message to the nation. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again."

The final step in the election process is for the Congress to certify the electoral college results on January 6 ahead of the inauguration scheduled for January 20.

The last minute appeals to patriotism fuelled by Democratic President Barack Obama administration's claims that Russia had interfered in the US elections did not turn Trump's electors against him nor the oft-repeated questioning of his suitability for the job.

The appeals to conscience, in fact, backfired when five electors elected by their voters to vote for Clinton turned against her while only two Trump electors voted against him, but for other Republicans.

Three of the Clinton electors voted for Colin Powell, the African-American general, who led the nation in the first Iraq war and was the Secretary of State with President George W. Bush.

Although Trump called his victory a "landslide", it was not one in terms of popular votes or electoral college votes.

Clinton's 2.9 million popular vote lead over Trump did not matter either because the US presidential election is ultimately an indirect election -- much like India's -- and the electors have the final say, not the voters themselves.

The electoral college votes are distributed by states based on their relative size and this helped Trump.

Clinton's popular vote lead came mainly from large states like California, where she trounced Trump by 4.2 million votes and New York by 1.7 million.

But these leads were limited by the number of electors they could elect in the state.

Trump tried to delegitimise Obama by questioning whether he was born in the US, a constitutional requirement.

Now it is payback time for the Democrats who have raised Russia's hand in the elections to undercut his victory.

As electors gathered in state capitals across the nation, they were met by protesters who denounced the alleged Russian interference and called Trump a Russian stooge.

Suddenly for the American liberals and the left, the CIA and the other US intelligence agencies had gained credibility despite their false reporting of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to justify Bush's plan to invade the country, a falsehood that was written in blood costing tens of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.

The hacking of the Democratic Party computer systems and the publication of internal correspondence and other documents does not seem to have affected Clinton, whose support level before the publication by Wikileaks in fact rose slightly to 48.4 per cent by the time of election.

Trump is heading into his inauguration publicly unperturbed by the Russian allegations, which is claimed by the media and politicians smarting under Clinton's defeat as a direct intervention by President Vladimir Putin.

At thank you rallies around the nation, Trump has been expressing his gratitude to his various supporters, among them Indians and Hindus.

At a rally in Florida last Friday, Trump singled out the two communities pointing out to them in the crowd and said: "They were fantastic."

He has been outlining his policies in broad terms, mainly a throwback to his campaign rhetoric that he had in the post-election interviews even though he had smoothened them on issues like mass deportation of illegal immigrants that he had walked back on.

Now with key cabinet posts filled and an outline for bold policy changes, he has to confront the legitimacy issue over the alleged Russian electoral involvement, and the ethical issues arising from his extensive business interests at home and abroad and his family involvement in government.

But the biggest challenge of all is uniting a polarised nation -- a seemingly impossible task given the depths of animosity on both sides.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in).

--IANS

abl/py/in/vm
Orlando shooting: Victims' families sue Facebook, Twitter, Google

United States,Immigration/Law/Rights,Technology,Terrorism, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New York, Dec 20 (IANS) Families of three victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting that left 50 dead and 53 wounded in June this year have sued tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter for allegedly providing "material support" to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and helping radicalise shooter Omar Mateen.

According to a Fox News report, the lawsuit was filed in federal court in the eastern district of Michigan on Monday on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero, stating that the three web platforms "provided the terrorist group IS with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds and attract new recruits."

"Without Defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of IS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," Fox News cited the lawsuit as saying.

"They create unique content by combining IS postings with advertisements in a way that is specifically targeted at the viewer. Defendants share revenue with IS for its content and profit from IS postings through advertising revenue," the lawsuit alleged.

Investigation revealed that Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard who opened fire inside Orlando's Pulse nightclub, was not a member of the terror group but had been inspired by it in part through what he saw on the internet.

An outpouring of anger toward the lax US gun control policy was witnessed on social media after the shooting -- dubbed as the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history after it surpassed the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech which left 32 people dead.

Furious gun control supporters questioned why laws were still permitting people with radical thinking or mental illness to acquire assault weapons.

Meanwhile, Keith Altman, the attorney representing the three families in the Orlando nightclub lawsuit, was quoted as saying that Facebook, Google and Twitter should be held liable for what users post on their services because they pair content with advertising.

Earlier this month, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter said they would share a database of terror images and videos to quickly remove terrorism content.

--IANS

sku/na/vt
Minor girl found hanging from tree in UP, rape suspected

Uttar Pradesh,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

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Lucknow, Dec 20 (IANS) A minor girl was found hanging from a tree in Semalpur village of Kannauj on Tuesday morning after she was allegedly raped, the police said.

Daughter of Santosh Verma, the 13-year-old girl was missing since Monday night and her body was spotted hanging from a tree by villagers in the morning.

The police confirmed that prima facie sexual assault appeared to have happened before the murder.

Talking to IANS, Superintendent of Police (SP) Dinesh Kumar Puri said: "A suspect in the case is missing and his house is locked. We have constituted three teams to crack the case."

He added that he was still at the crime scene and that based on the family's suspicion regarding rape, a panel of doctors has been asked to conduct the post-mortem examination.

--IANS

md/vgu/vt

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Aamir Khan to promote Marathi cinema

Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Actor Aamir Khan has decided to attach the trailer of Marathi film "Ti Saddhya Kay Karte" with his Bollywood film "Dangal" to promote Marathi cinema.

His spokesperson said: "Aamir is very excited to promote Marathi cinema and so he is assuring all his support to take it one step ahead."

Aamir has appreciated new Marathi films like "Natsamrat", "Natrang", "Court" and "Sairat" and has even kept special screenings for these films.

The trailer will play at the theatres in Maharashtra which will play "Dangal", which will release on Friday.

"While Aamir can't control all cinemas playing it, he has instructed his team to include it with the film which goes to all cinemas in Maharashtra," the source added.

"Ti Saddhya Kay Karte" is directed by Satish Rajwade.

--IANS

uma/rb/mr
India, Kyrgyzstan to work against terrorism: Modi

Delhi,National,Politics,Terrorism,Diplomacy,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday pledged to work together to prevent youths from falling prey to the common challenges of terrorism and extremism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Modi was addressing a joint media conference with visiting Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, who arrived in India on Sunday, leading a high-level delegation comprising of ministers, officials and business leaders.

Modi and Atambayev held talks at the Hyderabad House as the two countries signed a number of agreements to enhance their defence and economic ties.

"We discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society from common challenges of terrorism, extremism and radicalism," Modi said.

"We agreed on the need to overcome these challenges for the common benefit" of the two countries, Modi said.

Modi described Kyrgyzstan "a valuable partner in our common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity".

The Prime Minister said the two countries would encourage better engagement in healthcare, tourism, IT and agriculture, mining and energy and build on bilateral cooperation, including "capacity building and training".

--IANS

sar/mr
India, Kyrgyzstan sign six agreements

Delhi,National,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed six agreements, including on tourism, agriculture and youth affairs, following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev here.

"Tourism, Agriculture, Youth Affairs and more - the leaders witness exchange of agreements that testify to the strength of #IndiaKyrgyz ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on cooperation in youth exchange.

Another MoU was signed on cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute and the Diplomatic Academy of the Kyrgyz Republic.

A third MoU was signed on cooperation in the field of tourism, while a fourth one was signed on cooperation in the field of broadcasting and exchange of audio-visual programmes.

A fifth agreement was signed on cooperation in youth development.

Another agreement was signed on cooperation in agriculture and the food industry.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Atambayev was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

He arrived here on Sunday on a four-day official visit to India.

--IANS

ab/bg
30% tax advantage for digital transactions: Jailtey

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said small traders and businesses will get a tax advantage of more than 30 per cent for digital transactions.

The government on Monday said small traders and businesses with a turnover of up to Rs 2 crore would pay less tax if they accept payments through banking and digital means.

"There will be a significant tax benefit for small traders if you turn digital. It is a tax incentive to support digitisation of economy," Jaitley told the media.

"If we calculate, many traders will get a tax advantage of more than 30 per cent for transactions in digital mode," he added.

On putting a ceiling of Rs 5,000 on deposit of old notes, Jaitley said: "Since the exemptions on using old notes have been lifted (in hospitals, railway stations and other places), there will be no question of getting old notes on a regular basis.

"Whoever has old currency must go and deposit it in one go. If somebody goes every day, it raises suspicion," he added.

--IANS

sid/in/mr
Japan court rules in favour of US base relocation

Japan,Immigration/Law/Rights,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Tokyo, Dec 20 (IANS) Japan's top court on Tuesday upheld a lower court's ruling in favour of the government's plan to relocate a US Marine Corps air base within the island prefecture of Okinawa, the media reported.

According to the court ruling, Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga acted "illegally" when he revoked in October 2015 an approval issued by his predecessor for the landfill work of the relocation plan, Xinhua news agency reported.

Onaga has said he would swiftly retract the revocation but whether he would explore other options to block the relocation plan has caused attention.

Meanwhile, over 100 persons gathered in front of the top court on Tuesday to protest against the ruling, shouting slogans such as "No New Henoko Base".

The central government has been seeking to relocate the US Futenma base from Ginowan to the less populated Henoko coastal area of Nago, saying it is "the only solution" for removing the dangers posed by the base to the crowded residential area without undermining the Japan-US alliance.

The Okinawa people, however, have called for the base to be removed from the prefecture, complaining of sufferings caused by aircraft noise, crimes committed by the US servicemen as well as other safety concerns.

Onaga, well known for his opposition to the plan of relocating Futenma base within the prefecture and elected Governor of Okinawa in 2014, revoked in October 2015 an approval issued by former governor Hirokazu Nakaima for the landfill work of the relocation plan.

The move triggered a legal battle between the central government and the local government last year as the two sides sued each other over the issue, which was halted in March when a settlement deal was reached under court mediation.

According to the settlement, the construction work related to the relocation was halted, while the central and prefectural governments held talks and awaited a ruling to be made by an arbitration panel under the internal affairs ministry.

Okinawa hosts some 75 per cent of US bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 per cent of the country's total land mass.

Anti-US base sentiment has been high in Okinawa, especially after a former US Marine working as a civilian employee at the Kadena Air Base was arrested in May for raping and murdering a local woman.

--IANS

sm/mr
Truck kills 12 in Germany, police call it terror attack (Third Lead)

Germany,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Terrorism, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Berlin, Dec 20 (IANS) German police on Tuesday said they were probing a "suspected terrorist attack" after a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 dead.

Shortly after the attack at Breitscheidplatz on Monday night, Berlin police arrested the suspected attacker who was reportedly from Pakistan and entered the country in February this year, the Guardian reported.

The 23-year-old Naved B has been registered at the refugee centre at the disused Tempelhof airport and held several identities, police said. He was known to the police for minor crimes but not terror links.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," Berlin Police said.

At least 48 people were injured, some seriously, in the attack after the vehicle mounted a pavement at about 40 mph (65 kmph) and crashed into them.

The carnage came just hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead in Ankara by a policeman who claimed to be taking revenge for Moscow's involvement in the battle for Aleppo.

It followed warnings from intelligence agencies that the Islamic State militants may target Christmas markets in Europe.

Witnesses in Berlin described scenes of panic and horror as the lorry veered off the street and ploughed into the crowded Christmas market just off the famous shopping street of Kurfurstendamm at around 8 p.m.

Jan Hollitzer, 36, heard screams as the vehicle made its way through the stalls.

A journalist said he saw destroyed stalls, broken glass, crockery and tables -- and injured people lying on the ground. "There were people under the truck and it was really scary, really terrifying."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed sympathy for the victims. "We must assume it was a terrorist attack," she said. "This unspeakable event will be as severely punished."

Germany was put on high alert for a major terror attack in the months after Merkel opened its borders to more than one million refugees from the Middle East.

The incident echoed an attack in Nice, France, in July where 86 people were killed by a truck driven by a man inspired by the Islamic State.

The latest attack site is near a famous Berlin landmark -- the Gedaechtniskirche, or memorial church, built in 1891-95. The market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church has existed for 33 years.

US President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for the "slaughter" of Christians. "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!"

A series of small-scale terror attacks alarmed Germany earlier this year.

--IANS

py-ahm/mr
IS 'brainwashing' children to attack Europe

United Kingdom,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

London, Dec 20 (IANS) The Islamic State group is providing children apps to access violent jihadi websites and offering rewards, if young recruits say they were willing to attack monuments in Europe.

The attempt to "create a new generation of terrorists", according to British military and security officials, comes amid evidence of the IS's bid to recruit children in the West to carry out attacks in Europe and America, the Independent reported on Tuesday.

The terror group has set up kiosks in the areas it controls in Iraq and Syria where children can use apps to read the group's online magazine Rumiyah, as well as a website that teaches them Arabic.

The terror group has been increasing the use of child fighters in a battle for survival in Iraq and Syria. Pictures of guns and tanks abound in the childrens' Arabic learning website along with those of landmarks in Europe and America.

Col. John Dorrian of the US-led coalition against the IS said: "What they do is despicable. They are willing to use children to carry out suicide attacks. Their apocalyptic vision is of damaging society everywhere they have gained control."

"The targets are places like the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower," he said.

The Internet is the common avenue for indoctrination in both the West and the Middle-East for the young, said security sources. The British government has disclosed that 50 young people were prevented from leaving the country to go to Syria in the last 12 months.

A dozen suspects, all teenagers, are reported to have been detained in Belgium last week for allegedly plotting to attack Christmas shoppers.

There has been a sharp rise in the numbers of children on the frontline -- up to 50,000 according to estimates -- in the wake of the heavy losses the Islamic State has suffered in Iraq and Syria.

The vast majority of children recruited by the terror group are Syrians and Iraqis. There are also around 50 from Britain, along with smaller numbers from France, Australia.

--IANS

soni/ahm/dg
Demonetisation: Rush thins out at Noida banks

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Comparatively thin crowds were seen outside the banks here on Tuesday with most of the people there for withdrawal of money and invariably none for depositing.

A full ten days before the deadline given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for normalcy to be back, the rush for money to the banks that began after the demonetisation of higher currency notes finally seems to be petering out.

When IANS visited banks at Noida Sector-16, it found considerably sparse crowds at all of them.

Moreover, no customer seemed to be aware of the new stipulation announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday.

The new rule entails furnishing an undertaking to the bank giving the reason why the depositor did not deposit the money before, for any amount exceeding 5000 rupees - till December 30.

The rule is only for old currency notes which were demonetised on November 8.

"We only need a reason from you as to why you were not able to deposit the old currency till now. This move is taken to thwart those candidates who are depositing money on behalf of others, and have been frequenting the bank for this purpose," Pawan Kumar Sachdeva, Manager, Punjab National Bank Sector-16 Noida branch told IANS.

--IANS

vn/ahm/bg
Two accomplices of Dhaka attack masterminds arrested

Bangladesh,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Dhaka, Dec 20 (IANS) Bangladesh's elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Tuesday arrested two accomplices of the two masterminds of the terror attack on a cafe here that killed 21 persons, mostly foreigners.

The two are also members of Neo-JMB -- an offshoot of the banned militant outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, which had been blamed for the July 1 attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter, Xinhua news agency reported.

RAB spokesperson Mufti Mahmud Khan said Atikur Rahman Milon and Khademul Islam Khadem were arrested with some books, leaflets and weapons.

Tamim Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-Canadian, and Sarwar Jahan, identified as Neo JMB chief who was killed during a raid on October 8, were believed to be the masterminds of the attack.

--IANS

py/mr
Trump wins 270 electoral votes for White House

United States,Politics, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Washington, Dec 20 (IANS) US President-elect Donald Trump has surpassed the necessary 270 votes in the Electoral College, the next step in the official process to become President.

Trump received 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton's 224. Six "faithless" electors voted for other candidates, costing Trump two votes and Clinton four, CNN reported on Monday.

Hawaii's electors are still set to meet later Monday, with the state's four votes expected to go to Clinton.

The results mean Trump -- who lost the popular vote by more than 2 percentage points to Clinton -- easily staved off a long-shot bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him.

The Electoral College results will be officially certified January 6 during a joint session of Congress.

"This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again," Trump said in a statement.

He also claimed his win was "a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy," though Clinton actually won the popular vote by about 3 million ballots nationwide making Trump the worst-performing winner in the popular vote since 1876.

Trump was put over the top by electors in Texas. Thirty-six of the state's 38 went for Trump, while two ignored the state's Election Day results. One voted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and one backed former Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

The first response from Trump's camp came from Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who tweeted: "Congratulations to @RealDonaldTrump; officially elected President of the United States today by the Electoral College!"

Pence also wrote: "I'm honored & humbled to be officially elected today as the next Vice President of the United States of America by the Electoral College."

--IANS

pgh/
Chandigarh civic poll results endorsement of demonetisation: Amit Shah

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the results of the Chandigarh local body elections were a clear endorsement for the demonetisation step taken by the Narendra Modi government.

The Chandigarh municipal poll results came out on Tuesday. The BJP won 20 out of 22 seats it contested, while its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won one seat. The BJP plus SAD won 21 out of 26 seats.

"The latest victory in Chandigarh is a clear endorsement by the public and it is clear that the opposition is doing petty politics over demonetisation," Shah said.

He said that the Congress has been reduced to an epitome of negative politics.

The BJP President pointed out that the party has performed exceptionally well in every local body and by-polls held after demonetisation of high value currency notes, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.

"The public has fully supported the policies of Narendra Modi government. This is clear from the results of local bodies elections in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat as well as the results of assembly and Lok Sabha by-polls," Shah said.

In the last elections, the BJP had won 15 seats, while the Congress got nine seats. This time around the Congress could bag only four seats.

--IANS

mak/ahm/bg
Nitish to join anti-note ban protest: Lalu

Bihar,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Patna, Dec 20 (IANS) RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will join him in a protest against demonetisation.

"Nitish Kumar will be with us to protest against demonetisation," Lalu Prasad told the media here.

It is the first time Lalu Prasad has said Nitish Kumar will join a protest against the November 8 spiking of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

"The Rashtriya Janata Dal will stage protest against demonetisation at all the district headquarters on December 28 and hold a huge rally in Patna early next year," the former Chief Minister said.

Nitish Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal-United, has supported the note ban, much to the embarrassment of his allies -- the RJD and the Congress.

"Nitish Kumar has told me he will review the impact of demonetisatiion after 50 days and will respond to the central government accordingly," Lalu Prasad said.

Earlier, Lalu Prasad attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for openly "advertising" for Paytm, which is jointly owned by a Chinese company.

"Has there been any Indian PM who openly advertises a Chinese company and says do Paytm?" he tweeted.

Chinese company Alibaba has a 40-per cent stake in Paytm, which has been widely used by people after demonetisation.

--IANS

ik/nir/mr
BKU wants decision to scrap wheat import duty revoked

Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) The BKU on Tuesday decried the Centre's recent move to completely scrap duty on import of wheat and threatened a nation-wide protest in March next year if the decision is not revoked.

Addressing a press conference here, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) General Secretary Yudhvir Singh demanded revocation of the government decision, which he said was taken "to facilitate traders at the cost of farmers' lives".

"This year, the yield of wheat is surplus, about 10 per cent higher compared to the last year. Yet, the government scrapped import duty first to 10 per cent and now completely," he said.

"It wants a select few to own the sector and force farmers to work under them. It wants to ruin farmers. It should reverse it decision," said Singh.

Blaming the government for wrong and anti-farmer policies, Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, President of the BKU's Punjab unit, said: "Farmers' earning is less than their expenditure. They are in great distress and they are forced to commit suicide."

"We will organise a mega protest in March, in which farmers from across the country will participate."

The BKU leaders said that several small-scale protests would be held across the country before the mega one in March.

They alleged that the BJP-led central government had not given them time and opportunity to express their concerns.

"Despite several requests, we were not entertained either by the Union Agriculture Minister or his ministry. We have written several letters to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) but it has also not replied yet," said BKU national spokesperson Rakesh Tikait.

"Earlier, (during the Congress-led UPA rule) we were given chance to present our concerns," he added.

The BKU leaders said the government must form a nodal committee to address problems related to farmers, since 14 ministries were involved in the subject.

The farmer leaders also demanded financial assistance of Rs 25,000 per acre as compensation to the farmers in the drought-hit states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

They sought complete loan waiver for farmers across the country.

--IANS

spk/nir/vt
BJP doing vendetta politics, says Mamata

West Bengal,National,Politics, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Kolkata, Dec 20 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP-run central government of doing vendetta politics while claiming that nothing can deter her party from the path of protest against demonetisation.

Banerjee said that Sudip Banerjee, the Lok Sabha member of the Trinamool Congress, was receiving repeated calls from the Central Bureau of Investigation.

"Why is BJP govt doing vendetta politics? Our party LS leader got 3 calls from CBI. Nothing will deter us from fight against Demonetisation," Banerjee tweeted.

--IANS

mgr/ahm/vt
NSG commandos conduct anti-terrorist drill in Gurugram

Haryana,National,Defence/Security,Business/Economy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Gurugram, Dec 20 (IANS) National Security Guard (NSG) commandos carried out a mock anti-terrorist drill in a multi-storey building here -- and "killed two terrorists and injured one".

Over 100 commandos, after a tip that three terrorists had entered the building of a multinational company on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway and taken people hostage, reached the spot at around 9.30 p.m. on Monday.

The commandos first set up a control room within half hour and evacuated the building before "gunning down" two terrorists and injuring one. The mock drill ended early on Tuesday.

The commandos, who came from their base camp in Manesar, were led by an officer of Group Commandant rank and had a bomb disposal robot as well as a dog squad.

The police too reached the spot after being informed about the "attack".

"Private security guards at the building were not aware of what was happening and they thought terrorists were inside the building," said an onlooker.

Traffic heading towards Hero Honda Chowk to reach the National Highway was diverted.

Later, SWAT commandos of Haryana Police reached the spot only to find it was a mock drill.

"The NSG usually conducts such exercises in Gurugram and other parts of the country but keeps such operations secret," said a commando who did not wish to be named.

--IANS

pradeep/lok/mr
Russian experts in Ankara to probe envoy assassination

Turkey,Defence/Security,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Ankara, Dec 20 (IANS) An 18-member team of Russian experts arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to investigate the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.

The team, including one prosecutor and two defence attaches, will investigate the incident along with with Turkish officials, Xinhua reported.

The plane with the Russian probe team will take Karlov's body back to Moscow after the completion of procedures by Turkish and Russian authorities.

Meanwhile, the Turkish police has so far arrested seven people in connection with the Russian envoy's murder.

On Monday, the Russian ambassador was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in Ankara's central Cankaya district when Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas shot him dead.

The police early on Tuesday arrested six relatives and a roommate of Altintas who is absconding.

--IANS

soni/ahm/dg
Truck kills 12 in Germany, police call it terror attack (Fourth Lead)

Germany,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Berlin, Dec 20 (IANS) German police probing a "suspected terrorist attack" after a man ploughed a lorry into a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 dead, said on Tuesday that the Pakistani suspect who was arrested following the attack "had no involvement".

Shortly after the attack at Breitscheidplatz on Monday night, Berlin police arrested the suspected attacker who was reportedly from Pakistan and entered the country in February this year, the Guardian reported.

However, the Pakistani suspect reportedly had no involvement in the crime. The actual perpetrator was armed and was still at large, Die Welt reported, citing a high-ranking security source.

"We have the wrong man," Die Welt cited a Berlin police official as saying. "And thus a new situation. The actual perpetrator is still at large and armed, and can inflict more damage."

The 23-year-old Naved B. has been registered at the refugee centre at the disused Tempelhof airport and held several identities, the police said. He was known to the police for minor crimes but not terror links.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," the Berlin police officer said.

At least 48 people were injured, some seriously, in the attack when the lorry mounted a pavement at about 40 mph (65 kmph) and crashed into the shoppers and vendors on the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz.

The carnage came just hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead in Ankara by a policeman who claimed to be taking revenge for Moscow's involvement in the battle for Aleppo.

It followed warnings from intelligence agencies that the Islamic State militants may target Christmas markets in Europe.

Witnesses in Berlin described scenes of panic and horror as the lorry veered off the street and ploughed into the crowded Christmas market just off the famous shopping street of Kurfurstendamm around 8 p.m.

Jan Hollitzer, 36, heard screams as the vehicle made its way through the stalls.

A journalist said he saw destroyed stalls, broken glass, crockery and tables -- and injured people lying on the ground. "There were people under the truck and it was really scary, really terrifying."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "We must assume it was a terrorist attack." Expressing sympathy for the victims, she promised, "This unspeakable event will be as severely punished."

Germany was put on high alert for a major terror attack in the months after Merkel opened its borders to more than one million refugees from the Middle East.

The incident echoed an attack in Nice, France, in July where 86 people were killed by a heavy truck driven by a man inspired by the Islamic State.

The latest attack site is near a famous Berlin landmark -- the Gedaechtniskirche, or memorial church, built in 1891-95. The market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church has existed for 33 years.

US President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for the "slaughter" of Christians. "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany -- and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!"

A series of small-scale terror attacks alarmed Germany earlier this year.

--IANS

ahm/mr/vt
BJP warns Rahul against making 'personalised comments'

Delhi,National,Politics, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Stung by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's observation on the RBI's frequent changing of rules since after the demonetisation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday "warned" him against making any "personalised comments".

"This is my request as well as a warning to Rahul Gandhi that he should desist from making any personalised comments against Prime Minister Narnedra Modi," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said here.

"This will only open a Pandora's Box which wouldn't be good (for them)," he added.

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday tweeted that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was changing rules as frequently as Prime Minister Modi changes his clothes.

"RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes," Gandhi said on his official Twitter handle.

Gandhi's observation came after the RBI on Monday announced that deposits of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in excess of Rs 5,000 will now be allowed only once till December 30 -- that too after strict scrutiny.

This notification was the government's 59th communication in less than 50 days of the demonetisation announcement.

The Congress has often dubbed the Modi government as "suit boot ki sarkar (Government of the elite)", taking a jibe at Modi's sartorial elegance and preferences.

--IANS

mak/lok
Centre asks Delhi, neighbouring states to submit plans to curb air pollution

Delhi,National,Politics,Environment/Wildlife, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) While reviewing the measures being taken to improve the air quality in the national capital, the Centre on Tuesday asked Delhi and its neighbouring states to submit detailed action plans to curb the air pollution.

The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) will soon file an affidavit in this regard before the High Court of Delhi, an official statement said.

The direction came in a NCRPB meeting headed by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu here.

The Minister also asked Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to increase forest cover in the National Capital Region to 20 per cent of the total geographical area from the present cover of only 3.30 per cent (as in 2012).

Naidu directed the states to increase the green cover through conservation of entire Aravalli range and its foothills spread in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan through afforestation up to appropriate extent for ground water recharge.

Delhi considers a land parcel of one hectare as forest if it has 100 natural grown trees.

In the meeting, the Central Pollution Control Board informed that an action plan has been prepared under the directions of the Supreme Court in the context of high levels of air pollution in Delhi in November this year.

States were asked to consider IIT, Kanpur's 'Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Green House Gases in Delhi' to address air pollution problems.

The Indian Institute of Technology's (IIT) study recommends management of the burning of stubble, municipal waste and local biomass. It also recommends retrofitting of Diesel Particulate Filters and implementation of Bharat Stage Standard Emission-6 (BS-6) for all diesel vehicles and promotion of Electric/Hybrid vehicles.

The study says that all the industries, within 300 km radius of Delhi, should reduce the sulphur content in fuel and 9,000 hotels and restaurants in Delhi should stop the use of coal.

The Board also discussed 14 inter-state connectivity links, including Kalindi by-pass road from Ashram Chowk to Faridabad by-pass; Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road which would ease traffic on NH-8, and connecting Nelson Mandela T-Point at Vasant Kunj with the existing Gurgaon-Mehrauli Road, with the aim of facilitating seamless travel in the Region.

Besides Naidu, Union Minister of State for Urban Development Rao Inderjit Singh, Haryana Chief Minister M.L. Khattar, Haryana Forests Minister Rao Narvir Singh, Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyanedra Jain, among others, were present in the meeting.

--IANS

am-kd/lok/dg
Scotland should remain in EU's single market after Brexit: Sturgeon

United Kingdom,Politics,Business/Economy,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

London, Dec 20 (IANS) Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister in the Scottish government, unveiled proposals on Tuesday for Scotland's future relationship with Europe after Britain leaves the European Union (EU).

Xinhua news agency quoted the leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party as saying that it should be possible for Scotland to remain as a member of the EU's single market trading bloc even if the rest of Britain left.

Sturgeon described her proposals for protecting Scotland's place in Europe, outlined in her report "Scotland's Place in Europe", as "a serious and genuine attempt to unify the country around a clear plan".

The report proposes that all of Britain should remain in the European single market and the customs union. But it also outlines how Scotland could remain in the single market without the rest of Britain. It also calls for a substantial transfer of new powers to Holyrood after Britain leaves the EU.

Although Britain voted by a 52-48 margin in June to quit the EU, over 60 per cent of the Scottish population backed remaining.

Brussels has insisted that membership of the single-market and access to almost half a billion Europeans, goes hand-in-hand with its policy of free movement of people between member states.

One of Britain's aims is to broker a deal with Brussels that allows control of Britain's borders to limit immigration.

Sturgeon unveiled the document at her official Bute House residence in Edinburgh, saying that Brexit was a problem that was not of Scotland's making.

Sturgeon maintained her stand that the referendum result had been a vote on leaving the EU, rather than a vote to leave the European single market.

On that basis, Sturgeon has said it will be democratically justifiable for the whole of Britain to remain in the single market. But if that is not going to happen, she says Scotland could remain in the trading bloc.

A spokesman at 10 Downing Street said the British government welcomed Tuesday's paper and would "look closely" at it. British Prime Minister Theresa May has always insisted that all of Britain will leave the EU following the national referendum. She plans to trigger the exit process by the end of March 2017.

The Downing Street spokesman said: "The (British) government is committed to getting a deal on exiting the EU that works for all parts of the UK, which clearly includes Scotland, and works for the UK as a whole. The best way for that to be achieved is for the government and devolved administrations to work together."

--IANS

lok/
Second list of Congress nominees for Punjab polls ready

Delhi,National,Politics, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress on Tuesday finalised 25 more candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab, said an informed source.

The second list containing these 25 names is likely to be made public in a couple of days.

"About 25 more nominees were cleared in the CEC meeting on Tuesday. None of the former Akalis, who had joined the Congress, were discussed in the meeting.

"These sests were mainly those which did not have many contenders. It is likely to be announced by December 22-23," said the party source.

"Manish Tewari's candidature for the polls was also not been taken up in the meeting," he added.

The Congress announced the first list of 61 nominees for the Punjab polls last week.

The next CEC meet may take place towards the month-end.

--IANS

sid/nir
Portuguese Prime Minister to visit India in January

Delhi,National,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who traces his roots to Goa, will come on a week-long visit to India next month and will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas as the chief guest, it was announced on Tuesday.

"Prime Minister of Portugal Antonio Costa will be visiting India on a state visit from January 6 to 12, 2017, on an invitation extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"The two leaders will hold official talks on January 7 in New Delhi. During the visit PM Costa is also expected to call on the President and the Vice President."

Costa, born in 1961 in Lisbon, is the son of writer Orlando da Costa, who was of Goan, Portuguese, and French descent. His mother was Maria Antonia Palla, a Portuguese journalist.

Costa took charge as Prime Minister in November last year creating media headlines in India.

"Several MoUs (memorandums of understanding) are expected to be signed during the visit that would set the agenda for India-Portugal relations going forward," the ministry statement said, adding that Costa is likely to be accompanied by several Ministers.

"Prime Minister Costa will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, the foremost conclave of the Indian diaspora, as the chief guest in Bengaluru on January 8-9, 2017, and would also participate in few business events."

Costa, according to the statement, will also attend the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit on 10 January 2017 at Gandhinagar.

"In the last leg of his visit to India, PM Costa will be in Goa on January 11-12, 2017," the statement said.

"In Goa, he would be meeting the Governor and Chief Minister. PM Costa who traces his roots to Goa, will also spend some time at his ancestral place."

--IANS

ab/lok
Kareena, Saif blessed with son

Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz,Bollywood, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) Bollywood star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan has been blessed with their first child, a son, and have named him Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi.

Kareena delivered the baby on Tuesday morning at the Breach Candy Hospital here, a source told IANS.

A statement released on behalf of the actors read: "We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son : Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on December 20, 2016.

"We would like to thank the media for the understanding and support they have given us over the last nine months, and of course especially our fans and well wishers for their continued affection. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all...With love, Saif and Kareena."

Kareena and Saif, who have worked together in films like "Tashan", "Kurbaan", "Agent Vinod", LOC Kargil" and "Omkara", tied the knot in October 2012.

Saif was earlier married to actress Amrita Singh and shares two children with her - daughter Sara and son Ibrahim.

--IANS

dc/vm
Handloom, understated trendsetter connecting masses with classes (2016 in Retrospect)

Delhi,Cinema/Showbiz,Lifestyle/Fashion,Features, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) From the country's apex fashion body giving prominence to handwoven fabrics at shows to the Ministry of Textiles collaborating with top-notch fashion brands and designers for collections promoting indigenous textile, and social media buzzing with hashtags like #IwearHandloom, 2016 saw a new wave of awareness of handlooms among both the classes and the masses.

Some of the best-known designers like Ritu Kumar, Anita Dongre, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Madhu Jain and Wendell Rodricks, who have always emphasised on the use of skin-friendly fabrics with their handloom-inspired collections, have also urged the Indian government for extra support in this regard.

"The fashion industry is also a major job provider, especially with the recent craze of Benarasi and Chanderi handlooms. So, this interest needs to be taken care of. If you have government backing, a lot of doors open up," designer Madhu Jain, who has been in the industry for nearly 30 years, told IANS.

Having worked with weavers closely, she feels they become more "receptive" if they know that a designer has come with a "government recommendation".

"They consider it a serious thing," added Jain, who has worked with handlooms like Kalamkari, Kantha and Ikat, among others.

This year, weavers got an added boost when India's cabinet in June approved a package for the textiles sector with measures such as tax sops and relaxation of labour laws, with a three-year target of 10 million more jobs, $30 billion additional exports and $11 billion worth of fresh investment.

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the country's apex fashion body led by Sunil Sethi, continued its support for textiles and handloom this year too when they collaborated with the Development Commissioner Handlooms (DCH) to reinvent indigenous crafts executed by handloom weavers through effective skill development.

Under this, some FDCI-affiliated designers took it upon themselves to impart professional training in design development at various Weaver Service Centres across the country.

Also, the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW), a bi-annual event organised by FDCI, dedicated two days of the fashion week, that took place in October, to handlooms.

IMG-Reliance, a joint venture between Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and IMG Worldwide (IMG), also joined forces with the Ministry of Textiles to empower the handloom weavers community in India.

"Through the programme, we aim to also drive awareness about the importance of the handloom industry and the skill development initiatives," Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President (Fashion) IMG Reliance, had said.

Lakme Fashion Week (LFW), another major fashion week in India, dedicates an entire day to Indian textiles and sustainable fashion in all its editions. The previous season was all about a #MadeinAssam initiative as an attempt to link northeast textiles to the mainstream designer retail market.

The Month of National Handloom Day also witnessed social media buzzing with hashtags related to handloom when Textiles Minister Smriti Irani launched the #IWearHandloom' initiative on August 2.

The hashtag encouraged the wearing and sharing of handwoven garments and accessories, eventually going viral on Twitter upon receiving huge support from fashion designers, sportsmen, politicians and the public in general.

It was not just fashion weeks and social media, the Ministry of Textiles also collaborated with many fashion and lifestyle brands and e-commerce websites to come up with exclusive lines focusing on handloom. Biba, Peter England and Kraftly are some of the names.

"The association with the Ministry of Textiles has been helpful as the ministry through the Office of DCH has helped us connect directly with the suppliers and weavers of Ikat fabrics. The work that they have done at the Weaver Centres has helped in improving quality and they also helped us in conducting and sourcing of the orders," Siddharth Bindra, Managing Director, Biba and Rangriti, told IANS.

He also emphasised that Biba's range of Ikat has received a good response and is well-received by women of all age groups. "Ikat has now become a regular part of our collections for the next few seasons as well," he added.

Some of the designers also took charge of promoting textiles from different parts of India at fashion events.

While Krishna Mehta showcased unconventional and exaggerated silhouettes made of Maheshwari silk fabric at the AIFW Spring-Summer 2017, Rajesh Pratap Singh recently collaborated with Kullu-based handloom weavers' Bhuttico for a collection.

Designer Gaurang Shah's handloom creation made its way to the 69th Cannes Film Festival when Deepshikha Deshmukh, producer of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer "Sarbjit", stepped out in an ensemble featuring Paithani and Kanjeevaram details -- giving the craft much-needed global visibility.

(Nivedita can be contacted at Nivedita.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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Shortness of breath may be a sign of heart failure

United Kingdom,Lifestyle/Fashion,Health/Medicine, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

London, Dec 20 (IANS) Suffering from chronic shortness of breath? Beware, you may be at risk of a potential heart failure or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), a study has found.

Shortness of breath, which is medically known as dyspnea, is often defined as an intense tightening in the chest, air hunger or a feeling of suffocation.

"Shortness of breath is often a sign of heart or lung disease because these two organs are most closely involved in the respiratory system," said Nasser Ahmadi, research student at University of Gothenburg in Sweden, in a statement.

Chronic shortness of breath can also be considered as an equally important warning signal as high blood pressure, the researchers said.

However, shortness of breath is an often overlooked symptom as people tend to associate it with ageing.

"The fact that people do not seek medical advice for their breathlessness is often due to people associating their symptoms with the natural process of ageing. But if you notice that you experience increased shortness of breath during exertion, you should seek medical attention," Ahmadi added.

The study showed that the faster the detection, the better prognosis. With early intervention, patients can avoid suffering and the need for hospitalisation decreases.

In the study, people with shortness of breath for six weeks or more who sought medical advice for their breathlessness were found to have underlying diseases like a potential heart failure or a hidden obstructive lung disease that was developing.

--IANS

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Amnesty International urged Algeria to adopt a law on asylum and fight against the prevailing racism against Sub-Saharans, after several Algerian officials uttered racist statements against Sub-Saharans coupled with mass summary deportations of several African migrants, including asylum seekers.

The authorities should decriminalize irregular immigration, Amnestys Algeria office said in a statement on Sunday.

The International rights watchdog condemned the racist statements by several Algerian officials and asked the government to fight racism against sub-Saharans in the country.

Amnesty also called for a prompt and impartial inquiry into the cases of arbitrary expulsions and allegations of mistreatment.

Algerian authorities rounded up more than 1400 sub-Saharan migrants in Algiers and deported them 1900 km southwards to the desert city of Tamanrasset, from which they were deported to Niger.

Some of the Sub-Saharans who were abandoned by Algerian authorities in the desert of Niger accused Algerian troops of ill treatment and brutality. Several Malians bear wounds while some have lost their lives.

Another international rights watchdog, Human Rights Watch, had also condemned the Algerian authorities treatment of Sub-Saharans, with Sarah Leah Whitson, MENA director at HRW, saying that this is a mass and summary deportation of migrants, including men and women who may have fled persecution or have worked for years in Algeria, and would violate their rights.

The right of a country to control its borders is not a license for lawlessness, HRW statement said calling on Algeria to honor its commitments under the 1951 Geneva convention and to bring to a halt all mass deportations of Sub Sharan migrants.

International rights watchdogs had also lashed out at the head of the Algerian National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Right, Farouk Ksentini, for his racist statements tapping on abhorrent forms of xenophobia and stereotypes.

The head of the consultative commission, a state institution that reports to the presidency, had blamed Sub-Saharans for spreading diseases, including AIDS, in Algeria.

According to estimates, the number of sub-Saharan migrants in Algeria ranges from 60,000 to 100,000.
The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa last week adopted a 37 million package to increase protection of migrants and to strengthen effective migration management in North Africa.

The package will specifically address migration challenges in Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, the EU said in a press release.

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations said: The new EU assistance package meets both, the very concrete needs of migrants on the ground, and those of our partner countries.

He stressed that by supporting our partner countries in developing their capacities, the EU will also contribute to a safer, more orderly and efficient management of migration flows in our neighborhood, which is very much in our interest.

In Libya, a 20 million program seeks to better protect and assist the most vulnerable migrants and their host communities. The program, to be implemented by the International Organization for Migration, will in particular assist migrants rescued at sea in Libyan territorial waters and disembarked in Libya. It will also improve protection and address the most urgent needs of migrants in detention centers; and scale up humanitarian repatriation and reintegration in their home countries of vulnerable migrants stranded in Libya, with a first target of assisting 5000 people.

In Tunisia, a 11.5 million worth program will support the country in implementing their National Strategy on Migration, address the root causes of migration by strengthening the creation of economic opportunities and, thus, target one main driver of irregular migration, and support a local inclusive integration of migrants.

The 5.5 million program to be implemented in Morocco will support the fight against racism and xenophobia against migrants by strengthening their legal protection.

This program complements already existing EU support to the main axes of the Moroccan policy on migrants integration.

Morocco is already benefiting from a large and diverse pipeline of migration programs. In order to support the Moroccan national policies on migration, a 35 million budget support program has just received the favorable opinion of the EU Member States, the press release said.

The new funding brings the EU support to North Africa via the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa to a total of 64.5 million in 2016.
The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens against travel to Algeria due to a high threat of terrorist attacks and kidnappings in this country.

In its latest updated travel warning, the US Department says terrorist groups remain active in Algeria where extremists have carried out attacks (often using bombs, ambushes, or false roadblocks) in the mountainous Kabylie region and the southern and eastern border regions, including mountains area and zones near the Tunisian border.

Although most attacks are directed towards Algerian military or police, in September 2014, an ISIL-affiliated group abducted and beheaded a French citizen in the Kabylie region.

In January 2013, an Al-Qaeda-linked organization attacked a gas production facility near In Amenas, near Algerias border with Libya, holding foreign and Algerian workers hostage, with dozens killed, including three U.S. citizens.

The travel warning issued by the State Department has irked Algerian authorities. The Algerian Foreign Ministry criticized the warnings claiming that security in Algeria has been restored thanks to the policy of national reconciliation introduced by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Yet, analysts know that the country is on the brink of implosion as the political crisis deepens while growing social woes raise regional and international concern over the future and stability of Algeria.

Furthermore, the national reconciliation policy appears fragile as it failed to address the roots of the countrys violence, a failure exacerbated by the governments incapacity to solve the issues of unemployment, poverty, housing shortages, corruption and terror threats.

Thus, resentment is growing against central authorities, which have managed this burgeoning discontent with a stick-and-carrot policy that has kept a tenuous peace but not addressed underlying issues.

Facing the most serious economic challenges in decades due to falling oil production and low international prices, Algeria is less and less able to substitute spending for inclusive politics and good governance.

Its strategy that helped secure peace in the 2000s  when it was still recovering from a conflict between the state and Islamist insurgents that claimed over 200,000 lives and pursuing national reconciliation  is no longer viable.

In addition, the country operates in a highly unstable region while its own stability hinges on a smooth power transition which many experts doubt, foreseeing trouble coming.
He fetched Trumps McDonalds for this? Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

First Chris Christie got cut out of the Trump transition team, and now New Jersey lawmakers wont even let him console himself by implementing some Trumpian moves at home. On Monday night, Republican and Democratic lawmakers killed legislation that would have let the governor profit from a book deal while in office, and give his cabinet officers raises, The Record reports. They also delayed legislation dubbed the newspaper revenge bill, which would have significantly cut revenue for local papers by changing how legal notices are posted.

By law, Christies only source of income is his $175,000 annual salary, but he negotiated a deal with top lawmakers to increase salaries for workers throughout the three branches of state government  including legislative aides, judges, Cabinet officers, and county prosecutors. In exchange, state ethics laws would be relaxed to allow Christie and other top officials in his administration to profit from publishing deals while in office.

Several days ago, it looked like the bill would pass, but lawmakers dropped their support following a public backlash against the proposal, which would have cost taxpayers $7.5 million in 2017 and at least $10.6 million in subsequent years, according to estimates from the Office of Legislative Services. While thats a small portion of the states nearly $35 billion budget, in light of a recent 23-cent-per-gallon gas-tax increase, the plan was poorly received.

Christie was also hoping to implement a bill that would have allowed notices required to be posted publicly  such as ads for bid opportunities and public hearings  to be published online rather than in print. The governor claimed this would save businesses $80 million per year, but did not provide data to back up that number. Newspapers disputed that number, and said the change would force them to lay off hundreds of people. NJ Advance Media said 7 percent of its profit comes from legal advertising.

Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who intends to run for governor next year, said the bill was a revenge bill and a politically motivated crackdown on the press in New Jersey. Christies office denied that characterization.

The newspaper bill will be debated next year, and its unclear if the salary bill will come up again. Supporters noted that some legislative staffers havent seen a pay increase in a decade.

For now, the legislatures failure to pass the bills is yet another defeat for Christie, who frequently touted his ability to make bipartisan compromises while he was running for president. Christie only has one year left in office owing to term limits, and he currently has an 18 percent approval rating.
The White House takes notice. Photo: Monica Jorge/NurPhoto via Getty Images

With just hours to go before the deadline to notify Congress, the White House announced its intention to transfer 17 or 18 detainees from the American prison at Guantanamo Bay.

Italy, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to resettle detainees. There are currently 59 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, but this move would leave either 41 or 42 left for Donald Trump to deal with. Of those prisoners, 10 have been charged or convicted in military trials and 27 were never charged but are still considered too dangerous to release.

This move is certain to be the last of its kind from the Obama administration. By law, the Pentagon must tell Congress at least 30 days before any transfer. With the end of Obamas tenure in the White House looming, that deadline fell on Monday.

Throughout his presidency, Obama has made the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp a major goal and policy position. Obviously, he has been unsuccessful, but he has managed to decrease the prisons population dramatically in the last eight years; when he first entered the White House there were 242 detainees being held there.

The announcement capped what was a very busy day for the president when it comes to dealing with Americas prisoners and ex-prisoners. Also on Monday, he announced the commutation of sentences for 153 prisoners, and full pardons for a further 78 people  more than doubling the number of pardons he granted during his presidency and handing down more clemency in one day than any other president in American history. While Obama still hasnt pardoned as many people as some of his predecessors, he has commuted the sentences of many more convicts than any president before him: He has granted 1,176 commutations mostly for non-violent drug offenders, including commuting 395 life sentences.

In a statement, White House counsel Neil Eggleston said that Obamas actions exemplify his belief that America is a nation of second chances.

Donald Trump has taken a remarkably different tack than the president when it comes to the controversial prison camp. Far from promising to continue Obamas efforts to shut Guantanamo down, Trump has said that he will keep it open and load it up with some bad dudes.
Dont drill baby, dont drill. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

President Obama will announce this week a plan to permanently ban offshore drilling in U.S.-owned waters in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, according to multiple reports. Obama will reportedly use a rarely invoked provision of a 1953 law that gives the president the right to prevent the sale of drilling rights in certain waters. Typically, the law is used to temporarily exempt waters from drilling. Last month, for example, Obama banned drilling in the Arctic Ocean until 2022. But Trump could easily reverse that ban.

Thats why the President is reportedly going to use a provision of the law that allows for a permeant ban on selling drilling rights. Previously, the provision had only been used protect coral reefs, walrus feeding grounds and marine sanctuaries, Bloomberg reports.

Trump would have a harder time reversing this ban, which would be made under law rather than executive action. But that doesnt mean he wouldnt try. Republicans, as you may recall, control both the House and Senate, and once Trump takes office they wont have a hard time changing laws.
Photo-Illustration: Getty Images

Before Donald Trump got elected, few Americans had heard of or paid much attention to the Emoluments Clause, a previously obscure-to-most-of-us provision in Article I of the Constitution dealing with corruption and curry-favoring at the hands of foreign governments. In the wake of his election, though, a growing chorus of voices, many of them legal experts, began debating about whether the wording of the clause could render Trump impeachable, more or less from the moment he is sworn in.

This conversation has ramped up in large part because Trump himself has insisted that should he choose to take office without divesting from his extensive, tangled business holdings  and that certainly appears to be his plan at the moment  it wont be a problem. I can be president of the United States and run my business 100 percent, sign checks on my business, Trump famously told the New York Times last month. The law is totally on my side, meaning, the president cant have a conflict of interest.

The Emoluments Clause is an important Yeah, but  response: Yes, some legal experts have argued, the president is exempt from certain federal conflict-of-interest laws that apply to other public servants. But he isnt exempt from the Emoluments Clause  if he doesnt divest, hell be violating that and could be impeached. Now, this isnt a unanimous view. Last month, for example, Maynooth University law professor Seth Barrett Tillman argued that it isnt clear the Emoluments Clause applies to elected officials like the president, as opposed to appointed ones. He also pointed out an instance in which George Washington apparently received foreign gifts without much protest from even his enemies, and, As Professor Akhil Amar has reminded us, the precedents set by President Washington and his administration deserve special deference in regard to both foreign affairs and presidential etiquette.

Last Friday, the Brookings Institute released a very helpful 23-page paper that serves as a rather forceful rebuttal to Tillmans interpretation. The authors argue that a common-sense reading of the Constitution and the relevant legal theory and history all lead to the conclusion that Trump is, in fact, subject to the Emoluments Clause, and could therefore be walking into an unusual sort of constitutional danger zone. The paper was written by a bipartisan trio of legal experts who have been active in this discussion: Norman L. Eisen, a Brookings fellow, the chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, and a former chief White House ethics lawyer under Obama; Richard Painter, a vice-chair at CREW and former chief White House lawyer under George W. Bush; and Laurence Tribe, a constitutional-law professor at Harvard.

The Emoluments Clause is found in Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution, and it reads, No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. Eisen, Painter, and Tribe devote the first half of their paper to unpacking this loaded sentence, translating it into modern-speak to establish that it indeed applies to president-elect Trump and his business dealings.

The first key question is whether the clause applies to the president or, as Tillman argued, only to appointed officials. In a footnote, the authors criticize Tillmans view that it doesnt, explaining that it is an idiosyncratic suggestion [that] is at best supported by ambiguous founding-era historical materials, [that] rests upon a strained and counterintuitive textual analysis, and [that] is flatly inconsistent with the recognized purpose of the Clause and the overwhelming thrust of modern (and historical) Executive Branch practice. In the main body, they argue that this is actually an easy question, given that the Office of Legal Counsel  the presidents lawyers  wrote in 2009 that the Office of Profit or Trust language surely applies to POTUS, and that in past instances the office has ruled similarly. To Eisen, Painter, and Tribes knowledge, they write, every time the OLC has publicly released an opinion on the question of whether the clause applies to the president, it has affirmed that, yes, it does. Plus, throughout the rest of the Constitution, the framers refer to the presidency as an office in the same way they do in the Emoluments Clause.

The authors then move on to the question of what qualifies as an emolument. Drawing on historical evidence, they explain that in the 1790s, the clauses words were understood to encompass any conferral of a benefit or advantage, whether through money, objects, titles, offices, or economically valuable waivers or relaxations of otherwise applicable requirements. So today, they write, the clause unquestionably reaches any situation in which a federal officeholder receives money, items of value, or services from a foreign state. And foreign state is defined broadly  in 1994, the OLC defined the term as encompassing not only the states themselves, but also their agents and instrumentalities, and in 2009 it determined that corporations owned or controlled by a foreign government are presumptively foreign statements under the Emoluments Clause.

In short, the Emoluments Clause covers just about any situation in which a public official profits in any way from a foreign state or such a states agents and instrumentalities. This broadness is by design: The authors argue that the entire point of the Emoluments Clause is for it to be read broadly (contra Tillmans interpretation). The framers didnt want there to be situations where the public or Congress would have to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether a given instance in which the president or another powerful official profiting from a foreign entity was, in fact, bribery or favor-currying. Thats no way to run a government: As long as such questions exist, they corrode the system and sap public confidence in government.

Which brings us to Trump. The authors write that the sorts of concerns the Emoluments Clause is designed to head off may be exacerbated in Mr. Trumps case because of how closely he has linked Donald Trump, president, to Donald Trump, magnate, during the campaign and his period as president-elect. There have already been numerous examples of Trump openly leveraging his new title in an attempt to benefit his businesses, from his wind-farm chat with Nigel Farage and his pals to a conversation with President Erdogan of Turkey (Ivanka was on it, too) in which Trump reportedly said nice things about Mehmet Ali Yalcindag, a Trump business associate in Istanbul. And just about anywhere around the world Trump is involved in business, the Brookings authors write, there is a potential Emoluments Clause violation.

Trump has been a bit all over the place in terms of his claims about what steps hell take to address these issues  recall that he was scheduled to have a press conference laying out a plan last week, but then rescheduled it. One idea floating around is that he could get himself out of potential constitutional trouble by fully handing his business  both operations and ownership stakes  off to his children. While its important to note that Trump hasnt even offered to do this (the closest hes come is talk of transferring day-to-day operations and management responsibilities), Eisen, Painter, and Tribe argue this wouldnt pass muster anyway. The Framers were familiar with the peril that could arise from lavishing benefits on the prince to win gratitude and loyalty from the King, they write. (That said, they acknowledge that the legal landscape here is foggier.)

In light of all of this, write Eisen, Painter, and Tribe, the only true solution is for Mr. Trump and his children to divest themselves of all ownership interests in the Trump business empire. That divestment process must be run by an independent third party, who can then turn the resulting assets over to a true blind trust. At this point, of course, there is zero reason to believe this will happen  even if he wanted to, its unclear whether it would even be possible for Trump to unload his sprawling, opaque empire between now and inauguration. But, even if he refuses, Congress could force his hand by passing a law requiring the president to divest from his business interests. Various parties might also be able to file lawsuits claiming that Trumps presidential/business practices put their businesses at an unfair disadvantage by forcing them to compete with POTUS. Just yesterday, for example, ThinkProgress reported that a few days after Trumps victory, the Kuwaiti embassy in D.C. canceled an event at the Four Seasons, citing political pressure to hold its National Day celebration at the Trump International Hotel instead  pressure that came from the Trump Organization itself.

Heres the big Emoluments Clause remedy, though:

[I]f Mr. Trump enters office in what would obviously constitute a knowing and indeed intentional violation of the Emoluments Clause and then declines to cure that violation during his tenure, Congress would be well within its rights to impeach him for engaging in high crimes and misdemeanors. This would not require any evidence of provable bribes or other specific malfeasance, since the whole aim and theory of the Emoluments Clause is that the President (among others) is not lawfully permitted to order his private dealings with foreign powers such that they are vulnerable to systemic, invidious, undetectable corruption. So long as Mr. Trump persists in doing so, Congress would have a plainly valid basis under the Constitution for concluding he cannot serve in officeboth as a matter of first principles and given evidence that at least one prominent leader in the ratification process [Edmund Jennings Randolph] saw violations of this Clause as grounds for impeachment.

Of course, that doesnt mean Trump will be impeached. Republicans control Congress now, and, barring some very unusual events, they will have zero incentive to engage in the please-primary-me-now exercise of impeaching a president their partys base voted into power. But still, you never know: Should Trumps popularity slip low enough, or should some new scandal engulf him, maybe the political calculus will change, too.

But even if that never happens, Trumps potential impeachability will make for a very strange dynamic. When this guillotine might fall is a matter of political more than legal calculation, and is thus beyond the scope of our analysis, write the authors. Likewise, just how the ongoing prospect of such an ignominious end to a Trump presidency would embolden his political adversaries at home and abroad, and undermine his legitimacy in the eyes of the American public and global community, is impossible to predict. If their legal analysis is correct, we appear headed toward an unpresidented situation.
A child being evacuated from Aleppo. Photo: Ebu Eymen/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution for monitors to oversee the ongoing mass evacuations from Aleppo and neighboring villages in Syria, part of a complex people-swapping deal. Thousands and thousands are still awaiting their chance to escape Aleppo as President Bashar al-Assad shuttled in selfie-stick-carrying tourists in a crass attempt to feign normalcy in the worn-torn city.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday, buses were rolling again out of eastern Aleppo, ferrying civilians, fighters, and their families to the relative safety of rebel-held areas. At least 5,000 civilians left on 75 buses on Monday, reports The Guardian, with another convoy of 25 buses ready to leave. Since Thursday, more than 13,000 have been safely evacuated, though upwards of 7,000 remain trapped in Aleppo.

The evacuation of Aleppo is just part of an intricate compromise negotiated by Russia and Turkey that will see fighters and civilians loyal to President Bashar al-Assad given safe passage from the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya  predominantly Shiite villages that have been under attack by Sunni rebels  in exchange for rebel fighters, their families, and civilians being transported out of Aleppo to rebel-held territory on the outskirts. If the agreement goes as planned, thousands of people will be moved.

As of Monday evening, only about 500 of the 4,000 Shiite villagers had been evacuated.

But the precarious deal looked likely to fall apart before it even got started after bearded gunmen  presumed to be al-Qaeda-linked insurgents  set upon a convoy of buses leaving the Shiite villages in the neighboring province of Idlib on Sunday afternoon, setting at least five of them ablaze.

Leaked video of FatehAlsham (JabhatAlnusra) as they burned the buses.#A24 pic.twitter.com/oAsZeqF7uI  Aleppo24 (@24Aleppo) December 18, 2016

When the buses intended for Assad loyalists were attacked, all other evacuations stopped, stranding refugees on their way out of Aleppo.

After hours of waiting and uncertainty, the evacuees finally began to move again, with five full buses and one ambulance successfully leaving Aleppo just after midnight on Sunday night. Evacuations of the Shiite towns have also recommenced, but thousands are waiting for their chance out.

First limited evacuations, finally, tonight from East Aleppo and Foua & Kefraya. Many thousands more are waiting to be evacuated soon.  Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) December 18, 2016

On Monday, evacuations continued throughout the day with thousands being ferried to relative safety. Among the evacuees from Aleppo were 47 children who had been trapped in an orphanage in the city. According to UNICEF, some of the children were in critical condition by the time they were able to escape the city.

Seven-year-old Bana Alabed, whose pleas for help on Twitter as his home was bombarded by air strikes made him something of a poster child for the destruction in Aleppo, was also saved.

I escaped from East #Aleppo. - Bana  Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) December 19, 2016

Also on Monday, rebels announced that two new areas had been added to the deal, with civilians and fighters waiting to escape the rebel-held towns of Zabadani and Madaya along the Lebanon border.

The evacuations are the final step in what will be Assads total victory in Aleppo. Rebels had been able to hold out for years in the eastern neighborhoods of one of Syrias largest cities, but, in recent weeks, have come under ever more brutal bombardment from Assad and his allies in the Russian air force. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has described the city as a synonym for hell.

Diplomats also made some progress on Monday, with Russia backing a United Nations Security Council plan to send monitors to observe the evacuations in Aleppo. The resolution, which passed unanimously Monday, will allow for those monitors to work with the many factions on the ground  from Assads pro-government coalition to the rebels, which include extremist groups  and report on the Aleppo evacuations. Its an imperfect deal: Russia had promised to veto a French resolution calling for the United Nations to oversee the evacuations. Instead, monitors will have to depend on the disparate groups to gain access.

Discussing the agreement, the French ambassador Francois Delattre referenced one of the most notorious massacres in modern times. This would give us collectively the tools to avoid another Srebrenica, he said.

Meanwhile, in a bizarre attempt to show the world that Aleppo  now just a ruin of what was recently one of the Middle Easts most vital metropolises  is returning to normal, President Assads government bussed in tourists. They were photographed standing in the blown-apart wasteland, smiling and using selfie sticks.
Ambulance and police cars are seen outside a Muslim prayer hall, central Zurich, on December 19, 2016, after three people were injured by gunfire. Photo: Michael Buholzer/AFP/Getty Images

A gunman, dressed in black, burst into a mosque shortly after 5 p.m. Monday in Zurich, Switzerland, opening fire on a group of worshippers, mostly of Somalian and Eritrean descent. At least three men were injured, two seriously, but all are now in stable condition.

The suspect fled after the attack, but police said Tuesday that his body had been found under a bridge, only a few hundred meters from the mosque. The gunman, who was a 24-year-old Swiss citizen of Ghanian descent, appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

TOPSHOT - Swiss police officers hold a blanket to cover a dead body found near a Muslim prayer hall, central Zurich, on December 19, 2016, after three people were injured by gunfire. Photo: MICHAEL BUHOLZER/AFP/Getty Images

Authorities do not yet know the motive for the attack, but do not believe the gunman had ties to ISIS or another terror group, nor was motivated by Islamic extremism. Instead, Zurich police chief Christiane Lentjes Meili said the shooter appeared to have an interest in the occult, after corresponding symbols have been found at his home.

Police had been searching for the mosque shooter prior to the attack because he was wanted for his ties to a separate fatal stabbing over the weekend. DNA evidence reportedly tied the gunman to the body of a 25-year-old Swiss man of South American descent who was knifed to death in a playground. The victim allegedly knew his killer; they were estranged acquaintances.

The man had been arrested as a teen for stealing a bike, but hadnt had any recent trouble with police. He had a permit for the firearm used in the mosque attack.
A document containing examples of permitted and prohibited Facebook comments. Photo: international.sueddeutsche.de

Leaked documents posted by German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung appear to show the thorny guidelines established by Facebook for removing content from its platform. The guidelines, which Facebook provides to third-party content-moderation contractors, mostly pertain to original sharing  status updates, photos, and so on. They dont concern outbound links (in other words, nothing on fake news). Its unclear how old the guidelines are. Weve reached out to Facebook to confirm their legitimacy and find out when they were created.

Broadly speaking, Facebook does not permit attacks on what they call protected categories. These categories include sex, religious affiliation, national origin, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and disability. According to the English translation of the article, there is some wiggle room: while members of religious groups are protected, religion itself is not. The same applies to countries. While speaking badly about France or Germany is allowed in general, condemning people on the basis of their nationality is not.

Diagrams and practice exercises for controversial statuses provide some examples of what is and is not permitted. The status Fucking Muslims! is not allowed, while the status Fucking migrants! is.

There is also distinction between stances and insults. Migrants are scum! violates Facebook policies, but Asylum seekers out! does not.

It appears that broad attacks on personal traits are not allowed, but specificity makes things permissible. The status Dont trust boys! violates Facebooks terms, but writing Dont trust boys who say they love you is within the bounds of the policy.

These rules do not apply to public individuals, defined as people elected to public office, with more than 100,000 social-media followers, media personalities, and people who appear in news reports frequently.

Showing bodily functions such as urination and menstruation operates on a sliding scale. If the content is meant to humiliate the subject, then it gets deleted. It can stay up if there is no bullying context or if it concerns a public figure. One absolutely perfect section of the leaks contains photos of Fergie and Owen Wilson peeing and Harry Styles puking as illustrations of permitted content.

The general rule is that bullying is not allowed. The leaked guidelines explicitly prohibit ranking private individuals based on physical appearance or personality. If thats the case, then Facebook is going to be livid when they hear about how Facebook started.
Rob Kardashian and Scott Disick had some thoughts on how Blac Chyna, pictured, should give birth. Photo: E!

In what is hopefully the final chapter of the Rob Kardashian Jr. and Angela Blac Chyna White story in the year of 2016, the couples long-awaited birth special aired on E!. As always, this episode was the generic store brand version of its ruler, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.



Plus, last nights episode was like pouring fresh hot water over the used teabag of this past weekends Snapchat and Instagram drama. As of right now, the new parents are not together, and Chyna moved everything out of their new shared home, which is owned by Kylie Jenner. This baby special, in which Rob and Chyna are sweeter than a seven-year-old cavity, is like watching someone go to Disneyland for the first time after privately being told this person has two hours to live.

In a very quick montage of stolen glances, quick kisses, and produced giggles, Rob and Chyna reminisce about their tumultuous past the world saw on the first season of Rob & Chyna. Now, though, theyre happier and healthier than ever as they prepare to finally welcome their newborn daughter into the world. Rob claims to be diabetes-free (his doctor must have been using a candy cane and a Jolly Rancher as a stethoscope, because this is impossible), business is apparently booming (sure it is), and hes looking to find a new home for his family.

There is one major concern looming over the happy couple, and thats a VBAC. Rob took the liberty to explain to us that VBAC stands for vaginal birth after cesarean. As a first-time father and all-around scrub, he absolutely does not want Chyna to have another C-section because it will lower her chances of birthing more children. Now, Im no doctor, nor have I produced anyones child, but Robs treating a C-section like it would mean opening the door to the past and giving birth in the 1800s without medical assistance. Also, honey child, Rob, let this woman do whats best for her body and her baby. Still, they invite a VBAC specialist to their home for a tutorial on how to labor in preparation for a vaginal delivery. Everyone sits on the floor, and the specialist gets comfy on all fours as she rocks her body back and forth while moaning, simulating contractions. Rob and Chyna are holding back laughter, and Chyna rubs Robs crotch to make sure hes not too excited.

Later, Chyna shows Rob mood boards for the babys nursery. Rob likes the gray-and-white theme Chynas picked out, but thinks it will look best in his home, or a new home. Chyna insists that shes not moving, which is the punch line of the episode. For the moment, Rob puts the issue aside.

With a friend named B, Chyna visits a specialist to get 4-D sonograms of her baby. I guess the sonograms are cute? Much like a regular sonogram, the baby looks like a baby in utero, but has her tongue out. This tickles Chyna, so she FaceTimes Kris Jenner. Kris, whos with Kourtney, immediately picks up. Kris and Kourtney love the sonograms. Kourtney tells Chyna that she must keep them forever, and Kris says shell make one her screensaver. Though shes had quite a hard time with the Jenner family, Chyna still thinks of Kris as a second mother. Chyna says that Kris helps her with everything from health insurance to her personal life. Plus, she still calls Kris Miss Kris, which is simply legendary.

That night, Chyna hosts her mom, Tokyo Toni, her best friend from back home, Treasure, and a group of other friends clad in leopard-print onesies. Theyre ready to turn up before Chyna and Robs official baby shower, which is happening sometime in the near future. Rob also pops in wearing a red, form-fitting onesie and a genuine smile. With him is a man who is never fully in frame, though its clear hes wearing a large piece of neck jewelry that may have a clock on it. No, he is not Flavor Flav. But, because of his proximity to Rob, he could be the man overheard in Robs Snapchats last Saturday after Chyna stole his food. I would like to think thats him.

Chyna, Rob, and their friends have some drinks outside, but Chyna tries to put Tokyo Toni to bed early before her mood gets out of control. Especially since tensions will run high once Toni and Kris come face-to-face for the first time in years. The two met a few years ago, but once Kylie and Tyga started dating, Toni lost her cool online and said some pretty hateful things toward Kylie and her family.

Treasure asks if Chynas anxious for Kris and Toni to meet. Chynas not, but hopes her mother can practice restraint and lay off of social media.

While Los Angeless finest jewels Chyna and Treasure talk about Toni, Rob is at his house talking to Scott about C-sections. After making a weird race joke comparing Chyna to Robs oversize black-swan pool toy, Scott wastes no time in telling Rob that he should urge Chyna to deliver vaginally. Just the two men Chyna should take birthing advice from! Yet and still, Rob agrees with Scott and decides to continue pushing Chyna to have a VBAC.

Aside from talking to one of the most subpar dads in Southern California, Rob hires a group of dudes to go to a shooting range with him. He claims that these are his friends with kids, but Id love to see an exclusive cut of Rob naming these men one by one, telling the camera exactly how he knows them and relaying their childrens names. The only person Rob has maybe met before is Eddie, who tells him not to pressure Chyna into moving while shes pregnant. Eddies a good man. First, he doesnt mind holding a conversation over the ricocheting bullets, and second, he tells it like it straight-up is. Eddie even tries to place himself in Chynas shoes and almost has the wind knocked out of him when he imagines moving while in his third trimester, or even worse, going into labor when everything isnt even moved in.

While Rob plays with strangers and bullets, Chyna makes her way to her baby shower in a party bus surrounded by her friends, Toni, and King. At the shower, Scott is the only Kardashian/Jenner representative available. Rob mentions that this is only because the rest of his family is in Paris for Fashion Week. Theres no mention of Kims robbery, though. The highlight of the shower: a young white, parentless boy, who tells Chyna that her mom is dancing her life out.

Back at Chynas house, she has a heart-to-heart with her mom before welcoming her first daughter. Toni thinks Chyna should set the same ground rules that she did, which include not partying or turning up with her child. Chyna looks very confused  every time weve seen Toni on our television screens, she has been either partying or turning up with her child. When Chyna points out her hypocrisy, Toni just says no. They two also talk about Tonis behavior around Kris, once they finally meet again. Toni doesnt think therell be an issue if Kris behaves, because Toni only goes off when its deserved. Basically, this conversation is a bottomless pit of nothing.

Its getting closer to Chynas delivery date, and shes found out that shell have to have a C-section. Like King, this baby hasnt dropped, so she cant deliver vaginally. Rob treats this news like Chyna told her both she and the baby would need open-heart surgery. There is one real complication with the C-section, though, and thats the number of people allowed in the room as the surgery is happening. This decision requires a visit to Miss Kriss house.

Miss Kris is at her house and she looks fabulous. Simply lounging in Adidas track pants, a bodysuit, and Yeezys, she welcomes her guests with open arms. Well, except for Toni. She stands still, arms to her side, as Toni slides past her. After being grossed out by the details of a C-section, Kris calls Dr. Crane to ask if both she and Toni can be in the room while Chynas under the knife. He gives her a quick no, telling them that theyll have to pick a grandma. Graciously, Toni allows Kris to be in the room. Kris calls Toni selfless for this act of love.

A few days after their visit with Miss Kris, Rob and Chyna make their way to the hospital for her C-section. Chyna cant stop crying because shes anxious about the surgery, and everyone tries to calm her nerves. Miss Kris arrives in full glam and a skintight jumpsuit. Corey Gamble, whose face is blurred, is also there. I cant help wondering if hes allowed his likeness to be used only on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but I bet its because he forgot to sign a release.

Everyone cries as Chyna is wheeled into surgery, and since the room is so small, Kris Jenner acts as cameraperson and producer. Via a graphic on the bottom of the screen, were told its Kriss footage, but the film quality is no different from the rest of the episode, and shes in multiple shots. We may never know how she pulled this off, but Im thankful for her service. After some blurry glances of Chynas open abdomen, baby Dream Kardashian is born. Theres no A Baby Story reveal of her full name, weight, time of birth, or DOB, but she sure is a cutie. Rob cuts her umbilical cord, and shes placed on Chynas chest. In their confessionals, Rob sheds a tear over his new baby girl, and Kris calls this the start of a new beginning.

Im very happy that Cedars-Sinai maintains its strict OR visitor limit, because even Khloe got a turn at being a producer and camera op while visiting baby Dream. Shes mostly unseen, but shes definitely heard. Like Kris, Khloes filming skills are impeccable. She has a steady hand and knows to ask Rob questions to get great sound-bites about how much he loves being a dad. These people are machines.

Once Chyna is out of surgery, Kourtney and Scott visit the baby. Kourtney just now realizes that Dream is the first Kardashian of the new generation, and shes shook. Kim and Kanye West FaceTime the family. Like everyone else, Kim thinks she looks just like Rob.

To wrap up the episode, Scott reminisces about all of his family members being born on this floor in the hospital. The first flashback shown, though, is Kylie Jenners birth. Bundle up, its shady in Calabasas.
Vienna, Austria. Photo: Sylvain SONNET/Getty Images

Ah, New Years Eve: a time for Champagne, drunken midnight kisses, and police distributing pocket alarms to women due to previous instances of excessive harassment by men. At least thats what this New Years will look like for women in Vienna, Austria.

Officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Vienna police will be handing out shrill alarms to women at a popular New Years Eve venue. The alarms are meant as a precaution against the types of attacks against women that occurred last year in Cologne, Germany. During the 2016 New Years celebrations in Cologne, at least 100 women were assaulted or robbed  including a plainclothes policewoman who reported being assaulted  after approximately 1,000 men gathered in the streets.

Austrias Interior Ministry spokesperson, Karl-Heinz Grundboeck, told the AP that the alarm devices will be handed out at entry points of the Sylvesterpfad part of Vienna, which is a route that goes through the inner city and is full of musical performances and other events. The area is reportedly visited by hundreds of thousands of people.
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I really dislike Bridget Jones' Diary, but Helen Fielding's list of faves is actually cool

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The first book is better than the second but it's an average book.

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I love it but not for the plot, but probably hard to shake bc I read it when I was 12 and it had a major influence on the way I text/write comments (esp the way Bridget abbreviates words, at this point that's been a thing I've been doing for more than half my life)



Def going to check out the Rowling and French recs tho, they have never led me wrong on their taste in books.



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this is me, I say everything- v good, v excited, v nice

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Hey girl!



Have you ever read Diary of a Provincial Lady by EM Delafield? It's great - published between wars if I'm not mistaken. Fielding filched her writing style wholesale from that book (and the sequels), not even kidding. Pretty sure it influenced Sophie Kinsella quite a bit too. It's very charming, I like the Provincial Lady (she is not named) more than Bridget

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Reading The Name of the Rose by Eco but.. Mwoh.

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aw. i read it a looong time ago, but really loved it.

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I read another book by him and was sorely disappointed but told that this one I should really read. I feel like the detective is like a minor minor plot, an excuse to describe a shit ton of history.

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My Name is Red is a much more interesting take on the same premise, in my opinion. But there are parts of Rose that I really love, mainly the end.

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a man never has to think twice about the gender of genius



I love Zadie. So well put.

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im reading potter for the first time (ive seen all the movies) and holy shit, i cant believe all the good things they cut from the movies and the dumbing down of hermoine while not showing how awful of a wizard harry is. weak little prick. kill it with fire! that being said, it's SO awesome reading them. they def get better book by book.

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Dumbing down Ron is more like it.

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nah. hermonie is absolutely brilliant in the book and the extent she goes to solve all this shit isnt shown in the movies at all. she does everything while harry just uses the knowledge she's given him.

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The movies didn't really dumb him down, in a way, they kind of made him more silly, more of a comedic side-kick than anything of value. And less caring of his friends. Like in the books he stands up for Hermione. In the movies he doesn't. It's strange, and it annoyed me a lot.

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You're absolutely right.

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I hate what Kloves did to Ron. He completely threw him under the bus and made Harry/Hermione seem like they had more of a romantic connection than she and Ron did. It's total BS.

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Harry survived because of the people he surrounded himself with, especially Hermoine. You will also see how much Michael Gambon's Dumbledore is the fucking worst even if Dumbledore himself was actually selfish and awful. And I say this as someone who LOVES Dumbledore. The only character they got right n the movies was Snape. Wait until you get to The Halfblood Prince. They cut out Voldemort's backstory completely.

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Just reread Order of the Phoenix and then watched the film, and yeah, I had forgotten how different movie Hermione is from book Hermione. Book Hermione is so much more interesting and multidimensional.

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This is why I always felt that the first two movies got way too much slack. Everything was left in, and the characters felt much more true to their book counterparts. Then from the 3rd one on it's like everything started deviating from the books. Characters, backstories... It was unfortunate because I thought the last two movies were great, but it seemed like so much of it wouldn't make sense to people who hadn't read the books.

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The books are so much better than the movies. Wait till you get to HBP and see how much that FUCKED that adaption.





(I am still bitter.)

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Gods, there are so many million books in the world.

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That's all I can think of whenever I come to these posts tbh

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I'm actually disappointed that there is no way that i'll ever be able to read all the books I want to read.



Like... my to-read list increased by 100 this year and I only read 50 books.

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One of the reasons I slowed down adding and am solely reading from it now.

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This is why I never finish books that I'm not enjoying. Life is short and I've got a long TBR

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I'm reading The Bookshop on the Corner and while I've only read one chapter so far, I enjoy it. It speaks to the librarian in me



Nina Redmond is a librarian with a gift for finding the perfect book for her readers. But can she write her own happy-ever-after? In this valentine to readers, librarians, and book-lovers the world over, the New York Times-bestselling author of Little Beach Street Bakery returns with a funny, moving new novel for fans of Meg Donohue, Sophie Kinsella, and Nina Georges The Little Paris Bookshop.

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nice! I have that book on my kindle! never read anything by the author



also have you read that Nina George book? I've seen mixed reviews but I'd like your opinion



Edited at 2016-12-20 09:16 pm (UTC)

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I haven't read Nina George's book yet. It sounds interesting and I may check it out after this book.

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omg i kinda wanna read this

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Yasss i wanna read this!!

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I love reading other people's favorite books, I end up putting a bunch of them on my to-read list.



I'm currently reading A Christmas Carol for the first time.

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I've spent the weekend trying to find a good contemporary romance novel to read and holy shit, it's a desert out there. In one of the books I tried, the hero literally rapes the heroine in the first chapter (Truth or Beard, by Penny Reid, in case you were curious).



Please hit me up with recs, ONTD.

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Unsticky, if my memory serves me right.

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I looked it up, but that... does not sound like a plot I would like, sorry. I mean, it sounds like the guy hires her as a long-term fancy prostitute?



Edited at 2016-12-20 08:59 pm (UTC)

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Cora Carmack has written some contemporary romance. One is called Losing It and another is called Faking It. They're funny and awkward and properly angsty like a contemporary romance should be.



Have you tried The Hating Game yet? People either love or hate that one

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The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

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Julie James. I like her standalones more but her FBI/Attorney series is cute too

I like Jill Shalvis and Kristan Higgins too, but i havent read them in awhile

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I'll second the Mariana Zapata rec. I've loved the majority of her books. Kulti is very good as well.



I also recommend How to Kill a Rock Star and God-Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo.

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I just read It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, and it is so good, highly recommend.

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Romance can be so dodgy. I haven't read a rape before that's horrifying,but SO MUCH infantilisation of women in that genre. Where the men know what's best for them and go about enforcing it upon them in the most abusive way possible.



I quite like romance to have an interesting subplot like spy's or something but those seem to be the worst offenders.

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https://parentheticalaside.tumblr.com/post/147483129399/romance-novels



I personally like Victoria Dahl's books in terms of contemporary.



My friend reads a lot of romance and here is some that she suggested. If you look under her romance/ romance novel tag, you'll find a ton of great stuff!I personally like Victoria Dahl's books in terms of contemporary.

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everyone and their mother has read this one already, but i liked fangirl.

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I love Sarra Manning's early romance novels but I see they got recced already :) I also balked at Unsticky at first because of the age gap/plot but it's literally the only romance novel I've ever read that actually handles that kind of relationship well.



I also really liked The Hating Game, it's super cute. Ontd did me a solid, reccing that one.



(btw this is am absolutely genius book post idea, two thumbs up)

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I read Love Show by Audrey Bell and it's NA though but it's SO.GOOD. Honestly. I love it.

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It's a bit sad that I haven't had much time to read in these past few months. I started university this autumn and have been really busy because of that and I've also noticed that when you stare at textbooks and Power Point presentations all day, you don't really feel like reading anything when you get home. Does that happen to anyone else? But I'm on holiday now and promised to myself that I would read as many books as I can during it. Just finished Order of the Phoenix today and I'll think I'll move on to Deathly Hallows next.

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For me it helped to set aside time for reading. I read the whole asoiaf series when I was a senior in college, I just read a few chapters in bed right before I went to sleep

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I should probably do that too. I either binge read a book in a day or it takes me three months to finish it because I don't feel like it.

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definitely, during uni i binged on books during all holidays to compensate, if i read during term it was most lighter books (in my native language) that were easy to immerse myself in, maybe try that?

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I actually feel more like reading something for fun, but it makes me guilty to "waste" time I could use to read/write for school :/

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Yes, though I sort of ignored it in college because I was an English major and did a lot of reading anyway -- just not stuff I would have specifically chosen. I find I read a lot less now that I'm in the working world. I have less energy than I did when I was younger and I'm exhausted when I get home and often can only get through like 5 pages of something before falling asleep.

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God Wolf Hall is one of the most boring books I've ever voluntarily picked up



I've been picking up books and reading them halfway through then putting them back down  One more book til I reach my Goodreads goal though!

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I was a bit underwhelmed by Wolf Hall. Bring Up the Bodies is much better, in my opinion.



Now, if you really want to be bored by a Mantel book, try A Place of Greater Safety.

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lol, I found wolf hall super boring but a place of greater safety is one of my all time favourite books!

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Wolf Hall pissed me off because it's like, how fucking hard is it to make it clear who's speaking.

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I'm reading Suite for Barbara Loden by Nathalie Leger. It's very short but I'm having a hard time getting through it, not because it's bad but because it's slow and contemplative. It's a weird meta book, it's about how the author was asked to write a small piece for an encyclopedia on Barbara Loden's only film as a director, Wanda, and then she got obsessed with it and with Barbara Loden herself and ended up writing this novella on her. And parts of it are fictionalized. I feel like people wouldn't like it if they hadn't seen Wanda but I was glancing at some reviews and apparently people who haven't seen the movie LOVE it to death.

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Also, I love that Marlon James picked a Jane Austen novel as his favourite classic. There are so many men out there who think they are too good to read Austen, as if it would threaten their masculinity, it's really annoying



4 for you, Marlon

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This makes me wanna read his book, lol.

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ia, that stood out to me too.

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Yeah, I had a friend in high school who said that he couldn't 'relate' to books written by women, especially Jane Austen. But he thought Hemingway was a genius and recommended his books to me. If you can't (read: won't) relate to Austen, why should I be expected to relate to Hemingway?

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so true. i'm in a university program with a lot of people who like to think they are really progressive (either correctly or incorrectly) and when we read pride & prejudice two years ago all of the guys said they didn't like it and it was too "domestic" and i was like no, it's just sexism...

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I actually understand what JK is trying to say here. Has anybody read the book she's recommending?

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Yes, it's an amazing book. Roddy Doyle is great anyway, but this book had me in tears.

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ive enjoyed pretty much every R Dooyle book ive read and I love this one, even though it's so sad

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I have, and I completely agree with her. I think these days the general opinion probably would be that it's not his place to write this kind of book, but it's absolutely masterful.

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The Mothers is at the top of my list!

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i just finished the corrections by jonathan franzen, and I'm honestly baffled, it was so hyped I had big expectations, but it was crap (literally even)...



though I guess easily immersed in, which how i got through over 600 pages of it.

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I haaated The Corrections. So pompous and boring. Toss it in the fire.

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i just... i finished it yesterday & don't get what point was? i must have missed it bc for me it was 600 pages of big words and nothing?

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There are few places on earth as geothermal-friendly as the island nation of Iceland, with 25 percent of its total electricity production coming from geothermal facilities. So it makes sense that Iceland is now the stage for a joint attempt by Statoil and The Iceland Deep Drilling Project to drill the worlds deepest geothermal borehole.

The drilling, which began in August, has already reached depths of 4,500 meters, with a stated aim of hitting 5 kilometers before the end of the year. At that depth, the extreme pressure and heat of over 500 degrees Celsius (932 Farenheit) is expected to create supercritical steam, a substance that is neither liquid nor gas and holds the potential to create 10 times the energy of a conventional geothermal well.

But drilling what is being dubbed the worlds hottest hole does not come without risks. A similar attempt in 2009 ended in disaster, with the drilling team hitting magma at a depth of 2.1 kilometers, destroying the drill string and sending thick clouds of smoke and steam rushing back to the surface. This time around, the geologists are once again drilling blind, unable to examine exactly what type of rock they are passing through. But so far it has gone smoothly, and with only a few hundred meters left to go, the team appears confident that they will reach their goal.

Related: U.S. Solar Boom Continues: 1MW Installed Every 32 Minutes

While Iceland and its world record breaking borehole may be at the forefront of geothermal progress, the rest of the world appears intent on catching up. Kenya has been rapidly expanding the use of geothermal energy recently, with around half of its national grid now geothermally powered and a new major power plant set to be operational by 2018. In Indonesia, a Japanese funded team is developing a plant that, once completed, is set to be the worlds largest single geothermal power station.

(Click to enlarge)

With a geothermal renaissance clearly underway, the global impact of Icelands latest foray into the unknown could be enormous. Wilfred Elders, a geologist at the University of California, claims that Potential sites for supercritical geothermal resources occur worldwide and energy companies across the globe will be eager to capitalize on these sites should the worlds hottest hole produce the expected results. Its certainly a space for energy enthusiasts to watch closely.

By Josh Owens of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Teslas CEO Elon Musk to his Strategic and Policy Forum. Musk was also invited to a special meeting with the President-elect, a Tech Summit, at Trump Tower, last week. Further piquing the medias curiosity, Musk was said to have been invited to another, much more intimate meting, with Trump and Apples CEO Tim Cook after the summit.

Political and business observers seem to be unanimous about the significance of these moves by Trump. Firstly, Musks appointment to the advisory body and his participation in the Tech Summit underline the importance of Tesla, SpaceX and Musks solar business in the respective industries.

Secondly, it looks like Donald Trump is indeed keeping an open mind on climate change, as he stated in an interview for the New York Times.

Thirdly, and perhaps more importantly, the move demonstrates that job creation is indeed a top priority for the future administration  Musk has a brilliant track record as an employer, having created 30,000 jobs already, 25,000 of which have been in the U.S., and planning to add another 3,000 soon to its Fremont car factory.

The implications of Musks appointment, however, are much more far-reaching. In fact, the attention given him by the President-elect and his transition team suggests that Trump is ready to make peace with the renewables industry despite what he said more than once about climate change on the campaign trail.

The truth, which the President-elect seems to be aware of, is that there is no going back on electric vehicles. The fact that he invited Musk to his Tech Summit is a demonstration of this awareness. Whatever Trumps stance on fossil fuels, he seems to have realized EVs have their own place in the larger scheme of things, especially in light of his pledge to help the U.S. tech business keep going with the incredible innovation.

The fact that as part of this incredible innovation Teslas Model 3 alone can take out 300,000 bpd of gasoline from U.S. daily demand by 2035 seems to be of no concern. First, 2035 is far in the future and second, until then the energy industry will be sure to have found a way to cope with the EV trend. Related: Trumps Oil Price Dilemma

The EV revolution is being led by four companies in the U.S.  Tesla, Uber, Alphabet, and Apple. All four CEOs were at the Tech Summit. Its unlikely that Donald Trump or his team are unaware that Alphabet just spun off its self-driving electric car project into a separate company, Waymo; that Uber is already offering ride-sharing services using EVs in London; and that Apple is working on its own EV, the iCar.

These are developments that could represent the meeting point between two of Trumps priorities: supporting business in general and the mining industry specifically.

The EV revolution will boost demand for lithium like nothing else, whatever skeptics are saying. Government support for this revolution will make this demand boost all the greater. In short, its a win-win situation for all parties concerned, and the green energy lobby could allow itself a small sigh of relief that maybe Trumps presidency will not turn the U.S. into Fossil Fuel Hell on earth.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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With the rebound in oil prices underway and the astronomic costs stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the rear view mirror, BP is once again looking to make large investments.

In just the past few days, BP announced a rash of deals in different parts of the world, signaling the British oil majors intent to grow after several years of shrinking. Over the course of three days, BP announced a $2.2 billion expansion of its existing facility in Abu Dhabi, as well as a nearly $1 billion investment in natural gas fields off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal. Bloomberg calculates that BP has spent $3.8 billion on acquisitions in 2016, the highest tally in four years.

BPs CEO Bob Dudley finds himself in an unfamiliar position  the CEO of a growing company. He took the helm shortly after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, which saw nearly a dozen workers killed and nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, he has been cutting costs and selling off assets in order to pay an army of lawyers and court fees. Ultimately, years of litigation and fines cost BP more than $50 billion, and it is much smaller company than it used to be.

The shrinking of BP occurred at a time when oil prices traded above $100 per barrel. But the crash of oil prices in 2014 meant that even with the costs of the 2010 disaster mostly accounted for, BP had to undertake a new round of cuts.

Now, for the first time in more than a half decade, BP will expand investments around the globe. Its time for BP to start growing, Dudley told Bloomberg TV. Weve walked through so many difficulties in the U.S. that I think the company now is well-positioned for growth. Related: These Nations Lead The Renewables Revolution

The British major has been on a bit of spending spree lately. The Abu Dhabi investment will allow the company to increase production by 160,000 barrels per day to a project that already produces 95,000 bpd. Off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal, BP will spend $916 million and become the operator of a project that will produce gas that could ultimately be exported, adding West Africa to a growing number of regions supplying the global gas market. BP will work with Kosmos Energy, from which it acquired stakes in the project. Bob Dudley said that he believes the project along with the support of the Mauritanian and Senegalese governments brings together all the elements needed to create a new LNG hub in Africa.

The latest deals come after a handful of other high-profile spending decisions. BP just purchased a 10 percent stake in Enis Zohr gas field off the coast of Egypt, the largest discovery ever recorded in the Mediterranean. Related: Could Tillerson Open Up The Russian Arctic For Exxon Again?

Also, shortly after the OPEC deal, BP announced that it was moving forward with phase 2 of its Mad Dog prospect, a $9 billion offshore drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico. Back in July the company gave the greenlight to expand its Tangguh LNG export facility in Indonesia, a move that could cost $8 billion.

Several of the moves have one thing in common: natural gas. BPs investments in West Africa, offshore Egypt, and Indonesia are all long-term bets on natural gas. The strategy is similar to Royal Dutch Shell, with its more than $50 billion takeover of BG Group, a company that had huge natural gas assets in Australia and East Africa. BP and Shell are diversifying into gas, a strategy that assumes the world will depend less on coal and more on gas over the decades to come.

Even as BP steps up spending on a wave of new drilling, the company expects to be cash flow neutral next year if oil prices average $50 to $55 per barrel. In fact, much of the oil and gas industry is on sounder financial footing than at any time in the past few years. The IEA noted in its December Oil Market Report that the U.S. shale industry became roughly cash flow neutral in the third quarter of 2016 for the first time ever.

With oil prices rebounding, BP and others see brighter days ahead.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com
Brazils Petrobras and partners produced their billionth barrel of oil from presalt fields this month. Underlining one of the biggest shifts to happen this decade in global crude output.

And news yesterday suggests we may be about to see another mega-shift in energy. In the worldwide natural gas business.

That was a deal struck by petro-major BP. Which is spending nearly a billion dollars to get into projects in an unexpected part of the world: western Africa.

BP said it has reached an agreement to buy stakes in development projects in Senegal and Mauritania. Which the major is acquiring from junior developer Kosmos Energy, in exchange for $162 million cash  and subsequent payment of $754 million in appraisal and development expenses.

Thats a big outlay for BP. But the prize on the western African licenses is commensurate  with Kosmos recently-discovered Tortue field in Mauritania holding a currently-estimated 15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

In fact, BP said it believes the complete acreage acquired under this deal could hold up to 50 trillion cubic feet. And those big numbers have the major eying the region as the worlds newest center for natural gas development.

BPs chief executive officer Bob Dudley summed up these ambitions succinctly. Saying the company is looking to create a new LNG hub in Africa. One which he noted will be supported by low production costs and advantaged access to global gas markets. Related: Rosneft To Ramp Up Global Expansion Under Trump

Indeed, as the map below shows, Mauritania is well-located for shipping LNG to key markets in South America and Europe. Markets that are distant from much of the Asia-focused LNG production building taking place in countries like Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Mauritania (red peg) is located close to LNG consumers in Europe and South America

BP may thus be pioneering a new world order for natural gas. Zeroing in on new markets at a time when much of the focus has shifted to Asia.

That could be very good news for the West Africa energy complex. Helping to spur infrastructure development and investor confidence here. Watch for results from BPs development drilling planned for 2017, and for further news on timing of development plans in this critical area.

Heres to seeing the future.

By Dave Forest

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Last week, a committee of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors voted to make a seismic change to the way it approaches high schools and middle schools. The rest of Milwaukee needs to get behind this effort with vocal (not to mention monetary) support.

The headline-grabbing part of the news is a change to the calendar, using a Department of Public Instruction-granted waiver to switch all high schools, almost all current year-round schools, and five "true" middle schools to the International Baccalaureate calendar that starts several weeks ahead of the September 1 date mandated by state law. School would end before Memorial Day in May.

But the real change is less glitzy but vastly more important: Low-performing students will be spending more time in school.

I endorsed this idea a while back, celebrating district Superintendent Darienne Driver for this and other proposals. I even braved sub-zero windchills to testify in person last week. The gist of my testimony was firmly grounded in my experience teaching the high schoolers in question. According to the district screening test, taken three times a year by almost all students in math and reading, the mean reading level of my sophomores is between fifth and eighth grade.

This tracks district ACT data presented at the board meeting last week, showing that only five percent of MPS students are college ready in English, math, science and reading when they take the ACT in their junior year.

These are not students who come to high school and fall behind, I told the board. These are students who get to high school already behind. Yet by federal regulations, my high school, like all MPS high schools and the district as a whole, must report and is judged on its four-year graduation rate. That leaves schools like mine with an impossible choice. Do we rush to push unqualified students out in four years so we look good, or hold on to students for an extra year or two and make sure they're really college and career ready when they leave MPS. One does right by students but hurts us when it comes to image and funding; the other is bad for both students and the community.

Hence the benefit of the early-start calendar: It allows MPS to uniformly offer two extra months of structured schooling for students who are behind in credits, academics or both. A wrinkle is that in the district's survey for parents and others about the change, not only did a majority of parents and students oppose the change in calendar, a majority of students said they would not be interested in using those summer months for school. And indeed the current plan is to keep traditional summer school optional for students, and to make the proposed "J-Term," a make-up and enrichment term held in June, optional, as well.

Two things, however. One, I do not know if the parents and students who took the survey are reflective of MPS as a whole. Students who came to testify against the proposal were uniformly white and from schools with high academic achievement (to the best of my memory, no students testified in favor). Even the parents and teachers who testified represented a racial split; every African-American speaker testified in favor of the change, including a former MPS principal who is now president of the venerable Metropolitan Milwaukee Alliance of Black School Educators. He said an earlier start date and expanded summer options were something MMABSE had long advocated.

Indeed, after the parade of relatively privileged, mostly white parents and teachers speaking in opposition to the change, board member Wendell Harris ripped into the crowd. "I've heard a lot of racist comments tonight," he said angrily. Many of those testifying against had called the calendar change "institutionalized racism," which led me  and probably Harris, who is black  to wonder if they have any idea what that phrase means. To me, institutional racism looks less like starting school in August and more like pouty threats to use your above-average means to move away and leave the district, and the poor minority students you leave behind, further starved for resources.

Two, I believe that student perceptions of summer schooling can, should and will change with the "J-Term." For one, a selling point of the June term is the return of summer enrichment. For as long as I have been in MPS, summer school has been restricted only to those who have failed or fallen behind. When the "J-Term" becomes an attraction to the "good" students looking to take an enrichment class, I believe the stigma will start to disappear.

For another, I hope the district will be able to capture more students coming out of eighth grade who need skills to be ready for high school, giving parents and teachers incentive to start supporting the program. This is a real problem, as my test results listed above suggest. MPS high schools cannot offer a math course below algebra despite thousands of students who enter ninth grade and ninth-grade algebra barely able to do math at a third- or fourth-grade level. MPS high schools generally lack reading teachers, and English teachers like me  never trained to teach elementary students  struggle to teach basic reading skills students should have learned long before hitting my classroom.

Will a single "J-Term" solve this? No, especially because only five middle schools are included in the new calendar, and two of them are part of the district's IB program and less likely to promote students unready for high school. Even if all district schools switch to the early-start calendar, it will probably be a struggle for the first few years to convince students who have grown up with long summer breaks  not to mention parents and teachers who have known nothing else  of the importance of taking this extra time.

And yes, board member Michael Bonds asked a good question about how more of the same will be different, about what will happen differently in schools and in the community if this extra time becomes available. Some of those answers might be easy  pre-algebra courses for incoming ninth-graders, for example  but others aren't. Driver mentioned the district's big push to expand Advanced Placement offerings, with up to four schools next year becoming AP "Capstone" schools, offering the AP equivalent of an IB diploma. That's not enough, especially for students not already on the college-bound track, but it is the beginning of an answer for Director Bonds.

Okay, you say. You've convinced us that this new calendar is a good thing. Why did your lede call for Milwaukee to stand behind it?

It's because MPS is in trouble and running out of allies.

The legislature is one obvious impediment. MPS can generally count on Milwaukee-area legislators to stand with it, but those folks are on the wrong side of an unevenly split state legislature. To move the whole district to an early-start calendar will require a change in state law, not to mention restraint on the part of Republicans eager to dismantle the district entirely.

One thing we know is that GOP lawmakers listen to the business community (they pay better than voters do). I don't know what else it will take for Milwaukee's business leaders to change their tune on MPS and throw real weight behind this reform effort. Right now, it's easier for a charter school that's basically a glorified computer lab to get monetary investment than it is for MPS. It's easier for a voucher school explicitly demanding students take a fifth "buffer year" between eighth and ninth grade  a year that won't matter to the stats because the school is private and thus not tied to a four-year graduation rate  to get monetary investment than it is for MPS.

While the lack of air conditioning in MPS schools is hardly a reason not to have an August start (before the law changed in 2001, we did start in August!), by far the heat and health concerns caused by heat was the biggest reason survey takers opposed the new calendar. MPS estimates it will take up to $90 million to add AC to its schools over the next 15 years. I think that's low, but it's also money the district shouldn't have to steal from classrooms. Surely, this is an area where Milwaukee's business community can make a difference.

The image of MPS as at war with itself  its board and teachers union locked in eternal, bitter struggle with administration  is another impediment. You see it in the kind of real estate the state's largest daily paper is willing to give to anti-MPS rants about that very thing. It's even reflected in the original headline of this story about the calendar vote, still visible in the URL: "MPS board members reject unified calendar." That's hardly a correct connotation for what actually happened; the current headline, "MPS moves more schools to early start," is much more accurate. But it's telling that after a unanimous board vote to make a huge change, the first instinct is still to play up a division between board and superintendent.

To its credit, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did run a column in praise of MPS. Sunday, Alan Borsuk, dean of the Milwaukee education scene, applauded Driver's honesty in her push for this change. But the honesty Borsuk credits Driver with, that she included MPS's bad numbers as evidence why a calendar change is necessary, has been happening for a while. True, MPS closes all of its PR emails with a list of accomplishments, but the district has been more upfront about its shortcomings for much of Driver's tenure, including during a year-long self-examination of eight big areas of failure that started not long after she took the reins.

And I'm not saying the board is blameless, or that it blindly follows Driver's recommendations. But the relationship among the three entities  Driver, the board, the union  remains much more cooperative than I have seen it in the 20 years I've been in Milwaukee.

Yet the most most important part of the discussion last Thursday was not the succession of teachers hand-wringing about how hot their classrooms get in the summer, or the way Director Harris called out the mostly white complainers for being racist, or even the board's 8-0 vote to go forward. It was, rather, the moment when Driver had to choke back tears in defense of action over inaction, especially for our high schools. The audio fro the meeting is here, and this starts at about 3:04:

"This is one I'm willing to die on a hill on. I've been in this district four and half years, tried to bring all kinds of stuff to this table as a chief and as a superintendent, and everything gets shut down. At some point, we have got to try to do something. I am willing to fight for that. I usually don't talk like that. But I really am, I really am.

"I have to see those principals week after week, those folks look like they can barely hang on, trying to make a change, trying to do something with our children. I'm willing. And y'all talk about the heat and all that kind of stuff  I will sit you and sweat to death, have asthma attacks all day long if that means 80 percent, 90 percent, 100 percent of our kids can graduate with options. That's what this is about. That's what this is about folks, it really is."

I've seen a superintendent near crying before, when Driver's predecessor Gregory Thornton spoke of how many MPS students meet violent, early deaths; tears are expected in that instance. But here Driver is near tears because she too knows the choice our high schools face: Do we hold our students back and risk sanction, dropouts and ridicule, or do we push them out unready? Do we keep struggling within our limitations and keep failing, or do we start making bold changes that might offer new opportunities?

I think the answer is obvious. The rest of Milwaukee needs to stand with MPS and move this plan forward.
Get ready to soak up more bar articles, imbibable stories and cocktailing content, brought to by Miller Lite. For more of our Bar stories click here !

Though the name of this series is urban spelunking, I readily admit, with regret, that I don't get to visit too many actual caves. The crumbling beer caves beneath the old Falk Brewery are one exception.

The beer caves adjacent to the Miller Inn, 3931 W. State St., at Miller Brewing are another. These caves, unlike the examples at Falk on the South Side, however, are open to the public.

The caves, dug into the ground and lined with vaulted brick ceilings served the same purpose: in pre-refrigeration times they offered cool, consistent temperatures required for storing  and sometimes for fermenting  beer.

While the public is allowed  nay, welcomed  into the Miller Caves as part of the companys popular brewery tour, the current cave, with its bend to the right and then to the left, is just a segment of what was a larger complex of caves.

Heres the gist of the story ...

Before there was Miller, there was the Plank Road Brewery, owned by Charles and Lorenz Best, who dug the first sections of caves beginning in 1850, using what was the Belgian method of tunneling into soft soil.

First used in Belgiums Charleroy Tunnel in 1828, the method divided the area to be dug into sections and the central section was always in a more advanced state of excavation in relation to the outer sections. The top sections were completed first, allowing the construction of the supporting vault early on.

The Bests dug their tunnels 62 feet below ground, with 36-inch-thick brick and limestone walls and vaults. They were 15 feet wide and 12 to 18 feet tall.

When, five years later, the Bests sold the brewery to Frederick Miller, the latter continued tunnel construction, completing roughly 600 feet of underground beer storage tunnels by 1885. In here, Miller could store 12,000 oak barrels.

In addition to Miller and Falk, other Milwaukee brewers built caves, too, including Schlitz, which dug underground vaults at 3rd and Walnut in 1850 that could store about 150 barrels of beer, and Gettelman, near Miller, which excavated enough tunnel in 1856 to store about 800 barrels. Other brewers  like Pabst and Blatz  did the same.

According to an internal history penned by a Miller staffer, "The caves were constructed for fermentation, aging and storage of lager beer. The term lager is derived from the German lagern, meaning to stock or store. Lagering had been practiced since at least the 7th century, when European monks discovered it was possible to store beer in mountain caves possessing a low uniform temperature during the warm spring and summer months.

"The practice of cutting ice from lakes and storing beer in underground cellars or vaults originated in Germany. Following this pattern, beer in the Miller Caves was kept cool with ice cut from local ponds and lakes during the winter. In the summer, sawdust and hay were used to insulate the ice, which turned the caves into a giant refrigerator. In the winter, the caves were sometimes opened to allow cold air to flow in, but the beer was never allowed to freeze."

The lager was aged in big wooden tanks and transferred to round or ovular oak barrels bound with iron hoops and coated with a sealer like varnish or pitch. The barrels were stacked horizontally onto skids and the caves were sealed tightly to keep the cold air in.

Because mechanical refrigeration began to arrive on the scene at the end of the 1880s and the beginning of the 1890s, the caves became obsolete. Because of that, and the fact that theyd begun to leak, Miller sealed off the caves in 1908 and while it might be a stretch to say they were completely forgotten, they definitely werent much discussed for decades. A 1938 advertisement talked about the cave and included a photo of a man standing in one of them.

The caves were thrust back into the Miller Brewing consciousness when, during the construction of an elevator in 1946, a shaft was being dug and the caves were, ahem, rediscovered. The following year, the company began to clean and reinforce the caves and by 1951  stocked with blankets, potable water and generators  they were set up to accommodate up to 500 people as a bomb and air raid shelter.

"Frederick C. Miller, who was the grandson of founder Frederick J. Miller, was really passionate about these caves," says Miller Guest Relations Manager Kindra Loferski. "So much so that he wanted to host nice dinners in here for his executives, which seemed unheard of to have a nice dinner in a musty cave, but he wanted to do that and he did do that, so he opened the caves back up."

That was in 1952, as part of Fred Millers drive to create a brewery tour. Other brewers around the country had been doing such tours for decades  Budweiser, for example, was doing them as early as the 1880s  though Miller may have been the first in Milwaukee to offer them.

"They found coopers' tools in here, so they knew they were doing work on the barrels as things had been stored here," says Loferski. "They cleaned it all up."

Miller restored about a third of the total caves. They covered the old dirt floors with slate, replaced old gas jets with electric lights and added historic displays, much like the little dioramas you can see today.

"When he did open it back up (on Oct. 19, 1953) and start sharing them with people, they had kind of an unveiling and a re-inauguration of the caves, and Liberace was here to sing," says Loferski. "It was a big deal. Fred Miller was really proud of it."

After a series of dinners hosted by Fred Miller, the caves became the tour headquarters in 1954. The space was renovated again in the late 80s and early 90s and got another facelift in 2008, when acoustic panels were added (you can see them if you look really closely) and a mural with a holographic video program was installed.

Look at the diagram below and you can see some sections that were filled in.

According to a 1991 geological study, some of the tunnels probably failed sometime during the "forgotten" years, 1908-1946, when the caves were sealed. Some tunnels may have begun to fail even before the caves were shuttered. It appears these sections were filled in during the period, 1946-47, that Miller was restoring the caves.

All of the cave openings  except Tunnel G (the current State Street entrance) were sealed off in 1908. The entrance we use today to enter the caves was shuttered with a steel door.

Other cave sections were filled in during the early 90s restoration after water leakage began to lead to failure. The spaces were walled off and backfilled with concrete.

Nowadays, when you see tunnel openings in the cave, like one off to the left when you first enter, one on the right side of the main cave just past the fountain and one on the left side at the far end of the main cave, near the mural, they are sealed and the tunnels behind them most likely filled.

"There might have been a small extension out here," says Loferski as we stand just inside the entrance to the caves. "We keep some supplies in here, but it is no longer a tunnel.

"I don't think this was a tunnel," she says of the one facing us as we entered the caves. "I think this was just a facade, because it would have paralleled the bigger cave down there, and I think structurally, it would have been probably difficult to have dug it that close to the bigger one. It looks like a cave extension, and it's made to look like that. It is a nice way for us to display our cooper, because that's exactly what the caves were used for."

To the right of the mural is a cave entrance that is still open, though the tunnel only runs a few yards and opens into a space in the adjacent Miller Inn building.

So, basically, when youre in the Miller Caves, what you see is what you get.

While there were once tunnels that went fairly deep into the bluff you can see outside, nothing really remains of them, except the sense history and mystery.


Ann Wright being arrested

(Image by Ann Wright) Details DMCA



Governments go to pretty low tricks to silent dissent -- curtailing ones that travel to neighboring countries and now stopping social security checks.

First, in 2005 and 2006 it was the Bush administration putting some of us protesting Bush's war on Iraq on the National Crime Information Data base. Yes, we had been arrested for failure to comply with orders to move from the fence in front of the White House during protests against the war on Iraq, torture at Guantanamo and other US prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan or refusing to end protests by sitting in ditches at Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch. But these were misdemeanors, not felonies, yet we were put on the FBI's international crime list, a list for felony violations.

Fortunately, Canada is the only country that seems to use the list-and they use it to deny entry into Canada. At the request of Canadian parliamentarians to challenge Canada's compliance with the Bush administration's political retaliation list, I made another trip to Canada to test it and was expelled from Canada in 2007. The Canadian immigration officer told me as he was putting me unceremoniously on the flight back to the U.S., "An expulsion is not as bad as being deported. At least each time you want to attempt to come into Canada, you can undergo 3-5 hours of interrogation answering the same questions as the last time you attempted to enter and you might get an exemption to the expulsion. With a deportation, you will never get in."

Over the past six years, I have gone through the lengthy interrogation twice and was given a 24-hour exemption to the expulsion on one occasion when accompanied by a Canadian parliamentarian and a Canadian Broadcasting TV crew filming the event, and the second time a two-day exemption in order to speak at several Canadian universities.

Now under the Obama administration, the latest effort to silence dissent, for those of you 62 or older, is someone in the government falsifying jail records to show that you were in jail/confinement for more than 30 days and sending the records to the Social Security Administration. SSA will then stop your monthly Social Security check and will send you a letter stating that you must repay back months of payments for the time you were allegedly in jail -- in my case $4,273.60.

On March 31, 2016, I, along with seven others, six Veterans for Peace and one Granny Peace Brigade members, was arrested at Creech drone base, Nevada as a part of the semi-annual protest against assassin drones. We spent five hours in the Clark County Jail as our arrests were processed and then were released. Our cases of being charged with "failure to disperse" were eventually dropped by the Clark County court.

Yet, someone submitted my name and social security number to SSA as a person who has been confined in a jail since September 2016. Without any notification to me of this allegation that would disrupt for months my Social Security benefits, SSA ordered that for my "criminal conviction and confinement in a correctional institution for more than 30 days, we cannot pay your monthly Social Security payment."

I have gone to my local SSA office in Honolulu and explained the situation. The office staff said their supervisor must call Las Vegas and get documents that I have not been convicted of a crime, nor that I am in jail or have been in jail for 30 days or more. Until then, the monthly social security checks are stopped. As we know, investigations by the government bureaucracy can take many months if not years. In the meantime, the checks are suspended.

If I didn't know better I might think this is part of the Israeli "lawfare" program in which Israel attempts to derail protests against its policies by filing bogus lawsuits that end up having to be answered in court, tying up time and human and financial resources. Since I came back in October from Israeli prison after having been kidnapped on the Women's Boat to Gaza, taken against my will to Israel, charged with entering Israel illegally and deported ...again. This is the second time I have been deported from Israel for challenging the illegal Israeli naval blockade of Gaza. My deportations from Israel now total 20 years, which preclude me from visiting Israel or the West Bank.

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Dear Angry and Confused American,

On December 7, 2016 there was a live debate in NYC about the convention clause of Article V: click here

I assume you agree the Constitution is unique in all political experience, and thus so is its convention clause. There is no other such found in a fifth article of a nation's high law anywhere in history or presently on Earth. Some might think it a quibble or splitting hairs as to whether or not we capitalize the Article V Convention as a proper noun. Yet, as a proper noun we know we're not talking about a constitutional convention, but a unique assembly called by the US Congress to formally propose amendment language to the Constitution. Anti-Conventionists today seem to confuse a noun with a proper noun in order to bolster their argument, when the distinction between the two is essential to understanding what's being discussed.

Consider this: if we ever have a federal convention we can be certain that it will adjourn. Regardless of proposals on the table, at some point the presiding officer(s) will call the question of whether or not to adjourn. No delegate is then going to stand before the nation and declare that they might have a new proposal the following week, and make the motion to remain convened until then. If a delegate did, even though it was clear other delegates were satisfied the convention had considered everything worth considering, the motion would fail to carry and the convention would adjourn. Of course this is an example of practical politics, and it's as if Anti-Conventionists conceive of a world where practical politics would not apply to the Article V Convention. In fact practical politics are unavoidable whenever humans join to determine consensus of the whole--and especially more-so if the delegates represent a nation as vast and regionalized as the USA. In terms of practical politics, a large and diverse assembly of humans works in our favor.

Because of practical politics, if we know a convention will adjourn, then we know at that point in time 1) nothing will have changed legally, and 2) it will be perfectly clear to everyone that the process of proposal and the process of ratification are two very different things.

Why did the Framers not set ratification at 25% approval? Because facts/logic/reason and political experience show that political change must be legitimized by popular consent or you won't have a legitimate government for very long. Which led to the question of exactly how popular consensus must be for things to work? Unanimous? No, we found out that doesn't work, and the convention of 1787 in part convened to address the problem unanimous consent poses to a functioning government. 25% would be impolitic and a mess, and 50% would still leave a republic susceptible to a reactionary period and/or persuasive demagogue. What 75% approval means, is that whatever the idea and wherever it falls on the political spectrum--Left to Right--Right to Left--it must get all one side signed on, plus at least half of the other, or it fails. In other words, 75% approval makes it mathematically impossible for partisan ideas to become high law. That's why the bar was set at 75% for amendments to be ratified, and 50% for election of policy-makers, because those percentages adequately address the political tasks needed to maintain a functioning representational government. If electing members of Congress and the President required 75% approval we'd rarely have a Congress or a President. Anti-Conventionists must concede that 50% and 75% are two different percentages and mean two very different things when it comes to practical politics and the winds of change.

As you may or may not know, Representative Messer, 6th District of Indiana, introduced H.R. 5306 this past summer. If it had made it to the floor for a vote and passed, it would task the director of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to go back through Congressional Records, find all state applications for a convention, and officially enroll them as federal documents so that they can be officially counted by the Congress. H.R. 5306 also included that all rescissions be tallied too, so that the two columns would be placed side by side to give us a correct tally as to where we are regarding the constitutional instruction to call a convention.

For the sake of clarification, let's say that next year the resolution is reintroduced, passes, and NARA findings show we're overdue for the convention call. Congress calls a special session and issues the call for six months from that date. If such a news item emerged, what do you think is the first thing that will happen? The first is that anyone still paying attention will blink. After everyone blinks, the next to happen is that thousands of Americans in each of the fifty states will be on the phone to their state officials, asking how their state intends to engage in the process, and who gets to be delegate. Next, we will get news of the states declaring whether they intend to elect or select delegates (in fact Michigan and Indiana, respectively, have already done so). Regardless of whether a state elects or selects its delegates, the next to happen is that a formal discussion will begin in each state and nationwide: what is a good idea for the 28th Amendment? Next, the convention convenes, and parliamentary procedure is implemented (practical politics will guarantee it because most delegates will not want to fight to be heard and parliamentary procedure ensures that they'll simply have to raise their hand). From there, the long, slow, deliberative process begins over amendment language (as you probably know this was displayed in a mock-convention this past summer where 150 state legislators convened in Williamsburg).

Anti-Conventionists repeatedly claim that we don't know what will happen, when we do: the call will be issued, those choosing to do so will engage in the formal discussion of amendment language, and consensus will be built to one degree or another. In sum, all that will happen with the calling of a convention is that the national discussion about amendments to the Constitution will transform from informal to formal. Right now I could tell you my pet amendment and you could tell me your pet amendment and we could begin an informal discussion on the merits of each. All the convention call does is make the discussion of amendments formal (instead of informal), and directed to a conclusion--either an amendment will attain 75% approval or not. Are you afraid to formally discuss amendments to the Constitution?

If a human is in a building and they smell smoke, does it matter if they are Republican or Democrat or something else? Of course not, any human, regardless of political affiliation/philosophy, will stop what they're doing to determine where the smell of smoke is coming from. This metaphor renders the One State/One Vote concerns irrational, and arguments against it invalid, because we're not talking about 50% approval determining a civil or structural change in governance, we're talking about 75% approval, which again, means that partisan proposals, ipso facto, are DOA, which renders the rubric of one party winning out over another in this process inapplicable. 75% approval supersedes party politics. 75% approval also renders irrational any concerns that a reactionary moment in society, or a demagogue, will lead us to our demise, and if such threatened to, the idea or movement will follow the way of the 20th Amendment--yes, we actually have historic proof that practical politics will prevail on a national scale--Americans recognized prohibition didn't work and in due time disposed of it the way a village would dispose of anything else that didn't work. Today, with society more polarized than ever (due to an era of fake news about fake news), practical politics will again guarantee that nothing even slightly questionable will have a chance of 75% approval.

To think that nothing will have altered in our national consciousness between the time the convention is called and the time it adjourns lacks sense because by the time we get to the ratification process, we'll have already been engaged in formal discussion for months, which will have touched on how politicians have treated constituents in the past, which means by that point legislators will be as receptive as all get out. We won't come out of the Article V Convention only to find state legislators couldn't care less what the people of their state think. No, by that time in the process legislators will be standing at attention like a private at boot camp.

As to the contention that special interests will set upon the convention and bamboozle the nation? I doubt the lobbyists of K Street will want to advocate, in public, before the nation, what they currently get away with at DC restaurant tables, just as no criminal will want to attend a public discussion about how to stop criminals from committing crime. And even if they did attend, and attempted to sabotage the discussion with ineffectual proposals, such proposals would never withstand the crucible of ratification. What can any special interest group propose that roughly 8 out of 10 Americans are going to agree on?

As to the argument that because the 27th Amendment was ratified after almost two hundred years on record, and how this shows the convention could propose a bunch of monsters that could somehow come back years later to destroy our government (which if you believe the Constitution is a law for Americans [and it does state that's what it is], then you know our government is already destroyed in the sense that, as has been mathematically proven, it no longer represents the people), when the reason the 27th was ratified is 1) there was no law prohibiting it from being so ratified, and 2) it was still just as good of an idea as it was when first proposed--not because it somehow snuck in the Constitution as an odd accident. When it came to light, none of the states already signed on questioned their initial consensus--none rescinded their previous application--and the remaining states required agreed that preventing politicians from increasing their salary while in session was an acceptable addition to our high law.

We know this: either there will be requisite consensus for ratification of a 28th Amendment, or there will not. If there isn't, then in one fell swoop we'll have carried out a formal process in civics, and one, two, three generations will become re-educated about what the Constitution says, and why it says what it does.

Finally--sorry to break it to you--because all political polls for decades indicate only electoral reform has any chance of garnering 75% approval, then boring old electoral reform is all we're going to get. Something simple, like--All state and federal elections for public office shall be standardized and publicly funded.


Corporate News

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This just in.

The fledgling government of President-elect Donald Trump suffered a serious setback this week when US Intelligence agencies went public with their "consensus" that high-ranking officials within the Russian government "interfered" with the recent presidential election.

According to the Washington Post and the New York Times, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his FBS associates accessed the Democratic National Committee's email account in an effort to tilt the 2016 election in Trump's favor. Putin is, according to anonymous sources within the CIA, a close friend of President-elect Trump. Since he's Russian and therefore by default a threat to US interests, he is obviously a "person of interest" when it comes to subversive leaks. That is, "hacks." In addition, sources close to the investigation indicate that, since Putin is already considered a suspect, "he must be guilty of something."

Progressives and other anti-America organizations were quick to point out that neither the CIA nor the White House has provided any evidence to support the claim that Russia was actually involved.

Unnamed sources within the Obama White House, however, tell All News Network that government officials aren't losing sleep over whether or not Progressives believe Putin hacked the recent election. "We know what we know. They'll just have to trust us."

"Trust us?" Where have we heard that before?

Oh, right ...

In 1964 Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Lyndon Johnson the power to wage full-scale war in Vietnam. The resolution was based on a lie concocted by the very same intelligence agencies, and spread by the very same corporate media, that are now saying Russia "hacked" the 2016 presidential election.

In 1983 President Ronald Reagan declared Nicaragua an imminent threat and ordered the CIA to arm the "contras" seeking to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Daniel Ortega. Reagan's covert war in Latin American was based on a lie concocted by the very same intelligence agencies, and spread by the very same corporate media, that are now saying Russia "hacked" the 2016 presidential election.

In 1990 George HW Bush took the US to war with Iraq because Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had allegedly "annexed" Kuwait. The war was based on a lie concocted by the very same intelligence agencies, and spread by the very same corporate media, that are now saying Russia "hacked" the 2016 presidential election.

In 2003 George W Bush took the US to war with Iraq because he said Saddam Hussein was behind the 9/11 attacks. The war was based on a lie concocted by the very same intelligence agencies, and spread by the very same corporate media, that are now convinced Russia "interfered" with the 2016 presidential election.

In 2013 President Obama was on the verge of taking the US to war with Syria when he accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of using chemical weapons against the citizens of Ghouta. One year later Obama was on the verge of taking the US to war with Russia when he blamed pro-Russian separatists for shooting down Malaysian Airlines Flight 47. Both charges were based on lies (here / here) concocted by the very same intelligence agencies, and spread by the very same corporate media (here / here), that are now declaring Russia "hacked" the 2016 presidential election.

Given its history, one could legitimately assume that the US gov't is run by crooks, charlatans and sociopaths, that it functions as the operational arm of a criminal enterprise, with corporate media as its mouthpiece, and that the two work in tandem to ensure elite rule.

What's important to keep in mind is that fake news and fake-news sites dominate the public airwaves and viewers need to be cautious consumers of what they see and hear on MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS -- or what they read in the New York Times and the Washington Post. These are corporate entities. They do not exist to inform. They exist to confuse, to obfuscate, and to incite.

Not here.

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People need good lies. There are too many bad ones. -Kurt Vonnegut

Politics, Money and Culture

Politics, money and culture have become bound together in an immense Gordian knot. Many accept this perverse relationship as normal. However, it is not normal, and the co-mingling has produced an intractable force which exploits society's willingness to substitute pleasure and power for value and meaning.

Besides having aesthetic value, the arts are legitimately used to raise awareness and help resolve issues that affect society. But they are also used as a means for achieving crass political ends.

Politics (the act of influencing actions and policies for the purpose of gaining and keeping power) has become like something straight out of a Kurt Vonnegut novel. Current events bear an uncanny resemblance to the writer's comically addled characters and absurd story lines. The line between reality and satire has become so blurred, it's sometimes difficult to tell which is which. Add to this the current phenomenon of "fake news", and another layer of insulation distances the public from the whole truth.

Culture (the self-expression of a society through the humanities and science) has become a debris field, contaminated by an unending stream of success-toting false prophets, and littered with victims of the insatiable appetite for money and power. Culture ought to be a beacon of truth, creating a vital mythology of place and time that speaks from and to the human soul. Politics/government can be used to either empower or hinder society's engagement with that truth.

The present reality is a Political-PopCulture, a toxic symbiosis, with each using the other as fodder for propaganda to further cynical purposes and selfish ends. What the Political-PopCulture presents as truth is a fraud. It is the arts in service to aggregated power. That same power props up and manipulates a pseudo-culture based on fads, appetites and the lowest common denominator in social craving - all done to sell the latest non-essential or worthless superficiality.

In reality, it is censorship. It represents the suppression and subversion of authentic self-expression.

Media Mania

Having a constitutionally guaranteed free press is supposed to mean having access to media which is not restricted by censorship in political, ideological or cultural matters. At its best, it would empower authentic self-expression by exposing the fraud created by those in power. But the powerful know that suppression of a free press - which includes creating media outlets which blatantly present propaganda as fact (Fox) - is the most effective way to manipulate public opinion.

Special interests also work hard to prevent transparency in government. We know from history that governments which lack transparency are in for trouble. And our recent history has demonstrated a disturbing aversion to the disclosure of "secret" information (Edward Snowden). Thus the question: just what is "big media" ignoring or being restrained from reporting?

Ironically, a seemingly simple idea like government of, by, and for the people will mean different things to different people. The Tea Party member in Kansas and the Democratic Socialist in New York have very different interpretations. Even as ideologies debate the definition of "person", Citizens United endows corporations with personhood, which further erodes the ideal of a representative government already under siege by special interests and big money. It's all good for the Political-PopCulture and its beneficiaries, but it is soul-killing in its effect on society as an organic system.

The appearance of what's called alternative media (not to be confused with the Alt-right), including citizen journalism and collaborative journalism, is one response to what some believe is the sell-out by big media outlets to the power brokers. Many are militantly iconoclastic with distinct axes to grind. Some have been exposed as fronts for the fake news movement. It's too soon to know how effective these alternatives will be in the long run. Personally, I have found value in some, but absurdity as well.

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Clinton, by lying about Sanders in debates and campaigns, lost millions of Sanders voters

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The incredible "group-think" that has seen the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, President Obama, the Clinton campaign and most of the corporate media braying that Vladimir Putin scandalously upended American democracy and threw the election to his favored candidate Donald Trump is based on a ludicrous premise. That premise: that the election went Trump's way because several tens of thousands of voters in a few states -- Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin -- switched away from Clinton to Trump because of an alleged (and factually unproven) Russian "hack" of Democratic National Committee and of Hillary campaign chair John Podesta's emails.

According to this conspiracy theory -- and that is what it is -- the "Russian" hack fully explains those narrow Trump wins in three key swing states. It's proponents argue that with the results of the alleged hacks allegedly passed on to Wikileaks (which denies it was a hack or that is source was Russian), and the resulting release of emails that showed that the DNC had conspired to throw the primary election to Clinton, and that revealed the contents of Clinton's secret sycophantic quarter-million-dollar speeches to Wall Street banks, turned those states red.

What is ludicrous about this alleged conspiracy is that Sanders supporters already knew the DNC was in bed with the Clinton campaign. They'd already learned that first hand from Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who quit in disgust as DNC vice-chair back in late February, saying that the DNC was undermining Sanders and working for Clinton. As for the bank speeches, Clinton did all the damage herself by refusing to disclose what she'd said in those extravagantly paid gigs, and by getting caught in a lie that she couldn't release the texts because they were "under the control" of the banks (she actually owned the copyrights). She also hurt herself by lying and saying during one debate that she hadn't asked for the high fees when in fact her agent had demanded them. This infuriating information was all out there way before Wikileaks started releasing the documents in had in its possession.

The truth is that it was Clinton's own actions that lost her the support of Sanders voters. There was her repeating lying about Sanders during the campaign, and her gratuitous dissing of Sanders and his supporters even after it was becoming clearer that she would win the primary because of the corrupt support she had lined up from the party's unelected so-called "super delegates." Then there was her decision in the fall, after winning the nomination, to ignore the 13 million Sanders voters from the primary and instead to pursue the support of what she hoped were disenchanted Republican voters upset that Donald Trump had won the Republican nomination, all doomed her in the general election.

The anger among Sanders backers by the time of the convention at the end of July was palpable and was demonstrated when over 700 Sanders delegates walked out of the convention en masse, many tossing their convention credentials over the tall security fence. Clearly they were not going to back Hillary Clinton in November. Remember, those delegates were Sanders activists who represented millions of voters back in their home states.

Hillary Clinton didn't lose Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and most importantly Florida because a small percentage of voters switched from her to Trump in those states. She lost those states because millions of Sanders voters nationally, and hundreds of thousands of Democrats and independent progressives in those crucial states decided they couldn't vote for her because they were disgusted by both her and the Democratic Party. Some voted Green, some wrote in Sanders' name, which in most states meant their votes weren't counted, and some just got fed up and didn't vote at all, or just skipped the presidential line on their ballot.

In other words, even if the Russians did hack the DNC and Podesta emails, and even if the leaked emails (all of which by the way were true and accurate, not fake or doctored!), did manage at the last minute to persuade a few thousand Clinton voters to switch their votes to Trump, or to simply not vote for Clinton, that only had an impact because so many hundreds of thousands of more progressive voters had already written her off as a voting option. The point is that the races in those states never should have been that close in the first place, and wouldn't have been had the Clinton campaign not played so dirty in the primary, and then been so patronizing and vengeful towards the Sanders campaign and Sanders voters after gaining the nomination.

Leaving aside the reality that there is no evidence that Russian government hackers did obtain those emails and handed them over to Wikileaks to release during the last weeks of the campaign (the evidence is really that they were obtained by insider leaks, not by Russian hackers), the truth is that mounting evidence of Clinton corruption and of cheating during the primaries -- evidence that was coming to light even without and often before disclosure of the emails -- led millions of furious Sanders backers to decide they would never vote for Clinton.

The "false news" about Russians hacking US democracy, pushed by the Clinton campaign, sclerotic Democratic Party leadership, elements within the intelligence establishment and the Obama administration and parroted endlessly by the corporate media and by normally sentient liberals usually quick to condemn "conspiracy thinking," doesn't bode well for any real effort to wrench the Democratic Party away from its thoroughly discredited corporatist political stance, and raises the prospect of further Republican gains in the coming off-year Congressional elections in 2018.

It's becoming increasingly clear that the only way forward is going to have to be an abandonment of the Democratic Party by progressives and its replacement by a genuine progressive socialist party that is clearly of and for working people, and for those who cannot find work in this increasingly dystopic America.

DAVE LINDORFF is a member of ThisCantBeHappening!, the uncompromised, collectively run, five-time Project Censored Award-winning online alternative news site. His work, and that of colleagues J OHN GRANT, JESS GUH, GARY LINDORFF, ALFREDO LOPEZ, LINN WASHINGTON, JR. and the late CHARLES M. YOUNG, can be found at www.thiscantbehappening.net

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Detroit

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Last Weds. USA Today Main Section had an extensive investigative piece on lead in the drinking water supply of many rural communities. They found: A) about 100,000 people get their drinking water from utilities that discovered high lead but failed to treat the water or remove the lead. Dozens of utilities took more than one year to formulate a treatment plan and even longer to begin treatment! , B) About Four Million Americans get water from small operators who skipped required tests or did not conduct the tests properly, violating a cornerstone of federal safe drinking water laws. In more than 2,000 communities , lead tests were either skipped twice, or in other instances tests were not properly conducted for five or more years!, C) About 850 small water utilities with a documented history of lead contamination failed to properly test for five or more years!, D) State and federal water safety officials told USA Today reporters that regulators are lenient with small water systems because they lack resources . Thus, the nations Safe Drinking Water Act allows less trained, often amateur people to operate tiny water systems.

Folks, the report by USA Today honed in on the WHAT of what has been happening to safe drinking water, and mentioned, in passing , the lack of funds needed. Yet, it never alluded to the WHY . Take the Flint, Michigan expose on the lead and outdated, inferior pipes in their drinking water supply. This writer watched the entire hearings on C-Span. How many times did those who did not do their jobs properly have to explain to the Congress people that there was not enough MONEY allocated? How many times!? In the USA piece they stated that 'ever shrinking tax rolls and a median household income at about half the national average in many communities meant that there was little money available to shore up decaying infrastructure'. Thus, leaks occur over and over'. So, what Uncle Sam will do is give out some funding to struggling communities, but drinking water experts state categorically that the need outstrips the money being given out, and loans cannot help utilities because they will not be able to pay them back anyway! Why did the USA report never ' connect the dots'?

An EPA assessment in 2013 estimated that infrastructure needs for small water systems would total 64.5 billion dollars over 20 years. Last time this writer looked, at least half of our federal tax revenues to Uncle Sam , about 600 billion dollars in 2015 alone , goes for military spending. Did you get that folks... around 600 billion dollars per year since we invaded and occupied Iraq! Imagine all the infrastructure upgrades our towns and cities could complete if even a small portion of that military spending was diverted as block grants through revenue sharing... money that never has to be repaid, by the way. It costs you and me Joe and Joan Q. Taxpayer over one million dollars per year to keep one soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq. How many modern water pipes and purer drinking water can one million dollars subsidize? No, this gung ho jingoistic government and mainstream media keep drumming that ' We are at war!!' Oh really, when did Congress declare war last? Oh, the ' Big One' WW2. After that, the Military Industrial Complex AKA Empire has conned Americans into thinking Vietnam, Korea and more recently Afghanistan and Iraq (and soon to be Syria) were ' Wars' we needed to be in for our defense. They tell you that the close to one thousand bases we have in over 100 different countries are necessary for our nation's defense. Believe that and I have a bridge in Brooklyn you can purchase! Stop supporting this 2 Party bunch of empire stooges and start the New Year right: Get out on the street corners of your towns and cities to demand drastic cuts in the military spending, an end to our unnecessary bases worldwide, and bringing back both our military personnel and sanity to our foreign policy!
The Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot in the back and killed Monday (12/19) by a sacked police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire. The ambassador was giving a speech at an Ankara art gallery.

Reuters news agency reported: "A video showed the attacker shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" and "Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) as screams rang out. He paced about and shouted as he held the gun in one hand and waved the other in the air.

"It was not clear whether the gunman was a lone operator, driven perhaps by popular discontent over Russian action in Syria or affiliated to a group like Islamic State, which has carried out a string of bomb attacks in Turkey in the last year. Whichever is the case, the incident raises concerns about a police force currently being purged after a failed July coup."

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia must know for sure who was behind the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov.

"Russia's Investigative Committee has already opened a criminal case on this assassination. It has been instructed to set up a working group that is to go to Ankara to take part in the probe into this crime together with the Turkish partners," he said at a meeting in the Kremlin.

According to Putin, an agreement to this effect was reached during his telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We must know how steered the killer's course," Putin stressed.

The man who assassinated the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, is identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a former office of the Turkish police who was fired from the forces of law and order in the course of investigation of the July 15 abortive coup, according to Haberturk news.

Altintas, 22, was allegedly involved in Fethullah Gulen movement which has been declared as a terrorist organization.

He was killed by security guards on the spot.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the assassination of the Russian ambassador was aimed at damaging relations between Turkey and Russia.

Similar views were expressed by Fatih ke, the press attache of Turkey's embassy in Washington DC, who tweeted: "The bullet to Ambassador Karlov is not only aims him. It aims also Turkish Russian relation."

Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek told reporters that the "heinous" attack aimed to disrupt newly-re-established relations between Turkey and Russia.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was due to meet with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Russia on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Syria. Officials said the meeting would still go on, despite the attack.

According to the Guardian, ambassador Andrei Karlov had been part of discussions with Turkey that led to an evacuation of east Aleppo late last week. He had also been a central conduit to the Turkish government's rapprochement with Moscow in April this year.

Russia and Turkey have recently gone some way towards mending ties after a freeze in relations after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter plane in November 2015.

"The attack comes at a bad time: Moscow and Ankara have only recently restored diplomatic ties after Turkey downed a Russian aircraft in November 2015," Reuters quoted the Stratfor think-tank as saying. "Though the attack will strain relations between the two countries, it is not likely to rupture them altogether."

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Since the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, I've given daily thought to the more alarming aspects of Trump culture. Conversations among friends have been quite helpful, both here in the U.S. and in far- away Kabul from which I recently returned. It becomes hard to envision constructive responses to Trumpism without a steadfast focus on the larger culture which has made the policies of previous administrations seem acceptable and normal. This is part of why I was quite willing to sign the recently drafted "We Stand for Peace and Justice" statement at www.standforpeaceandjustice.org. This morning I read comments about the statement that have been posted, online. It's good to absorb criticisms and consider revisions. But a verse from Leonard Cohen also comes to mind:

Ring the bell that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in

And more recently:



Steer your way through the ruins

Of the altar and the mall

Steer your way through the fables

Of creation and the fall

Steer your way past the palaces

That rise above the rot

Year by year

Month by month

Day by day

Thought by thought

In the spirit of steering ahead, intent on building ties with diverse people from all corners of the world regarding multiple issues, I hope the stance for peace and justice mentioned above will gain traction, raise discussions and help enlighten our collective future.

Here at Voices (vcnv.org) we've tried to better understand the call for diversity in our current, post-election context. Consider, for instance, a reflection by Betsy Leondar-Wright which was recently published in the UK based newspaper, Peace News. She encouraged people to build personal and political ties with people already targeted or potentially targeted by Trump's campaign promises. "But," she added, "we also need to reach out and build personal and political ties with those Trump voters who aren't committed haters, but whose economic woes and worries we can empathize with."



Describing such woes and worries, Arlie Russell Hochschild, speaks of a puzzling paradox in the U.S.: "Across the country, red states are poorer and have more teen mothers, more divorce, worse health, more obesity, more trauma-related deaths, more low-birth-weight babies, and lower school enrollment. On average, people in red states die five years earlier than people in blue states."





Reviewing her book, Nathaniel Rich writes: "Even the most ideologically driven zealots don't want to drink poisoned water, inhale toxic gas, or become susceptible to record flooding. Yet southwestern Louisiana combines some of the nation's most fervently antiregulatory voters with its most toxic environmental conditions. It is a center of climate change denial despite the fact that its coast faces the highest rate of sea-level rise on the planet."

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Hi - East coast liberal, part of Organizing For America and Editor for the Civil Rights Section - Progressive Congress News. Blogging some 'snark', facts, data & my opinion for 2 yrs....politics need to reflect and address people's truth/reality, not lying propaganda. My training as an accountant and former financial analyst affords the talent to observe patterns, investigate trends/connections between issues. Sharing information is care giving for the public's best interest to progress toward a healthier society. I contribute my talents by creating effective messaging. Despite an amazing, populous agenda, the democratic party notoriously stumbles with weak, strategic communiques and narratives to the voters. I am working to change this egregious misstep. If I'm not posting on FB, twitter or LI, I'm procrastinating from going to the gym...but always end up going. Avid ice cream fiend balanced with early-morning runs (except the winter) 20 F is my limit. Drop me a note, good conversation is always welcome and I ADORE humor! Regards, ML Ross
by NW Spotlight

Despite an attempt to subvert the working of the Electoral College, Donald Trump decisively won the Electoral College vote yesterday, 304 to 227.

The attempt to subvert the working of the Electoral College was described by The Hill: progressive groups organized rallies across the country, celebrities filmed pleas to individual Republican electors. Time ran a brief piece on the subversive effort by celebrities that includes a video of their pleas.

NPR reported that there was an unprecedented effort to lobby electors to vote for someone else, and noted Electors found themselves inundated by letters, petitions, tweets and Facebook posts, urging them to cast a ballot for an alternative candidate. Many received threats, as well.

Those efforts to thwart the election of Donald Trump failed, miserably.

Politico reported that of the 7 faithless Electoral College votes yesterday, 5 were against votes pledged to Hillary Clinton and 2 were against votes pledged to Donald Trump. Politico also noted that the 7 faithless votes represent a historic breach between electors and the candidates they were expected to vote for, and noted that it has now become the most-ever cast in a single presidential election. The record was set in 1808, when six Democratic-Republican electors opposed James Madison. Its also the first time since 1832 in which more than a single elector cast a faithless vote.

An additional 3 Electoral College voters tried to vote against votes pledged to Hillary Clinton, but were disallowed. NPR reported Three Democratic electors in Maine, Minnesota, and Colorado tried to vote for candidates other than Clinton. The electors votes, however, were disallowed because of state rules binding them to the statewide popular vote winner.

Huffington Post pointed out that a conservative news site, WorldNetDaily, conducted a campaign back in 2008 that attempted to convince Electoral College members not to vote for Barrack Obama.
Donald Trump officially won USA election 20 December, 2016



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Woke Bingo Republican Donald Trump prevailed in US Electoral College voting on Monday to officially win election as the next president, easily dashing a long-shot push by a small movement of detractors to try to block him from gaining the White House.



Trump, who is set to take office on Jan 20, garnered more than the 270 electoral votes required to win, even as at least half a dozen US electors broke with tradition to vote against their own states directives, the largest number of faithless electors seen in more than a century.



The Electoral College vote is normally a formality but took on extra prominence this year after a group of Democratic activists sought to persuade Republicans to cross lines and vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. She won the nationwide popular vote even as she failed to win enough state-by-state votes in the acrimonious Nov 8 election.



Protesters briefly disrupted Wisconsin's Electoral College balloting. In Austin, Texas, about 100 people chanting: Dump Trump and waving signs reading: The Eyes of Texas are Upon You gathered at the state capitol trying to sway electors.



In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump.



With nearly all votes counted, Trump had clinched 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227, according to an Associated Press tally of the voting by 538 electors across the country.



"I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans," Trump said in a statement responding to the results.



The Electoral College assigns each state electors equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress. The District of Columbia also has three electoral votes. The votes will be officially counted during a joint session of Congress on Jan 6.



When voters go to the polls to cast a ballot for president, they are actually choosing a presidential candidate's preferred slate of electors for their state.



The "faithless electors" as they are known represent a rare break from the tradition of casting an Electoral College ballot as directed by the outcome of that state's popular election.



The most recent instance of a "faithless elector" was in 2004, according to the Congressional Research Service. The practice has been very rare in modern times, with only eight such electors since 1900, each in a different election.



The two Republican breaks on Monday came from Texas, where the voting is by secret ballot. One Republican elector voted for Ron Paul, a favourite among Libertarians and former Republican congressman, and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich, who challenged Trump in the race for the Republican nomination.



Republican elector Christopher Suprun from Texas had said he would not vote for Trump, explaining in an op-ed in the New York Times that he had concerns about Trump's foreign policy experience and business conflicts.



On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide.



Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas.



Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump.



The founding fathers "said the electoral college was not to elect a demagogue, was not to elect someone influenced by foreign powers, was not to elect someone who is unfit for office. Trump fails on all three counts, unlike any candidate weve ever seen in American history," Chiafalo said in an interview.



Washington's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, said after the vote that the Electoral College system should be abolished. "This was a very difficult decision made this year. There is great angst abroad in the land, Inslee said.



Twenty-four states have laws trying to prevent electors - most of whom have close ties to their parties - from breaking ranks.



In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot.



In Hawaii, one of the states four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the states Election Day outcome.



In Minnesota, one of the states 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the states electoral votes were then cast for her.



In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector.
NA again witnessed rumpus

ISLAMABAD: The Lower House of Parliament on Monday again witnessed a rumpus, among the parliamentarians of PTI and PML-N and also called PML-N's Danyal Aziz a 'stooge'.



The PTI legislators demanded of the government that the Prime Minister should come to the House and clarify his position over his contradictory statement given by him in NA and Supreme Court regarding Panama disclosures. The rumpus in the session started when the speaker allowed PML-N member Danyal Aziz to respond to Sheikh Rashid and Shah Mehmood Qureshi's speeches. This time the ruling party responded to the shouting of PTI members and it all was done under the supervision of Cap (Retd.) Safdar. It was difficult for the speaker, opposition leader Khurshid Shah, to control the situation. However, after long shouting the opposition (PTI) agreed to listen to Danyal Aziz respond.



Earlier, Awami Muslim League (AML) Sheikh Rasheed addressed the session and said PM Nawaz Sharif made mistakes while addressing the Panama issue, "and a person makes such mistakes only when he is guilty". Rashid said that the prime minister claimed in parliament that he had proof [of all the business transactions] but his lawyer later told the apex court that they have no evidence of the same.



Addressing the house, the PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi raised the point that the premier had not mentioned the letter of the Qatari prince when as he was presenting his stance on the issue of Panama Papers leaks in the National Assembly. He was of the view that a fresh explanation by Nawaz Sharif had become essential to clear the confusion, being created with emergence of the Qatari prince's letter. "The PM should come to the House and tell the truth," he said, adding "it was a matter of the premier's credibility" and that they (PTI) would be asking repeatedly for clarification "until and unless the prime minister issues one". "It is necessary for the prime minister to present his clarification, more so after the letter of the prince."



Federal Minister Khawaja Asif, however, replied to this saying he was also waiting for the day Imran Khan visited the parliament. As the session began late, the questions and answers session was subsequently postponed following a motion presented by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb. The PTI members protested and raised slogans in the house and said that they would not accept the reply of any government member except Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq reminded the opposition leader of the understanding that government and opposition members would be given equal opportunity to speak.



After the speaker allowed PML-N lawmaker Daniyal Aziz to speak, pandemonium broke out in the PTI benches, with lawmakers protesting the speaker's decision. Ayaz Sadiq reminded PTI lawmakers it had been decided that first the opposition would speak and then the government would be allowed to respond, but the PTI's lawmakers continued chanting slogans against the prime minister.



Danial Aziz in his speech targeted PTI chief Imran Khan, saying "Imran knows he has nothing substantial". Responding to PTI's criticism he said, "The PTI lawmakers claimed that the prime minister runs businesses in the name of his servants."



Following continuous disturbance by Mazari during his speech, Danial Aziz taunted her for her advanced years, saying, "For god's sake please keep quiet, what you are doing? It does not go well with your age." He further said that he had challenged the documents of ICIJ. He alleged that the founders of ICIJ were all fraudulent journalists and also claimed that ICIJ had only seven permanent employees.



The PTI and PPP submitted privilege motions in the NA claiming that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had misguided lawmakers in a speech regarding his assets delivered earlier this year.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
For the cover story in the current issue of New York magazine, Platon made portraits of 44 immigrants, ranging in age from one month to 91 years old. His portraits of the subjects, photographed singly and in groups, fill nine pages in the annual Reasons to Love New York issue. Platon photographed the parade of people in only a day and a half. It was madness, he says.

The idea was we were not being partisan, he explains. We were focusing on the human side of the story and showing people as courageous, rather than victimized.

I was eager to see the layouts because the oldest subject in the story is a long-time friend of mine. When I saw a note New York photo editor Marvin Orellana posted on social media, looking for older New Yorkers born in other countries, I suggested Claire Procopio, 91, whom Ive known since I was 18. She came to New York City from a village in Abruzzo, Italy, with her mother and older sister in 1928. Claire told me she was game for a photo shoot. But once I made the calls, I was nervous: How was she going to look, and what would she think of the whole experience?

Photos  Platon. From New Yorks story, 44 Immigrants on Living in a Sanctuary City. Claire Procopio is on the right.

Platon has previously shot large groups for The New Yorker, The National Center for Civil Rights and other organizations. He founded Peoples Portfolio, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to build bridges and do positive storytelling about the challenging stories of our time, he explains, and produced a portfolio on U.S. immigrants about a year ago. Jody Quon, director of photography at New York, contacted him in November to do something similar on New York immigrants. Platon recalls, She said: The great news is youve got 10 pages to fill, plus three covers. I said: Whats the catch? She said youve got a week to do it.

On the day in late November when the subjects made their way to his studio, Platon posed each person alone, then had them pose in groups or duos, so people from different countries posed together. It felt like a happening, he recalls. A reporter gathered each subjects story. Says Platon, You cant put them all under one umbrella as immigrants. Theyre all unique with different stories, but I could bring them together. He shot the cover portraits the next day.

Though the lighting setup was consistent, Platons directions had to vary with each subject. I had some people who just adored being photographed. It was their chance to be heard and be seen, he says. Another woman was nervous about what to do, he recalls. I had to go into a different gear. I said: Its not about you performing for me like a circus animal. Well do it together.

My friend Claires reaction was a little impatient. She said after the shoot, He did take an awful lot of pictures. He took 50 and 75 shots at least. He then photographed her posing with Reinhard Mergeler, 77, who was born in Germany. When I told Platon what Claire said, he pointed out that at 91, being in a magazine photo shoot doesnt mean that much. True. Claire is very proud of her three wonderful kids and two grandchildren. Being photographed by a guy whos photographed every living U.S. president cant touch that.

Claire also told me, The photographer was very nice and encouraging and he said, Thats great, thats wonderful, so that made me feel good.

She added, He did a variety of pictures and then he told me to look very proud and dignified. Thats what I tried to do. I asked Claire, who sang in the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera and has, in recent years, performed with The Village Light Opera Group, if being photographed is at all like performing on stage. I know when I get on stage to be on, she said. I think I tried to do that subconsciously.

When people step between the camera and a big white backdrop, they step out of context Platon notes. Whatever their response is, thats their way of getting used to having their picture taken. One young asylum seeker from Aleppo, Syria, started crying just before her photo was taken. Says Platon, It makes you realize how vulnerable so many of these people are, or have been.

Platon says this was the first editorial project hes shot digitally: He still prefers to shoot film and then scan it, but the turnaround on this job was too tight. His studio assistants handle all his post production. To meet New Yorks deadline, he says, My team didnt sleep for a week.

After the photo shoot, a few subjects were asked to return to New York magazines office to do video interviews. In her video, Claire answers questions about moving to this country, and applying to The Juilliard School. At the interviewers request, she sang Torna a Surrientothough she hadnt warmed up or prepared, Claire points out. About the interview she says, I wasnt nervous, because I thought: They want me, and Ill just be myself. Thats it.

Platon, who was born in London, raised in Greece, and is the father of kids born in the U.S., says of the New York story: This is a celebration. This is a moment when you get to see people as humans, not as statistics.

Related Articles:

Photo of the Day: Platon: Thank You For Your Service

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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


" " People gaze out at the floodwaters in Madras, India, after the December 2004 tsunami. STR/AFP/Getty Images

Christmas is the time of year when Christians celebrate the foundational event of their faith: The birth of Jesus. It's also a season when family and friends of all beliefs get together and enjoy good food, drink and conversation. Greetings of "merry Christmas" and "happy holidays" fill the snowy streets. Television commercials and store windows glow with words like "peace," "joy" and "cheer." It is, to quote one of the holiday's many jolly tunes, "the most wonderful time of the year."

With such high expectations, however, come some pretty big letdowns. Bad weather strands travelers in the airport. Some "lucky" employees are forced to work while everyone else enjoys the day off. Family gatherings get awkward when the topic of conversation turns to politics. And there's always that one uncle who drinks a little too much and starts airing relatives' dirty laundry.

Advertisement

If these and other looming headaches are getting you down, would it help you to know that it could be worse? Yep, some pretty terrible things have happened during the Christmas season. So when Scrooge and the Grinch try to tag team your Santa-day spirit, be sure to remember our list of the 10 worst things ever to happen at Christmas.
Credit: University of California - Berkeley

Efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act could take away health insurance from millions of Californians, while also eliminating 209,000 jobs and costing the state economy $20.3 billion in GDP, says a new report from the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley.

Center researchers conclude that the state's Central Valleywhich is already struggling with high unemploymentwill be among California's hardest hit regions as residents there also rely heavily on Medi-Cal.

Not only would California experience substantial loss of jobs and GDP, but the researchers estimate that the state and local governments would lose a total of $1.5 billion in tax revenue as a result of declines in income tax, sales tax, and other tax revenue.

On the other hand, repealing the ACA could include tax cuts to high-income individuals and insurers; and the elimination of penalties for uninsured individuals and large employers not offering affordable health insurance to employees. The economic effects of these changes, worth a combined total of $7.6 billion to California's residents and businesses, are included in the study.

More information: California's Projected Economic Losses under ACA Repeal: laborcenter.berkeley.edu/calif  es-under-aca-repeal/
Life after disturbance in a logging gap: surviving and newly recruited trees work together to recover logging-induced carbon loss Credit: Piponiot et al., eLife

The first mapping of carbon recovery in Amazonian forests following emissions released by commercial logging activities has been published in the journal eLife.

The findings suggest that, in some of the forests disturbed by logging, surviving trees may be more reliable for storing carbon emissions than newly 'recruited' trees (juveniles that naturally regenerate in the logged forests).

Amazonia, the largest tropical forest globally, holds 30% of the carbon stored in the earth's forests. Logging releases a significant amount of this carbona key component of climate change - into the atmosphere, which is then recovered by surviving trees and new recruits.

No investigations of post-logging carbon dynamics have previously been carried out Amazon-wide. Now, researchers from the Tropical managed Forest Observatory have created a unique modelling approach to estimate accurately how the different forest environments impact carbon changes in surviving and newly recruited trees during post-logging carbon recovery.

"We studied long-term data from 133 permanent forest plots from 13 experimentally disturbed sites across Amazonia to model the changes in the aboveground carbon stocks in the first decades after logging," says first author and PhD student Camille Piponiot from UMR Ecologie des Forets de Guyane in Kourou, French Guiana.

"We looked at regional differences in climate, soils, and initial aboveground biomass within the forests and linked these with the changes in carbon stocks caused by both newly recruited and surviving trees to predict the carbon recovery potential Amazon-wide."

Their model reveals that carbon recovery is highest in the Guiana Shield in northeastern South America, and also in the western regions of the Amazonian forests, due mainly to the high carbon gain of trees that survived logging activity. In contrast, recovery is lower in the south.

Piponiot explains: "Forests of the Guiana Shield are generally dense and grow on nutrient-poor soils, where wood productivity is constrained by competition for key nutrients. Short pulses of nutrients released from readily decomposed stems, twigs, and leaves of trees damaged and killed by logging explain the substantial but limited-duration increase in the growth of surviving trees.

"In the southern Amazon, on the other hand, high seasonal water stress is the main constraint on carbon recovery. Stress-tolerant trees are generally poor competitors and this may explain the slower carbon accumulation in survivors in this region."

Principal Investigator and senior author of the study, Bruno Herault, from Cirad, adds: "As climate change continues, we can also expect to see increases in droughts and fires that will further disturb the Amazonian forests. Betting on newly recruited trees to store carbon in some of the forests disturbed by logging might be a risky gamble, as most of them are pioneer trees highly vulnerable to water stress. Trees that survive logging activities may therefore be more reliable in accumulating carbon in these disturbed forests."

Herault concludes: "While our study focuses mainly on carbon recovery after logging, our findings may also give useful clues to predict the forests' responses to carbon loss from fires and other events brought on by climate change, which is ironically caused in part by mass disturbance and deforestation."

More information: Camille Piponiot et al, Carbon recovery dynamics following disturbance by selective logging in Amazonian forests, eLife (2016). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.21394 Journal information: eLife

Provided by eLife
Leaderless mRNA is capable of directing protein synthesis in human cells by any of four possible means. Credit: Sergey Dmitriev

Biologists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University in collaboration with colleagues from the Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, used RNA transfection and in vitro techniques to show how the same mRNA can direct protein synthesis in a cell by four different means. The research results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports.

Scientists from the Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, a department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, along with their colleagues, have applied a transfection method to deliver RNA into the cell to observe the impact of cell stress on protein biosynthesis on a short-time scale.

Cell stress and reprogramming of protein synthesis

Sergey Dmitriev, senior researcher at the Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, the Lomonosov Moscow State University, lead author of the article, says, "Our project is devoted to the studies of protein biosynthesis mechanisms, including the situations of cell stress. The research highlights three aspects. The first one concerns methods as we present a technique, which allows analyzing protein synthesis in a cell with the help of a short-term RNA transfection technique".

Transfection is a method of DNA and RNA delivery to a living cell. Usually, DNA is used. After introduction into the nucleus, it initiates the processes of new RNA synthesis, and only afterwards are the RNAs exported into the cytoplasm to participate in protein production. Biologists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University propose a methodology of introducing an artificially synthesized RNA into the cell as a template for immediate protein synthesis.

RNA is delivered to cells with the help of a special chemical agent. Once introduced into the cytoplasm, it participates in protein production on contact with a ribosome, a much shorter process. In as little as one to two hours, the researchers observed protein activity and estimated its quantity.

This technique allows studying the impact of stress on the cell over a short time scale. Cell stresses include, for example, heat shock caused by elevated temperature; oxidative stress provoked by reactive oxygen species; and response to chemical agents that disrupt homeostasis (including antibiotics and medical drugs). Factors of cell stress compel the cell to suspend protein biosynthesis (or "reprogram" it), until the system redresses the balance.

Sergey clarifies: "Usually, these processes last from one to four hours, and our technique of "fast" RNA transfection is the most convenient way to study the effect of these processes. We've conducted our research on cultured human kidney cells, which serve as a standard model for such studies. Finally, we have elaborated a technique that allows obtaining artificial RNA, transfered it into cells and obtained the result in a very short period of time. We've named the whole method FLERT (for fleeting mRNA transfection), which sounds in Russian a bit like 'flirtation,'" says Sergey.

Why is the sum of 40S and 60S equal to 80S in case of a ribosome?

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a polymer of nucleotides coding for a protein. One amino acid is encoded by three nucleotides. There is a special molecular machine, the ribosome, that produced protein. Moving along mRNA, the ribosome reads information in a triplet-by-triplet manner.

The structure of the protein synthesis machine is very complicated. It comprises two subunits a small one (40S) and a large one (60S). A whole ribosome is obtained when they join. However, it's specified not as 100S, but as 80S. The reason is that these figures refer not to the particle mass, but to the sedimentation coefficient, determined during centrifugation. This coefficient depends on several parameters, including the shape of a particle.

In order to start information decoding, first of all it is necessary to find the right starting pointa triplet from which the reading begins. Detection of the starting point is problematic, as there are no marks for triplets in mRNA. However, if you start reading from the wrong nucleotide, the reading frame will be shifted, and everything will go wrong. Special proteins (translation initiation factors) help the ribosome to find the right place in the template to start reading triplets.

Usually, there is a distance between the beginning of the mRNA chain and the starting point, called "leader." A ribosome should pass this leader by without reading. The scientists wondered what would happen if mRNA began right with the starting codoni.e., from the "first word." It's interesting that in archaea (single-celled prokaryotic organisms that have been living on the Earth for billion years and are capable of surviving in extreme conditions) and some other primitive organisms, most mRNAs begin right from the start codon. Such RNAs are called "leaderless." Leaderless mRNAs are supposed to be an evolutionary prototype of messenger RNAs because ancient ribosomes were unable to find starting points and initiated decoding from the very beginning of the mRNA chain.

A ribosome passes through several phases in order to interact with mRNA and start protein synthesis. Normally, the 40S subunit of the ribosome binds mRNA, and then the large 60S subunit joins it at the start codon. In contrast, the leaderless mRNA can be loaded directly into the whole ribosome. This discovery was made in the 1990s by Ivan Shatsky, professor at the Lomonosov Moscow State University.

In the new project, scientists have demonstrated that due to their unique properties, leaderless RNAs are resistant to many stress types and continue directing protein synthesis even in such conditions, while common RNAs with leaders stop working in the first minutes after the impact. Using the FLERT technique, scientists have now demonstrated this in living cells.

The research extension has brought even more interesting results. It turns out that unique properties of the leaderless mRNA provide it with high flexibility in the choice of protein synthesis mechanisms. The researchers discovered that eukaryotes possess several pathways by which a ribosome could find itself on the start codon. These modes are mediated by distinct sets of specialized proteins called translation initiation factors, and have been shown to operate on different mRNAs.

The most common pathway, which could be used by any cellular mRNA, is provided by the eIF2 protein. However, this factor is very quickly inactivated under conditions of stress. As a result, ribosomes fail to recognize the start codons on all mRNAs except those that use other initiation factors.

In a previous study, the scientists discovered that eIF2 is not the only factor able to do this work. For instance, mRNA of the hepatitis C virus is capable of doing without eIF2 and can use eIF5B or eIF2D instead. This virus was supposed to be unique in this sensewhile canonical templates are passively waiting until a ribosome binds them, the hepatitis C virus mRNA "grasps" the 40S subunit and puts it in the right place on the chain. And now scientists have proved that the leaderless mRNA is capable of acting in the same way.

It's also interesting that all organisms possess eIF5B factor, as it's a conserved evolutionary protein. In contrast, eIF2 exists only in eukaryotes and archaeaso it's not universal. All the above-mentioned results suggest that the well-studied classical factor eIF2 is needed only if ribosomes recognize mRNA by active searching for the start codon. Such means of translation initiation is called "scanning," and requires eIF2. When the start codon is found, eIF2 is replaced by eIF5B and protein synthesis starts. Ancient leaderless mRNA can use a primitive mechanism, immediately recruiting eIF5B factor.

Sergey Dmitriev concludes: "We've got a nice result explaining everything. We've found out that a primitive mRNA could use an ancient evolutionary mechanism. Moreover, it is capable of using the other three pathwaysthrough eIF2, eIF2D or direct recruitment of the whole 80S ribosome."

More information: Kseniya A. Akulich et al, Four translation initiation pathways employed by the leaderless mRNA in eukaryotes, Scientific Reports (2016). DOI: 10.1038/srep37905 Journal information: Scientific Reports
Common Chimpanzee in the Leipzig Zoo. Credit: Thomas Lersch/Wikipedia

New research into chimpanzees suggests that, when it comes to altruistically helping a fellow chimpanzee, they are 'indifferent'.

The paper, published in Nature Communications, found no evidence that chimpanzees had a tendency to help others - or conversely to be spiteful - when there was no anticipated benefit to themselves.

In two experiments, chimpanzees could determine whether or not a peer received access to food, and they displayed no preference for either providing access or denying access with their actions.

The team, from the universities of Birmingham, Manchester and St Andrews, and the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, argue that previous experiments that imply 'prosocial' or helpful behaviour in non-human primates were likely a by-product of task design that nudged chimpanzees into participation.

Chimpanzees at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a forested island in Uganda, participated in two studies. None of the chimpanzees were known to be closely related to each other.

In the first experiment, 13 chimpanzees were split into two groups and tested with three recipient chimpanzees. They were able to see and hear one another and the equipment, including a food box containing shelled peanuts that could only be reached from the recipients' room.

Recipients in the room could shake the food boxes. Sometimes shaking the box had no effect because it was locked in position by a peg in the room of the chimpanzee being tested. Other times, shaking the box allowed the recipients to get the peanuts inside. The test subjects could not get the food, but they could see what the recipients were doing.

In one group (the "go group"), releasing the peg would unlock the food box and allow the recipients to get the peanuts. The second group of chimpanzees (the "no go group") saw the recipients who could get the food, but releasing the peg would lock the box and restrict the access to food.

As in previous studies, the chimpanzees released the peg at high rates but this quickly declined when there was no reward for them. Importantly, there was no difference in peg release between the two groups - the chimpanzees were no more likely to release the peg to help the recipient in the go group as they were to block access to food in the no-go group.

In the second experiment, 11 of the same chimpanzees were given training sessions in which they individually learned the impact of their actions on the recipients' food boxes by being able to go to the room containing the food box.

This additional knowledge did not lead to a rise in peg release where food would be given to another chimpanzee, nor did it decrease peg releases when this would prevent others from eating.

Dr Claudio Tennie, from the University of Birmingham, explained, "The results of these two experiments combined demonstrate that the chimpanzees did not act in a manner that would produce benefits for others in a task where there was no perceived benefit to themselves."

"Indeed, given that the participants were just as likely to prevent access to food as they were to permit access, chimpanzees are no more altruistic than they are spiteful. Even after they demonstrated a clear understanding of the consequences of their actions, they remained indifferent to any effects these actions may have on others."

Dr. Keith Jensen, from the University of Manchester, added, "The evolution of social behaviour, and what drives individuals to act altruistically, is an important and active area of debate. Chimpanzees appear indifferent to others when it comes to giving food to others in experimental settings, yet puzzlingly, they have been shown to help humans and other chimpanzees. There has been an appealing suggestion that the roots of human altruism extend down at least as far as our common ancestor with chimpanzees. However, the results of this study challenges that view. "Helping" might have formerly arisen as a by-product of interesting tasks."

"If true, this would mean that prosocial behaviour has developed late in evolution, after our split with the other apes."
Researchers led by The University of Manchester have developed a model that will help civil defence agencies better judge the impact of future volcanic eruptions  including those that threaten the UK population.

Mike Burton, Professor of Volcanology at Manchester's School of Earth and Environmental Science, has led a team of experts that has analysed the legacy of a powerful volcanic eruption to gain clues on how new eruptions would behave.

This pioneering analysis will help inform agencies and policy-makers on how to better plan and prepare for any potential volcanic crisis.

The research team was made up of experts from Manchester and INGV Pisa, Italy, supported by funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the European Research Council (ERC).

Their work has been reported in a paper entitled the 'Role of syn-eruptive plagioclase disequilibrium crystallization in basaltic magma ascent dynamics' published by the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

"This Manchester-led study examined the behaviour of basalt magmas so we can better forecast the impact of future volcanic eruptions," explained Professor Burton.

"For example, Icelandic eruptions are on an official risk register as posing a potential threat to UK population through gas and aerosol inhalation. Studying how these magmas erupts will put us in a better position to judge impacts and will help policy-makers during crises."

Professor Burton's team based their research on the study of the 2001 eruption of Mount Etna in Italy, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Professor Burton added: "During a volcanic eruption magma ascends so quickly that crystals which are trying to form don't have time to do so.

"In our work we use a combination of modelling and observations of the 2001 eruption of Mount Etna to calculate the growth rate of crystals during ascent, a key parameter in modelling future eruptions."

This modelling work can be applied to other volcanic areas, including those in Iceland which are recognised as posing a direct threat to the UK.
The Rice Center for Quantum Materials new alloy is the first iron-based superconductor that can be continuously tuned from the superconducting phase to the Mott insulating phase. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

Physicists at Rice University's Center for Quantum Materials (RCQM) have created a new iron-based material that offers clues about the microscopic origins of high-temperature superconductivity.

The material, a formulation of iron, sodium, copper and arsenic created by Rice graduate student Yu Song in the laboratory of physicist Pengcheng Dai, is described this week in the journal Nature Communications.

Dai said Song's recipewhich involves mixing ingredients in a pure argon atmosphere, sealing them in niobium canisters and baking them at nearly 1,000 degrees Celsiusproduces a layered alloy in which iron and copper separate into alternating stripes. This striping is critical for the material's usefulness in explaining the origins of high-temperature superconductivity, said RCQM Director Qimiao Si.

"By forming this regular pattern, Yu Song has physically removed disorder from the system, and that is crucially important for being able to say something meaningful about what's going on electronically," said Si, a theoretical physicist who has worked to explain the origins of high-temperature superconductivity and similar phenomena for nearly two decades.

High-temperature superconductivity was discovered in 1986. It occurs when electrons pair up and flow freely in layered alloys like Song's new creation. Dozens of high-temperature superconducting alloys have been created. Most are complex crystals that contain a transition metaltypically iron or copperand other elements. High-temperature superconductors are typically terrible conductors at room temperature and only become superconductors when they are cooled to a critical temperature.

Rice University graduate student Yu Song created a new material from iron, sodium, copper and arsenic that is offering physicists clues about the microscopic origins of high-temperature superconductivity. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

"The central problem of high-temperature superconductivity is to understand the precise relationship between these two fundamental states of matter and the phase transition between them," said Dai, professor of physics and astronomy at Rice. "The macroscopic change is evident, but the microscopic origins of the behavior are open to interpretation, largely because there are many variables in play, and the relationship between them is both synergistic and nonlinear."

Dai said two schools of thought "developed from the very beginning of this field. One was the itinerant camp, which argues that both states ultimately arise from itinerant electrons. After all, these materials are metals, even if they may be poor metals."

The other camp is the localized camp, which argues that fundamentally new physics arisedue to electron-electron interactionsat the critical point at which the materials transition from one phase to the other.

Dai said measurements on Song's new material support the localized theory. In particular, the new material is the first member of a class of iron-based superconductors called pnictides (pronounced NIK-tides) that can be tuned between two competing phases: the superconducting phase in which electrons flow with no resistance, and a "Mott insulating" phase in which electrons become locked in place and do not flow at all.

The crystalline structure of the new layered material includes alternating stripes of iron (blue) and copper (red). The striping is critical for the materials usefulness in explaining the origins of high-temperature superconductivity. Credit: Yu Song/Rice University

"The discovery that Yu Song made is that this material is more correlated, which is evident because of the Mott insulating phase," Dai said. "This is the first time anyone has reported an iron-based superconductor that can be continuously tuned from the superconducting phase to the Mott insulating phase."

Samples were made and some tests were performed at RCQM. Additional tests were performed at Chalk River Laboratories' Canadian Neutron Beam Center in Ontario, the National Institute for Standards and Technology's Center for Neutron Research in Maryland, Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor in Tennessee and the Paul Scherrer Institute's Advanced Resonant Spectroscopies beamline in Switzerland.

"In the paper, we showed that if the interaction was weak, then even replacing 50 percent of the iron with copper would still not be sufficient to produce the insulating state," Si said. "The fact that our experimentalists have managed to turn the system to be Mott insulating therefore provides direct evidence for strong electron-electron interactions in iron pnictides. That is an important step forward because it suggests that superconductivity should be tied up with these strong electron correlations."

More information: Yu Song et al. A Mott insulator continuously connected to iron pnictide superconductors, Nature Communications (2016). DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13879 Journal information: Nature Communications
From origins at the Vitebsk Fine Arts School in Belarus (founded by Mark Chagall in 1918), to safe-keeping in an Ohio home for decades, the art of Lazar Ran and his contemporaries has taken a circuitous path to appear on the walls of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. The collection conveys a lesser-known story of the artists spiritual resistance to both Stalinist purges in the former Soviet Union and to the atrocities of the Holocaust.

A Latvian-born artist and Holocaust survivor, Lazar Ran was an accomplished multiple media artist.

When Nazis took over Belarus during World War II, he was in Moscow and unable to return to Minsk until 1944. Upon his return, he learned that his wife and daughter had died at the hands of the Nazis.

From the 1950s through the 1970s, Ran continued to produce government-sanctioned art, while the fate of his family continuously tormented him. He expressed his anguish through a series of etchings and lithographs depicting Holocaust themes and great thinkers from Jewish history. Rans Great Thinkers series depicts grave stones of Jewish artists and writers who were killed in the Stalinist purges of 1936-1938, and Jewish anti-fascist poets who were killed in Moscow in 1952.

To better understand the Yiddish inscriptions on the art and the nuances of Jewish history during the Stalinist era, the Holocaust Center collaborated with David Schlitt of the Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives at the Heinz History Center. The discoveries revealed just how subversive Rans creation of the art would have been deemed by the government in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The danger that artists continued to face in the 1980s, along with the themes of the art, led Ran to pass the artwork to a journalist and art critic friend, Anatoliy Bely, for safe-keeping in Minsk. Eventually, the body of work arrived in the United States and Belys daughter, Svetlana Belaia, protected the art at her home in Ohio for years. Bronislava Miloslavskaya, a Pittsburgh art historian, knew the compelling story of spiritual resistance told by the art, so she connected it with the Holocaust Center.

The Holocaust Center-produced exhibition of original etchings, lithographs, and drawings created over decades will be the largest exhibition of Lazar Rans and his contemporaries works in the United States to date. The Holocaust Center will present the exhibition from December 12 through January 31, 2017.
Of Shakespeares major comedies, The Merchant of Venice is my least favorite because its the least funny. In a post-Holocaust world its difficult to stage the plays anti-semitic jokes, and directors often make the understandable choice to shift the tone contour of the play toward the political and tragic.

At first glance, a recent production I saw by Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (PICT) seemed to track in this direction. The dramaturg situated the staging of the play in something like early 1930s America, where fascist and white-supremacist groups like the German American Bund and the Silver League of America (the Silver Shirts) found a ready, if small audience. But the production wasnt heavy-handedthere were no German accents, no Sieg Heil salutes, no jackbooted Gestapo-like thugs, no billowing swastika banners spanning the stage (a repurposed church sanctuary).

Instead, several of the minor characters were costumed in vaguely historically appropriate paramilitary garb: ties, button-down gray shirts tucked into pleated slacksor were they jodphurs? Maybe they were wearing small red and black pins on their lapels? Rather forgettable costuming, really.

And that might have been precisely the point. Because the actors in this performance went for every laughnot just the bawdy onesand it was genuinely funny. But when I found myself laughing along with Gratianos mockery of Shylockswept along a little too far by the comedic energy, past the point of my rational assentI was shocked. Hold on, I thought, Im laughing with the guy whos dressed like a white supremacist. What am I doing?

Directors often deal with a modern audiences emotional disconnect by allowing us to align our sympathies with Shylock, particularly through the Hath not a Jew speech, the beautiful language of which lends a self-evident moral authority. In every other performance Ive seen, the actor breaks the fourth wall and this speech is addressed directly to the audience. Its natural that our response is one of human solidarityYes! You are human, you feel what I feel, I feel your pain and I empathize. When Shylock directly appeals to us its easy to believe that we, if not the plays other characters, recognize his humanity. Were the good guys. We arent racists. We arent bigots. We arent those people.

But this performance offered no such consolation. Shylock didnt break the fourth wall but instead addressed the two Aryan-type youths who played Gratianos sidekicks, Salerio and Salanio. When he finished delivering an equal-parts vulnerable and dignified rendering of what is surely one of the most memorable speeches in the Shakespearean canon, they spat at his feet and cruelly laughed. The audience, including me, audibly gasped.

Ive never heard an audience gasp at that scene before. All of that beautiful language, all of that pathos, all of the actors careful craft being dismissed, casually, with a universal gesture of contemptits rightly shocking.

And I think we were also shocked at the sudden revelation of our complicity in this act. We found ourselves cast in the role of bystanders who observe blatant dehumanization, and yet who do nothing in response. Seemingly helpless, we were caught in a web of small acts of politenessattending, listening, applauding, appreciatingand moreover, it was our very presence as an audience that even made possible this spectacle of prejudice. What happened to our being the good guys?

There are so many layers of complexity to the theological and moral geography of this playPortias byzantine legalism that masquerades as mercy; social harmony bought at the price of coercive inclusivity; the false dilemma of the justice vs. mercy opposition, when both are being used as weapons; the inexorable logic of a political system designed to perpetuate itself at the cost of the individuals dignityall of these layers are worthy of our sustained attention.

I dont mean to imply that a modern audience is somehow more enlightened than Shakespeare, himself. Alone among his dramatist contemporaries, Shakespeare gives genuine humanity to a Jewish charactera character whose real-life counterparts had been banned from England in 1290, more than three centuries previous to the first performance of this play. Imagine, if you will, a comparable situation for yourself and see if you measure up to Wills imaginative and ethical audacity.

What Im ultimately left with from this performance, viscerally, is that feeling of the in-rush of breatheither as a gasp of incredulity or the prelude to laughterwhen, in an infinitely paused moment of slight panic, I think what should I do? what should I do? before time resumes, the breath exhales, and I donothing.
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
FORT EDWARD  A former Hudson Falls resident was sentenced Friday to 8 years in state prison for repeatedly having sexual contact with a child in Washington County.

James W. Carey, 53, of East Greenbush, pleaded guilty last month to attempted course of sexual conduct against a child in connection with an arrest by Hudson Falls Police and State Police last July.

He was arrested after police determined he sexually abused the child, who was under the age of 13, numerous times between 2010 and 2012, when he lived on Oak Street in Hudson Falls. Carey was acquainted with the child.

Police said he fled the area when he learned police had become aware of the abuse, and he was arrested in Rensselaer County.

He will have to serve nearly 7 years before becoming eligible for parole.
A Lake George man who sold heroin throughout the region has been sentenced to 3 years in state prison and 2 years on parole.

Fred G. Jubin, 46, pleaded guilty earlier this year to felony counts of attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in Washington and Saratoga counties in recent weeks, satisfying indictments that allege he sold heroin in Kingsbury and the South Glens Falls area earlier this year.

He was sentenced Monday by Saratoga County Judge James Murphy, and faces 4 years in state prison and 2 years on parole in Washington County.

Jubin was arrested in May and June after investigations by the sheriff's offices in Washington and Saratoga counties.
POULTNEY, Vt.  State Police have charged a former Granville High School student with manslaughter in the death of a Poultney, Vermont, man Sunday.

William Bailey, 19, of Poultney, Vermont, was charged and held by the Department of Corrections. Police said he allegedly shot Daniel Hein, 19, with a semiautomatic handgun.

According to a State Police news release, members of the Poultney Rescue Squad were called for a report of a man who had been shot at a residence on Roberts Avenue.

When police and rescue workers got there, they found Hein dead of an apparent gunshot wound in a vehicle in a driveway.

State Police said there were four men in the car, including Bailey and Hein.

Bailey is being held on no bail and will be arraigned Monday in Rutland, Vermont.

The incident is under investigation by members of Troop C Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Major Crime Unit.

One of the additional vehicle occupants, Dylan Czarnecki, 21, of Poultney, Vermont, was taken into custody on probation violations.

A fourth man who was in the car is being sought as a potential witness. He was identified as Jonathan Testa, 21, of Poultney, Vermont. Anyone with information as to the location of Testa is asked to contact the State Police in Rutland.

More information regarding details in the investigation will be released in the charging affidavit following arraignment Monday.
GRANVILLE  Mark Doody will have a new job in the new year.

The retired Hudson Falls school superintendent, who is the current interim principal of Glens Falls High School, is taking over as interim superintendent of Granville Central School on Feb. 1.

The Granville school board is scheduled to appoint Doody at its Jan. 9 meeting. Doody will be paid $450 per day. He will not receive any health benefits nor will the district be required to pay into the state retirement system as he is a retired employee.

Doody will replace Mark Bessen, who is retiring at the end of January after about seven years with the district.

Doody was Hudson Falls superintendent from July 2012 through June 2015. He served as interim principal of Whitehall Junior-Senior High School during the 2015-2016 school year and has been at Glens Falls since Aug. 1. That position will conclude at the end of the year, as Cambridge Junior-Senior High School Principal Tammy Silvernell is starting work on Jan. 3 as the new Glens Falls High School principal.

Granville school board President Audrey Hicks said Doody rose to the top of the candidates who met with the board.

His record in Hudson Falls and his personal humility in the interview stood out and I think swayed a bunch of people, she said.

She added in a news release that board members were looking for a bridge-builder.

The board is confident that Mr. Doody will be able to help build bridges within the board, the school and the community of Granville, she said in a news release.

The board would like to have a permanent superintendent in place by July 1, according to Hicks.

The district has not formally posted the position, as it is working to develop its advertising brochure. As with Doody, Hicks said the board is looking for a permanent superintendent who can bring the district together.

Doody said he is happy about the new opportunity.

Washington County is a special place, and I am excited to serve in the Granville Central School District, he said in a news release. I enjoy working in small school districts because there is an intimacy there that you dont get with other school districts  you get to really know the students and staff. Im looking forward to supporting the teachers, administrators, staff and school community in Granville during the transition to a permanent superintendent.
GREENWICH  Relatives of the two boys who were trapped in a snowbank last week met Tuesday with the men who rescued them to thank them for their efforts during an emotional gathering that included hugs and tears.

The Dec. 13 tragedy claimed the life of 13-year-old Joshua Demarest, but rescuers were able to get to his good friend, 12-year-old Tyler Day, to free him from a small cavern where he was trapped. He was hospitalized for hypothermia and survived.

Joshuas maternal grandfather, Efton Jiles,and Tylers father, Tom Day, asked to meet with the Cambridge-Greenwich Police, State Police and Washington County sheriffs officers, forest rangers and village of Greenwich public works crews who came to the boys aid that night after they were reported missing. The Greenwich VFW post organized and hosted the 20-minute gathering.

The two men addressed nearly two dozen who came together, some of the rescuers wiping tears from their eyes as Day and Jiles spoke about what their families have been through, how they are dealing with their emotions and how thankful they are for the help they have gotten.

I cant say enough how much I appreciated what you have done, Day told them.

The boys were reported missing at about 5 p.m. Dec. 13, after they took sleds to slide in the snow from their neighboring Rock Street homes. State Police Investigator Joseph Bearor spotted part of a sled sticking from a large snowbank near their homes a short time later, leading to a frantic effort to tear apart the 10-foot-high, 50-yard-long snowbank by hand to locate them. Joshua died of asphyxiation.

Investigators believe a public works crew member either dumped snow on or pushed the snow bank, not knowing the boys had tunneled in from the other side. Village crews have for years dumped snow collected from sidewalks and streets at the site.

Jiles told them the accident was not the fault of any mortal being.

After school, Tyler and Josh did what boys do after school, they played in the snow, he said. They were being the good boys Tyler is and Josh was. Theyre really fine young men.

It was just two 12-year-old boys and a freak accident, Day said.

Both praised the Greenwich community for rallying to help the families. Jiles said Joshuas mother, Rachael Demarest, is struggling as she deals with the loss of her son and the death of her mother the same day.

We are experiencing such an outpouring of love, an outpouring from all over the world, Jiles said.

Day said his son is also struggling, but plans to meet all of the people involved with the search and rescue to thank them personally.

Tyler, like Joshua a seventh-grader in the Greenwich Central School District, had not returned to school as of Tuesday.

His father said Tyler is close with Joshuas younger siblings, who often played with the two older boys.

I dont think its really hit us yet, the impact of whats going on, Day said.

Many of those who were involved in the search and rescue were deeply affected, some devastated, by the tragedy.

State Police Senior Investigator Robert Stampfli thanked the men for letting rescuers know that their efforts were valued and appreciated.

It says a lot about the character of these families that you are worried about us, he told Jiles and Day.

At the gathering, State Police from the Greenwich station donated $1,000 to Rachael Demarest and her family from a collection taken up among troopers and station staff. A fund for the family has been set up at TD Bank, and donations can be made at any of the banks branches.
WHITEHALL  Twice in recent months, lawyers have gathered to determine whether a Granville man is criminally liable for allegedly providing a car to his daughter before she had a fatal crash while driving it. And twice the trial ended because not enough jurors were present to begin.

The latest postponement occurred Thursday, when Melvin Loomis, his lawyer and representatives of the Washington County District Attorneys Office made a second attempt to seat a jury to hear charges against Loomis.

Instead, Village Justice Julie Eagan postponed the trial until Feb. 23 to allow the Washington County commissioner of jurors to summon as many potential jurors as legally possible, said Washington County First Assistant District Attorney Christian Morris. Neither he nor other court observers could recall a misdemeanor trial that had to be adjourned twice because of the jury pool being exhausted.

Loomis, 65, has been charged with circumventing an ignition interlock device, a misdemeanor, and facilitating aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a noncriminal violation, for allegedly allowing his daughter to use the car.

He was charged after a highly intoxicated Kristina S. Loomis, 32, crossed into the oncoming lane on Route 22 in Granville, slamming head-on into Elizabeth Gibsons vehicle as Gibson drove home from work the night of May 26, 2015. Gibson, 47, of Granville died, and Loomis suffered serious leg injuries.

Kristina Loomis pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular manslaughter and is serving a 4- to 12-year state prison sentence.

The Cadillac sedan she drove had been purchased by Melvin Loomis, and was registered under his name. But she had been ticketed when driving it before the crash, and authorities have evidence that indicates he bought the car specifically for his daughter.

Because of a prior DWI conviction, she was required to use an ignition interlock device, which drivers breathe into before starting the car to show they have not been drinking.

Morris said 24 jurors were summoned earlier this fall, and not enough could be picked from that pool to seat a six-person jury. Forty were summoned Thursday, and eight called ahead to be excused for scheduling conflicts, but just 19 showed up to court.

Lawyers and the judge can excuse prospective jurors for cause based on the answers they give to questions, and both the defense and prosecution have the ability to excuse a certain number as well. Two were picked to hear the case Thursday, but the others were excused until it became clear there would not be enough left to complete the panel.

Melvin Loomis turned down a plea agreement offer that included a guilty plea to a misdemeanor with no agreement on a sentence recommendation, Morris said.

Morris said the defense has indicated Loomis concern is the possible impact of a criminal conviction on civil litigation. Loomis lawyer, John Winn, would not comment on the case Monday, other than to say his client plans to go to trial.

No civil litigation has been filed in state Supreme Court in Washington County.

The case was moved to Whitehall after Granvilles judges recused themselves because of familiarity with the Loomis family

Loomis could face up to 60 days in Washington County Jail on the ignition interlock charge.
QUEENSBURY  The owner of a local information technology company wants to see if local youths can hack it at computer programming.

Adirondack Technical Solutions President Jared Humiston is partnering with SUNY Adirondack to host a Hack-A-Thon event at the college in March.

At the event, high school students would participate in a variety of challenges, such as Capture the Flag, in which they would try to protect a computer asset from being hacked by their competitors.

It is a competition to test out your skills. We figure this would be a great opportunity to get high school students interested in the college, interested in the cybersecurity field, he said.

Third-party judges would assess how well students perform the work.

The event will be the latest to come out of a partnership between the Argyle-based company and the community college.

Adirondack Technical Solutions has provided job opportunities for graduates, given insight into industry trends and made presentations in classrooms. College officials used the companys expertise to develop its new associates degree program in cybersecurity, which will debut in the fall of 2017.

Humiston and SUNY Adirondack President Kristine Duffy signed a formal agreement to continue their partnership.

Jobs in cybersecurity have increased by almost 75 percent in the last five years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Cybersecurity is the future of technology. If you guys havent seen it in the news, it affects elections. It affects everything, he said.

Duffy praised Humiston for his willingness to partner with the college.

Jared is an Argyle native who is bringing good-paying IT jobs to this community, she said.

The business has hired four SUNY Adirondack graduates, Humiston said, and will continue to build out the colleges computer facilities as the program grows.

Karen Woodard, associate professor of information technology, said the new cybersecurity degree will incorporate three security industry certifications, in addition to the current Cisco certification the college offers.

SUNY Adirondack is working out a transfer agreement with SUNY Cobleskill to allow students who complete the cybersecurity degree to continue their studies to obtain a four-year degree in IT information security/cybersecurity track, according to Woodard.

Some of the other companies that assisted in developing the cybersecurity program were North Country Computing, Annese & Associates of Clifton Park, Glens Falls Hospital and Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES, she said.

Rose Tasso of Wilton is currently attending the Cisco networking program at the Wilton campus. She is still thinking about what to do after college.

Network security does seem like a really good idea because its ever-growing and job opportunities are springing up everywhere, she said.
QUEENSBURY  The Town Board voted 3-2 on Monday to eliminate the deputy supervisor position, minutes after Supervisor John Strough announced he was replacing Deputy Supervisor William VanNess, the 4th Ward councilman, with Anthony Metivier, the 1st Ward councilman.

I dont see a need for that position, said 3rd Ward Councilman Doug Irish, who proposed eliminating the $5,000-a-year position, which typically is filled by a Town Board member who receives additional compensation for the duties.

Instead of having a designated deputy supervisor, any Town Board member could sign checks or lead meetings when the supervisor is absent, he said.

Strough said earlier on Monday the move to eliminate the deputy supervisor position appears to be fallout from a controversial 3-2 vote in November to replace the towns law firm, a vote that Strough and Metivier opposed, but VanNess, Irish and 2nd Ward Councilman Brian Clements supported.

The voting pattern on eliminating the deputy supervisor position was the same as the vote to replace the law firm.

Irish said the two actions were coincidental.

Strough said at the meeting he wanted to spread the opportunity to serve as deputy supervisor around the board, and it was Metiviers turn to serve.

In an interview earlier on Monday, Strough said he recently informed VanNess he would not reappoint him as deputy supervisor because VanNess voted to replace the law firm.

Strough, in the interview, said the deputy supervisor must share his vision for the town.

I told Bill I cant have him as deputy supervisor if he doesnt have my back, Strough said.

Irish said his proposal to eliminate the deputy supervisor position had no connection with Strough replacing VanNess.

That resolution was in last week prior to my knowledge of John making any kind of change in the deputy supervisors office, Irish said in a telephone interview before the meeting on Monday. My intent for the last few months was to get rid of that position.

At the Town Board meeting, Strough said that earlier this year Irish suggested increasing the deputy supervisor salary from $1,700 to $5,000, which the board approved.

Mike Wild, a town resident speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting, said the two actions seem to be contradictory.

Irish said he thought the increased salary would be more fair compensation for the amount of work involved, but he later decided it would be more efficient to eliminate the position as part of advocating to reinstate a committee system, in which Town Board members take an increased role in the day-to-day supervision of various town departments.

After we thought about it, it seemed to make more sense to eliminate that position, he said.

During the public comment period of the meeting, Marylee Goseline, a town resident, said Irish did not provide adequate advance notice of his proposal, which was added to the Town Board meeting agenda late last week.

The public doesnt know about it. Your constituents dont know about it, she said. It sounds like sour grapes, and I dont like it at all.

Ron Ball and Travis Whitehead, town residents, spoke in support of eliminating the deputy supervisor position.

Whitehead said it makes sense for Town Board members to rotate duties of signing checks and leading meetings in the supervisors absence, the same way Town Board members rotate leading the Pledge of Allegiance at Town Board meetings.

Former Deputy Supervisor Ron Montesi, who did not take a specific position, said the deputy supervisor duties are more expansive then just signing checks and leading meetings.

Strough said at the meeting the town has had a deputy supervisor since 1973.

Strough said he rarely misses a meeting or is sick, but appreciates having a deputy to assist with key initiatives.

I hope cooler heads will prevail, he said.

After the vote, Strough joked with Metivier, Well Tony, you made history, for the shortest tenure as deputy supervisor on record.

Irish said eliminating the deputy position is the start of a push to streamline town government and involve Town Board members more in day-to-day operations.

That seems to have gotten lost over the last five or six years and the Town Board has gotten blind to what is going on, he said.

Metivier and VanNess did not comment on the issue at Mondays meeting.
DORSET, Vt.  The search for a missing Vermont woman who has been missing since Sunday continued Tuesday in-and-around a Vermont quarry.

Vermont State Police said in a news release they conducted a large land and water search in-and-around the Dorset Quarry for a Bennington College student Hadil Marzouq.

The 20-year-old was last seen leaving a residence she was staying Saturday in Bennington, Vermont. After not returning home, she was reported missing.

On Sunday night, her vehicle was spotted at the Dorset Quarry and this location will continue to be the focus of the search Wednesday.

Members of the Vermont State Police Search and Rescue Team, Vermont State Police SCUBA team and New England K-9 Team, Upper Valley Wilderness Response team, Vermont K-9 team and Manchester Rescue are assisting with the search.

Marzouq is described as a white female with brown eyes and long black curly hair. She is 5-foot-3 and weighs approximately 130 pounds.

Anyone who has any information are encouraged to contact Vermont State Police at 802-442-5421.
FORT EDWARD  Washington County is doing away with its county planning board and replacing it with a single person who will make all decisions.

The county is putting out a formal request for proposals to find a consultant who will take over the planning boards work.

That consultant will work with the countys junior planner, who is still in training. The goal is to have her take on the job in the future, when shes ready, said county Administrator Chris DeBolt.

Although the measure has been discussed before, it still came as a shock to Planning Board Chairman John Pedersen. He was not at the committee meeting at which it was discussed Monday.

I think we have a good cross-section on the county, which we would know much better than a consultant, Pedersen said. I can speak for the group: We would not like to be disbanded.

DeBolt acknowledged that having one person making decisions could be difficult.

It can be a pretty lonely place if youve got a controversial project and youre the only one to make the decision, he said.

But he isnt happy with the board, either. In the countys request for proposals, the board was described as having sporadic attendance, difficulty achieving a quorum and strained relationships.

Pedersen said the strain was in delays when the board could not get enough members to show up at a meeting, and so they couldnt meet to make a decision on a project. The board was recently reduced from nine members to seven, which solved the problem, Pedersen said.

DeBolt said the switch to a consultant was done mainly to speed up land use and development decisions.

I want these back at the local boards so were not holding people up, he said.

A consultant could also offer more meaningful recommendations on complex projects, DeBolt said.

The RFP adds that the goal is to provide decisions consistently, quickly and...(with) more appropriate and meaningful feedback.

Pedersen bristled at that.

That was not really a nice statement, he said. Look, were not there to reinvent the projects.

The county planning board is only supposed to look at the effects of projects on the county, he said.

He also noted that the county board works for free. He questioned whether the county could afford a consultant.

I dont see how they can justify the cost, he said.

County officials wont know how much it would cost to switch until they get responses back from consultants.

Pedersen said he would rather the county stuck with its board.

I would really be disappointed if the county does it. I think our county should give us more authority, instead of disbanding us, to work with the local planning boards, he said.

Warren County eliminated its county planning board several years ago.
WHITEHALL  School board President Jeremy Putorti announced Monday he is stepping down from the board in the spring, as he will be relocating out of state because of a job promotion.

Putorti has accepted a management position with GE in Greenville, South Carolina. He currently works in the GE Aviation facility in North Clarendon, Vermont. He is hoping to stay on the board until May or June.

My family is staying here so my kids can finish school. Ill be traveling back and forth until then, he said.

He will be putting his house on the market in a few months.

Putorti said he wanted to make the announcement now, so people will know that next year there will be another vacancy on the board, which has gone through some transition.

In September, the board appointed former member Virginia Rivette to fill the vacancy created by the death of Anthony Scrimo the previous month. Rivette will have to run to fill the remaining two years of Scrimos term.

Last month, the board appointed Chris Dudley to fill the seat of Amy Austin, who stepped down in October for personal reasons. Dudley will have to seek re-election next year to finish the remaining two years of Austins term.

Putorti was just re-elected last May to another five-year term, so candidates can run in 2017 to fill out the remaining four years.

The terms of Samantha Kingsley and James Brook also are up. Their replacements will be the first board members to serve three-year terms after voters last May approved a citizen-submitted petition to shorten the term length.

Putorti thanked people for their support and said the district is in good shape.

I feel comfortable. We have a world-class administration up here right now. I think things are running smooth. The culture up at the school has changed dramatically, he said.
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One will find NPP paraphernalias everywhere in town after the win.

In recent times, Nana Addo mackerel has also sufficed in the market.

Most kenkey sellers say they are buying more of the Nana Addo mackerel since their customers have been requesting for it.

In the run-up to the elections there was also the Kalypo challenge. This came about after a picture of the NPPs Presidential nominee sipping Kalypo fruit juice meant to possibly mock Nana Akuffo Addo interestingly started a social media challenge.

The challenge which was named KalypoChallenge caught on with a number of people believed to be pro-NPP.

People who supported the challenge take pictures of themselves while sipping Kalyppo and post them on social media.
Some might think the gentle clonk of cowbells is as much a part of the Alpine landscape as soaring peaks and wooden chalets, but the noise drove landlord Guenter Frick to bring charges against farmer Engelbert Laengle last summer.

But Laengle, whose family has been in the farming business for 300 years, insisted the bells had to stay, arguing they were essential in locating his herd.

On Tuesday, the quarrelling sides finally came to an amicable arrangement: Frick will fork out 3,000 euros to equip the cows with silent tracking devices.

"I hope the farmer will have a lot of fun with the GPS," he told public broadcaster ORF.
As this year's festive season beckons, she has teamed up with award winning and reining Dancehall King, the ever blazing Champion Shatta Wale alongside Afedzi Perry to give Ghanaians and all music fans something big for the Xmas season.

This is the most talked about song for the holidays and beyond. She calls this one JeJe.

The song was produced by Ghana's most celebrated sound engineer, WillisBeatz.

Sista Afia has other songs to her credit, notable among them are Kro Kro No alongside Bisa KDei, Are You Ready and Yi Wani and recently 'Kofi'.
We at Pulse Ghana are honouring her with the title of Pulse Ghana Person of the Year.

Osei's nomination and appointment took many by surprise considering her gender and her perceived inexperience. For many, she was not suitable to replace the towering personality that was Dr.Afari Djan, the retiring commissioner.

She faced a wrath of allegations and abuse from politicians to commentators and those on social media.

READ ALSO:

Her detractors spat insults and accusations. Many were sexist.

Former attorney general and citizen vigilante, Martin Amidu personally wrote to her, demanding her resignation after describing her as incompetent and arrogant following the disqualification of 13 aspiring presidential candidates.

READ ALSO:

Aside from the EC decisions, Osei had to defend her nationality, with people saying she is Nigerian so should not be in the role.

"My mother was married to a Nigerian  my stepfather. He died after five years in the marriage. So, that makes me Nigerian? "I went to school in Nigeria; my early education, so that makes me a Nigerian? I also went to school in Canada, so, I guess that makes me Canadian.

"And my stepmother  my father's wife, who is also a mother to me  has been married to my father for more than 40 years. She's an Akyem, so, I guess that makes me Akyem as well. We thank God she's not Chinese, thatll probably make me Chinese as well," Mrs Charlotte Osei had said in prior interviews.

Osei was not perfect. Some of her decisions including an ill-timed make over of the Commission and a reticence to heed counsel meant she was a constant presence in the cross hairs of the media during the year.

Charlotte Osei showed that elegance and stubbornness can be bedfellows.In the end, she delivered an election that faced its own challenges but was also a greater improvement on several that had been held previously.
Prior to her promotion, she was a deputy chairperson of the NCCE in charge of Finance and Administration. The position became vacant after the then chair of NCCE Charlotte Osei was appointed the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.

Whittal was also a deputy commissioner at CHRAJ and has been acting as the head of the commission after his predecessor Lauretta Lamptey was sacked.

She was dismissed following an allegation of the abuse of office.

Josephine holds a BA (Law&french) from the University of Ghana.

This is the second promotion for Josephine in less than 19 months.

Whittal attended the University of Ghana where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and was called to the bar in 1990.

His report on the controversial Ford gift saga exonerated the President of bribery and conflict of interest.
His address will also be the last one by a head of state to the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

But Deputy Director of Public Affairs Kate Addo speaking to Accra-based Class FM said, Parliament has postponed the presentation by President Mahama.

She said "The business committee will set up the agenda as they have always done, but there are some issues that they will by all means have to be dealt with. One of them is the provision by our 1992 constitution, Article 67, that a sitting president, before the dissolution of parliament, will have to give an account of the state of affairs."

"We were initially looking at Thursday, but I got information to the extent that there has to be a change in the date and that has not been confirmed yet; we are waiting for word Once we are sure of the date, we will communicate, but it will definitely occur before parliament is dissolved on 5 January, 2017," she explained.

The president is expected to provide details of projects his government is undertaking and outline some of his achievements as president.
According to reports, he has been battling illness in the past weeks.

Shortly after 2004 elections, he was suspended from the General Secretary position following allegations of intended defection for monetary gains. The allegations have since proven to be false and he remains an NDC member.

He's a lawyer by training and a law lecturer at the Ghana Law School.

Dr Nii Armah Josiah-Aryeh was born in 1958 at Jamestown in Accra. From Accra High School and Achimota School, he read English, Modern History and Law at University of Ghana and was active in student politics.

He was called to the Bar in 1983. In April 1984 he left for the UK on self-financed postgraduate education, where he obtained LLM (LSE), Certificate in Law Teaching (UC, London) and PhD (SOAS).
Ghanaians will soon realize what it is that they have lost in President Mahama. The biggest mistake Ghanaians made was not to have re-elected President Mahama to continue for another term in office. Only God knows why things went the way they did. We left everything to him (God) to decide who would emerge victorious in the elections; but all Im saying is that Ghanaians will remember President Mahama for the greater good that he ensured in Ghana. Just as we remember Jesus Christ for the good He did on earth, so shall we never forget President Mahama for what hes done for Ghana, he said.
Nana Addo who was addressing the Governor of the Imo State in Nigeria Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha as part of his three-day visit to Nigeria said the economy must have a positive impact on the life of the ordinary Ghanaian.

I am extremely concerned, that the next four years will see a marked improvement in the living standards of the people of Ghana.

READ ALSO: 10 things you need to know about Charlotte Osei

The Ghanaian economy has taken a hit in these last three or four years but we believe with discipline, with hard work and correct set of policies we should be able to bring the country back to prosperity.

He further assured the governor of Imo State of a growing relationship between the two West-African countries during his tenure as president.

We value the historic relationship between the two countries. It is important that such links are established between our people and our leaders. They give confidence to our populations that we are working to try and resolve their problems and help them progress with their livesthe stronger the relationship between the two countries is, the better it is for the West Africa Region and the continent large.

Nana Addo left on Sunday (December 18) after the thanksgiving service of the New Patriotic Party for the landslide victory in the just ended 2016 elections.

He is expected to expected to deliver the keynote address at the 2016 Future of Africa Awards ceremony in Lagos.

He will also pay a courtesy call on the president of Nigeria, Mahammadu Buhari at the state house in Nigeria.
This was announced on Monday at a meeting of both transition teams of the incoming NPP and outgoing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Oppong Nkrumah replaces Mustapha Hamid who is also the spokesperson of the president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo.

READ ALSO: President Mahama touts achievements to ECOWAS leaders

Even though no reason was given for this decision pulse.com.gh gathered that Mustapha Hamid who is currently a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region needs to mark and grade papers of his students.

Since he is likely to serve in the NPP government, he is also expected to use this period to hand over all university property in his possession formally to the university and initiate the processes of taking a leave from the lecture hall and other academic duties to enable him to serve in the incoming government.

He polled 17,141 votes during the general elections and is expected to be in the next Parliament which will start work on January 6, 2017.

During the sitting of the committee, both sides agreed that the outgoing NDC will take every decision to sign a new contract in consultation with the incoming NPP government.

Meanwhile, all but one of the hand over notes were presented to the incoming NPP as required by the Presidential Transition Act 2012 (Act 845).
The spokesperson for the New Patriotic Partys Transition Team, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, made this appeal in an interview with Accra FM.

The Transition Team is located at the Accra International Conference Centre, and, so, I will appeal to the public that if anybody has any idea or information, that person can make that information available to us. If we realise those information or concerns are not captured in the handing-over notes or reports, we will discuss with our colleagues on the other side.

There have been some accusations and counter-accusations from both sides of the transition team.

The NPP team earlier accused the outgoing government of signing last-minute contracts and employments without their consent.

But the NDC responded saying some of the mentioned activities started before the general elections were held. They also asked the NPP to abrogate such contracts if they find any challenges with after January 7.

Subsequently, both teams agreed on the best way to deal with such upheavals.

The Member of Parliament-elect for the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency in the Eastern Region, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah will now serve as the new spokesperson for the New Patriotic Partys transition team.

This was announced on Monday at a meeting of both transition teams of the incoming NPP and outgoing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Oppong Nkrumah replaces Mustapha Hamid who is also the spokesperson of the president-elect Nana Akufo-Addo.

READ ALSO: President Mahama touts achievements to ECOWAS leaders
The entrepreneur took to Instagram on December 19, 2016, writing, "This weekend I was in an emotionally bad place and did some things that embarrassed myself and my family. I apologise and I'm seeking help to deal with my flaws/issues. Please pray for me and I'm sorry @blacchyna. You are a great mother to our child and I love you."

This comes after Blac Chyna's account was hacked on Saturday, December 17, 2016, with the culprits posting incriminating screen shots of the model's conversations with friends, family and an alleged lover.

The messages spoke of a well-planned scheme which would provide, money, fame, and most importantly revenge.

Moving on, Blac moves out of their home complete with their one-month-old baby and everything else that belongs to Dream Renee and her 3-year-old son, King Cairo, in a move that can only be seen as cutting her losses before things got worse.
The finalists made up of 10 males and 10 females include Claire Chinenye Obodozie, Henry Nwadialor, Cynthia Nnowayi, Chukwudi Enukoha, Chinasa Ezeamaka, Chinonso Ahanonu, Chisom Ubachukwu, Honorus Ahanonu, Adaolisa Asomba, Chimezie Madueke, Chiagozie Ngwukaenyi, Nnaemka Agusionu, Onyinyechi Okaforeze, Fredrick Ahize, Ogechi Onuigbo, Emmanuel Ahanonu, Chiamaka Obiakeze, Chika Ogueze, Chidumaga Nsofor & Chisom Okoye.

The contest was open to graduates from all the towns in Ihiala local government and included a male category to the competition. The top 20 finalists selected were composed of 10 females and 10 males who are all Igbo indigenes and graduates of tertiary institutions below the age of 30.

ALSO READ: Chioma Obiadi emerges Miss Nigeria 2016 winner

The competition now proceeds to the camp stage where the contestants would be trained in various areas; including Igbo culture, language lessons, business training, charity activities with the Obi Jackson foundation and an official visit to the Royal cabinet of Okija amongst other developmental activities.

The organisers unveiled the top 20 contestants of the acclaimed socio-cultural pageant at an event in Lagos on 16th of December On the 29th of December at Okija town, the Face of Okija pageant winners will be declared King and Queen for the duration of their reign.

At the finale on the 29th of December, the contestants would be expected to tests their skills against each other and prove that they are true representatives of Igbo land and particularly the right ambassadors for Okija.
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News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the huge bail bond was set by Magistrate A. A. Adesanya of an Ikeja Magistrates Court sitting in Lagos State after Olayinka was arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

The police prosecutor, Inspector George Nwosu, had told that Olayinka and another man who is now at large, had snatched Olasumbos bag on November 4, 2016, at Aina Obembe Street, in the Ipaja area of the state.

The accused jumped down from their motorcycle, approached the complainant, commanding her to surrender her bag. They threatened to shoot her son if she refused to comply and for fear of being harmed, the complainant gave them her bag.

The accused jumped back on their motorcycle and rode off, Inspector Nwosu said.

The prosecutor added that the offences contravened Sections 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011 with Section 285 prescribes a three-year jail term for offenders.
Onajobi is being prosecuted by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other Related Matters.

The resident of Bogije Street, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, is standing trial on a two-count of unlawful carnal knowledge of his teenage daughter.

The case, which was billed for continuation of trial on Tuesday, was adjourned to Jan. 19 as the court did not sit.

The accused was re-arraigned on July 8, 2013, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, following the transfer of the first trial judge, Justice Barbara Molokwu from the Lagos Division of the court.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charge, and Aneke remanded him at the Ikoyi Prisons pending determination of his bail application.

Following Anekes transfer from Lagos Division, Justice Muslim Hassan now presides over the matter.

In the charge, the accused was alleged to have committed the offence in 2010.

The prosecution had told the court that after the death of his wife, the accused sexually assaulted his only daughter several times.

It stated that the accused intimidated and repeatedly had forceful carnal knowledge of his daughter, who eventually became pregnant for him.
They protested the lack of power supply and exorbitant electricity bills for nearly a year now. The protesters also stormed the Niger State House of Assembly Complex, protesting the lack of power supply in their area and incessant crazy bills from officials of the energy provider.

Some of the protesters said that the high monthly bills (from N6,000) did not reflect the epileptic power supply.

There are three major dams in Niger state. The Kainji Dam built in 1968, Jebba Dam built in 1985 and Shiroro Dam built in 1990. These are all hydroelectric dams that have been privatised since 2013 with hollow promises of bumper harvests according to the protesters.

On Saturday, December 17, 2016, in Abuja President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said that the Senate would look into disbursement of the N213 billion power sector intervention fund by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Saraki made this known in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sanni Onogu.

Saraki, according to the statement, spoke during a special stake holders meeting to proffer solutions to the worsening electricity generation in the country.

He said the upper chamber would verify claims and counter claims of non-remittance of revenues between the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) and Generation Companies (Gencos).

Saraki urged the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy to conduct a public hearing on this funds as well as on the declining electricity generation which currently stood at 3,000 megawatts.
According to Daily Post, the Ekiti Governor added that borrowing to fund the 2017 budget will put Nigeria in enslavement.

Fayose said  If we borrow this much to finance 2017 budget, it means we will continue to borrow even till 2019 and the rate at which this government is borrowing money, I hope they will not plunge Nigeria into eternal debt, enslavement and misery. This has been the fear of many who are against borrowing of N30 billion loan. And we will continue to borrow without attempting to concretely tackle the dwindling rate of our currency.

What the federal government is doing is in the wrong direction. You see, one sad thing is that once the head is right, the whole body would not be right. The FG under President Buhari does not have what it takes to lead this country economically and beyond. They themselves confirmed that the 2016 budget performed below about 40 percent so that is to tell you that they lack the vision, and dont know what they are doing and are only deceiving Nigerians.

The Governor said this while distributing 7,000 eye-glasses to various Ekiti residents.
The airlines Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, made the confirmation in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.

Akinkuotu noted that the airline resumed operation after a near four month self-imposed suspension.

According to him, the suspension of flight is embarked upon as a strategic business realignment to re-position the airlines and return it to the part of profitability.

Akinkuotu explained that the airlines was re-launching schedule services to Lagos, Abuja, Warri and Port Harcourt, using its Boeing 737-400/500 and the Dash8-Q400.

He said that this was with the expectation that as more aircraft returned to service, more routes would be re-opened.

We are delighted to inform our esteemed customers that our schedule operation is back.

Full flights will commence on Thursday December 22, 2016 with consistent passenger demand despite the suspension of schedule services.

This patronage reinforces the strength of our brand and the quality of our service," he added.

Akinkuotu said that the airline was aware of the impact the four months suspension had on its staff and highly esteemed customers.

ALSO READ:Workers list 10 reasons why Aero Contractors must be saved

Hence our move to return to operations is to continue to offer the most reliable, safe and secure operations, which the airline is renowned for.

We urge our passengers with existing tickets prior to the suspension to contact our Ticket Desks/Call Centre to re-book their tickets free of charge.

However, those who would prefer a refund may send in their refund requests from the Jan. 9, 2017.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at a Special Town Hall Meeting for Youths organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture.

The minister said that fertiliser being sold for N10,000 per bag was because the security agencies placed hold on its distribution.

Fertiliser came late this year due to security challenges.

We started moving fertiliser in February to meet up with the farming season but the national security agency stop us from moving it.

Over 400 trailer loads of fertilisers were held down in Lokoja for two months because Boko haram were converting urea among other fertiliser component to make bombs.

 It took two and half months to get arrangement from security agencies to escort fertilisers from the factories to the farms.

We were cut between security problems and food security for the people, he said.

The minister said that the delay in accessibility of the product led to hike in price.

He, however assured farmers that the price will reduce to less than N5,000 in the next planting season as arrangements were being made for transportation by rail.

ALSO READ:Ogbeh says eating rice always is risky

Ogbe said that the federal government has also signed agreement with the Moroccan government for supply of phosphate and potassium for fertiliser production.
He said it was based on their motion, that the Senate unanimously ordered that the matter be probed.

Abdullahi said Senators Ali Ndume and Baba Kaka Garbai are the genesis of SGFs problems. They sponsored a motion that contracts awarded by FG, through presidential initiative were not executed and we went into action.

It was our resolution based on the motion that led to Senator Shehu Sanis Ah-hoc Committee on humanitarian crisis in the North east which eventually uncovered fraudulent practices.

The Senates spokesman also shed more light on why the confirmation of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu was rejected.

According to him, I am the official spokesman of the Senate, and I have here with me, resolutions of the Senate and I want to quote myself, which I think some of you still have my voice, that the Senate has rejected nomination of Ibrahim Magu as EFCC chairman.

Abdullahi also dismissed Ndumes comment that the Senate did not reject Magus confirmation, saying  If the Senate leader has granted an interview dissenting to what I am saying, well he might have been misquoted, but as a spokesman, you journalists should be guided.
He spoke at the Second Annual National Migration Dialogue in Abuja with the theme, Policy Coherence in Migration Governance: Managing Migration and Displacement, the way forward.

Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the President noted that the Nigerian constitution guaranteed all citizens the right to reside anywhere in the country without discrimination.

He, however, observed that the country was still grappling with national identity issues which engender discrimination.

He said such discriminations were rife and that the people must resist the attempt of those who wanted to play the ethnic or religious card, usually to further their own selfish and personal courses.

The President noted that while migration was a natural phenomenon, which had attracted much global attention, a considerable amount of migration was forced.

Men, women and children are forced by civil conflicts, prosecutions, wars, natural disasters and even climate change to move from their homes to places of refuge, safety and succour.

Forced migration is usually what heats up the debate on migration policy, he said.

Buhari said it was difficult to grapple with forced migration because most of them in recent years were of people coming from developing countries in a flight to safety to more stable countries.

The President observed that the dramatic appearance of more than one million Syrian refugees to Europe had exerted so much pressure on the continent.

He also said that as politicians ran out of options to explain the decline in economic opportunities, they always conclude that the problems were caused by immigrants who had come to take over local jobs.

Today, that rhetoric is assuming the position of truth and it is even more convenient to argue that migrants may even be terrorists.

So the state of fear and hate is probably the worst plague that the whole of migration policy and thinking has experienced for a very long time.

But to be fair, the influx of many displaced persons to any society is bound to create some social and economic concerns, he said.

The President observed that organised societies had laws, plans and policies to contend with migration issues.

He noted that the phenomenon of internally displaced persons had created peculiar problems; adding that such was the case in Nigeria, where more than two million IDPs were forced to migrate from their homes.

ALSO READ:Buhari reportedly moves to sack 10 ministers in 2017

The President said that besides the menace of Boko Haram, the concept of host and settler communities had compounded the migration problem in the country, leading to clashes.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Acting General Manager, Public Affairs of FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to FAAN, necessary operational and security measures have been put in place at all airports across the country.

Yakubu stated that the authority had also charged all Airport Managers to employ measures to ensure that only eligible persons had access to all restricted areas at the landside, terminals and airside.

She said that Bomb Detection Unit of the Nigeria Police Force had also been charged to be more alert to compliment the efforts of aviation security personnel at the security screening points.

To reiterate her commitment to safety of lives and properties, the Federal Government through the Nigerian Airforce recently conducted Counter Terrorism Simulation live demonstration at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Passenger facilitation at all our airports has also been enhanced by the upgrade of power installations, installation of modern and bigger conveyor belts and metal walk-through detectors, servicing of lifts and escalators.

Stringent measures are being taken to eradicate the menace of touts and other unwholesome activities around the terminals.

Yakubu noted that the expansion and modernisation of airport terminals had provided better ambience and more space for restaurants at the terminals, as well as newly opened duty free shops.

According to her, these provide duty-free shopping experience and help passengers relax comfortably while waiting for their flights.

FAAN, however, advises air passengers to make early arrangements for their travels and to leave home early on their travel dates, in order to complete their boarding facilities in good time.
Sirika, while briefing newsmen on Monday in Abuja, disclosed that measures had been put in place to ensure the availability of the product otherwise known as Jet A1.

He said that the scarcity was occasioned by the fact that the country does not produce Jet A1 locally, adding that the dearth in foreign exchange had made the importation of the product difficult.

According to him, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were working hard to commence the refining of the product locally as a long-term solution.

Another option, he said, was the ongoing discussion with oil marketers to bring in the product on an agreed arrangement, to enable airlines to operate.

He, however, appealed to the travelling public to be patient as the the government was working hard to resolve it.

The CBN has assured us that they would do the best they can to make Forex available for our people, especially this festive time and so also NNPC.

I visited NNPC and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources three times each in the course of the last eight months and they assured us that they would start refining Jet A1 in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.

They are working hard that for the long-term, we start to produce Jet A1 within the country in order to make it available.

The challenge is to make this Jet A1 available in the country, and this is to assure the general public that we are doing the best we can to ensure that the product is available within the country.

The government is not unaware; we are doing our best as we crave your patience to understand the situation and also to plead with you to further endure.

Sirika explained that the recent congestion at airports especially Lagos and Abuja, was occasioned by cancellation of flights due to the non-availability of fuel.
Ndume made the comment on Monday, December 19, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

No, no no. Let me say categorically that the Senate did not reject Ibrahim Magu as the chairman. What happened was that when we selected his confirmation for Thursday, then we had an issue or a letter from the Department of State Security (DSS) that could not allow us to continue with the confirmation without further clarifications, he said.

So, we now concluded that since we have a letter that we cannot ignore we cannot do the confirmation. So, it was not that we sat down to take a decision that we have rejected Ibrahim Magu. So, i want to that to come out clearly.

We specifically asked chairman media to issue a statement. What we said was that on that Thursday the Senate could not go ahead with the confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Magu and that we are in possession of a letter from the Department of State Service which requires clarification from Mr. President, who is the head of the government. That was what happened, Ndume added.
In a report by ThisDay, the meeting which held behind closed doors, is believed to have been motivated by the directive to probe top government officials in the Buhari led administration.

It was also reported that Malami had sought clarification on the directive by the president for his office to carry out a well detailed on officials fingered for corruption.

The report further said sources confirmed the purpose of Malami's meeting as deliberation on on the directive to investigate top government officials alleged to have engaged in corrupt acts.

However, the minister did not answer questions from State House correspondents after his meeting with the president.

Two top members of Buhari's administration, EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu and SGF, Babachir David Lawal have been indicted for different corrupt practices.

ALSO READ: How SGF allegedly got N200m bribe from contract awarded by him
THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Feyisola Olubodun is new MD of Insight Publicis

Public relations and marketing communication giant, Insight Publicis, has announced its first non-founder Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer in its almost four decades history.

Foreign airlines to reduce operations over forex policy

Some foreign airlines operating in the country are considering gradual withdrawal of operations from Nigerian routes over inability to fully repatriate funds that are stuck in the economy.

Again, The Guardians Muanya, Salau win at NMMA 2016

The Guardian Newspapers Limited has again emerged tops at the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) 2016 grand award presentation ceremony in Lagos.

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Budget 2017: Govt to spend more on personnel, overheads

There were indications that the Federal Government will be running a more expensive government next year, following the budget breakdown given yesterday by Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, which indicated a personnel cost budget at seven-year high of N1.86 trillion.

NNPC tackles aviation fuel scarcity, imports 38.7m litres

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC yesterday said it has imported about 38.7 million litres of the aviation fuel in a bid to eliminate the prevailing scarcity of the product and the severe impact on airlines and travellers in the country.

Boko Haram: Jailed 70 soldiers write Buhari, appeal for presidential pardon

The 70 soldiers currently held in Ikoyi and Kirikiri prisons have written President Muhammadu Buhari, urging to him to grant them pardon.

THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Taraba killings death toll hits 42

The death toll in weekends Tiv farmers killings in Taraba State has risen to 42, it was learnt yesterday.

DSS to Senate in another report: give Magu chance

Another security report cleared Ibrahim Magu for confirmation as Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, it was learnt yesterday.

N289 billion looted fund captured in 2017 Budget

THOSE who have been wondering where the Federal Government kept recovered funds got an answer yesterday.

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

IMF MD, Lagarde, convicted of fraud in France

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Miss Christine Lagarde, was found guilty on Monday of criminal charges linked to the misuse of public funds during her time as Frances Finance minister.

Senate leader Ndume seeks to save Magu, visits Buhari

The report of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), will decide if the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, will retain his job.

Russian ambassador shot dead in Turkey
According to Punch, the meeting might be connected to the rejection of Ibrahim Magu, the Chairman of the EFCC.

Reports say the meeting between the Senate President and Buhari lasted for only 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay has urged President Buhari to re-submit Magu's name to the Senate.

Sagay described the allegations against the EFCC bossas weak and unsubstantiated.
The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, made the announcement in a statement issued to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said that the 227.3 million dollars had brought the total provision under the agreement to 702 million dollars.

According to him, the additional funding is intended to help Nigeria reduce extreme poverty by stimulating inclusive economic growth, promote healthier, more-educated population, and strengthen good governance.

We are pleased to announce new funding under the agreement signed with the Nigerian government in 2015 to provide better access to education and health services and promote democracy and economic growth

We know this funding will significantly improve the well being of Nigerians, Symington said.

He said that USAID would collaborate with some federal and state ministries to structure the agreement, which would run through 2020.

He listed the federal ministries to include Budget and National Planning, Health, Agriculture, Power, and Education.

The envoy said that the U.S. was also providing humanitarian assistance to people affected by the Boko Haram crisis and food insecurity in the North East and the Lake Chad Basin.
Wabara called onthe Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, to resign his appointment following indicting security reports about him.

Wabara, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, also called for the resignation of on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal.

The Senate had called for the resignation of Lawal for his alleged involvement in diversion of funds meant for humanitarian services in the North-East.

They should go. When Obasanjo alleged corruption matter against me I resigned, I resigned to face it. So I mean you resign.

Whatever position anybody is occupying is not his fathers position. If there is a moral issue, it doesnt even have to be proven. You give way to fight it.

One thing is very clear, it is not witch-hunting. If it is happening to a senator, Nigerians will say yes go ahead and do it but this reports are coming from outside of Senate.

 They did not go there to write or originate the reports and it is their right, it is the right of the Senate to work on any report that they receive judiciously.

What is constituency project when you have very damning and damaging report against the SGF. It is for them to investigate and determine the veracity of that report.

If the report is really against the SGF, for moral reasons he should go, he said.

On whether or not the recent development was a witch-hunt on the part of the lawmakers against Magu, Wabara said the Senate had powers to carry out its responsibilities for the sustenance of democracy.

The Senate has every power to confirm or not to confirm. In this case it is not now a senate problem, or senate issue. There were security reports from outside the senate for the consideration of the senate.

There were security reports that they received that led to what happened. So, I dont want to blame the senate.

The senate did not originate the security report on Magu, Magu is a very amiable character but if you as a journalist should go into the authenticity of the reason and the report that the senate received, they did not originate it.

If they had originated it would have been a different ball game. They had to work with the reports and they took that decision, he said.

On the fight against corruption, the former president of the senate said it was not holistic.

According to him, I think the administration is fighting corruption unfortunately it looks as it is about just one man that is doing that.

To me the only man fighting corruption is only the president.

In a similar development, the former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Mrs Pauline Tallen, told NAN that anybody found wanting should be brought to book.

Whatever are the issues surrounding the non-confirmation of the Acting Chairman, by the grace of God it will be resolved between the Presidency and the National Assembly.

So, I dont think people should break their heads over this issue, it will soon be resolved by the grace of God.

If one is found guilty on anything concerning corruption he should face the music, once the facts are there, nobody should be above the law, she said.
The Secretary of the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr Tony Mgbarine, made the announcement in Umuahia on Monday.

He said the candidates would contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), and Labour Party (LP).

A breakdown of the number of contestants per political indicated that PDP has 17 candidates for the chairmanship posts in 17 Local Government Areas and 292 counsellorship candidates in all the 292 wards in the state.

The APGA has 13 chairmanship and 153 councillorship candidates; APC has 11 chairmanship and 71 councillorship candidates and Labour Party has two chairmanship and four councillorship candidates.

Mgbarine said the commission was ready for the polls, stressing that the commission had obtained voter register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said that the register was being mass produced and could not be displayed as required by law before the polls for want of time.

He said that the register would be made available at every polling booth for prospective voters to cross-check their names during accreditation.

According to him those who voted in the 2015 general elections would be eligible to vote because their names are still in the register.

He said voters whose names were not in the current register would not be allowed to vote.

It is the responsibility of INEC to carry out a periodic review of the voter register.

It is not our fault that INEC failed to discharge that function and ABSIEC cannot take the blame, he said.

Mgbarine said the commission held a two-day training for ad hoc staff, including presiding officers, polling clerks, orderlies, supervisors and returning officers, drawn from the states civil service.

He said the commission was collaborating with the security agencies in the state to ensure adequate arrangement for the exercise.

He restated the position of the commission that card readers would not be used for the elections.
Prince Dayo Adeyeye, National Publicity Secretary of the Makarfi-led faction, made the remark in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.

Adeyeye said that the partys attention was drawn to a statement credited to Ahmed Gulak, an aide of Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff that up to eight PDP governors were in support of Sheriffs group.

We naturally wouldnt have dignified Gulak and his cohorts with a response but silence could be misinterpreted as admission of the lies of this pathological liars.

We are amused by Gulaks claims.

Since the 21st May 2016 convention which held in Port Harcourt, and his renegade band have never missed any opportunity to blame the governors for the problems of the party.

Only last week their self appointed Deputy National Chairman was still castigating the governors for the partys woes at a press conference.

Why attack those who are supporting you?

Adeyeye said that if Gulak wanted to be taken seriously, he should name those governors who were supporting his group.

He added that Gulak should also disclose the type of support his group received from the governors.

On the other hand, it may be a case of political hallucination (where someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that dont exist outside their mind).

Adeyeye said maybe Gulak actually meant the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors who are their sponsors and not PDP Governors.

The whole world knows that these are paid agents of the APC being used to destabilize our great party.

We make bold to say that all PDP governors are fully in support of the Care Taker Committee which they and other stakeholders created
The party made the call in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Dayo Adeyeye on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said that investigation to the exercise was necessary to avoid turning the truth upside down and making villains out of the victims.

The national publicity secretary said that the outcome of the investigation would serve as a point of reference for the countrys future elections and the need to protect, nurture and deepen its democracy.

Adeyeye added that it was sarcastic for the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris, to constitute a panel of investigation for the purported threatening phone call by the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike.

He said that IGP should rather commence investigations into all the video indicating alleged killings and hijacking of electoral materials by security agencies with some INEC officials during the elections.

Nigerians are waiting eagerly for the actions or inactions of the Police in this regard. 

We will resist any selective investigation by the Police or any other agency for that matter on the issue of Rivers re-run elections.he said.

According accepting selective investigation would be an attempt to cover the truth.

ALSO READ:Police to probe Wike over alleged audio comments

We condole with the families of those that paid the ultimate sacrifices. Their deaths will not be in vain, and may their souls rest in perfect peace. 
The PDP also said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris is sympathetic to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to Punch, the Rivers PDP Chairman, Chief Felix Obuah said the biased role of the police during the December 10 election is the cause of the partys lack of confidence in the panel.

Obuah said For such panel to make sense to the Rivers people, the police high command especially the Inspector-General of Police should first do the needful.

The police high command should do so by proving to the Rivers people and indeed, all Nigerians that he is not a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, or at best, sympathetic to APCs cause.

First and foremost, the police high command ordered and did withdraw all orderlies attached to all politicians, only to turn back to attach all the orderlies withdrawn from the PDP politicians to those of the APC.

ALSO READ:Police to probe Wike over alleged audio comments

There was no APC candidate or chieftain on that day of election that did not have no fewer than 50 policemen attached to them while those of the PDP were left to their own fate.
It's actually a bit difficult to think it's been that long already. How time flies, yeah?

Well, believe it or not, it's been one year since that splendid ceremony and Mrs. Chukwujekwu is in a reflective mood as she looks back on the journey so far.

In an anniversary message on her Instagram feed, Maureen posts a rather playful artwork of herself and Blossom, and captions the image with the following words:

"A year today I traditionally got married to my boy... Being given a second chance will I do it again?

"No... I [would have] found your ass way earlier and proposed to you myself guy... And even if you weren't ready, I [would have] kidnapped [you], put a gun to [your] head till you signed the marriage certificate...

"Why??? You [are] way too good to be true... I still pinch myself to wake up from this sweet dream...

"[You] make marriage too too easy... One year later and I still get butterflies [when] [youre] around [and] even [when youre] not.

"Over time [you] have made me a better woman... My love too Strong for u B... Happy anniversary, son... Mama loves majorly."

Maureen Otisi and Blossom might have been married for a whole year, but their church wedding is only two months old, having been married in a delightful ceremony on October 15, 2016.

So beautiful was that ceremony that it made Pulse's List of top 10 celebrity weddings of the year 2016.
Panic. Fear. Tears, etc.

The reaction to the situation above varies, of course, but most couples will fear the worst, right? - the possibility of rain ruining most of the day and getting in the way of people intending to come for the wedding.

For some celebrities, these fears not only threatened them on their big days, they actually materialised.

Below are four celebrities who encountered/feared some form of accident/misfortune on their wedding day.

1. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively: The bridal gown caught fire

If you have seen "Green Lantern" and "Age of Adaline," then you surely must know these two movie stars.

On their wedding day in 2012, the bride was a little too excited during the dance that she did not know when she went too close to a sparkler which burnt her wedding dress.

Luckily only the dress was affected, as the sparkler left a big burn mark on it.

ALSO READ: 3 extravagant weddings that dazed the Internet in 2016

2. Josh Kelley and Katherine Heigl: The bride forgot her passport for the honeymoon.

When actress Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley married in 2007 in Utah, USA, everything had gone so beautifully and according to plan until it was time to fly to their honeymoon.

The honeymoon had been scheduled to happen in Cabo, but the the bride had left her passport back and their trip to the romantic getaway got delayed before they finally found a way to get there by first making a pit stop in California.

3. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen: Weather issues

John Legend and his wife must have feared the worst, and gone through several disturbing thoughts in September 2013 when their Italian wedding had to be put on hold due to the storms in California which held back important relatives of the groom.

The Lake Como wedding eventually went ahead, but not after many hours of delay and wondering if their relatives coming from the states were safe or not.

4. Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario: The grooms ride got stuck in mud

"Suits" star, Patrick Adams only got married to his sweetheart few months ago, and he must have been frantic when the vehicle taking him to the ceremony got stuck in mud.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets since Friday in Warsaw and other parts of the country in the latest popular action against moves deemed anti-democratic by the governing rightwing Law and Justice party (PiS) since it took office after October 2015 elections.

Dozens of opposition MPs seized parliament's main chamber and protesters blocked the exits to the building on Friday in a defiant show of anger against the government.

Thousands of protesters -- grouped in a popular movement called the Committee for the Defence of Democracy -- rallied outside parliament in support of the opposition MPs until late Sunday.

A smaller pro-government rally took place outside the presidential palace.

In Krakow on Sunday, police removed protesters who laid on the ground to block the car of influential PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who was visiting the grave of his twin brother, former president Lech Kaczynski who died in a plane crash in Russia in 2010.

Duda, who has appealed for calm, launched mediation talks with opposition leaders on Sunday.

The president scheduled further meetings on Monday with Kaczynski and parliament speaker Marek Kuchcinski.

Kaczynski has indicated that his party is ready to discuss the new rules with journalists, and the official news agency PAP quoted an unnamed member of the government as saying he is "not happy" with the measures.

'Illegal' budget vote

The opposition lawmakers also called for re-run of a parliament vote on next year's budget, which they claim was approved illegally when it was held in another area of parliament after the opposition takeover of the main chamber.

Since taking office, the PiS has come under fire over a string of controversial measures including tightening its control over the media and pushing through changes to the constitutional court which led to a standoff with the European Union.

Monday marks that last day in office of the outgoing president of the constitutional court, Andrzej Rzeplinski, a symbol of resistance to the government.

The question of his successor has become another bone of contention between the court and the PiS-dominated parliament.

The latest opposition outcry was triggered by PiS plans to grant access to the parliament's press gallery to only two journalists for every media outlet, and ban them from shooting still pictures or video.

The moves prevent the media from recording images of lawmakers when they break the rules, for example by voting for an absent colleague.

The PiS has defended the measure, saying it was seeking to ensure a comfortable working environment for both lawmakers and journalists.

Duda on Monday also approved a law lowering the retirement age to 65 for men and to 60 for women.

The former centrist government had raised the limit for both sexes to 67.
The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the U.S. reports that Trump took to his twitter handle to break the news of his victory to his supporters.

We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media), Trump said.

Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nations democracy.

I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States.

This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible.

With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead.

I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans, Trump also said in a statement.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence also hailed Trump on Twitter as the results came in.

Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump; officially elected President of the U.S. today by the Electoral College!

However, Hawaiis electors are reportedly still set to meet later on Monday, with the states four votes expected to go to Hillary Clinton, who won the popular votes by almost three million.

NAN reports that the result will be officially announced on Jan. 6, 2017 in a special joint session of Congress.

Vice President Joe Biden, will open the electoral votes before a joint session of the new Congress, where they will be counted and certified.

NAN reports that in the U.S., the Vice President is the President of the Senate.

The Electoral College met in all the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. on Monday.

NAN reports that afterwards, the president-elect will be communicated to officially to arrive at the Capitol Hill on Jan. 20 for his inauguration.

Under U.S. law, electors must formally vote for the president and vice-president before they can lead the country.

NAN recalls that Trumps victory in various states in the Nov. 8 election put him in line to get 306 of the 538 electoral college votes as against Clintons 232, according to projections.
It is the latest in a series of health crises for the 78-year-old former leader.

"The ex-president has been suffering from pancreatic problems. He is having digestive pain. Upon evaluation, it was advised that since there was no improvement, the best option would be to hospitalize him," doctor Alejandro Aguinaga told the N news channel.

Fujimori was hospitalized Sunday with a cyst on his pancreas, and will undergo a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging exam (MRI), Aguinaga said.

The latest hospitalization -- the ex-president's second this month -- comes against a backdrop of friction between President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and the opposition, which is led by Fujimori's daughter Keiko.

The former president's health has become a hot-button issue as Kuczynski fends off attacks from the Fujimori camp, which holds a majority in Congress.

Kuczynski has rejected calls to pardon the ex-president.

But he has said that if Congress passes a bill granting Fujimori house arrest, he will sign it.

He was convicted in 2009 for his role in killings by a death squad targeting supposed guerrillas in the 1990s.
The probe into an embezzlement and bribery scheme between politicians and executives at Petrobras state oil company and other big corporations has already upended Brazil's political establishment.

Now, testimony in plea bargains by 77 executives at the giant Odebrecht construction company is set to implicate potentially scores more politicians -- and possibly threaten President Michel Temer.

The testimony "arrived this morning and is in a safe," said a spokesman for the Supreme Court, which tries cases involving sitting politicians.

The justice overseeing the case, Teori Zavascki, will now inspect the mountain of testimony about Odebrecht's involvement with politicians in the embezzlement scheme, and decide in February whether it can be admitted.

Ministers in Temer's center-right government and the president himself have been named as having taken undeclared campaign donations from Odebrecht -- what prosecutors say were bribes.

Executives from Odebrecht have told prosecutors that they paid bribes to politicians to win juicy contracts from Petrobras, whose own executives also collaborated in ransacking the company coffers. According to leaked reports, Odebrecht executives would also bribe politicians to push through favorable legislation.

Meanwhile, the chief Carwash judge, Sergio Moro, accepted a fifth court case against former leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, an arch enemy of Temer.

Lula is accused of being part of a network that skimmed off two to three percent of the value of contracts signed by Petrobras and Odebrecht, according to the latest case. Some 75 million reais ($22 million) were stolen, prosecutors say.
In the Khazir camp, buyers trudge in the mud, skidding around in flimsy shoes and examining improvised market stalls on the ground between tents that shelter thousands of people.

Behind his makeshift display of mobile phones and USB cables, 28-year-old Waad Khalaf grins. Buyers are permanently flocking to his stall, he says.

Under the Islamic State jihadist group, "having a mobile meant prison so now everybody needs to buy one," he says, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his fake leather jacket to warm them.

The former labourer escaped his home town of Gogjali on the outskirts of Mosul in northern Iraq in November as fighting raged there between Iraqi forces and IS fighters.

Selling phones for up to around 130,000 Iraqi dinars ($100) each allows him to buy warm winter clothes and shoes for his daughter and son, says the father-of-two.

Not far away in the improvised market, Khalaf's clients can charge their new phone by plugging it in to a multi-socket extension cord linked to a generator.

In a camp with just four hours of electricity a day, savvy young entrepreneurs are asking for the equivalent of around 40 US cents for an hour of power from the roaring machine.

Khalaf has only been selling his phones for three days but Farhan Yassin says he was one of the first salesmen at the improvised market.

It happened "just like that", he says. "We never spoke to each other but somehow we all ended up here."

Snipping skills

For 12 days, Yassin has been selling cigarettes as a way of returning to normality after living under the jihadists.

He lost his shop in Mosul after IS closed it down and made him pay the equivalent of around $1,300 for selling cigarettes, he says, which were just as sinful as mobile phones under their ultra-conservative rule.

He now sells each packet of cigarettes for around 500 dinars (around 40 US cents) after buying them in bulk in Arbil.

Ammar, a barber, also left Mosul last month when anti-IS forces arrived at the gates of Iraq's jihadist-held second city.

He was only able to smuggle a pair of scissors into his bag as he fled and had to buy all the rest of his equipment in Arbil.

Seating his clients in front of a mirror, he uses his new gear to trim their beards or snip away at their hair.

His customers "pay what they want as nobody has work", he says, plastic comb in hand, bags of vegetables left behind on his small table as payment.

The 26-year-old history graduate was unable to work as a teacher under IS as the group set up its own schools, says the young man, whose head is wrapped tightly in a scarf under a hood to keep out the bitter cold.

When he could not find work at a camp school either, he again resorted to his snipping skills to support his young daughter "who needs diapers and powder milk".

Not far from where he cuts hair, powder milk is on sale next to sanitary pads, underwear, metal cutlery and fizzy drinks for those with money.

Cash is in rare supply among the roughly three million people displaced by fighting in Iraq.
More than 100,000 Iraqis have fled their homes since the massive operation to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) group was launched on October 17, and the battle is far from over.

Hisham, in his 20s, cannot stand life in the Hassan Sham camp anymore.

"I am not asking anything from anyone, just let me leave this camp and go home," Hisham says.

"I was searched, my identity was checked and then I was recorded. Now my name is on the list of displaced and I cannot move," he says, adding that he had tried to leave the camp several times but was prevented from doing so.

Nearby, a teenager shivering in the cold is angered that he cannot return to his nearby house, rather than have to live squeezed into a tent in the camp alongside his father, mother and four siblings.

"Our house is in the village of Hassan Sham and we are in the camp of Hassan Sham," says the teenager, who declined to give his name.

Risking lives to return

"At least we would have a real roof. Here, there is hardly anything to eat," while outside, his father could have found work to support the family.

From inside the fences surrounding camps for displaced people in northern Iraq, life outside may seem much better. But waiting to make sure of stability and that bombs have been removed is the safer course.

"Often we see places being announced retaken and safe for return very quickly," said Becky Bakr Abdulla of the Norwegian Refuge Council aid group.

But in reality, people may be "risking their lives to return home, because it's not safe or secure," Abdulla said.

"Before people return, they need to have all the information necessary to make an informed decision," she said, noting that there may not be "enough aid, not enough service infrastructure (and) they feel forced to leave."

In and around the city of Mosul, things are far from safe or secure.

Iraqi soldiers and police say IS jihadists rigged many everyday household items with explosives before they left, such as a phone, a copy of the Koran, the Muslim holy book, and even a teddy bear.

Possible target for jihadists

And while fighting is still ongoing, civilians are not always welcome because the security forces fear that jihadists may seek to use them or infiltrate them.

Even after an area is retaken and secured, it may not be fit for habitation: infrastructure may be damaged, businesses shuttered, and people left reliant on humanitarian aid.

Aid organisations say they are hesitant to distribute relief supplies in some areas lest a crowd of civilians become a target for IS.

"The majority of internally displaced persons seem keen to return home, motivated by a desire to return to normality and the need to control and safeguard their property," said Jenny sparks of the International Organisation for Migration.

jpegMpeg4-1280x720But "the scale and speed of returns can pose a particular challenge, especially to communities already made politically and economically fragile as a result of the recent occupation by IS and military operations," Sparks said.

Abdulla noted that in Fallujah, a city west of Baghdad that was recaptured from IS nearly six months ago, only around 10 percent of homes are fit for habitation.
Kenya Union of Nurses (KNUN) secretary general, Seth Panyako, signed the deal on behalf of the health workers following talks over the salaries stalemate.

"Talks on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 2013 will begin in January. For now we have reached an agreement with the counties to end the strike," he said.

After the signing, Panyako urged all nurses to report to work immediately.

From this moment nurses should begin going to their places of work because the strike is off." He said.

The signed deal would see nurses get an increase of nursing service allowances by Sh20,000 and Sh15,000 respectively paid in two trenches.

Sixty per cent of it will be paid in January 2017 and the remainder 40 per cent on July 1, 2017.

Kenyan nurses went on strike ten days ago, demanding better pay and their union be recognised by the 47 county governments across the country.

The cabinet secretary for Health, Dr. Cleopa Mailu confirmed the deal, saying it would go a long way in averting the health crisis, especially in some areas of the country where there is currently a Cholera outbreak.

However the same cannot be said about the doctors strike.

Afresh attempt to end the ten day strike by doctors hit a wall yesterday after union officials were "chased out" of a meeting called by Labour Cabinet Secretary Phyllis Kandie.

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary-General Ouma Oluga said the Thursday meeting was casually announced through a phone call by a ministry official on Wednesday night.

"There was no invitation letter or email and no agenda," he said.

According to Olunga, the meeting, scheduled to start at 10am, was delayed, and when Ms Kandie arrived, she demanded to speak to only five union officials and after complying with her order, the CS still told them to leave, saying they had not done as they were told.

The medics went on strike on December 5, 2017 following the failure by the government to fulfill a 2013 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that among other things agreed to give them a 300% pay hike, recruit more nurses and doctors to reduce the current doctors to patients ratio that stands at 1:16,000.
The Dutch foreign ministry signed a joint declaration on the EU's behalf on December 11 which it said would tackle "the root causes of illegal migration" and "enable the return from Europe of Malian migrants".

But Abdoulaye Diop told a press conference: "At no point was there any question of signing an agreement that would allow the expulsion of countrymen (living) in Europe illegally."

Mali "does not intend to put a price on its dignity even if the EU is a development partner."

Expressing "astonishment" at learning via the media he had signed such a document, Diop said the visit of his Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders to Bamako had never been intended as the moment to make a deal.
Pierre Peron, a Spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, said aid access to people affected by conflict in the northern states of Kachin and Shan is getting worse, not better.

The OCHA said that as well as the estimated 15,000 new refugees, another 2,400 people had been displaced internally in the northern part of Shan state since Nov. 20.

The attacks disrupted trade across the border and China has expressed concern over stray shells and bullets landing in its territory.

Weeks of clashes and the new displacements have damaged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyis hopes of securing peace in the long-running conflicts in the mountainous border areas, a goal she has made her administrations top priority.

Observers feared Suu Kyis fledgling civilian administration was unable to rein in the army, which retained political power and is free from civilian oversight.

Humanitarian access to conflict areas in Kachin and Shan states is currently worse than at any point in the past few years.

This has seriously affected the ability of humanitarian organisations to provide life-saving aid to tens of thousands of internally displaced and other conflict-affected people, Peron said.

Government forces launched clearance operations there after armed men, believed to be from the oppressed Rohingya Muslim group, attacked border police.

The army said it would step up operations in Shan state following the November attacks.

A Myanmar police official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to newsmen said that government forces had clashed with armed groups in northern Shan for 170 times in the past month.

According to state media, in a separate offensive to the north, government forces took control of a strategic hill close to the Kachin Independence Armys headquarters at Laiza on the Chinese border on Saturday.

Shells reportedly landed near a camp for the internally displaced just outside Laiza on Sunday, the OCHA said, citing unconfirmed reports that it could not verify independently.

It said no casualties were reported but shelters were damaged and about 400 people had to be evacuated.
The 53-year-old charismatic leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) got 26 percent of the 40,000 votes cast in the poll conducted by NPO1 public television.

"I thank the Dutch who elected me the politician of 2016," Wilders said in a tweet. His party's fortunes have been steadily rising in the approach to legislative elections in March.

A December 11 survey by the respected Maurice de Hond Institute found that if elections were held now, the PVV would pick up 36 out of the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament, making it the biggest single political group.

In a ruling earlier this month, Wilders was found guilty of discrimination against Moroccans but acquitted of hate speech over remarks he made at an election rally in March 2014.
In the first, Qoryoley traditional elder Mohamed Maow said AMISOM "destroyed a civilian minibus, which was carrying vegetables to Mogadishu, with a missile. All the six passengers including the driver of the minibus have died."

According to the UN mission, its troops had set up a checkpoint in the region on Saturday after they came under mortar attack and noticed "an unusual movement of vehicles ... believed to have been ferrying Al-Shabaab fighters."

"A minibus approaching the roadblock was ordered to stop but the driver defied the order and reversed the vehicle in haste, forcing our troops to shoot, killing six people in the minibus," AMISOM said in a statement.

Another elder, Moalim Ahmed Idris, said an AMISOM vehicle killed a mother and her four children in Marka.

AMISOM said that in an incident near the port city, a convoy of its vehicles was "ambushed by Al-Shabaab militants after it hit an improvised explosive device (IED).

"Our troops fought off the attackers and managed to arrest one of the fighters. By the time AMISOM left the area, no civilian casualty had occurred."

AMISOM troops were deployed to Somalia in 2007 to defend the internationally-backed government against attacks by the Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab, which regularly carries out attacks on civilian, military and government targets.

The AU has said it plans to pull its soldiers out of Somalia by 2020, however the country has yet to form an effective national army.

AMISOM has run into difficulties with its main donor the European Union cutting funding by 20 percent saying African countries must bear more of the burden of soldier salaries.

President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya -- which has threatened to pull out of the force over the funding cut -- on Monday urged the EU to provide more support to AMISOM.

"The region's and the world's fight against Al-Shabaab in Somalia is one of the frontlines between stability and chaotic insecurity," he said.
A team of 18 Russian investigators landed in Ankara to look into the killing of the envoy, Ambassador Andrey G. Karlov, whose body was to be returned to Russia on the same plane in which the investigators arrived.

In Moscow, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, placed flowers next to a portrait of Karlov, who was fatally shot Monday at a photography exhibition in Ankara, the Turkish capital. Lavrov said Russia was grateful to our Turkish colleagues for their condolences and for their rapid response to the killing.

This tragedy is making all of us combat terrorism in a more resolute way and is making our meeting today ever more relevant, Lavrov said.

The assassination of Karlov  which appeared to be the first killing of a top Russian diplomat since before World War II  elicited widespread worry that relations between Russia and Turkey might deteriorate. But most analysts played down those fears, saying the attack was unlikely to derail the rapprochement between the countries that has been underway over the past year.

Russian and Turkish officials said the killing would not derail cooperation by the two countries.

The Kremlins spokesman, Dmitry S. Peskov, said of the killing: This is advantageous to those who wish to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey, to hamper normalization of relations between Russia and Turkey  both in a bilateral sense and in terms of relations that allow to intensify and unite efforts on the way to political settlement in Syria.

The attack is, however, an embarrassment for the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and it has prompted questions about how the gunman, identified as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, was able to enter the exhibition  Across Russia, From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, Through the Eyes of Travelers  and gun down Karlov in front of a horrified crowd. The gunman was fatally shot by police officers.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported that six people had been detained in the investigation, including the attackers mother, father and sister in the western city of Aydin and his roommate in Ankara.

A Russian deputy foreign minister, Oleg Syromolotov, told the Interfax news agency that Russian citizens should think twice before going to Turkey, where terrorist attacks occur almost on a daily basis. The United States closed normal operations at its embassy in Ankara on Tuesday, and at its consulates in Istanbul and Adana, after a person approached the embassy and discharged a firearm at 3:50 a.m., the embassy said. The person was taken into police custody, and no one was injured.

According to a preliminary forensic report, the gallery gunman fired 11 rounds, nine of which hit the ambassador, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported. The gunman had checked into a hotel just behind the art center and planned the assassination there, Hurriyet said.

After the shooting, the gunman stood over the body of the ambassador and shouted, Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria!

According to the Dogan News Agency, the assailants uncle, also detained after the attack, used to be the principal in a network of schools that were shut down over alleged ties to the cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the United States and is a major opponent of Erdogans government. Gulen, through a representative, has denied any role in the assassination.
There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft, the First Principles Review said in a report on Tuesday.

The independent analysis of the satellite data and the drift analysis had identified the most likely impact location of MH370 as slightly further north of where the search team had focused for the past two years.

Tuesdays review is a summary of the outcome of a November meeting by Australian and international experts in satellite data, accident investigations, flight operations, sonar data, and oceanography.

The Australian Transport Security Bureau is leading the investigation into the aircraft, which went missing on March 8, 2014 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

The investigation included an underwater search combing an area of 120,000 square kilometres of the Indian Ocean.

The last 10,000 square kilometres would be completed in January depending on weather conditions.

Malaysia, China and Australia had agreed to suspend the search if no credible new evidence about the planes location was discovered.

The new conclusion raised the prospect that the search would continue.

Given the elimination of this area, the experts identified an area of approximately 25,000 kilometres squared as the area with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft.
RSF Germany director Christian Mihr told newsmen in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia were countries where media safety and freedom were particularly at risk in 2016.

Afghanistan is a classic example, even if Germany does not want to hear it, because there are always attempts to portray it as being safe.

This year the number of emergency requests from journalists in Afghanistan, who turned to us to ask for assistance, rose.

It was clearly compared to the previous year as the state no longer had control in many regions and regional warlords were in charge, Mihr said.

The remaining 21 journalists died while they were working in areas such as war zones, and five of the total victims were women.

The most dangerous countries were Syria, Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq and Yemen.

The 2016 number was lower than last years total of 101 as many journalists had to flee countries where they were in danger.
The response covers 1.1 million residents of the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade for the past decade, and half a million people in the occupied West Bank.

The most recent conflict between Israel and Gaza ended in August 2014 but Israel has maintained tight restrictions on the enclave, while Egypt has also closed its border.

The United Nations has warned that tiny but densely populated coastal enclave could become uninhabitable by 2020 if current trends continue.

"Needs in Gaza remain particularly acute and humanitarian services provided by the international community remain a lifeline," said Robert Piper, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, in a letter accompanying the launch.

Politically there has been few positive trends in 2016, with plans for a unity government stumbling amid deepening divisions between rival Palestinian factions.

Attempts to encourage new peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, stalled since 2014, have also failed.

Piper said in a separate statement that without political reform and a meaningful peace process, international aid was "just trying to buy time".
It was the second time that the African group had tried to push through a measure demanding talks on the mandate of the expert who will report on abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide.

The measure was defeated by a vote of 84 against to 77 in favor, with 16 abstentions.

European countries and the United States had lobbied energetically in the 193-nation assembly to defeat the African push to suspend the appointment of the expert.

The UN Human Rights Council in September appointed international law professor Vitit Muntarbhorn of Thailand to investigate cases of discrimination and violence against LGBT people worldwide.

Burkina Faso argued on behalf of the African countries that there was no legal basis for the mandate and no international recognition of sexual orientation and gender identity as human rights.

US Ambassador Samantha Power accused African countries and their supporters of latching on to a procedural argument to cover up their anti-gay bias.

"This is not an issue of the North trying to impose its values on the South. It is an issue of respecting the dignity and human rights of all people everywhere," Power told the General Assembly.

Dutch Ambassador Karen van Osteroom, whose country has adopted progressive policies on LGBT rights, said the United Nations must shine a light on anti-gay violence.

"People around the world are being bullied, are being jailed, are being beaten, are being killed, for no other reason than for which gender they identify with most, or for whom they happen to love," he said.

"And that is what the mandate on the independent expert is all about," he said.

African countries failed last month to push for a similar measure during a vote in the assembly's human rights committee.

A total of 73 countries -- almost 40 percent of all 193 UN members -- still have laws on their books making homosexuality a crime.

In Africa alone, 33 countries have anti-gay laws including Uganda, Nigeria, Sudan and Mauritania.

Muntarbhorn, who began work as the UN expert last month, has been appointed for three years.
The attack on Monday evening is not believed to be linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) movement, a statement added.

"We assume that the dead person we found is the perpetrator of the shooting at the Islamic centre in Zurich," Zurich police said in a tweet.

It added that there is "no indication that the perpetrator has a link to IS".

The body was found after a search for the shooter near the scene.

The announcement came after a man, around 30 years old, burst into the Islamic Centre in central Zurich around 5:30 pm (1630 GMT) on Monday and began shooting, according to police.

He "fired several shots at the worshippers," before fleeing, police said.

"Three men, aged 30, 35 and 56, were injured, some seriously. The suspect then escaped from the mosque in the direction of Central Station," an earlier police statement said.

A press conference is expected at 2 pm (1300 GMT).

A police spokesman told the RTS public broadcaster that the youngest and oldest victims were both seriously injured, while the 35-year-old was slightly hurt in the shooting.

Torchlight search

Police had immediately launched a manhunt for the shooter, using torches and sniffer dogs, and urged witnesses to come forward.

They did not immediately provide any details about the suspected motive for the shooting.

While the search was getting started, a body was found a few hundred metres (yards) from the scene on a river bank under a bridge.

An AFP photographer said the body had been draped with a white sheet.

Around a dozen people were inside the prayer hall at the time of shooting, ATS reported, citing people there, adding that a prayer service had been scheduled for 4:45 pm.

A number of Swiss mosques, including one near Zurich and the main one in Geneva, have in recent months been accused in media of allowing or encouraging the radicalisation of their worshippers, especially younger members of their congregations.
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Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind
After sitting on the sidelines of the Quad-Cities' riverfront development for years, East Moline now is poised to see its riverfront transformed by a long-awaited project known as The Bend on the Mighty Mississippi.

The project's partners joined East Moline city officials and economic development leaders at a news conference Monday to announce the project's status. Great River Property Development, the co-developer, made the announcement just hours before the city council unanimously approved The Bend's final plat.

"We are building The Bend, a 132-acre multi-use development on the site of the old Case plant," said former Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, a partner in Great River Property Development. "We want people to know we are building."

Dan Murphy, former owner of Precision Pipeline, is the majority owner. Larry Anderson of East Moline Glass also is a partner in Great River Property Davenport. Olympia Cos. will manage the hotels.

"This is basically building a town," Jacobs said.

The first phase of the $76.5 million project will feature a co-branded, 230-room Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Hotel; a 108-unit apartment building developed and managed by Chicago-based Evergreen Real Estate Group; as well as construction of the new infrastructure on the now vacant site.

After the 6-0 council vote, approving the plat, Jacobs said the action now allows Great River Property to parcel the ground and begin selling property to the project's other partners, including the hotel and apartments as well as other retail and commercial developments.

"This is one of many steps to the goal line," Jim Russell, whose Davenport company, Russell Construction, will build the hotel and apartments, said after the vote. He also is The Bend's co-developer and an minor investor in the project. "It's an important step to get to financing and to move it forward."

Valley Construction will build all the site's infrastructure, he said.

Asked about the timetable, Russell said "This one has taken longer than it should have. But it's the nature of the beast. When you begin a complicated project, it takes a long time.''

He compared the length of time to other projects such as The Q passenger rail station, and Russell Construction's own redevelopment plans for the former Lodge (Jumer's) Hotel.

The project was announced in 2010. It has taken years to get the development pieces in place from recruiting other partners for the projects, such as the hotel and apartments, to securing financing and other delays, including legal woes.

At the news conference earlier in the day, East Moline Mayor John Thodos said "This is exciting news for East Moline and the Quad-Cities in general. It has required a lot of patience and diligent work by the developers."

"Right now, this is the project," Thodos said after the council meeting. "This is the project we will be working on for some time. The days of 15 factories for East Moline are gone."

Jacobs credited the city for its role in making the project a reality. "There is no way you develop and build a $70 (million) to $80 million project without help on infrastructure," he told reporters at the news conference.

Under a previously approved development agreement, Jacobs said the city approved a $10.2 million loan for the developers to build the infrastructure on the site. Part of a tax increment financing, or TIF, district, the project's increased property taxes generated by the hotel and apartments will be used to re-pay the city, he said.

"A lot of people thought this wouldn't happen,'' Thodos said, adding that he once was asked "Why East Moline?" "Well, why not East Moline."

Thodos said East Moline has given its support to many other regional projects over the years, including riverboat gaming, the iWireless Center, Western Illinois University's Quad-City campus and the new Interstate 74 bridge. "We supported those; now this is a regional project too," he said.

Jacobs said the addition of The Bend will create a new Illinois Quad-City corridor, a new River Drive, stretching from Rock Island to East Moline. "We're the new anchor on this end."

Tim Knanishu, executive vice president of REDEEM (Revitalize, Develop East Moline), said the project is the largest project that REDEEM has assisted on in its 25 years. The site also is the largest piece of undeveloped, flood-protected ground on the Mississippi River.

"We're taking back the riverfront, which we have been trying to do for decades," he said, adding that The Bend will be a catalyst for other development along the riverfront corridor.

"This site, down the shoreline from Chicago-Quad-Cities passenger rail and the Q Multi-Modal Station, the iWireless Center, the new I-74 corridor and Western Illinois University-Quad-Cities Riverfront campus, will be part of a vibrant riverfront community," he added.

Ray De Winkle, vice president of business attraction for the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce, added that the new development will transform the riverfront, which had a long heritage as an harvesting equipment manufacturer.

In addition to a new restaurant/lounge overlooking the riverfront, the project "also is a new hotel brand for the Quad-Cities. Having a Hyatt as part of this puts the region on the map," he said.

"There is positive momentum in this region and you don't have that in all regions ...," De Winkle said. "People want to see success, this shows success."
A 19-year-old Bettendorf man has been identified as the person who was shot by police during a disturbance Monday night at Home Depot in Bettendorf.

Joshua G. Price sustained what police believe are non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, and he remains hospitalized at University Hospitals, Iowa City, according to a news release issued by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, or DCI.

The incident occurred at 11:35 p.m. at the Home Depot store at 920 Middle Road, Bettendorf.

After receiving a call of a disturbance, police arrived and engaged Price, who was armed with what was believed to be a handgun, according to a news release from the city of Bettendorf.

Investigators later learned that Price had a soft-air gun, which resembled a handgun, according to the DCI. Price also presented suicidal tendencies in front of the officers, according to the DCI.

No officers or employees of Home Depot were harmed or injured.

Our associates were shaken, and weve provided on-site counseling, Stephen Holmes, director of corporate communications for Home Depot, said in an email Tuesday. But, were all extremely thankful no one else was injured.

He confirmed Price is a former employee, but he didn't know how long Price had worked at the store.

Holmes said the store was not open for business at the time of the shooting. He referred all other questions about the incident to police.

The officer involved, whose name will not be released until an interview is conducted, has been placed on administrative leave, per the departments policy.

The Davenport Police Department, Iowa State Patrol and the Scott County Attorneys Office assisted in the investigation.

Bettendorf Police Capt. Keith Kimball said Tuesday that the incident is not related to a shooting earlier this month at Duck Creek Plaza.
ALEDO, Ill.  The latest probation violation involving Mercer Countys best meth cook wont be settled until after the trial of his co-defendant in the original meth case.

Charles Peacock, 22, could testify in the trial of Erica Sandusky, 25, of Matherville. She is facing Class X, Class 1 and Class 4 felony counts stemming from a methamphetamine bust in August 2015 in which Peacock also was arrested.

He was placed on three years probation last February after pleading guilty to a meth manufacturing charge, but Judge Richard Zimmer resentenced him to four years probation last May for violating the original terms of the sentencing agreement, which involved him visiting Sandusky.

The latest petition to revoke Peacocks probation claims he admitted using meth last October, failed to report for a drug test and was unsuccessfully discharged from a treatment program.

The Andalusia man made an appearance in Mercer County Circuit Court Monday and remains in the Mercer County Jail on $50,000 bond. He is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 24. Mercer County States Attorney Meeghan Lee has indicated she will seek 12 years in prison for Peacocks latest probation setback. Sandusky is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 16. She is free on bond.

Peacock was labeled "Mercer County's best meth cook" by a Mercer County Sheriff's Department investigator during a court hearing last February.
UPDATED: A Monday night disturbance at the Bettendorf Home Depot store ended with a police officer shooting an armed suspect.

The incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. at the Home Depot store at 920 Middle Road in Bettendorf.

After receiving a call of a disturbance, police arrived and engaged an individual who was armed with a handgun, according to a news release from the city of Bettendorf.

The subject received injuries from being shot.

The subject was transported to a local hospital and then transported by MedForce to University Hospitals in Iowa City. The extent of the injuries are unknown at this time.

No officers or employees of Home Depot were harmed or injured in the incident.

Our associates were shaken and weve provided on-site counseling, Stephen Holmes, director of corporate communications for Home Depot, said in an email Tuesday. But, were all extremely thankful no one else was injured.

Holmes said the store was not open for business at the time of the shooting. He referred all other questions about the incident to police.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the investigation.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave per departmental policy. The officers name is not being released until DCI has conducted its interview.

The subjects name is not being released pending notification of the family.

Division of Criminal Investigation agent Rick Rahn said Tuesday that he couldn't yet provide more information about what happened before or during the shooting.

Davenport Police Department, Iowa State Patrol and the Scott County Attorneys Office assisted in the investigation.
A Davenport attorney who is the daughter of a former school board president filed a lawsuit on Monday, taking up the fight to equalize Iowa's school-funding formula.

Catherine Z. Cartee, of Cartee & McKenrick, P.C., Davenport, filed the class action lawsuit late in the day against the State of Iowa, the Iowa General Assembly, the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

"My mom was president of the Davenport School Board for years, and she used to fight for inequities, too" Cartee said of her mother, Patt Zamora.

The suit is filed in behalf of Brean Woods and Becca Frederick, both of Davenport and graduates of the district's high schools.

The suit charges the state's funding formula is unfair, and shows that Davenport schools' per pupil cost was $6,446 in 2015-16, and is $6,591 for the current year.

The suit claims that 176 school districts in Iowa collect up to $175 more per student than Davenport does, using the same funding formula applied across the state.

It charges the practice is a violation of equal protection under the law, a violation of the students' due process and a violation of the students' civil rights.

It argues the class action lawsuit is appropriate for this case, in that it represents "all current and former students of Iowa public schools who received the least district cost per-pupil" since the current school funding formula was enacted four decades ago.

The plaintiffs request a jury trial.

No immediate response was available from representatives of the state education department.

Last week, Ryan Wise, the education department director, filed a formal ethics complaint against Davenport Superintendent Art Tate.

That came about 24 hours after the Iowa School Budget Review Commission ruled against the district and Tate's directive to use $175 per student for district programming. Currently that programming focuses on help for at-risk students.

The money is coming from Davenport's reserve funds, or part of the estimated $20 million the district has in a savings account.

Cartee said the lawsuit technique was spurned by other lawyers as being "too political."

"So, I thought, I'll do this," she said.

Cartee said what the state is doing is inequitable and discriminatory. "I think its time someone actually stands up to the Legislature, and the governor, and gets them to do what's right," she said.
A class-action lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of the Davenport Community School District has added to the "unusual" nature of the case.

It's unusual for a class-action lawsuit to be filed against the Iowa Department of Education; in fact, it hasn't happened in recent memory.

The lawsuit names the education department along with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, the state of Iowa and the Iowa Legislature. It was filed by Davenport attorney Cathy Cartee. Plaintiffs are two Davenport district graduates.

It's also unusual for the state education department director, Ryan Wise, to file an ethics complaint, as he did last week against Davenport Superintendent Art Tate.

And it's unusual, according to the Iowa School Budget Reform Committee members, that they would flatly deny a funding request from Davenport, which occurred on Dec. 13 and involved the district's use of reserve funds.

The Davenport district has openly broken state law in recent months by using reserve funds to pay for programming costs, even though the district does not have the necessary spending authority, which is set by the state.

Davenport was asked to appear before the state budget review committee on Dec. 13 because it has so far spent $1.6 million of its estimated $20 million reserve fund. That creates a "negative unspent balance," which is not allowed by state law.

Tate and the district say they are using the reserve fund to make up for inequities in the state school funding formula that allows some districts to spend up to $175 more per pupil than those districts with the lowest spending authority, including Davenport.

The state Department of Education refused comment on the issue Tuesday, citing pending litigation. Tate also refused comment "at this time," noting the suit was not filed by the Davenport district.

The governor's office refused comment, but spokesman Ben Hammes said the governor is aware of the issues regarding the state's school funding formula.

"Regardless ... the governor does not believe it is appropriate to break the law," Hammes wrote in an email message.

Reaction from local politicians has been mixed. Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport, said he is committed to changing the state's school funding formula through Legislative action, starting in January.

Smith favors both a long-term and short-term approach to the issue. Saying a "long-term solution could take some time," Smith endorsed two possible short-term solutions.

These include allowing districts to use the interest from reserve funds, which could be hundreds of thousands of dollars, Smith said. Also, the reserve funds in a district could be capped, and then schools would be allowed to spend the difference.

Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, has harsh words for the Iowa Department of Education.

"I think it is the wrong way to address funding inequity," she said of the complaint lodged against Tate. "Really, we just have to stop messing around with this issue and address it."

For her part, Winckler had a bill drafted two years ago that would have allowed the districts to use their cash reserve funds, but that was blocked by several tax groups, as well as the Iowa Farm Bureau, she said.

Another bill, that was reaced between the leadership groups of Iowa's educational community would have the state pick up the cost of $20 per pupil, until the maximum $175 was reached over several years, she said.

Winckler also approves of using the court system to force legislative action on the school funding issue. This has been effective in other cases, including when the 1-cent sales tax for school infrastructure was approved statewide.

"That is potentially a more efficient way to get this settled," Winckler said.
The power of youth, reflected in the 10 members of Davenport's chapter of the Iowa Youth Congress, is ready to go before the 2017 session of the Iowa Legislature.

The students are from Mid-City and Central high schools in Davenport and they are headed into meetings with Iowa lawmakers prepared to discuss the state's per-pupil funding formula, as well as hands-free driving legislation.

The Iowa Youth Congress, founded in 2006, is comprised of up to 100 students, ages 15-18, who are from under-represented populations in Iowa. It provides youth of all backgrounds the opportunity to gain hands-on education in the subject areas of state government, democracy, advocacy and civic engagement.

This month, the Davenport students e-mailed their state representatives in Scott County to remind them of their priorities, and to educate the newly elected individuals, according to student Alexandria Bribriesco.

"We like the new ones to know what the bills are about," she said.

Their list includes the Funding Equalization Bill, which offers a fix to bring all of the state school districts in line with maximum spending authority, plus up to $175 per pupil spending. This would run for three years to give the Iowa Legislature time to design a permanent fix to the problem, which dates to the 1970s.

It also has language to lower property taxes in districts that use their cash reserves, or savings.

Davenport Community School District has advocated for changes to the formula for years, and has openly broken state law in recent months by using district reserve funds to pay for programming costs, despite lacking the spending authority to do so.

Ayiana Litt, a veteran of the student-led group, said many lawmakers think the fight for revised funding is only a topic for Davenport, when it actually would help an estimated 134 districts in the state.

The bill is designed to "sunset" or run out, in three years, which Bribriesco said should give legislators who worry about consequences some reassurances.

"We are trying to lower property taxes," she said.

The state legislators should be accountable, Litt said, and do their jobs to fix the school funding inequities.

Following the bills through the legislative process is an exercise in patience for the teens, who are led by veteran educator Dave Thede.

The students also travel to Des Moines, at least once a year, and all of them have war stories on how past visits have gone.

"Legislators say our bills are too complex," Taylor Lance said.

"They also say our bills are well-written, but they won't pass them," Bribriesco said.

The students will invite legislators to meet with them with a tentative date set for Jan. 5, at Mid-City High School. The trip to Des Moines for the Iowa Youth Congress "action day" is Feb. 27 and more trips might also be scheduled, Thede said.

In the meantime, the students appreciate the Iowa Youth Congress, and the class they take at Mid-City. "It looks good on my college application," said Christine Bein, a senior in the group.

Jaylen Crawford has been involved for two years and also is a student member of the Davenport School Board. He describes the Youth Congress as an amazing experience.

Litt has always been interested in the law, and feels the activity helps her to better understand legal procedures. "It keeps me going because I think the voice of other students is there, through me," she said.

The goal of the Iowa Youth Congress is to get the issues out there, and to have people talk about them," Litt said.

For his part, Thede, the teacher, said the students understand the legislative process better this year and several have seen, first-hand, how the politicians work.
DES MOINES  Five more industrial sites in Iowa have been certified as "development ready" by state officials, raising the hopes of officials in Clinton, Forest City, Grinnell, Waterloo and Osage of landing large projects with good-paying jobs to their communities.

The announcement Monday by Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority Debi Durham brought to 16 the number of Iowa industrial locations that have met the stringent criteria set by a third-party rating agency.

"Creating jobs and increasing family incomes for Iowans is my administration's top priority," Branstad told his weekly news conference.

The program, started in May 2012, previously certified sites and parks in Davenport, Van Meter, Dexter, Iowa Falls, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Norwalk, Perry, Middletown, Cedar Rapids and Marion. To date, there has been more than $490 million worth of activity on sites or parks within the program, Durham said.

She said Iowa program is becoming a national leader in an independent, third-party certification process that uses the nationally recognized site selection firm of McCallum Sweeney Consulting as the sole certifying agent. The process is designed to consider a combination of national site location standards as well as Iowa's natural assets and industry needs of the state's targeted sectors, she said.

Site certification is one of the fastest-growing trends in the site-selection business, Durham and by introducing 16 certified sites to the market, Iowa is better able to compete for large-scale projects.

The five latest certified sites began the process in 2014 to meet the program standards and achieve Monday's designation. Seven subsequent application rounds have been opened since the program was established with additional sites currently working their way through various phases of the program, Durham said.

"We've had a number of firms come look at our park, and as we've been able to develop the pieces to the site certification process, you know, we've already got answers to a lot of the things they want to know," Clinton Mayor Mark Vulich said in discussing a "shovel-ready" rail park on the city's west side.
UPDATE: The Moline Electoral Board has determined mayoral candidates Bob Vogelbaugh and Stephanie Acri and alderman candidates Sonia Berg and John Zelnio are not eligible to run in the upcoming city election. More details as they become available.

EARLIER REPORT: The Moline Electoral Board's decision on whether to allow mayoral candidates Bob Vogelbaugh and Stephanie Acri and alderman candidates Sonia Berg and John Zelnio on the ballot will come down to an interpretation of Illinois law.

The board heard nearly three hours of testimony Tuesday morning in the Moline City Council Chambers with both sides offering their interpretations of election law.

Mayor Scott Raes had petitioned to have Acri, Vogelbaugh and Berg's names removed from the ballot after all three candidates failed to number their candidacy papers.

Richard Potter had submitted a challenge to Zelnio, the current 4th Ward alderman, citing that he did not number his pages and was not consistent with writing his name on his documents.

Raes, through his attorney Robert Alvine, stated that his objections were solely based upon statutory violations of Illinois Election Code 10.4, which requires pages to be numbered. Alvine cited four cases pertaining to section 10.4 in his explanation.

"Whereas here the petitions are entirely unnumbered, no numbers at all, and they do not conform with section 10.4 and it's mandatory numbering and therefore be thrown out and declared null and void," Alvine said.

All four of the candidates being challenged acknowledged that they did not number their pages but argued that the space where the number would go was cut off.

Bob Waterman, Acri's attorney, questioned City Clerk Tracy Koranda about what her duties were in accepting the petitions.

Waterman read a portion of the official's duties of the local election office manual and stated the clerk was to have a "gatekeeper" type of role in which the clerk was to make sure petitions were in compliance with the law.

Koranda said she did not think it was her duty to inform candidates if there was a problem or refuse a nominating petition when candidates submitted their paperwork.

When questioned by David Andich, Berg's and Zelnio's attorney, Koranda did say, however, that she could have done better in making sure the petitions were not cut off at the bottom.

"I do believe that I should be proofing them more closely," Koranda said.

In response to the cases cited by Alvine, Waterman said that only one case has appeared in the 3rd District where petitions were unnumbered.

"What does the Stevenson case say, authored by Justice Stengel out of our community, it says that when you have 48 pages and not one of them are numbered, you look at the entire document to determine whether it is a substantial compliance or not," Waterman said.

Waterman said "the Illinois Supreme Court says that before a candidate is denied a place on the ballot, the rights of the candidate and voter must be weighed and balanced."

Toward the end of the hearing, Vogelbaugh, who has run for city office before, became emotional as he offered a statement to the board.

"In the five times that I have run, I've never run into something so petty and ridiculous as what's happened here," Vogelbaugh said.

The board, which consists of Connie Mohr-Wright, Alderwoman Lori Turner, 5th Ward, and Alderman Kevin Schoonmaker, 6th Ward, will return at 8 a.m. Thursday at Moline City Hall to render its decision.

Alderman Mike Wendt, 3rd Ward, spoke during the public comment section and said he reviewed all the cases cited and the current situation was factually different from all of them.

Wendt also noted that he did not number his petitions and did not face any objections.

"Thank goodness that the mayor, who is actually in my ward and had every opportunity to object to my petitions, he didn't," Wendt said. "I looked through every other person who ran at my time and every single one of them did not conform.

"In this situation, you have the ability to do what we all think in our hearts is right."
Some married couples ring in their anniversary by treating themselves to a vacation, massage or special dinner. But these two, with a little help from social media, opted for originality.

Erin and Jason Platt of Davenport celebrated their third wedding anniversary Tuesday morning by going for a cruise in a Wienermobile.

About 10:45 a.m., a pair of Oscar Mayer hotdoggers swooped up the couple from their home and chauffeured them to St. Paul Lutheran Church on Brady Street in Davenport, where they tied the knot in 2013.

Random? Well, its basically become a tradition for the Platts. During an ice storm on their special night three years ago, the newlyweds rode in one of the 27-foot-long orange and yellow rigs from their ceremony to their reception at Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island.

"I relish every single time," Erin quipped. She said it's a lovely coincidence it happened again.

Last weekend, one of Oscar Mayer's six Wienermobiles made scheduled stops at several Hy-Vee grocery stores in the Quad-Cities. So, when the public relations team for the Madison, Wisconsin-based company saw Erin's plea on Facebook for a potential anniversary ride, the drivers decided to stick around.

"We love celebrating our fans anyway we can," said Amy Mason, spokeswoman for Olson Engage, the Chicago-based agency that handles Oscar Mayer's public relations. "Why not help them celebrate their anniversary?"

Oscar Mayer, which is owned by Kraft, uses its fleet of Wienermobiles to promote and advertise its products.

Erin's efforts officially began three years ago. The freelance public relations and communications consultant launched a grassroots social media campaign months before her wedding in hopes of bringing a Wienermobile to her ceremony.

On your wedding day, you try and have things that are meaningful and personal, she said. This is one of my quirks. People know if I see a Wienermobile, I just start giggling.

She calls it the "Wienermobile effect," which she said, affects others, as well.

Jason, a professional cartoonist, called his wife's "obsession" an "adorable quirk" he embraces.

Jason's 13-year-old son, Wyeth, also rode with his father and step-mother in the Wienermobile on their wedding night.

He compared the converted Chevrolet truck chassis, which weighs more than 7 tons  or 140,500 hot dogs  to a "party bus."

Before returning home on Tuesday, the couple, accompanied by Quad-City Times photographer Andy Abeyta, stopped by Davenport's Coffee Hound for espresso, which they acquired a taste for during their honeymoon in Italy.

"There are worse quirks in the world," Erin added. "I just hope my neighbors arent too freaked out when a giant hot dog on wheels shows up."
ROCK ISLAND  Ellis E. Kell Jr., 61, of Rock Island, died suddenly Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, at his home.

A celebration of Ellis's life will be 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Adler Theatre, Davenport. Visitation is 2 p.m. until service time Wednesday at the Adler. A musical tribute and jam session to honor Ellis will follow the Adler service at 6 p.m. at the River Music Experience (RME). Private inurnment will be at a later date at Chippiannock Cemetery, Rock Island. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the family for a memorial to be created later. Wheelan-Pressly Funeral and Crematory, Rock Island, is in charge of arrangements.

Ellis was born Aug. 26, 1955, in Rock Island, a son of Ellis Sr. and Rose Chambers Kell. He graduated from Rock Island High School in 1973. Ellis earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Augustana College, Rock Island. He married Kristi E. Swanson on June 30, 1984, in Rock Island.

Ellis began his working career at the Rock Island Argus, later the Argus/Dispatch. He was one of the creators of QC Online, the paper's internet service. Ellis was director of programming and community outreach for the River Music Experience, joining the RME in its early years of formation.

Ellis was known for his many years of providing great music and his mentoring of young musicians. With his wife, Kristi, he created the Karli Rose Kell Music Scholarship Fund in memory of their late daughter, Karli Rose, to assist young musicians. Ellis supported HavLife, Living Lands and Waters and Gilda's Club, along with many other community organizations that he believed in. Ellis loved the Quad-City area, which was his home.

Survivors include his wife, Kristi; daughter, Ali Kell Caves, of Bettendorf; grandchildren, Karli Rose Caves and Jackson Bickel, of Bettendorf; his mother, Rose Kell, of Rock Island; sisters, Marcia Geisler, of Davenport and Sandra (Robert) Doyle, of Louisville, Kentucky; mother-in-law, Bonnie Swanson, of Omaha, Nebraska; sisters-in-law, Terri (Douglas) Jones, of Omaha and Lisa Gotthardt (Rick Salmonson), of Moline; and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Ellis Sr., daughter, Karli Rose; father-in-law, Ed Swanson, who died later that same day; and brother-in-law, Bill Geisler.

Online condolences may be left at wheelanpressly.com.
1. Things warm up a little

A good Tuesday to all. After the past few days of brutal cold just about anything would be an improvement, right? Such should be the case today for the Quad-Cities as temperatures are expected to climb to a near-freezing level.

Here are the weather details from the National Weather Service.

Today will be mostly cloudy then gradually becoming sunny with a high near 31 degrees. Wind-chill values will be as low as zero. Southwest winds between 10 to 15 mph will produce gusts as high as 25 mph.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 18 degrees.

Looking ahead to the holiday weekend there's a 40 percent chance of snow on Christmas Eve and a 50 percent chance of rain and snow on Christmas Day with a high near 47 degrees.

2. Officer-involved shooting under investigation in Bettendorf

A Monday night disturbance at the Home Depot ended with a police officer shooting an armed suspect.

The incident occurred about 11:30 p.m. at the Home Depot store at 920 Middle Road in Bettendorf.

After receiving a call of a disturbance, police arrived and engaged an individual who was armed with a handgun, according to a news release from the city of Bettendorf.

The subject received injuries from being shot.

The subject was transported to a local hospital and then transported by MedForce to University Hospitals in Iowa City. The extent of the injuries are unknown at this time.

No officers or employees of Home Depot were harmed or injured in the incident.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the investigation.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave per departmental policy. The officers name is not being released until DCI has conducted its interview.

The subjects name is not being released pending notification of the family.

Davenport Police Department, Iowa State Patrol and the Scott County Attorneys Office assisted in the investigation.

3. Wundram: Life at 92 is pretty good

The world according to Bill: Now, I am an old man. I never thought of myself that way. I always believed that I was young as springtime. But now I am an old man with a cane. Any day now, I will be 92 years old. As we would say in my youthood, Gee willikers! Read more.

4. Lawsuit seeks equity in Iowa school funding

A Davenport attorney who is the daughter of a former school board president filed a lawsuit on Monday, taking up the fight to equalize Iowa's school-funding formula.

Catherine Z. Cartee, of Cartee & McKenrick, P.C., Davenport, filed the class action lawsuit against the State of Iowa, the Iowa General Assembly, the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

The suit is filed in behalf of Brean Woods and Becca Frederick, both of Davenport and graduates of the district's high schools.

The suit charges the state's funding formula is unfair. It charges the practice is a violation of equal protection under the law, a violation of the students' due process and a violation of the students' civil rights. Read more.

5. Cook's return remains up in the air

Fran McCaffery said he still isnt sure when Tyler Cook will be back in action. It could be tonight for a home game against North Dakota. It could be Thursday for the non-conference finale against Delaware State. Or it could be next week for the Big Ten opener against Purdue. Read more.

6. What's going up?

Check out the latest of 'what's going up' in the Quad-Cities.
Its long past time for AFSCME to accept the result of the agreed-upon process and work with our administration to implement a contract that is fair to both employees and taxpayers.

On Nov. 15, the bipartisan Illinois Labor Relations Board issued a decision that was no surprise: the state and AFSCME are at impasse in contract negotiations. This decision allowed the state to immediately begin implementing its last, best, and final offer.

Instead of accepting this outcome, AFSCME is using the court system to prevent us from moving forward, costing state taxpayers more than $2 million each day our contract is not implemented. They are also asking that we return to the negotiating table. Its important to note that from day one our administration has been negotiating in good faith, as the labor board stated in their ruling. But it was clear that after almost a year of negotiations with a union refusing to move off of its unreasonable demands, we were simply wasting time and taxpayer money.

What the union now describes as a scorched-earth approach is a contract that is nearly identical to contracts that have been agreed-to by eighteen other unions, such as Teamsters, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and Operating Engineers Local 150.

The outrageous demands that the union refuses to allow the state to implement include requiring employees to work 40 hours a week, instead of 37.5 hours, before being paid overtime. Moving to a 40-hour overtime requirement is consistent with the private sector, federal law, and contracts entered into by other state employees outside of AFSCME.

Another is merit pay. Our proposal would allow the state to reward employees with a $1,000 merit pay bonus for good work. Thats in the first year of the contract with even more on the table for the remaining years. However, AFSCME feels that the state should not be rewarding based on performance and should only implement a plan that provides bonuses or pay raises for everyone, regardless of their work.

The union also objected to the administration taking steps to protect the health and safety of employees and the taxpayers they serve by implementing drug testing for employees who exhibit behaviors that create a reasonable suspicion that they are under the influence of a banned substance or alcohol.

Yet another is healthcare coverage. The state is offering employees options. Some plans would cost less than what employees currently pay, while others would cost more. Employees would also have the choice of paying exactly what they are paying right now. What we were proposing is not out of line with the private sector and presents affordable coverage options tailored to each employees individual circumstances.

Other proposals include bereavement leave, work place safety task forces and allowing volunteerism at state facilities like parks and veterans homes.

We are pleased that AFSCME recognizes the states budget crisis. But if they were serious, they would drop their demands for a contract that would cost the state an additional $3 billion over four years and work with us to implement these and other common sense proposals.

Many rank-and-file employees agree and are tired of AFSCME leaderships unreasonable posturing. Many of these same employees are also troubled by AFSCME leaderships talk of striking.

We stand with employees and call on AFSCME executives to respect the outcome of the agreed-upon labor board process and work with us to implement the contract that is fair to both employees and taxpayers alike.
TYNDALL | An Iowa man accused of intentionally injuring a South Dakota police officer in a hit-and-run incident has been arrested after more than four months on the run.

The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan reports that 35-year-old Travis McPeek, of Sioux City, Iowa, was arrested Thursday in Mesa, Arizona, by federal marshals.

McPeek had been wanted on a warrant for felony aggravated assault against law enforcement since the Aug. 6 traffic stop. Authorities allege he struck Tyndall Police Officer Kelly Young with his truck in a convenience store parking lot and fled.

Young was treated at a hospital for broken ribs, a cut on a leg, an injured ankle, and other cuts and bruises.
MANDAN, N.D. | The first pipeline protester trial scheduled to start Monday morning was postponed after the judge learned that not all 10 defendants had received all the evidence from the prosecutor.

Only one of the nine defense attorneys involved in the case had received about three hours of aerial video and 500-plus photos of the protest site from law enforcement, said Sandra Freeman, who was present during the closed proceeding. Freeman is the criminal case coordinator for the Water Protector Legal Collective, a group that assists Dakota Access pipeline protesters with their cases.

South Central District Judge Cynthia Feland reset the trial for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, according to the Morton County court clerk's office.

Freeman said she did not believe there was bad intent behind the prosecution's failure to turn over the evidence.

"The volume of what is happening here is quite large," she said. "It doesn't seem to anybody that he was trying to hide things."

Ladd Erickson, who is prosecuting the case for Morton County, said that part of the problem is that some of the defense attorneys had been appointed in the past week.

Some of the defendants met their attorneys for the first time in the courthouse hallway Monday morning.

Joe Haythorn, of Oregon, one of the protesters charged, said he was glad for the continuance.

"I learned of (the additional evidence) today," Haythorn said. "That was nice to hear about, the 500-plus photos and something like three hours cumulative video.

"I'm just happy that the judge saw through to the point of view that we agree with, which we obviously think is the just one."

The case involves 10 people from nine states, including South Dakota, charged with disorderly conduct on Aug. 11, one of the first days of the Dakota Access pipeline protests. A police affidavit filed in the case accuses the defendants of pushing through law enforcement lines or police tape to access a work site on N.D. Highway 1806.

Two more pipeline protester trials are set for this week, today and Friday.

A total of 571 people have been arrested in connection with the pipeline protests, according to the Morton County Sheriff's Department.

Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and $1,500 in fines.
Another Pine Ridge woman has been charged with making false statements to law enforcement in the September shooting death of Annie Colhoff.

Authorities say Colhoff, 34, also known as Chunta Suta Wi, was shot and killed Sept. 29 in Pine Ridge village.

Stevie Ray Makes Good, 24, was indicted by a federal grand jury Nov. 16. U.S. Attorney Randolph Seiler said Makes Good is charged with misprision of a felony, after allegedly lying to law enforcement that she was not at the scene of Colhoff's shooting.

Makes Good pleaded not guilty to the charge Dec. 9. She was released on bond pending her trial, which is scheduled for Feb. 14. If convicted, she faces a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Makes Good is the third person recently indicted on charges related to Colhoff's death and the second woman accused of lying to law enforcement.

A Colorado man, 34-year-old Orlando Guadalupe Jose Ephron Villanueva de Macias, aka "Chris," is charged with second-degree murder in Colhoff's killing.

Villanueva de Macias was arrested in Colorado in November. He pleaded not guilty earlier this month. He is scheduled to go to trial in mid-February and could face life in prison if convicted.

Another Pine Ridge woman, Tyler Brewer, is accused of helping Villanueva de Macias by concealing information from authorities. She also has pleaded not guilty.

Brewer, 26, is to stand trial in early January and faces up to three years in prison if convicted.
HOT SPRINGS  According to a Dec. 7 press release by Azarga Uranium, the company is one step closer to making its plans for a uranium project at their Dewey - Burdock location, west of Edgemont, in northwestern Fall River County and southern Custer County, happen.

Azarga announced it had received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the first amendment the company proposed to the NRC Source and Byproduct Materials License for the Dewey Burdock project.

This, according to Azarga completes certain NRC license conditions for the Project, including the finalization of the financial assurance amount required for construction of the Project and completion of other initial pre-operational NRC license conditions. The Amendment also completes one of the necessary steps for resuming the South Dakota state permitting process.

Sarah Peterson, of Hot Springss Its All About the Water group, a anti-uranium advocate, says that her group knows about Azargas strategy with this.

Peterson said this is about Azargas effort to take radioactive waste and put this waste down boreholes  much like those proposed to be drilled near Phillip, in Haakon County. The waste in these boreholes, she said, could reach the Deadwood and Minnelusa aquifers, a serious threat for people who rely on these waters.

Peterson said the company originally asked for four of these bore holes, but amended this to 12 bore holes later, with no hearing, just a notice that these were not for in situ uranium mining, what Azarga has wanted to do with the Dewey Burdock area for some time.

Peterson says that this type of project could send a plume of uranium-tainted pollution into the aquifers at a rate of 10 miles per year, not the one mile per year the company asserts could happen.

No matter how far the plume goes, its still toxic, she said.

Peterson also complained that at NRC hearings in the past, Azarga and the NRC claimed that the aquifers didnt communicate  that they were not connected.

More recent studies, she said, show these aquifers are connected and are communicating. What goes into one aquifer comes out of springs associated with the other aquifer, studies show.

Peterson said NRC and Azarga are using 1950s studies to justify what they propose, not up-to-date information.

Peterson said her group has a strategy to thwart Azargas plans, but wouldnt elaborate on this.

Meanwhile, Azarga claims it remains in compliance with the NRC license conditions and anticipates receiving a decision from the NRC in the near-term about two outstanding contentions pertaining to the identification and protection of historic and cultural resources.

Before the company can begin constructing and operate the Dewey Burdock project, additional regulatory approvals are required, including approvals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Azarga also anticipates receiving the draft Class III and Class V underground injection control permits from the EPA in the near-term.

We are pleased to see continued steps forward in the permitting process for the Dewey Burdock Uranium Project, said Azarga Uranium President Blake Steele. Although the balance of regulatory approvals required are not subject to prescribed time frames, the company remains actively engaged with all parties working on advancing the development of the Dewey Burdock Uranium Project.

In August, Azarga was trying to raise money to finance this project.

In September, a Cheyenne River study by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and California State University-Fresno, showed elevated levels of uranium in Angostura Reservoir. The study claimed these levels were the result of human-caused activities, particularly abandoned uranium mines and the former uranium mill in Edgemont leaching uranium into Angostura. The EPA noted 169 old uranium mines and prospects in the Southern Hills region, mined from 1952  1972.

Peterson and Its All About The Water, along with the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, called for the EPA, the states Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the federal Bureau of Reclamation to clean up the mines, even reopen the case for an EPA Superfund site in the Dewey  Burdock area.

However, EPA dropped this idea in 2015, after being blocked from measuring uranium levels on private lands controlled by Azarga.
South Dakota energy

People get the Dakotas confused. Many times people in DC asked me about the impact of the oil boom in our state, not knowing that the Bakken oil field is in North Dakota. Even without the oil reserves, our state plays a role in filling gas tanks, contributing the resources needed to produce renewable fuels, like ethanol and biodiesel.

I have spent most of my life growing corn and soybeans, staples of the American food supply, also commodities fast becoming a part of our domestic fuel supply.

With advances in technology, we are growing more on fewer acres and are using that efficiency to diversify the market.

This year, about 26 percent of US soybean oil. will be used for biodiesel production and some 5 billion bushels of corn will be used for ethanol.

Turning crops into fuel not only opens the door for better prices and greater market stability, but also offers broader benefits for our national economy and security.

The biodiesel industry supports nearly 50,000 U.S. jobs and ethanol supports tens of thousands more. These are plant workers, researchers and engineers.; truckers and salespeople: members of our community who turn around and support local economies, spending money at area businesses and supporting schools and infrastructure with their tax dollars. Its a fuel that invests and reinvests in America.

On the flip side, a third of petroleum used in America is derived from foreign sources. , which means the US spends more than $300 billion each year on imported crude oil. Many times, that oil is coming from volatile areas, countries wary of Americas prosperity. Every step we take toward energy independence is a step toward security. Thats why we need to invest in both fossil fuels and renewable fuels.

While biofuel production has grown quite a bit, it still makes up only a small portion of the market.

Since our nations founding, the US has invested in new technologies like this, offering help until they can stand on their own. As part of an all-of-the-above American energy strategy, we must do the same for biofuels.

One way to encourage biofuel is through the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).

The RFS sets annual goals for ethanol and biodiesel that must be incorporated into Americas fuel supply.

The EPA has often fallen short of what Congress proposed, particularly with ethanol. Last month, however, EPA brought the RFS in line with congressional goals. Since the RFS is re-examined each year, we must continue to hold the EPA accountable.

Various forms of energy also have different provisions in the tax code. For biodiesel, we offer a $1-per-gallon tax credit, which can result in cheaper fuel at the pump. Legislation Ive proposed would give more certainty regarding the tax credits availability while also adjusting how the support is distributed.

The change would ensure the incentive is encouraging American biodiesel production, not the importation of foreign biodiesel
339

TO: To the unknown personal representatives, heirs, devisees, legates of Max Hoeppner, deceased, the owner of record of the hereinafter described real property, and in whose name said property is taxed, and to any other interested person pursuant to SDCL Chapter 10-25.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, That the following described real property situated in the County of Fall River, State of South Dakota, to wit:

Lot Nine (9), Block Ten (10), of the Original Town, Now City, of Hot Springs, Fall River County, South Dakota

was on the 9th day of December, 2010, purchased by Fall River County, South Dakota, for said county at the regular tax sale held in said county on the 9th day of December, 2010, for the sum of $292.13, said sum being the amount of the taxes assessed against said real property for the year 2009, plus penalty, interest and costs of sale, said real property having been first offered for sale to competitive bidders at public auction, but not having been sold for want of bidders offering the amount due by Lori Bachand, the County Treasurer for said Fall River County, South Dakota; that in pursuance of said sale, certificate of tax sale dated the 9th day of December, 2010, was duly issued by said County Treasurer to said Fall River County, South Dakota; that on April 26, 2012, said certificate of tax sale was assigned on behalf of said Fall River County by Lori Bachand, Treasurer of said Fall River County, South Dakota, to Rhonda Iverson and that by virtue of said assignment, Rhonda Iverson is now the legal owner and holder of said certificate of tax sale No. 2010-00225.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, That the right of redeeming said real property from said tax sale will expire sixty days from the date of the completed service of this notice, and that unless redemption is made from said tax sale at the office of the Fall River County Treasurer, Hot Springs, South Dakota, within said time, a tax deed will be made and issued by the County Treasurer of the County of Fall River, State of South Dakota, to said Rhonda Iverson covering the described real property. The Fall River County Treasurer can inform you of the amount required to redeem said certificate, including interest, through the date of redemption, plus costs and attorney fees for the Tax Deed action. As of December 5, 2016, the amount of the taxes, interests and penalties overdue was $2,261.52 plus costs and attorneys fees of $400.00.

Dated this 9th day of December, 2016.

/s/Lance S. Russell

Lance S. Russell

Attorney for Rhonda Iverson

PO Box 184

Hot Springs, SD 57747

(605) 745-3228

Published twice at the total approximate cost of $60.06.

Dec. 20, 27
Jeff Beougher has good Guard memories

HOT SPRINGS  Most days of the week, Jeff Beougher is the guy in the U.S. Postal Service uniform, trudging door-to-door in the southeastern portion of the city to deliver your mail. He drives a USPS jeep loaded with mail and moves that mail from the jeep to your mailbox, no easy task when its 3 degrees out and the wind is blowing 15 mph, or when the summer sun fries eggs on black pavement.

What you might not have known about this mailman, however, is that for the last 26 years, he has also been a member of the South Dakota National Guard.

Beougher joined the guard in 1994, shortly after his four year hitch in the U.S. Marine Corps.

He was with the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Marines, and served in Okinawa, Desert Storm and Desert Shield operations. He was part of the ground wars tip of the spear, going into Kuwait City, in Desert Storm.

For the next 26 years, Beougher would serve one weekend per month, and two weeks per year  sometimes longer  in the South Dakota National Guards 842nd, 211th and 235 Military Police (MP) groups.

Beougher retired last month, with high honors  even had Gov. Dennis Daugaard declare Nov. 10, Jeff Beougher Day. Beougher said his experience with the National Guard was a great opportunity, and said it was an honor to serve his country.

Beoughers role in the National Guard encompassed several duties:

When he retired, he was serving as a chaplains assistant  a glorified altar boy, he said, smiling.

The chaplains assistant helps in all of the chaplains duties, including giving religious services to any service member who needs a service, from Buddhists to Presbyterians, from Catholics to Lutherans. Knowing how to prepare for these services requires a wide breath of understanding from both the chaplain and his assistant. Also, in a battle or tight security situation, a chaplains assistant is the chaplains gun, Beougher said. Chaplains dont carry firearms, but they need someone to protect them who does. Beougher was that person.

Another role, during one very memorable National Guard summer camp, Beougher also served as a Military Policeman (MP) and security person for veterinarians who were conducting clinics in Nicaragua. This was part of a six-month humanitarian mission to that country, where doctors, veterinarians, construction people and military personnel were helping build schools and clinics.

For three weeks, in the early 2000s, Beoughers unit made sure the convoys supplying these efforts were secure and reached their destination at a time of great unrest in Nicaragua.

We were security against whomever posed a threat, he said. It was a whole different environment, and there was a real sense of danger about this. We were the only ones with weapons  sidearms (pistols) with rounds loaded into the chamber, and an M-16 in a red box in the jeep.

Beougher said the only help available if something happened was a Marine Corps unit on a ship six hours away.

Another three week hitch involved a trip to Vicenza, Italy, where his MP unit provided law enforcement, to help beef up a group of active duty MPs. Beougher said this was easy work and the unit had lots of time on their hands to eat well and drink some very good wines. He talked about giant cellar bins, and how he brought home about 20 bottles of wine to the states from this trip. When his 1st Sergeant tried to pick up his duffel bag, he grunted under the weight of all those wine bottles and wondered what Beougher had in there.

Another role Beougher played in the Guard was to serve as a law enforcement officer at Fort Carson, Colo. for a year, to relieve active duty soldiers who were going to Iraq.

All of South Dakotas guard was mobilized to do this, he said, and he was away from home for a full year, serving his nation. He was married by then  his wife is Darcy and he has two children, TJ and Bailey  and his family came to visit him, or he returned to Hot Springs to spend time with them, about once a month.

During this time, even in his other service, Beougher said, he didnt realize how much time hed spent away from his family. But later this all kind of hit home for him, he said, it was the biggest down side of serving in the Guard.

Guardsmen, Beougher said, are often unsung heroes. They work regular jobs, then drill and train to complete their obligation to the Guard. Some sacrifice their vacations and time off to do this.

He was thankful that the USPS was Guard-friendly and maintained his job, even when away.

Beougher has served with the USPS for the last 22 years. He started as a clerk in Pine Ridge, then after a year and a half, transitioned to have the city carrier route he has been on ever since.

Beougher decided to retire after serving his 26 years, but he was far from unsung:

Prior to Sen. Tim Johnsons 2014 retirement, the Senator presented Beougher with a flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol, in honor of his military, Guard and USPS service. Beougher also earned the Army Commendation Medal, for meritorious service in October, the state Distinguished Service Award, the Army Achievement Medal, the Marine Corps Good Conduct medal, a state Emergency Operations ribbon, an Army Reserve Components Achievement medal, the stateService Medal, the national Defense Service medal, a Combat Action medal, and several other medals and ribbons.

He said hes hoped to retire quietly and sort of slip out unnoticed, however on the last formation of his Guard unit, his Sergeant honored him and noted that he was retiring and he got to dismiss the formation.
Peace and Happiness!

Its that time of the year when we are busy decking the halls, shopping, wrapping presents, writing cards and letters, baking, visiting our loved ones, and attending holiday programs and concerts.

South Dakota has a proud history of military heroes and as we approach the holiday season let us not forget the service to this country that has spanned the generations. Let us not forget the families of current and past soldiers, as they also endured a great deal while loved ones were deployed.

When I hear songs like: Ill be Home for Christmas, Santa Bring my Baby Back to Me, Peace in the Valley, Blue Christmas, Time for Me to Come Home; I cant help but think about all of those that will only be home in their dreams. For military families with a deployed service member, the holidays require a little extra love and a little extra creativity as kids and adults alike cope with missing a family member.

Prompted by patriotism, the great comedian Bob Hope toured for more than fifty years entertaining our troops. From World War II through Vietnam to the Gulf War, this legendary comedian traveled the world visiting our heroes. It was a collaboration that forever linked the names Bob Hope and the USO, giving a new visibility, respect, and recognition.

Humanity, caring, commitment, support of the troops --- that was the mission of the USO, it was Bob Hopes goal and it is also the goal of the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs.

Although we have no stage, no lights, and our team isnt on the front lines; we are committed to helping veterans and their families.

Im proud of the force of experts that we have working at the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. Collectively, our state veterans service officers, field officers and education personnel have over 200 years of military service. They have worn the boots, walked the trenches, conducted maneuvers, commanded troops, sustained missions and protected our freedoms. They are veterans that have borne the battle and are committed to ensure that our heroes receive the highest quality services possible.

Our primary mission is to advocate with purpose and passion for South Dakotas veterans and link them to superior services, benefits, and support. Our team is at the forefront of the most demanding challenges confronting our states veterans, whether they are veterans from the World War II generation, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Cold War, or veterans who most recently served in support of the War on Terror.

Like Bob Hope and the USO, for our team, it truly is a privilege and an honor to serve our veterans and their family members.

We wish you and your family a blessed holiday season and a new year of peace and happiness. As you and your family gather this holiday season, please keep our heroes, past and present in your hearts. God bless our veterans, their families, and our troops that are currently serving in harms way.
A group of 16 students at Southwest Middle School was reported to be sending sexually explicit texts, photos or other material to one another, Rapid City school officials said Monday.

It has been handled, Assistant Superintendent Brad Berens said. Weve involved parents. As far as the school side of it, its done.

We had some students that had some naked pictures and shared them, and we had to deal with it."

Southwest Principal Robin Gillespie said she learned of the sexting in November when two distressed students reported it to her, along with the names of other students involved. She contacted those parents and then disciplined at least some of the students.

Parents are always involved, Gillespie said regarding this type of disciplinary action. Any situation at that high level of a discipline referral absolutely involves the parents.

She would not elaborate on what specific disciplinary measures were used, citing a federal law that protects the privacy and education records of students.

"Student privacy is of utmost importance to RCAS administrators," said district spokesperson Katy Urban. "As such, we will not discuss the particulars of this situation, except to say that we had the full cooperation of both the students and their parents in handling this incident."

Urban said sexting violates policies JGC and JFC  on student bullying and conduct  as listed in the district's online list of policies and procedures.

"Cyberbullying or use of electronic communication including, but not limited to, transmission of information over the internet or other forms of electronic communications including, but not limited to, computers, tablets and cellphones will not be tolerated," policy JGC reads in part.

According to the policy, discipline may include suspension or expulsion.

The states Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is also investigating, according to South Dakota Attorney General spokesperson Sara Rabern. A representative of ICAC would not comment further.

Gillespie said Southwest staff did not confiscate the students phones or look at the content of the messages they were sending.

District policy forbids students from using cellphones during the academic day, Gillespie said. Students used to be allowed to use their phones in the morning in the breakfast room, but because of last months sexting situation, Gillespie said, that privilege has since been revoked.

"The reality is that the majority of middle and high school students carry cell phones," Urban said. "Administrators and school staff cannot police all of their phones. They do their best to make sure that they dont interfere with the educational process, but beyond that, they rely on parents to teach their students what is and is not appropriate when it comes to cell phone and internet use."
Russian court upholds recovery of $6.6 million from Transaero in dispute with Aeroflot

MOSCOW, December 20 (RAPSI)  The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling to recover 429.1 million rubles ($6.6 million) of debt from Transaero in favor of another Russian airline Aeroflot, court documents read on Tuesday.

The court has dismissed an appeal filed by Transaero against the Moscow Commercial Courts ruling issued on October 4. Aeroflot, acting as guarantor of Transaeros financial obligations, repaid the airlines debt owed to Gazprombank and later filed a lawsuit against Transaero.

Last December, the Moscow Commercial Court ruled to award Aeroflot the full amount of its 5 billion rubles ($80.5 million) claim against Transaero over a debt incurred under the loan agreement of September 4, 2015. Appeals courts upheld the ruling. Transaero appealed the rulings in the Supreme Court.

Some other Aeroflot suits against Transaero are reviewed by courts. In December 2015, Transaero was ordered to pay out about 5.3 billion rubles ($85 million). On January 25, the court recovered from the defendant around 2.85 billion rubles ($45.9 million) it owed to the plaintiff. A counterclaim by Transaero seeking to find the loan agreement between airlines invalid was dismissed. The Ninth Commercial Court upheld the ruling. Both rulings have already taken effect.

In 2015, Transaero found itself unable to pay its debts estimated at 250 billion rubles (about $4 billion). Government-approved plan of transferring 75% of companys shares to Aeroflot failed. Its problems resulted in a large number of flight cancels and delays.

In October 2015, Sberbank and Alfa Bank filed bankruptcy petitions against the troubled airline. The Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region initiated a bankruptcy procedure against Transaero on December 16.

On November 23, the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region postponed hearings in Sberbanks bankruptcy claim against Transaero until March 1, 2017. Temporary manager of the airline filed a motion to postpone hearings because all demands of creditors were met.

This November, Transaero managers submitted the companys business resumption plan. The airlines management headed by Director General Alexander Burdin analyzed alternatives which could make it possible to return money to creditors via relaunching the airline on the base of its assets.
ECHR awards 70,000 to Georgian nationals expelled from Russia in 2006

MOSCOW, December 20 (RAPSI)  The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Georgian citizens expelled from Russia in the fall of 2006 are entitled to 70,000 in compensation for violation of their rights.

The ruling was issued upon two applications lodged by Georgian citizens against Russia.

Moreover, the ECHR considered other seven similar complaints filed by 19 Georgians and held that their rights had been violated as well. The ruling on compensation to them will be delivered later.

The ECHR began considering the individual applications after it had passed a judgment in July 2014 upon the interstate complaint by Georgia accusing Russian authorities of targeted bullying of Georgian citizens. According to Tbilisi, mass arrests and further deportation of Georgians from Russia began after the arrest of four Russian officers in Georgia.

Russia claimed that measures aimed at combating illegal immigration were not applied specifically to Georgian nationals and were not repressive.

The ECHR then ruled that there were violations of Article 4 of Protocol 4 (prohibition of collective expulsion of aliens), Paragraph 1 of Article 5 (right to freedom and safety), Paragraph 4 of Article 5 (right to appeal against arrest), Article 3 (prohibition of tortures and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment), Article 38 (obligation to furnish necessary facilities for the effective conduct of the Court's investigation) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention of Human Rights.

Dmitry Dedov, the authorized Russian judge in the European Court of Human Rights, noted in his separate opinion that the ECHR had not considered several key factors when delivering the ruling. The conflict between the parties had political context that made difficult to establish the truth, according to Dedov. Additionally, the court found upon the conclusion of human rights groups which had taken the side of Georgia, he stated.
Putin signs law on tougher punishment for unlawful pressure on business

MOSCOW, December 20 (RAPSI)  Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law toughening officials liability for unlawful persecution of businesses, the official website for judicial information reads on Tuesday.

Amendments are proposed to Russias Criminal and Criminal Procedure codes.

Punishment for knowingly charging an innocent person with a crime is proposed to be increased from five to seven years in prison. Additionally, toughened liability is proposed to be introduced not only for actions related to charging a person with grave crimes but also those actions that cause a large-scale damage (exceeding 1.5 million rubles ($23,500).

It is noted that criminal liability is also in place for unlawfully launching a criminal case based on material or personal interest, which led to cancellation of entrepreneur activity or causing large-scale damage, being punishable by 5-10 years in prison.

Under the bill, inquiry into crimes connected with impeding legal entrepreneurial or other activities would be conducted by the Investigative Committees investigators.

The State Duma approved the bill on November 30 and the Federation Council approved it on December 14.
BOZEMAN, Mont.  The Montana State University Northern Agricultural Research Center (NARC), located in Havre, has recently hired a new cropping systems agronomist who will lead research on dryland agriculture practices for north-central Montana.Maryse Bourgault, assistant professor of cropping systems at NARC, is expected to begin at NARC on Feb. 1. Im thrilled to join the Montana State University Northern Ag Research Center, Bourgault said. I have been very impressed by the level of engagement between farmers and scientists, and Ive been welcomed warmly by colleagues, not only at NARC, but from the larger university community.Its exciting to be working in the number one state for pulse production nationally, and where agriculture in general is so important.Bourgault said shes interested in interested in bridging the gap between fundamental and applied research for sustainable, productive and profitable farming systems discussing ideas for on-farm research trials in agronomy and precision agriculture farming practices, a fitting research priority for Montana, according to Darrin Boss, NARC superintendent.Dr. Bourgault brings to MSU an international experience of dryland agriculture training, field experience and background, that are a great fit for whats currently happening in Montana agriculture. We have no doubt shell make an important impact in fundamental and applied agronomic research, Boss said.Were glad to welcome Dr. Bourgault to NARC and the Montana agricultural community.Bourgault has already written a grant proposal about the root morphology of field peas in Montana environments, Boss noted.Bourgault completed her doctoral and bachelor degrees at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has conducted research in several countries, including Uzbekistan, where she investigated drought tolerance and compared common bean and mungbean subjected to water stress. Bourgault also worked as an extension agronomist in Australia.She also participated in a post-doctoral fellowship program investigating crop traits that might be beneficial under future climates with elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations at the Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment facility. Bourgault recently received a travel fellowship and visited the University of Bonn, in Germany, where she worked on crop modeling.Bourgault can be contacted at maryse.bourgault@montana.edu.Founded in 1915, for more than 100 years, NARC has conducted crop and livestock research on behalf of Montana agriculture. NARC consists of 3,000 acres located at Fort Assinniboine, a post-Civil War United States Military Fort, which now supports crops and livestock research, in addition to 3,960 acres of grazing land located in the nearby Bears Paw Mountains.A local advisory board made up of area producers and industry representatives from five surrounding counties provide guidance on NARC research priorities. NARC is one of eight research centers located strategically located across the state to address the diverse climatological challenges of Montana's agriculture and natural resource economies.This concentrated research center network, in addition to the central Bozeman campus hosting MSU, constitutes the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES), which houses the on-the-ground agricultural research profile for Montana agriculture in animal health, food safety, agricultural economics, plant sciences, natural resources and pest management.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Buildings in downtown Cleveland and Kent won nearly $7.2 million in state preservation tax credits Tuesday, landing awards meant to help developers turn vacant space into apartments, offices and start-up manufacturing operations.

The biggest local winner was the Halle Building, a former department store that the K&D Group of Willoughby plans to renovate starting in mid-2017. The Euclid Avenue building's upper six floors will become 125 large apartments, aimed at aging Baby Boomers and empty nesters. The developer plans to consolidate office tenants and retailers on the lower floors, in 220,000 square feet of commercial space.

"We've been waiting to see what happened with this tax credit," said Doug Price, K&D's chief executive officer. "So we're really pleased."

The Halle project, an estimated $53.5 million investment, won $5 million in credits. With rare exceptions, that's the maximum amount the state allocates to a single project through its popular

, now in its 17

th

round of awards.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Development Services Agency announced $22.8 million in credits to 18 applicants with plans to rehabilitate 33 historic buildings across the state. Collectively, the projects could bring more than $225 million in private investment to 12 communities, from Dayton to Xenia.

Ohio awards tax credits twice a year, with a $30 million cap on each round. Developers don't receive the credits until their projects are complete. But they can secure interim financing based on the awards, which help attract investors to complicated development deals.

The other Cleveland recipients were the Bloch Block, a Warehouse District building that is empty save for an Adultmart store on the first floor, and the Empire Improvement Building, a former textile building on Superior Avenue where a tax-credit consulting business called Global X plans to move its headquarters next year.

In Kent, a father-and-son development team won $906,000 in credits to rehabilitate the L.N. Gross Company Building, once home to a women's clothing manufacturer, as offices, manufacturing space and a single lofted apartment.

"When we purchased it, it was in an almost complete state of disrepair," investor and developer Ryan Cene said of the L.N. Gross building, at 315 Gougler Ave. "We're in the process of stabilizing the roof and the exterior walls."

Cene and his father, who is an architect, plan to finish shoring up the building by late March and hope to finish construction by autumn. DS Architecture, which is working with the Cenes on the project, has signed on as a first-floor office tenant.

The rest of the ground floor will go to Onus Aqua, LLC, a bottled-water start-up that will draw on an aquifer on the property and package water in aluminum bottles instead of plastic. Cene is the company's chief executive.

A two-story penthouse apartment, in the building's central tower, will round out the $9.1 million project. L.N. Gross is the second property in Kent to win state credits.

"A community's historic buildings make it unique," David Goodman, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency, said in a news release. "Giving a building new life honors the history of the building while creating construction jobs in the short term and opportunity for economic activity into the future."

On West Ninth Street in the Warehouse District, a group led by Streak Investments LLC of Solon has a deal to buy the four story Bloch Block. Built in 1868, the building has been largely empty for at least 20 years. It includes an English basement, now concealed by the sidewalk, that once housed the Showboat Theatre.

Patrons crowd into the Showboat Theatre in the basement of the Bloch Block building in 1970. The space, once accessible from the street, could be reopened as part of a redevelopment project.

Dan DiCillo, chief executive of Streak, expects to acquire the building in January and finish renovations as soon as mid-2017. His plans call for 10 to 12 apartments on the upper floors, with renovated retail downstairs. He said the investors have talked to the owners of Adultmart and other potential tenants about first-floor retail concepts that will be compatible with the residences.

"A smaller, more of a boutique apartment complex was our objective, not necessarily to compete with the 250-unit projects that exist," said DiCillo, who wouldn't discuss potential rental rates.

The $2.8 million project won $249,000 in tax credits.

On the other side of the central business district, the Empire Improvement Building landed a $1 million award to support a nearly $10.2 million investment. A subsidiary of Global X acquired the building, at 2101 Superior Ave., in an under-the-radar deal and plans to renovate the 1913 structure for offices.

Daffy Dan's, a well-known screen-printing business in the basement, will stay put. But its namesake owner and the former building owner, Dan Gray, no longer has a stake in the real estate, said Global X project manager Erica Hashier.

Global X aims to move into the five-story building's top three floors - and, possibly, more space - by the end of next year. Cleveland City Council recently signed off on partial property-tax abatement for the project, one of a series of investments that Global X is making along Superior stretching east from downtown.

"We're really excited about the potential in that whole corridor, which is why we've aimed to acquire the property there," Hashier said. "We really think that it can be something special."

Over at Halle, K&D hopes to deliver the first apartments in mid-2018. Price said the units, flanking a central atrium that will be carved into the building, will range from 900 square feet to about 3,000 square feet. Most of them will rent for $1,200 to $2,000 a month, he said, though penthouses will be more costly.

"We're trying to build something that is not out of reach for a lot of people," Price said, expressing skepticism about the depth of the high-rolling, high-end rental market in Cleveland.

Halle was one of two projects, along with the United Brethren Building in Dayton, to win a $5 million award this week. The other, smaller winners included clusters of buildings in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine historic district, two buildings in Columbus' Italian Village neighborhood, a mixed-use redevelopment in Sandusky and properties in Delaware, Lima, Newark, Tiffin and Xenia.

A handful of Northeast Ohio applicants also missed out. Property owners will have to decide whether to seek credits again for the Foundry rowing project in the Flats, a mixed-use redevelopment of former NASA buildings in Fairview Park, the Grossman Paper Box Company Building at 1729 Superior Ave., a planned apartment remake of a vacant office building at 3101 Euclid Ave. in Midtown and new investments at the Commodore Place Apartments in University Circle.

Between the new awards and $5 million in incremental credits earmarked for mega-projects in Cleveland and Cincinnati, the state awarded only $27.8 million Tuesday. The unallocated $2.2 million from this round will go to partially funded projects from previous rounds, an Ohio Development Services Agency spokeswoman said.
Company has invested more than $10 billion overseas so far, with gross value of assets reaching $40 billion

State Grid Corp of China has signed a deal to purchase a minority stake in Greece's power grid operator ADMIE, a move to further extend its international reach.

The company will purchase a 24 percent state in ADMIE, Greece's state-backed Public Power Corporation's subsidiary, for 320 million euros ($349 million), according to the world's largest utility company.

The investment comes after COSCO Shipping purchased a 51 percent stake in Piraeus, the biggest port in Greece, for 280.5 million euros earlier this year.

"State Grid has rich experience and achievements in ultra high-voltage electricity transmission projects, large scale power grid management and operations as well as smart grid technology," said State Grid Chief Executive Officer Kou Wei.

"We believe, with our participation, ADMIE, Greece's independent power transmission operator, can make further progress in the future," Kou said.

"We made huge efforts, overcoming many difficulties to come to this historic moment," he added.

Public Power Corporation Chief Executive Manolis Panagiotakis said that the company believed State Grid's involvement is a guarantee and creates new prospects so that these projects are completed successfully.

State Grid described Greece as a market of strategic importance and the investment in ADMIE would boost the company's prospects.

According to Lyu Shirong, deputy director-general of State Grid's international cooperation department, the company has invested more than $10 billion overseas so far, with the gross value of assets reaching $40 billion, all earning profits.

The company also has a presence in the Philippines, Portugal, Australia and Italy.

Lyu said the company's overseas business has extended from developing countries to emerging economies and developed countries.

Joseph Jacobelli, a senior analyst with Asia Utilities and Infrastructure Research at Bloomberg Intelligence, echoed his view, saying the company's bid is in accordance with Chinese power companies' trend in investing overseas.

With the government supporting overseas expansion, including beneficial terms in getting financing from key financial institutions like the China Development Bank, many are motivated to acquire power asset overseas, said Jacobelli.

Like State Grid, which runs the majority of the nation's electricity distribution networks, the companies' strong balance sheets and weak consumption in domestic market also drive them to diversify operations overseas, he said.

Being part of Greece's international bailout, ADMIE operates more than 11,000 kilometers of high-voltage power cable in Greece, earning an operating profit of 155 million euros last year, with a regulated asset base of 1.4 billion euros and a total debt of 490 million euros.

The company has said that it is considering building an ultra-high-voltage global power network to transmit electricity from country to country and continent to continent, a goal that may cost $50 trillion to develop by 2050.
Dec 20, 2016- The US electoral college has certified Donald Trump as president, despite a last-ditch effort to deny him the White House.

Six weeks after winning the polls, the Republican has secured the 270 votes needed to formalise his victory.

Reacting to his win, Mr Trump promised to "work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans".

Electors had been flooded with emails and phone calls urging them not to support the billionaire.

The voting process is usually a formality, but was clouded this year by claims that Russian hackers tried to sway the presidential election.

Texas ultimately put the president-elect over the 270 threshold, despite two of its electors voting against him.

The New York Times reports that four Democratic electors also cast their votes for someone other than Mrs Clinton.

The result will be officially announced on 6 January in a special joint session of Congress.

"I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next president of the United States," Mr Trump said in a statement after the result came in.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans," he added.

Vice president-elect Mike Pence hailed his boss on Twitter, writing: "Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump; officially elected President of the United States today by the Electoral College."

He added that he was "honored & humbled to be officially elected today as the next Vice President of the United States of America" - drawing thousands of "likes" and retweets.

'No treason, no Trump!'

The movement to block Mr Trump had fought hard to convince Republican electors to abandon their party's candidate.

Millions of Americans signed an online petition to that effect, while thousands of anti-Trump protesters gathered at state capitols across the country.

In Pennsylvania, over 200 demonstrators braved sub-zero temperatures, chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!" and "No treason, no Trump!'"

In Maine, protesters beat drums and waved signs saying, "Don't let Putin Pick Our President," - a reference to allegations that Kremlin-backed hackers tried to sway the election in Mr Trump's favour.

Numerically, Mr Trump's opponents never stood much chance. To keep him out of the Oval Office, 38 Republican electors would have had to defect.

Even that would probably only have delayed the inevitable.

If no candidate reaches 270 in the electoral college, the House of Representatives must vote on the next president, and the Republican-controlled chamber would most likely have chosen Mr Trump.
Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov lies on the ground after he was shot by Mevlut Mert Altintas at an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey, on December 19, 2016. Photo: Sozcu Newspaper via Reuters

ANKARA: The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday by an off-duty police officer who shouted Dont forget Aleppo and Allahu Akbar as he opened fire.

President Tayyip Erdogan, in a video message to the nation, cast the attack as an attempt to undermine NATO-member Turkeys relations with Russia  ties long tested by the war in Syria. He said he had agreed in a telephone call with Russias Vladimir Putin to step up cooperation in fighting terrorism.

At a special meeting at the Kremlin, President Putin ordered increased security at all Russian missions and said the bandits who committed the act would feel retribution.

We must know who directed the killers hand.

The assassination of an ambassador, not least of a major power such as Russia, marks a dangerous escalation of tension in the region and beyond. Security sources said he was off duty and some witnesses said there was no security scanning machine at the entrance.

The attacker was smartly dressed in black suit and tie and stood, alone, behind the ambassador as he began his speech at the art exhibition, a person at the scene told Reuters.

He took out his gun and shot the ambassador from behind. We saw him lying on the floor and then we ran out, said the witness, who asked not to be identified. People took refuge in adjoining rooms as the shooting continued.

A video showed the attacker shouting: Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria! and Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) as screams rang out. He paced about and shouted as he held the gun in one hand and waved the other in the air.

Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its air strikes helped Syrian forces end rebel resistance last week in the northern city of Aleppo. Turkey, which seeks Assads ouster, has been repairing ties with Moscow after shooting down a Russian warplane over Syria last year.

The gunman was killed by special forces. Three other people were injured.

We regard this as a terrorist act, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Terrorism will not win and we will fight against it decisively.

GULEN

Erdogan, who has faced a string of attacks by Islamist and Kurdish militants as well as an attempted coup in July, identified the attacker as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for Ankara riot police for two and a half years. CNN Turk TV said police had detained his sister and mother.

A senior security official said there were very strong signs the gunman belonged to the network of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated the failed coup in July. Erdogan has denounced Gulen as a terrorist, but the cleric, a former ally, denies the accusation.

Gulen described the killing as a heinous act of terror that pointed to a deterioration of security in Turkey resulting from Erdogans wide-ranging purge of police as well as the army, judiciary and media following the coup bid.

The government says Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999, created a parallel network in the police, military, judiciary and civil service aimed at overthrowing the state.

Suspicion could also fall on a group such as Islamic State, which has carried out a string of bomb attacks in Turkey in the last year as Ankara has pressed a military campaign against the militants in Syria. The group has urged lone attacks in the West.

US STATE DEPARTMENT

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was due to meet his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Russia on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Syria. Officials said the meeting would still go on, despite the attack.

The attack comes at a bad time: Moscow and Ankara have only recently restored diplomatic ties after Turkey downed a Russian aircraft in November 2015, the Stratfor think-tank said.

Though the attack will strain relations between the two countries, it is not likely to rupture them altogether.

However, both Russia and Turkey indicated that they were looking to work together to find the combat militant attacks.

The US State Department, involved in diplomatic contacts with Russia in an attempt to resolve a refugee crisis unfolding around the city of Aleppo, condemned the attack, as did the United Nations Security Council.

Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as Russian-backed Syrian forces have fought for control of the eastern part of Aleppo, triggering a stream of refugees.
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MANILA  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that his country is willing to share oil resources with China in part of the South China Sea where their claims overlap, citing his countrys inability to stand up to Chinese military might.

Speaking at an award ceremony at the presidential office, Duterte said that if oil deposits are found in the area of Scarborough Shoal, one of several areas of the sea contested by the two countries, lets just developlets just split those.

He said sending Philippine marines to wrest back control of the shoal, which China seized in 2012, is not a viable alternative.

Theyd be just wiped out in just one minute. Therell be a disaster, he said.

Scarborough Shoal, called the Panatag Shoal by the Philippines and Huangyan Dao Reef by China, is a triangular atoll located some 220 kilometers west of the Philippine main island Luzon.

In 2013, the government of then Philippine President Benigno Aquino filed a case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, accusing it in part of unlawfully preventing Filipino fishermen from pursuing their livelihoods by interfering with traditional fishing activities at Scarborough Shoal.

In July this year, the U.N.-backed tribunal ruled in Manilas favor, saying Filipino fishermen, like those from China, have traditional fishing rights at the shoal and Chinese navy and coast guard should stop restricting their access.

It also found that China had violated the Philippines sovereign rights in the Southeast Asian countrys exclusive economic zone by interfering with its fishing and petroleum exploration, constructing artificial islands, and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.

China has rejected the ruling.

Since Duterte came to power in June, he has adopted a less adversarial stance than his predecessor on the South China Sea disputes, which has led to a warming of bilateral relations and Chinas lifting of fishing restrictions around Scarborough Shoal.

China has repeatedly floated the idea of promoting joint development while shelving differences in its disputes with other countries in the South China Sea, including the Philippines.

It has said that doing so would create conditions for the final settlement of disputes, without prejudicing the final delimitation of sea borders.
Photos: A look back at the life of Zsa Zsa Gabor, dead at 99
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Billionaire Betsy DeVos has been unabashed about using her wealth to advance her own agenda. We expect a return on our investment, she once wrote about her familys massive political contributions.



After giving millions of dollars to politicians over the past two decades, she now heads into her Senate confirmation hearing for education secretary with a clear advantage: DeVos and her husband, Dick, have donated to the campaigns of 17 senators who will consider her nomination  four of whom sit on the Senate education committee that oversees the process.



Billionaire Betsy DeVos has been unabashed about using her wealth to advance her own agenda. We expect a return on our investment, she once wrote about her familys massive political contributions.

After giving millions of dollars to politicians over the past two decades, she now heads into her Senate confirmation hearing for education secretary with a clear advantage: DeVos and her husband, Dick, have donated to the campaigns of 17 senators who will consider her nomination  four of whom sit on the Senate education committee that oversees the process.

As a billionaire Republican power broker with no professional experience in schools, DeVos is an unconventional choice to lead the federal education bureaucracy.



Betsy DeVos is hardly a household name, but the Michigan billionaire and conservative activist has quietly helped change the education landscape in many states, spending millions of dollars in a successful push to expand voucher programs that give families taxpayer dollars to pay for private and religious schools.



She has said little about Common Core, for example, and her ties to organizations that support the K-12 academic standards  including as a board member of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, started by former Florida governor Jeb Bush  raised concern for Trump supporters, who saw her nomination as a sign that the president-elect is wavering on his vehement opposition to the standards.

At the rightmost edge of the Christian conservative movement, there are those who dream of turning the United States into a Christian republic subject to biblical laws. In the unlikely figure of Donald J. Trump, they hope to have found their greatest champion yet.



The DeVoses well understand that, stripped of specious language about reform and choice, such a plan for public education would be deeply unpopular. In 2002, Mr. DeVos Jr. advised a Heritage Foundation audience that we need to be cautious about talking too much about these activities.



The head of the presidential transition, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, is an avid voucher proponent. As governor of Indiana, he expanded a voucher program that now funnels $135 million a year to private schools, almost all of them religious.

A believer in a freer market than even some free market economists would endorse, Ms. DeVos pushed back on any regulation as too much regulation. Charter schools should be allowed to operate as they wish; parents would judge with their feet.



She wrote a Detroit News op-ed arguing to retire Detroit Public Schools and liberate all students to use tax dollars to attend public or charter schools of their choice.

If she was showing herself present in places and learning from the practitioners, thats a fine combination, Ms. Allen said. But Betsy never showed up in Detroit. She was very eager to impose experimentation on students that she has not spent time with and children that she does not have consequence for.



In the debate over Detroit schools, Republican lawmakers say, Ms. DeVos withheld her financial support until they agreed to kill the bill. And they were rewarded well when they did: Ms. DeVoss family began a flood of donations to Republicans that totaled $1.45 million in seven weeks.

With more than a dozen organizations issuing charters, it is hard for parents to get the information they need to inform their choices. And, in a city of 140 square miles, the highest-performing schools usually remain out of reach to the poorest students, because most schools do not offer transportation, and the city bus service is unreliable.

Most charters have failed to improve on the dismal performance of the traditional public schools. High-performing national charter networks have stayed away because of the instability of the market. The Walton Family Foundation, which has committed $1 billion over the next five years to expanding charters and choice, similarly withdrew its money from Detroit earlier this year.

end of updateThat Trump does not know near enough about the system, Common Core, etc. means that he would likely give free rein to whoever runs the Department of Education and that includes pushing charter schools and vouchers. Luckily, Diane Ravitch and Carol Burris at the Network for Public Education have a toolkit to fight back.(Yes, I know - she could be turned down by the Senate and someone else could come in but she's about the worst choice.)One fascinating thing to watch is how ed reformers react. On the one hand, DeVos loves charters and this voucher push could expand their empire. However, it could also make it harder if more parents use those vouchers for private schools.Want to learn more about Trump's Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos? Here you go:- N Y Times Op-Ed, Betsy DeVos and God's Plan for Schools- NY Times, DeVos and Michigan Public Schools
(Yeah, I know, that's aquote. Don't kill me, geeks!)This week we havein cinemas, taking us across the galaxy to such exciting places as "Dusty Rock Planet", "Rainy Rock Planet", and "Tropical Beach Planet". The tendency of globes in theuniverse to feature a single geographical characteristic has been the butt of many jokes over the past decades. Indeed, the scripts themselves acknowledge places like "ice planets" and "forest moons".But withnow being a yearly event, will the films ever run out of landscapes to use? It would be fun if for the sake of distinction, the franchise's current creators look at some of our own planet's most bewildering locales. Take the calcium ponds of Pamukkale (shown above), which paint an entire Turkish hillside white with a giant staircase of swimming-pool-sized ponds. Pretty, right? And definitely a cool location to feature as an alien planet.So our question of the week is: what location have you seen or visited which would make an awesome planet in theuniverse?Chime in, in the comments below, and HAVE YOUR SAY!
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 Prez Obama grants another large bunch of commutations as well as a big batch of pardons | Main | "The Structure of Federal Public Defense: A Call for Independence" 

December 19, 2016

Judicial panel concludes judge committed no misconduct in the sentencing of Brock Turner

This new local article, headlined "Panel clears judge of bias in sentencing of Brock Turner," provides a notable postscript to what became a national sentencing story earlier this year. Here are the basics:

A commission cleared Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky Monday of misconduct in his light sentencing of a former Stanford student who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman outside a college party. The Commission on Judicial Performance had received thousands of complaints and petitions that Persky  who on June 2 sentenced Brock Allen Turner to six months in county jail, three years probation and lifetime registration as a sex offender  was biased in his sentencing decision. The district attorneys office had asked for six years in state prison, while the defense had requested four months in county jail with up to five years probation. Neither the judges statements about the impact of prison and the defendants future dangerousness  factors that the judge was required to address on the record  nor any other remarks made by Judge Persky at the sentencing hearing constitute clear and convincing evidence of judicial bias, the panel concluded unanimously. Based in San Francisco, the panel include six public members, two lawyers, and three judicial officers.

The 12-page panel decision is available at this link, and here is a key paragraph from its introductory section:

The commission has concluded that there is not clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority, or other basis to conclude that Judge Persky engaged injudicial misconduct warranting discipline. First, the sentence was within the parameters set by law and was therefore within the judges discretion. Second, the judge performed a multi-factor balancing assessment prescribed by law that took into account both the victim and the defendant. Third, the judges sentence was consistent with the recommendation in the probation report, the purpose of which is to fairly and completely evaluate various factors and provide the judge with a recommended sentence. Fourth, comparison to other cases handled by Judge Persky that were publicly identified does not support a finding of bias. The judge did not preside over the plea or sentencing in one of the cases. In each of the four other cases, Judge Perskys sentencing decision was either the result of a negotiated agreement between the prosecution and the defense, aligned with the recommendation of the probation department, or both. Fifth, the judges contacts with Stanford University are insufficient to require disclosure or disqualification.

Some (of many) prior related posts on the Brock Turner case:

December 19, 2016 at 04:24 PM | Permalink

Comments

"Neither the judge's statements about the impact of prison and the defendent's future dangerousness-factors that the judge was required to address on the record-nor any other remarks made by Judge Persky at the sentencing hearing constitute clear and convincing evidence of judicial bias"

Are you kidding me?

Tell that to all the lower income "non-contact" offenders sitting in prison for having done less, much less than Brock Turner.

Were the commission panel members all from the same socio-economic class as Brock Turner and Judge Persky.?

Posted by: kat | Dec 20, 2016 10:05:57 AM

How many critics in the general public know about the probation report written by a woman?

Posted by: Joe | Dec 20, 2016 2:50:36 PM

The biggest issue in accusations of judicial bias is you have a judge who followed the recommendation of Probation and who generally follows that recommendation.

California has an extremely strange sentencing regime where you receive a choice of fixed possible sentences or you receive a sentence less than 12 months plus Probation if you qualify and are recommended for Probation. Brock Turner qualified and was recommended for Probation. The court followed that recommendation in giving him his sentence.

There's been no indication that the Judge differed from his normal practice in deciding this sentence. Now maybe the criticism is with the Probation department or with California law for allowing a Probation sentence on this charge (while not allowing it on similar charges), but the issue doesn't seem to be one of improper bias by the Judge.

Posted by: Erik M | Dec 20, 2016 3:09:03 PM

Kat. The pseudo-victim and the defendant partied all night. She just fell asleep at the wrong time, perhaps from alcohol, perhaps from boredom. Calm down.



Posted by: David Behar | Dec 21, 2016 12:02:19 AM

David-

OMMMMMMMMM....calm enough for you?

Contact offenders, whether it a case of he said-she said, consensual/non-consensual sex, end up on probation when non-contact offenders end up in prison. It's not right and it's not justice.

Posted by: kat | Dec 21, 2016 10:54:49 AM

Post a comment
As Uber continued to argue with state regulators last week over its self-driving cars on San Francisco streets, another manufacturer of autonomous vehicles rolled onto the scene. Executives with Waymo, a company which began as the Google self-driving car project, on December 13 announced its formation and over the weekend unveiled a first look at the autonomous Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans which it promises to have cruising public roads as soon as next year.

The News Gazette reports that Waymo itself, which is still part of Alphabet, will not release fully realized autonomous cars. Rather, the company will license its technology out to other manufacturers. "We are not in the business of making better cars," Waymo CEO John Krafcik told the publication. "We are in the business of making better drivers.

The minivans share some characteristics with Uber's self-driving Volvo SUVs, namely the black sensor perched atop the vehicles. Also in common is the fact that as Waymo is no longer a part of Alphabet's X's division, much like Uber's self-driving vehicle program it will eventually need to start making money. Krafcik sees plenty of opportunities for that down the line. "We can see our technology being useful in personal vehicles, ridesharing, logistics, or solving last mile problems for public transport," he explained. "In the long term, self-driving technology could be useful in ways the world has yet to imagine, creating many new types of products, jobs, and services."





Krafcik wrote of one such use case that the company (still part of X at the time) demonstrated in October of 2015. "Steve Mahan rode alone in one of our prototype vehicles, cruising through Austins suburbs," he explained. "Steve is legally blind, so our sensors and software were his chauffeur. His route reflected the way millions of people could use a self-driving car in everyday life: riding from a park to a doctors office and through typical neighborhoods."

This trip was completed with no one else in the vehicle to monitor its progress, which marked a milestone for the autonomous-car industry. The car that Mahan rode in was likely not the minivan pictured above, as that Chrysler has only come to life over the past six months  with actual production having begun in October of this year.

Fiat Chrysler has licensed the technology for 100 of the self-driving minivans, and while the terms of that deal remain undisclosed, the timeline for their deployment on public roads is slightly less hazy. "Were looking forward to having these new vehicles on public roads in 2017," says Krafcik.

We assume that, unlike Uber, Waymo intends to secure the necessary permits first.

Related: Uber Blames Its Drivers As More Reports Of Self-Driving Cars Running Red Lights Surface
Mayor Ed Lee has chosen the next San Francisco Police Chief, and, to the surprise of many, the job will not go to current interim Chief Toney Chaplin. Instead, the Chronicle reports that Lee will today announce his pick of Los Angeles deputy police Chief William Scott. While the Police Officers Association has yet to release a statement on the mayor's selection, which is slated to be officially announced at 11 a.m. today, the group had come out as a strong backer of Chaplin  even airing radio ads in support. It's even arguable that the controversial union's support  and the fact that Chaplin lives in the East Bay  both worked against Chaplin in the mayor's eyes.

SFist's Caleb Pershan will be on hand at City Hall for the press conference, and we'll update accordingly.

Scott, 52, is African American and currently oversees LA's approximately 58-square-mile South Bureau. According to the LAPD, he has been with the department since 1989 and has "worked assignments in patrol, detectives, gangs, Operations West Bureau, Internal Affairs, Professional Standards Bureau, the Office of Operations, Patrol Commanding Officer and Area Commanding Officer." It is the stint with the Professional Standards Bureau, and corresponding police reform work, that reportedly caught Lee's eye.

He has been part of a department that during the last 10 years has undergone its own transformation, implementing a variety of reforms under a consent decree with the Justice Department, a source told the Chronicle.

This experience will be vital for the Chief, as the Department of Justice released a report in October identifying incidents of bias within the SFPD and providing 272 recommendations for reform here as well. Although the recommendations are non-binding, the new Chief will still face pressure to carry them out.

It is not immediately clear what will happen next to Chaplin, though he may stay on in the deputy chief role he held prior to the resignation of Chief Greg Suhr in May. Chaplin initially said he had no desire for the permanent chief position before later changing his mind. He had faced a series of hurdles in his bid, however: Activists had worked to disqualify him from the running as recently as last month, questions had been raised about his education, and the Board of Supervisors just passed a non-binding resolution saying the Chief should live in San Francisco. Chaplin lives outside of the city in Castro Valley, and has said that he has no plans to move into SF.

Scott, who is married and has three kids, reportedly plans to live in San Francisco. His salary will be approximately $316,000 per year, and he will likely start next month. Scott's appointment does not require the approval of the Police Commission.

Update: William Scott spoke of coming from outside of the SFPD at today's press conference.

Mayor Ed Lee introduces incoming Chief William Scott https://t.co/by59kY3SxV  Officer Manfredi (@OfficerManfredi) December 20, 2016

The LAPD released a statement today on Scott's departure from LA and new job in San Francisco. It reads, in full:

Los Angeles Police Department South Bureau Deputy Chief Bill Scott is headed north up the 5 Freeway taking on a new role as the Chief of Police for the City of San Francisco. Scott is a 27-year veteran of the LAPD and is a graduate of the Senior Management institute of Policing. He has a bachelors degree in accounting from the University of Alabama. Scott has been a valued member of the Departments command staff and has played an integral role in building bridges and strengthening relationships in Los Angeles South Bureau. In recent years he is credited with increasing public trust and enhancing the bond between the public and the police. He also helped to mobilize our Community Safety Operations Center (CSOC) earlier this year when South Bureau experienced double digit spikes in violent crime. The Bay Areas gain is LAs loss LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said this morning. Bills tactical skills, intelligence, and kindness embody the spirit of our department. We credit his leadership in the successes we had stemming the surge of violent crime in the South Bureau. Chief Scott joins the long list of LAPD veterans who are leading law enforcement agencies across the country including, Police Commissioner William J. Bratton (New York City), Sheriff James "Jim" McDonnell (Los Angeles County Sheriffs), Chief James Craig (Detroit), Chief Sharon Papa (Hermosa Beach), Chief Andrew Smith (Greenbay), and Chief Arthur J. Miller (South Pasadena). That is just a partial list of the individuals who have been LAPD officers and are now some of the most important names in law enforcement. Chief Scott is expected to join SFPD in early 2017. We wish him great success.

Related: In Signal To Interim SFPD Chief, Resolution Urging Permanent Chief To Live In The City Passes Unanimously


Luckily for the trans employees and performers at Tenderloin nightclub Divas (1081 Post Street), nearly two years after going on the market owner Steve Berkey has maintained his pledge not to sell to anyone who does not want to continue operating the club as a space for trans women and their admirers. According to general manager Liana Estillore, speaking to Hoodline, Berkey remains willing to sell, but she and some of the staff are still trying to convince him not to  and she explains that Berkey opened the club in 1998 as a place where his wife Melissa could safely bartend in the neighborhood, and she still does, two nights a week.

Estillore and team have convinced Berkeley to remodel a bit, and make the place feel a bit more classy on the third floor, where nightly performances take place. She tells Hoodline "the changes are huge for us and a step in the right direction," and notes that the place hasn't seen a remodel since it opened.

Divas employee Kataluna Enriquez, who was recently crowned TransNation Queen USA for 2016, also says that she's spearheading an effort to do outreach to the local trans homeless community, saying, "Some of the people I see on the streets are former [Divas] employees, and it is hard for me to just walk by people I used to know having to sleep on the ground." She organized a clothing donation drive, and last weekend the venue hosted a giveaway of food and clothing to the homeless.

The club grew out of a former hangout for trans women in this space, a bar called The Motherlode, that has since closed. And the neighborhood has long been home to gay men and trans women, many of them sex workers back in the day, though most of the LGBT bars besides The Gangway, The Cinch, and Aunt Charlie's further toward Union Square, have disappeared.

Berkey has been seeking to sell the 9,120-square-foot building along with the business and liquor license as a bundle, and the combined price back in 2015 was $3.7 million. The business could be sold separately for $900,000, with a negotiable lease, though those asking prices may have changed. See the original listing here.



Previously: Nooo! Longtime Polk Gulch Trans Club Divas In Danger Of Closing
A weird and possibly old set of guideline slides for third-party moderators of Facebook posts was leaked to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung that shows a bunch of confusing distinctions between what constitutes hate speech and what constitutes permissible generalizations on the basis of age or ethnicity or whathaveyou. But the document certainly creates some "thorny" issues of its own, as New York Magazine points out, like distinguishing between the hate that's implied by the statement "Don't trust boys!" (which is a violation?) and "Dont trust boys who say they love you" (which is not).

Another thorny one: "Fucking migrants!" is OK as a caption or status update under these guidelines, but "Fucking Muslims!" is not. Then there's "Migrants are scum!, which is a violation and subject to deletion, but "Asylum seekers out!" is acceptable political speech.

Facebook's Community Operations team, which we learned a bit more about recently, appears to be the source of the document, with that "CO" logo on the bottom left corner, and this was likely something circulated to employees of a third-party contractor hired to handle the gargantuan task of monitoring and making judgment calls on the millions of posts flagged by users every day. Insiders have said that people who do this thankless job typically have about 10 seconds to consider these judgement calls, which isn't a lot considering the fine-line distinctions above.

They also have some bizarre rules around how an added subcategory with a protected category  adding something like "neighbors" or "teenagers" to the modifier "Irish", for instance  makes a statement inoffensive. For example: "The Irish are drunks," would be grounds for deletion, but "My Irish neighbors are drunks," would not be  unless it were the caption of an embarrassing photo. Likewise Irish women (with women being a protected category along with national identity) is a double-protected category, while "Irish teens" is non-protected  even though they say elsewhere, contradictorily, that age is a protected subcategory.

And what's more: Members of a religious group are protected, and you are not permitted to deride or mock them, while religion itself is not. So you are free to say "Catholicism is stupid," but not, "Catholics are stupid."

Then there's a section around bullying and bodily functions, and this is kind of funny: Showing friends in photos in the act of urination, defecation, or vomiting, or showing evidence of menstruation, is a violation, at least if they're captioned offensively. However showing people peeing or puking, assuming the images themselves are not deemed offensive, is OK if they're not in a bullying context.

All bets are off, however, if you're a public figure. Observe:

Fergie peeing herself on stage, Harry styles vomiting, or Owen Wilson whipping it out to pee are fair game, since those are tabloid photos that are the stuff of mad sharing.

Most ironic, as NY Mag points out given the founding origins of Facebook, is the rule that users are not permitted to rank individuals based on their looks, or give "a score to a private individual, unsolicited, with a goal to evaluate them on their physical appearance or personality."

Right, so not only does Zuckerberg not believe in "hot or not" games anymore, he's a grownup Iron Man who programs his own Jarvis AI and goes to battle against fake news while still trying not to piss off all Trump voters. All in a day's work.



Previously: NPR Takes Dive Into Facebook's Content Management Process, Says It's 'Set Up To Fail'


With Uber executives vowing to keep their self-driving cars on San Francisco streets in the face of opposition from both local and state officials, Mayor Ed Lee is exploring the possibility of taking the tech giant to court. The Examiner reports that, at Lee's request, the City Attorneys Office is looking into joining a proposed lawsuit against Uber by the state Attorney Generals Office.

Uber launched the self-driving ride-hail service last Wednesday without first acquiring the DMV permits that state regulators say are necessary  marking the first time that any car service in the country has begun taking passengers using the new self-driving vehicle technology. Uber executives allege the permits are only required for "autonomous" vehicles, and that the company's Volvo SUVs don't qualify.

"[We] respectfully disagree with the California Department of Motor Vehicles legal interpretation of todays autonomous regulations, in particular that Uber needs a testing permit to operate its self-driving cars in San Francisco," Uber's Anthony Levandowski explained on Friday. "The regulations apply to 'autonomous vehicles.' And autonomous vehicles are defined as cars equipped with technology that can  and I quote  'drive a vehicle without the active physical control or monitoring by a human operator.' But the self-driving Ubers that we have in both San Francisco and Pittsburgh today are not capable of driving 'without active physical control or monitoring.' "

The DMV, as previously noted, vehemently disagrees. DMV considers them fully autonomous, DMV spokesperson Armando Botello told the Ex.

With Uber doing what it does best (a.k.a. whatever it wants), and the SFPD unable to impound the cars, Lee apparently feels the city's best recourse may be a legal one. "I cant have people experimenting and have the risk to safety at the front end, Lee explained. We will support the [state] attorney general," he noted, before adding that "I've already asked the city attorney and havent gotten a report back yet, but clearly were going to be collaborative with our attorney general to make sure the DMV permits are at least the minimum.

The Mayor's safety-related concerns are more than just talk, as the self-driving Ubers have already been spotted running red lights around the city. Uber says those incidents are all do to human error, but without the mandated reporting that DMV permitting would require, outside auditors cannot look at raw vehicle data and have to take the company at its word. What's more, as the SF Bicycle Coalition noted last week and The Guardian further reported today, the software governing the autonomous vehicles can't properly navigate right-hand turns on corners with bike lanes occupying the area between the curb and the right vehicle lane. In response to this known shortcoming, Uber has reportedly instructed its drivers to manually handle such turns.

Its one of the biggest causes of collisions, SF Bike Coalition spokesperson Chris Cassidy said of right-hand turns through bike lanes in conversation with The Guardian. The fact that they know theres a dangerous flaw in the technology and persisted in a surprise launch shows a reckless disregard for the safety of people in our streets.

Mayor Lee met with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick on Friday, and he brought up the instance of red-light running captured on video. Much like the rest of us, he seemed wary of Uber's assertion that its human driver was to blame. [Kalanick] claimed  and I dont know this for a fact  that the technology was turned off at the time, Lee told the Examiner.

The truth behind Kalanick's claim, much like Uber's insistence that it can legally operate its unpermitted self-driving cars on SF streets, may just have to get worked out it court.

Previously: Uber Ignores Mayor Lee's Demand That It Cease Unpermitted Self-Driving Ride Service

Uber Blames Its Drivers As More Reports Of Self-Driving Cars Running Red Lights Surface
 Expand Photo via Westallion Brewing Co. Facebook

If youve been paying attention to the Greater Milwaukee area at all, youve noticed the rapid rate at which breweries are opening. As they open, I think, What makes them so different from the last brewery that opened? Though I cant answer that, I can share what I think makes Westallion Brewing Company stand out.

 Expand The start of Westallion Brewing Company

When I first met Erik Dorfner, I expected to nerd out with him over beers (we did) and talk about the challenges of opening a new brewery (we did that too). But what surprised me was the deep-rooted passion he possesses for the brewery hes creating.

Eriks parents emigrated from Bavaria, Germany and Erik eventually served in the Marine Corps. After his time in the Marines, he found himself working a few different positions at Lakefront Brewery. Through his initial exposure to the brewery world, Eriks desire overcame him and he knew he needed to take the leap. Shortly after this, he quit his job at Lakefront and started the process of opening his own brewery.

You might be wondering what woman would let her husband quit a solid job at one of Milwaukees oldest breweries? A supportive one. Ive never seen someone in any kind of relationship have their partners back as much as Kim does for Erik and vice versa. Im about to get a little sappy so bear with me. Its so strong and so full of love that you can see it, and not in a gross PDA way. I dont know Erik and Kim personally and Im sure like every couple they get on each others nerves but even they give my little black heart #RelationshipGoals. Side note: I was visiting a bar in West Allis and the lady I was talking to mentioned Westallion. I said, Yes, I know of Erik and Kim. She said, Arent they just the best couple? So supportive and you can just see the love. I told her I saw the same thing and thought it was just me. Apparently, its not.

 Expand Erik (far left) and his wife, Kim (far right)

With Kim all in, a call and some meetings got the Mayor of West Allis all in too (Erik must be very convincing). Then it was time to start from scratch. The first time I saw Westallion it was literally a shell of a building made out of concrete blocks. Erik was scraping old paint from the ceilings by himself, and there were spray paint markings for walls, bathrooms and the taprooms bar. Along with the actual blueprint, Erik showed me where he wanted to place his five-barrel system and his six fermenters.

He shared his love for West Allis, which he thinks has gotten a bad rap but is now working hard to revive itself. He wants Westallion beer to not only reflect his heritage but also West Allis and the people that have come from it, like Liberace (Entertainer), Harvey Kuenn (MLB Player) and Dan Jansen (Olympic Gold Medalist).

 Expand The start of the bar area. Picture from Westallion Brewing Co. Facebook

I asked Erik Dont you have anyone helping you? and he replied with every bit of sincerity, My dream. My build. Since then they have struggled with setbacks but have grown their team and stand strong with the support of their community. Looking to the future, they have their sights set for an opening in early 2017 with tap lines full of Eriks tried and true beer recipes. Expect a full list of Scottish Ale, Vienna Lager, Pilsner, Hefeweizen and eventually a tap dedicated to a rotation of historical ales. Erik & Kim, I look forward to sharing a pint with you when youre officially open! Prost!

As always, tell me if you love or hate by emailing me at beerblog@shepex.com or by finding me on Facebook and Twitter!
Editor's note: The Journal today begins the countdown of the Top 10 Stories of 2016 in Siouxland, as chosen by Journal editors. The No. 1 story will be revealed on Dec. 30, and the Journal's annual Newsmaker of the Year will be named on Dec. 31.

SIOUX CITY | One long legal battle between the former Argosy Sioux City riverboat casino and state gambling regulators and the casino's former local partner ended in 2016.

Another one involving the long-gone casino likely has begun.

In May, the Iowa Supreme Court denied the Belle of Sioux City's request to review an Iowa Court of Appeals ruling that upheld previous rulings that led to the casino's closure. Belle, the Argosy's Iowa-based operator, had challenged the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission's actions denying the company a license renewal and instead awarding it to the Missouri River Historical Development partnership that led to the construction and opening of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in downtown Sioux City.

The Iowa Court of Appeals had earlier ruled that the Argosy's incomplete gambling license renewal applications with the IRGC in 2012 and 2013 did not trigger protections spelled out in Iowa law and that the IRGC's subsequent actions to deny the Belle of Sioux City, a subsidiary of Wyomissing, Pa.-based Penn National Gaming Co., the nation's largest gaming operator, a gaming license and award a license to another applicant did not violate the Belle's right to due process.

The supreme court's ruling calmed the legal waters, but not for long.

In November, Community Action Agency of Siouxland sued the Argosy's former owners in Woodbury County District Court for nearly $2 million in revenue-sharing payments that were withheld from MRHD for distribution to charities. The agency is seeking the money on behalf of itself and as many as 54 other nonprofit agencies that in the past have received grants from MRHD, the state-licensed nonprofit gaming group that distributed a portion of the casino's gambling profits to dozens of area organizations.

Penn stopped making payments -- 3 percent of the Sioux City boat's adjusted gross revenues -- to MRHD for 16 months before the Argosy's July 2014 closure.
SIOUX CITY | Sioux City Councilman Keith Radig cast his final votes as a Sioux City Council member Monday.

The 37-year-old HOM Furniture salesman will resign from his position on the council Jan. 3 to take a new position on the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors. Monday's meeting was the last council meeting of 2016. The council will not meet Dec. 26 in observation of Christmas or Jan. 2 in observation of New Year's Day.

Council members congratulated Radig on his new position, pointing out his work ethic during his seven years on the council, as well as his sense of humor.

A tongue-in-cheek proclamation read by Mayor Bob Scott thanked Radig for his service, describing him as someone who "seconds a motion faster than a speeding bullet" and can "bend the budget with his bare hands."

Radig thanked city staff and his fellow council members for their work, saying he hopes to strengthen the cooperative relationship between the county and the city in his new position.

"It benefits everybody when the two are working together and were moving forward," Radig said.

Radig's resignation comes with one year remaining in his second four-year term. The City Council has voiced plans to appoint a new member to fill his position in the interim.
If you own an Amazon Echo, or are getting one as a gift, you can now ask Alexa to read you Sioux City Journal headlines.

Alexa is Amazons voice-activated virtual assistant, which is available on Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot and Amazon Tap. Alexa answers questions, searches the web, creates to-do and shopping lists, plays music, shares the news and weather and more.

The Sioux City Journal launched on Alexa on Nov. 8.

Heres how to set it up:

Go to Skills in your Alexa app on iOS or Android and search for Sioux City Journal. Once you find us, select the Journal and click Enable Skill.

To enable the Sioux City Journal skill from the Alexa Skills store on the website, go to www.amazon.com/skills and search for Sioux City Journal.

Thats it. Now you can ask Alexa, whats my Flash Briefing? or Alexa, whats in the news? to get your Sioux City Journal headlines. All you have to do is listen!
LE MARS, Iowa | A Cherokee, Iowa, woman was found guilty Monday of lesser charges related to a traffic accident in exchange for the dismissal of attempted murder charges.

Melissa Ebert, 30, entered an Alford plea in Plymouth County District Court to two counts of serious injury by vehicle and pleaded guilty to one count of second-offense operating while intoxicated.

An Alford plea allows a defendant to admit no guilt, but a judge enters a finding of guilty in the court record. District Judge Jeffrey Neary ruled that enough evidence existed to find Ebert guilty of the charges. He set sentencing for Jan. 23.

Under the plea agreement, Plymouth County Attorney Darin Raymond will make no sentencing recommendations, and Ebert's attorney, Montgomery Brown, of West Des Moines, will be able to ask the court that Ebert be placed on probation.

The sentencing judge will have the option of sentencing Ebert to probation to up to 12 years in prison. She must serve a mandatory seven-day jail sentence for the OWI charge, and a judge could order a longer jail sentence.

The plea agreement, which Neary approved Monday, will allow Ebert to avoid the potential of serving much more time in prison.

Two counts each of attempted murder and willful injury will be dismissed. Had she been found guilty of those charges, Ebert would have faced a 25-year prison sentence on each attempted murder count and 10 years for each count of willful injury.

Ebert had been accused in court documents of threatening to kill herself and her passenger, Damian Johnson, before veering her car into the path of an oncoming car driven by Dustin Boll, of Le Mars, on County Road C-38 on Sept. 9, 2015. All three were seriously injured.

Court documents said that Ebert and Johnson were arguing prior to the collision. Ebert's blood-alcohol level was 0.088 percent, above the legal limit of 0.08 percent, court documents said.
DAKOTA CITY | A Winnebago, Nebraska, man has died of injuries sustained in a head-on, two-vehicle crash Monday evening in Dakota County.

Matthew E. Pilcher, 86, was pronounced deceased following a crash near the intersection of Dodge Avenue and Highway 77, according to a news release from the Dakota County Sheriff's Office.

The release said the incident occurred around 5:45 p.m. Monday. Following a preliminary investigation, deputies say it appears Pilcher was driving a 2003 Dodge van north on Highway 77 and, instead of continuing north when it turned onto the four-lane portion of the road, Pilcher's vehicle crossed into the southbound lane and hit a Ford F-150 truck head-on.

The driver of the Ford, 48-year-old Kimberly Pollard, of Homer, Nebraska, was transported to Mercy Medical Center -- Sioux City, where she was treated for minor injuries, the release said.

The release said the Dakota County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate the accident along with the Nebraska State Patrol. South Sioux City Police and Dakota City Fire and Rescue also assisted with traffic control at the scene.

Mercy Air Care also assisted at the scene.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Sioux Rapids, Iowa, woman pleaded guilty Monday to stealing a winning scratch lottery ticket and having her boyfriend try to claim the $250,000 prize.

Her boyfriend was placed on probation Monday for trying to cash in the winning ticket.

Ashley Bosler, 21, entered her plea in Buena Vista County District Court to one count of theft of a lottery ticket or share. Sentencing was set for Feb. 13.

Johnny Long Jr., 26, also of Sioux Rapids, had pleaded guilty in November to theft of a lottery ticket or share.

As part of a plea agreement, District Judge Patrick Carr gave Long a deferred judgment and placed him on probation for two years. Once Long successfully completes his probation, the conviction will not appear on his criminal record. Long must pay a $750 civil penalty.

Long and Bosler were arrested July 27 after Long had attempted to claim the $250,000 prize from an Iowa Lottery instant-scratch game ticket at the Storm Lake Regional Lottery office on June 17. The ticket raised suspicions, and state and local authorities launched an investigation.

Bosler, who was an employee at Casey's general store in Sioux Rapids, is accused of scratching off a corner of the lottery ticket and scanning the bar code that confirmed it was a winner.

She did not buy the ticket and was 20 years old at the time, not old enough to play the lottery, authorities said, so she asked Long to claim the prize. The prize was not paid.

Bosler's mother, Sally Bosler, 42, of Sioux Rapids, also was arrested, but charges were dismissed in October.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Storm Lake man was sentenced Thursday to seven days in jail for assaulting a woman.

Pedro Ekchan Jr., 34, had pleaded guilty in Buena Vista County District Court to assault causing bodily injury, a serious misdemeanor. As part of a plea agreement, charges of first-degree burglary and a second count of assault causing bodily injury were dismissed.

In addition to sentencing Ekchan to jail, District Judge Patrick Carr placed him on probation for two years and fined him $315.

Ekchan was arrested March 26 after fleeing a residence in the 400 block of Hudson Street in Storm Lake. According to court documents, Ekchan had been asked to leave the home earlier in the night, then returned, forced his way inside and struck the woman with a beer bottle and punched her in the face.
File photo of South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The US drone that China seized in the South China Sea has been successfully returned, China's Defense Ministry said.

"After friendly negotiation, the drone was transferred to the US at a location in the South China Sea on Tuesday noon," the ministry said in a press release.

The drone was discovered and retrieved by Chinese Navy last Thursday to "prevent danger to the safe navigation of passing ships and personnel", the ministry said. It was operating about 93 kilometers northwest of Subic Bay off the Philippines.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., holds an office higher than the presidency. John McCain is a patriot. Like his fellow warriors, he does not talk about the horror and the pain he endured and he lived with. The memories must no doubt be too personal and too powerful.

McCain, the most recent military veteran to be nominated for president by a major political party, has been blunt when speaking about the war and the military draft that so many of the privileged and pampered of his own contemporaries, through a phantom bone spur or a series of student deferments, avoided. And he has said: "I know very few veterans of any war who cherish a romantic remembrance of war. All wars are awful. ... Nothing, not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobility of the cause it serves, can glorify war. Whatever gains are secured by war, it is loss the veteran remembers most keenly. Only a fool or a fraud sentimentalizes the cruel and merciless reality of war."

Today McCain, as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, comes once more to the defense of his country. He summons his timid colleagues to put patriotism over party and thoroughly investigate whether the Russians used cyber warfare to sabotage -- and undermine U.S. citizens' confidence in -- the American democratic system.

This is in no way any attempt to overturn the results of Nov. 8; Donald Trump won that election, and he will become the 45th president Jan. 20. No, this is about a likely act of aggression against the United States by a hostile foreign power in a pattern that power has deployed against Western democracies, including Italy and Germany.

But instead of clamoring to get on the record all that is known and to discover all that is provable about the suspected Russian plot to cripple American democracy, too many congressional Republicans -- many of whom endlessly warned about and investigated the national security threats posed by Hillary Clinton's use of unauthorized personal email servers as secretary of state and the undue influence allegedly bought by foreign entities through their donations to the Clinton Foundation -- are missing in action. They have little to say about Russian President Vladimir Putin, who seized Crimea from neighboring Ukraine and then supplied and supported rebels in eastern Ukraine before launching an all-out air war, in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, against American-supported rebels and Syria's civilian population.

The most important Republican, President-elect Trump, an uncritical admirer of Putin's ("a leader far more than our president has been," someone who "has very strong control over a country"), has rejected the nearly unanimous judgment of American intelligence agencies that Russia attempted to subvert the American political campaign. His official statement attacking the CIA: "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction." Trump, who artfully avoided military service during the Vietnam War, may never have been to Langley, Virginia, the home of the CIA, where he would have seen the 113 stars on the Memorial Wall, which represent CIA employees who have died in the line of duty. Chances are that Trump has never heard about CIA patriot Hugh Redmond, who, during 19 torture-filled years in a Shanghai prison, refused to crack. But I forgot; Trump likes "people that weren't captured."

This is not about being a Republican or a Democrat. It is about being serious Americans who demand to find out what happened and prevent foreign attacks from happening in the future. Like charity, patriotism begins at home. John McCain is a patriot long before he's a partisan. But what about his fellow Republicans?
SIOUX CITY | Sioux City has opted to cooperate with efforts by the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors to offer property tax incentives to an expanding manufacturer located just south of the city limits.

The Sioux City Council voted 5-0 to allow the county to expand a tax-increment financing (TIF) district to include land within two miles of the city boundaries.

The potential expansion will offer tax incentives to Gelita USA Inc., which is planning a $21 million expansion at its Port Neal manufacturing complex that would create at least 21 new jobs.

The facility is in an unincorporated portion of the county along Port Neal Road, south of Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff. Since the Gelita facility lies within two miles of the Sioux City limits, the city is required by state law to form an agreement with the county before the county can expand the district.

Gelita was approved for $885,000 in state financial assistance toward the expansion project last month. The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors has since voted to provide a $500,000 local match for the project.

Sioux City economic development director Marty Dougherty said the proposal to expand the TIF district will go before the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

Liquor license suspension

In other action Monday, the council voted unanimously to assess a $1,500 civil penalty and 30-day liquor license suspension to Central Mart, 2501 Floyd Blvd., for its second violation of the State Liquor Statute in the past two years.

According to city documents, on Oct. 11, a clerk sold a confidential informant who was under the legal drinking age a Miller Light. The clerk was found guilty and received an $810 fine.

Other penalties

The council also assessed $500 civil penalties to Four Brothers Grill & Bar, 3322 Singing Hills Blvd., and Luciano's, 1019-1021 Fourth St., for first violations of the State Liquor Statute during the month of October.

The council also voted to assess a $300 civil penalty against Walgreens, 1900 Hamilton Blvd., for violation of the Iowa Cigarette Laws.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  The two-term mayor of Iowas second largest city, Ron Corbett, said he wont seek re-election and confirmed speculation he is considering a run for governor.

Corbett, 56, a Republican, who was elected seven times to the Iowa House and served as Speaker of the Iowa House in the 1990s, has been traveling the state for the past year with his think tank Engage Iowa discussing conservative solutions for statewide issues, including water quality, education and tax reform.

I am giving serious thought about running for governor, Corbett told The Gazette following a Monday morning news conference. I want to see how things play out over the next few months.

Many had anticipated current Gov. Terry Branstad would not seek another term, creating an open competition in 2018, but president-elect Donald Trump tabbed Branstad as his pick for ambassador to China.

Branstad hand-picked Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds as his successor, pending confirmation as ambassador, giving her an advantage as incumbent heading into a primary. Party leaders had said Reynolds would have the full support of the GOP, but that tune changed slightly on Monday.

The party will always remain neutral in a primary, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, said in a Monday conference call with reporters.

Now that we seem to have momentum ... to turn this state more red, I think were going to have more excitement, Kaufmann said. I wouldnt be surprised to see a lot of primaries at a lot of levels. Theres a lot of Republicans who want to get involved and hear their voice. Whether were talking a federal office, a statewide office, a legislative office  any time we have a lot of people who are wanting to go in front of the voters and voice their opinion I think thats a good thing. I think its actually a sign of the health of our party.

Branstad was more direct in his thoughts about a Corbett campaign.

I think hes making a big mistake, Branstad told The Gazette. I think he should have run again for mayor. Hes going to probably turn it over to the Democrats.

Branstad said Reynolds should have to earn it but has proved her metal, adding shes smart and ready.

Reynolds said she is not surprised Corbett is considering a run, and plans to wait and see how the field shakes out.

We dont have open races very often, she told The Gazette. It wasnt a surprise. Im looking forward to serving Iowans in one capacity or another.

Jimmy Centers, a former communications director for Branstad and Reynolds who is supporting Reynolds, said Corbett will have an uphill climb and highlighted baggage hell bring into a primary, such as lack of name recognition in western Iowa and use of union-friendly project labor agreements, which have been unpopular with many Republicans.

As an incumbent Republican governor, theres all sorts of institutional advantages, Centers said. Thats not to say a primary will not or should not happen, but thats going to weigh on the minds of candidates.

Corbett left the Iowa House in 1999 to be more involved with his young family back in Cedar Rapids. He served as president of the former Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and later held a senior position at international trucking firm CRST.

Corbett got back into politics after the 2008 flood.

He was elected mayor of Cedar Rapids in 2009, promising to end a culture of delay in city hall that was impeding recovery from the flood. He scored a landslide victory that year after incumbent Mayor Kay Halloran chose not to seek re-election. Corbett won again in 2013 in another landslide victory.

Corbett helped reshape city hall, including recruiting Jeff Pomeranz, the former West Des Moines city manager, to take the same role in Cedar Rapids. Corbett championed an open for business mind-set to spur investment in flood ravaged areas and helped convinced voters to approve a 1 cent local-option sales tax to repair long-neglected city streets.

Im proud we restored our community pride, Corbett said.

Corbett backed some controversial policies, as well, including automated speed cameras to patrol the S-curve on Interstate 380 and tax incentives to lure private development.

One of the biggest tasks facing the city  constructing a flood protection system  remains in progress eight years after the major flood. The city has fortified its water treatment plant and got critical services out of harms way, but the city still is trying to secure federal money to help pay for walls to hold back the Cedar River.

Even though we dont have all the walls and levees constructed at this time, weve made so much progress, Corbett said.

Ann Poe, who serves on City Council and is a Democrat, said the role of mayor goes beyond party politics and Corbett was very effective doing the job he was elected to do.

We would not be where we are without his leadership in terms of flood recovery, bringing our businesses back and our community back, Poe said. Hes done it and hes done it very well. ... His leadership will be missed.

Corbett said while he will be thought of as a lame duck mayor, he plans to get things done in 2017, mentioning plans to pass another budget free of a property tax increase, working to address gun violence in the city, continuing to work on economic development initiatives and making strides on flood protection.

Its not my intent to take my foot off the gas when it comes to 2017 and continue to lead and move Cedar Rapids forward, he said.

Almost immediately, Cedar Rapids City Council member Kris Gulick announced plans to run for mayor and several others said they are considering a run.

The next election for Cedar Rapids mayor is in November 2017.

Rod Boshart and James Q. Lynch from The Gazette contributed to this report.
DAVENPORT, Iowa -- U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack said Monday the Democrats' review of the 2016 election cycle will be a wide-ranging in-depth analysis that will seek to help reset the party for the future.

Loebsack, who is arguably the leading Democrat in the state, announced the effort at a meeting of the Iowa Democratic Party's state central committee this weekend.

The effort, to be done in conjunction with the state party, will feature a tour of the state to gain input, and a final report is expected in the spring.

The election last month was the latest in a string of victories for Iowa Republicans since 2010. Donald Trump won the state, and the GOP gained control of the Iowa Senate. And while President Barack Obama won Iowa in 2012, the GOP has wrested the governorship and both houses of the Legislature from the Democrats over the past six years and now hold three of the four U.S. House seats, along with both U.S. Senate seats.

Loebsack, who won a sixth term last month, has been taking on more of a public role as a party leader, and this is just the latest example. The Iowa City Democrat visibly helped state legislative candidates across the state this year. He also now has close to $1 million in his campaign account after having to spend relatively little on his own race.

In an interview Monday after he spent time volunteering at the River Bend Foodbank in Davenport, Loebsack said some of those funds would provide seed money for the review, and professionals would be hired to help out.

"I want to make sure that we do this in an evidence-based sort of way; it's not just seat of the pants. It's not just sort of my hunch," said Loebsack, a Sioux City native.

Previous post-election efforts have involved internal data analysis, but not like this, officials say. Norm Sterzenbach, former executive director of the state Democratic Party said there had been interest in the past in doing something more in-depth, but cost was an obstacle. He estimated this effort could cost $75,000 to $100,000. Still, he said it's needed.

"We do not look introspectively enough," he said. "And its critical moving forward."

Even Loebsack conceded perhaps this should have happened earlier.

"I think there's no question that if we'd done something more systematic, something more in depth in the past, we may have been able to avoid some of the failures this time," he said. "I can't say that for sure."

No dates have been set for the committee to take input yet, nor have members of the group guiding the effort been appointed. But Loebsack said elected officials and members of the state central committee would take part.

The party already is in the midst of deciding who will be the new state chair. There are several people competing for the job, and a decision is expected next month.
Women are having their day in Iowa. Republican women, to be exact.

Gov. Terry Branstad's appointment as President-elect Donald Trump's ambassador to China means Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will be the first female chief executive in Iowa. She'll work alongside the state's first female House speaker, Linda Upmeyer, also a Republican. And it's all happening just two years after Sen. Joni Ernst became the first woman to represent the Hawkeye State in Congress.

Iowa Republicans, it seems, are outpacing Democrats in gender equality, an issue widely claimed by those on the left.

Iowa has a proud history of tearing down anachronistic barriers built upon prejudicial social norms. In 1838, the Iowa Territory Supreme Court ruled that a runaway slave could not be forced to return to a slave state upon reaching Iowa. That same year, the soon-to-be state granted land ownership rights to unmarried women. Equality is a tradition that's carried through Iowa's history. In 2009, Iowa became the first non-coastal state to overturn a ban on gay marriage.

And, now, two of its three top elected positions are held by women.

The significance of the rise of women in Iowa might not be clear until one views it at a national level. Only six women  three Republicans and three Democrats  hold governorships. That number is set to drop in January, when Reynolds moves into the governor's mansion, as New Hampshire's Maggie Hassan won a seat in the U.S. Senate and Trump plucked South Carolina's Nikki Haley to represent the U.S. at the United Nations.

Women, more than 50 percent of the total population, hold less than 25 percent of seats in state legislatures. Less than 20 percent of the U.S. House is female. Ernst is just one of 20 women in the 100-seat U.S. Senate. And that last point is true even while women, in a very real bipartisan way, have often been the lone spark in an otherwise stalled upper house.

At the current rate, statisticians say, it will take 500 years for women to reach political equality.

Go ahead. Complain about identity politics. Say it doesn't matter. Go ahead, ignore centuries of strict limits on power and outright sex-based oppression. A century ago, many women were still property, commodities to be bought and sold for the economic and political gain of men. The rise of female political power in the U.S. is a relatively recent phenomenon. Like with race, socially ingrained prejudices don't simply vanish in a generation or two.

In context, the rise of women  Republican women  in Iowa is of national significance.

Reynolds has two years to prove herself as she finishes out Branstad's term. She faces very real issues. Problems such as water-quality lawsuits, disparate education funding and balancing the needs of cash-starved agencies with tax-averse lawmakers will be there on Day One. Thus far, Reynolds has proved herself a capable No. 2. Next year, she'll be charged with setting her own agenda. Her gender won't matter one way or another when most people judge her political chops.

But, for now, it's only right to recognize the significance of the moment. In just a couple years, women have risen from the back benches to some of the state's most prominent positions.

And that alone is a victory in itself.

Quad-City (Iowa) Times
Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes. The company provides Alimta for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma; Cyramza for metastatic gastric cancer, gastro-esophageal junction adenocarcinoma, metastatic NSCLC, metastatic colorectal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma; Erbitux for colorectal cancers, and various head and neck cancers; Retevmo for metastatic NSCLC, medullary thyroid cancer, and thyroid cancer; Tyvyt for relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin's lymph and non-squamous NSCLC; and Verzenio for HR+, HER2- metastatic breast cancer, node positive, and early breast cancer. It offers Olumiant for rheumatoid arthritis; and Taltz for plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis. The company offers Cymbalta for depressive disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain; Emgality for migraine prevention and episodic cluster headache; and Zyprexa for schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, and bipolar maintenance. Its Bamlanivimab and etesevimab, and Bebtelovimab for COVID-19; Cialis for erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia; and Forteo for osteoporosis. The company has collaborations with Incyte Corporation; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; AbCellera Biologics Inc.; Junshi Biosciences; Regor Therapeutics Group; Lycia Therapeutics, Inc.; Kumquat Biosciences Inc.; Entos Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Foghorn Therapeutics Inc. Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Walker & Dunlop, Inc., through its subsidiaries, originates, sells, and services a range of multifamily and other commercial real estate financing products and services for owners and developers of real estate in the United States. The company offers first mortgage, second trust, supplemental, construction, mezzanine, preferred equity, small-balance, and bridge/interim loans. It also provides multifamily finance for manufactured housing communities, student housing, affordable housing, and senior housing properties under the Fannie Mae's DUS program; and construction and permanent loans to developers and owners of multifamily housing, affordable housing, senior housing, and healthcare facilities. In addition, the company acts as an intermediary in the placement of commercial real estate debt between institutional sources of capital, including life insurance companies, investment banks, commercial banks, pension funds, CMBS conduits, and other institutional investors, as well as owners of various types of commercial real estate. Further, it advises on capital structure; develops the financing package; facilitates negotiations between its client and institutional sources of capital; coordinates due diligence; and assists in closing the transaction. Additionally, the company offers property sales brokerage, underwriting and risk management, and servicing and asset management services. Walker & Dunlop, Inc. was founded in 1937 and is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., through its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and distributes fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Fresh and Value-Added Products, Banana, and Other Products and Services. It offers pineapples, fresh-cut fruit, fresh-cut vegetables, melons, and vegetables; non-tropical fruits, such as grapes, apples, citrus, blueberries, strawberries, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, and kiwis; other fruit and vegetables, and avocados; and prepared fruit and vegetables, juices, other beverages, and meals and snacks. The company also engages in the sale of poultry and meat products; and third-party freight services business. In addition, it manufactures and sells plastic and box products, such as bins, trays, bags, and boxes. The company offers its products under the Del Monte brand, as well as under other brands, such as UTC, Rosy, Fruit Express, Just Juice, Fruitini, Mann's Logo, Arcadian Harvest, Nourish Bowls, Broccolini, Caulilini, Better Burger Leaf, RomaLeaf, and other regional brands. It markets and distributes its products to retail stores, club stores, convenience stores, wholesalers, distributors, and foodservice operators. Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. was founded in 1886 and is based in George Town, Cayman Islands.
Brookdale Senior Living Inc. owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. The Assisted Living and Memory Care segment owns or leases communities consisting of freestanding multi-story communities and freestanding single-story communities, which offer housing and 24-hour assistance with activities of daily living for the Company's residents. This segment also operates memory care communities for residents with Alzheimer's and other dementias. The CCRCs segment owns or leases communities that provides various living arrangements, such as independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing; and services to accommodate various levels of physical ability and healthcare needs. It also manages communities on behalf of others. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned 347 communities, leased 299 communities, and managed 33 communities on behalf of others. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance and other financial services in the United States. The company operates through five segments: HG Global/BAM, Ark, NSM, Kudu, and Other Operations. The HG Global/BAM segment provides insurance on municipal bonds issued to finance public purposes, such as schools, utilities, and transportation facilities, as well as reinsurance protection services. The Ark segment writes a portfolio of reinsurance and insurance, including property, marine and energy, accident and health, casualty, and specialty products. The NSM segment operates as a managing general agent and program administrator for specialty property and casualty insurance to various sectors comprising specialty transportation, real estate, social services, and pet. The Kudu segment provides capital solutions to boutique asset and wealth managers for generational ownership transfers, management buyouts, acquisitions and growth finances, and legacy partner liquidity, as well as strategic assistance to investees. The Other Operations segment offers insurance solutions to travel industry through broker channel and on a direct-to-consumer basis; and manages separate accounts and pooled investment vehicles for insurance-linked securities sectors, including catastrophe bonds, collateralized reinsurance investments, and industry loss warranties of third-party clients. White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
GREENBELT, Md. (Dec. 19, 2016)Rodney Levon Davis, age 47, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty on December 14, 2016, to robbery, and to using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during the robbery of a fast food restaurant in Hyattsville.



The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Chief Hank Stawinski of the Prince George's County Police Department; and Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks.



According to his plea agreement, on December 24, 2014, Davis approached a fast food restaurant on Landover Road in Hyattsville, Maryland wearing a hooded jacket and an "Iron Man" mask. At the entrance, Davis brandished a revolver at an employee. The victim stated that he did not have a key to the safe and that the manager was not present. Davis shoved the revolver into the victim's back and threatened to shoot the victim if the victim didn't comply with his demands. Davis then hid behind a brick wall and waited for the manager to return to the restaurant.



Once the manager arrived, Davis used the revolver to enter the restaurant and directed the victim, manager and several other employees into the manager's office. Davis demanded that the manager open the safe, from which Davis stole money.



While the employees were in the manager's office, Davis discharged the revolver. He also sprayed lighter fluid on the wall and floor, and ignited the lighter fluid. Davis and the employees rushed out of the office to the front of the restaurant. Davis removed additional money from the cash registers and fled. The manager chased after Davis and Davis fired at least two shots, which struck the side of the restaurant.



Davis got into his vehicle and drove away. Prince George's County police attempted to stop Davis' vehicle, but Davis led them on a high speed chase. Eventually, Davis stopped his vehicle in the middle of the intersection of Marlboro Pike and Nova Avenue in Prince George's County. Officers arrested Davis and seized the "Iron Man" mask, a bag containing $2,095, a revolver which contained three spent cartridges and three live rounds, and bottles of lighter fluid. Approximately $73 stolen from the restaurant was not recovered.



Davis subsequently admitted that he robbed the restaurant because he was upset that his employment with that restaurant had been terminated.



Davis and the government have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement Davis will be sentenced to between 121 months and 14 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang scheduled sentencing for March 30, 2017 at 2:30 p.m.



United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the FBI, Prince George's County Police Department and Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas M. Sullivan and Menaka S. Kalaskar, who are prosecuting the case.
WASHINGTON

(Dec. 20, 2016)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract award that pertain to local Navy activities., is being awardedfor modification P00060 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-15-C-0114) recurring logistics services of F-35 Lightning II aircraft in support of the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, non-Department of Defense (DoD) participants and foreign military sales (FMS) customers. Sustainment services to be provided include ground maintenance; action request resolution; depot activation; Automatic Logistics Information System; operations and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (46 percent); Orlando, Florida (32 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (9 percent); El Segundo, California (7 percent); and Greenville, South Carolina (6 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2017. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 aircraft procurement; fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps); non-DoD Participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $132,452,903, will be obligated at time of award, $89,100,407 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($79,604,949; 44 percent); Marine Corps ($47,572,973; 26 percent); Navy ($25,710,013; 14 percent); non-DoD participants ($22,663,209; 13 percent); and FMS customers ($5,617,850; 3 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The, is the contracting activity.
Christopher Alan David, 26, is accused of selling heroin in Waldorf.

LA PLATA, Md.

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

(Dec. 20, 2016)The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.NARCOTICS DETECTIVES CHARGE MAN WITH DRUG DISTRIBUTION: On December 2, detectives assigned to the Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 1600 block of Pin Oak Drive in Waldorf in connection with drug activity at the residence. Upon entering the house, the suspect, Christopher Alan David, 26, fled but was apprehended. Investigators recovered a handgun, pills, marijuanawith an estimated street value of $1300and heroin with a street value of more than $18,000. David was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. Detectives assigned to the Narcotics Unit are continuing the investigation.THEFT OF PACKAGES/CRIME SOLVERS OFFERING CASH REWARD: On December 14 at approximately 2 p.m., officers responded to the 4800 block of Monterey Court in Waldorf for the report of a theft. Investigation showed packages, which had been delivered by UPS, were stolen from the front porch of the house. Further investigation showed packages had also been stolen from a different house in the same neighborhood. Charles County Crime Solvers is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in these cases. Tipsters may contact Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com . All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. PFC. S. Hooper is investigating.SERIOUS MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH: On December 13 at 10:30 p.m., officers responded to the area of Poorhouse Road at Graymar Lane in La Plata for the report of a crash. Investigation showed the driver of a pick-up truck was traveling west on Poorhouse Road when his truck left the roadway and struck a tree. The driver, a 38-year-old male from Waldorf, was trapped but extricated by firefighters. He was flown to a hospital and admitted with critical injuries. Cpl. B. Saunders of the Traffic Operations Unit is continuing the investigation.
Expedition 50 flight engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA sets up hardware for the Packed Bed Reactor Experiment (PBRE) inside of the Microgravity Science Glovebox aboard the International Space Station. PBRE studies the behavior of gases and liquids when they flow simultaneously through a column filled with fixed porous media. Packed columns can serve as reactors, scrubbers, strippers, etc. in systems where efficient interphase contact is desired, both on Earth and in space. Credit: NASA. NASA

Today: Lighting Effects Meter Reading: The crew set up and configured the Light Meter hardware and took readings in the Node 1 and Crew Quarters (CQ). The Node 1 light is the legacy General Luminaire Assembly (GLA), while the CQ light has been upgraded to the newly installed Solid State Lighting Assemblies (SSLAs).

The Lighting Effects experiment aims to better quantify and qualify how lighting can effect habitability of spacecraft. The light bulbs on the ISS are being replaced with a new system designed for improved crew health and wellness. The investigation studies the impact of the change from fluorescent light bulbs to solid-state light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with adjustable intensity and color and aims to determine if the new lights can improve crew circadian rhythms, sleep, and cognitive performance. Results from this investigation also have major implications for people on Earth who use electric lights.

Sarcolab-3: Over the next four days (setup, two days of operations, tear-down), the crew will perform the second session (Flight Day 30-60 timeframe) of the joint-NASA-ESA-Russia Sarcolab experiment. Today, the crew deployed and configured the Muscle Atrophy Research & Exercise System (MARES) in Columbus. Myotendinous and Neuromuscular Adaptation to Long-term Spaceflight (Sarcolab) investigates the adaptation and deterioration of the soleus, or calf muscle, where it joins the Achilles tendon which links it to the heel and carries loads from the entire body. Muscle fiber samples are taken from crew members before and after flight and are analyzed for changes in structural and chemical properties. MRI and ultrasound tests and electrode stimulation are conducted to assess muscle and tendon changes caused by microgravity exposure.

Japanese-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) Release: Using the Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS), ground controllers grappled the J-SSOD from the Slide Table and maneuvered it to the deployment position. The crew successfully commanded the deploy of the satellite, then ground controllers returned the deployer back to the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform (MPEP) on the slide table. J-SSOD #5 contains one Cubesat, STARS-C(2U) which will conduct a technical demonstration of a tether extending system using a mother and daughter satellite. J-SSOD #5 will be removed and J-SSOD #6 will be installed on Thursday, December 22.

NanoRacks modules 63 and 72 (CubeRider) Status: On Friday, the crew installed the two modules into the NanoRacks Platform-1 facility. Ground teams did not receive telemetry from Module 72, however they did receive data from Module 63 (a radiation-tolerant computer). Ground controllers performed a power cycle of CubeRider, but were unable to recover. The Payload Developer is working on further troubleshooting steps, including possibly reseating the connections. CubeRider is an Australian educational module utilizing a Raspberry Pi, internal camera, sensors that monitors internal environment variables, some radiation, ISS dynamics and movement, and runs computer code written by 9th and 10th graders.

Camera Light Pan & Tilt Assembly (CLPA) Operations: Robotics ground controllers are in the process of relocating the failed Boom B CLPA from the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to the wedge interface on the Mobile Transporter Relay Assembly (MTRA). This activity is advance of the HTV-6 battery EVAs, during which the CLPA will be swapped for a new unit at that location. This will allow the SSRMS to install the new CLPA in the future.

SSRMS Troubleshooting: On Saturday, Robotics ground controllers resumed troubleshooting of the anomaly (Aborted SSRMS and Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) Transitions to Operational Due to Binary Data Transfer (BDT) Load Fail), focusing on testing the current power configuration where SSRMS is based on Mobile Base System (MBS). After releasing Node 2 Power Data Grapple Fixture (PDGF), the SSRMS was tested in a variety of power configurations with Latch End Effector (LEE) B unloaded. Tests consisted of SSRMS power cycle on both strings commanded on Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Local Bus A and B while both SSRMS payload power feed channels were on and all power up sequences completed nominally. ROBOs then maneuvered SSRMS to grapple SPDM. When SPDM was based on SSRMS (based on MBS PDGF1) but still grappled to Lab PDGF, tests were performed where all SPDM units were powered on with multiple power configurations (Prime and Redundant, MSS LB A and B). As no anomalies occurred throughout the troubleshooting, SPDM LEE released Lab PDGF and SSRMS holding SPDM and SPDM Arm2 was configured for translation. Finally, Mobile Transporter (MT) was translated from Worksite #5 (WS5) to WS2, in position for todays SSRMS CLPA operations and Battery R&R operations later this month.

On Board Training (OBT) ISS Emergency Simulation: All crew members, with support from ground teams, completed a training exercise and completed the following objectives:

 Practiced ISS emergency response with crew and ground roles based on information provided by simulator displays.

 Physically translated through ISS to the appropriate response locations to visualize the use of Station equipment and interfaces.

 Practiced procedure execution and associated decision making based on cues provided by simulator.

 Practiced communication and coordination with Houston and Moscow Control Centers as required for a given emergency scenario.

 Upon completion of the training session, the crew and ground teams completed a debrief to discuss results.

H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Cargo Operations: The crew has completed ~25.5 hours of cargo transfer. There are ~10 hours of transfer remaining to be completed.

Todays Planned Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

Measuring Hematocrit Number.

Hematocrit equipment stowage

Personal CO2 Monitor iPad Application Restart

??? Laptops Antivirus software checkout

Fine Motor Skills Experiment Test  Subject

Fluids Integrated Rack Hardware Gather

XF305 Camcorder Setup

Electrostatic Levitation Furnace(ELF) Cartridge exchange

HRF Generic Urine Collection Male  Subject

Human Research Facility Ultrasound 2 set up and power on

KOSMOKARD. Closeout

MARES Ankle Shaving Preparation

HRF Generic Sample MELFI Insertion Operations

MARES Ultrasound Session Assistance

Recharging Samsung tablet in 49S

MARES Ultrasound session

Multi-purpose Small Payload Rack (MSPR) /Group Combustion Module (GCM) Component Deactivation

Recharging Samsung tablet in 48S

FGB-??????-VIEW

Ultrasound 2 Guided Data Export

MARES subject electrodes equipment and start of Crew Guided Procedure

MARES subject electrodes equipment assistance

Inspection and photo RS windows

Fluids Integrated Rack Session Review

Fluids Integrated Rack Rack Doors Open

Fluids Integrated Rack Hardware Replacement

Replacement of ??0501 CO2 filter unit (??)

???? configuration for MRM2 for PL

KULONOVSKIY KRISTAL. Performing experiment

Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification

Fluids Integrated Rack Rack Doors Close

HRF Generic Urine Collection Stow

???? reconfiguration in MRM2

KULONOVSKIY KRISTAL. Video copy & downlink

Combustion Integrated Rack Rack Doors Open

Personal CO2 Monitor Power Cycle

Combustion Integrated Rack Optics Bench Translation Out

Health Maintenance System (HMS)  ESA Nutritional Assessment

MARES and Laptop Power OFF

Human Research Facility Ultrasound 2 power off and stowage

Recharging Samsung tablet in 49S  end

Filling ??? (KO?) for Elektron

Recharging Samsung tablet in 48S  end

Emergency egress drill

Combustion Integrated Rack Optics Bench Configuration 1

??? maintenance

Delta file prep

HTV Cargo Operations Conference

CIR Rail Inspect

Combustion Integrated Rack Package Installation

Photo/TV Camcorder Setup Verification

???????. ?????????? ????????????

Combustion Integrated Rack Rack Doors Close

Treadmill 2 (T2) Exercise Video Equipment Stow

Packed Bed Reactor Experiment Operations Overview

Personal CO2 Monitor Power Cycle

Completed Task List Items

360 CAM checkout

Dosimeter secure

EVA 3006 comm SW mark

Everywear patch downlink

Galley h/w gather

Handover process questions

VEG03 pillow water

CCF H/W consolidate

CDL Holter audit

CTB1341 content ID

Emergency Kit create

EVA ECWS OBT

FROST ice pack insert

PWD RS food check

SSC SRVR1 survey

Ground Activities

All activities were completed unless otherwise noted.

J-SSOD Deploy

CLPA Removal

Three-Day Look Ahead:

Tuesday, 12/20: ELF Cartridge Exchange,Sarcolab, FIR H/w Replacement, CIR Config, 48S EMER drill, HTV Cargo Ops

Wednesday, 12/21: ELF Config, PBRE Module Exchange, IMV Cleaning, OBT CheCS Drill

Thursday, 12/22: EVA Tool Config, PBRE Module Exchange, J-SSOC Removal, EVA C&W OBT, Sarcolab

QUICK ISS Status  Environmental Control Group:

Component  Status

Elektron  Off

Vozdukh  Manual

[???] 1  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1)  Off

[???] 2  SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2)  On

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab  Standby

Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab  Operate

Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3  Idle

Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA)  Process

Urine Processing Assembly (UPA)  Standby

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab  Off

Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3  Full Up
Madrid, December 19, 2016 (SPS) - Canary Islands Polisario Front Delegation said that the Moroccan authorities are trying to legitimize the occupation of the territories of Western Sahara with their proposal to share tourists with the Spanish archipelago and to promote the cooperation in this sector.

The Sahrawi delegation criticized, in a communique, the Moroccan proposal to the autonomous Spanish community to share tourists with it and to sustainably boost this sector by underlining that Morocco tries once again to involve the Canary Islands in a conflict which is not of benefit to it, on one hand, and which tries to legitimize the occupation of the Sahrawi territories, on the other hand.

The Polisario Front considers that this proposal is made to legitimize its occupation that Morocco hasnt been able to achieve in the international institutions.

The failure of the Moroccan diplomacy led by the different governments after 41 years encouraged the king to make a tour in several African countries promising cooperation projects in exchange for giving up the support to the Sahrawi cause, said the source.

After all these failures, Morocco tries to use the Canary Islands once again, as a breath of fresh air, by proposing to it fictitious projects which do not benefit the Sahrawi people. (SPS)

062/090/700
As the calendar turns to 2017 at the Meadowlands Racetrack, the reasons are many to be optimistic about the future of harness racing's flagship raceway.

A total of 91 live Standardbred race dates have been granted for the new calendar year, a slight increase over 2016.

While there's no denying that the defeat of the expanded gaming referendum was a disappointment to those directly and indirectly affected, the Meadowlands Racetrack remains committed to the long term future of horse racing at the facility. Meadowlands management will continue to endeavour to preserve jobs at the track and within the industry and do its very best to help protect green space.

Clearly, generating sufficient revenue to operate at the desired level and keep quality racing on the track is an ongoing problem. The purse account currently stands overpaid by more than $5 million. That issue required considerable contemplation, turning the tide of red ink while continuing to offer owners and horsemen the type of stakes program that is expected from the Meadowlands, done without the advantages of an alternative source of revenue.

Rather than reduce the stakes as was originally proposed, Jeff Gural considered the remarkable optimism demonstrated by the buyers of yearlings at the major sales last fall and realized a vision of how to maintain the stakes program while holding the line on overnight purses.

He proposed that industry stakeholders share in the support of the Meadowlands stakes program by becoming stakes sponsors, contributing to help cover the nearly $5 million in added money for 2017 thus lightening the burden on the purse account.

The response was overwhelmingly positive, with breeders, owners, drivers, trainers and veterinarians all answering the call. As a result, with that support the Meadowlands stakes program will continue virtually intact for 2017. All of the marquee open stakes remain on the schedule with the added-money levels maintained largely on par with years past.

An adjustment was made to stimulate nominations to the Mistletoe Shalee for three-year-old filly pacers, which has seen a steady decline in numbers. The payments were reduced by 25 per cent while the added money remains at the same level.

Without the cost of the Breeders Crown this year, the Meadowlands will add the $1.25 million Fall Final Four stakes for two-year-olds to the fall meet in November.

With the final touches currently being added to the informational ads, the entirety of the 2017 stakes information will be available on the Meadowlands website very soon.

It is the Meadowlands hope that horsemen will support both the stakes and overnights with their entries this coming season to enable the track to be the most popular betting product in the Standardbred world, as it has been for a generation.

On the horizon is the hope of welcome relief from gaming. The fact is as the citizens of Manhattan and northern New Jersey continue their travel to game at Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut locations, Atlantic City continues to decline. As more casinos open in PA and eventually downstate New York, voters will recognize the importance of a casino in Northern NJ and the prospect of adding what Meadowlands Chairman Jeff Gural estimates to be $500 million in annual tax revenue to New Jersey coffers.

When that day comes, the forecast for harness racing at the Meadowlands immediately becomes bright and sunny.

(Meadowlands Racetrack)
Contact: Thomas C. Strobhar, 937-306-1402FRONT ROYAL, Va., Dec. 20, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Any good pro-life activist who has read the December 7, 2016, statement by 2ndVote is certainly filled with Christmas joy. And not just because it is that time of year. The announcement that Macy's Inc. has agreed to stop funding Planned Parenthood, including through its corporate Matching Gift Program, was a virtual "Miracle on 2ndVote Street." But according to Thomas C. Strobhar, chairman of Life Decisions International (LDI) and a corporate investment specialist, "2ndVote has not been completely open and honest" with pro-life advocates. He pointed to several problems with the "fake news" being generated by the relatively new group.2ndVOTE: "In the spirit of thankfulness and celebration that comes this time of year," reads the 2ndVote announcement, "we have a special update that our research team recently made to the company scorepage for Macy's and our Planned Parenthood resource pageMacy's confirmed with 2ndVote last week that the company no longer gives and no longer matches donations to Planned Parenthood."FACT: Macy's has not given direct grants to Planned Parenthood for more than a decade. Macy's has not matched employee donations to the abortion-committing group for over a year. Due to mandated cost-cutting, Macy's decided to end all grant-making in two general categories. Planned Parenthood happened to be in one of the categories. It was done across-the-board so the decision affected many nonprofits; not just Planned Parenthood. As noted, this took place more than a year ago.2ndVOTE: Per LifeNews, "After today, pro-life customers can resume shopping at Macy's But today representatives of a pro-life group that tracks corporate donations to the Planned Parenthood abortion organization says Macy's has ended his [sic] relationship with it."FACT: The statement infers the company decision was made just days ago. As noted above, it was not. Similar statements regarding the false timing of the Macy's decision appear in virtually every statement released on matter.2ndVOTE: Per LifeNews, Macy's "had been on a list of corporate contributors to the Planned Parenthood abortion company for some time."FACT: Including Macy's on any list of Planned Parenthood supporters is grossly inaccurate and, thus, unfair to a company that long ago decided to do the right thing. Needless-to-say, such inaccuracies significantly damage the reputation of pro-life activists who believe basic Christian integrity calls us to release only 100 percent factual information to the public.2ndVOTE: "In the spirit of thankfulness and celebration that comes this time of year, we have a special update to share with you Well, we are happy to report that we can take another company off that listMacy's, who confirmed with 2ndVote last week that they no longer give nor match donations to Planned Parenthood."FACT: Once again, the implication is that the "update" is based on new information. It is not. 2ndVote also implies it had something to do with the corporation's decision. It did not. In fact, 2ndVote has opened Macy's up to a possible pro-abortion backlash, such as that experienced by the Komen Foundation several years ago. Every time a group openly claims "credit" for a corporate decision, it puts pro-abortion activists in a "we can't let them get away with this" mode. Pro-lifers become their own worst enemy; not by shooting themselves in the foot, but by shooting themselves in the head.2ndVOTE: "You may remember how four companies (AT&T, Coca-Cola, Ford, and Xerox) publicly distanced themselves from Planned Parenthood last year after our research exposed forty-one companies with direct financial ties to the abortion giant. At that time, another company on our list, Macy's, was making donations to Planned Parenthood."FACT: Every one of these corporations asked that they not be identified as corporate supporters of Planned Parenthood, but it was not to "distance themselves." They asked because they had not supported Planned Parenthood and reporting otherwise was flatly wrong.Coca-Cola said it has not contributed to Planned Parenthood, nor has it match employee contributions. The Ford Motor Company said it has been at least ten years since the company stopped matching employee gift contributions. Xerox Corporation has not given to Planned Parenthood in more than 20 years. AT&T stopped giving direct grants to Planned Parenthood in the early 1990s. All four corporations had been accused of supporting Planned Parenthood in list 2ndVote released in 2015."It is not surprising that 2ndVote took credit for orchestrating this 'recent victory,'" Strobhar said. "But it is unconscionable that 2ndVote would issue a press release touting victory over Macy's while simultaneously urging pro-life activists to do business with corporate supporters of Planned Parenthood."One of the most egregious examples in which 2ndVote's actions are greatly harming the pro-life cause is its 2016 "2ndVote Christmas Shopping Guide," which includes four confirmed supporters of Planned Parenthood.On July 28, 2015, LDI released a full statement analyzing the accuracy of 2ndVote accusations against corporations. The report also addressed the "standards" used by 2ndVote when determining which corporations should be labeled a "Planned Parenthood supporter." Strobhar said the tremendously eye-opening report may be read in full on LDI's website ( fightpp.org/news/07-28-15 )."LDI has been doing this work for more than 25 years," said Strobhar. "From the start, LDI has believed success is far more important than publicity, despite the fact that publicity brings donations and media attention. This method of operation has allowed many CEOs to view us as reasonable. And if they consider us reasonable, they are willing to communicate. Yet they also know we never compromise."If a CEO agrees to make Planned Parenthood ineligible for funding, the case is closed and kept confidential. (The alternative would result in a pro-abortion backlash. CEOs want to avoid the negative publicity a public announcement would bring.) "LDI provides a 'way out' for corporate executivesand they have expressed their appreciation," Strobhar said.If the CEO will not make Planned Parenthood ineligible for grants, LDI continues talking with corporate officials, often in person, and provides still more information about Planned Parenthood and the damage any association with the group is bound to create. If the CEO still refuses to stop supporting Planned Parenthood, the company is added to LDI's list of boycott target.Boycotted corporations that eventually "see the light" are removed from the list of targets. The update is discretely announced. LDI never stands on a mountain and brags about successes. "In fact, LDI allows a corporation to give any or no reason for its decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood," explained Strobhar. "We never dispute what corporate officials say to the public. These practices have led many corporations to stop funding Planned Parenthood because they are shielded from a backlash."LDI's highly successful strategy has convinced at least 337 corporations to stop backing Planned Parenthood. "And that success speaks for itself," said Strobhar. "We all like to report successes but let's be wholly honest when doing so."
Church in German State is a Partner for Refugees and Society

Contact: World Council of Churches, +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press



GENEVA, Dec. 20, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Baden-Wurttemberg minister-president, Winfried Kretschmann, has expressed gratitude to the churches for putting Christian service and neighbourly love into practice, and not only at Sunday sermons.



Photo: Bishop Cornelius-Bundschuh and the WCC general secretary meet with parish members in Ettlingen.  Annegret Kapp/WCC

The German state's governor Kretschmann gave his message in a meeting with the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, in Stuttgart last Thursday.

Kretschmann said the "readiness to help that swept through the country like a wave" since last year in a region with strong civic engagement, was "the most impressive experience of my presidency."

Tveit's host Bishop Dr Jochen Cornelius-Bundschuh of the Evangelical Church in Baden affirmed that the refugee work is supported from the grassroots of the church and throughout all levels of leadership.

At a refugees' reception centre in Heidelbergs former military barracks at Patrick Henry Village, Tveit saw a collaborative system working to ensure humanitarian standards and minimized tensions.

The centre now houses up to 2,000 people at any one time, many of whom are traumatized and coming from a broad range of backgrounds. Different authorities collaborate to accelerate decisions on who is granted asylum. The aim is for those allowed to stay in Germany to move into decentralized, longer-term accommodation after two weeks.

Pressure on officers

Quick integration of refugees is a good idea, say church representatives in the reception centre providing independent counselling for refugees. However, the pressure on officers to decide quickly restricts fair consideration for individual life stories, and leaves little time for the independent counsellors to reach the refugees and build up trust.

In Germany, cooperation between the State and the churches has a long tradition, with diaconal agencies providing government-financed social services. Refugees, even those who belong to different faiths, appreciate independent counselling by Protestant and Roman Catholic agencies. However, when counsellors help refugees claim their right to protection, they can be viewed sometimes as an irritant, as well as a support by State officials.

In the reception centre, besides counselling, the churches coordinate volunteers' work such as language classes, and offer pastoral care to refugees and staff at the centre. "It's wonderful that we're now an ecumenical and even an interfaith pastoral care team," says Rev. Sigrid Zweygart-Perez.

Caring for the children who usually accompany their parents everywhere at the centre, whether for medical check-ups or to seek counsel for traumatic experiences, is important for both professionals and volunteers.

Diaconal street workers connect with shuttle busses to the city to facilitate orientation and stem insecurity feelings in the local population.

Martin He, managing director of Heidelberg's Protestant diaconal agency, told Tveit: "As church, we are proud of the work we do and glad that you take an interest in it."

And Tveit responded: "As a worldwide church fellowship we are also proud of the work you do."

Accompaniment at the local level

The following day at a local parish, the Evangelical Church in Baden further showed how it accompanies and integrates refugees.

At the drop-in and encounter centre "K26" in Ettlingen, secular authorities, churches and other civil society initiatives work hand in hand.

The centre brings together locals and refugees as well as other potentially marginalized groups, such as people with disabilities, or the elderly.

The largest initiative, with some 100 active members and a wider network of 400, started at a Protestant parish welcome evening. Long hosted in the Catholic parish centre, it involves both Christians and non-Christians.

Henrike Ochs, from a Protestant parish, looks after the K26 professionally on behalf of the secular authorities now. As a trained nurse, she first voluntarily accompanied refugees through the pastor, looking after a sick child.

Now Ochs aims to enable refugees to become active community members, as did a former school director from Syria who runs an eight-week introductory course in Arabic language and culture for 40 participants.

The Protestant parish prides itself for renting to local authorities the living space for several refugee families in a centrally located house, much below market rates.

"The flats are small," explained pastor Andreas Heitmann-Kuhlewein, "but the location right next to the kindergarten, and being looked after by the congregation make this a very good place for refugees."

Skeptical about refugees

Initially, the neighbours appeared skeptical about having a refugees' home in their street.

"A party that we organized in the kindergarten courtyard with many of our volunteers, and invitations going out to all the neighbours, helped to change the mood," recalled the pastor.

Meeting Ettlingen parish members, Tveit and Cornelius-Bundschuh heard that the congregation feels enriched by the refugees.

Retired pastor Gernot Spelsberg, a volunteer offering baptism classes for those interested in a conversion to Christianity, too, feels he gains spiritually through the courses.

The congregation includes some 30 Iranian-born recent converts. Two of them have leadership roles as members of the parish council of elders and the Evangelical Church in Baden's synod.

The WCC Central Committee's Rev. Anne Heitmann, who also belongs to the Ettlingen parish, and noted, "Each such baptism deeply impresses the congregation and encourages also our confirmation class students and their parents to discover anew the treasure of faith."

The church district's refugee project leader, Andrea Baisch-Herrmann, said that "thanks to the refugees many hidden issues of social needs in the neighbourhoods have surfaced and thanks to them, our work for society has become more visible again."

General secretary Tveit said there is much to be done, but there are many people doing what they can, aware that their cooperation helps everyone.

High-resolution photos for download free of charge

WCC member churches in Germany

WCC work on Migration and social justice

Press release of the Evangelical Church in Baden about Tveit's visit
tech2 News Staff

It was a shocking revelation when it was known that president-elect Donald Trump had invited a group of tech executives. It was an a bigger shock was when those who were invited attended it, considering the fact that many from the group support presidential candidate Hillary Clinton instead. While it is a mystery as to what actually happened in there, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out a memo to his employees explaining why he decided on meeting Trump at the summit in New York.

Everyone expected more from Apple, since the company has been in Trump's crosshairs during his campaigning. First reported by TechCrunch, Cook simply went for the meeting because it made plenty of sense.

Personally, Ive never found being on the sideline a successful place to be, revealed Cook in a internal memo to employees. Hinting that the only way to bring about change (or some good) would be to participate. "And we engage when we agree and we engage when we disagree. I think its very important to do that because you dont change things by just yelling. You change things by showing everyone why your way is the best. In many ways, its a debate of ideas.

Tim Cook shed some light on the topics discussed during the meeting, which included privacy, security and education. He also commented that "Theyre on advocating for human rights for everyone, and expanding the definition of human rights. Theyre on the environment and really combating climate change, something we do by running our business on 100 percent renewable energy.

Trump, on the other hand, was there to give a clear sign that he was not against the tech giants but with them to simply help them do better. Cook's participation, along with what Silicon Valley head honchos said, seems to indicate something that is crucial to make a change in any political system. One needs to participate to brings about a change or as TechCrunch rightly put it, have a say.
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The founder of an oil and gas networking website accused of hacking into a rival site he had created and sold to DHI Group Inc pleaded guilty to a computer fraud charge on Monday, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors in March charged David Kent, 41, with having stolen data on more than 500,000 user resumes from Rigzone.com, which he sold for $51 million in 2010, to boost the membership of his new site Oilpro.com.

Prosecutors at the time said that Kent then tried to sell Oilpro, created in 2013, to DHI by misrepresenting that the new website increased its membership to 500,000 through standard marketing methods.

In Manhattan federal court on Monday, Kent pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and related activity in connection with computers. As part of a plea deal, he agreed not to appeal any sentence of 4-3/4 years or less.

A lawyer for Kent did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kent, a resident of Spring, Texas, is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote on March 17. Rigzone was launched by Kent in 2000 and allows members to create profiles and upload resumes. When the website was sold to New York-based DHI in 2010, its member database was worth $6 million, according to court papers.

From the start, Kent aimed to build a website that DHI would be interested in acquiring, a criminal complaint said. By January 2016, the database of his new Houston-based company had grown to 500,000 members, the complaint said.

Rigzone's database was hacked twice in 2014 and 2015, the complaint said, resulting in members being solicited to join Oilpro, the complaint said. DHI has said that it cooperated with authorities in the investigation. Under his plea agreement, Kent has agreed to pay the company $3.29 million in restitution.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

The news about drones delivering postal mail and parcels is a lot better than misusing drones to spy and in a recent scenario, even for war. While drone delivery services have been received well in some countries (with some really beneficial uses in rescue and aid), there are some like minded-people like the French postal service that want to start using drones for postal deliveries.

The project which has been under testing for about 3 years now, is expected to take off as an experiment on a fixed route in an attempt to demonstrate the usefulness of drones in rural areas that are otherwise hard to reach on foot or by road. It would also be the first attempt to roll out a postal deliver service using just drones.

This is still an experiment and the service will only operate on a fixed route and just once a week. Recode states that it is a mile long route that stretches between Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Beaume and Pourrieres in the Provence region of France.

The company in charge is DPDgroup, that is a subsidiary of the French national postal service. The company has been testing its drone delivery service with partnership with drone maker Atechsys since 2014.

As mentioned above, the unmanned drones will not be replacing your usual, friendly mail man or disrupting the postal network, it will simply allow the postal service to make deliveries to rural areas that are hard to reach.

Indeed many would be happy if all mail were to be dispatched via drones. It would make your local mail service more efficient and with the right infrastructure in place, a lot more reliable as well.

With IoT in the picture, tracking your mail would be a lot better as well, and smarter drones could even prioritise deliveries on its path or go the extra mile, with charge stations along the way.

We wish this happened in India. Unfortunately, that seems like an uphill task. Thanks to local regulations. The draft Guidelines for Obtaining Unique Identification Number and Operation of Civil Unmanned Aircraft System (the Draft Guidelines) are just not designed for commercial unmanned drone deliveries (yet). However, the concerns mentioned out here are understandable and are to do with safety and privacy concerns.

The first one is to do with the fact that every single drone that flies above 200 feet has to be registered. While it looks like a hurdle that could be overcome easily, the draft guidelines also mention that every single drone out there will need a separate permit taking its weight into consideration. The easy way out here to let the drone find it way only 200 feet off the ground that will get it owners an exemption to the rule.

But then there's another one. According to the same guidelines, every drone will need be manned by an operator with aircraft level training. Yes every drone must have its own operator.

This is a complex one. The authorities will need to be notified of every single drone flight. This would include regulatory authorities, including the Air Traffic Services Unit and your local police station. What makes this the toughest one to pull off, is the fact that every single flight plan (route) will have to be notified for every single delivery.

While it is possible to deliver in urban areas as well, drone flight paths would have to avoid a long list of prohibited zones such as military and landmark areas. Delhi for example is a complete no fly zone for drones.

And these would be just some of the few hurdles along the way if drone deliveries have to take off in India. Indeed plenty would get straightened out, if the government itself takes up the initiative, and while the above guidelines will be aimed at urban areas, it's the rural areas that should benefit the most. So it is a win-win situation at the end of it all.
Rehan Hooda

Android Nougat is that latest version of Android, the popular mobile operating system. Smartphone users across brands have been waiting for the latest update to hit their smartphones, but things are bad despite four months since the general availability of the update to the people. The four-month period does not count the early access that OEMs get as soon as the final build is compiled.

Taking into account that it has been six days since Google released Android Nougat 7.1.1, which came after the launch of Android Nougat 7.0. Some of the OEMs are not all that bad and have steadily been releasing test versions for Android Nougat based ROMs along with their forks. Among the handful OEMs that include Xiaomi, Lenovo (Moto), Sony and Samsung, OnePlus is one of the most vocal brands out there and has been providing regular Beta updates to its users for Nougat. The company promised that it would launch Nougat Beta before the end of November, back in the beginning of November along with the promise to launch stable version of Nougat before the end of the year.

The company launched the second beta update for Oxygen OS based on Android Nougat 7.0 last week, and we tried the second update. One of the most impressive things about the update is that in the usage over three days, the beta update is stable and we have not encountered any bugs that would deteriorate the user experience. Battery life has almost doubled for me which is frankly surprising, especially since this is just a beta update.

After using the second beta, we loved it so much that we decided to put a guide on how to install Open Beta 9 on OnePlus 3. Here is how you can install the OnePlus OxygenOS Open Beta 9 on your OnePlus 3. Before installing, you need to download the OneBeta 9 from here. Save the file in the internal memory of your OnePlus 3 along with a copy on your PC. Install ADB framework and Universal Android drivers on your PC and extract and run the .exe file as Administrator. Press 'Y' at all the queries asked by the installer and continue to install the Drivers.

Go to 'About phone' in Settings menu. Go to the build number and tap it seven times to enable 'Developer Options'. Once the toast notification says that"You are a developer", go back to the Settings menu and navigate to "Developer options", and you are good to follow the steps mention below. Make sure to backup your data before you attempt any of the processes. Please follow the instructions only if you know what the term "Hardbrick" and "Softbrick" means, we at Tech2 will not be responsible for any harm caused to your OnePlus 3. One thing to note is that you will have to install the final version of Android Nougat 7.0 based OxygenOS manually.

Method 1: If you are on OxygenOS 3.2.8 with stock recovery

1. Turn off your device

2. Press the volume down button and power button to enter the recovery mode.

3. Select "Install from USB" on the recovery screen and select 'Ok' to confirm.

4. You will enter the sideload mode with the message "You are in sideload mode"

5. Open the folder where you have saved the OpenBeta 9 ROM file and connect OnePlus 3 to the PC.

6. Press and hold 'Shift' button and left click anywhere in the folder for the context menu to appear.

7. Select 'Open Command Window here' to open a 'Command Prompt'

8. Type "adb sideload filename.zip" (without quotes where filename is the name of the ROM file).

9. Disconnect the USB after the sideloading is done and let the device boot.

10. Let the device complete the installation and enjoy.

Method 2: If you are already on Community Build or OpenBeta8 with stock recovery

1. Go to settings and navigate to 'Developer options'.

2. Enable 'Advance Reboot" option.

3. Hold power button to bring up the power menu.

4. Select "Reboot" and select "Recovery" option to reboot to recovery.

5. Once booted to recovery mode, Select "Install from Internal Storage."

6. Navigate to the location where you save the OpenBeta 9 ROM file and select 'Ok' to start the installation.

7. Let the device complete the installation and enjoy.

Method 3: If you are rooted and have TWRP recovery installed.

1. Go to settings and navigate to 'Developer options'.

2. Enable 'Advance Reboot" option.

3. Hold power button to bring up the power menu.

4. Select "Reboot" and select "Recovery" option to reboot to recovery.

5. Once booted to TWRP, Select "Install" and navigate to the ROM file to install.

6. Wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache and "Reboot to System" to complete the installation.
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SoftBank Group Corp has agreed to invest $1 billion in U.S. satellite venture OneWeb Ltd, marking the first tranche of a $50 billion U.S. investment the Japanese telecoms and technology company's founder Masayoshi Son pledged to President-elect Donald Trump.

"Earlier this month, I met with President-Elect Trump and shared my commitment to investing and creating jobs in the United States," Son said in a joint statement with OneWeb. "This is the first step in that commitment."

The investment is part of a $1.2 billion fundraising by OneWeb, which is seeking to provide affordable internet access to people around the world with satellites. The remaining $200 million will be funded by its current investors, which include Qualcomm Inc, Airbus Group and Virgin Group. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.

In making his $50 billion pledge in the meeting with Trump, Son said his investment would create 50,000 new jobs, a move the U.S. President-elect claimed was a direct result of his election win.

The latest investment will come directly from SoftBank, not from a $100 billion tech fund it is launching with Saudi Arabia, even though Son has said that large-scale investments would be made through the tech fund to avoid a further expansion of its debt.

OneWeb, established in 2012 and based in Arlington, Virginia, plans to use the funds to build a plant in Florida to produce low-cost satellites, creating almost 3,000 new jobs in the United States over the next four years.

Son is steering SoftBank, a diverse company that holds stakes in U.S. carrier Sprint , Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and other firms, towards cutting-edge tech investments as the telecoms services markets mature. It purchased U.K. chip design firm Arm Holdings for $32 billion this year in Japan's largest ever overseas deal.

Reuters
tech2 News Staff

In what is a landmark ruling that will set quite the precedent, a Florida Court of Appeals ruled that a defendant can be legally compelled to reveal the passcode to his phone.

Defendants were not originally so obliged as protecting the password was seen as protecting a defendants Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, as per the U.S. constitution, reports ZDNet.

Specifically, the ruling states, "Providing the passcode does not 'betray any knowledge [the defendant] may have about the circumstances of the offenses' for which he is charged. Thus, 'compelling a suspect to make a nonfactual statement that facilitates the production of evidence' for which the state has otherwise obtained a warrant based upon evidence independent of the accused's statements linking the accused to the crime does not offend the privilege."

The Washington Post outlines the facts of the case as follows: A man called Stahl was arrested for allegedly taking photographs up the skirt of a female shopper. Police arrested Stahl and seized his phone, which they believe to be the one used to take the photos, but were unable to access the contents of the phone as it was locked by a passcode.

When asked to provide the passcode, Stahl refused to comply. The court case that followed was an argument on whether the court could compel Stahl to reveal his password.

The case hinged on a doctrine called Forgone conclusion, which states that the government must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the evidence they seek is on the device in question. If they cant prove that, the Fifth Amendment protects the defendant. If not, the defendant can be compelled to reveal the passcode, which the government must prove that the defendant knows.

While some courts originally ruled in favour of the defendant, stating that the conditions for the doctrine werent met, the Florida Court of Appeals ruled otherwise. In its ruling, Judge Black, who presided over the case, stated that (in legalese of course) that the government had indeed proved that the phone belonged to Stahl and that the police knew that this was the phone involved in the crime.

Furthermore, the statement reads that the police are not looking for the other contents of the phone such as other photos or contacts and that the police know exactly what theyre looking for and where it exists.

Considering this, the State needs the defendants passcode to unlock the phone and the defendant must provide it.

The Washington Posts Orin Kerr writes, the court here recognized that disclosing or using a passcode does not imply any testimony about the contents of the phone.

This is the first time that such a ruling has been made, and the definition could extend to other password-protected services as well.
Lori Barwick (2nd from left) with Black Cat Music sales team The Black Cat Music sales team was delighted to welcome Wenger InternationalsLori Barwick to...

5 years ago
BRADENTON  On Sunday, 51 Cubans reportedly landed in South Florida, following the arrival of more than 40 migrants from the island nation earlier in the week.

Those 40 plus migrants came to the Florida Keys by boat early last week. U.S. policy toward Cuban refugees allows them to stay if they make it to American territory. The reports of the migrants' arrivals came from South Florida media. According to WPLG TV, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency took custody of the 51 who arrived on Sunday.

The migrants' arrival in the Sunshine State comes at a transitional period for the United States' foreign policy, with the outgoing administration in the White House having made major changes in how the U.S. interacts with a country it scorned for more than fifty years after Fidel Castro's takeover of the Batista government.

Under President Obama, diplomatic relations with Cuba were renewed, and a travel ban between the two countries was removed.

Those changes came under fire from Republicans in Congress, and was met with criticism from President-elect Donald Trump during his campaign for the White House. While Trump's actionsif any toward the Cuba policy change under Obama wait to be seen, the President-elect called special status for Cuban migrants "wrong" in an interview that took place in February of 2016. Giving Cuban migrants special status has long been U.S. policy.
Turkish police detain six after Russian ambassador shot dead

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov lies on the ground after he was shot by Mevlut Mert Altintas at an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey. Hasim Kilic/Hurriyet via REUTERS

Reuters ( ANKARA) : Turkish police detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said on Tuesday, widening a probe to relatives of the off-duty policeman who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo!" as he gunned the envoy down.



Both countries cast Monday's attack, which occurred at an art gallery in the capital Ankara, as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by Syria's civil war, where they back opposing sides.



The war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Islamic State, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.



Russia, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, supported that



advance with air strikes.



Turkey identified the killer as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police for 2-1/2 years. Altintas, who also shouted slogans associated with Islamist militancy after shooting ambassador Andrey Karlov, was killed minutes later by members of Turkey's special forces.



His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained, the state-run Anadolu agency said.



One senior Turkish security official said investigators were focusing on whether Altintas had links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for a failed July coup. Gulen has denied responsibility for the coup and Monday's attack and has condemned both events.



The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology, rather than that of Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue.



"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here," he shouted in Turkish.

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov lies on the ground after he was shot by Mevlut Mert Altintas at an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey. Hasim Kilic/Hurriyet via REUTERS



Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he and Russia's Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call that their cooperation in fighting terrorism should be even stronger after the killing.



Putin said it was aimed at derailing Russia's attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis.



The countries' foreign ministers were meeting on Tuesday.



'ALLEGIANCE TO JIHAD'



Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from Islamic State. Earlier this month a spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged global sympathizers to carry out new attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets.



Altintas also shouted "We are the ones who swore allegiance to Mohammed for the jihad!", which the mass circulation Hurriyet newspaper said that was a slogan commonly used in propaganda videos of the group formerly allied to al Qaeda in Syria.



Media present at the event Karlov was attending, an exhibition of photographs from Russia, captured the killing in graphic details.



Altintas, dressed smartly in a suit, necktie and white shirt, is caught in one photograph standing behind Karlov. In a video, Karlov is shown crumpling as he appears to be shot from behind.



As special forces stormed the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassador's body and would not allow him to be treated, Hurriyet reported.



CNN Turk said medical records on the treatment of the ambassador showed 11 shots were fired and nine were on target.



In a video message to the nation on Monday evening, Erdogan said Altintas had graduated from a police school before joining the riot police.



Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the street where the Russian embassy is located would be named after the ambassador.



The gallery where the shooting occurred is opposite the U.S. embassy. A gun was fired in front of the embassy overnight and the United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday.



On Tuesday morning a crime scene investigation van was parked outside the gallery and police paced up and down behind a security cordon.
IMF board retains 'full confidence' in Lagarde's leadership

AFP, Washington :

The International Monetary Fund said Monday it retains "full confidence" in Christine Lagarde's ability to continue to lead the organization, despite her conviction for negligence in a French court.

The fund's board met in the wake of the court decision finding her guilty in a 2008 case dating back to her tenure as French finance minister. It took into account all factors including her "outstanding leadership of the Fund and the wide respect and trust for her leadership globally."

"In this context, the Executive Board reaffirms its full confidence in the managing director's ability to continue to effectively carry out her duties," the board said in a statement.

"The Executive Board looks forward to continuing to work with the managing director to address the difficult challenges facing the global economy."

Lagarde told reporters shortly after the IMF statement that while she was not satisfied with the court decision, she would not appeal.

"There comes a point in time when one just has to stop, turn the page, and move on and continue to work with those who have put their trust in me," Lagarde said. "I will put all my energies and enthusiasm into this role." She also thanked the board and IMF staff for their support during a "painful" process.
News in brief

Norway, China restore ties after six years of tension

Christian Science Monitor :

Norway and China have resumed ties after more than six years of tension, Norway's prime minister said on Monday.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg told lawmakers that Norway will restore cooperation with "a major world economy" following years of strained relations stemming from the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision in 2010 to award the peace prize to Liu Xiaobo, a jailed Chinese dissident.



Serbia to get Russian fighter jets

AP, Belgrade :

Serbia said Monday that it will purchase Russian combat jets in a move likely to add to tensions in the Balkans amid Moscow's apparent efforts to prevent the volatile European region from joining Western institutions.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said he will travel to Moscow later this week to sign a deal that will include six MiG-29 fighters, which he says are needed "to protect our freedom and sovereignty."



Truck attack kills 12 in Berlin

AP, Berlin :

Police said Tuesday that the driver who rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in the heart of the German capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50, did so intentionally and that they are investigating a suspected "terror attack." The truck struck the popular Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church late Monday as tourists and locals were enjoying a traditional pre-Christmas evening near Berlin's Zoo station.



Smog chokes Chinese cities

AP, Beijing :

Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, choking China's capital in a haze that spurred authorities to cancel flights and close some highways in emergency measures to cut down on air pollution.

Beijing and much of industrial northern China are in the midst of a "red alert," the highest level in China's four-tiered pollution warning system.


Kvitova attacked by knife-wielding burglar

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was injured after an attack by a knife-wielding burglar at her home in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov, her spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Petra Kvitova was attacked in her flat this morning, it was a random crime, nobody was going to attack or rob her as Petra Kvitova," spokesman Karel Tejkal told AFP.

"She was injured with a knife during the attempted burglary. Her life is not in danger," Tejkal added. The Dnes daily said the 26-year-old world number 11 had cuts on her left hand, in which she holds the racket, after fighting the burglar.
Witness to an assassination

A man, reported by The Associated Press to be the gunman, after the shooting of the Russian Ambassador, on the floor, on Monday at a gallery in Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

AP, Turkey :

The event seemed routine, the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia. So when a man in a dark suit and tie pulled out a gun, I was stunned and thought it was a theatrical flourish.

THE GUNMAN identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas holds up a gun after shooting Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Shouting "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"

Altintas fatally shot Karlov in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibit. Police killed the assailant after a shootout.

It was a coolly calculated assassination, unfolding in front of me and others who scrambled, terrified, for cover as the trim man with short hair gunned down the Russian Ambassador.

The gunshots, at least eight of them, were loud in the pristine art gallery. Pandemonium erupted. People screamed, hid behind columns and under tables and lay on the floor. I was afraid and confused, but found partial cover behind a wall and did my job: taking photographs.

Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici was attending a photo exhibition Monday when the killing of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey took place. He recounts how he captured the chaotic scene with his camera despite the lethal danger.

The exhibition, titled "From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, from the eyes of travelers" featured photos from Russia's westernmost Baltic region to the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the east. I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the Ankara office.

The gunshots came in quick succession. The ambassador's body lay on the floor, just meters (yards) away from me. I couldn't see any blood around him; I think he may have been shot in the back.

It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened: A man had died in front of me; a life had disappeared before my eyes.

I moved back and to the left, while the gunman - later identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas - gestured with his gun at people cowering on the right side of the room.

At first, I couldn't figure out what had motivated the shooter. I thought he might be a Chechen militant. But people later said he was shouting about the Syrian city of Aleppo.

So he was probably angry about Russian bombardments of Aleppo that were aimed at driving out anti-government rebels. Many civilians have been killed in the fighting.

He also shouted "Allahu Akbar," but I couldn't understand the rest of what he said in Arabic.

The gunman was agitated. He walked around the ambassador's body, smashing some of the photos hanging on the wall.

I was, of course, fearful and knew of the danger if the gunman turned toward me. But I advanced a little and photographed the man as he hectored his desperate, captive audience.

This is what I was thinking: "I'm here. Even if I get hit and injured, or killed, I'm a journalist. I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos. ... But I wouldn't have a proper answer if people later ask me: 'Why didn't you take pictures?'"

I even thought about friends and colleagues who have died while taking photographs in conflict zones over the years.

As my mind raced, I saw that the man was agitated - and yet, he was, strangely, in control of himself. He shouted at everyone to stand back. Security guards ordered us to vacate the hall and we left.

Ambulances and armored vehicles soon arrived and the police operation was launched. The gunman was later killed in a shootout. When I returned to the office to edit my photos, I was shocked to see that the shooter was actually standing behind the ambassador as he spoke. Like a friend, or a bodyguard.
Arrested man charge sheeted

Court Correspondent :

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) on Tuesday submitted the charge sheet in the case filed in connection with the sexual assault of women on the Dhaka University campus during the celebration of Pahela Boishakh, the first day of Bangla month in 2015.

PBI Inspector Abdur Razzak submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka against the lone accused of the case, Md Kamal Hossain.

A group of youths sexually assaulted several women on April 14, 2015, during the

Pahela Boishakh celebration near the main entrance of the Suhrawardy Udyan, adjacent to the TSC of the Dhaka University.

The case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station in the city against a number of unnamed persons. Later, detectives identified eight of the accused, scrutinising the concerned CCTV footage and arrested Kamal in connection with the incident. During preliminary interrogation, Kamal confessed his involvement in the incident.
NCC polls tomorrow

Police to open fire if chaos created, warns DIG: 137 polling centres out of 174 risky, says RO

Staff Reporter :

All eyes are fixed on the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) that goes to polls tomorrow (Thursday) amid tight security, as the election is a prestige issue for both the ruling Awami League (AL)

and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The Election Commission (EC) has completed all necessary preparations to hold the polls in a free, fair and credible manner, EC sources said.

For the first time, the NCC elections are going to be held under the party symbols. Though seven candidates are contesting the polls, AL-backed Selina Hayat Ivy and BNP-backed Shakhawat Hossain Khan are in the limelight of the election race.

Meanwhile, all election campaigns, possessions and meetings have been banned from Tuesday midnight.

Movement of all types of vehicles will be restricted from today (Wednesday) midnight. But the vehicles of the candidates, agents and election observers can move after getting permission from the Returning Officer.

Besides, all outsiders have been asked to leave the NCC area within Tuesday midnight. The NCC authority also prohibited to carry any legal weapons in the area from Monday to December 25, According to the Returning Officer.

Voting will begin at 8:00am and continue till 4:00pm without any break.

The NCC polls will be held to elect a Mayor, 27 ward councillors for general and nine other reserved seats. Seven candidates are contesting for Mayor post while 156 for general Councillors and 38 other for reserved Councillor posts.

Dhaka Range DIG of Police Mahfuzul Hoque Nuruzzaman on Tuesday said orders to open fire have been given to the law enforcers if anyone tries to create chaos in the polling centres.

The senior police official made the remark while answering queries of journalists after briefing members of police who were deployed to maintain law and order in the NCC polls. The briefing was organised at Masdair Police Line in the city on Tuesday noon.

Nuruzzaman said the law is in place to open fire in protecting lives and properties of the people.

"The law enforcers will open fire if any body tries to capture polling centres and snatch ballot boxes. If members of police do not open fire, actions would be taken against the concerned police member," he said.

The DIG said about 9,500 members of law enforcing agencies have been deployed in the NCC polls.

Citing an intelligence report, Returning Officer Md Nuruzzaman Talukdar said 137 polling centres out of 174 are risky. The report alerts local musclemen can try to use their muscle power in these centres.

AL-backed mayor candidate Selina Hayat Ivy is confident about her reelection as she thinks people will gracefully evaluate 'huge development' activities she carried out in the last five years in the city.

On the other hand, BNP-supported mayor contestant Shakhawat Hossain Khan is very much confident of a better show as he thinks people will air their genuine grievances against the current regime through ballot.

However, the BNP contender is in serious apprehension of manipulation of the results.

Meanwhile, candidates were busy conducting campaigns yesterday, with voting due on the day after tomorrow.

Selina Hayat Ivy and Shakhawat Hossain Khan were among the Mayoral and councillor hopefuls who campaigned in full-swing in the city.

They were accompanied by volunteers and supporters who chanted slogans using loudspeakers to woo voters, reports our Narayanganj Correspondent.

Over 4.79 lakh voters are expected to cast their ballots to elect a City Mayor, 27 Ward Councillors and nine women Councillors (reserved seats). The first election to the NCC was held on October 30, 2011, when Ivy won, defeating the ruling AL-backed candidate, Shamim Osman.

As all eyes are on NCC polls, the Mayoral aspirants were busy with non-stop campaigns for the last few days. Central leaders of both AL and BNP are still on the field to assist their candidate of choice. The central leaders traveled to Narayanganj everyday to carry out mass contact programme.

Jatiya Party on Monday formally extended its support for AL-nominated mayor candidate Selina Hayat Ivy in the NCC polls.

Meanwhile, the authorities on Monday deployed the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to maintain law and order in Narayanganj during election to help ensure free and fair polls.

The paramilitary force was deployed three days ahead of the polls.

A total of 22 platoons of BGB will be on duty as the striking force for the NCC polls," said Returning Officer Nuruzzaman Talukdar

He said of the 22 platoons, seven platoons would be on duty in Siddirganj, five platoons in Bandar and the rest of the BGB members would be on duty in Sadar.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said the election will be fair.

"Our Prime Minister has ordered holding fair election so that the residents of Narayanganj can elect the candidate of their choice," said Obaidul Quader while briefing reporters at the Secretariat.

He also observed that the AL-backed candidate and incumbent mayor Ivy Rahman will win if a free and fair election is ensured.

"There's political dispute, but Shamim Osman is assisting Ivy in his political campaign," he added.

BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan on Tuesday urged the EC to take all necessary measures to ensure a free, fair and credible election.

"We told the Election Commission to create a congenial atmosphere in Narayanganj City Corporation area so that people can cast their votes in a peaceful manner," he told journalists after meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed.

He again demanded army deployment during the voting day.

Earlier in the day, BNP leaders met the CEC and placed the demand before him at the EC Secretariat at Agargaon in Dhaka.
Electoral College confirms Trumps win

AFP, Washington :

America's Electoral College on Monday confirmed Donald Trump's election as the 45th president of the United States, unswayed by a desperate bid by die-hard opponents to bar the Republican's path to the White House.

Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official according to US media, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on January 20.

"We did it!" the 70-year-old billionaire tweeted after the results came in. "Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)."

In a statement released by his team, the president-elect welcomed the "overwhelming vote" in his favor, while reaching out to the Democrats who sought against the odds to block him. "With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," he said. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans."

Under normal circumstances, the college vote is a little-watched, rubber stamp formality in which electors-most of them party members-officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state. This time, however, the divisive nature of the campaign, Trump's provocative personality, and Clinton's lead of nearly three million votes in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

The Electoral College vote works like this: when US voters cast ballots on November 8, they did not directly elect the president but rather 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality.

Trump won a clear majority of those electors: 306. Democratic activists casting the Republican as a threat to the nation staged a vocal, weeks-long campaign urging electors to break ranks and refuse to vote for him. To bar Trump's road to the White House, they needed to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon their candidate. The odds of that happening were considered next to none. According to a New York Times tally, a total of seven so-called "faithless" electors defected for someone else than their party's nominee, the biggest number ever.

In Washington state, three of the state's 12 electoral votes went to former Republican secretary of state Colin Powell and a fourth went to Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American leader who helped block the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. An elector in Hawaii cast a vote for Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton's opponent in the Democratic primaries. Two Texas Republican electors defected, one voting for former representative Ron Paul and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich.


Why gas tariff hike again?

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Consumers are being forced to pay gas bill no matter gas burners turn dry most of the times in a day in wake of depleting gas reserve in the country.

Sources said an acute gas crisis has already gripped Dhaka city and its adjacent area creating immense sufferings to both household and commercial consumers.

A dip in temperature has aggravated the situation further.

When such a situation is prevailing, the government is once again going to hike gas tariff creating much discontent to consumers and rights groups.

Earlier, the country's energy regulator said that the new gas rates will come to an effect from the very first day of New Year.

"The government has no moral and legal moorings to increase the gas price again when it fails to ensure uninterrupted

supply of gas for both household and industrial use," Dr Shamsul Alam, Energy Adviser to the Consumer Rights Association of Bangladesh (CAB) told The New Nation yesterday.

He said gas price was doubled last year and the government is going to doubling the prices again. "We find no reason why gas rates should be raised when the companies are making hefty profit every year". Their profit stood at Tk 1000 crore last. They may not incur losses even after paying enhanced salaries to their staff this year. So, I find no justification of fresh gas price hike on the ground of salary enhancement.

Dr Shamsul Alam said the government has perceived a faulty energy policy which forced it to increase energy prices time and again. The government policy has broken the back of the common man pushing them into sufferings.

"Still we are paying bills despite irregular supply of gas. My house remains out of gas supply for about seven to eight hours for the last few months creating various problems in our household living," Jasmine Khan, a resident of the city's Sankar area, told The New Nation yesterday.

She added that gas supply of her area has been woefully low between 8 am and 3 pm every day for the last few months.

"The government is going to hike gas price at a time when the flow of gas has dimmed apparently drying the cooking burners. This is arbitrary and utter violation of consumers' rights. The government can increase the tariff only after ensuring the supply of gas. Otherwise, it should abandon the move," said Jasmine Khan.

Justifying the gas price hike, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told The New Nation yesterday that a small segment of privileged people in some cities only use this natural gas, and they deserve a raise.

"The common people don't use piped gas-they use LPG. Only well-off section of people consumes natural gas," he added. Gas crisis has been reported in various areas of Dhaka city including Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Tejgaon, Jatrabari, Shewrapara, Kafrul, East Rajabazar, Mirpur, Pallabi, Kazipara, Taltola, Shyamoli, Khilgaon, Malibag and Rampura.

Admitting the matter, a senior Titas Gas official told The New Nation on Tuesday that a large part of capital Dhaka city and its nearby areas are now in the grip of a severe gas crisis as a result of supply shortage created from dwindling reserve and illegal gas connections.
ANKARA -- Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot and killed on Monday at an art exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

The gunman, who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo," was identified as a Turkish off-duty police officer, according to Turkish security sources.

The Yeni Safak daily said on its website that the attacker, named as M.M.A., worked with anti-riot police in Ankara.

Karlov was shot in the back while making a speech at a painting exhibition in the Turkish capital, the Russian embassy said.

Three other wounded people were taken to Guven Hospital in central Ankara.

Witnesses said attendants at the exhibit ran away after the attacker opened fire.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the ambassador was killed in the attack.

The attack came one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.
All novice!

The man who went for final check-up had no license

Sagar Biswas :

The man, who was assigned to conduct final checkup before taking off the VVIP aircraft Boeing-777 Ranga Pravat carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Hungarian capital Budapest, had no license.

Not only that, according to the investigation committee reports, constituted following the emergency landing of PM's plane at Ashgabat international airport in Turkmenistan on November 27, most of the Chief Engineers of the Biman have come from Mechanical Engineering background. None of them have got education in Aeronautical Engineering.

"We're stunned getting investigation reports with the above findings.

Though unbelievable, some of the Biman's Chief Engineers were made from loaders," the Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said on Tuesday.

He said: "All the three investigation committees constituted by Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh [CAAB] and Bangladesh Bimam have submitted their reports to the ministry. Their reports have categorically identified ''man-made-fault" for the technical problem in the VVIP flight." Sources close to the ministry said that the Biman authority was taking preparations to file the case with the concerned police station accusing around 50 persons, including nine suspended engineers, in line with the investigation report, till the time of filing this report at 7:30 pm yesterday.

Earlier in the day, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Biman's managing board member Barrister Tanjib-ul- Alam, Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Secretary SA Golam Faruk, Managing Director of Biman Mosaddeq Ahmed along with officials of legal section finalsied the draft of the case, the sources said.

The decision of filing criminal case was confirmed after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave clearance after attending the cabinet meeting on Monday. The PM at that time sat with Menon and Secretary SM Golam Faruk where PMO Chief Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser and PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum were also present, the sources added.

When asked about filing of the case, Menon said: "The case will be filed against the suspected persons [identified in the probe reports] by the Biman authority at any time. Besides, several others, who were not suspended, will be implicated in the case. Barrister Tanjib-ul- Alam will lead the case."

Meanwhile, the government high-ups have expressed severe discontent when a junior technical officer of Biman was suspended for an alleged sabotage act in another VVIP flight Boeing 737 carrying President Abdul Hamid from Singapore to Dhaka on December 11. President went to Singapore for medical check-up on December 6. According to the media report, the junior technical officer was caught by the President's security staff when he was trying to clean an engine-bed with chemical-mixed water, which might cause fire in the aircraft. The Biman officials at first tried to suppress the matter, but now they are compelled to initiate an investigation into the incident. The accused official has been suspended in connection with the sabotage act, sources said.

As per aviation experts, the engine or engine-bed must be washed with clean water, where inflammable liquid is forbidden. When asked about the "suspicious activities" in the President carrying aircraft, the Minister said: "We're yet to get any report about it. At present, we don't know anything."


15,000 flee into China as Myanmar army battles ethnic rebels

Reuters, Yangon :

Up to 15,000 people may have fled across Myanmar's border into China in the past month, a United Nations agency has said, as fighting between Myanmar's army and ethnic armed groups intensifies.

Aid access to people affected by conflict in the northern states of Kachin and Shan "is getting worse, not better", Pierre Peron, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, said by email.

The OCHA said in an update on Monday that, as well as the estimated 15,000 new

refugees, another 2,400 people had been displaced internally in the northern part of Shan state since Nov. 20, when a coalition of four rebel armies attacked military and police outposts.

The attacks disrupted trade across the border and China has expressed concern over stray shells and bullets landing in its territory. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not immediately have any details about refugee numbers, but repeated a call for talks to resolve the fighting and ensure peace and stability on the border.

Weeks of clashes and the new displacements have damaged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's hopes of securing peace in the long-running conflicts in the mountainous border areas, a goal she has made her administration's top priority.

Observers fear Suu Kyi's fledgling civilian administration is unable to rein in the army, which retains political power and is free from civilian oversight.

"Humanitarian access to conflict areas in Kachin and Shan states is currently worse than at any point in the past few years," Peron said. "This has seriously affected the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide life-saving aid to tens of thousands of (internally displaced) and other conflict-affected people."

Work by international aid agencies has also been restricted in Myanmar's northwest for more than two months. Government forces launched "clearance operations" there after armed men, believed to be from the oppressed Rohingya Muslim group, attacked border police. The army said it would step up operations in Shan state following the November attacks. A Myanmar police official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, told Reuters that government forces had clashed with armed groups in northern Shan at least 170 times in the past month. In a separate offensive to the north, government forces took control of a strategic hill close to the Kachin Independence Army's headquarters at Laiza on the Chinese border on Saturday, according to state media. Shells reportedly landed near a camp for the internally displaced just outside Laiza on Sunday, the OCHA said, citing unconfirmed reports that it could not verify independently.

No casualties were reported but shelters were damaged and about 400 people had to be evacuated, it said.

A Myanmar government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
British co to build Dhaka-Payra Rly line

Tk 60,000 cr deal signed

Staff Reporter :

British company DP Rail will invest TK 60,000 crore to build the 240-kilometer long Dhaka-Payra rail line. The work of the project is expected to be completed by 2024.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard by the Bangladesh Railway (BR) and London based DP Rail on Tuesday at the Ministry of Railways in the capital.

Under the MoU, the investment of British firm will be the biggest ever Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for Bangladesh. All activities like design, finance, operation and maintenance related to the building of the Rail line will be controlled by the company.

Railways Minister Md. Mujibul Haque,

UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Bangladesh Rushanara Ali, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake and Chief Executive of DP Rail Ian Derbyshire witnessed the signing ceremony.

"The Rail line, biggest ever project in the country's Railway sector, will play an important role in generating more revenue by facilitating transportation of goods to and from the deep-sea port," Mujibul Haque said. Besides, he said, it would for the first time a link between the Barisal divisional headquarters and the rest of the country. Rushanara Ali, MP, said, this is a project of vital national importance to Bangladesh. She welcomed the fact that this project has been proposed as a "best of British" railway, representing a substantial export opportunity for the UK railway supply chain.

"I am looking forward to seeing the benefits that this project will bring to the people and businesses of Dhaka and Bangladesh in general," she said. Alison Blake called the MoU a great example of British business expertise supporting the development of Bangladesh's infrastructure and future economic development. DP Rail is working with China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Ltd as its principal Civil Engineering contractor.

The new Railway forms a vital part of the Payra Port project, which is designed to provide a new deep water port at the top end of the Bay of Bengal, capable of handling large container ships of 8,000 containers capacity or 120,000 tonnes of cargo.

DP Rail expects the freight train service to start, prospectively, in 2024 and, in the first full year of operation is projected to handle approximately two million TEU with frequent daily trains running at 100 kilometers per hour, and with volumes rising to almost four millions TEU per year by 2030. Container trains will be around one km in length. Additional trains will convey coal and other bulk products.

For the country's readymade garment sector, the Railway will be the high capacity trading route to the sea and its customers around the world.
2 suspected JMB men held in city

Two JMB activists belongs to Sarwar-Tamim group were arrested by RAB-4 with some local weapons and Jehadi books from city\'s Pallabi area on Tuesday.

Staff Reporter :

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a drive detained two suspected members of a new faction of banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from the city's Pallabi on Tuesday.

The arrested activists were identified as Atiqur Rahman alias Milon son of Abul Kashem, from Nilphamari district and Khademul Islam alias Gajoatul, 28, son of Ismail Mir from Barisal district.

They also seized lethal weapons, leaflets, money

in cash and some Jihadi books, RAB official said. RAB-4 Special Company Commander Mostofa Kamal said, "Acting on a tip-off, the elite force raided Lalmatia in Pallabi area at night and arrested them with five inciting books, leaflets and four sharp weapons."

Of them, Khadem was recruited for giving shelter to fresh militants while Milon used to arrange fund for giving shelter to the youths who left homes to join militancy, the elite force official said.

They were motivated by Sarwar alias Abdur Rahman alias Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif and Tamim Chowdhury, he said.

Earlier, RAB claimed that Sarwar alias Abdur Rahman alias Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif and Gulshan attack mastermind Tamim belonged to the New JMB.

Sarwar sustained injuries after jumping from a five-storied building in Ashulia in the face of a RAB raid to escape arrest on October 8. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Savar the same day.

Tamim was killed in a drive at a militants' den in Paikpara area of Narayanganj town on August 27.
Posting of 10,000 nurses soon

BSS, Dhaka :

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim yesterday called upon the nurses to serve patients as their family members for upholding professional commitment.

"You (nurses) will take care of patients in the hospitals considering them as your parents, brother or sister. You should devote in the profession with utmost sincerity," he told a rally of newly appointed nurses at different hospitals at Krishibid Institution here. The minister said posting of newly recruited 10,000 nurses in the month of victory is a gift from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"The government has been working relentlessly to reach the health services to

the doorsteps of people. So, you (nurses) must serve the patients with deep patriotism and devotion," he added. Describing serving people as the prime duty of nurses, Nasim said they (nurses) should not show any negligence as the salary and allowances they get comes from the common people. The minister hoped Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina will come to power again winning the next general election in 2019.

"If Sheikh Hasina gets the chance again to govern the country, Bangladesh will stand before the world as a role model in the field of healthcare.


Plan to form Board for primary edn

M M Jasim :

The government is going to form Primary and Mass Education Board with a view to ensuring cent percent literacy and monitoring the primary education properly in the country.

Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman Fizar asked the officials concerned to prepare a draft in this regard.

The Ministry officials said, the Ministry has been thinking to form a separate board like the other education boards to run its activities smoothly.

The issue also was discussed in many meetings. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has already recommended the Ministry to form a new Board. It also suggested building a separate printing press like National Curriculum and Textbook Board's printing press.

The committee asked to ensure quality primary education making the trainers and teachers skilled through trainings and research activities.

"It will be good if the ministry sends the pre-primary and primary books for 2017 academic session in time," it said.

The Standing Committee also recommended implementing the primary education up to Class-VIII following the National Education Policy-2010.

Ali Azam Mukul MP, a member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Primary and Mass Education told The New Nation on Tuesday evening that the participation in primary education is increasing day by day. The Primary and Mass Education Ministry has to oversee all the functions of the primary education. But there is no board.

"The Standing Committee on Ministry of Primary and Mass Education feels that one or several boards are needed to accelerate the primary education. It is totally impossible to monitor all the activities including examination related jobs for the ministry only. That is why we recommended to form a board," Mukul said.

There are 78,126 primary schools in Bangladesh, serving 17.6 million children. Primary education is free and compulsory for children aged 6-10 years.


Misleading WB Doing Business Report

Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram :



The World Bank's Doing Business Report 2017, subtitled 'Equal Opportunity for All', continues to mislead despite the many criticisms, including from within, levelled against the Bank's most widely read publication, and Bank management promises of reform for many years.

Its Foreword claims, "Evidence from 175 economies reveals that economies with more stringent entry regulations often experience higher levels of income inequality as measured by the Gini index."

But what is the evidence base for its strong claims, e.g., that "economies with more business-friendly regulations tend to have lower levels of income inequality"?

Closer examination suggests that the "evidence" is actually quite weak, and heavily influenced by countries closer to the 'frontier', mainly developed countries, most of which have long introduced egalitarian redistributive reforms reflected in taxation, employment and social welfare measures, and where inequality remains lower than in many developing countries.

The report notes that relations between DB scores and inequality 'differ by regulatory area'. But it only mentions two, for 'starting a business' and for 'resolving insolvency'. For both, higher DB scores are associated with less inequality, but has nothing to say on other DB indicators.

Other studies - by the OECD, IMF, ADB and the United Nations - negatively correlate inequality and the tax/GDP ratio. Higher taxes enable governments to spend more on public health, education and social protection, and are associated with higher government social expenditure/GDP ratios and lower inequality.

The DBR's total tax rate indicator awards the highest scores to countries with the lowest tax rates and other contributions (such as for social security) required of businesses.

Bias

The DBR's bias to deregulation is very clear. First, despite the weak empirical evidence and the fallacy of claiming causation from mere association, it makes a strong general claim that less regulation reduces inequality. Second, in its selective reporting, the DBR fails to report on many correlations not convenient for its purpose, namely advocacy of particular policies in line with its own ideology.

The World Bank had suspended the DBR's labour indicator in 2009 after objections - by labour, governments and the ILO - to its deployment to pressure countries to weaken worker protections.

But its push for labour market deregulation continues. For example, Tanzania's score is cut in 2017 for introducing a workers' compensation tariff to be paid by employers while Malta is penalized for increasing the maximum social security contribution to be paid by employers.

New Zealand beat Singapore to take first place in the latest DBR rankings following reforms reducing employers' contributions to worker accident compensation. Nothing is said about how it has become a prime location for 'money-laundering' 'shell' companies.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Belarus, Serbia, Georgia, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain - eight of DB 2017's 'top 10 improvers'-have recorded poor and, in some cases, worsening workers' rights, according to the International Trade Union Confederation.

A DBR 2017 annex claims that labour market regulation can 'reduce the risk of job loss and support equity and social cohesion', but devotes far more space to promoting fixed term contracts with minimal benefits and severance pay requirements.

In support of its claim of adverse impacts of labour regulations, DBR 2017 cites three World Bank studies from several years ago.

Incredibly, it does not mention the extensive review of empirical studies in the Bank's more recent flagship World Development Report 2013: Jobs, which found that "most estimates of the impacts [of labour regulations] on employment levels tend to be insignificant or modest".

DBR 2017 adds gender components to its three indicator sets - starting a business, registering property and enforcing contracts - concluding: "For the most part, the formal regulatory environment as measured by Doing Business does not differentiate procedures according to the gender of the business owner.

The addition of gender components to three separate indicators has a small impact on each of them and therefore a small impact overall".

Should anyone be surprised by the DBR's conclusion? It ignores the fact that the policies promoted by the Bank especially adversely affect women workers who tend to be concentrated in the lowest paid, least unionized jobs, e.g., in garments and apparel production or electronics assembly. The DBR also discourages regulations improving working conditions, e.g., for equal pay and maternity benefits.

Despite its ostensible commitment to 'equal opportunities for all', the DBR cannot conceal its intent and bias, giving higher scores to countries that favour corporate profits over citizens', especially workers' interests, and national efforts to achieve sustainable development.

Sadly, many developing country governments still bend over backwards to impress the World Bank with reforms to improve their DBR rankings.

This obsession with performing well in the Bank's 'beauty contest' has taken a heavy toll on workers, farmers and the world's poor - the majority of whom are women - who bear the burden of DBR-induced reforms, despite its proclaimed concerns for inequality, gender equity and 'equal opportunities for all'.



(Anis Chowdhury, a former professor of economics at the University of Western Sydney, held senior United Nations positions during 2008-2015 in New York and Bangkok. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a former economics professor, was United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, and received the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought in 2007).


Daunting challenges for garment workers

GARMENT workers face daunting challenges to unionization, and remain at risk of interference and threats by factories three years after the Rana Plaza building collapse, Human Rights Watch mentioned in its recent report on labour rights situation in Bangladesh. The report mentioned that the Bangladesh government should urgently remove legal and practical obstacles to unionization.

The April 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse killed 1,100 garment workers and injured many others. In July 2013 the Bangladesh government committed to a Sustainability Compact with the European Union, pledging to reform labour laws. Yet its laws and rules governing labour rights and Export Processing Zones still have rigid union restrictions, in violation of International Law.

None of the factory workers in the Rana Plaza collapse belonged to trade unions. If they did, they would probably still be alive as they would have the power to resist their employers who forced them to work in a building in which large cracks appeared. Similarly the workers who died in the Tazreen Fashions fire would have been more powerful and perhaps still alive as they were forced to work in the factory even when the fires were already threatening the factory.

Only about 10 percent of Bangladesh's more than 4,500 garment factories have registered unions. While many factory workers have tried to form unions, government authorities have frequently rejected applications. Bangladesh labour laws and procedures pose formidable barriers to founding and operating a union. The labour law requires an unreasonably high 30 percent of workers in a factory to agree to form a union and mandates excessive registration procedures. The government has vaguely defined powers to cancel a union's registration.

Factories also threaten and attack unions and their members with impunity. Human Rights Watch has documented cases of physical assault, intimidation and threats, dismissal of union leaders, and false criminal complaints by factory officials or their associates against garment workers. The Bangladesh authorities have failed to hold factory officials accountable for attacks, threats, and retaliation against workers involved with unions.

Instead of streamlining registration procedures, the Bangladesh government issued Labour Rules in September 2015 making the registration procedure more burdensome. The situation in Export Processing Zones is even worse. The law governing these zones does not allow workers to form unions. They can only form "Worker Welfare Associations," which, by restricting the type of organization that the workers can join, fail to meet international standards on freedom of association.

It is apparent that some sort of an organsiation is needed which will protect the rights of the workers. Assuming all employers to be benevolent angels is not a good idea-as Rana Plaza and Tazreen have aptly demonstrated. However a union which is too powerful and becomes politically active is also not a good idea. We need an organisation which will stay true to the idea of protecting workers' rights without becoming politically active or creating chaos.This must occur for workers to actually feel powerful enough to have a say in their own workplaces so that future Rana Plaza incidents are averted and no further lives are lost.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has taken a round of political blows recently, watching favored candidates lose their elections, a judge reject his LGBT-rights executive order and House leaders thwart his budget cut plans.

The recent, repeated hits are not the most uplifting way for the Democratic governor to end his first year in office, reminding him that Republicans remain firmly entrenched as the dominant force in his home state.

Of Edwards' handful of endorsements in the November primary and December runoff elections, the governor saw only one win office: former state Sen. Sharon Weston Broome was elected Baton Rouge's newest mayor.

The governor's picks for U.S. Senate, the northwest Louisiana-based 4th Congressional District and a Public Service Commission seat were defeated in their elections, suggesting Edwards' coattails are short.

One of his chief critics, Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy, is heading to Washington as Louisiana's newly elected senator, a role where Edwards might need to deal with him more directly and where Kennedy has an even more prominent megaphone to challenge him.

The state GOP claims the recent election cycle proves Edwards' win last year was a "fluke." It will take until the 2019 governor's election to determine whether that's true. For now, Edwards' approval ratings are high, above 60 percent in a recent poll, even if support for him doesn't shift to his other picks for elected office.

One man considered a possible opponent for Edwards in that next governor's race, Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry, just lodged a significant win in his continuing disputes with the governor.

A state judge Wednesday agreed with Landry that Edwards violated Louisiana's constitutional separation of powers when the governor issued an executive order banning discrimination in government and state contracts based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Louisiana lawmakers have refused to add such language in state law.

Judge Todd Hernandez blocked Edwards' order, in response to Landry's lawsuit.

Hernandez also upheld the right of the attorney general's office to use its discretion in approving legal services contracts, dozens of which Landry has blocked because they contain the anti-discrimination language.

And the judge refused Edwards' request to declare the governor has a superior role to the attorney general in "legal matters involving the interest of the state." Hernandez did say Louisiana's constitution generally appears to give the governor's office a superior role over the attorney general's office, but that declaration is far short of what Edwards sought.

Edwards plans to appeal the ruling, saying: "We continue to believe that discrimination is not a Louisiana value."

With the win, Landry got to declare he was helping to uphold Louisiana's systems of checks and balances  and to frame his victory as similar to those that Republicans have lodged against executive orders issued by President Barack Obama.

"Courts have struck down his actions, noting the president cannot simply sidestep the people's elected representatives in Congress," Landry said in a statement. "Now, John Bel Edwards is using the same Washington-style politics and games here in Louisiana."

Meanwhile, Edwards' sparring with House Republican leaders saw the governor blocked in his latest budget-rebalancing efforts.

Though economists and lawmakers know the state's tax collections are coming in lower than expected, Louisiana's income-forecasting panel refused Tuesday to officially shrink its forecast, a delay pushed by House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia.

A downgrade would have required the governor and lawmakers to make deep cuts and budget-rebalancing decisions within a month. But House lawmakers are worried they'll get jammed by the administration on cut decisions and want more time to negotiate.

Edwards' chief budget adviser, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne, called the postponement irresponsible, ignoring the need for millions in cuts to keep the budget balanced. Barras said it gives the state more time to collect tax data and lawmakers more time to comb through cut scenarios.

It also gives the House more leverage in decision-making with the governor  and it drives home once more that Edwards' power only extends so far in a state whose politics favor Republicans.
John Lehet by MJ



Please put aside a little of the money you get for Christmas or Hanukkah for our Winter-quarter print offer!

I've been living with all of the proof prints for six days now, and it took John (the photographer) and me four days to sift through the possibilities and make a decisionhe sent many variations of several prints on many papers, which were virtually all "good but different." After considering many options, we went in the direction of simplicity and purity: we'll be offering only one image at one size on one type of paper. A rather radical choice in certain ways, as you will see.

Vermont photographer John Lehet would never say this about himself, I'm almost sure, but, knowing him, I feel comfortable saying that photographic prints in his case are just the visual manifestations of his spiritual voyagehe's a longtime Buddhist who has been deeply involved in meditation practice for many years*. Accepting his work this way opens it up for me.

John is deeply into process, which I would define as the methods used to sort, clarify, and redact one's work into final form, and we'll talk about thatJohn is unusually insightful on that subject. The equipment he used will be fun to discuss, too.

Although of the highest possible quality in every way, the Winter Print will not be expensive, either.

That's all I'll say for now. We will offer four single prints in 2017, all by different master printmakersone during each of the four seasons**. As for John's photograph, we won't decide on the date of the "reveal" until after Christmas, but it will be in the first few days of January.

Mike

*When I asked him if it was okay if I said this, he said yes, but added a paragraph explaining with uncommon thoughtfulness why he doesn't care for the word "spiritual." I should see if I can get him to write a short post about meditationthat would be very interesting.



**Also, I'm discussing bargain photo book sales with other publishers, too. More fun in the New Year.

Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

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MARION  The states licensing arm has filed an amended complaint against a doctor who operates a clinic in Marion that advertises it is sympathetic to patients seeking access to medical marijuana.

The amended complaint comes three months after the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation issued a subpoena for Dr. Bodo Schneider's prescription monitoring program records, and eight months after he was interviewed by federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials, according to state records.

The amended complaint filed on Dec. 13 alleges that Schneider had 10 patients on embarrassingly high opioids during the period that was reviewed. It additionally alleges he failed to conduct proper examinations and follow proper testing and monitoring protocols for patients to whom he prescribed pain medications.

The medications that are the subject of the complaint carry high risks for addiction and dependence, the complaint states.

The original state complaint against Schneider was filed June 29, 2015. The original one-count complaint alleged Schneider inappropriately certified patients for the states medical marijuana pilot program because he failed to establish a bona fide physician-patient relationship.

It also accused him of taking a fee from patients for "pre-certification for medical marijuana without conducting physical examinations in violation of the Illinois Medical Cannabis Act. The act states that a physician may not accept payment from a patient associated with the examination required prior to certifying a qualifying patient for the program, according to the complaint.

The original complaint states that during the period reviewed, Schneider saw about 250 patients, and 200 of them sought help in qualifying for medical marijuana. Schneider told about 80 percent to 85 percent of the patients he saw that they qualified for medical marijuana, the complaint states.

Schneider denies wrongdoing

In making its complaint, the state is seeking to suspend, revoke or otherwise discipline Schneiders medical license. A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for March 7 before the agencys administrative law judge in Chicago. The law judges decision will be reviewed by Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board, with the final decision resting with the state director of the Department of Professional Regulation.

The departments complaint is not a criminal charge; it deals strictly with his ability to practice medicine. In a brief interview Friday, Schneider said that the states claims against him are baseless.

I feel that the charges are totally unfounded and I will be mounting a vigorous defense, Schneider said. Schneider said that to his knowledge there is no open investigation into his practice by the DEA.

If what I was doing was so egregious and harmful dont you think the DEA would shut me down? Schneider said. Schneider said he is continuing to see patients at his Marion clinic, Pied Pfeifer Compassionate Care Clinic. He also operates a clinic in Orland Park under the same name.

Since the original complaint was filed, Schneider has maintained that he has practiced within the confines of the law as it relates to qualifying patients for medical marijuana by first establishing a patient-physician relationship. He has defended his cash-only clinic as fulfilling a need in Southern Illinois. Without his clinic, regional patients seeking to access medical marijuana would be at an even further disadvantage compared to their northern counterparts, he has said.

The regions major medical groups  Southern Illinois Healthcare, the SIU School of Medicine and Heartland Regional Medical Center  have instructed their physicians not to participate in certifying patients with qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. In doing so, they have cited legal uncertainty given the fact that marijuana, including for medicinal purposes, continues to be classified as an illegal substance at the federal level.

Count II

Count II of the amended complaint against Schneider is about his treatment of a patient referred to as T.N., to whom Schneider provided care between March 2014 and May 2015.

The complaint alleges that Schneider wrote multiple prescriptions for patient T.N. for Norco  on several occasions for 90 tablets, and once for 180 tablets  while failing to perform adequate physical examinations on at least some occasions, to consider the patients history of mental illness, and to take into account that the patient had obtained multiple benzodiazepines from another healthcare provider. Norco is a Schedule II drug that contains hydrocodone, a pain medication that carries a high risk for addiction and dependence.

The complaint additionally alleges that Schneider failed to obtain any diagnostic tests to confirm the patients clinical diagnoses related to T.N.s complaints of pain, and failed to obtain any drug screens to verify the patients compliance with the doctors medication management plan.

Count III

Count III of the complaint is about Schneiders treatment of a patient known as D.M. The patient was in Schneiders care between 2014 and July 2016 and at various times was prescribed combinations of Percocet, Xanax, Dilaudid, Oxycodone and Soma.

The complaint alleges that during various visits, Schneider prescribed the patient pain and anti-anxiety medications while failing to obtain any diagnostic tests to confirm the patients diagnoses and to obtain any drug screens to verify patients compliance with the physicians medication management plan. Further, the complaint states Schneider failed to obtain the patient D.M.s medical records from other healthcare providers and to conduct adequate physical examinations during visits prior to prescribing pain medications.

The complaint states that Schneider is a registered physician and surgeon in the state of Illinois who spent a large part of his career as an emergency room physician. His license is active. On Dec. 30, 2002, Schneiders license was reprimanded in Illinois for what the state determined was failure to properly treat a diabetic patient in a timely fashion resulting in death.

In August 2005, the Florida Board of Medicine revoked Schneiders license for failure to pay a fine related to a previous reprimand of his license. He was previously reprimanded in that state for failing to note his previous Illinois disciplinary action when he applied for his Florida license.

In October 2005, the Virginia Department of Health Professions suspended Schneiders license based on the Florida order. In September 2008, his Illinois license was placed on probation for one year and fined $3,000 based on the Florida order.
MARION  Marion High School is in the initial stages of developing a junior ROTC program for its students in the upcoming year.

Keith Oates, superintendent for Marion Unit 2 Schools, said students attending Marion High School can begin taking a course in the spring for the junior Air Force reserve program. The full JROTC program will begin in the fall of 2017, Oates said.

"It's a very unique opportunity for the Marion School District that we just feel will set our high school apart for incoming families that are looking at Marion and the variety of programs for their children," he said. "And we're excited that this program will hopefully appeal to a lot of our students."

Under the suggestion of Michael Absher, board president of Marion Unit 2 Schools, Oates said the board decided to apply for the program. But, during that time, about three years ago, there was an overpopulation of units in the state.

"He had discussed the idea with me and then the whole board," Oates said. "And so we went ahead and applied for a unit, and at that time it didn't look very promising that we would even have a chance to start a unit.

"From my understanding, when we put in the application and made requests to know more about it they just simply wasn't starting new units in Illinois, apparently at that time it seemed to be overpopulated with units. So we said well we'll just see what happens, and then I think what happened was a few of them shut down in high schools for whatever reason and it opened some unexpected slots."

According to the Air University website, there are 870 Air Force JROTC units with nearly 120,000 cadets in high schools across the U.S., selected Department of Defense dependent schools in Europe and the Pacific region, and public schools in Puerto Rico and Guam.

The curriculum consists of 40 percent aerospace science, 40 percent leadership education and 20 percent in health and wellness, with classroom studies that include the heritage of flight, principles of aircraft flight, development of aerospace power, aerospace vehicles, rocketry and space and technology programs.

Requirements for the program also include employment of two staff members with a military background, one an officer and the other a noncommissioned officer retired within five years of service. The program must meet a quota of 100 cadets within three years of its start date.

At its Dec. 13 meeting, the school board hired Col. Lance Hafeli as the head instructor of MHS' JROTC program, but a vacancy remains open for a retired noncommissioned officer.

"Once we find that person, we should be in good shape to continue the process of starting next fall," Oates said.

Hafeli told The Southern that he is uncertain how many students will be signed up for classes in the JROTC program this spring, but he is looking forward to getting as many as he can enrolled to meet the three-year quota.

"It's exciting," he said. "I spent 27 years in the Air Force serving the country and retired four years ago, and the thought of being able to put my uniform back on and now serve the students of Marion in Southern Illinois is very exciting."
WEST FRANKFORT  Franklin County mayors are looking forward to a lot of growth in 2017.

Building business was a big theme in Sesser and West Frankfort. West Frankfort Mayor Tom Jordan said he has plans to continue developing the 17 acres West Frankfort purchased around their outlet mall. Similarly, he said he has hopes for five new businesses to open by the end of next year.

Jordan and Sesser Mayor Jason Ashmore both said their downtown areas would be a big focus for next year.

Ashmore said he recently helped three businesses secure tax increment financing grants to help rehab five buildings in Sessers downtown. This is part of his big goal for next year.

Our plan is to have every building full of businesses by the end of 2017, Ashmore said.

He knows it is a lofty goal, but he looks forward to working hard to meet it.

Infrastructure is also in the picture for both mayors. Next year, West Frankfort will begin a project to widen and improve drainage on St. Louis Street. Meanwhile, Ashmore is excited to start on a $7 million sewer lagoon project, designed to replace their current system, which is more than 70 years old.

Ashmore is also hopeful that the two recently acquired K-9 units will help with his goal to eliminate drug activity in the city.

Jordan said this type of long-term planning is a key part of being mayor.

When you are the mayor, you have to be able to look five years down the road, he said.

Thinking big picture, Jordan said he hopes to tighten his community.

Id like to strengthen our ties to the local churches, the local clubs, Jordan said.

He said he knows there are times when a lot of work goes into an event that is poorly attended. He hopes to pull community groups together to network better, helping everyone succeed. This type of involvement and cooperation is a defining characteristic of small town life.

Thats what small town USA is about, he said.

Mostly, though, Jordan is proud of his town and wants other people to feel the same. He said he wants people to know that West Frankfort is as good a place as any to settle in.
Three people were injured in a traffic crash at 7:31 a.m. Monday, Dec. 19, in Williamson County, according to a news release from Illinois State Police.

Richard L. Holmes, 46, of Murphysboro was driving eastbound on Illinois 13 east of Briggs Road in his 1998 Chevrolet pickup truck when he slowed down as he approached a traffic signal, the release said.

Dana M. Dunham, 19, of Marion was driving eastbound on Illinois 13 in a 2015 Toyota Avalon. She did not reduce her speed as she approached the traffic signal, and struck the rear of Holmes truck.

Dunham was transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center with major, incapacitating injuries. She was later flown to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Indiana, where she is listed in good condition.

Stewart was transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. Holmes received minor injuries and refused medical treatment at the scene.

Dunham was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

 The Southern
WASHINGTON  The Obama administration on Monday set final rules designed to reduce the environmental impact of coal mining on the nation's streams, a long-anticipated move that met quick resistance from Republicans who vowed to overturn it under President Donald Trump.

The Interior Department said the new rule will protect 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests, preventing debris from coal mining from being dumped into nearby waters. The rule would maintain a buffer zone that blocks coal mining within 100 feet of streams, but would impose stricter guidelines for exceptions to the 100-foot rule.

Interior officials said the rule would cause only modest job losses in coal country, but Republicans and some coal-state Democrats denounced it as a job-killer being imposed during President Barack Obama's final days in office.

Coal already is struggling under steep competition from cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas, as well as regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas pollution that contributes to climate change.

U.S. coal production has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 30 years, and several coal companies have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent months, including three of the country's biggest coal producers, Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal and Peabody Energy.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the rule part of Obama's "eight-year war on coal" that he said has cost jobs and hurt coal miners and their families. He and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said they look forward to working with Trump to provide "relief" to coal communities hard-hit by the industry's downturn.

McConnell said he will introduce a resolution of disapproval under the rarely used Congressional Review Act to overturn the stream-protection rule and vowed to "use every tool available to turn back this regulatory assault on coal country."

Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota also criticized the rule, which can be rejected by a majority vote in Congress.

Manchin called the rule "alarming in its scope and potential impacts" and said he will "pursue legislation to ensure it does not harm our coal mining communities and economies."

Hal Quinn, president of the National Mining Association, called the rule a "post-election midnight regulation" that will hurt "everyday Americans."

Quinn and other opponents said the rule appears to support the environmental movement's "keep it in the ground" efforts to reduce extraction and use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil that contribute to global warming. He argued that locking away coal reserves will put tens of thousands of Americans out of work and raise energy costs for millions of Americans.

The Sierra Club, not surprisingly, disagreed, calling the rule "a long overdue step toward guaranteeing every community in America is protected from the toxic water pollution caused by surface coal mining." The organization said the mining dumps dangerous heavy metals such as mercury, selenium and arsenic into local waterways and "puts the health of families living near coalfields at risk."

An Interior official projected that fewer than 300 jobs would be lost after the regulation takes effect next month.

The rule would require companies to restore streams and return mined areas to conditions similar to those before mining took place. Companies also would have to replant native trees and vegetation.

The administration said the rule updates requirements in place since 1983. The biggest impact will be felt in states such as West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON  There were many protesters but few faithless electors as Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote Monday  ensuring that the billionaire will become America's 45th president.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions. Trump's polarizing victory Nov. 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

Even one of Trump's fiercest Republican rivals, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said it was time to get behind the president-elect.

"We want unity, we want love," Kasich said as Ohio's electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony. Kasich refused to endorse or even vote for Trump in the election.

With several states still voting, Trump had 304 votes and Clinton had 169. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, thousands of protesters converged on state capitols across the country Monday, urging Republican electors to abandon their party's winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvania's capitol, chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!" and "No treason, no Trump!"

In Madison, Wisconsin, protesters shouted, cried and sang "Silent Night." In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said, "Don't let Putin Pick Our President," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite the noise outside state Capitols, inside, the voting went pretty much as planned.

In Nashville, Tennessee, one audience member tried to read out some Scripture before the ballots were cast, but was told he could not speak.

"We certainly appreciate the Scripture," State Election Coordinator Mark Goins said from the podium. "The answer is no."

With all Republican states reporting, Trump only lost the two electors in Texas. Clinton lost four electors in Washington state  three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

Republican electors were deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support Trump. Many of the emails are part of coordinated campaigns.

In Atlanta, Gov. Nathan Deal empathized with GOP electors.

"I, too, regret that you have been the subject of harassment by those who perhaps are not as dedicated to the proposition of what this body is supposed to do as they are agitated by the fact that the people didn't do what they wanted them to do," Deal told the state's 16 electors, who all voted for Trump.

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, elector Charlie Buckels reached out to Trump's opponents after the New York businessman got all of the state's eight votes.

"For those of you who wished it had gone another way, I thank you for being here," said Buckels, the state GOP finance chairman. "I thank you for your passion for our country."

There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state  though some states require their electors to vote for the winning candidate.

Those laws, however, are rarely tested. More than 99 percent of electors through U.S. history have voted for the candidate who won their state. Of those who refused, none has ever been prosecuted, according to the National Archives.

Some Democrats have argued that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives more weight to less populated states. That is how Clinton, who got more than 2.8 million more votes nationwide, lost the election to Trump.

Some have also tried to dissuade Trump voters by arguing that he is unsuited to the job. Others cite the CIA's assessment that Russia engaged in computer hacking to sway the election in favor of the Republican.

"When the founders of our country created (the Electoral College) 200-plus years ago, they didn't have confidence in the average white man who had property, because that's who got to vote," said Shawn Terris, a Democratic elector from Ventura, California. "It just seems so undemocratic to me that people other than the voters get to choose who leads the country."

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, with Vice President Joe Biden presiding as president of the Senate. Once the result is certified, the winner  almost certainly Trump  will be sworn in on Jan. 20.
Chester Tomson has an easy-going spirit, but his long history in social service shows hes determined to help those in his community, particularly the elderly and disabled.

Tomson, 80, has had his hand in everything from high-altitude testing to building needed housing for seniors and those with special needs.

His community and civic affiliations have included his membership with American Legion Post 4, the Orangeburg Lions Club and the Rotary Club of Orangeburg. Hes served as board chairman for such groups as the Orangeburg County Council in Aging, Edisto Habitat for Humanity and the Orangeburg County Disabilities and Special Needs Board.

Tomson championed senior issues as a representative of the states first Silver-Haired Legislature and served as the director of the Orangeburg County Department of Social Services from 1979 to 1998.

He began service in the U.S. Air Force in 1954, retiring as a master sergeant in 1974. For the first six years, he was hospital foreman before completely changing fields to become an aviation physiology instructor.

Tomson has led a fulfilling life working for causes that are important to him.

He was recognized last week with a building dedication and plaque presentation ceremony at Amelia Village, a senior housing complex in Orangeburg. He previously served 16 years as board chairman.

It was an honor Tomson appreciated.

Its been a labor of love. Its just been a great group of people to work with. I think weve done a good job, said Tomson, who was flanked by his family members and friends, including his grandchildren and two sons, Chester and Michael.

Weve got a lot of people thats got a nice home to live in now. I guess what touches my heart the most is that theyre all senior citizens like I am. I might have to get a room somewhere, he said, laughing.

NHE Inc. is the real estate management company that manages Amelia Village. NHE Chief Executive Officer Harris B. Davis said Tomsons fiscally prudent leadership lifted the 44-unit Amelia Village from a mountain of debt and led to the creation of five other elderly housing complexes.

From Amelia Village and $50,000 worth of debt, we are what we are today under the capable leadership of Mr. Chet Tomson. Today were honoring Chet Tomson, a gentleman thats quiet, but always knows where he wants to go. Hes firm in his leadership. Theres only one way to do it, and thats right. And hes always held out. Many times he didnt take the cheapest price. He was looking for quality, Davis said.

Patricia Sherman, NHE vice president of affordable property management, said she, too, enjoyed working with Tomson.

I know the residents here dont get to see you day to day, but you were instrumental in everything that we needed to do here and keeping things moving in a positive direction. All of the property that you have been involved with have truly benefited, Sherman said.

Amelia Village resident Ruth Kelly thanked Tomson for assisting in upgrades at the complex and wished him a blessed retirement.

Thank you so much for having those floors renovated for us. Im in one of those apartments that dont have the wood floor, and I appreciate it. I love it and Im enjoying it, Kelly said.

The additional complexes built during Tomsons chairmanship include: Holly Way I and II in Holly Hill; Morgan Lane in North; Otts Branch in Branchville; and Elloree Smith Senior Living in Elloree.

The Asbury, New Jersey, native and his wife, Esther, have lived in Orangeburg since 1979. He considers his Orangeburg community family.

Its hard to go uptown and not know somebody. Youre constantly running into somebody that youve known, seen or worked with one time or another. I cant go to Bi-Lo without seeing one of my former employees from DSS, he said, smiling.

Tomson described the building dedication as "out of this world."

Its an honor and pleasure. Its nice to be recognized for what youve done, but theres been just as many other people doing as much somewhere in the process. You cant build a place like this by yourself, he said.

Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have made the building development possible, along with the hard work of other local team members, Tomson said.

Harris philosophy just matched mine so good. He would say, If that apartment is not good enough for my mother, I dont want to build it. I felt the same way. Weve got about 165 senior citizens that have adequate housing now that they didnt have, he said.

Santee Mayor Donnie Hilliard, an Amelia Village board member, said hes known Tomson since the 1970s.

Chet is the reason Im on the board. We started out at DSS together, and then from DSS, I became the county administrator.  At the time, his vision was always conceptually for those that were in need. The thing that I loved about it was that it wasnt just Orangeburg, Hilliard said. He thought about the whole community of Orangeburg and still thinks that way.

Herbert Tait, Amelia Village board president, said, Ive been on the board for probably five or six years, but Chet has built a great base for hopefully money being available so we can expand to other parts of Orangeburg. Thats our goal.
When people complain about government, whether in Columbia or Washington, a frequent target is the Senate.

In Washington, members of the U.S. House argue the Senate and its rules bog down legislation.

Among presidential contentions: Senators should not be able to effectively reject judicial and other nominees by delaying consideration.

In Columbia, the House and governor frequently argue that their agendas fall victim to a Senate in which even a single lawmaker can use the rules to effectively derail legislation that has broad support.

Voters justifiably ask: Why is this?

While we too can complain about priorities falling victim to Senate rules (last years S.C. Freedom of Information Act reforms died at the end of the session because of one senators objections), we urge perspective in examining the Senate on the state and national levels.

The House is elected as a body in which legislation originates and is designed to move rapidly. The Senate is a deliberative body whose members are elected for longer terms with an eye toward experience and longevity.

The rules are there to serve as a final avenue for protecting the minority view from being quickly trampled in the stampede to pass something that may be popular now but not so good in the long term.

One famous tactic  some call it infamous  is the filibuster. A senator or group of senators can take the floor and attempt to keep it in an effort to effectively talk a piece of legislation to death. It has worked  but every time it does there is an outcry to change rules to make filibusters impossible.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate last softened the rules to allow for cutting off a filibuster. They may regret it soon as Republicans could pay them back by using a rule change to allow a simple majority vote to cut off debate and advance the agenda of a GOP-controlled House and White House.

In Columbia, lawmakers met a week ago and opted to change Senate rules to make it harder for the lone senator to indefinitely block debate on legislation advanced to the floor. Senators also decided to limit a members ability to filibuster bills under debate.

Majority Leader Shane Massey said the rules will make the Senate "more efficient."

But the changes also mean that in a state in which Republicans control the Governors Mansion and both houses of the Legislature, there will be little way for minority Democrats to do more than verbally protest.

Senate Minority Leader Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia, said the changes are directed at Democrats and could backfire. He complained Democrats didn't have input into the changes before they were presented.

In response, Massey told The Associated Press that Republicans hold 28 of the Senate's 46 seats and will use their majority to govern.

"While I certainly intend to communicate regularly" with Democrats and want them to be heard, he said, "we were elected to govern and that's what we intend to do."

On the national level, the Republican Senate does not have the presently required 60 votes to limit debate. But senators can do what Democrats last did in 2013 and use a parliamentary procedure to change the rules. That way their 52-vote majority would silence the minority.

Such changes would make the Senate at both levels more like the House, which it was not designed by the forefathers on the state and national levels to be.

To senators in Columbia and Washington, we offer an adage: What goes around comes around. Be careful with rules changes. Todays majority may be the minority tomorrow complaining of no way to influence the process.
One very special part of Christmas has always been the selection of the perfect Christmas card. Especially when it came to HER card ... the card that would be displayed proudly on the mantle ... Merry Christmas Mother.

It took awhile and was always a hard choice. Not hard because she is mom, but hard because you want the card to depict what you truly feel and the sentiment that she will recognize as she knows you better than everyone else.

Each card is special indeed and they all have a message, but which message is just right? That is the struggle. But let me tell you from experience that you will be so glad you did it! If you don't do this, start now. If you do this annually, don't stop. You will be glad you did! Cards, letters, notes for mom and dad, those you love, those who need a boost: Just do it. It is awesome!

Some cards will remind her that she is your best friend. The message: I'm so glad God gave you to me. Of all the moms in the world, we hit the jackpot. Or that quirky card that asks: Was that really you kissing Santa Claus?

I don't remember what the 2015 Christmas card conveyed, but I'm so glad the purchase was made and the card delivered. Each year she always told me, "I liked your card the best"! Well that is not true; she loved them all. Cards and notes from friends near and far, she read them all and enjoyed being remembered and also having some news to share with Rose or Carol or Edna or anyone who would listen. She had a particular Christmas joy reminding me that a friend in Georgia she met while visiting our church at the time would send her an annual Christmas letter and gloated that I was not even on the list!

This year the story is so very different. Standing at the special section featuring cards for moms at Christmas, tears slowly escaped from my eyes. But after all, a full heart has to have a place to leak. I tried, but a quick brush across my cheek was in vain as the tears would not stop.

The reality hit me. She won't get my card this year. And after a few minutes, tears were accompanied by a smile on my face as it came to me that she heard our card and love greetings all year. She left us knowing that she was loved and cared for greater than any greeting card could ever hope to convey. She, like the biblical account in Matthew, used her talents on Earth to glorify God and because of her faith in Jesus has heard the greatest greeting of all times: "Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful ... come and share your master's happiness." Matthew 25:21.

I dare you: Find a mom or dad in your church, in the store, in your workplace, in the doctors office. They are everywhere and they all love or need hugs. Give them one, tell them how special they are. You will enjoy the felling that follows.

As for my family, soon it will happen, probably Christmas Eve. With a candle in hand representing the love glowing in our hearts, we will stand at the peaceful resting place in Pearidge. And being the spiritual leader in our family (that's hard for me to believe too!), I will proudly give her the sweetest greeting from us:

"Mother, well done. We love and miss you. And I know it wasn't easy raising five children, especially when only one was perfect. (Yes she was and still is ... sorry Deezy). But you did your best and all of us are so very proud to say, we love you Mama and never will a Christmas or day pass without us thanking God for having the greatest parents that ever lived.

And most of all we are so glad Homer isn't singing blue Christmas this year. Heaven is happy for that too. One last thing, that was Ho Ho ho  Ho-mer in a Santa suit, right?

Merry Christmas to all moms -- and dads -- here or in heaven. We love you. I hope you get many greetings and holiday hugs.








Jane Jordan lives in Southwest Florida. Jane Jordan grew up in Essex, England and spent six years in the South West of England living on Exmoor. A trained horticulturist, Jane worked and volunteered for Britains National Trust at Exmoors 1000-year-old Dunster Castle. The atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and ancient history of the place inspired Janes first novel, Ravens Deep, the debut release in her gothic vampire trilogy, which also included Blood & Ashes and A Memoir of Carl.Jane Jordan lives in Southwest Florida.

Connect with Jane Jordan on the web:

https://www.facebook.com/jane.jordan.71465

www.Janejordannovelist.com







Whats inside the mind of a Dark Romance author?





J.J.: That is the simple answer, although, if someone ever logged into my search engine history they would think they were dealing with a deranged individual. My list would include poisoning, dead body facts, bodysnatching, vampires, witches, or how long someone takes to die from a bee sting, and so on. All sorts of dark and delicious things.That is the simple answer, although, if someone ever logged into my search engine history they would think they were dealing with a deranged individual.My list would include poisoning, dead body facts, bodysnatching, vampires, witches, or how long someone takes to die from a bee sting, and so on.





It is necessary to produce a believable and accurate story. Research is a large part of writing a novel, and my research is not for the faint hearted.It is necessary to produce a believable and accurate story.





Dark romance lends itself to horror and gothic imagery, and a typical dark romance revolves around conflict and a dark secret. Stories of local myth and legend are perhaps a writers dream. I enjoy incorporating the supernatural into my work. On Exmoor there are many accounts of ghosts and headless horseman, or mysterious creatures that roam the moorlands. When I first wrote about London, I discovered the vast hidden underworld beneath the city streets that many people dont know or have forgotten still exist. That sort of thing fascinates me. It lets my imagination run wild. My stories have varying aspects.Dark romance lends itself to horror and gothic imagery, and a typical dark romance revolves around conflict and a dark secret.Stories of local myth and legend are perhaps a writers dream.I enjoy incorporating the supernatural into my work.On Exmoor there are many accounts of ghosts and headless horseman, or mysterious creatures that roam the moorlands.When I first wrote about London, I discovered the vast hidden underworld beneath the city streets that many people dont know or have forgotten still exist.That sort of thing fascinates me.It lets my imagination run wild.





You never stop learning or discovering new things as a writer and thats a wonderful thing.





What is so great about being an author?





J.J.: Being able to write is the best thing, that feeling of telling a story that no-one else has heard before because it is unique. It is challenging, but a rewarding part of being an author. Completing the manuscript is hugely satisfying and gives me a great sense of achievement. Being able to write is the best thing, that feeling of telling a story that no-one else has heard before because it is unique. It is challenging, but a rewarding part of being an author. Completing the manuscript is hugely satisfying and gives me a great sense of achievement.





Getting that first publishing contract is even better, it makes the whole writing journey, however long or painful, worthwhile.





High praise for my first book, indeed! But it made me feel that I actually did have some talent, and confirmed there was an audience for my stories. That meant more to me than selling a book. One of the best things for me was receiving my first fan mail, after I wrote my first book. A lady took the time to send me a lovely letter telling me how much she liked my book and thought it was the best romance she had ever read.High praise for my first book, indeed! But it made me feel that I actually did have some talent, and confirmed there was an audience for my stories.That meant more to me than selling a book.





Thats not to say money isnt important, we all want to reap the rewards of our hard labor, but I never started writing for that reason.





When do you hate it?





J.J.: When I cant find the time to write properly because too many other things are going on in my life. When I immigrated back to the USA in 2013, I had months where I could not write, as other priorities got in the way. I started to worry that I actually wouldnt be able to write anymore. Of course, when my life settled down and I was able to focus again, I finished, The Beekeepers Daughter. When I cant find the time to write properly because too many other things are going on in my life.When I immigrated back to the USA in 2013, I had months where I could not write, asother priorities got in the way.I started to worry that I actually wouldnt be able to write anymore.Of course, when my life settled down and I was able to focus again, I finished, The Beekeepers Daughter.





What is a regular writing day like for you?





J.J.: I cannot write everyday as I have other commitments, but I believe there are no rules to being a good author. Some people have to write every day, I dont. You have to do what is right for you and your life. I cannot write everyday as I have other commitments, but I believe there are no rules to being a good author. Some people have to write every day, I dont.You have to do what is right for you and your life.





I typically write in the afternoons, sometimes in the middle of the night, when I wake up with a great idea and I know it has to be written down right away, or else I will lose the plot.





Do you think authors have big egos? Do you?





J.J.: Having an ego is a necessary part of being a writer. On some level I want the world to recognize me and my work. I want people to tell me they love my book and cannot wait to read the next one. If someone told me that hated my work, that of course is not so good, and I would not expect them to ever read another. Having an ego is a necessary part of being a writer.On some level I want the world to recognize me and my work. I want people to tell me they love my book and cannot wait to read the next one.If someone told me that hated my work, that of course is not so good, and I would not expect them to ever read another.





There is no author out there that can write a book and please everyone. Criticism is part of life, but it cannot be a blow to my ego, and its a well-known fact that writers have to develop thick skin.There is no author out there that can write a book and please everyone.





Individual opinion is so subjective, and even though a critic has the right to condemn a book, they do not have the right to say his/her point of view is correct.





How do you handle negative reviews?





J.J.: With negative reviewers I always feel that someone is just trying to be mean, and they dont really have the first clue about writing. Most writers I know would never treat anyone this disrespectfully. We all know how difficult it is to get a break in this industry. To date, I have received far more positive reviews than negative ones.With negative reviewers I always feel that someone is just trying to be mean, and they dont really have the first clue about writing.Most writers I know would never treat anyone this disrespectfully.We all know how difficult it is to get a break in this industry.





I have been asked to review a few stories in the past, and with a couple I had thought to myself, this is awful and this person cannot write, but I would never say that. I know how hurtful that would be for that writer. Instead, I have focused on the positive parts and encouraged them to improve the less than perfect aspects. Writers tend to encourage, not condemn.I have been asked to review a few stories in the past, and with a couple I had thought to myself, this is awful and this person cannot write, but I would never say that.I know how hurtful that would be for that writer. Instead, I have focused on the positive parts and encouraged them to improve the less than perfect aspects.





I only read the good reviews about my work. I am always reminded by the old saying that if you cant say something nice, then, dont say anything at all. A writer once told me never to read a review with less than three stars, and I believe she was correct, there is enough negativity in the world without reading more.I only read the good reviews about my work.I am always reminded by the old saying that if you cant say something nice, then, dont say anything at all.





How do you handle positive reviews?





J.J.: A positive review is the best way to make an authors day, and I share them with anyone I can think of.





What is the usual response when you tell a new acquaintance that youre an author?





J.J.: For me its always been a positive thing. Of course, I often get people telling me that are going to write a book too. Or they have this great idea for a story, but just havent got around to starting it yet. I normally just smile politely and try not to disillusion them with how harsh and difficult the publishing industry can be. For me its always been a positive thing.Of course, I often get people telling me that are going to write a book too. Or they have this great idea for a story, but just havent got around to starting it yet.I normally just smile politely and try not to disillusion them with how harsh and difficult the publishing industry can be.





What do you do on those days you dont feel like writing? Do you force it or take a break?





J.J.: I take a break, there is no point in forcing yourself to write. If I am not enjoying writing, or finding something too difficult to continues with, then, its better that I wait until I am in a better frame of mind. I take a break, there is no point in forcing yourself to write.If I am not enjoying writing, or finding something too difficult to continues with, then, its better that I wait until I am in a better frame of mind.





Any writing quirks?





J.J.: Being able to step away from the computer and pick up a pen can often lead to some very creative writing. I think its because you have to slow your mind down. I am a trained typist so I type really fast, but writing long hand allows my thought process to slow down a bit, and allow other thoughts to emerge. I like writing scenes by hand.Being able to step away from the computer and pick up a pen can often lead to some very creative writing.I think its because you have to slow your mind down.I am a trained typist so I type really fast, but writing long hand allows my thought process to slow down a bit, and allow other thoughts to emerge.





I use a notebook to write weird facts, creative sentences that I think up, or names, anything unusual that I might later want to use or research more for a future story.





I often write the first two to three chapters over and over before I can move on, even if I have the entire story in my head, or I will write the first and last chapter so I can see what I am heading for.





What would you do if people around you didnt take your writing seriously or see it as a hobby?





J.J.: Sometimes people use that word out of jealously. They want to put you down in some way, this is where having a thick skin is all so important. I actually hate the word hobby. Writing has never been a hobby for me its always been a serious endeavor. Sometimes people use that word out of jealously.They want to put you down in some way, this is where having a thick skin is all so important.I actually hate the word hobby.Writing has never been a hobby for me its always been a serious endeavor.





But in pursuit of my writing dream, I have given myself many painful headaches after hours spent researching obscure facts, and trying to ensure every detail it correct. I have sat for hours of editing and re-editing, which have caused anguish, and bouts of insomnia. And sat at my computer with tears rolling down my face when I wrote a truly emotional scene, none of this could really be defined as pleasure. The word hobby is defined by doing something in your leisure time for pleasure.But in pursuit of my writing dream, I have given myself many painful headaches after hours spent researching obscure facts, and trying to ensure every detail it correct.I have sat for hours of editing and re-editing, which have caused anguish, and bouts of insomnia. And sat at my computer with tears rolling down my face when I wrote a truly emotional scene, none of this could really be defined as pleasure.





I disagree. When my first book was completed that became a defining moment in my life. It was a major achievement, and a meaningful transition from wanting to write to actually being able to write. I have been perfecting my craft ever since. Too many people define success by money alone, and if you are not earning thousands, then, it must be a hobby.I disagree.When my first book was completed that became a defining moment in my life. It was a major achievement, and a meaningful transition from wanting to write to actually being able to write.I have been perfecting my craft ever since.





It does not matter if people dont take my writing seriously, what is important is that I do.





Ultimately writing is not about other people, its about me and my work.

Some authors seem to have a love-hate relationship to writing. Can you relate?





J.J.: Not really. I love to write, but at no point have I ever hated it. I have hated a situation where I have not been able to write, but that was because there were other more important priorities happening in my life. Not really.I love to write, but at no point have I ever hated it.I have hated a situation where I have not been able to write, but that was because there were other more important priorities happening in my life.





Do you think success as an author must be linked to money?





J.J.: Money is of course a welcome result of any successful author, but success can be measured in so many other ways. No.Money is of course a welcome result of any successful author, but success can be measured in so many other ways.





I started writing because I had a story that needed to be written, and that one developed into many others. Writing enriches my life, I never started writing thinking that I could make money.I started writing because I had a story that needed to be written, and that one developed into many others.





Success for me is when my readers finish reading my novel and ask the question: When is Jane Jordans next book going to be released? I would hope that my writing also enriches my readers lives, after all, we read novels to escape from the real world and immerse ourselves into another.Success for me is when my readers finish reading my novel and ask the question: When is Jane Jordans next book going to be released?





What had writing taught you?





J.J.: To read and write as much as I can. Not to listen to critics as everybody is a critic. Always work with a good editor, even when I think I have perfected my work, an editor will polish the words and make them shine. To read and write as much as I can.Not to listen to critics as everybody is a critic.Always work with a good editor, even when I think I have perfected my work, an editor will polish the words and make them shine.





Leave us with some words of wisdom.





J.J.: The world still needs good writers, and there are no rules to being a writer, people that tell you there are, but they have set their own restrictions and cannot see beyond them. The world still needs good writers, and there are no rules to being a writer, people that tell you there are, but they have set their own restrictions and cannot see beyond them.





Some authors are lucky, they are able to get their manuscript to the right publisher at the right time, but for most of us its a long upward struggle that may take years. Everyones writing experience is unique, I cannot tell anyone how they should write or become published.Some authors are lucky, they are able to get their manuscript to the right publisher at the right time, but for most of us its a long upward struggle that may take years.





I believe the key to success is to believe in your work, make it the best it can be and dont give up.





//////////////////////////////













ABOUT THE BOOK





Title: The Beekeepers Daughter

Genre: Thriller

Author: Jane Jordan

Publisher: Black Opal Books

Find out more on Amazon and B&N

Beekeepers daughter Annabel Taylor grows up wild and carefree on the moors of England in the late 1860s. A child of nature and grace with an unusual ability to charm bees, Annabel follows in the footstep of her mother Lilith, a beautiful witch. With her closest friend and soulmate Jevan Wenham by her side, Annabels life is a life filled with wonder and curiosity. But Jevan, the son of a blacksmith, lives his life on the verge of destruction, and his devotion to Annabel probes the boundaries between brutality and deep desire, passion and pleasure. When Jevan leaves Exmoor to pursue an education in London, Annabels world shatters. Devastated without Jevan, Annabel is sure her life is ending. But everything changes when she crosses paths with Alexander Saltonstall. The heir to the Saltonstall legacy and son of Cerberus Saltonstall, the wealthy landowner of the foreboding Gothelstone Manor, Alex is arrogant and self-assuredand enamored of the outspoken Annabel. Even though the two are socially worlds apart, that doesnt stop Alex from asking, or rather demanding, Annabels hand in marriage. But when Annabel refuses, she is forced into an impossible situation. To further complicate matters, Jevan is backand so are those same desires, that same passion and intensity. But nothing is as it seems, and Annabel and Jevan are in grave danger. At risk of being ensnared into the dark legacy of the Saltonstall family, Annabel faces the ultimate test. Will her fledgling powers be enough to save those she loves most? Can she even save herself?












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This site focuses on Republican politicians and conservatives that rip off their constituency. We have the Tea Party, fundamentalist churches, the corruption of ALEC and other special interests groups. But the site also supports progressive Democrats and the local Democratic Socialist of America. We must have ideas on how to replace regressive and corrupt politicians with something better. For comments steveotto2001@yahoo.com or ottozero2001@yahoo.com.
By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

Director General of MBA Group consulting company, real estate expert Nusrat Ibrahimov forecasts a 10-percent growth in the real estate market of Azerbaijan.

He told Trend that the gradual adaptation to the current economic situation, as well as recovery of activities by the Azerbaijan Mortgage Fund (AMF) will help stabilize the market and return it to the growth path.

Next year, the situation on the real estate market should gradually stabilize, Ibrahimov said, adding that several factors will contribute to this.

First, there is the psychological factor  if revenues increase and the economic situation gradually stabilizes, the population begins to adapt and activates on the market.

The second factor is associated with the restoration of AMF activities  the market will recover and regain the previously lost positions.

The expert noted that the current year was one of the most difficult years for the real estate market.

This year, the Baku real estate market reached its lowest figure. By the end of November, the market decreased by 25.41 percent compared to the beginning of the year, Ibrahimov said.

He explained this by the decrease of money supply in the market, which was caused by the closure of a number of banks, suspension of the activities of AMF, as well as departure of foreign investors.

In terms of numbers, in January-November 2016 prices on the primary housing market of Baku decreased by 14.77 percent and by 29.06 percent n the secondary housing market. The decrease in the land market made 28.85 percent, while in the market of commercial properties it was 22.29 percent.

Rental housing has fallen in price by 26.04 percent since the beginning of the year, while the rental of commercial properties  by 33.12 percent.

Currently, Azerbaijan intends to promote its real estate market and attract local and foreign investments in this area. To this end, the 2nd Azerbaijan International Real Estate and Investment Exhibition was held in Baku in late November, which featured the most attractive real estate projects of Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasian countries.

The exhibition became a pivotal stage in terms of demonstrating the extensive investment climate in Azerbaijan's real estate market to foreign investors, as well as involving the investors in the privatization process carried out in the country.

The state seeks to attract real-estate investments to revive the local market, especially the real estate market of the capital city of Baku.
By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan and Cuba may expand their cooperation in a number of fields, said Alfredo Nieves Portuondo, Cubas newly-appointed ambassador to Baku.

The ambassador told Trend that the Caribbean island nation is open to any cooperation with Azerbaijan, saying that our countries have developed good relations at bilateral and international levels.

The ambassador underlined that the issue of trade-economic development between the countries, and existing perspectives were high on agenda during his meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Talking about the priorities of his future activities, the diplomat noted that the main attention will be paid to the development of Azerbaijan-Cuba economic cooperation and to taking it to the political level.

"I will aim efforts at the promotion of Azerbaijan in Latin America. The Cuban government expresses interest in the developing of cooperation with Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan is also interested in this," the ambassador said.

As for the spheres for cooperation the envoy said that energy, healthcare and biotechnology and humanitarian sphere could be among the priority areas of the interstate cooperation.

He mentioned that Cuba possesses undiscovered oil fields in the Cuban part of a shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, and Azerbaijani companies could show interest for participation in their exploration and further development.

The ambassador added that Azerbaijani companies specializing in the energy sector can participate in energy projects in Cuba, both independently and as part of an international consortium.

Cuba is also interested in reviving the old traditions of education and training in universities of Azerbaijan, including preparing experts in the energy sector.

Mentioning that Cuba has great success in the production of the newest medicines and biotechnologies, he said that the country is ready to offer its medical services and supply its products to Azerbaijan.

He added that the country renders medical services to the countries of Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia and other CIS.

The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Cuba were established on March 27, 1992. Eight documents covering various fields have been signed since then.
By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

The U.S. JP Morgan bank has revised the forecasts for oil prices upon OPECs historic agreement to cut production in conjunction with non?OPEC countries.

The 2017 price forecasts were revised up to $58.25 per barrel on Brent and $56.25 per barrel on West Texas Intermediate (WTI), JP Morgan said in its report obtained by Trend.

Price forecast increases are concentrated in 1Q17-3Q17, where we increase forecasts by an average of $5 per barrel, said the report. However, we now harbor mounting concerns that cheating will inevitably undermine commitment to the agreement at some point in 2H17. We therefore lower our 4Q17 price forecast to $55 per barrel and end-year forecast to $53 per barrel on Brent.

JP Morgan analysts believe that there remains a degree of uncertainty as to how and by whom the delivery of agreed OPEC and non-OPEC oil cuts will be assessed.

The creation of a 5-member panel of governments to scrutinize the level of compliance for OPEC producers is a positive first step. But uncertainties remain and failure to ensure sufficient transparency for both producer nations and market participants could undermine the objective of stabilizing prices that producers have set themselves, said the report.

Excluding the natural decline in output from countries with mature production facilities, e.g. Mexico, the analysts believe that cuts will exceed 400,000 barrels per day at peak.

The world's largest producers agreed to curb production for the first time since 2008 in a bid to support prices after the Vienna meeting on November 30. The OPEC, which accounts for a third of global oil supply, agreed to cut production from January by around 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), or over 3 percent, to 32.5 million bpd.

Iraq, OPEC's second largest producer which had previously resisted cuts will cut output by 200,000 bpd to 4.351 million bpd. Saudi Arabia said it would take the lion's share of cuts - reducing output by almost 500,000 bpd to 10.06 million bpd - to get the deal done. Iran was allowed to boost production slightly from its October level.

Non-OPEC member Russia agreed to cut output by 300,000 bpd.

Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day starting from January 1, 2017 for six months, extendable for another six months, to take into account prevailing market conditions and prospects.

Meanwhile, oil prices have again fallen on the world markets. On NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) cost of the US Light crude oil decreased $0.22 to stand at $51.90. Price of the Brent crude oil at the London ICE (Intercontinental Exchange Futures) fell $0.11 to trade at $54.81.

The price of a barrel of Azeri Light crude oil decreased $0.01 to stand at $56.19.
By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

The industrial sector of Azerbaijan is expected to see a large increase, as a huge metallurgical complex will be built in the country's third largest city Sumgayit.



The complex, consisting of five plants and worth 1,225 billion euros, will allow the country to save millions of dollars it spends on import and create opportunity for opening new jobs.

An agreement on the complex construction was signed between Azerbaijans Baku Steel Company and Italian Danieli Group in Baku on December 20.

The document was inked by Chairman of Supervisory Board of Baku Steel Company Rasim Mammadov and Chairman and CEO of Danieli Group Gianpietro Benedetti as part of the event titled Development of metallurgical industry: new challenges and goals.

Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev, adressing the ceremony, said that creation of the metallurgical complex will reduce the dependence on import, expanding export potential of the country.

This is a very important project both in terms of creating new job spots and reducing the dependence on import, while the export potential of the country will be boosted, he said, noting that a half of the complexs products will be exported.

Azerbaijan will be able not only to fully meet its demand in metallurgical products, but also export the remaining part of the products, added the minister.

The construction of the complex is planned to be completed in three years. During the construction work, 4,000 new job places will be opened, and more than 1,200 permanent jobs will be created after commissioning of the complex, said Mustafayev.

The minister further mentioned that the project will be fully implemented thanks to private investments.

Gianpietro Benedetti, for his part, said that the creation of the complex will allow Azerbaijan saving about $500 million per year from the import of steel products.

Baku Steel CEO Ramin Karimov talking to journalists stressed that the project of metallurgical complex in Sumgayit is the largest non-oil sector of Azerbaijan.

"We have a lot of companies that import steel products, and the creation of the complex will ensure not only our demand, but also allow to export it to neighboring countries," he said.

The uniqueness of the complex, according to Karimov, is that it will allow carry out the entire production process without additional logistical lines.



"The complex with the length of about 2 km will allow obtain a concentrate of iron finished products for 20 hours. The annual production capacity will be 1.2 million tons of metallized pellets, 800,000 tons of which will be directed to the needs of the complex for the production of finished products. The remaining 400,000 tons will be purchased by Baku Steel Company for it needs, he said.

Plants on the territory of the complex will be put into operation gradually, according to the CEO.

"The construction of the entire complex should be completed within 38 months, but the plants will be put into operation when they are built," he said.
By Azernews

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has extended condolences to Russias President Vladimir Putin over the death of Russian Ambassador in Turkey Andrey Karlov after a terrorist attack on December 19.

I am deeply shocked by the news of the tragic death of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey Andrey Gennadyevich Karlov, said President Aliyev in his letter of condolences to Putin.

We resolutely and unconditionally condemn this bloody terrorist attack, he added. I extend my heartfelt condolences to you, the family and relatives of the late ambassador.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned terror act resulted in killing of the Russian envoy.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, relatives and all colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation. We remain assured that this terror act will thoroughly be investigated and culprits will get severe punishment," reads the statement.

The Republic of Azerbaijan is convinced that the terror act committed against Ambassador Andrey Karlov will further strengthen the determination, cooperation and joint efforts of Russia and Turkey in the fight against terrorism.
By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has visited the two Azerbaijanis, Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who are kept hostages by Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Spokesman for the ICRC Baku office Ilaha Huseynova told APA on December 20 that the visit took place a few days ago. The ICRC provided information from the families to the hostages, and delivered Dilgam and Shahbazs messages to their relatives.

Huseynova noted that the ICRC, in accordance with its mandate, visits the hostages to check their detention conditions and treatment with them, as well as to help the hostages communicate with their families.

The two citizens of Azerbaijan were detained by the Armenian armed forces in July 2014 while visiting their native places and graves of loved ones in the occupied Azerbaijani Kalbajar region. Moreover, Armenian forces killed the third Azerbaijani citizen Hasan Hasanov.

Later, Guliyev and Asgarov were judged illegally by the unrecognized courts of a separatist regime in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Following an expedited judicial process in December 2015, Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years. Attempts of Azerbaijan to provide justice and to free its citizens are still unsuccessful.

Azerbaijans State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons and other agencies have repeatedly urged international organizations, including the ICRC, to assist in release of Guliyev and Asgarov, whilst the problem remains topical yet.

Earlier, the voluntary journalists created Visit Dilgam and Shahbaz, witness the reality initiative group in July 2016 to bring the problem to wider attention. The group held a meeting in Baku in December invited the international community, including the Armenian ombudsman, to contribute in releasing the two Azerbaijani hostages.

Azerbaijan, whose over 4,000 citizens were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, has repeatedly declared its readiness to begin negotiations with Armenia to free the captives and resolve the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

However, the Armenian side keeps ignoring all attempts of Azerbaijan and international organizations, thereby disrespecting the international law and hindering the settlement of the conflict.
The Russian ambassador to Ankara has been killed in a gun attack at an art gallery in the Turkish capital, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Moscow qualified the killing of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov as a terrorist attack.

"We qualify the events as a terrorist attack, we stay in contact with Turkish officials who have pledged that a through all-round investigation will be carried out. The attackers will be punished. Today this issue will be brought up at the UN Security Council," TASS quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

"This issue will be immediately raised today with the members of the UN Security Council," Zakharova said. "There is no place for terrorism and we will be resolutely fighting against it."

***

21:02

Andrey Karlov, Russian ambassador to Turkey, has come under an armed attack in Ankara, the Hurriyet newspaper reports.

The attack was committed at the Contemporary Art Center in Ankara during an art exhibition.

Karlov was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of a photo exhibit when an armed assailant opened fire on him.

The envoy was seriously wounded and was taken to hospital immediately.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has already arrived in the Center, NTV reports. NTV television says police have shot and killed the gunman who attacked the Russian ambassador.

The Russian foreign ministry said it was in contact with Ankara over the events, RIA Novosti reported.
By Trend

The U.S. embassy in Ankara will be closed on December 20 against the background of two armed incidents, including the assassination of the Russian envoy, the US embassy tweeted on December 20.

The US Embassy in Ankara and Consulates in Istanbul and Adana closed for normal operations today, said the embassy.

Previously, Russias Foreign Ministry confirmed that Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assaut in Ankara Dec. 19.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State confirmed the information about the armed attack on the US embassy in Ankara and added that there were no injured people, and the attacker has been detained.
By Azernews

By Fatma Alakbarova

Following a U.S. Congress decision on renewal of existing sanctions against Iran last week, Tehran voiced its fears that the move will infringe the terms of the Iranian nuclear deal adopted almost a year ago.

The famous deal inked last year by Iran with P5+1 in Vienna and recorded as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran (JCPOA) was accepted as historic in Iran to save the country from long and devastating sanctions.

By its new decision, Washington prolonged the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by the United States passed in 1996 and was set to expire on December 31, 2016.

Speaking to local media, Irans president Hassan Rouhani called the Bill a blatant violation of the JCPOA, adding that Iran will continue to honor the nuclear deal as long as other signatories of the accord keep committed to the deal. Tehran administration addressed an official letter to European Union foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini who coordinates the work of the joint commission on the nuclear deal to request a meeting of the Joint Commission.

Tehran announced that the joint commission is scheduled to meet on January 10, 2017.

In a meeting with Yukiya Amano, the head of UN nuclear watchdog body, in Tehran last week President Rouhani once again expressed his concern that the White Houses decision on the Bill counteracts the terms of the nuclear deal.

While addressing the complaints by Tehran accusing the U.S. of violating the deal, Yukiya Amano noted that Iranian authorities have shown commitment to their obligations under the nuclear deal.

Irans religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also warned the U.S. government of breaching the the nuclear, saying the Islamic Republic would definitely react to it.

The U.S. administration stated that unless a waiver is issued under the Iran Sanctions Act, no sanction is re-imposed on the Islamic republic and thus, the nuclear deal is not violated, whilst Tehran didnt refrain from a response to what it calls the U.S. violation of nuclear deal.

What is concerning about this tension between the U.S. government and Iran, is grave consequences for the White House to face as Rouhani has already ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to begin developing propulsion capability for nuclear-powered marine vessels as a response to the prolongation of the U.S. sanctions.

Experts believe that if no fruitful result is agreed upon the commission meeting, U.S. decision to extend the Iran Sanctions Act will further jeopardize the nuclear deal according to which, Iran agreed to reduce the number of its centrifuges by two-thirds, cap its uranium enrichment below the level needed for bomb-grade material, and reduce its enriched uranium stockpile from around 10,000 kilograms to 300 for 15 years.

The Bill on extension of sanctions came into force without President Barack Obama's signature. Although Obama refused to sign it, he expressed no veto claims. Thus, the Bill became law as it had been passed by both chambers of the U.S. Congress by an overwhelming majority.
The emerging Chinese tourist to New York City is younger, more affluent and independent with a taste for adventure in The City That Never Sleeps.

NYC & Company, the city's tourism marketing agency, saidthe Chinese market is transitioning from business and group tours to fully independent travelers, with a younger and more affluent generation traveling to the US.

"We prefer not to travel in groups, which could just give us a hurried and cursory glance at the city on chartered buses," said Yang Fang from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, who recently finished her master's degree at a college in Kentucky. She was visiting New York with her parents on Monday.

"Chinese outbound independent tourism has had an explosive development in recent years. Also, Chinese tourists traveling in groups overseas has had a steady growth," said Jason Song, director of the Product Planning & Promotion Division of L&L Travel Inc, the largest Chinese local travel agency in the US, headquartered in Manhattan.

Song said one of the reasons that more tourists choose to travel independently is that they are getting younger.

"This generation of Chinese all know English pretty well; there are no barriers for them to travel in an English-speaking country like the US by themselves," Song said.

He said New York City is the prime choice in the US for Chinese independent travelers because of the large number of popular attractions and the 24-hour subway system.

"And travel-strategy websites like Trip Advisor and hotels.com are well developed; they all established Chinese version websites because of the growing number of Chinese users. Tourists can have abundant information for preparation," Song added.

According to NYC & Company's visitor market profile from October, visitation from Chinese mainland to New York has been growing rapidly over the past decade.

"NYC is China-ready, with attractions, cultural organizations, hotels and more catering specifically to Chinese travelers with amenities and language offerings," said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, the city's tourism marketer.

The most popular and the biggest tourism destination in the US with foreign tourists, New York welcomed more than 950,000 visitors from China this year, a sevenfold increase since 2007.

Back then, more than 15 countries, including Switzerland and Israel, sent more tourists to New York than China did, according to NYC & Company statistics. But this year, only visitors from the UK outnumbered the Chinese  and the British total of about 1.2 million has not grown since 2007, according to The New York Times.

Chinese surpassed Brazilians and Canadians as tourists to New York this year and will overtake the British by 2022, Dixon told the Times.

During President Xi Jinping's State visit to the US in September 2015, he and US President Barack Obama jointly announced 2016 to be the China-US Tourism Year.

"It provides great opportunities and platforms for both sides to promote tourism;I'm sure the promoting events organized by both sides made a great contribution to the increasing number of tourists traveling to each other's country," said Wang Yanjie, director of the China National Tourist Office in New York.

"NYC & Company recognizes the importance of this crucial market and continues to educate iconic tourist institutions and lesser-known gems in welcoming Chinese visitors, time and time again," Dixon told China Daily.

Dixon said that New York City continues to evolve, with new hotels and attractions in all five boroughs.

By year's end, the city will be home to 113,000 hotel rooms and 135,000 rooms by the end of 2019, meaning more accommodation options than ever for visitors from all over the world.

Yang, the student from Kentucky, put a lot of effort into her trip.

"I began to prepare very early, about half a year before, to book tickets and hotels," said Yang. "But it's worth it, my mom likes the street view of New York very much, so we can wander along the streets here as long as we like," said Yang, watching a street performance with her parents on Times Square.

To meet increasing demand from Chinese tourists, travel companies like L&L are expanding their tourism products to include smallergroup interests.

"For example, usually tourism groups would spend only one day to visit New York City, but now we are expanding some of the tours to two days; tourists could spend half a day at the World Trade Center site, the 911 Museum, to have a deeper experience of that unforgettable terrorist attack, " Song said.

Still, there are many Chinese tourists who prefer some of the more traditional activities, such as taking a sightseeing cruise to the Statue of Liberty or posing for a group photo with the Charging Bull near Wall Street.
By Azernews

By Fatma Alakbarova

Leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia will meet in Saint Petersburg on December 26, the Kremlin said.

The meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council will accompany the session of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

The heads of member states will review the first two years of the Eurasian Economic Unions activity, approve the main directions of the international activity of the Union for 2017 and outline the guidelines for its further development.

The summit is planned to end with signing of EAEU Treaty on the Customs Code. A number of other important multilateral documents are expected to be adopted.

The member countries will discuss issues of combating terrorism and extremism at CSTO meeting. It is planned to exchange views on key issues of global and regional agenda, including illegal trade and weapons trafficking.
By Azernews

By Fatma Alakbarova

Turkmenistan pays special attention to strengthening traditionally friendly and constructive relations with the United States, said President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

There is a solid potential for the diversification of the bilateral partnership with the U.S., the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH) quoted the president as saying.

Turkmenistans capital city, Ashgabat recently hosted a meeting of Turkmen-American Business Council, which adopted an action plan for cooperation in 2017. The council with 22 large U.S. companies on board is aimed at stimulating investment activities.

While addressing to the meeting, President Berdimuhamedov stressed the important role that Turkmen-American Business Council plays in terms of expanding economic and trade relations. He emphasized the Councils positive influence on cooperation and its potential for new perspectives.

Ashgabat regularly hosts exhibitions of American companies, accompanied by high-level business forums and business deals.

The cooperation between Turkmenistan and the U.S. is expected to further continue in areas, such as the supply of agricultural machinery, modernization of technical civil aviation fleet of Turkmenistan and import of energy technologies.

The U.S. also supports regional gas pipeline projects from Turkmenistan, such as TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and the Trans-Caspian through Azerbaijan and Turkey to Europe.
All the circumstances surrounding the murder of the Russian ambassador in Turkey should be established as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow on December 20.



Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot by a gunman at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara on December 19. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.

"It is necessary to establish all the circumstances of the organization and execution of the terrorist act as soon as possible," Lavrov said at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Sputnik reported.

Yesterday, our presidents agreed that in addition to the investigatory action of the Turkish special services, the Russian investigation team would fly to Ankara, and it has already landed in the Turkish capital," Lavrov added. "This tragedy makes all of us more determined to fight terrorism and makes this meeting even more useful. So I very much hope that these negotiations, as well as the upcoming trilateral meeting with our Iranian counterpart, will allow us to reach agreements that will facilitate the process of the Syrian conflict settlement by concrete actions, will create conditions for a more efficient delivery of humanitarian aid without making any concessions to terrorists.

The street where the Russian Embassy is located in Ankara will be named in honor of the late Russian Ambassador, said Mevlut Cavusoglu.

We made a decision, I was informed by the Turkish prime minister about it, to eternalize Andrey Karlovs memory in Ankara, noted Cavusoglu.

Later, Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu laid flowers near the Russian Foreign Ministry's hall of receptions in memory of Ambassador Karlov. The ministers laid flowers near Karlov's portrait and honored his memory with a minute of silence.



Karlov was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in the Cankaya district when an assailant opened fire on the diplomat before shooting into the air. Police special forces neutralized the attacker, identified as 22-year-old riot police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Following the assassination of the Russian envoy, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke via telephone and both leaders described the act as "provocation" to undermine relations Turkey and Russia carry in Syria.

The attack came just a day before Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers were due to meet in Moscow to discuss settling the Syrian conflict. The sides decided to press on with the meeting despite the attack with Cavusoglu stressing that the incident would not impact relations between Turkey and Russia.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The search for oilmen, who went missing as a result of the accident at the oil-gathering station in the Caspian Sea, continues, said Khoshbakht Yusifzade, First Vice President of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR.

Yusifzade, talking to reporters on December 20 in Baku, noted that the search work has not yielded any results so far. We hope that the missing oilmen will be found in the coming days, he added.

He mentioned that the commission, created to investigate the accidents reasons, continues its work and the public will be informed about the results.

A 150-meter high part of the pier on the right and left sides of the oil gathering station of the No 3 oil and gas production department of Azneft PU collapsed caused by the wind at a speed of 41m/s in the Caspian sea at about 5.00 in the morning on December 15. The ground as well as the lodge attached to the pier also collapsed.

Ten workers of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan have gone missing. The body of one worker, Ilham Gafarov was found at about 14:00 (UTC/GMT+4) on December 15.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on December 16 with the aim of speeding up search and rescue efforts in the Caspian Sea.

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to provide financial and other necessary assistance for the families of those, who died in the incident. SOCAR was instructed to determine serviceability of the oil gathering station of the No 3 oil and gas production department of SOCARs AzNeft Production Union and estimate damage caused to the facility. The President also instructed the SOCAR to review security at all its facilities and installations.

Under the Order, the Prosecutor General`s Office must launch an immediate investigation into the cause of the incident.
By Trend

The assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was aimed at derailing Moscow-Ankara ties, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on December 20, Sputnik International reported.



This [assassination] is beneficial for those who seek to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey, hamper the repair of relations between the two sides, both bilateral and relations that allow strengthening and uniting the efforts for the Syrian political settlement, he said. Our investigators have arrived in Ankara.

Karlov was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in the Cankaya district when an assailant opened fire on the diplomat before shooting into the air. Police special forces neutralized the attacker, identified as 22-year-old riot police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Following the assassination of the Russian envoy, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke via telephone and both leaders described the act as "provocation" to undermine relations Turkey and Russia carry in Syria.

The attack came just a day before Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers were due to meet in Moscow to discuss settling the Syrian conflict. The sides decided to press on with the meeting despite the attack with Cavusoglu stressing that the incident would not impact relations between Turkey and Russia.
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, recently expanded its network of cargo destinations in the US with the launch of a new daily service to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.



Fort Lauderdale is Emirates SkyCargos 13th destination in the US, and its second in Florida, said a statement from the company.



The daily Dubai- Fort Lauderdale route is operated by a Boeing 777-200LR and offers up to 15 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity per flight, it said.



Emirates SkyCargo also offers belly hold cargo capacity on its daily service to Orlando, Florida bringing the total cargo capacity offered to the state to over 330 tonnes per week, it added.



Emirates flight EK 213 departs Dubai at 0330hrs local time and arrives at 1055hrs local time at Fort Lauderdale. The return flight EK 214 departs Fort Lauderdale at 2020hrs local time and returns to Dubai the following day at 1940hrs local time.



The inclusion of Fort Lauderdale to its US network will allow Emirates SkyCargo to open up trade opportunities and provide additional connectivity to its cargo customers in South Florida and the broader region, said a statement.



Customers will be able to access global markets and connect to trade partners through Emirates SkyCargos network of over 150 destinations across 82 countries in six continents, it said.



The top exports from Fort Lauderdale are expected to include healthcare equipment including surgical and laboratory equipment, pharmaceuticals, electronics, aerospace components, aviation and shipping spares, perishables including cheese, seasonal fruits and vegetables and mail, it stated.



Top imports into the region are likely to include pharmaceuticals, aerospace components, electronic and electrical goods.



Emirates SkyCargo facilitates trade between the US and the rest of the world by offering belly hold cargo capacity on passenger flights to Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC. The carrier also operates freighter services to Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Houston, Los Angeles and New York, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
Panasonic has introduced its latest range of tank type vacuum cleaner MC-YL series for the Middle East and Africa region, aimed at provding a perfect tool for cleaning large spaces.



The latest models MC-YL799 and MC-YL637, made in Japan and Malaysia respectively, feature a powerful motor, large capacity dust tank and come with Panasonics smart cord storage (cord reel function), said a statement from the company.



The technology rewinds the cable with press of a button and makes storage easy and convenient, it said.



The uniquely designed 3mm ditch in the MC-YL799 protects the body from dents, while the large 5mm thick cylindrical tank can hold 21L dust, it added.



At only 7.8 kg, the vacuum cleaner is lightweight and a 2-level adjustable nozzle attached to extendable metal wands ensure reach to every corner.



It offers powerful suction with 2400 Watt motor, while the blower adapter can be attached to use the blower operation.



The MC-YL 637 has all these features in a more compact version that provides 2300 Watt motor and a 21L dust capacity, said a statement.



Kei Taniguchi, director, consumer marketing division, PMMAF, said: As a global market leader in vacuum cleaners, we want to meet the needs of all consumers. Hence, the YL series has been designed keeping in mind, requirements like quick storage, hygiene, reduced disposal, and improved durability.



The latest models under the MC-YL Series are compact and energy efficient cleaners, he added.



The MC-YL Series is available across GCC and Africa with the lowest price model MC-YL 620 priced at Dh349 ($95.02) and MC-YL 799 priced at Dh899 ($244.7), it stated.  TradeArabia News Service


A gunman shouting "Do not forget Aleppo!" assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey at an Ankara art gallery on Monday, a report said.



The gunman, described by Turkish officials as a 22-year-old off-duty police officer, also wounded at least three others in the assault on the envoy, Andrey G Karlov, reported the New York Times.



Turkish officials said the assailant was killed by other officers in a shootout.



In televised remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the killing was a clear "provocation" aimed at undermining not just the normalization of Russia-Turkish relations but the "peace process in Syria" promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries.



"The only response we should offer to this murder is stepping up our fight against terror, and the criminals will feel the heat," he said.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the assassination was intended to destroy the normalization of Turkey-Russian relations."But the Russian government and the Turkish republic have the will to not fall into that provocation, he added.
Dubai Courts has established a specialized independent court for execution cases is in line with efforts to improve the efficiency of the judicial system in order to maintain a secure community.



The move comes in response to the growing need for an independent court for addressing the increasing number of execution cases. Under the Resolution, Judge Abdullah Ahmed Ali Al Kaitoob was appointed as head of the new Execution Court which serves as a significant addition to existing specialized courts which include the Civil, Labour, Real Estate, Commercial, Criminal and Personal Status Courts.



TarishEid Al Mansouri, director-general of Dubai Courts, explained that the introduction of the Execution Court is significant to the development of the judicial industry as it serves as a cornerstone for enhancing the UAEs position in the World Banks annual Global Competitiveness Report by hastening verdicts on execution cases.



He noted that this move lays solid foundations for improving execution durations which is one of the main challenges in contract execution and an issue that made Dubai Courts rank 144th in the 2015 Report.



Al Mansouri commended Dubai Courts for securing the top rank for the second time in a row in the Middle East in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business Report 2016, in addition to advancing from 34th to 26th out of 189 countries in the general ranking.



Al Mansouri emphasized that a specialized court for executions will play a pivotal role in achieving the ambitious vision of creating pioneering and internationally distinguished courts capable of swiftly completing cases. He pointed out that the move will positively impact local and global confidence in the legal and judicial system.



Al Mansouri said: We seek to activate the institutional role of the Execution Court through the development of an independent strategic plan that is closely linked to the goals of the Strategic Document 2016-2019 which ensures that justice is served accurately and swiftly, providing easy access to judicial services and upholding the values of justice, independence, transparency and innovation. We welcome the establishment of the Execution Court which will help measure the strategic performance indicators of execution cases included in the Strategic Document 2016-2019 accurately and efficiently. It will help us sustain our success in strengthening the judicial system based on the pillars of neutrality, impartiality, transparency, justice and equality to consolidate the global leadership of Dubai.



The establishment of the Execution Court paves the way for the development of an independent strategy for execution cases, similar to other specialized courts of first instance, that preserves the influential role of managing execution cases in a manner that embodies Dubai Courts goal of effectively dispensing justice. The new court will adhere to a comprehensive operational plan that includes various quality initiatives and programs for improving the implementation of provisions.  TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain is planning to scrap the old sponsorship system for visa, known as Kafala, which dates back to 1960s, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.



To read further, please visit GDNonline.




Qatar Airways last weekend celebrated the launch of new direct flights from Doha to Tbilisi, increasing travel options to and from Georgia.



Qatar Airways now operates four direct flights to Tbilisi from Dohas Hamad International Airport, complementing the existing seven weekly flights that operate via Baku in Azerbaijan.



Operated by a Qatar Airways Airbus A320 aircraft, the new direct scheduled flight time - of just over three hours from Doha - sees overall journey times drop significantly across the airlines global network to and from this increasingly popular tourist destination, complemented by seamless transfers through the airlines global home and hub, Hamad International Airport in Qatar.



Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: "We are delighted to celebrate the launch of direct flights to Tbilisi, offering Georgian citizens shorter journey times to more than 150 destinations around the world. As both an economical and cultural hub, our new shorter flight times will attract many business and leisure passengers alike, while our tagged service via Baku will continue to offer a quick and efficient link between Azerbaijan and Georgia.



Qatar Airways also increased service to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, from a four to five weekly service on December 15, with an additional frequency each week due to the popularity of the route which was first inaugurated in May 2016. -TradeArabia News Service
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport has enjoyed a highly successful 2016, according to its chairman Engineer Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi.



Sheikh Salem said the year will be the airports most positive year so far with a host of landmarks passed and records broken.



The airport's passenger numbers grew 68 per cent over 2015 figures on a like-for-like basis. Cargo tonnage almost doubled with an impressive 98 per cent growth, while aircraft movements increased by 37 per cent.



Sheikh Salem said: A lot of hard work has been put in over recent years and we have now started to reap some of the rewards. In February, Qatar Airways inaugurated its flights from Doha to Ras Al Khaimah, connecting RAK to long haul routes in Europe, China and beyond. In April, Air India Express gave us an Indian connection that goes some way to satisfying the still under-served Indian sector from RAK.



In May Sun MRO started its setup at RAK to establish a narrow body repair and maintenance centre, he said. In September we had the inauguration of Egypt Air Cargo flights, the first flag carrier freighter operating to RAK. The beginning of October saw an early start of winter tourism season with 10 charters coming from various parts of Europe, CIS and Russia.



The latter was a result of joint efforts by RAK Airport and RAK Tourism Development Authority, he said.

Mohammed Qazi, the airports CEO, also noted that in addition to these key moments Ras Al Khaimahs national carrier, Air Arabia, increased its daily frequencies on most of the routes it operates from RAK. He attributed the high load factors at the airport to its easy accessibility from the Northern Emirates, which is a sizeable catchment area.



RAK Airport also opened the expansion of the Arrival Terminal, on time, during October. This expansion included the state-of-the-art smart immigration gates that process each passenger in approximately 5 seconds.

Qazi noted: The key focus is on the timeliness of our operations, as we believe the quicker you can process the passengers the more satisfied both the passengers and airlines are. Besides, less ground time simply means more revenues for the airlines, and we are ranked top amongst the airports for on-time performance for airlines operating at RAK Airport.



Qazi said this is only the beginning of whats to come in the next five years. Aviation is growing at a rate of 5 per cent globally and regional trends are above global average. We are continuing to invest in infrastructure in order to cater for the future. We hope that the global economy shows improvements next year as there have been a number of uncertainties during 2016, he said.



He said the airport increased its manpower by 16 per cent this year.



Specifically for 2017, Qazi sees RAK Airport continuing to build on what has been established during 2016. We are constantly enhancing our service offerings for our passengers and airlines alike, he said. We have technological innovations planned for the first quarter that will ease the check-in process and may even take it outside the airport itself. And we will be opening our new seasonal terminal in the early part of 2017 as well. -TradeArabia News Service


Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
A Wyoming-based factory will be the exclusive manufacturer of magazines used in combat by the U.S. Marine Corps, Magpul Industries said Tuesday.

Magpul is headquartered in Austin, Texas, but moved its manufacturing facilities to Cheyenne last year.

The Marine Corps announced that Magpul had been selected as the new supplier of combat magazines on Dec. 16, according to a company statement.

This is great news to everyone at Magpul, and it validates years of hard work by our entire team perfecting and producing the most reliable magazines in the world, Magpul Director of Product Management and Marketing Duane Liptak said in the statement.

Liptak did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Magpul said the selection came following years of tests examining the performance of magazines, which hold bullet cartridges, when used with different types of ammunition and firearms.

The companys GEN M3 PMAG series was selected after outperforming other magazines, the statement said.

The magazine, which retails on Magpuls website for $14.95, holds 30 rounds and comes in both black and tan.

The Magpul statement said that the aluminum magazines currently used by the Marine Corps will be relegated to training use only.

A representative for the Marine Corps was not immediately available Tuesday to provide information regarding the selection of an exclusive magazine supplier.

Magpul is a gun accessory manufacturer and part of a growing firearms industry in Wyoming.

The sector employs 730 people in the state and pays $19 million in annual wages, according to the Wyoming Business Council.

Rachelle Zimmerman of Cheyenne LEADS, a business development group, said that Magpuls success was good for the entire state.

Anytime you see a business being successful anywhere in Wyoming thats a win for us, Zimmerman said. I would assume this would, from an employment perspective, be a positive for the area.
Three bills that would cut tens of millions in education funding are likely dead after lawmakers didnt bring them before the Joint Education Interim Committee on Monday morning.

Chairman Hank Coe, R-Cody, said he and Rep. David Northrup, a Powell Republican and the committees co-chair, knew the bills didnt have support among the panels members.

Coe said the bills didnt have support because there was a general consensus among lawmakers that an approach to correcting the school funding deficit needed to consider everything, rather than examine only a part of the model. As far as the education committee was concerned, the bills were effectively dead, he said.

John Lyttle, the superintendent of Laramie County School District No. 1, said he was relieved. Depending on how those bills had fared, his district may have been forced to lay off more than 100 staff members.

Instead, the committee voted to create a subcommittee to begin working on a conceptual amendment called the education deficit reduction bill. Northrup said the bill would examine a number of things, including raising money and finding a long-term fix for education funding.

In the coming budget cycle, education funding faces a shortfall of up to $400 million a year, officials have said. Coe said the new bill would break that larger deficit into five $80 million pools, though he wasnt yet sure what exactly those five subcategories would be.

Lyttle said he thought this deliberate approach was better, though he said he wasnt sure yet what would go into the bill. He was pleased that education officials, like Brian Farmer, the executive director of the Wyoming School Boards Association, will attend subcommittee meetings.

Northrup said the subcommittee would include six lawmakers, including him and Coe. But he said it would not have any official outside adviser, like an educator.

After the education committee, the bill would then go through the appropriations and revenue committees, Northrup said.

We need more people on it, more eyes on it, he said.

State superintendent Jillian Balow told lawmakers Monday morning that she supported the conceptual amendment and that the Department of Education was at the table with you to find solutions to these challenges.

Gov. Matt Mead reiterated this month his call for a task force to examine the issue including lawmakers, educators, state officials and others. Rep. Steve Harshman, R-Casper and the incoming house speaker, has said he wants a supercommittee to bring together a group similar to Meads task force.

Harshman has said the supercommittee would break into smaller committees to study different parts of the education funding shortfall. Coe and Northrup both said the new bill, should the education committee support it, would likely become Harshmans supercommittee.

Coe said the plan is to have the bill ready for an electronic vote by Jan. 6, and Northrup said he wants the subcommittees work to be done this week so the Legislative Service Office can begin working on it.

The legislative session begins Jan. 10.
A bill before the Wyoming Legislature would keep recordings from police cars and body cameras secret unless a person or the media convinces a judge that there is a compelling public interest to release the video.

At a time when Wyoming police departments are increasingly using body cams, Senate File 32 in its current form blocks transparency, critics say. The press and public would most likely have to hire an attorney to succeed in court, which can be cost-prohibitive for many people. The records in many cases should already be public information, they say.

Proponents of the law say a video doesnt capture everything from a scene and could ruin somebodys life, even if that person isnt ultimately found guilty.

The measure comes after a state task force studied technology in the digital age. The group worked for months at trying to balance the rights to privacy and public information with body cameras, students digital records, online money transfer and other topics. As a result, a number of laws on the books could be updated in the 2017 session, which begins Jan. 10.

The task force discussed a variety of proposals on police recordings. The police generally wanted to keep public eyes off the footage.

In a video, people can appear guilty of a crime. But even if a court exonerates them, they may be forever guilty in the public eye if the recording is online, said Sen. Leland Christensen, a chairman of the Joint Judiciary Committee, which is sponsoring the bill.

Theres nothing stopping it from becoming the new YouTube or Facebook video, said Christensen, a Republican from Alta and a former police officer.

Christensen said that the public and press have a good chance to win in court and obtain footage.

I think if theres a complaint and it rises to that level, I think its as easy as filing the paperwork to say, Judge, the actions are in the publics interest, Christensen said. I wouldnt think it would be that hard.

But Jim Angell of the Wyoming Press Association, a trade group for newspapers across the state, said most of his members would hire attorneys if they want to watch dash or body camera recordings. Members of the public may also have to hire an attorney to boost their chances at persuading a judge to release footage.

The press association would have preferred a bill that allowed more of the footage to be public. Angell said he was comfortable with exempting from public eyes footage from inside a private house or hospital where no public business was being conducted.

Our lone concern was the use of lethal force against or by a police officer, he said.

Police across the country have faced intense scrutiny after a number of shootings of young black men, and some officers have been shot in retaliation.

At this moment, this is what were left with, Angell said. Is there room for compromise? Maybe. I havent come up with anything yet.

Casper resident Jeremy Brown has taken interest in the use of body cams and has followed the issue as its progressed through the bill-making process, even testifying before lawmakers at meetings. He said that hes disgusted by the bill in its current form.

Im not a big fan of it, he said. To be honest, I think the state is trying to do a one-over on the citizens.

Brown agrees there should be limits to the release of the footage. For instance, people shouldnt have the right to watch a child sex abuse victims interview with officers, or video of police entering a home during a domestic violence crime. But most police recordings should be public, he said.

Criminal affidavits are public information, Brown noted. People can read the affidavits to learn the details of a crime, even if the video is not public.

That doesnt make any sense to me, he said.

Christensen, the chairman of Judiciary, said members of the public can contact their legislators if they disapprove of the bill. A bill can always be amended to address peoples concerns.

It is far from a done deal, he said.

Brown said he will try to drive to Cheyenne during the session to testify against SF32.

We have to keep this transparent, he said. If we dont have transparency, who is really running the show?

We have to keep this transparent. If we dont have transparency, who is really running the show? - Jeremy Brown of Casper, on a proposed law that would keep police dash and body camera recordings secret unless a court ordered them to be released
Winds reaching 88 mph hit the base of Casper Mountain near Wyoming Boulevard on Monday, the strongest ever recorded, according to the National Weather Service. The gusts measured 14 mph faster than minimum speeds required for a Category 1 hurricane.

Clark, in northwest Wyoming, was hammered by staggering gusts measuring 108 mph.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol has investigated 80 crashes across the state since Monday morning, including 27 crashes where someone was injured, according to a news release. Troopers attributed many of the crashes to weather and high wind speeds.

More than half of the crashes have occurred either along Interstate 25 near Wheatland or Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins.

A highway patrol trooper was also injured Tuesday while investigating a crash on I-80 about 30 miles west of Laramie.

The trooper was sitting in a patrol car at the site of a wind-related crash about 8 a.m. Tuesday when a second vehicle struck the troopers car during high winds. The trooper had non-life threatening injuries and is expected to recover.

The westbound lane of Interstate 80 between Walcott Junction and Laramie was closed to all traffic Tuesday morning after at least five semitrailers blew over, blocking the lanes of travel. Wind speeds exceeding 60 mph were reported between Laramie and Walcott, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation. U.S. Highway 30 from Laramie to Walcott is also closed.

The highway patrol video recorded one semitrailer that jackknifed in the 70 mph winds on an icy hill Monday night on Highway 789, between Lander and Muddy Gap. The Wyoming Department of Transportation had to use two plow trucks just to block the wind from the disabled semitrailer to keep it from tipping over as it was towed to a safe location. The crash closed the highway for about five hours.

Interstates 25 and 80 were closed to light and high-profile vehicles in southeast Wyoming on Tuesday morning, according to the Department of Transportation website. But highway patrol officials said many drivers were causing crashes because they werent heeding the warnings and closures.

These high wind related crashes are demonstrating the importance for motorists to not proceed when roads are closed to light and high profile vehicles due to high wind speeds, Sgt. David Wagener said in a news release.

Casper remained under a high wind warming Tuesday and into Tuesday night, with southwest winds of 36 to 43 mph and gusts as high as 65 mph.

Portions of Wyoming Boulevard were closed Monday after strong winds blew over a semitrailer. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
For a decade now, Tucson chef Massimo Tenino has hosted a traditional Italian Christmas Eve Festa dei Sette Pesci at his Tavolino Ristorante Italiano, 2890 E. Skyline Drive.

Also known as Feast of the Seven Fishes, the multicourse meal is centered on classic Italian seafood dishes. Teninos menu for Saturdays celebration includes house-cured salmon, seafood cannelloni, sea bass and crab fritters.

First seating on Saturday, Dec. 24, is 3 p.m.; the final seating is 8 p.m. and the cost is $75 per person. Reservations at 531-1913 are required.

Here are some more holiday dining events:

 Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, 135 S. Sixth Ave. Christmas Eve specials include: Oaxacan tomato soup with cheese relleno and tortilla shards; roast turkey with chorizo cornbread stuffing, pan gravy, sweet potatoes and cranberries; Oaxacan bread pudding with eggnog ice cream and mezcal hard sauce. Al a carte pricing for regular menu; $35; $20 for ages 12 and under for specials. 5-10 p.m. Dec. 24. 623-7700.

 Cup Cafe, 311 E. Congress St. Christmas Eve dinner 5-8 p.m. Tuna tartare for $12, roasted New York strip for $34, whole grilled Branzino for $24; Christmas Day brunch 9 a.m.-3 p.m. steak and eggs for $18 and Creole brunch for $13. 5-8 p.m. Dec. 24; 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 25. 622-8848.

 Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink, 101 E. Pennington St. Regular menu with specials including: Italian seafood soup and spaghetti alla Chittara with clams, garlic, chili and parsley. A la carte pricing. Reservations suggested. 3-8 p.m. Dec. 24. $25 average pricing. 882-5550.

 Wildflower American Cuisine, 7037 N. Oracle Road. $45 per person, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity. 4-9 p.m. Dec. 24. 219-4230.

 Kingfisher Bar & Grill, 2564 E. Grant Road. A la carte pricing. Regular dinner menu. 5-8 p.m. Dec. 24. $30. 323-7730.

 Hilton Tucson El Conquistador, 10000 N. Oracle Road. Three-course, prix-fixe menu, excludes tax and gratuity. 5-10 p.m. Dec. 25. $50. 544-1244.

New Years Eve

 Sullivans Steakhouse, 1785 E. River Road. Four-course menu includes hand-shucked oysters, lobster basil stuffed shrimp, black velvet cake and Moet & Chandon Champagne for $69 from 3-5 p.m. and $89 from 5-11 p.m. Reservations: 299-4275 or sullivanssteakhouse.com/tucson

 Tavolino Ristorante Italiano, 2890 E. Skyline Drive. Regular dinner menu, and chef Massimo Teninos select holiday specials. Reservations suggested. A la carte pricing. 3-9:30 p.m. Dec. 31. $50 average per person. 237-4670.

 The Carriage House, 125 S. Arizona Ave. Hors d oeuvres, followed by five-course meal with wine pairings. Live music. Twenty percent of proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona. Reservations recommended. 7-11:45 p.m. Dec. 31. $150. 615-6100.

 Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, 135 S. Sixth Ave. Three-course menu for $55; four course for $75. Choices for each course. 5-10 p.m. Dec. 31. 623-7700.

 North Italia, 2995 E. Skyline Drive. Excludes beverages, tax, and gratuity. 4-11 p.m. Dec. 31. $55. 299-1600.

 Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink, 101 E. Pennington St. Regular menu with holiday specials. Celebrating the second anniversary of the Tough Luck Club. Reservations suggested. A la carte pricing. 4-10 p.m. Dec. 31. $25 average per person. 882-5550.

 Wildflower American Cuisine, 7037 N. Oracle Road. $45 per person 4-5 p.m.; $55 per person 5 p.m. to close. Excludes beverages, tax and gratuity. 4-9 p.m. Dec. 31. $55. 219-4230.

New Years Day
A national financial-services firm that specializes in retirement, college and health-care savings is opening a Tucson office with plans to hire up to 170 associates.

Ascensus, based in Pennsylvania, will open its office at the UA Tech Park at Rita Road, on the citys southeast side.

Tucson was selected as the site of its new office, following a national search, because of the citys workforce and the facilities at Tech Park.

The time zone will also allow Ascensus to add more clients in the Pacific Time Zone, said Roberta Hess, vice president of marketing and communications. It is the companys first location in the West.

Positions to be filled include service-center representatives, actuaries, account managers and software developers.

The company will initially hire about 50 people and is to open in mid-2017. Most positions will require a bachelors degree.

Tucson is experiencing incredible economic growth as a result of industry-leading companies like Ascensus creating hundreds of high-quality jobs in the region, Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement. We could not be more pleased to welcome Ascensus to Arizona and congratulate them on their success.

Founded in 1975, the company specializes in record-keeping, administrative and program-management services. It supports more than 46,000 retirement plans and 3.8 million 529 college savings accounts.

We have absolutely enjoyed working with the community leaders weve met so far and we are looking forward to moving into the community, Hess said.

Bruce Wright, associate vice president and chief executive officer of Tech Parks Arizona, said Ascensus will lease the second floor of an existing building, about 22,000 square feet.

We look forward to our future growth together, he said.
Its summertime in Australia, which could explain why the countrys celebrated Ten Tenors is in America this month, spreading holiday cheer with their stunning 10-part harmonies.

The ensemble brings its Our Christmas Wish tour to Fox Tucson Theatre for two shows  7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28. Its the second year in a row that the group has included Arizona in a U.S. holiday trek that includes several stops in California and along the East Coast.

The group is touring on its latest Christmas album Our Christmas Wish. Proceeds from sales will benefit St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital.

We caught up with member Jared Newall on Monday for an email interview about the show.

Welcome back to Tucson. You brought your Home for the Holidays tour to Tucson last December and now we get you for Our Christmas Wish tour. So what is your Christmas Wish?

This year, our Christmas wish has come true. We wanted to do something with our latest Christmas album that would better the world, and this year weve been able to partner with St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. With the sales of Our Christmas Wish at our shows and on Amazon, were able to give all the profits to St. Jude, so they can continue to help kids struggling with illnesses.

So why did you select St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital as the U.S. Recipient of your 2016 Christmas album?

In 2015, we partnered with an Australian childrens charity called the Childrens Hospital Foundation. We heard stories of families affected by childhood diseases and childhood cancer, and we were unbelievably moved. Through the Australian sales of our album, we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the (foundation). We wanted to find somewhere in the U.S. that was treating and researching childhood illness, and we found one of the most incredible facilities and organizations the world has ever known. We believe that childhood illness touches everyone, and we are glad that we can play our part in helping those affected this Christmas.

Youre spending Christmas in the U.S. How different will that be from spending the holidays in your native Australia, where its summertime?

We all grew up watching American Christmas movies, seeing visions of real Christmas trees and snow blanketing the ground. All the while, were sweating in temperatures north of 100 degrees. This year well be performing on Christmas Day in Aspen, Colorado, so well celebrate our tour Christmas on the 26th, and then well all celebrate again when we get back to Australia just before New Years.

And I see from your schedule that with the exception of the month of January, you guys are booked pretty steadily in the U.S. through March. Are you on some sort of American residency? How will you spend the month off?

As the saying goes, theres no rest for the wicked. Well have a couple of weeks off, and then we go into rehearsals for a show were performing to celebrate our national holiday, Australia Day. I expect a few of us will be defrosting in the sun as much as possible, before we head back here with our newest show, The Power of Ten. 

In your previous Tucson shows  including a nine-show run in 2009  did you guys find any great haunts, restaurants, bars, etc., that you have on your must-visit list this time around?

Both times Ive visited Tucson, Ive kept it pretty low-key, to be honest. But I have vivid memories of the Fox Theatre and all the brightly colored painted walls. We all loved bringing our Broadway show to the Fox Theatre in 2014, but for me, our Christmas show is the best thing the group has ever done, and were really excited to be bringing it to town this year.

When you visited Santa this year, what was on the top of your wish list?

Im a bit of a gadget nerd, so the list is long. I think at the top would be a new drone. We visit so many interesting places, so it would be nice to have an aerial record. I think Tucson would look nice from the air!

At your shows here, what can we expect? What classic Christmas carols or holiday singalongs will be on the program?

There is a fantastic blend of classic Christmas tunes in our show, but one of my favorites would have to be a Ten Tenors original called A Thousand Candles. Its so nice to have a group original that everybody seems to know and sing along to. Were so excited to be wrapping this years touring in Tucson, and to have somewhere to defrost before we head back to Australia. We cant wait!
Embers igniting in a coffee roaster with flames spreading up a ventilation system apparently caused an attic fire at a north-side business Monday night.

Two employees were alerted to the flames on the roof of the business in the 2800 block of North Campbell Avenue by several people who pounded on the door of the building, said Capt. Barrett Baker, a Tucson Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters were dispatched shortly before 7 p.m. to the coffee roasting business after multiple calls were made to 911 reporting the flames. The business is located near East Glenn Street.

A crew had the fire under control at 7:41 p.m., Baker said. Firefighters attended to hot spots, and had to remove large amounts of insulation from around the coffee roaster duct work. The insulation was smoldering and producing heavy smoke, said Baker.

Both employees told firefighters that embers ignited in the roaster and spread up the ventilation system.

Initial indications were that the accidental fire was tied to the coffee roaster, Baker said. However, the investigation was in the early stages and the cause of the fire had not officially been determined.

A damage estimate also was undetermined.

City inspectors were responding to the scene to determine if the building was safe, or would be condemned, Baker said.
PHOENIX  A federal judge has rebuffed efforts by the Ducey administration to put off until Donald Trump takes office a challenge to its policy of denying drivers licenses to some illegal immigrants the Obama administration said can remain here.

Judge David Campbell said he will hear arguments next month from immigrant rights advocates that the state is acting illegally in withholding the licenses. What the judge rules will determine if the case goes forward or gets thrown out.

Of note is that Campbell set the hearing for 10 a.m. Arizona time Jan. 20. Thats the exact hour Trump is scheduled to be sworn in at the nations capital.

It is that act which Duceys lawyers are using in their bid to delay having to defend the states policy of denying licenses to some in deferred action programs.

The case is a spinoff of the original lawsuit filed against the state after then-Gov. Jan Brewer directed the Motor Vehicle Division not to issue licenses to those who were part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program announced in 2012.

Attorneys for the state argued that DACA status is merely the decision by the Obama administration not to deport the dreamers who came here as children and meet other qualifications.

And they said that does not meet the requirement of a 1996 state law that says licenses are available only to those whose presence in the country is authorized by federal law.

A federal appeals court quashed the policy, ruling only the federal government can decide who is in this country legally. While that remains on appeal, the state has been issuing licenses to DACA recipients.

One issue in that lawsuit was the state was not being fair, as it had been providing licenses for years to illegal immigrants in other deferred action programs. These include domestic violence victims, those with pending visa applications and those allowed to stay for humanitarian reasons.

So in its bid to justify denying licenses to dreamers the state stopped issuing licenses to those in these other groups. And since they were not included in the original lawsuit because they had been getting licenses, they are not covered by the appellate court ruling.

So Karen Tumlin of the National Immigration Law Center sued on their behalf.

On Friday, attorneys for the Ducey administration asked Campbell to put the case on the back burner to wait and see what the Trump administration will decide about DACA.

At one point Trump had said he intended to deport everyone not here legally. But the president-elect more recently has softened his stance on DACA recipients.

Were going to work something out thats going to make people happy and proud, he told Time magazine.

Douglas Northup, the governors lead attorney, told Campbell it makes no sense to let the case go forward at this point.

Upon taking office, President-elect Trump may entirely eliminate DACA by federal executive order in the same way that it was authorized, he wrote. He said the new administration could eliminate some of the deferred action programs or develop an entirely new and different system of immigration classification.

And Northup had a backup plea.

At a minimum, the matter should be stayed until the expiration of President-elect Trumps first 100 days in office, he asked.

But Campbell sided with Tumlin who argued that it doesnt matter what Trump does about DACA.

The underlying statutory authority for the executive to engage in prosecutorial discretion will remain in place, she argued. And Tumlin pointed out the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already has ruled the state is in no position to decide by itself who is here legally separate from federal standards.

She conceded that Congress itself could change immigration laws. But she argued there mere possibility that it might do so provides no grounds to delay the resolution of the live controversy before this court.
The U.S. Navys Blue Angels will fly the main aerial demonstration for Davis-Monthan Air Force Bases next Open House event, the Tucson base said Monday.

However, that event isn't scheduled until March 17-18, 2018.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performed at this years edition of D-Ms biannual open house in March.

The Blue Angels, based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, is the Navys flight demonstration squadron, with aviators from the Navy and Marines. The Blue Angels last performed at Davis-Monthan in March 2007, according to D-M.

The squadrons six demonstration pilots currently fly the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, typically in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, according to the Navy.
Ignoring hundreds of protesters outside and reports of Russian hacking, the states 11 Republican electors cast their votes as expected Monday for Donald Trump.

State Party Chairman Robert Graham, one of those electors, said those hand-picked by the GOP had an obligation to support Trump, who won the most votes in Arizona on Nov. 8.

When someone runs for the Electoral College they understand that theyre actually running to support the popular vote for our state, he told Capitol Media Services. Still, he conceded, they were under no actual legal obligation to vote that way.

Theres nothing binding them outside their conscience, Graham said.

And Graham said he was not bothered by the reports by both the FBI and CIA which concluded that Russia hacked into various emails, including of the Democratic National Committee, in a bid to sway the outcome of the election.

The irony behind this is that good old Hillary Clinton has all these email discrepancies with Benghazi, her work with the Clinton Foundation, he said. And now theyre making a point of finding some kind of moral or ethics around this?

Anyway, Graham said, what Russia did is irrelevant.

If theyre bad actors, they are what they are, he said.

And its just a bunch of accusations, Graham continued. And the DoJ (Department of Justice) is politicizing it in a very pathetic way, leaking information to the media rather than taking what they know to Congress.

DoJ is using this as another opportunity, a last-ditch opportunity, to make hay out of what they suppose, the media suppose, as a black eye for Donald Trump, he said. They keep trying to blemish a great victory, which was a movement of the people in this country.

That comes as Arizona Sen. John McCain is siding with Democrats  and against his own party leadership  in seeking a special select committee to look into the role that Russia played in the election. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky prefers it be handled by the existing Intelligence Committee.

Graham declined to weigh in on the issue.

Its not my job to weigh in on their perspectives and their opinions, he said.

Arizonans split on electoral college

The Electoral College votes were cast as a new statewide poll shows Arizonans nearly equally divided on the question of whether the president should be elected strictly by popular vote.

That system gives each state a set number of electoral votes based on the number of people in Congress. So Arizona, with nine representatives and two senators, gets 11.

The automated survey of 700 registered voters, conducted earlier this month by OH Predictive Insights, found 46 percent favor electing a president on direct popular vote, with an identical amount wanting to keep the current system and the balance undecided.

But there was a decided, if not surprising, partisan split: Three-fourths of Democrats like the popular vote, versus 44 percent of independents and 21 percent of Republicans.

This year, Clinton gained about 2.8 million more popular votes than Trump. And there was a similar situation in 2000 when Democrat Al Gore outpolled Republican George W. Bush but lost the electoral vote.

Secretary of State Michele Reagan, who presided over Mondays event, said theres a reason the Electoral College was created.

Our Founding Fathers feared a candidate could unjustly manipulate public opinion and people wouldnt be able to make an informed choice, she said .

The thought was that by voting for a qualified group of individuals, it would be more difficult to manipulate voters, she explained. saying Alexander Hamilton believed the Electoral College would protect voters.

Reagan also noted that giving each state votes based on representation in Congress gives smaller states a bigger say, proportionally, as no state has fewer than three electors no matter how few people live there.

The same survey that asked respondents about the Electoral College found that approximately one out of five people questioned believe there was widespread voter fraud in the last election.

But there was no partisan divide in that question, with an identical percentage of Republicans and Democrats reaching the same conclusion.

The margin of error in the survey is 3.7 percent.
The move amends state's current standards, which are based on federal guidelines known as the Common Core. Common Core has become a politicized topic.

The revisions also require students to learn about time and money and memorize spelling lists in early grades and set standards for high-school-level math courses that are not required for graduation.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas says the changes were designed to clarify rules and give teachers and school boards more flexibility.

The Board of Education says 48 percent of the Common Core standards on language arts and 40 percent of the Common Core standards on math were revised.
Help India!

By TCN News

Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee expressed grave concern over the death sentence awarded to five Muslim youth who were accused in the Dilsukhnagar blast case, and said it was based on an unfair trial.

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This committee slams the way trial is conducted without providing any proper legal assistance. There are many errors in conducting trial, the foremost is NIA constituted a fast track court in Cherlapally high security prison. The access to the court for the advocates, media and people was restricted. It was conducted in hasty manner by avoiding due course of law, the committee said.

The Hyderabad-based organisation added that conducting the trial in the four walls of a high security prison and awarding the death sentence to five Muslim youth by showing them as guilty of terror charges and responsible for Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts is nothing but travesty of justice. Dilsukhnagar bomb blast is a heinous crime committed against humanity. For this heinous crime the investigation is not done in proper manner but it was conducted with prejudiced mindset. As the practice existed among the investigative agencies from day one, they held a particular group responsible for the blasts, the committee added.

Whenever there is a blast in any corner of the country, the police, media and the investigative agencies immediately blame Muslim youth without even any basic investigation. And if at all the investigation is done, it is done with prejudice manner; if the investigation is done with such prejudiced mindset, trial done within the confines of four walls and death sentence declared then how can the demand of justice prevail. It is learnt from the newspaper reports that the accused counsel was not present and even the family members were also not present; these five accused had submitted a petition stating that they have nothing to do with the blasts and they are innocent, the committee said in its press release.

The committee said it was it was largely believed that the NIA court did not think proper to wait for the accused counsel to be present at the hearing to put forth his arguments because the public prosecutor, the judge and the court was already mentally prepared that they should be given death sentence. No one in fact knows what went on in the hearings inside the high security confined walls. Media is writing their own stories and police personnel are giving their own versions.

Civil Liberties demands to re-trial the case in the open court not in the confined walls and also provide all legal remedies to the accused persons so that justice can be done and the standard of justice can prevail. This committee also demands the government of India to abolish the death penalty so that the legal procedural system is not misused to take away anyones life, the committee added.
I first met the Irish Band 'The Ocelots' during a concert organised by 'The Munich Sessions' in my favourite coffee shop and hang out place Lost Weekend in my hometown Munich in March 2016.

I was immediately amazed by their lyrics, their beautiful melodies, and charming personalities. We exchanged a few words and I knew from that day on they had a new fan.

In December they had another gig at Lost Weekend and I took the chance to interview the twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Watson (19).

The beginning of a music career

Blasting News: How did you start your Music career?

Ashley: I always knew a few chords on guitar from doing music lessons early as a child. In our fourth year of school, we start bringing in our instruments to school at lunch time and jamming with our friends for fun. Our favourite bands were 'The Killers' and 'Kings of Leon' and we tried to learn all their songs and play them together. That year, we were around 15 and we signed up for the school's talent show. We didn't have a name and barely knew how to play any instruments but we needed to participate in the show. 'The Ocelots' was the last minute talent show name our friend suggested to us to save us just putting down 'Ashley Watson Band'. After the Talent Show, we went busking every Saturday for some pocket money.

A local pub in Ireland asked us to play every Tuesday, so then we used our free time to work on a 2-3 hours set to play regularly at the Pub. After a few months, we decided to work on our original music and travel around Europe.

Playing in Europe

Blasting News: Where in Europe did you travel first?

Brandon: The first place we went to was Munich.

We didn't organize anything in advance. So we arrived in Munich and happened to meet Jackson and Patrick, the organizers of the 'Munich Sessions'. They really liked our music, so they put us on the list for the next show. We met up then and the show went great. We even played with the famous Australian band Boo Seeka. So thankfully we slowly built up a fan base in Munich.

Afterwards, we travelled to mostly every city in Europe, doing shows and busking in places like Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and London.

Blasting News: What are your plans for the future?

Ashley: For the future, we want to keep travelling throughout Europe and America and hopefully finance ourselves through touring a few times a year. Currently, we are working on songs for our EP and plan to release 2 or 3 singles next year also.

Blasting News: Many of your songs sound very autobiographical, for example, the song "Shoot me darling." Did you write it from your own experience?

Ashley: That song actually was inspired by an episode from "Twin Peaks." It's one of the first songs we wrote. I wrote it to experiment with different techniques of songwriting.

Blasting News: What about the other songs?

Brandon: When we were starting writing songs it happened a lot that some younger bands got criticized for not having much depth in their writing because they haven't experienced love before or were lacking enough life experience.That's why we decided to travel. We wanted to make new experiences to learn the paths of life that weren't academic. A lot of our songs have been written while away from home and out of our comfort zone, this way we think we can get a greater hook on writing creatively and with more story. We write about events that have occurred while travelling and about relationships we've had as we have grown up.

Blasting News: Thank you very much for the interview and best wishes for your career!
President-elect Donald Trump has condemned Islamic terrorists for the attacks that took place in Germany and Turkey on Monday. Speaking out ahead of the investigations being conducted by authorities, Trump issued a statement laying blame on terrorists for the truck attack at a Berlin Christmas Market and the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey.

At 8 p.m. on Monday a truck plowed into a Christmas Market in Berlin killing twelve people and injuring forty-eight others. While in Turkey, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was gunned down at an art gallery in the capital city Ankara.

Following the attacks, Trump stressed that these regional and worldwide terrorist networks "must be eradicated from the face of the earth." He vowed to carry out this mission with "all freedom-loving partners."

Who Shot The Russian Ambassador to Turkey?

Investigations in both Turkey and Germany are still pending on Tuesday. However, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told reporters: "There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack." While Turkish authorities have revealed, the gunman in Ankara was an off-duty policeman who screamed "slogans associated with Islamist militancy" as he shot ambassador Andrey Karlov.

The gunman shouted, "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" as he shot the envoy down.

Trump referred to the assassination of Ambassador Andrey Karlov as a violation of all rules of civilized order. He added that the Islamic State group "and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad." The president-elect has frequently spoken out against Islamic terrorism and talked about it widely during his presidential campaign.

Trump Continues To Be Vocal On Twitter

Trump later tweeted that "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland, and Germany  and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!" His statements coincide with the Electoral College confirming his official victory. Donald Trump's inauguration will take place on January 20, 2017.
The African Development Bank, on 19th December 2016, signed a loan of US$ 500 million to finance the Egypt Economic Governance and Energy Support Program Phase II. The loan, which was approved by the Banks Board of Executive Directors on 13th December 2016, is the second tranche of a three year, US$ 1.5 billion programmatic series, covering the fiscal years 2015/16 to 2017/18 (July-June). It builds on the first phase of the operation, a US$ 500 million loan that was approved in December 2015 and was fully disbursed in early January 2016.

The Economic Governance and Energy Support Program is designed to support strong, sustainable and inclusive growth in Egypt by providing a financing incentive for reforms that will help drive fiscal consolidation, improved governance and efficiency in the energy sector, and strengthening of the business operating environment. Overall, the current tranche will provide a significant contribution towards meeting the Governments financing requirement in 2016/17.

The loan was signed on behalf of the Government of Egypt by the Minister of International Cooperation, Sahar Nasr, and co-signed by the Banks Resident Representative in the country, Leila Mokadem. The ceremony was witnessed by Executive Director Dr Samy Zaghloul. Following signature, Minister Nasr said: This is a vote of confidence for the Governments economic programme that will support development projects, which aim at achieving sustainable and inclusive development based on demands of the Egyptian people, focusing on marginalized segments and lagging regions.

In response, on behalf of the Bank, Dr Zaghloul said that I welcome this strong partnership, which is of critical importance to the Government's reform programme and will support Egyptians' standard of living and improve the business environment. Overall, I am delighted that the Bank is helping to increase our support to help provide job opportunities and improve livelihoods.

Also speaking on the occasion, Mrs Mokadem underscored that the loan signature paves the way for the Bank to continue its budget support, which will contribute to sustaining the Governments reforms agenda, provide further fiscal space to improve the targeting of public action to the most vulnerable segments of the population, and support Egypt in improving the quality of life and well-being of its citizens.

www.afdb.org
About Me

I am an urban/commercial district revitalization and transportation/mobility advocate and consultant and a principal in BicyclePASS, a bicycle facilities systems integration firm, based in Washington, DC. Urban economic competitiveness is dependent on efficient transit and mixed use, compact places. Therefore, I end up writing mostly about mobility and urban design. While I am based in and write about Washington, DC issues, I try to write so that "universal lessons" are evident in the entries.

View my complete profile
Imagine you are in the market for a brand new truck. You have settled on a GMC Sierra. You have done all your research, and you will be going to the dealer the next day. You sit down to watch the evening news and a special on GMC trucks is on NBC. You watch to your horror as they demonstrate a car t-boning the truck. The car and truck both erupt in a ball of flames.

According to the LA Times, that happened to many people in 1992. NBC blamed GMC's gas tank being on the side of the truck bed. The only problem? The whole thing was staged. GMC suffered the biggest collapse in its history.

Sales were crashing. Who was to blame? NBC settled a lawsuit with GMC, but the damage was already done.

NBC put a smaller gas cap on the truck and had lit flairs under the car that t-boned the truck. The car with the lit flairs hit the truck, and gas shot out of the gas tank and ignited. Fake news is a plague these days, and many know it. But who are the fake news outlets? Twitter is buzzing about the fake news crisis.

The mainstream media's fake news about Russian hackers is radicalizing crazy people. pic.twitter.com/XW4BQe5h6f  Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) December 19, 2016

Secretary Clinton says no more false news

In a conference, Hillary Clinton gave a speech recently about the harm of fake news.

But what agencies are "fake news"? In several news articles, I have exposed some of the mainstream media outlets such as ABC and MSNBC.

ABC did a whole segment on a crime committed by a sex offender. While the story was real, the fake crime scene was staged. The police were not allowing the media at the crime scene. Yet, the reporter wanted the public to think that they had special access.

ABC had no special access and the reporter had to apologize to the public.

Many news outlets are doing this

These are just examples of many more news stories that get staged. "The fake news stories must stop," Clinton said that day. We all will agree that this is quite true. The only problem is that the ones people are considering fake news are the alternate media. When reading a news story, go to the website's About Me section. A satire site should confirm that they are satire there.

Keep in mind that many of these sites do not post this, however.
General Hospital todays episode spoilers say GH watchers want to know is Hayden leaving GH, who is Charlotte, and is Nikolas coming back? Here are the answers to those burning questions plus a General Hospital 12/19/16 recap and spoilers for todays episode of GH.

What happened on GH December 19th episode?

Lulu spent time with Charlotte and plans to keep her instead of taking her back to Valentin. Nina warned Valentin not to trust Lulu. Anna heard Charlotte singing a song and it reminded her of something from her WSB past. Dante isnt happy that Lulu is pushing ahead with the kid.

Liz helped get Hayden to the hospital after Tracy called her because her sister was failing. Haydens about to die from Blackwood Syndrome and has gone septic again. Finn begged Brad to help him come up with the cure since Hayden is on her last leg. No Jason or Sam on this episode!

Brad agrees to help and he and Finn come up with a cure (or a death sentence) and then Hayden flatlines just as Finn was going to test it on himself. Franco told Tom he wouldnt kill him but will make him miss a parole meeting so hell go back to jail. Tom broke out of his cage and his brother Seth came looking for him.

What happens on 'General Hospital' on December 20th?

Lucy tries to stir up trouble between Laura and Kevin and Kevin worries he and Laura wont last.

Lulu tells Dante shes keeping Charlotte but her daughter wants to go home to Valentin. The bonding isnt going like Lulu wants and she must take the kiddo back to the castle.

Seth demands answers about Tom from Liz and Franco. Liz asks if Franco did something to Tom. Back at the studio, Tom is out of the cage but locked in the place.

Franco comes back, gets knocked out and this turns into a strange A Christmas Carol dream on Wednesday that should be cool.

Finn freaks because Hayden is dying in front of him so he gives her the shot before testing it on himself. GH spoilers say shell recover, but at a cost. Anna is struggling to figure out why she knows the song Charlotte was humming and Emma asks why shes obsessed.

Burning 'GH' questions

For those asking, Is Hayden leaving GH? the answer is no. Rebecca Budig has a lengthy contract. Shell survive Blackwood Syndrome and so will Finn. Others are asking, Who is Charlotte? If you missed it, its been confirmed by three different labs that Lulu is her bio-mom and Valentin is her bio-dad.

Forget any crazy theories about Laura being Charlottes mother somehow or Dante and Lulu turning out to be the parents. General Hospital spoilers say the embryo mess has been put to bed so we can all bury it, forget about the timing that doesnt line up and move on!

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.

GH preview promo for Tuesday 12/20/16:
Employees of an online store process orders in Qingyanliu village, East China's Zhejiang province on Dec 29, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Chinese top legislature is deliberating a draft law that will regulate and facilitate e-commerce in the country.

The draft law was tabled for review by legislators at the bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which runs from Monday to Sunday.

It is the first reading of the draft by the top legislature.

Explaining the draft to lawmakers on Monday morning, Lyu Zushan, deputy director with the NPC's Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, said booming e-commerce in recent years had served to reveal loopholes in China's legal system and commercial rules.

The draft law will facilitate e-commerce growth, help maintain market order and protect consumer rights.

The draft law said the nation should put online and offline commercial activities on an equal footing, and protect the safety of e-commerce transactions.

All e-commerce operators have an obligation to pay taxes and should acquire the necessary business certificates, under the draft.

Operators must also ensure personal information security for consumers. Those that fail will face fines up to 500,000 yuan ($72,000) and could have their business certificates revoked.

They must also work to protect intellectual property, the draft said.

The draft requires third-party e-commerce platforms to offer technical support for "law enforcement activities by relevant authorities."

China is the world's largest e-commerce market.

According to Lyu, e-commerce trade amounted to over 20 trillion yuan ($2.87 trillion) in 2015, with online retail sales totaling 3.88 trillion yuan.

Last month, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba saw 120.7 billion yuan in gross merchandise volume during its 24 hour Singles' Day event, an annual online shopping spree on November 11.
Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, briefs a Thai delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak (left) about the e-commerce group's businesses. [Photo/Xinhua]

US major set to challenge Chinese behemoth's Lazada platform in regional online shopping

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Amazon.com Inc are about to clash in Southeast Asia.

And Singapore-based online marketplace Lazada Group SA, which Alibaba bought in April for $1 billion, will be right at the heart of that conflict.

Lazada, Southeast Asia's largest e-commerce site, is rolling out a series of initiatives in anticipation of the US giant's entry next year.

It's expanding its delivery network within the region and beyond, via partners in China and South Korea.

It's on the prowl for investments and acquisitions to shore up its supply chain. And it intends to delve deeper into online groceries in 2017, a notoriously difficult market it got into by buying RedMart.

That's because Lazada's home turfSoutheast Asiais shaping up to be the next battleground for Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos.

Lazada covers six countriesIndonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnamand runs 12 warehouses and 92 distribution centers from which it conveys goods directly to buyers.

While still lacking the transport and payments infrastructure crucial to the widespread adoption of e-commerce, the region has become the world's fastest-growing internet arena, with a combined populace of 620 million people getting more comfortable with online shopping.

Asked about the anticipated imminent incursion by the world's largest online retailer, Lazada CEO Maximilian Bittner said: "It's a jungle out here. We're looking forward to seeing how they (Amazon) will differentiate themselves."

Now that Alibaba has established its dominance in China and Amazon has taken the lead in the US, both are looking to make their mark overseas. The US company in particular has made huge strides in India.

A Thai vendor scans the Alipay barcode on a Chinese buyer's smartphone for payment in Bangkok. [Photo/Xinhua]

Alibaba took control of Lazada from Rocket Internet in what remains its largest overseas move to date. The company Bittner started in 2012 is now pivotal to quickening the Chinese e-commerce giant's so-far tentative steps abroad, and fulfilling Ma's ambitions of becoming a truly global business.

Amazon meanwhile hasn't yet voiced its intentions for Southeast Asia, but the industry expectation is that its constant quest for growth will lead it there by 2017.

Techcrunch reported in November the company is likely to bring its Prime delivery service and Amazon Fresh to Singapore in the first quarter, using the wealthy, cyber-savvy city state as a springboard to the rest of the region.

It has demonstrated a willingness to spend on building a local presence, and an ability to thrive in the difficult, fragmented market conditions that characterize Southeast Asia.

Indeed, the US company was among the investors with whom RedMart negotiated to sell its business, said the startup's co-founder and CEO Roger Egan. He wouldn't elaborate and Amazon representatives didn't respond to requests for comment.

"Both of them will want to dominate Southeast Asia," said Thompson Teo, an associate professor at NUS Business School in Singapore. "Alibaba has acquired companies to shorten the learning curve and grow faster. It's going to give Amazon a good fight."

Alibaba's experience quashing Amazon in China may yet prove indispensable. Central to Lazada's effort is building a system that can deliver goods into Southeast Asia from merchants in other countries, a cross-border model akin to Alibaba's.

The region is now split between a mere handful of operators dominant in certain areas, including MatahariMall and Tokopedia in Indonesia and unicorn startup Garena.

Lazada counts Kerry Logistics Network Ltd, DHL in Thailand and JNE Express in Indonesia among its more than 100 logistics partners. In recent months, it's also teamed up with China's State-backed postal service and CJ Korea Express Corp. In September, Lazada's volume in Indonesia grew 2.5 times from a year ago, Bittner said.

"We see ourselves as a logistics control tower in Southeast Asia," he said. "We are looking at building a better, more sophisticated logistics capability. The world is shifting toward borderless e-commerce system and that's very much the vision of Alibaba and us."

Now that RedMart's given it a foothold in Singapore, Lazada also plans to begin selling groceries online in one of the capital cities of Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand as early as the second half of 2017, he said.

RedMart has more than 150 trucks ferrying an average of 22 food items from chocolate to frozen dumplings per order. It plans to cut delivery times to four to six hours (from mostly next-day) by the end of the first half of 2017, Egan said. By the second half, the company will offer an express service, shipping groceries within an hour or two of ordering online, he said.

"Grocery is seen as notoriously difficult one to do online, but it's the largest market representing 60 percent of overall Southeast Asian retail," Egan said. "Customers are much more engaged. They visit twice a week so the frequency allows you to develop a deep relationship with customers."

Bloomberg
Trump can learn lessons from European leaders Updated: 2016-12-20 07:19 By Fu Jing(China Daily)

Republican Donald Trump appears at a campaign roundtable event in Manchester, New Hampshire, US, October 28, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

When hearing US president-elect Donald Trump's recent irritating rhetoric on China, former French premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a veteran politician, was reminded of something similar in Europe not too long ago. It involved Nicolas Sarkozy, who served as French president from 2007 to 2012.

At the beginning of his presidency, Sarkozy challenged China's core interests by supporting Tibetan separatists and meeting the Dalai Lama. China reacted by canceling the EU-China summit and, in the depth of the global financial crisis, former premier Wen Jiabao pointedly excluded France during a European tour in early 2009, on his way to the annual Davos World Economic Forum.

It was Raffarin who brought China and France closer after Sarkozy's troubling moves. In a recent interview, Raffarin said Sarkozy went from being "unpredictable to predictable" and Trump is experiencing a similar kind of growth.

In saying so, Raffarin knows very well that neither the European Union nor the Unites States has fully recognized China's potential, instead they are resorting to protectionism and irrational tactics.

Fortunately, after Trump's inadvisable phone conversation with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen recently, some European leaders have strongly opposed his move. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists that Germany continues to stand by the one-China policy and will not change its position.

Having frequently visited China during her 11 years as German chancellor, Merkel has a deep understanding and respect for China's position, which has helped to pave the way for fruitful exchanges between the two countries.

Merkel's stance was also emphasized by French politicians. Last week, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Trump's approach to China "not very clever". Ayrault told French broadcaster France 2: "There may be disagreements with China, but we do not talk like that to a partner. We must avoid getting into a spiral where things are out of control."

Hopefully, Trump will learn some statecraft from cross-Atlantic allies because many of them are veteran hands in dealing with China. They know very well what are the politically sensitive "bottom lines" that must be observed.

The recent comments from European politicians are encouraging because they suggest there's a chance that the EU could decide its foreign policy toward China independently of Washington if Trump adheres to the approach he has adopted as president-in-waiting, although it seems hard for the EU to do so at present.

For example, rather than fully honoring its commitments made 15 years ago when China joined the World Trade Organization, Brussels is still following Washington's lead and accepting the ideas of American think tanks, linking this to the solution of production overcapacity, which is a global problem and not just a Chinese one.

The EU, facing multiple crises, must assess which strategic partners have contributed most to the bloc's growth and prosperity in the past decades. In doing so, it is the duty of the EU leaders to look at China fairly and comprehensively. This would be of great benefit to the world, which is facing unprecedented challenges, uncertainties and risks, and needs increased commitments, solutions and actions to overcome them.

During its gradual reintegration into the world, China has been repeatedly urged by the West to play a responsible role in the international community. But it is crystal clear which player is the most responsible.

It is time for other players to play responsible roles and join China in upgrading their actions to tackle the myriad problems facing the world today.

And the bottom line is that Trump should be ignored if he insists on trying to be a troublemakerthis world is risky enough already.

The author is deputy chief of the China Daily European bureau. fujing@chinadaily.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend a joint press conference at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 16, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the isles row between Russia and Japan can not be solved soon.[Photo/Xinhua]

The summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrapped up in Tokyo on Friday with some agreements on economic cooperation, but no breakthrough on the territorial issue that Japan had craved for.

At a joint press conference with Abe, Putin stressed that the issue of the disputed territories (called the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan) is the outcome of World War II, and implied that the U.S.-Japan alliance is an impediment to a solution.

The islets and surrounding waters are important for the Russian navy's access to the Pacific, while Russia has to consider Japan's special ties with the United States, said Putin.

Putin's remarks meant something as Japanese officials had said before Putin's visit that Japan did not rule out the possibility of the deployment of two U.S. military bases on two of the four disputed islands in the future.

Actually, the United States began to impede reconciliation between Japan and the Soviet Union shortly after the end of World War II. It threatened to take Japan's Okinawa permanently if Japan reconciled with the Soviet Union.

In some sense, the non-reciprocal alliance between the United States and Japan is turning into Japan's burden. The more the Abe government does in strengthening the alliance, the smaller room for Japan's diplomacy.

On Tuesday, a U.S. Osprey aircraft crash-landed off Okinawa. When local authorities lodged a protest, angry Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, the top U.S. military commander in Okinawa, said locals should appreciate U.S. pilots' move to keep the crash-landing away from residential areas.

Although local residents frequently staged protests and called for banning the operation of Osprey aircraft, the U.S. military soon announced the resumption of the flights of Osprey, totally ignoring local resentment.

During the recent U.S. presidential election, Japanese diplomacy's excessive reliance on the U.S.-Japan alliance was completely exposed.

At the very beginning, the Abe government betted on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and he flew to New York to meet her in September. Yet, after the election, Abe again immediately rushed to New York to flatter President-elect Donald Trump.

All of Japan's policies against its neighbors, including Russia, China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and South Korea, are heavily subject to U.S. global strategies.

The reason why Abe performs teeter-totter in diplomacy is that he could not climb out of the "tender trap" of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
Wang Yongchen, founder of China's Green Earth Volunteers (GEV) and senior environmental journalist for the China National Radio, presents her books about GEV's efforts to protect China's Nujiang River on Tuesday in Washington. Yuan Yuan / For China Daily

China's rivers have a friend in Wang Yongchen.

Wang, founder of China's Green Earth Volunteers (GEV) and senior environmental journalist for the China National Radio, was invited by the International Fund for China's Environment (IFCE) to discuss the environmental stress on China's river system on Tuesday in Washington.

Wang had just been named a Foreign Policy magazine Global Thinker Steward, along with a group of people the citation called "the sort of preservationists the world desperately needs."

Wang had no idea the honor was coming and was taken completely by surprise.

"I don't even know how they were able to get my photo," she said.

In the photo, she is lying on the ground recording the sound of the Nu River's waters flowing by.

Wang is a close friend of many rivers in China, especially the Nujiang River, which she has visited 17 times over the past 14 years in an effort to protect it from human activity.

The Nujiang River, which flows from the Tibetan Plateau and becomes the Salween in Myanmar and Thailand, is one of China's last free-flowing rivers. Although its valleys preserve the traditional lifestyles of several of China's ethnic minorities and are home to some of the most ecologically diverse habitats on the planet, the Nujiang River has been a proposed site for multiple dams over the past decade.

Founded 20 years ago as an environment-targeted non-governmental organization (NGO), GEV has trended with the emerging environmental movement in China, initiating several landmark green activities.

In 2006, Wang launched Ten Years Rivers Visiting, GEV's 10-year project aimed at continuously monitoring six major rivers in southwest China through annual field trips by environmentalists, journalists and members of other NGOs.

The researchers also tracked 10 riverside families to assess what impact changes in the rivers had on their lives.

In 2013, after GEV brought national attention to the polluted "milk river" in southwest Yunnan province, the local government held a press conference to apologize and hold more than 20 companies accountable.

Her latest battle started when plans to construct dams on the Nujiang River were revisited in recent years as part of China's move toward more sources of renewable energy.

Wang fought back contacting China's National Energy Board. In March, provincial officials instead proposed a national park along the river, saving the free-flowing Nujiang  at least for now.

The threat that the river is facing may not be apparent to everyone at this moment. "Some might think: Who cares? But they don't realize that the developmental plans are irreversible," Wang said. "Once it's gone, it's gone forever."

Wang said there are regulations to protect rivers, but the biggest problem lies in enforcement.

"My work is not unrequited," Wang said. "I get at least three types of happiness: happiness from connecting with the nature, from self-fulfillment and from working with so many like-minded people."

She said she is positive about the future of environmental protection in China.

"The current environmental problems in China, though severe, are still within a controllable range. And President Xi has declared that we will no longer plan on any large-scale development over the Yangtze River," she said.

She is also a big believer in small steps made by individuals.

"I may not have the answer on how to change the whole situation, but I can tell you this: Japan's leading specialist in Minamata disease, whom I once interviewed, is now working in a small rehabilitation center; some of Indian's most established academics are promoting rural library projects. We've got to start with small changes and take one step at a time," she said.

Her organization follows the same philosophy, starting with small projects that eventually have a big impact.

"Each NGO may only be focusing on one subject or area, so we need platforms to be able to exchange ideas and keep each other updated on what we are doing," Wang said.

Yuan Yuan in Washington contributed to the story.
WASHINGTON -- The United States on Monday condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara.

"This heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable, and we stand united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms," said U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price in a statement.

Karlov was shot and killed on Monday at an art exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

The gunman, who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo," was identified as a Turkish off-duty police officer, according to Turkish security sources.

Karlov was shot in the back while making a speech at a painting exhibition in the Turkish capital, the Russian embassy said.

Three other wounded people were taken to Guven Hospital in central Ankara.

The attack came one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.
BERLIN - A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital Berlin on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring up to 50 others, police said.

German media, citing police at the scene, said first indications pointed to an attack on the market, situated at the foot of the ruined Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which was kept as a bombed-out ruin after World War Two.

The incident evoked memories of an attack in France in July when Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. The attack was claimed by Islamic State.

The truck careered into the Berlin market at what would have been one of the most crowded times for the Christmas market, when adults and children would be gathering in the traditional cluster of wooden huts that sell food and Christmas goods.

Berlin police said nine people were killed

"I heard a big noise and then I moved on the Christmas market and saw much chaos...many injured people," Jan Hollitzer, deputy editor in chief of Berliner Morgenpost, told CNN. "It was really traumatic."

Police cars and ambulances converged quickly on the scene as a huge security operation unfolded. The fate of the driver of the truck was not immediately clear, but Bild newspaper said he was on the run.

Emma Rushton, a tourist visiting Berlin, told CNN the truck seemed to be traveling at about 40 mph (65 Kmh).

Asked how many were injured, she said that as she walked back to her hotel, she saw at at least 10.

Julian Reichelt, editor in chief of Bild Berlin, said that there was currently a massive security operation under way.

"The scene certainly looks like a reminder of what we have seen in Nice," Reichelt said.
Political instability, unstable security and external pressure from neighboring countries pose major threats to the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a university report has found.

Renmin University's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, known as the RDCY, and Caijing Magazine released on Tuesday a joint research report on the corridor, which is a major part of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Over six months, researchers looked at two flagship projects in the corridor - the free trade zone in Port Gwadar and the Bin Qasim power plant.

RDCY deputy dean Wang Wen said that after two years, the speed and quality of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor's construction had basically met the expectations of both countries.

However, most of the projects in Pakistan had encountered difficulties including water and electricity shortages, policy uncertainties, and local labor issues. Security had also been a constant concern with terrorist attacks threatening the safety of people involved.

Deputy Chief of Mission, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, from the Pakistan Embassy said: "CPEC is one of the major components in the Belt and Road Initiative. China and Pakistan are working together to make it a success so it will benefit the people of the two countries."
Agriculture diplomacy is behind a plan to re-create an Iowa farm in Hebei province similar to the one that President Xi Jinping visited nearly five year years ago.

The farm in Hebei province near Chengde will be modeled after a 4,000-acre corn and soybean farm operated by Rick and Martha Kimberley in Maxwell, Iowa, which is located about 25 miles northeast of the state capital Des Moines.

Xi toured the Kimberley farm in February 2012, according to Grant Kimberly of the Iowa Soybean Association and son of the Kimberleys.

"We were contacted by the governor's office that Mr. Xi wanted to visit a farm because agriculture is very important to him and sees it as a cornerstone of US-China relations," said the sixth-generation farmer.

In addition to his parents, Grant's wife and then infant son were there to greet Xi, along with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and other officials. Branstad has since been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as US ambassador to China.

The foundation for the visit was laid years earlier in 1980 when Xi's father, Xi Zhongxun, was part of a visiting Chinese delegation that went to Iowa to learn about US agriculture, said Grant Kimberly. Later in 1985, Xi himself visited the state as part of a delegation from Hebei. Xi at the time was a provincial agricultural official.

Grant Kimberley said Xi arrived on the farm and went into his parents' home to discuss farm issues. He said Xi talked about technology and remarked that it would be important for farms in China to modernize the way the Kimberley family had done with their operation.

Xi went out for a tour and eagerly climbed aboard a huge tractor on the farm. "You could tell he was excited to get inside a big tractor," Grant Kimberley said.

Grant's father remembers that Xi was cordial and nice to everyone on his visit to his farm. "He was someone that was open and he talked to us like we were friends," Rick Kimberley said in an interview. "He knew a lot about agriculture and knows how important food is to China and the US."

Officials in Hebei province are considering developing a demonstration farm similar to the Kimberley farmstead that will include grain bins, a machine shed and perhaps a replica of the home.

"We are in the planning stage now. There are lots of possibilities (and) one of them includes a replica of the Kimberley farm," Kim Heidemann, executive director of the Iowa Sister States program, wrote in an email. Hebei has had a sister-state relationship with Iowa since 1983.

In addition to a farm, there is a possibility of a tourist development that would include hotels and restaurants, said Heidemann.

"It might be like a Disney World-type attraction and may also include recreating an Iowa small town," Grant Kimberley said.

"There is a bank in China that is financing the project," noted Heidemann. Work on the project may start next year.

Grant Kimberley said there is also the possibility of developing another model farm and tourist destination in Jilin province.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com
People take a selfie during morning snow in Times Square, Manhattan on Saturday. ANDREW KELLY/REUTERS

The emerging Chinese tourist to New York City is younger, more affluent and independent with a taste for adventure in The City That Never Sleeps.

NYC & Company, the city's tourism marketing agency, said the Chinese market is transitioning from business and group tours to fully independent travelers, with a younger and more affluent generation traveling to the US.

"We prefer not to travel in groups, which could just give us a hurried and cursory glance at the city on chartered buses," said Yang Fang from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, who recently finished her master's degree at a college in Kentucky. She was visiting New York with her parents on Monday.

"Chinese outbound independent tourism has had an explosive development in recent years. Also, Chinese tourists traveling in groups overseas has had a steady growth," said Jason Song, director of the Product Planning & Promotion Division of L&L Travel Inc, the largest Chinese local travel agency in the US, headquartered in Manhattan.

Song said one of the reasons that more tourists choose to travel independently is that they are getting younger.

"This generation of Chinese all know English pretty well; there are no barriers for them to travel in an English-speaking country like the US by themselves," Song said.

He said New York City is the prime choice in the US for Chinese independent travelers because of the large number of popular attractions and the 24-hour subway system.

"And travel-strategy websites like Trip Advisor and hotels.com are well developed; they all established Chinese version websites because of the growing number of Chinese users. Tourists can have abundant information for preparation," Song added.

According to NYC & Company's visitor market profile from October, visit from Chinese mainland to New York has been growing rapidly over the past decade.

"NYC is China-ready, with attractions, cultural organizations, hotels and more catering specifically to Chinese travelers with amenities and language offerings," said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, the city's tourism marketer.

The most popular and the biggest tourism destination in the US with foreign tourists, New York welcomed more than 950,000 visitors from China this year, a sevenfold increase since 2007.

Back then, more than 15 countries, including Switzerland and Israel, sent more tourists to New York than China did, according to NYC & Company statistics. But this year, only visitors from the UK outnumbered the Chinese - and the British total of about 1.2 million has not grown since 2007, according to The New York Times.

Chinese surpassed Brazilians and Canadians as tourists to New York this year and will overtake the British by 2022, Dixon told the Times.

During President Xi Jinping's state visit to the US in September 2015, he and President Barack Obama jointly announced 2016 to be the China-US Tourism Year.

"It provides great opportunities and platforms for both sides to promote tourism; I'm sure the promoting events organized by both sides made a great contribution to the increasing number of tourists traveling to each other's country," said Wang Yanjie, director of the China National Tourist Office in New York.

"NYC & Company recognizes the importance of this crucial market and continues to educate iconic tourist institutions and lesser-known gems in welcoming Chinese visitors, time and time again," Dixon told China Daily.

Dixon said that New York City continues to evolve, with new hotels and attractions in all five boroughs.

By year's end, the city will be home to 113,000 hotel rooms and 135,000 rooms by the end of 2019, meaning more accommodation options than ever for visitors from all over the world.

Yang, the student from Kentucky, put a lot of effort into her trip.

"I began to prepare very early, about half a year before, to book tickets and hotels," said Yang. "But it's worth it, my mom likes the street view of New York very much, so we can wander along the streets here as long as we like," said Yang, watching a street performance with her parents on Times Square.

To meet increasing demand from Chinese tourists, travel companies like L&L are expanding their tourism products to include smaller group interests.

"For example, usually tourism groups would spend only one day to visit New York City, but now we are expanding some of the tours to two days; tourists could spend half a day at the World Trade Center site, the 911 Museum, to have a deeper experience of that unforgettable terrorist attack, " Song said.

Still, there are many Chinese tourists who prefer some of the more traditional activities, such as taking a sightseeing cruise to the Statue of Liberty or posing for a group photo with the Charging Bull near Wall Street.

xiaohong@chinadailyusa.com
On Wednesday, at the Federal Reserves meeting, they raised mortgage rates for the first time in 2017, and the market expects it to just be the first of many.

In December, the Fed moved to raise rates from a range of 0.5% to 0.75%. Afterwards, they elected to raise them again, another 25 basis points to a range of 0.75% to 1%. The Federal Funds Rate represents the overnight rate which financial institutions provide short-term lending to one another, and it is the basis for capital markets liquidity.

According to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, only one official voted against the action  Neel Kashkari, who preferred to maintain the existing target range for the federal funds during the March meeting.

Experts now say that rate increases will continue throughout 2017, with the next hike coming as soon as this summer.

Rising inflation will predominantly dictate the next monetary policy decision, but another short-term rate hike should be expected by the end of the summer, said Lawrence Yun, National Association of Realtors chief economist.

One expert explained that it was indicated by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen that more rate hikes are on the way this year.

As anticipated, the FOMC went forward with the first rate hike of 2017, said Curt Long, National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions chief economist.

Given that inflation is rising and approaching the Feds 2% target, Fed officials had little choice but to raise rates, Long said. Chair Janet Yellen has indicated that more rate hikes are on the way later this year.

However, Yellen also cautioned that should the economy take an unexpected turn, the Fed is not locked into a policy path, according to CNBC.

The big question still remains  how many rate hikes is the market expecting in the near future?

Overall, we still expect that in response to rising inflation, the Fed will hike rates by a total of four times both this year and next, taking the fed funds target range to between 1.50% and 1.75 by end-2017, and to between 2.50% and 2.75% by end-2018, Capital Economics Chief Economist Paul Ashworth said.

Meanwhile, other experts are predicting a more conservative three rate hikes this year.

Todays FOMC decision to increase the target rate and the updated Fed officials economic projections that continued to show a median of three hikes this year are in line with our expectations in the March forecast released earlier today, Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan said. We believe the Fed could stay on course to achieve its dual mandate with a gradual monetary normalization, which would allow housing to continue to expand.
Housing prices could drop by up to 30% over 6 to 12 months after demonetisation, says T S Ramakrishnan.

After demonetisation, a prominent economist tweeted that 19% of India's employment share contributed by the real estate sector will be jeopardised.

It was also reported in late November that housing prices could drop by up to 30% over 6 to 12 months after demonetisation, wiping out over Rs 8 lakh crore of the market value of residential properties sold and unsold by developers since 2008.

Such tweets and news items create at least two wrong inferences on the impact of demonetisation on the real estate sector.

The first inference is that employment opportunities will shrink in the sector.

The second is that wealth already created in the sector is being eroded.

How far are these inferences true?

The real estate sector has been in the grip of a slump for some time now, because of distorted prices, which make it impossible for even high-income groups to buy a house unless they have unaccounted money.

Indian professionals earning well -- let alone average Indians -- are nowhere near being able to buy a house with a super built-up area of, say, 1,000 sq ft in a city at the prime of their lives.

Mumbai leads other cities in price of property, which varies between Rs 1.3 crore (Rs 13 million) and Rs 2.9 crore (Rs 29 million).

The price in other cities varies between Rs 30 lakhs (Rs 3 million) and Rs 60 lakh (Rs 6 million).

On the basis of per capita income, it may take 30 to 60 years for a Mumbaikar to own a flat.

For residents of other cities, it may take 12 to 24 years.

Since housing loans are provided in such a way that the EMI does not exceed 47% of monthly incomes, the EMIs may last for 60 to 120 years for Mumbaikars and 24 to 48 years for those in other cities.

Advisory firms on housing even prescribe that those who don't earn at least Rs 25 lakh (Rs 2.5 million) a year should not seek to buy a house in Mumbai.

In other cities, the minimum threshold is in the Rs 12 lakh to Rs 20 lakh (Rs 1.2 million to Rs 2 million) range, and those earning less are advised to rent a house.

Even to generate the amount required for the down payment and stamp duty, an average Indian has to work for a decade or two.

In this backdrop, people conclude that a rented house is a better option than buying a house.

As a result, the inventory period of newly built houses went up from 23 months to 83 months in these cities.

Despite such unsustainable inventory periods, builders did not reduce prices, taking new loans from banks and using them to pay back old loans.

The business model followed by a sizable segment of the real estate sector is unsustainable, as the cash component of transactions is typically not less than 30% to 40%.

With unaccounted money flushed out of the system, builders cannot expect buyers to buy houses at pre-demonetisation prices.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016, which has already been passed by Parliament and awaits enforcement by state governments, is like the Sword of Damocles for the real estate sector.

Some of its features -- such as prices based on carpet area instead of super built-up area, and avoiding delays as 70% of money paid by the buyer should be in the respective project account -- make real estate projects more transparent and accountable.

The saving grace for the developer in this act is that it is applicable only to new projects.

In this context, builders have two options left.

The first is to realise that this new normal cannot be changed, and to sell inventory at the earliest at a discounted price and pay back the loans that were raised from banks, thereby at least saving on interest payments.

The second option is to wait for black money to accumulate afresh, so that property may be sold at pre-demonetisation prices or more.

Given the huge inventory of houses and the intentions of the government in bringing all big transactions under electronic mode, the second option may remain a chimera.

Either way, builders will lose part of the money they have extracted from buyers in the last two decades.

The impact on those who bought houses in the last few years also needs to be analysed. Although such buyers will also take a hit, it also depends on the purpose of their purchase.

If they have bought a house for self-occupancy, the depreciation in the value of the house, post-demonetisation, will not matter to them.

Even selling the existing house and buying a new one cannot make much difference, as prices have come down across the board.

However, those who have invested in a second house for capital gains in the short term will take a hit.

However, this is the collateral damage that cannot be avoided, when huge disruptions like demonetisation, the digital economy and regulation comes into force.

Any sector that is mired in corruption, black money and distorted pricing can hardly be reformed without a big external push.

Demonetisation has paved the way for the real estate sector to clean up its act and start life anew.

It is no exaggeration to say that it is a blessing in disguise for the sector, which must start on a clean slate and implement a sustainable business model.

T S Ramakrishnan teaches at the T A Pai Management Institute, Manipal.
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HA NOI  Viet Nam Sea Products Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation (Seaprodex) will trade all its 125 million shares on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) on December 23.

Seaprodexs shares will be traded with code SEA, with price starting at VN11,400 per share, the Ha Noi Stock Exchange said in a statement that was released on Monday.

The company is among the leading companies in the fishery sector and has been in operation for 40 years. Its two core businesses are the processing of export sea products and commercial trading, which accounted for 54.75 per cent and 31.21 per cent, respectively, of Seaprodexs total revenue in 2015.

Following the equitisation in December 2014, the sea products trader had chartered capital of VN1.25 trillion (US$55.5 million). Its two major shareholders were the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and representatives of Ha Noi Export-Import Company (Geleximco Group).

MARD held 79.2 million shares, or 63.38 per cent of Seaprodexs capital, and Geleximco Groups representatives owned 35 per cent of the companys stake.

In 2016, there were some changes in the ownership organisation of Seaprodex, with the entry of Nova Bac Nam 79 Joint Stock Company, which purchased more than 25 million shares on June 14 to acquire a fifth of Seaprodexs stake.

Meanwhile, some of the owners that are part of the Geleximco Group sold 10 per cent of their stake in Seaprodex to reduce their ownership in the firm to 15 per cent.

By December 31, 2015, Seaprodex had invested in 24 other companies for a total of VN950 billion, including three subsidiaries, nine joint ventures and 12 financial investment firms.

Seaprodexs investments are the 59.34 per cent stake in Ha Noi Sea Products Import-Export JSC, a 50.78 per cent holding in Nam Can Sea Products Import-Export JSC and a 17.47 per cent ownership in Vietnamese-French Cattle Feed JSC (Proconco).  VNS
Viet Nam paid US$8.27 billion on importing equipment and machines from China in the past 11 months of 2016, according to the General Department of Customs.  Photo vietbao.vn

HA NOI  Viet Nam paid US$8.27 billion on importing equipment and machines from China in the past 11 months of 2016, according to the General Department of Customs.

In November, the nation imported $930 million in Chinese equipment and machines, the largest out of 45 major goods items importing from China.

The import value in November from China had a year-on-year increase of 1.4 per cent, and China was the largest supplier of equipment and machine for Viet Nam, accounting for 33 per cent of Viet Nams total import value of those products.

In particular, total import value of equipment and machines from China was higher than the total value of 48 major goods items imported from the US at $7.78 billion in the first 11 months.

The general department said China was also the largest supplier of all goods items for Viet Nam with total import value at $45.06 billion during 11 months.

Viet Nam imported from China $5.51 billion worth of telephones and their components, computer and electronic products and their components worth $5.36 billion, cloth worth at nearly $5 billion, and iron and steel worth at $4.01 billion.

Of which, import value of telephone and its components from China to Viet Nam reduced sharply by $944 million year-on-year in the first 11 months.

Instead, South Korea was the largest telphone supplier in Viet Nam, with total import value at $7.94 billion in the 11 months, a year-on-year increase of 26.3 per cent.

In the 11 months, Viet Nam had total import value of about 157 billion, a year-on-year surge of 3.7 per cent, according to the general department.

Of which, foreign direct investment enterprises imported goods worth at $92.75 billion in total, a year-on-year increase of 3.5 per cent during 11 months. However, in November, import value of FDI enterprises reduced slightly by 0.4 per cent to $9.5 billion. - VNS
Inside Chu Lai Open Economic Zone in central Qua3ng Nam Province. The Ministry of Planning and Investment aims to boost industrial and economic zone development.  VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Son

HA NOI  The Ministry of Planning and Investment is developing a decree aimed at boosting the development of industrial zones (IZs) and economic zones (EZs).

The ministry on its website said the issuance of the new decree was pressing as new models of IZs were already making an appearance, such as industrial-urban-service zones, and for the support of IZs and eco-industrial zones.

These new models of IZs would help enhance the competitiveness of IZs through diversifying investments, reducing production costs and promoting efficient use of resources but they needed mechanism for development.

The new decree was expected to wipe out inconsistencies in recently-issued legal documents, such as the Law on Investment and Decree 118/2015/N-CP, which changed the procedure of investing in industrial and economic zones, and to improve competitiveness in attracting investment.

According to Tran Duy ong, director of the ministrys Economic Zone Management Department, the decree would introduce more attractive incentives to draw investment and simplify procedures.

ong said the duration for the incentive of 10 per cent corporate tax rate on projects in EZs was proposed to increase from the current 15 years to 30 years.

The incentive would be provided to projects of a large scale, investing in technical infrastructure or using high technology, ong said.

The departments statistics showed that as of the end of November, there were 324 IZs and 16 EZs nationwide, with areas of 91,800ha and 815,000ha, respectively.

The figures excluded two EZs -- Thai Binh EZ in northern Thai Binh Province and Ninh Co EZ in northern Nam inh Province -- which were still in the planning stage.

Of them, 220 IZs were operational, with occupancy rate of 73 per cent.

Regarding investment attraction, IZs attracted more than 730 foreign-invested projects this year, with total registered capital of $11.2 billion. So far, IZs nationwide attracted nearly 7,000 foreign-invested projects, worth $110.2 billion, more than 60 per cent of which was disbursed.

Domestic investments in IZs totalled VN705.6 trillion in nearly 6,500 projects, so far.

The department said there were 36 IZs and non-tariff areas founded in 16 EZs.

As of November, EZs attracted VN155 trillion (US$6.9 billion) worth of investments in developing the technical infrastructure system, of which foreign investments accounted for some 16 per cent.

EZs have attracted 354 foreign-invested projects up till November, with total registered capital of $42 billion, plus more than 1,070 domestic projects worth VN347.9 trillion. - VNS
HA NOI  At a recent meeting, OCB shareholders decided there will be a change of listing plans.

The banks shares will now be listed on the HCM Stock Exchange (HOSE) and not on the Unlisted Public Company Market, or UPCoM, as decided in the second quarter.

The change is expected to improve the liquidity of the banks shares.

The recent meeting also tasked OCBs executive board with completing the required paperwork and choosing a suitable time to list on HOSE.

Besides OCB, many other joint stock banks have also opted to list their shares on HOSE or on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) instead of trading on UPCoM.

The executive boards of VPBank and VietA Bank have said they are waiting for guidelines from the State Securities Commission (SSC) to complete the required procedures to list their shares on the stock market.

The SSC issued Circular 180/2015/TT-BTC on unlisted public companies, which came into effect on January 1, 2016.

According to the new rules it laid out, public companies which are not eligible for listing on the two stock exchanges and equitised enterprises must register for trading on UPCoM within 30 days from their registration as a public company.

Within 30 days of the last day of an initial public offering, unlisted public companies and equitised enterprises must register for trading on UPCoM.

The new rules were aimed at preventing eligible companies from avoiding listing and deliberately delisting, actions that could harm investors interests.

The authorities expect listing to improve transparency and operational efficiency of companies.

Meanwhile, according to data released by the SSC on November 30, 2015, more than 1,000 public companies were listed neither on the two stock exchanges nor on UPCoM.

The new circular stipulates a deadline of December 31, 2016, for listing by companies that have not yet listed.

Because of this, many public companies, including joint stock banks, have been hastily completing the required procedures to list their shares before the deadline.  VNS
HA NOI  Sai Gon-Ha Noi Bank (SHB) will issue 100 million shares worth VN1 trillion (US$ 43.8 million) to shareholders under its merger plan with Vinaconex-Viettel Finance JSC (VVF), the bank announced in a statement on Monday.

The sale aims to convert all VVF shares into SHB shares at a 1:1 ratio and at a price of VN10,000 per share. SHB will restructure VVF to turn it into SHB Consumer Finance Co Ltd, operating in consumer credit.

According to SHB, the date on record for VFFs shareholders to register to make the share swap is January 12, 2017. Following the merger, SHBs chartered capital will be raised to nearly VN10.5 trillion.

SHB Consumer Finance Co Ltd will begin operations in early 2017, adding that several international partners have expressed interest in co-operating with SHB to promote the operation of the consumer finance company.

SHB Finance will initially provide consumer credit services to individual customers that have annual income from VN150 million to VN200 million, later easing the market share to other individual customers with lower income.

Once SHB Finance is established, SHB will also transfer all its lists of individual borrowers with annual income of less than VN200 million to SHB Finance.

The share swap plan was passed by SHB and VVF shareholders at their annual general shareholders meeting last year.

Last week, the State Bank of Viet Nam officially approved the merger plan of the two bodies.  VNS
HA NOI  A new printed monthly Vietnamese magazine specializing in mathematics will be published from January 2017.

A brain-child of noted math Prof Ngo Bao Chau, the magazine will run items in a "user friendly" format accessible to school and college students.

We made a hard decision but we determined to publish such a printed magazine because we hope that students will wait for the day each month to buy their favourite publication, Chau said.

Chau used the US$15,000 cash prize he received with the 2010 Fields Medal, an international medal for outstanding discoveries in mathematics, as seed money for the magazine.

It took three years for him and his colleagues at the Viet Nam Mathematical Society to prepare the contents and complete the administrative procedures to publish the magazine.

Tran Nam Dung, a lecturer at HCM City National University, has already an online version called Epsilon, 12 editions of which were published in the past two years. The latest editions were downloaded more than 10,000 times.

Toan Hoc va Tuoi Tre (Math and Youth) was published over 50 years ago by the Education Publishing House.

The society has also run two magazines in English for researchers to publish their artciles.

At the launch ceremony of the PI magazine on Sunday, Prof Ha Huy Khoai, the publications editor-in-chief, said the target audience is broader than existing math magazines. Its audience will range from students, teachers, university lecturers, math-lovers to even people who dont like math.

It contains a main column introducing modern views on classical math notions or classical approaches to modern notions, he said. A column titled "Cung Ban Giai Toan" (Solving Math Problems with You) will guide readers how to solve concrete math problems. The "Thach Thuc Toan Hoc" (Maths Challenge) column will be among the most anticipated column by people who like overcoming challenges.

Prof Ngo Bao Chau at the launching ceremony of the publication held in Ha Noi on Sunday. Photo xaluan.com

Columns like "Toan Hoc va oi Song" (Maths and Life), "Quan Toan" (Maths Shop) and "Toan cua Bi" (Bis Maths) will bring fresh views on maths, which is generally considered a somewhat "dry" subject.

Prof Chau will act as deputy-editor-in-chief of the magazine, while the editorial board includes leading math teachers in Viet Nam, like Tran Van Nhung, Tran Nam Dung, Nguyen Tien Dung and Pham Huy ien.

Prof Chau was born into a Vietnamese family of scholars in 1972. At the age of 15, he was admitted into a class in the Viet Nam National University High School specialising in mathematics.

Chau received gold medals at both the 29th and 30th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in 1988 and 1989, respectively.

He finished his undergraduate study in France and began to research the Langlands Program as a postgraduate. He then proved the Fundamental Lemma of the Langlands Program in 2008.

Chaus proof of the Fundamental Lemma in the theory of automorphic forms through the introduction of new algebro-geometric methods has been listed as one of the top ten scientific discoveries of 2009 by Time magazine.  VNS
HA NOI  Lawrence Manley Colburn, the US army helicopter gunner who helped stopped the massacre of hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese villagers by US troops at My Lai in 1968, has died at the age of 67, reported the Associated Press.

We are shocked and very sorry for the death of Lawrence Colburn, a person who has a special place in the heart of locals in Son My. He is deeply respected for saving many locals from the My Lai massacre, Pham Thanh Cong, director of My Lai Museum, told Viet Nam News.

Lisa Colburn told AP on Thursday evening that her husband of 31 years was diagnosed with cancer in late September and died on Tuesday.

"It was very quick," she told AP by phone from her home in Canton, Ga., near Atlanta. "He was a very peaceful man who had a great desire for a peaceful world."

She also called him "a compassionate person who was a hero in many peoples eyes".

Colburn was the last surviving member of a US Army crew that stopped fellow soldiers from further shootings and killings of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai in the central provinve of Quang Ngai on March 16, 1968. According to accounts, pilot Hugh Thompson landed the helicopter between unarmed villagers and American troops and ordered Colburn and crew chief Glenn Andreotta to cover him.

Thompson then persuaded members of Charlie Company to stop shooting. The American army companys soldiers had begun shooting villagers that day, even though they hadnt come under attack, authorities later said. The shooting quickly escalated into an orgy of killing that claimed the lives of as many as 504 civilians  most of whom were women, children or elderly.

In an initial Facebook post, Lisa Colburn confirmed her husbands death and wrote: "As most of you know, Larry has been very ill for a while, but his suffering ended today, 12/13/16." She added: "Your friendship meant a lot to him."

Trent Angers, who wrote a biography of Thompson, The Forgotten Hero of My Lai: The Hugh Thompson Story, said Colburn played an indispensable role in stopping the massacre at My Lai.

"He stood up, shoulder to shoulder with Hugh and Glenn, to oppose and stand down against those who were committing crimes against humanity. Without his assistance, Hugh might not have done what he did," Angers said.

Colburn and Thompson were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for their actions and received the Soldiers Medal, the highest US military award for bravery not involving conflict with the adversary.

Thompson, who lived in Lafayette, La., died in 2006. Andreotta was killed in combat in Viet Nam three weeks after My Lai.

AP reported that a memorial service for Colburn is planned on January 7. In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by three sisters.  VNS/AP
SYDNEY  Australian star Nicole Kidman says her experience as the mother of adopted children meant she closely related to her character in the movie Lion, tipped as an Oscar favourite.

Garth Daviss film about a young man from India adopted by an Australian family who searches for his long-lost blood relatives using Google Earth, has already received a Golden Globe nod for best drama motion picture.

It also won nominations in the supporting actor categories for Kidman and Dev Patel, with the pair repeating the feat for the 23rd Screen Actors Guild awards.

Kidman adopted two children with ex-husband Tom Cruise  Isabella and Connor and said she immediately felt a connection with the woman she portrayed, Sue Brierley who adopted Saroo, played by Patel.

"She came up to Sydney and we just sat in my apartment ... and just started talking," Kidman told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ahead of the films Australian premiere on Monday evening.

"I told her a lot about myself, and it was almost like she already knew a lot, and not stuff I had talked about publicly, but just sensations and feelings."

Brierley told the broadcaster the two women immediately bonded.

"With your children being adopted, it was important to me that someone be on my page," she said in explaining why she wanted Kidman in the role after discovering her story was going to be made into a film.

"Wed both had a tough patch. Because I lost my mother, and your (Kidmans) father passed away, really within one month, so we were rather raw emotionally at that time."

Kidman said that being an adoptive parent helped her understand Brierleys experiences.

"We have similar ways in which we wanted to adopt," Kidman said.

"I just felt ever since I was young that I was going to adopt a child. Mine wasnt the vision Sue had exactly, but pretty similar, and we both made it happen and that is weird to have the same thing."

Kidman, who also has two daughters with country music star husband Keith Urban, added that getting the role "was just meant to be, it was mapped out in the stars, so to speak".

The 89th Academy Awards are in Los Angeles on February 26.  AFP
PARIS  The French publishers of a book of "lost" Vincent Van Gogh sketches on Monday threatened legal action against a Dutch museum that has questioned the authenticity of the works.

The threat follows the publication in six countries last month of Vincent Van Gogh, the fog of Arles: the rediscovered sketchbook in which sketches apparently from the artists legendary stay in the southern French city are reproduced.

The Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, however, has dismissed the sketches as fakes triggering a war of words with publishing house Le Seuil.

Le Seuil "intends to obtain compensation for the damage they have suffered as a result of an insidious and unfounded campaign" on the part of the Van Gogh Museum, the publisher said in a statement, without elaborating on the exact legal action they intended to take.

The owner of the sketches, who is said to have had them in her possession for 60 years, is also threatening legal action.

In a statement, the art expert Franck Baille, who was involved in the discovery, added that the owner, who has not been publicly identified, "reserved the right to undertake any appropriate action to repair the damage caused by these claims that describe her as a forgerer".

Debate ruled out

Canadian art historian Bogomila Welsh-Ovcharov, who authored the book and is the main expert behind the find, has accused the Amsterdam museum of basing its verdict on photographs of the drawings rather than properly examining 10 originals which she brought to them.

And in a point-by-point rebuttal of the museums damning assessment of the sketchbook, the experts backing the find have also questioned its "monopoly" on deciding what is and is not by Van Gogh.

Le Seuil has also accused the Van Gogh Museum of twice rejecting work it later accepted as the artists.

Australian researcher Felicity Strong of the University of Melbourne said last month "the Van Gogh Museum has been wrong in the past.

"Their unveiling of a long-lost painting Sunset at Montmajour was examined by curators at the museum at least twice before they reassessed it in 2012 and changed their minds," she said.

The museum has ruled out a public debate on the authenticity of the sketches, saying it has sought answers directly from the publisher and that an open debate would not be useful.

"We will need to have all the hard facts first," it said on November 29.

"We therefore call on the publisher and the author to provide a clear and open response to all our comments, to all the issues in need of clarification and to the questions raised," it said.

"Until they have, we see no point in a scholarly debate and our contribution to the discussion ends here: we will no longer respond to further questions."  AFP
HA NOI  Hoang Thu Thao won the best national costume award and was among the top 10 at Miss Tourism International 2016, which was held on December 18 in Shanghai, China.

The pageant attracted 55 participants from 55 countries.

Thao said she was disappointed for not winning more awards at the competition, yet being among the top 10 was an achievement for her and she would engage in more art activities to affirm herself following the competition.

Thao also participated in Miss Asia Pacific 2016 held in the Philippines in November where she did not win any award. She was then sent to participate at the Miss Tourism International 2016 in China by the Department of Performing Arts.

Thao was born in 1994, graduated from Viet Nam Maritime University and is 1m72.  VNS
Ngo Van Suu

Ngo Van Suu, former head of the Party Central Committee for Disciplinary Inspection Commission, speaks to the newspaper Khoa hoc & oi song (Science & Life) about Prime Minister Phucs order to prohibit the giving of expensive gifts for the upcoming Lunar New Year festival.

How do you respond to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs order that junior government officials should not offer gifts to their superiors for Tet?

This is good news. It is an indication of the PMs resolve to eliminate gifts to big bosses during the countrys biggest and most important festival. Lets wait and see if the PMs order is fully implemented. I remember similar orders being issued in the past, but implementation was very poor.

But, Im pretty sure that gifts will not be given as openly as they used to be in the past.

But it is a fine tradition to pay Tet visits to the bosses, relatives and friends, dont you agree?

Yes, I cant agree more. But quite a few people have abused the occasion by giving bribes, for example, for blackmail and other nefarious deeds.

Its high time for us to restore law and order. Tet is an occasion for people to pay courtesy visits to each other and wish each other all the best for the New Year. Of course, it is also our age-old tradition to give gifts to old people and children during the festival and wish them good health and luck.

Is the biggest challenge trying to guess whats inside the gift wrapping?

Neither the giver nor the taker wants other people to know what is inside the package.

In my opinion, the giver should know that bribery is against the law. The recipients also know they dont deserve expensive gifts so they should turn down the offers immediately. If the gifts are of high value, they should be regarded as an act of bribery.

Im pretty sure that if the recipient rejects the gift, the giver would not dare do it again.

But for Vietnamese people, giving small presents/gifts to their bosses during the Lunar New Year is considered a courtesy and show of respect. If their gifts are rejected, can you imagine how embarrassed they will feel?

If the gift is a genuine token of love and respect for the boss, he/she should accept it. But if the gift is worth a fortune, the boss should reject it immediately. I think the boss would know how to deal with those circumstances.

Some people say that whether the PMs order will be strictly implemented or not depends mainly on the bosses. Do you agree?

A saying in Viet Nam goes a good beginning makes a good ending, so Im pretty sure that if the head of an office/agency strictly implements the PMs order, the staff will not dare break the rule.

Im confident that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs promise of a government of constructivism and action will become a reality and the 2017 Lunar New Year will be a prosperous and happy year for all Vietnamese citizens. Junior staff dont have to worry about how to choose worthy Tet presents for their bosses.

Paying Tet visits to their boss is a fine Vietnamese tradition. We should keep it up.  VNS
HA NOI  Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen arrives in Viet Nam today at the start of a two-day visit. This is his second visit to Viet Nam since he was re-appointed as Prime Minister in 2013.

The visit takes place at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc amid growing co-operation between the two countries, that share a borderline of over 1,000km spanning nine Vietnamese provinces and 10 Cambodian localities.

PM Hun Sen is accompanied by Deputy PM and Minister of National Defence General Tea Banh, Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhon, Senior Minister and Chairman of Cambodias National Border Committee Var Kim Hong, Minister of Cults and Religion Him Chhem, Minister of Rural Development Ouk Rabun, Minister of Commerce Pan Posak, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon, and other high-ranking Government officials.

Economically, Viet Nam is the fifth largest investor in Cambodia, after China, the Republic of Korea, the European Union and Malaysia, with 183 investment projects and a total registered capital of US$2.86 billion. Cambodia is running 12 projects with a combined investment capital of $54 million in Viet Nam.

Viet Nam is currently Cambodias third biggest trade partner. Two-way trade between the two countries hit $3.37 billion in 2015 and $2.38 billion by the end of October 2016.  VNS
iet Nams Minister of Public Security, To Lam (first from left) meets Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo

BANGKOK  Viet Nams Minister of Public Security, To Lam, has proposed that Thailand accelerate work on a criminal extradition agreement between the two countries.

Lam made the proposal at a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha during a visit to the country to attend the first high-level dialogue between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Thai Royal Police in Bangkok yesterday.

PM Chan-o-cha described the Vietnamese officials trip as a contribution to boosting the relationship between the two countries, in general, and between their security agencies, in particular.

Minister Lam spoke highly of the role and position of Thailand in the formation and development of the ASEAN Community in the context of complicated developments in the region and the world, including those related to transnational and drug crimes, human trafficking and maritime security and safety.

He emphasised the need to enhance co-operation in developing, managing and using Mekong water sustainably and effectively for the common interests of residents along the rivers lower area.

Earlier, the Vietnamese delegation paid respects to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Minister Lam also visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand and attended a ceremony launching air routes between Viet Nam and Thailand operated by low-cost airlines VietJet Air.  VNS
HA NOI  Top government leaders from Viet Nam and Cambodia have expressed their desire to cement and develop bilateral ties in the spirit of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, all-faceted and long-lasting co-operation.

During talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Ha Noi yesterday, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen said his visit aimed to promote traditional friendship and all-round collaboration with Viet Nam in a solid and extensive manner.

The Vietnamese PM, for his part, expressed his belief that the visit would be an important milestone elevating the two countries friendship and co-operation for the sake of their people.

He hoped that the two countries would work more closely, respect each others legitimate interests, jointly settle remaining issues, maintain an environment of peace and stability, and strengthen friendship between the two peoples.

Both sides agreed to facilitate visits by the two countries leaders and officials from ministries, agencies, localities and trade unions while working closely together to effectively implement signed agreements between the two nations and governments.

They pledged to thoroughly prepare for the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (June 24) in order to increase mutual understanding between the two people, especially younger generations. The two foreign ministries will direct activities for the event.

On the occasion, they agreed to promptly convene the 15th meeting of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Inter-governmental Committee next year.

On economic, trade and investment ties, the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce and the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade will soon conduct negotiations for the signing of the Viet Nam-Cambodia border trade agreement.

The host suggested stepping up transport and electricity connectivity, tourism, telecommunication and banking within the framework of a master plan on connecting Cambodian, Lao, and Vietnamese economies.

The two countries will direct their transport ministries to chair negotiations on the governmental-level agreement on transport co-operation strategy as mentioned in the agreement adopted by the 14th session of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Economic, Cultural and Scientific-Technological Cooperation.

The ministries are required to negotiate the signing of a deal to build a highway connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh on the occasion of a meeting between the two PMs next year, as well as survey the model One door- one stop which is expected to be launched at Moc Bai  Ba Vet border gate.

Host and guest committed to maintaining the principle of not allowing any hostile forces to use ones territory to sabotage security of the other, as well as jointly fight smuggling, illegal immigration, crimes involving drugs, human and weapon trafficking, trans-national and cyber crimes.

PM Phuc thanked the Cambodian government for partnering with Viet Nam in the search and repatriation of volunteer Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives in Cambodia. He asked his counterpart to instruct relevant Cambodian agencies to complete the construction, repair and restoration of Viet Nam-Cambodia friendship memorials.

Hailing the signing of the education co-operation agreement for 2016-2020, the two leaders underscored the importance of improving training quality and living expenses for students sent overseas for study.

With regard to border issues, the Joint Committee on Land Border Demarcation and Marker Planting was assigned to work quickly to complete land border demarcation with fair, appropriate and acceptable measures and settle emerging issues at border areas in line with existing mechanisms and the spirit of neighborliness between the two countries.

On the subject of overseas Vietnamese affairs, the Vietnamese host hoped that Hun Sen would continue directing agencies to accelerate the settlement of legal papers involving Vietnamese nationals in Cambodia, making it easier for them to settle in and contribute to bilateral ties.

The two sides agreed to urge the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to promptly resolve the illegal immigration to Cambodia by the Central Highlands ethnic minorities thoroughly in accordance with the Viet Nam-Cambodia-UNHCR agreement signed on January 25, 2005.

On the occasion, PM Phuc accepted PM Hun Sens invitation to visit Cambodia next year with pleasure.

Following the talks, the two PMs witnessed the signing of an agreement on judicial assistance in criminal matters between the two governments; an agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons between the two countries; and another between Viet Nams Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religion.  VNS
HCM Citys education sector has set a target next year to collect school tuition via bank transfers instead of cash after two years of piloting the project at 40 schools.  Photo chinhphu.vn

HCM CITY  HCM Citys education sector has set a target next year to collect school tuition via bank transfers instead of cash after two years of piloting the project at 40 schools.

Under the pilot project, students from 40 secondary schools and high schools began paying tuition via a school smart card (SSC) in the academic year 2014-15.

The project has been carried out by the citys Department of Education and Training in co-operation with the State Bank of Viet Nams HCM City branch, Vietcombank, BIDV, and Ngoi Nha Xanh Cultural Joint-Stock Company.

Speaking at a meeting on financial solutions in the education sector last week, Le Hoai Nam, deputy director of the education department, said the pilot project had achieved positive results after two years of implementation.

The city now wants to expand the model to all schools citywide.

Under the project, more than 47,000 SSCs have been issued with total tuition transactions via SSC reaching VN132 billion (US$5.8 million), he said.

Payments through SSCs help parents pay tuition on time, reduce the risk of students holding a large amount of cash, and ease the burden on schools human resources and time in collecting tuition, he added.

The Education Department plans to improve dissemination of information about the project to teachers, students and parents.

More financial solutions for teachers and education staff will also be offered.

For example, the education sector will work with commercial banks to issue credit cards with favourable conditions for teachers, with a balance of VN200-300 million ($8,789-13,184).

Speaking at the meeting, Bui Quang Tien, head of the Transaction Department under the State Bank, spoke highly of financial solutions carried out by the citys education sector, especially the application of SSC.

He urged the sector to work closely with agencies to ensure security and safety for cardholders.

Students as cardholders will have their names and identification numbers on the card.

Parents will be account holders and will open cards for their children by filling in a form from the SSC project.

SSCs information centre will announce the payable amount to parents, and they can either pay via e-banking services or make payments at home, banks or schools.

The amount will be transferred to school accounts, and information will be sent to the SSC data center to be processed and confirmed.

Parents can also give pocket money to their children via SSC. The card is exclusively used to pay at POS terminals at specified locations at schools only, and is not used to withdraw cash.

Details about payments listed in an SSC account will help parents manage their childrens spending.

In the near future, the SSC project will develop new features supporting learning, such as e-textbooks, studying languages online, and daily services such as bus cards and library cards, according to Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has asked agencies and enterprises under its umbrella to efficiently use State-owned cars and implement taxi fare subsidies to certain officials instead of offering them State-owned cars.

The decision by Finance Minister inh Tien Dung follows Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs November 2 directive stipulating that the fleet of State-owned cars serving officials will be cut by 30 to 50 per cent, or about 12,000 to 20,000 cars, by the year 2020, excluding those in mountainous, remote areas and the islands.

The directive is part of efforts to considerably reduce public spending, of which buying State assets accounts for 20 per cent annually. Under the directive, the MoF was tasked to submit to the Government a plan for deputy ministers and officials at the same level to receive taxi fare subsidies insteading of using State-owned cars. The ministry was also asked to work with relevant agencies in issuing additional regulations on State asset usage and management.

In September, Dung issued a decision under which deputy ministers of finance and heads of the ministry departments will get their taxi fares subsidised based on the distance of their home from their office. The Ministry of Finance is the first ministry to apply taxi fare subsidies instead of offering State-owned cars for deputy ministers and heads of departments.

According to the MoF, the move has brought about positive results and been welcomed by the public.

To promote its effectiveness, the finance minister ordered such enterprises under the MoF as the Debt and Asset Trading Company, Ha Noi Stock Exchange and HCM City Stock Exchange to review the number of their cars and drivers with an eye toward efficiency and thrift.

Regarding wholly State-owned enterprises, like the State Capital Investment Corporation and Viet Nam Development Bank, the minister asked them to apply taxi fare subsidy schemes as of this month, instead of offering State-owned cars for top officials like general directors and board chairmen. The order also applies to Bao Viet Holdings, a State-own company in which the MoF holds about 70-per cent stake.

All the above-mentioned enterprises have to submit a report on implementation of the decision to the MoF by the end of December.  VNS
HA NOI  City dwellers and experts are concerned about the effectiveness of the bus rapid transit (BRT) route connecting Kim Ma and Yen Nghia, which is being launched later this month.

The citys transport department says the rapid bus system is designed to serve the travelling public and reduce traffic jams in the capital. A one-way ticket will cost VN7,000 (30 US cents) and is expected to cut travel time in half compared to travelling on a regular bus.

However, to ensure the smooth operation of the rapid bus, the Ha Noi administration has recently given the green light to banning certain vehicles at rush hours, between 6am and 9am, and 4:30pm and 7:30pm, as of December 25.

In the first stage, trucks with a capacity of above 500 kilos will be banned from Le Trong Tan, To Huu and Van Phuc streets. Taxis will be prohibited from driving on Giang Vo, Lang Ha and Le Van Luong streets. The ban will also be applied to trucks and motorbikes in the two flyovers of Lang Ha-Huynh Thuc Khang and Le Van LuongLang to enable the rapid bus to complete its 14km route in about 30 minutes.

A city dweller, ao Hoang Phuong, 28, said that if motorbike drivers are banned from the two flyovers at rush hour, they would be forced to drive on other roads and create traffic jams there. So, if one of the aims of bus rapid transit is to curb traffic jams in the city, will that be achieved? he asked.

Talking to the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper, economic expert Luu Bich Ho asked: How many people will choose to travel by rapid bus? Is it really worth to force a lot of motorbike and taxi drivers to change their routes and trigger traffic congestion?"

Mai Hai ang, head of International Training at the University of Transport, said banning taxis would cause inconveniences to people who prefer to use their service. In other countries, taxis are considered a means of public transport and allowed to operate like buses, he said.

Nguyen Xuan Thuy, an expert on urban traffic, told the Lao ong (Labour) newspaper that running a bus rapid transit route but banning other vehicles was illogical. Ensuring the smooth operation of the rapid buses by causing traffic jams in other streets was not a good idea, he said.

Initial solutions

Thuy said instead of banning other vehicles to make room for rapid buses, the city should let both rapid buses and other vehicles run together at first, and then adjustments would be made depending on the results, he added.

Bui Danh Lien, president of the Ha Noi Transport Association, said at first, when the rapid buses start running, traffic congestion might occur in streets that motorbikes use instead of the two flyovers. Traffic police should patrol the streets to separate lanes and ensure smooth traffic for vehicles. This would reduce traffic congestion, he said.

Pham Hoai Chung, head of the Urban Transport Development Centre under the Transport Development and Strategy Institute, said the route that the rapid bus was scheduled to use has a high traffic flow. Therefore, several types of vehicles have to be limited at specific times to give priority to the rapid buses, he said. Troubles will occur at first, he added, but solutions would be found to resolve them.

Chung said development of rapid buses was the global trend. We really need a consensus from people so that we can effectively run these kinds of buses, he said.

Residents of Thailand were also critical when the buses were first introduced, but eventually the project was deemed a success, he said.

It is estimated that Ha Noi suffers damage of VN15 trillion (US$660 million) due to traffic congestion each year.  VNS
Professor Tran Hong Quan, former Minister of Education and Training, speaks to Giao duc Viet Nam (Viet Nam Education) about the imperative need to promote autonomy among Vietnamese universities

What are the barriers Viet Nam has been facing in implementing policies on autonomy for public universities?

Autonomy is a fundamental concept in Western higher education discourse, but it is relatively new in Viet Nam. With the promulgation of the Law of Higher Education in 2012, for the first time in the history of Vietnams higher education, this new concept was legalized. However, in spite of its being included in the Law of Higher Education, autonomy is still not a reality in Vietnams higher education, as can be seen in various practices where Government control remains firms.

All university teaching and support staff are public employees, and their salaries are paid by the State budget.

Following the liberation of the South, all universities there were transformed into public universities, just like those in the North.

However, with the start of its renewal policies in the late 80s and early 90s, Viet Nams education experienced major changes. Universities were granted some autonomy in their teaching and management, including student recruitment, graduations, appointments of key management positions, sending staff on foreign tours to share experiences with foreign universities, and other activities. In the past, those rights were the purview of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Vietnamese universities have already been granted some autonomy. Why should we continue to talk about granting autonomy?

The autonomy rights we were granted were very limited. Many important decisions and policies still depend on the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET).

A salient point is the financial issue. All Vietnamese public universities are funded through the State budget. So they have to follow State budget laws. This has created huge difficulties for universities.

Both the teaching and support staff are public employees. That means they are subjected to the Labour Law in term of recruitment or dismissal of those who fail to perform their assignments.

We deem it necessary to establish universities vested with autonomous rights, including self-financing accountability - private universities.

Of course, a very important function of these private universities is to work together with public universities to train more qualified personnel for the nation.

Last but not least, Viet Nam will have a dynamic management model operating on the principle of selfautonomy. And these private universities will serve as a cross reference for public universities in their management activities.

Private universities will be an incentive for public ones to improve.

Shining examples of positive change are the Ton uc Thang University, the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City or the Post and Tele-communications Institute of Technology.

Among other public universities that have been granted special autonomy are the Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh National Universities.

Would you elaborate on the positive aspects of university autonomy?

Such universities can be more dynamic in their creativity and development. They can stand on their own feet, do what they want and assume full responsibility for their decisions.

However, not all universities want to be self-reliant. They still want to lean on Governments subsidies.

In my opinion, it is high time for all Vietnamese educational training institutions to switch from the old system of State subsidization to a self-financing mechanism.

What are the motivations and resources that universities can find in their transformation?

The renewal process has been implemented in Viet Nam for more than 30 years. But Im afraid to say that in the field of culture and society, in general, and the education sector in particular, management still follows the old way of State subsidy in management.

It is high time for us to make a revolution. We should try to optimize what we can do to exist and develop.

All management officials and teaching staff must always renew themselves in carrying out their assignments. Im sure that if we all work together, a bright future is awaiting us. Self-financing is the right choice for all Vietnamese universities.

But of course, there will be a road map for that. The Government always stands by your side.

Im confident that the State budget allocation for education will not be reduced. But it is our responsibility to think of how to use the peoples money wisely, efficiently and effectively.--VNS
HA NOI  Three women have been arrested for illegally selling value-added tax (VAT) invoices which were estimated at more than VN1 trillion (US$44.4 million), according to the Ha Noi police.

Le Thi Kim Anh, from Tay Ho District, and Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, from Ba inh District, both 42, were charged with setting up a dozen ghost companies with 32-year-old Ngo Thi Thu Huyen from Hai Ba Trung District since 2013. Those companies were used only for their names to print invoices without any real business operations.

The trio said that they would take a fee of 3.6 to 4.2 per cent of the amount written on the VAT invoices sold to other companies.

An initial investigation showed that the three sold illegal VAT invoices to more than 1,000 companies, with the credits written on the invoices reaching over VN1 trillion.

A search at the addresses of those ghost companies uncovered more than 200 invoice books, 14 rubber stamps of 12 different companies and over VN1 billion in cash.  VNS
HCM CITY  Health innovations including new medicines are enabling ageing populations in the Asia Pacific to live longer and better.

There is no doubt that across the Asia Pacific, populations are ageing, Yoriko Yasukawa, regional director for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Population Fund, has told a recent conference in Singapore titled Transforming Ageing with Health Innovation.

This is the result of reduced mortality, rising longevity and reduced fertility which is in turn thanks to people, especially women, exercising their reproductive rights, and as such, we should celebrate this phenomenon.

A World Bank report released last November says the older population in East Asia is estimated to grow by about 22 per cent every five years between 2015 and 2034.

The bank, in another database, has estimated that the percentage of people aged 60 and above in the Asia-Pacific region is set to double from 12 per cent of population to 24 per cent by 2050.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division shows that in Viet Nam by 2050, the proportion of population aged 60 years old and above will more than double from 10.7 per cent to 27.9 per cent.

While living longer, elderly people are facing many chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases, arthritis, hearing and vision loss, depression, dementia, and Alzheimers disease.

To meet the changing needs of ageing populations like preventing and treating diseases as well as to provide a better life to elderly people, many health innovations have been made.

They are aimed at ensuring the efficient and safe use of medicines, easing the administration of drugs, reducing dosage frequency, monitoring and reducing the burden of pills.

According to Chuan Kit Foo, head of medical affairs at the Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division Asia Pacific, when ageing populations increase, society requires new medicines to help treat chronic diseases.

For the last 20 years the pharmaceutical industry has been responsible for positive transformation in the treatment of these diseases with very good outcomes, he said.

We have contributed to helping people live longer lives, where diseases are better controlled, he said.

We need to continue to develop new products that are more convenient, easier to use as well as products that are safer without side effects, he said.

Xavier Xuanhao Chan, director of QuintilesIMS Institute Asia, said medicines had improved health outcomes with respect to diseases affecting older populations.

In the 25 years to 2020 nearly 1,000 new medicines would have been introduced globally, he said.

New brands based on existing medicines would offer improvements that address patient adherence and unmet needs, he said.

Chan quoted a report released in November by his institute on cancer which says, New therapies have contributed to a 23 per cent decline in death since the 1990s and two out of three people diagnosed with cancer now survive at least five years.

On heart diseases, the report says combination drug therapy prevents serious complications and has led to a 75 per cent reduction in myocardial infarction among high-risk individuals.

On diabetes, it says effective treatment can reduce complications by 50 per cent.

Participants recommended multifaceted approaches that involve various stakeholders in society to help elderly people have a better life. Elderly people need care from their family, which understands their difficulties and needs. VNS
SAN JOSE  Costa Rica saw an "unprecedented" migratory flow into the country this year, with tens of thousands of mainly Cubans, Haitians and Africans seeking passage to the United States, the government said Sunday.

"More than 26,000 irregular migrants entered the country" from the southern border with Panama, the ministry of communication said in a statement.

Most of them arrived this year, though up to 8,000 were Cubans who became stranded in Costa Rica in late 2015 when neighboring Nicaragua closed its border to them.

Costa Rica eventually organised flights in early 2016 to let them skip over Nicaragua and make their way to the US border.

Since then, the biggest flow has been that of Haitians, along with smaller numbers of Africans.

Many of them also face difficulties trying to get through Nicaragua, staying in shelters and camps in northern Costa Rica while turning to people-smugglers for help to cross the border. They have been given temporary visas, but no right to work.

"This could have been the biggest migratory crisis in the country, but it was an opportunity for Costa Rica to show the world its vocation in defending human rights," Communication Minister Mauricio Herrera said.  AFP
WASHINGTON  Americas Electoral College on Monday confirmed Donald Trumps election as the 45th president of the United States, unswayed by a desperate bid by die-hard opponents to bar the Republicans path to the White House.

Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official according to US media, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on January 20.

"We did it!" the 70-year-old billionaire tweeted after the results came in.

"Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)."

In a statement released by his team, the president-elect welcomed the "overwhelming vote" in his favour, while reaching out to the Democrats who sought against the odds to block him.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," he said. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans."

Under normal circumstances, the college vote is a little-watched, rubber stamp formality in which electors - most of them party members  officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.

This time, however, the divisive nature of the campaign, Trumps provocative personality, and Clintons lead of nearly three million votes in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

The Electoral College vote works like this: when US voters cast ballots on November 8, they did not directly elect the president but rather 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality.

Trump won a clear majority of those electors: 306.

Democratic activists casting the Republican as a threat to the nation staged a vocal, weeks-long campaign urging electors to break ranks and refuse to vote for him.

To bar Trumps road to the White House, they needed to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon their candidate.

The odds of that happening were considered next to none.

According to a New York Times tally, four Republican electors cast their votes for someone other than Clinton, and two Republicans voted for someone other than Trump.

Fate of our nation

One Texas Republican elector, Christopher Suprun, had publicly said he would not vote for Trump, arguing he is unqualified to be president for reasons including conflicts of interest created by his vast overseas business holdings.

An online petition urging electors to reject Trump collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen recently released a video to goad electors to dump Trump.

Undeterred by their outside chance of success, protesters rallied Monday at statehouses from Pennsylvania to Texas to Utah as electors gathered across the country to cast their votes.

In Wisconsin, where Trump carried a thin margin that was key to propelling him into the Oval Office, a few protesters chanted "Shame!" as the states 10 electoral votes for Trump were announced, the New York Times reported.

"I feel the fate of our nation is at stake here," protester Ray-Ellen Kavey, 68, told The Washington Post outside the capitol building of the Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania.

"I know nothing will come of this, but my conscience wont let me do any less."

In New York, former president Bill Clinton cast one of the states 29 electoral votes for his wife.

"Ive never cast a vote I was prouder of," he was quoted as saying by the Post.

Cynical

The Republican National Committee welcomed the result -- and urged Democrats to accept Trumps victory once and for all.

"This historic election is now officially over," RNC co-chair Sharon Day said in a statement. "For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election."

The anti-Trump movement gained further momentum in recent days amid the uproar over allegations of Russian hacking aimed at swaying the vote in favor of the Republican.

Ten electors -- nine Democrats and one Republican -- wrote an open letter to National Intelligence Director James Clapper seeking a briefing on the matter ahead of their vote, but their request was denied.

Even in the unlikely event that Trump had lost the Electoral College vote, it would have been up to the House of Representatives -- controlled by Republicans -- to designate the successor to President Barack Obama.

The final vote result will be formally announced in the US Congress on January 6, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated.  AFP
BERLIN  A lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more in what police said was a suspected terror attack.

Ambulances and heavily armed police rushed to the area after the vehicle mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in horrific scenes reminiscent of Julys deadly truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

"I dont want to use the word attack yet, although there are many things pointing to one," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public television.

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least nine people were killed and 45 others were injured - four of them seriously - in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

Australian Trisha ONeill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there."

ONeill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

We mourn the dead

A German police spokeswoman said that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

Security sources cited by DPA news agency said that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

The Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

"We havent heard from him since this afternoon. We dont know what happened to him. Hes my cousin, Ive known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski said.

German authorities said there was no indication of "further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz", where the suspected attack took place.

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."

Safer than Paris

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"Its awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas," said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris."

The crash happened in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a warning to future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard which was packed with holiday shoppers.

Police said the truck made it as far as 80 metres into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

High alert

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July injured five people, and a suicide bombing wounded 15 people in the same state six days later.

In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

The attack in Berlin also comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Niceseafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the Berlin tragedy, France beefed up security at its own Christmas markets.

"The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe," President Francois Hollande said.

The Nice bloodshed -- as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day holiday on July 14 -- further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.

The United States labelled it an apparent "terrorist attack" and pledged its support.

"Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies," White House National Security spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians in the German capital.  AFP
PARIS  A French court on Monday found IMF head Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence over a massive state payout to a tycoon when she was French finance minister, but she will continue to lead the fund.

Lagarde was spared her a fine or prison sentence, and the International Monetary Fund board meeting in Washington said it retains "full confidence" in her ability to continue to lead the organisation.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Lagarde said she was not happy with the court ruling, even though she faces no penalty, but would not appeal.

"I am not satisfied, but there comes a point in time when one just has to stop, turn the page, and move on and continue to work with those who have put their trust in me," Lagarde said, calling the process a "painful" one.

A special court in Paris found against Lagarde over her handling of a dispute between the state and flamboyant businessman Bernard Tapie, which ended in a 404-million-euro (US$422 million) award for Tapie.

The court rapped Lagarde for failing to contest the massive payment, which was linked to Tapies sale of the Adidas sportswear brand to Credit Lyonnais bank.

However, the court exempted her from any penalty, citing her "international reputation" and the fact that at the time of the events in 2008 she was busy fighting a global financial inferno.

The high-flying 60-year-old former corporate lawyer became the first female IMF chief in 2011, succeeding her disgraced compatriot Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

And despite her legal troubles she was reappointed in February to a second five-year term.

The IMF executive board, which represents the 189 member countries, met on Monday in the wake of the court decision, and said it "reaffirms its full confidence in the managing directors ability to continue to effectively carry out her duties," and will continue to work with her "to address the difficult challenges facing the global economy."

The French government expressed continued support for Lagarde, saying it "retained its utmost confidence in her capacity to carry out her responsibilities".

US Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew issued a statement of support immediately after the IMF board decision, calling her "a strong leader of the IMF" and praising "her ability to guide the Fund at a critical time for the global economy."

Fraudulent payment

Lagarde was tried over her decision to allow the long-running dispute over Tapies sale of Adidas to be resolved by a private arbitration panel instead of by the courts, and her failure to contest the staggering amount of the resulting award. An investigation later showed the arbitration to be fraudulent.

Tapie, who was later ordered to pay back the money, is among six people charged with fraud in a separate criminal case, along with the boss of Orange telecoms company, Stephane Richard, a former aide to Lagarde.

Lagardes case was heard by the Court of Justice of the Republic  a tribunal of judges and members of parliament that hears cases against ministers accused of wrongdoing in office.

The punishment for negligence theoretically carried a one-year prison sentence and a 15,000-euro ($15,676) fine.  AFP
MOSCOW  The main aim of assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey is the desire to undermine the process of normalisation of Russian-Turkish relations and to prevent effective fight of the two countries against terrorism in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with NTV channel.

"We are confident that the main aim of those who plotted this barbaric thing was to undermine the process of normalisation of relations between Russia and Turkey in order to prevent effective fight against terrorism in Syria," Lavrov said.

Organisers of the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov will not succeed in undermining the process of normalising Russian-Turkich relations, Lavrov said in a commentary published on the Russian Foreign Ministrys official website on Tuesday.

"This aim is with bad means. It will not go through," Lavrov said.

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, who had been invited to the opening ceremony of the exhibition Russia Through Turks Eyes in Ankara, was shot on Monday during an attack and later died in a hospital of the sustained wounds.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu identified the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, who had worked in the Ankara anti-riot police for the last two and a half years.

His mother, father and sister were reportedly detained for questioning in their home in western Turkey.

Three other people were injured on the scene. A source in the Russian Embassy in Ankara told TASS that there were no Russians among those injured.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday Moscow must know for sure who was behind the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.

"Russias Investigative Committee has already opened a criminal case on this assassination. It has been instructed to set up a working group that is to go to Ankara to take part in the probe into this crime together with the Turkish partners," he said at a meeting in the Kremlin.

"Karlov died as a soldier. He was an illustrious diplomat, enjoying a very good reputation in the country of his mission, he had good relations with the leadership of Turkey as well as with other political forces that respected him," the Russian president recalled.

According to Putin, an agreement to this effect was reached during his telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We must know how steered the killers course," Putin stressed.

Putin called to enhance security measures at Russian diplomatic missions in Turkey. He stressed the necessity to "have the Turkish sides guarantees of security of Russian diplomatic mission under the Vienna convention on diplomatic relations."

He demanded participants in the meeting "make coordinated proposals on enhancing security measures at Russian diplomatic missions abroad."

Russia will step up further its efforts fighting global terrorism as it is the only answer to the assassination of Andrei Karlov, Putin stressed.

"A crime has been committed and it was undoubtedly a provocation aimed to undermine the revitalisation of the Russian and Turkish relations as well as to disrupt the Syrian conflict peaceful settlement process promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries, which are interested in the resolution of the Syria situation," Putin said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan echoed Putins comments, saying the killing was aimed at wrecking a normalisation process that had taken root after a crisis sparked when Turkey shot down a Russian plane over Syria.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said he was "appalled by this senseless act of terror", while US President-elect Donald Trump condemned the killing, calling the gunman a "radical Islamic terrorist".  TASS/AFP
Obama pardons 78, cuts 153 sentences

HONOLULU (AP)  President Barack Obama pardoned 78 people and shortened the sentence of 153 others convicted of federal crimes, the greatest number of individual clemencies in a single day by any president, the White House said Monday.

Obama has been granting commutations at rapid-fire pace in his final months in office, focused primarily on shortening sentences of those convicted of drug offenses.

Obama has now pardoned a total of 148 people during his presidency. He has also shortened the sentences of 1,176 people, including 395 serving life sentences. Each story is unique, but a common thread of rehabilitation underlies all of them.

Mom leaves boy in car in storm

THORNTON, Colo. (AP)  A Colorado woman accused of leaving her son alone in a car overnight during a snowstorm appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Court documents say surveillance video captured 26-year-old Nicole Carmon walking into a gas station Friday night in suburban Denver looking disheveled and appearing distressed. Investigators say she said seemed to say something about Target and pointed to a nearby Target store before walking off.

The boy was found Saturday morning in a car covered in snow parked at the Target store about 14 hours later. He had hypothermia and frostbite.

Carmon told police she had six shots of vodka Friday.

Dreamcatchers used to smuggle meth

COLUMBUS, N.M. (AP)  A Mexican woman tried to smuggle liquid methamphetamine into the U.S. by hiding it inside Native American-style dreamcatchers, federal officials said Monday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said the woman was detained Sunday as she crossed from Mexico and a drug-sniffing dog alerted customs officers.

The officers found six dreamcatchers in the womans car with rings made of rubber tubing filled with a liquid that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Dreamcatchers, hoops of willow and feathers typically made by American Indians in the Great Plains, are intended to protect sleepers from bad dreams.

Pagan wears horns for license pic

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  An ordained Pagan priest finally has gotten the OK to sport goat horns in his Maine drivers license photo.

Maine resident Phelan Moonsong said unless hes sleeping or bathing, he always wears his goat horns, which serve as his spiritual antennae and help him educate others about Paganism.

The Maine Secretary of States office said the state allowed the goat horns because Moonsong cited their religious purposes and also because they didnt obstruct his face.

Ovarian cancer drug cleared by FDA

WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. health officials have approved a new option for some women battling ovarian cancer: a drug that targets a genetic mutation seen in a subset of hard-to-treat tumors.

The Food and Drug Administration cleared the drug, Rubraca, from Clovis Oncology Inc. for women in advanced stages of the disease who have already tried at least two chemotherapy drugs. The Clovis medication targets a mutation found in 15 to 20 percent of patients with ovarian cancer. Women with the variation, known as BRCA, face much higher risks of breast cancer and ovarian cancer compared with other women.
WATERLOO  Central Iowa Healthcare in Marshalltown filed for bankruptcy Tuesday.

The health care system asked the court to approve a plan to sell its assets to UnityPoint Health-Waterloo.

Our decision today reflects our enduring commitment to the Marshalltown community to provide access to quality health-care services close to home, Central Iowa Health Care acting Chief Executive Officer Dawnett Willis said in a statement. It should be business as usual for the staff and providers at CIH throughout the bankruptcy process.

The nonprofit health care systems assets include a 49-bed, acute-care hospital; emergency department; four primary care clinics; and an outpatient center. Its clinics are located in Marshalltown, Conrad, State Center and Tama-Toledo. It is the only full-service medical center in its area and serves more than 60,000 residents.

Laura Rainey, marketing director at UnityPoint Health-Waterloo, said it would be a first for the Waterloo-based provider to purchase another system that had declared bankruptcy.

She said the hospital will continue to operate as it goes through bankruptcy.

Central Iowa Healthcare  and then UnityPoint Health-Waterloo, together, we are proposing a plan that would result in continued and uninterrupted health care services to the Marshalltown community, Rainey said. Its very, very, very vital that Marshalltown has high quality health care and it remains in that community.

UnityPoint will decide what services will be provided if and when the sale goes through. Though status quo services are unlikely, Rainey said, the intention is to keep the hospital operating in Marshalltown.

Current Central Iowa Healthcare employees would have to apply for jobs with the new UnityPoint health care system, according to a news release.

A court ruling is expected late in the first quarter of 2017, though it depends on the bankruptcy courts schedule.

By working together, we can ensure patients in the Marshalltown community continue to receive the high-quality care they expect and depend on from caregivers they know and trust, said Pam Delagardelle, president and chief executive of UnityPoint Health-Waterloo.

Both organizations have a rich history of serving their communities, driven by the belief that health care is best when its local, Delagardelle said.

The Marshalltown hospital filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The case was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa in Des Moines.
Egypt loosens rules on mobile money

Central Bank of Egypt releases the new version of the regulations governing Mobile Payment Services to expand their usage.



In its recent session, the CBEs Board of Directors has approved the new version of Mobile Payments Regulations. This decision coincides with the issuance of the Customer Due Diligence Procedures for Mobile Payments by the Egyptian Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Combating Unit (EMLCU). The new package of regulations and procedures are by all means a positive step towards the expansion in the use of mobile payment services, with a view to incorporate more individuals and micro enterprises under the financial services umbrella.



Mrs. Lobna Helal  the Deputy Governor  highlighted that the introduction of the new regulations is part of the continuous efforts by the Central Bank of Egypt to develop sustainable financial services, with the ultimate aim of shifting towards a less-cash economy. Mrs. Helal pointed out that mobile payment service is considered the most efficient financial services tool to achieve financial inclusion proficiently, given the noticeably evident wide spread of mobile phones nationwide. This mechanism will allow all socioeconomic strata to tap into the financial services market, including low-income individuals, youth and residents of remote locations, in a fast, affordable and around-the-clock manner



She added that the new regulations and procedures constitute a new approach in the banking sector and a paradigm shift towards financial inclusion. Under such regulations, banks will be able to employ agents in numerous services, mainly in establishing and verifying customer identity. Additionally, micro enterprises, organizations and merchants will be able to pay or collect funds through their mobile accounts.



Mrs. Helal concluded that the new regulations allow customers to receive cross border family remittances into their respective mobile accounts in a simple, convenient and fast way. Moreover, money transferred can be disbursed by beneficiaries through agents that are spread across the country.



On the other hand, Eng. Ayman Hussein  Assistant Sub-Governor for Payment Systems and Business Technology sector - pointed out that the mobile payment services was launched 3 years ago, since then and up to October 2016, the volume of subscribers for mobile payment accounts have reached around 6.2 million, with a growth rate above 60%, for the period December 2015 till October 2016.



He added that the new regulations stipulated the activation of interoperability among the different payment schemes. Now, it shall be possible to let a customer of a particular mobile payment scheme to make a payment to a customer associated with any other mobile payment schemes. Banks licensed by CBE to provide mobile payment services have been given a sixmonth grace period for availing the interoperability service to their customers. Additionally, the new regulations have reconsidered the limits of withdrawal, deposit and balance related to mobile accounts. Under the new regulations, a customer is also permitted to transfer funds between his mobile account & his other accounts held within the same bank.



Mr. Ayman highlighted that the new regulations secure larger benefits to customers, making the mobile payment service a key platform for the provision of all types of electronic payment and collection services in Egypt, which will open the door for a wide array of new financial services, such as payroll, bill payment, collection of microfinance installments, in addition to government payments.



He also pointed out that the new regulations were founded on a number of critical pillars, mainly: cyber security, monitoring of fraudulent activities, and protection of consumer's rights; and added At the Central Bank of Egypt, we are so keen to maintain a balanced approach between our desire to achieve financial inclusion and the measures necessary for providing a safe banking service



Mr. Ayman concluded his statement, ensuring that the new package of regulations and procedures is a result of the continuous cooperation between the Central Bank of Egypt, Egyptian Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Combating Unit (EMLCU), and National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA).

www.mobilemoneyafrica.com




WATERLOO  A driver escaped without injury in a Monday morning collision with a train.

The accident happened at the rail crossing in the 800 block of Commercial Street when the train and a minivan collided.

The minivan driver wasnt trapped, and he wasnt transported to a hospital.

Jury acquits in home robbery

WATERLOO  A jury has acquitted a Waterloo man in connection with a 2015 home robbery.

Michael Maurice Lonnell Carter, 25, was charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary in an August 2015 robbery at 702 N. Barclay St. Trial began Wednesday in Black Hawk County District Court, and the jury returned not guilty verdicts on both charges Friday.

Prosecutors said Carter was part of a group that kicked open the door to the home around 3:30 a.m. and threatened people inside with a tire iron that was held to look like a short shotgun. A 17-year-old girl was struck with the tire iron.

A safe was removed from the house during the robbery.

Defense attorney Matthew Hoffey said there was no physical evidence connecting Carter to the robbery, and the only person to place him at the house was a co-defendant who had struck a deal with authorities.

Larenzo Valdez Wilder and Alexander Austin also were arrested in the case. Their trials are pending.

After Fridays verdict, Carter wasnt allowed to go free. He is still awaiting trial on burglary charges in connection with an April break-in where more than $1,000 worth of Nike Air Jordan shoes were taken from an apartment.
The Best of Call the Courier for November and December, 2016:

NOV. 3 --

Q: Why arent there pay phones around anymore? Not everyone has a cell phone.

A: A Los Angeles Times report earlier this year found companies find it difficult to make money on pay phones, and maintaining them can be expensive and difficult.

NOV. 4 --

Q: Why are American campaigns so long?

A: The short answer is because we already know when the next election will be held. As soon as the 2016 vote is tallied, someone with White House dreams will begin testing the waters for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. Generally in parliamentary systems, elections are set when a government is dissolved, usually within a few months. That means a much shorter window for campaigning.

Q: I recall a former president and first lady of the United States who vandalized or trashed the White House. When was this and what really happened?

A: Rumors that departing Clinton administration officials (not, notably, a former president and first lady) committed acts of vandalism in the White House during the presidential transition were significantly overblown, the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, said in May 2001. The GAO found nothing unusual about the condition of White House offices, and President George W. Bushs staff said it had no records of any damage.

NOV. 7 --

Q: Why should people bother to vote for president when only the electoral votes count, not the popular vote, as you reported in Call the Courier?

A: The popular vote in each state determines which candidate gets its electoral votes, so your vote is still important. Remember Florida in 2000? George W. Bush officially won Floridas electoral votes by a margin of only 537 votes out of almost 6 million cast.

Q: Why are some people in Black Hawk County getting two absentee ballots when they requested only one? I know several people this has happened to.

A: Black Hawk County Auditor Grant Veeder said they were only aware of one such incident. If a voter is receiving two ballots they should contact the election office. Obviously, if they send us two ballots were not going to count them both, he added.

NOV. 8 --

Q: Has UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital removed all the Christian crosses from its rooms and replaced the chapel with a multi-faith center that includes Islamic symbols?

A: UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital communications specialist Carson Tigges replies, During routine maintenance and renovation, some crosses in patient rooms have been temporarily removed and havent been remounted yet  they will be. Additionally, as we undergo renovations on the first floor at Allen Hospital, the chapel has changed location. At its new location on the third floor, several religious elements such as the Star of David and the Quran are simply in more visible locations. The Allen Hospital chapel has always been open and welcoming to guests of all faiths, and nothing has changed in that regard.

NOV. 13 --

Q: Is it true people over age 75 are exempt from jury duty? If not, why not?

A: They are not exempt. Theres absolutely no reason to assume every person over 75 is unfit to serve. People can ask the court to take their age into consideration and request to be excused, but thats not automatic.

NOV. 15 --

Q: Do stores have to pay to have their inserts and ads in the paper?

A: Of course they do.

NOV. 16 --

Q: Is it true Michelle Obamas mother will receive a pension when she leaves the White House of $160,000?

A: Of course not. The rumor evidently goes back to a story on the Boston Tribune website, a fake news site that makes up stories to lure readers. Presidents do receive pensions, but first ladies do not, and first grandmas dont either.

NOV. 17 --

Q: Regarding the new KWWL newsroom, why do the morning newscasters sit and the evening newscasters stand?

A: Heres how Amanda Goodman explained it in a recent Facebook post: One thing we keep getting asked already: Why arent you allowed to sit? We are allowed to sit ... Ron and I PREFER to stand while we deliver the news. Its just our preference.

NOV. 18 --

Q. Regarding the video on TV of the robbery at Jims Foods, why was the worker sitting there without shoes and socks on? Isnt this a code violation?

A. The Iowa Food Code does not regulate footwear worn by employees in grocery stores. It could potentially be violation under Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. It's not specifically stated cashiers wear a certain type of shoe. The standards require employers to determine proper footwear based on potential hazards to the employee in a particular work zone.

NOV. 22 --

Q: Coming into Cedar Falls on First Street and crossing the bridge there is a chain link fence with padlocks locked up on it. Can you print the reason for the padlocks on the chain link fence?

A: Pete Hjelmstad, Iowa Department of Transportation field services coordinator, replies: We understand they are love locks. People attach them to the fence and throw the key into the river to show their undying love. This fence is state property and we have cut them off. We strongly discourage people from continuing to hang these locks on state property.

Q: Why does The Courier only answer questions that are pro-Democrat?

A: We dont. The same day this was phoned in, another caller left a rant about what an obviously Republican paper we are. If were angering both sides, were probably doing something right.

NOV. 24 --

Q: Is it true there is no cross at Prairie Lakes Church?

A: There are crosses clearly visible at the church.

NOV. 28 --

Q: What would it take for Waterloo residents to vote down roundabouts?

A: Iowa law does not grant residents the right to petition for a special election on road designs. If you want to vote on whether a road project has roundabouts in Waterloo, win a seat on the City Council and vote accordingly.

NOV. 29 --

Q: How is a ballot secret? You send it inside an envelope you sign and your ballot is inside of the secret envelope. Anyone who opens that ballot can see who you are and can peek inside the other envelope. Who is it that opens these envelopes?

A: The Absentee and Special Voters Precinct Board opens and counts absentee and provisional ballots. Both major parties are represented on the board, with one having no more than a simple majority over the other. After the ballot envelopes are opened, they are turned over so the names of the voters arent visible. Then the ballots are removed from their ballot envelopes and intermingled before they are removed from their secrecy sleeves. Then they are removed from their secrecy sleeves and run through a tabulator. The board counted nearly 27,000 absentee ballots in Black Hawk County. Im confident they wouldnt check on individual voters ballots even if they had time to, which they didnt, said Auditor Grant Veeder.

NOV. 30 --

Q: The taxpayers would like to know when the city and state are going to fix our streets and bridges instead of building streets where they dont even have houses yet?

A: You need to indicate a particular street or bridge if you want The Courier to ask the appropriate agency about a repair timeline. Both the city and state have road and bridge repair programs and budgets. Funding does not always stretch far enough. Most of the new residential streets in cities are being constructed and funded by private developers, not the government.

Q: Can anything be done about the house on the corner of Anita Street and Logan Avenue across from the school? Everyones house in the area looks nice and trim, and this house has trees growing up around it.

A: We didnt see any such issue at the corner of Anita and U.S. Highway 63 (Logan Avenue). The city does have codes governing the maintenance of homes and property. If a home is in violation of those codes, the city can require it to be remedied. To determine if a violation exists, you would need to contact Waterloo Code Enforcement to file a complaint and prompt an investigation, 291-3820.

DEC. 2 --

Q: The headline in the Nov. 3 paper, 2 Iowa cops die in ambushes, why didnt you call them officers and give them some respect?

A: Cop, while informal, is not pejorative. For instance, Waterloo Safety Services Director Dan Trelka has referred to himself as a cop in Courier articles.

Q: On Facebook during the election there were daily posts by Rare Media. They would report news events and articles that were completely the opposite of The Associated Press articles of the same events. How does one know what is true or false on Facebook?

A: You need to approach reports you see on social media with a lot of skepticism; theres lots of false information out there. You can try to verify something you see with reputable news sources that follow the rules of journalism.

DEC. 4 --

Q: Will Obama be able to keep Air Force One or will he have to give it back?

A: He wont keep it. The plane goes with the job.

Q: How many questions does Call the Courier receive a week? And how do you choose which ones to answer?

A: During the week, there are usually between 20 and 30 questions each morning; the calls are often heavier on the weekends. We tackle as many as we can  some questions simply cant be answered, some are repeats, some call for a depth of research beyond the scope of this column, some are libelous. Reporters also have to fit in finding answers while doing the rest of their work.

DEC. 5 --

Q: Why do you refer to pastors as The Rev. rather than just Rev.?

A: Because its technically considered an adjective rather than a title. Heres how the Associated Press Stylebook explains it: When this description is used before an individuals name, precede it with the word the because, unlike the case with Mr. and Mrs., the abbreviation Rev. does not stand for a noun.

DEC. 6 --

Q: Do Donald Trumps policies lean more toward fascism than a democracy?

A: While Trump has fascist qualities  his racial demagoguery and calls to restore lost greatness  he cant be reasonably compared to Hilter or Mussolini. He doesnt have a paramilitary organization that beats up his political rivals for instance, and he hasnt explicitly called for an end of democracy.

DEC. 7 --

Q: Is it true the library in the new elementary school in Cedar Falls wont have any real books but only internet connections?

A: No, that is not true, said Cedar Falls Community Schools spokeswoman Janelle Darst. The media center will have books.

DEC. 9 --

Q: What is the story behind the statues of the four women on top of the building along the Cedar River? Did there used to be seven?

A: There were six. The statues, known as the Green Goddesses, have been atop the River Plaza building downtown for a number of years. Artist Robert De Glass created six copper figures placed on the old Black Hawk County Courthouse in 1907, according to Courier files. In 1963, that courthouse was torn down, but the statues were saved. The four downtown represent Agriculture, Justice, History and Commerce. A fifth statue, Industry, apparently was destroyed decades ago. The sixth, Peace, is on the Upper Iowa University campus in Fayette.

DEC. 11 --

Q: Does the city plan to remove all the old cars, trucks and other vehicles at the Waterloo sand pits to improve the environment and solve cold case files?

A: Waterloo Leisure Services staff are not aware of any abandoned cars or trucks in Riverview Recreation Area, the area formerly called the Mitchell Avenue sand pits. Police Capt. Dave Mohlis said anyone with information there are vehicles related to any crime  at the Riverview Recreation Area or elsewhere  should contact the Waterloo Police Department.

DEC. 20 --

Q: Why did Waterloo take and demolish the Becker Chapman Legion Post 138 and move them to a place they cant afford? The city wont put a new roof on the place and they have to ask for donations. Is this correct?

A: The Waterloo City Council and the American Legion post mutually agreed in 2015 for the city to buy the former building for $300,000 and provide another $100,000 in relocation costs. Post 138, not the city, chose the new location. The agreement did not call for the city to put a new roof on the building.
INDEPENDENCE  Chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in one captive white-tail at a deer farm in Buchanan County.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has quarantined the site.

CWD is a neurological disease that only affects deer, elk and moose. It is caused by an abnormal protein, called a prion, that affects the brains of infected animals, causing them to lose weight, display abnormal behavior and lose bodily functions. The prions can attach to soil and spread the disease among deer.

The disease was detected as part of a voluntary chronic wasting disease monitoring program. The farm where the disease was found participates in the program, which requires CWD surveillance and testing of every farmed deer and elk 12 months of age and older that dies. Test results must be shared with the department.

CWD was found in neighboring Wisconsin in 2002. Since then, Iowa has tested for CWD in 57,765 wild deer and 10,157 captive deer and elk as part of its surveillance program.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will increase testing of wild deer in the Buchanan County area. DNR staff will work with hunters and landowners to collect samples from hunter-harvested deer, road kills and targeted deer displaying symptoms of CWD.

There is no evidence CWD can spread to humans, pets or domestic livestock.

Symptoms of the disease include excessive salivation, thirst and urination, loss of appetite, progressive weight loss, listlessness as well as drooping ears and head.

Chronic wasting disease was first identified in captive mule deer at a research facility in Colorado in 1967.
CEDAR FALLS  A former University of Northern Iowa professor has been sentenced to prison in Arkansas for sexual abuse and child pornography.

John Clifford Longnecker, 77, was sentenced to 95 years in prison during a Monday hearing, according to authorities. He pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, second-degree sexual assault, 20 counts of possession of matter depicting sexual conduct involving a child and four counts of engaging children in sexual conduct for use in visual medium.

He will have to serve about 50 years before he will be eligible for parole.

He will be 130-something before he is eligible for parole, said Deputy Prosecutor Carly Marshall.

The plea came one month before he was scheduled to go to trial.

Longnecker retired from UNI in 2000 after 33 years as an assistant math and computer professor. He moved to Bella Vista, Ark., about 17 years ago.

In July 2016, Bella Vista police arrested Longnecker on sexual abuse and rape charges after four neighborhood girls came forward with allegations of fondling. The victims ranged from 5 to 8 years old, according to court records.

After the initial arrest, authorities began an investigation into child pornography.

When first questioned by police, Longnecker admitted fondling the children, but he said he had no interest in child porn.

Investigators then found an image of a 10-year-old girl posing nude on his computer hard drive, and in August they obtained a search warrant to examine his phone, other computer equipment, flash drives and discs at his home.

They found evidence Longnecker had filmed himself abusing children, Marshall said, and he was subsequently charged with the child porn offenses.
OSAGE -- Nicholas Lenz was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday after a Mitchell County jury found him guilty of first-degree kidnapping in October.

Lenz, 23, of Mitchell, confined and beat a woman he was romantically involved with over the course of two days in March, according to the prosecutor in the case, Iowa Assistant Attorney General Coleman McAllister.

At one point Lenz took the victim from her residence in Mitchell to a cold, unheated camper, tied her up with zip ties and left her there for a time before eventually taking her back home, according to McAllister.

When the jury verdict was read in court in October, Lenz yelled and swore at the victim, who also was present, and at law enforcement officers before they cuffed him and led him out of the courtroom.

However, there was no outburst this time.

When Judge Christopher Foy asked Lenz if he wished to address the court before sentencing was pronounced, he consulted with his attorney, Letitia Turner, before saying, I have nothing to say.

The victim gave a statement before sentencing was pronounced.

She said she is glad justice was served and thanked McAllister, the investigators in the case and Crisis Intervention Services for their support.

I couldnt have made it and stayed so strong without them, she said.

She also said she wanted to give a shout-out to her father and Mitchell County Sheriffs Deputy Jerry Jensen, who went to her home and found her and Lenz.

The woman said what she went through has changed her life  for better as well as for worse.

She said she has been in and out of the emergenfcy room because of her injuries and the stress made her physically ill.

However, she said she is now feeling much better and has found a new house to live in after being homeless and in and out of shelters. She also said she is going back to college to become a nursing assistant.

The woman said the worst part was being separated from her children.

They are my angels, she said.

The woman said she is now a strong-minded woman who has more self-esteem and confidence than she has ever had.

Im still alive and loving life, she said.

Foy said he appreciates what the victim went through, noting it had to be harrowing for her to testify on the stand during the trial about her two-day ordeal.

He also said nothing can take away the harm that Lenz caused.

However, Foy also said the reality is Lenz is going to be behind bars for the rest of his life and thats also tragic.

In Iowa first-degree kidnapping in Iowa carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Foy said he believes Everyone has good in them, and he hopes Lenz will have the inner strength to make something positive out of the situation.

The jury also found Lenz guilty of willful injury causing serious injury in the case. Foy sentenced him to up to 10 years in prison on that charge, but ordered it to be served concurrently with the life sentence for kidnapping.

In August Lenz had his probation revoked on a second-degree burglary conviction unrelated to the kidnapping case and was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison. That sentence is to be served concurrently with his other two sentences.

Lenz broke into a home in Mitchell on Aug. 17, 2015, while the owners were present, according to the criminal complaint.
WATERLOO  Area firefighters raised funds to support burn victims and their families.

And on Friday, members of the Cedar Valley Fraternal Order of Leatherheads passed the donations  which totaled $10,500  to the St. Florian Fire and Burn Foundation, a nonprofit group that sponsors a burn camp for young survivors and recovery and support services for families of burn victims.

The foundation also works with the burn treatment center at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

On hand for Fridays donation was Amanda Hild of Waterloo, whose 9-year-old son, Thomas Mochal, has attended the camp twice and plans to return in the future. Thomas suffered burns in an incident when he was 13 months old.

St. Florian has been amazing to me and my family, Hild said.

Burn camps help build self-esteem and emotional support by encouraging burn campers to live beyond the scars and to be themselves, said Bridget Werling, a burn unit nurse who serves on the foundations board of directors.

The Leatherheads  the name comes from the leather helmets that were standard early firefighting gear  are a local chapter of a national organization. Locally they number about 40 full-time, volunteer and retired firefighters from more than a dozen departments, said Michael Moore, a battalion chief with Waterloo.

The group started raising money for the St. Florian Fire and Burn Foundation about five years ago. That first year they raised $250, Moore said.

The group currently hosts an annual fundraiser around April Fools Day with auctions and raffles at the National Cattle Congress.
WATERLOO  Incentives have been awarded to lure a high-rise housing and retail building at the downtown RiverLoop Amphitheater.

Waterloo City Council members voted unanimously Monday to approve donating the land and giving 20 years of 42 percent property tax rebates for the project to be developed by Grand Investments LLC.

Grand Investments, spearheaded by Brent Dahlstrom, is currently developing the Grand Crossing condominiums and retail project at the former Grand Hotel site at U.S. Highway 63 and Jefferson Street.

The new project near the RiverLoop Amphitheater and Waterloo Center for the Arts would have parking on the ground level and under the elevated RiverLoop plaza, retail and office space on the floor opening to the plaza itself and at least 40 housing units on the upper floors.

The project, conceived as part of the downtown master plan in 2000, must be finished by the end of 2019 and have a taxable value of $4.5 million.

Councilmen supported the project despite concerns about parking congestion, the level of tax rebates being provided and worries about spiking vacancy rates in existing rental properties.

I really appreciate Dahlstrom doing this project, said Councilman Tom Lind. I know its been in the works for 15 years. Its a great project.

I just think we have to, as (resident) Steve Murphy told us one day, tap the brakes and just maybe not be so rich (with tax incentives) on future development projects, he added.

Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson said the incentives are identical to a package offered several years ago to Sherman Associates Inc., a Minneapolis-based developer, which eventually bowed out of the project.

He said the city only returns 42 percent of any new taxes generated by the project.

What were giving back is actually something were not getting today, Anderson said. We reap the rewards of the remaining percentage.

But resident Forest Dillavou, a frequent critic of the citys tax-increment financing districts, said residential property taxpayers in Waterloo will realize no help from the new building.

(The new taxes) do not go to the general fund; it does not go to support police and fire, he said. It only goes into the TIF to do more projects just like this project.

Another resident, Jerry Greer, objected to the landlocked location of the building, suggesting it would be better suited on vacant city-owned parking lots at West Third and Commercial streets.

I applaud all efforts that are trying to make the heart of Waterloo more viable, Greer said. This is one of those projects. However, I think the location is inappropriate.

Anderson countered the citys original design for the amphitheater left a spot for this building. The city is hoping the Grand Investments project will drive demand to build additional housing on the site Greer mentioned.
C.F. will invoke snow emergency

CEDAR FALLS  Beginning at 9 p.m. today until 6 p.m. Wednesday, a city of Cedar Falls Snow Emergency will be invoked for the purpose of hauling snow from the downtown and College Hill areas of the city.

The parking prohibition will go into effect two hours from the time the declaration is made.

Any vehicle blocking traffic or parking in the designated area after that time will be subject to a citation and tow at the owners expense.

This Snow Emergency Ordinance will be in effect for the Parkade and College Hill areas only.

According to city ordinance, parking is prohibited on each street marked with a sign displaying the words Emergency Snow Route.

Motorists are asked to use city parking lots during the declaration.

Salvation Army gets gold coins

WATERLOO  The Salvation Army of Waterloo-Cedar Falls needs extra support from the community as the final week of the 2016 Red Kettle campaign commences.

Last weeks snow and bitterly cold temperatures slowed down gifts at the red kettles. For the safety of the bell ringers and volunteers, The Salvation Army of Waterloo-Cedar Falls pulled the Red Kettles early several days, resulting in more than $7,000 of lost revenue.

To date The Salvation Army has raised 65 percent of the $683,000 goal. The monies raised during the campaign account for 40 percent of The Salvation Armys annual budget.

Despite the weather, American Eagle gold coins once again appeared in the red kettles in Waterloo last week. The first was dropped Friday at Ansborough Hy-Vee and the second Saturday at the Waterloo Wal-Mart. The Salvation Army will have the donated gold coins appraised after the red kettle campaign concludes on Christmas Eve.

The Salvation Army of Waterloo/Cedar Falls will be serving a free community Christmas meal on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Doors will open at 11:15 a.m. Last year the dinner served nearly 200 individuals.

Gifts can be made at the red kettles through Saturday, and by mail or online now through the end of the year. More information may be obtained by contacting The Salvation Army at sawaterloo.org or 235-9358.

Library to close for the holidays

WATERLOO  The Waterloo Public Library will be closed Friday through Monday for the Christmas holiday.

The library will reopen for regular hours at 9 a.m. Dec. 27.

Pork packages given to military

IOWA FALLS  Iowa members of the armed services and their families will have a little more on their plates this holiday season with a donation of pork care packages from the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms.

Every member of all Iowa military units will receive $38 worth of coupons good for various pork products, including fresh pork, ham, ribs, bacon and ground pork. In total, more than 12,000 service members across Iowa will receive the coupons, equating to $456,000 in free pork.

Employees of Iowa Select Farms delivered the pork care packages to all units of the Iowa National Guard along with the 132nd Fighter Wing, Iowa Air National Guard, 185th Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard, U.S. Army Reserves, U.S. Navy Reserves and U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. Pork care packages also were delivered to the Iowa National Guards Survivor Outreach Services to deliver to 600 Iowa families of fallen soldiers.

Mallard Point

receives honor

CEDAR FALLS  Mallard Point, a holiday retirement community, was recognized by SeniorAdvisor.com as part of the Best of 2017 Awards.

The local senior living community was honored by the largest ratings and reviews site for senior care and services for receiving consistently high ratings from residents and their families throughout 2016.
DELHI (AP)  Auditors have identified nearly $247,000 in improper and unsupported municipal spending in the small Delaware County community of Delhi, according to a state report issued Tuesday.

The state auditors office report said the special audit was requested by the city and included records from March 2007 through January 2015.

The improper disbursements included more than $88,000 in credit card charges for personal purchases by a former town clerk, Angie Billings, the report said. The purchases were made at several retailers and other businesses and, according to the report, included 33 charges totaling nearly $2,000 to psychic hotlines.

Billings, who left her post in January 2015, didnt return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment Tuesday morning. Online court records dont show Billings has been charged with any crime. Delaware County prosecutors didnt immediately respond to a message left by the AP.

The report said when auditors asked Billings whether she could explain the personal purchases made on the city credit card, she responded by saying, I did a lot of purchases for myself.

The improper disbursements included more than $69,000 in payroll checks Billings issued to herself that included payment for hours in excess of the maximum hours she was expected to work weekly, the report said.

The audit also noted the city had overbilled sewer customers nearly $257,000 from April 2010 through April 2016 because the City Council never passed any ordinance that would have reflected the councils intention to raise the rate to $26 a month from $10 a month. Mayor Terry Harbach didnt immediately return a call from The Associated Press.
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Dec 20, 2016 | By Benedict

A forensic artist with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has made a partially 3D printed facial reconstruction of a woman whose remains were found in Greene County earlier this year. It is hoped that the reconstruction will help somebody to recognize and identify the woman.

Artist Samantha Molnar works on the 3D printed facial reconstruction

3D printing is being used more and more within the field of criminal investigation. Earlier this year, a British prosecutor presented a number of 3D printed skulls as evidence in the Ellie Butler murder trial in order to clearly show the extent of the damage inflicted upon the six-year-old girl before her death. The defense cautioned that the 3D printed evidence could be inaccurate, but defendant Ben Butler, Ellies father, was eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. 3D printers are now being fired up for somewhat similar purposes across the Atlantic, where Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the Greene County Sheriffs office are hoping to identify the body of a woman whose skeletal remains were found in Greene County earlier this year.

The remains of the unidentified Ohio woman were found in a wooded area of Spring Valley Township on May 1. Authorities say she was likely there for three months to one year before her remains were found, which has made identification of the body extremely difficult. In order to aid the investigation, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation asked the Ohio State University to reconstruct the womans skull using a 3D printer, with an artist later adding facial details with clay over the course of 50-60 hours.

Investigators said that the unidentified woman is probably Caucasian, between 25 and 50 years old, and between 5 foot 5 and 5 foot 10. At the time of her death, she was wearing a medium-sized white tank top with stripes and black sweatpants with a pink stripe up the leg. This information has so far proved insufficient to identify the woman, while DNA testing, dental records, and tattoo records all came up blank. Since every other option had been exhausted, authorities then turned to facial reconstruction, generally considered the final step in the investigate process.

In order to assist the investigation at its final juncture, technicians at the Ohio State University used a 3D printer to create a replica of the womans skull. Once the 3D printing process was complete, artist Samantha Molnar then used clay to construct the womans features over the printed skull, but the model could only be given an average hairstyle, since investigators have no idea what the womans hair looked like. According to the university team who worked on the reconstruction, creating the lifelike skull by copying a real human one was a first for them.

This is definitely the first time weve printed a real human skull before, said Jay Young, a technician at the Ohio State University that helped create the skull from a CT scan. It is accurate down to about .1 of a millimeter, so when were talking about details of a skull, thats pretty accurate.

According to Molnar, the artist responsible for making a realistic reconstruction of the unidentified womans face, taking part in the 3D printed reconstruction process can bring up mixed emotions: Its kind of sad to hold someones skull in your hand and not just a 3D print, but its their skull, she said. And to know that someones family wont be there at Christmas or Thanksgiving, and you want to give that family closure."

Molnar says that the reconstructed face only begins to be somebody once the eyes, ears, and nose start to take formation. However, since the skull was missing its mandible (lower jaw), there is obviously a large degree of guesswork required during the reconstruction process. Regardless of this, facial reconstruction can be an effective means of identifying a person, and 3D printing is only helping to make the process more accurate. We know theres infinite amounts of skulls out there that need faces, Molnar added.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Greene County Sheriffs Office at 937-376-5111 or BCIs Missing Persons Unit at 855-BCI-OHIO.

This was someones daughter, someones family, someones friend, and she deserves to be identified, said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine in a news release on Thursday. Now that we have her face, we hope we can soon determine her name. It is our sincere hope that this model looks familiar to someone.

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Caperton in Feministe:

Theres been a lot of talk lately about dialogue and understanding. Liberals just need to try to understand conservatives, They say. People get defensive when you call them (or, more often, even just imply that they might be) bigots, They say. If we want to get anything accomplished, we need to meet conservatives halfway (in which halfway is usually defined as on their side), They say. (In this case, They for the most part refers to journalists who think that because Their piece is set on a college campus and not a failing coal town in West Virginia, its totally novel and not the exact same article journalists have been writing since November 9 and before.) Generally, the response from the liberal camp is, Fuck that shit, which is a position I myself have taken before. (I stand by it.) You cant reason someone out of a position they didnt reason themselves into. Actually, no, Latinos arent rapists and Actually, no, BLM isnt a terrorist organization arent going to be compelling messages to people who only take those positions to rationalize their own latent (acknowledged or unacknowledged) prejudices. Supporting a bigoted campaign involves signing off on bigotry isnt going to convince someone who is struggling to accept that thats what they did. Its hard and unsatisfying, and maybe the New York Times needs to do a Dialogue and Understanding piece about people who are being asked to take on that struggle.

That said, dialogue can happen. Heres how.

Privileged liberals: Put your privilege to good use.

Its completely understandable that you might not want to engage with people who either embody or enable bigotry. The ones who embody it are miserable to be around  try spending time with someone who thinks that theyre completely justified in wanting to put Muslims on registries or block LGBT people from services like housing and medical care. And the ones who insist that they arent bigoted, because they disagree with registries and religious discrimination, can be almost as bad. For them, having negative feelings about those things, but not to the point that they actually do anything about them, is a mark in the Win column, and asking for anything beyond that  which is what were asking them to do  is a direct attack on their character. Having to handle them with kid gloves so they dont get defensive is a lesson in frustration.

More here.
UNDERSTANDING THE OTHER SIDE: Only a fraction of the articles we post are normally about politics but it is also true that the editors of 3QD are all (to a person) liberal progressives and none of us supported or voted for Donald Trump. In the interest of dialogue and trying to understand the conservative point of view better, I have decided to start occasionally posting relatively well-argued articles from the right side of the political spectrum. Some of these are sent to me by friends who did vote for Trump. (And, yes, I have such friends and hope you do too.) Trust me, it will not hurt you to read them. I hope that people will keep the comments civil and focused on the issues, and not engage in ad hominem attacks.

Matthew Continetti in Commentary:

Donald Trumps election as president sent the press scrambling for explanations. Few in the media expected Trump to win, an assumption reflected in coverage of the presidential campaign. In the weeks before Election Day, major papers and television networks were filled with stories touting Hillary Clintons blue wall of states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (oops), and celebrating a surge of Hispanic voters that would put Clinton over the top. As it turned out, Trump won more Hispanic votes than Mitt Romney.

Because it is difficult for liberals to understand that people might oppose them on substantive as well as moral grounds, their analyses of the election results were as flawed as their takes on the horse race. Many liberal commentators simply ascribed Trumps victory to the supposed racism, misogyny, and authoritarianism of his supporters, reducing varied and complex motivations to base, irrational, and impermissible drives. Other reporters, editors, and anchors quickly became enamored of the idea that misinformation on social- media networks and the Internet tricked voters into supporting Trump, that America fell for a con ginned up by liars with Facebook accounts eager to make a quick buck and assisted by cybernauts in league with the Kremlin. Such was the genesis of the controversy over fake news.

More here.
Jason Guriel in Slate:

I dont really believe in Collected Poems, the American poet and critic Christian Wiman has said. Theyre almost always bad. Wiman has long believed that real poetry is rare. As editor of the prestigious magazine Poetry, a position he held for 10 years, he faced a slush pile so big it had slopes, a base camp. But he still struggled to source print-worthy poems. If poetry is so rare in the world, if so much of it is dross, just think how much rarer it must surely be in your (our!) own work, he writes in a provocative editorial called In Praise of Rareness. Wimans argumentthat a person who truly respects poetry will find most of it lackingis the sort of good sense that nevertheless triggers some poetry readers, who tend to be aspiring poets themselves. People dont prefer to acknowledge that the art they dabble in is probably beyond them. (Full disclosure: Wiman took some of my poems for his magazine. But he rejected many, many more.)

Unsurprisingly, Wimans high-profile editorship came to overshadow his own poems. So, too, did an essay he wrote about his incurable form of blood cancer and his rediscovery of faith. (The piece went viral in 2007, and led to other essays about God, opening up a new readership for Wiman.) But Wimans poems, which have been gathered in his new book Hammer Is the Prayer: Selected Poems, deserve our attention, too. By striving to be clear and memorable, they dare to address the needs of that mythical unicorn, the general reader. They prove, as Wimans editorship did, that poetry doesnt have to be a coterie concern.

More here.
Pauline Gagnon in Scientific American:

Today, 19 December, marks the 141th anniversary of the birth of Mileva Maric Einstein. But who remembers this brilliant scientist? While her husband, Albert Einstein is celebrated as perhaps the best physicist of the 20th century, one question about his career remains: How much did his first wife contribute to his groundbreaking science? While nobody has been able to credit her with any specific part of his work, their letters and numerous testimonies presented in the books dedicated to her(1-5) provide substantial evidence on how they collaborated from the time they met in 1896 up to their separation in 1914. They depict a couple united by a shared passion for physics, music and for each other. So here is their story.

Mileva Maric was born in Titel in Serbia in 1875. Her parents, Marija Ruzic and Milos Maric, a wealthy and respected member of his community, had two other children: Zorka and Milos Jr. Mileva attended high school the last year girls were admitted in Serbia. In 1892, her father obtained the authorization of the Minister of Education to allow her to attend physics lectures reserved to boys. She completed her high school in Zurich in 1894 and her family then moved to Novi Sad. Milevas classmates described her as brilliant but not talkative. She liked to get to the bottom of things, was perseverant and worked towards her goals.

More here.
Here's where to get the best tamales in the Bay Area to unwrap on Christmas Eve.





Cosecha

Whether you're a vegetarian or a carnivore, Cosecha has got you covered this Christmas with their delicious braised pork tamales and equally tasty green chile and cheese version. Don't forget to order from a wide array of sides, including rice and beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole to complete your Christmas meal. Place your order at the restaurant inside Swan's Market. // 907 Washington St. (Oakland), cosechacafe.com





Donna's Tamales

I didn't think it was possible (and we weren't sure we wanted it) but Donna's Tamales have found a way to make tamales healthy and delicious at the same time. All their offerings are low-fat and vegetarian, but don't think that that takes away from the flavor. Opt for the cheese chili corn tamale or red and black beans with yams tamale. And if you're not sick of them yet, you can always pick up sweet corn roasted chili tamales for dessert. Find them at a store near you or at one of these local farmer markets.// donnastamales.com





La Oaxaquena

Tamales filled with Oaxacan mole, green chili and pork, rajas, spinach and cheese, and even tofu are steamed the traditional way at this Mission eatery. Just call 415-621-5446 to order, and they'll make whatever your heart desires seriously. // 2128 Mission St. (Mission), oaxaquena.yolasite.com





Copita Tequileria y Comida

Copita in downtown Sausalito is celebrating the holidays in the best way possible with 12 Days of Tamales. Maestra de Cocina Joanne Weir will be offering a seasonal handmade tamale daily during lunch and dinner from December 19-31. Here are just some of the options you have to look forward to: chicken and salsa verde, cochinita pibil, butternut squash and ginger, and poblana rajas. // 739 Bridgeway (Sausalito), copitarestaurant.com
A lot of times you think about people being homeless because they choose to be, but in this case you just know that theyre not choosing to be homeless. Its things thatve come up. Some of the people are very successful people, but theyre just in a bad position right at the time and they just need the help. -- Volunteer Virginia Maxfield

When Kimberly Darby and her husband Curtis moved back to Florida from Massachusetts with their 6-year-old son, the parents struggled to find fulltime employment, getting by with temporary and odd jobs.But the bills came in faster than the income and eventually they were evicted. Fortunately they were able to crash at Darbys brothers place, where he lived with his girlfriend and her two children. But the Darbys knew they couldnt stay for very long in the living room, the only space that was available to them.The Darby family had a plan though. They would wait until availability was open at Family Promise of Pinellas County , an organization of interfaith congregations that helps homeless families get back on their feet. Kimberly Darby called every couple of days for three weeks until there was room for their family.An affiliate of the National Family Promise Organization , a secular nonprofit that works in conjunction with the Interfaith Hospitality Network, Family Promise of Pinellas County is an organization in which faith-based groups volunteer in various ways to help support a rotating cast of four guest families while theyre transitioning from homelessness to a sustainable living situation.For one week at a time, one of the participating 14 host congregations sets up make-shift living quarters for the incoming families inside their houses of worship. The volunteers from the host congregations and eight support congregations take turns supplying the guests three meals a day, as well as helping in whatever ways are needed, including taking kids to school, donating needed items, or offering social and emotional support.Jennifer Sunshine, Executive Director of Family Promise, says the reason faith-based communities are a big part of the picture is that they have buildings that can house homeless families, and because the primary mission of faith-based organizations "is to work in the community to do good works, to help people. So youre taking a group of people who are inclined to want to project with this kind of work who also have spaces, so its really a brilliant combination of community resources.Whats more, says Sunshine, interfaith organizations working together does a lot to build community. When a local synagogue and a Christian organization partner to host a guest family, both groups are excited to work together.Its inspiring, especially today when you turn on the news and you think everyone is in opposition to one another, when in fact, thats really not the case, at least not here, not in our network of volunteers, says Sunshine. We bring people together to set the differences aside and focus on whats important to help the community. ...People talk about it takes a village. We are the village.The resourceful advocates at Family Promise have secured a place where adults can go for free clothes, job interviews and new clothes for kids. They connect guests with GED training, credit and financial counseling, parenting classes, life skills classes and even find solutions in specialty situations, like when a seamstress made brassieres for a well-endowed woman who worked on her feet and needed really good physical support to avoid back pain but could not afford custom-made bras.During working hours, guest families go to the day center at the Family Promise office, an inviting, warm space donated byCentral Christian Church. Four computers are available for guests to do job and home searches. There are two bathrooms with showers, laundry facilities, a living room space with DVDs and childrens books, and even large walk-in closets with locks -- a place the families currently in the program can keep their belongings.One of the hardest things about being homeless and bouncing around is that you lose your stuff, and this is a safe secure place where they can keep it while theyre here, says Sunshine. They can keep their family photos and not lose them. Its a big deal.Personalized attention for long-term successCase worker Angela Wilson, who has worked with the homeless for 17 years as a social worker, says the combination of 950 volunteers making sure that the guest families basic needs are met, and the length of time families can spend in the program - up to 90 days - there is adequate time to focus on and try to remove barriers that may be contributing to each families homelessness.I love that we work with four families at a time. It allows me to be more one-on-one with our families and focus on them individually, says Wilson.Most families graduate within 80 to 85 days, meaning they have worked out child care, found gainful employment and sustainable housing, and theyve learned how to budget.Our goal and our push is sustainable housing when they graduate, says Wilson, who stays in touch with graduated families as much as she can. I want to make sure they stay ahead of any financial hiccups or medical hiccups. I just like to check in to see what the scenario is and I encourage them to call me any time something pops up or they have a question or concern.Since opening in April 2015, Family Promise has graduated 17 families including 37 children.For the nearly two months, Kimberly Darby and her family were at Family Promise. She says it was very helpful having access to computers all day for job searches or looking into continuing education. The organization helped with getting their son situated with school and getting him to school everyday. She says when her husband got his job, they even packed him his lunch.We never had to worry about what we were going to eat from day to day, she says.Darby was also impressed by the unconventional accommodations.You know what, every congregation we went to, they made it feel as comfortable and as homey as they possibly could. They were very welcoming, and they just made the atmosphere so it wasnt awkward, she says.Beyond the benefits during the program, Darby says that her family took away life skills for continued success.Weve definitely learned how to better budget our money. Theyve given us a lot of tools as far as implementing and trying to keep a daily routine so that it just benefits everybody in the household. I would say our communication within the home is different ... just how its so important to implement family time to the point where you have that time of day when you put down the phones and interact with each other.Darby also says that Family Promises was a blessing to her family from the very beginning.Angela and Jennifer both at Family Promise just really embraced us, she says. They encouraged us. If we needed a listening ear we could go in there and cry it out, talk about whatever ... and one thing I really appreciated was that it always stayed in confidence ... and it didnt stop with them. Even the different congregations would ask you if there was anything you needed personally, and if they could come together to get it or find a resource, they did it every time.One of those volunteers is Virginia Maxfield, a member of Northside Baptist Church, one of the host congregations involved with Family Promise. Maxfield not only participates when her church is hosting the families, but also regularly works as an Office Angel in the Family Promise office where she answers the phones and conducts intake interviews for candidates who need help.Its just such a great thing because, you know, many of us from time to time couldve been in that same position, she says.Maxfield says that helping these families has been rewarding for her.Getting to talk to the people ... and also seeing the progression that they make in the few weeks time, from the time they come in to the time they graduate. Its just remarkable, she says. And just to see that theyre so appreciative of everything that everybody is doing for them.After more than a year volunteering at Family Promise, Maxfield has also changed her way of looking at the homeless population.Ive learned to be more humble thinking about people that are homeless, she says. A lot of times you think about people being homeless because they choose to be, but in this case you just know that theyre not choosing to be homeless. Its things thatve come up. Some of the people are very successful people, but theyre just in a bad position right at the time and they just need the help.Sunshine says thats not unusual. She says she and Wilson hear from volunteers often who have been moved by the guest families.For Sunshine personally, the rewards of her work bring tears to her eyes.When the kids move into their new home and they get excited that they have their own bed -- and for a four-year-old to understand and comprehend what it means and the importance of having their own bed -- to watch a child excited to move into their home gets me every time. To watch people feel renewed hope. Its magical, she says.
There was a time when shop classes were as much a part of the school curriculum as math, science and English, especially for boys. Shop was where students learned to use tools -- and their hands -- to build everything from wooden furniture to electric lamps.The class was an introduction to skilled trades that made schools a pipeline of ready-made employees for manufacturing recruiters.That pipeline, however, slowed to a trickle in recent years as most schools deemphasized skilled trades, phased out shop classes and opted instead to promote college as the preferred destination for all graduating high school seniors.That trend has certainly happened nationwide, says Dr. Nancee Sorenson, president of the Hillsborough Community Colleges Brandon campus . Ive seen it in other states where theyve kind of moved the vocational, technical types of things into magnet schools or specialized areas, rather than having it be a regular part of the curriculum that was required.I think the pendulum swung in a negative way in terms of spending on technical education, she says. Nationwide, you can see it hurt students when it started to be moved out of school, and now states are working hard to get that funding and refocus back in those areas. In Florida its a little bit different because thats one of the things that educationally our Legislature and the governor do support.And with good reason. Rebounding from a recession that cut deeply into the areas workforce, the Tampa Bay area is now beginning a new building boom, with billions of dollars earmarked for a multitude of business and residential projects -- some of which are already underway and all of which will result in a surge of new manufacturing jobs.The problem? Skilled laborers left Florida in droves during the recession and Baby Boomers are retiring at a rapid pace. Finding enough people to replace them and fill all the new positions is a growing statewide challenge.Says Sorenson: In the Tampa Bay area, openings in manufacturing are 4,000-plus, with the majority of those jobs requiring post-secondary training (certifications through the Associate Degree).Cassandra Parker, a junior at Middleton High School, is one of those students who is taking the magnet school route in her pursuit of an engineering degree -- an ambition that began when, as an imaginative young girl, she exhibited the kind of manufacturing prowess that would have made Henry Ford proud.I would set up assembly lines, and I was the only worker, she says. I would go into different stations with my Legos and make different things and mass-produce them. Id make like a little, tiny house, and Id make like 20 of them.Cassandra is one of 684 students enrolled in Middletons highly acclaimed STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program, most of whom will likely go on to college. But as Middleton Engineering Instructor Susan Gerena notes, not all students are the scholarly type.Theyre good with their hands, she says, and theyre good (with) practical (application), but theyre just not for report-writing and private management and things like that. But they have a good eye.Gerena, a former engineer who is now in her fourth year teaching at Middleton, advises those students that there are numerous options for you, and college may not be the right one, nor should it have to be. But you should be making some choice that doesnt just send you to retail or food service.They should not just leave here and be like, Eh, what do I do?, she says.What do they do, indeed.The Hillsborough school district has softened its language regarding college and now says it wants graduating seniors to be college-ready or career-ready, but Gerena says the schools are still hard-talking about college. Its an issue which, in part, is influenced by parents who went to college and expect their children to do the same.As Sorenson puts it: The baccalaureate degree is oversold as illustrated by the number of college graduates unable to find jobs.Where were really lacking is a qualified technical workforce -- and then one can always move up from there, she says. You start with a certificate and an associate degree, get yourself a great paying job, and then if you want to move forward with a baccalaureate degree for what youre doing, many employers are willing to pay for that.For many contemplating their career path, money can be the deciding factor.Shannon Sweatman, the HR director at Southern Manufacturing Technologies (SMT), poses a standard question for each of the hundreds of middle and high school students who visit her fathers Tampa plant each year.What percentage of jobs here in our company, she asks, do you think we require a college degree for?And the answer?The answer is zero, she says, but they all think its 100 percent.I thought I would need a college education, admitts Robert Hagerty, a seventh-grader at Plant Citys Marshall Middle School , during a tour of the SMT facility.Classmate Lauren Monteagudo concurred: I was surprised because it seems like its a lot to do and its really high-tech.And although manufacturing is high-tech and often requires advanced training -- Tampa-based SMT, for example, produces high precision components for aircraft, aerospace and defense industries -- it doesnt necessarily require a four-year or more college education.They dont understand that most manufacturing jobs do on-the-job training, says Sweatman. Many have apprenticeship programs that are available, which we do, so you work full-time and go to school and you are making better money here than if you go to college and you work at a restaurant part-time. Youre likely making more here than if you worked at McDonalds. And then they dont have the (college) debt on top of it.That opportunity to develop a trade skill and get a well-paying, full-time job straight out of high school or after two years of training after completing a certified training program at a community college -- and without the burden of exceptional college debt -- can be an attractive combination for a graduating senior. HCC, for instance, offers short-term and degree program options in the advanced manufacturing arena.Gerena notes that apprenticeships are an old-school way of doing things, and that although the idea is starting to get revitalized, more companies need to embrace the concept. Given the current demand for skilled labor, that could happen. To date, however, supply is falling woefully short of demand.As HCCs Sorenson attests, In some of our programs, including apprenticeships, employers cannot keep up with the demand for new employees.According to Sweatman, the benefit of apprenticeships to both the employer and the potential employee simply cant be undervalued.Honestly, she says, Id rather hire somebody with experience than a degree. I tell all the students, while youre in high school and/or while youre in college, whatever you do, get a part-time job in the field of whatever you think you want to do because youre going to be much more marketable compared to any other student who just got their degree. I dont care if they have better grades.  I would take somebody with a slightly lower GPA that has actual work experience over somebody that only has the theory.Sorenson adds that someones career decision isnt necessarily determined by whether someone is cut out for a college education.I think its about finding what your interests are and finding where you excel, says Sorenson, who uses her position at HCC to help create high-paying jobs. There are lots and lots of intelligent people out in the workforce graduating from high school. So I think its about that career education piece. We want to create more high-paying jobs in our area.And thats another thing, too, she says. People go into enormous (college) debt, whereas you have lots of employers that are willing to help people complete degrees. So going to work makes a lot of sense.For more information about training and jobs, visit the Manufacturing Alliance of Hillsborough County
When it comes to a sizzling job field, the computer and tech arena is hard to beat. Employment in computer and information technology will grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations, predicts the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Helping drive the growth is a greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, more everyday items becoming connected to the internet and the continued demand for mobile computing, the report says.

For an appreciation of the size and variety of this employment field, take a look at big job boards such as Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com and Monster.com. Look too at Dice.com and CrunchBoard.com, the two big technology-specific job sites. You'll see many thousands of postings in too many categories to count.

"For someone in the second half of their career, looking for ways to transition into retirement, or to find better work-life balance, technology jobs are a good option," says Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs, a job board that specializes in part-time and work-from-home positions. Many of the jobs have options for telecommuting, part-time hours and flexible schedules.

How to get in? It will of course help if you're already working in some way in a tech or related field. But you can also make the jump if you're willing to learn new skills and enjoy working with computers.

Here are five well-paying tech jobs that may be for you:

1. Quality assurance specialist

The nitty-gritty: No stone goes unturned here. This is a position for the detail-oriented worker with a discerning eye. You're responsible for making sure software products meet quality compliance regulations and standards through periodic reviews and testing. You may also be the conduit for customers complaining about problems.

Annual pay range: $36,302 to $82,233 for all fields of quality assurance, according to PayScale, an online salary, benefits and compensation information company.

Qualifications: A bachelor's degree in business administration or industrial engineering can be a prerequisite, but requirements vary by company. Certification is often not required but can't hurt. The American Society for Quality offers credentials as a certified reliability engineer, certified quality engineer and certified quality auditor.

2. Technical support specialist

The nitty-gritty: Nerves of steel, a calm, reassuring voice and tech smarts are must-haves for this troubleshooting position. Not everyone is hardwired to calm a frustrated client when a system crashes.

Employment of computer support specialists is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, according to the BLS. Help-desk technicians often work for support service firms that contract with clients that don't have the financial resources to afford their own IT departments. Lower-level tech support jobs can be found in call centers.
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Steve Harvey  His Wife, Kids & Height Steve Harvey is an American comedian, actor, radio and TV show host, producer and an author of different relationship advice books. Steve Harveys Early Life Born in Welch, West Virginia, on January 17, 1957, as Broderick Stephen Harvey, Steve was the last of five children. His family relocated to Cleveland when he was young and there, he attended Glenville High School from ...

Intriguing Things You Should Know About Danny Kokers Rise to Fame and Who His Wife Is Danny Koker is popular as the star of the History Channel reality TV series, Counting Cars. Prior to him appearing on the show, the TV personality was a musician who had embarked on a number of national tours with his rock group, Counts 77. He and his group have released quite a number of songs ...

Fun Facts You Didnt Know About Andy Cohens Rise to Prominence and His Partner Andy Cohen is one of Americas top media personalities who gained prominence after helping to bring the Bravo network back to life. He also hosted a couple of shows on the network, including the popular nightly series Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. After rising to the position of head of production and development at ...

Tracing Isha Sesays Career Until CNN, Her Worth And Why She Divorce Her Husband As far as journalists of African origin go, Isha Sesay is one of the most famous on the continent  and by extension, the world. The Sierra Leonean and British journalist has had a successful career since she joined the industry in 1998. In that time, she has worked for a host of major media ...

Open Secrets of How Joanna Gaines Balances Her Career With Being a Wife and Mother Joanna Gaines is the co-founder of Magnolia Homes, a business she runs with one goal: converting houses to homes. She doubles as the lead designer of the company which she co-owns with her husband, Chip Gaines. Lady Gaines gained massive popularity when she became a co-star with her husband on the HGTVs show, Fixer Upper. ...

Juicy Details of Ayesha Currys Love Story With Stephen, Her Family Members and Recent Pursuits When your husband is one of the greatest basketballers that the NBA has ever seen, then it bestows on you the status of a celebrity wife  and may not even demand that you do anything extra to maintain that status. However, Ayesha Curry, the wife of multiple NBA champion, Steph Curry, is not one ...

What Is Tarek el Moussas Ethnicity, Why Did He Divorce His Wife and Who Is He Dating? Tarek El Moussa has made himself one of the most recognizable men on reality television, especially to fans of HGTV. Thanks to his expertise in the world of real estate, Tarek has become a national star. But even to his hardcore followers, there are questions about Tarek El Moussa that remain unanswered, such as his ...

Fun Facts About Natalie Beckers Lonely Childhood and Eventual Career Success Natalie Becker is an actress of South African descent who became famous for her appearance in films like The World Unseen and The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. A multitalented individual, Natalie is also a television/radio presenter. She is also a co-founder of the Thought Leader Global Media which she runs together with ...

Top 3 Female CNN News Anchors You Didnt Know Were Africans CNN is one of the leading news agencies in the world. The satellite and cable news network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and has been one of the best sources of news for a number of years. It also boasts of the best journalists and presenters all around in media broadcasting. The company is a ...

Channels That Aided Katie Pavlichs Growth as a Journalist and All About Her Marriage To Friedson If you have ever come across any Fast and Furious featuring Barack Obama, it is the handiwork of Katie Pavlich. The book which claims to have exposed Obamas bloodiest scandal and the shameless cover-up thereof, has been earning Pavlich much praise and fame ever since it was published in 2012. Nonetheless, Pavlich is more famed ...

Is Oprah Winfrey Married? Husband, Children, Biography, House, Facts Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire philanthropist, talk show icon, producer, actress, and writer. The media icon famously dubbed The Queen Of All Media owns and hosts the highest-rated television program in the media circle. Read more about the powerful television star below. Oprah Winfrey Biography Oprah was born as Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954, to a ...

Who Is Arsenio Hall, What Happened To His Talk Show and Why Do Fans Think He Is Gay? He is one of the funniest beings to have graced the comedy constituent of the American entertainment industry. Arsenio Hall has a reputation for the rib-cracking disposition always portrayed in his comedy roles. He is not just a comedian; he is also an actor and a former talk show host for his popular show, The ...

What Is Woah Vicky Famous For and Who Are Her Family Members? Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Woah Vicky is one of those stars that have utilized the internet as a powerful tool to propel themselves to instant fame. The social media space, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., offers lots of people the right opportunities and potentials to become superstars overnight. Not everyone achieves ...

Where Is Michael Strahan Since His Retirement From The NFL and Who Is His Partner? Michael Strahan is a retired American football player turned media personality. He played the defensive lineman position and holds the record for most sacks in a single NFL season. He also only played for the New York Giants throughout the entire 15-year professional career that saw him win a Super Bowl ring. In February 2014, ...

How Wendy Williams Went From Being a College DJ to Having Her Own Talk Show and More About Her Divorce Wendy Williams is a former radio personality, now talk show host, who is known for her outspokenness and brash no-nonsense attitude. She gained fame and notoriety for her on-air clashes with celebrities before moving on to host her own talk show. Since 2008, Williams has hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. ...

Who is Sunny Hostin? Her Husband, Family & Net Worth Sunny Hostin is no ordinary Latina  American lawyer but also a successful columnist, multi-platform journalist, and social commentator. A happily married woman and mother of two, Hostin is the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and co-host of ABCs popular morning talk show, The View. She is a legal expert popularly known as a former ...

Who Is Robert Costa and Is He Married, Who Is His Wife? Robert Costa is a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC who is regarded as being part of Americas next generation of journalists. The University of Notre Dame graduate, who is of Italian/Portuguese descent, has been lauded for his fresh political perspectives in an industry full of old heads. In addition to his work listed above, Costa ...

Team Valor Pokemon Go  7 Key Facts You Need To Know Team Valor Pokemon Go  The craze of the new game Pokemon Go is one that took the gaming world by storm sending teenagers and adults alike into a frenzy and one of its teams Team Valor, has proven to be instrumental in making it so. Before the game was created, Pokemon was a cartoon ...

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, ...

Is Brittany Wagner Married, Who Is The Husband, How Old Is She? Brittany Wagner has been an inspiration to a lot of sports youngster. She has won the hearts of many athletic students with her role as a life coach and an academic counselor. She is well groomed in her career and has worked over a decade for The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and The National ...

Tati Westbrook Bio  Age, Husband & Net Worth With five videos dished out every week, alongside running her own brand, beauty guru, and YouTube superstar Tati Westbrook has proved to the world that theres utterly no impossibility or limit to whatever one is passionate about. Tati is best known for being the owner and manager of the worlds most-viewed beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel, ...

Cathy Areus Long Road to Becoming a Freelance Journalist and What to Know About Her Kids An American freelance journalist, news analyst, and author, Cathy Areu has built a lasting reputation for herself on cable television. Popular for her skillful and sassy presentation of professional views on varying topics including cultural and feminist issues, Cathy is an inspiration to many women across the globe. In addition to being a journalist, she ...

Tucker Carlsons Love Story With Wife Susan Andrews, their Children and Net Worth Today On the TV screens, Tucker Carlson is that fiery fellow who passionately dishes out his conservative and often controversial views on issues of national importance. Such brazenness has fetched him many enemies, especially on the left-wing, but it has also helped him cement a reputation as one of the foremost broadcast journalists in America. His ...

Paige Wyatts Net Worth, Boyfriend and Where She Is Now Paige Wyatt became popular after the Wyatt family began running the reality television show, American Guns. The Wyatt family comprises Rich Wyatt (father), Renee Wyatt (mother), Paige and Kurt Wyatt (children). Rich Wyatt originally ran a gun shop, the Gunsmoke Guns in Wheat Ridge, Colorado which is outside of Denver. The business which he ran together ...

The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ...

Lisa Joyners Biography  Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ...

Amanda Balionis Rise Through the Ranks of Sportscasting and the Identity of Her Boyfriend Amanda Balionis is an American sportscaster currently working as a golf broadcaster for CBS Sports. Among so many of her works in the field of sports reporting, Amandas PGA Tour coverage seems to be the most popular so far. She covered the Super Bowl working with CBS Sports social media team in Atlanta, where she ...

Dissecting Charles Paynes Sexual Allegations, Its After Effects and More About His Wife Charles Payne had a respectable career as an analyst on Wall Street before he made the transition to television and became a contributor and later a host on Fox. In that time, his expertise has come under scrutiny, and he has been at the center of at least one major controversy. The major controversy in question ...

Erik Asla And Tryra Banks Split: Everything You Need To Know Tyra Banks and Erik Asla have called it quits! The couple, who began dating in 2013 and have a son named York Banks Asla, has decided to end what everybody taught was the perfect relationship. Neither person has come out to give a reason for the breakup, but what is obvious right now is that ...

What to Note About Dr Terry Dubrows Qualifications, TV Works and Marriage to Heather Kent In the realm of people that we expect to see regularly on our screens, medical doctors are closer to the bottom of the list. Aside from the fact that their work has little correlation with TV, they are presumably too busy to pursue life as TV personalities. Yet, a few of them have usurped this ...

Jessica Goch  Bio: 5 Things You Didnt Know About Ninjas Wife Jessica Goch is the Schofield-born American Social Media Influencer who has worked as a model but is now better known as a host and interviewer of prominent Electronic sports celebrities at popular gaming events/tournaments. The screen queen also serves as the manager of her famous husband Ninja aka Tyler Blevins whose exploits on Twitch and Fortnite has ...

CNNs Chris Cuomo Biography  Wife, Family & Net worth Chris Cuomo needs no elaborate introduction as he has starred graced many prominent Television cable networks and his voice has been heard through acknowledged radio shows. He is a television journalist and Lawyer who has previously worked for ABC News as Chief law and justice correspondent as well as a co-anchor on 20/20. If you still ...

Neil deGrasse Tyson  Family, Religion & Net Worth Neil deGrasse Tyson is a distinguished American astrophysicist and author who has been able to achieve so much after falling in love with astronomy at the age of 9. He has since attended and become an alumnus of prestigious universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, and also recorded numerous achievements in his field of ...

Is Simon Cowell Gay? Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend and Why is He Famous? Simon Cowell is a well-known talent show judge, TV producer, entrepreneur and one of the most popular TV personalities that Britain has ever produced. In conjunction with his company, Syco, Cowell is the brain behind hugely successful talent hunt shows such as The X-Factor UK, The X-Factor US, Britains Got Talent, Americas Got Talent and ...

Everything To Know About Joanna Gaines Life With Chip Gaines, Their Business Pursuits and Kids Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip Gaines became celebrities after their television show Fixer Upper began airing back in 2013. The show which was about home renovation and decoration ran for about 6 seasons with a total of 79 episodes before the couple bade farewell to it in April 2018. Apart from their appearances on ...

Who Is Larry The Cable Guy? What To Know About His Wife And Net Worth Larry the Cable Guy is a self-professed country kid renowned for his trademark Southern accent and sensational catchphrase Git-R-Done! The famous comedian who talks about anything under the sun has gone on to become one of the most memorable characters in comedy history. Join us in unearthing lesser-known facts about the former on-air-personality, standup comedy superstar, movie ...

Who Is Patrick Starr, What Is His Net Worth and Gender? The make-up industry over the years has grown to become a billion dollar industry not just because there are probably more women wearing make-up but because a whole lot of men, especially the young ones, have become bold enough to wear it unlike before. A few of these men, like Patrick Starr, have even gone ...

How Did Chris Jansing Become a Senior Correspondent at MSNBC and Who Is Her Husband? An award-winning American television news reporter and journalist, Chris Jansing has succeeded in carving a spectacular niche for herself in the field of TV journalism. Outstanding for not just her excellence in journalism, Chris is also cherished for her incredibly gorgeous looks post 60! For close to four decades, Jansing has continued to soar in her ...

Jaclyn Glenn Biography  Age, Height & Ex-Boyfriend American Youtuber, Jaclyn Glenn, rose to prominence through her self-titled YouTube channel Jaclyn Glenn. She has remained an acclaimed atheist and continues to air her views on hot issues from politics, religion, animal rights, to atheism. During the heated 2016 US Presidential elections, Glenn featured in Hump Trump: Official Donald Trump Song. Her parallel acting career ...

Is Pat Sajak Married to a Wife or is He Gay With a Partner? Pat Sajak is one of the most popular TV game show hosts in America. He commenced his career as a radio disk jockey as well as a TV weatherman before being tapped to host Wheel of Fortune, the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States. Sajak has hosted the popular game show from 1983 ...

Nayyera Haqs Bio  What To Know About Her Husband, Parents And Family Nayyera Haq can take anyone on political debates as well as discussions on social issues affecting many. Her ability to masterfully deliver her stance on every issue or political debate has made her a regular face in morning and evening news media platforms. This is not a common feat especially for someone from her kind ...

Inside Guy Fieris Family With Wife, Kids and Sister Who Died of Cancer Over the years we have seen men dominate the kitchen and churn out amazing delicacies from it. Some do it way better than their female counterparts and one of such men is Guy Ramsay Fieri  an American TV host, celebrity chef, restaurant owner, bestselling author of four culinary books, and game show host. His ...

Meet Phil Mudd of CNN  The Former CIA and FBI Exec, Is He Married, Who Is The Wife? When it comes to discussing issues surrounding terrorism, American Counterterrorism and National Security Expert, Phil Mudd, occupies a globally significant position. He has voiced his interest in the fight against terrorism and insecurity on many popular media platforms, both print and broadcast, such as CNN, BBC, CBS, MSNBC, al-Jazeera, ABC, NBC, Fox, The New York Times, ...

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The Ups and Downs of Erin Mcpikes Journalism Career and Other Facts About Her Personal Life Erin McPike is a journalist working for the Independent Journal Review (IJR) as a White House Correspondent but she gained widespread recognition for her coverage of general news. Whether its breaking news or some mainstream story, McPike has a reputation of baring the facts. As a journalist, her work as a White House Correspondent for Independent ...

Bert Kreischer Is Married To LeeAnn Kreischer With 2 Kids  Meet His Family Those familiar with Bert Kreischer mainly have the image of a large-bellied party man whose college life inspired the National Lampoon film, Van Wilder. It is an image that one would not naturally associate with a wholesome family. The standup comedian still maintains his wild party animal image on stage. But, back at home, he is ...

How Brendan Greene Became a Game Designer to Look Out For and Facts About His Failed Marriage The name Brendan Greene may not easily ring a bell in the larger society but for gaming enthusiasts, he is considered a god and this is because of his invention of the video game, Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, also called PUBG. Based on the popular last-man-standing/battle royale concept, Greenes creation has taken the gaming world by ...

WFAAs Sonia Azad Bio  Does The Reporter Have A Husband Or Boyfriend? Emmy Award-winning journalist and Health & Wellness reporter Sonia Azad is on the news segment News 8 Daybreak for the television station WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, a channel which she joined in October of 2015. Besides her time on the news, Azad is also a marathon runner and a certified yoga instructor. She has covered major news ...

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How to watch, what to know about South Dakota State at Northern Iowa

SDSU
Thomas R. Cutler sees Thai, Pakistan, and India are growing global ecommerce. The growth of online marketplaces and ecommerce in India, Thailand, and Pakistan has spawned the need for companies that provide tools for marketing, logistics, search, cataloguing, analyzing customer behavior and more. These ecommerce service companies are making money by helping online retailers make theirs  and data shows that the number of such companies in India, for example, is second only to that in the US.

Ecommerce in Pakistan is expected to reach $1 billion by 2020. The digital economy has emerged as an unstoppable giant that is growing 10 percent a year, more than triple the rate of overall global economic growth. The Pakistani commerce minister said internet related consumption and expenditure has already surpassed the size of the global agriculture and energy sectors.

In recent news, Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba has agreed to help Thailand develop its e-commerce sector. Alibaba will help small and medium-sized Thai companies expand businesses on local and international e-commerce platforms. The company will also train Thai government officials on big data and artificial intelligence.

In addition, Alibaba will also help Thailand develop an efficient logistics system and explore cooperation opportunities in Thailands eastern economic corridor.

About TR Cutler, Inc.

TR Cutler, Inc. was founded seventeen years ago by Thomas R. Cutler. Cutler is the President and CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based, TR Cutler, Inc., (www.trcutlerinc.com), the largest manufacturing communication firm worldwide with four dozen industry experts and thought leaders on staff. Cutler maintains extraordinary relationships with clients, journalists, editors, economists, trendsetters, and key business leaders worldwide and has become a key resource for those writing about the manufacturing sector. Cutler founded the Manufacturing Media Consortium in 1999, which now has more than 6,000 global members including journalists, editors, publishers, and economists, worldwide writing about trends, industrial data, manufacturing case studies, material handling profiles, and robotics feature articles. Cutler works with thousands of media outlets to expand the coverage and importance of the manufacturing media coverage.

Cutler has authored more than 6,000 articles for a wide range of manufacturing periodicals, industrial publications, and business journals each published in leading monthly trade magazines, B2B periodicals, blogs, and marquis publications globally. Cutler is the most published freelance industrial journalist worldwide, and more than 3500 industry leaders follow Cutler on Twitter daily at @ThomasRCutler.

Media Contact

Company Name: TR Cutler Inc.

Contact Person: Thomas R. Cutler

Email: trcutler@trcutlerinc.com

Phone: 954-682-6200

Address:3032 S. Oakland Forest Dr. S-2803

City: Fort Lauderdale

State: FLORIDA

Country: United States

Website: http://www.trcutlerinc.com
Are medications necessary?

The vast majority of people who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) use some form of stimulant medication to treat symptoms. Research has shown that ADHD medications combined with behavior modification and therapy is the most effective treatment for ADHD.

Why didnt they prescribe all of these medications when I was a kid?

Medication for ADHD has been in use since the 1930s. Ritalin has been in use for over 40 years. Medication is more visible now, in part because there has been an increase in the rates of diagnosis of ADHD and in part because of increased media attention.

Some researchers feel that ADHD is actually under-diagnosed and that more children could benefit from medication treatment. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that although ADHD affects between 3 and 6 percent of school-aged children in the United States, only 2.8 percent of children aged 5 to 18 years were taking Ritalin.

What medications are used to treat ADHD?

Methylphenidate is the name of the most common medication used to treat ADHD. This is the generic drug contained in prescriptions for Ritalin, Ritalin-SR, Concerta and Metadate. Methylphenidate is also available as a generic medication. Methyphenidate is a Central Nervous System stimulant, or a CNS stimulant.

Adderall is another popular medication for ADHD. Adderall is a mixture of four different amphetamine salts. Dexedrine, which is also an amphetamine, is also used to treat ADHD. Cylert (pemoline) is another CNS stimulant used to treat ADHD. Cylert has been associated with liver damage and includes a warning that it should not ordinarily be considered as first line drug therapy for ADHD.

[Read: Comparing the Most Popular ADHD Medications]

While stimulants are the medication of choice for treating ADHD, there are other options. Welbutrin, an atypical antidepressant, is also used to treat ADHD, especially in adults. Tricyclic antidepressants, such as imipramine, are also used. In some cases, antidepressants may be used along with stimulant medications.

Depakote, an anticonvulsant medication originally developed to treat epilepsy, is sometimes prescribed, particularly if there is a need for a mood stabilizer.

Medications used to treat hypertension, or high blood pressure, are sometimes used to treat ADHD. Among these medications are Clonidine and Tenex (guanfacine).

Should the dose of my childs medication increase as he or she grows?

Not necessarily. Research published in the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology on Dose-Response Effects of Methylphenidate shows that increases in the amounts of methylphenidate, the most common medication for ADHD, may not be helpful.

Other medications may require adjusting, either due to increased size or other factors. The body will develop a tolerance for some medications, which may require an increased dose. Talk with your childs physician about what is the appropriate dose for your child.

[Read: ADHD Medication Side Effects No One Should Tolerate]

Are medications used to treat ADHD abusable drugs?

Yes. Ritalin is a Schedule II medication, indicating a high potential for abuse. Dexedrine also has a high potential for abuse. People have died from abuse of these medications. Typically, Ritalin abuse happens when a person with a prescription gives pills to someone who does not have ADHD.

Are these medications habit-forming?

Typically not, although dependence is a possibility. Patients with a history of drug abuse need to be cautious with stimulant medications. Tell your doctor about any history of substance abuse that you may have.

Should I continue to give medication to my child during summer vacation?

At one time, it was believed that Ritalin and other medications may affect growth. However, research has shown little evidence that ADHD medications have much impact on ultimate height. According to Dr. Larry Silver, Some children who use stimulants may not grow as quickly as their peers, but usually they catch up eventually. Dr. Silver tells parents to honestly consider if hyperactivity, distractiblity or impulsivity will interfere with their childs success in summer camp or other vacation activities.

Why does it sometimes appear as if my teens medication isnt working?

Before you become alarmed that medication isnt working, says Dr. Larry Silver, make sure your child is really taking it. Peer pressure to conform increases in early adolescence, and many kids who took medication without any problem when they were younger suddenly feel singled out when they have to leave the classroom to visit the school nurse. They may forget to go, or may refuse to take the medication.

If you know that your child is taking medication as prescribed and the medication still appears to be not working, then visit your doctor. Mood disorders, anxiety and other health problems can make it appear as if medication isnt working.

Why do I have to go to the doctor to get a refill?

Stimulant medications are considered abusable drugs. Because of this, there is a limit on the number of refills per prescription. Stimulants cannot be purchased over the Internet for that same reason.

[Free Download: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD Medication]
With Christmas celebrations round the corner and people ready to welcome another year, &pictures, Naye India Ka Blockbuster Movie Channel, is all set to entertain its viewers with four blockbuster movies on Sunday, 25th December with all day long Christmas Movie Bash.

Kickstarting the celebration in full swing, the channel will showcase the musical entertainer Banjo at 2:30 PM. The film is about four underdogs, who aspire to entertain the masses with their talent and gain respect for their music and art. Starring Riteish Deshmukh, Nargis Fakhri and Dharmesh Yelande, the film traces the journey of music enthusiasts who are offered an opportunity of a lifetime when a DJ from New York comes to India in search of them. Continuing with celebrating Xmas fervor, &pictures will showcase Ramaiya Vastavaiya at 5:30 PM. Starring Girish Kumar and Shruti Hassan, the film centres around class difference and the fight for true love.

The next in line is Remo DSouzas directorial venture A Flying Jatt at 8:30 PM. Aman (Tiger Shroff) a martial arts teacher in a school constantly strives for the attention of his students. He fumbles and behaves like a little boy around his formidable mother Bebe (Amrita singh) and is all shy and tongue-tied around his female colleague Kirti (Jacqueline Fernandez). One day, fate takes a new turn when Aman is trying to save his property that houses a sacred tree from the clutches of corrupt businessman Malhotra (Kay Kay Menon). Destiny makes him a common mans superhero, the Flying Jatt. In order to save the day, he also challenges supervillain Raka (WWE wrestler Nathan Jones) in a dangerous battle.

The bonanza ends with Tanu Weds Manu Returns at 11:30 PM. A sequel to Tanu Weds Manu, the film highlights the complex marital relationship of Tanuja (Kangana Ranaut) and Manu (R. Madhavan). Replete with witty dialogues and power-packed performances by every actor, the movie breaks every stereotype associated with marriage. Kangana Ranauts standout portrayal of two different characters as sassy Tanu and headstrong Datto is a must watch!

~Grab your &pictures Christmas gifts on Sunday, December 25, 2:30 PM onwards~
Its time again for the advertising, media and marketing professionals to start prepping for India's premier advertising festival  Goafest 2017 and the Abby Awards. Organized by the AAAs of I and The Advertising Club, Goafest 2017 is set to elevate the festival experience through recognizing successful brand stories, facilitating a progressive speaker line-up launching meaningful initiatives and curating an enhanced awards experience. The 12th edition of the renowned festival will be held from April 6th to April 8th, 2017 at The Grand Hyatt, Bambolim.

Mr. Ashish Bhasin, Chairman of Goafest 2017 & Vice President of Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) said, It is our endeavor to make Goafest 2017 more fascinating and rewarding for all stakeholders by providing an Enriching, Engaging and Entertaining festival experience. The objective is to offer learning enrichment to participants through thought- leadership platforms, engaging with them through debates and discussions forums on relevant and industry- imperative topics. Keeping up the spirit and ethos of the Abby Awards, the 3 day festival will also keep participants entertained though high decibel networking events. We are sure that the Goafest 2017 will help build synergies and add significant value to the learning curve of all participants

Speaking about the elite speaker line-up Mr Nakul Chopra - President of AAAI, said, Continuing to be the most impactful ideas-exchange platform for the industry, Goafest 2017 will consist of a great mix of world-class speakers and industry thought leaders. As in the previous years, we will continue to see representation from senior advertising and marketing professionals who will share their experiences and learnings. Our effort is towards providing an interactive platform for the 2500+ participants to listen and engage with the best the world has to offer on global advertising trends and ideologies.

It is for the 10th year that AAAI and The Advertising Club will come together to deliver the Abby Awards, Indias premier awards in the field of advertising that celebrate creativity. Speaking about the awards Mr Raj Nayak- President of The Advertising Club said, The initiatives introduced last year were widely appreciated by all the stakeholders and played a decisive role in establishing the preeminence of the festival and the awards. We will continue to follow the stringent standards and now well accepted norms for the Abby awards that makes it the most competitive and sought after awards in the industry.

He further added This year the shortlisted ABBYs will also be open for the industry to review through a seven day window before the final judging round.

The 3 day festival will include the Industry Conclave to be held on Day 1; the Knowledge Seminars on Day 2 & 3. Closing the Festivals will be the Leadership Summit to be held on 8th April, 2017.

The Award shows for various verticals are tentatively scheduled as under:

6th April, 2017- Media & Publisher Abby Awards

Media & Publisher Abby Awards 7th April, 2017- Radio, Radio Craft, Design, Direct, Brand Activation & Promotion, Public Relations, Out of Home & Ambient Media, Print Craft, Branded Content & Entertainment & Broadcaster Abby Awards

Radio, Radio Craft, Design, Direct, Brand Activation & Promotion, Public Relations, Out of Home & Ambient Media, Print Craft, Branded Content & Entertainment & Broadcaster Abby Awards 8th April, 2017- Digital & Mobile, Print, Film, Film Craft & Integrated Advertising Abby Awards, Gender Sensitive, and Young Abbys.

Goafest has been witnessing growing participation from all fields of communication.

Presented by the Advertising Club and AAAI the Goafest ABBYs 2017 will once again see the entire advertising and marketing fraternity come together in Goa from 6th April, 2017 to 8th April 2017.
Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network that has been in the news recently for its wins on Maruti Suzuki digital and IKEA, has strengthened its account management team by roping in Megha Jain Sadhwani as Vice President. She will report to Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact.

This is Meghas second innings at Dentsu Impact. She worked with the agency for 4 years before moving to Australia last year. Prior to joining Dentsu Impact, Megha worked with Saatchi & Saatchi in Sydney, where she was responsible for the Mondelez business - Cadbury chocolates, The Natural Confectionery Company and Sour Patch Kids.

Commenting on her new role, Megha said, Coming back to Dentsu is like coming back to family for me. The agency houses some of the best minds in the industry and working with such people is always exciting and inspiring. Adding to that is the fact that this is probably the most forward thinking agency in the industry right now, one that has evolved its brand solutions for clients in the most innovative and integrated manner. Im really looking forward to be part of this evolution and also applying my learnings from the Australian market here.

The other agencies that Megha has worked with include JWT & Publicis, where she handled communication for Pepsi, Nestle chocolates & Nestle Maggi. She also donned the hat of a marketer and worked at Adidas India before making her return to advertising.

Talking about the new addition to the team, Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact said, Megha is valuable asset wherever she works. What sets her apart is her passion towards brand building and people. With Dentsu Impact growing at a rapid pace we certainly need the right people around to ensure we dont loose momentum and thats why the moment she decided to come back to India, getting her back in the team was an easy decision.
As an extension to the Series B funding, NoBroker.com has raised $7 million (INR 50 crores). This extension round is led by Korean investor KTB Network. This is the extension of $10 mn Series-B round announced few months back this year, taking cumulative Series-B round to $17 mn. With $3 mn in Series-A funding early last year, this takes the total funding raised by NoBroker.com to $20 million from its inception.

This funding round was led by KTB Network and existing investors- SAIF Partners, BEENEXT & Digital Garage also participated in the funding.

I am impressed with the differentiated and disruptive business model of NoBroker, which is solving a huge latent customer demand. NoBroker has already served millions of rent seekers and home owners to find one another, seamlessly through its platform, since its inception in 2013. I am constantly impressed by the customer-centricity at NoBroker and have no doubt that it will continue to champion its customers need. With a large and growing Indian population, NoBroker has the potential to become market leader in this large real estate market said Chunsoo Kim, Venture Capitalist at KTB Network.

Amit Agarwal, CEO & Co- Founder, NoBroker.com, said This is special because this is the first time that a Korean fund has led the funding round for an Indian startup. Their Korean start up experiences will help us further with innovative ideas so that we can continue to grow exponentially. We are at an excellent position now in terms of customer growth and financials. Global network of KTB will also aid us in our future global ambitions.

NoBroker.com has seen a steady growth curve this year. Though the real estate sector saw a series of and ups and downs this year complete with many mergers and acquisitions. NoBroker registered sustained growth matrix. The year started with NoBroker.com raising $10 million in Series B funding. The last couple of months saw entrepreneurial stalwarts like Anand Chandrasekaran and Vijay Shekhar Sharma also investing undisclosed amounts in NoBroker.com. "We are glad to have KTB as our investor. These additional funds have put us in a strong position from overall capital perspective. Our aim is to use these funds to expand rapidly and move towards becoming the number one online real estate player in India in terms of closed transactions in next 24 months" says Akhil Gupta , CTO & Co- Founder, NoBroker.com.

NoBroker has served 1.5 million customers till date, making it the worlds largest C2C real estate platform. NoBroker is adding more than 1 lakh new registered customers on a monthly basis now and witnessing 5 lakh customer connections every month which results in a saving of more than 20 crores of brokerage monthly. NoBroker.com recently moved to a freemium subscription-fee based model and has been growing revenues aggressively. Unlike many other east-copy-west businesses, its a built-for-India business model with no direct comparison with any other large online real estate player worldwide. This is the first time that customers are paying upfront platform-usage fees in real estate since they can clearly see 80-90% savings in their transaction cost.

There is a huge customer demand and acceptance of a brokerage-free real estate marketplace. In fact, the market size of residential rental and resale brokerage alone in top 20 cities in India is a whopping $6.5 billion which is estimated to grow to $17 billion over the next 5 years.

The problem that NoBroker.com is trying to solve has massive scale and impact since home effects almost everybodys life. Before NoBroker.com, a typical rental transaction would cost 2 months brokerage and a resale transaction used to cost buyers & sellers a combined 4 to 6 per cent of the deal value as brokerage. NoBroker has managed to crash this transaction cost and put the savings back in customers pocket.

Not just rentals, but NoBroker.com is the first and only online real estate firm in India to offer brokerage-free Buying/Selling of properties. With such disruptive moves in an age-old industry, NoBroker.com is attempting to transform the way real estate transactions take place by doing what has never been done before.
LONDON, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This research study analyzes the market for bioenergy both in terms of volume (Billion Gallons) and revenue (US$ Bn). The bioenergy market has been segmented on the basis of product type, application type, and geography. In terms of region, the market has been divided into four segments that comprise 15 countries, which are the major players in the global bioenergy market. For the research, 2014 has been taken as the base year, while all forecasts have been given for the period from 2016 to 2024. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional as well as country-specific level from 2016 to 2024. The report provides a broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the bioenergy industry. The report also includes the key market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the global bioenergy market. These market dynamics were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis of the global bioenergy market with the help of Porter's Five Forces model. This analysis helps in understanding the five major forces that affect the market structure and market profitability. The forces analyzed are bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and degree of competition.



The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the bioenergy market globally. There are currently numerous drivers of the market. Some of the most prominent drivers are climate change mitigation and adaptation, energy security, and waste treatment. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the bioenergy market on the basis of geography. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the bioenergy market in different regions. The parameters include biogas and biofuel costs, government policies, bioenergy demand, and applications such as transportation, cooking, and off-grid electricity supply.



Bioenergy is a critical part of the renewable energy mix. It is the only renewable energy that can be used across all three energy sectors (electricity, heat and transport) it is projected to be another growing segment within the renewable energy market after wind energy segment. The bioenergy market is rapidly evolving and changing. It represents a growing market opportunity for both new start-up companies and traditional companies from a point of view to transfer their capabilities into this new growth market. It is also a broad and varied sector, covering a range of technologies at different stages of development.



The bioenergy market was segmented on the basis of product type (bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, and others) and application type (cooking, off-grid electricity supply, transportation, and others). The bioenergy market was analyzed across four geographies: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the bioenergy market. Key players in the bioenergy market include Abengoa Bioenergy, Amyris, Inc., BP Biofuels, Butamax Advanced Biofuels, Ceres Inc., E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Enerkem, Gevo, Inc., Joule Unlimited, LanzaTech, Novozymes, POET LLC, Sapphire Energy, Solazyme Inc., and Zeachem Inc. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.



Bioenergy Market: By Product Type



Bioethanol

Biodiesel

Biogas

Others

Bioenergy Market: By Application Type



Cooking

Off-grid Electricity Supply

Transportation

Others

Bioenergy Market: By Region



North America

U.S.

Canada

Mexico

Europe

Germany

U.K.

France

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

Rest of Asia Pacific

Rest of World

Brazil

Argentina

Mozambique

Others



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3999190/



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Email: query@reportbuyer.com

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Website: www.reportbuyer.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bioenergy-market-by-product-type-and-by-application-type---global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2016---2024-300381697.html

SOURCE ReportBuyer
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boloro Global Limited, a New York City-based technology company known for its globally patented, multifactor mobile authentication technology and mobile payment platform, has launched the first in a series of new, global products in South Africa to help eliminate fraud.

Boloro's Debit Authentication System can easily prevent debit order abuse and fraud by enabling users to quickly and securely authenticate each transaction on their mobile phone before it is processed.

"Boloro literally puts security in the hands of each user, because only the user has its mobile handset and only the user knows its PIN, which must be entered on its phone to authenticate a transaction," says Karl P. Kilb III, CEO of Boloro Global Limited. "Boloro is a seamless, cost-effective way to eliminate fraud, and it does not require a smartphone, app or Internet access," Kilb added.

Kilb was previously at Bloomberg LP for 22 years, where he served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer.

According to an article in Fin24, South African banks collectively process more than 56 million debit orders a month. Fin24 reported that about 800,000 debits are disputed every month. It is up to bank account holders to identify and reverse false debit orders with their bank, which is a stressful and time-consuming process for customers. During the course of 2017 and 2018, all banks in South Africa will require debit orders to be authorized by consumers before being processed by banks.

"Boloro is ideally positioned to address South Africa's authentication requirement, as well as similar requirements that are expected to come to other markets," Kilb said. "Prevention of fraud is the best cure for it, protecting banks and their customers. Boloro is rapidly becoming recognized worldwide as the fastest, most secure and easiest means of eliminating fraud by authenticating each transaction before it is allowed to occur."

The Boloro Authentication System is a real-time solution, communicating with customers through special, secure messaging over the Mobile Operator's SS7 connectivity. The system runs on Boloro's patented, device agnostic, multifactor authentication and payment service platform, which makes payments and other transactions secure, immediate, user-friendly and fraud-free without disclosing any private information outside of the Issuer's domain.

As mobile payments and on-line transactions continue to become more prevalent, the need to ensure that transactions are authenticated before they are processed continues to grow as well.

Boloro is actively licensing its technology in South Africa and other markets worldwide in connection with a growing list of use cases, including authentication of credit and debit card transactions, especially card-not-present transactions, as well as mobile banking, electronic trading, mass transportation, content purchases and health care.

Boloro's mobile payment system is also an ideal way to replace cash, and works on any mobile phone, making it a truly global mobile authentication and payment processing technology.

About Boloro Global Limited:

Boloro is a unique, patented, handset neutral multifactor authentication technology and payments network that offers users the ability to securely transact using any kind of mobile phone and account without the need to download any app. Boloro's secure authentication can be applied to any situation where the identity of the customer needs to be verified, including payment transactions. In payments, Boloro replaces cash and offers financial services to the many unbanked in emerging markets, accelerating their financial inclusion and access. Having processed over 50 million transactions, Boloro Global Limited is headquartered in New York City, and currently operates in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, with expansion into the United States, India and other markets already underway. Boloro is now actively licensing its technology worldwide. For more information, visit www.boloro.com.

Contact Information:

Boloro Global Limited

43 West 23rd Street, 2nd Floor

New York, New York USA

Contact: karl.kilb@boloro.com

www.boloro.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boloro-launches-debit-authentication-system-to-combat-fraud-in-south-africa-300381790.html

SOURCE Boloro Global Limited
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, Nordstrom sold out of an unusual product: a leather-wrapped rock priced at $85. That news inspired a doctor at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to start a unique fundraising campaign  Rocks for a Reason  which has been gaining support since it began Dec. 9. That doctor was recently surprised to learn that Nordstrom has joined the cause and agreed to match the first $50,000 that the campaign raises.

"I figured if people were willing to pay $85 for rock that didn't do anything, there must be some people out there who would be willing to pay $85 for a rock that would help bring joy to kids in the hospital," said David Margolis, MD, who started the campaign and who heads the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin MACC Fund Center for patients with cancer and blood disorders. "I have been blown away by the support we have received. And now this generous gift from Nordstrom. It's heartwarming how many people are reaching out to help us help kids! We are going to need more rocks."

The Rocks for a Reason campaign has generated interest and support for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin from across the county and beyond. As of Monday, Dec. 19, more than 460 gifts have come in from 39 states (and Puerto Rico) totaling more than $46,000. Donations will help provide nationally ranked medical care, community-based health services and lifesaving research. Everyone who donates to the campaign by Dec. 31, will receive a rock with a thank you tag signed by Dr. Margolis.

More information about the Rocks for a Reason campaign can be found at chw.org/rock.

Additional photos and videos, including Dr. Margolis collecting rocks and packaging rocks can be downloaded here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b2xlsup63nutai6/AADAHr_wGxwpt_gZQpb20ENya?dl=0

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/doctor-surprised-by-50000-gift-from-nordstrom-to-support-kids-at-childrens-hospital-of-wisconsin-300381791.html

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
EuroMena Announces the Second Closing of Its Third Fund for a Total Consideration of $150 Million & the Closing of Three Tran...

Following the success of its previous private equity funds, EuroMena announces the second and final closing of its third fund EuroMena III for a total consideration of $150 million. The Fund is also pleased to announce that it held the first advisory committee meeting of EuroMena III in London in the headquarters of one of its major Limited Partners, the CDC Group.

The successful closing of a third fund for a total consideration of $150 million in the region is a clear demonstration of the Fund Management Teams ability to create value for its shareholders. EuroMena attracted first-time international investors to its third fund such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the German Investment and Development Corporation (DEG), and the UKs Development Finance Institution (CDC Group) in addition to third and second time investors such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Public Wealth Funds (Proparco) respectively. In its third fund, EuroMena extended its geographical focus to include Sub-Saharan Africa, a rapidly growing region driven by a rising middle class.

Mr. Murray Grant- Managing Director of Intermediated Equity at CDC commented:

CDC is delighted to help enable EuroMena III achieve its final close target with a commitment of $20 million in the Fund. As one of the best teams in the mid-cap space in North Africa we're encouraged to see EuroMena expand into the rest of the continent. We look forward to working with the fund as it turns national successes into regional champions, creating jobs and economic opportunity across Africa.

Commenting on the second closing of the Fund, Mr. Romen Mathieu, Managing Partner of EuroMena said:

Despite the challenging macro-environment in the region, EuroMena has successfully raised this strategic round of investments, which is a direct result of its successful track record.

By following EuroMenas proven strategy of creating Regional Leading Groups, the Fund is not only generating value for its shareholders, but also creating a visible positive impact in the Middle East and Africa through the creation of job opportunities and the contribution to the development of those countries economies. The participation of several international investors in the Fund is a clear demonstration of the opportunity that EuroMenas target regions (the Middle East and Africa) provide to foreign investors in terms of portfolio diversification.

He added: As of December 2016, EuroMena III had invested in three prominent companies in the FMCG, Retail, and Banking sectors operating in Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Lebanon. A fourth investment should be closed in the coming weeks and we expect the Fund to be fully invested by end of 2017.

The EuroMena Fund Management Team has been working in the region since 2005 and has built deep expertise in various industries, a solid reputation, and a leading market position. The Team is considered to be among the most active and efficient in the region in terms of sourcing, investing, managing, and exiting transactions. To date, it has successfully exited six investments, generating 2x money on the invested capital, and is on its way to realize three other exists by Q1 2017.

The EIB is very pleased to have supported for the third consecutive time the EuroMena family with a commitment of $27 million from EC resources and The Kingdom of Spain-AECID in EuroMena III. Despite the difficulties in the region, EuroMena is playing a crucial role in developing the private sector growth and restoring employment in the Southern Mediterranean region which underpins the future aspirations of the regions youth, said Christian Lopez-Baillo- EIB private equity operations.

The Fund follows a diversified investment strategy in countries and sectors selection to optimize the risk/reward profile of its investments. Sectors of interest include retail & consumer products, food & beverage, education & healthcare, energy, financial services, and information technology.

EuroMenas strategy is focused on creating value in its portfolio companies through assisting them in formulating their expansion strategies and guiding them in growing their top and bottom lines at double digit rates. EuroMena is also highly involved in implementing solid corporate governance in its investee companies. To do so, the Fund leverages on its internal resources and its large network of prominent partners, investors, businessmen and advisors in the region.

Mr. David Weiss- Investment Manager at German Investment and Development Corporation (DEG), commented:

We partnered with EuroMena because we like the investment strategy, the team and the unique regional focus on the Levant and Africa. The fund is run by an experienced team with a strong track record that generates investments with attractive returns and developmental impact.

On the 7th of November 2016, EuroMena held the first advisory committee meeting of the Fund in London at the headquarters of the CDC Group. The committee is formed of some of the most active members of the funds network and its objective is to advise EuroMena across the investment cycle. Attendees included Mr. Philippe de Fontaine Vive (Ex-Vice President of the European Investment Bank), Mr. Tom Fletcher (Professor at New York University and former UK Ambassador to Lebanon), Mr. Aldo Cardoso (Board Member of a number of French-listed companies), Mr. Charles El-Hage (Ex-Senior Vice President of Booz Allen Hamilton), Mr. Carlos Abou Jaoude (Founder and Managing Partner of Abou Jaoude & Associates Law Firm), among others.

"The agility and success developed by the Team in the Mediterranean region will benefit to the whole African continent which offers wide perspectives," added Mr. Philippe de Fontaine Vive.

Participants discussed the key economic dynamics shaping the private equity field in emerging markets, exchanged opinions on attractive investment opportunities, and explored promising strategic initiatives EuroMena plans to undertake. The diverse profile of the members in terms of areas and sectors of expertise significantly contributed to the enrichment of the discussions and the success of the meeting.

*Source: ME NewsWire

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161219005949/en/

Grey Doha

Denise Yamine, +974-33-318-761

denise.yamine@greydoha.com
LONDON, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The rise in the number of insect-borne diseases is driving the growth of the insect repellent market in Europe. In order to protect themselves from diseases caused by mosquitoes or ticks, consumers prefer different insect repellent products such as apparels, oils and creams, and stickers and patches among others. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the changing climatic conditions would increase the habitation of tiger mosquitoes in the Northern part of Europe on account of warmer and wetter weather conditions. All these factors are likely to increase health awareness among European consumers, which in turn is expected to drive the usage of insect repellent products in Italy, France, Spain and other European countries during the forecast period.



In addition, insect repellents are marketed through strong distribution channels such as online stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Increasing availability of these products in stores and supermarkets are also promoting the growth of the insect repellent market in Europe. Moreover, manufacturers also sell insect repellent products through internet retailing. The collection, variety, discount, and price range of products available with internet retailers is diverse leading to increasing popularity of the channel. Many companies are entering into joint venture agreements with different online stores in order to market these products through their websites.



Key manufacturers operating in the insect repellent market are continuously focused on developing safe and innovative insect repellents. These products provide protection from critical insect-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Lyme disease, and yellow fever among others. With advancement in technology, insect repellents are being made from natural products such as lemongrass, citronella oil, and eucalyptus oil which produce less smoke and are comparatively safer.



However, stringent government regulations prevailing in Europe hinder the growth of the insect repellent market. Various organizations such as the European Environmental Agency and the European Medicines Agency have implemented different safety standards to conclude whether an insect repellent is harmless enough for its intended use, thereby maintaining consumer safety.



Increasing demand for new and innovative insect repellent products containing natural ingredients is likely to create significant opportunity for growth of the European insect repellant market in the future.



This market research study analyzes the insect repellent market in Europe and provides estimates in terms of revenue (USD Million) from 2014 to 2023. It recognizes the drivers and restraints affecting the industry and analyzes their impact over the forecast period from 2015 to 2023. Moreover, it identifies the significant opportunities for market growth in the years to come.



The report segments the market based on product type which includes body-worn insect repellent and non body-worn insect repellent. The body-worn insect repellent segment is segmented into oils and cream, apparels, stickers and patches, and aerosols. The oils and cream segment is further divided into synthetic and plant based insect repellents. Moreover, the aerosol segment is classified into Deet and Non Deet. The non body-worn insect repellent segment is subdivided into coils, mats and sheets, aerosols and liquid vaporizers. The aerosol segment is further bifurcated into Deet and Non Deet. By countries, the insect repellent market in Europe is subdivided into Germany, U.K. France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and rest of Europe.



The report provides company market share analysis of the various industry participants. Key players have also been profiled on the basis of company overview, financial overview, business strategies and key developments. Major market participants profiled in this report include Avon Products Inc. (U.S.), S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (U.S.), 3M Corporation (U.S.), E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company (U.S.), BASF S.E (Germany) and Omega Pharma (Belgium).



Europe Insect Repellent Market: by Product Type



Body Worn Insect Repellent

Oils and Cream

Synthetic

Deet

Picaridin

Permethrin

Plant Based

Citronella

Geraniol

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus

Apparel

Stickers and Patches

Aerosols

Deet

Non Deet

Non Body Worn Insect Repellent

Coils, Mats and Sheet

Aerosol

Deet

Non Deet

Liquid Vaporizer

Europe Insect Repellent Market: by Country



U.K.

Germany

France

Italy

Germany

Spain

Belgium

Switzerland

Netherlands

Denmark

Norway

Sweden

Finland

Iceland

Rest of Europe



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3999665/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



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For more information:

Sarah Smith

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Email: query@reportbuyer.com

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insect-repellent-market---europe-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2015---2023-300381709.html

SOURCE ReportBuyer
DUBAI, UAE, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A team from Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai has successfully treated an elderly patient from Saudi Arabia, restoring the patient's sight in one eye after he spent 18 months with no sight in either eye. 83 year-old Mr. Hassan Al Shaikh Ahmad is now mobile and independent again, after a series of procedures performed in Dubai by Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, Consultant Ophthalmologist with a special interest in strabismus and cataract.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451113/Moorfields_Eye_Hospital_Dubai.jpg )



The patient had a very severe corneal scar in the right eye and his left eye had a convergent squint (so severe that the cornea was invisible) and cataract. The right eye was inoperable and so the team focused on treating the left eye with a two-stage surgical procedure, first to correct the squint and then to perform the cataract surgery which was necessary after the cataract had been discovered during the squint surgery.

The first phase strabismus surgery by Dr. Irfan was successful and once the left eye had been straightened enough to allow further detailed examination of the eye, a significant cataract was discovered. This led to the second stage of the treatment, following a month of recovery after the squint surgery, in which Dr. Irfan performed the cataract surgery.

Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, commented: "This was a particularly challenging elderly patient presenting with serious problems in both eyes, and revealing additional problems once we had been able to perform a full examination of the eyes. Unfortunately, we were unable to treat his right eye but the results of the treatment on the left eye have been successful and the team is delighted with Mr. Hassan's progress and recovery, allowing him to lead a normal life after living without vision for 18 months. He is now walking independently and performing his daily activities and routine, which is so important for every patient and especially those older patients."

Mr. Hassan Al Shaikh Ahmad, the 83 year-old patient from Saudi Arabia added: "I cannot express my gratitude enough to Dr. Irfan and the team at Moorfields; I am so happy to be able to walk again and to do things independently without the help of others."

Strabismus (squint or crossed eyes) is a misalignment of the eyes, inward or outward, and can only be treated with vision therapy or surgery. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over the age of 40 and are the principal cause of blindness in the world. Most cataracts are related to aging and they are very common in older people.

Dr. Irfan Khan is one of the few ophthalmologists in the world with dual training from United Kingdom and Canada. He is subspecialty trained in the management of all aspects of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Ocular Motility including; Paediatric Cataracts, Paediatric Glaucoma, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Retinoblastoma, Paediatric Anterior Segment Reconstruction, common Paediatric Oculoplastics, Strabismus or Squint, Adult Strabismus (with Adjustable sutures) and Adult Cataract Surgery. He is a valuable member of the Moorfields team and holds clinics in both Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai and Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital.

Notes to editors

About Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) is the first overseas branch of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the oldest and one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in the world. Located at the Al Razi Medical Complex in Dubai Health Care City, the facility provides day case surgery and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, for a variety of surgical and non-surgical eye conditions. MEHD will also raise standards for research and teaching in the region. MEHD is owned and managed by the NHS Foundation Trust, and maintains close links with London, to ensure that patients in the GCC receive the best eye care treatment in the world.

http://www.moorfields.ae

Issued on behalf of Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai by WPR.
Did The FBI Drop The Ball On Pearl Harbor?

Interesting details and questions -- by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, authors of A MATTER OF HONOR, Pearl Harbor: Betrayal, Blame and a Family's Quest for Justice:

Enough is known about two of the withheld files to establish that they relate to Japanese espionage in Hawaii. One, the FBI has told us, contains more than 2,500 pages relating to 1941 alone. A copy of a document from the file, which we discovered among released State Department files, may explain the withholding. It shows that an FBI source identified Japan's most important spy in Hawaii, a consular official using the name Tadashi Morimura, nearly five months before the attack.

This crucial bit of intelligence, however, led to no breakthrough in divining the intentions of the Japanese military. Instead, Hoover's agents squandered this and other opportunities to find out what Japan was planning:

More than a year before the attack, the FBI had identified a German resident in Hawaii, Otto Kuhn, as a possible spy for Germany's ally, Japan. It noted that Kuhn was living beyond his means and often entertained US military personnel. Surveillance of Kuhn, however, was only intermittent. He met unobserved, at his home, with Morimura, only weeks before the attack. An FBI report would erroneously conclude that he was not involved in espionage after all.

In March 1941, in the course of penetrating a German spy ring in New York, the FBI seized German spy reports on US fleet strength and on Army defenses at Pearl Harbor that were deemed "of interest to our yellow allies." The spy report was not shared with the Bureau's Navy and Army counterparts in Hawaii.

In August 1941, British intelligence provided the FBI with a very detailed German military questionnaire about the defense capabilities of the base at Pearl Harbor -- one that was rated urgent. The FBI did share that with Navy and Army intelligence, but nobody treated the questionnaire as significant.

...So deeply ingrained was the infamous mantra "Don't Embarrass the Bureau" that Robert Shivers, the agent-in-charge in Hawaii, rushed to write Hoover after the attack: "I want you to know that I have upheld the Bureau in all its interests since the beginning of the attack on December 7...My first loyalty, thought and obligation is to you and for you -- next comes the Bureau and after that the general welfare."

In a March 1941 report, Shivers had written, "It is not conceivable that there could be a hostile attack on the Hawaiian Islands so long as the Pacific Fleet is present..."

In a review of a report on the Bureau's work before the Pearl Harbor attack, Assistant Director Ladd was to recommend that -- should the report be supplied to Congress -- this line and several others would need to be "eliminated". It was decided not to provide Congress with any part of the 501-page report. Unlike other intelligence chiefs, Hoover himself never testified before any of the official inquiries into Pearl Harbor.

Today, there can be no excuse for continued retention of the thousands of pages of FBI documents on the catastrophe that are still withheld.
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The U.S. Airmen and Marines of the 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron are leading the way on their deployment with a truly collective approach to joint defense operations. Over the past decade, joint operations between U.S. sister services has become increasingly prevalent. So much so, that the joint environment has become the paradigm of comprehensive and effective battlespace ownership. What is unique about the base defense mission here is the integration of not only two U.S. sister services, but also a coalition partner, all under one, unified tactical control.

The composition of the 407th ESFS is anomalous not only by virtue of its current assembly but the evolution thereto. Initially an Air Force mission, defense operations have developed into a synoptic pursuit with contributions from many of the installations stakeholders. This confluence of contributors, from varied cultures and specialties, has broadened the utility of the unit and epitomizes the concept of total force integration. The U.S. Air Force component is responsible for overall base defense, and as a result the plurality of the unit is Air Force security forces. Marine civil engineers and infantrymen from 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines make up the second largest subset. Contractors attached to the unit do their part to ensure a wide range of force multipliers are operational in support of defense operations. Finally, Polish Air Force security forces provide a contingent to assist with patrolling. Interestingly, support from the above mentioned organizations was not the product of a mandate or request for forces but rather the conscientious commitment of said entities.

In early spring of 2016 the Polish Air Force deployed to the 407th Air Expeditionary Group for their first deployment since World War II. From the outset of their arrival, the Polish contingency here expressed an abiding interest in participating in the defense of their personnel and assets. To this end, Polish leadership appealed to the U.S. Air Force Security Forces leadership to consider integrating Polish Security Forces personnel into base defense functions. In the days and weeks that followed, leadership on both sides worked together to implement Polish involvement in base defense. Finally, on August 18, 2016, the Airmen and Marines of the 407th ESFS welcomed the integration of the first combined, Polish Air Force  U.S. Air Force patrol since World War II.

The first official combined patrol was conducted by U.S. Air Force Reserve Tech. Sgt. Clark Medina and Polish Air Force Senior Private Adam Lukaszczyk. It was only fitting that a defender of Polish descent, participated in the first patrol.

It is an honor to be the first Airman since World War II to work alongside our Polish counterparts. This experience is the highlight of my 24 year military career, said Medina.

His Polish counterpart, Senior Private Lukaszczyk explained, Polish people are very proud and hardworking. It is very important to us that we participate in the protection of our jets and people.

While the Marines of the 407th ESFS are active duty from the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, the Airmen of the 407th ESFS are reservists from across the Air Force Reserve Command. Naturally, building a defense force from geographically separated units presents its own challenges with regards to continuity. However, AFRC Headquarters efforts to standardize training requirements across its units have proven effective in establishing a strong baseline for deployment readiness. These baselines and the synergies advanced, ensure that units from across AFRC are able to converge in an expeditionary setting and perform the full operational range. The 407th ESFSs performance in the joint and coalition environment has reaffirmed the efficacy of AFRCs ability to produce mission ready warfighters that are every bit as qualified as their active duty counterparts.

Whether it is reserves or active duty, U.S. or Coalition, the defense forces of the 407th ESFS continue to break new ground in the execution of a common mission: to defend their base and people in an effort to ensure the continuation of sorties to the area of tactical operation. Through this concord of advancing shared initiatives, the active duty U.S. Air Force, AFRC, U.S. Marine Corps, and Polish defense forces here have laid the ground work for effective interoperability for years to come.
Jitendra Awhad takes a jibe at the BJP led government which is keen to lay foundation stone for various projects ahead of BMC election in the city.

NCP leader Jitendra Awhad took potshots at the BJP led state government and said that it is taking credit for the work done by the erstwhile Democratic Front government. Awhad said that instead of working for the welfare of people the government has been busy blowing its own trumpet. He took a jibe at the government which is keen to lay foundation stone for various projects in the city and said Ab Ki Baar Udghatanwali sarkar

The proposal for construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial, Dr B R Ambedkar memorial at Indu mill and metro projects at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur were announced during the Democratic Fronts reign. However, BJP has come forward to take credit for it by performing the bhoomi-pujan ceremonies, said Awhad.

The BJP government is leaving no stone unturned to take credit for the work done by Congress and NCP. Since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election is just round the corner even Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Mumbai and Pune to inaugurate metro projects, he added

He will also be laying foundation stone for the proposed Rs 3,600-crore Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial project in Arabian Sea on December 24. Instead of laying foundation stone for various projects the government should focus on improving governance as people take a note of it, said the NCP leader.

Awhad has already criticised the demonetisation drive undertaken by the government and said that it is causing huge hardships to the common man who has to stand in queues outside banks to withdraw or deposit his hard earned money. He added that the government has failed to do its homework properly before carrying out this exercise which has caused huge inconvenience to citizens and even bank employees.

Earlier Awhad had demanded the government to release a white paper pertaining to the note ban issue. He had asked what was the proportion of circulation of higher denomination notes in the economy and what was their market value? Awhad also wanted to know whether the government has made any alternative arrangements before going ahead with the demonetisation decision so that it may cause minimum inconvenience to citizens.

Awhad said that the governments decision to demonetise currency notes of higher denomination is politically motivated. He said, This is a politically motivated decision taken by the government ahead of the assembly elections to be held in several states next year and has nothing to do with improving the countrys economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to deliver the promises made by him before general election pertaining to bringing back black money stashed abroad. People had voted for the government with huge expectations but they are feeling disappointed now.
Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici was attending a photo exhibition when a gunman opened fire, assassinating Russias ambassador to Turkey. He recounts the chaos that unfolded as he captured the scene.

The event seemed routine, the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia. So when a man in a dark suit and tie pulled out a gun, I was stunned and thought it was a theatrical flourish.

Instead, it was a coolly calculated assassination, unfolding in front of me and others who scrambled, terrified, for cover as the trim man with short hair gunned down the Russian ambassador.

The gunshots, at least eight of them, were loud in the pristine art gallery. Pandemonium erupted. People screamed, hid behind columns and under tables and lay on the floor. I was afraid and confused, but found partial cover behind a wall and did my job: taking photographs.

The exhibition, titled From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, from the eyes of travelers featured photos from Russias westernmost Baltic region to the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the east. I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the Ankara office.

When I arrived, the speeches had already begun. After Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov began to make his address, I moved closer to photograph him, thinking the pictures would come in useful for stories on Turkish-Russian relations.

He was speaking softly and  from what I could tell  lovingly about his homeland, stopping occasionally to allow the translator to relay his words in Turkish. I remember thinking how calm and humble he seemed.

Then came the gunshots in quick succession, and panic in the audience. The ambassadors body lay on the floor, just meters away from me. I couldnt see any blood around him; I think he may have been shot in the back.

It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened: A man had died in front of me; a life had disappeared before my eyes.

I moved back and to the left, while the gunman  later identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas  gestured with his gun at people cowering on the right side of the room.

At first, I couldnt figure out what had motivated the shooter. I thought he might be a Chechen militant. But people later said he was shouting about the Syrian city of Aleppo.

So he was probably angry about Russian bombardments of Aleppo that were aimed at driving out anti-government rebels. Many civilians have been killed in the fighting.

He also shouted Allahu Akbar, but I couldnt understand the rest of what he said in Arabic.

The gunman was agitated. He walked around the ambassadors body, smashing some of the photos hanging on the wall.

I was, of course, fearful and knew of the danger if the gunman turned toward me. But I advanced a little and photographed the man as he hectored his desperate, captive audience.

This is what I was thinking: Im here. Even if I get hit and injured, or killed, Im a journalist. I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos.  But I wouldnt have a proper answer if people later ask me: Why didnt you take pictures?'

I even thought about friends and colleagues who have died while taking photographs in conflict zones over the years.

As my mind raced, I saw that the man was agitated  and yet, he was, strangely, in control of himself. He shouted at everyone to stand back. Security guards ordered us to vacate the hall and we left.

Ambulances and armored vehicles soon arrived and the police operation was launched. The gunman was later killed in a shootout.

When I returned to the office to edit my photos, I was shocked to see that the shooter was actually standing behind the ambassador as he spoke. Like a friend, or a bodyguard.
Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), RusHydro, one of Russia's largest power generating companies, and the government of Yakutia signed a letter of intent to cooperate on renewable energy sources during the Russian delegation's official visit to Japan, TASS reports.

"This letter of intent, signed by RusHydro, NEDO and the government of Yakutia, aims to expand renewable energy sources and build a wind farm under a pilot project in the town of Tiksi in Arctic Yakutia's Bulunsky District," said Vladimir Vasilyev, acting Head of Yakutia's External Relations Department.

Japanese experts are to develop the wind farm that will be built in Yakutia's Tiksi town above the Arctic Circle, with due consideration for the regional climate, TASS reports. Engineers will visit Yakutia, specify wind-farm project parameters and choose the construction site. The wind turbines will be adapted to the local environment.

NEDO will issue a grant to Japanese energy companies, including Komaihaltec Inc., for the two-stage project. Three wind turbines are to be assembled during the first phase, and the number could reach ten during the second phase. Preliminary estimates by Sakhaenergo, due to operate the wind farm, show that the project will help save about 227 metric tons of diesel fuel annually.

The TASS reports say Yakutia currently operates 16 solar power stations, but no wind turbines. These solar power stations have already saved 244 metric tons of diesel fuel worth 13.4 million rubles since early 2016 or 3.5 times more than in 2015 (71 metric tons). In money terms these stations are also 3.5 times more effective. The Local authorities are set to expand environmentally friendly power generation sources that will help cut consumption of expensive diesel fuel.
Several countries in Europe have sounded an alert after a Pakistan-origin hardliner hijacked a truck and ran over several people in Berlin, Germany.

The truck driver ploughed his vehicle into a Christmas market, killing 12 persons and injuring dozens of others, German media reported.

German authorities said that the suspect was arrested two kilometers away from the spot where he committed mayhem and is now being interrogated.

Security sources were quoted by media as also saying that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

The truck, police said was registered in Poland. Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

The incident occurred in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a reminder of the horrors of war for future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard, which was packed with holiday shoppers. Police said the truck made it as far as 80 yards into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers mostly from Pakistan.

Mondays incident in Berlin has once again brought into focus the alarming prospect of men of Pakistani origin repeatedly perpetrating acts of terror worldwide, and the fear among nations in Europe that they are extremely vulnerable to being exposed to 2008 Mumbai-style terror attacks by Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), whose tentacles have been found to have spread across the continent by security agencies.

Last years deadly terror attacks at multiple locations in Paris, France, that claimed 130 lives, and the terrorist attack on the departure lounge of Brussels Airport in Zaventem that claimed the lives of 31 people and injured another 300 by two suicide bombers are cases in point that justify this concern.

A group a terror suspects arrested in France last week were reportedly plotting an attack on a Christmas market on the Champs Elysees, in Paris.

In Europe, security agencies in countries like France, Germany Austria and Italy are increasingly unearthing the presence of terrorists with links to Pakistan.

Many European nations are realizing the potential threat to their national security from the rising number of Pakistanis, recruited by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and then illegally sent to Europe, say experts.

Groups like LeT and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which carry out their activities unhindered in Pakistan, instruct Muslim youth in extremist ideology to carry out jihad against the West, say experts, adding that these youth are then illegally pushed into different countries to take forward the objectives of the group to radicalise European Muslims and use them for terror attacks.
In yet another swipe at Prime Minister over demonetisation after RBI announced restrictions on depositing scrapped Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the countrys central bank is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes.

The Congress Vice President took to twitter to lash out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the AICC demanded rollback of the restriction under which an amount over Rs. 50,00 in scrapped currency can be deposited only once per account till December 30.

RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes, Gandhi tweeted, while posting an article on the RBI rules announced post demonetisation.

The attack came as the Congress leader is all set to take the battle over the issue of demonetisation to the turf of the Prime Minister with a rally at Mehsana in Gujarat on Wednesday.

At a rally in Jaunpur, Rahul had on Monday said that only one per cent people have 60 per cent of the countrys wealth and that Modi has made fun of 99 per cent honest people through demonetization.

After Gujarat, Gandhi will be addressing rally at Bahraich in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on December 22 and at Almora in Uttarkhand the next day.

Assembly polls in Uttarkhand are also scheduled early next year. On December 24, Gandhi will be addressing a rally at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram also slammed the new restrictions, calling them desperate measures of a desperate government at a time when hoarders have laundered their money while the poor and the middle class have been left high and dry.

In a series of tweets, he wondered, Old notes usable until Dec 15. Why cant we deposit remaining notes until Dec 30 as notified?

Chidambaram said, RBI makes new rule on deposit, FM contradicts. Who should citizen believe? Neither has credibility.
The Maharashtra government assured the Bombay High Court it had initiated a process at Regional Transport Offices (RTO) across the state to provide land to lay down road track for testing four-wheelers.

The government also assured a division bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka it would conduct a special drive to check vehicles for the purpose of issuing fitness certificate.

The government pleader informed the bench that process had been initiated to provide land for tracks at 35 RTOs.

Three more RTOs  Baramati, Osmanabad and Satara would get land for this purpose within two weeks, the court was informed. Hearing a PIL on the issue, the bench took on record the governments statement and deferred the matter for further hearing on January 31.

In August, the high court had warned the government to follow its earlier order of constructing 250-metre road track at all the RTOs in the state to test four-wheeler for issuance of fitness certificates or face contempt action. The court had asked the government to give an assurance it would construct the track at all the RTOs. The assurance was given today by the Maharashtra government.

Currently, few RTOs have road tracks and the test is conducted on public roads, which is very unsafe for the person driving the vehicle as well as pedestrians, the PIL, filed by social activist Srikant Karve, alleged.
Samsung is testing its mobile payment service Samsung Pay to work in India, and could soon release it in the country in early 2017.

In the aftermath of demontisation of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes in India, many digital payment services, such as Paytm and Freecharge is gaining grounds among the citizens. As a result, the South Korean tech giant is building their path to enter into digital payment market in the country via Samsung Pay.

According to a report by Sammobile, due to lack of NFC-equipped Point of Sales in India, Samsung Pay will come with Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) support, allowing Indians to make payments through traditional card-swiping method.

MST is a technology that sends a magnetic signal from your device to the payment terminals card reader (to emulate swiping a physical card without having to upgrade the terminals software or hardware). MST technology is accepted at nearly all payment terminals with a card reader.

Samsung is likely to bring the service to all its mid-range smartphones to increase its adoption in the country.

Samsung Pay service is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and the US.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2016  The Environmental Protection Agency was acting within the law when it considered Argentine biodiesel imports as part of Renewable Fuel Standard requirements.

In 2015, the National Biodiesel Board filed a petition with the EPA taking issue with the agencys decision to change rulemaking about foreign biodiesel and the RFS. Under that law, foreign producers were required to verify that feedstock used in renewable fuel production was grown on land cleared or cultivated before December of 2007. This was done to ensure sustainability requirements could be met and to make sure the biodiesel was responsibly sourced.

In a decision, a District of Columbia Court of Appeals judge ruled that EPAs action to change that requirement was neither arbitrary nor capricious, as it comports with agency regulations and rests upon the kind of highly technical judgments to which we owe agencies great deference.

Under EPAs suggested change, a third partys survey plan could be used to demonstrate compliance rather than the tracking system previously required. NBB argued this was ineffective to ensure compliance but Judge David Tatel  writing the opinion for the three-judge panel  said the judges are are more likely to brew renewable fuel ourselves than second-guess the EPAs determination on this highly technical point based on a fleeting attack by the challenger.

Did you know Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website? Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.

In a statement, Anne Steckel, NBBs vice president of federal affairs, said she thought the EPAs decision has negative implications for the industry, which is why we challenged. She added that NBB is still reviewing the courts decision and looking at our options.

#30
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2016  Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen will take a seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee when the 115th Congress convenes in January.

In the House, the 57-year-old senator-elect has been representing Marylands wealthy 8th District along Washington D.C.s northwest border since 2003. Van Hollen will be an addition to the Senate Ag Committee, cutting the GOPs edge on the panel to 11-10.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, the ag committees ranking member, said she was excited that Van Hollen is joining the panel.

Chris has been a champion for the diverse needs of his state, including efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay as part of the Farm Bill, she said. As we look ahead to a new Congress, I know we will have a strong team assembled on the Agriculture Committee to continue our fight for farmers and families in Michigan, Maryland, and across the country.

According to census figures on the Maryland Department of Agriculture website, Maryland produced about $2.271 billion in ag products in 2012, placing it 36th among the U.S. states. Poultry and eggs, most of which come from the states Eastern Shore, were the biggest contributors, at about $923 million. The Free States farmers also produced about $476 million worth of soybeans and $436 million in corn, according to 2012 census figures.

From our hardworking farmers, to our great Chesapeake Bay, to programs that provide food assistance to families, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry covers issues that are vital to Marylands success, Van Hollen said in a statement. He said he looks forward to working with Stabenow and with Agriculture Committee Chair Pat Roberts, R-Kan., on key priorities for U.S. families.

Learn about the benefits of subscribing to Agri-Pulse. Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.





Van Hollen was born in Pakistan to a diplomat father and a mother who worked for the CIA and the State Department. He has an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College, a masters from Harvard and a law degree from Georgetown.

In the Senate, Van Hollen is taking the seat being vacated by retiring Barbara Mikulski. He will also be serving on the Appropriations and Budget committees and on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs panel.

#30

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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan held a meeting with the representatives of 10 major importing companies of Armenia, listened to issues related to their activities and the steps expected from the Government that will create favorable conditions for their further activities, press service of the Government told Armenpress.

The businessmen stated that recently quick solutions are given to document circulation, including the customs formulations. As a problem, they have identified the issue of freights which is related to the current situation in the Upper Lars highway due to unfavorable weather.

PM Karapetyan informed that the Government currently is taking steps to develop new transport schemes and find alternative ways to Upper Lars highway that will enable to organize the import and export in more favorable conditions and predictable timeframe.

Other issues related to the company activities, as well as the possibility of organizing the production of certain imported goods in Armenia were discussed.

The day before the PM held a meeting with the representatives of 10 major producer-exporter companies and said the Government is planning to show practical support to enterprises aimed at boosting the export. In particular, it is expected to conduct a monitoring over the legal norms regulating the export, reveal and eliminate the administrative obstacles. A number of issues related to the sector, in particular, the problems raised in foreign markets over the realization of Armenian products were discussed.

The PM stated that the Government will be consistent on solving the discussed issues since it attaches a great importance to the activity of producing companies directed towards export.
Five years later, Aiken police officers reflect on the life of Scotty Richardson
Elector Tina Pickett casts her ballot during Pennsylvania's 58th Electoral College at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Members of Pennsylvania's 58th Electoral College met at the state Capitol amid demonstrations by hundreds of protesters to cast the state's 20 electoral votes for President-elect Donald Trump. Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania by fewer than 45,000 votes out of more than 6 million cast, or by less than 1 percent. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told Armenpress the Azerbaijani forces made over 40 ceasefire violations by firing various caliber small arms, as well as sniper rifles across the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Ministrys announcement reads:

Overnight December 19-20 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime over 40 times by firing more than 1200 shots from various caliber small arms, as well as sniper rifles at the Armenian positions in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Defense Army forces didnt take countermeasures, and at this moment they continue confidently fulfilling their military tasks along the entire length of the line of contact and ensuring the protection of the frontline.
Held at Airbus Helicopters facilities in Santiago, the handover ceremony was attended by General Humberto Oviedo Arriagada, the Commander in Chief of the Chilean Army; Brigadier-General Gustavo Nunez Kocher, the Commander of the Chilean Armys Air Brigade; and Airbus Helicopters Chile General Manager, Alexandre Ceccacci, among other civil and military dignitaries.





This helicopter complements the armys fleet, which now includes latest-generation aircraft with the ability to perform multiple missions across the entire country, said Brigadier-General Nunez Kocher. Our confidence in this helicopter is based on the positive operational results it has achieved since coming into service in 2009. The H215M has proved its versatility and reliability across the Armys numerous and demanding operations.

The armys H215M have completed more than 10,000 flight hours in a large number of missions that range from the provision of aid to remote areas and medical evacuations to firefighting and disaster relief. The Chilean Armys Air Brigade played a crucial relief role during the floods that hit the Atacama region in 2015, carrying out 56 missions to provide support for flood victims.

This project owes its success to the involvement of both parties and the relationship of trust that exists between them, said Alexandre Ceccacci. I would like to thank the army for all their support. It will be an honor to continue working together in the support of these aircraft as well as in other projects to come. Airbus Helicopters can be proud of the Air Brigades ten H215M, and I can assure you that we will be working hard to ensure they continue delivering high-value capability.

In addition to the ten H215Ms, the Chilean Army operates a number of other Airbus Helicopters rotorcraft, such as the single-engine AS350B3, the twin-engine AS355NP and the Puma SA330L.

The H215and its military version, the H215Mforms part of the Super Puma family. It boasts multi-mission capabilities and delivers optimum performance in extreme operating conditions. Combining modern avionics with a proven, robust platform the H215M offers long-range capabilities, power, speed and a large useful payload; making it the ideal aircraft to perform SAR missions. The H215 is also reliable and highly economical, with an availability rate of more than 95 percent.

The helicopters of the Super Puma family serve with the armed forces of more than 43 countries around the world. There are more than 100 helicopters from the family operating in Latin America alone, in virtually every country of the region. Their ability to operate in both high & hot conditions and jungle environments means they can rise to the operational challenges the region poses, particularly in the Andes and its high plateau, which have their own unique environment in terms of altitude and temperature.
The Winds of Change Are Blowing in Europe

(AINA) -- If 2015 in Europe was most memorable for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who traipsed across the continent, 2016 will be marked by the dramatic increase in terrorist attacks at different European locations.

Sadly, these two developments are not unconnected. Most of the refugees who arrived in Europe last year were Muslim, while virtually all of the terrorist attacks were carried out by Muslims, with many asylum seekers involved.

Much of the commentary relating to the terrorist attacks has focused on the minutiae. This is as needs be, as information about the date of the attacks, the perpetrators, the identities of the victims, motivations and so forth are all important.

Hence we have learned in graphic detail about the bombing at Brussels airport in March, the murder of a police officer and his wife in France in June, the grisly beheading of a priest in Northern France in July, the murderous truck attack on Bastille Day in the southern French city of Nice also in July, the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in December, and a host of other incidents that are almost too numerous to mention.

But attention to detail should not lead us to ignore the big picture and its key features. Let us pause to reflect on what they may be.

First, where minority Muslim populations are found, there also exists problems with integration of those communities. This is less due to lack of acceptance by host communities -- in fact the opposite is true of host community behavior -- but rather a reluctance to integrate on the part of the Muslim newcomers, who maintain a mindset of separation and often hostility to the host community.

Second, when Muslim refugees are involved in terror attacks such as those listed above, political leaders and media commentators are typically quick to dissociate Islam from the events and, in some cases such as BBC reports, studiously avoid using the words "Islam" or "Muslim" when reporting terrorist incidents.

Third, because of the reluctance of governments and other authorities to acknowledge the link between Muslim refugee arrival and increased terrorism, civil society groups are speaking the unspeakable by linking the two in public statements. In response, political and social elites dismiss such civil society groups as being part of the "far right", thereby using a label to avoid having to engage with the arguments of such groups.

Fourth, the absence of any involvement of non-Muslim refugee groups in terror attacks. Of the numerous terror incidents across the European continent in 2016, not a single perpetrator was Christian, Yazidi, Buddhist, Hindu, or Sikh.

The above observations lead to a couple of stark conclusions. If terrorism has increased exponentially with rapid Muslim refugee arrivals, then an obvious way to address the problem of increased terrorism is to reduce Muslim refugee arrivals. This can be done by giving preference to non-Muslim refugees, especially Christians, in refugee processing. Although Europe's Christian foundations may have been severely eroded, Christian refugees will undoubtedly be better prepared to integrate positively and constructively with native European populations. Indeed, they could trigger the kind of revival of Christian identity that Europe desperately needs.

Second, it is clear that the current political leadership in European countries that has allowed the present situation to develop needs to be replaced. The winds of change are sweeping across the West because of widespread discontent with liberal political leadership. This popular discontent has been seen during 2016 in the Brexit vote, the Trump victory in the USA, and in the increasing support for civil society groups that are willing to acknowledge the linkage between Muslim refugee arrivals and increased terrorism. While Angela Merkel and like-minded liberal European political leaders may not see the changes, the worm is turning. It is time for widespread political change across Europe, bringing in a new generation of leaders who are willing to shore up the historic identity of European nations and to affirm their cultures and traditions.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Russias President Vladimir Putin said the assasination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is a provocation and assured that the terrorists will feel the strengthened fight against them, reports TASS.

Putin also instructed to strengthen the control of the Russian diplomatic representations in abroad.

Putin extended condolences to the killed Ambassadors family members and relatives.

"A crime has been committed and it was undoubtedly a provocation aimed to undermine the revitalization of the Russian and Turkish relations as well as to disrupt the Syrian conflict peaceful settlement process promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries, which are interested in the resolution of the Syria situation, Putin saying as quoted by TASS.

The response to this [crime] can be only one and it will be the strengthened fight against terrorism. The terrorists will have to suffer through all of it, Putin said.

The Russian President said the Russian Investigative Committee has already opened a criminal case over the murder, it has been instructed to form a working group that must depart for Ankara to take part in the investigation of this crime. Putin said this agreement has been reached during a phone conversation with Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

We must know how steered the killers course, Putin said.












December 19, 2016

CAIRO  Egypt has made continued efforts to secure the countrys needs for petroleum products since the Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco halted the supply of petroleum products to Egypt in October. The halt came following Egypt's vote at the UN Security Council Oct. 9 in favor of a Russian resolution on Syria (which Saudi Arabia strongly opposed) and in spite of an April 1 contract that stipulates Saudi Arabia supply Egypt with such products for five years.

For the third consecutive month, the worlds biggest oil company, Aramco, has refused to abide by the contract with Egypt without giving Egyptian officials a clear reason for the halt of the supply of petroleum products.

As Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources started accepting bids to meet the countrys needs for gasoline, diesel fuel and fuel oil on Oct. 10, Egypts minister of petroleum and mineral resources, Tarek el-Mulla, began communicating with a number of states to obtain petroleum cargoes.

During a visit to Jordan Oct. 27, Mulla discussed with Jordans minister of energy and mineral resources, Ibrahim Saif, the various aspects of cooperation in the oil and gas sector between the two countries.

On Oct. 29, Mulla headed to Iraq for a two-day visit, where he met with Iraqs Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi to discuss cooperation between the countries' oil industries and gas exports.

On Dec. 7, Mulla discussed cooperation in the oil and gas fields with Kuwaits Ambassador to Cairo Mohammed Saleh Thuwaikh. Following the meeting, Mulla said that an Egyptian-Kuwaiti contract was concluded, allowing Kuwaiti crude oil to be imported and refined in Egypt and the Kuwait National Petroleum Company to supply Egypt with diesel fuel with payment facilities over several years.

According to the Tehran Times, Tehran voiced its willingness to supply Egypt with oil products for October, in its quest for alternatives.

Egypt's need for petroleum products and natural gas amounted to 87.7 million tons in the 2015-16 fiscal year  42.3 million tons of petroleum products and 45.4 million tons of natural gas. While 35% of Egypts needs are imported, 40% of its imports of petroleum products were supplied by Aramco.

In an interview with CNN Oct. 4, the general director for international affairs at the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said that Egyptian-Iranian cooperation is crucial to address problems and challenges facing the Islamic world and the Middle East.

It is not the first time that Iran seeks to bring closer the Egyptian-Iranian points of view and strengthen bilateral ties. In the past few years, several attempts were made to achieve an Egyptian-Iranian rapprochement. On April 16, 2012, Iran offered to transfer its experiences in different technological and scientific fields to Egypt, including the entry of long-range missiles. Yet Egypt ignored the offer.

There is an opportunity for cooperation between Egypt and Tehran, the worlds fourth oil producer, in light of expanding Egyptian-Russian ties, Egypt's declared position toward the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the escalating Egyptian-Saudi differences over the Syrian and Yemeni crises, and Egypts quest for an alternative to Saudi oil.

Because Egyptian-Iranian cooperation is closely linked to political interests, a number of observers believe that the supply of Iranian oil would have an exorbitant political bill, and would certainly undermine Egypts relations with the Gulf countries and put an end to any future Gulf financial aid to Egypt. Yet will Egypt accept the Iranian offer to meet its petroleum needs, in light of escalating Egyptian-Saudi differences?

Ammar Ali Hassan, a political analyst and author, told Al-Monitor, The current Saudi administration will not be understanding of the move, and for sure ties with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries will worsen in case Egypt accepts that offer.

He said, Political interests are the ones governing [relations between] countries, and the Saudi oil [supplied to Egypt] is not a part of a Gulf grant but rather a $23 billion agreement and contract between the two countries on the export of 700,000 tons per month for a five-year period. Therefore, there will be no problem in case Iran is willing to meet Egypt's petroleum needs, as part of a trade deal free of any political conditions.

Hassan added, Most of the Gulf countries have security agreements with Iran, which everyone knows about. Therefore, there is no problem in supporting Cairos ties with Tehran, as they are not at the expense of the Gulf countries.

On March 9, 2010, Qatar and Iran signed a security cooperation agreement that includes combating organized crime, increasing border security and fighting trafficking in drugs and humans and money laundering.

Azzaman daily reported in September 2013 that Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan had signed with his Omani counterpart, Badr bin Saud Al Busaidi, a military agreement granting the Iranian naval fleet privileges at Omani ports.

Hassan concluded, Iran has repeatedly approached Egypt and has not given up attempts to consolidate ties with Cairo. Therefore, in case Egypt agrees to consolidate relations with Iran, these ties could be used to address outstanding issues, such as the Yemeni and Syrian dossiers, which Iran is a main party of. This is because the Arab intervention failed to resolve the Yemeni crisis, which the Gulf countries need to understand very well.
December 17, 2016

When he was going through a tough period in his life, Ahmed Abu el-Haz was trying to find treatment from a psychiatrist online in order to tackle his depression. But unfortunately this was not available at the time.

"I spent three months in bed after going through a tough back surgery, and I became severely depressed," Abu el-Haz, 30, told Al-Monitor, explaining the reason behind the launch of his startup Shezlong.

The online psychotherapy and rehabilitation platform Shezlong, which has recently secured $150,000 from tech investment group A15, currently has roughly 14,000 cases from across the Arab region that require psychological help.

Studies have found depression rates of greater than 5% in the Middle East, above the world average.

Software engineer Abu el-Haz decided to quit his job in 2014 to set up Shezlong, using his skills and network to bring the field of psychotherapy to the digital world.

When a client gets access to the Shezlong platform, he or she can select from a number of psychotherapists whose personal information as well as specializations are clearly shown. Abu el-Haz said that each doctor determines the fees according to the duration of the session and other factors.

Shezlongs sessions between the doctor and the patient are conducted over the internet and last from 30 minutes to an hour. The prices start at 50 Egyptian pounds ($2.70) per session and can reach up to 400 pounds ($22).

Abu el-Haz said that half of the companys clients are based in Egypt, while the other half are from other Arab countries. He added that the sessions are conducted via chat or video call on the site, and that Shezlong ensures full confidentiality and privacy of the patients disclosures.

"Through the platform, we are bringing together on one digital hub the three pillars in the field of psychotherapy: stakeholders, psychiatrists and patients. This of course benefits both the patients and the psychiatrists," Abu el-Haz said. "There are many clients who cannot go to a psychiatrist or they don't have time to do so. This is the reason for the platform; we offer patients online sessions through which they can get treatment for their psychological problems."

The majority of Shezlong's clients are treated for depression, personal disorders or relationship disorders. He said that the clients are on average between 25 and 35 years old; 60% are females and 40% are males.

He noted that there is a mental health crisis in Egypt, as there are only 6,000 psychiatrists for millions of people who have a mental illness. In addition, seeking psychological help is considered a taboo in Egyptian society.

The stigma has long hindered treatment and recovery  in some cases causing family problems, social isolation and even death, Abu el-Haz said. However, he emphasized that he is adamant about breaking this social taboo and providing psychotherapy for all patients in Egypt.

Abu el-Haz partnered with psychiatrist Ahmed el-Shamy, who founded the department of psychiatry at the Child Cancer Hospital, and Shezlong was launched in 2015. The startup is part of the Egyptian governments Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.

Shamy said that they are now partnering with institutions and giant companies, including the United Nations Development Program and Microsoft, which provides them with a cloud service and technical support.

According to Shamy, the platform is a new idea in the Arab region. However, he noted that it is not new on the international level as similar platforms exist in developed countries.

Shamy also said that most cases he deals with from the Arab countries concern depression. Most of the time, I encounter the three types of depression that all have common symptoms, including lack of interest, sleeplessness, exhaustion, self-worthlessness and feeling guilty, he told Al-Monitor.

According to the nongovernmental organization Egyptian Coordination for Rights and Freedoms (ECRF), roughly 160 individuals commit suicide annually in Egypt because of depression. The ECRF also referred to the fact that patients from the onset of their illness do not have access to the right treatment.

Abu el-Haz believes that his startup has the potential to further grow as online therapy is effective. Patients can talk freely and express their problems through online therapy. Factors such as traffic jams and other people in the waiting room tend to make patients feel uncomfortable, he said. Going online is the safest option.

In Egypt, there are still many people who feel uneasy about seeing a psychiatrist, either because they are afraid of what others may think or they do not have confidence in the therapists.

I would rather speak with one of my friends or turn to God, instead of going to a therapist, Ahmed Samir wrote in a Facebook post.

Aya Abdel Kader, however, wrote on Facebook that she would be OK with seeing a therapist: It is a kind of disease and needs a cure. I would not feel ashamed to go and get treatment."

Shezlong seeks to expand outside Egypt, and intends to negotiate with six psychotherapists from the United States, Canada and Australia. The platform is also currently developing a test that would give participants a full report on their level of anxiety, fear and depression, as an indication for anyone who is in need of a consultation before booking a session with a psychiatrist.

Abu el-Haz said that the startup is planning also to provide therapy via WhatsApp and corporate counseling services for employees. The new service will be a hit as anyone will be able to talk to the therapist via WhatsApp, he said.
December 19, 2016

At the Dec. 11 ceremony to introduce Gholamhossein Gheybparvar as the new head of Irans paramilitary Basij, Gen. Mohammad Shirazi, the head of military affairs at the office of the supreme leader, recounted that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei realized that a number of ill-tempered individuals were angry with Gheybparvar when he visited the southern city of Shiraz. In Shirazis telling, rather than being upset, Khamenei saw this as showing Gheybparvars perseverance and [being on the] correct path. While this story at first glance seems inconsequential, the supreme leader has presented it in Iranian media as a ringing endorsement.

According to biographies circulated in Iranian media, Brig. Gen. Gheybparvar was born in Shiraz. He was expelled from school for writing anti-shah slogans before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. After the revolution, he joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and fought in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. He received his doctorate in Strategic Studies at Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Imam Hussein University. In 2000, he was put in charge of training the Revolutionary Guards ground forces. In October 2015, after the death of Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani in Syria, Gheybparvar was appointed as the head of Imam Hussein Headquarters, which is tasked with organizing IRGC brigades. In this role, he traveled to Syria to prepare the people-based divisions and brigades.

Gheybparvars most significant role, however  in the eyes of his superiors  was as IRGC commander for his home province of Fars. This position, which he held for years, can shed light on how his leadership may influence the Basijs future. Of note, the Basij is formally under the authority of the IRGC and was incorporated into the latters ground forces in 2008.

When Khamenei appointed Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naghdi to head the Basij in October 2009, the country had for months been rocked by massive protests in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election. Khamenei, who viewed the protests as a foreign conspiracy to topple the Islamic Republic, needed a commander to maintain the Basij as an ideological bulwark against Western and especially American influence. With his background in media and cultural affairs as well as a penchant for dramatic statements  once claiming that Europeans would become extinct like dinosaurs due to homosexuality and living with animals  Naghdi was ideologically and temperamentally well-suited to head the Basij through this era.

While Naghdi was leading the charge against American influence, in Shiraz, Gheybparvar was making a name for himself as an effective commander in clamping down on dissidents in Fars province. While Tehran in 2009 witnessed its biggest protests since the revolution, the streets of Shiraz  the capital of Fars  remained comparatively calm. Gheybparvar also issued a rare public statement in December 2014 in which he called the leaders of the Green Movement, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and ex-parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi, politically impure  impure being a harsh religious term in Persian. Some also believe Gheybparvar had a role in the assault by hard-liners on outspoken parliament member Ali Motahari  who has defended Mousavi and Karroubi  when Motahari visited Shiraz in March 2015.

Seven years after the 2009 protests, Khamenei may now be seeking to take the Basij back to its original mission: as a military force, albeit without necessarily eliminating its cultural objectives. When Khamenei appointed Gheybparvar, he asked him to focus on a number of crucial areas: organization of the youth, promotion of Basij culturally, creation of think tanks, monitoring and creation of strategies to prevent the penetration of enemies, and strengthening cooperation and coordination with other state institutions. Few are better suited for this job description than Gheybparvar, who not only shares Khameneis disdain for the Green Movement, but also has a strong military background in organization and operations.

While it is difficult to make predictions about the future policies of Iranian military organizations based on the current wave of new appointments, Khameneis recent string of decisions appears to show a preference for generals with operational and intelligence backgrounds over those with cultural and ideological backgrounds. In June, Khamenei appointed Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri as the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces. Bagheri was previously the deputy of intelligence and operations of the armed forces. He replaced Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, who had held the position for 27 years, and like Naghdi, was better known for making statements to the media than his military achievements.

With the appointments of Bagheri and Gheybparvar, Khamenei not only chose generals who are each a decade younger than their predecessors (both men are in their 50s), but he also chose commanders known for their organizational expertise. Moreover, unlike their predecessors, they have overall both tended to shun the media limelight.

With Iran currently deeply involved in wars in Syria and Iraq, it seems that Khamenei and the IRGC plan to maintain the commitment in the region for the foreseeable future. With the Basijs membership already in the millions, having a leader whose strength is in messaging, such as Naghdi, may be deemed unnecessary. Rather, to forge better cohesion between the IRGC and the Basij, and to maintain a vigilant and revolutionary force, a general with a military background in organization is required.

In such a scenario, the heads of the Basij and the IRGC must be in sync  and this seems to be the case with Gheybparvar and Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari. Indeed, it was Jafari who recommended Gheybparvar for the promotion. Jafari had also appointed Gheybparvar to head the Imam Hussein Headquarters. At the introduction ceremony for Gheybparvar, Jafari lamented that the revolutionary fervor of some had declined, and that this was not something that hed have to worry about when it comes to Gheybparvar. After his appointment, Gheybparvar insisted to reporters that his views on the Green Movement leaders has not changed since calling them politically impure, adding that the only path forward for them is to repent.

There are also other and perhaps more practical benefits for Khamenei in reassigning Naghdi, who now serves as the IRGCs cultural and social deputy. The supreme leader typically keeps top military commanders for around a decade, with the exception of Firouzabadi. This preference for fresh blood shows that Khamenei is adept at preventing fiefdoms in the IRGC, Afshon Ostovar, author of Vanguard of the Imam: Religion, Politics, and Irans Revolutionary Guard, told Al-Monitor. Change also prevents bureaucratic fatigue.

Moreover, given the Basijs size and political and economic influence, it has become an increasingly lucrative career move for members to climb the ladder of the organization. A trend toward careerism rather than ideology driving fervor within the organization could hollow out the organization from core believers, thus constituting a threat to one of the key pillars of the Islamic Republic. If anything, Gheybparvar is well-suited to prevent such threats to a state he has served dutifully for 37 years.
December 20, 2016

On Dec. 19, Irans moderate president Hassan Rouhani fulfilled one of his most important electoral promises: the formation and declaration of a Citizens Rights Charter.

The charter, which has 120 articles, emphasizes the right to a decent life  including the rights to freedom of speech, access to information, health services, a clean environment, holding rallies and clean water.

Expressing his pleasure over the move, Rouhani said Dec. 19, "I have stood by my promises regarding youth, women, and religious and ethnic minorities. He also described the charter as a great step toward implementing the constitution and said, The government was committed to implementing the rule of law from its first day in office. The Charter on Citizens Rights is the result of opinions taken from lawyers, experts and the public, and has the potential to evolve. Rouhani continued, No one [individual], no group and no media is exempt from the law. Everybody has equal rights before the law and it recognizes no 'favorites.'

In reaction to the unveiling of the charter, conservative and hard-line newspapers slammed Rouhani, and demanded that the presidents attention rather be focused on the peoples economic situation.

Sobh-e-No daily, which is close to conservative Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote Dec. 20, While Rouhani considers the Citizens Rights charter as one of his fulfilled [campaign] promises, taking a look at the actual lives of people shows that their priorities are summed up in the two categories of their livelihoods and the economy. In fact, what is the concern of most people in Iran and what they refer to as their top demands and priorities are economic issues, unemployment, employment, livelihoods, income, and so on and so forth.

Adopting the same line of thought as Sobh-e-No, the hard-line Kayhan newspaper  known as the mouthpiece of ultra-conservatives  wrote in its Dec. 20 edition, Rouhanis statement about civil rights as well as the favorites [issues] is very far from the administrations behavior [in practice]. While some of the governmental managers receive very high salaries and citizens are suffering from unemployment, and while many dont have an appropriate house and some others are living in their billion-[toman] houses and mansions, talking about civil rights is close to joking.

Unlike conservatives, Reformist and moderate dailies unanimously welcomed the Citizens Rights Charter  but expressed concern about whether it will actually be enforced.

On Dec. 20, the Reformist Shargh daily asked, What is the legal nature of this document? In other words, is the Citizens Rights Charter [considered to be] among the government-approved bills which are binding?  We cant give a positive answer to this question; this document is definitely not a law.

Meanwhile, the hard-line Javan newspaper touched on the same issue, arguing in an article Dec. 20, It was seen in the news that the Citizens Rights Charter has been unveiled following [many] hours of work by experts and taking [into account the] opinions of law professors. Unfortunately, it should be said that this so-called legal text is far [removed] from basic legal matters. The major problem of this text  is that the executive branch has taken over the place of the legislature and passed legislation. Even though it is mentioned in the text [of the Citizens Rights Charter] that the institutions subordinate to the executive branch should observe the articles [of the charter], certainly the determination of a law for all institutions, including the institutions subordinate to the executive branch, is the responsibility of the parliament.

In this vein, Elham Aminzadeh, the presidents aide on citizens' rights, said Dec. 18, This document currently doesnt apply any special sanctions [in case of its violation], but after passing and unveiling it, this issue will be studied.
December 18, 2016

After a long period of heavy fighting over the city of Aleppo, the Syrian army and its allies have managed to retake almost all of it from the rebel forces. It is a considerable achievement not only for the Syrian government, but also for Russia and Iran as its main allies. The victory in Aleppo came amid continued diplomatic efforts to address the violence in Syria.

On Dec. 8, Moscow announced a new round of talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry, to try to find a solution for the embattled city and possibly the entire country. As anticipated from the moment the talks were announced, and like the previous peace efforts by the two powers, the new diplomatic initiative did not lead to a successful outcome. Indeed, as early as Dec. 12, it was declared that the dialogue had ended in deadlock.

Of interest, however, is that Iran was once again not a part of Russias diplomatic maneuvering on Syria, and this raises questions about Tehran's place in Russias overall Syrian strategy. In fact, although Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bugdanov said that he had informed Iran of the latest US proposal, the Iranians denied receiving information in this regard.

That said, Russias agreeing to enter a new round of talks with the United States was not a serious effort to reach a peace agreement, but had primarily been driven by two other factors: First, Russias decision was announced a short time after the Barack Obama administration showed a willingness to increase support for Syrian rebels with deliveries of more sophisticated weapons. Second, international pressure on Moscow and its Syrian policy increased after Moscow vetoed a proposed resolution on humanitarian access to Aleppo at the UN Security Council Dec. 5. Thus, declaring its willingness to hold talks with the United States was merely a tactical move by Moscow to suggest that it is ready for a political resolution on Syria, effectively killing time until the next US administration, which by all indications will probably have a more positive attitude toward Russia. Awareness of these dynamics may have caused Tehran to stifle any expressions of opposition it might have had to the US-Russian talks, and the Syrian governments victory in Aleppo proved that the tactic had been successful, as it paused any intention by the United States to take more serious steps regarding Aleppo. What will come next?

As discussed in Al-Monitor early in the year, keeping the current Syrian ruling establishment in place and preventing its opponents from seizing power has been the overriding objective bringing Iran and Russia together in Syria. This shared interest aside, each is also pursuing individual goals that they do not necessarily share entirely. Thus, as the situation moves closer to the realization of these separate goals, one can anticipate that differences in the Russian and Iranian approaches will become more apparent.

The first important point to consider in this regard is the deepening Russia-Turkey reconciliation and its impact on the Syrian crisis. The most important impact so far is the advancement of Turkish-backed forces in northern Syria, especially against al-Bab, whose strategic value lies in the opportunity it provides for these forces to play a notable role in Syria's future. After losing ground in Aleppo and other areas, al-Bab could be regarded as their only strategic asset to bargain with and gain political points. The main point in the grander scheme of things, however, is that Turkey launched its al-Bab operation after a series of meetings and contacts between high-ranking Russian and Turkish officials. This has raised suggestions that the operation could not have been launched without an implicit green light from Moscow at the very least.

The maneuvering over al-Bab can be regarded as Irans first serious concern about Russias future plans in Syria, because it could mean that Moscow and Ankara have reached an agreement to in the longer term recognize their zones of influence in Syria, which in turn, would mean a decrease in the power and control of the Syrian government. This concerns Tehran because its influence in Syria rests mainly on its relations with Assads regime.

The second potential concern for Iran in this regard is that since the start of the war in Syria in 2011, Moscow has managed to establish channels of communication with the more moderate Syrian opposition groups. Most recently, there have been reports of negotiations between Russia and representatives of the Syrian opposition in Turkey. Moreover, Moscow has strong links with the Syrian Kurds and has even agreed to allow them to open an office in Russia. In other words, Russia has been diversifying its range of options for the Syria of the future, while Irans ties to the main parties involved in the Syrian conflict have been limited to the Assad government. Hence, any drastic change in the structure of the Syrian government or the governance of Syria could carry a higher cost for Iran compared to Russia.

A third potential concern for Iran in Syria relates to the prospect of cooperation between Moscow and Washington resulting in effective collaboration between them after the new US administration takes office. An important sign of a potential new era in US-Russian relations was the selection of Rex Tillerson, a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as US secretary of state. In this context, if US President-elect Donald Trumps stated idea of an anti-terrorism partnership with Russia is realized, it could mean that the two sides might eventually agree on a solution among great powers, which Putin has long shown a willingness to forge. If such a development occurs, it could not only exclude Iran from the forefront of finding a solution for Syria, but also entail some elements, such as the federalization of the war-torn country, a scenario Iran strongly opposes.

Thus, it seems that given the current situation, Iran might consider revising its available options in Syria and diversify its channels of communication to encompass more domestic and foreign actors with influence in the country. If not, it could very well lose some of its maneuverability in postwar Syria.
December 19, 2016

It remains unknown who started the campaign launched under the Arabic hashtag #Haram-al Khair (Pyramid of Charity), which has taken the social media networks by storm in Palestine. But social media users are participating in the charity campaign nonetheless.

As part of this campaign, people challenge five Facebook friends to share a post saying that they will donate a sum of money depending on the "likes," comments and the number of shares the post gets. Every like and share of the post counts for 1 Israeli shekel (about $0.26), while a comment is worth 2 shekels. After 24 hours, the person who created the post will donate the total amount "raised" to a charity organization or a needy family of their choice. He or she will then challenge five friends on Facebook.

The campaign has gone viral, and some banks and companies are taking part in it, including Palestinian cellular company Jawwal and the Arab Islamic Bank.

The challenge was launched on social media in Morocco, right before the Eid al-Adha holiday in September, when artists challenged each other through posts and videos to donate money to a poor family. The campaign has now reached Palestine ahead of the new year and at the onset of winter, when poor families are in most need.

Social media campaigns such as this one are not subject to any supervision by the authorities or charitable organizations, and anyone who accepts the challenge pays the amount "raised" out of his own pocket.

Walaa Jarar, 29, from the West Bank city of Jenin, told Al-Monitor, I saw the campaign on Facebook and I liked the idea a lot. I asked one of my Facebook friends to challenge me and I shared the post on Dec. 9.

Jarar said the goal behind this campaign is to use Facebook in a useful way for charity, noting that she was able to set aside from her own salary the amount corresponding to the number of interactions her Facebook post received.

Mohammed Hasna was also challenged by a friend. His Dec. 5 post received 1,100 "likes," got 62 shares and about 384 comments. I paid the rent of four families in need and offered in-kind contributions to poor families, he told Al-Monitor.

Hasna said the campaign has achieved great success, but he noted, The crisis in the Gaza Strip will not be solved by a [social media] campaign. Salaries are being cut and the unemployment and poverty rates are skyrocketing. To resolve this crisis we must end the blockade and the internal division.

According to the Gaza Situation Report 94, the unemployment rate in Gaza stood at 43.9% in 2015, while the poverty rate soared to 39%, marking an 11% increase compared to 2013.

Al-Monitor was able to identify the group that named the campaign in Palestine the Pyramid of Charity. Hatem Hassouna, a member of the group and a civil society activist, told Al-Monitor, We are a group of friends. We took part in the campaign after being challenged by others. We don't know who came up with the idea and launched the campaign, but we decided to promote it. We chose the name Pyramid of Charity, because the campaign is like a pyramid that gradually grows and expands.

Hassouna said that some social media users' posts totaled 2,000 shekels ($517), adding that not every social media user who is challenged will take part, because it is voluntary.

Fadi el-Hindi, a civil society activist, was among the first in Palestine to join the challenge Dec. 3. He told Al-Monitor, I liked the idea as it encourages to do good. I learned about it from a comment someone made on the post of my friend who challenged me.

He said that the average amount collected by participants in the campaign is 400-500 shekels ($103-$129). He added, It depends on the participants number of friends and people who reacted to his or her post.

Hindi noted, The campaign is only positive. It was used as a model to launch another challenge for volunteering, such as providing training and transferring knowledge and experience, but that has not been as successful as this campaign.

Some people opposed the challenge on social media. Social activist Mohamed Sheikh Yusuf, 28, criticized the campaign and wrote on Facebook Dec. 5, This challenge is only designed to play on peoples emotions.

He told Al-Monitor, Some perceived the campaign as encouraging, but for what? The only person making the donation is the person who writes the post, while the others are virtual donors who only contribute [with "likes" and shared posts] to the increase of the amount without actually making a donation.

Joman Mazzawi, 32, from the city of Nazareth, told Al-Monitor, I joined the campaign in late November after one of my Facebook friends challenged me. I challenged five other friends from different geographical regions, such as Gaza, the West Bank and the 1948 territories.

She stressed that she took the campaign seriously and donated the amount to an initiative launched in Ramallah. She said it was a beautiful experiment for her.

Commenting on the criticism of some, she said that she is against virtual campaigns, as they are not usually linked to real issues. However, this campaign combines what is real and virtual, as it uses the virtual world to collect money to contribute to changing reality.

She said that there are several problems regarding the campaign, as some of those who were challenged may be embarrassed, since they may be "unable to take on the challenge given their financial situation and family responsibilities.

The participation of Palestinian companies in the charity campaign was strongly welcomed by Facebook users in Palestine, whose number exceeded 1.7 million users according to statistics published in June 2015. The "likes," shares and comments made on these companies posts were higher than those received by the posts of ordinary citizens.
December 20, 2016

The possibility of US President-elect Donald Trump's administration actually carrying out his campaign "promise" to move the US Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem exposes a Pandoras box of complications that would destroy what little chance exists of a mediated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The genuine worries raised by that specter have only grown following Trump's announcement that he will nominate pro-Israeli-settler, right-wing Jewish bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman as his ambassador to Israel. Friedman welcomed the news by saying he plans to work out of a new embassy office in Jerusalem.

The concern comes not only from Palestinian politicians; it comes from Palestinian, Israeli and US legal and academic experts. Camille Mansour, former professor of international relations at Paris University, told Al-Monitor that if it does take place, the US move will have a devastating effect in a number of areas.

It is a clear abandonment of the corpus-separatum issue, which Jerusalem has enjoyed since before 1947," he said. A number of consulates were based in Jerusalem  US, Italian, English, Turkish, Spanish, French and Belgian  "based on this separate recognition of the city."

Corpus-separatum refers to a city or region with special legal and political status. The designation falls short of bestowing sovereign status, or that of an independent city-state.

Hanna Issa, a Palestinian expert on international law and a resident of Jerusalem, told Al-Monitor the United Nations has in various ways stressed the special status of Jerusalem. This definition was made clear in the 1947 UN Partition Plan, Resolution 181, and a year later, the status of Jerusalem was reaffirmed in a separate resolution, UNGA 303, in December 1949, he said.

In the 303 resolution, Jerusalem and its nearby towns of Bethlehem and Beit Sahour were declared part of a UN-supervised international city. Issa noted that the US would not only be going against its own positions, it would be in direct violation of numerous other UN resolutions. He cited 11 UN Security Council resolutions that all say East Jerusalem is an occupied territory "and reject the annexation of East Jerusalem to Israel.

Gershon Baskin, an Israeli researcher and co-chair of the Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information, told Al-Monitor he cant understand why a US move is even being considered. Until now, not one country has recognized any part of Israel. I think that the international community, the US included, has indicated that the issue of Jerusalem must be resolved by Israel and Palestine, and that unilateral action would not gain Israel recognition of Jerusalem as its capital.

Baskin noted that if the US moves its embassy, it is definitely taking a position: The US will be breaking international consensus on not recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel until it is agreed in negotiations with the Palestinians."

Dan Kurtzer, a former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel and now a Princeton University professor, is similarly critical of the potential US move, especially the statement by Friedman, who expressed his intention to work from the US embassy in Israels eternal capital, Jerusalem.

Kurtzer expressed bewilderment in an interview published Dec. 16 in Forward, a New York-based, Jewish-American publication and website. The president hasnt been sworn in yet, the secretary of state hasnt spoken about this, and [Friedman's] already talking about the policy he is going to change. This is unheard of, said Kurtzer.

Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad, a resident of the Jerusalem-area village of Azzariyeh and a spokesman for the Fatah movement, told Al-Monitor that the Jerusalem issue will hurt the US ability to make peace. The US cant make such a decision and at the same time try and make peace. This will definitely weaken Americas ability to have any mediation role in the conflict, Abu Zayyad said.

He also said the issue will weaken Washingtons position within the Quartet of Russia, the European Union, the United Nations and the United States.

It will certainly embolden Russia in the Quartet, and this will further erode the US influence in the Middle East, he explained.

Al-Monitor has also learned from an anonymous source within the US consulate in Jerusalem that the consulate is advising Washington and the Trump transitional team against an embassy move because of the potential instability it would cause.

The US Congress in 1995 passed legislation that calls for the embassy to move to Jerusalem, but allows the president to delay such a move if he feels it would harm US interests. All three US presidents (Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama) since that time have signed waivers every six months during their terms to delay a move.

Any controversial decision regarding the highly sensitive issue of Jerusalem will have negative effects locally, regionally and internationally. When former Jerusalem Mufti Ekrima Sabri delivered his sermon Dec. 16 in Jerusalems Al-Aqsa Mosque, he said that meddling with Jerusalem is like playing with fire. This is not only true on the popular level; reversing decades of US and international law and practice regarding Jerusalem would have legal and diplomatic fallout.

Trump's smartest strategy will be to avoid beginning his term with a colossal mistake.
December 19, 2016

There is a common misperception that Russian-Iranian relations thrive on the anti-West sentiments of both countries political elites. Iranian and Russian politicians help spread this idea, feeding the idea that the shared vision of a common enemy can bring the two countries together. Yet they overlook that the nature of their hatred toward the United States differs, and this difference matters.

While Russias negative attitude is determined by what is frequently referred to as the Cold War 2.0, the source of Irans anti-West feelings lies elsewhere. Indeed, the past few months have been marked in Iran by a new wave of anti-West rhetoric. Politicians at all levels have persistently warned the population that the United States should still not be trusted and that the nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), could be just another Western trick. They insist that Iran will abandon the deal if the United States proves reluctant to implement its part of the bargain or deviates from the initial agreement. US President-elect Donald Trumps campaign statement that canceling the agreement will be one of the first steps he takes has further fueled Irans anti-US sentiment since his victory.

This anti-US hysteria has obviously been blessed at the very top of the Iranian leadership. Hard-liners closely associated with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are the main source of anti-American statements. Even President Hassan Rouhani and Reformists have joined the chorus, although they are considered to be major promoters of a rapprochement with the West. This month, Rouhani publicly referred to the United States as an enemy state in an address to a group of students.

Such critical statements by Iranian politicians should, by all accounts, be welcomed by Moscow, whose worst nightmare includes Iran gradually re-establishing relations with the United States and the European Union. Yet Tehrans current anti-West rhetoric does not guarantee that Iranian authorities will give up trying to find a common language with the West. Moscow should also not expect the anti-West feelings of the Iranian elite to have the side effect of boosting bilateral relations with Russia.

First of all, the current anti-American propaganda out of Iran is a product of domestic politics, not foreign policy, and is thus designed primarily for domestic consumption. The leadership is concerned about the growing indifference of the population to the ideas of the Islamic Revolution and about the possibility of losing control over peoples thinking during the country's reintegration into the international community in the wake of the JCPOA. Consequently, authorities want to minimize the possibility of a new cultural revolution  this one invoking Western slogans  by controlling and slowing the process of Irans reintegration.

To achieve this goal, the countrys leadership is resorting to old instruments: the spread of anti-imperialistic and anti-West rhetoric and slogans intended to mobilize the public and re-establish the perception of Iran in the popular mind as a fortress under siege. The current anti-West rhetoric is not, however, about provoking a new break in relations with the West itself. Iranian authorities understand well that the restoration of economic ties with the international community is vital for the survival of the Iranian economy, and consequently, the Islamic regime. As a result, they will try to ensure that the anti-West campaign does not reach the level where it could damage the process of all sanctions against Iran being lifted.

Thus, when the propaganda campaign gets too aggressive, some politicians typically move to cool the situation by reminding Iranians that they should be polite and diplomatic when discussing relations with the United States. It is also notable that the United States is not Iran's main or only enemy. The current propaganda portrays it as just one among other foes on a list of opponents that includes Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, depending on the situation.

In practice, Tehran is not afraid of Trumps threats. Iranian diplomats told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that they do not expect the new US administration to cancel the nuclear agreement. On one hand, they believe that Russia and the European powers will simply not allow Trump to do so. The White House will also come under serious pressure from the Gulf Cooperation Council, whose leadership believes it is better to have the JCPOA, which at least limits Irans efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, than to have nothing at all. On the other hand, Iranian authorities expect Trump to be too busy with US domestic problems to try to renegotiate the JCPOA. Apart from that, Iranian analysts said in a private conversation that Trumps intentions to confront Iran may also be limited because the United States might need Tehrans help in handling the challenge of Islamic radicalism in the Middle East.

At the same time, Iranian authorities do not expect a rapprochement with the United States or believe that the new administration will lift all the sanctions or stop criticizing Tehran for human rights violations and some aspects of its regional policies. Yet, this is possibly what Khamenei and Irans conservatives want.

According to some Iranian experts who discussed the issue with Al-Monitor, the leadership in Tehran hopes relations with the United States under Trump will return to the situation pre-2006, when the two countries formally confronted each other, but their conflict did not prevent Iran from cooperating economically with other actors. That would allow Khamenei to ensure a certain level of economic relations with the international community to keep Irans economy afloat. Meanwhile, he would be able to keep the country somewhat closed and use anti-West rhetoric to control the domestic landscape. The most important task of Iranian diplomacy in this case would be to avoid a confrontation with the United States that threatens to send Iran back into international isolation.

All this does Russia no good. If Tehran has no interest in confronting the West beyond the existing rhetoric and seeks to re-establish economic relations with EU and Asian countries, Russia cannot count on anti-West sentiment as a way to boost relations with Iran. Moreover, at the unofficial level, the Iranians are sending clear signals to Moscow that Tehran wants to find a basis for dialogue other than the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Nevertheless, Russia and Iran have thus far only found a limited range of other issues where practical cooperation is possible.
December 20, 2016

ISTANBUL  On Dec. 9, Russia announced its control of most of the opposition-held areas of eastern Aleppo, after having raided the eastern neighborhoods in the wake of the fierce military campaign launched Nov. 15. The eastern neighborhoods, which accommodate around 250,000 civilians, had been in the grip of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) since 2012.

Russia used different types of weapons in its campaign supporting President Bashar al-Assad, which it had brought to the Mediterranean shores intermittently during 2016 to pave the way for taking over Aleppo. The campaign reached its peak Dec. 5, when the Syrian army and foreign militias took control of Aleppos old fortress, and the neighborhoods started to slip from the grip of the opposition. The Syrian regime and its allies ultimately controlled the entire city and reached an agreement to move the citizens from eastern Aleppo to its countryside.

Some civilians headed out of eastern Aleppo toward the government-controlled west with the regimes escalation and entry into the east of the city. But after United Nations reports were issued about the disappearance of hundreds of civilians who migrated to the regimes areas, the displacement wave stopped and civilians preferred to stay put despite the shelling.

Meanwhile, there were many calls from residents and activists to the world to save Aleppo and its people, and to open safe pathways toward the citys countryside that the opposition controls.

With the entry of the regime forces and supporting militias to Aleppos neighborhoods, activists in the city wrote about massacres taking place. Activist Lina Shamy tweeted on the evening of Dec. 12 that massacres against civilians were ravaging Aleppo and that inhabited areas were being shelled. She called on other activists to back Aleppo in its toughest of days. On Dec. 13, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concerns about the massacres and fear of their persistence.

Syrian activist Ola Karman, who is besieged in eastern Aleppo, told Al-Monitor via Skype, The besieged inhabitants are afraid of the breach of the truce once again. They are worried the Iranian militias would break into the city and commit massacres against women and children. The truce was breached before and the evacuation operations were halted repeatedly. Most civilians are concentrated in the neighborhoods of Mashhad and Salah ed-Din in shelters without water or heating. Several are wounded and lie in the only field hospital in the city  amid the shortage of medical staff as most of its members were killed or wounded. But fortunately, the shelling on the city has stopped.

Raed al-Ahmad, a resident of Aleppo who is waiting to leave the city, told Al-Monitor via Skype, The situation is currently calm in Aleppo, but we cannot stay in the city after the regime and foreign militias take over. They will retaliate against us and kill us. We know we are headed to a relatively unsafe area in the Aleppo and Idlib countrysides, but at least we can live in the hope of returning to our city one day.

The Leadership Council in Aleppo, an opposition committee that oversees the citys affairs, launched a four-point initiative Dec. 7 that includes a cease-fire for five days, followed by the evacuation of the critically wounded and civilians who want to leave through safe pathways. The council would then be able to negotiate with the concerned parties on the future of Aleppo. Russia, which was supposedly sponsoring the negotiations between all parties fighting in Aleppo, refused the initiative.

On Dec. 13, Moscow agreed to the evacuation of the citizens of eastern Aleppo to the Idlib countryside. But Iran disapproved and tried to impede the evacuation and obstruct buses that were going to transport the besieged on Dec. 16. Iran also demanded the evacuation of citizens in Kefraya and al-Fuah, Zabadani and Madaya, Shiite villages that are under opposition siege. Consequently, the evacuation was no longer restricted to Aleppo and involved several other cities.

When the Syrian regime sent buses to evacuate Kefraya and al-Fuah Dec. 18, a group of angry civilians set the buses on fire to protest the operation. But the agreement remained intact and several other buses were sent on the same day, and the evacuation from eastern Aleppo to Idlib countryside continued.

Several groups left eastern Aleppo toward the countryside through the Aleppo-Damascus road. Journalist Ahmed Brimo who has been following up on the evacuation since day one (Dec. 15), told Al-Monitor, Around 7,000 people have been evacuated from Aleppo since Dec. 15, most of whom were civilians and around 400 were in critical condition. Several militants  mostly from Jabhat Fatah al-Sham [formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra]  were among the vacated on the second day, and they joined their factions in Aleppo and Idlib countryside. Several humanitarian organizations were ready to care for civilians after their evacuation from Aleppo countryside  such as Saeed Charity, Violet Organization and USSOM [Syria Relief]. The agreement was suspended and resumed several times due to the obstacles to its implementation on the ground and because it involves several regions.

On Nov. 30, a group of opposition military factions from Aleppo and a Russian delegation had met in Ankara in an attempt by the Turkish government to broker a settlement deal with both parties  but in vain. A source from the Syrian opposition told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, The meeting focused on Aleppo, but mentioned other areas like al-Waer in Homs. The Russians were stubborn and seemed reluctant to reaching agreement with the negotiating opposition delegation. They reiterated their capacity to impose military control on eastern Aleppo.

The Syrian air force targeted vital centers and hospitals in eastern Aleppo. The Aleppo Health Directorate, an organization that the opposition established to oversee the health facilities in the areas under its control, issued a report Nov. 19 stating that the citys hospitals have gone out of service due to the air raids.

During the military campaign in Aleppo, Director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights Fadel Abdel Ghany told Al-Monitor in a phone interview from Doha, Aleppo is the victim of several crimes and deliberate random shelling that spares no one and nothing, including schools and hospitals. This is a war crime, and the shelling is claiming the lives of civilians and banning the entry of relief material and medical equipment. The UN convoys await a Russian-Syrian permit to proceed. The Syrian regimes ground forces are participating in the blockade, and the Iranian, Iraqi and Lebanese Shiite militias are backing them. The regime and Russia are committing these crimes. The worst part is that the crimes are not being halted and civilians safety is not being prioritized. The silence facing these crimes is horrible. The shelling of hospitals and schools are no longer condemned. It has become normal.

With the Syrian regimes complete control of Aleppo, it has achieved a huge victory by expelling the Syrian opposition from the largest Syrian city in terms of population and trade. This is a new card in the hands of the regime before the international community, because it has reduced the area of the opposition's control. The latter only dominates some countrysides of other Syrian cities, in addition to Idlib where several factions of different affiliations (FSA, Islamic factions and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham) are positioned.
December 19, 2016

Following the twin suicide bomber attacks in Istanbul on Dec. 10 that killed 44 policemen and civilians, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Dec. 14 addressed his 32nd assembly of mukhtars (elected village and neighborhood headmen).

From here I am calling on all my compatriots. As the president of the Turkish Republic, according to Article 104 of our constitution, I am hereby declaring a national mobilization against all terror organizations, whether they are called PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party], Daesh [Islamic State (IS)], FETO [the so-called Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization, a term Ankara uses to refer to Gulen followers], DHKP-C [Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party-Front] or whatever, he said.

A heated debate followed on what his words meant and to what he was alluding. According to the constitution and law on mobilization, to declare mobilization there must be a situation that would require war; a strong and active uprising against the republic or internal or external actions that would threaten the integrity of the country and the nation.

According to the law, the decision for national mobilization is made by the Council of Ministers, which is chaired by the president, and is immediately submitted to the approval of the national assembly.

Once mobilization is approved, then it is possible to declare martial law in the entire country or its parts. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) can be put on alert, all state bodies will take war-like measures, reserve soldiers can be mobilized within seven days and the state can seize assets belonging to public and private persons.

The common understanding is that national mobilization is a transition to a status of war that would allow the TSK to launch war against other states, adhering to the Geneva Law of War. The mobilization against organizations listed by the president also means that the Geneva accord will be applicable in the struggle against these organizations.

According to an assessment by law professor Ersan Sen on CNNTurk TV, the constitution distinguishes between war, mobilization, state of emergency and martial law. Declaration of war requires a decision by the parliament. Noting that mobilization means putting the army on a war footing, That means status of war. Declaration of war is made against another state. You cannot declare war against terror organizations, he said.

Engin Altay, the vice chairman of the parliamentary group of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), held a press conference to voice his criticism. Altay said Erdogan with his declaration had claimed that Turkey was at war. We dont agree. States fight other states, not terror organizations. Such a declaration of mobilization will help the PKK to gain legitimacy in international opinion, he added.

Ayhan Bilgen, a spokesman for the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), said the constitution does not empower the president with such an authority. The constitution clearly sets out who can declare mobilization and how. He declared mobilization in a meeting with village headmen and created a de facto situation. Legality will be worded to justify it later. This is only the beginning of the campaign for the executive presidency and the referendum, he said.

Dogu Perincek, the chairman of the Homeland Party, which supports Erdogan, recalled that his party had raised the need to declare mobilization last year. As the Homeland Party, we spearheaded the way to national mobilization. Turkey faces internal and external threats that it will overcome. The United States is goading the PKK, FETO and [IS] against Turkey, Perincek said.

According to writer and professor Tayfun Atay, by declaring national mobilization, the president equates terror organizations with states and endows terror organizations with legal status. Atay recalled that the Ottomans had declared national mobilization for wars against Britain, France, Russia and Italy, whereas what Erdogan is doing now is equating terror organizations with states.

When Erdogans declaration triggered critical questions about whether Turkey was heading into a direct war against Syria and Iraq, the president had to step back and clarify.

Erdogans senior adviser Mehmet Ucum told Turkeys private HaberTurk television, The presidents national mobilization call is not a legal matter," while also saying the constitution allows mobilization. "The council of ministers will meet under the president, and if the conditions so require, mobilization will be declared in entirety or parts of the country. The current debate is irrelevant. It should be seen as national sentiment.

Erdogan felt a need to respond to negative perceptions inside and outside the country. This is a supreme call for national solidarity. All my mukhtars know best who lives in their villages, neighborhoods; who are the outsiders. They have to help our struggle in combating terrorists by reporting such presence to authorities, he said Dec. 15.

One interesting comment on the debate came from professor Baskin Oran, who said Erdogans declaration was not for mobilization but for informing [snitching]. Oran said the declaration of mobilization is regulated by Article 122 of the constitution. Erdogan is talking of Article 104, which pertains to duties and powers of the president. It has nothing to do with the mobilization. He is actually issuing a call to mobilize informers, he added.

Amid the ongoing emergency rule, the call for national mobilization actually aims at suppressing and silencing criticism and reaction to the parliamentary process on amending the constitution for an executive presidency system. This why the rulers affix the labels of national or indigenous to every concept to encourage the society to accept a Turkish-style presidency without objections.
December 19, 2016

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), an official agency attached to the prime ministers office, had announced a while ago its intention to change the calculation method used to determine the countrys main economic indicators. The new method was to be based on ESA2010, the European Unions accounting framework, to align with the way EU countries calculated their gross domestic product (GDP). With this explanation at hand, the planned change seemed necessary and reasonable.

On Dec. 12, however, the release of the new GDP data sparked myriad objections and criticism disputing the scientific merits and objectivity of the way the revision was made. Pundits had been especially curious about the third-quarter growth rate, which was expected to be in the negative. So it turned out, but according to the TUIK, the economy contracted 1.8% in the third quarter, well beyond the 0.5% expected in line with earlier data sets. Then the entire picture painted by the new calculation method raised questions, both in terms of methodology and consistency.

According to the new data, Turkeys GDP was, in fact, bigger than what the previous calculation had found. The difference is staggering  nearly 20%. In 2015, for instance, the Turkish economy was said to have produced goods and services worth 1.953 trillion Turkish lira at current prices. The new calculation method puts the figure at 2.338 trillion, meaning that an extra 385 billion Turkish lira in GDP had been somehow discovered. This amounts to about $140 billion, based on the average exchange rate last year. So the Turkish economys size for 2015 grew from $718 billion to $857 billion overnight. Accordingly, the per capita income also increased  from $9,257 to $11,082.

The revision is said to be made according to EU standards, but unlike the EU, which took 2010 as the basis year, Ankara opted for 2009, a crisis year in which the Turkish economy had contracted by about 5%. Relevant to 2009, GDP increases in following years turned in bigger, meaning that an important part of the overall increase stemmed from the choice of a problematic basis year.

While applying the EU method, the TUIK seems to have thought the construction sector was not done justice previously, for its share in the GDP increased from 4.4% to 8.2%. The share of the manufacturing industry, meanwhile, rose by 1 percentage point to 16.7%. In short, a third of the 20% increase in the revised GDP came from the construction sector, which is now ranked third in size after the manufacturing and commerce sectors.

Similarly, the TUIK seems to have thought that investment expenditures were undercalculated, revising them up by 74%. This means that domestic savings, too, are now bigger than what we previously knew, amounting to 24% of GDP and not 14%, as stated in the governments medium-term economic program, adopted in September.

The revisions produced a new set of growth data, whose credibility was also called into question. In the 2013-2015 period, for instance, the average growth rate rose to 6.5% per year, up from 3.7% previously. More importantly, the new growth data looks out of sync with unemployment figures. For 2013, for example, the growth rate was raised from 4.2% to 6.5%. In an economy with such a robust growth, the jobless rate is expected to decrease, at least a little bit. Yet according to the TUIKs labor force data, not only did it not decrease, but it rose from 8.8% to 9.1%.

No doubt, the 20% upward revision in GDP impacts positively a number of other indicators, which are important for foreign investors in particular. To start with, Turkeys overall economic profile has now improved. With some $720 billion in GDP and per capita income of about $9,000, Turkey had dropped out of the worlds top 20 economies. Now it will make it back to the list.

Major indicators, watched closely by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and credit-rating agencies, will now speak of a lesser fragility. Take, for instance, the current account deficit-GDP ratio, which denotes the foreign exchange deficit. It stood at 4.5% for 2015, but will now go down to 3.7%. Similarly, the $421 billion external debt stocks ratio to GDP will decrease by a few percentage points from its previous level of 60-odd %, and Turkeys borrowing capacity will look stronger. Military expenditures, too, will look more reasonable in proportion to GDP. With a higher GDP, the related public debt and budget deficit ratios will also improve, contributing to a more pleasant shop window for the country.

Some figures, meanwhile, will look worse. The ratios of health, education and social benefit spending to GDP are seen as important indicators when comparing countries and government policies. With the upward revision in GDP, the ratios will fall, and what Ankara spends for its people in those realms will look more inadequate. If the cake was found to be 20% bigger, who got the newly discovered slice? many will ask, and the credibility of income distribution and poverty surveys will be questioned further.

Inevitably, the new GDP requires revision in Ankaras medium-term program, which outlines economic targets for the next three years. The program was already destined for revision after the economy began to contract fast in the third quarter, sending crisis signals and dampening expectations. How the government will review targets for 2017 and the following two years remains to be seen. An even more crucial question is how credible the new GDP figure will be in the eyes of the IMF and other foreign actors.
December 20, 2016

The Dec. 19 assassination of Andrei Karlov, Russias ambassador to Turkey, could have come straight out of a Terrorist 101 handbook  and perhaps it did.

The authorities are examining potential motives for the slaying, including the possibility that the assassin was a Gulenist pretending to be a jihadist.

Karlov was assassinated in Ankara while attending a photo gallery opening. The assailant was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old off-duty riot police officer who was shot dead by his colleagues.

The ambassador had served in Turkey since June 2013 and was well known in Ankara as a kind, hospitable and soft-spoken man. He skillfully rode the tides of high tension between Ankara and Moscow before being recalled from Ankara after the Russian plane was shot down in November 2015. Having just returned a couple of months ago, Karlov was seen as Russia's most crucial interlocutor in Turkey.

Senior bureaucrats in Ankara had spent sleepless nights negotiating with the Russians, with Karlov playing a key role and earning the respect of all. He is the first Russian ambassador to be murdered since 1927, when Pyotr Vaykov was killed in Warsaw, Poland, and the first assassination of an ambassador in Turkey since that of Israel's consul general Ephraim Elrom in 1971.

Altintas chose the ideal setting for the assassination: There were at least 100 people present, some of them journalists, and it was captured on video. Right after the shooting, Altintas had the stage all to himself and started his rant with a line from a well-known al-Qaeda nasheed, or poem. It can be translated as, "We are the ones who obey the call of jihad." His Arabic was difficult to decipher. It seems he had barely memorized the line and could not continue in the heat of the moment. Yet, the nasheed says, "We only aim for martyrdom, and our constitution is the Quran, the source of our pride."

Then he screamed, Allahu akbar" ("God is great) and switched to Turkish: "Do not forget Aleppo. Do not forget Syria. Unless our towns are secure, you will not have security." He warned the private security guards of Cankaya municipality to back off and said he would not be taken alive. All this time, sadly, Karlov lay on the ground bleeding.

Immediately after Karlov and the assailant were pronounced dead, the first questions arose: Who was the assailant, or more specifically, what was the force that drove the young riot policeman to organize such a high-profile act of terror?

Al-Monitor spoke with senior intelligence and security officers in Ankara to get the latest information that has not yet been released to the press. Here is the summary of their immediate findings:

First, the assailant had attended the Fethullah Gulen movement's prep schools for years. Turkey blames the movement for the failed coup in July.

Most pro-Gulen social media users were too eager to suggest the assailant was a member of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham or another al-Qaeda offshoot operating in Syria. Their enthusiasm was matched only by jihadists around the globe and Gulf states.

The Turkish authorities revealed that the assailant had taken two days off beginning the day of the July coup attempt, which has become a signature of Gulenists. In addition, most of his police academy classmates from 2014 and his bosses had already been either fired or imprisoned for allegedly being members of the Gulen movement.

One cannot help but wonder why Altintas was still an active duty officer, given the governments mass purges of suspected Gulenists. A senior bureaucrat in Ankara told Al-Monitor, We are still not finished with our operations against the Gulen organization. Only yesterday [Dec. 18], 500 members of the armed forces were detained. This is an invasive organization with an incredible outreach. We have not yet reached every member.

High-level bureaucrats said immediate searches of the assailants home and a check of his electronic devices revealed he had several copies of Gulen publications. He also had communications with several users of ByLock  an encrypted smartphone app used by Gulen members  yet not one connection to a jihadist network was detected.

He had watched a few Jabhat Fatah al-Sham videos a couple days before the assassination. It may have been in preparation for his performance as an Islamist. His accent aside, Altintas raised his left index finger calling "Allahu akbar," which is a no-no for even a novice jihadist. Tawheed, unity in God, is symbolized with the right-hand index finger raised. At least on the video, to a well-trained eye, Altintas appears as a wannabe jihadist.

Turkish intelligence had picked up on intensified chatter about Russian attacks against Chechens after Dec. 13, when the BBC published a documentary about Russian gunmen allegedly killing Chechen resistance fighters in Turkey while the Turkish government looked the other way. Was this a response by the deep state to prove to the Chechens that Turkey did not sell them out?

Al-Monitor spoke with Murat Ozer, the chairman of the nongovernmental organization Imkander. Although he was not mentioned in the BBC piece, Ozer had provided assistance for the BBC correspondent during the summer. He told Al-Monitor he was curious as to why the piece was published months later, when relations had improved between Turkey and Russia.

Ozer is not known to mince his words. He said, Russia has committed atrocities against Turkmens and [in] Aleppo along with other locations in Syria in the last year. If this attack [had] happened during those days, then an Islamist motivation could have been debated.  But now, when Turkey and Russia have reached an agreement for Aleppo, almost bypassing Iran, why would an Islamist do this?

Ozer, like some other Islamists in Turkey, is not convinced the assailant was an Islamist. Indeed, the idea that Chechen Islamists were behind the attack remains unsupported so far.

Turkish authorities also posed a similar puzzle. A Gulenist air force pilot had shot down the Russian plane in November 2015  just when Turkey and Russia were about to reach an agreement on Operation Euphrates Shield. Now again, a similar pattern is observed: An attack took place just as the cease-fire was being reached and the Turkish foreign minister was en route to Moscow.

Overall, though, one cannot help but question the security deficiency that facilitated the assassination of an ambassador in the heart of Ankara. Some members of Turkeys ruling Justice and Development Party were wild enough to blame the victim for not having a proper security detail. But except for Israeli and American diplomats and an occasional Turkish politician, all others travel in Ankara without bodyguards.

For this event, Turkish officials told Al-Monitor, Russia had rented the hall and officials from Cankaya, the central district of Ankara, made all the arrangements. However, the district failed to inform the Interior Ministry about the event. The district's own unarmed security guards carried out a basic identity check, which the assailant passed smoothly with his official ID card. Had Cankaya officials informed law enforcement, the assailants armed entry into the gallery could perhaps have been prevented.

Most importantly, Turkish authorities are distraught that the assailant was not caught alive. Did the officers who shot him dead act in self-defense, or did they want to silence him? The Turkish authorities believe these officers are the key and suspect them of being Gulenists as well.
December 20, 2016

Off-duty police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas assassinated Andrei Gennadyevich Karlov, Russias ambassador to Turkey, at an art gallery in the Turkish capital Ankara on Dec. 19. Police forces subsequently killed Altintas in a gunfight.

What we know so far about the episode is as follows: Karlov habitually liked to blend in with local folks and therefore seldom traveled with a large security team. Thus, he was at grave risk when he attended a Russia-themed photo exhibit at an art gallery across the street from the US Embassy in Ankaras upper-class district of Cankaya. Altintas, 22, who was serving with a riot police squad in the Turkish capital, was able to enter the gallery with a pistol because he had his official ID card. Karlov reportedly had no bodyguards inside the venue.

In a harrowing photograph taken immediately before Altintas shot Karlov, the two men appear in the same frame. Video footage shows Altintas yelling at terrified onlookers to not forget Aleppo" and to "not forget Syria, after citing a religious poem used by the extremist group Jabhat al-Nusra, in which the reciter pledges loyalty to the Prophet Muhammad and vows to engage in jihad. The killer apparently thought that by shooting an unarmed man in the back, he would avenge the death of Syrian civilians in Aleppo at the hands of the Russian-backed Syrian regime.

The episode, which came in the wake of a string of terror attacks in the ongoing fight between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party, raises unpleasant possibilities about the future of Turkey.

Especially troubling are comments by certain media outlets and government officials blaming everyone but the Turkish state  be it the United States and Gulenists, or even the Russian Embassys security team. For example, the pro-government daily Yeni Akit called the United States an enemy that looks like a friend for harboring Pennsylvania-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen. Turks from across the political spectrum believe Gulens followers in the Turkish state were behind the July 2016 coup attempt to topple the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP).

High-ranking AKP official Burhan Kuzus remarks were equally strange. Kuzu, a professor of constitutional law and influential voice in the party, said in a televised interview, Lets put our own laxness aside, but why didnt the Russians have their own protection? Under the Vienna Convention, a host country is solely responsible for protecting diplomats and diplomatic compounds.

Beyond these ham-handed responses, the ambassadors assassination raises frightful prospects for Turkey. For one, it is still not clear whether Altintas acted as a lone wolf or whether there are other potential radicalized attackers within the Turkish military and security services who could wreak similar havoc in the days ahead. Furthermore, official Russian statements, while conciliatory, have also been vaguely threatening, making it clear that Moscow expects Ankaras full cooperation in the investigation and also over Syria.

At a time when Turkey faces troubles at home and in the region and its relations with NATO allies are at an all-time low, one wonders whether Moscow could use its ambassadors death to pull Ankara further away from the West.
December 19, 2016

Although the Syrian armed opposition has lost its six-year war to declare Aleppo the capital of the revolution and the Syrian equation has changed drastically, the curtain is not yet down on this act of the bloody play.

Washington is idling and staying aloof while waiting for President-elect Donald Trump to take over, which has enabled Iran and Russia to complete their operations in Aleppo by sidelining Turkey. Militants and their families evacuated from Aleppo were transferred to Idlib.

Everyone will try to find out what strategy Turkey  which mediated the withdrawal of armed groups, especially Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra), as it had promised Russia  has in mind now. One Turkish approach being discussed indicates that Turkey wants to transfer some groups to Turkey via Hatay and then via Kilis to the Azaz/al-Bab front in Syria. The groups for transfer are ones that have been moved to Idlib but are not likely to stay there because of their issues with the dominant power, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. The goal of this would be to reinforce the field elements of Operation Euphrates Shield with this new supply of fighters.

A senior official of the Sultan Murad Brigade raised many eyebrows when he told Reuters that after leaving Aleppo, his group will join Turkeys Euphrates Shield operation.

Al Jazeera quoted opposition sources who said the brigade, along with Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Nureddin Zengi Brigade, which were transferred to Idlib, will next be moved to al-Rai and Jarablus, which has been cleared of the Islamic State (IS), and participate in the siege of al-Bab.

Some units of the Sultan Murad Brigade and Ahrar al-Sham are already taking part in Operation Euphrates Shield. Of course, it would be naive to claim that all the opposition organizations leaving Aleppo are keen to be soldiers under the tutelage of the Turkish army. Some of them accuse Turkey of eroding their manpower by recruiting Free Syrian Army militants for its campaign against the Syrian regime, hence blaming Turkey for the loss of Aleppo. But those who have moved to Idlib are likely to have problems with Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. Such militants will either give up their arms or accept Turkeys offer.

Operation Euphrates Shield was launched under the premise of fighting IS, but the real goal doesnt seem to have changed: Eliminate the operational plans of the Kurds.

At the outset, the Kurds wanted to open a corridor via Azaz-Jarablus parallel to the Turkish border to link their Afrin and Kobani cantons. When Euphrates Shield foiled that plan, the Kurds thought of opening a southern corridor between Manbij and Afrin, some 24 miles to the south by taking advantage of the Kurdish settlements scattered over that area. Turkey also blocked this move. The US decision to keep the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in a passive deployment west of the Euphrates River helped Turkeys ambition. Ankara wants to beef up the local manpower of Euphrates Shield and persuade Washington to give up its partnership with the Kurds. Beyond that, Ankara  by making use of its cooperation with Russia  wants an all-out campaign against Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan) cantons to eliminate any likelihood of an autonomous Kurdish entity.

In the region there are humorous rumors of a Give Aleppo, take al-Bab horse trade in the works. Turkey, which for five years could not persuade the United States to agree to a buffer zone or a safe zone, is now trying to make that a part of bargaining with Iran and Russia. Ankara has also been encouraged by Trumps statement at a Dec. 15 rally in Hershey, Pennsylvania, that we will set up safe zones in Syria.

After the rout at Aleppo, the front line will inevitably shift toward the Turkish border. Ankara sees a buffer zone as a way to prevent a massive push up against its borders by militant groups and their families who are taking refuge in Idlib, or by inhabitants of the region. The same situation also applies to the 24-mile-deep, 60-mile-wide pocket opposite Turkeys Kilis border area. The Turkish Red Crescent aid group is preparing a tent city at Idlib some 3 miles from the border. Turkish Red Crescent President Kerem Kinik said, Preparations are being made for 10,000 people, but I dont think we will need [to accommodate] that many. Other humanitarian organizations are also erecting tents.

To sit at the negotiation table with Damascus over the liberated areas of Idlib and Azaz/al-Bab is another aspect of the issue. A de facto buffer zone will be a trump card in Turkeys hand to prevent total marginalization of armed groups and to use them as a bargaining chip in a political process. Russia also wants to activate a political negotiation mechanism while expanding its military operations. Russian President Vladimir Putin, parallel to the political solution process in Geneva, also plans joint negotiations with Turkey in Kazakhstan for the opposition groups. Suggesting these negotiations could be held in the Kazakh capital of Astana, Putin said: The next step [after Aleppo] will be to reach agreement on a complete cease-fire across all of Syria. We are actively negotiating with members of the armed opposition, with the mediation of Turkey."

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced he is ready to host such a process. Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin indicated Turkey's positive reaction to Putins proposal.

This shift of the peace initiative from the West to Asia is a totally new development. But realistically, a positive outcome of this initiative depends on the attitudes of the other financial backers of the stronger armed groups. Countermoves by the US, together with regional partners Saudi Arabia and Qatar, could spoil the new Russian-Turkish designs.
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Anniston announced plans for a major commercial development in this downtown area today.

Here are the top stories in business on AL.com for Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Follow all of Alabama's business news here anytime.

CarMax has settled a federal complaint over the used car dealer's failure to disclose safety recall information on some of its vehicles.

The City of Anniston today announced a "major" retail development along Quintard Avenue which city officials say involves several regional and nationally-recognized restaurant chains and retail stores, to be completed by next November.

No doubt, you've heard of West-Coast based accelerator programs Tech Stars, Y Combinator and even 500 Startups. What you may not yet know is that Birmingham is now home to a Global Accelerator-affiliated accelerator program: Velocity Accelerator.

A Birmingham man was sentenced to federal prison today for preparing false tax returns and tampering with a witness.

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon named five new committee chairmen today, including two leaders of key business and banking committees.
Good People Brewing Company will soon be selling its Birmingham-brewed beer in four states.

Alabama's largest brewery announced Tuesday it will begin distributing in Georgia the third week of January, starting with Atlanta.

Good People Brewing first expanded out of Alabama in February when it began selling in Nashville, Tennessee. It has since distributed into Florida.

United Distributors will distribute Good People's beer in Atlanta.

"We're finally headed to Georgia!" Michael Sellers, Good People's co-owner and co-founder, said in a press release. "This has been a long time coming. After nine years of business and honing our craft, we now have the opportunity to come to Georgia."

Good People will host several promotions and sampling events throughout Atlanta. The details will be posted on its Facebook page.
Last week, two buses collected 4,868 toys from students in more than 40 public schools in Mobile County. Over two days, the students helped "Stuff the Bus" for children in need in our area - and the toys spilled over the seats of the school system's "It Starts With Us" buses.

The new, unwrapped toys were delivered to WKRG's Great Toy Drive to be divided among 42 area agencies that partner with The Salvation Army of Coastal Alabama for distribution before Christmas. WKRG announced Saturday that this year's toy drive surpassed the goal, with 30,273 toys collected.

It was the fourth year the school system participated in Stuff the Bus, said Rena Philips, director of communication for Mobile County Public Schools. "We had Santa in one bus and Mrs. Claus in the other."

Santa and Mrs. Claus read stories to the younger students while they were at the schools. They also answered lots of questions, like, "Why does Santa need our help?" (answer: "It's fewer toys he has to make!"), "How did Santa get here?" (answer: "On the bus!") and "Do you know my Elf on the Shelf?"

The school board and central office administrative staff donated toys, too, making a point to buy presents for older kids, said Philips.

"One thing we stress in Mobile County public schools is community involvement," she said. "It's special for us to be a part of this. We get to see children giving back to other children, and their present turns into 100 presents at the school. They have such big hearts."

Dakota Perry, a fifth-grader at Kate Shepard Elementary School, brought a My Little Pony and a Sofia the First art kit. Her contributions were among the 395 toys collected at the school.

"I really wanted other kids to have a wonderful Christmas," she said.
Neighborhood tips lead to the arrest of three people on felony charges in an Etowah County drug investigation.

Drug Enforcement Unit Commander Randall Johnson said Travis Spears, 23, Roosevelt Russell, 24, and Marcus Watters, 25, are being held in the Etowah County Detention Center.

Spears faces three counts of drug distribution, with bond set at $15,000. Russell has been charged with first degree possession of certain chemical compounds, meaning spice. Bond is set at $2,500. Watters is being charged with possession of an altered firearm and pistol possession by a violent offender. He is being held on $50,000 cash bond.

Roosevelt Russell

Deputy Commander Phil Sims said Watters has been convicted of second degree robbery burglary and was on probation after several drug convictions.

Sims said complaints on the unit's tipline concerned spice being sold on Taylor Street in Gadsden. The arrests came after warrants were secured.

During the arrests on Dec. 15, agents said they saw Watters pull a handgun from his front pocket and throw it on the ground. The handgun was loaded with the serial numbers altered on the weapon. Spice and a loaded handgun with a 30-round magazine was recovered from a vehicle where it was in plain view, Sims said.

Marcus Watters

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected. The weapons charges could result in federal cases.

Sims said anyone with information concerning drug activity is encouraged to call the tipline at (256) 546-3131.

Gadsden Police, Alabama National Guard Counterdrug Program and the FBI North Alabama Safe Streets Task Force participated in the case.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan received on December 20 Thomas Schultz, CEO of FLSmidth. Peter Davies, market development manager of FLSmidth Russia and Valery Mejlumyan, President of Vallex Group were also present at the meeting, the Presidents Office told ARMENPRESS.

The President praised the mining industry activities of FLSmidth  one of the best companies of its field  in the Armenian market as well as the entire region, which has years long history of cooperation with Armenia and is contributing to the economic growth of the country.

Thomas Schultz talked about the more than 10 year old cooperation with his main partner in Armenia  Vallex Group, with praise, emphasizing that his company  operating with modern technologies  is carrying out its activities successfully in Armenia also due to the diligent Armenian people and qualified Armenian experts.

The parties highlighted the careful and sparing use of natural resources in line with all environmental protection requirements for the benefit of economic development and prosperity of the present and future generations.

During the meeting, President Serzh Sargsyan awarded Thomas Schultz with the Medal for Gratitude for his contribution to the mining industry in Armenia and productive cooperation.

Serzh Sargsyan also awarded the Medal of Gratitude to Vallex Group President Valery Mejlumyan, which the businessmen had been awarded earlier.
Authorities are searching for two men who robbed businesses in Irondale and Birmingham less than two hours apart.

Both holdups happened Thursday, Dec. 15, at Wings R King. Irondale police Det. Sgt. Michael Mangina said the robbers entered the Irondale restaurant at 5429 Beacon Drive about 9:40 p.m.

The two black males were wearing dark hoodies and handkerchiefs covering their mouths and noses. One of them was brandishing a silver revolver and said, "(Expletive), where the money? Don't play with me.''

They fled with an undisclosed amount of money and left the scene in a light blue Nissan Altima.

At 11:20 p.m., suspects matching the same description carried out a similar robbery at Wings R King at 3833 East Lake Boulevard. There were no injuries in either holdup.

"These dangerous thugs need to be taken off the streets and prosecuted," Mangina said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Irondale police at 205-956-5990. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
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The Bentley administration hopes to build a 1,300-space parking deck on this parking lot next to the Gordon Persons Building in Montgomery's Capitol complex.

(Mike Cason/mcason@al.com)

Gov. Robert Bentley's administration plans to seek legislation to build a new parking deck, mostly for state employees, beside the Gordon Persons Building, a large state office building in Montgomery.

The deck would be on a block that is now a parking lot with about 250 spaces.

The deck would have about 1,300 spaces, said state Finance Director Clinton Carter, who mentioned the plan at a meeting of the Legislature's budget reform task force last week.

Carter said the estimated cost would be about $21.5 million.

A parking deck has been planned for some time on the property, bounded by South Ripley, Pelham, Jackson and Washington streets.

Carter said bids came in at about $18 million a few years ago.

The property is owned by the Alabama State Parking Deck Authority, which already has the authority to sell up to $13 million in bonds.

Carter said the administration would seek legislation to raise that cap to $25 million and to raise the maximum terms of the bonds from 20 years to 30 years, which he said is more in line with the usable life of a deck.

The bond debt and operational cost, a total of about $1 million a year, would be covered by lease payments from state agencies for use of the deck by their employees, Carter said.

Carter said federal funds could indirectly cover more than half the cost because parking is a reimbursable expense for some state agencies.

Carter said commitments for leases by state agencies total 146 percent of the planned deck capacity, indicating there is more than enough demand.

"Parking is a perennial problem in the downtown area," Carter said.

Employees at Gordon Persons have parked at nearby Cramton Bowl for many years, but the city of Montgomery has expanded facilities around the stadium and there are fewer spaces available.

Carter said the deck would likely include about 120 spaces for the general public and possibly a retail component on the bottom floor.
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William Muhammad

Jay Roberson (City of Birmingham)

The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday reappointed community activist William Muhammad to the Water Works Board after some councilors spoke out against the process.

"We haven't had due process to sit down and evaluate Muhammad's appointment to the board," Councilor Jay Roberson said, adding that the vacancy wasn't announced and the council didn't interview candidates as they have in the past.

Council President Pro Tem Steven Hoyt nominated Muhammad for the seat during Tuesday's council meeting, though, council documents show Council President Johnathan Austin, as chairman of the Administration and Technology committee, recommended Muhammad for the post.

The appointment passed the Council with a 6-3 vote with Councilors Kim Rafferty, Valerie Abbott and Roberson voting against.

Muhammad was first appointed to the Water Works Board by the City Council in August after Ann Florie vacated her seat.

With the new appointment, Muhammad is slated to serve on the board through Nov. 30, 2022.

This appointment is critical to Birmingham as a Jefferson County judge on Monday ruled against the Water Works Board's lawsuit that challenged the legality of a state law that expanded the board membership beyond Birmingham and diluted the power of the city on the board.

Next year, three seats will be added to the Water Works Board. The new members will be picked by the Jefferson County Mayor's Association and the Blount and Shelby county commissions.

Previously, the Birmingham City Council and mayor were the only elected officials allowed to tap board members.

According to the Birmingham City Clerk's Office, the Council has an internal document that dictates how appointments will be made to board and agencies.

This document wasn't immediately available.

Councilor Lashunda Scales said during Tuesday's meeting that the chairman of the council's Administration and Technology Committee makes the appointment.

Rafferty said Muhammad was first appointed in August with no prior knowledge to the council. She said the last three appointments to the board also weren't interviewed by the council.

"I have to say, strongly, that this disturbs me," she said.

Hoyt said it was hypocritical for councilors to speak out against Muhammad's appointment when they approved his appointment in August. He also said councilors have made other board appointments without interviewing candidates

Hoyt suggested that councilors had something specific against Muhammad.

Roberson said his issue with the appointment wasn't Muhammad, it was that the policy for appointments wasn't being followed.

Hoyt said Muhammad is "highly qualified" to serve on the board. "Mr. Muhammad is a man who is educated," he said.

Hoyt then proceeded to read highlights from Muhammad's resume.

Muhammad is the chairman and founder of the Committee to Develop Birmingham; former state representative and local minister for Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam; and a community activist for 32 years.

Muhammad received his bachelor's degree in African-American Studies from UAB and a master's degree in counseling from UAB. He also serves as an adjunct professor of psychology.

"So why are we questioning whether or not to appoint that man? We didn't debate any other folks," Hoyt asked. "I don't have to defend Mr. Muhammand. He can defend himself. He is highly qualified to serve and quite frankly it has been our spirit that if you didn't have a full term than we would reappoint you."
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Courtney Wallace

(Hale County Jail/Greensboro High School)

A high school teacher in Hale County was arrested Tuesday amid allegations she had sex with a student.

Courtney Wallace, 28, is being held in the Hale County Jail, said District Attorney Michael Jackson. She is charged with one count of a school employee having sex with a student under the age of 19, which is a felony.

Wallace is a science teacher at Greensboro High School. Jackson said she was involved in a relationship with a 17-year-old male student. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be filed, he said. "It's sad,'' Jackson said.

According to the school's website, Wallace is a Maryland native but has lived in Alabama for the past 12 years. She received her B. S. of Science in Biology from the University of Alabama.

Efforts to reach school officials weren't immediately available. This story will be updated as more information is released.
Judith Ann Neelley, convicted in the 1982 brutal slaying of a 13-year-old girl in DeKalb County, is still fighting to get a chance at being paroled one day.

Neelley's attorney last week argued before the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that she should be given a chance a parole despite an Alabama law enacted in 2003 aimed at keeping that from happening.

A federal judge had ruled that Neelley's 2014 lawsuit challenging that state law - Act 2003-300 - was filed too late.

"We continue to believe that the Legislature and the State Parole Board acted unconstitutionally in retroactively denying Ms. Neelley's eligibility for parole and that the Judge erroneously found that her claims were filed too late," Barry Ragsdale, an attorney for Neelley stated in an email to AL.com after his arguments last week before the 11th Circuit. "We expect the Eleventh Circuit to correct the Judge's legal error and send this case back to the District Court with instructions to decide the merits of our constitutional claims."

Neelley and her attorneys are now waiting for the 11th Circuit's ruling.

The Parole Board has argued in a brief to the 11th Circuit that Neelley was too late in filing her lawsuit.

"Under the applicable statute of limitations, Neelley was required to bring her claims within two years after learning of her asserted injury," according to a brief filed by the Alabama Attorney General's Office, which represents the parole board. "Neelley had heard and read about Act 2003-300 by October 2003, but she did not challenge it on ex post facto or bill of attainder grounds until April 1, 2014--more than ten years later."

Neelley was convicted in the 1982 slaying of 13-year-old Lisa Ann Millican.

The parole board's brief described the crime this way:

Neelley in late September 1982 kidnapped Lisa from the Riverbend Mall in Rome, Georgia, and took her to a motel room for her husband Alvin to rape. Over the next several days, Alvin raped Lisa four times, with Neelley assisting as needed by beating her and handcuffing her to the bed to prevent an escape. When the couple was done, Neelley took Lisa to Little River Canyon outside Fort Payne where Neelley injected Lisa six times with liquid drain cleaner in a botched attempt to kill her. After that didn't work, Neelley led Lisa to the rim of the gorge. Over Lisa's pleas to go home, Neelley shot Lisa in the back and then shoved her into the canyon.

Alvin and Judith Neelley (File photo)

A jury recommended Judith Neelley serve a sentence of life imprisonment without parole but the judge instead imposed a death sentence.

As Alabama Gov. Fob James was about to leave office he commuted Neelley's death sentence on Jan. 15, 1999 to a life sentence.

Under Alabama law a person with a life sentence could be eligible for parole after serving 15 years. Neelley had already served more than 15 years by the time of the commutation so she sought parole.

The parole board denied the request saying they interpreted the 15 years to begin at the time of the commutation, not at her conviction.

A court sided with the parole board after a legal fight.

To address the possibility that Neelley could one day be paroled, the Alabama Legislature enacted the 2003 law that stated any person who was originally sentenced to death shall not be eligible for parole. The legislature also made the law retroactive to September 1998 to include Neelley's pardon.

Alvin Neelley was convicted in the death of a woman in Georgia and died while in prison there in 2005.
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Jamie Lee Wallace was sentenced to 25 years Monday, November 7, 2011, for killing mother and attempting to kill grandfather (The Birmingham News/Tamika Moore)

( )

An Alabama state prisoner who testified in the ongoing trial over mental health care in state prisons was found dead in his cell of an apparent suicide, the Department of Corrections said.

Jamie Wallace, 24, was found hanging in his cell at Bullock Correctional Facility on Dec. 15, according to DOC.

Wallace was the first inmate to testify in the federal trial over a class-action lawsuit by inmates claiming that a failure to provide adequate mental health care in Alabama prisons violates the Constitution.

Wallace was serving a 25-year sentence after pleading guilty to the 2009 murder of his mother, Michelle Ann Wallace of Graysville. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of his grandfather.

Wallace testified in the federal trial in Montgomery on Dec. 5. He testified that he was "mildly retarded" and had bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD.

Maria Morris, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is representing the inmates in the case, issued a statement about Wallace's death.

"Mr. Wallace was severely mentally ill, and he testified in this matter because he wanted to bring the lack of mental health care to the attention of the court in the hopes of making it better," Morris said. "We're really sad that any changes didn't come in time for Mr. Wallace."

"I think what this does as far as the trial is highlight the gross inadequacies of the mental health care system in Alabama prisons."

Morris said Wallace was in a "stabilization unit," which she said is the highest level of care DOC has.

"It's not clear why he had access to a sheet with which to hang himself," Morris said.

According to a news release from DOC, a correctional officer found Wallace hanging from a piece of cloth in his cell and unresponsive at about 10:33 p.m. on Dec. 15.

A nurse from the correctional facility administered CPR but was unsuccessful in resuscitating the inmate.

DOC is investigating the death.

Wallace testified about what he said was the infrequency of seeing mental health staff in the prisons even though he repeatedly cut and harmed himself.

Wallace testified that one corrections officer gave him a razor in response to his efforts to harm himself.

Lawyers representing Department of Corrections challenged the credibility of his testimony during cross-examination, and at one point got Wallace to confirm he had met with five staffers on one day.

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson stopped Wallace's testimony during cross-examination because Wallace was becoming agitated.

The non-jury trial is in its third week and was initially expected to last eight weeks, although it has moved more slowly than expected.

Inmates who sued the state are represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program and other lawyers.

They claim that inmates with mental illness are not diagnosed and that others are more seriously ill than their diagnosis indicates.

They claim that DOC, through its mental health contractor, MHM, fails to provide enough psychiatrists, registered nurses and counselors to provide adequate treatment, among other claims.

DOC disputes the claims.

AL.com reporter Amy Yurkanin contributed to this report.

Updated at 12:29 p.m. to add statement from SPLC attorney Maria Morris.


A man was fatally gunned down in a west Birmingham neighborhood this morning in a what police and witnesses described as a dramatic "ambush."

Birmingham police on Tuesday evening identified the victim as Reginald Bailey. He was 27.

The shooting, described by police as a "calculated act of violence" happened at 11:24 a.m. in the Elyton neighborhood, one block away from Legion Field. Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards said Bailey was driving his 1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo when someone in a dark SUV and another person in a white pickup truck hemmed in the victim and opened fire on his vehicle.

Witnesses reported hearing at least four to five shots. The gunmen fled.

After being hit in the left side, Bailey drove another block before he crashed into a telephone pole, breaking it and knocking it over. The vehicle also flattened a fire hydrant and stop sign before coming to a rest in Fourth Court West near Fifth Street. Police and witnesses said the vehicle flipped several times.

Edwards said detectives are canvassing nearby churches and businesses to determine whether there is any surveillance camera footage that caught the killing on video. "They knew the victim,'' Edwards said of the assailants. "This is definitely a targeted incident. It was not a random act at all."

Several nearby residents heard the gunfire and crash and ran to help.

Rubia Santana and her husband and two children were eating when they heard the commotion. "It sounded like an explosion and that's when I ran outside," she said.

The victim, she said, was shot in the left side. He was still breathing when she and several other residents reached the car.

"We kept telling him to calm down, calm down," she said. He never opened his eyes or spoke.

"He couldn't say nothing," said Victoria Parks. "He took his last breath in front of me."

"I don't even know this man," Parks said, "and I've got tears in my eyes. It's hurtful."

Santana said it was frightening. "It's upsetting that something like this would happen right before Christmas."

Residents expressed concern that first responders took a long time to arrive at the scene, but Edwards said the response was swift. "The reality is...whenever there is chaos, one minute feels like 25 minutes,'' he said.

Edwards said investigators always look at three things in homicides: people, places and behavior. The people with whom a victim associates, the places he or she frequents and the activity they are involved in often puts them at risk for death. "If you look at all the homicides we've had, they're not random,'' he said.

Tuesday's death marks the 101st homicide in Birmingham in 2016. The city had 92 homicides in 2015. The city's highest homicide tally in recent history was 141 in 1991.

Anyone with information on Bailey's death is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Updated at 6:30 p.m. to include the victim's name.
The U.S. death rate rose last year for the first time in a decade, resulting in the first drop in life expectancy since 1993.

The typical American can now expect to live to 78.8 years, down from 78.9 years the previous year with heart disease and cancer remaining the leading causes of death.

How long the average person will live varies from areas to area and, as 24/7 Wall Street discovered, an Alabama city holds the dubious title of having the shortest life expectancy in the country.

In Alabama, the metro with the lowest life expectancy is Gadsden at 73.3 years. By contrast, average life expectancy in the Naples/Marco Island region of Florida is more than 10 years longer.

Those in poorer areas of the country tend to die younger, as do those with habits that impact their health. In Gadsden, the median household income is $43,346 as compared to the U.S. median of $51,759. The obesity rate in Gadsden, however, is just under 35 percent or 2 percentage points less than the U.S. average of 37 percent.

Welcome to Tuesday's Wake Up Call. Let's see what's going on:

Donald Trump's personal plane renamed

Donald Trump's personal Boeing 757 - informally dubbed "Hair Force One" - has a new call sign.

Trump's plane will be known as Tyson 1. The name is designed to make it easier for air traffic controllers to provide the President-elect's aircraft with special handling.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Secret Service have already placed temporary flight restrictions around Trump's departures and arrivals and instituted restrictions over Trump Tower in New York through at least Inauguration Day, as well as one over the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Man gets 10 years in prison for stealing ambulance

A Texas man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing and crashing an ambulance.

Kenneth Golightly, 31, was convicted last week of aggravated robbery. In 2015, Golightly took an ambulance at knifepoint then drove up, reaching speeds of up to 70 mph before he crashed the vehicle through a fence about a mile from the hospital.

Golightly fled the crash on foot but was later captured. The ambulance, valued at $50,000, was totaled in the crash.

Pagan priest gets OK to wear horns in driver's license photo

A Pagan priest has received permission to wear goat horns in his Maine driver's license photo.

Phelan Moonsong had been told the horns had to removed before he could have his ID photo made. Moonsong said that violated his religious beliefs and that the horns - which he only takes off to bathe or sleep - didn't obstruct his face.

The Bangor Bureau of Motor Vehicles later relented and Moonsong received his new ID, complete with horns, on Dec. 13.

Word of the year: Surreal

Merriam-Webster has unveiled its word of the year: surreal.

Defined as "marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream," or "unbelievable, fantastic," Merriam-Webster said there was a spike in lookups of the word on its website this year. Major spikes came after the attacks in Brussels in March and again in July after the Bastille Day massacre in Nice. The single biggest surge for lookups of "surreal" came on Nov. 9, the day Donald Trump won the presidential election.

There are some other candidates for words of the year: The Oxford dictionary went with "post-truth" while Dictionary.com selected "xenophobia."

Until tomorrow.
Donald Trump won the White House - officially - Tuesday with 304 electoral votes as talk of a revolt among Republicans fell flat.

Trump easily surpassed the 270 electoral threshold required to win the presidency, despite two GOP electors bucking their party to become "faithless electors." The defections were greater among Democrats, however, with four electors casting ballots for someone other than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Clinton received 232 electoral votes.

Trump issued a statement after the results.

"Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy," the President-elect said. "This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible. With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again."

He later tweeted a separate message.

"We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)," he added.

Faithless electors

Prior to Tuesday's state gatherings, the pressure had been on electors to dump Trump, especially as Clinton's lead in the popular vote grew to more than 2.8 million.

Those efforts produced little results, with only two GOP electors casting ballots for someone other than the President-elect. Both the Republican defectors were in Texas, where one cast a ballot for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and another for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

There were five faithless electors - defined as electors who vote for someone other than the candidate that won their state - among Democrats. Four were from Washington state, with three casting ballots for Colin Powell, who served as Secretary of State under Republican President George W. Bush, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a tribal activist opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

One other faithless elector, David Mulinix, a Democrat from Hawaii, cast a ballot for Vermont Senator and Clinton challenger Bernie Sanders.

Three more Democratic electors - one each in Colorado, Maine and Minnesota - attempted to cast a ballot for someone other than Clinton but were rebuffed.

Historic votes

There is no Constitutional mandate for electors to support the winner of their state's presidential race though most are tied to the results through statute or party pledges.

Monday's number of faithless electors was historic in modern times - since the founding of the Electoral College, there have been 157 Faithless Electors, 71 of whom changed votes because the original candidate died before the day on which the Electoral College cast its votes. Three electors chose to abstain rather than vote for their party's nominee, according to FairVote.

The other 83 electoral votes were changed on the personal initiative of the elector, including 23 Virginia electors who cast ballots as a block in 1836 against Vice Presidential nominee Richard Johnson of Kentucky.

There have been only eight Faithless Electors since 1900 and five Faithless Electors since 1972:

A Virginia Republican who voted for a Libertarian candidate in 1972.

A Washington Republican who cast a ballot for primary candidate Ronald Reagan over party nominee Gerald Ford in 1976.

A West Virginia Democrat who cast her ballot for Lloyd Bentsen, her party's VP candidate, for president as a protest vote in 1988.

A Washington, D.C. elector in 2000 became the first elector to abstain from voting since 1832. She did so in protest of the lack of Congressional representation for the D.C. area.

A Minnesota Democrat pledged to vote for John Kerry cast her vote instead for Kerry's running mate John Edwards in 2004. The elector also voted for Edwards for VP. It's thought the ballot was cast in mistake.

Clinton is only the fifth candidate in U.S. history to win the popular vote yet lose the Electoral College, joining Al Gore from 2000, Andrew Jackson from 1824, Samuel Tilden from 1876 and Grover Cleveland from 1888. Her lead is the largest of any of those elections.

What's next?

The results from each state will be submitted as a "certificate of vote" to the Federal Register by Dec. 28. On Jan. 6, Congress will meet in a joint session to formally tally the Electoral College's vote.

Trump will be sworn in as the country's 45th president on Jan. 20, 2017.
President Obama granted clemency to 231 individuals Monday, the most in a single day by any president in U.S. history.

The president announced the commutation - or shortening - of sentences for 153 federal inmates and pardons for 78 individuals, most of whom were serving or had served sentences for drug-related crimes. Pardoned individuals will have certain rights restored and are formally forgiven for their crimes.

The move comes as Obama prepares to end his second term with a flurry of actions the White House said reflected the president's "commitment to exercising his clemency authority."

"The 231 individuals granted clemency today have all demonstrated that they are ready to make use -- or have already made use -- of a second chance. While each clemency recipient's story is unique, the common thread of rehabilitation underlies all of them," White House Counsel Neil Eggleston said in a blog post.

During his two terms, Obama has commuted the sentences of 1,176 prisoners, including 395 serving life sentences. The president has also granted pardons to 78 individuals bringing his total number of pardons to 148.

The announcement was made during the president and his family's annual holiday vacation in Hawaii.

Eggleston indicated the president will likely make more commutations before he leaves office but the number of requests awaiting response is sizeable: there are currently 13,042 requests for commutations and 1,937 pardon applications filed with the Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney.

Alabamians included on commutation, pardon list

Commutations

Jonathan Rodrico Carter of Anniston was sentenced in 2006 to life in prison and 10 years supervised release on charges of possession with the intent to distribute a cocaine base. His prison sentence was commuted to end on Dec. 19, 2018 with enrollment in a drug treatment program upon release.

Jeremy Conner of Tarrant was sentenced in 2011 to life plus 60 months imprisonment with 10 years supervised release for possession with an intent to distribute cocaine base, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a fire arm. Prison sentence commuted to a term to 15 years imprisonment, with enrollment in residential drug treatment upon release.

Curtis Drayton of Prattville was sentenced in 1995 to life with five years supervised release for four counts of distribution of cocaine base, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting. His prison sentence was commuted to expire April 18, 2017.

George Ralph Ellis of Birmingham was sentenced in 2005 to 15 years imprisonment with five years supervised release for possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing marijuana, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime; and possession with intent to distribute a substance containing cocaine base. His prison sentence was commuted to expire on April 18, 2017.

Cecil Ray Frye of Saraland was sentenced in 2007 to 548 months imprisonment for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and two counts of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking felony. Prison sentence was commuted to 211 months' imprisonment with enrollment in a residential drug treatment program upon release.

Scherean Jean Means of Birmingham was sentenced in 1996 to life imprisonment with 10 years supervised release for conspiracy with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana; and five counts of using a communication facility to commit, cause or facilitate commission of drug felony. Prison sentence commuted to 360 months imprisonment.

Jamael Aaron Nettles of Mobile was sentenced to 365 months imprisonment and four years supervised release in 2006 for possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine; possession with intent to distribute cocaine; and simple possession of marijuana. Prison sentence commuted to expire on April 18, 2017.

Lawrence Maurice Powe of Mobile was sentenced to 40 years in prison and five years supervised release in 1992 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute schedule II controlled substance; possess with intent to distribute schedule II controlled substance; and two counts of use of firearm in a drug trafficking felony. He was also assessed a $100,000 fine and $900,000 in forfeiture obligations. Prison sentence commuted to expire on Dec. 18, 2018 and unpaid balance of forfeiture obligation remitted with enrollment in a residential drug treatment.

Mark David Turner of Opelika was sentenced to 481 months in prison and five years supervised release in 2002 for conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine; possession of pseudoephedrine; two counts of using and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and two counts of manufacture and possess with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine. Prison sentence was commuted to expire on Dec. 19, 2018 conditioned on enrollment in a drug treatment facility.

Pardons
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan on December 20 met President of Greece Prokopios Pavlopoulos within the framework of his official visit to Greece, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress.

The Armenian Defense Minister thanked the Greek President for the warm reception and expressed readiness to further intensify and deepen the relations of two friendly states that are formed on historically firm basis.

Issues related to the development of military and military-technical cooperation between Armenia and Greece, as well as other issues of mutual interest were discussed at the meeting.
A Mobile couple was arrested after $60,000 worth of crystal meth and other drugs were found in their home this week, Mobile police said.

Carlos McDonald (left) and his wife Kimberly (right)

Carlos McDonald, 35, and his wife Kimberly, 37, were taken into custody by the Mobile County Street Enforcement Narcotics Team during an investigation into a large-scale drug trafficking and distribution operation on Monday and Tuesday.

Along with the discover of over half a kilo of crystal meth, Agents said they also seized an ounce of marijuana, a Toyota pickup and $3,000 in cash while executing a search warrant on a home at 9171 Spice Pond Road. Carlos McDonald was charged with two counts of trafficking meth, first-degree possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Kimberly McDonald was charged with trafficking meth and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Jeff Sessions.jpg

Sen. Jeff Sessions

(File)

Amy Smith

Amy Smith, a graduate of Athens State College where she majored in English with a minor in history. She is a Cold War history buff and a Progressive Democrat living in Marshall County, Alabama. She works as an allied health professional.

When we send people to represent the state of Alabama, we are not sending our best people. We are sending our racists, our sexists, our homophobes, our xenophobes, and some of them, I'm sure, might be nice people.

The bigotry and willful ignorance of Alabama's elected leadership is once again in the national spotlight with president elect Trump's choice for Attorney General of the United States, US Senator from Alabama, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions.

Left to her own devices, Alabama has given us political greats such as Governor George Wallace, the poster boy for Jim Crow and segregation in 1963. More recently, she's given us two time loser and darling of the Alabama Taliban, Supreme Court Judge Roy Moore. Moore was removed from power by Alabama's judicial ethics panel for 'willfully and publicly' putting himself above the law by his refusal to remove a 2.6 ton granite sculpture of the Ten Commandments from the state judicial building's rotunda. He recovered from that fiasco, was re-elected and then suspended again for his refusal to follow the United States Supreme Court's ruling regarding marriage equality.

This list of racist homophobic xenophobes wouldn't be complete if one did not include the joint efforts of Alabama State Representative Micky Hammond and Alabama State Senator Scott Beason to inflict upon the immigrant community HB 56 . This Alabama peach of a bill criminalized renting an apartment or giving a ride to an undocumented person. The bill also required law enforcement to validate a person's immigration status during any routine traffic stop if they had reason to believe that the person was undocumented.

According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, Alabama is tied with Mississippi as the worst state for women to live in receiving failing or near failing grades in every single metric measured: employment and earnings, political participation, poverty and opportunity, reproductive rights, health and well being, and work and family.

Alabama's poor are among the victims of a system which uses taxpayer funded law enforcement to feed a steady supply of people into its privately owned and run prisons and probation enforcement services.

Wallace's brand of segregation was defeated in Alabama by a strong federal government. Roy Moore is no longer an Alabama Supreme Court Judge because we have federal laws that protect marriage equality and a US Constitution which demands a separation of church and state. Hammond and Beason failed in their efforts deny people their civil right as large parts of HB 56 were invalidated.

Judicial Corrections Services, a private probation company, is finally coming under fire by the ACLU and SPLC for it's blatant extortion of Alabama's poor. Women's reproductive rights in the state are hanging by the thinnest of federal threads. A strong federal government that vigorously protects the rights of our most vulnerable people is critical in a state like Alabama where politicians seem hell bent on riding rough shod over the rights of women, minorities, LGBT people, and the poor.

Appointing Sessions as US Attorney General has real consequences because it weakens the federal wall of protection that stands between the worst of our elected public officials and the citizens whose civil rights they seek to abridge.

As Attorney General of Alabama, Sessions used the voting rights act of 1965 to prosecute those who registered black voters. He fought to protect the financial segregation of Alabama's public schools. As a U.S. Senator, Sessions voted against extending basic civil rights to LGBT people. He has publicly supported and voted for allowing the torture of people who are held in the custody of the US government. He voted against renewing the Violence Against Women Act. Sessions fits very neatly into the basket of deplorables that make up Alabama's elected officials.

Judging by his record, I have no doubt that U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions will do his best to put gays back in the closet, women back in the kitchen, blacks in the back of the bus, and the poor and the undocumented into pay to play prisons.

Buckle up, buttercup, we are in for one heck of a ride.
Im sitting in a hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I just watched the states electors, all 20 of them, decide to follow their states popular vote and give their all-important vote to Donald Trump.

The Electoral College was created by the founders in order to keep someone unqualified or under the influence of a foreign government from reaching the highest office in the land. Those opposed to Trump saw that as a no-brainer because they really dont think he is capable of carrying out the duties required.

There were about 200 people protesting outside. It was just one of dozens of protests at state capitols across the country  a last-ditch attempt to keep Trump from making it into the White House. They failed here and everywhere else. Its now real, there is no stopping it. The billionaire businessman and reality TV star is going to be the next president of the United States.

OPINION: Speaking the truth in the post-truth era

There were two Trump supporters proudly flying a very large Trump flag. Many of the protesters tried to engage them in debate. I watched for a while, each and every one eventually walked away from the discussion. They were civil but talking in circles. I, of course, interviewed the Trump supporters. I was surprised by a couple of their statements.





Robert Cini, a retired factory worker, told me that former secretary of state Hillary Clinton outspent Trump five to one during the campaign. I informed him that simply wasnt true. In fact, she did outspend him but by a two to one margin. He didnt seem to believe me.

He told me that President Barack Obama has ruined the economy. I informed him the unemployment rate was about 10 percent when he came into office and was under 5 percent now. He laughed off my numbers and said they were not a real reflection of the situation. I asked him where he got his information. He told me he watches and listens to different programmes.

These are obviously shows that tell flat-out lies, but that is perfectly fine in the United States. The first amendment protects all speech. The thought of having a licensing board to make sure the truth is being told on the airwaves here would never survive a court challenge.

That got me thinking, where do we go from here? Clinton received almost three million more votes than Donald Trump. A recent poll found 52 percent of Republicans still dont believe that is the case. They think Trump won the popular vote. He didnt. It seems, though, that facts are now up for debate.

I believe the American media is a big reason why Trump is going to be president. Every single time he talked he was put on the air. He received billions of dollars in free advertising. His opponents barely got on TV or in the newspapers. In the beginning much of what he said wasnt fact-checked. It was good for ratings. He made their bosses money.

OPINION: Mainstream media fashioned post-truth, not Trump

Towards the end of the campaign, journalists started fact-checking but his voters were no longer listening. The media was largely irrelevant in this campaign and that is new. I was struck by what the editors of Time magazine wrote when naming Trump person of the year. They wrote in the introduction that Trump reminded everyone that truth is only as powerful as the trust in those who speak it.

How can the American media change the perception of so many that they are deceitful hacks? There is no easy answer. Social media has changed the landscape. On the internet it is easier to make fake news look like the real thing. So what now, American media?

The only thing I can think of is to keep working, but be better. If an American television network wanted to begin regaining the trust of viewers the first thing it should do is move their headquarters out of New York City. New York does not resemble the country at all. Its a bubble and if you are in a bubble you cant hear anything happening outside it. They need to stop paying their anchors and bosses millions of dollars.

Edward R Murrow worried about that. He asked how can you relate to Americans if you arent experiencing what they do on a daily basis. Journalism needs to be a calling again, not a way to gain celebrity.

My thesis in graduate school was on the historical and cyclical nature of sensational journalism. The premise was that whenever new technology made news available to the masses, sensational journalism thrived. Historically, a major disaster or world event brought serious, real news back to the top of viewers/readers attention.

If Donald Trump doesnt deliver, his voters may return to traditional news. If they do, the American news media needs to be ready. They need to be better. They need to stop trying to curry favour and cover the easy story, the horse race, etc. They need to cover the issues that people care about and to do that they need to know what those are.

They need to challenge more. They need to hold the powerful to account. If they do that, if the people come back into their fold, journalism might matter again. Facts might be exactly that, facts. If not, then we will enter a new stage of this republic. The fourth estate, the final check on the checks and balances will disappear. What does that mean? I truly hope we dont find out.
As electoral college votes in Donald Trump, many US citizens plan move to Canada, but may face cold reception.

Lola Al-Uqdah wont soon forget the morning of November 9.

A mother of three and psychology professor who lives in Camden, New Jersey, Al-Uqdah was in the midst of her usual pre-work routine when she learned that Donald Trump had defeated Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the United States. It was the morning after the US election and her husband had delivered the message through the bathroom door.

It felt like someone knocked the wind out of me, Al-Uqdah recalled. I felt like doomsday was coming. I just felt like, Wow, what are we going to do? And I felt concerned about my safety, the safety of my family.

Her American Dream was dead. There was only one thing left to do: plan her move to Canada.





Al-Uqdah is one of hundreds, if not thousands of Americans who, during the election, contemplated moving to Canada if Trump won. But unlike the vast majority of liberal anti-Trumpers who flip-flopped on Canada once the billionaire real estate mogul pulled off a stunning victory, Al-Uqdah was serious.

For Al-Uqdah, a Muslim woman, a Trump presidency wasnt just an inconvenience  it was a terrifying reality.

In the past year, hate crimes against Muslims in the US have skyrocketed to the highest levels since post-9/11. Mosques have been vandalised and letters threatening to cleanse America of Muslims were sent to mosques in six states shortly after Trump was elected.

Politicians, too, have been implicated in this rise of hate. Earlier this month, a staffer of former Florida congressman Allen West posted an Islamophobic meme of Trumps pick for defense secretary, James Mattis, that stated: Fired by Obama to please Muslims. Hired by Trump to exterminate them.

I feel for the safety of Muslim women, Al-Uqdah explained.

Ive never been fearful of being Muslim or dressing any kind of way but its real. It has a potential to be a real problem now. I listen to other women whove had inappropriate comments made at them  people who have actually confronted them  and thats a real concern. I know Muslim women that stopped covering [their hair].

READ MORE on Al Jazeeras US elections coverage

An FBI report showed an increasing trend of hate crimes committed against Muslims. Of the total number of hate crimes committed in the US, those against Muslims rose to 22.2 percent in 2015 from 16.3 percent in 2014. Although anti-Muslim hate crimes had been on the rise before the election, Trumps rhetoric on radical Islamic terrorism and his promises to enact a database to monitor Muslims are widely suspected to have given validation to the president-elects most radical supporters, who have increasingly chosen to act out their prejudice and discrimination.

[Canadians] seem to be very open to people of other religions and other cultures, Al-Uqdah explained. [Racism] doesnt seem to be prevalent and it doesnt seem to be condoned by the government. I havent heard political figures saying things like that in Canada but they definitely do here in America. It seems to be a more welcoming environment.

However, there are rising instances of hate crimes against Muslims in Canada as well. These have more than doubled in recent years. In 2012, police recorded 45 religiously motivated hate crimes. In 2014, that number shot up to 99.

Al-Uqdah has visited Canada several times and during each visit, she felt a sense of welcome and inclusivity. She said shes eying both Quebec and Ontario as potential places to resettle. She, like many liberal Americans, is also drawn by Canadas universal healthcare system.

I love Canada  I love Canadians, Al-Uqdah explained. My only apprehension is that its a bit cold.

INTERACTIVE FEATURE: Whos who in Donald Trumps administration?

History of Americans moving to Canada

However, this latest push to relocate to Canada is by no means a new phenomenon. Americans leaving for Canada dates back all the way back to the Revolutionary War when 100,000 British loyalists fled the 13 colonies. Then there was the Underground Railroad, which brought thousands of black slaves to Canada in the 1800s.

More recently, during the Vietnam War period between 1966 and 1975, 240,000 Americans went to Canada, according to Statistics Canada. George Bushs 2004 re-election gave way to the biggest influx of Americans moving to Canada since the 1970s. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 9,612 permanent residents from the US were admitted in 2006.





Danyell Williams, an African-American woman who has lived in Philadelphia her entire life, is another US citizen who wants to abandon her homeland for Canada.

Trumps presidency definitely pushed me over the edge, said Williams, 44, who teaches inmates at a womens prison in Philadelphia, and who used to be a prison doula. She assisted incarcerated, expecting mothers in delivering their newborn children.

Williams, who is also a PhD student at Philadelphias University of the Sciences and is studying health policy, said she was already looking at moving to Canada to further her career and research, where she believes the correctional system has better conditions for pregnant women, as well as improved prison nursery programs. Williams is hoping to move to Alberta or Ontario. With Trump winning the presidency and the Republicans controlling all the branches of government, she said she has No intention or desire to remain in this country.

I thought, I got to get [] out of here. You know I was reading people say, No, we need to stay and fight, and I understand that and I get that argument, but I was thinking, What could I really do? It isnt worth it, she added.

Williams is not only fearful of Trump, but is also equally frightened by his incoming administration. Instead, shes now looking north for a political leader who better reflects her values: Canadas young Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

I dont think youre going to get any more progressive than what he is, she said of Trudeau, 44, who, in his first year in office, has allowed the resettlement of more than 30,000 Syrian refugees in Canada, become the countrys first prime minister to march in a gay pride parade, and who has installed a gender-equal administration.

I think his age, his outlook, you know already the changes that he made. His cabinet is so diverse and he just seems to really want to take the country to another level. I think hes great. Nobody is as good as Obama, but hes as cool as it gets, Williams said.

READ MORE: Reports of racist attacks rise after Donald Trumps win

Colleen Buchanan, a 61-year-old retired nurse and hospital manager from Bend, Oregon, also said the Trump presidency has hastened [her] dual citizenship process.

Buchanan, who is now seeking out an immigration attorney, is still weighing her options.

We baby boomers are struggling with the dilemma of staying for one last fight to protect the rights of the LGBTQ community, people of colour, and women, to safeguard the environment, to maintain the Affordable Care Act, and to promote compassionate relationships with our world neighbours  or retreating to a haven of safety that reflects our values to rest, recover, contribute, and watch it all play out.

How to move to Canada?

In March, Google announced that search interest in the term move to Canada reached its highest peak in the search engines history. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canadas website reported similar traffic in November and made international headlines when it crashed on the evening of the American election owing to a significant increase in the volume of traffic and technical difficulties, according to Lindsay Wemp, spokesperson for the immigration site. 

Wemp noted that there were more than 200,000 users accessing the site, when it crashed, of which American IP addresses accounted for roughly 50 percent. At the same time the previous week there were just 17,000 users, she said.

But will all this curiosity actually translate to Canadian residencies?





Whether Trumps presidency triggers an immigration wave on a par with Vietnam or post-9/11 eras migrations remains to be seen. David Cohen, a Montreal-based immigration attorney, said he has seen a jump in Americans inquiring about his services since November 8.

The increase is significant  its twelvefold, said Cohen, who has be practising immigration law for 40 years.

However, Cohen is skeptical that many will follow through on their applications for work permits or visas.

Theres a big difference between questions and people actually moving to Canada. Americans are extremely loyal, patriotic and at the end of the day, I will be surprised if the numbers [of people immigrating] are significantly higher. This initial worry  freakout, if you will  Im not sure that this will materialise into actual movement across the border. This isnt an impulse buy on Amazon  this is a major move.

Cohen noted that many of his American clients are surprised to learn its much more difficult than they expected to pick up and settle in Canada. Each year, he said, anywhere between 8,000 and 10,000 Americans pack their bags for Canada.

Often when Americans call us theyre surprised to learn that, for example, if they have a DUI, thats going to help prevent them from setting up in Canada or may prevent them. That they actually do require a specific work permit to come to Canada. Do all Americans think that? No. But a good portion of Americans believe that it is easier to come to Canada than it actually is.

Getting a work permit, Cohen explained, is likely to be the quickest option for Americans hoping to move to Canada quickly. A range of 66 occupations under the North American Free Trade Agreement could allow a US citizen to move and begin working in Canada within a matter of weeks if they have an official job offer.

But, the work permit is a temporary solution, Cohen said. In order to apply for permanent residence in Canada, its not as simple and straightforward as just having that job because Americans then are competing with people from all over the world.

Without a job, Americans could also apply for permanent residency through Canadas express-entry, points-based qualification system, which has a median processing time of about six months. Having a college or university degree, and speaking English boost the odds of acceptance.

Americans wishing to move to Canada could also enrol for university or college, or marry a Canadian. Theres even a mobile app to get the ball rolling on the latter. Maple Match, an iPhone app launched just days before the election, is designed to romantically set up Trump-despising Americans with Canadians.

I have Muslim friends, I have Latino friends, I have Mexican friends; Im gay, so I have trans friends, and for me thinking about a Donald Trump presidency creates a lot of problems for a lot of groups in the United States, said Joe Goldman, a Texas native and Maple Matchs founder.

A lot of the anxieties that Americans are feeling about the next four years just really dont exist in Canada.

Goldman, a long-time and self-described lover of Canada, said that since Trump has been elected, he has seen an explosive surge in users, which total around 30,000. Maple Match soon plans to expand their platform to Android users.

A cold Canadian welcome

Canadians, for the most part, are welcoming of an American influx. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, for example, a sleepy, scenic island in eastern Canada, has built an entire tourism marketing approach around attracting Yanks seeking refuge from a Trump presidency.

But like the US, Canada appears to have its own share of borderline xenophobic conservatives, who are annoyed with the idea.

I personally find it obnoxious because it plays into this trope that I think a lot of liberal Americans have, which is this idea that Canada is this perfectly progressive utopia, said J J McCullough, a Toronto-based cartoonist and political commentator.

[Its] very disrespectful of a great gift that theyve been given in life, which is to be born in the United States, to have all the opportunities that that entails and to give all of that up for, you know, because youre a bit of a sore loser in an election that didnt go your way? I just have a very, very hard time sympathising with that, added McCullough.

Matt Cruz, a 34-year-old Ontario retail worker, also agreed.

It bothers me, Cruz explained. Americans as a whole are self-centred and ignorant when it comes to the world around them. They want to come to Canada to flee from what they feel is a bad situation, yet they dont want others coming into their country because of the same thing. And they think that were just their younger brother up north and that just because were nice, well accept them.

This type of attitude was prevalent on social media during and after the election and troves of Canucks voiced  often laden with sarcasm  that it should be their government building a wall.

We dont want yall Americans here in Canada, a few years down the road youll probably be voting for Justin Bieber as our prime minister, tweeted Jarin Fullerton, a 19-year-old mechanic from the coastal Maritimes town of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.

They screwed themselves over, and now theyre talking about coming here? He added. Youve got enough people to crash the Canadian immigration website, but not enough to vote in a good president? Why should we let Americans into our country because of the mistakes they made as a nation? They made the final decision, so now they should stick to it.

Anywhere but the US

Al-Uqdah, though, the Muslim woman from New Jersey, isnt deterred by any anti-American sentiments and is unyielding in pursuing her Canadian dream.

I do think Canadians would be welcoming of me because Im not coming with a handout. Im coming as a credentialed, qualified individual who will contribute to their society. Im not going to cause any detriment. Im coming and Im going to help them improve. So why wouldnt they welcome me with open arms?

Although she has not yet consulted an immigration lawyer or made concrete plans to facilitate the move, Al-Uqdahs husband, an insurance salesman, has been applying for jobs.

Al-Uqdah is not able to uproot immediately, however. Shes in the final stages of wrapping up her PhD in health policy but plans to make the move in early 2018. Although one of her children is in college and another will soon graduate, her youngest teenage daughter would also have to emigrate with them. She also has a mortgage, but plans to rent her house out in her absence.

If Canada doesnt work out, Al-Uqdah is still determined to cross oceans and continents to escape Trumps America. Her second option for a new home, after Canada, is Dubai, where she once lived for five weeks.

The question isnt whether were moving  its where were moving, Al-Uqdah added.

Canada is our number-one choice and the difference between me and someone whos talking [about moving out of the US] is my belief that my childrens lives are in danger.

Ricardo Kuettel contributed to this article from the US

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Hundreds of adults who grew up illiterate are getting a second chance to read and write in Nairobis Kibera slum.

As a child, Victoria Muumbis parents could not afford to provide her with a proper education. With no other means of supporting her education, she was forced to drop out of school at an early age.

So when local charity Shining Hope For Communities (SHOFCO) started providing free adult classes in basic literacy, she was among the first to sign up.

Now 35 years old and a mother of two, she makes up for lost time with bags of enthusiasm.

I have done it for two good years, and it is not very easy, she told Al Jazeera as she waited for the days lesson to begin.

Hundreds of adults have attended the classes since they started two years ago in Kibera.

The majority of students there are women, and they have a diverse range of motivations for learning to read later in life.

Some simply want to be able to fill in government forms without help, while others want to work jobs that require them to be literate.

Victoria, however, has greater ambitions. When I finish my school I would like to be a businesswoman, I want to work for myself, she said.

Al Jazeera spent the day with Victoria and her fellow students in Kenyas biggest slum.
Although its a significant blow to Turkey-Russia relations after the jet incident, impairing the relations is unlikely.

Akin Unver is an assistant professor of international relations at Kadir Has University, Istanbul.

TURK ASSASSINATES A RUSSIAN CONSUL [] Macedonian Insurgents Position Strengthened  Peace or War Seems to Depend on Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria.

This New York Times dispatch is from 1903, from the Macedonian town of Bitola, where the Russian consul-general was assassinated by an Albanian member of the Ottoman army.

Macedonias ethnic heterogeneity between Slavs, Greeks and Albanians had fallen victim to growing nationalism, enveloped between an assertive Russia and a declining Ottoman Empire.

By the early 1900s, assassinations of ambassadors and consuls based in the Ottoman Balkans became a substantial source of concern for the imperial administration, as the loyalties of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Ottoman military and police forces wavered along with the changing power dynamics in the Balkans.

The Balkans transition between two imperial powers had led to a rise of successive rebellions, which would eventually culminate with the Balkan Wars of 1912-13.

Yet, the 1903 assassination of the Russian consul-general endangered an earlier Balkan War, which would be postponed for a decade, after much political manoeuvring and diplomacy by Sultan Abdulhamid II.

Reminiscent of great power games of the past

Andrey Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey who was killed on December 19 is the first assassinated ambassador in Turkey since the foundation of the republic in 1923.

Having been assigned to Ankara in 2013, Karlov took over an increasingly difficult job with a tense portfolio, and presided over one of the most difficult episodes in Turkey-Russia relations in recent history, playing a key role in the improvement of relations since the Turkish shooting-down of the Russian jet in November 2015.

As another chapter of the Syrian civil war is being carried out brutally in eastern Aleppo, the flammable combination of great power interests and local, non-state, armed groups willingness to go on fighting, isnt too far off from the conditions of 1903-1913.

While the World War I or Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria analogies that spread across the social media following the assassination of Ambassador Karlov may seem interesting initially, they ultimately forget the fact that Turko-Russian geopolitical competition goes far back to the 18th century.

Despite Russia's support for the Turkish government in the aftermath the failed coup attempt in July and both parties' emerging cooperation in Syria, there is little Russia and Turkey can do for each other beyond Syria and ongoing energy, tourism and trade partnership. by

Even further, the current state of affairs between Russia and Turkey resemble more to 1903 than 1914, and Syria of today, looks more like the Macedonia of a century ago  similar powers, interests and peripheral reactions.

The 1903 assassination had led to a wider range of Ottoman concessions to Russia, partly to do with the diplomatic embarrassment over the incident and mostly to do with the piling Russian navy in the Black Sea.

Sultan Abdulhamid II even followed the trial of the Albanian soldier closely, making sure that he received the death penalty. Despite that, Turks entered the World War I when the Ottoman-German navies bombarded Sevastopol, the primary Russian naval port in the Black Sea.

No need for alarmism

Alarmism over a new World War III is largely unfounded, at least with regards to Turkey, Russia or Syria.

Although Syria is the high school reunion of the belligerents of World War I, the dynamics at play in Syria and Iraq (or Aleppo and Mosul) are more local (sectarian-historical) than international.

If anything, the assassination of Karlov will have a similar impact to the downing of the Russian jet in November 2015  bringing Moscow and Ankara closer (or render Ankara more dependent on Moscow in security affairs).

After the 1903 killing, the amount of ethnic tension within the Ottoman army and local security forces had alarmed other embassies in Constantinople, who feared similar attacks and called upon their respective navies to dock their warships on the Bosphorus to protect their personnel.

READ MORE: Ankara focuses on Gulen links in Karlov assassination

Eventually, the rift within the Ottoman military, threat on foreign heads of mission and the European view that the empire could no longer afford a slow decline, resulted in a direct German command and training influence by 1909, uniting the Ottoman ranks enough to fight one last time in World War I.

Today, however, it is unlikely and difficult for Russia to exert a similar influence over the Turkish military. Despite Russias support for the Turkish government in the aftermath the failed coup attempt in July and both parties emerging cooperation in Syria, there is little Russia and Turkey can do for each other beyond Syria and ongoing energy, tourism and trade partnership.

Turkey has long used its improving relations with Russia as a lever towards attaining better negotiating terms with the European Union and strengthening its position in NATO. Turkeys real focus has always been these two institutions, regardless of what Turkish officials say in heated public rallies.

OPINION: Turkeys move against Russia  Cold War redux?

Although this assassination is a significant second blow to Turkish-Russian relations after the downing of the Russian jet, it is unlikely to impair these relations. Assessments of a World War III or analogies of Archduke Franz Ferdinand are also quite out of proportion.

If anything, it will increase intelligence and security partnership between the two countries. Yet, the incident impairs Ankaras ability to diplomatically pressure Russia either on the Aleppo evacuation, or its aftermath, or the role of Iran in post-war Syria.

And finally, it opens up more extensive pressuring channels for Moscow to force Ankara to end any and all proxy relations in Syria, effectively cutting off Ankara from Aleppo or its aftermath.

Akin Unver is an assistant professor of international relations at Kadir Has University, Istanbul.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Certain progress will be ensured over the improvement of Armenia-Iran infrastructures, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Artak Zakaryan told a press conference in Armenpress, speaking about the Iranian Presidents upcoming visit to Armenia.

A number of documents of Armenian-Iranian bilateral relations will be signed within the framework of the Iranian Presidents visit to Armenia. That will enable to develop the economic relations of the two states, as well as ensure certain progress on infrastructure improvement. You know that from economic point of view, we need to improve infrastructures, we need to raise the economic attractiveness in our country. We will try to attract new economic resources, investments, in this regard, Iran is one of our best partners taking into account the recent developments that occurred in Irans foreign policy agenda, Artak Zakaryan said.

By the invitation of Armenias President Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani will arrive in Armenia on an official visit on December 21. Within the framework of the visit, Irans President will have meetings with President Serzh Sargsyan, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan. A signing ceremony of documents aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in a number of sectors is expected to be held at the end of the Armenian-Iranian high-level talks in the Presidential Palace. The two Presidents will issue a statement on the results of talks during a press conference. The Armenian and Iranian Presidents will also attend Armenia-Iran business forum in Yerevan.
To deflect the sexist charge of being barren viragos, female politicians in the region have to deny their sexuality.

All the women who have become heads of government in India have been single. Its an unwritten job requirement.

Indira Gandhi, who became Indias prime minister, and Nandini Satpathy, Sheila Dixit, Vasundhara Raje, Uma Bharti, Mamata Banerjee, Jayalalithaa Jayaram and Kumari Mayawati, who served terms as provincial chief ministers, were unmarried or separated or widowed at the moment of their ascension and through their time at the top.

Sonia Gandhi doesnt figure in this list because she didnt actually hold political office despite being president of the Congress Party when it led a governing coalition for a decade. Had she chosen to become prime minister, she would have borne out the rule. Women who rule in modern India can have no consorts.

This is something of a South Asian rule. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the modern worlds first female head of government, became prime minister of Ceylon in 1960 following the assassination of her husband, Solomon Bandaranaike, during his term as prime minister in 1959.

Her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, the first woman president of Sri Lanka between 1994 and 2005, was widowed six years before she became president, when her husband was assassinated in 1988.

Begum Khaleda Zia, the first female prime minister of Bangladesh, was the widow of General Ziaur Rahman, president of Bangladesh, assassinated in 1981.

Opposite of female emancipation

What does this say about South Asian politics and the position of women within it? First of all, it testifies to the fact that politics in South Asia is savagely violent. It tells us that family connections in South Asia trump gender prejudice when it comes to high political office.

This doesnt mean that South Asian electorates are emancipated in some feminist way. It means the reverse; they are so patriarchal that the charisma of a male relative can be posthumously transferred. A male politician can halo his widowed wife, his orphaned daughter, even his bereaved mistress, with political legitimacy, but this legitimacy comes at a price.

The female successor must be publicly celibate. A woman who is a prime minister or a chief minister in the sub-continent cant  even by implication  be sexually active. She has to be neutered by singleness because sexuality in a woman isnt  as it is for a man  a sign of potency, its a mark of weakness, of susceptibility.

A public man is a statesman; a public woman is something else again. For a female politician to be virtuous she needs to be insulated from carnality by spinsterhood or widowhood.

READ MORE: Jayalalithaa Jayaram dies at 68

Theres another reason, unrelated to sexuality, that makes it almost impossible for a married woman to hold high political office. Since husbands in South Asia think they own their wives, a married woman is often seen as a puppet  not an autonomous political actor.

This is the Lalu Yadav syndrome. The erstwhile chief minister of Bihar installed his wife, Rabri Devi, as a place-holder chief minister of the state while he was serving time in jail for corruption. Regardless of how charismatic or independent a woman is, the only way for her to escape the stigma of being a male ventriloquists dummy is to dispense with men altogether.

Bearing the males legacy

There are two exceptions to this rule. Benazir Bhutto, Pakistans first female prime minister, was married to Asif Zardari right through her political career. Sheikh Hasina, now in her second term as prime minister of Bangladesh, served out a full term as prime minister between 1996 and 2001 as a married woman. How did they sidestep the stigma of being sexed creatures, subordinate to a male keeper?

Its worth remembering that while Benazir Bhutto and Sheikh Hasina werent widowed, they were violently orphaned. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan, was judicially executed by the military usurper, Zia-ul-Haq, while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in a military coup along with most of his family.

The springboards for their political careers were their fathers martyrdoms. Benazir Bhutto only ever referred to her father as shaheed (martyr) while Sheikh Hasinas entire political career as prime minister has been devoted to reinstating her fathers legacy and punishing the individuals, parties and institutions that had conspired to murder him.

It's curious that attempts of women to replicate the political authority that their male counterparts take for granted, should be gendered and then read as a peculiarly feminine failure to create a fraternal, rational politics. by

Each ruled, literally, in the name of their fathers. This single-minded fidelity to a dead mans legacy kept each from being owned in the public eye by her living male consort.

While female heads of government in India have to be single, their public personas are shaped by the nature of this singleness. Widows with children are differently regarded from women who have never been married and who dont have children.

Indira Gandhi, Sheila Dixit, Nandini Sathpathy and Vasundhara Raje were humanised by their families: A single woman with children can be placed as someone who was once a wife and is still a mother.

Indians understand the web of family attachments that shapes a womans life. They understand dynastic succession even when they dont approve of it. That Indira followed her father, Nehru, or that she wanted her sons to succeed her wasnt nepotism, it was normality.

Authoritarian harpies?

Powerful, unmarried, childless women are seen as unnatural and, in the end, unnerving. Kumari Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Uma Bharti and Jayalalitha Jayaram, who have all been provincial chief ministers, have nothing in common except for the fact that they are single women.

Mayawati is a Dalit woman from Indias Western Uttar Pradesh region. Mamata Banerjee is a Brahmin raised in shabby genteel poverty who single-handedly saw off the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Uma Bharti is a backward caste woman who took her vows and became a jogin, a sort of Hindu nun. Jayalalithaa was an English-speaking Brahmin who first became famous as a film star in Tamil movies.

And yet, if you were to trawl newspapers or news television for the way they are described, you could be forgiven for thinking they were a single person: an authoritarian harpy who rules via a cult of personality that reduces party colleagues to acolytes and policy to whimsical, self-aggrandising gestures.

OPINION: Indian Muslim feminists  We are reformists not traitors

The point is not that this description is inaccurate: Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee and Jayalalithaa did and do rule as party supremos with no peers; not for them the polite liberal fiction of being first among equals.

Jayalalithaa required and received public slavishness from her ministers and party men and so, to a lesser degree, do Mamata and Mayawati. The sexism of this stereotype lies in the fact that these traits are seen as noteworthy in a political culture where the cult of personality is the norm and where the performance of deference is mandatory.

Submitting to male norms

In Indian politics powerful male chief ministers such as Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, Lalu Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav routinely ran electoral despotisms within which the only currency of preferment was sycophancy.

Its curious that attempts of women to replicate the political authority that their male counterparts take for granted, should be gendered and then read as a peculiarly feminine failure to create a fraternal, rational politics.

The ease with which governments headed by women are seen as practitioners of harem politics where decisions grow out of intrigue, hysteria and suspicion, tells us more about the inadequacies of men than it does about the rule of women.

The unnaturalness of womanly rule is experienced as the emasculation of men. Governments headed by women are disparaged as monstrous, because the men who serve in them are seen as political eunuchs. To submit to the absolute authority of a woman is to be unmanned.

The triumph of women such as Mayawati, Jayalalithaa and Mamata is that they manage to beat the odds in a predatory male world to reach the top. To stay there, to deflect the sexist charge of being barren viragos, they have, ironically, to further deny their sexuality by recasting themselves as nurturing kin to their constituencies.

Its not a coincidence that Jayalalithaa is Amma (mother) to her voters, Mayawati is Behenji (sister) and Mamata is Didi (older sister). Fictive kin roles normalise these remarkable single women. Their tragedy is that these are necessary avatars because no matter how powerful they become, the one thing they cannot be is themselves.

Mukul Kesavan is a writer based in Delhi. He teaches history at the Jamia Millia Islamia and his most recent book is a collection of essays, Homeless on Google Earth.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
In July 2006, long-standing tensions flared into war when Hezbollah operators crossed into Israel, killed three soldiers and abducted two others. Israel responded with a furious spate of air strikes on Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based, and violence soon swept the country, less than two decades after the population had emerged from its own civil war.

That summer, conflict between the two sides ripped through Lebanons recovering infrastructure and displaced almost a quarter of its people.

Israel has launched wars on Lebanon and Hezbollah many times, often in the southern swath of land that Israel carved out of the country and deemed a security zone during its long occupation throughout the 1980s and 90s.

The zone, which at one point grew to 10 percent of Lebanese territory, endured past the end of Lebanons civil war and generated frequent, bloody confrontations. Before Israel withdrew in 2000, Hezbollah carried out a dozen self-martyrdom missions on Israeli military targets; in 1996, the Israeli army launched a campaign that led to the massacre of civilians at a United Nations base in Qana.

Compared with the hostile decades of the security zone, the summer war was a short blip on the historical record: 33 days of destruction that punctuated each sides longer struggle against the simple fact of the others existence.

READ MORE: Lebanon set for new presidential era

Both Israel and Hezbollah claimed 2006 as a victory at first, yet it was clear that for Hezbollah the gains extended beyond the war zones borders. Across the Arab world, citizens had been watching from afar as Israels bombing of bridges and shelters locked Lebanese communities into a grinding summer siege.

In the book Hezbollah: A Short History, scholar Augustus Richard Norton notes how outrage quickly spread over Israels military approach, termed the Dahiya doctrine for the neighbourhoods that Israel flattened across Lebanons south. By late July, angry demonstrations were mushrooming across Egypt.

In Syria and Palestine, posters, bumper stickers and keychains blared strong messages of support for Hezbollahs soldiers. The group had become a regional anti-hero, exiting the war with a newfound cache of sympathy across the region.

After the war in 2006, Hezbollah reached the peak of its popularity, said Amer Sabaileh, a political analyst from the Washington-based Middle East Media and Policy Studies Institute. [It] had the consensus of people when it came to resistance, credibility and speaking the truth.

Yet today, Hezbollah is in flux. Once a champion of Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, the groups popularity in the Middle East hovers at a new low due to its association with Bashar al-Assads embattled regime in Syria. In a 2015 Zogby poll, 96 percent of Egyptians agreed that Hezbollah has contributed to growing regional extremism.

Other Arab countries have joined the chorus of disapproval, with 86 percent of polled Jordanians holding a negative view of Hezbollah.

OPINION: The blending of Lebanon and Syria

The quicksand pull of Assads campaign has drawn Hezbollah deeper into a damaging war, even while forcing its members to shed some of their most important founding doctrines. As Sabaileh put it: Right now, Hezbollah is becoming, for many parts of Lebanese society, an antagonist.

As Hezbollah wages its new, more unpopular war in Syria, Lebanons past summer conflict is once again surfacing to political relevance. Last July, a Hezbollah-affiliated TV channel released a documentary titled 2006 about the groups war against Israel. The series showed never-before-seen footage of Hezbollah operations, as well as interviews with high-ranking Israeli officials who were apparently tricked into appearing on camera.

Political forces often turn to the past to sow legitimacy. For Hezbollah, the documentary harkens back to a point in time when the group enjoyed widespread legitimacy, and its violence could be framed in easier, Arab v Israeli terms.

According to Sahar Atrache, the International Crisis Groups senior Lebanon analyst, Hezbollah has always worked to knit tenuous associations between the legitimacy it garnered in 2006, and its current, more polarising involvement in Syria.





From the beginning, Hezbollah has tried to link the fight in Syria to Israel, she said. It has kept saying that Syrias part of the same axis of resistance to Israel, and that the aim of the war in Syria  is a continuation of the war of 2006. Hezbollah keeps constantly going back to Israel; its something thats very recurrent in its speeches and party narrative.

For so long, Hezbollah has set its legitimacy against the backdrop of Israels regional unpopularity. Today, however, the group is seeing its resources drained by Syrias war, and is in need of a new raison detre to bolster this costly involvement. It will be the responsibility of the enigmatic Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah to deliver.

Nasrallah is a polarising figure. For many, he possesses an undeniable reserve of charisma, despite his leading role in what several international bodies have classified as a terrorist organisation.

Born one of nine children, Nasrallahs early childhood in East Beirut is cloaked in political mythology. He is said to have been pious from an early age, often taking long walks to the city centre to find second-hand books on Islam. Nasrallah himself has described how his childhood free time was spent staring reverently at a portrait of the famous Shia cleric Musa al-Sadr  a pastime that foreshadowed his future concern with politics and Shia communities in Lebanon.

In 1974, Sadr founded an organisation  the Movement of the Deprived  that became the ideological kernel for the well-known Lebanese party and Hezbollah rival, Amal. Grown into a political heavyweight in the 1980s, Amal mined support from middle-class Shia who had grown frustrated with the sects historic marginalisation in Lebanon. Besides commandeering an anti-establishment message, Amal also provided stable income to many Shia families, unfurling a complex system of patronage across Lebanons south.

READ MORE: In the Arab World, sectarianism is real, sects are not

After the outbreak of civil war between Lebanons Christian Maronites and Muslims, Nasrallah joined Amals movement and fought with its militia. But as the conflict progressed, Amal adopted a staunchly unsympathetic stance towards the presence of Palestinian militias in Lebanon, and it was from opposition to this sentiment that Hezbollah emerged.

Nourished by a steady lifeline of Iranian military support, Hezbollahs revolutionary ideology attracted many Amal defectors, among them a young Nasrallah, fresh out of his stay at a Shia seminary in Iraq. By 1985, Hezbollah had crystallised its own dogma in a founding document, which addressed the downtrodden of Lebanon and named the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran as its one true leader.

Throughout the civil war, Hezbollah and Amal evolved in bitter tandem, often jostling with each other for support among Lebanons Shia constituents. As Norton notes in his book, political alliances in Lebanons Shia communities have never been rigid. Personal allegiances change over the course of a lifetime; families often become messy sites of overlap, with members of the same household supporting different groups. Indeed, Nasrallahs brother, Hussein, has been a lifelong member of Amal.

Championing the Palestinian cause as its own, Hezbollah expanded during the Lebanese civil war under a shadow of kidnappings, hijackings and violence. The group abducted dozens of foreigners and leveraged them in complex negotiations that muddled their interests with Irans. It drove bomb-laden trucks to US targets in Lebanon, and killed hundreds of people, both abroad and at home: Until 9/11, Hezbollah had taken more American lives than any other US-deemed terrorist groups.

By the 1990s, after numerous bloody clashes, Hezbollah had largely trumped Amal for prominence among Lebanons Shia supporters. Nasrallah became the groups third secretary-general during this peak, two years after the civil wars ceasefire in 1990.

After it had completely entered the fight in Syria, I do think the group was able to convince Shia, but also other communities ... that this is an existential fight and that you have to go all the way. by Sahar Atrache, International Crisis Group's senior Lebanon analyst

Since his early career, Nasrallahs speeches have helped cement his persona as a wise, humble figure, deeply invested in the lives of everyday people  a leader who shuns formal Arabic in favour of the dialect spoken on the street, and who reportedly prefers to sleep, every night, on a simple foam mattress on the ground. Perhaps more than anything, the man is a masterful public speaker; as Sabaileh put it, His style of speech, his terminology, the persona of Hassan Nasrallah  [those are] his strongest winning cards. We know Nasrallah just by his speeches.

In the book The Hizbullah Phenomenon: Politics and Communication, scholar Dina Matar describes how Nasrallahs words have fused political claims and religious imagery, creating speeches with high emotional voltage that transform Nasrallah into the very embodiment of the group.

Nasrallahs charisma is far-reaching; his elegies on the history of oppression in the Middle East have made him a moving figure across sects and nations. Certainly helping is Hezbollahs sprawling media apparatus, which makes use of TV, print news, and even musical theatre shows to spread its message.

When Nasrallah took on the position of secretary-general, he was charged with easing Hezbollah into the melee of Lebanons post-war political scene. Hezbollah went from being a rogue actor, working outside the official enclosure of state politics, to become a national party asking for every citizens support. Presiding over this shift was Nasrallah, who put Hezbollah on the ballot for the first time in 1992 and appealed to the masses in rousing speeches. As he told Al Jazeera in 2006, We, Shia and Sunnis, are fighting together against Israel, adding that he did not fear any sedition, neither between Muslims and Christians, nor between Shia and Sunnis in Lebanon.

Today, however, the message seems to be changing. Nasrallahs rhetoric, once laden with anti-Israel and anti-West sentiment, has shifted since the groups involvement in Syria. Now that Hezbollah is no longer battling Israel, its message is less focused on Palestinian resistance, and has taken on a thicker sectarian gloss. Above all, Nasrallahs speeches seem to have found a new target in the region: Saudi Arabia.

In every speech of his, Hassan Nasrallah makes sure to attack Saudi Arabia or the al-Sauds themselves, said Atrache, noting that Nasrallah often does this by criticising Saudi Arabias role in Yemens worsening crisis. Since Hezbollahs entrance into Syria, Nasrallah has pointed to Saudi Arabia as an antagonist in the region  a line that fits with Hezbollahs larger claim to be defending Lebanon from Sunni terrorists in Syria.

If Nasrallahs targeting of the Sunni Gulf power lends the group a rallying banner, his words may have the unintended consequence of throwing the partys Shia identity into sharp relief. As Iran and Saudi Arabia become further embroiled in a proxy war, Hezbollahs stances on regional conflicts may be seen as dictated solely by Shia interests and allegiances. In March 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and then the Arab League, labelled Hezbollah a terrorist organisation. Increasingly, Hezbollahs position in the Arab world seems to be drawn against sectarian lines.

Hezbollah is paying a price from within the Shia-Sunni conflict pervading the Arab world today. It cannot help but be presented or be seen as a Shia group, Sabaileh noted.

It has not always been like this. Under Nasrallah, Hezbollah once sought support from all religions; it beefed up the social services it provided to other communities in 2006, looping Christian families into the vast welfare programme that made the party so popular in Shia-dominated neighborhoods.

Syria and Iran  have both changed drastically in the past years. Without them, it would be difficult to imagine that Hezbollah can maintain its current status. by Amer Sabaileh, political analyst

According to its evolving logic, Hezbollah was not just a Lebanese party but also the countrys protector. Its soldiers claimed that they provided the first line of defence against Israeli aggression, and so were justified in retaining their arms in defiance of a UN Security Council Resolution. Again and again, Nasrallah assured the media that Hezbollah would never turn these weapons against Lebanons own people  a promise that unravelled in 2008, when Hezbollah gunmen forcibly took control of West Beirut after the government tried to shut down the groups sprawling telecommunications network and fire an airport head of security for having Hezbollah ties.

Despite its faltering popularity abroad, Hezbollah enjoys extensive political power back home today, wielding alliances and effective veto power to direct legislature in parliament. Just recently, Lebanon elected a Hezbollah ally, Michel Aoun, as its first president in two years. A range of critics have blamed Hezbollah for introducing the political deadlock that kept the country from choosing a president in the first place (the government also collapsed in 2011, when Hezbollah walked out in protest over a UN investigation into the groups involvement in the assassination of former President Rafiq al-Hariri). Yet even as its popularity drops across the region, Hezbollah has solidified support from communities that were staunch advocates of the group all along.





After it had completely entered the fight in Syria, I do think the group was able to convince Shia, but also other communities  people who have already supported the party  that this is an existential fight and that you have to go all the way, Atrache said.

Popularity may not be Hezbollahs largest concern, as the war in Syria has proved to exact larger costs for the organisation. In addition to losing a founding ideology, Hezbollah has seen more than 1,000 of its soldiers killed in Syria, among them top commanders like Mustafa Badreddine.

Hezbollah is facing a very complex problem, said Sabaileh. In a way, it is draining its resources and draining its popularity at the same time.

Despite its political power in Lebanon, Hezbollah has always been dependent on the support it receives from Iran and Syria. But with one of its backers at war, and the other maybe reaching a detente with western powers, Hezbollah has to reckon with a changing geopolitical map.

Syria, in all cases, will not be the same after the war, said Sabaileh. Syria and Iran  have both changed drastically in the past years. Without them, it would be difficult to imagine that Hezbollah can maintain its current status.

If we compare Hezbollah with Amal, I think Amal has more chances to survive in the future, he added. At the end its a political movement that has no weapons or army. It can bridge much more easily the diverse components in Lebanese society.
Russian and Turkish ministers expect operation to be complete by the weeks end as Syria agrees to sending UN observers.

The evacuation of Aleppo should take no more than two days, Russian and Turkish foreign ministers say, following a rare breakthrough and show of unity by world powers over Syria that allows UN monitors to observe the operation.

A total 37,500 evacuees have so far left the war-torn Syrian city and the goal is to complete all evacuations by Wednesday, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish foreign minister, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

The evacuation of of Aleppo would be complete in a maximum of two days, Sergey Lavrov, Russias foreign minister, said.





Lavrov said that Russia, Iran and Turkey had used their influence to make the evacuation happen and that the 19-member International Syria Support Group including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the US had not been able to enforce its decisions.

Cavusoglu travelled to Moscow after holding talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts to discuss the future of Syria.

At a meeting on Tuesday in the Russian capital, Turkey, Iran and Russia agreed to guarantee the Syria peace talks and backed expanding a ceasefire in the country, laying down their claim as the main power brokers in the conflict.

Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to assist in preparing the agreement in the making between the Syrian government and the opposition and to become its guarantor, Lavrov said, citing a joint statement.

The ministers agree with the importance of widening the ceasefire, of free access for humanitarian aid and movement of civilians on Syrian territory.

Cavusoglu said in comments translated into Russian that the ceasefire should cover the entire Syrian territory but exclude the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front, which was linked to al-Qaeda).

UN observers

For its part, the Syrian government has authorised the UN to send an additional 20 expatriate staff to east Aleppo, where they will monitor the ongoing evacuation of thousands of people, according to a UN spokesperson.

Jens Laerke, speaking in Geneva, said: This will almost triple the number of international staff currently deployed to Aleppod.

The task is to monitor and observe the evacuations.





The UN Security Council on Monday unanimously called for UN officials and others to observe the evacuation and monitor the safety of civilians.

The UN staff, already in its Damascus office, will travel to Aleppo as soon as possible, Laerke said.

Aleppo, Syrias second city, was once a cultural and economic hub before being split between government and rebel control in late 2012.

Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford, reporting from Reyhanli in neighbouring Turkey, said there were concerns about the kind of access UN monitors would be granted once they are in Syria.

There are reports of harassment by some of the Iranian-backed militias in that area, he said.

And of course  there are concerns about how rebel forces may cooperate.

Arrivals in Idlib

According to UN aid partners, the number of people who had arrived in Idlib  where Aleppo evacuees are being taken  was around 19,000, the UNs Laerke said.

We do not have independent UN access to the buses, so we are not able to enter and access people; that does not take away from the protection concerns that we do have and continue to have, he said.

About 43 unwell people were medically evacuated from east Aleppo on Monday, bringing the total to 301 since last Thursday, according to Tarik Jasarevic, World Health Organizations spokesman.

Out of those 301, 93 patients were referred to hospitals in Turkey, others are in hospitals in [opposition-held] Idlib and western rural Aleppo.

The vast majority have trauma injuries. The sick and wounded include 67 children, Jasarevic said.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said there was no sign of a heavy influx of people fleeing Aleppo into neighbouring Turkey.

All the borders of Syria are very tightly managed at present. People, we understand, are being allowed to cross into Turkey when they come. But I think this is speculative as we are not yet seeing people move across in relation to Aleppo, Adrian Edwards, UNHCR spokesperson, said.

Laerke said some 750 people have been evacuated from Foua and Kefraya, two Shia-majority villages besieged for months by rebel groups.

Syrias conflict started as a largely unarmed uprising against President Bashar al-Assads rule in March 2011, but it quickly turned into a full-scale civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands.

Attempts to negotiate a lasting ceasefire have failed time and again.
Defence ministry in Beijing says it handed the drone back after friendly consultations with American counterparts.

China has returned an underwater drone seized from the United States in the South China Sea after the incident sparked a dispute between the global superpowers.

The handover of the small unmanned vehicle to the US was completed smoothly after friendly consultations between both sides, Chinas defence ministry said in a short statement on its website on Tuesday.

The naval glider was used to test water salinity and temperatures to help in the mapping of underwater channels, a US defence official had said, adding it was taken by China in international waters off Subic Bay last week.

The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near the location where it had been taken, US Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement issued late Monday.

READ MORE: China agrees to return seized US underwater drone

China said it snatched the equipment because it posed a safety hazard to other vessels. It also said it strongly opposed US reconnaissance in the South China Sea and asked Washington to stop surveillance activities.

US president-elect Donald Trump also waded into the dispute. On Sunday, after Beijing and Washington announced it would be returned, Trump tweeted: We should tell China that we dont want the drone they stole back  let them keep it!

The US military has conducted several freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, in which ships and planes have passed close to the sites Beijing claims.

Such missions have drawn howls of fury from China, which accuses Washington of provocation and increasing the risk of a military mishap.

The vessels seizure comes amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, where China has moved to fortify its claims to the region by building tiny reefs into artificial islands. New satellite imagery made public by a US-based think-tank last week showed that China installed what appeared to be large anti-aircraft guns and close-in weapons systems on seven islets in the Spratly Islands chain.
Hours after Russian envoys killing in Ankara, man with a shotgun opens fire into the air outside the US embassy.

The US embassy in Ankara and other consulates in Turkey were closed on Tuesday after an individual fired shots in front of the mission in the capital.

Turkish police have detained the man, who took out a shotgun he hid in his coat and fired about eight rounds into the air before the embassys security guards intervened and apparently overpowered him.

No one was hurt in the incident, which occurred at 3:50am local time (00:50 GMT), hours after a Turkish policeman who condemned Russias military role in Syria fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

READ MORE: Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov shot dead in Ankara

The US embassy is just across the street from the art exhibition building where the attack on the ambassador occurred. It was not immediately clear if the two incidents were connected.

The leaders of Turkey and Russia have described the attack as an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

The American embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul, and the southern city of Adana would be closed for normal operations on Tuesday.
Heavy fighting has led thousands to escape across the border in the northern states of Kachin and Shan.

Correction: An earlier version of this article referred people drowning in a river between Myanmar and Malaysia. Those fleeing drowned trying to reach Malaysia from Myanmar via Thailand.

As many as 15,000 people have fled across Myanmars border into China in the past month as fighting between the army and armed ethnic groups intensifies, the UN says.

Aid access to people affected by conflict in the northern states of Kachin and Shan is getting worse, not better, Pierre Peron, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar, said by email.



Is the world ignoring the plight of the Rohingya?

The OCHA said in an update on Monday that, as well as the estimated 15,000 new refugees, another 2,400 people have been displaced internally in the northern part of Shan state since November 20, when a coalition of four rebel armies attacked military and police outposts.

Dozens have also drowned trying to cross the river that separates Myanmar from Thailand in an attempt to reach Malaysia. The government of Myanmar has already banned its citizens from working in Malaysia.

Weeks of clashes and the new displacements have damaged Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyis hopes of securing peace in the long-running conflicts in the mountainous border areas, a goal she has made her administrations top priority.

Observers fear that Suu Kyis fledgling civilian administration is unable to rein in the army, which retains political power and is free from civilian oversight.

Critics have accused her of turning a blind eye to the plight of Rohingya ethnic minority, who have faced discrimination from the authorities for decades.

Echoing a November 30 UN statement, Amnesty International on Sunday said abuse of the ethnic minorities based mostly in western Rakhine state might amount to crimes against humanity.

Humanitarian access to conflict areas in Kachin and Shan states is currently worse than at any point in the past few years, Peron said.

This has seriously affected the ability of humanitarian organisations to provide life-saving aid to tens of thousands of [internally displaced] and other conflict-affected people.

READ MORE: Rohingya refugees from Myanmar tell of trauma

The army said it would step up operations in Shan state following the November 20 attacks.

A Myanmar police official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters, told Reuters news agency that government forces had clashed with armed groups in northern Shan at least 170 times in the past month.

In a separate offensive to the north, government forces took control of a strategic hill close to the Kachin Independence Armys headquarters at Laiza on the Chinese border on Saturday, according to state media.

Shells reportedly landed near a camp for the internally displaced just outside Laiza on Sunday, the OCHA said, citing unconfirmed reports that it could not verify independently.

No casualties were reported but shelters were damaged and about 400 people had to be evacuated, it said.

A Myanmar government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, at least 30,000 have been internally displaced in Rakhine state, where fighting and crackdowns have been severe since nine border police officers were killed near Myanmars border with Bangladesh.

While thousands of Rohingya have found shelter in Bangladesh, the country is now turning away further arrivals of boatloads of fleeing families.

Human Rights Watch has released several sets of satellite images showing that several Rohingya villages in Rakhine state have been burned and destroyed since late October.
At least 11 people dead as clashes erupt during protests demanding the Congolese president step down.

Eleven people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo during protests to demand that President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired, according to the governments spokesman.

Nine people died in the capital Kinshasa, the spokesman said, while a protester and a policeman were killed in the second city Lubumbashi according the regions governor, the AFP news agency said on Tuesday.

In Kinshasa there were nine dead, not a single one more, Lambert Mende said as Kabila appeared set to stay on despite the conclusion of his mandate.





Jean-Claude Kazembe, Lubumbashis governor, said that along with the two fatalities, three people had been hurt in clashes in the city.

Demonstrators took to the streets earlier in the day, beating on improvised drums and shouting slogans against Kabila, 45, who has led the country since 2001.

There were reports of gunfire in several areas in the capital. A muffled explosion was also heard in the posh quarter of Gombe, where the presidential palace is located. Residents said tear gas shells were fired in other areas.

The UNs mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, had earlier said it was investigating reliable reports that around 20 people had been killed in the countrys capital during protests.

Kabilas second term officially expired on Tuesday.

Against this backdrop, Etienne Tshisekedi, the opposition leader, called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Kabila.

I launch a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to not recognise the  illegal and illegitimate authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist [his] coup detat, Tshisekedi said in a video posted on YouTube.

The declaration appeared to be an effort by him and opposition leaders to re-inject themselves into the political picture after they originally declined to call for mass protests.

READ MORE: Is the DR Congo on the brink of collapse?

Talks on a peaceful transition are in limbo, prompting fears of new violence in the unstable, mineral-rich nation.

Kabila, who has been in power for 15 years, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, but under a recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

Election schedule

The ruling party and some opposition leaders have agreed to schedule an election in April 2018, at the earliest, leaving Kabila in office until the vote.

But the main opposition bloc rejects this plan.

A democratic handover would break new ground for DRCs 70 million people who, since independence from Belgium in 1960, have never witnessed a democratic transfer of power following elections.

The president has been in office since his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001.

He was elected in 2006, and again in 2011, in a poll the opposition decried as rigged.
Group describes perpetrator of Christmas market attack as soldier of Islamic State while investigators pursue leads.

ISIL claimed responsibility for Mondays truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, while German investigators said they were pursuing multiple leads.

The claim came at the end of a challenging day for German officials, who are still hunting for the person, or people, behind the incident.

ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, announced the claim via its Amaq website late on Tuesday.

A soldier of the Islamic State carried out the Berlin operation in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries, said the ISIL statement, which was posted online.

The claim by ISIL, also known as ISIS, did not identify the attacker.

The truck attack on the Christmas market in the west of the city left at least 12 dead and another 48 injured, 24 of whom have been released from hospital, according to German police.

Suspect released

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they had released a man arrested on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck.

The man, a Pakistani refugee who came to Germany last year, had been arrested based on a description of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled.

Al Jazeeras Sonia Gallego, reporting from Berlin, said the atmosphere in Berlin was mournful.

German flags flew at half-staff and people placed flowers and candles at the site.

READ MORE: Suspect in Berlin Christmas market attack released

The security officials are left with an extremely worrying situation, she said. You have an armed and dangerous person still on the loose, still at large, [which is] an extreme concern for police.

She said there were currently more tourists in the city because of the Christmas holidays.

Writing on Twitter, German police urged Berliners to be particularly alert.

As attention switched to the manhunt, investigators asked the public to send them any photos and video footage.

German officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, have called the incident a terrorist attack.

Thomas de Maiziere, Germanys interior minister, said investigators were following several leads.

We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is, in fact, a gang of terrorists, he told ARD, German public broadcaster.

There are several leads that investigators are following now.

He said nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught.
At least 12 were killed as a lorry ploughed into a crowd, an act officials say was intentional as they continue probe.

Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Tuesdays Berlin Christmas market incident that saw a lorry crash into a crowd killing at least 12 people, was a terrorist act.

Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, a day after the event in the German capital, that it was a very difficult day for Germany.

We have to assume that this was a terrorist attack, Merkel said.

She said that it would be particularly sickening if the attacker was in fact a refugee.

Police had detained a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker. However, late on Tuesday, he was released because of insufficient evidence, German prosecutors said.

Germanys top prosecutor, Peter Frank, said that while investigators were treating the attack as an act of terrorism, though there is no claim of responsibility yet.

Frank also told reporters that it was not entirely clear whether there was one perpetrator or more.

READ MORE: Lorry ploughs into Christmas market crowd in Berlin

The lorry struck the popular Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church late on Monday as tourists and locals enjoyed a traditional pre-Christmas evening near Berlins Zoo station. Dozens of people were wounded.

The interior ministry said Christmas markets in Berlin will remain closed on Tuesday out of respect for the victims.

Witness Jan Hollitzer told Al Jazeera the truck drove about 50 metres through the market.

Recalling the scene, Hollitzer said the vehicle was travelling very fast.

It was really horrible. There were many casualties and injured people, he said. I saw people hit by the truck and also people under the truck  I can tell you those are images you dont want to see.

Among the dead was a man in the lorry, who died as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police identified him as a Polish national, but didnt give further details.

The lorry had a Polish licence plate, police said. The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked.

The interior minister of the German state of Saarland said on Tuesday that Germany is in a state of war.

We must say that we are in a state of war although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this, Klaus Bouillon told German broadcaster SR.

The incident came less than a month after the US State Department called for caution in markets and other public places across Europe, saying armed groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and al-Qaeda were focusing on the upcoming holiday season and associated events.

ISIL and al-Qaeda have both called on followers to use lorries in particular to attack crowds

On July 14, a lorry ploughed into Bastille Day revellers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. ISIL claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by armed groups, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum seekers in the summer were claimed by ISIL.

Five people were wounded in an axe attack on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to armed groups in the same week-long period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 refugees.

The far-right party AfD, which has been critical of Merkels immigration policy, has gained support in recent regional elections, as it blames Europes security woes on refugees.

Horst Seehofer, leader of Bavarias Christian Social Union  the sister party to Merkels Christian Democrats  called for a review of Germanys security policies.

We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy  and to change it, said Seehofer.
Christian leftist author Nahed Hattar was killed in September outside an Amman court as he went on trial for blasphemy.

A Jordanian judge has sentenced to death by hanging the man accused of killing Nahed Hattar, a Christian writer, on the steps of a court earlier this year.

Riyad Ismail was handed the death penalty on Tuesday, state news agency Petra said.

Ismail shot Hattar at close range on September 25 as the writer was about to to enter a court in the Jordanian capital Amman. He was hit by three bullets.

Hattar, 56, had been on trial for blasphemy for sharing a cartoon on social media that was deemed offensive to Islam by many Jordanian Muslims.

READ MORE: Hundreds mourn Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar

Ismail, a 49-year-old computer engineer, worked for the education ministry.

He was arrested at the scene and charged with premeditated murder, terrorism and possession of an illegal firearm.





Ismail appeared on Tuesday before the military court bearded, handcuffed and wearing a brown prison uniform.

Judge Ziad al-Edwan said Ismail was sentenced for having carried out deadly terrorist act.

The court also sentenced the man who sold Ismail the gun and the man who introduced him to the weapons merchant, each to one year in jail.

Hattar, a leftist, had been arrested on August 13 after posting a cartoon on Facebook under the title God of Daesh, which uses the Arabic abbreviation for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

He was later released on bail.

He explained on Facebook that the cartoon made fun of terrorists and how they imagine God and heaven, and does not insult God in anyway.

His murder, which King Abdullah II branded a heinous crime, prompted protests in Jordan, with demonstrators calling on the government to resign.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The experts are working on the Moscow declaration text on immediate steps of moving forward the settlement of the Syrian crisis, and Russia, Turkey and Iran are ready to act as guarantors, Russias Defense Minister, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu said in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan in Moscow, reports RIA Novosti.

Today the experts are working on the Moscow declaration text over the immediate steps aimed at moving forward the settlement of the Syrian crisis. This document is strictly necessary, the Russian Defense Minister said.

Approval of the defense ministers and foreign ministers level declaration proposes our readiness to act as guarantors and jointly solve the urgent issues over the Syrian crisis settlement. Thus, we are in favor of adopting that declaration, Shoigu said.
In an online video, Canadian man and his US wife plead to their governments to secure their release in Afghanistan.

Canada has called for the unconditional release of a Canadian man and his American wife after a new video appeared to show them begging their governments to intervene on their behalf with their Afghan captors.

The video, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday, shows Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman, who were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012. The video showed for the first time the two sons of the couple.

Canadian Global Affairs spokesman Michael OShaughnessy said his government was aware of the latest video.

We are deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman and their young children and call for their unconditional release, OShaughnessy said.

READ MORE: Progress and regress  Obamas mixed Afghanistan legacy

In the video Coleman refers to the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves and urges governments on both sides to reach a deal for their freedom.





We can only ask and pray that somebody will recognise the atrocities these men carry out against us as so-called retaliation in their ingratitude and hypocrisy.

She then adds: My children have seen their mother defiled.

On Tuesday, a senior Taliban figure confirmed to Reuters news agency the armed group released the new video showing the kidnapped family.

The US State Department said it was reviewing the footage.

The video came to public attention through the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors activities of armed groups online. SITE said it was dated December 3.

The two vanished after setting off in the summer of 2012 for a journey that took them to Russia, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and then to Afghanistan.

Coleman, 31, was pregnant when the couple was abducted.

Her parents, Jim and Lyn Coleman, last heard from their son-in-law on October 8, 2012, from an internet cafe in what Josh described as an unsafe part of Afghanistan.

In 2013, the couple appeared in two videos asking the US government to free them from the Taliban.

READ MORE: Canada allows female mounted police to wear hijab

The Colemans received a letter last November in which their daughter said she had given birth to a second child in captivity.

In July, Jim Coleman, speaking to the online news service Circa News, issued a plea to top Taliban commanders to be kind and merciful and let the couple go.

A video released in August showed Coleman and Boyle saying their captors would kill them and their children unless the government in Kabul ends its execution of Taliban prisoners.
After PIA plane crash, broadcast media is accused of encouraging sensationalism for ratings instead of good reporting.

A passenger plane crashed near Pakistans capital of Islamabad earlier this month, killing all 48 people on board.

Rushing to flick the TV on to follow the developing story of the air crash, many Pakistanis were soon expressing shock and dismay: the quality of live coverage by TV stations brought back unpleasant memories of the last time a major breaking news was reported. And the time before that.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane had crashed just before dusk in a remote, mountainous area. For the news media, that meant difficulty in gaining access to the site or finding witnesses for several hours after the accident.

The adversity, however, was quickly converted into an opportunity by the countrys broadcast media, which began filling the information vacuum with patently unverified news and questionable analyses.

READ MORE: In Pakistan, a news media minefield

It was obvious to Pakistanis that TV stations were resorting to inaccurate reporting, sensationalism and exaggeration in the absence of credible news and analysis.

Questions were being asked, once again, why poorly trained and possibly unqualified reporters, news anchors and newsroom staff had been put in charge of an extremely important story for 180 million people in Pakistan and hundreds of thousands more abroad.

There is no doubt that a lack of training and understanding as well as disregard for journalism ethics is seen on TV, Azhar Abbas, managing director of Geo News, told Al Jazeera.

This is maybe because our media is not mature enough or there is this urge to compete not only among ourselves but also with the monster that is social media.

However, at times there is so much pressure on the newsroom that you have to air unverified material. In operational situations, you have to take a call in order to compete and remain relevant. Im not saying you shouldnt try to verify news items, but these are operational decisions you have to make.

Aviation experts

While the news of the crash was still fresh, the hosts of a programme on an Urdu-language TV station dissected what they saw as the pitiable state of TV news coverage  the lack of journalistic ethics and the liberal use of on-screen animations for recreating events.

A few minutes later, the same TV station was airing an animated clip of a PIA aircraft  an incorrect model to boot  crashing and going up in flames.

This isint hard to understand. Ancient/old/unsafe planes should NOT be allowed to fly. This tragedy was due to negligence. #PK661  Aseefa B Zardari (@AseefaBZ) December 8, 2016

Meanwhile, other TV stations had tracked down aviation experts and given them free rein to float crash theories before any of the facts could be clearly established.

Kamal Siddiqi, a former editor of Pakistans Express Tribune newspaper and current director of the Centre of Excellence in Journalism, blames shoddy TV journalism on reporters, newsroom staff, editorial boards and the race for viewership ratings.

In Pakistan, we have a very unusual situation  a flawed ratings system, he told Al Jazeera.

You have 40-odd news channels competing with each other. The minute one channel does something different or reports something, it gives them ratings  and journalists and reporters are told this is good work.

Reporting from a grave

Earlier this year too, several Pakistans news outlets sparked outrage with their coverage of the death of Abdul Sattar Edhi, the countrys best known philanthropist.

In one instance, a TV reporter gained access to the grave prepared for Edhi and decided to jump into it to report from there.

This, again, gives them ratings, Siddiqi said. They are not told it is wrong. Ratings brings money. But this is where it should stop.

We need to train journalists about right and wrong. In many instances during our courses, we find out that not a single person is aware of media ethics. And that is very scary.

In 2012, a passenger plane operated by Pakistans Bhoja Air crashed in its final approach into Islamabad, killing 127 on board.

A major news channel started off its coverage of the tragedy by calling it a helicopter crash. The helicopter became an army aircraft and a cargo plane in quick succession, all apparently based on unverified reports.

Live coverage of military operations while a part of Karachi airport was under siege by armed men; incitement of violence against the Ahmadiyya community during a live show; and disregard for the feelings of a recently bereaved family member are just three of the more egregious examples of violation of basic media-ethics codes.

Then there is the practice of broadcasting graphic scenes of violence and bloodshed with no prior warning, which calls into question the professional maturity of the newsroom staff making those decisions.

Pakistans media industry has witnessed an explosion of TV channels and fresh recruitments in the last 15 years.

From two channels in 2000 to more than a 100 now, the increase in outlets is forcing owners to recruit untrained and inexperienced staff, say experts.

Being a journalist in Pakistan is not easy. An International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) report released earlier this year put Pakistan fourth on the list of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists, with 115 journalists killed in the past 25 years.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said journalists in Pakistan are under siege and asked the government to ensure their safety.

Everyone loves sensationalism

Abbas believes the lack of qualified individuals at the middle and lower levels as well as the absence of filters is causing things to get out of hand.

There is lack of editorial control. Channels tend to compromise on integrity and authenticity to get more viewers. But while its easy to criticise mainstream media, you have to admit that every one of us loves sensationalism.

So, could it be that news editors and media-business owners tacitly approve sensationalism on live TV?

Pakistan media predictably treating the plane crash as a battle for ratings, no consideration for the families who've lost loved ones#PK661  AmerCric (@Amermalik12) December 7, 2016

Once, while in ethics training, a journalist told me It is easy for you to talk but I cant practise ethics on an empty stomach, Siddiqi said, adding that reporters were told it was part of their job.

Right now, reporters dont know whether or not to stop at a red light.

Earlier this year, a female reporter from a local news channel was slapped by a guard at a government office in Karachi.

While the reporter filed a complaint against the guard, officials from the government department filed a separate complaint against the reporter for creating hindrances in official work, according to Pakistans Dawn newspaper.

While the guards behaviour could not be condoned under any circumstances, a video clip widely shared on social media appeared to confirm the reporters disregard for authority and media ethics while on assignment.

But the fault, according to Siddiqi, lies also with the major media companies and the lack of initiative with regard to continuous professional training for journalists.

We have a serious lack of understanding on how to handle news in crisis, Abbas of Geo News says.

At times, the reporter is not trained on what to say, especially in a sensitive situation or a tragedy, or how to talk to people or how not to raise his or her voice.

The training done in the public sector, at universities, is out of sync with the industry. They say they do it for the ratings, but the ratings are not representative of what the viewers want.

This is what we call a herd mentality: one starts and others blindly follow.
UN estimates only 6,250 of Yarmouks nearly 200,000 residents remain as siege and clashes take their toll.

Aid organisations say an airtight blockade, ongoing violence, and a rapidly declining humanitarian situation are putting the lives of more than 6,000 Palestinian refugees at risk in Syrias Yarmouk camp.





The UK-based Action Group for Palestinians in Syria warned that Yarmouks humanitarian situation is going from bad to worse in a statement published on Tuesday.

Yarmouk was once home to nearly 200,000 Palestinian refugees and Syrians, and most of its former residents have been displaced to other parts of Syria or outside the country.

Stuck between a brutal blockade and armed clashes, a mere 6,250 civilians are believed to be in Yarmouk, according to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.

Health facilities are limited and the humanitarian situation can change rapidly given levels of vulnerability, spokesman Chris Gunness told Al Jazeera.

Gunness added that UNRWA has been unable to access the refugees from the camp since its last aid convoy went in May 2016.

Siege within a siege

Syrian government forces and militias loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have imposed a blockade on the camp since December 2012, restricting the flow of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods to civilians.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) invaded Yarmouk in March 2015.

ISIL controls of most of the camps territory, while a handful of neighbourhoods are still held by Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra Front) and other fighters.

READ MORE: ISIL and Nusra put Yarmouk civilians in line of fire

Wesam Sabaaneh, director of the Jafra Foundation, a humanitarian group that works in Syrias Palestinian camps, said Yarmouk is often rocked by sporadic clashes between government forces and armed groups, as well as clashes between ISIL and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

The situation for civilians is very bad, Sabaaneh told Al Jazeera, describing life in the camp as a siege within a siege for the remaining residents.

ISIL is imposing strict laws, such as requiring niqab [a full face veil], as well as taking over the schools. It has also carried out executions of civilians in the streets, he added.

There are water shortages and no electricity, and its getting worse now that winter is setting in. Theres no clean water or medicine, so theres a lot of fear that illnesses will spread very fast in the camp, Sabaaneh said, explaining that medical care is available only in a few makeshift clinics.

Thousands dead

On Friday, the Action Group reported that Hussein al-Misri, a 70-year-old refugee, died due to the lack of medical care and the acute shortage [of] life-saving medicines in Yarmouk.

Misri is among more than 3,411 Palestinian refugees  at least 1,277 from Yarmouk  who have died as a result of Syrias more than five-year civil war.

Among the deaths documented by the Action Group were 188 people who died as a direct result of the blockade. Another 477 were killed by shelling and 160 died during torture. Others were killed by gunfire, car bombs, field executions and along the treacherous refugee trail to Europe.

At least 1,135 Palestinians remain behind bars in the governments prisons, while 300 are missing, the group estimates.

Q&A: Beyond Yarmouk, Palestinians in Syria need aid

Although Syrias conflict started as largely unarmed protests against Assads rule in March 2011, it quickly turned into a full-scale civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands. More than half the countrys pre-war population has been displaced.

Salim Salamah, director of the Palestinian League for Human Rights  Syria, explained that Palestinian refugees are particularly vulnerable because they are already stateless.

To be brutally honest, this is just a reflection of the larger Syrian trajectory, he told Al Jazeera.

For Palestinians, what is more worrisome is what is after this forced displacement. The reality of statelessness has re-emerged.

Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_








One suspect among five dead after raid on apartment in Jordanian province which saw a deadly castle assault on Sunday.

At least four policemen and one suspect have been killed in clashes on the outskirts of Karak city in southern Jordan after security officers stormed an apartment, according to security sources.

Two more suspects were arrested after Tuesdays gun battle in Wesya village, which came shortly after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for Sundays attacks at a popular tourist destination in Karak.

The sources told Al Jazeera that the suspects were on a list of wanted men and did have any apparent links to the assailants involved in the Karak citadel assault.

A video uploaded on social media purported to show Tuesdays exchange of fire in Wesya.

The shooting erupted just hours after ISIL, also known as ISIS, said four soldiers of the caliphate armed with machineguns and hand grenades carried out Sundays attack at the Crusader-era castle, which left 10 people dead.

We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting , it said, referring to the anti-ISIL coalition member states.

ISIL confirmed that the attackers were killed by police during the course of a siege that lasted several hours.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers, calling them terrorist outlaws.

Security sources said the attackers were all Jordanian nationals.

Seven security officers, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Salamah Hammad, the countrys interior minister, said on Monday at least five suicide belts were found, together with an ammunition cache, automatic weapons and explosives in a hideout in a house in the desert town of Qatranah, 30km northeast of Karak.

The attackers had sought refuge in the castle after opening fire on police patrols and a police station, Hammad said.

Jordan plays a key role in the US-led military campaign against ISIL, which seized large areas in neighbouring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a caliphate there.

Many Jordanians oppose their countrys involvement, saying it has led to the killing of fellow Muslims and raised security threats inside Jordan.
Seven detained in connection with killing of ambassador Andrey Karlov as Russia and Turkey attempt to contain fallout.

Turkish authorities have detained seven people after the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, while Russia is sending more than a dozen investigators to join the inquiry.

Andrey Karlov, 62, died from bullet wounds after a 22-year-old off-duty Turkish policeman shot him in the back as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday night.

The group will act in Turkey within the framework of the investigation into the murder, Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, said on Tuesday.

Eighteen people will work in the group.

READ MORE: Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov shot dead in Ankara

Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his Turkish counterpart, had agreed on the decision in a phone call.

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photography exhibition when a man who stood directly behind him in a dark suit shot him multiple times in the back from close range.

Shouting angrily while pacing around Karlovs body in front of a shocked crowd, the assailant  identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas  highlighted the situation in Aleppo and said all those responsible for what has happened there would be held accountable.

Police later killed Altintas in a exchange that lasted 15 minutes.

Three-way meeting

A three-way meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran in Moscow over the Syria crisis began on Tuesday where Sergey Lavrov, Russias representative said no quarter should be given to terrorists in Syria after Mondays assassination.

Earlier, Putin declared, We have to know who directed the hand of the killer.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the attackers mother, father, sister and three other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained.

READ MORE: Burhan Ozbilici captures Andrey Karlovs final moments

After the initial shot, the attacker approached Karlov as he lay on the ground and shot him at least one more time at close range, an AP photographer said at the scene.

Karlovs assassination has reinforced the sense of unease over the regions conflicts as also shifting alliances and relationships.

On behalf of my country and my people I once again extend my condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the friendly Russian people, said Erdogan.

Putin promised a response to the assassination.

The crime that has been committed is undoubtedly a provocation aimed at derailing the ties between Russia and Turkey, as well as the peace process in Syria, said Putin from Moscow.

OPINION: The implications of Andrey Karlov assassination

There is only one possible response to this  the strengthening of the fight against terror, and the bandits will feel it themselves.

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian fighter jet at the Syrian border in November 2015.

However, Turkeys apology earlier this year helped to overcome the rift.

READ MORE: Ankara focuses on Gulen links in Karlov assassination

The Russians and the Turks have been trying mend the strained relations over the last few months, hoping that strong relations between the two countries would pave the way for comprehensive regional agreement on different issues, particularly on the issue of Syria, Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Ankara, said.

At this particular moment, the two countries are hoping to put the peace process on track between Syrian rebels and the government, he said.

There were huge concerns that the attack would undermine or at least erode the efforts. But officials from both governments are doing their best to contain the fallout from this assassination.
Announcement comes after British defence minister admits coalition used UK-supplied munitions during the 20-month war.

A Saudi-led Arab coalition will halt its use of British-made cluster munitions in Yemen, the Saudi government said.

In London, British Defence Minister Michael Fallon confirmed in parliament on Monday that the coalition had dropped a limited number of UK-supplied cluster munitions in Yemen.

Britain, a signatory to the international convention that prohibits use of the munitions, has been investigating whether the coalition dropped the BL-755 munitions in Yemen following an Amnesty International report in May.

The government of Saudi Arabia confirms that it has decided to stop the use of cluster munitions of the type BL-755 and informed the United Kingdom government of that, said the Saudi statement, carried by state news agency SPA.

READ MORE: ISIL claims killings of 49 soldiers in Yemens Aden

It was the first Saudi confirmation of the coalitions use of the cluster munitions.

Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told Arabiya TV: BL-755 bombs are used in a limited way and not in residential areas. We do not use the bombs in areas populated by civilians.

This munition was used against legitimate military targets to defend Saudi towns and villages against continuous attacks by Houthi militia, which resulted in Saudi civilian casualties.

Assiri said the coalition, which is battling Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, had not violated international law because it had not signed the cluster munitions convention.





Fallon stressed that Britain had sold the munitions to Riyadh in the 1980s, long before the 2008 convention.

However, Saudi Arabia has now confirmed it will not further use BL-755 cluster munitions and I welcome that, he said.

Cluster bombs, dropped by air or fired by artillery, scatter hundreds of bomblets across a wide area which sometimes fail to explode and are difficult to locate and remove, killing and maiming civilians long after conflicts end.

They pose a particular risk to children, who can be attracted by their toy-like appearance and bright colours.

London-based rights group Amnesty International in June alleged that at least 16 civilians  including nine children  have been killed or injured by cluster submunitions between July 2015 and May of this year.

READ MORE: US limits support to Arab coalitions Yemen campaign

Amnesty said civilians returning home in northern Yemen risked injury and death from minefields of deadly cluster bombs.

The BL-755 bomb, manufactured in Britain in the 1970s, is known to be in the stockpiles of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies began their military campaign in Yemen in March last year with the aim of preventing Houthi rebels and forces loyal to Yemens ex-president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, taking control of the country.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and triggered humanitarian crises, including chronic food shortages, in the poorest country in the Arabian peninsula. Millions more have been displaced.










English News China and Norway reached a consensus on the normalization of ties

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 20 Decembre 2016



Before the Nobel Peace Prize award in 2010, China and Norway had close relations. Due to the Nobel Peace Prize award and events connected to the Prize, China-Norway relations have deteriorated. The Norwegian side is fully conscious of the position and concerns of the Chinese side and has worked actively to bring the bilateral relations back to the right track. Through meticulous and numerous conversations, the two sides have over the last years reached a level of trust that allows for resumption of normal relationship.

Source : People's Daily BEIJING, Dec. 20 (People's Daily) -- China and Norway issued a statement on normalization of ties during Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende's official visit to China, in Beijing on Dec 19. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had talks with Brende.



According to the statement, the Norwegian government reiterates its commitment to the one-China policy, fully respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns.

Following is the full text of the statement:

Statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway on Normalization of Bilateral Relations

The Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway have, through consultations, decided to realize normalization of bilateral relations as of today.

1. China and Norway recognize that our two peoples have enjoyed traditional friendship. Norway was among the first Western countries to have recognized and established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Over the years, generally speaking, the China-Norway relations have maintained sound development and the cooperations have been deepened in all fields.

2. Before the Nobel Peace Prize award in 2010, China and Norway had close relations. Due to the Nobel Peace Prize award and events connected to the Prize, China-Norway relations have deteriorated. The Norwegian side is fully conscious of the position and concerns of the Chinese side and has worked actively to bring the bilateral relations back to the right track. Through meticulous and numerous conversations, the two sides have over the last years reached a level of trust that allows for resumption of normal relationship.

3. The Norwegian Government fully respects China's development path and social system, and highly commends its historic and unparalleled development that has taken place. The Norwegian Government reiterates its commitment to the one-China policy, fully respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns, will not support actions that undermine them, and will do its best to avoid any future damage to the bilateral relations.

4. China and Norway recognize that our two countries share broad common interests and have great potential for increased cooperation in many important fields. Both sides will develop friendly relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. Both sides will promote mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation in various fields, such as trade, culture, science, education as well as polar and other issues. Both sides will enhance communication and coordination on international issues and jointly deal with global challenges, so as to benefit our two countries and peoples, uphold world peace and promote common development.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China enhances efforts to promote biodiversity conservation China stress its commitment to push ahead peace and development for humanity at 20th CPC National Congress CPC's governance experience is worth learning from Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News China's steady progress provides more opportunities to the world

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 20 Decembre 2016



Judging from an international perspective, China's steady progress will provide sufficient opportunities for the world economy. Despite the slowdown in recent years, the Chinese economy is stable and is moving in a positive direction, and the economy is operated within an appropriate range with improved quality and efficiency. Stephen Roach, former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, said that China's contributions to global growth count 50 percent larger than the combined 0.8-percentage-point contribution likely to be made by all the other developed economies, and the country still remains one of the world's major growth engines.

Source : People's Daily China's Central Economic Work Conference was recently held in Beijing. People's Daily published an article under the name of Zhong Sheng on December 19, which points out the world lacks certainty under the current international situation. It notes that China's steady progress will inject confidence in the global development.



Following is the full text of the article:

Given a turbulent international situation, many countries have experienced chaos during 2016. As a result, the world now lacks a sense of "certainty" with increasing expectations on China's reform and development. The just-concluded Central Economic Work Conference is undoubtedly a step forward to meet the world's expectations.



According to the conference, making progress while maintaining stability is an important principle of national governance and a methodology of economic work as well. The country needs to make progress in some key areas under the premise of stability -- the keynote of development. International observers captured such information and began focusing on the country's "steady progress". The continuity of China's macro economy has also been reported by major international media such as Reuters and AP.



Judging from an international perspective, China's steady progress will provide sufficient opportunities for the world economy. Despite the slowdown in recent years, the Chinese economy is stable and is moving in a positive direction, and the economy is operated within an appropriate range with improved quality and efficiency. Stephen Roach, former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, said that China's contributions to global growth count 50 percent larger than the combined 0.8-percentage-point contribution likely to be made by all the other developed economies, and the country still remains one of the world's major growth engines.



China will keep stabilizing its economy and deepening supply-side reform, to offer more benefits to the world's economy. Thanks to its scale of economy, the country is bound to provide the world a broader market, sufficient capital, various products and valuable opportunities as long as it sticks to the guideline of making progress while maintaining stability.



In addition, China's steady progress will bring orders to the world. Currently, China, the world's second-largest economy, is gradually adapting itself to its new roles: a driver of change in the world economy, a leader of global economic governance, and a creator of international economic order. On global and regional platforms such as G20 and APEC, China is dedicated to offering a remedy to the sluggish world economy, revitalizing global trade and investment, promoting trade liberalization and facilitation, and accelerating the integration of regional economy. The UK media outlet Financial Times stressed in its commentary that China has the chance to become the guardian of global governance and torch bearer of the open trading system.



Besides, China's steady progress can provide more methods for the world in terms of governance. Nowadays, the influence of China's development can not be measured just by statistics. The country will offer valuable experiences to the world in future development. Former US Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson writes in his book Dealing with China that Chinese leaders know what they need to do, which is also the reason for his cautious optimism toward the prospect of China's reform.



For some time, China's proposals such as five development concepts and supply-side reform have been well accepted by the world, and the country's adherence to problem-oriented and bottom-line mindset also enlightens other countries. China's reform and development will surely set up an example for many countries to solve their own problems.



When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Peru in November, his Peruvian counterpart Pedro Pablo Kuczynski hailed China's development. It is a reflection of the world's expectation on China's development. With steady progress, China will bring more cooperation opportunities to each country and contribute more to the revival of world economy.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China enhances efforts to promote biodiversity conservation China stress its commitment to push ahead peace and development for humanity at 20th CPC National Congress CPC's governance experience is worth learning from Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
Editor's note: This piece originally appeared, in slightly altered form, here.

Now that California will have significant regulation of both its medical and adult use cannabis industries under the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act and Proposition 64 (the Adult Use of Marijuana Act), respectively, questions are turning to what will happen with California cannabis banking.

It's hugely important that cannabis businesses in the nation's largest state be able to secure bank accounts (at a minimum). But will they be able to given the federal illegality of cannabis? Despite what we don't know regarding how California will regulate cannabis businesses, if the 2014 guidelines from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network hold up and if there are some enterprising financial institutions willing to experiment, I think the answer will be yes.

Because cannabis is federally illegal, most banks and financial institutions want nothing to do with it. Not only is there potential criminal liability for banks under the federal Controlled Substances Act for aiding, abetting, and conspiracy for taking cannabis money, there may also be liability under the Bank Secrecy Act for money laundering. Until 2014, there was no real banking solution for the cannabis industry because of these federal criminal law issues; if you didn't lie to get a bank account, it was likely only a matter of time before the bank would shut down your account after discovering that you were engaged in state-sanctioned cannabis cultivation, manufacturing or distribution.

Once Colorado and Washington legalized adult use cannabis in 2012 and the Department of Justice issued the "Cole memo" in 2013, the DOJ and Fincen finally provided some relief for cannabis businesses by developing guidelines for financial institutions wanting to bank the cannabis industry. Those guidelines essentially give a green light to banks opening accounts for cannabis businesses in state-legal and highly regulated marijuana states, so long as they conduct necessary due diligence and monitoring of their cannabis clients and file a suspicious activity report whenever opening such an account.

Since California will have a ton of cannabis regulations under both the MCRSA and Proposition 64, I am confident some California financial institutions will take advantage of the 2014 Fincen guidelines and open accounts for cannabis businesses. This means that if you receive a California cannabis license under either the MCRSA or Proposition 64 (or both), you will likely be a good candidate for getting a bank account in California.

The main obstacle right now is that bank regulators like Fincen, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the National Credit Union Administration will likely withdraw even silent acceptance of cannabis banking if Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for attorney general, or someone else in the incoming Trump administration orders the nullification of the Cole memo. Without support from Fincen and other federal regulators, state-legislated resolutions on cannabis banking will likely fail. Colorado already tried this with a state-mandated banking cooperative and failed, and I do not expect the courts to help on this issue either because of the federal law conflict. And "solutions" like bitcoin still face a ton of hurdles.

On Dec. 2, California's state treasurer, John Chiang, wrote to President-elect Trump, seeking guidance on California cannabis and banking:

"Conflict between federal and state rules creates a number of difficulties for states that have legalized cannabis use, including collecting taxes, increased risk of serious crime and the inability of a legal industry under state law to engage in banking and commerce. ... We have a year to develop a system that works in California and which addresses the many issues that exist as a result of the federal-state legal conflict. ... Uncertainty about the position of your administration creates even more of a challenge."

Chiang also wrote in his letter that California may "exacerbate" the banking problem because California's cannabis economy is going to be so large.

The Department of Treasury has done a commendable job of preserving and defending its marijuana banking guidelines; Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has defended the guidelines to Congress based on public safety and transparency. But Lew isn't going to be around much longer and last month Trump announced Steven Mnuchin as his nominee for Treasury secretary. I couldn't find any quotes from Mnuchin on marijuana banking or the Fincen guidelines, so it's hard to know whether Mnuchin will support the cannabis banking status quo or not.

Like everything when it comes to Trump's administration and cannabis, California will just have to stay tuned on the banking front.

Hilary Bricken is an attorney at Harris Bricken LLP.
United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., is searching for a new chief financial officer.

Rex Schuette, the current CFO, plans to retire in 2017 after his successor is named and a transition period is completed, the $10.3 billion-asset bank said in a news release Monday.

Schuette joined United Community Banks as CFO in 2001. Before that, he had served as chief accounting officer and controller at State Street in Boston since 1985, according to a Bloomberg.com biography.

Schuette's "deep financial expertise and sound business judgment have served our company extremely well during both challenging and prosperous times," Chairman and CEO Jimmy Tallent said in the release.

United Community Bank operates 140 offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. A candlelight vigil was held outside the Russian Embassy in Armenia in memory of killed Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, reports Armenpress.

By the initiative of the Youth Organization of Armenia, a group of students from different universities of Yerevan, as well as representatives of youth organizations lit candles and laid flowers near the Russian Embassy by this paying a tribute to the memory of the Russian diplomat.

Todays rally is a protest first of all against terrorism: we condemn terrorism and the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey. Turkey, being included among the states that actively finance terrorism in the 21st century, today entangles itself in the clutches of terrorism, member of the RPA Youth Organization Argam Arshakyan said.

I consider these as a terror attack, this is a crime which must be condemned by the whole world in order to prevent similar crimes. We have gathered those students who wanted to express their protest, their condolences to the Russian people and came here, Nersik Margaryan - Chairman of the Student Council of Armenian State Pedagogical University after Kh. Abovyan, said.

Russias Ambassador Andrei Karlov was gunned down at a cultural event in Ankara on December 19. His killer, a 22-year-old riot police officer, was killed by security forces in the aftermath of the assassination.
Two former executives of the failed GulfSouth Private Bank in Destin, Fla., and another man have been indicted on federal charges of defrauding the Troubled Asset Relief Program of $7.5 million.

Anthony J. Atkins, 51, the bank's former president, and Samuel D. Cobb, 37, a former vice president, and Bruce A. Houle, 57, a customer from Inlet Beach, Fla., were hit with a seven-count indictment by a U.S. grand jury last week. The charges include conspiracy to commit bank fraud, false statements to a federally insured institution and bank and mail fraud, according to a news release from the Office of the Special Inspector General for Tarp.

A trial is scheduled for Feb. 6.

Atkins' attorney, Wilmer Parker, said in an interview Monday that starting in 2009 the bank conducted an internal investigation into the matter, and the U.S. attorney's office for the northern district of Florida has investigated the case since 2012.

"I believe many of these allegations, if not all of them, are going to be an effort by the government to find criminal liability for what might be otherwise unsafe banking practices, but not conduct evidencing intent to commit bank fraud," Parker said.

Atkins and Cobb schemed in 2008 to conceal that the bank had mortgage loans in default, the inspector general's news release said. The executives are accused of having Houle and three others -- Mark W. Shoemaker, Michael Bradley Bowen and William Blake Cody -- take out $3.8 million of loans that the men were told they would not have to repay.

Forms submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development stated falsely that the customers provided cash for their transactions, but the amount listed on the forms as "cash from borrower" was actually GulfSouth-provided money, the release said.

Atkins, Cobb, Houle, Shoemaker, Bowen and Cody submitted fraudulent security agreements that falsely represented that the customers were obligated to repay their loans that, due to the scheme, appeared as though they were performing, the release said.

In September 2009, GulfSouth received $7.5 million from Tarp. Subsequently, Atkins and Cobb allowed the condominiums that were collateral for the mortgage loans to be sold in short sales, resulting in losses for GulfSouth, the release said. They also allowed additional lines of credit that they had issued to be charged off of the bank's books and records, the release said.

State and federal regulators shut down the bank in October 2012.
Concerns that not all of the unions will agree to ratify their labor agreements have caused rail shippers and other transportation industry stakeholders to push President Joe Biden to act.
Mediterranean Shipping Co.s 13,092-TEU containership MSC Regulus collided with the Ecuadorian fishing vessel Don Gerardo II early Saturday morning, reportedly killing at least five people and injuring a dozen more.



A Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) containership collided with an Ecuadorian fishing vessel in international waters off the coast of Peru early Saturday morning, according to a statement from MSC.

The 13,092-TEU MSC Regulus collided with the Don Gerardo II at 5:02 a.m. local time about 220 miles from Zorritos-Tumbes in northwest Peru while en route from the port of Callao to Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico.

According to the Peruvian Navy, Marina de Guerra del Peru (MGP), the fishing boat capsized and sank, killing at least five people and injuring a dozen more.

MSC said it immediately alerted the relevant authorities in both Ecuador and Peru at the time of the incident, and initiated search and rescue procedures, bringing any wounded on board the ship for medical treatment.

MGP said it has opened an investigation into the cause of the collision in coordination with Panamanian authorities, and MSC said it would cooperate fully with any inquiries.

Our first priority is to understand the circumstances which led to this tragic incident, the ocean carrier said.

As a family-run company, MSC is deeply shocked and saddened by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in connection with this tragic incident, it added. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the fishermens families and their loved ones.

The MSC Regulus serves on the carriers joint Asia-West Coast South America and Mexico Andes Express/NEWACSA2 loop with CMA CGM, HMM and COSCO, on which Hamburg Sud, Hapag-Lloyd and subsidiary lines Alianca, ANL and CCNI also purchase slots, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting.

The Andes Express/NEWACSA2 operates with 12 vessels with an average capacity of 11,632 TEUs and a full port rotation of Busan, Shanghai, Xiamen, Chiwan, Hong Kong, Busan, Manzanillo (Mexico), Lazaro Cardenas, Balboa, Buenaventura, Callao, San Antonio, Coronel, Lirquen, Mejillones, Callao, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo (Mexico) and Busan.
One of the enduring controversies over the years has been the purported conflict between science and religion. An alternate view is that religion and science are complimentary paths to knowledge, not opponents at all. Long ago, St. Augustine said the book of nature and the book of Scripture were both written by the same author, and will not be in conflict when properly read and understood.

Among scientists who attend to matters of religion, one of the most famous quotes from the 20th century is this couplet by Pope John Paul II, circa 1987:

Science can purify religion from error and superstition;

Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.

I doubt that many scientists have ever thought much about the word "idolatry"; the typical reaction would be "who, me?" In science, it's hard to imagine what the word "idolatry" could possibly mean.

Separately, "The Teaching Company" publishes CDs and DVDs on a wide assortment of course materials, including one cluster on world religions, which contains a set of lectures on Hinduism. Within that, there is a remarkably concise definition of idolatry: confusing your own concept (or model or image) with the actual reality.

Whether in Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism or any other religion, that's a pretty clear warning not to think that your own understanding of God is fully accurate. When the 10 Commandments prohibits making graven images, we immediately think of physical objects like a golden calf standing in for a god. Of course we see the folly of that, and take the warning seriously. Several faiths disapprove of any images at all, lest those inferior representations become the object of worship.

About the only graven-image superstition still around today is the essentially humorous custom of burying a statue of some patron-saint-of-realtors in your back yard, in order to make your house sell faster. That gets a chuckle out of almost everyone, including the folks who plant the statue.

But now let's think about science, and examine that Hindu definition of idolatry again. For several centuries now, we have had some scientific models of nature that are exceptionally good. Newton's Classical Mechanics is perhaps the earliest shining example. It accounted for things in motion on earth, and even for the motions of the planets. When slight abnormalities were found, LaPlace introduced perturbation theory to explain them. By the late 19th century, Classical Mechanics was complete and so good that scientists believed the world was deterministic. Scientists had a very good theory, and believed it represented nature perfectly.

That was idolatry: thinking that your model truly represented the underlying reality. Around the turn of the 20th century, nobody thought to call it idolatry, but churchmen who accepted the determinism implicit in Classical Mechanics found themselves backed into a corner trying to defend the notion of free will. It was an awkward time for religion.

Events of the 20th century exploded that particular false absolute, and today we have "The Standard Model," a combination of Quantum Chromodynamics and General Relativity. It's an uneasy partnership, with physicists aware of the need to patch things together and refine the model. There may be a danger of once again believing that a new model represents nature perfectly, as suggested by Hawking and Mlodinow's 2010 book "The Grand Design," where they said the universe created itself. All physicists wish for a "theory of everything," so the temptation toward idolatry will always be there. Forbearance against that temptation is a virtue displayed by those who remember the history of physics.

The factor that saved physics is the predominance of observational data over theory. Richard Feynman's famous quote is taught to every grad student: "It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong." Because data trumps theory, today physicists are puzzling about dark matter and dark energy. It is theory that has to change. The phrase "facts are stubborn things" comes to mind. No false absolutes are allowed.

Meanwhile, over in the life sciences, the theory of Evolution has great explanatory power, and is far more comprehensive than any alternative theory. The combination of Darwin's three cornerstone principles (random mutation, natural selection, and deep time) coupled with knowledge of DNA and genetics gives us the "Neo-Darwinian Synthesis," which is nearly bulletproof. A large majority are convinced that this model represents nature perfectly. This belief is so dominant in biology that you're better off changing careers rather than challenging it. To an objection like "time isn't deep enough," or "there is irreducible complexity," the prevailing orthodoxy of biology imperiously responds that pretty soon those annoying little discrepancies will be figured out, so get out of the way. There is only a very faint echo of Pope John Paul II's words cautioning against idolatry and false absolutes.

A new temptation towards idolatry has arisen along with the advances in computing power. Enormously complex models of the climate of the entire globe run on supercomputers, and the output results are sold as accurate representations of what nature does and what it will do. National and international policies about energy supplies are driven by decisions stemming from belief in these models. There is enormous momentum behind their predictions, mostly provided by people who don't actually know the science itself, but want to believe that scientific models account for nature perfectly. Cautionary phrases like "mathematical chaos" and "data first" go unheeded in the rush to believe in a perfect theory.

This is one very pernicious example of false absolutes, because when such policy decisions are implemented, the impoverished countries of the world are denied the energy sources they need to improve their economies. If religious leaders across the world stood up and called this belief in computer models "idolatry," it would be a good first step toward re-focusing international attention on practical solutions to contemporary problems facing humanity.

Idolatry has been a recurring stain across all of human history, and each time one form is eliminated, it pops our somewhere else. Within science, recurring instances of false absolutes slip by unnoticed, allowed to propagate unchallenged for long periods of time  and ultimately producing very negative consequences.

Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.
Coming to a school near you.

After being subjected to jihadi propaganda by a Palestinian on an illegal visa in their third grade public school class, 8-9 year old American kids were led by their teacher to attack Israel. Watch the video.

Its like a Maoist Red Guard indoctrination session. The childrens African-American teacher, Brooke Barnett, tells the children that Israel is hiding whats really going from the world, but that the video they are about to see is true, we can see whats happening.

After the program the third-graders were encouraged to share their reactions. The first child says, Israel is wrong to think that Palestine could be theirs, because they already have a lot of land and they shouldnt just take more thinking they own the world.

They (Israelis) should be peaceful but theyre notthey should not kill other people.

Its not fair that people (jailed jihadis) will not see get to see their families.

One child says, When I grow up Im going to go to Palestine and protest. Welcome, welcome, replies the speaker, We need you to come to make struggle. Another voice is heard saying, Thank you.

In the video, Code Pink leftist Ariel Gold, invited by the school to put on the program, reminds the children, You guys are studying the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child, from the United Nationsso the United Nations makes laws around what people can do, what countries can do, and many times Israel violates those laws, and that is what we are working for, for international law.

Did you know that United Nations law is taught in our elementary schools? Yes, so-called Human Rights, not the U.S. Bill of Rights, is a standard topic in third grade social studies.

Student: If somebody is attackingyou say Inshallah, so God can help us stop it. Thats beautiful, breathes their teacher. Inshallah, beautiful, God Bless America, forbidden.

Burnett helps the next child, who mumbles something about not being able to protect yourself, Shes saying its not fair they (Israelis) are more powerful. They (the Arabs) should be able to defend themselves but they (the Israelis) are more powerful because they have guns.

In an unplanned moment of humor, an Arabic-speaking child is confused into thinking that Israeli terrorists are attacking Palestinians, and suggests the Palestinians on the West Bank build their own wall to protect themselves. If they attack you build your own walluse their resources (bricks) against them, if youre scared, how is that going to help. A wall is not the answer out leftist teacher Brooke Burnett wants to hear; she asks Bassem Tamimi to comment. He tells the class, Our children is our resourcesour children who will fight.

Another adult voice, And the TRUTH, the TRUTH is the resourceif everybody was building walls, then wed all be separated by walls, thats not how human beings want to live, we want to be together, like in this classroom. Then how are you going to stop Israel, asks the Arabic-speaking boy. Tamimi: We would like to protect ourselves with your solidarity...you are all to defend usto be freedom fighters for Palestine.

The principal of the elementary school, Susan Eschbach, defended the event (full text here). She falsely claimed:

There were many adults present in the class and at no time was there an anti-Israel, anti-Palestine, anti-Jewish, or anti-Muslim stance. The children took away from this experience several messages.  You can make friends across borders and that is a good thing. Love will make peace, not hate. Ithaca (NY) third grade event shows how anti-Israel indoctrination has moved into elementary schools.

The School District, under pressure from irate parents, later wrote that the program was politically skewed and inflammatory, and apologized.

The Superintendent of schools falsely claimed Tamimi was not an invited guest, and that the lesson was on universal human rights, but admitted to The Blaze:

The suffering of Jewish children was not discussed with the third grade children; nor was the issue of Tamimis relative Ahlam Tamimi (Sbarro Pizza suicide bomber) raised. Nor were the children told that Israels security barrier (which Palestinian activists usually call a wall) was erected in order to keep suicide bombers out of Israel and that since then suicide attacks have virtually ended, saving scores of childrens lives. Asked if any pro-Israel voices were invited to the classroom, Brown said, No other speakers have been into this classroom to talk about human rights at this time.

The Superintendent has done nothing to drain the swamp. The children have not been debriefed and told they were subjected to jihadi propaganda. The teacher who instigated and presided over this radical hate teaching suffered no consequences and is still in her classroom. The school principal, who enlisted openly anti-Israeli groups to design her schools curriculum on human rights (and boasts that she wants a designation from them as a Human Rights School whatever leftist claptrap that is), is still in place.

William Jacobson, a Cornell law professor and blogger at legalinsurrection.com appeared on Mark Levins show to discuss breaking this story and posting the video. It took Jacobsen a year of litigation under the NY Freedom of Information Law to get a partial video of the event.

There were other teachers there, there were staff there, nobody said a word about it, and they tried to cover it up. This is really a microcosm of whats happening to our educational system. We are allowing these activists  into high schools and elementary schools, and you rarely get video of it, because most people cant just walk into an elementary school and just start shooting video.

Who was it that the leftist school teacher invited to brainwash her students? Bassem Tamimi is a Palestinian jihadi who uses his own son and daughter attack Israeli soldiers in order to film them to incite jihadi violence. The Alegmeiner:

As the website Legal Insurrection reported in October, Tamimi used his Facebook page to promote an antisemitic blood libel that Israel arrests Palestinian children To STEAL THEIR ORGANS. The claim Tamimi reposted included a picture of a persons torso with a long wound stitched up along the side. Tamimi uses children as tools to instigate confrontations with Israelis, including having his daughter, dubbed Shirley Temper, scream at soldiers in hopes of provoking images that portray them as cruel or brutal.

Tamimi lied about his arrest record in order to get a U.S. visa from the Obama administration and embark on a speaking tour across America in favor of the anti-Semitic BDS movement. He boasted of his broader aim  to create an intifada in America, starting with our children.

When we are able to get a video like this, we can use it to great effect, he said. When enough people here see these videos and hear our stories, it can start a kind of intifada [popular Palestinian uprising] against Israel in the United States.

Jacobsen explains:

Tamimis son, Mohammad, was the subject of a recent media frenzy after he threw rocks at Israeli soldiers and when they moved to arrest him, a soldier was set upon by local women and children, all as the video rolled. Rock throwing has become a serious problem, with numerous motorists killed and injured as a result, yet it is an activity Tamimi encourages (for which he has been arrested).

Yet while Tammi showed videos in Ithaca and led the American children in an anti-Israeli, pro-jihadi discussion in the Ithaca classroom, the teachers and staff in the room noticed nothing wrong.

The day after Tamimi appeared before the Beverly J. Martin Elementary School students,  Tamimi was promoting a rising Palestinian child  age 9. Tamimi posted a viral Facebook video of her  in which she shouts we will kill you.

Tamimis visa has been revoked permanently.

The left will have no trouble finding home-grown anti-Semitic, anti-American spokesmen to invite into our classrooms  or worse, to hire as teachers. Americans for Peace and Tolerance has exposed similar incidents in liberal Massachusetts:

Aided by the sympathetic attitude of leftist activists who themselves infiltrated K-12 education over the past 40 years, Islamists have followed the leftist model of influencing textbooks, sanitizing and glorifying Islamist history while painting Western civilization as a victimizer of the Muslim world. Moreover, schools around the country directly expose their students to Islamic extremists, either through field trips to area mosques or through guest lectures presented by Islamist activists.

America is the target even more than Israel. The war against jihad in our public schools cannot be won on a case by case, catch-up basis. Anti-western propaganda is widespread and well-funded and entrenched in our progressive curriculum. If parents had intervened when American history was dropped for Human Rights studies, the left would not find it as easy to teach their hateful lies.

Hat tip: pjmedia.
Michelle Obama says she can feel the difference since the election. She claims that with her husband leaving the White House the nation is entering a period of hopelessness. With the election of Donald Trump, the Left in general is reacting in unhinged ways, with one news outlet claiming, The Left has lost its collective mind.

Ironically, the Left is attacking Trump for the actions that they indulged in to the extreme over the past 8 years. They are doing a lot of projection  a term psychologists use to describe the practice of attributing to others your own flaws.

For the past 8 years, Americans have seen unprecedented attacks on religious liberty and other basic freedoms through politically correctness and growing intolerance of anything conservative. The Left, according to the Daily Mail, has called people racist and stoked racial unrest, including riots in major cities. Now, the Left is ramping up those arguments saying Trump and Conservatives will engage in exactly those actions  racism and intolerance for anyone who doesnt agree politically or religiously. Theyve added homophobia and created an atmosphere of fear for the vulnerable.

The left, who used every possible means at their disposal to curtail religious liberty (believers must bake cakes or take pictures at LGBT weddings, etc.), project onto Conservatives the tactics that they employed when they were in power. They appear to have no comprehension of the fear many Americans felt under President Obamas threats to fundamentally transform America. They were very happy to lump Evangelical Christians into a basket of deplorables. In their eyes, it was perfectly legitimate to portray mainstream Evangelicals as alt-right to be feared and hated because of their extremism and punished for living out their faith in everyday life.

The Christian Left is particularly good at hiding their real agenda with pious sounding, but very misleading words and phrases. The Left does not lack for chutzpah and they are champion distorters. The distortion-du-jour is to make opposition to Trump a holy endeavor, required of all real Christians.

For instance, Sojourners magazine. The most recent issue is devoted to essays detailing the Evangelical Lefts fears regarding a Trump Administration. The editor, Jim Wallis, wrote, In the wake of this election, the role of faith communities is imperative. This was followed by the call for Christians to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable. Now every Christian I know is concerned about the vulnerable. In fact, America is founded on principles that protect the weak and vulnerable. For Christians, the Bible is clear that a primary responsibility of believers is to protect and care for the widows and orphans (James 1:27). Wallis and his followers, however, mean something entirely different. They are referring to so-called social justice issues, meaning endorsing leftist policies in order to equalize outcomes rather than provide equal opportunity. He is not calling for Christians to care for the vulnerable; he is calling for government programs to do the work of husbands, fathers and the church faithful.

Joe Roos article, A Pledge of Resistance encapsulates the tone and thesis of the whole issue. We are supposed, I guess, to excuse him for being judgmental, because he really thinks the Evangelical Left are the real followers of Jesus (they seek the path of inclusion, justice, peacemaking, and love) while the Right embodies everything evil (Trumps campaign and those who voted for him advocate exclusion, inequality, the use of violence, and hatred of the other). Roos accused Trump and all Conservatives of promoting: the supremacy of white people over people of color, the literal and figurative creation of walls of division and hostility between people and nations, a misogynistic attitude and practice toward women, disdain for the poor, disabled, and marginalized, disregard for and ignorance about the environment, and encouragement of the use of violence toward those who disagree.

Brittany Packnett, writing in Sojourners, Resistance is Holy Work, declares that opposition to President-Elect Trump is based on truth. She writes,

We must tell the truth that the entire world is not white, straight, Christian, cis-gendered, American-born, male, or able-bodied, and that those of us who arent matter just as much as those of us who are. We must tell the truth that rhetoric and policies that encourage violence against those same people is not of God and not of the freedom we espouse. We must tell the truth that if all of us were truly created equal, then the cancer of xenophobia makes all of us sick -- and that none of us are truly free until we are all free.

Brittany continues,

We did not lose an election as much as we validated and normalized a way of life that is beneath our humanity -- and, therefore, which requires our resistance. The Christ I serve did not sit idly by in times like these -- for in eras like this one, inaction is a sin. Inaction perpetuates this latest wave of hate just as much as if you painted a swastika yourself. Hate should never be welcome in our homes, at our tables, in our worship, or in our country.

She and others in the Sojourners movement believe that they are fulfilling a holy calling to not only oppose Trump, but to withhold tithes and membership from those places that will not be safe havens and sanctuaries for those persecuted under potential new rules of law [Italics added]

Suddenly, labeling people who dont embrace your beliefs and stigmatizing them in derogatory terms is not hatred and bigotry; its holy work. Brittany put it very plainly, Christians must . . . conscientiously object to hatred, division, racism, and sexism as unashamedly as we claim Christ. The call to be in the world and not of it was for such a time as this -- we must be the light that shines on injustice and calls out our humanity to replace the evil we see. Almost nobody would object to such a call to holiness, except that she is referring to fellow believers and by implication calling conservative Christians haters, racists, and sexists who commit acts of injustice and evil, and thus must be feared, stigmatized and destroyed.

Where Brittany was relatively benign, Nadia Bolz-Weber in The Strong Heart of Gods People was more alarmist. According to her, the election of Trump brought on (in capital letters, no less) APOCALYPTIC times. According to Bolz-Weber, in these challenging times she chooses loftily to be swept up into the radical reconciliation and mercy of a crucified and risen God rather than in the results of an election.

Using the language of devout preachers, but, sadly, placing their faith in so-called social justice, the other columnists equate social justice efforts with doing the work of the Gospel here in earth.

For the left, data trends, statistical facts and objective reality dont matter; their perception of reality is all that counts. The high profile police brutality cases that were proven to be based on lies and distortions dont keep leftists like Jose Humphreys, Connecting the Disinherited from talking about punitive policing, even though the Obama/Holder justice department could not find grounds to charge the Ferguson policeman, and the Baltimore police were exonerated in the Freddie Gray case. The objective reality of poverty programs and social trends such as fatherless families contributing to poverty doesnt matter. Nor does it matter that 8 years of the leftist policies of President Obama contributed to the diminishment of the middle class. No proven truth makes a whit of difference to their way of thinking.

People like Kathy Khang, Resistance Takes Action, still cannot say Trumps name and advocate letting everyone, especially Muslims, people of color, etc., have plenty of space to grieve, heal, and recharge. She also urges those of the left to make sure people know youre not in the 81 percent of white evangelicals who voted for he-whose-name-I-still-cannot-utter-without-swearing. She actually said that! Funny how, for the left, the Golden Rule doesnt apply to anyone from the right. Besides, we need to give her, her husband, daughter and sons space to grieve. She also encourages attendance at local government meetings, wearing a shirt that proclaims, Black Lives Matter or Nasty Woman or Lord, Give Me the Confidence of a Mediocre White Man. According to Kathy, no one should be quiet about his or her rebellion against Trump.

When we hear something that stinks of racism, privilege, white supremacy, white nationalism, or misogyny, we need to stop it and correct it, whether its something we hear on the playground or in church. We need to have the courage and the conviction to step in when we see or hear something and stop being silent observers. We need to ask and then demand that our pastors preach about the sin of racism. We need to recognize this is not politics as usual.

The left wants preachers to preach about social issues? Remember their horror at the idea of ministers preaching about life, sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and against sexual sins?

These Evangelical Leftists can sound pious by using the right words and citing the Bible, but, listen closely, the Sojourner columnists equate their social justice efforts with doing the work of the Gospel here in earth. Sadly, they create an us against them kind of faith where their piety is better than anyone elses; where their self-righteousness entitles them not only to differ, but to stereotype any conservative as racist, homophobic, sexist haters who should be silenced and kept out of the public square.
If you believe the Democrat crybabies. Some 30,000 Russians attended the Trump thank you rally in Mobile, Alabama. It was also the Russians that kept Hillary Clinton from visiting Wisconsin, one of the big chunks of the blue wall that crumbled on election night. The fact that Hillary was such a bad candidate that she couldnt get 300 alcoholics to attend an open bar doesnt dawn on them.

Among stuff you couldnt make up was election cheater Donna Brazile complaining to Martha Raddatz, who got choked up over Trumps victory, on ABCs This Week on Sunday that Russian hackers kept her and predecessor Debbie Wasserman Shultz so busy that the DNC barely had time to put its fingers on the scale to tip the nomination to Bernie Sanders while feeding Hillary Clinton debate questions in advance. As ABC reported:

Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile said Russian hackers persisted in trying to break into the organization's computers "daily, hourly" until after the election -- contradicting President Obama's assertion that the hacking stopped in September after he warned Russian President Vladimir Putin to "cut it out." "They came after us absolutely every day until the end of the election. They tried to hack into our system repeatedly," Brazile told ABC's Martha Raddatz in an exclusive interview on "This Week" Sunday. "We were attacked by a foreign adversary, and I think its the responsibility of the government to help individual citizens -- as well as institutions, nonprofits, corporations -- to protect us, she said. "The emails were weaponized," the Democratic chair said of the thousands of emails that were hacked from the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign staff and then released publicly. "Donald Trump used this information in ways to also sow division. I was very disappointed in his repeated usage some of the stolen information. He used it as if he received daily talking points."

But they were your emails, Ms. Brazile. They were Hillary Clintons emails, at least the ones that Hillary didnt delete using Bleach Bit while under subpoena. They were John Podestas emails. They were evidence of your corruption and your lies to the American people. The Russians didnt write them,

Nor did the Russian government hack them, according to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. As Fox News reported on Assanges interview with Sean Hannity:

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange denied Thursday that hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta were stolen and passed to his organization by Russian state actors. "Our source is not the Russian government," Assange told "The Sean Hannity Show." "So in other words, let me be clear," Hannity asked, "Russia did not give you the Podesta documents or anything from the DNC?" "That's correct," Assange responded. Assange's assertion contradicts the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which concluded in October that "the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails [sic] from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. political organizations." In addition to the hacked emails from the DNC and Podesta, Assange admitted that Wikileaks received "received about three pages of information to do with the [Republican National Committee] and Trump [during the campaign], but it was already public somewhere else."

John Podesta was also making the rounds, appearing on NBCs Meet the Press to suggest the Russians wanted Trump as President so he could be their lapdog:

John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clintons failed presidential campaign, suggested Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was indeed personally involved in the election email hacks because Russia wanted Donald Trump as its lap dog in the White House. Russia clearly intervened, Podesta said on NBCs Meet the Press, in a series of carefully worded responses about who was behind the hacked emails and their impact on Clintons losing campaign. Podesta's "lap dog" comment was an apparent reference to New York Times op-ed columist Nicholas Kristof implying Saturday in the paper that Trump would be a "lap dog -- a Russian poodle."

If Russia wanted a lapdog, they would have supported Hillary Clinton, who famously pushed the reset button hoping for better relations with Moscow. It is Hillary Clinton who agreed that Syrias Bashar Assad, butcher of Aleppo, was a reformer.

Russia had a lapdog in Barack Obama, who abandon NATO allies Poland and the Czech Republic when he cancelled plans for missile defense because it offended Moscow. It was Obama who promised then-Russian President Medvedev that he would have even more flexibility after he was reelected. It was Obama who drew the redlines in Syria which he then ignored and said Assad must go and then did nothing. It could be said that in the past eight years, Putin was the top dog and President Obama was the fireplug.

Hillary Clinton lost because she was a lousy candidate with no message except that she wasnt Donald Trump. She was the status quo in a change elections. Her deplorables remark was the final nail in her coffin, proof to the bitter clingers of how low the liberal elites held the huddled masses on flyover country.

The Democrats and the media, pardon the redundancy, can continue to believe their delusions. If they do, the Republicans will continue to win elections as the Democrats become a mere footnote in the history of the Republic.

Daniel John Sobieski is a free lance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
A Muslim assassin murdered Russia's ambassador to Turkey yesterday and was shortly thereafter killed. He said he killed the ambassador because Russia is committing atrocities in Aleppo, Syria. And it is true that Russia is committing atrocities in Syria, along with the Syrian Army, Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Shi'ite militias like Hezballah, the Al-Nusra Front, ISIS, and just about anyone else in Syria with guns, except perhaps the Kurds. Probably, though, given the indiscriminate killing record of militant Islam, if the Russian ambassador hasn't been available, he would have found another noncombatant to execute.

Anyway, by now you've seen the photos of the assassin with one arm up and pointing.

He may not know it, but that is a clear imitation of John Travolta's stance when he was dancing to "Stayin' Alive" in Saturday Night Fever.

This is especially ironic given the lyrics of the song.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive

The song is concerned about enjoying life and staying alive. The Muslim killer, on the other hand, was concerned with the exact opposite--death and killing.

That's what the clash of cultures is all about. Our culture celebrates life and enjoying living. Radical Islam celebrates slavery, suffering, and death. It's ironic the Muslim assassin struck a pose reminiscent of the complete antithesis of everything he stands for.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
In the wake of the news that most probably a radical Muslim (a Pakistani, according to reports) has driven into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least twelve people and injuring dozens more, the question arises: should Germany outlaw Christmas?

After all, it was a Christmas market that triggered the attacker. And even if the attacker wasn't triggered by the Christmas holiday, such gatherings of Christians make them an easy target for Muslim attackers.

Given that Chancellor Angela Merkel has imported millions of Muslims into Germany, shouldn't she be working to remove any basis under which a fundamentalist Muslim could be triggered into attacking ordinary Germans?

She can start by outlawing Christmas. And then from there the selling of pork and alcohol. And schools, pools, and public facilities should be segregated, and women should be required to dress modestly (with hijabs, if not burkas).

Sounds preposterous? It's the natural progression resulting from importing millions of people who are hostile to your countrymen and their culture. If Merkel isn't going to stop admitting Muslims, and she's not; and if she's not going to deport them in any significant numbers, and she's not; and if she's just been renominated to be the head of her party for the next election, which she has, the logical conclusion is that she should see her mission as doing her best to accommodate radical Islam.

Because, make no mistake, these deaths, and the other murders and rapes caused in Germany by Middle Eastern Muslims, are directly caused by Ms. Merkel's policies of open borders. And the German people must approve of them, because they keep re-electing her as chancellor and keep renominating her to head her party. This is what they want.

I'm really glad I don't live in Germany.

By the way, compare and contrast the statements of Donald Trump and Barack Obama on this. Trump immediately blamed Islamic terrorists; Obama gave his sympathies but studiously avoided naming the source. He might as well have been giving his sympathies to the victims of a flood or tornado.

Since this is a breaking story, I apologize in advance if the killer turns out to be a blond man from Sweden acting in the name of radical Episcopalians.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
The purported Russian Hacking is a good example of what could be fake news and of the disappearance of investigative journalism.

Here are a few easy questions.

For the CIA, President Obama and Josh Earnest:

Since you all say specifically that the Russians did the hacking, that Putin was directly involved and that you know that it was for the specific intent to elect Trump, why did you refuse to send anyone to the House Committee to show them what you have?

For President Obama, Earnest, James Comey, and Loretta Lynch:

You were unable to determine if Hillary had the intent to break national security laws despite the facts that Hillary intentionally had the server set up, intentionally did not use a State Department email, obviously knew that classified documents had to go through her computer, intentionally destroyed thousands of documents, intentionally refused to meet with and take questions from the inspector general despite laws that she cooperate and intentionally lied throughout. So why should we believe that you can determine that the intent of whoever hacked the Democratic National Committee was to help Trump?

Here are some questions for the reporters themselves:

Why would Putin and Russia want someone new, since they were allowed to expand their power tremendously the past eight years

Here are just a few things that President Obama and Kerry did with Russia:

*We had the famous reset button by Hillary in 2009.

*Almost as soon as Obama took office, he backed away from a commitment to put up missile defense shields in Poland and the Czech Republic to appease Russia.

*Hillary and the Obama administration allowed the sale of a substantial share of American uranium reserves to the Russians. Of course, this involved a large amount of money to the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton family. Putin knows that Bill and Hillary have gotten fabulously rich  not by producing anything or creating jobs, but by selling political favors throughout their adult lives. So why wouldn't he want Hillary, who has proven so pliable?

*In March 2012, Obama told Medevev of Russia that he would have more flexibility if he were re-elected.

*In October 2012, President Obama made fun of Mitt Romney for saying Russia is dangerous and smirked at him to the effect that the eighties called and want their foreign policy back. (Of course, the media went along with Obama)

So, reporters: Why would Putin want Trump?

Somehow most of the media really dont care what Obama and Hillary have actually said and done with and about Russia the last eight years, but somehow Trump is the problem.

As for interfering in elections, the State Department spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to influence the Israeli elections, and President Obama told Great Britain that if they passed Brexit, they would move to the back of the queue on trade.

President Obama has talked tremendously tough policies worldwide. He drew that red line and has repeatedly told Assad to cut it out. He has told Iran they had better cut it out when interfering in Aleppo and elsewhere or else. Now we learn that at the G20 summit in September, he told Putin personally to cut it out on hacking, and he said they saw no evidence that Russians had hacked after that. (I would love to see the before and after evidence.) This "cut it out" policy has not worked so well.

Since Obama says the world respects the U.S. more than it did eight years ago, his supporters should ask themselves: where?

Reporters who just repeat Democrat talking points (which is most of them) and pretend that these are factual are worthless. Now they pretend they will monitor themselves for fake news. What a joke! It is time journalists became curious again.

I hope Trump will change Obama's "cut it out" policy. Then the U.S. actually may be stronger in four years instead of pretending to be stronger, as Obama says.

I believe we will know when the media have their curiosity gene back and have renewed their investigative skills when some of them actually ask how we can have record cold temperatures if CO2, human activities, and fossil fuels cause warming. Repeating talking points to support an agenda and saying the science is settled serves no value and involves no actual intelligence.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Numerous medals, plenty of gratitude letters, other awards and words of gratitude: Major-General Arthur Simonyan, Commander of the Peacekeeping brigade of the Armenian Armed Forces, proudly presents the achievements of the Armenian peacekeepers and talks about their successes. Armenian peacekeepers have always stood out during their missions with the high level of training. And its no coincidence. As Athur Simonyan pointed out, thats a result of daily, and hourly work.

We took part in quite many military exercises under the NATO program, we took part in the military exercises of our Armed Forces twice a year, as well as we participated in the exercises organized within the framework of CSTO, Arthur Simonyan told a press conference in ARMENPRESS.

The peacekeeping brigade draws attention on various trainings, highlights exchange of information by maintaining contact with representatives of leading Armed Forces. Arthur Simonyan mentioned that the leadership of the Armenian Armed Forces views the peacekeepers as the circle which brings the international experience to the Armenian Army.

From the successes of the Armenian peacekeepers, Arthur Simonyan pointed out the progress in various kinds of training-exams. In 2007, the company received a 1st level self-evaluation, afterwards in 2008 the company received the cooperation assessment and in 2009 the self-assessment of the infantry battalion was held. Receiving a high evaluation from the NATO headquarters, a bid was submitted for the 2nd level assessment of the battalion.

These are rather large-scale test-military exercises, many of the countries having the best armies dont submit bids more than the level of a company, and we had a self-evaluation in 2012 on the level of battalion. In 2013, the assessment of the infantry battalion was held and we received a cooperation evaluation. High results were recorded in 2014 and 2015. Experts admired the actions of our soldiers, they didnt hide this admiration, Simonyan said.

Lt. Colonel Samvel Sargsyan, head of the Military-Civil cooperation department of the peacekeeping brigade, said the Armenian peacekeepers are able to orientate quickly in different situations.

We interact with people of different cultures, we know their mentality, and all of this helps us to rapidly orientate during our missions in different locations, to be the so called intermediate circle, he said.

Armenian peacekeepers launched their first mission back in 2004 in the territory of Kosovo, within the Greek contingent. It was a 32-member group. In the following years, Armenian peacekeepers carried out missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon. Arthur Simonyan said the Italian side expects an increase in its contingent in Lebanon. It is proposed to increase the number of Armenian peacekeepers to 100. Arthur Simonyan mentioned that the capacity of the Armenian peacekeepers is such that it is possible to dispatch 4-5 times more people.

We have received words of gratitude from numerous foreign partners. Upon the arrival of our contingent in Afghanistans Kunduz, it discovered live ordnance in the territory of the airport. In the same airport, our servicemen discovered two Afghans in hiding, who were wanted internationally. Later they were revealed to be terrorists. They were studying the area, looking for possible targets for terrorism, the Commander said.

Arthur Simonyan introduced Lt. Colonel Ashot Zakharyan, characterizing him as a humble officer, who has prevented a clash between two ethnic groups in Lebanon during his monitoring mission. The Italian General has expressed admiration regarding that event.

Soon, on January 9, Armenian peacekeeping contingent will depart for Afghanistan, comprised of 65 soldiers. Five days ago the Armenian contingent returned from Kosovo.
A family of hikers kidnapped in Afghanistan released a video imploring President Obama to release a terrorist to secure their freedom.

An American woman and her family who have been held hostage for four years in Afghanistan pleaded with President Obama to secure their release before he leaves office next month, according to a video that was made public Monday. Please dont become the next Jimmy Carter, said Caitlan Coleman, 31, sitting with her husband, Joshua Boyle, a Canadian, and their two children, who were born in captivity. Just give the offenders something so they and you can save face so we can leave the region permanently. The couple has been held by the Haqqani network, a Taliban faction, which seized them in late 2012 as they were backpacking in Wardak Province, an insurgent stronghold near Kabul. Ms. Coleman was pregnant at the time with their first child. American officials said the Haqqani network was demanding the release of Anas Haqqani, one of its commanders, who was captured by the Afghan intelligence service in 2014.

What's wrong with this story? Who goes "backpacking" in Afghanistan? Who goes "backpacking" while pregnant in Afghanistan? The answer: no one in her right mind. It's exactly like the stories we read about people who sneak into North Korea and then cry for help when they get caught.

Ms. Coleman, people don't want to get into Afghanistan; they want to get out of it  all except drug dealers and Islamists. Afghanistan is not Australia. Kandahar is not Bali. You must have known what you were getting into, and you were especially irresponsible to go there while pregnant. And now you want America to release a terrorist to secure your freedom? And you made another baby with your husband while in captivity? What's wrong with this picture?

Meanwhile, they are not the only ones:

The Haqqanis are believed to be holding at least two other Americans, including a university professor kidnapped in August and a Massachusetts man taken in 2014.

Listen: if you get kidnapped off the streets of New York, drugged, and sent in a shipping crate to Afghanistan, you deserve sympathy. But not these people. I don't know how a civilian can even get into Afghanistan.

Exit question: If you were secretary of state, what would you say to Ms. Coleman's captors?

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.
It is now official: per the U.S. Constitution, the electors of the Electoral College met on Monday and, following the wishes of their voters, officially chose Donald Trump (R) as the 45th president of the U.S. Despite (because of?) the desperately deplorable acts and wishes of the irredeemable.

"Racist, sexist, xenophobic, you name it" Hillary Clinton supporters, decency trumped hate. The Trump electors cast their ballots for Trump as they were elected to do; two from Texas defected. Thus, Trump's election victory of November 8, when he easily accumulated well over the 270 electoral votes necessary to win, was officially validated.

However, some of the Democratic electors appeared to take my advice by choosing not to vote for Hillary R. Clinton (D). Without any fanfare or hate or disruption or begging from Trump supporters (unlike their lefty counterparts), several Hillary electors surprisingly defected, casting their votes for others.

In the end, however, more Democrats than Republicans went rogue, underscoring deep divisions within their party. At least four Democratic electors voted for someone other than Clinton, while two Republicans turned their backs on Trump. (snip) On the Democratic side, it appeared to be the largest number of electors not supporting their party's nominee since 1872, when 63 Democratic electors did not vote for party nominee Horace Greeley, who had died after the election but before the Electoral College convened, according to Fairvote.org. Republican Ulysses S. Grant had won re-election in a landslide. Four of the 12 Democratic electors in Washington state broke ranks, with three voting for Colin Powell, a former Republican secretary of state, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder who has protested oil pipeline projects in the Dakotas. Bret Chiafalo, 38, of Everett, Washington, was one of three votes for Powell. He said he knew Clinton would not win but believed Powell was better suited for the job than Trump. (snip) In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright first cast his vote for Clinton's rival for the party nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who carried the state in the party nominating contest. His vote was rejected, and he voted for Clinton on a second ballot. In Hawaii, one of the states four Democratic electors cast a ballot for Sanders in defiance of state law binding electors to the states Election Day outcome, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspapers. (snip) In Colorado, where a state law requires electors to cast their ballots for the winner of the state's popular vote, elector Michael Baca tried to vote for Kasich - but was replaced with another elector. In Minnesota, one of the states 10 electors would not cast his vote for Clinton as required under state law, prompting his dismissal and an alternate to be sworn in. All 10 of the states electoral votes were then cast for her.

Perhaps the irredeemable, extremist anti-Trump supporters will redeem themselves by realizing that love does Trump hate  that yes, Donald Trump is their president, that despite Michelle Obama's hopelessly wrong belief that "America is entering a time of hopelessness," all will, if at least not be happy with the election outcome, redeem themselves by not being obstructionist.

When hope trumps hate, much is possible.
Hillary Clinton's Democrats are now three-time losers, having lost the election, lost the recounts, and lost the electoral college, but the Republicans will be winners in 2020 only if they keep their promises.

Michael Goodwin, writing at the New York Post, says of the Democrats' blame game and mischief-making:

Because they are doomed to fail, we could be witnessing the death throes of the Democratic Party as we know it. With Obama and the Clintons encouraging the attempted theft of an election they lost and failing to denounce intimidation and death threats against Trump electoral voters, most Americans have reason to consider the Dems a dead letter.

The only way to keep the Democrats a dead letter, however, is for the Republicans, President-Elect Trump specifically, to succeed:

Yet the final verdict on 2016 depends on Trump's performance as president. If he delivers "jobs, jobs, jobs" and peace-through-strength abroad, he will forge a new governing consensus and remake the political landscape.

Goodwin describes the multitude of challenges ahead, both international and domestic, for the new president, but also observes:

Against that dark reality, it is reasonable to worry the nation is on the verge of a crack-up. But there is also a possibility that America is on the verge of a new greatness. It's up to Trump. The ultimate outsider and a historic disrupter, he bears some responsibility for the polarization. But victory presents him with an opportunity to make government work for the people, instead of the other way around.

Trump must not only keep his promises to his supporters, but he must also prevail over the detractors and critics in his own party.

Chief among those critics has been the establishment wing of the Republican Party. John Fund, writing at National Review, contends, "Trump's temperament cost him upscale Republican voters in key suburbs," and:

... [t]o solidify his reelection chances, he will have to overcome their doubts with policy successes that assuage their concerns about his rough edges.

Fund focuses on the Bush family as a source and a symptom of his lack of support among the Washington insider wing of his party:

Much of Trump's weakness with upscale, suburban Republicans can be traced to the hostility of the Bush family. They viewed Trump's primary victory as a hostile takeover of the party they had long dominated[.]

The Fund piece recounts the "no" votes against Trump from both Bush presidents, along with two open letters signed during the presidential campaign by various former Bush administration officials, declaring that Mr. Trump is "not qualified for office" and would be a "reckless president."

Fund quotes from Trump's statement in response to one letter:

They are nothing more than the failed Washington elite looking to hold on to their power, and it's time they are held accountable for their actions.

Since Trump received no support from the Bush wing of the party, Fund contends that Trump "owes nothing to the 'Bush Barnacles'":

Any other Republican president-elect would have been under enormous pressure to bring in former Bush officials to staff cabinet agencies with safe, don't-rock-the-boat appointees.

As Fund further notes, Trump has appointed his own "eclectic mix" of high-powered business leaders, retired generals, and "bureaucracy busters."

Rather than appease the Bush Republicans, Fund says, Trump can build on his support from "blue-collar voters":

In keeping with his promises to these supporters, he'll probably aim to renegotiate trade deals without touching off trade wars, clear away barriers to job creation, and reassert American leadership overseas. For someone who needs to solidify his political standing for 2020, succeeding in those policies would represent the best possible political revenge against the Bushes and his many other critics.

As Mr. Goodwin observes, Trump is nominating "incredibly accomplished individuals" to his cabinet, and "many Republican orthodoxies" are already "being tossed overboard."

Trump's cabinet appointees, from Jeff Sessions at Justice and James Mattis at Defense to Tom Price at Health and Human Services and Scott Pruitt at Environmental Protection, along with many other excellent nominees, are a strong indication that Trump fully intends to do exactly what he said during the campaign.

The president-elect has sent the Clinton dynasty packing, and the Democrats have lost "big-league," as Mr. Trump likes to say. In thirty days, the Obamas will be in the rearview mirror.

All of that is a pretty good start in itself.
The Zoroastrians have an unusual way of disposing off their dead. They neither bury them nor cremate them. Instead, corpses are left atop high towers known as dakhma, or Towers of Silence, where they are exposed to the elements and consumed by scavenger birds such as vultures, kites and crows. This macabre funeral practice arises from the belief that the dead are impure, not just physically because of decomposition, but because they are contaminated by the corpse demon and evil spirits who rush into the body as soon as the soul leaves. Burial and cremation are thus seen as polluting nature and fire, both of which the Zoroastrians thrive to protect. This reverence towards all things natural has led some scholars to proclaim Zoroastrianism as the "world's first ecological religion."

A defunct Tower of Silence in Yazd, Iran. Photo credit: Photoroamings/Flickr

The Zoroastrian practice of exposure of the dead, known as dokhmenashini, was first documented in the mid-5th century BCE by Herodotus, but the use of towers came much later in the early 9th century.

Towers of Silence have a flat roof divided into three concentric rings where the naked bodies are laid out the outer ring is for men, the central one for females and the innermost for children. Once the scavenging birds had pecked away the flesh and the exposed bones have been bleached by the sun and wind, they are collected in an ossuary pit at the center of the tower, where lime is added to allow the bones to gradually disintegrate. The entire process takes nearly a year. At the periphery of the dakhma, jutting out from the structure, are four channels through which the remaining material is flushed off by rainwater but only after they have run through multiple coal and sand filters.

The ancient practice survived among orthodox Zoroastrians in Iran until dakhmas were declared a health hazard and made illegal in the 1970s. It is still practiced in India by the Parsi people, who constitute the largest Zoroastrian population in the world. Rapid urbanization, however, have put pressure on the Parsis, and this strange ritual and the right to use Towers of Silence is a much debated issue even among the Parsi community. But the biggest threat to dokhmenashini hasnt come from health officials or from public protest but from the lack of vultures.

A Tower of Silence, in Doongerwadi, Mumbai, visible from nearby high-rises. Photo credit: Dinodia Photos/Alamy

Vultures, who play an important role in the disintegration of the corpses, have been steadily declining in the Indian subcontinent since the 1990s. In 2008, their numbers fell by a staggering 99 percent that confounded scientists, until it was discovered that a drug administered to cattle is fatal to vultures when they feed on the carcasses. The drug was banned by the Indian government but the vulture population is yet to recover.

With no vultures left, some Towers of Silence in India have installed powerful solar concentrators to dehydrate the body faster. But the solar concentrators have the unintended side effect of keeping away other scavenging birds such as crows during the day because of the heat. They also do not work during cloudy days. So a job that would take only hours for a flock of vultures to complete now take weeks, and these slowly decomposing bodies make neighbors squeamish. Some Towers of Silence, that were originally situated on the outskirts of cities, now lie squat in the middle population centers and had to be closed because of the smell.

Some Parsis have now started preferring cremation.

Printed drawing of 'Towers of Silence'. Photo credit: Wellcome Images/Wikimedia

One of the two Towers of Silence, Yazd, Iran. Photo credit: Fulvio Spada/Flickr

A Tower of Silence in India. Photo credit: poida.smith/Flickr

The pit of a Tower of Silence, Bombay. Photo credit: GSV/Flickr

The two Towers of Silence, in Yazd, Iran. Men on the left, women on the right. Photo credit: Julia Maudlin/Flickr

Photo credit: en.academic.ru

Sources: Wikipedia / Guardian / NPR
LG introduced the update to Android 7.0 Nougat for their early 2016 flagship, the LG G5, a few weeks ago for South Korean customers and at the time promised that other markets would receive the same update in the weeks to come. The LG G5 was originally launched running Android 6.0 Marshmallow but after Google finalized the Android 7.0 Nougat code, LGs software team have been busy working on the update. We have already seen some carriers pushing the update and the news today is that Canadian carrier, Bell, has started rolling the LG G5 software update. Two of Canadas other carriers, Rogers and Fido, report that the update to Android 7.0 Nougat for the LG G5 will start from Wednesday, December 21st although some customers are reporting that the update is already downloading today.

Android 7.0 Nougat brings with it a number of improvements to Android compared with the older version, Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Google have refined and improved Androids power saving technologies by introducing an interim doze state that is activated much sooner in Nougat compared with Marshmallow. Google also further improved Androids notification system, making them more useful and quicker. Theres a split-screen multitasking mode enabled in the operating system, which is especially useful for big-screen devices. There are improvements to device and file encryption too, making it harder for a would-be hacker to interfere with a device. Google has mandated that many of the changes to the underlying code are left untouched by manufacturers, ensuring that devices go into Doze mode the same way for example. The LG G5 is more than capable of running the Android 7.0 Nougat software as even today it uses one of the most powerful chipsets available for the Android market.

Whilst manufacturers and carriers have taken more time to release the update for Android 7.0 Nougat compared with older updates, especially the move from Android 4.4 KitKat to Android 5.0 Lollipop, it is encouraging to see the update arriving only a few months after released. For customers of these three Canadian carriers, the update will automatically arrive but for the impatient, you can force your device to check by visiting the Settings application, then tapping on About Device, then on Software Update and finally on Update.
DeepMind, the team behind the advanced AlphaGO AI, is currently headquartered in London. Scooped up by Google back in 2014, DeepMind currently calls a two-floor share of Googles building in Kings Cross, home. From there, they develop their products and experiments, while helping Google to enhance their own products with their AI chops. It would seem that they will be getting a second home in the very near future though, as reports are surfacing that indicate that a DeepMind sub-team, called DeepMind Applied, will be forming in Mountain View. This team will be a bit more closely involved with Google, working hand-in-hand with the various product teams to help implement their AI-based solutions throughout Googles portfolio.

Right now, Google is harnessing DeepMinds know-how in the AI field mostly to help out with Google Play and their various ad platforms. They will be gaining a new focus, however, once the Applied team is formed; according to the first job posting for the new team in California, they will be solving the sorts of problems that Googlers face every day, at Google scale. The initial position is called applied research scientist, and the job description is a bit on the vague side. According to DeepMind spokespeople, the number of new hires for this team will number in the dozens, and they will be working much more closely with Googles home office than the main DeepMind team in London.

The new DeepMind Applied team, rather than being hosted alongside the Googlers that theyll be collaborating with, will be receiving their own digs in Mountain View, presumably on Googleplex grounds or at least close enough to enable people from Google and DeepMind to quickly and easily shoot back and forth to collaborate in person. The current applied arm of the main DeepMind team is responsible for finding and implementing real-world uses for DeepMinds AI knowledge and talent, such as helping to predict and balance energy needs for Google. Details are sparse for the time being, but all signs point to the new DeepMind Applied team that will be settling down in Mountain View doing much the same thing.
Google officially launched its first ever smart home speaker, Google Home, during an event held in San Francisco back in October this year. Basically, the speaker acts as a central hub for all your smart home products and services, which then can be controlled by an AI-powered virtual assistant called Google Assistant. At the time of launch, the list of products and third-party services which were supported by Google Home were rather small, but Google promised that it will eventually add new integrations with Google Home to expand its capabilities further. As promised, Google has been adding support for the new products and third-party services with Google Home lately, just a while back the company integrated Netflix service and Google Photos with the Google Home speaker, which allows users to watch their favorite videos and photos from their Netflix account and Google Photos account respectively to their Chromecast-connected TV sets, by simply giving a voice command.

Now, Sony has announced that its recent firmware update has enabled some of its existing speakers and 4K HDR TV sets to work with the Google Home speaker. Please note that only those Sony devices which have Chromecast built-in have been integrated with the Google Home speaker  you can follow the source link below to see if your device is listed as a supported device or not. Once set up with the Google Home speaker, users will be able to play videos from a variety of video services, YouTube and Netflix for example, on their Sony 4K HDR TV by just giving a simple voice command. Talking about the music casting, users will be able to play music from music services like Spotify, Google Play Music, YouTube Music and so on, to their Sony speakers with just a voice command; for example, you can issue the following command to your Google Home: Ok Google, play my party playlist from Spotify on my Sony speaker, and it will start playing music on your Sony speaker.

Not only that, you can even ask Google Home to play music by artist, genre, album, playlist, mood and even take control of the music without touching any single button. Thanks to Googles Multi-room feature, users can also synchronize their music on the Google Home speaker and Sony speakers, which makes it possible to play the same music on the Google Home speaker and connected Sony speakers together, so you can enjoy your favorite music across the multiple rooms. Note that to use the Multi-room feature, you first need to create a group called all speakers in the Google Home app.

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The telecommunications landscape in the United States is expected to undergo some drastic changes in the not-too-distant future. Following AT&Ts announcement that its planning to acquire Time Warner for $86 billion, many industry experts believe that a chain reaction of mergers and acquisitions across the entire sector is in order. Seeing how the incoming Trump administration is more likely to approve this transaction than not, the said merger may prompt other wireless carriers in the country to take similar actions in an effort to compete with AT&Ts growing media and media distribution empire. In fact, some analysts specifically point at T-Mobile as the top takeover target in a world in which AT&T acquires Time Warner.

Now, back when SoftBank purchased Sprint in 2013, the Japanese tech giant also planned to obtain a controlling stake in T-Mobile and merge the two wireless carriers into a single company. However, back then, the Democratic-led Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice effectively stopped that acquisition from happening. As an ideologically different administration is set to replace them next month, industry experts predict that the regulatory landscape will soon become suitable for a possible merger of Sprint and T-Mobile. However, that still doesnt mean this deal will happen, even if the new US administration doesnt stand in the way.

As Walter Piecyk, an industry analyst at BTIG Research claims, the odds of SoftBank acquiring T-Mobile and consolidating it with Sprint in the next few years are less than 20%. Despite the fact that Trump recently announced SoftBank will invest $50 billion in the US economy, Piecyk believes that the Japanese tech giant wont use this investment as leverage to acquire T-Mobile in the next two years. As the BTIG Research analyst pointed out in a research note published earlier today, this acquisition would negatively impact the growth of tower leasing. Seeing how this is a crucial factor as far as valuing wireless carriers is concerned, a hypothetical merger between Sprint and T-Mobile would negatively affect the value of the new company. In addition to that, Piecyk points out how Deutsche Telekom, the controlling shareholder of T-Mobile US isnt interested in selling its stake in the company. Piecyk concludes that T-Mobile and Sprint will likely continue operating independently, at least until all wireless carriers in the country deploy 5G infrastructure and start offering related services.
As yet, Googles last push into the tablet market is carried by the HTC Nexus 9, which was released two years ago in November 2014 running Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. Since its release, the slate received numerous software updates including a bump to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and now T-Mobile US is launching yet another software update for the device, pushing the operating systems version to Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

Over the past couple of years, T-Mobile has released several software updates for the Google Nexus 9 tablet, including three Android 6.0 Marshmallow iterations in October 2015, July 2016, and August 2016 respectively. However, the latest software update for T-Mobiles Nexus 9 switches digits and pushes the slates software version to Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The software package also includes the December Security updates along with unspecified bug fixes, however, the carrier hasnt yet published a changelog and there are no other details in regards to new features. Nevertheless, generally speaking, Android 7.1 Nougat should technically improve both performance and battery life, and should introduce several changes to the user interface, specifically the apps drawer, the settings menu, and notification shade / quick toggle area. As for what users should know before applying the update, make sure your device has at least 50% battery life left and that the updating process will take place over an active Wi-Fi network to avoid slow speeds and/or unnecessary charges. Another thing to keep in mind is that the update is being deployed in phases. Thus, if you havent received the update notification yet, you can try triggering the process manually from the tablets System screen in the settings menu.

The Nexus 9 was built by HTC as what appears to be Googles last Nexus tablet before the Pixel brand took over. Released in November 2014, the slate carries an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1536 x 2048 and is powered by an Nvidia Tegra K1 dual-core Denver processor clocked at 2.3GHz per core, along with a Kepler DX1 graphics chip and 2GB of RAM. The Nexus 9 is also equipped with an 8-megapixel main camera coupled with a 1.6-megapixel front-facing sensor, and packs a 6,700mAh Li-Po battery rated for up to 720 hours of stand-by time.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. In the period of January-October 2016 the EAEU member states exports to 3rd countries amounted to 245 billion and 56.2 million USD, while imports amounted to 162 billion and 362.9 million USD. Armenpress reports, citing the statistical data base of the EAEU, exports reduced by 22.2% against the same period of the previous year, while imports reduced by 4.1%. Armenia is the only EAEU member state that has recorded growth in exports to 3rd countries. Armenian exports to non-union states amounted to 1 billion and 141.3 million USD, which is an increase of 13% against the same period of the previous year, while imports have dropped by 3.4% amounting to 1 billion and 739.5 million USD.

The exports of Belarus dropped by 23.7%, amounting to 10 billion and 131.6 million USD. Imports amounted to 9 billion and 649.2 million USD, which is a decrease of 8.9%.

The exports of Kazakhstan amounted to 25 billion and 934.7 million USD. The decline in exports is 25.5%. The imports amounted to 12 billion and 621.2 million USD, which is a decline of 23%.

Kirgizstans exports to 3rd countries amounted to 838.4 million USD during the period of January-October 2016. The decline in exports was 0.6%. Kirgizstan imported goods from 3rd countries amounting to 1 billion and 980.6 million USD, which is an increase of 18.3%.

Russian exports amounted to 207 billion and 10.2 million USD, while imports amounted to 136 billion and 372.4 million USD. In both cases drop is recorded, respectively by 21.8 and 1.7%.
Summit of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will be convened on December 26, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, informed the Kremlin official website.

December 19, 2016, 15:39 Armenia to attend Eurasian Economic Union summit

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 19, ARTSAKHPRESS: At the event, the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia will sum up the results of the two-year activities of the EAEU, and point to the benchmarks for the further development of this integration union.

Central event of the summit will be the signing of the agreement on the [EAEU] Customs Code, the Kremlin statement also reads. The approval of several other important multilateral documents () is also expected.

In addition, the presidents of the member countries will confirm the main directions for the EAEU international activities in 2017, and review the aspects of cooperation.
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 20, ARTSAKHPRESS:The Ministrys announcement reads:

Overnight December 19-20 the Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire regime over 40 times by firing more than 1200 shots from various caliber small arms, as well as sniper rifles at the Armenian positions in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.

The Defense Army forces didnt take countermeasures, and at this moment they continue confidently fulfilling their military tasks along the entire length of the line of contact and ensuring the protection of the frontline."
It was obvious that the purpose of the attack on the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was to cripple the Russian authority, Russian political scientist Alexander Skakov told NEWS.am.

December 20, 2016, 13:05 Political scientist: Objective of Russia ambassador murder is apparent

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 20, ARTSAKHPRESS: And, also, to drive a wedge between Turkey and Russia, he added.

According to Skakov, if the Turkish authorities demonstrated an adequate approachas such a position was taken by Ankara till the moment, the authority of Turkey would not suffer.

He considered that the probable organizers of this murder were most likely Islamists (ISIL, or another such organization), that are dissatisfied with the actions of Russia in Syria, and the normalization of relations between Moscow and Ankara.

Alexander Skakov, however, saw no direct connection between the murder of the Russian ambassador and the incident with the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.

On Monday evening, a gunman attacked Russian envoy to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, while the latter was giving a speech at a photo exhibition dedicated to Kamchatka at Cagdas Sanat Merkezi Contemporary Arts Center of Ankara.

The gunman shot the ambassador in the back, following which he uttered words related to Aleppo and Syria as well as shouted Allahu akbar (God is great).

Karlov was rushed to hospital in critical condition, but he could not be saved.

The assailant, who was shot dead by police, was later identified as Ankara police officer Mevlut Mert Altntas.
President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on December 20 sent a letter of condolences to German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the tragedy in the center of Berlin that killed and wounded dozens of innocent people, press service of the Presidential administration told.

December 20, 2016, 16:00 President Sargsyan sends condolence letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel
President of Armenia and Chairman of the National Security Council (NSC), Serzh Sargsyan, on Tuesday convened a council meeting.

December 20, 2016, 17:24 Serzh Sargsyan holds security council meeting

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 20, ARTSAKHPRESS: The NSC members listened to the reports by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Ashot Manukyan; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edward Nalbandian; and Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Artem Asatryan, press office of the President informed.

Sargsyan, in turn, gave instructions in connection with these reports.
Mevlut Mert Altintas did it for Al-Qaeda and the kids: why Andrei Karlov died

When Russias ambassador to Turkey was shot dead, what did his killer say? The Times leads with the assassination of Andrei Karlov, 62, by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22. The killer was was later shot dead by special forces.

The Times headline declares: This is for Aleppo, shouted killer after he shot envoy. Like most newspapers it features the picture of Karlov lying dead on the floor at a photography exhibition in Ankara, Altintas by his side.

The Guardian also leads with the killers words. Its story begins: The Russian ambassador to Turkey has been shot dead by a police officer who shouted Dont forget Aleppo as he pulled the trigger.

The focus is placed very much on Russians involvement in Syria, a story that portrays the Russians as aggressors who think nothing of murdering civilians. US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, ran with that thread last week. Is there literally nothing that can shame you? Powers asked the Russian delegation as the cameras rolled. Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child, that gets under your skin? That just creeps you out a little bit? Is there nothing you will not lie about, or justify? A Guardian columnist wonder who we can live with ourselves when we turn off the pictures from Aleppo and look in the mirror.

Aleppo is no longer a city destroyed by failed talks, invasion, interference and tribal fighting. Its a moral tale in which the West are the good guys. Its no longer about them and their suffering; its about us and our sounds minds. Aleppo has given us a sense of purpose.

The narrative is clear: its Assad and the Russians versus civilians. Only Aleppo is also home to Islamists, al-Qaeda militants and other armed factions  although nothing as bad as Russia-backed Assad. This is for Aleppo, shouts the killer. This is for the defenceless children being murdered by Russian jets and Assads barrel bombs, says The West.

The Daily Star hears other words uttered by Mevlut Mert Altintas. Its front-page report begins, A gunman yelling Allhu Akbar, shot dead the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The Times mentions the killers other message in paragraph 2  An off-duty Turkish policeman cried Allahu akbar  and the Guardian in paragraph four  He then pulled out a gun, shouted Allahu Akbar and fired at least eight shots. The Mirrors story has the war cry foremost: Russias ambassador to Turkey was killed by his police protection officer who screamed Allahu Akbar and dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria.

Might it be that the killer did it less for the kids than for violent Islamists?

Over in the Express, there is no word on the familiar cry of the jihadi  a shout familiar enough for British police to use in anti-terror training days. Hear it and run is the official advice. There the killer shouts, Dont forget about Aleppo, dont forget about Syria. There is no word on God playing any role in the crime.

Sky News agrees. In all reports it says the killer shouted Dont forget Aleppo.

Over in the Mail, we hear Altintas say in Arabic, We are the descendants of the Prophet Mohammad for jihad. The Mail adds, According to local media, his words are similar to the unofficial anthem of Al Nusra, the Syrian branch of al Qeada. The Mail mentions this twice, but offers no source to support the claim.

So why did he do it? For the kids? For the jihadis. For Islam?

The Mirror says he was filled with hate. Well, yes. That much is obvious. The Sun says Antintas has no known link to any group.

Why did he do it? We dont know. But as the censorious Turks issue a news blackout, lets look out for the British media tweaking the story to fit their own agendas.

Paul Sorene

Posted: 20th, December 2016 | In: Reviews Comments (5) | TrackBack | Permalink
(supersedes previous)(ANSA) - Rome, December 20 - Ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday that many Mediaset shareholders "want to defend" the company's Italian nature. "This is why I'm feeling pretty calm about it," he said in reference to a takeover attempt by French media company Vivendi.

The latter said in a statement it now hold 25.75% of Mediaset stock and 26.77% of voting rights.

Also on Tuesday, the Mediaset board said in a statement it has approved a motion to file a complaint with AGCOM communications market watchdog against Vivendi's "violation of sector regulations".

Mediaset also appealed against Vivendi posing a "possible obstacle to Mediaset's development strategies due to the connection with Telecom Italia".

Vivendi reportedly holds at least 23% of Telecom Italia.

Shares in Mediaset surged 23.3% to close at 4.44 euros a share in trading Tuesday after Vivendi announced it plans to increase its stake to 30%. Mediaset saw 121.2 million shares changing hands, equal to 10.2% of capital. Fininvest, the Berlusconi family holding company that controls Italy's top private broadcaster, has described Vivendi's action as hostile and reported it to Italian bourse regulator CONSOB.

Milan prosecutors have also opened a market manipulation probe following Fininvest's complaint that Vivendi allegedly intentionally acted to devalue Mediaset before going on a recent buying spree by backtracking on a deal to purchase its Premium pay-TV branch last summer. Vivendi has said its share acquisitions are part of its strategy to develop its presence in southern Europe. Also on Tuesday, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said the government is "concerned" over the Mediaset situation. "I have expressed the Italian government's strong concern over an operation that will have to be assessed by the relevant authorities," Alfano said following a meeting in Paris with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault. "We greatly respect market rules and expect the same respect back". "This issue affects the Italian system as a whole and not just one private company," Alfano added.


This year, the exceptional leadership of our Chancellor, Sir Nagora Bogan, the united staff organisations, and the peaceful efforts of students, who successfully convinced all parties, will never be forgotten.

The real heroes of this story were, however, UNITECH staff and students, some of whom stood up for what is right and supported me during the year that I was kept far away and in the dark.

A FEW weeks ago I received a hero's welcome when I returned to Papua New Guinea after a forced absence of more than a year.

You wrote history, and you saved UNITECH as an autonomous institution of higher learning, where academic freedom and tolerance are cultivated.

These people all peacefully but persistently convinced the government to do the right thing, and restore academic freedom and institutional autonomy at UNITECH with an aim of providing transparent, efficient, and effective management.

We now have a new Council, and we have formed a new management team.

I am aware, that my sudden popularity in the country was based on the results my management team achieved in the 11 months I was on campus.

I am firmly convinced that this team under my leadership will continue to implement UNITECH's common agenda of necessary reform and transformation, and we can provide the necessary management and leadership to see it through.

On Friday 10 May we presented the new management team during the Appreciation Ceremony organised by the Students Representative Council for the whole UNITECH community.

The team consists of UNITECH faculty of long standing and excellent reputation: Dr Ora Renagi as Deputy Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Augustine Moshi as Pro Vice Chancellor Academic; and Dr Kaul Gena as Pro Vice Chancellor Administration were confirmed yesterday in their positions in the Vice-Chancellor's office, with the hope and expectation that in August they can be made substantive by Council.

Let me share a few short reflections on this occasion. First, about our continuous improvement of academic quality. Secondly, about the role of UNITECH in national development. Thirdly, about the need for life-long learning. Finally, some reflections and words of advice for the new graduates,

Despite some recent negative publicity about UNITECH, over the last few years we can confidently say the quality of our graduates has substantially improved.

At UNITECH our teaching and students are constantly being assessed. All departments have an industrial advisory committee, which provides advice on bringing our curriculum up to date and how to enhance the learning and living experience at UNITECH.

We managed to hire around two new academics per department with a doctorate degree. Finally, we engaged with the Office of Higher Education in a program of institutional assessment, which will be finalized in the coming weeks.

We thank the government and Council for its continuous support for this great institution, and their trust in our management team. We are looking forward to continuing to work with all our stakeholders on our agenda of academic quality improvement and bringing UNITECH up to international standards.

It is of course not only the quantity of graduates that matters, it is mostly the quality of a country's graduates that will determine whether the country can convert economic growth into development with adequate levels of health care and primary and secondary education.

It is university graduates which will provide the professionals which will ensure all institutions of the state and other organisations will function properly, and it is in particular our graduates in science and engineering and management who will create the businesses that will provide employment for the masses. It is extremely worrying today that of the 16,000 or so secondary school leavers, only 4,000 or so enjoy further or higher education.

As established by the Magna Carta Universitatum of 1988, and like all universities in the world, UNITECH strives to combine teaching, research and outreach (the third mission) of excellent quality. It is research that set a university apart from other institutes of higher learning, and keeps our teaching relevant and up to date. It is outreach that ensures that the fruits of this research benefit society.

After starting five years ago with postgraduate research in the Agriculture department, we have now an active research culture at UNITECH. Weekly research seminars are now being held for the whole university. In addition, the Mathematics and Electrical Engineering departments are running their own workshops. The appointment of a Dean of Research, Dr Shamsul Akanda, has accelerated progress substantially.

We cultivate close relations with industry through the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry, through the corporate sponsors of our students, and we include industry representatives in our departmental industrial advisory committees.

It is through our close relation with all stakeholders in the industrial heartland of PNG that we manage to run the Rainforest Habitat, one of the prime tourist attractions in Lae, where visitors can see all iconic species of PNG.

The Rainforest Habitat is also a place staff and students like to visit, and where visiting researchers are hosted in our lodges. We also allow companies to participate in our industrial advisory committees and sponsor our students, so that they can take the first pick amongst our graduates.

We gratefully acknowledge the government's support for our agenda of improvement of academic quality, in the first place by embarking on a salary review, which is now overdue.

We need real, tangible commitment from the government to upgrade our infrastructure, in particular all our laboratories, which now must comply with standards of international accreditation. We will do our share by creating revenue from our commercial operations, but this barely covers the costs of necessary maintenance. We depend, therefore, on the government to make the necessary investment because no one else will do it. There is no university in the world that can find external sponsors for infrastructure investments.

To all new graduates I wish to say, your journey of learning has only just begun. Despite the pride you feel today in your accomplishment, you should always conserve the necessary humility necessary to continue your journey.

In today's competitive world, we only have one certainty, that we need to continue to learn, or whole life long. Lifelong, self-directed learning is how we can assure we can thrive in a rapidly changing environment and advance ourselves both professionally and personally. In this journey, you will UNITECH is your partner of choice, through its offerings of MBA and short courses, and on-line programs.

We trust that in the coming years you will demonstrate through your knowledge and skills  your intellectual capacity - and the strength of your character  your values - that you are able to leverage the education we offered you here, and perform as is expected of you.

Only through your life-long learning you will contribute to the development and positive transformation of Papua New Guinea. Through your education and strength of character, you will make a difference in the life of others. Nobody can take your education or your degree away from you, and you will see it will gather more shine over the years.
ISTANBUL - At least five people - four children and a woman - died when a migrant boat capsized off the western coast of Turkey, Ayvalik governor Namik Kemal Nazli said Tuesday. Eight migrants were rescued including a three-year-old boy who is now said to be in a serious condition in hospital. The boat capsized as the boat was trying to reach Greece.



Over 4,900 migrants have died in Med in 2016  IOM

Some 4,901 migrants and refugees have died or are missing as a result of the perilous sea crossing to Europe since the start of the year, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. This compares to 3,777 dead or missing in 2015. This year one migrant has died for every 73 who made the crossing alive, compared to one in 267 last year, IOM said.

In total 358,156 migrants have reached Europe by sea since the start of the year (figure updated to December 19). Of these, 179,523 migrants and refugees have landed in Italy according to interior ministry figures. This is nearly 20% more than in 2015. Roughly 172,999 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece over the same period.


Fighting renews south Jordan, one policeman killed Several injured in clashes with men connected with Kerak attack

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, DECEMBER 20 - One policeman was killed and several other people were injured on Tuesday in southern city of Kerak during clashes with armed men wanted in connection with attack on the city, security sources said.



The incident occurred when policemen tried to arrest two men suspected of being members of the Islamic State (IS) cell that attacked security forces one day earlier.



The two men are believed to be on the run after escaping in a car following the shootout in the city, security source confirmed to ANSA by phone.



Earlier in the day, IS claimed responsibility for Kerak castle attack, saying its members attacked security forces and killed a number of them as part of its global war against pro-west regimes. (ANSAmed).




Jordan: court sentences journalist killer to death

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, DECEMBER 20 - Jordan State Security Court on Tuesday sentenced killer of journalist Nahed Hatter to death, judicial sources said.



The court also sentenced two men, including an individual who sold the gun to the killer, to one year in prison for aiding in the crime.



The court's decisions are not subject to appeal in civilian or military courts and the death sentence would require signature of king Abdullah to be carried out.



The ruling comes less than two months after prosecutor general ended investigation into the shooting of Hattar, a Christian journalist who was known for his support to the Syrian regime and Iran.



Hattar was gunned down infront of the court when he was about to attend a session about his publication of a cartoon deemed extremely offensive to Islam.(ANSAmed).




Jordan: Islamic State claims responsibility for Kerak attack

(ANSAmed) - AMMAN, DECEMBER 20 - The Islamic State (IS) on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack south Jordan, near Kerak Castle that lead to the killing of 10 people and injury of 30, according to Jihadists media.



Speaking through its propaganda machine, al Amaq news agency, IS said the attack was carried out by its members, but did not give further details on their identity and targets.



Meanwhile, Jordanian security arrested several men and women from cities of Kerak, Aqaba, Zarqa and other parts of the kingdom as part of ongoing investigation into the attacks.



Security sources said the arrests are routine measures to shed light on the incident and to find if there are other accomplices in the attack.



Bodies of four attackers killed during clashes near Kerak castle are believed to be held by police awaiting relatives to claim them for burial. The government said it would bury them on its own if families did not come forward to demand the bodies.



(ANSAmed).




Over 4,900 migrants have died in Med in 2016  IOM One migrant has died for every 73 who have survived

(ANSAmed) - GENEVA, DECEMBER 20 - Some 4,901 migrants and refugees have died or are missing as a result of the perilous sea crossing to Europe since the start of the year, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.



This compares to 3,777 dead or missing in 2015.



This year one migrant has died for every 73 who made the crossing alive, compared to one in 267 last year, IOM said.



In total 358,156 migrants have reached Europe by sea since the start of the year (figure updated to December 19).



Of these, 179,523 migrants and refugees have landed in Italy according to interior ministry figures.



This is nearly 20% more than in 2015. Roughly 172,999 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece over the same period. (ANSAmed).




MOSCOW - Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to guarantee a possible peace agreement between the Syrian government and opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Serghiei Lavrov said on Tuesday.



The format Russia-Iran-Turkey format is the "most effective" for resolving the Syrian crisis, Lavrov added.



"Iran, Russia and Turkey announce their readiness to facilitate the drafting of an accord that is under negotiation between the Syrian government and opposition, and to become its guarantors," Lavrov said.



The three countries have agreed "to further develop cooperation on the basis of a joint declaration approved today," he added.



"In conclusion  they confirm their determination to fight together against ISIS and against al Nusra and to distinguish them from armed opposition groups," Lavrov said.
One of the avenues politicians use is through the organisations I mentioned previously.

Since this money is disposed at their discretion, politicians find ways to direct it for their personal benefit or to gain voter support in elections.

These political gifts are legally protected from misuse by Public Finance Management Act. So long as it is designated public money, it cannot be labelled as a bribe.

PAPUA New Guineas politicians have a tendency to dish out cash from the provincial and district improvement funds to their favoured civil society organisations, community associations, schools, aid posts and churches.

This is happening throughout PNG in all provinces and districts. It is a form of corruption that has found its way to be acceptable to people who are willing to be compromised to get their hands on the money.

Many people already accept this practice as normal. It is illegal and must be stopped.

The Public Finance Management Act says all public money must follow the proper procedures in delivery and acquittal. When funds are donated to entities other than government, they breach the Act.

As we head towards elections in six months, politicians are looking for avenues to secure support and votes and associations, churches, schools and other non-government institutions are finding themselves preferred destinations for this illegal dishing out of cash.

PNG has had many cases of where goverment funding took off in the wrong direction. I well recall the millions that went missing that was supposed to go to Kerevat National High School.

And the recent government funding that ended up in the Fly River Foundation. The provincial governor has just been sent down to Bomana for 10 years.

I am not against any good work by community associations and other similar organisations. Far from it. I support their work but they must distance themselves from these illegal hand-outs from politicians

This money is meant to be for genuine service delivery; anything else is illegal and corrupt practice.

It seems many politicians do not faithfully comply with the government system they are elected voted to maintain. Or they not have the vision and understanding to build the capacity of government institutions in order to channel services to needy people through the established system.

We cannot sit back and allow these politicians to continue to tamper with the system and confuse and deprive voters.

We need to stand up and fight for our rights.

Corruption involves two or more people. If you say no to compromise with corruption, you are acting positively to stop this entire network of dishonesty.

Say no to corruption and vote wisely this election.
SAVANNAH  Two great horned owls court by the light of the moon and the stars, hooting and wooing from dusk until dawn. A male and a female, they finish this lovers' talk between 6 and 7 a.m. Monday  just in time for some volunteers to hear and identify them for the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count.

Five bundled birders crunch through the snow at the Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah, pausing now and then to hear the lower notes of the male and the higher-pitched response from the female.

Chris Lajewski, the center's director, tells the group to look out for candlelight in the trees, and Environmental Education Specialist Donna Richardson says to watch the snow for discarded champagne glasses. Everyone laughs. As the group inches closer to the flirting pair of lovebirds, the stars begin to fade and the sun inches over the horizon.

In its 117th year, the Christmas Bird Count is considered the longest-going citizen science wildlife survey in the world, Lajewski said. This is Montezuma's 58th year participating, helping the Audubon gather data on bird populations and their movements. It's a global effort. Last year, there were 1,902 counts in the United States, 471 in Canada and 132 in Latin America, the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Pacific Islands. Data collected has been used in more than 200 scientific articles, and some of the news from those findings is disturbing.

"This is all fun, and it's always enjoyable to count birds," Lajewski said, "but it's really leading to scientific studies that birds are really moving northward."

That's mostly due to climate change, Lajewski added. With a warming planet, birds are moving north, but there's only so much space. Bobolinks, for example, are migrating north, and Lajewski said that's a problem because bobolinks typically thrive in fields. Northern habitat is mostly boreal forests, so it remains to be seen if the birds could adapt to that kind of habitat, he said.

"It's never been easier to be a citizen scientist, and it's never been more important to be one," said David Yarnold, president and CEO of Audubon, in a press release. "Birds and the people who watch them are noticing changes. Using the data gathered by more than a century of Christmas Bird Counts, Audubon will keep protecting birds and the places they need."

Doug and Gail Luke, of Clyde, have been birding for about six or seven years, and Monday was their fourth Christmas Bird Count. The husband and wife were two of about 36 volunteers who signed up to count birds throughout 10 zones spanning Cayuga, Seneca and Wayne counties.

"We like to go out just hiking outside," Doug said. "We've had bird feeders in our backyard for a while. We like seeing what a different variety there is."

Gail said this year's count was the first time she had heard a great horned owl in the wild.

But once the owls called it a night, songbirds started their day. Back at the center, Richardson sprinkled bird seed in feeders and on the lawn. Chickadees, nuthatches, goldfinches, sparrows, blue jays and one red-bellied woodpecker descended on the buffet. Besides counting those, volunteers spotted two red-tailed hawks in the trees along the edge of the center's field.

Once warmed up, the birders took to the cold outdoors again, this time by sunlight.

With a spotting scope held close to his chest, Lajewski led the group into the woods. He stopped and imitated calls, most often making a "swish swish" noise to attract nosy black-capped chickadees. A few curious birds popped out of the frosty branches. Despite being a relatively common bird to see, volunteers stopped in wonder, looking up overhead and peering through the globs of new fallen snow clinging to the trees. With the chilly temperatures, there was very little open water to attract as many water fowl as in previous years. By mid-afternoon, Lajewski's group had seen about 30 different species, including bald eagles and trumpeter swans.

There were still hours of counting to go, with a chili dinner to look forward to at the end of the day. But until then, all that mattered was the chips of chickadees, the long glide of a hawk and coaxing out feathered friends to count and admire.
"Darlene is very deserving of this promotion," Smith said in a news release. "She has been with the agency for nearly 25 years, and is more than qualified to fill this role, which is in essence second in command. Darlene brings historical perspective and is completely committed to the people we serve, staying on the cutting edge of services. She is well respected within the agency and in our community, and will help me lead Unity House in new directions."
AUBURN  The last time Owasco Lake's watershed rules and regulations were updated was 1984. The Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council is looking to change that.

There were no blue-green algae blooms reported in the lake in the 1980s, and not only has that changed dramatically over the last few years, but toxins from the blooms made their way through the treatment process into the water glasses of more than 45,000 Cayuga County residents this summer.

One of the ways council members are hoping to reduce nutrients in the lake, which may then reduce the number of blooms, is to strengthen the watershed's rules. Currently there are 13 rules that the Owasco Watershed Inspection Program is in charge of enforcing. They deal with an array of things from limiting where cemeteries can be placed to the disposal of manure.

But updating the rules and regulations of a watershed involves state approval, something that so far looks difficult to get.

Steve Lynch, director of the county's Planning and Economic Development Department, said the council will schedule a public meeting to present what the rules and regulations are now, and present some ideas of how they could be strengthened. He hopes that by involving the public with this process as much as possible, the state Department of Health will be more likely to agree to some upgrades. Neighbors in the Canandaigua Lake watershed have tried to upgrade their rules and regulations after failing septic systems were causing problems, but they have so far been unsuccessful.

"Canandaigua attempted this, and it took a lot of time, and people were very concerned about this," Lynch said. "This isn't going to just be the farm community. It's going to be the development community. It's going to be homeowners building homes. It's going to be towns' operations, village operations. So there are a lot of stakeholders that could be impacted by this."

A sub-committee of the council has so far examined how Owasco Lake's rules are different from Skaneateles Lake's. Skaneateles Lake has stricter guidelines because the city of Syracuse does not filter its water during the treatment process.

At a council meeting on Tuesday, members looked at the differences between the two lakes, and discussed some potential regulations from Skaneateles that could be implemented in Owasco. Some of those things included prohibiting disposal of snow or ice into the lake or a watercourse, restricting the amount of de-icing material used, and restrictions on handling and disposing human sewage could be bolstered as well.

There were a few regulations around farming examined, too. Manure, for example, could have to be applied with a New York State Natural Resources Conservation Service standard or conform with a nutrient management plan. Storing fertilizer openly could be prohibited, and fertilizer may not be applied in a way that conflicts with water quality standards.

The council also looked at differences between the two lakes' sediment control measures. Skaneateles does not allow land-disturbing activities that expose 5,000 or more square feet of soil unless erosion and sediment production measures are in place. Public highway construction activity cannot result in erosion or sediment productions either.

Eileen O'Connor, director of the county's Environmental Health Division, suggested a few more rules and regulations that Skaneateles does not have. Some of those included prohibiting dumping leaf and lawn debris into the water, and not allowing clear-cut openings on lakefront property. O'Connor said she will present more specific ideas to the council in January.

Doug Kierst, director of the county's Soil and Water Conservation District, asked whether the agriculture community had been a part of discussions about the rules and regulations since it makes up about 70 percent of the watershed.

"A lot of these are going to have direct impact on them," Kierst said.

Lynch said first the council will work on holding a hearing to discuss what's currently in place. He did not specify a timeline for this process, but said he wanted to make sure the council was thorough in its outreach.

"I think that's going to be the key for the success of this," he said.

Besides looking at the rules and regulations, the county is moving forward with its Nine Element Watershed Plan. Michele Wunderlich, associate planner, said contractor bids closed last week, and the county received one proposal. That proposal was from Liz Moran, an ecologist and president of EcoLogic. She has worked on several area water quality projects before. Wunderlich said she hoped to have a contract in place with Moran at the beginning of 2017.
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All aboard the Polar Express!

At 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, head down to the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center for a free community event, sponsored by Artesia National Bank.

Each child in attendance will receive a golden ticket, hot chocolate, popcorn, and a small gift presented from an important guest of the North Pole, and the Polar Express movie will be shown.

Guests are encouraged to come in their pajamas.

This project was first brought to our attention from our very own membership director, Jenna Secrist, said Artesia Arts Council Executive Director Laurie Schotz. Jenna tearfully stated at a staff meeting, My daughter was going through a difficult time, and a librarian shared the Polar Express with several students and gave them a bell to take home. It was so important to her that year and every year to follow that when we take out the decorations, we think of that special librarian that gave back the word BELIEVE to a small child.

The staff and the Artesia Arts Council decided this was a way we could give back to the community and hopefully offer something unique and memorable to each child and family.

Due to the OPAC staffs strong ties to their furry friends, it is suggested, but not mandatory, that attendees bring a donation for Paws & Claws.

As a nonprofit, we are trying to reach out to another nonprofit to sweeten their holidays as well, and after all, our pets are our extended family! said Schotz.
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The Artesia Police Department is continuing this morning to investigate a homicide that occurred early this morning at the Abo Apartments.

Officers were dispatched at 1:39 a.m. to the area of 700 N. 10th St. in reference to shots fired. Upon arrival, they found two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds.

Otis Chavez, 22, was wounded in the torso and was pronounced dead at the scene. A 21-year-old male was suffering from two gunshot wounds to the torso and was transported to Artesia General Hospital before being airlifted to El Paso, Texas, in critical condition.

According to APD Cmdr. Lindell Smith, the scene was secured and witnesses were identified, separated and interviewed. A search warrant for the apartment at which the crime occurred is being secured before officers can begin a more complete investigation.

It will consist of gathering evidence connected with the incident, including photos of the scene, collection of blood spatter, guns and ballistic evidence, and any other physical evidence that will help bring this case to justice, said Smith. The detectives will likely be on scene for the next 12 hours or so.

The APD says it is currently unknown what prompted the violent confrontation.

Detectives will be better able to make that determination after witness interviews are compared to the gathered physical evidence and evaluation of wounds on the deceased and injured.

Smith says no outstanding suspects are wanted by the APD at this time.

Anyone with information concerning the crime is asked to contact the APD at 746-5000 or, anonymously, Crime Stoppers of Eddy County at 575-887-1888, by emailing a tip via artesianm.gov/tips, or by texting the code word StopACrime plus the tip to 274637. Crime Stoppers users may earn rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
After a process that lasted more than a year and was headed by the Skaneateles village historian, the village's Lake View Cemetery was recommended for the state and national Registers of Historic Places.

According to a news release from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, the state Board of Historic Preservation nominated the public cemetery  located along West Genesee Street on the west end of the village  along with 25 other properties, resources and districts such as the Woodstock Music Festival site in Bethel, the Niagara Power Project historic district in Niagara County and South Presbyterian Church in Syracuse that reflect the breadth of state history.

The release noted that Lake View Cemetery combined earlier burial grounds with a larger cemetery that was established in 1871 to meet the needs of an expanding community, with the Soldiers and Sailors Monument added in 1895 and the Burrows Memorial Chapel added in 1926, along with three mausoleums and graves of notable residents.

According to the release, state and national historic registers listings can assist property owners in revitalizing buildings, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.

In November, Skaneateles Village Historian Jorge Batlle said the listing for the cemetery could help the village obtain grants toward maintenance and future development of the burial grounds  items such as upgrading the cemetery, surveying the property, laying out new sites and planting trees.

Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the national register.
Do you "like"? Do you "tweet"? Do you tube? Does your business do any or all of these things and, if so, does it really ...
Faurecia is looking to grow through acquisitions following the recent sale of its exterior parts business. It is particularly interested in solutions that improve the human-machine interface because its knows that autonomous driving will dramatically change vehicle interiors. The French suppliers answer to this challenge is the cockpit of the future. Patrick Koller, who became Faurecia CEO earlier this year, provided details to Automotive News Europe Correspondent Bruce Gain.

What are the key challenges Faurecia faces related to meeting the forthcoming demand of autonomous driving?

Autonomous driving will shape what we call the "cockpit of the future." We are designing new architectures and interfaces for drivers to enable them to use the extra time they will have in their cars.

Is Faurecia looking to add technologies through acquisitions?

Since we sold our exterior parts business and will be debt free or close to debt free by the end of this year, we will be in the position to make acquisitions. We are clearly looking to add technologies to our portfolio. These include whatever is linked to HMI [human-machine interface] and how you integrate that into the cockpit of the future.

How will safety and comfort factor into your cockpit of the future?

There are two areas consumers will never compromise on: safety and comfort. During the initial period when autonomous cars are adopted, most other cars will not have autonomous driving capabilities. The two will exist together. Safety, of course, is absolutely critical. Drivers must always be able to take back control of the car. But with less driving to do, motorists will require, for example, larger screens that can also be removed and put away. There will be a much wider range of seat positions, such as being able to fold them back more in a reclining position as you relax or even sleep in your car as it drives itself. We are developing new interior architectures to accommodate this change. This includes the position of seat belts when you are reclining, the way the airbags are activated in case of a collision and the direction of air conditioning and heat flow. As you let the car do more of the driving, for example, you might want to read. To do that, we need to adjust the position of the arm rests and lighting so that you can read more comfortably. All these things need to be taken into consideration.

What role will connectivity play?

Autonomous cars, of course, will be connected. Drivers and passengers will increasingly demand the same level of connectivity in their cars as they have at home as they bring their consumer devices into the car with them. For example, the HMI we are developing must become more predictive. It will need to recognize who is in the car and to instantly recognize what their preferred applications are. The choice of available applications and settings will be so vast that it will be difficult for individuals to choose, so the HMI will need to propose choices. Well-being is also a key factor for the cockpit of tomorrow. The idea is that people will leave their cars in better shape than when they entered. They want to relax during their trip in a pleasant atmosphere.

How high will the demand be for autonomous cars in the future?

Their volumes will be significant: above 5 percent by 2030.

Where else are you looking to make acquisitions?

We are also looking to invest in lightweight solutions. You are starting to see premium carmakers use lightweight composites on a greater scale. Due to stricter emission regulations, all carmakers will need to consider lower car weight as a priority. We are also looking at energy recovery systems and efficient emissions control devices and fuel cells.

How is Faurecia positioned in the marketplace?

We have never been in a situation like this before in the car industry. There are very big changes happening. The first is alternative powertrains. The second is whatever is linked to connectivity. This includes, of course, autonomous driving. The third is new business models, which will likely create new customers for us, such as from car-sharing firms, which are certainly not threats. They represent great opportunities. In 2013, we told the market we wanted to achieve our turnaround as a company by 2016. I think we have succeeded. We already achieved the vast majority of performance metrics we outlined. These metrics include operating income, growth, cash flow, and return on capital. We have completed the company's turnaround. We have a strong business portfolio.

How has Faurecia's sale of its exterior parts business to Plastic Omnium helped the companys balance sheet?

We sold our exterior parts business for a few reasons. First, the business was purely European and we could not expand it globally. Additionally, we couldn't see a way to add technology to it. We have sold assets that we couldn't grow or add technology to. We have to clearly define what our priorities are in terms of strategic moves, in such areas as the cockpit of the future and sustainable mobility. We have also told the market that we still have the potential to improve our profitability.

What is possible?

In 2014, we said we would achieve an operating margin in 2016 between 4.5 percent and 5.0 percent and a minimum of 300 million euros of free cash flow. It is important because the market has decided that operating income is a key business indicator. If a supplier has a high operating income, it means that the supplier's execution is excellent or its technology content is high. Globally, the industry is doing quite well considering the volumes, the financial markets and raw material prices. Our customers' operating margin, on average, is between 5.0 percent and 8.0 percent. Their business models are largely based on car assembly and they have other sources of incomes such as car financing services. For suppliers, profit is largely derived from the added value of their businesses.

What is the breakdown of your core business groups and how do they vary in size?

We now have three business groups: seats, emission controls and interiors. Each represents about one-third of our sales. The geographical split in our sales is 50 percent in Europe, 30 percent in North America, and a little less than 20 percent in Asia. Our main customers are Volkswagen Group, which accounts for 20 percent of our sales, and Ford at 17 percent. Renault-Nissan and PSA each represent 13 percent of sales. For Tesla, we offer seat mechanisms and will become a major interior supplier.

How has Brexit affected Faurecia?

In the UK we are insulated because our production is used to make UK-built cars. The future will depend on the strategy of the automakers, even the UK-based ones, which will need to decide whether to continue to invest in the UK or look to better balance their cost base by investing in the eurozone. For automakers exporting UK-produced cars to the EU and worldwide, the devaluation of the pound is good, even if the parts they buy in euros are more expensive. For automakers that are selling components to the UK that are imported from the Eurozone [Brexit] is more of an issue.
Employers in the Philippines should understand the obligations around the 13 th month pay and Christmas bonuses.

month pay and Christmas bonuses. The 13thmonth pay is exempt from tax, up to a limit of PHP 90,000 (US$1,778) and is mandatory, while the Christmas bonus is at the discretion of the employer.

The 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses in the Philippines are an important aspect of HR policy that employers need to understand.

A key topic that often prompts questions is the distinction between the two systems and the tax rules surrounding them. Though both bonus payments are distinct, they can interact to create diverse tax outcomes.

Distinction between 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses

The key distinction between the 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses is that the former is mandatory by law for all non-managerial staff, while the latter is at the discretion of the employer.

Eligibility and calculation of 13th month pay

Furthermore, the 13month pay must be paid on or before December 24. It has become common for employers to pay half at the beginning of the school year and the rest in the days running up to Christmas. In contrast, there is no set date for Christmas bonuses to be paid; as with the amount, it is at the discretion of the employer.

Employees excluded from the 13th month pay fall into the following categories:

Managers;

Employees covered by civil service law;

Housekeepers and persons in the personal service of another; and

Employees paid on commission or task basis.

The 13th month pay can be calculated as one-twelfth (1/12) of the basic salary of the employee within one calendar year. Alternatively, if the employee is paid on a monthly basis, the following equation can be used:

(Basic Monthly Salary x Number of Months Worked) / 12

Taxation of 13th month pay

The 13th month pay is exempt from tax, up to a limit of PHP 82,000 (US$1600). However, in January 2018, the government issued the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law which raised this limit to PHP 90,000 (US$1,778). If the 13th month pay exceeds this limit, the excess will be added to the salary of the employee and included in the income tax calculation.

Christmas bonuses

The Christmas bonus is not an enforceable obligation and can only be released at the employers discretion. They are usually issued to show appreciation and gratitude to employees for their services during the year.

Taxation of Christmas bonuses

The taxation of Christmas bonuses must be split into two parts: non-performance-based bonuses (also known as other benefits) and performance-based incentives.

Other Benefits

Other benefits fall into the same category as the 13th month pay and are subject to the same PHP 90,000 limit (US$1,778). In other words, if other benefits and the 13th month pay combine to a total of less than PHP 90,000 (US$1,778), no tax is to be paid. If the combination of other benefits and the 13th month pay exceeds the limit, the excess will be subject to income tax.

Taxation of performance-based incentives

Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and productivity incentive schemes are subject to a PHP 10,000 (US$197) tax-free limit. If the performance-based bonus exceeds PHP 10,000, the whole amount (not just the excess) will be counted as other benefits and included in the PHP 90,000 (US$1,778) tax-free limit. Any excess over PHP 90,000 (US$1,778) will be taxable.

If other benefits (13th month pay and non-performance-based incentives) already exceed the tax-free limit, the performance-based incentives will automatically be subject to the normal income tax rate. For example:

An employee earns PHP 10,000 (US$197) in performance-related incentives  no tax is payable on this bonus;

An employee earns PHP 15,000 (US$296) in performance-related incentives, as well as PHP 20,000 (US$395) in other benefits  no tax is payable;

An employee earns PHP 20,000 (US$395) in performance-related incentives, as well as PHP 80,000 (US$1,581) in other benefits  tax is payable on the PHP 10,000 (US$197) excess, (20,000 (US$395) + 80,000 (US$1,581)  90,000 (US$1,778)); or

An employee earns PHP 30,000 (US$592) in performance-related incentives, as well as PHP 100,000 (US$1,976) in other benefits  tax is payable on the PHP 30,000 (US$592) bonus.

Foreign investors are advised to use the services of registered local tax advisors to ensure they remain compliant with current regulations.

This article was originally published on December 20, 2016, and was updated on December 12, 2019.
These include Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Global Beverages and Indian Hotels.

Mumbai: In a surprise move on Monday, after an eight-week standoff with chairman Ratan Tata, the erstwhile chairman of the Tata group Cyrus Mistry, resigned from the various Tata group companies where he is director.

These include Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Global Beverages and Indian Hotels. Most of them were to have their extraordinary general meetings (EGMs) in the next two weeks where shareholders had to vote on a resolution seeking his removal as director.

In a statement on his personal letterhead Mr Mistry who maintains his only agenda was to save the Tata legacy and values, said he was moving away from the forum of the extraordinary general meetings and has decided to shift his campaign to a larger platform and also one where the rule of law and equity is upheld. He did not say what this larger platform would be, but added further, I had initially not thought that one would need to seek an external forum to adjudicate issues that should never have arisen in the first place.

The statement which nowhere uses the words resigning or resigned says I believe my actions are consistent with protecting the long-term interests of the Tata Group. By removing myself from the general meetings I reinforce my consistent position that this is not a fight for position but a fight to more effectively secure long term reform to keep the Tata Group on a sustainable path.

Reacting to Mr Mistrys resignation Tata Sons Ltd said Mr. Mistrys resignation is a deliberate strategy on his part, knowing fully well that the overwhelming majority of the shareholders were not in support of his actions.

It said, Unfortunately, Mr Mistry continues to make baseless, unsubstantiated and malicious allegations using selective disclosures of information against the very institution he claims to have the highest regard for.
The 2 companies announced that OneWeb had obtained pledges of $1.2 billion from SoftBank and other investors.

The funds will finance the construction of a satellite factory in Exploration Park, Florida, to produce 15 satellites per week at a low cost.

Tokyo: Japanese telecoms and energy company SoftBank has agreed to invest $1 billion in the US company OneWeb Ltd., which plans to build a factory in Florida that the companies say could create 3,000 jobs.

Arlington, Virginia-based OneWeb plans to build a network of satellites to provide global broadband access.

The two companies announced late Monday that OneWeb had obtained pledges of $1.2 billion from SoftBank and other investors.

The $1 billion commitment follows a promise by SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son to President-elect Donald Trump to create 50,000 jobs and invest $50 billion in U.S. startups.

The funds will finance the construction of a satellite factory in Exploration Park, Florida, to produce 15 satellites per week at a low cost. The companies said the business could create nearly 3,000 new engineering, manufacturing and other jobs.

OneWeb expects the factory to go online in 2018.

Tokyo-based SoftBank is one of Japan's biggest telecoms providers, with more than 63,590 employees, a solar power business, humanoid robots for home use, ride-booking services and financial technology. It recently set up a $25 billion private fund for technology investments, along with Saudi Arabia and other investors that Son says could grow to $100 billion.

It was unclear if they funds promised to OneWeb were part of that pledge.
Amendment will allow payment by cheque or online.

New Delhi: Amid currency crunch, the government may bring an ordinance to amend the Payment of Wage Act for allowing business and industrial establishments to pay salaries through cheques or by using electronic modes.

The government may bring an ordinance to amend Payment of Wage Act, 1936, to nudge employers of certain industries to make payment through electronic modes and cheques, a source said.

The source further said, The bill for the purpose was tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 15, 2016. It can be pushed for passage in the Budget session next year. Thus, instead of waiting for two more months, the government can issue the ordinance and later it will be passed in Parliament.

As per the practice, the Centre brings ordinance to amend laws for immediate implementation of new rules. An ordinance is valid for six months only. The government is required to get it passed in Parliament within that period.

The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2016, seeks to amend Section 6 of the principal Act to enable employers pay wages to their employees through cheques or by crediting it to their bank accounts electronically.

It was introduced amid din over demonetisation issue. It will also allow state governments to specify industrial or other establishments that adopt cashless modes for salary payments.
His claims came a day after the National Investigation Agency, in its chargesheet, held Azhar responsible for the Pathankot terror attack.

New Delhi: Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar on Tuesday claimed the responsibility for the November 29 attack on Indian Air Force base in Nagrota, Jammu & Kashmir, in which seven soldiers were killed.

His claims came a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in its chargesheet, held Azhar responsible for the Pathankot terror attack.

According to a report in DNA, Maulana Masood Azhar continues to freely run the terror group's online publication and brazenly claim responsibility for last month's attack on another military camp in Nagrota from Pakistan.

"This week's publication was delayed as the attack in Nagrota was still in action at the time of writing and communication failure (on details of the attack) from Kashmir,'' Azhar wrote under his pen name Saadi. On November 29, three militants entered the army camp in Nagrota killing 7 Indian security forces. They left behind a message saying it was revenge for the hanging of Afzal Guru.

Elaborating on the attack in the 'heart of the Northern Command of the Indian Army', Azhar says the attack was carried by the Afzal Guru squad involving five militants and two of them managed to escape to safety. "There were three security cordons around the camp... it is not easy and inexpensive to gain entry and set the stage for the attack."

He indicates that the squad was helped by people with close knowledge on the geography of the camp and its frequent visitors, because strange men walking around could have roused the immediate suspicions of Indian security forces.

Azhar says the demonetization of high currency denominations has not deterred the Kashmiri mujahideens nor impacted militancy funding. He goes on to make the claim that the money changers and industrialists were aware of demonetization before its public announcement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The Kashmiri Mujahideen, Maoists and Khalistan fighters will not suffer any financial hardship, Azhar claims.

The JeM chief then writes in the publication that India is paying for the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, both of which could have been avoided.

The Indian government is desperately trying to include Azhar on the UN Security Council's 1267 sanctions list, but its endeavours have repeatedly been blocked by China, which is a permanent member of the UNSC
Says shes vocal on note ban, but silent on clashes in Bengal.

New Delhi: Accusing TMC supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of practising appeasement politics and using her partys minority wing to unleash communal violence against Hindus, the BJP on Tuesday said the state has been witnessing sampradaayikta ka taandav for the past six days.

Taking on Ms Banerjee for her strong opposition against the Central governments demonetisation move, the BJP said she has all the time to protest against demonetisation but is silent on the communal violence in her state.

The BJP also asserted that communal violence incidents have been unleashed by the ruling party in areas where its popularity graph is on an increase. BJP president Amit will be sending a delegation of its parliamentarians to effected areas and has also asked the state unit to move the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Hindus are being targeted by the minority wing... For over six days this dance of communalism is happening in Dhulagarh in Howrah district. You (Mamata) have not said anything. She must break her silence, said BJPs national secretary and co-incharge of the state Siddharth Nath Singh. He said 100 such communal incidents have happened since TMC came back to power this year.

Referring to a fatwa issued by Shahi Imam of Kolkatas Tipu Sultan Masjid Syed Mohammad Nurur Rahman Barkati, in which a call to stone till death state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh to death was allegedly given, Mr Singh said TMCs minority wing head and MP Idris Ali was with the Imam, when the fatwa was issued. The BJP leader claimed the Imam moves around in the state in an unauthorised beacon car.

This is a glowing example of her minority appeasement politics, said Mr Singh adding that while Ms Banerjee addressed meetings in Delhi, Patna and Lucknow against note ban, she has kept quiet at the violence happening in her state.

Suggesting that the Jan Dhan accounts in the state were misused to deposit black money, the BJP leader said on one hand the chief minister claims that farmers in her state are in pain due to demonetisation while on the other hand about `10,000 crore were put in the Jan Dhan accounts in West Bengal, which doesnot match.

The reality is that all the black money TMC made has been rendered waste by demonetisation, Mr Singh alleged.

Referring to the award wapsi incidents by intellectuals over growing intolerance, Mr Singh said they should not keep silence now and speak up.
In November of this year, Changan officially announced its all new mid-size seven-seater SUV, the CS95. The CS95s introduction makes Changan the third domestic own brand manufacturer after Great Wall and GAC Trumpchi to offer a premium mid-size SUV. Will the CS95 be able to carry the Changan brand to success in Chinas growing premium automobile market?

Changan CS95s major competitors include the GAC Trumpchi GS8, which is the newest Chinese brand SUV to date. The GS8 has proven to be immensely popular with sales of 15,000 units last year, ranking far above the similarly positioned Great Wall Haval H9. The GS8 is priced at 180,000 RMB and has been highly praised for its aesthetics, interior, accessories and performance, making it a perfect complement to the similarly well-received GAC Trumpchi GS4.

Much like the GS8, the CS95 is a seven seater with a comprehensive set of features and newly built powertrain. However, the CS95 has one major disadvantage that it has to contend with; that is its relatively late release on the market. According to various sources, the Changan CS95 showed off at the Beijing Auto Show held in April of this year was actually already for production, however it was delayed due to poor reception of its exterior design. Unfortunately for Changan, release had to be pushed back to later in the year, after the GS8 had already hit the market and received high praise in both the media and the market. The CS95 will now have to compete with the GS8 which has already established somewhat of a name for itself. This is further compounded by the fact that the CS95s list of features has yet to be officially released.

Changans previous performance figures in the SUV market have not been especially noteworthy. According to statistics from the China Passenger Car Association, sales of the CS75 over the first ten months of this year totaled 167,219 units, compared to 429,896 units for the Haval H6 and 273,189 units for the Trumpchi GS4. While this says nothing of the quality of Changan, it does reflect on the fact that in the SUV segment there is a large gap in recognition and image between it and Great Wall and GAC, which is especially important to consider since the CS75, being a premium model, is targeted at buyers who have already purchased vehicles in the past.

It is also worth mentioning that the CS95 is in no way Changans first foray into a premium automotive segment. In 2013 Changan debuted the Raeton midsize sedan, which was targeted at a similar segment. Originally preorders for the vehicle exceeded 20,000 orders. However, that initial momentum proved hard to maintain, with monthly sales of the Raeton totaling a mere 3,902 units last month. There are concerns that the CS95 might follow a similar fate, especially as consumer demands for design and accessories continue to increase.

However despite the importance of design and accessories, brand image and recognition are perhaps even more vital when it comes to premium models. When taking into account the delayed launch of the CS95 in respect to its closest competitors, the Trumpchi GS8, Changans disadvantage becomes immediately evident.

On to the Changan CS95s confirmed specs. The CS95 will be powered by an all-new independently developed 2.0 L turbocharged GDI engine (pictured) which makes use of internal injection, DVVT and other leading technologies to deliver performance that is in the upper branches of its class. The engine can output up to 171 kW of horsepower and 360 Nm of torque, compared to figures of 170 kW and 355 Nm from the Great Wall Haval H7L and 148 kW and 320 Nm from the Trumpchi GS8. The engine is driven by an Aisin-developed six-speed manumatic transmission and sits on a Macpherson front suspension and multi-link rear suspension in a 4WD configuration. These performance advantages are undoubtedly a major selling point that Changan will have to maximize coverage of to ensure sales success for the CS95.

In conclusion, it is hard to predict how the Changan CS95 will perform. Lacking the striking design and favorable launch window of the GS8, as well as not being able to take advantage of massive name recognition in the SUV market like the Haval H7 is able to do with the Great Wall brand, the CS95 faces an upwards battle. The CS95 is expected to hit the Chinese market in the first quarter of next year. Whether or not the CS95 will rise above these concerns and become a successful model in its own right remains to be seen.
BJP sources said his family has been associated with RSS for three generations.

Bhopal: Income-tax (IT) sleuths on Tuesday conducted searches at the residence and business establishments of senior BJP leader Sushil Vaswani, whose family also runs a cooperative bank in Madhya Pradesh.

Many influential people, including several senior ruling BJP leaders of MP, were said to be associated with the bank, currently headed by Mr Vaswanis wife Kiran, IT sources told this newspaper.

IT sources said the searches were being conducted in his residences and business establishments, including three hotels, a car showroom, in and around Bhopal city.

The raids followed reports that the cooperative leader had allegedly laundered money after demonetisation. He however described as rumours the talks of laundering money through his cooperative bank.

The ruling party leader was said to be close to dissident BJP leader Babulal Gaur who has recently been removed from Shivaraj Singh Chouhan ministry on age ground. BJP sources said his family has been associated with RSS for three generations.

Mr Vaswani was chairman of Mahanagar Cooperative Bank for more than a decade. He was also chairman of the MP state housing cooperative federation for five years.
Landslide win with ally SAD reflects publics stamp of approval on demonetisation: Amit Shah.

New Delhi: The massive victory of the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal combine in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections has come as a shot in the arm both for the saffron party and the Centre, particularly as it comes close on the heels of the hugely contentious demonetisation move.

The results of the largely urban dominated city may now well be viewed as an endorsement of the demonetisation drive and the BJP is likely to make political capital out of it in the days ahead, though the sweeping victory was primarily due to a combination of a host of issues, many of them local.

According to local political observers, one of the main reason for the BJP-SAD coalition winning 21 of the 26 municipal wards is that Chandigarh being a Union Territory is primarily governed by the Centre and comes directly under the administrative control of the Union home ministry.

There was a view among the electorate that with the BJP being in power at the Centre and the local MP, Kirron Kher, also from the same party, there could be better co-ordination with the local civic agency if the same party is voted to power.

With the Centre deciding on the budget of the MC and other issues like appointing the UT administrator, perhaps people felt that local problems could be addressed better if the BJP was voted to power, said Trilochan Singh, a former lecturer of political science at Panjab University.

According to Mr Singh, the demonetisation was not a major issue during the MC elections since Chandigarh does not have a sizeable agricultural or industrial work force.

Though locals in Chandigarh are facing problems due to the demonetisation, the party failed to convert it into a major electoral issue and it worked in favour of the BJP, Mr Singh added.

Sources in the Chandigarh administration say at least three days before the civic polls, a large amount of new currency notes were pumped into the citys ATMs, which diluted the impact of the demonetisation drive.

BJP chief Amit Shah described the win in the Chandigarh MC polls as the peoples stamp of approval for the demonetisation. He said the victory in elections in different parts of the country following the decision shows popular mood and should serve as a lesson to the Opposition parties.

Encouraged by the major victory Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal described it as a trailer, and said the complete film would emerge after the spectacular victory during the coming Assembly elections.

This result would prove as a trendsetter for ensuring back to back victory of the alliance for the third consecutive term in the state, Mr Badal said.

The BJP president claimed the BJP has won in local polls in four places after PM Narendra Modi took the decision and hit out at Congress, which has targeted the government over it, saying the Opposition has emerged as a symbol of negative politics in the country.

The BJPs unprecedented win in Chandigarh is another example of peoples faith in Modis vision, the BJPs politics of performance, he added.

A local Congress leader, requesting anonymity, admitted that the BJP fought a more ``aggressive and systematic campaign. ``Most of our senior leaders were busy in Delhi due to the ticket distribution for Punjab elections and we were left only with former MP Pawan Kumar Bansal. Also, the BJP had a number of senior leaders, including the sitting MP, who campaigned aggressively for the elections, so perhaps there was a view among the local voters that the BJP was more serious in dealing with local issues, the Congress leader admitted.

The Congress was faced with a huge anti-incumbency also as it has remained in power in the Chandigarh MC for almost past 14 years. Kuldeep Kumar, a former director in the UT administration, said the voters were looking for a change as they felt that the Congress has not been able to deal with local problems despite being in power for so long.

Local issues definitely played a role in the elections. Like other urban centres, Chandigarh is also growing at a rapid pace, which comes with its own problems. So people felt that with the BJP in power at the Centre, it would be better if they control the local municipality also, he added.

However, the growing view among political observers in the city is that the election results may not have significant impact on the Punjab Assembly elections, which are due in just a couple of months.
The circumstances surrounding the death of Jayalalithaa and the secrecy maintained raises serious questions among all sections of society.

New Delhi: Expelled AIADMK Member of Parliament, Sasikala Pushpa, has moved the Supreme Court for a direction to order an impartial probe into the mysterious circumstances regarding the death of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, at Apollo hospital on the December-5 night.

In her writ petition, Ms Pushpa said the suspicious circumstances, arbitrary suppression of the state of health and the silence of the authorities of not even investigating the death of a populist democratically elected leader violates the fundamental right of the Petitioner enshrined under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution to have a fair and uninfluenced investigation in an alleged crime, which has deep lying implications on the petitioner in her representative capacity, the people of Tamil Nadu and the country as a whole.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Jayalalithaa and the secrecy maintained raises serious questions among all sections of society, which remains unanswered and uninvestigated.
Costa will be chief guest at the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Bengaluru.

New Delhi: In a widely-anticipated and historic visit, Indian-origin Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa will visit Goa and spend some time at his ancestral place during his official visit to India from January 6 to 12.

Apart from holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 7, the Portuguese Prime Minister will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas as the chief guest in Bengaluru on January 8 and 9 and will also attend the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit on January 10 in Gujarats Capital Gandhinagar. On January 11 and 12, Mr. Costa will pay a historic visit to Goa.

In a statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, Prime Minister of Portugal Mr Antonio Costa will be visiting India on a state visit during January 6-12, 2017 on an invitation extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders will hold official talks on January 7 in New Delhi. During the visit PM Costa is also expected to call on the President and the vice-president. Several MoUs are expected to be signed during the visit that would set the agenda for India-Portugal relations going forward. PM Costa is likely to be accompanied by several Ministers. Prime Minister Costa will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas as the Chief Guest in Bengaluru on 8-9 January 2017, and would also participate in few business events. PM Costa will also attend the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit on 10 January 2017 at Gandhinagar. In the last leg of his visit to India, PM Costa will be in Goa on 11-12 January 2017. In Goa, he would be meeting the governor and chief minister. PM Costa who traces his roots to Goa, will also spend some time at his ancestral place.

According to Indian media reports last year, Mr Costa, born in Portugals capital Lisbon in 1961, is the son of prominent novelist Orlando da Costa, whose writings included essays on Rabindranath Tagore. His father had spent most of his youth in Goa, then under Portuguese rule. Costas grandfather, Luis Afonso Maria da Costa, who was reportedly born and brought up in Goa, was a descendant of prominent Hindu families who converted to Christianity during the centuries of Portuguese rule. Mr Costa became the Portugal Prime Minister last year as the leader of the Socialist Party.
Mr Gandhi will be addressing a rally at Bahraich in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on December 22 and at Almora in Uttarkhand the next day.

New Delhi: Launching another attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation move after RBI announced restrictions on depositing scrapped currency notes, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the countrys Central bank is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes.

The Prime Minister had promised that people can deposit money till December 30 but he again changed the rules. His words dont carry weight now, he added.

The Congress has been very critical of the government on the demonetisation move. Mr Gandhi took to twitter to lash out at PM after the AICC demanded rollback of the restriction under which an amount over Rs 50,00 in scrapped currency can be deposited only once per account till December 30. RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes, Mr Gandhi tweeted, while posting an article on the RBI rules announced post demonetisation.

The attack came at a time when Congress leader is all set to take the battle over the issue of demonetisation to the turf of the PM with a rally at Mehsana in Gujarat on Wednesday.

Mr Gandhi also said, Notifications have been changed 125 times. When time comes we will tell the people that the words of the Prime Minister are hollow and empty.

After Gujarat, Mr Gandhi will be addressing a rally at Bahraich in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on December 22 and at Almora in Uttarkhand the next day. Assembly polls in Uttarkhand are also scheduled early next year. On December 24, Mr Gandhi will be addressing a rally at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. With last couple of days left for demonetisation left the attacks on the government are just going to increase.
The BSP is already running a campaign against the BJP on this issue.

Lucknow: Major political parties in UP, which earlier claimed the demonetisation move was designed to impact the Assembly elections, now want the elections to be held sooner than later.

The note ban has emerged as a major election issue and almost all parties, especially the Opposition, feel it would work to their advantage if elections are held in early February, though the term of the Assembly expires in May 2017.

The ruling SP is happy that the note ban issue has deflected attention from the infighting in the Yadav clan. While CM Akhilesh Yadav is promoting his development agenda, the party is going overboard in highlighting the ill-effects of currency ban. The SP, incidentally, had not held any agitation on the issue. We are fully ready for polls and the earlier they are held, the better it will be for us, he said. SP state president Shivpal Yadav said on Tuesday that people are in distress due to the scrapping of currency and the economy in the rural areas has shattered. The Congress also feels that the issue will work to its advantage.

The note ban has heaped problems on the farmers, weaker sections, and we are aggressively speaking against its implementation, said UPCC chief Raj Babbar.

The BSP is already running a campaign against the BJP on this issue and its leaders say that early polls would help them cash in on the public sentiment, while the BJP is also for the early polls as the party leaders feel that the issue is being adeptly handled by the PM.

Since the demonetisation issue is all pervasive, the Congress is confident that this will help the party cross the barriers of casteism and communalism, which have kept the party out of power for the past two and a half decades.

The BSP is already running a campaign against the BJP on this issue and its leaders say that early elections would help them cash in on the public sentiment. The BSP is linking demonetisation with the problems of Dalits and downtrodden.

The BJP is also on early elections because the party leaders feel that the issue is being adeptly handled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and that the larger population is supporting him. BJP leaders cite the crowds at Prime Ministers recent rallies in UP as proof of this. We are certainly not worried because the people are supporting us. It is only the disgruntled Opposition that is creating a din over demonetisation because the war against corruption has hit them the most, said UP BJP president Keshav Maurya.
They serve as his spiritual antennae and help him educate others about Paganism.

It should be no different than a nun wearing a habit, or a Sikh wearing a Turban, Moonsong said (Photo: Facebook)

Augusta, Maine: An ordained Pagan priest finally has gotten the OK to sport goat horns in his Maine driver's license photo.

Maine resident Phelan Moonsong said that unless he's sleeping or bathing, he always wears his goat horns, which serve as his spiritual antennae and help him educate others about Paganism.

But Moonsong is questioning why he had to appeal his driver license's photo to the state after explaining his religious beliefs to Bureau of Motor Vehicle staff. Plus, he adds, the horns didn't obstruct his face.

The Maine Secretary of State's office said the state was not familiar with his choice of headdress and had asked Moonsong for more information to review the issue. A spokeswoman said the state allowed the goat horns because Moonsong cited their religious purposes and also because they didn't obstruct his face.

Maine motor vehicle staff can hold license photos for review if they have a concern about religious headdress. Moonsong said after he applied for an updated driver's license in August and explained his religion to a motor vehicles employee, he was told to appeal his photo to the Secretary of State's office.

He said he provided more information to the Secretary of State's office. But when he contacted the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in late November, he said he was told his ID was rejected  which was news to him.

Moonsong then filled out an application for legal assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, which recently told him it was unable to take his case.

"What I was requesting should have been accepted according to what was written in statute and in guidelines," he said.

It should be no different than a nun wearing a habit, or a Sikh wearing a Turban, Moonsong said.

But, he said, he was happy to receive his new driver's license last week.
A Santa Claus shunned the traditional chimney and used a rope ladder to climb 100 metres down the side of the famous Kollhoff Tower

The Santa dropped to a 24th-floor-cafe and surprised them with gifts like beach balls, ninja toys and cuddly reindeers. (Photo: Youtube)

Santa Claus climbing down a skyscraper in Berlin. A parade of terrifying monsters in Bavaria.The run-up to Christmas in Germany this year has included the usual displays of dazzling lights and festive markets, but also some unusual celebrations.

In Berlin on Sunday, a Santa Claus shunned the traditional chimney and used a rope ladder to climb 100 metres (328 feet) down the side of the famous Kollhoff Tower to deliver presents to surprised children inside a 24th-floor cafe.

The children watched in awe as Santa greeted them through the windows before making his way inside to distribute presents. "He climbed through here, then he was at the door, he opened it and came in," said Konstantin, a young boy who received a beach ball, ninja toy and cuddly reindeer. In the Bavarian town of Kirchseeon, residents dressed as hairy, masked monsters marched through the streets in a traditional "Perchten" parade on Sunday.

The processions are usually held over the shortest and darkest days of the year when "Perchten" monsters sing and dance to ward off the darkness and call nature back to life. "The 12 nights after Christmas are the struggle of light against dark. The light will win with the help of the Perchten, and nature will wake up again," parade leader Wolfgang Uebelacker told Reuters. "People used to say that the corn next year will grow as high as the Perchten jump."

He said the tradition dated back to the pre-Christian era, though experts disagree on exactly where and when it began.
The RBI on Monday said that scrapped notes above Rs 5,000 can be deposited only once per account till December 30.

New Delhi: Unnerved by new set of guidelines announced by the RBI, people rushed to bank branches to deposit the now defunct Rs 500/1000 notes in their accounts.

Many branches witnessed sudden surge of customers for deposits on Monday, a day before the new rules kick in.

The Reserve Bank on Monday imposed stiff restrictions on depositing more than Rs 5,000 in the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, mandating that it can be deposited only once per account till December 30, that too after explaining to bank officials the reasons for not having done that so far.

Stipulating that restrictive conditions will also apply on the cumulative deposit of such notes in a single account when it exceeds Rs 5,000, RBI said that defunct currency up to any amount can be deposited under the new black money amnesty scheme PMGKY.

Under PMGKY, black money holders can deposit unaccounted cash in account which will be subject to 50 per cent tax and 4-year interest free lock-in for the remaining 25 per cent of the amount.

RBI said old notes in excess of Rs 5,000 into a bank account will be received for credit only once during the remaining period till December 30, 2016.

Even after 39 days after the demonetisation of old Rs 500/1000 notes, banks are still struggling to manage long queues as cash starved customers throng branches to get valid currency notes.

To meet the demand, branches are resorting to cash rationing as they are getting less than their requirement from currency chests.

However, the situation seems slightly better at many ATMs with increased cash availability.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said everyday RBI is injecting a large amount of currency into the banking system as part of its remonetisation exercise.

"Significant amounts are going to be injected in next three weeks which are gradually bringing the pressure down. As more and more new currency comes into circulation, the recirculation itself in the banking system and ATMs will make more currency available," Jaitley had said.
NGT slap a fine of Rs 50,000 on the airline whose aircraft empties toilet tanks on air.

Normally, the waste in the aircraft tanks are disposed of by ground handling personnel once the plane lands. However, there are cases where lavatory leaks occur in the air. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: The menace of human waste being splattered on houses from airplanes while landing, on Tuesday led the National Green Tribunal to slap a fine of Rs 50,000 on the airline whose aircraft empties toilet tanks on air.

The NGT directed aviation regulator DGCA to issue a circular to all airlines, whose planes are involved, to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar passed a slew of directions while disposing of a plea of a retired army officer alleging dumping of human excreta by aircraft over residential areas near the IGI Airport in New Delhi.

Normally, the waste in the aircraft tanks are disposed of by ground handling personnel once the plane lands. However, there are cases where lavatory leaks occur in the air.

The tribunal asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue circular to all ground handling services and airlines to ensure that they do not release waste from human waste tanks while landing or anywhere near the terminals of the IGI Airport.

"DGCA shall also issue directions that aircraft on landing shall be subjected to surprise inspection to see that human waste tanks are not empty. If any aircraft is found to be violating such circular or (their) tanks are found empty on landing, they shall be subjected to environment compensation of Rs 50,000 per default," the bench said.

The direction came on the plea of Lt Gen (Retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya who has sought action against the airlines and levy of hefty fines on them for endangering the health of residents, terming their act as violation of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.

While issuing directions, the green panel also said it was "surprised" to note the stand taken by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that on analysing the samples taken from the petitioner's house, it could be ascertained that it was excreta but its source could not known.

"We are surprised to note the stand of CPCB to the extent of coliform and the kind of splashes created on the houses of the petitioner as well as others clearly demostrate that it was human excreta," the bench said.

It added that the amount collected shall be deposited with CPCB for using it for environment protection and a quarterly report shall also be submitted by DGCA before it.

DGCA was also asked by the tribunal to set up a helpline so that similar complaints can be addressed and the helpline number as well as email address be kept in public domain.

During the hearing, DGCA told the bench it has issued a circular to constitute a committee to investigate the matter.

The NGT had earlier slapped a cost of Rs 5,000 on the Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for their failure to file inspection report on the plea.

It had also directed CPCB to depute a senior environmental engineer to inspect the petitioner's house and check the existence of human excreta on its walls and if excreta was found, samples should be collected for analysis and the report placed before the tribunal.

In his petition, Vasant Enclave resident Dahiya had sought creation of a 24-hour helpline for immediate reporting of such incidents and a monitoring mechanism to check that no aircraft drops "human soil or excreta" while landing.

The Ministry had opposed the argument and said plane toilets stored the waste in special tanks which are normally disposed of by ground crews once the plane lands. However, aviation officials acknowledge that lavatory leaks can occur in the air at times.
This is the third major seizure of foreign cigarettes made by the DRI in Delhi this year.

The total value of the foreign cigarettes seized by the DRI in the three raids is worth about Rs 32.5 crore.

New Delhi: The Delhi Unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized seized Rs 85.58 lakh cigarette sticks of Indonesian origin with a market value of about Rs 10 crore from Inland Container Depot at Tughlakabad in South Delhi.

The consignment, which was concealed in a 40-feet container, had reportedly been declared as a packaging material. This is the third major seizure of foreign cigarettes made by the DRI in Delhi this year. The total value of the foreign cigarettes seized by the DRI in the three raids is worth about Rs 32.5 crore.

Following a tip-off, a team of the DRI carried out the raid in at Tughlakabad depot and seized the cigarettes which had been reportedly imported from Singapore. The seized cigarettes were of various popular brands like Gudang Garam International, Diarum Black and Red Black Clove. The cigarette packets did not have adequate statutory health warning on 85 per cent of the surface area of the packet required under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008.

In July, foreign brand cigarettes worth about Rs 7.5 crore were seized by the DRI from the same Tughlakabad depot. About 53.80 lakh cigarette sticks seized by the DRI were found concealed in 3,300 high density Polyethylene (HDPE) granule bags. The seized cigarettes were of popular brands like ESSE Lights, Dunhill, Djarrum Black and Gudang Garam. These cigarettes too did not conform to the statutory health warning prescribed for the sale of tobacco products in the domestic market. The first major seizure of the foreign brand cigarettes by the DRI this year was in January from the Tughlakabad depot itself. The revenue intelligence agency had seized 1.52 crore foreign cigarettes worth over Rs 15 crore. The seized cigarettes had reportedly been smuggled in from the United Arab Emirates and were to be supplied to zonal dealers in the city.

The cigarettes were seized after the consignment arrived in Tughlakabad from different sea-ports of the country to undergo customs clearance.
The ED, late on Friday night, had raided four establishments located in South Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar.

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorates (ED) probe against four Zaveri Bazaar bullion traders revealed that each of them had created at least eight shell companies for undertaking money-laundering transactions.

The agencys probe found that one of the traders has links with an alleged hawala operator, Manoj Punamiya, who had earlier come under the scanner in the money-laundering scam related to former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda. Punamiya, a close aide of Koda, was arrested in 2010 for allegedly helping Koda launder money, and had been granted bail only seven months ago, in April, by the Jharkhand high court. The ED, late on Friday night, had raided four establishments located in South Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar, acting on an input that the traders were converting black money by purchasing precious metals.

Following demonetisation, the traders were allegedly using denotified Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and getting them converted to gold bullions. The ED had also frozen two accounts with Rs 1.5 crore as deposit amount after the raids.

Speaking to The Asian Age, an ED official privy to the investigation said that one of the bullion traders whose establishment was raided had alleged links to Punamiya, who came under the scanner in 2009 after Koda was arrested in connection with a graft case and a mining scam. One of the firms which was raided, Balaji Bullions & Commodities Private Limited, is co-owned by Punamiya. We are investigating who deposited the money into the accounts owned by shell companies created by his firm, the official said.

Punamiya was arrested in 2010 after Koda was found to be involved in the multi-million-dollar mining scam. Punamiyas firm was allegedly central to Kodas operations and helped him siphon off the money he made by issuing mining licences by providing them the import-export cover.

The official also revealed that each of the traders bank accounts and companies registered under their name were being investigated. We have found that each of them had at least eight shell companies and bank accounts registered to act as fronts for money laundering and conversion of the said money to bullion, the official said.
The woman allegedly committed the crime after a fight with the victims mother, who is a traffic constable.

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a woman allegedly hurled the five years old daughter of her neighbour from the 15th storey of a building following a quarrel this afternoon.

The girl died on the spot, police said.

The incident took place at Vighnaharta building in MHADA complex, Byculla, central Mumbai, at around 12.30 pm on Monday.

According to the police, the victim's mother, who is a traffic constable and lives on the 15th storey of the building, had a quarrel with another woman, her neighbour, on Monday morning.

Some time later the other woman allegedly threw the policewoman's five years old daughter down from the building's common balcony.

The girl was taken to KEM Hospital where she was declared dead.
The construction of Shivaji memorial involves building the worlds tallest statue, taller than that of the New Yorks Statue of Liberty.

Mumbai: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to attend the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the grand Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial in the Arabian Sea on December 24, citizen groups have started an online petition opposing the project, saying it would be a financial burden and environmental disaster for the state to go ahead with the plan.

Earlier, a group of marine conservationists also filed a petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) asking it to restrain the government from carrying out construction for the memorial, citing that it would disrupt marine life and have an impact on the livelihoods of fishermen dependant on the fishing trade.

The online petition, uploaded on the website change.org, said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Rs 3,600 crore project on December 24. This is tax payers money and I am sure we would all like this money to be spent on something better, like on better education, infrastructure. This is not what Shivaji would have wanted and I am sure we can find other ways to honour him. Apart from a waste of money, this statue is going to be terrible for the environment; for the traffic situation in South Bombay and a security nightmare.

The construction of the Shivaji memorial involves building the worlds tallest statue, taller than that of the New Yorks Statue of Liberty and the under-construction State of Unity statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat. The memorial proposed in the city would be 210 metres high, i.e. as high as a 12-storey building. It will be constructed on a rock measuring around 15 hectare.

Environmentalist Rishi Aggarwal said, Apart from it being an environmental disaster, the government should also spend money on a project rationally. If good governance is the governments motto, and at a time when the state is under debt of Rs 3 lakh crore, it should avoid spending such a huge amount on one particular statue.
The ban came after there was a demand on the boycott of Pakistani artistes from Indian films.

Anil Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra were among the artistes who supported the move.

Mumbai: Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Kajol have welcomed Pakistani cinema owners' decision to end the long ban on Bollywood films.

Cinema owners in the neighbouring country will allow screenings of Indian films again, months after a ban was imposed in the aftermath of the Uri attacks in September.

Happy with the development, Priyanka said, "Art should go across the world. I have always believed that. So, I am glad about it."

Kajol added that she is happy that it is a great sign for the film industry.

"Anything where the film industry gets a brick, where the film industry gets a positive sign etc, I am all for the film industry," she said.

Anil also expressed his happiness over the decision. "I am very happy about it, it is a great news," the veteran said.

They were speaking at the Sansui Colors Stardust awards last night.

The ban came after there was a demand on the boycott of Pakistani artistes from Indian films. Pakistani cinema owners said that this step was a move towards restoring peace between the two nations.

They also admitted that financial concerns also motivated the decision as cinema owners suffered losses.
He also threatened terrified spectators, yelling "Allahu Akbar" and saying that the murder was vengeance for Russia's actions in Aleppo.

Mevlut Mert Altintas has been identified at the shooter. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul: The assassin of the Russian ambassador to Ankara was a 22-year-old from a quiet region in the west of Turkey who had served with the anti-riot police for less than three years.

The man identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and "Don't forget Aleppo" as he waved his gun around at a cultural centre in the Turkish capital.

But there has yet to be any indication Altintas, who was later "neutralised" by police", was attracted to religious extremism or had any history of activism.

Images showed the clean-shaven man smartly dressed in a suit, tie and white shirt pull out a gun and fire at ambassador Andrei Karlov from behind as the envoy opened a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara.

He then threatened terrified spectators, yelling "Allahu Akbar" and saying that the murder was vengeance for Russia's actions in the war-battered Syrian city of Aleppo.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Altintas was born in the town of Soke in Aydin province in western Turkey and attended a special school for training future policemen.

Altintas then joined the Ankara anti-riot police - the Cevik Kuvvet in Turkish - and had worked there for the last two-and-a-half-years.

The region of Aydin on the Aegean coast is one of Turkey's most peaceful regions well away from trouble-spots and the country's most religiously conservative areas.

Family Questioned

After the attack on Karlov, Altintas refused to surrender and remained inside the exhibition centre as clashes took place with police for 15 minutes.

But he was then killed by police in an operation, authorities said.

Reports said that his mother, father and sister were immediately detained for questioning in their homes in western Turkey.

The mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, known for his outspoken comments, speculated on his official Twitter account that the attacker may be linked to the group of Fethullah Gulen blamed for the July 15 coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His suggestion has yet to be echoed by other officials.

In footage from the scene, Altintas talks about pledging allegiance to jihad in Arabic.

Switching to Turkish, he then says: "Don't forget about Syria, don't forget about Aleppo. All those who participate in this tyranny will be held accountable".

The attack came after days of angry protests in Turkey over Russia's actions in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

But Erdogan has spearheaded a rapprochement with Russia in recent months and the two countries had been working closely to remove civilians from war-torn Aleppo.
Any number of lines by Ghalib are infused with Buddhist meditation that may pass for Sufi influence.

Firaq Gorakhpuri was the senior poet on the stage at a Lucknow mushaira. A rookie versifier was on the mike, Firaq appeared to have dozed off, as his turn, the last usually, was still a few more senior poets away. He wasnt really asleep though.

That sounds like my verse you are reciting, sir, he suddenly interrupted the young poet who was in full cry. The unhesitant accusation was padded with a grudging half smile. Thank you indeed Firaq sahib, but this is obviously an accident, the frazzled poet pleaded, waiting for the nod to continue. The reply, however, provoked a sharper reaction than was bargained for. Young friend, we have seen bullock carts crashing into pedestrians. Accidents are known to occur between cars and trains, Firaq wouldnt stop. But an accident between an aeroplane and a bicycle? The auditorium was in splits and it was a while before the soiree could resume.

Imagine Gautam Buddha as the senior poet and the world of intellect that followed as his proteges. I too felt like the rookie man the other day when I thought I had figured out how Buddhism may have impacted global religions and some great literature too in no small way. Existentialism, theatre of the absurd, pacifism, T.S. Eliots The Wasteland, they all flitted by. Damyata (control), datta (give), dayadhvam (compassion) from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad are Eliots last words in the long poem. The words are thought to have come from the Buddhist reflection of the Upanishads.

It was humbling to realise soon enough that scholars had arrived at similar conclusions with far more diligence than I could hope to muster as a journalist. Sitting in 10 days of Vipassana silence recently, the mind leapt hither and thither.

Any number of lines by Ghalib are infused with Buddhist meditation that may pass for Sufi influence. The religious injunction came to mind in the reverie: travel to far away China to seek knowledge. Why be partial to China, why not Greece, for example, which produced great philosophers? Some more cogitation and a faint answer appeared. Could it have to do with Buddhism, which had travelled circuitously to China while it was being exiled out of India? Was that the wisdom Muslims were being counselled to partake of? Surely there was more than an outside chance that Buddhas teachings had imbued Confucianism with greater moral and temporal sinews. The idea of the unstitched cloth worn by Haj pilgrims and Buddhist monks crossed the mind, and their shaven heads.

I noted that the focus on the inward gaze suggested by Buddhist contemplation was coursing through Allama Iqbal, possibly the greatest Muslim philosopher from Asia. Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-i-zindagi/Tu agar mera nahi banta na ban, apna to ban. (Delve into your soul to seek lifes buried tracks. Will you not be mine? Then be not mine, be your own at least!)

Kabir was a popular pre-Mughal poet. Bulleh Shah came along from Bukhara with the Mughal arrival in India. Both learned poets divided by 1,000 miles between them and a couple of centuries apart spoke Buddhas language. Main jaana jogi de naal (Im going together with Jogi)  akin to the essential invocation  Buddham sharanam gachhami. (Im off to surrender to Buddhas care).

Kabir says: Man na rangaae, rangaae jogi kapda. It was a direct indictment of the priestly class. The mystics colour their clothes when they were required to fix their thought. Buddhas use of the human body as an implement to train the mind to deal with worldly traps is reflected in Kabir faithfully in his poem Jheeni jeeni beeni chadariya.

Any number of lines by Ghalib are infused with Buddhist meditation that may pass for Sufi influence. But was Sufism devoid of Buddhas core beliefs? Khwaja Mir Dard the Sufi poet of the 18th-century Delhi offered an insight into his grasp of classical music and mysticism that came close to the voice of the Great Teacher of 600 BC. Khalq mein hain par juda sab khalq say rahtay hain hum/ Taal ki gintee say baahar jis tarah roopak mein sum. (We belong to the world we live in, but we always stand apart/Like the climax of the roopak taal uniquely aloof from the cyclical beat of the drum.)

From Turkey to Iran, the Buddhist thought had been woven into poetry. Take Rumi or Adam Sanai in the 12th century, Buddhas presence is inescapable. Someone who keeps aloof from suffering is not a lover, says Sanai in a translation by Coleman Barks. Buddha would be smiling with joy, not the half smile of Firaq.

The writer is Dawns correspondent in Delhi.
Nathan Gray, the accused, has been charged with assault as a hate crime.

New York: A homeless man in the US has thrown hot coffee in the face of a 21-year-old Muslim woman and called her a "terrorist".

Nathan Gray, 34, a store employee, told the woman he "hated Muslims" and was going to kill her, police said.

Gray walked into a Dunkin Donuts shop in Manhattan on Sunday and asked for a cup of coffee before sitting next to a group of Muslim women, an employee said.

"I gave him coffee and he said something to me about terrorists, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. He walked away from me and sat next to a group of Muslim women," the store employee said.

He said the man began talking to them and said "terrorists" while the group tried to ignore him.

"He started talking to them and I could hear him saying, 'Terrorists!," he said.

"One woman called him 'stupid'. So he threw his hot coffee in her face. It was hot, hot coffee. She could have been burned! Then he swung his bag at her and it hit her in the face," the employee was quoted as saying by the New York Daily News.

The woman ran outside, and Gray put her in a headlock, police said.

Gray has been charged with assault as a hate crime, police said, adding that the victim has refused medical attention.
Her mother, who stayed with them in the White House for eight years, has headed back to Chicago.

Barack did a cameo proving how close he is with his wife and praised Michelles legacy as the first lady. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

Washington: The First Lady Michelle Obama bid goodbye to the White House in her interview with chat show icon Oprah Winfrey, which was aired on Monday night on CBS.

According to a report in Daily Mail, Michelle Obama in her interview with Oprah said she would help her successor Melania Trump once she settles in her new role. She said her door would remain open if the new First Lady had any questions, the same courtesy her predecessor, Laura Bush, extended to Michelle eight years ago when she became the new First Lady.

She discussed how these eight years of presidency had brought her and her husband closer. She moved into White House thinking the experience would either make or break her daughters who were seven and ten at the time.

When asked whether she would run for the office, Michelles said she didnt want Sasha, 15, and Malia, 18, her daughters, to spend 16 years of their life with a parent as president. 'I wouldn't do that to my kids,' she said.

'I don't make stuff up. I'm not coy. I've proven that. I'm pretty direct. If I were interested in it, I'd say it. I don't believe in playing games. It's not something I would do,' she added. She even cleared that the Democratic Party hadnt asked her to run for any office and that she wasnt having any discussion about this matter.

Talking about Melanias visit to the White House in November, Michelle said she didnt offer any advice because it was too early then and Melania probably didnt know what kind of questions to ask yet.

'You really don't know what you don't know until you're here,' Michelle said. 'So I - the door is open, as I've told her, and as Laura Bush told me, you know, and as other First Ladies told me', she said.

When asked about the 2016 US Presidential elections which witnessed Donald Trumps shocking victory against Hillary Clinton, she didnt hold back her feelings and said it was painful.

'This past election was challenging for me as a citizen. To watch and experience. It was painful,' Michelle said.

Both Barack and Michelle were seen extending their strong support to Hillary during the election campaign.

She said she went to bed early on Election Night feeling she knew what the results would be. Her thoughts were confirmed the next morning when she checked her phone.

Barack did a cameo proving how close he is with his wife and praised Michelles legacy as the first lady.

'We all knew she was brilliant and cute. And strong and a great mom. But I think the way in which she blended purpose and policy with fun so that she was able to reach beyond Washington on her health care initiatives, on her military family work, was masterful,' he said.

Michelle also said that she looked forward to regain some anonymity. Her mother, who stayed with them in the White House for eight years, has headed back to Chicago.

Oprah ended the interview by asking Michelle what her prayer for the country was. 'My desire for this country is that we remain hopeful and that -- and that we find a place in our hearts to love each other. It's really simple, you know? Just opening up our hearts to others. Making room', she said.
What you sow will bear fruit. If you've any sense my friend, don't plant anything but peace, he said quoting Sufi poet Rumi.

United Nations: In a clear reference to Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups, India has told the UN that the international community needs to urgently address the backing outfits like the Haqqani Network, LeT and JeM draw from their "shadowy supporters" outside Afghanistan.

"Experience, as well as academic research, provides ample support for the assertion that conflicts in which foreign assistance is available to shadowy entities that fight legitimate state authorities tend to be more severe and last longer than other types of conflict," India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in a Security Council session on the situation in Afghanistan.

Without naming Pakistan, Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens in the country's neighbourhood and the international community must address the issue of the support that terror outfits like the Taliban and al-Qaeda get from their supporters outside Afghanistan.

"If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood," he said.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, al-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said at the United Nations on Monday.

He pointed out to the meeting in the 15-nation Council that it is apparent that efforts by nations for rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being "undermined, schools are being destroyed, mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted".

"It is also evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside," he said, in a veiled but strong reference to Pakistan.

Akbaruddin noted with concern that while the international community recommits to standing by the Afghan people each time the UN members discuss the situation in the war-torn country, the number of Afghan civilian and security forces casualties keeps rising.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory. Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism," he said.

The Indian envoy emphasised that the international community must introspect about the way it is approaching the situation in Afghanistan and whether there is need for course correction

"We need to ask ourselves whether what we are working on in Afghanistan is the wrong thing to be working on, or whether we are working on it in the wrong way. Since we all agree that supporting the people of Afghanistan is not the wrong thing, then the questions we need to ask ourselves should be related to our ways of going about it. What do we mean when we say we stand with the Afghan people? Are we doing it right? What is it that we are missing out on," Akbaruddin said.

He said the international community also needs to send the right message that it will neither "roll over in the face of terror" nor allow the "roll back" of the achievements of the people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half.

Referring to the 'Heart of Asia' ministerial meeting on Afghanistan held earlier this month in Amritsar, Akbaruddin said a key focus during India's co-chairmanship of the process was to bring to centre-stage the importance of connectivity for Afghanistan.

"A well-connected Afghanistan will be economically vibrant, prosperous and politically stable. A well connected Afghanistan will have great potential to engage the energies of its youth and attract its talents back from foreign lands," he said. Akbaruddin underscored the connectivity that terror networks have established needs to be replaced by that of roads, trade networks and ideas for peace and prosperity, as he drew upon an old adage that what one sows bears fruit and so one should not "plant anything but peace".

He assured Afghanistan's National Unity Government of India's full support for strengthening its defence capabilities to fight terrorism directed against it.

"We believe that the path to reconciliation in Afghanistan should be through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process in adherence to the internationally accepted red lines, reflecting the aspirations of the people of Afghanistan," he said.
As a billionaire real estate investor, Mr Trump has curried favour with Moscow through his business dealings over the decades.

Washington: President-elect Donald Trump vowed Monday, a month before he takes office, to wipe terrorists off the face of the Earth, after a series of high-profile attacks in Germany, Turkey and Switzerland.

ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad, he said, referring to the Islamic State group.

Mr Trump then promised: These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the Earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.

As a billionaire real estate investor, Mr Trump has curried favour with Moscow through his business dealings over the decades.

His pro-Russia views came under increasing scrutiny in 2015 as he opened his White House campaign.

Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking! Mr Trump concluded on Twitter.
An online petition urging electors to reject Mr Trump collected some five million supporters.

Washington: Americas Electoral College on Monday confirmed Donald Trumps election as the 45th President of the United States, unswayed by a desperate bid by die-hard opponents to bar the Republicans path to the White House.

Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Mr Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official according to US media, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on January 20.

We did it! the 70-year-old billionaire tweeted after the results came in. Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media).

In a statement released by his team, the President-elect welcomed the overwhelming vote in his favor, while reaching out to the Democrats who sought against the odds to block him.

With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead, he said. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans.

Under normal circumstances, the College vote is a little-watched, rubber stamp formality in which electors  most of them party members  officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.

This time, however, the divisive nature of the campaign, Mr Trumps provocative personality, and Ms Clintons lead of nearly three million votes in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

The Electoral College vote works like this: when US voters cast ballots on November 8, they did not directly elect the President but rather 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality.

Mr Trump won a clear majority of those electors: 306.

Democratic activists casting the Republican as a threat to the nation staged a vocal, weeks-long campaign urging electors to break ranks and refuse to vote for him.

To bar Mr Trumps road to the White House, they needed to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon their candidate. The odds of that happening were considered next to none.

According to a New York Times tally, a total of seven so-called faithless electors defected for someone else than their partys nominee, the biggest number ever.

In Washington state, three of the states 12 electoral votes went to former Republican secretary of state Colin Powell and a fourth went to Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American leader who helped block the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

An elector in Hawaii cast a vote for Senator Bernie Sanders, Ms Clintons opponent in the Democratic primaries. Two Texas Republican electors defected, one voting for former representative Ron Paul and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich.

One Texas Republican elector, Christopher Suprun, had publicly said he would not vote for Mr Trump, arguing he is unqualified to be President.

An online petition urging electors to reject Mr Trump collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen recently released a video to goad electors to dump Mr Trump.

Undeterred by their outside chance of success, protesters rallied Monday at statehouses from Pennsylvania to Texas to Utah as electors gathered across the country to cast their votes.

In Wisconsin, where Mr Trump carried a thin margin that was key to propelling him into the Oval Office, a few protesters chanted Shame! as the states 10 electoral votes for Mr Trump were announced, the Times reported. I feel the fate of our nation is at stake here, protester Ray-Ellen Kavey, 68, said outside the capitol building of Pennsylvania.

I know nothing will come of this, but my conscience wont let me do any less.

In New York, former president Bill Clinton cast one of the states 29 electoral votes for his wife. Ive never cast a vote I was prouder of, he said.
The emails were discovered by the FBI during an unrelated investigation of Anthony Weiner.

New York: A federal judge in New York City has ordered the partial unsealing of a government search warrant and supporting documents stemming from a federal inquiry into emails belonging to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton.

The judge, P. Kevin Castel of US District Court, on Monday ordered that the documents be posted on the courts docket unless his decision is appealed and stayed or modified by a federal appeals court.

The emails were discovered by the FBI during an unrelated investigation of Anthony Weiner, the former congressman and estranged husband of Ms Abedin.

Mr Weiner has been under investigation by federal prosecutors in Manhattan over allegations that he exchanged illicit text messages with a 15-year-old girl.

The emails, which FBI director James B. Comey revealed to Congress on October 28, jolted Ms Clintons presidential campaign and led to broad criticism of his handling of the investigation.

On November 6, Mr Comey told Congress that the bureaus review of the emails had not changed its conclusion: Ms Clinton should face no charges over her handling of classified information.

The requested unsealing of the warrant and related materials was made by E. Randol Schoenberg, a lawyer who has criticised Mr Comeys handling of the investigation and who has written that Mr Comeys actions cost Ms Clinton the presidency.

Mr Schoenberg argued in a court filing that access to the materials that provided the basis for the investigation are of the utmost public importance.

Last week, a Justice Department lawyer, Jennie L. Kneedler, said the government objected to the unsealing request, but Mr Castel made it clear that he was leaning toward releasing the materials. He asked the government to provide the documents and proposed redactions to him under seal.

In his ruling, the judge noted that the government, in its filing, effectively withdrew its opposition to Schoenbergs request and asked that the documents be unsealed with redactions.
Ban on Friday said South Korea had never experienced such political turmoil except during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Seoul: UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has criticised South Korean President Park Geun-hyes administration over a corruption scandal involving her longtime friend, voicing concerns over the countrys lack of good governance, the media reported on Monday.

Ban on Friday said South Korea had never experienced such political turmoil except during the 1950-53 Korean War, Yonhap news agency reported.

Bans remarks sparked speculation that the secretary general, long considered a potential presidential candidate, has started distancing himself from the impeached president.

(South Koreans) were very much frustrated and angry about the complete lack of good governance, he said.

Ban said the political turbulence in the country was surprising and unexpected. When her father President Park Chung-hee was assassinated in 1979, those were the times when Koreans were going through a turbulent process. But this time, in a very peaceful society, very democratic, economically well-to-do society, this has happened, he said.

Pointing to South Koreans resilience and respect for democratic institutions, Ban expressed hope that the country will soon get over the political crisis.
The attacker shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and then talked about pledging allegiance to jihad in Arabic.

A man identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas shouts after shooting Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey. (Photo: AP)

Ankara: A Turkish policeman crying "Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" shot dead Russia's ambassador to Turkey in Ankara on Monday, prompting a vow from President Vladimir Putin to step up the fight against "terrorism."

Andrei Karlov died of his wounds after the shooting in an Ankara exhibition centre, which came on the eve of a key meeting in Moscow between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syria conflict.

Dramatic footage showed the moment the gunman shot the veteran diplomat in the back as he opened a show of Russian photographs.

Images showed the ambassador standing up to speak at a lectern, before stumbling and crashing to the ground as shots ring out, lying flat on his back as the attacker -- dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and tie -- brandishes his gun at shocked onlookers.

The man shouts "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") and then talks about pledging allegiance to jihad in Arabic, the images showed.

Switching to Turkish, he then says: "Don't forget about Syria, don't forget about Aleppo. All those who participate in this tyranny will be held accountable".

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been "neutralised" in a police operation inside the hall after 15 minutes of clashes when he refused to surrender.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu identified the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, who had worked in the Ankara anti-riot police for the last two and a half years.

His mother, father and sister were reportedly detained for questioning in their home in western Turkey.

'Baying for blood'

The killing came after days of protests in Turkey over Russia's role in Syria, although Moscow and Ankara are now working closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

Putin called the killing of Russia's ambassador a "provocation" aimed at sabotaging warming ties between Moscow and Ankara and efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria.

"There can be only one answer to this -- stepping up the fight against terrorism, and the bandits will feel this," Putin said at a meeting with Russia's foreign minister and the heads of the overseas and domestic intelligence agencies.

"We have to know who directed the hand of the killer," Putin said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan echoed Putin's comments, saying the killing was aimed at wrecking a normalisation process that had taken root after a crisis sparked when Turkey shot down a Russian plane over Syria.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said he was "appalled by this senseless act of terror", while US President-elect Donald Trump condemned the killing, calling the gunman a "radical Islamic terrorist".

James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House think tank in London, said Moscow would use the attack to step up action in what the Kremlin sees as a "war on terror".

"My sense is that the Russians won't blame the Turks for this but will seek to capitalise on it for wider gains," he said.

"Clearly the Russian military will be baying for blood, they'll want revenge."

The shooting took place at the Cagdas Sanatlar Merkezi, a major art exhibition hall in the Cankaya district of Ankara where most foreign embassies are located, including Russia's.

"When the ambassador was delivering a speech, a tall man wearing a suit fired into the air first and then took aim at the ambassador," Hurriyet correspondent Hasim Kilic, who was at the scene, said.

"He said something about Aleppo and 'revenge'. He ordered the civilians to leave the room. When people were fleeing, he fired again."

Hurriyet said Karlov was the first ambassador to be assassinated in Turkey, although the British consul was killed in an Istanbul bombing in 2003 and Israel's consul general was kidnapped and shot dead by leftist militants in 1971.

'Crucial meeting'

Protesters in Turkey have held Moscow responsible for human rights violations in Aleppo with thousands protesting outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

Turkey and Russia stand on opposite sides of the Syria conflict with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad.

But the rhetoric has warmed considerably since a reconciliation deal was signed earlier this year and a Russian and Turkish-brokered accord has helped the evacuation of citizens from Aleppo in the last days.

The Syrian foreign ministry in Damascus denounced the murder as a "despicable crime", state news agency SANA said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu learned of the news while on the plane to Moscow but insisted the meeting would go ahead as planned.

Born in 1954 in Moscow, Karlov was a career diplomat who had begun his career under the USSR in 1976. He was Russian ambassador to North Korea from 2001-2006.
Security sources were quoted by media saying that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Pakistan.

Firefighters look at the debris after the trailer has been towed away from the crime scene in Berlin, Germany. (Photo: AP)

Berlin: Several countries in Europe have sounded an alert after a Pakistan-origin hardliner hijacked a truck and ran over several people in Berlin, Germany.

The truck driver ploughed his vehicle into a Christmas market, killing 12 persons and injuring dozens of others, German media reported.

German authorities said that the suspect was arrested two kilometers away from the spot where he committed mayhem and is now being interrogated.

Security sources were quoted by media as also saying that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February. The truck, police said was registered in Poland.

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

The incident occurred in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a reminder of the horrors of war for future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard, which was packed with holiday shoppers. Police said the truck made it as far as 80 yards into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers mostly from Pakistan.

Monday's incident in Berlin has once again brought into focus the alarming prospect of men of Pakistani origin repeatedly perpetrating acts of terror worldwide, and the fear among nations in Europe that they are extremely vulnerable to being exposed to 2008 Mumbai-style terror attacks by Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), whose tentacles have been found to have spread across the continent by security agencies.

Deadly terror attacks of 2016 at multiple locations in Paris, France, that claimed 130 lives, and the terrorist attack on the departure lounge of Brussels Airport in Zaventem that claimed the lives of 31 people and injured another 300 by two suicide bombers are cases in point that justify this concern.

A group a terror suspects arrested in France last week were reportedly plotting an attack on a Christmas market on the Champs Elysees, in Paris.

In Europe, security agencies in countries like France, Germany Austria and Italy are increasingly unearthing the presence of terrorists with links to Pakistan.

Many European nations are realizing the potential threat to their national security from the rising number of Pakistanis, recruited by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and then illegally sent to Europe, say experts.

Groups like LeT and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which carry out their activities unhindered in Pakistan, instruct Muslim youth in extremist ideology to carry out jihad against the West, say experts, adding that these youth are then illegally pushed into different countries to take forward the objectives of the group to radicalise European Muslims and use them for terror attacks.

In 2015, Italian police arrested more than 18 foreign nationals, many of whom were Pakistanis, on the charge of involvement in jihadi activities in the country. Some of those arrested were also found to be linked to LeT.

It is also learnt that the Greek government, which has been grappling with large inflow of refugees from countries like Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, has recently sent a strong message to Islamabad, warning if it failed to take back all illegal Pakistani nationals residing in Greece, it could be faced with the prospect of being declared an "exporter of terrorism".

Apart from Mondays killing in Berlin, till now, there have been at least 12 terrorist attacks in Europe in 2016.

Security experts feel that there is an urgent need for the European Union members to respond to this threat jointly by de-radicalisation programmes, enhancing security cooperation and intelligence sharing.

Further, EU members need to quickly put together a common policy on dealing with illegal immigration from countries like Pakistan, where with the tacit support of the government, extremist ideology is being promoted and freely disseminated by radical Islamic and terror groups
Both Putin and Erdogan called the attack a

Mevlut Mert Altintas shouts after shooting Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey. (Photo: File)

Moscow: Russian media on Tuesday reacted with outrage to the killing of the country's ambassador to Turkey but said it was unlikely to derail warming ties between Moscow and Ankara.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was gunned down on Monday at the opening of a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara by a Turkish policeman crying "Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest), in what Moscow called a "terrorist act".

"The murderer was afraid to look him in the eye," ran the banner frontpage headline on pro-Kremlin paper Izvestiya above a dramatic picture of Karlov with his killer looming behind.

"They did not shoot at Karlov. They shot at Russia," Senator Konstantin Kosachev said in comments published alongside.

Both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the attack a "provocation" aimed at sabotaging ties that have been patched up since a furious dispute over Ankara's downing of a Russian jet in Syria in November 2015.

Putin also said that the killing in Ankara was designed to undermine efforts to find a settlement on the conflict in Syria that are currently being spearheaded by Russia and Turkey.

Moscow and Ankara are on different sides of the conflict in Syria but the two countries have worked closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

The foreign and defence ministers from Russia, Turkey and Iran are set to meet Tuesday in Moscow for key talks on Syria

"I don't think that Moscow will provoke conflict" over the incident, Leonid Isayev of Moscow's Higher School of Economics told RBK business daily.

"Today dialogue between Russia and Turkey is developing quite actively."

In an interview with Izvestiya, the head of Russia's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Leonid Slutsky, warned those who try to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey would fail.

"The main thing is that there will not be a new round of tensions between Russia and Turkey, no matter how much our opponents want this," he said.

"This was a terrible tragedy, but interstate relations overall will not suffer from this."

Other outlets were, however, harsher toward Ankara -- which state television had portrayed as Russia's top foe in the wake of the jet's downing -- pointing out that Turkish authorities had been unable to protect the Russian envoy.

"Responsibility for the death of a foreign ambassador on its territory always lies with the host country," Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid wrote, adding that the murder was "yet another powerful blow" to the reputation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The case was the first time since the Second World War that a British soldier was convicted of a murder carried out on the battlefield.

London: A British soldier who cited Shakespeare after killing an injured Taliban fighter could be home on bail in time for Christmas, three years after being found guilty of murder in a landmark conviction.

The case of Alexander Blackman, who was identified only as Marine A during his trial, has fascinated and divided public opinion in Britain.

On September 15, 2011, the 42-year-old Royal Marine shot a Taliban fighter who had been seriously injured by fire from an Apache helicopter in Helmand province.

There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil ... Its nothing you wouldnt do to us, said Mr Blackman paraphrasing Shake-speares Hamlet after shooting the fighter at close range with a 9mm pistol.

Obviously this doesnt go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention, he said to his fellow Royal Marines, in reference to international law governing the treatment of prisoners of war.

Footage of the incident was captured on a camera mounted onto the helmet of one of the soldiers, and two years later Mr Blackman was convicted of murder by a court martial.

The case was the first time since the Second World War that a British soldier was convicted of a murder carried out on the battlefield.

You treated that Afghan man with contempt and murdered him in cold blood, judge Jeff Blackett told Mr Blackman in December 2013 as the soldier was given a life sentence with a 10-year minimum.

By doing so you have betrayed your corps and all British service personnel who have served in Afghanistan, and you have tarnished their reputation, Mr Blackett added.

The conviction was supported by Britains then chief of defence staff, Nicholas Houghton, who said: Murder is murder, this is a heinous crime.

But now Mr Blackman is making a bid for freedom, with a court hearing in London on Wednesday set to decide if he will be granted bail.

The soldiers legal team ultimately aims to overturn the conviction and have the crime lessened to manslaughter citing post-traumatic disorder.
The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the attack.

Istanbul: A Turkish policeman crying Aleppo and revenge shot dead Russias ambassador to Turkey at an art exhibition in Ankara on Monday, in what Moscow said was a terrorist act.

Andrei Karlov died of his wounds after the shooting, which occurred on the eve of a key meeting between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syria conflict.

Dramatic television footage showed a man in a dark suit and tie waving a gun and gesturing in the air at the Ankara exhibition hall. The state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been neutralised in a police operation, without giving further details.

Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov

Today in Ankara as a result of an attack the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov received wounds that he died from, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in televised comments.

We qualify what happened as a terrorist act.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the attack. The incident came after days of protests in Turkey over Russias role in Syria, although Moscow and Ankara are now working closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

Pictures published by the Hurriyet daily showed at least two men in suits lying flat on the ground as another man brandished a gun.
by Thanh Thuy

Mgr Leopoldo Girelli, non-resident papal representative to Vietnam, visited the sick and the disabled in Hanoi. Following his example, the local Caritas, religious congregations and hundreds of student volunteers organised charity activities for the downtrodden, including providing basic necessities to Ha Tinh fishermen, the most affected by the Formosa Plastics Group disaster.

Hanoi (AsiaNews)  The Vietnamese Church has set aside the Advent period to care for the downtrodden bottom, the poor and the disabled.

Mgr Leopoldo Girelli, non-resident papal representative to Vietnam, led by the example by visiting the sick in ten dioceses of the Archdiocese of Hanoi (northern Vietnam)

The bishops first stop was at Hanois Eye Hospital, where he met patients in the surgery ward, and gave them encouragement and prayed the rosary with them.

Mgr Girelli and Fr Bruno Pham Ba Que, head of Caritas Hanoi, donated wheelchairs for disabled people in the provinces of Nam inh and Ha Nam.

The papal representative congratulated Caritas for working with local groups, like the Red Cross of Y Yen district, Thich Thanh Mach Buddhist monks and the Wheelchairs Association of Vietnamese residents in the United States.

Accompanied by members of the Tim Diem congregation, Mgr Girellis final stop was with some groups of homeless and poor people living on the banks of the Song Hong (Red River) in Hanoi.

Last Saturday, Mgr Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet, archbishop emeritus of Hanoi, visited Yen ong parish (Ha Tinh Province, central Vietnam), the most affected by the Formosa Plastics Group environmental disaster.

The prelate handed out gifts to local fishermen who lost their jobs and are living in precarious conditions.

Mgr Ngo Quang Kiet was accompanied by members of the Chau Son monastery and the Sisters of the congregation of Saint Paul from the Diocese of Ninh Binh. A group of US doctors brought medicines and blankets, and offered free medical visits to the residents.

Mgr Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet celebrated Mass in the parish church in the presence of 200 worshippers.

"Yen ong Parish has had countless difficult years, the archbishop said, but now, I am sure, it is experiencing the love of Jesus for us.

God can do anything, even what we cannot imagine, he explained. We think we are lost, but now we have a new church at Christmas time. We have God and the Virgin Mary who are always by our side. Today we are happy and at peace. God needs human collaboration."

Following the examples of Mgr Girelli and archbishop emeritus of Hanoi, many Catholic students are organising charity activities during Advent.

Last Saturday, the community of Saint Paul in Hiep uc Parish (central Vietnam), along with 200 young volunteers, brought gifts, bags of rice, boxes with ready-to-eat noodles, cooking oil, sugar and pasties to hundreds of poor and disabled people.

These are our Christmas gifts, the students told AsiaNews. During the year, we crafted handmade things and grew flowers, which we sold to raise funds. With the money we bought basic necessities for the poor, Catholic and non-Catholic."
Chennai (AsiaNews) - The Chennai High Court has banned mosques that act as unauthorized Islamic courts. The ruling was issued yesterday and ends a very common practice in Tamil Nadu, where a number of Islamic places of worship are makeshift sharia courts and decide in matters of marriage and divorce.

The issue takes on even more importance considering that India is in the midst of a debate on the so-called Islamic "quick divorce" (triple talaq), between - on the one hand - the supporters of religious matrimonial law and  on the other - the proponents of a standardization of the civil code and the defenders of Muslim women, exploited and at the mercy of the whims of their husbands.



The Court, led by its president Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Judge M Sundar, granted mosques one month to adapt. Its judgment reads: "If a place of worship - be it temple, mosque or church - is used for purposes other than that of prayer, and more particularly to create extra-judicial tribunals, certainly it is the duty of the authorities to take action against it".



The attention of the judges was raised by a complaint lodged by a British national. He filed a lawsuit against the "Makka Masjid Shariat Council" in the Anna Salai neighborhood of Chennai, which doubles as a real judicial office in spousal and personal disputes. Having asked the opinion of the Council to help in bringing about a reconciliation with his wife, the impromptu court has made the man sign a letter of divorce, with which he repudiated his wife.



Investigations revealed that the mosque is also a full court: the trials take place in the lobby and each year hundreds of valid marriages are canceled without the permission of the competent authorities. According to an adviser, Makka Masjid is also involved in asset disputes and creates "a sense of religious awe in the minds of Muslims for every act of disobedience".



The marriage law in India is very complex and governed by different rules. The Constitution provides for the existence of different civil codes, so as to better protect the various religious communities in the country. Article 44 of the Constitution is mentioned among the "guiding principles" (ie guidelines, not mandatory norms) and urges the implementation of a uniform civil code, but then leaves ample freedom of self-determination among the communities.



Recently the amendment of Article 44 and rights for the greater protection of Muslim women has sparked heated debate. The the Islamic marriage law is governed by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act 1937, a law passed under British colonial rule. Signed with a view to ensuring compliance of the Islamic cultural tradition, over the years the law has been exploited to "justify" discriminatory practices. Women have denounced a real abuse of verbal divorce, which is often implemented even "remotely" by sending messages on the phone or by mail.
by Mathias Hariyadi

General Tito Karnavian has urged citizens to ignore the ban on dressing up for Christmas. Because of the edict issued by the Ulema Council (MUI), several merchants have been threatened by Islamic extremists because they asked their employees to wear Christmassy gear.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  The fatwa issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has no legal basis and both the police and citizens must not regard it as a law to be upheld, said Indonesian Police Chief General Tito Karnavian after two regional police chiefs backed the MUIs call on Muslims not to dress up for Christmas.

On 14 December, MUI issued edict number 56/2016 saying that it is haram (forbidden) to use non-Islamic objects during the Christmas season. Hence, wearing a Santa costume or Christmassy gear is prohibited.

Following MUIs decree, some extremist groups, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), raided shops in Surabaya (East Java) and Bekasi (West Java) ordering owners not to require employees to wear Christmas paraphernalia.

General Karnavian lashed out at the edict and at these demonstrations of intolerance, saying that pluralism and the spirit of religious tolerance that lie at the basis of Indonesia must be protected.

"I ordered the police chiefs in Bekasi and Kulon Progo to prevent the circulation of leaflets in support of the MUI fatwa," he said.

Recently, Bekasi police chief Umar Surya Fana had leaflets printed "explaining" the MUI edict, putting pressure on local merchants not to require non-Christian employees to wear Christmassy clothes to attract customers.

With such police support, extremists have felt emboldened. Yesterday some FPI members in Surabaya threatened merchants, protected by police agents.

These ugly incidents were triggered by the MUI edict, said General Karnavian. The fatwa has been used by radical groups to carry out raids and exert pressure on supermarkets."

The general not only rebuked the police chiefs, but he also ordered them to go after the troublemakers. "If they use force, then you are legally bound to bring them to justice, without compromise, he said.

The police chief also stated that he would discuss the matter with MUI leaders, "urging them to publish serious deliberations that protect the spirit of tolerance."

On Sunday, Rev Jan S. Aritonang, a Protestant clergyman, urged the ulema to discuss the matter in order to comprehend the reasons of the edict.

"There was never any agreement among Christian denominations that these decorations and [Christmas] images are objects related to Christianity, he explained. The spread of these 'products' has nothing to do with the Christian faith and is only connected to the market and commercial activities."
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - The faithful "from Asia and Russia" are "fueling" the presence in the Holy Land, a phenomenon that "obliges guides and tourists to update themselves." Lately there has been "a significant increase" in the number of pilgrims, so that " there are no rooms" in hotels and hostels in Bethlehem. This is what Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem tells AsiaNews, with his thoughts already turned to the upcoming Christmas celebrations. "In these days - adds the prelate - I am meditating on the homily of the Mass. I would like to appeal to people to return to the Gospel, to look to Christ to rediscover our fraternity, and as such be able to help each other in our time common need".

Recounting the boom of pilgrims from the Asian continent and the Russian Confederation, the apostolic administrator and former Custos of the Holy Land says that " different cultural approaches are emerging" compared to those of traditional flows from Europe and North America.

"The Chinese, Indonesians he adds - are pilgrims who really want to pray, who devote much of their time to the sanctuaries, the celebrations". In addition, they "adapt to everything", they do not disdain "smaller hotels" which provide for "more opportunities for interaction and discussion with the local community."



For these new generation pilgrims, says the prelate, "Jerusalem and the Holy Land are first of all the land of Jesus" and the choice to make a journey there "is almost exclusively for religious reasons". In contrast, the economic crisis, fears of attacks and violence, "which perhaps represent the main element", have contributed to "a gradual and steady decline" of visits from the Old Continent, the United States and Canada. "But I want to strongly emphasize - he adds - that pilgrims are safe."



On 24 June the former custodian of the Holy Land was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, following the resignation of the Patriarch Fouad Twal who had reached retirement age. The 51 year old new archbishop received episcopal consecration on 10 September in the cathedral of Bergamo, in Italy, his diocese of origin.



Born in Cologno al Serio, near Bergamo, April 21, 1965, he has worked in the Holy Land since 1999 and, in May 2004, he was elected Custos. On 22 March 2010, he was appointed for a second term. In 2013 was again elected for another three years. This mission came to an end in April 2016. A fine connoisseur of Jewish culture, he also taught Biblical Hebrew at the Franciscan Faculty of Biblical and Archaeological Sciences in Jerusalem and has good relations with many prominent Israeli Jewish personalities.



Reflecting on the recently concluded Jubilee Year, Mgr. Pizzaballa recalled "the many events liturgical and educational" on the subject of mercy. The message that unfolded during the Holy Year, resonated now more than ever in Israel, in Palestine and throughout the Middle East today: "All of our injuries  he explains - divisions, religious and family must be resolved in the interests of justice, but there is no justice without mercy. "



The apostolic administrator invites the faithful to "start afresh from the Gospel", to " to look to Christ to rediscover our fraternity". The peace message contained in the New Testament "is two thousand years old" and is "always true: this need to always return, to find support and feel ourselves part of a community of believers."



Meanwhile the journey of preparation ahead of the festive season continues. "There is talk of decorations, fairs but there is an underlying sadness  says Msgr. Pizzaballa  over the tragic events in Cairo, Jordan [added to these the murder of the Russian ambassador in Turkey and the attack in Germany, ed] and there is a strong desire to show solidarity with the victims. These facts are of concern, but people also long to celebrate the holiday. Children await gifts, families are busy with preparations, they meet in schools, in homes, share the stories of their preparations, among the faithful there is a desire to come together, to fully enjoy the event. "

This is not a time "grand gestures", the archbishop says, but of "small ones, initiatives in the parishes, homes, among youth, within the community and of spending time together". The advent of the birth of Jesus "unites the Christian churches", not only patriarchs and bishops "but parishes, communities, villages." A drawing closer of the various Christian communities of the Holy Land that " has been accelerated by terrorism."



The Archbishops last thoughts are for these first months as head of the Church of the Holy Land: "I have met so many ecclesial realities - says Msgr. Pizzaballa - some already known to me and others that are new ones, I visited religious communities and absorbed so much strength, I observed realities that are full of wounds, but also many people who are completely committed". This, he concludes, is the real "reason for hope: when I meet people with so many problems, but for whom these hardships and obstacles are part of the journey, then all is not lost." (DS)
by Sumon Corraya

Christians fear violence by Islamic extremists. Christian Leaders ask for tighter security at Christmas. Home Affairs minister reassures them that more checks will be provided across the country.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Some Christian leaders in have met with Bangladeshs Home Affairs minister to ask him for greater security during the Christmas period. The minister assured them that police protection would be provided to 62 churches in the capital.

The meeting between the minister and 25 representatives from the Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA) took place yesterday at the ministers office in Dhaka.

"We brought the minister greetings from the whole Christian community, and we asked him to deploy police to protect churches on Christmas night," BCA president Nirmol Rozario told AsiaNews.

Christian concerns stem from a climate of widespread intolerance in the country against foreigners, priests, Christian and Hindu minorities, bloggers branded as atheists, freethinkers, and gay rights activists.

Rozario said that he asked the Home minister "to ensure the constant supply of electricity, so that prayers and the Christmas Mass are not interrupted by power cuts".

For his part, Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that more security measures would be taken across the country, both on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

"We are concerned about the protection of Christians, he noted. Our police will monitor all events planned in churches for Christmas."

In the capital, the minister said that 62 churches would provided with security. He added that CCTV cameras would be installed across the country. Traffic around Christian places of worship would be diverted. At the same time, the government asked Christians not to celebrate with fireworks.

Bangladeshs Christians are a small minority, about 0.6 per cent in a population of more than 160 million people. Roman Catholics are the largest group with almost 600,000 faithful.
In separate telegrams to Putin and the Archbishop of Berlin, the pope expressed his condolences for the victims. "Pope Francis joins with all men of goodwill who are committed to ensuring that the murderous folly of terrorism no longer finds a place in our world.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the attack in Germany and that against the Russian ambassador to Turkey. In two separate telegrams, the Holy Father renewed his condemnation of the murderous folly of terrorism.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to the Archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch. The message reads: With deep sorrow the Holy Father learned of the terrible act of violence that occurred in Berlin, which caused a considerable number of casualties, and the death of many people. His Holiness expresses his participation in the mourning of the relatives, conveying his compassion and assuring them of his closeness in their suffering. In prayer he entrusts the departed to Gods mercy and implores the healing of the wounded. The Holy Father also thanks the rescue and security services for their committed efforts. Pope Francis joins with all men of goodwill who are committed to ensuring that the murderous folly of terrorism no longer finds a place in our world. In this regard, His Holiness implores of God the merciful Father His consolation, protection and comforting blessing.

Again on behalf of the Holy Father, Cardinal Parolin also sent condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin. His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the violent attack in Ankara, which resulted in the death of Ambassador Andrei Karlov. His Holiness sends condolences to all who mourn his loss, and in a special way to the members of Ambassador Karlovs family. In commending his soul to Almighty God, Pope Francis assures you and all the people of the Russian Federation of his prayers and spiritual solidarity at this time.
by Rosa Wang

Prof Rosa Wang has developed teaching and psychological methods to deepen spirituality and communication in young people. "Dogs are very intelligent. They understand those who suffer from loneliness or autism. She talks about young people and adults who get sick from anxiety over performance, and about the relationship with God and the community.

Taipei (AsiaNews)  Rosa Wang (  ) grew up in Pingdong (  ), and went to school in the south of the island, then left her native village as many of her peers. As a student at the National Taiwan Normal University (), she realised that her path "already at that time, when I was young, had been prepared by God." After working as a screenwriter, she is now a teacher-psychologist.

She wrote several books. Her latest, which summarises her main cases involving the psychology and spiritual life of kids (   ), was a great publishing success. From dog therapy to extreme cases of applied psychology, many teachers are inspired by the educational method she and her team developed after years of teaching. Here is what she told us.

My faith comes from afar. My dad was from Beijing. He was baptised as a teenager. He used to attend the catechism taught by local missionaries. I was baptised as a baby. I grew up in the south, in Pingdong, and then went to study in Taipei, at the National Taiwan Normal University. I majored in history, delving into the history of the Jesuits in China. Why did I choose this topic? I was in contact with the Jesuits at the Tien Centre, and I had access to the documents. In the south we grew up with the Dominicans, then in Taipei I came in contact with the Jesuits. My university studies lasted two years; I finished a year ahead of schedule because I was hard-working.

After graduation, I started teaching at the school in Pingdong. I was a substitute teacher for a year. Then I worked for eight years for the Kuangchi Program Service (KPS,  ) as a screenwriter. There was no internet at the time; television broadcast our only programmes, and we were on top. With our team, we wrote screenplays, then at night as we went home, we could hear the sound of our shows coming from our neighbours flats. It was obviously a great satisfaction; all of Taiwans TV production was made at KPS.

Psychology and spiritual life

After this wonderful experience, I went into teaching.

During my high school years, I had a senior teacher of Japanese culture who left me a great example. During class, he would make us sing some lullaby. This seems comical, but he had taken part in the war, and had suffered a lot. He had passed through three identities and three cultures: He was born Japanese, later became Chinese and finally ended up in Taiwan and was now teaching lullabies to us students.

In Pingdong I worked with the Dominican Sisters. Most of them were Spanish, active in the south of the island. The headmistress with whom I worked was very intelligent. She used to say that Education for life ( ) was well established in the curriculum and other, more elaborate versions such as Psychology lessons and spiritual life ( ) would not have worked in Taiwan. In fact, she said it to get me to experiment with a new type of teaching and content.

We started with a proposal to include pupils aged 9 to 17 years. What did I teach in psychology class? It began from the assumption that Gods work is different from what we think. For this reason, I did not simply teach Education for life; instead, I taught psychology and spiritual life, which presupposed a richer context. It consisted of a full day experience, once a year in every class.

From the start, in order to address pupils problems, I used a simple approach, with understandable questions, like "What is your mood right now? What are its causes? What about the people you meet? How can you help others? "

Kids cannot choose their parents. What if they have problems with them? The main relationship is often with the mother, with whom kids spend most of their time. Girls grow up and become nervous mothers. Now with the internet kids, especially girls, communicate digitally and this can generate real or groundless anxieties.

Dominated by anxiety

I do not use this word by chance. Nowadays the main illnesses are linked in particular to anxiety () and the frenzy for performance. How can we treat these cases?

There are cases in which we are not aware of the spiritual and moral dimension. Some kids who study a lot and have very good marks are nevertheless unhappy. If you do everything right and yet you are unhappy whats the problem? If a student does well in school but is unable to communicate, at the end he or she is not happy. For example, this year, as usual, the school honoured the four best students and they had anxiety issues (). The 17-18-year-olds love to post dark photos full of anguish on Facebook and say that they express their inner world. If that is their inner world, who would want to communicate with them? It is a good thing that they have age as an excuse. In most cases this is a temporary phase.

Dogs understand those who suffer from loneliness

Teachers must instil confidence in young people, make them understand that in addition to the brain they also have a very important inner world. From what we see in our experience, we know that no one is psychologically independent; everyone needs protection and care. For this reason, what people cannot sometimes do, animals can. Dogs are very intelligent. They understand those who suffer from loneliness or autism. If, in a group of children, one is alone or by him or herself, the dog will go to them.

Dogs open hearts in children and teens. I remember especially two kids who were able to open up thanks to dogs. The first was a child who had suffered violence from adults; the second was someone very lonely. After a year with the dog, the ten-year-old changed a lot. Every day he talked to the dog, and no one knew what he told him. In the end, the child changed and started talking to people. In short, if the teacher is unable to solve a problem, it is best to leave it to the dogs!

The relationship with God and the community

A very important aspect to improve our life is a relationship with God. Without it one cannot really be satisfied. For this reason, the community, the parish, a life of generosity and shared happiness are essential. This can be done in many different ways. I remember one person who converted to Christianity after attending a funeral. "I too want a funeral like this when I die," he said. So he converted and joined the Christian community to have a beautiful funeral and go to heaven! Still, I believe I cannot presume that I can help others; at best, I can be an instrument to bear witness to the changes.

Regrettably, I also met profoundly selfish people, deeply bad, happy to make others suffer. In my life I noticed that sometimes God the Father ensures that these people come into our lives to make us make important decisions. I know that, because of evil people, I chose to take other paths, and I was glad of those choices. Then there are those somewhat stupid people who attract ill-intentioned people. Yet, experience taught me not to be in a hurry. After years of experimentation, I understood that I have to do a little less and leave more work to the Holy Spirit, because haste and earnestness attract the devil. The path of goodness takes time and patience.

(Xin Yage contributed to this article)
The bombs were bought in the 1980s. Since 2010, the international community has banned their sale. For the Saudi authorities, the bombs hit "legitimate military targets to defend Saudi towns and villages. For the UN, Saudi air strikes are responsible for almost half of all civilian casualties.

Sanaa (AsiaNews/Agencies)  In the conflict in Yemen Saudi Arabia has used British-made cluster bombs.

British authorities have confirmed that Saudi Arabia used munitions bought from the UK in the 1980s.

Since 2010 it has been illegal under British law to supply such bombs because they put civilians at risk by releasing small bomblets over a wide area. Britains Labour oppositions called the news "deeply worrying".

London, along with Washington, militarily supports the Saudi coalition engaged in an air campaign in Yemen against Houthi rebels. The latter are opposed to President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who returned to Aden after a time in exile.

Since January 2015, the country has been the scene of a bloody civil war opposing Sunni leaders, backed by Saudi Arabia, and Shia rebels close to Iran.

In a statement to MPs, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the UK had not supplied any cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia since 1989. But he added that Saudi investigations had concluded that some UK-made cluster bombs had been dropped.

In all 108 nations have signed the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. The latter, which bans all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster bombs, became binding international law in 2010.

Saudi authorities said it used the BL-755 cluster bombs "against legitimate military targets to defend Saudi towns and villages against continuous attacks" by Houthi rebels.

However, human rights activists and groups point out that these weapons have resulted in the death or injury of civilians.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in August has reported that coalition air strikes were suspected of causing around 50 percent of all civilian deaths.

Last week the United States decided to restrict weapons sale to Saudi Arabia because of the number of civilians killed in Saudi air raids in Yemen.

This comes a few days after it signed several agreements to sell weapons and military equipment (including aircraft, helicopters and missiles) to four Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia.

Such agreements are part of long-established billion dollar arms sales with the latest inked in August.

For their part, human rights activists and organisations note that the military campaign in Yemen has been a disaster, with thousands of civilian casualties.

With its many conflicts, the rest of the Middle East has also become a weapons smorgasbord, a market that is tempting for many manufacturers and western governments, like Britain and France, fuelling bloodshed in the region.
by Bernardo Cervellera

A statement by the Vatican Press Office Director speaks of sharing the "pain" of Chinese Catholics over the participation of an illegitimate bishop in the Chengdu and Xichang episcopal ordinations. Bishops not obliged to not attending the Assembly, which is "incompatible with Catholic doctrine." The Vatican expects "positive signals" from the government.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Holy See "understands and shares" the pain of Chinese Catholics over the Chengdu and Xichang episcopal ordinations in the presence of an illegitimate bishop(imposed by the police). At the same time, while reaffirming the "known" position of the Holy See regarding the Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives ( "incompatible with Catholic doctrine", as stated in the Letter of Benedict XVI, confirmed by Pope Francis), the Vatican "will make its judgement on the basis of established facts ".

This is the summary of a statement issued by the Vatican Press Office Director today on whether the recent episcopal ordinations in Chengdu and Xichang" and "the Ninth Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives", which - according to AsiaNews sources - will be held December 26 to 30 at the Tian Tai Hotel Beijing.

The Chengdu (November 30) and Xichang (December 2) celebrations while proceeding to the ordination of two bishops approved by the Holy See and the Chinese government, saw the participation of an illegitimate bishop, Msgr. Lei Shiyin of Leshan (Sichuan). Faced with the opposition, criticism and attempts at obstruction of the faithful, police shielded his participation in the celebration.

In this regard, the statement read: "The presence, in the two above-mentioned episcopal ordinations of a bishop, whose canonical position is still being studied by the Apostolic See as a result of his illegitimate ordination, has created discomfort to the parties concerned and distress among Chinese Catholics. The Holy See understands and shares in their pain.

A softer judgment is reserved for the Assembly of Chinese Catholic Representatives. Throughout China both the official and underground community had long called for the Holy See to pronounce itself on these issues. The Assembly is the "sovereign body" (as stated in its charter) which directs the life of the Catholic Church, where the "democratic" body is led by a majority of Party members and a minority of bishops. In his Letter to Chinese Catholics, (in 2007) Benedict XVI called it "incompatible with Catholic doctrine."

At the last edition in 2010 (see photo), the Holy See had asked the bishops not to participate. In response, the government physically forced many bishops to take part. Pope Francis has confirmed the value of Benedict XVIs Letter. But this time the pronouncement of the Holy See is more nuanced. On the one hand it says that "The Holy Sees position regarding these two types of events [Ordinations and Assembly], which involve aspects of the doctrine and discipline of the Church, is well known. On the other hand, "with regard to the Ninth Assembly - it reads - the Holy See looks forward to making its judgement based on established facts."

This is one way in which the Holy See can leave the decision on whether to participate or not to bishops, and at the same time wait to see if the bishops are really free in their decision. But it also a way to see whether the Assembly will discuss issues and ways that violate religious freedom and Catholic doctrine. It would appear that the this years theme is only a change in leadership. In addition to freedom of participation, it remains to be seen whether the bishops gathered in Beijing will be free to choose whether they will participate or not in the liturgies with illegitimate and excommunicated bishops. In this case, the "established facts" would be countless.

The statement concludes on a note of hope: The Holy See "is certain that all Catholics in China eagerly await positive signals, that will help them to trust in the dialogue between the civil authorities and the Holy See and to hope for a future of unity and harmony".
Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - After months of stalemate and vetoes, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that has sent "immediately" of UN observers in Aleppo, to monitor the evacuation of eastern sector. From 15 December at least 14 thousand people have left the area, although violence and clashes have disrupted evacuations on several occasions and shaken the agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey.



It also includes the evacuation of some areas - including the Fuaa and Kafrya - controlled by the government in Idlib province, long under siege by rebel groups and jihadists.



There has been no official reaction from the Syrian government on whether Damascus will authorize the entry of UN observers in the city, divided in two for more than four years: the west, home to 1.2 million people, under government control; the east, with about 250 thousand people, in the hands of rebel groups and jihadist groups.



Yesterday's vote at the UN was given the green light by Russia, along with Iran, an ally of Damascus. International observers will be given the task of supervising the evacuation operations and ensuring the safety of civilians.



The "unanimous" adoption of resolution 2328 also marks the first step in a perspective of unity after months of clashes between the world powers in the Security Council, in particular between Moscow and the Western bloc. Divisions and conflicting interests that have exacerbated the toll of a conflict which, in five years, has caused more than 310 thousand deaths.



The text provides for a "proper and neutral monitoring" of operations. However, Bashar Jaafari, Syria's UN representative has criticized members stating that they pursue an agenda that aims to "legitimize foreign interference, overthrowing the legitimate government forces and using military force."



Damascus official response to the UN resolution remains to be seen.



According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at the moment there are still 7 thousand people trapped in eastern Aleppo in the hands of the opposition. There the living conditions are very difficult: there is no food or basic necessities, medicines are scarce and all hospital and health care facilities are unusable.



Yesterdays evacuees included 47 children trapped in an orphanage. Some of them, says UNICEF, appeared in critical condition due to injuries and dehydration.



After leaving Aleppo east, the displaced will be conducted to other areas of the northern metropolis of Syria, the former economic and commercial capital, and in the towns of the province of Idlib under rebel control.



Meanwhile, the UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced a new meeting between the opposing factions involved in the Syrian conflict for 8 February in Geneva. So far, there have already been three rounds of "indirect" talks under the aegis of the United Nations, each time ending in a stalemate. Unresolved issues include the role of President Bashar al-Assad in the future transitional government.
Nice Guys In The Friend Zone Are Actually Narcissists, Psychologist Says

Trending News: Surprise, Friend Zoned 'Nice Guys' Are Actually Huge Narcissists

Long Story Short

A respected psychologist has suggested that seemingly nice guys who end up being "just friends" with women are often secret narcissists who believe they are entitled to sleeping with women.

Long Story

The friend zone is a well documented phenomenon  a baffling territory men frequently stray into and very rarely escape from.

Theres essentially a countdown clock from meeting a woman within which a romantic relationship is possible and once it expires you are forever stuck as friends, whether you like it or not.

So it comes as little surprise really that many of the "nice guys" who are platonic friends with women are actually more like frustrated wannabe lovers, who often arent that nice at all.

Dr Scott Kaufman, a professor at the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania has given his professional opinion of "nice guys," telling the Daily Mail: A lot of nice guys who complain about being in the friend zone are not really that nice. They feel entitled to women  they are narcissists in nice guys clothing.

Kaufman believes that there are two types of guys in the friend zone  ones who dont have the guts to admit they want more, and those who are waiting for a chance to pounce.

This matches up with the definition of Nice Guy Syndrome suggested by the Geek Feminism Wiki: Men who view themselves as prototypical nice guys, but whose nice deeds are in reality only motivated by attempts to passively please women into a relationship and/or sex.

However, the chances of a "nice guy" breaking free of the friend zone and reaching lover land are pretty slim, unless they are trying to punch above their weight.

A study of 626 high-school students by Pennsylvania State University found that opposite gender friends were highly unlikely to make the leap from friendship to dating and that romantic partners rarely shared the same friendship group.

But researchers at the University of Texas at Austin studied 100 married couples and 67 dating couples and found that couples who believed they were equally attractive are most likely to get together quickly or not at all, but people who are chasing someone out of their league have a much better chance if they become friends first.

The moral of the story? Youre probably right not to trust that "nice guy" who is hanging around your girlfriend  time to put a border fence around the friend zone

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Do "nice guys" always have a secret agenda, or are they really just nice sometimes?

Drop This Fact

A study from the University of Wisconsin claimed that men and women can never truly be just friends  a point that is fiercely disputed by academics and people in the friend zone alike.
The Average Age People Around The World Lose Their Virginity

Trending News: Here's Where People Lose Their Virginity The Earliest (And Latest)

Long Story Short

A study of 44 countries lists the average age when people lose their virginity and the U.S. is somewhere in the middle.

Long Story

The age at which someone has sex for the first time is determined by a number of factors. Primarily, it's when a person is "ready." But there's also cultural norms, laws (age of consent) and peer pressure that can lead someone to lose their virginity at a certain age.

In the United States, the average age people lose their virginity shouldn't be too surprising  it's exactly when they're legally allowed to in many states. Americans on average have sex at 18-years-old, according to a study of 44 countries performed by condom brand Durex.

But Americans are far from the earliest  or the latest  to have sex for the first time. The U.S. sits in 24th place out of 44 countries, near to culturally similar countries like Canada (18.1) and Australia (17.9).

So if 18 is around the middle of the pack, where do they have their (probably awkward) first times the earliest?

Young people in the tiny nation of Iceland lose their virginity the quickest at 15.6-years-old, while fellow Nordic countries Denmark (16.1), Sweden (16.2), Norway (16.5) and Finland (16.5) round out the quickest 5. The reason for such early sexual experiences might have something to do with a low age of consent (Iceland's is just 15) or because it's chilly up there and thus they're more inclined to find a cuddle buddy sooner rather than later.

On the other side of the spectrum, Asian countries appear to be keen on taking their time with their virginity. Malaysians are the most patient, with the average age being 23-years-old. India (22.9), Singapore (22.8), China (22.1), Thailand (20.5) and Hong Kong (20.2) follow close behind.

To see the full list on a map, Chartsbin.com has done one up. But if you just want to see the list, here it is (via Daily Star).

1. Malaysia: 23

2. India: 22.9

3. Singapore: 22.8

4. China: 22.1

5. Thailand: 20.5

6. Hong Kong: 20.2

7. Vietnam: 19.7

8. Nigeria: 19.7

9. Japan: 19.4

10. Spain: 19.2

11. Indonesia: 19.1

12. Poland: 19

13. Italy: 18.9

14. Taiwan: 18.9

15. Russia: 18.7

16. Mexico: 18.7

17. South Africa: 18.7

18. France: 18.5

19. United Kingdom: 18.3

20. Switzerland: 18.2

21. Canada: 18.1

22. Netherlands: 18.1

23. Greece: 18.1

24. United States: 18

25. Australia: 17.9

26. Turkey: 17.8

27. New Zealand: 17.8

28. Slovakia: 17.8

29. Germany: 17.6

30. Brazil: 17.4

31. Ireland: 17.3

32. Croatia: 17.3

33. Austria: 17.3

34. Czech Republic: 17.2

35. Chile: 17.2

36. Belgium: 17.2

37. Portugal: 16.9

38. Bulgaria: 16.9

39. Israel: 16.7

40. Finland: 16.5

41. Norway: 16.5

42. Sweden: 16.2

43. Denmark: 16.1

44. Iceland: 15.6

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Drop This Fact

Another factor that influences when people lose their virginity is their DNA.
AUSPACK CONTINUES TO GROW PROCESSING FOR 2017





Processing machinery will continue to be a critical focus for AUSPACK 2017 with an impressive list of companies that have already signed up to exhibit and with an inaugural Processing Day held on Wednesday March 8, 2017.

According to Mr Luke Kasprzak, Portfolio Director  Industrial Division, Exhibitions and Trade Fairs, companies such as TNA Australia, Heat & Control, Walls Machinery, Krones and JL Lennard are just some of the processing exhibitors returning in 2017,

In addition we have international processing companies such as Haver & Boecker and FB Propak as well as local Viking Food Solutions and first time exhibitors Aurora Process Solutions also exhibiting next year, Mr Kasprzak said.

Within Packaging and Processing Week, AUSPACK will also feature an inaugural PROCESSING DAY on Wednesday March 8, 2017.

Multiple processing events will be held throughout the day with dedicated educational sessions, workshops, meetings and networking gatherings. Processors and processing machinery suppliers will discuss issues industry is currently facing and learn how latest technology can help them to overcome those.

The processing equipment side of AUSPACK continues to grow with more processing content then ever before. This will add true value to the visitor experience at the show so we encourage anyone involved in processing to register and attend this main event for processing and packaging industries.

AUSPACK 2017 will be held on the 7-10 March at the Sydney Showground and free registration is now open. To register, please visit www.auspack.com.au
Smart packaging finds strong platform at AUSPACK 2017





In the intelligent packaging space, Australian companies exhibiting at AUSPACK are developing solutions for brand owners that enable the development of experience-rich marketing campaigns; relay vital information on nutritional content and product provenance; and provide a platform for authentication, traceability, and brand protection.

Smart packaging  which encompasses both active and intelligent packaging  is seeing rapid technological advancement on a global scale. The global market for smart packaging is currently estimated at $5.3 billion and growing at CAGR of 8% for a projected value of $7.8 billion by 2021, according to market analyst Smithers Pira*. While active packaging is a relatively mature market, intelligent packaging is in a high growth phase, spurred by printed electronics, the Cloud and the Internet of Things, which combined create a new frontier for packaging manufacturers.

Intelligent packaging technologies incorporated or embedded in a pack (like codes and tags) provide a means to access information, check authenticity, monitor product conditions, receive and store data as well as deliver messages to customers, shippers and brand owners.

An important application for Australian manufacturers is proving product provenance and authentication, particularly for those exporting into Asian markets where counterfeiting is rife and where consumers seek assurance that a product is genuinely Australian.

Product identification and inspection expert Matthews Australasia (Stand 56 at AUSPACK 2017) has worked with New Zealand company Trust Codes to provide high-end infant formula processor Camperdown Dairies with a ground-breaking platform to allow Chinese consumers to quickly check the authenticity and provenance of its products using their smart phones.

The system prints each tin of infant milk formula with a unique QR code with human-readable information managed by Matthews iDSnet software. The printed QR code allows consumers to scan and identify the individual product and report its history, among other information.

In another local development, packaging equipment supplier Result Group (Stand 38 at AUSPACK 2017) has partnered with IDlocate, a traceability and anti-counterfeit solutions provider, to deliver a consumer-facing authentication platform which enables unique QR coding systems to be printed on packaging. By scanning the code with any smart phone or hand-held device, consumers have direct access to a range of data in real time  including growing information, ingredient details, promotional offers, export origin and serving suggestions.

Benefits to brand owners include the ability to check supply chain and distribution without needing third-party feedback, and the capability to understand consumer-buying behaviour first hand, plus being able to build product-relevant custom content and share it with consumers instantly.

Augmented Reality is another exciting technology being used by brands to create engaging and immersive experiences for consumers. Omniverse Foster Group (Stand 27 at AUSPACK 2017) will be demonstrating advances made to its 3D immersive packaging technology which it introduced at AUSPACK 2015. The company will showcase how it is taking AR to the next level of digital platforming, enhancing the technologys ability to bring brands to life.

* Smithers Pira: The Future of Smart Packaging to 2021

AUSPACK 2017 will run from 7  10 March 2017 at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park from March 7-10.
Allen & Overy has advised Advent International as the financial sponsor of Indias first synthetic INR denominated margin loan.This financing facility is the first in India to simultaneously monetise listed Indian shares and protect the offshore borrower from the exchange rate fluctuations in relation to its underlying income stream.The A&O deal team was led by London finance partner Sanjeev Dhuna, assisted by senior associate Jagannath Iyer. The wider A&O team included senior associates Kunal Katre and Dan Birch, and associates Katie Sullivan and Matthew Short.The reference asset for the loan is Advent's equity shareholding of Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Limited (CGCEL). CGCEL is listed on India's National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange and is a leading manufacturer of a wide spectrum of consumer products ranging from fans, light sources and luminaires, pumps and household appliances, such as geysers, mixer grinders, toasters and irons. Crompton has been the market leader in India for fans, domestic pumps and street lighting for the last 20 years.The loan will be borrowed by Advent's offshore holding company that holds its investment in CGCEL. The loan will be sized and priced synthetically in INR terms, with all cashflows being settled in US dollars.Dhuna noted that private equity investment in India has surged since 2012, with 2015 seeing a record US$22.4 billion in investments, according to data from Bain and Co.PE houses are continually looking at new ways to finance deals and we are pleased to be involved in the first financing of this kind in India for Advent, a longstanding client. Delivering a bespoke financing solution for our client which included bringing together elements from masala loans, European-style margin loans and equity derivatives into a single loan financing, was our priority during this deal, said Dhuna.
The partners of international law firms Eversheds and Sutherland have voted to combine with what is described as exceptionally strong approval from both sides.The merger will complete on 1 February 2017 and the new entity will be known globally as Eversheds Sutherland . It will be managed by a team of six including joint CEOs, and overseen by a board of ten with equal representation from both firms.The combination will have 2,300 lawyers across 61 offices in 29 countries including Hong Kong, Mainland China and Singapore.For Eversheds, the merger will achieve its long-held ambition to expand its footprint to the US and chief executive Bryan Hughes says the challenge has been finding the right firm to join with. For Sutherland, it expands a mainly US-based firm to a global entity.However, the enlarged firm is expected to seek additional acquisitions to further expand its US and global reach.Female students in US law schools have become the majority for the first time, the American Bar Association says.The latest data shows 55,766 women studying law in America compared to 55,059 men with women also making up 51 per cent of first year law students.However, the figures also show that the overall numbers of students choosing to study law remains subdued with only a small increase  since 2010 numbers are down 30 per cent.Women taking the lead is is a milestone, but one to view with caution, said Deborah J. Merritt, a law professor at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University told the New York Times.Merritt was one of the authors of a report that suggests that some female law students are admitted to lower-ranking law schools and it can be hard for women to get accepted to the elite schools.Some lawyers working for the Delhi government have not been paid since for a year, according to the Times of India.Thirty-two lawyers are affected by non-payment of their fees for work as government prosecutors and the Delhi high court has ordered an investigation.The court said that it was the state that ultimately loses out and that it could not understand "how the state would expect the requisite assistance to be rendered by the counsel to courts if they had not been paid.
With less than a month to go before the European arm of the King & Wood Mallesons verein is expected to enter administration, it is reported that the China partnership is in talks to takeover some of the offices.Regional media in Europe reports that the offices in Germany, Italy and Spain could become part of KWM China and its possible some London partners will be retained too.A new partnership will enable global law firm DLA Piper to offer its clients documents as a service which will allow the self-service creation of contract documents through a web-based solution.The law firm has partnered with tech firm Exari to leverage its DocGen software for the new service offering but the initial concept for the service came from DLA Pipers Blue Edge Lab."This is an exciting venture that will help our clients achieve unprecedented levels of speed and control in creating and negotiating contracts," said Vincent Sanchez, global co-chair of DLA Piper's Technology, Sourcing and Commercial practice and a managing director of Blue Edge Lab.Stephenson Harwood is to open a new office in Myanmar, expanding its Southeast Asia footprint.The firms formal association in the country with local firm U Tin Yu and Associates ended earlier in the year, but Stephenson Harwood has a growing client base in Myanmar along with international clients investing there.The new office in Yangon is expected to open in 2017 and will bring the firms total network to ten. Corrs Chambers Westgarth has announced the promotion of twenty-five lawyers; nine to special counsel and sixteen to senior associate.The lawyers, described by CEO John W.H. Denton as the firms next generation of leaders will move up their career ladders from 1January 2017.Those promoted to special counsel are: Alison Teh  Construction, Brisbane; Alistair Newton  Intellectual Property, Technology & Competition, Melbourne; Catherine Oldenburg  Litigation, Sydney; Franka Cheung  Energy & Resources, Brisbane; Kate Betts  Litigation, Brisbane; Katrina Sleiman  Litigation, Sydney; Kieran Egan  Taxation, Sydney; Marie Costa  Workplace Relations, Melbourne; and Nicole Graham  Corporate Advisory, Sydney.
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First-year enrolment in law schools in the US was stagnant in the past year, increasing by only 36 to 37,107.The relatively flat growth comes from data gathered from American Bar Association-accredited law schools in the country, a report from The National Law Journal has revealed.This is the first time, however, that the schools saw an increase - though small - since 2010. Some observers may see this as a positive sign, but some experts say essentially flat enrolment may be the new norm for US law schools.Derek Muller, law professor at Pepperdine University School of Law, told the publication that while this signalled stability, it may be bad for schools hoping to see an increase in both quantity and quality of enrolees.For schools that had been bracing for a short-term decline, with this bottoming out, I think they're going to have to expect that this is the new normal, he said.The professor noted he is not expecting a significant decline soon since there has also been no significant change in how many partook in the early administration of the Law School Admission Test.It should be noted, however, that the ABA data also revealed overall Juris Doctor enrollment to have decreased nearly 3% - from 113,900 in 2015 to 110,951 this year. Furthermore, 94 of the 205 ABA-accredited law schools said their first-year classes contracted, while 110 reported growth.University of North Carolina School of Law professor Alfred Brophy told the publication its encouraging the education sector isnt losing students.However, he also commented: I think there's probably still too many law schools for this many students. My guess is some places will have to shut down or merge.
By Igor Bray, Head of Physics, Astronomy and Medical Radiation Science, Curtin University

Shutterstock

It is an exciting time to be a physicist, particularly in Australia. In mid-2012, the Higgs boson was discovered at CERN, and physicists from Melbourne contributed to the development of the ATLAS detector that participated in the discovery.

Then came the first direct detection of gravitational waves in early 2016, with Australian contributors from the University of Adelaide, the Australian National University and the University of Western Australia.

Now, just reported in Nature, is another breakthrough in fundamental physics, this time concerning antimatter. And this is another area where Australian researchers have been very active.

The researchers at CERN managed to isolate several atoms of antihydrogen  the antimatter analogue of hydrogen  and measure its properties with unprecedented accuracy.

While Australian researchers were not formally part of this experimental program, we have been providing calculations that show how to increase substantially the number of antihydrogen atoms made.

Mysterious matter

Why the interest in antihydrogen, or antimatter in general? It turns out that along with dark energy and dark matter, the existence of antimatter is quite a mystery to physicists.

The biggest puzzle is why there is so much matter in the universe, and so little antimatter. It would have been much easier to explain if there were equal amounts of matter and antimatter in the universe, or none at all.

The Standard Model predicts equal amounts of antimatter and matter being created by the Big Bang, but in reality there is a tiny amount of antimatter compared to matter. Why is this so? No one knows, and a Nobel Prize awaits whoever solves this problem.

It gets even more interesting, though. As there is no unification between quantum mechanics and general relativity, we have no reason to believe that antimatter will behave in a gravitational field in the same way as does matter.

This is something that physicists would very much like to test. But to do so, we need to create a substantial quantity of antimatter.

It also needs to be electrically neutral, so that any effect of gravity on the antimatter isnt overwhelmed by the far more powerful electromagnetic force. Antihydrogen is a great candidate for this experiment because it has no electric charge.

The interest of the Gravitational Behaviour of Antihydrogen at Rest (GBAR) group at CERN is observing how antihydrogen behaves under gravity. If it falls, just like ordinary hydrogen, not much will be learned regarding the asymmetry of matter and antimatter in the universe. On the other hand, if it goes up, the foundation of physics will need a rethink!









CERN





Elusive anti-atoms

Another way to study antimatter is to examine its structure.

We already know a lot about the behaviour of matter, such as the way electrons move between the shells around the nucleus. We have measured the amount of energy required to bump an electron from the innermost, 1 shell, and the next, 2 shell, with startling precision  out to 15 significant figures.

If the same transition can be measured in antihydrogen to a similar level of precision, then perhaps we will gain a clue to matter-antimatter asymmetry for the first time.

In physics, when we perform experiments, the measurements are repeated many times to ensure that the results are statistically significant. This is not so easy when it comes to working with antihydrogen.

When matter and antimatter come together they annihilate, creating a massive amount of energy (as described by Einsteins famous E=mc formula). One practical benefit is in positron emission tomography (PET) scans for cancer detection.

PET uses the annihilation of positrons (antielectrons) with electrons to create gamma rays that we can use to determine the position of the cancer in the body.

In the new experiment at CERN, the number of antihydrogen atoms initially created is around 25,000. But only about a dozen of these were trapped and could be examined closely.

Nevertheless, that was sufficient to measure the 1 shell to 2 shell transition of an electron to an accuracy of 10 significant figures, all of which agree with the ordinary hydrogen case.

Antimatter downunder

Though there have not been any surprises thus far, the next goal is to increase substantially the number of trapped antihydrogen atoms so we can form the gravitational and spectroscopic experiments with considerably improved precision.

This is where our research on how to produce more antihydrogen atoms comes in. Antihydrogen is typically made by bringing together positronium  a short-lived bound state of a positron and an electron  together with antiprotons that are chilled to less than a degree above absolute zero.

We showed that if the positronium is initially prepared in a more electrically excited state, as can be routinely done with modern lasers, then the number of antihydrogen atoms created will increase by several orders of magnitude.

This process is currently under development at CERN, and we look forward to seeing one of the longstanding problems in physics  matter-antimmatter asymmetry  being tackled head-on by the teamwork of experimental and theoretical physicists.

Igor Bray receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Originally published in The Conversation.
By David Blair, Director, Australian International Gravitational Research Centre, University of Western Australia

Wikimedia

The discovery of gravitational waves, announced earlier this year, marked the ultimate test of Einsteins general theory of relativity. Einstein published his theory in the form of 10 abstract equations 101 years ago. The equations did away with Newtons theory of gravity and replaced it with curved space and warped time.

Within weeks, Karl Schwarzschild found a solution to Einsteins equations. His conclusion was astonishing and almost unbelievable: it told us that time depends on altitude and that matter can create holes where space and time come to an end.

A few months later, Einstein himself found a solution to his own equations. This solution described waves in the curvature of spacetime that would ripple out at the speed of light whenever masses accelerated around each other.

For its first half-century, Einsteins theory was controversial. Were the waves real or mere mathematical artefacts? Do gravitational waves deposit energy? Are the black holes hypothesised by astronomers the same black holes that Schwarszchild predicted, or are they some other very dense agglomerations of matter?

Over the past 40 years the evidence has mounted that gravitational waves actually exist and that black holes are the real thing. Thousands of physicists believed the theory well enough to devote years inventing technology for making the exquisitely sensitive detectors required to prove the theory.

Yet when the waves were finally discovered, it still came as a shock. The shock was to suddenly know what for years had been a belief and a hope.

Suddenly we knew that the waves existed; we knew that our detectors could actually detect them and that the black holes out there are precisely the holes predicted by Schwarszchild. The discovery removed all remaining doubt that Einsteins description of space, time and gravity is the best way we have of understanding the universe.

The first gravitational sounds detected revealed an unexpected number of very heavy black holes colliding throughout the universe. These discoveries are only explainable using Einsteinian thinking.

Scientific masterpiece

So 2016 is surely the year when Newtonian physics was consigned to the history books, to be replaced by Einsteinian physics.

When, then, does Newtonian physics  with its absolute time, fixed space and lack of gravitational waves  still dominates the school physics curriculum in most countries? Why arent Newtons theories supplemented with Einsteins more general ones to give students insight into our present best understanding of our universe?

Recently, 40 physicist-educators from around the world converged on the Gravity Discovery Centre in Western Australia to explore how school science can be re-imagined in the era of gravitational wave astronomy.

All shared the vision that we owe it to our children to teach our best understanding of the nature of our universe, rather than the obsolete 19th-century science that still dominates our school curriculum.

We heard about three countries that are pioneering Einsteinian physics in the classroom: South Korea, Norway and Scotland.

Korean physicist and educator Hongbin Kim suggested that South Koreas economic growth and innovative culture is closely linked to its massive emphasis on education. This has led to it performing much better than Australia in the world rankings of maths and science education.

One reason for Einsteins absence from school science classes is that many people imagine that his theories require enormous mathematical skills. The educationalists at the conference emphatically rejected this viewpoint.

Others argued that Einsteinian physics should be taught for its sublime beauty. Carlo Rovelli stated:

There are absolute masterpieces which move us intensely: Mozarts Requiem, Homers Odyssey, the Sistine Chapel Einsteins jewel, the general theory of relativity, is a masterpiece of this order.

Yet Einsteinian physics is more than a jewel to be admired. Einsteins seminal works brought us photons, digital cameras, lasers, black holes, time warps, quantum entanglement and solar panels. His discoveries changed and defined the modern world. Time magazine declared him the Person of the 20th Century.

Education researchers have overwhelming evidence that children are motivated and excited to learn Einsteinian physics, and equally that they are turned off by a stale and obsolete curriculum.

Jyoti Kaur, from the Australian Einstein-First team at the University of Western Australia, showed that Einsteinian physics brought year 9 girls into parity with boys in their enthusiasm for learning Einsteins physics and in their attitudes to physics.

Entering a new era

Gravitational wave detection has brought us a new way of observing the universe. Australians played a major role in the discovery and shared the Breakthrough Prize for their achievement.

Now we can directly listen to extraordinary events and phenomena throughout the universe. We have already heard vast spacequakes created by huge merging black holes. In a few years as more detectors are built and improved, the universe will be online with daily signals that will help to reveal the entire history of matter in the universe, from the very first stars where the elements for life were created, to the ultimate death of matter itself in constantly growing black holes.

In Norway, Einsteins general relativity is part of the upper secondary physics curriculum and many on-line learning resources are being developed.

In Scotland, the recent introduction of the so-called Curriculum for Excellence has seen Einsteinian physics firmly embedded in the senior physics national qualifications. Australia is lagging far behind and its slow decline in the rankings tell of lack of innovation in the curriculum.

So why isnt relativity taught in Australia? One of the greatest impediments to re-imagining school science is the retraining of science teachers, whose training was devoid of Einsteinian physics.

Given that education drives innovation, governments and education departments should recognise that the failure to invest in updating the curriculum is a recipe for economic decline and loss of international competitiveness.

David Blair's research on the Einstein-First education project is a collaboration between University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, the Gravity Discovery Centre Foundation and the Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation. The project is funded by the Australian Research Council.

Ellen Karoline Henriksen, University of Oslo, Norway, receives funding from The Research Council of Norway and from The Olav Thon Foundation for the work mentioned in this article.

Martin Hendry was an invited member of the SQA Physics Qualifications Design Team and Mathematics Excellence Group for the "Curriculum for Excellence" in Scotland, which has seen the introduction of significant elements of Einsteinian physics and Einsteinian thinking into the senior phase of the Scottish high school curriculum. From 2010 to 2012 he was partially funded by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council as a Science in Society Fellow, leading an international programme of schools and public outreach on cosmology, astrophysics and relativity entitled "Exploring the Dark Side of the Universe".

Originally published in The Conversation.
Backpackers working in Australia are being urged to contact the tax office if they are confused over their current status and how that will change from the start of 2017.The new tax regime for young people with working holidaymaker visas begins on 01 January and from that date they will pay 15% in income tax from the first dollar that they earn. But what they have earned this year will be taxed differently and that depends on their status and the Australian Tax Office (ATO) says visa holders are urged to make sure they are paying the right level of tax.There could also be confusion among employers so again visa holders are being urged to make sure they check with their bosses and the tax office to make sure they are paying the correct amount.In July 2017 it gets even more complicated with the introduction of the new backpackers' superannuation tax. It means that a backpacker who is leaving the country and claiming superannuation from July 2017 onwards will be required to pay the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment with the whole amount being taxed at 65%.The ATO has made a new table available on its website to show backpackers and employers what they should be paying in tax. 'From 01 January 2017, as a working holiday maker the first $37,000 of your income is taxed at 15%, with the balance taxed at ordinary rates,' said an AO spokesman.'As a working holiday maker your employer also has to pay superannuation for you if you are eligible. When you leave Australia you can apply to have your super paid to you as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). The tax on any DASP made to working holiday makers on or after 01 July 2017 is 65%,' the spokesman explained.'When you lodge an income tax return, we will work out how much tax you should have paid. If you paid too much, we will give you a refund. If you have not paid enough, we will send you a bill,' the spokesman added.The ATO has given the following example of how it will work. Belgian Louie arrives in Australia with a 417 working holiday visa and starts work on a mango farm on 10 January 2017 in north Queensland. He gives his employer his visa details and the first $37,000 of his income will be taxed at 15%.Louie is paid weekly and earns $100 a day. After five days work, Louie receives his first pay of $500, from which $75 tax is withheld and sent to the ATO. Louie finishes working in April after earning a total of $6,000. His employer gives Louie a payment summary showing he earned a total of $6,000 and had $1,140 tax withheld.Before he leaves Australia, Louie lodges an income tax return showing his $6,000 income, tax withheld of $1,140 and $500 deductions related to his employment. Once processed, Louie receives a Notice of Assessment showing a taxable income of $5,500 and a tax on taxable income of $1,045. As Louie paid $1,140 in tax, he receives a refund of $95 paid directly to his bank account.With information being shared between the ATO and the DIBP a visa holder who fails to pay the correct tax could be flagged up if they apply for another visa in the future. If you are still in Australia and found to have deliberately avoiding tax then you could be deported.
PHOENIX  A federal judge has rebuffed efforts by the Ducey administration to put off until Donald Trump takes office a challenge to its policy of denying to a driver's license to some the Obama administration has said can remain here.

Judge David Campbell said he will hear arguments next month from immigrant rights advocates that the state is acting illegally in withholding the licenses. What the judge rules will determine if the case goes forward or gets thrown out.

Of note is that Campbell set the hearing for 10 a.m. Arizona time on Jan. 20. That's the exact hour that Trump is scheduled to be sworn in at the nation's capital.

It is that act which Ducey's lawyers are using in their bid to delay having to defend the state's policy of denying licenses to some in deferred action programs.

The case is a spinoff of the original lawsuit filed against the state after then-Gov. Jan Brewer directed the state Motor Vehicle Division not to issue licenses to those who were part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program announced in 2012.

Attorneys for the state argued that DACA status is merely the decision by the Obama administration not to deport the "dreamers'' who came here as children and meet other qualifications. And they said that does not meet the requirement of a 1996 state law which says licenses are available only to those whose presence in the country is "authorized by federal law.''

A federal appeals court quashed the policy, ruling only the federal government can decide who is in this country legally. While that remains on appeal, the state has been issuing licenses to DACA recipients.

One issue in that lawsuit was that the state was not being fair, as it had been providing licenses for years to those in other deferred action programs. These include domestic violence victims, those with pending vista applications and those allowed to stay for humanitarian reasons.

So in its bid to justify denying licenses to "dreamers'' the state stopped issuing licenses to those in these other groups. And since they were not included in the original lawsuit because they had been getting licenses, they are not covered by the appellate court ruling.

So Karen Tumlin of the National Immigration Law Center sued on their behalf.

On Friday, attorneys for the Ducey administration asked Campbell to put the case on the back burner to wait and see what the Trump administration will decide about DACA.

At one point Trump had said he intended to deport everyone not here legally. But the president-elect more recently has softened his stance on DACA recipients.

"We're going to work something out that's going to make people happy and proud,'' he told Time magazine.

Douglas Northup, the governor's lead attorney, told Campbell it makes no sense to let the case go forward at this point.

"Upon taking office, President-elect Trump may entirely eliminate DACA by federal executive order in the same way that it was authorized,'' he wrote. He said the new administration could eliminate some of the deferred action programs "or develop an entirely new and different system of immigration classification.''

And Northup had a backup plea.

"At a minimum, the matter should be stayed until the expiration of President-elect Trump's first 100 days in office,'' he asked.

But Campbell sided with Tumlin who argued that it doesn't matter what Trump does about DACA.

"The underlying statutory authority for the executive to engage in prosecutorial discretion will remain in place,'' she argued. And Tumlin pointed out that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals already has ruled that the state is in no position to decide by itself who is here legally separate from federal standards.

She conceded that Congress itself could change immigration laws. But she argued "the mere possibility that it might do so provides no grounds to delay the resolution of the live controversy before this court.''
AMG

Created by Brenthon Design , this rendering of the 2018 Genesis G70 brings us closer to the real deal. Based on spy photographs of the pre-production prototype, the pictured sedan also borrows cues from New York Concept.Presented in March 2016 at the New York Auto Show, the concept is a wild exaggeration compared to how the Genesis G70 will actually look like. Nevertheless, the one-off machine signals the premum automakers intention to offer a hybrid powertrain in the upcoming G70, consisting of a 2.0-liter GDi engine, an electric motor, an 8-speed tranny, and 245 PS (242 horsepower).Being developed for the U.S. market first and foremost, the Genesis G70 could also get a 2.0-liter twin-scroll turbo as the entry-level option. With 245 horsepower on tap in the Hyundai Sonata, the 2.0T under the hood of the G70 would have no problem keeping up with the likes of the Audi A4 2.0 TFSI (252 hp), BMW 330i (248 hp), and Mercedes-Benz C300 (241 hp). A diesel for the European customer is out of the question for the time being, chiefly because the Genesis brand will debut in Europe no sooner than 2019.Say, what about a go-faster G70 variant? At the present moment, we can only speculate on the subject of a hot G70. The twin-turbo V6 in the Genesis G80 Sport has 365 horsepower to offer in its tamest tune, making it a viable option against the Mercedes-C43 and BMW 340i. Regarding what will motivate the BMW M3- and Mercedes-AMG C63-rivaling G70 variant, a V8 isnt likely. At best, Genesis would go for a more potent 3.3-liter T-GDi.Until further notice, this is all we have on the 2018 Genesis G70
Arguably the most pleasing visual element of the current model, the lightning bolt on the side profile sets the Odyssey apart from other minivans currently on sale in the United States of America. From the pictured sketch, we can also notice five-spoke wheels, LED-accented taillights connected by a strip of chrome/glass, and a more aggressively raked windshield than ever before.Probably spurred by the success of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica , Honda appears to have given its all to redesign the Odyssey for 2018. Slated to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show, the 8-seater family hauler also promises new powertrain technology, as well as a new suite of innovative features."From Hondas wording of the adjacent release on the next-gen Odyssey, it appears that the 3.5-liter V6 will make way for an all-new or revised engine. My intuition tells me the Odyssey will be matched with the 3.5-liter V6 employed by the Pilot , a unit that churns out 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft. By comparison, the 2017 Odyssey makes do with 248 hp and 250 lb-ft.While on the subject of speculation, the Japan-spec Odyssey is available as a hybrid. Considering the existence of the Pacifica Hybrid, its probable that Honda will electrify the U.S.-spec Odyssey at some point. The technology is there, coming courtesy of the 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid , but then again, it would be wishful thinking to expect such an outcome to turn to fruition.A more likely possibility is the transition from a 6- to a 9-speed automatic transmission , as seen on upper trim levels of the 2017 Honda Pilot.
The journalist reviews privately-owned cars, which explains the black stickers on the particular example of the V10 Raging Bull we have here, as well as another details we'll let you discover in the video.Inspired by the sure-footed driving experience delivered by the Huracan, Doug seems to match the enthusiasts level of the supercar, as you'll notice... pretty much throughtout the entire length of the video.The man even goes as far as delivering a review-compensation for the lack of spectacular dynamic scenes in his review, one many of you might actually find interesting.While we're talking Sant'Agata Bolognese matters, we should mention the latest Lamborghini debut, namely the Aventador S we showed you yesterday, has only wet our appetite even further.As we've admited on previous occasions, we can easily get greedy when it comes to Lambos, which is why all we can think about right now is the next model to join the Italian automaker's line-up.Yes, we're referring to the Huracan Superleggera , the supercar that has set our spyshots section on fire throughout the year - some even go as far as linking the upcoming spiced-up Huracan to the recent Huracan Performance trademark filing coming from the automaker, but we think the Gallardo's scheme will stick around, which means we'll receive the Superleggera before the Performante.Regardless, the slightly soft side of the V10 machine was the only important downside we mentioned in our Lamborghini Huracan review , which is why we can't wait to meet the derivative mentioend above, which will be lighter, more powerful and pack a meaner overall setup.
EV

As previously stated in the half year Financial Report dated June 30th, the U.S. government procedures were slowing down business operations. Thanks to this license, Energica will now be able to record sales of its vehicles in California.Customers can get their own bikes with license plate at Energicas Redwood facility and be supported by Energica US operations - the subsidiary Energica Motor Company INC, the display hall in San Francisco, and the Sales & Services site in Redwood.The display hall in San Fran (Galleria Energica) and the Service & Sales Center are intended to promote as well as sell Energica products directly in the Bay Area. These facilities will also be the main support for developing a dealer network starting from LA and San Diego areas and partnering with other established dealers and sellers.Apart from California, Energica gained another international achievement joining the Israelmarket. The manufacturer completed the procedures to opening commercial agreements with Israel and obtain permission to record its vehicles by government authorities.This new country is an important market for the development of the brand as Israel is well-known for being a pioneer in the battery industry and battery charging systems as well as hosting several high-tech companies.Back on the Old Continent, Energica Motor Company S.p.A finalized a new commercial agreement with Sweden, one of the leading EVS market thanks to several incentives and government policies.The electric revolution has already arrived in the country with year-to-date EVS registrations being up by 80% (11,913 units). In November alone, Sweden registered 1,297 sold units.
Instead of finding a way of reducing fuel consumption and dangerous emissions - or eliminating them altogether - manufacturers are more likely to find a cool gimmick and use it in their communication and advertising just because it sounds innovating.There are plenty of examples, most of them related to the use of various combinations of recycled or recyclable materials to make some of the stuff that goes into our cars. The BMW i3 is a prime case in this respect, with an impressive percentage of the vehicle's interior being made out of stuff people woudl normally dispose of.Other times, though, carmakers remain quiet about some of their less orthodox solutions. That seems to be the case with Toyota and its soy-based electric wiring. We all have a vegan friend so we've been lectured on the benefits of soy, but we never really expected it to go into the making of a car's electric circuit.Well, we could have spent a lifetime without noticing it, but not the rodents , apparently. The little critters sniffed there was something amiss about those cables, switched from nose-mode to teeth-mode and rearranged the electric circuits of some of the vehicles from the Japanese manufacturer mainly by cutting them.The owners weren't very happy to wake up in the morning, turn the key and notice the dashboard light up like a Christmas tree - or not light up at all. A service inspection identified the problem, and a few droppings found at the scene pointed a finger toward the culprit: rodents.The issue here is that Toyota's warranty refuses to pay for the repairs claiming that the damage came from an exterior source. While that may be technically true, Toyota is ignoring the fact it was the wirings' savory flavor that invited the chewy guests to the feast in the first place.Insurance companies have covered the expenses in most cases, but the people are still upsed over having to pay deductibles, not to mention now knowing their wiring is plant-based. CarComplaints.com says that a lawsuit against Toyota has been filed in Texas and that it classifies as a class-action, meaning it will include thousands of other cars.
The Element-Arval Global Alliance has added RDA Renting as a new member, growing the world-spanning fleet management partnership to 50 countries.

RDA Renting operates in Argentina and Uruguay and offers advice, purchasing, delivery, administration, and resale of fleet vehicles, according to the Element-Arval Global Alliance.

For more than 20 years, Element and Arval have worked together to build and continuously expand this global fleet alliance, tailoring its approach to both global and local needs of our customers, said Bart Beckers, chief commercial officer of Arval. Reaching our 50th country marks a new milestone in our growth story and further strengthens our presence in Latin America.

At the recent Latin America Strategy Meeting for the Element-Arval Global Alliance, held at Elements office in Mexico City, Alliance representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the U.S. cemented the newest relationship, according to the company.
Photo courtesy of Uber

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved regulations allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to use rented vehicles while on the job, according to a report by the San Francisco Examiner.

Rented and leased vehicles have been redefined as personal vehicles for ride-hailing drivers. That means drivers can now legally rent vehicles to drive for Uber and Lyft instead of using the cars they own, according to the report. This could encourage more people to be able to afford to drive for ride-hailing platforms.

Taxi companies were frustrated with the decision. Its gone from someones personal car you were supposedly sharing to someone renting a car to use for commercial purposes, Hansu Kim, owner of San Franciscos Flywheel Taxi Service, told the Examiner.

Gov. Jerry Brown legalized the use of rented vehicles to drive for Uber and Lyft in September, says the report.

Click here for the full San Francisco Examiner report.
PHOENIX  Local officials cannot use federal laws outlawing marijuana to refuse to provide necessary zoning for dispensaries, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

In their unanimous decision, the judges acknowledged the federal Controlled Substances Act makes the possession and sale of marijuana a felony. And they noted that the zoning sought by White Mountain Health Center was specifically to be able sell the drug from a shop in an unincorporated area of Sun City.

But Judge Donn Kessler said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery had no legal basis to claim that federal law trumps the 2010 voter-approved Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. And he also rejected Montgomery's contention that having county officials issue the required zoning would mean they were aiding and abetting in the violation of federal law.

The fight has its roots in the 2010 initiative which allows those with a doctor's recommendation and a state-issued ID card to obtain up to 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana every two weeks. That law also set up a a network of state-regulated privately run dispensaries to sell the drug.

Before issuing a permit for a dispensary, state health officials need certification from the local government that the site is properly zoned. White Mountain Health, seeking to locate in Sun City, sought the necessary certification from Maricopa County.

But Montgomery instructed county officials not to respond. He argued that doing so would make them guilty of violating federal laws which prohibit not just the possession and sale of marijuana but doing anything to facilitate either.

And he contended that anything the state does cannot preempt federal law.

Kessler said there are several flaws with that argument. He said nothing in the Controlled Substances Act prohibits states from having their own drugs laws.

More to the point, Kessler said the fact that Arizona has chosen to legalize the possession and sale of marijuana simply immunizes those involved from being prosecuted under Arizona law.

"Arizona, like all other states, has the power to decriminalize certain acts and exempt certain actors for purposes of state law,'' Kessler wrote. He said there is no conflict with federal law because nothing that Arizona does precludes the federal government, if it wants, from enforcing its own laws.

"The Arizona Medical Marijuana Act does not otherwise purport to shield anyone or any act from federal prosecution,'' Kessler wrote.

And the court rejected Montgomery's contention that county officials would be guilty of aiding and abetting others to violate the Controlled Substances Act.

"To aid and abet, a person must associate himself with the venture and participate in it as in something that he wishes to bring about and seeks by his actions to make it succeed,'' Kessler noted. He said there is no way to conflate the simple zoning matter as actively aiding and abetting in the sale of the drug.

And there's something else

Kessler pointed out that a provision of a 2015 federal appropriations act specifically prohibits the U.S. Department of Justice from using any of its funds to prevent Arizona from implementing its own laws on the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana. That, he said, eliminates any basis to argue that county officials who are simply doing what the 2010 Arizona law requires might find themselves facing charges of violating federal laws.

The dispensary has since been built, with state health officials using earlier court rulings to conclude that they did not need to wait for the county certification. But Tuesday's ruling undermines future attempts by local governments to try to use federal laws to derail marijuana dispensaries.

This isn't the first time Arizona courts have rejected arguments by prosecutors that federal laws trump what voters approved in 2010.

Three years ago the Arizona Supreme Court ordered the Yuma County Sheriff's Office to return marijuana which had been seized from a patient.

That case involved a California medical marijuana patient whose drugs were confiscated at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Yuma. The Border Patrol declined to prosecute, turning the drugs over to the sheriff's office.

No charges were brought by the county because the woman was a legal medical marijuana user in California and the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act specifically recognizes laws of other states. But Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot refused to return her drugs, contending that would put him in violation of federal law.

The Court of Appeals ordered Wilmot to hand the drugs over, saying he could not be prosecuted under federal law. Both the Arizona Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court refused to disturb that ruling.
Bollore group's BlueLA electric carsharing service is scheduled to open in Los Angeles in 2017. Photo via Wikimedia/BDS2006 (talk)



A little more than a year after the launch of BlueIndy, the all-electric carsharing service in Indianapolis, the Bollore group continues its expansion in the U.S. with BlueLA in Los Angeles.

On Dec. 16, following approval by the Los Angeles City Council, the City of Los Angeles signed an agreement with BlueCalifornia, the Bollore subsidiary which will operate the service, to launch the all-electric car sharing service.

We are proud to have been selected following the request for qualification launched in early 2016, said Marie Bollore, president of Blue Solutions Electric Mobility. Los Angeles, the United States second largest city, is a wonderful showcase for our carsharing service, and we aim to support the citys environmental leadership with a commitment to affordability and equal access, allowing electric mobility to reach underserved communities. 

BlueLA is scheduled to open in 2017, according to Bollore. The service will initially include the deployment of 200 public charge points and 100 electric vehicles. Based on the technology demonstrated in Europe (Autolib, Bluely, Bluecub, and Bluetorino), in the U.S. (BlueIndy) and soon in Asia (BlueSG), BlueLA will meet the mobility needs of Angelenos with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

BlueLA will be available in the communities of Westlake, Pico Union, portions of Koreatown, areas north of the University of Southern California, and portions of downtown Los Angeles.

Every community in Los Angeles deserves cleaner air and the opportunity to make a difference in the fight against climate change, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. That is why we are so proud that we can now launch the nation's first pilot program for electric vehicle sharing in disadvantaged communities. That is real progress.
Colton Harris-Moore, whose two-year teenage crime spree included the theft of several small airplanes  which he had taught himself to fly from manuals and videos  pled guilty in 2011 to 33 counts of burglary and theft, and now has served his sentence and is seeking funds through GoFundMe to start his legitimate flying career. Something that I think should be said right out of the gate is that, this is not a sad story, Harris-Moore writes at the GoFundMe site.This is about airplanes! Now 25 and living in Seattle, Harris-Moore says he has tried to keep a low profile since his release from prison in September, but feels the time is right to pursue his dream of a flying career. Believe me, I love airplanes, but I will never steal one or break the law again, he writes.

Harris-Moore breaks down the amounts he will need to get all his ratings at local flight schools, from private pilot to commercial, instrument, and CFI, in both airplanes and helicopters, and comes up with $125,496. He said he hopes to raise the money quickly so he can start training and get a job as soon as he is done. He expects the training will take several months, and then hell apply for a job as a helicopter medevac pilot. Harris-Moore paid restitution to the victims of his crimes after selling movie rights to Sony, according to Seattles King5 news station.

By the end of the day, however, the fundraising effort had been put on hold. Well, I guess I spoke too soon, Harris-Moore posted in an update at the GoFundMe site. They requested that I PAUSE donations until they can approve the GoFundMe. So, thats what I have done. It may take a week or two for them to approve this, so please be patient! Remember I am still on probation and still have to jump through the hoops! Ill do whatever it takes! $1,575 was raised from 32 donors before the hold took effect.
Its been a long road for Cirrus to produce their first jet, but on Monday the company delivered a Vision jet to a customer, at a ceremony in Duluth, Minnesota. Its a major milestone to deliver the first airplane, said Cirrus CEO Dale Klapmeier, according to the local BusinessNorth report. This is a major step in the growth of our company. The aircraft was delivered to Joe Whisenhunt, an Arkansas real estate developer who has previously owned 10 Cirrus airplanes. About 800 employees and company friends filled the hall at the companys new 60,000-square-foot finishing facility. The single-engine jet was FAA certified in October. Cirrus says it has about 600 orders for the jet, which sells for about $2 million.

Besides delivering the airplane, Monday nights event also officially opened the finishing facility, which is owned by the city of Duluth. The state of Minnesota invested about $4 million in the building, and Cirrus has committed to a $6 million lease, according to BusinessNorth. Cirrus first launched the jet project more than 10 years ago, and then put it on hold for a while, until new owners from China came through with the funds in 2011 to bring it to certification. Its the first jet airplane with a full-aircraft parachute, similar to the ones that have proved popular on the Cirrus piston airplanes, which have been credited with helping to improve the fatal accident rate in the fleet.
More than a hundred families living in a small town in northwestern Armenia moved into newly built apartments on Tuesday 28 years after a catastrophic earthquake that destroyed their homes.

The three apartment blocks in Akhurian were built as part of a protracted government-funded reconstruction of the countrys northern regions ravaged by the 1988 calamity, which left more than 25,000 people dead. Thousands of local residents still live in shacks and other temporary homes lacking basic amenities.

Work on the Akhurian buildings took five years -- much longer than planned -- because of financial problems cited by a private construction firm contracted by the government. The latter hired another contractor after the company, Glendale Hills, went bankrupt.

Ownership certificates handed to the 104 local families marked the completion of the reconstruction process in Akhurian financed by the Armenian government. The towns mayor, Artsrun Igitian, acknowledged that some local families severely affected by the earthquake will still lack adequate housing.

There are at least several hundred such families in the nearby city of Gyumri, the administrative center of the Shirak province. The cash-strapped government effectively froze large-scale housing construction there in 2013 and has indicated no plans to resume it anytime soon.

The government plans to buy instead apartments for a limited number of Gyumri residents. Only about 60 such families are due to receive government funding for that purpose next year.
Armenia indicated on Tuesday that it hopes to help prevent the extradition to Azerbaijan of an Israeli travel blogger who was arrested in Belarus last week because of his past visits to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Alexander Lapshin, who reportedly also holds Russian and Ukrainian passports, travelled to Karabakh in 2011 and 2012 and gave detailed accounts of the trips on his Russian-language blog.

The Azerbaijani authorities say that by visiting occupied territories of Azerbaijan without Bakus permission Lapshin violated the countrys territorial integrity. They also accuse him of promoting Karabakh as an independent state.

Israel on Sunday asked Belarus not to hand over the 40-year-old to Baku. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the Azerbaijani government told Israeli diplomats on Monday that it will not withdraw the arrest warrant issued for Lapshin.

The situation is also being closely monitored in Armenia and Karabakh. Authorities there have long denounced Azerbaijan for blacklisting hundreds of foreign lawmakers, other dignitaries and even journalists visiting the Armenian-populated territory.

We are dealing with this issue, the Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Tigran Balayan, told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). For obvious reasons, we cannot give details of our actions for the time being.

Both Armenia and Belarus are members of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union and Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Davit Babayan, a senior Karabakh Armenian official, condemned Lapshins arrest as a disgrace, saying that it has dealt a further blow to Belaruss international reputation. Granted, there are Azerbaijani-Belarusian interests and maybe even personal interests of their leaders involved, he said. But there is also the law and human rights.

Belaruss longtime President Aleksandr Lukashenko maintains a warm rapport with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. The Israeli blogger was detained in Minsk about two weeks after Lukashenkos official visit to Baku during which he received Azerbaijans highest state award, the Order of Heydar Aliyev. The Belarusian strongman publicly assured Ilham Aliyev that he will work hard to show that the award was justified.
20 December 2016 10:22 (UTC+04:00)

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 29 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry reported on December 20.

The Azerbaijani army positions underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Armenian-occupied Goyarkh village of the Tartar district, Shuraabad, Yusifjanli, Sarijali villages of the Aghdam district, Kuropatkino village of the Khojavand district, Garakhanbayli village of the Fuzuli district, as well as from the positions located on nameless heights of the Goranboy, Tartar, Khojavand, Fuzuli and Jabrayil 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.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
20 December 2016 17:17 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Armenias first president, leader of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) Levon Ter-Petrosyan often shocks the Armenian society with outright statements revealing the real situation in his country.

Ter-Petrosyan, addressing the recent meeting of his party, exposed the true essence of the Sargsyan regime openly admitting that Armenia is on the verge of disaster.

The former president stated that the country is in a dire situation  poverty and migration grows, the army decays and economy collapses, while the authorities continue to grab the nation and squander the national wealth.

Ter-Petrosyan is sure that all these are only a tip of an iceberg  the authorities by all means try to preserve the status quo in Karabakh [the occupied region of Azerbaijan]. This, of course, isolates Armenia from the world, and even more harms the peoples wellbeing.

Ter-Petrosyan further criticized the Armenian government for delusional dreams of taking Baku, liberation of Western Armenia and creation of Armenia from sea to sea."

The medieval right of the conqueror no longer applies in the modern world. There is no other way of resolving conflicts except through compromise, Ter-Petrosyan said.

Armenia is in a state of isolation in the region because of its aggressive policy against its neighbors.

The aggressive policy towards neighboring Azerbaijan did not allow a recovery for Armenian economy, and left it aside from all huge regional economic projects. Due to its groundless territorial claims and internal conflicts in Armenia, foreign investment did not come to the country, while its neighbors enjoyed the foreign investments. Thus, Armenia has turned into a black sheep of the region causing more damages to its economy.

The regime, which could not draw the moral from the bitter experience of the past 18 years, decided to continue the infamous policy of perpetual conflict with Azerbaijan and Turkey. All this has led to big economic, social, demographic, and psychological destruction in Armenia and Karabakh, Ter-Petrosyan said. This means we will be subjected to destruction for, at least, another 18 years, until nothing remains from Armenia and Karabakh, and the problem itself will lose its relevance.

Unlike the current Armenian authorities, Ter-Petrosyan understands that the country should come to negotiations with Azerbaijan. However, there are only few people in Armenia who dares to speak for the peace  they are immediately getting persecuted and may be even arrested by the Armenian government.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
20 December 2016 15:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Time goes by while the social and economic situation in Armenia does not evolve but even deteriorates. the objective impression is that the Armenian government does everything possible to bring down the people and turn them into submissive slaves.

The new government of Armenia that is in office for several months also seems to be loyal to this policy. Member of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), economist Vahagn Khachatryan, said the new government did not even contribute to well-being of Armenian people.

I have seen no real progress so far," he said at the meeting of ANC. "I don't see any common program or strategy. All the steps that were taken did not lead to significant changes in our lives."

The main reason of that is corruption  the all-time problem of the Armenian government. Human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan said corruption in Armenia is not incidental or episodic phenomenon.

Over the years, corruption in Armenia has been a systemic phenomenon, and it involves the entire ruling system. I do not take seriously the steps of the authorities aimed at combating corruption, he said in an interview with 1in.am.

The actions of the Armenian government against corruption are deceiving  the authorities have to imitate efforts in this direction as Armenia has obligations before international organizations, partner countries. However, the allocated money themselves get stolen because the government itself is involved in corruption.

"We cannot expect serious fighting, serious result of this struggle, as the steps taken by government are just opportunistic," said Harutyunyan.

This situation turns life in Armenian into gloom  people do not believe the authorities anymore. Hard life in the country forces them to leave Armenia forever, which leads to a vast decrease in the countrys population count.

Another part of Armenians decide to join sects, which are in a great variety in the country. Today, about 350,000 people in Armenia are involved in sects, 250,000 of which are the followers of destructive sectarian organizations.

A total of 65 religious organizations are registered in Armenia today, while about 54 of them are sects. Moreover, 200 organizations are not registered, but in fact are active in the country, said the Head of the Centre for rehabilitation and assistance to the victims of destructive cults, Alexander Amaryan, at the meeting of the Eurasian Expert Club in Yerevan.

The sects have penetrated in all spheres of the Armenian society  they are involved in publishing, education, construction, social networks, as well as do charity works.

In this context, Armenia can soon turn into the battlefield of civil war as destructive sects gain much popularity in the country. This risk is high enough, until the Armenian government stops thinking about its wallet only and starts doing something useful for ordinary population.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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20 December 2016 17:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has visited the two Azerbaijanis, Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who are kept hostages by Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Spokesman for the ICRC Baku office Ilaha Huseynova told APA on December 20 that the visit took place a few days ago. The ICRC provided information from the families to the hostages, and delivered Dilgam and Shahbazs messages to their relatives.

Huseynova noted that the ICRC, in accordance with its mandate, visits the hostages to check their detention conditions and treatment with them, as well as to help the hostages communicate with their families.

The two citizens of Azerbaijan were detained by the Armenian armed forces in July 2014 while visiting their native places and graves of loved ones in the occupied Azerbaijani Kalbajar region. Moreover, Armenian forces killed the third Azerbaijani citizen Hasan Hasanov.

Later, Guliyev and Asgarov were judged illegally by the unrecognized courts of a separatist regime in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Following an expedited judicial process in December 2015, Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years. Attempts of Azerbaijan to provide justice and to free its citizens are still unsuccessful.

Azerbaijans State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and IDPs, the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons and other agencies have repeatedly urged international organizations, including the ICRC, to assist in release of Guliyev and Asgarov, whilst the problem remains topical yet.

Earlier, the voluntary journalists created Visit Dilgam and Shahbaz, witness the reality initiative group in July 2016 to bring the problem to wider attention. The group held a meeting in Baku in December invited the international community, including the Armenian ombudsman, to contribute in releasing the two Azerbaijani hostages.

Azerbaijan, whose over 4,000 citizens were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, has repeatedly declared its readiness to begin negotiations with Armenia to free the captives and resolve the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

However, the Armenian side keeps ignoring all attempts of Azerbaijan and international organizations, thereby disrespecting the international law and hindering the settlement of the conflict.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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20 December 2016 12:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijan and Cuba may expand their cooperation in a number of fields, said Alfredo Nieves Portuondo, Cubas newly-appointed ambassador to Baku.

The ambassador told Trend that the Caribbean island nation is open to any cooperation with Azerbaijan, saying that our countries have developed good relations at bilateral and international levels.

The ambassador underlined that the issue of trade-economic development between the countries, and existing perspectives were high on agenda during his meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Talking about the priorities of his future activities, the diplomat noted that the main attention will be paid to the development of Azerbaijan-Cuba economic cooperation and to taking it to the political level.

"I will aim efforts at the promotion of Azerbaijan in Latin America. The Cuban government expresses interest in the developing of cooperation with Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan is also interested in this," the ambassador said.

As for the spheres for cooperation the envoy said that energy, healthcare and biotechnology and humanitarian sphere could be among the priority areas of the interstate cooperation.

He mentioned that Cuba possesses undiscovered oil fields in the Cuban part of a shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, and Azerbaijani companies could show interest for participation in their exploration and further development.

The ambassador added that Azerbaijani companies specializing in the energy sector can participate in energy projects in Cuba, both independently and as part of an international consortium.

Cuba is also interested in reviving the old traditions of education and training in universities of Azerbaijan, including preparing experts in the energy sector.

Mentioning that Cuba has great success in the production of the newest medicines and biotechnologies, he said that the country is ready to offer its medical services and supply its products to Azerbaijan.

He added that the country renders medical services to the countries of Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia and other CIS.

The diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Cuba were established on March 27, 1992. Eight documents covering various fields have been signed since then.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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PHOENIX -- Ignoring hundreds of protesters outside and reports of Russian hacking, the state's 11 Republican electors cast their votes as expected Monday for Donald Trump.

State Party Chairman Robert Graham, one of those electors, said those hand-picked by the GOP had an obligation to support Trump, who won the most votes in Arizona on Nov. 8.

"When someone runs for the Electoral College they understand that they're actually running to support the popular vote for our state,'' he told Capitol Media Services.

Still, he conceded, they were under no actual legal obligation to vote that way.

"There's nothing binding them outside their conscience,'' Graham said.

And Graham said he was not bothered by reports by both the FBI and CIA that concluded that Russia hacked into various emails, including of the Democratic National Committee, in a bid to sway the outcome of the election.

"The irony behind this is that good old Hillary Clinton has all these email discrepancies with Benghazi, her work with the Clinton Foundation,'' he said. "And now they're making a point of finding some kind of moral or ethics around this?''

Anyway, Graham said, what Russia did is irrelevant.

"If they're bad actors, they are what they are,'' he said.

"And it's just a bunch of accusations,'' Graham continued. "And the DoJ is politicizing it a very pathetic way,'' leaking information to the media rather than taking what they know to Congress.

"DoJ is using this as another opportunity, a last-ditch opportunity, to make hay out of what they suppose, the media suppose, as a black eye for Donald Trump,'' he said. "They keep trying to blemish a great victory, which was a movement of the people in this country.''

That comes as Arizona Sen. John McCain is siding with Democrats -- and against his own party leadership -- in seeking a special select committee to look into the role that Russia played in the election. Majority Leader Sam McConnell of Kentucky prefers it be handled by the existing Intelligence Committee.

Graham declined to weigh in on the issue.

"It's not my job to weigh in on their perspectives and their opinions,'' he said.

DIVIDED ON ELECTORAL COLLEGE

The Electoral College vote comes as a new statewide poll shows Arizonans nearly equally divided on the question of whether the president should be elected strictly by popular vote.

That system gives each state a set number of electoral votes based on the number of people in Congress. So Arizona, with nine representatives and two senators, gets 11.

The automated survey of 700 registered voters, conducted earlier this month by OH Predictive Insights, found 46 percent favor electing the president on direct popular vote, with an identical amount wanting to keep the current system and the balance undecided.

But there was a decided, if not surprising, partisan split: Three-fourths of Democrats like the popular vote, versus 44 percent of independents and 21 percent of Republicans.

This year, Clinton gained about 2.8 million more popular votes than Trump. And there was a similar situation in 2000, when Democrat Al Gore outpolled Republican George W. Bush but lost the electoral vote.

Secretary of State Michele Reagan, who presided over Monday's event, said there's a reason the Electoral College was created.

"Our Founding Fathers feared a candidate could unjustly manipulate public opinion and people wouldn't be able to make an informed choice,'' she said during the ceremonies.

"The thought was that by voting for a qualified group of individuals, it would be more difficult to manipulate voters,'' she explained, saying Alexander Hamilton believed the Electoral College would "protect'' voters.

Reagan also noted that giving each state votes based on representation in Congress gives smaller states a bigger say, proportionally, as no state has fewer than three electors no matter how few people live there.

The same survey that asked respondents about the Electoral College found that approximately one out of five people questioned believe there was widespread voter fraud in the last election.

But there was no partisan divide in that question, with an identical percentage of Republicans and Democrats reaching the same conclusion.

The margin of error in the survey is 3.7 percent.
20 December 2016 12:49 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Turkeys Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci has voiced his countrys intention to simplify customs procedures with Azerbaijan, and establish a green corridor, similar to the one existing between Russia and Turkey.

Turkeys Ministry of Customs and Trade wants to simplify and speed up customs procedures to ensure the access of Turkish goods to new markets with a view to strengthen the competitiveness of the country. Turkey joined the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, which expands the opportunities for our businessmen, he told Trend.

Green Corridor mode, which implies simpler customs clearance, may provide smooth transit of goods. One of the advantages of the regime is that goods transported by entrepreneurs do not have to undergo customs inspection and examination when crossing the border. Moreover, the mechanism also applies to documents, minimizing certain bureaucratic issues.

Saying that the mutual trade between Turkey and Azerbaijan has been growing steadily over 15 years, the minister said that the current level of trade turnover is far below the real potential of the economic ties of the countries.

He added that the countries plan to bring the volume of trade turnover to the level of $15 billion in the coming years.

Turkey, which has always held leading positions among the foreign trade partners of Azerbaijan, ranks the second in Azerbaijani imports and the 14th  in the exports. Azerbaijan mainly imports various equipment, electrical appliances, household items, cars, while Turkey imports oil and oil products and gas.

Mentioning that Azerbaijan is focusing on diversification of its economy going towards the non-oil sphere, he said that Ankara wants to see such investments of Azerbaijan in Turkey.

Tufenkci also underlined that Azerbaijan is the leader for the volume of investments in the Turkish economy among the countries of Central Asia and Caucasus.

The two countries signed a protocol on the creation of the Joint Committee on Customs Issues in 2015 during the visit of a Turkish delegation to Baku.

The economic projects jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey, particularly in the energy sector, have made a significant contribution to the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The partnership between the countries has turned into a driving force forming policy and economy of the region. Azerbaijan's investments in the Turkish economy are expected to reach some $20 billion by 2020, while the current figure exceeds $6 billion.

Trade turnover between the countries amounted to $1.67 billion in January-September 2016, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.

--

Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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20 December 2016 16:53 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The industrial sector of Azerbaijan is expected to see a large increase, as a huge metallurgical complex will be built in the country's third largest city Sumgayit.



The complex, consisting of five plants and worth 1,225 billion euros, will allow the country to save millions of dollars it spends on import and create opportunity for opening new jobs.

An agreement on the complex construction was signed between Azerbaijans Baku Steel Company and Italian Danieli Group in Baku on December 20.

The document was inked by Chairman of Supervisory Board of Baku Steel Company Rasim Mammadov and Chairman and CEO of Danieli Group Gianpietro Benedetti as part of the event titled Development of metallurgical industry: new challenges and goals.

Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev, adressing the ceremony, said that creation of the metallurgical complex will reduce the dependence on import, expanding export potential of the country.

This is a very important project both in terms of creating new job spots and reducing the dependence on import, while the export potential of the country will be boosted, he said, noting that a half of the complexs products will be exported.

Azerbaijan will be able not only to fully meet its demand in metallurgical products, but also export the remaining part of the products, added the minister.

The construction of the complex is planned to be completed in three years. During the construction work, 4,000 new job places will be opened, and more than 1,200 permanent jobs will be created after commissioning of the complex, said Mustafayev.

The minister further mentioned that the project will be fully implemented thanks to private investments.

Gianpietro Benedetti, for his part, said that the creation of the complex will allow Azerbaijan saving about $500 million per year from the import of steel products.

Baku Steel CEO Ramin Karimov talking to journalists stressed that the project of metallurgical complex in Sumgayit is the largest non-oil sector of Azerbaijan.

"We have a lot of companies that import steel products, and the creation of the complex will ensure not only our demand, but also allow to export it to neighboring countries," he said.

The uniqueness of the complex, according to Karimov, is that it will allow carry out the entire production process without additional logistical lines.



"The complex with the length of about 2 km will allow obtain a concentrate of iron finished products for 20 hours. The annual production capacity will be 1.2 million tons of metallized pellets, 800,000 tons of which will be directed to the needs of the complex for the production of finished products. The remaining 400,000 tons will be purchased by Baku Steel Company for it needs, he said.

Plants on the territory of the complex will be put into operation gradually, according to the CEO.

"The construction of the entire complex should be completed within 38 months, but the plants will be put into operation when they are built," he said.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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20 December 2016 18:54 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

An Association of Turkish businessmen and entrepreneurs is being created in Azerbaijan, said Erkan Ozoral, Turkish Ambassador to Baku.

Ozoral made the remark during a meeting with Turkish entrepreneurs in Azerbaijan, the TRT TV channel reported on December 20.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey amounted to $2.12 billion in January-November 2016, including $1.05 billion accounted for the export to Turkey, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

Turkey, which has always held leading positions among the foreign trade partners of Azerbaijan, ranks the second in Azerbaijani imports and the 14th  in the exports. Azerbaijan mainly imports various equipment, electrical appliances, household items, cars, while Turkey imports oil and oil products and gas.

The economic projects jointly implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey, particularly in the energy sector, have made a significant contribution to the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The partnership between the two countries has turned into a driving force forming policy and economy of the region. Azerbaijan's investments in the Turkish economy are expected to reach some $20 billion by 2020, while the current figure exceeds $6 billion.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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20 December 2016 14:46 (UTC+04:00)

The OSCE mission will hold a monitoring on the contact line of troops of Azerbaijan`s Gazakh region on December 21 in accordance with the mandate of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry reported that the monitoring will be held on the Azerbaijani side by field assistants of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Jiri Aberle and Simon Tiller.

On the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenian troops, the monitoring will be conducted by field assistants of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ghenadie Petrica, Hristo Hristov and Peter Svedberg.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to this day.

The OSCE Minsk Group, the activities of which have become known as the Minsk Process, works to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for over two decades, but in vain.

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20 December 2016 18:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and other CIS countries try to contribute to the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by using their authority.

Russian Ambassador to Baku Vladimir Dorokhin made the remark while talking to reporters on December 20.

Today, the OSCE Minsk Group is dealing with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, and only one country in this group is represented in CIS  it is Russia. However, the CIS is aware about this conflict," the ambassador said.

The envoy added that the position of the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and other countries is known  they want to contribute to the solution of the conflict.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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20 December 2016 08:47 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has extended condolences to Russias President Vladimir Putin over the death of Russian Ambassador in Turkey Andrey Karlov after a terrorist attack on December 19.

I am deeply shocked by the news of the tragic death of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Turkey Andrey Gennadyevich Karlov, said President Aliyev in his letter of condolences to Putin.

We resolutely and unconditionally condemn this bloody terrorist attack, he added. I extend my heartfelt condolences to you, the family and relatives of the late ambassador.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned terror act resulted in killing of the Russian envoy.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, relatives and all colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation. We remain assured that this terror act will thoroughly be investigated and culprits will get severe punishment," reads the statement.

The Republic of Azerbaijan is convinced that the terror act committed against Ambassador Andrey Karlov will further strengthen the determination, cooperation and joint efforts of Russia and Turkey in the fight against terrorism.

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20 December 2016 08:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Assassination of ambassador is one of the most vicious forms of terrorism, Novruz Mammadov, deputy head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration's foreign relations department, has tweeted.

Mammadovs tweets came in condemnation of the assassination of Russias Ambassador in Turkey Andrey Karlov in a terrorist attack on December 19.

Assassination of Russia's Ambassador deserves strongest of condemnation! There can be no justification to this bloody terrorist act!, said Mammadov in another tweet.

Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov died after he was badly wounded in an armed assault in Ankara Dec. 19, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.

The ambassador was taken to a hospital, but died there.

The assailant was killed in an ensuing police operation.

The attack on the ambassador was carried out when Karlov was on the podium in order to deliver a speech at a photo exhibition in the Ankara Center for Contemporary Art.
20 December 2016 14:54 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has extended condolences over the tragic incident in Berlin, as a result of which people were killed and injured.

We are deeply saddened by the tragic event perpetrated in Berlin city of Germany which caused many deaths and injuries, the statement released on December 20 reads.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and relatives of the victims, as well as the Government and people of Germany, share their grief and wish for a speedy recovery to the wounded.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Germany investigates the presence of citizens of Azerbaijan among the wounded and killed as a result of these events via the official Federal Government agencies.

A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others, in what Germany's interior minister said looked like an attack, according to Reuters.

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20 December 2016 15:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The Russian State Duma may ratify an agreement on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline in the short run. Russia's lower house international affairs committee chair Leonid Slutsky said he expects the State Duma to ratify the Turkish Stream gas pipeline deal in January 2017, Ria Novosti reported.

The agreement will be considered during the first spring session of the International Affairs Committee. The ratification of agreement is expected in January, he said.

The Russian government earlier approved the draft bill on ratification of the agreement with Turkey and to send the document to the State Duma.

The Turkish parliament has already ratified a deal with Russia regarding the construction of the natural gas pipeline. The Grand National Assembly voted 210 in favor of the agreement, with only seven opposing and six abstentions.

The sides signed an intergovernmental agreement envisioning the construction of two underwater legs of the gas pipeline in the Black Sea on October 10, 2016, while the agreement served as an additional signal that the project could be brought into force.

The agreement envisages construction of two branches of the pipeline under the Black Sea, with the capacity of each branch being 15.75 bcm of gas. Pipe-laying work for the Turkish Stream is expected to begin in 2017 and end in late 2019.

The project was halted in late 2015 due to sharp deterioration of relations between Moscow and Ankara, when Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber with two pilots on board. Implementation of the project became topical following mending of ties between the two countries.

Being the second biggest consumer of Russian gas after Germany, Turkey currently imports gas from Russia via two pipelines - the Blue Stream, which passes under the eastern Black Sea, and the Western Line through the Balkans. Turkish Stream envisages supplies of the Russian gas under the Black Sea (bypassing Ukraine) to Turkey and further to Europe.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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20 December 2016 16:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

The U.S. JP Morgan bank has revised the forecasts for oil prices upon OPECs historic agreement to cut production in conjunction with nonOPEC countries.

The 2017 price forecasts were revised up to $58.25 per barrel on Brent and $56.25 per barrel on West Texas Intermediate (WTI), JP Morgan said in its report obtained by Trend.

Price forecast increases are concentrated in 1Q17-3Q17, where we increase forecasts by an average of $5 per barrel, said the report. However, we now harbor mounting concerns that cheating will inevitably undermine commitment to the agreement at some point in 2H17. We therefore lower our 4Q17 price forecast to $55 per barrel and end-year forecast to $53 per barrel on Brent.

JP Morgan analysts believe that there remains a degree of uncertainty as to how and by whom the delivery of agreed OPEC and non-OPEC oil cuts will be assessed.

The creation of a 5-member panel of governments to scrutinize the level of compliance for OPEC producers is a positive first step. But uncertainties remain and failure to ensure sufficient transparency for both producer nations and market participants could undermine the objective of stabilizing prices that producers have set themselves, said the report.

Excluding the natural decline in output from countries with mature production facilities, e.g. Mexico, the analysts believe that cuts will exceed 400,000 barrels per day at peak.

The world's largest producers agreed to curb production for the first time since 2008 in a bid to support prices after the Vienna meeting on November 30. The OPEC, which accounts for a third of global oil supply, agreed to cut production from January by around 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd), or over 3 percent, to 32.5 million bpd.

Iraq, OPEC's second largest producer which had previously resisted cuts will cut output by 200,000 bpd to 4.351 million bpd. Saudi Arabia said it would take the lion's share of cuts - reducing output by almost 500,000 bpd to 10.06 million bpd - to get the deal done. Iran was allowed to boost production slightly from its October level.

Non-OPEC member Russia agreed to cut output by 300,000 bpd.

Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day starting from January 1, 2017 for six months, extendable for another six months, to take into account prevailing market conditions and prospects.

Meanwhile, oil prices have again fallen on the world markets. On NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) cost of the US Light crude oil decreased $0.22 to stand at $51.90. Price of the Brent crude oil at the London ICE (Intercontinental Exchange Futures) fell $0.11 to trade at $54.81.

The price of a barrel of Azeri Light crude oil decreased $0.01 to stand at $56.19.

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Today the embers of the electoral college cast their votes for President of the United States. You can follow the status of electoral votes here.

A lone gunman has shot and killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey in the Turkish capital of Ankara. The shooter said "Don't forget Syria" before he was shot and killed by police.

HB2, the archaic legislation made to prevent transgender people from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, is set to be repealed in North Carolina today. The decision comes after the state lost millions in revenue when several companies canceled plans to bring jobs to the state because of the law.

At least nine are dead after a truck drove through a Christmas market in Berlin today. German authorities have not described the incident as an attack.

Researchers are getting closer to making prosthetic limbs feel real to their owners.

"How do I explain America to my black son?"

Watch Chance the Rapper perform on SNL. Everything else sucks.
20 December 2016 16:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The search for oilmen, who went missing as a result of the accident at the oil-gathering station in the Caspian Sea, continues, said Khoshbakht Yusifzade, First Vice President of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR.

Yusifzade, talking to reporters on December 20 in Baku, noted that the search work has not yielded any results so far. We hope that the missing oilmen will be found in the coming days, he added.

He mentioned that the commission, created to investigate the accidents reasons, continues its work and the public will be informed about the results.

A 150-meter high part of the pier on the right and left sides of the oil gathering station of the No 3 oil and gas production department of Azneft PU collapsed caused by the wind at a speed of 41m/s in the Caspian sea at about 5.00 in the morning on December 15. The ground as well as the lodge attached to the pier also collapsed.

Ten workers of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan have gone missing. The body of one worker, Ilham Gafarov was found at about 14:00 (UTC/GMT+4) on December 15.

President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on December 16 with the aim of speeding up search and rescue efforts in the Caspian Sea.

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to provide financial and other necessary assistance for the families of those, who died in the incident. SOCAR was instructed to determine serviceability of the oil gathering station of the No 3 oil and gas production department of SOCARs AzNeft Production Union and estimate damage caused to the facility. The President also instructed the SOCAR to review security at all its facilities and installations.

Under the Order, the Prosecutor General`s Office must launch an immediate investigation into the cause of the incident.

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20 December 2016 18:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Nigar Abbasova

Azerbaijans state energy giant SOCAR signed licensing agreements with such companies as Technip, Univation Technologies, Axens and Sinopec Tech as part of the project on construction of Gas Processing and Petrochemical Complex (GPC) in Azerbaijan.

Under the agreement, SOCAR will get a license on the use of relevant technologies provided by the companies, while licensors, in turn, will provide certain engineering and design solutions for the project.

The financing of the project will be carried out within the Chinese Silk Road Economic Belt project.

SOCAR launched the GPC project to maximize added value of the upstream-midstream-downstream oil and gas chain and create a cutting-edge standard processing industry in Azerbaijan.

The primary purpose of the project is to provide the end users in the country with purified natural gas and ensure production of high value added polymers. Under the project, gas processing, and petrochemical plants will be built in Garadagh, 15 km south of Baku.

A gas processing plant will remove carbon dioxide and other toxic components. A petrochemical plant will comprise of a steam cracker, swing polyethylene unit and other units, while approximate annual production will amount to produce approximately 600,000 tons of polyethylene and 120,000 tons of propylene.

Polyethylene and polypropylene produced in Azerbaijan, which will meet the highest international quality standards are planned to be exported to Turkey, the EU, China and other countries.

The project is deemed to mark the beginning of a new era in development of Azerbaijans petrochemical industry and turn the country into a major player in the industry.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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20 December 2016 13:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Alakbarova

Turkmenistan pays special attention to strengthening traditionally friendly and constructive relations with the United States, said President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

There is a solid potential for the diversification of the bilateral partnership with the U.S., the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH) quoted the president as saying.

Turkmenistans capital city, Ashgabat recently hosted a meeting of Turkmen-American Business Council, which adopted an action plan for cooperation in 2017. The council with 22 large U.S. companies on board is aimed at stimulating investment activities.

While addressing to the meeting, President Berdimuhamedov stressed the important role that Turkmen-American Business Council plays in terms of expanding economic and trade relations. He emphasized the Councils positive influence on cooperation and its potential for new perspectives.

Ashgabat regularly hosts exhibitions of American companies, accompanied by high-level business forums and business deals.

The cooperation between Turkmenistan and the U.S. is expected to further continue in areas, such as the supply of agricultural machinery, modernization of technical civil aviation fleet of Turkmenistan and import of energy technologies.

The U.S. also supports regional gas pipeline projects from Turkmenistan, such as TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) and the Trans-Caspian through Azerbaijan and Turkey to Europe.

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20 December 2016 10:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The U.S. embassy in Ankara will be closed on December 20 against the background of two armed incidents, including the assassination of the Russian envoy, the US embassy tweeted on December 20.

The US Embassy in Ankara and Consulates in Istanbul and Adana closed for normal operations today, said the embassy.

Previously, Russias Foreign Ministry confirmed that Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assaut in Ankara Dec. 19.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State confirmed the information about the armed attack on the US embassy in Ankara and added that there were no injured people, and the attacker has been detained.

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20 December 2016 13:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Alakbarova

Leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia will meet in Saint Petersburg on December 26, the Kremlin said.

The meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council will accompany the session of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

The heads of member states will review the first two years of the Eurasian Economic Unions activity, approve the main directions of the international activity of the Union for 2017 and outline the guidelines for its further development.

The summit is planned to end with signing of EAEU Treaty on the Customs Code. A number of other important multilateral documents are expected to be adopted.

The member countries will discuss issues of combating terrorism and extremism at CSTO meeting. It is planned to exchange views on key issues of global and regional agenda, including illegal trade and weapons trafficking.

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20 December 2016 13:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Fatma Alakbarova

Following a U.S. Congress decision on renewal of existing sanctions against Iran last week, Tehran voiced its fears that the move will infringe the terms of the Iranian nuclear deal adopted almost a year ago.

The famous deal inked last year by Iran with P5+1 in Vienna and recorded as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran (JCPOA) was accepted as historic in Iran to save the country from long and devastating sanctions.

By its new decision, Washington prolonged the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by the United States passed in 1996 and was set to expire on December 31, 2016.

Speaking to local media, Irans president Hassan Rouhani called the Bill a blatant violation of the JCPOA, adding that Iran will continue to honor the nuclear deal as long as other signatories of the accord keep committed to the deal. Tehran administration addressed an official letter to European Union foreign policy Chief Federica Mogherini who coordinates the work of the joint commission on the nuclear deal to request a meeting of the Joint Commission.

Tehran announced that the joint commission is scheduled to meet on January 10, 2017.

In a meeting with Yukiya Amano, the head of UN nuclear watchdog body, in Tehran last week President Rouhani once again expressed his concern that the White Houses decision on the Bill counteracts the terms of the nuclear deal.

While addressing the complaints by Tehran accusing the U.S. of violating the deal, Yukiya Amano noted that Iranian authorities have shown commitment to their obligations under the nuclear deal.

Irans religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also warned the U.S. government of breaching the the nuclear, saying the Islamic Republic would definitely react to it.

The U.S. administration stated that unless a waiver is issued under the Iran Sanctions Act, no sanction is re-imposed on the Islamic republic and thus, the nuclear deal is not violated, whilst Tehran didnt refrain from a response to what it calls the U.S. violation of nuclear deal.

What is concerning about this tension between the U.S. government and Iran, is grave consequences for the White House to face as Rouhani has already ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to begin developing propulsion capability for nuclear-powered marine vessels as a response to the prolongation of the U.S. sanctions.

Experts believe that if no fruitful result is agreed upon the commission meeting, U.S. decision to extend the Iran Sanctions Act will further jeopardize the nuclear deal according to which, Iran agreed to reduce the number of its centrifuges by two-thirds, cap its uranium enrichment below the level needed for bomb-grade material, and reduce its enriched uranium stockpile from around 10,000 kilograms to 300 for 15 years.

The Bill on extension of sanctions came into force without President Barack Obama's signature. Although Obama refused to sign it, he expressed no veto claims. Thus, the Bill became law as it had been passed by both chambers of the U.S. Congress by an overwhelming majority.

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20 December 2016 13:55 (UTC+04:00)

All the circumstances surrounding the murder of the Russian ambassador in Turkey should be established as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow on December 20.



Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was shot by a gunman at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara on December 19. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.

"It is necessary to establish all the circumstances of the organization and execution of the terrorist act as soon as possible," Lavrov said at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Sputnik reported.

Yesterday, our presidents agreed that in addition to the investigatory action of the Turkish special services, the Russian investigation team would fly to Ankara, and it has already landed in the Turkish capital," Lavrov added. "This tragedy makes all of us more determined to fight terrorism and makes this meeting even more useful. So I very much hope that these negotiations, as well as the upcoming trilateral meeting with our Iranian counterpart, will allow us to reach agreements that will facilitate the process of the Syrian conflict settlement by concrete actions, will create conditions for a more efficient delivery of humanitarian aid without making any concessions to terrorists.

The street where the Russian Embassy is located in Ankara will be named in honor of the late Russian Ambassador, said Mevlut Cavusoglu.

We made a decision, I was informed by the Turkish prime minister about it, to eternalize Andrey Karlovs memory in Ankara, noted Cavusoglu.

Later, Sergei Lavrov and Mevlut Cavusoglu laid flowers near the Russian Foreign Ministry's hall of receptions in memory of Ambassador Karlov. The ministers laid flowers near Karlov's portrait and honored his memory with a minute of silence.



Karlov was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in the Cankaya district when an assailant opened fire on the diplomat before shooting into the air. Police special forces neutralized the attacker, identified as 22-year-old riot police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Following the assassination of the Russian envoy, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke via telephone and both leaders described the act as "provocation" to undermine relations Turkey and Russia carry in Syria.

The attack came just a day before Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers were due to meet in Moscow to discuss settling the Syrian conflict. The sides decided to press on with the meeting despite the attack with Cavusoglu stressing that the incident would not impact relations between Turkey and Russia.



--

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20 December 2016 15:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

A senior Iranian security official has criticized a recent UN Security Council resolution on mass evacuations from the rebel-held eastern Aleppo in Syria.

Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani has said the resolution paves the way for the supporters of the terrorists to arrive in Aleppo, IRNA news agency reported.

The resolution has failed to give priority to rescuing and supplying aid to the people trapped in the area besieged by terrorists, he added.

The resolution has only envisaged the evacuation of armed individuals from the city, the official added.

The UN Security Council on Dec. 19 passed a resolution calling on UN officials and others to monitor the mass evacuations from eastern Aleppo and the safety of civilians still there.

According to Western sources, there are still about 7,000 people in Aleppo, while about 13,000 people have left the area over the past several days.

Rebels took control of eastern parts of Aleppo in 2012. The latest media reports suggest that Syrian army has advanced through the rebel-held areas, though the rebels reportedly continued to resist in some parts of the city.

--

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20 December 2016 17:41 (UTC+04:00)

The assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was aimed at derailing Moscow-Ankara ties, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on December 20, Sputnik International reported.



This [assassination] is beneficial for those who seek to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey, hamper the repair of relations between the two sides, both bilateral and relations that allow strengthening and uniting the efforts for the Syrian political settlement, he said. Our investigators have arrived in Ankara.

Karlov was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in the Cankaya district when an assailant opened fire on the diplomat before shooting into the air. Police special forces neutralized the attacker, identified as 22-year-old riot police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Following the assassination of the Russian envoy, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke via telephone and both leaders described the act as "provocation" to undermine relations Turkey and Russia carry in Syria.

The attack came just a day before Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers were due to meet in Moscow to discuss settling the Syrian conflict. The sides decided to press on with the meeting despite the attack with Cavusoglu stressing that the incident would not impact relations between Turkey and Russia.

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20 December 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Azerbaijan, one of the worlds sunny and profound travel treasures, attempts to become a more welcoming destination for foreign visitors as it prepares to advance its tourism sector.

The country with its favorable geographical location, rich natural landscape and numerous objects of historical and cultural heritage is a good place for the development of tourism.

The Land of Fire is a territory of 9 out of 11 of the world's climatic zones. Azerbaijans climate enables to organize summer and winter holidays. Very common are ecological tours, which include visits to nature reservations, trekking and climbing routes. Moreover, midday sandy beaches offer opportunities for diving, while swimming season here starts in May.

A recent decree endorsing Strategic Road Map for the development of specialized tourism industry in Azerbaijan signed by the president will allow to define the development goals and priorities and ensure timely implementation of set goals.



Under the decree, the government will create National Tourism Bureau to propaganda national tourism, and one of the main priorities in the field will be provision of a balanced development of tourism until 2025.

This approach will contribute to attraction of investment in the tourism sector both in Baku and the regions; further creating conditions for the expansion of international tourism in Azerbaijan and increase the share of tourism revenues in GDP.

The Bureau will mainly assist in attracting local and foreign tourists, and work to increase the frequency of their visits. The Bureau will also create a database, containing information about tourists arriving in Azerbaijan, and destinations they chose to explore the country.

Moreover, the state has identified four main priorities in the development of tourism sector until 2020.



The first priority is the full utilization of tourism potential of Baku, with more developed infrastructure, attracting the attention of a large number of foreign tourists.

The second purpose is to create a more favorable environment for the development of tourism in the country by creating tourist and recreational zones, development of tourist infrastructure in the regions of the country in order to eliminate seasonal factors, improve air links, as well as simplify visa procedures.

The third priority, according to the "Road Map" is the development of tourism through the implementation of regional tourism initiatives, which provides for investing in the development of wellness, winter, environmental and other types of tourism.

Another goal is to invest in educational programs in tourism and improvement of industry standardization and certification systems, to increase tourist satisfaction.

Creation of tourist packages is important in terms of attracting more tourists. To this end, the National Tourism Bureau, coordinating its work with international and local tour operators, on the eve of Novruz holiday will support creation of a package of tourist services, which will also include hotel rooms and airline tickets.

Moreover, through local tour operators' websites, foreign tourists will be able to create a special travel package themselves, choosing the direction they need, a place to rest, and any other service they want.

Experts forecast that a variety of tourist activities to be held in Baku will ensure GDP growth by 230 million manats ($131 million) until 2020, while improvement of tourism infrastructure in Baku (the development of hotels at affordable prices and attractive tourist destinations) - 70 million manats ($39 million).

The document says that achieving these goals will increase Azerbaijans GDP by 293 million manats ($167 million) directly and by 172 million manats ($98) indirectly, and will create 35,000 new jobs, some 25,000 of which will be created directly in the tourism sector.



Implementation of these objectives will require investments worth 350 million manats.

Along with this, in 2020 the number of low-budget tourists visiting Azerbaijan will reach 265,000 people, while the number of tourists visiting the country in the framework of the "Great Silk Road" and other cultural tourist routes will exceed 180,000 people.

The "Road Map" also features the five priority groups for attracting travelers; Turkey, Iran, Russia, Georgia and other neighboring countries; Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, UAE; CIS countries, including Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan; countries with developed mass tourism - Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, the U.S.



Currently, the share of tourism in Azerbaijan's GDP is 4.5 percent, in employment 3.3 percent.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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20 December 2016 14:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

An odorous festival putting on display a wide range of wines started in Ganja, Azerbaijan's second largest city on December 19.

The fourth international wine festival brought together many leading companies engaged in the wine making. Guests of the city and local people also had an opportunity to enjoy the taste of the featured wines.

Aiming to promote Azerbaijani wine on the world markets and encourage cooperation among wine makers, the besotted festival saw products of a number of industrial enterprises engaged in wine production in the country.

The jury consisted of tasters from local and different foreign countries tasted about 30 varieties of wine and awarded the best.

Grape is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Human being invented wine in the early years of the civilization. Since then, grape has been used in religious ceremonies and wine festivals. It has also played a great role in making healing wine or soothing and disinfecting methods as a medicine.

The culture of wine production in Azerbaijan has at least a seven thousand-year history.

Wine is produced in several regions of Azerbaijan. Vineyards are found at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains and in the Kur-Araz lowlands. In the 21st century, Ganja, Nagorno-Karabakh, Shirvan and Nakhchivan have emerged as centers of wine production in Azerbaijan.

Wine produced in France is considered one of the best in the world. However, many wine lovers will agree that Azerbaijani wine is no way inferior to French one -- if not even superior in taste.

Currently, there are nearly 10 wineries and vineyards that produce wine in the country, which are exported to Russia, Ukraine, Baltic States, Poland, Belarus, the UAE and China.

More and more countries are taking interest in the national brandy.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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The Islamic State extremist group is claiming responsibility for the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people and left nearly 50 injured.

Berlin Police: Truck was intentionally rammed into crowded market

At least 12 people were killed, at least 48 hurt

Suspect released due to insufficient evidence

The Islamic State group's Amaq news agency said in a statement Tuesday that "the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition.''



German police are still hunting for the driver of the truck, which slammed into the downtown Christmas market Monday night.

Germany is not involved in anti-ISIS combat operations. But it does have Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean.



German authorities called the deadly truck attack on a crowded Christmas market an "act of terrorism" that had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremism, but on Tuesday they released the only suspect, a man taken into custody near the scene, saying they lacked sufficient evidence tying him to the rampage.



The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a man who jumped out of the truck and fled after the attack Monday night that killed 12 and wounded 48 people.

But federal prosecutors said late Tuesday that he denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage. Additionally, no witnesses had followed him from the scene to the spot where he was picked up.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.



Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was driving the truck at the time of the attack. Muench also said police haven't yet found a pistol authorities believe was used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and report "suspicious movements" to a special hotline.

"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group.



#Berlin attack: Police say lorry crash was "probable terrorist attack" as 12 confirmed dead



Latest updates: https://t.co/ZJcwX4Uz2I pic.twitter.com/l4eZLaycl5  BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 20, 2016

"There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations," Frank said.

Still, he said authorities had not yet heard any claim of responsibility.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life.

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. "A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and traveling 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before coming to a halt.



The further results of the investigation will be published by the federal Public Prosecutor's Office only.#Thanks for understanding  PolizeiBerlinEinsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) December 20, 2016

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the truck's passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained hospitalized, 14 with serious injuries.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but no one was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle had been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

"They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.



President-elect Donald Trump is already referring to it as a terrorist attack on Twitter.

If you haven't checked Facebook's safety check feature, you can go ahead and log on to see if you have any friends in the effected area. They would have marked safe to let you know they're okay.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Warburtons and Allied Bakeries MDs are among business bosses who have taken part in IGDs charitable initiative Feeding Britains Future, which helps students explore their employment options.

Neil Campbell from Warburtons and Paul Kenward from Allied Bakeries supported the two main programmes: The Schools Programme and Skills for Work Month by talking to Year 9 and Year 12 students to help them prepare for the world of work.

The Schools Programme provides students with guidance on the skills needed in the workplace and insight into the variety of careers available in the food industry.

The Skills for Work Month helps unemployed people gain insight into the food and grocery industry and aims to provide practical skills to support job hunting. Workshops were run on topics such as tailored CV advice and tips on applying for jobs online.

Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD chief executive, said the initiative brings the industry together to inspire the next generation.

We cant do this alone; over 2,000 volunteers from nearly 300 companies have supported our two main programmes and we are making a real impact on thousands of young people who are considering their future, she said.

All our volunteers can be immensely proud of our collective achievements and I thank everyone for their continued support.

This month, IGD predicted the UK grocery market will grow by 1.2% over the festive period.
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By Margaret Regan

Photo credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Department of Homeland Security)

What if Donald Trump follows through on his vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants as soon as he becomes president?

Due process for the immigrants may slow him down, but he says hes determined to get started right away with deportations of immigrants convicted of crimes. (He says the number is two to three million but others dispute that, citing a lower figure of 1.9 million.) In August 2016, in a blistering campaign speech in Phoenix, he vowed to create a new special Deportation Task Force to root out criminal illegal immigrants, but he didnt spare immigrants not convicted of crimes.

Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation, he said. More recently, after the election, he said he would look at the cases of terrific immigrants once the border is secured.

But his plans and statements shift rapidly, and his actual practices after January 20 are unknowable. In November, after the election, he said he would move ahead first with the rapid deportation (or incarceration) of criminals. He showed a possible softening, though, when he said that after hes secured the border, he would look at the cases of immigrants who are terrific people.

If he proceeds with the expensive wholesale deportations, the eleven million undocumented immigrants estimated to be living in the United States now would not be the only people affected. The round-ups would have a devastating impact on mixed-status families, on the US citizen children who would lose a mother or father, and on the legal permanent residents who would lose a partner, or a child. The 700,000 DACA recipientsthe young people who came here as children and got temporary waivers allowing them to stay, work and go to schoolcould easily be rooted out. The federal government already has detailed data on their whereabouts.

What would mass deportations look like? Trump could revert to the giant raids of the George W. Bush administration: the armed invasions of factories that took 361 seamstresses in a textile mill in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 2007; and nearly 400 meat workers in a slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, in 2008.

Or he could follow the pattern of President Obama. Obama mostly avoided major workplace raids; in his administration, ICE officers more often knocked on doors and hauled families out of their homes. But the sheer numbers in Trumps plan might require more drastic measures. Obama has deported a record 2.5 million immigrants, but its taken him eight years. By contrast Trump promises to deport that many or more in a very short period at the beginning of his term.

Ironically, Trumps plan to start with convicts mirrors Obamas stated intent to go after only those with criminal convictions. In real life, of course, deportations havent always worked out that way. Sometimes the person nabbed by ICE is not a hardened criminal. Sometimes its a peaceful, hard-working single mom with kids dependent on her. Sometimes its an immigrant like Elena Santiago.

The first time I met Elena, she was standing in Mexico, on the south side of the massive metal post wall that divides the border town of Nogales, Arizona, from its sister city of Nogales, Sonora. She liked to stay near the border wallit was as close as she could get to her two kids up in Phoenix.

Elena (not her real name) was a native of Mexico City whod been brought to the United States by her mother at age thirteen. She spent her teen years picking onions and carrots in the agricultural fields west of Phoenix, sacrificing her education to put food on Americas tables. As an adult, she moved onto restaurant and retail work, a work history that had been interrupted the year before by a knock on the door. At age thirty-nine, shed been wrenched from her home by ICE. When I met her, she was just turning forty. And she hadnt seen either of her children in almost a year since the day she was deported from the United States and dumped down here over the border in Mexico.

Elena did eventually get her daughter back, but not without a court fight. And when the little girl returned after fourteen months of separation, she and her mother no longer spoke the same language. The son was a different story. Elena never got him back.

Below is a piece of Elenas complicated story, as she told it to me. In my book Detained and Deported: Stories of Immigrant Families Under Fire, she has her own chapter: its called Woman Without a Country. She begins with the account of the raid on her house.

***

It was on the third of November 2011, Elena said in Spanish, slumping a little at the table at Leos restaurant in Nogales, Sonora. ICE came to my house. They didnt come inside.

It was a school day and Elena was up early, as usual, in her rental house in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, getting her family ready for the day. She had her job at a store to get to, fifteen-year-old Luis would be going off to high school, and little Camila, just two, would tag along with her mom to work. Among the million morning tasks she faced as a single working mom, she had to feed the pets. The family had a whole menagerie of animals, two dogs, two cats, two turtles, she said proudly. I bought them for my kids. I had a big yard.

When she went out back to tend to them, she heard odd noises coming from out in front of the house. She came back in, and when Luis had his backpack on and Camila was zipped into her jacket, Elena opened the front door and saw what she most feared. A platoon of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, armed and ominous, were gathered outside. A fleet of law enforcement vehicles idled in the road.

They closed the street, like I was a criminal, she said, trembling at the memory. There were a lot of cars, a lot of agents.

Elena was terrified but she buckled her toddler into her car seat and shooed her son into the car. At the moment she started to get behind the wheel, an agent called out her name on a megaphone, broadcasting it full blast for all the neighbors to hear.

Elena Santiago, he bellowed. Elena Santiago.

The officers came over and handcuffed her in full sight of the kids, marched her over to one of their SUVs, and locked her into the back. Seeing their mother in the hands of the police, both kids started wailing.

The police turned on their car radio so I couldnt hear the children, Elena said.

Inside the ICE SUV, over the din of the radio blaring and the kids screaming, the officers started asking questions. Are you pregnant? Sick? Taking medicine? Then they came to the most fateful: Who are you going to leave the kids with?

Elena had no one who could help her. Her mother was dead. The kids fathers were out of the picture. She had only one real friend, a woman who was in no position to take in Luis and Camila. So the agents called Arizonas Child Protective Services, the agency that takes abused, neglected, and abandoned children and puts them into foster care.

In short order, a CPS woman arrived and leaned into the window. Do you want to sign the children over to us? she asked.

I said, Yes. Temporarily,  Elena recounted.

Armed with the document that Elena signed, the CPS worker turned to the kids. Luis always an attentive big brother, cradled the screaming Camila in his arms and climbed into the CPS van. In that anguished moment of seeing her kids taken from her, Elena suddenly remembered the family pets.

I said to one of the agents, What about my dogs? My dogs are going to die.

The agent, she said, turned to her and sneered, Who cares about the dogs?

Elena trembled as she remembered his casual cruelty. It was all for my kids, she said of the animals. Ten months later, she had no idea what had become of the dogs and cats and turtles, not to mention the familys furniture and electronics and clothes and car.

The family, divided into two vehicles, went their separate ways, the children to CPS, their mother to ICE. Elena watched out the window of the ICE SUV as the kids van disappeared into the distance. She hadnt even been allowed to say good-bye.

The agents, and the US government, had everything they needed to deport Elena from the country where shed lived since she was a young teen, and away from the country where shed given birth to her two children, both of them US citizens.

En horas, Elena saidwithin hoursICE put her on a bus headed for the Mexican border. Three hours and 180 miles later, she walked south over the line with other deportees, past the dusty canyons separating Nogales, Arizona, from Nogales, Sonora, past the border wall, into Mexico, a country where she had not set foot in twenty-seven years.

She would get no news of her children for a month.



In Nogales, Elena found herself in a shifting community of deportees, all of them suddenly stranded in a confusing town that few of them knew. Elena was used to Phoenix, a wide-open city sprawling out over the flat desert between the mountains, its millions of residents, Elena included, routinely negotiating its boulevards by car. Nogales was completely different. A teeming hill town of about 212,000, Nogales was jammed with pedestrians, street vendors, and cars jockeying for position on narrow, bumpy streets. Taxis honked and music spilled out of the stores. Hemmed in on the north by the border wall, the town climbed up and down crazily steep hills.

In 2011, the year that Elena was deported, 54,977 deportados flooded the town, the equivalent of a quarter of the citys population.

They had become a familiar sight in town. The border crossers whod been caught in Arizona by the Border Patrol and quickly returned were still dusty from the desert, their mochilasbackpacksstrapped to their backs. The detainees whod been in Eloy or Florence lugged all their worldly goods in the clear plastic bags issued by ICE. Elena didnt even have that much. She had only the clothes on her back, no ID, no money, no nothing.

Like many of her fellow deportees she had lived in the United States for years and was traumatized by the abrupt separation from her family. She was desperate to return North.

Elena stuck close to the border, near a soup kitchen and the migrant shelters. Typically the guests had to leave these refuges at first light. Winter and summer, the displaced men and women spent dreary days in the elements, idling outside offices, roaming the streets. They sat on benches outside the office of Grupos Beta, the Mexican border force whose mission is to help migrants. Or they took naps in the cemetery, sleeping behind gravestones to escape the scrutiny of the local police.

Elena found her way to the shelter at the bus station Transportes Fronterizos, right by the border wall, and stayed for a month and a half. It was a rough, bare-bones affair in a shabby set of buildings, but it provided the wayfarers with a bed or maybe a mattress on the floor. The men slept in a crumbling trailer outfitted with bunk beds and the women on double beds and floor mats in an upstairs room reached by a set of rickety stairs. Temperatures in Nogales drop down to the twenties at night in winter, when Elena was there, and the shelters showers were outdoors, open to the sky.

Elena was afraid in the crowded city. Twice, she told me later, men had tried to drag her into their cars. The Sinaloa drug cartel controlled the region; known by migrants as la mafia, the narcotraficantes had expanded into the lucrative human smuggling trade. The federalesarmed Mexican soldierswere in town too. As we talked at Leos, we saw a truckload of helmeted soldiers bouncing down the rough street, their rifles propped up, aimed at the sky.

Its hard to know what might have happened to Elena if she hadnt encountered some journalists from Los Angeles. They were in town interviewing deportees, and told her about No More Deaths, a human rights group out of Tucson that helps deportees in Nogales and migrants in the desert. The volunteers ran a telephone ministry, proffering cell phones to deportees to phone home. A month into her time in Nogales, Elena went to them for help.

Elena told the workers that she hadnt talked to her kids in a month and didnt even know where they were. The only number she had was for CPS, and she hadnt been able to connect to a live person when she called on a borrowed phone.

Volunteer Hannah Hafter got in touch with social worker in Tucson, who quickly worked her contacts at CPS. Within days, she found out the whereaboutsand phone numbersof Luis and Camila. Luis was in a group home in Glendale, and Camila was living with English-speaking foster parents in a suburban town way east of Phoenix. When Hannah got the numbers, she handed Elena a phone, and for the first time in a long and painful month, Elena was able to speak with her children.

When Elena heard Camilas high-pitched voice say Mama? she just cried and cried and cried, Hannah said later. It was like you could see this darkness lift off of her.

About the Author

Margaret Regan is the author of two award-winning books: Detained and Deported: Stories of Immigrant Families Under Fire, a 2015 Southwest Book of the Year; and The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands, a 2010 Southwest Book of the Year and a Common Read for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. A longtime writer for the Tucson Weekly, Regan has won many regional and national awards for her immigration reporting, including the 2016 Matthew Freeman Social Justice Lectureship at Roosevelt University, Chicago. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.
A study in JAMA Internal Medicine examined whether patient outcomes differed between male and female physicians.

Researchers from Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University analyzed a 20 percent sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years or older that were treated by general internists between Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2014.

The researchers examined 30-day mortality and readmission rates  adjusted for patient and physician characteristics and hospital fixed effects.

Here's what they found.

1. They examined:

1.5 million hospitalizations for 30-day mortality rate at a mean age of 80.2 years

1.5 million for analyses of readmission at a mean age of 80.1 years

2. Patients treated by female physicians had a 30-day mortality rate of 11.07 percent to 11.49 percent; they also had a lower 30-day readmission rate of 15.02 percent to 15.57 percent.

3. The findings were unaffected when restricting the analysis to patients treated by hospitalists.

4. The researchers conclude that their findings are similar to other studies, and they estimate "that approximately 32,000 fewer patients would die if male physicians could achieve the same outcomes as female physicians every year."

They added, "The effect would be even larger if the associations between physician sex and patient outcomes also hold for non-Medicare populations."
Three senior Olympus executives utilized their right to invoke the Fifth Amendment during questioning over internal company emails, according to Kaiser Health News.

Here are six key points:

1. The executives employed their Fifth Amendment right during depositions on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2016, during a civil case against Olympus. In July 2016, news broke over Olympus' internal emails revealing the company told U.S. executives not to issue a broad warning to hospitals regarding a deadly infection from tainted scopes that was later linked to numerous deaths at major hospitals.

2. Olympus officials allegedly told European customers in January 2013 about a contaminated scope after French and Dutch hospitals reported two-dozen infections. Laura Storms, vice president of regulatory and clinical affairs at Olympus America in Center Valley, Pa., became concerned about a similar outbreak in Pittsburgh, and asked Tokyo officials if they would be communicating the same information to U.S. customers regarding the outbreak.

3. Susumu Nishina, the company's chief manager for market quality administration, replied via email that it was not necessary "to communicate to all the users actively," because a company assessment of the infection outbreak in Europe found the risk to be acceptable. Mr. Nishina was among the three executrives questioned.

4. The two other executives under questioning include Hisao Yabe and Hiroki Moriyama. Mr. Yabe is in charge of the medical manufacturing improvement division and Mr. Moriyama is actively involved in Olympus' regulatory affairs and quality assurance unit. KHN reports Mr. Moriyama was the manufacturer's contact on various injury reports filed with U.S. regulators concerning scope-related infections.

5. Various patients and their families have filed lawsuits against the company, claiming Olympus' negligence led to the outbreaks and deaths. Federal prosecutors are investigating the company's actions. Investigators may use the emails in future cases against the company.

6. Olympus has maintained that patient safety is a top priority for the company and is working with authorities to address any issues related to infections, KHN reported.
AMGA on Monday made recommendations to improve the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act's Quality Payment Program.

Here are six things to know.

1. CMS is implementing the Quality Payment Program in 2017.

2. In a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, AMGA CEO Donald Fisher, PhD, said the MACRA final rule indicates an ACO Track 1+ offers an opportunity to equalize how federal regulations govern the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Medicare Advantage programs.

3. In the letter, Dr. Fisher also pointed to the importance of ensuring 2017 is the only transition year for the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, and said he hopes CMS will fully implement the MIPS program in performance year 2018. That way by 2018, providers who have made the significant investments in the health IT, staff and cultural changes needed to succeed in a risk-based reimbursement system have the opportunity to do so.

"AMGA is eager to work with the incoming administration to develop the Track 1+ model," said Dr. Fisher in a news release. "The vast majority of ACO participants are excluded from the Advanced Alternative Payment models, but if done correctly, Track 1+ will serve as an on ramp for providers to move toward increased risk sharing."

4. Specifically, the letter recommends CMS implement a Track 1+ program that addresses the disparity in how quality is handled in the Medicare Advantage program, as compared to the ACO program.

5. AMGA also supports various other recommendations, such as ensuring Track 1+ is available to all current ACO participants, as well as ensuring existing ACO program and ACO demonstration participants are able to participate in Track 1+ in any performance year.

6. To read the full letter, click here.

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CMS does not plan to finalize a proposed rule that would test new Medicare Part B payment models, according to Politico.

Medicare Part B covers prescription drugs administered in a physician's office or hospital outpatient department. The proposed rule was intended to test alternative drug payment structures to help reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. However, after receiving industry feedback, CMS decided to cancel the demo.

"After considering comments, CMS will not finalize the Medicare Part B Drug Payment Model during this administration," a CMS spokesman told Politico.

Through the proposed rule, CMS sought to achieve savings and improve quality by changing prescribing incentives. Physicians and outpatient departments are typically paid the average sales price of a drug, plus a 6 percent add-on. The proposed rule called for changing the add-on payment to 2.5 percent plus a flat fee payment of $16.80 per drug per day. CMS said the current payment methodology can penalize physicians for selecting lower-cost drugs, even when these drugs will achieve as good or better patient outcomes than higher-priced alternatives.

CMS received comments from many concerned stakeholders about the proposal. "While CMS was working to address these concerns, the complexity of the issues and the limited time available led to the decision not to finalize the rule at this time," a CMS spokesperson told AHA News Now.

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New England Baptist Hospital is now a preferred provider for hip and knee replacements for General Electric's 100,000 employees nationwide.

This is the first kind of large employer partnership for Roxbury Crossing, Mass.-based New England Baptist. It's the seventh of its kind for GE, which has already named six other preferred hospitals for joint care in other states. GE relocated its headquarters to Boston this year from Fairfield, Conn., bringing about 5,000 employees to Massachusetts.

GE will directly contract with the hospital, which will operate under bundled payments that cover care spanning 60 days.

GE will waive out-of-pocket costs and travel expenses for employees who opt to have surgery at the hospital. The company has potential to save money given New England Baptist's quality and outcomes for orthopedic care. If there are complications within the 60 days of the bundled payment period, there's no other charge to GE aside from the bundle amount, Virginia Proestakes, GE's program leader of health operations, told The Boston Globe.
President-elect Donald Trump chose Republican South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney to head the Office of Management and Budget  a choice likely to impact healthcare policy in the next administration.

Rep. Mulvaney serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Co-author of the Cut, Cap and Balance Act to slash federal spending, Rep. Mulvaney is known for his fiscal conservatism. This stance may spill over into the healthcare arena. As director of the OMB, Rep. Mulvaney will likely want to cut Medicare and Medicaid spending through premium support and block-grants, respectively, according to Politico.

He's also a fierce opponent of the ACA. "I have voted many times to repeal [the ACA] and I will continue to work toward repealing that law and replacing it with solutions that work for everyone," Rep. Mulvaney writes on his website. "Obamacare has created an environment where most people can afford to buy health insurance but can't afford to go to the doctor because of very high deductibles. This 'solution' has created more problems than it has solved and we need to repeal it and start over."

Lastly, Rep. Mulvaney helped found the House Freedom Caucus, according to Politico and The New York Times. The Freedom Caucus, a group of House conservatives, issued a special report outlining a number of recommended policy updates for Mr. Trump's first 100 days, more than 50 of which pertain to healthcare. Due to Rep. Mulvaney's involvement with the caucus, this document  available here  offers a glimpse of his healthcare priorities. The recommendations range from removing HHS restrictions on sunlamps to revising the physician fee schedule to reversing a rule requiring certain preventive health services be covered by employer-sponsored health insurance plans.

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Lexington-based the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Bowling Green, Ky.-based The Medical Center and Western Kentucky University, also in Bowling Green, are collaborating on a medical school program for students at UK's College of Medicine and WKU, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.

According to the partnership agreement effective in 2018, 30 medical students from the two universities will attend classes in a building to be constructed on The Medical Center's Bowling Green campus. Students will receive a medical degree conferred by the University of Kentucky, according to the article.

"It's not every day that you're able to get a medical school in your community and this is a big accomplishment," said Don Brown, DO, director of medical education at The Medical Center. "It raises the bar for the practice of medicine."

"I think the opening of this medical school is a tremendous opportunity for Western Kentucky University, it's a tremendous opportunity for this community," said WKU Provost David Lee. "Having a four-year medical school here will brings lots of talented students to this area, and I think many of the students at this medical school will be interested in establishing their medical practice here."
The following healthcare mergers, acquisitions and general partnerships took place or were announced in the past week.

1. University of Michigan, Metro Health close acquisition deal

The Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System and Wyoming, Mich.-based Metro Health closed an acquisition agreement to provide quality care and services to residents in western Michigan.

2. Trinitas Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph's launch integrated behavioral network

To provide patients with better access to behavioral health services and programs, Elizabeth, N.J.-based Trinitas Regional Medical Center and Paterson, N.J.-based St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center launched a comprehensive integrated behavioral health network.

3. Princeton HealthCare System to join University of Pennsylvania Health System

The executive committee of the board of trustees of Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania Health System approved plans for the health system to partner with Plainsboro, N.J.-based Princeton HealthCare System, pending regulatory approval.

4. Mercy Iowa City, UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids sign letter of intent to affiliate

Mercy Iowa City (Iowa) and UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids (Iowa) signed a letter of intent to enter into a relationship to provide residents in the area better access to care.

5. KentuckyOne to end management of University of Louisville Hospital

Louisville-based KentuckyOne Health loosened ties with University of Louisville Hospital under a new agreement that took place last week.

6. CHS sells 2 hospitals for $45M to drive down debt

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems signed a definitive agreement to sell Yakima (Wash.) Regional Medical Center & Cardiac Center and Toppenish (Wash.) Community Hospital to Sunnyside (Wash.) Community Hospital & Clinics for approximately $45 million.

7. Crescent Health Solutions partners with Givens Communities, Sona Pharmacy + Clinic

Asheville, N.C.-based Crescent Health Solutions, a healthcare delivery solutions provider, partnered with Givens Communities, a company dedicated to providing care to seniors within its senior living community, and Sona Pharmacy + Clinic, both located in Asheville.

8. USC's Keck Medicine strengthens ties to Mexico City with research, academic agreement

The Los Angeles-based University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and the Ministry of Health in Mexico City, Mexico signed an agreement to facilitate research and academic opportunities for USC students.

9. MaineHealth consolidation plan sparks concern among affiliates

Local hospitals oppose Portland-based MaineHealth's tentative plans to merge its affiliates into a single entity.

10. UPMC to advise new women's hospital in China

Under a newly signed agreement, Pittsburgh-based UPMC International will provide a wide range of advisory services to Macare Women's Hospital in Quanzhou, China, including physician and nurse training and assessment of clinical service lines.

11. Envision Healthcare acquires Desert Mountain Consultants in Anesthesia

Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Envision Healthcare's physician services business expanded its anesthesia specialty through the acquisition of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Desert Mountain Consultants in Anesthesia.

12. Greenville Health System says Acadia partnership made possible by change in governance structure

Greenville (S.C.) Health System officials said the health system's $64 million partnership with Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare would not have been possible without a change in the health system's governance structure.

13. University of Miami Health System to manage, provide services at 17 Walgreens clinics

The University of Miami (Fla.) Health System and Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens entered into a collaboration in which UMHS will manage and provide clinical services at 17 retail clinics across South Florida.

14. Keokuk Health Systems, UnityPoint Health to formalize affiliation

Keokuk (Iowa) Health Systems and Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health signed a formal affiliation agreement last week.

15. NewYork-Presbyterian expands footprint into Brooklyn

NewYork-Presbyterian is now the parent organization of 651-bed New York Methodist Hospital.

16. Oconee Regional officials look to sell hospital

Officials plan to sell the financially struggling Milledgeville, Ga.-based Oconee Regional Medical Center.

17. Monongahela Valley Hospital to purchase hospital complex site

Monongahela (Pa.) Valley Hospital executives presented their plan to purchase a four-story, 108,366-square-foot building currently housing various hospital departments, physicians' offices and a fitness center to Washington County commissioners.

18. Bon Secours Health System withdraws plans to build nursing school on site of former school building

Bon Secours Richmond (Va.) Health System withdrew plans to use a former school building as the location for its new college of nursing.

19. Haywood Regional Medical Center partners with Healogics to offer specialized wound care

Clyde, N.C.-based Haywood Regional Medical Center partnered with Jacksonville, Fla.-based Healogics to offer comprehensive services for specialized wound care.

20. Lehigh Valley Health Network, Pocono Health System merger stalled 1.5 years

A year and a half after declaring their intent to merge, Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network and Stroudsburg, Pa.-based Pocono Health System remain independent.

21. MultiCare Health System acquires Immediate Clinic Seattle

Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System acquired Immediate Clinic Seattle (Wash.) Dec. 11.

22. DeKalb Medical Center seeks partner

Decatur, Ga.-based DeKalb Medical Center plans to align with local and out-of-state health systems in the coming months.
As drug prices continue to rise, many U.S. hospitals are implementing aggressive strategies to reduce pharmaceutical spending, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Hospital pharmacy costs jumped 11 percent in 2015 to $33.6 billion, largely due to increasing drug prices, according to a study published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy in July.

Here are five strategies hospitals are taking to cut drug spending.



1. Pulling supplies from hospital floors

While Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Health Care stocked its hospital crash carts with the blood pressure drug vasopressin for years, price hikes caused the health system to remove the drug from all 100 of its carts, according to WSJ. Now, the drug is dispatched from hospital pharmacies when needed. University of Utah Health Care hopes the change will help limit the amount of doses that go unused and expects to cut its $1 million annual budget for vasopressin by 6 percent, according to the report.

2. Monitoring price hikes

Earlier this year, Cleveland Clinic developed a set of algorithms to analyze the wholesale prices of 38,000 drugs each week, according to Jeffrey Rosner, senior director of pharmacy sourcing and purchasing for the hospital. The algorithms detect surprise price hikes and allow the hospital to quickly alter ordering decisions, said Mr. Rosner.

3. Repackaging a medication

In 2015, Valeant raised the price of the heart drugs Nitropress and Isuprel by as much as 500 percent. In response, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare started extracting eight doses of Isuprel from a single glass vial, storing the drug in syringes for later use. The health system estimates it cut annual spending on the drug by $1.1 million, reports WSJ.

4. Switching to cheaper alternatives

MedStar Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center addressed Valeant's heart drug price hikes by replacing Nitropress with the cheaper generic heart drug nicardipine.

5. Using stricter prescribing practices

After the price of the intravenous pain drug Ofirmev drastically rose in March 2014, physicians at the University of Utah Health agreed to limit use of the drug only to those who need it the most  like patients with trouble swallowing  according to Erin Fox, who oversees the hospital's medication policy. Other patients receive the drug in pill form or as a suppository, both much cheaper options. The health system has limited Ofirmev spending to about $400,000 annually using the new strategy, reports WSJ.





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Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Providence Medical Technology closed a new equity financing round of $10.5 million.

Here are five points:

1. The company plans to use the funding to boost the commercialization of its cervical fusion technology portfolio.

2. London, U.K.-based MVM Life Science Partners, a new investor, led the financing. The company is now a part of Providence's board of directors.

3. Jupiter, Fla.-based Stanmore Medical Investments and Mill Valley, Calif.-based Aphelion Capital also participated in the financing round.

4. Providence develops tissue-sparing, cervical fusion technology.

5. The company is currently working on commercializing the DTRAX platform of single-use, tissue-sparing instruments and CAVUX implants for cervical fusion.
Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo appeared on CNBC's Squawk CEO Call to discuss several aspects of the business and where his company is headed in the future.

The discussion touched on:

1. The medical device excise tax, which Mr. Lobo called a job and innovation killer. "We look forward to, with the new administration, a full repeal, which has been talked about."

2. How the ACA did and didn't impact Stryker. "Even with ACA, new people insured, we didn't see a bump in our volumes. Regardless of what happens with the new administration, we aren't expecting any change."

3. Historic and future projections for sales volumes and organic growth. "Our volumes have been very consistent, very steady. Our organic growth, we've had 14 quarters in a row growing higher than 5 percent and unlike pharmaceuticals, our medical device products prices have been declining every year since 2008. Our price decrease each year is 1.5 to 2 percent."

4. Operating in several healthcare systems around the world. "We operate in all types of healthcare systems around the world. Single payer systems in France or Canada, two tier systems in the U.K., and we are able to grow our business around the world. As long as our products are innovative they add value to the healthcare system, we are going to continue to grow."

5. The potential for corporate tax reform. "Macroeconomic policies, corporate tax reform would be fabulous. We are below 20 percent, we have a low effective rate, but what we really like is having the ability to pull back our U.S. cash."

6. Recent acquisitions. "Having that flexibility for cash, we have been acquisitive. We've done over 40 deals in the last four years and spent over $4 billion in the first quarter of this year and bringing that cash back gives us a lot of flexibility to continue doing more acquisitions and do more investment. But it puts us on a level playing field with competitors that have done inversions. We've stayed in the U.S. so having that trapped cash gives me more flexibility. Today, I have to borrow every time, event to pay a dividend I have to borrow money."

7. Capital allocations. "For us, our capital allocation favors acquisitions first, then dividends and buy backs, but it gives us tremendous flexibility to do all three of those."
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EMIA struck a deal with Prestige which meant the firm could only offer services if it did not undercut prices at EMIA's car park

The owner of Stansted Airport has escaped a 12.5 million fine after admitting that East Midlands International Airport (EMIA) had fixed car park prices.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) found EMIA had flouted competition law by fixing prices with Prestige Parking Limited between October 2007 and September 2012.

However, Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns EMIA, has seen the penalty reduced to zero after it confessed to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) before an investigation took place.

Richard Moriarty, markets and consumers director at the CAA, said both firms knew they were harming competition but had failed to act.

"Competition at airports is crucial to ensure that consumers benefit from choice and value for the whole passenger journey, including for services such as car parking at the airport.

"The fact that an airport operator owns land at the airport on which an independent business operates does not mean that the airport can dictate the price of services sold by that independent business."

EMIA struck a deal with Prestige which meant the firm could only offer services if it did not undercut prices at EMIA's car park.

The CAA also found that the two companies shared information about car park prices, while EMIA "actively monitored" Prestige's prices.

"This case should serve as a clear sign that we are prepared to take action to protect consumers wherever necessary and companies should be well aware that they could face a significant fine if they break competition law," Mr Moriarty added.

MAG is the UK's third largest airport operator. It owns four airports in Stansted, Bournemouth, East Midlands and Manchester and provides services to around 42 million passengers each year.

Prestige also admitted to price fixing, but will not face a fine because it is no longer trading.
Apple has hit out at the European Commission after filing an appeal against a ruling that would force the tech giant to return billions in unpaid taxes.

The US company launched its legal challenge overnight, as details of Ireland's appeal - which accused Brussels of exceeding its powers - went public.

Apple has been ordered to pay back 13bn (10.9bn), over an Irish tax deal, that allowed the tech giant to pay 1% tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005% in 2014, which the European Commission said amounted to state aid and breached antitrust law.

In a statement, Apple - which is led by Tim Cook - said it was confident the ruling would be reversed. It said: "It's been clear since the start of this case, there was a pre-determined outcome.

"The Commission took unilateral action and retroactively changed the rules, disregarding decades of Irish tax law, US tax law, as well as global consensus on tax policy, that everyone has relied on.

"If their opinion is allowed to stand, Apple would pay 40% of all the corporate income tax collected in Ireland, which is unprecedented and, far from levelling the playing field, selectively targets Apple.

"This has no basis in fact or law and we're confident the ruling will be overturned."

Apple stressed that it has paid billions of dollars in taxes and created 1.5 million jobs across the European Union.

The company's Irish base alone has been running since 1980 and currently employs 6,000 people.

The Department of Finance in Dublin published its own legal arguments on Monday, having also made the decision to appeal against the European Commission's order.

It said: "The Commission has exceeded its powers and interfered with national tax sovereignty.

"The Commission has no competence, under State aid rules, unilaterally to substitute its own view of the geographic scope and extent of the member state's tax jurisdiction for those of the member state itself.

It added: "The Commission never clearly explained its State aid theory during the investigation, and the decision contains factual findings on which Ireland never had the chance to comment.

"The Commission breached the duty of good administration by failing to act impartially and in accordance with its duty of care."

Ireland has structured its economy around attracting multinationals, with its low corporate tax rate, but left-wing critics have argued accepting the windfall could bring dramatic changes to national coffers during recovery from a recession.

Sinn Fein MEP, Matt Carthy, said that the Irish government's appeal "is weak, shows poor political judgment and (is) likely to fail". "Just last week, Oxfam labelled the Irish state as the sixth worst corporate tax haven in the world."
A Co Down company whose guitars have been played by Gary Lightbody, Ed Sheeran, Eric Clapton and Foy Vance is set to display its latest instrument at a music industry event in California.

Lowden Guitars created The Genesis guitar as its 20,000th instrument and will take the product to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim next month.

Three years ago the Downpatrick firm was struggling to catch up on a large backlog of orders.

But investment from the Growth Loan Fund allowed it to take on 13 new employees and expand its workshop from two to nine units.

The company was founded by George Lowden in 1974. He taught himself the art of guitar making aged 18 and today employs 29 skilled workers to produce hand-crafted instruments.

The company exports to Europe, North America, Canada, Australia and the Far East.

Mr Lowden said: "The Genesis guitar is the most unique piece we have ever created. We have been working on this project for over a year now and not only is it stunning to look at, but the sound it produces is also incredible.

"A piece of the guitar was sent to an artist in America and he has created a phenomenal piece of artwork, inlaid into the wood itself.

"We've taken our time on this project because I wanted to create a truly spectacular piece to mark such a significant milestone for us.

"We've already sold the guitar to a local buyer and, while I can't tell you how much it went for, we believe it is the most expensive guitar ever made in Ireland and possibly Great Britain."

Mr Lowden said the company has come a long way since it received funding from the Growth Loan Fund.

The loan allowed the firm to begin a five-year plan to tackle its order book and today the popularity of its guitars means there is still a year's worth of orders.

"We've expanded our premises in Downpatrick, created further employment in the local area and developed our production with new jigs and equipment," said Mr Lowden. "We have a good reputation for building high quality guitars and that is something we would never want to compromise by growing too fast.

"Our goal is to continually improve our production methods through fine tuning and innovation to ultimately increase output.

"Next month we will showcase The Genesis guitar and present our new range and designs at the 2017 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show in Anaheim, California, which has over 100,000 attendees.

"Throughout 2017 we will also continue to visit new markets," he added.

Rhona Barbour is senior portfolio manager at WhiteRock Capital Partners, which administers the Growth Loan Fund.

She said: "George and his team place an emphasis on research and development and are using a blend of traditional and cutting edge techniques to craft stunning guitars."
Nearly 25% of shoppers living in the Republic plan to do their shopping in Northern Ireland to take advantage of the weaker pound, according to a survey.

The research by business and credit risk analyst Vision-net.ie also revealed that just under half would be making the journey northwards for the first time.

Vision-net.ie said its findings suggest that those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to make the journey to Northern Ireland.

Sterling has lost nearly a fifth of its value against the euro since the UK voted to leave the EU on June 23 - making goods priced in pounds good value for visitors from the eurozone.

An online forum called Northern Ireland Bargain Alerts on Boards.ie has almost 4,000 replies on its most viewed thread, Shopping in Northern Ireland.

Tips include using cooler bags to transport frozen goods from Newry and changing currency in the Republic to avoid transaction fees.

Shoppers who'd travelled to Newry, Co Down from the Republic last month told the Belfast Telegraph that they were saving up to 300 by coming to Northern Ireland.
Tesco is still the top supermarket

Asda is now the second most popular supermarket in Northern Ireland, latest figures show.

With 17.4% of the market share, almost one-fifth of the food, alcohol, household, health and beauty products bought here were purchased at one of the chain's 17 stores - according to Kantar Worldpanel.

It means the chain - owned by US firm Walmart - has overtaken Sainsbury's to claim the number two spot for the third time this year, after growing its share by 0.8%.

Sainsbury's sold 17.3% of groceries here in its 13 Northern Ireland stores in the 52 weeks to December 4 - a fall of 0.8%.

But Tesco remains ahead of its two main competitors at number one. More than one-third (34.6%) of groceries were bought in the chain's 50 stores.

Discount retailer Lidl grew its market share by 1.2% to reach 5.2% of the market.

The German chain has 38 stores across the region and has continued to push its range of Northern Ireland produce.

At one point last year, Sainsbury's was well ahead of Asda with 17.6% of the market here compared to 17.3%.

Symbol retailers saw their market share in Northern Ireland plunge by 5.5% to 8.5%.

Tesco's continued dominance comes as it marks 20 years in Northern Ireland. The firm has said it's contributed 5.7bn to the local economy.

Tesco arrived in Northern Ireland in 1996 when it bought 34 Stewarts and Crazy Prices stores. It was followed by Sainsbury's in December that year and Asda in 2005.
Mobile and broadband coverage in Northern Ireland has improved in recent years, but it still could be better

The quality and reach of fixed broadband and mobile infrastructure in Northern Ireland has improved considerably over the last few years.

Superfast broadband, capable of delivering download speeds of 30 Mbit/s or more, is now available to more than 80% of homes and small businesses and continuing investment by industry and the Government will ensure further increases in coverage over the next few years.

There have also been notable improvements in coverage for mobile voice and data services. 4G coverage from all four operators now extends to 60% of the Northern Ireland landmass, compared to just 17% in 2015.

However, too many people and businesses are still struggling for a good service.

Our latest Connected Nations report shows that 63,000 Northern Ireland homes and offices - or 8% of properties - remain unable to sign up for broadband speeds over 10 Mbit/s, the speed required to meet a typical household's digital needs.

In rural areas this rises to one in four premises, often because they are situated a long way from the telephone exchange or local street cabinet.

So we're challenging mobile operators to go beyond built-up areas and provide coverage across the UK's countryside and transport networks. We are also providing technical advice to support the UK Government's plans, announced in 2015, for universal, decent broadband.

The universal service would ensure every home and small business in the country has the right to a decent, affordable broadband connection of 10 Mbit/s or above by the end of the current parliament.

Ofcom's analysis shows that this speed is sufficient to meet the current needs of a typical household. The online activity of users who can access this speed is far less constrained than those who cannot.

However, households are likely to need greater speeds as new, data-hungry applications emerge. We will therefore monitor the universal service and recommend its minimum speed to rise when necessary.

The final design of the service will be decided by Government, and then implemented by Ofcom.

These are very important initiatives but we should also highlight the progress that has already been made in spreading faster broadband services in Northern Ireland.

Our Connected Nations Report shows the average download speed of a broadband service in Northern Ireland jumped by 21% in the last year, from 28 Mbit/s to 34 Mbit/s. This reflects not only better coverage, but also people choosing to pay for faster broadband packages.

Around a third of Northern Ireland homes (34%, or 254,000) have now chosen to take up superfast broadband, up from 29% a year earlier.

Superfast broadband is now available to eight in ten Northern Ireland homes (83%), up from 77% last year. This has been driven by BT upgrading its network and on-going investment by the Northern Ireland Executive.

Superfast services are now available to 71% of small and medium sized enterprises or SMEs - up from 66% in 2015.

With Government funded interventions continuing in tandem with ongoing operator investment, we expect the availability of superfast broadband to further increase for SMEs, and for all consumers more generally over the coming years.

Mobile coverage has also improved in the last year. Six in 10 premises (64%) can now receive an indoor 4G signal from all networks, up from just 37% last year, as operators continue to roll out faster mobile broadband.

Ofcom rules mean that O2 must deliver a mobile data service to 95% of premises in Northern Ireland by the end of next year, and other operators are expected to follow in order to remain competitive.

So we're seeing good progress, but there is a long way to go. Ofcom recognises access to high quality fixed-line and mobile communications services are increasingly vital for consumers and businesses, and we want everyone to benefit from better coverage.

Ofcom will keep working with Government and industry to ensure that Northern Ireland has the mobile and broadband networks it needs for the coming years.

*Jonathan Rose is Northern Ireland director of Ofcom
State residents who apply for services through the federal Women, Infants and Children's supplemental nutrition program and developmental disabilities programs are seeing a speedier process, according to state Department of Health and Human Services officials.

The WIC program, which provides healthy food, nutrition counseling and breastfeeding support, is using a new, $3.4 million computer system paid for by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to modernize the applications process for services. WIC Journey replaces a system implemented in 1997.

Thirteen local WIC agencies provide services at 106 clinics to 37,000 clients across the state, Judy Martin, community and environmental health section deputy director, said at a news conference Monday.

The new system eliminates the need for 23 paper forms, Martin said. That allows for more face time with clients. And prompts in the system alert staff to touch on specific health and nutrition topics with clients, which helps focus discussion on personal strategies for healthy behaviors. Less time with paperwork gives more time for appointments, she said.

Previously, 25 percent of clinics were connected to the system. Now all clinics are connected and can access family records and appointment schedules.

The department also has reduced the amount of time it takes to determine eligibility for services for developmentally disabled clients -- from an average of 49 days to 16, said department CEO Courtney Phillips.

Courtney Miller, director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities, said those clients now have access to an interactive application, which also includes an electronic signature.

"Prior to the new process, individuals and their families often had difficulty completing the application," Miller said. "And because expectations were not clear, they frequently mailed documentation in excess of what was needed, sometimes hundreds of pages, at a substantial cost to the individual and their families."

Vicki Depenbusch, program director for the Autism Family Network, said in the past month she's had more than 16 parents able to walk through the HHS website with her, downloading and completing forms and turning them in for services.

The application process was streamlined from 14 to three pages.

"This has given new hope to parents who had given up before," Depenbusch said.

Gov. Pete Ricketts said he looked forward to additional improvements to state government functions as the department looks for better ways to serve clients.

"As I have said, one of the reasons I believe I was elected was to bring my private-sector experience to help the government run more like a business," he said. "That means being more effective, more efficient and more customer-focused."
The Chinese owner of Weetabix has reportedly put the breakfast cereal firm up for sale in a deal that could value it at 1 billion.

Bright Food Group, which acquired a 60% stake in Weetabix in 2012, is working with Goldman Sachs on the sale process, according to Reuters.

The remaining 40% of Weetabix is held by Baring Private Equity Asia.

State owned Bright Food said when it bought Weetabix that it would look to crack the Chinese breakfast market, but the bulk of its sales still come from the UK.

Weetabix has also been embroiled in the wave of strike action affecting the UK over the festive period after workers voted on Monday to go on strike in the new year following a row over shift patterns.

The Usdaw union said action will affect workplaces in Corby and Kettering, with the first strike taking place in the new year.

The company said "changing consumer breakfast habits" have increased demand for biscuit production, resulting in the new shift patterns.
There are a number of values that go beyond international borders and cultures. The rule of law, freedom of expression, or, even an appreciation of chocolate are often cited, but from recent experience the need for and value of, sound financial management, is also on that list.

I achieved that experience in September, during a placement in Malawi as a pro bono accounting volunteer with the Kusamala Institute of Agriculture and Ecology (Kusamala). The placement was arranged by Accounting for International Development, a social enterprise which places accounting professionals with organisations around the world.

Permaculture (the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient), is at the heart of Kusamala. It is about helping farmers and families make the most of their facilities, creating a sustainable way of living and maximising the resources available.

In its seven year history, despite Kusamala being a small organisation with limited funding, it has made a difference to thousands of farmers and their families across Malawi, and there is a real passion to expand into the whole country.

Fundamental to that growth was the ability to access accurate, timely financial information. The purpose of my placement was to help Kusamalas administrator and finance staff, focusing on a new electronic accounts package to improve financial management and control throughout the organisation.

Kusamala had been using a package that could not deliver reporting information in a format that was relevant to the organisation.

The transition required a transfer of data and training the finance team. Also fundamental, was creating a reporting structure that produced information in a more meaningful, tailored format. This is in turn provided management with quality, timely information to easily monitor the financial results of the organisation, to make quicker, better decisions, and to plan for the future.

The financial management challenges facing Kusamala  and other such organisations in Malawi  will be familiar to many small and medium-sized businesses and organisations in Northern Ireland. This assisted greatly with the aim of the project itself, which was to share the benefit of local experience and develop the appropriate framework on location.

What I had not anticipated, however, was the valuable lessons that were learned from establishing a financial management framework in an environment where resources are limited, communication networks are less reliable and data capture is less efficient.

The fundamental principle of compiling meaningful, relevant reporting from the information available, certainly required alternative approaches and some thinking outside the box, learnings which I have brought home with me and local businesses could benefit from.

Whilst I am back home in Northern Ireland now, it is always a privilege to be able to contribute in a small way to the work that is happening in Malawi, and I will continue to assist from afar.

*For further information, Claire Thomson can be contacted at claire.thomson@ie.gt.com, or visit http://www.grantthorntonni.com/ Grant Thornton (NI) LLP specialises in audit, tax and advisory services.
Dick van Dyke with Julie Andrews in the original Mark Poppins film

Dick Van Dyke has confirmed he will appear in the upcoming Mary Poppins sequel.

The 91-year-old actor, who played chimney sweep Burt in the original 1964 film, revealed he had agreed to join the cast of the new movie, which stars Emily Blunt in the lead role, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

He told the magazine: "This one supposedly takes place 20 years later and the kids are all grown up.

"It's a great cast - Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury and that guy (Lin-Manuel Miranda) from Hamilton."

Van Dyke said while he is "choosy" about his roles, he has no plans to retire from performing.

"I think it's the worst thing you can do," he told the Hollywood Reporter.

"Certain people who do retire suddenly age. I think you have to stay active."

Blunt, 33, will replace Julie Andrews as the magical nanny in Mary Poppins Returns, which is due to be released on Christmas Day 2018.

The film - based on PL Travers' famous character - tells the story of an older Jane and Michael Banks and Michael's three children, who are visited by Poppins in the aftermath of a "personal loss" in Depression-hit London.

Miranda, the creator and star of the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, will play street lamplighter Jack in the film.

According to Variety, Streep is playing Poppins' cousin Topsy, while Lansbury's role in the movie has not been confirmed.

The film's director is Rob Marshall, whose previous work includes Chicago and Into The Woods, while the script is being produced by Finding Neverland writer David Magee.
Firearm was taken away for forensic examination

Police have recovered a firearm following a search of a property in the Annadale Crescent area of south Belfast.

Officers were alerted to the presence of the firearm at a house undergoing refurbishment on Monday.

The scene was held overnight and a further search was conducted on Tuesday. The firearm has now been taken away for forensic examination.

Detective Inspector Richard Thornton asked for anyone with any information about this incident to contact detectives at Musgrave on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Left to right: Solicitor Gavin Booth, Bernadette Armstrong and Mary Clinton leaving court.

Two women convicted of falsely imprisoning a man in a case involving a suspected British agent have won a 30-year battle to clear their names.

Judges in the Court of Appeal today quashed the guilty verdicts against Mary Clinton and Bernadette Armstrong after being told the alleged victim wanted money to identify others.

With his reliability in question, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said: "In all the circumstances we have an unease about the safety of the convictions."

Mrs Clinton and Mrs Armstrong have always protested their innocence over events at a house in Rathbeg Close, Downpatrick in 1987.

The alleged victim was taken from the house and shot for being a suspected informer, according to papers in the case.

Sandy Lynch, a republican later named as a state agent, was said to be involved.

Both women maintained the man left the house by his own free will, insisting they were unaware of any false imprisonment.

Bernadette Armstrong, a single mother of young children, pleaded guilty to the charge after being told she would be sent to jail if she contested the allegations, it was claimed.

She received a two-year suspended sentence.

Mary Clinton fought the case at a non-jury trial and was sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Their lawyers based their appeal on the failure to reveal the involvement of a state agent.

They argued that the non-disclosure rendered the convictions unsafe.

Reference was also made to the quashing of convictions against former Sinn Fein director of publicity Danny Morrison and others for the unlawful imprisonment of Lynch in 1990.

It was contended that the two cases have striking similarities, with both involve the failure to disclose an informer's role in an alleged crime classed as entrapment.

Counsel for the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) confirmed it was not opposing the two women's appeals.

Gerard Simpson QC also raised serious issues about the reliability of evidence from the alleged victim, telling the court he would only identify others if he was paid money.

That man is now understood to be living at a secret location outside Northern Ireland.

Sir Declan then confirmed: "We are content to allow the appeals and set the convictions aside."

Both women left court without comment, but their solicitor insisted they should never have been found guilty in the first place.

Gavin Booth of KRW Law claimed: "This was nothing but a malicious prosecution.

"The refusal to arrest Sandy Lynch served a wider purpose, to protect a state agent in order to set up other innocent victims.

"We've seen this already in the case of Danny Morrison and others."

Welcoming the position taken by the PPS position in the appeal, he added: "There are more people out there with these unsafe convictions based on the role of agents."
The doll, wearing an outfit handmade by Sandra, that was meant for a youngster in eastern Europe

A woman has been left "horrified, hurt and angry" after a doll she worked on for months to send to a disadvantaged child in eastern Europe was seen for sale in a shop window in Richhill.

Sandra Barr, from Tandragee, carefully knitted and crocheted a beautiful outfit for a doll she hoped would be sent off by the Drop Inn Ministries as part of their Shoebox Appeal.

But to her anger, the 55-year-old spotted it being sold in another Drop Inn Ministries' store just days later.

"It was a very distinctive outfit, so I knew straight away when I saw it that it was mine," Sandra told the Belfast Telegraph.

"It had taken me three months to make the outfit for the doll because I had knitted and crocheted the whole thing.

"I asked the woman in the shop where they got it, and she said a member of the public had left it in. That wasn't true because I'd left it in a shoebox in the Tandragee shop last week."

"I made that doll's outfit using the best organic fabric and vintage wool and ribbon because all that went through my head was that some wee child that has nothing else can love this doll and look after it.

"That's why I was so upset when I saw it in the Drop Inn because some girl who has 40 dolls at home could just go in and get it and play with it for 10 minutes and forget about it again. I was horrified, hurt and angry."

Store staff failed to tell Sandra, who took the doll back, she had missed a November 18 cut-off for shoeboxes to be delivered.

The charity was founded in 1994 by Ronnie and Carolyn Dawson, from Richhill, as a way to reach out to people in the local community.

Sandra has since received an apology from Drop Inn Ministries, which said: "A volunteer inadvertently opened the box, priced the doll and placed it out for sale in the understanding that it was part of a consignment of stock. It was a genuine mistake from the person concerned, and we will be doing everything possible to make sure this does not happen again.

"We know that this should not have happened and offer our sincere apologies. As stated previously, it is not our practice to remove items from the Christmas boxes and offer them for sale."

But Sandra said: "I don't understand how a shoebox wrapped in Christmas paper with 15 worth of gel pens, chocolates, a colouring book and the doll could be mistaken for stock."

Much to her delight, though, the doll, with its gorgeous white, orange and yellow ensemble, has since found a new owner much closer to home.

"I put a post on Facebook and was inundated with people from Northern Ireland telling me these horror stories about people who need help this Christmas," Sandra explained.

"One girl was telling me about this family in Northern Ireland who are living in temporary accommodation and have absolutely nothing, so that's where it's going, which is nice."

Drop Inn Ministries investigated the matter and found it had been a "genuine mistake".

"We understand the frustration and disappointment that this has caused to the person who donated the Christmas gift," it said in a statement.

"We know that this should not have happened and have apologised to the lady concerned.

"The cut-off date for our shoebox appeal was November 18. We can guarantee that all shoeboxes we received prior to that date will be in the hands of children this Christmas."
A woman in Lurgan has been left devastated after thieves ransacked her home and made off with thousands of pounds of jewellery, including necklaces that belonged to her late mother, the day before her birthday

A woman in Lurgan has been left devastated after thieves ransacked her home and made off with thousands of pounds of jewellery, including necklaces that belonged to her late mother, the day before her birthday.

The burglars even ripped open Christmas presents and emptied an urn containing the ashes of the family's dead dog during the break-in in the town's Magretta Park on Saturday.

The homeowner, a 52-year-old mother-of-two who lives with her husband, told the Belfast Telegraph: "I had gone out with my husband to our daughter's house in Banbridge for a meal. We left the house at about 6pm. We had locked the doors, left the Christmas tree lights on and the lights on in the kitchen.

"We arrived back home at about 10pm to find the back door open. We came into the house and everything was ransacked.

"Every room had been turned upside down. All my good jewellery was taken."

Among the items stolen were the woman's engagement and wedding rings, an eternity ring, a gold necklace bought as a gift for her by her husband, two gold necklaces that belonged to her late mother, two rings from her mother-in-law and a pair of gold diamond earrings that were valued at over 1,000. An emerald and diamond ring - given to her by her daughter as a birthday present that same evening - were also taken.

Unfortunately, none of the were insured.

"They even opened three or four Christmas presents, but because there was nothing valuable they just left them," said the break-in victim, who did not wish to be named. The woman was shocked and even more distressed to discover that the thieves had also emptied an urn containing the ashes of the family's dead pet.

"My dog passed away in November, and I had his wee casket sitting at my bedside," the homeowner said.

"They'd actually taken the dog's ashes out and gone through them. Even the man from the CID was shocked."

Since the burglary, the woman has been unable to sleep or eat properly.

While she was supposed to mark her 52nd birthday on Sunday, she did not have the heart to celebrate following the theft of her treasured possessions.

"How could they do this to anybody... to take precious jewellery that belonged to loved ones who are no longer here and can never be replaced?" she asked

Carla Lockhart, DUP MLA for Upper Bann, offered her sympathies to the woman.

"This is utterly unacceptable and the PSNI needs to increase its resources to tackle this escalating problem," she said.

"I would encourage the public to secure their property and to report anything suspicious, and the PSNI to increase their patrols in the Lurgan, Portadown and Banbridge area."

A PSNI spokesman confirmed that police in Lurgan were investigating reports of burglaries at five addresses in Lurgan, Portadown and Craigavon on Saturday evening, during which items of value were stolen.

Detective Inspector Harvey appealed for anyone with any information about the burglaries to contact detectives at Lurgan Police Station on 101 or through Crimestoppers.
Roberts was convicted of the murder of Harry Scott, a 64-year-old Protestant, shot dead at a west Belfast pub in March 1976

A man convicted of a teenage role in an IRA murder 40 years ago has failed in a bid to have the verdict overturned.

Judges in the Court of Appeal rejected claims that the circumstances surrounding admissions made by James Gary Roberts rendered the finding unsafe.

They reached the same decision in a linked challenge by Gerard Harte to being found guilty of petrol bombing offences.

Roberts was convicted of the murder of Harry Scott, a 64-year-old Protestant, shot dead at a west Belfast pub in March 1976.

The killing was said to have been carried out in retaliation for an earlier attack on a Catholic bar.

Roberts, aged 17 at the time, was arrested during a search which led to the recovery of the murder pistol under a mattress in his room.

Harte, then aged 16, was detained at his home in 1979 as a suspected terrorist, the court heard.

He was later found guilty of petrol bomb attacks on a builders' merchant and Lurgan Railway Station, as well as arson, burglary and theft of a shotgun offences.

Both men had been interviewed by police without a solicitor present.

Statements made during their questioning were used under emergency legislation in force at the time - despite the defendant's contesting the admissibility.

Their lawyers argued in the Court of Appeal that the circumstances surrounding the statements rendered the convictions unsafe.

But Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan, sitting with Lord Justices Weatherup and Weir, said: "In each case we consider that the confessions were obtained in accordance with the rules prevailing at the time."

With further protections now in place for children and others accused of crimes, the judges pointed out that scrutiny has been given to identify any factors which could impact on the reliability of the original verdicts.

"The question is whether there is any unease about the reliability of these admissions," Sir Declan added.

"In our view the courts at the time gave careful consideration to that very issue and we do not consider that the matters advanced on behalf of the applicants suggest that the convictions are unsafe.

"Accordingly leave is refused in each case."
Martin McGuinness and Sinn Fein colleagues at Stormont for the special sitting over the Renewable Heating Incentive scandal.

Attempts by the DUP and Sinn Fein to present a united front are lying in tatters after a bitter day of rancour and mutual finger-pointing at Stormont.

After almost six months of improving relations between the two Executive parties, the fallout from the botched Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) threatened to turn into a crisis that could trigger fresh elections.

Sinn Fein warned that the existence of the Executive Office could be thrown into doubt after Arlene Foster went ahead with a Stormont statement on RHI despite Marin McGuinness withdrawing his permission for his colleague to do so.

"I think we are in a very difficult situation," Mr McGuinness said. "We are dealing with an enormous financial scandal, and as a result of today's development in the Assembly we are dealing with a total shambles."

Sinn Fein tabled a motion calling for an independent inquiry and again urged First Minister Foster to step aside pending the outcome of any investigation.

The motion will be debated when the Assembly resumes in January.

Having been brought back from their Christmas and New Year recess, MLAs spent the first hour-and-a-half yesterday protesting over whether the Assembly should have been recalled in the first place.

The argument about Mrs Foster's speech hinged on the nature of the system of leadership. Under Stormont rules, the Executive Office is held by the First and Deputy First Ministers, who have equal status, meaning decisions must be agreed by both.

Former Sinn Fein minister Caral Ni Chuilin said allowing Mrs Foster's statement to go ahead undermined the integrity of the Executive Office.

But DUP members accused their power-sharing partners of playing politics.

A day of high political drama began with Speaker Robin Newton refusing to accept a number of points of order, which lead to a half-hour adjournment.

When the session resumed, the DUP was left isolated after all other parties walked out of the chamber in protest at Mr Newton's decision.

The Ulster Unionists, SDLP, Alliance, TUV and other MLAs, who are challenging the Speaker's decision, shouted "shame" as they stood up together.

Outside, they said they were not prepared to allow Mrs Foster to make a "party political broadcast".

TUV leader Jim Allister said the events were akin to something from a pantomime.

In a direct challenge to Mr Newton (below), the SDLP's Alex Attwood asked where he got his authority from, while People Before Profit MLA Eamonn McCann called for the holding of fresh Assembly elections.

Insisting the discussion had been "a disaster for the integrity and reputation of these institutions", Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt suggested a second adjournment, only to be overruled by Mr Newton. Afterwards, DUP chairman Lord Morrow said: "After days of feigned anger, they would not, or could not, find a single question to ask about an issue of such public importance."

Mrs Foster then found herself answering questions from her own party members in a bizarre Assembly session where only the DUP was present.

The First Minister said: "I am sorry that the initial scheme did not contain cost-control measures and that there were fundamental flaws in its design. This is the deepest political regret of my time in this house.

"The crucial mistake in the scheme was that the tariff for the most commonly used boilers - small to medium biomass - was set at a level higher than the market price of the relevant fuel, which is mainly wood pellets. In essence, that created an incentive to continue to burn fuel over and above the levels required."

Insisting she would not be resigning - with further details on how the envisaged 400m expenditure can be circumvented expected later this week - the DUP leader went on: "I remain as committed today as I did on the day I was elected as First Minister to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith."

After the one-party meeting, the Assembly was again adjourned for almost another hour. In the afternoon, Mrs Foster staged her own walkout after she directly clashed with Mr Nesbitt, who shouted out, "What's the plan?"

The DUP leader diverted from scripted remarks to retort: "If you had been here this morning, you would have heard it."

Mr Nesbitt replied that her remarks amounted to all talk and no action.

DUP members then shouted back that the other parties "ran away" and lost their opportunity to question Mrs Foster.

However, a motion to exclude Mrs Foster foundered - as expected - because her party has sufficient numbers to defeat it.

Confidence motions require not just an overall majority, but a majority of both unionists and nationalists, and with 38 members the DUP has more than 50% of the total unionists.

The SDLP's motion of no-confidence was supported by a majority of voting MLAs (39-36). However, Sinn Fein, which remained largely absent from the Assembly chamber all day, did not back it.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: "Never have I seen our public more engaged and more angry about a single issue. Ours is a community united in anger."

The last few months had witnessed "a damaging pattern" to politics here, he went on, including "the cloud hanging over the Nama deal, the inaction on Brexit, the structure of the Social Investment Fund and appeasement of a UDA boss".

Mrs Foster said: "For almost two weeks, I have listened on an almost daily basis to lies presented as facts, the truth distorted out of all recognition and a public narrative created and relentlessly pursued which bears no relationship to reality."

She branded the exclusion motion as a "kamikaze" attempt at a "constitutional coup d'etat" but added: "I have to say that it's a coup d'etat more worthy of a Carry On film."

Ms Ni Chuilin responded: "The SDLP's motion was always going to fail and let the DUP off the hook.

"It did not deal with the key issues around the RHI scandal. The test for the SDLP is whether they will support our motion."

But Alliance leader Naomi Long said: "This is not about any individual. It is about these institutions and it is about the anger, weariness and disgust that the public feel towards them."
A 24-year-old Co Down man who claimed he was the victim of a gay rape, will discover in the New Year if he is to be jailed for his false cry of sex abuse.

In one of the first cases of its kind here, Newry man Gary Kearns admitted perverting the course of justice, by making what Judge Paul Ramsey QC described as "repellent allegations", against a "completely and totally innocent" victim.

Earlier, the Newry Crown Court judge said the allegations were "completely without foundation" and were now "publicly recognised" as such.

Adjourning sentencing, Judge Ramsey said, while the custody threshold had been passed, the issue for him was whether there were exceptional circumstances which would allow the court to suspend a jail sentence.

Prosecution lawyer Stephen McCourt said that in October 2014, Kearns, from Barcroft Park, went to police claiming he was the victim of a gay rape the previous month, and named his alleged attacker.

Over the coming months, Kearns not only broadcast the news locally, but maintained when asked by police that "the allegation was true and he wanted to proceed with the complaint".

Mr McCourt said that when the alleged attacker was interviewed by police, he denied Kearns' claims and directed officers to a number of possible witnesses. Mr McCourt then revealed when police went to update Kearns, he told them he did not want to proceed.

Kearns later went to police telling them that "he had lied about the allegation of rape". Mr McCourt said 'thankfully' matters had not reached the stage of court proceedings for Kearns' victim, described by his mother and family as "vulnerable and naive".

But Mr McCourt said that despite this, the victim continues to suffer from extreme depression and anxiety and "the issues continue to blight the victim as he tries to go about his everyday life".

Defence barrister Seamus Lannon, revealed that psychiatric and other reports, indicated that a remorseful Kearns "could make himself believe it happened ... persuaded himself that certain things happened when they did not .... an element of make-believe in his own mind".

However, the lawyer said he was instructed by Kearns not to contest "anything that has been said", and pointed out it had been Kearns himself who had gone to police to confess his guilt.

Mr Lannon claimed that Kearns "freaked out and wanted matters sorted", when he learned the injured party was to be taken to court. He added, that Kearns "did not want it to go this far", and claimed Kearns had no comprehension of the consequences of making his allegations.
The Western Trust has put in place measures to deal with the outbreak.

A senior doctor has described the norovirus outbreak at one of Northern Ireland's main hospitals as the worst in his near 30 years in medicine.

Five wards at Altnagelvin hospital in Northern Ireland have been closed due to an outbreak the norovirus.

Movement has been restricted between four wards at the Londonderry hospital and admissions suspended.

Western Health Trust Director Dermot Hughes said the outbreak was the worst in his 27 years.

"It is concerning," he told the BBC.

"It relates to the fact there are a high number of incidents in the community. It is a self-limiting illness. It will not cause harm to most people.

"But for the vulnerable patients in the hospital, it is something we want to prevent at all costs."

Cavan's @Slieverussell hotel says decision to close due to outbreak of Norovirus taken "with deep regret" and pledge to reopen asap https://t.co/wC417g5MqW  Lauren Harte (@LJHarteFH) December 20, 2016

The Western Trust said infection control measures have been put in place to stop the virus spreading.

It said: "To protect our patients and staff, people should not come to the hospital if they are feeling unwell, have any symptoms of norovirus or someone at home does.

"Those who decide to visit loved ones in the hospital are asked to thoroughly wash their hands before and after visiting.

"Visitors should visit only one patient whilst at the hospital, refrain from sitting on hospital beds and not move from ward to ward when visiting."

The Slieve Russell Hotel closed on Monday due to an increased incidence of infection among residents and staff at hotel.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) and hotel management said the action was necessary to safeguard public health.

"HSE Public Health and Environmental Health staff met with hotel management on 19 December and agreed that additional measures including a full deep-clean of all surfaces and furnishings in the hotel would be required.

"In order to achieve this, the hotel has closed.

"It will re-open as soon as all possible environmental sources of the virus have been disinfected."

SDLP health spokesperson and Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan expressed his concern.

He said: "This outbreak will certainly cause alarm among the public but the Western Trust has acted quickly and decisively to get this situation under control.

"Understandably people suffering from the virus may have felt the need to seek medical help and it is believed that this is what has caused the spread in Altnagelvin. However, the disease is not dangerous to most people and by visiting medical centres they are putting older people and those already being treated for different conditions at risk of infection.

"To prevent the spread of the virus, it is vital that people familiarise themselves with the symptoms. If anyone is displaying signs of the norovirus they should stay clear of medical centres unless they require serious medical attention."
Family members of one of her victims pictured outside Lisburn courthouse yesterday

Police are searching for a Belfast care worker convicted of abusing elderly care home residents after she failed to attend court yesterday.

Lisa Cullen left a man with a hood over his head and wheeled another resident into an empty room and left him there despite his repeated calls for help, a court was previously told.

Issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of the 40-year-old defendant at Lisburn Magistrates' Court, District Judge Rosie Watters told her solicitor that despite a letter from her doctor, "she has to be in court - there is no alternative."

Following a short trial last month, Cullen was convicted of seven counts of ill-treating five residents - two men and three women - at the Kilwee Care Home in Dunmurry on dates between November 30, 2012 and December 31, 2013.

The care worker, from Lagmore Dale, also in Dunmurry, was set to learn her sentence last week, but she also failed to attend that hearing.

When the case was adjourned, Judge Watters said that if the defendant failed to show again, she would issue a warrant for her arrest - a promise she made good on yesterday.

In addition to poorly treating the pensioners, some of whom are understood to suffer from dementia, Cullen is additionally charged with assaulting a woman, who is understood to a whistleblower who lifted the lid on her behaviour towards the home's vulnerable residents.

The judge told Cullen's solicitor: "I can understand she's anxious. There are lots of reasons to be anxious, but that applies to lots of people coming here."

Speaking outside court, a woman whose mother was one of the defendant's victims said: "We all feel gutted today that she's put the families through so much and can't come her to receive her sentence.

"It just shows you what she is. We want this over and done with. We want to get on with our lives and put that behind us and she's just taken that away from us again.

"She has no respect for anybody. She's put us through hell and she's shown no remorse.

"It just makes it all that more hard. We want to see her sentenced. We want to see her get what is due to her.

"She must come before the court and she must get sentenced."

The Kilwee Care Home, on Cloona Park in Dunmurry, is a purpose-built nursing home which cost 3m.

It opened its doors in 2011 and is equipped to care for 44 elderly residents, specialising in patients who are suffering from dementia.
A 35-year-old man from Co Antrim has become the second person to admit the murder of a Chinese restaurateur.

Wing Fu Cheung - a popular businessman also known as Nelson - was stabbed to death after his car was forced off the road on the outskirts of Randalstown last January.

His wife, Kam-Fung Cheung, was injured and robbed in the incident which claimed her husband's life.

Appearing at Belfast Crown Court yesterday was Virgilio Augusto Fernando Correia, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry.

Correia's barrister Gavan Duffy QC asked the clerk of the court to re-arraign his client on three charges arising from last January's incident - namely murdering Mr Cheung, wounding his wife with intent to do her grievous bodily harm, and robbing Mrs Cheung of a handbag containing an iPad, an iPhone and a purse containing 200 in cash plus two bank cards.

All three offences cover a period between January 6 and 9, 2015.

When each of the charges were put to Correia, he replied: "Guilty."

Correia, who at the time of his arrest was living at Grant Avenue in Randalstown, is the second man to admit murdering Mr Cheung.

Christopher David Menaul (25), from Barra Street in Antrim, pleaded guilty to the same three charges after appearing in court last month.

Two co-accused - husband and wife Gary and Lisa Thompson - will be standing trial in the New Year on other charges arising from the murder.

Crown prosecutor David McClean said yesterday's plea by Correia would "significantly reduce" the trial, which is due to start on January 9, 2017.

Following the plea, Mr Justice Treacy ordered pre-sentence reports be compiled on Correia, who was remanded back into custody.

The judge told the court he would sentence Correia at a later date.
An 87-year-old man, the star of a TV programme about some of the oldest dancers in Northern Ireland, who is charged with 65 sex offences has had his case sent to the Crown Court.

Vincent Lewis, of Annagher Road, Coalisland, County Tyrone, faces 38 charges of indecent assault on a male; 22 of buggery with a boy under the age of 16; four of gross indecency with or towards a child and one of attempted buggery of a boy under the age of 16.

The dates on the charges range from 1973 to 1983.

At a preliminary enquiry - the legal stage to send a case to the Crown Court - at Antrim Magistrates Court on Tuesday Lewis was in the dock and replied "no" when asked if he objected to the holding of the proceedings.

A prosecutor said on the basis of the papers he believed there was a case to answer and a defence lawyer said he had no contrary submissions.

District Judge Liam McNally held there was a case to answer.

Lewis was asked if he wished to say anything in relation to the charges or give evidence or call witnesses on his own behalf and he replied "no".

The case was sent to Antrim Crown Court on January 31.

The defence lawyer applied for two counsel and the judge said he would grant that "in light of the seriousness and the complexity of the case".

Lewis was released on continuing bail. As part of his bail conditions he must not have contact with any children under the age of 16; must not communicate with any alleged victims or witnesses and he must not have any contact with any persons associated with Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey monastery at Portglenone, County Antrim.

In 2014 Mr Lewis featured in a show about set dancing called 'The Joy of Sets'.

At the time of the BBC 'True North' programme it was reported in the press he was still working as a printer making memorial cards and 'Mass Cards' and he also crammed in two or three set dancing classes a week.
A Dublin internet cafe manager has been jailed for six years for kicking a customer to death during a row over a 70-cent phone call. The victims family has criticised the sentence.

Zhen Dong Zhao (40) had pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Noel Fegan, a father of two. He kicked him to death outside the e-Times internet cafe and call shop on Lower Wellington Quay in Dublin city centre on May 20, 2011.

Zhao of Jervis Street, Dublin, was originally convicted of the 39-year olds murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2012.

That conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal earlier this year and a retrial ordered. However, the Chinese mans plea was accepted by the State at the Central Criminal Court last month.

The court heard that Mr Fegan, a recovering heroin addict, had gone into Zhaos shop that afternoon after receiving a call me text message from his 12-year-old daughter.

A row broke out between the two men over the payment of 70 cent for that call. There was a conflict between eyewitnesses about who threw the first slap.

The row erupted onto the street and part of it was caught on CCTV. The physical altercation lasted less than 10 seconds, but Zhao kicked him to the head on a number of occasions during that time.

The court heard that Mr Fegan had been on the ground and crawling away on all fours when the final blow was delivered after a pause. One witness said the accused gave his dying victim a two-finger salute as he walked away.

Witnesses said that there had been no fury or anger in Zhao during the attack and that his demeanour was casual.

An autopsy found that Mr Fegan died of a subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by blunt-force trauma resulting from kicks to his head and neck.

Zhao was arrested minutes after the attack.

He admitted to gardai that he had been angry after Mr Fegan had argued over payment. He said he ran after him because he wanted to teach them not to do this again, adding I dont like these types of people.

He lost his life over 70 cent, he added, however. I feel sorry for him and his family.

He told gardai that he didnt recognise himself in the footage: "I regret what I did. He lost his life and I destroyed mine.

Zhao also said he could not face the deceased's family and he wanted gardai to convey to them his sorrow for what he had done.

Victim impact statements from members of Mr Fegans family were read out in court earlier this month.

Mr Fegans daughter, who is now 17, said her fathers death had left her heartbroken.

She said her father would phone her every day, but since his death she has been referred to a counsellor at school.

To this day, I cannot concentrate (in class) and think about my Dad and what his last thoughts were, she said.

He will miss out on walking me down the aisle and crying because he is giving his little girl away, and that breaks my heart, she added.

His son, Adam, who was 17 at the time of the attack, said that his father had missed out on several important events in his life, including sitting his Leaving Cert, taking him for his first drink, and the day he started college.

Mr Fegans sister, Catherine, described her brother as the joker of the family who was a fantastic dad'.

The hardest thing for me is that I will never receive another phone call from him, saying: I love you, she said.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said today that sentencing was not an exercise in vengeance and that the appropriate sentence was about nine years.

However, he took a number of mitigating factors into account. These included Zhaos expression of remorse, his early plea, the fact that there was no practical, serious risk of him reoffending and the fact that he was from the Far East and prison here would be more difficult for him.

He said the appropriate reduction for mitigation was three years. He imposed a six-year sentence, with an order that he receive credit for the two years and eight months he had already spent in custody.

His victims niece, Claudia Doyle, spoke outside following sentencing. She said the family was really disappointed and upset with the sentence her uncles killer had received.

I know well never get justice. Nothings going to bring Noel back, she said. It would have been easier to see him go away for a longer period of time, but I suppose we just have to deal with what happened today.

She said her uncle had been a really genuine, happy-go-lucky guy, who wanted to turn his life around and for whom things were getting better.

This just tore us apart really, she said. It was really tough on the whole family, especially as he was just turning his life around and then this happens, she said.

She said it had been extremely difficult for his two young children.

Nothing we do now is going to bring him back, she concluded.
Investigation, code named Operation Amethyst, led to a series of raids across Ireland by the Garda computer crimes and child pornography unit

A Tipperary-based man recorded his brother raping and sexually torturing his severely disabled six year old nephew so the clips could be traded online for other abuse images.

The child pornography images were only traced to an address in Tipperary after Gardai received information from Australian and New Zealand police that there was an Irish link to an horrific abuse website under international investigation.

The investigation, code named Operation Amethyst, led to a series of raids across Ireland by the Garda computer crimes and child pornography unit.

Such was the scale of the investigation that Europol, Interpol and the FBI were consulted.

The revelation came as the Eastern European father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his nephew, pleaded guilty to four separate charges of production of child pornography before Tipperary Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Tom Teehan was told the nature of the images was "extremely scandalous" and that the court should be cleared for the hearing because the details were so horrific.

The charges were brought contrary to the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998.

Judge Teehan was told that, following a series of Garda raids on addresses in Tipperary including a business plant and a family home, a total of 12,427 images files and 68 video files were recovered.

The main raid was conducted on March 25 2015.

Items seized included files on computers, external hard drives and even a USB memory stick.

The offences involved occurred at a number of addresses in Tipperary between January 1 2014 and March 28 2015.

Detective Siobhan Doyle said some of the files depicted the rape and sexual abuse of the severely disabled six year old nephew of the defendant.

Judge Teehan was told that the 27 year old defendant knew his older brother was interested in sexually explicit images of children ranging in age from toddlers to six year olds including both boys and girls.

Some of the most horrific images discovered by Gardai depicted the defendant abusing the child.

Judge Teehan was told that the purpose of recording the abuse was that it could be traded online for other images of child abuse.

Australian police briefed Gardai about a child pornography website it had traced where a man with the nicknames 'The Master' and 'Little Bear' was attempting to organise the exchange of abusive images.

The nicknames referred to the defendant's Tipperary-based brother.

In one chat post 'The Master' said that he was: "interested in little girls aged nought to seven but only has access to a young boy aged six."

The defendant is a qualified IT worker and had moved to Ireland to work with his older brother in his newly established business.

He told Gardai that his older brother was more powerful than he was.

The defendant also claimed to have been abused himself while he was a child.

"He said he always did what his brother told him to," one Garda statement revealed.

The defendant told Gardai he did what his brother told him even when he realised what was happening was wrong.

Such is the severe nature of the disability the young victim was born with, he cannot speak and requires round the clock care.

The little boy also has mobility problems and is incontinent.

The child's father has since appeared before the Central Criminal Court on separate charges.

He received a 20 year prison sentence.

Detective Doyle said that, when Gardai first called to the home of the defendant's brother, the officers immediately recognised the disabled boy, who was spotted holding his father's hand, as the same youngster being abused in the online images.

He was further identified as the victim of the abuse from a distinctive blanket on which he was lying in the video-tapes - with an identical blanket being found in the home of the defendant's brother.

Detective Doyle warned that the images involved represented: "One of the worst cases our unit has ever come across."

Judge Teehan was told by social worker, Terry Bradshaw, that the little boy had experienced "sexual abuse of the most extreme kind."

"I believe that every time someone views these images it constitutes ongoing abuse and violation of (the youngster)."

Mr Bradshaw said that, given existing technology, it was virtually impossible to retrieve the images of the youngster that had now gone online.

One of the tragic aspects of the case is that the child involved was very fond of his father.

The defendant remained silent with his head bowed throughout the hearing.

Judge Teehan said he will impose sentence tomorrow.
In the midst of the occupation, Mazars secured planning permission from Dublin City Council to demolish Apollo House and build a new office block

The receivers of an office block occupied by homeless campaigners say they have taken court action as a last resort to clear the building.

While hundreds of people joined musicians including Hozier, Glen Hansard and Kodaline for street performances to mark the occupation of Apollo House in central Dublin, Mazars warned that the accommodation was illegal and a fire risk.

The company also claimed Dublin City Council is providing another 210 beds for the homeless in three facilities across the capital this week, which it said could be used by those sheltering in the building.

Mazars also accused the campaigners behind the occupation, Home Sweet Home, of repeatedly ignoring requests for meetings to resolve the impasse.

The former civil service office block on Poolbeg Street was occupied late last week by the group, whose high-profile supporters include actor Saoirse Ronan, director Jim Sheridan and musicians Christy Moore, Damien Dempsey, Christy Dignam and Liam O Maonlai and others.

Home Sweet Home hope to have enough beds, running water, kitchen, toilet and shower facilities and heat and light to put up about 60 people.

But they will now face a High Court battle to continue accommodating rough sleepers in the office block, which has been empty since 2015.

Apollo House was owned by Shelbourne Developments. That company had receivers Tom O'Brien and Simon Coyle of Mazars appointed after their loans on the property were transferred to Nama.

In a statement, Mr O'Brien said there is no insurance on the building in the event of a fire - which he said "poses an immediate and significant risk to the occupants and to neighbouring property and occupiers".

"As the receivers to Apollo House, we cannot responsibly allow this situation to remain," he said.

"Our overriding concern is for the health and safety of those who are homeless currently staying in Apollo House."

Home Sweet Home have insisted they are open to meetings with the receivers, but Mazars claimed that they got no response to their attempts to set up talks.

Mr O'Brien also said t he priority is the health and safety of the homeless people seeking shelter there.

"While we endorse the importance of highlighting the need for providing shelter to the homeless and the most vulnerable in society, the provision of such sheltered accommodation must be done in an organised, structured and sustainable manner. That is not possible in Apollo House," he said.

In the midst of the occupation, Mazars secured planning permission from Dublin City Council to demolish Apollo House and build a new office block up to 52m high.

Poolbeg Street was closed for some time as musicians backing the occupation put on impromptu performances in front of hundreds of supporters.

Dublin City Council later said its homeless services opened three new emergency hostels this month in three locations - a DePaul Trust centre on Little Britain Street for 75 people; a centre for 70 people run by the Peter McVerry Trust on Ellis Quay and 20 beds in the Civil Defence facility on Wolfe Tone Quay.

A fourth hostel, run by Dublin Simon Community/Salvation Army at Carman's Hall off Frances Street in the Liberties, offering accommodation for 65 people is expected to open on Thursday after it was delayed following a dispute with local residents.

The council said the developments offer a total of 230 beds.

"All this will ensure there is sufficient emergency accommodation capacity to meet the needs of persons experiencing homelessness in Dublin," a spokesman said.

A head count of rough sleepers in Dublin recorded 142 people on the streets in November, but that does not include the numbers bedding down in the night cafes.
Police officers and firefighters inspecting the damage caused by a Real IRA bomb explosion in Market Street, Omagh, which killed 29 people

Aftermath of the Omagh bomb in 1998 which left 29 people dead, plus unborn twins

The British Government has won its landmark bid to secure a partially secret hearing in a legal action over intelligence gathered on the Omagh bombing.

A High Court judge in Belfast today granted a declaration being sought to enable a closed session amid fears that the disclosure of sensitive material could damage national security.

The move forms part of a wider challenge to former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers' refusal to hold a public inquiry into the August 1998 atrocity.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was among 29 people killed by the Real IRA bombers, is attempting to have her decision judicially reviewed.

The case centres on claims that a range of intelligence from British security agents, MI5 and RUC officers could have been drawn together to prevent the attack.

An alleged gap in the information relates to any monitoring of the bomb and scout cars as they crossed the Irish border into Omagh on the day of the outrage.

Counsel for the Secretary of State applied for the right to hold a closed materials hearing ahead of the main legal challenge getting underway.

That process, under powers contained in the Justice and Security Act 2013, examines whether public disclosure of some information could threaten national security.

Intelligence documents would be assessed by a judge and a special advocate barrister appointed to protect the rights of Mr Gallagher while he is shut out of proceedings.

But the first stage involved deciding if the case is suitable for closed materials.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Breda Devine, 20 months Esther Gibson Spaniard Gonzalo Cavedo poses with a child on his shoulders beside the car carrying the bomb that seconds later killed 29 people, including the photographer Elizabeth Rush Olive Hawkes, aged 60 Julie Hughes, aged 21 Ann McCombe, aged 45 Mary Grimes, aged 65 Aiden Gallagher, aged 21 The bomb attack was the worst ever atrocity of Northern Ireland's decades of violence. Brian McCrory, left, aged 54 Samantha McFarland, aged 17 Philomena Skelton, aged 39 Jolene Marlow, aged 17 The scene of the Omagh Bomb Brenda Logue, aged 17 Alan Radford, aged 16 Bryan White, aged 27 Oran Doherty Lorraine Wilson Fred White Veda Short Geraldine Breslin Deborah-Ann Cartwright The scene of devastation in Omagh Town centre where upto 25 people have been killed in this afternoons blast. PACEMAKER BELFAST 15/08/98 Gareth Conway, Omagh bomb victim James Baker, Omagh bomb victim Scene of the Omagh bomb atrocity 1998 PA Archive/Press Association Images Cathy and Michael Gallagher, the sister and father of Omagh bomb victim, Aiden Gallagher. Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has a chat with Claire Gallagher, who lost her sight in the Omagh bomb, before a friendly against Omagh Town in aid of the Omagh Bomb Fund. The happy couple  Ryan and Claire Bowse on their wedding day, nine years after Claire lost her sight due to injuries suffered in the Omagh bombing The damage caused by the bomb explosion in Market Street, Omagh, 1998 Donna Marie McGillion, who was seriously injured in the Omagh bombing The secret email which shows intelligence bosses knew that Omagh was a prime target for a terrorist attack weeks before the car bomb that devastated the town Claire Radford, whose brother Alan was killed in the Omagh bomb, examines a new stained-glass window in the town's library with her daughter Mia. Michael Gallagher whose son Aiden, 21, was killed in the Omagh bomb attack Pic Paul Faith PA Michael Gallagher (right), whose son Aiden, 21, was killed in the Omagh bomb attack with Stanley McCombe who lost his wife Ann Pic Paul Faith PA / Facebook

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The application is believed to be the first of its kind in judicial review proceedings in Northern Ireland.

Ahead of the hearing a sample of the closed material was gathered and stored at a secure location away from the Royal Courts of Justice.

Delivering judgment on the government's application today, Mr Justice Maguire held that sensitive material will be disclosed.

Expand Close Aidan Gallagher was killed in the 1998 Omagh bombing / Facebook

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He also concluded it was in the interests of justice to make the declaration sought.

The judge said: "The court is satisfied that the sample of closed material which it has seen contains substantial reference to sensitive material, the disclosure of which would be damaging to the interests of national security.

"This material would, in the court's view, have to be disclosed by the Secretary of State in order both to make the defences it seeks to assert and to meet the requirements of candour which rest upon him or her for the purpose of the judicial review."

The case will now advance to a full hearing on dates to be listed early in the new year.

Mr Gallagher launched his legal action after Ms Villiers rejected calls for a public investigation in September 2013.

She decided instead that a probe by Police Ombudsman Michael Maguire was the best way to address any outstanding issues surrounding the atrocity.

Expand Close James Barker, 12, died in the attack / Facebook

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In October 2014 Dr Maguire published a report where he found RUC Special Branch withheld some intelligence information from detectives hunting the bombers.

No one has ever been convicted of carrying out the attack.

Central to the judicial review challenge is a contention that the British Government has a duty under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights to protect lives and investigate the bombing.
Brendan Cox said blaming politicians for the actions of extremists was a 'slippery slope'

Nigel Farage has been threatened with legal action over an extremism row with the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox following the Berlin terrorist attack.

Campaign group Hope Not Hate said it had asked the former Ukip leader to apologise for suggesting its supporters "masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means" or face legal action.

Mr Farage's comments on radio station LBC came after Brendan Cox had criticised a tweet sent by the right wing politician which linked the Berlin atrocity with Chancellor Angela Merkel's policy on refugees.

In an appeal for funds on its website entitled "Help us take Nigel Farage to court", Hope Not Hate said: "This morning, on LBC radio, former Ukip leader Nigel Farage launched an outrageous attack on us, on Brendan Cox, husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, and by association on everyone who believes in Hope not Hate.

"Our lawyer has just sent Farage a letter demanding he retracts and publicly apologises or we will begin legal proceedings against him."

Early on Tuesday Mr Farage, who stood down as Ukip leader in November, had tweeted: "Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy."

The comment prompted hundreds of retweets and replies, including from Mr Cox, whose Labour MP wife was shot and stabbed to death by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency days before June's EU referendum .

Mr Cox replied to the tweet by telling the politician that "blaming politicians for the actions of extremists" was a "slippery slope".

Later, in an radio interview, Mr Farage responded by saying: "Well, of course, he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox, he backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means.

"I'm sorry Mr Cox, it is time people started to take responsibility for what's happened. Mrs Merkel had directly caused a whole number of social and terrorist problems in Germany, it's about time we confronted that truth."

This prompted angry replies from Mrs Cox's former colleagues in Westminster.

Chris Bryant, the Rhondda MP and former shadow Commons leader, said: "The sheer nastiness of Farage sometimes takes my breath away."

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins added: "When your entire career has been built on hate, not hope, it perhaps shouldn't shock me, but Farage still sinks lower than I'd have believed."

Tracy Brabin, who won the by-election to succeed Mrs Cox in her Batley and Spen constituency, said: "Beggars belief... A new low for Farage."

Mrs Merkel has shifted her policy on refugees and migrants to the right in recent weeks, including a speech in which she suggested stemming the number entering Germany and restricting the use of face veils.

Germany admitted almost 900,000 migrants in 2015 after deciding to allow in those who had made it to Hungary.

Although the numbers have dropped sharply this year, Mrs Merkel's CDU party has suffered internal strife and a string of poor election results.

In a statement, Hope Not Hate described Mr Farage's remarks as a "political smear", adding: "Hope Not Hate is a well-respected, civil society organisation whose more than 200,000 supporters come from all political persuasions. They are united by a common desire to combat racism and to do so using lawful, peaceful means.

"That Nigel Farage made his remarks in the context of a discussion about Jo Cox, who was so brutally murdered earlier this year, makes them all the more poisonous and hateful."

Hope Not Hate was one of three groups who shared the proceeds of the Jo Cox memorial fund, which r aised more than 1 million in three days after she was killed in June. It was shared with t he White Helmets in Syria and t he Royal Voluntary Service.

Mair, who killed 41-year-old mother-of-two Mrs Cox as she arrived to hold a surgery in her constituency, was handed a whole life sentence in November. The 53-year-old shouted "Britain first" as he fired three shots at the Remain campaigner and stabbed her 15 times on the afternoon of June 16.

After Mair was jailed, Mr Cox said he had committed the "most incompetent and self-defeating" act of terrorism.
There is "no doubt" that Russia has used cyber attacks to interfere in foreign politics, Europe Minister Sir Alan Duncan told MPs as he urged Moscow to be less suspicious of the West.

Sir Alan's comments come days after Barack Obama warned there will be "serious consequences" for Vladimir Putin if Russia does not stop its hacking activities after American spies concluded Moscow interfered in the US presidential election.

The Foreign Office minister told MPs said it was "unclear" what Russia's involvement was in the election which saw Donald Trump clinch victory but Moscow was certainly using its cyber capabilities in the "political dimension" around the world.

He suggested it was possible that Moscow's efforts were part of a systematic attempt to undermine Nato and the European Union.

Appearing before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Sir Alan, who is also Minister for the Americas, said: "I think there is no doubt that using modern technology they are interfering in many parts of the world. We also saw it in Montenegro, where there was a very serious interference - undeniably Russian-inspired, if I can put it that way - in the democratic process.

"Quite what the effect was, or what exactly they did in the United States is unclear. But there is no doubt, and we have to accept it as a fact, that cyber warfare is now a part of modern life and the Russians are using it as best they can in a political dimension, not just in the commercial one.

"There is political interference through cyber and that is one of the threats which we have to be aware of and be on our guard and be able to defend."

Asked by Labour MP Mike Gapes whether Moscow was engaged in "asymmetric warfare" as part of an approach to undermine Nato and the EU, Sir Alan said: "It's possible. One can only speculate if this is absolutely determined and pre-planned."

But Foreign Office political director and former ambassador to Moscow Sir Tim Barrow warned against viewing the events as a "huge policy of great complexity" directed from Moscow.

Sir Alan said Russia would benefit from being "less suspicious of us" adding: "They always seem to think that we are up to something against their interests which, if only they understood it, is not our primary intention at all."

Committee chairman Crispin Blunt said British rhetoric about Russia was worse than it had been during the Cold War.

"How have we got to a place where our relations with Russia are at such a nadir," he asked.

Sir Alan said the 25 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union had seen Russia "needing and wanting to redefine itself as a powerful nation that deserves respect" and acknowledged the UK could strike a better balance in its responses to the Kremlin.

Referring to the murder of the dissident Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in London, Sir Alan said: " Obviously we have our Litvinenko difficulties, so in terms of our personal relationships there have been impediments and there have also been issues which we feel very strongly about such as Ukraine and subsequently Aleppo.

"We need to balance the respect they deserve with firm talk about the things of which we thoroughly disapprove.

"I hope that the balance of language and action is finding its feet perhaps a little bit more than it has done in the past and our attitude ... is one of very firm views where we think they are behaving improperly - such as challenging other countries' territorial integrity - but showing them the proper respect that a great nation is due.

"That is the balance. Perhaps we could strike it better, but that I think is the balance that we have to strike."
An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A woman who sits on the board of international news company Al Jazeera has reportedly said that she believes the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey was justified because of the bloodshed the country has contributed to in the Syrian civil war.

The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead in Ankara by an assailant who shouted Dont forget Syria! Dont forget Aleppo! ...Until our towns are safe, you wont enjoy security either. Everyone who is involved in this will pay a price. Only death can take me from here.

The man, identified as a 22-year-old member of the polices special forces, Mevlut Altintas, was killed at the scene.

As the news broke, more than two dozen Twitter messages related to the attack were posted by an account in the name of Dr Elham Badar, aprominent journalist in Qatar and board member at the international news company Al Jazeera, some of which said that she believes Russia deserves the worst because of its role in the Syrian civil war.

Killing envoy Andrei Karlov was a human response to Russian barbarism in Syria, she apparently posted to her 140,000 followers, along with several other messages, retweets and images showing the death and destruction currently devastating the city of Aleppo, recently fallen to Russian-backed government forces after four years of fighting.

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Expand Expand Previous Next Close The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. A gunman opened fire on Russia's ambassador to Turkey Karlov at a photo exhibition on Monday. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said he was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. The gunman is seen at rear on the left. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) AP Andrey Karlov (R), the Russian ambassador to Ankara, gives a speech before being shot by a gunman (unseen) during an art exhibition in Ankara. AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. A gunman opened fire on Russia's ambassador to Turkey Karlov at a photo exhibition on Monday. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said he was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. The gunman is seen at rear on the left. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

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This scene will be repeated with the killing of ambassadors to other countries sympathetic with Russian criminality in Aleppo, another tweet read.

The Independent has contacted Dr Bader and Al Jazeera for comment.

The northern Syrian city of Aleppo, which was the last major urban rebel stronghold in the country, had been under siege since July and subject to ferocious Russian and regime air strikes since September which have killed more than 1,000 people.

Expand Close A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. An Associated Press photographer says a gunman has fired shots at the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The ambassador's condition wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. An Associated Press photographer says a gunman has fired shots at the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The ambassador's condition wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

The targeting of schools, medical facilities and bakeries sparked outrage internationally, and several observers said the bombings could amount to potential war crimes.

The ambassadors assassination, widely viewed as an attempt to derail Russian-Turkish cooperation over the future of the Syrian conflict, was condemned by the leaders of both countries, who pledged to work together to step up the fight against terrorism.

Planned talks in Moscow on Tuesday between the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran would go ahead as scheduled, a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Expand Close A child is held after the the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp A child is held after the the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

In opening comments before Tuesdays meetings, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia was grateful to Turkey for its quick reaction to the murder of envoy Andrei Karlov, and that no quarter would be given to terrorists.

Russia, a longstanding ally of the Syrian government, and Turkey, which backs some rebel groups in the conflict along with the US and Gulf allies, managed to broker a ceasefire deal in Aleppo last week which eventually led to the removal of the fighters and civilians from the last rebel-held pockets of the city, which is still underway.

Ankara and Moscow had been at loggerheads after Turkey shot down a Russian jet reportedly in its airspace in 2015, but have taken steps since to work together on finding a solution to the almost six-year-long Syrian crisis.

Expand Close Guests leaving a gallery as a gunman (C) holds a weapon, during an attack where Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Ankara, has been shot. AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Guests leaving a gallery as a gunman (C) holds a weapon, during an attack where Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Ankara, has been shot. AFP/Getty Images
The incident took place at a photo exhibition in Ankara (AP)

Andrey Karlov (R), the Russian ambassador to Ankara, gives a speech before being shot by a gunman (unseen) during an art exhibition in Ankara. AFP/Getty Images

The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. A gunman opened fire on Russia's ambassador to Turkey Karlov at a photo exhibition on Monday. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said he was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. The gunman is seen at rear on the left. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Police have detained a man who fired shots in front of the US embassy in Ankara, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the man took out a pump action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air early on Tuesday. He was overpowered by the embassy's security guards.

No-one was hurt in the incident which occurred hours after a Turkish policeman, appearing to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

The embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be "closed for normal operations on Tuesday".

Expand Close A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. An Associated Press photographer says a gunman has fired shots at the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The ambassador's condition wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. An Associated Press photographer says a gunman has fired shots at the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The ambassador's condition wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in televised remarks during a meeting with senior officials, said that the killing was a "provocation aimed at derailing Russia-Turkey ties and the peace process in Syria".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a video message being shown on several Turkish TV channels, says that "this is a provocation to damage the normalisation process of Turkish-Russian relations".

"But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation," he added.

Both leaders said that Russian investigators will be part of the official probe into the assassination.

Turkey's interior minister later said that the gunman who assassinated the ambassador was a policeman.

Suleyman Soylu said that the gunman was working for the riot police squad in Ankara for the past two-and-a-half years.

Expand Close An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

He identified the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, who was born in 1994.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition when a man fired at least eight shots, according to reports.

"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria," the gunman shouted in Turkish, referring to the Syrian city where Russian bombardments have helped drive rebels from areas they had occupied for years during the war.

Expand Close A child is held after the the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) AP / Facebook

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Whatsapp A child is held after the the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

He also shouted: "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great" and continued in Arabic: "We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Mohammad, for jihad."

The gunman approached Mr Karlov as he lay on the ground and shot him at least one more time at close range.

The attacker also smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition. There was panic as people ran for cover.

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Whatsapp Guests leaving a gallery as a gunman (C) holds a weapon, during an attack where Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Ankara, has been shot. AFP/Getty Images

Three other people were wounded in the attack, Turkey's NTV television said.

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman climbed to the second floor of the same building and a 15-minute shoot-out with police ensued before he was killed, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.

The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defence ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria.

Expand Close An armed member of security holds a gun near the area outside where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot inside an art gallery on December 19, 2016, Turkey in Ankara. (Photo by Erhan Ortac/Getty Images) Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp An armed member of security holds a gun near the area outside where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot inside an art gallery on December 19, 2016, Turkey in Ankara. (Photo by Erhan Ortac/Getty Images)

Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nearly six-year conflict, while Turkey has supported Mr Assad's opponents.

"It's a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in televised comments.

"Ambassador Karlov has made a lot of personal contributions to the development of ties with Turkey. He has done a lot to overcome a crisis in bilateral relations," she said.

"He was a man who put his heart and his soul into his job. It's a terrible loss for us and also the world."

Mr Karlov joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang in 2001-2006, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministry's consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said US officials were aware of reports about the shooting.

"We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source," Mr Kirby said.

The United Nations also condemned the attack.

"There can be no justification for an attack on an ambassador ... and we very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Melih Gokcek, the mayor for Ankara, told reporters outside the exhibition centre that the "heinous" attack aimed to disrupt newly-re-established relations between Turkey and Russia.

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November 2015, but Turkey's apology earlier this year helped overcome the rift.

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have held several meetings in recent months and spoken frequently over the phone.

Russia and Turkey have co-sponsored the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo and also discussed the prospect of organising a new round of peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Turkey has struggled with multiple security threats in recent years, including Kurdish militants who claimed responsibility for a December 10 bombing in Istanbul that killed 44 people, many of them police.

The Islamic State group fighting in Syria and Iraq has also been blamed for attacks in Turkey, a Nato member and a partner in the US-led campaign against the group.

Additionally, Turkish security forces and courts remain preoccupied with purging state institutions of the supporters of an exiled Islamist cleric whom the government accuses of staging a failed coup attempt in July.
At present, there are two crises which face our beleaguered and hapless Stormont Executive - the Renewable Heating Incentive (RHI) scandal and the arrests and forthcoming trials for murder of two Parachute Regiment soldiers in their 60s for the shooting dead of an IRA member, Joe McCann, in April 1972.

The RHI scandal has received more publicity than any other scandal, but it is the scandal of two soldiers facing trial for the killing of Joe McCann that is equally as important and deserves more attention from those in Government at Westminster and unionists at Stormont.

On Remembrance Sunday, we saw our Prime Minister and leaders of our political parties all standing at Whitehall to remember the sacrifice made by our military in wars and conflicts throughout the world.

Yet, within a matter of weeks, we see two soldiers - prepared to put their own lives at risk, under command from the Government and military chiefs at the time - facing trial.

What was the difference between what these soldiers did in 1972 - shooting a terrorist - and what the US Navy Seals did in May 2011, when they went into a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and shot dead Osama Bin Laden, also a terrorist, at the command of US President Barack Obama and his administration?

Imagine the outcry in the US if these Navy Seals were to be arrested and tried for unlawful killing or murder. Why should it be allowed to happen in Northern Ireland?

The problem is that in Northern Ireland, unionists have put IRA terrorists into government, who are pursuing this witch-hunt against our military, and the DUP is powerless to stop it.

WALTER MILLAR

Traditional Unionist Voice
Shutterstock.com

Stories are the medium through which wisdom is passed on from generation to generation, communicating lived experience rather than simple fact. They give us what we need to continue growing and bettering ourselves.

Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism, is a way of life that has been transmitted from master to disciple for nearly 2500 years, originating with Siddhartha Gautamathe Buddha. One notable aspect of Zen is the habit of expressing the insights of Buddhism for the benefit of otherstelling stories.

And few Zen storytellers match the prodigious and insightful output of Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

Ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1949, Thich Nhat Hanh is a gentle giant in the peace movement, working eloquently to promote nonviolence throughout the world. Author of more than 100 books, he is currently the spiritual head of the Tu Hieu Pagoda in Vietnam.

Nhat Hanh studied comparative religion at Princeton University in 1960, and soon after, became a lecturer in Buddhism at Columbia University in New York. By this time, his skill with language and words saw Nhat Hanh become fluent in French, Chinese, Sanskrit, English, Japanese, and Pali.

In 1963, he returned to his native Vietnam to aid his fellow monks in peace efforts during the Vietnam War, and teaching psychology and prajnaparamita literature at Van Hanh Buddhist University. While there, he led efforts to stop the war and peacefully unite all Vietnamese.

When he returned to the US in 1966, Nhat Hanh met with Martin Luther King Jr, urging him to publically denounce the Vietnam War. In 1967, King did just that, giving a speech at the Riverside Church in New York Cityhis first to question the war efforts.

King later nominated Nhat Hanh for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize, saying I do not personally know of anyone more worthy of this prize than this gentle monk from Vietnam. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.

When the Northern Vietnam army took control of South Vietnam in 1975, Nhat Hanh was exiled from his homeland, and so from 1976 to 1977, he directed efforts to rescue Vietnamese boat people in the Gulf of Siam.

It wouldnt be until 2005 that Nhat Hanh would be allowed to reenter Vietnam. When he did, he was given permission to teach, published four of his books in Vietnamese, and traveled the country with his fellow monks, continuing to work for peace, interfaith dialogue, and religious tolerance.

Throughout his life, Nhat Hanhs approach to teaching has been to combine Zen insights with the research of Western psychology in order to bring ancient wisdom into the modern age.

In promoting peace, both inner and outer, it is remarkably effective.

In his latest book, At Home in the World, Nhat Hanh simply tells stories.

"Throughout his life, Nhat Hanhs approach to teaching has been to combine Zen insights with the research of Western psychology..."

These simple storiessometimes only a page in lengtharise from his childhood in rural Vietnam, from his years as a teenage novice, and as a teacher and writer in warring Vietnam, and of his missions to travel the world, teach mindfulness, and influence world leaders. These stories communicate a lifetime of wisdom and insight, hard-won and refined.

For example, one of the many stories in his book is entitled, humorously, The Joy of Having Toilets. This tale begins with a questionHow can I possibly be happy cleaning the toilet?

Nhat Hanh goes on to explain that, when he was a novice monk in Vietnam, he and those around him did not have toilets at all. In fact, they were lucky to find a few dead leaves to use after their walk up the hill to use the bathroom, in fact!

Now, he feels that having a toilet to clean at all is a reason for joy.

Nhat Hanh uses this funny, yet simple, story to illustrate a profound truthwe can be happy when we realize that we already have what we need for a good life.

In another tale, Nhat Hanh delves into a bit of Western psychology by telling a story from his childhood.

Looking into a large, water-filled clay jar, he found a beautiful leaf of many colors. It rested at the bottom of the water, out of reach of his arm.

He found a stick, but no matter how he swirled the water, he could not make the leaf rise to the surface. Giving up, he walked away.

When he returned, a few moments later, the leaf lay upon the surface of the water, and he picked it up. The water had continued to swirl while he was away, bringing the leaf to the surface.

Nhat Hanh continues the story by saying that this is how our unconscious minds work. When we have a problem to solve, struggling with our conscious mind becomes futile at a certain point. We must be able to stir the water and step away for a moment.

You might wonder: why not simply teach these lessons directly? Why not simply tell others that they already have the conditions for happiness? Why not tell them to plant question-seeds in their minds and let them be for a while, engaging our unconscious minds to aid in finding the answer?

Because people arent good at internalizing facts. They are, however, good at internalizing stories. Theyll remember the story of the toilet when next they feel their lives lack the conditions for happiness before theyll remember a platitude.

Thats why Nhat Hanhs At Home in the World is so effective. It collates a lifetime of experiences from one of the most wise, peaceful men on the planet, condensing them into story after story, and giving them to us in small, elegant, and beautiful doses.

The tradition of teaching the Dharmathe teachings of the Buddhaconnects us to the wisdom of the founder of Buddhism, but you dont have to be a Buddhist to appreciate the lessons therein. The insight and wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh is for everyone, and the path toward a life of peace, reflection, contemplation, and joy can truly be found in his stories.

Wesley Baines is a graduate student at Regent University's School of Divinity, and a freelance writer working in the fields of spirituality, self-help, and religion. He is also a former editor at Beliefnet.com. You can catch more of his work at www.wesleybaines.com.
A "mysterious voice" led rescuers to find child who survived for 14 hours in submerged car.

In March 2015, Lynn Jennifer Groesbeck, 25, lost control of her car and landed in the icy Spanish Fork River in Utah.

Fourteen hours later, first responders found her 18-month-old daughter, Lily, in her car seat hanging upside down just above frigid river water.

Prior to finding Lily, both police officers and firefighters report that they heard an adult voice yell "Help me!" from inside the car.

They discovered that the voice could not have come from the young mother, who likely died from the impact.

The rescuers still cant explain the voice or how the girl survived hanging upside-down for 14 hours in freezing temperatures without being dressed for the cold.




Archived Results for Tuesday, December 20th, 2016

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Contact: Attila Nemecz

Attila Nemecz Attila.Nemecz@beaufortccc.edu

WASHINGTON, NC Many people will say that attending Beaufort County Community College has changed their lives, but in Helen Boland's case, the college has given her a place to form both a family and a business. Helen and her husband Sam are proud of a new book the two have published.The eager homeschooler first came to BCCC to get her high school equivalency, or GED. She wanted to finish high school early and get a head start on her college studies.She enrolled in the Associate of Arts curriculum, where she met Sam Boland. The two started dating and began collaborating on a book. They spent time figuring out each other's artistic styles, and combined them. The result of this collaboration is "Mighty Michael," a children's book, and "Sector Strange," a graphic novel."Mighty Michael" was written by Sandra Lawson, Sam's aunt. The English teacher based the book on the Fancy Nancy Series. In the story, Michael dreams of being a superhero. On his quest to find an appropriate hero name, he must use mighty alternatives to everyday words. The book helps children expand their vocabulary at a young age.said Helen. For Mighty Michael, Sam illustrated characters based on himself and members of his family. He used images of places he had grown up as a reference for settings in the book. Helen colored the illustrations.Sam also wrote "Sector Strange," a story full of gun-toting reptiles set in a different dimension. The original story and illustrations are more appropriate for children ten and older.During their work on the illustration of "Mighty Michael," Helen and Sam got married.They self-published the books through lulu.com. The two recently presented their book to an early childhood education class at BCCC led by Caroline Hardee. They discussed the ideas behind the book, and the process of illustrating.Sam pointed to a picture of a house.Other images came from interiors from family members' houses.Often students at the community college will enroll with their sights set on one program, but an exciting class or a connection made on campus will take them in a different direction. While Helen has taken every class that art instructor Heea Crownfield teaches, taking business or childhood education classes can also help.BCCC offers a place for students to network and build relationships. It helps students to build their skills and nurture their passions. It can be the trigger that combines strangers' mighty ideas and dreams into something bigger. A mighty word for such a trigger is catalyst.Copies of "Mighty Michael" can be purchased through www.lulu.com/spotlight/Bolandartstudio.
An Indian anti-terror court Monday handed death sentences to five members of a home-grown extremist group for a deadly attack in Hyderabad nearly four years ago.

Last week, the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court convicted the five Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives of carrying out twin bombings that killed 18 people and wounded more than 130 at a bustling market in the southern city in February 2013.

The court said it was awarding the maximum punishment to the defendants  IM co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, along with members Asadullah Akhtar, Tahaseen Akhtar, Ajaz Shaikh and Zia-ur-Rehman, a Pakistani citizen  because the case fell under the rarest of the rare category.

They are the first IM members to be convicted since the groups formation nearly a decade ago. According to police, it was allegedly founded by Karnataka state natives Yasin Bhatkal and his brother Riyaz  the prime suspect in the Hyderabad attack who is absconding.

The outfit has claimed responsibility for at least 10 separate attacks across India since 2007. The Indian government banned the outfit as a terrorist organization in 2010.

Public Prosecutor K. Surender called the verdict a victory for the National Investigation Agency (NIA)  Indias top counter-terror agency  and the 453 witnesses examined during the trial that began in August 2015.

As per the investigation ... evidence that is placed on the record clearly reflects that the five IM members planned and executed the bomb blasts. We sought capital punishment and accordingly the court gave the death penalty to them, Surender told reporters, according to Deccan Chronicle.

Creating terror in peoples minds

The defendants, whose lawyer did not appear in court on Monday, said they would appeal the verdict in a higher court, Surender said.

According to the NIA charge-sheet, Riyaz and Yasin Bhatkal planned the Hyderabad attack and arranged material required to build explosives. The plot aimed to create terror in the minds of people and further the activities of IM in a conspiracy to wage a war against India.

The brothers instructed Asadullah Akhtar and Zia-ur-Rehman to receive the explosives in Mangalore, a city in Karnataka state about 900 km (559 miles) from Hyderabad, the NIA said.

Akhtar and Rehman then reached Hyderabad to join Tahaseen Akhtar and Ajaz Shaikh, who were already hiding there, the agency said. Together they manufactured the explosives in a hideout, after which they purchased two bicycles to mount the home-made bombs, the charge-sheet said.

The cycles were placed at the most crowded areas of Hyderabads Dilsukhnagar shopping district to inflict maximum damage, the NIA said, noting that the accused were identified by footage from closed-circuit television cameras.

Yasin Bhatkal and Asadullah Akhtar were arrested at the Indo-Nepalese border in August 2013, leading investigators to the other suspects. Under interrogation all of the accused confessed to their roles in the attack, the NIA said.

Home-grown terror still a threat: Analyst

The convictions of these key IM members is a significant development in Indias fight against home-grown terror, but the countrys security agencies must not be complacent, according to one analyst.

It [the sentencing] will surely send a very strong message to those planning to carry out acts of terror in India. But it does not mean an end to the problem of home-grown terrorism, Samir Patil, a security analyst with Mumbai-based think-tank Gateway House, told BenarNews.

Over the years, many of these IM commanders have established links with other terror groups like AQIS (al-Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent) and the IS (Islamic State), and they are continuing to recruit from India. They pose a serious threat to the security of the nation, Patil said.
Updated at 4:20 p.m. ET 2016-12-20

Indonesias foreign minister met Tuesday with Bangladeshs prime minister and other officials in Dhaka to discuss the cross-border flight of Rohingya Muslims from neighboring Myanmar, and she visited refugee camps in the southeast where thousands have fled in recent weeks.

Top Indonesian diplomat Retno L.P. Marsudi arrived in Bangladesh a day after attending a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Yangon. Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi called the meeting to discuss a humanitarian crisis stemming from violence that has gripped the western state of Rakhine, which lies on the border with Bangladesh and where Myanmars Rohingya minority is concentrated, since early October.

As of last week nearly 90 people had been killed in violence in Maungdaw township amid a crackdown by Myanmars military that followed a deadly attack by suspected Rohingya insurgents on border guard posts on Oct. 9, according to official figures from the government.

Separately, Human Rights Watch reported on Dec. 13 that an analysis of satellite imagery showed members of the military had burned at least 1,500 homes in Rohingya villages in the area. About 34,000 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar since early October, news reports said Tuesday, citing figures from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In her meeting with Retno, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the Indonesian diplomat the new Rohingya arrivals  whom she referred to as undocumented Myanmar nationals  could not stay in Bangladesh and her government would not allow insurgents to launch cross-border attacks on the neighboring country from its territory, according to Hasinas spokesman.

Our honorable prime minister and the honorable Indonesian foreign minister discussed the on-going problem in Myanmar. [The] prime minister has made it clear to her that Myanmar must take all the undocumented Myanmar nationals back, Ihsanul Karim, Hasinas press secretary, told BenarNews after the two women met on Tuesday night.

Bangladeshs border guard said it has pushed back hundreds of boats carrying Rohingya across the Naaf River separating the two countries.

[Hasina] categorically told her [Retno] that no insurgent or terrorist group would be allowed to use Bangladesh as proxy land to harm Myanmar or other [countries], he added.

The prime minister also expressed hope that ASEAN member countries would help Myanmar resolve the crisis in Rakhine through dialogue.

At Mondays meeting in Myanmar, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, whose government criticized Aung Sans administration for its handling of the situation, called on ASEANs 10 states to coordinate humanitarian efforts to assist people in Rakhine and to establish an independent body to probe allegations of rights abuses there.

We are nobody

Retno landed in Dhaka on Tuesday morning and held talks with local counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali before she flew to Coxs Bazar, a district in the southeast where Rohingya refugees and undocumented migrants are concentrated, according to officials at Bangladeshs foreign ministry.

Retno visited refugee camps in the sub-district of Ukhia, where she met with some of the new Rohingya arrivals.

We should work harder for the refugees, Retno said in a statement obtained by Metro TV News, an Indonesian channel, following her visit to Ukhia.

A Rohingya resident of one of the camps there described the Indonesians envoys visit as a chance to resolve the crisis affecting his people.

Myanmar kills us and Bangladesh kicks us; we are nobody. If Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries become a little bit generous, we can save ourselves from the torture of the Moghs [Rakhine Buddhists] and the military, Mohammad Afzal, a 45-year-old who left his wife and four children in Rakhine to flee to Bangladesh, told BenarNews by phone.
Indonesian police arrested more than 500 people on Sunday and Monday in connection with protests against Papuas incorporation into Indonesia in the 1960s.

The arrests took place in the Papuan towns of Jayapura, Merauke, Nabire, Wamena, Sorong, Manokwari, Timika, Yahukimo, as well as Manado, (North Sulawesi) Ambon (Maluku), Ternate (North Maluku), Bandung (West Java), Yogyakarta (Central Java) and Jakarta, according to Veronica Koman, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Institute in Jakarta.

A total of 528 people were arrested. Two journalists were preventing by police from reporting, Arnold Belau from suarapapua.com and Zely Ariane from Jubi, she said.

In Nabire, four people were arrested when they went to the police station to report a peaceful demonstration to be carried out on Monday, she said.

Demonstrators had planned actions to mark the anniversary of Operation Trikora, an ultimately successful effort to absorb what was then known as West Irian into Indonesia launched on Dec. 19, 1961.

Indonesia, under then-president Soekarno, viewed all former Dutch possessions in the region as rightful parts of the young nation, and began a military campaign to liberate West Irian, which at the time was undergoing decolonization aimed at independence.

Amid escalating tensions, the Dutch abandoned the region and in May 1963, via the United Nations, West Irian was transferred to Indonesia. Some 1,025 Papuans who participated in a U.N.-mandated Act of Free Choice in 1969 chose integration.

The provinces of Papua and West Papua, located at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago, make up approximately one-fifth of Indonesias land mass. Only 5.9 million of Indonesias 250 million people live there.

Warning shots

Police began arresting people in connection with the planned protests late Sunday including in Wamena, a town in the Papuan highlands.

Around 10:00 p.m., joint army and police forces arrested 30 members of the West Papua National Committee at the secretariat of the Papua Traditional Council (DAP) in Sinapuk. There were also sweeps on Patimura Street, local leader Dominikus Surabut told BenarNews on Monday.

Contacted by telephone, Jayawijaya Police Chief Yan Piter Reba confirmed the arrests and said they were carried out to prevent unrest.

We held them because on the demonstration on Dec. 10, when we gave them a permit but  several public facilities were damaged, he said.

John Jonga, a priest in Jayawijaya, said that police fired weapons at a gathering in Sinakma Field in Wamena late Sunday, and took children into custody.

Children were also arrested and taken to the police station. A mother with a four-year-old child was taken to the police station, along with six other children about eight or nine years old, he said.

Security forces also fired weapons near a crowd gathering at Kama Field, John said.

The number of people detained at the police station at the moment is about 155, John said.

Reba confirmed that warning shots had been fired.

My officer fired warning shots in the air because he was kicked. No one was hurt, he said.

He said that people arrested in the night had been freed the following day.

Illegal items

In Jayapura, the provincial capital located on the north coast of Papua province, security forces blocked an attempted march and seized several motorcycles from the campus of Cenderawasih University.

A top university official, Vice Rector Fredik Sokoy, said the action was not requested by the university. Agustinus Mosip, the manager of a university dormitory, Asrama Rusunawa, said police had raided the place without a permit.

Seven people were arrested: Gobodus Kogoya, Teren Surabut, Fred Walianggen, Edi Jalak, Elselina Tebai, Elihut Tebai and Opin Yeimo.

Provincial police spokesman Ahmad Mustopa Kamal said officers entered the hostel because demonstrators ran inside, and arrested people after discovering illegal items.

We found motorcycles with no permits, marijuana, Free Papua paraphernalia, arrows, machetes, three pieces of ammunition and a laptop, Ahmad said.

If no proof is found linking the arrested individuals to the items they will be released, he said.
Myanmar State Counselor and Foreign Affairs Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, center, is joined by foreign ministers from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Yangon, Dec. 19, 2016.

Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with 10 foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday in Yangon to brief them on the situation in troubled Rakhine state where controversial security operations have been in place since deadly attacks on border guard posts in early October.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who also serves as state counselor and foreign affairs minister, informed the ASEAN ministers about the governments efforts to provide assistance to both the Rohingya Muslim community and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist communities affected by violence in the wake of the attacks, according to a statement issued by the State Counselors Office.

The retreat was initiated by the Government of Myanmar with the aim of apprising fellow members of the ASEAN family of Myanmars efforts in ensuring peace, security, and development in the Rakhine state, the statement said. It was also intended to strengthen ASEAN unity and solidarity.

Following the security crackdown to find attackers believed to be Rohingya militants, reports about Myanmar army soldiers committing extrajudicial killings, torturing villagers, raping women and burning down homes in Rohingya communities have sparked protests by Muslims in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, as well as accusations of human rights abuses and genocide by international organizations, Western governments, and the United Nations.

The government has denied the allegations, Radio Free Asia (RFA), a sister entity of BenarNews, reported.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who called for the meeting, said the government is committed to resolving the Rakhine crisis, but needs time, and stressed the importance of clearing up differences among ASEAN members through friendly consultations, the statement said.

Most urgent matter

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman of Malaysia, whose leaders have been critical of Myanmars handling of the Rakhine dispute, called on the regional bloc to coordinate humanitarian efforts to assist people uprooted by violence in Rakhine state as well as establish an independent body to probe allegations of human rights abuses in the area.

[T]he most urgent matter is the humanitarian conditions of the people in the affected areas, he said.

Like others, we call for unimpeded humanitarian access to the affected areas, he said, in a reference to security forces barring international humanitarian groups from entering northern Rakhine to deliver aid.

We further propose that ASEAN coordinates the humanitarian assistance to Rakhine state, as we did during Cyclone Nargis in 2008,Anifah said, referring to Myanmars worst natural disaster in its recorded history.

Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country in Southeast Asia, irked officials in Myanmar after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak participated in a protest rally in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 4 during which he called on the United Nations to end ethnic cleansing targeting Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

Anifah proposed that ASEAN establish its own independent group of experts or eminent persons to investigate and verify the situation in Rakhine and provide recommendations to the foreign ministers about how the situation should be dealt with.

He also called on Myanmar to uphold the rights of all people living with the boundaries of the state in the western part of the country.

[M]yanmar must take steps to build confidence and reassurance among the local population, and to also protect all residents regardless of their ethnicity, religious beliefs, or status, Anifah said. Although Myanmar may not recognize the Rohingya as its citizens, we must not forget that they too deserve basic human rights.

An inclusive approach

Retno L.P. Marsudi, minister of foreign affairs of Muslim-majority Indonesia, echoed the sentiments of her Malaysian counterpart.

Human rights protection and respect for all communities, including Muslim communities in Rakhine state, must be done by using an inclusive approach, she said at the meeting.

I urge all members of ASEAN to continue to constructively support and assist Myanmar in addressing the complex situation in Rakhine state, said Retno who will travel to Bangladesh for bilateral talks about the Rohingya issue on Tuesday.

The meeting of the ASEAN foreign ministers came just days after international rights group Amnesty International released a report on the Rakhine crisis about what it calls the persecution of Rohingya in Myanmar, the neglect they face in Bangladesh, and abuses that may constitute crimes against humanity.

In the Dec. 16 report titled We Are at a Breaking Point, Amnesty International says it has found that government security forces did commit atrocities against Rohingya villagers in Rakhine based mostly on phone interviews from outside the country with 55 victims, eyewitnesses, human rights monitors, humanitarian workers, journalists and Rohingya leaders in October, November and December.

The violence in northern Rakhine state has forced more than 27,000 Rohingya to flee to southeastern Bangladesh since early October.

Border guards report that Bangladeshi authorities turned back 306 boats carrying Rohingya across the Naaf River, which separates the two countries, between early October and Dec. 15.

On Monday, border guard officials told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, that they had turned back another 40 Rohingya as they tried to cross the border at Ukhia and Teknaf, two subdistricts in southeastern Coxs Bazar district.

Muzliza Mustafa in Kuala Lumpur, Tia Asmara in Jakarta and Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report.
Safwan Anang, right, is joined by Eric Paulsen, executive director of Lawyers for Liberty, at the Palace of Justice building in Putrajaya after Safwans acquittal on sedition charges, Dec. 20, 2016.

Local human rights groups hailed Tuesdays acquittal by a Malaysian court of a former student activist on sedition charges as a victory for free speech, in the first decision since the rules for such cases changed last month.

The acquittal of Muhammad Safwan Anang came barely a month after the countrys Court of Appeal ruled that the prosecution must prove intent when filing charges in sedition cases. Prior to that, prosecutors had only to prove that an offending statement was made.

On Tuesday, a three-judge Court of Appeal panel ruled that a statement made by Safwan in 2013, when he called for the public to remove Malaysias government from office through street protests, was not seditious speech.

Judges Prasad Sandosham Abraham, Mohtarudin Baki and Zakaria Sam, agreed unanimously that the prosecution had failed to prove the case against the 26-year-old former Universiti Malaya student.

The court must scrutinize and independently evaluate the statement to see whether the language used comes within the bounds of sedition or free speech.

Failure to do so by the court, in our view, is a serious misdirection in law which renders the conviction unsafe, Prasad said in delivering the verdict that overturned previous rulings.

On Sept. 5, 2014, Safwan was sentenced to 10 months in jail and fined 5,000 ringgit (U.S. $1,115) after the Sessions Court found him guilty over the speech delivered during a forum on May 13, 2013.

Safwan spoke soon after Malaysias 13th general election, uttering the words we cannot trust a government which wins by misappropriation.

Four other activists charged under the same act at the same forum are awaiting appeals and a fifth activist is still waiting for his trial to start.

Previously, Safwan, a former chairman of student group Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia, appealed his conviction to the High Court and succeeded in having his sentence reduced to only the 5,000 ringgit fine. The prosecution appealed, seeking a heavier sentence.

Ruling on sedition

On Nov. 25, the Court of Appeal ruled that Section 3(3) of the Sedition Act, which allows for conviction once it is proved that the defendant made a seditious statement, was unconstitutional. The court ruled that intent must be proved in such cases.

Following the ruling, Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali said the government would appeal.

Asked about Safwans acquittal, Apandi told BenarNews on Tuesday, Sorry, I am on a vacation right now and not in the country.

The Sedition Act, enacted by British colonial rulers in 1948 to combat communists, was amended by the Malaysian government following race riots in 1969. The law defines sedition broadly and places limits on free speech, particularly over sensitive political issues, according to a report by Center of Independent Journalism Malaysia.

A welcome break

Human rights groups have criticized the Malaysian government for using the Sedition Act to go after and silence critics of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who have called for him to resign over a financial scandal linked to state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Safwan hailed his acquittal as a positive signal to the peoples freedom of speech and said citizens had every right to criticize the government over alleged misconduct.

My criticism in the speech was against the weaknesses found in the last general elections system, as well as the abuse of government machinery to campaign for the elections. I also called for the Election Commission to act more fairly.

This verdict gives us the strength to continue campaigning to drop every charge under the Sedition Act, as they are clearly driven by selective prosecution. We should also continue fighting for the abolishment of the Sedition Act itself, he told BenarNews.

Eric Paulsen, executive director for local NGO Lawyers for Liberty, who was in court as a spectator, called the acquittal an excellent verdict, but cautioned that it does not mean the fight against the archaic and irrelevant act was over.

Amnesty International Malaysia Executive Director Shamini Darshni lauded the acquittal as a step in the right direction and said Safwan should never have been charged.

The decision of the Court of Appeal is a welcome break from the worrying trend of the Malaysian authorities to criminalize the work of activists, by subjecting them to arrests, detention and imprisonment, Shamini said.
Shui-Meng Ng, left, Angkhana Neelapaijit and Pinnapa Preuksapan discuss details of their husbands disappearances, at a press conference in Bangkok, Dec. 19, 2016.

The wives of three men who disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago  including a Thai lawyer who has been missing since March 2004 - appeared Monday before reporters in Bangkok to discuss their ongoing ordeals.

Angkhana Neelapaijit, the wife of lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, joined Shui-Meng Ng and Pinnapa Preuksapan, the respective spouses of Laotian civil society leader Sombath Somphone and ethnic Karen activist Porlajee Billy Rakchongcharoen, for a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.

Sombath, a winner of Asias Magsaysay Award, disappeared in Laos in December 2012. Billy vanished in Thailands Petchburi province in April 2014. The three wives believe their husbands were kidnapped.

We are the pictures of pain and suffering. Suffering that nobody would understand, if it had not happened to their loved ones, Shui-Meng reporters.

Billys wife shared her grief.

After Billy was gone, I immediately became another person. Life has been difficult, I have to do everything possible to take care of five children and elderly parents, Pinnapa said. I have to take care of the whole family and to be both a father and a mother to the children.

For someone who had never traveled to the city before her husbands disappearance, Pinnapa said she now spends much of her time away from home as she travels and tells her story.

The women said they decided to meet with reporters because they needed help from mainstream and social media in their campaign to raise awareness against forced disappearances.

Police acquitted in Somchais abduction

In 2012, the government of Yingluck Shinawatra paid compensation to my family. But the money did not help, Angkhana said.

Her husband chaired the Thai Muslim Lawyers Association and was representing suspects from Thailands predominantly Islamic Deep South when he vanished on the streets of Bangkok 12 years ago.

Though it made my family more comfortable and we have a bigger house, it does not give us the truth about what had happened, she said.

In March 2004, Somchai was handling a high-profile lawsuit alleging torture of Muslim suspects by police in the Deep South when he was pulled from his car on Ramkhamhaeng Road, never to be seen again.

In January 2006, the administration of then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra acknowledged that government officials were involved in Somchais abduction, according to Human Rights Watch. Despite that acknowledgment, five police officers who had been implicated in Somchais abduction were acquitted of charges in December 2015 when the Thai Supreme Court ruled that evidence against them was too weak.

Delay, denial, and cover up

Eight years later, Sombath disappeared in Laos. Video footage showed Sombaths Jeep being stopped at a police checkpoint. He was herded into a white truck and taken away.

Police vowed to investigate, but Laotian authorities backtracked, claiming they could not confirm that Sombath was the man taken from the Jeep. No trace of Sombath or the Jeep have been found, Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews, reported last week in a story marking the anniversary of his disappearance.

Marking the fourth anniversary of Sombaths disappearance, Human Rights Watch (HRW) challenged Vientianes efforts in its investigation.

Since the start, the Lao governments investigation of Sombath Somphones disappearance has been a pattern of delay, denial, and cover-up, said Phil Robertson, HRWs deputy Asia director. Four years on, Sombaths family is no closer to learning the truth about his fate than they were in the weeks after he went missing.

Kindly do not forget us

More recently, Billy was last seen in April 2014 near Kaeng Krachan National Park in Petchburi province, 100 miles (161 km) south of Bangkok.

Billy was expected to testify the next day as a witness for ethnic Karen farmers. He was helping the farmers who live in Pongluek-Bangkloy, a village near the national park, who were seeking compensation after park officials allegedly set fire to several homes in 2011.

The most horrific fear of victims of forced disappearance is that their stories will be lost, Shui-Meng said. So I want to appeal this to media and all in this place, kindly do not forget us.
McCrory could sign or veto measure before leaving office Dec. 31, or he could do nothing, giving Cooper two weeks to decide actions



The fate of House Bill 17 may be decided by the members of the General Assembly, depending on Gov. Pat McCrory's actions over the next couple of weeks. (CJ file photo)

Gov. Pat McCrory has nearly 30 days to decide what to do with House Bill 17 , which would remove some appointment powers from Democratic Gov.-elect Roy Cooper.McCrory's term expires Dec. 31, as do the terms of some members of the General Assembly. But the governor has several options.When the legislature's in session, a governor has 10 days to sign a bill into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without his signature. But when the General Assembly adjourns "sine die," as it did Friday, the N.C. Constitution gives the governor 30 days to decide on a bill.H.B. 17 is on McCrory's desk. The bill reduces the number of political appointments Cooper can make from 1,500 to 425. It implements a constitutional provision requiring the governor's Cabinet appointments to receive Senate confirmation, and it removes the governor's authority to appoint members to boards of trustees at UNC campuses.It also reconfigures the duties of the State Board of Education and the superintendent of public instruction - changes that have raised concerns by members of the state board.Under Article IX of the N.C. Constitution, the SBE's role is to "supervise and administer the free public school system, and the educational funds provided for its support. ..." The superintendent isAs Carolina Journal reported earlier, H.B. 17 would shift many supervisory duties to the superintendent. For example, the legislation would allow incoming Superintendent Mark Johnson to hire and fire SBE staffers, and also would allow him to select the SBE's local superintendent and student advisors, a task that's now left to the governor. Republican Johnson defeated incumbent Democrat June Atkinson in the November election.Cobey told CJ.North Carolina's constitution also states that the SBEHowever, the SBE is on strong footing to challenge the constitutionality of the bill should it pass the state senate and be signed into law, Cobey said.The SBE has scheduled a meeting Tuesday, most likely to decide its legal options if the bill becomes law.What eventually happens with H.B. 17 has a lot to do with timing, said Gerry Cohen, a Raleigh attorney who for decades was the General Assembly's chief bill writer. He wrote the veto provisions in the N.C. Constitution, and he served as general counsel to the General Assembly.If McCrory fails to act by year's end, the decision on H.B. 17 falls to Cooper, who has said he plans to take the oath of office Jan. 1. Cooper, who would have until Jan. 15 to act, has criticized lawmakers publicly for their moves to curtail his power.The N.C. Constitution requires the governor to reconvene the General Assembly if he vetoes a bill after lawmakers have adjourned sine die. Lawmakers can then vote to override the governor's veto. The N.C. Constitution requires a three-fifths majority of all members present and voting in both chambers to override a veto.Again, timing comes into play.If McCrory quickly vetoes the bill, the current General Assembly could reconvene by year's end. But if McCrory waits, or if Cooper vetoes the bill after the first of the year, the legislature would reconvene in January with the lawmakers elected Nov. 8.The N.C. Constitution says,Cohen said.Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers of the General Assembly - in the current General Assembly and the one elected Nov. 8. Republicans would have enough members to override a veto if all members of the party support an override.But that's a big "if." GOP leaders would need nearly unified caucuses in both houses and almost full attendance of their members to guarantee an override vote.The bill passed the General Assembly by a near party-line vote, 61-23 in the House and 24-13 in the Senate, with many members absent or not voting in both chambers. One Republican, Wake County Sen. John Alexander, voted against the bill in the Senate. One Democrat, Bladen County Rep. William Brisson, voted for the bill in the House.Meantime, McCrory on Friday signed Senate Bill 4 , which, among other things, reconfigures the State Board of Elections and county boards so the governor's party won't have a majority. The new law gives the state board eight members - four Democrats and four Republicans - and county boards four members - two Democrats and two Republicans. Previously, the governor's party held a 3-2 majority on the state board and a 2-1 majority on county boards.
As you might recall, HB2, which many in the mainstream media love to call the "bathroom bill," was not the original "bathroom bill."The Charlotte City Council first poked their noses into the bathrooms of private businesses by passing an ordinance in February 2016 that required all businesses to make their places of public accommodation open to any and all genders.The NCGA responded by passing HB2 in order to protect the rights of business owners and reaffirm the safety and privacy of women and children in places of public accommodation.Cue the liberal media backlash and public shaming of the state of North Carolina, which has become a haven for businesses to thrive. All of a sudden, other states were sending travel advisories, urging folks to stay out of our "hateful" and "bigoted" state. Of course, this had nothing to do with the fact that in recent years since conservatives have run the state of North Carolina, it has become the #2 state for businesses and a top state for families as well. The fact is, as a direct result of strong leadership and a growing economy, Americans are migrating to North Carolina in droves. All of this despite the millions of dollars being funneled to liberal activists in our state to infiltrate it with their liberal agenda.Eventually, the Republicans in the NCGA chose to extend an olive branch to Democrats in the General Assembly by offering a compromise . Democrats in the General Assembly had no interest in a deal and it was swiftly rejected.And now, today, the same city council has found it politically expedient to offer the same compromise they recently rejected. Charlotte has approved a repeal of their original ordinance on the condition that the General Assembly repeal HB2. The only difference is that this time, the compromise offered would require a special session of the General Assembly, when they could have accomplished this back in September in the regular session.Before HB2 was ever even passed, the General Assembly repeatedly urged the Charlotte City Council to repeal their ordinance. And after HB2 became law and backlash erupted, the NCGA and Governor McCrory offered to repeal HB2 if Charlotte would just repeal their dangerous ordinance.So it seems the General Assembly will meet tomorrow and mark my words, if HB2 is repealed in order to make this deal, the media will hail the Charlotte City Council for their compromise as if they were the first to propose it. And despite his efforts to actively drive businesses out of NC, Governor-elect Roy Cooper is inserting himself into this deal to look like a hero. What a joke.
How Do We Know Jesus is the Son of God?

For the purpose of this inquiry, let's look at two sections in the Bible for evidence and clarification: Hebrews 1 and John 5:16-30. These segments of the Bible will be helpful to understand what the New Testament writers meant when they declared Jesus to be the Son of God, at least in these passages, and how they reached that decision by their reading of the Old Testament Scriptures they loved. These two passages are chosen because they seem to be among the richest and most evocative of biblical passages to treat this title.

"Son of God" in the Bible

Hebrews 1

It will prove helpful to develop the argument by asking and answering the following questions.

1. Why Is the Son Greater Than the Angels?

That is the claim made by Hebrews 1:4: the Son became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. The justification of this claim is developed in the following verses. The first step is taken in Hebrews 1:5: For to which of the angels did God ever say, You are my Son; today I have become your Father? Or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son?

The superiority that is claimed does not turn on the mere word Son, as if the text were saying, Jesus is called the Son, but angels are not so described in Scripture, so that proves Jesus is superior. Anyone as well-versed in Scripture as the writer to the Hebrews cannot possibly be ignorant of the fact that sometimes Scripture does refer to angels as sons of God, as we saw in chapter 1. The comparison must turn on more than the mere word Son. This observation drives us to try to determine why the author thinks the two Old Testament texts he quotes, Psalms 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14, prove the superiority of the Son over angels when angels are not mentioned in either text.

The problem becomes more acute when we recall that the first of the two quotations, Psalms 2:7, is cited three times in the New Testament, and on each occurrence is taken to prove something different. Here it is taken to prove that Jesus is superior to angels. In Hebrews 5:5 the author appeals to the same verse to prove that Jesus did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. After all, when Aaron became high priest under the terms of the old covenant, he did not take this honor on himself, but rather was appointed by God (Hebrews 5:4), so when under the terms of the new covenant Jesus becomes high priest, he similarly has to be appointed by God. This appointment, the writer to the Hebrews insists, is demonstrated by the quotation from Psalms 2:7: You are my Son; today I have become your Father. The third and final occurrence of this quotation is found in Acts 13, in Pauls evangelistic address in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. Paul introduces the quotation with the words, What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.23 As it is written in the second Psalm: You are my son; today I have become your father (Acts 13:32-33).

In short, New Testament texts quote Psalms 2:7 to prove Jesus is superior to angels, to prove Jesus did not take on himself the glory of becoming high priest but was appointed by God, and to demonstrate that God has fulfilled his promises to the Israelite ancestors by raising Jesus from the deadeven though, on the face of it, Psalms 2 does not mention angels, has no interest in the high priests office, and makes no mention of the resurrection of the Messiah.

Thus we are driven to the second question.

2. How Are Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 relevant?

We begin by reminding ourselves of what we have already observed in 2 Samuel 7:14. There, we saw, God promises to build a house, for David, that is, a household, a dynasty. Whenever a new scion of Davids line comes to the throne, at that point he becomes Gods sonthat is, God has generated him by bringing him to this role, and the king himself pledges to reign as God reigns, and to reign under God, with justice, integrity, and covenantal faithfulness. But suppose one of Davids descendants becomes notoriously evil? Will not God then destroy Davids line, as he destroyed King Saul, the first monarch of the united monarchy? No, he will not. To accomplish his promise to give David a perpetual dynasty, God promises not to punish David or any of his descendants with more than temporal punishments. The promise of an eternal dynastic line is unqualified: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16).

That is the background to Psalms 2. It is possible to read this psalm, in the first instance, against the historical background of the Davidic kings in the first half of the first millennium BC. The surrounding small nations, over which the throne of David ruled during the reigns of David and Solomon, might well conspire against the Davidic overlord. The kings of the earth, as they are called (Psalms 2:2), might be understood to be kings of the land: the Hebrew could be rendered that way. But any rebellion against, say, King David, is no less a rebellion against the Lord who stands behind Davidand who could ever stand against him? The One enthroned in the heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them (Psalms 2:4). Note that the Lord is enthroned: his is the ultimate throne behind the Davidic throne, and he is the King behind the king. It is he who has appointed David; it is he who has anointed David. The rebellion is against the Lord and against his anointed (Psalms 2:2)that is, against YHWH and his Messiah,24 the Davidic king. The Lord is, we might say, the father-king, while David is the son-king. In his wrath the Lord thunders, I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain (Psalms 2:6).

At this point, the Davidic king speaks: I will proclaim the Lords decree: He said to me, You are my son; today I have become your father (Psalms 2:7), thus utilizing exactly the same son imagery that is found in 2 Samuel 7:14. God continues to address his son, his appointed Davidic king: Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession (Psalms 2:8). Once again, the Hebrew might just about allow us to understand tribes instead of nations, and land instead of earth. Similarly in Psalms 2:10-11: Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth [land?]. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Nevertheless, the extravagance of the promise, combined with little hints like ends of the earth (ends of the land does not quite cut it), points to a Davidic monarch who outstrips both David and Solomon, not to mention all their heirs and descendants down to the exile. The tightness of the relationship between the Lord and his son-king is wonderfully explicit when Psalms 1:11 and Psalms 2:12 are read together: Serve the Lord with fear. . . . Kiss his son25, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Conversely: Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalms 2:12).

In short, both 2 Samuel 7:14 and Psalm 2:7 depict the Davidic monarch as Gods son, ideally imitating his heavenly fathers kingly rule. Both passages hint at a Davidic reign that eclipses anything in the first millennium BC. Both are elements in a trajectory of anticipatory passages that run through the Old Testamentpassages, as we saw in chapter 1, like Isaiah 9, which looks forward to a son/king in Davids line whose government is eternal and who is described as the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father,26 and like Ezekiel 34, where YHWH comes to shepherd his sheep, apparently in the person of the Davidic king whom he sends. Old Testament writers say so many more things of this anticipated Davidic king. He establishes worldwide rule (Psalms 18:43-45; Psalms 45:17; Psalms 72:8-11; Psalms 89:25; Psalms 110:5-6) that is marked by morality and righteousness (Psalms 72:7) and utter faithfulness to the Lord (Psalms 72:5). He is preeminent among men (Psalms 45:2, Psalms 45:7), the friend of the poor and the enemy of the oppressor (Psalms 72:2-4, Psalms 72:12-14). He is the heir of the covenant with David (Psalms 89:28-37; Psalms 132:11-12) and of Melchizedeks priesthood (Psalms 110:4). He belongs to the Lord (Psalms 89:18) and is utterly faithful to him (Psalms 21:1, Psalms 21:7; Psalms 63:1-8, Psalms 63:11). He is, as we have seen, YHWHs son (Psalms 2:7; Psalms 89:27), seated at his right hand (Psalms 110:1).

This trajectoryor, to use the more traditional terminology, this Davidic typologyis inherently forward-looking. It anticipates that toward which it points. When Hebrews 1:5 quotes Psalm 2:7 with reference to Jesus, it is the Davidic typology that warrants it; that is, the writer to the Hebrews is reading Psalms 2:7 not as an individual proof text but as one passage within the matrix of the Davidic typology it helps to establish. That he is thinking in terms of this trajectory, this typology, is clear from the fact that he immediately links Psalms 2:7 with 2 Samuel 7:14, not to mention Psalms 45:6-7 (quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9) and Psalms 110 (quoted in Hebrews 1:13). In other words, Jesus is superior to the angels in his role as long-anticipated Davidic king, long-anticipated Messiah, long-anticipated Son of God. As the son/king, Jesus brings in the kingdom; angels could not do that.

3. But When Does the Kingdom Dawn?

In one sense, of course, Gods kingdom, or, better, his reign, is universal and inescapable: his kingdom rules over all (Psalms 103:19). With that sense of kingdom in view, which is coextensive with his sovereignty, we are all in itChristian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist alike. Yet in the Old Testament, God reigns in a peculiar and redemptive way over the Israelites, and thus, via his appointed Davidide, over the Davidic kingdom. As anticipation mounted for the coming of the ultimate Davidic king, it was recognized that that kingdom, when it dawned, would be redemptive and transformative. Now that Christ has risen from the dead and is seated at the Fathers right hand, both these senses of kingdom, the universal and the redemptive, persist. On the one hand, all authority is given to Christ in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). All of Gods sovereignty is now mediated through Christ (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). In that sense, Christs kingdom is inescapable. On the other hand, Christs kingdom is regularly conceived of as that subset of his total reign under which there is transformed, eternal life. We cannot see or enter this kingdom apart from the new birth (John 3:3, John 3:5). This kingdom is already in operation, permeating this lost world the way yeast permeates a lump of dough (Matthew 13:33). It is the supreme treasure to be pursued (Matthew 13:44-46). And at its consummation, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

So assuming the redemptive and transformative sense of kingdom, this saving sense, when does the kingdom dawn?

One might say that it dawned with the birth of the King. Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? the Magi asked. We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him (Matthew 2:2). Jesus was not born merely to inherit the kingdom; it was his by right, his by birth.

In another sense, we might argue that Jesuss kingdom dawns with the onset of his public ministry. His baptism at the hands of John the Baptist declares him to be the Son whom God loves (primarily denoting the Davidic king) and the Suffering Servant. Immediately after his temptation, he begins to preach in Galilee, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 9 to the effect that a light has dawned in Galilee of the Gentiles (Matthew 4:15-16)and it is in this context that Jesus preaches, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near (Matthew 4:17).

Some might prefer to think the onset of the kingdom takes place in connection with the training of the seventy (or seventy-two) when Jesuss disciples return with rejoicing that even the demons submit to them in Jesuss name. Jesus responds by saying that in their ministry he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:17-18).

Others may recall how Matthew plays with the theme of Jesus reigning from the cross (Matthew 27:27-51). It is not only a matter of the titulus, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37), but the mockery of soldiers (Hail, king of the Jews! Matthew 27:29) and of the religious authorities (Hes the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him, Matthew 27:42), not to mention the sovereign way in which he gives up his spirit (27:50)an authoritative, kingly act. Granted the frequency of the king references in Matthew 27, it is hard to deny that, whatever the centurion and those with him meant when thoroughly terrified, they exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God! (Matthew 27:54), for Matthew and his readers this sonship signaled, at very least, messianic kingly status in Davids line.

But doubtless, the event most connected with the dawning of the kingdom is Jesuss resurrection. It is in the wake of the resurrection that Jesus insists that all authority has been given to him (Matthew 28:18). The two disciples on the Emmaus road had hoped that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel (Luke 24:21), that is, they hoped he was the long-awaited Davidic king. In this expectation, however, they had no category for a crucified Davidic king, a crucified Messiah. Jesus rebukes their folly and asks, Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? (Luke 24:26). This, he insists with a larger group of disciples, is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day (Luke 24:46). In other words, the Messiah, the Davidic king, has come into his own, and thus, implicitly, his kingdom has dawned. We have already observed that in Johns Gospel the message to which the disciples bear witness, the message that is to be believed if eternal life is to be gained, is that the Messiah, the Son of God, is Jesus (John 20:30-31), and this message is trumpeted in the wake of Jesuss resurrection appearances. We have also observed how Paul links the resurrection of Jesus to the onset of Jesuss mediatorial reign (1 Corinthians 1).

The kingdom of God in its uncontested form, of course, does not come until the end of the age. Until then we pray as the Lord taught us: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is why inheriting the kingdom can on occasion be envisaged as an entirely future event (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This consummation, however, when Jesus hands over the kingdom to God the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24), is irrefragably bound up with the general resurrection, of which Jesuss resurrection is the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20), thus showing once again how central the resurrection of Jesus is for the dawning of the kingdom, for the coming of the king. Moreover, just as the kingdom of God sometimes refers to the entire sweep of Gods reign, and sometimes to that subset of his reign under which there is salvation for his own people, so also Jesuss reign can embrace all of Gods sovereignty, all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), and sometimes can refer to that subset of his reign under which there is life (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

These reflections shed some light on why, in Acts 13:33-34, Paul connects Psalms 2 with Jesuss resurrection. In Pauls mind, the divine decree that declares, You are my son; today I have become your father (Psalms 2:7), thus appointing as king the ultimate David in the Davidic trajectory, takes place most dramatically and irrefutably in Jesuss resurrection. From now on he reigns with all authority, in anticipation of the glorious consummation.

Did Jesus Believe He was the Son of God?

Its evident that Jesus had a Messianic self-understanding, but that means more than the fact that he was anointed. Any prophet or priest could claim that. No, Jesus anointing is more than thatthere is a divine sense. He is Gods Son.

Thats the importance of the parable of the wicked vineyard tenants. In this story told by Jesus, the vineyard owner leases his place to tenant farmers, but when the landowner sends servant after servant to collect his share, the tenants beat them. Finally, the owner sends his beloved son, and they kill him.

When the parable is interpreted in its context, we see that the vineyard owner is God, the tenants represent ancient Israel, and the servants symbolize the prophets. The point is clear: God sent his Son. Otherwise, Jesus would just be one more messenger, one more prophet. NoGod sent his Son, and that Son is Jesus.

Endnotes:

23. The context shows that what Paul means by this raising up Jesus is raising up Jesus from the dead.

24. It is widely recognized that anointed (usually transliterated messiah from the Hebrew and christ from the Greek) is commonly applied in the Old Testament to kings and priests, since literal anointing accompanied the appointment to the office in both cases. More rarely a prophet was anointed and so might be designated messiah. In other words, there is nothing intrinsically forward-looking about the term itselfor, to put it more provocatively, there is nothing in messiah that is intrinsically messianic. Nevertheless, that assessment changes as soon as one discerns the trajectories, the typologies, of kingship and priesthood that do race forward to an anticipated climax. Read canonically, messiah becomes messianic, in exactly the same way that 2 Samuel 7:14 and Psalms 2:7, read canonically, anticipate the ultimate Davidic king.

25. The nest of translation challenges in this verse, not least surrounding the rendering son, does not really affect the central point. The Semitic word used is the Aramaic bar rather than the Hebrew ben (both words mean son), but the absence of the article prompts some to think the word should really be read as Hebrew bor (the vowels were not part of the original), taken adverbially (kiss sincerely or kiss purely). Other suggestions have been offered. These suggestions make little difference for our purposes, since the word son has already been used unambiguously in the decree (Psalms 2:7), thus linking this passage to 2 Samuel 7:14, and connecting the appointment of the human king, under the heavenly king, with the engendering of the son.

26. Perichoresis eight centuries before Christ?

Excerpt from Christianity.com: Did Jesus Believe He was Gods Son?

Taken from Jesus the Son of God: A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misunderstood, and Currently Disputed by D. A. Carson. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.

Although it is a foundational confession for all Christians, much of the theological significance of Jesuss identity as the Son of God is often overlooked or misunderstood. Moreover, this Christological concept stands at the center of todays Bible translation debates and increased ministry efforts to Muslims.
I woke up this Sunday before Christmas, in Elizabeth City. I am usually the first one to wake, no matter, the roof I am under, and today was no different. I did not stir the first few minutes as "visions of sugar plums" were still in my head. It may as well have been Christmas morning, a long time ago. I woke from sleep under the same roof that Tres and Jenny slept beneath-and I do not know why it made such a difference, but it did. I did not want to break that beautiful spell. If reindeer had been grazing in the yard, it would have seemed quite ordinary-this Sunday before Christmas.I did rouse, for coffee. I needed to consider breakfast and went to the porch, to do so. Outside, it was April. Christmas lights lit the street and blackbirds were flying-otherwise, I could have declared it was early spring and so I warned the willow, not to be fooled.Kelsey joined me first. Kelsey is a sweet soul, who helps tremendously, in quiet ways. She tends to tie loose strings, neatly and does not need a bit of fanfare for it. Every family would benefit from having someone like Kelsey to claim as their own.Jenny came downstairs with Lyla next. Lyla wakes up sweet and mild . She says "good morning" with smiles and gentle hugs . Jenny made more coffee and planned the breakfast. Jenny is a capable young woman and a good homemaker, which to me is noble. She and Will had gone to a sophisticated Christmas party, the night before. I watched her get ready while she gave me details about Lylas' supper and which pajamas she would wear. Kelsey gave Jenny a fancy hairdoo and helped her to decide what to wear. It did not seem too long ago that Jenny had asked Santa Clause for fried chicken and diamond earrings. I "pondered these things in my heart" as all mothers do.When the house smelled like bacon, Will and Tres got up. The atmosphere was lively and happy. I was "having a wonderful life" in that kitchen, this Sunday before Christmas-and it seemed to me that before I open the first gift of this Christmas, I can say with certainty, I already have everything, I have ever wanted.




First up, Joe Biden is thinking about dropping tariffs against China. But theres a spy in prison this morning that helps us understand why he shouldnt. Ill explain.





Your second brief, If youre looking for a good paying job, you might consider being a CEO for a health insurance company. One executive made $142M dollars last year. Let's talk about that.





And as always, Im keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Mexican cartels are grooming American kids online and paying them cash to traffic illegals or run drugs across the border. Ill share details.





If you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief, remember to subscribe and listen daily at podfollow.com/pdb.

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For Immediate Release, December 20, 2016 Contact: Nick Cady, Cascadia Wildlands, (314) 482-3746 or nick@cascwild.org

Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity, (503) 484-7495 or ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org

Bob Sallinger, Portland Audubon, (503) 380-9728 or bsallinger@audubonportland.org Court Halts Logging of Elliott State Forest Tract Sold to Timber Company Old-growth Clearcutting Stopped to Protect Threatened Marbled Murrelets EUGENE, Ore. A U.S. District Court in Eugene has issued a preliminary ruling preventing Scott Timber from clearcutting a parcel of the Elliott State Forest purchased from the state of Oregon. The court found that the proposed logging of the Benson Ridge parcel by the subsidiary of Roseburg Forest Products raised serious questions over the potential harm to threatened marbled murrelets, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. In August Cascadia Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity and Portland Audubon filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block Scott Timber from logging the 355-acre parcel of land, part of the 93,000-acre Elliott State Forest until 2014 and home to threatened marbled murrelets. The Endangered Species Act strictly prohibits take (harm, harassment or killing) of threatened species like the murrelet, which, unlike any other seabird, nests on the wide branches of large, old trees, making a daily trip of up to 35 miles inland to bring fish to its young. The courts ruling on Monday prevents the logging of the Benson Ridge parcel until a full trial can be had on the merits. Todays ruling has enormous implications for the state of Oregons efforts to dispose of the Elliott State Forest to private timber interests, said Nick Cady, legal director at Cascadia Wildlands. The state represented to these private timber interests that the forest could be logged without legal consequence, and this ruling establishes that private timber companies can no longer violate federal environmental laws with abandon. The courts decision is well timed. On Dec. 13 Oregons State Land Board postponed a decision on a pending proposal to sell the remaining 82,000-acres of the Elliott State Forest to Lone Rock Timber Company. The courts injunction halting the logging planned by Scott Timber indicates Lone Rock could be held liable under federal environmental laws for clearcutting the old-growth forests that once belonged to all Oregonians. The state of Oregon should never have sold this land, said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Not only does it have important habitat for the marbled murrelet and other wildlife, but it was there for all Oregonians to enjoy. In 2012 the three groups sued the state of Oregon for illegally logging marbled murrelet habitat on the Elliott and other state forests. The state settled the suit in 2014, agreeing to drop 26 timber sales and stop logging in occupied murrelet habitat. But following the loss, the state sold three parcels totaling 1,453 acres, even though they contained mature and old-growth forests that are occupied by the murrelet, including the 355-acre Benson Ridge parcel. This demonstrates the incredible cynicism that underpins the states efforts to sell the Elliott off to private timber interests, said Audubon conservation director Bob Sallinger. Not only does it put fish and wildlife species at risk and eliminated use for future generations, but it also is predicated on those private timber companies returning to the illegal logging practices that the state was forced to abandon. The courts preliminary ruling is one of several promising developments for the protection of old-growth forests in Oregon critical to the survival of murrelets and other imperiled wildlife. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife recently initiated a process to uplist the murrelets state protection status from threatened to endangered. The Oregon Board of Forestry recently decided to take up a petition to identify and develop rules to protect murrelet sites on state and private timber lands. Cascadia Wildlands represents approximately 10,000 members and supporters and has a mission to educate, agitate and inspire a movement to protect and restore Cascadias wild ecosystems. 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. Audubon Society of Portland was founded in 1902 to promote the understanding, enjoyment and protection of native birds, other wildlife and their habitats. Today it represents over 16,000 members in Oregon.
For Immediate Release, December 19, 2016 Contact: Patrick Sullivan, (415) 517-9364, psullivan@biologicaldiversity.org California Attorney General Sues to Protect Coast From Offshore Fracking SACRAMENTO, Calif. Citing risks to public health and marine life, California Attorney General Kamala Harris and the California Coastal Commission today filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government's inadequate analysis of offshore fracking's threats to the California coast. Today's suit comes after an oil company proposed to conduct Californias first offshore frack in almost two years. The oil company, DCOR, LLC, hopes to frack an offshore well in the Santa Barbara Channel. The company would be allowed to discharge chemical-laden fracking flowback fluid into the ocean. Kudos to Kamala Harris for fighting to protect our ocean from fracking chemicals, said Kristen Monsell, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. Offshore fracking raises deep concerns among the millions of people who live, work and play on Californias beautiful coast. Whether its done on land or off our shores, fracking is a toxic threat to our states air, water and wildlife. Fearing expanded offshore oil development under the Trump administration, the Center and the Wishtoyo Foundation last month filed their own offshore fracking lawsuit against U.S. officials. That suit points to offshore fracking pollutions threats to the ocean, public health, imperiled wildlife and sacred Chumash cultural resources and places. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement decided to allow offshore fracking in federal waters off California in May, after releasing a cursory environmental assessment of the practice. The federal assessment failed to fully disclose the chemicals used by oil companies and their effects on marine life and water quality, citing information gaps, yet it acknowledged that those chemicals can be hazardous. The assessment admitted that offshore fracking will prolong offshore oil and gas activities, extending the life of aging infrastructure and increasing the risk of yet more devastating oil spills. Offshore fracking blasts vast volumes of water mixed with toxic chemicals beneath the seafloor at pressures high enough to fracture rocks. The high pressures used in offshore fracking increase the risk of well failure and oil spills. The California Council on Science and Technology has identified some common fracking chemicals to be among the most toxic in the world to marine animals. Oil companies in the Santa Barbara Channel have federal permission to dump up to 9 billion gallons of produced water  including fracking chemicals  into the ocean every year. The Obama administration still has time forestall expanded drilling and fracking off the California coast under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives the president authority to withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the Outer Continental Shelf.
MFM in conjunction with Stellenbosch University's Centre for Student Recruitment and Career Advice and Telematics services has just wrapped up its third radio Summer School.

From 12-16 December, young adults between 15 and 18 received radio training as well as training in other media platforms, at no cost to them. The end goal was to equip them with invaluable skills giving them an advantage in pursuing a career in radio. The training sessions included educating the learners in all areas of on-air presenting, producing, news reading, marketing, social media, sales, finances as well as on and off air television training.

No other community radio station in South Africa has accomplished anything like the Summer School, enabling learners who do not have funds available to them to participate. The aim was to bring together schoolchildren, who had one thing in common, a passion for media.

This campaign was born out of a passion to educate and for us to get more involved with our community. We are very proud of this initiative and we as MFM could not be happier with the outcomes of the Summer School. We achieved everything we hoped for and more. Friendship bonds were formed and we definitely uplifted and inspired our youth. Through inspiring the youth, we even reignited the passion of people who have been in the industry for a few years already, said station manager, Charita van der Berg.

"They all walked away with invaluable experience and received a demo from Telematics services and MFM, showing off various abilities and potential. They all also received a certificate to illustrate the skills they have acquired throughout the training sessions. Special thanks go out to Pick n Pay Stellenbosch that sponsored lunch for the schoolchildren for the week.

For more information, email az.ca.nus.mfm@ms.
More than 140 police rookies have been deployed to shopping malls in Port Elizabeth in an attempt to strengthen security during the festive season.

The 142 newly graduated constables were part of the 4941 students recruited nationally.

A total of 570 have been sent to the Eastern Cape, with 40 being deployed in Graaff- Reinet, 278 in East London and 110 in Mthatha.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Sibongile Soci said that in Port Elizabeth, East London, Mthatha, Uitenhage and Queenstown the graduates had been deployed to malls and shopping areas.

In Port Elizabeth, they were being deployed at the major malls, including The Bridge, Baywest and Walmer Park, and, in Jeffreys Bay, at Fountains Mall.

Soci said the deployments had also been extended to the rural areas of the province.

The deployment, which started yesterday, comes after the recruits completed the basic police development learning programme last week at various training centres.

"The newly trained constables will now be deployed at police stations throughout the country where they will be performing operational duties for 12 months," Soci said.

"The police management reviewed the previous training curriculum after conducting impact studies and benchmarking with regional and international standards.

"The new, intensified and specialised curriculum . includes continuous practical and workplace exposure.

"The focus is on various aspects of policing which will equip the recruits with the necessary skills to perform professional police duties."

Soci said the workplace exposure was part of the back-to-basics approach, which focuses on enhancing police visibility, ensuring efficient use of resources for investigations and the optimal use of crime intelligence.

Included in the recruits' training curriculum is crowd management to equip them with the knowledge to manage protest action.
The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) has uncovered suspected fraud, waste and abuse practices amounting to several millions on the part of a number of healthcare service providers and members.

This follows a comprehensive review of claims submitted by various service providers and includes a number of in-hospital claims. Commenting on the investigations by the scheme, principal officer, Dr Guni Goolab says.

Further investigations have led us to a number of claims relating to hospital admissions where either the length of hospital admission was unnecessarily extended or were found to be generally without clinically appropriate reasons.

In certain cases, the patients did not undergo any significant pathology or radiology tests following their admission to hospital. This was even in instances where the patients were reportedly seriously ill, notes Goolab.

During engagements with the relevant healthcare providers and members, it was established that the irregular claims submitted were used specifically as a vehicle to obtain benefits associated with hospital cash back plans. This essentially means that the medical scheme was used to fund medical conditions that could either have been treated within a shorter period, more effectively with alternative treatment regimes or which were potentially never necessary in the first place.

Breakdown of cases uncovered

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) was identified as the province with a significantly higher prevalence of fraud waste and abuse.

Our analysis identified the top claiming members and providers suspected of the abuse of hospital cash back plans. One of the schemes forensic investigation service providers were subsequently deployed to KZN to launch a full-scale investigation.

Goolab adds that further to a number of interviews with healthcare practitioners linked to hospitals for over-servicing and alleged hospital cash back abuse the following acknowledgements of debt (AOD) were signed by a number of healthcare service providers including:

Two physiotherapists: AOD values = R502,000 and R350,000

A dietician: AOD value = R150,000

Four psychologists: AOD values = R1,5m, R600,000, R2m and R240,000

Two physicians: AOD values = R2m and R700,000

A surgeon: AOD value = R3m

Our investigations are ongoing and evidence is being gathered with a view to prosecute the individuals concerned and to recover the amounts owing to GEMS.

To date indications are that there is substance to the allegations levelled at the identified healthcare facilities and service providers. Affidavits obtained, including data analysis, indicate that there is sufficient evidence that would warrant the pursuing of criminal charges against certain individuals and institutions, says Goolab.

He added that the scheme had undertaken a number of claims risk management activities including the sanctioning, in terms of scheme policies, of more than 100 healthcare service providers in 2016.

Additional actions undertaken include the reporting of cases to regulatory bodies such as the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) and cases opened with the SAPS.

How it works

There are a number of ways in which hospital cash back plan fraud occurs. In most instances claims are submitted for hospitalisation, normally for a period of three or more days, where fewer days were required so that the patient can receive a pay-out as from the first day.

The risk associated with this is where the medical scheme will pay the in-hospital costs, but the member may claim the full daily amount from their hospital cash back plan, which may vary between R500 to R2,500 per day.

Since no qualifying criteria exist for being able to purchase a hospital cash back plan, other than being able to pay the monthly premium, it has become a target for unscrupulous individuals who seek to access cash.

This, unfortunately, leads to medical schemes often funding medical expenses that are not necessary, thereby placing undue pressure on the financial resources of medical schemes and unfairly disadvantaging members who are in real need of appropriate medical care. It also artificially increases costs and may result in higher contribution rate increases for hard-pressed members.

Consequences associated with the abuse of such plans may result in increased premiums, increased validation during hospital authorisation requests, more stringent member and dependant acceptance initiatives, such as underwriting, as well as criminal prosecution.
Sunbird Energy, owners of the Ibhubesi Gas Project (IGP), has delisted and privatised the company in anticipation of securing a chunk of the department of energy's gas-to-power programme.

The company, a South African start-up that listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), acquired the IGP in December 2012 as a part of its strategy to develop Southern African gas resources where limited domestic gas supply and growing energy needs have created significant opportunity for the development of large-scale energy projects.

Interesting partner

And to meet the criteria that the DoE will expect from its suppliers, Sunbird has "Africanised" itself with the help of Musa Capital.

The latter is run by two Americans,William Jimerson and Antoine Johnson. It was embroiled in a dispute a few years back, when the Bakubung community in the platinum-rich Pilanesberg area demanded back the money Musa was managing on their behalf from the sale of community's shares in the Bakubung mine.

Source: offshoretechnology.com

African led

Executive chairman of Sunbird Energy, Kerwin Rana, said that restructuring the company was central to its vision of being African-led, while operating commercially and sustainably.

We are looking at this project as being of strategic and national importance to South Africa, and we want local investors to be part of the development. The new, Africanised IGP is now over 50% black-owned with 24% still being owned by PetroSA, he said.

Projects in the pipeline

IGP is currently developing several market off-take opportunities, including providing fuel that could substitute diesel with gas at Eskoms Ankerlig Power Station situated in the Western Cape. In addition, the project is ready for the development of new gas-fired independent power producers (IPPs) along with other value-adding industrial applications.

With a potential off-take agreement with Eskom, as well as other local and international markets being pursued, Sunbird is poised to become one of South Africas leading gas development companies as it seeks to develop its gas assets for market availability by 2020.

Job creation, skills development and sharing forums are an integral part of the deal, which the team is proud to be part of, Musa CEO, Jimerson added.

In addition to the direct and indirect jobs that could potentially be created, the investment in the development of the IGP, which could top over R20-bn, would be a true upstream and downstream industry creation catalyst throughout its lifespan.

About Ibhubesi

The field was initially discovered by PetroSA (the South African national oil company) predecessor, Soekor, in the mid-1980s, and has since enjoyed the benefit of over R1,6bn of investment in exploration, appraisal and development.

Classified as a mature natural gas field development with 11 wells drilled thus far consisting of seven gas discoveries, which is an encouragingly high success rate. Having over half a trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas reserves at a 2P level and situated 80km off of the Northern Cape coast, the current IGP gas reserves could potentially provide electricity to a city of 1m people for about 10 years, making it a significant source of clean energy in the country. With added investment, up to eight Tcf or 16 times the current proven reserves, could be added to the domestic energy mix.
Benin's newly elected president, Patrice Talon, is planning to stimulate economic growth from the bottom up by 2021. Last week, he launched a five-year programme that is aligned to the country's Vision 2030, which is strongly focused on public private partnerships (PPPs) aimed at attracting $15m of investments.

ATI CEO, George Otieno and Benin president, Patrice Talon

Spurred by indicators that show 40% of the population living below the poverty line and Benin ranked 166th out of 177 in the human development index, the president is focused on pulling in the private sector to create beneficial PPPs. To attract investors, he is also focused on creating an open and transparent system of governance.

In a statement made shortly after his nomination, the president said that it was a matter of urgency that they tackle political reforms, restructuring of the national economy and strengthening the social fibre in order to restore public confidence and the countrys credibility.

African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) CEO, George Otieno, was one of the first people to call on the new president. As an African institution, ATI understands the challenging environment in which many of our governments work. This is where we can add the most value because we understand the risks involved and how to mitigate them. Benin is no different. Were here to help by providing comfort to investors, said Otieno.

During ATIs four-day stay in Benin, the company met with the highest ranked ministers and also hosted a workshop for government agencies to explain the benefits of their products. These include providing guarantees to suppliers and contractors of government tenders. With guarantees in place, Benin can attract the best possible goods and services that will greatly help its development efforts. ATI is also able to help the government lower their debt levels by offering guarantees to investors in place of costly government guarantees.

The agency has estimated $760m worth of investments in its current project pipeline. These include renewable energy, manufacturing, agribusiness, investments that will help finance small and-medium sized (SMEs) companies, and supporting the governments proposed bond issue.

In 2013, Benin became the first West African country to join ATI, a pan-African institution that provides political, investment and commercial risk insurance products. Cote dIvoire is expected to finalise their membership in early 2017. ATIs next membership focus is the other large West African economies of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.
African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved $71.8 million grant and $3.1 million loan to the Mozambique government for the construction of an asphalted 70km road section in Northern Mozambique, to improve connectivity with Tanzania.

Leon Swart via 123RF

The AfDB chief transport engineer, Aymen Osmani said the project is key for traders and road users, who transport goods between Tanzania and Mozambique.

"Following the completion, they will benefit from more direct and shorter journeys to the ports of Pemba in Mozambique and Mtwara in Tanzania, effectively enhancing regional trade," he said. The new road will extend the paved road recently built in the Tanzanian side, financed by an AfDB project approved in 2012.

This phase concerns a 70km road section which starts at Negomano, located adjacent to the Ruvuma River, the natural frontier with Tanzania. The section ends in the locality of Roma.

The project will open up the isolated part of the country, contributing to the economic growth and the eradication of poverty, as well as foster cross border trade and reinforce regional integration. The road segment Mueda - Negomano represents a missing link on the transport corridor between Mozambique and Tanzania.

The Bank will finance the paving of the road for phase I.

The improvement of the road will reduce from three to one hour the time to travel between the two localities. That first phase will be complemented by a second one, planned to start in 2019, which will connect Roma to Mueda and includes the construction of a one stop border post.

"The Bank is well positioned to support such development of regional corridors and road infrastructure due to its ability to coordinate programmes and projects across countries," he said.

The outcomes of the project will significantly contribute to attaining the goals of the Bank's High Five (Hi-5s) in the regions concerned, contributing to 'Integrate Africa' explained Amadou Oumarou, director of transport and ICT department of the AfDB.
Frances Thompson Armstrong, age 78, a resident of Bath NC, passed away Thursday, Dec. 15, at home.After her retirement from Beaufort County Community College, where she was an instructor in data processing, she became quite active in wildlife and environmental preservation causes. The Friends of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge gave her the 2011 award "For Outstanding and Dedicated Service." She adored her several dachshund pets over the decades, the last, Lester "Prez" Young being especially memorable. All services are private.She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Roy Armstrong II, her two sons Ricks Armstrong of Hope Mills NC, Wells Armstrong of Bath, wife Kathryn, and two granddaughters Grace Armstrong and Audrey Armstrong, daughters of Wells and Kathryn. six brothers and sisters in Georgia: Holden Thompson, Glenn Simpson, Nancy Blanchard, Jack Thompson, Patty King and Jean Rybert.Condolences may be addressed to the family online by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Armstrong family.
UK leisure airline, Thomas Cook Airlines now offers direct flights between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) three days a week, with the inaugural flight landing in Cape Town on 15 December 2016.

Thomas Cook Airlines has rolled out the following flight schedule:

Mondays: arriving at CTIA at 8am and departing for LGW at 10.10am;



Tuesdays: arriving at CTIA 11.30am and departing for LGW at 7.20pm;



Fridays: arriving at CTIA at 9.20am and departing for LGW at 7.20pm

James Burrows, aviation director for Thomas Cook Airlines, added, Cape Town is an enormously popular destination for UK tourists and Thomas Cook Airlines is excited to be able to offer our clients the convenience of affordable direct flights from London Gatwick to Cape Town International three times a week.

Over the past year, in spite of global economic conditions, visitors to Cape Town passing through CTIA increased year on year. In 2015, total annual passenger numbers rose 10.3% from the previous year, reaching 9.7 million. For the 2016 year to date, total passengers are up a further 7.2% against the comparative period last year.

With the festive season and tourists seeking the Southern hemisphere sunshine, December and January account for around 18% of CTIAs total annual passenger traffic. With more airlines now adding new direct routes to Cape Town, we are expecting another bumper holiday season this year, said Deon Cloete, general manager of CTIA.

Cape Town International Airport is an award-winning airport, consistently performing among the best in the world for service in its category. This year SKYTRAX awarded CTIA as the Best Airport in Africa for 5-10 million passengers, and it currently has a Global Ranking of 22nd in the Worlds top 35 Airports.
SAN FRANCISCO: Mark Zuckerberg envisions a software system inspired by the "Iron Man" character Jarvis as a virtual butler managing his household.

Sergey Soldatov via 123RF

The Facebook founder's dream is about artificial intelligence, which is slowly but surely creeping into our daily lives, no longer just science fiction.

Artificial intelligence or AI is getting a foothold in people's homes, starting with the Amazon devices like its Echo speaker which links to a personal assistant 'Alexa' to answer questions and control connected devices such as appliances or light bulbs.

Analyst Carolina Milanesi of the research firm Creative Strategies said that "2016 was the year about raising awareness, and exposing consumers to the idea of AI in a more mass market way." Milanesi said it may take time for the technology to fulfill its potential, noting that companies need "a strong hook" to bring large numbers of consumers into this world.

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that Amazon has sold more than five million of its connected speakers such as Echo since 2014, in a market now heating up with competition from Google Home, and others likely in development.

Google meanwhile is also using its AI prowess to make smartphones smarter  its Allo messenger can, for example, suggest a meeting or deliver relevant information during a conversation. Among other tech giants Apple has been quietly ramping up the capabilities of its Siri digital assistant and Facebook its Messenger platform.

AI is also the key "driver" for autonomous vehicles, around which Google, Uber, automakers and others have expanded efforts in the past year. And Amazon is seeking to put AI to work in the supermarket  testing a system without cash registers or lines, where consumers simply grab their products and go, and have a bill tallied by artificial intelligence.

Stanford University AI researcher Alexandre Alahi, said he sees a future "where intelligent machines are omnipresent in our daily lives".

"We will see robots in the home and (powering) self-driving cars, but also in railway stations, hospitals and elsewhere in cities," he said.

This could include delivery robots or devices to help mobility for blind people, he noted. These technologies "will help improve our safety, our health, and our productivity," Alahi said.

A system of sensors for example, can monitor a hospital patient 24 hours a day, and may allow elderly people to remain at home with better medical surveillance.

These systems rely on powerful computers which can crunch, analyse and interpret data. One example of this comes from IBM, whose Watson supercomputer systems are offering "cognitive health" programs which can analyse a person's genome and offer personalised treatment for cancer, for example.

Meanwhile Google recently announced it had developed an algorithm which can detect diabetic retinopathy, a cause of blindness, by analysing retina images.

While Alahi said AI systems designed to recognise and interpret data from images "are close to human performance," more work needs to be done to improve "social intelligence," or understanding the subtleties of our everyday decisions.

A self-driving car, for example, can easily navigate around Google's home base in Mountain View, California, but may have more problems around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where driving behaviours are less predictable.

Alahi said robotics needs to understand the unwritten social behaviors used in daily life, which can vary from one culture to another. A robot, for example, might cut through a group of people in a train station to find the most efficient path, unknowingly violating social rules on personal space.

"There are situations where technology is not yet capable of understanding human behavior," said Alahi, who is part of a research project using a robot, with the aim of understanding pedestrian behavior.

These kinds of robots may be technological marvels, but they also raise fears that they could get out of control, concerns heightened by movies like Terminator.

"It's all scary, but this is going to take years to happen, and by the time it's done, we'll be ready for it," said Milanesi.

Source: AFP
WardsAuto's 23rd annual Wards 10 Best Engines list honours a diverse set of powertrains that appeal to a wide range of tastes and budgets.

Since 1995, the competition has recognised outstanding engines and electrified propulsion systems, as well as the technology and engineering behind them. This year's field of 40 nominees include all new or significantly improved powertrains, as well as last year's ten returning winners.

Three electrified drivetrains make the Wards 10 Best Engines list for the second time in as many years, while all seven remaining honorees are turbocharged, illustrating the industry trend toward downsized powertrains with forced induction and direct fuel injection.

For the first time in 23 years of testing, no V-8 engines earned a spot on the Wards 10 Best Engines list, but many of the high-output turbocharged 6-cyl. engines in the competition, even some that didn't make the cut, generate enough horsepower and torque to fill the void. Two of the honorees are returning winners.

The top 10

3.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-6 - BMW M240i

1.5L DOHC 4-cyl./Dual Motor EREV - Chevrolet Volt

3.6L DOHC V-6/Dual Motor PHEV - Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid

2.3L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. - Ford Focus RS

2.0L DOHC 4-cyl./Dual Motor HEV - Honda Accord Hybrid

1.4L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. - Hyundai Elantra Eco

3.0L Turbocharged DOHC V-6 - Infiniti Q50

2.5L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. - Mazda CX-9

2.0L Turbocharged DOHC 4-cyl. - Mercedes-Benz C300

2.0L Turbo/Supercharged DOHC 4-cyl. - Volvo V60 Polestar

"Automakers see downsizing, turbocharging and electrification as key strategies for delivering no-compromise powertrains that also are fuel-efficient, and this year's list clearly affirms that strategy," says WardsAuto senior content director Drew Winter.

WardsAuto editors evaluated the 40 vehicles in October and November, driving to and from home, work, school, the hardware store and on weekend road trips. Vehicles must have a base price no higher than $62,000 to be eligible. Editors score each powertrain based on horsepower, torque, comparative specs, noise attenuation, observed fuel economy and the application of new technology. The guiding principles: Does the engine or electric propulsion system truly sell the car or raise the bar for its competitive set?

The winning automakers will be honoured at an awards ceremony to be held on 11 January in Detroit.
Real estate group Growthpoint Properties' first foray into Eastern Europe has received a mixed reaction from one South African fund manager who is concerned its investment in Romania is too small to move the fund's needle.

More than 10 South African property companies have already invested in Eastern Europe in the past two years but many have made larger investments than the 186m (R2.7bn) Growthpoint is spending on a 26.9% stake in Globalworth Real Estate Investment.

The investment in the Romanian office owner has come long after the likes of New Europe Property Investments bought into shopping centres in the country and some eight months after Growthpoints rival, Redefine Properties, invested in Polish retail and offices.

There have been questions about whether Growthpoints initial exposure to Romania will be too small to deliver meaningful returns early on for the R71bn-valued company.

Portfolio manager at Alternative Real Estate Capital Management, Garreth Elston, said his team were "neutral on the deal" until they knew more details.

"We are not sure that the deal has the size and scope to significantly move the needle for a company of Growthpoints size over the short to medium term.

"In addition, we are not completely convinced that Romania is the best investment choice in Central and Eastern Europe at the moment," he said.

Romanias government had been wracked by political scandals in recent times, he said.

Corruption was also an issue, with Romania being ranked by Transparency Internationals Corruption Index at 58 globally, which is only three ranks higher than SA.

Elston said Poland, the other favoured destination for South African property investors, was ranked 30th. "So, politically, Romania does not really offer Growthpoint much more stability nor transparency than SA does," he said.

However, in economic terms, Romania offered several advantages. "GDP growth at 4.4% is encouraging, GDP per capita has been growing and unemployment is low at 5.8%," he said.

Globalworth, founded by entrepreneur Ioannis Papalekas, has operated for more than 15 years in Romania.

Catalyst Fund Managers investment manager Paul Duncan said the deal looked reasonable for Growthpoint and it was difficult for it to find large, well-priced deals.

"It does not look like they are overpaying for the equity stake. They are acquiring a modestly geared fund at a discount to net asset value with a platform. Management are aligned via a material equity ownership.

"We dont believe there is much cap rate compression on the existing portfolio, but there does appear to be the ability to reduce interest costs. This is a very similar type of deal to what they did successfully in Australia. Growthpoint are so big now that they can only do incremental bulk-ons to grow earnings and quality," he said.

Growthpoint anticipates the yield on Globalworth equity to be about 6%. This would be fully funded with debt and cross-currency swaps at an approximate all-in rate of 3%.

Business Day
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM: Apple on Monday, 19 December 2016, launched a legal challenge against a landmark EU decision that the tech giant pay billions in back-taxes to Ireland, claiming the EU has ignored the law.

The European Commission, the EU executive arm, in August ordered iPhone maker Apple to reimburse a record 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in unpaid taxes in Ireland.

The EU, led by its competition chief Margrethe Vestager, accused Ireland of handing Apple a secret tax deal that allowed the iPhone maker to enjoy almost zero tax on all its sales worldwide for more than a decade.

The deal was in breach of the EU's state aid rules, argued Vestager, a former Danish finance minister, who has made clamping down on tax deals a priority.

"It's been clear since the start of this case there was a pre-determined outcome," a spokeswoman for Apple told AFP, confirming the appeal.

"The Commission took unilateral action and retroactively changed the rules, disregarding decades of Irish tax law, US tax law, as well as global consensus on tax policy, that everyone has relied on," she added.

The appeal, lodged at an EU court in Luxembourg, came after the bloc's anti-trust teams released its full 130-page argumentation in the case. "The Commission will defend its decision in court," the Commission said in a short statement.

With the release, the Irish government also spelled out its arguments against the EU case, accusing Brussels of a major breach of national sovereignty.

"The Commission has exceeded its powers and interfered with national tax sovereignty," Ireland's finance department said in a three-page outline of its main arguments.

"The Commission has no competence, under state aid rules, unilaterally to substitute its own view of the geographic scope and extent of the member state's tax jurisdiction for those of the member state itself," the ministry added.

In August, the EU verdict shocked the business world and infuriated Apple, with CEO Tim Cook calling it "political crap".

It also raised tensions with Washington, which accused Brussels of "disproportionately" focusing on US corporations. Google, Starbucks and Amazon are also in the EU's crosshairs.

By the Commission's calculations, Dublin allowed Apple to pay a tax rate of 1% of its European profits in 2003 which then dropped to 0.005% by 2014.

Ireland formally lodged its appeal in November after winning the backing of the Irish parliament, with MPs willing to forgo the decision's potential windfall from the case in order to preserve Dublin's pro-business reputation.

Once a corporate backwater, Ireland found economic success by building a low tax entryway to Europe for multinationals seeking access to the EU, the world biggest market. Dublin's official corporate tax rate is 12%, one of the world lowest.

Dublin also claimed procedural errors in the Commission's investigation, which was launched in 2014, arguing Ireland was not contacted to comment on findings contained in the ruling.

"The Commission breached the duty of good administration by failing to act impartially and in accordance with its duty of care," said the submission.

Apple is a valued employer in Ireland, with 6,000 staff in its Cork city campus.

Source: AFP
Russian competition authorities have dropped their investigation into Mondi's subsidiary Syktyvkar, the packaging group announced on Monday.

Mondi warned shareholders on 4 April that the Federal Anti-monopoly Service of the Russian Federation issued a press release saying that "it had initiated an investigation into Mondi Syktyvkar for violation of the anti-monopoly law in respect of the pricing of offset paper".

The anti-monopoly service said in Monday's announcement: "On December 15, the Federal Anti-monopoly Service of the Russian Federation announced on its website that the investigation into Mondi Syktyvkar for violation of the anti-monopoly law in respect of the pricing of offset paper has been terminated, due to the absence of a dominating market position of Mondi Syktyvkar during the investigation period".

Mondi has two shares trading on the JSE due to historical rules for its dual listing in Johannesburg and London.

Its MND shares rose 1% to R276.81 and its less liquid MNP shares 0.64% to R280 on Monday, after the announcement.

Source: BDpro
WASHINGTON, USA: The operators of the Ashley Madison affair-minded dating website agreed on Wednesday, 14 December 2016, to pay a $1.6 million penalty over a data breach exposing data from 36 million users, US officials announced.

Ashley Madison's Canadian parent company Ruby agreed to the penalty to settle charges with the US Federal Trade Commission and state regulators for failing to protect confidential user information.

The settlement comes after a hacker group last year released what was said to be personal data on millions of members of Ashley Madison, who were based in 46 countries. The fallout led to reports of blackmail and even suicides.

The financial penalty, split between the federal government and US states suing the company, would increase to $8.75 million to the FTC plus $8.75 million to states if Ashley Madison fails to abide by new information security practices and refrain from misleading consumers.

"This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated to date, implicating 36 million individuals worldwide," said FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez.

"The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better protect its users' personal information from criminal hackers going forward."

Ramirez said the penalty being paid is too small to allow for "redress" or compensation to affected consumers, noting that compensation is rarely obtained in data security cases.

"We want them (the company) to feel the pain, we don't want them to profit from unlawful conduct," Ramirez told reporters in a conference call.

But she added that "it would not serve the public interest to put them out of business."

Earlier this year, the dating website - whose motto had been "life is short, have an affair" rebooted, calling itself an "open-minded dating" service.

The company said at the time it will no longer use female "bots" or automated programs that respond to members pretending to be women on the hunt for men.

According to the FTC complaint, until August 2014, operators of the site lured customers, including 19 million Americans, with fake profiles of women designed to convert them into paid members.

The company failed to adequately protect users' personal information such as date of birth, relationship status and sexual preferences, according to the complaint.

The company confirmed the settlement, saying it would help it move past the hacking episode.

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," said a statement from Ruby chief executive Rob Segal.

"Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company."

The settlement followed an investigation in cooperation with consumer protection authorities in Canada and Australia. Thirteen US states plus the federal District of Columbia joined the lawsuit.

Source: AFP
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Thala 57 or AK 57 is always in the news. The unit is right now in Bulgaria and is steadily canning the scenes. We recently saw Ajiths wheeling in his bike for the film in Bulgaria and the video went viral within a short time.

Now we hear that Ajith is likely to return to Chennai for Christmas, taking a small break from his shooting schedule. Sources suggest that more than 80% of the shoot is completed and the team is expected to return to India for the New Year.

Looks like Siva is intent on releasing the film for Tamil New Years Day in April 2017.
FORT YATES, N.D.  The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is considering creating a tribal utilities commission to regulate infrastructure projects on its land.

Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II said the tribe has started the process since Standing Rock has been in a months-long fight against the 1,172-mile Dakota Access crude oil pipeline, which is proposed to cross the Missouri River just north of the reservation. The tribe fears that a leak in the line would pollute the river and the tribal water supply.

Archambault said the pipeline battle has shone the spotlight on flaws in state and federal law pertaining to tribal consultation and feedback on infrastructure projects  something he believes a tribal utilities commission could rectify.

I think its in everyones interest to have some kind of regulatory authority, he said.

The tribe will first need to create a regulatory code before forming a commission, said Archambault, who said the new code, once written, has to be posted for 30 days to garner tribal member feedback.

The process takes time. Its not going to happen overnight, he said.

Archambault said the commission would have authority over all utilities infrastructure, from water lines to power lines. And despite the opposition to Dakota Access, the creation of a commission would not rule out the possibility of crude oil pipelines on the reservation.

Opposition and 2007 tribal council action to prevent crude oil pipelines from crossing tribal lands came from fears the industry was not regulated well enough, Archambault said. If the tribe were to be more the master of its fate, with direct input on projects through its regulatory authority, there would be less reluctance to allow their development.

And though the Dakota Access pipeline would not cross the reservation, the chairman said he is hopeful a tribal utilities commission could also give the tribe more weight on the national stage should similar projects arise in the future.

Standing Rock is looking to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota as a model for its proposed commission, according to Archambault.

The Rosebud Siouxs tribal utilities commission just celebrated its 22nd anniversary, and Commissioner Ronald Neiss said it's one that other tribes have looked to as a success story.

Neiss said he had a recent conversation with Archambault about the creation of a commission on Standing Rock. On the Rosebud Reservation, its existence has allowed the tribe to be an advocate for utilities consumers within tribal homelands.

There was some opposition at first, Neiss said of the commissions creation. It came mostly from utilities cooperatives, used to dealing with the state for permitting, questioning why the tribe was taking up regulating.

Most of the utility infrastructure on the Rosebud Reservation is operated by cooperatives. One thing that has helped bridge gaps is the election of two tribal members to a local cooperative board. Neiss said the tribe had previously been unrepresented on the cooperative board despite tribal members making up 80 percent of the cooperatives membership.

With that board presence, Neiss is confident the landscape will change. An annual utilities forum between cooperatives and the tribe is another way Rosebud has tried to develop relationships.

Over the past two decades, most of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Utilities Commission work has been on easements for telecommunications and electric lines, particularly fiber for high-speed internet. The commission has been an advocate for renewable and energy-efficiency improvements, though there have been no major wind or solar farms developed on tribal lands that would have required permitting. Neiss said they recently completed a 50-year right of way with the Western Area Power Administration for a 115-kilovolt transmission line.

That was a big mission for us, he said.

The tribes next goal is creation of Rosebud Energy Services Co., which would be a tribal subsidiary developing infrastructure on the reservation for transmission of the tribes six-megawatt power allocation from WAPA.

Along with development of a utilities commission, Archambault said Standing Rock is talking with Rosebud about the possible establishment of an intertribal utilities commission.

Neiss said there has been interest from the Yankton and Ogala Sioux, too. And Rosebud has offered to share its Title 20 regulatory code with others. He said the benefit of an intertribal commission, or at least commissions with similar codes, would be a continuity of regulation across tribal homelands, making it easier for utilities companies to follow. There is also the opportunity for shared resources to save on cost and increase representation on the national scale.

The Rosebud Sioux are hosting a discussion of intertribal utilities regulation April 28-29 in Rapid City, Neiss said.

Though Neiss said it hasnt been a part of conversations between the Standing Rock and Rosebud Tribes to date, Archambault points to one more potential strength of an inter-tribal utilities commission. He said having a shared commission could help tribes initiate conversations with state governments about the possibility of sharing jurisdiction on projects that cross tribal treaty lands.

Wed love to build those relationships with the states, Archambault said.

The tribe defines treaty lands as lands within tribal territories established in the middle of the 19th century by various treaties between tribes and the federal government. Many parts of the treaties, which laid out rules for interaction among the tribes and provided easements for westward expansion, remain in effect today.

Areas on the Dakota Access pipeline route run through the 1851 treaty territories of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Yankton Sioux Tribe, as well as through the Great Sioux Reservation drawn up in the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1868. Although Congress forced the tribes onto smaller parcels of land, the treaties of 1851 and 1868 didnt go away.

Archambault said joint jurisdiction on those lands would give tribes the opportunity to have a say as more than just stakeholders on projects crossing them. Tribal opinion could go from being recognized by state and federal regulators to having authority alongside them.

Chris Nelson, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission chairman, said he has no experience to draw upon to weigh how tribal and state regulators may work together on utilities projects. In the Rosebud Tribal Utilities Commissions 22 years of existence, no applications for permitting of projects that cross both tribal and state lands have come up.

There isnt really any interaction between what we do and what they do, he said.

Nelson also declined to speculate on how tribes and states might share jurisdiction on treaty lands, as its still a hypothetical proposal.
For the rape of a 23-month-old girl, Daniel Joseph Degele was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years at the Montana State Hospital.

Degele, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual intercourse without consent in March. Yellowstone County District Court Judge Russell Fagg sentenced Degele to 100 years, with 60 years suspended, to the custody of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Degele will not be eligible for parole for up to 25 years and must complete two phases of sex offender treatment before being released. As part of a plea agreement, Degele's third charge of sexual assault against another older girl was dismissed.

Degele was sent to the Montana State Hospital at Warm Springs in May and staff psychologist Dr. Virginia Hill said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Degele reported auditory and visual hallucinations.

Hill investigated the possibility that Degele was lying about his mental state, but ultimately determined he was not able to comprehend the criminality of his actions at the time of the crime.

As soon as Degele is determined to be medically stable, Fagg ordered he be sent to the Montana State Prison to serve the rest of his sentence.

In his 22 years on the bench, Fagg said this was "if not the most atrocious, certainly one of the most atrocious crimes that I have been a part of."

Chief Deputy County Attorney Juli Pierce prosecuted the case. The injuries Degele's victim sustained makes it unlikely the child will be able to have children in the future, Pierce said. Degele both raped and sodomized the child on Nov. 3, 2014 while babysitting her. The girl was flown to the Colorado Children's Hospital, where she had surgery to repair the internal damage sustained during the attack.

The "trauma" and "screaming" that the child had to go through was something Pierce could not imagine, she said at Degele's sentencing.

Degele's mother, Mona Degele, said her son had gone through special education and had a previous diagnosis of ADHD. When her son was in his right mind though, he was a good father to his two sons, Mona Degele said.

Daniel Degele apologized.

"I worry every day about how she's going to be, how she's going to grow up," Daniel Degele said.

Degele will not be allowed to have any unsupervised contact with children while he serves his sentence. He will be designated a level-two sex offender, at moderate risk to offend again.
The new year will bring a new way for Yellowstone County prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and others in public safety to deal with low-risk and low-need felony drug offenders more efficiently and, theyre confident, more effectively.

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito and a team of three others  Melissa Williams with the Office of the State Public Defender; Laura McKee, a Parole and Probation officer; and Lisa Ereth, the countys pretrial risk assessment coordinator  rolled out details Monday about the fledgling Yellowstone County Drug Intervention Program.

Beginning Jan. 2, 2017, the new program can deal with up to four drug offenders per week whove been assessed and labeled by Ereth as both low-risk and low-need. Proponents believe the kind of early intervention will be a hallmark of the program and will help ease overcrowding at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility.

The program, which Twito said is the first of its kind in Montana, is not a replacement for drug courts, Twito said. Drug courts are for high-risk, high-need drug offenders.

Under the new program, eligible offenders who have received a favorable rating during their assessment will be sentenced within three weeks  not many months, as they can be now  from the time they agree to change their plea to guilty.

Random drug testing will be part of the program. Attorneys and the judge will receive the offenders assessment from Ereth and a chemical dependency evaluation from the Department of Corrections.

We will do that rapidly, because time is the issue with drug dependency cases, Twito told a Monday lunch hour meeting of judges, attorneys, court personnel and others gathered Monday at the Yellowstone County Courthouse.

The problem with many first-time drug offenders is that their sentencing can occur so long after the crime has been committed that many re-offend in the interim. Up to 70 percent serving a three-year deferred sentence cant make it through even the first year without reoffending, Williams said.

It really angers me that a year after their first intake, they get another crime, and another and another, Twito said. It burdens the system and my conscience.

Shortening the time period is a huge deal, the six-year county attorney said. I am sick and tired of hearing from the Department of Corrections and from leaders in Helena about prison overcrowding and that its full of drug offenders.

Williams, the public defender, said, When we first meet with clients as defense attorneys, we can kind of tell generally where theyll land. Laura (McKee, the parole and probation officer) will know what kind of employment and housing they have, so we can tailor the program" to the particular client.

Its a good idea. It just doesnt work the way were doing it, she added. There are just too many low-level drug offenders being incarcerated today.

She said the goal of the new program is to ensure that those first-time offenders who are truly just addicts have the opportunity to complete their sentence without spending any time incarcerated.

Judges present for the program roll-out also expressed support for the initiative.

I appreciate your thinking, District Court Judge Russell Fagg said. This program and others like it are a step in the right direction. I appreciate your taking the risk to try it.

His colleague, Judge Mary Jane Knisely, said she believes the program will prove to be not only effective but cost effective, too.

I think this is long overdue, she said. This is going to be a big deal.

Funding from the Legislature may well be on the way. Sen. Cynthia Wolken, D-Missoula, who chairs the states Commission on Sentencing, said that up to a dozen bills with bipartisan support could be considered during the upcoming session, which begins Jan. 2, 2017.

One that she introduced as the commission chair, Senate Bill 59, would require the Board of Crime Control to create a prosecution diversion grant program and allow a court to use information from a pretrial risk assessment tool when determining whether a defendant should be released or detained.

Monitoring defendants is intensive work, said Wolken, herself an attorney. Counties might need an extra person to make sure that people are going to treatment.

Giving counties additional tools to ease pressure on prison populations is the third of three strategies offered by the commission. The first of four of those proposed tools would establish state-funded grant programs to develop pretrial services programs and create or expand deferred prosecution programs.

I feel good about those bills," Wolken said. We have studied this a lot in the last two years. The drivers are substance abuse and untreated mental health issues, and we have seen a lot of bipartisan support for the proposed legislation.
The seminar attracted over 200 representatives, including UNICEF staff members as well as Mon activists, experts and prominent Mon monks from Mon communities across Mon State, Burma and abroad.

Nai Htaw Mon, the chairman of the New Mon State Party (NMSP) delivered the initial speech at the opening ceremony of the seminar. Following was Sayar Daw Dhatu Marlars presentation and Sayar Daw Banyar Gru also welcomed the participants.

MNECs chairperson Nai Banyar Lae spoke about the seminars objective and educational roadmap, while MNECs Mi Karat Non explained the MNECs educational projects and fundraising for said projects.

The seminar is held over two days from December 17 to 18.
While Congressional Republicans plan their strategy to repeal the Affordable Care Act, most Americans probably dont know that the ACA is responsible for changes that have improved maternal child health, trained more primary care doctors and helped new doctors, dentists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners repay education loans.

Seventy percent of funding for community health centers, such as those operated by RiverStone Health in Billings, Worden, Joliet and Bridger is provided through the ACA. If the ACA is repealed, RiverStone wouldnt have the resources to continue present services to all its 20,000 patients.

Community health centers care for 25 million patients nationwide, including 100,000 in Montana.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., visited RiverStone Monday morning, and heard how ACA repeal would affect the clinic:

Low-income patients would have to pay full-price for prescriptions now subsidized through the ACA.

The Montana Family Medicine Residency would reduce its class sizes back to pre-ACA levels. Instead of training eight family doctors per class year, it would train six, cutting the number of residents from 24 to 18. Seventy percent of MFMR grads are practicing in Montana. Fewer graduates means few doctors for Montana.

A dozen RiverStone professionals are getting help repaying educational loans through the ACA. Without the ability to offer ACA loan repayment, RiverStone would be much less competitive in recruiting providers who can make higher salaries at private clinics.

About 3,000 of RiverStones 20,000 patients would lose marketplace insurance or Medicaid coverage.

The new coverage is much better for the patients, according to Shawn Hinz, RiverStone vice president for public health. For example, women who previously qualified for Medicaid only when they were pregnant, can now have coverage even if they arent pregnant.

Before the ACA, young families went without preventive services they couldnt afford, Hinz said. Now the ACA requires first-dollar coverage for such things as cancer screenings. Just one cancer case that is detected early can save hundreds of thousands of dollars, said John Felton, RiverStone CEO.

Having insurance also encourages people to get the health care they need when they need it. RiverStone doctors told Tester about ranchers and small business owners who had no insurance putting off knee replacements and other surgery till they were old enough to qualify for Medicare at age 65. Some of those folks tried to get by with painkillers, such as opioids.

Tester had his own story of waiting for Medicare eligibility to get definitive treatment. My oldest brother had a heart issue and waited till he got on Medicare, Tester said.

Even if repeal legislation is written with a delayed effective date two or three years from now, there will be immediate repercussions. For example, the residency and loan repayment programs funding must be continued this year or they will end.

Tester understands that the ACA benefits Montanans, but needs improvement. While the rest of our Congressional delegation continues to call for repeal, Montanans should ask Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., about the losses to public health. Montana needs more doctors. We must work on preventing illness and injury  like the 36 nations who spend less on their health care and have healthier populations that the United States.

Repeal of the ACA will rip Montanas safety net.
HELENA  Montanas three votes in the Electoral College went to Republican nominee Donald J. Trump on Monday, as expected.

This year's proceeding was different from those in years past, with Montana Secretary of State Linda McCulloch allowing audience members to speak before the electors, two of whom were alternates, filled in their ballots.

Montanas electors had said before Monday they would vote for Trump. Though the odds of an Electoral College upset were minuscule, nationwide there had been calls for electors to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote by almost 3 million, while others asked electors to select anyone but Trump.

McCulloch told those gathered that the electors were bound by Montana law to cast their vote for Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, and she couldnt accept ballots that did otherwise.

Before electors Thelma Baker and alternates Vondene Kopetski and Becky Stockton voted, a handful of Montanans spoke in support of and against Trump. About 35 attended.

Susan Reneau, who came over from Missoula, said she was proud to stand in support of Trump. She started to say that President Barack Obama had been an abomination to our military and everything economic in our entire country before McCulloch reminded her to keep her comments positive.

Lee Malcheski, of Helena, asked the three to hold off on voting until an investigation into Russian interference in the election was made public.

McCulloch said she made the choice to allow comment, saying at other public meetings shed attended that day the audience was allowed to speak.

It is a public meeting, and I believe the public should have access, she said.

Elector Nancy Ballance, a Republican state representative from Hamilton, choose Monday to let an alternate take her place. Ballance said this was because state law says lawmakers cannot hold civil office. She said electors in other states with similar laws had been threatened with legal challenges. She said she consulted with the attorney general and others over what defined a "civil office," but couldn't find a clear answer.

In my mind it wasnt worth taking a chance to have the vote thrown out later, she said.

Ballance told her grandson, Jack, 8, who spoke in support of Trump before the vote that he should look back on the day with pride.

"To my grandsons who are here today, who came to see their grandma participate in this historic event, I say to them 'When we look back and America is truly great again, we will know that we were part of something bigger than ourselves.'"

Controversial elector Dennis Scranton, from Miles City, did not attend. Secretary of State Linda McCulloch did not say why. Parts of Interstate 90 were closed due to a blizzard the past few days.

Scranton, 92, had made comments disparaging gay marriage on a Facebook post earlier this year. He told The Billings Gazette in November, misstating his age: Dont forget, Im 93 years old. I come from a different era. I hadnt heard of anyone being homosexual until I joined the Navy, and then I encountered them. We were raised with good morals.

Elector Baker, the only non-alternate to vote Monday, said she received hundreds of phone calls and emails, both from those who supported Trump and people calling on her to cast her vote for someone else. About 75 percent of those who called, Baker said, told her they didnt vote in the election.

This is Bakers fifth electoral vote. She said she received some comment before the 2000 election in which Republican George W. Bush won the electoral college but lost the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore, but received no comments in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

Alternate Thomas Tuck also did not come to the vote. If enough electors had not shown up, McCulloch said, she would have had to appoint someone from the audience.

Earlier Monday morning, 30 protesters gathered on the steps of Montanas Capitol ahead the states electors casting their votes.

I fear his skill with public speaking and charisma with a crowd has blinded people to elect someone who is not truly qualified, the Rev. Cathy Barker of United Church of Christ in Helena said. There are serious questions about the Russian involvement, hes refused to share his taxes, his conflicts of interest and his integrity. These things break my heart.

Standing in a circle in 20-degree temperatures, the protesters struck a somber tone as they voiced their fears about a Trump administration, including climate change denial and nuclear weapons policy, sexual-assault allegations and foreign business interests.

The liberal media, one protester said facetiously, failed to investigate Trump sufficiently.

Jon Gengler of Helena said he wanted to challenge the assertion that Trumps win was either historic or a mandate, pointing to his loss of the popular vote and average margin in the Electoral College.

While he hoped to reach Montanas electors, Gengler said he spoke to anyone who would listen, including Trump supporters.

Radical individuals believe Trump speaks for them, and he must show that he is not willing to accept the support of racists or other exclusionary groups for political gain, he said.
Montana Republicans are lining up to replace U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of the Interior.

No Democrat has stepped forward. Denise Juneau, the party's 2016 House candidate, lost to Zinke by 79,439 votes.

State legislators Ed Buttrey of Great Falls, Scott Sales of Bozeman and Daniel Zolnikov of Billings say they're interested in the job should the U.S. Senate confirm Zinke for Trump's Cabinet. Gary Carlson, a Corvallis Republican, is interested as well.

The candidates will have to court an assembly of party central committee people, who will choose a candidate for the U.S. House. Democrats will have to do the same to secure their partys nomination.

If Zinke is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he would resign his House seat, triggering a special election 85 to 100 days later to designate his replacement.

Buttrey said Monday he's a Republican candidate who can appeal to Republicans and moderates, which he told The Gazette is the kind of candidate who would best serve Republicans in a special election.

"You have to understand why Ryan Zinke won," Buttrey said. "It's because he took the rights, the moderates, the independents and, frankly, took some of the left, too."

A Republican state senator from Great Falls, Buttrey successfully sponsored the 2015 bill to offer Medicaid coverage to working Montanans living at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level, about $16,200 a year for a single person. The bill took bipartisan support.

Sales is a former Montana House speaker and former regional director of Americans for Prosperity, a national conservative political group thats been a force in Montana politics since 2010.

Ive had a lot of people who have voiced some interest in me, Sales said. "Ive been pursuing this for years, and its reached a higher level now that Rep. Zinke is moving on."

Sales said no Republican could outflank him on the conservative right and cited that as a plus. Central committee members tend to be more conservative than the Republican voters as a whole.

Zolnikov, 29, is a three-time-elected member of the Montana House who has made a national splash for his work to keep the government from spying on individual Internet activity.

"Many people, especially young Montanans, are encouraging me to run in the special election, and several Republican convention voters have pledged their support should I do so, Zolnikov said. Republicans must choose a nominee who will fight to protect the constitutional rights of all Montanans, work to get federal spending and debt under control, and balance the budget. The next person Montanans elect to Congress will have the distinct honor, and more importantly, the immense responsibility, of representing the greatest state in the union."

Carlson is a Ronald Reagan appointee to the Department of Defense, probably best known for the conservative newsletter The White Hat Express. The good guys always wear white hats, according to Carlson. The newsletter has been outspoken in its opposition to locating Syrian Refugees in Montana.

"It was an honor for me to serve President Reagan and make a difference for the Guard and Reserve," Carlson said. "It would a pleasure to do the same for Montana in the U.S. House."

Unannounced, but not ruling out a run is newly elected Republican state Auditor Matt Rosendale. Rosendale ran against Zinke in the 2014 primary for the U.S. House.

"My current focus is on a successful transition for the State Auditor's Office. We must do something to reduce our insurance costs. The current rates are absolutely devastating to the families and businesses of Montana, Rosendale said in an email. I have received an incredible amount of encouragement and support over the last several days to consider running to fill that vacancy. I have always been willing to serve in whatever position that my fellow Montanans have asked of me. I will continue to consider this as I enjoy the holidays with my family and receive input from the people whom I have served and served with."

Several Democrats who have recently run for statewide office told the Gazette they were either uninterested or not ready to decide whether to run.

Looking at the challenges of running in the special election, Bozeman Democrat Larry Jent, a former state legislator who unsuccessfully ran for attorney general this year, said the race would be difficult.

A Democratic candidate would likely have to run against the message that worked for electing President-elect Donald Trump, who will likely still be in a honeymoon phase with American voters if Montanas special election happens in the spring.

Jent said he has been asked if he might be interested in running for Congress, as he did in 1996. He is not interested at this time.

Jent said the reward for winning as a Democrat would be dubious honor.

Theres no doubt about your seniority if you get this, Jent said. Youre number 435 out of 435 representatives.
Botswana, a promising and growing economy on the African continent, and China, the largest developing economy in the world, have vowed to take their relations to a new high.

The two nations enjoy diplomatic relations cemented 41 years ago, which the newly- appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of The Peoples Republic of China to Botswana Zhao Yanbo says need to be taken to a new high. Yanbo is an admirer of Botswanas success story. I have come to realise that Botswana is a very unique country in Africa and has followed a development path suited to its national conditions, he said Tuesday at an event marking his official assumption of office. China has a burgeoning economic presence in Africa and Botswana is no exception.

Fortune Magazine says that as the poster child for economic growth in recent decades, China has been increasingly keen to spread its wealth and influence around. Even though the country is suffering from a slowdown and is expected to achieve only a single-digit growth rate in the coming years, it remains one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Its success has been, in part, the result of it being a recipient of huge amounts of foreign direct investment.





As China gradually embraces the roles and responsibilities of the worlds biggest economy as well, it is increasingly reversing that flow of cash and is expected to soon surpass the U.S. as the largest investor in other countries, reports state. The amount of investments made by China abroad is estimated to be $531 billion in outward foreign direct investment, with 4 percent of it$22 billiongoing to investments in natural resource extraction, finance, infrastructure, power generation, textiles, and home appliances in Africa.

Thats a small sum at first glance, but its economic impact to the region is both huge and far-reaching, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the biggest investments made in Nigeria, Sudan, South Africa, and Angola, notes Fortune. In addition to investment projects, China has quickly become Africas largest trading partner, with trade volume of $166 billion in 2014. Reports indicate that this is likely to continue to increase and reach an estimated $1.7 trillion by 2030.

For Botswana, China is the third largest trade partner and the second largest consumer of Botswana diamonds. According to Yanbo, Chinas investment to Botswana reached US$85 million, an increase of 92 percent compared to the previous year. China attaches great importance to developing relations with Botswana and is ready to work with BotswanaWe are willing to expand our cooperation in various fields, said the envoy at the event which was attended by among others President Ian Khamas members of Cabinet including Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.

Previously Botswana has stated that it views China as a strategic partner and that the country has a lot of potential opportunities that Botswana can exploit to drive her development agenda, such as, trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and development assistance. Botswana and China has a long history of friendship. China has supported Botswana in times of need in areas such as education and health, said Venson-Moitoi at the same event.

Ambassador Yanbo explained that China has in fact sent 14 batches of Chinese medical teams to Botswana and has since treated almost the entire population of the country since Botswana-China relations started. So far more than 400 health professionals have worked in Botswana and treated more than 2.2 million Botswana patients, he said.
North West councillors have described Tawana Land Boards demolition of squatter camps in Sedie ward last week as inhuman. Speaking during Tuesdays full council meeting in Maun the Councilors expressed disappointment at the decision saying it shows just how inconsiderate government is. They argued that although squatting is unlawful, government must show the compassion its been preaching all this while.

It is alleged that unable to bear the decision, some of the squatters had to be hospitalised for shock, while one is said to have died after his house was demolished. Some people in the streets said that the squatters are being encouraged by different politicians during their campaigns who assure them that they will give them plots certificates when they vote for them. Other people end up squatting because they cannot tolerate the long waiting lists at land boards.Councillors said most of people who are squatting are destitute who are given food hampers by government, so the government should consider that before destroying their houses.

Cllr Kenson Kgaga of Sennonori ward said Tawana Land Board is the cruelest in the country.Ive been going around my ward telling the electorate how squatting is not good, I cant encourage people to squat because I know its against the constitution of Botswana, he said. Another councilLor, Jaison Kazombongo of Nokaneng said the government of Botswana doesnt know the meaning of compassion they have been talking about for years as they failed to apply it on squatters who are among the less privileged in society.

He said although squatting is against the law its not a big offence like murder and theft for which people are discharged, pardoned and sometimes released from prison.





There is a good example of people who killed Kalafatis they were released, I think the same thing should be done with squatters, the government should consider their reasons and give them the plots, he said.However, Tawana Land Board chairman, Kutjavetira Mauano said they are kindhearted as they have allocated a number of plots to those who are less privileged considering the reports from the social and community development, (S&CD).

Mauano said they are concerned by squatters in Maun, adding that they are exercising and implementing government policy and a court order. He appealed to community leaders not to encourage squatters but instead support Land Boards efforts to stop squatters.We have been informing the squatters that it is against the law to do so and we will continue that, they shouldnt give weak reasons of long waiting lists, and that they are kicked out of their homes because of family feuds, he said.
The Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Natural Resources Conservation, Tshekedi Khama is said to be in a massive recruitment drive which is feared could cripple the notorious Directorate of Intelligence Services (DIS) and Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Military Intelligence.

Khama is said to be offering the officers of the two organisations lucrative offers to join his newly-established Tourism Intelligence. Botswana Guardian understands that the move by Minister Khama has annoyed the two organisations top brass particularly DISS boss, Isaac Kgosi. Khama and Kgosi are said to have turned into sworn enemies and no longer see eye to eye, sources say.

The Tourism Intelligence is under the Department of National Parks which is headed by former deputy commander of Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Major General Otisitswe Tiroyamodimo. The organisation is mandated to spearhead the fight against poaching which has been giving the Ministry sleepless nights as how to contain it and the recruitment of officers from MI is believed will help boost the unit because of their experience at the military as most of the poachers are suspected to be former military officers.





Minister Khama was quoted this year in newspaper reports saying this about his appoitnment of Brigadier Peter Magosi to his anti-poaching unit, You know this is the thing that bothers me; the way he understands the military and anything involving military, he will be such an asset because that knowledge is within him. Brigadier Magosi was forced into retirement by President Ian Khama. The minister is said to be building a team of trusted lieutenantnts as he has ambitions of becoming President something that has led to the fall out between him and Vice President, Mokgweetsi Masisi.

I am currently on notice this month. Next month I will be joining Ministry of Tourism and the offer they have given me I could not refuse it, said one DISS agent who refused to be named. A highly-placed army officer has confided that the recruitment of other security officers is too risky as it compromises the work of others.

The problem with the security community is that there is a lot of politics going on right now. TK is doing this deliberately because he wants to lead like his brother. President Ian Khama has not said anything to TK because he has also lost trust in some of the guys in the security community. These guys will kill each because of power there is a lot of backstabbing going on at the moment, said the source.

Efforts to contact Director General of DIS, Isaac Kgosi were futile as it was said hed gone to Mozambique on an official assignment even though he had earlier requested to meet this reporter at his office. It is said that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks is building three anti-poaching camps in Kasane, Maun and Kang at a cost of P70 million each. The design for the camps which will have airbases has already been completed and the construction will start next year.

DWNP which already has five aircraft and 10 helicopters has started its own air arm and recruited 16 pilots from BDF. Minister Khama was quoted this week in government newspaper, Daily News saying this about hiring of anti-poaching officers, The Public Service Act restricts the number of days that an employee can spend in the field while on a trip, if you deploy someone beyond that it becomes expensive as the individual will be entitled to several allowances on top of their pay.

Efforts to contact Minister Khama were also futile as his mobile rang unanswered. Reached for comment BDF Director, Protocol and Public Affairs, Colonel Tebo Dikole said, As espoused to numerous media houses in the past, the BDF is not experiencing any mass exodus of officers as you aver, neither is the organisation experiencing any challenges regarding staff welfare.
Two pipeline protesters were convicted Tuesday of misdemeanors in the first Dakota Access-related jury trial in Morton County.

The case, which laid bare some of the disorder around the pipeline cases, also featured the first attempt to pick a jury in a county flooded with news and personal ties to the controversy.

The trial pertained to two men  Benjamin Schapiro, 30, of Ohio, and Steven Voliva, 62, of Washington  who were arrested Sept. 27 and accused of blocking a highway to allow a caravan of protesters to proceed. A jury convicted the men of obstructing a highway and disorderly conduct, and fined them $1,285.

Early objections

Tuesdays proceeding was the courts second attempt this week to commence a jury trial of pipeline protesters. On Monday, a 10-person trial was postponed after a judge learned some evidence had not been provided to the defense attorneys.

Though the trial happened Tuesday, it was not without confusion and objections: Voliva first reached his defense attorney, William Thomason, shortly before trial and showed up seemingly unexpected in the courtroom midway through a 9 a.m. pretrial hearing. Kent Morrow, representing Shapiro, speculated that he was missing a key police report.

Voliva is a part-Yupik retiree and artist who said he protested a pipeline in Alaska when he was younger. Shapiro is a teacher and farmer. Both said they worried about potential environmental consequences of the pipeline.

Two other men arrested in the same incident were supposed to go to trial Tuesday, as well; but one did not have an attorney and was not in court. The other is in California and reached his attorney, Bob Quick, this past weekend, according to Quick.

No representative of the Morton County State's Attorney's Office appeared at the pretrial hearing to respond to the objections, and South Central District Judge Bruce Romanick was determined to proceed.

Weve got to keep moving, he told the attorneys with four hours to go before the trial. Thats how our system works.

Jury selection

Prosecutors and defense attorneys have expressed concern in recent days over their ability to find a fair six-person jury in Morton County. Their worries were reflected in questions asked by the judge and attorneys during the selection process.

We need to talk about the elephant in the courtroom, Romanick said early in the jury selection process, before asking about people's connections to this specific protest, people in law enforcement or the camps, and their use of social media.

One man, who said he was in stopped traffic due to this protest, was quickly excused. So was a woman who, when asked by Morrow about her associations with the name "Dakota Access Pipeline," responded get them out of here and theyre guilty. Other potential jurors who did not make the final panel included a Mandan city commissioner, a man with family in law enforcement and the pipeline industry, and a man who said he records protests around Bismarck-Mandan for Facebook.

Among the jurors serving were a homemaker, a pharmacist, a construction worker and an antiques dealer, who all said they could be fair.

After the trial, Morrow said he "had no doubt they tried to be fair," though he said he worried some were quiet about their true feelings about the protest.

Trial

The evidence presented at trial consisted of testimony of three law enforcement officers who were on N.D. Highway 6 that day.

Mercer County Sheriff Dean Danzeisen, who was assisting Morton County, said he looked through binoculars and saw the car containing the defendants, who were masked, pull into the intersection of Highway 6 and County Road 135 south of St. Anthony so that a convoy of protesters could proceed without stopping. He said the men got out of the car.

At least one car was stuck directly behind the protesters and another went around them, he said. The sheriff testified that he alerted Morton County deputies to pull over the car once it left the intersection and arrest the men inside.

Not mentioned in court was that a protest was staged that day along Highway 6 at a pipeline construction site.

In his closing argument, Ladd Erickson, who prosecuted the case for Morton County, asked the jury to focus on the defendants' alleged actions.

"Regardless of your passions and opinions, you cannot block public roads," he said. "If you rule against the state here, I can't go lay out in the street and protest your actions."

The defense attorneys countered that the state's case jumped to too many conclusions. They suggested their clients had not decided to stop the car in the road, that they might have had mechanical problems, and that no one had testified to feeling harassed by them.

"These officers arrived there without really knowing what was going on. And they just made some assumptions. And without asking anybody anything, they charged people with crimes," Thomason said.

Sentencing

After an hour of deliberation, the jury found the men guilty of the two Class B misdemeanors. Romanick gave them 10-day suspended sentences, meaning they will serve no jail time if they successfully complete a year on unsupervised probation. He also ordered $500 in restitution to law enforcement and $500 in reimbursement to their public defenders, along with mandatory court fees.

Romanick's decision to order reimbursement to the attorneys came upon a request from Erickson. The prosecutor told the judge in court he intended to seek a hearing for reimbursement after the trial, because he contends the protesters are seeking to do economic harm to Morton County through their arrests. The defense attorneys opposed this, since their clients were indigent enough to qualify for appointed counsel, and said they had not tracked their hours.

The judge set the fees at $500, which he said was less than any of the protesters could have paid for a private attorney. He noted the protesters are almost always able to make bond, and he suggested that meant they ought to be able to pay for their defense, too.

"You can get a job and pay these costs back," he remarked.

Voliva said after the trial that he wasn't surprised by the verdict.

"The environment is taking the worst of it," he said.
Mandan Public Schools officials hope to build an estimated $5 million addition onto Mandan Middle School by August 2018.

On Monday night, Superintendent Mike Bitz told the Mandan School Board that the construction project has been approved by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, and an architect will present final drawings to the board next month.

According to Bitz, the addition would include eight to 10 classrooms as well as physical education space.

Mandan Middle School has surpassed its 800-student capacity, with 881 students this school year. The most recent projections show enrollment will reach 950 to 970 by fall 2018.

By that point, we just cant handle that many students," Bitz said.

The project, which has not yet been finalized or approved by the board, would not increase property taxes, Bitz said. The district has debt coming off the books, and the middle school addition would replace that debt, he said.

The district's last major construction project was Red Trail Elementary School, completed in 2014, Bitz said.

More English learners

The number of English learners in the Mandan Public Schools has increased exponentially in the past five years, according to Teresa Lindemann, an EL instructor for the district.

There were 78 EL students who speak 10 different languages enrolled this fall, compared to just five students in 2011, Lindemann told the school board Monday night. Spanish is the primary language of 74 percent of the district's EL students, she said.

The district has several paraprofessionals who work with students in various EL classes offered at all grade levels.

This year, the EL program increased resources at Mandan High School, Lindemann said.

"In the last couple of years we've had several students come to the high school who are just coming to the United States, and they have little to no English," she said, noting some specific concerns for those students.

"As old as they are ... they have fewer years to learn English, (and) they're coming right into the high school environment, where they are expected to be in six or seven different content-area classes," she said. "Their course load is very difficult, and they are expected to get those credits just like any other student in order to be on track for graduation."

EL teachers will be able to determine whether the extra resources at the high school increases their English proficiency when they are tested in the spring, she said.




SYDNEY (PTI): Australia on Tuesday signed a 50 billion dollars deal with France for 12 sophisticated submarines to be built by French defence major DCNS that was at the centre of a controversy this year surrounding the leak of documents relating to India's Scorpene submarines.



Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the inter- governmental agreement (IGA) in Adelaide, where they officially opened the Australian headquarters of DCNS that will design and build the Shortfin Barracuda.



"The IGA is the last foundation stone needed to ensure Australia is able to develop a cutting-edge sovereign submarine capability," Turnbull told reporters.



The pact is a "critically important step in the development of our security, in the assurance of our government in delivering Australians the security and the prosperity that they need," he said.



Turnbull said the deal underpins the largest capital project in Australia's history.



"Security is uncertain around the world and that is why we are re-equipping our navy and our defence forces right across the three services and the cyber sphere, ensuring we have the capabilities to keep Australians safe in times that are more challenging than we have known for many years," Turnbull said.



"Our future, our assurance, our security as a first world, high-wage...economy depends upon the technology, the innovation, the skills that come from investment such as this," he said.



As part of the 50 billion project, French shipbuilder DCNS will design the new submarines and they will be built in Adelaide.



Le Drian, describing the signing as an "historic event", said the agreement was "an important building block in deepening our bilateral relationship, notably... between our two navies".



The new contract between Australia and France lays out the legal framework under which Australia and France will partner on the future submarine programme over the coming decades.



Australia awarded DCNS the main contract in April.



The deal comes months after over 22,000 pages of secret data on the capabilities of six highly-advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with DCNS were leaked.



Le Drian on Monday said the leak of documents relating to India's Scorpene submarines was aimed at harming France.



He renewed suggestions that revelations of the major data breach in its submarine programme were the work of malicious foreign or commercial rivals.



The circumstances of the leak are now the subject of a French investigation.


Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/12/2016 (2147 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Police Service is seeking the publics assistance in solving a bank inspector fraud scheme.

Police received two complaints of Frauds that occurred on Aug. 31 and Nov. 4, 2016.

The culprit will identify themselves as a bank inspector, investigator or bank official and advise a person that they suspect a bank teller of theft.

Randall Ray Relf.

They ask the victim to withdraw cash from a teller at their bank.

The bank inspector then arranges to meet the victim and asks the victim to turn over the cash as it is evidence required for their investigation.

Two different males were described, the first as having a big head with a red face and possibly British.

The second male was described as white, approximately five-foot-three, clean shaven, in his 40s or 50s, no accent, driving a newer-model, red SUV.

If you have information about this or any other crime, contact Brandon Crime Stoppers.

WANTED BY POLICE

The Brandon Police Service is seeking the publics assistance in locating Randall Ray Relf, who is wanted by police.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Relf, 51, who is charged with theft under $5,000. Police report that on Nov. 14, 2015, a male allegedly was captured on video surveillance stealing merchandise from inside a Brandon business.

The suspect placed these items in his jacket, exited the store by passing all operational tills, making no attempt to pay.

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Randall Ray Relf or anyone else wanted by police, contact Brandon Crime Stoppers.

 Brandon Police Service
North Dakota filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a federal law, which officials say could severely curtail coal mining operations in the state, calling it an unconstitutional overreach into state regulation of industry.

The U.S. Department of the Interior unveiled its final Stream Protection Rule on Monday, which the agency says updates decades-old rules and would minimize impacts on surface and groundwater sources from coal mining.

Members of the Public Service Commission met in a special meeting with Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem on Tuesday morning and agreed to move forward with filing suit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

This is the epitome of a midnight regulation, Stenehjem said in a release announcing the lawsuit. This case involves a last-ditch effort by the outgoing administration to encroach on the clear authority granted to the state of North Dakota and the Public Service Commission.

The lawsuit claims the new rule is unconstitutional and infringes on state authority to regulate mining and reclamation within its borders.

The state is seeking to block Interior and the agencys Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from implementing the rule. Stenehjem said the rule is an overreach similar to that of the Waters of the United States rule the state also is fighting in federal court.

PSC Chairwoman Julie Fedorchak agreed.

We think the rule is completely inapplicable to North Dakota, Fedorchak said.

PSC members told reporters Tuesday the state has a unique argument to make when considering the large lignite coal reserves that could be impacted.

Funding approved by the Legislature to pay for lawsuits against federal rules will be used; about $300,000 remains in the fund for the current biennium.

Fedorchak said the rule applies more to the type of coal mining operations undertaken in the eastern part of the country in the Appalachians. She said the rule doesnt take into account the geography of states such as North Dakota.

Commissioner Randy Christmann agreed. He said the rule as written would have a significant impact on mining the states lignite coal because of rules governing intermittent streams and waterways that would put many sites in North Dakota off-limits.

(It) takes a good deal of our coal reserves and makes them impossible to mine, said Christmann, adding it would have a devastating impact on North Dakotas coal industry and impact a number of well-paying jobs.

Under the rules, companies would have to avoid mining practices that permanently pollute streams, increase the risk of flooding and impact forests. It would require companies to restore mined areas to their original state after operations cease and the same would be required of water sources. The rule goes into effect 30 days after being published in the Federal Register.

PSC members expect the state to work with the congressional delegation to push back against the rule.

Outside of the courts, Congress could knock down the rule by a resolution of disapproval through the Congressional Review Act.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/12/2016 (2144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We learned, in a column from Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire, that the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is a wonderful thing! (Free Trade Has A Lot To Offer, Dec. 3). He cites several examples of people that he knows or companies he has talked to reaping huge benefits from the CETA opportunity.

However, if ratified, CETA will unfairly restrict how local governments spend money by banning buy local policies, add hundreds of millions of dollars to the price of pharmaceutical drugs in our public health-care system on top of the increased cost of prescription drugs, create pressure to increase privatization of local water systems, transit and energy, and much more. Let me explain.

There are provisions in CETA that disallow buy local programs  guaranteeing European firms access to municipal and provincial contracts  free trade. More than 70 municipalities have challenged these provisions. What this means is that to encourage business with local producers, often there are government promotions involved. A company from Europe would view this as unfair to them.

I see nothing wrong with the whole buy local theme. It sure is a good way to create and maintain jobs, often for someone you might even know.

Some people say that these trade agreements are just ways for corporations  big business  to increase their revenues, often by bypassing the local rules, regulations and standards and by securing the least expensive labour force to do the work. As with environmental standards, there are no enforceable labour rights within CETA.

Big Pharma will be able to reap huge profits, as there are provisions in CETA to extend drug patent times by two years. These, according to a York University study, will increase drug costs by up to $1.65 billion annually. Already Canada has the worlds second highest per-capita drug costs. This would also have policy implications, making it much harder to create a national pharmacare program and denying drug access to poor or unemployed Canadians.

On a recent episode of Time for Awareness, a Council of Canadians television production on Access 12, it was estimated that a national pharmacare program would save $11.6 billion annually.

What about our water? There are large French firms that seek access to water services. CETA will give these water corporations rights to protect market access and under the investor-state provision. The corporations can challenge restrictions that apply to Canadas public water management systems.

Mr. Maguires view is that there are lots of people in the farming sector that will benefit from and are looking forward to and tailoring their business to supply the CETA countries. I wonder if Larry has any friends in the milk industry  they are not happy with CETA. CETA will destabilize Canadian milk producers and will challenge Canadas supply management system. The Dairy Producers of Canada estimates that this will result in losses of $300 million a year for the industry.

Canada will lose 23,000 jobs between now and 2023 under CETA, according to an independent study by Pierre Kohler, an economist on leave from the United Nations, and Servaar Storm, professor of economics at Delft University of Technology. The report also notes that workers will get less of the pie. While productivity gains create higher profits (for corporations), job creation and workers income will stagnate. This amounts to losses of $2,656 per person over seven years, a far cry from government projections of a $1,000 cheque per person, per year.

Mr. Maguire quotes a 2008 CETA pre-study, based on stale 2004 figures that predate the 2008 economic crisis that drastically affected Canadas manufacturing and export landscape. This study promised us $1,000 more in our pockets and 80,000 new jobs.

Larry is right, there will be some business and farm families that will benefit from CETA. But he also doesnt tell us about the profits big corporations will be making. CETA  not so good!

Scott Blyth

Chair, Brandon/Westman Council of Canadians
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 20/12/2016 (2144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A few months ago, Macleans magazine writer Meagan Campbell openly questioned whether Canadians, and by extension, the media, were being too harsh on politicians who wanted to actually take vacation time away from the job.

Vacation shaming, as she called it, may be leading to politicians skipping their vacations  a decision that ultimately leads to poorer leadership from politicians who are increasingly using their benefit plans for stress-related health problems.

She also quotes Cissy Pau, a human resources consultant based in Vancouver who said that at some point a politician will crack.

Theyre not doing themselves or their constituents justice, Pau said.

Campbells article was published several months after the revelation during last springs provincial election that Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister had been less than forthcoming about where he had been spending his time  at his property in Costa Rica.

A CBC investigation at the time revealed Pallister had spent roughly one in five days travelling to or in Costa Rica since he was elected Tory leader in 2012.

A few weeks earlier, he and his staff were caught in a lie after Pallister told the Winnipeg Free Press that he had not been in Costa Rica in early 2016, when he actually had been.

Pallister owns two companies in Costa Rica, in addition to his vacation home and Costa Rican bank account. The fact that he did not disclose this as a potential conflict of interest until last spring has been a point of contention for the Opposition NDP.

And this week, the issue came back to the fore as Pallister himself said he intends to spend six to eight weeks per year at his vacation home.

The main issue here is not whether Pallister deserves to have some vacation time with his family. We dont have a problem with a politician taking some down time, provided it does not impede their ability to govern effectively.

Yet in his recent comments, Pallister seems to be saying that his 10 months of hard work should be enough for Manitobans, while at the same time he promises to also work for Manitobans during his time away. Frankly, we find that hard to believe. How work-focused can a politician be on the beaches of Costa Rica?

Its far more likely hell be taking care of his other business interests, enjoying his vacation home and trying to grab a quick tan  all while his ministers work back here in Manitoba.

And even if he does push a few pencils on government issues, how much more will that cost Manitobans?

Canadian politicians should be able to take a few weeks off without being pilloried for it. But taking eight weeks away from the job  or possibly more  to chase other interests is skirting the edge of unreasonable.
A bridge thats been closed for nearly two months because of possible damage during the Dakota Access Pipeline protest will be inspected Thursday to determine whether it needs repairs before being reopened.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation will take core samples on the Backwater Bridge and should know within a 30-day window of evaluation what repairs, if any, are needed.

The Morton County Sheriffs Department and the North Dakota Highway Patrol will also participate in the inspection.

Backwater Bridge over Cantapeta Creek has been barricaded since Oct. 27, when protesters burned vehicles at the north end of the structure in an hours-long stand off with police, who were deployed on the pipeline side of the crossing. Since then, traffic south of Mandan on N.D. Highway 1806 has been diverted and anyone traveling to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation or to the protest camps has been detoured to Highway 6. The bridge is located between the camps and the pipeline route.

In attempts to normalize the situation, state and tribal officials have agreed to reopen the bridge, pending a safety inspection, in exchange for protesters staying off of it.

The camps  once occupied by as many as 10,000 and now by as few as 300  have been home to tribal and non-tribal people from all over the country.
Update 12 noon: The head of the Central Bank has been accused of being bullied by banks and of failing to act and stop lenders wrongly forcing customers onto more costly mortgage agreements, writes Juno McEnroe, Political Correspondent.

Read more

Read More:

Update 11.40am: The head of the Central Bank Philip Lane has hit out at banks for taking too many customers off tracker mortgages.

Mr Lane told the Oireachtas Finance Committee that it was "absolutely unacceptable" that so many customers were taken off their cheaper tracker rates.

He promised the Central Bank would take full action against any lender who switched a borrower's rate unfairly, but that the process would take time.

"There have been too many cases where is turns out there was a mis-application," he said.

"This is absolutely unacceptable and it is the reason why we decided a broader examination of tracker-related issues was warranted."

Earlier:

The head of the Central Bank Philip Lane is facing questions about the state of the sector in Ireland this morning.

The Oireachtas Finance Committee is likely to grill him on issues including supports for those in mortgage arrears and overcharging.

It comes a day after the Central Bank issued an update on their tracker mortgage examination, covering 15 lenders.

The examination has so far identified 8,200 people who were wrongly denied a tracker rate, but the number is expected to rise by the time the examination finishes in the middle of next year.
Italy's new Prime Minister is to ask Parliament to back a move to borrow 20bn which would be used to help the country's troubled banks.

Paolo Gentiloni (pictured) describes it as a precautionary measure.

Italy's third-largest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, needs to raise 5bn in new private capital to prevent a state bailout.

A government statement issued last night said Prime Minister Gentiloni, had convened a cabinet meeting to request the funds from parliament.

The statement said: [It] could be necessary to adopt measures with the aim of protecting savers if there were risks in the financial sector.

The Guardian reports that seven other banks may also require government recapitalisation.
The boys of Yes Theory have come up with a new challenge; using Tinder to tour Europe for free.

Cheeky fellas.

Yes Theory is a YouTube channel described as: 4 friends from 4 different countries constantly seeking to get out of their comfort zones in order to grow.

They travel to Amsterdam, Paris, and Barcelona in search of Tinder matches that will feed them, give them a place to stay and take them to a tourist spot.

Yes Theory always relies on the spontaneity of strangers, but this time these strangers had to be on Tinder.

They did manage to pull it off thanks to some kind ladies but were not sure how impressed Irish Tinder users would be with their requests.

Any chance of a cup of tea?
When you find yourself planning for catastrophic failures in state facilities, thats a sign that its time to take action  and thats exactly the situation in which Wyoming finds itself with the crumbling state penitentiary as it stares down a $157 million shortfall in the current budget year.

The prison facility, in Rawlins, is in unexpected disrepair. The states only maximum-security prison was built in 2001 to last 50 years, but unfortunately, it was built on a lake bed. The movement of soil beneath the foundation of the building has resulted in shifting and sagging in walls and doors, which officials have been monitoring for three years for functionality.

Its so bad that Gov. Matt Mead recently recommended the state earmark $19.2 million from its rainy day fund to take care of inmates in the case of a prison failure. That money would pay to relocate the prisons residents for a year if needed.

Many lawmakers agreed with his recommendation  and that was before the public learned that those structural problems had resulted in a 42-hour lockdown at the prison. The doors at the facility needed immediate repairs, and the work kept more than 500 inmates more or less confined to their cells for almost two days in early December.

In a prison, you really want the doors to close, Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie and a member of the Task Force on State Penal Facilities, observed. Its hard to argue with that.

To truly fix the problem, legislators will have to decide whether to pay for massive repairs or for an entirely new facility. Neither is a small budget item: Fixing the problems would take $3.8 million right now and about $80 million more in the long term, legislators say. Building a new structure to house the inmates would cost more than $160 million.

The repair option sounds cheaper, but it also comes with risks. Theres no guarantee that fixing the problems would fix the issue in the long term, and the state might find itself on the hook for more even after funding repairs. Mead acknowledged as much when he recommended that the Legislature authorize $83.5 million in bonds to fix problems at the penitentiary. After he announced his budget plan, though, the governor told reporters hes not convinced repairs are the best option and that he is still thinking about building a new facility.

Thats likely the best option. The state should start fresh and research potential sites to ensure they will not fall victim to the problems that come with these shifting soils. Over time, that makes the most sense.

Some legislators, however, arent ready to swallow that pill. Sen. Eli Bebout, R-Riverton, has said its possible that the soil under the existing prison could stabilize and that the state shouldnt rush to spend the money. That may be a shortsighted approach. Bebouts fellow lawmakers should realize that. This  when it appears inmates and prison workers are in danger  is not the time to wait and see if things improve.

Failing to address this problem now could come at an even greater cost. As Mead pointed out, the structural issues raise questions about the safety of workers and inmates. He also rightly worries about civil liberties lawsuits over the treatment of prisoners. The state might be reluctant to pay for building a new facility now, but other costs including lawsuits could dwarf those numbers.

The state also has financial options. Its strong credit rating means bonding is a possibility. This is the kind of project for which bonding makes sense  the prison is a necessary structure that is almost certain to deteriorate over time, with no promise that stages of expensive repairs will solve the problem.

Wyoming legislators must to take this problem seriously in the session that starts Jan. 10, and plan for the long term. A reliable maximum-security facility, one that is safe and secure, is not optional; its a must-have facility that has to serve the inmates, prison workers and society at large for decades to come. The new prison is crumbling after 15 years. Lets not throw good money after bad. Its time to build a new prison.

-- Casper Star Tribune
Update 3.15pm: The Receivers for Apollo House, taken over by homeless campaigners last week, have applied to the High Court to have them removed.

The building, which had been vacant, is being occupied by a group calling themselves Home Sweet Home, and 35 homeless people.

In a statement this afternoon, receiver Tom OBrien said the building was not fit for such a purpose, and was a danger to what he called the illegal occupants  as the fire insurance has run out.

Mr. Justice Paul Gilligan gave them permission to serve notice of their application before 3.30pm this afternoon.

The case is due to return before him tomorrow morning.

Dublin City Council says it will open up 210 new beds in Dublin city centre this week.

Campaigner with Home Sweet Home, Rosie Leonard says their primary concern is the residents in Apollo House.

She said: "Our primary concern at the moment is to make sure this is a home for those who are inside and put them first, they are our priority, everything else comes second.

"We will be contacting the receivers in due course, we are very keen to meet them.

"As for the court summons, we plan to continue as normal, and I suppose we will deal with everything as they present themselves."

Home Sweet Home hope to have enough beds, running water, kitchen, toilet and shower facilities and heat and light to put up about 60 people.

Apollo House was owned by Shelbourne Developments. That company had receivers Tom O'Brien and Simon Coyle of Mazars appointed after their loans on the property were transferred to Nama.

In the midst of the occupation, Mazars secured planning permission from Dublin City Council to demolish Apollo House and build a new office block up to 52m high.

Poolbeg Street was closed for some time as musicians backing the occupation put on impromptu performances in front of hundreds of supporters.

Update 1.50pm: The owners of Apollo House have said they will go to the courts to resolve the sit-in at their premises in Dublin "in the best interests of those currently in occupation" there.

The office building on Tara Street in the city is currently being occupied by housing activists and homeless people.

Through a statement released by the receivers to Apollo House, the owners have said that their "concern has been the health and safety of the homeless people" and they claim that they "have tried to meet with Home Sweet Home", the organisers of the sit-in, in order to arrange the transfer of those within the building "to appropriate accommodation".

The Owners of Apollo House are "worried about the health and safety of those staying in Apollo House"' pic.twitter.com/3OQSHqhiY0  Glen Hansard (@Glen_Hansard) December 20, 2016

The statement from the receiver Tom OBrien, of Mazars, also said that they "have on a number of occasions sought to meet with them but to date, Home Sweet Home have not made themselves available to meet with us."

They also said that they met with Dublin City Council and homeless charities as soon as they heard about the occupation of Apollo House.

Dublin City Council last night gave the green light to plans to demolish Apollo House.

However, they concluded that "in the event that cooperation is not immediately forthcoming", they have "no option but to take the only responsible course available and look for assistance from the courts".

Statement from Tom OBrien, Mazars, Receivers to Apollo House, in full

"Since becoming aware last Friday of the occupation of Apollo House by representatives of Home Sweet Home Coalition, as Receivers our immediate priority and concern has been the health and safety of the homeless people seeking shelter there. While we endorse the importance of highlighting the need for providing shelter to the homeless and the most vulnerable in society, the provision of such sheltered accommodation must be done in an organised, structured and sustainable manner. That is not possible in Apollo House.

"We immediately engaged with Dublin City Council and homeless charities who provide shelter and care to the homeless with a view to ensuring that appropriate alternative accommodation, with the necessary facilities and staff, would be available to those who might seek shelter in Apollo House. All homeless charities recognise as a fundamental principle that shelter accommodation must be staffed by trained and properly resourced care professionals in order to create as safe and controlled an environment as possible.

"Apollo House is a commercial premises which was closed down in 2015 due to its poor condition, pending redevelopment. We share the views of the homeless agencies that the building is completely unsuitable for residential use and lacks the most basic facilities needed by those who are homeless. Notwithstanding the efforts by Home Sweet Home to provide these basic facilities, the building simply does not meet the requirements for a sustainable, safe physical and caring environment.

Apollo House : A highly organised act of civil disobedience against onslaught of austerity https://t.co/qhKeqLY0aP #HomeSweetHome #todaysor pic.twitter.com/Vs3l1XEXmS  Mick Caul (@caulmick) December 19, 2016

"Another very significant issue is that this illegal occupation of Apollo House has resulted in the loss of fire insurance cover for the building which poses an immediate and significant risk to the occupants and to neighbouring property and occupiers. As the Receivers to Apollo House we cannot responsibly allow this situation to remain.

"Dublin City Council has confirmed that they expect 210 new beds to become available this week in three city centre facilities. These facilities are run by homeless agencies who provide not just beds but a full professional support service comprising professional care, medical and counselling staff along with access to public health nurses. Dublin City Council has agreed to work with these housing agencies so that all those sheltering in Apollo House can be accommodated in these facilities.

"Our overriding concern is for the health and safety of those who are homeless currently staying in Apollo House. The Receivers have tried to meet with Home Sweet Home in order to organise a move of those in Apollo House to appropriate accommodation with the full support services provided. We call on those behind Home Sweet Home to act responsibly and work with Dublin City Council to immediately end the current occupation in the best interests of those who are staying there.

"We have tried to engage constructively with those involved and have on a number of occasions sought to meet with them but to date, Home Sweet Home have not made themselves available to meet with us.

"The situation at Apollo House cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely for the reasons mentioned. In the event that cooperation is not immediately forthcoming, as the Receivers to Apollo House we have no option but to take the only responsible course available and look for assistance from the courts in seeking to resolve this issue in the best interests of those currently in occupation at Apollo House."

Update 11.30am: Leading homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has said the occupation of Apollo House in Dublin is an embarrassment for the Government.

Dublin City Council has given the green light to plans to demolish the office building on Tara Street as part of a 50m redevelopment of the area.

Fr Peter McVerry says the activists behind the initiative have been able to do what several housing agencies have been unable to achieve. He added that, while it will not solve the crisis, it has put pressure on the relevant authorities to do more.

"They have seriously embarrassed the Governmentwho have to bring forward an explanation as to why (the occupation) isn't a reasonable thing to do. And the Government cant do that," he said.

"They are putting the Government under great pressure to up their game and address the problem of homelessness in a much more urgent manner than they are doing."

Earlier:

Dublin City Council has given the green light to plans to demolish Apollo House.

The office building on Tara Street in the city is currently being occupied by housing activists and homeless people.

The site is part of a 50m plan for redevelopment of the area.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said that while the occupation of the site would not solve the homeless crisis, it was a step in the right direction.

"It's right and appropriate the artist community are standing up and saying we need to change our ways so everyone can live in this cityIt's impossible to live at the moment. You cant rent here.

"(The Apollo House occupation) is a symbolic step, but an important step to say we need to be doing more."
New laws to combat domestic violence will be discussed at cabinet today.

Under the proposals, victims living with their attacker will be able to get barring orders lasting for up to eight days.

In addition, if a case goes to court, a range of supports would be put in place for victims.

Tanaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald is bringing the proposed Domestic Violence Bill to the ministers' meeting this morning.

The bill also introduces a new criminal offence of forced marriage. It will also repeal exemptions which allow people under the age to 18 to marry.

Among the bill's other provisions are one to allow a court making a safety order or barring order, to ban a perpetrator of domestic violence from communicating with the victim electronically and restrictions on who can be in a courtroom during proceedings involving domestic violence.

Update 11.30am: Catriona Lane from Safe Ireland highlighted court proceedings when a barring order has been breached as an example of one area that needs to be changed.

"We've been asking that the standard applied in rape cases and sexual violence cases is applied in breach proceedings."

Women's Aid National Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900

Amen Helpline: 046 9023 718 (provides support and practical assistance to male victims of domestic abuse in Ireland)
A planned 48-hour pay strike by baggage handlers and check-in staff at 18 airports in the UK has been called off.

The many Irish people who have booked flights home to Ireland for Christmas will be greatly relieved as members of Unite employed by Swissport were due to walk out from Friday.
Update 12.40pm: President Michael D. Higgins has condemned the attacks in Berlin, Ankara and at a Zurich mosque.

President Higgins said: "The attacks are calculated to sow fear at the heart of our societies", urging solidarity on this International Human Solidarity Day.

He added that "We must strengthen our resolve not to let such attacks undermine the way of life in our global community, seeking to live in diversity and peace."

Earlier:

Irish citizens have been urged to check in with family at home and let them know they're safe, in the wake of the Berlin attack.

Irishman Killian McDonagh walked through the scene of the attack just a short time before it happened, and said he believes Berlin has become a target for this kind of incident.

"People in Germany have been expecting this, because Germany has recently been the moral leader of the free world," he said. "The lifestyle that people have here is envied all over the world.

"In many ways, people here were expecting this to happen and in many ways, it's just good that it wasn't worse than it was."

Irish Ambassador to Germany Michael Collins his office had been doing everything possible to account for citizens after the attack that killed 12 and injured almost 50 when a large truck was driven through a bustling Christmas market.

"We're actively in contact through social media and the various other networks we have," Mr Collins said.

"Throughout the evening eyesterday (in the aftermath of the attack), we were actively seeking to reassure ourselves that there were no Irish involved.

"Thankfully so far we have no information that any Irish citizen has been affected."

The truck used to carry out the attack on Berlin market. Picture: AP

The Taoiseach has condemned the Berlin attack, saying acts of violence have no place in society.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan is urging Irish citizens in the city to make contact with their families, while anyone here worried about Irish people in Berlin can call his Department on 01 - 4082000.

Meanwhile, Enda Kenny has also condemned the murder of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, and the attack on worshippers at an Islamic centre in Switzerland's largest city Zurich which left three people injured.

Update 11.55am: The Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald has described as "unspeakably evil" the suspected terrorist attack in Berlin last night.

The Tanaiste said: "This appears to have been an attack not just on people innocently going about their business preparing for Christmas, but on freedom itself.

"Our values of democracy and liberty are the target of those who wish to see a world of dark tyranny imposed on us all.

"I know particularly from my international Ministerial counterparts that there is a steady determination to continue to take - and where possible enhance - measures to counteract this threat. And An Garda Siochana will continue to work closely with their international colleagues to this end.

"Ultimately the values we cherish so deeply will prevail."
The Government spent more than 25,000 on the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden earlier this year.

A further 33,000 was spent on the visits of the Prince of Wales, French President Francois Hollande and European Council President Donald Tusk.
The Slieve Russell Hotel has been closed after an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

The HSE were told by the four-star hotel that staff and customers at the establishment in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan, started suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea.

A spokesperson for the HSE confirmed that the outbreak was caused by the norovirus infection.

The Executive had to close the hotel down last night for a deep-clean of all surfaces and furnishings.

It comes as the hotel, once owned by Sean Quinns family, is busy with weddings at this time of year.

The HSE issued a statement saying: "There is currently a high incidence of this infection in the community in Ireland and outbreaks have been noted in hospitals, residential care homes and schools throughout the country.

"In order to achieve this, the hotel has closed. It will re-open as soon as all possible environmental sources of the virus have been disinfected.

"The HSE and hotel management deeply regret the inconvenience this closure will cause to patrons of the Slieve Russell but consider this action as necessary to safeguard public health."

The owners of the Slieve Russell hotel said they are doing everything they can to find alternative arrangements for anyone who has booked with them.

The y said: "We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to our guests by the temporary closure of the hotel as a precautionary measure due to an outbreak of the Norovirus, which has been prevalent in Cavan in recent weeks.

"We thank our guests for their patience and support while we complete a range of actions to safeguard all who visit or work at our premises. We appreciate that this decision will the disrupt plans of guests who have booked events with us and we are making every effort to find alternative venues to minimise the inconvenience caused.

"We will continue to work closely with the HSE and the Environmental Health Officers and will advise as soon as possible when the hotel will be reopening."
About 100 homes were repossessed by banks after the borrower was denied the right to tracker mortgage rates, the Central Bank has said.

The number was revealed as the regulator was forced to concede that the scale of the scandal was almost twice as big as a report had claimed a day earlier.

The Central Bank's review of the controversy where banks either refused customers access to low tracker rates or did not make it an option initially put the figure at 8,200.

But amid damning criticism at the Oireachtas Finance Committee, where chairman John McGuinness accused Central Bank governor Philip Lane of being afraid of the banks, the head of the regulator said the real number was about 15,000.

Mr Lane said: "This is a tremendous problem and we are expecting significant redress and compensation which of course has to be a special case for people who have lost their homes."

The committee hearing was suspended after the Central Bank chief faced a withering attack on its assessment of the scale of the tracker scandal and was ordered to get more complete numbers.

The refusal of banks to allow customers to move on to tracker rates first emerged as far back as 2010 - the year taxpayers were lumbered with a multibillion-euro bailout.

In the six years since banks have repossessed more than 7,500 homes and apartments.

Mr McGuinness told Mr Lane that the information on tracker refusals, or lack of it, was striking.

"Are you bullied by the banks? Is the Central Bank ready for the banks? That really is the question that emerges in my mind," he told the regulator.

"I would conclude from the information that you are giving and how you are approaching this is that you are afraid of the banks, that you are afraid to take them on."

The Central Bank governor hit back: "There is zero basis for that."

Mr McGuinness accused Mr Lane of being unwilling to set out the exact totals involved in the tracker scandal or to play "hardball" with the banks.

"It would seem to me that you either feel bullied by them or that you are fearful of them, but you are not engaging as I would expect you to engage," he said.

The clash took place in the wake of a report from the Central Bank which revealed that at least 8,200 home owners were blocked from moving to tracker mortgages, the lowest interest rate in the market.

Mr Lane said banks were now under an "extremely intrusive regime" and added: "We have no reason as supervisors or regulators to go lightly on the banks."

The Central Bank said 2,100 Bank of Ireland mortgages were restored to tracker rates when the issue was identified in that bank in 2010 and 2011.

It is understood refunds were made for the overcharging but no compensation was given.

There were also about 1,400 cases of customers being denied tracker rates involving Springboard Mortgages, which was a subsidiary of Permanent TSB.

It is understood these numbers are on top of the 8,200 other cases identified in the Central Bank trawl of trackers, which looked into 15 lenders from late 2015.
At the right time, I will be so presidential you will be so bored, Donald Trump in April: one more betrayal. The president-elect cannot control his reckless addiction to tweeting. Trump had a tirade about the election protesters, Professional protesters, incited by the media. Then ranted about the vice president-elects reprimand at Hamilton. Followed by the election recount in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; tweeting Scam, resulting in an angry bizarre meltdown, that included a multitude of tweets over a 12-hour time frame.

Where is his mind? What undisciplined intellectual level does he operate at, when left alone to his own devices? What has America been burdened with? Trumps White House transition team is unholy, dysfunctional and woefully ill prepared once Trump is president. Steven Bannon is his White House strategist. Bannon is the voice of the dark alt-right Breitbart movement thats anti-Semitic, bigoted and white supremacist; what Russia, under Vladimir Putin, has become. The Department of Homeland Security determined the Russian government actively interfered in our elections. Bannon claims birth control makes women unattractive and crazy. In 1996, Bannon was charged with domestic violence and witness tampering. The Ku Klux Klan praised Trumps selection of Bannon.

Crooked Hillary is no longer the scapegoat. Trump has targeted his angry thin-skinned vengefulness onto an old perceived enemy, the American news media. In November, Trump summoned television news executives and hardworking reliable journalists to Trump Tower. He scolded them; using the words, unfair outrageous and dishonest; making no mention of the free airtime they gave him, helping him win the election. He called CNN and NBC liars. Isnt that like: The pot calling the kettle black?

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution provides for freedom of the press. Article II, of the Constitution, describes the process of impeachment.
Russian officials investigating the assassination of their ambassador to Turkey have vowed that the killing would not disrupt efforts to repair the two countries' relationship.

Inquiries are focusing on whether the man who shot Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition launch in the Turkish capital Ankara was a "lone wolf" gunman, or part of a wider conspiracy.
Donald Trump has won the Electoral College vote despite protests to ensure that the billionaire will become America's 45th president.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions.

Mr Trump's polarising victory on November 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

Even one of Mr Trump's fiercest Republican rivals, Ohio Governor John Kasich, said it was time to get behind the president-elect.

"We want unity, we want love," Mr Kasich said as Ohio's electors voted to back Mr Trump at a statehouse ceremony. Mr Kasich refused to endorse or even vote for Mr Trump in the election.

With several states still voting, Mr Trump had 304 votes and Mrs Clinton had 169.

It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency.

Texas put Mr Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, thousands of protesters converged on state capitols across the country today, urging Republican electors to abandon their party's winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvania's capitol, chanting: "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!"
Counter-terrorism authorities in Europe warned of the risk that refugees could be targeted by extremist recruiters weeks before the Berlin Christmas market carnage.

The threat was highlighted in a report published by Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, at the start of this month.

It also cited unconfirmed reports that German authorities were aware of hundreds of attempts by jihadists to recruit refugees.

And the study, which examined the tactics deployed by Islamic State (IS), also said Germany may be considered a target of the group "because of the large influx of Syrian refugees in the country, belying the promise of the Caliphate as an Islamic utopia".

Germany has taken in hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers since the international migration crisis started last year.

The country was rocked by a suspected terrorist attack on Monday when a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.

Police patrol at the Christmas market in front of the city hall in downtown Vienna, Austria, today. Pic: AP

Unconfirmed reports by German media have indicated that security sources believe the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Pakistan or Afghanistan, thought to have come to Germany in February.

The Europol report said: "Elements of the (Sunni Muslim) Syrian refugee diaspora may become vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and may be specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters."

There is no firm evidence that terrorist travellers "systematically use the flow of refugees to enter Europe unnoticed" but it is indisputable that some have entered the EU posing as refugees, the paper added.

It said: "According to unconfirmed information, German authorities were aware of around 300 recorded attempts made by jihadists to recruit refugees who were trying to enter Europe by April 2016."

Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands were identified in the assessment as being "high on the target list" for IS aggression.

Two Belgian Army soldiers patrol a Christmas market on the main square in Antwerp, Belgium, today. Pic: AP

The Berlin crash came less than a month after Americans were warned of the heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during the holiday season.

A travel alert issued by the US State Department specifically urged caution at holiday festivals, events and outdoor markets, saying that "credible information" indicates that IS - also known as Isil or Daesh - al Qaida, and affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe.

Both IS and al Qaida have previously urged followers to use vehicles to carry out attacks, and the Berlin incident had echoes of the Nice atrocity in July.

Danish police patrols the pedestrian street in the center of Copenhagen, Denmark, today. Pic: AP

For more than two years the official threat level for international terrorism in Britain has stood at severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely".

Earlier this month, MI6 chief Alex Younger used his first public speech to warn that the "murderously efficient" IS was plotting violent attacks against the UK.

Authorities are dealing with around 550 "live" cases at any one time, while intelligence and security services have disrupted 12 terrorist plots over the last three years.
The FBI told a federal court it needed a search warrant to look at thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails on the laptop of former US congressman Anthony Weiner because they had potential to cause "grave damage to national security" if disclosed.

The wording was contained in a redacted search warrant and other court papers that were previously under seal until today in the investigation of an online relationship between Mr Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, and a teenage girl in North Carolina.

The papers offered no new revelations about Mrs Clinton's emails or the scope of a case that factored into the presidential election.

A sworn statement dated October 30 from an FBI agent whose name was blacked out cited a previous inquiry into Mrs Clinton's personal computer server that found 22 emails classified "Top Secret".

The classification "is significant because it means that the unauthorised disclosure of those emails could result in exceptionally grave damage to national security," the agent wrote.

In the Weiner probe, the FBI discovered header information on emails pointing to correspondence to and from Mrs Clinton, the papers say.

Given the findings of the earlier probe, "there is also probable cause to believe that the correspondence ... contains classified information which was produced by and is owned by the US government," they say.

US District Judge P Kevin Castel ruled yesterday that the public had a right to see the search warrant application and supporting court paperwork, but he said portions would be blacked out to protect the identity of the investigating agents.

The judge also ordered the redaction of sections of the paperwork related to the ongoing investigation into Mr Weiner's online correspondence.

The discovery of the emails on the disgraced former New York congressman's laptop prompted FBI Director James Comey to briefly reopen an investigation that he had closed over the summer into Mrs Clinton's use of the private server to handle emails she sent and received as secretary of state.

After getting court consent to delve into the newly discovered emails on October 30, agents spent several days analysing them before Mr Comey announced that they contained no new evidence of any wrongdoing by Mrs Clinton.

E Randol Schoenberg, a Los Angeles lawyer who had sued to obtain the court papers, said he saw "nothing at all in the search warrant application that would give rise to probable cause, nothing that would make anyone suspect that there was anything on the laptop beyond what the FBI had already searched and determined not to be evidence of a crime, nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her long-time aide Huma Abedin."
US first lady Michelle Obama has told Oprah Winfrey that the past election was "painful".

Mrs Obama sat down with Winfrey at the White House for an hour-long special broadcast on CBS.
The hunt for a gunman behind an attack on a Zurich mosque which left three people injured has been suspended by Swiss police after the discovery of a body in the area.

Zurich state police said on Twitter that "we are working on the assumption that the dead person who was found is the culprit in the shooting at the Islamic Centre in Zurich".
Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to act as guarantors in a peace deal between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said.

He spoke after a meeting between the three countries' foreign ministers in Moscow, a day after Russia's ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Ankara by a policeman who shouted: "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"

Mr Lavrov told reporters the three ministers have signed a joint statement which says that Russia, Iran and Turkey "are expressing their willingness to help the Syrian government and the opposition draft an agreement and act as its guarantors".

Syrian activists said only around 3,000 people are left awaiting evacuation in eastern Aleppo before the government resumes full control of the city after nearly six years of war.

Opposition media activist Ahmad Primo said the next convoy of buses taking rebels and civilians out may well be the last one.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 60 buses have entered eastern Aleppo to pick up the remaining 3,000 fighters and their families from the opposition's last foothold in the war-torn city.

Observatory chief Rami Abdurrahman said the fate of 70 pro-government fighters taken prisoner by rebels over the course of four years of fighting over the rebel enclave remains unknown.

He said they were supposed to be handed over to the government as part of an agreement to allow the opposition to evacuate the city.
Whatever happens as a result of the protest at Cannonball River  whether the pipeline is rerouted, subject to the original route, or abandoned altogether  the xenophobia and hostility to so-called "outsiders" in our state will remain an indelible dark mark upon our history.

When the chief law enforcer of North Dakota, Wayne Stenehjem, says that the protesters need to "go home" (as many others have said in different forums and in different media), you know something is seriously wrong. The United States Constitution guarantees the right of every individual to freely travel across the states. If a North Dakotan wanted to travel to protest in Washington, D.C., or New York City  they have a constitutional right to do that.

The next aspect of "go home" misses another point  some of these protesters may in fact be at "home," having sold their possessions and relocated here.

Finally, as Austin Emineth's recent letter exemplifies, "go home" is a coded message. It also means "we don't want you here," and "we don't want to hear what you have to say." This "go home" bigotry and xenophobia has been on vicious display in North Dakota. It signals that we do not care about being better as a people; do not care about learning from others; do not care about the thoughts, well-being, or lives of strangers.

North Dakota celebrates being the last state visited on many a person's travel list  perhaps, in light of our strenuous efforts to blockade outsiders from the state, we know why. But I hope that Emineth and Stenehjem will consider and reflect upon their small town bigotry, and their "go home" mentality, should they ever visit another state. One can only hope they will be treated with a kindness and charity that they seem incapable of giving.
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The ACT recorded its lowest ever number of adoptions in the last financial year with a total of just five.

Two were Australian children, two "known child" adoptions, such as from a step-parent, and one from Thailand, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released on Monday.

There were just five children adopted in the ACT in 2015-16. Credit:iStock

Nationally, adoptions dropped to 278 children, 5 per cent less than 2014-15 and the lowest on record.

Adopt Change chief executive Renee Carter said the figures proved the need for urgent change. According to a separate report, 671 ACT children were in out of home care as of June 2015, including 290 who had been in the system for five years or longer.
When seven-year-old Dean Sahu Khan got into a school yard fight with a Christian, a Jew and a Hindu over whose God was the best, he thought his father would be pleased with him for sticking up for their Islamic faith.

Instead, his father gave him some advice that would shape his whole life and inspire him to become one of the founding members of the Canberra Interfaith Forum.

Dean Sahu Khan was recognised for his work as one of the founding members of Canberra's interfaith forum at the 2016 Multicultural Canberra Awards. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

"He said to me if there was more than one God, we'd be having an earthquake every day, every God of every faith would want to run the world the way they want," Mr Khan said,

"He said there is only one God and this is the message we need to convey to people. I've lost my parents but I haven't lost his teachings."
A club patron who wrestled a masked gunman to the ground was repeatedly stabbed and remains in hospital with serious injuries.

Police said a man entered the Calwell Club about 2.30am Sunday armed with a gun and demanding people lay on the floor. Police said he tried to take a woman hostage but was stopped by security guards.

The male officer has been stood aside. Credit:Rohan Thompson

Detective Senior Constable Alexandra Uren said a security guard and a male patron chased the man across the road. The patron caught and wrestled the offender but was stabbed several times, leaving him in a serious but stable condition.

"It was certainly very scary for some of the people inside the club," Detective Senior Constable Uren said.
At a time when most kids are compiling their own Christmas lists, Luca Codina has been busy raising money to buy presents for others less fortunate than himself.

And he's only six-years-old.

Jumping for the joy he has given - Luca Codina. The six-year-old Canberra boy, who has fundraised to buy Christmas presents for young people in need. Credit:Karleen Minney

The Forrest Primary School year one student with the infectious smile has handed over the $100 he had raised to to Barnardos Australia which staff gratefully accepted.

"When I received the call that we had someone who wanted to donate some money and they told me his age, I nearly fell off my chair," one of the Barnardos staff, Catherine Burns, said.
It has been a long wait but work to install nine traffic lights at the Barton Highway roundabout is complete.

The planned upgrade aims to improve safety and ease peak hour traffic at the busy intersection of the Barton Highway, William Slim Drive and Gundaroo Drive.

The signalisation of the Barton Highway roundabout is now complete.

Work on the intersection, originally due to start last June, didn't start until November and was stalled again last month due to wet weather.

Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester said a shared path bridge was also open and there were more approach lanes, too.
Victorians are set to pay a premium for prawns this Christmas, with the larger kind expected to cost consumers $50 per kilogram.

Despite murmurs of a prawn shortage, after a recent outbreak of white spot disease in prawn ponds south of Brisbane, there will be plenty of smaller prawns to go around on December 25.

While smaller prawns will be affordable, large prawns could cost up to $50 a kilogram. Credit:Melanie Faith Dove

However, most of Melbourne's prawns this year will be frozen imports from interstate.

Dimitrios Goulas, owner of Footscray's Conway Fish Trading, said smaller prawns would be roughly the same price they were last Christmas, but large prawns would come at a premium.
The tax man will now disclose small business tax debt information to credit reporting agencies under a new measure announced in the federal government's mid-year budget update.

The measure, which comes as tax debts to the Australian Taxation Office hit almost $20 billion, will initially apply to businesses with Australian Business Numbers and tax debts of more than $10,000 that are at least 90 days overdue.

The revelation was made in this week's release of the midyear economic and fiscal outlook (MYEFO) by Treasurer Scott Morrison.

According to the ATO's latest annual report, the total level of collectable debt as of June 30 was $19.2 billion. It said that $1.7 billion in debt was written off as "uneconomical to pursue" (up from $1.4 billion the year before).
The apparent terrorist attacks on Monday in Berlin and Ankara will cause widespread concerns about similar incidents internationally in the lead-up to Christmas. The Berlin incident involved what at the time of writing seems to have been a hijacked cargo vehicle used as a weapon, and the other a targeted assassination by a trusted insider.

The cargo vehicle attack follows the very effective truck attack at Nice on July 14 which killed 86 people. In that case a 19-tonne Renault cargo vehicle was able to travel at speeds up to 90km/h as it ploughed through scattered groups of people spread over more than a kilometre.

The attack in Berlin was less deadly  killing 12  because more densely packed people and market stalls soon stopped the vehicle. It has been reported that the Berlin truck was carrying steel which would have given it greater kinetic energy, but it is not clear what speed the vehicle reached before driving into the Christmas crowd.

The faster the object is travelling, and the heavier it is, the more kinetic energy it has. When the speed of a vehicle increases, its kinetic energy increases exponentially; meaning that when a vehicle travels twice as fast, it has four times the kinetic energy. I recall being told during a police advanced driving course that a car takes twice as long to stop at 60km/h as it does at 50km/h. For an attacker using a vehicle as a weapon, having a clear run to speed into a target is an important factor.
Australians' satisfaction with democracy has collapsed to its lowest level since the Whitlam dismissal, according to a major study that shows the country in an increasingly dark and distrustful mood about politics and the economy.

The survey, conducted by the Australian National University, portrays a populace that is increasingly disdainful of government, lacks allegiance to the major political parties and has little trust in politicians' abilities to improve the country's economic performance.

The researchers who conducted the 12th Australian Election Study said the findings were a "wake-up call" that the conditions that led to recent political upheavals seen in Britain and the United States also exist here.

"Public satisfaction with our democratic processes and public trust in the politicians we elect are at some of the lowest levels ever recorded," lead researcher Ian McAllister said.
It is tempting to explain the crisis in Australian democracy as reflecting the same forces that installed Donald Trump in the White House and removed Britain from the European Union.

After all, the common denominators are there for all to see: anger at the establishment, distrust of the so-called elites and the ascendancy of opinion over fact.

But that would be letting the current crop of leaders in Australia and their recent predecessors off the hook, along with their party machines, minders and spin doctors.

Truth is, the alarming levels of distrust, cynicism, betrayal and disappointment recorded in the latest Australian Election Study are, overwhelmingly, the result of home-grown forces.
The one-time NSW Labor kingmaker looked small and frail in oversized prison greens.

Eddie Obeid, the man who helped make and break premiers over 20 years in state Parliament, appeared via audiovisual link from Silverwater jail on Tuesday as his legal team asked the Court of Criminal Appeal to release him on bail.

As he stood up to bow to the judges on the bench  Chief Justice Tom Bathurst and Justices Clifton Hoeben and Robert Allan Hulme  his long green T-shirt hung loosely from his frame and the sleeves drooped almost to his elbows.

In the background in the sparse room with off-white walls was a sign marked "MRRC 4", a reference to the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre at Silverwater where new prisoners are processed.
Two teens from the NSW South Coast, at the centre of a murder plot co-ordinated from inside a Sydney prison, are only alive today thanks to the most unlikely of heroes - their would-be executioner's hard-nosed cellmate, a court has heard.

The inmate, a long-term prisoner with an apparent intense dislike of authority, took the extraordinary step of contacting police in early 2015 after learning his bunk buddy was looking to hire a hitman for $50,000, the court heard.

He said the man's targets were a 14-year-old girl who had accused him of sexual abuse, and his own son, also 14, who backed the girl's assault claims.

The incredible exploit was outlined in an agreed set of police facts tendered in a criminal court case against the 36-year-old man's wife.

She admitted in court to providing the would-be hitman with instructions from her husband and information about the intended victims.
A man in his 70s is fighting for life after being bitten by one of the world's most venomous snakes in his far north Queensland lounge room, paramedics say. Several crews were called to the unconscious Cairns man's home just after 8pm Tuesday after reports he was "deteriorating quite rapidly". The man was bitten by a taipan in his lounge room. Credit:Pat Scala Critical care flight paramedic Valerie Noble rushed the antivenom to the Yorkeys Knob home to meet other paramedics already performing CPR on the man, who had no pulse after being bitten by a coastal taipan. She said they managed to inject the antivenom and the man regained a pulse shortly after.

"As far as we know, he was in his lounge and he had possibly confronted the snake or tried to get out of the lounge or tried to kill it with a spade but the snake was obviously quite feisty and bit him," she said, in audio provided by the Queensland Ambulance Service. Ms Noble said the man had been bitten on his foot between his toes. "There was quite a lot of blood on scene so potentially the snake had actually hit a vein instead of just into the tissue itself so it was quite a rapid almost injection of the venom," she said. "This time of year, with the heat and the rain and everything the snakes are a lot more lively and they are on the move a bit more so just be careful as to when you're moving stuff and digging in bushes and things." Paramedics said the man was rushed to the Cairns Base Hospital in a critical condition and the snake was later identified as a taipan.
The festive Christmas wrapping around the concrete blocks that surround Brisbane's King George Square belie the sinister intent that necessitate them.

But, as the attacks in Nice and Berlin have shown, they are a necessary feature of an increasingly volatile world.

The 2016 Bastille Day celebrations in the French resort city of Nice will forever be remembered for the deaths of 86 people, who were killed when a truck was deliberately driven into a crowd of thousands, which had gathered to watch fireworks.

Hundreds more were injured in the July 14 attack.
A woman who was born in Taiwan and is running for One Nation says party leader Pauline Hanson was right to warn about Australia being swamped by Asians 20 years ago.

But Shan Ju Lin believes Ms Hanson was talking about the Chinese, and has told the ABC "good Asians" will vote for One Nation at the next Queensland election.

One Nation candidate for Bundamba Shan Ju Lin. Credit:Facebook

She told the ABC that "European people" find it hard to distinguish between Chinese and people from other parts of Asia.

She believes Ms Hanson was right to use her maiden speech to federal parliament 20 years ago to warn Australia was at risk from a tide of Asian immigrants.
A mannequin dressed similarly to a female tourist who was severely assaulted at Moreton Bay last month has been set up to help find her attacker.

A Polish woman, 24, was attacked during her evening walk about 8.30pm on November 25 at Petrie.

Police have set up a mobile police facility as well as a mannequin dressed in similar exercise gear to what the Polish woman had been wearing.

She was found with serious facial and head injuries by a member of the public on Boona Street about 9pm.

A police spokeswoman said the Polish woman had had trouble identifying the person responsible due to her "horrific" injuries.
A man who lied about how a woman suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head on a boat has been spared jail because police did not charge him with perjury for 33 years.

Part-time model Janita McNaughton, 23, was one of five people on a speedboat in Western Port Bay, near Phillip Island, on December 27, 1983, when she suffered a gunshot wound between the eyes. She died in hospital that night.

Janita McNaughton was shot and killed in 1983.

While the exact circumstances of her death remain a mystery, one of the passengers on the boat admitted he lied to police when he claimed Ms McNaughton was shot by an unknown gunman from the shore.

Michael John Kelly, then aged 20, initially told police there was no gun aboard, and went with police to the shore where he claimed he heard the gunman fire from.
The saga of Nedlands restaurant The Curry Tree continues long after an arson attack forced its closure in 2014, with the local council finally winning a long-running case against it as a separate Fair Work court case proceeds.

Owner Simon Mackenzie, seen waving protest signs outside the City of Nedlands recently, must pay penalties and costs totalling $23,800 after his conviction on December 14.

The City started investigating in 2013 after a customer bought one of the Broadway eatery's pre-packaged meals from a supermarket and had an allergic reaction as the food was incorrectly labelled.

The restaurant wasn't supposed to be supplying pre-packaged meals, having failed to notify the City it had changed its operations from a restaurant to a ready-to-eat meals manufacturer, thus breaching the Food Act.
As Perth readies for a stinker on Wednesday, with metropolitan areas forecast to reach 42 degrees, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned not to expect relief from the Fremantle Doctor.

Perth city is forecast to reach 41 degrees, and Armadale and Midland 42, temperatures well above the December monthly average of 29.1.

Any sea breeze is likely to be very close to the coast so there may be little relief, said Bureau spokesman Neil Bennett.

Even heading to the coast itself might be a poor bet.
San Francisco: Facebook, Google and Twitter are being sued by the families of three victims slain in the mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub for allegedly providing "material support" to the Islamic State terrorist group.

The lawsuit, first reported by Fox News, was filed on Monday in federal court in the eastern district of Michigan on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero.

Candles during a vigil to pay tribute to the victims of the Orlando mass shooting in June. Credit:AP

It is the latest to target popular internet services for making it too easy for the Islamic State to spread its message. In June, the family of a California college student killed in last year's terrorist attacks in Paris sued Facebook, Google and Twitter. Keith Altman, the attorney representing the three families in the Orlando nightclub lawsuit, also represents the family of that student, Nohemi Gonzalez, in the Paris terrorist attacks lawsuit.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, uses popular internet services such as Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube to spread propaganda, to attract and train new recruits, to celebrate terrorist attacks and publicise executions.
BLACK REPUBLICAN BLOG - The Republican Party is the party of civil rights and the four Fs: faith, family, freedom and fairness. The Democratic Party is the party of the four Ss: slavery, secession, segregation and socialism (Quote By Author Michael Scheuer).
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For this afterlife, its no girls allowed!

The ancient Egyptians believed that only dudes could live on after death, but according to a new exhibit now open at the Brooklyn Museum, some women managed to slip into the afterlife  by becoming men! A Womans Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt, details the post-mortem ritual that temporarily transformed women into men so they could be reborn in the next world.

Modern minds find the whole concept strange and sexist, but the exhibit demonstrates how much beliefs can change, said its curator.

I know its weird but not everybody thinks the way we think  theres more than one way to think about things and we are opening ourselves up to think outside of what we think is right, said Egyptologist Edward Bleiberg. In ancient times people believed in this  I dont believe in this but I find it fascinating that people believed this.

The transformation ritual required mummifying a womans body in the same way as that of a man, a process that included describing her with the masculine word for you on her coffin, and painting an image of her with red skin.

Red skin on the coffin indicates a male, said Bleiberg. On a womans coffin they used to paint her skin to the male color for a ritual.

Mummification was generally just for the rich and elite, but it is unknown whether poorer Egyptians also did similar rituals, said Bleiberg.

The exhibit consists of 27 pieces of artwork, including paintings, jewelry, and sculptures, as well as a 70-pound coffin that was used for at least two gender-transformation rituals. Some of the pieces are making their debut after years in storage, said Bleiberg.

Some of them are restored and have been taken out of storage and conserved for this purpose, he said. This is giving people the opportunity to see things they havent seen, and to hear a story about them that is really something really new and different.

The exhibit also shows how archeologists attitudes towards gender have changed over the years, said Bleiberg.

Whats so great about it to me is looking at art through a feminist lens because when I was a student, we looked at this and said they made a mistake, said Bleiberg. We look at issues with much more open mind, and feminism allows us to think in much broader way in the way gender is treated.

A Womans Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt at the Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. between Flatbush and Washington avenues in Prospect Heights, (718) 6385000, www.brook lynmu seum.org ]. $16 suggested donation.
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Big Olive Oil is giving a Park Slope grocer the squeeze!

Trade group the North American Olive Oil Association sued Fifth Avenues O Live Brooklyn in federal court on Monday, alleging the small-time gourmet grocer and its distributor are smearing the good name of supermarket-shelf olive oil brands by claiming their fancy products offer health benefits the mass-market ones dont.

But the local purveyor of lipid gold says hes no snake-oil salesman  and hes baffled that the oil tycoons are pitting themselves against the very businesses they are supposed to support, instead of offering an olive branch.

I consider us on the same team, said proprietor Greg Bernarducci, whose mom and pop taproom offers tasting classes and oils infused with herbs and spices. We both want people to eat good olive oil, thats why I find this very strange.

The New Jersey-based association  which represents the companies behind 5560 percent of all olive oil sold in the country, according to its suit  is alleging that Bernarduccis supplier Veronica Foods and six other area retailers hawking the California companys products are costing its members sales through online statements, articles, and promotional pieces that claim the fruit fat at your local Key Food or C-Town are less fresh and therefore not as good for you as their Ultra-Premium variety.

The group insists the big-brands $8 bottles of olive oil contain the same health benefits consumers expect  typically, a lower risk of heart disease  as the $20 vessels in specialty stores, but shoppers are being duped into paying more.

We dont want consumers to be misled into making a false choice between buying a more expensive olive oil or not buying olive oil at all, said Eryn Balch, the cooking-oil confederations executive vice president.

The suit further alleges that the Ultra-Premium label Veronica slaps on its products is a self-awarded certification and therefore deceives shoppers by insinuating it is supported and verified by a third party.

The Ultra-Premium website describes it as the highest quality standard in the world but doesnt mention that the designation is exclusive to Veronica Foods, the suit argues.

But Bernarducci claims the company isnt misleading anyone by calling its oil super high-quality, because thats exactly what it is  even by the associations own standards, which are set, of course, by the International Olive Council.

Our oils have to meet certain standards which are above industry standards for us to sell in our store, he said.

Bernarducci claims he doesnt explicitly tell shoppers that other olive oils are less of a boon to your body, but he does warn them to be wary of brands that dont spell out their chemical components or crush dates on the labels.

I would say if they sent their oils out for chemical analysis like our oils are, my guess is they would come back lacking, he said.

The association is seeking damages for members alleged losses and for the court to nix the Ultra-Premium trademark.

Bernaducci and Veronica Foods arent the North American Olive Oil Associations only targets  the body also sued televisions Dr. Oz last month for saying that around 80 percent of supermarket olive oils arent the real deal during a May episode.
Note: This is post #14 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics.

Whats the difference between a wage subsidy and a minimum wage? What is the cost of a wage subsidy to taxpayers? Economist Alex Tabarrok looks at the earned income tax credit and how it affects low-skilled workers.

(If you find the pace of the videos too slow, Id recommend watching them at 1.5 to 2 times the speed. You can adjust the speed at which the video plays by clicking on Settings (the gear symbol) and changing Speed from normal to 1.25, 1.5 or 2.)

Previous in series: What you should know about subsidies
Yardley Friends Meeting at 65 N. Main Street in Yardley will host the documentary Organic Roots on Friday, November 18 at 7 p.m. Join director Al Johnson for a showing of this film followed by a discussion of the last 50 years of this movement. Organic foods are part of our life today and a tool in our concern for...
Campus News

Twelve incredible guests hosted by UB in 2016

Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey waves to the sell-out crowd in Alumni Arena. Photo: Joe Cascio

By CORY NEALON

From groundbreaking astronauts to presidential hopefuls. A sitting Supreme Court justice. An Academy Award winner. An alumnus known simply as the Hero of Flint. UB is accustomed to hosting notable visitors. But 2016 was a banner year. These guests packed rooms big and small. They discussed the refugee crisis, crooned jazz classics and addressed the tech industrys lack of diversity. Heres a look back at 12 (we couldve picked many more) momentous events:

Kevin Spacey

Photo: Joe Cascio

The Academy Award winner, known for his portrayal of fictitious president Frank Underwood and other roles, dropped by the North Campus in April to discuss his career and the rewards of risk-taking as part of UBs Distinguished Speakers Series. We should all aspire to be innovative. We should all be in a battle with mediocrity, he told a packed house in Alumni Arena. He even made time to visit UBs prized Poetry Collection. Read more.

Samantha Power

Photo: Douglas Levere

Power, who is U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, visited Buffalo and UB last month to spotlight the positive role that refugees play in America, including boosting local economies and creating more culturally diverse communities. She credited Buffalo for creating a welcoming environment for refugees. Our country has a lot to learn from this City of Good Neighbors, she said. Read more.

Scott and Mark Kelly

Photo: Joe Cascio

The twin brothers are the only siblings to have both travelled in space. They touched down on the North Campus is September for a Distinguished Speakers Series lecture. After visiting aerospace engineering students and members of the UB community, they delivered a speech extolling the virtues of tackling difficult problems. For us as a nation, it was our choice to do the hard things, Mark Kelly said. Read more

Bernie Sanders

Photo: Chad Cooper

The U.S. senator from Vermont, then in the throes of a campaign to represent the Democratic Party on the presidential ballot, filled Alumni Arena with 8,500 supporters. Popular among millennials and on college campuses, another 3,000 gathered outside for the at-capacity campaign rally in April. We need to create an economy that works for all of us, Sanders told the crowd outside before entering the gym for his main speech. Read more.

Ted Cruz

Photo: Douglas Levere

Just two days after Sanders, GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz visited the Katharine Cornell Theater on the North Campus for a more intimate MSNBC-hosted town hall event with television news anchor Chuck Todd. The biggest divide is not Republicans and Democrats. Its career politicians. What we have now is not working, Cruz said in response to an audience members question. Read more.

Marc Edwards

Photo: Douglas Levere

Not a household name? Dont say that to the people of Flint, Michigan, where Edwards is credited with exposing the citys toxic drinking water system. An UB alumnus and professor at Virginia Tech, Edwards said he had to cross the line between science and activism to get officials to address the problem. Until we can learn from our mistakes, these types of crises will continue to happen, he said to those attending his October talk, part of UBs RENEW Distinguished Lecture Series. Read more.

Samuel Alito

Photo: Courtesy of UB School of Law

UB played host to the U.S. Supreme Court Justice at Sheas Performing Arts Center in downtown Buffalo. The October event, which was co-moderated by James Gardner, dean of the School of Law, allowed Alito to discuss what its like to serve on the nations top court. Sometimes Im asked what would you like your legacy to be? I think its really bad for a judge to start worrying about that, he said. Read more.

Randi Zuckerburg

Photo: Joe Cascio

Randi Zuckerburg joined her brother, Mark, in 2005 to make Facebook the juggernaut it is today. There were about 12 of us in an office and it was still very much kind of a brogrammer culture, if you will: very, very few women, especially in senior positions. And it was definitely a bit of a fight, especially as a nontechnical employee, to be heard at the same level in Silicon Valley, she told a Distinguished Speakers Series audience in October. Read more.

Travis Scott

Photo: Douglas Levere

Unfamiliar with Travis Scott? Ask your kids. The hip hop recording artist and record producer has quickly become one of the most sought after performers and collaborators in the music business. UBs Student Association booked him to headline Fall Fest in September. More photos.

Joel Lunenfeld

Photo: Douglas Levere

Created in 2006, Twitter has become one of the most influential online news and social networking services. Joel Lunenfeld graduated from UB in 1999 and led Moxie, a digital marketing agency, for 10 years before joining Twitter in 2009, where he is now the companys vice president for global brand strategy. I was preparing for a career that didnt exist yet, said Lunenfeld of his time at UB when visiting his alma mater in September. Read more.

Charles Ogletree

Photo: Joe Cascio

The Harvard law scholar, who studies racial inequality, visited UB in February and delivered the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address, which focused on the importance of education. I just read and read and read about the world. That made a huge difference in my life. I had a thirst for reading, and thats what we have to inspire in our children, he said. Read more.

Tony Bennett

Photo: Chad Cooper


Twiggs steel company in Matlock, Derbyshire, has welcomed Craig Anthony as its new works manager, overseeing the steelstock and fabrication division.

Mr Anthony joins Twiggs with more than 19 years experience in the steel trade, from starting his apprenticeship at age 16 on the shop floor to skilled roles as a plater, welder and fabrication manager. His in-depth knowledge and expertise is a valuable addition to the Twiggs steel team and continues its commitment to employing experienced staff who can support customers with invaluable advice and knowledge.

Mr Anthony said: I am enjoying this new challenge, it is so diverse at Twiggs. One moment I am talking to builders about structural orders, the next I am working with the special projects manager at Chatsworth House on a bespoke project. The variety is what attracted me to the company, as well as their long established reputation for providing high quality steelwork with genuine customer service.

The steel workshop here is fantastic  we can do things here that other companies cant. Im looking forward to helping Twiggs continue to flourish and grow, both in terms of steel stock and fabrication.
[Note: This is the final post in a series highlighting some of the financial aspects and broad economic lessons of Frank Capras holiday classic, Its a Wonderful Life. You can find part one here and part two here.]



Economist Don Boudreaux recently outlined ten foundational lessons that should be learned in every well-taught principles of economics course. Examples of nearly all of the ten lessons can be found in Capras Christmas classic, but for the sake of brevity Ill merely highlight two of them.

Principle 1: The world is full of both desirable and undesirable unintended consequences  consequences that are largely invisible but that even a course in mere principles of economics gives us great vision that enables us to see.

This holiday film may be attributed to Frank Capra, but it could have just as easily been called Frederic Bastiats Its a Wonderful Life. The central theme of the film is a creative example of Bastiats That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seenwhich is (as both Boudreaux and I claim) the most important essay in economics.

In the opening line of his essay, Bastiat writes,

In the department of economy, an act, a habit, an institution, a law, gives birth not only to an effect, but to a series of effects. Of these effects, the first only is immediate; it manifests itself simultaneously with its cause  it is seen. The others unfold in succession  they are not seen: it is well for us, if they are foreseen. Between a good and a bad economist this constitutes the whole difference  the one takes account of the visible effect; the other takes account both of the effects which are seen, and also of those which it is necessary to foresee.

The film, of course, shows the effect not of laws or policy, but of people. When Ma Bailey gave birth to George she also gave birth not only to an effect, but to a series of effects.

George was able to see the effect of his existence on his own life but he did not have the foresight to truly see the effect he had on others. Thats where Clarence comes in. He may be a guardian angel but he helped George by being a good economist and showing him the unseen effects of his life. Youve been given a great gift, George, says Clarence. A chance to see what the world would be like without you.

Because of his life, George not only affected the people of Bedford Falls but affected the lives of people across the United States. As Clarence explains, if George wasnt around to save his kid brother Harry, Harry wouldnt have been around to save the hundreds of men who would have died on the troop transport in World War II.

The film teaches us that we often have an effect on the lives of others that are not seen. What we should also remember is that the effect people have can sometimes be mediated through laws and policies. That is why we need to constantly ask not only what unseen affect we are having on the lives of others, but what unseen effects the policies and laws we advocate for will have that we may not have considered.

Principle #2: Our world is unavoidably one of trade-offs and not solutions.

Whenever we make a decision about how we will spend our time, money, or other resources, we are making a trade-off, giving up one thing for another. This trade-off creates an opportunity cost, the cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action.

For example, George makes a trade-off in deciding to stay and work for the family business while his younger brother goes to college. He later makes a similar trade-off by agreeing to stay with the company so that his brother Harry can take a job in a more promising field. The opportunity cost for George is the college education he had to forgo and the jobs for adventurers (Venezuela oil fields  wanted, man with construction experience. Heres the Yukon, right here  wanted, man with engineering experience.) hell never get to take by staying in Bedford Falls.

For most of the film, George is faced with nothing but trade-offsones hed prefer not make. The opportunity costs he faces (such as turning down a job from Mr. Potter that would have paid $20,000 a year$365,904 in 2015 dollars) are costly, both in terms of money and self-fulfillment. And yet he repeatedly make trade-offs that and benefit others more than him.

As Ive written before, what makes George one of the most inspiring, emotionally complex characters in modern popular culture is that he continually chooses the needs of his family and community over his own self-interested ambitions and desiresand suffers immensely and repeatedly for his sacrifices.

Although sentimental, Capras movie is not a simplistic morality play. Its true that the movie ends on a happy note late on Christmas Eve, when George is saved from ruin. But on Christmas Day hell wake to find that his life is not so different than it was when he wanted to commit suicide.

Nothing much will change because there are no perfect solutions to what George should do with his life. He may have avoided the current crisis but another will arise again in the future. He will continue to face trade-offs in the future, some which are likely to require great sacrifices from him. But by the end of the film he has realized that the trade-offs he has made to benefit others are worth the opportunity cost he had to pay. That lesson, one we often need to learn for ourselves, is a key reason Its a Wonderful Life endures both as a holiday classic and an exemplar of economics in film.
The 11th Executive Hire Show is opening its doors to hire industry professionals on 8 and 9 February 2017 at the events established home at the Ricoh Arena Coventry UK.

The Executive Hire Show has become a hub for the hire industry and year on the year the show increases in size with more exhibitors and a plethora of brand new products on display. For 2017, a new area has been created  the Hire Show Hall  where a direct link has been created from the main hall into the lower halls.

Expect to see the biggest name suppliers to the UK hire industry at the 2017 show  to date the event has 182 exhibitors and 50 of these are brand new to the event. The main hall and atrium areas are now sold out.

One feature of the show is the innovation trail, where the most innovative products at the show are highlighted and then judged by secret shoppers to find the outright winner. The Innovation Trail Winner in 2016 was Morris Site Machinery with its Makinex PHT-140 powered hand truck.

The 2017 exhibitor list is full to the brim already, with the majority of the key players in the hire industry taking stands. These include Avant Tecno, Thwaites, Zenith, and many more.

There are also 50 new exhibitors at this years show and counting. Brand new exhibitors that have committed to the 2017 event include Camberwell Plant Hire, Caterpillar, Nightsearcher, and 47 more from across the industry.

Once again, inspHire will be exhibiting at the Executive Hire Show and the company is looking forward to showing off the new features theyve been working on recently.

Managing director Graham Dobbs said: Weve attended every Executive Hire Show to date and were back again in 2017. Having worked incredibly hard since last years show, weve got a range of new features to demonstrate. Were particularly excited to introduce our new Routing Functionality as well as features weve added to inspHire Mobile and our Web Portal.

The Executive Hire Show takes place on 8 and 9 February 2017, at its established Ricoh arena home in Coventry. Registration is now open and completely free, head to the show website to register now.
Bank employee admits role in scheme that targeted South Jersey cash

Feds say call-center workers took customers' ID and account information, then used that to take their cash.
Singapore is aflutter with a host of up-and-coming districts teeming with food, shopping and cafe culture

There was a time when Singapore was considered a little sterile. But Lion City is now roaring with cosmopolitan diversions. Dip into the city's fusion of old and new by following our guide to five humming districts.

1. Haji Lane





Small in stature but large in character, this retail-lined strip in Singapore's Arab Quarter has long been a magnet for visitors and locals. It's a repository of colourful buildings, eclectic stores and buzzy cafes. Start your outing with a caramel latte at Maison Ikkoku (maisonikkoku.co). Check out the vivid wares at Dulcet Fig (dulcetfig.com), including printed dresses, resin jewellery and vintage clutches. Tangers (tangers.com.sg) is a Seoul-based brand with wearable clothing tricked up with just enough surface detail. Mondays Off (mondays-off.com) is a collection of homewares and gifts. Conclude with a custom-designed cocktail at Bar Stories (facebook.com/pages/Bar-Stories).





2. Tiong Bahru

One of the city's oldest public housing estates has morphed into a locus of cool. The locale, near Chinatown, is teeming with cafes, stores and restaurants. Indie bookstore Books Actually (booksactuallyshop.com) focuses on fictional works, literary publications, and stationery. One of the neighbourhood's leading multibrand stores is Nana & Bird (shop.nanaandbird.com), stocking everything from lace dresses to brass earrings. For quirky homewares, like hedgehog-shaped lamps, head to Strangelets (strangelets.sg). Open Door Policy (odpsingapore.com) serves delicious food that happens to be free of gluten and dairy. Toast the day with mojitos at the saucily named bar, Coq & Balls (coqnballs.com).

3. Jalan Besar

This historical locale is studded with a dizzying array of foodie options. For exemplary burgers, head to Suprette (suprette.com), while fluffy pancakes are the specialty of the house at The Bravery (facebook.com/The-Bravery-Cafe). The Refinery (therefinery.sg) is a trio of establishments in one-yakitori restaurant, cocktail bar and craft workshop-arrayed on three different levels. Coffee connoisseurs swear by the single origin brews at Chye Seng Huat Hardware (cshhcoffee.com), while pastry fans adore Antoinette, (antoinette.com.sg) for its decadent sweet treats.

4. Keong Saik

Perhaps it's fitting that this one-time red light district has evolved into a nocturnal hub. A password posted weekly to Facebook gets you into The Library (facebook.com/pages/The-Library-Bar), a boite hidden behind a pop-up store. Head to Potato Head (ptthead.com), an offshoot of the Bali bar, for burgers and more drinks. The Beast (thebeast.sg) pairs fried chicken with bourbon, while Sum Yi Ta (sumyitai.com) serves Chinese tapas such as curry fishballs. Keong Saik demands multiple visits.

5. Everton Park

With its charming blend of cafes, stores and dessert meccas, this emerging locale is gearing up as the next big thing. Nylon Coffee Roasters (nyloncoffee.sg) source beans from around the world for their tailor-made caffeinated beverages. Grin Affair (grinaffair.com) offers mousse cakes in eye-catching little jars, while Seriously Ice Cream (facebook.com/seriouslyicecream) is the place for experimental flavours like coconut and pandam and purple yam. Shop for high-tech cosmetics at Kew Organics (keworganics.com).
State-owned airline will get only Rs 80 crore as additional budget support in the current financial year from the government  way below its demand of Rs 2,200 crore.
Bharti on Tuesday said its subsidiary Network i2i has entered into a definitive agreement with Egyptian firm Orascom to acquire the latters entire equity stake in Middle East North Africa Submarine Cable Systems (MENA-SCS) for an undisclosed amount.
 Middle Class Terrorists and Sixteen-Year-Old Soldiers | Main | Where's the Coverage? ALS Patients Live Longer in Israel than Anywhere in the World 

August 19, 2014

Hypocrisy Is Thy Name, Condemning Israel Thy Game





Victor Davis Hanson, historian with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, has again hit the nail right on in comparing the Gaza Strip versus Cyprus ("Occupation hypocrisy: Gaza vs. Cyprus," Washington Times, Aug. 13, 2014).

Hanson points out how the West yawns in uninterest about Turkeys brutal occupation of the northern portion of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus since 1974  while its continuously agitated over Israels self-defense measures against deadly threats like that from Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists in Gaza:

Turkish troops still control nearly 40 percent of the island  the most fertile and formerly the richest portion. Some 200,000 Greek refugees never returned home after being expelled from their homes and farms in Northern Cyprus ... Thousands of settlers were shipped in by the Turkish government to occupy former Greek villages and to change Cypriot demography. ... Why, then, is the world not outraged at an occupied Cyprus the way it is at, say, Israel? [...] Greeks in Cyprus and mainland Greece together number less than 13 million people. That is far less than the roughly 300 million Arabic speakers, many from homelands that export oil, who support the Palestinians. No European journalist fears that Greek terrorists will track him down should he write something critical of the Greek Cypriot cause. Greek Cypriots would not bully a journalist in their midst for broadcasting a critical report the way Hamas surely would to any candid reporter in Gaza. [...] We see such hypocrisy when the West stays silent while Muslims butcher each other by the thousands in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Syria. Only when a Westernized country like Israel inflicts far less injury [in response to thousands of terrorist mortar and rocket attacks and infiltration tunnels] to Muslims does the West become irate.

[...] Israel is inordinately condemned for what it supposedly does because its friends are few, its population is tiny, and its adversaries beyond Gaza numerous, dangerous and often powerful. And, of course, because it is Jewish.

In other words, as Hanson notes, aggression and its continuing consequences on the part of Turkey, a large Muslim country with a geographic and demographic foothold in Europe, barely rates comment from Western countries. This is so  even when the object of Turkish aggression is a European state, Greece. But Israel's invasion against Islamic terrorists in the Gaza Strip provokes criticism from the United States, a "war crimes" investigation by the United Nations, a threat to withhold future arms shipments by the United Kingdom and a general wave of hatred including mob attacks on French synagogues and beatings of individual Jews in several European countries.

If hypocrisy were a coin, its two sides would be anti-Zionism and antisemitism.





Posted by MK at August 19, 2014 02:53 PM

The BDS hypocrits also ignore Morocco's conquest and occupation of Western Sahara since 1975, and China's conquest and occupation of Tibet since 1950. Both of these involve massive settler programs and ongoing sporatic violent resistance. Since Israel is not involved, nobody cares, least of all the BDS hypocrits.

Posted by: nelson daniels at August 23, 2014 08:20 PM

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Managing Director T V Narendran believes India could become a net importer of steel in the next few years. In an interview with Kunal Bose, he says the country will experience steel demand growth running ahead of capacity growth. Edited excerpts:
After a bitter eight-week boardroom battle against Ratan Tatas illegal coup, ousted Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry on Monday quit from the boards of six listed companies, including Tata Motors and Indian Hotels. He vowed to shift his fight to a larger platform as the coercive action taken by Tatas against various stakeholders was making him uneasy.
Even as ousted Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry sent his resignation to all listed Tata Group companies on Monday, the board of Indian Hotels Company decided to go ahead with its scheduled extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Tuesday, whose only agenda was to remove Mistry.
The idea was not just to build a big business, but start one that would have a big impact, explains Mudassir Sheikha, co-founder of ride-hailing startup Careem. We wanted to improve the lives of thousands of people and change society for the better.
Ousted Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry today ruled out chances of a truce with Ratan Tata, claiming his fight is for larger issue of governance and that he will slug it out without giving up his family's 18.5% holding in the $103-billion conglomerate.
Soon after resigning from the boards of Tata groups six listed companies on Monday, Cyrus Mistry, 48, spoke to Dev Chatterjee about the reasons for quitting, his plan of action and why he does not have any regrets fighting Indias biggest corporate war with former mentor Ratan Tata.

Edited excerpts:

What made you resign from the boards of all listed companies? What has changed in the past eight weeks since your ouster from the holding companys board as chairman?

In the past eight weeks, I have seen a lot of coercive action from the Tatas towards shareholders, debt holders and employees, making all the three stakeholders uncomfortable. In various representations to shareholders, I had said it was not about me or my position. My resignation proves that. The EGM (extraordinary general meeting) is not the right forum. I want to take the debate to the next level, at the appropriate legal forum, as I dont want to hurt the operating companies.

My fight for governance in Tata Trusts and Tata Sons will continue. The scope for governance in these entities is immense. I continue to remain on the board of Tata Sons as a director and as long as they keep me, I will continue my fight there.

What coercive action are you talking about from the Tatas side?

The Tatas were threatening to withdraw the brand name Tata from the operating companies and they created a fear psychosis. Investors are closely looking at all these developments and taking decisions on the basis of what can go wrong if Tatas continue with this coercive action. The kind of action taken by the Tatas is unfortunate. The decision to quit was my own based on reflections and discussions with stakeholders. Many of them were concerned whether we were creating uncertainty. The employees were insecure and that was something which was not appropriate from my side.

So, what did you gain from the public spat?

I managed to start a debate over the governance standards in the Trusts and in Tata Sons, and get shareholders to ask the right questions. I stand by my statements that both the entities need clear governance and succession structures. The voting at Tata Consultancy Services EGM shows retail shareholders continue to support me as many of them abstained from voting. There was no outside pressure on me to resign and it was my own decision. The EGMs neednt be convened now for my removal.

What will be your course of action on the legal front?

I would not like to talk about that.

What kind of governance standards would you like to see in the Trusts? The Trusts have already spoken about succession planning being underway.

The Tata Trusts should work on the same principles as any international trust with appropriate governance and succession planning and how they engage with Tata Sons. Tata Trusts have to evolve similarly and professionalise their operations.

We have significant areas to focus on and that is to inculcate governance standards in the Trusts and holding companies. We would follow the available legal remedies.

Any regrets from the fight?

I have no regrets at all. No regrets since the day I joined Tata Sons.
A day after Cyrus P Mistry's sudden decision to quit from the boards of six Tata group companies, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) shareholders at the EGM on Tuesday expressed concern over his taking the battle to the courts.

Following Mistry's decision, there was no voting on removing him as the director at the IHCL extraordinary general meeting, but shareholders showed concern over the ousted Tata Sons Chairman's intention of taking a legal course in the ongoing boardroom war at the over $100 billion group.

Mistry quit ahead of five Tata companies-- Indian Hotels, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and Tata Chemicals-- calling EGMs starting from today (December 20) to remove him as a director on company boards in view of his abrupt removal from the group's holding firm Tata Sons on October 24.

Ratan Tata, a scion of the conglomerate's founding family, replaced him as chairman of the group's holding company.

In a dramatic turn to India's biggest boardroom spat, while quitting on Monday from the boards, Mistry launched a scathing broadside against Ratan Tata vowing to shift his fight to a "larger platform".

At today's EGM, 35 shareholders expressed their views to interim chairman Ratan Tata along with Tata Trusts trustee R K Krishna Kumar and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust Managing Trustee R Venkataramanan who attended the meeting.

IHCL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Sarna chaired the meeting, in which directors, including Deepak Parekh, Mehernosh Kapadia and Nadir B Godrej, were also present.

Most of the shareholders said the public spat, which could have been resolved amicably, has damaged the Tata brand and decreased the market value of the company.

"This hassle is not good for the image of the company. There was no need to wash dirty linen in public," said one of the shareholders, Jahangir Batliwala.

Echoing a similar view, Aloysious Mascarenhas said Mistry should have resigned long back.

"I request Mistry not to take the legal course as it takes long long time and is also not good for the image of the company," he said.

Former Managing Director GIC Mahesh Rao said somewhere down the line maturity was lacking in the case of Mistry.

"The group was run by Ratan Tata for so many years and there was not a single controversy. Reputation doesn't come with paying high dividends, but it comes with how gracefully and with dignity you run the company. No amount of criticism is going to touch this group.
Deutsche Bank (DB) will offer 6 months childcare leave to fathers, if they happen to be primary caregivers, across Asia Pacific. Taking a revolutionary step, the bank has decided to introduce a policy to delink parental leave from gender from January 1, 2017, reported Times of India.

This is a major step towards breaking gender stereotypes.

According to an internal notice circulated to the employees, Deutsche Bank stated: The new parental leave policy centres on the caregiver's responsibility, rather than tie parental leave to gender, and replaces what was previously called maternity/ . It also covers surrogacy and adoption and aligns it with parental leave entitlements. Deutsche Bank employees who are new parents can choose to either be the primary caregiver or the non-primary caregiver within the duration of the parental leave. Employees who are non-primary caregivers can continue to take 10 working days paid leave after the birth of their child or adoption of a child below 7 years of age.

Earlier this year, the bank had revised its maternity leave from 16 weeks to 26 weeks, while was revised from 5 to 10 working days.

The Parliament had increased maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks in September, a step that benefits about 1.8 million women in the organised sector and aims at increasing the strength of the working women force.

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 facilitates work from home for nursing mothers once the leave period ends and has made creche facility mandatory in respect of establishments with 50 or more employees.
Facing shortage of cash after demonetisation, a group of angered customers pelted stones at the SBI branch in Kakroli village here, police said today.

The branch manager Chander Mohan lodged a complaint alleging that some persons pelted stones at the bank last evening and damaged property while they were protesting against the shortage of cash at the bank, SHO Anand Mishra said.

Police has registered a case against unidentified persons in this connection, he said.

In a similar incident at Fatehpur village in Shamli district, about 40 km from here, customers vandalised the branch of UP Gramin Bank yesterday after they were unable to get cash, police said.

People blocked the Shahpur-Kandhla road here after the bank in their area ran out of cash, police said.

Police later intervened and cleared the road for traffic movement.

In Jalalabad town of Shamli district, irate people blocked the Delhi-Saharanpur road as they were turned down by the PNB branch.

Traffic movement was affected for several hours due the protests in these area yesterday.
On August 28 2013, the Intelligence Agency nabbed one of its most wanted terrorists- Yasin Bhatkal- along the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar. Bhatkal along with four other operatives allegedly planned the 2013 twin blasts in Hyderabad that killed 19 and injured 130 others.
 Reuters Captions: Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian During Clashes | Main | CAMERA Featured Letter-Writer 

December 20, 2016

Wheres the Coverage? UN Head Admits Anti-Israel Bias



The outgoing head of the United Nations admitted in a Dec. 16, 2016 speech that his organization is biased against Israel. The remarks by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon went largely unreported by major U.S. news media outlets.

Mr. Ban told the U.N. Security Council:

Over the last decade, I have argued that we cannot have a bias against Israel at the U.N. Decades of political maneuvering have create a disproportionate number of resolutions, reports and committees against Israel. In many cases, instead of helping the Palestinian issue, this reality has foiled the ability of the U.N. to fulfill its role effectively.?

According to The Independent, a U.K.-based newspaper, Israels Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon, stated that the United Nations chief had admitted the clear truth? and his organizations hypocrisy towards the Jewish state had broken records over the past decade (Ban Ki-moon says UN has disproportionate focus on Israel,? Dec. 17).?

As CAMERA has frequently noted, the U.N. has a history of anti-Israel discrimination. According to U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based non-profit organization, in 2016 alone, the U.N. General Assembly passed more than 20 resolutions singling out the Jewish state for opprobrium. This, in a year in which the Islamic State and Syrian-dictator Bashar al-Assadsupported by Iran and Security Council member Russiahave carried out mass slaughter in the Middle East.

After this admission, Mr. Ban stated, Israel needs to understand that a democratic state which is run by the rule of law, which continues to militarily occupy the Palestinian people, will still generate criticism and calls to hold her accountable.? Yet, as CAMERA noted in a March 9, 2013 Washington Times Op-Ed, Mr. Ban does not apply a consistent legal yardstick to Arab municipalities in the Jewish state, which he does not denounce as illegal.?

Clear-cut occupations such as Moroccos conquest of the Western Sahara, Chinas takeover of Tibet, and Turkeys seizure of Northern Cyprus, among others, are often given short shift by the U.N. and the media (Hypocrisy is Thy Name, Blaming Israel Thy Game,? CAMERA, Aug. 19, 2014).

Mr. Bans brief moment of candordelivered as he completes his final term as U.N. Secretary Generalwas refreshing. However, his knee jerk response to follow it by singling Israel out was, unfortunately, more of the same.

Posted by SD at December 20, 2016 12:32 PM

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on Monday said that it will provide 10 per cent rebate on any seat left vacant after the preparation of the chart.

According to the Ministry, the decision was taken after the review meeting on "Flexi fare", which was launched in September.

"10 per cent rebate shall be applicable on the base fare of last ticket sold for a particular class and train just before preparation of first chart," said a Ministry statement.

The discount would however be applicable on the surged fare base and not on the original base fare.

The also said that it has reduced the seats in the Tatkal quota in Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi Express trains.

"The tatkal quota should be reduced to 10 per cent of the total classwise accommodation," the statement said.

The railways also said that it willundertake a fortnightly review of utilisation of tatkal quota by Chief Commerical Manager of the Zonal Railways.

"Based on its utilisation, Tatkal quota may be increased upto a maximum of 30 per cent of total classwise accommodation in the train," it added.

The Railways also said that it has rolled back flexi fare system between Jaipur and Ajmer in the New Delhi-Ajmer Shatabdi Express and between Mysore and Bengaluru city on Mysore-Chennai Central Shatabdi Express. Even the fares on these routes have been reduced up to Rs 140.
After barring contentious programmes like Facebook's Free Basics and Airtel Zero, telecom regulator TRAI today recommended government to fund around 100 MB data per month for rural consumers and mooted introduction of third party platforms to provide in a non-discriminatory manner to promote digital economy.

The regulator has given clean chit to model of providing data credit in subscriber's account as reward if "it is structured in a manner that is open and non-discriminatory."



"In order to bridge the affordability gap for the persons residing in rural areas and to support government's efforts towards cashless economy by incentivising digital means, the Authority recommends that a scheme under which a reasonable amount of data, say 100 MB per month, may be made available to rural subscribers for free," TRAI said.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India estimates 100 Megabyte (MB)free data for 50 million rural subscribers in a month would cost Rs 600 crore.

The regulator has suggested that the cost of implementation of the scheme may be met from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)-- which is meant to promote telecom services in rural areas.

Under USOF, the government charges a cess in the form of Universal Access Levy, from telecom licencees to fund setting up of telecom infrastructure in all uncovered rural and remote areas of the country.

"It is a good start. Anything sustains if subscribers understand its value and then they start paying for it. With 100 MB of data, our wallet user can make thousands of transaction which is more than enough," MobiKwik COO Mrinal Sinha said.

For third party aggregator platforms, the regulator has cautioned the data through aggregator should not be designed to circumvent 'The Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations' which bars operators from entering into exclusive pacts with internet companies to subsidise their access.

However, net neutrality volunteers see loophole in Trai's aggregator model and feel that it leaves room for zero rating model.

"Government subsidising data for subscribers is a great step. However, aggregator model would lead to violation of differential pricing regulation. Whether you give data back immediately or later, it will be same a zero rating platform," Internet Freedom Foundation, Co-founder Nikhil Pahwa said.

Zero-rating, is a term that is generally used to describe schemes that provide free access to data services for subscribers of a particular service provider for accessing specific content.

TRAI in February barred differential pricing on Internet which ended services of platforms like Facebook's Free Basics and Airtel Zero. The regulator also released a consultation paper in May where it explored the reward model, toll free model, Direct Money Transfer Model for provision of free data services.
After US and UK, Indian students are no exploring other European destinations. Scandinavian country Sweden seems to be one of the preferred destinations for Indian students.

Indian students going to Sweden for higher studies has gone up significantly. In 2012 the Indian student contingent was around 750, which has gone up to 1,300 in 2013. The senior officials at the Sweden Consulate in India said that it has received 1,200 applications up until now.

The overall number of international students in Sweden have also increased from 7,800 in 2013 to 6,500 in 2012.

Explaining the reason, Fredrika Ornbrant, Consul General, Sweden said, Swedish universities are renowned for their investigative research and independent thinking. Much focus is placed on developing students ability to engage in critical thinking through an analytic mindset. Sweden has one of the most ambitious educational evaluation programmes in the world, aimed at maintaining the systems competitive edge.



Few renowned Universities in Sweden are: Lund University, Stockholm University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Uppsala University, Linkoping University, University of Gothenburg, Stockholm School of Economics, Malmo University and Blekinge Institute of Technology.

Ornbrant adds, Swedish universities will encourage you to discover and develop your true strengths and talents. The focus is on translating theory into practical results by applying knowledge to real-world problems.Sweden has a long tradition of actively pursuing global efforts in sustainable development.



Until recently, all students could study tuition-free in Sweden. In 2010, however, the government passed a law which altered the payment structure to include both tuition and application fees for international students from non-EU/EAA destinations. A number of scholarships are available to compensate for this change, providing financial waivers for international students.

Application and tuition fees apply for students who are not citizens of an EU/EEA/Nordic country or Switzerland. The fees apply only to bachelors and masters programmes and courses, while PhD programmes are tuition-free. Universities set their own tuition fees, and these vary between Rs 8 lakh to Rs 14 lakh per academic year for most subjects. However, programmes in the fields of medicine and art have notably higher fees.

Sweden attracted the second largest contingent of Indian students since 2012 after Thailand. There are 2,000 students studying in Sweden.

Indian students willing to go to Sweden can apply for KTH India Scholarship which is open to Indian students only and established in 2012 through a donation made by an anonymous donor.

According to the Sweden- India Business Guide-2014, the trade between India and Sweden in 2013 is pegged at $70 million as FDIs from Sweden to India in 2013, while the export of goods to Sweden from India was pegged at $732 million.

The export of goods to India was to the tune of around $167 million.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said small traders and businesses will get a tax advantage of more than 30 per cent for digital transactions.

The government on Monday said small traders and businesses with a turnover of up to Rs 2 crore would pay less tax if they accept payments through banking and digital means.

"There will be a significant tax benefit for small traders if you turn digital. It is a tax incentive to support digitisation of economy," Jaitley told the media.

"If we calculate, many traders will get a tax advantage of more than 30 per cent for transactions in digital mode," he added.

On putting a ceiling of Rs 5,000 on deposit of old notes, Jaitley said: "Since the exemptions on using old notes have been lifted (in hospitals, railway stations and other places), there will be no question of getting old notes on a regular basis.

"Whoever has old currency must go and deposit it in one go. If somebody goes every day, it raises suspicion," he added.
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Unnerved by new set of guidelines announced by the RBI, people rushed to bank branches to deposit the now defunct Rs 500/1000 notes in their accounts.

Many branches witnessed sudden surge of customers for deposits on Monday, a day before the new rules kick in.

The Reserve Bank on Monday imposed stiff restrictions on depositing more than Rs 5,000 in the scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, mandating that it can be deposited only once per account till December 30, that too after explaining to bank officials the reasons for not having done that so far.

Stipulating that restrictive conditions will also apply on the cumulative deposit of such notes in a single account when it exceeds Rs 5,000, RBI said that defunct currency up to any amount can be deposited under the new black money amnesty scheme PMGKY.

Under PMGKY, black money holders can deposit unaccounted cash in account which will be subject to 50 per cent tax and 4-year interest free lock-in for the remaining 25 per cent of the amount.

RBI said old notes in excess of Rs 5,000 into a bank account will be received for credit only once during the remaining period till December 30, 2016.

Even after 39 days after the of old Rs 500/1000 notes, banks are still struggling to manage long queues as cash starved customers throng branches to get valid currency notes.

To meet the demand, branches are resorting to cash rationing as they are getting less than their requirement from currency chests.

However, the situation seems slightly better at many ATMs with increased cash availability.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said everyday RBI is injecting a large amount of currency into the banking system as part of its remonetisation exercise.

"Significant amounts are going to be injected in next three weeks which are gradually bringing the pressure down. As more and more new currency comes into circulation, the recirculation itself in the banking system and ATMs will make more currency available," Jaitley had said.
The Narendra Modi government will offer tax incentives to small businesses engaged in cashless transactions, Finance Minister told reporters on Tuesday, as part of the government's fight against the cash economy.

Jaitley said the move would enable businesses with annual turnover of Rs 20 million ($294,000) to save up to 30% in tax payments.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shock move last month to scrap old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, New Delhi has taken a raft of measures to encourage cashless transactions.

Earlier this month, it announced incentives including discounts of between 0.75% to 10% on digital payments for purchases of petrol, diesel and insurance products from state-run companies.

The government last week also unveiled two lucky draw schemes to reward poor and middle-class consumers and small businesses for conducting cashless transactions.

Modi's shock currency replacement programme is aimed at flushing out cash earned through illegal activities or earned legally but never disclosed.

However, the decision has sucked 86% of India's currency out of circulation, leaving companies, farmers and households all suffering. Nine in 10 Indians live in the cash economy and many lack the smartphones and bank accounts they need to go cashless.

($1 = Rs 67.92)
Aiming to break into the top 50 best countries to do business in, the government has identified areas requiring doing away with complex rules and simplifying procedures to enable businesses to start in four days' flat.
New hydro power projects of around 10,000 Megawatt (Mw) capacity being set up jointly by India and Bhutan in the latter's territory, are facing an uncertain future.

Work on the projects has slowed down owing to a dispute between the two sides over their model of development. The strain, if continued, may put at risk thousands of crores of Indian investment and bilateral relations with its neighbour.

A recent proposal by the Indian government to shift from the existing Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) model to a joint venture (JV) model has not gone down well with the Bhutanese side.

With that nation's government having refused to adopt the new model owing to funding constraints, India is now carrying out a review of the cost estimates of several Bhutan projects including those commissioned as well as under construction and planning stages.

"The project development activity has slowed down because of this issue. Because of lack of funds, we had asked them to develop future projects under a model where a JV company with equal partnership would make investment including 70 per cent debt and 30 per cent equity. But Bhutan has refused to adopt the shift, arguing they do not have the money to fund even the 15 per cent equity portion," a senior official close to the development told Business Standard.

India has so far set up three projects - Tala (1,020 Mw), Chukha (336 Mw) and Kurichu (60 Mw) - in Bhutan under the IGA mode, where the entire funding is provided as grant, or soft loans, by the Indian government to Bhutan which implements projects with technical assistance from the Central Electricity Authority under the power ministry.

This includes the 770 Mw Chankharchu-I project, which India wants developed in a JV between Bhutan's power company and National Hydroelectric Corp (NHPC), 600 Mw Kholongchu and 570 Mw Wanchu projects in a JV with Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and 180 Mw Bunakha hydro power plant planned to be set up in a JV with THDC India Ltd.

NHPC, SJVN and THDC are India's state-owned hydro power companies.

The official said India cannot afford to let the projects become a victim of the issue as power imported from Bhutan plays a significant role in bridging the demand and supply gap, particularly in the Eastern and Northeastern states. Also, India has to keep its strategic interest in the region in mind.

The external affairs ministry recently asked the power ministry to carry out an assessment of the funds deployed in the Bhutan hydro projects so far.

The idea is to guard against the tendency of Bhutan to divert assistance towards other areas by showing higher cost-escalations in these projects as compared to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) estimates. A case in point is the under construction Punatsangchhu-I project where cost has been escalated from Rs 3,514 crore at the time of DPR submission in 2006 to Rs 9,396 crore at present.
With the government pushing for digital payments ecosystem even in rural areas and agriculture sector, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has planned to provide RuPay cards to over 34 million farmers in villages across India. These cards will be provided through cooperative banks and farmers' credit cooperative societies.

Nabard has already asked credit societies and cooperative banks to open saving accounts directly or under Jan Dhan. Through RuPay cards, farmers can buy seeds, fertilisers and other farming equipment. Nabard has already planned to deploy 200,000 point-of-sale (PoS) machines in 100,000 villages, for which it has allotted funds of Rs 120 crore. These PoS machines will be installed by commercial banks. Nabard will give Rs 6,000 per equipment incentive to the commercial banks for purchase of PoS machines.
The Narendra Modi governments bold gamble to net in black money through of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes requires a robust tax administration. How much of the old notes will remain unreturned is still up in the air; the windfall for the government might mostly come from the tax on the unexplainable deposits.
The governments efforts to reduce pending litigation under the Direct Resolution Scheme have received a lacklustre response. Only around 300 assessees have come forward, with disputed tax liabilities amounting to Rs 10,000 crore.
The urban reforms and programmes central government departments are running in Prime Minister Narendra Modis constituency Varanasi are likely to be slowed down by the state bureaucracy or for want of funds.
ALSO READ



Press Statement by Prime Minister during the State visit of President of Kyrgyz Republic to India

Your Excellency Mr. Almazbek Atambaev

President of the Kyrgyz Republic,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Members of the Media,

I am delighted to welcome President Almazbek Atambaev on his first state visit to India. Excellency, the warmth of your hospitality and welcome during my visit to the Kyrgyz Republic in July last year is still fresh in my mind. Your visit this time helps us to carry forward the momentum of our cooperation and high level contacts. The relationship between India and the Kyrgyz Republic is filled with goodwill from centuries of shared historical links. Our societies share a sense of warmth that permeates our contacts with Central Asia, including the Kyrgyz Republic. We are also bound by a common belief in democratic values and traditions. Much credit goes to President Atambaev for nurturing and building strong foundations of democracy in Kyrgyz Republic.President Atambaev and I held extensive discussions on the full range of our bilateral engagement. We focused on our common priority of diversifying and deepening bilateral engagement. We also discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society against the common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism. We agreed on the need to coordinate and work closely in addressing and overcoming these challenges for our common benefit. We regard Kyrgyz Republic as a valuable partner in our common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization will also give us a valuable framework to work together on these issues.President Atambaev and I reviewed our cooperative engagement in the defence field. The Kyrgyz-India Mountain Bio-Medical Research Center is an excellent example of successful collaboration. It has proved to be a rewarding research initiative, which we need to build on. We have commenced work on a Kyrgyz-India Joint Military Training Center in Kyrgyz Republic. Our joint military exercises on counter-terrorism are now an annual feature. The next edition has been planned for first quarter of next year in Kyrgyz Republic.President Atambaev and I agreed on the need to connect our economies more deeply. To this end, we will work to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkages, and facilitate greater people-to-people exchanges. We will encourage industry and business on both sides to play a leading role in exploiting opportunities in healthcare, tourism, information technology, agriculture, mining and energy. We have decided to build on our development cooperation including in capacity building and training. People have been at the center of such initiatives. We shall give special emphasis to youth exchanges in our technical and economic cooperation programme with Kyrgyz Republic. The understandings concluded today will support our thrust in these directions. In a first with the Central Asian region, we had initiated tele-medicine links with Kyrgyz Republic last year. We are taking steps to expand this project to other regions of the Kyrgyz Republic.

India and the Kyrgyz Republic will be marking the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in March 2017. As we approach this milestone, President Atambaevs visit to India will drive the process and our efforts of deepening our partnership. It will also help consolidate the recent gains in our engagement and reinforce our ties in the months and years ahead. I wish President Atambaev a memorable and productive visit in India.

Thank you very much

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When it comes to mass atrocities  genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity  we often express disbelief and outrage after we have spectacularly failed to prevent them.
Turkish police have detained a man who fired shots in front of the in Ankara, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack.

The state-run Anadolu Agency says the man took out a pump action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air early today.

He was overpowered by the embassy's security guards.

No one was hurt in the incident which occurred hours after a Turkish policeman, appearing to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit in Ankara.

The embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be "closed for normal operations on Tuesday.
A lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more in what police said was a suspected terror attack.

Ambulances and heavily armed police rushed to the area yesterday after the vehicle mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in horrific scenes reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet, although there are many things pointing to one," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public television.

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least 12 people were killed and 48 were injured in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

Australian Trisha O'Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there."



O'Neill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

A German police spokeswoman told AFP that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

Security sources cited by DPA news agency said that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

The Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him. He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.

German authorities said there was no indication of "further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz", where the suspected attack took place.

"We are investigating whether it was a terror attack but do not yet know what was behind it," a police spokesman said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."



Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"It's awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas," said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris.
Czech police will tighten security measures after at least nine persons were killed in Berlin when a truck ploughed into the crowd, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said.

A truck ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine persons and injuring 50 others, Berlin police said.

The decision to tighten security was made after a discussion with Czech Police President Tomas Tuhy, Chovanec wrote on his Twitter account, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of police patrols on streets will rise by Tuesday and authorities will meet, probably on Tuesday morning, to decide whether to raise the level of terrorist threat in the Czech Republic, Chovanec told Czech Television (CT).

According to the official, based on the information gathered so far, an upgrade of terrorist threat level in the country is unnecessary.
China's foreign minister has expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart on the killing of the to Turkey, calling the assassination a "barbaric act of terrorism."

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that China strongly condemns such actions targeting diplomatic personnel and was "resolutely opposed to all kinds of terrorism."

Wang says China is willing to work with the community in "resolutely supporting" Russia's efforts to crack down on terrorism and will boost cooperation with Moscow on this front.

Chinese and Russian leaders have in recent years extolled the blossoming strategic partnership between the former communist rivals, despite a major decline in two-way trade and the failure to materialise a slew of ambitious projects.
US President-elect today vowed to eradicate ISIS and other Islamist terrorists from the face of the earth after chilling attacks in Turkey, Germany and Switzerland.

"Today we offer our condolences to the family and loved ones of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, who was assassinated by a radical Islamic terrorist," Trump said in a statement.

"The murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilised order and must be universally condemned," he said.

Condemning the Berlin attack, the 70-year-old President- elect said: "Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today's horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday."



A lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in central Berlin yesterday, killing several people and injuring over 50 in what police said was a possible terror attack.

"ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners," Trump said.

In a tweet, Trump said, in view of the terrorist attack yesterday the civilised world must change its thinking.

"Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilised world must change thinking," he wrote.

In Switzerland, a man burst into a Muslim prayer hall, shooting and wounding three men. The attacker was later found dead.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama, who is on a vacation in Hawaii, was briefed about the assassination of the Russian envoy by his national security aide, the White House said.

"This morning the President was briefed by his National Security Team on the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey in Ankara today. The President directed his team to provide updates as warranted," White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said.

Earlier in a statement, US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador and offered all American help in the investigation into the tragic incident.

"The US condemns the assassination today in Ankara of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones, the Russian people, and with the other victims who were injured in this shooting," Kerry said.

"We stand ready to offer assistance to Russia and Turkey as they investigate this despicable attack, which was also an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world," he added.
Donald John Trump has been formally elected to lead the most powerful nation by its electoral college, setting him on course to takeover as the 45th President of the US next month.

With the electors overwhelmingly spurning calls by Hollywood celebrities, politicians and activists to defect from Trump, the president-elect on Monday received 304 electoral college votes, 34 more than the 270 needed for his election.

Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton received only 227 votes despite her 2.9 million lead in popular votes.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," Trump said in a message to the nation. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again."

The final step in the election process is for the Congress to certify the electoral college results on January 6 ahead of the inauguration scheduled for January 20.

The last minute appeals to patriotism fuelled by Democratic President Barack Obama administration's claims that Russia had interfered in the US elections did not turn Trump's electors against him nor the oft-repeated questioning of his suitability for the job.

The appeals to conscience, in fact, backfired when five electors elected by their voters to vote for Clinton turned against her while only two Trump electors voted against him, but for other Republicans.

Three of the Clinton electors voted for Colin Powell, the African-American general, who led the nation in the first Iraq war and was the Secretary of State with President George W. Bush.

Although Trump called his victory a "landslide", it was not one in terms of popular votes or electoral college votes.

Clinton's 2.9 million popular vote lead over Trump did not matter either because the US presidential election is ultimately an indirect election -- much like India's -- and the electors have the final say, not the voters themselves.

The electoral college votes are distributed by states based on their relative size and this helped Trump.

Clinton's popular vote lead came mainly from large states like California, where she trounced Trump by 4.2 million votes and New York by 1.7 million.

But these leads were limited by the number of electors they could elect in the state.

Trump tried to delegitimise Obama by questioning whether he was born in the US, a constitutional requirement.

Now it is payback time for the Democrats who have raised Russia's hand in the elections to undercut his victory.

As electors gathered in state capitals across the nation, they were met by protesters who denounced the alleged Russian interference and called Trump a Russian stooge.

Suddenly for the American liberals and the left, the CIA and the other US intelligence agencies had gained credibility despite their false reporting of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to justify Bush's plan to invade the country, a falsehood that was written in blood costing tens of thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.

The hacking of the Democratic Party computer systems and the publication of internal correspondence and other documents does not seem to have affected Clinton, whose support level before the publication by Wikileaks in fact rose slightly to 48.4 per cent by the time of election.

Trump is heading into his inauguration publicly unperturbed by the Russian allegations, which is claimed by the media and politicians smarting under Clinton's defeat as a direct intervention by President Vladimir Putin.

At thank you rallies around the nation, Trump has been expressing his gratitude to his various supporters, among them Indians and Hindus.

At a rally in Florida last Friday, Trump singled out the two communities pointing out to them in the crowd and said: "They were fantastic."

He has been outlining his policies in broad terms, mainly a throwback to his campaign rhetoric that he had in the post-election interviews even though he had smoothened them on issues like mass deportation of illegal immigrants that he had walked back on.

Now with key cabinet posts filled and an outline for bold policy changes, he has to confront the legitimacy issue over the alleged Russian electoral involvement, and the ethical issues arising from his extensive business interests at home and abroad and his family involvement in government.

But the biggest challenge of all is uniting a polarised nation -- a seemingly impossible task given the depths of animosity on both sides.
When shares of mining companies including Freeport-McMoRan Inc to Glencore Plc were collapsing last year, a small fund run by JPMorgan Asset Management chose to hold on. Now, its reaping the rewards of a metals rebound thats turning bears into bulls. Old Mutual-JPM Natural Resources Fund has delivered a return of 79 percent this year, beating all but two of the 150 funds it competes with in North America and Western Europe that are tracked by Bloomberg. Glencore, one of its biggest holdings, has tripled after plunging 70 percent in 2015. Freeport lost about as much ...
Russias ambassador to Turkey was assassinated at an Ankara art exhibit on Monday evening by a lone Turkish gunman shouting God is great! and dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria! in what the leaders of Turkey and Russia called a provocative terrorist attack.
Both came to power vowing to restore their nations to greatness. But Americas loud, ad-libbing president-elect, Donald J. Trump, and Chinas guarded, calculating president, Xi Jinping, are glaring contrasts as politicians, and their pairing has injected new unpredictability into relations between their governments.
Major US cities and counties are beefing up legal services for immigrants to help them fight deportation and avoid fraudulent lawyers in the wake of Donald Trump's election.

Tapping local government funds to represent immigrants in federal proceedings is an early example of the type of pushback the Republican incoming president will receive in Democratic strongholds.

Advocates call it a matter of justice and smart economics, but some question whether it's a fair use of taxpayer money.

Chicago has approved a USD 1.3 million fund. Officials in Los Angeles are working on a plan. Some California state lawmakers have proposed spending tens of millions of dollars to provide lawyers to immigrants facing deportation. New York is mulling a public-private legal fund, building on New York City's public defender program.
Britain's historic vote in 2016 favouring an exit from the European Union was a political upheaval of seismic proportions as it led to a leadership change which brought to power a woman Prime Minister whose first bilateral visit outside Europe to India signalled the depth in ties.

Theresa May's choice of India for the trip after assuming office following the June 23 referendum sent a positive message but her government's recent crackdown on student and professional visas can hardly be called India-friendly.

'Brexit' also emerged as the word of the year due to the massive projected repercussions of the June 23 referendum, with the shock defeat forcing David Cameron to step down and triggering a bloodbath in world markets besides opening a fresh debate over issues like immigration and advance of the right-wing across Europe.

The early indications for Indo-UK ties seemed positive as there was widespread excitement over the prospect of a free trade agreement between India and Britain-- one of the EU's big three economies, freed from the perceived shackles of its membership of the 28-nation economic bloc after four decades.

"As we leave the EU, we will forge our own trade deals. The leaders from India, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore said they would welcome talks to remove trade barriers," the new Prime Minister told the House of Commons in September.

She then followed up on this promise during her November visit to India which came under very different circumstances than the other high-profile UK visit in April by Prince William and wife Kate- the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Her visit also came nearly a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the UK- the first by an Indian premier to the country in nearly a decade.

Ahead of the visit, May said she would use this visit to "reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree to concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security".

However, this message was somewhat overshadowed by her government's wider efforts to curb immigration into the UK, with a crackdown on student and professional visas expected to hit Indians the hardest.

Modi was candid in his message as he opened the UK-India Tech Summit in New Delhi alongside May: "Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future. We must, therefore, encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities."

Within days, tougher rules were announced on November 24 by the UK Home Office for the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category, raising the salary threshold requirement to 30,000 pounds.Britain's historic vote in 2016 favouring an exit from the European Union was a political upheaval of seismic proportions as it led to a leadership change which brought to power a woman Prime Minister whose first bilateral visit outside Europe to India signalled the depth in ties.

Theresa May's choice of India for the trip after assuming office following the June 23 referendum sent a positive message but her government's recent crackdown on student and professional visas can hardly be called India-friendly.

'Brexit' also emerged as the word of the year due to the massive projected repercussions of the June 23 referendum, with the shock defeat forcing David Cameron to step down and triggering a bloodbath in world markets besides opening a fresh debate over issues like immigration and advance of the right-wing across Europe.

The early indications for Indo-UK ties seemed positive as there was widespread excitement over the prospect of a free trade agreement between India and Britain-- one of the EU's big three economies, freed from the perceived shackles of its membership of the 28-nation economic bloc after four decades.

"As we leave the EU, we will forge our own trade deals. The leaders from India, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore said they would welcome talks to remove trade barriers," the new Prime Minister told the House of Commons in September.

She then followed up on this promise during her November visit to India which came under very different circumstances than the other high-profile UK visit in April by Prince William and wife Kate- the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Her visit also came nearly a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the UK- the first by an Indian premier to the country in nearly a decade.

Ahead of the visit, May said she would use this visit to "reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree to concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security".

However, this message was somewhat overshadowed by her government's wider efforts to curb immigration into the UK, with a crackdown on student and professional visas expected to hit Indians the hardest.

Modi was candid in his message as he opened the UK-India Tech Summit in New Delhi alongside May: "Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future. We must, therefore, encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities."

Within days, tougher rules were announced on November 24 by the UK Home Office for the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category, raising the salary threshold requirement to 30,000 pounds.
The US government says it has extended the economic sanctions on Russia to include eight more entities and seven individuals linked to the annexation of Crimea.

The Treasury Department said on Tuesday that this is part of the government's goal "to maintain pressure on Russia by sustaining the costs of its occupation" of the Ukrainian peninsula.

The statement said six of the people were designated for helping to provide support to Bank Rossiya, which was sanctioned in 2014 for providing material support to a senior Russian official.

The seventh is accused of having links to a company building a military base near the Russia-Ukraine border.

The companies that are sanctioned include Institut Stroiproekt, a Russian highway construction company, Russian government-sponsored Crimean Railway and the Crimean Ports company.
The US Department of Justice has asked to pay between $5 billion and $7 billion to settle a probe over its sale of toxic mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, a source with knowledge of the matter said, but the bank has resisted settling for that amount.
India has renewed its demand for action against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror groups and "their shadowy supporters".

Denouncing the two organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of Al Qaeda, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside.

In an implied criticism of China, he blamed the "split" in the UN bodies that mete out sanctions on terrorist organisations for the world body's inability to deal with the terrorism.

China has blocked India's efforts to have sanctions imposed on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar by a committee that takes action against Al Qaeda and its affiliates. Azhar was behind the attack on the Pathankot air force base this year that left seven Indian soldiers dead.

As a member of the Security Council, China has also provided cover for Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT commander who was the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed more than 160 people. He was already on the UN list of those facing sanctions as terrorists.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, AI Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory," he said.

"Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism."

The international community has to make "it clear that we will neither roll over in the face of terror, nor will we allow the rollback of the achievements of the resolute people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half," Akbaruddin said.
Earlier this year when American value retailer JC Penney released its ad campaign 'Get Your Penney's Worth' in the US, consumers sat up and took notice of it. Not only was the word play interesting and clever, ad agency McGarry Bowen, which had been handed over duties of the brand in 2015, had also played up its value-for-money proposition well. McGarry Bowen has opened shop in India after the Bengaluru-based ad agency Happy Creative Services was bought over by Dentsu two months ago. Founded in 2002 by American ad industry veterans John McGarry, Gordon Bowen and Stewart Owen, McGarry Bowen was acquired by Japanese advertising major Dentsu eight years ago.
A large proportion of the public issues this year have been in the form of offers for sale (OFS), by which shares in firms changed hands but no fresh capital accrued to the companies concerned, and as a result little has gone towards business expansion.
stocks such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals and Indian Hotels were trading mixed on Tuesday after ousted Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry quit from the boards of these six Tata companies. The move came after a bitter eight-week boardroom battle.
A Delhi Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the anticipatory bail plea of senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

The court will now pronounce its order on Kumar's anticipatory bail plea at 2.30 p.m. tomorrow.

The Delhi High Court had earlier on November 4 rejected Kumar's plea to change the judge hearing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Kumar's case was transferred to the Patiala House court by the High Court, which directed the district judge to video record the proceedings at the cost of the accused.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had moved the High Court challenging the acquittal of Kumar in a case relating to killing of five Sikhs -Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh.

Kumar, who was acquitted by a trial court in 2013 of charges of being involved in the murder of five Sikhs by a mob in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar area during the riots, has asked for another bench to hear the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amar Ujala, the 70 year-old Hindi media brand, widely acknowledged as the cultural icon of the Hindi heartland, recently launched a first-of-its-kind thought leadership conclave - SAMWAD.

The event premiered on December 15 at the Taj Vivanta in Lucknow, the epicentre of the Hindi speaking world.

Bollywood stars, political stalwarts, artistes and thought leaders came together to hold the city of Lucknow in thrall for a whole day across eight riveting sessions, addressing the theme UP ke badalte ayam or The changing facets of Uttar Pradesh.

The finest of Lucknow: leaders, glitterati, students, intelligentsia packed into the Amar Ujala SAMWAD hall, hanging onto every word, readying their questions for the star-list of speakers and guests, which included the likes of Virender Sehwag, Akhilesh Yadav, Aamir Khan, Varun Gandhi, Jitin Prasada, Usha Jadhav, Raj Kummar Rao, Sheila Dixit, Shivpal Yadav, Manoj Tiwari and Kumar Vishwas.

The high-points of the event were: the launch of Amar Ujala TV by Aamir Khan, after an hour-long session with the anchor and the audiences, the live interactive session with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who was at his witty best, and the final session where politics shook hands with literature and Kumar Vishwas swept the audiences off their feet.

Amar Ujala SAMWAD explored and discovered ideas about the changes in society, people and politics of the people of the Gangetic belt of Uttar Pradesh. The day-long event had speakers presenting their views candidly, fielding audience questions with wit and humour, and the consensus that emerged was the fact that Uttar-Pradesh was going through unprecedented changes and still needed to tap its huge potential to make it more than just a politically powerful influence on the nation.

Amar Ujala that prides itself as people's newspaper involved its readers from across the world by engaging them through a #askamarujala digital and social campaign, giving opportunity to the local and the global Hindi audience to reach out to the panel of speakers. This campaign created quite a stir online, with more than 5000 audio and text questions and a huge bunch of video letters received from all over the world.

"SAMWAD is a part of Amar Ujala group's continuing efforts at bringing the best of the world to the Hindi space, and taking the vigour and energy of the Hindi people to the world. At a time when Uttar Pradesh is bracing itself for one of the most important state elections of all time, SAMWAD has provided an intellectual playground for unfurling of new plans, approaches and assessment of the path to the future, making the event a roaring success. It has also been a great occasion for us to present the global Hindi audiences with Amar Ujala TV, allowing readers to continue their engagement with us beyond text and through the day," said Mr. Probal Ghosal, Director, Amar Ujala Group.

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The United States embassy in Ankara and its consulates in Istanbul and Adana will be closed on Tuesday after an individual approached the embassy's main gate and discharged a firearm.

The incident happened hours after the Russian ambassador was shot dead nearby by an off-duty policeman.

The embassy said there have been no reported injuries in the incident and the individual who opened fire was in police custody.

The U.S. Mission reminded American citizens to review personal security plans, ensure communication connectivity, to remain aware of your surroundings, including local events, and to monitor local news for breaking events.

The embassy also asked its citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security.

The embassy advised its citizens that the immediate security incident near the embassy in Ankara was over and recommended them to avoid the area due to the ongoing police activity.

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After the Madras high Court put an end to the menace of illegal 'Sharia courts' functioning from various mosques across Tamil Nadu, the Haji Ali petitioner Noorjehan Safia Niaz on Tuesday cited a Supreme Court judgement which pronounced that one cannot ban all 'Sharia courts' that have a legal existence.

"There is a Supreme Court judgement that says that you cannot ban all the Sharia courts that exist and have a legal existence. The Supreme Court has also said that any decision taken by the Sharia court will not be binding and they can be challenged in the regular court of law. But the fact that they are legal, the Supreme Court has already passed the judgment few years back," Safia Niaz told ANI.

Directing the Tamil Nadu government to curb unauthorised 'Sharia' courts, the Madras High Court on Monday, declared all Sharia courts working out of mosques as illegal.

The High Court made it clear that religious places are meant to be used only for religious purposes.

The High Court bench comprising of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar also ordered the Tamil Nadu government to file a status report within four weeks regarding the same.

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China and Norway have reached a consensus on normalisation of ties that deteriorated since the Oslo-based Nobel Committee conferred the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, who was convicted of engaging in activities designed to overthrow the Chinese government.

After a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende in Beijing on Monday, Li said the two countries' foreign ministers had candid and in-depth talks, and reached an agreement on the normalisation of bilateral ties, reports Xinhua.

He said that China hopes to work together with Norway to open a new chapter in bilateral ties, and push forward a sustained, healthy and stable relationship.

Li said China appreciates the new Norwegian government's adherence to the one-China policy and its wish to improve and develop ties with China.

The two economies are highly compatible, Li said, adding China is ready to negotiate with Norway on an FTA, to send out a clear signal of trade and investment liberalisation.

Brende, on his part, said the normalisation of relations is of historic significance, and Norway adheres to the one-China policy and respects Beijing's core interests and major concerns.

Norway hopes to take the opportunity of normalisation of ties with China to enhance high-level exchanges, boost bilateral FTA negotiation and expand win-win cooperation in such areas as investment, hydro power, and offshore oil and gas exploitation, said Brende.

Earlier on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held talks with Brende.

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China has returned the U.S. underwater drone which it had seized last week in the South China Sea, according to Chinese and American officials.

CNN cited a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Defense, as saying, "After friendly consultations between China and the United States, the transfer of the US underwater drone was smoothly completed."

The Pentagon said it would continue to investigate the incident.

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The Indian Coast Guard has apprehended 26 Pakistani fishermen and seized their five fishing boats off Gujarat coast near Kutch as they crossed the Indian territorial waters.

A release issued by Defence PRO said in Ahmedabad that these Pakistani fishermen on five boats were held yesterday when they were inside Indian territory.

The Coast Guard vessel C-419 apprehended Pakistani fishing boats with 26 crew members on board.

The PRO further said these boats and the crew are being escorted to Jakhau port for further investigation.

Last month, at least 43 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan for allegedly entering its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan and India often arrest fishermen from the other country for violation of their territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

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Several countries in Europe have sounded an alert after a Pakistan-origin hardliner hijacked a truck and ran over several people in Berlin, Germany.

The truck driver ploughed his vehicle into a Christmas market, killing 12 persons and injuring dozens of others, German media reported.

German authorities said that the suspect was arrested two kilometers away from the spot where he committed mayhem and is now being interrogated.

Security sources were quoted by media as also saying that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

The truck, police said was registered in Poland.

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

The incident occurred in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a War II bombing raid has been preserved as a reminder of the horrors of war for future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard, which was packed with holiday shoppers. Police said the truck made it as far as 80 yards into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers mostly from Pakistan.

Monday's incident in Berlin has once again brought into focus the alarming prospect of men of Pakistani origin repeatedly perpetrating acts of terror worldwide, and the fear among nations in Europe that they are extremely vulnerable to being exposed to 2008 Mumbai-style terror attacks by Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), whose tentacles have been found to have spread across the continent by security agencies.

Last year's deadly terror attacks at multiple locations in Paris, France, that claimed 130 lives, and the terrorist attack on the departure lounge of Brussels Airport in Zaventem that claimed the lives of 31 people and injured another 300 by two suicide bombers are cases in point that justify this concern.

A group a terror suspects arrested in France last week were reportedly plotting an attack on a Christmas market on the Champs Elysees, in Paris.

In Europe, security agencies in countries like France, Germany Austria and Italy are increasingly unearthing the presence of terrorists with links to Pakistan.

Many European nations are realizing the potential threat to their national security from the rising number of Pakistanis, recruited by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and then illegally sent to Europe, say experts.

Groups like LeT and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which carry out their activities unhindered in Pakistan, instruct Muslim youth in extremist ideology to carry out jihad against the West, say experts, adding that these youth are then illegally pushed into different countries to take forward the objectives of the group to radicalise European Muslims and use them for terror attacks.

In 2015, Italian police arrested more than 18 foreign nationals, many of whom were Pakistanis, on the charge of involvement in jihadi activities in the country. Some of those arrested were also found to be linked to LeT.

It is also learnt that the Greek government, which has been grappling with large inflow of refugees from countries like Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, has recently sent a strong message to Islamabad, warning if it failed to take back all illegal Pakistani nationals residing in Greece, it could be faced with the prospect of being declared an "exporter of terrorism".

Apart from yesterday's killing in Berlin, till now, there have been at least 12 terrorist attacks in Europe in 2016.

Security experts feel that there is an urgent need for the European Union members to respond to this threat jointly by de-radicalisation programmes, enhancing security cooperation and intelligence sharing.

Further, EU members need to quickly put together a common policy on dealing with illegal immigration from countries like Pakistan, where with the tacit support of the government, extremist ideology is being promoted and freely disseminated by radical Islamic and terror groups.

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Kaspersky Lab experts have discovered a modification of the mobile banking Trojan, Faketoken that can encrypt user data. Disguised as various programs and games, including Adobe Flash Player, the modified Trojan can also steal credentials from more than 2,000 Android financial applications.

To date, the modified Faketoken has claimed over 16,000 victims in 27 countries, with most located in Russia, Ukraine, Germany and Thailand.

The newly added data-encryption capability is unusual in that most mobile ransomware focuses on blocking the device rather than the data, which is generally backed-up to the cloud. In Faketoken's case, the data including documents and media files such as pictures and videos is encrypted using an AES symmetric encryption algorithm that can, in some cases, be decrypted by the user without paying a ransom.

During the initial infection process, the Trojan demands administrator rights, permission to overlay other apps or to be a default SMS application often leaving users with little or no choice but to comply. Among other things, these rights enable Faketoken to steal data both directly, like contacts and files, and indirectly, through phishing pages.

The Trojan is designed for data theft on an international scale: once all the necessary rights are in place, it downloads a database from its command and control server containing phrases in 77 languages for different device localizations.

These are used to create phishing messages to seize passwords from users' Gmail accounts. The Trojan can also overlay the Google Play Store, presenting a phishing page to steal credit card details. In fact, the Trojan can download a long list of applications for attack and even an HTML template page to generate phishing pages for the relevant apps. Kaspersky Lab researchers uncovered a list of 2,249 financial applications.

Intriguingly, the modified Faketoken also tries to replace with its own versions application shortcuts for social media networks, instant messengers and browsers. The reason for this is unclear as the substitute icons lead to the same legitimate applications.

"The latest modification of the Faketoken mobile banking Trojan is interesting in that some of the new features appear to provide limited additional benefit for the attackers. That doesn't mean we shouldn't take them seriously. They may represent the groundwork for future developments, or reveal the ongoing innovation of an ever-evolving and successful malware family. In exposing the threat, we can neutralize it, and help to keep people, their devices and their data safe," said Senior Malware Analyst Kaspersky Lab, Roman Unuchek.

Kaspersky Lab advises Android users to take the following steps to protect themselves against the Faketoken Trojan and other malware threats like ensure all data is backed-up, don't automatically agree to hand over rights and permissions when an app asks you to do so think about what is being asked for, and why you are being asked for it and install an antimalware solution on all devices and keep OS software up-to-date.

Kaspersky Lab has detected several thousand Faketoken installation packages capable of encrypting data, the earliest of which dates back to July 2016. Kaspersky Lab products detect all modifications of the Faketoken malware family.

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Global Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd., one of the fastest growing FMCG companies in India, has announced its foray into the mosquito repellent category under the flagship brand of 'DND'- DO NOT DISTURB.

Helmed by Mr. A. Mahendran, the creator of this category in India, DND promises some world class path breaking innovations. As the fourth product category from the company, DND products are designed to provide effective prevention against entry of mosquitos as a proactive solution rather than a conventional protection approach.

Announcing this launch, Mr. A. Mahendran, MD and CEO of Global Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd. said, "We believed that there is a need for a solution which not only knocks down the mosquitoes but also prevents them from entering the house. We have introduced breakthrough innovations such as the Turbo Fan Technology which spreads the active faster and farther, addressing the long felt need of Indian consumers. Another revolutionary product is the Transfluthrin based Nanosol when sprayed, the active stays in the air longer and provides dusk to dawn prevention from mosquitoes.

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India has strongly condemned the tragic assassination of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, and said that there can never be any justification for violence and terrorism.

A statement by the External Affairs Ministry said, "We are deeply saddened and shocked by this dastardly act. We offer our condolences to the family of Ambassador Andrey Karlov and share their pain and grief."

The Russian envoy was shot dead in Ankara yesterday by an unidentified gunman.

The assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey was a "terror attack," the CNN quoted a spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry as saying.

"Today is a tragic day in the history of the Russian Federation. During a public event, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov got wounded and died later. We qualify what happened as a terror attack. We are currently in contact with the Turkish authorities who are assuring us that a thorough and comprehensive investigation will be conducted," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Russian television.

"Murderers will be punished. Terrorism won't sustain. We'll fight it. A memory about this outstanding diplomat will always remain in our hearts. He's a diplomat who's contributed a lot in fighting terrorism during his career," she added.

A video circulating on social media shows the shooting of the ambassador and the gunman is heard shouting, "Allahu Akbar (God is great). Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! "Get back! Get back!"

The man can be heard shouting in Turkish as he waves a gun.

The attack took place while Karlov was attending the opening of an exhibition at a contemporary arts centre in Ankara.

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Visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi along with his Bangladeshi counterpart A. H. Mahmood Ali on Tuesday visited the Rohingyas living in Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhiya.

The duo visited several blocks in the camp and talked to some of the Rohingyas, who fled the violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar that has killed at least 86 people and displaced 30,000 others in recent weeks, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

Marsudi was briefed by Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on the situation in the troubled Rakhine state.

Suu Kyi has been widely criticised for her silence on the Rohingya issue - the most serious violence in her country since the 2012 communal clashes.

However, the Myanmar military has denied allegations by Rohingyas and rights groups that their soldiers have raped women, torched houses and killed civilians in a crackdown which has followed the deadly militant attacks on border guard posts in early October.

The refugee camp visit on Tuesday was also attended by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, Foreign Affairs Secretary Shahidul Haque and representatives from international organisations.

A meeting is scheduled to be held between the two Foreign Ministers after the camp visit, while Marsudi will also meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday evening.

Last month, hundreds of Indonesians took to the streets in Jakarta and other cities to protest against reported rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims during a military crackdown in Myanmar.

The protesters called for the Myanmar military's leaders and all parties accused of violations against Rohingya to be brought before international courts in The Hague.

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New Delhi [India], Dec.20 (ANI): December 18, is International Migrants Day, a day that has greater importance in India as well as internationally, given the spreading wave of nationalism.

Some of the best examples of this are: Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, as well as the alarmingly popular pro-nationalism discourse of France's La Pen, Austria's Hoefer, and various other international figures.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, pointed out how "globalisation isn't working for ordinary people" stating that Canada's recognition of this fact had helped them plan to prevent marginalisation of their own people because the scale of migration to Canada.

The conversation on economic migration has gone on for years. As recently as September 16, 2016 the UNGA discussed in 71st Session, the Resolution on the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants (A/RES/71/1), setting goals to be achieved by 2018 on adopting "a global formula for safe, orderly, and regular migration" that was to be done, respecting the Sustainable Development Goals (2030 Agenda UNGA Resolution A/Res/70/1).

As the UNHCR states, migrants exercise the choice to move to better his standard of living. At the discussions, terrorism and destabilisation of governments was cited as the primary reasons for refugee problems, something that was echoed by M. J. Akbar (Minister of State for External Affairs). In his comments, he made no mention of migrants, and the view India has on ameliorating their position in India.

This is in line with India's policy on both foreign migrants as well as refugees. Though India have not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, India still has binding obligations under International Human Rights instruments like the UDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR, Child Rights Convention and has also been an active part in the discussions on refugee issues (being a member of the Executive Committee in the UNHCR) as well as issues of internal displacement.

The only domestic law that India has is the Foreigners Act of 1946, which does not possess specific protections for migrants (or refugees for that matter).

The MEA set up the India Centre for Migrants in July 2008 to research policies to facilitate migration of Indians to other countries, giving legal assistance to them. They have produced research papers on several issues, not relating to migration into India.

Given that we have migrant workers, documented and undocumented, from Bangladesh, Somalia, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, India must have a policy in place to protect them from exploitation, human trafficking, abuse and continued living in a state of legal limbo.

These migrants remain at the mercy of intermediaries who charge exorbitantly for the entire migration process. Governmental authorities repeatedly justify policy silences, by referring to India's huge populations and limited resources.

A coherent policy is necessary to decide the process of legitimising foreign migrant workers' rights to work, property and legal relief. This International Migrants Day, should serve as a cue to the Indian Government to stand by our international commitments by respecting human life.

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Buoyed with the success of internet ticketing and tourism verticals, IRCTC has recently tied up with the General Sales Agents (GSAs) of Bangladesh.

The GSA scheme for registration of travel agents from outside India will facilitate booking of e-tickets of Indian Railways through IRCTC's website www.irctc.co.in to the customers of the concerned countries.

Apart from the internet ticket, the GSA agents will also have the facility to book the attractive tour packages of IRCTC.

This initiative envisages facilitating inbound foreign tourists and maintaining good relationships with foreign countries particularly the bordering and South Asian countries.

The General Sales Agents scheme was initially launched by IRCTC way back in 2006 with the approval of Ministry of Railways. IRCTC has registered GSAs in the neighbouring countries to promote regional tourism of India.

Currently, IRCTC has 11 working GSAs in Nepal, London, Kuwait and UAE. Registration of 3 GSAs of Srilanka is also in pipeline.

"The GSA scheme will greatly enrich inbound tourists' experiences visiting India and will help to get acquainted with the cultural heritage of India. This will also facilitate the strong bonding with the neighbouring countries" said Dr. Arun Kumar Manocha, CMD, IRCTC.

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Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev was on Tuesday given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

"#PresidentMukherjee accorded a ceremonial welcome to President Alamazbek Sharshenovich Atambaev of Kyrgyzstan at Rashtrapati Bhavan today," said the official Twitter account of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will later in the day hold bilateral discussions with President Atambayev, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on a four-day state visit.

He is leading a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.

This is his first visit to India as President.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a dinner banquet in his honour this evening.

Bolstering existing defence cooperation, enhancing trade ties and exploring surface connectivity projects will be high on the agenda of talks between the two leaders.

The Kyrgyz President's visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to the central Asian country in July last year.

India and Kyrgyzstan share excellent relations in all areas including defence, economy ,commerce, education, human resource development, culture and tourism.

The trade between the two countries was 27.99 million dollars during the last fiscal, with India's exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

Apparel and clothing, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and tea are some of the important items in India's export basket to the country.

About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan.

President Atambayev's visit is expected to further strengthen the cordial relations between the two countries. He is also scheduled to attend a Joint Business Forum tomorrow.

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Manipur has been grappling with an economic blockade on two highways, which are economic lifelines of the state.

The blockade, imposed by Naga tribal groups under United Naga Council (UNC) in November against the creation of Sadar Hills and Jiribam districts, has choked the supply of essentials including fuel and medicines to the state.

Taking everyone by surprise, Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's government on December 8 announced seven new districts in addition to the existing nine in the state.

The UNC, which is staunchly opposed to the move, claims the creation of new districts in the Naga dominated hill areas will encroach upon and divide the traditional land holdings of Naga tribes.

It also claims that the sizeable lands in each of the seven newly created districts belong to the Nagas where they are now reduce to minorities.

Since the blockade was imposed, the state has seen a spike in militant attacks.

Criticising the attacks and killings of cops in the province, vendors of Khwairamband Keithel in Imphal - Asia's largest all women's market - called for a 24-hour statewide shutdown.

"This situation, coming back after so long, makes us really sad because we really felt we are coming back for good but over here, it seems the situation never better than before. It is getting worse with every passing day," said Augustine Shimray, a student.

Normal life in the state has been badly affected. Students coming home for the winter vacation are among the worst hit as they are unable to travel to their hometowns.

"By blocking this road, we have also been affected and we are not trying to cause inconvenience to others. All we want is that the economic blockade in the state should be lifted," added R. K. Binasakhi, a protester.

Earlier this week, the situation took an ugly turn when some groups of people against the economic blockade attacked passenger vehicles, most carrying students, at the Imphal-Ukhrul road.

More than 40 Ukhrul bound vehicles and belongings of 300 plus passengers were torched by the irate mobs.

Following the violence in Khurai area, Imphal East DC Ningthoujam Geoffrey has imposed a curfew under sub-section (2) of Section 144, CrPC 1973, along the stretch of the Imphal- UKhrul road under Porompat and Sawombung sub division of Imphal East.

The curfew will be in place until the situation improves.

Earlier, four women were injured when police fired tear gas shells at angry supporters, who tried to vandalize Manipur Baptist Church at Chingmeirong in Imphal valley - the oldest in Manipur.

Mobile internet services were suspended in the state to prevent rumour mongering.

"I think, it's high time we all come together and try to understand one another. Not only on the outside but it's time we check our hearts how sincere we are in our love and in our interactions with our community and other communities and religious group who are in this place. Only words will not do, we need a serious sincere action," said Esther, a resident of MBC Church Complex.

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Margot Robbie has reportedly married her longtime boyfriend Tom Ackerley at a secret location in Byron Bay, Australia.

The 26-year old actress took to her Instagram handle to confirm her marital status by showing the ring on that finger while kissing Ackerley in a photo.

Robbie also arrived home in a suggestive Say 'I Do' Down Under T-shirt at Gold Coast airport, confirming The Daily Telegraph's report that the 'Suicide Squad' star had her nuptials over the weekend after celebrating engagement earlier this year.

The couple is believed to have tied the knot at a Victoria's wedding venue in nearby Ewingsdale.

Meanwhile, while other guests have kept a low profile on social media, it is thought a friend of the star posted a secretive snap of an intimate beachside location set up for a wedding.

Robbie's other siblings were assumed to also be in attendance, with her sister reportedly her maid of honour on the special day.

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The Crime Branch unit of the Delhi on Tuesday entered into its second day of search operations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in regard with the case of missing student Najeeb Ahmed.

Yesterday almost 60 per cent of the campus was covered. Most of the buildings including academic institutions and hostels were covered. Some residential areas and interiors remaining which will be covered today.

More than 600 police personnel have been deployed at the University for the searches including the District Commissioner of Police and a dozen other senior cops.

The Crime Branch team on Monday reached the JNU to begin its probe into missing student Najeeb Ahmed's case.

The students of JNU have criticised the Delhi Police over the delay in tracing Najeeb, who has been missing from the campus after allegedly being beaten up by a mob of 20 students comprising mostly the ABVP members.

JNUSU president Mohit Pandey last month told media, "The police has not taken any action for finding Najeeb. They have not followed the procedures and responsibilities. Those who had beaten him were not interrogated.

Najeeb's family has so far been critical of the police for not being able to locate him. Denying reports that Najeeb was taking anti-depressant medicines, his sister had earlier alleged that the police was trying to give a different direction to this case.

"We hope the Delhi Police works on the right path to find him and not defame him. Please don't try to defame Najeeb.The Delhi Police needs to go in the right direction. We have also requested for a CBI probe," she said.

The Delhi Police had last month increased the reward from Rs. 2, 00,000 to 5, 00,000 for the person, who provides information about the missing JNU student.

Earlier on October 14, Ahmed was allegedly slapped by an ABVP member canvassing for the hostel elections. The first year M.Sc Biotechnology student has been missing from the next day.

Since then, the students along with Najeeb's family members have been protesting at the campus against the alleged police inaction and demanding the arrest of ABVP members.

A police complaint was earlier filed under Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person, and a proctorial inquiry was also initiated by the varsity.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held delegation-level talks with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev here.

"Reaffirming a closer partnership with Kyrgyz Republic. PM @narendramodi and President Almazbek Atambayev lead delegation level talks," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarp tweeted.

"Its been a special month for diplomacy with Central Asia. After Tajik President last week, PM welcomes Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev," he added.

Earlier, the Kyrgyzstan President was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

President Atambayev is leading a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.

This is his first visit to India as President.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a dinner banquet in his honour this evening.

Bolstering existing defence cooperation, enhancing trade ties and exploring surface connectivity projects will be high on the agenda of talks between the two leaders.

The Kyrgyz President's visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to the central Asian country in July last year.

India and Kyrgyzstan share excellent relations in all areas including defence, economy, commerce, education, human resource development, culture and tourism.

The trade between the two countries was 27.99 million dollars during the last fiscal, with India's exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

Apparel and clothing, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and tea are some of the important items in India's export basket to the country.

About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan.

President Atambayev's visit is expected to further strengthen the cordial relations between the two countries. He is also scheduled to attend a Joint Business Forum tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral discussions with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev in New Delhi today.

President Atambayev will be accorded an ceremonial reception at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan today morning.

Atambayev arrived in New Delhi on Sunday on a four day state visit to India. He is leading a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders. This is his first visit to India as President.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a dinner banquet in his honour this evening.

Bolstering existing defence cooperation, enhancing trade ties and exploring surface connectivity projects will be high on the agenda of talks between the two leaders.

The Kyrgyz President's visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the central Asian country in July last year.

India and Kyrgyztan share excellent relations in all areas including defence, economy ,commerce, education, human resource development, culture and tourism.

The trade between the two countries was 27.99 million dollars during the last fiscal, with India's exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

Apparel and clothing, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and tea are some of the important items in India's export basket to the country.

About 4500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. President Atambayev's visit is expected to further strengthen the cordial relations between the two countries. He is also scheduled to attend a Joint Business Forum tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fans of Spanish actor Miguel Angel Silvestre are in for a treat this holiday because the actor will join crime TV series 'Narcos' for the third season.

The 34-year-old hunky actor hinted to his fans on social media, that he has in fact joined the show's cast, reports E! Online.

Silvestre shared a video of him on set with a cap which read, "Narcos" and simply captioned the post with "#Narcos Buenos.@Netflix."

A Spanish publication has also learned that the 'Velvet' actor's character will be introduced as the person in charge of laundering money for the cartel.

Silvestre has been traveling to and from Bogota, Colombia, for filming, according to HOLA! Espana magazine.

Of his character, Silvestre explained, "He is an enigmatic person. It is not yet very well known how he is. He's had a love story that was bitter and also filled hatred."

Reportedly, Silvestre will sport a Colombian accent in the new season.

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At board meeting held on 20 December 2016

63 Moons Technologies announced that Nisha Dutt and Miten Mehta, Non-Executive Directors have resigned from the Board of the Company and the same has been accepted by the Board at its meeting held on 20 December 2016.

Jigish Sonagara, Whole-time Director, has also decided to stepdown as Whole-time Director, but has consented to continue on the Board as a Non-Executive Director.

Further, the Company has informed that Justice Deepak Verma, former Judge - Supreme Court of India and Chitkala Zutshi (Retd. IAS) have been appointed as additional Non-Executive Directors.

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Australian share market finished session at 16 months peak on Tuesday, 20 December 2016, aided by the central bank optimistic view despite a run of soft data. Most sectors advanced, with banking and consumer stocks taking the spotlight.

Minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's board meeting released on Tuesday indicated the central bank is cautious optimism for the country's economic prospects, although it also showed some concerns over low wage growth. At the closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index inclined 29 points, or 0.52%, to 5591.10, while the broader All Ordinaries index added 27.20 points, or 0.48%, to close at 5640.

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Completes financial tie-up of loan of Rs 95 crore from EXIM Bank

Bhageria Industries has competed the financial tie up of a loan of Rs. 95 crore from Export Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) on the terms and conditions as per their sanction letter dated 06 December 2016 and approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held at company's Registered office on 20 December 2016, for company's 30 MW Solar Power Project being setup at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra and the Loan/Facilities documentation are being executed with the lender for this purpose.

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Drug major Cipla will seek shareholders approval to raise up to Rs 4,000 crore via issue of securities in both domestic and global markets. The company said its board has approved raising funds up to Rs 2,000 crore. It could be via issue of shares or American Depository Receipts (ADRs) or Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) or Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) or other securities, whether denominated in rupee or foreign currency through a public issue or a private placement, it said.

The board also approved raising of funds up to Rs 2,000 crore by issue of non convertible debentures (NCDs) or bonds, in rupee or foreign currency through a public issue or a private placement, it added. The fund raising is subject to necessary permissions sanctions and approvals and the company is seeking approval of shareholders for the aforesaid enabling resolutions by means of postal ballot, Cipla said. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016.

Shares of Tata Group companies will be watched after Cyrus Mistry after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016, resigned from the boards of all publicly listed companies of the Tata group, including Tata Motors and Indian Hotels, after he was unceremoniously removed as the chairman of Tata Sons on 24 October 2016.

Tata Coffee announced plans to set up a freeze dried coffee plant in Vietnam with an installed capacity of 5000 metric tonnes (MT) per annum. This would be done through a subsidiary of the company to be incorporated. The project is subject to the completion of all legal and other formalities. Estimated project cost is $50 million (approximately Rs 350 crore). This move will further strengthen Tata Coffee's growth in the premium instant coffee segment. Tata Coffee already has strong expertise in manufacturing freeze dried coffee at its plant in Theni, Tamil Nadu, which develops blends customized to varied consumer preferences. Freeze dried coffee is a growing segment worldwide in the premium instant coffee segment. Instant Coffee accounts for about 20% of the global coffee consumption with freeze dried instant coffee being the most premium. The plant in Vietnam will serve discerning global customers of Tata Coffee with new product mixes of freeze dried coffee. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016.

Wockhardt said that UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that general compliance with the principles and guidelines of Good Manufacturing Practice of the company's manufacturing unit at L-1, Chikalthana, Aurangabad. In view of this, the approval status of the said unit continues. Further, UK MHRA has considered the said manufacturing unit suitable for Risk based Inspection with reduced inspection frequency of 2 years from the existing inspection frequency of 1 year. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016.

The Phoenix Mills entered into a share purchase agreement for acquisition of the entire 15.18% stake in its subsidiary Offbeat Developers (ODPL) held by Vistra ITCL (India) and IIRF Holdings X. Further, the company has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire Eder River's entire 4.98% stake in ODPL. Subsequent to the completion of both the aforesaid transactions, the shareholding of The Phoenix Mills in ODPL will increase from 74.48% to 94.64%. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016.

Opto Circuits (India) (OCIL) said that the company and its subsidiaries received an order worth Rs 91 crore from Philips Health Care for various products manufactured by the Opto Group of companies. Vinod Ramnani, Chairman & Managing Director of OCIL commented that the latest long term contract helps the company in strengthening its relationship with Philips Health Care. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016.

Granules India announced that Granules OmniChem facility, a 50:50 joint venture company of Granules India and Ajinimoto OmniChem N.V., located at Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, completed its first inspection by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) with seven observations. Granules OmniChem will respond to these observations within the stipulated time period. This facility currently manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) intermediates.

In the consolidated financial statements, Granules India is accounting only its share of profit/loss from Granules OmniChem as per Ind AS regulations with effect from 1 April 2016, Granules India added. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016.

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Deep Industries rose 2.49% to Rs 298.25 at 15:13 IST on BSE after the company signed definitive documents for the proposed primary capital investment by Tridevi Capital Partners in its subsidiary, Prabha Energy.

The announcement was made during market hours today, 20 December 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 82 points or 0.31% at 26,292.70

On the BSE, 1.77 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 70,819 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 313.20 in intraday trade so far, which is record high for the counter. The stock hit a low of Rs 297.50 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 117 on 26 February 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past 30 days till 19 December 2016, rising 29.22% compared with the 0.86% rise in the Sensex. The scrip also outperformed the market in past one quarter, surging 49.19% as against Sensex's 7.53% decline.

The small-cap company has equity capital of Rs 32 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Deep Industries said that the investment shall be made through subscription of compulsorily convertible debentures, which shall represent 40% equity stake in Prabha Energy on fully diluted basis upon conversion of equity shares, for a cash consideration of $20 million at a total valuation of Prabha Energy at $50 million. Prabha Energy is engaged in activities relating to exploration, production, development, mining, marketing, transportation of CBM in India.

The funds invested would primarily be utilised for capital and operating expenditure for the development and production of natural gas from coal bed methane block in north Karanpura coalfields (NK-CBM) in Jharkhand. Prabha Energy holds 25% participating interest in NK-CBM block.

Deep Industries' net profit rose 109.36% to Rs 16.77 crore on 97.14% growth in net sales to Rs 67.50 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015.

Deep Industries is engaged in business of oil and gas services, exploration and production.

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Gujarat Industries Power Company rose 2.08% to Rs 100.45 at 10:37 IST after the company signed power purchase agreements for a period of twenty five years with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 19 December 2016.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 36.37 points or 0.14% to 26,410.69

On the BSE, 53,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 49,684 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 102.80 and a low of Rs 99.85 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 110.05 on 11 November 2016. The stock had hit a 52-week low of Rs 74.40 on 15 March 2016. The stock had outperformed the market over the past 30 days till 19 December 2016, rising 2.93% compared with the 0.86% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had also outperformed the market in past one quarter, gaining 12.2% as against Sensex's 7.53% decline.

The small-cap power generation firm has equity capital of Rs 151.25 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Gujarat Industries Power Company (GIPCO) said that the company has signed power purchase agreements (PPA) for a period of twenty five years with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVNL) for the entire 26 megawatts (MW) wind farm capacity of the Rojmal Wind Farm.

Gujarat Industries Power Company's net profit rose 32.66% to Rs 50.53 crore on 7.43% rise in total income to Rs 336.33 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015.

Gujarat Industries Power Company is engaged in the business of electrical power generation.

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The Japan share market closed stronger after a volatile trade on Tuesday, 20 December 2016, aided by yen depreciation against greenback after the Bank of Japan upgraded its view of the world's third largest economy. Japanese equities started the day in the red, but they bounced back in afternoon trade as the Bank of Japan's decision led to a weakening of the yen -- a plus for Japanese shares. Japan's central bank said it would maintain its loose monetary policy, as expected, and added that the economy was "likely to turn to a moderate expansion".

It also noted exports and industrial production were gathering steam, after saying they were "sluggish" in a November statement. It was the first time the bank has upgraded its assessment of the economy in more than a year. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index inclined 0.53%, or 102.93 points, to 19494.53. The broader Topix index of all first-section shares added 0.21%, or 3.30 points, to finish at 1,552.36.

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A CBI court here on Tuesday convicted a Branch Manager of the Central Bank of India and four others, who will undergo rigorous imprisonment, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.

In a statement, the CBI said R. Krishnadoss, Branch Manager of the Central Bank of India, was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50 lakh for sanctioning loans based on fake property documents to Mars Communications.

According to the premier investigation agency, Krishnadoss caused a wrongful loss of Rs 2,96,79,542 to the bank.

The court also convicted four private persons -- V. Sundarrajan, Harnivasani, V. Karthika and M. Vinod -- to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 3.08 crore.

--IANS

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The Delhi government on Tuesday recommended to the Central government formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company, on the lines of Delhi Metro, to clean the Yamuna river.

"At NCR Planning Board meeting today (Tuesday) we have recommended the Centre to have a Special Purpose Vehicle (a platform containing all concerned agencies), on the lines of Delhi Metro, to help in cleaning Delhi's lifeline Yamuna river," Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain told reporters here.

He said that various agencies of the central and Delhi governments like the Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Jal Board have their parts to play in cleaning the Yamuna river, and the work gets obstructed whenever there is a lack of coordination between the work producing agencies.

Jain said for Metro construction Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was created so that every agency could work in tune with the other.

"All the stakeholders will have to unite and work together to make Yamuna pollution free. I suggested in the meeting that a common platform should be created for Yamuna cleaning and a river front development," Jain said.

The NCR Planning Board meeting was headed by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. Pollution remained the key issue in the meeting.

Jain said Naidu assured to "consider" the suggestion.

"We also requested central government to allow us sufficient time for public sensitisation before notifying the Supreme Court action plan about re-introducing odd-even in the city whenever air pollution level goes up," Jain said.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court asked the Central government to notify the "graded response action plan" for different level of air pollution in the national capital and the National Capital Region (NCR) comprising areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

An emergency situation would result in curbs on the entry of diesel trucks in the national capital, introduction of odd-even scheme for private vehicles, a halt to the construction activities or any other steps to be decided by the task force.

In the meeting, Jain also presented recommendations by IIT Kanpur on the rising pollution level in the city.

"As a part of pollution control measures, IIT Kanpur has recommended that the power plants within 300 km vicinity of the national capital should be shut down. IIT Kanpur also backed vacuuming of dust from the city roads," Jain said.

Jain pointed out that the work on Eastern and Western Expressway by the DDA, which has been underway for the past 15 years, needed to be expedited.

"This project is expected to ease traffic congestion in a major way. These urban extension roads are located in three locations: Mahipalpur, Rohini and Kanjhawala," he added.

--IANS

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned the assassination of Russian ambassador to Ankara, describing it as a "provocation" aimed at ruining Turkey-Russia ties.

"Turkey-Russia relations were vital for the region and those who aim to harm ties are not going to achieve their goals," Erdogan said in a televised message on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Turkish President said he had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who offered to send security officers to Turkey for the investigation.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is expected in Moscow on Tuesday for talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

Earlier on Monday, a gunman in a black suit and tie shot dead the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov as he was speaking at the opening of a photographic art exhibition in the capital city of Ankara, titled "Russia through Turks' eyes."

The gunman shouted "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria. As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety. Whoever has a share in this oppression will pay for it one-by-one. Only death will take me away from here," according to Turkish security sources.

The gunman was shot dead at the scene and identified as 22-year-old Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

He had been on duty for two and a half years at the riot police unit in Ankara.

Three other wounded people were taken to Guven Hospital in central Ankara for treatment.

Turkish Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the attack.

"It's been learned with great sorrow that Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador, lost his life as a result of an armed attack during the opening of a photo exhibition," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on its website.

It said "all the connections of this incident will be brought to light and those responsible will be brought before the court."

"We will not allow this attack to overshadow Turkish-Russian friendship," it added.

Moscow and Ankara were in the process of normalising ties after the latter shot down a Russian warplane on November 24, 2015 claiming airspace violation.

--IANS

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The European Union (EU) liaison officers posted in African countries met in Spain to discuss border security and cross-border crime, an official has said.

The officers, during the meeting on Monday, exchanged information on people smuggling and trafficking activities linking Africa with the EU at a two-day meeting last week, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Participants included 32 liaison officers of EU member states, as well as representatives of the European Commission and experts from Europol and Frontex.

They also discussed the main findings of the Africa-Frontex Intelligence Community (AFIC) report, which is expected to be published next month.

The AFIC was set up in 2010 to provide a platform for exchange of knowledge and intelligence in the field of border security between Frontex and African countries.

--IANS

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Investigators leading the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 plane, which disappeared in March 2014, have recommended expanding the search area, official sources said.

The experts want the search area expanded to an additional 25,000 square km in the Indian Ocean, Efe news reported on Tuesday.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau made the proposal as it was about to suspend the search for wreckage in a 120,000 sq km area that was initially determined as a priority.

Australia is leading the search operation, which also includes Malaysia and China, in the remote area which was made the focus of after analysis of satellite signals and marine currents.

However, no signs of the plane have been found so far.

It was now likely that the search operation would be completed in January.

The ATSB proposed to expand the search following a meeting of experts in November to reassess the latest available information - including several objects found on the beaches on the western side of the Indian Ocean.

"There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," the ATSB said in its latest report.

Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board, most of them Chinese, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Contact was lost just 40 minutes after take-off when the aircraft's communication systems were suddenly shut down.

So far, plane debris were found on the beaches of Reunion Island, Mozambique, Mauritius, South Africa and the French island of Rodrigues - places that match the pattern of the Indian Ocean's currents and where the search is being carried out.

--IANS

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India's sex ratio at birth -- the number of girls born alive for every 1,000 boys -- declined over the last 65 years from 946 to 887 even as per capita income increased nearly 10 times, according to recently released government data.

India's child sex ratio, or the number of girls below six per 1,000 boys, too has declined over the years. In 2011, it stood at 914 -- the lowest since Independence.

In societies that show a marked son preference -- especially in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa -- growing affluence does lead to a fall in the fertility rate, but it also results in a skewed sex ratio.

This is because rising income, which results in increased literacy, makes it easier for families to access sex-selective procedures such as amniocentesis.

As India's per capita income rose to Rs 72,889, its total fertility rate (average number of children born per woman) fell from 5.9 in 1960 to 2.5 in 2012 and to 2.4 in 2014. But its sex ratio at birth fell too.

Consider similar trends in other Asian countries where it is believed that only sons can perpetuate the family line and receive inheritance, apart from earning dowry for the family.

In 2015, China's per capita income stood at $7,924.7, way above India's $1,581.6, but its sex ratio at birth this year was estimated at 869 -- much lower than the world average of 971 -- according to the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook.

South Korea showed an annual per capita income of $20,971 in 2006, but it was among the first countries to report a skewed sex ratio at birth traceable to the widespread use of sex-selective technology.

The link between rising income, falling fertility rate and sex ratio at birth becomes clear as we study the figures reported from various Indian states.

The five richest states in India had per capita incomes higher than the national average, and total fertility rates lower than the national average. But, with the exception of Sikkim, all of them recorded sex ratios below 950.

Delhi, with the second-highest per capita income of Rs 221,219 in 2013-14, has not crossed the 900 mark yet in sex ratio at birth (896).

Telangana, India's newest state, had the fourth-highest sex ratio at birth (961) and a per capita income of Rs 95,961, which made it amongst the top 10 richest states in the country. However, its districts have been showing declining child sex ratios.

Among the states that reported high sex ratios at birth, only Kerala figured among the top 10 richest states. Arunachal Pradesh, which had the country's highest sex ratio at birth (993) in 2014, ranked 13th on the per capita income list.

Kerala's position as an outlier, with a sex ratio at birth of 948 -- the fifth highest in the country -- can be attributed to its literacy rate of 93.91 per cent in 2011, the highest at the time.

The only places in India that had sex ratios at birth more favourable to infant girls are the Union territories of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep, with ratios of 1,031 and 1,043, respectively.

Haryana and Tamil Nadu, the country's third- and fifth-richest states in terms of per capita income, are the fourth- and third-lowest states in terms of sex ratio at birth.

The prevalence of female infanticide in Tamil Nadu has resulted in its sex ratio at birth declining from 935 in 2005 to 834 in 2014. Its per capita income had risen nearly four times in the same period.

Some states -- such as Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura -- do not even have recorded data of sex ratio at birth for certain years.

Tripura registered the sharpest one-year decline in sex ratio at birth -- from 1,055 in 2013 to 882 the following year. Nagaland saw a decline in its sex ratio at birth from 873 in 2013 to 860 in 2014, while in Manipur it dropped to 684 in 2014 from 700 in 2013.

Tribal populations in India have traditionally been gender-balanced. But states with high tribal populations are now reporting declining child sex ratios. One possibility, as per one report, is that these societies are imitating the ways of the so-called upper castes.

When families opt for fewer children, the pressure on women to produce sons becomes more intense.

"Modernisation and rising incomes make it easier and more desirable to select the sex of your children. And on top of that, smaller families combine with greater wealth to reinforce the imperative to produce a son," said a March 2010 article in the Economist news magazine.

A 2006 article published by the National Academy of Sciences in the US traced the link between wealth, fertility rate and a skewed child sex ratio: "When large family size is the norm and access to contraception is limited, son preference has little influence on sex ratio because couples continue bearing children, largely irrespective of the gender of the children.

"Female infanticide, abandonment of newborn girls, and neglect of daughters have been used in such societies to increase the male-to-female ratio in families, especially in situations where poverty has limited the number of desired children."

The report also pointed out that the sex ratio at birth becomes skewed in favour of boys when fertility rates are low "by choice or coercion". Then, "female births must be prevented to allow for the desired number of sons within the family size norm".

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, with whom Sanjukta Nair is an intern. The views expressed are those of IndiaSpend. Feedback at respond@indiaspend.org)

--IANS/IndiaSpend

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India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed six agreements, including on tourism, agriculture and youth affairs, following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev here.

"Tourism, Agriculture, Youth Affairs and more - the leaders witness exchange of agreements that testify to the strength of #IndiaKyrgyz ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on cooperation in youth exchange.

Another MoU was signed on cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute and the Diplomatic Academy of the Kyrgyz Republic.

A third MoU was signed on cooperation in the field of tourism, while a fourth one was signed on cooperation in the field of broadcasting and exchange of audio-visual programmes.

A fifth agreement was signed on cooperation in youth development.

Another agreement was signed on cooperation in agriculture and the food industry.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Atambayev was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

He arrived here on Sunday on a four-day official visit to India.

--IANS

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President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday received his Kyrgyz counterpart, Almazbek Atambayev, who is on his first visit to India, at a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

"Our final State guest for 2016, President Almazbek Atambayev of Kyrgyzstan begins engagements with a ceremonial welcome at @RashtrapatiBhvn," Vikas Swarup, spokesperson, External Affairs ministry, said in a tweet.

Atambayev is here with a high-level delegation comprising ministers and business leaders.

The ceremonial would be followed by a bilateral session with Prime Minster Narendra Modi later in the day.

The state visit by Kyrgyz President has come a year after Modi visited Kyrgyzstan in July 2015.

--IANS

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Actress Lindsay Lohan will remain focused on working with refugees even during the upcoming holidays.

"I am deciding now if I will head back to do more work in refugee camps in Turkey and Antep during or after the New Year," Lohan, 30, told pagesix.com.

The actress previously worked with Syrian refugees, even supplying them energy drinks.

"The dates are not set yet. It depends on how Turkey feels after the recent terrorist attack in Istanbul. Not that any attack has or will ever stop me from helping those suffering, those who need our help the most," she said.

"I miss my family a lot. But they are very supportive and understanding of the fact that my main focus is business, writing and soon to start another film. More so, my work with refugees," Lohan added.

She says she loves giving gifts.

"For family and friends, most definitely I will be sending gifts. For me, I know it sounds silly, but, I am okay. I like to live by the act of giving. In all honesty, I am good with no materialistic gifts," she said.

The actress says she will be ringing in 2017 in the Middle East.

"It will be announced soon but I will be hosting New Year's Eve at Zero Gravity in Dubai which I am very excited about."

--IANS

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An 18-member team of Russian experts arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to investigate the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.

The team, including one prosecutor and two defence attaches, will investigate the incident along with with Turkish officials, Xinhua reported.

The plane with the Russian probe team will take Karlov's body back to Moscow after the completion of procedures by Turkish and Russian authorities.

Meanwhile, the Turkish police has so far arrested seven people in connection with the Russian envoy's murder.

On Monday, the Russian ambassador was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in Ankara's central Cankaya district when Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas shot him dead.

The police early on Tuesday arrested six relatives and a roommate of Altintas who is absconding.

--IANS

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Using the latest satellite data that helps create an 'x-ray' view of the planet, scientists discovered a jet stream within the Earth's molten iron core.

"The European Space Agency's Swarm satellites are providing our sharpest x-ray image yet of the core. We've not only seen this jet stream clearly for the first time, but we understand why it's there," said lead researcher Phil Livermore from the University of Leeds in Britain.

"We can explain it as an accelerating band of molten iron circling the North Pole, like the jet stream in the atmosphere," Livermore said.

Because of the core's remote location under 3,000 kilometres of rock, for many years scientists have studied the Earth's core by measuring the planet's magnetic field - one of the few options available.

Previous research had found that changes in the magnetic field indicated that iron in the outer core was moving faster in the northern hemisphere, mostly under Alaska and Siberia.

But new data from the Swarm satellites revealed these changes are actually caused by a jet stream moving at more than 40 kilometres per year.

This is three times faster than typical outer core speeds and hundreds of thousands of times faster than the speed at which the Earth's tectonic plates move.

The European Space Agency's Swarm mission features a trio of satellites which simultaneously measure and untangle the different magnetic signals which stem from the Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere.

They have provided the clearest information yet about the magnetic field created in the core, according to the scientists.

The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, found the position of the jet stream aligns with a boundary between two different regions in the core.

The jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards this boundary from both sides, which is squeezed out sideways.

"This feature is one of the first deep-Earth discoveries made possible by Swarm. With the unprecedented resolution now possible, it's a very exciting time - we simply don't know what we'll discover next about our planet," Rune Floberghagen, ESA's Swarm mission manager, said.

--IANS

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Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo are preparing an offer to sign former Brazil international defender Gil from Shandong Luneng, according to media reports.

Gil struggled for form and fitness this year, making just 30 appearances for the Chinese Super League club after his 10 million-euro move from Corinthians in January, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the Gazeta Esportiva newspaper, the 29-year-old is open to a return to his homeland as he attempts to reclaim a place in Brazil's national team.

The report added that the centre-back's representatives have discussed a possible move with Flamengo officials.

Meanwhile, Brazilian forward Marinho has reportedly attracted interest from Chinese Super League clubs after an impressive season for Serie A club Vitoria.

--IANS

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The Sri Lanka Navy assisted the Coast Guard to arrest seven Indian fishermen poaching illegally in the northern seas of the island country, the navy said on Tuesday.

The fishermen were arrested in the waters northwest of Delft Island on Monday and were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jaffna, reports Xinhua news agency.

Two Indian fishing trawlers were seized.

Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said there had been a 50-percent drop in poaching by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan waters due to enhanced patrolling by the navy and Coast Guard.

"At least three Indian fishing boats enter Sri Lankan waters every week... This is a huge threat to the Sri Lankan fishing industry," he said.

The minister said Sri Lanka and India will have more talks to seek a solution to the long-standing disputes between fishermen.

The Indian foreign minister and fisheries minister were expected to attend the talks in Colombo next month.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Turkish capital of Ankara, calling it as a "senseless" act of terror.

Earlier on Monday, Karlov, who served as Russian ambassador to Turkey since 2013, was shot dead by a gunman when he spoke at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara.

"The Secretary-General is appalled by this senseless act of terror and emphasizes that there can be no justification for the targeting of diplomatic personnel and civilians," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Secretary-General is following the unfolding situation closely and wishes the other people who were reportedly injured in the attack a speedy and full recovery," it added.

The assassination came one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syrian with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the attack, and is planning a consultation with the foreign ministry and the country's security services.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United Naga Council, which represents the Nagas living in Manipur, met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Tuesday and demanded that President's Rule be imposed in the state in the wake of ongoing violence in the Imphal Valley.

The delegation will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday. It termed the creation of seven new districts as illegitimate as the Hill Area Committee was not consulted -- mandatory under the Indian constitution.

"The state government, without consulting the Naga people, created the districts mostly by bifurcating the Naga districts. This is against the promise under four various memorandums and a written assurance by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2011 that without consulting the stakeholders no administrative setup decisions will be taken," said K.S. Paul, former UNC president.

He said: "We have met the Home Minister and sought his immediate intervention. The Nagas won't tolerate the division of land and creation of new districts. We demand President's Rule in the state of Manipur."

Manipur's Imphal valley has been simmering under violence after the Congress-led state government declared the creation of seven new districts -- Jiribam, Kangpokpi, Tengoupal, Pharzol, Kakching, Noney and Kamjongin.

A blockade has been called by the Nagas to oppose the state government's decision to create Sadar Hills and Jiribam as full-fledged districts, which the UNC claims will bifurcate the ancestral lands of the Nagas living in Manipur.

Asked about Rajnath Singh's response, Paul said: "He (Rajnath) said he is aware of the entire situation."

Referring to the recent violence due to which several Naga students were stranded in Imphal, the leaders said that even Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has not provided any security force to bring the situation under control.

"The CM has been only appealing to maintain peace but has not been doing anything to provide security forces to stop violence," said the leaders.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar's board, on Tuesday, proposed the sale of 449 Mw of power co-generation capacities located at 14 locations to Lalitpur Power Generation Company Limited (LPGCL), a group company for a lump sum cash payment of Rs 1,800 crore, subject to necessary approvals from shareholders and regulator.
With reference to the report, Fresh curbs on deposits above Rs 5,000 (December 20) the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circular dated December 19, on deposit of Specified Bank Notes (SBN) issued to banks can impair public trust in the banking system and in the RBI as the institution responsible for currency management.
Prime Minister and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Monday addressed rallies at Kanpur and Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, respectively. Both the leaders tried to woo voters on the issue of demonetisation.
Fort Lauderdale LPD 28.jpg

Ingalls Shipbuilding was awarded a $1.4 billion dollar contract with the Navy to construct the amphibious transport dock Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28). (Ingalls Shipbuilding)

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Ingalls Shipbuilding was awarded a $1.4 billion U.S. Navy contract on Monday to fund the construction of its 12th amphibious transport dock, the Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28).

The ship's name will pay homage to the state of Florida because of its ties to the Navy, dating back to the 1830s -- which held an important naval training center during World War II.

According to Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias, the continuous awarding of contracts to Ingalls indicates a certain trust and quality product Ingalls constructs and delivers.

"This contract demonstrates the confidence the Navy has in our shipbuilders' performance in this program," Cuccias said. "Building LPD 28 allows the entire LPD industrial base to maintain a hot production line so that our sailors and Marines receive quality amphibious warships as efficiently and affordably as possible."

The San Antonio class is a major part of the Navy's 21st century amphibious assault force. The 684-foot-long, 105-foot-wide ships are used to embark and land Marines, their equipment and supplies ashore via air cushion or conventional landing craft and amphibious assault vehicles, augmented by helicopters or vertical takeoff and landing aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey.

The ships support a Marine Air Ground Task Force across the spectrum of operations, conducting amphibious and expeditionary missions of sea control and power projection to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions throughout the first half of the 21st century.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister over the demonetisation move, Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Tuesday said appears to be having the illusion that within a short span of time he could become as popular as some of his prdecessors.

"I feel that the present Prime Minister in two-and-a- half-year of his rule wants to be like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lalbahadur Shastri, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Rajiv Gandhi, which is not possible," Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, told reporters here.

"To become (popular) like them many things have to be done, many sacrifices need to be made. You cannot just become like them," Patel said.

"When the decision of notebandi (demonetisation) was announced we had supported it, but we are against the way it was implemented as this government had announced the decision without any preparation. Not just that, I would say that the decision was taken without proper thinking," Patel alleged.

"This led to unprecedented trouble for our people especially, to the women," Patel said.

"The way the old money has come into banks, one has an impression that there was no black money in the system," he said.

He said the government had expected that big amount of black money will be unearthed by demonetisation, after which they would be able to give largesse to people in the next budget but now they cannot do that.

In reply to a question on promotion of cashless system, Patel said, "That is not practical in the country, where many people do not have bank accounts and mobile phones. The US also is not a completely cashless economy. To go cashless requires much preparation and they (BJP government) is doing this without any preparations".

Patel is here to oversee preparations ahead of the visit of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday.
German police said today they were treating as "a probable terrorist attack" the killing of 12 people when a lorry ploughed through a packed Berlin Christmas market.

Dozens more were wounded yesterday when the truck tore through the crowd, smashing through wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Police detained the man believed to have deliberately crashed the heavy vehicle loaded with steel beams into the festive market in a area popular with tourists near the capital's iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

The man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker believed to be from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February, according to security sources cited by DPA agency.

A Polish man, thought to have been the truck's registered driver, was found dead on the passenger seat, and police said he had not steered the vehicle.

Twelve people were killed and 48 others injured as the lorry tore through the market for as far as 80 metres (yards) in the incident which came less than a week before Christmas.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet, although there are many things pointing to one," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere hours later.

Berlin police early Tuesday said they presumed the lorry was "intentionally steered" into the crowd and called the bloody carnage a "probable terrorist attack".

One of the survivors, Australian Trisha O'Neill, said she was only metres from "this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people".

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

O'Neill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."



A German police spokeswoman told AFP that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man behind the wheel was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

Police later identified the passenger as a Polish national, while the Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him. He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski said yesterday evening.

Lukasz Wasik of the same company said contact was lost with the 37-year-old at around 3 PM (1930 IST).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two persons were arrested at Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi and 12.5 kg hashish worth around Rs 50 lakh was seized from them, police said today.

Acting on a tip-off, Rattan Bahadur Singh (38) and Shanu Ram (36) were nabbed yesterday by a Special Cell team of Delhi Police, DCP(Special Cell) P S Kushwah said.

Police had got information about one Ramesh who was selling narcotics to drug traffickers of Delhi, Mumbai and Goa for the upcoming New Year's eve parties. Hashish was being brought from Himachal Pradesh, he said.

The duo has been arrested and 12.5 kg of A-grade Hashish, also known as 'Malana Cream' was seized from them. A car, with Himachal Pradesh registration number, which was being used to traffic drugs was also seized from them, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A tiny seismic event that occurred in North Korea on May 12, 2010 may have been an earthquake rather than a small underground nuclear explosion, according to a new study.

The study led by seismologists from Columbia University in the US contradicts the findings of a 2015 report which concluded that the magnitude 1.5 seismic event was a small nuclear explosion.

The seismic signature of an explosion can be distinguished from that of a natural earthquake by looking at the ratio of two different types of seismic waves produced by the event, researchers said.

In the study, Paul G Richards and his colleagues suggest that that the May 12 event's signature is much more like that of an earthquake than an explosion.

More importantly, Richards noted, their analysis demonstrates how even very small seismic events can be monitored and analysed for signs of being a nuclear explosion.

The May 12 event produced seismic signals that are about three thousand times smaller than those coming from confirmed nuclear tests in North Korea conducted in 2013 and this year.

Seismological monitoring of underground nuclear explosions has been underway since the late 1950s, "but we can now monitor down to extraordinarily small sizes of seismic events with high confidence," Richards said.

"We'll never be able to do it perfectly, but we can do it down to such a low magnitude that for all practical purposes we can know whether a nuclear explosion has taken place in a nuclear weapon development programme," he added.

The first signs that a nuclear explosion might have taken place in North Korea in May 2010 came from stations located in South Korea, Japan and Russia that picked up traces of radioactive isotopes indicative of a nuclear explosion, researchers said.

By retracing the path of these unusual radionuclides through the atmosphere, researchers suggested that they were produced in a region of North Korea where earlier confirmed nuclear tests had taken place.

At first, scientists could find no signs of the sort of small seismic event that would indicate a low-yield nuclear explosion related to the radionuclide release.

However in 2015, a team of Chinese scientists identified a very small seismic event in the region and concluded that it came from a nuclear explosion.

"The event they found was so small that we did not detect it during our original study, but it all seemed to fit together with the radionuclide data," Richards said.

The researchers examined the seismic event discovered by the Chinese team, with the help of newly available data from a temporary network of seismic stations deployed in China that captured the May 2010 event.

However, when they compared these data to seismic signatures from confirmed nuclear explosions and earthquakes captured on another Chinese network, they "realised that the problem event turns out to look more like an earthquake".

The study was published in the journal Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Five women were found shot to death inside an SUV in the northern Mexico state of Zacatecas.

The Zacatecas public security secretary said in a statement that the bodies were discovered early yesterday morning in the town of Juan Aldama, near the border with Durango state.

According to the statement, witnesses saw another vehicle pursuing the SUV, which crashed into a wall.

Authorities said they had identified only one of the victims. A gun was discovered inside a plastic bag in the vehicle along with a variety of drugs, and shells from a semi-automatic rifle were also found in the area.

In the neighboring state of Jalisco, authorities said that one of 10 men arrested Sunday for transporting bodies in the back of a pickup truck was a state police detective.

Police have frequently been accused of collaborating with Mexico's drug gangs.

Jalisco chief prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer also raised from five to six the number of bodies found covered with plastic in the truck.

Four of the dead had been identified and were said to have had drug trafficking links in the past. Almaguer said the killings were apparently part of a dispute between drug gangs on the outskirts of the state capital, Guadalajara.

Jalisco is home to Mexico's fastest-growing drug gang, the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Almaguer said another of the 10 detained was a leading operator for Jalisco New Generation in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In technical collaboration with apex body of chartered accountants' ICAI, Indian Railways has released the "first ever" accrual-based financial statement for North Western Railway.

Indian Railways engaged ICAI ARF (Accounting Research Foundation) to conduct a pilot study to prepare the financial statements of North Western Zonal Railway on accrual basis as an additional set of accounts.

In a release today, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) said the "first ever accrual based financial statement for North Western Railway" has been released.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu released the financial statements along with implementation manual and accounting policies, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telugu film star and Janasena Party founder Pawan Kalyan, who has been critical of BJP for going back on the promise of according special category status to Andhra Pradesh, today criticised the demonetisation decision.

Kalyan addressed RBI Governor Urjit Patel in his critical tweets on the note ban move.

"Mr Urjit Patel, This is late Sri Balaraju (from Kurnool, AP) one of the many countless victims who had lost their lives because of your well thought-out demonetisation," Kalyan said.

He also posted the picture of Balaraju.

When manual scavenging still exists in the country, he said, "You (Patel) want us to believe that 'cashless economy' will work."



Demonetisation has disrupted the lives of various sections of society, including tribals, farmers, daily wage labourers, housewives and senior citizens, he said.

While common people "are dying standing in queues", those who plundered the wealth of the country are exchanging their wealth (old notes) sitting in their homes, Kalyan said.

Quoting from a book of Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Kalyan said: "When the gap between what you know and what you think you know becomes dangerously wide... Disasters of this magnitude will be created."



Kalyan had canvassed for TDP-BJP in the 2014 elections and his campaign was believed to be one of the main reasons for the success of the combine in Andhra Pradesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security was beefed up at Christmas markets across Europe after a lorry ploughed through a market in Berlin killing 12 people and heightening security fears at the onset of the holiday season.

The carnage in the German capital had particular resonance in France, which has borne the brunt of terror attacks in Europe for the past two years.

The witness accounts of a truck barrelling through a crowd of revellers immediately brought to mind the scenes in the Riviera city of Nice in July, where an Islamist used a lorry to mow down 86 people during Bastille Day celebrations.

President Francois Hollande said France was under a "high level of threat" following the events in Berlin but pointed out that the country already has a large-scale security operation in place.

"We have a high level of threat and we also have a particularly high level of mobilisation and vigilance," Hollande said.

France's best-known Christmas market in the picturesque eastern city of Strasbourg has been a particular concern for security forces for years, with at least two jihadist cells in the city being broken up in the past few years.

Bruno Le Roux, France's recently appointed interior minister, visited the market today and told Europe 1 radio that authorities "will ensure the security of our territory and citizens".

In Strasbourg, even before the Berlin attack, security was tight. Police man barricades at the various entry points to the main island of the city, where the market is located. While the officers check bags, private security guards mingle with the crowd to keep watch.

In Paris, the large Christmas market extending along the renowned Champs-Elysees avenue was the target for a gang of six suspected jihadists arrested in November, according to prosecutors.

In the wake of the Berlin attack, officials today added more concrete blast blocks at pedestrian entrances to the market, which is sealed off on the traffic side by metal barricades.

In Austria, a traditional home of the Christmas market, authorities said security would be stepped up around such sites.

Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka urged people not to change their Christmas routines, but to be alert to anything unusual.

"I ask everyone to continue to go to markets or big events, albeit while exercising the greatest caution," he said.

In Britain, the central English city of Birmingham erected concrete blocks earlier this month around what it bills as the "largest authentic German Christmas market outside Germany or Austria".

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said that despite the Berlin attack, the threat to Britain remained unchanged at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely".

Authorities in Poland, where the truck used in the Berlin rampage began its journey before being apparently hijacked, said they would lay on more police patrols around sensitive sites such as stations and shopping centres.

Belgium, where many of the plots in Europe have originated, left its alert level at "possible or likely" attack.

In Switzerland's main Christmas market in Basle, police said entrances would henceforth be blocked by barriers or police vehicles.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the government preparing for the take off of UDAN, Air India might take longer to play an active part in the ambitious scheme as regulatory approval for the 19-seater Dornier aircraft is likely to happen only by July next year.

The national carrier is expected to be a vital clog in the government's efforts to make flying more affordable by connecting unserved and under-served airports as well as capping fares for one-hour flights at Rs 2,500 under UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik).

To be part of the scheme, Air India is mulling induction of around 10 to 12 Dornier aircraft by its wholly-owned subsidiary Alliance Air.

Dornier planes, made by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), are yet to be utilised for general passenger services and hence would require relevant approval from aviation regulator DGCA.

A senior Air India official said a committee has already submitted its report that examined feasibility of inducting Dornier planes into Alliance Air fleet.

While a final decision on the report and further moves are expected soon, the official said around 10-12 such aircraft are likely to be inducted.

"Once it gets type certified, we may look into it for regional connectivity (scheme)... The report has been submitted but the aircraft is yet to be type certified. By June or July, it would be type certified," the official said.

While the government expects to start the first flight under UDAN from next month, the longer time likely to be taken for type certification of Dornier planes would mean that Air India might take more time before operating higher number of flights under the scheme.

Type certification is a process whereby the regulator certifies that a particular model of plane is air worthy.

The 19-seater Dornier 228 aircraft are being made by HAL under licence from Swiss technology company RUAG for the armed forces and the European market.

Last week, the government told the Lok Sabha that Alliance Air is examining the induction of Dornier aircraft.

Alliance Air, which mostly connects Tier-II and -III cities to metro hubs, currently flies to 34 destinations and has 39 daily departures.

Under UDAN, the government has listed three categories of aircraft - those having less than 20 seats, 21-80 seats, and 80 seats or more.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CAPITOL DOME OPINION ART.jpg

Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

Once again reminding us that it's never too early to start thinking about the next campaign, a veteran Republican state House member whose district includes parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, has announced that he's throwing in the towel.

Rep. Eli Evankovich, R-Allegheny (PA. House photo)

Rep. Eli Evankovich, one of the chamber's more noted tax hawks, says he's stepping down in 2018 after six years in Harrisburg.

The reason?

A life-changing motorcycle accident that reminded him that there's more to life than state government.

"Earlier this year, I was in a bad motorcycle accident, and thanks to God and superb medical care, I made a full recovery," he wrote, in a statement obtained by PennLive. "It was, however, a life event that could have very easily gone in a much different direction, and it is what brought me to this very tough decision."

In an interview with his hometown Tribune-Review, Evankovich said the accident "started to get my wheels turning for how I look at life."

"The reason I'm making the decision public now is I wanted people to know why," he told the newspaper, adding that he hasn't started thinking about a life beyond the Capitol yet. "I think it's a good idea for the voting public to know what their elected officials are thinking. When it became absolutely clear to me, I think they deserved to know that. Whoever is going to take my spot, they deserve an opportunity to start to think about that."

Evankovich, who represents the 54th House District, was first elected in 2010, defeating Democratic Rep. John Pallone in that year's GOP wave election.

If his name sounds familiar, it might be because he made headlines in December 2015 when he tried to pull the mother of all squeeze plays to break that year's epic budget deadlock.

Evankovich teamed with Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks, tried to force Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to veto his own office's funding if he tried to veto the rest of the state budget. It didn't work and it never happened - but it was fun to read about

Here's the full text of Evankovich's press release:

"LOWER BURRELL - State Rep. Eli Evankovich (R-Westmoreland/Allegheny) announced today that he will not seek re-election for a fifth term in the General Assembly.

Evankovich, a former financial analyst for United States Steel Corporation who was first elected in 2010, made the following statement:

"It has truly been an honor to serve in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on behalf of the people of the 54th district in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

When I was first running for office in 2010, I made a commitment to the voters that I did not intend to serve a life-long career in public office.

"My personal mission was to do my part in making government more efficient and to help to change the dynamic in government by using some of my private sector experience.

"While I am proud of what I was able to accomplish during my tenure, getting things done in government is the ultimate team sport.

"I am grateful for everyone who has helped me succeed in making change along the way. I am also proud of the issues, large and small, that I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with others to help resolve.

"From manufacturing to law enforcement, health care to sexual assault, and infrastructure to energy, every issue I have had an opportunity to address throughout my career has been important to me.

"Perhaps the most fulfilling experience has been the opportunity to help the people who walked into my office that just needed the government to work for them for a change.

"Holding office has a way of making you always want to do more: when one issue is resolved, another will always cross your desk that begs for the same resolution which in turn means another term.

"When my career in public service would end has been a decision I have thought about since the moment that I knocked on my first door nearly seven years ago.

I have no shortage of personal desire or motivation to keep serving as a lawmaker to make our state a better place.

"However, this decision became much less complex last summer in a very unexpected way.

"Earlier this year, I was in a bad motorcycle accident, and thanks to God and superb medical care, I made a full recovery.

"It was, however, a life event that could have very easily gone in a much different direction, and it is what brought me to this very tough decision.

"Serving my constituents and the Commonwealth has been, and will continue to be, one of the greatest honors of my life.

"For my time remaining in public office, I will continue to work diligently towards the policies upon which I campaigned and defined my tenure over the past six years: government reform, private sector job growth and fiscal responsibility."

The rest of the day's news starts now.

Layoffs have officially hit the state Dept. of Labor & Industry, our Capitol colleague Charlie Thompson writes.

So you might have heard by now, the Electoral College did its thing and Pa's electors cast their ballots for Donald Trump. The Republic endures, etc.

A new audit of the Allegheny County health department is critical of the agency after high levels of lead were found in Pittsburgh's water supply, The Post-Gazette reports.

A judge has ruled that Philly's soda tax, while annoying to some, is still entirely legal, BillyPenn reports.

From yesterday's protests on the Capitol steps, here's your #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:

NPR reconvenes voters it interviewed in 2008's "York Project" to find out how they're feeling about things in 2016 (via WITF-FM).

Outgoing U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was in Wilmington, Del. on Monday to talk crime and punishment. NewsWorks/WHYY-FM has the story.

Good news, Lehigh Valley residents, your cable rates are about to go up (again), The Morning Call reports.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., is backing ChesCo GOP chair Val DiGiorgio as the next head of the Pa. GOP, PoliticsPA reports.

The pressure is growing on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to call a probe on Russian hacking, Politico reports.

Roll Call has its 33 political photos that defined 2016.

When it comes to marriage, many millennials can wait, Stateline.org reports.

WolfWatch.

Gov. Tom Wolf has no public schedule today.

Heavy Rotation.

Here's 60 minutes of great music to get you through the first hour of your working day. What you do from there is entirely up to you.

Tuesday's Gratuitous Hockey Link.

Making us very happy indeed, Nashville beat Philadelphia 2-1 in a shootout on Monday night.

And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.
A month after Union Minister Maneka Gandhi wrote to the Environment Ministry over "no implementation" of rules governing cattle premises, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has amended the regulation and delegated powers with State Animal Welfare Boards for more rigorous implementation.

AWBI has drafted amendments to The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Registration of Cattle Premises) Rules, 1978, the revised regulation of which was sent to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) yesterday.

The proposed rules authorise AWBI and State Animal Welfare Board (SAWB) to give directions to registering authority, collect records and information pertaining to dairy farms, authorise inspection and sanction seizure of cattle in cases where rules are being flouted.

It also expands the definition of cattle premises to include "a premises, whether commercial or not, in which not less than five cattle are kept". In contrast, the old set of rules of 1978 had defined that the regulation would "apply only to cities or towns which have a population exceeding one lakh".

These guidelines also require a physical "inspection" of the site before issuing a registration certificate whereas in the older rules it was not a pre-requisite.

AWBI member and Managing Director of Humane Society International (HSI) N Jayasimha said SAWBs have been given more powers because they found that local bodies were not carrying out their responsibilities.

"In an inspection of Ghazipur and Masoodpur dairies, we found that there was no regulation or registration. We found from all MCDs that not a single dairy farm was registered with them.

"So, we have given responsibilities to the entire institutional framework that exists to ensure Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act instead of just the local authority who are not doing their work," Jayasimha said.

He added that it is not enough to merely ban beef consumption to protect cows, but the need is to have a stronger regulatory mechanism.

"The tap really is your dairy industry. If you do not



close the tap or regulate the dairy industry and merely say you can't kill them or transport them, then where will these animals go?" he said.

These revised set of rules follow a letter written by Women and Child Development Minister Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist.

In a letter dated November 7, 2016 she had written to Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave "to bring in an amendment to the Registration of Cattle Premises Rules, 1978."



She had also also highlighted the condition of 10 prominent dairies, including Masoodpur, Ghazipur and Goga, in Delhi.

"None of the dairies rear male calves or even allow a few days of nursing to the young animals and send them off to slaughter ... The overcrowding of animals in urban dairies is so severe that buffaloes are also stuffed into basements of tiny plots," Gandhi wrote.

As per the inspection report on Ghazipur and Masoodpur dairies prepared in December 2015, it was found that there was poor sanitation, high mortality rate among animals and instances of theft of buffaloes by butcher gangs also came to light.
Noted actress Kajol is excited as well as apprehensive about returning to Tamil films after a gap of 19 years, with actor Dhanush's next movie.

Kajol is set to star in "Velaiilla Pattadhari 2", which will be directed by Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya. The movie is being co-produced by Dhanush under his banner WunderBar Films.

When asked about the film, Kajol told reporters here, "I am a little apprehensive. But I love the fact that I am going back to Tamil (cinema) after a very long time and I am also extremely excited."



The actress' last Tamil movie was "Minsara Kanavu", the 1997 musical rom-com which also starred Arvind Swamy and Prabhu Deva.

Interacting with the media at the red carpet of SansuI Colors Stardust Awards here last night, Kajol also talked about Dhanush and Soundarya.

"Dhanush is a very fine actor. I haven't seen Soundarya's work but she looks like she knows what she is talking about and we get along very well. So, things will be good," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Armed forces personnel will be able to caste their votes by using electronic postal ballot facility for the first time in the country in the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls, state Chief Electoral Officer V K Singh said today.

The state election office hopes that with the use of e-ballot means, the voting percentage by armed forces may jump to 70-80 per cent as against usual percentage of 2-3 per cent.

"Electronic postal ballot facility will be introduced for the defence forces for the first time in the country in coming Punjab Assembly polls," Singh said.

He said that the ballot paper would be sent through electronic means to the respective armed units.

Under this facility, defence voters could download the blank ballot paper and after marking their preference, ballot papers would be sent back to the respective Returning Officers (RO) through post, officials said.

This e-ballot facility will greatly benefit defence voters who have been posted at far-flung and border areas, besides reducing delay in receipt of the marked postal ballot by the ROs, they said.

"Their votes will reach within five days," Singh said.

Singh informed that there were about 1.10 lakh registered defence service voters in Punjab.

"With the use of e-ballot facility, the voting percentage can go up to 70-80 per cent," he said.

The Centre had accepted the recommendation of the Election Commission of India regarding the e-ballot facility for service voters, including armed personnel posted at border areas in order to save valuable time.

The Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi during his visit to Chandigarh in October this year in connection with preparation of electoral machinery for upcoming polls, had said that service voters posted at border areas could use e-ballot facility for the first time in Punjab to promote inclusive participation in election process.

Zaidi had then said that most of service voters could not go to their polling stations as they were posted outside.

(REOPENS DES 20)



Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer V K Singh said a decision is yet to be taken in how many assembly constituencies of Punjab the e-ballot facility will be implemented in the upcoming Assembly polls.

"In how many assembly constituencies the e-ballot facility will be implemented, this matter is under consideration with the Election Commission," said Singh.

He said that the technology has already been approved in this regard.
Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Ltd plans to sell its co-generation power business to its group company Lalitpur Power Generation Company Ltd (LPGCL) for about Rs 1,800 crore.

The company's board today "considered approval of sale and transfer of co-generation power business of aggregating capacity of 449 MW located at 14 locations to LPGCL for a lumpsum consideration in cash of about Rs 1,800 crore as a going concern on slump sale basis in accordance with the business transfer agreement to be entered into with LPGCL."



In a filing to BSE, the company said: "Entire amount of cash consideration is proposed to be utilised by Bajaj Hindusthan Sugar Ltd towards advance repayment of its existing term debt.

The proposed sale and transfer of co-gen power business will be subject to approval of members, lenders and all other statutory/regulatory authorities,"



Bajaj Hindusthan has 14 sugar mills with cane crushing capacity of 1.36 lakh tonnes per day and alcohol distillation capacity of 800 kilo litres per day. It has posted standalone net loss of Rs 137.71 crore for the second quarter of the current fiscal on high finance cost compared to Rs 282.72 crore loss in the July-September period of last fiscal.

Besides sugar, Shishir Bajaj-led Bajaj group has interests in power, ethanol, real estate, personal care products and infrastructure.

The group's power venture includes Bajaj Energy Pvt Ltd, with 450 MW thermal power generation commissioned in 2012 and the Lalitpur Power Generation Co Ltd with a total of 1980 MW thermal power generation capacity.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) have given a call for demonstration against the problems that various banks and their employees are facing due to demonetisation.

The agitational programmes that they plan to undertake include demonstrations on December 28, followed by the unions addressing a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on December 29, the two bank unions said. The union members also plan to demonstrate over the issue on January 2 and 3, 2017.

AIBEA general secretary C H Venkatchalam and his AIBOA counterpart S Nagrajan in a statement issued today said, "As per the call of our organisations, already our units have undertaken the programme of demonstrations in all major centres and met the local executives of RBI to hand over our memorandum."



The unions have demanded to ensure supply of adequate cash to all banks and branches, restore all ATMs without further delay and ensure transparency in cash supply to banks.

"If RBI is not able to supply adequate cash to banks, then decision should be taken to suspend cash transactions in the bank branches till sufficient cash is supplied to banks," the statement said.

They also demanded CBI inquiry into the cases of seizure of huge number of new currency notes with some big persons when the bank branches are cash starved.

The unions also demanded compensation to the families of the persons and bank staff who lost their lives recently due to the demonetisation.

The statement asked RBI and state governments to ensure safety and protection of bank employees and officers by maintaining law and order in all branches to prevent harassment of the staff.

They also want proper compensation to employees and officers for their extra work/late sittings done in the last more than a month.

Both the unions claim to have over 5.50 lakh members out of the nearly 9 lakh bank employees in the country.
The Green City Mission of the West Bengal government will start with an initial funding of Rs 50 lakh each to all 125 municipalities, state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said today.

"We will offer Rs 50 lakh to each of the municipalities as initial fund to begin work for the green city mission of the state," he said on the sidelines of CII organised 'Green Buildings' conference.

The state government had created a corpus of Rs 400 crore for the project conceptualised after it did not find the Centre's smart city scheme feasible.

"We have constraints on resources. In smart city project the state will have to fund Rs 1,000 crore upfront and then the Centre will release Rs 500 crore in five years," Hakim said.

An urban development department official said only 20 municipalities out of the 125 had submitted the filled in questionnaire given to them in November to understand their requirement under the mission.

The minister also said the benefit of extra 10 percent Floor Area Ratio would be extended to all municipalities. He also emphasised that there was need for reframing of planning principals to bear the mounting pressure of urbanisation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani asylum seeker was today apprehended for mowing down Christmas shoppers in a crowded market in the heart of Berlin with a large truck, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50 others even as authorities retracted later saying he may not be behind the "terror attack".

Hours after the 23-year-old Pakistani man, identified by German media as Naved B, was picked up from near the site and Chancellor Angela Merkel called the deadly rampage a "terrorist" attack likely committed by an asylum seeker, Berlin police chief said it was not clear if the man arrested was the driver of the vehicle.

The police said the "dangerous criminal" responsible for the country's first mass 'terror attack' in recent years may still be at large, sparking concerns of a potential threat ahead of Christmas.

"It is indeed uncertain he was the driver," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt told reporters about the suspect as interrogation and forensic examination was underway.

According to police, the armed real perpetrator is still at large "and can cause new damage".

The large black truck, bearing a Polish number plate and laden with steel girds, rammed into the traditional Christmas market in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, one of the main landmarks of the city, shortly after 8 pm (local time) as hundreds of people were milling around the shops and stands.

The vehicle rolled about 50 to 80 metres into the market area at the major public square Breitscheidplatz popular with tourists, hitting a number of visitors and demolishing several shops.

At least 12 people were killed and 48 others injured, including 18 seriously as the driver mounted the pavement with the speeding truck, crushing people and triggering panic, in gory scenes reminiscent of the July 14 Nice attack.

Police said the Scania truck belonged to a Polish transport company and they suspect it may have been stolen from a construction site.

Two persons were inside the driver's cabin at time of the incident, police said, adding that while the driver jumped out of the vehicle after it came to a halt and fled from the scene, a body of a Polish national was found inside the truck.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere earlier confirmed reports that the suspect is Pakistani and had arrived in Germany on December 31, 2015, seeking asylum.

He, however, "denies the act", de Maiziere said. "We have no doubt that this terrible event was an attack."



A visibly moved Merkel, dressed in black, had earlier said authorities believe the deadly rampage was a "terrorist" attack likely committed by an asylum seeker as she pledged the harshest punishment for the "terror" attack.

"I know it will be especially hard for us to take if it is confirmed that the person who committed this attack sought protection and asylum in Germany," she told reporters. The act would be punished "as hard as our laws require".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bihar government today hinted that it may penalise banks by denying government deposits for not opening sufficient branches despite instructions of RBI to reduce people's hardship on account of demonetisation.

"Such banks would be identified and instruction would be sent to Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates to deprive them of government deposits," state Finance Minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui said after a meeting with bankers.

"Direction to this effect would be issued to concerned departments soon," he said in a statement.

Siddiqui, who presided over state-level bankers meeting regretted that out of an annual target to open 1640 new branches by December 15 this year, 35 commercial banks, rural banks and cooperative banks opened only 87 new branches.

He issued details of banks giving their performance on this count.

State Bank of India which had to open 88 new branches could start only 32 branches.

Central Bank of India did not open any new branch against the target of 83 while Punjab National Bank opened only 7 new branches against target of 83, he said.

Other major banks like Canara Bank, UCO bank and Bank of India drew nought against promised target of 83, he added.

ICICI opened one branch against target of 60 while HDFC did not start any new one out of target of 60.

Performance of rural banks was also dismal.

Madhya Bihar Gramin Bank opened 11 new branches against the target of 75 while Bihar Gramin bank added 6 to its list out of target of 75.

State Cooperative Bank and Total Cooperative bank also did not open any branch.

Siddiqui took a serious note of representatives of many banks at the bankers committee meeting for betterment of coordination between banks and the government and said director level officials of banks to be present on such occasions.

The Bihar Finance Minister expressed unhappiness over poor response to applicants for loans in different sectors.

In the presence of Animal Husbandry Department Minister Awdesh Kumar Singh, he said out a total 8326 applications for loan for dairy, 7155 were approved and a sum of Rs 12,028 lakh sanctioned.

Similarly out of total 433 applications for fishery, 203 were approved and a sum of Rs 644 lakh sanctioned.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha and several senior leaders of the hill outfit surrendered before a city court today which granted them bail in connection with the murder of All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang.

Gurung and 17 others surrendered before the chief judge, city sessions court, Subhra Ghosh as per direction of the Calcutta High Court which had granted them anticipatory bail.

Gurung, who is also the chief of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in Darjeeling, his wife Asha, Deputy Chief Executive of GTA Col Ramesh Allay and 15 others were given bail on a bond of Rs 10,000 each by the chief judge.

A division bench comprising justices Ashim Kumar Roy and M M Banerjee had on December 14 granted anticipatory bail plea to 22 persons accused in the murder of Tamang and directed the petitioners to surrender before the chief judge of city sessions court here by December 21.

The high court had directed that charge should be framed in the murder case by February 1, 2017 before the designated CMM court here.

The bench also directed that all accused should be present in Kolkata, a day before the framing of charge against them and none of them would be able to leave the jurisdiction of city court without the court's leave till disposal of the trial.

Tamang was hacked to death in Darjeeling town on May 21, 2010 when he was overseeing preparations for a public meeting.

The CBI had on May 29, 2015 filed a charge sheet against the GJM leaders under IPC sections for murder and criminal conspiracy in the Tamang case.

The investigating agency had filed the final supplementary charge sheet before the court against Gurung, his wife Asha, former GJM leader Harkabahadur Chettri, GJM Assistant General Secretary Binoy Tamang, Pradeep Pradhan, Deputy Chief Executive of GTA Col Ramesh Allay and 17 others for criminal conspiracy, murder and other charges.

Prime accused in the case Nickol Tamang had, however, disappeared from Pintail village near Siliguri, in August 2010 where he was being held by the state CID for interrogation following his arrest.

Pema Tamang, wife of Nickol, had moved a Habeas Corpus petition before the Calcutta High Court praying that her husband be traced.

The high court had then directed the CBI to take up the Madan Tamang murder case and the Nickol Tamang disappearance case.

Tamang's widow Bharati had later moved the Supreme Court seeking early completion of investigation and arrest of the accused persons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A bench of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) here has stayed Haryana Chief Secretary's order that cancelled a Leave Travel Concession (LTC) that had been sanctioned for senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka's mother.

A division bench of the CAT comprising Judicial Member Sanjeev Kumar Kaushik and Administrative Member Uday Kumar Varma passed the stay order while hearing an application filed by Khemka yesterday.

The bench also issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and the Union Government through Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), for January 20, 2017, seeking their reply on the contentions raised by Khemka.

The bureaucrat challenged the Chief Secretary's orders passed on June 1 and November 29, withdrawing the earlier sanction of LTC of Rs 12,397 in favour of his mother for visiting his hometown, Kolkata, for the sub-block 2014-15 from December 12, 2013, to April 30, 2013.

The Chief Secretary had asked Khemka to deposit the amount of LTC reimbursed within a month.

Khemka, who had argued himself before CAT, submitted that the Chief Secretary had failed to recognize the provision of Rule 18 of the CCS (LTC) Rules, which allowed for the government to relax rules in case of undue hardship in any particular case and did not apply its mind and consider the medical and health grounds for advancing the date of outward journey by 20 days.

He contended that the Chief Secretary's order violated the principles of natural justice as no opportunity of representation was given when the order was passed against him.

"The CS (Chief Secretary) order runs against the well-established principles of administrative law," he said.

While applying for LTC, Khemka had sought a relaxation to prepone the date of commencement of the outward journey to December 12, 2013, on the ground of hardship caused due to his mother's health, as being old she could not tolerate the severe winters of the north.

She was under the treatment at PGIMER, Chandigarh, for life-threatening ailments and the harsh winter of Chandigarh was detrimental to her deteriorating medical condition, Khemka submitted.

On October 14, 2013, the Chief Secretary allowed relaxation to prepone the outward journey by 20 days as requested by the applicant.

The LTC was reimbursed on April 21, 2014. However, on June 1, 2016, the Chief Secretary passed an order directing Khemka to deposit the amount of LTC reimbursed within one month, on the ground that the earlier LTC sanction order was against the provisions of the AIS (LTC) Rules.

"The order of present Chief Secretary is arbitrary ... it's harassment to me... Should the government do like this," Khemka told PTI today adding that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is working under the "control" of bureaucrats.

Khemka was repeatedly transferred and also investigated after he cancelled a controversial land deal involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra during the previous Congress regime in the state.

Khemka was persecuted by the then Congress government after he cancelled the sale of 3.5 acres of land in Gurgaon near Delhi by Vadra's company to real estate giant DLF for Rs 58 crore in 2012.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Lisa Stark

When Sarah Carpenter walked into one of the first charter schools in Memphis, she saw something that astonished her.

The mother of four and grandmother of 13 heard school administrators talking about preparing students for college. It was something shed never experienced growing up in her poor, African-American neighborhood in Memphis, where higher education seemed a pipe dream. That emphasis on college preparedness convinced Carpenter to send her granddaughter to the charter school. that granddaughter has since graduated from college.

In the years since, Carpenter became an activist and now runs Memphis Lift, a parent education advocacy organization funded partly by groups that support charter schools. Shes an outspoken woman with a big heart and a big agenda: to help parents in Memphis find the best schools for their childrenwhether theyre charter schools or traditional public schools.

Carpenter has also joined the fight against the NAACP, which wants a moratorium on new charter schools . She led a noisy protest at the NAACP board meeting this fall, arguing that a moratorium on new charters would unnecessarily limit school choice.

To hear the NAACPs president explain why the group is calling for a moratorium on new charter schools, watch this video here .

While Carpenter agrees with the NAACP that charter schools need to be held accountable, she says its wrongheaded of the civil rights organization to try to stop the growth of great schools doing great work.

Carpenter is a force to be reckoned with. She spoke to Education Week about her passion for improving education options for children of color. Here she is, in her own words.

Related stories:
A Rs 2,000-crore development package, approved by the central government recently, will be applicable to the displaced people of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) and not to those from West Pakistan.

The central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore would be given to 36,384 displaced families from POJK and Chhamb following an announcement of Prime Minister's Development Package for Jammu and Kashmir in November, 2015, according to the Union Cabinet decision on November 30.

In the aftermath of partition of the country in 1947, thousands of families from Pakistan occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir migrated to Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently, during Indo-Pak Wars of 1965 and 1971, a large number of families were displaced from Chhamb Niabat area of Jammu and Kashmir.

A series of relief and rehabilitation packages have been extended by the Governments of India and Jammu and Kashmir from time to time to mitigate the hardship of displaced persons from POJK and Chhamb and to rehabilitate them, an official said.

PTI had on November 30 inadvertently reported that refugees from West Pakistan, mostly from PoK, settled in different areas of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts will receive the package.

The POJK refugees are bonafide state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir as they originally belonged to Jammu and Kashmir and migrated only from one side of the state to the other.

Since POJK refugees are state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir, they are eligible to cast their votes to Lok Sabha, Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and local body elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre has rushed around 4,000 paramilitary personnel to Manipur in the wake of violence following economic blockade on National Highways connecting the state.

While around 1,500 paramilitary personnel were rushed in to Manipur in last two days, around 2,500 paramilitary were dispatched to the state last week, a senior Home Ministry official said today.

The security personnel were sent to the Northeastern state keeping in view the security situation in the state in the wake of violence following the economic blockade imposed by the Union Naga Council on two National Highways since November 1.

The UNC has imposed the economic blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH 37 (Imphal-Jiribam) that serve as lifelines for the landlocked Manipur.

Curfew in Imphal East district was clamped indefinitely on Sunday last after a mob torched and vandalised 22 passenger vehicles on the Imphal-Ukhrul road, while curfew in Imphal West district was imposed from evening to dawn.

Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang has sought the intervention of both the Centre and Manipur government in securing the lives and property of Naga people in the Imphal valley of Manipur.

Zeliang in separate letters to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh yesterday drew their attention to the plight of hundreds of Nagas who are stranded in the Imphal valley and claimed that they were prevented from proceeding to their respective villages in the hills after threats to their lives by some valley based organisations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Days after a slate factory owner was arrested in connection with a case of alleged cheque fraud, the Special Operations Group of the city police today arrested his accomplice in Gangapur area here.

The factory owner, Gopal Gupta, is accused of illegally depositing Rs 7 lakh demonetised currency in the account of one of his employees.

Gupta was arrested on December 15 and Rs 1.25 lakh in new Rs 2,000 denomination was seized from his possession, police said.

His accomplice Rajesh Meena, chief cashier at Punjab National Bank in Gangapur city was arrested today, they said.

"The slate factory owner Gopal Gupta conniving with the chief cashier had deposited Rs 18.30 lakhs in five different accounts that he opened in the names of factory employees to exchange demonetised currency. Rs 7 lakhs were deposited in the account of Virendra Pandey who died while undergoing treatment recently," Inspector General of Police, SOG, Dinesh M N told PTI.

After the demonetisation move, Gupta had opened accounts of his employees, including Virendra Pandey (32) and four others at Punjab National Bank. The accused later deceived Pandey and got the cheques signed. He then presented the signed cheques and withdrew the money on November 13.

A complaint was lodged following which SOG exposed the fraud.

The police added that Gupta is also the director of a prominent school in Gangapur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
returned an underwater drone to the US, five days after it was seized from the disputed South Sea waters leading to a major spat between President-elect Donald Trump and the Communist giant.

"After friendly consultations between the Chinese and US sides, the handover work for the US underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South Sea at midday on December 20," a brief Chinese Ministry statement said without providing details.

The drone operated by a US survey vessel in the South China Sea(SCS) was seized by a Chinese navy ship which reportedly declined to hand it over despite request from the American ship.

Initially, Chinese militarysaid the drone incident would be handled in an appropriate manner but later stated it would be "resolved successfully" after Trump tweeted accusing Beijing of stealing the US drone.

"China steals United States Navy research drone in waters -- rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act," Trump had tweeted.

The next day he tweeted again to say, "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back - let them keep it!"



China had rejected Trump's charge that it "stole" the drone, saying the device was picked up to prevent "harm" to freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea, from where Beijing claims the US is spying on Chinese coast.

"First of all we did not like the word stealing. This is also not accurate," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a media briefing yesterday.

Hua also denied US allegations that the Chinese naval ship picked the drone up and took it away despite messages from the US survey ship USNS Bowditch which controlled the drone.

"As really what happened you can see from Defence Ministry statement that the Chinese navy found this unidentified device and examined in a professional manner to verify it," Hua said.

"No matter how they see this unidentified device, most important thing is that Chinese navy took a professional and responsible decision to do this in order to prevent from causing harm to freedom of navigation," she said.

"I think this is easy to understand. Just imagine that you found something on the street and you to first check and verify it before handing it back to someone else. So I believe it is something easy to understand," Hua said.

US military said the drone was taken away from outside the nine dash line of the South China Sea.

The line in the Chinese maps indicates China's claims over the area, which is disputed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan.
CID officials today questioned BJP MP Sriramulu's gunman for the second consecutive day today in connection with the alleged suicide of a driver of a senior state government officer in a case relating to alleged laundering of money for mining baron Janardhan Reddy.

Chennabasappa Hosamane (Sriramulu's gunman) was summoned for the second consecutive day in connection with the suicide of K C Ramesh at Maddur in Mandya district on December six, a senior CID official told PTI here.

The official said the CID summoned Hosamane after it traced the calls made by him to Bheema Nayak, Special Land Acquisition Officer (Bengaluru), alleged to be close to Reddy.

Ramesh had allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at a lodge on December 6, leaving a death note in which he has listed out alleged illegalities committed by Nayak and held him and his personal driver Mohammad responsible for his death.

Ramesh had also alleged that there was a threat to his life as he was in the know of the illegalities allegedly committed by the officer and how he got money converted into white for the opulent wedding of Reddy's daughter recently.

The note claimed that Reddy had got Rs 100 crore converted into white money for his daughter's marriage with the help of Nayak.

Bheema Nayak and Mohammad have been arrested on December 11.

The note also claimed that days before the wedding of Reddy's daughter, Nayak had met Reddy and Sreeramulu and discussed the deal regarding money conversion.

Sriramulu had earlier dismissed the charge.

Mandya Police, which had registered a case under section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide) against Nayak, had formed three teams to look into the suicide of Ramesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shifts in rain and snow patterns due to climate change may have a greater impact on the water supply of about 1.5 billion people in Hindu Kush Himalayan region than retreating glaciers, according to a new report.

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region hosts several of Asia's great river systems, which provide water for drinking, irrigation and other uses for about 1.5 billion people.

A committee of experts, including those from NASA, found that at lower elevations, glacial retreat is unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability, but other factors, including groundwater depletion and increasing human water use may have a greater impact.

Higher elevation areas could experience altered water flow in some river basins if current rates of glacial retreat continue, but shifts in the location, intensity and variability of rain and snow due to climate change will likely have a greater impact on regional water supplies.

The meltwater from glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region supplements several great river systems such as the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra.

Scientific evidence shows that most glaciers in the Himalayan region are retreating, leading to concerns that over time normal glacier melt will not be able to contribute to the region's water supply each year.

There is uncertainty in projections of future changes in precipitation, but shifts in the location and intensity of snow and rain could also impact the rate of glacial retreat.

Variation in climate, precipitation and glacial behaviour across the vast Hindu Kush Himalayan region means that it is challenging to determine exactly how retreating glaciers will affect water supply in each location.

It is likely that the contribution of glacier meltwater to water supply in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region may have been overestimated in the past, for example by not differentiating between the contributions to water supply of meltwater from glaciers and meltwater from snow.

Retreating glaciers over the next several decades are unlikely to cause significant changes in water availability at lower elevations, which depend primarily on monsoon rains.

However, for high elevation areas, current glacier retreat rates, if they continue, may alter streamflow in some basins.

Assuming annual precipitation in the form of snow and freezing rain remains the same, the loss of water stored as glacial ice will likely not change the amount of meltwater that supplements rivers and streams each summer.

Glacial meltwater can act as a buffer against the hydrologic impacts of a changing climate, such as drought.

Water stored as glacial ice could serve as the Himalayan region's hydrologic insurance.

Although retreating glaciers would provide more meltwater in the shorter term as the glacier shrinks, loss of glacier "insurance" could become problematic over the longer term.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian captain Virat Kohli today attributed the innings thrashing of England in the fifth Test to the hard work and team spirit, saying the comprehensive 4-0 series victory reflected the character of the side.

"After already clinching the series 3-0, to come out and perform like this, it is the evidence of the character in the side. It was evident the way we batted, bowled. We wanted the youngsters to step up, someone like Lokesh Rahul, then Karun Nair, they came in after two Test matches. They got us to a position where there was only one winner," Kohli said at the post match presentation ceremony.

"It's always a tricky position. England scored 477 then conceded a lead of 281. We understood that if we got a couple of wickets, it could slide pretty quickly. (Ravindra) Jadeja did his job, picking up seven wickets, it was great to watch," Kohli added.

Kohli lost four tosses out of five but India still registered four comprehensive victories.

"Yeah, we are proud of our performance. The toss and the pitch condition was out of equation. We conceded over 400 runs in England first innings but still ended up winning by an innings. That does not happen very often," Kohli said.

"We worked hard day in, day out and we don't care what happens outside. There is lot of respect among players in the changing room. That's how we end up being in a winning position more often than not.

"The lower order has also made outstanding contributions. Every time when we were under the pump, we've fronted up," said the skipper, who scored 655 runs with a hundred and a double century and was adjudged man of the series.

Talking about his fast bowlers, Kohli said, "We are proud of our fast bowlers. Pace was up there, was there consistency, better than theirs (England's) and that makes me very proud."



England captain Alastair Cook conceded that India were the far better side in the series and his team was outplayed.

"No excuses, India were the better team and deserved to win. It was a very good fifth day wicket. We got ourselves in a good position at lunch but it wasn't enough to get out. We dropped vital chances and India have been punishing us -- it's hard to stop the momentum," he said.

"Credit to Virat, they've outplayed us. Hard to say as a professional but they've been better."



Cook added: "It's a series of missed opportunities and dropped catches have cost us. Not being able to score enough runs and take enough wickets. It's a tough dressing room to be in, we tried as hard as we could but wasn't good enough. Same for both sides, but momentum can go with you. It's a tough place to come to."



Karun, who bagged the man-of-the-match award for his 303 not out, said, "It's an amazing feeling when you contribute to winning a match, so hats off the to team. I think it will take a couple of days to sink in."



Asked if there was a celebration in the Indian dressing room after his triple ton, he said, "I was going through all the texts and wishes that I got. Everyone congratulated me but we were more focused on winning the match."



Nair, who is now the only second Indian triple centurion after Virender Sehwag, added: "There's a lot to learn. I've been learning each day, working hard on my game.

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BJP national spokesperson Nalin Satyakam Kohli today asked former Finance minister P Chidambaram to come clean on corruption charges during the UPA rule and the black money stashed over the years since Independence.

"It is really painful to see that people like Chidambaram are enquiring about the cure of the disease called black money. They should first answer about the corruption and scams that have happened during the 10 years of UPA rule.

"Why was he (Chidambaram) silent then? Why did the Congress, which ruled for most of the period since Independence, allow stashing of black money?," he told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.

Kohli's comment comes in the backdrop of Chidambaram's statement that hoarders have laundered their money, while the poor and the middle class have been left 'high and dry' due to demonetisation.

The positive effects of demonetisation on Indian economy can only be gauged after the four quarters, Kohli told a seminar.

"If you really want to compare whether demonetisation is good or bad, whether it had a good impact on the country's economy, it can only be gauged after the next four quarters. The accusations that it will have a bad impact and GDP will slow down is nothing but assumption of idle brains," he said.

Asked to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election promise to bring back black money and deposit Rs 15 lakhs in every countryman's account, Kohli said, "Those who say this are perpetrating a lie. The PM's words were clear -he never gave a 100 day limit. The limit was given by former prime minister Manmohan Singh."



"Has the Modi government not started acting against black money? From setting up an SIT, from demonetisation to linking up with foreign banks in Switzerland. Prime Minister Modi himself had said that he will go to the masses with his report card before 2019 polls.

"So those who are asking for a report card today - what report card had they placed in the last 50 years?" he asked.

The country's economy is in a better position and only a strengthened economy can fulfil those promises, Kohli added.

On the verbal attack by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against Modi, he said, "In a democracy like India, all constitutional offices should give equal respect to each other, be it CM's office or PM's office. If this decorum is not followed, you are disrespecting a constitutional office.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Against the backdrop of two police constables arrested for robbing a person of new currency notes, Director General of Police Muktesh Chander today warned that corrupt police personnel would not be spared.

"There will be stern action against police personnel found to be involved in corrupt practices. I would not shield anyone found involved in criminal activities," Chander said addressing Goa Police Raising Day today in Panaji.

The guilty should be punished to cleanse the force, the DGP said, adding, the law and order situation in the state has improved remarkably due to various security measures initiated by Goa Police.

He hailed the force for its performance during the BRICS Summit and other important events that have happened in the state.

"Despite having limited resources, Goa Police have excelled in their duties," he said.

Two police constables attached to Calangute police station were arrested last week along with a RTI activist whena Karnataka based businessman claimed that they had robbed him of his new currency in lakhs.

Similarly, another constable was arrested for fleeing away with new currency which a man from Maharashtra had brought to exchange as a part of the deal.

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Swiss watch maker Corum, known for its high-quality and limited edition watches, is expecting India to contribute around 10 per cent to its total global sales turnover in next 5 to 10 years.

As part of its growth plans, the company is strengthening its retail network and has recently partnered with Ethos Watch Boutiques, one of the leading luxury watch chains in India, to sell its watches here.

"In 5-10 years, Indian market should be approaching 5 to 10 per cent of the current global turnover," Corum Global VP and Member of the Board Jacques-Alain Vuille told PTI.

He further said: "We prioritise new and emerging markets naturally. Every year, we review current and relevant trends and make some choices. We are aware of the chance by working with Ethos."



Corum watches starts from Rs 1.5 lakh onwards. It has introduced Admiral's Cup Legend 42 range in India, with a starting price of Rs 2.58 lakh.

As part of its expansion strategy, the company would focus on major tier-II cities that have potentials, besides the top eight developed metro markets.

"We come to the potential of the point of sale of the market. So we would not neglect a city whether it is tier I or II as long as there is market potential. And naturally also with our Bubble model, we are open to the idea to have the model present in different locations," Vuille added.

On being asked that whether Corum has delayed entry in India in comparison to other Swiss watch makers, which have almost pan India presence now, he said," I'd not like to say we are late. There are a lot of things to review, examine and research."



Corum had two options to mark its entry into the Indian market either through an independent agent or by having its own subsidiary and the company preferred the former medium.

"We saw that the market was so big that we must be stronger than only the few people in a subsidiary even if they do a good job but they do not have power of an independent distributor like Ethos. So this is why we changed again," he said adding, "We know the market, the strategy is better and we will certainly perform better in the future."



The company would also consider to have a brand ambassador and focus on digital platforms more for its branding and promotions in India.

"Bringing in a brand ambassador is something we have to discuss. We would also discuss this with Ethos. For the moment, we'd prefer to focus on social media communication, which is our priority now. But we are always open to proposals," Vuille said.

On being asked whether Corum would venture into wearable smart watch segment, Vuille said the company would continue to focus on analogue watches.

"No, again this is something certainly too expensive for a brand like us. We continue to focus on the regular watches and to communicate on our exclusivity," he said.

Established in 1955, Corum each year produces a limited number of special edition pieces.

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Recently, Sharon Davison, kindergarten teacher at Allen Brook School in Williston, Vermont, traveled to Peru with a group of 30 American public school educators through the NEA Foundations Global Learning Fellowship . They visited museums, markets, and ancient Inca sites, but more importantly, they had the opportunity to engage in deep dialogue with Peruvian educators and students and broaden their perceptions of the world. She shares what she learned below.

By guest blogger Sharon Davison



I think you travel to search and you come back home to find yourself there.

 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Weve reached the Machu Picchu ridge, our guide says, so now we can take off our blindfolds. I blink in the sunlight as I tug the cloth away from my eyes. Then my gaze falls on the vista before me and I forget the sun, the hike, the long days of travel and thin mountain air. I even, for a moment, forget how to breathe.

My Global Learning Fellowship began with a year of global lesson planning and thinking about how to engage my kindergarten students curiosity about the world. In my classroom, I have always worked to use technologySkype, Twitter, Kidblog, and much moreto share my students ideas and make connections with others around the world. Interacting with my fellow educators from around the U.S. helped me think about global learning from the perspectives of teachers of different grades and schools, and by summer, I was bursting with excitement as well as nerves for all that I would learn and share with my colleagues in Peru, in my first trip out of the US.

Despite my trepidation, I knew as soon as I got off the plane in Lima that this would be an amazing experience. In addition to experiencing a new place and a new culture and leaving my comfort zone, the conversations that surrounded me were full of the rich words of not only the Spanish language, but also of the native Quechua and Aymara.

Connecting as Educators

During our trip, we had the opportunity to visit local schools, including Limas Colegio Mayor Secundario Presidente del Peru and a village school located on the outskirts of Cusco. From these school visits, we learned that many of the concerns that we have in the U.S. are similar to those of Peruvian educators. Were both concerned about having enough teachers in the right places to help students achieve. As I learned from the teachers I spoke with, schools in the poor, rural areas of Peru struggle to find teachers, while wealthier schools attract many applicants, similar to the situation here.

We also see the need to consider each student as whole and individual, but face restrictions from the systems in which we work. Peru has a national curriculum that educators must use for student learning plans, while I myself have struggled to balance personalizing instruction with maintaining mandated standards. But each day, we give our very best to our students no matter what limitations we contend with behind the scenes.

Even through our limited Spanish and difficulties in communicating with the teachers we met, we managed to find connection in our identity as educators. Body language and voice inflection reminded us of our calling and that teaching isnt what we do, its who we are. Joy and purpose are a universal language.

While we shared common concerns about resources and materials, the struggles of the schools in the rural Peruvian villages were on a different scale than those Im used to in Vermontthey work with students whose engagement with school revolves around the crop calendar and in schools that lack basic supplies.

Its customary for guests to bring a gift for their hosts. And from a group of educators, what better gift than books? After learning that many classrooms didnt have enough books for all their students to enjoy, we decided to raise money to bring hundreds of books to share the joy of reading with the Peruvian students.

Applying Lessons Learned

Now, halfway through the school year, Im continuing to think about:



Privilege: Being a teacher is a privilege and an honor. Teaching is about offering hope all day long and being available to encourage, create, and design learning opportunities that have an impact. It is also about creating a global learning culture where all learners can connect, take risks, and share their voices. Relationships: Relationships matter. The schools we visited had strong connections with their students and their families. The school was not an isolated institution but an extension of the greater community. Conversations: Conversations allow us to share voices and celebrate diverse ideas. I believe in connecting globally because we have so much to learn from each other. I constantly seek ways to change the dynamic in my kindergarten classroom to ensure that I am not dominating the discussion and that my students have the opportunity to analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and think critically.

While in Peru, I met amazing people who were passionate about their culture, their country, and their future. I learned that whatever our differences, we have the same goal: providing an excellent education for all children. I continue to think about what it truly means to be a globally competent teacher, and how that informs my curriculum and instruction.

Removing that blindfold at Machu Picchu opened my eyes to an awe-inspiring view. This experience, as a whole, removed another blindfold and allowed me to know what it is to see the world from a new perspective. Even after more than 30 years in the classroom, years devoted to teaching students to think globally, I can truly say that my first international travel experience changed my life.

I stand on that ridge in the Andes and look out over the incredible beauty before me. Now, I truly and deeply understand, for the first time, why we travel. In this moment, the lesson plans, the discussions, the school visits, crystallize into amazement at all the world has to offer. Tears of wonder stream down my cheeks, and I know Ill remember this moment, this trip, this program, for the rest of my life.

Im so grateful to be able to share this sense of wonder with my kindergarten students as they learn how vast and amazing the world we live in is. There are many opportunities for educators to venture out of their classrooms and explore the world. If you want to embark on a similar professional development journey, I highly recommend the NEA Foundations Global Learning Fellowship accepting applications now through February 28th.

Connect with Sharon , Heather , the NEA Foundation , and the Center for Global Education on Twitter.

Images courtesy of the author.
Dalit rights campaigner Jignesh Mevani has alleged that former BJP MP Dinu Solanki was behind the attack on RTI activist Mahesh Makwana, and threatened to launch a stir if the Gujarat government does not take stern action in the case.

According to Mevani, 36-year-old Makwana was attacked by accomplices of Solanki and his nephew Shiva Solnaki at Kodinar town of Gir-Somnath district on December 12. Following this, Makwana has been undergoing treatment at Rajkot civil hospital for broken limbs, he said.

Both Solanki and Shiva were charge-sheeted by the CBI in connection with the murder of another Kodinar-based RTI activist Amit Jethwa in 2010, and they are now out on bail.

"Just like Jethwa, Makwana has filed several RTI queries to expose the illegal mining inside the forest area by Solanki and Shiva. Out of grudge, Makwana was brutally thrashed by some men sent by the duo on December 12 at Kodinar," Mevani alleged at a press conference here last evening.

Mevani, who spearheaded the campaign for justice over Una Dalit flogging incident, alleged that the Kodinar police have not named Solanki and Shiva as co-accused in the FIR lodged by Makwana ude to their political clout.

"Despite Makwana's complaint that he was attacked at the behest of Solanki duo, police did not mention their names as co-accused for hatching conspiracy," he said.

He demanded that state government intervene in the matter or else face the wrath of Dalits, OBCs and Muslims.

"We want government to form an SIT to probe the matter and extern Solanki duo from Kodinar immediately. If that does not happen, Dalits, OBCs and Muslims will launch a state-wide stir. We will also do a 'gherao' of Kodinar police station if action is not taken against the duo," Mevani said.

While the Solankis could not be reached for their comments on the allegation against them, local police today said no one will be spared if their names emerge during the probe.

As Makwana hails from a Dalit community, the prob has been handed over to Deputy Superintendent of Police(DySP), SC/ST Cell, P S Valvi.

"There is absolutely no political pressure on me. Action can be taken against anybody if we find their involvement in the case. Our investigation in the case is totally unbiased," said Valvi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot today said that the Raje government has "failed" in containing crimes against the Dalits which is a cause of grave concern for all.

Gehlot claimed that the state is on the top in atrocities against Dalits and law and order situation is deteriorating in the BJP rule.

"A dalit girl was raped and murdered in Bikaner this year and the community demanded a CBI probe but the government has not fulfilled the demand and has not referred the case to the CBI which shows the government's apathy towards the community," Gehlot said.

"The people belonging to Dalit community live in fear and they feel insecure in the BJP rule," he said in a statement.

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In a bid to to clean and rejuvenate Yamuna, the Delhi Governmnet has proposed setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in association with the Centre on the line of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

The suggestion was made by Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain during the NCR Planning Board meeting chaired by Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu here today.

Jain proposed 50-50 per cent partnership between the Centre and Delhi government in setting up of SPV to oversee cleaning of the river and its other development activities.

"This is the only solution (setting up of SPV) to clean Yamuna. We can clean the river in next two or three years if SPV is set up by both Centre and Delhi government on the line of DMRC," the minister said.

Jain said that there are multiple agencies which are currently involved in the cleaning up of Yamuna river due to which we have not able to clean it for the last 15 years.

"I have suggested the Union Minister to set up SPV in this regard. If SPV is set up in partnership with the Centre, the role of multiple agencies involved in cleaning up of the river will come to an end and Yamuna will be cleaned," he said.

In March this year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had met Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti and both the leaders had agreed to set up Special Purpose Vehicle to clean Yamuna river.

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DMK will hold a protest demonstration on January 3, 2017 in Madurai District to urge the State and Central governments to "come forward" to hold the bull taming sport 'Jallikattu,' during Pongal festival in January next.

The demonstration will be held at Alanganallur in Madurai District, DMK treasurer Stalin said here today in a statement.

He said the protest is to urge the State and Central governments to "come forward to hold the bull taming sport Jallikattu." Alanganallur is famed for its annual bull taming sport till it was banned by the Supreme Court.

He invited all political parties and apolitical organisations to participate in the protest.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had dismissed a review petition filed by Tamil Nadu to review the top court's 2014 judgment banning Jallikattu.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security Advisor Ajit Doval has met US president-elect Donald Trump's NSA-designate Gen (rtd) Michael Flynn here and is believed to have discussed a wide range of regional and global strategic issues and explore ways to further Indo-US ties.

During the conversation, Flynn is believed to have expressed his "high respect" for India's growth in modern times and for its leadership, Indian embassy sources here said.

Doval arrived in the US yesterday.

It is understood that Flynn spoke to Doval over phone a few days ago, during which he invited Doval to come to the US for a meeting.

The first meeting between the two, which is believed to have lasted for over an hour, was an opportunity for them to exchange notes and views on global issues, and how to further strengthen India-US "co-operation and engagement in the months and years to come," embassy sources said.

Flynn also expressed his "optimism" about India-US engagement as the two leaders reviewed the entire relationship including strategic and economic aspects.
DSK Shivajians FC today signed left back Jerry Lalrinzuala and attacker Sanju Pradhan from Indian Super League sides Chennaiyin FC and FC Pune City respectively for the upcoming I-League season beginning next month.

By signing Jerry, DSK have pulled off a major coup as the 18-year-old was named the Emerging Player of the 2016 ISL.

A product of the AIFF Elite Academy, the Mizoram-born Lalrinzuala was part of a select group of five players who had gone to FC Metz's Academy in France in May for a developmental stint.

On his return, he made 13 appearances for Chennaiyin FC as one of the youngest ever players to play in the ISL. A vital cog in the Indian youth set-up, Jerry has been part of every age group national side from the Under-14 all the way up to the Under-19 level.

Speaking on the signing, first team manager Dave Rogers said, "Two years ago, I came across Jerry playing for the India Under-16s and was so impressed that we tried to bring him to our LFC-DSK Academy. I knew then that this boy was going to be something special as his ability as a left-back, not just defensively but offensively, was outstanding.

"His energy levels, to get up and down the pitch, along with his quality on the ball, have improved immensely; and also defensively he has grown into the best young defender in the country. I am delighted to have signed Jerry and have no doubt that he can reach new levels with us. I look forward to continuing his development on the right pathway."



In Sanju Pradhan, DSK have brought in one of India's most experienced wingers. The former East Bengal captain, a winner of the ISL, the Federation Cup and the Indian Super Cup, Pradhan comes into Dave Rogers' side with a winning mentality.

Added to his versatility in midfield is his ability to play on either wing, or in a central role.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today opened the first ever road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul from Europe to Asia, the latest project in his plan of transforming Turkey's infrastructure.

The opening ceremony - which brought together Turkey's entire ruling elite - went ahead as planned despite the shock assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara by a Turkish policeman a day earlier.

Turkey in October 2013 opened the Marmaray rail tunnel underneath the iconic waterway, the first link beneath the waters that divide Europe and Asia.

But the new Avrasya (Eurasia) Tunnel is the first tunnel for cars underneath the Bosphorus and aims to relieve congestion in the traffic-clogged Turkish megacity.

Erdogan, after cutting the ceremonial ribbon, joined a vast cortege of vehicles making the first undersea car journey between the two continents.

The assassination of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov yesterday was just the latest in a string of shocking acts of violence in Turkey this year.

But Erdogan vowed that his ambitions will not be derailed by the failed July 15 coup and the swathe of terror attacks Turkey has suffered in 2016.

"Subject us to as much terror as you want, bring in as many villains but you will never be able to divide this nation," he told thousands at the opening ceremony.

The tunnel required an investment of USD 1.2 billion (1.15 billion euros), including loans of USD 960 million, and will reduce driving time for the route from up to 2 hours to just 15 minutes.

It was built by a consortium consisting of private Turkish construction company Yapi Merkezi and South Korea's SK Group.

The project comprises a 5.4 kilometre (3.5 mile) tunnel, with the portion beneath the Bosphorus 3.4 kilometres long.

The two-storey tunnel was built with a special tunnel boring machine which had a daily progress speed of 8-10 metres (26-32 feet) on average.

With Istanbul lying on an active seismic zone, the tunnel has been designed to withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

"Praise be that we part of a country and a city that connects two continents," said Erdogan.

Erdogan said a trip through the tunnel would cost 15 lira (USD 4.25) until the end of the year, with all the revenues until then going to families of victims of the coup and those who helped defeat it.

Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told AFP ahead of the opening that it had been a "huge challenge" to build the tunnel at a depth of 106 metres under the seabed.

He revealed the authorities now planned to build a third tunnel under the Bosphorus that would have three storeys and carry both cars and trains.

"I think the Avrasya tunnel will hugely ease the lives of the residents of Istanbul," Arslan told AFP. "But we are not just going to stop there.

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The European Union said it reached agreement today on tightening rules on firearms amid a wave of terror attacks but fell short of demands to ban AK-47 semi-automatic rifles outright.

The EU's 28 member states announced it had reached a political agreement with the European Parliament that will tighten laws in place since 1991.

"This agreement provides for tighter controls which will help prevent the acquisition of firearms by terrorist and criminal organisations," said Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.

The directive includes measures to make it easier to trace firearms, including standardised marking of components and requiring prompt electronic registration of weapons sales, with information kept in national data files.

It would also ensure that firearms converted to blank firing ones for use in theatres or television must be registered under the same category as the original weapons.

The European Council, which groups the EU member states, noted that the Islamic State fighters who launched the Paris attacks in November last year had converted blank firing weapons back to the original lethal ones.

The directive, which still must be voted on by parliament, bans short semi-automatic firearms with loading devices over 20 rounds and long semi-automatic firearms with loading devices over 10 rounds.

Also prohibited are long firearms that can be folded or concealed in other ways.

But the European Commission, the EU executive, said it regretted that its proposal for a complete ban of the most dangerous semi-automatic firearms, including the AK47 frequently used by jihadists and the AR15 type, is not part of the deal.

It also regretted it did not get a ban of assault weapons for private collectors or a magazine size limit of 10 rounds for all semi-automatic firearms.

But commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said it was a major improvement over the current situation and would reduce the risk of terror or other attacks from legally held firearms.

"Of course we would have liked to go further, but I am confident that the current agreement represents a milestone in gun control in the EU," Juncker said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) here today seized medicines, including antibiotics, worth over Rs 52 lakh, on suspicion of being spurious, officials said.

On receiving a tip-off that two medicine shops in the city- M S R Enterprises and Shraddha Healthcare- were storing and selling spurious drugs, the agency raided the stores and seized medicines of different chemical compositions, the FDCA said in a press release.

The agency collected eighteen samples of the drugs suspected to be spurious and sent them to the Food and Drug Laboratory in Vadodara for examination, the release said.

"The main chemical composition of some of the antibiotics seized from the stores is missing, prima facie suggesting that they are spurious. We have sent 18 samples to the laboratory for examination," it said.

The owners of the two drug stores, Shailesh Agarwal and Kamal Jain, informed that they received the consignment from one Yoginin Pharma in Gwalior, and showed bills related to it, the release said.

The FDCA has contacted the agency in Madhya Pradesh for further investigation.

As printed on the medicines packets, the seized medicines have been manufactured in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the release said.

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Security has been beefed up at Christmas markets throughout France following the carnage in Berlin, French Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux said.

"Security at Christmas markets was immediately reinforced" after a lorry ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market killing at least nine people, he said.

The scenes in Berlin were reminiscent of an attack in the French Riviera city of Nice in July in which Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a seafront crowd at a fireworks display.

President Francois Hollande said the French people "share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe".

The Nice attack which killed 86 people further traumatised a country already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks including the November 2015 massacre in Paris.

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North Carolina legislators will hold a special session to repeal a controversial state law that includes a measure limiting which bathrooms transgender students can use in public schools , Gov.-elect Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said Monday.

Along with many other provisions, HB2, which was approved and signed in a whirlwind special session in the spring, requires public buildings, including schools, to restrict restroom access based on sex at birth, even if that sex differs from a persons gender identity. That measure was the subject of several competing lawsuits between the state and the U.S. Department of Justice, which argued that HB2 violates several federal civil rights laws .

State lawmakers agreed to repeal the law after the Charlotte City Council voted to repeal a local nondiscrimination ordinance that inspired the state measure, Cooper said, according to the Associated Press.

Senate Leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore assured me that as a result of Charlottes vote, a special session will be called for Tuesday to repeal HB2 in full. I hope they will keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full, he said in a statement.

Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Education have argued that the sex discrimination protections in Title IX apply to gender identity as well as biological sex. The departments released guidance in the spring putting schools on notice that they would be found in violation if they restrict bathroom and locker room access based on biological sex rather than gender identity.

That interpretation is the subject of much federal court litigation, including two multistate lawsuits against the federal agencies and a Virginia transgender students case against his school district , which is due before the U.S. Supreme Court in the spring. A federal judge in Texas issued a ruling this fall, temporarily putting the guidance on hold nationwide while he hears a case on the issue.

President-elect Donald Trump has not said how his administration will handle the issue, but transgender student advocates are anxious that a reversal in federal interpretation of Title IX by his socially conservative cabinet picks may unravel progress theyve made on the issue in recent years.

Current Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, and Republican leaders of the state legislature issued separate, strongly worded statements on the planned repeal.

Photo via AP.

Related reading on transgender students:

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Regulator TRAI's suggestion of a government-funded scheme to provide 100 MB free data per month to rural consumers is "critical" in view of demonetisation, and it can act as an effective mechanism for bridging digital divide, IT industry body Nasscom said today.

On TRAI's recommendation on allowing third party 'aggregators' to provide free data in a non-discriminatory manner, Nasscom said that much would depend on the modalities of the registration process for such entities.

"There is a realisation that for digital inclusion to become a reality in India, there is a need to provide some free data. The recommendation of free data in rural areas is critical in view of demonetisation and it will be an enabling mechanism for bridging digital divide," Bishakha Bhattacharya, Senior Director of Policy at Nasscom said.

Telecom regulator TRAI yesterday mooted government-funding for provisioning of around 100 MB free data per month for rural consumers. TRAI suggested that the cost of implementation of the scheme may be met from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)-- which is meant to promote telecom services in rural areas.

Under USOF, the government charges a cess in the form of Universal Access Levy, from telecom licencees to fund setting up of telecom infrastructure in all uncovered rural and remote areas of the country.

"We have been saying that if you allow people to use data, they will realise how important it is. The utility of data services will be demonstrated to the first-time users," Bhattacharya pointed out.

TRAI has also favoured an 'aggregator' model of providing data credit in subscriber's account as reward if the same is structured in a manner that is open and non-discriminatory.

TRAI has said that the 'aggregators' providing free data service will need to register with the Department of Telecom and it should be a company registered under the Companies Act. The validity of registration shall be five years.

"The devil lies in the details...We would like to see the modalites for third-party aggregator in terms of registration rules, reasons for rejection, if any, and transparency mechanism put in place for the process. We would like to see more clarity on that," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union minister Nitin Gadkari launched a veiled attack on the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre believed in development for all, "unlike the situation in the state where caste is supreme".

"Our government is working with the motto -- 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' -- as articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is reflected on the government's stress on development and the non-discrimination in grant of funds.

Every state has, therefore, got its due under the current regime even if it happens to be ruled by any of "our political opponents", Gadkari said here while inaugurating a number of projects which included highways and a bridge over the river Ganga.

Without naming the Samajwadi Party or any of its top leaders, Gadkari said, "Our approach has been quite unlike what we get to see in the state of UP. Here caste is supreme. It trumps every other issue."



The former BJP president's remarks come against the backdrop of frantic efforts by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to project a pro-development image even as his party faces allegations of nepotism, patronage to criminals and preferential treatment to members of a particular caste.

Gadkari, who holds the Road Transport and Highways and Shipping portfolios, also said, "Work is taking place at an unprecedented speed and since there is no corruption, there is no quality on compromise as well. We have no hesitation in saying that the roads that are being built now will remain free of potholes for 200 years."



During his brief visit, the minister laid the foundation stones for widening of two highways -- one connecting the city with the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh and the other with the adjoining district of Pratapgarh.

Both these projects will involve a cost of more than Rs 1,200 crore.

Gadkari also laid the foundation stone for a six-lane bridge which will be built over the river Ganga at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore.

"All these projects would be completed before the the mega religious congregation Ardh Kumbh which will be held at the holy Sangam here in 2019," Gadkari said.

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A 25-year-old US national, who was allegedly gangraped earlier this year in a five-star hotel here, arrived here this morning to join the probe.

She will be meeting the investigating team to assist in further investigation, said a senior police officer.

She had said that she was not satisfied with the probe and was ready to come to India to identify the accused.

On December 8, the tourist guide, accused of raping her along with his accomplices, was questioned by police after his arrival from Nepal.

Police had identified the man and contacted him while he was in Nepal.

The tour guide had denied his involvement in the matter and told police that the victim had given positive comments about him in the feedback form while returning to her country and that the internal inquiry by the travel agency hadn't found him guilty.

The woman had alleged that she was raped by a group of men for two days. They also threatened her with dire consequences if she reported the matter to anybody. She had also stated that the accused had made a video of the act and had threatened to make it public if she reported the matter to anyone.

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A gangster, involved in numerous cases of robbery in seven states and carrying rewards of Rs 65,000 on his head, was arrested today in Mathura district after a brief encounter with a joint team of Delhi Police and its UP counterparts.

A specific tip about movement of Sher Khan (30) and his associate Shahun to former's native Bishambra village in Mathura was received by Delhi Police's Special cell, police said.

At around 4 AM, the duo were spotted riding towards Kosi Kalan on a motorcycle. When they were intercepted by the joint team, the duo started firing and several shots hit the bullet proof jackets of the policemen but Khan was overpowered while Sahun managed to flee.

An automatic 9 MM Carbine with 20 live cartridges, one 7.65 MM semi-automatic pistol with nine live cartridges and a stolen motorcycle were recovered from him, DCP (Special Cell) P S Kushwah said.

He had escaped from the custody of Madhya Pradesh Police alongwith four other gangsters on December 12, 2015. They had also taken away firearms of the police party after giving them sedative-laced milk while escorting the prisoners from Ujjain Jail to Bhondsi Jail in Haryana.

Among the five, Sarvar Khan was caught on the spot, while Liyakat surrendered in court next day. Khan and two others were absconding. Sahun, who had also escaped from MP Police's custody, managed to escape while Khan was caught today.

Khan was wanted in a case registered by Special Cell under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, as an active member of Salli and Jafru gang of Mewat region. A reward of Rs 50,000 was announced on his arrest while Rs 15,000 reward was announced for the same by UP Police, he said.

Khan during interrogation revealed that after escaping from MP Police's custody, he, Sahun and Lilu evaded police by moving to southern part of the country, he said.

They committed a kidnapping for ransom, two Petrol pump robberies, 10 carjackings, two ATM robberies, six truck-jacking and other crimes in UP, MP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharastra and Telengana while being on run, the officer added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Young girls who exhibit poor fundamental movement skills - such as running, catching and balance - are more likely to be obese than boys who have similar low skills, according to a new study.

Researchers at Coventry University in the UK assessed skills of 250 girls and boys between six and 11 years, categorising their fundamental movement skills (FMS) as either low, medium or high.

They then cross-referenced the kid's motor skills with their body fatness to investigate the relationship between the two. The children's habitual physical activity was also taken into account.

The study found that body fatness was significantly higher among girls in the low FMS category compared with boys in the same category.

It also suggests that body fatness was higher for girls in the low FMS category compared with girls with medium or high fundamental movement skills.

There was no significant difference in body fatness across the low, medium and high FMS categories for boys, researchers said.

"We know from previous studies that primary school children with a higher body mass index are likely to have poorer fundamental movement skills, but our research is aiming to understand this relationship in more detail - particularly how gender may play a role," said lead researcher Mike Duncan, professor at Coventry University.

"What we have found is significant because it signals a need to review the strategies we have to enhance motor proficiency in girls and means we should be engaging health practitioners and PE teachers to help explore and understand how additional opportunities or different techniques may be required compared with boys," said Duncan.

"The next big question - which we are continuing to research - is whether developmental delays in acquiring these motor skills, whether in girls or boys, may actually be the cause of children gaining unhealthy weight status," Duncan added.

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Gunfire erupted in several parts of Kinshasa early today as Congo's long-serving President Joseph Kabila appeared set to stay on despite the expiry of his mandate and announced a new government.

Shots rang out in several parts of the sprawling city of 10 million, especially in two northern quarters after whistles -- an opposition sign of protest -- were heard in several areas.

Demonstrators blew whistles and beat on improvised drums, their gesture for a red card, asking the 45-year-old who has led the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2001 to quit the top job.

Kabila's second term officially expires today.

State television overnight announced the formation of a new government following an agreement between Kabila's administration and a fringe opposition group.

The new cabinet will be led by Sami Badibanga, a defector from the party of the mainstream opposition party led by 84-year-old Etienne Tshisekedi.

A muffled explosion was also heard in the posh quarter of Gombe, where the presidential palace is located. Residents said tear gas shells were fired in other areas but it was unclear who was behind the shooting.

Talks on a peaceful transition are in limbo, sparking fears of fresh violence in the unstable mineral-rich nation.

Kinshasa was a shadow of itself yesterday with barely any traffic on the main roads, public transport at a minimum, and soldiers and police outnumbering passers-by.

Shops were shuttered in the main square and there were tense scenes at Kinshasa University, where dozens of police and troops held back hundreds of angry students.

The UN rights office in Congo said 28 people were arrested in Kinshasa yesterday and 46 in the eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu.

In the volatile east, nine rebels, a South African peacekeeper, a Congolese soldier, a police officer and a civilian were killed when militia fighters attacked several buildings in Butembo, including the prison.

A supplier of minerals crucial for everyday items ranging from smartphones to lightbulbs -- tantalum, tungsten, tin and coltan -- the mineral trade in the east of the country has long been linked to armed groups and conflict.

Kabila, who has been in power for 15 years, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term but under a recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

The ruling party and some opposition leaders have agreed to schedule an election in April 2018 at the earliest, leaving Kabila in office until the vote. But the main opposition bloc rejects this plan.

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The biography of Guru Govind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, will be included in the curriculum in Jharkhand and the state government will celebrate his 350th birth anniversary, Chief Minister Raghubar Das said today.

The 350th birth anniversary would be celebrated with fervour in Jamshedpur and the date of celebration would be selected by the Gurudwaras' Committee, an official release quoted Das as saying.

The Punjabi Refugee Colony in Jamshedpur would be renamed as Guru Govind Singh Nagar, the release said, adding the Station Road here would be renamed as Guru Govind Singh ji Road.

Special trains would run from Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad to Patna during the celebrations, Das said.

The chief minister told the representatives of Gurudwaras Committees, who met him, that the state Minority Commission would be set up soon and the Sikh community would be given a proper place.

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The Bombay High Court today asked the Service Tax Department, which has to recover dues of Rs 532 crore from the business tycoon Vijay Mallya, to revalue his luxury plane parked at the Mumbai airport.

After the revaluation, the HC said it would consider the department's request to allow a re-auction of the aircraft.

A division bench headed by Justice S C Dharmadhikari asked the department to revalue the base price of the aircraft and submit a report in a sealed cover by January 19.

"Only after such a report is submitted, the court would consider the department's request to hold re-auction as earlier auctions have failed to get a proper bid," said Justice Dharmadhikari.

The highest bids received in the earlier three auctions were below the reserve price of Rs 152 crore.

According to the department's petition before the high court, Mallya owes it Rs 32.68 crore as the service tax on the tickets of his Kingfisher Airlines sold between April 2011 and September 2012. In total, Mallya owes about Rs 532 crore in tax to the department, the petition said.

Service Tax Department has attached Mallya's private jet, an Airbus 319 which can carry 25 passengers and six crew members.

Mallya, who left the country earlier this year, is also facing action after defaulting on over Rs 9,000 crore of loans from 17 banks. Courts have declared him 'proclaimed offender' for not appearing before them.

In May this year, the department had issued a notice advertising auction of the plane, describing it as designed "exclusively for exotic and luxurious use".

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Himachal Pradesh Assembly was adjourned for the day today due to pandemonium as legislators of opposition BJP demanded discussion on corruption cases against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

As soon as the House assembled, BJP MLAs Suresh Bhardwaj, Rajeev Bindal and Ravinder Ravi sought discussion on corruption cases against the Chief Minister, saying they have given notice to the Speaker on the issue separately.

But Speaker B B L Butail maintained that the matter is subjudice and cannot be discussed in the House. Following this, BJP MLAs went towards the Speaker's podium and raised slogans against the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, Congress MLAs also raised slogans against the Centre's demonetisation move.

Heated exchanges were witnessed as BJP legislators remained adamant on discussion over the issue, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house for 15 minutes.

When the House reassembled, BJP members again raised their demand, insisted on a debate on the issue and shouting slogans disrupting the proceedings. However, this time the Chief Minister was not in the Assembly as he had left for Delhi.

When BJP MLAs refused to relent, Butail adjourned the House for the day.

It is "unfortunate" that Assembly proceedings were disrupted, Butail told mediapersons and indicated that action can be initiated against those who are disrupting the House proceedings deliberately.

The BJP members were demanding debate on corruption cases against the Chief Minister under Rule 67. But only issues of national exigency like natural disaster or war are admitted under this rule and that too when the government fails to respond, the Speaker said.

The five-day Winter session of the Assembly began yesterday.

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Police today let off Human Rights activist Nadeer Gul Mohammed from its custody, saying there was "no evidence" against him, after the issue turned controversial and his friend and writer Kamal C Chavara sitting on hunger strike demanding the activist's release.

Nadeer was taken into custody yesterday when he went to visit writer and theatre activist Kamal C Chavara, who was detained by police for allegedly insulting the national anthem, at the Kozhikde Medical College Hospital.

After Nadeer was taken into custody, the writer started a hunger strike demanding the activists release.

DGP Loknath Behara said Nadeer was taken into custody on the basis of "suspicion" about his Maoist links.

"He was picked up for questioning to clear some doubts. However, since there was no evidence against him, he was let off today," the DGP told reporters here.

Also, he clarified, no case was registered against Chavara under UAPA. But a case under section 124A (sedition) of IPC had been registered against him. "But it will not stand, I clearly know," he said, adding, the writer had also not been arrested, and was "free".

Later, in a press note the DGP denied some media reports that Chavara and Nadeer had been arrested. "It is hereby clarified that both of them have not been arrested," he said.

"With regard to writer Kamal C Chavara a case under section 124A (sedition) of IPC had been registered on the allegation that he had insulted the national anthem. The case was prima facie registered on the basis of allegation."



"Investigation is on and as part of the investigation, Kamal was questioned by the police. This is a part of the investigation required as per law. He has not been arrested so far and he is not in police custody," Behera said.

In the case of Nadir, he was asked to join the probe of a case registered by Aarlam Police in March this year and his statement has been recorded in a case registered under UAPA for going to a house in Aaralam and threatening the inmates and extortion, the DGP said.

"After questioning Nadir and doing some scientific checks, his involvement in the case has not come up so far. So he has been let off and has been requested to cooperate with the police as and when required," Behera said.

"It may be clarified that investigation process has to be completed after a case is registered and it is the legal duty of police to question and record the statement of a suspect, a witness, an accused which Kerala police did in both the cases," he said.

Kannur SP Sanjay Kumar Gurudin said Nadeer was taken for



questioning as part of investigation of a case registered against him in March.

"Certain things were verified. There is no sufficient evidence to arrest him," Gurudin told

(REOPEN MDS5)



Meanwhile speaking to reporters in Kozhikode, Nadeer alleged that police were delibartely trying to label him as a Maoist.

"Police deliberately tried to label me a Maoist. I have been asked to appear before the police on January 4", he said.

Police said a search was conducted at his house at Ballusery, but nothing was found.

Some Human Rights activists who accompanied Nadeer, alleged the search at Nadeer's house, even after his release, was aimed at framing him.
The Indiana Department of Education has announced how it will divvy up $40 million that state lawmakers set aside in 2015 to reward teachers who are rated effective and highly effective. Those bonuses will disproportionally go to teachers in wealthy districts, a fact that has many in the state up in arms.

Carmel Clay Schools, where just 9 percent of their 16,000 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, will get the most $2.4 million or roughly $2,422 per teacher . Another well-off Indianapolis suburban district, Zionsville Community Schools, where fewer than 5 percent of students qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program, will receive about $2,240 per teacher. Meanwhile, Indianapolis, the states largest district will receive just around $330,875, or $128.40 per educator. So teachers in those wealthy suburban districts will get bonuses nearly 20 times larger than effective and highly effective educators in Indianapolis.

Indiana State Teachers Association President Teresa Meredith calls it a flawed system.

While educators at well-resourced schools performed well and received a much-deserved bonus, the educators teaching in some of the most challenging districts where socioeconomic factors can negatively impact student and school performance, were left out, she said in a statement. We need high-quality educators to teach at our most-challenged schools, and this distribution of bonuses certainly wont compel them to do so.

There seems to be political will to revisit the formula. Currently, districts are doled out the money based on student test scores and graduation rates. That money is then given to teachers who earned high ratings on their annual evaluation.

State House Speaker Brian Bosma, a Republican, told The Indianapolis Star that he hopes to make changes to the system .

It seems that we do need to take a look at the distribution formula for those funds, he told the newspaper. The original concept was to recognize outstanding teachers, not just outstanding districts. So well work it through and hopefully be able to make it equitable.

And it looks like hell get support from across the aisle. House Democratic Leader Scott Pelath argues that the current system is only exacerbating inequalities.

What it does do is channel even more money to those school corporations that already get the largest slices of the financial pie, he told The Star.
A Traffic Police Inspector was today suspended on corruption charges after he allegedly took Rs 25 lakh from a rice merchant for not informing the I-T department about Rs 1.25 crore he was carrying.

The Inspector, Khaja Moinuddin, attached to L B Nagar Traffic Police Station, later returned the amount to the merchant.

Moinuddin was suspended by Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat after he allegedly took Rs 25 lakh from the rice trader, according to an official release.

On October 28, a team of L B Nagar Traffic Police stopped the vehicle of the merchant, in which he was carrying Rs 1.25 crore for his business.

Sub-Inspector G Nagraju, Constable Satyanarayna and Home Guard Jangaiah, who stopped the vehicle, informed the matter to Moinuddin.

Moinuddin allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh from the rice merchant for not informing about the cash to I-T Department. He later settled for Rs 25 lakh and took the amount, the release said



Later, the rice merchant complained to senior police officials and an enquiry was ordered. However, on November 29, the Traffic Inspector returned Rs 25 lakh to the rice merchant.

"For misusing official position and indulging in corrupt practices, the CP Rachakonda issued suspension order of Traffic Inspector L B Nagar Khaja Moinuddin," it said.

Also, memos were issued to Sub-Inspector Nagraju and Constable Satyanarayna, and show cause notice served to Home Guard Jangaiah for not informing the matter to superior officers, the release added.

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The Indo French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) today said it has inked a partnership agreement with Business France India to assist SMEs of the European nation on their India-expansion plans.

"The aim behind this move is to be able to present a more structured approach for assisting French SMEs on their India- expansion plans," the chamber said in a statement.

Pierre Behnam, President of IFCCI and Thibaut Fabre, Director of Business France India signed the agreement here.

The pact was signed at the annual meeting of French Foreign Trade Advisors held at Embassy of France here in the presence of France's Ambassador in India Alexandre Ziegler.

IFCCI and Business France wish to put forward a unique offering to these companies in order to coordinate efforts in a simple and clear manner, the statement said.

Behnam said: "Both our organizations have already been working closely together and our interests will only deepen".

Business France India promotes the European nation companies, business image and export growth by French businesses.

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Deepening their ties, India and Kyrgyztan today finalised broad contours of a bilateral investment treaty and inked six other pacts covering a range of areas besides resolving to work closely to combat challenge of terrorism, extremism and radicalism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev held comprehensive talks and agreed to step up engagement in key areas of defence, security and trade with specific focus on mining, IT, agriculture and energy.

"We discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society against common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism. We agreed on the need to coordinate and work closely in addressing and overcoming these challenges for our common benefit," Modi said in a media statement.

The Central Asian nation bordering China is strategically important for India and both countries have been steadily ramping up defence collaboration.

Modi had visited Kyrgyztan in July last year during which a pact for boosting defence cooperation was inked.

A joint statement issued after the talks said the two leaders noted the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism globally as well as in the Asian continent, and emphasised the importance of ensuring a stable and secure environment for peaceful economic development.

"In this context, they also called for the adoption by the United Nations of the draft Comprehensive Convention on Combating International Terrorism," it said.

Aiming to broaden economic engagement, the two countries initialled a bilateral investment treaty which will provide protection to investors in each other's country apart from creating enabling environment for trade to grow.

The six MoUs will provide for deeper cooperation in areas of agriculture, tourism, culture, broadcasting and youth affairs.

In his comments, Atambayev said he was not happy over the current volume of bilateral trade as there was huge untapped potential for its expansion and called for removing bottlenecks in transportation of goods between the two countries through Iran.

Denouncing terrorism and extremism, he said both countries were binded by historical links and fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. He also mentioned about popularity of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor in his country.

To ramp up economic engagement, both sides, during the talks, directed the ministries concerned to develop a comprehensive road-map for a five-year timeframe.

The two leaders also reviewed the "cooperative engagement" in defence with Modi calling the Kyrgyz-India Mountain Bio-Medical Research Center as an excellent example of successful collaboration.

Both the countries are also involved in Mountain Bio-Medical Research and Modi called it an excellent example of successful collaboration.

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India today condemned the assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, saying it was shocked by the dastardly act and that there can never be any justification for terrorism.

"India strongly condemns the tragic assassination of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Turkey. We are deeply saddened and shocked by this dastardly act," the External Affairs Ministry said.

Karlov was shot dead by a Turkish gunman at an art exhibition in Ankara last evening.

"We offer our condolences to the family of Ambassador Andrey Karlov and share their pain and grief. There can never be any justification for violence and terrorism," the MEA said in a statement.

The gunman shouted "God is great!" and "don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria", after killing the envoy.

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India will host the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCSS) in 2017 in which over 100 countries are expected to participate, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said.

"India has been selected for hosting Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in 2017. It is recognition of India's emerging role as big cyber power accelerated by Digital India which has gained international fame," Prasad told PTI.

The UK had hosted the first GCCS in 2011 followed by Budapest in 2012. South Korea hosted the event 2013 and the Netherlands in 2015.

Over 100 countries participate in it with ministerial level delegation, Prasad said.

The minister further said that he today met the Netherlands Ambassador Alphonsus Stoeling who formally handed over GCCS hosting to India.

GCCS will deliberate on issues related to promotion of cooperation in cyberspace, norms for responsible behaviours in cyberspace and to enhance cyber capacity building.

The conference is likely to be held in last quarter of 2017 but the government will decide on venue and dates for it shortly, an official said.

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: Three members of an Iranian family who tried to cheat a money exchange firm and were allegedly involved in a theft at a petrol pump in the city, have been taken into custody, police said today.

Boroumanand Sadeq Muhammed (21), his father Galaram Hussain (46) and mother Bageri Manjer (45) hailing from South Africa were on a trip to India, police said.

The family was nabbed when they tried to cheat a money exchange firm in the city yesterday. A total of 300 notes of various countries, including Dollars, Euros and Pounds were seized from them, police said.

They said the trio had approached the pump employees expressing interest in the new Indian currency. The man diverted their attention by asking details of the notes and money exchange firms, while the wife and son lifted about Rs 80,000 cash. All of them then fled the spot.

Acting on a complaint from the employees, police registered a case against the trio and arrested them.

Police said the three are also involved in many money exchange frauds in Thrissur and Malappuram districts.

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Scientists have discovered a jet stream within the Earth's molten iron core using the latest satellite data that helps create an 'X-ray' view of the planet.

Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK found the position of the jet stream aligns with a boundary between two different regions in the core.

The jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards this boundary from both sides, which is squeezed out sideways.

"The European Space Agency's Swarm satellites are providing our sharpest X-ray image yet of the core. We have not only seen this jet stream clearly for the first time, but we understand why it is there," said lead researcher Phil Livermore from the University of Leeds.

"We can explain it as an accelerating band of molten iron circling the North Pole, like the jet stream in the atmosphere," said Livermore.

Because of the core's remote location under 3,000 kilometres of rock, for many years scientists have studied the Earth's core by measuring the planet's magnetic field - one of the few options available.

Previous research had found that changes in the magnetic field indicated that iron in the outer core was moving faster in the northern hemisphere, mostly under Alaska and Siberia.

However, new data from the Swarm satellites has shown that these changes are actually caused by a jet stream moving at more than 40 kilometres per year.

This is three times faster than typical outer core speeds and hundreds of thousands of times faster than the speed at which the Earth's tectonic plates move.

The European Space Agency's Swarm mission features a trio of satellites which simultaneously measure and untangle the different magnetic signals which stem from Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere.

They have provided the clearest information yet about the magnetic field created in the core.

The study found the position of the jet stream aligns with a boundary between two different regions in the core.

The jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards this boundary from both sides, which is squeezed out sideways.

"Of course, you need a force to move the liquid towards the boundary. This could be provided by buoyancy, or perhaps more likely from changes in the magnetic field within the core," said Rainer Hollerbach from Leeds.

"We know more about the Sun than the Earth's core. The discovery of this jet is an exciting step in learning more about our planet's inner workings," said Chris Finlay from the Technical University of Denmark.

The study was published in Nature Geoscience.

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The extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for a series of shooting attacks on police and tourists in Jordan that killed 10 people, including a woman from Canada.

Sunday's shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamic militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the US-led military campaign against IS, which seized large areas in neighboring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a "caliphate" there.

The shootings took place in the central Jordanian town of Karak. Hours after an initial attack on a police patrol, four gunmen were shot and killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and popular tourist destination.

The IS claim was published today on "Shumoukh al-Islam," a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that "four soldiers of the caliphate" armed with machine guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 "apostates."



It said the four IS fighters were engaged in "fierce clashes lasting several hours" with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-IS coalition member states. "We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...," it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism; hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other IS militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

Sunday's shootings were the latest in a series of attacks over the past year that have challenged the pro-Western kingdom's claim to be an oasis of stability in a region increasingly threatened by Islamic extremists.

Earlier this year, IS claimed responsibility for a deadly cross-border attack from Syria on a Jordanian border post.

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Asserting that the Constitution of India is supreme, the Jammu and Kashmir government today hit back at National Conference for accusing the PDP of allowing erosion of Article 370 which grants special status to the state, saying it was the opposition party which was responsible for it.

"The Constitution of India is supreme. Do you disagree with this that (Constitution of India) is supreme? And we have another Constitution, the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.

"I am a minister and I take oath under the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and swear by the Constitution of India. There is no contradiction in it," the state's Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, who is also the official spokesman of the coalition government, told reporters here today.

With regard to NC leader Omar Abdullah accusing PDP of "allowing step-by-step erosion of Article 370 through a series of politically patronized cases and litigations", the senior PDP leader said it was in fact the party of the former Chief Minister which has eroded the article.

Omar had made the allegation after the Supreme Court ruled that Jammu and Kashmir has "no vestige of sovereignty outside the Constitution of India".

"I am not accusing them of anything, I am just stating the fact that whatever has happened to the Article 370 so far, it is because of them (National Conference)," Akhtar said.

He said that the allegations levelled by National Conference would not stick.

"That is a charge that will never stick because it has always been the other way round. It is the National Conference which has utilized this Article for their political gains and been a party to its dilution," the PDP leader said.

He said PDP will never allow erosion of Article 370 as it was a commitment in the "Agenda of Alliance" of the government and a national consensus has emerged amongst all the political parties but NC was playing politics over it.

Commenting on Omar's remarks, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the opposition was desperate and was leveling such allegations.

"Actually they (NC) are desperate, they are referring to the stand taken by the state government. I think whatever the Supreme Court has said it is not a new thing. The same thing is there in the Constitution and (defines) our state and central relations, so they are only making an issue out of it, I think which is not proper," Singh said.

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Actors Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx took a private trip to Cabo San Lucas to celebrate her 38th birthday.

The "Batman Begins" actress and Foxx, 49, who have always kept their relationship private, flew to the Mexican resort city for a "quick trip", reported Us weekly.

"Katie and Jamie took a private jet to Cabo on Friday morning from Van Nuys Airport (in Los Angeles). It was a quick trip in honor of Katie's birthday. It was only them and two pilots on the plane," a source said.

"They stayed in one of the most private suites at the hotel. They wanted to be very discreet and had everything delivered to their room and taken care of by a personal butler," the source added.

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7 Legal Tips for Startups Laying Off Employees

If your startup's projections are starting to look bleak, or a re-organization is in order, you may be considering laying off some employees. In a startup environment, conducting layoffs can often be more difficult due to the close knit team environment enigmatic to startups. However, if you are in a larger startup with over 100 employees, you may need to WARN your employees.

If you are concerned over legal liability for a wrongful termination claim, get help from an experienced business attorney before starting the termination or layoff process. Below, you'll find some tips on how to make sure your layoffs don't lead to legal trouble.

1. Don't Use Layoffs as a Pretext

If you want to terminate an employee for poor performance, a personality problem, or any other reason, don't use a layoff to accomplish that end. Don't attempt to mask a discriminatory or retaliatory termination via a layoff. If you do, you may be unable to prove that the layoff was a legitimate business decision later on in court. Also, if it is learned that you hired someone after the layoff to fill the same roll, that will raise a major red flag.

2. Are There Alternatives?

Sometimes there are alternatives to laying off staff. Especially on small startup teams, losing a few people might actually mean losing a third or half the staff. If you have a really small team, you could consider discussing the financial problems to see if your team might be willing to take an across the board pay reduction, or reduction in hours, to avoid losing the team members.

3. Beware of Employment Contracts

If you have hired contract employees, agency employees, or had your employees sign an employment contract, you should re-read their contracts before including them in any layoffs. Some employment contracts are for a term, or provide for specific terms upon termination, which means that if you layoff the employee, they could potentially be entitled to the consideration that was agreed upon in the contract if they are terminated.

4. Don't Challenge Unemployment Claims

If you are laying off an employee, that employee will likely have a claim for unemployment benefits. In order for that employee to receive those benefits however, you, as their former employer, will have to respond to a request for information or verification regarding your former employee.

If you told your employee they were being laid off, giving the unemployment investigator a different reason could lead to a delay in processing your former employee's claim, as well as raise red flags for the employee that the layoff was not legitimate. If the claim gets denied because of the information you provide, you may have to defend the matter in an administrative hearing.

5. No Further Explanation Necessary

Although you may be compelled to be completely transparent and explain to the employee or team in great detail why they are being laid off, this is not required. Most regular employees are considered "at-will" employees, which means that you can terminate them for any legal reason, and they can quit at any time. If you are concerned about the reason you plan to give, consult an attorney to see if not providing a reason is in your best interest.

6. Last Hired, First Fired

Frequently, when conducting layoffs, employers will use the "last hired, first fired" method. Basically, this method involves laying off the employees with the least seniority. Conducting layoffs in this manner provides the most senior employees with a sense of job security, which can be important to company morale.

Using objective, performance-related criteria can also allow layoffs to be less biased. However, these will tend to impact morale more so than a seniority based layoff.

7. Require Release for Severance

An employer that is worried about a lawsuit can seek to have their employee sign away their rights in exchange for a severance package. If you choose to go this route, have an attorney draft your severance agreement to include a release of all legal claims, as a poorly drafted release may not be worth the paper its printed on. Also, note that some claims, like unemployment claims, may not be release-able.

Related Resources:
In a two-pronged attack, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal today alleged that demonetisation decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aimed at helping business houses and castigated Congress, saying the main opposition party lacks courage to take on the PM.

"BJP and Congress are like husband and wife. Each after one term of five years gives way for the other to rule," the Delhi Chief Minister told a gathering here.

He also needled Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over his claim that he was having foolproof evidence of "personal corruption" by the Prime Minister that can cause an earthquake.

"Demonetisation has benefitted businessmen friends of the PM. The move has wrought havoc in the life of common people," Kejriwal alleged during his 30-minute speech, as he referred to "demonetisation" as a "scam worth Rs eight lakh crore".

"All sections of the society, farmers, poor are facing a lot of hardship and are in penury. Industries, mandis have been closed after demonetisation," he said.

"Demonetisation was also done to help the BJP as the party had deposited its money before the scrapping of old currency notes," he added.

He said if Modi really wants to end the scourge of corruption and black money, he should put the 648 people, mostly businessmen, who have stashed money in Swiss banks, in the jail.

Kejriwal said during his initial stint as Chief Minister, his government in 49 days had put behind bars 32 corrupt officers to end corruption in Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today said there should be no "concessions to terrorists" at talks with his Turkish counterpart on Syria, a day after Moscow's ambassador was murdered in Ankara.

"This tragedy forces all of us to fight more decisively against terrorism," Lavrov told Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu as they sat down together in Moscow.

"For this reason, I very much hope that our talks and the upcoming three-way meeting with our Iranian colleague will allow us to reach agreements, which will through concrete actions advance the settlement in Syria," Lavrov said, also insisting that they should not allow "any concessions to terrorists".

The foreign and defence ministers from Russia, Turkey and Iran are meeting in Moscow today for key talks on the conflict in Syria.

The meetings come after Russian envoy Andrei Karlov was gunned down Monday at the opening of a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara by a Turkish policeman crying "Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest), in what Moscow called a "terrorist act".

Russia and Iran are on the opposite side of the Syrian conflict from Turkey with Moscow and Tehran backing leader Bashar al-Assad and Ankara supporting those seeking to topple him.

But Turkey and Russia have recently worked closely together to evacuate rebel fighters and civilians from the battered city of Aleppo.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday warned that the killing of Karlov was a "provocation" aimed at damaging ties with Turkey and undermining the latest efforts to reach a settlement on Syria.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Madhya Pradesh government will close all the liquor shops situated on the banks of river Narmada from the next financial year.

"There will be no liquor shops on the banks (in towns and villages on banks) of Narmada River from April 1, 2017. We need a society free of addiction," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at Chabi village under Mandla district, today, while addressing a gathering during his ongoing 'Namami Devi Narmade - Seva Yatra.'



Chouhan said the people, in the areas where this Yatra is passing through, have been taking oath of de-addiction in the interest of their family and society at large.

MP Chief Minister also urged people not to dispose of any kind of waste including fruits-flowers and other puja material in the river.

"State government would construct separate ponds for the disposal of puja material. I request people not to throw any kind of material in the river," he added.

Talking about the plantation of trees, Chouhan said 6,376 farmers of Mandla district have resolved to plant trees. "30 per cent areas in the state are dependent on this river and one cannot imagine of a Madhya Pradesh without river Narmada," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at the Modi government for its non-cooperation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she has asked state minister Subarata Mukherjee to stage a dharna in Delhi against the Centre for not giving funds under the MGNREGA scheme.

"Panchayat and Rural Development minister Subrata Mukherjee has been asked to go to Delhi to stage a dharna there," she told reporters here.

"We have repeatedly sought waiver of the loan taken during the Left Front rule. But the Centre has not done anything," she said adding the government would continue its work despite the non-cooperation by the Centre.

Banerjee, who was speaking after an administrative meeting at Mukutmanipur, known for its second biggest earth dam in the country and a toruist resort, said she has asked the district authority to set up Mukutmanipur Development Authority to expedite various development work in the area.

She also asked the district authority to set up a permanent helipad in order to boost tourism in Mukutmanipur.

Infrastructure should be created first in order to boost tourism in the area, Banerjee said adding "A major road funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) would pass through this area connecting eastern India with the north east."



The chief minister also expressed unhappiness about the fact that a lot of work related to tourism and infrastructure development were pending.

"Why so many projects are half finished?" she asked the tourism secretary A R Bardhan. Pending projects related to tourism, infrastructure development, water and road repairs should be completed immediately, she said.

She said that a water supply project 'Jal Tirtha' worth Rs 1,100 crore had been taken up to irrigate 32,000 hectares of farmland in the district.

District administration have been asked to keep in touch with people to reduce their hardship and sufferings, the chief minister added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of practising "appeasement politics", BJP today asked her to break her "silence" on communal violence at Dhulagarh in the state.

BJP National Secretary Sidharth Nath Singh told reporters that the minority wing leaders of Trinamool Congress were allegedly targeting Hindus, especially in six districts where BJP has shown growth, and said BJP will send a delegation of MPs there to look into the incident.

The state unit has also been asked to move NHRC over it.

"Hindus are being targeted by the minority wing... For over six days this dance of communalism is happening in Dhulagarh in Howrah district. You (Mamata) have not said anything. She must break her silence," he said.

100 such communal incidents have happened since TMC came back to power this year, he alleged.

He also referred to a fatwa issued by Shahi Imam of Kolkata's Tipu Sultan Masjid Syed Mohammad Nurur Rahman Barkati in which a call to stone state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh to death was allegedly given.

Singh said TMC's minority wing head Idris Ali was with the Imam.

The Imam moves around in the state in an unauthorised beacon car, he claimed.

"This is a glowing example of her minority appeasement politics," he said.

While Banerjee address meetings in Delhi, Patna and Lucknow against note ban, she has kept quiet at the violence happening in her state, he said.

Suggesting that the jan dhan accounts in the state were misused to deposit black money, he claimed about Rs 10000 crore were put in these accounts.

On the one hand she says the state is full of poor farmers and on the other so much money has been deposited in these accounts, he said, asking her to explain this mismatch.

"The reality is that all the black money TMC made has been rendered waste by demonetisation," he alleged.

Referring to the incidents of artists and writers returning their award over "intolerance" issue, he said they should not keep silence now and speak up.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 19-year-old man was today held on a Delhi Metro station for allegedly carrying three live bullet rounds in his bag.

Officials said the incident was reported from Shahdara station on the Red Line of the Delhi Metro around 3:00 PM when a CISF personnel detected the live ammunition, of .315 bore calibre in a traveller's bag.

The commuter has been identified as Shafahed, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

They said the bullets were detected during the X-ray scanning of the bag and the man was not allowed to go inside the station premises.

"He could not produce any documents for carrying the rounds and hence he was handed over to police by the CISF," they said.

Carrying arms and ammunition in the Delhi Metro network is banned under law.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A homeless man in the US has thrown hot coffee in the face of a 21-year-old Muslim woman and called her a "terrorist".

Nathan Gray, 34, a store employee, told the woman he "hated Muslims" and was going to kill her, police said.

Gray walked into a Dunkin Donuts shop in Manhattan on Sunday and asked for a cup of coffee before sitting next to a group of Muslim women, an employee said.

"I gave him coffee and he said something to me about terrorists, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. He walked away from me and sat next to a group of Muslim women," the store employee said.

He said the man began talking to them and said "terrorists" while the group tried to ignore him.

"He started talking to them and I could hear him saying, 'Terrorists!," he said.

"One woman called him 'stupid'. So he threw his hot coffee in her face. It was hot, hot coffee. She could have been burned! Then he swung his bag at her and it hit her in the face," the employee was quoted as saying by the 'New York Daily News'.

The woman ran outside, and Gray put her in a headlock, police said.

Gray has been charged with assault as a hate crime, police said, adding that the victim has refused medical attention.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari today met the head of Nizamuddin Dargah and interacted with traders, including Muslims, as part of his ongoing campaign to popularise mobile banking apps and cashless transactions.

This morning Tiwari boarded a Metro train from Central Secretariat to Kashmere Gate and headed further to Mori Gate on an e-rickshaw to address a gathering of traders.

He assured them that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to provide a "clean" atmosphere for trade to grow, and the implementation of demonetisation process and GST are steps in that direction.

Tiwari also addressed a gathering of Muslim traders at the party office where he also interacted with Sajjada Nashin of Nizamuddin Dargah, Gulam Nizam Nizami.

The event, organised by the minorities front of the party, was attended by several Muslim traders.

Party spokesperson Shahnawaj Hussain also addressed the traders. He said forging a cashless economy is a "national duty" of every citizen of the country.

"Some political parties are trying to mislead the people, including minorities, that demonetisation will harm them which is a false propaganda. The Prime Minister stands by the agenda of cohesive and inclusive development and will ensure the protection of interest of the minorities," he said.

The Delhi BJP chief said Modi, in his first address in the Parliament, had made it clear that the government's main commitment would poverty eradication, terming it as the main problem faced by both Hindus and Muslims and instead of fighting amongst themselves they should come together to fight poverty and illiteracy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A series of moderate earthquakes rattled northwestern Ecuador, causing two deaths, injuring 20 people and damaging dozens of structures.

President Rafael Correa said on his Twitter account that yesterday's quakes left some areas without electricity and prompted officials to close local schools.

Cracks opened in the walls of some homes, and some families spent the rest of the night outside.

The US Geological Survey said the strongest of the quakes was a magnitude 5.4 shake at 2:11 am (local time), about 19 kilometers south-southwest of the coastal city of Esmeraldas. It was relatively close to the surface, just 10 kilometers deep.

Authorities said a 75-year-old woman died of heart failure in Esmeraldas. No details were given on the other death.

Government emergency services reported 20 people hurt, five structures collapsed and 65 more damaged.

The state oil company said it suspended operations at the important Esmeraldas refinery for safety.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today launched yet another attack on Modi, saying the Prime Minister should desist from "coercing" the opposition "using CBI" over demonetisation and not everyone is "Rahul Gandhi".

"Modi ji, don't try to coerce opposition into submission thro CBI. Everyone is not Rahul Gandhi (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted, referring to a tweet by West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee.

In her post, Banerjee had accused BJP of indulging in "vendetta politics", claiming the TMC Lok Sabha leader was called thrice by the CBI. "Nothing will deter us from fight against #DeMonetisation," she added.

She also thanked Kejriwal for his "support". "Many thanks Arvind," she tweeted. The duo have been at the forefront after the PM announced scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes on November 8.

In another tweet, Kejriwal said Modi should first ensure that BJP accepts cashless donations before "forcing others".

"Beggars should accept cashless support, confectioner should accept cashless payment, urinals should be paid in cashless, but pay BJP in cash, old notes will also do," Kejriwal tweeted in hindi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Can You Sue a Doctor for Molestation or Sexual Assault?

Cases of molestation or sexual assault by a doctor are especially heinous. These cases are just as shocking when a teacher, pastor, or police officer commits a similar act. What makes these types of crimes so bad is the violation of the public trust, as well as the likelihood of there being multiple victims.

Unfortunately, these types of crimes occur all too often. Just this past week, a California doctor was arrested for allegedly assaulting multiple patients.

Victim Civil Lawsuits and Criminal Recourse

If a victim is molested or sexually assaulted by their doctor, or doctor's staff, they have legal recourses in both the criminal and civil courts. Initiating a criminal action requires reporting the incident to the police. Depending on the type of assault, getting an independent medical review, or taking photographs might be necessary to preserve the evidence (particularly in rape cases). Depending on your state, there may be a Victim's Compensation Fund, as there is in California, that may be able to provide some financial assistance for victims of crime.

Initiating a civil action is done by contacting a private personal injury or medical malpractice attorney. However, because state laws vary, there may be particularly short deadlines for filing a lawsuit, particularly if your case has a medical malpractice aspect to it. While a sexual assault by a doctor may not seem like medical malpractice or professional negligence, these may be claims your attorney would want to include in the lawsuit against the hospital, or even the defendant.

Unconscious and/or Afraid Victims

Unfortunately, unconscious victims may be unable to testify about what happened, and will thus have a more difficult time proving the assault took place, unless there is corroborating or independent evidence. This frequently leads to victims not reporting their suspicions due to fear of being embarrassed or humiliated, or worse, criminalized. Additionally, some victims just fear coming forward because it will be the "trusted" doctor's word against theirs, and they fear being victim-blamed, humiliated, and re-victimized.

However, victims should not hesitate to call the police and seek an independent medical evaluation if they believe or suspect they have been sexually assaulted or molested while unconscious. Additionally, a report can be made to the state medical licensing board, which can also lead to severe consequences for a doctor. A victim that comes forward, even if they are not completely certain about what happened, may find that they are not alone.

There are many organizations that provide crisis hotlines for victims of sexual abuse. If you are a victim and need someone to talk to, you can contact RAINN, a non-profit organization providing assistance to victims of sexual violence, at their hotline at 1(866) 656- HOPE (4673) or online via live chat. You should also contact a personal injury lawyer right away.

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Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi today held parleys with Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to India Saud Mohammed Alasti to discuss "smooth and safe" Haj for Indian pilgrims.

Alasti has assured "full co-operation" to India for the annual pilgrimage, the Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) told reporters.

At a separate event, Naqvi also launched a website (www.Haj.Gov.In) dedicated to Haj to help applicants understand the procedures related to the annual pilgrimage, dos and donts and other information.

"In order to ensure safe and smooth pilgrimage for devotees from the country, we have advanced our co-ordination with Saudi Arabia's administration. As part of the efforts, I met the Ambassador today and had detailed discussion. He has assured the government that they will extend support to Indian pilgrims," Naqvi told reporters.

The Minister said he will also lead a delegation comprising senior officials and Haj Committee to Jeddah to hold meeting over the pilgrimage and arrangements concerned to be made in the first week of January.

To a question, Naqvi replied the government will deploy senior officials in Saudi Arabia for overseeing preparations and coordinating with local government during Haj 2017.

He also stated the Ministry is planning to form an expert committee to look into grievances of pilgrims including the alleged differences in airfare charged at 21 embarkation points in India.

Naqvi said that discussions have been held with Civil Aviation Ministry officials to provide aircraft with modern facilities for pilgrims.

Launching the website, made available in Hindi, Urdu and English languages, Naqvi also reiterated that maximum numbers of devotees should send their applications online for transparent processing and in view of their convenience.

The applications for next year's pilgrimage will be available January 2 onwards.

"Last year, only 11 per cent of the total applications, that is 45,843 applications, were received online. We want maximum pilgrims to do so. We are also going to launch a mobile application to help pilgrims send applications online," he added.

According to a statement issued by the Minister, the pilgrims can make their payments online as well as through debit cards besides cash.

The Minister informed the website gives detailed information regarding the Ministry, Haj Department, the pilgrimage, rules and regulations on Haj, Haj Committee of India and private tour operators. The website also has "Do's and Don'ts" during Haj pilgrimage and also a film informing about various aspects of the pilgrimage.

99,903 devotees went to Jeddah for Haj from 21 embarkation points across India through Haj Committee of India for Haj 2016. Apart from this, about 36,000 Haj pilgrims went there through the private tour operators.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After going solo in the Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayat elections currently underway in Maharashtra, NCP today said it was ready for a tie-up with "big brother Congress" for coming Corporation and Zilla Parishad polls early next year.

"A meeting has been convened on December 28 in Pune to take stock of the party's performance in the recent local bodies polls and to chalkout strategy for the coming Corporation and Zilla Parishad polls. Party chief Sharad Pawar will preside over the deliberations," state unit chief Sunil Tatkare told reporters here.

Tatkare said NCP was keen on alliance for the election to Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats but it did not materialise. "However, we are ready for a tie-up for coming elections," he added.

On Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam already declaring that his party will be going alone in the civic polls, Tatkare said, "Congress considers itself as the big brother in Mumbai. The party should clarify it's position. We are ready for talks."



Tatkare said, "NCP would have emerged as single largest party in the Municipal Council polls had there been no direct election to the post of Municipal President."



In the three phases NCP has so far won 786 seats and 21 municipal council presidents post.

Asked about Shiv Sena criticising the government, he said, "The party is in two minds whether to stay in power or be in Opposition."



On foundation stone laying ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial in the Arabian sea by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 24, the NCP leader said, "The party was all for the memorial. It was because of some delay in obtaining NOC from the Centre, the ceremony did not happen during the Congress-NCP regime."



Earlier, 10 corporators from Congress, Samajwadi Party and other local outfits in Akola joined the NCP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Accusing the BJP of taking credit of the Pune Metro Rail Project, city Mayor Prashant Jagtap today said NCP would get the project inaugurated at the hands of party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to lay its foundation stone.

"Only a few days are left for the inauguration of the project, but the BJP is still not showing us the invitation card and they are not taking municipal corporations in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad into confidence, which are stakeholders in the project. Therefore, we today brought our invitation cards and decided that ground-breaking ceremony will be done at the hands of Sharad Pawar saheb on December 23," Jagtap, who belongs to NCP, said.

"The metro project was passed keeping the civic elections in mind, but we welcomed the decision. We also welcome that Modiji would inaugurate the project. However, it was Pawar saheb, who pushed the Pune Metro Rail Project during the UPA government and because of his efforts the proposal was expedited," he said.

Stating that the BJP was taking the credit of the project, the Mayor said Pune district Guardian Minister Girish Bapat today said that there would be two daises at the event and said that they oppose this.

"Therefore, we have decided that we would inaugurate the project at the hands of Pawar saheb and the invitation would be sent to Pawar Saheb, Chief Minister's office, Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Congress State president Ashok Chavan and Republican Party of India (A) chief Ramdas Athawale to attend the function," he said.

In Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), leaders of Congress, NCP and MNS, had passed a resolution few days back, demanding that the work on the Pune Metro Rail, the first phase of which was approved by the Union Cabinet, should be inaugurated by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

Bapat, while talking to reporters earlier in the day, said as per the protocol, all the dignitaries will be invited. "Besides the main dais (where the PM and CM will sit), there will be a separate dais, where MPs, MLA, officials from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will be seated," said Bapat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today paid floral tributes to former Congress MP from Vaishali, Kishori Sinha, who died here yesterday after prolonged illness.

As a mark of respect to the departed leader, the CM postponed Aurangabad leg of his "Nishchay yatra" scheduled for tomorrow.

The Aurangabad visit of the CM would be clubbed with the yatra he would undertake of other districts in Magadh region later on, an official statement said here.

Kumar reached Boring road residence of Sinha and paid rich floral tributes to her.

Sinha (90) breathed her last in a private hospital here.

She was wife of Congress stalwart and former Bihar Chief Minister Satyendra Narayan Sinha and mother of ex-Delhi police commissioner and former Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar.

She was MP from Vaishali twice from 1980 to 1989 from Congress.

The CM told reporters that her last rites would be performed with state honour.

In addition, he said a statue of the departed leader would be installed near the one of her late husband Satyendra Narain Sinha in the state capital.

RJD President Lalu Prasad and former Chief ministers Jagannath Mishra and Jitan Ram Manjhi also visited residence of the departed leader to pay tributes to her.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Barack Obama has called German Chancellor Angela Merkel to offer assistance and condolences following a deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

"The President offered his condolences, and those of the American people, for the horrific apparent terrorist attack," the White House said following the call late yesterday.

"The President reiterated the US offer of assistance and underscored that no attack could sway our determination -- and that of our German allies -- to defeat terrorism in all of its forms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee today said her fight against demonetisation would continue despite the "Centre's tactics of browbeating my party."



Stating that TMC parliamentary party leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay has received three calls from CBI, she said "Nothing will deter us from the fight against demonetisation".

When contacted Bandopadhyay told PTI that he has received three calls from CBI.

"I called them (CBI) back. They said you have to come to our office", he said.

Bandopadhyay is also the chairman of Railway Standing Committee.

Banerjee had yesterday attacked Modi government saying it did not understand the hardship faced by people who had turned 'fakirs' after demonetisation.

"Realising the people's difficulties, Venezuala withdrew the decision on demonetisation, but the Modi government doesn't listen to anyone", she had said.

(REOPENS CAL 4)



Speaking at a function at Mukutmanipur in Bankura district, Banerjee alleged that demonetisation had dragged the poor and middle class people into a difficult situation and made their lives miserable.

"Modi Government is yet to realise this difficult situation and hardship faced by majority of the people, even as these people are forced into a disastrous situation," she told mediapersons after an administrative meeting here in Bankura district.

"People are not being able to withdraw money against 100-days work. This should not be paid through Paytm. Centre cannot dictate people where to keep their money," Banerjee said.

"Out of 30,000 strong working force in the district, hardly 10,000 have work in hand, while the rest of them have been rendered jobless only due to demonetisation.

"The worst sufferers are those in the unorganised sector. Rural economy is mostly dependent on cooperative banks, but these banks are not getting supply of money," she said.

Banerjee has been a strident critic of demonetisation and has held public meetings in Delhi, Lucknow and Patna.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi today asked why the country's premier probe agencies are not showing the same urgency to convict the accused in all terror cases, a day after a special NIA court awarded death penalty to five IM operatives, including Yasin Bhatkal, in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts case.

In a series of tweets, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP questioned the NIA and also mounted a veiled attack on the Centre saying, "Do not be surprised the way NIA is pursuing those Bomb Blast cases where accused are Non-Muslims they will be exonerated bcos of Ache Din?".

"Why can't our Premier Investigation Agencies show same Urgency to convict all alleged terrorist cases, Demolition (of) Babri Masjid pending since 92," he asked.

Over the awarding of death penalty to the five Indian Mujahideen operatives, he sought to know, while 2013 Dilsukhnagar blast accused were convicted, will the NIA "get conviction" in Mecca Masjid blast, Ajmer Dargha blast and Malegaon blasts cases.

"2013 Dilsukhnagar blast accused all get conviction Mecca Masjid blast, AJMER Dargha Blast, Malegaon blasts Will NIA get conviction these cases," Owaisi said in a tweet.

In further tweets, the AIMIM chief said, "Dilsukhnagar bomb blast accused can be convicted in 3 years why is it taking long to convict MMasjid, Ajmer, Malegaon Can NIA throw some light."



However, in another tweet, Owaisi said "Dilsukhnagar blast courts have given a verdict which must be accepted, terrorist should be punished."



Five key operatives of the banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, including its co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and a Pakistani national, were yesterday awarded death penalty by a Special NIA Court here for the February 2013 Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts which claimed 18 lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi today accused the NIA of not showing urgency in securing convictions in terror cases involving "non-Muslims", a day after a special NIA court awarded death penalty to five IM operatives, including Yasin Bhatkal, in 2013 Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts case.

In a series of tweets, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP questioned the National Investigation Agency(NIA) and also mounted a veiled attack on the Centre saying, "Do not be surprised the way NIA is pursuing those Bomb Blast cases where accused are Non-Muslims they will be exonerated bcos of Ache Din?".

"Why can't our Premier Investigation Agencies show same Urgency to convict all alleged terrorist cases, Demolition (of) Babri Masjid pending since 92," he asked.

The BJP slammed Owaisi over the allegation levelled by him against the NIA, alleging he thrives on "communal agenda".

"Owaisi thrives on communal agenda. He is trying to communalise a court verdict. Politicians of this kind have become a parasite on Indian democracy," BJP's National Secretary Sidharth Nath Singh told a conference in Delhi.

Over the awarding of death penalty to the five Indian Mujahideen operatives, he sought to know, while 2013 Dilsukhnagar blast accused were convicted, will the NIA "get conviction" in Mecca Masjid blast, Ajmer Dargha blast and Malegaon blasts cases.

"2013 Dilsukhnagar blast accused all get conviction Mecca Masjid blast, AJMER Dargha Blast, Malegaon blasts Will NIA get conviction these cases," Owaisi said in a tweet.

In further tweets, the AIMIM chief said, "Dilsukhnagar bomb blast accused can be convicted in 3 years why is it taking long to convict MMasjid, Ajmer, Malegaon Can NIA throw some light."



However, in another tweet, Owaisi said "Dilsukhnagar blast courts have given a verdict which must be accepted, terrorist should be punished."



Five key operatives of the banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, including its co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and a Pakistani national, were yesterday awarded death penalty by a Special NIA Court in Hyderabad for the February 2013 Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts which claimed 18 lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The screening of Bollywood films has resumed in Pakistan after three months in a low-key manner with cinema owners still fearing an adverse reaction from extremists amid recent tensions between India and Pakistan.

A visit to some single screen cinemas and multiplexes a day after the screening resumed yesterday showed small crowds and low-visibility publicity posters.

The manager of Capri cinema in Karachi admitted this is being done intentionally.

"The relations between the two countries are not good so we are just keeping it low-key and not creating too much hype. It will take some time for things to get normal," Saleem said.

"The response to screening of Indian films once again has been a mixed one going by social media and other media outlets. While some are objecting in a spirit of patriotism there are others who support our decision," said well known film distributor Nadeem Mandviwalla, owner of Atrium cinemas.

"I can understand why my colleagues are still apprehensive about any strong reactions because I have been through it myself. Indo-Pak relations can stir very extreme reactions in both countries, more so in India," he said.

Mandviwalla also owns the historic Nishat cinema in the heart of Karachi which was burnt down in 2012 amid violent protests against a purportedly anti-Islamic short film called "Innocence of Muslims" aired on YouTube.

The Nishat cinema which was an iconic symbol at one time for Karachi's thriving cultural and arts scene still remains a charred building with Mandviwalla refusing to rebuild it.

'Freaky Ali', a 2016 romantic comedy which has a cast of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Arbaaz Khan and Amy Jackson is the first Indian film to be screened after Pakistani film exhibitors, distributors and cinema owners had in a collective show of patriotism voluntarily suspended the screening of Indian films last September after a ban on Pakistani artistes in India by the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association.

"Films that had already been imported will be screened as a token for now while we are negotiating for release of new Bollywood releases," Mandviwalla said.

He said the decision to screen Indian films again was taken because the government had not pushed for any ban last September and there was no public agitation over screening of the films at a time when there was a serious threat to Indian filmmakers in India over casting Pakistani actors.

"Yes it is a commercially motivated decision partially but also because our cinema industry needs to get back on its feet and we need to show the world we are more openhearted in Pakistan," he said.

Another film distributor in Karachi conceded that in the



three months the screening of Indian films was suspended, cinema owners and distributors had suffered losses of about Rs 150 million and some 100 employees lost their jobs owing to flat business.

But Pakistan Film Producers Association Chairman Syed Noor severely criticised the reintroduction of Indian movies.

"It's a commercial move devoid of any patriotism. When the government has officially banned the Indian content on television why are the exhibitors not realising this fact. There is no uniform policy. I want to know who put a ban on the screening of Indian movies and who lifted it," he said.

Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association Chairman Zoraiz Lashari said the decision to end the suspension was a unanimous one made with the consent of other exhibitors and stakeholders.

Popular actor and filmmaker Javed Sheikh welcomed the decision to resume screening of Indian films.

Sheikh who has acted in several Bollywood hits said it didn't matter if a film was Pakistani, Indian or English, as long as it was good and had potential people would go to see it and it would be shown at cinemas.
Pakistan today strongly condemned the killing of at least 12 people by a suspected asylum seeker who rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Germany, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50 others.

"Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has strongly condemned the suspected mass terror attack after a lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin, Germany," Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

"On behalf of the people and government of Pakistan, the Prime Minister extended his heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Germany on the loss of precious human lives in the attack," the statement said.

He said that Pakistani people share the grief of German people and stand by them in this most painful time.

"Terrorism is our common enemy and the world needs to put up a joint fight against this menace. Pakistan itself has suffered great losses of lives and property by terrorism and would continue to ensure all measures for its eradication," it added.

At least 12 people were killed and 48 others injured, including 18 seriously as the driver mounted the pavement, crushing people and triggering panic, in gory scenes reminiscent of the July 14 Nice attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


According to a federal indictment, Platinum Partners founder Mark Nordlicht and four others faked the hedge fund's books for years to allow them to siphon off one billion dollars to their personal accounts, swindling 600 investors.

The prosecutors called it the biggest finance fraud since Bernie Madoff, and described the Platinum Partners' accounting as "Ponzi-esque."

Prior to the indictment, Platinum was considered to be one of the most successful funds in history, with an unbroken string of year-on-year rises, which many investors found suspicious. Platinum drew most of its investment capital from their social acquaintances in the orthodox Jewish community.

Prosecutors say the indicted bankers plotted to flee to Israel to escape US authorities.



Late last year, Platinum formally told investors it wouldn't be able to cash out all of their money, alarming some of them, said people close to the firm. Messrs. Nordlicht and Huberfeld went on an investor relations blitz, calling up some personally to profess their optimism about Platinum's financial health, the people said. Mr. Nordlicht told some that he himself was lending money to Platinum personally, one of the people said. Concurrently, the finances of Platinum's flagship fund was becoming dire, according to the SEC complaint. In July 2015, the fund's master bank account was overdrawn by $1.5 million, according to the SEC complaint. A principal wired $1.65 million into Platinum's bank account. That money was then allegedly used to fund $50,000 in payments to two investors. Platinum also used its second-largest fund to provide cash to the flagship, even though both entities prohibited borrowing from each other for anything other than investments, the SEC complaint said. Investors who put money into the second fund had their money diverted to pay off the flagship's short-term loans, without their knowledge or consent, the SEC said. Near year-end, Messrs. Huberfeld and Nordlicht discussed fleeing the U.S. for Israel, according to the indictment. "Don't forget books," Mr. Huberfeld wrote to his partner in an email, the indictment said. "Assume we are not coming back to nyTake passport."

Authorities Allege $1 Billion Fraud at Platinum Partners

[Rob Copeland and Erica Orden/Wall Street Journal]





(via Naked Capitalism)
The widow of armyman Saurabh Farate, who was killed in the Pampore attack, today said she was ready to "fight on the border" like her brave husband.

"The martyr's wife Sonali said she is ready to fight on the border as her late husband did," Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe, who met the braveheart's widow today, said.

"Sonali told me she will now be the mother as well as father to her daughters and ensure proper education for them. She wants her kids to become brave like their dad," Gorhe said.

The Sena leader, who met Sonali in Pune, said the Pampore martyr's widow expects a job so that she can continue to support her family. Gorhe gave her a cheque of Rs one lakh on behalf of the party.

Dozens of people from Phursungi village in Pune and surrounding areas paid their last respects to the 33-year-old gunner Saurabh Farate, as his mortal remains were consigned to flames by his father yesterday.

Farate was among the three soldiers who were killed in a terror attack on an Army convoy in Pampore in Kashmir on Saturday afternoon.

His last rites were performed in Phursungi village in Pune at 9 am with full military honours.

Farate is survived by his parents, wife Sonali, twin daughters Aarohi and Aradhya and younger brother Rohit, who is also in the Army.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Patel quota agitation and Dalit uprising after the Una flogging incident took the toll on Gujarat's first woman chief minister Anandiben Patel in 2016, setting the stage for a cliffhanger elections in 2017.

Sensing it could inch closer to power in Gujarat after 25 years as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party seems to lack a strong state leader to fill the void after Narendra Modi's exit from Gujarat, opposition Congress stepped up protests and rallies against new Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, hoping to make inroads, visited the state thrice and during one such visit described Rupani as "rubber stamp" of BJP President Amit Shah.

Modi himself visited the state five times in the past as many months as the party believes that winning the elections will be crucial for it to retain power at the Centre in 2019. Trips of Shah also increased.

Cow vigilantes mercilessly thrashing Dalit youths in Una town when they were skinning a dead cow led to violent agitation by the community in the state and created outrage in the country.

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi visited Gujarat after the Una incident so did Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati, Left leaders Brinda Karat and D Raja and Janata Dal United leader Sharad Yadav.

The Dalit agitation continues under young leader Jignesh Mevani, as the community has decided to boycott their traditional work of disposing of dead animals carcasses and are instead demanding land and jobs from the government.

Simmering Patel quota agitation led by Hardik Patel continued to be a big concern for the BJP government and its declaration of 10 per cent quota for economically backward among upper caste, was also struck down by Gujarat High Court.

Hardik, who was behind bars till June in sedition cases, was granted bail by the high court with a condition that he will have to remain outside Gujarat for next six months. At present he is leading the agitation from Udaipur of Rajasthan and is expected to return to the state in January.

The Patel community, which had been a staunch supporter of the BJP, continued to remain up in arms against the state government on its demand of reservation. To pacify the community, the state government declared 10 per cent quota for economically backward among upper caste on April 29. However, the move was struck down by the high court soon, after which the state government approached the Supreme Court.

The state government sensing trouble after return of Hardik in January had in November invited agitating Patel community members for fresh round of talks on their demand, but these have remained inconclusive so far.

Analysts say mishandling of Patel quota agitation and late action after the Dalit flogging case of Una led to the ouster of Anandiben, who also faced charges of corruption against her family members. She resigned in August after being at the helm for over two years.
A group of passengers on board an Air India flight to the US from here had to travel without their baggage as the airline was forced to offload nine containers of checked-in baggage from the cargo hold after winds suddenly changed course just prior to the departure of the aircraft.

Air India, however, claimed that the stranded baggage of passengers have already been transported to the destination airport, Newark, in phased manner but they are awaiting clearance from the Liberty International Airports authorities.

The incident had taken place on December 17.

"The wind pattern at the Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport suddenly got changed and Air India was told to trim the weight of the Boeing 777 aircraft for a smooth take off," an Air India spokesperson said.

The payload of the aircraft could be reduced either by offloading passengers or some cargo (passengers baggage in the cargo), the spokesperson said, adding that "we decided to offload some of the baggage".

Consequently nine containers, each containing 25-30 bags, were taken off the aircraft, which were later transported from the airline's other flights to Newark, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress today accused Vasundhara Raje led BJP government in Rajasthan of betraying people on its promises made during the state assembly elections.

Addressing the party workers after a protest march at Civil lines railway crossing here, the Congress leaders said the public is not satisfied with the performance of the Raje government over the last three years.

The protest march against the state government was addressed by former MP Mahesh Joshi, Jaipur Congress President and former MLA Pratap Singh, PCC Vice President Archna Sharma and others.

Sharma said that similar protest march will be held in Ajmer, Dholpur and Jaisalmer tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Police today concluded its massive search in JNU campus without any success and will be conducting a lie-detector test on Najeeb Ahmed's roommate Mohd Qasim tomorrow as it stepped up efforts to get clues regarding the mysterious disappearance of the student since October 15.

Police have so far served notices to six people, including family members of Najeeb as well as the students with whom he was allegedly involved in a brawl at his hostel a night before he vanished, said a senior police officer.

The police, represented by senior standing counsel for Delhi government Rahul Mehra, had told Delhi High Court that four students, who are suspected of beating up Najeeb, would be put to lie-detector tests to get leads or clues about his disappearance and whereabouts.

"We have served notices to six people and after their consent, we will be carrying out the tests. Qasim gave his consent and he will be put to a lie-detector test tomorrow," said the officer.

Many of the students have gone to their homes for vacations, which is hindering investigation, he said.

Meanwhile, more than 600 Delhi Police personnel assisted by sniffer dogs concluded their search of the sprawling JNU campus but could not find any clues of the missing student.

Police team began its search around 9 AM today under the supervision of DCP (Crime Branch) G Ram Gopal Naik and finished by 3 PM. The search had begun yesterday and almost 60-70 per cent of the campus was covered while the remaining campus was scanned today.

All agencies of Delhi Police including Special Cell, Special Branch and the local police, pooling more than 600 personnel scanned the interiors and residential areas, the official said.

Najeeb has been missing since October 15 after an alleged scuffle at his hostel with ABVP students on the night of October 14. A reward of Rs 10 lakh has been announced by Delhi Police on any information about Najeeb.

The massive search was mounted following a Delhi High Court order last week directing the police to scan the entire JNU campus including hostels, classrooms as well as rooftops of the buildings with help of sniffer dogs.

After scanning the campus, the police is likely to ask JNU administration to beef up its security.

"We have observed that the forest area is quite dense and students go there even late in the night. We will request JNU authorities to increase security inside the campus for the safety of students," said an officer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police today intercepted a car and detained three traders with Rs 60 lakh in denomination of Rs 2000 in Satara in western Maharashtra.

Police suspect the trio, who hail from Kolhapur, could be part of a racket involved in exchanging banned currencies of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 for valid ones by charging a premium.

On a specific information about the activities of the trio, Satara crime branch officials laid a trap near a flyover in Bombay Restaurant Chowk and intercepted the car.

After searching the vehicle, police found 3000 pieces of Rs 2000 tender worth Rs 60 lakh.

"We suspect a racket is active in exchanging old scrapped notes for new ones by charging a commission of 30 to 40 per cent. Investigation is going on accordingly," Satara Superintendent of Police Sandeep Patil said.

The trio are identified as Sagar Aarde (45), Bhagwan Bhople ((50) and Umesh Kamble (48).

"We are questioning them to know the source from where they got such a large number of new bills," Patil said, adding the help of Income Tax department is taken into the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Polish owner of the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people in what police said was a possible terror attack, confirmed his driver was missing.

"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him. He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.

The company's transport manager, Lukasz Wasik, said the driver is 37 years old and had been transporting Thyssen steel products from Italy to Berlin.

"The company where he was supposed to unload the products in Berlin was not able to receive them and told him to return on Tuesday morning. They told him to wait in Berlin somewhere," Wasik told AFP.

"We lost contact with him around 3:00 pm local time. We don't know what happened -- whether he was taken hostage, killed. We know nothing. We're very worried about him."



"What a tragedy," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who traces his roots to Goa, will be in India on a seven-day trip from January 6 during which he will hold talks with the Indian leadership on boosting ties besides attending the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Bengaluru.

Costa will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on January 7 during which both leaders will explore ways to deepen engagement in diverse areas including trade and investment.

The Portuguese Prime Minister will attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas as the Chief Guest in Bengaluru on January 8-9 and would also participate in a few business events. He will also attend the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit on January 10 at Gandhinagar.

Costa will visit Goa on January 11-12 and will spend some time at his ancestral place.

"Several MoUs are expected to be signed during the visit that would set the agenda for India-Portugal relations going forward," the External Affairs Ministry said, adding he is likely to be accompanied by several Ministers.

The relations between India and Portugal have seen steady rise over the past few years. The bilateral trade has been growing steadily. The volume of annual bilateral trade in 2014-15 was USD 692.19 million and both sides are keen to enhance it further.

During his stay here, Costa is expected to call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari.

In Goa, he will meet the Governor and the Chief Minister.

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Renowned social worker Prakash Amte, was today honoured with a D.Litt by city based Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS)for his contribution to the field of social service.

The 68-year-old was awarded the D.Litt at the hands of Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at a function held in MUHS campus this afternoon.

Amte, a medical degree holder, devoted his life for development and upliftment of tribals in the forests of Vidarbha region.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Realty firm Puravankara Ltd will invest about Rs 40 crore to construct its new mixed-use managed residences tower in Pune.

The Bengaluru-based Puravankara in November 2014 had formed a joint venture with Pune-based Oxford Group and Mumbai-based EKTA World to develop a 30-acre project.

In March, Puravankara had launched 500 housing units in the first phase. Now, the company has launched a new tower where it would develop 150 residences and about 40 retail shops with a built up area of about 1.5 lakh sq ft. The price of these residences will be Rs 25-31 lakh.

The construction work on this tower will start next month and the project would be completed in the next 40 months.

The construction cost of this tower is about Rs 40 crore, Puravankara Ltd's MD Ashish Puravankara said.

The managed residences would be designed like hotel/ service apartment rooms. The company would partner with a leasing company to assist owners in renting these homes.

"Leveraging the presence of several IT and BPO companies in the city, Pune has witnessed rapid growth in real estate especially in areas like Karadi and Mundhwa. Pune is a key market for our residential projects and we are delighted to launch our managed residences block of Manhattan Pods and Condos," Puravankara said.

The managed residences would be an attractive opportunity to customers who are keen on investing in small and compact apartments, he said.

Puravankara Ltd is a leading real estate company in India, with presence in Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Mysore, Mumbai and Pune.

The company has 21.72 million sq ft of projects under development with additional 78.42 million sq ft in projected development over the next few years.

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Numerous residents of a Spokane, Washington suburb reported hearing unsettling trumpet sounds overnight on December 14. Listen to a recording of the noise below. Non-believers suggest that it may have been the sound of many snowplows scraping the concrete roads or train rails creaking in the cold. One news outlet's "science expert" commented that "temperature does affect the speed of sound, which can make certain things sounds different than what we are used to hearing."

Of course, we all know the truth: It is the seven trumpets as described in the Book of Revelation. The apocalypse is nigh, and it's starting in Spokane.

"Strange sound in Spokane Valley has thousands of people talking" (KHQ via Mysterious Universe)
Ahead of Rahul Gandhi's scheduled visit to Mehsana in Gujarat tomorrow, BJP today said that the Congress vice president only levels personal charges against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but cannot provide any evidence.

Upping the ante against the government over the demonetisation issue, Rahul had recently alleged that he had information about "personal corruption" involving Modi.

"Rahul Gandhi makes personal attack on Prime Minister, but cannot give any proof. When the PM took the historic decision of demonetisation, he (Rahul) said if he speaks in the Parliament, there will be an earthquake," state BJP spokesperson, Bharat Pandya, said in a release.

"Gandhi made fun of the Parliament by saying that if he speaks in the Parliament, there will be an earthquake. He had gone on a secret holiday for two months before the crucial budget session of Parliament (last year)," he said.

Rahul will be addressing a rally in Mehsana town of North Gujarat tomorrow.

The party said that during his last visit to Gujarat, Rahul had gone to Una (where Dalit youths were beaten for skinning a cow) for "mere publicity", and his attack on the Prime Minister, who hails from Gujarat, has not got down well with the people of the state.

"Why didn't Congress actively support Narmada project (by raising the height of the dam); why did it confer Bharat Ratna on Rajiv Gandhi within 45 days of his death, while delayed the same for Sardar Patel for 41 years?," Pandya said.

The party has lost support of the public for its criticism of demonetisation, as reflected in the local body elections in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and now, Chandigarh in Punjab, he claimed.

The BJP office-bearer also said that the Congress vice-president should provide figures about how many farmers have committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra during the Congress rule.

"Suicides of farmers during the (erstwhile) Congress rule in those states show that the party is not really concerned about the plight of farmers," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A former Sri Lankan sailor, who had attacked visiting Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with a rifle butt in 1987, was today accused by the government of making an astrological prediction about the death of President Maithripala Sirisena by January 26next year.

Nimal Bopage, Secretary to the Ministry of Media and Parliamentary Affairs, said he had lodged a complaint with the police for an investigation.

He said Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni, who was jailed for attacking Gandhi, had made an astrological prediction on Facebook about the death of Sirisena.

"This man claims to be an astrologer and he is predicting that the president will be killed by January 26," Bopage told reporters here.

"We see a conspiracy behind this and have asked the police to investigate because we suspect this to be part of a wider plot to assassinate the president," he said.

"We had previously complained to cyber crime agencies on this but that was of no avail," he said.

Wijemuni was part of a naval guard of honour in July, 1987 when Gandhi was visiting Colombo to sign the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord which led to the Indian Peace Keeping Force being stationed in Sri Lanka's north and east provinces as part of India's efforts to mediate in Sri Lanka's separatist civil war at the time.

As Gandhi walked past inspecting the guard of honour, Wijemuni raised his rifle and attempted to attack the then prime minister who narrowly escaped.

Wijemuni was court-martialled and after his jail term, became an astrologer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam today asked the officials to remove encroachments along the Mithi river in the city, take steps to control its pollution and submit an action taken report (ATR) within a fortnight.

Kadam gave these directions to officials during a review meeting on pollution in rivers in the metropolis, including the Mithi river, an official release said.

The minister set a 15-day deadline before the officials concerned for removal of encroachments and illegal constructions along the Mithi river and submission of the ATR in this regard. He also ordered the staff to submit a report on measures to avoid further pollution of the river.

The Mithi river gained prominence after the July 26, 2005 deluge, which wreaked havoc in Mumbai, as the megapolis was flooded after receiving torrential rains. During the flooding, which claimed several hundred lives, areas around Mithi river were the most affected.

Of the total flow of Mithi river, its six kilometer stretch in under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), while the remaining 11-km stretch is under the jurisdiction of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Around 67 points have been identified by the Environment Department, which bring pollutants into the river.

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French auto major Renault will start exporting its small car Kwid to South Africa, Bhutan and Bangladesh from India next year as it prepares to take the popular hatchback to various global markets.

The company, which launched the car in India with 98 per cent localisation in 2015, has already started exporting the hatchback to Sri Lanka, Nepal and Mauritius.

"We started exports of Kwid with Sri Lanka, followed by Nepal and now we are going to Bhutan and Bangladesh," Renault India Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Sumit Sawhney told PTI.

Shipments to Bhutan would begin during the second half of next year while exports to Bangladesh would also begin towards the middle of next year, he added.

"We are also working on South Africa currently and shipments are expected to be sent in the first quarter of next year," Sawhney said.

Terming the Kwid as one of the biggest 'Make in India' success story, Sawhney said that the model will be going to a host of markets outside India.

Launched in September last year, Kwid has been a success for Renault in India. Initially, the car was available with an 800 cc engine at a price tag of Rs 2.64-3.73 lakh. Recently a 1,000 cc engine variant and one with automated manual transmission (AMT) have also been introduced.

The company has so far retailed over 1.10 lakh units of the model in India since its launch last year.

When asked if there would be sourcing of parts from India to the company's Brazil plant where manufacturing of the small car is expected to begin next year, Sawhney said: "When we say 98 per cent localisation, we got many suppliers in India so the markets especially, Mauritius and South Africa, the car is going to be built in India and exported.

"But when the car is going to be manufactured in Brazil, we will see that wherever Indian suppliers are competitive, opportunities will come to those suppliers."



To celebrate the first anniversary of Kwid, Renault embarked on a drive with the Kwid from India to France. The car passed through 13 countries covering 18,996 kms before reaching Paris.

The French company has invested heavily towards getting the basics right and creating a strong foundation for Renault in India.

The Franco-Japanese auto alliance of Renault-Nissan has a manufacturing plant in Chennai with an annual capacity of 4.8 lakh units.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send a "firm message" to Sri Lanka over continued apprehension of the state's fishermen and said a permanent solution would be in restoring India's sovereignty over Katchatheevu islet.

Citing reports of arrest of seven fishermen and seizure of their two mechanised fishing boats, Panneerselvam in a letter to the PM said the boats and fishermen were reportedly taken to Karainagar in Sri Lanka and were remanded in custody.

The apprehension of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy continues "unabated" despite Indo-Sri Lankan fishermen level talks and Inter-Ministerial talks being held from time to time, he said.

"It is the consistent stand of the government of Tamil Nadu that a permanent solution to this vexatious problem faced by our fishermen will be possible only by restoring India's sovereigntyover Katchatheevu by securing the right to fish in traditional waters," he said.

The right of the fishermen is continuously infringed upon by the Sri Lankan's Navy "recurrent" actions of apprehension, the Chief minister said.

Demanding that the Centre send a firm message to Sri Lanka on the issue, he said 109 boats, including the two boats apprehended today, should be released by the island nation.

"The Sri Lankan strategy of not releasing boats of our fishermen is causing great frustration among the fishermen of Tamil Nadu. Without their livelihood base, fishermen are in a state of despondency," he said.

Panneerselvam requested Modi to direct the External Affairs Ministry to take up the matter with Sri Lankan authorities to ensure immediate release of 22 fishermen and 109 boats.

The Chief Minister's letter comes a day after he met PM Modi in New Delhi seeking Rs 22,573 crore for relief and restoration works in Chennai and neighbouring districts following the devastation caused by cyclone Vardah.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Crime Branch officials today seized Rs 30 lakh, most of them in new Rs 2,000 denomination notes, in two separate cases and detained two persons, including a bank manager, in this regard.

The seizures were made by officials of Crime Branch of Kalyan unit, Thane police and the matter has been referred to the I-T department, Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar said.

According to the officer, acting on a tip off a police team kept a vigil and first nabbed the manager of a bank and recovered from his possession 622 notes of Rs 2,000 denomination (valued at Rs 12.44 lakh).

The police apprehended another person and recovered from him 831 notes of Rs 2,000 value (totalling Rs 16,62,000), he said.

According to the police, they also recovered currency of other denominations totalling Rs 97,820 from the bank manager.

Both have been detained for questioning, they added.

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Russian media today reacted with outrage to the killing of the country's ambassador to Turkey but said it was unlikely to derail warming ties between Moscow and Ankara.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was gunned down yesterday at the opening of a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara by a Turkish policeman crying "Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest), in what Moscow called a "terrorist act".

"The murderer was afraid to look him in the eye," ran the banner frontpage headline on pro-Kremlin paper Izvestiya above a dramatic picture of Karlov with his killer looming behind.

"They did not shoot at Karlov. They shot at Russia," Senator Konstantin Kosachev said in comments published alongside.

Both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the attack a "provocation" aimed at sabotaging ties that have been patched up since a furious dispute over Ankara's downing of a Russian jet in Syria in November 2015.

Putin also said that the killing in Ankara was designed to undermine efforts to find a settlement on the conflict in Syria that are currently being spearheaded by Russia and Turkey.

Moscow and Ankara are on different sides of the conflict in Syria but the two countries have worked closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

The foreign and defence ministers from Russia, Turkey and Iran are set to meet today in Moscow for key talks on Syria.

"I don't think that Moscow will provoke conflict" over the incident, Leonid Isayev of Moscow's Higher School of Economics told RBK business daily.

"Today dialogue between Russia and Turkey is developing quite actively."



In an interview with Izvestiya, the head of Russia's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, Leonid Slutsky, warned those who try to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey would fail.

"The main thing is that there will not be a new round of tensions between Russia and Turkey, no matter how much our opponents want this," he said.

"This was a terrible tragedy, but interstate relations overall will not suffer from this."



Other outlets were, however, harsher toward Ankara -- which state television had portrayed as Russia's top foe in the wake of the jet's downing -- pointing out that Turkish authorities had been unable to protect the Russian envoy.

"Responsibility for the death of a foreign ambassador on its territory always lies with the host country," Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid wrote, adding that the murder was "yet another powerful blow" to the reputation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian investigators arrived in Turkey today to probe the assassination of Moscow's ambassador at an Ankara art show, as both sides pledged the murder would not damage improving relations.

Veteran diplomat Andrei Karlov was shot nine times in the back by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas at the art gallery opening of a show of Russian photography on Monday.

The brazen killing stunned Ankara and Moscow, which have rowed repeatedly over the Syria conflict but in recent weeks have begun cooperating closely on the evacuations from war-wrecked Aleppo.

An unprecedented three-way meeting on Syria between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran went ahead in Moscow Tuesday despite the assassination, with the diplomats backing a widening of a truce.

Six people have been detained over the Karlov assassination, including the sister, mother, father and uncle of the 22-year-old Altintas, Turkish media said.

Adding to the jitters, with Turkey already on high alert after a string of deadly attacks, an individual also fired outside the US embassy in Ankara overnight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his secret services to boost security at home and abroad, and to step up cooperation with foreign intelligence services.

"I ask you through channels of partnership to strengthen your work with the intelligence agencies of other states", he was quoted as saying by Russian wires.

Meanwhile, a Russian investigative team visited the scene of the attack at the Contemporary Arts Centre in central Ankara as part of a joint probe with Turkey.

Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul that he and Putin agreed in a phone call after the murder that "our expanding areas of cooperation with Russia, particularly on Syria, will not be hampered by this attack".

Dramatic footage of yesterday's assassination showed Karlov stumble and crash to the ground on his back as Altintas brandished his automatic pistol at terrified onlookers who cowered behind cocktail tables.

The lone gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") and "Don't forget Aleppo", vowing that those responsible for events in Syria would be held accountable.

Altintas did not go through the metal detector security check when he entered the exhibition and was warned by a security officer, according to the Cankaya municipality where the exhibition centre is located.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian investigators today flew out to Turkey to help probe the killing of the country's ambassador in Ankara Andrei Karlov, the Kremlin told local agencies.

"Eighteen people will work in the group. The group will act in Turkey within the framework of the investigation into the murder," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that leaders Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed the move in a phone call yesterday.

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A painting attributed to one of South Korea's most renowned artists has been declared genuine by state prosecutors, despite the insistence of the late artist herself that it was a fake.

The painting "Beautiful Woman" by Chun Kyung-Ja has been the focus of a bizarre, decades-long dispute over its authenticity, and Monday's announcement by the prosecutors looks unlikely to end the matter, with Chun's family vowing to pursue efforts to have it declared a forgery.

Born in 1924 in a small town in the southern part of the Korean peninsula, Chun Kyung-Ja was best known for her paintings of female figures and flowers using vivid primary colours that broke with traditional South Korean styles.

Her works have recently sold at auction for between USD 700,000 and USD 1 million.

Before her death last year at the age of 91, Chun had repeatedly insisted that "Beautiful Woman" -- a 1971 portrait owned by the South's National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) -- was not one of hers.

"Parents can recognise their children. That is not my painting," she insisted.

The museum was equally adamant that it was, and in April a prosecutorial probe was launched after one of Chun's daughters filed a complaint, accusing former and current MMCA officials of hurting the artist's reputation by promoting the painting as authentic.

But in their report on Monday, the prosecutors found in favour of the museum, citing forensic evidence and the opinion of local art experts.

They also clarified the provenance of the painting, saying it was once owned by the former head of the South Korean spy agency and was appropriated by the government after he was executed for assassinating then-president Park Chung-Hee in 1979.

"We tried to uncover the truth by using all possible technologies available for authentic assessment of arts," a member of the prosecutors' team said.

Chun's family today rejected the conclusion and accused the prosecutors of seeking to help the state museum authorities save face.

"The prosecutors conspired with the MMCA to ignore the scientific opinion of a world-class imagery assessment firm and... Produced this ridiculous result," the family's lawyer said in a statement.

The statement referred to the French imagery analysis firm Lumiere Technology that had earlier estimated the possibility of the painting being authentic at less than 0.0002 per cent.

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Around Christmas, many KFC restaurants in Japan see 10 times their average daily sales. Customers order their KFC special Christmas dinner weeks in advance or wait in line for hours to score a Kentucky Christmas dinner package including chicken, side dishes, cake, and even wine. WTF??! Marketing, that's what. From the BBC:

According to KFC Japan spokeswoman Motoichi Nakatani, it started thanks to Takeshi Okawara, the manager of the first KFC in the country. Shortly after it opened in 1970, Okawara woke up at midnight and jotted down an idea that came to him in a dream: a "party barrel" to be sold on Christmas.



Okawara dreamed up the idea after overhearing a couple of foreigners in his store talk about how they missed having turkey for Christmas, according to Nakatani. Okawara hoped a Christmas dinner of fried chicken could be a fine substitute, and so he began marketing his Party Barrel as a way to celebrate the holiday.





In 1974, KFC took the marketing plan national, calling it Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii, or Kentucky for Christmas. It took off quickly, and so did the Harvard-educated Okawara, who climbed through the company ranks and served as president and CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan from 1984 to 2002.





The Party Barrel for Christmas became almost immediately a national phenomenon, says Joonas Rokka, associate professor of marketing at Emlyon Business School in France. He has studied the KFC Christmas in Japan as a model promotions campaign.



"It filled a void," Rokka says. "There was no tradition of Christmas in Japan, and so KFC came in and said, this is what you should do on Christmas."
Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon offered proposals today to protect Scotland's place in Europe after Britain leaves the European Union, saying it's possible to keep Scotland in Europe's single market even after Brexit.

But Prime Minister Theresa May played down the prospect of Scotland getting a separate Brexit deal, saying that her government will be negotiating a "United Kingdom approach" with Brussels.

Britain voted to leave the EU in June but 62 per cent of voters in Scotland backed remaining in the 28-nation bloc.

Sturgeon, who backs Scottish independence, said Britain's departure should be "flexible" to address the needs of the UK's different constituents -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Launching a document titled "Scotland's Place in Europe," Sturgeon said it was best for Scotland -- and the rest of Britain -- to remain in the European single market and customs union.

Leaving the EU single market, she argues, would be a blow to many Scottish -- and British -- businesses that would face new tariffs on trade.

Staying in the single market though would require signing up to EU rules on the freedom of movement -- regaining control of borders was one of the main reasons behind the vote to leave the EU.

Sturgeon argued that the EU referendum did not give a mandate to take any part of Britain out of the European single market. Nonetheless, she conceded it was unlikely that Britain will choose to stay in the free trade bloc.

In that event, Sturgeon proposed that Scotland could stay in the European Economic Area by means of special arrangements like those that apply to the Channel Islands and the Faroe Islands.

She also proposed a substantial transfer of new powers to the Scottish Parliament -- including over immigration and import and export control -- in order for Scotland to pursue its own relationship with the EU.

May's office at Downing Street said the British government would look closely at Sturgeon's proposals, which are expected to be discussed in detail in January.

But May said it was "not right" to accept "differential relationships" for separate parts of Britain with Brussels.

She said she has promised to seriously consider any plans, but "there may be proposals that are impractical."



"What we will be negotiating is a United Kingdom approach and a United Kingdom relationship with the European Union," she told lawmakers.

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SDMC Commissioner Puneet Goel today appeared before the Delhi Assembly panel examining utilisation of MLALAD funds, where his replies were described as attempts to "pass the buck" and make others "scapegoat".

AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, an alleged incorrect reply to whose August 28 House question is at the centre of the slugfest, said Goel made an appearance before the panel after "evading" two previous sessions and "started on a positive note".

"However, he could not explain as to why his decision to refer to the SDMC Standing Committee the question of utilising funds should not be considered a political one when he had the authority to act on his own. Commissioners of EDMC and North DMC are using these powers," Bhardwaj said.

Bhardwaj claimed that according to a 2014 notification, the Commissioners of the civic bodies have the requisite powers to act on funds to the tune of even Rs 5 crore. According to SDMC, the ceiling is Rs 25 lakh.

"It seems that he unilaterally decided that his power to act was limited to Rs 25 lakh. Why should we not think that he was attempting a political interference by involving the Standing Committee," Bhardwaj said.

Bhardwaj also said that when asked to pinpoint the individual behind the alleged false response filed to a question posed by him in the House, Goel "zeroed in on an executive engineer".

The Greater Kailash MLA, who is also a member of the eight-member Question and Reference Committee headed by Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla, said the panel has proof that the engineer was on leave that particular day.

"The official was made the scapegoat as he has taken transfer to the Flood and Irrigation department. He was on leave that day as his father was ill. The panel took everything on record," he said.

The AAP legislator said that the Chief Legal Officer of SDMC, who accompanied Goel among others, denied that that the panel was "harassing" its officials, an assertion made by the Standing Committee of the civic body.

Last week, the committee had recommended contempt proceeding against Goel and Principal Secretary (Urban Development) for not having appeared before it.

When asked, Goel said he usually clears all proposals of the MLAs and take steps towards executing their projects.

"As far as the case of open gym is concerned, we had referred a Rs 19 crore tender to the Standing Committee (of SDMC). The committee only disallowed the MLALAD portion. It is their prerogative and I cannot do anything in this regard. But we are going to re-submit the proposal again," Goel said.

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Shortness of breath, a condition often overlooked, may be a symptom of heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), warns a new study which suggests that early intervention can help prevent patient suffering and hospitalisations.

"The fact that people do not seek medical advice for their breathlessness is often due to people associating their symptoms with the natural process of ageing," said Nasser Ahmadi, researcher at the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden.

"But if you notice that you experience increased shortness of breath during exertion, you should seek medical attention," said Ahmadi, a specialist in cardiology and general medicine at Capio Medical Centre in Sweden.

He studied breathlessness in several studies with different study designs and study populations.

One study was population based and had about 1,000 participants, while another one had about 100 patients who sought medical advice for their breathlessness in the primary healthcare setting.

It does not involve patients with acute shortness of breath, which can develop within a few days and should always be treated immediately.

Instead, the focus is on chronic shortness of breath and adults who sought care after having shortness of breath for six weeks or more.

"The patients who sought care for chronic breathlessness appeared to have a significantly impaired quality of life than the general population," said Ahmadi.

"They often had major problems completing everyday tasks. They suffered from different underlying diseases like a potential heart failure or a hidden obstructive lung disease that was developing," he said.

Chronic shortness of breath should be considered as an equally important warning signal as high blood pressure. In order to an early detection or a correct medication of potentially chronic diseases, we need more efficient models in the primary health care to identify those who are at risk.

"The faster we identify these patients, the better prognoses we will have and the lighter the load on the healthcare system later on," said Ahmadi.

"Shortness of breath is often a sign of heart or lung disease because these two organs are most closely involved in the respiratory system," he said.

According to Ahmadi most of the studies on shortness of breath that have been conducted are associated with hospitalisation, while there is significantly less research within the primary care system.

Previous research has shown that one out of three individuals over 65 years of age in Sweden may suffer from shortness of breath during exertion.

The question is how to distinguish between chronic shortness of breath and poor general fitness.

"Very often, the patient recognises that something is not right. People can compare their health with how it was previously, after all, one is his best health reference," said Ahmadi.

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Singapore and Bali have emerged as the top country and city for Indian travellers to visit in 2017, a trends report by leading travel search engine Skyscanner has said.

Singapore is followed by countries like Australia, Malaysia, Maldives and South Africa as the most favoured destinations, says the report.

It analyses three years' data from Indian travellers, dating back to 2013, Skyscanner said.

Singapore records the highest growth with a whopping 202 per cent average increase in searches since 2013, it added.

Among the cities tipped to be the favourite destinations in the coming year, Bali is at the top, followed by Budapest, Madrid, Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam.

Skyscanner's data places Bali as a favoured destination in 2017 with 35 per cent recorded average growth in searches in the past three years.

"In 2016, we saw the list heavily-dominated with South Asian destinations and in 2017, there has been a seismic shift to incorporate the near and far - from Australia to Europe," Skyscanner Growth Manager India, Reshmi Roy said.

This is an indication on changing travel mindset as it becomes simpler and easier, she added.

"Each year the Skyscanner Travel Trend Report discovers more attributes of Indian travellers," Roy said.

Founded in 2003, global travel search company Skyscanner helps meet the travel planning needs of over 50 million people each month. It provides free search of flights, hotels and car hire.

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Six persons, including a Delhi Police constable, have been arrested for allegedly running an extortion racket here, in which they used to 'honey trap' their victims and then demand money from them, police said today.

The Crime Branch has arrested six accused, identified as Krishna Nand Bhat, Jeet, Tabassum, Nidhi Singh, Ankita and constable Pradeep, who was posted in Burari police station, said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (Crime).

Pawan, who works as a clerk in ESI Hospital, Rohini, Sec-16 told police that he was receiving calls from a woman asking him to come and meet her at her room in Burari, said the officer.

Pawan then went to to meet the woman at Begali Colony, Burari on November 17.

"Two persons posing as a cop and a reporter entered the room and started beating him. He got scared when they said that they were going to inform his family about his wrongdoings," said the officer.

They demanded Rs 25 lakh for letting him go. He paid Rs 15 lakh for his immediate release and was asked to pay Rs 10 lakh later. He mustered courage and decided to inform police.

After the accused were established, the investigating team zeroed in on the woman identified as Tabassum.

"On December 18, an information was received that Tabassum would be travelling to Shahjahanpur from New Delhi railway station for attending the marriage of her sister. She was arrested from the railway station and she led police to her accomplices," said the officer.

During investigation, it emerged that Pradeep Kumar, who is posted as constable in Burari was also involved.

"He had given the mobile number of the complainant, who happens to be his brother-in-law. Pradeep knew that the victim is well-off and if trapped, he could be extorted of a handsome amount. Out of the extorted amount, Rs 6 lakh was kept by the constable," said Yadav.

One of the other accused, Krishna Nand Bhat is a reporter and runs his own weekly newsletter.

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Spanish police said they have arrested five suspected members of a guerrilla-style graffiti gang that forced trains to a sudden and dangerous halt to paint over carriages in lightning operations.

The five are believed to belong to a gang called the "Zorros Viejos", or "Old Foxes", which is accused of causing over USD 209,000 worth of damage to train carriages across the country.

The well-organised group would stop a train dead by pulling its security levers "which caused the convoy to break violently, with the consequent risk of injuries to passengers," police said in a statement yesterday.

"Once the train was stopped they would open and block the doors and descend to the tracks, where they would paint the carriages," the statement added.

Police said the group filmed their activities and posted the videos on social media sites.

The five suspects have been charged with four offences of public disorder and 54 counts of damage to property.

They are thought to have acted in Madrid, the central city of Cuenca, the Mediterranean port of Valencia and Cadiz in the southwest.

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Swiss police say they have found no radical Islamist or far-right motives by a gunman who killed himself after a shooting spree at Zurich mosque that wounded three worshippers.

Criminal police chief Christiane Lentjes Meili said investigations were continuing today in connection with the 24-year-old Swiss citizen behind the shootings yesterday.

She told reporters "There's no indication of any kind of terrorist connection to (the Islamic State group) or an Islamic radicalization of the suspect."



Lentjes Meili said an investigation determined that the gunman, who was not identified by name, had also recently stabbed to death an acquaintance.

She said two people seriously wounded in the mosque attack were recovering.

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A gunman dressed in black stormed into the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants and opened fire, wounding three people before fleeing, a Zurich police spokesman has said.

Police, who rushed to the scene in a central neighbourhood known for trendy cafes and the city's red-light district, were also investigating a possible connection to the discovery of a corpse at nearby Gessner bridge over the Sihl River, police spokesman Marco Bisa said yesterday.

Authorities weren't considering the attack as terrorism, he said. Police also said it was too early to determine whether there might be any link to an incident in Berlin also on yesterday, where a truck rammed into a Christmas market, killing at least nine people.

"The unknown person fired several shots and fled from the building," Bisa told reporters near the mosque, which was cordoned off by police. "The shooting took place inside a prayer room with several people in it. Two victims were severely injured."



Bisa said the injured were hospitalised and were aged 30, 35 and 56 years old, but did not specify their nationalities. He said witnesses described the attacker as clad head to foot in black, and was believed to be aged about 30 years old.

At the scene, Abukav Abshirow, a 30-year-old Somali man who works at a Zurich car dealership, said his friend was among the injured. He recalled how they had been celebrating a religious occasion at the centre the night before.

"I am under shock," he said. "We've had great times here. The atmosphere was always friendly and happy at the centre ... I am very, very sad this happened. We never had problems here before. We spend the weekend here with our children in peace." "I am waiting to find out what happened, and who is responsible," he said.

Attacks by gunmen are rare in Switzerland. The country was shaken in 2013 by at least two multiple-fatality shootings. The country has a long-standing tradition for men to keep their military rifles after completing compulsory military service which partly explains a high rate of gun ownership in the country of about 8.2 million people.

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Syria's army has urged the last remaining rebels and civilians to leave the besieged opposition enclave in Aleppo as it prepares to take full control of the devastated city.

The evacuation of Aleppo's rebel sector is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people and triggered a major humanitarian and refugee crisis.

The government and other parties on the ground have agreed to allow 20 observers to be sent to east Aleppo to monitor evacuations, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Following a flurry of diplomatic activity, key regime allies Russia and Iran as well as rebel supporter Turkey agreed to act as guarantors in Syria peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier.

They also backed expanding a ceasefire, according to Lavrov, who said the evacuation of east Aleppo should finish within "one or two days".

In east Aleppo, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source told AFP.

"The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave," the source said.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the operation.

Spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said 750 people had been evacuated in parallel from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria besieged by rebels, as part of the deal.

Ten buses left the battered east yesterday morning, Sedky told AFP.

But no other buses moved the rest of the day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a medical official overseeing evacuations.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the delay was due to complications in Fuaa and Kafraya.

Around 20 buses had entered the two villages yesterday but had yet to evacuate anyone, Abdel Rahman said, but he had no details on the reason.

State agency SANA blamed the "delay in the last batch" of evacuations from Aleppo on "disputes" among rebel groups.

"I'm waiting for my brother to get out of east Aleppo -- he's a 70-year-old civilian," Nuhad al-Seikh told AFP just outside rebel-held Aleppo.

"I've been speaking to him over the cellphone. He said he boarded a bus but is still waiting," said the 55-year-old.

An AFP correspondent at Khan al-Assal, the staging ground where evacuees from Aleppo, Fuaa and Kafraya were being transferred to their respective destinations, saw hundreds of people aboard eight buses from the two villages.

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Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF), an apex body of textiles mills in the region, has signed an MOU with National Skill Development Council (NSDC), to train 50,000 fresh workers in 15 job roles during 2017.

As per the MoU, ITF member mills will train the fresh workers from January 2017 to December 2017 and will provide employment opportunities to 90 per cent of them in the mill campus itself.

By this,Tamil Nadu textile manufacturing sector will create a robust eco system of training with proper and uniform systems across the industry in terms of work methodology, which will also help the industry in long run to improve competitiveness of textile sector to strengthen the theme of Make In India, ITF Secretary Prabhu Dhamodharan said today.

The MoU was signed during a Skill India event hed yesterday in Kanpur, between ITF team comprising himself, S Ramasamy and Manoj Kumar and NSDC Managing Director and CEO, Manish Kumar in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prabhu said.

In the Prime Minister Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) pilot phase, ITF member mills have trained 17,500 freshers in 15 job roles in various textile manufacturing value chain and employed 80 per cent of the workers after certification process.

Advantage of this scheme is uniform work procedures and training modules followed by across India for a specific job role, with Skill Development ministry supporting the initiative by way of reimbursement of training cost to the training providers, he said.

Already, 83 mills from ITF have applied for training provider status and created an infrastructure for training in this PMKVY version II scheme and another 52 mills will join from next month, he said.

The whole scheme is designed in a professional manner and every process from training to certification is monitored and supported by Textile Sector Skill Council, Prabhu said.

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Thousands of traumatised Syrians left the rebel enclave of Aleppo as the UN voted to deploy observers there and said it planned new peace talks in Geneva in February.

"It is the intention of the United Nations to convene those negotiations in Geneva on 8 February 2017," UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said after the Security Council unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution to monitor evacuations from Aleppo, with Russia's backing.

But in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said after Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead by a policeman in Ankara that the killing could "disrupt" the peace process in Syria and harm Turkish-Russian ties.

Damascus denounced the "despicable" murder of Karlov, who a witness said was shot dead by a gunman who shouted "Aleppo" and "revenge".

James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia programme at think tank Chatham House, said the diplomat's murder could affect Aleppo evacuations.

Families in Aleppo had spent hours waiting in below-freezing temperatures, sheltering from the rain in bombed-out apartment blocks and waiting desperately for of a new wave of departures.

After an agonising delay, the operation resumed under a complex agreement that will see regime forces exert full control over Syria's second city.

Buses transported more than 7,000 people out of the city, said Ingy Sedky, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

She said the evacuations were expected to continue overnight.

"There are still thousands -- it's a huge crowd, women, children," she said.

The evacuees included seven-year-old Bana al-Abed, whose Twitter account had offered a tragic account of Syria's nearly six-year war, as well as 47 children who had been trapped in an orphanage.

Ahmad al-Dbis, who heads a team of doctors and volunteers coordinating evacuations, saw dozens of buses and ambulances arrive at the staging ground west of Aleppo.

He said the evacuees were in "a very bad state after waiting for more than 16 hours" at a regime checkpoint without being allowed off the vehicles.

The government had suspended evacuations on Friday, insisting that people also be allowed to leave two northwestern villages under rebel siege.

The ICRC and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said around 500 people left in a dawn convoy out of Fuaa and Kafraya.

The Britain-based Observatory said at least 14,000 people, including 4,000 rebels, have left the opposition sector since the evacuations began on Thursday while at least 7,000 remain.

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US President-elect Donald Trump has condemned the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, calling the gunman a "radical Islamic terrorist."



"Today we offer our condolences to the family and loved ones of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, who was assassinated by a radical Islamic terrorist," Trump said in a statement.

"The murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilized order and must be universally condemned.

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There were many protesters but few faithless electors as won the Electoral College vote ensuring he will become America's 45th president.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions.

Trump's polarising victory November 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

Even one of Trump's fiercest Republican rivals, Ohio Governor John Kasich, said it was time to get behind the president-elect.

"We want unity, we want love," Kasich said as Ohio's electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony. Kasich refused to endorse or even vote for Trump in the election.

With Hawaii still to vote, Trump had 304 votes and Clinton had 224. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, thousands of protesters converged on state capitols across the country yesterday, urging Republican electors to abandon their party's winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvania's capitol, chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!" and "No treason, no Trump!"



In Madison, Wisconsin, protesters shouted, cried and sang "Silent Night." In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said, "Don't let Putin Pick Our President," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite the noise outside state Capitols, inside, the voting went pretty much as planned.

In Nashville, Tennessee, one audience member tried to read out some Scripture before the ballots were cast, but was told he could not speak.

"We certainly appreciate the Scripture," State Election Coordinator Mark Goins said from the podium. "The answer is no."



With all Republican states reporting, Trump lost only the two electors in Texas. One voted for Kasich, the Ohio governor; the other voted for former Texas Representative Ron Paul.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.
Donald Trump today won the Electoral College vote to secure his election as the US' 45th president, easily staving off a long-shot bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him.

The Electoral College affirmed Trump as the president about six weeks after his stunning victory over Hillary Clinton, pushing him past the 270-vote threshold for election, with scant evidence of the anti-Trump revolt among electors that some of his critics had hoped would occur.

Trump received 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton's 227. Seven "faithless" electors voted for other candidates, costing Trump two votes and Clinton four.

Clinton, however, in popular votes, received over three million more than Trump.

The results mean Trump easily staved off a bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him.

"Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy. I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States," Trump said in a statement.

Members of the Electoral College met in their respective state capitals to formally elect the next president moments after he crossed the necessary 270-vote mark.

He would be sworn in as the 45th US President on January 20.

"The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media," Trump said.

"This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible," he added.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again," the 70-year-old businessman-turned- politician said.

In a tweet later, he took a dig at the media and its role during the general elections.

"We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)," Trump tweeted.

The electoral college votes normally are just a formality as electors -- most of them party members -- officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.

However, die-hard opponents of Trump seeking to stall his march to the White House coupled with Clinton's lead in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

Trump's critics needed to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon him to bar Trump's road to the White House. But, the odds of that happening were almost negligible.

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Donald Trump today won the Electoral College vote to formally secure his election as the US' 45th president, easily staving off a long-shot bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him amid claims that Russian hackers swayed the vote in his favour.

The Electoral College affirmed Trump as the president about six weeks after his stunning victory over Hillary Clinton, pushing him past the 270-vote threshold for election, with scant evidence of the anti-Trump revolt among electors that some of his critics had hoped would occur.

Trump received 304 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton's 227. Seven "faithless" electors voted for other candidates, costing Trump two votes and Clinton four.

Clinton, however, in popular votes, received over three million more votes than Trump.

The results meant Trump easily staved off a bid by opponents to turn Republican electors against him.

"Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy. I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States," Trump said in a statement.

Members of the Electoral College met in their respective state capitals to formally elect the next president moments after he crossed the necessary 270-vote mark.

He would be sworn in as the 45th US President on January 20.

"The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media," Trump said.

"This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible," he added.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the President of all Americans. Together, we will make America great again," the 70-year-old businessman-turned- politician said.

In a tweet later, he took a dig at the media and its role during the general elections.

"We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)," Trump tweeted.

The electoral college votes normally are just a formality as electors -- most of them party members -- officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.

However, die-hard opponents of Trump seeking to stall his march to the White House coupled with Clinton's lead in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

Trump's win comes after US intelligence officials determined Russia interfered in the election to boost his prospects in the polls.

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Investigators from Turkey and Russia hunted for clues today in the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

A team of 18 Russian investigators and foreign ministry officials arrived in Turkey and began inspecting the art gallery where the shooting of Andrei Karlov took place.

Central to the joint Turkish-Russian investigation is whether Mevlut Mert Altintas, a member of Ankara's riot police squad, planned the attack alone.

One senior Turkish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details to the press, said it was unlikely Altintas acted alone.

The official said the killing had all the marks of being "fully professional, not a one-man action."



So far, authorities have detained only people close to the gunman in their investigation: Altintas' parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara.

Independent Turkish security analyst Abdullah Agar said it was "likely that an organization was behind" the assassination.

The analyst said that Altintas' behavior and the manner in which he carried out the attack "gives the impression that he received training that was much more than riot police training."



Agar also said the gunman's words, which he uttered in Arabic, were from a passage frequently cited by Jihadists.

Altintas shouted "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" in Turkish during the attack, and also yelled "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great." He continued in Arabic: "We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad."



A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said the country's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, provided US Secretary of State John Kerry information on the assailant during a telephone conversation today.

Cavusoglu also told Kerry that both Turkey and Russia "know" that a movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the attack, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

Turkey has accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed military coup in July aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accuses the cleric of wanting to destabilize Turkey.

It is pressing the United States to extradite Gulen to Turkey to stand trial for his alleged role in the coup attempt. Gulen has denied the accusations.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today he had agreed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the assassination of Moscow's ambassador to Ankara would not harm cooperation between the two countries, including on Syria.

"We share the same understanding with Mr Putin that our expanding areas of coop



eration with Russia, particularly on Syria, will not be hampered by this attack," Erdogan said in Istanbul after speaking by phone late yesterday with Putin over the killing of ambassador Andrei Karlov.

The veteran diplomat was shot in the back by Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, in a brazen attack as he opened an exhibition of Russian photography yesterday in the Turkish capital Ankara.

The killing has shocked Turkey and Russia, which have diverging views over the nearly six-year conflict in Syria.

Turkey and Russia decided to set up a joint commission to investigate the assassination, with a Russian delegation arriving in Ankara today to inspect the scene.

Referring to his telephone conversation with Putin, Erdogan said "We agreed that this treacherous attack is an open provocation aiming at Turkish-Russian relations," adding: "We will never allow our relations with Russia to be undermined" by the assassination.

Erdogan said the assailant "paid the price" immediately after the attack when Turkey's special forces killed him after a shootout.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat inaugurated Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar's statue at Haridwar, an official release said today.

Inaugurating the statue at Haridwar's Mela Bhawan on the bank of the Ganga river yesterday, he said, the legendary poet's statue will give direction in further development of the state's Ganga-Jamuni culture.

It is a privilege for Uttarakhand that the statue has been installed in the holy city of Haridwar. Thiruvalluvar's teachings are relevant till this day. Following it would help us make the society better.

"It will also help in union of north and south Indian culture will enrich the state's culture," the Chief Minister was quoted as saying in the release.

Representative of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Swami Jamunanand, officials and other were present on the occasion.

In July this year, then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for installation of the statue in Haridwar, saying reports about it lying unattended there due to local protests has caused outrage in Tamil Nadu.

In an initiative to introduce Northern India to the great literary legacy of the Tamil poet, former BJP MP Tarun Vijay had decided to bring his 12-foot statue to Haridwar and install it in the city.

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Several members of the UAE royal family, including deputy prime minister Prince Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on a Houbara bustard hunting mission, had a lucky escape today after their convoy was attacked by gunmen in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province.

The team of hunters was unhurt in the attack that happened in Guchak area of Panjgur, however, two vehicles of the convoy were damaged in the firing, police said.

"Around 10 armed men came on motorcycles and surrounded the convoy and opened fire however they fled when the Frontier Corps personnel accompanying the convoy opened fire on them," a police official said.

The area was cordoned off and the convoy was taken to its camp.

Panjgur Deputy Commissioner Habibur Rehman confirmed the incident.

A spokesman for the banned Balochistan Libration Front claimed responsibility of the attack, the Dawn reported.

The hunting of the Houbara bustard and falconry has been a significant feature of Pakistan's relations with the oil-rich middle-eastern countries as falconry is not merely a sport for Arabs, but also one of their most cherished customs and recognised as a cultural heritage by UNESCO.

However, the sport has not been free of controversies and earlier this month, authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa imposed a province-wide ban on the hunting of the Houbara bustard, a prized migratory bird designated as a protected species by conservationists.

The KP government notification came after channels had reported that the federal government had allowed Qatari Royal Prince Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali al Thani to hunt the bird.

Many wealthy Arab sheikhs from the middle-eastern countries come to Baluchistan every year in winter to hunt the vulnerable migratory birdwhose meat is prized as an aphrodisiac.

The indiscriminate hunting of Houbara bustard has led to an alarming decline in their population.

The species was declared vulnerable after its global population dwindled by more than 60 per cent.

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Indian mining giant Vedanta Resources has been directed by London High Court to pay USD 100 million to a state-owned Zambian investment company related to a 2013 copper price agreement.

Vedanta's Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM), based in Zambia, said the issue was related to the copper price participation deal with Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH) dating back a number of years and the court decision is a "request" for it toresolve the matter within 28 days.

"KCM and ZCCM-IH have been engaged in discussions with regards to the price participation settlement agreement, which was entered into by both parties in December 2012...We remain fully committed to fulfilling our financial obligations," KCM CEO Steven Din said in a statement.

ZCCM-IH claims the UK court has also ordered KCM to reimburse ZCCM-IH 80 per cent of the costs it has incurred in pursuing its claim.

The company's statement said: "ZCCM-IH has been successful in its application for default judgment. KCM has been ordered (on 16 December 2016) to pay all sums owed to ZCCM-IH pursuant to the Settlement Agreement (plus associated contractual interest) within thirty (30) days.

"Further directions have been given to determine whether KCM made payments to Vedanta Group Companies in breach of the prohibition on doing so under the Settlement Agreement. If and to the extent it is determined that such payments were made, ZCCM-IH will be entitled to recover additional sums from KCM."



Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) is one of Zambia's largest copper producers and one of the largest private sector employers in the country, with operations in four locations, namely Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe.

The majority shareholder of KCM is London-listed Vedanta Resources, which holds a 79.4 per cent stake, while ZCCM-IH has a 20.6 per cent shareholding in KCM.

In terms of its future business plans, KCM added: "Vedanta remains committed to the Group's operations in Zambia, which is reflected by the significant investment of over USD3 billion in KCM since 2004.

"Vedanta and KCM have a 50-year vision to continue mining for copper in Zambia and we look forward to further strengthening our relations with all stakeholders, including ZCCM-IH.

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UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council strongly condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, with the UN chief saying he is "appalled" by the "senseless act of terror" and the targeting of diplomatic personnel is not justified.

In a shocking attack, Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was killed at an Ankara art exhibit yesterday evening by a lone Turkish gunman who allegedly shouted "God is great!" and "don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria."



A statement issued by Ban's spokesperson yesterday said the Secretary-General is "appalled by this senseless act of terror," and expresses his deepest condolences to the family of Ambassador Karlov and to the Government and people of the Russia.

Ban emphasised that "there can be no justification for the targeting of diplomatic personnel and civilians", and according to the statement, he is "following the unfolding situation closely" and wished the other people who were reportedly injured in the attack a speedy and full recovery.

In a separate statement, the Security Council also condemned the deadly terrorist attack and expressed their deep condolences to the family of the Ambassador and the Russian Government.

Reiterating the need to bring the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist attacks to justice, Council members reaffirmed that terrorism in all forms is constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable.

In their press statement, the members of the Council also stressed the fundamental principle of the inviolability of diplomatic agents and consular officers and the obligations, including under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, to take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on diplomatic agents and consular officers.

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The United Naga Council (UNC) today urged the Centre for imposition of President's rule in Manipur where an economic blockade by the organisation snapped two highways connecting the state.

The demand was placed by the UNC before Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh when a delegation of the group met here.

"We appeal for imposing President's rule in Manipur as the state government has failed completely on all fronts and law order has deteriorated. Creation of seven new districts is a ploy by the Manipur Chief Minister for electoral gains," senior UNC leader Adani Mao said at a press conference here.

Mao, the former UNC president, who is at present looking after the affairs of the Council after the arrest of its senior leaders, alleged that Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was trying "cheap tricks ahead of polls to hide the government's incompetency".

Claiming that violence has taken place in several areas of Manipur, Convener for Joint Naga Civil Societies, Lakpachui Siro, accused the Congress-led state government of disrupting peace by creating seven new districts for "electoral gains" ahead of the assembly elections next year.

"The state government is going to upgrade Sadar Hills and Jiribam regions to full-fledged districts without consulting the Nagas who inhabit the areas. Precious lands, which belong to them, are being snatched away and there are unrest in the state," he said.

The UNC, which has imposed an economic blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH 37 (Imphal-Jiribam) that serve as lifelines for the landlocked state, said Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh decided to create seven new districts "without consulting" the Nagas who, they said, are the most important stakeholders.

The UNC has demanded immediate release of its President Gaidon Kamei and Publicity Secretary Stephen lamkang who they said have been arrested "arbitrarily".

The UNC has accused Meiteis of creating unrest in the state by killing innocent people, saying Meiteis are not only torching vehicles, burning down houses and looting Nagas, but also attacking places of worships in the state.

A tripartite talk involving a delegation each from the



Manipur government, the UNC and the Ministry of Home Affairs was scheduled to be held in Delhi on November 15 on the current situation of the state but the state government did not send anyone to attend that meeting, Siro said.

In a gazette notification issued on December 9, the state government announced the creation of seven new districts for administrative convenience, taking the total number of districts in the state to 16.

The decision has sharply divided the state's three main communities which are Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis. Though Meitei and Kuki groups have welcomed the move, the UNC has been protesting against it.

The UNC claim that the decision would bifurcate ancestral lands of Nagas in Manipur.

The Chief Minister said the move was aimed at addressing a long-standing demand of the majority Meitei community and the minority Kukis.

The ongoing economic blockade by UNC launched on November 1 against the state government's proposed move to create the new districts of Jiribam and Sadar Hills has resulted in black marketing of essential goods.

Out of the nine districts of Manipur, four districts -- Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishenpur -- are valley districts, and the five rest -- Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachandpur -- are hill districts.

The five hill districts are tribal districts. Valley districts are smaller with a high density of population but hill districts are sparsely populated.

Yesterday, the situation in Manipur remained tense with violence spreading to Senapati district where miscreants torched two vehicles even as the Chief Minister appealed for peace among different ethnic groups of the state.

Indefinite curfew continues to remain in force in Imphal East district where mobile data services were suspended since Sunday to prevent spread of rumours. This will be in force till December 25.
US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey in the capital Ankara.

A Turkish policeman crying "Aleppo!" fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov while he was addressing visitors to a photo exhibition earlier in the day.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek had earlier speculated on his official Twitter account that the gunman may have been linked to the exiled preacher, whom the government blames for the July coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I condemn in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror," Gulen said in a statement yesterday.

"No terrorist act can be justified, regardless of its perpetrators and their stated purposes," he added. "It is the expectation of the Turkish people and the world that the government investigate the circumstances of this incident, identify those who aided the perpetrator and take the necessary precautions so that such an attack cannot be staged in the future."



Gulen, who has been based in the United States since the late 1990s, has vehemently denied the claims of his involvement in the coup.

The comments by Gokcek, the Ankara mayor, were echoed today by the pro-government press, which also alleged the gunman had ties to Gulen. However, no ministerial-level official has repeated the claims so far.

A former close ally of Erdogan's, Gulen also criticised the government over the gunman, a police officer who had served with the anti-riot police.

"Turkish and international experts repeatedly have pointed out the deterioration of security and counter-terrorism efforts due to the Turkish government's assigning hundreds of counter-terrorism police officers to unrelated posts, as well as the firing and imprisoning (of) many others since 2014," Gulen said.

He also urged Turkey and Russia to work toward resolving the Syrian conflict.

"This despicable act of shooting an ambassador, who represents an entire nation, only exacerbates the Syrian conflict that has already taken too many lives and driven too many from their homelands, like adding fuel to a fire.

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The United States today said it has successfully located remains of the country's servicemen who went missing in Arunachal Pradesh during World War II.

A Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) team carried out works on sites in the Himalayas where US aircrafts are believed to have crashed with still unaccounted for servicemen.

The team visited several locations in Arunachal Pradesh to determine if the reported sites can be definitively correlated with known crash sites involving missing US servicemen.

"The United States is committed to making sure all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who served our country come home. DPAA's mission in India is a vital part of that commitment," American Ambassador to India Richard Verma said.

In a statement by the American Embassy here, Mission Commander Lt Col Pritz said, "we want to thank the government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs, the government of Arunachal Pradesh, and the Indian Air Force for their invaluable assistance and cooperation in conducting this mission. Without their support, this mission would not have been successful".

If the team can corroborate evidence at the site with the historical records and reports, future missions to the sites may conduct an excavation in an attempt to recover the remains and return them for identification.

While discussing about the sites with local residents, the team received a presentation of human remains and osseous material, which a witness recovered near a crashed aircraft.

After arriving at the sites, the team found additional human remains believed to be associated with the missing US service members.

Once approved by the Indian government, these remains will be sent to the DPAA laboratory for identification.

All these spots were located within Arunachal Pradesh, which is where the vast majority of losses took place.

The team trekked to sites ranging from 2,500 feet to 10,000 feet in altitude, over trails that took anywhere from a few hours to several days to reach from the last point a vehicle could travel.

Last year, the DPAA had successfully recovered remains from the same region.

In April, US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter received the remains from the Indian government and the process to identify them is underway.

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The United States has stepped up its drive to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, pushing ahead with plans for a vote at the Security Council on the proposed ban.

US Ambassador Samantha Power made the case for cutting off the weapons flow to the war-torn country during a council meeting, arguing that all sides were mobilizing for more fighting and that action was needed to prevent mass atrocities.

"The situation is not getting better, but worse, and we are sitting on our hands," Power told the council yesterday. "Large-scale attacks could start at any moment."



The United States last month presented a draft resolution on imposing an arms embargo following UN warnings that the war-torn country could descend into genocide.

An annex to the proposed resolution would also put South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar, army chief Paul Malong and Information Minister Michael Makuei on a sanctions blacklist.

The United States will request a vote on the arms embargo before the end of the year, Power said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon backed the US call to ban arms deals with South Sudan, saying an embargo would reduce the capacity of all sides to wage war.

"If we fail to act, South Sudan will be on a trajectory towards mass atrocities," said Ban.

France and Britain support an arms embargo, which could come up for a vote as early as Thursday, according to diplomats.

But veto powers Russia and China have voiced opposition, while non-permanent council member Japan, which has sent peacekeepers to South Sudan, is also balking at the proposal.

Japan has argued that imposing an arms embargo would antagonize President Salva Kiir's government and put peacekeepers' lives at risk in a conflict already marked by horrific levels of brutality.

Russian Deputy Ambassador Petr Iliichev cast doubt over UN warnings of a risk of genocide, arguing that criminal groups and "undisciplined" troops were responsible for mass violence, and not the government's policy.

"We would refrain from concluding that there is any form of targeted systemic policy," he told the council.

UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien said the humanitarian crisis had "deteriorated dramatically" as South Sudan entered its fourth year of war.

More than 6 million people -- half of South Sudan's population -- are in need of urgent aid and humanitarian organisations expect this number to rise by 20 to 30 per cent next year, O'Brien told the council.

Some 1.3 million South Sudanese have fled across borders as refugees, including 383,000 who have fled to Uganda since July, according to UN figures.

The world's youngest nation, South Sudan descended into war in December 2013, leaving tens of thousands dead and more than 3.1 million people displaced.

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Priyanka Chopra remained away from the Hindi film industry this year except for featuring in "Jai Gangaajal", but the actress says she will be doing two Bollywood movies in 2017.

Priyanka, an international figure now, was busy this year working on her maiden American series "Quantico" and Hollywood debut "Baywatch".

"I will be doing two Bollywood films next year. I have come to India to decide on those films. By the end of January, I will finalise which those films will be," the 34-year-old actress told reporters at the red carpet of Sansui Colors Stardust Awards here last night.

"Baywatch", which also stars Hollywood biggies like Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, will release next year. Priyanka said the film's cast will fly to India to promote it.

"We have made a global plan for the promotion of 'Baywatch', of which India is a part. So, yes the Hollywood cast will come to India to promote the movie," she said.

The trailer of the film, in which the actress will be seen enacting the main antagonist, was recently released but Indian fans were disappointed to see her featuring only in one scene in it.

When asked about it, Priyanka said, "The film releases in May and we are just in December. So, keep watching as there's a lot more to come."



Thanks to her global success, Priyanka was ahead of Hollywood stars like Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo Di Caprio in IMDb's most popular celebrities' list.

"I feel proud and excited. I am thankful to people who have looked for me and wanted to know about me and are curious about me. Indian talent deserves to be on the top 10 of the list. I am glad I have been able to reach that position. I hope other actors do too," she added.

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In a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today said we will talk about it once the 50-day deadline expires on December 30.

"Now only eight to ten days are left, thereafter it will be happiness all over. So let us wait for 10 more days. After December 30, we will talk about it," he told reporters at Pali in Raigad district.

He said though PM is assuring of improvement in situation after 50 days the common man is suffering the most because of the note ban.

Commenting upon the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway, he said Sena will not allow any injustice to happen to farmers whose farm lands will be acquired for the project.

"On Saturday, December 24 I will be personally interacting with the farmers at Shahapur in Thane district. Sena is not opposed to the construction of the proposed expressway, but at the same time the Sena will not allow any injustice to be done to the farmers," he said.

Thackeray said as soon as serving as well as former bureaucrats got wind of the mega project some of them purchased adjacent lands at throwaway prices.

"Now if government is going to acquire the remaining land for the project then what should the people survive on?, this question is being asked by the farmers of Shahapur taluka," he said.

Thackeray said he was against the acquisition of cultivable fertile agricultural land from farmers for the project.

"Ordinary farmers do not understand anything about black and white (money). Is the government going to tax them (farmers) on their lands, agricultural income and deposits?" he questioned.

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The World Bank today said it has approved a USD 235 million credit for the Bihar Rural Roads Project to improve and effectively manage rural road network of the state.

"The project will support the construction of about 2,500 km of rural roads under the Mukhiya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana (MMGSY)," World Bank said in a statement.

"This project will provide all-weather road access to some 1.2 million people, most of whom belong to the poor and vulnerable sections of society (30 per cent of the people who are to benefit live below the poverty line and about 48 per cent of them are women)," it added.

Noting that the project will generate direct employment of about 20 million person days for local labourers through a rural road construction and maintenance programme, the multilateral agency said this projects will help Bihar government government in bring all parts of the state within five hours of travel time from the capital city of Patna.

The credit is from the International Development Association (IDA) - the World Bank's concessionary lending arm - with a maturity of 25 years, including a 5-year grace period.

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Chicago-based Boeing and European rival Airbus are battling especially slow demand for their lucrative, long-range twin-aisle jetliners, such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330, in a global climate of political and economic uncertainty.

Boeing said last week that it would cut 777 production to five a month in August 2017, a 40 percent reduction from the current rate of 8.3 a month, because of slow sales.

The company did not say how many jobs it will cut next year, noting it is still assessing its 2017 budget and employment needs.

But the announcement shows the world's biggest plane maker is axing jobs more aggressively than it forecast earlier this year, and that it will not let up the pressure to cut costs under the new chief executive of the airplane unit, Kevin McAllister, who succeeded Ray Conner on Nov. 21. Conner is now vice chairman of Boeing Co.

"To successfully compete and win new orders that will fund future product development and growth requires us to achieve much better performance," Conner and McAllister said in a memo to Boeing Commercial Airplanes employees on Monday, which was made public.

Boeing "will need to do more in 2017" to lower costs and make its planes more affordable, the memo said.

Its shares closed up 1.1 percent at $156.18.

Boeing is contending with a strong dollar that makes its products more expensive overseas, a non-functioning U.S. Export-Import Bank that hampers aircraft financing, and President-elect Donald Trump's provocation of China, one of Boeing's biggest markets.

Trump has also targeted Boeing for criticism, saying the United States should cancel a pending order to buy modified Boeing 747s as new presidential aircraft, Air Force One, because the cost was too high.

A Boeing spokesman said plane sales are getting more competitive, requiring additional cost-cutting beyond what was envisioned in 2016. "We've got to perform better," he said. "It's an ongoing process."

Boeing has booked just 468 net jetliner orders this year, down from 768 last year and 1,432 in 2014. The figure is also well below Boeing's target of having sales roughly match the 745 to 750 aircraft Boeing expects to deliver to customers this year.

Boeing gets the majority of the payment on a plane when it is delivered.

The company also is under pressure to cut costs as it tries to hit Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg's goal of lifting its operating profit margins to the mid-teens by 2020. The figure has averaged 6.9 percent over the last decade.

By comparison, Airbus' margins have averaged about 3.7 percent over the past 10 years. The company said last month it would cut about 900 jobs to restructure, reduce costs and prepare for tougher competition.

For 2016, Boeing said it expects job reductions to total 8 percent of the commercial airplane workforce, including a 10 percent reduction in the ranks of executives and managers.

The unit cut 6,115 jobs, or 7.3 percent, through November compared with the tally on Dec. 31, 2015, according to Boeing's employment data. That suggests a further 565 job reductions in 2016, and more next year. In March, the company said it planned to cut about 4,000 jobs at the unit.

The company is offering a voluntary layoff program in early 2017, according to Monday's memo, which added that involuntary layoffs may occur in some cases. A spokesman said employees participating in the voluntary layoff program will receive a lump sum payment of one week's pay for each year served, for a maximum of 26 weeks.

(Additional reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Tom Brown and Bill Rigby)

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The size of the suggested settlement indicates that the cost to the bank may be higher than analysts had expected and explains why Credit Suisse management, according to a second source, has been seeking a smaller penalty.

"Credit Suisse is confident of reaching a better solution," said the second person. Should talks break down, U.S. legal authorities could sue the bank, prolonging the uncertainty.

In a sign that negotiations may be reaching their final stages, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch last week met with Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, another person familiar with the matter said.

A potential resolution could come as early as this week.

The sources did not want to be identified because the negotiations are not public.

Credit Suisse and the Department of Justice declined to comment.

The penalty stems from a 2012 initiative launched by U.S. President Barack Obama to hold banks accountable for selling mortgage debt while misleading investors about the risks, a practice that helped cause the worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

The penalties, which for U.S. banks reached $46 billion, are set to deliver another setback to European lenders, many of which remain fragile, with scant capital, in the wake of the financial crash.

After record settlements were reached with U.S. banks such as Bank of America and JPMorgan , the focus has turned to Europe's Deutsche Bank , Royal Bank of Scotland , Credit Suisse , Barclays , UBS and HSBC .

in September that the Justice Department made an initial demand of Deutsche of $14 billion to settle its case sent the German lender's stock plummeting and raised fears Credit Suisse could also face a stiffer penalty.

Just prior to Deutsche confirming that the Department of Justice was seeking $14 billion, JP Morgan analysts estimated Credit Suisse's fine at around $2 billion.

Deutsche Bank could this week agree its penalty over the sale of toxic mortgage debt, one person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. The bank has said it expects to pay materially less than $14 billion.

Credit Suisse's litigation provisions at the end of 2015 totalled 1.605 billion Swiss francs ($1.56 billion). In November, the bank said it had upped litigation provisions by 357 million francs, mainly in connection with mortgage-related matters.

In addition to the Justice Department probe, Credit Suisse is defending itself against lawsuits by the New York and New Jersey attorneys general over similar claims involving billions of dollars of investor losses.

If Credit Suisse reaches a settlement with federal authorities, it will likely settle with the states as well.

A New York attorney general spokeswoman declined to comment, and New Jersey did not immediately return a call for comment.

President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, which means key government players involved in the negotiations would change, complicating the banks' efforts to reach settlements.

(Editing by John O'Donnell, Carmel Crimmins and James Dalgleish)

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The Italian government decided on Monday to seek parliamentary approval to borrow 20 billion euros to underwrite the stability of its wobbly banking sector, starting with a likely bail-out of No 3 lender, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, as early as this week.

Monte dei Paschi, recently judged the weakest of the European Union's major banks, needs to dispose of a mountain of bad loans and raise 5 billion euros in capital by the end of this month or else face the risk of being wound down by the European Central Bank.

Italy's Economy minister said on Monday the money it was seeking could be used to guarantee adequate liquidity in the banking system.

"These resources could also be used as part of a programme to boost capital at banks," he said in a press conference.

A government bailout could come as early as this week, if Monte dei Paschi fails to pull off its own privately funded rescue plan.

But it could prove to be politically explosive for the week-old administration of Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, given that investors are required to bear losses under EU bailout rules.

Earlier on Monday, however, the bank received some rare good news in relation to its faltering rescue plan. A key investor that was reconsidering its commitment to the plan issued a statement saying that its concerns had been resolved.

"(Quaestio)... has agreed to approve the Term Sheet for the senior bridge loan as agreed with the financing banks," the investor, private bank rescue fund Atlante, said.

Atlante has committed to spending 1.5 billion euros to buy some of Monte dei Paschi's bad loans, despite having expressed "deep reservations" in a Dec. 17 letter over the terms of a bridge loan that Monte dei Paschi had secured as part of the sale of bad loans.

Even with Atlante's commitment to participate in the private rescue bid, Monte dei Paschi is still not assured to raise enough money to avoid the need of a state bailout.

Its 5 billion euros cash call is meant to conclude on Thursday, but is not underwritten by a consortium of investment banks.

Monte dei Paschi shares closed before both Atlante's statement and the government's announcement, having lost 11 percent and wiped out a week's gains.

Under a state bailout, the government would inject capital into Monte dei Paschi only after the forced conversion of 4.1 billion euros worth of subordinated bonds into shares, a source said on Friday.

As part of its own rescue plan, Monte dei Paschi has taken out a 4.7 billion euro bridge loan with JPMorgan , Mediobanca , Credit Suisse and HSBC , said another source, familiar with the loan.

JPMorgan and Mediobanca have been working on the bank's rescue plan and have already come under fire from opposition politicians who object to them earning fees in the event of a state bailout, especially fees accruing on the bridge loan.

Monte dei Paschi needs the loan to help complete the sale of 28 billion euros of gross bad debts, which are to be repackaged as debt securities worth 9 billion euros.

The loan is worth around half of that, but it is secured against all the securities -- which was the source of concern for Atlante, said a source familiar with the matter.

Atlante, whose shareholders include Italy's top banks and insurers as well as state-owned entities, is due to buy a 1.5 billion euro tranche of the securities.

It could see its notes claimed by the four banks if the bridge loan is not repaid.
Flock, the company that has built an app that helps teams work together on smartphones and desktops is taking on Slack, its larger rival in the US by opening up its platform for developers to build applications on top of it.
One of the primary roles of a central bank is the management of currency. A month after demonetisation, the banks are still rationing cash to tend to as many people as possible and ATMs are running dry within hours.

RBI's frequent notifications regarding withdrawal and usage of the currency notes has added to the problem. Not only have these announcements fanned confusion, they've also led to people hoarding currency in some cases.

Here are six things that both the RBI and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government could have done better.

ATM recalibration

Even though the RBI had asked banks to recalibrate ATMs for dispensing only Rs 100 notes a week before PM Modi announced demonetisation, the caliberation of ATMs for dispensing only Rs 100 notes could not be completed before PM Modi's televised address on November 8. It took more than three weeks for the recalibration of ATMs, causing hardships for people across the country who were left cashless.

Contradictory Statements

There have been innumerable statements from both the government and the RBI since November 8 that have added to the confusion about the rules, usage and exchange policy for the old currencies. On November 8, both the Prime Minister and the RBI had said that old currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 can be deposited in banks until December 30, so much so that government later exhorted people to not rush to banks in the early days and add to the queues. However, in a U-turn on December 19, RBI added a new caveat that defunct currency notes exceeding Rs 5,000 can only be deposited once per account till December 31 and that too after showing reasons for not doing so earlier.

ALSO READ: RBI Guv did not handle demonetisation well, says Chidambaram

Unrealistic estimate One of the major reasons for demonetisation, as the government puts it, was to boot out corruption and black money. The government had estimated that around Rs 5 lakh crore of the scrapped Rs 14.93 lakh crore won't come back to the system. This could have led to a windfall for the RBI and the government could have used that money for public spending. As on December 10, RBI said that Rs 12.44 lakh crore had already come back to the system. With around ten more days to go before banks stop accepting the old currency notes, almost all of it is expected to come back. Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had also said that the government expects entire money in circulation to come back. If this was the case, then the government needs to answer as to why such a massive disruption was necessary. Changing narrative Government's rationale behind this unprecedented move was to flush out black money and to put an end to hawala transactions that fuel terrorism and drug-trafficking. At least, that's what the Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned in his historic TV address to the people on November 8. However, as the cash crunch took over the country, the government seemed to change its narrative to make India a cashless economy. RBI Governor Urjit Patel also echoed the government's point that one of the benefits of demonetisation was the thrust on digitisation. ALSO READ: Deposit banned notes in one go to escape queries: FM Jaitley



Going cashless with luck

The government on December 15 announced two lucky draws for merchants and consumers who pay via digital transactions - Lucky Grahak Yojana for consumers and Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana for merchants. Terming the schemes as a Christmas gift to the nation, the government said that the primary aim of this lucky draw was to incentivise digital transactions. The scheme becomes operational on December 25, but with an estimated expenditure of Rs 340 crore, how this scheme will help promote digital transactions at remote corners of the country remains to be seen.

No change for political parties

One of the reasons that the government had offered for demonetisation was about 'removing the pernicious influence of cash on the political and economic system.' However, after demonetisation, there has been no change with regards to donations to political parties. Political parties can receive multiple anonymous donations of less than Rs 20,000. These donations can be deposited in banks tax-free. Since political parties are not under the RTI Act, their conduct on how they spend this money will remain unaccounted. This loophole can be used by political parties and their cronies to launder their undisclosed illicit wealth in scrapped currency notes.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author


Buin Road Boosted

An Australian-funded contract to upgrade and seal roads in Buin Town, South Bougainville has been awarded this week. The K4.8 million project will improve four roads that connect the Buin High School, government offices, shops, and residences of Buin.







Secretary Bernard Tzilu of Bougainvilles Department of Technical Services was pleased that the project would contribute to a safer and more reliable road network for the people of Bougainville.







Following on from the project to reseal roads in Arawa town, it is pleasing to be able to connect the businesses and communities in Buin. These upgraded roads will provide a real boost for the local economy.







The smoother roads will improve safe access to essential services in Southern Bougainville including to education and health institutions. The Buin Town project will also provide employment opportunities for local residents.







Australian Deputy High Commissioner Bronte Moules, said the project was consistent with Australias long term commitment to invest in key economic infrastructure in Bougainville.







Australia is pleased to have supported road maintenance in South Bougainville for many years. This project has been planned, designed and procured in close partnership with the Autonomous Bougainville Government and the Papua New Guinea National Government, and will deliver crucial improvements for the people of Buin.







The project complements other major road resealing projects funded by the Australian Government, including from Arakawau to Kieta Port, and Arawa town roads. The Australian Government also supports the maintenance of over 300km of Bougainvilles main trunk road from Kokopau to Arawa, and on to Buin.







The works will begin in January.
After tightening rules for depositing old 500 and 1000 rupee notes, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tonight said no questions will be asked if any amount of junked currency is deposited in one go but repeated deposits may raise queries.

With nearly Rs 13 lakh crore out of the Rs 15.4 lakh crore worth of 500 and 1000 rupee junked already deposited in banks, the government has changed rules to mandate that individuals can deposit over Rs 5,000 in old currency bills only once until December 30 and that too after explaining why it had not been done so far.

Explaining the rationale behind the move, Jaitley said all exemptions to certain sectors and utilities, which had been allowed to accept the banned currency post demonetisation, ended last week and all those in possession of the old notes are supposed to deposit them with banks.

"Anyone who has old currency notes is not allowed to trade in them. He can only go and deposit them with banks," he said.

With a view to curtail queues at banks, holders are encouraged to deposit the entire holding in one go, rather than going repeatedly.

"If they go and deposit with bank any amount of currency no questions are going to be asked to them and therefore the 5000 rupee limit does not apply to them if they go and deposit it once.

"But if they are going to go everyday and deposit some currency, same person, that gives rise to suspicion that where is he acquiring this currency from. In that event a person may have something to worry about. Therefore everyone is advised whatever old currency you have please go and deposit it now," he said.

And since there is no scope now for earning any old currency because all exemptions have been waived, it makes sense to go deposit all the holding in one go, Jaitley said.

"This is the objective of the order passed today."

After banning old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes on November 8, the government had allowed all of the cash holdings with any person to be deposited in bank accounts till December 30.

There was no limit on the quantity or value of the junked notes that could be deposited.

However, the government on December 17 issued a gazette notification putting restrictions on deposits henceforth.

"The deposits of old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations have been reviewed by the government from time to time. Already more than five weeks have elapsed since the time of the announcement of the cancellation of the legal tender character of these notes. It is expected that, by now, most of the people would have deposited such old notes in their possession," an official statement said.

With a view to "reduce the queues in the banks", the government said it has now been decided that "amounts exceeding Rs 5,000 in old notes can be deposited only once between now and December 30, 2016."

"The banks have been advised to conduct due diligence regarding the reasons for not depositing these notes earlier," the statement said.

Amounts of Rs 5,000 or less may continue to be deposited with banks in the customer's account, as at present.

"However, cumulative deposits exceeding Rs 5,000 between December 19 and December 30, 2016 will be as per the procedures advised by the RBI in respect of deposits exceeding Rs 5,000," it said.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) too came out with deposit guideline stipulating that restrictive conditions will also apply on the cumulative deposit of such notes in a single account when it exceeds Rs 5,000.

However, the defunct currency up to any amount can be deposited under the new black money amnesty scheme, PMGKY.


After floundering over the implementation of the note ban several times and issuing new notifications to this effect, the government and RBI on Monday added more to the confusion prevailing in the minds of common man hit by the demonetisation move of the former.

The Reserve Bank of India on Monday morning announced that defunct currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 exceeding Rs 5,000 can only be deposited once per account until December 31, 2016 only after showing reasons for not doing so earlier.

According to the RBI, the explanation for the delay in depositing should be kept in record for a possible audit trial at a later stage.

Additionally, people who deposit smaller amounts which, once when added up, exceeds Rs 5,000 will be asked for a record explanation too.

The move is seen by many to avoid a situation where all the cash with people comes back to banks. With almost 10 days left for the deadline to deposit old currency, possibilities are high that all 86 per cent of the currency called back by the government gets deposited in the banks.



This would mean either there was no black money in the system or the hoarders succesfully converted the currency into white without catching the government's eye.



This would be seen as a major embarrassment for the government which started the demonetisation drive with an objective to catch black money hoarders.



ALSO READ: PM Narendra Modi's move to demonetise has hit banks hard



As of now, almost Rs 13 lakh crore out of the Rs 15.4 lakh crore demonetised currency notes have been deposited in the banks.

The above announcement was contradicted by the government on Monday evening when Finance minister Arun Jaitley said no questions will be asked if any amount of junked currency is deposited in one go but repeated deposits may raise queries.

ALSO READ: No estimation of black money either before or after Nov 8: Arun Jaitley



With a view to curtail queues at banks, holders are encouraged to deposit the entire holding in one go, rather than going repeatedly.



"If they go and deposit with bank any amount of currency no questions are going to be asked to them and therefore the 5000 rupee limit does not apply to them if they go and deposit it once. But if they are going to go everyday and deposit some currency, same person, that gives rise to suspicion that where is he acquiring this currency from. In that event a person may have something to worry about. Therefore everyone is advised whatever old currency you have please go and deposit it now," he said.

Clearly, if you were to deposit all old currency notes in one go, the bank officials will quiz you on why they were not brought to the notice of the bank earlier.

The two announcements, in sharp contrast to each other, add to a series of measures taken by the government to ease situations arising out of note ban.



Earlier, the cash deposit and withdrawal and exchange limits have been revised several times with the government even asking banks to mark those exchanging notes with blue ink used in elections. All these steps have shown the management of the note ban move in bad light.

Monday's directives from the government and RBI make the implementation of the biggest reform in the recent times more murkier.


Central Bank Governor, Philip Lane, appeared before the Finance Committee today as part of the Committees discussion of matters relating to the banking sector.



During the hearing, Committee chairman John McGuinness questioned if the Central Bank was up to regulating the banks.

Sinn Fein's finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty questioned the Governor about the tracker mortgage scandal where over 8,000 mortgage accounts were overcharged because they were wrongly denied low interest tracker rates by lenders.

Mr Doherty asked the Governor to clarify whether the figure of 8,200 mortgage accounts affected by this issue included customers whose accounts were with Permanent TSB and had been part of a redress scheme at that bank, Bank of Ireland customers who were identified as far back as 2011 and a number of updates recently provided by other lenders.



At the hearing, Central Bank executive Ed Sibley suggested Bank of Ireland may have restored 5,000 customers to trackers, and not 2,100 as Bank of Ireland has stated. Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath suggested the total number of mortgage holders denied trackers may be 15,500.

Prof Lane clarified that Bank of Ireland was stopped taking trackers from 3,000 customers by regulators. Prof Lane said he made an error by disclosing this. The trackers were not removed after the Central Bank intervened.

The total number who had trackers taken off them wrongly across 15 lenders is likely to be 15,000, the governor said. Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty accused banks of theft from their customers over the tracker denial issue according to the Irish Independent.



Source: www.businessworld.ie
As mobility evolves and more organisations see talent moving internationally, many businesses are facing a growing challenge to understand where in the world their people are working and what they are doing, which can have huge implications for their tax affairs and pose reputational risk.

This is according to PwCs global survey Managing mobility in a changing landscape.



The study consisted of 224 professionals (79% HR/mobility roles and 21% tax/finance roles) from organisations across the world. The survey was carried out between July and September 2016. The participants come from a representative cross section of business types, industry sector, sizes and global headquartered locations.

The OECDs Base Erosion and Project Shifting (BEPS) project has sharpened the focus on the risks posed by employee mobility as it aims to ensure profits are taxed in the territory where business activity is performed. However, nearly a third (31%) of companies don't know the exact number of their employees working internationally.

Whilst over half (58%) of companies surveyed are aware the BEPS recommendations have significant implications for mobility and their tax position, they are unsure how best to deal with the challenges. The majority recognise the need to make changes and would like to do so before the rule changes are enacted.

The informally mobile population (business travellers, cross border commuters and international virtual workers) pose particular challenges and risks to employers. Almost a quarter, 23%, of respondents, do not know who has responsibility for business travellers and only a third of companies feel that their tax and mobility teams work closely together to monitor this.



As tax authorities worldwide, including in Ireland, pay closer attention to where an organisation is deemed to be undertaking its business, almost a quarter of companies surveyed (24%) have received challenges relating to corporate tax presence, referred to as 'permanent establishment', in the last two years.



Commenting on the research, Tax Partner at PwC, Mary O'Hara said, "Global work is increasing sharply and, with the many international businesses in Ireland, as people move in more fluid and informal ways, it creates complex mobility challenges for their employers. Companies must develop an understanding of who their mobile people are, where they are going and what they are doing, to be best placed to identify the risks."

She added, "Organisations in Ireland and around the world are coming under ever increasing scrutiny from tax authorities and the financial and reputational risks of falling foul of international tax legislation can be punishing. Tax is no longer an issue purely for the tax function and companies must work across functions to manage the corporate risks of employee mobility."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
Rupert Murdoch said on Monday he had never asked a British prime minister for anything, seeking to play down his influence ahead of what is likely to be a politically charged approval process for his $14.6 billion bid for pay-TV group Sky.

The 85-year-old's Twenty-First Century Fox made a formal approach to take full control of the British-based Sky last week, reigniting a row over whether the media mogul controls too much of Britain's media and had too much sway over politicians.

In a short letter to the Guardian newspaper on Monday, Murdoch rejected the suggestion that he had once said: "When I go into Downing Street, they do what I say; when I go to Brussels, they take no notice,".

"There is much fake news published about me," he said. "Let me make clear that I have never uttered those words. I have made it a principle all my life never to ask for anything from any prime minister."

The letter, signed "Rupert Murdoch, New York, USA", was published on the Guardian website.

Murdoch's previous attempt to buy the 61 percent of Sky he did not already own was scuppered in 2011 by a phone-hacking scandal at one of his tabloid newspapers.

The British government will have to decide in the new year whether to refer the new bid for further scrutiny by the media regulator Ofcom.

Murdoch's statement that he had never sought to influence prime ministers is in contrast to evidence one former British premier gave to a public inquiry into media standards sparked by the phone-hacking revelations in June 2012.

Former Prime Minister John Major recounted how he had had dinner with Murdoch before the 1997 national election and said the media mogul had tried to change his policy on Europe.

"It is not very often someone sits in front of a prime minister and says to a prime minister: 'I would like you to change your policy, and if you don't change your policy, my organisation cannot support you'," Major told the inquiry headed by judge Brian Leveson.

Andrew Neil, a former editor of the Murdoch-owned Sunday Times newspaper, told the same inquiry that Murdoch had used support for Tony Blair's Labour government as a means of securing changes to media ownership rules which made his current bid for Sky possible.

"When Mr Murdoch testified before this inquiry that he had never asked government for anything it gave me cause to wonder if he had forgotten this - or forgotten he was testifying under oath," Neil said. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie

About us
LOGAN  Deputies have arrested one man and a juvenile suspected of robbing the Subway restaurant, Monday morning in Hyrum.

Levi Peiffer was booked into the Cache County Jail Monday night on suspicion of aggravated robbery and failing to stop at the command of law enforcement. The 19-year-old is being held on $30,000 bail. The 17-year-old teenager was booked into the Juvenile Detention Center on similar offences.

Cache County Sheriff Chad Jensen said investigators detained and questioned the two suspects, after employees at the Subway reported a Hispanic male walked into the restaurant around 8:15 a.m. and threatened them.

He threatened to shoot the place up if they didnt give him money, said Jensen. The employees of Subway followed his orders and gave him some cash and then he left.

The employees said the suspect never brandished a weapon but made verbal threats and had a bulge in his jacket. He reportedly made off with $150.

The suspect and a African American male, who was near the door of the restaurant, were seen by Hyrum City employees running from the scene southwest.

Jensen said multiple agencies including K-9 teams responded to the area. They tracked the suspects back to an apartment complex. Talking to residents in the area, deputies were able to find an apartment that housed two individuals matching the description of the robbery suspects.

A search warrant was obtained and SWAT took three individuals safely into custody for questioning. After interviews and recovering evidence from the apartment, two arrests were made.

Deputies do not believe there are any further suspects.

Jensen said, <span id=docs-internal-guid-b49acb46-1d67-68ae-26f3-6662eecdf429><span>We would like to thank the employees at Hyrum City who saw something suspicious, followed, and phoned it in. Also wed like to thank several other citizens who witnessed this incident and offered information to law enforcement. Without citizen involvement in cases such as this, it may not have been cleared. We would also like to thank all the other law enforcement agencies who spent the day assisting with our investigation.</span></span>

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
FILE PHOTO

Typically flu season peaks in February and recent report indicate reported cases are increasing.

It is definitely not too late to get a flu shot, said Lisa Perkins, Immunization Program Manager at the Bear River Health Department. It generally takes about two weeks after getting your flu shot for the greatest immunity so now is a great time to do it.

In fact, right now with all the upcoming holiday activities is an especially good time to get in and get a shot and and avoid being sick during all of the festivities.

Flu vaccines have been updated to better match circulating viruses.

Last year it was matched pretty well. The strains we are seeing in the community are so far matched with what is covered in the flu shot this year.

The flu vaccine available at the Bear River Health Department is the quadravalent vaccine and protects against two influenza A strains and two influenza B strains.

Only injectable flu shots are recommended this season, meaning mist and nasal spray are not available.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did some studies with the flu mist vaccine and made the determination the effectiveness rate was not where they wanted it to be.

Perkins said the flu shot is still the number one way to prevent getting the flu.
LOGAN  A 53-year-old Franklin, Idaho, man has waived his right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded guilty to walking naked outside the Logan LDS Temple.

Kelly T. Archibald waived the hearing in 1st District Court Monday afternoon. His public defender, Mike McGinnis, told the court they had worked out a plea agreement with state attorneys.

Archibald pleaded guilty to lewdness by a sex offender, lowered to a class A misdemeanor, and criminal trespass, a class B misdemeanor.

State attorney Jacob Gordon told the court how Archibald was arrested on the night of November 13, after stripping naked and climbing the fence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple. He was found by officers walking around the grounds.

Investigators said Archibald told them he was looking for a wife. They later found a shirt and blanket inside his truck that was parked nearby.

Archibald is a repeat offender. Idaho court records show, in March 2008, he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child under 16. He was sentenced to serve at least three-years in prison.

Judge Thomas Willmore ordered Archibald to remain in jail and scheduled sentencing for January 30.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
LOGAN  Getting an engineering degree isnt an easy task. Heavy amounts of coursework and difficult exams often lead to high amounts of stress. A USU assistant professor of engineering is hoping to help understand and eventually ease that stress.

Next fall, researcher Idalis Villanueva will begin using a special classroom to monitor the stress of engineering students in order to develop a curriculum that could potentially aid both the students and professors. She hoping to help them better understand what is causing stress and how to manage it.

The curriculum would encompass trainings, suggestions and advice, Villanueva said.

Each student who participates in the study will wear an electrodermal wrist senor. Villanueva said it is a small device that collects physiological data, similar to a Fitbit. Every fourth of a second the device will send data such as the wearers heart rate, blood pressure, blood volume, temperature, mobility and sweat. That will help Villanueva and the other researchers understand what is more likely to prompt stress.

If the student were wearing the wrist sensor in class and there was the announcement of an exam, we could see that increase and response from the student pretty close to real time, she said.

Villanueva credited USU and furniture company Steelcase with helping to retrofit the classroom to optimize its teaching and research capabilities. Steelcase is providing mobile classroom furniture Villanueva believes will be beneficial.

If you have a fixed classroom setting where there is limited interaction with students and where its not so easy to work on group projects, that may be stressful in itself, especially because engineering is very group based, she said. If you have a fixed desk that you cant move, that might be an indirect stressor as well.

Villanueva said Utah States support of the research is another example of its commitment to student well-being.

Theyve been doing quite a bit of initiatives on campus, she said. By supporting this project this is one way that theyre doing that.
LOGAN  Deputies are continuing to investigate a body that was found inside a burned out car near Petersboro Sunday afternoon.

Cache County Sheriff Chad Jensen said they suspect who the victim is, but will not say until the body is positively identified. They also are not ready to say whether the death was self-inflicted or a homicide.

Deputies were called to the scene of a suspicious vehicle found on private property around 4:15 p.m. It appeared to have been destroyed by fire. Inside, they found the badly burned body.

Jensen said the body was transferred to the state medical examiner to ID and determine the cause of death of the person.

The vehicle appeared to have been burned within the last several days and was completely extinguished by the time crews arrived. Deputies have moved it to the Cache County Sheriffs Office to continue their investigation.

Jensen said the vehicle was found by a family who had gone looking for their loved one, after the person had failed to return home after several days.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
[image: None Of This Had To Be: The Two Paths] There are broadly two views of the situation we human are in. The first is that what is happening is just a...
Europe reacts to the terror attacks in Berlin

Published on December 20, 2016

Story by euro topics Translation by: euro topics

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At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured when a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night. The police have voiced suspicions that this was a terrorist attack. Commentators react with consternation, and warn that the terrorists must not be allowed to triumph with their strategy.

Free society will win out - Kurier, Austria

Free society will triumph in the end despite repeated terror attacks such as that which allegedly took place on Monday evening in Berlin, Kurier is convinced:

"There are solitary perpetrators dedicated to a murderous ideology; there are Islamist cells like the one in Belgium which plan and carry out targeted attacks, orchestrated from the territory of the 'Islamic State'; and domestic security agents across Europe warn that now that the jihadist organisation is severely weakened in Syria and Iraq some fighters will come home and try to live out their hateful and murderous thoughts in Europe. This is a time of mourning. The mood at the Christmas markets will be subdued in the days to come. The situation has become more dangerous, but it hasn't changed. Vigilance is called for. Neither we nor our politicians must give in to terror, as cynical as that might sound given these new victims. In the knowledge that democracy and our values are a few centuries more advanced than the jihadist insanity." (19/12/2016)

Terrorists aiming for chain reaction - Jutarnji List, Croatia

Political calculation lies behind every terrorist act but we must not give in to it, Jutarnji List warns:

"Because of its very nature, terrorism is an act of cowardice. Cold-bloodedly killing unarmed negotiators, journalists or civilians like those in Berlin is an act of moral penury. The goal of yesterday's attack was only to spread fear and insecurity. The idea is retaliation, yes - targeted in Ankara, blind and deranged in Berlin - but also to escalate the conflict and set off a chain reaction. Political repercussions are part of the strategy of terror. The murderous act in Berlin supplies the populist agitators with arguments for blaming Angela Merkel and the democratic government for not being tough enough on potential attackers and terrorists. And then it's all too easy to lump all foreigners and Muslims together. But terrorism must be fought at its roots, in the conflict hotspots." (20/12/2016)

Germany refuses to see the danger - wPolityce, Poland

The very accusations referred to by Jutarnji List are voiced in the Polish nationalist portal wPolityce:

"After the attacks on women on New Year's Eve in Cologne, the attack in Ansbach and the knife attacks in Bavaria, Angela Merkel promised security. Each time the people were reassured that Germany and France - which has been repeatedly hit by terrorist attacks - were finally safe. They were told that the Islamists would do no harm, and that the door should be opened even wider for the refugees. The EU Parliament warned Poland four times that it was supposedly endangering security in Europe. Ultimately, however, it never concerned itself with the security of the Germans or the French... Today we see how big a threat we face. A Christmas market has been stained with innocent blood. Germany, blinded by its love for migrants, is unable to think about the threat, or about how to protect its citizens from such attacks. (19/12/2016)

IS is lashing out in desperation - La Libre Belgique, Belgium

The truck attack in Berlin is reminiscent of this summer's attack in Nice, La Libre Belgique writes, warning that even if the IS has been weakened it has not lost its bite:

"The movement is in its death throes... Faced with the international armada, the Islamic State is on its last legs, at least militarily. However its ability to cause harm is still very real. In its hopeless situation, it will try to carry out as many murderous attacks as possible. The leaders of this movement are nothing but criminal terrorists. Lawless, immoral people who have nothing to gain from giving themselves in or repenting. Until it is completely decapitated this organisation will remain a danger for the entire world. Because its zealots are active all over the world." (20/12/2016)

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30 Countries, 300 Media Outlets, one press review. euro|topics presents the issues affecting Europe and reflects the continent's diverse opinions, ideas and moods.

Story by euro topics

Translated from Anschlage in Berlin: Lasst euch nicht unterkriegen!
Israeli and German Art Between Performance and Geography: Conditions of Political Geography Exhibition at Tel Avivs Center for Contemporary Art

Published on December 20, 2016

Story by Pablo Markin

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Running between November 17, 2016 and January 7, 2017, the exhibition Conditions of Political Geography attests to the post-biennale condition of contemporary art as it instantiates this multiple-artist, multi-sited show in both Tel Aviv and Berlin as a platform for art-mediated reflection on German-Israeli relations.

Coming in the wake of a series of events dedicated to the 50-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany this exhibition also deconstructs the conventional notions of exhibition spaces, artistic practices and art appreciation, in an effort to produce localized interventions into charged political and geographic contexts.

The Center for Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, thus, invokes art as a heterotopic phenomenon in that it overlays the primary exhibition space, where viewers can meander around an elevated seating structure, art installations, and a projection screen, with a reading room placed on the second story of the gallery. While not publishing its own companion academic volume to go with the event, this exhibition is a product of rigorous, workshop-format reflections on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Holocaust aftermath and Israeli-German cultural exchanges. This artistic project, conceived of by the Israeli Center for Contemporary Art jointly with the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, a Berlin-based German artist association, combines both academic research and art production, as part of its intention to go beyond the format of a group show toward initiating artistic interventions into respective local urban contexts.

For this reason, Markus Miessen, writer, architect and designer behind this exhibition, has emphasised the process of staging art as a spatial practice, such as in Tashlikh, the performative work confronting the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust and ethnic cleansings in Sudan and Eritrea of an Israeli artist Yael Bartana, to be presented on several occasions in January 5-7, 2017, in Berlin. This heterotopic exhibition, thus, opens the space of dialogue between different historical geographies of terror, genocide and memory, as virtual platforms for an art-mediated reflection on the interrelations between oppression and victimhood that demand not only commemoration or coming to terms with, but also testing the limits of narratives that encapsulate these phenomena. Since the present moment is yet to witness the overcoming of national narratives, geographical enclosures and forced migrations, as topics both casting historical shadows on Israeli-German relations and dominating headline news in recent years, the questions this exhibition raises in relation to the overlapping geographic and political configurations and how they can be explored have resonance beyond the confines of this exhibition space.

This has moved Marcus Babias, Sergio Edelsztein, Sophie Goltz and Chen Tamir, members of the German-Israeli curatorial team that has initiated this project, to probe into memorial strategies, architectural forms and historical landscapes as backdrops for their exploration of related artistic practices. Thus, Markus Miessens exhibition design problematizes the exhibition space by forcing its visitors to lose their bearings within its complex topology, while renegotiating their positioning within the space of art as a physical structure. Similarly, Maya Elran facilitates the performative agency of exhibition visitors through on-site discussions reflecting on authority, power and interpellation.

As part of a sequential series of art events, Noa Zuk and Ohad Fishof explore the interrelations between ethnographic fiction, expressive media and dance performances. By contrast, Yochai Avrahami examines in his exhibition the historical background of Israeli agriculture from early Zionist settlements to Israeli participation in world expositions in recent decades. While Noam Enbar and Yonatan Levy have engaged the context of this exhibition through ritualistic performances, Michal Helfman has laid a stress on the banal repetitions of everyday life. Similarly, Adam Linder has staged artistic labour as janitorial, part-time work. By contrast, Antje Majewski has sought to explore historical, cultural and linguistic connections between groups associated with Israel and Palestine. In a related fashion, Susanne M. Winterling has shone a reflective light on various instrumentalizations of geographical landscapes.

Story by Pablo Markin
News / Local

by Mary Charamba

denialist

New States Man

GukuradundiVice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa should jailed at Chikurubi prison or be dragged to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague and charged with crimes against humanity, opposition Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) has said.Recently, Mnangagwa ttold a United Kingdom-based magazinethat a president was in charge of security operations at the time and not him."How do I become the enforcer during Gukurahundi?." We had the President, the Minister of Defence, commander of the army and I was none of that. My own enemies attack me left and right and that is what you are buying," said Mnangagwa.ZimPF spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire said Mnangagwa is attempting to clear his soiled name."It is apparent that the whole story is a desperate, but shoddy attempt at sprucing up Mnangagwa's image in the vain hope he can be Zimbabwe's next President" Mawarire is quoted saying by NewsDay."Mnangagwa belongs to Chikurubi or some such place like The Hague-headquartered ICC could have confined him to if all things were equal," Mawarire added.According to the Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice (CCJP), the Gukurahundi mass killings left over 20 000 civilians dead when Mugabe sent a North-Korean-trained militia to Matabeleland and Midlands to crackdown on dissent to his rule.
"Every Meal An Adventure!" ~ Food & Travel in Asia
Dozens of Former Tole Tea Workers Stranded Since Four Years Wilson MUSA

Some 110 former workers of Tole Tea estate have died even before collecting their money from management of the company. Over 704 protesters took hostage the premises of South West Regional Delegation for labor and social security from September 2011 to May 2012 demanding payment of severance allowances and other benefits but 110 of them have now died in the four year struggle.

According to this weeks edition of The Rambler Newspaper, the former workers say the government tricked them into appending their signatures on a document which created an ad hoc committee which looked into their problems but has not brought forth workable solutions.

The Rambler reveals that one of the protesters a certain Andrew Moki who worked at tea estate for 44 years got just a meager amount of 220,00FRS as severance pay; he later died two years ago.

A majority of these former workers of Tole tea estate which was sold to Cameroon tea estate, have been home for four years now, many are gradually dying but the government which laid them off after privatizing the company is yet to compensate them.

The ex-employees of Tole tea say the government fooled them through a fake strategy known as dialogue. The ad hoc committee was given 9 months to propose measures to take but it is now four years nothing has filtered out of the committee.

Nanje Daniel a former worker told The Rambler that,  We have realized that we were fooled by Gregoire Owona Minister of Labor and Social Security who asked us to go to our houses while we create a committee to solve our problems. I can remember I left the Labor Office of March 8, 2012 and the committee began work on March 12.

The former workers are reportedly owed some 2.2 billion francs.
| BY Ricki Green |

Dulux has brought back its famous brand icon for its newly launched campaign, created by BMF.

For over 65 years the Old English Sheepdog has been synonymous with the Dulux brand. He has graced TV and cinema screens, appeared in magazines, on billboards, online and in social media, and of course as a sign of quality on Dulux paint and colour brochures. Hes seen a lot in his time  every annual colour forecast, all the scientific advancements in paint and every new product innovation from Dulux.

So for the first time consumers will be able to hear his thoughts. His awakening coincides with a new focus on consumer-centric marketing at Dulux Group, spearheaded by new marketing director Helen Fitzpatrick.

Says Fitzpatrick: We wanted to tell our consumers that in the future, youll know why its worth using Dulux; and we knew we had to do it in an emotional way. Consumers love the Dulux dog, so we thought what better way to gain a powerful, emotional connection to the brand than to make him the star of the campaign.

The campaign is launching an initiative from Dulux to educate Australians and New Zealanders about the risks of using inferior paints. It does so by highlighting the most important quality test: the test of time. On his travels, we hear the Dulux dogs musings on the future, and in the importance of protecting your home with the right quality of paint. The dog will become a consumer champion and lend a paw to anyone who needs advice on painting their home.

Says Dan Lacaze, client services director, BMF: Its with great responsibility and pride that we have given the Dulux dog a personality, and a bigger and more important role in the communications mix. Hes seen it all and theres no one better placed to explain why Dulux is worth it.

The integrated campaign launches in Dulux-owned channels this week, with bespoke film executions for social, pre-roll, TV and cinema. It will be supported by OOH, print, online, social, and instore, where over a hundred Dulux experts will be providing free advice when people need it most  at point of purchase.

Creative Agency: BMF

Executive Creative Director: Cam Blackley

Associate Creative Directors: Dantie Van Der Merwe and David Fraser

Copywriters: James Sexton and Gooch Richards

Designer: Thom Davy

Planning: Kim Feitelberg, Ali Tilling and Emily Field

Client Services Director: Dan Lacaze

Account Director: Will Woods

Account Managers: Kim Ngo and Siena Shuttler

Agency Producer: Fiona Gilles

Production Company: Goodoil

Director: Andy McLeod

Post Production: Alt.VFX

Editor: The Butchery

Music and Sound Production: Rumble Studios

Client Credits  Dulux

Director Marekting and Innovation: Helen Fitzpatrick

Marketing Manager: Jo Katsos

Senior Brand Managers: Anthony Voyage and Alison Mahoney

Product Manager: Adam Hilton
| BY Lynchy |

GPY&R Brisbane has lured Publicis Pusher general manager Andrew Kolb to the head of digital planning role.

At Publicis Pusher Kolb worked with a diverse range of clients including Foot Locker, Queensland Government, AirAsia, Parmalat, Mack Trucks and Mantra Hotels.

Prior to Kolbs role with Publicis, he held an associate strategy director role at Sydney digital agency, The White Agency, where he led the digital transformation of the Lion account working on brands such as Hahn and James Squires.

Kolb has also held senior digital roles at Publicis Mojo and BCM working on large digital projects including the Facebook studio winning AirAsia Friendsy.

Says Phil McDonald, Y&R Group Australia and NZ CEO: Our agency in Brisbane continues to lead the market creatively and the arrival of a creative thinker like Andrew, who has built his impressive career in digital agencies, will continue to push the quality of the work for our clients in Brisbane.
| BY Ricki Green |

Leading homeware giant, IKEA Australia, has selected Mindshare Australia as its agency of record following a local media agency review and competitive tender process. Mindshare Australia will work with the IKEA team as its media agency partner to purchase media, develop strategic partnerships and deliver high impact consumer campaigns.

The appointment is made following a global media review that preceded a thorough, local media agency review process including three other agencies. The result of the process will see Mindshare Australia take on the remit of Match Media who has been a valued partner of IKEA Australia for 13 years.

The work will focus on delivering media activity to amplify the objectives of the IKEA business in Australia and further build brand connection and engagement. Mindshare Australia will also work very closely with the agency partners for IKEA to deliver integrated communications plans for the organisation.

Says Kristin Bengtsson, national marketing manager for IKEA Australia: We would like to extend a huge thank you to Match Media for their outstanding collaboration and high performance over the last 13 years. At IKEA our culture and values are paramount and togetherness is one which has encapsulated the tone of our relationship. We would like to wish our friends at Match Media every success as they become Blue 449 in January 2017.

After careful deliberation we have concluded that Mindshare will be the agency we will progress to the contract stage. Mindshare won us over with their people and their passion for our brand. Their response demonstrated great insight and understanding of our business and the remit required moving forward.

Sats John Preston, CEO, Match Media: Saying goodbye to a foundation client is always hard. It has been a fantastic partnership between IKEA and Match as we have grown together over 13 years. While we are incredibly sad that the relationship is unable to continue, in the last six months working on notice, our relationship has been as strong as ever and we wish the IKEA team all the best with their new partner  they are very lucky.

Sats Katie Rigg-Smith, CEO, Mindshare Australia: We are absolutely thrilled Mindshare Australia has the opportunity to work with IKEA going forward. We have been so inspired by the desire of IKEA to innovate and challenge category norms both in their own business and in how they communicate this through media. We are really excited to get started.
| BY Ricki Green |

GPY&R has announced today that Australias largest chocolateria chain, San Churro, has appointed GPY&R Melbourne as its creative agency.

Founded in 2006, San Churro currently operate over 50 stores nationwide with significant plans for growth in 2017.

Says Geoff Sinclair, CEO, San Churro: GPY&R have shown great interest in truly understanding our business, customers, and competitive landscape. Most importantly, they have a clear focus on developing results-driven communications  which we look forward to launching in early 2017.
| BY Ricki Green |

As part of its ongoing pro bono relationship with Sydney Dogs & Cats Home, J. Walter Thompson Sydney has launched an outdoor campaign encouraging people to give a rescue pet a home this Christmas.

Says Claire Garth, general manager, Sydney Dogs & Cats Home: We are the only pet shelter in Sydney to never place a time limit on the animals in our care. To remain viable, we rely on the generosity of the community to ensure we can continue finding new homes for thousands of abandoned pets every year.

The work taps into the pre-Christmas mindset when people are pre-occupied with shopping.

Says Garth: At Christmas time, when people are all wrapped up in the spirit of giving, we wanted to remind them that giving a rescue pet a home is the greatest gift of all, and for those unable to adopt, donating to our cause helps us to continue giving second chances to every animal in need.

This campaign builds on J. Walter Thompsons previous work for SD&CH, including the hugely successful #AlmostHomeless campaign which helped generate the 10,000 signatures needed to lobby the NSW Government to find a new home for the shelter. As well as the ongoing #FollowAStray Instagram campaign which aims to turn Travis Barker the Stray into a celebrity who can raise funds for the shelter through advertising.

Creative agency: J. Walter Thompson, Sydney

Executive Creative Director: Simon Langley

Creative Director/Art Director: John Lam

Creative Group Head/Writer: Laurie Geddes

Agency Producer: Anastasia Nielsen

Group Account Director: Bruce Pywell

Account Manager: Amanda Porritt

Planner: Heather Morrisson

Photographer: Jonathan May
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political commentator Alex Magaisa has mocked President Robert Mugabe following a video that has gone viral on social media showing hiom struggling to plant a tree during the tree planting day ceremony.He said one day, some filmmaker will produce a film of Robert Mugabe's life - the good, the bad and the ugly ... and the most hilarious! He said that filmmaker won't be short of original footage and there have been a few classic ones in recent years but this is the most hilarious and pitiful - not to mention symbolic."Here, Mugabe is supposed to plant a tree, but instead he wants to unplant it! When a person plants a tree, they put soil into the hole where the tree is inserted, to cover the roots. But here, good old Bob is taking soil OUT of the hole - literally uprooting the tree! The poor chap tries desperately to gesture to Mugabe that he needs to direct the soil into the hole. But it falls on deaf ears," he said."At this point, of course, realising the disaster happening in front of cameras, the ever helpful Dr Amai, Grace intervenes and decides to take matters into her own hands - literally - and guide her old chap. Knowing one must avoid outshining the master and hoping to assuage his fears, she quotes a Biblical story to reassure him. No wonder she has said she doesn't need to campaign for President - she is already there!"He said it's not surprising that Mugabe thinks Zimbabwe is doing well under his rule and he genuinely believes it, even though the evidence is completely to the contrary."Those of us who have had to deal with our elderly relatives can recognise a few things from this video. You have to be patient and persuasive when handling them. You indulge them but then at certain points you have to make strategic interventions, for their own good! Yet this man wants to run for the presidency in 2018 and there's a horde of people who think it's a good idea! Actually, this is cruel," he said."But the video also reminded me of Edison Zvobgo's anecdote of the madman of Ngomahuru who instead of passing on the baton to the next man in a relay race, decided to run away into the mountains. Here though, Grace decides to take the shovel from Mugabe's hands! This has to be the ZimAsset Video of the year!"
Monday, December 19, 2016 at 6:51PM

Comparison of the old and new Twitter search results

Aside from doing it on its main timeline, Twitter is updating what results you see when you search for something on its service. Instead of going with reverse chronological order, Twitter is basing it off relevance to the user. According to Twitters early trials, this approach results in users engaging more with the service. In a blog post, Lisa Huang, senior software engineer for search quality, says the change was made because the most recent results may not be what the searchers are looking for. You might get a better grasp of a certain topic from popular tweets or other more relevant tweets than the most recent ones.

Twitter relies on its algorithm and your user behavior to collect this information. It seems to be using roughly the same programming it uses for your main timeline but perhaps with some adjustments since it has to pull information from the social networks entire database. Now, when you pull up a search on Twitter the different categories (most popular ones, the latest, by people, photos, videos, etc.) will now be algorithmically controlled.

Source: VentureBeat
Mrs Codina contacted Barnardos about how to donate the money. She was advised that teenagers could often be overlooked when it came to donations at Christmas time so Luca's money would go to the vouchers for those aged 16 to 21 in the transitional housing.
"In the light of that, it has to be said that the small increase for family violence area of the office in the last budget was modest indeed, and unfortunately, will not compensate for the increase in work."
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A Political analyst Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo has said the confusion which reigns supreme in the opposition political groupings in the country will present Zanu PF with landslide victory in the 2018 elections if not resolved in time.Through his long article he said opposition should learn from its past mistakes and learn to correct them. He said in the past there are many flawed processes that took place but now its water under the bridge and it's high time that they must regroup and begin to work together."It's very disturbing that in this era today. In 2008 MDC T failed to garner the 50+1 percent vote because of Simba Makoni. What the opposition has failed to realise is that they is always infiltration in every election. There are so many opposition who are claiming to be democratic yet they are agents of Zanu Pf. Mdc should be calculative and intelligent to observe such kind of issues," he said."In 2008 Tsvangirai was prevented from going to State House because of Makoni fiasco. Makoni was a project and I would like to believe he is still a project and he succeeded. He garnered 8% that prevented Morgan from walking into state house. In 2013 it was Mawarire Jealousy who made a silly application in high court and he was successful. Morgan was forced into a premature election without reforms. Morgan should have not participated in the 2013 election by doing so he legitimised the whole process."He said what Zanu Pf wants is legitimacy and they know without legitimacy they can't run this country."In 2018 another samba Makoni will come in the form of these small parties. Tsvangirai and his advisors should wake up. I've reservation on people who are advising Tsvangirai, because if they can't see such things coming then it means we have a long walk towards the democratic struggle. Now we hear Tendai Biti and Simba Makoni they want to lead the coalition, how many people does Tendai Biti and Makoni have?" he said."There is high level of suspicion over Tendai Biti s inclusion in these called South African talks. There are some small sponsored parties which are meant to destroy the coalition process and scuttling the whole process. The same agents they tried to weaken the opposition base by splitting the party and it never worked well for them now they want to come back again in the form of coalition issues and national transitional processes."Muzamhindo said these are sponsored parties meant to dilute the opposition power house."Whilst the opposition is gripped with issues of who will lead the coalition, Zanu Pf is busy regrouping by reactivating their structures and oiling their machinery whilst the opposition are busy chasing after their shadows. Every plans in NERA are well known every time they have meetings the intelligence will be well ahead of them. When they formed NERA, they did it tactfully by forming CODE and I would like to believe CODE is an agent which is meant to dilute NERA," said Muzamhindo."Zanu Pf knows well that a strong opposition with Tsvangirai on the lead will send panicking waves. What Mujuru and Morgan should is to hold their talks and discussions in confident and solitary places and make public discussions in a wise manner. What Zanu Pf does not want to hear at the moment is coalition talks between Tsvangirai and Mujuru so what they have done is to sponsor these South Africa talks in order to bring confusion. We have more than 30 parties in this country why can't they field one candidate which has a good brand? The answer is simple, majority of them are sponsored parties meant to divert people s attention and hoodwink people into believing wrong information."Muzamhindo said MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his aides were meant to believe that Themba Mliswa is an opposition figure yet it was Zanu Pf at work."Mliswa visited Tsvangirai at his residence and he was meant to believe that Mliswa is part of him. If you check those cables that leaked in 2009 they revealed that Tsvangirai will take advice to the last person he meets. Why did Morgan accept rejects from Zanu Pf? If he is not careful the same thing will happen in 2018, he will discover it when it's too late. You need an intelligence department to work on this and identify the weaknesses of your opponent. When Morgan backed Mliswa he got the Norton seat on a silver platter, at a later stage he made a u turn and attacked Morgan and this was an embarrassment for the opposition who had trust in Mliswa," he said.."Tsvangirai and Mujuru should discuss the issue of ideologies, their differences and iron them quickly. They should identify which strong holds which Tsvangirai has and that of Mujuru then field single candidates in those areas. They should never make a mistake of fielding many candidates. Here is our proposals."Muzamhindo said what these leaders should do is to revise their past and correct their mistakes.He advised that Mujuru and Tsvangirai parties must field their candidates as follows during 2018 elections."Manicaland Tsvangirai should field his candidatesMidlands Tsvangirai should field candidatesBulawayo Tsvangirai should field candidatesMasvingo Mujuru should field candidatesMash central Mujuru should field candidatesMash east Mujuru should field candidatesMash west Mujuru should field candidatesHarare Tsvangirai should field candidatesMat North Tsvangirai should field candidatesMat South Tsvangirai should field candidates," he said
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Prominent poet, Tatenda Chinoda popularly known as Dhege was recently sent by his employer, the Zimbabwe Traffic Safety Council to attend an International Leadership Training Programme in New Delhi, India.Chances are his performance in the leadership programme, whatever it came to did not matter much. It must have been completely overshadowed by his performance in the cultural segment at the end of the programme where he tantalized 60 delegates from 21 countries with his artistry prowess.The leadership programme was held from November 29 to December 9 2016.One Jamaican Marcia Higgins said of Dhege in a post on social media after being impressed by Chinoda's performance during the cultural festival night; "  you are such a good orator and poet. I am sure you are a Jamaican, so full of 'vibes'There was also a cultural festival night on December 7, where Chinoda performed through poetry which was recorded and in live performance titled "Make the best out of the rest".Chinoda said when he realized that there was a cultural night, he felt it was an opportunity to test his poetry performance with an international audience. He studied his target audience and adjusted his script to condemn the butchering and massacring of innocent people in Arab in general and Syria in particular.He knew he had pressed the right button as there was a standing ovation for his performance.He said the lesson that he drew was that Zimbabwean art can make it in any part of the World if it is done well. He said the standing ovation he received shocked him as he merely thought he was testing the market.Dhege who is a marketing officer with ZTSC is a NAMA award winning poet, a motivational speaker and a director of ceremonies.The program that Dhege attended provided a platform for sharing the best practices of all the participating countries, with general information about each country which included the population, languages spoken, culture, religion, industry, level of income amongst many.
The operator, part of PCCW, said it was very concerned that the government is not doing enough to release more spectrum, warning other countries are way ahead in terms of spectrum supply.

It also criticised price increases that operators in Hong Kong had faced over recent years, which had ultimately been passed on to mobile users, according to the South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong spectrum prices are now the most expensive in the world, it said. Why does the government need to do this when it already has huge budget surpluses?

The letter comes less than a year after the government, through regulator the Office of the Communications Authority, held a public consultation around the issue of spectrum, with one of the topics discussed potential price rises for bandwidth.

Current assignments on the 900MHz and 1.8GHz bands are due to expire in 2021, impacting around 40% of the total amount of spectrum currently in use in Hong Kong. A decision over prices is expected to be made by November 2017.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A high-powered delegation of traditional chiefs who met at a local Masvingo hotel on Friday last week have expressed the fear that the $900m Harare  Beitbridge Road dualisation project could lead to many unwanted pregnancies.The chiefs were meeting the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Joram Gumbo ahead of the start of the project expected early next year.The president of the Chiefs Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira called upon Government to be proactive and put in place mechanism that will minimise social problems that could emanate from the project that is being implemented by Geiger International of Austria.He said communities in Zimbabwe have experienced serious problems of unwanted pregnancies on sites of major projects in the past and added that fathers of the unwanted , particularly foreigners disappeared without trace once they have fathered a child.He also alluded to the danger of the spread of sexual transmitted diseases and said relevant Government departments must embark on effective campaigns to avoid social ills."I urge the Ministry to engage companies with traceable references so that when their workers engage in any misdemeanours we will be able to follow them up.There is a tendency by contracted workers to impregnate women during construction and they quickly disappear leaving the community with the burden of looking after those children hence the need for traceable companies."We don't want a repeat of this during the Harare-Beitbridge dualisation project," said Charumbira.Most Chiefs who spoke at the meeting heaped praises on the Ministry for being the first Government arm to consult them before embarking on a project of such magnitude."We would like to thank the ministry for consulting a very important constituency in the country, the chiefs as they are the custodians of the culture."This is the first time such a thing has happened and we are very excited about the development, we also urge you to desist from corruptly awarding tenders to undeserving companies as that will compromise the quality of the work," added Charumbira.The meeting was attended by the Minister Transport and Infrastructure Development, Joram Gumbo, Minister of State for Matebeleland South, AbednicoNcube, Minister of State for Masvingo, Senator ShuvaiMahofa, Ministerof State for Mashonaland East, Rtd Brigadier Ambrose Mutinhiri, Transport Ministry Deputy Minister Eng Michael Madanha, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Machinisation and Irrigation Responsible for Cropping Davis Marapira and MP for Masvingo West Ezra Chadzamira.Chief Muromo, Douglas Mombeshora, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, MunesuMunodawafa, ministry directors and heads of parastatals and Chiefs attended the meeting as well.
Opinion / Columnist

Tinashe Eric Muzamhindo writes in his personal capacity as the Director of Mentorship Institute of National Development and Sustainability and he can be contacted at greatorminds@gmail.com

The issue of coalition evolves a lot of factors. One cannot wake up and say he or she wants to lead a coalition there are issues that needs to be put into serious consideration. We have seen this in several countries to some it has worked and to some it has failed. The recent polls in Zambia clears shows that coalitions they work if you combine yourself with people who can add value and input to the coalition. This is not an issue of wearing suits and holding press conferences but it is an issue of who is popular and who is not. Let's not try to play dirty politics. In fact there is a strong suspicion that some people who are calling for a coalition could be agents of the state trying to destroy the premature talks. In Zambia Felix Mutati the current finance minister previously had merged with Hakainde Hichilema and later on he changed his mind set he went back to Edgar Lungu. In politics you should be able to be well calculative and be able to see things far ahead. Hakainde Hichilema merged with people who had bad reputation that had negative impact towards their pact, for example people like GMB and Nevers Mumba the former vice president of Zambia.Factor 1 - Popular VoteLooking at the political trenches in Zimbabwe it's about popularity. You cannot do away with popularity in an election set up. You definitely need to play your politics within the matrix of popularity. There are two political parties that are popular in this country and these are Zanu Pf, MDCT and small emerging parties like People first, Mdc Ncube and Zapu etc. The only two remaining figures in this country is Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. There is no question about it that these are the remaining contenders in the upcoming elections in 2018. African politics is about brands and European politics is about money and wealthy. Morgan Tsvangirai has some black spots in his political life but when it comes to numbers he commands a huge following. It's very difficult to form a coalition without Tsvangirai.Factor 2  a Party With History of Defeating Zanu PfYou cannot put a leader to try and test the level of the political field. People can't risk their votes, or try and invest their votes in something they know it does not work. The only party that is known in the history of Zimbabwe to defeat Zanu Pf is MDC T led by Morgan Tsvangirai. People cannot experiment with people s votes to see what will happen. What other political parties should do is to sit down with MDC and discuss how best they can work around on a good coalition that can involve everyone and contribute positively. Biti broke away from Tsvangirai led party and he left with few lieutenants and who also literally broke away from his as well. PDP is the only party that has suffered major setbacks and defections during 2016. Biti is very arrogant and he cannot be allowed to lead a coalition and later on the nation because of his arrogance.Factor 3 - a Tried and Tested LeaderThe upcoming coalition needs someone who has experience of running a Government and who was tried and tested. People need to look at those facts and see who can lead the coalition. Most of these unity Governments majority of these parties have been swallowed by Zanu Pf, and they have been absorbed within the system. This can also be a factor to try and consider which party remained relevant in zim politics for a long time. Experience counts as well to try and see who has the experience in the Government, councils and parliament as well.Factor 4 - Organized Structures Across the CountryIt's crucial to consider the issue of structures. What matters at the end of the day is votes. If you look at the political scenario in Zimbabwe you find that there are only two parties that have structures in every district, ward and cell its Zanu Pf and MDC T. so one cannot wake up and say he wants to lead the coalition without putting those issues into consideration. Those structures they are important in the sense that they mobilize voters and also provide relevance and visibility of the party in every corner of the country.To be continued tomorrow...
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Nearly 2 lakh candidates appeared for the CA Common Proficiency Test (CPT) December exam 2016 which was held on December 18, 2016 by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

The examination this year was held across 171 cities in the country.

The CA CPT exam is one of the most toughest examination to crack. Most of the aspirants give more than one attempt for a single level test as the length of the paper combine with the difficulty level makes it difficult to pass the exam.

The results for CA CPT December 2016 exam will be announced in January 2016.

About CPT Exam:

CPT exam is a gateway for the Chartered Accountancy profession.



Candidates who have registered to Course with the Board of Studies of the Institute can appear for the examination.



Candidates who are appearing or have passed the Class 12 or equivalent examination are eligible for this exam.

The question paper is of objective type

The total marks is 200, to pass the examination candidates are expected to attempt a minimum of 170 questions and graduate to the next level

Some question among the 200 can be lengthy and time consuming.

The questionnaire also contains some case-study based questions.

The questions are based on 4 subjects, namely, accountancy, mercantile law, general economics and quantitative aptitude.

For further information, visit icaiexam.icai.org
Moving towards a skilled India to make the country a skill capital of the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid foundation stone of the country's first Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in Kanpur and inaugurated it.

The idea of IIS was conceived by Modi during his visit to Singapore's Institute of Technical Education.

So, the institute is being opened by the Skill Development Ministry in collaboration with the Institute of Technical Education, Singapore. Also, the Ministry has decided to have six such institutes.

Also the inauguration of Kaushal Pradarshini (Skill Exhibition) was done by Modi for the youth of Uttar Pradesh.

The exhibition is open for public viewing between December 19 and 22. It is said to showcase the state-of-the-art vocational training practices across different sectors.

The Prime Minister also launched a number of skills development initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) and Drivers' Training Institutes. Another interesting fact is that the National Skill Development Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with OLA cabs for drivers' training.

Under the "National Apprentice Promotion Scheme", the Ministry of Skill Development has targeted enrolling at least five lakh apprentices from across the country for training with the corporates.

Skill certificates were distributed tot he street food vendors and leather industry workers by Modi in recognition of prior learning programme of the government.

On its cards, the ministry has plans to open one Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra in each district of India. The vision of these Kendras are to be skill development centres with modern infrastructure for skill training.

Flipped Classrooms are More Efficient, Says Study by IIT-B Researchers
Opinion / Religion

COMMENT OVERVIEW

SUGGESTED ANSWERS

WHY IDOLATRY WAS A PROBLEM

N.B THERE ARE SO MANY POINTS TO BE ADDED



WHAT DID THE PROPHETS SAY AND DO ABOUT IDOLATRY IN ISRAEL AND IN ZIMBABWEAN CONTEXT.



THERE ARE SO MANY POINTS WHICH CAN BE ADDED

QUESTION DEMANDS

QN Why was idolatry such significant problem in Israel and what did the prophets say and do about it in reference to both Israel and Zimbabwean prophets? (25)- The above question requires one to first point out the effects of idolatry in Israel and the reaction of the prophets due to the practice of idolatry . In Israel they were so many prophets who dealt with idolatry, the ideal originated with Moses and it was perpetuated by other prophets .The question demands us to concentrate in Israel ,remember during the exodus ,Israel was not yet a historical nation ,hence we have to ignore Moses. In this work the author will include Moses, the reason being that I want you learn something.- The writer will focus on the following prophetsa) Elijahb) Samuelc) Man of Godd) Amose) Hoseaf) Isaiahg) JeremiahThe above question was submitted by Chitungwiza Herantals Divinity Students under the subject teacher Mr Shekede.- Idolatry was a problem in Israel because it had negative effect to the Israelites, in other words it was more of a curse than a blessing becausea) It led to the persecutions of true prophets .1st Kings 19:10b) Punishment .The Israelites experienced punishment from Yahweh because of idolatryc) Religious disorder .Jezebel destroyed the alters of Yahweh ,this is recorded in 1st Kings 19:10.d) Social evils such as bribery, stealing ,swearing and e.t.c .Hosea 4:2No 27 Grenville Avenue Phone 461037 Komdlongwa- Amos prophesied during the prosperous days of Israel, Amos condemned Israelites for injustice ,idolatry and immorality. In Israel everywhere there was activity, some of the Israelites worshipped their idol called star-god Kaiwan ,this is recorded in Amos 5:26 ". You shall take up Sakkuth your king, and Kaiwan your star-god, your images, which you made for yourselves.." Amos as a prophet who was divinely inspired condemned the Israelites ,the bible is silent about how Amos dealt with this situation, what is mentioned is his condemnations perhaps, he eye opened Israel .- The prophet man of God might be unknown by some of us ,the prophet played a pivotal role in dealing with idolatry during the days of Jeroboam who used to reside in Bethel .[Read 1ST kings 13:1-15 to get more information ].Scholar Josephus named the prophet as Jadon even though the bible is silent about the original name ,Josephus submitted that they was a man of God from Judah who was called Jadon perhaps it was him .a) For Isaiah read Isaiah 2:20b) For Jeremiah read Jeremiah 7:9c) For 1st Samuel 7:3-Read the demands of the question.*.Questions by schools can be submitted through his mobile number +2363777896159 or Email address : witnessdingani@gmail.com .Readers can follow the Questions and Answers on Sunday News Newspaper every week.Or Listen to Divinity on Lips Radio Program with Witness Dingani on Channel Zim Tv every Sunday from 09:00am -10:00am*"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop."Confucius
A Lamborghini Huracan and Ferrari 458 Italia have been damaged after the two collided in Vancouvers Massey Tunnel late last week.



According to local police forces, the Huracan rear-ended the blue 458 Italia, causing damage to the Huracans front end and the Ferraris rear. Although the damage sustained by the two Italian supercars appears repairable, police said both vehicles could be written off.

Behind the wheels of the duo were young males in their 20s described as inexperienced by authorities with one only having a novice driving license.

After the incident, the Lamborghini driver was charged for following the car in front of him too closely.

Speaking with CTV News, police Sgt. Lorne Lecker ruled out speed as a factor in the crash but said Its very tempting to give into the urge. These cars have a great deal of power and its very easy to give into the impulse to try to use that power. And on these roads, it can be very dangerous.
Restricted to just 500 units in coupe form, the McLaren 675LT represents the pinnacle of the brands Super Series range (excluding the ultra-limited MSO HS) and is the last before the 650S replacement arrives, codenamed the P14.



Although the reborn McLaren company is barely half a decade old, the 675LT has been heralded as one of the best cars launched in recent years, providing incredible driving thrills and break-neck performance. As with most cars of this sort, all examples were spoken for shortly after the cars debut. However, a few used examples are on the market and this one from Dubai is possibly the finest.

Most significantly, this 675LT has been outfitted with a host of custom touches from McLaren Special Operations. That includes the MSO carbon fiber roof scoop, carbon air vents on the front wheel arches and a black stripe running down its center.

Additionally, it includes a matte carbon on the front splitter, wing mirrors, side skirts, air vents and almost all of the rear fascia. The resulting look is truly one-of-a-kind and is made even more special thanks to the eccentric interior with white leather, black alcantara and white air vents.

No asking price has been made public from Exotic Cars Dubai but it could be a steal for anything under $500,000.

PHOTO GALLERY
Its no secret that Toyota is expecting a lot from their new C-HR crossover, a model that lands in the hotspot of the European market, aiming to drive sales up for the Japanese maker.



The distinctive styling of the new C-HR is certainly one of the highlights but in order to successfully rival the establishment, Toyota had to step up their game in terms of interior quality and handling.

That last part is being taken care of by the adoption of Toyotas latest TNGA platform which debuted in the current Prius and offers a much more rigid base for the suspension to work on, improving the handling and comfort of the new C-HR.

Toyota reckons that most European buyers will opt for the Hybrid version which uses the same powertrain with the Prius, meaning a combination of a 1.8-litre petrol with an electric motor and a CVT transmission. Total output is 120hp with the official fuel economy to be a combined 74.3mpg UK (3.8lt/100km) and CO2 emissions rated at 86g/km.

So it looks good, its fairly economical to use and its a crossover on top, so what could go wrong? Auto Express delivers their first driving impressions on the video below.

VIDEO
Volkswagen will pay over $200 million to a fund created to cut diesel pollution as part of its agreement over its emissions cheating 3.0-liter diesel vehicles.



In June, the German company agreed to place $2.7 billion into the same fund to offset the emissions from its 2.0-liter diesel vehicles. The latest $200 million will be in addition to the compensation VW will offer to the 80,000 owners of its polluting Audi, Porsche and VW SUV models.

As with its 2.0-liter vehicles, VW will initiate a mix of buybacks and repairs for the 3.0-liter vehicles and has reached an agreement with U.S. regulators to buy back 20,000 older Audi and VW SUVs and implement a software fix in the remaining 60,000 newer vehicles.

Reuters reports that, following the latest $200 million fine, VW has spent roughly $16.7 billion in the U.S. on the diesel emissions saga. Whats more, the company is expected to be hit with billions in additional fines due to a civil suit over violations of the Clean Air Act and as part of a possible settlement with the Justice Department.

Cars affected in the U.S. with the faulty 3.0-liter engine are the 2009-2016 VW Touareg, 2013-2016 Porsche Cayenne, Audi A7, 2014-2016 Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi A8L, Audi Q5 and 2009-2016 Audi Q7 models.

PHOTO GALLERY
The first production examples of the Ford GT rolled off the production line in Canada, with the company releasing a short video from the ceremony.



The first example of the Ford GT belongs to the companys Executive Chairman Bill Ford but its still unclear what color is his example, as reported by AutoNews.

Raj Nair, Fords executive vice president drove a black GT with orange stripes and an orange interior off the production line which is going to be used as a marketing vehicle according to the same report.

Ford has limited the annual production run of the new GT to just 250 units, with the first 500 cars already sold via the companys notorious application process. The company received more than 6,000 applications for these first 500 cars, which forced Ford into extending the production run of their supercar for an additional two years.

The company has yet to provide us with full technical details of the new GT with Ford quoting over 600hp from its turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine. Pricing for the new GT is said to be somewhere in the range of mid-$400,000s.

VIDEO
Photo: Flickr/BC Gov't

By Dermod Travis

After hitting send to more than 2,680 news releases this year, the B.C. government's Communications and Public Engagement Office is scraping the bottom of the barrel for any excuse to trumpet its prowess.

The Ministry of Education has issued 273 releases in 2016, including 50 in one 10-hour span celebrating new dust collection systems, upgraded floors and air conditioning systems at schools across the province.

News releases for school improvement projects in government-held ridings also came with tailor-made quotes from the local MLA.

Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett noted that a school's new dust collection system will make it a healthier, more comfortable place to learn.

The B.C. Liberal party gave a shout out to Minister Mike Bernier in a recent update to party members for knocking on more doors in more ridings than any other member of #TeamBC2017 to date.

John Yap  who seemingly has issued more news releases as Parliamentary Secretary for Liquor Policy Reform than he ever did as a minister  sent out one headlined: Get cozy with your cocktails at B.C. hotels and resorts.

It prompted the official opposition to finally call for a moratorium on future liquor announcements.

The big daddy of news release saturation is the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, with more than 400 to date.

Earlier this month, the ministry patted itself on the back for moving forward with cleaner, modern facilities  more commonly known as toilets  at the Last Spike's historic rest station along the Trans-Canada Highway near Craigellachie.

According to the government's release the project will include brushing of the grounds around the structure.

In case you're wondering, Shuswap MLA, Greg Kyllo, thinks all the improvements are great.

Thinking ahead to next May's election, the transportation ministry is also inviting the public to submit ideas for 75 new stops of interest signs, each undoubtedly with its own news release and photo-op.

A constituent of Delta South Independent MLA Vicki Huntington wondered about the cost of the second round of signs for the Massey Tunnel project. Huntington was forced to file a freedom of information request to find out.

The signs rang in at $60,598.

How far overboard has the government gone in the news release department? Since the last election, they've issued more than 7,700 releases.

Under former premier Gordon Campbell, the government made do with 2,130 news releases from 2001 to 2005.

Perhaps the overkill by the current government can be explained by the annual budget for the communications department. While most ministries scrape by, since 2010-11 the office has seen its budget jump by 43.3 per cent to $37.9 million.

 Dermod Travis is the executive director of IntegrityBC.
Photo: Kevin Barkhouse

A Vernon man took the law into his own hands Monday morning when he spotted a thief wearing his stolen coat, eventually wrestling the suspect to the ground and then snapping a photo for posterity.

Kevin Barkhouse had his vehicle broken into outside his house on L&A Road sometime Sunday night, with a number of items taken including a wallet.

Barkhouse and his brother were on their way to check out local pawn shops in the downtown area around 10:30 a.m. when he saw a familiar object on someone else's back.

I saw a guy on a pay phone who looked like he was wearing my coat. I went over to him and realized that yes, it was my coat, Barkhouse said, adding that he then told the man to empty his bag.

A few items came out but not all so Barkhouse reached in and pulled out his own stolen wallet. His identification was there but all the cash was gone.

And he used my Visa and spent $400 to $450. I don't know why that (card) wasn't frozen because the money was spent at two, three and four in the morning at times when I would never use it, Barkhouse said.

To stop the alleged thief from fleeing the scene, Barkhouse got him on the ground while his brother ran to a store to call the police. That's when he took the picture.

I felt a selfie needed to be taken, Barkhouse stated. He then posted it on Facebook.

Upon their arrival, police officers arrested the suspect and took away the evidence.

It's not the first time Barkhouse has spotted thieves who had made off with his property.

About three months ago, his licence plates were stolen. The next day he saw a cube van with those plates on and followed the vehicle until police could make an arrest.

I work hard for my belongings. I have kids and a wife and if we allow people to steal our things it just sets us back further and further.
Photo: City of Enderby

A majority of people would like to see smoking banned at Enderby playgrounds.

A total of 113 people responded to a recent City of Enderby smoking survey, most of them non-smokers (73.5 per cent) with a handful of smokers (11.5 per cent).

The survey asked: "What do you think about smoking tobacco in parks, on beaches or on recreation trails (such as the Riverwalk)?"

According to the results, just over 84 per cent of people would like to see a ban on smoking near playgrounds.

Some would like to take that ban a lot further. Fifty-nine per cent said puffing on a cigarette should be completely banned from all local parks, recreational trails and beaches.

In the comments section, some people suggested there be designated smoking areas with ashtrays in parks to cut down on littering.

The results will be reviewed Tuesday by the Enderby and District Services Commission before recommendations are sent back to city council.
Photo: SPCA

An Armstrong man has been found guilty of neglecting horses in his care.

In December 2014, officials with the SPCA executed a warrant at Gary Roberts' property and on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016 Justice Mark Takahashi found him guilty of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal and failing to provide necessities of life for an animal.

The animals were in terrible condition, said Takahashi during his ruling in Vernon provincial court, referring to expert testimony that several of the horses were extremely emaciated.

Takahashi acquitted Roberts on a single charge of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm saying it was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt a threat was directed at anyone in specific.

On the neglect charges, Takahashi said over the span of a year leading up to the seizure of 16 horses, Roberts was told by his own veterinarian and received orders from the SPCA on what steps needed to be taken to better care for the animals.

It could not be that Mr. Roberts was unaware of their condition, the judge said.

The orders included more and better feed, more water and adequate shelter. Roberts was also ordered to provide medical attention to some horses that were sickly.

In his ruling, Takahashi pointed out Roberts dismissed the recommendations, instead claiming the feed was adequate and that it would be unwise to separate the mares and foals as he was told to do.

The judge also noted that when Roberts testified on his own behalf, he used profanity, directed anger toward the SPCA and disagreed with veterinarian Brit Mills on several subjects even though he was not an expert.

Roberts had more than 100 horses on his Armstrong property and when the search warrant was executed Mills said all of the animals should be seized. However, the SPCA only had the resources to remove the 16 most sickly animals.

Two of the horses later died and one was euthanized by officials.

North Okanagan SPCA protection officer Kathy Woodward told Castanet at the time of the seizures her office had executed a warrant on the property following a lengthy investigation.

She said officials has noticed a dramatic decline in the health of many of the horses, prompting the warrant.

When her team got on the property they found 16 of the horses were severely malnourished and near death.

The horses were in distress, as defined in our Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, so they were taken into our care, Woodward said. The body condition score of the ones we took custody, ranged between 0.5 and 1.5 out of nine, with five being ideal, so they were in very poor condition.

For reference a 1.5 is considered emaciated.

All of the horses were eventually removed from the property and sold at auction.

Roberts will be sentenced early next year.
Dustin Godfrey

A local realtor says a new B.C. housing program will be a big boost for first-time homebuyers.

South Okanagan Real Estate Board Garry Gratton joined Penticton MLA Dan Ashton to promote the BC Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership, a new program from the Province to provide a loan of five per cent of the total mortgage interest-free for the first five years.

"This new tool ... is probably the best single government program I've ever seen in my over 30 years in this industry with regards to actually making a difference for first-time buyers," Gratton said.

He added that buying a house now would add to people who would otherwise be renting.

"You have an opportunity here for five years to build equity towards your own successful financial future as opposed to giving your money away, paying rent and never getting any of it back."

By providing more opportunities to buy into the housing market, thereby stimulating more housing construction, Ashton says other aspects of the community are also affected.

By bringing in more construction projects, more tradespeople could be working in town, which Ashton said could help with the issue of declining enrolment.

"We all know it's a lot more of a younger person's game in the sense of being a builder or a trade person, and those are the type of people that are filling our schools."
Photo: Facebook

UPDATE: 12 p.m.

Newly released 911 recordings depict a frantic, chaotic scene as a grandmother pulls into a Little Rock shopping centre and discovers her three-year-old grandson has been shot in what police describe as a road-rage killing.

"The woman's saying this little kid's been shot," a female caller said on the 911 call, released Tuesday to The Associated Press under an open-records request. According to police, the grandmother, Kim King-Macon, was in her car at a stop sign in the pouring rain Saturday when a man driving a black Chevrolet Impala opened fire on her vehicle, fatally striking the boy.

King-Macon told police that she didn't realize her grandson had been shot until she pulled into the shopping mall, about 10 miles from where the shooting occurred, and discovered the toddler slumped over in his seat. No arrests have been made and the FBI said Monday's it's joining the investigation. A $40,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

In the 911 recording, a dispatcher asks the caller  an apparent bystander at the shopping mall  for any suspect information. The caller yells: "Ma'am, do you know who did it?"

A woman, presumably King-Macon, is heard responding: "I was at the stop sign and the guy blew the horn at me, and I blew it back. And he shot, but I thought he shot in the air. He shot at the car!"

Little Rock police have said there is no apparent connection between King-Macon and the shooter and described the shooting on Twitter as a "road rage incident."

It's the second fatal shooting of a toddler in a month in Little Rock. Last month, 2-year-old Ramiya Reed, who went by the nickname "TinkerBell," was fatally struck by gunfire while riding in the back seat of a vehicle with her mother. No arrests have been made in that case, and police have said they don't know if the two shootings are connected.

ORIGINAL: 6:50 p.m.

The FBI has joined an investigation into the road-rage killing of a three-year-old boy, who police say was fatally shot while riding in the backseat of his grandmother's car in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The FBI also announced Monday that it's offering a $20,000 reward in the case. The city of Little Rock is also offering a $20,000 reward.

Authorities say the boy and his grandmother were on a shopping trip Saturday when a driver opened fire on the grandmother's car after honking at her at a stop sign. The child was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Police say the shooting appears to be random and that the suspect was driving an old black Chevrolet Impala.

No arrests have been made.
Photo: Contributed

A federal court has ruled that passengers who lose luggage or encounter cancelled flights while flying with NewLeaf Travel need to take it up with the flight operator, Flair Airlines, not the discount ticket reseller.

In a decision on Dec. 15, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed a motion by passenger advocate Gabor Lukacs, who had argued that consumers' rights were unprotected because NewLeaf is permitted to operate without an air licence from the Canadian Transportation Agency.

But the three-judge panel disagreed, ruling that travellers are still protected because the flights are run by Kelowna-based Flair Airlines, which is licensed under the CTA.

Lukacs says the decision clarifies Flair's responsibilities when it comes to reimbursements for delays and damages.

Last March, the CTA cleared the way for companies like Winnipeg-based NewLeaf to operate without a licence, as long as they do not portray themselves as the ones operating the flight or the aircraft.

NewLeaf, which took to the skies in July, resells "no frills'' flights to smaller airports including Kelowna, Abbotsford, Hamilton, Halifax, Regina, Calgary, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Jumping ahead of investigators, President-elect Donald Trump is blaming Islamic terrorists for deadly violence in Turkey and Germany and vowing anew to eradicate their regional and global networks.

Authorities in both countries were still investigating Monday when Trump issued a pair of statements condemning the attacks, the same day the Electoral College formally awarded him the presidency.

By Tuesday morning, Trump was back on Twitter striking out at an insult from Bill Clinton. The ex-president told a suburban New York City newspaper this month that Trump "doesn't know much. One thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him."

The Bedford-Pound Ridge Record Review also reported that Bill Clinton claimed that Trump called him after his election victory over Hillary Clinton.

"Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations)," Trump said in a two-part tweet. The president-elect added that Bill Clinton is the one who "'doesn't know much'... especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states (and more)." The Clinton campaign, he said, "focused on the wrong states."

That was Trump's reminder that he defeated Hillary Clinton in such battlegrounds as Pennsylvania and scored surprise victories elsewhere  such as Wisconsin.

The tweets came after a rattling day of violence around the world.

Trump called the brazen shooting of Russia's ambassador to Turkey "a violation of all rules of civilized order." He added that a "radical Islamic terrorist" had assassinated the diplomat, Andrei Karlov.

Turkish authorities identified the gunman as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a member of Ankara's riot police squad, and said he was later killed in a shootout with police. Altintas shouted in Turkish about the Syrian city of Aleppo and also yelled "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great."

As for Berlin, where at least 12 people were killed and nearly 50 hurt when a truck plowed through a Christmas market, Trump said the Islamic State group "and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad."

He added that these terrorists and their networks "must be eradicated from the face of the Earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with "all freedom-loving partners."

He later tweeted: "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany  and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!" In Zurich, police said three people were wounded when a gunman opened fire in the prayer hall of a mosque before killing himself. But Swiss police said they found no indication the suspect had terrorist ties or had been radicalized.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said of the Berlin violence, "we must, as things stand, assume it was a terrorist attack."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Michigan's attorney general filed more criminal charges Tuesday in the investigation of lead-tainted water in Flint, targeting two former state-appointed emergency managers who were running the troubled city and had key roles in making changes to the supply that caused the crisis.

Former emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose were each charged with four crimes, including conspiracy. Attorney General Bill Schuette said they committed Flint to $85 million in bonds to help build a new water pipeline to Lake Huron while at the same time using a city water plant that was not equipped to treat water properly from the Flint River.

Schuette also charged former Flint city employees Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson with conspiracy and false pretenses. Croft was the public works director from December 2011 to November 2015. Johnson was Flint's utilities director.

Johnson's attorney, Edwar Zeineh, said his client will plead not guilty. The others and their lawyers couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Flint's water system became contaminated with lead because water from the Flint River wasn't treated for corrosion for 18 months, from April 2014 to October 2015. The water ate away at a protective coating inside old pipes and fixtures, releasing lead.

During a news conference, Schuette said the water debacle was a result of "arrogance, disdain and a failure of management."

The latest charges bring to 13 the number of people who have been charged in the investigation of Flint water and an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. The other nine are eight current or former state employees and a Flint water plant employee.

Schuette said the investigation isn't over, although "we are closer to the end than we are to the beginning."
Photo: The Canadian Press

First lady Michelle Obama tells Oprah Winfrey that this past election was "painful," but says she and her husband will support President-elect Donald Trump's ongoing transition to the White House and beyond because it's "what's best for the country."

Obama sat down with Winfrey at the White House for an hour-long special that was broadcast Monday on CBS.

Michelle Obama was a vocal supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton during the campaign, one she told Winfrey "was challenging for me as a citizen to watch and experience."

"It was painful," she added.

The first lady touched on her emotional remarks on the campaign trail following the revelation of Trump's graphic and predatory comments about women in a 2005 recording. Obama told a New Hampshire crowd in October that Trump's remarks about grabbing women had shaken her "to the core."

"A lot of people have been shaken to their core and still are," she told Winfrey. "They are still feeling the reverberations of that kind of caustic language."

Still, Mrs. Obama says she and the president are supporting Trump's transition because "no matter how we felt going into it, it is important for the health of this nation that we support the commander in chief."

"It wasn't done when my husband took office, but we're going high, and this is what's best for the country," she said, a reference to her comments during the campaign that when opponents go "low," Democrats should take the high road.

Some congressional leaders refused to support her husband when he took office, Mrs. Obama said, adding that the strategy was "good for politics, but it wasn't good for the country."

As for her own political future, Mrs. Obama says she won't run for public office.

"People don't really understand how hard this is," she said. "It's not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Lionel Blue, Britain's first openly gay rabbi who was known for his popular early morning radio spots, has died at 86.

The Liberal Judaism group said he died Monday. He was hospitalized with a chest infection and died of pneumonia.

He was a frequent guest on BBC radio's "Thought for the Day" feature, part of the widely heard Radio 4 morning broadcast.

Blue was known for the light, genial tone of his radio spots, which often shed light on Judaism and its application in modern day life. He frequently discussed his own failings and foibles.

He was often featured on the Monday morning spot that aired at around 7:50 a.m. and could be counted on to provide a measure of good cheer and wit at the start of the work week.

Liberal Judaism's Rabbi Charley Baginsky said Blue helped pave the way for gay clergy of many faiths.

"He leaves a legacy like few others," said Baginsky. "As the first British rabbi publicly to come out as gay, in the 1970s, Lionel paved the way for many others, including clergy of all faiths."

Rabbi Jonathan Romain said Blue had a unique way of mixing religious insights with honesty and humour.

"He never pretended that life was easy, or that religion solved everything; instead, he shared his own failings and foibles, and showed how to get through the rest of the day," Romain said.

He cut back on his radio work after suffering numerous health problems, including heart disease and cancer.
Photo: Contributed

Two vehicles were involved in a collision on Highway 97 south of Trout Creek on Tuesday morning, according to the Penticton RCMP.

Cpl. Don Wrigglesworth said a Honda travelling northbound, driven by a 20-year-old woman, collided with a Mazda, with a 46-year-old woman at the wheel, travelling south.

Both of the women involved, reported experiencing some pain following the incident.

Castanet will provide more details as they become available.
Photo: Wayne Moore

Ben Stewart is returning to the private sector.

The former MLA is stepping down as B.C.'s Special Representative in Asia at the end of the month.

Stewart was first elected MLA for Westside-Kelowna in 2009. He held four different cabinet portfolios, including agriculture minister.

He was re-elected in May of 2013 but gave up the seat a month later to give premier Christy Clark an opportunity to seek a seat in the legislature.

Stewart was named to the Asia post shortly after the byelection.

Provincial Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism Teresa Wat thanked Stewart for his service.

"In this role, he helped build British Columbia's government-to-government and business-to-business relationships that opened doors, attracted new investment and helped B.C. businesses enter new markets in Asia," said Wat.

"While B.C. is losing such a distinguished proponent of the province, we understand his decision to leave this post, and we are most grateful for his dedication and the excellent work he's done on the province's behalf. We wish him the very best in his future endeavours as he focuses on his B.C. business and reconnects with his family."

The government is looking for a replacement.

Stewart is owner of Quail's Gate Winery in West Kelowna.
The Salvation Army needs our help.

This year, the Salvation Army set a Christmas campaign goal of $750,000, an amount needed to continue to help those in need in the community during Christmas and throughout the year.

The campaign has so far reached just over 75 per cent of its goal.

"The kettle campaign ends on Christmas Eve, so this last push is crucial," said Darryl Burry, executive lead pastor of the Salvation Army's Kelowna Community Church.

As needs continue to rise, so do bills, said Burry, adding that means people have less money to donate.

"So it's a constant challenge all around," he said.

Burry said every penny helps and is greatly appreciated.

In this season of giving, not only are we providing Christmas blessings to families, but ongoing regular assistance is still being provided, said Patty Lou Bryant, communications co-ordinator for The Salvation Army Central Okanagan.

Funds are being collected in Christmas kettles throughout the city, at all Salvation Army facilities and online.
Photo: Contributed

A Kamloops sheriff who was caught in a Creep Hunters' sting in August has elected to be tried by a jury for allegedly attempting to lure a child under the age of 16.

Kevin Johnston is alleged to have communicated by text message with a member of the Okanagan vigilante group between Aug. 8 and 27, after the Creep Hunters posted an ad on Craigslist posing as a 14-year-old girl.

A man contacted them and the conversation turned sexual, with him sending naked photos and pictures of a man in a sheriff outfit.

Johnston has been charged with communicating to lure a child under 16, making sexually explicit material available to a person under 16, arranging a sexual offence against a child, and inviting sexual touching to a person under 16. He is currently out of custody on bail.

Johnston won't appear in court next until June 5 and 6, 2017, for a preliminary inquiry. If the inquiry finds the Crown has enough evidence, he will stand trial in B.C. Supreme Court.

A special prosecutor was appointed to the case, as Johnston was an employee of the Ministry of Justice at the time of the offence.
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1 Man Killed In Semi Crash On I-55 In Bolingbrook

By Stephen Gossett in News on Dec 20, 2016 3:37PM



Getty Images / Photo: Brad Thompson

One man was killed when two semi trucks crashed early on Tuesday morning near Bolingbrook on I-55. The fatal collision stopped all northbound traffic on the interstate for several hours, according to reports.

The crash happened at around 3:20 a.m., according to Illinois State Police. William A Hansen Jr., 60, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was identified as the driver who was killed; the second driver involved in the crash was taken to the hospital with undisclosed injures, according to the Sun-Times.

This morning on i55. Careful driving!! pic.twitter.com/teISnOQe1b  tchango (@changobus26) December 20, 2016

Lanes were reopened as of 9 a.m. but commuters might still experience some morning delays due to the crash, IDOT said.
Political campaigns could be as vulnerable as businesses when it comes to hacking, says Harper Reed , who was the chief technology officer of Barack Obama's 2012 campaign.

In a February 2013 TED talk, delivered live at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center and released online for the first time on Friday, Reed said both 2008 presidential campaigns were hacked by unknown foreign entities. He said the Obama team was "safe" in 2012 because it invested in security.

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Successful hackers "could've really disrupted our process," he said in the talk. "They could've disrupted the election. I don't think we're going to be that safe in the future."

Now, following reports that the Russian government intervened in this year's election to help boost Donald Trump to victory, Reed's prediction appears to have come true.

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He told Blue Sky the use of technology in campaigns, as in business, creates a "fragile environment." And in an election, there is typically one clearly defined opponent.

These days, it seems some groups are interested in leaking damaging information, often without context, said Reed, who is based in Chicago. That was something that didn't happen in 2008, when the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain were hacked, he said.

"The thing is, 2008 was just kind of normal espionage," Reed said. "However, after that you have WikiLeaks, you have all of these hacking groups but most of it is about leaking things."

In the past, he said, hackers would take documents or information for their own use. Now, entities such as WikiLeaks are leading the trend to spill those secrets to the public, he said.

This year, those leaks may have contributed to Hillary Clinton's loss, intelligence officials have suggested.

Reed, who is now director of software development at PayPal and did not work on this year's campaigns, said part of the problem with securing elections is the sheer number of people involved as staff and volunteers. Regardless of how strong an organization's technology is, people are the weakest link, he said.

Scores of people volunteer to support their candidates, which is both a beautiful aspect of American democracy and a liability, Reed said. He said even smart people can be duped by clever phishing attacks.

But Reed said the answer to that problem isn't using fewer volunteers.

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"I don't want to remove people. I like people. I'm actually a big fan of people," he said.

Instead, people and campaigns need to put technology safeguards in place. Reed recommended that everyone enable two-factor authentication on their email, a process in which a user can only gain access to a computer or account after providing at least two forms of identification, such as a password and a fingerprint. This can and should be done for personal as well as professional accounts, he said.

He also recommended using a password manager and a secure chat application such as Signal. Campaigns and companies should enact policies to delete emails after a certain period of time. At the Obama campaign, email was cleared after 30 days, he said.

Since average people probably can't outsmart hackers, attacks will persist even if people take precautions, Reed said.

"This should not be a surprise to anyone who is involved with the internet," he said. "How many times do you have a relative who is like, 'Don't open that email  my email was hacked'?"

aelahi@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @aminamania
ParqEx, the Chicago-based company that lets people rent out their private parking spots, has raised more than $1 million, the company said.

The 2-year-old company said investors in the round include Venture Management and Wisconsin Investment Partners, both based in Madison, Wis., where ParqEx formally expanded its service earlier this month. It also said it received funding from participating in two accelerators, $90,000 from Gener8tor in Milwaukee, and $20,000 from Elmspring in Chicago.

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Founder Vivek Mehra, who serves as ParqEx's CEO and CTO, said he wants people to see his company as an "Airbnb for parking."

Unlike other Chicago-based parking-booking services ParkWhiz and SpotHero  which let people prepay for spots in commercial lots and garages, often at a discount  Mehra said his service focuses on private parking spaces.

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SpotHero moved into private spots in 2015 by acquiring ParkPlease, a San Francisco-based platform that let residents rent out their parking spots. It integrated ParkPlease's sellers and customers onto its platform and shut ParkPlease down after the acquisition.

Mehra said he started ParqEx to help drivers park closer to their destinations and to help people make money by renting out the parking spots they own. Many of these spots are in protected areas, such as the parking garage of a condo building.

"What we learned is that although that was a great idea, one of the biggest challenges we were facing was a lot of these parking spaces were locked up behind gates and garage doors," he said.

Earlier this year, ParqEx introduced technology that lets parking spot renters open the door to a parking garage using the app. Mehra said building ownership must approve installation of special hardware that lets the app control the garage door.

He acknowledged that residents or building management may not like the idea of strangers parking in their lot. It's a problem Airbnb has faced in some condo buildings as well. But Mehra said ParqEx validates the identity of its parkers, and can require them to provide information or to fill out a lease application, if the building requests it. Mehra said this makes using ParqEx more secure than other sites owners might use to list their parking spaces, including Craigslist.

Mehra said ParqEx focuses more on long-term rentals, in part because it gives parkers access to private property, where owners may prefer to keep track of fewer strangers using the facility.

He said more than 60 percent of ParqEx's revenue comes from people who book spots monthly. Some parking spot owners list their spots only during work hours, when their spots lie empty, or nights and weekends. He said the app, which is available for free on iOS and Android, currently has 9,200 active users. A company spokeswoman said ParqEx currently has about 600 spots for rent.

It's free to list parking spots on ParqEx. The company takes a 20 percent commission on every booking, and the renter pays a $1 fee per transaction on top of the spot's cost, Mehra said.

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ParqEx has eight full-time employees in Chicago and nine contractors in other cities, Mehra said. He said the funding will support hiring and further expansion.

Andrea Dlugos, co-manager at Wisconsin Investment Partners, said her firm hasn't previously invested in the parking market but that she thought Mehra presented an "exciting opportunity."

"A lot (of companies) do seem to be focused on existing commercial parking availability," Dlugos said. But she said ParqEx is "uncovering other parking that wouldn't otherwise exist."

aelahi@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @aminamania
Amazon is bringing two more distribution centers to the Chicago area with the promise of more than 1,000 jobs in Aurora, thanks in part to nearly $12.9 million in new corporate tax breaks through a state jobs program that soon may be overhauled.

It's the latest in a set of tax breaks that potentially could save Amazon more than $100 million over the next decade if the giant delivery company fulfills promises to create thousands of jobs.

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With this latest announcement, Amazon's workforce in Illinois would total more than 7,000 full-time jobs. The company already operates similar facilities in Joliet, Romeoville and in Edwardsville, near St. Louis. Another center is under construction in suburban Monee.

Because of Illinois' special brand of political gridlock, the Amazon announcement also represents one of the state's last few business deals that could be consummated under the Illinois EDGE program  short for Economic Development for a Growing Economy. Without legislation to keep EDGE alive, the current program is set to expire at year's end.

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Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner supports legislation emerging in the Illinois Senate that would set up a slimmed-down version of EDGEcomplete with a new name: THRIVE, short for Transforming, Helping and Reviving Illinois' Versatile Economy.

Whatever its size or shape, however, Illinois' premier jobs program may be in limbo for weeks, if not months  a distasteful position for state officials in both parties.

Emerging as a potential way to fill the breach is the bill forged by Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry, and Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, two lawmakers whose districts in Lake and McHenry counties are prime areas for job poachers from other states.

"Employers are frequently being solicited to move across the border to Wisconsin," Althoff said. "We need to continue to provide them with incentives to stay, especially in a time when jobs are already leaving our state in record numbers."

Bush also maintained action is needed because Illinois, which has suffered from a poor image over its failure to reach a budget, "has to send a message that we're open for business and still open for business."

In any case, the chances of quick approval are slim. Lawmakers are not expected to return to Springfield until early January and may take up little of substance before a newly elected General Assembly is sworn in next month. Without an agreed-upon bipartisan push in both the House and Senate, proposals could languish well into the spring and get caught up in the budget stalemate between Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago.

More or less, the reason Illinois faces an expiration date on EDGE without a new program in place is because the budget fight is all-consuming. Althoff, who plays a role in budget negotiations, acknowledged she "dropped the ball" in pressing to pass new legislation sooner. But she and Bush also faced tough challengers on their way to re-election, causing another layer of divided attention.

Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat who is a veteran of Madigan's leadership team, said that ultimately the Rauner administration "bears the responsibility and burden of figuring out what to do about EDGE, all of this, and they should have assumed the responsibility before the program expired."

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Lang predicted the time crunch makes passage of a proposed overhaul of the program difficult before the new legislative session but said the measure could be refiled with the new General Assembly and sped along if an agreement could be reached.

"If somebody came to (House) Democratic leadership about a proposal, I'm certain they would review it," Lang said, noting the expiring EDGE program has been "valuable for this state."

In its current form, which is likely to evolve, the new legislation differs in numerous ways from the law today.

For example, the EDGE program allowed companies to get credit for 100 percent of the Illinois withholding tax attributable to the jobs created. THRIVE would give companies 50 percent credit. The EDGE program allowed companies to get a 10-year break and then add 10-year increments, effectively giving companies a chance to keep the sweet deal as a longterm subsidy. The THRIVE program would hold the break to 10 years, or 15 years in some narrow cases.

"The Rauner administration's focus is on growing opportunity, creating jobs, and improving the quality of life for Illinois families while protecting taxpayers," said Jacquelyn Reineke, spokeswoman for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. "By reforming the EDGE credit to be about job creation rather than job retention, we continue to create jobs but with significantly less cost to the taxpayer."

Bush, one of the bill's sponsors, said she still wants to be able to give credits for jobs retained in some instances, such as when a plant is expanding in Illinois rather than moving to another state.

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Madigan spokesman Steve Brown also said giving credit for retention of jobs as well as job creation is an issue that's likely to be hashed out as the bill gets debated.

The Rauner administration shut down the generous job incentives that his Democratic predecessor, Gov. Pat Quinn, allowed for job retention. Rauner also halted a practice that let dozens of companies collect millions of dollars in tax breaks for creating jobs at one office while eliminating a greater number of jobs at another location.

Though it is common for large companies to operate from multiple locations, the EDGE program long allowed companies to treat every location, division or subsidiary as an independent operation.

The practice was highlighted in a Tribune investigation, published in October 2015, that found at least 37 agreements in which Illinois companies were rewarded with tax credits after hiring employees in one location while firing a far greater number of workers at another site.

Under Rauner, EDGE agreements signed between when he took office in January 2015 and Oct. 1 of this year have seen an average cost per job of $15,338, compared to $69,372 under Quinn, according to the current administration's figures,

Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, said deals like the one with Amazon would be made much more difficult if EDGE goes away.

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"If we have another company that wants to create 1,000 jobs in Illinois and they'd like to talk about a tax incentive to do so, we're going to be dead in the water," he said.

In a new release, Amazon called Illinois "an ideal location from which Amazon can continue offering customers our vast selection and superfast shipping speeds."

In Aurora, one facility spanning nearly 1 million square feet will handle the selection, packing and shipping to customers of small items like books, electronics and consumer goods. A separate 400,000-square-foot building will handle large items like big-screen televisions. "(To) get a world-renowned company that's having great success and have it place its business here and the employment opportunity, we haven't seen that development and investment since before the recession," said Aurora Mayor Robert O'Connor.

The facilities are set to receive a $400,000 property tax abatement from Aurora, an exchange O'Connor said is "very, very fair," given the employment and community investment returns the city could see.

The warehouses are set to be built along Duke Parkway, west of Route 59, an area populated with other manufacturers and industrial warehouses, O'Connor said. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring.

amarotti@chicagotribune.com

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rlong@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti

Twitter @RayLong
This apartment building at 6945 N. Ashland Blvd. in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood was one of four buildings sold by Ansonia Properties to Winnemac Properties, which plans to upgrade the structures, all of which were built in the 1920 and '30s. (Kiser Group)

A North Side property management firm has paid $20 million for four apartment buildings in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, with plans to renovate the units and standardize management.

Winnemac Properties bought the buildings from Ansonia Properties in a deal that closed Dec. 15, said Lee Kiser, principal and managing broker of Kiser Group, which represented the seller.

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Investors are doubling down on Rogers Park, betting that young professionals searching for cheaper rents will find the neighborhood attractive. "As things get pricier and pricier in more core-type areas, there are people that move farther out for good-quality housing," Kiser said.

Though Winnemac plans to upgrade the buildings, which were built in the 1920s and 1930s and include studio, one- and two-bedroom units, they will not be luxury, Kiser said. They are at 1412 W. Chase Ave., 6945 N. Ashland Blvd., 1310 W. Lunt Ave. and 1257 W. Lunt Ave.

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Other investors eyeing the neighborhood include Spirit Bascom Ventures, which paid almost $18.9 million for a mixed-use building at 6807 N. Sheridan Road earlier this month. It plans to renovate the 1920s-era building into luxury rental apartments.

In August, Chicago-based Golub & Co. and real estate private equity firm Alcion Ventures paid $37 million for a 20-story apartment building at 5600 N. Sheridan that is also set to be renovated.

amarotti@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @AllyMarotti
Are you living, working, studying,traveling in China or doing business with Chinese companies? Do you want to have your say about what is happening in China, how it is making government policies and how you are benefiting? Premier Li Keqiang wants to hear your views and include them in China's policy making. Individuals, businesses and other organizations with an interest in or expert knowledge on any issue can help shape the government work report in 2017. The Chinese government welcomes and appreciates your participation. Share your thoughts in the comment section below. You can also share your thoughts on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Your thought matters!
Arcade Brewery, which brewed in a space shared with Ale Syndicate, is known especially for its grapefruit IPA, right. (Arcade Brewery)

Arcade Brewery has announced it is going out of business, and the future of Ale Syndicate Brewers is suddenly in flux.

Both Chicago craft breweries, which have operated for close to 2 1/2 years from a shared space leased by Ale Syndicate at 2601 W. Diversey Ave., have shut down because Ale Syndicate lost its lease, multiple sources said Monday.

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While Ale Syndicate is eyeing a return to beermaking at another brewery in 2017, Arcade founder Chris Tourre notified retailers Monday that his brewery was closing "effective immediately."

Led by its flagship Grapefruit IPA, Arcade brewed at Ale Syndicate through an alternating proprietorship, an arrangement that essentially allowed the breweries to take turns using the same equipment. However, the lease was in Ale Syndicate's name, which left Arcade at its fellow brewer's mercy. When Ale Syndicate lost the lease because of not paying rent, Tourre said, he was unable to legally make beer.

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"It's disappointing because a lot of it was out of our control," Tourre said. "This happening was a possibility, and it happened."

Ale Syndicate co-founder Samuel Evans said the brewery became too expensive to operate.

Samuel Evans, left, who co-founded Ale Syndicate with brother Jesse Edwin Evans, right, said the brewery has become too expensive to run. (Ale Syndicate )

Though he said he hopes to brew again in 2017 at another Chicago brewery via an alternating proprietorship, a spokesman for the Illinois Liquor Control Commission said Ale Syndicate has not had a state brewer license since its last one expired April 30. Further, Ale Syndicate's ability to be licensed is on hold because of unpaid taxes, ILCC spokesman Terry Horstman said. He declined further comment.

Evans said he did not know if his brewery's licensing had lapsed, despite making beer into November.

"It's not my department, so I have to look into that," Evans said. "I don't know anything about that."

He said multiple breweries have toured the former Ale Syndicate space, which includes 3,000 square feet that can be converted to a taproom.

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Tourre said it became clear that Ale Syndicate was having financial issues when the gas was turned off in November. A subsequent conversation revealed "larger financial issues that we weren't aware of," he said.

"We knew things weren't going gangbusters (for them), but we didn't realize how bad of shape things were in," he said.

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When Ale Syndicate lost its lease, Tourre said, he tried to work out a short-term solution with the landlord so that he could continue brewing. However, an agreement couldn't be reached, and the cost of moving his fermentation tanks and finding new space was prohibitive, he said.

"This isn't how you want things to go, but we're proud of what we did," Tourre said. "There's no regrets. I've always been a project-oriented person, and I'm sure I'll find another project to take on."

A third brewery, Around the Bend, has brewed under contract out of Ale Syndicate since spring 2015 but transferred production of its bottled beer to Excel Brewing, in Breese, Ill., in early 2016. Around the Bend continued to make small-scale, draft-only batches at Ale Syndicate until the brewery lost its lease. Around the Bend founder Dan Schedler said Monday he is consolidating all his production at Burnt City Brewing, on the Far South Side of Chicago.

jbnoel@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joshbnoel






Ebenezer Scrooge isn't the only one haunted at the holidays. All the lights and tinsel can't quite hide that for many, this is a time for bittersweet personal reflections, poignant bursts of nostalgia and  for those of a spiritual bent  contemplation of miracles small and large.

Of course, no one loves a good ghost story quite like the Irish. And no contemporary Irish playwright uses the meld of the supernatural and the quotidian quite as effectively as Conor McPherson. Though his 1997 play "The Weir," unlike later works such as "Dublin Carol" and "The Seafarer," isn't set at Christmastime, in the hands of Irish Theatre of Chicago, it makes for a suitably wistful end to a year filled with upheavals and losses.

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This production, directed with a steady hand by Siiri Scott, is essentially a remount of a 2010 production (directed by Matt Miller) at the Irish American Heritage Center. The snug space at The Den serves this story well, and with almost all the original cast back in place, it's a sturdy and resonant night out that hits the spot between forced holiday cheer and grim cold winter gloom.

The premise is simple enough  a small bar in rural Ireland, run by quiet man Brendan (Brad Smith), serves as the stage for a series of tales of ghostly encounters, related by the regulars for the benefit of Valerie (Sarah Wellington), who has just relocated to the windy countryside from Dublin. Merje Veski's detailed set is filled with old photos and furnishings just tatty enough to suggest that Brendan's watering hole is more a man cave than a going concern, at least out of tourist season. Joe Court's howling-wind sound design suggests the damp loneliness of the night just outside the door.

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In addition to Brendan, there's aging codger and mechanic Jack (Brad Armacost), his sometime-assistant Jim (Jeff Christian), a bachelor son caring for his aging mother, and big-fish-in-small-pond Finbar (Dan Waller), who sold Valerie the house formerly occupied by an old (and in Finbar's view, alcoholic) spinster. (Though that diagnosis seems fungible, given the amount of hooch quietly tossed back over the course of the real-time stage action.)

The stories are more atmospheric than horrific, and there's a sense that the men have played this game of one-upmanship with each other many times. But Wellington's Valerie delivers the most heart-wrenching tale of all  one that raises questions about the wisdom of her moving to such an isolated place even as it reinforces the growing sense of protectiveness that all the men feel for her.

I've seen this play twice, including the earlier ITC production, and yet this time I was struck by the similarities between McPherson's world and that of August Wilson, especially the diner in "Two Trains Running." Naturally there is a great cultural dissimilarity between rural Ireland and the gritty Hill District in Pittsburgh, but both writers beautifully evoke places where working-class men find sanctuary and solace in telling stories familiar and strange. And in both plays, the lone female character serves as a dramatic fulcrum in unexpected ways.

There is also a bit of Samuel Beckett here. Armacost plays Jack as a buoyant raconteur who could have played supporting roles in John Huston films if he'd been born a few decades earlier. But late in the play he drops the bluster and delivers a reverie about a failed romance from his youth that has echoes of "Krapp's Last Tape."

McPherson works in a more realist vein than Beckett, to be sure, even with all the ghostly memories. But Armacost delivers his story of regret and loss with clear-eyed straightforwardness  and it's leavened by a recollection of a simple act of kindness that may have saved him in an hour of need.

That is perhaps what makes "The Weir" such a suitable holiday show, after all. Finding comfort and joy, or at least a bit of momentary solace, among our fellow beings (whether family, friends or strangers) might be the only way we get through this thing called life. What happens on the other side of the veil will have to remain a mystery.

Kerry Reid is a freelance critic.

ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com

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Review: "The Weir" by Irish Theatre of Chicago (3 stars)

When: Through Feb. 4

Where: The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Tickets: $26-$30 at irishtheatreofchicago.org
Siri, the computer program that operates as an artificially intelligent personal assistant, appears to know the answers to everything. So seemingly, does the author Siri Hustvedt, or at least such is the impression given by her voluminous, humorous and wide-ranging new collection "A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women: Essays on Art, Sex and the Mind." Unlike Apple's so-called knowledge navigator, though, Hustvedt doesn't just offer up information, although there's plenty of it here; she also delivers it to her audience with an invigorating blend of personality and imagination.

To explain the guiding principle behind this enormous and eclectic set of essays, Hustvedt supplies an introduction starting with a lecture given at the University of Cambridge in 1959 by the English physicist-turned-popular-novelist C.P. Snow. In it, Snow lamented "the gulf of mutual incomprehension" that he saw as having opened up between "physical scientists" and "literary intellectuals." Having recently read an expanded version of this lecture, Hustvedt  herself a Ph.D. in English literature from Columbia University and a lecturer in psychiatry at Cornell University, not to mention the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction  wound up "severely disappointed" by Snow's arguments. For "Although he identified a problem that has only grown more urgent in the last half-century, I found his discussion of it wordy, wan, and a little naive."

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Hustvedt's reaction would itself be disappointing if she merely stopped at this justified criticism of her predecessor. Fortunately, she presents this trilogy of sorts as a corrective to the problem of "the fragmentation of knowledge." She uses her background in both the arts and the sciences not merely to praise interdisciplinarianism, but also to remedy Snow's exclusion of women from his worldview. She does so refreshingly from the perspective of someone who can say  and back up  such statements as: "I love art, the humanities, and the sciences. I am a novelist and a feminist. I am also a passionate reader, whose views have been and are continually being altered and modified by the books and papers in many fields that are part of my everyday reading life."

As the subtitle suggests, this idiosyncratic and by turns meditative and argumentative book is divided into three main sections. The first, "A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women," contains 11 essays, many of which were commissioned for catalogs and talks, and includes pieces reflecting on such artists as Louise Bourgeois, Anselm Kiefer and Robert Mapplethorpe.

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Hustvedt's inquisitive and generous responses to paintings and poems give the reader the feeling of going to a museum or library with their most casually intelligent and infectiously enthusiastic friend. "I am drawn to these stories of (poet) H.D. and Emily Dickinson because they are alive with my own identifications," she writes in "Inside the Room" about the relationship between psychoanalysis and creativity.

The second section consists of a single 203-page essay, "The Delusions of Certainty," and sets out to explore the seminal post-Descartes mind-body question of philosophy, looking at "convictions about mind and matter as two things or one, the human body as a machine or as an organic, less predictable form."

The third, "What Are We? Lectures on the Human Condition," consists of nine pieces, eight of which are talks that Hustvedt delivered at academic conferences on such topics as "Suicide and the Drama of Self-Consciousness" and "Kierkegaard's Pseudonyms and the Truths of Fiction."

It's heady stuff, and most readers won't want to plow through too quickly. A better approach might be to take one's time and let each part sink in. However one reads this book, taken as a whole, the pieces across all three parts weave together to create a spellbinding conversation among the sciences and the humanities. All too often in our STEM-obsessed era, these two main bodies of human knowledge are falsely pitted against one another as enemies; yet, in Hustvedt's hands, they are revealed as the true friends they are and ought to be.

Siri the app typically delivers its responses with certainty. Siri Hustvedt the author tempers her presentation of knowledge with doubt, and the resulting book is paradoxically more satisfying in its thought-provoking ambiguity than all the confidently stated answers in the world.

Kathleen Rooney's second novel, "Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk," will be published by St. Martin's Press in January.

"A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women"

By Siri Hustvedt, Simon & Schuster, 553 pages, $35
CHEAP AND CHEERFUL ($15 - $30) Tenuta di Tavignano Il Pestifero (Marche, Italy; $19.80) By law, not a prosecco, but this blend of verdicchio, malvasia and sangiovese is a unique wine with intriguing citrus peel and herb flavors. (Tenuta di Tavignano)

As the year comes to an end, we optimistically look forward to the year ahead, and nothing signals this celebratory spirit quite like the cheerful "pop!" of a bottle of sparkling wine. And while that sound brings instant joy to a party, the process for shopping for a bottle can be intimidating.

Shopping for Champagne inspires feelings of luxury and celebration, but it can also create momentary sticker shock.

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"People tend to think they have to spend a certain amount of money to get a great bottle of Champagne," says Mike Matonte, manager of Vin Chicago and an advanced sommelier. "It can be intimidating, but it's just as easy to relax and spend half of what you intended and still get a great, quality wine."

Sure, it's just as easy to grab tried-and-true producers like Veuve Clicquot, Moet or Krug, but then you're limiting your palate in a world of delicious (and affordable) sparkling wines, Matonte says.

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"Champagne is such a brand name, and many people associate that with the generic beverage, sparkling wine," he says. "It's a geographical region in France, and there are high-quality sparkling wines outside of Champagne that can't, by law, carry the name."

Instead, he suggests widening your search to other French sparkling wine regions, Spain, Italy, even the United States. "Other regions don't have the big prestigious name attached to them, so can often be home to high-quality wine at great values."

In France, eight regions make "methode champenoise" wine, which translates to "Champagne method," a labor-intensive process that typically yields the best sparkling wines. These "cremants" are Champagne in everything but name, and because they are comparably delicious, "they tend to be great values, all hovering around $20," Matonte says.

Travel to Italy, and you'll have a number of sparkling wine styles, says Kaitlin Lucarelli, Eataly Chicago's beverage director. "Prosecco is made via tank method," she explains, "which is less costly and produces a simpler, cleaner fruit profile." Lucarelli suggests prosecco for parties and for mixing into drinks.

As prevalent as prosecco is on the market, it's not Italy's answer to Champagne. That title goes to Franciacorta, which undergoes methode champenoise, also referred to as "metodo classico."

"A lot of Champagne tends to start at a higher average price point, in the $50-and-up range, but Franciacorta is beautiful and accessible, starting at $30," says Lucarelli. She suggests wines from Monte Rossa, a prestigious Franciacorta producer, or Ferrari, which produces fine bubblies in the Trento Doc region.

And don't overlook the United States, which has comparably good bottles of bubbly. "Some Champagne producers have outposts in California," Matonte says. For instance, Louis Roederer owns Roederer Estate, Mumm owns Mumm California, and Moet & Chandon own Domaine Chandon. Also look toward Schramsberg, Napa Valley's oldest sparkling wine producer.

Even as these Champagne alternatives take hold, consumers can still be intimidated by the social markers of bubbly wine. "People can get caught up in recognizable brands," Matonte says. "That's why you'll see big guys like Veuve Clicquot and Moet being given as gifts." But there are plenty of smaller producers making Champagne that's just a little more special, he says, referring to grower Champagne.

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"These are the folks who tend the vines and make the wine," Matonte says, estate owners in Champagne who plant and harvest their own vineyards, and make proprietary wines from their fruit. Grower Champagne, without the burden of marketing budgets or a recognizable label, is often more inexpensive than their commercial counterparts. "You can find incredible grower Champagne at $30," he says.

Looking for a party-friendly bottle, or one to ring in the new year with your honey? Here, Matonte and Lucarelli offer their picks for different price points and occasions. Now, get popping.

jbhernandez@chicagotribune.com

Low ($15 - $30)

Casual cocktail and New Year's Eve parties with lots of people

Gruet Brut Rose nonvintage (New Mexico; $13.99): This domestic sparkling wine is made in the Champagne method, with bright red raspberry flavors and fine bubbles.

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Tenuta di Tavignano "Il Pestifero" (Marche, Italy; $19.80): This blend of verdicchio, malvasia and sangiovese is a unique wine with intriguing citrus peel and herb flavors.

Domaine Andre et Mireille Tissot Cremant du Jura (Jura, France; $23.79): "Cremant" refers to France's other high-quality Champagne-style wines. This producer, located in the Jura region just east of Burgundy, produces sparkling wine that rivals its more famous counterpart, at a fraction of the price.

Charles Ellner "Carte Blanche" Brut Champagne nonvintage (Champagne, France; $27.99): This is as close to sighting a unicorn as you can come: real-deal Champagne for under $30.

Medium ($30-60)

Intimate gatherings or parties

Jacques Lassaigne "Les Vignes de Mongeux" Extra Brut Champagne Nonvintage (Champagne, $43.99): Made from 100 percent chardonnay, this singularly expressive grower Champagne can stand up to some of the finest wines produced by bigger names.

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Monte Rossa "Cabochon" 2009 (Lombardia, Italy; $55.80): A blend of chardonnay and pinot nero (pinot noir in Italy), this wine boasts notes of cherry blossom, buttery croissant and even almond cookies on the finish.

Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2006, (Trentino Alto-Adige, Italy; $58.80): Exclusive to Eataly, this is a golden expression of chardonnay, with lemon curd flavors and a toasty finish.

High (Over $60)

Midnight toast

Ca'del Bosco Vintage Collection Dosage Zero 2010 (Lombardia; Italy $72.80): Bust this out to ring in the new year with style. Laser-focused, with zero sugar added, it is zippy, fresh and eye-opening.

Henri Goutorbe "Special Club" Grand Cru 2005 (Champagne, $75.99): Founded in 1971, the Club de Viticulteurs Champenois, or "Special Club," is a collection of some of Champagne's top grower-producers, who banded together to show off the purity of their fruit and vineyards. Only about two dozen members (out of approximately 5,000 Champagne grape growers) are members of the Special Club, and these represent some of the most prestigious, expressive bottles of Champagne around.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 11 The Lolla Bootie from Sorel for women is crafted with waterproof leather (for light rain) and stylized with cutouts and a two-tone stacked heel, providing comfort and style for spring and summer  and obviously for Lollapalooza, it's in the name), $160 www.sorel.com (Sorel)

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 9 A West Loop condo situated at 659 Randolph St. Unit 614 is currently on the market for $462,900. (Rick Knoell / VHT Studios)
Most cruises in the South and West Pacific don't allow for much time in the ports. Enrichment Journeys solves that problem with a package that starts with a weeklong land tour of Australia before embarking on an 18-night Celebrity Cruises itinerary visiting New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii. The Australia tour first explores Sydney before flying to Uluru (Ayers Rock), then moving on to Cairns and Port Douglas and a visit to the Great Barrier Reef. The cruise includes a lot of days at sea but makes port in New Zealand's Bay of Islands and Auckland; Papeete, Moorea and Bora Bora in French Polynesia; and the Big Island, Maui and Honolulu in Hawaii. The trip, which departs the U.S. on April 2, 2018, is priced from $7,999 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air from Los Angeles. Air add-on is $300 from New York, $400 from Chicago and $450 from Orlando, Fla. Other gateways available. Info: 888-546-8617, http://tinyurl.com/jyghmsw

Lots of winners

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If you have a lot of time on your hands and are searching for new travel destinations, you might want to look over the list of 2016 World Travel Awards that were handed out in December. The reason you'll need lots of time is that virtually any category of travel you can think of is included in the list, from the world's leading adventure tour operator to the best desert resort. Adding to the voluminous list of kudos are categories for each continent, the Caribbean, etc. That's a lot of awards, which tends to take off the luster. But maybe you'll find a gem you never heard of, like that winning desert resort, Bab Al Shams Desert Resort & Spa in Dubai. www.worldtravelawards.com

See Scotland in style

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You'll get the royal treatment on The Ultimate Scottish Road Trip offered by Connoisseurs Scotland, which puts you behind the wheel of a Lamborghini LP570-4 Superleggera, an Aston Martin Virage, a Ferrari 458 Italia, an Audi R8 V10 Spyder or a similar high-performance car. Much of the seven-day/six-night tour traces the Scottish coastline while staying at five-star hotels and enjoying meals at Michelin-starred restaurants. Side trips along the way include a boat trip to Handa Island, noted for its seabird colonies, and famed Loch Ness. Cost of the trip is quoted in British pounds and converts to roughly $5,637 per person, double occupancy. International airfare is not included. http://tinyurl.com/z9kuyeb

Phil Marty is a freelance writer.
Peggy Glowacki, left, manuscripts librarian, and David Greenstein, visiting lecturer, both at the Richard J. Daley Library at UIC, along with a stuffed smallmouth bass that was supposedly caught by Richard J. Daley. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Richard J. Daley was beloved for malapropisms such as "The policeman isn't there to create disorder; the policeman is there to preserve disorder."

But he almost certainly meant exactly what he said when he once pronounced, "There's nothing as noble as a fish."

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Da Mare was a keen fisherman.

So 40 years to the day after he passed away, it seems entirely appropriate that news that UIC will honor the anniversary of his Dec. 20. 1976 death with a series of classes examining his legacy comes with its own fishy tale.

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Buried among the recordings of Daley talking with presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, the important private correspondence and historical documents that the Daleys donated to UIC for scholars and students to use, are a pair of mounted bass, caught by the former mayor.

It's part of a Daley family tradition, former White House chief of staff Bill Daley explained to Chicago Inc.

"The first fish each of us catch is mounted," said Daley, now managing partner at Argentiere Capital, who still has the yellowtail he caught as a 10-year-old in the Florida Keys "in a box somewhere."

"My father was a great fisherman. He'd take us all fishing in the lake, or up in Wisconsin or Florida."

Peggy Glowacki, manuscripts librarian at UIC's Richard J. Daley library, said she "had to ask the [Daley] family why do we have these fish?"

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She learned from lawyer Michael Daley  Bill and ex-Mayor Richard M. Daley's brother  that the first mayor Daley would gut, scale and cook the fish he caught himself because his wife, "Sis", "didn't want anything to do with that."

But the old man wasn't always lucky. After spending several hours out on Lake Michigan without so much as a bite while a local union boss and city park superintendent who were in the boat with him caught fish after fish, he warned them, "if I don't catch a fish by the time we get back to Monroe Harbor there will be a new superintendent of parks!," Glowacki said.

No word, alas, on whether, the mounted bass at UIC will form a key part of the curriculum.

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But Bill Daley said that many of the issues facing the city today are the same it faced in his father's time. And the valuable cache of documents in his father's archive at UIC "come from a different time, when people wrote and kept letters," he added.

"What will be left in the future  emails and tweets, I guess?"

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
A deer peers up through the brush on March 8, 2016, at the Shiller Woods forest preserve in Chicago. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)

Typically ranked among the most popular states for deer hunting in the U.S., Illinois has been recording a decline in the number of deer killed by hunters over the last decade, figures from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources show.

More than 79,000 deer were killed in the state's two firearm hunting seasons this year, Nov. 18-20 and Dec. 1-4, the IDNR reports. That number is about 7,400 fewer than the nearly 87,000 deer killed during last year's firearm seasons, and 35,000 fewer than the level reached in the 2006 firearm season. That year, hunters in the state's firearm season bagged more than 114,000 deer.

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But this year's drop and the decade's decline in numbers are not cause for concern at the DNR or for the owner of a prominent hunting lodge in Illinois.

The state's modern era of deer hunting, in which each county is given a deer quota, has been in place since 1957. In recent years, DNR biologists have set deer hunting goals for each county based on a number of factors, including the number of deer-motor vehicle crashes, previous year's hunting numbers and disease among the population, DNR spokesman Tim Schweizer said.

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"You try to hit the right balance where you have a sustainable deer population," he said.

IDNR Forest Wildlife Manager Paul Shelton said deer-vehicle accident rates have dropped as deer populations "have been brought to goal levels."

"And the number of deer permits issued has also declined," he said, "because the number of deer that needed to be harvested each year is lower than in the past."

Firearm deer hunting permits this year will have dropped to around 315,000 by the time all deer-hunting seasons end in mid-January, Shelton said. Last year that number was 323,000, DNR figures show.

In addition, Illinois Department of Transportation records show that last year's deer-motor vehicle crashes totaled 15,754  a slight increase from the previous year but much lower than the 25,491 deer-motor vehicle crashes recorded in 2006.

James Herkert, executive director of the Illinois Audubon Society since mid-October, had worked as the director of resource conservation at IDNR, a job that encompassed the wildlife, fisheries, forestry and other natural areas of the state.

"Now, with my Audubon hat on, I don't see a cause for concern by any means," Herkert said. "In large part, the declining numbers are by design."

He noted that the state legislature established a task force to deal with deer overpopulation several years ago. In 2009, Herkert said, the task force recommended culling the animal's population in Illinois.

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The state has several deer hunting seasons, including archery and muzzleloader, every year. The sport concludes for the year on Jan. 15. Firearm season typically accounts for more than half the total number of deer killed.

Overall, hunters in Illinois have killed a declining number of the animals in all hunting seasons since 2006, when about 196,000 deer were killed. Last year, that number was about 155,000.

"From what we're seeing out in the field here in west central Illinois, the deer herd is at a really healthy balance," said Gary Harpole, owner of the Heartland Lodge in Nebo, Ill. Harpole's 6,000-acre spread about 280 miles southwest of Chicago, has been open since 1995.

"I think we were over-populated 10 years ago," he added, "and that's as negative as being under-populated."

Harpole said windy conditions in the early part of the firearms season may have driven down numbers this year. Extreme winds spook deer, prompting them to "bed down and not move," he added.

He said deer population may continue to grow if the region continues to experience cool, wet summers.

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tgregory@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @tgregoryreports
Michelle Obama tapes an interview with Oprah Winfrey at the White House that will air Monday. (Amanda Lucidon / The White House)

WASHINGTON  Michelle Obama told Oprah Winfrey in an interview airing Monday night that the past election was "painful" to watch and she didn't learn Donald Trump had won until the next morning, when she looked at the result on her phone.

"This past election was challenging for me as a citizen," the Chicago-born first lady told Oprah, who gained fame as a talk show host in the same city. "To watch and experience. It was painful."

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During the campaign, Obama spoke out against Trump's coarse, predatory talk about women. She told Winfrey that in light of the reaction from her daughters and female staffers, she knew she had to give a "different kind of response."

Asked whether she would ever run for office, the first lady reiterated what she's often said: no.

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"People don't really understand how hard this is," she said. "And it's not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again."

Other highlights from the interview with Winfrey:

Her mother, Marian Robinson, will return to Chicago at the end of the term. But as Barack and Michelle Obama remain in Washington to let their younger daughter, Sasha, finish high school, Robinson will return to help when needed.

Talking about her teen daughters, Obama said teenagers as a rule "start to bristle against all kinds of authority" and noted that coming of age in the White House has challenges.

"Imagine being 18, 17, 16, 15, and you've got at least eight men with guns driving you around," she said. "Walking into your parties. You know, not letting you ride in friends' cars. I mean, there were those tensions, for sure, that we had to sort of work through."

Obama said her greatest achievement was letting young women, particularly African-Americans, see "somebody educated, strong (and) outspoken, just seeing that on a regular basis."

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At one point during the interview, President Barack Obama walked in. He was vague when asked where the couple is going after he departs office.

"We're going someplace warm. See ya," he tells Winfrey.

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Winfrey invited Michelle Obama to accompany her on some glamorous camping, or "glamping" trips.

"I agree. I'm down," the first lady said. "We can promote the national parks. Yosemite is beautiful. We're on."

The program airs at 7 p.m. Monday on CBS. It will be rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Wednesday on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

kskiba@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @KatherineSkiba
It's time for the presidential transition team's daily news teleconference.

"Let's go ahead and open it up to a couple of questions," Donald Trump spokesman Jason Miller announces at Monday's installment.

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Will the president-elect be staying at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida through the new year?

"Wouldn't want to go and forecast next week's schedule," Miller replies.

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Will Trump keep the Internal Revenue Service commissioner until his term ends?

"No decision yet on that front."

Will Trump keep the D.C. "Taxation Without Representation" license plates on the presidential limousine?

"Don't want to speculate on that."

Will he name businessman Toby Neugebauer ambassador to Mexico?

"I don't know if I'll have an answer for you."

Will Trump make any more public appearances while in Florida?

"Don't want to speculate on that," Miller says.

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The Q&A is six minutes and 17 seconds old. "And that," the operator says, "is all the time we have for questions."

Trump hasn't had a news conference in 145 days. But that's OK: His able spokesmen, on a daily basis, are very capable of saying nothing in his stead.

It's really not the fault of Miller and Trump's other mouthpieces. Their boss communicates largely via incendiary messages of 140 characters or fewer that spark and fan international disputes, and nobody seems to know what he's up to  not even those who work for him, apparently. The result is a presidency-in-waiting that is alternately alarming and opaque: If the Trump transition is a dumpster fire, those in charge of containing the blaze are armed with squirt guns.

Trump has held a series of campaign-style rallies for his supporters in states that he won, using the occasions to attack the media and to crow about his victory. He has dismissed the notion that Russia meddled in the U.S. election to boost his candidacy  in the process disparaging the American intelligence community and putting himself at odds with congressional Republicans. He's appointed a squadron of billionaires and business leaders to serve in his administration after campaigning to help the forgotten little man. He's blown off national security briefings. He's using Twitter to infuriate China, and to bicker with Vanity Fair because he didn't like the magazine's review of a Trump Tower restaurant.

But while Trump was willing to pose with reporters for photos at an off-the-record holiday party at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, he hasn't been willing to explain his thinking beyond tweets and campaign-style speeches. And his aides are struggling to do the 'splaining. On CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway attacked President Obama and his administration  only days after she lavishly praised them for their handling of the transition. And on "Fox News Sunday," incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus dismissed the allegations of Russian interference in the election as the product of "third parties," even though the CIA director made the allegations himself.

Then there's Miller's daily teleconference briefing, at which he's often joined by the Republican National Committee's Sean Spicer. The sessions begin with a preamble about the truly huge and amazing things Trump does. Miller's Monday briefing portrayed the various people and happenings involving the president-elect as great, beautiful, world class, visionary, rigorous, very impressive, outstanding, exceptional, big, strong, very fun and deep.

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But when it comes to explaining what Trump is actually thinking or planning, the answers are rather less rigorous, impressive or deep. A sampling from last week:

On Monday, a reporter sought a description of the vetting process.

"We're not going to get into the exact procedures and tactics," was the reply.

On Tuesday, a questioner asked whether Trump will have any Democrats in his Cabinet.

"I wouldn't speculate at this point," Miller answered.

On Wednesday came a question about how Trump would deal with conflicts of interest.

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"This will be something that comes up at the press conference the president-elect will now be holding in January," Miller offered.

Thursday brought a question about Trump's dispute with the CIA over Russia's hacking.

"I'd let the president-elect's tweets speak for themselves," Miller ventured.

On Friday there was an inquiry about Trump's vow to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The reply: "I do not have at this time a schedule that I'm going to be able to share about timing on that."

Another reporter asked about the choice of an agriculture secretary.

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Miller cautioned against "writing that decisions have or have not been made on that front until we hear directly from the president-elect."

Hear directly from the president-elect? Now that would be news.

Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post.
Four teens have been charged with the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man who was followed to the River Oaks Mall in Calumet City and gunned down in an attempted robbery over the weekend, police said.



Calumet City Police Chief Edward Gilmore said charges are pending against a fifth men and a sixth person is being sought for Saturday's fatal shooting of Ike King, of the 1000 block of West 159th Place in South Holland.



Police said the six followed King to the mall to rob him after seeing him at a McDonald's restaurant with a roll of $300 in cash.



Dana Hayes, 18, of the 2100 block of Galine Avenue in Sauk Village was charged with murder and attempted robbery, and was ordered held on $1 million bail, according to police and court documents.



Martreli Smith, 18, was charged with obstruction of justice and aiding a fugitive.



Two 17-year-olds, including the suspected shooter, were charged with first-degree murder and attempted robbery but police were not releasing their names.



Police said the six jumped into a Jeep after spotting King at the South Holland McDonald's.



After King and a friend were dropped off at the mall, they were attacked by three teens from the group, police said.



King and his friend tried to fight them off, but two other teens from the group also jumped them, Gilmore said. King and the friend then tried to run to an east entrance of the mall, and the five followed while the sixth person stayed in the Jeep, police said.



As King approached a closed entrance for a Sears store, the suspects fired several shots and hit King in the back, police said. The teens sped off in the Jeep, which was caught on surveillance video, police said.



Calumet City police and the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force identified the suspects and arrested five of them, Gilmore said.



King was pronounced dead at 7:09 p.m. Saturday at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. An autopsy found he was shot in the back and his death was ruled a homicide.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America founder Richard Stephenson heads into court at the McHenry County courthouse in Woodstock on Oct. 17, 2016. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

After a nearly two-month break in testimony, multimillionaire philanthropist and founder of Cancer Treatment Centers of America was back on the witness stand in a McHenry County courtroom Monday at a trial to determine a financial settlement for his ex-wife.

Richard Stephenson again withstood a litany of questions from his ex-wife Alicia's attorney about his finances and said that he did not have the resources to pay the $400,000 net that she is seeking in monthly maintenance.

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"There would be a significant appeal" if the judge rules he has to pay that amount, he said.

Alicia Stephenson's attorney, Elizabeth Wakeman, has asserted that her client needs $400,000 a month, after taxes, to maintain the standard of living she had during the marriage.

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That lifestyle included access to several homes, among them Richard Stephenson's Barrington Hills estate, private jets, yachts, art, jewels and lavish parties.

The couple married in 1991, Alicia Stephenson filed for divorce in 2009 and the marriage was formally dissolved earlier this year. But the case has gone to trial because, after more than seven years since the divorce filing and despite a prenuptial agreement, the former couple has been unable to agree on her financial settlement.

As was the case during several weeks of testimony this fall, Richard Stephenson's lawyer's raised many objections Monday to Wakeman's questions, including her queries about the ownership of various hedge funds and why he "depleted her interests" in at least three irrevocable trusts, which Wakeman claimed deprived her client of millions of dollars.

Richard Stephenson's attorneys called such questions irrelevant. One of his lawyers, David Grund, said the three trusts in question were "nonmarital" and called Wakeman's assertions "wild arguments."

At Grund's direction, Stephenson later read a provision that relates to family trusts that he and his descendants have an interest in.

The provision states that in the event of any beneficiary's separation or divorce, the former spouse's interest in a trust would dissolve.

McHenry County Judge James Cowlin said he would withhold judgment on the matter until after reviewing more documents, including the prenuptial agreement.

As before, the judge has had to referee the bickering between both camps.

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Richard Stephenson, whose flagship hospital is in Zion, responded no when Wakeman suggested that Alicia Stephenson had provided her former husband with "insight" over the years that helped to grow his businesses.

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Wakeman also asked Richard Stephenson about his former wife's job skills. He said she was good at fundraising, traveling and shopping. Wakeman asked Richard Stephenson if he would hire his ex-wife, to which he responded: "She is hirable. I would not hire her."

Also under questioning, Stephenson revealed that, after the separation, he agreed to purchase a house in a gated community near his Barrington Hills home for Alicia Stephenson to live in with her mother and the former couple's child. Richard Stephenson said he spent $750,000 on the home  the prenuptial agreement only required him to contribute $250,000 toward housing for Alicia  but that she never moved in.

It was revealed in earlier testimony that Alicia's mother still lives in a home on Richard's estate and that he continues to pay many of her expenses.

Alicia Stephenson has indicated she hopes to purchase multimillion-dollar homes in Chicago and Florida and is also seeking $23,200 a month for a waterfront rental property in Michigan.

After a long and at times contentious line of questioning, Wakeman also asked if Richard Stephenson had a life insurance policy. The 77-year-old responded that there was a "key man policy" for him  typically taken out by a company to insure against the death of a key executive  worth $22 million.

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Then he quipped: "You're not going to kill me, though, to get it, are you?"

Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.
Chicago police officer John Gorman leaves the Leighton Criminal Court Building following the first day of his trial hearing, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2016. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

A veteran Chicago cop charged with firing his gun at two people during an off-duty traffic dispute testified Monday that he fired only warning shots in the air, but he admitted he didn't report the incident because he'd been drinking.

John Gorman, now 54, was blocks from the Morgan Park police district headquarters when he fired five rounds from his personal handgun at an oversized pickup carrying an off-duty suburban cop and his friend.

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Those two had previously testified they tried to intervene after seeing Gorman driving erratically and nearly striking a street vendor.

But Gorman's attorney, Michael Clancy, said his client acted in fear for his life after being chased and harassed for miles by "some psycho" in a "Tonka truck."

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Gorman testified Monday he got out of his car with his badge in his left hand and his gun in his right when suddenly their Ford F250 sped toward him.

"I had no idea who he was," he said of the truck's driver. "I didn't know if I'd previously arrested him or he was trying to carjack us. Obviously, he had some ill intent."

During closing arguments later Monday, Cook County prosecutors called Gorman's account of firing five warning shots in the air "a load of crap," saying that evidence showed the allegedly drunken off-duty officer instead had opted for "street justice" by shooting at the two.

Judge James Linn said he would rule Wednesday on if Gorman, a 15-year department veteran, is guilty of felony charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault.

The incident in November 2014 started after both groups of men separately left an American Legion hall in Worth that had held a charity raffle and showed a Sunday afternoon Bears game, according to testimony during the bench trial.

Gorman's police partner, Timothy Neylon, testified Monday that the two of them had ordered two buckets of beer  10 bottles total, but Neylon claimed he drank as many as 8. Gorman took one open bottle with him when the two left, he testified.

Both officers were stripped of their police powers and placed on paid desk duty soon after the incident.

Charles Ostrowski and his friend, Dominic Dimaggio, an off-duty Merrionette Park officer, were driving east on 111th Street when Gorman's tan Buick LaCrosse sedan passed them and sped through traffic, weaving in and out of lanes, Ostrowski testified last month.

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After seeing the Buick nearly strike a flower vendor at Pulaski Road, the two began following the car as Gorman continued to drive recklessly, Ostrowski testified.

When Gorman stopped near 111th Street and Spaulding Avenue, Ostrowki attempted to box him in with his truck and Dimaggio got out, showed his badge and told Gorman to roll down his window.

"He looked at me, grabbed a beer and took a drink out of it," DiMaggio testified previously. Then Gorman drove around the truck and sped away, he said. Dimaggio called 911.

At Prospect and Pryor avenues, Gorman stopped the car and got out. He walked to the rear of his car, displayed a pistol, raised his arm and pointed the gun at the front of the truck, according to testimony from the two.

Both testified they saw the gun, ducked under the truck's dashboard and sped away, only hearing shots being fired after they passed Gorman.

But Gorman said Monday he'd ducked behind his open car door and fired warning shots in the air as the truck barreled toward him, no longer firing rounds after the truck passed.

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Since both had been drinking, Gorman and Neylon testified they opted to go home rather than report the incident. Gorman testified, though, that he was not drunk.

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"I didn't want any problems," Gorman said.

Gorman refused to submit to a Breathalyzer, according to prosecutors. By the time he was compelled to submit to the exam by internal affairs investigators, more than five hours had passed. His blood-alcohol content was 0.07 percent, just below the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Since so many hours had passed, he was charged with misdemeanor DUI.

Prosecutors told the judge that Gorman's failure to report the incident help prove his guilt. Shell casings found at the scene also appear to back up testimony that Gorman opened fire after the truck had passed by him, prosecutors said.

"He shouldn't be carrying a gun," said Assistant State's Attorney Ahmed Kosoko. "He certainly shouldn't have a badge."

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sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SteveSchmadeke
Police officers and detectives inspect the body of a man found fatally shot in a vacant lot in the 4300 block of South State Street on Sept. 28, 2016, in Chicago. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The violence in Chicago has continued unabated for much of 2016, with murders and shootings both far ahead of last year even with days left in December. Chicago is one of multiple major American cities seeing an increase in killings since last year, deaths that are coming during a historically safe era but that have still sparked concerns in communities seeing more bloodshed.

Yet even though several cities have seen homicides go up, the situation in Chicago stands out, both through sheer numbers and the impact it is having on murder rates nationwide.

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Consider this statistic: The murder rate for the country's 30 biggest cities is expected to go up by 14 percent this year, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a New York-based law and policy institute. But the killings in Chicago account for an astounding 43.7 percent of this overall increase in murders, meaning that Chicago alone is responsible for nearly half of this spike.

The Brennan Center report is an update on a similar analysis released earlier this year, which similarly found that Chicago was accounting for an outsized share of the homicide increase. (A copy of the updated Brennan Center analysis, which was released publicly Tuesday morning, was provided to The Washington Post before it was published.)

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As it did before, the Brennan Center report again cautioned against concerns about "out of control" crime levels. That particular phrase has been used by President-elect Donald Trump when discussing Chicago.

Trump has repeatedly discussed the violence in Chicago and crime in general, pitching himself during the presidential contest as the candidate of "law and order." During the campaign, Trump spoke ominously of "the crime and violence that today afflicts our nation," vowing to put an end to it after his inauguration. He also said that police in Chicago could put a stop to the bloodshed there by being "very much tougher than they are right now."

Trump has used his considerable public platform and megaphone to highlight crime at a time when violence is rising in some places -- in some cases speaking inaccurately about crime rates. Trump remarked during the campaign and after his victory -- including, most recently, during a rally last week -- that the murder rate is the highest it has been in 45 years. This is untrue. (When Trump has referenced the biggest year-to-year increase in murders in 45 years, that is accurate, because that is what occurred last year, but the murder rate is not at a 45-year peak.)

In Chicago so far this year, there were 738 murders through Sunday night, according to a police spokesman. The city seems poised to potentially top 750 murders for the year, a staggering total and one that means Chicago will finish 2016 with more killings than it has seen in nearly two decades.

Four people were found dead and another person was taken to the hospital in critical condition following what Chicago police say was a home invasion Dec. 17, 2016. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune) (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago had 481 killings last year, police say, a number that was surpassed by the end of the Labor Day weekend this year. The city has also seen more than 3,400 shootings, resulting in thousands of victims, police say. Authorities there blame repeat offenders using illegal guns, while police are also solving fewer homicides.

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Some other cities have seen increases, though not as sizable as what has happened in Chicago. Police in Los Angeles say there were 274 homicides through early December, up slightly from the same time a year earlier, while shootings and shooting victims both ticked up as well. Earlier this month, Memphis broke its own record for the most homicides in a single year.

In other places, though, violence has declined. In New York City, there were 320 murders through last week, down slightly from 336 at the same point last year, police statistics show. The number of shootings and shooting victims had also both dropped by a little more than 10 percent.

Through last week, police in Baltimore reported 299 homicides, down from 321 at the same time in 2015, but more non-fatal shooting victims. There were 128 homicides through Monday in Washington, D.C., down from 157 on that date last year, police said.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 8 A small teddy bear memorial sits in front of a house on Dec. 19, 2016, where four people were killed in what Chicago police believe to be a home invasion. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)

Baltimore and the District of Columbia share something in common with Chicago. Last year, the three cities accounted for more than half of the total increase in homicides in the country's biggest cities, Brennan reported. Yet while the killings have declined in two of those places, Chicago has seen its homicides continue to climb over last year.

Overall, the Brennan Center analysis released Tuesday reports that the overall crime rate is projected to rise this year by about 0.3 percent in the country's 30 biggest cities, while the violent crime rate is expected to go up by about 3.3 percent, fueled by Chicago and Charlotte.

While noting that crime rates remain at or near historic lows, the report released Tuesday also does note with apprehension the increase in killings.

"An increase in the murder rate is occurring in some cities even while other forms of crime remain relatively low," the analysis concludes. "Concerns about a national crime wave are still premature, but these trends suggest a need to understand how and why murder is increasing in some cities."
Visitors at the Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza in Chicago on Nov. 27, 2016. Chicago Police said they are increasing security at the market after an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, on Dec. 19, 2016. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police said security is being increased at the Daley Plaza Christkindlmarket after a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing at least nine people.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the department said that "while there is no threat to the city or the greater area," additional foot and bike patrols and specialized units will be positioned at Daley Plaza."

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"We continue to work closely with the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications as well as with federal partners to ensure an optimal level of public safety throughout the holiday season," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Officials from Christkindlmarket Chicago and Christkindlmarket Naperville issued a statement Monday saying "our heartfelt thoughts go out to all the families and first responders who were affected by today's tragedy in Berlin."

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Twitter@nereidamorenos
A man who pretended to be a U.S. Navy SEAL who could rescue kidnapped workers for a Chicago aid agency was sentenced Monday to three years in prison, prosecutors said.

William Burley, 36, formerly of Yucaipa, Calif., was ordered to pay full restitution of $32,454 to International Aid Services America, or IAS, a nonprofit Christian aid group that provides clean water in Africa, authorities said.

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The president of the board of the aid agency, Jonathan Wildt, welcomed the ruling as "fair."

"We're just glad to see the justice process work appropriately, and glad for that outcome," he said.

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Burley pleaded guilty to wire fraud in August, and in a written plea agreement he admitted that he devised a scheme to defraud IAS America and IAS International in Stockholm, Sweden, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In July 2012, four IAS International workers were ambushed and assaulted by armed attackers while doing humanitarian work in Somalia, according to the Justice department. One worker was shot and left at the scene, and the other three were kidnapped.

Somali police defended the workers but were overpowered by a much larger group of attackers, according to an IAS news release.

Burley approached IAS International and offered to help it negotiate with the Somali captors for the release of the employees, and, if necessary, help rescue them.

While making his offer, Burley falsely claimed to be a SEAL and to have received numerous accommodations in the Navy, authorities said. He also falsely claimed that he had attended the University of Delaware and University of Maryland, and to have been a consultant for the Navy and departments of Defense and State.

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Burley persuaded IAS America to pay him $30,000 and to pay for him and another person to travel to Kenya. When he was unable to obtain release of the hostages, Burley came back to the United States, and in September 2012 he presented a "rescue plan" to IAS America and made more false claims about his past achievements, prosecutors said.

After officials with the nonprofit became suspicious, they said they contacted Don Shipley, well-known for exposing SEAL impersonators, who confronted Burley about discrepancies in his background, and IAS cut ties with him.

The three hostages were released in June 2014, after 22 months in captivity, and were believed to be uninjured and in relatively good health, the IAS reported. During their captivity, an IAS crisis management team was able to speak to the hostages occasionally and deliver supplies.

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The IAS reported that it also got many calls from people falsely claiming to have the hostages, but in most cases quickly identified and dismissed those callers. Extended discussions with the kidnappers resulted in their release, though the terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The worker who'd been shot recovered, IAS reported. At the time of the kidnapping, IAS America was located in northwest suburban Crystal Lake, but it reported that all of the aid workers involved were from Kenya.

rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertMcCoppin
For the third consecutive year, Illinois has lost more residents than any other state, losing 37,508 people in 2016, which puts its population at the lowest it has been in nearly a decade, according to U.S. census data released Tuesday.

Illinois is among just eight states to lose residents, putting its population at 12,801,539 people, its lowest since about 2009. Illinois' population first began to drop in 2014, when the state lost 11,961 people. That number more than doubled in 2015, with a loss of 28,497 people, and further multiplied in 2016.

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"Illinois is a part of the country where, in general, during the recession, it held on to (people) who wanted to move to Sun Belt states. Now, it's losing them," said William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution who analyzes census data.

"When you have a big state like Illinois, to lose population for three years in a row? That's cause for alarm," he added.

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The plunge is mainly a result of the large number of residents leaving the state in the past year  about 114,144 in all  which couldn't be offset by new residents and births, according to census data measuring population from July 2015 to July 2016. The number of residents leaving the state is the largest in recent history, as data from 1990 show just 50,440 residents left Illinois and migrated to other states.

Illinois, however, had only the second-greatest decline rate in 2016, as even with the population drop it continues to be the fifth-most populous state. West Virginia had the greatest decline rate this year.

By most measures, Illinois' population will continue to sharply decline in the coming years as more residents call it quits on the state they call home. The Tribune last year surveyed dozens of former residents who had fled within the past five years, and all offered their own list of reasons for doing so. Common reasons included high taxes, the state budget stalemate, crime, the unemployment rate and the weather. Census data released last year suggested the root of the problem was the Chicago area, which in 2015 saw its first population decline since at least 1990, having lost 6,263 residents.

The state's population loss is part of a national trend of slow growth, as the U.S. this past year saw the lowest rate of growth of any year since 1936 and 1937, during the Great Depression era. Between 2015 and 2016, the nation grew at just 0.695 percent, lower than 0.7 percent between 2012 and 2013 and the lowest since 0.6 percent between 1936 and 1937, according to an analysis of the data.

The sluggish growth of the past year is in part due to the aging of the nation's population, experts say. The past year has seen a downturn in births and a rise in deaths, as the number of deaths nationally was higher than it has been since at least 2000, according to census data. And the median age of the population, which Frey said is around 37 years, is expected to rise, resulting in fewer people who are of child-bearing age, he said.

"In general, I think the (slowed growth) is a combination of lower births and higher deaths," he said. "The lower births can be chalked up to the recession and post-recession period, as young people and millennials are putting off having kids. The question is, 'Will they have them?' "

While Illinois has exhibited a long-standing pattern of losing residents to other states, traditionally births, in addition to migration from other countries, have balanced the loss.

More than any other city, Chicago has depended on Mexican immigrants to balance the sluggish growth of its native-born population, and during the 1990s, immigration accounted for most of Chicago's population growth. After 2007, however, Mexican-born populations began to fall across all the nation's major metropolitan areas. Unlike Chicago, most of those cities managed to make up for the loss with the growth of their native populations.

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Now, Illinois residents are mostly leaving for Sun Belt states  those with the country's warmest climates, like Texas, Arizona and Florida. During the years after the economic recession of the mid-2000s, migration to those states paused but has started up again as states in the South and West have better job opportunities and more affordable housing. Texas, in fact, attracts the greatest number of Illinois residents, followed by Florida, Indiana, California and Arizona, according to 2013 Internal Revenue Service migration data.

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Leading the exodus to warmer states is the black population, in search of more stable incomes, safe neighborhoods and prosperity. Between 2014 and 2015, more than 9,000 black residents left Cook County.

But it's not just the weather driving residents away. Job and business opportunities are stronger in neighboring states, sending more Illinois residents to other parts of the Midwest than vice versa, said Michael Lucci, vice president of policy at the right-leaning Illinois Policy Institute. Among them are younger, working-age adults, who make up some of the largest groups leaving the state, he said.

"That really speaks to economic concerns being at the heart of this. We've seen Illinois showing weak job creation in downstate communities, losses in manufacturing jobs and people wanting to opt out of a high tax environment," Lucci said.

While other Midwestern states also are losing population, Lucci said the "pattern is on steroids for Illinois." This past year, just 27,839 residents left Michigan, 12,395 residents left Wisconsin and about 12,135 left Indiana, according to census data. About 6,250 residents left Missouri while Iowa had 3,392 residents leave the state.

"I think what that says about Illinois is quite dire," he said, calling for transformational reform in state leadership. "Overwhelmingly, people are leaving to go anywhere other than Illinois."

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Twitter @marwaeltagouri
Charges have been filed against an Englewood man who shot two people on a party bus in Lakeview, then shot himself in the hand and fled, according to police.

Victor Haynes, 31, was on the bus near Lake Shore Drive and Irving Park Road early Sunday when he started to argue with two other men, ages 22 and 33, police said.

He pulled a gun and shot them both  wounding one in the chest and one in the head  and then left, police said. He was found about five blocks south, with a gunshot wound to the left hand that police believe was self-inflicted.

He was taken into custody and hospitalized for the hand wound. The two victims also were hospitalized.
A man in his 30s was seriously hurt in a Humboldt Park fire early Tuesday, fire officials said.

He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition after a fire in the 3700 block of West Division Street, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
James Romaine, 25, was sentenced Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, to 126 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman who interrupted the burglary of her Park Forest home. (Cook County Sheriff's photo)

Two men have been sentenced in the 2013 sexual assault of a woman who was attacked at gunpoint when she returned to her Park Forest home and surprised two burglars, according to prosecutors and court records.

James Romaine, 25, was found guilty in October of aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and armed robbery in the February 2013 attack, according to court records.

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Markham Court Judge Frank Zelezinski sentenced Romaine to 126 years in prison on Monday.

Romaine's co-defendant, Cedric Chambers, 20, who was 16 at the time of the attack, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Monday. He had pleaded guilty in 2014 to one count of aggravted criminal sexual assault, according to court records.

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Romaine and Chambers broke into the home on Somonauk Street in Park Forest by breaking a window to a back door about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2013, according to court records.

The woman returned home and found them searching for valuables. Romaine charged at her and pointed a gun in her face and ordered her to get to the ground, according to records.

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The two robbed the woman of her cell phone, iPad, iPod, and laptop, then took her into a bedroom and took turns sexually assaulting her, according to court records.

They then forced the victim into her car, with Romaine driving while Chambers continued to sexually assault her in the back seat, records state.

They drove her to several different ATMs and demanded her PIN. The two took about $400 in cash, drove back and dropped the woman off a few blocks from her house, according to court records.

Police in the neighborhood noticed the broken window, looked in the house and saw it had been ransacked, according to court records. The woman ran up to the officers and told them she had been raped by two intruders, court records say.

Romaine and Chambers were arrested the day after the attack while driving around and trying to use the woman's ATM card again, prosecutors said.

The stolen electronics were found in the car with them.

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The Chicago Tribune's Liam Ford contributed.
Illinois State Police on Tuesday released a surveillance video of the person wanted in attack on an on-duty state trooper at a Tri-State Tollway plaza last month. He's wearing a reflective vest in the video, which does not show the gun being fired or the scuffle. (Chicago Tribune)

Illinois State Police on Tuesday released a photo and composite sketch of the person who fired a gun while scuffling with an on-duty state trooper at a Tri-State Tollway plaza last month.

The trooper, who was in an unmarked car and wearing plain clothes, approached the man Nov. 7 at the Halsted Street toll plaza on I-294. He identified himself as a police officer, at which point the man wearing a reflective vest pulled a gun and reached into the side window of the squad car, police said.

The two struggled for the gun, and the man fired at least one shot, police said. The trooper was not shot, but did suffer injuries during the struggle.

The man then fled the scene, and has not yet been located.

Sketch of a suspect in the injuring of a state trooper Nov. 7. (Handout)

He is described as a black man in his late 40s to early 50s, standing 5-foot-10 and weighing 180 pounds. He had a patchy black and white beard and walked with a slight limp.
President Barack Obama is expected to order wide swaths of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans placed permanently off-limits for oil drilling, in an 11th-hour push for environmental protection before he leaves office. (Elaine Thompson / AP)

HONOLULU  President Barack Obama on Tuesday designated the bulk of U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing.

The move helps put some finishing touches on Obama's environmental legacy while also testing President-elect Donald Trump's promise to unleash the nation's untapped energy reserves.

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The White House announced the actions in conjunction with the government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which also placed a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing in its Arctic waters, subject to periodic review.

Obama is making use of an arcane provision in a 1953 law to ban offshore leases in the waters permanently. The statute says that "the president of the United States may, from time to time, withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf."

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Environmental groups hope the ban, despite relying on executive powers, will be difficult for future presidents to reverse. The White House said it's confident the president's order will withstand legal challenge and said the language of the statute provides no authority for subsequent presidents to undo permanent withdrawals.

The Atlantic waters placed off limits to new oil and gas leasing are 31 canyons stretching off the coast of New England south to Virginia, though some had hoped for a more extensive ban that would have extended further south.

Existing leases aren't affected by the president's executive actions.

The administration cited environmental concerns in both regions to justify the moratorium. Obama also cited the importance of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas in providing subsistence for native Alaskans and the vulnerability of the ecosystem to an oil spill to justify his directive.

Obama also noted the level of fuel production occurring in the Arctic. Obama said just 0.1 percent of offshore crude production came from the Arctic in 2015, and at current oil prices, significant production would not occur in future decades.

"That's why looking forward, we must continue to focus on economic empowerment for Arctic communities beyond this one sector," Obama said.

Still, industry officials objected to Obama's memorandum, calling it "last minute political rhetoric."

"Instead of building on our nation's position as a global energy leader, today's unilateral mandate could put America back on a path of energy dependence for decades to come," said Dan Naatz of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.

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And Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, said Obama's move marginalized local voices. He said no one is more invested than Alaskans in making sure Arctic habitats are protected.

"To lock it up against any further exploration or development activity is akin to saying that the voices of activists who live in Lower 48 cities have a greater stake than those to whom the Arctic is our front yard and our back yard," he said in a statement.

In issuing a permanent ban, Obama appears to be trying to tie the hands of his successor. Trump has vowed a domestic energy revolution and is filling his Cabinet with nominees deeply opposed to Obama's environmental and climate change actions.

Environmental groups were calling for a permanent ban even before the presidential election, but Trump's victory has provided greater urgency for them and for businesses that rely on tourism and fishing. Trump has said he intends to use all available fuel reserves for energy self-sufficiency  and that it's time to open up offshore drilling.

"This decision will help protect existing lucrative coastal tourism and fishing businesses from offshore drilling, which promises smaller, short-lived returns and threatens coastal livelihoods," said Jacqueline Savitz, a senior vice president at the advocacy group, Oceana.

A key question to be answered is how difficult it will be for future presidents to overturn Obama's decision should they seek to do so.

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The American Petroleum Institute pointed to 2008 when President George W. Bush used a simple memorandum to remove previously withdrawn lands and make all Outer Continental Shelf lands available for leasing except marine sanctuaries.

"Fortunately, there is no such thing as a permanent ban," said the institute's Erik Milito.

But White House officials in a conference call with reporters said previous "indefinite withdrawals" remain in place and voiced confidence that Obama's decision will stand.

Advocacy groups were already warning that they were prepared to file suit to protect the ban during future administrations.

"If Donald Trump tries to reverse President Obama's withdrawals, he will find himself in court," said Marissa Knodel of Friends of the Earth.

Frank Knapp, president of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce in Columbia, said he was "extremely disappointed" in the decision not to extend drilling protections to the entire Atlantic seaboard.

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Knapp and his group were among a number of business groups in the southeast who had advocated for banning new drilling leases off their shores, arguing that the environmental impacts would hurt fishing, tourism and other businesses the region relies upon. He'd gone to Washington to meet with Obama administration officials, and believed the entire Atlantic was to be protected.

The decision came as Obama spends the holidays in Hawaii. Some Democratic lawmakers applauded Obama, while some Republicans were highly critical.

"As President-elect Trump nominates fossil fuel allies to his Cabinet, President Obama has instead put the interests of millions of Americans ahead of those of Big Oil with these permanent protections," said Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

"The extremes to which this president will go to appease special interests never ceases to amaze," countered Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. "This is not a moral calling; it's an abuse of power."

Associated Press
Women lay flowers outside the Russian Consulate in Istanbul on Dec. 20, 2016, in tribute to the Russian ambassador assassinated the day before in the Turkish capital. (Yasin Akgul / AFP/Getty Images)

ANKARA, Turkey  The Turkish policeman who assassinated Russia's ambassador was unlikely to have acted alone, a senior Turkish government official said Tuesday, as investigators from both countries hunted for clues as to who might have been behind the killing.

Russian investigators on Tuesday inspected the art gallery in the Turkish capital of Ankara where Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot dead Monday evening by Mevlut Mert Altintas. The 22-year-old gunman, a member of Ankara's riot police squad, had shouted slogans about the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo as he killed the envoy.

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Russia's entrance into Syria's war helped turn the tide of the conflict and heralded a series of victories for government forces. Up until a few months ago, the Russian military was bombing rebel positions in Aleppo.

The senior government official described the killing as "fully professional, not a one-man action" and said the attack was well-planned. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because he was not authorized to release details to the press.

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Turkish authorities have not publicly released any information on the investigation or on a possible motive for the policeman.

Still, Turkish police have detained seven people in connection with the gunman: his parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

According to the news agency, Altintas took leave from work and on Dec. 14 made a hotel reservation near the art exhibition center. He arrived at the hotel on Monday. Police searched his hotel room, which was later sealed.

A Turkish special police officer stands guard outisde the Russian Embassy in Ankara on Dec. 20, 2016. (Erhan Ortac / Getty Images)

Karlov's body was flown home to Moscow on Tuesday afternoon after an emotional ceremony at Ankara Airport attended by Turkish government officials and diplomats. Karlov's wife, Marina Karlova, wept as her husband's flag-draped coffin was carried by a Turkish honor guard. She laid two red carnations on the coffin before it was loaded onto the aircraft.

"Ambassador Karlov has become the eternal symbol of Turkish-Russian friendship," Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes said at the ceremony.

Turkey and Russia, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian war, vowed not to let the killing disrupt efforts to repair their ties.

"Strong relations will continue, no one has the strength to destroy the relationship" between the two countries, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said during a speech in Istanbul for the opening of a tunnel highway under the Bosporus. "We will continue to carry out every kind of effort to overcome the instability in the region."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he spoke by phone Monday night, were "in agreement that this was an open provocation."

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A joint investigation was being conducted into the ambassador's death, he said. "Together with Mr. Putin, we have an understanding that our cooperation, especially in Syria, will not be affected by this attack."

Karlov's assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Moscow's support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russia's role in the bombardment and destruction of rebel parts of Aleppo.

"Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" Altintas shouted during the attack, shooting Karlov as he delivered a speech at a photo exhibition in the Turkish capital. The attacker was later killed by police in a different part of the building.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking at a previously scheduled meeting on Syria in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and their Iranian counterpart, said Turkey and Russia would work together to determine who was behind the "heinous terror attack."

"Turkey and Russia have shown the world what they can achieve when they cooperate," Cavusoglu said, referring to the cease-fire deal that paved the way for the evacuation of thousands of people from east Aleppo.

Both foreign ministers lay flowers in front of a photograph of the ambassador at the Russian Foreign Ministry mansion where talks were taking place. Cavusoglu said a street where the Russian Embassy in Ankara is located would be renamed for Karlov.

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On Monday evening, an Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as Altintas, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around the ambassador as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

A team of 18 Russian investigators and foreign ministry officials went to Ankara to investigate the killing, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Also Tuesday, Turkish police detained a man who fired a shotgun in front of the U.S. Embassy, which is across the street from the building where the Russian ambassador was killed. It was not immediately known if the two incidents were connected. No one was hurt.

The man fired around eight shots in the air before embassy security guards apparently overpowered him, Anadolu said.

The U.S. Embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana were closed Tuesday. Authorities increased security outside the Russian Embassy, and the Iranian Embassy was closed Tuesday as a precaution.

Russia warned citizens against traveling to Turkey, citing attacks that have hit the country over the past 18 months.

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Associated Press
The assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey could actually bring the two regional powers closer together, with Russia reaping political benefits by arguing that it has paid a high price for fighting terrorism as Turkey, embarrassed by its security breaches, increasingly coordinates with Russia in neighboring Syria.

The two nations were already trying to resolve their differences over the war in Syria since Turkey shot down a Russian military jet along the Syrian border last year.

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The measured reactions of their leaders to the killing Monday night of Ambassador Andrei Karlov by a Turkish policeman in Ankara shows they want to stay on the path toward reconciliation. High-level officials from Russia and Turkey, as well as Iran, went ahead with a previously scheduled meeting Tuesday in Moscow on the Syrian crisis.

The prospect of closer ties between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could have implications for the West, which has had contentious relations with both leaders and is also trying to engineer a solution to the Syrian war and the millions of refugees it has created.

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Still, Turkey, a NATO member and an ally in the U.S.-led war on the Islamic State group operating in Iraq and Syria, has historical links to the West that won't erode anytime soon.

"There are more structural reasons out there that pin Turkey to the West, and they are not very easy to change despite what might be going on deep in the hearts of Turkey's rulers," said Ahmet Kasim Han, an associate professor of international relations at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.

While both Russia and Turkey are militarily involved in Syria, Russia is the senior partner in any deal-making in a conflict that has sent several million refugees across the border into Turkey, straining its resources and economy.

Russian bombardments of rebel-held areas, including parts of Aleppo, have helped tilt the war in Syrian President Bashar Assad's favor. Turkey, meanwhile, has largely dropped its vociferous demands that Assad step down. It now appears more focused on a perceived threat from Syrian Kurds linked to Kurdish militants inside Turkey.

Russia could now appeal for international solidarity, saying Karlov's death demonstrates the threat that many countries, not just Russia, face from alleged Islamic militants. Mevlut Mert Altintas, the 22-year-old policeman who shot the ambassador, shouted "God is great" in Arabic and slogans about Aleppo in apparent criticism of Russia before police killed him, although investigators have yet to comment on his motive.

Analyst Dimitar Bechev said Russia could now have additional leverage and extract concessions from Turkey, including on Syrian issues, following the ambassador's death.

"No doubt, in public, Russia will second whatever explanation the Turks produce to account for the attack. In private, however, there will be a price tag," Bechev wrote on a blog run by the London School of Economics and Political Science.

"Moscow has the higher ground and will undoubtedly milk the opportunity to the best of its abilities," he wrote.

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The current revival of Russia-Turkey ties comes as Ankara's ties with the United States and its NATO allies have been strained over Washington's support for the Kurds in Syria and Iraq and frictions with the European Union over a migration deal. Ankara also has blasted the U.S. and the EU for what it saw as insufficient support after a failed coup attempt in July that was blamed on an Islamist cleric living in the United States.

For Russia, the rapprochement with Turkey offers a chance to negotiate a solution to the Syrian crisis that would allow it to expand its regional influence. Increasingly warm ties with Ankara will also strengthen Russia's ability to counter Western efforts to politically isolate Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.

Turkey, in turn, has at least some clout on humanitarian issues in Syria, as shown in its role in an Ankara- and Moscow-brokered deal for the evacuation of Syrian rebels and civilians from an Aleppo enclave.

Russian officials say other powers want to derail the Russia-Turkey rapprochement, an apparent slap at the U.S. and some of its allies.

"Those who were behind the killing of the Russian ambassador were trying to reverse the improvement in Russia-Turkey ties that has allowed our nations to start discussing the Syrian settlement," said lawmaker Alexei Pushkov of the upper house of the Russian parliament.

The killing of Karlov was likely to raise questions about weaknesses in Turkey's security apparatus and highlight its vulnerability to attacks by Kurdish militants, Islamic State extremists and others. Some Russian officials have complained that Turkey had not provided adequate protection for Karlov.

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"Turkey will have to go the extra mile in accommodating Russia  most likely in Syria but potentially on other issues as well," Bechev wrote.

Associated Press
Syrians evacuated from the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo during the ceasefire arrive at a refugee camp in Rashidin, near Idlib, Syria, on Dec. 20, 2016. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to act as guarantors in a peace deal between the Syrian government and the opposition. He spoke on Tuesday after a meeting of the three countries' foreign ministers in Moscow. (STR / AP)

BEIRUT  Syrian government forces threatened Tuesday to storm the last opposition enclave in Aleppo, potentially complicating an internationally supported effort to evacuate thousands of civilians still trapped there.

The Lebanese militia Hezbollah, which is fighting in Aleppo in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, said Syrian troops have issued their last call for people to leave the sliver of territory in the city's eastern districts that is still in the hands of opposition forces.

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As many as 25,000 people have been evacuated from the area since Thursday, Robert Mardini, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said on Twitter.

The evacuation deal - seen as the only way to avoid a bloodbath - marked an effective surrender by rebel fighters in Aleppo; they had controlled the city's eastern neighborhoods since 2012. Aleppo is a key prize in Syria's civil war, and the deal represents a major victory for Assad and his allies, including Russia and Iran.

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Pro-government activists said many people still in eastern Aleppo are insurgents, although that could not be independently verified.

The government on Tuesday authorized an additional 20 U.N. staff members to monitor the evacuations, Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the United Nations, told reporters in Geneva.

The U.N. Security Council voted Monday to deploy international observers to monitor the evacuation routes - a rare international agreement over the fate of Aleppo as government forces close in.

"This will almost triple the number of international staff currently deployed to Aleppo," Laerke said. He cautioned that monitors still do not have independent access to the evacuation buses.

Pro-government fighters, including militiamen from Hezbollah and Iran, temporarily halted the evacuations to demand parallel pullouts from two nearby Shiite villages under siege by rebels. The United Nations estimates that about 750 people have since been evacuated from the villages, Fouaa and Kefraya, where a rebel blockade has deprived residents of food and medicine.

On Sunday, suspected Islamist rebels burned evacuation buses sent to the villages, temporarily endangering the entire evacuation plan.

Assad's opponents accuse government forces and allied militiamen of robbing - and even executing - a number of people as they have moved into parts of eastern Aleppo once held by the rebels.

France's envoy to the Security Council said Monday that he hoped the resolution would prevent Aleppo from becoming another Srebrenica, where thousands of Bosnian men and boys were killed in 1995 as Serb forces seized the town. The text of the resolution allowed five days for the observers to arrive.

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The city has been perhaps the most violent flash point of the five-year-old Syrian conflict, which has killed about half a million people and displaced millions.

Aleppo has almost become synonymous with the brutality of Assad's air raids, which have leveled the city's eastern neighborhoods. Hospitals, residences and even people gathered on Aleppo's streets have been routinely targeted by Syrian government and Russian warplanes, as well as by troops and allied militiamen, who have fired artillery and staged ground assaults.

Thousands have waited in the last rebel holdouts as winter temperatures have dipped below freezing. Many have been forced to sleep in bombed-out structures or even on sidewalks.

Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.
David Simas, left, was named chief executive officer of the Obama Foundation, which will develop President Barack Obama's library in Chicago. Simas is seen here with Rob Nabors on Oct. 30, 2013. (Charles Dharapak / AP)

The Obama Foundation tapped a White House veteran Monday to join the leadership team that will develop the presidential library on the South Side, naming David Simas as chief executive officer.

Simas has served President Barack Obama in several capacities, most recently as assistant to the president and director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach.

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"In the year ahead, the Obama Foundation will continue the important work of creating a presidential center that inspires citizens and communities to take on big challenges," he said in a statement.

As Obama prepares to leave office, the Chicago-based foundation is staffing up and preparing to embark more aggressively on a fundraising campaign for a presidential library, museum and headquarters offices to be built in Jackson Park by 2021.

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Simas joins a team that includes the foundation's executive director, Robbin Cohen, former president of the Pritzker Realty Group, and its board chairman, Martin Nesbitt, a longtime friend of Obama and national treasurer for his two presidential campaigns. Nesbitt is the co-founder and co-chief executive of the Vistria Group, a private equity firm.

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"David is an invaluable addition to our team as we enter an important year for the foundation," Nesbitt said in a written statement.

A Massachusetts native, Simas joined the Obama administration in 2009 as deputy assistant to the president, working with senior advisers David Axelrod and David Plouffe. He left to serve as director of opinion research for Obama's re-election campaign, later returning to the White House for the political strategy role.

Before joining the White House staff, Simas was deputy chief of staff to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

Both Patrick and Plouffe are on the Obama Foundation board.

He lives in Washington with his wife, Shauna, and two daughters, Payton and Rowan.

kbergen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kathy_bergen
Women lay flowers outside the Russian Consulate in Istanbul on Dec. 20, 2016, in tribute to the Russian ambassador assassinated the day before in the Turkish capital. (Yasin Akgul / AFP/Getty Images)

A growing geopolitical role comes at a price in blood, as Russia was forcefully reminded on Monday when its ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot in an Ankara art gallery. Russia might not be paying that price had it kept out of the Syrian conflict but, paradoxically, it has now joined the West in footing this bill.

In 2012, when Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was killed by a mob in Benghazi, Russian propaganda outlets lectured the U.S. for meddling in the Middle East. "It was on Washington's urging that NATO intervened in the conflict in Libya," Russian state television editorialized. "But warnings that sooner or later this would produce a boomerang effect were drowned out by sloganeering about a victory for democracy in totalitarian countries."

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After Karlov's murder, Russia got a taste of the same medicine from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who tweeted: "1/2 Russia has been responsible for horrendous violations of human rights & the murder of thousands innocent people in Syria & Ukraine."

He then added in a follow-up that this was "no excuse" for killing the ambassador.

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The Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, speaks a gallery in Ankara on Dec. 19, 2016. Moments later a gunman, seen at rear on the left, opened fire on Karlov, killing him. (Burhan Ozbilici / AP)

Callous as such statements are, there is some truth to them. Ambassadors are assassinated because they represent their countries, and they don't do it in the same abstract way as innocent victims of attacks like the one in Berlin on Monday night. Diplomats are conduits for their nations' policies. That sets them up as targets for those who want to make a statement against those policies.

Between 1968 and 1979, five U.S. ambassadors were killed in the line of duty, three of them in the Middle East, one in Cyprus and one in Guatemala  both countries where the U.S. was accused of meddling. Turkey has a long list of diplomats, including four ambassadors, assassinated between 1973 and 1994 by Armenian militant organizations as revenge for the genocide of Armenians 100 years ago, which Turkey won't recognize to this day. In 1981, France lost its ambassador in Beirut as revenge for France's role in the Lebanese civil war. The list goes on, and it includes dozens of lower-ranking diplomats.

Russia has been extraordinarily lucky in this respect. In 1829, its ambassador in Tehran, one of Russia's most revered authors, Alexander Griboedov was killed in a riot against Russia's outsized influence and perceived arrogance after it won a war against Persia; to atone, the Shah sent the Rusian czar an enormous diamond. After that, Russian ambassadors were only killed by White Russian officers as revenge for the Bolshevik takeover of power. Waclaw Worowski was shot in Switzerland in 1923 and Pyotr Voikov in Poland in 1927. For the rest of the 20th century and beyond, top-ranking Russian diplomats were spared despite the Soviet Union's major geopolitical ambitions. One explanation could be that the Soviets took the security of their diplomats extra seriously, turning embassies into fortresses and closely guarding the ambassadors. Another reason is that the Soviet Union often sided with the same violent parties that killed Western diplomats.

Now, however, Russia finds itself in a new, unaccustomed position. It is still not part of the West as far as the West is concerned, but it is Western enough, godless enough to hundreds of Islamist terror groups. Some of them hate Russia and the U.S. equally, others have more hatred for one than for the other. The Turkish policeman who shot Karlov was apparently a strong backer of the rebels whom the Syrian Army, with Russian support, has just defeated in Aleppo. But one could easily imagine a U.S. ambassador being targeted for his country's failure to intervene, seen by some radicals as betrayal, or for the U.S. bombing raids on the Islamic State.

Even though nations that broadly represent the Western secular civilization have been unable to take a common stand in Syria, they are all targets to terrorists  as indistinguishable as the various groups of fighters in Syria are to a casual Western observer. Russians may think their country intervened in Syria to counterbalance a hostile U.S. influence, but to Islamists, it is merely another crusader nation.

One can blame Karlov's murder on Russian President Vladimir Putin's swaggering assertiveness, on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's encouragement of Islamist values, or on wily Erdogan opponents trying to damage Turkey's budding partnership with Russia on Syria. One can examine the motivations of the specific assassin and decry the specific ambassador's lack of security consciousness. None of this matters much in the final analysis, though.

Broadly, "Western" powers meddling in the Middle East today face the same dangers as they did in the 1970s and early 1980s, when the majority of ambassadors were assassinated. The region is once again a powder keg, only this time the wars have displaced tens of millions of people. Many of them have a grievance against the interfering powers or can develop a grudge when recruiters for terrorist groups whisper poison in their ears. It's a war in which every representative of the secular world is a target for someone.

That, perhaps, is why there is no visible rift between Russia and Turkey. On Tuesday, the two countries' foreign ministers laid flowers together in Moscow in memory of the murdered ambassador. If the assassination is a casus belli at all, it should be one against Islamist radicals on all sides of the Syrian bloodbath.

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Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg View columnist.
Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, speaks to lawmakers while on the House floor at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., in May 2016. (Seth Perlman / AP)

The conversations have been hushed and private, and in some circles considered preposterous. Would a Democrat in the Illinois House consider challenging 74-year-old Michael Madigan for the role of speaker? The vote is Jan. 11.

One Democrat, Rep. Scott Drury of Highwood, told WTTW's "Chicago Tonight" program he would consider it. Other names have been dropped, including that of Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, though she told us discussions of her opposing Madigan were part of a "scheme" by Gov. Bruce Rauner to create a distraction.

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Yes, it would be a formidable challenge, unseating the longest-serving speaker in the country. Yes, a career hazard, too. Yes, a wager that would put rank-and-file Democrats in a tough spot, particularly those who claim at election time that they aren't beholden to Madigan.

But really, isn't it about time for Democratic lawmakers to be placed precisely in that tough spot, given this broken, broke state and their party's long-failed stewardship of it?

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A real choice in the race for speaker would, at the least, infuse some democracy into an election that carries steep consequence  and over which most Illinois voters have little say. Chicago neighbors of the state's most powerful politician send him to Springfield; fellow Democrats have elected him House speaker for 32 of his 46 years there.

Under Madigan's reign, the state has been circling the drain for years. Madigan, and Senate President John Cullerton for that matter, refuse to compromise with Gov. Bruce Rauner  on anything. They would rather behold the suffering of social service agencies, look on as the state's finances grow bleaker, pile debt on the middle class and ignore data proving taxpayers are disgusted. U.S. census numbers released Tuesday show Illinois with the highest population loss of any state in 2016. It's not just the weather.

To the calculus of replacing Madigan we would add: Democrats who support so-called progressive policies aren't accomplishing those changes with Madigan in charge anyway: No increase in the minimum wage. No graduated income tax. No tax hike on the wealthy. No strengthening of the social safety net. No additional money for education. No changes to the state's flawed school funding formula. They're not getting done under Madigan because he doesn't care about policy. It's about power.

So why keep supporting him, other than to milk him for campaign money every election cycle? And why not run against him, other than to show cowardice? Will anyone step up?

If every Republican in the General Assembly to be seated next month voted for a different candidate for speaker  yes, GOP members can vote for a Democrat for speaker  only nine Democrats would have to defect to reach the 60-vote threshold for toppling Madigan. Nine.

Let's start with Democrats who are on record supporting term limits for elected officials and/or legislative leaders, including Madigan. Readers, if your lawmaker is on this list, you might want to give him or her a call. You can find all of their phone numbers at www.ilga.gov. They are: Chicago Democrats Sara Feigenholtz, Fran Hurley and Kelly Cassidy; Robyn Gabel of Evanston; Carol Sente of Vernon Hills; Sam Yingling of Grayslake; Michelle Mussman of Schaumburg; Marty Moylan of Des Plaines; and Kathleen Willis of Addison. Reps. Ann Williams of Chicago and Stephanie Kifowit of Oswego both said they'd be open to leadership term limits.

Some provided additional context:

Cassidy earlier this year: "Ultimately, my greatest concern with the speaker is the length of time he has served in that role and the consolidation of power that has permitted."

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Williams earlier this year: "I think most would agree that the speaker is a good political strategist, having kept and maintained Democratic majorities all but two of the past 33 years. But certainly his longevity (and perceived style of leadership) have made him one of the most unpopular figures in Illinois politics."

Gabel earlier this year: "I support term limits on leadership positions because no one member should have that much power for too long."

Yingling earlier this year: "There are many independent policy-driven legislators, like myself, who don't take their marching orders from party leaders. I am open to the candidacy of any member of the House who puts their name into consideration for speaker."

So to Drury and Nekritz and anyone entertaining the idea of running or voting against Madigan, we ask: What do you have to lose except two more years of dysfunction? Remember, you don't work for him. You work for voters. They didn't send you to Springfield to be gutless. They sent you to do what's best for Illinois, regardless of the consequences.
One fundamental trait of analysts who fail to persuade people by reasoning is to appeal to their emotions. We have seen this used ever since the Arab Spring morphed into the darkest period of the region's history, culminating in the Syrian civil war. The newspapers are filled with photos of babies, who are suffering from the power struggles of the adults, while not showing the photos of the adults who are waging the power struggles. The reason is because of two incidents which happened back to back.

Recently Assad's forces, backed by Iranian mercenaries and heavy Russian air power, managed to strike a deal regarding the evacuation of Aleppo. It was regarded as the biggest victory in the Syrian civil war for the Assad government as Aleppo has been the symbolic resistance movement, and the longest siege of modern times. News agencies all around the world were talking about the heroic rebels having a last stand; however the reality is a little bit different.

Aleppo was defended by Jaish Al Islam, an offshoot of the Islamist Jihad and ideologically aligned to Al Qaeda and Bin Laden. After the "liberation" there were people on camera complaining to Reuters how these "rebels" didn't allow civilians to eat even a morsel of bread, instead they stockpiled all the food for the siege for themselves. The day the evacuation started, the "rebels" burned down five busses meant for the evacuation thereby hampering the effort. All this proves that there is much else than the black and white story being constantly permeating in media. The rebels are not some heroic bunch of modern outlaws who are fighting a gigantic monstrous regime. The reality is, as usual a lot more complex.

The second thing that happened was the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey at the time of writing this piece. Ambassador Karlov was shot from the back when he was lecturing in an art gallery and the gunman, even though the details are sketchy, seemed to shout the Islamic prayer, and say that Aleppo was the cause of his murder. Russia already announced it as a terrorist attack, as has Turkey, attributing it to a Gulenist plot.

One thing is certain though; the fact that Turkey and Russia had a rapprochement, or Russian backed forces are winning in Aleppo is an anathema to a lot of extremists who want to foil both the developments. It is a simple calculation. Turkey and Russia have historical problems. This is due to the civilizational crossroads of the Middle East, with Turkey also being a member of NATO. The last Russian ambassador who was murdered was also killed at the hands of Islamists, in Tehran in the 19th century at the peak of Russo-Ottoman conflicts. In modern times, the last time a Russian ambassador was attacked was during the Lebanese civil war. Swift retaliation by the KGB brought that to a speedy end.

This time it is unlikely that Russia and Turkey will come to blows. The tension between the two powers has died down, especially after the coup attempt, as Erdogan found himself to be lonely on the international stage. Both sides indicated that the meetings between the two countries will go on as usual and it is expected that Russia will take this opportunity to crack down on Islamists further.

Unfortunately, it poses more and more strategic questions for the West, as everyone is coming to an uncomfortable understanding that the people the West supported are essentially not good. The rebels are fragmented, and even the most moderate of them are extremely brutal and Islamist, and therefore either not sufficiently qualified to provide any alternative to the Assad government, or actively dangerous to the stability and geopolitics of the region.

In light of that, the only policy that is available for the West and particularly for Donald Trump, is one of a tactical alignment with Russia. Predictably after every tragedy or terror attack there will be a rise of calls for intervention, as if only Obama bombed Assad to smithereens, like the U.S. did with Gaddafi all this wouldn't have happened. That is mono-causal analysis, and intellectually dishonest at best.

Sumantra Maitra is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Four people were arrested after a fight at East Aurora High School that injured an Aurora Police Department school resource officer and a dean.

The officer and dean had been trying to deal with two female students who were not complying with school rules at dismissal time Friday and were "impeding the flow of people leaving the school," said Aurora Police Lt. Jeff Wiencek.

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The officer left briefly to attend to another issue, but was summoned back to the area of the altercation, according to a statement from the police department.

While the officer was gone, one of the students intentionally struck the dean with a school door, according to police. The staff member wanted to press charges.

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The officer gave verbal orders to the student, who did not comply and struggled with the officer, who held her in place and called for assistance, according to police.

In the meantime, Lester Swafford, 52, and Claudette Fleming, 48, both of the 1200 block of Summit Avenue, forced their way into the school past staff members, Wiencek said.

Swafford entered the school, interfered in the arrest and "battered" the officer, according to the news release. During the struggle, the officer and Swafford fell to the ground, according to police.

The students involved in the initial dispute then began to punch and kick the officer in the head as he was struggling with Swafford on the ground, Wiencek said.

Fleming approached and allegedly "battered" the dean involved, according to the statement.

School staff and responding offers helped break up the fight, Wiencek said.

Part of the fight was caught by a camera that pans the area, Wiencek said. Someone in a surveillance room realized what was happening and turned the camera back to the area.

"Once they realized what was occurring, they panned to the officer who was holding the student in place until the male subject (Swafford) charged the officer," Wiencek said.

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Swafford, Fleming and both girls were each charged with aggravated battery and mob action. For Fleming, the aggravated battery charge is a class 3 felony and the mob action charge is a class 4 felony. For Swafford, the aggravated battery charge is a class 2 felony and the mob action charge is a class 4 felony.

The girls were taken to the Kane County Youth Home, while the adults were held for bond call.

Wiencek declined to give the relationship between the students and the adults arrested or the students' ages, to protect the identity of the minors.

Police believe the fight is unrelated to a fire in the trash can of a men's bathroom earlier the same day, for which a 16-year-old student was arrested, Wiencek said.

The school resource officer and dean both sustained minor injuries, according to the statement. The officer was treated and released at a local hospital and is not back on full duty yet, Wiencek said.

Swafford posted $500 bond and Fleming was released on a signature bond Saturday in Kane County. Both are scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Jan. 4 in Room 113 at the Kane County Courthouse.

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East Aurora School District 131 Tom Jackson did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment Monday.

Beacon-News reporter Sarah Freishtat contributed.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Four dogs died after their owners' house caught fire Sunday evening on Aurora's Far East Side, according to fire officials.

Aurora firefighters responded at 7:14 p.m. Sunday to the fire on the 900 block of Fieldstone Lane. A family had left their home about two hours earlier, returned to see heavy smoke and called 911, according to a fire department news release.

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Firefighters arrived to find smoke showing from the front door of the two-story, single-family home. A dozen firefighters had the fire out in 30 minutes and contained it to the first-floor dining room, where it was located, according to the news release.

However, four dogs that were home when the fire broke out did not survive, according to the news release. A fire official did not know anything more about the dogs.

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Fire officials determined the home was uninhabitable and estimated the fire damage at $40,000.

No firefighters or other people reported any injuries, according to fire officials.

Fire officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, said spokesman Capt. Jim Rhodes.

hleone@tribpub.com

Twitter @hannahmleone
Dylan Sengpiel stands in front of the Christmas tree of his Burr Ridge home. Sengpiel is performing the role of Franz in the Joffrey Ballet's "The Nutcracker" at Chicago's Auditorium Theater. (Kevin Beese / Pioneer Press)

Seeing his sister's ballet recital gave Dylan Sengpiel the inspiration to take the stage himself.

Now the Burr Ridge resident is taking bows as part of "The Nutcracker" at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago.

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"I saw my sister do a performance on stage and I told my mom, 'I want to do that,'" Dylan said, "and she just signed me up."

The persistent youth got the ear of his mother, Tammi.

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"He's like, 'Please sign me up. Please sign me up,'" Tammi said. "So I'm like "OK.I don't know what's going on, son, but OK if that's what you want to do,'" she recalled. "They told him he was a natural at it. It kind of just went from there."

In just his third year of ballet, the Pleasantdale Middle School seventh-grader is doing 15 performances in choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's Joffrey Ballet remake of the holiday classic. He landed the major role of Franz, the mischievous younger brother of Marie, the heroine of the tale.

This is Dylan's third "Nutcracker," but the biggest role he has had in the production

Being part of The Joffrey's Summer Intensive Program, where participants get instruction in ballet and pointe technique, partnering, classical variations and repertory five days a week, Dylan was encouraged to audition for "The Nutcracker" three years ago.

He did and has been a part of the cast ever since, but this year he has the much bigger role of Franz. Dylan was chosen for the role from more than 200 performers who tried out for the production.

Dylan said he gets excited before performances, but does not go through any jitters or stage fright before appearing before crowds.

"It doesn't make me nervous," Dylan said of performing.

Getting into the city as much as six days a week for performance takes a toll on the Sengpiel family, but they make accommodations for Dylan's performances. A Pilates instructor, Tammi is able to work her schedule around Dylan's performances and classes.

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"We couldn't do it if I was working full time," Tammi said. "I have to pull Dylan out of school a lot."

However, getting the opportunity for Dylan to work one on one with Wheeldon makes all the trips into the city worth it, according to Tammi.

Wheeldon was so impressed with Dylan, Tammi said, that the choreographer added stage time for him in the production's second act.

"Franz is only in the first act normally," Tammi said.

Having to leave Pleasantdale early for afternoon performances and being at the Auditorium Theater until 10 or 10:30 p.m. on a weeknight makes for little free time for the Burr Ridge youngster.

Dylan said when he does get a break, he likes to hang out with friends, playing video games or watching a movie.

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Performing in musicals with Hinsdale's BAM Theatre, parts have been rewritten to incorporate Dylan's dancing abilities.

"BAM Theatre's been very helpful toward Dylan," Tammi said. "The only background he had was "Nutcracker," so obviously you don't speak, and he auditioned for 'Annie.' They gave him a speaking role and made him Drake the butler, but they made the butler dance. So they took his dance talent and it really just made the show different, I think  different and creative."

Dylan, who continues to take classes at The Joffrey, said being part of "The Nutcracker" is a special experience.

"I like being a part of it because of all the shows and the magic that goes into it," Dylan said.

Getting to know all the kids in the cast and hang out with them is a great part of the experience, Dylan added. Being one of the few suburban kids in the production also puts him in with a different crowd.

Dylan hopes to branch out into the acting field in the future, taking after his favorites Johnny Depp and Shailene Woodley (from "Divergent").

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"The Nutcracker" is at the Auditorium Theater through Dec. 30. For ticket information, go to www.joffrey.org/nutcracker.

Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press
Voters will have a choice this April for school board in both Hinsdale High School District 86 and Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181. (M. Spencer Green / AP)

Both Hinsdale High School District 86 and Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 will have contested elections this spring.

Five candidates have filed for four seats on the District 86 Board, including incumbent board President Kay Gallo who submitted her nominating petitions Monday, the last day for candidates to file.

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Just about 10 days ago, Gallo said she was not going to seek re-election, an agreement she had reached with her husband, because of the workload and time involved in serving on the board. Gallo has been on the board for two terms and served on the Maercker District 60 School Board prior to that.

Gallo could not be reached for comment to explain why she apparently changed her mind.

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Four other candidates filed Dec. 12 to run as a slate for the District 86 Board: Nancy Pollak of Hinsdale, Kevin Camden of unincorporated DuPage County near Willowbrook, Keith Chval of Clarendon Hills and Robin Gonzales of Willowbrook.

Incumbent board members Ralph Beardsley, Edward Corcoran and Claudia Manley did not file petitions to run for another term.

Chval is a native of Clarendon Hills and a Hinsdale Central graduate. He is the co-founder of Protek International, Inc., a firm that provides computer forensic, investigative and litigation support services. As an attorney, he supervised the high tech and computer crime unit in the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Chval has five children, three at Hinsdale Central and two already graduated.

Pollak has served as president of the District 181 Foundation, and president of the Parent-Teacher Organizations for Hinsdale Central and Elm Elementary School in Burr Ridge. She has three children who graduated from Hinsdale Central.

Pollak worked in marketing and has a master's degree in education from DePaul University and a business degree from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

Camden has a law practice focusing on real estate development, property and labor law. He and his wife, Shelly, have three children attending Cass Junior High School in Elementary District 63.

Joan Brandeis, a Darien parent of two Hinsdale South High School graduates, helped organize the slate.

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"It took quite awhile to get this slate together," she said. "We wanted it to represent the whole district."

Camden lives in the Hinsdale South attendance area, and the other three candidates live where there is a choice to attend Central or South.

In Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181, four candidates have filed for the three open positions on the board.

Incumbent Gary Clarin of Clarendon Hills, who was not endorsed by the Hinsdale Village Caucus, filed to seek re-election. He is the board secretary this term, and chairman of the facilities committee. He works in interior construction.

The endorsed caucus candidates are Margaret Kleber, Nathan Lucht and Meeta Patel.

Kleber has lived in the community for 25 years and has four children who attended District 181 schools. She has been involved with Parent-Teacher Organizations at The Lane School and Clarendon Hills Middle School and serves as the operations manager for Northwestern Medicine Physician Partners.

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Lucht moved to Hinsdale four years ago and has three children. He is the executive vice president for corporate strategy and development of Information Resources Inc.

Patel also moved to Hinsdale four years ago and has two children. She practices physical medicine and rehabilitation and provides patient care and management of subacute rehabilitation patients at Glenshire Nursing & Rehabilitation Centre.

There are six candidates for four open board seats in Maercker Elementary District 60. Incumbents Lisa Thomas Bishop of Clarendon Hills, Patricia A. Dieball-Ponce of Willowbrook, and Arthur L. Andersen IV of Hinsdale are seeking re-election. April Eichmiller of Clarendon Hills, Mary Satchwell of Hinsdale, and Fred R. Bondlow of Willowbrook also are running for four-year terms.

kfornek@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @kfdoings
Steve Spreitzer (far left) and his family pose with Santa Claus after receiving gifts Sunday from the nonprofit group Christmas Without Cancer. (Nick Swedberg / Daily Southtown)

Chicago firefighter Steve Spreitzer was greeted on Sunday by Engine 92 at his Beverly home.

But the visit had nothing to do with him fighting fires.

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Other firefighters and cadets arrived at the home to show their support to Spreitzer, who is battling a rare form of lymphoma.

Spreitzer and two other Far South Side families  another one in Beverly and one that did not want to be identified  were treated to gifts from Christmas Without Cancer. The nonprofit group helps families with loved ones battling cancer.

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Evergreen Park resident Gerri Neylon, who started the group, dropped off toys and baskets of gift cards on Sunday to the families.

Since 2003, Christmas Without Cancer has helped more than 500 families get through the holidays, said Neylon, president of the nonprofit. Neylon is a nurse in the radiation oncology department at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

The nonprofit now helps families throughout the year, Neylon said. It's annual popcorn kernel-guessing contest with Mother Butter's Popcorn & Confectionary, the EP United Homeowners Association and Park Schwinn Cyclery, which will give away two bicycles to two children this year, ends at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Neylon said Spreitzer already has worked hard to help Christmas Without Cancer.

"Here he is going through cancer treatment and he's running around fundraising for us," Neylon said.

On Sunday, Spreitzer told dozens of people gathered inside his home that "all your prayers are working."

Spreitzer graduated from Marist High School in 1992 and from Marquette University in 1996. He joined the Chicago Fire Department in 2000.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

"We hope to pay it forward next Christmas," said his wife, Katy Spreitzer, a teacher for Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123.

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Chicago Battalion Chief John Holubik, who has known Spreitzer for 15 years, said Steve Spreitzer is a generous and caring guy.

"He's always been the kind of guy who'd take the shirt off his back for someone," Holubik said.

The Dowling family also received a visit from the group. Nineteen-month-old Beau Dowling has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

Meg Dowling, Beau's mother, was asked by some of her seven children was Sunday Christmas after several gifts were given to the family.

She responded: "This is an extra special Christmas."

Nick Swedberg is a freelance reporter at the Daily Southtown.
 Flash

The Council of the European Union (EU) on Monday decided to extend the sanctions against Russia for another six months, until July 31, 2017.

The Council said in a press release that after assessing the implementation of the Minsk agreements at the EU summit on Dec. 15, the EU leaders paved the way to renew the sanctions.

The sanctions include limiting access to EU primary and secondary capital markets for five major Russian majority state-owned financial institutions and their majority-owned subsidiaries established outside of the EU, as well as three major Russian energy and three defense companies.

The sanctions also involve imposing a trade embargo on arms, an export ban on dual-use goods for military use or military-end users in Russia, and curtailing Russian access to certain sensitive technologies and services that can be used for oil production and exploration.

The EU slapped the sanctions on Russia in July and September 2014 in response to an alleged role that Russia had played in conflicts in east Ukraine.

In March 2015, EU leaders decided to align the existing sanctions to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Taking stock of the situation in east Ukraine, the EU in July extended the sanctions against Russia until Jan. 31, 2017.

In response, Russia imposed a year-long embargo on food imports from Western countries in August 2014, and extended the anti-sanction measures for one more year in June 2015.

In late June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to extend embargo on food imports from the EU and other countries until the end of 2017.
Volunteers Ethel Scott of University Park and Jackie Davis of South Chicago Heights arrange clothing that was given away during a free community dinner Saturday at Chicago Miracle Temple Church in Chicago Heights. (Mary Compton)

Burbank

Our Savior's Lutheran Church: 8607 S. Narragansett  The annual Christmas Day Dinner for Recruits from Great Lakes Naval Base, for the homeless or for anyone who will be alone on Christmas will be at 1 p.m. Dec. 25. Church services are at 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Dec. 25. To volunteer to help with dinner, call 708-599-4780.

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Flossmoor

Calvary Assembly: 18620 Governors Highway  A Christmas Candlelight Service will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 23 in the sanctuary. The service will include Christmas carols, the Christmas story and communion. A Christmas service will be at 10 a.m. Dec. 25. The youth service for ages 12 to 19 years old will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 25 in the Ministry Center. Information: 708-957-0986 or www.CalvaryFlossmoor.com.

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Infant Jesus of Prague: 1131 Douglas Ave.  A wheelchair-accessible Mass and service will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2. Everyone is welcome to receive individual prayer for requests. A Mass and Healing Service is held every first Monday of the month. A Mass and Prayer Meeting is at 7:30 p.m. all other Mondays of the month. Information: 708-799-5400.

Homewood

First Presbyterian Church: 17929 Gottschalk Ave.  Free community dinners continue through the winter from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays. A Bible study group meets from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Panera Bread in Cherry Creek Shopping Plaza on Governor's Highway.. Information: 708-798-0490 or www.fpchw.org.

What's going on at your church? Let us know at least a week in advance by sending an email to Southtownreligion@tribpub.com.
Overflow Ministry volunteer John Randolph of Homewood plays his guitar during a community Thanksgiving dinner last month in Flossmoor for James Brown of Lansing and 3-year-old Seryna Rice of Chicago Heights. (Mary Compton)

Being homeless is hard, but the way many people treat those who are homeless is even worse, said John Randolph, who has firsthand knowledge of the issue.

"They treat you like dirt," said Randolph, 65. "As far as they are concerned, you are a bum."

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Born in Chicago, Randolph has lived and worked in the south suburbs most his life, he said. He worked as a handyman for 15 years until he got laid off due to the economy, he said. After that, he lost his home, tried living with friends and family, and eventually ended up in South Suburban PADS, a homeless shelter. Through connections there, he got a job housesitting for five or six weeks, he said.

But he had no permanent place to live until he met John Harvey, the missions coordinator at the Overflow Ministry in Flossmoor.

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What may be described as "the little church that could," the Flossmoor-based Korean United Methodist Church of South Suburban Chicago, home to the Overflow Ministry, has helped many people make one of the most difficult transitions of their lives.

Led by Pastor Arnold Hoskins, the church's Overflow Ministry has so far this year helped about 30 homeless people, including Randolph, find permanent housing, Harvey said.

"Really, we help anybody who has needs," Harvey said. "We try to provide for each and every person who comes our way, no matter how small or how big their needs are.

Randolph, who now lives in Homewood and volunteers for the ministry, said Overflow recently helped a family with five children secure housing.

"To me, that's what a church is supposed to do," Randolph said.

Randolph described area homeless shelters as a place to sleep, not a place to stay. They close from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., forcing many clients to find shelter during the day. Randolph said he often went to the library, and began writing poetry there.

John Harvey, missions coordinator for Overflow Ministry in Flossmoor, welcomes a group to Thanksgiving dinner last month. Overflow Ministry provides a meal open to anyone once a month. (Mary Compton)

Still, "Nobody really wants you around," he said.

Each person who comes to the ministry has their own story that determines what their needs are and how the ministry is going to help, Harvey said. First, they address the physical needs, and also eventually address the spiritual ones, he said.

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"If bellies are empty  they aren't really receptive to talk about all the blessings that God has to offer," Harvey said.

The Korean United Methodist Church of South Suburban Chicago, has evolved over its 35 years from serving a primarily Asian congregation to include a variety of races and cultures, which better reflect the broader community, Harvey said.

"We are a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic (church)," Harvey said. "A true reflection of the faces of our community."

The Overflow Ministry started reaching out to area homeless shelters about eight years ago.

"As we went to the shelters year after year, we started to see a lot of the same people, the same faces," he said.

Now the ministry works with area organizations such as veterans groups and mental health professionals to help find permanent housing. In part, the ministry works as a pre-screening for other organizations. The ministry helps people work on the issues that got them displaced.

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"We didn't want to be a hand out, we wanted to be a hand up," he said.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

The ministry provides a range of services, including food and furniture and clothing pantries, which all help people transition.

"As we move them from homeless to housing, all they have is what they can carry on their backs," Harvey said.

Randolph volunteers at the church, and at the ministry's events by performing music, he said. Though he is unemployed, he pays 30 percent of his social security to pay for rent, and the county pays the rest.

"It's a blessing; It's incredible to me," Randolph said. "I'm so thankful and that's why I want to give back."

In addition to his music, Randolph also volunteers when the ministry hosts breakfasts, or dinners, such as one at Thanksgiving.

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"They got me furniture, they helped me move," Randolph said. "It was a great experience, a humbling experience."

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Homewood is considering reimbursing a Michigan developer if the business purchases two downtown properties owned by the municipality.

The village board voted unanimously on Dec. 13 to consider reimbursing Third Coast Development $291,000 for properties at 2049 and 2051 Ridge Road. Homewood had purchased the property on behalf of the developer, according to a statement on the village's website.

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Third Coast proposes using both property sites for a planned retail-and-apartment complex east of Metra's electric commuter rail line, which would be Homewood's first transit-oriented development.

At the same time, the measure doesn't obligate the village to reimburse the developer.

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"We're not committing ourselves to any dollars [to Third Coast,]" Homewood President Rich Hohfeld said on Dec. 14.

Hohfeld didn't provide details on the possible deal.

Hohfeld acknowledged the village's possible reimbursement would be tied to a proposed blight-based tax increment finance district for the downtown, where boundaries "have not, as yet, been determined." It would be the village's fifth TIF district.

Municipalities use TIFs to promote economic development by earmarking property tax revenue from increases in assessed values within that designated district for a specific period of time.

Hohfeld said if the village reimburses the developer funds could come from "different sources," noting Finance Director Dennis Bubenik reported at Tuesday's meeting that Homewood's $18 million budget has $5 million in reserve. The village, Hohfeld said, is "in pretty good financial shape."

Third Coast couldn't be reached for comment.

Dennis Sullivan is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
A cannabis cultivator that grows its medicinal marijuana in southwest suburban Bedford Park recently opened its first affiliated pot dispensary on Chicago's Southwest Side.

Maribis of Chicago LLC opened in mid-September in Brighton Park at 4570 S. Archer Ave. in the former Decorators Union Local 17U Hall. The union relocated its offices to Burr Ridge a few years ago.

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"It's an old union hall that has been empty for a long time," said Bret Bender, director of strategic planning for Maribis. A second dispensary location is coming soon for Springfield.

Bender also is general manager at Bedford Grow, the locally licensed cannabis cultivator in Bedford Park.

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"We are both owned by Laurel Dineff," he said. "She applied all over the state and is very happy with the location she got." Dineff is a lawyer based in Summit.

Bedford Grow and Maribis are among only five companies in Illinois that both cultivate and dispense marijuana products.

Bender said business started slowly at the Brighton Park clinic but has been growing. "The patient count is growing," he said. "If that continues, we will have a nice industry."

He said Maribis is trying to help people who are eligible for medical marijuana to get signed up for the program, which is not easy to enter and includes fingerprint and background checks.

"We offer free fingerprinting on Tuesday nights," he said, which can cost upward of $60 for patients.

The state has so far approved 41 medical conditions eligible for medical marijuana use, including cancer, spinal cord injuries and childhood epilepsy. Earlier this year, the state added post-traumatic stress disorder and terminal illnesses for patients with less than six months to live to the list of eligible medical conditions.

Patients may purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every 14 days from licensed dispensaries.

Like all the state's medical marijuana dispensaries, Maribis is a cash-only business because marijuana use is against federal law. Most banks and credit card companies are federally regulated. Patients will also pay sales tax.

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The clinic offers a variety of products from 20 cannabis strains such as grams, eighth of an ounce, edibles, flowers and topical creams. Not all of the products come from Bedford Grow, but the cultivator supplies dispensaries throughout the state.

Hours are subject to change but at present the clinic is open from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and closed Wednesdays and Sundays.

Bender said Bedford Grow planted its first seeds a year ago. The plants are grown under special lights in highly controlled rooms. Growers are still in the process of selecting mother strains.

"We want the best strains," he said."We planted a lot of varieties and hope to have four or five mother strains."

He said cultivators in Illinois must package their products, which is more difficult for the growers but guarantees patients that they are getting the same kind of marijuana wherever they purchase it.

"Other states let the dispensaries package their products, so you are not guaranteed the same strain or quality."

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He said in addition to medicinal marijuana, Bedford Grow would be looking into developing other possible medical uses for cannabinoids, the active chemical in cannabis plants.

"Some cannabinoids could have positive effects on other ailments and conditions," he said. "We can get better on the science side."

Aside from medical benefits, Bender said legal recreational use in Illinois would be a windfall for the state.

"We all think it's going to be legal," he said. "For us, there's nothing taboo about it. Recreational use would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars."

Kiddie Academy opens in Frankfort

An educational day care center called Kiddie Academy held its grand opening earlier this month in Frankfort.

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The center opened in mid-November at 9743 W. St. Francis Road, and its hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

For information, call 815-277-2506.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Dunkin' Donuts opens in Alsip

A new Dunkin' Donuts shop opened earlier this month at 11843 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip. The new store replaces one that closed at 11817 S. Pulaski Road.

Staffing Network moves Burbank office

Staffing Network relocated its Burbank office earlier this month to new digs at 8022 S. Cicero Ave.

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The company has been in business for more than 20 years and primarily staffs light industrial positions for a number of industries.

Helping to celebrate its grand opening on Dec. 1 was Ray Castro, chief sales officer for the company; Jerry Mulvihill, an aide to U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski; company President John Holland; Burbank Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Langnes, from Countryside Bank; and chamber Vice president Ed Kozak, from St. Laurence High School.

Bob Bong is a freelancer.
If the Democrats want Donald Trump to divest from all his business interests, then I think all politicians should do the same, especially in Springfield. Let them do the job of representing the people of Illinois.

And if the salaries and perks are not enough, then they should quit. I'm tired of professional politicians who stay in office for their greed and power.

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Alison

If Russia was truly trying to get Donald Trump elected, thinking that they would have an easier time dealing with him, then they made a very big mistake.

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Bill, Orland Park

Sunday's editorial stated current thinking is that after creating a master plan for the mental health center property, Tinley Park officials will guide the development. This government can't guide property owners on Oak Park Avenue to comply to the simplest of plans like signs, paint, and repairs. How effective will they be in a massive project like the mental health center property?

Tinley Park

I just read a great article from the Institute for Policy Studies. It points out that on average, the top 100 CEOs in our country have retirement funds worth $4.7 billion, which is a sum equal to the entire retirement savings of 41% of U.S. families. Ordinary workers with 401Ks, well, they have a median balance of $18,000. For workers 56-61 years old, 39% have no employer sponsored retirement plans leaving them to rely on social security alone. Employers are taking away pensions, benefits. Why? So, that the top executives can make millions. Donald Trump is proposing reducing taxes for these ultra wealthy CEOs, saving them hundreds of millions of dollars. The Republican party wants to take away social security and Medicare from the middle-class, while giving millions in tax breaks to those that don't need. They have so much money they couldn't possibly use it in a lifetime. The middle-class did best when the wealthy paid higher tax rates. It's a fact. Donald Trump is not going to help the middle-class. Just wait and see.

SS

What's Speak Out?

Speak Out allows readers to comment on the issues of the day. Email Speak Out at speakout@southtownstar.com or call 312-222-2427. Please limit comments to 30 seconds or about 120 words and give your first name and your hometown.
The College of DuPage Board of Trustees will get three new faces after the consolidated election April 4.

None of the trustees who are up for re-election in 2017 filed nominating papers by the 5 p.m. Monday deadline, so voters will choose among six new candidates. One term is for two years and the others are for six years.

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Two trustees, Erin Birt and Dianne McGuire, did not file papers during the nominating period, which ran Dec. 12 through Monday. Both were on the board during the turbulent years of former College of DuPage president Robert Breuder, who with other school officials was accused of spending abuses of taxpayer money.

David Olsen, who's been serving on the board since February after being appointed to the seat held by Katharine Hamilton until she resigned two years ago, also did not file for re-election. Olsen, who also had been appointed in the summer to fill the post of former Illinois House member Ron Sandack after his resignation, won election to the 81st District post in November.

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Trustee candidates vying for a two-year term are Alan Bennett, of Lombard, and Husna Ghani, of Oak Brook. Those running for the six-year terms are Christine Fenne, of Wheaton; Dan Markwell, of Lombard; Taso Triantafillos, of Addison; and Rafath Waheed, of Lisle.

Bennett served as a village trustee for 37 years in Elmwood Park and signed up to run last year for the Lombard Village Board, but withdrew before the election. A LinkedIn profile for Ghani describes her as a strategy consultant and professional speaker in technology, education and leadership.

Fenne is president of the Wheaton Library Board, as well as an account executive at AlphaGraphics, according to her LinkedIn profile. Markwell maintains a sparse social media profile while Triantafillos, co-founder of DefendEdge, a cybersecurity company, serves on the Addison School District 4 Board of Education. Waheed has been active in Lisle Library District board meetings and has designed educational displays for the library.

The COD board experienced a year of relative stability in 2016 compared to a tumultuous 2015, when three so-called "clean slate" candidates won election and the new board fired Breuder.

Earlier this year, after several months of searching, the board chose Ann Rondeau to be the sixth president of the Glen Ellyn-based College of DuPage, which is the largest community college in the state with almost 30,000 students.

The board also chose Deanne Mazzochi as its chairman, with Olsen serving as vice chairman. Mazzochi's term, as well as those of Frank Napolitano and Charles Bernstein, are not up for re-election until 2021. Another trustee, Joseph Wozniak, is up for re-election in 2019.

Last December, the Higher Learning Commission, the college's accreditation agency, put the school on two years of probation due to issues of integrity and governance. Rondeau and Mazzochi have said they hope the college will be off probation by the end of next year.

"We've learned a difficult but valuable lesson about the necessity of board members committed to real oversight, transparency and applying good government principles," Mazzochi said in a statement Monday evening. "These fundamentals are critical to maintain and advance our reform efforts, and preserve and protect our accreditation. I welcome the opportunity to serve with people dedicated to those goals."

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Erin Chan Ding is a freelance reporter.
An Elgin man was charged with a class 1 felony count of residential burglary, accused of taking women's lingerie from a home Sunday, according to Elgin police.

Cesar G. Briones Montes, of the 300 block of Lilac Lane, is accused of entering an apartment at the same address, police said.

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The residents told police they returned home to find Montes in their apartment, police said.

When Montes was taken back to the police department for processing, one of the resident's underwear was found in his jacket pocket, police said. The resident was able to identify the clothing as coming from her dresser drawer, police said.

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Bail was set at $50,000, but Montes was released on recognizance pending a Jan. 18 court date.
Attorneys in the Richard Schmelzer murder case sparred one last time Monday in closing arguments which left jurors to decide whether the Texas man carefully plotted the 2014 killing of his grandmother in East Dundee or if police botched their investigation by focusing on Schmelzer.

On Tuesday, the trial's 12th day, the jury will begin their work to sort out two week's worth of information surrounding the murder of 85-year-old Mildred "Dodie" Darrington inside her home. Darrington suffered a fatal stab wound to her neck which hit her jugular vein and struck her spinal cord. Darrington's body was found in her bed with a pillow covering her face. Police found no forced entry to the home. At least $2,500 in cash and other valuables were untouched, leading authorities to rule out robbery, according to prosecutors.

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Assistant State's Attorney Lori Schmidt told jurors how Darrington went to bed on July 17, 2014, with plans for her usual hair appointment the next morning, as well as a visit from her housekeeper. Meanwhile, some 900 miles away in Texas, Schmelzer spent that Thursday on a 14-hour drive to Illinois to kill Darrington in order to claim his portion of her estate, Schmidt said. That money would allow him to continue a lavish lifestyle that had gutted his family bank accounts after Darrington discontinued giving Schmelzer access to her credit card for cash advances, Schmidt said.

"He came there in the middle of the night and left her home before the sun came up," Schmidt said. "He was on a tactical mission ... with one purpose, to kill Dodie."

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Schmidt and Assistant State's Attorney Bill Engerman methodically summarized how Schmelzer bought a phone he thought couldn't be traced, loaded up an American Express gift card in order to avoid going into gas stations and asked a relative to rent a car for him while lying about his intended destination. Schmidt stressed the differences between what Schmelzer told police compared to his actions  documented in various ways  which contradicted him.

In one example, Schmelzer described a business dinner the night of July 17 at the Capitol Grille, a steakhouse he frequented regularly near his Frisco, Texas, home. However, the pre-paid American Express card was used to buy gas in Oklahoma before that supposed meal and again at a Downstate McDonald's around the time Schmelzer said he got home. Schmelzer's receipt proved to be a key point in the investigation, as he offered it up to police during an interview only to have it debunked by employees who testified Schmelzer didn't dine at the restaurant on July 17.

"Lie after lie after lie was uncovered," Schmidt said of the investigation. "Every time they fact-checked (Schmelzer's alibi), they turned up another lie."

Schmelzer's attorney, Joshua Dieden, attacked the prosecution's case on several points under the umbrella of a flawed investigation which targeted his client as part of a "rush to judgment." Dieden dismissed the notion Schmelzer's spending habits on prostitutes and alleged financial struggles didn't give him motive to kill his beloved grandmother. Dieden said Schmelzer even called Darrington a couple days before she died to say he'd be coming to visit her later in the week, which prompted Dieden to quip murderers don't announce their plans in advance.

"She doted on him and he adored her," Dieden told jurors. "They want to convict Rich ... on his lifestyle and his lies. Rich has no motive ... it makes no sense he would kill her."

Dieden suggested prosecutors offered a flawed circumstantial case which, among other things, didn't pinpoint when Darrington died, failed to do DNA testing on key pieces of evidence and generally relied on "incomplete" and "sloppy" police work.

He criticized police for not going far enough in their forensic investigation at the murder scene inside Darrington's home, choosing instead to "test a seat belt strap on a rental car in Texas."

"From the very start, they focused on Rich and Rich alone," Dieden said. "(Prosecutors) don't want you to consider options because it doesn't fit their theory. This case could have been really simple if they had done their jobs."

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Engerman countered sharply in his rebuttal by calling Schmelzer's attack on Darrington an "assassination." He also attacked Dieden's idea that Schmelzer would pay a late-night visit to his elderly grandmother on a secret trip where he didn't use cash or his own vehicle. Engerman asked jurors to consider closely the totality of motive evidence and how Schmelzer's own actions drew police to him as much as anything else.

"(Police) didn't have to look very far. He opened his mouth and the evidence came out," Engerman said. "This is no coincidence. This is the execution of a plan to kill his grandmother."

Engerman drove home his point one final time when he asked jurors to consider why the American Express card would be used fill up the rental car in West Dundee around 3 a.m. the morning Darrington was found dead.

"One inescapable conclusion is that he killed his grandmother," Engerman said.

Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Sticking up for Trump: This is for all the people still complaining about the election. Come on, people, give Donald Trump a chance. Count your blessings and support our president-elect. Do you have nothing better to do than pick on one man? Shame on you.

Perpetual parking: I'm calling about the abundance of automobiles in Aurora. I live on the East Side. My neighbor has a car that hasn't moved in over a year. He decided to use it to hold up his feeders for squirrels. I have another neighbor who hasn't moved his van in five years. They use it as a privacy van so nobody can see them. These vehicles never move.

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Scrimping on Social Security: How much longer can seniors make it financially when our government wastes millions of dollars a year but only gives seniors a one-third of 1 percent increase on our Social Security checks? They take money out of our checks when we're working and put it into a general fund to use for everything but only give us either measly increases or no increases. Our water bills are going up. What else will increase? Maybe the city of Elgin should give seniors a discount like Kane County does.

Crowded streets: I'm calling about the Aurora University neighborhood. They do need to put in a parking deck. There are way too many cars on the street even after they built the parking lot. They should create a parking deck.

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Kudos to Kaepernick: To all the people who have negative things to say about Colin Kaepernick, they should listen to the young man. He's not putting Fidel Castro on a pedestal. He talked about some of the good things Castro did that we should be doing here. For instance, we shouldn't have our kids coming out of college and paying the money back for the next 20 to 30 years. They should get college for free. We shouldn't have hungry people out on the street, and we should have universal health care, but all we care about is money. Castro was an infidel and a bad man, but he also did some things for his people. Who are we to judge? We must move forward and not backward. President Obama tried to move forward with Cuba. We had 50 years of embargo that never worked. We must be righteous when we say we're righteous.

No longer in the neighborhood: To those people calling in about neighborhood problems associated with Aurora University, I wouldn't take this issue too seriously. Most of the people who really cared about that neighborhood moved out long ago.

Registration verification: I have a voting registration question. You must be a citizen to register to vote. How does the county where you register verify that each person is a citizen? Do they take your word for it?

Bothered about bridge: I was crossing over the Indian Trail Bridge in Aurora. Each column at the top of the bridge is painted. There doesn't appear to be any structural need for this. It looks ridiculous. Then I remembered that this is Aurora and there is a politically active painters union.

Puzzled about Petraeus: Donald Trump is nominating David Petraeus for secretary of state. They talk about Hillary Clinton, but Petraeus is not much better. He gave his girlfriend secrets and displayed infidelity. I thought servicemen have a code of ethics. If you were caught cheating, at least when I was in the service, it meant an immediate court martial. Umm, go figure.

Do what is right: Donald Trump, for whatever reason, will be my president even though I did not vote for him. I would like to caution you that Trump is a savvy businessman. He is right now diverting attention to the voter recount to throw us off so we won't realize he still has control of all these businesses outside of the United States. That is not right. They made a big issue of where Hillary Clinton's money was coming from. I will support my president, but I want him to do what's right.

Kudos on photo: I'm calling regarding the Neighbor and Classified Section of photos and snapshots that people share. I love the one on Nov. 29. It would make an excellent book cover. There have also been many other interesting ones.

Fired up about hiring: Kane County has done well to freeze our property tax levy for five years. I agree with the caller who said to not raise taxes or hire 13 more bureaucrats. The hiring is not a countywide problem. Eleven of those 13 new people are in State's Attorney Joe McMahon's office, Public Defender Kelli Childress' office and Sheriff Don Kramer's department.

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List all candidates: This is in regards to the story about Dundee Township Supervisor Sue Harney planning to retire. The article only mentioned the people who are being backed by state Rep. Allan Skillicorn. It would have been nice to talk about the other Republican Party person running for Dundee Township road commissioner and the independent candidate running for supervisor. The article should include all candidates running so residents can make an educated decision on who should be running their township.

Stumped about Trump and Clinton: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are fighting a personal war, and millions of people are involved. We don't want to be involved. That's their problem if they can't get along.

Editor's note

Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, please tell us. Call us at 312-222-2460 or email couriernews@tribpub.com. Please include "speak out" in the subject line.
Panettone, an Italian raisin bread that is sold during the Christmas season, is among the popular holiday items available at Pasta Fresh on Harlem Avenue. (Maryann Pisano / Pioneer Press)

During the holiday season, many families gather to reflect and celebrate with their loved ones. These gatherings usually include large meals, and residents have been doing their shopping at local stores to prepare for the festive occasions.

Elmwood Park resident Cindy Velez said she likes to shop at Angelo Caputo's Fresh Markets in Elmwood Park for her holiday foods.

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"There are family members that we only see on Christmas," Velez said. "It's good just to see everybody."

Velez said that she likes shopping at Caputo's because she can purchase different foods for her family since she is Polish and her husband is Puerto Rican.

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Velez said she usually brings a cheesecake to her holiday dinner.

"I like the holidays because we eat a bunch of different foods," she said. "My daughter will pretty much try everything!"

Pasta Fresh, which is at 3418 N. Harlem Ave., sells different types of pastas and Italian favorites. Owner Anthony Bartucci said that Pasta Fresh has been open since 1988.

"For the holiday season, the No. 1 seller is rotolo," Bartucci said.

Bartucci explained that rotolo is pasta rolled up with fresh ricotta, mozzarella and Romano cheese and spinach.

"We do a lot of catering for Christmas Eve," Bartucci said. "We sell trays of vegetable, meat, cheese and spinach cheese lasagnas."

Bartucci also said that shoppers purchase the store's different types of pastas, such as fettuccine and ravioli. Bartucci said many families also purchase panettone, an Italian raisin bread that is sold during the Christmas season.

River Grove resident Tina Cunningham hosts a Christmas Day meal at her house and cooks for 17 people. She said she does most of her holiday grocery shopping at Caputo's since her granddaughter, Jackie, attends St. Celestine School.

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"It's so convenient for me," she said. "It's a big store, and I could find anything I need when I pick up Jackie from school."

For Christmas Day, Cunningham said she purchases ham, stuffing, potatoes, olives, cranberry sauce and hot rolls, and she makes lasagna. She said she also likes to buy ethnic foods at Caputo's to cook for her large Italian and Irish family.

"I want Jackie to have the same traditions that I did when I was growing up," she said. "I want her to realize that Christmas Day is not just about getting presents. It's about celebrating Jesus Christ and getting family together and sharing a meal."

Maryann Pisano is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
 Flash

A lorry ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine people and injuring 50 others, Berlin police have announced.

Police cordon off streets near the site of a lorry crash at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, Dec. 19, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

The truck drove over the sideway at Breitscheidplatz, a major public square near the location of the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, in the inner city of Berlin, the police tweeted.

According to witnesses, people screamed and ran desperately for shelter after the truck veered towards the crowd near the Christmas market.

According to the police, the passenger of the truck died on the spot, while a suspicious person was arrested near Breitscheidplatz following the incident. "Whether it is the driver of the truck, is currently under consideration," the police tweeted.

The motive of the incident remains unknown. Police have begun investigations which point to a possible terrorist attack.

Police have cordoned off the area near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and many police cars and ambulances are still in the area, according to a Xinhua reporter on the scene.

The police have also called on citizens in Berlin to stay at home and not to spread rumors.

The background of the incident is still unclear, the police added.

"We mourn the dead and hope that many injured people can be helped," German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted on Monday night.

A series of attacks occurred in Germany in this summer, raising concerns over the safety of the country in the fallout of refugee influx in recent years.
Cory's Project founder Michele Batz, second from left, front row, and longtime volunteers strike a pose that has become one of the symbols of the group, as they prepare to distribute 1,100 presents to patients at Children's Hospital in Wisconsin in Milwaukee on Dec. 10. Cory Batz of Winthrop Harbor died at age 16 in the hospital, and Cory's Project strives to help other patients there. Michele Batz said Cory began using the pose at an early age as a sign of strength and faith. - Original Credit: courtesy of Zee Lacson, Zshots Photography (Zee Lacson, Zshots Photography)

Cory Batz, of Winthrop Harbor, died of cancer at 16 in 2012, but in a very tangible way his legacy has kept growing every year since.

Inspired by their son's courage and growth during his short but fierce fight with blood cancer, his parents started Cory's Project, a public charity organization that provides financial help and thousands of gifts to other children fighting their own battles at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where Cory died.

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The hallmark event of Cory's Project is the annual delivery of Christmas presents to patients in the HOT (Hematology, Oncology and Transplant) Unit at Children's Hospital. But, in a few short years, it has grown to provide year-round support to the unit's patients and their families.

"We were watching the (2012) Olympics and, out of the blue, he says, 'If it doesn't work out, don't worry about me. I'll be in heaven. And if I do die, don't let it ruin your life,'" Cory's mother Michele said. "My pastor said God was talking through him."

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In addition to being struck by her son's maturity, Batz took it as a message. And while the death of their only child certainly shook the lives of Michele and her husband Dale, it didn't shake their faith. Although both still work, they threw their energy into creating something positive from Cory's life  improving the lives of those still fighting in the HOT Unit.

Batz said Cory first got sick with flu-like symptoms at age 15 in January 2012. He was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, turned 16 in the hospital on June 13, 2012, and died six weeks later.

In the interim, doctors tried chemotherapy treatment and, for a while, it looked as if the cancer was disappearing, Michele Batz said, but that was not the case. His deterioration was fast enough that planned bone marrow transplants never took place, even though he staged a strong rally after initially landing in intensive care.

Dale, Cory and Michele Batz of Winthrop Harbor at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in 2012 when Cory was fighting blood cancer. His parents continue to help children and their families at the hospital through Cory's Project.- Original Credit: courtsey of Batz family (by Flashes of Hope 2012 / HANDOUT)

Batz said that as Cory spent that spring in the hospital, he must have realized he had everything to look forward to, including plans to start driving that summer, but as reality sank in, "He never threw a pity party."

Even after she watched her 6-foot-1 son drop from a weight of 165 to 115 pounds, Batz said Cory, "Batzman" to his friends, accepted what was happening with grace beyond his years

"I kept waiting for him to explode, but it never happened," she said. "He turned into a man when he was up there (in Milwaukee). He taught me a lot."

Half a year after Cory's death, Cory's Project delivered its first batch of gifts to Children's Hospital, and it has averaged about 1,000 gifts a year since.

Each year for the Christmas event, a Cory's Project Wrapping Party is held in downtown Zion. Volunteers collect and wrap presents for the patients in the Children's Hospital HOT Unit and then drive in a caravan up to the hospital to deliver the gifts.

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"When we take the gifts up to the HOT Unit, the joy of the crew that comes with us is amazing," Michele Batz said.

The gifts were delivered this year on Dec. 10 by Michele Batz and several longtime volunteers. It was a record effort  1,100 wrapped presents delivered.

"This was the biggest amount we've had," Batz said after the gifts were delivered. "It just keeps growing, which is wonderful."

Cory's Project also provides about $1,400 to $1,600 monthly to families of patients in the HOT Unit, usually in the form of Visa gift cards, gas cards and other practical and flexible tools for families who find themselves suddenly struggling to provide bedside support to a seriously ill child.

Michele Batz, Cory's mother and founder of Cory's Project. (By Jim Newton / Lake County News-Sun)

Batz said it has not been hard to find volunteers and donors, from the roughly 100 people who make up the core of Cory's Project to others who help annually or whenever they can. They are Cory's friends and schoolmates, family members and work connections, and the Winthrop Harbor, Zion and Beach Park community in general.

People who didn't know Cory or the Batz family have gotten involved too.

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"People connect. They think if that can happen to someone else, it could happen to my kids," Batz said.

Although Christmas is still hard for Michele and Dale Batz, it is getting a bit easier every year, she said.

"Cory is still front and center on our Christmas tree, and it's a happier time than it was," she said.

Michele Batz said her husband told her that Cory had said maybe he could help other kids get through ordeals such as his. "And that's what you're doing," Dale told her.

She said she plans to retire from her job as a physical education teacher at Kenneth Murphy Elementary School in Beach Park in 2018.

"This will be my full-time job when I leave," she said of Cory's Project. She said she and her husband have "really gotten to know" the volunteers and workers at the hospital.

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"They are a second family," she said.

Those who wish to volunteer with or donate to Cory's Project can find more information on the Cory's Project page on Facebook and at www.corysproject.com.

jrnewton@tribpub.com

Twitter @jimnewton5
Ben Martindale is no stranger to cold. After all, the chief education officer for North Chicago Community Unit School District 187 grew up in rural Iowa.

But, when it comes to deciding whether to close schools  as he and school officials across Lake County had to do this weekend as Arctic conditions threatened Monday's return to classes  it is more than just temperature that area superintendents take into consideration.

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For example, in some cases, keeping schools open ensures the students are in a heated room and getting a proper lunch.

Martindale said he paid close attention Sunday night to weather forecasts, but ultimately decided to keep the school open. North Chicago Community High School has final exams this week, which he did not want to jeopardize.

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"But, at the same token, we are more concerned about the safety of the kids," he said. "School attendance on a day like (Monday) is down, which is expected. We tell our bus company to pick up any kid they see along their routes."

Waiting for the bus, walking to school or traveling in bad winter weather conditions can pose many obstacles on a day with negative windchill temperatures.

Temperatures hit minus 13 Monday near O'Hare International Airport at around 4 a.m., and reached minus 7 at around 7 a.m., when most children head to school. Nearly 270 schools closed around the Chicagoland area, including about 20 in Lake County, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Round Lake Area School District 116 and Wauconda School District 118 were the two largest school districts to close in Lake County.

Some districts had already let out for winter break. The Lake County Health Department does not play a role in providing guidelines for when a school should close, Leslie Piotrowski, communications manager, said, and each individual school sets its own guidelines for staying open.

Most schools do not have a set temperature threshold that they close at because of various factors, such as windchill and travel conditions.

For Martindale, he considers closing school when the windchill goes down to minus 30. He has only closed schools twice due to cold weather, but has closed more frequently due to snow. Snow days are evaluated in terms of whether buses can drive safely.

Martindale said most Lake County superintendents communicate a lot on and before bad weather days. He is against holding late starts to the day because that is tough on parents to find sitters for only part of the day, and he always decides whether he will cancel school by 5 a.m. to allow parents time enough to prepare.

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"I'm really careful, because it is really hard for parents to find child care at a moment's notice, and you don't want your children home alone," he said. "I'm very careful, especially in a city like North Chicago, where students might have parents who both work."

Each school has five built-in weather days, and schools can let out earlier for summer if those days go unused.

Waukegan District 60 spokesman Nick Alajakis said officials there do not have a temperature threshold, and instead look at weather trends and if the temperature will warm-up later in the day.

He said the district keeps in touch with the Waukegan Public Works Department to see how well-staffed they are, and what time they plan to begin plowing side streets, when deciding whether to cancel school due to snow.

"Oftentimes, for a lot of our students, school is the warmest place they are going to be," he said. "A lot of students come from different situations at home and it's not only a warm place, but for many of our students, unfortunately, the lunch or breakfast they receive at school is one of the better meals they'll receive during the course of the day. There are a lot of extra factors to keep in mind."

Round Lake spokeswoman Heather Bennett said the district closed school Monday despite the high school's final exams for a variety of reasons. A large population of students walk to school in the elementary boundaries, and many parents are at work and cannot drive students.

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"Even looking at last week's cold weather, we had really low attendance on Dec. 15, so looking at finals this week, we would rather have kids not come than have a large portion not attending and having to reschedule specific exams," she said.

When schools stay open during frigid days, parents can take steps to help keep their children safe.

Illinois Public Health Department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said any exposed skin can lead to hypothermia or frostbite, especially around the nose, ears, face and hands. She recommended children to be covered and wear mittens, hats and scarfs to cover areas a jacket can't.

Hypothermia takes place over a period of time ranging from a couple of days to weeks, when someone is in a temperature under 60 degrees for a continuous basis. For a child in a home under 60 to 65 degrees for several days, their body temperature may start to dip.

"If a person's internal body temperature goes below 95 degrees, that is when problems begin, and wind chill exacerbates that condition," Arnold said.

Megan Jones is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
SPRINGFIELD  Mark Janus is a David ready to take on a Goliath.

You've probably never heard of Mark. He's just an Ordinary Joe tucked away in a non-descript government building in Springfield. But soon his name may become well-known throughout the United States.

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He doesn't believe any government worker should be forced to pay money to a union that they don't agree with. So, he is suing the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees.

You see, Mark is represented by AFSCME against his will. In order to keep his job, he has to pay them a chunk of his paycheck.

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It's not fair. But it's just the way it is.

Earlier this year, a California teacher named Rebecca Friedrichs made the same argument before the U.S. Supreme Court.

I sat through the arguments. Based on the questions being asked by the justices, it looked like the majority of members of the high court agreed with her.

And then Justice Antonin Scalia died.

The court ended up deadlocked with a 4-4 vote and failed to issue an opinion.

So whoever President Donald Trump appoints to replace Scalia will likely cast the deciding vote.

Trump has said he will appoint someone sharing the views of Scalia. And the next case in the queue is Janus', which is pending before the U.S. Seventh Court of Appeals.

Jacob Huebert, the Chicago-based attorney for Janus, said he anticipates losing before that court, but is pushing the case because they want the U.S. Supreme Court to consider it. Huebert leads the Liberty Justice Center, a non-profit law firm pushing free-market causes.

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Considering it only takes four justices to put a case before the high court, and four justices voted with Friedrichs, it's likely Janus will be the next case considered.

If the high court rules in his favor, anyone who works for any unit of local, state or federal government anywhere in the United States would no longer have to pay unions anything.

They could choose to, but they wouldn't have to.

Why just government workers? Because everything government does is political.

And, in political matters, free speech is paramount.

Chief Justice John Roberts asked the California solicitor general, who argued against Friedrichs' position, to give an example of "non-political speech" that the union negotiates at the bargaining table.

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The example David Frederick, a lawyer for unions involved in the case, gave was mileage reimbursement rates.

Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

But Roberts countered that even that constitutes political speech because it deals with how tax dollars should be spent.

"Everything that is collectively bargained with the government is within the political sphere," added Scalia.

In half of the states, workers are already protected from compulsory unionism.

But in states like Illinois, New York and California, which lack right-to-work laws, if Janus prevails before the high court it would give government workers in all states the freedom to choose whether to give their money to a union.

No one should be forced to fund a group they don't agree with.

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And every worker should be free to choose.

Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist. He works as a freelance reporter in the Springfield area and can be reached at ScottReeder1965@gmail.com.
We sat down with Rick Bayless, who just opened adjoining restaurants Cruz Blanca and Lena Brava in the West Loop, to ask him about the challenges of bringing Oaxacan tacos to Chicago, his love of sushi, and the cookbooks he likes to read. (Roger Morales / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

What happens when you ask 50 Chicago-area food pros to name the best thing they ate this year? You end up with a list of must-try places to keep you busy tasting all through next year. We checked in with some of Chicago's top chefs to get the scoop and we promise you'll be checking this list twice  and likely a few more times after that.

Greg Biggers

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Executive Chef, Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile and Cafe des Architectes in Chicago

Best meal: Smoked Oyster Chowder

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Restaurant: Fat Rice, 2957 W. Diversey Pkwy., Chicago; www.EatFatRice.com

The skinny: "It was the middle of the summer when Chef Abraham sent out this very surprising dish. Hot soup in August? It was perfect! The oysters were plump and smoked flawlessly. The potatoes were cooked to perfection and the broth was super delicious with just a hint of spicy to get the blood moving."

Patrick Rhea

Owner, Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in Willowbrook

Best meal: Perry's Famous Pork Chop

Restaurant: Perry's Steakhouse and Grille, 5 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook; www.PerrysSteakhouse.com

The skinny: "It's this seven-finger pork chop that has been cured, roasted, smoked and then glazed, carmelized and carved tableside. It's magnificent! The eyelash or the lip of this monstrous chop is the absolute best part. And then there are the bones. Meaty, tender and succulent it is all that you can do to finish these bones. Then you still have the loin which always goes home with me. This chop paired with the warm spinach and bacon salad and the sweet sriracha brussel sprouts and you have a meal fit for a king! Actually a king and queen because there is so much food."

Erling Wu-Bower

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Chef de Cuisine, Nico Osteria in Chicago

Best meal: Pineapple Aguachile

Restaurant: Lena Brava, 900 W. Randolph St., Chicago; www.RickBayless.com/restaurants/lena-brava/

The skinny: "Course after course was a shocker, but the pineapple was the star. When it comes out, you kinda think, 'Come on, pineapple?' but then you eat it and just realize that you are in the hands of someone way cooler than you, and you stop asking questions and just enjoy."

Nancy Brussat

Founder/Partner/Executive Chef, Convito Cafe & Market in Wilmette

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Best meal: Tostadas de Ceviche, Enchiladas Poblanas and Ceviche

Restaurant: Guanajuato, 73 Green Bay Road, Glencoe; www.MyGuanajuato.com

The skinny: "The Tostadas de Ceviche are open-faced tortillas with ceviche, tomato, onion, cilantro, avocado and jalapeno. The Enchiladas Poblanas are three shredded chicken enchiladas covered with a mole poblano sauce. They are served with rice and beans and garnished with pickled onions and sesame seeds. There are many unrefined, boring enchiladas out there. These have rich mole sauce (hard to find!) and delicious, moist, shredded chicken inside. Even the rice and beans are high end, perfectly done. The ceviche is such a refreshing, classic, flavorful dish. You can tell the ceviche is super fresh, and on top of the homemade tortillas, the cool, zingy ceviche is a great balance to the savory tortillas. They use the best ingredients."

Jim Mullen

Founder, Good Guys Apples & Sauce in Chicago

Best meal: Bang Bang Shrimp

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Restaurant: Bonefish Grill, 9310 Skokie Blvd., Skokie; www.BonefishGrill.com/locations/il/skokie

The skinny: "It's one of my favorite appetizers."

Chef de cuisine Ryan Pfeiffer makes a poached lobster appetizer. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Ryan Pfeiffer

Chef de Cuisine, Blackbird in Chicago

Best meal: Dungeness Crab

Restaurant: Smyth, 177 N. Ada St., Chicago; www.SmythAndTheLoyalist.com/Smyth

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The skinny: "I've had many excellent meals this year, so it is hard to choose just one. One that comes to mind was at Smyth  Dungeness crab with foie gras poached in seawater with scrambled kani miso. I have never had poached foie gras, nor have I even thought about it. John Shields and Nick Romero are doing some seriously awesome things at Smyth. Being inspired by the things other chefs are doing is incredibly motivational."

Julie Warpinski

Chef de Cuisine, Big Star in Chicago

Best meal: Roasted Turnips

Restaurant: Bad Hunter, 802 W. Randolph St., Chicago; www.BadHunter.com

The skinny: "Dan (Snowden) is a great friend and amazing chef. My entire meal was delicious, but the real stand out was the roasted turnips dish with sesame, shoyu butter and crispy bacon-radish croutons. Dan managed to turn a not-so-popular vegetable into a dish people crave and want to order."

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Paul Virant

Executive Chef and Owner, Vie Restaurant in Western Springs, Perennial Virant in Chicago and Vistro in Hinsdale

Best meal: The house-made plin filled with la tur, with a sauce of butter and thyme

Restaurant: Osteria Langhe, 2824 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago; www.OsteriaLanghe.com

The skinny: "La Tur cheese is a cow, sheep and goats milk cheese that is like Brie from the Piedmont region. It is rich and creamy with just the right amount of tang. This created a perfect filling for a sublime hand-pinched ravioli with just butter and fresh thyme. It was unreal!"

Perry Hendrix

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Chef de Cuisine, avec in Chicago

Best meal: Pastrami Trout, Kimchi Schmear, Fennel Salad

Restaurant: Snaggletooth, 2819 N. Southport Ave., Chicago; www.SnaggletoothChicago.com

The skinny: "It's what bagels, lox and cream cheese wants to be when it grows up. Can't go wrong with any of the seriously delicious cured fish  the best I've had."

David Bacso

General Manager, Kuma's Corner in Chicago

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Best meal: Gnocchi, One-Hour Hen Egg, Gumbo, Chow Chow, Mushroom

Restaurant: Longman & Eagle, 2657 N. Kedzie Ave., Chicago; www.LongmanAndEagle.com

The skinny: "Cleaned my plate. Flavors were delicious. Complementing the dish were the fantastic cocktails and staff."

Bar Siena chef Fabio Viviani, author of "Fabio's American Home Kitchen." (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Fabio Viviani

Executive Chef, Siena Tavern in Chicago

Best meal: Bao to the Pork sandwich

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Restaurant: Pork & Mindy's, 1623 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago; www.PorkAndMindys.com

The skinny: "I tell you, the man (Jeff Mauro) gets it right when making sandwiches. He takes pork shoulder and tops off the sandwich with ingredients like cucumber and jalapeno relish and mixes it with an Asian plum sauce on a bao bun. Plus, you must add a side of tots. I crave this sandwich at least once a week."

Rick Bayless

Chef, Frontera Restaurants

Best meal: All of the pasta dishes

Restaurant: Monteverde, 1020 W. Madison St., Chicago; www.MonteverdeChicago.com

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The skinny: "For me, homemade pasta is dreamy. Cook it with love, and serve it in a super-cool setting, and you have some of Chicago's greatest Italian dishes."

Rhea Brown

Executive Chef, The Lucky Monk in South Barrington

Best meal: Ahi Tuna Salad and Kamachi

Restaurant: Toro Sushi, 2546 N. Clark St., Chicago; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toro-Sushi/120280247983421

The skinny: "Can't go wrong with any of Mitch's Specialty Rolls, but a couple of my favorites are Ahi Tuna Salad and Kamachi. This has been our favorite place to eat in the city for the last 10 years. The owner Mitch, is kind and welcoming, you will always find him behind the counter rolling sushi and saying hello to everyone that walks in the door. The sushi is always fresh, imaginative and top-notch. Added bonus: we bonded over his love of reggae music, I was born and raised in Jamaica."

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David Farkas

Chef, Umami Burger in Chicago

Best meal: The Woody Allen (half corned beef, half pastrami sandwich on nice Jewish Rye) with a bowl of Grandma's matzo ball soup

Restaurant: Eleven City Diner, 1112 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago; www.elevencitydiner.com/home

The skinny: "It reminds me of being back home in Cleveland. I haven't been back home in 16 or 17 years now. It reminds me of going to my grandparents house and them taking me to the Jewish deli down the street."

Jose Garces

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Chef/Chairman, Garces Group (Chicago's Mercat and Rural Society)

Best meal: A Meaty Legend deep-dish pie, and a thin crust Chi-Italian Stallion pizza

Restaurant: Gino's East, 162 E. Superior St, Chicago; www.ginoseast.com

The skinny: "When I was a young teen, I remember going on my first date, and I brought the gal to Gino's East. I was so worried about having enough money to pay the tip at the end of the night, and whether my date would enjoy the experience. The date was a success, and I was able to take care of the waiter with just enough left over to take the CTA back to drop her off at home. It was really great to bring my kids there and to tell them this story and to reminisce about all the graffiti (on the restaurant walls)."

John Hogan

Chef, River Roast in Chicago

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Best meal: Pan-fried veal meatballs with insalata tricolore and house-made gardiniere

Restaurant: Rocco's Little Italy, 7907 W. 159th St., Tinley Park; www.RoccosLittleItaly.net

The skinny: "My wife and I had just returned from a trip to Italy. We went to Rocco's. We have always enjoyed the restaurant, however after dining in small family restaurants in Italy, I was looking at Rocco's through a different lens. Rocco's brother Anthony was not only the chef, but also ran the food from the kitchen. Rocco was tending bar and doing table visits, knowing everybody's name as well as their kids. A consummate host. When I asked for a recommendation, he suggested a dish of his mother's from his childhood. The crispy yet succulent meatballs along with bitter greens and house-made gardiniere  simple as can be yet delicious. What made this so special was not only the dish but the experience, the influence of Rocco's mother's cooking and the fact that his father was the legendary restaurateur Artie G, who Rocco learned the business from."

Rob Sidor

Executive Chef, Bohemian House in Chicago

Best meal: Quail Egg Raviolo with Parmesan Cream and Truffle

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Restaurant: Schwa, 1466 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago; www.SchwaRestaurant.com

The skinny: "I've had a lot of outstanding meals and dishes over the past year that I've been in Chicago, so it's tough to pick just one. But the single bite that really left me wanting more was the Quail Egg Raviolo at Schwa. It's super decadent, flawlessly executed, and the egg bursts perfectly on your palate. I could have eaten a hundred more."

Sarah Grueneberg

Chef/Partner, Monteverde Restaurant in Chicago and Pastificio in Highwood

Best meal: Buttered Pipe Pasta & Clams, Green Chili Ragout, assorted limes

Restaurant: Roister, 951 W. Fulton Market, Chicago; www.RoisterRestaurant.com

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The skinny: "The texture of this dish is amazing! When they finish the pasta, they toss in finger lime and tobiko, which adds pops of texture and a fresh zing of lime. It excites the palate."

Cosmo Goss

Executive Chef, The Publican family (Publican Anker, The Publican, Publican Tavern, Publican Quality Meats) in Chicago

Best meal: Pineapple Aguachile with goat cheese and salsa macha

Restaurant: Lena Brava, Lena Brava, 900 W. Randolph St., Chicago; www.RickBayless.com/restaurants/lena-brava/

The skinny: "It's insane. I'm not sure I've ever had anything that sounded so odd and tasted so good. I mean, that whole restaurant is amazing, and I'm very mad at Rick Bayless for that."

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David van Alphen

Founder/ President, SuckerPunch Gourmet in Countryside

Best meal: Lobster Ravioli

Restaurant: Sapori Trattoria, 2701 N. Halsted St., Chicago; www.SaporiTrattoria.net

The skinny: "I love seafood and have had lobster ravioli at many places but none have tasted this good. Not overly sweet and perfectly seasoned. I used the fresh bread to mop up every drop of the sauce."

Mark Hellyar

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Chef/Partner, Momotaro in Chicago

Best meal: Tasting menu

Restaurant: Boka, 1729 N. Halsted St., Chicago; www.BokaChicago.com

The skinny: "Overall, my best meal of 2016 was a tasting menu over the summer from Chef Lee Wolen at Boka where every dish always delivers. My favorite Boka dish is basically any variation of duck they are serving. Lee is passionate about his duck so there is no going wrong with this choice.

Chef Stephanie Izard explains the inspiration behind her West Loop Chinese restaurant, Duck Duck Goat. (Chicago Tribune)

Stephanie Izard

Chef/Owner, Duck Duck Goat, Little Goat, Girl & the Goat in Chicago

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Best meal: Squash Ravioli

Restaurant: Monteverde, 1020 W. Madison St., Chicago; www.MonteverdeChicago.com

The skinny: "I was walking home from work early this fall and stopped by my friend Sarah's restaurant to sit outside with my son, Ernie, and ordered the squash ravioli. Sarah just makes the most delicious pasta. The raviolis are rolled to order because the pasta is so delicate and perfect."

Gene Kato

Chef/Owner, Sumi Robata Bar in Chicago

Best meal: Kalbi  Korean Barbequed Beef Short Ribs

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Restaurant: Cho Sun OK Restaurant, 4200 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago; www.ChoSunOKRestaurant.com

The skinny: "Perfect balance of sweet, savory, salty and tender. One of my first meals in Chicago 16 years ago and has remained consistent through the years."

Mark Grosz

Chef/Owner, Oceanique Restaurant in Evanston

Best meal: Wagyu beef from Miyazaki, Japan

Restaurant: Roka Akor, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie; www.RokaAkor.com

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The skinny: "Grilled to perfection and succulent. Served simply with smoked, green tea and truffle salts. Melted in our mouths. Celebrating our son, Miles, getting his first car."

Nancy Burhop

President, Burhop's Seafood in Hinsdale

Best meal: Small Plates at the Friends of Evanston Farmers Market Fete

Restaurant: Found Kitchen & Social House, 1631 Chicago Ave., Evanston; www.FoundKitchen.com

The skinny: "Delicious farm-fresh locally grown foods and very talented local chefs. Some of my favorite small plates from the dinner were a perfectly grilled Berkshire pork steak with peaches on a bed of Asian greens by Brian Huston of Boltwood. Goat cheese-stuffed squash blossoms with fresh corn, marinated rock shrimp and shishito peppers by chefs D'Andre Carter and Heather Bublick of Feast & Imbibe. Chef Nicole Pederson of Found provided a fabulous focaccia with marinated summer squash, ricotta cheese and pickled blueberry and squash blossom relish. Because each chef makes just one dish, they go all-out to make it wonderful. Nothing like a little friendly competition in the room! Can't wait for next year."

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Giuseppe Tentori

Chef/Owner, GT Prime and GT Fish & Oyster in Chicago

Best meal: Maitake Casarecce with Smoked Ricotta and Toasted Chili

Restaurant: The Loyalist, 177 N. Ada St. #101, Chicago; swww.SmythAndTheLoyalist.com/the-loyalist

The skinny: "Chef John Shields is a good friend and I have always enjoyed his cooking  his menu at The Loyalist is delicious."

Ellen King

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Co-Owner and Head Baker, Hewn in Evanston

Best meal: Appetizer  Tomato and Onion Tart. Salad  Tableside-tossed salad. Main Course  Filet Mignon.

Restaurant: The Barn, Rear 1016, Church St., Evanston; www.TheBarnEvanston.com

The skinny: "Eating here is like traveling back in time. It starts with walking down the alley and entering a side door into the old stable. And I felt like I was already way hipper than I am by entering the door. I first ordered a glass of red wine and then ordered the little gem salad that was tossed table side. The filet mignon was perfectly cooked and served on the bone with a red wine sauce so the flavor was rich, delicious and I finished everything on my plate. You have to check out The Barn! It's a great escape from the modern era."

Jennifer Eisen, a former personal assistant to Stephanie Izard, is a co-owner of House 406 in Northbrook. (Alexandra Chachkevitch/Chicago Tribune)

Jennifer Eisen

Proprietor/General Manager, House 406 in Northbrook

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Best meal: Vegetable Fried Rice

Restaurant: Duck Duck Goat, 857 W. Fulton Market, Chicago; www.DuckDuckGoatChicago.com

The skinny: "I ordered the vegetable fried rice from the takeout window at Duck Duck Goat for lunch and received the most incredible fried rice I have ever had. The rice was in crispy chunks that had been cooked with or doused with some amazing umami vinaigrette. The sliced chilies on top added a mild spice and the fresh torn mint and cilantro on top brightened the entire dish. But what I did not expect and have never had before with fried rice was the awesome citrus and spicy aioli that added the greatest flavor and texture. I get hungry again just thinking about it."

Lee Wolen

Chef/Partner, Boka in Chicago

Best meal: Skate Schnitzel

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Restaurant: Monteverde, 1020 W. Madison St., Chicago; www.MonteverdeChicago.com

The skinny: "It's an amazing, crunchy fish. I think it's the best fried fish ever but it's also super elevated. Chef Sarah Grueneberg serves it with cream which creates a great balance of sweet and salty components."

Barry Sorkin

Owner, Smoque BBQ in Chicago

Best meal: Grilled Skirt Steak Envuelto

Restaurant: El Maya, 1522 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, www.elmaya.us

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The skinny: "For me, it's hard to beat a great skirt steak and that's what this is. Nicely charred, intensely beefy and juicy, and served with a spicy arbol sauce, cilantro potatoes and sauteed mushrooms.

Art Smith

Owner/Chef, Chef Art Smith Company

Best meal: Tea Brine Smoked Pork Chop

Restaurant: Farmhouse Chicago, 228 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago; www.FarmhouseChicago.com

The skinny: "Emily Kraszyk is the chef there. Her Tea Brine Smoke Pork Chop is the best meal I had all year. She used to work for us at Table 52. She is very talented and I love that Chef Emily is an alum of mine. I am a proud Papi Chef!"

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Bill Kim

Chef, Urbanbelly, BellyQ, Belly Shack in Chicago

Best meal: Bolognese Pasta

Restaurant: Giant, 3209 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago; www.GiantRestaurant.com

The skinny: "It's always a humble pasta dish that wins me over. And, that's just what happened during my meal at Giant. Chef Jason Vincent's menu hits every note of taste, texture and flavors and the Bolognese course was exceptional! Rustic, rich and perfectly cooked handmade pasta shells. The portion size is just right, leaving you room to work your way through the rest of his exciting menu."

Leonard Hollander

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Chef/Partner, Arbor in Chicago

Best meal: Chicken Pad Thai, Medium Spicy

Restaurant: Thai Aree House, 3592 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

The skinny: "It was the first dish that my 2-year-old son ever ordered in a restaurant on his own, and it was a complete grand slam. Just the right savory-ness, along with sweet, smoky, and perfectly cooked noodles. He ate most of it with chopsticks, with a couple of breaks to dance out his excitement in the aisle. It was easily my most memorable meal in a really, really long time. I'm excited to share this one, one of my true faves!"

Fabio Capparelli

Executive Chef, Rosebud Restaurants

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Best meal: Cebiche Tanta

Restaurant: Tanta Chicago, 118 W. Grand Ave., Chicago; www.TantaChicago.com

The skinny: "My wife and I went to Tanta Chicago for our anniversary. This Peruvian restaurant really knows how to make the flavor and culture of Peru come alive. The Cebiche Tanta has scallops and shrimp with a creamy rocoto-aji amarillo sauce. The citrus taste was very balanced along with the spices. The flavors of this meal are right on with what you would eat in Peru."

Michael Ciapciak

Owner, Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits in Chicago

Best meal: Small plates (oysters, Bing Bread, sesame leaves) and whatever the banchan or pickles of the week happen to be

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Restaurant: Parachute Restaurant, 3500 N. Elston Ave., Chicago; www.ParachuteRestaurant.com

The skinny: "I likely visited Parachute the most out of any of my favorite restaurants in 2016 (Giant, La Sirena Clandestina, Mott Street, Coal Fire, Lula Cafe, Honey Butter Fried Chicken) and under many different circumstances  with my wife; with my kids; out of town visitors; with my sibling(s); and with close friends. Every visit provided something new and fresh and crave-able, but I never failed to start with the decadent Bing Bread with Sour Cream Butter; the crispy sesame leaves; bright oysters and the insane pickles or banchan which tend to vary every visit. Though it is a nationally recognized restaurant that is deserving of every accolade it has received, it is not too far from my home and for that reason acts as a neighborhood spot. The team is super welcoming and knowledgeable and the food is innovative and new yet somehow comforting and familiar at the same time. I look forward to returning before I am finished with dinner."

Nicole Pederson

Chef/Partner, Found and The Barn in Evanston

Best meal: Pan Seared Shad Roe

Restaurant: Cafe Marie-Jeanne, 1001 N. California Ave., Chicago; www.Cafe-Marie-Jeanne.com

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The skinny: "Pan-seared lobes of shad roe on crisp house-made bread. So creamy and delicious. However, it is just one of many things I ate that night at Cafe Marie-Jeanne. We drank bottles of pet-nat, ate a whole wheel of Winnimere cheese, had a beautiful early spring vegetable cordite, then watercress and green almond soup, steak tartare, crispy fried soft-shell crab and finally, smoked chicken. It is a very special restaurant where the chef cooks with true passion for what he is doing and you can taste it in every bite."

John Coletta

Executive Chef/Managing Partner, Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar in Chicago

Best meal: Bucatini Carbonara

Restaurant: Nonnina, 340 N. Clark St., Chicago; www.NonninaChicago.com

The skinny: "This pasta preparation was perfectly executed. The flavors were vibrant, fresh and crisp. The simplicity of this dish is often over looked and rarely executed to this level. The pasta was perfectly made and cooked to the al dente stage and then tossed with pancetta, Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) pecorino, freshly ground black pepper and topped with an organic egg yolk."

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Gale Gand

Pastry Chef/Partner, Tru, maker of Gale's Root Beer

Best meal: Linguine and clams

Restaurant: Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood; www.MiramarBistro.com

The skinny: "Chef Gabe Viti's is the most delicious version of linguine and clams I've ever had and I've had a lot of them. His has fresh little neck clams just popped open, wilted spinach, and roasted grape tomatoes, and perfectly cooked el dente handmade linguine, along with a garlicy broth that should be sopped up with his stellar artisan bread basket selection. It's served in an iron casserole and is just a special occasion when it hits the table. Have it with a glass of chilled rose. I keep going back for it year and after year."

John Manion, chef and proprietor of El Che Bar in West Loop. (Neil Burger / Chicago Tribune)

John Manion

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Chef/Owner, La Sirena Clandestina in Chicago

Best meal: Cote de Boeuf

Restaurant: Le Bouchon, 1958 N. Damen Ave., Chicago; www.LeBouchonOfChicago.com

The skinny: "First, I have been going to Bouchon for 20 plus years, and when I'm in that space there's nowhere I would rather be. Secondly, although I know it's a pain, Oliver and the kitchen staff have never once flinched at cooking it au poivre for me (steak au poivre, in my opinion, is one on the finest dishes ever known to mankind). Thirdly, the frites are, and this is no hyperbole, perfect. Last but not least, we lost a friend, mentor, and giant in the culinary world this year when [chef/restaurateur] Jean Claude [Poilevey] passed. Although he is missed every day, sitting in that tiny, warm dining room enjoying wine, food, good friends and life itself is exactly what he would have wanted."

Lupe Mendieta

Head Chef, Max & Benny's in Northbrook

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Best meal: Carne Asada

Restaurant: Uncle Julio's Mexican Restaurant, 4999 Old Orchard Shop Center, East Ring Road, Skokie; www.UncleJulios.com/locations/skokie/

The skinny: "The skirt steak is grilled to perfection, very flavorful and tender and seared to impart a wonderful charred flavor. The tortillas are very fresh as they are made there every day. The whole meal feels like back home in Mexico and eating carne asada the way my mother made it."

Louie Alexakis

Chef/Owner, Avli Restaurant and Rotisserie in Winnetka

Best meal: Chopped Brisket Sandwich, Hand-cut Fries, Peach Cobbler

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Restaurant: Smoque BBQ, 3800 N. Pulaski Road, Chicago; www.SmoqueBBQ.com

The skinny: "BBQ is my go-to comfort food. Brisket done right is a perfect blend of tastes and textures. Smoque is my usual quick stop when I am heading to the city. If food was something you wore, it's like an old flannel shirt or a warm blanket. Add the hand-cut fries and peach cobbler and all I need is a fireplace and a good book."

Darren McGraw

Chef/Owner, Ampersand Wine Bar in Chicago

Best meal: Burgers

Restaurant: Beard & Belly, 1612 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago; www.facebook.com/BeardandBelly/

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The skinny: "My girlfriend and I eat here at least once each month as it always wins out when we're deciding where to go when we actually get a babysitter. It's located within the Longroom Bar and their partnership is genius. The burgers though! I love a great burger, and often even the highly touted ones are under seasoned. The Beard & Belly burger is well seasoned and they make in-house gardiniere, spicy remoulade and the fries! I forgot about their fries  gah! They're perfect, thin, crispy with just enough soft pillow-y insides and salty. And then you're sitting at the bar in Longroom with a pint of some stellar draughts."

Eusebio Garcia

Chef, Mesa Urbana in Northbrook

Best meal: Caldo De Piedra

Restaurant: Lena Brava, 900 W. Randolph St., Chicago; www.RickBayless.com/restaurants/lena-brava/

The skinny: "The Caldo De Piedra is served in a stone crock, tableside. The corn broth is poured in front of the guests for a beautiful presentation. The freshness and quality of all the ingredients is amazing and they're very healthy and chock full of flavor."

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Nathaniel Judson

Chef, Frasca Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Chicago

Best meal: Ramen

Restaurant: High Five Ramen, 112 N. Green St. Chicago; www.HighFiveRamen.com

The skinny: "I was taken here by a few other chefs after working an event nearby. Walked into this small space and (luckily) we got seats right at the bar. The ramen was just amazing, perfect after a long day. The flavor and spice of the broth and the texture of the noodle and pork belly, blown away. Then I cracked the egg and it got even better."

Margarita Challenger

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Executive Chef/Owner, Guanajuato Contemporary Mexican & Tequila Bar in Glencoe

Best meal: Chengdu Dan Dan Noodle Soup and Shrimp and Chive Dumpling

Restaurant: Katy's Dumpling House, 665 N. Cass Ave., Westmont; www.KatysDumpling.com

The skinny: "The Dan Dan soup is absolutely delicious. The noodles are homemade and they are tasty without being salty. The Spicy Stir Fry Noodles are great too. It's like going to my friend's Chinese home for soup. It's a small mom and pop shop but every time I've been there, it's been packed. The locals obviously know where to find great Chinese."

Rebecca Zuckerman, pastry chef at Seven Lions in Chicago and Terra & Vine in Evanston said the best thing she ate this year was the cassoulet at Maude's Liquor Bar. (Rebecca Zuckeman)

Rebecca Zuckerman

Pastry Chef, Seven Lions in Chicago and Terra & Vine in Evanston

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Best meal: Cassoulet

Restaurant: Maude's Liquor Bar, 840 W. Randolph St., Chicago; www.MaudesLiquorBar.com

The skinny: "This was by far my favorite thing that I ate this year, and possibly over the past few years, because of how comforting it is. It is a traditional French dish that consists of a rich white bean stew, with tomatoes, carrots, bacon, pork belly, garlic sausage, duck confit and bone marrow all topped with toasty, sourdough breadcrumbs. So yes, it is a little gluttonous, but we're going into the cold season so I feel a little better about indulging!"

Edward Kim

Chef, Ruxbin and Mott Street in Chicago

Best meal: Brunch (haddock roe, fluffy omelet, homemade bread)

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Restaurant: Cafe Marie-Jeanne, 1001 N. California Ave., Chicago; www.Cafe-Marie-Jeanne.com

The skinny: "The entire brunch was wonderful, turning a once cranky, tired man into a person that was happily sedated and serene. The quality of the roe was incredibly fresh, creamy, and reminiscent of the sea. Cooked simply in brown butter, paired with wonderful homemade bread, and a pillow-y, soft omelet. To the chagrin of my wife I think I may have developed a serious man-crush."

Michael Lachowicz

Chef, Restaurant Michael and George Trois in Winnetka

Best meal: Assorted charcuterie platter

Restaurant: Owen & Engine, 2700 N. Western Ave., Chicago; www.OwenAndEngine.com

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The skinny: "Made me feel like I was back in Lyon! Beautiful textures in the forcemeats and delicious house-made accompaniments including pickled onions and perfect crusty bread. Exceptional technique and flavor."

Angelyne Canicosa

Pastry Chef, Vie in Western Springs and Vistro in Hinsdale

Best meal: Crispy pata (pork shank), beef kare kare (peanut and oxtail stew), chicken inasal (calamansi, soy and vinegar marinated, coal-grilled chicken) and more...

Restaurant: Kawayan, 4859 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

The skinny: "I chose this meal because it's truly authentic Filipino home-style cooking. It's not fussy or trying to be anything that it really isn't. Rich flavors are complemented by bright acidity. Everything is so well-balanced and satisfying. The dishes at Kawayan remind me of my grandmother's cooking and also of the simple roadside eateries you can find everywhere in the Philippines."

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Brian Huston

Chef, Boltwood in Evanston

Best meal: Corned Beef Hash

Restaurant: Tre Kronor, 3258 W. Foster Ave., Chicago; www.TreKronorRestaurant.com

The skinny: "Best meal of 2016? Of course, that's easy: the corned beef hash at Tre Kronor. My wife Chrissy and I go to Tre on Monday mornings when Boltwood is closed. I've had the corned beef hash twice over the last year so I can say it's consistent and well-seasoned. The potatoes are diced fine so you could eat them with a spoon. I get it with eggs over easy and I squeeze the ceremonial orange twist over the plate to give it a little acid. I'd be hard pressed to find a better breakfast in Chicago."
The recently updated liquor license code at Lake Zurich now allows for sampling and retail sales at craft distilleries, such as Copper Fiddle Distillery located in the village. (Copper Fiddle Distillery / Handout)

After months of review, Lake Zurich officials recently made sweeping changes to streamline an unwieldy liquor code for local businesses and residents, village officials said.

Earlier this month, Lake Zurich trustees officially eliminated 10 liquor-license classifications, simplified others and expanded some sales categories. The changes now allow gas stations and convenience stores to sell any type of alcohol, and a new category could help attract brew pubs, village officials said.

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The previous iteration of the liquor code was pieced together haphazardly since the village used to accommodate each new business seeking a license, said Village President Tom Poynton, who is also liquor commissioner.

"This piecemeal approach has resulted in 28 distinct classes with unique conditions for only 62 license holders," Poynton said. "The code is challenging to enforce, cumbersome to comply with and, by and large, is no longer aligned with the community's expectations for liquor establishments."

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Village officials reduced the number of classifications to 18 by eliminating some and combining others. The updated code also allows craft distilleries to make sampling and retail sales, and lets patrons of local craft breweries consume beer while inside tap rooms.

A new brew pub category was created to attract "small-batch craft breweries," a popular trend currently in beer production and sales, said Michael Duebner, innovation director for the village who led the review process.

Earlier in November, village officials met with current license holders, the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce and American Legion Post 964 to hear their concerns, Duebner said.

Village officials also conducted follow-up meetings with Copper Fiddle Distillery, which produces bourbon, gin and other spirits in Lake Zurich, and other unique liquor-license holders to gauge proposed changes to the village liquor code, he said.

"We made small changes to help them serve their customers and better represent the community," Duebner said.

Calling the overall changes "more user friendly," trustee Jeff Halen said he approved of the updated liquor code but expressed some concerns with the revisions.

He had questions about customers taking beer or wine from restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores being able to sell any type of alcohol, and the price of bring-your-own-alcohol licenses, along with a provision allowing video gaming sites to sell alcohol.

Village officials attempted to clarify some of Halen's concerns during a village board meeting earlier this month. Duebner said full-service restaurants will be permitted to sell alcohol with carry-out orders.

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"It's not that you can come in and take your open beer to go," he said. "It's that you can phone in or come in person and order a takeout item. You (then) are able to add a bottle of wine or beer to it."

Village Attorney Scott Uhler said customers who bring their own bottle of wine to a Lake Zurich restaurant are allowed to cork it and take it with them  a common practice in area communities.

"As for beer, there is no open container you can open on the premises and then take it off the premises," Uhler said.

The sales limitation on local gas and convenience stores started with previous village boards concerned about too much alcohol sales on site, Halen said.

He questioned whether neighboring communities let gas stations and convenience stores sell any type of alcohol, not just beer and wine.

Police Chief Steve Husak said the limitation was removed in the updated code after meetings with local businesses. Officers also haven't had major issues with those types of businesses selling beer and wine on site, he said.

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"It came down to what best serves our business owners in the village," Husak said.

Halen also expressed concerns about businesses that focus primarily on video gaming and offer, say, bologna sandwiches to meet the village requirement for video gaming machines.

After receiving complaints from residents about such businesses, village staff spent considerable time reviewing and tweaking the license to add more requirements, Duebner said.

"If you want to open up a video gaming opportunity in the village, catering to that audience, you are required to put in a commercial multi-tap beer system," he said. "That is certainly in the direction of becoming full service, to get away from bottle service and finger food."

Phil Rockrohr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
The village president of Hebron will run for re-election next year despite pending drug- and gun-related charges against him.

But four challengers have filed paperwork to run against incumbent Village President John Jacobson, including the man he defeated to win the office four years ago.

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Besides Frank Beatty, who spent 16 years as village president, Jacobson will face in the April 4 election village Trustees Mark Mogan and Mark Shepherd, as well as Kimberly Martinez, who ran unsuccessfully for trustee in 2015.

Jacobson, who faces felony charges of possession of cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm, said in a phone interview earlier this month that he has turned his life around and wants to keep serving the town he loves.

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He said he has been sober for nine months, has been attending church regularly and feels better than ever. He boasted that a new Dollar General store opened in town last month, and said power outlets downtown were replaced so Main Street in the rural McHenry County community has Christmas lights for the first time in years.

Jacobson, 69, was charged in March after a woman called 911 from his home and reported that he was having trouble breathing after drinking alcohol and smoking cocaine, according to authorities. Jacobson recovered, but authorities obtained a search warrant and found a crack pipe and less than one gram of the drug, as well as a shotgun, though he did not have the required state firearm owner's identification card, according to court and police records.

Jacobson's attorney has filed a request to dismiss the drug possession charge, arguing that he should have been immune to prosecution because of a law that protects people seeking medical help for a drug overdose.

Jacobson also had a separate felony cocaine possession charge pending when he was first elected village president in 2013  he got 145 votes; Beatty had 92. Jacobson later pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge.

Also weeks before that election, Jacobson was terminated from employment at McHenry County College after school officials accused him of sending offensive content through the college's email.

In July, Jacobson paid more than $12,000 he owed in taxes on his house in Hebron since 2012, narrowly avoiding a potential loss of his property.

Mogan, a Lake in the Hills police sergeant, has been a critic of Jacobson's and said, if elected as president, he would try to make village proceedings more formal and orderly. Mogan conceded that having four challengers might help the incumbent by splitting the vote, but that he hoped to overcome that in part with higher voter interest and turnout.

The other candidates could not immediately be reached late Monday, the final day of candidate filing for the April local elections.

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Robert McCoppin is a staff reporter; Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.

rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertMcCoppin
Paul Janeczek, a sophomore at Ridgewood High School, was hanging out in the school gym with friends Nov. 30 after enjoying an after-school event celebrating Italian language and culture, Festa Italiana. Janeczek shared his favorite season and reveals his lack of interest in Black Friday shopping with the Pioneer Press.

Q: Where do you live? How long have you lived there?

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A: Norridge, lived here for six years.

Q: What do you like about living in Norridge?

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A: Everything.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: Chicago.

Q: Did you shop for any good deals on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

A: No.

Q: What's your all-time favorite store?

A: Best Buy.

Q: How does your family celebrate the holidays?

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A: The whole family gets together.

Q: Any favorite holiday traditions?

A: Opening presents.

Q: What's your favorite month and why?

A: December because it's Christmas time.

Q: Favorite animal and why?

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A: Cheetah because it's fast.

Q: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

A: Pork.

Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we get to know and introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago. Check out more online at ChicagoTribune.com/ShoutOut.

Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
An assisted living facility proposed for central Northbrook has already been hit with a petition in opposition, even before it is presented to the village's Plan Commission Tuesday.

Heritage Woods would be a 105-unit, 97,000-square-foot assisted living building built on a 3.1-acre parcel on the northwest corner of Techny and Shermer roads now encompassing four house lots.

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"This is way too much traffic for the middle of town," Northbrook resident Susan Nelson said Monday. "This is just north of (Glenbrook North) High School and Maple School. And this is a residential area."

The project will be discussed at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Village Hall, 1225 Cedar Lane.

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Two dozen people have signed a petition in opposition to zoning changes and special permits for the project, with some sending letters to the village with concerns over traffic, property values, flooding, water pressure and height. One letter compared the plans for the three-story, H-shaped building to the Tower of London.

Nelson and some other residents complained that the project is being aired with public hearings five days before Christmas, when they would be less likely to be able to attend.

"This is typical for Northbrook," said Nelson, who also opposed projects at 1000 Skokie Blvd., including the recently-approved Lifetime Fitness complex.

The reason the project wound up on Dec. 20, Commission Chairwoman Marcia Franklin said, was not nefarious.

"We had an open spot," she said.

"I can tell you from having reviewed the materials, this will have to go on more than one hearing," so there will be more chances to speak on the subject next year, she said.

Bernard Citron, lawyer for the developer, The Laubacher Company of Western Springs, said that traffic is unlikely to be a factor.

"Our residents are frail elderly, and they do not drive," he said.

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"You look at Shermer Road, and Shermer Road is not exactly a quiet street," he said. "There's a gas station across the street from us. It's not like we're putting it in the middle of the neighborhood."

He dowplayed the height.

"No, it's not the tower of London, it's 36 1/2 foot tall." The proposal is for a 36.8-foot building, in an area where 35-foot tall houses are allowed, he said.

There may be issues with the project beyond the neighborhood. According to Northbrook Police Department statistics, calls to a 90-unit assisted care center reached about 88 per year, compared to fewer than three for all of the four addresses now at Techny and Shermer.

ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @IrvLeavitt
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The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was killed in a gunman attack at an art exhibition on Monday in the Turkish capital of Ankara, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the country's Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov had died in a gunman attack in Ankara on Dec. 19, 2016, and the ministry declared the attack a terrorist act. [Photo/Xinhua]

The ministry has declared the attack a terrorist act, and Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the murder of the diplomat.

Ankara has assured Moscow to bring those responsible for the attack to justice, and the issue would be raised with the United Nations Security Council later in the day, the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of attack, and is planning a consultation with the foreign ministry and the country's security services.

The incident came one day before a tri-party meeting among the top diplomats of Russia, Turkey and Iran over the Syrian crisis scheduled for Tuesday in Moscow.

The Interfax news agency quoted the Turkish Embassy to Russia as saying that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu would come to Moscow as planned despite the incident.

Born in 1954, Karlov has served as the Russian Ambassador to Turkey since 2013.
Residents of Park Ridge's 6th Ward will likely have a choice between their incumbent alderman and a newcomer when they go to the polls in April.

Patrick DeStefano, a four-year resident of the city, has filed to run against Ald. Marc Mazzuca, a Park Ridge native who has held the 6th Ward seat since June 2012. A resident of the 1100 block of South Lincoln Avenue, DeStefano filed his nominating petitions for the April 4 election with the city clerk's office on Monday.

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"I've been here for four years, and nothing really changes," he said when asked about his interest in running for alderman. "I have problems on my street. I had a gap in my street that the city never fixed."

DeStefano, describing his candidacy as "a last-minute idea," also expressed frustration that his neighborhood was not chosen for soundproofing though the O'Hare Residential Sound Insulation Program. When asked what the Park Ridge City Council could do regarding this issue, DeStefano said that if elected he would "continually raise awareness" and push for O'Hare and the FAA to conduct another noise study of the area.

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Property taxes and flooding are two other city issues that DeStefano said residents have mentioned to him. He suggested that the City Council work with the mayor "to bring more business to Park Ridge," particularly "big dining establishments."

"I haven't looked at the numbers closely on what brings in the most revenue," DeStefano said. "I would also look at what other towns have done and come up with a plan."

On the issue of flooding, DeStefano said he could not comment on how the current City Council has so far addressed the problem.

"I haven't really looked into it that much," he said. "I've heard from residents that it's an issue."

DeStefano did say that if elected he would look at what neighboring Niles has done to combat flooding, in addition to other communities, in order to obtain more ideas..

DeStefano is vice president and general manager of his family's business, Mr. Beef and Pizza on Harlem, on Chicago's Northwest Side. He said he also works in day trading and investing. His experience in the restaurant business can be helpful in luring new businesses to Park Ridge, he said.

DeStefano said he does not know the other new candidates running in the 2017 City Council election and is not running on a slate with them. His nominating petitions list him as the sole circulator.

He has not previously served on any city boards, committees or commissions.

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"This is my first election, first attempt and, hopefully, first victory," DeStefano said.

jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
A former Hammond man serving an 89-year prison sentence for murder, attempted battery and being an habitual offender pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

J. B. Whitelow Jr., 34, submitted the plea agreement Dec. 16 in exchange for a 35-year sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction, which will be served consecutive to the term he is currently serving in a 2008 killing.

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In court before Lake Superior Court Judge Diane Ross Boswell, Whitelow said that early on Dec. 27, 2008, he came into contact with Jurrel Butler, 27, who was in his green Ford van in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 3300 block of Craig Drive in Hammond. A brief verbal argument between the two men escalated into a physical altercation. Butler, who outweighed Whitelow by more than 100 pounds, fought back, and in the heat of the moment, Whitelow said he panicked and shot Butler in the head twice with a handgun.

Whitelow's 89-year sentence was affirmed by the Court of Appeals in 2011, and his post-conviction relief filing was denied last week.

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Boswell scheduled a Jan. 3 sentencing hearing.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Gianna Kulinski, 8, of Dyer, volunteered to hand out candy canes for visitors at the Santa in the Caboose event sponsored by the Griffith Historical Society. (Sue Ellen Ross / Post-Tribune)

One Christmas tradition in downtown Griffith has continued in popularity and shows no signs of slowing down  taking pictures with Santa Claus.

And one unique way area parents approached this holiday ritual was to visit the recent, Santa in the Caboose, sponsored by the Griffith Historical Society at the Griffith Historical Park.

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"We come here every year," said Sandy Hartman of Highland, as she and her two children climbed the short ramp to the last train car. "My parents used to bring me here and I loved it. Now my kids are loving it too."

Offering annual visits with the jolly old man and his wife has been on the fundraising agenda of the GHS for more than three decades.

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Originally held in the small, old depot building, which still stands near Broad Street, the drop-in visits were moved to a bright red caboose  one of three antique train cars donated to the GHS in 1997.

The event was started as a way to involve the community and many GHS volunteers return each year.

Girls from Griffith Girl Scout Troop #10148 entertained youngsters as they waited for their turn on Santa's lap, as well as escorting the families from the waiting car to Santa's house. Griffith High School student Alexia Smith manned the camera for the picture-taking, and members of the historical society greeted guests, as they kept the hot chocolate flowing and the bake sale tables filled.

"This kind of thing for families can't be found anywhere else around," said Jim Langer of Highland, who collects railroad memorabilia. "The items in this old depot are fascinating, the kids are having fun, and desserts are on the table."

In addition to the small red caboose, two additional train cars are permanently located on tracks near the depot on Broad Street.

These Pullman cars were used to transport United States soldiers during the war. One of them served as the waiting area for the recent event.

Steve Kovecsi of Griffith and Judy Young of Highland wore the colorful costumes of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

Kovecsi has been involved with the event for six years; Young has served for 10 years. She said she loves her job, especially seeing the children's happy faces.

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"This (event) has become a special tradition for many families," she added. "We only handle one family at a time, there's no rush or long line in here. The kids get personalized attention, I think they (and their parents) like that."

After the Santa photo op, families were given the opportunity to stop in the old depot, grab a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie, browse the antiques stored there, and shop at the GHS bake sale.

"I know which ones look good to me," said Devon King of Griffith, as he pointed to a tray of peanut butter fudge. "I know we can't make that kind at home, so maybe I'll use some of my allowance to buy some."

Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
Jurors in the death penalty trial of a man charged with murder in the 2014 shooting death of a Gary patrolman will not be taken to view the crime scene, a judge ruled Monday.

However, Lake Superior Court Judge Samuel Cappas said he would allow the defense team representing Carl Blount to renew its request once the capital murder trial has begun.

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Blount, 28, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge filed in the killing of Gary police Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield, who was found dead in his police car on July 6, 2014, as he followed up on a domestic disturbance involving Blount and his girlfriend.

Lead defense counsel Rich Wolter Jr., asked Cappas to allow jurors to view the location on 26th Avenue between Van Buren Street and Van Buren Place, where Westerfield's police squad was parked with its headlights and spotlight on. In a deposition, one Gary officer said he was following a moped that committed a traffic violation and drove from 25th Avenue down Harrison Street to 26th Avenue about 20 minutes after the prosecution's estimate of 4:30 a.m. when Westerfield was fatally shot, but didn't see Westerfield's squad car, according to court documents.

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Wolter called as a witness semi-retired commercial photographer Dennis Crane, who said the human eye has greater capacity to see images in low-lighting conditions than a camera can capture on film.

The judge asked whether it would be possible to recreate the same lighting convictions 32 minutes before sunrise in March when compared with lighting conditions on the July morning when Westerfield was killed. "I wouldn't know. I'm not a lighting expert," Crane said.

Deputy prosecutor Michael Toth said snow and ice on the ground could create more reflective surfaces, and the trees would not have leaves in March like they did in July.

Cappas said he felt the request was premature because he wasn't sure what the evidence would show.

The judge also ruled that Blount's request to develop an alibi defense would be permitted. In that filing, Blount was at the home of his half-brother in the 2600 block of Jackson Street in Gary from 4:30 a.m. on the day of the killing until his arrest that afternoon at that residence.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 30, and the presentation of evidence on Feb. 27.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The Pruitt home at 609 Partridge Path in Valparaiso is illuminated by Thomas Pruitt Jr. ( Suzanne Tennant / Post-Tribune)

Editor's note: This is the third of a series highlighting some of Northwest Indiana's most decorative homes during the Christmas season.

Thomas Pruitt Jr. isn't one to brag, but he beams as he discusses his Christmas lights display. The Valparaiso man said he spent 72 hours to set up the Christmas exhibition at 609 Partridge Path, that includes an estimated 34,000 individual light bulbs.

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Pruitt, a student at Purdue University Northwest in Wetville, gets into the decorating spirit early. During Halloween, Pruitt transformed his yard into a "cemetery." After Halloween Pruitt replaced the pumpkins, tombstones and skeletons with colored lights, reindeer and Santa Clauses.

Pruitt said he started doing Christmas decorations when he was 11 years old. He continued to add to the decorations until it became an attraction on Partridge Path.

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"As it got bigger more people start driving by the house," Pruitt said. "So I had to outdo myself to bring them back next year."

Pruitt said his dad taught him carpentry growing up and that enabled him to build the more elaborate Christmas decorations he has today. Four years ago, Pruitt salvaged some lumber from an unused playground set and built a little car for a Grinch replica. Additionally, Pruitt restored an old tow truck where he placed two mannequins dressed in Santa suits in the driver and passenger seats, respectively.

As Pruitt works harder each year trying to surpass his work from the previous year, he likes watching the reaction of visitors.

"I enjoy seeing other people enjoy it," Pruitt said. "I like seeing people drive by and seeing people slam on their breaks. It makes people happy so it makes me happy."

Pruitt said he's received positive feedback ranging from letters in the mail to a random man driving up to his house and shaking his hand.

"It kind of feels like it's kind of a community service to lighten up our world."

jaanderson@tribpub.com

Twitter @JavonteA
Six-year-old Khloe and Gary officer Silas Simpson shop for toys as the Gary FOP Lodge 61 and the Gary Police Department took dozens of children on a shopping spree at Meijer department store in Merrillville, IN. (Mark Davis / Post-Tribune)

Gary Officer Silas Simpson, a father of four boys, got to do something he's never done before  go shopping with a little girl.

Gary Police and FOP Lodge 61 helped 32 children Saturday at Meijer in Merrillville, Officer Greg Fayson said. They had expected 50 but the inclement weather may have kept some children at home.

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"It was exactly what I expected. She got everything she wanted," Simpson, a first-timer for the 18th annual event, said.

His charge, Khloe, picked out some Barbie dolls and a Play-Dough house. She also picked out some new clothes and shoes.

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"He said to get what you want," Khloe said.

On Sunday, 8-year-old Harley of Lake Station sat in the basket of a shopping cart in the toy aisle at Meijer in Merrillville happily showing off what he picked out during a shopping spree.

He was particularly fond of a Batman figure with "lava action," which, along with a coloring book and some other small toys, he carefully looked over as he continued to shop with his family and Officer Anthony Martinez of the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

His sister, Carmen, 10, was busy combing the toy aisle for anything from the movie "How to Train Your Dragon."

"I am obsessed with dragons," Carmen said. She couldn't find exactly what she was looking for, but did find a dragon toy. "At least it's a dragon."

The children were among 120 who descended on Meijer in Merrillville to participate in the annual Christmas to Remember Shop with a Cop program hosted by Lake County Police Association No. 72. Dan Murchek, association president, said the program has taken place for more than 20 years and is a way to help make sure local children in need have a nice Christmas.

Murchek said the association picks the children it will help through schools, churches and other local service agencies. Some funds are also put aside for officer recommendations.

"This is the best thing I get to do all year," Murchek said.

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Gary Chief Larry McKinley said he missed his grandson's birthday party in Indianapolis to participate in Saturday's event.

"It is just heartfelt to be with the ones who don't have," McKinley said, adding his grandson would understand.

Jeanette and Victor Ramirez, of Highland, and their three children Bella, 8, Antonio, 7 and Dominic, 5, were shopping Sunday with the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

"I got some toys and a dog purse. I love animals," Bella said as she and Dominic checked out the furry, puppy shaped purse. The shopping cart also was filled with important winter essentials for the kids such as boots and warm clothes.

"This has been really awesome. We are blessed to be able to do this," Jeanette Ramirez said.

The couple said the children were a little shy upon first seeing all the squad cars and uniformed officers helping families shop, but soon warmed up.

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"The cops take the time with the kids. It makes the kids feel special," Jeanette Ramirez said.

"It was awesome. I'll do this every day, shopping with cops," Antonio said.

Heather Chambers said when she was a child, she participated in a Shop with a Cop program and was glad her children had the opportunity as well.

"This helps out a lot," Chambers said.

Lori Detmering, of Hobart, moved to Northwest Indiana from Iowa recently to take a job that starts in January.

"It helps a lot with me not working right now and being in a new town and not knowing anybody," Detmering said.

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This was the first year Officer Nick Katalinic with the sheriff's department participated.

"It's nice to get with the kids. They are all excited about everything. They touch everything," Katalinic said, adding it is interesting to see what the children select. One child he helped shop wanted four books and no toys, he said. All the children he helped were getting toys, but spending the bulk of their money on clothes and necessities to get through the winter, Katalinic said.

Meijer has partnered with the sheriff's department, as well as Gary, Merrillville and Lake Station police to conduct their individual shop with a cop programs, Sandra Pastrick, Merrillville store director, said.

"One of Meijer's core values is to return every year 6 percent of our profits to local sources," Pastrick said. The business partners with the police departments, dedicating cashiers and assistance for the children and the families as they make their way through the check-out lines. This year the company offered an additional discount to the program shoppers to help stretch their dollars a little more.

Six-year-old Jarrisa also picked out some new Barbie toys including her car. She also picked out some race cars for her cousin, because "he got a thing that makes them go fast," Jarrisa said, adding she wanted to make sure he had new toys, too.

She said she was excited when she was told she could pick out whatever she wanted.

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"(Nobody) never tells me I can have what I want," she said.

For Simpson, the programs show the police in a different light.

"We don't always get to show the better side of our humanity because of the job we do," Simpson said. "We have families. We have feelings, too."

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Nancy Smallman of Munster (left), and Judy Butkovic of Dyer visited the recent Festival of Trees sponsored by the Women's Association of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Society. (Sue Ellen Ross / Post-Tribune)

Holiday traditions abound for those in Northwest Indiana, but one standout event at the Center for Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), the annual Festival of Trees, served multiple duty this year.

The 28th annual fundraiser, sponsored by The Women's Association of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Society (WANISS), included a recognition program, formal luncheon, socializing and a tour of 20 unique holiday trees set up in the CVPA atrium.

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The first item on the morning's agenda began with a program presented by John Cain, executive director of South Shore Arts, and Kirk Muspratt, director of the NWI Symphony.

"There is a long history to this festival," Cain said, as he read the names of WANISS members key to the longevity of the event. "Each year, this celebration has ushered in the holiday season."

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Muspratt read some of the letters he has received from children in the community. Some were very touching, and some comical.

"One asked how much money I made," he said, with a laugh, "And another mentioned his mother was a hairdresser."

Muspratt is well known for his unique hairstyle.

The CVPA banquet room was filled to capacity with hundreds of attendees. Many were repeat visitors to the fundraiser.

"We put this event on the top of our holiday to-do list every single year," said Amy Osana of Merrillville. "It's such a large event that I get to see people I haven't seen in a while; and I love to be able to support the Symphony and what they do."

Desiree Holiman of Munster agreed that the fundraising affair was one of the ways the community could show appreciation for the many arms of the NWI Symphony.

"I've been to many of the performances, and I especially love the youth orchestra," she said. "The musical arts are definitely alive and well in this area of Indiana."

A tour of 20 decorated holiday trees outside the banquet room topped off the event.

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The display ranged from a palm tree, complete with pink flamingo, to an old-fashioned spruce with large multi-colored lights.

Various organizations, such as the NWI Youth Orchestra and Tri-Kappa, designed the masterpieces.

"This palm tree is exciting to look at," said visitor Marylee Kollinger of Dyer, as she looked over the 'Hawaiian Christmas' submission by Calumet College of St. Joseph. "I've never seen this kind of tree in a holiday show. It's kind of refreshing."

The Northwest Indiana Symphony umbrella includes the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra; the Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus, and the Women's Association of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Society (WANISS).

The Women's Association, which advocates the society's programs, handles the most successful fundraising aspect.

In addition to the popular holiday Festival of Trees, other various fundraisers are scheduled throughout the year.

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For more information, call WANISS at (219) 836-0525, ext. 206.

Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
A new round of funding to address blighted buildings is coming to three Northwest Indiana cities.

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority announced the more than $5.5 million is being allocated to Gary, East Chicago and Hammond from the state's Blight Elimination Program. Through the new allocation, $4.4 million will go to Gary; $914,000 to East Chicago; and $268,000 to Hammond.

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City officials lauded the new allocations as a way to move redevelopment efforts forward.

"We're excited to get the money," said Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, and the funds will help further the city's strategy of redevelopment.

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Freeman-Wilson said the city will be able to use the money to continue dealing with blighted buildings and help residents who have lived near these structures for years.

The issue of blight has plagued the city for more than 10 years, Freeman-Wilson said, and a day scarcely goes by without someone bringing up a vacant or blighted structure to her.

"Now, we're being able to honor that persistence," Freeman-Wilson said, and help people who have invested in their own properties.

In 2014, the City of Gary received $6.6 million in funding to deal with blighted properties.

"We are pleased to be able to provide additional funding to each of these communities who are administering the program effectively in Lake County, said Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, in a statement. "With the funding, we look forward to continue supporting their efforts to strategically identify, acquire and demolish vacant and blighted properties."

The City of Gary is close to finishing the first round of projects with the hardest hit funds, Freeman-Wilson said, and is requesting the state add the leftover money to the new round of funding to do more demolition and deconstruction.

As the city continues to address the blighted and vacant structures, Freeman-Wilson said the city is using a program to figure out what properties to address to get the most value. The mayor said the city will be able to use the money where investment is currently happening and where it's anticipated in the future.

"We have a sense of how we can do it in a much more methodical way," Freeman-Wilson said.

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Once the program is done, Freeman-Wilson said the city will have dealt with 40 percent of the vacant and abandon structures in the city.

One issue that must still be resolved is related to large commercial structures in Gary, Freeman-Wilson said. Because of the sheer size of commercial structures and some large apartment buildings, the hardest hit funds won't cover the cost of demolition or deconstruction, Freeman-Wilson said.

The city has received money from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to tackle that issue, Freeman-Wilson said, and she hopes to get more money for that effort.

East Chicago officials were unavailable for comment Monday. Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., did not respond to a request for comment.

clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter: @craigalyons
The Merrillville Town Council has shown support for preliminary plans for an apartment building for homeless, disabled and low-income veterans that may be constructed near the Veterans Center in Crown Point.

The project is proposed by Chicago-based Safe Haven, which has similar developments in the Chicago area, according to its president, Neli Vazquez Rowland.

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"Safe Haven was founded by a military veteran. It's a huge priority for us," Vazquez Rowland said of the agency that's been working with vets since 1994.

She said the one-story building would house an undetermined number of units that is dependent on how much land the agency can acquire. She described the plans as "very preliminary."

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"We should know more in the next 60 days or so," she said.

Merrillville council members said there would be 74 one-bedroom units.

For now, the project is geared toward individual veterans, not families, but Vazquez Rowland said that could change.

"A lot has to do with the funding," she said.

Merrillville Councilwoman Chrissy Barron, D-5th, said she wholeheartedly supports the proposal, which she said Safe Haven indicated it wanted to build at 93rd and Broadway, in her ward.

"When you put your country first and sign up for the military, you put your life on the line," Barron said.

"To see veterans not getting the care they deserve and that they're homeless is a big shame on us. We should be protecting them. We should be doing more for our veterans," she said.

Council President Richard Hardaway, D-2nd, also spoke in favor of the plans.

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"I support it and I know there are three veterans sitting up here who support it," he said.

Barron said she knows there is a moratorium on apartments in the 5th ward, but said she doesn't consider this an apartment complex as it would be just one building.

Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Porter County Public Library Board Member Stu Summers holds a sign that will be posted in the Valparaiso library's parking lot reserve spaces for families with children. (James D. Wolf Jr. / Post-Tribune)

The Valparaiso library's parking lot will be expanded in the spring to cover the open fields where businesses and houses were demolished over the summer, the Porter County Public Library Board has decided.

The board hopes to get bids this winter and vote for a contract by April. But new plans will be needed now that the bungalow at 105 N. Michigan Ave. will not be demolished, but instead used to house Porter County Museum Americorps interns.

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At the Jan. 18 board meeting, consultant Troyer Group of Mishawaka is scheduled to present designs that will include the locations for entrances to the parking lot. Also expected at the meeting are proposals from three consultants to update library buildings and make them more efficient.

The consultants are Skillman Corporation of Merrillville, MKM architecture + design of Fort Wayne and Mohler Architects of Lafayette.

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Board members also will address the lease for 105 N. Michigan to the Porter County Museum Foundation.

On another matter, the Valparaiso branch will not have Sunday hours Dec. 25 or Jan. 1.

James D. Wolf Jr. is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Students from Park Junior High School and seniors from Bethlehem Woods, a retirement community, made beautiful music together at a joint holiday concert.

The all-girls a cappella group, Forte, from the school and the seniors, who are members of a choir directed by Kyle Schumacher, superintendent of La Grange District 102, got together to sing carols and Christmas songs. Their audience at the Monday event was other seniors at the center in La Grange Park.

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Schumacher volunteers as the retirement community's choir director, a stint he took on after visiting and getting acquainted with some of the seniors last spring.

"One of the residents told me they had always wanted to start a choir at Bethlehem Woods and were looking for a director," he recalled. "After I left and went home, I decided that I would offer to volunteer my time to work with any interested participants."

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The seniors rehearse for one hour a week.

Proving that music is a bridge that brings all ages together, Eloise Driscoll, an eighth-grader at Park Junior High, said she had a lot of fun singing with the seniors.

"The seniors are all really nice," she said. "This was such a great experience and it's really fun to sing Christmas carols."

Though he has a busy job overseeing District 102, Schumacher doesn't regret taking on the volunteer gig.

"I love working with the Bethlehem Woods choir because of their incredible spirit, sense of humor and how much fun we all have together," he said.

amannion@tribpub.com

Twitter @triblocalam
By Mike Vinkenborg

As of June 2016, China has approximately 710 million internet users, indicating an internet penetration rate of 51.7 percent. This number has been steadily increasing over the past decade, rising from 111 million at the end of 2005 to 457 million in 2010 and 688 million in 2015. This makes China by far the largest online market in the world in terms of users. Furthermore, Chinas digital population is expected to almost double within the coming 10 years as the rest of the country comes online. As such, digital advertisement spending is seeing a steep increase. While advertisement spending in other sectors such as print and TV is stabilizing, total digital advertisement spending is expected to grow from US$23.6 billion to US$83.59 billion between 2014 and 2020, with the majority being spent on mobile platforms.

The main recipients of digital advertisements are the three dominant internet players in China: Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent, together commonly abbreviated as BAT. Together, they made up 60.6 percent of all digital ad revenues in 2015, and this is expected to increase to 66.8 percent in 2018. On mobile platforms, these numbers are even higher, going from 71.1 percent in 2015 to a projected 74.4 percent in 2018.

The remainder of this article outlines how to successfully advertise to Chinese customers on Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent, and the key considerations to take into account when launching an online advertisement campaign in China.

RELATED: Information Technology Solutions from Dezan Shira & Associates

Baidu

Baidu is often called Chinas Google as it is the largest search engine in the country. It also offers many services similar to Google such as Baidu Maps and Baidu Netdisk, a cloud storage service. In 2015, Baidu held 80 percent of market share coming from search engine revenues, with 71.4 percent of searches in the country having been done on the platform as of October 2015. Due to the rise of Shenma, an app-based search engine deeply integrated with the products of its parent company Alibaba, Baidus market share in mobile searches is significantly smaller. In Q3 2016, 44.5 percent of mobile searches were done through Baidu.

Revenues on Baidu mainly come from its search engine advertising services, where it makes use of a pay-for-performance (P4P) platform that utilizes pay-per-click (PPC) technology. Advertising on Baidu is similar to using Google Adwords and mainly revolves around search engine optimization (SEO) tools. As an advertiser, one can purchase keywords, and up to four of the search results shown will be ads, similar to search results on Google.

To become a certified advertiser on Baidu, foreign companies need to fulfill certain requirements. First, as the search engine is targeting Chinese language searches, a website in Chinese is required. Furthermore, Baidu requires foreign enterprises to submit a digital copy of the business registration certificate issued by the relevant government to handle its account registration.

After getting certified, it is important to manage ones Baidu campaign effectively, and localize advertisements. While this process is comparable to using Google AdWords, significant differences exist. Having a Chinese website is essential, as the search engine doesnt index many non-Chinese pages. Also, hosting the website outside of China will place one at a disadvantage as these are ranked lower on the platform. Moreover, advertisers should seriously consider using other integrated payment services like UnionPay and Alipay.

These are just a few considerations to keep in mind. Last year, China Briefing posted a series of articles on how to use Baidus search engine:

Alibaba

Alibaba is Chinas e-commerce giant, owning large online retail companies such as Taobao and Tmall, the online payment platform Alipay, and many other platforms. In 2016, it overtook Baidu as Chinas largest digital advertiser, by generating 29 percent of the countrys total digital ad revenues. It is expected to increase its share to 33 percent in 2018, a more than doubling of its digital advertisement revenues in the coming two years.

This is mainly the result of the huge popularity of e-commerce in China, where Alibaba is leading in terms of sales and innovation. Similar to Baidu, Alibaba auctions prime spots on its platforms for specific keywords. Given the high level of competition, prices can quickly increase. For example, popular items, such as clothing and cosmetics, can reach prices of RMB 10 per click.

Alibabas search system works differently than in Western markets. In particular, Alibaba has closed its search function, and as such, items can only be searched within its own controlled websites. This eliminates the need for sellers to spend money in order to appear at the top of external search engine results, thereby frustrating Baidus business model. This also helps to explain why Alibabas advertisement revenues are expected to grow at approximately 54 percent this year, while Baidus growth rate only adds up to 0.3 percent.

Thus, similar to Baidu, Alibabas largest chunk of advertising revenues come from search engine advertising. Tips for effective selling on Tmall and Taobao include the following, among many others:

Pick product titles and descriptions that include many popular search terms

Research keywords to rank as high as possible in search results

Research visitor data and learn about visitor behavior

Enable products for the mobile and app versions and integrate WeChat and other social media accounts

RELATED: Accessing Chinas Third Party Mobile Payments Market

Tencent

Tencent is the market leader in social media in China. Its most popular platforms are QQ and WeChat, which include the online payment system TenPay. Furthermore, it holds a 15 percent stake in e-commerce giant JD.com. As of September 2016, Tencent overtook Alibaba as Asias largest company by market capitalization.

Contrary to Baidu and Alibaba, Tencent does not focus on search engine advertising. The largest chunk of its total revenues come from online games  approximately RMB 16 billion out of RMB 31.4 billion in Q4 2015. However, its revenues from advertising are rapidly rising, having more than doubled within a single year to RMB 5.73 billion in Q4 2015. In Q2 2016, they have risen to RMB 6.5 billion, and these numbers are expected to keep rising at similar paces until at least 2018.

This sharp increase in advertisement revenues is mainly coming from WeChat. Whereas before, Tencent only worked with major brands by allowing them to exclusively negotiate deals to advertise on the platform, the company slowly opened up WeChats Moments feature since early 2015 to effectively all advertisers by making it possible to apply for slots. Here, companies can place advertisements in users Moments newsfeed, similar to ads on Facebooks newsfeed. Costs for these are RMB 140 per 1,000 views in Shanghai and Beijing, RMB 90 per 1,000 views in other cities, and RMB 40 per 1,000 views if no specific location is targeted.

However, the cost-per-click of this type of advertising is higher than other methods of advertising with Tencent. For example, paying popular WeChat bloggers to promote your products can be an effective way of reaching the right audience. Advertising on Tencents other platforms, such as Tencent QQ, should also be considered, as this can be a cheaper alternative in terms of cost-per-click.

Key takeaways

Effective online advertising campaigns are those that are localized and target the Chinese customer. For example, advertisements on e-commerce platforms in China contain considerably more information than they do in Western countries, and having proof of authenticity is often a prerequisite for success. Also, search engines are optimized for the Chinese language and searches in other languages are not only uncommon, but also generate less efficient results as Chinese search results are given priority. Besides this, it is compulsory to comply with Chinas unique advertising law, published in 2015 and updated last July. One stipulation of the law is that advertising in certain sectors either may require approval or may be prohibited altogether.

That being said, with Chinese internet users becoming deeply integrated on the Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent platforms, it remains one of the most effective ways of attracting customers in China. As more people come online every day and the three major internet players continually innovate to compete with one another, digital advertising will only become more crucial in the years ahead.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email china@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.



Establishing & Operating a Business in China 2016

Establishing & Operating a Business in China 2016, produced in collaboration with the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, explores the establishment procedures and related considerations of the Representative Office (RO), and two types of Limited Liability Companies: the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise (WFOE) and the Sino-foreign Joint Venture (JV). The guide also includes issues specific to Hong Kong and Singapore holding companies, and details how foreign investors can close a foreign-invested enterprise smoothly in China.

Selling, Sourcing and E-Commerce in China 2016 (First Edition)

This guide, produced in collaboration with the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, provides a comprehensive analysis of all these aspects of commerce in China. It discusses how foreign companies can best go about sourcing products from China; how foreign retailers can set up operations on the ground to sell directly to the countrys massive consumer class; and finally details how foreign enterprises can access Chinas lucrative yet ostensibly complex e-commerce market.

China Investment Roadmap: the e-Commerce Industry

In this edition of China Briefing magazine, we present a roadmap for investing in Chinas e-commerce industry. We provide a consumer analysis of the Chinese market, take a look at the main industry players, and examine the various investment models that are available to foreign companies. Finally, we discuss one of the most crucial due diligence issues that underpins e-commerce in China: ensuring brand protection.
China's top legislature started its bimonthly session Monday, with lawmakers to review the General Rules of Civil Law and an amendment to the Water Pollution Prevention Law, among others.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), presided over the opening meeting Monday morning.

According to the draft General Rules of Civil Law, which was submitted for a third reading, citizens can exercise their rights according to their own will and without interference.

The draft also stipulates that after the levying and requisition of real estate and personal property in the public interest, citizens should be justly and appropriately compensated.

The draft amendment to the Water Pollution Prevention Law, submitted for its first reading, strengthens monitoring and government responsibility, saying local governments should set time limits and make efforts to improve water quality, and be authorized to issue tougher pollutant control requirements for water quality.

A draft law on e-commerce, submitted to the top legislature for its first reading, aims to regulate the world's largest e-commerce market.

The draft law on traditional Chinese medicine, submitted for its third reading, says that the state will enhance support, innovation, application and development, as well as professional training in ethnic minority medicine.

Lawmakers will also review a draft decision to authorize the State Council to adjust the implementation of the Civil Servant Law, and draft measures for electing deputies to the 13th NPC in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

During the week-long session, the top legislature will review a draft national intelligence law targeting the safeguarding of national security and interests, according to minister of state security Chen Wenqing.

Also submitted for review is a draft law to improve the country's cultural service. It is the third reading of the draft, which includes an article saying the country should encourage and support international cooperation and exchange in the cultural service sector.

In addition, lawmakers will consider giving a greenlight to a pilot program combining maternity insurance and basic medical insurance in 12 Chinese cities, and a draft decision on temporary law adjustments as part of reforms to the military officers' system.

They will also decide whether to ratify a criminal judicial assistance treaty between China and Malaysia.
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Sui Fengfu, former deputy head of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for taking bribes, according to Shenyang City Intermediate People's Court on Monday.

Sui was found guilty of taking advantage of his positions between 2003 and 2014 in various areas, including selection and promotion of several individuals.

He accepted gifts and money totalling over 10.4 million yuan (1.6 million U.S. dollars).

The court in northeast China's Liaoning Province showed leniency as Sui admitted his crimes, gave account of cases that were not found by investigators and voluntarily returned his profits.
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President Xi Jinping on Tuesday hailed China's latest achievements made in space exploration and stressed the importance of scientific innovation in the field.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong as well as representatives involved in research and testing for the country's Tiangong-2 and Shenzhou-11 space mission.

Launched on Oct. 17, the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft docked two days later with China's first space lab, Tiangong-2, where Jing and Chen lived for 30 days, the longest time a Chinese astronaut has spent in space.

The mission transported personnel and materials between Earth and Tiangong-2, and tested the spacecraft's ability to successfully meet, dock and return.
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during this year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru, on November 20 (XINHUA)

President-elect Donald Trump's pick of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state offers many possibilities to improve the conduct of the United States' foreign relations. A realistic, practical, and businesslike approach to foreign relations is certainly in order for Washington. But Tillerson faces political obstacles.

During the campaign, Trump made it clear that he wants a new foreign policy and new people to create and implement it. He criticized the policy of unnecessary intervention and war in the Middle East and said he wanted to improve relations with major powers such as Russia. He said he wanted new thinking and a policy that puts "America first."

Trump's stated vision is a sharp break from post-World War II mainstream U.S. foreign policy based upon a hegemonic global role for the United States. Trump gave the impression that he sees the world in more multipolar terms and rejects rigid Cold War thinking.

Friends and foes

Such a non-interventionist and practical foreign policy is welcomed in some political circles but opposed by others. The basic split is between the various political factions in each party which support hegemonism and those who oppose it.

During the campaign, Trump and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders appealed to the vast majority of Americans who want to stop the present policy of global intervention, hegemonism and endless war. The other Republican candidates and Hillary Clinton are all well-known hawks.

So the choice of Tillerson is a welcome one to many if it means the pursuit of a constructive U.S. foreign policy based upon a realistic understanding of national interests. This means careful calculation of means and ends, prudence, and restraint from unnecessary interventionism. Globalist activism and crusades for regime change are expected to be halted in this context.

Because Trump appears to see the world in multipolar terms, it is logical for him to change the way Washington deals with other major powers. Thus, his stated goal of repairing relations with Russia is understandable but this is a tall order considering the damaging impact of the hostile and counterproductive Russia policy under the Obama administration.

Russia, however, is open to improving relations with the United States as Vladimir Putin has made clear on many occasions for a number of years. Although his signals fell on deaf ears it seems that is about to change as Trump moves to begin a new type of relationship with Russia.

Tillerson, an engineer, became a global businessman leading one of the world's giant corporations. Given such experience, he has a realistic understanding of international affairs and of the international economy. Additionally, he has management experience which can help update and improve the machinery of U.S. diplomacy.

To Russia, with love?

American commercial relations with Russia date back to 1697 when Peter the Great issued an edict allowing the importation of tobacco from Virginia. During the 18th and 19th centuries, there was active commerce between the United States and Russia. Even during the 20th century, before World War II, a number of U.S. companies were doing business in the former Soviet Union. Lenin's New Economic Policy welcomed foreign business.

Political opposition to Tillerson comes in various forms. Some oppose him for being the head of a giant capitalist business corporation. Some oppose him for supporting the development of hydrocarbon resources which they see as causing global warming.

Very sharp opposition comes from Republican and Democratic politicians who are anti-Russia because of their outdated Cold War perspective. They want to see regime change in Russia and have a hysterical and alarmist reaction to the nation's leader. Other politicians oppose him because of their agenda for promoting "human rights and democracy in Russia."

So it is likely that there will be some heated rhetoric in the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations during the confirmation process. Whether the rhetoric of the fulminating politicians transforms into enough votes to kill the nomination remains to be seen.

What are the stakes in the Tillerson nomination?

There are several geopolitical concepts making their way around Washington as a basis for national strategy and foreign policy. To date, during President Barack Obama's administration, the leading concept has been hegemonism and a unipolar approach.

The basic national strategy under Obama has been to put pressure on Russia and China and use Western allies as a means to maintain global dominance through NATO and other means. The so-called "pivot" strategy is part and parcel of this larger geopolitical design.

But this strategy has been overtaken by international developments. So the question today is whether or not the Trump administration can come up with a new vision and a new strategy and foreign policy.

The geopolitical concept underlying the Obama foreign policy and pivot is the creation of an alignment of the United States with India, Japan, and Australia to contain China. Some circles would like to continue this under Trump.

A variation being discussed in some think tanks is an initiative by the United States to split Russia away from China and form a United States' alignment with India, Japan, and Russia against China. Although fanciful, one does hear this around Washington.

A level-headed approach

A more sensible approach for the 21st century is cooperation among the major powers. For the Pacific, this would involve China, Russia, Japan, and the United States working in concert to manage new initiatives for economic development as well as to replace old obsolete security architecture.

While it appears that Trump does indeed have a positive general idea about improving relations with Russia, his approach to China so far leaves something to be desired. On the one hand, he sends a positive signal with his new choice for ambassador to China but on the other hand, his advisors push him into contradictory and counterproductive signals involving the Taiwan red line.

Tillerson must energize U.S. foreign policy in the direction of major power cooperation in the interest of global peace and development. While working to court Moscow, he must work overtime now to court Beijing.

The author is a former senior staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and an op-ed contributor to Beijing Review
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China and Norway issued a statement in Beijing on Monday on normalization of ties.

"The Norwegian side is fully conscious of the position and concerns of the Chinese side and has worked actively to bring bilateral relations back on track," said the statement.

China-Norway relations deteriorated since the Oslo-based Nobel Committee conferred the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on convicted Chinese criminal Liu Xiaobo. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in jail on Dec. 25, 2009, after a court in Beijing convicted him of engaging in activities designed to overthrow the government.

"Through numerous, meticulous conversations, the two sides have reached a level of trust that allows for resumption of normal relations," said the statement.

The Norwegian government will not support any action that undermines China's core interests and major concerns, and will do its best to avoid any future damage to China-Norway relations, said the statement.

According to the statement, the Norwegian government reiterates its commitment to the one-China policy, fully respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns.

Both sides agreed to boost cooperation in various areas including trade, culture, education and polar region, and cement consultation on global issues.

In his meeting with visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the two countries' foreign ministers had candid and in-depth talks, and reached an agreement on the normalization of bilateral ties.

China hopes to work together with Norway to open a new chapter in bilateral ties, and push forward a sustained, healthy and stable relationship, Li said.

China appreciates the new Norwegian government's adherence to the one-China policy and its wish to improve and develop ties with China, said the premier.

The two economies are highly compatible, Li said, adding China is ready to negotiate with Norway on an FTA, to send out a clear signal of trade and investment liberalization.

Brende, in his turn, said the normalization of relations is of historic significance, and has sent a positive message to the international community.

Norway adheres to the one-China policy and respects China's core interests and major concerns, which are the political foundation for ties, he said.

Li told Brende the history of China-Norway relations shows mutual respect, equality and taking care of respective core interests and major concerns, serve as the precondition and foundation for strengthening political trust and developing ties.

Norway hopes to take the opportunity of normalization of ties with China to enhance high-level exchanges, boost bilateral FTA negotiation and expand win-win cooperation in such areas as investment, hydropower, and offshore oil and gas exploitation, Brende said.

Earlier on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had talks with Brende.

The Norwegian side has reflected profoundly on what damaged mutual trust, and consulted seriously with the Chinese side on improving ties, Wang said.

The two sides had reached consensus on learning from the past and resuming trust, which met the fundamental interests of Norway and the Norwegian people, complied with the UN Charter and set China-Norway ties on the correct path, Wang said.

China hopes Brende's visit will normalize relations and boost healthy and stable growth of ties, Wang said.

"The new Norwegian government does not want to bear the burden of history. It took a more pragmatic approach and was eager to improve relations with China," said Cui Hongjian, director of the department of European studies at the China Institute of International Studies.
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South Sudan hopes to finally reach an agreement on Tuesday with Sudan on outstanding major issues including border reopening, oil and power generation in the signed cooperation agreement between the two countries.

South Sudanese Minister of Petroleum Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth said on Monday that they will negotiate for extension of the signed 2012 cooperation agreement in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and resumption of oil production.

"We are all empowered to negotiate the extension of the cooperation agreement and the oil industry as a whole. We have to discuss and reach agreement with our brothers and sisters in Sudan," Gatkuoth said in Juba.

Sudanese President Omar Bashir had earlier issued December ultimatum for South Sudan to implement the cooperation agreement.

Gatkuoth urged for strong joint cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

South Sudan relies on oil production to finance 98 percent of its fiscal budget and yet more than three years of conflict has affected production in its northern oil fields.

Oil production has since 2014 reduced from 350,000 barrels a day to less than 130,000 bpd amid fall in global oil prices hitting hard the economy of the war-torn nation.
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France's Court of Justice of the Republic on Monday found Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, guilty of negligence over a state payout in 2008, but failed to sentence her.

The tribunal, which handles government officials' trials, charged the former French finance minister with negligence for failing to contest a ruling of a financial compensation worth 405 million euros (422.82 million U.S. dollars) to French businessman Bernard Tapie in his dispute with Credit Lyonnais on the acquisition of Adidas in 2008.

Despite the guilty finding, the tribunal did not give any sentence, citing "her personality," "international reputation" and "the context of global financial crisis" as reasons.

Lagarde, who could have faced a one-year term and a 15,000-euro (15,650 U.S. dollars) fine, is looking into appealing the court's decision, according to her defense lawyer.

Served as finance minister from 2007 to 2011, Lagarde had been investigated since August 2011 for her role in an arbitration payout to the business tycoon eight years ago.

But the IMF managing director, who was approved another five-year term in February, denied wrongdoing and insisted her innocence.

Tapie, who was under formal investigation, was ordered in Dec. 2015 to pay the 405 million euros to Credit Lyonnais. (1 euro = 1.044 U.S. dollar)
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on the UN Security Council to "act now" to halt South Sudan's "trajectory towards mass atrocities" as growing tensions and increasing despair were reported among the people of the world's youngest country.

"It is time to put the people of South Sudan, and not its leaders, at the forefront of any strategy," the secretary-general said at an open meeting of the 15-nation UN body on the current situation in the war-torn African country.

"Instability in South Sudan is also a threat to the region," he said. "I appeal to the Security Council to act, to act now, in fulfilment of its responsibility and in support of ongoing regional efforts."

"We should be united and determined in following through with severe consequences for those who impede the path to peace and stability," Ban said.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general informed the Security Council of reports suggesting that South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his loyalists are contemplating a new military offensive in the coming days against the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)-In Opposition, as well as of reports that long-time rival Riek Machar and other opposition groups are pursuing a military escalation.

"The responsibility for this tragic state of affairs lies squarely on the shoulders of South Sudan's leaders," he said. "They have betrayed the public trust and continue to show a perverse sense of entitlement, seeking to retain power and wealth at all costs."

Ban said that the parties in South Sudan must be prevented from launching any military operation, particularly with the beginning of the dry season.

"I urge the Security Council, regional leaders and the international community to make it clear to President Kiir and Riek Machar that initiation of a military offensive will carry serious consequences," he said.

"The parties must reinvigorate an inclusive political process that is deemed credible by the people of South Sudan and the international community," Ban said. "Any attempt to rubberstamp the legitimacy of those in power will not bring peace or stability."

"An inclusive and credible process requires all parties to the conflict to have a seat at the negotiating table with the ability to share and exercise power without fear of reprisals," he said.

"South Sudan faces no external threat," he said. "More weapons will only pose a greater threat to its own people. We have repeatedly seen the deliberate targeting of civilian communities perceived to support an opposing side."

He sounded the alarm at the rising ethnic tensions in the country, including increasing hate speech from many in leadership positions as well as the warning from Adama Dieng, the UN special envoy for the prevention of genocide, saying that "I am afraid that process is about to begin unless immediate action is taken."

"The Security Council must (...) send a clear warning that hate speech, incitement and violence must end, and that there will be accountability for mass atrocities and other crimes," he said.

He also told the Council that the UN Mission in the country (UNMISS) continued to face serious restrictions on its freedom of movement throughout the country, and called on the Government to fulfil its pledges of unconditional acceptance of the deployment of the Regional Protection Force.

"Words alone are insufficient," the secretary-general said. "They must be matched by practical actions that demonstrate a strategic shift to fully cooperate with the United Nations and all partners for peace."

South Sudan has faced on-going challenges since a political face-off between President Kiir and rebel leader Machar erupted into full-blown conflict in December 2013. The crisis has produced one of the world's worst displacement situations with immense suffering for civilians.

Despite the August 2015 peace agreement that formally ended the war, conflict and instability have also spread to previously unaffected areas in the Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr-El-Ghazal regions of South Sudan.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than two million displaced since late 2013, according to the UN.
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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than 104,000 people are internally displaced as a result of the ongoing military operations in Mosul, which began on Oct. 17 in the northern Iraqi city, a UN spokesman told reporters Monday.

"Food and water shortages persist in retaken neighborhoods of eastern Mosul city, affecting approximately 250,000 people," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"Humanitarian partners have continued to provide assistance in affected areas where access allows," he said.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are trucking water to eastern Mosul city, delivering approximately 450,000 litres of water per day to some 45,000 people, the spokesman noted.

Aid agencies continue to support health facilities receiving casualties, but the main health center in Mosul's Zahraa neighborhood is reportedly overwhelmed, receiving more than 1,700 consultations in one day, he added.

On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city, in a bid to liberate the northern Iraqi city, the last major Islamic State (IS) stronghold in Iraq.

Mosul, some 400 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
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French Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux on Monday decided to reinforce security at France's Christmas markets and maintain high vigilance after the Berlin lorry assault which caused scores of casualties.

"In these circumstances ... securing the Christmas markets was immediately reinforced," Le Roux said in a statement.

He also "called on all forces to keep maximum vigilance and maintain determination to face the barbarism."

On Monday evening, nine people were killed and many others were injured after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin.

The assault is reminiscent of the truck crash in French Rivera city of Nice on July 14 when a 31-year-old delivery man drove his heavy truck into revellers at Bastille Day celebration, killing 86 people. The assault was claimed by the Islamic State.

In a recent interview, Le Roux acknowledged that "the threat is serious," but said: "There will be strengthened protection."

"I want tourists to come to the country in large numbers and I want our fellow citizens to be able to go out and have fun," the newly-appointed minister told French radio RTL earlier this week.

With this aim, he pledged to deploy an additional 3,000 military officers to preserve calm during festive events at the end of the year across the country where a state of emergency has been extended for the fifth time due to a persistent terror alert.

An Odoxa poll released on Dec. 9 showed that 71 percent of French citizens believed terrorist attacks would hit their country during Christmas festivities, and 54 percent of respondents thought the government's anti-terrorism measures were not enough to protect them.

France has become a major target of terrorist attacks following its military operations in Syria, Iraq and the Sahel region of Africa.
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China's State Councilor, Yang Jiechi has arrived in Britain for regular talks, and for a meeting with the Prime Minister, Theresa May, amid uncertainty about the process of Britain leaving the European Union.

China's Foreign Ministry says Yang will co-host the eighth China-Britain strategic dialogue with British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. The two will also have discussions on a variety of issues of common concern.

"Facing a complicated international situation and challenges in global governance, it is important for China and Britain, two influential major powers, to further strengthen strategic communication and dialogue," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying.

Britain has been a popular choice for Chinese investment, with many firms seeing it as a springboard for the far larger European Union market.

But those plans could be at risk with concern surrounding what kind of market access Britain will get in the future, given its so-called Brexit vote in June to leave the EU.

Hua said she could not predict whether Brexit would directly come up, but diplomatic sources say China has been seeking clarity from Britain about its plans, and is nervous about what it means for Chinese companies in particular.

"But China's position is very clear. Brexit is an issue between Britain and the EU. We hope that they can appropriately handle the issue via talks and consultation. For China, we believe that Britain is a great country with important international influence. We hope to work together with Britain to further promote the development of relations between China and Britain, strengthen the negotiation and communication in international affairs," Hua said.

British prime minister Theresa May has yet to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would begin the formal process of leaving the EU, although she has pledged to do so by the end of March. There would then be two years of negotiations before the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

However, her plans for those negotiations have been shrouded in secrecy and businesses and investors fear Britain might seek a "hard Brexit", where controlling immigration takes priority over access to the European single market.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, noted that China is ready to work with Britain on the basis of mutual respect and equality to enhance political mutual trust, deepen cooperation in all areas, and to strengthen coordination on international affairs.
Visitors seek information at a China Vanke booth at a property fair in Shenyang, Liaoning province. [Photo/China Daily]

Move marks alleviation of tension in the long battle for control of the giant real estate firm

China Vanke Co's shares declined sharply on Monday after it announced that it will terminate an asset-restructuring plan with Shenzhen Metro Group, marking an alleviation of the tension in its year-and-a-half-long battle for control, experts said.

Vanke's A-shares on Monday dropped 6.06 percent to 21.10 yuan ($3.05), the lowest in about four months. Its H-shares also fell, by 3.21 percent.

Yan Yuejin, senior researcher with E-house China R&D Institute, said stopping the deal with SZMG will reduce the tension between Vanke and Baoneng, thus relieving the pressure brought about by the battle of control.

Chinese financial conglomerate Baoneng Group in 2015 started to buy Vanke's shares and soon became its largest shareholder.

Vanke fought back, in June 2016, with a surprise asset-restructuring plan worth 45.6 billion yuan in which SZMG would have replaced Baoneng as the largest shareholder.

Its two largest shareholders, Baoneng Group and China Resources, strongly opposed the plan to buy the entire equity interest in SZMG's subsidiary Shenzhen Metro Qianhai International Development Co Ltdpushing the throne-fight to a climax.

After failing to reach a consensus on the acquisition for six months, Vanke called it off in an agreement with SZMG on Dec 16, but the firm noted it will still actively seize opportunities for property development above rail transit facilities. The termination was approved by all members of the board, including Vanke Chairman Wang Shi, who also said on Sunday at a forum in Beijing that the battle has not yet ended.

Hu Huaru, analyst at Sinolink Securities Co Ltd, wrote in a report that the supervision department's attitude toward Vanke's battle of control has become clear, given the ongoing intensified scrutiny of insurance capital buying in the equity market.

Foresea Life Insurance Co, the insurance unit of Baoneng Group, was banned from trading in stocks earlier this month. Hu estimated the development of Vanke's shareholder structure will become clear soon after the termination of the asset-restructuring.

Media reported on Monday afternoon that a new restructuring plan will be proposed a month later, but Vanke told China Daily that this is subject to announcement in the future. Meanwhile, Hu warned investors that the possibility of Vanke's core shareholders cutting their stock holdings increased and its valuation is still high compared to other companies in the same industry.
JPMorgan Chase & Co is set to sell its one-third stake in a Chinese securities joint venture for about 307 million yuan ($44 million), according to a Shenzhen Stock Exchange filing.

China's First Capital Securities Co will become 100 percent owner of JPMorgan First Capital Securities, the local firm told the exchange. The transaction needs approval from authorities including China's securities regulator and commerce ministry.

A potential deal was flagged in October, when First Capital said that talks were underway and people with knowledge of the matter said that JPMorgan wanted a new partner for a venture in which it could wield greater control.

In a statement on Saturday, JPMorgan reiterated its commitment to China and said it would "continue to evaluate viable options" to strengthen its business in the nation.

Since UBS Group AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc established Chinese joint ventures more than a decade ago, foreign banks have struggled to challenge local players. One disadvantage has been rules limiting them to minority stakes, reducing their sway over key decisions.

HSBC Holdings Plc last year announced plans for a China securities partnership in which it will hold a controlling stake. HSBC Chief Executive Officer Stuart Gulliver said it would be the first securities venture in China mostly owned by a foreign bank.

Bloomberg
The stand of Bank of China at a financial industry expo in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Bank says investment and loan linkage mechanism is crucial to industrial innovation

The Bank of China Ltd has pledged to accelerate the development of its key investment and loan linkage mechanismby working with the administrative committees of five national innovation zones to build up its client base and risk compensation and information-sharing systems.

The fourth biggest commercial lender by assets in China said it signed strategic cooperation agreements with the committees on Friday and also inked accords on offering financing services through the investment and loan linkage mechanism to 12 technology and innovative companies.

Currently, it is waiting for regulatory approval to set up a subsidiary specializing in equity investments under the mechanism.

The investment and loan linkage mechanism was initiated by the State Council. It aims to encourage banks to provide sustainable finance to technology companies and innovative startups by lending to them and in the mean time allowing qualified subsidiaries of the banks to make equity investments in them.

The mechanism is expected to help banks cover credit risks and secure returns on their investment.

On April 21, the Chinese government authorized 10 banks, including the Bank of China, to carry out a trial program of the mechanism in five national innovation demonstration zones in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Hubei province and Shaanxi province.

"China is grasping the most crucial part of its innovation by carrying out a trial program on the investment and loan linkage mechanism," said Liu Qiang, executive vice-president of the BOC.

Liu said it would be a new driver for science and technology development.

The Chinese economic structural reform's focus was on reducing capacity, destocking and deleveraging, he said. Combining equity investment and their credit business, to serve technology companies and innovative startups, would help commercial banks form different development strategies to serve clients, Liu added.

Apart from making it less difficult for companies to find sources of funding, the investment and loan linkage mechanism will help the banking sector break the traditional business model, which relies heavily on lending and net interest margins, by exploring business transformation, said Guo Hong, director of the administrative committee of Zhongguancun Science Park.

"The new business model requires banking institutions to look at a company with the vision of an investor and the key is to assess the room for growth and the investment value of the company accurately," he said.

Guo said that to achieve this goal, banks needed to build a team of expert staff with a deep understanding of both credit and investment.

"They also need to make innovations on performance evaluation and organizational management accordingly. During the practice, banks may have to adjust their level of risk tolerance," he added.

"All this needs to be explored and improved continuously during the trial program."

Zhang Weixing, an official from the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the ministry was doing research into setting up standards for small and medium-sized technology companies.

It was also providing guidance for local governments to build their own database of technology companies and establish risk compensation and professional consulting systems, to help banks lower investment and credit risks.
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the country's biggest lender, said on Monday it has agreed to conduct a 5 billion yuan ($720 million) debt-for-equity swap with cement producer Jindong Development Group.

The bank will use a limited partnership fund to make a 2.5 billion yuan investment in Jindong in the first phase of the swap, ICBC said in a statement.

Jindong, headquartered in Hebei province, is one of China's biggest construction materials companies. Its controlling shareholder is State-owned BBMG Corp.

The deal marks the second debt-for-equity swap announced by ICBC since Beijing launched the scheme in October in a bid to reduce its $18 trillion in corporate debt, equivalent to 169 percent of domestic output.

Earlier this month, the bank said it had signed a 10 billion yuan debt-for-equity swap with Shandong Gold Group to reduce the company's debt burden.

After the proposed $720 million debt swap, Jindong's leverage ratio will come down by 8 percent, ICBC said in the statement.

"Through financial support, ICBC will help Jindong upgrade its industrial structure and push the company to invest more in research to develop in a resource-conserving, environmentally friendly way and aid Beijing in the fight against smog," the statement said.

Hebei, an industrial region bordering the capital, is one of China's most polluted provinces.

Bloomberg
Trading in shares of China Huishan Dairy Holdings Co was triple the three-month average on Monday, when it resumed trading after being suspended on Friday. Prominent short seller Carson Block targeted the Hong Kong-listed dairy farm operator and said he would seek out more companies in the city.

Muddy Waters Capital LLC, founded by Block, said it had shorted Shenyang-based Huishan and alleged in a report last week that it's "worth close to zero" and questioned its profitability, causing the stock to drop on Friday before it was suspended.

Huishan, China's largest operator of milk farms with a market value of HK$37 billion ($4.8 billion), said the allegations in the report are groundless and contain misrepresentations, according to a statement late Friday.

Huishan is the latest company in Hong Kong to be targeted by short sellers, who borrow shares and sell them in the hope of profiting by acquiring them at a lower price later. Block said in a telephone interview he's concerned prices of stocks traded in the city can be manipulated because of the low 25 percent free-float requirement, which also makes it a challenging market to sell short.

"I'm always a fan of shorting total frauds and Hong Kong has its share, so it will always be a place for us," said Block, who was speaking generally about listed companies in the city. "The trading volumes generally aren't that good and I think there are a lot of stock manipulations in Hong Kong. That's a function of the volumes being poor."

Block previously targeted Hong Kong-listed Chinese mainland timber company Superb Summit International Group Ltd Last December. The Securities and Futures Commission ordered the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to suspend all dealings in Superb Summit's shares, which had stopped trading since November 2014.

The Muddy Waters report on the company contained misleading statements and fabricated content, according to a Superb Summit statement to the exchange in January 2015.

Block said he is hoping his report on Huishan will encourage active fund managers to sell the stock.

Huishan responded, in a statement rebutting various points in the report, that Muddy Waters has made allegations "which are groundless and contains various misrepresentations, malicious and false allegations and obvious factual errors." Muddy Waters alleges Huishan recorded "fraudulent profits" tied to the company's reports of production of alfalfa, which Muddy Waters said it purchases in large quantities from third parties.

Bloomberg
BEIJING - China's central bank will tighten supervision of shadow banking by including wealth management products (WMPs) into its risk monitoring system next year.

The People's Bank of China on Monday confirmed media reports that it would add WMPs to its checklist for financial institutions under the macro prudential assessment (MPA) framework in the first quarter of 2017.

The MPA currently covers loans and other assets including investment on bonds and equities.

China's fast expanding wealth management industry is considered a source of risk, as off-balance sheet WMPs channel deposits into risky investments without enough regulation.

The government will put more emphasis on controlling financial risks in 2017, according to the Central Economic Work Conference, a key economic meeting held last week.
BEIJING - China has issued a guideline on strategic emerging sectors in the 13th Five-Year Plan period, with their output expected to account for 15 percent of GDP by 2020.

China wants five new pillar industries each with output of 10 trillion yuan ($1.44 trillion): information technology, bio-industry, green and low-carbon industry, high-end manufacturing, and digital and creative industry.

China plans to develop a number of new growth poles based on industrial integration and create more than 1 million new jobs each year by 2020, according to a State Council document published on Monday.

The document explains the opportunities brought by new technology and put emphasis on strategic emerging industries. China should establish a modern industrial system and foster new growth momentum, it said.

The government will provide policy support in managerial improvements, intellectual property rights and financing.

The government will also help establish an industrial innovation system and increase efforts to cultivate and give incentives to talented people, the guideline said.
Shen Guojun, president of China Yintai Holdings, gave a keynote speech to more than 400 business people from Zhejiang province in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

One of the secrets of being a successful business person is to be self-disciplined, says the businessman Shen Guojun.

Shen, president of China Yintai Holdings and chairman of the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce in Beijing, said those who wanted to succeed also needed to stick firmly to the laws when doing business.

Shen made the remarks in an address to more than 400 businesspeople from Zhejiang province at the Zhejiang Entrepreneurs Forum in Beijing on Saturday.

Some businesspeople were apt to lose their moral compass once they had tasted success, he said, but they needed to be self-disciplined and to place a high premium on their reputations.

"I think we should always have credibility and abide by the laws, and cherish our reputation. Some businesspeople can easily get lost. But can you afford to lose your credibility and self-discipline and beat the competition only as a result of unscrupulous means? For me the answer to that is an emphatic no."

Business people from Zhejiang form the largest group of successful entrepreneurs categorized by province and region, in China, among them the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma.

There are also about 10 million Zhejiang business people active inside the province and elsewhere. Of China's top 500 private companies, about 134 were founded by Zhejiang businesspeople. In Beijing alone Zhejiang companies have invested more than 500 billion yuan, and created more than 1.5 million jobs, according to Shen.

Shen said businesspeople from Zhejiang tend to be hard-working and resilient, are trusted, work well with one another and are innovative.

Apart from adhering to good business practices, all businesspeople should care more for others, he said, including their employees, thus setting an example to other companies and promoting social progress. Companies big and small need to be involved in more altruism to repay society for what it has given them, he said.

Shen said that China's reform and opening up have created good business environment, with better policies, legal system and administration, so businesspeople should have confidence in the country and the government, and it is important for them to support the development of China.

To do that, businesspeople should first operate well their companies.

"Our most important job is to run our business well, and then we would be able to do things that are beneficial to the country and people, such as paying more taxes and creating more jobs," he said.
Vehicles with Macao license plate have crossed the border into Chinese mainland, for the first time, as the special economic zone takes steps to facilitate cross-border cooperation.

Since Tuesday, some vehicles with a license plate issued outside the mainland have been able to enter and leave Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

To be eligible for a temporary license plate to enter the Chinese mainland, owners of Macao vehicles must have a registered company in Hengqin that ranks among the top 100 highest tax paying businesses. They must also promise to continue to operate the company in Hengqin for at least five years.

Enterprises based in Macao that have bought land in Hengqin also qualify to apply for the temporary license plate.

The new policy is one of 19 preferential measures announced in October during Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Macao.

Macao's secretary for security Wong Sio Chak said at the launch ceremony of the policy in Hengqin on Tuesday that the new policy is an important measure designed to deepen cooperation between Macao and Guangdong.

The move will help promote the development of both Macao and Zhuhai and increase the competitiveness of the two cities by improving the allocation of resources, Wong said.

Hengqin, which borders Macao, is well-positioned to facilitate cooperation between Guangdong and Macao. It is part of China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, which also covers Shenzhen's Qianhai and Guangzhou's Nansha.

Zhuhai Mayor Zheng Renhao said the launch of the new policy marks a fresh starting point for stronger cooperation between Zhuhai and Macao.

It will push forward construction of Hengqin free trade zone and also Macao's diversified development, he said.
A visitor experiences a VR device during the International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Expo in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily]

Female entrepreneurs have a higher rate of success due to careful consideration of risks

Business experts urged young entrepreneurs to be more rational with business startups after a report published on Monday found that many of them launched startups with little experience or preparation.

Published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and Chinese microfinance pioneer CreditEase, the report on Chinese entrepreneurs under the age of 35 also found more men start businesses in China. About 60 percent of the 4,329 entrepreneurs interviewed for the report are males.

Yet after following up with 567 respondents of a similar study last year, researchers found that a higher rate of female entrepreneurs succeeded in their businesses compared with males because of their more cautious manner and more careful consideration of potential risks.

It said 69 percent of female entrepreneurs had succeeded in their startups, 3.1 percentage points higher than their male peers.

Generally, however, Chinese entrepreneurs don't prepare well when they start their businesses. The report found that 33.8 percent of entrepreneurs are students or new graduates, and half of them have no work experience.

A college student shows a speech recognition robot in Qingdao, Shandong province, Nov 5, 2016. [Photo/China Daily]

Only 65 percent of the respondents said they had done market research before they started their businesses. They fared even worse in other preparation work, including learning relevant policies, drafting business plans and building teams of employees, the report said.

Many young Chinese entrepreneurs don't have long-term plans for their business. Some also found they couldn't register trademarks for their products when they had been doing well, said Bao Chunlei, a researcher at the Institute of Labor Science and one of the authors of the report.

He said many young people started their businesses out of an interest, instead of a market need, which increases the risk of failure.

The report found 29.2 percent of the males and 37.6 percent of the females cited personal interest as one of the main factors for their decision to start a business.

Wu Daohuai, director of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's department of employment promotion, said entrepreneurs should be more rational in their business startups.

"Not everyone has the ability to launch a startup and not all entrepreneurs succeed. It needs basic competency and willingness. People should be rational in their judgments of themselves and analysis of the market," he said.
Models in illuminated suits present an electric motorbike at the Siemens stand at the HANNOVER MESSE 2010 trade fair in Hanover, Germany, April 18, 2010. [Photo/IC]

Information technology-based solutions can help Chinese companies boost product quality, efficiency, innovation and counter challenges such as rising labor coststo pursue their goals opened up by the Made in China 2025 strategy, a leading international industry executive said.

Chuck Grindstaff, chief executive officer of Siemens PLM Software, a subsidiary of German industrial giant Siemens AG, said his group was grasping the opportunities.

"We are driving this trend forward across all our business lines in China," he said.

"We can connect mobility with energy, transportation, building and manufacturing technologies to offer cross-domain services for our customers in both China and global markets," Grindstaff added.

The Made in China 2025 strategy is a 10-year national plan designed to transform China from a manufacturing giant into a global high-tech manufacturing power.

Grindstaff said even though the winds of change were sweeping across the global manufacturing landscape with tremendous speed, China could still retain its winning edge by using innovative industrial software that could integrate product development and production processes.

The Texas-based product life cycle management, or PLM technology provider, develops software that can manage the entire life cycle of a product from designing to manufacturing, to deployment and even disposal. Its Chinese customers include China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, China National Nuclear Corp, China State Shipbuilding Corp and Aviation Industry Corp of China.

Much like cloud computing that is transforming the information technology business, Germany's "Industry 4.0" initiativea concept that promotes the digitalization of its manufacturing industryis now being hailed as the way forward for manufacturing companies.

Siemens has been a notable supporter and proponent of the concept, which is essentially a collective of smart factories, intelligent machines and networked processes that provide a direct and real-time interface between the virtual and physical worlds.

A cutting-edge project that showcases the advantages of PLM software is Siemens' digital plant in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

The facility, Siemens' only digital workshop outside of Germany, is a highly automated unit where production materials are sorted and delivered to the exact production line at the exact time without workers lifting their fingers.

"The key to making this smart manufacturing happen is the collaborative digital platform that is based on PLM software, which is widely used by auto, aerospace and aviation companies," Grindstaff said.

"As many as 19 out of the top 20 aviation companies in the world use Siemens' PLM software, such as Boeing and Airbus."

One mainland analyst said the technology was promising and rapidly evolving on the Chinese mainland.

"PLM solutions are widely used in China in aerospace and aviation, military and automobile sectors," said Sun Fuquan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development.

"Sectors, such as food and beverages, can also make handsome gains from PLM solutions in the long-term," Sun added.
BEIJING - China's press and publication regulator has ordered social media platforms featuring video and audio programs to obtain licenses.

The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) has recently issued a document strengthening the regulation of video and audio programs on social media platforms, such as Weibo and WeChat, according to a press release seen by Xinhua Tuesday,

If organizations and individuals operate online streaming services on Weibo or WeChat without licenses, the social media platforms should be responsible for the content.

Platforms must monitor if content is suitable according to "various requirements for managing video and audio programs," the document said, adding that the "scope of content cannot exceed the limit specified in the license issued to platforms."

Online platforms are also prohibited from offering access to Weibo or WeChat accounts that defy regulations.

Moreover, films and TV series circulated on social media platforms must obtain licenses for public airing, and social media platforms are not allowed to repost user-generated video and audio programs featuring political news.
Chinese construction company National Building Material Company (CNBM) struck a 2.75 billion pound ($3.41 billion) joint venture deal on Monday to open six cost-efficient house-building factories in the UK, capable of producing 25,000 homes a year.

The homes built by the joint venture will significantly reduce construction costs to a target of 400 pounds per square meter, significantly less than the 1,000 pounds per square meter average in the UK market. It came at an opportune time when the UK government is making policy plans to increase affordable homes.

CNBM is partnering with the UKs housing association Your Housing Group (YHG) and renewable energy specialist Welink to construct the factories for pre-fabricated modular units. Of the total funding, 2.5 billion pounds is coming from CNBM and 250 million from YHG.

Shou Peng, chairman of CNBM, said: The key to unlocking the opportunities to address the housing needs of the UK is through the development and delivery of an industrialization strategy at significant scale.

The CNBM deal was welcomed by the UKs International Trade Minister Greg Hands, who hailed it as an endorsement for the UKs attractiveness for foreign investment.

This announcement has the potential to benefit local communities across the country, creating jobs, boosting local economies and creating homes, Hands said.

Stephen Haigh, chief executive of Your Housing and UK CEO of the joint venture, said the new project will help the UK government achieve their housing aspirations.

The deal came at a time when modular construction techniques are becoming a new buzzword in the construction industry. This technique produces standard room units inside factories which can readily be assembled on construction sites, to save construction time and costs.

China has led modular construction techniques by leveraging on its domestic housing market scale, and some Chinese firms have already expanded into the UKs modular construction market, one example being the Shenzhen-based CIMC Modular Building Systems, having done over 10 UK projects for clients including InterContinental Hotels Group and Hilton.

The CNBM consortium partners are currently looking for factory sites across England. The first factory, in Liverpool, is expected to receive planning permission in January. A research and technology centre is currently being built in Gloucester by YHG to pioneer new development.

The project will deliver 2,000 homes next year, ramping up production after to 25,000 homes per year by 2022. The entire project is expected to create 1,000 new jobs.

The modular units to be made are base on designs by the Spanish firm Barcelona Housing Systems, unique for their energy efficiency and affordability.

The UK government announced in the November Autumn Statement its plans to create a 2.3 billion pound Housing Infrastructure Fund, to deliver infrastructure for up to 100,000 new homes in high demand areas.

Haigh added his team will work with local authorities, offering the consortiums development model as solution to their house building and development needs.
A worker collects garbage in the Haihe River in Tianjin on Dec 8. [Photo/Xinhua]

A draft amendment to the Water Pollution Prevention Law, submitted to the country's top legislative body for first reading on Monday, calls for more restrictions on major sources of underground water pollution, such as chemical plants, industrial zones, mining regions and waste burial sites.

Such sources of pollution should take extra measures to prevent leakage that contaminates underground water, the draft states.

Control of underground water pollution has received growing attention from governments and the public concerned about the safety of drinking water.

Among the 5,118 subterranean monitoring stations across 202 cities nationwide, 18.8 percent reported water quality in the bottom tier of the five-tier national water quality system last year, according to the annual bulletin on environmental quality from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

It will be lowered to 15 percent by 2020 and the authorities will improve monitoring, with broader coverage and better technology, it said.

Tightened control of underground water is necessary and requires greater support of technology, funding, and laws and regulations, said Xi Beidou, a researcher at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.

Xi led a team of experts in conducting surveys on underground water pollution and provided suggestions for governments.

In addition, the draft amendment stipulates that governments should shoulder larger responsibilities and report plans for water quality improvement to higher levels of governments, as well as making such plans public, to receive wider supervision.

The draft improves the protection of drinking water, stating that emergency responses and backup water sources should be built in cities with single water sources, and the quality of drinking water should be heavily monitored, with relevant information made public.

Water pollution prevention in key fields, including industrial sewage, agriculture and rural areas, as well as pollution from ships, should be tightened, according to the draft.

The current Water Pollution Prevention Law was enacted in 1984, and amended in 1996 and 2008, and has played an important role in curbing water pollution, said Chen Jining, minister of environmental protection, at the opening meeting of the bimonthly session of the top legislature.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), China's chemical oxygen demand, a measure of organic pollutants in water, dropped by 12.9 percent, while emissions of ammoniacal nitrogen shrank 13 percent, exceeding expectations.

In addition, in the first nine months, among the 1,922 monitoring stations for surface water quality nationwide, 72.3 percent of monitored sections were in the top three levels, meaning that the water could be used for drinking, irrigation or industrial use, the ministry said.

Only 8.6 percent were in the "severely polluted" level, meaning that the water could not be used for any purpose, it added.

However, Chen said on Monday that China still has severe problems with water pollution.

The draft was made to ensure better implementation of a water pollution prevention plan issued by the State Council in April last year, the minister said.
The backlog of drug registration cases in China has been substantially reduced, with 9,000 applications awaiting approval, compared with a peak of 22,000 last year, a senior official said.

"Reforms are underway to speed up the drug evaluation and registration process to improve public access to advanced treatments," said Li Jinju, deputy director of the China Food and Drug Administration's drug and cosmetics registration department.

"But safety and quality will never be compromised," Li said.

A shortage of staff in drug evaluation and registration is mainly to blame, she said. "That was addressed by the reforms."

There are about 10,000 applications for drug registration per year.

Before 2015, the administration's drug evaluation center had only 130 staff, including 80 specializing in drug evaluation, Li said. In comparison, a similar department in the United States has 5,000, and in Japan there are 700.

Under the reforms, "we hired more, but it takes time to build capacity and train staff as the evaluation work is highly demanding technically", she said.

The strain is expected to be substantially relieved in two to three years, she estimated.

Also, new drugs in urgent and high demand clinically will be fast-tracked for approval, she added.

So far, 146 candidates have been fast-tracked for registration and approval, including the HPV vaccine, which protects women from cervical cancer caused by HPV infection and was submitted for approval about 10 years ago.

To enhance efficiency, other reform measures like strengthened communication with drug developers and streamlined interior working procedures were introduced as well after March, she said.

In March, Bi Jingquan, head of the administration, first pledged reforms of drug registration to beef up efficiency.

He recognized that the process took longer in China and that "there was a backlog of cases".

In China, a drug candidate needs to go through applications, three phases of clinical trials, and registration and approval to become available for patients, a process that can take years.

shanjuan@chinadaily.com.cn
Ten suspects are under investigation for their liability in a deadly construction site accident in Fengcheng, Jiangxi province, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Monday.

Among the people under investigation, nine are suspected of "serious dereliction of duty", while one is suspected of "offering bribes", according to the top procuratorate.

A platform more than 70 meters high in a cooling tower at the Ganneng Fengcheng power station crashed to the ground on Nov 24, killing 74 people and injuring another two.

The tower was part of a 7.67 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) expansion plan for the coal-fired power station.

The expansion project's director, Deng Yongchao, and its quality control head, Yang Yunfei, have been charged with dereliction of duty, according to top procuratorate.

They "are highly responsible for the occurrence of the incident", the procuratorate said.

Prosecutors also charged another person with bribery in relation to the incident.
The top official in Gannan county in Heilongjiang province has made a public apology to two journalists who were beaten up while doing undercover reporting in the county.

The apology came after Liu Bozhi and Liu Dun, journalists from China Education Daily, were roughed up by local police while investigating the food program at a middle school in Gannan county on Friday.

Wang Shuwei, the Party chief of Gannan, said during an interview with China Education Network Television on Sunday that he "feels guilty for the incident" and offered profound apologies to the two journalists, their families and their workplace.

"I have an inescapable responsibility for the incident and it revealed a lack of proper management of our cadres," Wang said, adding that the county authority will step up training for police officers.

After receiving an anonymous tip that the county's school canteens were contracted to a private company that may profit from the subsidy program, the reporters went to a local middle school, but were taken to a police station, according to China Education Daily. Liu Dun suffered a head injury and Liu Bozhi's hand was injured.

The reporters discovered that schools in Gannan charge more for food than schools in other counties, and students are forced to put 300 yuan ($43) on their food cards even when they don't eat in the canteen. Local authorities also turned a blind eye to the fact that the canteens were contracted to private companies, although it was forbidden in 2011.

Wang said an investigation into the nutritious meals program was carried out.

"The Gannan Committee of the Communist Party of China will cooperate with an investigation group from a higher level authority and all problems shall be thoroughly discussed," he said.

"A comprehensive system of supervision, inspection and management will be established to make sure there is no corruption involved in the nutritious meals program," Wang said.

The incident was not an isolated one for journalists.

According to People's Daily, reporters from Henan Television were beaten up in November last year by security guards at a construction site where two workers died in a fire. Police at the scene ordered the guards to grab the video from one of the reporters and smashed it.

Wei Jie, a lawyer at Jieqiang Law Firm in Beijing, said he hoped government regulations regarding the protection of journalists' rights could be more specific to regulate all parties involved.

zhang_yi@chinadaily.com.cn
Every day, 81-year-old Phuntsog Tashi lights a lamp made from butter and chants Buddhist scripture.

"I pray for Su Zhibin, who was a good man, and hope the lamp will light his way to heaven," said the resident of Zhonggu village, Jiulong county, in Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province.

Su, former chief procurator of the county procuratorate, died of a stroke aged 50 in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, on Sept 2. Doctors said the cerebral hemorrhage was induced by stress and overwork.

The official had spearheaded efforts to have Phuntsog's home connected to the local water supply network. Previously, Phuntsog had to carry water to his home from a faraway well in the village.

As news of Su's death spread, many of the 486 residents of Haidi village in Jiulong's Kuiduo township prepared to travel the more than 700 kilometers to attend his funeral in Chengdu, according to Pan Changming, one of the villagers.

Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture is one of Sichuan's less developed areas and leading officials at different levels have the task of helping people in need. Su did many good deeds for the needy, said Gou Yadong, an information officer with the prefecture's government.

Haidi, in a mountainous region of the province, used to be almost inaccessible to the outside world, but Su managed to persuade the county's finance chiefs to allocate more than 4 million yuan ($575,000) for the construction of a new access road, Pan said.

Su was born and raised in the prefecture's Shiqu county, where the average elevation is 4,526 meters and the temperature rarely climbs much above freezing.

During his 31-year career, he worked in a number of the prefecture's procuratorates.

He started in 1985 as a bailiff in the Shiqu county procuratorate. Yet due to never having attended any institutions of higher education, he knew little about the law.

"He learned what he knew from older colleagues, and old newspapers and magazines that he collected from the procuratorate's various offices. He would read these clippings from time to time and gradually, he became an expert of sorts," said Yeshi Dorje, one of Su's colleagues at the Shiqu county procuratorate.

"Before he started working in Ganzi's Luhuo county procuratorate in the year 2000, he had handled more than 200 criminal cases in Shiqu without making any mistakes."

At the end of 2011, Su became chief procurator of the procuratorate of Jiulong county, which is mostly inhabited by Tibetans and Yi people.

"In the small county, locals like to treat each other to dinner and give each other cigarettes and liquor as gifts. But Su never banqueted at public expense. He didn't smoke or drink, and he never accepted any gifts," said Deng Mingchao, one of his younger colleagues at the Jiulong county procuratorate.

huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn
Ministries and State Council departments have responded to a number of public and media concerns over the past week. One that attracted the most attention is the ongoing heavy pollution over Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and nearby provinces, for which Beijing and several other cities have already issued red alerts.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said their monitoring system had forecast heavy pollution weeks ago and had already sent official warnings to the governments of the municipalities and provinces affected. The ministry shared information with the provincial-level governments, and required them to issue alerts in time.

The ministry also said they had sent 13 inspection teams to the cities affected, to check whether they have taken the necessary measures to fight heavy pollution, such as limiting vehicles and curbing enterprises producing excessive emissions.

They said measures to ensure clean air need the participation of everyone in society and called for the public to take action in maintaining the air quality.

The Ministry of Education introduced to journalists their recently announced K12 education standards for disabled children. It is the first standard system of its kind for pupils with disabilities, a spokesperson said on Jan 13.

The standards cover 42 subjects, of which 18 are for the visually impaired, 14 are for those with impaired hearing, and 10 are for pupils with learning difficulties.

They include the philosophies, objectives and proposals for the courses these pupils should receive.

The schools for these children should consider both the K12 education standards and their special needs, the spokesperson said, adding that the domestic philosophy of education for disabled children has improved with time.

Some drivers place an ETC card at the corner of their windshield, which can pay for highway tolls automatically upon being scanned by the camera at highway entrances. However, recent reports say that some illegal gangs stole money from the cards by scanning them on parked cars with portable POS machines.

Union Pay, a payment alliance formed by most major domestic banks, responded that the scam does not apply to all ETC cards, as only those linked with quick pass banking accounts are vulnerable, because such accounts can pay without the card holder's signature.

Union Pay advised ETC card holders not to link their cards with quick pass banking accounts, and to remove any linked cards from their vehicles when parking.

The China Food and Drug Administration explained its recently announced policy of strengthening supervision over food safety in kindergartens and primary and secondary schools.

It requires its agencies at all levels nationwide to inspect the canteens of primary and secondary schools and kindergartens, and prohibit companies without approval from further running the canteens.

zhangzhouxiang@chinadaily.com.cn
Unveiled plan targets protecting designated areas deemed vital for sustaining a healthy environment

In a major step to improve the national ecology, the central government has promulgated a new plan to boost wetland preservation and restoration, especially natural wetlands.

By 2020, the country is targeting the preservation of no less than 53.3 million hectares of wetlands, including 46.7 million hectares of natural wetlands, according to a plan released last week by the State Council, China's cabinet.

Wetlands are a crucial part of the country's ecological protection, concerning the nation's sustainable development and the welfare of the Chinese people and younger generations, the plan said.

According to the plan, a new mechanism will be introduced to balance the acreage of wetlands by creating a new area of wetland of comparative size when one is lost to urban construction.

Meanwhile, protection of wetlands will be encompassed into the evaluation system for local governments, which analysts said will encourage local authorities to monitor them better. A reward and punishment system will be established and this will see any officials responsible for damaging wetlands traced and punished even if they have left their original office. Those who have damaged wetlands must repair the area and could face jail for any crimes or violations they may have committed.

The plan stipulated that wetlands should be preserved to keep water quality in more than 80 percent of rivers and lakes higher than the required standard with combined efforts from the central and local governments.

This marks the central government's latest move on ecological protection since it promulgated a guideline on the subject in September last year. Since 2008, the central government has issued a number of documents emphasizing wetland protection and has set goals for wetland protection in the annual Government Work Report.

According to a national survey in 2014 by the State Forestry Administration, the country has 53.6 million hectares of wetland, accounting for 5.58 percent of China's territory. China's wetlands rank, in area, as the largest in Asia and fourth-largest in the world. The targeted acreage of wetlands is already lower than the figure two years ago.

In April last year, the China Wetland Protection Association was established as a national agency to oversee the country's 46 internationally-renowned wetland preservation sites, more than 570 natural wetlands and more than 900 wetland parks, covering 23 million hectares. Wetlands are regarded as "the earth's kidney" for their purifying ability for both water and air. China, now the world's largest exporter of goods, has over the past five years experienced heavy pollution of water and air, similar to what the United Kingdom and the United States experienced decades ago.

The ongoing smog has blanketed more than 700,000 square kilometers of land in China, with schools in Beijing closed from Monday to Wednesday over concerns regarding students' health. Meanwhile, industrialization has consumed an extremely large amount of water, including that extracted from underground. These scenarios have seen the government and the public accelerating efforts to protect "the earth's kidney".

It's vitally urgent to clarify a bottom line for wetland acreage as much has been damaged by the encroachment of farmland and urban construction in the past 50 years, said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, a nonprofit organization in Beijing.

Many wetlands don't have owners and, hence, are more vulnerable than farmlands that have been contracted to farmers. Some wetlands have been altered to compensate for farmlands that were subject to urban expansion, particularly exemplified by those near river banks in Northeast China or coastal areas in East China's Jiangsu province, Ma said.

Ma's viewpoint was echoed by Wang Yang, a 33-year-old employee at a wetland preservation site in Hefei, capital of Anhui province. Wang said the plan will inject greater enthusiasm in local governments under the new evaluation system. "Now economic indicators are important for local governments, but it will be a lot easier for wetland protection if a ranking system for wetlands is introduced for local governments," Wang said.

huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn
Analysts call Philippine president's tough talk an effort to maintain an independent stance

Analysts say that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears to be seeking to change what they described as an unequal relationship between Washington and Manila by taking measures to improve ties with China. The latest example is his setting aside an arbitration ruling on the South China Sea, which he did over the weekend.

"In the play of politics, now, I will set aside the arbitration ruling. I will not impose anything on China," Duterte said at a news conference on Saturday.

Duterte praised China as having "the kindest soul of all" for providing financial assistance. "So, what do I need America for?"

The arbitration case was unilaterally launched by Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, over South China Sea disputes.

Duterte also expressed anger toward Washington's criticism of his anti-drug efforts, and he urged US forces to leave the Philippines.

Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said on Monday that the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will fund two infrastructure projects for the Philippines, which is also a founding member of the AIIB.

On Friday, the Chinese and Philippine coast guards had the first meeting of its kind, during which they established a Joint Coast Guard Committee to cooperate in areas including fighting drug trafficking and other maritime crimes, environmental protection and search and rescue operations.

"This is a milestone because it opened the communication lines between the two agencies involved in the (South China Sea)," Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilo told AFP.

Xu Liping, a senior researcher of Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Duterte's remarks showed his dissatisfaction toward what he called the unequal relationship between Washington and Manila. Duterte aims to safeguard his country's core interests and maintain independent diplomacy, he said.

"In Duterte's opinion, if a country has foreign armies deployed on its territory, the leaders will hardly have independence to safeguard national interests," Xu said.

Li Guoqiang, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said, however, that there is unlikely to be any substantial change in the framework of the US-Philippines alliance. "Overall strategy is still based on their national interests," he said. However, Duterte's comments are "a positive sign", Li said.

Chen Qiqi contributed to this story.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn
Beijing rejected on Monday US president-elect Donald Trump's claim that it had stolen a US unmanned underwater vehicle, saying that was "totally inaccurate".

Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying said, "We don't like the word 'steal,'" in response to Trump's pair of tweets over the weekend, accusing Beijing of "stealing" the equipment in an "unprecedented act".

On Sunday, after Beijing and Washington announced the drone would be returned, Trump tweeted: "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back. - let them keep it!"

The Chinese lifeboat that retrieved the 3-meter-long drone adopted a "responsible and professional" attitude in investigating and verifying the device, she added.

"The reason is simple and straightforward," Hua said. "Imagine you found something on the street, you at least have to examine the item first and check the claimant before returning it."

When asked about whether China would change its restraint toward Trump's tweets after he becomes US president on Jan 20, Hua replied: "We pay attention to the government's action."

The drone was discovered and retrieved by the Chinese Navy to "prevent danger to the safe navigation of passing ships and personnel", Hua said. It was operating about 93 kilometers northwest of Subic Bay off the Philippines.

Hua said that China has always opposed the United States conducting reconnaissance and military surveys within Chinese waters. "It has threatened China's security and sovereignty. China will maintain vigilance against the relevant US activities and take necessary measures in response," she said.

He Weibao, a researcher of US foreign affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the Chinese Navy has the right to retrieve unidentified objects that could potentially threaten safe navigation, even in international waters.

"It would be irresponsible for China not to have picked up the device," said He. "The anxiety displayed in the US over the drone episode could raise suspicion of espionage, given how the US has increased reconnaissance efforts in the region."

zhangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn
A file photo taken on July 14, 2015, shows the former Flying Tigers vetran John Yee at his home in Denver, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

DENVER, the US -- John Yee, a Flying Tigers veteran who just celebrated his 95th birthday, remembers the moment when Japanese bombs fell on Pearl Harbor.

He was in southwest China's biggest city of Kunming at the time, handpicked as one of 30 translators to work with the Flying Tigers there.

"We felt badly for the Americans, but to be honest, we all jumped with joy. It was a day of hope that something might stop the daily bombings of our cities and towns by the Japanese," Yee told Xinhua.

Yee says that his fellow Chinese translators all talked about having "a very powerful ally in the United States, and that we would no longer have to fight the Japanese alone."

During World War Two, Japanese slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Nanking, capital of China at that time. Yee was 17-years-old then and living in Kunming.

"It was a horrible, sickening event, and shocked everybody in China. It started a long period of atrocities committed by the Japanese military against innocent Chinese people," Yee said Monday in an open letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will pay a visit to Pearl Harbor later this month.

"Just like Hitler trying to exterminate the Jews in Europe, the Japanese committed genocide against the Chinese," Yee noted. "But Western educators and media have yet to recognize the extent of the atrocities committed by Japan."

Two weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack, the first of General Claire Lee Chennault's 100 planes landed from Burma on a Kunming airstrip just north of the city. And Yee became one of those Flying Tigers as a translator.

The night before the Americans arrived, Kunming had been blown apart by bombs again, as the defenseless Chinese had no recourse but to run for cover. Yee remembers hearing the sound of wailing and screaming throughout the dark, powerless city that night.

"But they were in for a surprise the next time," Yee told Xinhua, with a smile. "The Americans had come, and the slaughter of innocent people would stop," he said.




Foreign Minister Wang Yi sent a message of condolence to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday over the death of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.

Wang said that China condemns strongly the barbarian terrorist attack on the diplomat and opposes firmly all forms of terrorism.

He said China is ready, together with the international community, to lend firm support to Russia in its efforts to strike hard at terrorism, and hopes to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation.

Karlov was shot dead by a gunman at an exhibition in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday evening.
SANYA - Yuan Longping, China's renowned rice scientist, is leading a research to cultivate new strains of high yield "sea rice."

The research team plans to spend three years developing a breed that can withstand water with a salinity of up to 0.8 percent, with a yield over 300 kilograms per mu (a Chinese unit equivalent to 666 square meters), said Yuan, known as the "father of hybrid rice," during a seminar in Sanya city in the southern Hainan province.

"Over half of the world's population relies on rice as their staple food, while the proportion is over 60 percent in China," Yuan said, adding that China has more than 1 billion mu of saline-alkaline soil, and it will be of great significance to convert such soil into arable land by developing sea rice with a high salinity tolerance.

Using 100 million mu of land to grow sea rice, the country could produce an extra of 30 billion kilograms of rice and feed an extra 80 million people.

Sea rice is sometimes found in saline-alkaline soil at the junctures where rivers join the sea. The plant is resistant to pests, diseases, salt and alkali, and does not need fertilizer. Currently, the most advanced sea-rice breed in China has a yield of 400 kilograms per mu, but can only be grown in water with salinity less than 0.3 percent.

A sea-rice research center, with Yuan as the chief scientist, was established in October in Qingdao, Shandong province. With dozens of breeds of sea rice brought in from worldwide, researchers will use gene sequencing technology to cultivate new strains of sea rice.

Over the past decades, Chinese scientists, led by Yuan, have worked on new approaches to significantly increase rice yields.
BEIJING - Promoting supply-side structural reform in agriculture will be the main theme in next year's rural and agricultural work, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China will encourage new growth engines in agriculture and rural areas to improve productivity and competitiveness, said Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee, held ahead of the central rural work conference, according to the statement released after the conference that ended Tuesday.

The government should optimize the agricultural industry and product mix while ensuring national food security, Xi said.

China will promote intensive agricultural development to help reduce poverty and facilitate urbanization to benefit ordinary rural households, Xi added.

The roles of the government and the market should be coordinated in guiding agricultural production and improving industry and product mix, and innovation by local governments should be encouraged, according to Xi.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made similar points at an executive meeting of the State Council, urging governments to accelerate modernization of agriculture and promote innovation and entrepreneurship in rural areas.

Li also called for greater efforts in poverty reduction in rural regions to help poor people make a living on their own.

Governments at all levels should strive to improve agricultural quality and efficiency and the rural population's income, Li added.
MACAO - A tour bus rear-ended another in a chain road accident on Tuesday in Macao, with 57 people injured, the special administrative region's police authorities said.

Macao's Public Security Police Force told Xinhua that the accident happened around 16:00 local time (08:00 GMT), when two tour buses in the same lane wanted to avoid a sedan in front of them. Both had sudden braking and the second one hit the rear of the first.

According to police investigation, both drivers and the driver of the sedan have passed the alcohol test. The police said the accident site is not a location where car accidents often happen.

Macao's Health Bureau said 24 men and 33 women were injured and then sent to hospital for treatment. Most of them sustained contusion and bone fracture, and two of them were wounded badly. All of them have no life-threatening injuries.

The Health Bureau added that the 57 people were aged between 19 and 79. Two of them are Macao citizens, and others are members of two tour groups from the Chinese mainland.
NANJING - Du Shanxue, former deputy governor of Shanxi province in north China, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for corruption, according to Xuzhou City Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday.

He was also deprived of his political rights for life, all his personal assets are to be confiscated and any profit from his wrongdoing turned over to the state. Du was unable to prove that 89.6 million yuan of family assets was acquired from legitimate sources.

He was found guilty of taking advantage of his positions between 2003 and 2013 in various areas for the benefit of several individuals and organizations.

Du, who was a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), accepted bribes totaling 80 million yuan (about $11.5 million) either personally or through a third party.

He also offered 100,000 euros (about $104,000) to Ling Zhengce, then vice chairman of Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, for his endorsement in a CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee election in 2011.

The court in East China's Jiangsu province showed leniency as Du admitted his crimes, gave account of cases that were not found by investigators and voluntarily returned his profits.
President says the latest mission has inspired nation to greater innovation and creativity

President Xi Jinping hailed China's latest achievements in space exploration and stressed the importance of scientific innovation in the field while meeting on Tuesday with Tiangong II and Shenzhou XI astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong.

Xi had lengthy chats with Jing and Chen while shaking hands with them at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, as seen on China Central Television's evening news program.

Xi said China's progress in space technology is indicative of the nation's capability to innovate and create. The mission's progress has greatly inspired Chinese people to go further in innovation, he said.

Xi also spoke with representatives of those involved in research and testing for the latest space mission. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was accompanied by six other top leaders of the Party.

Xi applauded Jing's three missions in space, with the most recent being as a major general. He also asked the astronauts how they felt after returning to Earth and if everything was all right.

The president also mentioned that Jing spent his 50th birthday in space.

"You had a very high-level birthday," Xi said with a smile.

During a later address, Xi said: "More than a month ago, the mission was successfully completed. I spoke with the two astronauts. And just like every one of you, I felt very happy, very proud."

Xi noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of China's spaceflight development, and the mission should be noted as a milestone in history. He welcomed the fact that talent, especially the young, is drawn to the program.

The Shenzhou XI spacecraft, launched on Oct 17, docked two days later with the Tiangong II space lab, where Jing and Chen lived for 30 days. It was the longest Chinese astronauts had spent in space, surpassing the 15-day Shenzhou X mission of June 2013.

The mission tested, among other things, the spacecraft's ability to meet, dock and return. It is China's sixth manned space flight and is expected to pave the way for a permanent space station, which the country plans to start building in 2018 and put into service around 2022.

Jing previously was a member of the Shenzhou VII mission in 2008 and the Shenzhou IX mission in 2012.

Chen is the first man in the second generation of Chinese astronauts to make a spaceflight. Two of his female counterparts, Liu Yang and Wang Yaping, have traveled to space.

Zhao Lei contributed to this story.
A gunman shouts slogans about the bombarded Syrian city of Aleppo after fatally shooting Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov at a photo gallery in Ankara on Monday. [Photo/Agencies]

China calls on world to make combating violence a priority

The bloody attacks in Turkey, Germany and Switzerland on Monday might be related to the situation in Iraq and Syria, Chinese experts said, adding that global terrorism risks will increase next year.

Beijing called on Tuesday for the world to make combating terrorism a priority and to properly settle regional hot spot issues to contain the spread of terrorism.

"Combating all kinds of violence and terrorist acts should become the common duty and priority of regional countries and the global community," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference.

In Ankara, the Turkish capital, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead on Monday by an off-duty Turkish police officer who shouted slogans about Aleppo, a Syrian city where Russian bombardments have targeted rebel factions. The gunman was later killed by police.

In Berlin, a truck plowed into a Christmas market and killed 12 people. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that the incident was a "terrorist" attack likely committed by an asylum seeker.

In Zurich, three people were wounded when a gunman opened fire in the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants.

Hua extended deep condolences for the deaths of the Russian ambassador and other victims. As of press time, the Chinese Embassy to Germany had found no reports of Chinese casualties in the Berlin attack.

She said China resolutely objects to all terrorist activities. She called for the global community to strengthen anti-terror cooperation, abandon "double standards" on the issue and let the United Nations play a leading role.

Li Wei, director of the Institute for Security and Arms Control Studies of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that although there apparently was no direct connection between the attacks, the one in Turkey was related to the situation in Syria, while the one in Berlin likely targeted Christians, which is in line with the thinking of religious extremism.

"And the attack in Zurich possibly was targeted at Muslims, a move that might be related to the rising ultraright forces in Europe. And the forces have been spurred by the refugee crisis and terror attacks."

He said that in 2017, efforts to fight the Islamic State group will continue, and as a result, terrorist attacks in Western countries might increase.

Li Shaoxian, director of the China-Arab Research Institute at Ningxia University, said that "the three attacks coming at the end of the year also sent a signal".

"I'm afraid that there might be very serious terrorism risks in 2017."

Sun Zhuangzhi, secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Russia will thoroughly investigate the case and harshly punish anyone involved.

However, the recently repaired Russia-Turkey relations are unlikely to be hampered, he added, since improved relations benefit both sides.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said that despite the terror attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin won't retreat on the Syria issue.

"He will seek further consensus with Turkey and possibly send more forces to Syria to stabilize the situation," Ruan said.
Surrounded by untidy stacks of paper and abandoned half-empty coffee cups, photographer Aida Muluneh chain smokes cigarettes in her Addis Ababa office and rails against the negative portrayals of Africa by foreigners.

The 42-year-old returned to Ethiopia nine years ago after living in Yemen and Canada, and set herself the task of changing perceptions of the continent, replacing the outsiders' dominant eye with an African one.

The Addis Foto Fest, which she founded and which opened its fourth edition on Thursday, is one way of doing this, she says.
Aida Muluneh (left),photographer and founder of Addis Foto Fest talks with her coworkers. [Photo/Agencies]

Surrounded by untidy stacks of paper and abandoned half-empty coffee cups, photographer Aida Muluneh chain smokes cigarettes in her Addis Ababa office and rails against the negative portrayals of Africa by foreigners.

The 42-year-old returned to Ethiopia nine years ago after living in Yemen and Canada, and set herself the task of changing perceptions of the continent, replacing the outsiders' dominant eye with an African one.

The Addis Foto Fest, which she founded and which opened its fourth edition on Thursday, is one way of doing this, she says.

Muluneh left Ethiopia at age 5 but developed a powerful nostalgia for home while living abroad.

Her first photography job was with The Washington Post in the United States, by which time she was "obsessed" with Africa and irritated by the images of her home country that she saw published in the media, ones that still harked back to the famine of the 1980s.

But Ethiopia had changed, even if portrayals of it had not.

She returned to a country moving at breakneck speed, an Ethiopia "stuck between the past, the present and the future", where a drought-induced food crisis in the countryside coexists with a shiny new, highline tram for city commuters, where luxurious skyscrapers loom above shanties.
Cast members pose during a Beijing promotional event on Dec 18. [Photo provided to China Daily]

What will a married man do if he stumbles upon a goddess in dream? The question, which has been dealt with many times on the big screen, will be in focus again in the upcoming comedy Some Like It Hot.

Swiss-born South Korean actress Lee Sung-min, better known by her stage name Clara, stars as the goddess in the Chinese film starring Xiao Yang, Xiao Shenyang and Yan Ni.

A preview of the film was held in Beijing on Dec 18. Previews will also be held in 12 other Chinese cities. The film will open in Chinese mainland theaters on Dec 30.

The story, penned by scriptwriters Yu Miao and Li Xiao, is about a romantic adventure of a middle-aged marketing manager, who is a role-model father and husband but gets lost after encountering a model.

Speaking about his role, Xiao, an established comedian who plays the husband, says: "Many people may have experienced a similar dilemma: Whether to be unfaithful, or to follow their hearts. The movie doesn't judge, but examines the human struggle."

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The Book of Time [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Book of Time, telling history, customs and cultural significances behind each of the 24 Chinese solar terms, will hit the shelves around China on Dec 26.

The 24 Chinese Solar Terms were listed as world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO on Nov 30.

"It's different from other Chinese intangible cultural heritages such as Kunqu Opera, or paper-cutting, which are local customs and practiced by just a few people," says the author of the book, Yu Shicun, an independent scholar of Chinese culture in Beijing.

"Solar terms, however, transcend locality. They're still used in our daily lives today, relating to everyone's sense of time."

A solar term is any of 24 date in traditional Chinese calendars, which matches an astronomical event or signifies natural phenomenon, such as Lichun (the beginning of spring) and Shuangjiang (the first frost).

In the book, Yu cited material from agriculture and classical poetry to physiology, reminding modern people to live a healthy lifestyle that complies with the time in nature.

The book features 24 illustrations by painter Lao Shu, depicting people's life during the time of each solar term.

Related:

China's '24 solar terms' listed as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage
Updated : 2016-12-19

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Tan moves honey bees away from the hive. This is one of the most difficult tasks an apiarist faces and it requires great patience. [Photo/wxrb.com]

For most, the viscous nectar called honey is something bought in jars at supermarkets and its process, place of origin, and makers are both unknown and somewhat irrelevant. But to Tan Xifan, a Wuxi-based beekeeper for 50 nearly years, the ancient art has been a way of life and serves as dwindling connection between city dwellers and the natural world.

Tan's impassioned appeal for fellow Wuxi residents to try beekeeping, or apiary, comes at a time when the 71-year-old's own career has been severed by a broke a leg.

Given the extremity of Wuxi's urban changes witnessed by Tan and his wife, Qian Nongdi, during their lifetime, it is understandable that they worry about the future of their treasured skill.

Tan married at the age of 21 and together with Qian slowly built up a small 11-mu (7,300 square-meters) farm in the Huazhuang sub-district of Binhu district planting crops, raising chickens, cultivating silkworms, and keeping bees.

The space set aside by the couple for apiary was hardly expansive- just a small wooden hut packed with a number of hives that gradually increased over time. By the time Tan was 50 years-old he had gained a golden reputation locally as a bee expert and through 30 years of hard work he increased the number of hives from three to 40.
Republican Donald Trump appears at a campaign roundtable event in Manchester, New Hampshire, US, October 28, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

When hearing US president-elect Donald Trump's recent irritating rhetoric on China, former French premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a veteran politician, was reminded of something similar in Europe not too long ago. It involved Nicolas Sarkozy, who served as French president from 2007 to 2012.

At the beginning of his presidency, Sarkozy challenged China's core interests by supporting Tibetan separatists and meeting the Dalai Lama. China reacted by canceling the EU-China summit and, in the depth of the global financial crisis, former premier Wen Jiabao pointedly excluded France during a European tour in early 2009, on his way to the annual Davos World Economic Forum.

It was Raffarin who brought China and France closer after Sarkozy's troubling moves. In a recent interview, Raffarin said Sarkozy went from being "unpredictable to predictable" and Trump is experiencing a similar kind of growth.

In saying so, Raffarin knows very well that neither the European Union nor the Unites States has fully recognized China's potential, instead they are resorting to protectionism and irrational tactics.

Fortunately, after Trump's inadvisable phone conversation with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen recently, some European leaders have strongly opposed his move. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists that Germany continues to stand by the one-China policy and will not change its position.

Having frequently visited China during her 11 years as German chancellor, Merkel has a deep understanding and respect for China's position, which has helped to pave the way for fruitful exchanges between the two countries.

Merkel's stance was also emphasized by French politicians. Last week, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Trump's approach to China "not very clever". Ayrault told French broadcaster France 2: "There may be disagreements with China, but we do not talk like that to a partner. We must avoid getting into a spiral where things are out of control."

Hopefully, Trump will learn some statecraft from cross-Atlantic allies because many of them are veteran hands in dealing with China. They know very well what are the politically sensitive "bottom lines" that must be observed.

The recent comments from European politicians are encouraging because they suggest there's a chance that the EU could decide its foreign policy toward China independently of Washington if Trump adheres to the approach he has adopted as president-in-waiting, although it seems hard for the EU to do so at present.

For example, rather than fully honoring its commitments made 15 years ago when China joined the World Trade Organization, Brussels is still following Washington's lead and accepting the ideas of American think tanks, linking this to the solution of production overcapacity, which is a global problem and not just a Chinese one.

The EU, facing multiple crises, must assess which strategic partners have contributed most to the bloc's growth and prosperity in the past decades. In doing so, it is the duty of the EU leaders to look at China fairly and comprehensively. This would be of great benefit to the world, which is facing unprecedented challenges, uncertainties and risks, and needs increased commitments, solutions and actions to overcome them.

During its gradual reintegration into the world, China has been repeatedly urged by the West to play a responsible role in the international community. But it is crystal clear which player is the most responsible.

It is time for other players to play responsible roles and join China in upgrading their actions to tackle the myriad problems facing the world today.

And the bottom line is that Trump should be ignored if he insists on trying to be a troublemakerthis world is risky enough already.

The author is deputy chief of the China Daily European bureau. fujing@chinadaily.com
The country's first public security bureau to deal specifically with disputes involving medical treatment was established in Jinzhou, Liaoning province in Northeast China, recently, according to media reports.

Disputes between patients and hospitals have increased rapidly in recent years and some have even ended up as serious criminal cases, which has drawn wide public concern.

The Jinzhou bureau, which was jointly established by the local health and family planning commission and local public security bureau, will primarily mediate in disputes between patients and hospitals, maintain normal order in the hospitals, and guarantee the rights of both residents and medical staff.

Although the bureau was established with good intentions and is expected to cope with medical disputes faster and more efficiently, people still doubt that it will have any real effect in reducing the frequency of disputes.

That is because, on the one hand, the causes of medical disputes are very complicated. Coping with these disputes involves not only public security authorities, but also the medical staff, the public health authorities and even the price control authorities.

Rather than a special public security bureau, joint law enforcement involving several government authorities would probably be more effective. But that requires an efficient coordination mechanism to enable joint law enforcement.

On the other hand, the courts will only deal with serious disputes, so that will hardly reduce these disputes at the source. The essential measure to ease the tensions between the patients and the hospitals is to implement thorough medical reforms.
A woman talks with a salesman at a property market fair in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.[Photo/China Daily]

China will promote the stable and healthy development of the real estate market in 2017, according to the just concluded Central Economic Work Conference. The conference made it clear that "houses are built to be inhabited, not for speculation."

After last year's Central Economic Work Conference made destocking one of the government's major economic tasks, the real estate destocking campaign led by the central and local governments has had a major impact on China's property market.

On the one hand, destocking in some first- and second-tier cities led to panic buying and skyrocketing housing prices. On the other hand, third- and fourth-tier cities are under tremendous destocking pressure.

With realty control policies becoming increasingly stricter, destocking faces severe challenges in the year ahead. Real estate inventory nationwide declined sharply during the bullish property market last year. In October, nationwide "property areas" of housing units for sale increased only 1.3 percent year-on-year, while national residential housing areas for sale fell 6 percent year-on-year. This means property destocking, in general, has been effective in 2016.

But a huge number of housing units ready for occupation awaits buyers. From February to October, the total area of housing units for sale nationwide dropped from 739 million square meters to 695 million sq m. Given the standard per capita living space area of 35 sq m, the overall area of housing units for sale could provide accommodation for 200 million people. Since the newly added population of permanent urban residents in 2015 was only 22 million, it will take about a decade, other factors remaining constant, for the vacant housing units to be filled up if we depend only on new permanent urban residents to achieve the goal of property destocking.

But if we take the under-construction housing units and housing units with limited property rights into consideration, property destocking faces a greater challenge.

More than 70 percent of the housing units for sale are in third- and fourth-tier cities, but the effects of destocking were evident mainly in the first- and second-tier cities.

According to the sales data of 40 large and medium-sized cities, housing sales in first-, second- and third-tier cities in October grew 37.59 percent, 53.43 percent and 26.72 percent year-on-year. Apparently, housing sales in the third-tier cities are way behind those in first- and second-tier cities.

As real estate control policies become tighter than before, housing sales are expected to fall in 2017, which could create more pressure on destocking. This calls for further deepening of property control policies.

Twenty-two cities have successfully implemented real estate control policies, including purchase and loan restrictions, since September. These policies have managed to remarkably cool down the property market nationwide. National Bureau of Statistics data show housing prices in major first- and second-tier cities declined in October on a month-to-month basis.

But since property developers and builders invest more in land in the first- and second-tier cities despite the control policies, realty control policies should be deepened in response to the supply side structural reforms, especially by promoting reform and innovation in taxation, household registration, social security, education and healthcare, in order to cope with the difficulties third- and fourth-tier cities face in destocking.

In contrast to the effects of destocking, housing prices continued to soar in 2016, especially in the first- and second-tier cities. In October, the housing price index in China's top-100 cities increased 18.21 percent year-on-year. But these cities' land premium rate started declining only in September, which suggests housing prices nationwide could peak in 2016 before possibly declining in 2017.

The real estate market is typically regional in nature, and local governments always want to hike housing prices to get the maximum benefit out of their monopoly over land supply. As housing prices decline, property developers' desire to buy land in some cities may also decline. This in turn may prompt local governments to reduce the supply of land for long-term sustainable development, which will be conducive to creating a more healthy market environment for destocking.

The author is a researcher at the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY

The task of reducing overcapacity, one of the five major goals of supply-side structural reform, will continue to face challenges next year. Since reducing overcapacity relates to structural adjustment, which is a long-term process, overcapacity can hardly be reduced in one stroke.

Making the matter more complex is the fact that industries involved in reducing overcapacity are pillar industries that played a key role in China's rapid economic growth.

So overcapacity reduction and solving the problems resulting from overcapacity demand special attention. Overcapacity can be reduced in a short time by administrative measures, but the reasons behind overcapacity cannot be eliminated overnight. They could again create overcapacity in some industries, leading to similar economic problems in the future.

Overcapacity relates to not only a specific stage of the development cycle, but also an economy's development pattern. First, local governments in China pay too much attention to GDP scale to get "higher scores" for their political performances despite the fact that they reflect neither the quality of economic growth nor people's well-being.

Second, after enterprises rise to a certain level and scale, local governments offer some preferential policies to them and thus transform them into business entities "too big to fail". In fact, when such enterprises face a severe crisis, local governments tend to help them overcome it instead of leaving them to fend for themselves.

Third, many State-owned enterprises have only "soft restrictions", because they enjoy strong support from governments. As a result, many SOEs become low on efficiency: many SOEs carry out projects without considering their economic consequences, because they know the governments are always there to bail them out of trouble.

Fourth, the authorities rely too much on economic stimulation. A slightly faster or slower economic growth is normalin accordance with the law of economic development. But the governments more often than not try to stimulate the economy, leading many a time to overcapacity.

Fifth, national industrial policies may propel local governments to develop certain industries in the short term. And some local governments and enterprises do use fraudulent means to get industrial subsidies from the central government, leading to overcapacity in certain industries.

Developed market economies face the problem of industrial overcapacity, as well. But their sound market-economy systems prevent them, in most cases, from using administrative measures that lead to overcapacity.

The core of market economy is sound microeconomic individuals or entities, which enjoy clear property rights and are subjected to laws. This means enterprises use their own money to do business, making them sensitive to overcapacity. And since they are aware of the risk of overcapacity, they do not invest excessively to produce goods whose demand is not sustainable in the long run and, instead, seek to invest in other areas.

Moreover, many market economy mechanisms such as mergers, reorganizations, and declaring bankruptcy could solve the overcapacity problem for many enterprises at an early stage. Mergers, in essence, are redistribution of social resources based on the principle of market and efficiency. By declaring bankruptcy, an individual or an enterprise sets social resources free for reuse by others, which is also a solution for the enterprises that cannot survive in the market.

Economic downturn in more ways than one eliminates outdated industrial overcapacity, which is a reflection of the market. This phase will force enterprises to innovate and upgrade, because only better and more advanced products can capture the market again.

To avoid the economic problems resulting from overcapacity, enterprises have to take multiple measures. And if administrative measures are used to correct the market, the government should make more efforts to improve the market economy mechanism so as to prevent overcapacity.

The author is a professor of economics at Renmin University of China.
Medical staff listen to a doctor during a drill simulating an unconventional weapons attack, at Haemek hospital in the northern Israeli city of Afula November 30, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

The 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held through Saturday here is obviously not the Western media's cup of tea.

"Do you come from China? There is only a few correspondents left on the meeting, and the experts are all willing to be interviewed," a conference volunteer said with a smile.

It was late Saturday night when participants from over 190 countries or regions were still locking in hot debates on details of the meeting's topics.

In contrast, few Western correspondents showed up during the conference, and news reports from them could be hardly found on the internet.

But the situation was quite different from those UN functions focusing on environment and climate changes.

At the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro of Brazil, participants from over 150 countries drew up the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They also signed the Convention on Biological Diversity.

However, both as events to promote sustainable development, the conferences on climate change had drawn much more enthusiasm than the latter from the West, with almost all heavyweights of media running flooded coverage.

Why so? Experts participating the conference gave some hints.

Moustafa Fouda, a biological diversity consultant of the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, told Xinhua that generally speaking, developing countries are rich in biological diversity resources that developed countries rely on. They do not focus on the topic because they would not like to pay more for their benefits.

Nermalie Lita, an official in the Philippines' Department of Environment and Natural Resources, echoed Fouda that the abundant natural resources in the developing countries have been excessively exploited which deteriorated the biological diversity there.

Lita stressed that developed countries need to compensate the developing countries and shoulder more responsibilities of environmental protection.

Luis Guzman, an analyst at the Reprogenetics said the biological environment belongs to all human beings rather than a specific nation. He underlined that the developed and the developing countries should share the responsibility to protect it and the Western media should pay more attention to reporting the conference.

Xu Jing, an expert in the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, pointed out that the number of the parties signed the Convention on Biological Diversity has exceeded 190, but the United States is not included.

Xu noted that to join the convention will increase the international burden of the United States. It is also not in the interest of some U.S. bio-technology enterprises, because the convention will limit the industry development and companies also need to share their benefits with others in exploiting the biological diversity resources.

The conference participants believed a harmonious biological environment is in the common interests of the 7 billion people on the globe. To raise the environmental protection awareness of everyone and for the benefits of the future generations, the world including the global media should make active efforts jointly.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin holds a glass during a ceremony of receiving diplomatic credentials from foreign ambassadors at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, November 9, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Despite Japan's resolution to make headway on island dispute and take steps toward signing a peace treaty with Russia, a breakthrough in the feud still remains some way off.

It was no great surprise for most political watchers here as both sides had prior to Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to Japan unequivocally stated that their fundamental stances on island dispute had not shifted.

At issue are four islands off Hokkaido, called Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and Habomai in Japan and known as the Southern Kurils in Russia.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has frequently said that he is eager to resolve the dispute with Russia, although Moscow also equally insists on its sovereignty over the four islands.

In an interview prior to his trip to Japan with the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and Nippon TV, Putin said that "the absence of a peace treaty is an anachronism," but went on to mention the complexities of the issue.

According to the interview, Putin said he considers the 1956 Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration, which stipulates the transfer of two islands -- the Habomai islets and Shikotan -- to Japan to be "rules that should be put into the foundation of a peace treaty."

As for the other two islands' transfer, he said there remain "too many questions about this issue," and that returning all four islands to Japan would be going outside the bounds of the 1956 declaration.

For Japan's part, it has long insisted that its sovereignty over all four of the disputed islands be confirmed before a peace treaty is signed.

"Abe needs to make some dramatic concessions to Putin to reach an agreement on the islands," Takashi Kawakami, president of the Institute of World Studies at Takushoku University, said of the issue.

Yet both sides agreed that large scale joint economic activities on the islands could be conducted without undercutting either side's claim to sovereignty.

During the visit, Abe and Putin oversaw the signing of a flurry of deals in economic-related sectors by their governments and businesses.

Such joint economic cooperation, the leaders believe, could lay the foundation for enhanced economic and diplomatic ties and thereafter theoretically could create a future "atmosphere" in which the territorial dispute and peace treaty could be tackled.

But, analysts also pointed out that the road ahead in this regard remains tricky as the isles have strategic value for Russia, guaranteeing its navy access to the western Pacific, while top of Japan's security agenda is always the United States.

The latter is a point of contention Putin has recently raised with Abe, regarding the growing U.S. presence in Asia. Russia believes that certain moves on Tokyo's part, such as its missile defense system, is disproportionate to perceived regional threats.

Moscow's takeover of Crimea in March 2014 and subsequent sanctions imposed by Western countries and Japan, have also clouded relations between Tokyo and Moscow and caused a planned trip by Putin in 2014 to be postponed.

In his interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun and Nippon TV, Putin was highly critical of Japan's sanctions against Russia and said these would be "a clear hindrance for peace treaty negotiations."

In addition, the future of diplomatic ties between Japan and the United States remain unclear under the incoming administration, which has already shown amiable signs toward Putin.

"In this transition period, nothing solid will come out of the Abe-Putin meeting," said Takashi Inoguchi, professor emeritus at University of Tokyo and an international affairs specialist.

The pairs' meeting concluded with the island row still up in the air, but two sides reached an array of economic agreements which center on cooperation in the energy sector and the development of the Russian Far East.

Plans include Japan being allowed to join in the development of natural gas fields in Russia's Gydan Peninsula, cooperation between the two countries' health ministries in the fields of medicine and healthcare, cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear power, and enhanced cooperation in agriculture and fisheries, among others.

Analysts said it remains to be seen how the actual territorial spat will pan out henceforth and whether boosting joint economic mechanisms can really pave the way to creating a diplomatically conducive environment for both countries to sign a peace treaty amid future geopolitical uncertainties.
Editors Note:

In the wave of globalization and economic growth, a growing number of foreigners are coming to China in search of opportunities. With diverse purposes, some of them choose to work in the worlds fastest growing economy, or some want to experience a cross-cultural environment and successfully integrate into it, while others go on to achieve their aspirations in China. Regardless, working or living in a cross-cultural environment isnt a walk in the park.

At the end of the year, a time to reflect and start fresh, we rounded up some inspirational stories of six foreigners living in China. We hope these stories can inspire you in the start of the New Year. Here is Tylers () story.

Tyler came to China to learn Mandarin. When he first came to the beautiful coastal city Dalian, he seemed like a typical Northeastern guy. But then everything started to change after Tyler met his Chinese sidekick and love of his life. Now, this awesome Dalianer and sensational web celebrity goes by the Chinese name of Tie Dan ().

Sensational web celebrity: Not easy to come by in the world

Life in 2016 has been a year of change. Although this year has presented its challenges, it has also brought me so many amazing blessings. This year I became a father, started a business, bought a house and participated in programs on three nationally televised TV stations. It all seems like it happened overnight. But in truth, it took forever.

Hard work, time and a lot of luck helped me gather quite a fan-base over Weibo (@Tyler) and a few other web-based platforms. It all actually started back at the end of 2015, but really took off in 2016.

Most of the time its just me, but I also try to bring in my wife and other friends to film funny, short videos (usually lasting between twenty seconds to three minutes in length) and share them online. Some of these videos have gone viral on the Chinese web and it has laid out the foundation and fan base for me to be able to do other things, such as hosting, acting, and streaming on platforms like CCTV, Jiangsu Weishi and Liaoning Weishi and Weibo.

Its awesome for me as Im just being myself in all of these videos and events. I truly like other people and am honored that they find me to be fun and able to give them a good laugh. Its pretty fun to make people happy. Most of my fans are huge supporters and actually encourage me to keep going. They can be extremely motivating. I love my fans!
A German police investigator rests at a Christmas market following an accident with a truck that ploughed into a crowd on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday condemned an attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that killed nine people and injured dozens more, linking the attack to "Islamist terrorists" before German police officials had said who was responsible.

Trump, in a statement, said "ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad," using an acronym for Islamic State.

On Twitter, he said the attack, along with others in Turkey and Switzerland, showed "it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!"
US President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a USA Thank You Tour event in Mobile, Alabama, US, December 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday officially won the 270 electoral votes needed for White House in the on-going 538-member US Electoral College voting which is to end later on the day, US media reported.

Texas' 36 electoral votes for Trump pushed him over the edge at around 4:30 pm central time, said a TheHill news daily report.

The electors, chosen by their state political parties, are convening on Monday in Washington D.C. and statehouses across the country to cast two votes -- one for president and one for vice president.

So far almost all the Republican electors stayed loyal to their candidate, despite turmoil fuelled by the CIA conclusion that Russia intervened the US election partly in bid to harm Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Though the former secretary of state takes a lead over Trump by nearly three million popular votes up to now, Trump is projected to win more than 300 electoral votes.

The number of electors each state has is equal to its number of representatives and senators in Congress -- 538 in total, with those extra three electors coming from Washington District of Columbia. Among them are state party leaders, elected officials or just individuals with a personal connection to a presidential candidate.

The Congress, where the Republican hold a strong majority, will certify the vote on Jan 6.
Conflict over trade is highly likely to break out between China and the United States next year after Donald Trump takes office, a senior researcher has predicted.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the think tank China Institute of International Studies, said on Tuesday, that given Trump's provocative remarks on trade concerning China, it was "inevitable" that the two countries would clash once the president-elect takes power on January 20.

"As the countering side, China is unwilling to launch a trade war; however, if anyone wants to start a trade war, China will definitely fight in the end," he told reporters in Beijing at an event organized by the All-China Journalists Association.

He said it was impossible to imagine China and America having all-out conflicts and confrontations because, as the world's top two economies, neither side could afford the consequences.

Trump has labeled China a "currency manipulator" and has pledged to impose a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the US.

Vice-Minister of Finance Zhu Guangyao said on Saturday that China hoped there would be no trade war with the United States, as it would harm, not only the interests of the world's two biggest economies, but the interests of the whole world.

But Zhu also said that while it sticks to "non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win" bilateral trade principles, Beijing will steadfastly safeguard its core interests, such as sovereignty.
German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Dec 19, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

The US State Department warned its citizens a month ago to be cautious visiting outdoor markets in Europe around Christmas.

The warning came after French authorities thwarted a plot linked to Islamic State.

Just last week, France renewed, for the fifth time, a state of emergency put in place after the Paris terror attacks of November last year. It gives the government exceptional powers over policing and public gatherings, but failed to prevent the deaths of 87 in Nice in July when a terrorist drove a truck into a crowd.

Britain meanwhile remains on "severe" alert, just one step short of "critical", reflecting the judgment of security officials that a terror attack is highly likely. Armed police patrols are a familiar sight in cities.

Spain remains at level 4 on a five-level scale, signifying that security personnel should be reinforced to the maximum.

In Italy, security was stepped up on Tuesday on the streets of major cities.

Many parts of Europe have suffered attacks, including, in2000, the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France that was the target of a thwarted plot by al Qaeda-linked terrorists.
Children walk together as they flee deeper into the remaining rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria, Dec 13, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

ALEPPO - The sad but famous story of the little girl with the matchsticks is no longer a fairy tale, as thousands of children in a displacement center in Syria's northern city of Aleppo are living similar stories.

Everyone got touched and saddened by the story of a dying child's dreams and hope with every fading matchstick in a cold night, which was first published in 1845.

But in 2016, the story has become nothing in comparison with the real suffering of the displaced children of Aleppo, and their families as well.

In the Jibreen temporary shelter, hundreds of war-weary people and their children have been placed since evacuating their homes in rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo over a month ago, when the army started retaking large swathes of territory from the rebels.

Those people have fled their homes when they got the chance to leave the rebels' rule to government-controlled areas in the western part of the city.

And even though the government is trying to provide them with basic needs, the suffering of the people is surely much bigger than any effort.

Upon inching close to the shelter's gate, visitors can see plumes of dark smoke bellowing several parts of the area, as people inside burn plastic, mattresses, and everything they can get their hands on in order to make a fire to get warm.

Little children with very little to wear are everywhere in the shelter, their faces are ached and hands blackened. Their skinny bodies shiver from cold, so their parents rush to find something to burn in order to get them warm.



Hasan Subhi Akil, a father of four, said the cold is a killer.

"The cold is killing us, we shiver from the cold every night. Our children suffer from the cold all night. We cover ourselves with two blankets, but it's not enough, the cold is extremely difficult this year," he said, while throwing some papers into a small fire.

He said that he stays up all night with other parents and make a small fire to keep his kids warm.

For her part, Samira, a mother of six, said her children are getting diarrhea and puking from the cold.

"Our situation is bad because of the cold. My kids have got diarrhea, they are also puking and getting sick. We live like animals and our dirt is beneath us. It's extremely cold, it's like sleeping directly under the sky with no roof over us. Life has become intolerable," she said.

Everyone in the shelter has something in common; they cannot sleep at night.

"I honestly cannot sleep at night because of the cold. Yesterday my children were crying out of cold. I am covering them with four blankets but they are extremely thin, and not enough. My kids are pooping and peeing in their pants because of the cold and I have no clothes to change for them," Nadia, a mother of four, told Xinhua.

In the midst of the harsh weather, a little boy was walking wearing a T-shirt only while sliding his hands in his pockets.

"Are you cold? no, I am not... Do you have a jacket? No, I don't," a small conversation between a Xinhua report and one kid, who was so proud to admit he was feeling cold.

The UNICEF recently said that winter is the latest threat to children in conflict-ridden Aleppo.

It added that around 6,200 people who fled fighting in east Aleppo are now sheltering in a former barren warehouse in Jibreen, gripped by the cold.

The UNICEF noted that more than 5,000 children in the Jibreen shelters have now received UNICEF winter clothing kits.
US retailers and brands are being advised to upgrade their Chinese consumer strategies and tactics and heed changes in market factors, such as currency exchange rates, to court Chinese travelers, the world's largest group of spenders.

Chinese tourists are projected to spend $349 billion per year by 2020 when the number of Chinese overseas tourists is expected to reach 186 million, according to a report recently released by Fung Business Intelligence Centre (FBIC), a Hong Kong-based retail and technology think tank, and China Luxury Advisors (CLA), a US consulting firm.

The report is based on a survey conducted from March 28 to April 12 of 877 Chinese Internet users, who, in their 20s and 30s, had net annual household income of $9,432 or more.

The report noted that the US was the most popular travel destination among those surveyed, with 13.2 percent of them saying that their most recent trip was to the US. Last year's survey showed that number at 3.2 percent.

The increase was a result of "the relaxed visa regime and the US-China joint marketing effort to increase tourism", according to the report. The two countries declared 2016 the US-China Tourism Year after agreeing to extend the duration of visas for short-term business travelers, tourists and students to 10 years in 2014.

The increase in the number of travelers to the US is a key reason the average retail spend per trip has increased year after year, said the report, which shows that Chinese travelers to the US spent 46.6 percent more per trip than the average Chinese overseas tourist did.

Despite the surging numbers of Chinese consumers shopping overseas, the consulting firms said the average spend per tourist could stagnate in coming years through 2020, though not in the immediate future.

Major brands and the Chinese government are taking measures to decrease the price differential between markets, providing fewer incentives to stock up when traveling; on the other hand, cross-border e-commerce is making it easier for Chinese shoppers to buy the brands they want at overseas prices without leaving the country, said the report.

While rising middle-class incomes position millions of Chinese to take their first overseas trips, the per-capita spending growth is likely to moderate with the expected increase in middle-income tourists, according to the report.

"Chinese consumers now care a lot more about overall experience and authenticity. They want to purchase brands that are authentic to the local culture. Brands should focus on its own heritage and customer service when engaging Chinese visitors," said Charlie Gu, director of China Luxury Advisors.

The draw of the national parks is taking Chinese visitors off the beaten path, bringing new business growth to locations beyond the US gateway cities of Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, said the report.

Salt Lake City, Utah, was a good example, which has enjoyed a surge of Chinese tourists passing through en route to Yellowstone National Park, one of the most aspirational attractions for Chinese travelers visiting the US.

Retailers are also advised to continually upgrade their Chinese consumer strategies to ensure that they are not relying on outdated methods that ignore the rising number of experienced, young individual travelers.

They are encouraged to use digital customer acquisition strategies to capture Chinese travelers' attention even before these tourists go abroad. Companies should continue to leverage digital platforms, such as WeChat, to augment the in-store customer experience and provide after-sales customer service, said the report.

Currency exchange rates also are an important factor to adjust pricing strategies in different regions accordingly.

"Exchange rate is often a key consideration for Chinese travelers when planning a trip abroad. A favorable exchange will definitely incentivize Chinese travelers to visit certain destinations," said Gu.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
The compassion and empathy for others that James Huff Stout, the founder of what would become University of Wisconsin-Stout, exhibited throughout his life still is shining through at Stouts beloved institution, Chancellor Bob Meyer told nearly 700 graduates at two commencement ceremonies Saturday.

Commencement was held despite a snowstorm that hit Wisconsin Friday night into Saturday morning, dropping about half a foot of snow on the region. Meyer asked everyone in the crowd to give themselves a round of applause for overcoming difficult travel conditions to make it to the ceremonies and thanked the grounds crew for coming in early to clear the parking lots and sidewalks.

Meyer drew parallels between the compassionate way Stout lived his life and the outpouring of compassion displayed on campus in the aftermath of the death of student Hussain Saeed Alnahdi on Oct. 31. Alnahdi, from Saudi Arabia, was killed in downtown Menomonie during an attack Oct. 30. No one has been arrested, although police have identified a suspect.

James Stout, time and again, showed compassion for all segments of society and even befriended the railroad workers on the trains he often took to Madison, Meyer said, citing information from a new book on UW-Stouts history entitled An Idea Comes of Age; UW-Stout, 1891-2016 written by Jerry Poling, assistant communications director.

I believe this kind of compassion for all segments of society exhibited by James Huff Stout has become imbued in our campus and continues to be on display today, Meyer said. In fact, I have seen striking examples of this empathy and the ability to show concern for others across both racial and cultural lines played out many, many times on our campus in recent months.

Darkest day

The death of Alnahdi, Meyer said, was the darkest day of my tenure as chancellor. The memory of that day continues to haunt me.

Despite that pain, Meyer said, examples abound that the compassionate and empathetic way James Huff Stout lived his life is truly alive and well in the institution he founded.

These examples include the memorials that sprung up in the wake of the tragedy, Meyer said, as well as the yeoman efforts of UW-Stout employees to help Alnahdis friends and UW-Stout students, faculty and staff making sure their needs were met.

That compassion was evident in the hundreds of cards and letters sent in by total strangers who wanted to express their sympathy and love for Hussains family in Saudi Arabia, Meyer said, who then read from two of the notes.

Finally, Meyer said, I see that compassion in the thousands of dollars that have been donated to a memorial fund for Hussain, as well as a reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the assault.The memorial fund has collected about $10,500 to date.

Meyer then read from an email officials received from one of Alnahdis roommates in which he thanked the university for the support he and his friends have received.

The communication said in part: I have never felt more honored to call myself a UW-Stout student. The student body, and surrounding community, has become closer than I would have ever imagined. Thank you for being so passionate about this school, its students and the community. Thank you for inspiring us, so that together we could hopefully inspire thousands more! You guys are awesome!
(Photo : Facebook) International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde is convicted of payout to businessman on Monday by French Court yet acquitted for any jail punishment for no sentence was handed over.

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International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde has been convicted of negligence on Monday by a French Court, but no jail punishment was handed down.



The verdict came after negligence charges were filed against Lagarde over the approval of a 404 million ($429m; 340m) state payout she awared as French finance minister in 2008 to business tycoon Bernard Tapie for the disputed sale of a firm.



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Although she has avoided a sentence, the IMF chief denied the negligence charges. Lagarde was not present in court as she left France for Washington.



The French government, on the other hand, said it still has confidence in the leadership abilities of the IMF chief.



Meanwhile, the decision rested on a legal article (in French) that allows courts to deliver a guilty verdict but withhold actual punishment, BBC reported.



Reuters quoted Judge Martine Ract Madoux saying, "The context of the global financial crisis in which Madame Lagarde found herself in should be taken into account." Madoux also takes into consideration the IMF chief's good reputation and international standing as reasons.



The Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) trials are rare, but Lagarde's case decision is similar to the judgement given to Edmond Herve, a French politician who is guilty of negligence over a contaminated blood case, in 1999.



Patrick Maisonneuve, Lagarde's lawyer, is considering of appealing the case to clear Lagarde's name; however, it could also turn out worse for Lagarde since she was not given a sentence.



The trial threatened to upset the stellar career of Lagarde as being the first woman ever to become IMF chief of a Group of Eight country.



Lagarde has won respect from global finance leaders for pushing governments in boosting economic growth and helping to include China's yuan in the fund's currency basket.



The ruling could cause a new leadership crisis at the IMF.



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TagsChristine Lagarde, payout, Jail Punishment, International Monetary Fund (IMF), criminal negligence
(Photo : ONR) Pack of autonomous U.S. Navy swarm boats on the attack.

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A pack of U.S. Navy autonomous "swarm boats," or autonomous robot boats, collaborated among themselves to identify, surround and attack an enemy ship without human intervention in another chilling demonstration of how far and deadly intelligent war machines have become.



The successful test conducted by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) used four rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to illustrate the combat capability of swarm boats (also called swarmbots) to patrol, investigate approaching unknown sea craft and relay that information back to a human operator.



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ONR contends autonomous swarm boats are more effective at mundane and boring naval tasks such as harbor patrols. The robots are also cheaper to operate and remove the need to send anywhere from two to five sailors into harm's way to investigate a suspicious vessel.



After the test, ONR said navy swarm boats can now execute more complex operations to defeat a wider variety of threats. The test was further validation of ONR's Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing (CARACaS).



Whereas in previous tests, the swarm boats needed a human operator to tell them what ship to attack, the latest one left it to the swarm boats to identify the threat vessel on their own and take corresponding action.



The human-free capability first tested in October demonstrated several new capabilities that will "open up the aperture" for more missions.



One capability is "enhanced vessel classification," or the smart boats' ability to separate friend from foe using images fed into CARACaS. This is a staggering achievement in swarm robotics.



"We looked at a relatively large number of automated target recognition approaches...taking algorithms for (automated target recognition) and using them in our maritime environment was not straightforward," said ONR program manager Robert Brizzolara.



"In the end, we finally came up with an approach that works very well."



Swarm boats can also evaluate potential threats based on the behaviors exhibited by these threats.



ONR first demonstrated swarm boats in 2014 in a test where 13 robot boats out on Virginia's James River to were tasked to protect a large, high-value ship on the James River. The experiment proved swarm boats could move independently of one another yet coordinate well enough to swarm a threatening vessel and escort it away from a friendly one.



A video of swarm boats can be viewed here.



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Tagsswarm boats, autonomous swarm boats, U.S. Navy, Office of naval research, ONR, Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing, CARACaS
(Photo : Getty Images) President Duterte said he would like to jointly develop and split any oil resources with China that would be found in the South China Sea.

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Citing Manila's inability to put up a fight with China, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he would instead pursue economic opportunities with Beijing including sharing any oil resources with the Asian giant in areas in the South China Sea where their claims overlap.



Duterte told reporters on Monday that if oil deposits are found in the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal, one of the many disputed islands, reefs, and shoals in the South China Sea between the two countries, then he would be willing to jointly develop and split the resources with China.



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"Let's just develop...let's just split those," the president said in an interview with the media.



Disaster



Duterte admitted that Manila could not just wrest back control of the resource-rich Scarborough Shoal from Beijing despite a Hague-based tribunal ruling, saying the Philippine military was no match to Beijing's army.



"They'd be just wiped out in just one minute. There'll be a disaster," he said.



China took control of the disputed Scarborough Shoal after it seized it from the Philippines following a two-week standoff last 2012.



Scarborough Shoal



In 2013, Manila filed a territorial case against Beijing before the International Permanent Court of Arbitration for unlawfully preventing Filipino fishermen from fishing in the areas surrounding the Scarborough Shoal.



Last July 12, the arbitral court ruled that Filipino fishermen as well as those from China and Vietnam have traditional fishing rights at the shoal and that Beijing has no legal right to prevent the Filipinos from fishing in the zone.



It also ruled that Beijing has no legal basis to its massive claims in the South China Sea region and that it violated the provisions of international law and the Philippines' rights to explore its resources in its exclusive economic zone.



Not ready for war



Last week, Duterte was quoted as saying that it was setting aside its dispute with Beijing on the South China Sea and would instead focus on improving other aspects of its relations with China such as trade, commerce, and political affairs.



In an interview with Channel News Asia, he said Manila was willing to drop its ongoing conflict with Beijing over the South China Sea for the meantime, admitting that the Philippines was not ready to go to war with China.



The chief executive said that the only approach it would take to resolve its maritime dispute with China was through bilateral talks and other peaceful avenues.



"What will you do? Engage yourself in a war with China where there will be no winners? Nobody wants a war," he said.



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TagsSouth China Sea, Scarborough Shoal, President Rodrigo Duterte, President Xi Jinping, oil deposits, Permanenet Court of Arbitration, china, Philippines
(Photo : Getty Images) A logo sits illuminated outside the Nokia pavilion on the opening day of the World Mobile Congress at the Fira Gran Via Complex in Barcelona, Spain.

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The tech community is already aware that Nokia is working on a new smartphone that is expected to be released next year. Recently, a leaked photo posted on the Chinese micro-blogging website Weibo have given the tech community its first glimpse to the highly anticipated device.



Dubbed as the Nokia C1, the leaked photo showed that the phone will sport a bezel-less screen design with a dual camera configuration on its rear. The leaked photo also revealed that the phone's color that appears to be a shade of burgundy, according to Android Headlines. The phone's power and volume buttons are integrated on the side. There is a USB Type-C port on the bottom and a 3.5mm audio port.



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Nokia is yet to officially confirm the specs of the C1. However, it did not deter tech analysts to speculate what Nokia's re-entry model into the smartphone business will be like.



In terms of hardware, the phone is expected to have a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 830 chipset, the same chipset is also expected to power some of the premium flagship devices that will hit the market next year. In terms of storage option, the phone will be available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB storage variants; all will have 4GB of memory.



The Nokia C1 is rumored to sport a 3,210mAh battery pack. As for its dual-camera setup, the phone will have 12- and 16-megapixel sensors with a triple-LED Xenon flash, allowing it to take quality photos even under low-light conditions, according to Digital Trends.



On the software side, the Nokia C1 is expected to run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. However, it is still unknown whether Nokia will use the default Android skin or work on its custom user interface like most manufacturers do nowadays.



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TagsNokia, nokia leak, nokia c1, nokia c1 leak, nokia c1 smartphone, nokia smartphone, Nokia News, nokia c1 render
(Photo : Getty Images) A Samsung Galaxy Note 7 lays on a counter in plastic bags after it was returned to a Best Buy on September 15, 2016 in Orem, Utah.

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South Korean tech giant Samsung announced it is negotating with LG Chem to be one of the company's new battery suppliers, after investigation found that explosions that led to the largest recall in the smartphone history were caused by faulty batteries.



LG Chem is LG's battery manufacturing division. The company is known for supplying battery packs for a number of smartphone and tablet manufacturers including its own parent company and other popular units like Apple iPhones and iPad devices, according to Android Headlines.



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LG and Samsung are yet to officially confirm the new partnership. However, several South Korean news outlet have reported that the negotiations are now on its final phase, and if everything is agreed upon, LG batteries will be powering Samsung devices that will hit the market in the second half of 2017, according to Reuters.



If this new deal will push through, Samsung will most likely leave its current Chinese battery provider due to the Galaxy Note 7 issues that caused the recall of nearly 2.5 million units in December. Samsung's internal SDI brand was the original provider of battery packs for the Galaxy Note 7 device.



Samsung was forced to pull all of its Galaxy Note 7 devices on its store, as well as stop manufacturing the device altogether after reports that replacement batteries provided by Chinese manufacturer Amperex Technology were also prone to fire and explosion.



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TagsSamsung, LG, lg chem, samsung battery, battery problem, samsung battery provider, lg chem news, lg chem battery
(Photo : YouTube Screenshot) Russian ambassador to Turkey assassination caught on camera.

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Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was assassinated at a gallery opening in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Monday (Dec. 19).



The attacker, identified as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, was a policeman who condemned Russia's involvement in Aleppo's gory war. He had been serving for two and a half years as a riot-police unit member in Ankara. Altintas showed his police badge to enter the exhibit, a senior security official said.



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The whole incident was recorded by photographer Burhan Ozlibici who is working for the Associated Press.



"I'm here. Even if I get hit and injured, or killed, I'm a journalist. I have to do my work," Ozlibici said. "I could run away without making any photos... But I wouldn't have a proper answer if people later ask me: 'Why didn't you take pictures?'"



The video of the attack showed the assailant in black suit, slim tie, and lapel pin that is the uniform of Turkey's plainclothes security details. According to witnesses, the off-duty police officer fired eight shots, injuring at least three others.



As Karlov collapsed, the gunman shouted "Allahu akbar (God is great). Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" He continued: "Those who have a part in this atrocity will all pay for it, one by one."



Karlov did not have any personal security assigned to him, and the killer posed as a bodyguard in order to get close to the 62-year-old ambassador.



Altintas was shot and killed at the scene by Turkish authorities who rushed to the gallery. The incident happened a day after protests in Turkey over Russian support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.



Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin by phone and said they both agreed it was an act of "provacation." He added that those who wanted to damage relations between the two nations "would not achieve it."



Karlov was a veteran diplomat who took up the Ankara posting in July 2013.









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TagsRussia, Syria, Aleppo, Turkey, assassination, Vladimir Putin, Erdogan, Andrey Karlov
(Photo : Getty Images) China has successfully transferred the US underwater drone, which was reportedly seized by Chinese navy officials on Dec. 15 near Subic Bay in the disputed China Sea, to the US government following days of intense negotiations.

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China has finally returned the underwater drone to the US government following days of intense negotiation. This marked the end of the most direct confrontation in recent memory between US and China in the disputed South China Sea waters.



"After friendly consultations between China and the United States, the transfer of the US underwater drone was smoothly completed," a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Defense said.



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A spokesperson from Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also simultaneously denied that the "drone had been stolen" as claimed by Trump's tweet.



In response, the US government said it will continue to carry out its navigation operation in the South China Sea territory. The stern stance clearly signified that "transfer of drone" has failed to smoothen America's traditional policy on the disputed maritime territory.



A statement issued by the Pentagon said that "US will continue to fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows."



Pentagon also maintained that the US government will conduct full investigation into the "unlawful" seizure of underwater drone. The drone was reportedly seized by Chinese navy officials on Dec. 15 near Subic Bay, which falls in part of South China Sea that is very close to the Philippines.



Incident Likely to Put Further Strain on Sino-US relationship



This unprecedented incident is likely to put further pressure on the Sino-US relationship, which is already bearing the brunt of Trump's fiery comment on 'One China' policy. The US President-elect, who will assume office on Jan. 20, called on to review the US government's commitment towards 'One China' policy.



This fiery comment came barely a week after Trump broke diplomatic protocol by accepting a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.



The outspoken Trump's overtures toward Taiwan have casted shadow of great uncertainty on the US-China bilateral relationship.



China has been on radar of Trump's trademark aggression since the election campaign days. He described China as a "job thief" and "currency manipulator."



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TagsChina and U.S., U.S Underwater Drone, China Underwater Drone, South China Sea
(Photo : Getty Images) Security and rescue workers tend to the area after a lorry truck plowed through a Christmas market on Dec. 19, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. At least 12 people have died while dozens have been injured as police investigate the attack.

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A black tractor trailer rammed into a crowded Christmas market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring at least 48.



The lorry mounted the curb in at least 40mph speed, plowed through the gathered crowd of locals and tourists who were in the market for shopping, and mulled wine and delights.



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"There's no way it was an accident," Emma Rushton, a witness of the incident, told CNN as she recalled how the truck did not slow down.



The lorry involved had a Polish license plate, but an investigation is still ongoing on where it originated and who the driver was, police spokeswoman Kerstin Ziesmer said.



Ariel Zurawski, the owner of the truck company, told a CNN affiliated TV news network that the truck was loaded with steel shipment and may have been stolen from a construction site. He last spoke with the driver around noon who said he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.



A passenger identified with a Polish nationality was among the casualty as the truck crashed into the shoppers, while a suspected man who was on foot about a mile and a half away from the crash site was arrested, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said.



The suspect has been named by German media reports as Naved B, a 23-year-old asylum seeker of Pakistani origin. The refugee entered Germany on New Year's Eve of last year and registered with Berlin authorities last February.



Berlin's top security official, State Interior Minister Andreas Geisel, said officials are investigating the crash as an act of terrorist attack. Following the mid-year attack in the city of Nice in France that killed 86 and injured over 200, ISIS and al-Qaeda have called on followers to use trucks to attack public areas.



The Christmas market is a popular attraction located in Breitschedplatz in the western part of the city. It will remain closed on Tuesday as a sign of respect to the victims.



The Interior Ministry announced that other markets and Christmas festivities will continue across the entire country with increased security measures.



Neighboring European countries are reviewing security plans for the holiday following the Berlin attack and Russian ambassador assassination in Ankara.



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TagsBerlin Germany, Christmas Market, Terrorist attack
MADISON  Wisconsins 10 Electoral College members voted unanimously for Donald Trump and Mike Pence on Monday as a handful of protesters shouted shame and accused them of selling out the country.

The Republican electors had all signed pledges to cast their votes for Trump and Pence, who won the state by nearly 23,000 votes, becoming the first Republican ticket to do so since 1984.

The gathering of the Electoral College in all 50 states and the District of Columbia is typically a non-event, but this year a national effort has been underway to persuade Republican electors to change their votes, so far with no sign it will be successful to overturn the result.

Trump won enough states to claim a 306-232 Electoral College victory, though at least one Trump elector in Texas has said he will vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Im gravely concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin helped Trump win the Republican primary in addition to the general election, Texas paramedic Chris Suprun wrote in an op-ed in The Hill newspaper on Monday. In light of the mounting evidence of foreign influence undermining our election, delegates to the Electoral College should have been briefed by the CIA.

But even Kasich said on Monday it was time to get behind the president-elect.

We want unity, we want love, Kasich said as Ohios electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony.

Wisconsins electors have been inundated with letters and emails in recent weeks.

They are Kim Babler, a party official from Madison, Bill Berglund, a party official from Sturgeon Bay, Mary Buestrin, Republican National Committee member from River Hills, Brad Courtney, state party chairman from Whitefish Bay, Dan Feyen, a state senator-elect from Fond du Lac, Kevin Hermening, a replacement for Jim Miller, who was hired by U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy and as a federal employee cant be an elector, Kathy Kiernan, a party official from Richfield, Steve King, an RNC member from Janesville, Kim Travis, a party official from Williams Bay and Brian Westrate, a party official from Fall Creek.

On Monday they were given two sheets of paper, each bearing only one name and a box where they marked an X.

The vote in the State Capitol went off with only minor disruption, as several members of the audience expressed their displeasure with the result, one woman shouting, Were all going to go to war and die because of you people.

Most quieted down when warned by a Capitol staff member, others left in disgust and one woman was escorted out by Capitol Police. After the vote, one man sang the first few lines of Silent Night and then stopped.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Michael Haas said it was unusual to have so many people attend an Electoral College vote. The Joint Finance Committee hearing room was filled to capacity with about 100 people and two overflow rooms were also crowded.

Courtney said after the vote in reference to the protesters that it was democracy at work. He said he was proud to represent the 1.4 million people who voted for Trump in Wisconsin.

Its been a team effort, Courtney said. Were doing good things in this state and were hoping to export it to the national level.

Protests, but little change

Similar scenes played out in capitols across the country Monday as thousands of protesters urged Republican electors to abandon their partys winning candidate.

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvanias capitol, chanting, No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA! and No treason, no Trump!

In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said, Dont let Putin Pick Our President, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But despite the noise outside state Capitols, inside, the voting went pretty much as planned.

In Nashville, Tennessee, one audience member tried to read out some Scripture before the ballots were cast, but was told he could not speak.

We certainly appreciate the Scripture, State Election Coordinator Mark Goins said from the podium. The answer is no.

There is no constitutional provision or federal law that requires electors to vote for the candidate who won their state  though some states require their electors to vote for the winning candidate. Wisconsin law requires electors to vote for the candidates whose party selected them, though it provides no penalty or recourse for a so-called faithless elector.

Such laws are rarely tested. More than 99 percent of electors through U.S. history have voted for the candidate who won their state. Of those who refused, none has ever been prosecuted, according to the National Archives.

Some Democrats have argued that the Electoral College is undemocratic because it gives more weight to less populated states. That is how Clinton, who got more than 2.6 million more votes nationwide, lost the election to Trump.

Some have also tried to dissuade Trump voters by arguing that he is unsuited to the job. Others cite the CIAs assessment that Russia engaged in computer hacking to sway the election in favor of the Republican.

When the founders of our country created (the Electoral College) 200-plus years ago, they didnt have confidence in the average white man who had property, because thats who got to vote, said Shawn Terris, a Democratic elector from Ventura, California. It just seems so undemocratic to me that people other than the voters get to choose who leads the country.

A joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results of the Electoral College vote, with Vice President Joe Biden presiding as president of the Senate. Once the result is certified, the winner  almost certainly Trump  will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
At least a dozen people are dead, and more injured, after a truck slammed into a Christmas market in Berlin. Police are calling it a deliberate attack. USA TODAY NETWORKBERLIN (USA Today) The deadly truck rampage through a Christmas market crowd here marked a new setback for Chancellor Angela Merkels hopes for political survival at a time when opposition is growing over her open-door policy for migrants.

This was exactly the kind of terrible event that could seriously affect the German elections next year, said Michael Wohlgemuth, director of the Berlin office of the political think tank Open Europe.

Many people will make a connection between Merkels refugee policy and the threat of terrorism. But since all the parties in the federal parliament supported her policy, there would only be one party to profit from (the Dec. 19 attack): AfD. One could expect this party to do much better as a consequence.

AfD is the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, which has picked up support from Merkels center-right Christian Democratic Union in recent regional parliamentary elections, in part because voters have been drawn to its anti-establishment and anti-immigration message.

For nearly two years, Merkel has faced sharp criticism over her decision to allow nearly 1 million asylum seekers to enter Germany from conflict zones in the Middle East and North Africa. Often they arrive having undergone little in the way of security or background checks.

Germany has seen a few small-scale attacks linked to Islamic extremists and asylum seekers over this time, but nothing on a large scale.

But a Pakistani national who applied for asylum in Germany has been detained in connection with Mondays truck assault that killed 12 people and injured 48. The suspect denies involvement, and police arent certain they have the right man in custody. German authorities have called the incident a terrorist attack, which cannot help Merkels fight for a fourth term nine months from now.

I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum, Merkel said Tuesday.

Merkels approval ratings stand at 57 percent, according to an Infratest dimap poll published a few weeks ago. While that is relatively high compared to her counterparts in other European countries, it represents a fall from the 75 percent approval she enjoyed just before Europes migrant crisis erupted.

Raw: Aftermath of Germany market attackAfD is still far behind in national polls. An Infratest dimap survey published Fridaytracked voting intentions ahead of 2017s election and found that AfD had just 13 percent support to 36 percent for Merkels CDU. In addition, every political party in Germany has ruled out forming a coalition with AfD, meaning it has no path to power unless it wins an outright majority.

Ronald Glaser, an AfD politician in Berlin, said now was not a time for political statements and that the partys members were focused on remembering the victims and thanking the firefighters and policemen who responded to the incident. Later on we have to discuss the consequences, he said.

But Marcus Pretzell, a member of the European Parliament representing AfD in the European Unions headquarters in Brussels and Strasbourg, was less restrained. When will the rule of law fight back, he wrote on Twitter not long after news of the assault broke. When will this  hypocrisy end? These are Merkels dead!

Kim Hjelmgaard writes for USA Today

Courtesy: Religion News Service

Publication date: December 20, 2016
This is a sermon from Zion Lutheran Church in Belleville, IL, delivered by Pastor Jin O Jeong, an assistant pastor for the Korean congregation.

Numbers 21:4-9

"They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us. So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live. So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived."

Ephesians 2:1-10

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressionsit is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of Godnot by works, so that no one can boast. For we are Gods handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

John 3:14-21

"'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.'

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of Gods one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."

---

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In many respects, there seems to be obvious differences between Korea and America.

One of these differences is the price of healthcare. It is a well-known fact that the hospital bills in America are some of the most expensive in the world. Recently, one of our church members, who does not have health insurance, had to have an endoscopy and blood test done. The total cost for all her examinations was $7,000. Usually, the cost of childbirth in the US is approximately $10,000.

For this reason, the health insurance premium in the US is relatively higher than that of Korea. It is no wonder then that an estimated 20 percent of the nations population are without health insurance.

The situation is far worse for Koreans living in the United States. According to a public survey, about 75 percent of Koreans have no health insurance.

It is not easy for them to go to the hospital when they are sick. Even if they get treatment, the bill drives them into bankruptcy.

After Obamacare took effect on January 1st, 2014, many Koreans were fortunate to have health insurance through the program. However, a lot of Koreans still do not have health insurance.

Today's reading from the Old Testament shows that the people of Israel complained and complained about everything, and were dying from a deadly serpents bite.

However, God heard Moses prayer, and gave them an answer.

Instead of removing the serpents, He gave them salvation from the serpents.

God ordered Moses to duplicate one of the serpents in bronze and place the bronze serpent on a pole. Moses did as God commanded and everyone who looked at the serpent on the pole survived the snake bite.

Our lives are full of sin, poisonous serpents that the devil, the world, and even our own sinful nature send against us. Like a cancer cell, sin destroys our soul and mind, and has continues to increase within us. Sin leads us to be frustrated and discouraged. To heal this serious illness, people are looking for money, power, and pleasure, but they fail to find it, as there is no treatment in this world for it.

So then, who and what can be done about these sins?

From today's Gospel reading, we can see that there is only one who can heal this illness: His name is Jesus Christ, the one who died on the Cross. And the cross is identified with the bronze serpent set on a pole.

Jesus Christ on the Cross is like a spiritual doctor for us. He can cure all diseases: sin, suffering, and pain. He can also heal, not only preexisting conditions, but also the present and future conditions, all of which are free of charge.

He also has promised to give us eternal life as proclaiming the Kingdom of God. This is called Jesus Care.

In the book of John, it says, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

By delivering up his only beloved Son on the cross, God paid for Jesus Care.

In order to redeem sinful humanity, God paid for all treatment by delivering up suffering and the death of His Son in the grief of love.

So then, what can we do for salvation? Do our good works, or our good will, help us to earn our salvation? No.

In Ephesians 2:8, Paul said: By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. In other words, Jesus Care is free. The entire cost is free. It is only by Gods grace that He gives us this great benefit. Salvation is not from us; it is simply a gift of God. All we need is faith. And Jesus Care enrollment is quite simple. If we believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for us, we have Jesus Care.

Now, while we observe the Lent season, let us deeply meditate on this great love of God. Let us take part in the suffering of Jesus Christ. Let us proclaim this for the unbeliever: Come and enroll in Jesus Care. It is free. There is no kind of insurance like this on Earth.

May the peace of God that transcends all understanding keeps your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

Reverend and Doctor Jin O Jeong is an assistant pastor for the Korean congregation at Zion Lutheran Church, Belleville, IL. He graduated from Luther University and received a Ph.D from Yonsei University. He was also a Research Fellow at Hebrew University and Visiting Scholar at Yale Divinity School. Tel: 618-920-9311 Email : jjeong@zionbelleville.org
A Texas court ordered the restoration of a Bible verse on a Charlie Brown poster that was removed by the administration of a middle school, according to media reports.

The "Charlie Brown Christmas" poster was displayed on the nurse's office door by Dedra Shannon, a nurse's aide, at Patterson Middle School in Killeen on December 5.

The poster shows a smiling character of "Linus" from comic strip "Peanuts," who is waving his hand while reciting a Bible verse.

The message on the display is from the 1965 holiday special, where the characters are alluding to commercialization of Christmas, and its real meaning.

In the story, the main character Charlie Brown is being mocked by his classmates over his modest Christmas tree, but then he asks other kids, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

His best friend Linus is the only one who answers, "Sure, Charlie Brown," he says. "I can tell you what Christmas is all about."

He then narrates a Bible verse from Luke. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord," Linus says. "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

A few days after the message was displayed on the nurse's office door, the school's principal told Shannon to take down the poster lest non-Christians feel uncomfortable and the display be interpreted as government endorsement of Christianity.

The school board members voted to remove the poster.

However, Shannon sought legal counsel from a conservative non-profit law firm Texas Values. The firm and the Texas Attorney General sent their respective letters to the school to discuss the matter.

The Attorney General's office took the case to district court to appeal for an injunction so that the message could be put back up in conformity with the principles of freedom of speech and religion.

District Judge Jack Jones gave his verdict in favor of Shannon, but said that the poster can only be restored with the label on top of it stating "Ms. Shannon's holiday message."

The school district said they have no problem with the judge's decision.

"We believe that directing the individual to include the additional text better complies with state and federal law," the school district said in a press release. "We support this decision."
Over 40 evangelical leaders wrote a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, expressing their support for Secretary of Environmental Protection Agency nominee Scott Pruitt.

The leaders said in the letter that Pruitt is not a climate change 'denialist,' as claimed in several media reports. They noted that in his comments on climate change science, he had just said that the "debate is far from settled."

Pruitt, an evangelical Christian and a deacon at the First Baptist Church in Oklahoma, is currently serving as the Attorney General of Oklahoma.

The open letter was signed by prominent evangelical pastors including Greg Laurie, Ronnie Floyd, Steve Gaines, Jim Henry, Johnny Hunt, James Merritt, and Bryant Wright. Other leaders from various Baptist affiliations also signed the document.

"We do not deny the existence of climate change nor the urgency of this concern. We affirm an ongoing debate on the proper balance between the unleashing of human enterprise and the protection of creation. We call for justice, righteousness, and compassion in every dimension of our national life, including our government. We believe that Attorney General Pruitt has been misrepresented as denying 'settled science,' when he has actually called for a continuing debate. This is in the very best tradition of science," the letter said.

Environmental activists have criticized Pruitt as he has sued the EPA Clean Power Plan and Waters of the United States rule.

"Scott Pruitt running the EPA is like the fox guarding the henhouse," said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters.

"Time and again, he has fought to pad the profits of Big Polluters at the expense of public health," Karpinski continued.

However, the letter from evangelicals said that though human beings are entrusted with taking care of the environment, activities that propel sustenance must not be restricted.

"Every realm of human activity comes with the responsibility to be good stewards of all that is entrusted to us -- and so much has been entrusted. We are thankful for the progress made in respecting creation, advancing a proper environmentalism, and affirming this stewardship. We pray for every nation to enjoy clean air, clean water, and all things that lead to the flourishing of creation," the letter said. "At the same time, we reject any ideology that sees human beings as a blight upon the planet and would harm human flourishing by restricting or preventing the rightful use and enjoyment of creation."

Pruitt, after his nomination, said that he will work to protect the environment and remove excess regulations that hurt the businesses.

"The American people are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the environment and freedom for American businesses," Pruitt said in a statement.
Christian advocates in the United States have launched a global campaign to release Andrew Brunson, an American pastor jailed on erroneous allegations amid a crackdown on evangelicals in Turkey.

The North Carolina native led a congregation in the majority-Muslim nation for 23 years before being detained in early October and sent to prison in early December. In recent months, several fellow expatriate pastors have been deported.

As we approach Christmasa season of hope and promisewe know that people around the world will stand with Pastor Andrewwill be Pastor Andrews voicesupporting his fight for freedom, and will join us in urging Turkey to release him immediately, said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), now representing Brunsons family.

More than 100,000 have signed the ACLJ petition calling for his release. (The organization previously campaigned for years for the release of Saeed Abedini ...

1
A third Assistant District Attorney in Chippewa County is applying for the District Attorneys position that will be vacant after Steve Gibbs leaves to become a new county judge.

Chad D. Verbeten, a graduate of Hamline-Mitchell Law School in St. Paul, Minnesota, is applying for the position that will be filled by Gov. Scott Walker. He joins Assistant District Attorneys Roy La Barton Gay and Wade Newell in applying for the post.

Verbeten is a native of Greenleaf and grew up on a dairy farm. He first joined the Chippewa County District Attorneys office in 2002 and in 2005 left to work with the Eau Claire County District Attorneys office for eight years. Gibbs hired him in 2013 and he returned to the Chippewa County office.

He said while in Eau Claire County he had experience with evidence-based decision making, a system that Chippewa County uses.

Verbeten is a member of the Stanley-Boyd School Board, having been elected in April 2015.

The deadline to submit an application for the District Attorney position is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28. Applicants need to provide a cover letter, their resume and 3-4 references, along with a completed application form.

Gibbs was reelected Nov. 8. The person Walker selects will serve out Gibbs term and will stand for election in November 2020.

Gibbs will succeed Judge Roderick Cameron, who retired Dec. 9 after 33 years on the bench.
No more Christmas celebration and/or lessons on Christmas including carol singing is permitted, effective immediately, according to an email sent last week to dozens of high school teachers in Turkey.

About 35 German-funded teachers at Istanbul Erkek Lisesi (Istanbul High School) received a messaged saying that the National Ministry of Education had communicated that no more of these activities should take place.

That Turkey is the homeland of the real Santa Claus is an irony largely lost on most media: St. Nicholas, who secretly left gifts for poor children, was in fact Bishop Nicholas. He lived in circa AD 300 in Demre (formerly known as Myra), in Lycia, Southern Turkey.

Church history teaches that Nicholas attended the Council of Nicea, close to Istanbul, where 300 early Church Fathers agreed on their core beliefs as followers of Jesus Christ. Its the teaching of these beliefs that now appears to be being challenged.

German broadcast media Deutsche Welle (DW) reported ...

1
Time for a Recount: The Fallacies of 2ndVote



FRONT ROYAL, Va., Dec. 20, 2016 /



2ndVOTE: "In the spirit of thankfulness and celebration that comes this time of year," reads the 2ndVote announcement, "we have a special update that our research team recently made to the company scorepage for Macy's and our Planned Parenthood resource pageMacy's confirmed with 2ndVote last week that the company no longer gives and no longer matches donations to Planned Parenthood."



FACT: Macy's has not given direct grants to Planned Parenthood for more than a decade. Macy's has not matched employee donations to the abortion-committing group for over a year. Due to mandated cost-cutting, Macy's decided to end all grant-making in two general categories. Planned Parenthood happened to be in one of the categories. It was done across-the-board so the decision affected many nonprofits; not just Planned Parenthood. As noted, this took place more than a year ago.



2ndVOTE: Per LifeNews, "After today, pro-life customers can resume shopping at Macy's But today representatives of a pro-life group that tracks corporate donations to the Planned Parenthood abortion organization says Macy's has ended his [sic] relationship with it."



FACT: The statement infers the company decision was made just days ago. As noted above, it was not. Similar statements regarding the false timing of the Macy's decision appear in virtually every statement released on matter.



2ndVOTE: Per LifeNews, Macy's "had been on a list of corporate contributors to the Planned Parenthood abortion company for some time."



FACT: Including Macy's on any list of Planned Parenthood supporters is grossly inaccurate and, thus, unfair to a company that long ago decided to do the right thing. Needless-to-say, such inaccuracies significantly damage the reputation of pro-life activists who believe basic Christian integrity calls us to release only 100 percent factual information to the public.



2ndVOTE: "In the spirit of thankfulness and celebration that comes this time of year, we have a special update to share with you Well, we are happy to report that we can take another company off that listMacy's, who confirmed with 2ndVote last week that they no longer give nor match donations to Planned Parenthood."



FACT: Once again, the implication is that the "update" is based on new information. It is not. 2ndVote also implies it had something to do with the corporation's decision. It did not. In fact, 2ndVote has opened Macy's up to a possible pro-abortion backlash, such as that experienced by the Komen Foundation several years ago. Every time a group openly claims "credit" for a corporate decision, it puts pro-abortion activists in a "we can't let them get away with this" mode. Pro-lifers become their own worst enemy; not by shooting themselves in the foot, but by shooting themselves in the head.



2ndVOTE: "You may remember how four companies (AT&T, Coca-Cola, Ford, and Xerox) publicly distanced themselves from Planned Parenthood last year after our research exposed forty-one companies with direct financial ties to the abortion giant. At that time, another company on our list, Macy's, was making donations to Planned Parenthood."



FACT: Every one of these corporations asked that they not be identified as corporate supporters of Planned Parenthood, but it was not to "distance themselves." They asked because they had not supported Planned Parenthood and reporting otherwise was flatly wrong.



Coca-Cola said it has not contributed to Planned Parenthood, nor has it match employee contributions. The Ford Motor Company said it has been at least ten years since the company stopped matching employee gift contributions. Xerox Corporation has not given to Planned Parenthood in more than 20 years. AT&T stopped giving direct grants to Planned Parenthood in the early 1990s. All four corporations had been accused of supporting Planned Parenthood in list 2ndVote released in 2015.



"It is not surprising that 2ndVote took credit for orchestrating this 'recent victory,'" Strobhar said. "But it is unconscionable that 2ndVote would issue a press release touting victory over Macy's while simultaneously urging pro-life activists to do business with corporate supporters of Planned Parenthood."



One of the most egregious examples in which 2ndVote's actions are greatly harming the pro-life cause is its 2016 "2ndVote Christmas Shopping Guide," which includes four confirmed supporters of Planned Parenthood.



On July 28, 2015, LDI released a full statement analyzing the accuracy of 2ndVote accusations against corporations. The report also addressed the "standards" used by 2ndVote when determining which corporations should be labeled a "Planned Parenthood supporter." Strobhar said the tremendously eye-opening report may be read in full on LDI's website (



"LDI has been doing this work for more than 25 years," said Strobhar. "From the start, LDI has believed success is far more important than publicity, despite the fact that publicity brings donations and media attention. This method of operation has allowed many CEOs to view us as reasonable. And if they consider us reasonable, they are willing to communicate. Yet they also know we never compromise."



If a CEO agrees to make Planned Parenthood ineligible for funding, the case is closed and kept confidential. (The alternative would result in a pro-abortion backlash. CEOs want to avoid the negative publicity a public announcement would bring.) "LDI provides a 'way out' for corporate executivesand they have expressed their appreciation," Strobhar said.



If the CEO will not make Planned Parenthood ineligible for grants, LDI continues talking with corporate officials, often in person, and provides still more information about Planned Parenthood and the damage any association with the group is bound to create. If the CEO still refuses to stop supporting Planned Parenthood, the company is added to LDI's list of boycott target.



Boycotted corporations that eventually "see the light" are removed from the list of targets. The update is discretely announced. LDI never stands on a mountain and brags about successes. "In fact, LDI allows a corporation to give any or no reason for its decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood," explained Strobhar. "We never dispute what corporate officials say to the public. These practices have led many corporations to stop funding Planned Parenthood because they are shielded from a backlash."



LDI's highly successful strategy has convinced at least 337 corporations to stop backing Planned Parenthood. "And that success speaks for itself," said Strobhar. "We all like to report successes but let's be wholly honest when doing so."

Share Tweet Contact: Thomas C. Strobhar, 937-306-1402FRONT ROYAL, Va., Dec. 20, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Any good pro-life activist who has read the December 7, 2016, statement by 2ndVote is certainly filled with Christmas joy. And not just because it is that time of year. The announcement that Macy's Inc. has agreed to stop funding Planned Parenthood, including through its corporate Matching Gift Program, was a virtual "Miracle on 2ndVote Street." But according to Thomas C. Strobhar, chairman of Life Decisions International (LDI) and a corporate investment specialist, "2ndVote has not been completely open and honest" with pro-life advocates. He pointed to several problems with the "fake news" being generated by the relatively new group.2ndVOTE: "In the spirit of thankfulness and celebration that comes this time of year," reads the 2ndVote announcement, "we have a special update that our research team recently made to the company scorepage for Macy's and our Planned Parenthood resource pageMacy's confirmed with 2ndVote last week that the company no longer gives and no longer matches donations to Planned Parenthood."FACT: Macy's has not given direct grants to Planned Parenthood for more than a decade. Macy's has not matched employee donations to the abortion-committing group for over a year. Due to mandated cost-cutting, Macy's decided to end all grant-making in two general categories. Planned Parenthood happened to be in one of the categories. It was done across-the-board so the decision affected many nonprofits; not just Planned Parenthood. As noted, this took place more than a year ago.2ndVOTE: Per LifeNews, "After today, pro-life customers can resume shopping at Macy's But today representatives of a pro-life group that tracks corporate donations to the Planned Parenthood abortion organization says Macy's has ended his [sic] relationship with it."FACT: The statement infers the company decision was made just days ago. As noted above, it was not. Similar statements regarding the false timing of the Macy's decision appear in virtually every statement released on matter.2ndVOTE: Per LifeNews, Macy's "had been on a list of corporate contributors to the Planned Parenthood abortion company for some time."FACT: Including Macy's on any list of Planned Parenthood supporters is grossly inaccurate and, thus, unfair to a company that long ago decided to do the right thing. Needless-to-say, such inaccuracies significantly damage the reputation of pro-life activists who believe basic Christian integrity calls us to release only 100 percent factual information to the public.2ndVOTE: "In the spirit of thankfulness and celebration that comes this time of year, we have a special update to share with you Well, we are happy to report that we can take another company off that listMacy's, who confirmed with 2ndVote last week that they no longer give nor match donations to Planned Parenthood."FACT: Once again, the implication is that the "update" is based on new information. It is not. 2ndVote also implies it had something to do with the corporation's decision. It did not. In fact, 2ndVote has opened Macy's up to a possible pro-abortion backlash, such as that experienced by the Komen Foundation several years ago. Every time a group openly claims "credit" for a corporate decision, it puts pro-abortion activists in a "we can't let them get away with this" mode. Pro-lifers become their own worst enemy; not by shooting themselves in the foot, but by shooting themselves in the head.2ndVOTE: "You may remember how four companies (AT&T, Coca-Cola, Ford, and Xerox) publicly distanced themselves from Planned Parenthood last year after our research exposed forty-one companies with direct financial ties to the abortion giant. At that time, another company on our list, Macy's, was making donations to Planned Parenthood."FACT: Every one of these corporations asked that they not be identified as corporate supporters of Planned Parenthood, but it was not to "distance themselves." They asked because they had not supported Planned Parenthood and reporting otherwise was flatly wrong.Coca-Cola said it has not contributed to Planned Parenthood, nor has it match employee contributions. The Ford Motor Company said it has been at least ten years since the company stopped matching employee gift contributions. Xerox Corporation has not given to Planned Parenthood in more than 20 years. AT&T stopped giving direct grants to Planned Parenthood in the early 1990s. All four corporations had been accused of supporting Planned Parenthood in list 2ndVote released in 2015."It is not surprising that 2ndVote took credit for orchestrating this 'recent victory,'" Strobhar said. "But it is unconscionable that 2ndVote would issue a press release touting victory over Macy's while simultaneously urging pro-life activists to do business with corporate supporters of Planned Parenthood."One of the most egregious examples in which 2ndVote's actions are greatly harming the pro-life cause is its 2016 "2ndVote Christmas Shopping Guide," which includes four confirmed supporters of Planned Parenthood.On July 28, 2015, LDI released a full statement analyzing the accuracy of 2ndVote accusations against corporations. The report also addressed the "standards" used by 2ndVote when determining which corporations should be labeled a "Planned Parenthood supporter." Strobhar said the tremendously eye-opening report may be read in full on LDI's website ( fightpp.org/news/07-28-15 )."LDI has been doing this work for more than 25 years," said Strobhar. "From the start, LDI has believed success is far more important than publicity, despite the fact that publicity brings donations and media attention. This method of operation has allowed many CEOs to view us as reasonable. And if they consider us reasonable, they are willing to communicate. Yet they also know we never compromise."If a CEO agrees to make Planned Parenthood ineligible for funding, the case is closed and kept confidential. (The alternative would result in a pro-abortion backlash. CEOs want to avoid the negative publicity a public announcement would bring.) "LDI provides a 'way out' for corporate executivesand they have expressed their appreciation," Strobhar said.If the CEO will not make Planned Parenthood ineligible for grants, LDI continues talking with corporate officials, often in person, and provides still more information about Planned Parenthood and the damage any association with the group is bound to create. If the CEO still refuses to stop supporting Planned Parenthood, the company is added to LDI's list of boycott target.Boycotted corporations that eventually "see the light" are removed from the list of targets. The update is discretely announced. LDI never stands on a mountain and brags about successes. "In fact, LDI allows a corporation to give any or no reason for its decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood," explained Strobhar. "We never dispute what corporate officials say to the public. These practices have led many corporations to stop funding Planned Parenthood because they are shielded from a backlash."LDI's highly successful strategy has convinced at least 337 corporations to stop backing Planned Parenthood. "And that success speaks for itself," said Strobhar. "We all like to report successes but let's be wholly honest when doing so."
After Berlin: Why A Crusade Is Not The Answer To Jihad

Terror is back on front pages, if it was ever off. The murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey and the carnage in a Berlin Christmas market drive home yet again what desperate and wicked people will do to further their cause. Each incident shocks and appalls for a few hours or days and then is overtaken by the next. People, though, are bereaved forever.

We have lived with terrorism for decades. What's different about the outrages we face at the moment is their potential to catalyse terrible errors in public policy. They are carried out by Muslim extremists and feed a narrative of hatred and suspicion toward all Muslims. A man was arrested for the Berlin massacre and turned out to be an asylum seeker  whether he is the culprit is not known. So all asylum seekers become suspect and the rhetoric of Germany's far-right AfD party  and its equivalents in other European countries  becomes legitimised.

That there are real challenges faced by European nations struggling to integrate hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants is obvious. But the danger is that the language of the Christian crusade starts to be used to combat the language of Islamic jihad  and in age when Western politics appears less stable than it has for decades, the potential for rhetoric to become reality is alarming.

So, for instance, in a typically forthright comment, Donald Trump said: "Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today's horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday."

True enough, but then he added: "Isis and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad." Yes: but they kill far, far more Muslims.

His conclusion? "These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners."

That is the language of massive military force, of draconian restrictions on liberty, of a war on terror that is more terrifying than the terror itself.

And his follow-up tweet is revealing, too: "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland, and Germany  and it is only getting worse," he wrote. "The civilised world must change thinking!"

Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2016

Only, the attack on a mosque in Switzerland has not been shown to be motivated by Islamist extremism. Trump assumes, he does not analyse, and twists events to fit what he thinks they ought to be  and he is not the only one.

Let's be clear: if someone's loved ones are killed or injured by terrorists, they are going to want revenge. If a nation perceives its identity and values as being under threat from an alien invader, it will fight back  hence the rise of a frighteningly xenophobic populism in Hungary. But the task of responsible politicians is to do what's right, not what is popular. The last time Western powers attempted to bomb terrorism out of existence it did not go well. While they need to be rigorous about security, embattled leaders need to find the moral courage to resist acting out of hatred and fear toward people because of their religion, their ethnicity or where they came from.

And the task of responsible Christian leaders is to say, "Not in my name." The temptation to equate Christian civilisation with Christianity is terribly seductive. "God and country" is as theologically problematic as "God and" anything else. Christ is not defended by discriminatory laws, or by pulling up the drawbridge against migrants, or by guns and bombs. He is commended when his people live faithfully, lovingly and justly.

The sickening violence we have seen in Berlin poses challenges to Europe's security forces and to the rule of law. But it also poses challenges at a deeper level, to how we think about aliens and strangers and what we really believe in. If we think we can only react to violence with more violence  including the violence of unjust laws, discrimination and demonisation  we will fail comprehensively to stop it happening again. Grief, loss and anger are not a good context in which to say this kind of thing; but it has to be said, loudly and clearly, if Europe is ever to be at peace.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
After ISIS Threat to Escalate Terror Attacks This Christmas Season, Lorry Ploughs Through Berlin Market, Killing 12

The Islamic State (ISIS) has warned that it will escalate terrorist attacks against Christians in the coming weeks, reports said.

It appeared to have carried out the threat on Monday night when a lorry ploughed through a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50 other shoppers, reports said.

Terror gripped shoppers as a huge vehicle smashed into booths outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the centre of the city. Just an hour earlier, the Russian ambassador was shot dead in Ankara.

ISIS issued its latest terror warning on Dec. 13 after claiming a deadly terrorist attack on Coptic Christians in Cairo, Egypt, which left 25 dead, the Daily Caller reported.

"Let all the disbelievers and apostates in Egypt and everywhere know that our war on polytheism is ongoing, and that the State of the Caliphate  with permission from Allah the Almighty  will continue to spill their blood and grill their bodies, so that there is no sedition and the religion is all for Allah," said ISIS in a statement, according to SITE Intelligence Group. Experts said ISIS regards Christianitywith its belief in the Holy Trinityas a polytheist religion, or a faith with more than one deity.

ISIS specifically targeted Christian communities in Iraq and Syria in 2014 when it started its rise to power. Its militants have since then been killing Christians to this day. Many of Iraq's ancient Christian communities, particularly in the Nineveh Plains region, are now destroyed, the Daily Caller said. Some of them, like the Assyrian and Chaldean sects, date back to the earliest days of Christianity.

As early as late November, the U.S. Department of State and the British government warned that there was an increased risk of terrorist attacks in Europe during the Christmas season. European holiday markets draw large numbers of people, making them a tempting target for ISIS and other terrorist groups.

Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5 has warned that a terror attack on British streets is highly likely for the past two years.

A security source told the Daily Mirror: "Britain is very much in the sights of the jihadists but thankfully plots and plotters have been disrupted and stopped

"Whilst U.K. agencies have been extremely good at preventative intelligence operations against jihadist groups, other European equivalents have been less successful, sadly."
Aggressive Secularism Discriminates Against Christians In The West, Vatican Diplomat Warns

A Holy See diplomat has warned that Christians face insidious discrimination, even in the West and countries where they are not obviously persecuted against, the Catholic Herald has reported.

Mgr Janusz Urbanczyk, the Vatican's permanent representative to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), addressed a conference in Vienna on combating intolerance and discrimination against Christians across the OSCE region, which includes 57 countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America.

Urbanczyk said that even though the OSCE region does not see "blatant and violent persecution" of Christians as is witnessed in some parts of the world, "manifestations of intolerance, hate crimes and episodes of violence or vandalism against religious places or objects continue to increase".

He added that "offending, insulting or attacking Christians because of their beliefs and their values, including in the media and in public debate, based on a distorted and misinterpreted concept of freedom of expression, often goes uncontested".

This "worrying trend" involves "aggressively orchestrated actions, especially in the media and in public discourse, against Christians and all others who express peacefully their religious views, traditions and values", he said.

"This seems to be true in particular for those who defend human nature from being reduced to mere matter and from the new ideological colonisation that invades human thought, under the pretence of virtue, modernity and new attitudes, and which is contemptuous of reality as God has created it," Urbanczyk said.

"Freedom of expression on these issues seems to be threatened, and believers who share publicly their convictions are often labelled as intolerant or accused of bigotry," he added.

"The peaceful contribution of religion to public life seems not only to be rejected, but also contested" he said, adding that wherever "fundamental freedoms are questioned, security also can be endangered".

The monsignor called on countries to act decisively to protect Christians "and to address properly, including by adequate legislative measures, all cases of intolerance, discrimination, hate crimes, and violent incidents".

He said that the Vatican also encouraged them "to address the new forms of discrimination, including in the mass media and in public debates, and report and condemn these incidents promptly".

Governments, he said, must ensure an environment "where Christians, as well as all other religious groups, can freely profess and practise their faith".
Berlin Christmas Market Attack: 23-Year-Old Pakistani Asylum Seeker Named As Suspect

A 23-year-old asylum seeker of Pakistani origin named Naved B has been arrested under suspicion of carrying out the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, according to German media reports.

Although there has so far been no official confirmation, the suspect was reportedly picked up around one and a half miles away from the scene of the attack, near the Victory Column monument in the city.

Berlin's public radio station RBB-Inforadio cited an unnamed security source as saying that the suspect was a Pakistani citizen who entered Germany on December 31, 2015.

There were mixed reports on the details however. News agency dpa, also citing unnamed security sources, said that he came to Germany as a refugee in February 2016.

Meanwhile Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the man was known to police for minor crimes.

Berlin police have so far declined to confirm the identification of the man as the alleged attacker, but a police spokesman said the man was being interrogated.

According to the Welt daily newspaper, police raided a large shelter for asylum-seekers at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof airport overnight, withfour men reportedly questioned but not arrested.

The truck crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which was left as a ruin after World War Two, in the heart of former West Berlin on Monday evening.

"Our investigators assume that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz," police said on Twitter.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," police said.

The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That attack was claimed by Islamic State.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had previously said there were indications that the incident in Berlin was an attack.

Police said that the man found dead in the truck was a Polish citizen but added he was not in control of the vehicle. The nationality of the suspected driver, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was unclear, they said.

Local broadcaster rbb cited security sources as saying the arrested truck driver came to Germany via Passau, a city on the Austrian border, on December 31, 2015. It cited the sources as saying the man was born on January 1, 1993 in Pakistan and was already known to police for minor offences.

If that is confirmed, it could further worsen sentiment toward migrants in Germany, where more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived this year and last.

The record influx has hit Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity ratings and boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). Senior AfD member Marcus Pretzell blamed Merkel for the attack on Twitter.

Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on ORF radio on Tuesday that he had told the heads of Austria's regional police forces to intensify surveillance measures, although there was no concrete evidence that an incident was about to happen.

Sobotka also called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route to better control foreign jihadist fighters' movements.

Berlin police are investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland. They have taken the truck for a forensic examination.

Additional reporting by Reuters.
Britain's Cities Boost Police Protection In Face Of Potential Christmas Terror Attacks

Eleven police forces across Britain are sending out armed anti-terrorism patrol squads to protect Christmas markets, shopping centres, transport hubs and tourist hotspots in an effort to prevent an attack of the sort seen in Berlin yesterday, according to the Daily Mail.

The paper reported that security services warned the UK was at risk of terror attacks on "large crowds of soft target civilians" by Islamist terrorists during the festive season.

In Birmingham city centre, concrete barriers have been erected in an attempt to stop potential terrorists from using a car or truck to attack the city's popular Christmas market.

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester Police said they had strengthened their presence at Christmas markets, at which almost 350 stalls are spread across 10 sites in the city.

Last week it emerged that 200 undercover SAS soldiers are to be deployed on Britain's streets to assist police forces in the event of an attack.

Armed officers from Northumbria police have been seen in Newcastle city centre, posing with children and families while carrying assault rifles. The pictures attracted criticism after residents complained of the effect on youngsters of seeing armed police.

The Mail quoted "security sources" as saying: "Britain is very much in the sights of the jihadists but thankfully plots and plotters have been disrupted and stopped. While UK agencies have been extremely good at preventative intelligence operations against jihadist groups, other European equivalents have been less successful, sadly.

"This means the entire continent is vulnerable to attack, as we have seen in France, Germany and Belgium, but particularly in the run-up to Christmas. It is a Christian period of festivities, bringing together large crowds of soft target civilians, and will attract attention from those who wish to inflict harm."

In July, 86 people were killed on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, when a lorry drove through the crowds celebrating Bastille Day. The driver of the truck had pledged support for ISIS.

Last night saw a similar style of attack which killed twelve at a Christmas market in Berlin.

Earlier this month the head of MI6, Alex Younger, warned in an unprecedented public statement that ISIS cells are exploiting the chaos in Syria to plot deadly attacks against the UK.

"As I speak, the highly organised external attack planning structures within Daesh (ISIS), even as they face military threat, are plotting ways to project violence against the UK and our allies without ever having to leave Syria," he said.
Cairo Church Bombing: 10-Year-Old Dies From Injuries As Death Toll Hits 27

The death toll from a church bombing in Cairo continues to rise after a 10-year-old girl died from her injuries on Tuesday morning.

Maggie Moamen was in a coma in El Glaa military hospital after the suicide attack last Sunday left her with damage to her lungs and brain. She was in critical condition and was transferred to El Demerdash hospital, Cairo, where she died.

Her death brings the total toll to 27.

The attack was claimed by ISIS who described it as a "martyrdom operation". The jihadist group said it would target "apostates" or "infidels" in Egypt or anywhere else in the world.

The blast struck the church of St Peter and St Paul during Sunday mass on December 11. The small church is next to St Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, seat of the Coptic pope. It is the deadliest attack on Coptic Christians since the bombing of Two Saints Church in Alexandria on New Year's Eve of 2011.

A state funeral was held for the victims last Monday where Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi spoke and three days of mourning were declared.

The bombing sparked waves of anger across Egypt with hundreds protesting outside the cathedral in Cairo.

The crowd demanded Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, the interior minister, be dismissed after a perceived security failure led to the attack. Christians are convinced attacks on them are not seriously investigated.

But despite the fears celebrations for the Coptic Christmas on January 7 will go ahead.

"The church said goodbye to its martyrs with honour. We only feel bad for those whose hearts are filled with hatred," a statement on Monday read.

"Regardless of the formality of celebrations, it is important to mark the day that spreads messages of love among the sons of this country."
Catholic Church In Philippines Condemns President's 'Barbaric' Plan To Execute '5 Or 6' Daily

Catholic leaders and charities in the Philippines have condemned as "very barbaric" President Rodrigo Duterte's plan to restore the death penalty and execute "five or six" criminals each day despite what is widely acknowledged to be a corrupt legal system.

Duterte, 71, has made reviving the death penalty in the mainly Catholic nation his top legislative priority as part of a brutal war on crime that has killed 5,300 people, according to the Daily Nation.

"There was death penalty before but nothing happened. Return that to me and I would do it every day: five or six [criminals]. That's for real," he said on Saturday.

An official at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the Church "totally opposed" Duterte's plan. "The Philippines will be viewed as very barbaric," Father Jerome Secillano, the executive secretary at its public affairs office, told AFP. "It's going to make the Philippines the capital of death penalty in the world."

The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006 after strong opposition to capital punishment from the Catholic Church, to which 80 per cent of Filipinos belong.

Before taking office in June this year, Duterte vowed to introduce executions by hanging, saying he did not want to waste bullets and adding that he believed snapping the spinal cord was more humane than a firing squad.

Duterte said that he viewed the death penalty not as a means to deter crime but for retribution.

A vote is due in the House of Representatives in January.

The United Nations' human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said in a letter to the Philippines congress this month that reviving capital punishment would violate the country's international obligations.

Nonetheless, on Saturday Duterte insisted executions were necessary to fight the drug scourge which he said was "destroying" the nation.

Although his aides have attempted to dismiss his incendiary statements as hyperbole, human rights advocates expressed alarm at Duterte's remarks.

"Setting a quota for executions is just too much. One death is too much because we are talking about lives," Amnesty International Philippines vice chairman Romeo Cabarde told AFP.

Catholic leaders and activists have urged the government instead to reform a slow and corrupt justice system which they said was likely to send innocent people to death row.

Secillano added that bishops planned to persuade lawmakers against voting for the death penalty and would attend congressional debates next month.
Church And Charity Leaders Warn Against Tarnishing Refugees With Accusations Of Terrorism

Church and charity leaders today warned against tarnishing asylum seekers with accusations of terrorism after there were mixed reports in Germany about the identity of the attacker who targeted a Christmas market in Berlin last night.

According to reports based on leaked accounts from the authorities in Germany, a 23-year-old asylum seeker of Pakistani origin named Naved B was arrested over the lorry attack which killed twelve people and injured many more.

But tonight the picture was unclear as subsequent reports suggested that police were holding the wrong man  who denied the charges  amid claims that the attacker could still be at large.

When it appeared that the attacker was an asylum seeker, Bishop Paul McAleenan, the auxiliary Bishop of Westminster with responsibility for issues relating to asylum and migration, told Christian Today: "What has happened in Berlin defies comprehension. All people of goodwill are shocked, saddened and appalled by this attack. My thoughts and prayers and those of the whole Catholic community of England and Wales are with those affected in any way, and with the people of Germany who have been so generous to refugees. We must keep in mind that this attack is not representative nor a reflection of those who have sought sanctuary within our borders."

Russell Rook, who runs the Good Faith Partnership and is the founder of the Church Response For Refugees which works with the government in helping to house refugees across the UK, also told Christian Today: "Last week I heard how the father of a recently arrived family of refugees immediately began volunteering for a homeless charity, using his skills to provide warm and nutritious food for some of the most disadvantaged people in one of our largest cities. There are hundreds of stories like this that never see the light of day in the mainstream press and broadcast media.

"While last night's events in Berlin are ghastly beyond measure they are an horrific exception to an otherwise positive rule. Refugees contribute greatly to our communities economically, socially and culturally. As a country we should do all we can to welcome them and as the church we should remember that it is the welcome we show to the orphan, widow, stranger and refugee that qualifies us to be called God's people."

Meanwhile Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the President of the German Bishops' Conference, expressed his compassion for the victims and called for unity after the attack.

"The news from Berlin have deeply shocked me. The violence on the Christmas market is the opposite of what visitors were seeking," he said. "My compassion goes to the relatives of the dead and injured. For all of them I will pray. In these difficult hours for the city of Berlin and for our country, it is important for us to hold together and stand united as society."

Tonight there will be a vigil for the victims of the attack at 6pm local time at the memorial church near the scene of the outrage.

Earlier, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "Twelve people, who were looking forward to Christmas and had plans for the festive season, are no longer among us...The whole of the country is with you in deep sadness...many pray for you."

Although Christmas markets have remained closed today in Berlin, they have stayed open across the rest of Germany.

Elsewhere, Italy is strengthening security measures for areas where crowds are expected for Christmas ceremonies, such as Pope Francis' appearance in St Peter's Square.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti led a meeting today of the heads of Italy's police and intelligence forces to review security after the truck attack.

An interior ministry statement does not specify the places where security will be tightened, but security officials in the past have said that extremists have noted that the Vatican, as a symbol of Christianity, is a target.
A committee advising the state on child custody rules urged the state last year not to reduce the amount of money wealthy Wisconsin parents pay in child support.

Despite the recommendation made in a 2015 report, Gov. Scott Walkers administration is advancing a proposal to do just that.

The recommendations from the Child Support Guidelines Advisory Committee were provided to the Wisconsin State Journal on Tuesday by the Department of Children and Families prior to an agency hearing on the way the state handles child support and child placement  including a proposal to reduce the percentage of monthly income that is paid in child support by wealthy parents who make between $300,000 and $500,000 annually.

A judge would be responsible for determining what percentage of income would be paid in child support for parents who earn more than $500,000 annually under the proposal.

A DCF official referred the State Journal on Monday to the agencys communications staff. Spokesman Joe Scialfa provided the committee report Tuesday, saying he was not in the office Monday and could not respond to questions.

The proposal is similar to legislation Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, introduced in 2013 that sought to ban judges from using income above $150,000 to calculate child-support payments  a controversial and ultimately unsuccessful bill that was co-written by a wealthy, divorced campaign donor.

The bill was at least the second time Kleefisch introduced legislation aimed at helping multimillionaire businessman and GOP donor Michael Eisenga reduce what he pays in child support: a minimum $15,000 a month for his three children.

It was withdrawn amid significant pushback in January 2014. Later that year, DCF convened a committee of lawmakers, county child support officials, the State Bar of Wisconsin, judges and other child support and child placement advocates to draft recommendations for changes.

Unlike Kleefischs bill, DCF proposes a sliding scale for wealthy parents that reduces the percentage of their income above $300,000 that is paid in child support as the income climbs to $500,000.

Scialfa said its a mischaracterization of the current proposed changes to compare them to Kleefischs bill, Assembly Bill 540.

AB540 was withdrawn amidst legitimate concerns about capping the calculation of child support payments above $150,000 annual income, said Scialfa. However, debate over the bill did bring to light the fact that Wisconsin was significantly out of step with the majority of states regarding the calculation of child support payments for high-income earners. The committee acknowledged this fact during their deliberations.

Committee strongly recommends no change

A DCF analysis of the recommended rules changes said the proposals were the result of the committees work. But in the report submitted to the DCF in September 2015, the committee says it strongly recommends no change to the way the state calculates child support for wealthy parents.

Further, the committee said that if the department wanted to change the high-income child payment formula, the committee suggested making the changes the department ultimately proposed.

The committee said in the report members were very uncomfortable recommending those proposals. The report also noted there is considerable pressure in the Legislature from high-income payer advocates to amend Wisconsins high-income formula in order to bring the states formula in line with other states, and that judges already have the discretion to place a portion of child support in a trust for college expenses.

Economic data shows that as income rises above certain high-income levels, families spend a lower percentage of their gross income on their children, but the small number of these high-income families is statistically insignificant. There is, therefore, no data demonstrating a specific income level at which this occurs, the report said. The committee, therefore, was very uncomfortable with recommending any of the proposals, given that research does not exist to substantiate a change in the high-income formula.

Scialfa did not respond to a question seeking information about who at DCF wanted to go ahead with the proposal to reduce child support from wealthy parents.

Necessary reform

or department overreach?

Scialfa said child custody is an issue that affects hundreds of thousands of families in Wisconsin and the Department felt it deserved a thorough review by affected parties and policy makers and would benefit from broad public input.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said Tuesday that he is open to reforming child support laws to avoid child support becoming back door alimony.

But Sen.-elect LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, testified at the hearing Tuesday that the proposal is giving a break to those who could make these payments the most.

To give a payment reduction to those individuals who could afford to pay it the most is discouraging, said Johnson. She also said that seeking changes through the administrative rules process that are similar to changes that failed as legislation is disingenuous to the public.

Jim Sullivan, director of Milwaukee Countys Department of Child Support Services, characterized the proposal to reduce payments for wealthy parents as an overreach of the departments purpose. Sullivan said efforts should be done through the Legislature or through the courts.

He said his office handles one-third of the states child support cases and has not heard any requests for changes to the formula for high-income parents.

If DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson signs off on the proposals, the changes will head to Walkers desk for approval before they are submitted to legislative committees.
Embattled Russell Moore Stands By Trump Criticisms, Apologises For Offending Voters

Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's public affairs division, has apologised in a blog post for appearing to criticise anyone who voted for Donald Trump as US president.

He wrote in a Christmas article on his blog that while he stands by his criticism of Trump, he did not intend to characterise all his supporters in the same way. He said: "There's a massive difference between someone who enthusiastically excused immorality and someone who felt conflicted, weighed the options based on biblical convictions, and voted their conscience."

He said that for him personally, to vote for either candidate would to "sin against my own conscience".

Moore is head of the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and has faced criticism within the denomination for his trenchant denunciations of Trump. According to a former SBC executive committee chairman William Harrell some larger churches are considering withholding funds from the ERLC while Moore is in charge. Harrell said in a blog post: "This writer has to believe that after all the negative rhetoric and positioning done by the leadership of our lobbying entity concerning this recent election, they must have egg all over their faces. They were almost completely out of touch with the reality of how the people felt."

A Wall Street Journal article entitled 'Baptist figure faces backlash over his criticism of Donald Trump' featured criticisms of Moore from senior figures including former Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham. Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and a member of Trump's Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, referred to Moore's alleged "disrespectfulness towards Southern Baptists and other evangelical leaders, past and present", because of his criticisms of Trump, adding: "It's disheartening that this election has created this kind of divisiveness."

Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee wrote in an email obtained by Townhall.com, "I am utterly stunned that Russell Moore is being paid by Southern Baptists to insult them."

However, in support of Moore, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler told the WSJ: "I know his heart and his character and his love for the Southern Baptist Convention. I also have confidence in his ability to serve all Southern Baptists as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission."

In his blog post Moore urged Christian voters to "have empathy with one another" and said that "we all owe it to our brothers and sisters in Christ to understand their convictions and be slow to judgment when biblical motivations are the primary motivators".

However, Moore did not apologise for speaking out against Trump. He said 2016 had been "fraught with ugliness, much of which couldn't be left unchecked". He said it was "precisely because Southern Baptists are pro-life, pro-family, pro-religious freedom, pro-racial reconciliation, and pro-character-in-public-office that I felt it was my responsibility to speak out on those issues. For me, to remain silent  rightly or wrongly  felt negligent."
First Nigerian Bishop In Church of England Counters Islamist Terror With Message Of Love In Jesus Christ

The first ever Nigerian chosen to be a bishop in the Church of England today spoke of how God is with those suffering pain and loss in Berlin.

He described his personal experiences of the depradations of the Islamist terror group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

Rev Woyin Karowei Dorgu told Christian Today: "In time of pain and difficulty, people ask the question, 'Where is God?'

"I often say God is with us. That's the message of Christmas. Emmanuel, God with us.

"God never abandons us in our time of trouble. In fact but for the grace of God, many more people may have been killed in Berlin yesterday.

"What I often think is that it could have been worse, but for the grace of God. So God is with us in our suffering. God bears our pain with us, he cries with us. But for his support and strength, how would we cope in difficult times?"

He spoke of his time as a medical doctor in a missionary hospital in Zaria in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, where many victims of Boko Haram atrocities were treated.

"I've got friends back there whose families have been affected, whose relatives have been abducted," he said.

"What happened in Berlin yesterday is unthinkable and it is not acceptable.

"Even when we differ on religious or political grounds, we should talk with each other rather than resorting to violence. The pain and harrowing devastation that is caused by things like that are very difficult to imagine.

"I lived in a city in northern Nigeria, in Zaria, where 127 churches were burned down in one day. And lots of Christians were killed in their churches. So I know about the pain of extremist violence and the pain of human suffering that comes with these events."

He acknowledged London could be a target for the Islamist terrorists but added: "I think we shouldn't give place to fear. I think we should be hopeful and trusting and prayerful and be on the lookout for each other's welfare and support each other.

"And I believe by doing so we will not give in to fear that divides and creates pressure. Fear is intimidating, fear is not good, fear creates tension, fear creates suspicion. If we give place to love, hope, trust and the peace that Christmas brings, then we will not be giving into fear. So I plead with Londoners to live in hope and love with each other and share the goodwill message of this Christmas season."

Known as "Brother K" to his parishioners at St John, Upper Holloway in north London, Karowei's appointment as the next Bishop of Woolwich makes him the first black and ethnic minority or "BME" appointment to an episcopal see in the Church of England since that of John Sentamu, now Archbishop of York, more than two decades ago.

Woy in his native Ijaw tongue means God and Karoway means priest or servant of God. His father, a senior government official who was the first head of the civil service in the mid-west region of Nigeria, was "unknowingly prophetic" when he had his son christened "servant of God", said Karowei's wife Mosun.

He was born in Burutu, a sea port in the south-eastern delta region of Nigeria.

Both Karowei and his wife trained as doctors in Nigeria. They came to Britain when he received his "call" to the ministry at age 29 and he trained at the London Bible College and at Oak Hill, the evangelical seminary in north London. She is now a consultant child psychiatrist.

He said he was excited by the vision of the Southwark docese: "hearts on fire  loving God, walking with Jesus, led by the Spirit."

He described how he was born into a Christian family but rebelled and left the church for a brief period of atheism. But he met some Christians at university, saying: "I decided to accept Jesus as my personal saviour and Lord in my early 20s."

He pledged to embrace the Archbishop of Canterbury's "renewal and reform" programme.

"I will promote and encourage a culture of prayer, mission and church growth that is intentional, proactive and determined. I would encourage natural evangelism and new priorities in ongoing mission at our doorsteps and vibrant ministry in our churches, chaplaincies, workplaces, homes and communities that is aimed at achieving more personal growth, congregational growth and fresh expressions of church."

The church needs in particular to celebrate its young people and invite them to be part of the "Jesus movement", he added.

"I will seek to promote and encourage a culture of prayer. I will encourage natural evangelism thorough relationships and friendships.

"I come among you as a partner in the Gospel of Christ, a brother in Christ. All the glory will return to Him who has called us as ministers of his Gospel. I will endeavour to be a Christ-centred leader who is prayerful, collaborating intentional, caring, thoughtful and persistent in Christ."

Currently, just over 3.4 per cent of all stipendiary clergy are BME and an even smaller proportion, 2.2 per cent of senior staff, are BME.

In fact there are just five other senior BME clergy in the Church of England. They are the Dean of Manchester, Rogers Govender, Archdeacon of Southend Mina Smallman, Archdeacon of Barking John Perumbalath and Archdeacon of Hackney Liz Adekunle.

The appointment of the Karowei to be a bishop in the Southwark diocese was welcomed by senior clergy as an historic move that will bring new missionary zeal for Jesus to Britain.

Bishop Chessun told Christian Today: "Karowei has a very infectious, attractive faith. I look forward to the contribution Karowei will make as a committed evangelical Christian, as a disciple and as someone who sees that they are called to be a missionary. Karowei and his wife felt that their call, their Christian call, firstly in their medical training and then in their discipleship, was about being missionaries. This will be a wonderful enrichment of episcopal ministry in this diocese."

He added: "For Karowei this is not about coming to England as a missionary. This is about his whole life being witness, being about missionary zeal for the Gospel, whether in Nigeria, England, Woolwich or the Diocese of London. That is the nature of his calling."

Canon Stephen Hance, director of mission for the Southwark diocese, who worked with Dorgu in Tollington parish 20 years ago in north London, said: "He is a person of resilience. He is an evangelist for Christ with a pastor's life. He is a man who evidences the presence of the Holy Spirit in all he does."

The new Bishop of Lichfield Michael Ipgrave, former Bishop of Woolwich, said: "I am personally delighted by this appointment. Karowei is a valued colleague and friend, and a priest of great spiritual stature.

"I much enjoyed working with him in developing the church's response to Nigerian communities in South London, and I am sure that he will do a wonderful job as my successor in Woolwich, where he will share with Bishop Christopher and the archdeacons in leading such a vibrant and diverse part of the Church of England.

"It is more important than ever that the leadership of the Church reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. This appointment is a very welcome sign of the crucial part that black and minority ethnic clergy have to play in the Church of England."
God Answers Francis Chan's 'Ridiculous' Prayer for a Faith-Filled Son-in-Law

God can answer even a "ridiculous" prayer.

Noted author and preacher Francis Chan can personally attest to this as he recalled an incident that happened early this year, which he said confounded him, according to God Reports.

Just like many Christian parents who prayed for their children to meet and marry another Christian, a devout one preferably, Chan said he wanted his daughter Rachel to find such a man.

"Earlier this year in February I prayed and I asked God for something that was just ridiculous," Chan told a group at a conference at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, on Dec. 8.

He said he confided to his wife Lisa that a young man named Justin Clark working in his ministries had made a strong impression on him because of his faith-filled personality.

Later, his interest in the man climbed a notch higher and he prayed, "Lord, you answer everything and you're so good to me and I'm just going to ask, can you make him my son-in-law?

"He doesn't even know my daughter, but make him fall in love with my daughter and make my daughter fall in love with him."

Weeks and months passed by and nothing happened.

Sometime in July, Chan prayed once again. "God, I'm so used to you answering things and I feel distant from you. I've never prayed this before but I'm sorry, I feel insecure this morning ... I know you love me and I know it's not about feelings but I'm just going to ask, can you show me some love this morning?" he said.

An hour after he said that prayer, Chan was stunned when Justin came out of the blue and said, "Can I ask your daughter out?"

"What??? Yes, yes...do you have enough money? Please, please, please..." Chan recalled himself saying, amazed at how God finally seemed to be answering his prayer.

Justin and Rachel started dating that same month. Several months later, Justin proposed to her in dramatic fashionon a bluff overlooking the ocean in San Francisco. "He took me on a small hike and told me that he loved me for the very first time," Rachel noted on the couple's wedding blog.

Rachel and Justin got married on Dec. 3 in Redwood City, California.

Chan vividly remembered the day. "When I walked my daughter up the aisle I was bawling," he said. "I haven't cried that much in years."

"When we got to the altar I was ready to hand her off and we hugged up there, just holding each other for probably a minute. It was so uncomfortable and everybody was thinking, Is he going to let go or is she going to let go?" he said.

As the new couple held each other, Chan thought, "God you're so great. I remember how she rebelled against you and now you brought her back. I remember her as a kid jumping in my lap. I remember all of this and now I get to pick who she marries and you answer like that?"

The preacher was profuse with thanks to the Lord for the remarkable way He answered his "ridiculous" prayer, exclaiming, "I love you. I love you. I love you. I adore you I adore you."
No Christmas In Santa's Birthplace: Turkey Cracks Down On School Celebrations

A diplomatic row has broken out in Turkey after the National Ministry of Education reportedly banned German teachers from encouraging the celebration of Christmas at Istanbul High School.

The dispute was prompted by an email sent to some 35 German teachers at the school, known locally as Erkek Lisesi. The email read: "No more Christmas celebration and/or lessons on Christmas including carol singing is permitted, effective immediately".

World Watch Monitor (WWM) observed: "That Turkey is the homeland of the real 'Santa Claus' is an irony largely lost on most media: St Nicholas, who secretly left gifts for poor children, was in fact Bishop Nicholas who lived in c.300 AD in Demre (formerly known as Myra), in Lycia, Southern Turkey."

WWM added: "Church history teaches that Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea, close to Istanbul, where 300 early Church Fathers agreed on their core beliefs as followers of Jesus Christ. It's the teaching of these beliefs that now appears to be being challenged."

The German broadcast outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) reported that the school's management denied that they had banned celebrating Christmas. But DW also added the school said that German teachers have recently been "talking about Christmas and Christianity in a way that was not foreseen by the curriculum".

Online outlet Diken quoted the head of the commission for the new Turkish Constitution and ruling party AKP MP Mustafa Sentop as saying: "We will not allow missionising/proselytising in a government institution."

On December 18, after the case was reported in the German media, the Turkish-run school posted a statement on its website denying it had issued such a ban. It also claimed that a concert scheduled at the German consulate had been "cancelled by the German teachers in question without explanation".

WWM said that "it appeared by 19 December that Turkey was trying to say that the email's content ('nothing that is in the spirit of Christmas traditions and the Christian holiday should be announced, prepared or carried out in the classrooms from now on') had been misunderstood. The school is reported to have said that some German teachers had addressed Christmas without answering students' questions satisfactorily."

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said yesterday that he was confident what he called "misunderstandings" could be resolved.

On Saturday the German Foreign Ministry had declared: "We do not understand the surprising decision of the leadership of Istanbul Lisesi," adding: "It is a great pity that the good tradition of the inter-cultural exchange in the pre-Christmas period was suspended at a school with a long history of German-Turkish friendship."

Since 1884, the selective bilingual state school has provided Turkish students with high quality, free tuition in Turkish and German.

According to WWM, the high school has forbidden its 35 German teachers from speaking to the media about the controversy.
Parishioners Condemn Hungarian Catholic Priest For Helping Refugees

A Hungarian Catholic priest has been attacked by parishioners after giving a group of Syrian Christian refugees shelter in a parish building.

Fr Zoltan Nemeth, from the small town of Kormend on the Austrian border, is considering resigning, according to Hungarian Free Press, after he was subject to repeated verbal attacks from residents.

Nemeth offered the refugees,who were previously in a nearby camp, housing next to his parish rectory. But the move has caused outrage from both churchgoers and non-Catholics.

Hungarian attitudes towards refugees have hardened dramatically since the end of single party rule in 1990. A study by Tarki showed just 15 per cent were xenophobic in 1992. But in 2016 that figure has exploded to 58 per cent.

Another survey showed it is not just Muslims who Hungarians are suspicious of but anyone seen as "other". A survey by Zavecz Research found 79 per cent would not want an Arab to move into their neighbourhood and 65 per cent would not want to live next to a Syrian Christian. As much as 55 per cent do not want a homosexual neighbour and 50 per cent would be unhappy if an American moved nearby.

"It is increasingly difficult to defend the claim that we are not xenophobes," said Nemeth in an interview with SZEMLelek.

"Austria is but an arm's length away, yet the contrast is striking. We were able to engage in meaningful, calm dialogue with the minister responsible for refugees and migrants. I would be very happy to get support and reassurance from the leaders of our Church. But perhaps I am not fulfilling my duties appropriately and if this is the case, then I should consider resigning from the parish."

He added of his own battle with locals: "The fears about the foreigners being sick or contagious are baseless. As I see it, they follow a healthier lifestyle than the average person and they are very careful not to catch something."
Turkey Holds 6 After Russian Ambassador Dies In Aleppo Revenge Killing

Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said. Andrey Karlov was shot in the back as he gave a speech in Ankara on Monday by an off-duty police officer shouting "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar".

The state-run Anadolu agency said on Tuesday the attacker's mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained.

Police paced up and down behind a cordon on Tuesday morning outside the art gallery where the ambassador, was shot. A crime scene investigation van was parked outside the building.

The United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday after a gun was fired in front of the US embassy in Ankara overnight. The embassy was near the art gallery where Karlov was shot and Turkish police detained a man over the incident, state media reported.

Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday the two countries' foreign ministers had underlined the need to put more effort into effectively fighting terrorism in a phone call overnight.

The Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers will meet in Moscow later on Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Syria. A Russian delegation was due to arrive in Ankara to conduct investigations into the attack, broadcaster CNN Turk reported.

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from the Islamic State militant group. A spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged sympathisers around the world this month to carry out a fresh wave of attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets.

However, a senior Turkish security official said there were "very strong signs" the gunman belonged to the network of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says orchestrated a failed coup in July. Erdogan has denounced Gulen as a terrorist, but the cleric, a former ally, denies the accusation, and has also denied any role in the assassination.

A video showed the attacker shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" and "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest") as screams rang out. He paced about and shouted as he held the gun in one hand and waved his other hand in the air.

Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its air strikes helped Syrian forces end rebel resistance last week in the northern city of Aleppo. Turkey, which seeks to remove Assad, has been repairing ties with Moscow after shooting down a Russian warplane over Syria last year.
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This Florida man is definitely on Santa's naughty list this year.

Issac Geiger is facing multiple drug charges after the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office allege he was selling drugs out of a U-Haul truck dressed as Santa Claus on Monday.

BUSTED: Florida man arrested after being accused of looking up women's skirts at Walmart

According to the sheriff's office, deputies were investigating an area in north Jacksonville where they received numerous complaints of drug activity. They saw Geiger standing at the driver's door of a U-Haul truck in the parking lot of a business.

The sheriff's office said Geiger was dressed in a red and white Santa outfit, complete with a hat and beard. Deputies saw him go into the truck, retrieve items and leave. No one else was seen approaching the truck.

Geiger ran from the parking lot when he saw police. A large amount of marijuana was in plain view of the driver's seat, according to the sheriff's office.

SPOOKY: Python found in Florida with its mouth sewn shut reportedly may be from Voodoo ritual

As police chased Geiger, he tripped over his Santa pants and fell. Police tried to take Geiger into custody but he rolled onto his belly and put his hands under his body. Police said he resisted arrest until they were able to put him in handcuffs.

Deputies found a plastic baggie in his shorts underneath the Santa suit. While police stood Geiger up to search him, he attempted to flee and was tackled to the ground. Police held him to the ground until more deputies arrived.

After searching the U-Haul truck, police found marijuana, a scale with marijuana residue and a black pouch with MDMA in it. Police also found a five-gallon orange bucket that had more marijuana, Molly and Ecstasy pills. A digital scale and a box of plastic baggies was found, too.

CREEPY: Photographer captures abandoned spots around Florida

THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, was also found inside the bucket. The sheriff's office did not disclose what form the THC was found in.

"He is now turning the Santa suit in for a jail uniform," the sheriff's office wrote in a press release.
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Houston-based Karbach Brewing Co., which recently sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev., is expanding its facilities.

The new $4.5 million campus is being designed by Method Architecture and built by Benchmark Houston Builders, a spokesperson for the brewery said in a statement. It will have a 43,800-square-foot warehouse and 8,200 square feet in office space when it's complete. (Story continues below.)

LOCALS SPEAK UP: Houston beer fans react to news that Anheuser-BuschInBev will be acquiring Karbach

"Houston's oil and gas companies have been very good to us and most of our projects up until recently have been in that industry," Jason Boeker, vice president at Benchmark Houston Builders, said in a prepared statement. "This is a fun project type for us to branch into, and we couldn't be happier to be working with the stellar Karbach team."

Also onsite will be an 11,200-square-foot cooler and a new barrel-aging space that will top out at roughly 6,752 square feet.

COMING SOON: Baileson Brewing Company sets its sights on Rice Village area

The larger facility will also include Karbach's canning operations.

"Our recent partnership announcement with Anheuser-Busch and The High End business unit will enhance our ability to brew the craft beer our fans in Texas love," co-founder Chuck Robertson said in a press release. "This expansion project will ensure we have the space and resources needed to continue innovating."

The projected completion date of the sprawling new facility is summer 2017.
The advisory group exploring how the University of Texas system should expand into Houston said Monday that their report may not be complete until early next year, past the year-end deadline set by UTs chancellor in February.

The groups co-chairs, Carin Barth and Paul Hobby, said in an emailed statement that they expect to deliver recommendations to Chancellor William McRaven in the next one to two months.

Members are in the final stages of our deliberation, the co-chairs said.

In a separate email, the task forces chief of staff said that the project is too big and too important to rush and said that both McRaven and the task force are completely satisfied with the groups progress.

UT regents voted in November 2015 to purchase 332 acres of land in southwest Houston for a new intellectual hub devoted to academic research. The land, the university system later said, will provide extraordinary opportunities for new and unprecedented educational and research partnerships in the nations fourth-largest city.

But local leaders immediately objected, fearing that the move would increase competition for the University of Houston as it tries to nab top faculty and research dollars.

In February, McRaven called together a task force of city leaders  including Barth, president and co-founder of LB Capital, and Hobby, founding partner of private equity firm Genesis Park  and asked the group to deliver its recommendations to him by the end of 2016.

He asked the task force to develop a plan that would partner with Houstons academic, medical, business and public and private organizations to elevate Houston as one of Americas top intellectual and innovation hubs, increasing Texas national and international competitiveness.

The group, he said, should not duplicate what other Houston universities are already offering, unless a dearth of capacity exists that necessitates such recommendations.

At its November meeting, UT regents allocated $525,000 of available university funding into expanding into Houston.
Singapore Airlines will begin flying the A350 on its Houston-Manchester route beginning Jan. 17.

The twin-jet A350 will provide business, premium economy and economy seating for up to 366 passengers. It replaces the 278-passenger Boeing B777-300 Extended Range aircraft originally used for the route.

"We have operations in Houston ranging from the 19-seat jetstreams and regional jets, all the way up to jumbo B747s and the double-decker Airbus A380," Molly Waits, director of air service development for the Houston Airport System, said in a news release. "With Singapore Airlines' updated service, Houston now adds the Airbus A350 to the family of aircraft options commercially operated in Houston for customers to choose."

RELATED: World's biggest airplane lands at Bush airport

Singapore Airlines launched its service between Bush Intercontinental Airport and Manchester Airport in England on Oct. 30. That route replaced the airline's previous Houston to Singapore via Moscow operation.

Singapore Airlines has five weekly flights from Houston to Manchester, each with continuing service to Singapore Changi Airport.
A male juvenile was arrested Friday, Dec. 16, in connection with an attempted robbery and assault of an off-duty Montgomery County deputy at Summer Hills Food Mart in Porter Dec. 10.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Detectives and Texas Rangers representatives made the arrest, and the suspect in custody has been charged with aggravated robbery.

Aggravated robbery warrants have also been issued for two other suspects believed to have been involved in the attempted robbery. The sheriff's office is seeking information regarding the location of 17-year-old Michael "Mike" Gene Jones and 19-year-old Israel Treqwaun Hunter.

The Dec. 10 robbery took place shortly before 6:50 p.m., after the off-duty deputy had purchased bags of ice for a trip.

A media release provided by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office stated: "After the complainant had purchased the ice, proceeded to his vehicle, and was putting the ice in an ice chest, a male, accompanied by another male, quickly approached the complainant and struck him on his head/jaw. The two males then continued to assault the complainant in what was described as a robbery attempt."

According to sheriff's Lt. Brady Fitzgerald, the deputy stated the two attempted to take his wallet.

"We have no evidence that would indicate the complainant was targeted because he was an off-duty deputy," Fitzgerald said. "There was nothing on his vehicle that indicated he was a deputy with the sheriff's office. However, it's still under investigation."

According to the release, the deputy's wife, who was in the truck at the time of the assault, reportedly approached the assailants with a handgun, a confrontation ensued and the deputy and his wife "did discharge their weapons at the suspects and the suspect vehicle."

According to Fitzgerald, authorities have not been told by the juvenile in custody of any injuries sustained by the suspects as a result of the weapons' discharge; however, the off-duty deputy was transported to a local hospital for medical attention due to the injuries he sustained from the assault. Further details regarding the deputy's identity or injuries were not divulged.

Sheriff's detectives and investigators, Texas Rangers representatives and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office representatives launched into an ongoing investigation into the location of the suspects and the suspect vehicle.

The media release stated on Dec. 12 Houston Police Department representatives believed they found the suspect vehicle used during the attempted robbery, which was reported as stolen in Houston the day before the incident. Additionally, detectives reported a third suspect was believed to have been in the suspect vehicle at the time of the assault.

After the arrest of the juvenile Friday, the suspect was taken to the Montgomery County Juvenile Detention Center for disposition.

The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Jones or Hunter to contact the sheriff's office at 936-760-5876 or Montgomery Crime Stoppers at 800-392-STOP (7867). Information that leads to an arrest or indictment of a felony may merit up to a $1,000 reward from Crime Stoppers.

Tips may also be made anonymously through the Montgomery County Crime Stoppers website at www.montgomerycountycrimestoppers.org.
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Two teenagers are wanted for the alleged robbery of an off-duty Montgomery County Sheriff's deputy near Porter on Dec. 10.

MCSO detectives are looking for Israel Treqwaun Hunter, 19, and Michael "Mike" Gene Jones, 17, for their alleged involvement in the robbery at the Summer Hills Food Mart in the 24200 block of Sorters Road. Detectives tried to locate Hunter and Jones but have not been able to as of 10:45 a.m. Monday, according to MCSO Lt. Brady Fitzgerald.

Hunter and Jones, of Houston, are facing aggravated robbery charges and have an open warrant, officials said.

The announcement of the warrants comes days after an unnamed 16-year-old male was arrested on robbery charges for his alleged involvement in the robbery.

SHOOTOUT: Deputy and his wife whipped out guns, shot at suspects

Two men attacked the deputy as he was packing ice into his truck. The two men allegedly approached the deputy and struck him on his head/jaw, according to the release. The two men then continued to assault the deputy in what was described as a robbery attempt.

The deputy's wife confronted the men before she and the deputy fired their handguns at the men. It is unclear whether or not either of the two men were struck.

The men left in a red pickup truck, according to Houston Chronicle reports, which was reported stolen in Houston just a day before the Porter robbery. Officers with the Houston Police Department found the truck Dec. 12, according to a release.

As for the juvenile, County Attorney J D Lambright said youths from Harris County coming into Montgomery County to commit crimes has becoming a "recurring problem."

"The Interstate 45 and U.S. 59 corridors serve as attractive targets for Harris County youth who want to commit a crime in the suburbs and then make a quick escape home," Lambright stated in a press release.

Anyone with information on Hunter and Jones is urged to call MCSO detectives at 936-760-5876 or Multi-County Crime Stopper at 800-392-STOP (7867).
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A couple of University of Houston faculty members will have their projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

A $102,000 grant will fund a two-year project led by School of Art director Rex Koontz, a collaboration between the university and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Graduate students will work with museum staff to expand and organize the museum's digital archive of 20th-century Latin American and Latino art, documents and criticism.
The Enchilada Queen changes swaps her title this week for a corn-husk crown. This week Sylvia Casares should be called the Tamale Queen.

The owner of three Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen Tex-Mex restaurants is marking the holiday season with one of the most enduring Mexican holiday traditions. We're talking tamales, of course. Lots of tamales.

You still have time to schedule a tamale-making party (tamalada) at two of Casares' restaurants. She is offering tamaladas on Dec. 22 and 23 from 2 to 7 at both her 6401 Woodway and 1140 Eldridge Parkway restaurants.

Guests in groups up to 30 people will be given all the ingredients necessary to make chicken and/or pork tamales. All the tamales will be packaged for guests to take home and cook at their own holiday get-togethers.

Reservations are required and each party lasts about an hour. The price is based on the number of tamales (minimum one dozen) guest wish to take home. The tamalada will conclude with a complimentary margarita as guess are waiting for their tamales to be packaged.

Tamales are one of the most popular classes Casares teaches at her in-store cooking schools. If you've never made a tamale, this is excellent instruction from an expert cook. If you simply need tamales for your holiday gatherings, you might as well make a party of it (that way you can tell your guests you made them yourself).

To reserve your tamalada, call Eldridge location at 832-230-3842 or Woodway location at 713-334-7295. Casares is the author of "The Enchilada Queen Cookbook" published in the fall. Holiday suggestion: the cookbook is a great gift for your culinary friends (available at the restaurants).
Imagine being trapped on a spaceship, with only your lover and a robot bartender, for nearly a century - there isn't a spaceship big enough or a bar that well-stocked to make that sound appealing.

This is the issue at the center of the ostensibly "romantic" sci-fi drama "Passengers," which opens Wednesday and was directed by Morten Tyldum from a script by Jon Spaihts.

While romance is the intended effect, the film's real premise - concealed by the glossy trailers - is imbued with some seriously creepy undercurrents about bodily autonomy, consent and stalking. Instead of turning it into a horror movie, these issues are all breezily glossed over with the sex appeal of stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.

The spaceship is the Avalon, 30 years into a 120-year autopilot journey to the planet colony Homestead II, with 5,000 passengers on board, encased in pods that keep them in a state of suspended animation. The pod of Jim Preston (Pratt) malfunctions after a meteor hits, and he wakes up a full 90 years early. The ship remains frustratingly on autopilot, and no amount of helpful robots can put Jim back into suspended animation. The pods never fail, they claim.

More Information 'Passengers' Rated PG-13: for sexuality, nudity and action/peril Running time: 114 minutes xx1/2 See More Collapse

Unable to engineer himself back into suspended animation, Jim partakes of the lavish accommodations the ship has to offer, which all grow tiresome after a year. He descends into a drunken, pants-less, suicidal depression, until he spots the lithe figure of Aurora Lane (Lawrence) in her pod, and develops a crush.

He checks out her profile, reads her writing (she's a journalist), eats cereal next to her. Though he wrestles with the decision, he ultimately decides to wake up his dream girl, effectively dooming her to a life and death aboard this spaceship. But before then, he's the only available guy around to date, and they fall in love. Until Aurora finds out about what Jim did, and is justifiably enraged.

The quandary of being stuck on a spaceship with only your ex and a robot bartender (Michael Sheen) is quickly tossed aside for the high stakes action as the ship starts to malfunction. As they try to troubleshoot the ship, the film takes on the tenor of a very high-stakes version of yelling at an iPad or trying to bypass an automated phone menu.

Ultimately, what's a rather intriguing premise, replete with meaty themes to chew on - time as a prison, class, colonialism, artificial intelligence - eschews all that to focus on sexy space fun times, turning Jim's morally reprehensible choice into a meet cute and a love story for the ages.

The problem is that one can't help but think of better, more interesting movies based on this premise. Most glaringly, what if Aurora were the subject, not the object? This is Jim's story, not hers; we're to sympathize with nice-guy Jim, who fell in love with her mind, he claims. But the film could have been more intriguing if it were from her perspective, or even if it were more balanced.

Tyldum and Spaihts could have steered into the inherently problematic issues at hand, creating something far darker and more complex. Instead, it's all French robot waiters and champagne cocktails and sex in the cafeteria. "Hell of a life," Aurora admits, conceding that the space pool is pretty awesome if she has to be trapped here.
A 19-year-old Magnolia man is in hot water for allegedly providing drugs to a minor Sunday.

Josue Chavez was in a car that was pulled over on FM 1488 in Magnolia on Sunday, according to DPS Sgt. Erik Burse. When the trooper approached the vehicle, he could smell marijuana, Burse said.

As the four occupants exited the car, the trooper found a bottle of vodka and a stash of marijuana, Burse said. When the trooper asked about the weed, a 16-year-old girl told him she had just bought it from Chavez.

"Kids are the future of the United States of America," Burse said. "We're depending on them. This behavior is no good."

Providing marijuana or a controlled substance to a minor, which is defined by Texas law as those under the age of 17, is a felony. Chavez is facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted. He is being held on a $6,000 bond.
The boyfriend of a woman whose skeletal remains were found in Montgomery County is charged with capital murder.

Jarvis Hickerson, 32, is believed to be responsible for the death of Amalia Alexander, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
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Winterfestcelebrated in Katy

Typhoon Texas, 555 Katy Fort Bend Road, Katy, offers holiday attractions that include a Texas-size outdoor ice rink as a 4-D holiday light show. Hours are 6-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 6 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday through Dec. 31. Tickets are $19.95-$24.95. Visit typhoontexas.com for information.

Registration for childhood center

Registration for the 2017-18 school year for St. Peter's United Methodist Church  Early Childhood Development Center begins Jan. 9 and continues through Jan. 20. Registration forms will be available in the St. Peter's ECDC Preschool office. The center, 20775 Kingsland Blvd., offers classes that are developmentally and socially appropriate for children ages 15 months through 5 years. Visit www.stpkaty.org or call the St. Peter's ECDC Office at 281-492-0623 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Santa at Katy Mills through Dec. 24

Santa will visit with guests at Katy Mills Mall through Dec. 24 in Neighborhood 6 near the food court. Hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon-6 p.m. Sundays. The mall is located at 5000 Katy Mills Circle. Photo prices vary. Visit katymills.com for information.

CommunityChristmas Eve set

A community Christmas Eve service will begin at 5 p.m. Dec. 24 at Katy High School, 6331 Highway Blvd., Come at 4:30 p.m. for hot chocolate and holiday treats. This is a joint service presented by The Church at Cane Island and Cross Community Church. Childcare will be available for babies through preschool age. Free. Email info@caneisland.church for information.

Lights dance to music in Cane Island

Candy Cane Island continues 5-9 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31 with a display of lights synchronized to music dance as people drive through the Living Arches and stroll through our Amenity Village. Visit http://caneisland.com for details.

Artist's exhibitcontinues in Katy

Alfredo Gisholt's "For the Love of Paper" is on display at the KCAM Contemporary Art Museum Fort Bend, 805 Ave. B in Katy now through Jan. 15. Visit katy.cam.com or call 823-857-1340 for information.
The faculty and staff of Katy High School recently raised a $4,450 donation for The Ballard House, a home away from home for patients facing illnesses and their caregivers.

Earlier in the school year the principal, Rick Hull, proposed a fundraiser where staffers could voluntarily donate a $50 minimum and enjoy the opportunity to wear jeans every Monday for the year. He also presented a handful of worthy charities for each staff member to vote on, of which The Ballard House was chosen.
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Foundation wins Chick-fil-A award

Chick-fil-A customers nationwide helped select the recipients of more than $1.1 million in grants, thanks to the new Chick-fil-A One app.

The 2017 True Inspiration Awards honor and provide financial support to 22 not-for-profits in 16 states to help further their work with youth, fostering leadership skills and developing an entrepreneurial spirit. For the first time since the awards program began in 2014, Chick-fil-A utilized its new mobile app to allow customers to vote for organizations in their local communities. As a result, the Katy Independent School District Education Foundation was selected as a $15,000 award recipient.

Chick-fil-A's True Inspiration awards recognizes community organizations that align with the Chick-fil-A Foundation's mission to enable children to be all they were created to be. The Katy ISD Education Foundation rewards teacher inspiration of students by funding innovative classroom projects that go beyond district budget limitations. The Foundation was nominated by local Chick-fil-A operator Rusty Wylie who said "Our community has more than its fair share of the brightest kids around. If we can help our children develop a love for learning while giving them hands-on, fun educational experiences, we'll give them the tools and encouragement they need to be great leaders. I'm just grateful Chick-fil-A can be a part of what is great about our community."

Men Who Mentor Breakfast set

Keep Encouraging Youth toward Success  KEYS  the Katy ISD mentor program, will host the Men Who Mentor Breakfast on Friday, Jan. 13, from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Katy ISD Education Support Complex. This annual event provides support for existing male mentors and information for men interested in becoming a mentor. Campus liaisons and administrators will guide table discussions for learning and networking opportunities.

Every Katy ISD campus has boys and young men who are waiting for a male mentor to serve as a listener and encourager. Recent KEYS program statistics showed that:

88 percent of KEYS students increased grades

80 percent of KEYS students decreased absences

87 percent of KEYS student decreased discipline

Together those numbers prove that one hour a week can make a difference in a child's life.

Go to www.katyisd/dept/pie.org to rsvp.

To learn more, visit Partners in Education under the "Community" tab at www.katyisd.org.

Tompkins Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors'

Feed the need for musical hilarity with Tompkins Theatre Company's presentation of the musical comedy, Little Shop of Horrors, a sci-fi smash about a man-eating plant.

The comedy will be presented at 7 p.m. Jan. 19-21 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 in the Tompkins High School Performing Arts Center, 4400 Falcon Landing Blvd.

The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names "Audrey II" - after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it, BLOOD. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II's out of this world origins and intent towards global domination. The production is rated PG.

Tickets are $12 for students and $15 for adults.

Reserved seating tickets will be available for purchase Jan. 2 at www.tompkinstheatre.com. General admission seating tickets will be sold in the PAC Jan. 16-20, from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and one hour prior to each performance. Email boxoffice@tompkinstheatre.com for details.
Since 2012, the 4.5-mile-long stretch of Farm-to-Market Road 2100 in Huffman running from Huffman-Cleveland Road North to FM 1960 has seen over 150 car crashes with nearly 30 crashes occurring this year alone according to information collected from the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Reports provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT.)

"What you get now is some massive head-on collisions," Danny Perez, TxDOT public information officer, said. "There's just no room for error when you have a two-way roadway with no median and a dividing line. There's nothing to keep a driver from running into your lane."

Safety and mobility are the very reasons why TxDOT has proposed a project for the reconstruction and widening of the existing stretch of FM 2100 from Huffman-Cleveland Road N to FM 1960.

TxDOT hosted an open house public meeting at Hargrave High School in Huffman Tuesday, Dec. 13 to give community members the opportunity to learn more about the proposed project and voice any comments or concerns.

"With the growth in this area and others in the general vicinity, the Northeast portion of our district is one of the fastest-growing," Perez said. "We've been trying to look at ways to improve mobility. FM 2100 is one of the north-south corridors that is very important as far as getting folks where they need to go. We're trying to not only address current growth, but also future growth.

To alleviate congestion, the proposed project would widen the existing two-lane road to a four-lane road divided by a raised median with strategic left turn lanes placed at some intersections and cross-streets.

"Not only are we doing this for the improvement of mobility, but it's also for safety," Perez said. "We see the data on a regular basis and we see how adding different features that come with construction helps to improve safety.

On either side of the median would be one 12-foot travel lane and one 15-foot outside shared-use lane. Additionally, sidewalks would be added on both sides. The project would also include a storm sewer drainage system and detention ponds.

According to Perez, the project is not expected to require any displacements, although approximately 30 to 40 properties would be impacted in acquiring necessary right-of-way, which TxDOT approximates at an additional 29 acres required for drainage and corner clips.

Perez stated that compensation for right-of-way property acquisitions are based on market value.

TxDOT estimates the proposed project to cost approximately $50 million. When construction may begin is contingent upon multiple factors that have yet to be finalized, including the consideration of public comments, results of continued environmental studies, the acquisition of necessary right-of-way and the availability of funding.

"You'll probably start seeing some sort of movement on it maybe closer to late next year or early 2018," Perez said. "But nothing is solidified until we get funding. Sometime in 2018 is when you may actually see dirt being moved, but that's projected."

After the start of construction, it would be expected to last approximately three years.

"It's a little painful for folks because we may have closures or shutdowns, but it helps get the project moving faster," Perez said. "I would say three years would end up being the time frame we have, but it may be sooner. We don't want to be a headache to anybody. We want to make sure we're helping; not hurting. Sometimes folks think we make decisions without putting a lot of thought into them, but we do. We want to make sure we're out of there as quickly as possible."

In regards to public opinion on FM widening projects in general, Perez explained that contrary to the belief of some; expansion projects like this one are in response to, and not the cause of, area growth.

"I think some folks may not want the growth in some areas," Perez said. "We can't control that. We just have to adapt. Some folks feel like if you widen a road, you're going to bring more growth, but that's not the case. We don't look at roads to bring in more growth. We look at roads in terms of how we're going to address mobility in areas. We look at stats and projections. We can't build once people come in and there are all these different community subdivisions and businesses. Right now, there's a lot of open space to where we are impacting some property, but we're not moving people from their properties."

Pravin Patel is a business man who owns some property along the stretch of FM 2100 addressed in the proposed widening. He welcomes the expansion as necessary for growth.

"It's something you have to have because it's a connector and the area is growing," Patel said. "There's a nice high school and all of these things, so why shouldn't we have widening roads? It's good for the business and good for the town. It's getting crowded in Highlands, in Crosby and here. I see it every day. You won't believe how much congestion we see every day. There's a lot of growth out here."

Cary Stephens is a real estate broker for RE/MAX and has a construction office on FM 2100, Tex Built Custom Homes.

"We're excited about it," Stephens said. "We've been waiting for this for a long time."

From a resident perspective, Blanca Holliday looks forward to the project's potential to increase in mobility and safety.

"I live at FM 2100 and FM 1960, so I'm really close to that intersection," Holliday said. "It's a major concern because that's my way home. I have to deal with that traffic and just to go to the bank or to the post office is a nightmare.

"Over the years that we've lived there, we've seen many accidents happen there because it's just a two-lane road. So, having a four-way road with a median will help guide traffic flow and that's a plus. Also, It's a plus for me personally because it will just take away from the ditch that's there and add a sidewalk. It's a beautiful enhancement for us."

All public comments regarding the proposed project must be submitted by Jan. 3, 2017.

More information about the proposed project can be found at http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/houston/121316.html.
Since 2012, the 4.5-mile-long stretch of Farm-to-Market Road 2100 in Huffman running from Huffman-Cleveland Road North to FM 1960 has seen over 150 car crashes with nearly 30 crashes occurring this year alone according to information collected from the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Reports provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT.)

"What you get now is some massive head-on collisions," Danny Perez, TxDOT public information officer, said. "There's just no room for error when you have a two-way roadway with no median and a dividing line. There's nothing to keep a driver from running into your lane."

Safety and mobility are the very reasons why TxDOT has proposed a project for the reconstruction and widening of the existing stretch of FM 2100 from Huffman-Cleveland Road N to FM 1960.

TxDOT hosted an open house public meeting at Hargrave High School in Huffman Tuesday, Dec. 13 to give community members the opportunity to learn more about the proposed project and voice any comments or concerns.

"With the growth in this area and others in the general vicinity, the Northeast portion of our district is one of the fastest-growing," Perez said. "We've been trying to look at ways to improve mobility. FM 2100 is one of the north-south corridors that is very important as far as getting folks where they need to go. We're trying to not only address current growth, but also future growth.

"We're seeing a lot of growth along these FM corridors. Most of them are two-lane  one in each direction  divided by a stripe. As we see growth coming into these areas, we're seeing more accidents and congested roadways. So, we're trying to expand. The problem is: we expand the freeways, but the FM roads are congested. So, you're traveling 30 minutes on the freeway that we've widened and expanded and then you get to an FM road and you're stuck in traffic."

To alleviate congestion, the proposed project would widen the existing two-lane road to a four-lane road divided by a raised median with strategic left turn lanes placed at some intersections and cross-streets.

"Not only are we doing this for the improvement of mobility, but it's also for safety," Perez said. "We see the data on a regular basis and we see how adding different features that come with construction helps to improve safety.

"Medians help with that. Some folks don't like the medians. They think the medians are kind of a hindrance for mobility. That's why the placement of the openings (in the median) are important. That's why these public meetings are very helpful and the comments really come in handy for us. We try to look at every aspect and angle. We get consultants. But, sometimes the folks that live in the community may understand where an opening is needed even better than a consultant. That's why we have this process."

On either side of the median would be one 12-foot travel lane and one 15-foot outside shared-use lane. Additionally, sidewalks would be added on both sides. The project would also include a storm sewer drainage system and detention ponds.

According to Perez, the project is not expected to require any displacements, although approximately 30 to 40 properties would be impacted in acquiring necessary right-of-way, which TxDOT approximates at an additional 29 acres required for drainage and corner clips.

Perez stated that compensation for right-of-way property acquisitions are based on market value.

TxDOT estimates the proposed project to cost approximately $50 million. When construction may begin is contingent upon multiple factors that have yet to be finalized, including the consideration of public comments, results of continued environmental studies, the acquisition of necessary right-of-way and the availability of funding.

"You'll probably start seeing some sort of movement on it maybe closer to late next year or early 2018," Perez said. "But nothing is solidified until we get funding. Sometime in 2018 is when you may actually see dirt being moved, but that's projected."

After the start of construction, it would be expected to last approximately three years.

"It's a little painful for folks because we may have closures or shutdowns, but it helps get the project moving faster," Perez said. "I would say three years would end up being the time frame we have, but it may be sooner. We don't want to be a headache to anybody. We want to make sure we're helping; not hurting. Sometimes folks think we make decisions without putting a lot of thought into them, but we do. We want to make sure we're out of there as quickly as possible."

In regards to public opinion on FM widening projects in general, Perez explained that contrary to the belief of some; expansion projects like this one are in response to, and not the cause of, area growth.

"I think some folks may not want the growth in some areas," Perez said. "We can't control that. We just have to adapt. Some folks feel like if you widen a road, you're going to bring more growth, but that's not the case. We don't look at roads to bring in more growth. We look at roads in terms of how we're going to address mobility in areas. We look at stats and projections. We can't build once people come in and there are all these different community subdivisions and businesses. Right now, there's a lot of open space to where we are impacting some property, but we're not moving people from their properties."

Pravin Patel is a business man who owns some property along the stretch of FM 2100 addressed in the proposed widening. He welcomes the expansion as necessary for growth.

"It's something you have to have because it's a connector and the area is growing," Patel said. "There's a nice high school and all of these things, so why shouldn't we have widening roads? It's good for the business and good for the town. It's getting crowded in Highlands, in Crosby and here. I see it every day. You won't believe how much congestion we see every day. There's a lot of growth out here."

Cary Stephens is a real estate broker for RE/MAX and has a construction office on FM 2100, Tex Built Custom Homes.

"We're excited about it," Stephens said. "We've been waiting for this for a long time."

From a resident perspective, Blanca Holliday looks forward to the project's potential to increase in mobility and safety.

"I live at FM 2100 and FM 1960, so I'm really close to that intersection," Holliday said. "It's a major concern because that's my way home. I have to deal with that traffic and just to go to the bank or to the post office is a nightmare.

"Over the years that we've lived there, we've seen many accidents happen there because it's just a two-lane road. So, having a four-way road with a median will help guide traffic flow and that's a plus. Also, It's a plus for me personally because it will just take away from the ditch that's there and add a sidewalk. It's a beautiful enhancement for us."

All public comments regarding the proposed project must be submitted by Jan. 3, 2017.

More information about the proposed project can be found at http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/houston/121316.html.

NEW CANEY - Two homeowners survived, but three family dogs were killed in the early hours Thursday, Dec. 15, when a fire destroyed a home here on North Navasota Drive.

Pat Marsh and her husband, Roy, woke up as they often do around 3 a.m., had some coffee and went back to bed. About 30 minutes later, Pat Marsh smelled smoke and Roy went to investigate.

"When he opened the door to the living room, it was just flames, and smoke just billowed out," Pat Marsh said.

Roy Marsh slammed the door and came back to get her, she said. Smoke already was in the hallway and their bedroom, so they had to crawl out of the back of the house on their knees. Roy Marsh tried to get to the dogs, which were in cages in a back room, but he couldn't get to them.

By that time, a neighbor had called 9-1-1 and firefighters were on the scene.

That afternoon, a K-9 officer and fire investigators remained on the property, digging through the rubble and sending pieces off to a lab for processing. Alfredo Alvarez, investigator with the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office, said the cause of the fire was still undetermined. He did say the fire appeared to have started in the living room area or front porch. Pat Marsh's car, which had been parked by the front steps of the house, was blistered from the heat.

"We try to take into consideration what the owners tells us and what we see on the scene," Alvarez said."I think they pretty much lost everything, and there was no insurance on the property."

Pat Marsh said the couple had lived in the house 30 years. Her cellphone and their computer were lost in the fire, so she was unable to contact anyone. She hoped to see if a back-up computer was still working in a back room once the investigators left the property. She and Roy Marsh planned to sleep in an recreational vehicle they keep on the property.

Still, Pat Marsh emphasized that she and her husband were unharmed as she stood behind the yellow caution tape in front of her blackened home.

"We're blessed."

Members of the Gonzalez family meandered through the auditorium at Light of the World Christian Fellowship on Friday.

Stuffed animals had met the Gonzalez family as they entered the church auditorium. The their right, piles of toys lined the walls. In front of them, blankets were placed on display, and to the left were stacks of games.

Every year, the Humble Area Assistance Ministries conducts a toy drive to help families afford Christmas. Millie Garrison, executive director of the organization, expected to serve 2,000 children this year.

"It's a community project, and it is wonderful for the families that live here," she said. "Most of our families are working poor. They do OK all year-round, but Christmas is a little too much that they don't have any room in their budget."

Some families, HAAM only sees at Christmas, she said. Others are in crisis after a job loss in the family. HAAM's annual toy drive gave parents the opportunity to "shop" for their kids, though some, like the Gonzalezes, picked out their own presents. Each child could receive two gifts out of sections divided by gender and age. Each family also received a blanket or a boardgame and stocking stuffers. Children over the age of 13 even had a choice of gift cards. Donations fluctuate daily, Garrison said.

Friday, the church was filled with volunteers from State Farm and the Lake Houston chamber of commerce. Volunteers, or elves, went around with each family and helped them pick out presents.

It's the second year Light of the World has hosted the event, and Pastor Jerry Martin said it was a privilege.

"It brings together the nonprofits, corporations, volunteers and churches to meet a need in our community," he said. "It goes against kind of the message that's been portrayed in media about the divisiveness in the country. I don't think we're as divided as they say we are. I think we come together a lot more."

Garrison added, "It's our people helping our kids."
The Red Cross Texas-Gulf Coast Chapter's Service to the Armed Forces Division prepared around 400 care packages for deployed National Guard soldiers in Afghanistan at their Upper Kirby headquarters Thursday.

David Carpentier, Red Cross Service to Armed Forces Regional Program Manager, is retired 30 years from the U.S. Army and was deployed to the country three times. He said most recipients are from Texas and that a gift during Christmas lets them know that people back home care about them.
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City of Sugar Land employees sponsored 112 children and adults for the Fort Bend Rainbow Room Christmas Angel Project.

The Fort Bend Rainbow Room is a charitable organization dedicated to helping children and families in crisis by supporting the efforts of caseworkers.

During the holiday season, the city partners with the Fort Bend Rainbow Room to participate in the Christmas Angel Project to give children and adults in protective custody the opportunity to request Christmas gifts.

The city has participated in the Christmas Angel Project since 2006. This year, Sugar Land employees fulfilled the Christmas wish lists of 92 children and 20 adults with the help of various city departments, including police, fire-EMS, parks and recreation, public works and others.

"It's amazing how our employees step up every year to give back to our community," said Executive Secretary and Rainbow Room Christmas Angel Project coordinator Delia Callaway.

"We are proud to see the number of employees involved in this project grow more and more each year."
Troop 1631

On Dec. 5, Troop 1631 in Sugar Land Texas recognized six new Eagle Scouts at its Court of Honor ceremony.

The 35-year-old troop has launched more than 150 Eagles. The sponsor organization is the Optimist Club of Sugar Land.
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Fulshear High School Charger cheerleaders enthusiastically welcomed community guests to their new Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) campus for the dedication of Churchill Fulshear Jr. High School and Dean Leaman Junior High School.

The ceremony included performances by the Charger Band and school choirs, as well as remarks by the schools' respective principals, Dan Ward and Michael Semmler, District Superintendent Dr. Thomas Randle, and Leaman family representative Lee Leaman.

Fulshear principal Daniel Ward spoke about Churchill Fulshear's pioneer spirit, noting his service in the Texas Revolution while still a teenager.

"I feel sorry for Santa Anna," Ward said. "I deal with teens every day and I know how troublesome they can be."

Ward also called the facilities the best he's seen in his career in academics.

Fulshear went on to be a major land owner and donated the land for the railroad which helped the town become organized.

Lee Leaman spoke about his father's generosity and love for the community. He thanked the District for honoring his father with the naming of school.

Lee Leaman, his brother Ken and their families got a full tour of the junior high school, accompanied by many family friends.

"The overriding theme for the dedication is that we are part of a 'Charger Nation,' said Janet Burkett, Firethorne Marketing Director, noting Fulshear and Leaman are the new designated Lamar CISD schools for residents of Firethorne West. The District's Kathleen Joerger Lindsey Elementary School is under construction and slated to open in Firethorne in August 2017. It will mark the District's first-ever school in Katy.

Firethorne Marketing Director Janet Burkett congratulated Lamar Consolidated ISD Superintendent Dr. Thomas Randle on the opening of the new Fulshear High and Leaman Junior High Schools after the schools' dual dedication ceremony.

"It's great to be one of the original Chargers," Leaman Junior High Principal Mike Semmler said after the ceremony. "Both Mr. Ward and I are excited to be part of a growing, vibrant community. The community has already rallied around both schools."
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A man shot to death inside a bar early Monday in south Houston was identified as a special-education teaching assistant at a Houston ISD high school.

The shooting happened about 1:30 a.m. at the D Bar at 4409 Dowling near Wheeler, according to the Houston Police Department.

Officers were sent to the scene after shots were reported at the club, police said. When they arrived they found the victim inside the bar. He had been shot more than once. No other injuries were reported.

Family members and friends have identified the victim as Untorio Jones, 39. Jones is listed as a special-education teaching assistant at Wisdom High School, the Houston ISD school known as Lee High School until this year.

A special-education coworker remembered Jones as a dedicated educator with a "heart of gold."

"He was a mentor and a role model, and loved by everyone he met," said Bridgette Alford, who first met Jones around 2007 when they worked together at Westbury High School.

Jones worked with students with autism at Westbury before teaching life skills and employment readiness at Jones High School, she said.

The slain educator was a role model for young men, Alford said. He would walk and talk with students who had breakdowns. He preached to students that their circumstances would not dictate their futures.

He was a giver and a helper, she added, calling on Houstonians to follow his lead and do good deeds for others on Fridays -- a tradition he called #GiveBackFriday.

"He gave his time, he gave with his love, he gave financially," she said. "Let's just give back in his honor."

The shooting followed some sort of altercation, police said Monday morning.

"It just got heated and somebody pulled out a gun," HPD homicide investigator Shawn Overstreet said.

There were as many as 100 people in the club at the time and the club has surveillance cameras, the detective said, but the shooting may have happened out of the cameras' view.

Overstreet said Monday morning that police were not yet close to an arrest.

The victim's mother, Sandra Holbert, said Jones' children were grieving the loss of their father. She said his teenaged daughter was holding on to a text message he sent Sunday saying how much he loved her.

Photos of Jones' bloodied body were posted to social media after the shooting. Holbert and the victim's brother, Keith Hamilton, asked that they be taken down. "We don't want his kids to see that," Holbert said. "They're already devastated."

Relatives and friends huddled together through the night outside the bar, waiting for details as the temperature hovered around freezing.

Investigators so far have no suspect in the case. No description of the shooter was available.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
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Outgoing Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson personally has dismissed the drunken-driving case against prominent Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee.

Buzbee, who was arrested on March 31, had his case dismissed Dec. 9, after completing "pretrial intervention" a type of informal probation that, if successfully completed, means a case will be tossed. It is common among first offenders, especially shoplifters or other nonviolent crimes.

On Monday, Anderson stood by her decision and issued a brief statement: "Based on the circumstances of the case, this was the right thing to do. He qualified for pretrial intervention and completed all of the requirements typically mandated for a first offender DWI defendant," she said. "He did not contribute to my campaign in 2016 cycle."

The dismissal raised eyebrows around the courthouse for several reasons.

First, the elected Virginia DUI attorney signed off on the case personally, which is exceedingly rare, especially misdemeanors.

Second, the DWI pretrial intervention program, which lets people walk away from their first offense without a conviction, generally lasts a year. Buzbee went from arrest to completion in just over 8 months.

Also, the judge presiding over the case is the only jurist in Harris County who does not allow pretrial diversions for DWI cases. The DWI pretrial diversion program, formerly known as DIVERT, has firmly drawn guidelines - the terms of which generally are spelled out in a contract that a judge signs off before it begins. There is no such contract in Buzbee's file.

Generally, when a DWI case that is eligible for the pretrial diversion program falls in County Court at Law Judge Bill Harmon's court, it is transferred to a different court. That did not happen in Buzbee's case.

On Monday, Harmon acknowledged that he signed the dismissal forms for the high-profile Houston lawyer, but declined to comment at length. The judge said he had not approved any diversion for DWI suspects, and would continue to refuse to participate in the program.

Harmon chalked up the handling of case to the district attorney's discretion.

"The district attorney has the discretion of placing defendants on pretrial diversion and dismissing the cases," he said. "It's solely in their discretion, whether I am in agreement with it or not. It's what the district attorney gets to do."

'Expected this result'

Buzbee, who emailed from Europe, said his case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

"My case was dismissed because there wasn't enough evidence to prove in court that I was driving while intoxicated," he said. "I shouldn't have been arrested in the first place."

Although the dismissal form has a category to show insufficient evidence, that reason was not indicated.

Buzbee noted that he is not a criminal lawyer and said he had no involvement in the process.

"I hired great lawyers and expected this result," he said. "I've never met Devon Anderson and don't know who signed the dismissal. I would assume it is the judge who dismisses cases, not a DA."

Buzbee's DWI attorney, Allen Tanner, declined to comment on the case.

Buzbee said it was "silly" to link political connections to a dismissal by the elected district attorney 21 days before she leaves office.

"I give money to most of the politicians in Houston and the state of Texas. To try to connect one thing to the other is silly."

Well-known fundraiser

Courthouse observers said Buzbee's statement makes the dismissal look like a gift from Anderson as she prepares to leave the office.

"Based on what (Buzbee) said, this is definitely not a diversion. If it's not, then it is nothing but a political favor," said JoAnne Musick, past-president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyer's Association. "Unless (Anderson) just completely lied on a court document, because it appears, on the dismissal, that he completed a diversion - that he participated in some sort of program in lieu of prosecution."

Buzbee, who is a regent at Texas A&M, his alma mater, worked on the team representing Rick Perry after the then-Texas governor was indicted in an abuse-of-power case in 2014.

The trial lawyer has been a fundraising powerhouse for candidates and causes he has championed.

Earlier this year, he hosted a lavish Republican fundraiser for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. In 2014, he opened his River Oaks mansion to raise more than $100,000 for Democrat Adrian Garcia's mayoral race.
On this day in 1989, the U.S. launched an invasion of the Central American country of Panama in an attempt to oust then-dictator Manuel Noriega.

The buildup to the Dec. 20, 1989 - Jan. 31, 1990 conflict began in the 1970s after New York Times journalist Seymour Hersh revealed Noriega was involved in the sale and distribution of drugs. Perhaps more damning was his involvement in the sale of information and restricted technologies to communist-affiliated countries.
HOUSTON  They still talk about the Saturday night 27 years ago when Donald Trump partied with former President Richard Nixon.

Dressed in tuxedos, they sang "Happy Birthday" to Texas royalty  former Gov. John B. Connally and his wife, Nellie, whose birthdays were a few days apart  as Nixon played the tune on a white baby grand piano. They dined at Tony's, the "21" Club of Houston, and Nixon was so fond of the cannelloni pasta that he asked the owner, Tony Vallone, to write the recipe for him on a yellow legal pad. And when it was all over, Trump flew Nixon back to New York on his 727 private jet.

It happened one weekend in March 1989.

It was one of Nixon's first public appearances since the Watergate scandal had forced him to resign in 1974. And it was one of Trump's first presidential experiences, as he socialized with and had the ear of a former president for two days in Houston at a gala event, an impromptu after-party at Tony's, a Sunday brunch the next day at a River Oaks mansion and later aboard his plane.

MAKING IT OFFICIAL: Texas takes Trump over the top in Electoral College vote

"I think you can see a core of Trump in this," said Barry Silverman, a Houston advertising and marketing consultant who helped coordinate the gala and was a longtime friend of the Connallys. "He obviously had a road map a lot bigger than any of us ever thought about."

Silverman and Vallone said they did not know what, specifically, Trump and Nixon had talked about at the gala or at Tony's. But the time they spent together that weekend most likely fed Trump's fascination with and admiration of Nixon. During the campaign, Trump borrowed phrases from him, used his speech at the 1968 Republican convention as a template for his own convention address, and spoke glowingly of Nixon in interviews.

The Connallys helped bring the fallen president and the future president-elect together.

They had met Trump a few months earlier at a wedding in New York in December 1988, and Connally had been a close friend of Nixon's, serving as his Treasury secretary. Nixon was already familiar with Trump. The former president had written an unsolicited letter to Trump in 1987, informing him that Nixon's wife, Pat, had predicted "that whenever you decide to run for office you will be a winner!"

Connally invited Trump and his then-wife, Ivana, to Houston as special guests at "A Night for Nellie," an event to honor Nellie Connally at the Westin Galleria hotel on March 11, 1989.

Houston was just coming out of the 1980s oil bust. Tens of thousands of workers had lost their jobs and homes. Banks had failed. John Connally filed for bankruptcy in 1987, and he and his wife were forced to auction their belongings to help repay creditors in 1988. Then Nellie Connally learned she had breast cancer. "A Night for Nellie" raised more than $300,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, but it also sought to lift Nellie Connally's spirits  and Houston's.

EYEING THE WALL: Trump team surveys Texas for building spots

Barbara Walters was there, along with airline executive Frank Lorenzo and the elite of Houston society, including Oscar S. Wyatt Jr., an oilman, and his wife, Lynn, who hosted Nixon, Donald Trump and others at their mansion the next day. In the hotel ballroom, Trump introduced Nixon and sat at the head table with him. John Connally had assembled the seating chart for the table himself. His wife was seated with Trump on one side of her and Nixon on the other.

Trump, the event's honorary chairman, seemed to be enjoying himself. He was 42, and his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal," which had been published in November 1987, had enjoyed a position on The New York Times' best-seller list for nearly a year. "Donald Trump would have made a sensational Texan," Walters told the audience, according to The Austin American-Statesman.

John Connally decided late in the evening to keep the party going for some of the VIPs at Tony's. Vallone had about a half-hour to clear a third of the restaurant and put on an elaborate buffet. He has wined and dined a host of celebrities and presidents at his restaurant, including Frank Sinatra, Princess Margaret, Andy Warhol and former President Bill Clinton. But he said that night in 1989 was the most memorable.

"There was tremendous enthusiasm and electricity in the air," Vallone said. "Trump had a commanding presence. People say he's pompous, but he was not pompous. He was very approachable. He'll talk to the waiters. After that, I went out and bought six or eight of his books and gave them away as gifts, I was so impressed with Trump."

At Tony's, Trump suggested he was taking a business interest in Houston. "Every time I'm in a particular city that I like, and Houston happens to be a city that I like very much, I do look," he told KTRK as he stood in the restaurant.

Nixon stayed there until 1 a.m. The party continued well after.

PRESIDENT-ELECT SPEAKS OUT: Trump blames terrorists for deaths in Turkey, Germany

"Dom Perignon was flowing like ginger ale," Silverman said, "and it went on until 3 in the morning."

The next day, the Trumps, the Connallys and Nixon were among 36 guests at a brunch at the Wyatts' mansion. They ate beef Wellington and sipped champagne with dessert.

Lynn Wyatt, one of Houston's most prominent socialites and philanthropists, asked Nixon to speak about world affairs, and Nixon stood, gave a brief speech and then took questions. Asked if Trump had asked a question, Wyatt replied: "I'm sure he did. Everybody did. I was so proud of my guests because they asked such intelligent questions. I don't have any stupid friends."
U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, applauded both Congress' and the White House's bipartisan efforts in passing a reforming healthcare bill recently.

President Barack Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act into law last week, which includes Vice President Joe Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" push. Brady said while Congress has plenty to argue about, there are some issues that have no bipartisan lines.

"Republicans and Democrats have very different views on Obamacare and how it is serving, or in my view failing, the American public," Brady said. "Both parties can come together and find common ground on innovations and new medical breakthroughs that help our local patients and families. This is where there's common ground, where we can accelerate cures and where we can give people hope in health care."

The Cures Act also includes many provisions pushed through Brady's Ways and Means Committee, including a fix that helps cancer centers throughout the country expand their services easier. The Helping Hospitals Improve Patient Care Act (HIP-C), which was included in the Cures Act, fixes issues Brady said arose with provisions in a 2015 bill that set up site-neutral payments for Medicare patients. Brady described site-neutral payments to mean Medicare pays the same amount for care regardless of the setting.

But certain parts of the bill hindered hospitals that were in the middle of building, Brady said, as well as cancer hospitals.

Now, hospitals are able to provide better care to patients in rural areas, or even areas like Montgomery County where more and more people are starting to live.

"It's legislation that saves MD Anderson Cancer Center and other cancer centers around the country from pretty significant funding cuts," Brady said. "A year ago at the last minute, a provision was put into law designed to address another issue, but the unintended consequence was that it jeopardized the mission and the ability of our cancer centers to treat patients affordably and to be able to expand into new communities like Montgomery County."

In an earlier HCN report, MD Anderson Cancer Center President Ronald A. DePinho, M.D., said the cancer center plans on adding $500 million to infrastructure in the greater Houston area. The cancer center saw almost 20,000 patients in the 2015 fiscal year and performed close to 40,000 radiation treatments and 3,000 surgeries.

"This will help us expand," DePinho said in August. "At this point, this is a very significant fraction of the care that we deliver regionally, so it's particularly important that we bring quality care to where patients work and live."

Brady said some provisions of the law will go into effect immediately with the rest coming at the beginning of 2017.
Montgomery County officials are praising judges for helping reduce the jail population.

County Judge Craig Doyal and Montgomery County Sheriff's Capt. David Moore, who oversees the jail, thanked the four felony judges who oversee felony criminal cases exclusively. Come January 2017, 9th state District Court Judge Phil Grant, 221st state District Court Judge Lisa Michalk, 359th state District Court Judge Kathleen Hamilton and 435th state District Court Judge Patty Maginnis will be the only judges in the county that handle felony cases.

"Last October (2015), we were facing real issues with jail overcrowding," County Judge Craig Doyal stated in a release, adding that there were roughly 1,100 inmates in the jail at that time.

The jail's max capacity is 1,253. When the jail population creeps closer to capacity, the county is forced to send inmates to jails in surrounding counties, which costs more per inmate than it does here in Montgomery County.

During a Board of Judges meeting in October 2015, Doyal urged the judges to look into ways to decrease the jail's population, specifically by pushing cases through the docket faster.

According to Court Administrator Nate Jensen, the judges have been holding dockets on four out of five days of the week, including on weeks when the judges are holding a criminal trial.

"Having four courts that operate that way is automatically going to do exactly what's happened as far as keeping the jail population within a reasonable limit," Jensen said Tuesday. "The judges that are hearing those cases are following good case flow management practices."

The jail population as of Dec. 8 was 960, according to the release, and was down even more to 858 as of 5:30 p.m. Monday.

"We've been down for a while in our jail census," Moore said. "It seems like the courts are doing their job, putting people through the system."
A handful of Montgomery County residents hope government officials will investigate municipal utility district voters, especially with a host of recent MUD bonds totaling a few billion dollars in the county being passed by a small number of temporary voters in those areas.

With no permanent resident constructed in many of these areas, voters are brought in, at times living in mobile homes and running the very elections they are voting in, where there are only a few voters registered leading up to the vote. When the election is over, the voters normally move out of their temporary housing and off the property, while the developers are able to use the bond money to build needed infrastructure for the project. The debt from those bonds are passed on to those who purchase property in the district.

Jim Doyle, whose wife and daughter were convicted of voter fraud in 2014 after they changed their address and voted in The Woodlands Road Utility District board election in 2010, filed a complaint with county, state and federal officials urging them to look into the legality of the MUD voter system. In the RUD case, several residents changed their home addresses to a hotel address located within the RUD in order to vote in the May 2010 RUD board of directors election.

"This is all wrong," Doyle said. "If they want to do a MUD, the developer should build the sewage treatment plant, he should build the roads or whatever it is.  Then when he has people living there, he should turn the MUD over to them."

In the complaint, Doyle and others claim the MUD voter system constitutes illegal bribery, alleging the developer is paying the voters to vote a certain way in the election.

Officials with the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said they cannot comment on whether they received complaints or are investigating any alleged wrongdoing. According to Texas DPS Sgt. Erik Burse, the Texas Rangers did receive a complaint that is being reviewed in Austin.

Officials with the U.S. Attorney's Office said they have not received a complaint.

Heath's conviction

Doyle's complaint comes on the heels of a victory for state prosecutors in their illegal voting case against Woodlands RUD voter Adrian Heath. The Court of Criminal Appeals refused to hear Heath's case again Wednesday, meaning his three-year prison sentence could start within a month.

Heath is one of 10 people accused of voting illegally in a May 2010 Woodlands RUD election. The 10 individuals changed their voting address to that of a Woodlands hotel, checked into the hotel and ousted the RUD board incumbents in a 10-2 vote.

However, the three incumbents, Gene "Ed" Miller, Bill Neill and Winton Davenport, filed suit alleging the results were obtained by illegal votes. A visiting judge ruled that the 10 Montgomery County residents who voted did not reside within the WRUD boundaries and were "fraudulent," meaning their votes were thrown out and Miller, Neill and Davenport were reinstated.

The 10, including Heath, claimed they consulted with state officials before changing their voter registration addresses to The Residence Inn in The Woodlands. Heath and three others were convicted of voter fraud, while voters Peter Goeddertz, Thomas Curry and Bill Berntsen received pretrial probation in order to avoid prosecution.

The other three were never charged.

The Court of Criminal Appeals declined to review Heath's case, which triggers a chain reaction that can lead to Heath's incarceration within 30 days. His attorney Jay M. Wright said he hopes the U.S. Supreme Court can intervene.

Wright plans on filing a petition for writ of certiorari, which asks the high court to review the legality of a person's conviction. If the court agrees to hear it, they could halt Heath's incarceration until they make a decision, Wright said.

"With the U.S. Supreme Court, we're going on federal constitutional issues," Wright said.

"Basically a person in the military can use a place as his residence for voting purposes where he's never even been, much less he has ever lived.  Under equal protection, so should Adrian Heath and the RUD voters."

Community activist John Wertz filed a letter with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office Thursday asking Paxton to commute Heath's sentence. It was the AG's office, headed by Gov. Greg Abbott at the time, that prosecuted Heath and the others in the RUD case.

"What the rent-a-voters, Heath and (other RUD voters) ... have all done is allowed under that law," Wertz said.

"The lawbreakers are the developers who are giving the cheap rent to those rent-a-voters in turn for their votes in the MUD elections."

Wright said he plans on filing the U.S. Supreme Court writ petition well within the 90-day timeline.
Agile Cigar Reviews replace what we termed Assessment Updates. The concept is the same, but the name is different. Agile Cigar Reviews use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or providing a score for a first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Tortuga 215 Reserva Cedro No. 10 by Legacy Brands. This is a cigar we have previously assessed several times in the Toro (Celebration Size), most recently in August, 2015.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado

Binder: Nicaraguan (Criollo and Habano  Double Binder)

Filler: Nicaraguan (Esteli, Jalapa and Namanji)

Country of Origin: Nicaragua (My Father Cigars SA)

Viceroy: 5 3/4 x 54 (Belicoso)

At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, Ashton Cigars unveiled a new line extension to its limited edition La Aroma Cuba Noblesse line in the form of a 5 3/4 x 54 Belicoso known as Viceroy. It was back in 2014 when the La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse made its debut. This line has been positioned as an ultra-premium, limited edition line. Originally the Noblesse was released in a Toro size (called Celebration). In 2015, a Robusto size (called Regency) was added. The addition of the Viceroy now offers three vitolas in the line.

La Aroma de Cuba, along with San Cristobal are the two brands that are a part of the Ashton Cigars portfolio that are made at the My Father Cigars factory. The blend features an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado wrapper over a double binder of Nicaragua Criollo and Habano, and a filler consisting of tobaccos from Esteli, Jalapa, and Namanji. Namanji is a region of Nicaragua that is located east of Esteli.

The La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse Viceroy is going to deliver notes of natural tobacco, cocoa, earth, and some black pepper. Early on I found the natural tobacco and fruit notes to be much more prominent. During the second half, I found the earth notes would become the primary notes of the Viceroy. Throughout the smoking experience I found there was a creamy texture to this cigar  and that created a smoother smoke than the Celebration (Toro) counterpart. In terms of strength and body, I found the Viceroy to be medium to full at the start. There is a slight uptick of the intensity of both of these attributes, but the Viceroy still remained medium to full and the end.

The burn did require a little bit of tlc, but otherwise this is a cigar that performed quite well. Since its a bolder cigar, Id probably steer this to a more experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it is one I would smoke again  and its worthy of a box split.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cocoa, Earth, and some Black Pepper

Burn: Very Good

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium

Strength: Medium to Full

Body: Medium to Full

Finish: Good

Rating

Assessment: 3.5-Box Split

Score: 90

References

Previous Assessment: La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse 2014 by Ashton Cigars

News: La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse Returns for 2016 and Adds Viceroy

Price: $15.00

Source: Purchased

Stogie Geeks Podcast: n/a

Stogie Feed: n/a

Brand Reference: Ashton

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop
AJ Fernandez Cigars has announced it has acquired the brands of Sosa Cigars. The acquisition adds to the A.J. Fernandez portfolio a series of FDA grandfathered (predicate) brands under its umbrella. The acquisition will see the production and distribution of the Sosa Cigar brands now handled by A.J. Fernandez Cigars. Details of the announcement were first reported by Cigar Aficionado and confirmed by A.J. Fernandez Cigars on its Facebook page.

The acquisition is a similar to when General Cigar acquired Torano Family Cigars in that it is only the Sosa brands are transitioning to A.J. Fernandez Cigars. The Sosa brands were part of a company Antillian Cigar Corporation. According to the Cigar Aficionado story, the Sosa family will keep Antillian Cigar Corporation for other business dealings it has (although it is considering a name change for that business entity). The company also still owns a retail store in Orlando, Florida

Sosa Cigars is a family run company that has been producing cigars in the U.S. for over 52 years. The family actually traces its cigar making roots back to the turn of the century where Don Juan Sosa was a small tobacco grower in the Taguasco region of Cuba. Don Juan eventually built his farm into one of the largest in Cuba. Eventually Don Juans son Arturo and grandson would start to manufacture cigars for sale in Cuba and overseas. In 1964, following the Cuban Revolution, Arturo and his son Juan B. Sosa would open its first factory in Miami, Florida, thus Sosa Cigars was born. While Juan is still involved with the company, his son, Arby Sosa is now at the helm of the familys operation.

The move was a strategic one as Sosa Cigars has a portfolio of grandfathered (predicate) brands  ones that have been on the market prior to February 15, 2017. Over the past couple of years, the company has slowly been reintroducing / re-promoting some of these older brands back into the marketplace. This includes brands such as Imperio Cubano, Macabi, Santa Julia, and blends under the Sosa name.

While A.J. Fernandez will now be selling the brands of Sosa Cigars, they will also be taking over production of these brands. Currently Sosa Cigars are manufacturers in the Dominican Republic at the Fuente factory (where Juan B. Sosa is still a production manager) and in the U.S. at the La Vega factory in Clearwater, Florida. The company told Cigar Aficionado that it has ended production at the Fuente factory and will also soon end production in Florida. Plans are to keep the blends the same, but move production to the A.J. Fernandez. What brands will remain is still unknown  although a good guess is the older predicate ones will be the most likely candidates.

Meanwhile the past 12 months has been a whirlwind for A.J. Fernandez. Late last year, A.J. Fernandezs longtime partner Kris Kachaturian retired from the cigar business. This past January, Fernandez assumed full control of the company and a new distribution center was established in Miami, Florida. The company then picked up distribution for La Gran Llave prior to the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show. In addition, Fernandez started producing cigars for variety of clients including Altadis, General, La Palina, Foundation Cigar Company, Boutique Blends and Espinosa Cigars. To meet the production demands from his new clients, Fernandez has recently opened a new factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua, located about 50 miles north of Esteli near the Honduras-Nicaragua border.

Sosa also distributed Headlines Cigars and The Cigar Cork. No word on what the future holds for the distribution of those brands.
Caldwell Cigar Company and Drew Estate have announced that All Out kings is targeted for a March 2017 general release. The project which was announced earlier this year was formally launched at the 2016 IPCPR Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas with a planned November, 2016 release for general availability.

All Out Kings is a collaborative project between Caldwell Cigar Company and Drew Estate. The blend is a joint effort between Willy Herrera or Drew Estate and Caldwell Cigar Company owner Robert Caldwell. Production is taking place at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate (it was originally planned at Joya de Nicaragua) factory and distribution is being handled by Caldwell Cigar Company.

Just prior to the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, details of the blend include a Connecticut Stalk Cut wrapper, an Indonesian Binder and a combination of Nicaragua, Dominican, and Connecticut Broadleaf tobaccos for the filler. All out Kings will be available in four sizes: Smash (5 x 52), Give me your Lunch Money (5 3/4 x 46), Foreverlast (6 1/2 x 54), and The Fourth Pose (6 x 54). Each of the four sizes is packaged in 20 count boxes.

Both companies acknowledged that the general availability date was moved to ensure the cigars were ready.

Robert Caldwell stated in a press release, The orders we have received on this product have been insane. When Willy approached me to let me know that he wanted to delay the shipment of AOK because he had wanted to age the cigars more, I was a bit hesitant, but ultimately I agreed it was the right decision. AOK is a special cigar. Willy knows the tobacco much better than I. I am excited for the March shipment.

Willy Herrera added,When Rob and I began blending this project, we had to meet in the middle in terms of the strength of the cigar so that it was something Rob would enjoy as he is not typically a maduro smoker. We selected specific primings of Connecticut Habano wrapper that would be a bit more subtle, yet flavorful. This has taken a bit more time at the sorting tables and in addition the wrapper is extremely oily by nature, which has added to the aging process. I know everyone has been waiting and Im causing additional stress for Rob, but I wont let them out of the aging room until I feel they are ready.

Drew State co-founder Jonathan Drew also commented, Stay far from timid; Only make moves when ya hearts in it; And live the phrase Skys The Limit. Because working so closely with Caldwell and Herrera results in a raw expression such as AOK, the extra wait is acceptable to me  Its about the style in which we destroy, more important than the turns or money. I truly believe that Caldwell lives his brand the way we do Drew Estate.

The collaboration also has its own web-site called www.drewxcaldwell.com. In addition, the project will be featured on the Drew Diplomat mobile app.
In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
A Mexican pilot was sentenced to federal prison in Houston Tuesday for his involvement in a drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy for which admitted he traversed the Americas and the Caribbean over a six-year period.

U.S. District Judge Gray Miller sentenced Richard Garcia-Sanchez, 42, to just under nine years in prison. Prior to his arrest, Garcia-Sanchez resided in Mexico City.
A man died Monday night when he was shot during an altercation with an acquaintance outside at an apartment complex in southeast Houston.

The gunfire erupted about 8 p.m. at 7120 Village Way near Woodridge, said Officer Ken Fregia, a homicide investigator with the Houston Police Department.
Authorities are searching for a prisoner hours after the handcuffed man escaped custody as he was being taken to the Harris County jail downtown Tuesday morning.

The escape occurred about 10:30 p.m. Monday at San Jacinto near Baker, said Lt. Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department.
Houston police have released new details in the early Monday shooting that killed a veteran educator who was remembered by a coworker as a generous mentor with a "heart of gold."

The shooting came after an argument about 1:45 a.m. Monday at Dbar nightclub in the Third Ward, police said. Untorio Japelle Jones and another man were arguing when the other man pulled a pistol from his waistband and shot Jones several times.
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Recently a batch of rare Civil War maps were released by the Library of Congress, with many showing what Texas dealt with during the War Between the States.

Texas Gulf Coast locale meant that places like Galveston, Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass and Port Lavaca were much in demand during the war over states rights and slavery. A federal blockade of the Texas coastline remained in place for most of the war.

HISTORICAL TIES: 150 years after fall, Confederate memories linger in Texas

In early 1861 Texas Governor Sam Houston had argued against a war and wanted no part of it for his state. He didnt think it would solve a thing and would only bring bloodshed. He wished for a peaceful resolution instead and turned away from calls for secession.

Even still, early Texans were headstrong and in Feb. 1861 voted to quit the Union, the seventh state to do so. Texas had only been a part of the United State for just over 15 years. Houston ended up retiring back to Huntsville after secessionists declared his office vacant. He refused to declare allegiance to the Confederacy.

BIG CHANGES: HISD votes to rename schools with Confederate ties

He later died in the summer of 1863.

Soon a Texas militia group seized the federal military headquarters in San Antonio. Texas and Southern forces now in essence owned 10 percent of federal firepower.

By the end of 1861, some 25,000 Texas residents were in the Confederate army, with most in the horse-bound cavalry. By the end of the war, it's believed that 70,000 Texans fought.

The Battle of Galveston in 1862 saw a small Union fleet attacked by Confederate forces near Fort Point. The Union fought back and ended up taking the city of Galveston back for the U.S., only to lose it by New Years Day 1863.

SOUTHERN BALL: Texans decry Civil War ball over issues of Southern legacy

The largest battles of the Civil War were fought far away from the state of Texas, and many Texans died a long from home. However, the state didn't suffer as many casualties as others farther east would.

The war was over by the summer of 1865, with federal control coming back in June of that year. Some Confederates, afraid of Union blow back, escaped to Mexico. The U.S. flag once again was flown in Austin on June 25. Soon a painful Reconstruction of the Union would begin all over the country.

In March 1870, the U.S. Congress readmitted Texas into the Union, although the state did not meet all the formal requirements needed for readmission.

Click through the slideshow above to see a number of maps showing Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the surrounding states in the Civil War...
The image of an ice-covered lighthouse on Lake Michigan is eliciting comparisons to the magical ice palace in the Disney animated hit "Frozen."

Taken Monday by a photographer for the South Bend Tribune, the photo shows ice "accretions," or accumulated layers, covering the St. Joseph lighthouse and pier.
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A day after two members of the Electoral College in Texas went rogue, declining to cast their vote for President-elect Donald Trump for president, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took to Twitter to attack one of the electors.

Abbott, in a tweet sent and deleted Tuesday morning, told Chris Suprun "YOU'RE FIRED!!!" In a second tweet, Abbott touted a bill going before the legislature in January that would penalize so-called "faithless electors" such as Suprun in the future.

Twitter

"I look forward to signing it & ending this circus," Abbott tweeted.

ELECTOR'S BACKGROUND: Texas elector responds to question about his service

House Bill 85 would impose penalties to future electoral rascals.

The measure, put forth by State Rep. John Raney, R-College Station, would impose a $5,000 fine on a faithless elector and bars that person from taking part in the Electoral College in the future.

Raney filed the bill Dec. 8, about the time talk was heating up and some groups were making a push to deny Trump the presidency by having electors vote for someone else, no matter who won their state.

ELECTORAL VICTORY: Texas puts Trump over the top in Electoral College

Suprun, a Dallas paramedic who voted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, shot back at Abbott.

Twitter

"Nothing says impotent like being fired for casting my ballot," Suprun wrote.

TRUMP IN TEXAS: Trump, Richard Nixon, once hung out in Houston

Abbott's attack drew derision on Twitter, where people told the governor to focus on the economy and respect the fact that Suprun voted his conscience.

"Dear Governor, please don't make me defend this jerk. He had the legal right, as it should be," Lisa Dickison tweeted.

Surprun was arguable the nation's most prominent "faithless elector" after he wrote an op-ed in the New York Times explaining his reasons for not voting for Trump.

See videos about the protest over the electoral college above.
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Donald Trump has had his share of troubles with charitable foundations, but now it appears his sons are getting in on the act, too.

Trump's adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump, are listed as directors of a Texas-based charity selling access to the president-elect in exchange for million-dollar donations to unnamed "conservation" charities, according to a report by the Center for Public Integrity.

The charity, dubbed "Opening Day 2017," pitches an event set for Jan. 21, the day after the inauguration, and offers a private reception and photo for 16 guests with Donald Trump Sr. It also offers a multiple day hunting and fishing trip with the sons as well as tickets to events and other items.

HIGH BIDS: Trump family sought to auction off coffee with Ivanka Trump

A brochure first published by TMZ.com doesn't list the charities involved.

The Center for Public Integrity lists the Trump sons, along with Dallas investor Gentry Beach and Tom Hicks Jr., the son of a Dallas billionaire, as the foundation's four directors.

The event is being put on by the Opening Day Foundation, Walter Kinzie, chief executive officer of Encore Live, a Texas event management company hired to put on the event, told the Center for Public Integrity. There are a number of different individuals who are part of the foundation.

Larry Noble, the general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan campaign reform organization, told the Center for Public Integrity that the charity is unsettling for multiple reasons, not the least of which is there's no disclosure as to where the money would go.

TRUMP'S KIDS: Things to know about the president-elect's family

Its really hard to identify all the problems when theyre so vague, he said.

The report about the charity comes at a time when concern over Trump's potential conflicts of interest between his role as president, his business dealings and his family have been in the headlines.

The family recently called off an effort to auction off coffee with Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump.

It also comes on the heels of multiple reports about Trump's charity, The Donald J. Trump Foundation, which acknowledged to the IRS that it violated laws against "self dealing."
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While scientists are working hard to reach Mars, others are trying to discover whether something beat us there already.

Researchers have long known that Mars is barren and uninhabited, but the question as to whether life ever exited in the planet's past is still up for debate.

This is why "jackpot" was the word scientists used when they discovered the first traces of boron on Mars, an element which could be evidence for habitable groundwater.

RED PLANET ART: What architects think NASA's Mars settlements will look like

"No prior mission to Mars has found boron," said Patrick Gasda, a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory, in a prepared statement. "If the boron that we found in calcium sulfate mineral veins on Mars is similar to what we see on Earth, it would indicate that the groundwater of ancient Mars that formed these veins would have been 0-60 degrees Celsius [32-140 degrees Fahrenheit] and neutral-to-alkaline pH."

In other words, the presence of Boron might indicate the perfect cocktail of ingredients for groundwater that is able to support life.

Scientists haven't actually found a lukewarm pool of Mars water, but in a sense, they believe they've found its foot print.

TRUMP SPACE GOALS: Trump could replace Obama's asteroid catcher with a SpaceX-backed mission to Mars

"Variations in these minerals and elements indicate a dynamic system," said John Grotzinger, of Caltech in Pasadena, Calif. "They interact with groundwater as well as surface water. The water influences the chemistry of the clays, but the composition of the water also changes. We are seeing chemical complexity indicating a long, interactive history with the water. The more complicated the chemistry is, the better it is for habitability. The boron and clay underline the mobility of elements and electrons, and that is good for life."

Click through above to see where Hollywood films its Mars movies.
A large explosion reportedly involving fireworks has killed 29 and at a market in Tultepec, Mexico, Tuesday afternoon, according to local officials and media.

Gov. Eruviel Avila says that in addition to the 26 people who perished at the market, three more died after being hospitalized.

RELATED: U.S. issues travel warning for Mexican border cities ahead of Christmas

BNO News obtained video of the explosion that happened around 2:50 p.m. local time in the town about an hour-and-a-half north of Mexico City.

The footage shows plumes of black smoke and colored, firework-like explosions filling the air and was reportedly "visible for miles."

Tultepec, a city popular for fireworks manufacturing and displays, hosts the "National Pyrotechnic Festival" each year in March. It is heralded as the "best" at state and national levels and proves that fireworks are a part of the local culture, according to El Sol de Toluca, a Toluca-based news site.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear and the area remained dangerous. Luis Felipe Puente, National Coordinator of Civil Protection, told the Associated Press that nearby homes were also damaged and that people should not come within 3 miles of the site.

Puente added that there was no choice but to let any unexploded fireworks burn off.

A fire engulfed the same market in 2005, touching off a chain of explosions that leveled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico's Independence Day. A similar fire at the San Pablito Market also destroyed hundreds of stands in September 2006.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
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In 1991, New Yorks venerable African-American congressman Charles Rangel met National Review founder William F. Buckley, Jr., for a televised debate. Their conversation centered on topicsrace, crime, criminal justicestill prominent in American politics today. But a viewer born in the intervening quarter-century might be surprised at some of the positions taken in their conversation; or, rather, at who held which positions. Buckley, the conservative intellectual, argued that the so-called war on drugs had failed and that the criminalization of narcotics was the primary cause of much of the violence plaguing America at the time. Rangel, whose congressional district was the epicenter of the crack epidemic, argued for increased enforcement of the drug laws, lamenting the governments lackadaisical approach. Using language that today would be considered inflammatory, Rangel called for drug offenders to face life sentences in prison. We should not allow people to distribute this poison without fear that they might be arrested, and put in jail. . . . [Those people] should believe that they will be arrested and go to jail for the rest of their natural life. Its hard to imagine a liberal black politician making such a statement today. And Rangel himselfwho, at 86, will retire from Congress in Januaryhas retreated from his legacy as a law-and-order drug warrior as political momentum on the left has swung against such efforts.

Throughout a career spanning more than 50 years, Rangel has been an effective advocate for New York, steering federal money to the city for everything from mass-transit infrastructure to post-9/11 reconstruction. Hes also been embroiled in numerous scandals, from his illegal tenancy of four subsidized apartments to his failure to declare income from rental property that he owns in the Dominican Republic to his use of franking privileges to raise money from people with business before his committee on behalf of the Charles Rangel Institute at CUNY. But over the course of his long careerone in which he accumulated tremendous power, perks, and influenceRangel was never more right than when he pushed for public order and crime-fighting. Its likely, however, that he wont be remembered for this but instead for his cronyism and political featherbedding, which he pursued with guile and consummate skill.

Rangel was just the second African-American to represent Harlem in Congress. Given historical voting patterns, he might turn out to be the last for some time. In 1950, central Harlem was 98 percent black; today, the neighborhoods black population is 60 percent and falling. Greater Harlem, stretching from river to river, from 106th Street to West 155th Street, was majority black from the mid-1920s until 2000, but it is now mostly nonblack, with a sizable Latino population, and rapidly growing white and Asian communities are settling there as well. Rangels two-time failed challenger Adriano Espaillat, a New York state senator born in the Dominican Republic, won the primary election to succeed him over his handpicked successor, Assemblyman Keith Wright, son of one of Rangels early mentors. With a general-election victory in the overwhelmingly Democratic district a mere formality, Espaillat will become the first Dominican-American in Congress.

Rangels retirement reflects the decline in Harlems centrality to the black experience in America. When Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. assumed the newly created seat in 1946 as the first black congressman from New York State, Harlem was still the cultural and political capital of black America, the center and symbol of the urban life of the Negro American, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote. The promise of Harlem as a black urban utopia had faded by the mid-1960s, when urban decay was taking its toll. Crime in New York, which began to spike in 1965, was consistently much worse in Harlem, where the rate of juvenile delinquency was double the citywide rate, murders were six times the city average, and drug addiction ten times that of the city as a whole.

Harlem did, however, have Powell, who, by 1961, had ascended to the chairmanship of the powerful Education and Labor Committee in Washington. Over the next six years, Powells committee shepherded an estimated 40 percent of all legislation enacted by the House. The brilliant, flamboyant minister/lawmaker marked up and pushed to the floor a wide range of New Frontier and Great Society legislation. But by the late 1960s, Powell was in trouble for misusing committee funds, taking attractive secretaries on fact-finding missions to investigate Parisian nightclub practices, and refusing to pay a civil judgment stemming from a slander charge. In 1967, Congress refused to seat Powell, leading to a special election. When a Supreme Court case decided in Powells favor, he was ultimately seated but stripped of his seniority and his committee chairmanship. Living almost full-time in Bimini, showing up neither in Washington nor in New York, Powell lost his glow among his troubled constituents, who were desperate for effective representation in Congress.

Looking for a capable replacement for Powell, Governor Nelson Rockefeller settled on Rangel, a savvy second-term assemblyman who had proved himself politically adept and adaptable. Close allies with Manhattan borough president Percy Sutton and fledgling state senator Basil A. Paterson, Rangel had demonstrated his ability to negotiate Harlems byzantine power structure. He formed a new power bloc that, with the addition of Assemblyman David Dinkins, became known as the Gang of Four, establishing a dominant role in New York politics.

A native Harlemite, Rangel was a decorated marine who served valiantly in the Korean War and then put himself through college and law school while working as a hotel desk clerk. Positioning himself between the reform and regular wings of the Harlem political machine, Rangel had maneuvered himself into an assembly seat in the 1966 election, when he caught Rockefellers eye. Rangel carried legislative water for Rockefeller and took political heat as well, as when he backed the governors proposal to build the Harlem State Office Building on 125th Street over the fierce opposition of local protesters. Rockefeller promised to finance Rangels run against Powell, and even gave him first crack among the New York delegation at redrawing the districts lines to his liking. Rangel won the 1970 Democratic primary by 150 votes and went on to win the seat in November. Aside from his first reelection campaign, he would not face serious opposition for another 42 years.

Entering Congress in January 1971, Rangel set about his lifes work: entrenching himself and his associates in power by leveraging state and federal funding for antipoverty programs and economic-development schemes. One of his first moves was to take over the board of famed Harlem social-services provider Haryou-ACT, which had been a source of much of Powells clout. Inveighing against poverticians who had corrupted the organization, Rangel replaced the Haryou board with his political allies, who thus had sole responsibility for directing tens of millions of dollars in antipoverty funding annually. Rangel and his coterie retained control over this plum until Ed Kochs election as mayor in 1977; Koch, who popularized the term poverty pimp, cut welfare spending and centralized control of state and federal funding for community-based organizations. In his memoir, Rangel accuses Koch of being totally insensitive to the yearning of black New Yorkers for respect. . . . He refused to accept my advocacy for a larger black slice of the pie.

Despite losing control of Haryou, Rangel found other pies to cut slices from. In 1971, New York State created the Harlem Urban Development Corporation as a subordinate arm of the state Urban Development Corporation. HUDC was Rockefellers effort to demonstrate good faith regarding black economic self-determination. From the start, the parent organization took a laissez-faire approach to oversight. In 1976, under Rangels supervision, the HUDC secretly rewrote its bylaws, establishing independence from the UDC; five years later, the split was formalized, and the HUDC was given free rein. With no outside supervisionbut a secure flow of funding from Washington and Albanythe HUDC began spending money on a grand scale.

Millions of dollars for economic development were funneled through the Rangel-controlled HUDC and disappeared.

For more than a decade, millions of dollars allocated for the economic development of Harlem were funneled through the Rangel-controlled HUDC and disappeared. A 1997 state investigation, ordered by Governor George Pataki after the HUDC was dissolved, found that the organization spent untold unnecessary amounts of taxpayer funds, failed to properly account for loans and advances to HUDC directors and employees, and pumped millions of dollars into New Yorks underground economy through off-the-books payments. All told, the entity spent more than $100 million (in unadjusted dollars) of public money without developing one successful project.

Rangel coordinated the HUDCs work with his role as an elected federal official. A longtime proponent of increased trade relations with African and Caribbean nationshe sponsored legislation such as the 2000 African Growth and Opportunity Act and the 1984 Caribbean Basin InitiativeRangel originally conceived of the Harlem International Trade Center Corporation (HITCC) in 1978 as a $200 million, 44-story office complex that would attract business executives from developing countries to establish their offices on 125th Street, which the New York Times in 1989 called the unofficial capital of the Third World. Rangel legislatively forced the federal General Services Administration to commit to leasing 200,000 square feet of office space in the proposed center; the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also agreed to lease space in the HITCC after Governor Mario Cuomo threw his support to the project in 1986. In his memoir, Rangel dismisses Cuomos remarkable, dead-end career but acknowledges that the governor had been very, very good to me, as far as my effort to establish the Harlem Trade Center.

Twenty years of planning and preparation for the International Trade Center resulted in $6 million spent on consultants, architects and travel expenses but nothing else. Throughout this period, Rangel was more than just a nominal member of the HUDC board. William Stern, former chairman of the New York State Urban Development Corporation, recalled wondering why Harlem, unique among New York City neighborhoods, had its own Urban Development Corporation: I called Cuomos chief of staff, Michael Del Giudice. I asked him for the story on HUDC. He said, Bill, HUDC is CharlieCharles Rangel, that is, the longtime congressman from Harlem. HUDC was a patronage machine for Rangels local cronies. (See Sorry, Charlie, Summer 1997.)

The fate of the Tree of Life bookstore on 125th Street provides a sad footnote to the Harlem International Trade Center debacle. A late-1960s addition to Harlem, the Tree of Life was a popular bookshop, reading room, and community center that offered classes on yoga, herbology, spirituality, and economic self-sufficiency. The store opened when most of 125th Street was boarded up and dilapidated. Calling itself the University at the Corner of Lenox Avenue (UCLA), it was patronized by such luminaries as Muhammad Ali, Pete Seeger, and Ruby Dee. A court battle arose when the HUDC wanted to condemn the stores site to make way for the Harlem International Trade Center. After several years of litigation, the HUDC won out, and, as the Times reported in 1980, bulldozers reduced the store to debris so construction of an international trade complex would not be hampered. The store was demolished for nothing, as it turned out.

Down the street stands the legendary Apollo Theater, a music hall that featured every great black entertainer from the 1930s through the 1970s. After intermittent efforts to keep it open, Inner City Broadcasting, Percy Suttons media company, purchased the theater in 1981. Immediately afterward, the HUDC agreed to invest millions of dollars to turn the Apollo into a cable television studio. Failing to make a profit running the theater, Inner City Broadcasting sold the Apollo in 1991 to New York State, which established the nonprofit Apollo Theater Foundation to run the venuewith Rangel as chairman. Inner City Broadcasting retained the rights to produce the popular syndicated Showtime at the Apollo program, with profits in excess of expenses disbursed to the state to help run the foundation. By 1999, old political allies Rangel and Sutton found themselves in New York attorney general Eliot Spitzers crosshairs over $4.4 million that Suttons Inner City Broadcasting owed to the Apollo Foundation. Spitzer agreed to seek dismissal of a lawsuit only after forcing Rangel to give up his foundation chairmanship and requiring Sutton and his partners to disgorge $700,000.

Governor George Pataki dissolved the Harlem Urban Development Corporation in 1995 and replaced it with the Harlem Community Development Corporation, which operates under the strict governance of its parent agency, the Empire State Development Corporation. Undaunted, Rangel created a federal version of the same entity. The Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ), launched in 1995, has enabled an even wider scope of waste, delay, and frivolous expenditures. The idea of enterprise zones came out of post-Keynesian trends in British urban planning circles in the late 1970s. Carving out areas within cities that would be free from business taxes and have less regulation could, the thinking went, promote entrepreneurship and economic growth. As the American social-services industry translated the idea, enterprise became empowerment. Urban-studies scholar Mitchell Moss, explaining the difference in 1995, wrote that liberals discovered that [empowerment zones] offered a way to channel money into impoverished urban communities, subverting the rationale for the enterprise zone by expanding, rather than reducing, government involvement.

Rangel ensured the designation of virtually his entire district as an empowerment zone.

Rangel ensured the designation of virtually his entire district as an empowerment zone. The $249 million UMEZ provided loans to small businesses and, secondarily, grants to community organizations. In the first five years of operations, the UMEZ made 47 small-business loans, totaling only $4.3 million10 percent less than it spent on salaries and overhead. It made large loans to national retailers such as Home Depot and Costco, along with major real-estate firmsorganizations that dont usually lack access to credit.

In 2001, Rangel recruited famous Los Angeles attorney Johnnie Cochran, Jr., to become chairman of the UMEZ. The move was openly understood as a means for Rangel to maintain control over the board. Cochran had no experience in upper Manhattan and, when given a tour of the area, was surprised to see that, unlike in Watts, Harlemites lived in apartment buildings instead of houses.

The recent history of the UMEZ is not much different. The board meets sporadically and hasnt been audited for several years. It rarely makes loans and appears to be hoarding cash, perhaps in order to continue paying rich salaries to upper management. A local businessman, speaking anonymously, claimed that the UMEZ offers loan conditions significantly worse than what can be obtained from local banks. The UMEZ has drifted from its original purpose as an engine for economic growth into a somnambulant entity that mostly distributes grants to politically connected local nonprofits, such as the $2.7 million that it doled out to the Alianza Dominicana, shortly before the organization abruptly shut down.

Obviously, Harlem has undergone a massive positive change in fortune since Rangel took office. But it is fair to say that economic development in Harlem has occurred despite, not because of, his efforts. Speaking of Harlems natural advantages, Moss notes that the strength of the New York City economy made it impossible for Harlem not to develop. The proximity of the area to the core Manhattan business district, the excellent transportation infrastructure, as well as great housing stock and strong local institutions, combine to make Harlem an obvious locus for positive development. But its hard to identify many areas where Rangel deserves much credit for bringing it about, even after half a century of holding state and federal office.

Rangels record in one high-profile area of national policy seems completely forgotten. From the early 1970s to the 1990s and beyond, Rangel demanded and fought for an expanded federal role in the prosecution of the war on drugs. In March 1971, he and the newly formed Congressional Black Caucus met with President Richard Nixon to discuss their priorities. Tapes of the meeting reveal Rangel pleading with the president to use his power . . . as you would if this were a national crisis, and I think weve reached that. The CBC demanded an expanded effort to battle drug trafficking. Four months later, Nixon declared the war on drugs, echoing Rangels rhetoric in calling for an all-out offensive.

For almost his entire career, Rangel promoted a law-and-order approach to drugs that would, by the standards of todays anti-incarceration movement, mark him as an extremist. Shortly after his meeting with Nixon, Rangel opposed the provision of methadone-maintenance treatment in New York City, calling it a colonialist approach to drug addiction. In 1976, Rangel encouraged the NYPD to form a task force that would focus on combating street-level drug crime in Harlem. In the early 1980s, Rangel railed against the Reagan administration for failing to do more about the drug problem, complaining, I havent seen a national drug policy since Nixon was in office. As chairman of the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control, Rangel pushed for an activist national policy of eradication of coca and marijuana crops at the source throughout Latin America. He strongly supported the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which imposed mandatory minimum prison sentences on drug criminals and established the notorious sentencing differential between cocaine in its powder and crack forms. Rangel supported the 1994 Crime Bill, which made gang membership a federal crime, and he long advocated life sentences for drug dealersand not just for major traffickers.

Thanks to books such as Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, the new conventional wisdom holds that the war on drugs was a thinly veiled war on blacks. The Black Lives Matter movement and its liberal allies promote a revisionist narrative of American criminal justice in which anticrime legislation, particularly regarding drugs, has been a decades-long, targeted effort to destroy people of color. The actual history reveals that black politicians and clergy, responding to pleas for help from the law-abiding majority of their communities, were among the first to demand a firm hand in dealing with the violent crime wave of the 1960s and 1970s. As Michael Fortner explains in The Black Silent Majority, mass incarceration had less to do with white resistance to racial equality and more to do with the black silent majoritys confrontation with the reign of criminal terror in their neighborhoods.

Harlems resurgence has had more to do with the public-safety revolution of the last 25 yearsa revolution that Congressman Rangel long supportedthan with the failed economic-development organizations that he established and oversaw. As he heads into retirement, Rangel supports decriminalization of marijuana and laments the fact that legislation he helped craft has resulted in unnecessary incarceration. If Rangel were honest, though, he would trumpet his vigilance as a crime fighter and drug warriorand identify, as his living monument, not the site of the phantom International Trade Center but the drug-free street corners of Harlem.

Top Photo: Rangels retirement marks the end of an era in Harlem, as political power passes from blacks to Hispanics. (ANDREW LICHTENSTEIN/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES)
The election of Donald Trump and the Republican Partys retention of both houses of Congress make the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) likely. The incoming administration now has the responsibility for dealing with the ongoing appeal of a successful challenge to the Obama administrations application of the ACAs cost-sharing subsidy program.

In House v. Burwell, the House of Representatives claimed that the Obama administration unlawfully made billions of dollars in payments to reduce ACA insurance costs without an appropriation from Congress. The case centers on ACA section 1402, which requires insurance companies to reduce the out-of-pocket costs (deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance) of ACA-exchange enrollees in so-called silver plans who earn incomes less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Approximately 7 million peopleor 57 percent of exchange enrolleesare receiving such cost-sharing reductions from insurers. Section 1402 directs the federal government to offset the financial burden to insurance companies via cost-sharing reduction payments (CSRPs), but the ACA doesnt include an appropriation to pay for them. When the Obama administrations FY2014 budget request asked for a current appropriation for CSRPs, Congress turned it down. Instead, Congress passed and the president signed an Appropriations Act that failed to appropriate any monies for CSRPs. Undeterred, the administration spent $2.8 billion dollars to reimburse insurers in 2014. The House sued.

After finding last year that the House has standingthe right to pursue a judicial remedyDistrict Court judge Rosemary Collyer this year found that the administration violated the constitutions appropriations clause. Collyer enjoined the administration from making further payments, but stayed her ruling pending appeal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit approved the Houses request to delay further action in the case until a February 21, 2017after Trump is sworn in.

ACA repeal will not relieve the incoming administration of the need to decide whether to continue the appeal. Millions of people have already signed up for 2017 exchange plans with premiums calculated based on receipt of ACA subsidies. Immediate ACA repeal through the reconciliation process without any delay or replacement would remove those subsidies and leave the market in chaos. Most Republican policymakers are therefore proposing to delay implementation of repeal for a year or two. This will give the market time to adjust while a replacement plan is enacted.

The Burwell case poses two important issues for the Trump administration. The first is legal: what to do about a ruling that gives Congress standing to sue the executive branch? Article III of the Constitution limits courts to hearing only cases or controversies. A plaintiff must demonstrate it suffered a concrete, particularized injury in order to seek legal redress. Judge Collyer found the House had adequately alleged injury to its constitutionally protected interest as the only body empowered to direct expenditures from the U.S. Treasury. The Obama administration argued the that House lacks standing because its lawsuit is actually about a non-justiciable dispute between the president and Congress over the interpretation of the ACA that should be resolved through the political tools Congress has at its disposal. Yet Congress already exercised its political tools by passing an appropriations bill rejecting the administrations request for a cost-sharing appropriation. Additional legislation limiting expenditures that Obama would have vetoed or ignored would have been fruitless. And no one would have welcomed an impeachment proceeding over this issue.

This is the first time a single house of Congress has been granted standing to sue the executive. Most administrations wouldnt want to leave this potential curb on presidential power and prerogatives intact. If the administration withdraws the appeal, Collyers ruling stands, though the decision of a District Court is of limited precedential value. If Trump pursues the appeal, the standing decision might be reversed, but it could also be affirmed, creating a more important Court of Appeals precedent.

Trump must also consider another important issue relating to Burwell: what to do about the CSRPs? The Congressional Budget Office estimates the subsidies will cost $9 billion in 2017. Collyers decision enjoined payment of CSRPs without an express appropriation from Congress. If her decision on this issue is appealed and reversed, the Trump administration could pay CSRPs without going back to Congressan outcome that will infuriate Congressional Republicans. If her decision is affirmed, or stands because the appeal is withdrawn, insurers will face huge losses. Insurers could sue the federal government to recover cost-sharing subsidies. But that is an expensive, time-consuming burden with uncertain results. Insurers might try to leave the market or increase premiums, but this may not be allowed under 2017 marketplace contracts and state laws.

The guerilla legal warfare against the ACA has left Trump with a dilemma. The best strategy is probably to withdraw the appeal and obtain a 2017 CSRP appropriation from Congress. This will give his administration time to hammer out a repeal-and-replace strategy without insurance market upheaval and financial fallout. It will also allow him to sidestep establishment of an appellate court precedent on Congressional standing that could come back to hamper him or future presidents.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
AO Centrul de Drept al Avocatilor anunta concurs pentru procurarea/elaborarea panourilor informative pentru Inspectoratul General al Politiei de Frontiera
Donald Trump operates his Twitter feed as a virtual Statler and Waldorf, casting judgment on the media and individual journalists like a Muppet in the rafters. Trumpian tweets often appear soon after a negative story has run about him or his business, especially in the case of cable news, hinting at the president-elects viewing habits (lots of CNN). Occasionally, Trump dispenses plaudits for a piece, but he is more likely to hiss and boo, heckling journalists from his perch.

American presidents have long made their media preferences known. Richard Nixon spent Sunday afternoons watching the NFL; Barack Obama snagged advanced screeners of HBOs Game of Thrones. But never have we had a leader so interestedsome might say obsessedwith journalistic critiques. At CJR, weve combed through Trumps 189 (and counting) tweets since the election, focusing on those that highlight his touchy takes on the press.

The media

One of the president-elects most frequent targets is the media. Despite garnering $5 billion in free airtime during the campaign, Trump has made it clear hes no fan of the mainstream press.

The media tries so hard to make my move to the White House, as it pertains to my business, so complex  when actually it isn't!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016

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If the press would cover me accurately & honorably, I would have far less reason to "tweet." Sadly, I don't know if that will ever happen!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2016

Prior to the election it was well known that I have interests in properties all over the world.Only the crooked media makes this a big deal!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016

Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2016





The failing (fill in the blank)

More often, however, Trump targets specific outlets. He is especially critical of the failing New York Times. On the television side, the president-elect has set CNN in his sights, and despite hosting the variety show in November of 2015, Trump bears no love for NBCs Saturday Night Live.

Just watched @NBCNightlyNews  So biased, inaccurate and bad, point after point. Just can't get much worse, although @CNN is right up there!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016

Reports by @CNN that I will be working on The Apprentice during my Presidency, even part time, are ridiculous & untrue  FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2016

Just tried watching Saturday Night Live  unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016

I thought that @CNN would get better after they failed so badly in their support of Hillary Clinton however, since election, they are worse!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016

The failing @nytimes just announced that complaints about them are at a 15 year high. I can fully understand that  but why announce?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016

Perhaps a new meeting will be set up with the @nytimes. In the meantime they continue to cover me inaccurately and with a nasty tone!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016

I cancelled today's meeting with the failing @nytimes when the terms and conditions of the meeting were changed at the last moment. Not nice  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016

I watched parts of @nbcsnl Saturday Night Live last night. It is a totally one-sided, biased show  nothing funny at all. Equal time for us?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2016

The failing @nytimes story is so totally wrong on transition. It is going so smoothly. Also, I have spoken to many foreign leaders.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2016

The @nytimes sent a letter to their subscribers apologizing for their BAD coverage of me. I wonder if it will change  doubt it?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2016

Wow, the @nytimes is losing thousands of subscribers because of their very poor and highly inaccurate coverage of the "Trump phenomena"  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2016





No talent reporters

In perhaps the most disturbing twist of his Twitter timeline, Trump has continued his campaign practice of singling out individual journalists. Vanity Fair Editor in Chief Graydon Carter and CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny have both been targeted after producing coverage to which Trump objected.

Has anyone looked at the really poor numbers of @VanityFair Magazine. Way down, big trouble, dead! Graydon Carter, no talent, will be out!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016

"@FiIibuster: @jeffzeleny Pathetic  you have no sufficient evidence that Donald Trump did not suffer from voter fraud, shame! Bad reporter.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016

"@JoeBowman12: @jeffzeleny just another generic CNN part time wannabe journalist !" @CNN still doesn't get it. They will never learn!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016

"@HighonHillcrest: @jeffzeleny what PROOF do u have DonaldTrump did not suffer from millions of FRAUD votes? Journalist? Do your job! @CNN"  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016





<3

On occasion, Trump has bestowed his munificence on the media, though usually in reaction to stories that reflect positively on him or his decisions. Praise tends to fall to one outlet above the rest.

Thank you to Time Magazine and Financial Times for naming me "Person of the Year"  a great honor!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016

A very interesting read. Unfortunately, so much is true.https://t.co/ER2BoM765M  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2016

.@FoxNews will be re-running "Objectified: Donald Trump," the ratings hit produced by the great Harvey Levin of TMZ, at 8:00 P.M. Enjoy!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016

'Donald Trump is already helping the working class' https://t.co/GTuNcQhLYx  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2016

'Jeff Sessions, a Fitting Selection for Attorney General'https://t.co/LjKTkAZSFy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016

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Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
On November 14, Martin Shmid headed to work in Munich, still ecstatic about the previous weeks election of Donald Trump and what it would mean for the Alternative for Deutschland, or AfD, Germanys populist, right-wing party. Shmid, who works as director of the AfDs state headquarters in Bavaria, lost the bounce in his step as he got closer to the office.

Red graffiti was sprayed across the building. FCK AfD it read. Attack the Racists! Nationalism is not an alternative. The windows were shattered, the interior covered in broken glass. It was the second attack on the office in two weeks and the fourth in six months, says Shmid. And that was just in Bavaria.

Shmid seemed unfazed that these attacks received little national media coverage, though they did show up in local news reports. The mainstream media does almost no reporting about such incidents if we are the victims, he says in a phone interview. It is almost never reported on a national level.

The German press is making many of the same mistakes the US media made in its coverage of the Trump campaign. The AfD started gaining ground as a political force in 2013, and hit its stride in the last year, but only now is the German media beginning to take the party more seriously. So, too, is three-term Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will seek re-election next year, and who is slowly adopting AfD policies in a bid to win back right-leaning voters.

Nationalist politics have been socially unacceptable in post-Nazi Germany, and some experts say the lack of political space for such views has contributed to the AfDs meteoric rise. The major conservative party in Germany is Merkels CDU, which can hardly be considered conservative by global standards.

The AfD is Germanys most popular nationalist party since World War II, and Mondays terror attack in Berlin, in which a truck drove into a crowded Christmas market, killing 12 people and wounding 48 others, has the potential to bring even more voters into the partys arms. Germanys first large-scale terror attack in the last decade will also test the German press.

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Much as the US medias perceived disdain for Trump supporters helped bolster support for Trump and made the press appear less trustworthy to some Americans, some analysts say the German press has contributed to the rise of the AfD by covering the party in a sneering, negative way.

Founded in 2013 by Eurosceptic economists, the party took a sharp turn to the right when the refugee crisis hit Germany like a tsunami in 2015, leading Merkel to promise shelter to anyone fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere. While her stance was heralded by the domestic and international media, it earned resentment from many conservative voters. A large contingent of AfD voters are in fact former Merkel supporters, says Kai Arzheimer, a political science professor at the University of Mainz and an expert on AfD voter behavior.

The crowd of right-wing Germans who have embraced the AfD has enabled the party to accomplish in just three years what similar European partiesnotably Frances National Front and Austrias Freedom partytook 40 or 50 years to achieve. While the AfD missed the 5 percent mark needed to enter parliament in the last federal elections in 2013, polls now predict the party will win 16 percent of the vote next year. The party currently holds seats in 10 of Germanys 16 state parliaments, up from five a year ago.

Distrust of the press is one of many characteristics shared by supporters of Trump and the AfD. In fact, a recent poll found that 44 percent of Germans believe the press lies regularly and is controlled from the top. Its no wonder AfD supporters welcome the news that some Trump supporters have begun referring to journalists by the German word Lugenpresse, a name that dates back to 1850s Germany and meaning lying press.

Im super happy theyre using this word because its the truth, says Jorg Sobolewski, AfDs 27-year-old regional manager in Berlin. Sobolewski is also super happy about Trumps victory. We feel empowered because someone who had everyone against him won. Hes optimistic that the same thing can happen in Germany.

***

At a recent meeting of the AfD in Munich, Ulrich Weymeyr, a party member, told me he believes the media is decidedly against the AfD, and is collaborating with the political establishmentMerkels governmentto suppress his party.

These accusations arent assuaged by the fact that most journalists at the top newspapers in Germany share the same views as the current political establishment, much like their US counterparts, says Stephan Russ-Mohl, who covers the German media for various newspapers and magazines, including Der Tagesspiegel and Neue Zuercher Zeitung.

A large share of the German population felt unrepresented, and thus were drawn to the anti-establishment party, says Russ-Mohl, who is also director of the European Journalism Observatory. German media also tends to reduce AfD voters to oversimplified stereotypes, describing them as old, racist, poor, and uneducated, said Arzheimer, the political scientist.

Most AfD supporters are in fact under 65, says Arzheimer, with the largest group between 30 and 65, followed by those under 30. Their education and professional backgrounds are similar to those of voters who support Merkels CDU.

We are not rednecks. We are educated professionals, doctors, lawyers, and professors, says Weymeyr, a 50-year-old patent attorney.

The media also often portrays the AfD as an extremist party, but thats wrong, says Arzheimer. There are some right-wing extremists within the party, but I think its misleading to brand the party as Neo-Nazis. By doing so, he says, [the country is] losing track of their significance in German politics. The AfD, in three short years, has managed to bring back the sort of German nationalism that has been essentially unacceptable in German society since World War II.

Not all German journalists agree with these accusations, of course, just as many American journalists feel they covered Trump and his supporters as best they could. When Im reading the press, I think I get a quite accurate picture of the AfD, says Lutz Hachmeister, a German journalist and director of the Institute for Media and Communications Policy. Theyre using it as a scapegoat, blaming the luegenpresse, he says of the party and its supporters. But the press isnt lying about them.

Russ-Mohl echoed that sentiment. I think the AFD supporters are stereotyped in the same way as the Trump supporters. On the other hand, it is not only a stereotype. There are real Islamophobes, real homophobes, and real anti-feminists who are supporting the AFD, he says. We shouldnt forget that.

***

The weekly meetings of the AfDs local branch in Munich are held on a quiet residential street outside the city center. No businesses in the center will allow them to rent space, says Weymeyr. The mayor of Munich even sent a notice to restaurant owners (which CJR viewed), discouraging them from renting space to right-wing populists. Since the AfD is Germanys most prominent right-wing party, members took this as a clear attack.

Weymeyr is one former CDU voter who says he felt betrayed by Merkels so-called open-door policy toward refugees and migrants. He joined the AfD soon after the party was founded because he believed the European Union needed reform to avoid future debt crises and expensive bailouts.

Even as the AfD drew voters with its anti-immigration, anti-Islam stance, analysts say the German press has been decidedly pro-refugee. Party supporters note that German media coverage of refugees typically highlights photos of women, children, or fathers with their children. According to data from Germanys federal office for migration and refugees, most refugees in Germany and elsewhere in Europe are young men.

The German press arguably got the AfD wrong from the beginning, before it became a nativist party. Its missteps are rooted in a fear ofand a desire to protect the country fromthe re-emergence of German nationalism, press critics say. The media mislabeled the first generation of AfD politicians. Even though they consisted of liberal university professors, they were labeled as right-wing extremists, says Werner Patzelt, a political scientist at the Technical University of Dresden. This made the AfD attractive to right-wing-minded Germans. It would never have occurred to them that a liberal economist like Lucke (the founder of the AfD, who left the party after it veered toward what he called xenophobia) would have been a right-wing politician.

After misrepresenting the early leaders and characteristics of the party, the press then moved on to depict AfD voters more generally as right-wing populist Nazis, says Patzelt. Most of their voters clearly do not feel like that. They simply wanted a different approach to Eurozone policy-making, immigration, and integration policy-making.

Germans who leaned to the right of the established parties, meanwhile, suddenly felt they had found a new home. One could say that the media themselves, although they wanted to oppose the AfD, instead nourished the rise of the AfD, Patzelt says.

The German media is now starting to depict the AfD as a serious threat to Merkel, who is seeking a fourth term in 2017. Journalists were likely aware of the threat, but felt that instead of simply reporting on the threat, it was their role to prevent the public from supporting the AfD, says Russ-Mohl.

Hachmeister, who founded the first media criticism section in a major German newspaper, disagrees with this assertion, comparing it to what he referred to as the unfounded self-flagellation among members of the American press over coverage of the Trump campaign. Its difficult, he says, because if you are over-representing the popularity, or giving them too much attention, you are producing the result that you dont want to have.

This may sound familiar to US journalists, whose aggressive coverage of Trump wound up alienating some voters who related to his rhetoric, style, and policy ideas.

Adding fuel to the AfDs media distrust and bolstering its support was coverage of the now infamous sexual assaults in Cologne on New Years Eve 2016. Hundreds of German women were reportedly sexually assaulted that night by men of mostly North African and Middle Eastern descent, some of them refugees.* The press waited days to report on the attacks, and when it did, few reports included the attackers countries of origin or ethnic backgrounds, leading many Germans to believe the media was trying to protect refugees from public backlash.

That was really a shortcoming, particularly of public television and public radio, Russ-Mohl says. They have their headquarters half a mile from the site in Cologne. They have hundreds of journalists, and nobody covered the story. So of course in the public, there was an impression that journalists were trying to hide what had really happened.

Russ-Mohl says that the press is still making this mistake, even after the events of Cologne shook the German media. The most recent case was in Freiburg, where 19-year-old Maria Ladenburger was reportedly raped and murdered by a 17-year-old Afghan refugee. The national media in Germany, says Russ-Mohl, did not give this story the attention it deserved. In response to a public outcry, Tagesschau, the most-watched national news program, aired by ARD, Germanys largest public broadcaster, issued a statement explaining that the show only covers issues of national significance, while this case was only of regional significance. After mounting criticism, it began covering the arrest.

Days later, an Iraqi asylum seeker was arrested on suspicion of rape in the city of Bochum. The arrests led Merkel and others in her government to warn against scapegoating refugees.

Coverage of the AfD has improved in recent months, multiple AfD members told CJR. The Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump contributed to that development, but it was more the partys own success that led many journalists to start taking the AfD more seriously.

Weymeyr still thinks the AfD is misrepresented by the German media. But I think this will change, he says optimistically. Twenty-five years ago, nobody took the Green party seriously. Today, they are a major force in German politics.

Over the past year, Merkel has taken a few pages from the AfDs playbook, tightening Germanys borders, reducing benefits, and deporting thousands of asylum seekers. Last week came the latest and perhaps most telling shift to the right. Speaking at a CDU conference, she backed a ban on the burqa and niqabtraditional garments worn by observant Muslim women that cover the face and body. That ban was first proposed by the AfD, earning it widespread accusations of Islamophobia.

Interestingly, Merkels burqa ban has not drawn cries of Islamophobia from the mainstream German press.

* An earlier version of the story reported dozens of women were assaulted on New Years Eve, but subsequent reporting shows the attacks were much more widespread.

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Yardena Schwartz is a freelance journalist and Emmy-nominated producer based in Tel Aviv. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Foreign Policy, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, CBS News, NBC News, and MSNBC. Previously, Yardena was a producer at NBC News in New York.
When investigative reporter Rafael Sanchez was barred from covering President-elect Donald Trumps visit to the Carrier manufacturing plant in Indianapolis earlier this month, the local TV reporter hung around outside the plant waiting to talk to workers coming in for the next shift.

Sanchez had been covering Carrier and its possible move to Mexico for much of the year for the local ABC affiliate. He knewand was able to confirm using a letter the company gave to workers that nightthat Trump was wrong when he boasted during the press conference that the deal he had reached with Carrier to keep the company in Indiana would save more than 1,100 jobs from being offshored to Mexico. In fact, about 600 Indianapolis workers will still lose their jobs when the Carriers fan coil operations move across the border next year. Sanchez, a reporter and anchor for RTV6 in Indianapolis and the stations highest-profile journalist, produced a five-part documentary series earlier this year on the companys decision to move the plant to Mexico. He shared the company letter on Twitter, where it was retweeted more than 5,000 times.

Outside the building I was able to get quicker reaction and analysis, Sanchez tells CJR. I could do real reporting in real time. Thanks to them barring me from the building, I was able to look at those numbers. I knew that 1,100 number was not true.

Sanchezs ability to break news despite being excluded from the official Carrier announcement is an object lesson in the kind of grit and shoe leather reporting that will be needed now more than ever. (Trump has not held a press conference in 146 days, opting instead to bypass the media, and sometimes the facts, by sounding off on Twitter). Sanchez was able to break the news because he was deeply sourced on a local story that he and RTV6 had pursued even before Trump and Democratic contender Bernie Sanders made Carrier a campaign issue about American corporations offshoring jobs. The Indianapolis Star also was out in front of the national media on the story, raising questions about what the deal actually did for the state.

Their coverage reinforces the importance of local journalism in reporting stories that the president-elect puts on the national agenda. Even though his vice presidential pick is the outgoing governor of Indiana who actually negotiated the deal, the president-elect still got it wrong, and got it wrong with Mike Pence by his side. That doesnt mean it will be easy for reporters like Sanchez, who must act as local watchdogs in a red state like Indiana, where voters overwhelmingly favored Trump.

Sanders, a Vermont senator, has lambasted the deal that Pence helped negotiate to give $7 million in tax breaks to Carrier in exchange for keeping about 800 jobs in the state. The companys parent, United Technologies, or UTECH, as its known locally, is still planning to close another Indiana plant in Huntington outside of Fort Wayne, putting 700 workers there out of work.

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But to break a story today, especially when it involves facts that contradict the president-elect and his media machine, means to be accused of faking the news, of being part of a liberal media conspiracy. If you have a name like Rafael Sanchez, it means being told on Twitter that youre lucky that you havent been deported yet, even though Sanchez is a native New Yorker who grew up in the Bronx. Its ugly out there for a local reporter just trying to get to the bottom of a story.

Whoever is president, I dont really care, Sanchez says. It is what it is. But we need to have a conversation about candor.

Trumps supporters attacked Sanchez for not being happy about the jobs that were saved, even though that number was much lower than Trump had claimed, says Sanchez, who has been at RTV6 for almost two decades. Im not happy, and Im not unhappy, Sanchez says. Im not angry. We are being agnostic. The numbers are not what they said they were.

Trump himself went after the president of the United Steelworkers Local 1999 when the union leader told The Washington Post a few days after Sanchezs initial reporting that the president-elect had lied about how many jobs were being saved. As the attack went viral, Sanchez reported on Twitter that someone had created a fake Twitter account using the union leaders name. It had more than 7,000 followers before Twitter suspended it.

Terri Cope-Walton, news director for RTV6, said the station made an unprecedented investment in covering the Carrier story earlier this year, when a video showing workers reacting to news that the Indianapolis plant would be closing went viral. The station pulled Sanchez off other stories to focus exclusively on Carrier and sent him to Monterrey, Mexico, to explore the jobs that would be created. It even hired a security team to protect the news crew from drug traffickers while it was there.

I think when we started to cover the story and pull back the layers, we saw that there was a lot more there, she says. We wanted to go beyond the news conferences and what state officials tell you.

The station aired a half-hour special in March during the regular 7 p.m. news broadcast. It streamed the special through Facebook Live, becoming one of the first TV news stations to take advantage of the technology when the social media company started to allow branded pages to use that feature. The special received an additional 10,000 views through Facebook, with 44 shares.

By running the special through Facebook Live, Rafael was able to sit there in real time and respond to people, Cope-Walton says. Thats reach we never would have gotten through our signal locally.

In addition to the broadcast specials, the station also created the documentary series for YouTube using a longer storytelling format.

This is the story that keeps on going, Cope-Walton says. First it became a national story. Then we just followed the promises, the commitment, and what it looks like for the worker. As journalists, our job is to break it apart. We dont have a dog in the fight either way.

Sanchez plans to stay on the story, focusing in particular on how the tax incentive for Carrier helps the taxpayer. The next story will be what exactly that will mean, he says. How will that money be dispersed, and what will it buy?

Brian Howey, a political columnist and publisher of Howey Politics Indiana, credits Sanchez with helping to get to the bottom of the Carrier deal. He says it will be fascinating to see how the Carrier story resonates with Trumps supporters in Indiana, particularly in deeply red counties like Huntington, where the United Technologies plant is still slated to close.

He won communities like Huntington County, and now the danger for him is that it looks like hes picking winners and losers and doing this piecemeal, Howey says.

Daniel Herda, editor of the Huntington Herald-Press, a community newspaper that publishes five days a week, also followed Sanchezs reporting and is now trying to walk the line between giving readers what they want and reporting the facts. The two are not always synonymous these days.

Some of them, maybe not all of them, they believe in what Trump or Pence is doing, Herda says. I think they just want to be heard, too.

On some local stories, Herda is the voice of the paper, taking a position and writing an editorial. On others, he charges the papers two full-time reporters with going into the community to listen to what residents have to say.

Since Trump came to Indianapolis on Dec. 1 to announce the deal, Herda has decided not to take an editorial position. Instead, the paper reported a story from the workers perspective, including their anxiety about the job losses.

I want to let the community tell the story, he says. They feel like they arent being heard at all. Its going to be tough for them, to watch this deal with Carrier occur, and they dont get their jobs back.

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Jackie Spinner is CJRs correspondent for Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She is an associate journalism professor at Columbia College Chicago and a former staff writer for The Washington Post. Follow her on Twitter @jackiespinner.
MEMICs Leonard Announces Retirement in September 2017

John T. Leonard, the first and only president and CEO in the history of The MEMIC Group, announced his intent to retire, effective September of 2017.

Leonard was recruited to help start the company in 1993, taking his position as president in the first few weeks of the fledgling operation. Under Leonards direction the company grew from a line of credit loan and operating only in Maine to a company with assets of more than $1.2 billion and offices from Maine to Florida. Now, The MEMIC Group (led by the original parent company Maine Employers Mutual Insurance Company) provides workers compensation insurance to more than 21,000 employers up and down the East Coast, maintains a surplus of more than $400 million, and has returned more than $220 million to policyholders since 1998.

The company grew out of a reform of workers compensation laws in Maine in 1992. It is a private mutual insurance company, with its initial funding entirely through loans and insurance premiums. The company opened its doors in a small office in Westbrook, Maine in late 1992 and wrote its first policy on January 1, 1993.

Following an exodus of insurers during the unsettled time before the reform in Maine, MEMIC was established as the guaranteed market for workers compensation.

Establishing a plan to reduce costs in Maine by reducing injuries, the companys partnership for workplace safety campaign was highlighted by Leonard as company spokesman who made the case that employers and employees could work together to make workplaces safer. By 1998, lost time injuries in the state had fallen by more than 30 percent and costs for workers compensation insurance reduced by about 40 percent.

According to MEMIC Board Chair David Labbe, the companys Board of Directors has been prepared for Leonards eventual retirement and has a plan to hire his successor. The companys board has formed a search committee and expects to attract candidates internally and externally.

Brentwood Services Administrators Names Spampinato Senior Claim Representative

Brentwood Services Administrators Inc. recently named Steven Spampinato as a new senior claim representative in the Raleigh, N.C., office, according to Jeff Pettus, president and chief executive officer of BSA.

As senior claim representative, Spampinato is responsible for reviewing, processing and handling medical workers compensation claims as assigned by Shirley Girard, senior claims supervisor. Spampinato determines the compensability of the claim and extent of liability, as well as communicates directly with clients, employers, injured workers, physicians and attorneys, and manages claims in a timely and economic manner.

Prior to joining BSA, Spampinato worked for CorVel Corporation in Raleigh, N.C., as a claim specialist. He holds a North Carolina adjuster license.

QBE Appoints Hill Chief Financial Officer, North America

QBE North America, an operating division of global insurer QBE Insurance Group Limited, announced the appointment of Kris L. Hill as chief financial officer. She will assume her new role effective January 17, 2017, and also serve as a member of the QBE North America Executive Management Board. Hill will relocate with her family at the end of the school year in 2017, and be based in New York City.

At QBE, Hill will be responsible for leading the companys North American Finance organization, including business segment actuarial and financial teams, and the accounting management and tax functions. She will report directly to Russell Johnston, chief executive officer, QBE North America.

She succeeds Richard Dziadzio, who served as chief financial officer from July 2013 to July 2016. Dziadzio subsequently was appointed chief financial officer of Assurant in June 2016.

With more than 25 years of insurance operations and financial leadership positions, Hill most recently served as executive vice president, Field Operations, at Liberty Mutual, Surety, after having served for nearly four years as senior vice president, chief financial officer, Liberty Mutual, Surety, and three years as senior vice president, Chief Financial Officer at Liberty Mutual Safeco Insurance. She previously held several positions of increasing responsibility in accounting, finance and operations at Safeco Corporation, Northstar Communications and Aetna Life & Casualty.
The revelation of Yahoos latest hack underscores what many Americans have known for years: All those emails, photos and other personal files stored online can easily be stolen, and theres little anyone can do about it.

The only saving grace is that the attackers apparently did not exploit the information for fraud. But their true motives remain a mystery.

While there are a number of straightforward measures all users should take to protect themselves, relatively few people actually do. And in this case, doing so wouldnt really have mattered. Even the most scrupulous individual countermeasures could only limit the damage.

Yahoo users could have had immaculate computer security and still been the victim here, said Will Ackerly, chief technology officer at Virtru, a computer security firm he co-founded after working for eight years at the National Security Agency.

Short of using encryption, theres no way to keep your email from being compromised in this kind of hack.

The mega breach disclosed Wednesday exposed more than a billion user accounts, the largest such attack in history. The company said the attack happened in August 2013, although Yahoo only discovered it recently. Worse, the companys announcement followed a similar announcement in September about a 2014 hack that Yahoo ascribed to an unnamed foreign government. That breach affected 500 million accounts.

Some experts believe the record-breaking amount of data stolen in the breach announced Wednesday also points to state-sponsored hackers in search of a specific target, which could be why three years later the data still hasnt been spotted for sale on the web. And neither Yahoo breach has yet been linked to online fraud or any specific repercussions for Yahoo users.

But their disclosure closely follows U.S. intelligence concerns about Russian hacking of Democratic emails during the presidential campaign  not to mention recent attacks on a major health insurer, a medical lab-test company and the government office that manages millions of federal employees.

The lesson is clear: No organization is immune to compromise, said Jeff Hill, director of product management for cybersecurity consultant Prevalent. And since most of us are dependent on big organizations that hold our digital lives in their hands, in a broad sense that means no one is safe.

The hacks represent yet another stumble for the struggling Sunnyvale, California, company as it tries to reinvent itself. The breaches occurred during the reign of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, a once-lauded leader who has been unable to turn around the company in the four years since she arrived.

Earlier this year, Yahoo agreed to sell its digital operations to Verizon Communications for $4.8 billion  a deal that may now be jeopardized by the hacking revelations.

Meanwhile, its clear that Yahoo didnt do enough to protect its users. For example, the company acknowledges using MD5, a password-storage method considered by many experts to be inadequate and inferior to others available at the time of the hack.

One of Yahoos priorities will now need to be keeping its users updated as its investigation progresses, said Jeremiah Grossman, chief of security strategy for SentinelOne.

I think that would go a long way to assuring users and everybody that theyre doing the right things, said Grossman, who worked in security at Yahoo from 1999 to 2001. The best peace of mind in cybersecurity is transparency.

Theres only so much a company like Yahoo can do to protect its users without damaging its business model, which involves selling advertising based on data gleaned from its users, Grossman noted.

As a result, it cant do things like encrypt user data, which would make the information useless to hackers. Other companies that dont sell advertising, such as Apple, are able to encrypt. And some, such as Google, do so too but not in a way that would have protected against this type of hack. They also hold the keys to that encryption, giving them the access they need for advertising sales.

If you take a step back, the 1 billion people arent Yahoos customers, theyre its product, Grossman said.

For Yahoo users, experts say, theres little to do except for changing their passwords if they havent done so in the past three years. And its tough to protect against future hacks at Yahoo or other companies that hold personal information.

Changing email providers is, at the very least, a pain for most people. Experts say picking a tough password is a must, though they are divided on exactly how important it is to change it frequently.

The same password should not be used for multiple sites, and the questions and answers needed to reset it should be unique as well.

While perfect security doesnt exist, no one wants to be an easy target either. Cybersecurity experts like to compare the hacker threat to running from a bear: You dont have to be the fastest runner  just not the slowest.

The Yahoo breach should serve as a lesson to users that they cant assume that companies, even large multi-national tech companies, are doing security right, said John Shier, senior security adviser at Sophos.

Hopefully this is the one that wakes everybody up, although I doubt it will be, Shier said. Its frustrating to see this happen over and over again when for many years weve known how to better protect systems.

(AP technology writers Michael Liedtke in San Francisco and Mae Anderson in Atlanta contributed to this report.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For several years, inspections by the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration identified a disturbing pattern of defective forklifts being used to move, handle, load and unload freight in at least 11 Central Transport LLC shipping terminals in nine states. Their use exposed employees to hazards that could cause crushing or struck-by injuries at multiple locations, including Central Transports Billerica terminal.

The department filed a complaint with the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission in 2015, seeking an order to require Central Transport to remove damaged, defective and unsafe forklifts and other powered industrial trucks from service at all the companys locations. Now, the department has secured a settlement agreement which commits the company to improving forklift safety at over 100 terminals in 26 states.

These widespread, recurring hazards required a comprehensive solution, said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. This settlement includes detailed steps and a timetable for Central Transport to systematically review, assess and improve safety for its employees at all its locations that come under OSHAs jurisdiction. Other employers with hazards at multiple worksites should take heed of this settlement and recognize the value of implementing comprehensive and effective corrective action to protect the workers, life and limb.

We stated when we filed the complaint that safety cannot be addressed in a piecemeal fashion when employees are exposed to hazards at multiple company worksites. With this settlement, Central Transport has committed to taking proactive, ongoing and effective action to identify and eliminate these hazards and improve safety for its workers across the country, said Michael Felsen, the departments regional solicitor of labor in Boston.

The agreement requires Central Transport to hire an independent third party monitor to evaluate, update and improve the companys existing procedures for preventive maintenance repairs, operator inspections and safe operation of powered industrial trucks.

Central Transport must also:

Assign a corporate internal monitor to facilitate effective implementation of the settlement agreement, conduct random, unannounced visits of at least 20 terminals and work with the third party monitor to prepare and submit reports for each terminal assessed, seek employee feedback and monitor progress.

Work with the third party monitor to assess and monitor compliance with the agreement and seek feedback from employees. This will include unannounced monitoring visits of at least 10 terminals by the third party monitor, including two terminals assessed by the internal monitor.

Submit written compliance reports to OSHA and allow OSHA to conduct monitoring inspections to measure compliance.

Remove any damaged, defective and unsafe powered industrial trucks from service.

Pay a total of $165,400 in penalties.

The settlement covers Central Transport terminals in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. OSHA will notify those states that have assumed authority for enforcing OSHA standards in which Central Transport has terminals and encourage them to honor or agree to the terms of this settlement.

Based in Warren, Michigan, Central Transport operates almost 200 customer service centers nationwide. OSHAs Andover Area Office inspected the Billerica terminal. Scott M. Miller of the departments Regional Office of the Solicitor in Boston litigated the case for OSHA.

Source: OSHA
Californias Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals finds that the absence of a litigated judgment did not preclude an equitable subrogation claim from being brought by an excess insurer for bad faith failure to settle when the excess insurer actually contributed to the settlement.

In RSUI Indemnity Co. v. Discovery P&C Ins. Co., 649 Fed.Appx. 534 (9th Cir. 2016), the primary insurer unreasonably had refused to pay a settlement demand within policy limits. In order to achieve a settlement, the excess insurer paid a portion of the settlement within its policy limits. The question before the Court was whether an excess insurance company could contribute to the settlement on behalf of the insured, and then sue the primary insurer to recover the amount of the settlement under the theory of equitable subrogation. The Ninth Circuit answered that question in the affirmative.

Interpreting California law, the Ninth Circuit predicted that the California Supreme Court would adopt the rule that had previously been announced by the California Court of Appeals in Fortman v. Safeco Ins. Co., 221 Cal.App.3d 1394, 271 Cal.Rptr. 117 (Cal. Ct. App. 1990). In Fortman, the Court held that an excess insurers equitable subrogation claim did not depend on the entry of an excess judgment to prove damages to the insured. Adopting the rule in Fortman, the Court found that the rule promoted the settlement of claims, promoted excess insurers contribution to settlements, and was favorable both to the insured and to claimants. The Court found that the absence of a litigated judgment did not preclude an equitable subrogation action for bad faith failure to settle when the excess insurer actually contributed to the settlement.
Elementary schools are looking to crack down on students missing class.

Columbus Public Schools received funding for a monitor to oversee attendance issues in the districts five elementary schools. The attendance monitor started Dec. 5.

The move is a preventative measure so the behavior wont continue as children get older and move on to middle and high school, said Jason Harris, executive director of student services for CPS.

The district already had an attendance monitor for the secondary level, where the main concern is absenteeism. At the elementary level, addressing tardiness is the bigger focus.

When students miss an hour or two of school on a regular basis it adds up to absences, Harris said.

Tardies add up to days, and we are seeing chronic tardies at the elementary level, he said.

Students can arrive late to school for a variety of reasons. In grade school, it's often not because a child is playing hooky. Sometimes a parent oversleeps because they worked the night shift or they had car trouble and don't have another way to get their child to school.

Harris said the problem occurs more often among low-income and at-risk students. Missing any amount of school can be detrimental to a students long-term education.

We know they miss instruction and lack what they need to move forward, Harris said.

The district added a monitor to oversee attendance at the middle and high schools three years ago. Harris said that position focused on identifying students who accumulated a large number of absences. However, a recent change zeroed in on students who show a pattern of missing school earlier on, so the problem can be identified sooner.

When we changed focus, it made a difference, Harris said.

Columbus Public Schools' attendance rate has hovered around 95 percent for the last 15 school years, according to the Nebraska Department of Education.

Students are monitored through attendance letters sent to families when a student reaches their fifth day of absence. Identifying patterns of absenteeism, especially when it occurs early in a semester, can help address the problem.

The grant money to pay for the attendance monitor at the elementary level comes from the Zero2Eight Child Well Being Coalition, an initiative that addresses issues impacting young children in Platte and Colfax counties.

Schuyler Elementary School also received funding from the coalition for an attendance monitor.

Attendance is taken in the morning and afternoon at that school, and an automated call is made to parents if their child is absent.

We ask them why the child is not in school and hopefully they will call and let us know, said Emily Brandl, the attendance monitor at Schuyler Elementary.

Some students miss school for excused reasons like a visit to the doctor or dentist, and others are gone for an extended time to see family in Mexico and other countries.

Students who miss an excessive number of school days, 20 or more excused or unexcused, are considered chronically absent.

It doesnt happen often. Its a very small percentage, Brandl said.
AKRON, Ohio - A 27-year-old Akron man was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend and sentenced to life in prison Monday.

Christopher Hunter was found guilty of one count of murder and one count of felonious assault by a Summit County jury, a news release from the Summit County Prosecutor's Office states. He was sentenced to life in prison Monday afternoon, and he will be eligible for parole in 29 years.

Hunter went over to his ex-girlfriend's Akron apartment on May 25. Hunter and the woman have a child together. The woman's current boyfriend, 24-year-old Marlon Gibson, was also at the apartment, the release says.

Hunter tried to get into the apartment, but Gibson closed the door on him, the release states. When Gibson came outside minutes later to smoke a cigarette, Hunter opened fire.

Gibson was shot ten times by Hunter. He was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital, where he died, police said.

Akron police officers who responded to the shooting scene stopped a 2010 Chevy Equinox leaving the apartment complex and found Hunter behind the wheel. A stolen pistol was also found inside the car.

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The estates of three people who died in a house fire in Akron eariler this month have filed suit against their landlord.

(Kaylee Remington/cleveland.com)

AKRON, Ohio -- The estates of a father and two daughters who died in a house fire in Akron earlier this month has filed suit saying the landlord did not install smoke detectors and is liable for their deaths.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Omar Riley, 37, and his daughters Aniyla Riley, 8 and Shanice Riley, 9.

Joni Laidig, the family's landlord, is named as the defendant.

The trio, along with Shirley Wallis, the mother of the children and Omar Riley's girlfriend, died Dec. 3 when their home in the 200 block of Tallmadge Avenue caught fire.

Wallis' 12-year-old daughter Shaniya Simpson survived.

The Akron Fire Department said it found no smoke detectors in the house.

The lawsuit says that the trio died "as a result of the lack of smoke detectors." It accuses Laidig of negligence and is asking for more than $25 million in damages.

Laidig could not immediately be reached for comment.

Wallis is not mentioned in the lawsuit.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge John Adams in Akron.

The LeBron James Family Foundation wrote on Twitter that Aniyla and Shanice Riley were in its Wheels for Education program.

Aniyla was a fourth grader at Forest Hill Community Learning Center. Shanice was a third grader at Seiberling Community Learning Center.

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Cuyahoga County corrections officer Eric Ambler, 41, is being investigated after drunken arrest.

(Sara Dorn, cleveland.com)

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio -- A Cuyahoga County Jail corrections officer with an extensive discipline history is the subject of an internal investigation after his November arrest in Elyria where he kicked and yelled inside a police cruiser.

Eric Ambler, 41, was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated in the Nov. 20 incident and pleaded guilty the following morning in Elyria Municipal Court. He was fined $150, according to court records.

The arrest prompted an internal investigation, Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said.

Officers were called about 9:30 p.m. to Boomer's Bar on Broad Street to investigate a report of a man with a knife, according to a police report.

The officers encountered the man, later identified as Ambler, who reached into his pocket, the report says. The officers demanded that he show his hands, and they found a six-inch folding knife in his pocket, the report says.

Ambler could not give the officers his name or where he lived. He slurred his speech and appeared drunk, according to the report.

Once officers got Ambler in handcuffs, he became dead weight and wouldn't walk. Officers pulled him into the back seat of a police cruiser, the report says.

Ambler yelled at the officers and told them he was going to "kick their ass," according to the police report. He kicked the plastic divider between the front and back seats of the cruiser on the drive from the bar to the Lorain County Sheriff's Office, the report says.

Corrections officers carried him to the booking room and placed him in a restraining chair, the report says.

Ambler's background includes suspensions and written reprimands, according to letters obtained from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department:

In July 2015 he was suspended for two days after an incident at the Cuyahoga County Jail. The May 5, 2015 incident involved Ambler and several inmates who were in a conversation. The conversation turned into a physical altercation between three inmates offended by the conversation. The inmates were treated for injuries. The

He was suspended for three days after being arrested Feb. 28, 2015 by the Middleburg Heights Police Department for operating a vehicle while under the influence and carrying a concealed weapon. He was found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Ambler failed to properly punch a time clock or sign a time sheets on four days in August 2012. He received a written reprimand.

He received a written reprimand for verbal abuse of fellow employee, sheriff, the public or jail inmate on July 1, 2011.

Ambler received a one-day suspension for absent without official leave on Jan. 19, 2011. He got a one-day suspension for the same violation on Nov. 10, 2011.

He received a written reprimand on Dec. 9, 2010 for absent without official leave.

Ambler received a written reprimand for verbal abuse of fellow employee, sheriff, the public or jail inmate on April 2, 2008.

On Dec. 11, 2006 he received a written reprimand for an attendance violation. Ambler received a working suspension for the same violation on Jan. 16, 2007.

On March 21, 2005, he was suspended for 16 days for using excessive force on an inmate and failure to submit a complete incident report. His report contained no additional details about the altercation.

On December 9, 2004 he was given a written reprimand for failure to comply with a written or verbal from the sheriff or supervisor.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Big Chuck Schodowski has received dozens of awards, countless fan letters, the adulation of midnight freaks and monsters geeks.

And now, perhaps, the crowning achievement... Egads, you mean, his very own pierogi?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Rudy's Strudel is rolling out 'The Kielbasy Kid' to pay tribute to the Cleveland TV legend who hit the airwaves 50 years ago, with the "Hoolihan and Big Chuck Show."

"I grew up watching Big Chuck and he was a big part of my childhood," says Lidia Trempe, owner of the Parma Eastern European-style bakery. "So I figured what better way to honor him than with a pierogi?"

"Hoolihan and Big Chuck" debuted in December 1966. It made a quiet entry with a movie Dec. 16 and followed it up with a full-on show on Dec. 23, skits, jokes and all.

In the 50 years since, Schodowski has hosted thousands of flicks and made more than 2,000 skits, including a parody of a rifleman in the Old West called 'The Kielbasy Kid" - which inspired Trempe to hatch a Big Chuck-themed pierogi.

It follows up an Indians and LeBron James-themed pierogi crafted at Rudy's. This one tries to capture the flavor of Parma.

"It's a mix of three different kielbasa and comes with sauerkraut," says Trempe, "And Big Chuck is the epitome of Cleveland and Parma."

Schodowski, who is Polish, is renowned for his popular "Certain Ethnic" skits. He also lived in Parma - which became part of a running gag when he got his start working with late-night TV legend Ernie "Ghoulardi" Anderson.

"Ernie used to live in Parma and would get in trouble with his neighbors because he never took care of his lawn or house," says Schodowski, who debuted the "Big Chuck and Lil' Show" in 1979. "So he moved out of Parma and then lost it when I told him I bought a house in Parma."

Anderson would often joke about Parma, which put Schodowski in an uncomfortable spot.

"I didn't want my neighbors getting mad at me too, so I tell Ernie that I'm going to cut off his microphone the next time he starts making fun of Parma," he says. "Well, knowing Ernie, I knew he wasn't going to listen to me -- so when I cut him off, I inserted this polka music. Man, the people loved it."

Parma became the subject of a number of Ghoulardi skits and continued to play a big part in Schodowski's popularity and legend.

"I love how Big Chuck is so homegrown and is part of our memory," says Trempe, whose ethnic background is Ukrainian and Polish. "One of the first things that comes up when you start talking with someone about growing up in Cleveland is Big Chuck - he binds us all."

The pierogi goes on sale Tuesday, 5580 Ridge Road in Parma's Polish Village area. Go to rudystrudel.com or call 440-886-4430. They are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays.
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The Sidney Lumet film series at the Cleveland Museum of Art runs through December 30. Shown here, are scenes from 'The Offence,' starring Sean Connery and 'The Fugitive Kind' starring Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani and Joanne Woodward.

(Cleveland Museum of Art)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Sidney Lumet film series at the Cleveland Museum of Art continues on Wednesday, December 21 at 7 p.m. with the 1973 film "The Offence," starring Sean Connery, Trevor Howard and Ian Bannen. This crime thriller revolves around a veteran police detective who snaps while interrogating an accused child molester.

"The Offence" repeats December 23 at 7 p.m.

On Wednesday, December 28, come back for "The Fugitive Kind" - a film version of Tennessee Williams's "Orpheus Descending" - which stars Marlon Brando, Joanne Woodward and Anna Magnani, and tells the story of a disreputable drifter in a small Mississippi town who begins a love affair with his female employer, angering her ailing husband.

Ticket prices for all screenings are $11; CMA members, seniors 65 & over, students $9; no CMA Film Series vouchers. For more information, click here.
EUCLID, Ohio - Euclid City Council will hear a newly-introduced charter amendment at a Monday night meeting that if passed, would switch the city's government to be led by a city manager.

Euclid City Council will hear a proposed charter amendment Monday night that would switch the city government to become city manager-led as opposed to mayor-led.

The legislation presented at Monday night's meeting was composed by the city's Charter Review Commission, led by President Jeffrey Beck. The topic of a government manager has been raised and discussed throughout the 2016 term, Beck told cleveland.com.

"We have the feeling that Euclid is a struggling city and that it is desperately in need of moving in an upwards direction," Beck said.

The legislation's proposal to move to a city manager was not made to "denigrate" current or past mayors, Beck said. Euclid is currently led by Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail, who was elected in November 2015.

"We're trying to step away from the political arena and look for a new direction," Beck said.

A city manager would run the administration and day-to-day tasks of the city under the proposed ordinance, while the title of mayor would be weakened. The job of mayor would become a part-time position. The mayor would also become the city council president, Beck said.

According to the ordinance, city council would appoint the city manager and oversee the position's work.

Beck said that the commission looked at other cities in Cuyahoga and surrounding counties that have a city manager when drafting the legislation. Cleveland Heights, Hudson, Mentor and Painesville all have a city manager.

Beck pointed to Mentor as an example with a city manager that is "on the right track with lots of economic growth."

The ordinance is expected to be referred Monday to the Executive and Finance Committee, according to the agenda.

Euclid residents would ultimately vote on the matter, as it is a charter amendment. The issue could appear as early as the 2017 primary, Beck said, and if passed, the ordinance would go into effect in January 2020.
BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A suspended Bedford Heights police officer is accused of choking a woman and slamming her head against the wall during a domestic violence incident in Stark County, according to a police report.

The woman suffered bruises on her face, arms and shoulders Dec. 9 at a house in Canton, a Stark County Sheriff's Office deputy wrote in the report.

Bedford Heights patrolman Douglas A. Dardzinski, 39, is charged with domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor, in connection with the incident. Dardzinski also faces domestic violence and kidnapping charges from the same date in Akron, records show.

Defense attorney William Vasiliou said Tuesday that Dardzinski is planning to contest the charges. Dardzinski is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 9 in Canton Municipal Court; his next appearance in Akron Municipal Court has not been scheduled, records show.

"There are two sides to every story," Vasiliou said. "We look forward to being able to present our version of the events."

Dardzinski has been placed on unpaid administrative leave while the Bedford Heights Police Department performs an internal investigation, Chief Michael Marotta said last week.

The woman who filed the domestic violence complaint said Dardzinski attacked her on several times after she told him she wanted to break up with him. Dardzinski also threatened to send private photos and videos to her coworkers if she reported the attacks, the woman told sheriff's deputies.

On Dec. 9, the woman met Dardzinski in his car outside her Akron workplace. He began assaulting her while demanding he return a ring he gave her, the report says.

Dardzinski drove the woman back to the house in Canton, where he picked her up and slammed her on the floor several times, deputies said. Dardzinski pulled her hair and slammed her head against the wall while telling her "goodnight," the report says.

Dardzinski pinned her on a bed and slapped her face several times, the report says. At one point he put his hands around her throat and squeezed, making it difficult for her to breathe, the report says.

Dardzinski eventually stopped and seemed to realize what he'd done, the woman told sheriff's deputies. He apologized and handed his gun to her, then asked her to shoot and kill him, the report says.

When the woman refused, Dardzinski cleaned up the mess created by the attack. He then drove her back to her car in Akron and left, the report says.

The woman took photos of her injuries and provided them to sheriff's deputies. Deputies also noted that she had bruises on her face, the report says.

Dardzinski has been disciplined during his tenure with the Bedford Heights Police Department, Marotta said, but he declined additional comment. Cleveland.com has filed a public records request to review Dardzinski's personnel file.

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Judge Joan Synenberg sentenced Douglas Shine Jr. to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a month after a jury recommended he be executed for killing three people inside a Warrensville Heights barbershop in February 2015 and then plotting the death of a witness.

(Cory Shaffer, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Common Pleas Judge Joan Synenberg on Monday became the first Cuyahoga County judge in three decades to reject a jury's death penalty recommendation when she sent the man who killed three people at a Warrensville Heights barbershop to prison for life.

Synenberg joins Judge Frank Gorman as the only two Cuyahoga County judges since Ohio's death penalty was re-instituted in 1981 to spare the lives of convicted murderers after a jury recommended the defendants' execution.

Synenberg said that evidence of the 21-year-old Douglas Shine Jr.'s "transient, non-nurturing and violent childhood," which was filled with abuse and undiagnosed and untreated mental disorders that left Shine with the emotional maturity of a 5-year-old, outweighed the aggravating circumstances of the Feb. 5, 2015 triple killing at Chalk Linez and the subsequent plot to murder a witness in the shooting.

Instead of taking the jury's recommendation, Synenberg sentenced Shine to four life in prison sentences, plus an additional 380 years.

The last time a Cuyahoga County judge rejected a jury's recommendation, according to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office, was in 1987, when then Judge Frank Gorman sentenced Antonio Wright to life in prison with parole after 30 years for a deadly Parma home-invasion.

Wright and another broke into a home at random and robbed the couple, according to Plain Dealer archives. When the homeowner, Grover Lang, charged at Wright, Wright shot Lang in the chest and killed him.

The jury recommended that Wright be put to death, but Gorman defied that recommendation because he said if the homeowner had not charged Wright, there would have been no killing, the Plain Dealer reported.

Gorman's sentence drew a strong rebuke from the assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor who worked the case, who said that jurors got the most difficult decision of their lives correct, the newspaper reported.

"Theirs was an agonizing, soul-searching decision which put them through mental anguish. And here the judge disregards what they said," Mark Fellenbaum told the newspaper.

Synenberg's decision drew a similar response from Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty.

"Unfortunately, the court gave more weight to the self-serving, unsubstantiated statements of an unrepentant, malingering mass murderer than to the overwhelming evidence that he was fully capable of planning and carrying out this diabolical attack on a crowded barbershop filled with men, women and children," McGinty said in an emailed statement.

To comment on this story, please visit Monday's crime and courts comments page.
Accident results in minor injuries

HUMPHREY  The Platte County Sheriffs Office responded to a two-vehicle accident with minor injuries at 4:50 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of highways 81 and 91 near Humphrey.

According to the sheriff's office, a 2001 Ford F-150 pickup driven by Kevin Seger, 52, of ONeill was traveling north on Highway 81 when a 2004 Toyota Sienna van traveling west on Highway 91 attempted to cross the intersection. The driver of the van, Ester Achi, 47, of Wilmore, Kentucky, failed to yield and the vehicle was struck on the rear driver's side by the pickup.

Seger and an adult passenger were assessed by Humphrey Rescue at the scene and released without treatment. The driver of the van and four other passengers, two adults and two juveniles, were taken to Faith Regional Health Service in Norfolk with minor injuries.

Rescue crews from Humphrey, Lindsay and Creston assisted at the accident scene. Seat belts were used by the vehicles' occupants and alcohol is not suspected to be a factor in the accident.

The sheriffs office put damage estimates at $15,000 for the van and $18,000 for the pickup.

Any traffic citations are pending a completed investigation of the accident.

Detention Center

The inmate count at the Platte County Detention Facility Monday was 71, with 44 from Platte County and 27 from out of county.

Police

Nov. 25

7:03 p.m.  At the intersection of 23rd Street and 33rd Avenue, Cody Patrick, 30, 3420 27th St., was cited for a traffic signal violation and no seat belt.

Dec. 1

6:42 p.m.  In the 3000 block of 27th Street, Bryan Salazar, 20, 3066 26th Ave., was cited for negligent driving.

Dec. 2

11:05 a.m.  At 2508 13th St., Sherly Aguilar De Gonzalez, 36, Schuyler, was cited for shoplifting.

Sheriff

Dec. 16

9:58 a.m.  At the intersection of East 38th Street and Lost Creek Parkway, Austin Kosch cited for speeding.

4:17 p.m.- Assault at the Platte County Detention Facility, 1125 E. 17th St., Ethan Will, Calvin Wright and Jackota Moore all cited for assault on a confined person.

Fire

Dec. 16

10:13 a.m.  In the 2700 block of Air Vista Drive, medical.

1:49 p.m.  In the 4500 block of 38th Street, medical.

2:16 p.m.  In the 3000 block of 39th Avenue, medical.

2:34 p.m.  Accident -mile west of Oconee on Highway 22.

3:57 p.m.  In the 110 block of North Road, medical.

4:01 p.m.  Accident at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and 63rd Avenue.

6:37 p.m.  In the 2300 block of Pershing Road, medical.

9:09 p.m.  In the 2100 block of East 53rd Street, medical.

Dec. 17

1:51 a.m.  In the 1700 block of 28th Avenue, medical.

6:07 a.m.  Silent fire alarm activated in the 2800 block of 31st Avenue.

9:33 a.m.  In the 2600 block of 23rd Avenue, medical.

9:44 a.m.  In the 2700 block of Cheyenne Street, medical.

Dec. 18

2:23 a.m.  In the 2000 block of 11th Street, medical.

5:57 p.m.  In the 2500 block of 47th Avenue, medical.
COLUMBUS  Columbus Public Schools board members on Monday evening approved some spending changes in the construction costs for the new Columbus High, but the overall project is scheduled to hit the finish line $1.3 million under budget when it opens to students in March.

The contract with Hausmann Construction of Lincoln was set to expire Dec. 31, but the estimated completion date for the high school along Lost Creek Parkway and 33rd Avenue has been pushed back to March 7.

The board voted Monday to extend Hausmanns contract by a unanimous 6-0 vote.

Increased spending on district-approved change orders, personnel costs to supervise the last-minute tasks and weather-related delays added about $550,000 to Hausmanns original $50.2 million guaranteed maximum price for the project.

About $200,000 of that $550,000 are reimbursable costs for change orders and personnel under the contract.

The actual price for the 270,000-square-foot high school is set to come in $1.3 million under budget, Superintendent Troy Loeffelholz told board members.

Voters approved a $49.9 million bond issue for the new high school in May 2014 and the CPS board committed up to $2.1 million from the district's cash reserve for additional expenses, pushing the project's total budget to $52 million.

Weather-related issues during the 2014-16 construction schedule have slowed the project and added to the potential spending boost in the guaranteed price for new school, Loeffelholz said.

Hausmanns original bid on the project allowed for 18 days of weather-related construction slowdowns each year, but damp conditions during both years of building doubled the delays.

There were 78 full or partial weather-related delays in the two years, Loeffelholz said.

Construction on the new high school is now expected to be completed in late February.

Students at the existing high school along 26th Street will shift to the new high school March 20 following a 10-day spring break.

In other business, the school board accepted the resignation of longtime member Ken Curry, who will leave with two years remaining in his third term.

Its been a true privilege to serve on this board and if theres anything you ever need, Curry told the five other board members, just yell and Ill be there to help.

Curry, vice president of customer services at Nebraska Public Power District, said he brought a technical and business perspective when serving on the board after volunteering with a couple of bond issue campaigns for earlier high school renovation proposals.

There have been some highs and lows (over the last 20 years), Curry said.

He and his wife, Robin, watched three children walk across CHS graduation stages over the years.

Board President Mike Goos said Curry brought a great vision to the school district.

Its been a privilege and an honor to serve with you, Goos said.

The district's process for filling a board vacancy includes advertising the open position and accepting applications through Dec. 28. The unexpired term begins in January and extends to January 2019.

The board is expected to appoint a successor to Curry at its January meeting.

In another matter, the board approved a one-year extension on the consortium grant writer contract with Lori Aschoff.

CPS, Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and Columbus Area United Way share the cost of Aschoffs $34,000 annual salary for 25 hours a week. The chamber and United Way pay $11,000 each and CPS picks up the other $12,000.

The contract extends from Feb. 1, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018.

Aschoff has written grant proposals that have brought about $700,000 of value back to the district over the last few years, Loeffelholz told the board.
Chy Sila has come a long way since he invested his $500 life savings in a small shop in Cambodia's capital to sell bootleg music and pirated movies.

Fast-forward 16 years and Cambodians are now watching the films he distributes not on scratchy DVDs but in a $5 million multiplex theater, a joint venture with Thailand's Major Cineplex and the centerpiece of a new mall owned by Japanese retail giant Aeon that drew 2 million visitors in its opening month.

The 39-year-old former tour guide, university dropout and son of a mechanic is one of the biggest success stories in a country that was for years Southeast Asia's war-torn, aid-dependent basket case.

Though poverty is still rife in the countryside, an urban boom and robust growth fueled by garment manufacturing for brands such as Nike and GAP has given rise to a growing consumer class that earns triple the average income.

Read MoreGap to open 40 stores in India

"We see there's a lot more buying power than before," said Chy Sila as he took a bite from a croissant and sipped cappuccino at one of the bakeries run by his CBM Corporation, Cambodia's biggest food and beverage firm.

"People can afford to pay so now's the time, we're ready for big brands to come here... Materialism is in peoples' hearts, what you wear, what you drive, represents what you are."

With a fast-growing working population and falling dependency ratio, Cambodia has the demographics most favorable to rapid economic growth.

Young Cambodians now buy smartphones, flat-screen TVs and Japanese motorcycles. They tap banks for loans and credit cards and are fueling the kind of capitalist culture the 1970s ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge killed 2 million people to prevent.
Trump winning over millionaire investors, who are betting on windfall

Robert Frank | @robtfrank

CNBC Millionaire Survey: 62% say Trump will be good for investments

Millionaire investors were evenly split this election, but with the markets on a tear since the ballots were counted, nearly two-thirds now say President-elect Donald Trump will be good for their investments.

The results of CNBC's latest Millionaire Survey found that 43 percent of investors with more than $1 million in investible assets voted for Hillary Clinton, while 42 percent voted for Trump. That marked a huge swing from CNBC's spring survey, when Trump had only 31 percent of the vote. That means Trump captured nearly all the undecided millionaire voters.

The Millionaire Survey, conducted with Spectrem Group, polls millionaires by wealth and not by income. Still, the results tracked with those from exit polls, which showed that Trump and Clinton essentially split the votes for those making $250,000 or more.

CNBC's online survey polled 750 investors with $1 million or more in investible assets shortly after the election.

Following the Trump win, nearly half of millionaires said the economy will be stronger in 2017. That's way up from the spring, when only 30 percent said the economy would be stronger.

Sixty-two percent said Trump will be good for their investments, and most predict the S&P will be up by 5 to 10 percent next year. Nearly half said they expect their personal assets will increase next year.

One big reason for the group's investment and personal optimism is lower taxes. Of those worth $5 million or more, 43 percent expect a tax cut. And many plan to put that extra money into the market  40 percent say they will invest their cuts in stocks, and one-third said they will put it into savings.

More than half of the millionaires surveyed said they expect the deficit to increase next year. Yet they said the most important issue for Trump to address is health care, followed by foreign policy. Taxes and government spending ranked third, according to the findings.

Millionaire forecasts for the economy and investing are still driven largely by their politics. Democrats were far more likely to say the economy will be weaker next year. And while 92 percent of Republican millionaires said Trump will be good for investing, only 18 percent of Democrats agreed.

VIDEO:

CNBC Millionaire Survey: 62% say Trump will be good for investments: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000577318&play=1

Trump winning over millionaire investors, who are betting on windfall: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/19/trump-winning-over-millionaire-investors-who-are-betting-on-windfall.html

43% of millionaires voted for Clinton: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000577385&play=1

Millionaires hold back for holiday: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000577453&play=1

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It's that time again! Jim Cramer rang the lightning round bell, which means he gave his take on caller favorite stocks at rapid speed:



Masco Corp : "I like Masco, but the fact is their products are sold at Home Depot, and I think Home Depot is taking share from Lowe's and Sears, which is a share don't-er. We are buying HD."

WEC Energy Group : "It's good but I'm not recommending many utilities other than American Electric Power, AEP. And that is in part because they may not have to transfer all of their coal plants into nat gas."

Valmont Industries Inc : "A classic American industrial. I'm talking about poles for utilities, the lighting. It's good! I like it."
For starters, ambitious filers can always do it on their own by filling out the e-file forms the IRS  and in some cases, states  make available online. But there are also an increasing number of tax preparation software companies offering to help  for free.

Americans can spend hundreds of dollars on help preparing and filing their taxes although there are plenty of ways to do it at no or little cost.

Benjamin Franklin once said nothing in life is certain except death and taxes. Only one is an out-of-pocket expense.

Other services include TurboTax's Absolute Zero, which began three years ago for taxpayers filing federal 1040A or 1040EZ returns as well as state returns.

Most recently, Credit Karma announced Credit Karma Tax, a do-it-yourself tax prep service at no cost. It covers a 1040 (the standard federal income tax form) and is best suited for simpler tax returns. (Those with multistate filings or a trust or farm subsidies would still be better off with an accountant who can offer advice as well as assistance, according to Credit Karma's founder and CEO, Kenneth Lin.)

One hundred million people are eligible but it's not advertised, so nobody knows about it.

The IRS also maintains Free File for more complicated returns (but still not multistate), which is administered through the Free File Alliance, a nonprofit organization comprised of a dozen tax prep service providers, including TurboTax, H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt.

Free File projects that, in 2017, it will prepare about 3 million individual income tax returns out of the 153 million the IRS expects to receive. "One hundred million people are eligible but it's not advertised, so nobody knows about it," said Tim Hugo, executive director of the Free File Alliance.

The program, which walks you through your tax filings step by step, is geared toward low- and moderate-income taxpayers, but each provider has its own restrictions on who qualifies. For example, some will accept all filers who make $64,000 or less while others may have age requirements or geographical restrictions (a wizard will walk you through the available programs that fit your criteria).

And you still may not be able to wrap up all your paperwork before April 18 (yes, the deadline is different in 2017) completely scot-free. There could be some additional charges, including a fee for those who owe taxes and use a credit card to make a payment or for filing a state return online.

For those determined not to spend a dime, and still want in-person assistance from a tax pro, the AARP Foundation runs a volunteer-based Tax-Aide program for those who can't afford tax prep help.

The IRS also has both a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, or VITA, for people with disabilities, limited English or those who generally make $54,000 or less, and Tax Counseling for the Elderly, or TCE, for those who are age 60 or older.

VITA and TCE sites are generally located in community centers, libraries and schools around the country. And many of the TCE sites are operated by AARP's Tax-Aide program.

For more information, go to irs.gov.
With the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF climbing about half a percent Monday, the "Fast Money" traders weighed in on housing stocks building up for 2017.

Trader Brian Kelly noted that even though housing starts fell below estimates last week, 2017 could be the year for homebuilders to break out. The sector's climb reminded him of another big performer from 2016.

"The homebuilder is set up similar to how the financials did last year where this could be a big breakout trade if you have that economic growth that's going to push people in homes," he said.

Trader Karen Finerman said she's not concerned about the move in the homebuilders ETF. She attributed it to the end of the election and the end of uncertainty.

As the low-end buyer in the sector, KB Home has the potential to be a strong stock next year in the face of regulation rollbacks from the Trump administration, trader David Seaburg said. Even thought the stock is up 33 percent year to date, Seaburg said it still has room to grow, while the high-end Wall Street banks are going to continue to have problems with regulation.

"I like the KBH. Even though it's up strong, I think it continues," he said.
Security and rescue workers tend to the area after a lorry truck ploughed through a Christmas market on December 19, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday condemned an attack at a Christmas market in Berlin that killed nine people and injured dozens more, linking the attack to "Islamist terrorists" before German police officials had said who was responsible.

Trump, in a statement, said "ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad," using an acronym for Islamic State.

On Twitter, he said the attack, along with others in Turkey and Switzerland, showed "it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!"

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U.S. Navy personnel looks at Philippine Navy vessel BRP Ramon Alcaraz during a bilateral maritime exercise in the South China Sea. Noel Celis | AFP | Getty Images

The United States expects China to return soon an underwater U.S. drone seized by a Chinese naval vessel last week, with one U.S. official telling Reuters the exchange could happen as early as Tuesday at an agreed location in the South China Sea. China's seizure of the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) triggered a diplomatic protest and speculation about whether it will strengthen U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's hand as he seeks a tougher line with Beijing. A Chinese warship took the drone, which the Pentagon says uses unclassified, commercially available technology to collect oceanographic data, on Thursday about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines. The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said talks with Beijing on the timing of the exchange were advancing, with two saying they expected the incident to be resolved satisfactorily "relatively soon." One said the exchange could take place near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea as early as Tuesday, local time. A U.S. destroyer would likely receive the drone, although the mechanics of the exchange were unclear. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook at a news briefing said only that "We're working out the logistical details with Chinese officials". In Beijing, China's foreign ministry said the Chinese and U.S. militaries were having "unimpeded" talks about the return.

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The seizure has added to U.S. concerns about China's growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarization of maritime outposts. The U.S. Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60 kg (130 pounds) and able to stay underwater for up to five months. They are used to collect unclassified data about oceans, including temperature and depth. They are used around the world, but it is unclear how many are used in the South China Sea. Keep the drone! Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, waded into the dispute over the weekend, saying in a tweet: "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back - let them keep it!" Trump has threatened to declare China a currency manipulator and force changes in U.S.-Chinese trade policy, which he says has led to the greatest theft of American jobs in history. Trump has also raised questions about the most sensitive part of the U.S.-China relationship: whether Washington would stick to its nearly four-decades-old policy of recognizing that Taiwan is part of "one China." Asked about Trump's comments, Hua said describing the drone as stolen was "completely incorrect". "China's navy had a responsible and professional attitude to identify and ascertain this object," she said. "If you discover or pick something up from the street you have to examine it and if somebody asks you for it you have to work out if it's theirs before you can give it back." Cook called the seizure illegal and said Washington was using military and diplomatic channels to secure the drone's return. Pentagon officials have sought to be firm without escalating the incident.

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When you're just starting out, life insurance may not be your first concern. But it's worth planning for the unexpected. Half of millennials have life insurance  whether their own policy, one through an employer, or both, according to the LIMRA and Life Happens 2016 Insurance Barometer report. "The reason you have insurance is to provide protection for the people you're going to leave behind," said Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and the director of financial planning for Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida. When you're young and single, you might not need a lot of life insurance  if any. But there are a few situations where you might want to secure a policy in your 20s or 30s:

Income support

"If anybody counts on you for your income, then you want to have life insurance," McClanahan said. Many people start to think about life insurance when they get married or have a child, she said. But they aren't the only people who might benefit from a policy replacing your lost income. One in 5 millennials financially supports a parent, with an average outlay of $12,000 a year, according to a 2015 TD Ameritrade analysis.

Co-signed debts

If a friend or relative has co-signed on a debt for you  private student loans, for example, or a car loan or mortgage  they could be on the hook for the amount outstanding if you were to die. (Couples living in a community property state may both be liable for debts incurred during their marriage, even if they don't co-sign.) In those cases, a term life insurance policy can cover that debt should you die before it's zeroed out, she said.

Uninsurable lifestyle
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The U.S. Mountain States are moving away from coal, even as President-elect Donald Trump vows to revive the embattled industry. Western states  a stronghold for coal consumption  are increasingly using natural gas and renewable energy for their electricity. The switch puts pressure on miners in Wyoming, the country's biggest coal-producing state, and tilts the playing field against Trump's plans. The president-elect's promise to put miners back to work was already a tall order  the International Energy Agency says the embattled U.S. industry must close more mines in the coming years before it can return to health. Trump also wants to increase natural gas production, but energy analysts say that would eat into coal's market share even more than it already has.

While Wyoming miners have faced layoffs recently, the state has been something of a bulwark. Its vast deposits of easily accessible, low-sulfur coal have kept the mountain region running on the fossil fuel. Nearly half of the region's power generation in 2015 was coal-fired, while the national average was 33 percent, according to analysis by the Energy Information Administration.

But even that swath of the United States is not immune to the market forces that have chipped away at coal. A decade ago, coal provided 63 percent of its power. On the one hand, Wyoming has closed fewer coal-fired plants than other states, including West Virginia and Kentucky, because its facilities are relatively new and more efficient. New air-quality regulations have quickened the retirement of old and inefficient plants in parts of the United States.





But new power-generation in the mountain region is being provided by natural gas, solar and wind as some states commit to renewable energy and the regulatory outlook for coal remains unclear, said Robert Godby, director of the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy at the University of Wyoming.

"Between the Colorado Renewables Portfolio Standard and growth being accommodated by renewables and natural gas, there's just no reason to build any coal [capacity]. But there's also no reason to retire it," he said.



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How Wyoming won the coal market

Americans tend to think of West Virginia and Kentucky as coal country, but Wyoming alone produced 40 percent of the country's coal production in 2014. That year, the entire Appalachian region mined 27 percent of U.S. coal. Coal mining in Wyoming increased during the 1970s oil crisis, when leaders became preoccupied with U.S. energy independence. Deregulation in 1980 led to lower rail rates, making it cheaper to ship Wyoming's coal around the country. Most of the state's production comes from the northeastern Powder River Basin, where cleaner-burning, low-sulfur coal lies close to the surface, making it much cheaper and easier to extract than coal taken from deep mines elsewhere. "People have described the deposits as freakish," Godby said.

Wyoming's mines feed a number of nearby plants that generate far more electricity than Wyoming can use. The state sends two-thirds of its electricity generation through the grid to nearby states. What it doesn't burn, Wyoming ships near and far; in 2015, 32 states imported the state's coal. Powder River Basin coal trades at about $10 per short ton, compared with about $45 for Central Appalachia coal, so it can be cheaper than Kentucky and West Virginia coal even after transportation costs. Stricter regulations on sulfur dioxide emissions in 1990 prompted plant operators to use Powder River Basin coal. Until recently, operators didn't have to install emissions-control technology  and dedicate part of the plant's output to power it  because Powder River Basin coal burns more cleanly.

Wyoming's advantage wanes

But things are changing. Wyoming coal production peaked in 2008 at 447.6 million tons, declining to 375.8 million tons in 2015 amid an overabundance of coal, stagnant electricity demand, cheaper natural gas prices, falling renewable energy costs and new environmental regulations. Trump's vow to abandon President Barack Obama's attempt to further regulate greenhouse gas emissions from plants under the Clean Power Plan could provide some relief. If the plan is enforced, the EIA projects the United States will retire 32 more gigawatts of coal-fired capacity by 2030 than it otherwise would have. Markets watchers are also anticipating higher economic growth as Trump and congressional Republicans pursue tax reform and infrastructure spending, but Godby notes that electricity use grows at a slower pace than GDP. The shift to energy efficient products like LED lightbulbs and flat screen TVs that coincided with the economic recovery since 2009 has also capped electricity demand growth, he said.




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A cybersecurity firm says it has uncovered a massive online scam that employs an army of automated web browsers to siphon millions of dollars of advertising per day away from U.S. media companies and brand-name advertisers. The firm, New York-based White Ops, has dubbed the operation "Methbot," because of references to meth buried in the computer code underlying the scam, and says it is the largest and most profitable fraud operation yet to strike digital advertising. The company says the scam, which it believes originated in Russia, is using a so-called bot net to fake views of as many as 300 million video ads per day and trick advertisers to pay for views that were never seen by humans. With Russian government hacking dominating headlines around the world, White Ops CEO Michael Tiffany said this scam is probably not being run by the Kremlin even though it has enormous size and sophistication.

Sample of a Methbot Generated URL for Vogue.com video advertisement. Source: Vogue.com

"We really see no signs of state sponsorship, it looks to us like this is really a private criminal group," Tiffany said. "They're just bada---s." Tiffany said someone with a deep understanding of the industry is likely behind the scam. "This shows an incredible, absolutely insider's mastery of digital advertising," he said. "It requires multiple skills." To be sure, the White Ops report is an allegation from a single cybersecurity firm and cannot be independently verified by CNBC. Confirmation of the allegation will depend on other security firms, possibly the U.S. government, and the online advertising industry itself. If true, the allegation means that there is significant fraud at the heart of the global online video industry. A "bot net" is a network of computers infected with malicious code that is controlled by hackers for a purpose that can be unknown to the actual owners of the computers. They are frequently used by online scammers to ramp up the scale of a cyberattack and hide the perpetrators.

The company said the scam works because of the fragmented nature of the online advertising marketplace, in which buyers and sellers of advertising no longer know each other, or even communicate with one another. "At this point the Methbot operation has become so embedded in the layers of the advertising ecosystem [that] the only way to shut it down is to make the details public to help affected parties take action," White Ops said in a paper released Tuesday. Tiffany told CNBC he is optimistic that the scam, which has been ongoing at high volume for several months, could be stopped by a coordinated ad industry effort. "I think we're going to respond and take away their ability to profit in record time," he said.

By farming out the operations across a wide network, Methbot has been able to avoid some typical detection methods, White Ops said, adding that the scam "marks an innovation that transcends beyond traditional bot nets allowing Methbot to scale beyond anything the industry has seen before and placing it in a new class of bot fraud." Here's how it allegedly works: The online advertising market depends on an automated auction system in order to match media companies with advertisers. Advertisers hire a vast array of ad buyers to purchase advertising time on websites across the internet. That process has been automated through software exchanges that match buyers and sellers of online video, with hundreds of transactions taking place in fractions of seconds. It's that process itself that is being attacked: The Methbot group offers fake advertising inventory into the system, and then generates phony views of the ads in an effort to collect money from the unwitting ad buyers.


When Donald Trump won the presidential election in November, some liberals and activists had a cool-sounding idea. What if, they mused, they could in fact block his win through the Electoral College, which actually casts the ballots that will officially make Trump president?

But when the electors gathered across the country Monday, this plot backfired embarrassingly  more electors defected from Hillary Clinton than from Trump.

Overall, Clinton lost five electors from states she won  three of whom instead cast their votes for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, one of whom voted for Bernie Sanders, and the other of whom voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, an activist involved in protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Meanwhile, three electors in other states Clinton won attempted to defect from her, but two were replaced with Clinton-supporting alternates and the other one changed his mind after a revote.

Now, these defections won't have any effect on the outcome, since Trump had a comfortable majority of pledged electors. All but two of the GOP nominee's electors stuck by him, giving him 304 electoral votes in total. (One defector backed Ron Paul; the other backed John Kasich.)

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But that doesn't mean the Electoral College system is sound. Instead, Monday's shenanigans further spotlight the glaring weaknesses in our country's bizarre, anachronistic Electoral College system that have long been evident.

The record number of defections for the modern era  there hasn't been more than one faithless elector in any one election in the past century  proves that the Electoral College isn't a system that can be relied on to accurately reflect the will of voters in the states. And yet it also isn't a system where electors feel completely free to make up their own minds.

What we actually have is a system in which the vast majority of electors vote in accordance with state outcomes  except for essentially random defections by little-known, idiosyncratic people who happen to have won elector slots. And that is a system that's badly vulnerable to a very serious crisis.

How the Electoral College works

When the dust settled after the presidential election last month, it looked like Donald Trump had won 306 electoral votes and Hillary Clinton had won 232.

But in the US's bizarre presidential election system, things aren't so simple. What had actually technically happened was that a slate of people were elected in each state  the Electoral College. Those 538 people then had to cast those ballots for president, which is what happened this Monday.

The fact that the electors are people has, in the modern era, been mainly a bit of entertaining trivia of little importance. They've been expected to vote in accordance with the outcome of the elections in their respective states, and the overwhelming majority of them have done so. Many states have even passed laws "binding" their electors to vote in accordance with the statewide outcome.

Yet some electors have instead gone their own way. Before 2016, Richard Berg-Andersson listed nine electors who went rogue, refusing to vote for their state's choice for president, in the past century. They've been dubbed "faithless electors." None of them have swung a presidential outcome. And in at least the past century there was never more than one faithless elector in any given year.

But this year, some liberals unhappy with Trump's victory and fearful of his presidency latched onto the idea of an Electoral College revolt as a potential way he could be blocked from the presidency.

As I wrote recently, this effort was "almost certainly doomed" and "essentially a call for destroying American democracy." I also argued that despite the high-minded rhetoric about what the Founding Fathers would have wanted, it was also "essentially an attempt to steal an election that Trump fairly won."

Others disagreed, the hot take factory went to work, and stories and videos giving liberals false hope that Trump could still be stopped went viral across the internet.

What happened in this year's Electoral College vote

Yet when the electors actually convened in the 50 state capitals and the District of Columbia on Monday, it was in fact Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump, who ended up losing more support.

In Hawaii, Democratic elector David Mulinx voted for Bernie Sanders instead of Clinton, claiming that Clinton wasn't qualified, according to LA Times reporter Mike Memoli.

Earlier, in Washington state, four of the 12 Democratic electors refused to vote for Hillary Clinton. Instead, three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, an environmental activist. According to Washington state law, these electors were pledged to vote for Clinton, so they may face fines of $1,000 each for refusing to do so.

The lone vote for Faith Spotted Eagle was cast by Native American activist Robert Satiacum Jr., who has called Clinton a "criminal" and for months been clear that he would never support Clinton.

Meanwhile, the three Powell votes were cast as part of an effort from a group called the Hamilton Electors to throw their support to a moderate Republican, in hopes that some Trump-pledged electors would follow.

This effort failed dismally. Only two Trump electors, both from Texas, defected, with one voting for John Kasich and the other for Ron Paul. The other 304 stayed loyal to Trump, which put him well above the 270 electoral votes he needed for victory.

Furthermore, three Democratic electors in other states Clinton won tried to defect but were either replaced or convinced to change their minds:

In Minnesota, Sanders-supporting Democratic elector Muhammad Abdurrahman reportedly refused to cast a vote, so according to state law, he was replaced with an alternate who did vote for Clinton.

In Maine, Democratic elector David Bright voted for Bernie Sanders at first, but his vote was ruled out of order, and he switched it to Clinton during a revote.

In Colorado, Democratic elector Michael Baca attempted to cast his vote for John Kasich (as part of the failed scheme to convince Trump electors to back a moderate Republican), but he was dismissed and replaced by an alternate, who voted for Clinton.

Theoretically, legal challenges could be launched related to some of these electoral votes, since the constitutionality of state laws binding electors has never truly been tested in the courts. But at least for the time being, they're set to count for Clinton.

Overall, then, the count at the end of the day Monday was: 304 for Trump, 227 for Clinton, 3 for Colin Powell, and 1 each for Bernie Sanders, John Kasich, Ron Paul, and Faith Spotted Eagle.

Why some electors ditched Clinton

The commonality among the Democratic faithless electors  both successful and attempted  is that they're Bernie Sanders supporters.

Many Sanders supporters came out of left-wing protest politics rather than Democratic Party politics, and they're not particularly interested in making Hillary Clinton or her party look good.

In Washington state, for instance, Bernie Sanders utterly dominated the caucuses, and his supporters therefore ended up being strongly represented at the state's Democratic Party convention  the gathering that chose the state's Democratic elector slate. The attempted faithless electors in Colorado, Minnesota, and Maine were also Sanders supporters from caucus states where Sanders won big, as was the faithless elector in Hawaii.

Funnily enough, the Hamilton Electors were hoping that tensions from the Republican primaries would remain and drive a significant number of electors to abandon Trump. But instead, the GOP is more united in victory than Democrats are in defeat.

Messing with democratic norms is a bad idea

Beyond being doomed, the push for an Electoral College revolt was always a bad and even dangerous idea, as I argued back in November:

For 180 years or so, our system has interpreted the results of the state elections as the Electoral College results. The campaigns are waged based on this understanding of the rules. The electors themselves have been rubber stamps. The popular vote has been irrelevant. Degrading those norms as part of a likely doomed effort to defeat Donald Trump is a bad idea. (For one, future rogue electors may not always vote the way you want  several historical rogue electors had racist motivations.)

Furthermore, electors overturning Trump particularly would certainly cause a constitutional crisis, because there is no world in which the Republican Party  who, again, control Congress  would accept Clinton taking the presidency in this way.

Now, it's important to note that the Electoral College revolt effort got little institutional support in the Democratic Party. Still, the idea was wildly popular on social media. That's even though it was an attempt from some liberals to ignore the commonly understood rules of the election to change an outcome they didn't like in a way they'd find utterly outrageous if it happened to them.

Indeed, the only thing rogue electors ended up accomplishing was to degrade one more of the American political norms that have been so damaged by the 2016 election.

The problem is that a system where electors feel free to override the will of the people if they don't like it  an idea idealized by many liberals who dreamed of a deus ex machina to block Trump from the White House  is also a system open to the somewhat random whims of those 538 people.

Progressives or liberals who are frightened by the Trump presidency should recognize that despite the weirdness of this election, it wasn't rigged. Hillary Clinton could have won if she had managed to convince more people in just a few swing states to vote for her. Those who want to resist Donald Trump should focus instead on preparing for the reality of his presidency, and on trying to organize for future elections.
European stocks closed higher on Tuesday with investors digesting news of two separate attacks in the German and Turkish capitals.



European markets



The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended 0.48 percent higher after trading near the flatline for much of the morning session. Sectors were mostly in positive territory on Tuesday with Oil & Gas stocks among the best performing, up 1.11 percent. The sector had been supported by a steep draw in U.S. crude stocks which could limit global oversupply in the new year. On Monday evening, twelve people died and 48 are injured after a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin. The German authorities said investigators were assuming the act, which revives memories of another truck attack in the south of France in July, was deliberate. A few hours before the incident in Berlin, the Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot dead while giving a speech at a gallery. An off-duty policeman shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" after shooting the Russian representative. Meanwhile in the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average continued a bullish run to hit another record high as investors remain undeterred from geopolitical tension.

Mediaset shares surge higher

In individual stocks news, French media group Vivendi announced it would continue to work towards increasing its stake in the Italian Mediaset within the limits of 30 percent. Mediaset shares rocketed up over 23 percent, reaching the top of the pan-European index.

Angelino Alfano, Italy's foreign minister, expressed his concern on Vivendi's move to increase its stake in Mediaset and urged for the market rules to be respected.

"This is something that concerns the whole of the Italian system, not just one company," Angelino said at a briefing in Paris on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report. Financial services and banking stocks were among the best performers on Tuesday. Lloyds Group said it was purchasing the MBNA U.K. credit-card business of Bank of America for about $2.35 billion as it tries to boost its consumer-finance business. Elsewhere, the Italian government is trying to get approval to inject 20 billion euros ($20.80 billion) to rescue its troubled banks. The Atlante fund confirmed Monday that it is pursuing with an investment into the embattled Monte Dei Paschi .

Oil prices little changed
The bad news for business leaders is that it is probably too late to get on Santa's good side for 2016. The good news is that there are many opportunities for 2017.

Unfortunately, there are so many opportunities because our nation's elected policymakers have allowed so many problems to fester in partisan discord and inaction. Business leaders need to encourage our political leaders to make the current change of administration a new beginning of bipartisan cooperation, putting the good of the nation first.

Here is a checklist of imperatives for Washington:

Repair our health care system. Even Obamacare's most devoted supporters know that it needs repair. Even the current system's fiercest adversaries know that the nation will not tolerate throwing millions of modest-income families off of insurance coverage. So the boundaries of the playing field should be clear. And while we are at it, we must fix Medicare, too. Medicare will drain its own trust fund dry in no more time than it will take the best new plan enacted today to turn the program around. We need a more-efficient health care system to deliver quality care to our elderly without telling typical retired workers that they have to foot the entire bill. Remember that Medicare reform alone will not fix our federal budget deficit and debt problem. We also need to review the rest of federal spending programs (including Social Security, even though it is a much smaller problem than Medicare) and reform our tax system, too. Business leaders know numbers, and they know the time value of money; they can see that we have no time to waste. Business leaders also know that the economy won't grow without a skilled labor force, sound infrastructure, and technological research  of which the federal government must be a part, although it cannot be the whole. Those prerequisites of growth must be built into a sound and fiscally responsible budget. Business leaders know that the economy won't grow without robust trade. We need to stand up for exporters who cannot maintain their job creation if the nation is not willing to import. We need to show that the economy will work for all of us if we stand up to global competition, and maintain and use our strength as the world's biggest market with the world's best-prepared workforce. Business leaders need to explain that our aging population needs smart, dedicated immigrants to produce the goods and services that our retirees need. We need to design and sell a revised immigration system that gives priorities to workers with skills that are in short supply in our economy. We need to improve the nation's regulatory system. We need regulations to deter a behavioral "race to the bottom," among foreign producers as well as our own. But we need regulations that focus on real problems, without drowning business in red tape. One key element is systematic review of existing regulations to ensure that they remain relevant and efficient. We should learn from our global competitors. Fix our system of political campaign finance. Do this first because before long, the candidates for 2018 and even 2020 will have begun soliciting contributions, and we will be locked into the old corrupting and scandalizing system for another full go-round. Remember that public money would be well spent if it ended the aura of suspicion around our elections.

The cost will seem high, but we need a system that our candidates will choose voluntarily instead of trying to outgun their opponents with questionable big-dollar private contributions. We can find honorable compromise on the details. Tell any elected policymakers you know that business will not accept an eternal, degrading money chase in our election campaigns any longer.

The holidays remind us that we and all of our neighbors outside of business management are in this together. That is a message that has been too long forgotten. And too often our elected policymakers seem to see advantage in storing problems rather than solving them.

Business leaders have analytical skills, and they can communicate and lead. The nation wants growth, and progress, and a new spirit. Let's give it to our countrymen in 2017. Beyond all of the immediate rewards, Santa will remember a year from now.
A homeless Florida man arrested for allegedly stealing a parking device last week is the son of former Mobil CEO William P. Tavoulareas, The Miami Herald reported.

The 56-year-old Palm Beach man was arrested on charges of felony and assigned a public defender, but is thought to have millions in his trust fund, according to the Herald.

His brother, Peter Tavoulareas, told the newspaper his sibling is dealing with mental health issues and hopes the judge proposes treatment rather than putting him back on the streets.

"The family has tried to help him countless times. We tried to have him move in with family, but it appears he just wants to be homeless," Peter Tavoulareas told the Herald.



Read the full report in The Miami Herald.
German police are looking for an asylum-seeker from Tunisia after finding an identity document under the driver's seat of a truck that plowed into a Berlin Christmas market and killed 12 people, officials and security sources said on Wednesday.

The federal prosecutor's office offered a reward of up to 100,000 euros ($104,000) for information leading to the capture of the suspect, whom it identified as 24-year-old Anis Amri.

"Beware: He could be violent and armed!" the prosecutor's office said in a statement, in which it described Amri as 1.78 meters (5'8") tall, with black hair and brown eyes.

German police commandos raided two apartments in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg late on Wednesday but did not find Amri, Die Welt newspaper reported, citing investigators.

Amri's father and security sources told Tunisia's Radio Mosaique that he had left Tunisia seven years ago as an illegal immigrant and had spent time in prison in Italy.

In Duesseldorf, Ralf Jaeger, interior minister of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), said the Tunisian appeared to have arrived in Germany in July 2015 and his asylum application had been rejected.

He seemed to have used different names and had been identified by security agencies as being in contact with an Islamist network. He had mainly lived in Berlin since February, but was recently in NRW, Jaeger added.

After being turned down for asylum, the man should have been deported but could not be returned to Tunisia because his documents were missing, he said.

"Tunisia at first denied that this person was its citizen," said Jaeger, adding that German authorities started the process of getting new identity papers in August 2016. "The papers weren't issued for a long time. They arrived today."

A judicial source told Reuters that German authorities had observed Amri over a period this year to try to determine whether he had planned a robbery to fund the purchase of automatic weapons for a possible attack with accomplices.

Authorities stopped their monitoring activities because they could not prove their suspicions, the source said.
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German authorities are calling the truck attack on a crowded Christmas market an "act of terrorism" that had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremism  but many questions remained over who carried out the attack that killed 12 people and wounded more than 40 in the heart of Berlin. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday night released a man taken into custody in the vicinity of the crime on suspicion that he drove the vehicle in the attack Monday night, saying they hadn't found evidence putting him in the truck at that time. Local law enforcement did not follow just one lead from the start, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. While there is no doubt the truck incident was an attack, the motives remain unclear, he added. It should be noted, the minister said, that it's possible the attacker is still on the run and it's too early to draw political conclusions from the tragedy. The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based upon a description of the man who jumped out of the truck and fled. But prosecutors said he had denied any involvement in the attack. Prosecutors also said no forensic evidence had been found proving that he was in the cab during the rampage, and no witnesses had followed him from the scene of the carnage to where he had been picked up. Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody. Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was the truck's driver. Muench also said police haven't yet found a pistol believed used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering steel beams with the truck used in the attack until it went missing.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and to report "suspicious movements" to a special hotline. "We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said. Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the Monday night attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group. "There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations," Frank said. Still, he said authorities had not yet heard any claim of responsibility. Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life. "Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. "A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."
Evan McMullin estimates he had 131 Twitter followers when he entered the presidential race in August. Today he has 168,000.

Despite a campaign that never had a shot of landing him in the White House and only made the ballot in 11 states, McMullin has rapidly built up his image as a principal irritant of President-elect Donald Trump. On his "thank you" tour, Trump has taken to calling McMullin "McMuffin" and proclaiming "I never heard of this guy before."

"I think the reason for that is I'm his only opponent during the election who has stayed vocal," said McMullin, in an interview Monday at CNBC's San Francisco bureau. "I wasn't just running against him in the election because I was only committed to liberty and equality for a few months. I was running against him because I knew, I saw the danger that he posed to the country."

McMullin, a former CIA operative, investment banker and chief policy director of the House Republican Conference, is in San Francisco to meet with investors and potential partners as he tries to figure out where to go from here. He lived in the Bay Area from 2010 to 2013 when he worked for Goldman Sachs.

Our charming President-elect @realDonaldTrump has a new nickname for me: "McMuffin." I like it. Am I now on the hook to reciprocate?



Having run as an independent conservative candidate and with a growing audience on both sides of the political aisle, the 40-year-old McMullin is in a unique position to build a resistance to what he views as the dangers and potential overreaches of a future President Trump.

The Utah native and former Mormon missionary, who won 21 percent of the vote in his home state, isn't ready to divulge his plans, in large part because he's not sure exactly how it will all unfold. But he did tell CNBC that he's very interested in combining the power of digital media with real political action.

"Those of us who are standing for freedom and for our democracy, we've got to learn to use those tools much better than we have," he said. "We've got to stand for truth and use digital media in order to do that most effectively."

Of gravest concern to McMullin is the influence that Russia is having in the U.S. in ways that go well beyond hacking the Democratic National Committee's computer system and leaking emails with the intent, according to the CIA and FBI, of swaying the election to Trump.
Ugh. That was my immediate, emotional response to reading Kellyanne Conway's comments about why she'd likely pass up an official role at the White House. It felt like a punch to the gut. "I do politely mention to them the question isn't would you take the job, the male sitting across from me who's going to take a big job in the White House. The question is would you want your wife to," Conway said, according to Politico, when describing conversations she's had with male colleagues. "Would you want the mother of your children to? You really see their entire visage change. It's like, oh, no, they wouldn't want their wife to take that job." Over the past several months, Conway, the former campaign manager for President-elect Donald Trump, undeniably has become a woman of power, a woman in the spotlight, and, whether this was her intention or not, a potential role model for young women and girls. So to hear her suggesting that motherhood is a reason that women shouldn't work at the White House  in 2016  is disappointing to say the least. More from Sheila Lirio Marcelo:

Solving tech's diversity problem, over coffee

What's manly? A Father's Day meditation

3 ways we can #PledgeforParity right But then I thought about it for a minute. And, you know what, I actually get it.



Women today have more rights, status and opportunities than ever before in American history. But when you start to approach the highest levels of power and influence  up in the stratosphere Conway is talking about here  you realize this is a man's man's man's world. We're more than half of the electorate, earn more than half of advanced degrees and comprise roughly half of the workforce, but women in government make up just 20 percent of U.S. Congress and women in business occupy less than 17 percent of the C-suite. As I've written before, women are leading at every level of society, but they're very much still the outliers. This is the world we know. That's why I'm still "a female CEO." And it's why Conway's remarks were such a gut punch.

Sheila Lirio Marcelo onstage during 2016 Milken Institute Global Conference Alberto E. Rodriguez | Getty Images

The implication that a woman cannot do anything and everything a man can do is not a message I want to hear from an influencer so close to our President-elect. When the influencer is a woman, it's especially upsetting. This kind of thinking is way out of touch with the realities of today's families and reinforces gender stereotypes that we should be way past by now. Roughly 70 percent of moms with children under 18 work outside the home, along with more than 90 percent of dads. This is not necessarily the experience of most of our business and political leaders, but we don't want them to be totally out of touch with it either. If you're going to suggest that women shouldn't take a demanding job because of her children, then you should throw that out there for men, too. You need only look at some of the other women under consideration for top roles to see the fault in Conway's logic. Take for example Ivanka Trump, who has been an outspoken supporter of celebrating Women Who Work "at all aspects of their lives." Or take Linda McMahon, who has been named to head the Small Business Administration. Her children are grown now, but for the better part of 30 years she was a working mom growing the WWE from a regional wrestling promotion to the billion-dollar multinational corporation it is today.

If President-elect Trump is intent on filling his administration with the best and brightest, what kind of gap must there be if you disqualify all every working mom? Granted a White House role is impossibly demanding, but it's impossibly demanding for everyone regardless of their family dynamics. Should not the conversation be about how do the sides come together to make it work? That's a difficult conversation, but one I've had in my own life. Had Kellyanne asked that question of my husband, or my sons, I have no doubt they'd have told her we would not let traditional roles define us and prevent me from taking on this role. Anyone who has kids will tell you there is no job more important than being a parent. But in 2016 the message we should be sending  the message Is thought we were sending  is that we can be great parents and do a great job. Conway's comments, and their portrayal of a White House job, do not reflect that.
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Investigators said they suspect the driver of a truck that ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48, did so in a deliberate terrorist attack, and Chancellor Angela Merkel said he may have been an asylum-seeker. The truck crashed into people gathered on Monday evening around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church - left as a ruin after World War Two - in the heart of former West Berlin. A German security source said the suspect was a 23-year-old migrant from Pakistan known to police for committing minor offences. The source said the man had been staying at a refugee accommodation center in the now defunct Tempelhof airport. Merkel told reporters: "There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack." She added: "I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum." The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State. If a migrant link is confirmed, it could further sour sentiment towards asylum-seekers in Germany, where more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived this year and last.





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The record influx has hit Merkel's popularity ratings and boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). Senior AfD member Marcus Pretzell blamed Merkel for the attack on Twitter. AfD leader Frauke Petry said Germany was no longer safe and "radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany". Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said the attack would change European Union member states' perception of migration. "The facts are simple: a migrant who arrived to Germany in February 2016 and got refugee status ... is now interrogated as a suspect responsible for this heinous, repugnant crime," Fico said, without specifying the source of his information. "This attack will undoubtedly again significantly change the attitude of a number of EU member states towards migration as such," he said. "I think that the cup of patience is beginning to spill over and Europe's public will rightfully expect rather stronger measures."

Driver chased down
In a statement issued late on Monday, the unions said the strike began at midnight (2300 GMT) and would continue indefinitely until demands, including the payment of seven months of salary arrears and negotiations over contract conditions, were met.

Nigeria is in its first recession in 25 years and earlier this year two other local carriers, Aero Contractors and First Nation, suspended operations amid financial difficulties.

Aviation staff have launched an indefinite strike targeting Arik Airlines, Nigeria's largest carrier, amid a dispute over salary arrears and contracts, three trade unions said.

"All ground handling services, security clearance for Arik Air ticket holders, marshalling, aviation fuel supply, air traffic controls, safety inspection, will be completely withdrawn," said the unions.

The statement was issued by the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers.

The impact on services provided by the airline, which flies across Africa's most populous nation and to London, New York and Johannesburg, was not immediately clear.

"It is not a strike by Arik staff. The aviation unions stopped our operations," Arik Air spokesman Ola Adebanji said in a text message. He did not elaborate.

Arik Air is planning to raise as much as $1 billion through a private share placement next year and then a possible initial public offering (IPO) in Lagos and London, its managing director said in October.

Nigerian airlines and international carriers operating within the country have struggled with a plunge in the naira that has made it difficult to remain profitable as most passengers pay in the local currency.

International carriers United Air Lines and stopped services to Nigeria earlier this year, while others have begun refuelling abroad to avoid jet fuel shortages.

International airlines have complained about the difficulty of repatriating millions of dollars worth of fares sold in Nigeria's local currency.
As Republicans in Washington get set to reshape national health-care policy, it is critical that the surrounding debate distinguishes between two related but distinct issues: access to coverage and access to care.

In other areas of policy, we understand this distinction. We know that the issues of homelessness and affordable housing are linked, but not the same. Solutions for one are not automatically fixes for the other. We see the same thing with other basic health issues like food security and nutrition.

Only in health care do we consider the decades-long challenge of delivering high-quality and cost-efficient care "solved" once everyone nominally has access to some sort of insurance.

But real health-care reform is not just about coverage. Getting people into exchange plans they can barely afford, with heavy (and increasing) deductibles and taxpayer-funded subsidies, is a "homeless shelter" fix. It's better than being on the streets  for sure  but a homeless shelter isn't a home any more than a high-deductible "bronze" plan is a real health-care solution for a family that can barely afford to pay the rest of its bills.

If we want to fix this system, it's time to get serious about replacing fee-for-service provider reimbursement with approaches that link costs to outcomes, like bundled payments and population health.


If entrepreneur Mark Douglas could give his younger self one piece of advice, it would be to start investing sooner. "Everyone always wishes they had started saving and investing earlier," says the founder and CEO of marketing and advertising company SteelHouse. After all, investing can be a simple way to double your money over time  and the sooner you start, the better off you'll be, thanks to the power of compound interest. That's why Douglas started offering his employees $500 to invest in Acorns, an app that makes it easy for anyone to put their money to work. "We have a lot of people in the company in their early 20's," the CEO tells CNBC. "I want to do for them what I wish someone had done for me when I was 23."

Mark Douglas, founder and CEO of SteelHouse Courtesy of SteelHouse

The tradition started at the beginning of 2015, shortly after Douglas, who has no affiliation with Acorns, heard about the micro-investing app and started using it himself. "It was the first meeting of the year, and instead of talking about the company, we talked about saving and investing," he explains. "I asked everyone to take out their phone right then, and if they opened an Acorns account, I told them we'd put $500 in it by tomorrow." Every new employee is now offered the same deal on their first day. Of the 230 SteelHouse employees, "nearly 100% participate," the CEO says. After the initial $500 deposit, employees can decide to make weekly or monthly contributions on their own. Acorns also offers a "round-ups" feature that allows users to invest "spare change" from all of the purchases they make. SteelHouse still offers employees a more traditional 401(k) plan to help fund their retirement. "Of course, you can encourage everyone to invest the maximum in their 401(k)," Douglas says. "But let's be realistic: If you're in your 20's, that's not necessarily easy to do. We wanted to offer something that is easy for employees to do."

SteelHouse employees Courtesy of SteelHouse
Billionaire Ray Dalio thinks people should brush up on their Ayn Rand if they want to understand Donald Trump's economic philosophy, which raises a question for a lot of people: Who is Ayn Rand?

Rand has been dead for almost 35 years, but her novels and philosophical tracts are still top sellers, especially in the United States. She retains a large following less for the quality of her fiction than for her message of what could be called a fundamentalist version of individualism. She rejected the idea that free markets create undesirable results such as monopolies.

Rand's philosophy insists on the primacy of the individual's desires above essentially all other considerations, including God. Rand could be described as a devout atheist, and she explicitly said that self-sacrifice was immoral.

Born in 1905, Rand was traumatized as a child when her family's pharmacy business and property were seized by marauding Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. Rand emigrated, eventually settling in New York (a city which moved her to tears of joy when she saw it for the first time). By the 1950s, she had gathered a circle of idealistic, fiercely dedicated followers, including a young Alan Greenspan.
Shares of Rite Aid gained 5 percent Tuesday after Fred's Pharmacy said it agreed to acquire 865 stores.

Fred's Pharmacy said it signed an agreement with Walgreens and Rite Aid to purchase stores and certain assets related to store operations for $950 million in cash. If approved, Fred's Pharmacy would become the third-largest drugstore chain in the U.S.

Walgreens shares were slightly higher.

"We believe that this transaction will also create tremendous opportunities for both our new and existing front of store and pharmacy team members," Fred's Pharmacy CEO Michael Bloom said in a statement.

Fred's Pharmacy and its subsidiaries operate over 600 discount general merchandise stores and three specialty pharmacy-only locations in 15 states in the U.S.

The agreement comes as Rite Aid is in the process of being acquired by Walgreens, which is subject to approval by the Federal Trade Commission. In October, the companies reached a decision to delay their merger agreement until next year.

The transaction with Fred's Pharmacy is expected to take place several months after Walgreens proposed acquisition of Rite Aid is completed, subject to approvals and closing conditions.

Rite Aid's stock is up 9 percent year-to-date.
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The past year has been a fairly strong one for small businesses, with both optimism and new company creation on the rise as the contingent awaits the Trump presidency in 2017. A widely watched report from the Kauffman Foundation released earlier this year found annual start-up activity increased in 2016 for the second straight year after falling during the recession. New company creation was bolstered by growth among both women and minorities. More recent data, from the National Federation of Independent Business, found optimism levels after the election of Donald Trump at heights not seen in nearly a year. But what lies ahead for Main Street remains to be seen, with 2017 just around the corner and a new administration right behind it. Over the past year, CNBC has profiled some 40 companies in 12 different cities across the country for our Small Business Cities series. Just over one month since the election, we checked in with some of the entrepreneurs we profiled to hear their thoughts on key small-business issues and prospects for next year.

Deregulation

Promises of deregulation and tax reform have been hallmarks of Trump's campaign that led him to the oval office. Some on Main Street are hoping for continued clawbacks on labor regulations, in the vein of the recent Department of Labor Overtime Rule that was halted by a federal judge in Texas. The rule would have doubled the salary threshold to about $47,000 a year for those workers who are eligible to receive overtime pay. Others look forward to Trump's tax proposal that aims to lower corporate taxes to 15 percent. S-corps and pass-through entities would also be subject to a top tax rate of 15 percent.

During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump met with a group of small-business owners at the Staybridge Suites on Nov. 1, 2016, in Altoona, Wisconsin. Getty Images

Jeff Winkler, founder of Origin Code Academy in San Diego, is welcoming both the idea of lower taxes and less regulation. In May, Winkler had about 100 students in the coding classes he offers, a number that will more than double by the end of the year. "As a business owner, you want to be pathologically optimistic and hope that moving forward, people with business experience making these policies will have a positive impact overall," Winkler said. If taxes were lowered and there was less regulation, he says good things lie ahead. "That would impact our business and allow us to hire teachers faster so we can provide more developers for San Diego in a very real way."

Eric Yelsma and Brenna Lane of Detroit Denim, a start-up that makes high-quality, authentic U.S.-made jeans, claim new reforms under a Trump presidency will not change their business practices. Kate Rogers | CNBC

Detroit-based entrepreneur Eric Yelsma is also closely watching how Trump is assembling his new Cabinet and considering what it might mean for business. Yelsma founded his business, Detroit Denim, in 2009 alongside partner Brenna Lane after being laid off from his corporate job as a chemical salesman. Today he employs eight people, taking pride in teaching Detroiters new skills and creating jobs in the city. "When I started this company, I had specific values about how I wanted it to run, how I wanted to treat people and how I wanted to hire and employ native Detroiters. So whatever happens is not going to change how we do business," Yelsma said of a Trump presidency. "It's imperative we make stuff in Detroit and make it better than anyone else. Whatever happens, we are still going to do that."

Minimum wage

While minimum wage is often a concern for Main Street companies, the start-ups featured in our Small Business Cities report this year didn't seem worried. The federal minimum wage has not been raised from its current $7.25 an hour since 2009, despite campaigning from the Obama Administration and congressional Democrats over the past several years. Trump had expressed support for a higher federal minimum, at $10 an hour, on the campaign trail, but a hike seems unlikely, given his nomination of fast-food executive Andy Puzder for Labor Secretary, who opposed efforts to raise the wage to $10. This, coupled with the fact that Congress is also Republican-controlled. Yelsma said he was already paying above the local minimum in Detroit of $8.50 an hour. "We pay people more than minimum wage  we pay them what they deserve and what they earn," Yelsma said. Whatever happens with the minimum wage, we will still be above that level."

In Columbus, entrepreneur Joe DeLoss (R) is employing those formerly incarcerated, like Kevin Snow, at his business Hot Chicken Takeover. Source: Jason Perkins

The sentiment was echoed by Joe DeLoss, founder of Columbus, Ohio-based Hot Chicken Takeover. The restaurant is staffed by some 50 workers who have all been impacted by incarceration. He also pays "well over the minimum wage" of $8.10 an hour, with workers on average making between $12 and $13 an hour. In the next year, he hopes to triple the size of the team and open up several new locations, with fair pay continuing to be a core value for the restaurant. "We know financial stability is a key indicator of the success of our company, and if our workforce is financially stable, they will be more productive and supportive of our growth," DeLoss said. "We are really dialed in to supporting increased wage growth for all of our team members. We are pretty far down that path with or without legislation."

Health-care reform
For most of the year, advertising agencies shout about their awards, new clients or star hires. But when the holiday season comes around, they use their creativity for good causes. Images of slavery might not be something normally associated with Christmas, but London ad agency Aesop has used them to illustrate classic decorations  paper chains  to highlight the fact that there are up to 13,000 victims of modern slavery in the U.K. today. They tell the stories of three refugees who came to the U.K. for asylum but instead ended up as "modern" slaves. The paper chains show Christmas imagery such as snowflakes, holly and gifts with the stories of a sex-worker, an underpaid restaurant hand and a girl whose aunt tried to drown her in a bath.



Charity Unseen is selling the paper chains via its website and chief executive Andrew Wallis said in a statement: "Often this crime and the exploitation of people is hidden in plain sight and the psychological chains that hold people in situations of modern slavery are very real."



Grey Canada and the Salvation Army

Hidden suffering is also used as a theme by the Salvation Army in Canada this festive season, in ads created by Grey Canada. The trend for family portraits to feature on Christmas cards is used in video and print ads to highlight the fact that behind their smiling faces may be a life of poverty. The "Poverty isn't always easy to see" campaign started earlier this year, and the current ads call for donations over the holidays.



M&C Saatchi Abel and Stamps For Good

M&C Saatchi Abel's Stamps for Good initiative supports causes including Habitat for Humanity SA

Meanwhile, South African agency M&C Saatchi Abel has designed clickable charity postage stamps that people can attach to their email signature when their employer signs up to agency's Stamps For Good initiative. Employers donate to one of ten charities, represented by the postage stamps, and the aim is to use the emails to spread the word to other businesses and encourage them to be part of the scheme.



Proximity London and Evelina London Childrens Hospital

Ad agency Proximity London is giving gifts to the Evelina children's hospital

Proximity London has used the popularity of the emoji to raise money for children's hospital Evelina. Friends of the agency have been asked to tweet the symbols to the Twitter handle @EmojiUpAGift, and corresponding presents are being sent to the hospital. It has sent 100 gifts to children there.



McCann London and Doctors of the World

Conflict in the Middle East is the subject of Christmas cards from Doctors of the World. They blend Press Association photography with illustration showing traditional scenes from the Nativity on cards designed for free by agency McCann London, including Joseph leading Mary on a donkey through a war-torn city and the couple bending over Jesus in front of a rocket being launched in the night sky.



UK agencies and ChristmasSOwhite

Helen Marsden | ChristmasSOwhite

Eight U.K. agencies are supporting ChristmasSOwhite, which is aimed at protesting "the under-representation of people of color online with particular focus on Christmas." Founder Nadya Powell set up the initiative after a school Christmas fair, where she had a stall where children could create their own festive websites, and found that every image searched for only showed white families. ChristmasSOwhite set up a photo shoot to celebrate diversity and represent the "unseen Christmas experience," and is encouraging people to tweet and email pictures to the campaign.


The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is launching an investigation into about 1 million newer Fiat Chrysler Ram pickup trucks and SUVs after receiving complaints the vehicles rolled away after being parked, it said on Tuesday.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said it is cooperating with the government investigation that covers the 2013-2016 model year Ram 1500 pickup truck and 2014-2016 Dodge Durango SUV. The government said it has reports of 25 crashes from owners alleging vehicle roll-away and nine injuries and urged drivers to set the parking brake before exiting the vehicles.

The vehicles under investigation have an electronic rotary control for driver gear selections that is different to the shifter that Fiat Chrysler recalled earlier this year for roll away issues.

In April, Fiat Chrysler recalled more than 1.1 million cars and SUVs worldwide because the vehicles may roll away after drivers exit.

The problem in the recalled Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs has been tied to at least 68 injuries, 266 crashes and 308 reports of property damage, the government said.

In June, Russian-born "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a roll-away crash in a recalled 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Yelchin, 27, died after his SUV rolled backward in the steep driveway of his Los Angeles home and pinned him against a brick wall and a fence. In August, his parents sued Fiat Chrysler for negligence and product liability claims in California.
"Credit Suisse is confident of reaching a better solution," said the second person. Should talks break down, U.S. legal authorities could sue the bank, prolonging the uncertainty.

The size of the suggested settlement indicates that the cost to the bank may be higher than analysts had expected and explains why Credit Suisse management, according to a second source, has been seeking a smaller penalty.

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Credit Suisse to pay between $5 billion and $7 billion to settle a probe over its sale of toxic mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, a source with knowledge of the matter said, but the bank has resisted settling for that amount.

In a sign that negotiations may be reaching their final stages, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch last week met with Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, another person familiar with the matter said.

A potential resolution could come as early as this week.

The sources did not want to be identified because the negotiations are not public.

Credit Suisse and the Department of Justice declined to comment.

The penalty stems from a 2012 initiative launched by U.S. President Barack Obama to hold banks accountable for selling mortgage debt while misleading investors about the risks, a practice that helped cause the worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

The penalties, which for U.S. banks reached $46 billion, are set to deliver another setback to European lenders, many of which remain fragile, with scant capital, in the wake of the financial crash.

After record settlements were reached with U.S. banks such as Bank of America and JPMorgan , the focus has turned to Europe's Deutsche Bank , Royal Bank of Scotland , Credit Suisse, Barclays , UBS and HSBC .

News in September that the Justice Department made an initial demand of Deutsche of $14 billion to settle its case sent the German lender's stock plummeting and raised fears Credit Suisse could also face a stiffer penalty.

Just prior to Deutsche confirming that the Department of Justice was seeking $14 billion, JP Morgan analysts estimated Credit Suisse's fine at around $2 billion.

Deutsche Bank could this week agree its penalty over the sale of toxic mortgage debt, one person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. The bank has said it expects to pay materially less than $14 billion.

Credit Suisse's litigation provisions at the end of 2015 totalled 1.605 billion Swiss francs ($1.56 billion). In November, the bank said it had upped litigation provisions by 357 million francs, mainly in connection with mortgage-related matters.

In addition to the Justice Department probe, Credit Suisse is defending itself against lawsuits by the New York and New Jersey attorneys general over similar claims involving billions of dollars of investor losses.

If Credit Suisse reaches a settlement with federal authorities, it will likely settle with the states as well.

A New York attorney general spokeswoman declined to comment, and New Jersey did not immediately return a call for comment.

President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, which means key government players involved in the negotiations would change, complicating the banks' efforts to reach settlements.
Crouse Hospital will use a $1 million grant from the regional economic-development council (REDC) initiative to help pay for the $38 million Pomeroy emergency-services expansion project that will double the space of the current emergency department. Crouse will use the REDC funding to relocate its PromptCare urgent-care facility into the main emergency department, which is part of the projects second phase. Photo credit: Crouse Hospital

SYRACUSE, N.Y.  New York has awarded Crouse Health a grant of $1 million for its Pomeroy emergency-services department expansion project.

The hospital will use the funding to relocate its PromptCare urgent-care facility into the main emergency department (ED), Crouse said in a news release.

PromptCare is currently located across the street from the hospital.

The funding is part of the recently announced grants in the regional economic-development council (REDC) initiative.

The $38 million Pomeroy emergency-services expansion project will double the space of the current emergency department, according to Crouse.

The project is named in recognition of major donors Bill and Sandra Pomeroy.

Crouse is completing its ED expansion project in phases.

Phase 1 will include the expansion of the current ED into adjacent space, which crews will complete by mid-2017.

The existing PromptCare facility will then be moved from its current location across the street to its new site in the space that the existing ED currently uses. Crouse anticipates crews will complete the entire project in 2018.

Project background

The hospitals current emergency department is 40 years old and not optimally configured for todays environment, according to Crouse Health.

PromptCare will increase from more than 4,800 square feet to 12,000 square feet, allowing treatment for a greater number of patients with shorter wait times, the hospital contends.

The facility will feature a rapid evaluation unit, and will share a physician-staffed triage station with the emergency department, Crouse said.

The staff will assist incoming patients and direct them to the proper level of care based on the urgency of their health-care needs, the hospital added.

Once completed, Crouse will use the expanded ED space for more treatment rooms to provide enhanced privacy, space for mental health/substance-abuse evaluations removed from the general ED population, space for hospitalists and care coordinators to meet with ED visitors to review primary-care provider status and to initialize primary-care usage, along with a space for financial advisors to meet with uninsured patients.

These activities will link patients with primary-care providers as an alternative to returning to Crouses ED, the hospital said.

Between the main ED and PromptCare, Crouse has treated more than 83,000 patients during 2016.

The hospitals total emergency-services volume has increased 60 percent over the past 10 years, and 16 percent in the last four years, Crouse said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
MARCY, N.Y.  The Austrian firm that had planned to invest in a wafer-fabrication facility at the Marcy Nanocenter has decided not to pursue the project, Empire State Development (ESD) confirmed to BJNN in a statement Monday.

Austrianbased company ams AG had planned to bring 1,000 new jobs and invest more than $2 billion in a wafer-fabrication facility thats planned for the Nano Utica site.

In its statement, ESD had noted that the agency assumed the lead role on SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) projects in September and immediately engaged with ams AG officials to reinforce New Yorks commitment to moving forward with the project in the Mohawk Valley.

Unfortunately, under the previous management of SUNY Poly, the project experienced several long delays and, as a result, ams AG recently informed us of its decision to withdraw from the planned chip-fabrication project at the Marcy Nanocenter, the statement said.

Disappointing is not just the only word, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente said at a news conference last Friday. Im very angry that the delays and uncertainty at the state level that have hampered this project for a number of months have caused the delay of this company coming to Oneida County.

Picentes comments were part of a news article and video on the website of Time Warner Cable News.

ESD overseeing

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sept. 23 directed ESD to assume the lead role on SUNY Polys economic-development projects, Howard Zemsky, president, CEO, and commissioner of ESD, said in a statement issued Nov. 17.

Cuomo made the change following the arrest of former SUNY Poly president Alain Kaloyeros as part of a case involving federal corruption and fraud charges in the awarding of millions in state contracts.

Soon after Cuomo directed ESD to oversee the project, Zemsky traveled to Austria to meet directly with ams AG leadership to ensure the company fully understood New Yorks commitment to bringing the project to fruition in the Mohawk Valley.

Despite ams AGs decision, ESD contends the development prospects for the Marcy Nanocenter are very bright.

We are moving forward with plans for the facility and are confident that we will find a new anchor tenant in short order. ESD and local partners are already working tirelessly on potential alternatives consistent with the regions economic development strategies and we are actively in discussions with other chip fabrication opportunities for the Marcy Nanocenter, the agency said.

The state remains optimistic about chip-packaging operations starting at Quad-C next year in collaboration with General Electric (GE) Global Research and its partners, as part of the New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium (NY-PEMC).

Quad-C is short for computer-chip commercialization center.

Besides the ams AG announcement, Cuomo had also announced GE Global Research would expand its New York operations to the Mohawk Valley as part of the August 2015 announcement.

GE Global Research will be the anchor tenant of Quad-C at SUNY Polys Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Marcy.

New York expects SUNY Poly, GE, and affiliated corporations to create nearly 500 jobs in the Mohawk Valley in the next five years and another 350 positions in the subsequent five years as well, according to an August, 2015 news release from Cuomos office.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
Rusty Goe, a professional coin dealer for more than three decades, spends much of his time researching and writing about the Carson City Mint and the coins it produced. From his business at Southgate Coins in Reno he published two full-length books: The Mint on Carson Street (2004), and James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City (2007). His articles have appeared in numerous publications, and many have received prestigious awards from numismatic organizations.

In 2012, Rusty Goe of Southgate Coins in Reno, Nev., collaborated with Stacks Bowers to bring to market the finest complete (111-piece) set of Carson City coins. He served as the chief architect in building what he christened the Battle Born Collection. It sold in August 2012 for nearly $10 million. (This is an expanded version of the article appearing in the Jan. 2, 2017, issue.)

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Coin World: What led you to develop an interest in the Carson City Mint and its coinage?

Rusty Goe: Eight mints have stamped coins in eight different cities in the United States, beginning with the main one at Philadelphia, and most recently at the West Point branch. As a coin collector first and for the past 35 years as a coin dealer, I have been interested in the history and coinage production of all eight of these mints. But early on in my career as a coin dealer, I found it rather easy for me to develop a fervent fondness for the mint that operated in Carson City, Nevada. This is probably because I started dealing in coins while living at Lake Tahoe, which is only about 30 minutes from Carson City, and probably because of the way numismatic writers portrayed the Carson City Mint as being so colorful and storybook-like, and its coins as being so captivating and filled with mystique.

Yet I must say, the full charm, heightened value, and magic of the Carson City Mint and its coins did not capture my mind full force all at once. My fascination with the CC mintmark and all that it represents has evolved through the years, in direct correlation with the time and energy I have expended in building my knowledge base of the related subjects. There is a sense of wonder that increases incrementally the more absorbed I become with the lore surrounding the Carson City Mint and its coins.

Additionally, it intrigued me years ago how the numbers of the coins required to build various sets in the Carson City series seem tailor-made for collectors to pursue. Consider for example the 13 pieces in a basic set of Carson City Morgan silver dollars, which, by the way, fit perfectly into a Plexiglas holder shaped like the state of Nevada.

And then theres the 10-piece Carson City coin type, which when completed gives the collector one example of each of the 10 different types of coins issued by the Nevada mint, seven in silver and three in gold. Each of the 10 types is composed of from 2 (double dimes) to 19 (each of the three gold denominations) pieces (varieties can inflate these numbers exponentially). The ultimate set comprises 111 pieces, which represent all of the dates, denominations, and subtypes struck at the Carson City Mint during its storied run from 1870 to 1893. All sets offer rewards, adventures, enthralling stories, and challenges (sometimes insurmountable). There are set-building goals in the Carson City series available to every collector, from beginner to the most highly advanced.

CW: What was the most surprising previously unknown fact that you uncovered during research for your books?

RG: Oh, there are so many answers to this question. But let me just cite a few examples.

Foremost, in my first book, The Mint on Carson Street, I only devoted a handful of paragraphs to Carson City Mint superintendent James Crawford, and I speculated that he was only about 50 years old when he died. After publishing that book, I set a goal to find out more about Crawford, a man who had overseen the Carson City Mint for more than 10 years, and had supervised the production of 85% of all the coins ever manufactured at the Nevada branch. How could it be, I thought, that so little information survived about such a prominent person in Nevada history and in the annals of U.S. Mint history? For gosh sakes, it seemed woeful to me that his age at death was uncertain, and that no photographs of him existed. I wanted to at least write an essay about Crawford, if not a pamphlet-sized manuscript.

My four-year research quest resulted in a 650-page biography titled, James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City  A Short Full Life, which we published in 2007. In it I revealed that Crawford died at the age of 52 years and 3 months; and I was excited to include several images of him.

Second, I discovered a fact four years after the release of my book about Crawford that I had wished I could have included in that book, because it pertained to a significant event that happened under Crawfords watch. While doing research for another writing project, I found an obscure news briefing in a Nevada newspaper from April 1876 that revealed that the Carson City Mint had coined the one and only output of 1876 twenty-cent pieces (or double dimes) in March that year. This is the third rarest date-denomination that has survived from the Carson City Mint, with only 18 specimens extant, and until my discovery writers had always speculated that the total mintage of 10,000 pieces had been struck sometime before the end of June 1876. Now we know that it happened in March.

A third interesting fact I discovered concerns the disproportionately high output of gold half eagles and eagles ($5 and $10 pieces) at the Carson City Mint in 1891. In my study of U.S. monetary policy in the late nineteenth century, I learned that the mintage of those gold pieces at the Carson City Mint coincided with fears the U.S. government had that foreign creditors, to whom the U.S. owed huge sums of money, were about to drain U.S. gold reserves in the early years of the 1890s. Those creditors preferred payment in the form of the largest gold denomination issued by the U.S. Mint system: double eagles (or $20 gold pieces). Leaders at the U.S. Treasury Department believed that if the only gold coins available to foreign creditors were the smaller denominations of gold coins, demand for payment in gold coins would subside. This in part explains why we see significant increases in production of gold half eagles and eagles at not only the Carson City Mint but also at the Philadelphia Mint beginning around 1891. (The San Francisco Mint concentrated, as it always had done, on the production of double eagles at this time.)

CW: What coin have you purchased (either as a dealer or a collector) and then sold, only to later regret selling it?

RG: During my career as a coin dealer, I have always believed that I have served only as a custodian of the coins in my inventory. I have always considered it my job (and responsibility) to help my clients build their collections. Whenever I have owned a coin, which I considered very special and would have preferred to hold for the long term, that I showed to a client and the client expressed a passionate desire to own, I have sold it to him or her, with no regrets. My reward has come in satisfying my clients. Still, I have always been grateful for the privilege of owning so many special coins, even if only for a fleeting time.

CW: What is the most challenging part of converting your business to an online one, now that youve had to close your physical store when you lost your lease?

RG: Well, since the transition is still in progress (only one month as of this writing), I will probably revisit this question more reflectively in the future.

But one thing I noticed even when we were in the final days of operating our brick-and-mortar shop, was that I knew I would miss the one-on-one interaction with the customers. My wife Marie summed it up cleverly when she said, For the past 27 years [which includes our time in our Las Vegas and Reno shops], you have held court every day, six days a week, enjoying the company of friends and customers. That is so true. Now I will have to correspond and communicate more through email and by phone; I might even have to get a Smart phone!

I know I am going to miss the daily question-and-answer sessions with visitors to the store; and I have always enjoyed pulling inventory out of our display cases or bringing something from my reference library and showing them to people. I will miss getting their immediate reactions to what I have shown them. Well just have to see how many of those experiences we will be able to replicate through our website.
Dec. 20, 2016

 One and a half million people turned out four years ago to watch as space shuttle Endeavour slowly navigated the streets of Los Angeles to be delivered to the California Science Center for display.



Gil Garcetti was not among them.



"I've made few mistakes in my life that I really regret, but one of them was having the opportunity to be present and photograph when the Endeavour went through the streets of Los Angeles," said Garcetti, the former district attorney-turned- photographer, in an interview with collectSPACE. "I was 'too busy' working on another project and I regretted it the day after."



Fortunately for Garcetti,  and now, for the visitors to the California Science Center, who can see his photographs in the new exhibit, "Mission 26: ET Comes Home"  he had a second opportunity.



"When I was offered the chance to photograph the journey of ET-94, there was no hesitation on my part. I needed to do this. I wanted to do this," said Garcetti.





From April 12 through May 21 of this year, Garcetti went along on the sea and street journey of ET-94, NASA's last remaining built-for-flight space shuttle external tank, from its New Orleans' assembly facility to the California Science Center. The tank, along with two solid rocket boosters, will be stacked with Endeavour to form the world's only exhibit of a fully authentic space shuttle launch vehicle as part of the new Oschin Air & Space Center, scheduled to open in 2019.



"This is going to be part of Los Angeles. It is an exciting part of Los Angeles," said Garcetti, who is also the father of the city's mayor, Eric Garcetti. "I've [already] seen how Endeavour has transformed people's thinking about space travel, about engineering, about flying, about maybe even a career in something related to this."



The exhibition, "Mission 26: ET Comes Home," features 30 of Garcetti's photographs capturing ET-94's voyage from Louisiana, through the Panama Canal, to Marina del Rey and ultimately, its delivery to the California Science Center. The gallery opened on Dec. 15 and runs indefinitely.



Although the 2012 move of the winged orbiter might have been more iconic, Garcetti was drawn to the external tank given its appearance and the reactions to it.







Gil Garcetti with ET-94, NASA's last remaining built-for-flight space shuttle external tank. (Leroy Hamilton/California Science Center)

"The first thing was the size and the color when I saw it in New Orleans," explained Garcetti, "but then, I also noticed almost immediately, there was almost a reverence by the workers who were in charge of moving it. A reverence that they were moving something truly unique, something very special to the history of our country  that was the first thing I noticed."



Garcetti photographed the large orange fuel tank from the ground, on the barge alongside it for its ocean journey and from above.



"When I was up in the air [photographing from a plane], I just saw this and obviously it wasn't, but I felt that it was emitting some special vibes that were going to bring smiles and hope and energy to the people who could see it," he recalled.



Garcetti sensed a similar feeling as he watched the tank cross the Panama Canal.







Gil Garcetti stands with his photos on display as part of "Mission 26: ET Comes Home." (Leroy Hamilton/California Science Center)

"When the tank started going through the canal, there was another awesome feeling," he said. "Part of it was because it had been threatening to rain, but as soon as it got near the locks  boom!  I mean, the rain poured down, and I thought, 'Okay, this is special, too, for what we are doing here."



Garcetti witnessed as those in the observatory overlooking the canal "oohed and aahed" at spotting the tank passing from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean.



"It was magical," he told collectSPACE. "It was wonderful watching it journey through it."



Garcetti and the tank parted ways as the latter continued up the coast of California, but they were reunited several days later, as ET-94 arrived at the marina and was brought ashore.



"The very best part was when we brought it through Los Angeles," he stated, "when you saw the incredible feelings from little kids and very mature adults."







As captured in one of Gil Garcetti's photos from the exhibition, a truck towed the external tank through the streets of Los Angeles to the California Science Center. (Gil Garcetti/California Science Center)

"One photo I took was of this little girl, she was probably three and a half, maybe four, years of age. She and her family had made a space helmet for her and she was with her father and much younger brother," Garcetti described. "And just the expression on her face and her hands were just in awe. Her father, his mouth was slack open looking at it."



"They were emblematic of what people were feeling," he said.



Garcetti followed the tank knowing that he would provide the photos to the California Science Center, but it was not until after they saw his results, did "Mission 26: ET Comes Home" come together.



"Once we saw what we had, they very quickly came to the decision that these photographs tell a great story," he said.



"Mission 26: ET Comes Home," featuring the photos of Gil Garcetti, is now on exhibition in the "Endeavour Together" gallery at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
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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.
City receives feedback on Whitegate Park proposal

Community members had an opportunity to provide feedback on a proposal for a new neighborhood park on Whitegate Drive in Columbia.
On Feb. 5, employees at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif., started having network access problems that prevented electronic communications. Over the next few days, they learned that the hospital was the victim of a ransomware attack that encrypted files on multiple computers.

After several days during which staff had to resort to pen and paper for some recordkeeping, the hospital decided to pay the $17,000 ransom -- the equivalent of 40 bitcoins that the attackers had requested. It was deemed to be the fastest way to restore the affected files and systems.

This was to be the first in a string of ransomware attacks that affected multiple healthcare organizations in the U.S. over the following months, including the Chino Valley Medical Center, the Desert Valley Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Ky.

It also highlighted a worrying trend: While in the past, ransomware targeted primarily consumers, attackers are now shifting their focus toward businesses.

Over the past two years there has been a dramatic shift in the type of ransomware being used by attackers, said Ed Cabrera, chief cybersecurity officer at antivirus vendor Trend Micro.

In 2014, 80 percent of ransomware attacks used traditional techniques that involved, for example, locking the desktop screen and telling users that they needed to pay fines. However, in 2015, the statistics flipped and 80 percent of attacks involved crypto-ransomware, the malicious programs that encrypt files.

"Another ransomware evolution is the transition from targeting consumers to enterprises," Cabrera said. "Many of the new crypto-ransomware families detected and blocked in 2016 have targeted more enterprises than ever before."

This change in targets is not entirely unexpected. After all, business records are much more valuable than personal documents, companies can afford to pay higher ransoms than consumers and their security posture can vary greatly based on their geographic location, size and industry segment.

"Weve begun noticing that ransomware has been focusing on small and medium businesses for the past year, as theyre more likely to pay larger ransomware fees than the average user," said Liviu Arsene, a senior e-threat analyst at antivirus firm Bitdefender. "Considering that the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Hospital paid $17,000 when hit by a single ransomware infection, it stands to reason that cybercriminals would be far more interested in targeting organizations."

A recent IBM survey of 600 business leaders in the U.S. found that one in two had experienced a ransomware attack in the workplace and that in 70 percent of cases their companies paid to get their data back.

Emails distributing ransomware programs made up nearly 40 percent of all spam e-mails sent in 2016, and criminals are on track to make nearly $1 billion this year from this type of malware, IBM X-Force said.

A ransomware attack can be crippling to a company's day-to-day activities; human resources and financial departments are common targets because it's easy to disguise malware as a resume or an invoice. If the victim happens to be a hospital, public transport service, water utility or some other critical infrastructure provider, ransomware-related downtime can have a serious impact on lives.

In November, hackers compromised and encrypted data from around 900 systems from San Franciscos Municipal Transportation Agency. The incident did not affect the transit service, but the agency had to open the gates and provide free transport to passengers to minimize customer impact.

When it comes to ransomware, prevention is critical since there are very few options aside from paying cybercriminals once systems are affected. Companies should have a complete response plan in place, and simply having a data backup routine is not enough.

Organizations need to regularly verify the integrity of their backups and test that the restoration process works without glitches. Otherwise, they might discover that restoring data through their own process might take too long compared to just paying the ransom.

Different methods

Ransomware programs have traditionally been distributed through email spam, and many of them still are, but attackers have diversified their infection methods over the past year.

The second most common infection technique is through exploit kits -- web-based attack tools that contain exploits for vulnerabilities in browsers or browser plug-ins like Flash Player, Adobe Reader, Java and Silverlight.

Users get redirected to exploit kits through compromised websites or through malicious ads that attackers manage to sneak onto ad networks. These are known as drive-by download attacks and, unlike phishing emails, users can't be trained to avoid them, because they can be launched from trusted websites and are usually completely silent.

But it's not just workstations that organizations have to worry about. Attackers are also increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in server software to get ransomware onto corporate networks.

In April, MedStar Health, a not-for-profit organization that runs 10 hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area was infected with a ransomware program dubbed Samsam. Researchers later established the Samsam was installed through a vulnerability in the JBoss application server and found 2,000 such servers at schools and other organizations around the world running vulnerable JBoss installations.

According to a report from Symantec (PDF), the Samsam campaign was also interesting because the cybercriminals behind it were using techniques and tools typically seen in cyberespionage attacks meant to perform lateral movement inside corporate networks. Their goal was to identify the most valuable targets and to delete existing backups before deploying the ransomware.

Another case is that of Linux.Encoder, the worlds first ransomware program for Linux, which infected web servers through a vulnerability in the Magento content management system, Arsene said. "Other interesting distribution mechanisms involve the hijacking of FTP credentials for popular open-source projects and then substituting the binaries with tainted copies, like in the case of the Transmission bittorrent client."

"We do expect that with ransomware 'going corporate' we will see more vulnerability-based infections within networks," said Barry Shteiman, director of threat research at Exabeam, a security company that uses machine learning to detect ransomware. "In essence, every server that has vulnerabilities that may lead to phishing, defacing or persistent code injection -- could lead to ransomware spreading."

Another ransomware distribution method used recently is through stolen remote administration credentials. Earlier this year, one ransomware variant known as Surprise was being installed through hacked Teamviewer credentials and more recently the Crysis ransomware infected systems through RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) brute-force attacks.

When it comes to email-based attacks, attackers have used executable files hidden inside zip archives, Word documents with malicious macros embedded in them and JavaScript attachments that download and install malware droppers when executed.

Ransomware's stages

In fact, in ransomware attacks, file encryption is the final step of the infection chain, so there are multiple opportunities to detect and block such attacks before they impact valuable data.

First, there's the original entry point into the network, whether that's an email campaign, a web-based exploit or something else. If the the attack is caught by spam filters or endpoint security products at this point, the threat is averted.

The second stage is typically a malicious program called a malware dropper whose goal is to connect back to the attacker's server and download the ransomware program. Detecting and blocking the malware dropper is yet another opportunity to stop a ransomware attack before it causes damage.

Once the ransomware is deployed it will first scan the local computer and network shares for files that it can encrypt and will attempt to disable the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service and delete existing backups.

Finally, before the encryption process is initiated, most ransomware programs will connect to a command-and-control server to obtain an RSA public key. That key is part of a public-private key pair generated by the server and is used to encrypt the data. The private key, which is needed for decryption, never leaves the attackers' server.

Most of the time, if a firewall blocks the malicious program from accessing the command-and-control server and downloading the public key, the data encryption process won't be initiated. However, some recent ransomware variants have the ability to perform offline data encryption using a hardcoded key.

It's worth noting that it's not just business data that can be rendered unusable by ransomware, but also entire computers. Ransomware variants such as Petya and HDDCryptor rewrite the Master Boot Record (MBR) of computers and encrypt the entire file table leaving them unable to boot into the OS.

What to do

When ransomware hits, it's important to isolate the infected computers from the rest of the network so that the infection can't spread. Shutting down the unaffected computers until the compromise can be contained is recommended. At this point companies should also contact law enforcement agencies and ask for assistance.

The next step should be to make copies of the encrypted data and to clean up the registry values and files created by the malicious program so it doesn't run again when the computer is started. Changing the user passwords that could be used to access other network services is also important because attackers might have already stolen them.

And then there's the hard decision: To pay the cybercriminals or not. Security experts and law enforcement agencies don't recommend paying the ransoms, because this encourages the criminals and because there's no guarantee that they'll provide the decryption key.

According to a report from security firm Kaspersky Lab, one in every five companies that pay ransom never get their data back. However, sometimes there's not much else an organization can do if it was unprepared to deal with ransomware.

Exabeam's Shteiman believes this is a cost-based decision. The organization should perform an assessment by asking questions such as: What was encrypted? Are there backups for the encrypted data? How many changes occurred to that data since the last backup? What's the cost of losing those changes? How long would it take to recover them using other means? Is it possible to recover the data using existing tools or known keys?

If the business downtime caused by data unavailability or by the backup restoration process is more expensive than paying the ransom, or if giving up on the encrypted data has a higher cost in lost revenue and intellectual property than remediation, then organizations should pay the ransom, but only if other options have been exhausted, Shteiman said.

If a company decides to hold its ground and not pay the ransom even if it has no other means to recover its data, it should keep copies of the encrypted files. Sometimes law enforcement agencies or security companies manage to take control of command-and-control servers for various ransomware variants and will make the decryption keys available. Other times security researchers might find vulnerabilities in the encryption implementation of some ransomware programs and create free recovery tools.
Almost six months on from the EU referendum, we present a mini-series on five people who helped to shape the result.



Many of the eras successful politicians entered at the top  thats to say, after a spell as a political adviser or aide. Nearly all were selected as candidates at small meetings of party members.

Nigel Farage is different in having worked his way up from the bottom via scores of hundreds of town hall meetings, and as a member of a minority party to boot. It was a very small one at that when he began.

This makes his achievement in building up UKIP all the more impressive, especially since part of it was undertaken when he was in poor health and much pain. He is the man who built the party that applied the pressure without which David Cameron would not have conceded a referendum.

The oddity is that it was not in Farages interest to win it. A near miss would have left Cameron in Downing Street, the Conservatives divided almost down the middle, and a narrative of grievance for Farage to exploit.

Victory, as we have seen, has left UKIP without a cause. I have no window to look into other mens souls, but Farage could be forgiven for feeling disappointment amidst victory.
Iain Duncan Smith is a former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, founded the Centre for Social Justice, and is MP for Chingford and Woodford Green.

Shortly after Theresa May won the Conservative Leadership contest and became Prime Minister, I wrote that she had three main priorities: unify the Party, take Britain out of the EU and rebalance both our economy and society.

After a successful party conference in which she set out her vision of what Brexit meant, May has made it clear that she intends to take the UK out of the EU. In announcing a Great Repeal Bill and her intention to trigger Article 50 by March of next year, the Prime Minister also seems committed to carrying out the intentions of the 17 million British citizens who voted to leave the European Union. It now seems certain that Britain will no longer be a member of the EU after 2019.

Furthermore, it is also noteworthy that, back in Parliament and around the country, there is relief at the way she has taken charge and, as a result, the Party is well on the way to unifying as it moves on from the vote.

What remains, however, is the rebalancing of our economy and our society. With Britain leaving the EU, there must be a sense of urgency in delivering on this task of resetting the economic agenda to build on the success we have achieved economically over the past six years in increasing employment to record levels and bringing down the deficit by more than a half. Whilst the Labour Party seems determined to embark on a programme of renationalisation and price controls, the Conservatives must continue to stand for economic opportunity and ownership for all, with a renewed commitment to free trade.

Having left Government back in March, I have returned to the Centre for Social Justice as Chairman and have launched new research into how the British economy can thrive outside of the EU. One of the most significant areas we hope to look at will be the often overlooked measure of productivity.

Since the global financial crisis, UK productivity growth has lagged significantly behind the US, Germany, Canada and France. In 2014, Germany and the USA were 36 per cent and 30 per cent more productive respectively than the UK. This fall in productivity has cost our economy billions in output and potential wealth creation. This wasnt always the case. Prior to the global financial crisis, UK productivity growth rates were higher than the G7 average. It begs the question therefore, why has British productivity slowed so dramatically, and what can be done to drive it back up?

A theory behind the slowdown in UK productivity has been the decline in British manufacturing. Manufacturing contributes approximately 10 per cent of total economic output in the UK, half the size it was in the 1990s. Italy, Japan, the USA and  unsurprisingly  Germany all have larger manufacturing bases than the UK. A common misconception is that modern manufacturing is inefficient and unproductive, however this could not be further than the truth. UK manufacturing productivity grew at an average rate of 3.6 per cent between 1984 and 2008, higher than the UK service sector. Has a greater reliance on the service sector been the reason behind productivity growth rates slowing significantly?

The CSJ built its reputation by changing the debate on poverty in the UK. Under Tony Blair and New Labour, poverty was perceived through the single, limited lens of income. An individual or household was considered poor if their income dipped below a predetermined level, and the remedy was simply more welfare spending. The CSJ forced Westminster to accept that poverty was actually far more complex. We identified five root causes of poverty: family breakdown, educational underachievement, worklessness, debt and addiction. It is only through addressing all of these pathways that we will successfully tackle poverty and see people flourish. The change in narrative was transformational, and the work done at the CSJ provided the platform for some of the welfare reforms I introduced whilst Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

The economic debate in the UK needs to change. The Treasury has focused for too long on the dual aims of GDP output and employment. Policy makers have failed to take into account the quality of both growth and jobs. We have to focus more on ensuring that growth is shared equitably across the country and not just among a few in London. We also have to guarantee that people have a career for life and not just a job for now. We want to attack the problem of low productivity, like we did for poverty, through five pathways: education, skills and training, infrastructure investment, business and entrepreneurs, research and innovation.

I believe there are huge opportunities for this country now we have taken the decision to leave the EU, but these cannot be achieved if we do not now seek to put our house in order. Speed is important in the pursuit of this goal, as well as quality research which is why we hope to present our findings to the Government by next summer  at which point Article 50 will have been triggered and negotiations with the EU will be fully underway. I believe the CSJ report should provide Theresa May and Philip Hammond the opportunity to reset the economic agenda and meet the third priority I laid out in July, to rebalance our economy and with it, society.
James Frayne is Director of communications agency Public First and author of Meet the People, a guide to moving public opinion. The focus of this column is Theresa Mays conservatism for ordinary working people.

How vulnerable are we to hostile propaganda activities of foreign powers and agencies? What should we do in response?

Theres been an explosion of interest in these questions  mainly because the US Government has implicated Russian hackers in operations seen pre-election, but also, partly, because of governing elites incredulity at Trumps win and Brexit (which does not detract from the seriousness of the hacking allegations).

The current debate risks conflating two issues: hacking, which is essentially cyberwarfare; and propaganda, which is the creation of hostile narratives against a particular country to undermine its own populations morale, or to turn people in other countries against it. I deal with propaganda here.

Propaganda can be a threat to a country both practically and existentially. Practically, because Governments and other agencies must find ways of detecting and combating it. Existentially, because Governments must ensure propaganda has no resonance with the public.

Practically, the detection of propaganda  like so-called fake news  is relatively easy. The problem is countering it because of its scale on web platforms with no editors, and because Government departments and agencies are not geared up for such operations  made up, as they are, of press officers, speechwriters and events and marketing executives. To be fair, theyre also hamstrung by endless rules and regulations that make combat online nearly impossible.

The Home Offices counter-extremism team  RICU  has outsourced at least some of its work to third party agencies. This is sensible and the model should be extended. There must be close supervision and oversight but countering propaganda and extremism cant be done effectively from Whitehall.

Ultimately, practical threats matter only if theres an existential threat; and such a threat exists for Britain. The most powerful propaganda operations successfully project moral values to the public  and those susceptible to them have some form of real or perceived moral weakness.

While I personally emphatically reject this view, wed be naive not to recognise that a significant number in Britain feel our recent foreign policy has been immoral, that our history is shameful and that the capitalist system as we know it is also morally bankrupt. Beyond this significant minority is a bigger group that think theres something to all this.

Were therefore highly vulnerable to outside forces persuading us collectively that we should stay out of certain security operations, that our troops behave unlawfully, or that our trade deals might be exploitative. Essentially were highly vulnerable to those that say, for all their talk about freedom and liberty, liberal democracies have a poor record.

In Britain, we lack a shared moral confidence. In a democracy, some division is inevitable and should be welcomed. But this lack of moral confidence  and the deliberate eating away of it  is getting more pronounced. Twitter and social media amplifies it, but we seem increasingly incapable of standing up and fighting blatant hostility designed to undermine our institutions.

Sketching out answers to this existential problem might fit into a short book but are well beyond a short blog. Suffice to say, things like an oath of allegiance, however well-intentioned, arent going to do much. Its a much more serious problem.
It looks certain that the attack on a Christmas market in Germany was an Islamist terror assault, and very likely that the attack on an Islamic prayer centre was carried out by a far right extremist. Twelve people died in the former and three in the latter. If the most likely explanation of yesterdays killings holds, we see an image of what such groups as ISIS want in Europe, and neo-nazis too. Thats to say, a religious war that is inextricably linked to ethnicity, with uncommitted Muslims and non-Muslims driven by mass slaughter to support and back extremists on either side.

The danger of being caught up here in a terror attack is small, and it is more likely to be an Islamist one  which faithfully mirrors the standing and firepower of the two ideologies worldwide. The same applies in Switzerland and Germany. But dry statistics dont always determine human behaviour. Britain has not seen an Islamist terror attack aimed at causing mass casualties since the assault on Glasgow airport in 2008. We can comfort ourselves by saying that Britains Muslims are better integrated than Germanys, but the harsh truth is that we have had some narrow shaves over the past near-decade.

Our security services have managed superbly, and we should all be grateful to them. But a danger thwarted is not a danger ended  and no country is immune from being destablised by mass slaughter. Germanys democratic consensus is very strong, but yesterdays atrocity will do Angela Merkel no good in the countrys coming elections, which are important for Britain in any event. It is hard to see how talks on a post-Brexit trade deal can make much progress before we know what Germanys next government will be. That gives us about 18 months to agree one within the Article 50 timetable: hence the talk of an interim deal or interim arrangements.

German voters will be rocked by yesterdays slaughter, and it is no coincidence that the perpetrator (or pepetrators if more than one person was involved) targeted a site associated with Christianitys most popular festival. Vladimir Putin, by contrast, is likely to take the murder of Russias ambassador in Turkey in his stride. He and Erdogan have been creeping towards an accommodation. No wonder that Russian politicians are already hinting that the West was responsible, and some Turkish ones are blaming the Gulen movement. Terrror shakes democracies but leaves autocrats unstirred.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Cornwall City Council meet at a Special Council Meeting on the night of Monday, Dec. 19.

Council had previously failed to pass two separate motions on the water and sewer budget at the Council meeting on Dec. 12.

Administration was proposing a 1.43 percent rate increase to the water and sewer budget. The major reason for the increase comes from the loss of a major contributor to the budgets tax base.

Council approved the increase 6-5.

There were motions to approve and deny the increase that we defeated on Dec. 12. Both fell to a tie. Councillor Carilyne Hebert was not present at the meeting and proved to be the deciding vote at the Special Council Meeting.

The loss of Sensient Flavours resulted in a $87, 000 deficit in the budget.

The both the water and sewer components each have target reserves of around $3.5 million. The combined reserves currently sit at $7.7 million, $700, 000 over their targets.

Councillor Andre Rivette wanted to see the 1.43 percent rate increase offset by the surplus in the reserve. The 1.43 percent increase represents roughly $230, 000 in real dollars.

Rivette was the originator of that motion which was one of the two that failed at the Dec. 12 meeting. At the Special Meeting on Monday, he stood by his decision.

My motion stands that we should offset the increase with the reserves which are over and above our targets, he said. This is going to saved the people who are poor and the people who are renting.

Councillor David Murphy agreed.

If we are over our targets that is tax payers money and we should give it back, he said.

Councillor Claude McIntosh pointed out that this increase equated to around 89 cents per month.

Rivette said that while that amount sounds small, it would be passed on to rent payers.

I am not opposed to utilizing the reserves, I am opposed to using them to offset operations, said the Mayor.

Denis Carr, who chairs the Budget Steering Committee had warned against tapping into reserves at the Dec. 12 meeting.

Mr. St. Marseille explained to us that these reserves can disappear really quickly, Carr had said. When you talk about sewer and water there are things you cant plan for. Weve got to be very prudent and Ive always been against taking money from reserve to fix problems we have with taxes or the budget.
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A lengthy trailer was released by HBO last week that showed "Game of Thrones" season 7 spoilers. If that's not enough, Lena Headey, the actress who plays Cersei Lannister, also spilled some beans for her character. What can fans expect from the King's Landing queen this coming summer's release?

There had been talks as to whether Queen Cersei would be able to overcome the legions of armies out to take over King's Landing and with Jaime Lannister's last look upon her that hinted betrayal. As questions about "Game of Thrones" Season 7 spoilers arose after the release of the trailer, Lena Headey revealed to an interviewee what the fans could expect for her character especially since last season's episode showed she's a survivor.

What Lena Headey Just Revealed About Cersei

As reported by Independent, Headey manifested that her character may be able to retain her position of power in King's Landing. When asked as to whether Cersei was a villain, she suggested that as Queen, she had been compelled to make decisions and kill off people the same way as any King would have. Therefore, she suggested that she did not see her character to be a villain but just a character that worked well with what she has which is the throne.

Furthermore, when she was asked as to whether she would be able to redeem herself with the lack of "Game of Thrones" season 7 spoilers from the recently released clip, Headey suggested that Cersei would have to do as much as she could to keep her on power. Does that mean that she will survive Jon Snow and the Queen of Dragon's rath?

Cersei, The Mountain Goes Back To King's Landing?

In other news, Yahoo! reported that Headey had been spending time with The Mountain actor, Thor Bjornsson. She uploaded a photo of her feet and that of Bjornsson while on a Croatia Airlines flight. This gave rise to possible Game of Thrones" season 7 spoilers as that would mean they are headed to film at Dubrovnik, Croatia, the location for King's Landing in the franchise. Last season, they had to film in Dubrovnik for the Myrcella scene last season. Why would the two be due there and for what scene would it be?

The answer may not have been revealed through the clip which was supposed to show "Game of Thrones" season 7 spoilers. However, the release date is just around the corner. Catch the latest season of the series this coming April 2017 on HBO.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
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Narcissism is usually frowned upon but is the selfie culture, along with societal pressure doing us any good? Or is this phenomenon just bad news? Scientists seem to have contradicting answers to this question.

There is worsening pressure to project a perfect image and social media is the culprit. Social media has a bad reputation of encouraging obsession and this selfie culture that society finds itself in.

However, some studies show that the selfie culture can actually boost one's self-esteem. These photos can give someone the power to choose how they want to project themselves on a platform. Likes and comments provide instant empowerment and validation.

"The cult of the selfie celebrates regular people," says Pamela Rutledge, Ph.D., faculty director of the media psychology program.

A recent experiment reveals that 41 subjects who took selfies simultaneously actually felt better about themselves. Whether or not their projected emotion is genuine the subjects revealed an an increase in self esteem.

Respondents also reveal that their favorite time to take selfies is when they feel good about themselves. A researcher from the University of California also found out that those who took their selfies and shared them with family and friends are blissfully contented.

The selfie culture has also been supported by mobile phone technology, as the front camera is a critical feature that people consider before purchasing a phone. Manufacturers offer something new to upcoming models, like improved camera resolution, ring light, front flash or a rotating camera. The possibilities are endless and phone makers are meeting the demand.

At the end of the day, the selfie culture can be seen as an expression of self-love whether we agree or not. However, self-validation is not limited to physical appearance and social media. Rely not on likes and comments and validation, but rather on self-appreciation even without the selfie photo.

See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare
Channel programs News

Accenture Continues All-Out Security Offensive With Intent To Buy 270-Person Services Firm

Michael Novinson

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Accenture's push to build a $1 billion security practice continues unabated with the company announcing plans to purchase a French firm specializing in identity and access management.

The Dublin, Ireland-based company - No. 2 on the CRN Solution Provider 500 - said the acquisition of 270-person Arismore will bolster Accenture's skills around security services, enterprise architecture and change management services. The deal is Accenture's eighth security-focused acquisition in the past 16 months, and follows three high-profile hires for the company's new, dedicated security practice.

"Acquiring Arismore would be a significant step forward in our growth strategy," said Kelly Bissell, managing director of Accenture Security, in a statement. As we continue to add firepower and build momentum in our security business, we would take advantage of this acquisition to bring our extensive portfolio of end-to-end security services to clients across Europe."

[RELATED: Accenture Continues To Build Cybersecurity Practice, Hires Former Fidelis CSO To Head Incident Response Practice]



Arismore and Accenture both want to help end users build digital trust and benefit from the cloud's power and flexibility by investing heavily in enterprise architecture and identity and access management services, according to Eric Boulay, Arismore president and CEO.

Accenture and Arismore share the belief that digital trust and digital transformation are at the heart of business transformation," Boulay said in a statement. "We look forward to supporting [Accenture's] growth in the field of identity management and other security capabilities."

Arismore, founded in 2002, provides security and enterprise architecture services for enterprise firms in the telecommunications, media, distribution, energy, transportation, banking and insurance verticals. Accenture said it's in exclusive negotiations to acquire the Saint-Cloud, France-based company since the deal requires prior consultation with the relevant works councils in France.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, and Accenture executives were not immediately available for additional comment. Accenture's stock fell 0.5 percent on the New York Stock Exchange, to $123.65, after the acquisition was announced midday Monday.

In addition to its headquarters in Saint-Cloud, Arismore also has offices in the French cities of Villeneuve dAscq and La Ciotat. Accenture said Arismore offers complementary security solutions and services, a strong client base and a team of highly skilled security and enterprise architecture professionals.

Accenture launched its cybersecurity division in June with the hire of Bissell, a longtime security leader at Deloitte. Bissell said at the time that he was looking to take Accenture's security practice from between $500 million and $1 billion in annual revenue to well over $1 billion by growing the company's presence in such areas as mobile security and governance, risk and compliance (GRC) consulting.

Since then, Accenture has hired former CIA chief technology officer Gus Hunt to lead its Federal Services cybersecurity practice, and former Fidelis Cybersecurity chief security officer Justin Harvey to run its incident response practice.

The company acquired five other cybersecurity firms this year: federal security cloud provider Defense Point Security of Arlington, Va., in October; Melbourne, Australia-based security services company Redcore in August, Israel-based cybersecurity company Maglan in June; and minority stakes in Arlington, Va. -based Endgame in March and in Israeli cybersecurity company Team8 in February.

Accenture also made two security-related acquisitions in late 2015: Houston-based industrial IoT security specialist Cimation, and Arlington, Va.-based Fusion X.

Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme said in September that the company's cyber experts are working with a large U.S.-based utility to define, develop and run a next-generation security operations center. The company is also developing a comprehensive strategy to assess risk, manage identity and enable alerts for cyber threats in real-time, Nanterme said.

Accenture's cloud, digital and security businesses accounted for $13.5 billion, or 40 percent of total revenue, in the company's 2016 fiscal year, which ended Aug. 31, Nanterme said. That's up from just 30 percent in fiscal 2015.
Cloud News

Relayware Reseller: There's A Huge, Untapped VAR Market For Partner Relationship Management Solutions

Joseph Tsidulko

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As a new crop of technology vendors discovers the potential of ramping up sales through indirect channels, solution providers are discovering opportunities to bring partner relationship management (PRM) products to market.

Relayware, headquartered in Jersey City, N.J., is one vendor in the rapidly emerging PRM space that's selling cloud-based software through its own channel to companies building or fortifying their channels.

"When companies buy from us, it's about driving more revenue. Companies spend millions on Salesforce or [Microsoft] Dynamics for driving their direct revenue, but how do you reach a partner channel thats continually changing, educate them, provide them the tools to be successful?" said Jim DeSocio, Relayware's chief revenue officer.

[Related: The 10 Coolest Cloud Startups Of 2016]

"Most of these partners are selling multiple products from multiple vendors. So how do our clients become top of mind for their partners?" DeSocio told CRN.

To that end, Relayware offers vendors four packs: a partner portal, sales lead generation, marketing, and a partner training system.

Because the cloud has ushered in an era of tremendous agility in product development and deployment, competition in the IT market is heating up more rapidly than ever globally.

Vendors don't have the patience necessary to grow their in-house sales teams; they know they need to scale fast to remain competitive, and partners are the only means to help them do that.

And one partner sees a strong market opportunity.

Gal Biran, CEO of ChannelSmart, a channel development consultancy headquartered in Israel that brings Relayware's solution to market, told CRN that reselling PRM products represents a strong growth business for VARs.

"There's a huge market out there. It's really untapped. Everywhere they've sold [customer relationship management] in the past, they know that company is doing channel business. That's a market with potential," Biran told CRN.

Relayware claims that vendors that leverage its channel-enablement software to onboard partners see 10 times more portal visits, and generate 50 percent more sales.

Those numbers illustrate how critical it is for IT vendors to not only recruit, but also engage their partners, he said.

"Onboarding [for Relayware] isn't just signing a new partner. The onboarding process is constantly trying to get them to engage with our customers, to be trained and certified on their products," DeSocio told CRN.

The more aggressive vendors are in their efforts to onboard partners, the more certifications those partners typically earn and the more interest they develop in selling their solutions, he said.

Many name-brand technology vendors are Relayware customers, including Kaspersky Lab, Nutanix, NETGEAR and RingCentral.

This year, interest in PRM systems started to catch up to that of CRM, sais Biran, of ChannelSmart, and market demand should ramp up in the coming years.

"You can see that the market is now trending into more [of] a mature area, where more customers understand the need for PRM," he added.

For resellers, especially in less mature markets, the challenge remains to educate vendors on the capabilities, and sometimes even existence, of PRM solutions such as Relayware's, Biran said.

But any company working with more than 50 partners, or doing more than $20 million in annual revenue, should consider leveraging a PRM system  a large potential customer base for Relayware partners, he said.

And PRM software is rich with opportunities for VARs to add services beyond what the vendors provide, such as customization, integration and management.

"It's much like CRM. You can't just sell this piece of software hoping everything works fine. More importantly, there's the ongoing stuff," Biran said. "Resellers bring value in always thinking of better ways to utilize the software in the way it really does what PRM should do; [it] enhances the partner relationship and enhances sales through partners."

Relayware, which has been in business for more than a decade, is one of the most flexible and mature products in the category. The solution is highly customizable, and can handle complex demands, like connecting to mobile apps and internal ERP systems, Biran told CRN.

"They're very good at doing complex stuff to support complex channels globally, supporting all partner aspects of sales, marketing, training," he said.
A Once Vibrant City

Aleppo (Halab in Arabic) has a rich five thousand-year history of vibrant communities cultivated on its soil. Alexander the Great in 333 BC, bishops during the first three hundred years of Christianity, and governors of the Persian Period called this city home. Aleppo was, in fact, the third largest city in the Ottoman Empire.

In the current century, tourists have visited the Souk with its exotic smells and covered streets, climbed through the ancient Saint Simon Citadel, and gazed on the Great Mosque with its towering minarets. The city, vying with Damascus for the title of largest in Syria, was inhabited by families who traced their ancestry back hundreds of years. Most of them were Sunni Muslims, though Christians from the ancient church also called Aleppo home.

How Did It Come to This?

All that changed in 2012. Thats when the fighting that began in the wake of the Arab Spring finally reached the city. Its inhabitants have fled en masse via Europe, Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan to various countries offering respite from the violence ever since. Before-and-after pictures depicting the destruction of the historic city flood television screens and expose the world to villas in ruins, crumbling office buildings, and bloodied faces of children pulled from rubble. Those images are the new reality that has brought the ancient city to her knees.

Since the Syrian war reached Aleppo, the city has been ground zero in a civil war between rebel militias struggling for their freedom and government forces with a different agenda. The front lines have continually shifted back and forth throughout the city. The result has been hundreds of thousands of lives lost and millions displaced from their homes and lives in Syria.

In October 2014, a Syrian Baptist pastor caught in the middle of the fighting wrote to some English-speaking friends:

Here in my room, around midnight, I sit in darkness because we get electricity only one hour per day or less, waiting with others in the building where I live . . . [for] death to visit me . . . it looks [like] death is playing with us hide and seek. So the question or the questions are: Is the next building ours? But when it will be? Shall I stay in my bed, so Ill rest in peace on my bed? Or should I go down to the ground floor? Should I sleep, or it is better to stay awake to feel the moment when death will come riding on those rockets?

A year later he and his family were able to leave and relocate to Canada. But others either refuse to evacuate or simply cant find a way out.

In the past six months, the government has renewed its efforts, with the help of Russian airpower, to claim the entire city for its own. Promised ceasefires have failed. Planned evacuations of citizens have been subsequently canceled as fighting erupted. Sadly, many of the people trapped in Aleppo have recently begun to post horrifying last goodbyes on social media, including a seven-year-old child. Constant talk in both mainstream and social media of failed negotiations, liberation, outrage, victory, and massacre create a bipolar message to those trying to understand the situation. And most of the world feels helpless as the atrocities of war continue.

What Can We Do?

The church is certainly not helpless, however. We can and must respond. Here are a few ways to do so:

First and foremost, pray for the people of Aleppo.

Educate yourself on what is happening in the city, and pray specifically for those who are hurting. One refugee told an aid worker that he did not know a single person who has not had a family member die. Traumatic stress is rampant, and the basic necessities of life such as food, clean water, medical care, and safe shelter are disappearing. With the cold winter coming, simple existence will become even more difficult for the people.

Here are a few specific ways to pray:

As IMB President David Platt recently tweeted, Plead for the peace, justice, and mercy of Christ to be made known in Aleppo. Pray that many would hear the truth of the gospel, see Christ-like compassion on display, and respond by faith for salvation.

Praise God for Syrian Christians who are ministering to their neighbors even in the midst of turmoil themselves. Pray that God will give them courage, safety, and resources to help others.

Pray for the logistics of rebuilding a city that has been devastated by war. Pray that people from all over the world will help by giving resources and going themselves to meet the massive need. Pray against corruption as groups seek to help.

Pray for the healing of minds, hearts, and bodies from the trauma and carnage that the people of Aleppo have endured.

Secondly, share your resources. Give sacrificially.

The UN and various aid groups are working with the victims of the Syrian crisis, but the needs are overwhelming. Needs exist both within Syria and among the millions of refugees who have fled the violence. A couple of ways you can give can be found on the International Mission Board website here and here, as well as through Baptist Global Responses Syrian Crisis aid.

Finally, prayerfully consider how you, your family, and your church will respond when the crisis reaches your own neighborhood.

With the continual flow of refugees out of Syria, more will find their way to the United States, and maybe to your state and city. How will you seek to serve the sojourners in your hometown? How will you, from your hometown, serve those around the world? Seek the Lords direction in prayer and ask if you might be called to go to them with the good news of a benevolent King whose kingdom is marked by eternal peace.

This article originally appeared on IMB.org. Used with permission.

Mary Allen was born and raised in North Africa and the Middle East. She has since served in the same areas of the world for twenty-eight years with her husband and children. The Allens live in a country where many of her neighbors are Syrian refugees.

For more information regarding Aleppo, read this article from the Gospel Coalition entitled 9 Things You Should Know About Aleppo and the Syrian Crisis. You can also check out a quick video from David Platt in regards to how Christians should respond to global crises such as the Syrian War and Refugee Crisis. For encouragement as you consider how your family and church should respond to refugees in your community, refer to this article.

Image courtesy: Flickr.com

Publication date: December 20, 2016
After 16.5 years with the Port of Galveston, Mike Mierzwa, port director, told Cruise Industry News that he was retiring as of Dec. 31, 2016.

Turning 69 on Jan. 3 (2017), he said: It was a difficult decision. I enjoy what I do; as port director I am responsible for the whole port, although my first love is cruise.

I joined the port in 2000 as cruise terminal manager. Together with a great team, we have been able to grow the business. We have found innovative ways to accommodate passengers and move ships in and out.

(Herbert) Bubba Smith is director of cruise operations. Back in 2000 it was only me, now there is Bubba and five more people, and we are looking at hiring a sixth person.

Coming aboard on July 3, 2000, Mierzwa had three months to get ready for his first cruise ship call by what he described as Carnivals oldest and smallest ship.

I needed to get 1,500 passengers off and 1,500 on between 8 am and 4 pm and it seemed impossible. At the time we were less capable of moving that many people. And Carnival was used to moving people in buses. Here everybody had their own car so that was new for them. I recall these air/sea ladies from Carnival telling me this is not going to work. But it did, it all worked out. It was my first turnaround and I was amazed.

If you fast-forward, we do three times that many people, and the ships come in later in the morning. Now they know that since we have such a smooth operation, they can come in later and still leave at 4.

Mierzwa said he has nothing but pleasant memories, but obviously there were some hiccups along the way like with Hurricane Ike in 2008. The terminals had four feet of water on the floor but were up and running in six weeks.

We are a small port and do not get any taxpayer support, he continued. We are able to go out and borrow the money we need and use it wisely. Our terminals are not fancy like you see in some other ports, but they are functional, he emphasized.

I tell my guys now: going forward you always have to be making improvements. So you can accommodate the newest and largest ships that are out there. When I get done with these improvements, we can handle an Oasis-class ship. Bring it on!

Mierzwa is also a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, even having served a stint as a math professor. He retired with the rank of captain in 1998. His last assignment in the Coast Guard was as chief of staff for the Fourteenth Coast Guard District in Honolulu. He was also chief of operations for the Coast Guard in Alaska and commanding officer of two Coast Guard cutters.
Silversea Cruises has appointed Joe Leon as its new vice president of field sales for North America, according to a press release.

Based in the Miami office, he reports to Mark Conroy, Silversea's managing director for the Americas.

With 14 years of sales management experience in the travel industry, Leon is responsible for leading the U.S. and Canadian field sales team, said Silversea.

He has primary responsibility for developing and implementing strategic sales initiatives and new processes for enhancing support to the travel agent community.

"I'm delighted to welcome Joe to Silversea at such an important time, when our fleet is expanding to nine ships with the debut of our new Silver Muse next year," said Conroy. "His extensive sales experience in both the cruise and retail travel sectors will be a tremendous asset to the company."

Prior to his appointment at Silversea, Leon was senior director of business development and travel agency sales for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. His past experience also includes management positions in the retail travel industry, where he had launched a career as a successful travel agent.

"I'm excited to be joining Silversea and look forward to working with travel agents in the U.S. and Canada to help them grow their luxury cruise business," said Leon.
How valuable is personal healthcare data?

Apparently it depends. Based on at least some price comparisons on the Dark Web  the underground online marketplace for cyber criminals  electronic health records (EHR) are not even close to premium goods.

McAfee, now a division of Intel Security, reported recently that the price for an individual medical record ranges from a fraction of a cent to $2.50, while a so-called fullz record  name, Social Security number plus financial account information from a credit or debit card can fetch $14 to $25.

But, other experts say medical records have enormous value, for a variety of reasons  mostly financial but sometimes political or personal  and retains its value for a long time.

Medical data is very rich information, said Axel Wirth, healthcare solutions architect at Symantec. Besides demographics  name, date of birth  it includes financial and account information, insurance and government identifiers, residency information, physical descriptors, next of kin, and potentially even photos. It is as much of a fullz as it gets.

[ ALSO ON CSO: Security tips for the healthcare sector ]

Dan Berger, president of Redspin, agreed. He said he thinks the lower prices for health data are only for what he called, the quick-flip scenario.

For more elaborate schemes, a healthcare record is likely to contain a much deeper set of demographics that can be used for identity theft and fraud, he said.

A healthcare record is likely to contain a much deeper set of demographics that can be used for identity theft and fraud.

Redspin Dan Berger, president, Redspin

And the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), in a recent blog post, said the low prices are simply a matter of supply and demand. There is such an abundance of stolen medical information available on the Dark Web that the value of these complete records has been slashed to less than half of what they used to be worth, the ITRC said.

Indeed, its potential uses are perhaps more varied than data stolen from any other industry sector. James Scott, cofounder and senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT), noted that it can be, exploited for prescriptions, sold and resold, used for fraud or identity theft, and can be combined with other stolen data to generate holistic victim dossiers. In some less common instances it may be used for blackmail.

To that, Wirth adds that the data can be used, to establish a travel profile for government employees, based on vaccinations received, the sale of newsworthy medical incidents about celebrities and the use of medical data in legal disputes.

Then there is the reality that much medical information  employment information, Social Security numbers, medical history, family members, physical descriptors  cant be changed like a credit card account number. It is persistent, which means it is likely to retain its value for years, if not decades.

And one more thing: It is relatively easy to get. Healthcare organizations do pretty well at keeping their customers safe under their care. Unfortunately, they are not so good at keeping those customers personal data safe.

That weakness, widely known in the cyber criminal world, is one of the reasons healthcare organizations are such an attractive, and common, target, as multiple organizations have reported.

IBM called 2015 "the year of the health care breach," in its 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Index.

The ITRC and IDT911 reported in April that while the medical sector ranked second to business in the percentage of breaches reported  35.4 percent to 40 percent  it was far into first place for the number of records compromised  at more than 113 million, or 66.7% of the total.

David Finn, health IT officer at Symantec, said his firms Internet Security Threat Report for 2015 had similar findings  39 percent of all breaches in 2015 were within health services. Based on what we have seen on public notifications so far, we would, unfortunately, expect this trend to carry forward in 2016, he said.

Based on what we have seen  we would, unfortunately, expect this trend to carry forward in 2016.

Symantec David Finn, health IT officer, Symantec

Actually, according to ITRC, things have improved this year. As of mid-December, while the raw number of breaches increased, the number of medical records exposed dropped dramatically, to about 15.4 million.

That is in significant measure because none of the breaches reported has come even close to the scale of several in 2105, including Anthem (78.8 million), Premera BlueCross (11 million), and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (10 million). Those three accounted for nearly 90 percent of the total records compromised last year.

Still, the 15.4 million records compromised this year means a lot of lives seriously disrupted. Scott noted that this past June, the script kiddie 'thedarkoverlord' offered 9.3 million healthcare records on TheRealDeal market on the Deep Web.

Earlier that month, the same person had offered more than 1 million records from three different organizations  activities documented in an ICIT report in September titled, Your Life, Repackaged and Resold: The Deep Web Exploitation of Health Sector Breach Victims.

Ted Harrington, executive partner at Independent Security Evaluators, added that the success of ransomware attacks against healthcare organizations means more criminals will be drawn to it. While ransomware is not necessarily aimed at stealing data, Harrington said attacks such as those against Medstar and Hollywood Presbyterian, prove that it is a viable revenue channel for attackers.

This is not likely to change soon. The reasons why healthcare data remains so accessible to cyber criminals are easily explained but difficult to address.

Security is a board-level, business issue; yet in most healthcare organizations it is delegated to a team or individual without direct audience to the CEO or board.

Independent Security Evaluators Ted Harrington, executive partner, Independent Security Evaluators

Berger noted that it is, inherently difficult to safeguard. It is a real balancing act. Too many controls and you might prevent doctors from accessing information they need to treat a patient; too few controls and that same information could end up in the wrong hands.

Scott sees the same conflict. He said the problem is a combination of, a lack of cybersecurity, a lack of cyber-hygiene, and the value and utility of the data. Many medical professionals ignore basic cybersecurity precautions like encryption because it slows down their patient response time or because their resources are dedicated elsewhere.

Healthcare entities also have a high number of nurses, doctors, and other users physically or remotely accessing sensitive data and systems, which inevitably leads to poor security and in some cases, insider threat, he said.

Finn said another problem is how quickly the industry adopted Electronic Health Records (EHR), from less than 10 percent in 2009 to 97 percent in 2014. Unfortunately, that rush of implementation left security behind, he said.

Another problem: Even though annual national health care spending is a staggering $3.35 trillion, many organizations are using badly outdated equipment. According to McAfee, some medical workers are using systems with Windows 95. Microsoft discontinued support for that OS in 2001  several lifetimes in the world of technology.

Harrington attributes that to security not being an investment priority, in part because, there is insufficient executive buy-in and understanding of the security mission. Security is a board level, business issue; yet in most healthcare organizations it is delegated to a team or individual without direct audience to the CEO or board, he said.

According to Scott, it sometimes simply comes down to the reality that it may be, more cost effective for hospitals to operate outdated equipment and assume potential risk than to replace antiquated equipment.

Wirth said that reality is complicated by interdependencies. In many cases, a system upgrade would require a number of other costly software and hardware updates, he said.

A lot of medical systems and software are very specialized and are upgraded infrequently, especially medical devices, which have a long development cycle and a long, useful life in the hospital.

It makes no sense, he said, for a hospital, to buy a new $500,000 MRI scanner just to replace the end-of-life operating system.

Given those realities, experts say there are still basic cybersecurity hygiene steps organizations can and should take to guard patient data. Most of it comes down to what is recommended for any organization  good cyber hygiene and layered security. That includes:

- Awareness training: By now, everyone has heard that, people are the new perimeter in security, Berger said, yet, in my opinion, most healthcare organizations still invest only a fraction of their IT budgets in security awareness training. Perhaps its time for cybersecurity to be elevated to the same risk management equivalence as health and safety.

- Technology: Scott and others say the right technology solutions can, detect insider threats, segment data according to identity and access, and automate cyber-hygiene.

- Build security in: This will not happen quickly, but healthcare organizations need to start demanding that vendors of medical devices, incorporate security-by-design throughout the development lifecycle, Scott said.

- Know your assets: Not just the hardware, but the software, too, Finn said, and most importantly, where your data is and how it is being used.

- Think like an attacker

- Stay up to date with patches of hardware, software and operating systems.

Cybersecurity is not a fad or a trend, Scott said, and the healthcare sector needs to recognize its need for dedicated information security personnel and to begin aggressively recruiting talented professionals capable of monitoring and responding to the hyper-evolving threat landscape.
A group of Russian cybercriminals is stealing between $3 and $5 million a day by diverting legitimate advertising revenues from over 6,000 brand-name websites such as ESPN, Vogue, Fortune, Fox News and CBS Sports.

The criminals do this by using legitimate data centers to run hundreds of servers pretending to be real people watching hundreds of millions of video ads a day placed on more than a quarter million domains, according to a report released this morning.

This is a very new, and very successful take on traditional click fraud, where the scammers install malware on home computers that watches the ads, and set up dummy websites stuffed with ads to collect the ad revenues.

Dubbed "Methbot" by researchers, the new scam doesn't require the attackers to infiltrate computers or run botnets, and it doesn't need any dummy websites.

With a botnet, criminals incur the management overhead of infecting the machines, running their malware on heterogeneous systems, and controlling it through centralized servers that are always on the verge of being shut down by law enforcement. Renting servers from data centers is easier.

"There's a lot of uncertainly that's taken away," said Eddie Schwartz, president and COO at New York City-based White Ops, Inc., which produced the report. "You can manage a known configuration."

To trick advertising networks into thinking that the ad views are coming from real people, they find blocks of IP addresses at residential ISPs like Comcast, Cox, AT&T, Verizon, and Centurylink that have been reserved by businesses but not used, said Schwartz.

They then forge documentation claiming the right to use those IP addresses and provide it to their data centers.

The data centers are legitimate, mid-sized operations located in Dallas and Amsterdam.

A custom web browser then accesses the video ads in such a way that the advertisers think that the ads are running on legitimate websites.

The criminals make money from those ads by using automated, real-time ad bidding networks to impersonate legitimate publishers.

Advertisers wind up spending millions of dollars a day on ads that are never seen by real human beings, he said.

"The publishers are victims, too," Schwartz added. "Instead of getting the money from advertisers, the money is going to Mestbot, instead."

White Ops has seen evidence of this network dating back to around a year, but the volumes really started to hit the radar in October, he said.

"There's been an incredible uptick of volume," he said. "It's just screaming in terms of the size and the number of impressions that we see."

Since the criminals are paying for real servers with real money, and getting real money from advertisers, there might be a way to track them.

"The old adage of follow the money is probably a good approach, but that's a job for federal and international law enforcement to work on," he said.

White Ops has been working with law enforce and industry groups, he said. "We're providing them with what we know about this operation."

That includes all the attribution information that White Ops has collected that identifies the attackers' locations.

"Our goal now is to get the word out and try to close it down," he said.

One industry organization, the Trustworthy Accountability Group, is already taking action.

"Within 24 hours of our notification by White Ops, TAG was able to alert 130 fraud compliance officers at the largest and most influential digital advertising companies," said group CEO Mike Zaneis.

The group will also add the IP addresses involved to the group's shared blacklist.

"Given that the most advanced feature of this operation was its forged IP space, we believe TAGs information-sharing platform will allow responsible industry actors to mitigate the threat quickly and effectively," he said.

"This massive fraud operation represents a significant threat to the integrity of the ecosystem," he added.
On Feb. 5, employees at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, started having network access problems that prevented electronic communications. Over the next few days, they learned that the hospital was the victim of a ransomware attack that encrypted files on multiple computers.

After several days during which staff had to resort to pen and paper for some record keeping, the hospital decided to pay the $17,000 ransom -- the equivalent of 40 bitcoins that the attackers had requested. It was deemed to be the fastest way to restore the affected files and systems.

This was to be the first in a string of ransomware attacks that affected multiple healthcare organizations in the U.S. over the following months, including the Chino Valley Medical Center, the Desert Valley Hospital and Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Kentucky.

It also highlighted a worrying trend: While in the past, ransomware attacks primarily targeted consumers, attackers were now shifting their focus toward businesses.

Over the past two years there has been a dramatic shift in the type of ransomware being used by attackers, said Ed Cabrera, chief cybersecurity officer at antivirus vendor Trend Micro.

In 2014, 80 percent of ransomware attacks used traditional techniques that involved, for example, locking the desktop screen and telling users that they needed to pay fines. However, in 2015, the statistics flipped and 80 percent of attacks involved crypto-ransomware, the malicious programs that encrypt files.

"Another ransomware evolution is the transition from targeting consumers to enterprises," Cabrera said. "Many of the new crypto-ransomware families detected and blocked in 2016 have targeted more enterprises than ever before."

This change in targets is not entirely unexpected. After all, business records are much more valuable than personal documents, companies can afford to pay higher ransoms than consumers and their security posture can vary greatly based on their geographic location, size and industry segment.

"Weve begun noticing that ransomware has been focusing on small and medium businesses for the past year, as theyre more likely to pay larger ransomware fees than the average user," said Liviu Arsene, a senior e-threat analyst at antivirus firm Bitdefender. "Considering that the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Hospital paid $17,000 when hit by a single ransomware infection, it stands to reason that cybercriminals would be far more interested in targeting organizations."

A recent IBM survey of 600 business leaders in the U.S. found that one in two had experienced a ransomware attack in the workplace and that in 70 percent of cases their companies paid to get their data back.

Emails distributing ransomware programs made up nearly 40 percent of all spam e-mails sent in 2016, and criminals are on track to make nearly $1 billion this year from this type of malware, IBM X-Force said.

A ransomware attack can be crippling to a company's day-to-day activities and human resources and financial departments are common targets because it's easy to disguise malware as a resume or an invoice. If the victim happens to be a hospital, public transport service, water utility or some other critical infrastructure provider, ransomware-related downtime can have a serious impact on lives.

In November, hackers compromised and encrypted data from around 900 systems from San Franciscos Municipal Transportation Agency. The incident did not affect the transit service, but the agency had to open the gates and provide free transport to passengers to minimize customer impact.

When it comes to ransomware, prevention is critical since there are very few options aside from paying cybercriminals once systems are affected. Companies should have a complete response plan in place and simply having a data backup routine is not enough.

Organizations need to regularly verify the integrity of their backups and test that the restoration process works without glitches. Otherwise, they might discover that restoring data through their own process might take too long compared to just paying the ransom.

Ransomware programs have traditionally been distributed through email spam, and many of them still are, but attackers have diversified their infection methods over the past year.

The second most common infection technique is through exploit kits -- web-based attack tools that contain exploits for vulnerabilities in browsers or browser plug-ins like Flash Player, Adobe Reader, Java and Silverlight.

Users get redirected to exploit kits through compromised websites or through malicious ads that attackers manage to sneak onto ad networks. These are known as drive-by download attacks and unlike phishing emails, users can't be trained to avoid them, because they can be launched from trusted websites and are usually completely silent.

But it's not just workstations that organizations have to worry about. Attackers are also increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in server software to get ransomware onto corporate networks.

In April, MedStar Health, a not-for-profit organization that runs 10 hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area was infected with a ransomware program dubbed Samsam. Researchers later established the Samsam was installed through a vulnerability in the JBoss application server and found 2,000 such servers at schools and other organizations around the world running vulnerable JBoss installations.

According to a report from Symantec, the Samsam campaign was also interesting because the cybercriminals behind it were using techniques and tools typically seen in cyberespionage attacks to perform lateral movement inside corporate networks. Their goal was to identify the most valuable targets and to delete existing backups before deploying the ransomware.

Another case is that of Linux.Encoder, the worlds first ransomware program for Linux, which infected web servers through a vulnerability in the Magento content management system, Arsene said. "Other interesting distribution mechanisms involve the hijacking of FTP credentials for popular open-source projects and then substituting the binaries with tainted copies, like in the case of the Transmission bittorrent client."

"We do expect that with ransomware 'going corporate' we will see more vulnerability based infections within networks," said Barry Shteiman, director of threat research at Exabeam, a security company that uses machine learning to detect ransomware. "In essence, every server that has vulnerabilities that may lead to phishing, defacing or persistent code injection  could lead to ransomware spreading."

Another ransomware distribution method used recently is through stolen remote administration credentials. Earlier this year, one ransomware variant known as Surprise was being installed through hacked Teamviewer credentials and more recently the Crysis ransomware infected systems through RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) brute-force attacks.

When it comes to email-based attacks, attackers have used executable files hidden inside zip archives, Word documents with malicious macros embedded in them and JavaScript attachments that download and install malware droppers when executed.

In fact, in ransomware attacks, file encryption is the final step of the infection chain, so there are multiple opportunities to detect and block such attacks before they impact valuable data.

First, there's the original entry point into the network, whether that's an email campaign, a web-based exploit or something else. If the the attack is caught by spam filters or endpoint security products at this point, the threat is averted.

The second stage is typically a malicious program called a malware dropper whose goal is to connect back to the attacker's server and download the ransomware program. Detecting and blocking the malware dropper is yet another opportunity to stop a ransomware attack before it causes damage.

Once the ransomware is deployed it will first scan the local computer and network shares for files that it can encrypt and will attempt to disable the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service and delete existing backups.

Finally, before the encryption process is initiated, most ransomware programs will connect to a command-and-control server to obtain an RSA public key. That key is part of a public-private key pair generated by the server and is used to encrypt the data. The private key, which is needed for decryption, never leaves the attackers' server.

Most of the time, if a firewall blocks the malicious program from accessing the command-and-control server and downloading the public key, the data encryption process won't be initiated. However, some recent ransomware variants have the ability to perform offline data encryption using a hardcoded key.

It's worth noting that it's not just business data that can be rendered unusable by ransomware, but also entire computers. Ransomware variants such as Petya and HDDCryptor rewrite the Master Boot Record (MBR) of computers and encrypt the entire file table leaving them unable to boot into the OS.

When ransomware hits, it's important to isolate the infected computers from the rest of the network so that the infection can't spread. Shutting down the unaffected computers until the compromise can be contained is recommended. At this point companies should also contact law enforcement agencies and ask for assistance.

The next step should be to make copies of the encrypted data and to clean up the registry values and files created by the malicious program so it doesn't run again when the computer is started. Changing the user passwords that could be used to access other network services is also important because attackers might have already stolen them.

And then there's the hard decision: To pay the cybercriminals or not. Security experts and law enforcement agencies don't recommend paying the ransoms, because this encourages the criminals and because there's no guarantee that they'll provide the decryption key.

According to a report from security firm Kaspersky Lab, one in every five companies that pay ransom never get their data back. However, sometimes there's not much else an organization can do if it was unprepared to deal with ransomware.

Shteiman believes this is a cost-based decision. The organization should perform an assessment by asking questions such as: What was encrypted? Are there backups for the encrypted data? How many changes occurred to that data since the last backup? What's the cost of losing those changes? How long would it take to recover them using other means? Is it possible to recover the data using existing tools or known keys?

If the business downtime caused by data unavailability or by the backup restoration process is more expensive than paying the ransom, or if giving up on the encrypted data has a higher cost in lost revenue and intellectual property than remediation, then organizations should pay the ransom, but only if other options have been exhausted, Shteiman said.

If a company decides to hold its ground and not pay the ransom even if it has no other means to recover its data, it should keep copies of the encrypted files. Sometimes law enforcement agencies or security companies manage to take control of command-and-control servers for various ransomware variants and will make the decryption keys available. Other times security researchers might find vulnerabilities in the encryption implementation of some ransomware programs and create free recovery tools.

Corporate networks are not the only ones at risk; the next wave of attacks could see ransomware targeting industrial networks, said Guy Caspi, CEO of cybersecurity firm Deep Instinct. "In April, the Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL) -- the third-largest electric and water utility in Michigan -- was under a ransomware attack, and so was the first electric utility hit by ransomware."

Caspi believes that the next step in the evolution of ransomware could be programs that wipe hard drives after making a copy of the data instead of encrypting them.

On the other hand, Bitdefender's Arsene believes that since we now have ransomware for Windows, Linux, OS X and Android, the internet-of-things devices could be the next target.

"A scenario where smart devices are held for ransom is not really that farfetched, especially since the number of smart things is expected to exponentially grow in the next couple of years," Arsene said. "If your smart home were to be held for ransom or if you corporate sensor grid were to be taken offline by ransomware, thats when things will get complicated."
FAIRFIELD  Michael Fontaine may have been seen in the neighborhood prior to allegedly raping and robbing a woman near the Fairfield train station Saturday night, just 11 days after he left state prison.

But Carla Miklos, executive director of Operation Hope, refuted the contention of one of the soup kitchens staff members, who said Fontaine had been served there.

Michael Fontaine was not a client ours, did not use our shelter services, did not come to eat at our community kitchen and is not someone who is known to us, Miklos said Tuesday.

Earlier, a kitchen worker who declined to give her name said Fontaine had eaten at Operation Hope, which is next door to the Police Department on Reef Road.

Police said that shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday, the 48-year-old Fontaine, whose last known address was in New Haven, attacked the woman from behind as she walked home from the Fairfield Train Station. He pulled out a knife, raped her and then stole several items, police said.

Fontaine was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault  a rape charge  first-degree robbery, third-degree assault and second-degree larceny. He was held in lieu of $500,000 bond.

Long rap sheet

Police Lt. Robert Kalamaras said Fontaine does have a lengthy criminal record dating back to the 1980s.

In 1988 and 1989 he was arrested in Connecticut for burglaries and narcotics violations and sentenced in 1990 to one year in prison.

Transferred in 1991 to a halfway house, Kalamaras said Fontaine failed to return from a work assignment and his conditions for release were violated for escape.

The officer said Fontaine relocated to Massachusetts where he was convicted of a carjacking and rape.

He was charged again with rape for an incident in prison, Kalamaras said.

In 2011, Fontaine was released from prison in Massachusetts and moved to the Pittsburgh area where he was arrested for drunken driving.

In 2014, Pennsylvania prison officials were preparing to release Fontaine when Kalamaras said they called Connecticut officials on Nov. 5, 2014, and learned Connecticut authorities were still seeking Fontaine for the escape.

He was transferred to the Osborn Correctional Institute in Somers to serve out the rest of his outstanding Connecticut sentence and was released Dec. 6.
A push to bring early voting to Connecticut  and send long lines at many polling locations the way of mechanical voting machines  is regaining momentum.

State Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, this week introduced a bill, the first of the upcoming legislative session, to amend the state constitution to allow for early voting.

A similar measure was defeated by voters in 2014 during a public referendum, despite support from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the states top election official, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, who are both Democrats.

Tong said its high time that Connecticut join 37 other states that allow anyone to cast their ballots before the election, not just those who meet the guidelines for obtaining an absentee ballot. The initiative comes after a record 1.7 million ballots were cast statewide in the November election, with long lines observed in many municipalities such as Bridgeport, Stamford, Fairfield, Milford, Norwalk and Danbury.

For working people, thats unacceptable, Tong said. I noticed on Election Day in some of my quieter districts that there were long lines by 6 a.m....and people were being turned away. That just struck me as not being right at all. If somebody gets up at 5 in the morning and races to vote, and theyre there by 6 or 6:15 to vote, they should get to do so.

Tongs proposal, which was sent to the Legislative Commissioners Office to be drafted, will not set a timetable or process for when the first ballots could be cast. He is leaving that up to policymakers, who he said analyze and model legislation after other states with early voting.

Malloy spokeswoman Kelly Donnelly reaffirmed the governors support Tuesday for early voting.

States across the nation offer some form of early voting and Connecticut should join their ranks, Donnelly said. We must continue to work to modernize our election rules, remove barriers to the ballot box, and increase voter participation.

Merrill, a proponent of same-day voter registration, which Connecticut offered for the first time in a presidential election last month, is also sticking by the concept.

Its great that this is getting started, Merrill said through a spokesman. I welcome the proposal.

Republicans are unconvinced about the need for early voting, however.

Right now, I have various concerns over the way voting gets done to begin with and the checks and balances...and what people need to bring to their polling places as a form of ID, said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby. There would have to be a lot of very strong safeguards in place for me to even consider it.

In Connecticut, voters can sign an affidavit in lieu of presenting a valid drivers license to poll workers. But Republicans say that the law is not applied consistently by the states 169 municipalities.

State Sen. L. Scott Frantz, R-Greenwich, who also represents parts of Stamford and New Canaan, was also not keen on Tongs proposal.

I dont know what early voting accomplishes, Frantz said. I tell you, the earlier people vote, the less educated decisions theyre going to make on who to vote for.

Frantz said Republicans arent trying to suppress turnout and that early voting is a nonpartisan issue.

I think both sides agree that the more (people) who participate in democracy, the better, period, Frantz said. However, I think the simpler and more elegant solution to there being large crowds at polls is to be ready for them.

Frantz said Connecticut already makes accommodations for voters to cast their ballots before Election Day.

We have a perfectly good absentee ballot system in place, Frantz said.

About 8 percent of voters in the state cast their votes in last months election by absentee ballot, which are reserved by law for members of the military, travelers, college students, homebound seniors, poll workers and persons with disabilities.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
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TRUMBULL  The 2017 Superintendents College & Career Readiness for Success Forum isnt a college fair.

Its not a high school open house and not merely a chance to hear firsthand accounts of what life after high school is like.

Every high school does that, Trumbull Schools Superintendent Gary Cialfi said. This is beyond a college planning night. Its about preparing for success.

For the fourth straight year, Trumbull will hold a forum for students, and their parents, to expand their appreciation for what it means to be ready for college.

The forum set for 7 p.m., Jan. 4 at Trumbull High School, with the following evening reserved as a snow date. It is meant for students in grades 8 through 12 attending or planning to attend Trumbull High or the Trumbull Agriscience program.

Sponsored jointly by the school board, Trumbull Business-Education Initiative and Trumbull ACE Foundation, the event last year drew more than 600 people, according to Dan Neumann, executive director of both the Trumbull BEI and ACE Foundation.

This year we are hoping for more, Neumann said.

ACE and BEI help provide financial support in different ways to school initiatives.

The 90-minute evening includes presentations from officials from Fairfield University and Southern Connecticut State University as well as the private sector  Hampton Research President Kate Hampford Donahue and Tom Tesoro, a human resources vice president at Standard Motor Products. They will tell parents what they are looking for in prospective students and employees.

Then former and current students at Trumbull High will talk about what experiences at the school helped them prepare for their future. One will be Victoria Estacio, a Trumbull High senior, who said taking advantage of a variety of activities helped her discover her passion.

I have also learned that if opportunities do not exist, it is up to us to create them, she said. She did so by taking an independent study course on ultraviolet rays and sunscreens. Her goal is to become a dermatologist.

Cialfi said the idea is to create a program that students will listen to and find compelling.

The message you want them to walk away with is much better provided by students than me talking to them, or the principal or guidance, Cialfi said. Last year, a parent said, Until I saw this, I thought getting ready for college meant getting as many good grades as you can, load up that resume with all kinds of stuff, even if its not meaningful. 

Grades and extracurriculars do matter, but also learning to collaborate, think creatively and critically and strengthening communication skills, Neumann said.

It is a way to find out how Trumbulls day-to-day experiences can help students find their passion, he said. The biggest question facing young people is, What is the point of all this? 

Although geared primarily for eighth-graders, the program is open to all high school students because, Cialfi said, it sometimes takes time for the message to click with some students.

Also participating in the program will be two Trumbull High social studies teachers, Eric August, adviser to the Mock Trial Team, and Katie Boland, adviser to the We The People team. Both are clubs that have received state and national recognition.
FAIRFIELD  A convicted rapist just released from prison is accused of sexually assaulting and robbing a woman at knifepoint as she walked home from the downtown Fairfield train station Saturday.

Michael Fontaine, 48, of New Haven, attacked a woman from behind when she was walking on Reef Road from the train station around 10 p.m. Dec. 17, according to police. Witnesses in the neighborhood heard screams and helped direct officers.

Officers set up a perimeter and called in two K-9s, from Westport and State Police. Officers tracked shoe prints in the snow and a blood trail from Fontaine, who had struggled with the woman he allegedly attacked, police said.

The blood trail led police to find Fontaine hiding in bushes at a local church on Old Post Road, with items he had allegedly stolen from the woman in his possession. He was arrested within an hour after the assault without further incident, according to police.

This is a horrible crime, Chief Gary MacNamara said. Our officers were able to locate him through perseverance and determination.

MacNamara said he was thankful for the aid of neighbors in the area and for the patrol officers that tracked down Fontaine within the hour. The woman and a witness called police at 10:19 p.m. after Fontaine had fled, and officers arrested him at 11:14 p.m.

Police said the victim was taken to the hospital for treatment after the attack.

The departments thoughts are focused on the victim of the crime, her family and the community at large, he said, and detectives are continuing to gather additional background information on Fontaine.

Fontaine had been released from a Connecticut prison 11 days before the attack, police said. Fontaine has past convictions for rape, sexual assault, robbery, carjacking, burglary and selling narcotics, across three states including Connecticut, according to the department.

MacNamara said Fontaine had been arrested in Fairfield on larceny charges in the early 1980s.

Furthermore, in the late 1980s, Fontaine was arrested in southwestern Connecticut for burglaries and narcotics violations, said Lt. Robert Kalamaras. Sentenced in 1990, Fontaine was released to a halfway house in 1991. Later that year he left the halfway house, considered an escape under state law, Kalamaras said.

Fontaine next served a prison sentence in Massachusetts for carjacking and rape at knifepoint and additional rape charges during his time in prison, according to police. Kalamaras said after Fontaines release, the convicted felon was arrested for driving under the influence in Pennsylvania four years ago.

Fontaine was transferred to Connecticut in 2014 after serving his Pennsylvania sentence to serve time on charges relating to his 1991 escape, Kalamaras said. Fontaine spent about two years in Osborn Correctional Institution in northern Connecticut.

Fontaine is a Bridgeport native and has a current address on Grand Avenue in New Haven. He is registered as a sex offender in Connecticut at different New Haven address, on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard.

Fairfield police charged him with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and third-degree assault for the alleged Saturday attack.

Aggravated sexual assault, first-degree, has a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and five years of special parole in Connecticut. A class B felony, the charge can result in up to a 20-year sentence. The charge can involve use or threat with a deadly weapon. Fontaine allegedly had a knife during the attack.

The robbery and larceny charges are also felonies, while third-degree assault is a class A misdemeanor.

Fontaines bond was set at $500,000 and his arraignment was Monday morning in Bridgeport Superior Court, following the weekend arrest.

Detectives are also continuing to investigate whether there had been any unreported incidents in the greater Fairfield area involving Fontaine. Police are asking anyone with related information to contact the Fairfield Police Department.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can provide information by texting CRIMES (274637) with the keyword FPD.

Lweiss@hearstmediact.com; @LauraEWeiss16
American tourists increase demand for hotels in Cuba

Two years ago, President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba. Since then, Cold War-era travel restrictions that prohibited most Americans from visiting were lifted, leading to a surge of U.S. tourists and a scramble to accommodate them. (NewsHour)

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Charity Commission rejects Temple of the Jedi Orders application on basis that it is not a cogent and distinct religion



Alice Ross

The Guardian

December 19, 2016



A Star Wars-inspired organisation has failed to use the force of its arguments to convince the charity watchdog that it should be considered a religious organisation.



The Temple of the Jedi Order, members of which follow the tenets of the faith central to the

Star Wars

films, sought charitable status this year, but the Charity Commission has ruled that it does not meet the criteria for a religion under UK charity law.



The commission wrote that Jediism lacks the necessary spiritual or non-secular element it was looking for in a religion.



The Temple of the Jedi Order was an entirely web-based organisation and the Jedi are predominantly, if not exclusively, an online community, the commission noted. There was insufficient evidence that moral improvement is central to the beliefs and practices of [the group].



It said the doctrine promoted by the group borrowed widely from other world religions and philosophies, but the commission does not consider that the aggregate amounts to a sufficiently cogent and distinct religion. It added that Jediism was highly permissive, with many different interpretations possible.



Kenneth Dibble, the Charity Commissions chief legal adviser, said: The meaning of religion in charity law has developed over many years and now encompasses a wide range of belief systems.



The decisions which the commission makes on the extent of this meaning can be difficult and complex, but are important in maintaining clarity on what is and is not charitable.



The Temple of the Jedi Order, based in Beaumont, Texas, is recognised as a charitable or non-profit group by the US Internal Revenue Service. Last year the charity regulator in New Zealand rejected an application by another group for Jediism to be considered a religion for charitable purposes.



The Temples website says it promotes goodwill, understanding, compassion and serenity.



We do not teach mystical powers or how to build lightsabers, we are not a dedicated Star Wars fan site, we are not affiliated with George Lucas or Disney and we are not for people who just want to wear a badge reading Im a Jedi, it says.



Brenna Cavell, 32, a psychologist and spokeswoman for the Temple, said the group was disappointed by the charity commissions decision. We put a lot of work into the application and really did our best to illustrate why we do consider ourselves a religion and why we believe we do offer benefits not just to our members but also to the public at large, she said.



The group had made the application to ensure that people who donated money towards the Temples upkeep have a sense of the legitimacy, that we do take it seriously and that any money that they do give to us is properly stewarded, she added.



Cavell said the Temple of the Jedi Order was inspired by the philosophy that underpinned the Star Wars universe, which itself was inspired by the work of the mythologist Joseph Campbell rather than by the movies themselves.



Its not based on worshipping of the force or George Lucas, although many of our members refer to a higher power or the transcendent as the force. But you could easily exchange it for God, the universe  its the same thing to us, we just happened to pick that name.



In the UK, Jedi has been the most popular alternative religion in two consecutive editions of the census, after a national campaign led to more than 390,000 people (0.7% of the population) describing themselves as Jedi Knights on the 2001 census. Numbers fell sharply a decade later, but there were still 176,632 people who told the government they were Jedi Knights.



The Temple of the Jedi Order could not provide figures on how many active members it has in the UK. Cavell said around 30,000 people had accounts with the site worldwide, and around 750 people a year became members.



Its always a little busier around the time the new movies come out, of course, she said.



https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/19/temple-of-the-jedi-order-application-religion-rejected-charity-commission-uk
Civil War Gala to be held Saturday in Somerset

The 14th annual Col. Robert Cummins Civil War Gala will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Somerset Church of the Brethren, 606 Berlin Plank Road in Somerset.
One rescue greyhound gets the gift of a new life and a permanent home when Supervet Dr Noel Fitzpatrick fixes his deformed leg - after initially advising he be put to sleep.

An old hunting injury meant three-year-old Maxie had been living in extreme pain - to the extent that Dr Fitzpatrick advised it was not 'morally right' to keep him alive if he couldn't be healed.

Incredibly however, the vet manages to fuse his bones so that Maxie no longer suffers - and the greyhound is finally rehomed thanks to the surgery.

Maxie the three-year-old greyhound has deformed elbows which have left him in agony and in desperate need of corrective surgery

Supervet Dr Noel Fitzpatrick tells the dog's rescuers that he would need very difficult surgery to put his legs back in place or he could place a metal plate that would fuse his leg

Maxie was originally brought over to the UK from Cyprus by a charity in Birmingham.

There was a desperate attempt raise funds for the dog to get him much-needed surgery to fuse his leg bone solid - partially down to the fact that badly injured dogs are rarely re-homed.

It's a Christmas miracle for the animal when Dr Fitzpatrick manages to pull off the operation, especially after the Supervet advises the charity volunteers Angela, Laura and Kerry that it may be better he be put down.

Both of Maxie's front elbows were drastically deformed and Dr Fitzpatrick says that it is the worst case he has ever seen.

'I do understand the dilemma, the only thing I can say to you is I dont think it is morally right to continue as you are,' the Supervet advises.

It's a massive surgical challenge for Noel who adds that the only real chance Maxie has is by fusing his elbow bone solid so that the pain would be relieved.

Maxie's elbows are deformed sticking out at odd angles after an old hunting injury that has caused him a lot of pain

Dr Fitzpatrick secures a metal 'L' shaped plate on the animal's leg which means Maxie's leg will be in the same position permanently but will relieve the pain

Greyhound rescuer Kerry cries as she hears the only options for Maxie and is determined to give him a better life

Fortunately for Maxie, after charity fundraising he is lucky to be able to get the surgery he needs to live a longer life

It is Maxies last chance but if ever a dog wanted to stay alive it is Maxie. He has still got that zest for life, he hasnt given up so were not giving up on him.

I just dont want him put to sleep. I think he deserves a chance,' a tearful Kerry says.

The volunteers decided they would rather risk difficult surgery for Maxie than see his life ended at a young age.

They manage to raise enough money in time to get the pooch surgery, and Angela happily brings him back to Noel and explains: ' We were looking for a solution to help him live a pain free life.'

Dr Fitzpatrick gently encourages Maxie to walk on his new leg. The pooch has to have months of intensive physiotherapy to learn how to walk properly

Dr Fitzpatrick completes the surgery in under just two hours, it sees him using a metal plate bent into the shape of an 'L' that he fixes to Maxie's leg joint.

Noel has to push aside important blood vessels before he then breaks Maxie's leg bone and aligns it before resetting it in the correct position with the custom made 'L' plate.

This means his leg will be permanently fused in place and will require months of intensive physiotherapy to learn how to walk again.

Maxie refuses to walk on his leg at first but with some gentle manipulation and a pair of women's hosiery from Noel, the pooch begins to make an impressive recovery.

Nearly a year after recovery, Maxie not only has his new pain free life to live but he can do so with his new owners

Adrian and Amanda adopt the dog to join their other two rescue greyhounds after 'falling in love' with Maxie

After nearly a year of recovery, Maxie not only has the gift of being able to run pain-free but he can do so with his new family Adrian and Amanda, from Stratford-upon-Avon and their two rescue dogs.

'We went out to see him and we fell in love with him and within a week, he was here,' Adrian says.

'Maxie has fitted in well, he is a really bubbly and playful boy. We've been able to let him run with the others and it is just so joyful to see,' Amanda adds.

'The surgery has allowed him to have a normal life. Maxie has certainly found his forever home with us. We love him dearly, and we can't imagine life without him.'

Supervet At Christmas airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4
Neil Patrick Harris' family is one of Hollywood's most enviably adorable - and, according to a new video by Vogue, their New York City home is no different.

The 43-year-old actor is the latest star to take part in the publication's 73 Questions series, touring through he and husband David Burtka's townhouse and answering a series of quick-fire queries along the way.

Over the 11-minute clip, Neil answers questions about his career, his two six-year-old children Gideon and Harper and his marriage.

Scroll down for video

Giving the tour: Neil Patrick Harris shows Vogue around his New York home in the latest episode of 73 Questions

Pointing out: He shows off a painting by Gideon Rubin, whom was an influence on Neil and husband David Burtka naming their son Gideon

The viewer is taken through the home starting with a movie theater, moving on to a work space lined with the actor's many Emmy's and a Tony Award before climbing the stairs to have a browse through the family's living rooms.

Even though the actor maintains a serious candor throughout, his comedic side shines through at moments, including when he continually throws popcorn kernels at his mouth while he is interviewed, only to miss every time.

Neil is also asked several questions about his long-running stint as Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, revealing that there was a little-noticed running gag that Barney was terrible with chopsticks and that he stole the real booth the gang sat in on the show for his home.

On his way up the stairs, Neil points to a painting on the wall of a seated young boy, by artist Gideon Rubin, revealing that the painter was part of the reason that he and David named their son Gideon.

Sneaking off: Neil also reveals that he stole the original booth from How I Met Your Mother for his home after the show wrapped

Getting on with it: At one point the actor gets behind the bar to fix himself a 'stiff' drink

Broadway skills: Neil raps to Hamilton hit My Shot to prove that he knows every word

Also hanging on the walls of the home are heavily-signed movie posters, photos of celebrities that the couple call friends and even an original Banksy.

There are also a pair of stunning portraits of the couple's two kids by famed artist Jill Greenberg. 'You've just increased their value,' Neil jokes with the interviewer.

At one point, Neil fixes a drink at the bar in the family's living room using a mystery mix of several hard liquors. He offers it to the interviewer saying it 'looks a bit stiff'.

Neil smirks and replies: 'Stop flirting.'

While enjoying the drink on a nearby couch, Neil reveals that he knows every single word to Hamilton song My Shot, and proceeds to prove it by rapping it word-for-word.

Guest spot: Neil's husband David Burtka makes an appearance at a piano and joins Neil in answering a few questions

Surprise! The couple share a look after each admit to letting the kids do something naughty without the other parent knowing

Blonde beauties: Neil shows off stunning portraits of his kids taken by famed artist Jill Greenberg

At another point in the video, the pair come across David sitting at a piano in the front room next to an opulently decorated Christmas tree.

The pair go on to answer a few questions simultaneously, revealing that David is considered by both to be the most stylish, both claim to be the coolest dad and that if Neil were a Disney character he would be Mickey Mouse.

As for their parenting styles, David reveals he gives the kids too much sugar, while Neil admits to letting them stay up too late - an answer that leads to the pair sharing a look and then harping on each other a bit when asked: 'What is the hardest thing about marriage?'

Neil is also asked who his choice for a sham marriage bride would be and he responds with Charlize Theron, which leads David to shout a joking 'How dare you!' from another room.
Constance Hall has written a touching anniversary post to the man who still loves her, even though she has gained 15 kilograms, 'given up shaving' and her hair is greying.

The popular Australian blogger thanked husband Bill in her signature humorous style, teasing him about his snoring and a particularly memorable bout of diarrhoea.

Next to a smiling photo of the couple on their wedding day six years ago, she gushed about the man who made her 'happier than a pig in s***'.

Anniversary: Constance (right) and husband Bill (left) are pictured celebrating their wedding six years ago

Happy couple: Constance Hall (left) teased husband Bill (right) about his bad habits, whether they were snoring or diarrhoea

The mother-of-four showed that the couple had meant it when they promised to love each other 'for better or worse'.

'Today is our sixth wedding anniversary,' she began the note.

'To have and to sometimes hold when Bill has showered and I'm not on my "don't touch me" part of my cycle.

'For better and c***ish moods when we say things we don't mean.

'For times of cash flow and the povvo days where we ate bake beans [sic] and I tied my hair up with a dirty sock.'

She could not help but gently poke fun at Bill's severe bouts of 'man flu' and his deafening snoring.

For better or worse: The anniversary letter was peppered with colourful examples of the couple's commitment

Poking fun: Constance Hall fondly remembered 'the povvo days where we ate bake beans [sic] and I tied my hair up with a dirty sock'

'In sickness and in man flu, or man aches.. or... remember that time you asked me to call you an ambulance for your gastro? Yeah then,' she continued.

'Until death.. or infidelity or alcoholism or I move out because your snoring is literally taking over the world.'

She then finished her tribute in signature Constance style, admitting that Bill wasn't the only one with the occasional foible.

'I love you.

'And you love me, despite being 15kgs heavier, having greyer hair and giving up shaving. You love me.
For Elenor Tedenborg, giving birth to her newborn son, Eli, was bittersweet.

While the 45-year-old, from Albury in New South Wales, was overjoyed to welcome into the world a baby brother for her eldest son, Charlie, she was also devastated to find out that she had to deliver him prematurely at 36 weeks, because she had breast cancer.

On Tuesday, just one day after little Eli returned home with the Tedenborg family, the mother-of-two began her chemotherapy in Wodonga hospital.

Elenor Tedenborg (pictured) was diagnosed with breast cancer just two weeks before she had to deliver her newborn son, Eli (also pictured) - she delivered him prematurely at 36 weeks

On Tuesday, just one day after little Eli returned home with the Tedenborg family, the mother-of-two began her chemotherapy in Wodonga hospital (pictured with eldest son, Charlie)

'So excited we finally got to take Eli home but then I got the dreaded phone call that my treatment starts tomorrow,' Ms Tedenborg told Kidspot on Monday.

'I felt a little sad at first but - hey things could be worse - at least CT scan and bone scan came back clear so that will increase my chance of beating this disease.

Eli is a miracle and I feel so blessed being a mum of two beautiful boys

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Tedenborg also said: 'Eli is a miracle and I feel so blessed being a mum of two beautiful boys.

'It really makes me realise that we need to slow down, go back to basics and appreciate the little things in life.'

Ms Tedenborg, her partner, Simon Baylis and their three-year-old son, Charlie, quit the rat race in Sydney in favour of a more relaxed pace of life in Albury 18 months ago.

The Tedenborg family had originally re-located from Sydney to Albury in search of a more relaxed pace of life - Ms Tedenborg (pictured) was diagnosed with cancer in November

However, things didn't quite turned out as planned when the 45-year-old found herself running around in her day job as a photographer - working unusual hours.

By the time she went on maternity leave, just six days in - on November 24 - Ms Tedenborg was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer in the breast and aggressive stage 3 in the lymphs.

Since then, her best friend, Annika Enderborg, has set up a GoFundMe page for the family, as they fight the cancer together, with the help of friends and strangers.

Since she was diagnosed, Ms Tedenborg's (pictured with Charlie) best friend, Annika Enderborg, has set up a GoFundMe page for the family as they fight the cancer together

'In a very near time frame, she [Elenor Tedenborg] will undergo surgery, chemotherapy and potentially radiation over the next couple of months, in addition to a newborn to look after - a moment in their life which is bittersweet,' Ms Enderborg writes on the GoFundMe page.

'More tests along the way will be required and we can only wait for each step and take one day at a time to see what treatment is needed.'

Towards the bottom of the post, Ms Enderborg appealed to people to help 'to reduce the burden of costs regarding therapies, travel, accommodation while getting treatment at different location, medicine, herbs, alternative treatments and time off work at times in particular for Simon so he can look after their family in this time of need.'

Both mother (pictured with Charlie) and baby Eli are fighting - while the first day was critical, Ms Tedenborg said that after an hour of skin-to-skin contact, he was better

While Ms Enderborg set up an AUD $10,000 goal just 19 days ago, already well over $8,000 has been donated.

Meanwhile, both mother and baby Eli are fighting.

'The first day was critical but an hour after skin-to-skin contact he [Eli] was stabilised,' Ms Tedenborg previously said.

'He's doing great and is very chilled - we are one of the lucky ones.'

At this stage, the mum of two does not need to have her breasts removed, allowing her to breastfeed Eli during the first months of his life.
A mothers intuition saved her four-month-old daughter who developed a rare cancerous tumour in the womb.

Baby Penelope was born with a bruised lump on her back, which grew bigger over time.

Doctors told her worried mother Emily, from Adamstown Heights, NSW, that it was reflux, colic or constipation, she said.

But Emily remained adamant that something was wrong  and Penelope was later diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a rare cancerous tumour that affects soft tissue.

Adorable: Baby Penelope (left, with mum Emily) was born with a rare cancerous tumour

Fighter: Due to her age, doctors ruled out radiation as a treatment for Penelope, but she is undergoing chemotherapy

WHAT IS RMS? Rhabdomyosarcoma is a tumour of muscle which usually occurs in children between the ages of one and five years. Most commonly the tumour may appear in the head or neck, including the muscles around the eye, in the back of the throat, in the cheek or in part of the ear inside the skull. Chemotherapy helps to shrink the main tumour if it cannot be removed surgically at the beginning. Sometimes both surgery and radiotherapy are needed. Treatment programs need to be adapted to the site of the tumour. Source: The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Advertisement

P is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, she is the light of my life. I would be completely lost without her, Emily, a single mother, said in a post on a GoFundMe page.

She adds: Penelope was born with a bruised lump on her back, which became bigger over time.

I remember constantly feeling that something wasnt quite right, so I decided to have it checked out.

But everywhere I went, nobody would listen to me and I kept getting told that she has reflux, colic, constipation.

Emily said that when her daughters condition continued to worsen, she took her to see their local nurse in October.

The nurse was concerned about the babys distended stomach and told her to go to hospital.

Shortly afterwards, Penelope was diagnosed with RMS  which Emily says developed in the womb and rapidly grew to around 15cm.

Fundraising: A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Penelopes medical expenses

Survival rates for those with RMS depends on where the tumour is and if the cancer has spread.

Due to her age, doctors ruled out radiation as a treatment for Penelope.

As Penelopes tumour is so large, major surgery is required. However, specialists would prefer it to be reduced through chemotherapy, Emily said.

The GoFundMe page, set up by her friend Heidi Gooley to raise funds for Penelopes medical expenses, has amassed $4,500 so far.

Together: Its been a rough journey so far and we still have a long road ahead of us, Emily said

As well as the hospital treatment, the equipment needed to care for Penelope at home amounts to more than $650 a month.

Its been a rough journey so far and we still have a long road ahead of us, Emily added.

I am determined to give my baby girl the best chance at life as I want her to develop and have the same experiences as other infants her age.

For a young single mum, its a huge task.

Determined: Single mother Emily says she will do whatever it takes to give her daughter the best chance at life
A handsome charity worker who rubbed shoulders with the Duchess of Cambridge has become an overnight celebrity after Kensington Palace shared a picture of him on Instagram.

The man, named only as Tom and believed to work for youth charity The Mix, was standing behind Kate as she inspected gingerbread houses at the organisation's Christmas party on Monday.

Wearing a blue jumper and a name badge with only his first name on it, the mysterious charity worker has unknowingly sent royal fans into a frenzy.

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'Who's the dish behind the Duchess?' Tom, second left, has left royal fans into a frenzy after Kensington Palace posted a picture of him standing next to Kate on Instagram yesterday

Instagrammer Cheryl Norrad wrote: 'Who's the dish in blue beside the Duchess?' with Sanglicoo adding: 'Who is Tom? He's so cute.'

Nana Yaa Essawaa begged Kensington Palace to 'please please pretty please connect me to the guy standing beside the Duchess. He's gorgeous.'

Denise, from San Diego, replied: 'My thoughts exactly.'

Others labelled the mysterious charity worker 'hot' and 'cute', with the picture notching up more than 15,000 likes on Kensington Palace's official Instagram page.

MailOnline has contacted The Mix for comment.

The mysterious charity worker has sent royal fans into a frenzy, with the picture racking up almost 15,000 likes as women branded him 'cute' and demanded to be put in touch with him

Kate, William and Harry arrived in North Kensington yesterday for the party hosted by the youth support service, to celebrate the volunteers and counsellors who support people through tough times in their lives.

The Duchess looked full of Christmas cheer as she sported a 720 Christmassy-red and green patterned dress by a new choice of label, Vanessa Seward.

The trio joined a group 'breakout' session where counsellors and volunteers shared knowledge and got training on dealing with a range of issues.

Its focus was on supporting people who are suicidal and helping young people coping with homelessness.

Wearing a blue jumper and a name badge with only his first name on it, the mysterious charity worker, who inspected gingerbread houses alongside Kate, has sent royal fans into a frenzy

Kate, William and Harry arrive at the Christmas Party hosted by the youth charity, to celebrate the volunteers and counsellors who support people through tough times in their lives

Kate also to joined a live online chat about counselling with volunteers and young people from around the UK.

All three royals then had the chance to speak to volunteers and service users from The Mix to hear about their personal experience of online and telephone counselling support.

Kate further got into the Christmas spirit by joining volunteers who were icing gingerbread houses, and Harry certainly became more jovial as the morning progressed.
The show has come under fire for a lack of female representation in the final rounds, but after yesterday's episode of University Challenge things may be set to change.

Taking part in a special festive edition of the show, a team of female alumni from St Annes College, Oxford - Dame Mary Archer, Dr Janina Ramirez, Jacky Rowland and Rebecca Morelle - trounced their opponents by 130 points.

The team looked to be having so much fun as they swept to victory that, Twitter users went wild with KateCrim22 branding the team 'ultimate squad goals'.

Taking part in a special festive edition of the show, a team of female alumni from St Annes College, Oxford - Dame Mary Archer, Dr Janina Ramirez, Jacky Rowland and Rebecca Morelle - trounced their opponents by 130 points

Emmaeatsbooks alluded to the past sexism rows by saying: 'I'd like to see the "there's less women on University Challenge because there's not enough smart women" excuse after St Anne's performance.'

RiseburyCrisis summed up the team as 'smart and fun and possibly drunk', adding: 'I want to be their friend.'

ZoeWelch1 said she would watch them take on 'every single quiz show', while MarkCooperXYZ was particularly impressed by the 'amazing' Dame Mary Archer, calling her a 'brilliant English rose'.

The team impressed OscarTFpowell with its 'comic Christmas informality'.

Twitter users delighted in seeing the team members enthusiastically celebrating when someone answered a question correctly

'Gosh St. Anne's were good. Unusual to see such quick, confident buzzing in an alumni team,' he said.

Their enthusiasm also impressed Duboing who said she loved how they were 'dynamite' on the starters and celebrated each others' successes in answering questions correctly.

Meanwhile, JulietteBurton was happy that they weren't able to answer a question about Delia Smith's Christmas cake ingredients.

One viewer said they would love to see the team take on every single quiz show after their impressive and engaging performance

Left to right: Rebecca Morelle is global science correspondent for BBC News; Dr Janina Ramirez is a renowned historian; veteran scientist Dame Mary Archer and Al Jazeera English correspondent Jacky Rowland

Was pleased the St Anne's Oxford all-women team didn't know the ingredients to Delia Smith's festive cake #UniversityChallenge #girlpower

The three men and one woman representing the University of Manchester were left red face after losing to St Anne's with 55 points to 185.

However, they were up against some formidable opponents.

Dr Janina Ramirez, 36, is a cultural historian, broadcaster, and author and has been credited for giving history the Nigella Lawson magic touch with her fresh, unfussy approach.

Scientist Dame Mary Archer, 71, who specialises in solar energy has held academic posts at Oxford and Cambridge, was the head of an NHS trust, and is the chair of the science museum.

Jacky Rowland, 52, is an award-winning former foreign correspondent with the BBC, is currently a senior correspondent for Al Jazeera English.

And Rebecca Morelle is currently global science correspondent for BBC News.

Last year's semi finalists were all men, prompting Jeremy Paxman himself to question why there were no female faces on the teams during the later stages of the competition.
A cancer-stricken grandmother was conned out of nearly 15,000 by her trusted friend, who spent the money on long-haul luxury holidays to Florida and Russia.

Stephanie Carter, 54, from Liverpool took the life savings of Jean Stacey, 74, who suffers from a brain tumour, after befriending her while her daughter Jayne went through treatment for breast cancer.

The deception was only uncovered last Christmas when Jean's great-granddaughter found a bank statement while the family were decorating the tree with a transfer from her account to Stephanie's with the reference 'Florida'.

Jean Stacey, 74, from Liverpool was conned out of more than 14,000 by a woman she thought she was her friend while her daughter Jayne (right) battled breast cancer

Her daughter Jayne, 48, explained: 'My granddaughter was playing and she pulled out a drawer filled with bank statements. As I tidied up, I noticed there were huge transfers to Stephanie Carter.

'The transfer reference was "Florida". We found countless withdrawals.

'She was draining my mum's account whilst at the same time, pretending to be a family friend. She even bought a present for my granddaughter.

'Her behaviour was disgusting; totally shameless.'

A note from Stephanie to Jean, promising to pay back what she owed with a 100 bonus

Jayne and her mum, Jean, have always been close and live around the corner from each other.

Jean was diagnosed with a brain tumour and also has an illness similar to Parkinsons' disease and lives in sheltered accommodation.

She met Stephanie who was the manager of the sheltered complex where her husband, Graham, also worked as the warden.

Stephanie Carter, 54, admitted fraud totalling 14,500, at Liverpool Crown Court

Mum of two Jayne said: 'At first, Stephanie seemed very friendly. She would pop in and see my mum. She even organised trips and get-togethers.'

In May last year, Jayne was taken into hospital and was diagnosed with a bowel disease.

Jayne says: 'I usually visit my mum every day but with me in hospital, Stephanie began going round every day and wheedling her way into my mum's confidence.

'She began pleading with her for money, saying she couldn't pay her mortgage. We had no idea what was going on.'

Jean with her great granddaughter Khaci who later uncovered the incriminating bank statements in a drawer while she was playing

Though she at first resisted, Jean eventually gave in and withdrew 2,000 for Stephanie.

Jean said: 'I had some savings and I felt terrible seeing her in such a state. I was so worried about Jayne ill in hospital. She is my only child and my mind was distracted.

'Stephanie took advantage of the stress I was under. She promised she would pay me back when she got some compensation through.

Jean trusted Stephanie who was the manager of her sheltered accommodation and even loaned her money to pay her mortgage

'But as time went on, she borrowed more and more, and I felt really stuck. I didn't know what to do.'

When Jayne came home from hospital, she immediately noticed the change in her mum's behaviour.

Jayne says: 'Mum was very stressed and quite touchy and bad-tempered. I blamed it on her ill-health. I had no idea what was really happening.

'In the meantime, Stephanie was continuing to take mum's money, forcing mum to keep it all secret from us.

A bank statement showing that Stephanie Carter took 6,000 from Jean's account while she was supposed to be comforting her over Jayne's cancer diagnosis

'She was draining my mum's account whilst at the same time, bringing presents for my new baby granddaughter. Her behaviour was disgusting.'

In August 2015, Jayne suffered a second health blow when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. On the same day as the diagnosis, Stephanie took 6,000 from Stacey's bank account.

Jayne says: 'I was devastated when I was diagnosed with cancer. I was so worried about telling my mum, but Stephanie seemed wonderful.

Jayne on her wedding day with mother Jean (right). She became concerned after noticing a change in her mother's behaviour but put it down to her ill-health to begin with

'She offered to take mum out for the day  but that same afternoon, she took 6000 from her account.'

Over Christmas 2015, Stephanie organised a trip for five of the residents.

Jayne says: 'There was some issue over payment for the holiday and I began to worry. Stephanie had always been over-friendly, offering us cake and tea  but the facade began to slip a little.'

Whilst Jean was on holiday, Jayne and her children, Daniel and Faye, decided to decorate her flat ready for Christmas.

The great-grandmother says that Stephanie took advantage of her during a 'very bad' time in her life and that the betrayal of trust was the worst part

Jayne says: 'My granddaughter, Khacie, was playing and she pulled out a drawer, with bank statements all over the floor.

'To my horror, I noticed huge transfers of cash to Stephanie Carter, with the reference: "Florida".

Carter had also paid 2,000 to a holiday company called: 'Go Russia.'

'I couldn't believe it. One of the transfers, for 6000, was made on the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was sickened.'

The family contacted the police.

Jayne said: 'After we spoke to the police there were a couple of days before Stephanie was arrested, and there was a big Christmas party at the complex.

'Stephanie was there, throwing her arms around us and she gave us a present for my granddaughter. I had to smile and play along with her, because the police had told me not to say anything to her.

'She also wrote to my mum, promising to pay it all back, with interest. But it was all a complete lie. She had no intention of paying back a single penny.'

Carter appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and admitted fraud totalling 14,500.

Jean added: 'She took advantage of me at a very bad time in my life.
Bobbi Brown has stepped down from her eponymous beauty brand.

The make-up artist and entrepreneur  who founded her namesake cosmetics company in 1990  has announced she has decided to leave Bobbi Brown Cosmetics after 25 years to embark on a new adventure.

The 59-year-old mogul, from New Jersey, said she was 'proud' of her successful brand and the products she had created, while hinting that she was considering a 'new venture'.

Beauty mogul Bobbi Brown, who launched her beauty empires from her home, has announced she is leaving Bobbi Brown Cosmetics after 25 years to embark on a new adventure

Speaking in a statement about her departure, Bobbi said: 'I am thankful for the extraordinary people that I've had the privilege to work with over the years and proud of the creative endeavours and innovative products we've created together.'

Bobbi founded her beauty empire from her own home a quarter of a century ago, with her debut line consisting of just ten lipsticks designed to flatter all skin tones - which she later called 'lipstick that looked like lips'.

The mother-of-three has since written eight books about makeup and beauty, had her work featured on the cover of Vogue, and sells her products in stores all over the world including 75 freestanding stores.

She is largely credited with sparking the ongoing trend for natural beauty, championing nude lips and neutral tones, while her brand is now worth an estimated $1 billion (800 million).

Friends in high places: Bobbi Brown and Prince Harry's girlfriend, Suits actress Meghan Markle, team up for an on-the-go makeup masterclass in the back of a taxi in September 2016

Bobbi has written eight books about makeup and beauty, had her work featured on the cover of Vogue, and sells her products in stores all over the world including 75 freestanding stores

Celebrity fans include Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle and actress Meg Ryanb, while the Duchess of Cambridge and her bridesmaid Pippa Middleton famously used Bobbi Brown products on the royal wedding day in 2011.

The entrepreneur  whose brand was bought by the cosmetics giant Estee Lauder in 1995  has also thanked her 'Lauder family' for the opportunities they have given her.

She continued: 'And the Lauder family, for the many opportunities they gave me.'

BOBBI'S A-LIST CLIENTELE . Kate Upton . Meg Ryan . Katie Holmes . Sienna Miller . Susan Sarandon Advertisement

The statement also confirmed that the global brand president Peter Lichtenthal will continue to oversee the business.

Bobbi has in the past admitted that celebrating the brands 25th anniversary in the business was what made her decide to quit the beauty house.

Speaking previously, she said: '[It] made me realise it was time to start a new chapter and move on to new ventures.'

Although Bobbi has hinted she will begin a new venture in the future, she has decided to keep her future plans close to her chest, although she is rumoured to be revealing all of the details next year.

Meanwhile, Bobbi has admitted she never thought she would be a successful businesswoman or even be a recognised person in the public eye.

She explained: 'I have never ever thought about being a businesswoman, being someone in the public eye - and certainly not with such a giant business. If there was a crystal ball I'd have run the other way.
died on a Normandy beach during the Second World War

Hollywood star Ioan Gruffudd broke down in tears as he was told how his brave cousin died on a Normandy beach during World War II.

The acclaimed Welsh actor, 43, was tracing his family tree when he learned Leslie Griffith made it ashore after the D-Day landings but was killed just days after.

And Ioan was overcome with emotion as he was told how Leslie was just 33 when he was blown to pieces as an anti-aircraft gun exploded.

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Hollywood film star Ioan Gruffudd, 43, broke down in tears as he learned that his cousin was blown up on a beach in Normandy during World War II

Proud Welshman Ioan was tracing his family tree all the way back to the 13th century for a BBC programme

Hornblower, Titanic and Black Hawk Down actor Ioan became visibly emotional when told the details of Leslie's death by historian Dr Johnathan Hicks.

Ioan was taken to a North Beach in Tenby, West Wales, which was used by American forces to practice for their landing on Omaha Beach due to the topography being so similar.

The landing on Omaha Beach was scheduled for June 1944, however rough sea conditions meant the landing was impossible, so 100,000 troops were forced to spend days at sea waiting for the green light.

Among them was Ioan's cousin Leslie, of Pontyberem, South Wales, who worked as a general labourer before the war.

On June 6th, Leslie, along with 156,000 other troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, described by Dr Hicks as a 'do or die' mission.

His role was to arm an anti-aircraft gun, which provided protection for allied troops that were trying to get inland from the beach.

They made it ashore but seven days later he died fighting on the beaches.

The star was overcome with emotion as he was told the facts by a historian who had traced his family history

The Fantastic Four star was told he was also a direct descendant of Edward I - the King who conquered Wales

Ioan was amazed at the length of his family tree which the historian painstakingly built for the actor

Hornblower, Titanic and Black Hawk Down actor Ioan (left as Henry Morgan in Forever and, right, in Amazing Grace) became visibly emotional when told the details of Leslie's death by historian Dr Johnathan Hicks

Dr Hicks said: 'The barrel become so hot because they couldn't afford to break the firing to allow it to cool down.

'They put a round into the barrel it exploded inside the gun.

'The explosion was so catastrophic it actually killed Leslie.

'It was such a large explosion in such a confined space, his body could not be identified, so he has no known grave.

'His life was over at the age of 33.

However, Dr Hicks stressed that his life would be remembered forever, with his name inscribed on the walls of the Bayeux memorial to the missing, located in France.

Ioan takes a break from Hollywood to head back to his home land of Wales to discover more about his ancestors

Family tree expert Mike Churchill Jones informs Ioan that there is an extremely long line of family history but there is on person that remains a mystery - Walter Anthony

His seven time great grandfather Walter is proving difficult for the historian to track down as he explained that he couldn't find out who is was or who he married

Ioan broke down in tears when told of the death, saying: 'We're so lucky aren't we? We're so lucky.'

He added: 'This really was a do or die mission wasn't it.

'We know nothing really when you think about the freedoms that we have.

'These young men and women never had a chance. Hearing these personal stories, even though it's a few generations ago, it just goes to show that we've all come from that and we've all benefited from those sacrifices.'

The actor praised Mike's work on his family tree and was clearly excited to get stuck in to discovering more about his past

Ioan's ancestors can be traced back to West Wales in the sixteenth century and he discovers some surprising facts

Proud Welshman Ioan was tracing his family tree all the way back to the 13th century for a BBC programme and he was told he was also a direct descendant of Edward I - the king who conquered Wales.

He said: 'It's a stunning revelation that I'm descended to somebody who wanted to cause so much ill to the Welsh and the Welsh history.

'He wanted the power and control all to himself.'
While her royal beau was enjoying a slap up Christmas meal at Buckingham Palace, Meghan Markle spent today on more sober pursuits.

The Suits actress, 35, was seen heading to a yoga class after returning to Toronto for Christmas following romantic break in London with Prince Harry.

Meghan was wrapped up well against the winter chill in a black coat and grey beanie hat and wore her trusty 96 Kamik snow boots.

Meghan Markle, 35, was seen heading to a yoga class after returning to Toronto for Christmas following romantic break in London with Prince Harry

Prince Harry today joined his brother Prince William and his family for lunch with the Queen ahead of Christmas celebrations at Sandringham

Her outing was a return to routine after spending festive week in London with Harry.

The pair went shopping for a Christmas tree and attended The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time at a West End Theatre.

However, royal duty beckoned for Harry this week, and Meghan jetted back to Toronto where she is based to spend the festive season apart from her boyfriend.

Only close family and occasionally friends join the senior royals at Sandringham, and it's too soon in Harry's romance with the Suits actress for her to be invited by the Queen.

Meghan wrapped up in a black winter coat and wore her trusty 96 Kamik snow boots for her yoga outing

However, Harry made sure to drop her off at Heathrow airport personally on Sunday morning.

The actress was accompanied by airline staff prior to boarding her flight, while the prince was flanked by five police protection officers.

He will spend Christmas at the Queen's Norfolk estate, but is expected to be reunited with his stunning girlfriend in the New Year.

Harry is no doubt feeling a little deflated over the separation as he was looking somewhat glum yesterday on official royal duty.

The Prince joined William and Kate at a Christmas party hosted by the youth charity The Mix in London, attended by representatives of their Heads Together campaign.

Indeed, the Cambridges have been a constant presence by Harry's side in the past 24 hours, with William giving him a lift to Buckingham Palace for the Queen's annual pre-Christmas lunch this afternoon.
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The Swedish royal family have tonight stepped out for a Formal Gathering of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm.

The family donned their finest attire as they attended the event together and smiled as they greeted the public.

Princess Sofia, 32, and Prince Carl Philip, 37, looked loved-up, keeping a firm hold of each other as they held hands and braved the bad weather.

Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, Prince Carl Philip and Chris O'Neill at a Formal Gathering of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden

The event is always held in the run-up to Christmas and the whole family got together to attend the Formal Gathering.

Queen Silvia, 72, who is the longest serving queen of Sweden, walked with King Carl Gustaf, 70, and wore a long glittering blue lace gown and diamond earrings.

Crown Princess Victoria, 39, wore a navy evening gown with a diamond necklace, pearl and diamond earrings and a pearl and diamond brooch.

Princess Sofia, who gave birth to son Prince Alexander in April of this year, wore an aubergine-coloured evening gown with long earrings while Princess Madeleine, 34, wore a black and lace gown along with a furry black coat and diamond earrings.

King Carl Gustaf and his wife Queen Silvia are photographed on their way to the formal gathering

Crown Princess Victoria, who is dressed in a floor length blue gown, and Prince Daniel smile at onlookers

Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip - who have been voted Europe's second hottest royal - held hands as they walked towards the formal gathering

Prince Carl Philip looked longingly at his wife as they made their way through the wet weather in Stockholm

Queen Silvia, pictured with King Carl Gustaf on her left, waved at passers by as she kept herself warm in a long dark furry coat

All of the royal ladies teamed their outfits with the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim and the family order of King Carl Gustaf.

The men, including King Carl XVI Gustaf, Prince Carl Phillip and Prince Daniel, 43, who is married to Princess Victoria, looked dapper in their white tie with the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim and the neck badge of the order of the Polar Star while Christopher ONeil, 42, wore white tie with the neck badge of the Order of the Polar Star.

Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill were photographed making their way down the street in their formal attire

Madeleine and Chris O'Neill paused to pose for photographs, with the Princess looking beautiful in a long black gown and furry jacket

All the members of the Swedish Royal family were in attendance tonight at the Exchange Hall.

The Swedish Academy was originally founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Its purpose is to work upon purity, strength and sublimity of the Swedish language.

The Academy annually appoints the recipient of several awards and scholarships, including deciding who will be the laureate for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Tonight, author Sara Stridsberg was appointed a member of the Swedish Academy where she also read an inaugural address.

Queen Silvia, whose bright blue dress was peeping out from underneath her long coat, kept her clutch bag tight to her body

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia made their way inside, with the royal giving onlookers one last glance before they entered

Karolin A Johansson wore a cream furry coat with a long velvet navy dress and accessorised with a bracelet, earrings and clutch bag
People hold very dearly do their traditions, especially around the holidays. So when a group of kids were asked to try different kinds of Christmas foods from around the world, it's no surprise they were mostly unimpressed.

In a new set of videos for Cut.com, a group of children test out a handful of international cuisines, tasting what people in New Zealand, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Argentina, and Poland eat to ring in December 25.

Adorably, the kids then offered their very honest opinions, which conveyed pretty clearly that none plan to move to another country any time soon.

Happy merry: A group of American kids tried Christmas dishes from around the world in a new video, like this meal one from New Zealand

What's that? The kids seemed unsure about the barbecue, which included crawfish

Something sweet: They were more interested in the dessert, a pavlova

New Zealand: BBQ crawfish and meat with pavlova for dessert

One little boy mistakenly identifies the crawfish as lobster, and he does not seem impressed.

'I don't know what that is, and I don't want to know,' says another little boy, pointing at it.

Though a few don't seem to mind the meat, they all seem to focus more of their attention on the dessert.

But when asked why people in New Zealand eat barbecue for Christmas  the interviewer seems to be trying to reveal to the American kids that Christmas in the southern hemisphere falls during summer  one boy answers that they must eat it to 'celebrate the birth of Jesus'.

Something else: From the Dominican Republic, they tried pig roast and rice with pigeon peans and coconut milk

Meat and rice: The food wasn't too unfamiliar and most seemed OK to try it

They seemed to like the rice more than the meat, however

No thanks: This kid was clearly not impressed with what was placed in front of him

Dominican Republic: Pig roast and rice with pigeon peas and coconut milk

A little boy seems confused by the pork and gives it a try. After chewing for a bit, he spits it out and looks at it  then, apparently noticing nothing wrong, puts it back in his mouth.

Another seems to like the rice, while a third is baffled that the food in front of him is consumed on Christmas.

One totally-unimpressed boy remarks that the local Christmas cuisine is 'nice for the cat'.

Americanized: The meal served from Japan was a bucked of KFC chicken and Christmas cake

What a score! This kid was thrilled with the fried chicken on his plate

Don't tell mom: This kid dug right into the cake with his hands, making a joyful mess

The children did seem a bit incredulous that this was Christmas food for the Japanese

Japan: Fried chicken and Christmas cake

The children all seem thrilled to have something familiar placed in front of them, with one excitedly repeating: 'This is happening, this is happening!'

'It's a brilliant country that eats chicken for Christmas!' he adds, hugging a bucked of KFC breasts and legs.

Another boy, who seems to like it, is baffled, though  he appears to believe that Japanese families have to come to the US to get KFC.

A little boy named Ernie dives right into the cake, scooping up globs of it with his hands and stuffing it into his mouth.

Not familiar: To represent Poland, they were served a dumpling, golabki, and barszcz

Pure torture: This may have been their least favorite, and they seemed horrified by the beet soup

A few ate the cabbage, though the dumpling was not what they expected

Poland: Dumpling, golabki (cabbage rolls), and barszcz (beetroot soup)

Several of the kids think the dumpling looks familiar, but are clearly more used to Asian dumplings than Polish ones, and most spit it out.

They remark that the barszcz is 'gross' and looks like blood, making horrified faces as they eat it.

After eating, Ernie once again steals the show, lifting up his shirt to show off how big his tummy is.

Finale: From Argentina, they had cider, vitel tonne, and pan dulce

Head scratcher: The boys were not fans of the cider, which some thought was coffee

The vitel tonne, which is veal and tuna mayo, wasn't a hit, either

Finally! The pan dulce seemed to be the go-to, as it was covered in sugar

Argentina: Vitel tonne (veal and tuna mayo), cider, and pan dulce for dessert

Only one little girl seems to like the cider, chugging it down while her brother check out the vitel tonne.
Soap fans were left in tears watching Emmerdale's special dementia episode.

It was told solely from the point of view of vicar Ashley Thomas, played by John Middleton, who has been battling stroke related early onset vascular dementia in the ITV soap for the past two years.

Viewers witnessed how he was unable to recognise his close friends and onscreen wife Laurel and it sent them on an emotional rollercoaster.

Regular actors were replaced by unfamiliar faces in the thirty minute special, to replicate how difficult it was for the character to recognise those who loved him.

'Heartbreaking episode, been in tears since it started,' said one upset viewer.

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Ashley is unable to recognise any of his close friends and family due to the symptoms of dementia

Although he is rescued by his onscreen wife Laurel, Ashley is scared and upset and doesn't remember them

He left the hospital in the episode by himself to try and find his mother, who has been dead for years, to try and tell her about Laurel who was sat with him

Viewers could barely hold back the tears as they watched the special Emmerdale episode told solely from the point of view of the vicar

The distressing portrayal of Ashley's dementia battle was heartbreaking for people watching at home.

The confused vicar left hospital in the episode and made his way out onto the streets alone as he tried to hunt down his old childhood home to find his dead mother.

Ashley was seen wandering around in the cold in his pyjamas, but in his state he believes he is fully dressed.

'Emmerdale has got me already. Dementia is pure evil,' said one viewer watching on Twitter.

'Already in tatters watching #Emmerdale your man giving Ashley the coat... This soap just does not get enough credit, best one by a mile,' added another.

The vicar is rescued by Laurel after his close friend finds him wandering in the street but due to the symptoms of his illness he was unable to piece together who they are.

Viewers agreed that it was heartbreaking to watch as Ashley failed to recognise those who were close to him and wanting to help

Laurel was played by another actress for the special episode to replicate exactly how confused Ashley was about the people surrounding him

The special one-off episode of Emmerdale told the story solely from the point of view of Ashley Thomas, played by John Middleton, offering the audience an insight into the life of someone living with dementia

Ashley (middle) with his onscreen wife Laurel (left, played by Charlotte Bellamy) and Marlon Dingle (right, played by Mark Charnock) at the hospital

John said in an interview with FEMAIL about the episode: 'I t is possibly life threatening what is happening to him and it is very cold, and he is behaving eccentrically in the middle of a town centre full of traffic and noises and its all very bewildering and frightening.'

Over recent months viewers have seen Ashley's condition steadily worsen. However his onscreen wife Laurel, played by Charlotte Bellamy, has continued to support him and vowed to stand by him.

'This is a tragic love story because its only got one possible ending.

The interesting thing is the chapter or even book in their life together, they were separated for a while, a good while but I think we were responding to an audience desire that they got back together again.

'They know full well what they are going to be facing from the outset and Ashley says he doesnt think its possible and that it would be unfair to inflict this on her.

'She wants to face it with him in the first place, Ashley says no but then he begins to realise that he cant face it on his own.

Ashley is confused and ends up leaving the hospital wearing just his pyjamas, making his way out onto the streets alone in the cold

Laurel explains to Marlon the damage from the mini-stroke Ashley has just had might be permanent, he comforts Laurel but confused Ashley sees and angrily accuses them of having an affair

From his own perspective Ashley believes he is fully dressed but viewers will know he walked out of the hospital wearing nothing but his bed clothes

Ever since his diagnosis from stroke-related vascular dementia things have not gone well for the Thomas family

'And theres no better person to face it with than Laurel, because she is the great love of his life, he never stopped loving her.

'Theres a jeopardy right at the beginning of this new book in their relationship where they both know its going to end tragically but they're taking each day as it comes.'

Aside from one major difference to shooting this distinctively different episode was that John was in every scene, he says that it was particularly emotional because he regresses to a 19-year-old version of himself.

'In the episode Ashley is in hospital because he has just had a transient ischemic attack which is a mini stroke.

'The condition that Ashley has is stroke-related vascular dementia and your condition deteriorates quite rapidly and markedly after youve had a mini stroke. Hes just had a severe one and hes very confused and he doesnt really now what is going on properly.

'He eventually wanders out of the hospital, and its one of the things Ive noticed in my research that when people do wander off who have got dementia, they are not just wandering they are going with a purpose, a very definite purpose.

He has accidentally lashed out at his wife Laurel and forgot his daughter Dotty at her christening in just a few of his confused moments

Laurel has been left distraught and heartbroken but has vowed to stand by him and support him as his disease progresses

The two characters first got married in 2005 but then split before being reunited which actor John said was based upon fans' wishes

'All of a sudden he is a young man again with a purpose and that purpose is to go home to his mother, if we know the show and his background, his mother has been dead for years and years.

'He thinks she is still alive but what he is reliving is that she has a terminal illness and shes going to die and hes reliving that and the grief and the anxiety which was provoked at the time when he was about 19.'

John, who is married and has two children and lives in the same village as his longtime co-star Charlotte, spent many hours researching dementia and the affect it has on the 850,000 people living with the disease in the UK.

In a bid to make it feel as authentic as possible, the producers sought advice from Alzheimer's Society and received support from Methodist Care Homes, visiting and speaking with patients.

'In the first place I did a lot of research, the whole story line team the producer everyone did the research, Charlotte as well,' he explained.

Ashley's has been slowly declining in health over the past two years on screen, something which the actor has put a lot of research into

'The story was first pitched to me by Kate Oates [Emmerdale producer] and my first reaction was "what a great story".

'I wanted to throw myself into it wholeheartedly but obviously the next thing you think is I am going to be dealing with human extremes here, I best get this right.

WHAT IS DEMENTIA? Dementia describes different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function. Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, affecting 62 per cent of those diagnosed. The second is vascular dementia affecting 17 per cent of those diagnosed. Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding. Dementia affects 850,000 people in the UK with numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease or any other type of dementia. Advertisement

As I started doing research I began to realise what a huge issue this is, the immense responsibility we were taking on because it is such a big issue and it affects so many people.

'If we didnt do this properly and accurately and give it the dignity and the integrity that it deserved then we would be doing an immense disservice to the people who have this condition and their carers.

' From then on we became dedicated in the team to getting it right.'

John added that Alzheimer's Society 'virtually had script approval' to make sure that what they were portraying was as realistic as possible.

'I have always thought, and I am not alone in this, that our stories come from real stories because real stories have the added advantage of being true.

'It is the truth of the issue that we wanted to get to, and you also get into the detail and the truth of those stories.

The Alzheimers Society are absolutely delighted that we are running this story, raising awareness of the issue like nothing else, they are very pleased about that.

'Another name I should mention is Methodist Homes who have been very helpful as well. Right at the beginning of my research into this I visited a home called Glenn Rosa which is in Ilkley.

John said that many of Ashley's storylines have been based on real stories from real people who have been suffering from the disease

'I met staff there and the people who lived there. It's a home which is for old people and it has a special dementia wing. They were incredibly helpful.'

The cast also met with young sufferers of dementia, around the same age as what Ashley is in the soap, and John adds: 'They were fascinating to talk to.

'We brought them into the studio and talked to the Emmerdale team and for hours we just listened to them telling their stories, some of which we were appalled by some of which we couldnt contain the laughter. From that we got a lot of detail.

It all adds to the way that we portray the condition and the way we express it.

Since his diagnosis the Thomas family have faced heartbreak - with the loving father lashing out at his wife Laurel, and forgetting his baby daughter Dotty at her christening in just a few of his confused moments.

In a Christmas Day episodethe former vicar goes to a carol service but appears to forget that it's Christmas in the village
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A photographer from Penn Valley, California, has started a powerful photography project to prove that gender should never impact a woman's career opportunities.

Chris Crisman, a commercial photographer, recently shared his 'Women's Work' series - a body of work capturing images of women in roles not typically held by females.

Mr Crisman was inspired to start the series when he heard about Heather Marold Thomason, a woman who gave up her career in web design to become a butcher.

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Women's Work: Chris Crisman , a commercial photographer, recently captured his 'Women's Work' series after meeting Heather Marold Thomason (pictured), a woman who gave up her career in web design to become a butcher

Inspiring: Haul truck driver Leeann Johnson poses next to her truck in the middle of the Round Mountain Gold Mine

Proud: Beth Beverly is a taxidermist at Diamond Tooth Taxidermy in Philadelphia

'My immediate reaction was how Ive never met a female butcher... and I was photographing Heather at her butcher shop just a few weeks later,' Mr Crisman told A Photo Editor.

'Once we completed the shoot it immediately became something I wanted to further develop.'

The photo of Ms Thomason shows her hard at work as the head butcher at Kensington Quarters in Philadelphia, surrounded by large pieces of meat and hanging carcasses.

Hard at work: Nancy Poli, a pig farmer from Saylorsburg is seen standing tall in the centre of a pig pen, donning overalls and boots and wheeling a large wheelbarrow as she carries out her duties

'The ocean is everything to me': To complement the series, a beautiful mini documentary was also created featuring Sadie Samuels, a lobster fisher from Rockport

Mr Crisman, a father to a four-year-old boy and two-year-old girl, decided to keep going with the project so he could raise his children 'knowing that their dreams have no limits' and that they 'have parents supporting them to dive into anything they feel passionate about.'

'Gender should not determine professional opportunities,' he said.

After creating a list of of positions traditionally held by men, Mr Crisman called out for subjects and was inundated with responses.

What followed was a series of stunning photographs of proud and passionate women offering a glimpse inside their various workplaces.

'My goal is to be happy': 'I am pretty proud that I was raised by a fisherman and that I've continued on that legacy,' she says

Scenic workplace: Carol Warn is a leach pad operator at the Marigold Mining Company in Valmy

Creative: Mira Nakashima followed in the footsteps of her father to become a designer and woodworker in New Hope

I am pretty proud that I was raised by a fisherman and that I've continued on that legacy. Sadie Samuels, Lobster Fisher

Among them are Christina Burris, a Brewer and Operations Manager from Philadelphia and Alison Goldblum, a property developer.

Nancy Poli, a pig farmer from Saylorsburg is seen standing tall in the centre of a pig pen, donning overalls and boots and wheeling a large wheelbarrow as she carries out her duties.

Haul truck driver Leeann Johnson poses next to her truck in the middle of the Round Mountain Gold Mine and Mindy Gabriel, a firefighter, is captured with axe in hand, surrounded by smoke and hundreds of tiny embers.

Process operators, taxidermists, woodworkers, mill operators and geologists are also featured in the series - each photograph incorporating Mr Crisman's expertise in environmental portraiture.

Passionate: Jordan Ainsworth is a mill operator at a mine in Round Mountain and is the third generation of mining females in her family

Saving lives: Mindy Gabriel, a firefighter, is captured with axe in hand, surrounded by smoke and hundreds of tiny embers

Making a change: Christina Burris is a brewer and operations manager at a brewing company in Philadelphia

To complement the series, a beautiful mini documentary was also created featuring Sadie Samuels, a lobster fisher from Rockport.

'The ocean is everything to me,' she says.

'When I feel really stressed out or unhappy or anything in my life is going wrong, I go to the ocean and I sit by the ocean and I listen to the waves and it's calming. It reminds me that there's something bigger than myself.

'When I need inspiration I go to the ocean. It's both bold and soft and delicate and all these dualities that I think are really beautiful.'

Creating: Alison Goldblum is a property developer and is described by Mr Crisman as 'talented and inspiring'

Exploring: Kris Alvarez is a senior geologist at a gold mine and is responsible for mapping mine sidewalls across the 55 mile site

Ms Samuels said one of the first memories of fishing was when she was just seven years old and her father invited her to join him on a fishing trip.

'My dad decided "why dont I get you a student licence and we can give you a couple of traps and see how you do with that?",' she explains.

'I got my first 100 cheque one day and that was it. I was hooked and I pretty much wanted to fish since then.

'I am pretty proud that I was raised by a fisherman and that I've continued on that legacy. My goal in life is to be happy. I want to have a family and I want to continue fishing and I want to be able to share all of the knowledge and the history of what I do and where I came from with them.
Christmas is the time when were most likely to splash out on something extra special. But when budgets are tight, it pays to know when it's worth the splurge and when it's best to save.

We decided to put a selection of high priced premium items against some bargain money-saving equivalents, to see if paying an extra few pounds is really worth it, or whether we should all head to a discount supermarket instead to furnish the Christmas table this year.

Femail writer Joanne Gould enlisted friend Lucy Gogarty, 30, as a helper in a blind taste test of some of this years seasonal treats.

Lucy was told the products description but did not know the brand or price until the big reveal at the end. Heres what she thought...

CHEESEBOARD

Femail writer Joanne Gould enlisted friend Lucy Gogarty, 30, as a helper in a blind taste test of some of this years seasonal treats, including pre-packaged cheeseboards from Paxton & Whitfield, Asda and Iceland (pictured)

Paxton & Whitfield The Territorials Collection - 27 for 1kg: This is obviously a quality product. The cheese selection is unusual and none of them taste like you would get in a supermarket; its a bit more interesting. This one [its later revealed to Lucy to be the Cheshire Appleby] is especially good; clearly not just a run of the mill cheddar. RATING: 5/5

Asda Extra Special Cheese Selection - 8 for 590g: You get the board with this pack, so thats handy. Theres lots of cheese here to choose from and the Brie, cheddar and Stilton here taste like they could be expensive. It's much better than usual pre-packaged cheeseboards. RATING: 5/5

Iceland Cheese Selection - 5 for 575g: I think this is a value pack, but its a pretty good one in terms of variety. The cheddar and red Leicester dont taste as special as the others Ive tried. RATING: 3.5/5

The winner in the cheeseboard category was a tie between the discount supermarket product from Asda (8, left) and the luxury product from Paxton and Whitfield (27, right)

WINNER - A TIE: Im not surprised to find the one I liked best is the premium product, and I would pay a lot extra for a special occasion such as Christmas. Having said that, the Asda board is amazing value and still feels like a proper treat so Id buy this too.

SMOKED SALMON

Joanne and Lucy tested smoked salmon from Tesco, Fortnum and Mason, Asda, Aldi and Sainsbury's

Fortnum & Mason Farmed Salmon Pack - 10 for 200g: This is overpoweringly smoky and has an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. Its not for me. RATING: 1/5

FULL LIST OF WINNERS Cheeseboard: Paxton & Whitfield (27) and Asda (8) Smoked salmon: Aldi (3.99) Gin: Sainsbury's (14) Christmas pudding: Iceland (6) Chocolate biscuits: Aldi (3.29) Mince pies: Fortnum and Mason (10.95) Chocolate slab: Aldi (2.49) Cheddar truckle: Fortnum and Mason (8.95) and Asda (3.50) Biscuits: Fortnum and Mason (25) and Tesco (5) Celebration Christmas pies: Asda (15) Advertisement

Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Gin & Tonic Scottish Smoked Salmon - 3.99 for 100g: Ooh I love this. The coating has a really nice tang to it but it still lets the salmon come through on the uncoated bits. It tastes different and luxurious. RATING: 5/5

Asda Extra Special Rich & Intense Smoked Salmon - 6 for 120g: This tastes like Id want a smoked salmon to taste like; nothing remarkable about it but a good quality product that Id happily have for Christmas breakfast. RATING: 3.5/5

Tesco Finest Scottish Smoked Salmon Trio - 6 for 180 (This comes in three flavours and in the interests of fairness we only tested one: the lemon and pepper flavour): I think this is the priciest product as the flavours in the salmon are well balanced and neither too smoky or salty. Considering its lemon and pepper flavoured, Id maybe want to be able to taste more lemon, but its very good. RATING: 4/5

Sainsburys Taste the Difference Birch & Alder Rich Smoked Salmon - 4.50 for 120g: Again, a very good quality product with a delicious flavour and finish but not as remarkable as some of the others. RATING: 3/5

The blind taste testers said the best smoked salmon was the 3.99 product from Aldi (bottom centre), which is flavoured with gin and tonic

WINNER - Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Gin & Tonic Scottish Smoked Salmon: Im surprised the Fortnums product performed worst. My favourite was the Aldi salmon and Ill go and buy this, but the others we tested were all much nicer than the most expensive version.

GIN

Joanne (pictured) tested five gins from (left to right): Asda, Harvey Nichols, Aldi, Lidl and Sainsbury's

We tested these neat in the interest of fairness, and then with a tiny splash of London Essence Tonic which is designed to let the gin flavour come through.

Harvey Nichols Daffys Gin Small Batch Premium Gin - 39.50 for 70cl: Wow! This is so smooth and I could probably drink this as it is. Very little alcohol burn and beautifully balanced. Must be expensive. RATING: 5/5

Asda Extra Special Triple Distilled Premium Gin - 10 for 70cl: This is very similar to the previous one. Incredibly drinkable. No idea which is the luxury product now! RATING: 5/5

Sainsburys Taste the Difference Blackfriars Gin - 14 for 70cl: The style of this gin is completely different  but not in a bad way. It is creamy and soft with no harsh alcohol burn either. Definitely tastes pricey and Ive not had anything like this before. RATING: 5/5

Lidl Hortus Artisan London Dry Gin - 15.99 for 70cl: Theres a more pronounced citrus taste in this gin and more of a botanical herby flavour. A tad less smooth than the others but Im really splitting hairs here. Very good. RATING: 4/5

Aldi Topaz Blue Premium Gin - 13.99 for 70cl: Citrus notes again here, but the gin is more spicy and its more of a familiar style too. RATING: 4/5

The winner in the gin taste test was the Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Blackfriars Gin (14) which beat the premium 39.99 gin

WINNER - Sainsburys Taste the Difference Blackfriars Gin: This was such a difficult one to call and it depends ON what style of gin you like, but I would definitely not pay 39.95 for the premium brand when these others are available. I loved the Asda gin and the Sainsburys gin equally, and the Lidl and Aldi products were nearly as good. The Aldi one is a dead ringer for Bombay Sapphire. All of the bottles look really nice and premium - and Im so impressed that the Asda one is only 10.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Joanne and her friend Lucy tested Christmas puddings from Harrods, Asda, Tesco, Iceland, and Aldi

Harrods Classic Christmas Pudding - 8.50 for 454g: A very traditional pudding. Densely packed together fruits and a fine texture. I think this will be a premium item. RATING: 3/5

Asda Extra Special Panettone & Prosecco Christmas Pudding - 5 for 454g: This looks the most attractive of them all with beautiful candied orange slices and it has a lighter colour than the rest. It looks a bit 'Heston Blumenthal'. Its not traditional, so it's hard to judge against the rest of the other classic Christmas puddings, but it might be my favourite. RATING: 5/5

Tesco Finest Christmas Pudding - 8 907g: This is so rich that it tastes almost chocolatey, and in fact we had to check the ingredients list afterwards to see if there was any in there (there isnt). A good pud. RATING: 4/5

Iceland Luxury Christmas Pudding - 6 for 750g: This is my favourite of the traditional-style puddings. Its got a lovely texture and holds its shape without being too dense and its really boozy. It has loads of juicy plump fruit. RATING: 5/5

Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Vintage Christmas Pudding - 9.99 for 907g: This had the most defined chunks of plump cherries, mixed fruits and nuts in and a lovely flavour. It tastes like a really good handmade pudding rather than shop bought. It is quite loose in texture and falls apart more easily than others. RATING: 4.5/5

The winner in the Christmas pudding taste test was the 6 Iceland pudding (pictured) - 2.50 cheaper than the luxury Harrods version, which only scored 3/5

WINNER - Iceland Luxury Christmas Pudding: This was a tough one to call as I loved both the Iceland and Asda puddings and much preferred both to the Harrods version, which was just too dense and standard for me. If you were looking for something different, Id go for Asdas one which was pretty and much lighter - but traditionalists should definitely head to Iceland. The Aldi one was the most beautifully packaged though and felt special.

CHOCOLATE BISCUITS

Joanne and Lucy blind taste tested chocolate biscuit selection boxes from Harrods (top), Aldi (left), and Asda (right)

Harrods Chocolate Biscuit Selection - 19.95 for 500g: Evidently a quality product. There is just something luxurious about it. But the selection is small and not as imaginative or unusual as the other two. RATING: 3/5

Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Belgian Chocolate Biscuit Selection - 3.29 for 380g: This is an incredible variety of chocolate biscuits that taste expensive and special. Great for Christmas. RATING: 5/5

Asda Extra Special The Belgian Biscuit Selection - 3.50 for 375g: These are nearly identical to the previous box, with maybe one or two different biscuits. The chocolate is really lovely. The other box has the slight edge but its an extremely close call. RATING: 4.5/5

The winner in the chocolate biscuit category was Aldi's 3.29 selection box, which beat Harrods into third place

WINNER - Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Belgian Chocolate Biscuit Selection: Im not surprised to find the result of this, but I am surprised that the Asda and Aldi boxes are so similar. The Aldi box had a slightly better snap to some of its biscuits, so Id choose that one if pushed.

MINCE PIES

Joanne and Lucy blind taste tested mince pies from Fortnum and Mason (10.95), Asda (1.25), Aldi (2.99), and Iceland (1.50)

Fortnum & Mason Traditional Mince Pies - 10.95 for six: Extremely boozy with an almost jammy filling, amazing buttery pastry which is crumbling its so short. Very rich. Definitely expensive. RATING: 5/5

Asda Extra Special Mince Pies - 1.25 for six: A fairly standard but good quality mince pie. Well balanced. RATING: 3/5

Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Mince Pies - 2.99 for six: These are a bit different with a delicious almond and marzipan flavour so some people will love them and other hate them. I love them. I want these. RATING: 4.5/5

Iceland Luxury Mince Pies - 1.50 for six: Very slightly sparser on the filling than the other but a very tasty mince pie. Nice crisp and sweet pastry. RATING: 4/5

The winner was Fortnum and Mason's traditional mince pies which at 10.95 were much more expensive than the discount supermarket rivals but beat them on taste

WINNER - Fortnum & Mason Traditional Mince Pies: I thought the Fortnum pies were the most expensive as you could taste it, and was proved right. But the Aldi marzipan ones were almost as luxurious as they looked homemade and tasted great. All were nice though.

CHOCOLATE SLABS

Joanne and Lucy blind taste tested chocolate slabs from Hotel Chocolat (right), Aldi (centre) and Asda (left) - and the winner was Aldi, the cheapest of them all

Hotel Chocolat Eton Mess Chocolate Slab - 3.85 for 100g: Tooth achingly sweet with an artificial raspberry flavour. No thank you. RATING: 1/5

Asda Extra Special Belgian Chocolate Eton Mess Slab - 2.50 for 100g: Creamy chocolate and I love the tiny pieces of meringue. RATING: 4/5

Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Handcrafted Chocolate Slab White Chocolate Raspberry & Peach - 2.49 for 80g: The strong raspberry flavour in this tastes natural and I like the fact the chocolate is a bit thinner. RATING: 5/5

WINNER - Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Handcrafted Chocolate Slab White Chocolate Raspberry & Peach: I was surprised that the Hotel Chocolat was my least favourite as I usually love their stuff, but this really wasnt for me. The supermarket chocolates definitely tasted better quality.

CHEDDAR TRUCKLES

Asda's 3.50 cheddar truckle tasted 'almost identical' to Fortnum & Mason's luxury 8.95 cheese, according to the testers

Fortnum & Mason Waxed Cheddar Truckle - 8.95 for 400g: A delicious, strong cheddar with a nice sharpness and crumble. RATING: 5/5

Asda Extra Special Extra Mature Wyke Cheddar Truckle - 3.50 for 400g: Almost identical to the previous one. Slightly more buttery. RATING: 5/5

Sainsburys Taste the Difference Welsh Slate Cavern Aged Two Year Old Truckle - 7 for 500g: This tastes exceptionally good but is less crumbly. RATING: 4/5

Aldi Specially Selected Balsamic Vinegar and Red Onion Extra Mature Crunchy Cheddar - 3.49 for 400g: The salt crystals in this mark it out as a high quality product, but the flavour isnt something Id choose. RATING: 3/5

WINNER - A TIE: There really is very little difference between the Asda and Fortnums cheese, so if youre looking for a straight good quality mature cheddar, Id choose one of these.

BISCUITS

The biscuit category saw another tie between Fortnum & Mason's extravagant 25 biscuit tin and Tesco's very cheap 4 offering

Fortnum & Mason Merry Go Round Musical Biscuit Tin - 25 for 550g: These biscuits are really unusual and I love the fact theyre so small and thin. The flavours are interesting and the variety is great. Beautiful tin. RATING: 5/5

Asda Musical Cookie Assortment Tin - 6 for 600g: Im not blown away by these cookies. Theyre nice, but nothing special, though I like the quirky musical tin. RATING: 2.5/5

Tesco Christmas Penguin Shortbread Biscuit Tin - 4 for 250g: Id be drawn to buying this in the shops as its so cute. The shortbread isnt the best quality Ive ever tasted but Id certainly be happy with these from a supermarket. RATING: 4/5

Sainsburys Shortbread Selection Tin - 5 for 600g: Nice design on the tin and a better quality shortbread than the previous in cute little shapes. Love the Scottie dog. Id say this was a premium supermarket product. RATING: 4.5/5

VERDICT- A TIE: The Fortnum biscuits were in a different league; they tasted like they were from a fancy bakery and it was obvious they werent a supermarket product. However, 25 is steep and if I knew the price I wouldnt pay it! Id be happy with the Tesco Penguin.

CELEBRATION CHRISTMAS PIES

Lucy (pictured) blind tested Christmas celebration pies to see if she could tell the difference between luxury and bargain

Joanne and Lucy tested pies from Waitrose, Asda, Iceland, Tesco and Aldi

Waitrose Turkey, Pork & Cranberry Pie - 16 for 1.5kg: A traditional style Christmas pie with a delicious tart fruity topping of cranberries. The nice thing about this pie is that the jelly (which I usually despise) is slightly flavoured and pink, so isnt as off-putting. RATING: 4/5

Asda Extra Special Three Tiered Christmas Pie Cake - 15 for 2kg: This looks incredible  and is absolutely huge; perfect for if youre having a crowd over. I liked the fact that each layer is different flavours and particularly liked the fruity apricot and turkey layer and the Stilton. Yum. RATING: 5/5

Iceland Game Pie - 10 for 800g: This is the only hot pie and is a different style to the others. The pastry is nice and flaky and the meat is deliciously tender in a rich sauce of red wine. Very nice. RATING: 4/5

Tesco Finest Mulled Cranberry Topped Pork Pie 5 for 900g: A very smart looking pie, very similar to the other cranberry-topped pie. The filling is just a standard pork pie filling, but its nice if a little on the dry side. RATING: 3/5

Aldi Specially Selected Exquisite Jewelled Layered Pie - 14.99 for 1.75kg: This looks spectacular with loads of different fruits on top and a gold shimmer, and it has different layered meats within the pie. The pate is a nice touch inside and it feels really Christmassy. The pastry is nice and thin on the sides. Im not mad on the sweetness of the fruits with the pie. RATING: 3.5/5

The winner in the Christmas pie category was Asda for it's 15 Extra Special Three Tiered Christmas Pie Cake:

WINNER - Asda Extra Special Three Tiered Christmas Pie Cake: This was a tough category and to be honest they were all so different it comes down to personal preference. The three-tiered pie won out overall as it was just so different from anything else. But any of these would have a rightful place at your Christmas table.

VERDICT

In total, you'd make a saving of 78 if you bought supermarket products instead of items from luxury retailers such as Harrods and Fortnum & Mason.

Three times, blind taste tester Lucy failed to taste the difference between a luxury product and the cheap supermarket equivalent - declaring both the winners in the biscuit, cheddar truckle and cheeseboard tests.

And in the majority of the other categories, discount supermarkets were triumphant. Aldi scored best for smoked salmon and chocolate slabs, while Asda won in the Christmas pie category. Iceland picked up the prize for the best Christmas pudding.
A commercial brand of mouthwash can help to prevent gonorrhoea from spreading, new research suggests.

Daily rinsing and gargling with Listerine may be a cheap and easy way to curb the spread of 'the clap', experts believe.

Despite being spread sexually, it is known that people can carry the infection in their throats for months on end without suffering any symptoms.

This can be then be passed on through oral sex, but declining condom use is still causing a surge in cases.

But rising rates heighten the risk of the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of Neisseria gonnorhoeae - the bacteria responsible.

This makes the need for a preventative measure that doesn't rely on condoms even more urgent, scientists claim.

Daily rinsing and gargling with Listerine may be a cheap and easy way to curb the spread of 'the clap', experts believe

As far back as 1879, and before the advent of antibiotics, the manufacturer of Listerine claimed it could be used to cure gonorrhoea.

However, scientific evidence was to justify this was scarce.

In a bid to rectify this, Australian researchers assessed whether Listerine could curb the growth of the bacteria responsible.

For laboratory tests, different dilutions of Listerine Cool Mint and Total Care, both of which contain 21.6 per cent alcohol used.

By way of comparison, a salt water solution was also applied to an identical set of cultures.

They found applied for up to one minute, dilutions of up to 1 in 4 significantly reduced the bacteria. While the salt water was unable to.

Despite being spread sexually, it is known that people can carry the infection in their throats for months on end without suffering any symptoms

In a second part of their research, they assessed 196 gay and bisexual men who had previously tested positive for gonorrhoea in their mouths.

Almost a third once again tested positive for the bacteria in their throat on their return to a sexual health clinic in Melbourne.

Thirty three of these men were randomly assigned to a rinse and gargle with Listerine and the rest with the saline solution.

After rinsing and gargling for one minute, gonorrhoea in the throat was reduced by 48 per cent in those using Listerine.

While those using the salt water solution cut their bacteria by just 16 per cent.

And the men using Listerine were 80 per cent less likely to test positive for gonorrhoea in their throat five minutes after gargling.

'This readily available, condom-less, and low cost intervention may have very significant public health implications in the control of gonorrhoea,' the researchers wrote in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

However, they say more research is needed to confirm their results to determine if mouthwash is an effective way to curb the spread of gonorrhoea.
As Victor Marston, a sprightly 99-year-old, clutched his stomach in pain one Saturday night last May, he had no idea how much danger he was in.

The World War II veteran had just finished packing for his annual holiday in Torquay when the cramps began.

Soon he was vomiting violently and continued to do so all night. But he assumed it was just severe food poisoning and still hoped he would be well enough to go on his trip.

What a team! Victor Marston, 100, pictured with the army of NHS staff who saved his life

But by 10am the great-grandfather of five was vomiting uncontrollably every half hour. I have never felt so sick in all my life, recalls Victor.

As it was Sunday, he had to call the out-of-hours emergency number at his GP surgery. A locum doctor was dispatched, who took one look at the widower and called an ambulance to take him to hospital.

The retired legal clerk and estate agent from Ringwood, Hampshire, had been feeling fit and well until then. Having beaten bowel cancer twice in his 80s, he had spent the previous four years in good health.

He's a fighter! 100 year old cancer patient Victor Marston was successfully treated at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital after being struck with cancer

Back in the day: Victor, pictured getting married to wife Doris, who died nine years ago

Victor, who has lived alone since losing his wife of 37 years, Doris, nine years ago, had been looking forward to his annual seaside break  and to his 100th birthday party later in the year. Now all his plans were in tatters.

At Royal Bournemouth Hospitals Accident & Emergency department, an ultrasound scan revealed a tumour the size of an adult fist blocking Victors bowel.

He faced a stark choice: undergo a risky major operation with lasting consequences, or die within 24 hours.

One minute I was about to head off on my holidays, the next I was being carted off to hospital and told it was game over if they didnt cut me open, recalls Victor.

But I certainly didnt favour the giving up option. As far as I was concerned, my life was still well worth living  so I agreed to the operation.

His life-saving surgery and two-week stay in hospital would involve more than 50 NHS staff from various hospital departments  and resulted in Victor becoming the oldest known patient to survive major cancer surgery.

Man of the moment: Victor - a World War Two veteran - has become a well-deserving poster boy for the NHS and its dedicated staff

Still got it! Victor pictured in his youth - but he recently told doctors: 'I've got so much to do!'

Celebrations: The brave pensioner - who has become an inspiration to many - marked his century-long life with a party in November

Victor is now looking forward to a drink over Christmas dinner at his local Conservative Club  his favourite haunt  where he also had his 100th birthday in November.

My main party was a hot and cold sausage buffet for more than 50 people including my surgeon, Mr Wijeyekoon, and some of the nurses. I organised it myself. It was wonderful.

Here are just some of the army of NHS employees who helped Victor achieve this remarkable milestone

1) Surgeon: Sanjaya Wijeyekoon

The first I heard about Victor was when our registrar team, who admit patients, called to tell me that a gentleman in his late 90s was in A & E with severe vomiting and a swollen stomach.These are classic bowel blockage symptoms which are dangerous at any age, let alone for a man of nearly 100.

We scanned him quickly and discovered a cancerous tumour and a very damaged large bowel. It would require major surgery or Victor would die within 24 hours.

If you leave a bowel blockage such as this, the bowel will inflate like a balloon until it bursts, spilling the contents into the abdominal cavity and causing a deadly infection. Its an agonising death.

Life-saver: Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Mr Sanjaya Wijeyekoon literally saved Victor from an agonizing death which would've seen his 'bowel inflate like a balloon'

The default in a case like this with a very elderly patient is often to do nothing but give pain relief because sometimes their weakened health means they wouldnt survive the procedure. More often, its because the patient themself says they dont want to be operated on. But as soon as I met Victor, although he looked sick and in pain, I could see he was as bright as a button.

If you leave a bowel blockage such as this, the bowel will inflate like a balloon until it bursts, spilling the contents into the abdominal cavity and causing a deadly infection. Its an agonizing death.

We had to schedule surgery that evening to save his life. He was the oldest patient Id ever operated on.

We started at 7pm and once wed opened him up I could see the tumour had caused the large bowel to distend and become very damaged, so it all had to come out. I removed about a metre in total and it meant that he would need a stoma bag for life. This is a permanent opening at the front of his abdomen to divert waste into a bag that needs regular changing. Thankfully the procedure only took an hour  and Victors recovery has been nothing short of remarkable.

I saw him the morning after and couldnt believe how well he was. He was laughing and joking with the nursing staff.

Further good news came from the pathology department a week later: the cancer was not an aggressive type and hadnt spread to any lymph nodes, so no further treatment was needed. As a cancer patient he will still have regular check-ups and is doing very well. At his 100th birthday party he was on fine form.

2) ITU doctor: Michelle Scott

Im an intensive care doctor and my job in cases such as Victors is to assess how risky surgery would be.

The surgeon could only proceed if I said Yes. With surgery, its not just about getting through the operation  the hardest time is actually post-op, as serious abdominal surgery takes a real toll on even a younger persons body.

Victor was in good general health but it was also important to assess how fit and mobile he was at home. This gives a good indication of how well a patient can recover.

Green light: Consultant of Critical Care Dr Michelle Scott gave Victor's surgery the go-ahead

I asked him if he had any help and he said: Well, I do all my own cooking and washing, which is not bad for a man of 99, so I knew hed be fine.

He was with me in intensive care within an hour of his surgery. The only support he needed during his two days in the department was medication to raise his blood pressure, as the anaesthetic reduces it.

Victors spirit really impressed me  and ensured his speedy recovery. When I asked him what his secret was, he said a daily pint of beer.

I do find that the patients who are most determined and have a goal in Victors case, getting to his 100th birthday  recover the fastest.

3) Anaesthetist: Muhammad Qasim

My main job was anaesthetising Victor and ensuring he was in no pain after the surgery.

With a man of 99, you do have to be very cautious, as just being over 70 is considered a risk factor for surgery.

Sedation: Specialist Dr Muhammad Qusim was responsible for putting Victor to sleep

For anyone undergoing such a major surgery, pain relief during and for up to 72 hours after the operation is crucial. For these kinds of operations we give a general anaesthetic and use an epidural  similar but stronger to the ones used for labour pains.

During the operation my role is to monitor the patients blood pressure, fluid levels and ensure his body is coping well. After the procedure, Victor said to me: Doctor, I didnt feel a thing, exactly what an anesthetist wants to hear!

4) Ops assistant: Jason Tripp

My job is to assist the anaesthetist in theatre before and during the operation. I remember Victor coming in out of hours, as I was on a late shift. I got the drugs, equipment and machines ready for the anaesthetist and helped to administer his anaesthetic. Victor was very chatty with us beforehand and had a great sense of humour.

My role in the operating room, along with Dr Qasim, was to ensure Victor remained stable and stayed asleep throughout. After the operation I helped to wake him, took out the ventilator and made sure he was breathing by himself, then wheeled him to the recovery area. Most patients dont remember waking up in theatre as theyre too groggy, they only remember being in recovery.

Heroes: Operating Dept Practitioner Jason Tripp and Deputy Clinical Leader Aniamma Joshua

5) Theatre nurse: Aniamma Joshua

I had to check the forms to ensure Victors identity and that we had his signed consent for the procedure.

I cleaned the area where the incision was to be made, and passed the sterilised instruments to Mr Wijeyekoon throughout the operation.

After the wound had been stitched up, I cleaned the area again, applied a dressing and checked all the documents again. I also have to count all the instruments before and after the procedure, to ensure that nothing is left in the body.

6) Theatre nurse: Hugo Cravo

My job was to ensure the operating room was clean and ready before surgery and to hand instruments and swabs to the surgeon.

Victor became quite famous in the hospital because of his age and lots of colleagues were asking me how he was after surgery. He is certainly the oldest patient Ive ever worked on.

Helping hand: Staff Nurse Hugo Cravo was a key part of the winning team at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital

7) Recovery nurse: Judith Appleton

I work in the department where patients are taken after surgery. I make sure they can breathe unaided when they come round from the anaesthetic. I also give extra pain relief when required, and other drugs as prescribed by the anaesthetist.

Older patients can take longer to come round, especially after major surgery, as their metabolism is slower. But Victor was awake and able to talk very soon after.

Bedside manner: Staff Nurse Judith Appleton used her wisdom to help Victor recover

8) Hospital porter: Eric Beattie

My job was to bring Victors bed from the recovery area to the intensive care ward. I have to say he was very cheerful.

As a porter, Im often the first person a patient sees, so its up to me to put them at ease. I try to chat, even if its just about the weather.

Hospital can be a frightening place, so I try to help people relax. With Victor that was easy.

Friendly face: Eric the porter made Victor feel at ease at Royal Bournemouth Hospital

9) Lab manager: Alexandra Grainey

The pathology lab in the hospital processes around 900 test specimens a week, using microscopes and a trained eye. In Victors case we examined tissues and cells taken from his bowel tumour and determined that it was a less aggressive form of cancer. We also checked the lymph nodes the surgeon removed for signs the cancer might have spread to other parts of the body. Thankfully, in this case it hadnt.

We had our results back to his surgeon within a week.

From start to finish, about ten people will have worked on Victors samples to help analyse them, so its a real team effort.

Success: Laboratory Manager Alexandra Grainey examined tissues and cells taken from his bowel tumour and determined that it was a less aggressive form of cancer

10) Ward matron: Sue Davies

My job is to supervise the nursing team on Ward 16, where Victor came after his surgery. I keep an eye on everything and answer questions if my nurses or patients and families need me, as well as carrying out normal nursing duties.

Victor was 99 but he had a great quality of life before his operation and wanted to get that back after, which thankfully he has. Hes a real character and my nurses loved him.

Deputy Clinical Leader Vicky Nicholson and Matron Sue Davies were strong links in the chain

11) Clinician: Vicky Nicholson

I report directly to the matron and made sure the nursing staff gave Victor the right care, arranged a specialist stoma nurse to help him get to grips with his new bag, and organised his discharge home.

He needed very little help, even on arrival in the ward, and could get to and from the toilet himself. The only slight difficulty was that as his eyesight is failing he struggled with being able to fit the stoma bag on his own. So we arranged for specially trained carers to come to help him with this at home on his release.

12) Ward nurse: Lucy Nightingall

I specifically looked after Victor post-operation and helped with his discharge plan. When a very independent elderly person like him comes in for a large operation it can really knock them for six.

Patients need the right support to get back up to a level where they can get home safely, including pain medication, good nutrition and physiotherapy.

We might also have to make referrals for outside care for when they get home, such as the specialist stoma nurses Victor needed.

On-hand: Lucy Nightingall helped a then-ailing Victor with his eventual discharge plan

13) Senior nurse: Simon Pedley

My job is to go with the doctor on the ward rounds and make sure any new tests, checks or treatments for patients are followed through.

Victor found it a nuisance having a stoma bag but he just got on with it. He was a real trouper.

In check: Nurse Practitioner Simon Pedley ensured all relevant tests were completed on time

14) Housekeeper: Dorothy Brannigan

I clean ward 16, where Victor stayed. I have to mop the floor, wipe down bed frames, tables and chairs, and clean windows and bathrooms twice daily  or more often if required. Victor would always say good morning to me. I had no idea of his age until afterwards. He looked much younger.

15) Pharmacist: Anita Balestrini

Im one of the pharmacy team who organised Victors medication after his operation.

Hes in such good shape he didnt need lots of new drugs, but one thing we did do to make his life easier was set him up with whats called a medical compliance aid to help him take the five daily tablets he does need.

This is a pill tray with compartments that organise a persons daily pills so they know to take them at the right time. Its great for patients like Victor whose eyesight isnt what it was.

Pill-ar of the community: Anita set him up with whats called a medical compliance aid to help him take the five daily tablets he does need

16) OT assistant: Andrew Boddy

I AM one of the team who helped to get Victor back up on his feet, able to get into and out of bed unaided and to wash and care for himself again.

The idea is to rehabilitate the patient so they are ready to go home as soon as possible, and to ensure their home set-up is suitable and see if any modifications are needed to make their daily life easier.

Victor hardly needed any help. He was walking about after the first couple of days.

Up, up and away: Rehab Assistant Andrew Boddy had the patient walking within days

17) Physio: Tash Thorne

My role in Victors aftercare was to get him mobile and focus on his breathing. People dont realise that after major abdominal surgery a patient is at high risk of lung infections such as pneumonia.

This is because the anaesthetic paralyses the muscles and stops the lungs being cleared effectively. On top of this, a patient with a large incision scar wont feel much like moving around, taking deep breaths or coughing, as it can hurt.

So we teach breathing exercises to open up the bottom of the lungs, and ways to cough without pain to clear the airways of secretions. Victor was phenomenal and made us look good without trying.

Bck on his feet: Physiotherapist Tash Thorne assisted in the recuperation process

18) Stoma nurse: Katherine Bingham

My role was to teach Victor how to use a stoma bag after his surgery.

Its a huge thing for anybody to get used to, let alone a very elderly patient  you have to change the bags regularly and keep the area clean. But Victor was so determined. Despite his failing sight, he is doing brilliantly well with it.

Guidance: Stoma Care Nurse Katherine Bingham taught Victor to manage his colostomy bag

19) Manager: Jane Burns

I look after the medical, nursing and admin teams in the surgical department of the hospital, making sure everything runs smoothly. Its my job to find and allot beds.

As an emergency case, Victor needed to be admitted straight to our surgical admissions unit for rapid assessment and treatment before recovering on Ward 16.
Targeting prostate cancer with bursts of light could eradicate the tumours of thousands of men, a major trial has found.

The technique, in which a light-sensitive chemical is activated by a laser when it reaches cancer cells, could spare many patients the trauma of surgery or radiotherapy.

Nearly half of men with early-stage prostate cancer saw their tumour completely destroyed by the highly targeted technique during trials.

Nearly half of men with early-stage prostate cancer saw their tumour completely destroyed by the highly targeted technique during trials. File image

Because the entire blood stream is not being flooded with the active drug, the usual gruelling side effects of cancer medication are vastly reduced and healthy tissue is not damaged.

It is also far less invasive than the alternative options, which incluide either surgery to remove the prostate, or radiotherapy to destroy it, and come with risks of impotence or incontinence.

The results of the study on more than 400 prostate cancer patients by experts at University College London were published in the Lancet Oncology journal.

Half of the men were given the new treatment, and of those 49 per cent showed no signs of the disease two years later  compared to just 13.5 per cent of patients who are cancer free two years after standard treatment. Lead investigator Professor Mark Emberton, consultant urologist at University College London Hospital, said: 'These results are excellent news for men with early localised prostate cancer, offering a treatment that can kill cancer without removing or destroying the prostate.

RESEARCH ON DISEASE WILL SAVE EXTRA 400,000 LIVES Advances in cancer research and improvements in treatments and diagnosis will mean 400,000 extra lives will be saved over the next 20 years, experts predict. For every 100,000 people in the UK, 331 died from cancer in 2014, latest figures reveal. By 2035 this number will drop to 280 per 100,000 people, according to Cancer Research UK. But the charity warned for some hard-to-treat cancers  such as brain tumours and pancreatic cancer  the number of deaths may not improve. To counter this, CRUKs is boosting research into cancers with low survival rates. Its chief executive Sir Harpal Kumar said: Were resolute that, by 2034, three in four people will survive their cancer for at least ten years. This will mean making more progress in breast, bowel and blood cancers, but also accelerating our effort in those cancers which are currently hard to treat. Advertisement

'This is truly a huge leap forward for prostate cancer treatment, which has previously lagged decades behind other solid cancers such as breast cancer.'

The treatment  called 'vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy' or the commercial name of Tookad  could be available on the NHS within two or three years.

Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel first developed the technique several years ago, after discovering light-sensitive bacteria at the bottom of the ocean.

To survive with very little sunlight, they evolved to convert light into energy with high efficiency.

The Israeli scientists copied this natural phenomenon to develop an artificial compound called WST11, which releases destructive tumour-busting 'free radical' molecules when activated by laser light.

They went into partnership with the University College London team, which for the past decade has quietly been testing the drug in a series of clinical trials.

The WST11 drug is injected into the bloodstream for ten minutes, and then the laser is fired for 20 minutes through narrow optical fibres inserted through the skin into the prostate. Now drugs firm Steba Biotech is meeting the European Medicines Agency in April to discuss applying for a safety licence.
Lead-infected water has poisoned children in 3,000 neighborhoods across the United States, a new report reveals.

The findings show the life-threatening public health hazard affects far more areas than just Flint, Michigan - which burst into the world spotlight after its children were exposed to lead in drinking water and some were poisoned.

In the year after Flint switched to corrosive river water that leached lead from old pipes, 5 percent of the children screened there had high blood lead levels.

But a new Reuters investigation has found evidence of poisoning all over the country, from Pennsylvania to Texas.

In fact, more than 1,100 of these communities had a rate of elevated blood tests at least four times higher than those in Flint.

SCROLL DOWN FOR INTERACTIVE MAP OF AFFECTED AREAS

At least 3,000 areas across the United States have lead-poisoned children - though many states do not provide data on the health hazard

A new report warns lead-poisoning affects far more areas than just Flint, Michigan. It stems from old pipes, dirty paint, old homes, and water

Many children with lead poisoning fall into a vicious cycle: Cognitive deficits breed poor school performance, high dropout rates, few job opportunities, and brushes with the law.

To identify affected locations, Reuters examined neighborhood-level blood testing results, most of which have not been previously disclosed.

The data, obtained from state health departments and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tracks poisoning rates among children tested in each location.

The resulting portrait provides a granular look at places where decades-long U.S. efforts to stamp out lead poisoning have fallen short.

'The disparities you've found between different areas have stark implications,' said Dr. Helen Egger, chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center's Child Study Center.

'Where lead poisoning remains common, many children will have developmental delays and start out behind all the rest.'

In children up to age 6, the CDC threshold for an elevated blood lead level is 5 micrograms per deciliter.

Any child who tests high warrants a public health response, the agency says; even a slight elevation can reduce IQ and stunt development.

Nationwide, the CDC estimates that 2.5 percent of small children have elevated levels.

In the communities identified by this analysis, a far higher rate of children who got tested had lead poisoning. In most cases, the local data covers a five- or 10-year period through 2015.

The poisoned places on this map stretch from Warren, Pennsylvania, a town on the Allegheny River where 36 percent of children tested had high lead levels, to a zip code on Goat Island, Texas, where a quarter of tests showed poisoning.

In some pockets of Baltimore, Cleveland and Philadelphia, where lead poisoning has spanned generations, the rate of elevated tests over the last decade was 40 to 50 percent.

Milwaukee residents wait in line for water filtration kits under a pilot program run by the Sixteenth Street Clinic, United Way and the city

Like Flint, many of these localities are plagued by legacy lead: crumbling paint, plumbing, or industrial waste left behind.

Unlike Flint, many have received little attention or funding to combat poisoning.

There isn't much federal help available. Congress recently directed $170 million in aid to Flint. That's 10 times the CDC's budget for assisting states with lead poisoning this year.

'I hope this data spurs questions from the public to community leaders who can make changes,' said epidemiologist Robert Walker, co-chair of the CDC's Lead Content Work Group, which analyzes lead poisoning nationwide.

'I would think that it would turn some heads.'

The findings, Walker said, will help inform the public about risks in their own neighborhoods and allow health officials to seek lead abatement grants in the most dangerous spots.
Zahida Irshad Khan, the 28-year-old wife of Yasin Bhatkal who was sentenced to death on Monday for his role in 2013 Hyderabad twin blasts, is suspicious of late-evening knocks at her door.

Understandably, therefore, when the Mail Today team sought permission to enter her house at Abul Fazl Enclave in south-east Delhi, her first reaction was to slam shut the doors and switch off all lights inside.

But when our reporter broke the news that her husband had been given the death penalty, Zahida first expressed shock, then self pity.

The house where Zahida Irshad Khan, 28, lives with her 10 children in the Abul Fazl Enclave

She said: 'I am running out of cash and all the children are dying slowly because of hunger. My eldest daughter is running high fever. No one is here to take care of us.

'Instead, everyone comes to bring more trouble. Please let us live in isolation. We don't belong to this world,' she said.

Zahida takes care of 10 children. Some of them belong to her and Bhatkal. She is convinced that her husband is not a terrorist.

Wo begunhah hai. Unke sath aur humare parivaar ke sath zyadati mat karo (He is innocent. Don't do injustice with him and us),' she said, her voice breaking.

Bhatkal was charged with waging a war on the Indian state and on Monday, an NIA court sentenced him along with four other IM operatives to death

Yasin Bhatkal, real name Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa, is co-founder of banned organisation Indian Mujahideen.

He was arrested on the Indo-Nepal border in Bihar in August 2013 for his role in Hyderabad twin blasts which killed 18 people.

Bhatkal was charged with waging a war on the Indian state and on Monday, an NIA court sentenced him along with four other IM operatives to death.

But Zahida told Mail Today she was unaware of any progress in the case.

She also claimed that the security agencies who often approach her after Bhatkal's arrest, have not told her where her husband is lodged.

She has no regular source of income and often has to make ends meet on charity, she said.

Zahida claimed that if the situation remains the same, she may have to watch her children die before ending her own life.

'I am not earning anything. I lost my job as people have stopped sending their kids to my house to learn Urdu, because I am Yasin Bhatkal's wife.

'I am fed up since our residential address has come in the public domain after my husband's arrest.'

Till a few years ago, when her identity was not associated as the wife of a terrorist, she worked as a teacher in Shaheen Bagh.

She later started teaching Urdu at her residence, but after the terror charge on her husband, she was isolated.

A poster in Mumbai in 2013 of alleged militants Yasin Bhatkal (left) and Asadullah Akhtar Indranil Mukherjee (AFP/File)

The main door of her house in the Abul Fazl Enclave bears a poster of A4 size that reads the name of Mohammad Irshad Khan, father of Zahida and below it the full address. It was this address where Bhatkal sent $1000 dollars before Eid in 2013 that proved to be his undoing when NIA investigators picked up the money trail.

Intelligence agencies were keeping a close watch on Zahida through an informer close to the family. They had also tapped phone calls to the family.

Yasin, in his initial interrogation disclosed that his phone calls to his wife gave him away. The agencies had their first clear lead on his whereabouts five months before arrest, when their informer revealed the money and clothes sent to Zahida.

At Monday's sentencing hearing Yasin Bhatkal's brother Riyaz and three others were condemned death over the twin bomb blasts in 2013 that killed 18 people

According to NIA sources, Yasin called his wife twice just before Eid on August 9, 2013. After the calls, he sent a tranche of money to her through the hawala route, which was traced to Pokhara in Nepal. This led to his arrest.

Bhatkal got married to Zahida, daughter of Mohamad Irshad Khan (another alleged IM operative arrested in 2011 for running an illegal arms factory in Meer Vihar in outer Delhi), in 2010.

Bhatkal introduced himself as Imran Ahmed who worked in the arms factory of Khan.

Irshad, who knew about his son-in-law's antecedents, was reportedly impressed by his knowledge of Islam and spiritual fervour.

Zahida and her mother were kept in the dark about the real activities of Irshad and Yasin, and were led to believe that they were running a manufacturing unit. Yasin remained incommunicado from his wife when he travelled around the country.

Five militants given death penalty for part in Hyderabad terror blasts

At Monday's sentencing hearing Yasin Bhatkal's brother Riyaz and three others were condemned death over the twin bomb blasts in 2013 that killed 18 people.

The siblings - alleged co-founders of the Indian Mujahideen - and three associates were found guilty of the blasts in February 2013, when two bombs strapped to bicycles exploded in a crowded marketplace in the southern city of Hyderabad.

Riyaz, who allegedly orchestrated the explosions, is on the run and remains on the nation's most-wanted list while the other four were in court.

A court has convicted Yasin Bhatkal, his brother Riyaz and three associates of twin bomb blasts in Hyderabad in 2013 Noah Seelam (AFP/File)

Apart from the 18 dead, 131 people were wounded, according to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which carried out a probe into the case.

'All five, who were charged with murder, treason, terrorist act, have been awarded the death sentence,' a lawyer involved in the case told reporters.

'The judge said that after going through the entire record... that this case especially, on facts and circumstances, falls under the category of rarest of rare.'

The Supreme Court says capital punishment should only be carried out in 'the rarest of rare' cases in India, among a dwindling group of nations that still have the death penalty.

The lawyer said all five would appeal the verdict, which was passed by a special NIA court in Hyderabad after examining 157 witnesses.

The hearing was closed to the media.

Yasin Bhatkal, once India's most wanted man, was arrested in the eastern state of Bihar in August 2013, on the border with Nepal.

The banned Indian Mujahideen came to public attention in November 2007 following serial blasts in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

It has been accused of a string of attacks since then, in Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi and Pune among other locations.

The group is thought to be the largest in a network of homegrown Islamic militant groups.

Yasin Bhatkal was named as a co-conspirator over an attack on the German Bakery restaurant in the western city of Pune in 2010 when a bomb in a rucksack under a table exploded and killed 17 people including five foreigners.
It seems demonetisation and the resultant cash crunch will force playschool chain Tree House to shut down in the national Capital region.

Claiming they have had no salary for the last four months, the staff of the playschool chain say they have been forced to hand in their resignation.

Principals of at least 20 playschool centres in the NCR have allegedly lost contact with Rajesh Bhatia, the managing director of the company, besides the head office in Mumbai.

Prerna Priyadarshini, principal of Gurugram's Palam Vihar centre of Tree House playschool, said staff had not been paid for four months

The staff alleged that even though fees were collected from the students, the salary was not paid over the months.

'We waited for our salary for the last four months and wrote several letters to the head office. But they refused to entertain our calls. They are not replying to our emails and text massages,' said Prerna Priyadarshini, principal of Gurugram's Palam Vihar centre of Tree House playschool.

The centre has 48 students, with five teachers, three maids and a guard.

The principal also wondered how the centre can operate with no salary being paid to the staff.

'We have not shut yet, but the staff have sent their resignation to the head office. We have also filed a complaint in Palam Vihar police station seeking an FIR against the management,' Priyadarshini added.

There were 35 centres of Tree House across NCR in March this year, but 15 centres shut down by September. The remaining 20 branches are facing closure.

In all, the playschool chain has 720 branches across the country.

'The school management took a sudden decision. It had informed centre heads to pass the message to parents that they should not send their wards to the playschool. The management did not even serve a prior notice about the closure of a particular centre,' said Shilpi Srivastava, principal of Dwarka centre.

Parents are concerned about the impact on their children's educations (photo for representation only)

Sources told Mail Today that the Tree House management has appointed Raju Sinha as the coordinator between these centres and the head office.

He had informed them in August that the company was mulling a merger with another prominent school chain, and hence the salary of staff may get delayed for a month. The staffers worked for four months hoping to receive their salary.

But now Sinha has informed them that he has resigned from the company.

The staffers also accused the company management of not paying rent for the buildings where these centres are housed and the landlords have served notices to the principals asking for the rent.

'This is a kind of fraud that the school management has been perpetrating, playing with future of the children. The management has cheated the parents as well,' Srivastava said.

Brajesh Kumar, whose son studies in Palam Vihar centre, said: 'This is a serious issue. Future of our children would be compromised due to ongoing tussle between management and school staff. I want the management to run the school till March so that the academic session is completed and the children are given certificates.'

Another parent, Sunil Malik, said that education departments of Delhi, Haryana and other concerned states should take suo motu cognisance of the matter.

When Mail Today tried to contact both managing director Rajesh Bhatia and coordinator Raju Sinha, their phones were switched off.
Unable to process its request in time to buy three C-17 Globemaster heavylift transport aircraft from the US, the Air Force is now looking to buy the only remaining aircraft in the American inventory for over Rs 2,500 crore.

The Air Force, which has put the proposal before the Defence Ministry, originally wanted to buy three C-17 planes from the US, which has stopped the production of the planes at its facility in Long Beach, California.

But the American government was left only with one plane for sale.

The aircraft would help the Air Force expand its inventory of 10 C-17 Globemaster heavylift transport aircraft

'We will now buy whatever we can and are planning to buy the single aircraft left with the US. In this regard, we are planning to move our proposal in a key Defence Ministry meeting planned to be held this month,' a senior IAF source told Mail Today.

The aircraft would help the Air Force expand its inventory of 10 C-17 Globemaster heavylift transport aircraft which has been used by the force to carry out several major operations, including airlifting new currency notes after demonetisation.

The price of the single aircraft would be more than Rs 2,500 crore and would be delivered in couple of years after the contract is signed between India and the US, under a Foreign Military Sales route contract.

India had bought the previous 10 aircraft from the American government under a $4.1 billion (Rs 2,780 crore approx) deal and all of them are deployed at its Hindon air force base.

With an additional three aircraft, the IAF wanted to enhance its capability to airlift men and material during times of crisis, as it did during the earthquake in Nepal and natural disasters in eastern parts of the country.

Apart from the natural disasters, the aircraft have also provided the capability to the Air Force to directly airlift tanks and infantry combat vehicles from the plains to high mountainous areas of Ladakh on the border with China.

The planes can also airlift around 300 fully geared troops for operations and can fly from country's northernmost airfield in Leh to southernmost runway in Andaman and Nicobar island territory directly, providing fast deployment of troops.

In a presentation given to the Prime Minister on its requirements last year, the Air Force had pressed upon the need for more such aircraft due to their utility and performance in operations.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it has built a watertight case against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar and his key associates, including his younger brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan.

NIA investigations have revealed that the Pakistan number to which the terrorists had communicated during the attack was associated with the Facebook profile of Kashif Jan's profile.

The data of the Facebook account provided damning evidence and web chats of Kashif Jan with other Facebook users linked to JeM.

After a year-long probe, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet in the Pathankot terror attack in the NIA court in Mohali

On the day of attack on January 2, Hajma Mehboob Shakir asked Kashif: 'In one news channel, names of JeM and LeT have appeared. Has the encounter come to an end?'

To this, Kashif replies in negative. Hajma then asks: 'How many Mujaheed brothers were there for marriage (code word for Fidayeen attack)?'

Hajma further asked for names though no answers were given.

The evidence also shows that Kashif Jan told Adeel Bhai: 'Check the news regarding Pathankot attack.'

To this, Abdeel Bhai expresses happiness. On Day 1 of the attack, Mohammed Zia asked Kashif: 'What is happening in Pathnakot?'

Chief of a religious party Jaish-e-Mohammad Maulana Masood Azhar. Pakistan-based Jaish-e- Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, along with his brother Rauf Azhar, are the main accused in the Pathankot terror attack

Kashif replied: 'It is over.' Kashif Jan also posted pictures of the terror attacks at the Air Force station on Facebook for which he sought 'likes' and shares.

The profile was deactivated on January 5, the day the encounter concluded.

The evidence also showed that Kashif's telephone number was an IMO number, registered in his name which was used on QMobilex600  a Pakbased Smartphone company.

He used the number to post pictures of the 26/11 terror attack, Ghazi baba besides photographs of ammunition.

Shahid Latif's number was also extracted. The terrorist is said to have called up a Pakistani number, which was associated with Al Rehmat Trust.

The trust is known to collect funds and donations for JeM. Al Rehmat Trust has been banned by the US Department of Treasury in 2010 on grounds of terror financing.

The NIA has also found a transcript of audio clip claiming responsibility of terror attack, which was uploaded on alqalamononline.com.

The voice in the audio was identified to be that of Masood's brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, the NIA said.

On December 31, 2015, the terrorists snatched the mobile phone of Innova driver Ikagar Singh and used his phone to communicate with their handler Kashif Jan and operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan. They called up three Pakistani mobile numbers.

Ikagar was killed and his car used as a getaway vehicle.

The four terrorists, who escaped in Ikagar's vehicle, took Mahindra XUV of the Punjab SP Salwinder Singh.

The terrorists used the phones of Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal to communicate with Kashif Jan and operatives of the JeM in Pakistan.

On January 1, 2016, one of the terrorists, identified as Nasir, tried calling the Pakistan number from an Indian number but could not communicate.

The Pakistani number is used by Khayam Bhatti alias Khayam Rasool alias Babar Bhatti. He runs a grocery shop in Sialkot, Pakistan.

As per the NIA evidence, JeM Fidayeen spoke to the plotters.

Terrorist Nasir called up another Pakistani telephone number and during conversation disclosed the names of his other three associates as Major, Abu Bakar and Umar.

Nasir also spoke to his mother in Pakistan and told her that they had infiltrated into the Indian territory at 'do baje' on Wednesday, December 30, 2015.

During the investigation, empty food packets with label 'Made in Pakistan' and other food articles from Pakistan were recovered from the forest near the Simbal Border Outpost.

DG NIA Sharad Kumar told Mail Today: 'Our officers and team have collected irrefutable evidence against JeM terrorists, including Maulana Masood Azhar. The proof is physical, technical, digital and documentary.'

NIA ignores insider role in Pathankot terror chargesheet

The chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday against four terrorists focuses on the role of the terrorist organisation JeM, but failed to mention the role of insiders and sympathisers who may have helped.

As per the chargesheet, the four terrorists had managed to cut the barbed fence to cross the perimeter wall of the Air Force station.

The terrorists entered the western side of the airbase and even managed to climb up a tree.

Questions have been raised as to why the terrorists chose to enter the airbase from the safer western side.

Did they conduct a recce before the attack? Did the JeM bosses have access to the sensitive cantonment maps?

If yes, then who provided the information? The role of insiders, both in Pathankot and Uri terror attacks, has yet to be established and required to be investigated, say experts.

How the terrorists managed to walk on foot with heavy arms and ammunition,

which they used against the security forces for at least three days, is also a matter of investigation.
The past of the Konyak tribe is a bloody and gory one.

It's filled with decapitated heads of enemies and gruesome wars.

Now, of course, the Naga warrior clan has sobered down, focusing their energies on agriculture instead.

Photographer Fanil Pandya documents the faces of the Konyak people in a new exhibition

The members of the tribe, nevertheless, still make for an interesting subject for a photographer; as Fanil Pandya found out over a course of two visits.

Explaining the history of the Konyak tribe, the photographer, who has taken around 100 pictures of the tribe, said: 'The arrival of Christian missionaries helped restrain the tradition of head hunting.

'With the village people having embraced Christianity, the religion has now become a cohesive bond between the Nagas and helped them refrain from constant fighting with each other.

The pictures were taken in Nagaland, north east India, where the former headhunters live

'They have become less aggressive and sobered down over the decades.'

'Nowadays,' he adds, 'they rely mostly on agriculture and resort to hunting only occasionally.

'The king still has substantial amount of influence over the community. Women also play a key role in Konyak culture, and are mostly involved in household chores and agriculture.

'Children, who previously were trained in Morongs to become warriors, are now retrained to books and classrooms.'

Pandya had an in-depth look into the tribe's life over the course of two trips, during which he stayed in the house of a headhunter and amassed around 100 pictures.

Pandya had an in-depth look into the tribe's life over the course of two trips, during which he stayed in the house of a headhunter and amassed around 100 pictures.

'I stayed at the house of by Srijani Ganguly a headhunter in both my trips. So for my basic needs, I am fine with headhunter hospitality,' he adds.

Talking about headhunter hospitality, one particular incident really stood out for him.

'During my stay,' he says, 'a German tourist visited Longwa and brought me the news of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Konyak tribes have a strong warrior tradition and are known for their fierce headhunting history

'I only had Rs 500 notes but this was not so much of a problem in 'headhunter land'. But, I knew I was in trouble for my return journey.'

But with no ATMs or banks in sight, one of the tribe helped the photographer out.

Pandya said: 'The headhunter who I was staying with realised my trouble and started looking for change.

But since 1960, have turned to agriculture - and the photographer experienced immense kindness from the tribe

'He made an overnight trip to the nearest village (four hours away) and got me some money from the church pastor.

'If it were not for his kindness, I would not have got home in time. It's incidents like these which make me believe that some emotions are universal, which run through all of humanity.'

The Konyaks are known for their fierce headhunting history, which continued until 1960. Found in large numbers in Nagaland, India, the former warriors are recognised by their facial tattoos and the animal skin, hair and horns which are ceremoniously draped over their bodies
After the bitter eight-week turf war against Ratan Tata, ousted Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry on Monday stood down from the boards of six listed companies including Tata Motors and Indian Hotels - but vowed to fight on for reforms in the group.

In a two-page statement and a recorded video message, 48-year-old Mistry, who was unceremoniously removed as Chairman of Tata Sons on October 24, said the objective of effective reform and best interests of employees, shareholders and other stakeholders of the Tata Group would be better served by moving away from the forum of the extraordinary general meetings.

While Mistry did not specifically say he was resigning from either Tata Sons, where he still continues as a director despite being removed as chairman, or from the operating firms, sources close to him said he has quit.

In a two-page statement and a recorded video message, 48-year-old Mistry (right) said he would be taking a step back but did not confirm his resignation

Both sides told the media that operating companies will make regulatory announcements to the stock exchanges shortly.

Tata Sons, the holding company of the USD 103 billion group, has called extraordinary general meeting (EGMs) of listed companies to consider its proposal to remove Mistry as director on their respective boards.

Terming Ratan Tata's coming back as interim chairman of the group as an 'illegal coup,' Mistry said he had in his representation to shareholders detailed, supported by documents, the governance breakdown in Tata Sons caused by actions of trustees of Tata Trusts.

In better times: Industrialist Ratan Tata with Tata Group chairman Cyrus Pallonji Mistry (right) during Prince Charles' visit at Taj Hotel in Mumbai in 2013

In recent weeks, the conduct of those at the helm of affairs has further unmasked the absence of ethical standards, he said.

Terming his fight as movement for cleaning up governance and regaining lost ethical ground, he said, it is time to shift gears, up the momentum and be more incisive in securing the best interests of the Tata Group.

He said he has decided to shift this campaign to a larger platform and also one where the rule of law and equity is upheld.

While Mistry did not specifically say he was resigning from either Tata Sons, where he still continues as a director despite being removed as chairman, or from the operating firms, sources close to him said he has quit

Though Mistry did not elaborate on the platform, commentators said he might be considering moving courts against his ouster.

'I had initially not thought that one would need to seek an external forum to adjudicate issues that should never have arisen in the first place', he said.

'I believe my actions today are consistent with protecting the long-term interests of the Tata Group.'

Mistry said by removing himself from the EGMs, he is seeking to 'reinforce his consistent position that this is not a fight for a position but a fight to more effectively secure long-term reform to keep the Tata Group on a sustainable path.

He thanked stakeholders for their support and urged them to continue to ask the right questions and demand the right actions.

Events of the past eight weeks have been about saving a legacy. A legacy of values and ethics inherited from the founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji Tata, Mistry said.

Tata Trusts, which controls about 66 per cent of Tata Sons, wielded no voting power until about 15 years ago.
The central government on Monday imposed fresh restrictions on depositing of scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in banks in order to prevent money laundering.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that people would now only be allowed to make a single deposit amounting to more than 5,000 rupees before the deadline of December 30, and would be required to explain why they hadn't deposited the money earlier.

After banning old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes on November 8, the government had allowed those in possession of this high-value currency to deposit it in bank accounts until the end of the year.

People can now only make a single deposit amounting to more than 5,000 rupees before the deadline of December 30

There was no limit on the quantity or value of the junked notes that could be deposited, until now.

It is expected that, by now, most of the people would have deposited such old notes in their possession, an official statement said.

With a view to reduce the queues in the banks, the government said it has now been decided that amounts exceeding Rs 5,000 in old notes can be deposited only once between now and December 30, 2016.

The banks have been advised to conduct due diligence regarding the reasons for not depositing these notes earlier, the statement said.

Banks will also be asked to quiz customers on their reasons for holding back the cash to build an audit trail

According to the RBI, the explanation should be kept on record to facilitate an audit trail at a later stage. An appropriate flag also should be raised in CBS (Core Banking Solution) to that effect so that no more tenders are allowed.

Amounts of Rs 5,000 or less may continue to be deposited with banks in the customer's account, as at present.

However, cumulative deposits exceeding Rs 5,000 between December 19 and December 30, 2016 will be as per the procedures advised by the RBI in respect of deposits exceeding Rs 5,000, it said.

The RBI also came out with a deposit guideline stipulating that restrictive conditions will also apply on the cumulative deposit of such notes in a single account when it exceeds Rs 5,000.

But opposition parties attacked the latest move, which comes as many Indians are already facing a shortage of cash with ATMS running dry as thousands throng to them

The RBI in a notification said certain restrictions have been placed on deposits of banknotes of 500 and 1,000 denominations, but there is no limit for payment of tax using such notes under the Taxation and Investment Regime for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).

The new scheme for declaring black money has a 50 per cent tax rate and a 25 per cent lock-in period form five years.

Also, the government said a separate notification has been issued allowing District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs) to deposit the old notes they collected between November 10 and 14.

However, old notes up to Rs 5,000 received across the counter will allowed to be credited to bank accounts in the normal course until December 30, 2016.

There have been huge queues at banks since Modi announced the demonetisation scheme

The central bank also said that equivalent value of specified bank notes tendered may be credited to an account maintained by the tenderer at any bank in accordance with standard banking procedure and on production of valid proof of identity.

'The equivalent value of specified bank notes tendered may be credited to a third party account, provided specific authorisation accorded by the third party is presented to the bank, following standard banking procedure and on production of valid proof of identity of the person actually tendering,' the RBI said.

But opposition parties attacked the latest move, which comes as many Indians are already facing a shortage of cash with ATMS running dry as thousands throng to them.

'There are elderly, housewives, poor and students who were waiting for the long queues to become smaller,' the opposition Congress party spokesman Randeep S. Surjewala told reporters in Delhi.

'This new rule shows that Modi government has no direction or clear policy', he added.

Modi has repeatedly defended the scheme, saying it will bring billions in so-called 'black', or undeclared, money back into the formal system.

'I said this at the start, and will repeat again today, these difficulties that you have been facing will start easing after December 30,' he said on Monday, addressing a political rally in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The premier also hinted at more tax raids, arrests and bank scrutiny in the coming days.

In the past few weeks several people have been arrested in surprise raids, revealing the role of bank officials who have allegedly facilitated the illegal exchange of old currency notes.
Cons are posing an invisible cyber threat to the nation's onslaught on black money, peddling a risk-laden digital currency to tax thieves looking for safe hideouts for their illicit wealth, an India Today investigation has found.

Agents of the online bazaar of bitcoins - virtual money which is thought to have been used by money-launderers and criminals for extortion, drugs and even supari killings - were found to be facilitating investments from unaccounted wealth into the internet tender, the investigation discovered.

Bitcoins, which remain beyond the reach of global regulators, are mined by computers, with their prices validated through a public ledger.

India Today's undercover reporters have dredged up shady brokers helping tax dodgers to launder their cash through Bitcoins

Also known as crypto-currency, this digital money can be traded to buy and sell merchandise and services.

Users need not give their real name for transactions, which are coded only by wallet IDs.

India Today's undercover reporters have dredged up shady brokers of this internet laundering network operating in the country.

At one Delhi mall, a bitcoin middleman offered to exchange banned physical currency with the virtual.

'It will be done through Zebpay at a 20 percent premium. If the current rate is 64 to 65,000 (rupees per bitcoin), assume it will be at least Rs 75,000 (for this deal),' as he explained Zebpay is an exchange for bitcoin trading in India.

'If you want 1,000, you will get them. The repayment will be done in installments, such as Rs 5 lakh or Rs 6 lakh at a time,' the man added.

The RBI has already warned traders of virtual currencies against legal and financial risks.

In 2013, the central bank cautioned such transactions may violate money-laundering and terror-funding laws.
JNU student Najeeb Ahmed went missing on October 15

As many as 600 police personnel and other mounted police along with the sniffer dogs descended on the JNU campus in a bit to trace missing student Najeeb Ahmed on Monday.

But the Delhi Police's Crime Branch initiative, which comes two months after the student's disappearance on October 15, failed to make any headway.

The search operation followed two suggestions given by the High Courtto use sniffer dogs in 'scanning' the entire university campus, including hostels, classrooms and rooftops; and to 'search Jamia if needed.'

Monday's search was undertaken by 12 ACPs, 30 inspectors and 60 sub-inspectors

Experts claimed that if the search operation would have been conducted sooner in Jamia Millia Islamia university in southeast Delhi, the officials close to investigation would have got some clue about Najeeb.

'It's already more than Sniffer dogs hunt for Najeeb's trail two months Najeeb is missing and the utility of sniffer dogs at this stage is very negligible,' the expert added.

After the sniffer dogs were taken to the JNU campus, they were taken to Mahi- Mandvi hostel where Najeeb stayed.

The sniffer dogs were made to smell Najeeb's clothes after which they moved around in and around the campus till 5pm.

University students have participated in a campaign to search Najeeb Ahmed since he went missing

According to senior police officials of Crime Branch, all agencies of Delhi Police, including Special Branch and the local police, got together more than 600 personnel who scanned the hostels, residential areas, academic blocks and forested area till 5pm on Monday.

'Help of mounted police was also taken to scan the vast area but nothing was found. About 65-70 per cent of the campus was covered on Monday and rest, including the residential areas and the interiors of the campus, will be scanned on Tuesday,' the officer added.

Senior police officials of the Crime Branch confirmed that they are mulling options to conduct lie detector tests on ABVP students with whom Najeeb Ahmed reportedly had a scuffle on the night of October 15.
Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi, the senior-most officer in the Indian Army, is slated to be meeting Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar days after being superseded by Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat in leading the force.

Opposition parties have questioned the BJP-led Centre's move to appoint Rawat, a counter-insurgency specialist, because he was given the job ahead of two more senior candidates including Bakshi, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Command.

The ruling party has retaliated by accusing rivals of 'politicising' defence matters.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will face some tough questions as to the Modi's Government's decision of Army Chief

Rawat was selected from a pool of five candidates after considering the country's security situation, said the BJP.

Defence Ministry sources told Mail Today that the supersession issue is expected to come up during the meeting and Bakshi is also likely to discuss his future.

The last time the senior-most officer of the Army was superseded for the appointment was in 1983, when General AS Vaidya took over instead of the then senior-most officer, Lt Gen SK Sinha.

India and Pakistan at war: India lost 527 troops when Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants took up positions on the Indian side of the Line Of Control (file picture)

Parrikar was campaigning for the BJP in Goa ahead of Assembly elections but he would return to South Block on Wednesday morning.

Bakshi would also reach Delhi from Kolkata around the same time.

The Defence Ministry has also gathered fresh ammunition to hit back at the Opposition.

'There have been nine cases of supersession in cases related to appointment to services chiefs and seven of them happened under the Congress government while the VP Singh government also did it in the Navy once,' said an official.

Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi, the senior-most officer in the Indian Army, is slated to be meeting Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar days after being superseded by Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat in leading the force

Of the nine instances, four have been in the Army while the Air Force and Navy have witnessed three and two such cases respectively, they added.

The latest case of supersession under Congress rule was in April 2014 when the Prime Minister's Office recommended Admiral Robin Dhowan instead of Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha as the Chief of Navy after the resignation of Admiral DK Joshi.

The Navy had seen a similar case in 1990 when Admiral L Ramdas was appointed chief of Navy ahead of Vice Admiral Tony Jain at the time.

IAF soldiers march during the rehearsal for Air Force Day parade at Hindan Air Force base in Ghaziabad

The decision was taken by the VP Singh government. In 1983, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had appointed Lt Gen AS Vaidya as Army chief, superseding Lt Gen SK Sinha, who resigned in protest.

In 1972, the Indira Gandhi government side-stepped the very popular Lt General PS Bhagat, one of a handful of Indian Victoria Cross awardees from World War II, who was in line to succeed General Sam Manekshaw.

This was done by giving his junior, General GG Bewoor, a year's extension, during which time Bhagat retired. Bewoor, thus, succeeded Manekshaw.

The Air Force too has had its share of supersession.

Air Marshal Shiv Dev Singh was overlooked in 1973 as the Indira Gandhi government appointed OP Mehra the chief.

In 1988, the IAF witnessed supersession again as Air Marshal MM Singh was bypassed and Air Marshal SK Mehra appointed.

Indian army soldiers from the Sikh regiment

Sources say Singh was reportedly overlooked on the grounds that his companion was not married to him.

His successor NC Suri's appointment in 1991 was full of drama as Mehra retired in the forenoon to allow the former to be appointed as chief.

Suri and Mehra were to retire on the same day and had Mehra not agreed to retire half a day early, it would have been difficult for Suri to be in the chair.

However, the same generosity was not shown by the Congress government in 2007 to Lt Gen Aditya Singh who retired on September 30 - the same day of retirement of Gen JJ Singh.
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested six people, including a constable, for the alleged involvement in a number of 'honey trap' extortions.

The gang includes three women, who are accused of extorting money from at least 12 people.

The gang would call potential targets and ask them to meet up. Later, other gang members used to arrive at the place and posing as policemen conducted fake raids. Most victims never came forward to lodge police complaints fearing loss of reputation and social standing.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested six people, including a constable, for the alleged involvement in a number of 'honey trap' extortions

The matter came to light in November when one Pawan Kumar, who works as a clerk at ESI Hospital, registered a complaint about the gang.

In his complaint, Kumar said a lady started calling him on his mobile and lured him to meet her at her room in Burari's Bengali Colony.

He went to meet her on November 14 and the two started chatting in the room.

Suddenly, two men who identified themselves as policemen entered the room and started beating Kumar.

The two men were accompanied by a woman who identified herself as a journalist.

'The accused threatened that they would inform Kumar's family about the entire incident.

'They demanded Rs 25 lakh from him as the price for keeping quiet. The victim arranged the money from his friends and paid Rs 15 lakh for his immediate release.

'He was asked to pay another Rs 10 lakh,' said JCP (crime) Ravindra Yadav.

However, Kumar reported the matter to the police. Crime Branch officials then tracked the number used by the woman to contact Kumar, and identified one of the female accused.

Six people, including a constable, for the alleged involvement in a number of 'honey trap' extortions (picture for representation only)

'We constituted a team of police officers and technical experts. On specific inputs, we zeroed in one of the suspected female gang members named Reena alias Tabassum from New Delhi railway station on Saturday,' Yadav said.

'Following sustained interrogation, she revealed the identities of the other accused, including a constable posted at Jharonda police post under Burari police station,' the JCP added.

The constable, Pradeep Kumar, is a distant relative of the victim.

He knew that the complainant is wealthy and could be extorted. He allegedly kept Rs 6 lakh from the money extorted.

A local reporter, identified as Krishna Nand Bhat, has also been apprehended in this connection.
As millions of taxpayers feel the squeeze of India's cash crisis more than a month after the November 8 demonetisation order, an India Today investigation has found how corrupt bank officials from some of the country's leading lenders are clandestinely diverting money supplies to tax thieves.

India Today's special investigation team also found them doubling up as touts renting out random bank accounts to the hoarders of black economy.

As part of its series of investigations unearthing a range of black-money platforms, the network's special team went undercover to unearth the suspected rot in the financial sector.

An India Today investigation has found how corrupt bank officials from some of the country's leading lenders are clandestinely diverting money supplies to tax thieves

The probe began at the Civil Lines branch of Punjab National Bank in Delhi.

A meeting was scheduled with one of its managers, Rubal Khanna. As the undercover crew arrived in the facility, Khanna stepped out quietly and took them to an adjacent alley.

When the conversation progressed, the PNB manager promised Rs 50 lakh in new currency in exchange for the defunct.

His candid plan explained where wads of banknotes might be disappearing after reaching banks - perhaps back into the suitcases of evaders.

'There won't be any problem. No issues with the old ones - be it 500 or 1,000 (bills), ...for around Rs 50 lakh' Khanna said. 'It will be done 'hand-to-hand',' he added.

Khanna demanded a commission of 20 per cent on the original value of void currency.

Black money mafia: Police men guard outside an Axis Bank branch during a raid by Income Tax officials in the Chandni Chowk in New Delhi (file pic)

The bank official next offered various accounts of his branch to the investigative team to park their fictitious black money in. He set Rs 20 lakh as the limit for deposits into those third-party accounts.

Another glaring example of how some bank officials were peddling accounts to hoarders came up when India Today's special team investigated HDFC bank.

Amar Pal Singh, a home-loan counsellor at HDFC Sales, advised stashing tax loot in accounts of some of his colleagues and clients.

People queue outside outside RBI headquarters in New Delhi to exchange old high denomination bank notes

'I have many colleagues who have many accounts in HDFC. Besides colleagues, there are other people, who we helped open accounts.

There were opened directly or indirectly,' he told the India Today reporters during their meeting at Ghaziabad.

'It's not necessary to withdraw money from one branch. It can be withdrawn wherever cash is available,' Singh explained as he sought a 30 percent cut for organizing transfers.

'The commission will be 30 percent. ...Insiders in the bank will be set up for 20. Overall, we'll do it at 30,' he said.

Your money is no good here: An auto driver refuses to take a 500 rupee note from a passenger in New Delhi, India

The HDFC employee was ready to change up to Rs 10 lakh in a single day.

Next, India Today's team found out how several officials of reputed banks have turned money brokers advising underhanded tactics to potential clients looking for cash hideouts.

'We went to villages and opened 10 accounts (per person). For a number of individuals, we opened 20 accounts each. All their money is stashed. We'll work out some alternative (for you too).' Abhishek Rohilla, ICICI bank

At a Meerut branch of ICICI bank, the reporters met its sales officer, Abhishek Rohilla.

The staff suggested a range of options for concealing black money, with third-party and dummy accounts topping his list.

'You should open 8-10 accounts at least and deposit from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. You'll be able to dispose of Rs 10-15 lakh this way' he said.

'We helped people open eight accounts each.

'We went to villages and opened 10 accounts (per person). For a number of individuals, we opened 20 accounts each. All their money is stashed. We'll work out some alternative (for you too).'

He insisted he had helped clients 'adjust' up to Rs 4.5 crore since November 8.

A roadside fruit vendor checks the authenticity of a 500 rupee note received from a customer in the eastern Indian city of Bhubaneswar

India Today's team next probed a nondescript lender, the South Indian Bank. At the Meerut branch of the bank, the reporters met Deepak, an assistant manager.

'There's a relative who has old notes. What if he exchanges your currency with them...,' Deepak suggested.
BP has bought stakes in exploration areas off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal

BP has accrued vast oil and gas reserves in a 2.4billion spree in Abu Dhabi and west Africa.

It bought stakes in exploration areas off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal days after increasing its stake in Abu Dhabis oil output.

The firm is taking a 62 per cent working interest in Kosmos Energys gas exploration blocks in Mauritania and 32.49 per cent in Senegal.

BP said the agreements covered 33,000 sq km, with a potential of more than one billion barrels, and it plans to invest more than $1billion to develop and explore the fields.

Chief executive Bob Dudley said the areas were an emerging world-class hydrocarbon basin, and it hoped to help create a liquefied natural gas hub.

On Friday, BP took a 10 per cent share in the Abu Dhabi Company For Onshore Oil, while the Gulf state took a 2 per cent stake in BP worth almost 2billion.
Christine Lagarde will remain head of the International Monetary Fund despite being convicted of negligence in relation to her time as France's finance minister.

The International Monetary Fund's executive board said last night it had 'full confidence' in Lagarde's ability to carry out her duties at the head of the Washington-based international lending agency.

France's Court of Justice of the Republic yesterday found Lagarde guilty of one count of negligence but spared her jail and even a criminal record.

The 60-year-old IMF leader had potentially faced a year in jail and a fine for not seeking to block a fraudulent 2008 arbitration award to politically connected tycoon, Bernard Tapie, when she was finance minister.

Christine Lagarde (pictured at the special court in Paris) thanked the IMF's board for the vote of confidence and said she was preparing to 'turn the page and move on'

Lagarde thanked the IMF board for the vote of confidence 'in my ability to do my job' and said she would not appeal against the French court's decision.

'I am not satisfied with it, but there's a point in time when one must stop, turn the page and move on,' she said.

Lagarde became France's first female finance minister in 2007, overseeing the country's response to the financial crisis that rocked the global economy from 2008.

Lagarde (pictured) is set to carry on as head of the IMF after getting the support of the board

She then became the first woman to head the IMF, succeeding her compatriot Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after an incident involving a maid at a New York hotel.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said: 'She is a strong leader. And we have every confidence in her ability to guide the fund at a critical time for the global economy.'

The Court of Justice of the Republic is a special tribunal to hear cases of alleged criminality by ministers in office and is made up of three judges and 12 parliamentarians.

It ruled Lagarde had been negligent in her management of a long-running arbitration case involving Tapie. Lagarde herself was not accused of fraud.

The case revolves around a 403million euro (337million) arbitration award given to Tapie in 2008 over the botched sale of sportswear giant Adidas in the 1990s.

The massive award raised questions about whether benefited from his political connections, including with then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, Lagarde's boss when she was his finance minister.

Civil courts have since quashed the unusually generous award, declared the arbitration process and deal fraudulent and ordered Tapie to refund the money.

Traders working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as news of Lagarde's conviction came in yesterday. Markets were largely unaffected

The special court's presiding judge, in reading the verdict, said Lagarde should have asked her aides and others for more information about the 'shocking arbitration award'.

In deciding not to sentence Lagarde, the court noted the award to Tapie has since been annulled, sparing damage to the public purse. It also noted Lagarde was busy at the time with managing the global economic crisis.

Lagarde's 'personality and national and international reputation' also counted in her favor in the decision not to punish her, the court ruled.

Her lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, said he was considering appealing but added: 'Since Madame Lagarde was not sentenced, I wonder about whether to appeal or not to the highest court.'

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde's lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, addresses media outside the court in Paris yesterday. He said he may appeal

Lagarde, who was not present for the verdict, maintained her innocence through the trial.

The special court acquitted Lagarde of negligence in her original decision to put the Tapie case to arbitration. But it found her guilty in a subsequent decision not to contest the amount of the arbitration award.

The legal battle between Tapie and Credit Lyonnais over the public bank's sale of his Adidas stake was still unresolved when Lagarde took over at the Finance Ministry in 2007.

Lagarde ordered the dispute be settled through a private arbitration panel, instead of regular courts.
A pregnant woman said she was humiliated by a 15-year-old lifeguard at a public swimming pool after being told she had to change out of her 'inappropriate' swimsuit.

Amy-Lee Fox, who is seven months pregnant, said she was called out by the lifeguard at the YMCA Lagoon Pools and Leisure Centre in Panmure, New Zealand, on Saturday.

Ms Fox was wearing a tight black singlet over her bikini top and swimming shorts while she swam with her husband and two daughter aged 10 and seven, the New Zealand Herald reported.

But Ms Fox claims her costume was deemed 'inappropriate' by the lifeguard.

A very pregnant Amy-Lee Fox was told her cotton swimming outfit was inappropriate by a lifeguard at the YMCA Lagoon Pool and Leisure in Panmure, Auckland

The lifeguard 'pulled me aside, a 15-year-old boy, and said 'You can't wear that top, you've either got to take it off or get out - it's not appropriate,'' Ms Fox told the Herald.

Ms Fox said the lifeguard told her off so loudly that other swimmers could hear.

'I said I'm not taking it off because my bikini top just covers my boobs and I'm fully pregnant and I'm embarrassed. I just walked off and he just stood there looking at me. I didn't know what to do so we got out.'

A spokesman for the YMCA defended the lifeguard's actions, saying the singlet was problematic because it was made of cotton.

A manager told Ms Fox that the lifeguard would receive training on how to approach guests, she told the Herald.

Ms Fox claims she was the only one targeted despite there being other swimmers, including her daughters, who were wearing cotton clothing in the pool.

Ms Fox believed she was targeted because her singlet had risen revealing her stomach, leaving her on the verge of tears.

'Everyone looked at me in the pool too and I didn't know what to say. And I was like "I'm sorry, this is all I've got right now because I couldn't afford a one-piece maternity togs for two more months"'.

Ms Fox says she was left on the verge of tears after the lifeguard spoke so loudly that other swimmers could hear
Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle, is at the center of a sad family rift that has seen her lose contact with her older half-sister Samantha Grant, DailyMail.com can disclose.

The 35-year-old actress has been repeatedly criticized by Grant, her father's elder daughter, who is 52.

But DailyMail.com can reveal the reason behind it - a split in the family which members said was not caused by Markle, who one said 'is very classy'.

Instead, they said, the rift appeared to have been driven by Grant, who has not spoken to the actress since 2008 and has - some said - long been jealous of her success.

Grant and her brother Thomas Markle Jr are the elder children of Thomas Markle, by his first wife Roslyn. He then married yoga teacher Doria Ragland, 60, and had Meghan, though the couple later divorced when she was six.

Yoga alone: Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle is at the center of a family rift, with one of her half-sisters not speaking to her for eight years. Markle is understood to have been dating Prince Harry since June and is back in Toronto after a visit to see him in London

Family time: Prince Harry was seen with his brother Prince William, sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Prince Charlotte as they went to the Queen's annual Christmas lunch for the extended royal family at Buckingham Palace

Speaking for the first time about Meghan Markle, the actress's half-sister's mother Roslyn, 71, has expressed sadness over the family drama

Markle's father, Thomas, had two children with Roslyn before divorcing and having a third child - Meghan - with his second wife. Pictured above, Markle sits on her half-brother Thomas Jr's lap as a child

Speaking for the first time about Meghan Markle, Roslyn, 71, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, told DailyMail.com of the familys sadness over the rift.

'Meghan is very pretty, very nice, very polished and very classy,' said Roslyn.

'I never hear anything but good about her from my son Thomas [Jr, Markle's older half-brother]. But Samantha, Samantha has been dogging her for the last 20 years.

'Everything she has said about her [Miss Markle] is a lie.'

Roslyn Markle's comments were echoed by her younger son Bobby Lucero, 35, and Grant's former husband Scott Rasmussen, 57, both of whom live in Albuquerque.

Markle's older half-sister Samantha Grant has been 'dogging' the actress for the 'last 20 years', according to Roslyn

Grant is now estranged from her mother and two brothers. She divorced Rasmussen when their daughter Noelle, now 18, was five.

Her relationship with her father Thomas, who lives in Mexico, is also thought to be fraught  as are her dealings with her own two older children, Ashleigh, 31, and Christopher Hale, 30.

Following their 2003 divorce, Grant initially won custody of Noelle but the teenager has lived with Rasmussen, a Marine Corps veteran and a well-respected armorer in the film industry, and his wife Cheryl, 57, at their Albuquerque home since she was 14.

Both Roslyn Markle and Rasmussen say Grant, a former model and actress, has pursued litigation against them in court to the point of being vexatious  a claim that appears to be borne out by legal documents seen by DailyMail.com.

In July 2015, Grant took out a restraining order against her mother but it was dismissed just one week later. A month later, records show Grant lodged a personal injury claim against Rasmussen  but it was also thrown out.

In a further twist to the tale, Grant herself was booked on one count of using the 'phone to terrify/intimidate' in December 2011. That too was thrown out after the witness, Rasmussen, failed to appear in court.

Roslyn Markle's comments were echoed by her younger son Bobby Lucero (left), 35, and Grant's former husband Scott Rasmussen (right), 57, both of whom live in Albuquerque. Grant is now estranged from her mother and two brothers. She divorced Rasmussen 13 years ago

Lucero, who is half-brother to Markle's older half-siblings but no relation to her, said his brother Thomas (pictured above right with Bobby as a child), 50, had also been left outraged by Grant's comments

Meghan Markle is understood to have been dating Prince Harry since June, after meeting him during his whirlwind trip to Toronto in May for the launch of the 2017 Invictus Games.

The actress, who is from Los Angeles but is based in the Canadian city, has since made several visits to London and was pictured in the British capital with her royal boyfriend last week. On Monday she was seen arriving at Toronto airport after spending time with the prince.

Her Christmas plans are not yet known; her boyfriend will spend Christmas Day with the Queen and other members of the royal family at Sandringham, their English country retreat.

Grant was the first member of her extended family to speak about the actress new relationship and used a number of interviews to speak critically of Meghan.

Grant had claimed that Meghan is nothing but a 'social climber' who turned her back on the Markle family and hasn't spoken to her since she became wheelchair-bound in 2008 with Multiple Sclerosis.

Grant said she had brought up the actress for 12 years when she lived in California and declared: 'The Royal Family would be appalled by what she's done to her own family.

'The truth would kill her relationship with Prince Harry, he wouldn't want to date her any more because it puts her in a bad public light.

'I certainly don't think Harry or his family would want to associate with her afterwards.'

Recently Grant has reverted to using the surname Markle.

Grant's own mother, however, told DailyMail.com that she should not be believed in any form.

Grant, pictured in her modeling days, was the first member of her extended family to speak about the Markle's relationship with Prince Harry

'She thought she was just going to be able to discredit Meghan and Prince Harry was going to say, "Oh well, ta ta with you",' Roslyn Markle told DailyMail.com.

'But when she found out that they were still dating and the relationship might be going somewhere, she wanted into the limelight.

'She wants back in Meghan's good graces because of the limelight and the attention.'

Roslyn Markle added: 'She thought she could ruin things for her [Miss Markle] with Harry and now she's realized they will keep dating whatever she says.

'Now she's sucking up to her. She just wants money  she has always demanded money from Meghan.'

Of Meghan Markle herself, Roslyn Markle said: 'I just don't want Meghan hurt. Obviously she [Miss Markle] was hurt by what Samantha said and she doesn't need her getting involved in her life.

'I really do wish Meghan well.'

Her comments echo those made by other members of the extended family.

Scott Rasmussen, Grant's ex-husband said: 'I disagree with the statement that she raised her until she was 12 because her father Tom, he said that when Meghan was born, Samantha distanced herself from the family.

'She did go to visit and she got a couple of nice pictures of her holding Meghan as a baby but don't believe the rest. Even Samantha's mom said that did not happen. They [Grant and Miss Markle] are not close at all.'

He added: 'Even when she was married to me, [Samantha] was always complaining about her sister.

Grant's relationship with her father Thomas (pictured above with Markle as a child), who lives in Mexico, is also thought to be fraught

Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, 60, divorced her father, Thomas, when the actress was just six years old

'She would always say, "Oh, dad is helping her in her career  why isn't he helping me?" And I'd be thinking, well, because you have a bad attitude.

'Meghan has done nothing wrong and has never hurt anybody. She doesn't deserve this.'

And Lucero, who is half-brother to Miss Markle's older half-siblings but no relation to her, said his brother Thomas, 50, had also been left outraged by Grant's comments.

'He's furious,' Lucero told DailyMail.com. 'He's real upset with how she did that [spoke about Meghan].

'Samantha is not a good person. She's mean and vindictive and she's just all about herself. She's jealous and obviously thought that should probably be her [dating Prince Harry].

'Ever since I can remember, she's had nothing good to say about Meghan. It's always been like, "this little bee is taking advantage of my dad".'

Lucero, who said he was 'excited' about the prospect of having a royal in his extended family, also shared a childhood photo of the prince's girlfriend - in which the baby girl is seen sitting on her brother Thomas Jr's lap.

Miss Markle, confirmed Rasmussen, is hugely popular with the rest of the family and he described her as a 'happy person' who is adored by her niece Noelle.

'She's very nice,' he told DailyMail.com. 'Her brother Tom out in California  he agrees she's the nicest person in the family, actually. My daughter [Noelle] loves her.
A Mexican woman tried to smuggle liquid methamphetamine into the US by hiding it inside Native American-style dreamcatchers when she crossed the border over the weekend.

The woman was detained on Sunday in Columbus, New Mexico when she crossed from Puerto Palomas and a drug-sniffing dog alerted customs officers.

The officers found six dreamcatchers in the woman's car with rings made of rubber tubing filled with a liquid that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Dreamcatchers filled with liquid methamphetamine which were seized by US border agents in Columbus, New Mexico

Dreamcatchers are handmade crafts made from hoops of willow and feathers usually made by American Indians in the Great Plains, intended to protect sleepers from bad dreams and allow only good dreams to pass through.

The woman, from Nuevo Casas Grandes in Mexico's Chihuahua state, was handed over to Department of Homeland Security agents. Her name was not released.

Officials said she was traveling with her daughters aged eight and one. The children were handed over by agents to a relative.

A drug-sniffing dog alerted customs officers that the woman was carrying drugs. Dreamcatchers are meant to be hung above beds to prevent bad dreams

Robert Reza, director of the Columbus Port of Entry, said smugglers frequently conceal drugs in soft drink cans, framed artwork and other seemingly innocent items.

'This is one of the most unusual smuggling episodes we have ever encountered,' Reza said.

US border customs officials in Arizona last June arrested a 19-year-old man after he allegedly tried to cross the border with drugs disguised as tamales.
The event seemed routine, the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia. So when a man in a dark suit and tie pulled out a gun, I was stunned and thought it was a theatrical flourish.

Instead, it was a coolly calculated assassination, unfolding in front of me and others who scrambled, terrified, for cover as the trim man with short hair gunned down the Russian ambassador.

The gunshots, at least eight of them, were loud in the pristine art gallery. Pandemonium erupted.

People screamed, hid behind columns and under tables and lay on the floor. I was afraid and confused, but found partial cover behind a wall and did my job: taking photographs.

A man identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas holds up a gun after shooting Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey on Monday

Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, pauses during a speech at a photo exhibition moments before a gunman (who can be seen standing behind him to the left) opened fire on him

The exhibition, titled 'From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, from the eyes of travelers' featured photos from Russia's westernmost Baltic region to the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the east. I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the Ankara office.

When I arrived, the speeches had already begun. After Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov began to make his address, I moved closer to photograph him, thinking the pictures would come in useful for stories on Turkish-Russian relations.

He was speaking softly and - from what I could tell - lovingly about his homeland, stopping occasionally to allow the translator to relay his words in Turkish. I remember thinking how calm and humble he seemed.

The gunman, identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, stands near the body of Andrei Karlov, shouting 'Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!'

Then came the gunshots in quick succession, and panic in the audience. The ambassador's body lay on the floor, just meters [yards] away from me. I couldn't see any blood around him; I think he may have been shot in the back.

It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened: A man had died in front of me; a life had disappeared before my eyes.

I moved back and to the left, while the gunman - later identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas - gestured with his gun at people cowering on the right side of the room.

At first, I couldn't figure out what had motivated the shooter. I thought he might be a Chechen militant. But people later said he was shouting about the Syrian city of Aleppo.

People crouch in a corner after Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, was shot at a photo gallery in Ankara

Happened to be there: Burhan Ozbilici was at the 'right' moment for a historic but tragic photo

So he was probably angry about Russian bombardments of Aleppo that were aimed at driving out anti-government rebels. Many civilians have been killed in the fighting.

He also shouted 'Allahu akbar,' but I couldn't understand the rest of what he said in Arabic.

The gunman was agitated. He walked around the ambassador's body, smashing some of the photos hanging on the wall.

I was, of course, fearful and knew of the danger if the gunman turned toward me. But I advanced a little and photographed the man as he hectored his desperate, captive audience.

This is what I was thinking: 'I'm here. Even if I get hit and injured, or killed, I'm a journalist. I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos. ... But I wouldn't have a proper answer if people later ask me: 'Why didn't you take pictures?''

I even thought about friends and colleagues who have died while taking photographs in conflict zones over the years.

A child is held after Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, was shot at a photo gallery in Ankara

As my mind raced, I saw that the man was agitated - and yet, he was, strangely, in control of himself. He shouted at everyone to stand back. Security guards ordered us to vacate the hall and we left.

Ambulances and armored vehicles soon arrived and the police operation was launched. The gunman was later killed in a shootout.
Potential cyclones are brewing off Australia's northern coasts in the lead-up to Christmas.

The Bureau of Meteorology has bumped up the risk of a cyclone in the Northern Territory region from low to moderate.

Meanwhile, two tropical cyclones may develop in waters off northern Western Australia on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Bureau says.

And further developing systems could bring rough weather to Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria and Coral Sea areas during the festive season, according to the Courier Mail.

It comes as forecasts predict a scorcher for major cities around the country on Christmas day.

Of the state capitals, Hobart is predicted to be the coolest on 25 degrees while Adelaide's predicted be the hottest at 37 degrees.

Scroll down for video

A satellite image shows storms developing off the northern coasts of Australia near WA, NT and QLD

Daily maximum temperatures for Christmas Day across Australia. (Source: Bureau of Meteorology)

FORECAST: WHAT THE WEATHER LOOKS LIKE AROUND AUSTRALIA ON CHRISTMAS DAY 25 DECEMBER 2016 SYDNEY Sunday : Min 20, Max 28. Mostly sunny BRISBANE: Sunday : Min 20, Max 29. Possible Showers ADELAIDE Sunday : Min 20, Max 37. Mostly Sunny HOBART Sunday: Min 15, Max 25. Mostly Sunny MELBOURNE Tuesday : Min 18, Max 30. Mostly Sunny PERTH Sunday : Min 20, Max 35. Sunny CANBERRA Sunday : Min 14, Max 32. Shower or two DARWIN Sunday : Min 26, Max 32. Shower or two, possible storm Advertisement

Large waves hit The Strand on the foreshore in Townsville during category 5 tropical cyclone Yasi which hit the region in February 2011

Cyclone Yasi struck the North Queensland coast in early February 2011

Huge seas are seen courtesy of Tropical Cyclone Marcia on the Gold Coast in February 2015

Tropical Cyclone Yasi continuing on its path toward Queensland on February 1, 2011

The potential cyclones are being driven by a monsoonal trough stretching across the north of Australia which is gathering strength.

A moderate cyclone risk means there's a 20 to 50 per cent likelihood of a system forming in waters above the NT on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A tropical low is forming in the monsoon trough in the Arafura Sea, above the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin.

It's expected to develop further early next week and move southwest into the Timor Sea, the bureau says.

'The system is forecast to affect the north Kimberley coastline from mid-week as it continues to move away from the NT region.'

A slow-moving tropical low located about 550km north of Karratha, off the Pilbara coast, may become a tropical cyclone by Tuesday.

Lunchtime for the weary residents of Goulburn Island at the Darwin Showgrounds emergency cyclone shelter on Monday March 23, 2015 after they were evacuated ahead of cyclone Nathan

Damaged boats are stacked on top of one another at Port Hinchinbrook boat harbour in Cardwell following cyclone Yasi

Destroyed homes in the far north Queensland seaside township of Tully Heads after cyclone Yasi

The clean-up continues in Rockhampton one week after Cyclone Marcia hit the Capricorn coast in February 2015

The second is in the Timor Sea, west of the Tiwi Islands, and may develop into a tropical cyclone late on Tuesday or early Wednesday.

If the low stays out over open waters it may become a cyclone, but if it moves over land it will bring very heavy rainfall, possible flooding and squally winds.

The bureau says if the cyclones develop the first will be called Yvette, and the second will be called Alfred.

Weatherzone meteorologist Nicholas Shera told the Courier Mail cyclones could change course within hours.

He added they were also hard to track and said it was unlikely the system off north Queensland would affect the state, instead it would likely move southwest.

On average, there are five tropical cyclones in waters off northwest Australia each season.

More cyclone activity is expected this season than last, where only one cyclone made landfall in the Pilbara in January.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IN WILD WEATHER? * Secure loose outside objects and seek shelter when conditions deteriorate * Pull over if it is raining heavily and you cannot see, park with your hazard lights on until the rain clears * Avoid driving into water of unknown depth and current * Create your own sandbags if there is flooding, by using pillow cases or shopping bags filled with sand and place them around doorways to protect your home * Stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams and waterways * Ensure pets and animals are safe * Be prepared in case of power outages, have an emergency kit with a radio, torch, spare batteries and first aid kit Advertisement

Emergency crews work to cut up a tree at Nikunu Yunupingu's home in Galiwinku community on Elcho Island in the Northern Territory in February 2015 after a cyclone struck the region
The NSA has suspended its inspector general after he allegedly retaliated against a

George Ellard's NSA career looks set to end soon after it was recommended that he should be dismissed from his post as Inspector General

Allegations of retaliation against a whistleblower at the National Security Agency have left its top watchdog fighting for his job.

George Ellard, the NSA's inspector general, was placed on administrative leave after he refused to give the whistleblower a job assignment after he claimed managers at the agency were guilty of financial misconduct.

It emerged last week that Admiral Mike Rogers, director of NSA, had placed Ellard on leave and recommended that he be terminated.

The case stemmed from an unidentified whistleblower's claims of financial misconduct by NSA officials involving a conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

The whistleblower said that after he raised his concerns, his name was disclosed to Ellard in violation of rules intended to protect government employees who want to report misconduct.

The whistleblower said his email response had been cleared by the NSA. The agency declined to comment independently on the case. Ellard's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

It's not clear who revealed the whistleblower's identity to Ellard. But the whistleblower said that after Ellard learned who he was, 'I was denied an assignment within the NSA inspector general's office of investigations because of my whistleblowing.'

Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor, leaked secret documents about the surveillance program and Ellard said he should have to him about his concerns

Ellard, who is appealing that decision, received attention in 2014 for remarks at Georgetown University Law Center criticizing Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who had leaked secret documents about the surveillance program.

Snowden says he went public because he feared retaliation from his superiors if he had raised his concerns with them. Ellard insisted that Snowden could have safely come to him.

Ellard's case is the first to move completely through a process created by Barack Obama in 2012 to ensure that intelligence employees can effectively report waste, fraud and abuse while protecting classified information.

The directive prohibits agencies from retaliating against them or taking away security clearances or an employee's access to classified information.

The National Security Agency (NSA) campus in Fort Meade, Maryland. Allegations of retaliation against a whistleblower at the NSA have left its top watchdog fighting for his job

Rogers' decision to recommend Ellard's dismissal followed an eight-month investigation by a panel of inspectors general at the CIA, Treasury and Justice Department, according to an anonymous intelligence official.

Louis Clark, director of the Government Accountability Project, said he was happy that the process set up by Obama's directive was finally being used, but expressed disappointment that it has taken so long for it to happen.

'It was so slow because the intelligence agencies are extremely hostile to whistleblowing,' he said.
More than 250 people 'screamed and bolted' when a vortex ripped through a beach in New South Wales on Sunday.

Nippers from Cudgen Headland Surf Life Saving Club were forced to abandon training ahead of the clubs annual Christmas celebrations as dark storm clouds began to build over Kingscliff Beach south of Tweed Heads.

The 'sandnado' was captured on camera by mum-of three Rachel Elliot.

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More than 250 people 'screamed and bolted' when a vortex ripped through a beach in New South Wales on Sunday

'All age groups of the nippers were together playing a game right where the sandnado hit,' Ms Elliot told Tweed Daily News.

'Every kid screamed and bolted. Some who were in the middle were freaked out for a while.'

The video shows hundreds of junior surf life savers running to escape the vortex.

Ominous clouds can be seen forming over the beach.

Ms Elliot said that everyone left the beach to the safety of the clubhouse, where Christmas celebrations continued.

No one was injured during the chaos.
Two New York City police officers have restored one family's faith in people after they replaced a four-year-old girl's stolen birthday presents.

Officers Frank Callaghan and Michael McAvoy responded to a call Saturday night outside Perkins restaurant in Graniteville, the Staten Island Advance reported.

Samantha 'Sammi' Sietz's family were enjoying dinner at the restaurant after celebrating the four-year-old's birthday with a party at the Staten Island Children's Museum in Livingston.

Officers Frank Callaghan and Michael McAvoy (pictured) replaced four-year-old Samantha 'Sammi' Sietz's stolen birthday presents. Sammi's mother Kim Briano Sietz (holding her daughter) said the gifts were stolen after they had just finished celebrating Sammi's birthday

Earlier on Saturday, Sammi's family held a birthday party for her at the Staten Island Children's Museum (pictured) in Livingston. When they stopped at a restaurant on the way home, the thief shattered the window of their minivan and stole all of the gifts

While they were eating someone shattered the rear passenger window of their minivan and stole all of Sammi's birthday gifts that were wrapped up in the back of the vehicle.

Her mother, Kim Briano Sietz said the entire family was horrified and immediately called police.

Callaghan and McAvoy responded to the scene, took a report and wrote down the family's address.

'Sammi just looked at them and asked if they could find her presents. They said they'd see what they could do,' her mother, Sietz told the newspaper.

And on Sunday, Sammi and her family received a heartwarming surprise.

The kind-hearted officers, Callaghan and McAvoy, arrived at the family's home with dozens of new toys to replace the ones that were stolen.

But on Sunday, Sammi and her family received a heartwarming surprise when the officers, Callaghan and McAvoy, arrived at the family's home with dozens of new toys. The family was eating at the Perkins restaurant (pictured) when the incident occurred

Sietz says her happy child told her: 'Look, Momma, they found my presents.'

She said Sammi's birthday celebration had helped take her mind off the loss of her husband, Matthew Sietz, who died three years ago of a brain aneurysm. He would have been 46 on Saturday, the Advance reported.

Sietz said it was like the officers 'were sent to me to restore my faith, that there are some thoughtful people in the world and they outnumber the bad'.

She added that the officers have given them a gift they'll 'never forget'.

No arrests have been made in the incident.




A police artist has produced a facial reconstruction in the hope someone can identify a man whose body was found near a pink bicycle in Melbourne's east more than 55 years ago.

Police found the body in parkland on Belmont Road, Croydon on April 25, 1961.

The death was not treated as suspicious but extensive inquiries failed to identify the man, who was aged about 40 when he died.

Police are appealing for help to identify a man (pictured) who died in parkland in Melbourne more than 55 years ago

Senior Constable Beth Heale said a police artist had produced a facial reconstruction in the hope someone would recognise him.

'For the past 55 years this man has remained nameless,' she said.

'We are appealing for anyone who thinks they recognise this man to come forward and help shed some light on this mystery.'

The man's first and second toes were joined together and it's believed he'd had an operation to separate the equivalent fingers.

Police found the body in parkland on Belmont Road, Croydon on April 25, 1961 (pictured parkland on Belmont road, Croydon)

A pink D.J Special bicycle was found near his body.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
It comes a day before the

He initially pleaded not guilty to murder but now has changed his stance

Allen Ivanov shot and killed the three at a gathering in Mukilteo,

A young man accused of shooting and killing three people at a house party in July near Seattle has pleaded guilty.

Allen Ivanov made the plea on Monday, one day before a prosecutor was to announce his decision on whether to seek the death penalty.

Investigators said Ivanov conducted the July 30 attack at a gathering in the small city of Mukilteo because he was upset that his former girlfriend seemed to be moving on after their breakup.

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Allen Ivanov pictured after his arrest. Ivanov, who shot and killed three people at a house party in July near Seattle, pleaded guilty Monday

This image shows Ivanov in the back of a patrol car in a police camera video shortly after his arrest on Interstate 5 in Lewis County, Washington

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder for wounding two other victims, The Daily Herald newspaper reported.

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis set sentencing for January 12.

Aggravated murder is punishable only by life in prison without release or execution. Washington's Governor Jay Inslee has imposed a moratorium on capital punishment, but that doesn't bar prosecutors from requesting it.

Ivanov was charged with killing his ex-girlfriend, Anna Bui, as well as Jacob Long and Jordan Ebner, who were all 19.

He bought an AR-15-style rifle with two 30-round clips in the days before the shootings, authorities have said.

He had never fired the weapon before heading to the house party, and he was so unfamiliar with its operation that he sat outside the party and read the firearm's instruction manual before he started shooting, police said.

Police say Ivanov (left) was upset that his ex-girlfriend, Anna Bui (right), appeared to be moving on with her life after their breakup when the shooting unfolded

Ivanov's attorneys had sought more time to gather evidence before Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe announced his decision on whether to seek capital punishment, suggesting that Ivanov may have had untreated neurological problems. The judge declined that request last week.

Before the shooting, Ivanov wrote a six-page letter explaining that he was upset over the breakup. He insisted there was nothing wrong with him or the way he thinks.

'I'm selfish. That's why I did this,' Ivanov wrote.

Ivanov had originally pleaded not guilty to murder charges at a hearing in August.

All of the victims were recent graduates of Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, a waterfront city of 21,000 people.

Jordan Ebner (left) and Jake Long (right with girlfriend) were shot dead by the University of Washington student at a party in Seattle on July 30

Ivanov texted one friend 12 hours before the attack, saying he was going to take a gun safety class before the shooting because he didn't want to 'mess up,' according to court documents.

The friend told him to go deer hunting instead and stop dwelling on his ex-girlfriend. Investigators said Ivanov responded: 'No. I'm killing everyone at a huge party.'

Later that night, Ivanov sent another text to the friend that read, 'I'm 2 minutes from shooting,' the documents said.
Boris Johnson found himself sidelined by No.10 yesterday as the Government responded to the use of illegal British cluster bombs in Yemen.

The Foreign Secretary was told to hand over the brief on UK arms deals with Saudi Arabia to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, it is understood.

No. 10 sent out a memo last week ordering the change, sources said. It came after Mr Johnson was slapped down by Downing Street for accusing Saudi Arabia of being a puppeteer in proxy wars earlier this month.

Boris Johnson was told to hand over the brief on UK arms deals with Saudi Arabia to Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, it is understood

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Sir Michael admitted banned British cluster bombs were used by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen in January. But he said Britain should continue to work with the UKs important ally, rather than caviling from the sidelines.

Saudi Arabia had the right to defend itself, he said.

GRIM TOLL OF THE WAR IN YEMEN For more than two years, Yemen has been devastated by a war between the Houthi rebels and supporters of the countrys internationally recognised government. It began when the Iranian-backed rebels, supported by former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, seized Yemens capital in September 2014. A Saudi-led coalition of mostly Gulf Arab nations then launched a campaign in March 2015 against them. Some 10,000 people have been killed  the majority in air strikes by the Saudis and their allies. Despite allegations of war crimes committed by the coalition and pressure from MPs to suspend arms sales, the British Government has continued to support Saudi Arabia. The UK is a firm Saudi ally in the war against Yemen, with British military personnel helping to train Saudi troops. Advertisement

In a statement to the House, Sir Michael said an investigation had concluded the UK BL755 cluster bombs were sold to the country in the late 1980s.

He said: The coalition confirmed earlier today that a limited number of cluster munitions exported from the UK in the 1980s were dropped in Yemen.

These were against legitimate targets and therefore did not contravene international humanitarian law, he said.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Sir Michael admitted banned British cluster bombs were used by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen in January

It comes eight months after the Government denied British bombs had been involved. In May, defence minister Philip Dunne stated that no UK-supplied cluster weapons have been used, and no UK-supplied aircraft have been involved in the use of UK cluster weapons, in the current conflict in Yemen.

Cluster bombs carry extraordinary risks to civilians because they contain groups of smaller bombs that explode over a wide area and can go off much later.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the two-year war, mainly by air strikes from Saudi-led forces. Sir Michael said the UK had not supplied cluster bombs to the country since 1989.

In September the Foreign Secretary gave a statement on Yemen and defended UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the two-year war, mainly by air strikes from Saudi-led forces

But yesterday No.10 denied suggestions that Mr Johnson had been sidelined after the Defence Secretary was chosen to give the latest statement.

A No.10 spokesman said it was a matter for the Ministry of Defence. A Whitehall source said: The advice from No 10 to across Government was that although usually the Foreign Secretary would give a statement, it was decided it should be the Defence Secretary.
Weeping: Sarma Melngailis (pictured in mugshot) wept in a Brooklyn court Monday as she was offered a one-to-three-year prison plea deal for her grand larceny charge

The glamorous New York restaurateur who went from vegan hero to meat-free outlaw broke down crying in court Monday as she was offered up to three years in prison for allegedly taking $2 million from her business.

Sarma Melngailis, 44, stands accused of withholding $40,000 in wages from 84 employees, stealing $840,000 from investors, and siphoning a further $1.6 million from her business accounts.

Prosecutors separately offered her and husband Anthony Strangis one-to-three years in prison, leaving the former internet sensation in tears, The New York Daily News reported.

The couple would get the deal if they pleaded guilty to the top charge of second-degree grand larceny, prosecutors told Brooklyn Supreme Court.

If she goes to trial and is convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Success: Melngailis (pictured in 2005 with actor Kyle MacLachlan, right, and ex-boyfriend Matthew Kenney) ran a successful vegan restaurant and shop until 2015

Arrested: Melngailis and husband Anthony Strangis (pictured) allegedly stole $2m from the businesses, including staff wages and investor funds, before fleeing in May 2015

Her attorneys responded by giving Justice Danny Chun a hefty pre-pleading report, hundreds of pages long.

Faced with the wad of pages, Chun extended the case by a month, allowing him to read and consider the points made.

'I'll have my offer on January 23 and if the defendant doesn't accept the court's offer, we'll proceed to trial,' he said.

Melngailis's Manhattan businesses - One Lucky Duck restaurant and Pure Food & Wine - had become foodie sensations before she allegedly disappeared with the cash in May 2015.

She had book deals, and celebrity customers such as Chelsea Clinton, Alec Baldwin, Woody Harrelson and Kyle MacLachlan.

But things took a wrong turn, friends and family say, when she met Strangis in 2007.

She would later call the man a 'sociopath' after he disappeared with their eight-month-old son in 2010, but she still brought him on board as a manager in 2013.

From January 2014 to January 2015, Melngailis reportedly transferred over $1.6 million from the business accounts to her personal bank account.

Melngailis and Strangis took money from investors, didn't pay $400,000 in taxes and spent more than $2 million at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun Casinos, prosecutors say.

They also dropped $80,00 on pricey watches and $70,000 on trips to Europe and $10,000 in Uber rides, according to an indictment.

A year after they disappeared, the pair were arrested in Sevierville, Tennessee, in May 2015. The pair had been hiding out, but were rumbled after they ordered a pizza from Dominoes.
Call to action: Andrea Leadsom, pictured, urged Christmas shoppers to boycott cosmetic products containing microbeads

A top minister last night urged Christmas shoppers to boycott cosmetics and personal care products containing microbeads as she promised an outright ban by next October.

The vow by Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom is a major victory for the Daily Mail.

She will today begin a consultation on the need for a similar crackdown on other household goods containing the tiny toxic beads, such as washing powder and cleaning products.

In the meantime, the Cabinet minister called on shoppers to check the list of ingredients on make-up and other products including toothpastes, face scrubs and shower gels before buying. More than a quarter of cosmetics on the shelves contain the plastic additives.

Mrs Leadsom told the Mail: 'The UK has always been a leader in environmental protection and we take our responsibility to marine life  not only in our own seas, but around the world  very seriously.

'So whether you're shopping for a loved one, or picking up a bargain in the sales, I urge shoppers to check any rinse-off cosmetics they are buying are microbead free.'

The Mail's campaign highlighted the way in which cosmetic firms have used the tiny plastic beads, which are often invisible to the naked eye, to add sheen to their products or improve their effectiveness at exfoliation. The additives are widely used in domestic and industrial cleaning products as well as in suncream.

Most microbeads are made from polyethylene, the same material used to make plastic bags and bullet-proof vests  meaning they are incredibly tough and resilient.

The UK dumps 86 tonnes of microbeads in the sea every year, where they collect in the bodies of marine life including fish, birds and crabs. Some experts believe the beads can enter the food chain.

In response, Mrs Leadsom has committed the Government to legislation over the manufature and sale of goods containing beads, which will come into force in England on October 1 next year. To give businesses time to adjust, the manufacturing ban will apply from January 1, 2018. The curb on sales will start in June 30 that year.

Boycott: The minister called on shoppers to check the list of ingredients on make-up and other products including toothpastes, face scrubs and shower gels before buying file image

More than 72 per cent of major cosmetics companies will already have voluntarily stopped selling cosmetics containing microbeads by 2017.

Significantly, officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have now left the door open to tackling other consumer products that use toxic beads.

The consultation, which runs until the end of February, says: 'We recognise that there might be other sources of microbeads and microfibres that end up in the marine environment. We are therefore taking this opportunity to ask for evidence on the extent of the environmental impacts of microbeads found in other products...'

Since the Mail's campaign, Italy has approved a bill to ban the manufacture and sale of microbeads from January 2019. France has announced a ban on rinse-off cosmetic products for exfoliation or cleaning that contain solid plastic particles from January 2018.

Other countries now seeking to impose a ban include Ireland, South Korea, Taiwan, India and Australia.

Elisabeth Whitebread, of Greenpeace, said: 'It is great news that the Government has listened to two-thirds of the British public who want to see microbeads banned. But we won't stop these tiny plastics from polluting our oceans and harming marine life by only banning some of them.'

Dr Laura Foster, of the Marine Conservation Society, said: 'It's great the Government announced its intention to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products.

'This consultation gives an opportunity to show the UK can be a world leader in improving the health of our oceans and reducing microplastic pollution.'

Dr Chris Flower, Director-General of UK cosmetics association CTPA said: The UK cosmetics industry has been acting voluntarily to remove microbeads from products since 2015.
The man who allegedly bashed a two-year-old girl in a 'shocking' assault had only been dating the toddler's mother for six weeks, police say.

Mohammed Khazma, 22, was arrested at Fairfield in Sydney's west just before 5pm on Monday and charged with reckless assault causing grievous bodily harm.

He did not come up from the cells during a brief appearance at Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday.

He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

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Mohammed Khazma (pictured), 22, was arrested at Fairfield in Sydney's west just before 5pm on Monday and charged with reckless assault causing grievous bodily harm

Witnesses (pictured) said the woman arrived with her bloodied and bruised daughter before yelling: 'Your son hit me, your son killed my daughter'

Mr Khazma had been living with the mother, and they had only been together for six weeks,Daily Telegraph reported NSW Police said.

The mother discovered the girl on Monday afternoon at a home in Guildford West and then drove with the child to a relative's home, police said on Tuesday.

Neighbours described how a woman pulled up at the front of a home on Monday screaming 'you've killed my baby'.

She reportedly collapsed with the toddler unresponsive in the back of the car.

Emergency services were called and paramedics commenced CPR on the child who had gone into cardiac arrest.

The home in Guildford West where the baby discovered the two-year-old girl

The two-year-old was given CPR before being taken to hospital in critical condition where she is now being kept on life support

Acting superintendent Glen Parks said the mother is 'very upset' and is helping the police investigation.

'This is going to be a long process and we need to work with her,' Supt Parks told reporters.

He described the assault on the girl as 'shocking'.

'It is a human instinct to care for the young and the vulnerable and when instances like this occur it is often very difficult to comprehend,' he said.

'Any incident like this is very difficult.'

A NSW Police spokeswoman said the girl remained at Westmead Children's Hospital in a critical and unstable condition.

Mr Khazma had been living at the home with the mother of the two-year-old girl

The home where the two-year-old girl was found. She remains in hospital in a critical condition

Police were called to an address in Guildford West at around 3.30pm where they found a two-year-old girl unresponsive in the back of a car
Billions of pounds of British aid cash is 'dumped' every year into trust funds operated by the World Bank in order to meet the controversial aid target.

The UK has channelled 9billion in this way over the past five years and in the process was charged 241million in administration fees by the bank.

Experts said yesterday the money was being funnelled through these trust funds to ensure the UK meets the annual aim of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on helping the developing world. In some cases, the money sits there for years. It is believed 4billion the UK has contributed is still to be spent.

The British government has paid 9 billion into the World Bank over the past five years with the Washington-based organisation taking 241 million in administration fees

Much of the cash goes towards consultancy fees, staff costs and travel expenses  including business class flights. Yesterday the most senior civil servant at the aid department denied the money was simply dumped.

Mark Lowcock, permanent secretary at the Department for International Development, told MPs the cash is given to the bank in the form of 'promissory notes'  which means money is only paid out when it is used. International Development Secretary Priti Patel also said she wanted to see more transparency from the Bank about how money was spent.

According to The Times, Britain is the second largest contributor to the World Bank's trust funds, which have been repeatedly criticised for a lack of transparency and effectiveness. Over the past five years, the Government has channelled at least 9billion into 219 different trusts, more than any country apart from the US. Germany spends far less.

Aid consultant James Morton said: 'DfID dumps large sums into trust funds and accounts for it as spent against a given year's UK aid budget.

'Judging by the large balances the World Bank and the United Nations hold, some of the money then sits there for years.'

About 17.5billion is sitting in trusts to which Britain has contributed. Of this, the UK's share is about 4billion, according to an analysis of its accounts. Last year the World Bank received 3.3billion from Britain.

Many trusts run by the bank continue to accept donations despite retaining a large proportion of their funds, an analysis shows.

The United Nations, pictured has also been accused of holding onto large cash reserves

In 2004, Britain gave $15million to a trust set up to fund small businesses in Iraq, while the US gave $10million.

More than a decade later, half of the sum remains in the trust with no money having been paid out for at least five years. In 2011 the World Bank's independent regulator warned of 'significant shortcomings' in the way trust fund resources were distributed.

The DfID said the bank 'must work harder and smarter' in the way it uses money from British taxpayers.

A spokesman said: 'Britain is challenging the bank to focus its support on those who need it most, ensuring the world's poorest are not blocked from the opportunities they need to stand on their own two feet.
Health tourists have left hospitals with 30million of unpaid bills in one year, figures reveal.

At the worst-affected trusts, overseas patients are racking up debts of almost 5million annually.

The amount is going up year-on-year despite repeated government promises to curb the abuse.

Health tourists have left hospitals with 30million of unpaid bills in one year, figures reveal

Freedom of Information requests from 104 hospital trusts show that they are owed 29.5million from health tourists in 2015/16. This is almost double the 15.9million from 2014/15, according to details obtained by the Press Association.

The figures provide the most up-to-date audit so far of the scale of health tourism  yet experts said they were just the tip of the iceberg.

This is because they only cover those patients flagged up by hospital staff as chargeable and handed an invoice.

Many others slip under the radar as doctors and nurses fail to realise they are not UK taxpayers or turn a blind eye. And the figures only cover two-thirds of the 160 hospital trusts in England. Others did not respond or were not asked.

Nigerian mother's 145k unpaid bill Nigerian woman racked up a 145,000 bill after giving birth to five babies on the NHS. Bimbo Ayelabola, 38, had a caesarean at Homerton Hospital, East London, in 2011 and spent nearly two weeks in hospital. Miss Ayelabola, pictured, is a make-up artist in Lagos. She drives a 17,000 car and the children go to private school. Bimbo Ayelabola, 38, from Nigeria, racked up a 145,000 bill after giving birth to five babies on the NHS Last year she denied coming to the UK to use the system and said the NHS never sent her a bill. She got a visitors visa soon after falling pregnant in 2010 and came to the UK to stay with her sister. Her children were born seven weeks premature. Advertisement

Even so, the 30million of unrecovered debts could fund 1,050 care home places for elderly residents. Alternatively it would pay for 37,500 cataract operations or 6,000 hip replacements, which are all being rationed to cut costs.

The Government has repeatedly promised to clamp down on health tourists but so far there has been little action.

Some estimates put the true cost at 2billion annually, and the NHSs lax system is far more open to abuse than other countries. Campaigners said debts were jaw-dropping and called on the Government to start penalising hospitals which failed to collect payments.

The Press Association asked 120 hospital trusts how much debt was owed by overseas patients for treatment in 2015/6 and 2014/15.

HEALTH TOURISM Q&A Who must pay for NHS treatment? Anyone who isnt ordinarily resident in the UK, which usually means living here for at least six months. This includes short-term migrants, tourists and students. GP services and A&E are currently free for everyone. Who checks if a patient should pay? Every medical professional who sees a patient for the first time should ask for ID. This includes receptionists. GPs should flag up suspect patients referred to hospital. Why are doctors reluctant to check? Doctors say their duty is to treat the patient in front of them regardless of where they are from and whether they can pay. They claim they would be contradicting the Hippocratic Oath, their ethical standards, and it isnt their duty to be border guards. Where are health tourists from? Many are EU patients for whom hospitals have failed to chase member countries for payments. European patients get free NHS care as long as their country pays back as part of the European Health Insurance Card scheme. But many hospitals dont flag up these patients or never claim the money back. A significant proportion come from Nigeria. Others come from India, Pakistan and Ghana for cataract surgery and kidney dialysis. A high number of US patients exploit the NHS as they dont have health insurance to be treated at home. In these cases, the money should be recouped from the individual directly. When should patients pay? Ideally before they receive treatment. Doctors and nurses should ask for payment with chip and pin machines before surgery or a consultation. But few do and hospitals often have to hire debt recovery agencies to chase patients after they have left. Many then leave the country and the NHS has little chance of clawing back the money. Advertisement

Of the 104 trusts which responded, Barts and The London was owed the most at 4.98million. It is in East London and serves a large migrant population, some of whom fly their relatives to Britain to take advantage of free NHS treatment. Guys and St Thomas is owed 2.6million, and University College London Hospital nearly 2.4million.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: If this money was reinvested in the NHS it could mean the difference between hiring more nurses or paying for additional equipment. The money owed to London NHS trusts alone is jaw-dropping.

John OConnell, chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, said that if money is not being recouped from chargeable patients the Government will have to start penalising those that are failing in their duty to taxpayers.

The figures also reveal the trusts managed to recover 21million from health tourists in 2015/16, although this included debts owed from previous years.

Dr Mark Porter, chairman of the British Medical Association, said it was important to recoup costs from patients who are not eligible for NHS treatment, but added: A doctors duty is to treat the patient in front of them, not to act as a border guard.

Last month senior Department of Health civil servant Chris Wormald told hospitals to ask patients to show passports before treatment.

The department first told hospitals to do this last year  yet very few do. Other countries, including France, Germany and those in Scandinavia, have far stricter policies and patients there are required to show ID or pay before treatment.

A Department of Health spokesman said: The NHS is a national  not an international  health service and we are determined to stamp out abuse of the system to ensure it remains free at the point of need in this country.
Michelle Obama is saying goodbye to the White House for good, she told Oprah Winfrey during her final interview.

The First Lady sat down with the chat show icon to discuss the past eight years and share her hopes for the country going forward.

In the segment, which aired Monday night on CBS, she spoke about raising her two young daughters in the public eye, and swore she had no intention of running for office.

Michelle said she didn't want to have Sasha and Malia, now 15 and 18, spend 16 years with a parent as president. She moved into the White House thinking the experience would either make or break her daughters, who were seven and 10 at the time.

The first lady also pledged to help her successor, Melania Trump, and to answer any questions Melania might have.

She told her successor that her door will remain open if the new first lady has any questions once she settles in her new role - a courtesy Laura Bush also extended to Michelle eight years ago.

Michelle also said she and her husband had become closer during their eight years at the White House. During the presidency, she said, a spouse is the only person who really knows about the good and bad things going on.

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Michelle Obama sat down with Oprah Winfrey at the White House for her final interview as first lady, which aired Monday night. The segment was taped last week

Barack Obama stepped in for a brief cameo and praised his wife's legacy as first lady, saying she had surpassed expectations with her 'masterful work'

Oprah asked Michelle if she would ever run for office, saying everyone had asked her to relay the question. Michelle replied with a straight no.

'I don't make stuff up. I'm not coy. I've proven that. I'm pretty direct. If I were interested in it, I'd say it. I don't believe in playing games. It's not something I would do,' the first lady said.

'But it also speaks to the fact that people don't really understand how hard this is. And it's not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again.'

Oprah said that eight years was enough, prompting Michelle to imagine what 16 years would be like. 'I wouldn't do that to my kids,' she said.

'Because what people don't understand is that you run - their lives stop at any age. I mean, the next family that comes in here, every person in that family, every child, every grandchild, their lives will be turned upside down in a way that no American really understands,' Michelle added.

'And it's not for us to complain about it. So you don't hear complaints. But it is a -- a truth, an actuality, that there is a weight to it.'

Michelle told Oprah the Democratic Party hadn't asked her to run for any office and that she wasn't having conversations on the matter.

Michelle told Oprah she had no intention of running for office because she doesn't want to put her daughters, Sasha and Malia, through more years in the public eye at the White House

As for Melania, Michelle said she hadn't offered her any advice during their meeting at the White House in November, because it was too early. She called the meeting 'very pleasant' - but thought Melania probably didn't know what questions to ask yet.

'You really don't know what you don't know until you're here,' Michelle said. 'So I - the door is open, as I've told her, and as Laura Bush told me, you know, and as other First Ladies told me.'

Michelle however did not hold back when it came to discuss her feelings about the past presidential election, which saw Donald Trump clutch a shocking victory against Hillary Clinton - for whom both Barack and Michelle had strongly campaigned.

'This past election was challenging for me as a citizen. To watch and experience. It was painful,' Michelle said.

She told Oprah she went to bed early on Election Night feeling like she knew what the results would be - and her thoughts were confirmed the next morning when she looked at her phone.

Michelle discussed a speech she gave in New Hampshire during the campaign, in which she blasted Donald's comments that celebrities can 'grab women by the p***y'.

'My response, you know, in light of what I was seeing from my female staff, what I was hearing from my daughters, their reaction to it, for me required a different kind of response,' she told Oprah.

Oprah asked Michelle how she felt when some of her critics labeled her an 'angry black woman'. Michelle said she realized the racist comments weren't actually about her

Being a 'grown-up', Michelle said, helped her dealing with critics as she settled in the White House.

'But just being straight up grown-up helps because, you know, over the course of a professional career, and let us not forget, I just didn't wake up first lady. I mean, I went to law school. I practiced law. I worked for the City. I ran a non-profit. I was an executive at a hospital. I've been in the world. I've worked in every sector,' she said.

'And you don't do that without coming up against some stuff. You know? Having your feelings hurt. Having people say things that aren't true, you know. And it's not just about race. I mean, you know, it's just life hits you. So over the course of living, you learn how to protect yourself in it.'

The first lady also discussed being labeled an 'angry black woman' by some of her critics.

'That was one of those sort of things where you think, "Dang, you don't even know me." You just sort of feel like, "Wow, where did that come from?" '

Then, Michelle said she realized the racist comments weren't about her, but about the people who wrote them.

'And then I thought, okay, well, let me live my life out loud so that people can then see and then judge for themselves,' she added.

Michelle and Oprah looked back on the time Barack took office, with Michelle saying: 'We were dealing with our financial collapse that was unprecedented. And most people don't remember that. The country was crumbling.'

The first lady said she would help Melania Trump in any way she can as her successor settles in the White House, just like Laura Bush did for her

Michelle (pictured with Melania at the White House in November) said she hadn't given Melania any advice yet, because it was too early during their meeting

The first lady said her predecessor Laura Bush (pictured welcoming Michelle to the White House in 2008) had been nothing but gracious to her - a behavior she intends to replicate

Michelle said the president (pictured during his cameo) had managed to give the nation a renewed sense of hope, adding that she could feel the difference now

Barack proved how close he is to his wife by stopping by in a short cameo and praising Michelle's legacy as first lady.

'We all knew she was brilliant and cute. And strong and a great mom. But I think the way in which she blended purpose and policy with fun so that she was able to reach beyond Washington on her health care initiatives, on her military family work, was masterful,' the president told Oprah.

The first lady, reflecting on her own work, said she felt like she had moved the needle on childhood obesity and healthy eating - one of the main causes she pursued during her White House years.

Being a 'grown-up', Michelle said, helped her dealing with critics as she settled in the White House. Having worked in various sectors, she said, gave her a thicker skin

Michelle said she had worked hard to ensure that Sasha and Malia (pictured with their parents last week) felt normal even while growing up at the White House

Looking back on her husband's administration, Michelle said she thought he had managed to give the nation a sense of hope.

'Because we feel the difference now. See, now we're feeling what not having hope feels like. You know? Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept,' she said. 'And Barack didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan to get votes. I mean, he and I and so many believe that if you - what else do you have if you don't have hope?

Michelle said she looked forward to regaining some anonymity. Her mother, who moved into the White House with the family eight years ago, is headed back to Chicago and will visit from time to time.

She and Oprah even made plans to go 'glamping' - a more glamorous version of camping.

Oprah ended the interview by asking Michelle what her prayer was for the country, to which Michelle said she was praying for hope.
Union militants are showing a shared contempt for ordinary people by disrupting Christmas, Downing Street said yesterday.

As postal workers joined rail staff in staging walkouts, a spokesman for Theresa May accused the unions of trying to inflict maximum damage and disruption during the festive period.

But Downing Street stopped short of backing calls for new anti-strike laws, despite a growing clamour from MPs.

The Communication Workers Union also attempted to hit Christmas deliveries as it began a five-day strike at some Crown post offices

About 300,000 commuters on Southern rail routes endured another day of misery yesterday as the RMT union began their latest 48-hour walkout, leading to the cancellation of about half of the franchises 2,242 services.

The Communication Workers Union also attempted to hit Christmas deliveries as it began a five-day strike at some Crown post offices, although the Post Office played down the impact.

British Airways staff are also gearing up for a Christmas strike over pay. And yesterday, staff at Weetabix became the latest to vote for strike action.

The wave of industrial walkouts, which has been dubbed the Christmas of Discontent, came as figures revealed more than 100,000 extra days have been lost to strikes this year.

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed 281,000 days were lost to strike action up until October 31 this year  compared to 170,000 in the whole of 2015.

Asked yesterday whether Mrs May suspected the industrial action may be co-ordinated, a No 10 spokesman said: If these strikes share one thing in common, it is a shared contempt for ordinary people trying to go about their ordinary lives.

About 300,000 commuters on Southern rail routes endured another day of misery yesterday as the RMT union began their latest 48-hour walkout

He added: Their actions are clearly designed to bring maximum damage and disruption during the festive period. But the motivation for the timing of those strikes is an issue for them. What our focus has got to be on is the people who are suffering, and how we can encourage all parties to get around the negotiating table and bring these disruptions to an end.

Yesterday, at a meeting with MPs whose constituents lives have been made a misery by the Southern strike, sources said the Prime Minister had acknowledged the strikes were political.

POST OFFICE STAFF FOIL PLAN TO CAUSE CHAOS Attempts by union bosses to bring chaos to the Post Office before Christmas were defied by their own members yesterday as just 35 branches shut down across the country. The Communication Workers Union had claimed 300 large High Street branches would shut as staff staged the first in a series of walkouts. But the protest  which is due to last until Christmas Eve  appeared to fizzle out. Many workers crossed the picket line with the Post Office claiming that around 750 of the 1,200 people that were scheduled to work yesterday had turned up as usual. A spokesman said nearly all of its network of 11,600 branches were unaffected. This was dismissed as fantasy by the CWU, which yesterday staged a Santa protest outside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in London. But one staff member, who asked not to be named, told the Mail that she and many of her colleagues had ignored the strike because it was so close to Christmas and they cannot afford to have their wages docked. Tory MP Charlie Elphicke, a member of the Public Accounts Committee, said: The militant leadership are out of touch with their grassroots members. The attempt to call the strike at Christmas time is clearly backfiring. Advertisement

The MPs pushed Theresa May to put on more replacement buses to make it easier for commuters to get to work.

MPs pushed Theresa May to put on more replacement buses to make it easier for commuters to get to work.

The PM is said to have given a sympathetic response. However, Whitehall sources stressed that providing a significant number of buses would pose its own difficulties  clogging up the roads into London and elsewhere.

The PM is also understood to have said that, while new strike laws remained on the table, it was not a priority as nothing could be passed in time to alleviate the current chaos.

Despite the growing row, Downing Street indicated Mrs May was focused for now on ending the current disputes rather than trying to force through new anti-strike laws that could provoke a wider confrontation with the unions.

Senior Labour figures have backed the introduction of a 460million fleet of driver-only trains in the North of England  contradicting the stance of Jeremy Corbyn.

The Labour leader has failed to condemn walkouts over the introduction of driver-only trains on Southern Rail.
A special school teacher who squirted soap in an autistic boy's mouth and repeatedly hit him on the back of his head has had her registration cancelled.

Devi Noronha, a former teacher at Pukekohe's Parkside School, 50km south of Auckland, physically abused the student in November 2015, reports the New Zealand Herald.

The New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal found that the incident took place after the eight-year-old with autism put counters in his mouth during class, and Noronha intervened.

The incident took place at Pukekohe's Parkside School, 50km south of Auckland (pictured)

Noronha squeezed the boy's cheeks together and hit him on the back of the head to get him to spit out the counters as she feared he was going to choke on them.

However the boy responded to this treatment by slapping her across the cheek twice.

It was then that Noronha took him to the bathroom and squirted liquid hand soap into his mouth to 'teach him a lesson', the disciplinary tribunal stated.

She told the boy if he he were to carry on in this way again, she would put more soap in his mouth. Three classroom assistants saw the incident on different occasions as it happened and reported it to the school's principal.

Devi Noronha, a former teacher at Pukekohe's Parkside School (pictured), squirted hand soap in an autistic child's mouth

At the tribunal hearing against her, Noronha said she had squeezed the boy's cheeks and 'tapped' his head out of fear that he would choke on the counters.

But she also admitted that she lost control in the heat of the moment after being slapped by the boy - she claimed she had been hit many times by the same student in the previous five months, but had handled those incidents professionally.

'I did the best I could. He is still breathing, still alive to this day because of what I did,' she told the tribunal.

However, the tribunal rejected that explanation. Noronha received a police warning over the incident but was not charged.
Christopher Hutchinson, 28, had been drinking and using marijuana and oxycodone before he lost two crew members during a 2014 fishing trip, federal prosecutors said

A Maine lobster boat owner had been drinking and using marijuana and oxycodone before he lost two crew members during a 2014 fishing trip, federal prosecutors said Monday in charging him with seaman's manslaughter.

Christopher Hutchinson, 28, of Cushing, Maine, was arrested and charged by indictment in the deaths of his crew members Tomas Hammond, 26, of St George, and Tyler Sawyer, 15.

Hutchinson was the owner and captain of the 45-foot boat, No Limits, which flipped in heavy waves several miles west of Matinicus.

His boat was headed for a fishing area called Eleven Mile Ridge, despite the National Weather Service warnings of dangerous weather and sea conditions, the Portland Press Herald reported.

The boat had been hauling in lobster traps for several hours on November 1, 2014, when it capsized after Hutchinson tried to 'surf' the waves.

Hutchinson was later spotted floating on a raft and rescued.

'The indictment alleges that his negligent and unsafe operation of the boat in forecasted dangerous weather and sea conditions and after using controlled substances and alcohol caused the loss of life,' the US attorney's office in Portland said.

Hutchinson was charged by indictment in the deaths of his crew members Tomas Hammond (right), 26, of St George, and Tyler Sawyer (left), 15. Hutchinson was the owner and captain of the 45-foot boat, No Limits, which flipped in heavy waves several miles west of Matinicus

The captain said he checked the weather at 10am on that tragic morning and the winds on nearby Matinicus Rock were reported at 22 knots. But a weather buoy nearby reported wind gusts of 40 knots and waves of up to 14 feet

The captain said he checked the weather at 10am on that tragic morning and the winds on nearby Matinicus Rock were reported at 22 knots.

But a weather buoy nearby reported wind gusts of 40 knots and waves of up to 14 feet, the Herald reported.

The next day, the US Coast Guard suspended the search for Hammond and Sawyer after the No Limits boat was found mostly submerged.

Their bodies were never found and the Coast Guard issued letters of presumed death for both men in late November 2014, according to the Herald.

Blood tests conducted on Hutchinson that night revealed he had oxycodone and marijuana in his system.

In July 2015, a justice ruled that $170,500 in damage stemming from the deaths would go to Michelle Miete, who is the personal representative of Tomas Hammond's estate, the Portland Press Herald reported.

The remaining $139,500 of a settlement fund would go to Lisa Chickering and Travis Sawyer, the parents of Tyler Sawyer.

Hutchinson was charged under the Seaman's Manslaughter Statute. It's used to hold ships' officers accountable for actions that result in deaths.

He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A call to his defense attorney, Jeffrey Langholtz, was not immediately returned.
Several hundred people have turned up for an early morning bike ride with disgraced seven time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

The convicted drug cheat issued an invitation on his Twitter account on Sunday asking people to join him on a ride around Auckland.

And come they did with Tuesday's 6am ride attracting over 500 people with Armstrong describing the response as 'humbling'.

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Several hundred people have turned up for an early morning bike ride around Auckland with disgraced seven time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong (pictured)

'Good morning New Zealand! Let's ride Tuesday AM! Cruisy waterfront loop (Tamaki Drive/Cliff Road). 6am Mechanics Bay. See ya there,' Armstrong wrote on Twitter.

The 45-year-old is currently in New Zealand to shoot a TV commercial for Lion Breweries.

Armstrong, who was stripped of the record seven titles in 2013 and bared all in an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey that same year, rode for about an hour with enthusiastic locals.

Armstrong acknowledged to reporters that the ride was unlikely to change the minds of Kiwis who felt betrayed by him.

'There's a lot of hurt feelings, and really the word is betrayal, it is what it is,' he said.

Armstrong was happy to pose for photo's and sign autographs for the excited fans who turned up to see the disgraced champion

Tuesday's 6am ride attracted over 500 people with Armstrong describing the response as 'humbling'

'There's nothing I can say to a lot of people to make it go away and I get that.'

But Armstrong was happy to pose for photos and sign autographs for the excited fans who turned up to see the disgraced champion.

Armstrong lost over $150 million in potential career endorsement earnings when the doping was confirmed.
Barra McGrory, the Province's Director of Public Prosecutions, could not be impartial, Theresa May has been told

The chief prosecutor deciding the fate of ex-soldiers who served in Northern Ireland should be stripped of the job because of his controversial links to Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.

Barra McGrory, the Province's Director of Public Prosecutions, could not be impartial because he was formerly a solicitor to a number of high-profile figures in Sinn Fein, Theresa May has been told.

But he has the final say on whether ex-servicemen should be tried for killing IRA terrorists  sparking concerns about a conflict of interest.

On Friday, he ruled that two ex-paratroopers should be charged with murder over the killing of an IRA commander during the Troubles more than 40 years ago.

The pair, known as Soldier A and Soldier C, are expected to stand trial next year for gunning down Republican assassin Joe McCann  and face jail if convicted.

The men, now 67 and 65, are the surviving members of the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment patrol that opened fire on the terrorist in Belfast in 1972.

Now Tory MP Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister, has written to the Prime Minister urging her to step in to halt the witch-hunt  and express his disgust at the prosecutions.

Mr Howarth  who represents Aldershot, the home of the British Army  said in his letter to Downing Street: These men have already been subjected to investigation at the time and found to be not guilty.

Quite apart from the massive challenge of securing accurate and reliable witness statements nearly half a century later, this unjust and immoral decision has been taken by a man who has represented former IRA commanders and recused himself a number of times owing to conflict of interest.

It is intolerable for former soldiers, highly visible in uniform as members of HM Armed Forces who faced men in shadows mingling with the civilian population, to be subject to a second investigation, whilst former IRA commanders, potentially with blood on their hands, are in Government and enjoy immunity from prosecution.

These prosecutions must be stopped and the Northern Ireland DPP removed from office as his impartiality must be in question.

Mr McGrory represented former IRA commander Mr McGuinness at the Saville Inquiry into the 1972 Bloody Sunday shootings in Londonderry. And he was Mr Adams' solicitor in 2007 when the Sinn Fein leader had neglected to inform police about his paedophile brother.

Mr McGrory was appointed head of the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service in 2011. It is his job to decide if there is sufficient evidence for charges against a suspect.

He represented former IRA commander Mr McGuinness (left) at the Saville Inquiry into the 1972 Bloody Sunday shootings in Londonderry. And he was Mr Adams' (right) solicitor in 2007 when the Sinn Fein leader had neglected to inform police about his paedophile brother

As well as Soldier A and C, another former soldier Dennis Hutchings, 75, has been charged with attempted murder after an investigation into the 1974 fatal shooting of an IRA suspect later found to be innocent. Mr Hutchings, due to stand trial next year, has said he feels 'thrown to the wolves'.

Earlier this month DEC the Mail told how up to 1,000 retired soldiers in their 60s and 70s faced a police witch-hunt some 40 years after they battled terrorism in Northern Ireland.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chiefs were blasted for re-examining every single British Army killing during the Troubles.
A radical Islamic group that wants to establish a global Muslim superstate is demonstrating in Sydney tonight against the conflict in Syria.

A rally is being held in Lakemba on Tuesday, the same day Russia's ambassador to Turkey was gunned down at an Ankara art gallery in 'revenge' for the turmoil in the besieged city of Aleppo.

Radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir is staging the rally near the mosque in south-west Sydney, despite Andrei Karlov's death at the hands of Ankara police riot squad member Mevlut Mert Altinta.

Underage boys, holding up signs on the Syrian conflict in Sydney, feature on the Facebook page of radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman Uthman Badar

Placards on the Syria conflict for Tuesday night organised by radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir

Posters in Sydney advertising the rally at Lakemba, a few blocks from the mosque

Like the 22-year-old murderer, Hizb ut-Tahrir has condemned Russia for the war in Syria.

'Aleppo has been devastated beyond words as the world watches in silence,' it said on its Facebook page.

'American political manoeuvres, Russian barrel bombs and Iranian mercenaries have assisted Assads brutality against innocent men, women and children, sparing not even the injured in hospitals.

'The regimes of surrounding Muslim lands have also been complicit.

'It is time to break the silence and raise our voice for Aleppo and Syria at large.'

Police riot squad member Mevlut Mert Altintas said the killing was out of revenge for Syria

Off-duty Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, gestures after shooting dead Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, 62, who lies dead on the art gallery floor

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Uthman Badar to ask about the 7pm rally, which has 242 confirmed attendees on its Facebook page.

There have been no indications the group will postpone the rally out of respect for the shooting murder of Russia's 62-year-old ambassador to Turkey by an off-duty Turkish police officer.

'Allahu Akbar (God is Great). We die in Aleppo, you die here!' The gunman also screamed: 'Only death will take me out of here.'

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov moments before he he was gunned down from behind at an Ankara art gallery

The shooter, who was wearing a suit and tie, reportedly fired into the air before taking aim at the ambassador.

He then turned weapon on others in the gallery, injuring three people before he was shot dead in a 15-minute stand-off with police.

Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman has on his Facebook page underage teenage boys holding up signs in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the slogan: 'Aleppo is dying. Raise your voice.'
David Cameron has signed up to the lucrative Washington Speakers Bureau

David Cameron has signed up to the same public speaking agency that reaped former Chancellor George Osborne more than 500,000 in just two months.

The ex-Prime Minister has been cleared by a parliamentary watchdog to join the lucrative after-dinner speaking circuit with the Washington Speakers Bureau, which also counts Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as clients.

Unlike Mr Osborne, Mr Cameron is no longer an MP but still has to have any outside jobs signed off.

He quit as Prime Minister following the Brexit vote and announced in September that he was reneging on a pledge to stay on as an MP.

Parliaments Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) gave Mr Cameron the green light to start working with the WSB.

On its website, WSB describes Mr Cameron as one of the most prominent global influencers of the early 21st Century.

It says Mr Cameron can provide, lessons in leadership at an extraordinary and turbulent time in global affairs - not least on building economic strength; creating inward investment across the UK and Europe against the backdrop of an emergent Russia and China; and navigating complex international security challenges.

The bureau cited Mr Camerons role in the EU referendum, saying that he offers an unrivalled perspective on the future of the European Union and Britains place in the world following Brexit; and a unique insight on the rise of populist politicians and parties at a time of profound global change.

The appointments watchdog banned Mr Cameron, as a former PM, from taking any paid roles for three months after leaving office.

He signed up to the WSB this month, after being cleared for the role and two months after being replaced as the MP for Witney.

He was warned not to draw on any privileged information available to him as PM during his work.

Since stepping down as an MP, he has also registered a company called the Office of David Cameron Ltd to deal with outside earnings.

The Washington Speakers Bureau also counts former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as clients

Mr Cameron is also writing his memoirs.

He has already had one speaking engagement, at Indianas DePauw University where he blamed the political upheavals in 2016, including his loss of office, on the rise of populism.

On Sunday, he was spotted riding the carousel at the Winter Wonderland attraction in Londons Hyde Park.
Drug couriers who hid $3 million worth of methamphetamine in an apartment overlooking the headquarters of WA Police homicide squad have been jailed.

Luting Yu, 28, Jian Liang Chen, 28, and Hong Xian Chen, 26, were caught in December 2014 following a raid at their unit on Aberdeen Street.

More than 3kg of high-purity meth which arrived from Adelaide was discovered at the $600-a-week apartment, The West Australian reported.

Three men hid $3 million worth of methamphetamine in an apartment overlooking the headquarters of WA Police homicide squad (stock photo)

The trio used the unit as the base while flying almost 36 times to the Eastern States to market the drugs.

Police were able to make the arrests after they tracked the drugs to the apartment where they found the meth hidden in boxes.

Almost $100,000 in cash was also found in a shopping bag by police.

The men, who did not take drugs, were specifically in WA for no other reason but to deal drugs, Prosecutor Sean O'Sullivan.

'They've come into this State for the pure and only purpose of committing this offence ... without any concern about the effect on those who would ultimately have their lives wrecked by this substance,' Mr O'Sullivan said.

Yu and Jian Chen were sentenced to 14 years in jail and Hong Chen will spend 12 years and four months behind bars.
The families of three men killed in the June rampage at Orlando gay club Pulse are suing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube owner Google, saying the organizations are responsible for the men's deaths.

Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero were among the 49 people killed when Omar Mateen went on his June 12 rampage.

Now their relatives are accusing the web companies of giving ISIS 'material support' when they provided it 'with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds, and attract new recruits'.

'Without Defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible,' they said, according to Fox News.

Victims: The families of three Orlando shooting victims (including Juan Ramon Guerrero, left, and Tevin Crosby, right) are suing Facebook, Twitter and Google for inspiring their killer

Slain: The families (also including those of Javier Jorge-Reyes, center) say that Mateen was inspired by ISIS materials on social media and Google's YouTube website

Mateen had pledged loyalty to ISIS during the attack, and the terrorist organization had claimed responsibility afterward.

However, police said Mateen also claimed allegiance with a number of other radical Islamic groups that directly oppose ISIS.

Despite that, Keith Altman, the lawyer representing the three families, claims: 'Mateen was radicalized by ISIS using the defendants tools for that express purpose.'

They include messages posted on Facebook and Twitter, and the use of YouTube to publicize executions and propaganda videos.

Killer: Mateen killed 49 people in June before being shot dead. The sites are protected by a law that says so long as they only host user-made content, they're not responsible for it

The sites delete or block such accounts, but Altman says it's not enough - another one will just pop up again - and that they refuse to take responsibility for their users' content.

Previously, tech companies have been protected by Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act (1996).

That act says that so long as a website acts purely as a host for information and does not comment on the items itself, it cannot be held responsible for the content of its users.

The families' lawyer argues that interpretation is no longer valid, as the algorithms used by the websites to curate user content counts as interfering with the information, rather than simply hosting it.

'The defendants create unique content by matching ISIS postings with advertisements based upon information known about the viewer,' Altman said.

'Furthermore, the defendants finance ISIS's activities by sharing advertising revenue.'

Should they win the case, experts say, it could change the way that social media works, forever.

But there a long and costly battle will be waged before any decision can be made.
Brexit is an opportunity to make the NHS safer, leading surgeons believe.

The Royal College of Surgeons says leaving the EU will enable watchdogs to impose stricter language tests on foreign doctors and tighter controls on medical devices.

Junior doctors training may also improve as they will no longer be bound by EU rules limiting them to 48-hour working weeks.

But this can only happen if the NHS is allowed to continue hiring thousands of European doctors and nurses, they add.

The Royal College of Surgeons says leaving the EU will enable watchdogs to impose stricter language tests on foreign doctors and tighter controls on medical devices

Up to 22 per cent of surgeons and 11 per cent of doctors are from the EU, on top of thousands of nurses, cleaners and porters.

The college is urging the Government to promptly confirm that all European-trained NHS workers have the right to stay. But it is also calling on ministers to seize the opportunity to improve safety standards.

The organisation represents 25,000 surgeons and is one of the few medical bodies to highlight the benefits of Brexit.

Its president, Clare Marx, said: The UK has voted to leave the EU and regardless of which side of the debate doctors found themselves on prior to the referendum, its now clear the public expect us to use Brexit to help, not hinder, the health service.

She added: We must make certain that the many staff from the EU already working in the NHS and on which it depends, are protected. We need good staff to maintain a safe NHS.

'As part of the EU, weve had to accept laws and regulation on issues such as language testing of non-UK staff, professional qualifications, working time and the safety of medical devices and drugs which perhaps fell short of our own standards... Brexit allows us to correct this.

'The RCS believes that if the opportunity is seized alongside protecting the right of staff from the EU to work here, improved NHS patient safety could be a positive legacy of Brexit.

The General Medical Council are able to check language and medical skills of European doctors, but not to the same standard of those coming from elsewhere in the world.

Up to 22 per cent of surgeons and 11 per cent of doctors are from the EU, on top of thousands of nurses, cleaners and porters

The same is true for the Nursing and Midwifery Council regarding EU nurses. But once the UK leaves, the watchdogs will be able to impose the same tough checks that are carried out on all other foreign staff, involving several days of exams.

The college also says Brexit will let the UK carry out more rigorous checks of medical equipment  including breast implants.

At the moment, a manufacturer has to get approval for a device from just one EU member state for it to be used across the continent. But once the UK leaves, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulation Agency will be allowed to impose its own tests.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: 'We want the NHS to be the safest healthcare system in the world.

'Overseas workers play a vital part in making this happen and we want to see that continue, whilst at the same time training and recruiting home-grown clinicians.

'We agree that there are opportunities presented by the decision to leave the EU in raising standards of care and improving safety.

'In the meantime we have tough rules that mean employees can be language tested both when they start a job and in the period after theyve started.'
analysed by experts is passed onto MoD and Foreign Office

BBC plans to slash a vital global monitoring service that analyses intelligence are a threat to national security, MPs claim today.

Proposals to cut a large part of BBC Monitoring are the height of folly and there could be serious consequences for Britains defence and security if they go ahead, a highly critical report warns.

The BBC Monitoring service was originally established in the Second World War to monitor foreign broadcasts.

BBC plans to slash a vital global monitoring service that analyses intelligence are a threat to national security, MPs claim today

Equipped with two large listening rooms, it famously listened in to Nazi radio broadcasts. After 9/11 it started gathering intelligence on Taliban communications.

Using highly trained intelligence experts, the service now translates and analyses news and information from around the world.

The information is then passed on to the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office and Britains intelligence services such as MI6.

The report by the defence select committee said it was a vital tool in UK policy-making but it was in grave danger of becoming a hollow shell of its former existence.

BBC Monitoring was directly funded by the Government until 2013. Responsibility for it then passed to the BBC under the terms of an agreement announced by then-chancellor George Osborne.

Funding and governance for the service has been woefully short-sighted and catastrophically ill thought-out, the new report says.

The committee said the move had entirely predictably exposed the service to cuts, with around 100 jobs set to go under a BBC re-structuring programme.

Defence select committee chairman Dr Julian Lewis said to allow the BBC to change its direction was in contravention of the national interest

It is urging the Government to take back responsibility for funding BBC Monitoring to avert damaging cutbacks.

MPs are deeply concerned that the proposed changes will have a deleterious impact on the provision of information to the Government, in particular the MoD.

It said: We shall need to test whether the changes proposed are undermining our open source information-gathering, with serious consequences for our defence and security. Regretfully, we predict that that is exactly what will happen.

In the current climate of world instability, MPs said the impact of the proposed changes should be of great concern to ministers.

The report expressed particular concern at plans to move BBC Monitoring out of its current headquarters in Caversham Park, Berkshire.

At the site, UK officers operate alongside their US counterpart, Open Source Enterprise (OSE), meaning a move could potentially disrupt information-sharing with the Americans.

Currently, BBC Monitoring covers 25 per cent of the globe, while OSE covers the remaining 75 per cent.

Defence select committee chairman Dr Julian Lewis said: The BBCs strategy for BBC Monitoring will downgrade our contribution to open-source intelligence-sharing between the UK and the US at a time when European nations must demonstrate to President-elect Trump that we are committed to paying our way in the fields of defence and security.

As one of our witnesses said: This is the height of folly.

Dr Lewis said to allow the BBC to change its direction was in contravention of the national interest.

The Government uses open-source information for indicators and warnings of areas of instability and potential threats to UK security, the report added.

The decisions made concerning the funding and governance of BBC Monitoring over the past decade or so have been woefully short-sighted and catastrophically ill-thought-out.

A service that has the potential to be a vital tool in opening the world to UK diplomacy and business is in grave danger of becoming a hollow shell of its former existence.

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem told the committee: It seems to me that the security and continuity that BBC Monitoring has been able to produce over the years is absolutely fundamental to the security of the United Kingdom.

Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, said the combination of funding cuts, restructuring and relocation represented death by a thousand cuts.
Seven West Media has denied claims Tim Worner had affairs with four other women after his relationship emerged with former personal assistant Amber Harrison.

On Sunday, details of Ms Harrison's two-year relationship with Worner were revealed in a statement where she claimed the married father-of-four used cocaine to enhance his sexual experience and sent her lewd text messages.

Ms Harrison also alleged Mr Worner had affairs with four other women including a television presenter and a well-known actress in a separate statement to the Australian Human Rights Commission, The Herald Sun reported.

Seven West Media has denied the allegations the chief executive had affairs with any women other than Ms Harrison and say her claims 'contain wide-ranging inaccuracies'.

Amber Harrison, 37, claims she and Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner (pictured with his wife Katrina) began flirting back and forth over email and explicit text messages before starting a relationship in December, 2012

Ms Harrison (pictured) claims she would meet Mr Worner at her home to have sex and attended a number of events as a couple, including the Australian Open. She claims Mr Worner also had sexual relations with four other female employees of Seven West Media

The statement did not address the drug claims, but said the affair was 'completely unacceptable' and 'not part of Seven's culture'.

Ms Harrison also alleged Mr Worner used cocaine during their time together and sent her text messages glowing about his efforts after their encounters.

One text read: 'I think my performance was drug assisted. And if you can go dirtier I am slightly scared. But you are f (sic) hot so I will take the chance.'

On Monday the company's share prices dropped $98 million in the wake of the saga.

Despite the falling stocks, Seven's board and boss Kerry Stokes said Mr Worner's job as chief executive was safe.

In a statement they also confirmed the company had paid Ms Harrison a settlement.

'The settlement deed was approved by the relevant board committee of Seven and continues to be binding,' the statement read.

'Seven agrees that the inappropriate consensual sexual relationship made public by Ms Harrison is deeply regrettable.

'The chairman has always made clear to Mr Worner that the alleged conduct, even though a personal matter, was completely unacceptable.'

In the same statement, the embattled Mr Worner apologised for his actions and said he was filled with 'the deepest regret and shame'

Ms Harrison claims that during their affair Mr Worner used cocaine to assist in his sexual adventures before texting her the following day to talk about his 'performance'

In the same statement, the embattled Mr Worner apologised for his actions and said he was filled with 'the deepest regret and shame'.

STATEMENT FROM SEVEN WEST MEDIA Seven agrees that the inappropriate consensual sexual relationship made public by Ms Harrison is deeply regrettable. The chairman has always made clear to Mr Worner that the alleged conduct, even though a personal matter, was completely unacceptable. Tim Worner apologised at the time, and now, for the inappropriate consensual relationship with Ms Harrison that commenced prior to his appointment as chief executive. Allegations made in her statement which name other employees are rejected totally, including any allegation that other current or former employees have been paid off. Advertisement

'This relationship finished some time ago and I apologised at the time, and am still trying to make amends,' he said.

'My focus is to continue to work through this in private and minimise the distress to my family.'

The Australian reports Ms Harrison was paid to keep the affair quiet and was told to destroy her mobile phone - which she did using a blowtorch.

They also have reportedly seen documents that state Ms Harrison was paid $350,000 by Seven, however the former PA says she never received this money.

Among the details Ms Harrison revealed about her affair, were claims the pair often had sex on company time.

She claimed Mr Worner used taxis to travel to her home for sex and paid for them on his company credit card - including when she was at home on sick leave because of anxiety she claims was caused by the affair.

The former executive assistant was also treated to a romantic weekend in Melbourne with Mr Worner during the 2014 Australian Open.

'I knew he was married. It was never about love. It was about sex and power,' Ms Harrison said.

'He likes having a bit on the side. I found our relationship, if you'd call it that, thrilling to begin with.'

Reportedly among the other women Ms Harrison claims Mr Worner had affairs with are two high-profile stars of the Seven network

Ms Harrison also claims that she became depressed because of the affair and took extended sick leave. Mr Worner would then use taxis to travel to her home for sex and paid for them with company credit cards

Ms Harrison said the affair made her 'depressed' and caused her to suffer regular panic attacks at work, which led to her taking extended sick leave.

During this time she claims Mr Worner would use taxis to travel to her home for sex and would pay for them with company credit cards.

The couple's relationship ended in mid-2014 not long after she found out about Mr Worner's numerous other affairs and sent him an abusive message.

'You are right. You are busy. F---ing everyones assistants as it turns out,' she wrote.

Ms Harrison alleges Seven West then accused her of spending $262,000 on the company credit card and was sacked.

She said she was paid $100,000 in a settlement and claims the company agreed to pay her a further $350,000 after being made redundant, but never did.

Seven West Media shares dropped $98 million on Monday. Mr Worner, a father-of-four, has apologised over the incident in a statement said he was still 'trying to make amends'

In March, Mr Worner and his wife Katrina forked out $9.5 million on an oceanfront home in Sydney's Northern Beaches (pictured)

Seven denied the investigation into her credit card use was a result of Ms Harrison's complaint to human resources, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Ms Harrison said she ended up informing human resources of the illicit relationship and alleged she was shifted to a new role in the company and paid almost $150,000.

After two years of negotiations, Ms Harrison lodged a claim with the Australian Human Rights Commission in May of this year.

In March, Mr Worner and his wife Katrina forked out $9.5 million on an oceanfront home on Sydney's Northern Beaches. The couple have four children.

He was appointed as the chief executive of Seven West Media in 2013, midway through the affair, on a $2.6 million salary.
Sydney man Haysem Charbaji, 24, has been jailed for at least 27 years and his brother Azam, 26, for a minimum 24 years for the brutal murder of a man whose charred remains were found in a suitcase.

Victim Dane McNeill's supporters celebrated in the public gallery of the NSW Supreme Court at Darlinghurst when the siblings and Haysem's girlfriend Lexy May Jamieson were sentenced on Tuesday.

Jamieson, 26, was jailed for a minimum of two years for being an accessory to Mr McNeill's July 2014 killing.

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Haysem Charbaji has been sentenced to 27 years for the murder of Sydney drug dealer Dane McNeill

His brother Azam Charbaji will spend at least 24 years behind bars after the pair tortured Mr McNeill and dumped his charred body in a suitcase

Sydney drug dealer Dane McNeill, 20, was fed Xanax, bashed, and stabbed, during the horrific ordeal in July 2014

Sitting in the dock together, Jamieson, a mother of two, buried her head in Haysem's chest and sobbed when the sentence was handed down by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Rothman.

Outside court, Mr McNeill's father Peter said it was the second-biggest present the family could have received before Christmas.

'First we could have had our son back, but that's never possible, so to have this type of sentence against the brothers, we couldn't be happier,' he told reporters.

The Charbaji brothers bashed and stabbed 20-year-old Mr McNeill and force-fed him a lethal dose of Xanax over a weekend of prolonged violence, fuelled by the drug ice, at the brothers' separate homes in Sydney's southwest.

The court heard the violence was sparked by claims Mr McNeill owed Haysem Charbaji a debt.

Haysem's girlfriend Lexy May Jamieson was jailed for at least two years for being an accessory to the killing

Mr McNeill's body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Sydney's south-west

Jamieson (left), a mother of two, buried her head in Haysem's (right) chest and sobbed when the sentence was handed down

Jamieson sat by at the Heckenberg flat she shared with Haysem while Mr McNeill was repeatedly punched in the face and stabbed in the lower back, and she later used bleach to clean the residence, the court heard.

Mr McNeill's friend Brendon Gallo told the trial he helped put Mr McNeill's body in a suitcase and drove it with Azam Charbaji to a Picnic Point park.

There he was told to pour fuel over the body in the open suitcase and it was set alight.

Jamieson sat by at the Heckenberg flat she shared with Haysem while Mr McNeill was repeatedly punched in the face and stabbed in the lower back

Family and supporters of Dane McNeill leave the NSW Supreme Court, at Darlinghurst on December 2

The murder, Justice Rothman said, involved extreme violence and cruelty and approached the 'worst case'.

He said Haysem Charbaji seemed to be the instigator while Azam was the more violent.

Haysem Charbaji was given a maximum 36-year jail sentence and won't be eligible for parole until 2043.
Maryann D. Dunn

Maryann D. Dunn, 84, of Carlisle, passed away on Sunday, December 18, 2016 at her home. She was born on September 18, 1932 in Forest Hills, Queens, NY, and was the only daughter of the late Henry and Mary E. (Waligura) Daszewski.

She was much loved by her family and encouraged to learn and be inquisitiveattending Bryant College in Providence, Rhode Island before starting her career working for an advertising firm in Manhattan in 1950. Maryann met her husband, James Dunn, while in college and soon they married and started a 30 year adventure with the Army. The Dunns traveled many places over those yearsboth here in the States and in Europe, raising two children along the way. She was a caring and attentive parent, always willing to listen and provide guidance.

As a military wife, Maryann worked with lots of women on many different activities over the years.

One of her fondest memories was publishing a cook bookwhich was a compilation of favorite recipes of military families.

Additionally, her volunteer work as a Grey Lady and supporting the local libraries was also important to her.

Maryann became the manager at the U.S. Army War College Book Store as her youngest child was getting ready to go to college. She thoroughly enjoyed working there and had many fond memories and friendships from those days.

Her husband and children were privileged to have had her in their lives. Wife, mother, friendwe will carry her in our hearts forever.

She is survived by her devoted husband of 63 years, COL (Ret) James F. Dunn, Jr., US Army, one daughter, Jessica (and her husband, Philip) DeMarais of Hollywood, MD, one son, Major (Ret) Mark Jeffrey Dunn, US Army (and his wife, Chom Suk) Dunn of Martinez, GA and one step-grandson, James Brinkley.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 23, 2016 in the St. Patrick Shrine Church, 152 E. Pomfret St., Carlisle, with Rev. Don Bender officiating.

There will no viewing or visitation. Burial will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. Ewing Brothers Funeral Home, Carlisle, is in charge of the arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 1019 Mumma Rd., Wormleysburg, PA 17043. Please visit www.Since1853.com to send condolences.
A man who opened fire with a shotgun outside the US embassy in Ankara - just hours after a Russian ambassador was shot dead in a nearby art gallery - has been arrested.

The man, who was named 'Sahir S' in the Turkish state press, approached the Embassy at around 4:30am local time. The building is just a block away from where the ambassador was assassinated.

The suspect fired the shotgun into the air eight or nine times before being detained, reports say. As he was taken away, he shouted 'Don't play with us,' according to RT.

Arrested: This man was arrested outside the US Embassy in the Turkish capital of Ankara after he reportedly fired a shotgun 8-9 times, and shouted 'Don't play with us'

Embassy: The embassy was on temporary lockdown after the incident, which occurred at around 4:30am local time. The man was reportedly identified as 'Sahir S' in state media

General view of the U.S. Embassy the Turkish capital Ankara on December 20

FOOTAGE: Police arrest the gunman outside the US Embassy in Ankara. He swears and says "don't play with us" pic.twitter.com/ZmFzYR2kq0  DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) December 20, 2016

It's not known whether anyone was hurt by the suspect, who was identified in state media as 'Sahir S', according to RT.

Photographs show him being led away, apparently uninjured. He appears to be in his forties or fifties.

In video footage he can be heard shouting 'Don't play with us' as he pushes against the group of police officers guiding him to a van.

The lockdown was ended and staff were given permission to leave the compound, although the US Embassy advised citizens to avoid the area until Tuesday morning.

A gunman fires 8-9 times in the air outside the US Embassy in Ankara. Police detained the gunman, increased security around the embassy.  Mahir Zeynalov (@MahirZeynalov) December 20, 2016

The dramatic events follow the shocking murder earlier today of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, who was shot dead in an Ankara art gallery just a block away from the US Embassy.

Karlov was killed by Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, an off-duty member of the Ankara special forces police department, while speaking at the opening of an exhibition at the Cankaya Municipality Contemporary Arts Center.

Footage of the scene shows the man saying in Arabic: 'We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad for jihad.'

According to local media, his words are similar to the unofficial anthem of Al Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.

In Turkish, Altintas adds: 'Dont forget about Aleppo. Dont forget about Syria. As long as our lands are not safe, you will not taste safety  Only death will take me out of here. Anyone who has a role in this oppression, they will all die one by one.'

Altintas also opened fire on hostages, injuring three. He was shot dead after a 15-minute standoff with police.

The US Embassy was also placed on lockdown after that shooting.

The US State Department has advised Americans to 'avoid travel to southeast Turkey and carefully consider the risks of travel to and throughout the country'.

Assassinated: Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov (center) moments before he was shot dead by Mevlut Mert Altintas (left), an off-duty cop, in an Ankara art gallery
Cr Carter said she will continue to pursue her passion despite the

A Melbourne Councillor who received an anonymous rape threat via text said she will continue to serve her local community - and admitted the text is not the first she has received.

Melbourne Councillor, Sarah Cartem received a vile threat via text message

Sarah Carter, who was elected as Maribyrnong City Council deputy mayor last month, received a message which said: 'I see you on Victoria Street. I am going to rape you tonight'.

Cr Carter has since hit back at the 'cowardly men' resorting to a low level of 'intimidation' while also thanking her supporters, reported The Age.

'To whomever you are, and I've no doubt that you're probably on my Facebook page and most certainly local; you are a coward and if you think hiding behind an anonymous threat of violence is enough to rattle me, you're sorely mistaken,' Cr Carter said.

'I shall continue to enjoy my strolls down Victoria Street as I have for the last 16 years, whilst police investigate the matter.'

The deputy mayor received a text which said: 'I see you on Victoria Street. I am going to rape you tonight'

Police are investigating the matter as Cr Carter noted it was unfair she had to be subjected to such behaviour.

Cr Carter also revealed her family has asked her to step down from her position following the incident as they ask her 'is it worth it'?

But Cr Carter said she won't let threats dictate how she pursues her career or life.

Maribyrnong City Council also addressed the situation by noting on Facebook that the council stands up for gender respect and equity.

'We support our community making contact with Councillors to discuss civic matters,' Maribyrnong City Council said.

'However, Council takes a firm stance of no tolerance towards any abusive, defamatory or threatening communication with Councillors.

'If a member of the public communicates with Councillors in an inappropriate way, Council will make contact with the relevant authorities. '
She is described as of Caucasian appearance and 175cm tall with a thin build

Officers and family said the teenager's disappearance is out of character

the teenager may be travelling in the family car with her black dog

A 16-year-old girl has been reported missing after police believe she left her home with her black dog.

Emma Powell has not been seen since she left her home in Grafton, north of Coffs Harbour, between 9.30am and 12.30pm on Monday, police said.

Officers said the teenager's disappearance is out of character and believe she may be travelling with her dog in her family's white Land Rover Defender with the number plates CYE 34A.

Emma Powell (pictured), 16, has been reported missing after police believe she left her Grafton home with her black dog on Monday morning

She is described as of Caucasian appearance and 175cm tall with a thin build.

Police said she has blue/green eyes with dirty blond hair and is known to wear silver jewellery.

Coffs Harbour police and Clarence Local Area Command said they have searched a number of locations with no success.
A former Seven West Media personal assistant has claimed CEO Tim Worner told her he wanted to 'f*** her like a wild man' in sordid text messages during their two-year affair.

Amber Harrison, 37, said the 'secret love' started in 2012 after she began exchanging text messages with the married chief executive and they began meeting up for sex at her Sydney apartment.

In a statement to the media on Sunday, Ms Harrison claimed she begged Mr Worner for her to 'be fired' after suffering regular panic attacks, but he instead visited her during sick leave to have sex with her 'seven times'.

After she told him she has 'no idea what to say,' Mr Worner allegedly responded: 'I want to f*** you so badly and I want you to deal with my super hard c**k'.

Amber Harrison, 37, (left) said the 'secret love' started in 2012 after she began exchanging text messages with married chief executive Tim Worner (right)

After the sordid affair started to take its toll, Ms Harrison claims she begged Mr Worner to be fired as the relationship was 'killing her'. A recreation of the text message is pictured

Mr Worner (pictured with his wife Katrina) is married with four children and lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches

In 2013, the pair allegedly began using cocaine to 'enhance their sexual experiences'.

'I think my performance was drug assisted,' Mr Worner allegedly said.

Ms Harrison claims Mr Worner sent her a text message asking her if she wanted to 'go dirtier' and was 'slightly scared'.

'You are f (sic) hot so I will take the chance,' he allegedly wrote.

The former personal assistant claims the couple were still sending lewd text messages to each other six months later.

'I love being with you. Too much. Too sexy,' Mr Worner allegedly told the 37-year-old in March 2014.

On March 24, 2014, Ms Harrison claims Mr Worner told her he wanted to 'f*** her like a wild man'.

The former executive assistant was also treated to a romantic weekend in Melbourne with Mr Worner during the 2014 Australian Open.

'I knew he was married. It was never about love. It was about sex and power,' Ms Harrison said in a statement.

In a statement to the media on Sunday, Ms Harrison claimed she begged Mr Worner to 'be fired' after suffering regular panic attacks, but he instead visited her during sick leave to have sex with her 'seven times'

Ms Harrison claims Mr Worner sent her a text message asking her if she wanted to 'go dirtier' and was 'slightly scared'. A re-creation of the text message is pictured

Ms Harrison claims that during their affair Mr Worner (pictured with his wife Katrina) used cocaine to assist in his sexual adventures before texting her the following day to talk about his 'performance'

After the sordid affair started to take its toll, Ms Harrison claims she begged Mr Worner to be fired as the relationship was 'killing her'.

Mr Worner allegedly told her she had a 'huge future' at Seven and visited her a number of times while she was on sick leave to 'have sex with her'.

Ms Harrison said the couple had intercourse for the last time in June 2013 and the affair ended after she discovered he was allegedly sleeping with other women previously and currently employed by the Seven network.

In a separate complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission, Ms Harrison reportedly said Mr Worner's other affairs included a television presenter and a well-known actress, The Herald Sun reported.

But on Monday, Seven West Media denied the allegations Mr Worner had affairs with any women other than Ms Harrison and say her claims 'contain wide-ranging inaccuracies'.

'Seven agrees that the inappropriate consensual sexual relationship made public by Ms Harrison is deeply regrettable,' the statement read.

The statement did not refer to Mr Worner's alleged drug use, with the network refusing to make any comment.

In a statement, the embattled Mr Worner apologised for his actions and said he was filled with 'the deepest regret and shame'

In the same statement, the embattled Mr Worner apologised for his actions and said he was filled with 'the deepest regret and shame'.

Ms Harrison claims she was made redundant by the network in November 2014 after she was investigated for the misuse of a company credit card.

She said she was paid $100,000 in a settlement and claims the company agreed to pay her a further $350,000 after being made redundant, but never did.

On Monday the company's share prices dropped $98 million in the wake of the saga, but Seven's board and boss Kerry Stokes said Mr Worner's job as chief executive was safe.

Ms Harrison (pictured, left) claims she was made redundant by the network in November 2014 after she was investigated for the misuse of a company credit card
The man accused of murdering Adelaide woman Jody Meyers has pleaded guilty to the crime.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Neil Archer admitted murdering his 20-year-old partner, who was found buried under a concrete slab at Mannun, east of Adelaide, in August 2015.

Prosecutors have previously said the murder weapon likely used to kill her was a grey cord.

Neil Archer (left) admitted to murdering his 20-year-old partner Jody Meyers (right)

Archer's mother Margaret also faced court, pleading not guilty to assisting her son in relation to the murder and she will stand trial next year.

Ms Meyers was last seen leaving a property near Murray Bridge on August 26 after leaving a family barbecue.

The South Australian mother left wearing faded blue jeans, a floral salmon-coloured top, beige ugg boots, a hooded jumper and a hearing aid in her right ear.

A text message was sent from her phone on the day of her disappearance advising her family that she had left Mr Archer and was spending time with friends.

The body of Ms Myers was found under a slab a month later on Archer's parents' property

Ms Meyers was 20 years old when she died

Mr Archer, is the father of Ms Meyers' three-year-old son and initially denied any involvement in the young mother's disappearance.

Her disappearance in September 2015 sparked a huge search for the missing woman.

Police divers and mounted officers were involved in an extensive search around Ms Meyer's hometown after 'grave concerns' were expressed for her safety.

Her body was eventually found on September 25 last year, almost a month after she disappeared, buried under a concrete slab in a tool shed in the backyard of Archer's parents' property.
A giant python has been found asleep in a letterbox and has been set free into bushland.

A Buderim, Queensland, man went to check his mail last week and was startled by a coastal carpet python nestled into his letterbox.

Max, of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers, went to the man's rescue and moved the python into some nearby bushland 'where it won't be able to terrorise the local postman'.

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A Buderim, Queensland, man went to check his mail last week and was startled by a coastal carpet python nestled into his letterbox

Video of the ordeal was posted to Facebook.

'When this Buderim resident went to check his mail this morning he found a bit more than Christmas Cards!' Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 wrote on Facebook.

'Instead he found a Coastal Carpet Python that had decided the letterbox would be a suitable place to sleep for the day!'

The snake was likely looking for a cool, dark place to sleep through the heat.

'When this Buderim resident went to check his mail this morning he found a bit more than Christmas Cards!' Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 wrote on Facebook

Max, of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers, went to the man's rescue and moved the python into some nearby bushland 'where it won't be able to terrorise the local postman'

On Sunday, a woman named Cheryl from Frankston, in Victoria, found a tiger snake wrapped around her Christmas tree like tinsel.

The reptile with distinctive yellow and brown patterns had slithered its way through an open door of the home that morning.

Despite the terrifying ordeal, the woman remained calm when she called for help.

Snake catcher Barry Goldman, who was called to the home, removed the snake from the property before he released it back into the wild.

On Sunday, a woman named Cheryl from Frankston, in Victoria, found a tiger snake wrapped around her Christmas tree like tinsel
Billabong millionaire Matthew Perrin has been found guilty of fraud and forgery after faking his ex-wife's signature to mortgage her $15 million house.

The former surfwear CEO mortgaged the family's $15 million property in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, without permission from his former partner Nicole Bricknell, who owned the house.

A jury on Tuesday found Perrin guilty of three counts of fraud and six counts of forgery.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on three further charges.

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Former Billabong CEO Matthew Perrin (pictured holding hands with his now-partner Belinda Otton) has been convicted of nine counts of fraud and forgery

Perrin faked his ex-wife Nicole Bricknell's signature on bank documents in 2008 (Ms Bricknell is pictured)

The case will return to court for a mention on Thursday, with Perrin to be sentenced at a later date.

He has been remanded in custody.

Perrin insisted Ms Bricknell knew exactly what he was doing and gave permission for him to sign the documents in 2008 on her behalf.

Ms Bricknell told the court she 'never, ever' gave her former partner permission to sign on her behalf.

Perrin insisted Ms Bricknell knew exactly what he was doing and gave permission for him to sign the documents in 2008 on her behalf

Ms Bricknell, Perrin's ex-wife who owned the house, is pictured

'This man has taken from me and my children without my permission and knowledge, that's worse than having an affair in my opinion,' Ms Bricknell told the Brisbane District Court throughout the trial.

'I always protected my children and I never, ever would have allowed him to sign my name on anything - that was not the right thing to do,' she said.

The mother-of-three told the court she won't be able to find peace until he is in jail.

Perrin told the court he often signed Ms Bricknell's name on documents throughout their marriage.

'If Nicole was available and convenient she would sign them ... if she wasn't I would sign them for her,' he said.

The former surfwear CEO mortgaged the family's $15 million property in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, without permission from his former partner Nicole Bricknell, who owned the house

The $15 million Surfers Paradise property is pictured

The jury was shown a document which Perrin said gave him authority to act on Ms Bricknell's behalf in respect of their finances, including debts in her name.

Perrin, who is also a qualified solicitor, was also accused of forging his brother Fraser Perrin's signature on the paperwork.

He denied the 12 total charges, nine of which he was convicted over on Tuesday.

Perrin made a total of around $57 million from his investment in Billabong before he resigned as CEO in 2003.

By 2009 he had lost it all through bad investments and was declared bankrupt, the court was told.
The mother of a seven-month-old baby who died after falling from a change table says the rest of her life will be a nightmare and no sentence handed to the girl's negligent father could ever be enough.

Lily fell at the family's Ellenbrook house in September last year and died in hospital from head injuries after her father, Paul James Cosgrove, ignored telephone pleas from his wife, Emma, to seek medical treatment for the baby.

Cosgrove, 24, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced in the West Australian Supreme Court on Tuesday to seven years behind bars.

As Justice Lindy Jenkins handed down the sentence, angry family members of the victim, who wore shirts with a photo of Lily on them, swore and shouted at Cosgrove, calling him a 'f****** dog'.

Seven-month-old Lily Cosgrove (right) died after her father Paul James Cosgrove (left) failed to seek medical attention when she fell from a change table.

Justice Jenkins took into consideration Cosgrove's mental health problems but noted that while Cosgrove sometimes felt remorseful, he also blamed others.

'Lily was only seven-months-old, she was unable to protect herself from danger,' she said, Perth Now reported.

'Your first duty was to the child, not to yourself.

'It was morally and legally wrong not to seek treatment for her.'

Cosgrove was jailed for seven years and must serve at least five years before he can be eligible for parole

Lily's mother said she and her family have missed out on the greatest blessing of all and no sentence would ever be long enough

The court previously heard that earlier in the day Cosgrove fell asleep with Lily on the couch before she fell to the floor and began vomiting.

Cosgrove then left her with a neighbour, claiming he had a job interview, but instead went to get a massage and bought alcohol.

Later that afternoon, when he took her from the neighbour he left the baby alone on the change table while he disposed of a used nappy, returning to find her on the ground with her eyes flickering.

Cosgrove then again fell asleep with the baby, and when he woke up tried unsuccessfully to shake and slap her awake.

He drove Lily towards her grandparents' house for a birthday gathering and, in a phone call to his wife, refused her pleas to take the baby to a doctor, instead deciding to return home.

Justice Jenkins took into consideration Cosgrove's mental health problems but noted that while Cosgrove sometimes felt remorseful, he also blamed others

Outside court on Tuesday, Ms Cosgrove said she and her family had missed out on the greatest blessing of all and no sentence would ever be long enough.

'He brutally took the life of our precious daughter Lily when all she wanted was love and attention,' she said.

'Lily was denied a life from her dad and now we can't see her smile, watch her grow and live a life she so deserved.'

Ms Cosgrove said she would never hear her daughter say 'I love you, Mummy' or again see Lily's excited face when she arrived home from work.

'I will never feel so content again as I did when bathing, feeding and cuddling her like a real mum should,' she said.

'I can only pray Lily is happy and safe and we'll be together again when it's my turn.

'Everyday for the rest of our lives will be a nightmare.'

Cosgrove must serve at least five years before he can be eligible for parole.

Lily died in hospital from head injuries after Cosgrove, ignored telephone pleas from his wife, Emma, to seek medical treatment
There's nothing worse than an itch that you just can't scratch.

But fortunately for this prickle-covered koala, a man with a hairbrush was on hand to help.

The koala was in a bad mood when Bruce Atkinson, from Apollo Bay, Victoria, found her on his porch as he had breakfast on Saturday.

A koala who found herself covered in prickles had them combed off of her by a friendly human

The koala was in a bad mood when Bruce Atkinson found her - but she quickly changed her tune after he started brushing her

Mr Atkinson said the marsupial walked up to him, which is not unusual, but added that she appeared 'a bit distraught'.

'It was just sitting there all glum,' he told the ABC.

The animal-lover offered the poor koala a cup of water but it angrily swatted it away.

It was only then that Mr Atkinson realised that the creature's fur was covered with burrs.

The caring man popped inside to grab a glove and a hairbrush and started combing them off of the poor creature.

He said: 'I just gently poked the brush at some of the burrs. Within seconds it decided, "this is alright, I'll have more of this".'

Fluffy! The koala looked very pleased after most of the burrs were brushed off of her

Man are marsupial are now 'good mates', Mr Atkinson said, although the koala has now wandered off back into the bush

A video shot by Mr Atkinson shows the koala looking relaxed as she let her new friend brush the sticky prickles away.

It took a long time, but eventually most of the burrs were gone.

Man are marsupial are now 'good mates', Mr Atkinson said, although the koala has now wandered off back into the bush.

'I was just amazed that the koala seemed smart enough to realize that I was trying to help him and I could not believe how quickly he went from being agro to letting me pet and tickle under chin,' he wrote on Facebook.
Pauline Hanson says terrorist attacks in Germany and Turkey justify her controversial call to ban Muslims from migrating to Australia.

The One Nation leader took to Twitter on Tuesday after an Afghan refugee drove a 25-tonne semi-trailer through a busy Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people, and an off-duty Turkish police officer in Ankara shot dead Russia's ambassador.

'You only have to look at the horrors being committed by Islamic terrorists today in Europe to understand why we must ban Muslim immigration,' she told her 15,400 followers.

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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has reiterated her call to ban Muslim migration to Australia following the terrorist atrocities in Berlin and Ankara

The Queensland senator's tweet was liked by 265 of her followers in the first hour

The tweet, liked by 265 people in the first hour, was sent after an Afghan refugee hijacked a semi-trailer, killed the driver and sped through a busy market in the German capital killing 12 people and injuring 48 others.

The man at the wheel, who used different aliases, was of Afghan heritage and had arrived in Germany in February, Germany newspaper Berliner said.

The atrocity had a chilling echo of the deadly terror attack in the French city of Nice in July, as German police and Germany's top security official indicated the incident was terror related.

It also came just one hour after the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, 62, was shot dead at an Ankara art gallery by 22-year-old off-duty police riot squad member Mevlut Mert Altinta in protest at the conflict in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Off-duty Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altinta makes a menacing gesture after shooting dead Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in an Ankara art gallery

The smashed semi-trailer in Berlin after a hijacker drove it through Christmas markets killing 12 people and injuring 48 others

'Allahu Akbar (God is Great). We die in Aleppo, you die here!' The gunman also screamed: 'Only death will take me out of here.'

As Germany and Turkey mourned the deaths of its terror victims, Senator Hanson sent an earlier tweet with her condolences.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, the survivors and their families of the horrific terror attack that has just occurred in Germany,' she said.

Most of Pauline Hanson's Twitter followers are backing her call to ban Muslim migration

She also used her maiden to the Senate in September to call for a ban on Muslim migration, arguing their culture and ideology was incompatible with Australia's secular values.

Senator Hanson used co-ordinated terror attacks in Paris late last year to call for a halt in Muslim refugees coming to Australia, as the Turnbull government considered resettling people from conflict zones in Syria and Iraq.

One Nation's policy regards Islam as a totalitarian ideology that does not believe in democracy, with Senator Hanson frequently arguing it's not a religion.
Carlisle Borough Councilwoman Connie Bires is resigning after a year on the council, according to a news release from Susan Armstrong, assistant borough manager.

Bires cited personal reasons for the departure in her resignation letter submitted to the borough council Dec. 14. Her co-councilors will take action on accepting her resignation at their Jan. 12 meeting.

The news release from the borough stated that Carlisle Mayor Tim Scott and Deputy Mayor Sean Shultz will recruit applicants for Bires seat through public outreach.

Letters of interest and resumes will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. Jan. 19, 2017. Submissions must be mailed or hand-delivered to: Mayors Office/ERCP Committee, Attn: Borough Secretary, 53 W. South St., Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013.

For those opting for an electronic submission, they can do so by sending their letters of interest and resumes to borough secretary Joyce Stone at jstone@carlislepa.org. The subject line should read: Carlisle Borough Council Vacancy Submission.

All applicants must be Carlisle residents. Scott noted that under the Sunshine Law, the council must discuss filling the vacancy in public hearings. Interviews of applicants will also be open to the public.

Deputy Mayor Shultz and I will be discussing the matter in more detail over the course of the next few weeks, Scott added in the release.

Bires and Sean Crampsie were the newest faces of the council after beginning their first terms in January.

We were saddened to learn of Connies decision. While Connies service as a council member has been somewhat brief, her hard work and desire to serve the people of Carlisle are commendable, Shultz said in the release. Her presence and input will be missed on council, as well as those committees that she served (Carlisle Parks and Recreation Board and Public Works).

Even though Connie has resigned from public office, it is our hope that Connie will continue to remain actively engaged within our community, he added.

Bires could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
An incredibly violent fight at a Maryland high school has left three students hospitalized.

Shocking footage shows the brawl at Capitol Heights' Central High School, with students punching each other, hurling one another to the ground and screaming while adults try to stop them.

The fight broke out Friday when a group of African-American students attacked a group of Hispanic students, a school district spokesperson told Fox 5 . The school said the incident may have been racially motivated.

No one was arrested after the fight but the aggressors are believed to have been expelled. Three students were taken to the hospital and have since been released.

Shocking footage shows the brawl that kicked off Froday at Capitol Heights' Central High School (pictured), with students punching each other and hurling one another to the ground

A father told the network he kept his daughter out of school on Monday even though she wasn't involved in the brawl, because he feared for her safety. It was unclear whether additional security would be provided at the school following the incident.

County police said the school's resource officer called for backup when the fight broke out.

The principal has met with the parents of all involved and is now working with the school district's diversity officer to address safety concerns and encourage students to 'celebrate cultural differences', a spokesman told Fox 5.

The students involved in the fight came to a special assembly aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.

They have been punished as per the school's guidelines, district officials said. Two students told Fox 5 that most of the aggressors had been expelled.

These students said they don't believe the fight started because of race and don't feel that there is a racial divide at the school.

The fight broke out Friday when a group of African-American students attacked a group of Hispanic students, a school district spokesperson said
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The house made famous by the Australian cult film The Castle is at risk at being demolished after the current owner launched a bid to construct two townhouses on the property.

In the 1997 movie, working-class family man Darryl Kerrigan fights a city hall decision to raze his beloved home, nicknamed 'the castle.' Kerrigan ends up taking his struggle all the way up to the High Court of Australia.

It remains to be seen whether the current, real-life struggle over the property, which is conveniently located only metres from the runway at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, will be that protracted.

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The 1997 indie hit movie The Castle starred Michael Caton (third from left) as family man Darryl Kerrigan, who fights a city hall decision to demolish his dear home, visible in the background

In a real-life struggle over the property, located on 3 Dagonet Street in Strathmore, Victoria, the owner is fighting a city plan to put house under heritage protection

The house made famous by the Australian cult film The Castle is at risk at being demolished after the current owner launched a bid to construct two townhouses on the property

The Moonee Valley City Council, which represents the north-west metropolitan area of Melbourne, is set to vote Tuesday night on whether or not the house should come under heritage protection

Earlier this year, a report stated that the house's 'connections with the film The Castle are the foremost aspect of its significance, reflecting both social and historical value'

The Moonee Valley City Council, which represents the north-west metropolitan area of Melbourne, is set to vote Tuesday night on whether or not the house should come under heritage protection, ABC reported.

If the council votes yes, owner Vicky Consentino has threatened he will take legal action.

The Castle, starring Michael Caton as Darryl Kerrigan (pictured right), was made on a shoestring budget of $750,000 and shot in only 11 days

In the 1997 movie, working-class family man Darryl Kerrigan fights a city hall decision to demolish his beloved home, nicknamed 'the castle.' Kerrigan ends up taking his struggle all the way up to the High Court of Australia

The mayor of Moonee Valley, Andrea Surace, told ABC it was questionable whether it was fair to block Consentino from developing his property when the rest of the surrounding suburb of Strathmore had seen developments.

Earlier this year, a heritage consultant found that the property, located on 3 Dagonet Street, has local social significance, and a report stated that the house's 'connections with the film The Castle are the foremost aspect of its significance, reflecting both social and historical value,' ABC reported.

The Castle, starring Michael Caton as Darryl Kerrigan, was made on a shoestring budget of $750,000 and shot in only 11 days, director Rob Stitch told Indiewire in a 1999 interview.
searching for MH370 'have been looking in the wrong place'

Missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has not been found because officials have been looking in the wrong place for almost three years, according to an international investigation.

No trace has been uncovered in the $200million search off Australian waters for the jet lost on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

'There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft,' the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said.

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Missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has not been found because officials have been looking in the wrong place for almost three years, according to an international investigation

No trace has been uncovered in the $200million search off Australian waters for the jet lost on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing

Experts have called for the search zone to be extended to an unsearched 25,000 kilometre square area in the southern Indian Ocean.

After scouring 120,000 square kilometres of sea, Australian and international experts, met in Canberra last month to review their evidence and modelling.

They concluded the plane was not where they have been looking, the ATSB which has been leading the mission, said.

The area being searched was initially based on satellite analysis of the jet's likely trajectory after it diverted from its flight path coupled with aircraft dynamics and meteorological data.

This indicated the last known location was somewhere along an arc sweeping north into Central Asia or south into the Indian Ocean. The northern corridor was quickly discounted in the belief the plane would have been detected.

The report said updated satellite and debris drift modelling results 'present strong evidence that the aircraft is most likely to be located to the north of the current indicative underwater search area'.

After scouring 120,000 square kilometres of sea (pictured), Australian and international experts, met in Canberra last month to review their evidence and modelling

It identified an area of approximately 25,000 square kilometres 'with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft'.

'The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted,' the report added.

The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight disappeared with 239 passengers and crew shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur in March 2014.

Six Australians and 153 Chinese nationals were on board.

Transport Minister Darren Chester said the government was hopeful the aircraft will be located.
The millionaire mastermind of an international drug ring will be deported from New Zealand back to his hometown of Lithuania after four years behind bars.

Rokas Karpavicius lived a playboy lifestyle in Europe surrounded by beautiful women until his fingerprints were found on a Harry Potter book with LSD concealed inside.

Following an Interpol warrant he was arrested in Latvia in 2011, and then extradited to Auckland a year later where he faced two trials for a number of drug charges.

In 2014 he was sentenced to 11 years in jail for importing ecstasy and LSD and money laundering more than $2.25 million using 'human mules', NZ Herald reported.

Last week Karpavicius was granted parole and released from prison, and will be 'de-extradited' back to Europe on Wednesday.

Rokas Karpavicius (centre) was arrested in 2011 and convicted for smuggling large quantities of ecstasy and LSD from Europe to New Zealand

The drug smuggler will be deported from New Zealand back to his hometown of Lithuania (pictured)

NZ Herald revealed that neither of the two juries were told of the criminal figure's past history and brushes with the law.

In 1999 Karpavicius was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine, but he escaped two years later at the age of 21 while he was on bail with a $100,000 bond.

He fled the country with a fake passport and settled in Europe - posing for photos on expensive yachts with young women in bikinis.

The Lithuanian national remained at large for close to a decade until his fingerprints were identified by Operation Keyboard.

The taskforce was launched in Australia in 2008 after Sydney police found 28 kilograms of amphetamines in a shipment of granite sculptures from Lithuania.

Along with Karpavicius' fingerprints on a Harry Potter book filled with LSD, police tapped conversations between the Lithuanian and NZ criminal Ronald Brown.

Brown, an underworld figure who owned Auckland nightclub 'K Rd Ball Room' and six luxury cars, was imprisoned for 11 years in 2010 after admitting to a number of drug charges and laundering over $4 million in cash.
A police officer who was filmed pulling his gun on a speeding driver before threatening to 'put a f***ing hole in you' has been found guilty of criminal charges.

Senior constable Stephen Flanagan, 46, was convicted of assault and deprivation of liberty at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Flanagan tried to argue that he believed motorist Lee Povey was armed and driving a stolen vehicle during the traffic stop in May last year, but his claims were dismissed.

Senior Constable Stephen Flanagan, 46 (left and right), has been found guilty of assault and deprivation of liberty over a traffic stop in May last year

Footage showed Flangan pulling his sidearm on driver Lee Povey after pulling him over for speeding, before hurling a torrent of abuse at him

Magistrate Paul Kluck said Flanagan's version of events was 'implausible', adding 'I dont accept his evidence as being credible.'

Flanagan's defense team produced a psychological report that showed he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder at the time, the Courier Mail reports.

The officer is scheduled to reappear in court in the new year for sentencing once a full mental health report has been prepared.

Earlier in the trial the court was shown footage of the incident taken from Flanagan's own dashcam and filmed by Anna Cruse, Mr Povey's partner, on her phone.

In the video, Flanagan can be seen pulling up alongside Mr Povey's silver ute, blaring his horn but without using his sirens or lights.

Flanagan had tried to argue that he believed Mr Povey was armed and driving a stolen vehicle, but magistrates shot down his claims as 'implausible'

As Mr Povey keeps driving, Flanagan is heard saying: 'F***ing pull over now c***.'

The footage then shows the police car pulled over as Flanagan gets out and walks in front of the vehicle with his sidearm drawn and pointed at Povey.

'Get out of your f***ing car, right now' he can be heard shouting.

Speaking to the court, Mr Povey said: 'I took my seatbelt off, looked over and there he was.

'He said "do you know I could put a f***ing hole in you?"'

Footage played in court showed Flanagan pointing his gun at Povey while swearing and shouting at him for failing to stop immediately

Mr Povey (left), also told the court how Flanagan threatened to 'put a f***ing hole in you' while holding the gun to his back during the arrest

Mr Povey said he felt the firearm pressed in between his shoulder blades as he was handcuffed.

The driver told the court he was compliant the whole time and didn't try to argue with the officer.

Mr Povey said he seen a police car driving behind him with no flashing lights or sirens and thought the officer was trying to overtake him.
Germany's far-right has blamed Angela Merkel's immigration policy for the Berlin Christmas attacks as the chancellor insisted terrorists will not destroy 'freedom' in the country.

Mrs Merkel has laid white roses at the scene where 12 died after she said she was 'shocked and shaken' by the deadly attack in Berlin last night and admitted it would be 'particularly sickening' if the terrorist was an asylum-seeker.

A suspect arrested after the attack was revealed to be a 23-year-old Pakistani citizen named as Naved B who came to Germany in late 2015 or early 2016. However, police now believe he was not the perpetrator and that the true attacker is 'still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage.'

This morning, Merkel faced a furious backlash over her open-doors policy on immigration having allowed nearly a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa to arrive in the country this year and last.

Marcus Pretzell, a prominent member of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, tweeted: 'When will the German state of law strike back? When will this cursed hypocrisy finally stop? These are Merkel's dead! #Nice #Berlin.'

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Mrs Merkel (left) is seen from above next to a spot where people were killed by the careering lorry

German Chancellor Angela Merkel lays white roses at the scene in Berlin amid fears a gunman may still be on the loose

Angela Merkel (pictured this morning) has said she is 'shocked, shaken and deeply saddened' by the attack on a Berlin Christmas market which left at least 12 people dead

German chancellor Merkel (pictured giving a statement this morning) has come under huge political pressure for allowing nearly a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa to arrive in the country this year and last

The suspected radical Islamic attacker murdered 12 and injured dozens gathered at the market

German police guard the lorry that caused carnage in Berlin

And former UKIP leader Nigel Farage prompted hundreds of angry responses on Twitter this morning when he adde: 'Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.'

Merkel said she believed the incident was a terrorist attack, adding it would be hard to bear if it turned out that a migrant had been the perpetrator.

'There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack,' Merkel told reporters.

'I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that (the) person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum,' she added. She promised that every detail would be cleared up and the perpetrator would be punished with the full force of the law.

The record influx of migrants in the last 12 months has hit Merkel's popularity ratings and boosted support for the AfD with the 62-year-old having recently announced her intention to stand for re-election again next year.

The German leader has staked much of her political capital in opening up Germany's doors to refugees and in doing so divided a reunited land.

MERKEL: BERLIN MARKET ATTACK A 'TERRIBLE DEED' German chancellor Angela Merkel has said she was 'shocked and very saddened' by the Berlin Christmas market attack which left 12 dead and almost 50 injured, describing it as a 'terrible' deed. Speaking at a press conference Mrs Merkel said the government 'assumed' it had been a terror attack, adding that: 'We will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany - in freedom, openness and together.' She said: 'It is a terrible deed which one cannot understand. It took their lives; many people are injured, are fighting for their lives and fighting for their health, and in these hours I first and foremost think of these people - the dead, the injured, their families, their friends, their relatives. German chancellor Angela Merkel has said she was 'shocked and very saddened' by the Berlin Christmas market attack which left 12 dead and almost 50 injured, describing it as a 'terrible' deed 'I would like you to know that we - all of us, the whole of the country - are with you in deep sadness.' A man thought to be the driver of the lorry that smashed through the Christmas market has been arrested and security sources believe he is a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker who arrived in Germany in February, German media reported. He is believed to have lived at a refugee accommodation centre in a hangar at Berlin's old Tempelhof airport, which special forces police stormed overnight. Mrs Merkel said: 'We don't have anything for certain, but we must assume it was a terrorist attack. Speaking at a press conference Mrs Merkel said the government 'assumed' it had been a terror attack, adding that: 'We will find the strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany - in freedom, openness and together' 'It would be very difficult for us to learn that a human being committed this deed who came to Germany to ask for refuge and asylum. 'It would be terrible for all of the Germans who are very active day by day in helping asylum seekers and refugees. It would be repugnant for those that are helping people that have come to this country and are asking for our help.' She added: 'Millions of people, including myself, are asking ourselves, how can you live with the fact that, while celebrating the festive season where we want to celebrate life, somebody has come along and taken so many lives. I only know that we do not want to, and we cannot live with it. 'We do not want to allow ourselves to be paralysed by terror. It might be difficult in these hours, but we will find a strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany, in freedom and openness and together.' Advertisement

What began as an act of great humanity, borne in part out of Germany's lingering guilt for the Second World War, has morphed into a political nightmare for Merkel.

This morning the Islamophobic and anti-immigration populist party AfD wasted no time in laying the blame on Merkel.

'The milieu in which such acts can flourish has been negligently and systematically imported over the past year and a half,' the group's co-leader Frauke Petry said in a statement, in a clear reference to Merkel's decision to let in refugees.

'Germany is no longer safe. It should be the responsibility of the chancellor to tell you this. But since she won't do it, then I'll say it,' Petry declared, demanding 'control over our territory, no ifs and buts'.

It now seems certain that the attacker - who fled from the Polish truck after it came to a halt and was later arrested - killed the driver beforehand. He was found dead in the cab and was initially thought to have been an accomplice.

Carnage: Pictures this morning show the broken wind shield of a truck that crashed into the Christmas market

German chancellor Merkel, 62, has come under huge political pressure for allowing nearly a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa to arrive in the country this year and last

Last night Merkel reacted quickly to the atrocity, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: 'We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped.'

The truck was taken from a building site in Poland. According to the firm owner, Ariel Zurawski, the driver - his cousin - was no longer contactable after 4pm.

The GPS data of the truck shows that between 3pm and 7pm the engine was turned on and off several times. The last time it started up was at 19.34pm, less than 30 minutes before it was used to attack the Christmas market in the heart of west Berlin.

Police say the 25-tonne truck smashed the wooden stalls of the market to matchwood and crushed people caught in its path next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - a ruin of World War Two that stands as a monument against war.

ISIS in recent weeks had made renewed calls for disciples to carry out atrocities in Europe and German intelligence warned Berlin authorities recently that the city's bustling markets - tourist magnets for foreigners - were vulnerable to attack.

Police say the 32 ton truck smashed the wooden stalls of the market to matchwood and pulverised the humans caught in it path next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - a ruin of World War Two that stands as a monument against war

ISIS in recent weeks had made renewed calls for disciples to carry out atrocities in Europe and German intelligence warned Berlin authorities recently that the city's bustling markets - tourist magnets for foreigners - were vulnerable to attack

Officials of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the BfV, had for long warned of potentially hundreds of terrorists disguised as refugees making it to Germany hidden among the real migrants.

Merkel has so far refused to amend her refugee policy, however, insisting that Germany can take in large numbers of migrants in the years to come. Allies and critics alike say she ignored the warning signs of calamity at her peril.

The rape and murder of a beautiful young student in the city of Freiburg in October by a 17-year-old migrant was bad for her.

Germany - which this year has seen an ISIS refugee disciple blow himself up outside a cafe in Bavaria, another asylum seeker trying to hack Chinese tourists to death aboard a train and a Syrian refugee detained for allegedly planning to bomb a Berlin airport - was braced for trouble.

Merkel's popularity has waned over the record refugee influx, although her decision to seek a fourth term in next year's elections was greeted with approval from 64 percent of the population as measures to curb the refugee influx - including through a controversial deal with Turkey - began to show results.

A witness to the atrocity spotted the 23-year-old escaping from the scene, at Breitscheidplatz Square, outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and gave chase

But voters had also punished her over her refugee policy, with her CDU party suffering setbacks in five consecutive state polls, while the upstart AfD saw a stunning rise.

In a world upended by Brexit and the surprise election of Donald Trump, questions are flying on how she plans to counter rising populism.

German Marshall Fund analyst Christian Moelling said the 'biggest risk to Merkel is how her own party will react to' the attack.

'Up to now she is the candidate of the conservatives for the chancellor post... but maybe the conservative right-wing will try to get more concessions from her on the questions of internal security and migration,' he told AFP.

What emerges from the investigation into the attack could determine how much of a toll it could take on Merkel politically, said Moelling.

A key question was 'whether we see that this is a kind of lone wolf approach, or whether there is a more systematic approach or group behind it'.

An organised attack would 'support the case that we have been unsuccessful in scanning the people coming into Germany last year and it could be seen as Merkel's policy leading to this increased risk,' he warned.

For now, most mainstream politicians have been adopting a largely cautious stance.

Tributes: Flowers, candles and messages are being left at the scene of the atrocity today as German comes to terms with the terror attack

A suspected radical Islamic attacker murdered 12 and injured dozens by ploughing a lorry into crowds gathered at a market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church last night

But Merkel's Bavarian allies, the CSU, who have been among her biggest critics over the refugee issue, are already gearing up for a fight.

'If it's confirmed that this attack was carried out by someone who travelled to this country as an asylum seeker, then in Berlin there should be a fundamental reflection on how this whole refugee reception is organised,' Joachim Herrmann, CSU interior minister of Bavaria state, told radio station Antenne Bayern.

He also called for an open dialogue about the risks that Germany is facing due to the arrival of many refugees.

'We need to talk about this question, what risks do we face now with this big number of refugees here,' he said in a separate interview with regional radio Bayerische Rundfunk.

The population could not be expected to 'keep going like that, in which we face a higher risk of attacks by people from a radical Islamist background.'

But Spiegel Online called for cool heads to prevail, saying 'whoever exploits the situation, like the cynics at the AfD are, to incite people against others, is doing the work of terrorists.

'They want to divide us, they want to destabilise use and provoke a cultural war. Their hate is aimed at creating new hate,' it warned.

GERMANY DID NOT VET REFUGEES PROPERLY AND SAW CRIME SOAR Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed refugees at the height of the migrant crisis The migration crisis is Europes greatest challenge since World War Two. Europeans are being obliged (without anyone having registered a vote on the matter) to deal with the fall-out from colossal state failure in South Asia, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, writes MICHAEL BURLEIGH. But the crisis also exposed the bankruptcy of existing migration policy as freedom of internal movement, and the mirage of a multicultural society, was replaced by identity politics and a new regime of border controls and fences. Liberals everywhere would like us to believe that Chancellor Angela Merkel is the one sane politician left standing in Europe. As a consensual, pragmatic scientist, and a clergymans daughter to boot, Merkel has a massive flaw. She makes panicky decisions. One was to close down all of Germanys nuclear power stations in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. But the biggest happened last year, when she reacted to distressing scenes from Europes exterior borders by allowing 1.2 million migrants and refugees into the country. This was despite the fact that many Germans do not want a multicultural society even at the same time they are hag-ridden by the Nazi past from expressing identity politics. Any temporary feel-good effect from this liberal gesture rapidly evaporated amidst scenes of chaos in a nation that worships orderliness. So great were the numbers involved that Germanys rudimentary ability to control, register and vet these people was overwhelmed. Some were fingerprinted, but German law prohibits taking DNA samples except from criminal suspects. German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks in London over the Syrian refugee crisis, but was unusual among European leaders in welcoming migrants at the height of the crisis in summer 2015. So great were the numbers involved that Germanys rudimentary ability to control, register and vet these people was overwhelmed While there is computer software that enables border control and police officers with handheld devices to identify inconsistent names, or which can ask five simple questions that only someone really from Damascus or Idlib could answer, no one had thought to acquire it. Since any detailed vetting occurred retroactively, after the migrants were dispersed to temporary refugee centres, the authorities were clueless as to whether or not the young Afghan asylum seeker wasnt in fact an economic migrant from Pakistani. Worse, because of geographical proximity to Austria and Hungary, the majority of these migrants debouched into Bavaria, the richest German state, but whose authorities were overwhelmed too. Bavaria is governed by the Christian Social Union party, a coalition partner of Merkels own Christian Democrats. It is fair to say that it is more Catholic, more socially conservative, and tougher on law and order than the bigger party. They really did not like what Merkel had inflicted on them since it meant huge costs like hiring thousands of extra policemen and teachers. This row has caused much ill-feeling within Merkels coalition. There was also much ill-will towards asylum seekers in Germanys formerly and economically disadvantaged Communist East, where people have absorbed less of western liberalism and extreme parties of right and left do relatively well. Since the war the CSU have insisted that there should be no space for a party further to the right than them. That suddenly changed too. Only founded in 2013, as a Eurosceptic party dominated by professors of economics, the Alternativ fur Deutschland has reconfigured itself as the main opposition voice to Merkels migration policy. Merkels hesitant response to a crisis of her own making has not boosted her popularity. While belatedly there was a lot of tough-sounding talk about repatriating those who failed to be granted asylum status, the numbers of those flown back to Africa or South Asia were insignificant, especially after some states elected to refuse to take back their own fleeing citizens. This was often the case with convicted criminals. 500, 000 rejected asylum claimants are still living in Germany. According to the latest statistics, of the half million asylum seekers who registered for work last year, only 34,000 have a job, mostly in hospitality. A government scheme to create 100,000 jobs has yielded 5,000 posts. This problem became glaring once the consequences of allowing so many single young males into Germany became all too apparent, even though the liberal mainstream German press refused to discuss this problem. While many migrants came from societies (like Afghanistan) which boast of their own hospitality towards strangers, they showed scant respect for the host society they had washed up in. Specifically, some of them had feral attitudes towards women. The latter found themselves groped on the streets or in public swimming baths, where new signs explained to migrants that women swimmers were not looking for a new boyfriend called Abdul or Kareem. The government grossly neglected the difficulty of transplanting people from regressive societies into the cosily provincial world of Germany small town life, with carnivals and 2,500 Christmas markets which have a very Christian theme in a country that is still relatively religious compared with Britain or France. Last New Year, women in Cologne and elsewhere were subjected to mass robbery and sexual assault by marauding bands of asylum seekers. Worst of all, in early December this year, a 17 year old Afghan asylum seeker raped and murdered 19 year old Maria Ladenburger who was cycling home. She was found drowned in a river. But it turned out not to be the worst of all, since yesterday a Pakistani asylum seeker hijacked a 32 ton truck and smashed it into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing twelve people and injuring 50 more. For in the absence of vetting, how could anyone detect terrorists lurking within the mass of migrants and refugees? Christmas markets have been a favoured target since the (failed) 2000 bomb plot in Strasbourg. By simply using a speeding truck, terrorists do not expose either a large network or a logistical trail. You can make it hard to buy fertilizer and hydrogen peroxide in bulk, but you cannot stop people driving trucks. Where does this leave Merkel who is facing election to a fourth term next September? Horrific events like yesterdays will undoubtedly enhance the appeal of the radical insurgent Alternativ fur Deutschland. Currently polling on 12% they may see their vote reach 20% or more. The familiar combo of candles, flowers and earnest sermons for toleration wont cut it with many German voters anymore. Merkel has tried a few tough-seeming gestures like banning the burqa than very few Muslims in Germany wear, while doggedly sticking to the moderate centre ground. She calculates that the AfD will mainly subtract working class voters from the Social Democrats, the third partner in her coalition. But many influential figures in her own administration (notably the tough Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble and Horst Seehofer of the Bavarian CSU) warn that unless she acknowledges widespread anxieties about her own policies, and tacks right to accommodate these sentiments, she will see a massive hemorrhaging of conservative votes to the AfD. As a longtime moderniser of the CDU, Merkel would never forge a coalition with them. If there are more attacks like yesterdays Merkel may not even make it to next years election. She will not be the first or last European political casualty of a well-meaning gesture that has proved catastrophic. :: Michael Burleigh is a historian and foreign affairs expert Advertisement




A murderer's girlfriend is swapping her designer handbag for handcuffs after being jailed for being an accessory to an horrific murder.

Lexy May Jamieson, 26, was dressed to impress when she was sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison for being an accessory to Dane McNeill's brutal killing in July 2014.

Jamieson, who helped clean up the crime scene after McNeill was killed and burned, was wearing $200 Burberry sunglasses and carrying a $3,200 Louis Vuitton Montaigne bag as she made her way into court on Tuesday.

Lexy May Jamieson, 26, arrived in court wearing a pair of $200 Burberry sunglasses and carrying a $3,200 Louis Vuitton bag on Wednesday before being jailed for two years

Her boyfriend, Haysem Charbaji, has been sentenced to 27 years for the murder of Sydney drug dealer Dane McNeill

His brother Azam Charbaji will spend at least 24 years behind bars after the pair tortured Mr McNeill and dumped his charred body in a suitcase

Sydney drug dealer Dane McNeill, 20, was fed Xanax, bashed and stabbed during the horrific ordeal in July 2014

Sydney man Haysem Charbaji, 24, has also been jailed for at least 27 years and his brother Azam, 26, for a minimum 24 years for the murder of Mr McNeill, whose charred remains were found in a suitcase.

Victim Dane McNeill's supporters celebrated in the public gallery of the NSW Supreme Court at Darlinghurst when the siblings and Jamieson, who is Haysem's girlfriend, were sentenced on Tuesday.

Sitting in the dock together, Jamieson, a mother of two, buried her head in Haysem's chest and sobbed when the sentence was handed down by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Rothman.

Outside court, Mr McNeill's father Peter said it was the second-biggest present the family could have received before Christmas.

'First we could have had our son back, but that's never possible, so to have this type of sentence against the brothers, we couldn't be happier,' he told reporters.

Jamieson watched as Haysem repeatedly punched Mr McNeill in the face and stabbed him in the lower back before later cleaning the torture scene with bleach

Jamieson has appeared equally glamorous during previous court appearances, donning an all-white outfit complete with the same Vuitton bag on December 2

Mr McNeill's body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Sydney's south-west

Jamieson (left), a mother of two, buried her head in Haysem's (right) chest and sobbed when the sentence was handed down

The Charbaji brothers bashed and stabbed 20-year-old Mr McNeill and force-fed him a lethal dose of Xanax over a weekend of prolonged violence, fuelled by the drug ice, at the brothers' separate homes in Sydney's southwest.

The court heard the violence was sparked by claims Mr McNeill owed Haysem Charbaji a debt.

Jamieson sat by at the Heckenberg flat she shared with Haysem while Mr McNeill was repeatedly punched in the face and stabbed in the lower back, and she later used bleach to clean the residence, the court heard.

Mr McNeill's friend Brendon Gallo told the trial he helped put Mr McNeill's body in a suitcase and drove it with Azam Charbaji to a Picnic Point park.

There he was told to pour fuel over the body in the open suitcase and it was set alight.

Jamieson sat by at the Heckenberg flat she shared with Haysem while Mr McNeill was repeatedly punched in the face and stabbed in the lower back

Family and supporters of Dane McNeill leave the NSW Supreme Court, at Darlinghurst on December 2

The murder, Justice Rothman said, involved extreme violence and cruelty and approached the 'worst case'.

He said Haysem Charbaji seemed to be the instigator while Azam was the more violent.

Haysem Charbaji was given a maximum 36-year jail sentence and won't be eligible for parole until 2043.
Russian Diplomat Petr Polshikov, 56, was found at his home in Moscow

A high ranking Russian diplomat has been found dead from gun shot wounds in Moscow, it was reported early today.

Petr Polshikov, 56, was found at his home in the capital city with a bullet wound to his head.

The shooting disclosed by Ren TV came soon after news broke of the assassination of Russian ambassador to Ankara, Andrey Karlov.

The circumstances of the shooting remained unclear, and it is understood police are examining all possible theories as to his death.

Two empty bullet shells were found in the flat on Balaklavsky Prospekt.

A gun was discovered under the sink in the bathroom.

Ren TV showed footage from the crime scene.

Russian broadcaster Ren TV showed footage of Polshikov's body being carried from the crime scene

It is unknown if the two shootings are connected in anyway and police are investigating all possibilities

Reports said the diplomat's wife was in the flat at the time of the shooting, and is safe.

Polshikov was reported to be a senior figure in the Latin American department of the Russian foreign ministry.

Some reports said that the diplomat had left the Foreign Ministry but it was unclear if he worked for any other branch of the Russian government.

He had served previously at the Russian embassy in Bolivia.

Polshikov was reported to be a senior figure in the Latin American department of the Russian foreign ministry
A three-month-old baby girl has been eaten alive by giant rats after her mother left her at home alone to go partying.

The child was devoured by rodents as she lay on a bed - and neighbours have called for her mother to 'rot in jail'.

Her 26-year-old mother, who has been arrested for child neglect, returned home to discover the horrific scene in the township area of Katlehong in Johannesburg.

The 26-year-old mother was arrested following the child's death in East Rand in Johannesburg

Thankfully the girl's twin brother, named Lucky, was spared a similar painful death, as he was taken out with his parent on the all-night drinking binge.

The baby could only have died a painful death. The infant's tongue, eyes and fingers had all been eaten. Neighbour

Describing the horror scene, a neighbour said: 'The baby could only have died a painful death. The infants tongue, eyes and fingers had all been eaten.

'Besides the missing body parts, the remains of her body had bites and wounds all over that were inflicted by the sharp teeth of the rats. This woman must rot in jail.

'She does not deserve to be a mother.'

Noluthando Mtshali, daughter of the mother's landlady, said: 'The only thing this woman likes is going out partying in the local shebeens.

A giant rat in South Africa, much like the ones which are thought to have killed the three-month-old infant at the weekend

'I just could not bring myself to go in and see what happened to this poor child.

'She has been a tenant since the beginning of the year and her twins were both in hospital last week but we do not know why they had been taken to hospital.

'Witnesses said it was not the first time she had left the twins on their own but it was the first time she had left only one child.'

And she continued: 'When people were asking where the other child was, she would say it was in her sisters care.

'She came back in the early hours of the morning with a new boyfriend and they tried to break into the shack since she had lost the key and they found the baby girl dead.

'They were claiming that the child was burnt.'

The woman's landlady, Mama Sesi Mtshali, said: 'We have lots of rats in the area. She leaves the children alone all night long and they cry themselves to sleep. She would not say she left the baby alone.'

The surviving twin is now in the care of his 28-year-old father and his new girlfriend.

The father, who has not been named, said: 'My ex-girlfriend gave birth to twins a boy and a girl and on Friday she took the boy and left the girl in the shack.

'When she came back the following morning at about 6.30am the baby girl was dead.'

And his girlfriend said: 'The mother always comes here drunk and locks the infants inside alone.

In 2011 Lunathi Dwadwa, three, was killed and eaten in a shack outside Cape Town in 2011 as she slept on the floor beside her parents

'When Lucky came to us he looked like he had not eaten for days but he is fine now.'

Captain Mega Ndobe, from Katlehong police confirmed that the mother had been arrested, and said she had apparently gone drinking.

She said: 'I can confirm the little girl died after being eaten by rats. The mother has been arrested and is facing charges of child negligence and the case will be heard in court next year.'

It is not the first time children have been eaten by rats in South African townships.

In 2011 Lunathi Dwadwa, three, was killed and eaten in a shack outside Cape Town in 2011 as she slept on the floor beside her parents.

When her mother discovered her lifeless body, she saw that her daughter's eyes had been gouged out.

Bukiswa Dwadwa, 27, said: 'I can't forget how ugly my child looked after her eyes were ripped out.

'She was eaten from her eyebrows to her cheeks, her other eye was hanging by a piece of flesh.'

Her father Mncedisi Mokoena said police told him: 'Nothing could have done that but rats.'

The same year another infant was eaten alive in a shack in Soweto while her mum was out with friends.
Berlin authorities may have known that a Christmas market terror attack was being planned days before it took place, it has been reported.

A 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker named as Naved B, who entered the country under a false name, was arrested on suspecion of murdering 12 and injuring dozens by ploughing a lorry into crowds gathered outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church last night.

However, there are reports in Germany that police now believe he was not the perpetrator and that the true attacker is 'still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage.'

According to security sources, authorities in the German capital had information in recent days about a possible attack against a Christmas market.

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Berlin authorities may have known that a Christmas market terror attack was being planned days before it took place, it has been reported

First picture: A 23-year-old named as Naved B, who entered the country under a false name on New Year's Eve 2015, is shown here being bundled into a police van after his arrest

The claim was shared on Twitter by Clemens Wergin , the Washington bureau chief for the German newspaper Die Welt

In late November, the US State Department issued a warning to its citizens to be cautious during 'holiday festivals, events and outdoor markets'

The claim was shared on Twitter by Clemens Wergin, the Washington bureau chief for the German newspaper Die Welt.

ISIS had, in recent weeks, had made renewed calls for disciples to carry out atrocities in Europe and German intelligence warned Berlin authorities recently that the city's bustling markets - tourist magnets for foreigners - were vulnerable to attack.

On July 14, a truck ploughed into Bastille Day revellers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

Officials of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the BfV, had for long warned of potentially hundreds of terrorists disguised as refugees making it to Germany hidden among real migrants.

In late November, the US State Department issued a warning to its citizens to be cautious during 'holiday festivals, events and outdoor markets'.

A suspected radical Islamic attacker murdered 12 and injured dozens by ploughing a lorry into crowds gathered at a market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church last night

Floral tributes have been left close to the scene after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin

The warning said: 'Credible information indicates the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, al Qaeda, and their affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe, with a focus on the upcoming holiday season and associated events.

'US citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathisers or self-radicalised extremists may conduct attacks during this period with little or no warning.'

Police say the 32 ton truck smashed the wooden stalls of the market to matchwood and crushed people caught in its path next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

The attacker turned off the truck's lights before mounting the pavement at 40mph and ploughing through crowds of people enjoying mulled wine after work.

The vehicle laden with steel cargo ripped through stalls and shoppers at 7pm on Breitscheidplatz Square in the German capital's main shopping area.

Witnesses said victims were sent flying like bowling pins as the killer driver steered at them before jumping out of the cab and racing from the scene. Police traced the masked terror suspect to a nearby zoo and managed to take him alive. He is in a Berlin police station today.

The truck was taken from a building site in Poland. According to the firm owner, Ariel Zurawski, the driver - his cousin - was no longer contactable after 4pm

Tributes: Flowers, candles and messages are being left at the scene of the atrocity today as German comes to terms with the terror attack

Police confirmed the lorry's original Polish driver, who was transporting steel beams from Poland to Germany, was last heard from at around 4pm yesterday and was found dead in the cab in an apparent murder hijacking.

German officials had earlier said that the driver was a Pakistani national who entered Germany via the Balkans between December 31 and February as an asylum seeker. He was believed to be living in a refugee camp at Berlin's Tempelhof airport, which was raided by an elite group of armed anti-terror police at 4am this morning.

Counter-terrorism authorities also warned of the risk that refugees could be targeted by extremist recruiters weeks before the Berlin Christmas market carnage.

The threat was highlighted in a report published by Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, at the start of this month. It also cited unconfirmed reports that German authorities were aware of hundreds of attempts by jihadists to recruit refugees.

The Europol report said: 'Elements of the (Sunni Muslim) Syrian refugee diaspora may become vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and may be specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters.'

German chancellor Merkel, 62, has come under huge political pressure for allowing nearly a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa to arrive in the country this year and last

A tow truck operates at the scene where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin

Last night, questions were being asked about why German authorities had not done more to protect people in Berlin - having had information about a potential threat. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pictured yesterday

There is no firm evidence that terrorist travellers 'systematically use the flow of refugees to enter Europe unnoticed' but it is indisputable that some have entered the EU posing as refugees, the paper added.

It said: 'According to unconfirmed information, German authorities were aware of around 300 recorded attempts made by jihadists to recruit refugees who were trying to enter Europe by April 2016.'

Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands were identified in the assessment as being 'high on the target list' for ISIS aggression.

Last night, questions were being asked about why German authorities had not done more to protect people in Berlin - having had information about a potential threat.

Security expert Professor Anthony Glees, of Buckingham University, told Sky News: 'Forgive me for saying this on such a tragic evening, it is mealy-mouthed to tell individual citizens to be careful when they go to Christmas markets.

'It is the job of the state and agencies of the state, the intelligence of security agencies, to keep people safe.

Police say the 32 ton truck smashed the wooden stalls of the market to matchwood and crushed people caught in its path next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

A witness to the atrocity spotted a man escaping from the scene, at Breitscheidplatz Square, outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and gave chase

German police were able to capture the Berlin lorry attacker so quickly thanks to a hero witness who tracked the killer when he fled from the scene, it has emerged

'If there was clear intelligence that a Christmas market was going to be attacked, then all Christmas markets should have been shut until that danger was dealt with. You cannot tell people to watch out for a truck that might be driven by terrorists in their direction. You cannot do it that way.'

Berlin's top security official has since called for Christmas markets in the city to remain shut today.

Germany's Interior Ministry says Berlin's state interior minister, Andreas Geisel, told federal and regional counterparts that operators of Christmas markets in the capital were asked to close out of respect for the victims and their relatives.

But the ministry says the officials agreed that Christmas markets and other major events across Germany should go ahead and that decisions on tightening security measures should be made locally.

The federal interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, said: 'Whatever we find out going forward about the exact background motive of the perpetrators, we must not and will not allow our free life to be taken away.'

Meanwhile, police forces across Britain have stepped up security at Christmas markets this year in a bid to prevent ISIS-inspired terror attacks such as the one in Berlin.

The security services warned the UK was at risk of terror attacks on 'large crowds of soft target civilians' by the likes of ISIS and al-Qaeda during the festive season.

Eleven forces are sending out anti-terrorism police patrol squads to shopping centres, transport hubs and tourist hotspots in a bid to spot extremists carrying out 'hostile reconnaissance'.

It emerged last week that 200 undercover SAS soldiers are to be deployed on Britain's streets to assist police forces in the event of an attack.
West Shore Regional Police have charged a Mountville, Pennsylvania, man after they say he supplied a fatal dose of heroin to a Lemoyne man.

Weston Chad Smith, 24, is charged with felony drug delivery resulting in death, possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communications facility following the heroin overdose death of a 34-year old man in Lemoyne in August.

Around 12:15 p.m. Aug. 28, West Shore Regional Police responded to a home on Hummel Avenue in Lemoyne to find a man dead from an apparent heroin overdose, according to an affidavit of probable case filed by West Shore Regional Police.

Heroin packets marked GEICO were found near the body along with other drug paraphernalia, police said.

A day before his death, the victim and another man each purchased eight bags of heroin from Smith, according to police.

Police were able to obtain surveillance footage showing Smith meeting with the two men, according to the affidavit.

When questioned, Smith told police he had sold the men heroin and that he was specifically selling GEICO stamped heroin, police said.

Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed praised West Shore Regional Police Det. John Friel, who was the arresting officer, for his work on the case.

In every death, we are trying find out where the drugs came from, but we cant always do that, Freed said. (Friel) followed the steps that you need to follow. Luckily, this time it panned out.

Smith is the 15th person to be charged with drug delivery resulting in death in Cumberland County since 2010 and the third in 2016, according to Cumberland County insight.

During a news conference on Tuesday Freed said there have been 61 overdose deaths in the county this year.

This is a nearly 50 percent increase from the entirety of 2015 and more than double the overdose deaths in 2013, according to Cumberland County Coroner records.

Smith is in SCI-Camp Hill on unrelated charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 28 in front of Magisterial District Judge Elizabeth Beckley.
Dorothy Rostron, 82, flew out to Fuengirola from Manchester with her family for a final holiday together last month

A terminally-ill pensioner was ordered off a flight home from Malaga because her oxygen canisters were said to pose a 'security risk'.

Dorothy Rostron, 82, flew out to Fuengirola from Manchester with her family for a final holiday together last month.

But on the return flight all four members of the family were blocked from travelling by easyJet staff.

Bosses at the airline say they allow passengers to carry bottled oxygen if required, but not liquid oxygen.

Mrs Rostron was carrying bottled oxygen, but this was produced by a company called Liquid Oxygen, which is what confused staff.

Mrs Rostron, from Burnley, suffers from a chronic lung condition and relies on oxygen canisters to keep breathing.

After taking an hour carrying out checks easyJet allegedly told the family the canisters posed a 'security risk' and took them off the flight.

They were then forced to arrange emergency oxygen for Dorothy while they waited in Malaga Airport to find out if they could return home.

But on the return flight from Malaga airport all four members of the family were blocked from travelling by easyJet staff

Eventually, Norwegian Airlines said they could fly back to Manchester on a later flight.

Before making the decision to take the trip the family say they carried out relevant checks with easyJet and filled in paperwork.

They also paid out 3,000 in travel insurance.

Dorothy's son-in-law, Donnie Doran, said: 'My wife contacted easyJet with details of the oxygen canisters. They said the type was ok.

'The trip going out from Manchester was fine, when we arrived they looked after us. The return flight has been horrendous.

Bosses at the airline say they allow passengers to carry bottled oxygen if required, but not liquid oxygen, which is what they though Mrs Rostron had. Pictured: the inside of Malaga airport

'They said nobody was allowed to fly, we provided the information, showed them the bottles and everything else.'

Mr Doran said the family had 'never been so embarrassed' in their lives, saying: 'They were doing checks on the gas as we sat down on the plane.

'After 45 minutes of sitting down there was a number of discussions with the head stewards and the pilot safety officer.

'They came and said we were not allowed, everyone was not allowed to fly all four of us.'

The 58-year-old added: 'I think it is disability discrimination.

'We provided all of the information, if they had a problem they should not have allowed us to fly with them in the first place.

'We did everything they asked of us. We felt like we were terrorists that we were a security issue for the flight.

'Try telling that to an 82 year old woman this was a security issue.'

An easyJet spokeswoman said: 'EasyJet apologises that a passenger was denied travel from flight EZY1924 flying from Malaga to Manchester on 19 December as a result of having conflicting paperwork to support the use of their own oxygen supply during the flight.

'EasyJet allows passengers to carry up to two oxygen cylinders free of charge with a doctor's note specifying the requirement for carriage, however this cannot be liquid oxygen.

Mrs Rostron was carrying bottled oxygen produced by a company called Liquid Oxygen, which is what confused easyJet staff. Stock photo

'Unfortunately the oxygen this passenger was carrying was produced by a company called Liquid Oxygen which was clearly stated on the bottle.

'As a result of this extra checks needed to be carried out in order for them to receive clearance to fly with the oxygen.
A car was abandoned in front of two parking bay and caused traffic chaos while its owner did her Christmas shopping.

The white Volkswagen blocked cars from parking or pulling out of their space in Mapperley Top, Nottinghamshire, for two hours yesterday.

Furious motorists tried to move the car - as the handbrake was off- in a desperate attempt to clear the congestion in the car park.

The white Volkswagen (pictured) blocked cars from parking or pulling out of their space in Mapperley Top, Nottinghamshire, for two hours yesterday

Witness Leanne Starbrook said the oblivious driver returned to the car lugging bags of Christmas shopping, but 'didn't even twitch'.

Ms Starbrook, who lives in Redhill, spotted the woman as she sat in Costa opposite - having previously tried to shift the car herself.

The 45-year-old said: 'My mum was waiting for me in the car park as we meet every Monday for a coffee. She had already parked her car but when I arrived no one could get through, the car was literally in the middle of the road.

'Then all the commotion started as people tried to get past - we couldn't understand why someone had parked like that.'

Ms Starbrook checked the parking ticket on the car and saw it had been parked since 11am - half an hour before Leanne arrived.

It was then a further 90 minutes until a woman returned to the vehicle.

Witness Leanne Starbrook said the oblivious driver returned to the car lugging bags of Christmas shopping, but 'didn't even twitch'

Ms Starbrook, founder of registered children's cancer charity Team Rossi Foundation, said: 'My mum was parked next to her so it must have rolled back after she parked.

'The handbrake was off and we nudged the car to see if it would move and it did. One woman was completely blocked in.

She added: 'It must have been a good couple of hours by the time we saw her come back. She had loads of bags, a mixture of food and Christmas shopping, and she just put them in the boot.

'She didn't even twitch. She just took her coat off and put it on the back seat then reversed and drove off.

'I think one guy must have pushed the car back a little bit more as it wasn't sticking out as much, but she didn't seem to notice at all.
Visitors to London's Winter Wonderland were tonight determined to enjoy the festivities despite warnings large queues can 'present a target' for terrorists.

Just 24 hours after the attack on a similar attraction in Germany, revellers said they would not let terrorists 'succeed' in their mission to leave Europe crippled by fear.

One visitor told MailOnline: ' They have probably destroyed the festive season in Berlin, but they won't here in London.'

However others have raised concerns over the way in which large numbers of people are made to wait in long fenced-off queues for security checks at the Hyde Park fair, fearing they could be a target for terrorists.

Defiant: Hundreds of revellers flocked to Winter Wonderland on Tuesday night, pictured, just 24 hours after an attack on a similar attraction in Berlin. Many said they were determined to enjoy the festivities despite warnings queues could be a 'target' for terror attacks

Business as usual: Visitors appeared unconcerned with fears the attraction could be the site of a terror attack. Some said there appeared to be no additional security at the fair tonight

Security checks: Staff conduct bag searches at the entrance to the festive attractions

Concerns: Experts and visitors have warned of the dangers of large queues for security checks. Pictured, people are penned-in as they wait for the bag check at Hyde Park

One visitor said that those arriving at the attraction every afternoon and evening were 'herded through a huge pen' as they waited to be let in.

She added: 'You just feel like a sitting duck for terrorists'.

Meanwhile a terror expert warned such crowds can 'present a target' if not properly spread out or dispersed.

The annual Winter Wonderland event in Hyde Park draws in millions of visitors from around the world to its fairground rides, Christmas markets and food stalls. More than 2.5million people visited the event last year.

Today the Met Police announced it is reviewing security arrangements around London in the wake of the Berlin atrocity, saying an attack from 'a range of threats' remains 'highly likely'.

Organisers for Winter Wonderland said security had been reviewed in light of the Berlin attack and remained 'robust' and 'appropriate'.

Inside the attraction tonight many visitors remained defiant in the face of terror fears.

One young woman, who did not want to be named, said: 'It's a depressing time for us, but it's a time they have chosen because it's a Christian holiday.

Festive atmosphere: Revellers said they would not let fear of a terror strike dampen the mood

On alert: Visitors at Winter Wonderland on Tuesday, as police stepped up security in London

Fears: While many were determined to have fun, some had lingering concerns over security

'They have probably destroyed the festive season in Berlin, but they won't here in London.

'It's happened so many times in Nice and Paris, we just have to make sure they don't see this as a success.'

Pensioner Ken Worthington, 67, said: 'Of course the events in Berlin are on your mind, I'd like to meet someone who can go and forget about it completely.

'Yes, Winter Wonderland would be a great target for terrorists - but it's also a great place for a party.

'There's a big party in there and everyone's having a marvellous time.'

Retired charity worker Len Milton, 70, from south London, said: 'The security is so good here and we just had no second thoughts.

Tightly-packed crowds have waited in long queues in recent days as revellers try to get in

Every year, millions of people come from around the world enjoy the fairground and market - but large numbers had to wait to get in last night, forming a huge crowd outside

Crowds at the entrance to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on Saturday afternoon

'My wife and I are 70 and we can't just stop going out because of terrorists. Saying that, younger people shouldn't let them stop them having fun either.'

However others remained on alert.

Tourist Afyecu Dimitrov, 24, said: 'It doesn't feel great knowing we will have to queue. What happened in Berlin has been on our minds, but I think England had great security so you shouldn't change for them.

'You just have to go. My girlfriend definitely had mixed feelings about it this morning though.'

One father, who didn't wish to be named, said: 'I did feel anxious about going tonight, but it's a family tradition and we go every year.

'To be honest, I don't think there was any more security here than there is any other year. But it definitely felt emptier in terms of the crowd than in other years and I know because we have been so many times before.'

At the entrance to the attraction, crowds are forced to wait in a small, enclosed area before the security checks.

Russ Armstrong, the managing director of risk management company Castor Vali and former Royal Marines Commando, said such crowds can become a target if not properly managed.

Commenting on the entrance issue, Mr Armstrong told MailOnline: 'This is a similar problem to that faced by airports over where do you put the security checks. If you put them somewhere which is too public then those people who are waiting there present a target.'

Visitors have expressed concerns over the attraction in the wake of the Berlin terror attack

He said a possible solution would be increasing the number of entrances so that fewer people were at each one and they were more spread out.

Professor Anthony Glees, of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham University, said Christmas markets are specific targets for jihadists and called for tight security.

He said: 'The fact that a Christmas market was targeted [in Berlin] was not coincidental, it illustrates the fact that a small minority of Muslim fanatics are intent on showing that they are waging a war against Christian traditions.

'The Bastille Day attack was symbolic as France was celebrating its national identity, now another national institution in Germany has been targeted.

'We, in the UK, we have imported these German Christmas markets and it's absolutely right that we should be very mindful of security issues.'

Of Hyde Park, Professor Glees added: 'We should be taking these things very seriously, especially as this is the second time a lorry has been used.

'We cannot forget the Christmas message of peace, but I would expect to see lots of high-viz jackets and armed police around an area like this, especially in national sites like this.'

Professor Glees emphasised that British security services had proved much more proactive in stopping such attacks due to differences in rules over intercepting communications between the UK and Germany.

Road closures were brought in around the event this year amid warnings that terrorists were targeting Christmas markets.

Visitors to the attraction have to wait in two main holding pens to go through security checks. Pre-booked customers use a special 'fast track' entrance

Hyde Park's South Carriage Drive is subject to closures at peak times for crowd safety purposes. However, the entrance area where crowds gather is open to infiltration by gunmen or bombers.

A spokesman for Winter Wonderland said: 'The safety and security of our customers is of the utmost importance and we have multiple safety procedures in place. We continue to work closely with all relevant authorities to ensure public safety.

'In light of the events in Berlin we have considered our security plans with the Metropolitan Police and they continue to be robust and appropriate. Our thoughts are with those in Berlin and their families.'

Security was beefed-up at another of Britain's most famous Christmas markets this morning in the wake of the Berlin atrocity.

The Southbank Winter Festival, next to the Royal Festival Hall, remained quiet before its 11am opening, with just a few members of the public waiting for the gates to open.

A heightened police presence patrolled the busy promenade underneath the London Eye, handing out cards warning members of the public about the risk of terrorism.

The cards, which had the number of the anti-terrorism hotline, prompted tourists to be wary of suspicious behaviour and people taking an interest in security.

Concrete barriers were erected at Birmingham's German Market earlier this month to prevent attacks similar to that witnessed in Berlin last night, and armed police have been patrolling Newcastle amid fears of terror attacks.

A police patrol boat was on the River Thames this morning, next to the South Bank market

Armed officers were also on guard at nearby Horse Guards' Parade, popular with tourists

A visible police and security presence is seen around the German market in Birmingham today

Road blocks have been put in place at the Birmingham Christmas markets this year

Police at Birmingham Christmas market this morning, where barricades have been put in place

Police forces around the country have deployed officers at events following the Berlin attack

Greater Manchester Police said they had strengthened their presence at the markets, which have almost 350 stalls spread across 10 sites in the city.

Armed officers from Northumbria police have also been seen in Newcastle city centre, posing with children and families while carrying assault rifles.

It emerged last week that 200 undercover SAS soldiers are to be deployed on Britain's streets to assist police forces in the event of an attack.

Earlier this month, officers armed with assault rifles made dawn raids on six addresses in Derby, London and Burton upon Trent in connection with a suspected attack on Christmas shoppers.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said today: 'The Metropolitan Police has detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period.

'These already recognise that the threat level is at 'severe', meaning an attack is highly likely, and have considered a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.

'As a matter of routine, as a precaution, we review our plans after attacks overseas, and we are doing so at present following the awful incidents in Berlin and Ankara last night.'

Mounted police kept guard at the Christmas market, Broadmead, Bristol this afternoon

Shoppers and stall holders said the please to see the increased police presence in Bristol

Security at Christmas markets around Britain has been stepped up after yesterday's attack

Police officers were out and about around Manchester's Albert Square this morning

Police vehicles were on site at the market in Manchester this morning amid tighter security

Police officers have also been on patrol at the large Christmas market in Edinburgh today

Forces around the country are on alert following the attack in Berlin yesterday evening

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan sought to reassure Londoners and visitors to the city over Christmas that the Met Police will review all security plans in London in light of Monday night's events, saying that 'keeping everyone safe remains the highest priority for the Met commissioner and for me'.

Mr Khan said: 'My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the awful suspected attack on Berlin last night, particularly those who were injured, the families and friends of those who were killed and all the emergency responders.

'We don't yet have the full details, but this appears to have been a horrific and cowardly act of terror.

'All Londoners stand in solidarity with the people of Berlin today - this was an attack on our shared values, freedoms and way of life.'

Christmas markets have sprung up in town and city centres around Britain in recent weeks. Pictured: The market at George Square in Glasgow

Customers still flocked to the Christmas market in the shadow of Winchester Cathedral today
They are not protected by First Amendment rights on the private campus

from school although that is unlikely

Seven Boston College students face punishment, including a possible expulsion from school, for organizing two protests following the election of Donald Trump.

The unofficial student group, Eradicate Boston College Racism, instigated rallies on November 14 and December 1, the latter as part of a national college walkout in support of undocumented migrants.

Illegal immigrants to the US are fearful that President-elect Trump will start a strict campaign to deport them when he enters the Oval Office.

Students at Boston College make a peaceful protest at the gathering on November 14

And the students organised protests on O'Neill Plaza on the BC campus where hundreds held banners and candles to speak out against various forms of injustice at the college and across the US.

The college says four were summoned to an administrative hearing to adjudicate the matter, while three were asked to meet with administrators for a 'conversational resolution.'

Although they face disciplinary action it is unlikely they will be expelled for their actions with school spokesman Jack Dunn saying that it is 'not within the realm of possibility for this type of incident.'

The young protesters have sought advice and further information on their college campus rights from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Sarah Wunsch, deputy legal director of the state ACLU, labeled the school's move to discipline students 'startling.'

There have been scores of protests across the US since Trump's election to the White House

'I'd say shame on Boston College. This is a time when other universities, I think, are actually praising their students for speaking out and being active and engaging in the issues of the day,' Wunsch told the Boston Globe.

Although the First Amendment does not technically apply to private colleges state law does allow for freedom of expression if it does not disrupt others, Wunsch added.

The students did not apply for a permit to become an officially recognized body within the University as a similar group was denied official status multiple times and they didn't want to be subject to the rules that come with official recognition, such as not criticizing the university, students said.

Donald Trump officially crossed the line to 270 electoral votes with electors in Texas casting a ballot for the Republican on Monday afternoon.
A shocking footage showing a bridesmaid being sexually harassed by a group of guests has again raised concern about the Chinese wedding antics.

The young woman was pressed onto a bed and groped by at least seven male guests while more men were cheering in the room, the video showed.

This is one of the many videos recently emerged in China which have shown the rude behaviour of unruly wedding guests.

Shocking video from Chinese social media shows a group of men groping a bridesmaid

The beginning of the clip shows the woman, believed to be a bridesmaid, had been forced onto a bed by several men.

A group of male guests, wearing suits, kept fondling over her body.

As the woman struggled, one man pressed his hand over her face to avoid her from getting up.

Although she attempted to cover her chest, a guest managed to slip his hands into her dress to grope her breasts.

All of the men were laughing while molesting the helpless woman.

There were a dozen other male guests in the room witnessing the process. None of them offered help; instead some took out their mobile phones to snap photos.

The unruly men laughed while molesting the woman as the onlookers took pictures

The disturbing video clip, posted to video-sharing platform Miaopai on December 19, had already attracted over 1.7 million views.

It was captioned by user 'Happy Zhangjiang': 'It is too disgusting. A video shows a bridesmaid being molested at a wedding.'

The user went on: 'Are you sure these men are not zombies invading the house?'

The uploader did not state when and where the video had been taken. Some viewers suggested the guests were speaking in Shaanxi dialect.

The 10-second-long clip has sparked an outcry on the social media platform.

One user condemned the male guests: 'They are a group of beasts.'

While another asked: 'They haven't seen women before?'

A third one said: 'These wedding antics should be abolished.'

There were a dozen male guests in the room, but none of them offered to help the bridesmaid

A number of similar videos have emerged on the Chinese media recently, showing the rude behaviour of wedding goers as well as the sexually suggestive wedding games played in China.

Two such videos were seen in late October. In one of them, a bridesmaid was groped by a blindfolded guest at a wedding; while in another a group of male guests started stripping the bride in front of the groom.
Swiss police say a 24-year-old man who shot three people at a mosque in Zurich last night had committed suicide with the same gun.

They also said he was believed to have stabbed a man, described as an 'acquaintance' in the city on Sunday.

Zurich's Chief Of Police, Christine Lentjes Meili, said the man had taken an interest in occult sciences and may have been mentally ill. He had quit his job in a shop on Friday.

The gunman, who was Swiss, had stormed into the Islamic centre, used by the city's Somali community, and opened fire on worshippers.

Two of the three victims - men, aged 30, 35 and 56 - were seriously injured in the attack, which took around 5.30pm local time.

The third man suffered less severe injuries but all three are in hospital.

Ms Meili said there was no indication the attacker had any links with ISIS or any far-right organisation and nor was there any link with events in Berlin last night.

She said the gunman had been identified because his DNA was in the police database because he had committed several petty crimes in the past.

Zurich police have not yet released any motive for the shooting at the mosque (pictured)

Police recovered a body and a firearm, circled, near the scene of the shooting

Police cover the body of the gunman, which was found close to the Gessnerbruecke bridge

Zurich cantonal police said the suspect - whose body was found near the Gessnerbruecke bridge - had been identified and details would be given out at a press conference later today.

The police said: 'The dead man found around 300 metres from the scene of the crime after the shooting in the mosque is the suspect.'

Photographs showed police covering up the man's body. A gun and bloodstains beside the body suggest he may have shot himself, possibly as police closed in.

Prosecutor Francoise Stadelmann (left) and the head of Zurich's cantonal police Christiane Lentjes Meili (right) ask reporters questions at a press conference today

Police said the suspect was a man aged around 30 and wearing dark clothing and a dark woollen cap. He fled the mosque after the attack, near the city's railway station.

It was not immediately clear whether xenophobia or Islamophobia were the gunman's motivation.

Switzerland is home to around 4,000 Somali asylum seekers, who have fled violence and civil war in their homeland.

Heavily-armed police arrived at the scene, pictured, and began searching for the gunman

An area surrounding the Islamic Centre was quickly sealed off after the shooting

Officers erected a tent to cover the body which was found near the Islamic Centre

A police statement said the gunman had fired several shots at worshippers in the prayer hall at about 5.30pm local time.

It was reported there were about a dozen people at prayer at the time, and the injured men were then found in the street.

The worshippers were mainly from Somalia and Eritrea, and elsewhere in northern Africa, the ATS news agency reported.

The centre is registered as an association enabling Muslims to practise their religion, particularly through instruction on Islamic beliefs and teachings, as well as providing for the preservation of Islamic cultural values and scientific seminars, according to Swiss business website Moneyhouse.

Three men were seriously wounded in the attack inside the Islamic Centre in Zurich

Forensics officers shielded part of the crime scene from onlookers with a white sheet

Two-thirds of Switzerland's 8.3 million residents identify as Christian but its Muslim population has risen to five percent, particularly with the arrival of immigrants from the former Yugoslavia.

In 2009, a nationwide vote backed a constitutional ban on new minarets.

A number of mosques, including one near Zurich and the main mosque in Geneva, have in recent months been accused in media of allowing or encouraging the radicalisation of their worshippers, especially the younger members of their congregations.

Attacks by gunmen are rare in Switzerland but the country was shaken in 2013 by at least two multiple-fatality shootings.

It has a long-standing tradition for men to keep their rifles after completing compulsory military service  which partly explains a high rate of gun ownership in the country.
Rudy Hermann Guede, pictured in 2007, is the only person convicted for Miss Kercher's murder

The only person convicted for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Italy is appealing against his conviction.

The move comes nearly two years after Italy's highest court acquitted Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito.

Lawyers for Rudy Hermann Guede are petitioning an appeals court in Florence to overturn his conviction, arguing that the acquittals of the high-profile defendants are in conflict with the guilty verdict against the Ivorian.

Guede, 29, is serving a 16-year sentence for the 2007 murder, after his initial 30-year sentence was reduced on appeal.

When his sentence was upheld, the high court ruled he did not act alone, but did not name any accomplices.

The Kercher's family lawyer, Francesco Maresca, will be in court to argue that Guede's guilty verdict must stand.

Revising verdicts is extremely rare in Italian justice, and the court is not expected to make an immediate decision.

A ruling will not be released until January 10.

Meredith Kercher was sexually assaulted and murdered in 2007 in Perugia, Italy

Amanda Knox (left) and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito (pictured in 2008, right) were acquitted of murdering Miss Kercher

'The Italian justice system must give us at least one guilty party,' Mr Maresca told the Associated Press on Monday. 'We want that maintained, absolutely.'

Mr Maresca argued alongside prosecutors in both Guede's speedy trial and the multiple joint trials of Knox, now 29, and Sollecito, 32, that Guede could not have acted alone.

He cited, among other things, the lack of defensive wounds which suggest that more than one person was present to hold 21-year-old Ms Kercher down during the sexual assault and murder at knifepoint in Perugia.

Guede, pictured testifying in court in 2011, is currently serving a 16 year sentence for murder

Guede (pictured in 2007) was convicted of the murder of Meredith Kercher, but a high court ruled he did not act alone

Mr Maresca and the family have expressed dismay that Guede was convicted without any other accomplices being held accountable, or other suspects ever being identified.

The verdict by the appeals court will have no impact on Knox, who has been in Seattle in the US since she was released on a first-level appeal in 2011 after four years in prison, or Sollecito.

Knox's Italian lawyer, Carlo Dalla Vedova, insisted the physical evidence against Guede, including genetic evidence on the victim's body and a palm print in blood in her room, is incontrovertible.

Rudy Guede, left, pictured in June, had his 30 year sentence reduced to 16 years on appeal

'There is no conflict between that conviction and our acquittal.

'Our acquittal is clearly saying that the evidence against Rudy Guede is very strong.
Calum Lochhead is accused of a bomb hoax on an aircraft to Glasgow at Stansted Airport, Essex

A former paratrooper said he had a bomb on a plane bound for Glasgow from London, a court has heard.

Passengers were delayed for 40 minutes after being taken off the London Stansted to Glasgow plane during the scare, which happened on March 22 this year - the same day as the Brussels bombings.

Calum Lochhead, 26, of Kilmarnock, is alleged to have claimed with cabin crew only feet away: Ive got a bomb.

Police then arrived on the easyJet flight at about 8.20pm.

Passengers were asked to identify their bags while both Lochhead and a friend were taken off.

Travellers also had to wait on the tarmac while the plane was searched.

Hours earlier, two bombs had gone off at Brussels Airport and on the citys metro, killing 32 people and injuring hundreds more.

Lochhead pleaded not guilty to falsely communicating that there was a bomb on board the plane.

Prosecutor Matthew Bagnall told Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex that Lochhead was overheard making the hoax claim by Lorna Villa, a member of the crew.

She reported the comments and Lochhead was later arrested.

Miss Villa told the court Lochhead was intoxicated.

She said: All of a sudden I heard the word bomb being shouted. I turned round and saw his arms in the air.

I instantly spoke to him and said, You didnt just say that, did you, knowing what happened earlier in the day?

She said that after initially apologising, he later denied saying he had used the word bomb, instead claiming he had stated airborne.

Michael Curran, a passenger who was sitting behind, said Lochhead was drunk. He added: Just as the engines were roaring up, the man in front said: Ive got a bomb.

Passengers were taken off the Glasgow-bound easyJet flight, which was flying from London Stansted

When interviewed by police, Lochhead, who works as a steel erector, said he had drunk wine en route to Stansted, where he spent the next few hours drinking vodka and beer.

The court heard he told police: I dont remember getting on the plane. I was blotto, steaming drunk  I first remember standing outside the plane with the police.

Giving evidence, he said in the Parachute Regiment they would use the word airborne to distinguish them from regiments that do not fly.

Lochhead added that he did not think bombs were funny and would be disgusted with himself if he had said it.
Germans held vigils this evening for the victims of yesterday's Christmas Market truck massacre as the iconic Brandenburg Gate was flooded in the colours of the country's flag.

Throughout the day, mourners laid flowers near the scene of the attack which claimed 12 lives and injured 48 people.

As the city tries to recover from the appalling tragedy, tourists ignored the elevated threat levels claiming they were determined not to hand the terrorists an easy victory by remaining at home.

At the Brandenburg Gate, the city's famous east-west divide and favoured tourist hangout, visitors snapped selfies even as flags hung at half-mast in mourning on nearby embassies.

Members of the German government led mourners at services to commemorate those killed in last night's truck massacre which claimed the lives of 12 people and injured 48 others

Members of the public lit candles at he Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate, pictured, was bathed in the colours of the German flag

Mourners left thousands of candles near the scene where nine innocent people died last night

Instead of enjoying themselves in the days before Christmas, people came together to remember those who died tragically in last night's terrorist attack

A message reading 'the heart of Berlin hit' accompanied the floral tributes and candles

David While has only a few days to see the sights and says the attack 'hasn't stopped us'.

The 52-year-old tourist from London said: 'No one is safe anymore. You can't stop going to places, because otherwise they've won.'

His friend Neil Thomas, 53, compared the tragedy to recent attacks in Europe.

'I think, at this stage, we just get used to it, He said the very Christmas markets targeted in the attack were the main reason for their seasonal visit.

Instead of happiness and joy, these people gather to remember those who died yesterday

Chancellor Angela Merkel, pictured, attended a memorial service in Berlin earlier today

New barriers have gone up overnight at Christmas markets in Germany and across many other sites in Europe in a bid to protect revellers during the holiday season, an important source of revenue for the tourist industry.

At the Gendarmenmarkt square in Berlin, police check bags and patrol the narrow rows between wooden Christmas stalls.

Gesine, a stallholder said: 'We could have shut out of solidarity (with the victims), but on the other hand, that is exactly what the terrorists want - for everything to be paralysed and everyone to be scared.'

Her stand is defiantly open today, she adds, 'but there are a lot fewer people today'.

Flowers have been left at the scene of last night's mass killing in Berlin, where a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market

A woman prays near the area where a truck which ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital last night

A man lights a candle in Berlin following the mass killing at a Christmas market last night

Tributes were left at the scene where 12 people died after a truck ploughed into the middle of the festive market

People wept at the market in Berlin this morning, after 12 people were killed in last night's terror attack

Germany's world-famous Christmas markets - a 2013 industry survey counted 1,500 of them - attract tens of millions of visitors each year, and tourism officials are at a loss to estimate the impact Monday's attack will have.

For now, says Burkhard Kieker, head of the visitBerlin tourist office, the city's hotels are still nearly full and have not yet experienced a rash of cancellations.

'This is a first for Germany, both in terms of the scale and the type of event, and for the moment were are unable to fully measure the impact,' said a spokeswoman for the German tourism federation, DTV.

Berlin, for now, is still planning to stage showy New Year celebrations with a fireworks extravaganza at the Brandenburg Gate.

Sausage seller Liza Meyer will be at the ready in her market stall, even though she suspects 'people will think twice' before coming out.

Raed Saleh, Chairman of the SPD (Social Democrats) group in Berlin's parliament, prays in front at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche today

People put down flowers near the crime scene, where 12 people were killed after a truck was driven into the middle of a crowd

'The light is stronger than the dark' read the sign that was placed above floral tributes to those who died

A man lights a candle near the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) in Berlin this morning following last night's atrocity

A woman places flowers near the scene of last night's terrorist attack, which claimed 12 lives

Australian singer and song-writer Susan Muranty appealed for people to 'refuse to be afraid'

The Fernsehturm (Television Tower), which was built in the 1960s by communist East Germany, is nowadays one of the iconic symbols of Berlin

This tweet sums up how many people feel across Europe today

Mrs Merkel went on television today to say: 'This is a very difficult day. I am disappointed, shocked and very sad about what happened.'

Many people on social media blamed her and her 'open door' policy for last night's tragedy.

One Twitter user, using the name Deplorable Hungarian, blamed the massacre on a failure 'to address Europe's Muslim problem'.

But others pointed out how unfair it was to blame all Muslims for the evil actions of a handful of zealots.

This tweet represented one point of view, but others came to the defence of Europe's Muslims

Christmas is supposed to be the season of goodwill and last night's incident obviously shocked and appalled millions on social media

Singer Sebastian Olzanski urged people not to judge all Muslims because of the actions of a terrorist

People all round the world responded with sympathy as #pray4berlin started trending

The attack led to a huge outpouring of sympathy on Twitter

James Yammouni, a Lebanese-Australian music producer, reacted with this cynical tweet

Among those tweeting about the tragedy was Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards (centre)
A makeshift bomb was discovered on a street in the popular Indonesian tourist destination Ubud on Tuesday, according to local media reports.

The explosives, which had been placed in a backpack marked with the Indonesian word for 'bomb,' were safely detonated by police. There were no reports of injuries.

Police said the backpack contained fireworks, pipes and nails, according to Time, which cited local media.

Explosives were found inside backpack marked 'bomb' that was dumped on the street in Ubud, Indonesia on Tuesday

Police are seen working the scene of Tuesday's bomb scare in Ubud. The explosives were safely detonated

This picture shows items found inside a backpack that was left on the street in Ubud

A passport belonging to a Dutch tourist was also found inside the backpack. The man had reported his bag stolen earlier in the day and wasn't considered a suspect

Also found inside the bag was a passport that belonged to a Dutch tourist. The tourist had reported his bag stolen earlier in the day and wasn't considered a suspect, according to Time.

Gianyar district police chief Waluya called the device a 'low-explosive bomb' and said police were hunting for the perpetrator.

Ubud is located on the island of Bali, a top destination for Australian travellers.

Gianyar district police chief Waluya called the device a 'low-explosive bomb' and said police were hunting for the perpetrator

Police are seen on the street in Ubud where a backpack containing explosives was found on Tuesday

The Australian government urges visitors to 'exercise a high degree of caution in Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the high threat of terrorist attack.'
A Newville man convicted of delivering heroin that led to the death of three people will now spend several decades in prison.

Corey Palson, 26, was sentenced Tuesday to 34 years and four months to 68 years and six months in prison after being convicted of three counts each of drug delivery resulting in death, drug possession with intent to deliver and one count of conspiracy of drug possession with intent to deliver in September.

For a case of this nature, that sentence is somewhat unprecedented, Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed said during a news conference Tuesday. This is an unprecedented case. ... The court recognized that in this case there were three separate victims.

Palson sold a fatal dose of heroin with the label MOB through suspected dealers Jesse Blais, 29, and Anthony Luna, 32, to a Middlesex Township woman and Hampden Township man, according to a grand jury report against Palson.

Palsons girlfriend later died in an automobile crash in Silver Spring Township after using heroin Palson had provide her, according to the grand jury report.

Freed described Palson as remorseless.

It was just a crash, she was using heroin; it was my heroin but it was just a crash, Palson told Silver Spring Township Police Det. Jared Huff during an interview prior to his arrest in June 2015. It wasnt the heroin that killed her.

Palson told police that he had been bringing roughly 1,200 bags of heroin from Philadelphia into Cumberland County several times a week and that he had begun selling the drugs directly in 2015 but later employed people like Blais and Luna to sell for him, according to the grand jury indictment.

He was the sole supplier of MOB heroin in Cumberland County, the grand jury found.

The treatment of this case from the time of the investigation through indictment, charging, trial and sentencing is the same way we would treat a murder case, Freed said. ... This is what this case was and is, and the sentence reflects it.

Palson told police during the investigation that he may be linked to even more deaths in the county, but maintained that he did not kill anyone, according to the grand jury.

Luna was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison in April after pleading guilty to drug delivery resulting in death in March, and Blais is awaiting trial on drug delivery resulting in death and other drug-related charges, according to court records.

During Tuesdays news conference Freed also announced that the Cumberland County Drug Task Force would be increasing its numbers. The task force is a countywide collective of part-time and full-time municipal police officers and representatives from the District Attorneys Office tasked with drug crime investigations run out of the District Attorneys Office.

Freed said full-time officers will be added from Mechanicsburg, Lower Allen Township, Hampden Township, East Pennsboro Township and Silver Spring Township police departments to help bolster the task forces efforts.

In every case where somebody dies from a drug overdose, we do our best to find the source of those drugs, Freed said. We want to find that supplier. ... Those for-profit dealers, I am happy to lock them up for as long as I possibly can.
Nigel Farage was embroiled in a bitter public spat with the husband of murdered Jo Cox today over who was to blame for the deadly terror attack in Berlin last night.

The former Ukip leader said the lorry attack on a Christmas market in the German capital, which left 12 dead and dozens injured, was 'terrible news... but no surprise'.

'Events like these will be the Merkel legacy,' Mr Farage said today and even suggested the German Chancellor's open borders policy was the worst decision by a European politician since Hitler.

Brendan Cox, whose wife was brutally killed in the streets of her Yorkshire constituency in June, lashed out at his comments.

He told him: 'Blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? That's a slippery slope Nigel.'

Scroll down for video

Nigel Farage, pictured on LBC radio today, said the lorry attack on a Christmas market in the German capital, which left 12 dead and dozens injured, was 'terrible news... but no surprise'

Brendan Cox, whose wife was brutally killed in the streets of her Yorkshire constituency in June, lashed out at Nigel Farage on Twitter

Brendan Cox, pictured in an interview in October, lashed out at Nigel Farage's comments, telling him it was a 'slippery slope' to start blaming politicians for extremism

Mr Farage hit back at Mr Cox as he continued the bitter public spat on the airwaves and also took a swipe at him for his pro-immigration views.

He told LBC: 'Well, of course, he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox, he backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means.'

Mr Farage added: 'It's a terrible thing what happened to his family, with the murder of his wife, but he continues to be active in the political arena and as I say, given some of the organisations that he supports, I can't just stand here and say I'm not going to respond.'

This prompted angry replies from Mrs Cox's former colleagues in Westminster.

Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Rhondda MP, said the 'sheer nastiness of Farage sometimes takes my breath away,' while Tracy Brabin, who replaced Mrs Cox as MP for Batley and Spen, said: 'Beggars belief... A new low for Farage.'

The Hope Not Hate campaign threatened Mr Farage with legal action if he refuses to apologise for suggesting its supporters pursue violence.

Mr Farage, a longstanding opponent of immigration, said we should be more straightforward in laying blame for terror attacks.

He said: 'Frankly, people like Mrs Merkel ought to take responsibility for what's happened.'

The former Ukip leader added: 'Whenever these terrible things happen the response is 'well it's no one's fault, no one's responsible, these things just happen'.

'I'm sorry and I know I'll be condemned for it but I think in the case of Germany we ought to be a little more straightforward.

President-elect Trump also sent out a tweet saying the 'civilized world must change thinking'

A suspected radical Islamic extremist murdered 12 and injured dozens gathered at a Christmas market in Berlin last night

'The facts as we know them is that it's a 23-year-old from Pakistan who came into Germany this February.

'I have to say, I'm not even sure why someone from Pakistan qualifies for a refugee as opposed to being more of an economic migrant.

'But let's be honest about this, Mrs Merkel made one of the worst policy decisions I've seen from a European politician I've seen in the last 70 years when she unconditionally said in the middle of 2015: 'as many as want to come, can come'.

'There was no vetting, there was no checking and there were people like me standing up for months ahead of that saying we should not let our compassion imperil our safety and indeed our civilisation.'

Mr Farage's friend Donald Trump reacted to the horrifying events last night by vowing to 'eradicate' terrorists from the 'face of the earth'.

The president-elect, another fierce critic of Mrs Merkel's open borders policy, said it was a 'horrifying terror attack' and would push the US and its 'freedom-loving partners' to take on ISIS.

Dozens of ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene in central Berlin at around 8.30pm local time

The deadly attack triggered a furious backlash against Angela Merkel's open borders policy

In Germany Mrs Merkel has faced an avalanche of public anger over her open-doors policy.

She has come under huge political pressure for allowing nearly a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa to arrive in the country this year and last.

Last night the far-right anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party lashed out at Mrs Merkel.

Jo Cox, pictured in Parliament last year, was murdered in her Yorkshire constituency in June

Senior party member Marcus Pretzell tweeted: 'When will the German state of law strike back? When will this cursed hypocrisy finally stop? These are Merkel's dead!'

Mrs Merkel has shifted her policy towards refugees and migrants to the right in recent weeks, including a speech in which she suggested stemming the number entering Germany and restricting the use of face veils.

Germany admitted almost 900,000 migrants in 2015 after deciding to allow in those who had made it to Hungary.

Although the numbers has dropped sharply in 2016, Mrs Merkel's CDU party has suffered internal strife and a string of poor election results.

Thomas Mair, who killed 41-year-old mother-of-two Mrs Cox as she arrived to hold a surgery in her Batley and Spen constituency in Yorkshire, was handed a whole life sentence in November.

Mair, 53, shouted 'Britain first' as he fired three shots at Remain campaigner Mrs Cox and stabbed her 15 times on the afternoon of June 16.

After Mair was jailed, Mr Cox said he had committed the 'most incompetent and self-defeating' act of terrorism.

Responding to Mr Farage's comments, the Hope Not Hate group said: 'We are aware of a serious and potentially libellous statement made about Hope Not Hate by Nigel Farage on LBC radio this morning.

'We have no idea on what Mr Farage bases his outrageous comments. Hope Not Hate has a proud history of campaigning against extremism and hatred.

'We will not be making any further comment until we have had the opportunity to consult with our lawyers.'
The glamorous widow of a wealthy French hermit who died in a car crash has lost her battle to claim his millions.

Estate agent Sandrine Devillard, who was 25 years younger than husband Marcel Amphoux, challenged a 'will' written on the back of an envelope which cut her from his inheritance.

The document, which was accepted by a court, left his money to a female cousin, while huts worth hundreds of thousands of euros were awarded to tenants.

The wedding of Sandrine Devillard, who was 25 years younger than husband Marcel Amphoux, sparked an outcry, and hecklers booed throughout the ceremony

It is thought the will had been written shortly before he died in November 2012.

Their marriage had proved controversial in the Alpine village of Puy-Saint-Pierre, where hecklers booed during their wedding, and even the mayor asked police to investigate the union.

The toothless hermit, who was 68 when he died, lived in a hut with no electricity or running water. French newspaper Le Point reports that he 'lived like a bear'.

The estate agent married the toothless hermit, who French media report lived 'like a bear' in a hut with no electricity or running water

By contrast, she continued to run her businesses in Paris.

Amphoux was introduced to Davillard when she approached him trying to buy his land.

Five huts he owned could potentially be worth hundreds of thousands if they are converted into chalets. Although he refused to sell up, a romance ensued between the two.

The wealthy landowner met his end when a car driven by Davillard's friend was involved in a crash. The driver and passenger survived, and the driver was acquitted of manslaughter.

The wealthy landowner died a year after the couple tied the knot, but had cut her from his will shortly before his death

Following the outcry that the marriage caused, she made a song and music video, called The Call of the Sun, which featured her husband - although he did not show his face.

She appears at the start of the video as an urbanite arriving in the Alps, and it shows her adapting to her new life.

Devillard said at the time: 'Marcel is a man from the Middle Ages, even prehistoric times.

'I am a true Parisian. I still live there. But I visit my husband as often as I can. To see him and to make him smile.'

After the will emerged, Devillard claimed it was not in her husband's writing, and said he had been the victim of an 'abuse of trust'

Village mayor Jean-Marius Barneoud reportedly even asked police to investigate the unlikely union over fears Amphoux was being duped into marrying her.

Photographs of their wedding appeared in national newspapers.

After the will emerged, Devillard claimed it was not in her husband's writing, and said he had been the victim of an 'abuse of trust'.

But legal experts did not agree. Prosecutor Raphael Balland said, Le Figaro reports: 'The will is in his hand.'
A pastor at a secretive church has been jailed for 12 years over the killing of a teenager who was beaten to death during a counseling session.

Tiffanie Irwin, 30, from the Word of Life Christian Church in New York had admitted the manslaughter of Lucas Leonard, 19, and assault 17-year-old Christopher Leonard last October.

Her brother Joseph Irwin was also sentenced to eight years in jail and mother and son church members Linda Morey and David Morey have also been charged to be convicted in the attack.

Tiffanie Irwin, who was a pastor at a secretive church has been jailed for 12 years over the killing of a teenager who was beaten to death during a counseling session

Irwin, 30, from the Word of Life Christian Church in New York had admitted the manslaughter of Lucas Leonard, 19, and assault 17-year-old Christopher Leonard last October

Irwin's mother Traci was also sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of felony unlawful imprisonment.

Investigators said the attack took place after the brothers Lucas and Christopher discussed leaving the congregation.

And at Oneida County Court in Utica, New York yesterday, Irwin was sentenced to 12 years in prison over the death of Lucas and the assault of Christopher.

Her sentence came after Irwin tried to evade her sentencing, claiming she had not been afforded a fair trial and that her case had been handled improperly.

Lucas Leonard, 19, (left) was killed and Christopher Leonard, 17, was injured in the attack

According to the Observer Dispatch, Irwin said that her plea had been coerced and that a grand jury witness's testimony should have been thrown out because it was prejudicial.

She said: 'I have been denied my rights to a fair trial, to a fair and impartial jury, and a fair and impartial judge.

'I was forced to plea so that my friends Linda and David Morey and my brother Joseph Irwin could enter their pleas. When our offers were changed so they could not accept their offers unless I pled guilty, I was forced to give an Alford plea.

Irwin's brother Joseph was also sentenced to eight years in a state prison for his role in the attack

'I wish to withdraw my plea which was coerced.'

However Judge Michael L. Dwyer told her there was no legal reason why she could change her plea and she was sent to jail.

Irwin and her accomplices were arrested after the bloodied body of Lucas Leonard to a hospital, where doctors initially thought he had been shot.

Authorities later found his badly injured brother still inside the converted New Hartford school building that housed the church and living space for its leaders.

Irwin's mother Traci, pictured, was also sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of felony unlawful imprisonment

Christopher Leonard testified at an earlier hearing that Tiffanie Irwin asked his family and some others to stay behind for a meeting after an eight-hour Sunday service last October.

Over the next 14 hours, he said, he and his brother were pummeled in their torsos and genitals with an electrical cord.
Hadil Marzouq, 20 (pictured), of Palestine, has been missing from her Vermont college for four days

Vermont State Police are searching for a Bennington College student who was reported missing over the weekend after her car was discovered at a swimming hole in Green Mountain National Forest.

Troopers say 20-year-old Hadil Marzouq, from Palestine, left a Bennington residence where she was staying on Saturday, and didn't return. She was reported missing on Sunday.

Police say her vehicle was discovered Sunday at Dorset Quarry next to Vermont Route 30 Sunday night, about a 40 minute drive north from the Bennington campus.

Temperatures in Dorset have been as low as the single digits since Saturday.

Marzouq was last seen wearing a large green jacket. Police say she's about five-foot-three, 130 pounds with brown eyes and curly black hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Vermont State Police at (802)-442-5421.

Authorities say the young woman left her residence at Bennington College on Saturday and never returned

According to friends on Facebook, Marzoug attended the United World College Mastrict, a K-12 school in the Netherlands, before moving to the U.S. two years ago for college.

Friend Asad Malik wrote on Facebook that Marzouq is 'one of the bravest people I have in my life'. He said that the 'last two days have been exceptionally hard'.

Another friend described Marzouq as 'one of the kindest and most genuinely good people to walk this Earth'.
In October, a textbook was introduced in Shanghai with the same idea

It aims to teach boys how to live up to their assigned gender

A school in east China has been criticised online after it introduced a course to stop young boys from acting 'delicate' and 'emotional'.

However, the course at Xincheng Middle School in east China's Jiansgu province has been defended by students' parents who think their children need the course.

This comes just months after a textbook was released in Shanghai with the aim of increasing masculinity among boys.

A school in Zhengzhou teaches boys to be more masculine in 2010 (File photo)

A boy sits in a class in a Beijing primary school (File photo)

According to CCTV News, teachers at Xincheng Middle School in east China's Jiangsu province expressed concern that boys were unable to cope with mandatory military training in August this year.

The teachers claimed that their male students were becoming more 'effeminate'.

Tang Chao, deputy principal of the school told CCTV News: 'I remember a boy who was actually in a good physical condition. But he tried to find every excuse to escape the military training.'

The new course labelled 'boy class' aims to teach male students how to 'live up' to their assigned gender.

They will undergo a range of activities from physical training to gentlemen's etiquette.

Pupils attend a flag raising ceremony at their school in China (File photo)

In October, a textbook was published in Shanghai titled 'Xiaoxiao Nanzihan' or Little Men in English which aimed to teach fourth and fifth graders on 'embracing masculinity'.

Despite parents of the students backing the school, many people online have criticised the school.

One user commented: 'How about the boys that didn't attend the class? They are still boys.'

While another asked: 'What's being masculine? How can we define it?'

And one user wrote: 'A healthy family is more important.'

While CCTV News reported that parents defended the class.

One parent of a student that signed up for the class said: 'This is such a serious issue. Gender education should be part of school education a long time ago. This is a life-changing course.'

While another parent told the People's Daily: 'Currently the problem of boys acting delicate is very prominent in society. The schools should adjust their policy to emphasize more on gender education. It's a big issue for the children.'
Stunt firm boss Scott May is facing jail for his 'lackadaisical' approach to safety after a man died during a human cannonball act

A stunt firm boss has avoided jail despite his 'lackadaisical' approach to safety after a man died while performing a human cannonball act.

Scott May, who runs Stunts UK Ltd, admitted a health and safety breach on behalf of himself and his company following the death of 24-year-old Matthew Cranch.

Today the company was fined 100,000. May faced up to two years in prison but was instead sentenced to a 12 months' community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.

A judge said the offence was committed 'through omission rather than act' for which May was genuinely remorseful and had 'learned a very hard lesson'.

Mr Cranch was fired from a cannon during Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show but the safety net put in place to catch him collapsed on April 25 2011.

A court heard how the powerful recoil from the cannon had inadvertently triggered the quick-release mechanism at the Detling Showground near Maidstone, Kent.

Mr Cranch, from Newquay in Cornwall, struck the ground at speed and suffered catastrophic injuries.

He died on his way to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest.

He had only performed the daring act on about five or six previous occasions and his final moments were seen by thousands of spectators and captured on video.

Maidstone Crown Court in Kent heard today that May had a 'lackadaisical and unprofessional' approach to health and safety.

He had missed a number of 'warning signs,' including problems with the tension of the net which led to another flyer almost hitting the ground.

The court heard how the cannon was on a lorry and the safety net was attached to the the front, extending beyond and held in tension by supporting ropes.

Matthew Cranch (pictured) was fired from a cannon during Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show but the safety net put in place to catch him collapsed on April 25 2011

The net was secured to the lorry by a quick release mechanism that was supposed to activate once the flyer had been caught and lowered to the ground.

But the force of firing the cannon sent massive vibrations through the lorry, which activated the release before the flyer had even hit the net.

Mr Cranch was wearing a helmet and kidney strap but it was not enough to protect him from the impact, with flyers exposed to similar forces to what fighter pilots and astronauts experience.

Matthew Cranch (pictured) was fired from a cannon during Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show but the safety net put in place to catch him collapsed on April 25 2011

And the court heard how the quick release mechanism that led to his death was not even necessary, as flyers could simply climb out of the nets after being fired.

Prosecutor Mark Watson said: 'It introduced a wholly unacceptable risk in relation to this stunt which was not necessary in practice.

'Potentially, every time the cannon was fired, if the trigger had not been set in a fully closed position, there was the potential risk for vibration during thr firing of the cannon to cause the release of this mechanism and the net to fail within a split second of the flyer being fired from the cannon.

'At all material times Scott May had hands-on control. He was the day-to-day director and he was in charge of all matters relating to safety...His approach to health and safety was lackadaisical and unprofessional.'

Mr Watson added that a 'notably telling' aspect of the case was the fact one of the few documents employees were required to sign was a health and safety disclaimer.

One later told the investigation: 'We were, in reality, putting our lives and trust in Scott May.'

Tanya Robinson, defending, disputed claims that May had either deliberately or flagrantly disregarded health and safety or 'self-evident' risks.

She added: 'He has always been very anxious to ensure that things done in his show are safe. This was not a lackadaisical, unprofessional approach.'

At the sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court today (Tues), May apologised to Matthew's family.

Tanya Robinson, defending, said May wanted Matthew's parents to know he was truly sorry about the tragedy.

She said: 'He acknowledges the failings there were. He still considers members of staff like extended family.

'In the aftermath of what happened he was not even sure he wanted to carry on the business.

'They have carried on but things have been difficult.

A court heard how the powerful recoil from the cannon had inadvertently triggered the quick-release mechanism at the Detling Showground near Maidstone, Kent

'It cannot be repeated. In response to these tragic events the defendant has taken a number of steps to reduce future risks to employees.

'It is obvious secondary measures could have been put in place. The need for such measures should have been recognised.

'He failed to recognise the risk. He accepts it was negligence on his part. He should have considered more carefully the risks with the mechanism.'

Judge Jeremy Carey also imposed an 80,000 costs order.

He said that whether the inadvertent net collapse was caused by the vibration of the lorry was unclear but he deemed it 'the most likely' cause.

The defendants accepted that there was an unsuitable risk assessment of the quick release mechanism, the judge said.

But he added that it was emphasised on their behalf that they were 'not knowing failures'.

The judge also said there was a lack of an audit trail to prove compliance with health and safety procedures.

He went on: 'In my judgment there was plainly far too much reliance on word of mouth and practice handed down the line from one employee to another in respect of their sphere of work.'

The judge said that the risk was present at all times.

He added: 'This is a case of high culpability. It's a case in which breaches were capable of subsisting over a long period of time and did subsist over a long period of time.'
Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to after a Muslim woman was attacked with a bottle before her hijab was torn off her head.

The man is believed to have been with a woman and four children shortly before the incident, reported WA Today.

He is described as light skinned, 25-35 years old, 175-180cm tall and slim build. He has blonde short hair and wearing blue shorts and a white top.

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Police have released CCTV images of a man (pictured) who allegedly attacked a Muslim woman with a bottle and tore off her headscarf, before running away with it

The woman who was verbally abused and attacked with a beer bottle while out shopping, has said she is sick of being repeatedly discriminated against.

The mother-of-four was attacked outside a Coles store at a Perth shopping centre on Friday, after a man allegedly told his children to yell 'Merry Christmas' at her.

The 33-year-old victim - who is too scared to release her real name - was allegedly then called her a 'f***ing Muslim c***' and had a beer bottle thrown at her.

She said she's fed up with being abused because of her appearance or religion and is determined to stand for her 'Muslim sisters' in Australia and around the world.

The woman (pictured) was victim of an unprovoked attack outside a shopping centre in Perth

'I'm just sick of the abuse and it's not the first time this has happened,' the woman told Seven News.

'This time it's a glass, but what's it going to be next? It's disgusting.'

The woman's headscarf came off during a scuffle, which took place in front of the attacker's four daughters.

The Muslim woman said he ran off with it and dumped it near the shopping complex.

'I said 'Shame on you doing this in front of your four daughters',' she told the West Australian.

'Is this the example you're setting  that you're beating up a woman like this?

'It's just a bunch of cowards, but I'm sick of it, so I'm standing up for my Muslim sisters around the world.'

Witnesses reportedly came to the woman's aid before police visited her home later that evening.

The mother-of-four stood up the alleged offender and was involved in a scuffle that saw her headscarf ripped from her head. She said she took a stand against the man for her 'Muslim sisters'

'It's just a bunch of cowards, but I'm sick of it, so I'm standing up for my Muslim sisters around the world,' the woman said in the wake of having the beer bottle (pictured) thrown at her

The woman reported the incident to the Islamophobia Register Australia and said she was proud of being dedicated to her religion.

'We're just normal people, we've got a religion to follow, we choose to wear the scarf and as a Muslim I'm proud of it - why the hell should I have to be ashamed of who I am?' she said.

Western Australia Police said the assault took place at 8.45pm on Friday and have urged any witnesses to contact authorities.
Nicola Sturgeon demanded the whole of the UK should stay in the EU's single market and threatened a second independence referendum if Scotland is forced out.

In a lecture on what she wants Brexit to look like, the First Minister published a complicated series of proposals to protect Scotland's place in Europe.

She admitted her extensive proposals go beyond her territory of looking after Scotland's interests and in a prime ministerial pitch she boldly pronounced that her ideas for Brexit will 'unify the country around a clear plan'.

Ms Sturgeon outlined two main Brexit options in the paper - titled Scotland's Place in Europe:

Her first, preferred option is to keep the whole of the UK in Europe's single market and customs union

The second, more complicated option would see Scotland stay in the single market with the rest of the UK outside, a scenario that raises the prospect of having to introduce a hard border

She made clear she will push for a second independence referendum if her demands are not met.

The First Minister also called for sweeping new powers over immigration, the environment, justice and agriculture to be handed to the Scottish Government, regardless of what form Brexit takes.

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Nicola Sturgeon, pictured in Edinburgh today, delivered a lecture on what she wants Brexit to look like today as she demanded the whole of the UK to stay in Europe's single market

Ms Sturgeon said her proposals represented a 'significant compromise' on her initial post-referendum demand for full independence.

But she included a threat to hold a second independence referendum if her demand to keep Scotland in the single market is rejected by the Government or the 27 other EU member states.

Ms Sturgeon claimed that 80,000 jobs in Scotland could be lost if it is no longer inside the single market and said it could cost each household up to 2,000 a year and said the Scottish Government must therefore hold the option of staging a second independence referendum.

STURGEON'S THREE VISIONS FOR POST-BREXIT SCOTLAND Nicola Sturgeon released a paper today setting out three detailed visions of how Scotland and the rest of the UK moves forward in the wake of June's Brexit vote. She said her Scotland's Place in Europe paper is a 'significant compromise' on her demand for a second independence referendum. But the First Minister made clear she will push for a second independence referendum if the UK Government or the other 27 member states reject her demands. The three main proposals are: 1. Keeping the UK in the European single market and the customs union. This is the most ambitious of her demands because Theresa May has promised to to end free movement of people - a move that is incompatible with single market rules. 2. A different relationship with the EU for Scotland to the rest of the UK. This option is highly complicated as it would see Scotland remain in Europe's single market and customs union while the rest of the UK leaves. It is a scenario that raises the prospect of a hard border between Scotland and the rest of the UK. Ms Sturgeon insisted that under this option free movement of goods, services and people would continue across the UK and said a hard border would not be necessary. Ms Sturgeon insisted this option does not prioritise membership of the EU single market over continued free trade across the UK. It would safeguard both. 3. Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament. The third of her proposals calls for a substantial transfer of new powers to Holyrood after the country leaves the EU. It demands powers returned from the EU should go directly to the Scottish Government, including jurisdiction over fishing, the environment, justice and agriculture. The First Minister also called for powers over immigration, employment law and social protection to be devolved to Edinburgh. Advertisement

Issuing an open threat of a second referendum, Ms Sturgeon said she had not changed her position on Scottish independence 'one iota'.

Theresa May welcomed the 'contribution to the debate' and said she will look 'very seriously' at the proposals.

Ms Sturgeon's preferred option of keeping all parts of the UK in Europe's single market has all but been ruled out by Mrs May.

The PM has vowed to end free movement of people, which is incompatible with EU single market rules.

The second, more complicated Brexit option set out by Ms Sturgeon today would see Scotland remain in the single market without the rest of the UK, a scenario that raises the prospect of a hard border between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Ms Sturgeon argued that under this option free movement of goods, services and people would continue across the UK, even though Scotland would be in the single market and the rest of the UK would be outside.

Under this option she argues Britain should stay in the customs union, which would allow goods to move between Scotland and the rest of the UK without customs controls.

'If the UK opts to leave the customs union, then Scotland - in common with other EFTA EEA countries - would not be in the customs union either,' Ms Sturgeon said.

'There will of course be disadvantages to Scottish businesses if we are not in the customs union - although those disadvantages would be minimised if Scotland remains in the single market.

'However, under this proposal the border between Scotland and England would not be an external EU customs border. What is in effect a customs union now between Scotland and the rest of the UK would continue.'

She added: 'There will be those who say a differentiated option for Scotland such as the one we propose would be too difficult to achieve - and as I have said, the paper does not underestimate the challenges.'

Ms Sturgeon rejected the suggestion that this scenario would require a hard border.

'Talk of a hard border for Scotland has always rung hollow from a UK Government that says no such hard border will be required between a post-Brexit UK and the Republic of Ireland, a continuing member of the EU,' she said.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon published a detailed set of demands to protect Scotland's place in Europe

The third part of the proposals call for a substantial transfer of new powers to Holyrood after the country leaves the EU.

She demanded powers returned from the EU should go directly to the Scottish Government, including jurisdiction over fishing, the environment, justice and agriculture.

The First Minister also called for powers over immigration, employment law and social protection to be devolved to Edinburgh.

Launching the paper at Bute House in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said: 'I hope and expect that the UK Government in considering these proposals will demonstrate the same flexibility and willingness to compromise.'

The Scottish Government has proposed the UK as a whole should stay in the single market by remaining 'a party to the European Economic Area Agreement' and staying in the customs union.

Theresa May, pictured at the Liaison committee today, welcomed the 'contribution to the debate' and said she will look 'very seriously' at the proposals

Ms Sturgeon, pictured in Edinburgh today, said her proposals represented a 'significant compromise' on her initial post-referendum demand for full independence

Ms Sturgeon said: 'I accept that there is a mandate in England and Wales to take the UK out of the EU.

'However, I do not accept that there is a mandate to take any part of the UK out of the single market.

'It would make no economic sense whatsoever for the UK to leave the single market. It would be entirely democratically justifiable for the UK to remain within it.

'So, the Scottish Government will continue to argue - and build common cause with others of like mind - for continued UK membership of the single market.

'However, I reluctantly accept that as things stand - given the rhetoric of the Conservative government - that seems an unlikely outcome.'

Nicola Sturgeon, pictured in Edinburgh today, outlined three Brexit options in the paper - Scotland's Place in Europe - with her preferred option to keep the whole of the UK in Europe's single market and customs union

Asked whether she still believes another independence referendum is highly likely, she told reporters: 'I haven't changed my view on that at all since I stood at this very podium on the morning of June 24.

'But I also said that morning that... I would not only look at independence as a solution to this, that I would examine all options. That's what we've done painstakingly over the last six months.

'I've put forward today serious and reasonable proposals.

'I have asked for them to be considered, so I think it is only fair that I fulfil my side of the bargain and give the UK Government time to do that before I immediately start talking about what I'd do in the, at the moment, hypothetical scenario that they reject these proposals.'

Responding to Ms Sturgeon's proposals, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: 'The Government is committed to getting a deal on exiting the European Union that works for all parts of the UK, that includes Scotland, and works for the UK as a whole.

'The best way we think for that to be achieved is for the devolved administrations to work together.'

Downing Street said the Prime Minister welcomed the paper and would 'carefully consider' its contents.

The spokesman would not be drawn on whether a deal agreed by all parts of the UK necessarily meant the same deal for all parts of the UK.

Asked about the threat of a second independence referendum, the spokesman said: 'The question is not could there be a second a referendum but should there be.
A shocked passenger got more than he bargained for when he caught a cab with an opera loving driver.

Thomas Manhart, 63, got into the car in Singapore and started to engage in the mandatory small talk with the driver.

But he was left stunned when the taxi driver turned out to be more cab-arotti than cabbie and showed off his impressive opera singing chops during the journey.

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Amazing: Thomas Manhart, 63, was left stunned by the taxi driver's beautiful operatic voice

Manhart said that his unusual taxi ride began with the cabbie asking him what he did for a living.

He told him that he was a music teacher and worked at the School Of The Arts. He added that he had a particular love of opera.

That's when the ride took a more musical turn. The driver admitted that he too had a secret love for opera, and had even taken singing lessons.

The cabbie, who has not been named, then unleashed his impressive voice - singing an Italian number to the delighted passenger for the rest of his ride.

Manhart said: 'The cabbie mentioned to me that he also had singing lessons, but never performed.

'His teacher was a Chinese tenor who studied in the 50s in Italy and returned to Singapore to teach.'

Footage: Manhart filmed the spectacle and uploaded it online, where it has since gone viral

Manhart filmed the spectacle and uploaded it online, where it has become a popular hit.
Gang ringleader Mohammed Zubair Jamil (pictured) was estimated to have caused up to 300 crashes

A 'crash for cash' criminal gang of 19 men and women caused 1 million of damage by faking car accidents to scam insurance companies.

The criminals orchestrated a massive fraud network that staged accidents so accomplices could sue for fake injuries.

Through an accident management firm based Hertfordshire and owned by ringleader Mohammed Zubair Jamil, the gang would claim for fictional injuries they received during the crashes they had caused.

Between September 2009 and August 2014, 13 crashes were investigated on the M1, M25 and the A406 in Redbridge, north east London. It was estimated that the operation caused up to 300 accidents in total.

Most of the scams involved a decoy car braking heavily in traffic to cause another vehicle, driven by a gang member and carrying several passengers, to slam into its rear in front of an innocent driver.

This would then cause an innocent motorist travelling behind to crash into the back of the gang's car.

A telematics box was installed in the 'lead' car, which provided data on the fake crash.

The data was analysed and interpreted by fraud investigation experts, APU Ltd, who gave evidence which was deemed so compelling in court that further prosecution witnesses were no longer required.

Codenamed Operation Kernow, the investigation is thought to have saved the motor insurance industry an estimated 1.1 million in claims that were made but not paid out to the crooks.

Maria Aftewicz, 27, (left) from Barnet was sentenced to 16 months in prison for submitting false insurance claims along with Jadwiga Pawloska, 63, (right) from Rowley Regis, West Midlands

Jamil was convicted of eight counts of fraud at Harrow Crown Court and was sentenced to five years in jail in May 2016. Remaining member of the gang were sentenced this week, allowing the case to be reported fully for the first time.

Judge Fiona Barrie said the gang did not care about the risk to innocent members of the public being serious injured during the collisions.

She said: 'In short, this was a well planned and carefully executed operation involving orchestrated collisions on public roads involving innocent members of the public.

'The idea that crash for cash frauds are victimless crimes has to be rebuffed immediately.

'The impact of this offending on the insurance industry is substantial and this in turn leads to routine increases in insurance premiums for the wider public.

'The manner of the driving in the collisions is inherently dangerous involving the sudden slamming on of brakes in traffic, often at night and often in poor weather conditions.

'Unlike the fraudsters, the innocent occupants of the cars behind have no opportunity to prepare or brace themselves for the impact.

'Moreover no regard is had at all for the occupants of those cars or their vulnerability. In short, the risk to innocent members of the public of serious injury or worse cannot be underestimated in this type of fraud involving deliberate dangerous driving.'

Emrah Yildiz, 28, (left), of Bethnal Green, east London, was sentenced to 16 months in jail for his part in the scam. Mikolaj Parczewski, 25, (right) also received a 16 month sentence for submitting false insurance claims

The gang of 19 men and women, including its architect Jamil, received prison terms ranging from 16 months to four-and-a-half years.

Jamil masterminded the elaborate scam which involved teams of fraudsters deliberately causing accidents with innocent motorists and then making false insurance and personal injury claims through his company.

Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at APU Ltd who gave evidence in court.

He said: 'We have been hard on the heels of crash for cash fraudsters for years now and have even identified new tactics the criminal gangs have started to employ.

'We were very pleased to be able to assist the police, the courts and ultimately the victims as expert witnesses.

'The depth of data available via cutting edge telematics systems necessitates a scientific approach to interpret crucial information into meaningful evidence, then it needs to be presented in court so that the layman can understand it.

'This particular criminal network caused hundreds of fake accidents, all of which were planned but any of which could have gone badly wrong.

'He and the other men were putting lives at risk and I am delighted that APU and the Met Police have been instrumental in serving justice to another dangerous group of individuals.'

Raheel Akhtar, 37, of St Albans, Mohammad Ashan, 32, of Luton, Suat Mazi, 40, of Enfield and Emrah Yildiz, 28, of Bethnal Green, east London, were sentenced to 16 months in jail.

At the second trial on June 3 Rafal Parczewski, 41, (left) from Barnet, north London, was sentenced to 22 months in prison. Anna Olenczuk (right) got 16 months for one charge of submitting false insurance claims

At the second trial on June 3 Rafal Parczewski, 41, and Daniel Zakrzewski, 31, both of Barnet, north London, were sentenced to 22 months in prison.

Mikolaj Parczewski, 25, Anna Olenczuk, 47, Barbara Aftewicz, 48, and Maria Aftewicz, 27, all of Barnet, plus Mirosla Lewandowski, 60, and Jadwiga Pawloska, 63, both of Rowley Regis, West Midlands, were all sentenced to 16 months imprisonment for one charge of submitting false insurance claims.

Olenczuk and Aftewicz had their sentenced suspended for two years and will have to do 150 hours of community service.

The third trial at the same court saw Ali Malik, 22, of no fixed address, sentenced in his absence to four-and-a-half years in jail for each of the six charges to run concurrently.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Nazema Nawaz, 28, of Luton, was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for each of the six indictments to run concurrently.

Mazhar Iqbal, 44, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, plus Mohammed Nisar, 49, and Gulraiz Fazal, 36, both of Luton, were sentenced to 16 months in prison.
A twin boy and girl are in critical condition in hospital after falling into a backyard pool, according to police.

The pair, both two years old, were discovered underwater at a home in Sydney's north-west on Tuesday evening.

Police and ambulance crews were called to the property at around 7.10pm where medics performed CPR 'for some time', an ambulance spokesman said.

Two-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, are in critical condition in hospital after they were found unconscious in a backyard pool on Tuesday evening

Police and ambulance crews were called to the house at around 7.10pm after the pair were found underwater and performed CPR 'for some time'

Two helicopters landed nearby in order to help treat the pair, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The children were then transported to Westmead Children's Hospital in separate ambulances with a police escort.

A police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that the pair remained in a critical condition overnight.

It is not known how the pair came to be in the water, or how long they were there before being discovered.

Two air ambulances were flown to the scene to assist with treating the children before they were taken to hospital via ambulance
A Guyanese national who spent 16 years as an international fugitive after killing a teenage guest at a New York wedding on Long Island has been sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.

Balkumar Singh, believed to be 38 years old, learned his fate on Monday in Nassau County Court. He pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder and assault in the 1999 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Abzal Khan.

Authorities say Singh shot Khan seven times following a dance floor dispute at a Hicksville wedding hall; scores of guests witnessed Khan's death.

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Punished: Balkumar Singh (left), who spent 16 years as an international fugitive after killing Abzal Khan, 19 (right) at a Long Island wedding, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison

Happy occasion marred; The deadly shooting took place outside the Masonic Temple catering hall in Hicksville, New York, on the night of June 13, 1999

A bride is seen in her white wedding gown after gunfire erupted outside the reception

Singh, who had several aliases, traveled to Canada and Guyana before an international manhunt ended in Trinidad in March 2015 with his capture and subsequent extradition to the US.

'Balkumar Singh savagely murdered an innocent young man in front of scores of wedding guests and immediately fled the country,' Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement.

'This defendant stayed one step ahead of the law for 16 years, but thanks to our law enforcement partners from around the globe, we were able to bring him to justice.'

Sing was featured in a 2009 episode of 'America's Most Wanted.'

Investigators said Singh was armed with a 9mm handgun as he attended a wedding at the Masonic Temple catering hall in Hicksville on the evening of June 13, 1999.

During the reception, Singh got into an argument with Abzal Khan on the dance floor and later ambushed the teenager as he existed the venue.

According to police, Singh shot Khan at least seven times in front of 20 onlookers. According to the victims father, Khan did not know his killer.

Another guest, a 22-year-old man, was shot in the leg but survived.

Nabbed: Singh was apprehended in Trinidad (pictured) in March 2015 after spending 16 years on the lam, living on the streets under various aliases

In custody: Singh is pictured handcuffed after his arraignment in August 2015

Within days of the slaying, Singh, who is a US citizen, fled to Guyana and later to Canada, where he has a criminal record that includes 14 prior convictions on charges of assault and gun possession.

Singh spent much of his time on the lam living on the streets under various aliases, among them Tevin Persaud, Terry Persaud, Kumar Doodnath, Terry Singh and Sean Maharaj, reported Guardian.co.tt.

Law enforcement officials acting on a tip finally caught up with Singh in Trinidad on March 207, 2015, when he was taken into custody for violating immigration laws under the fake name Shauwn Maharaj.

A local Interpol office helped identify the detainee as American fugitive Balkumar Singh, and he was extradited to Long Island four months later.

At his arraigned in August 2015, Singh apologized to Abzal Khan's parents and siblings, telling them: 'Sorry for the pain I caused everyone's family, the destruction to the family, I'm sorry,' reported Fox 5 NY.

But Abzal'a father, Inshanallie Khan, said he does not accept Singhs apology.

'That doesn't mean nothing to me, said Mr Khan at the time. My heart feels so pleased that they have caught this culprit and [will] bring him to justice.

Sharifan Khan, left, stands with her husband Ishanallie Khan, right, as he shows a photo of their son Abzal Khan outside Nassau County Court on August 17, 2015, in Mineola

Shamed Khan, 27, one of the victim's brothers, said Abzal's murder has changed their family forever.

My family has never been the same,' he said.

At Singh's sentencing Monday, Abzals father told Newsday he wished his son's killer would get a life sentence, but he was satisfied with the 19-year term after the defendant pleaded guilty.
Status Quo rocker Rick Parfitt's life was saved by a kebab after he collapsed and 'died' in a Turkish hotel

Status Quo rocker Rick Parfitt's life was saved by a kebab after he collapsed and 'died' in a Turkish hotel.

Parfitt, 68, was found lying on the floor by a colleague who had rushed past his room to be sick after eating the dodgy meal.

She sounded the alarm and paramedics were called who were able to resuscitate the star.

Parfitt had returned to his room feeling unwell a show in Antalya, Turkey, last June - as the rest of the band gathered in guitarist Francis Rossi's hotel room for a meal.

Instead of their healthy usual fish sushi, the band ordered dodgy doner kebabs, which prompted their PA Lyane Ngan to vomit.

Thankfully, Parfitt's door room was ajar so Mrs Ngan caught sight of him before it was too late.

Now bass player John 'Rhino' Edwards, 63, has finally revealed how the greasy kebab saved the iconic guitarist's life, in the band's new tour magazine.

The band-mate joked: 'He's a jammy b******!

'If there had been sushi at the hotel Lyane would have been with us eating in Francis' room and wouldn't have gone to check on him.

'That for sure saved his life.

'Also a team of paramedics with all the necessary equipment for heart failure based at the nearest hospital had left the hotel two minutes earlier after another emergency and just turned around.'

Parfitt, 68, was found lying on the floor by a colleague who had rushed past his room to be sick after eating the dodgy meal

Edwards revealed that as he and Rossi ran into Parfitt's room a paramedic looked-up, put her fingers across her throat and said 'dead'.

The medics continued giving electric shocks for several minutes before finally resuscitating the 'technically then 'dead' star.

Now Parfitt is recuperating in Marbella, Spain, and living apart from third wife Lyndsay, 56, and their twin children after bitter rows over his hard living lifestyle.

He suffered 'mild cognitive impairments' following what was his third heart-attack. He has also had a quadruple heart bypass.

But he claims the adrenalin-rush and physical effort required to perform live shows makes a return to the stage unlikely.

Status Quo are currently performing their 'Last Night of the Electrics' world tour with former tribute-band guitarist Ritchie Malone standing in for his blond-haired hero.

Edwards, who has taken over Parfitt's vocal duties, added: 'Rick had been telling me he was having little turns, feeling weird, then it passed.

John 'Rhino' Edwards, 63, joked: 'He's a lucky b******!'

'But he's one of those people that's always got something wrong with them!

'He very rarely says he's feeling amazing, which ironically he does now.

'In all seriousness, it was a question of when, and not if something like that happened.

'You can't do no exercise and get up and do shows under the amount of pressure and stress we as entertainers undergo.'

Edwards added that he hoped the incident would serve as a 'wake-up call'.

He added: 'We're all made of steel when we're young, but sometime you have to grow up a bit.

'You'd think he'd had enough wake up calls in the past, but unfortunately that hasn't so far been the case. I just really hope this has been the real deal.'

Status Quo were originally called The Scorpions, and founded by schoolboys Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster in 1962. Parfitt joined in 1965.

But he has endured a strained relationship with Rossi, 67, for a number of years, admitting he 'doesn't really want to return to Quo'.

Instead he is planning to record an album with fellow former members John Coghlan and Alan Lancaster in the new year.

He said: 'It will take more than death to kill me. I'm just aware of the nervousness I get before I go on stage.

'It does pump your heart slightly when you start to pace up and down the room, and you're about to go in front of thousands of people.

'I do not want to tax myself in any way. I've been told medically not to.
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The West has been put on increased terror alert over the festive period following the Berlin lorry tragedy.

Security has been ramped up in major cities including, London, New York, Paris, Vienna and Dusseldorf, as fears grow of another 'ISIS' attack on the West.

Tanks were seen in the streets of Budapest, Hungary, and soldiers were pictured at the Christmas markets in Antwerp, Belgium.

The Metropolitan Police has said it is to review its plans for protecting public events over Christmas and New Year following the 'awful incidents' in Berlin and Ankara.

Twelve people were killed and 48 injured after a lorry ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital in what police believe was a deliberate terrorist attack.

The carnage came hours after Russia's ambassador to Turkey was gunned down at a photography exhibition in Ankara.

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Heavily armed police on patrol at a Christmas market in Hildesheim, Germany, as forces across the world ramp up security

Policemen patrol over a Christmas market in Dusseldorf, western Germany, as security measures are ramped up after a deadly rampage by a lorry driver at a Berlin Christmas market.

Police patrol at the Christmas market in front of the city hall in downtown Vienna, Austria

A passer-by walks past an armoured vehicle of the Counter Terrorism Centre of the Hungarian police standing guard at a Christmas market in downtown Budapest, Hungary

Armed French police officers secure a Christmas market on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris this afternoon

Police officers patrol around Manchester Christmas Market in the city centre after 12 people were killed in Berlin yesterday

In a statement today, Scotland Yard said they have 'detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period'. Pictured are police officers patrolling the Christmas markets in London's South Bank

Security forces search people at the control point on the street of the Russian Embassy in Ankara

In a statement today, Scotland Yard said they have 'detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period'.

The force said: 'These already recognise that the threat level is at 'severe', meaning an attack is highly likely, and have considered a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.

'As a matter of routine, as a precaution, we review our plans after attacks overseas, and we are doing so at present following the awful incidents in Berlin and Ankara last night.'

Visitors to London's Winter Wonderland have raised security fears over the huge crowds queuing to get into the attraction in the wake of the Berlin Christmas market attack.

The annual event in Hyde Park draws in millions of visitors from around the world to its fairground rides, Christmas markets and food stalls.

But after the attack on a similar attraction in Germany yesterday, revellers fear the long, penned-in queues waiting to get past security could be hit by terrorists.

A terror expert warned crowds waiting for security checks can 'present a target' if not properly spread out or dispersed.

Police are stepping up security measures at markets in France after 12 people were killed and at least 48 injured when a truck ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin, Germany. Pictured is Nice

Police patrol Edinburgh's Christmas Market in Princes Street Gardens

Visitors to Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park have raised security concerns in the wake of the Berlin attack

Every year, millions of people come from around the world enjoy the fairground and market in London's Hyde Park

A security bag checking system is in place at the Winter Wonderland shopping attraction in Hyde Park, London

Professor Anthony Glees, of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham University, said Christmas markets are specific targets for jihadists and called for tight security

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan sought to reassure Londoners and visitors to the city over Christmas that the Met Police will review all security plans in London in light of Monday night's events

One visitor told MailOnline that the large numbers of people arriving at the attraction every afternoon and evening were 'herded through a huge pen' as they waited to be let in.

She feared the huge queues ahead of security checks could themselves become a target, adding: 'You just feel like a sitting duck for terrorists'.

Professor Anthony Glees, of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham University, said Christmas markets are specific targets for jihadists and called for tight security.

He told MailOnline: 'The fact that a Christmas market was targeted [in Berlin] was not coincidental, it illustrates the fact that a small minority of Muslim fanatics are intent on showing that they are waging a war against Christian traditions.

'The Bastille Day attack was symbolic as France was celebrating its national identity, now another national institution in Germany has been targeted.

'We, in the UK, we have imported these German Christmas markets and it's absolutely right that we should be very mindful of security issues.'

Two Belgian Army soldiers patrol a Christmas market on the main square in Antwerp, Belgium

Danish police patrols the pedestrian street in the center of Copenhagen, Denmark, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killing people

A visible police and security presence is seen around the German market in Birmingham following the attacks in Berlin

French police stand guard as tourists visit the traditional Christkindelsmaerik (Christ Child market) as emergency security measures continue during the Christmas holiday season in Strasbourg, France

Police officers patrol the Christmas market in Magdeburg (left) and another market in Dortmund (right), Germany

A policeman places concrete elements in front of the 'Striezelmarkt' Christmas market in Dresden, eastern Germany

Of Hyde Park, he added: 'We should be taking these things very seriously, especially as this is the second time a lorry has been used.

'We cannot forget the Christmas message of peace, but I would expect to see lots of high-viz jackets and armed police around an area like this, especially in national sites like this.'

Professor Glees emphasised that British security services had proved much more proactive in stopping such attacks due to differences in rules over intercepting communications between the UK and Germany.

Road closures were brought in around the event this year amid warnings that terrorists were targeting Christmas markets.

Hyde Park's South Carriage Drive is subject to closures at peak times for crowd safety purposes.

However, the entrance area where crowds gather is open to infiltration by gunmen or bombers.

Police officers of the Counter Terrorism Centre with sub-machine guns patrol in front of a shopping centre in central Budapest, Hungary

Professor Glees emphasised that British security services had proved much more proactive in stopping such attacks due to differences in rules over intercepting communications between the UK and Germany. Pictured are police in Manchester

Policemen patrol over a Christmas market in Dortmund, western Germany today as security measures are taken after a deadly rampage by a lorry driver at a Berlin Christmas market

A policeman places concrete elements in front of the 'Striezelmarkt' Christmas market in Dresden, eastern Germany

A police presence is seen in Hyde Park, London near to the Winter Wonderland shopping attraction in the UK capital

Police on horseback patrol Hyde Park in London where the world-renowned Winter Wonderland Christmas festival is held

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan sought to reassure Londoners and visitors to the city over Christmas that the Met Police will review all security plans in London in light of Monday night's events, saying that 'keeping everyone safe remains the highest priority for the Met commissioner and for me'.

He said: 'My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the awful suspected attack on Berlin last night, particularly those who were injured, the families and friends of those who were killed and all the emergency responders.

'We don't yet have the full details, but this appears to have been a horrific and cowardly act of terror.

'All Londoners stand in solidarity with the people of Berlin today - this was an attack on our shared values, freedoms and way of life.'

There was a heavily police presence at the Christmas market in front of the city hall in downtown Vienna this afternoon

Security barricade at The Striezelmarkt Security barricade at The Striezelmarkt, Dresden, Germany

Greater Manchester Police said they had strengthened their presence at the markets, which have almost 350 stalls spread across 10 sites in the city.

Assistant Chief Constable Debbie Ford said: 'Greater Manchester Police already has a visible policing operation in place around the Christmas markets, in the city centre, and in other key areas across Greater Manchester in the run-up to Christmas.

'We will be working in line with the national response and have strengthened our policing presence at the Manchester Christmas Markets and stepped up visible patrols, to ensure that people feel safe to go about their daily lives.

'I would like to stress at this point that there is absolutely no information or intelligence suggesting any attack is imminent in Greater Manchester.

'If you do have any concerns at all don't hesitate to get in touch with police.'

Hungarian military police officers patrol at a Christmas market in downtown Budapest, Hungary

Road blocks have been put in place at the Birmingham Christmas markets after the attack to Berlin's Christmas Market

Police officers of the Counter Terrorism Centre with sub-machine guns patrol at Nyugati (Western) Railway Station in central Budapest,

French President Francois Hollande said France was under a 'high level of threat' from terror attack following the carnage at a Berlin Christmas market

Hollande said although France faced an elevated threat, it also already had a large-scale 'security operation' in place following a string of jihadist outrages in the country over the past two years

Police are boosting their presence at holiday villages and major sites around cities such as New York, Chicago and Boston as the US remains on high alert.

And in New York, police confirmed highly trained specialist units and its anti-terror squad would be deployed to high profile locations around the city.

Sites expected to have a high armed police presence include the Winter Village market in Bryant Park, the Christmas market near Columbus Circle and the festive stalls in Union Square.

Also under close surveillance by the security services are the world-famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, Times Square and Herald Square, home to department store Macy's.

Cities across America are stepping up security at Christmas events following a terrorist truck attack on a Berlin market that has left 12 people dead. Pictured are heavily armed NYPD officers

In a statement, the NYPD said: 'The NYPD is monitoring the events in Germany and around the world.

'The Department has moved highly trained teams, including the Critical Response Command, to high profile locations around New York City.

'In the coming days, we will look to learn more about what occurred to inform the NYPD's operations, deployments, and training of officers.'

Meanwhile, Chicago Police also confirmed they would be ramping up their presence at the annual Christmas market in in an outdoor plaza in downtown Chicago.

Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that although there is no specific threat to the city, officers would be vigilant around Christkindlmarket event.

He added that extra foot and bike patrols would be added to boost market security alongside specialized units.

Police are boosting their presence at holiday villages and major sites around cities such as New York, Chicago and Boston as the US remains on high alert. Pictured is a heavily armed NYPD officer

And in Boston, the city's mayor Martin J. Walsh confirmed barriers would be put in place in a bid to protect the 'Boston Winter' holiday market in City Hall Plaza.

The city has already been the scene of a terror attack after attackers targeted the Boston Marathon in April 2013, killing three people.

But Mr Walsh said that police would always be on high alert in the city and would also be monitoring social media.

French President Francois Hollande said France was under a 'high level of threat' from a terror attack following the carnage last night.

Hollande said although France faced an elevated threat, it also already had a large-scale 'security operation' in place following a string of jihadist outrages in the country over the past two years.

Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on ORF radio he had told the heads of Austria's regional police forces to intensify surveillance measures.

TRAVEL ADVICE IN LIGHT OF RECENT TERROR ATTACK Rob Walker, Travel Risk Consultant from International SOS and Control Risks, has issued the following advice for people going out to enjoy the Christmas festivities: Be vigilant, and know where the exits are in case you have to react to what is a very unlikely event

Have a charged mobile phone with you so you are able to get access to information about disruption or any on-going incidents, as well as call for help, if necessary

Tell people where you are

Follow advice from local authorities and have confidence in our police, intelligence and security agencies to prevent/disrupt, or warn us appropriately (good demonstration of their capability in last week's arrests in Derby)

Don't let it ruin your Christmas - I am going to be visiting crowded public spaces with my family during the holiday period, and I will take my own advice Advertisement

The attacks in Nice and Paris last November as well as Brussels in March have already dampened demand for travel to Europe, especially from the United States, China and Japan.

ForwardKeys, which predicts travel patterns by analysing 16 million reservations a day, has said Chinese outbound bookings to Europe have fallen 7.7 per cent between mid-November 2015 and mid-October 2016.

On Tuesday, ForwardKeys said bookings to Berlin were down 6.6 percent so far this year due to concerns about security in Europe. But it said bookings to the German capital had been staging a recovery over the last two months, with reservations up 11 percent compared with the same period last year.

People face an armoured vehicle of the Counter Terrorism Centre of the Hungarian police as they wait for tram in front of a shopping centre in central Budapest, Hungary

Police patrol Edinburgh's Christmas Market in Princes Street Gardens. After the lorry attack on a Christmas market in Berlin anti terror measures are expected to be heightened across the UK and the world

Belgian Army soldiers patrol a Christmas market on the main square in Antwerp, Belgium this afternoon

Berlin has more than 60 Christmas markets. Visitors are also attracted by its history, vibrant nightlife and relatively low costs for a European capital, all of which have helped boost visitor numbers in recent years.

According to Euromonitor, trips to Berlin have risen by 50 per cent since 2010. Between January and October, the latest month for which data is available, the Berlin-Brandenburg statistics office said arrivals rose 2.5 per cent to 10.7 million, driven in particular by demand from Britain.

The numbers for November and December were also looking excellent, according to Burkhard Kieker, head of tourism promotion group visitBerlin.

A policeman places concrete elements in front of the 'Striezelmarkt' Christmas market in Dresden, east Germany

He said he had spoken with hotels and there were no signs visitors were hastily packing their bags to leave the city.

'It is important that we continue to demonstrate our way of life, our hospitality, our culture, to show that it will not be destroyed by the actions of others,' he said.

Berlin has one of the highest unemployment rates in Germany at 10.7 per cent and tourists are a major driver of the local economy, accounting for about 40 per cent of sales in the city's shopping streets and malls.

Authorities in Germany and elsewhere in Europe responded to Monday's attack by saying they would step up security measures at Christmas markets and New Year events, with a more visible police presence and more frequent patrols.

Berlin's Christmas markets will remain shut on Tuesday out of respect for the victims and police said they would erect extra security barriers in the coming days.

However, Euromonitor's Geerts said he did not expect a major impact on tourism to Germany and Berlin next year.

ForwardKeys founder Olivier Jager agreed: 'It is too early to say what the impact of last night's incident will be, but one thing we do know is that travellers in general are becoming less put off by terrorist attacks than they used to be.'

He called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route travelled by many migrants arriving in Europe, in order to better control foreign jihadist fighters' movements.

Flags will be hung at half-mast around Germany on Tuesday and Berlin Christmas markets were closed for the day out of respect.
Muslim women holding baby dolls covered in fake blood and children waving white flags with Arabic text have gathered in Sydney for a protest against the conflict in Syria.

Over two hundred arrived in Lakemba Memorial Park on Tuesday night to attend the rally staged by Hizb ut-Tahrir - a radical Islamic group that wants to establish a global Muslim superstate.

Signs with slogans reading 'The Axis of Evil: Russia, Iran, Syria, USA' and 'To the Muslim rulers, INACTION is COMPLICITY' were waved proudly in the air.

Young girls were seen holding posters showing injured Syrian children lying amidst the rubble as the group called for an end to the Russia-backed Assad regime.

Women dressed in hijabs held eerie baby dolls covered in blood at a protest against the conflict in Syria

Underage children waving white flags with Arabic text were among the two-hundred-plus that gathered for the rally - staged by radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir

Young girls were seen holding posters showing dead and injured Syrian children

Hizb ut-Tahrir is a radical Islamic group that wants to establish a global Muslim superstate

Signs with slogans reading 'To the Muslim rulers, INACTION is COMPLICITY' and 'Aleppo will rise again' were waved proudly in the air

The rally took place near the town's mosque in south-west Sydney, on the same day Russia's ambassador to Turkey was gunned down at an Ankara art gallery in 'revenge' for the turmoil in the besieged city of Aleppo.

Speakers at the rally called on Muslim ambassadors to condemn Australia for its involvement with other western countries 'directly responsible' for the crimes in Aleppo.

'The path before us needs to be clear, to construct a solid independent path built solely upon Islam, built solely upon Islam to the exclusion of everything else,' one speaker shouted, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The large crowd chanted 'Alahu Akhbar' - an Islamic phrase meaning God is Great.

The large crowd chanted 'Alahu Akhbar' - an Islamic phrase meaning God is Great

The rally took place on the same day Russia's ambassador to Turkey was gunned down at an Ankara art gallery in 'revenge' for the turmoil in the besieged city of Aleppo

Over 200 people confirmed that they attended the event at Lakemba Memorial Park

One speaker pushed for a future 'built solely upon Islam... to the exclusion of everything else'

Despite the death of Russian diplomat Andrei Karlov on Tuesday - who was killed at the hands of Ankara police riot squad member Mevlut Mert Altinta - the protest went ahead.

Like the 22-year-old murderer, Hizb ut-Tahrir has condemned Russia for the war in Syria.

'Aleppo has been devastated beyond words as the world watches in silence,' it said on its Facebook page.

'American political manoeuvres, Russian barrel bombs and Iranian mercenaries have assisted Assad's brutality against innocent men, women and children, sparing not even the injured in hospitals.

'The regimes of surrounding Muslim lands have also been complicit.

'It is time to break the silence and raise our voice for Aleppo and Syria at large.'

Daily Mail Australia contacted Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Uthman Badar to ask about the nature of the 7pm rally

Underage boys, holding up signs on the Syrian conflict in Sydney, feature on the Facebook page of radical group Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman Uthman Badar

Placards on the Syria conflict for Tuesday night organised by radical Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman Uthman Badar to ask about the 7pm rally, which had 249 confirmed attendees on its Facebook page.

There were no indications the group would postpone the rally out of respect for the shooting murder of Russia's 62-year-old ambassador to Turkey by an off-duty Turkish police officer.

'Allahu Akbar (God is Great). We die in Aleppo, you die here!' The gunman also screamed: 'Only death will take me out of here.'

Police riot squad member Mevlut Mert Altintas said the killing was out of revenge for Syria

Off-duty Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, gestures after shooting dead Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, 62, who lies dead on the art gallery floor

The shooter, who was wearing a suit and tie, reportedly fired into the air before taking aim at the ambassador.

He then turned weapon on others in the gallery, injuring three people before he was shot dead in a 15-minute stand-off with police.

Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman has on his Facebook page underage teenage boys holding up signs in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the slogan: 'Aleppo is dying. Raise your voice.'

Rallies against the Syrian conflict are also being held in The Netherlands, Turkey, Indonesia and India.
German authorities will not name the Christmas market terror suspect because of strict 'privacy laws' in the country.

Suspects in criminal cases are often only identified in German media by their first name followed by the first letter of their surname.

Police last night arrested a man named only as Naved B, a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker, after a lorry ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, claiming 12 lives.

But this evening they have released him after admitting they had the wrong man and that the true attacker is 'still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage.'

German authorities will not name the Christmas market terror suspect because of strict 'privacy laws' in the country. Police are pictured at the scene of the attack

In line with the country's privacy laws, German authorities will not fully name anyone they arrest over the atrocity.

It is not the first example of full names being withheld during criminal cases in the country.

Last month, only first names were released as two Syrian men, Kamel T.H.J. and Azad R., were charged with membership in a terrorist organisation on allegations they fought with a militant Islamist groups in their homeland.

A month earlier, a similar tactic was employed on the arrest of suspected ISIS airport bomb plotter Jaber al-Bakr.

The 22-year-old, had built 'a virtual bomb-making lab' in a flat in Chemnitz and was thought to have planned an attack against either one of Berlin's two airports or a transport hub in his home state of Saxony, security sources said.

Police last night arrested a man named only as Naved B, a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker, after a lorry ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, claiming 12 lives. But there are reports police may have arrested the wrong man

Tributes: Flowers, candles and messages are being left at the scene of the atrocity today as German comes to terms with the terror attack

He later hanged himself in his prison cell - despite being on suicide watch.

Some newspapers even keep to the rule when referring to Austrian monster Josef Fritzl, who repeatedly raped his daughter, Elisabeth, and fathered seven children by her while keeping her imprisoned in his cellar for 24 years.

Meanwhile, German media is now reporting that the Pakistani suspect arrested over the killings in Berlin may not be the driver of the truck after all and that the real culprit is on the loose and armed.

Welt quotes 'high security sources,' while BILD said it is receiving the same information, that the Pakistani man Naved B. was not behind the wheel.

He apparently has denied all knowledge of the crime.

Meanwhile Ariel Zurawski, owner of the trucking company and cousin of the driver murdered in the cab, said that his employee had 'fought for his life.'
her brother-in-law Vasko Ristevski was at a

Some 'items of interest' have been

along of Blackhill Road for missing mother Karen Ristevski

Police investigating missing mother Karen Ristevski have been spotted searching a quiet rural road where it's claimed her brother-in-law Vasko Ristevski was spotted at a burned down restaurant.

Dams have been drained and farmland searched metre by metre north west of Melbourne as police ramp up their search for the missing woman, who disappeared six months ago.

Their thorough efforts may have paid off, as some 'items of interest' were seized by the Missing Persons Squad in the Toolern Vale area on Tuesday, the Herald Sun reports.

It's been claimed by locals that Karen's brother-in-law Vasko Ristevski was spotted at a burned down restaurant that was destroyed in a fire three years ago. He has not responded to the claims.

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On the quiet rural road where the murdered body of Jill Meagher was dumped, police now search for missing mother Karen Ristevski

Victoria Police have closed off Blackhill Road at Toolern Vale as they search for body of missing mother Karen Ristevski

Detective Inspector Stephen Dennis says Monday and Tuesday's search was 'the most significant we've conducted to date'.

'We are confident that we will find out what happened,' he told reporters at the search site.

'We will be here for as long as it takes to search the area.'

Bags of evidence were seen in the hands of police following the extensive search, but they would not reveal what they had found.

Ms Ristevski, 47, has not been seen since June 29 when she reportedly left her Avondale Heights home after an argument with her husband Borce.

She hasn't used her bank accounts or phone since.

Her handbag, coat and purse are of significant interest for investigators, but they are yet to uncover them.

Jill Meagher was raped, strangled and killed just less than 500 metres from her home in September in 2012.

Dams have been drained and farmland searched metre by metre north west of Melbourne as police ramp up their search for Karen Ristevski

Following the search efforts some 'items of interest' were seized by the Missing Persons Squad

Mounted police during a search for missing mother Karen Ristevski near Gisborne South northwest of Melbourne

Emergency crews have also searched along a stretch of Blackhill Road, where convicted murderer Adrian Bailey buried the body of Jill Meagher in a shallow grave in 2012.

Det Insp Dennis wouldn't reveal what prompted Monday's search.

'There have been ongoing discussions with various members of the family,' he said.

The detective said Christmas would be 'extremely tough' for Ms Ristevski's family.

'Karen has been missing for just on six months,' he said.

Detectives, search and rescue crews, the mounted branch, the air wing, uniform members and the dog squad, including a cadaver dog from NSW, all took part in the search.

SES volunteers also focused on land between Blackhill and Gisborne roads.

Tom and Jill Meagher on their wedding day before she was tragically killed in September 2012

The Blackhill search area has a gruesome history, being the location where notorious rapist and murderer Adrian Bayley dumped the body of Ms Meagher

The search area has a gruesome history, being the location where notorious rapist and murderer Adrian Bayley dumped the body of Ms Meagher.

The Melbourne ABC staffer was raped, strangled and killed just less than 500 metres from her home in September 2012.

Her body was found six days later after Bayley confessed to the rape and murder.

Her murderer was on parole at the time after serving eight years in prison for 16 counts of rape against five women.




Mr Lacey lost his title as dean but remains at the school with full support

the victim until another staff member kicked him in the head

When he was weakly punched in the chest he knocked

A drunken staff end-of-year party and some awful rapping led to a violent altercation between members of staff.

Teacher Hamish John Lacey attended his work's end-of-year party at Mount Maunganui College, near Auckland, last year and ended up allegedly punching a victim in the head after his awful rapping started to offend colleagues, according to The New Zealand Herald.

The incident started after the band finished and Mr Lacey took it upon himself to take over the microphone and started rapping with offensive comments used such as 'twat' and 'I hate that f****ing guy'.

The New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal learned the party then moved onto a staff members house where more alcohol was consumed.

The incident started after the band finished and teacher at Mount Maunganui College Hamish John Lacey took it upon himself to take over the microphone and started rapping with offensive comments used such as 'twat' and 'I hate that f****ing guy'

Mr Lacey continued to rap at the house much to the ire of some teachers.

He then began calling one staff member a 'p****y' and said 'let's roll'.

The comments kicked-off a brawl where one teacher allegedly punched Lacey in the chest.

The punch was described as 'weak, coming from a drunk man and looking as though it missed,' the report said.

However, Mr Lacey responded by knocking the staff member to the ground and allegedly attacking him by hitting him in the face as the victim protected himself, according to the publication.

Three women tried to stop the attack, but after Mr Lacey resisted he was stopped by one staff member who kicked him in the head.

The only recollection Mr Lacey and the victim had of the fight was that they both were provocative.

Mr Lacey was reprimanded losing his title as dean and sought counselling for his actions.

However, he now has 'no bad feelings' with the other staff member and he has the full backing of his principal who said he has a bright future as a teacher.
A traditional nativity scene will not be put up in a Belgian town this year, amid claims it was scrapped in order to avoid offending Muslims.

A former leader in Holsbeek, about 20 miles outside Brussels - claims there will be no manger to mark the festival because it would be 'too provocative'.

Achiel Claes, an ex-alderman in the town, rubbished any suggestion that Muslims would be offended.

Belgian State Secretary of Asylum and Migration Theo Francken said: 'Some people want to take away all our traditions, but I will resist that'

But another politician has said it had nothing to do with Muslims, saying it is because of the separation between church and state.

Claes, a Christian Democrat, told De Morgen: 'The reason was that it would be "too provocative for Muslims".

'There are maybe only four Muslims living in town and they would never complain that there is a nativity scene in city hall.'

He said he could 'understand' if a nativity scene was banned in Molenbeek - where the terrorists behind the Paris attacks last November lived - but branded the decision in Holsbeek as 'nonsense'.

Belgian State Secretary of Asylum and Migration Theo Francken said: 'Some people want to take away all our traditions, but I will resist that.'

It is claimed that the town secretary complained about the nativity scene.

But current alderman Annelies Vander Bracht said the decision had nothing to do with Muslims.

Current alderman Annelies Vander Bracht said the decision had nothing to do with Muslims

She said: 'We did it because there needs to be a separation between church and state.

'Each municipality can interpret that in its own way. To be as neutral as possible, we took away the nativity scene.'

And she continued: 'Gays or victims of paedophile priests would not be too thrilled by a symbol of the church either.

'Let's keep it in the private sphere, I think that is the smartest way. At home I do have a nativity scene as it is nice for the kids.'

The decision not to put a nativity scene up was supported by the ruling coalition of the Christian-Democrats and the Green Party.
The chicken shop worker accused of the September bombings in New Jersey and New York has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murders of five police officers in the shootout leading to his arrest.

Ahmad Khan Rahimi made his first in-person court appearance on Tuesday to face the state charges filed in New Jersey after a shootout with the police on September 19 led to his capture in Linden.

Rahimi, who is still recovering from gunshot wounds sustained in the standoff, limped into the courtroom in Union County wearing a protective vest and a white skullcap.

Rahimi is accused of setting off two bombs on September 17. A pipe bomb first went off along a Marine Corp charity race in Seaside along the Jersey Shore, but no one was injured because the race was delayed.

Hours later, another bomb exploded on 23rd Street in New York City, injuring 31 people. Another bomb was later found on 27th Street and defused by the police.

The chicken-shack worker accused of the September bombings in New Jersey and New York has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murders of five police officers on Tuesday

An attorney previously entered not guilty pleas when the Afghan-born U.S. citizen was hospitalized with gunshot wounds sustained in the police shootout

Rahimi is accused of setting off two bombs on September 17. No one was injured in the explosion in New Jersey, but another bomb went off on 23rd Street in New York City (pictured)

During the brief hearing, a prosecutor said no plea offer would be extended to Rahimi, who faces a 30-count indictment including an array assault and weapons charges.

An attorney previously entered not guilty pleas when the Afghan-born U.S. citizen was hospitalized with gunshot wounds sustained in the police shootout.

He appeared through a courtroom video link from his hospital bed in October before he was transferred to jail, where he has been held at $5.2million bail.

Rahimi also faces a host of federal charges in New York and New Jersey and a life sentence if convicted. He pleaded not guilty to the federal charges in New York in November.

The 28-year-old was arrested after a bar owner in Linden found him passed out in the lobby entrance to his business two days after the bombings.

When police arrived on the scene, Rahimi brandished a weapon and started shooting at the cops.

One officer was struck in his protective vest. Another was hit by a bullet fragment. Neither injury was life threatening.

Rahimi suffered seven gunshot wounds and was taken from the scene in an ambulance, handcuffed to a stretcher.

The 28-year-old was found him passed out in the lobby entrance of a bar in Linden, New Jersey, two days after the bombings. Rahimi exchanged gunfire with police when they arrived

Rahimi suffered seven gunshot wounds and was taken from the scene in an ambulance, handcuffed to a stretcher

Rahimi lived in an apartment in Elizabeth, New Jersey, above the restaurant First American Fried Chicken, which his family owns

Law enforcement said Rahimi was linked to the bombings after they found his fingerprints on an unexploded pressure cooker bomb in Manhattan.

On the morning of September 17, a pipe bomb first exploded in a waste bin along the proposed route of the third annual Semper Five 5K run. The race had been delayed, so no one was hurt.

Two other unexploded devices were found in the same garbage can.

Later that night, a bomb placed near a metal trash dumpster on 23rd Street exploded, injuring 31.

Less than two hours later, a resident found a pressure cooker outside her home on 27th Street and called in police.

It was taken to a police firing ranged in the Bronx and defused at the following evening.
The nations newspapers are struggling mightily to find columnists who are willing to write nice things about Donald Trump.

Thats according to a report in the Washington Post, indicating that the regular stable of conservative pundits-from George Will to David Brooks-isnt delivering enough pro-Trump op-eds. As it happens, I was just finishing a column praising the president-elect when the Posts story came out.

Even before taking office, Donald Trump is sending a powerful signal to the nearly 63 million Americans who voted for him that he is, indeed, a bold thinker and an agent of change.

For instance, after pledging during the campaign to stop the exodus of companies to Mexico and other countries, Trump quickly saved roughly 800 jobs at a Carrier plant in Indiana. True, the number is lower than Trump first claimed, and granted, as the Indianapolis Star reports, as many as 2,100 Hoosiers are still about to lose their jobs, and yes, keeping Carrier happy will cost Indiana $7 million in tax incentives. But to dwell on such relatively minor concerns misses the larger point.

The president-elect has demonstrated that he can pick up the phone-something Mike Pence says hell do often-and get action from business chieftains looking for a bribe. The Carrier tax breaks will cost only $8,750 per job saved. Using that formula, every single one of of the nations full-time jobs could be saved, at least temporarily, for a mere $1.09 trillion.

Donald Trump heroically vowed to drain the swamp in Washington of enlightened leaders with meaningful government experience. What better way to make good on that promise than by selecting Ben Carson, a retired brain surgeon with no experience in government or in housing to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development?

Trump deserves enormous credit for surrounding himself with individuals who will shun business-as-usual in Washington. Clearly thats why he chose as chief strategist Steve Bannon, a true maverick who favors hate speech of all types including white nationalism, anti-semitism, immigrant-hatred and misogyny.

The president-elect has made clear that he will not become another political hack; rather, he will continue to hone the skills that made him so admired in business. He will actively manage his vast holdings, regardless of whether they conflict with his White House job. He even rebuffed the critics and media elite who urged him to give up his gig as executive producer of NBCs Celebrity Apprentice.

Americans dont like a candidate who says one thing to woo voters and then flip-flops once elected. Yes, Trump has conceded that the wall on the border with Mexico might be a more modest fence, and true, hes apparently decided against mass deportations, and granted, he admires many of the best features in Obamacare, and, yes, he has recently deduced that climate change might be mans doing, and, of course, he no longer intends to prosecute Hillary Clinton.

But when it comes to things average citizens really care about, Trump is proving to be a man of his word. He said he wouldnt stop tweeting as president, and he hasnt. He vowed to retain his children as top advisers, and he is following through.

Donald Trump is a leader with a vision of how America works. For example, a few days before Thanksgiving his website offered for sale a Christmas ornament in the form of a miniature Make America Great Again hat, brushed with real gold and selling for $149.

By holding rallies across the nation  even though there is nothing left to campaign for or about  Trump is already cementing his place in history.

As for the nations opinion writers, their unwillingness to recognize Donald Trumps impressive accomplishments after such a short period of time reflects poorly on them and not on the true American hero they would seek to defame.

Peter Funt is a writer and speaker. His book, Cautiously Optimistic, is available at Amazon.com and CandidCamera.com. Columns distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate.
Turkey's authoritarian government today imposed a temporary blackout on media coverage of the Russian ambassador's shooting.

The order temporarily bans news reports, images and commentary other than those made by the official authorities. This affects all coverage distributed inside Turkey.

However, government backed outlets still appear to be publishing versions of the assassination of Andrei Karlov, 62, that unfolded in Ankara on Monday night.

The pro-government daily newspaper Daily Sabah, often labelled as a mouthpiece for Turkish President Erdogan, claims the 22-year-old riot police officer who shot ambassador Andrei Karlov had links to the Gulen movement.

The U.S.-based Muslim cleric is blamed for orchestrating a failed coup in July.

Pro-government newspapers have reported the 22-year-old police officer who shot dead the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was part of the Gulen movement

A representative of cleric Fethullah Gulen, Alp Aslandogan, denied any link and said the exiled cleric condemned the murder as a 'heinous act'.

However, the Daily Sabah has published an article claiming that gunman Mevlut Mert Altintas is linked to journalist Abdullah Bozkurt via a home address he apparently listed on an official form.

'The home address written in the official document above is also the Turkish address of Abdullah Bozkurt, a high-ranking Gulenist militant currently living in the U.S. and the former Ankara correspondent of now-closed newspaper Today's Zaman. The newspaper was regarded as the mouthpiece of the terrorist cult,' the Daily Sabah article said.

A Turkish journalist, linked to the Gulen movement, was forced to publish his address on social media to disprove government officials claimed the shooter lived at his address

Journalist Abdullah Bozkurt is is famously unpopular with the government and claims he is now being used as a scapegoat for the incident in Ankara

Bozkurt claimed President Erdogan's 'mouthpiece' newspapers were spreading lies

Bozkurt claims the government is blocking online news stories about the assassination

Journalist Bozkurt has refuted these claims that the address posted by the newspaper is his.

Speaking out on social media he said: 'The circulated document shows 'Demeteveler' as the killer's address. Mine is located at 'Serhat' as listed & declared in official documents.'

Bozkurt is the author of a controversial book called 'Turkey Interrupted: Derailing Democracy'.

The book's blurb says it 'strives to explain what has happened in Turkey in 2013 and 2014 following the onset of major corruption investigations incriminating people close to the Turkish President'.

In a string of tweets, Bozkurt said: 'I've been writing about Erdogan regime aiding and abetting to radical militants in Turkey and it's neighborhood for several years now.'

Bozkurt posed questions that he believes need answering about the assassination, such as 'why was the lone gunman not captured alive?'

He is famously unpopular with the government and claims he is now being used as a scapegoat for the incident in Ankara.

In a string of tweets he said: 'I've been writing about Erdogan regime aiding and abetting to radical militants in Turkey and it's neighborhood for several years now.

'I wrote on safety of embassies in June, criticized Erdogan for publicly targeting diplomats and allowing militant protests before embassies

'I also wrote about the same issue last week, revealing possible plots targeting foreign embassies in Turkey.

'Now, I'm being targeted by lies and false claims by pro-Erdogan trolls & propagandists for exposing Erdogan regime's clandestine deals.

'These far-fetched claims even included false news that the assassin gave my home address. Nothing could be further from the truth.

'I'm not the first one targeted by propagandists of Erdogan's Islamist regime in usual scapegoating tactics, surely won't be the last one.'

According to Freedom House, media freedom in Turkey deteriorated at an alarming rate in 2015 under President Erdogan's rule.

Bozkurt was among a group of editors fired from the Today's Zaman newspaper in March this year when the government insisted it was taken over by trustees.

Turkish police reportedly fired tear gas and used a water cannon to enter the paper's office.

Today's Zaman editor-in-chief Sevgi Akarcesme told Politico at the time: 'There is such a huge amount of fear. There is not even much media, except for minor newspapers, to cover this incident because over a decade Erdogan has been swallowing all the critical media outlets by creating his own media empire, directly or indirectly. I call Erdogan the biggest media owner in Turkey.'
Crawford was convicted of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction in August and was sentenced to 30

He also described Muslims as America's 'medical waste' in secret recordings

when in 2012 he approached staff at a Schenectady synagogue with a plan to 'help Jews get rid of their enemies'

A New York mechanic who was building a mobile X-ray gun designed to blast Muslims with a lethal dose of radiation, has been jailed for 30 years.

Glendon Scott Crawford, 52, of Galway, planned to kill Muslims, and several other groups of people whose political and social beliefs he disagreed with, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said.

'This is a classic case of domestic terrorism,' Hartunian said after Crawford's sentencing by U.S. District Judge Gary L. Sharpe.

Glendon Scott Crawford, seen here in 2013, has been sentenced to 30 years in jail for plotting to kill Muslims with a homemade death ray

Crawford planned to turn an industrial-grade X-ray machine into a remote-controlled death-ray gun, the court heard.

The gun would then be mounted inside a truck and driven to an area with a high population of Muslims.

The driver would park the truck and leave the scene, activating the ray gun via a remote control from about half a mile away.

Everyone near the truck would receive a lethal dose of radiation and die within two weeks of the attack.

The FBI say the device would have worked if they had not stopped him.

X-ray gun: Crawford's alleged plot involved remotely firing a death ray that would kill victims with radiation poisoning weeks later, a plot officials say may have worked

Investigators began tracking Crawford in 2012 after he approached two local Jewish groups with a proposal for destroying Israel's enemies.

Prosecutors said Crawford also sought support for the device in 2013 from a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard in North Carolina who was an FBI informant.

Co-defendant Eric Feight, of Hudson, pleaded guilty in 2014 to providing material support to terrorists. He admitted building a remote control for the X-ray device. Feight, a control systems engineer, was sentenced to eight years in prison a year ago.

Crawford, an industrial mechanic who worked with Feight at General Electric in Schenectady, was convicted of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and distributing information about weapons of mass destruction in August.

A jury that rejected his lawyer's argument that he was entrapped by the FBI.

Crawford, pictured in 2013, told the court he had 'feared for my nation's and my children's nation's future,' when trying to account for himself in court

Given an opportunity in court Monday to argue for a more lenient sentence, Crawford delivered a complicated statement about physics, his interpretation of legal statutes and criticism of his defense lawyer.

He insisted he never intended personally to use the device he was making, but only to provide 'technical assistance' for others to use it.

DEATH-RAY TERROR PLOT Crawford planned to turn an industrial-grade X-ray machine into a remote-controlled laser gun. The laser gun would be mounted in a truck and driven to an area near the intended victims. After parking the truck, the driver would leave the scene and activate the laser via a remote control from about half a mile away. Everyone near the truck would receive a lethal dose of radiation and die within two weeks of the attack. The FBI says the device would have worked if it had been completed. Advertisement

'I feared for my nation's and my children's nation's future,' Crawford said, launching into a criticism of U.S. immigration policy regarding Muslims before the judge cut him off.

'This conduct is bizarre,' Sharpe said. 'You are bizarre.'

FBI agents admit that when they first began investigating Crawford, they weren't even sure if he was serious - or even capable of it.

The agency were first alerted to Crawford's plot after he went into an Albany synagogue and 'asked to speak with a person who might be willing to help him with a type of technology that could be used by Israel to defeat its enemies, specifically, by killing Israel's enemies while they slept,' the complaint says.

During that conversation he referred to Muslims and enemies of the United States as 'medical waste,' according to court records.

Kathryn Laws, an administrative assistant at Congregation Gates of Heaven in Schenectady, with whom he spoke to about his offer, testified: 'He had a plan to help Jews get rid of their enemies. I told him we don't really have any direct contact with Israel.'

Plot: Glendon Crawford, who lived at this house in upstate New York, was arrested by the FBI in 2012

Members of the synagogue contacted law enforcement authorities, and the FBI began its undercover operation.

'His plot to murder people he did not know was designed to, in his oft-repeated words, 'take his country back' from government leaders by forcing them to change government conduct he perceived as favoring Muslims,' prosecutors wrote in a pre-sentencing court filing.

Crawford had also contacted European defense leagues with his idea.

Prosecutors presented secret audio and video recordings and wiretapped phone conversations with Crawford discussing supposed technical aspects of such a machine and making political observations.

He described himself as a member of conservative and religious groups, including his church, though his feelings about Islam cost him his position as a deacon.

Co-conspirator: Eric J. Feight pleaded guilty to domestic terrorism-related charges for agreeing to help Crawford build his gun and was jailed for eight years

'We all would like our country restored to what it was,' Crawford said in a recording. 'And the vast majority of Americans would, too.'

The FBI state that on June 5, 2012, Crawford met with their source at a Scotia restaurant and allegedly talked about his plan to construct a powerful industrial x-ray machine that would be powered by batteries.

'Crawford also told the (source) that the target of his radiation emitting device would be the Muslim community,' the complaint states. 'Crawford described the device's capabilities as 'Hiroshima on a light switch' and that 'everything with respiration would be dead by the morning.''

Crawford ended the meeting, telling the source 'how much sweeter could there be than a big stack of smelly bodies?'

At another point in the excerpted tapes, he said, 'So we can get rid of all the medical waste lying around the country.'

West testified that he understood that to mean, 'Killing Muslims.'
Blake Jefferson wailed in court as he faced a murder charge for stabbing his mother to death

A 22-year-old man sobbed in court as he was accused of stabbing his mother to death in a drug-fueled rampage at their home.

Police believe Blake Jefferson attacked his mother 48-year-old mother Dedre while she spoke on the phone to his grandmother at their house in Houston, Texas, on Friday.

He is accused of stabbing her repeatedly then leaving her body in their garage while he hid in a neighbor's closet until police arrived.

Harris County Sheriff's Office say the man had been taking drugs and was suffering mental health issues at the time of the alleged attack.

The University of Texas graduate had visited a pastor earlier in the day to tell him he was having 'spiritual visions'.

Shortly before 2am on Friday morning, Ms Jefferson, a beloved local teacher, phoned her mother to tell her she was concerned about her son's behavior, Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

'Shortly before 2:00 A.M. Dedre called her mother and told her that Blake was acting strangely and asked for her assistance.

'During the phone call, Dedre started screaming that Blake was stabbing her and the phone disconnected. Deputies arrived on the scene and discovered Dedre stabbed to death in the garage.'

Blake broke in to a neighbor's home to hide in the closet immediately afterwards.

The neighbor phoned police around 10 minutes after his grandmother's report to say he was hiding in their home.

He was taken to hospital to be treated for a suspected drug overdose.

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The 22-year-old is accused of repeatedly stabbing his mother in the early hours of Friday morning. He was remanded in custody in Houston, Texas, on Monday (above)

Police say Jefferson stabbed his mother Dedre (above together) several times then left her body in their garage while he hid in a neighbor's closet

ABC reports that Jefferson's mother and grandmother were so concerned about his mental health they had booked him in to see a specialist on Monday.

He is feared to have taken his mother's prescription drugs before the alleged attack, the outlet claimed.

Before the attack in the early hours of Friday morning, Jefferson visited his local church but was restrained by security.

He tried to tell the pastor about religious 'visions' he had been having involving the numbers 7 and 3, KHOU reports.

'He had been having visions. He had been having communication he felt with The Lord.

'I felt that I should meet with him immediately,' Pastor Greg Patrick said.

Jefferson is charged with one count of murder and will reappear in court in February.

Other relatives attended his court hearing on Monday to support him.

Police taped off the family's garage on Friday morning after finding the teacher's body there (Above)
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A film buffs widow has put his remarkable collection of 230 quad movie posters up for sale for 65,000.

Brian OConnor collected them when he served in the Army in the 1950s and helped out at the forces cinema.

One of his jobs was to regularly change the posters in a display cabinet and he kept the ones he replaced.

After leaving the Army he volunteered at a cinema in his hometown of Folkestone, Kent, and continued collecting.

Now, following his death in May, his widow Liz is moving home and has reluctantly opted to part with the posters.

The star lot is a rare War of the Worlds British quad poster measuring 2ft 6in by 4ft 4in which could fetch 5,000

An iconic first release quad poster for James Bond's Dr No in 1962 is in the collection of posters and is valued at 5,000

The star lot is a rare War of the Worlds British quad poster measuring 2ft 6in by 4ft 4in which could fetch 5,000.

An iconic first release quad poster for James Bond's Dr No in 1962 is also in the collection and is valued at 5,000.

A poster for 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still is expected to sell for 2,000 at the auction on January 17.

And another piece of advertising material for the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet is said to be worth 3,000.

Mrs OConnor, a 67-year-old former civil servant, has decided to keep hold of six posters to share with the family.

These half a dozen include her own personal favourite, The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960).

Mrs OConnor has also decided to keep a poster of Walt Disneys Sleeping Beauty (1959) for her granddaughter.

She said her late husband, who died aged 77, was a first class hoarder.

A poster advertising Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which forms part of Brian O'Connor's impressive collection

A poster for 1951 movie The Day the Earth Stood Still is expected to sell for 2,000 at the auction on January 17

Mrs OConnor said: My husband had all those posters, film books going back to the 1920s and 4,000 DVDs. You name it, he collected it. He was a first class hoarder.

A 1963 poster of Brigitte Bardot in Le Mepris (Contempt)

He was a film fanatic from a very young age and would always go and see the Saturday morning film in Folkestone.

When he joined the army in the 1950s, he got involved with the SKC army cinema. One day he was asked to change a poster and he asked what he should do with it.

He was told to take it to the cupboard. When he opened the cupboard, he found it was full of posters.

The posters were supposed to be put back up when the film came around again but invariably they would send a new poster so the old ones would be discarded.

So (he) asked one day if he could take one or two home, and it carried on from there.

When he returned from the army he volunteered with local cinemas in Folkestone and throughout the 1950s and 1960s his collection grew and grew. He was done collecting well before we met and married in 1991.

Mrs OConnor encouraged her late husband, who also served as a police officer in Surrey and worked for his local council, to put some of his posters, which had been kept in the loft, on display.

She said: Before I met him he kept the posters folded up in the loft but I suggested he should lay them flat and bought him a frame so he could have one on display, which he would change when he fancied. He didnt have a favourite, but he loved war films and westerns.

Mr O'Connor (left, pictured with his granddaughter Asha), had an Odeon National Cinema Club card as a child (right)

More than half a century old: A piece of advertising material for the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet is said to be worth 3,000

Mrs OConnor said she is reluctant to part with her husbands prized posters but she is moving house and feels this is the right time to pass them on to another film-lover.

A poster for El Planeta Desconocido (Forbidden Planet)

She said: When Brian died, I decided I would move and as sad as it is to part with his posters it is good to sort his stuff out.

One of his friends, another collector, offered me 1,000 for the whole lot! I said no. In the end, I decided to put them up for auction.

The British cinema quadruple crown poster (quad) has been the standard since the late 1930s.

Due to their landscape orientation, artwork for every imported US film had to either be altered or recommissioned by British artists.

This led to new, often more exciting artwork than the original US design and as a result many British cinema quad posters have become highly sought after by collectors.

Chris Aston, of Dudley-based Astons Auctioneers which is auctioning off the poster, said: The War of the Worlds British quad poster is a super rare poster. The collector was just really into films - his whole house was devoted to it.

Only one War of the Worlds poster has gone on the market before now. It went up for auction at Christies and made a few thousand pounds in 1997.
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Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov's widow broke down in tears as her husband's body was returned to his homeland amid full military regalia after he was gunned down in Ankara on Monday.

His mother Maria also struggled to contain her grief as the coffin, covered with a Russian flag, was carried off the plane by soldiers in full uniform at the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow.

The ambassador's family were supported by Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, who also attended the military ceremony.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov's widow Marina (left), accompanied by his mother (centre), wept at the coffin of her husband after it was flown back to Moscow

Marina is pictured standing next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the ceremony at Vnukovo International Airport. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (left) is seen linking arms with Karlov's mother Maria (centre)

The body of Karlov was taken to Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow by a charter flight

Marina was accompanied by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as the body was carried off the plane

Widow Marina struggled to contain her grief as she attended the military ceremony in Moscow this evening

The body of Russia's Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was delivered to Vnukovo International Airport by a charter flight

Widow Marina was reported to have had a 'nervous breakdown' in the moments after he was assassinated in Ankara on Monday.

As Karlov was gunned down from behind by off-duty policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, Marina fell to the floor like others in the audience at the photographic exhibition.

She was rushed to hospital, and was accompanied by the embassy doctor and psychologists when she flew back to Moscow with her husband's remains.

Earlier today, Marina attended a memorial ceremony at Ankara airport before her husband's body was taken back to Russia.

Andrei Karlov's widow Marina and mother Maria broke down in tears at the coffin of Russian ambassador

Karlov's mother Maria, accompanied by Turkish foreign minister Cavusoglu, also broke down at the ceremony

Marina embraced her mother-in-law as they mourned the Russian ambassador after landing back in Moscow

Widow Marina was reported to have had a 'nervous breakdown' in the moments after her husband was assassinated in Ankara on Monday

Maria was comforted by Russian foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu during the military ceremony

Soldiers dressed in full regalia carried the coffin, which was draped with a Russian flag, off the plane in Moscow

Soldiers dressed in full military uniform lined up in a guard of honour, carrying flags and floral tributes

Marina and Maria walking down the steps of the chartered plane, accompanied by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov paid his respects at the ceremony in Moscow earlier this evening

The coffin was driven away in a hearse as soldiers watched on at the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow

Holding two red carnations, she wept as her husband's flag-draped coffin was carried by a Turkish honor guard.

Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes said Karlov had, 'become the eternal symbol of Turkish-Russian friendship.'

In a statement to the Turkish secret services, Marina recounted the horrific moment her husband was killed.

'I was lying on the floor along with the others. There were many people at the exhibition. All of us were shocked with what had happened.

Earlier in the day, Marina attended ceremony at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey

She lay her head on top of the flag-wrapped coffin as she paid her respects to her husband

Marina recounted the horrific moment her husband was killed in a statement to Turkish secret services

'I recovered only when we were already on the way to the hospital,' she said. 'I think my husband was already dead by then. He shot at him 11 times. We did not have any security guards at all.

'Only an interpreter accompanied us from time to time,' Marina revealed. 'When we came to the hospital, the mayor of Ankara came too, and people from Health Ministry.

'They talked together for a long time and later they said that my husband was dead. I was shocked. I immediately felt unwell.

'My husband did not do anything wrong, nobody even put any threats against him, I would have known. Well, many knew that we were going to attend that photo exhibition, this event was planned beforehand.'

Killer Altintas, pictured left, stood behind Ambassador Karlov, centre, as he began his speech before shooting him dead

Atlintas continued to shout in Turkish and Arabic as the victim lay dead at his feet at the art gallery

The killer is reported to have shouted: 'Allahu Akbar (God is Great). We die in Aleppo, you die here!'

Both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the attack a 'provocation' aimed at sabotaging ties that have been patched up since a furious dispute over Ankara's downing of a Russian jet in Syria in November 2015.

Putin also said that the killing in Ankara was designed to undermine efforts to find a settlement on the conflict in Syria that are currently being spearheaded by Russia and Turkey.

Earlier today, President Erdogan, who did not attend the memorial ceremony in Ankara, attended the opening of the Eurasian road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul.

Earlier today, President Erdogan ( pictured far left) attended the opening of the Eurasian road tunnel underneath the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul

At the ceremony, the Turkish president said: 'Subject us to as much terror as you want, bring in as many villains but you will never be able to divide this nation'

The opening ceremony, which brought together Turkey's entire ruling elite, went ahead as planned despite the shock assassination of the Russian ambassador.

At the ceremony, the President said: 'Subject us to as much terror as you want, bring in as many villains but you will never be able to divide this nation.'

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday blamed the group of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen for the assassination.

In an interview with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Cavusoglu said 'Turkey and Russia know that behind the attack... there is FETO,' it said, referring to Turkey's acronym for Gulen's organisation.

Gulen - an exile accused of orchestrating an abortive coup in Turkey in July - had earlier condemned the assassination as a 'terrorist act' that left him 'shocked and deeply saddened.'

Marina Karlova is pictured here next to her late husband Andrei Karlov

Marina Karlova (blond, in the middle) is seen distraught moments after attack on her husband

Meanwhile extraordinary pictures show the slain ambassador with the former ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, father of current leader Kim Jong-un.

Karlov senior was Russian ambassador to the repressive state from 2001 to 2006, and the couple's son Gennady is currently a diplomat in Pyongyang.

Journalist Olga Maltseva, from Vladivostok, saw the ambassador in Pyongyang at the tyrant's 60th birthday celebrations.

Karlov 'had a larger than life personality,' she said. 'He was a thorough, knowledgeable, and incredible smart person.

'It was under him that Russia made the strongest ties with the North Korea.'

Marina holding two red carnations broke down at her husband's coffin on Tuesday at an airport memorial in Ankara

The flag-wrapped coffin of late Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is carried to a plane during a ceremony at Esenboga airport in Ankara on Tuesday

Marina said she and her husband were provided with no security while at the gallery, and said they were only accompanied by a translator from 'time to time'

Flowers at the entrance to the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry building to pay tribute to the murdered Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov
Alan Knight, 51, stabbed David Bond 29 times with a kitchen knife at their home in in Worthing, West Sussex

A lodger who murdered his landlord after a row over cleaning complained about his 'waste of space' victim just minutes before he stabbed him to death.

Alan Knight, 51, fatally stabbed crane operator David Bond 29 times with a kitchen knife at their home in in Worthing, West Sussex.

Shortly before the brutal stabbing, he sent a text to a friend and said: 'He's just come back from the pub p***** up again... Not really sure I want any of this... Might start thinking of a different direction... It's his name on the house and he lords it up. I'll text you when he's asleep.'

At 7.16pm he texted the friend again saying: 'He wants me to move out by the end of the month because he's p*****... Shall I just kill him and you find me somewhere to duck till we get a plan... I'm serious ...Fat waste of space... I'll take his silly little van and dump it in London in the intrim period you do some home work... Not living like this anymore'.

Just hours after the killing the 51-year-old murderer sent images of the dead man slumped in a hallway, to a friend but then claimed he was 'only joking'.

Detectives believed Knight killed Mr Bond between 6pm and 8.15pm. The images of Mr Bond's dead body were sent over Whatsapp between 9.26pm and 10pm.

A lodger who murdered his landlord after a row over cleaning complained about his 'waste of space' victim just minutes before he stabbed him to death (pictured: a reconstruction of the text sent by Knight)

The pair had fallen out over the state of the house and the dirty microwave proved a tipping point, police said.

Officers who attended the scene found a note written by Knight, which read: 'I was gonna use the microwave which I hardley do maybey you could clean it so I can use it its disgusting.'

A court heard Knight argued with Mr Bond, who returned home from the pub after drinking with a friend, before knifing him at the home they shared.

After stabbing the 50-year-old to death, Knight took photos of his dead body and sent six images to the same friend he earlier sent text messages to over Whatsapp.

His friend responded, clearly not believing the images she had been sent were real, and messaged saying 'Just a wind up b******'.

Knight argued with Mr Bond (pictured) who returned home from the pub after drinking

Knight then replied: 'With my hand on my heart... I swear with all of me it's the truth.'

The next morning on Sunday August 7, Knight set out on a journey to Southend, Essex, to see the friend he had been messaging.

CCTV revealed he took Mr Bond's vehicle, a red Ford Fiesta van, and drove it to Hove, East Sussex, before 8am.

He withdrew 600 from a cashpoint before driving to the Mitcham area of London, where he abandoned the car and carried on the rest of his journey to Southend by train.

He stayed the night before travelling back to London. The following night he stayed at a hotel in Luton, and by the evening of August 9 he was in Bath having travelled via Nottingham and Cardiff.

The chilling message, later found by detectives, read: 'I was gonna use the microwave which I hardley do maybey you could clean it so I can use it its disgusting'

At 10.40am on August 9, his friend went to Southend Police Station to say she believed Knight had killed his landlord.

Just two hours later, police in Sussex were called to Mr Bond's address due to concerns for his welfare - where officers found his blood-soaked body with Knight's bike placed over him.

Knight ultimately handed himself into Fleetwood Police Station, near Blackpool, on August 12 having travelled up there for two nights.

He had inflicted wounds on himself and was rushed to hospital for treatment, before being arrested.

Knight ultimately handed himself into Fleetwood Police Station, near Blackpool, on August 12 having travelled up there for two nights

He admitted murder on November 4, and was today sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 and a half years at Hove Crown Court, East Sussex.

A court heard the pair knew each other through the construction industry and had lived together for six months.

Judge Christine Laing QC told Knight: 'You say that he was abusive and belittling, but even if that is correct I'm at a loss to understand why you didn't just move out.

'The killing was premeditated. You intended to kill him as shown by the text messages and you subjected him to the indignity of suffering the effects of the wounds you inflicted.'

Mr Bond's family today paid tribute to him - saying his caring nature ultimately caused his untimely death.

His stepfather Sonny Manly-Rollings said: 'David was a caring loving son and father to his two sons David junior and Christopher.

'Out of no reason, his life was taken away cruelly. His mother will miss him very dearly as will I.

'David was so kind and his caring nature brought his downfall and caused his death'.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Tanya Jones, of Sussex Police, said: 'This was a cold and calculated crime which Knight had thought about carrying out and which he executed with absolute clarity.

'Knight knew exactly what he was doing and confessed he made a conscious effort to evade police in the days after murdering David.

'Knight confessed they fell out over the cleanliness of the house and the tipping point was the microwave.
A neglected and starving dog who was allegedly abandoned by a pet sitter received an outpouring of support from well wishers who donated more than $15,000.

Lucky, an adult boxer mix, was a healthy 50 pounds when he was taken in last month by a pet sitter who agreed to foster him, according to Justine Stinnett, a pet rescue advocate in Cobb County, Georgia.

When the woman stopped returning her messages, Stinnett said she grew increasingly suspicious and eventually showed up at her home to discover she had 'moved away and left him to die'.

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Lucky, an adult boxer mix, was found with its bones jutting out after a pet sitter who agreed to foster him 'moved away and left him to die', according to Justine Stinnett

Stinnett, a local pet advocate who is involved with rescue organizations, said she dropped Lucky off at the woman's home in Smyrna on November 11 after she agreed to foster the dog

Stinnett said Lucky was a healthy 50 pounds when she handed him off to the woman (left). After she grew suspicious of the woman, she found Lucky who was emaciated (right)

Stinnett, who is involved with dog rescue organizations in the area, said she dropped Lucky off at the woman's home in Smyrna on November 11 thinking the boxer mix would be in good hands.

Stinnett had a number of mutual friends with the woman, who was a local pet sitter and 'animal advocate', she said.

Stinnett said the woman initially sent her several messages assuring her that Lucky was doing well, and even went so far as to say she wanted to adopt the dog herself.

Weeks later, Stinnett discovered that Lucky had missed a vet appointment, and she said her repeated attempts to track down the pet sitter were thwarted.

Stinnett wrote on Facebook: 'After missing his vet appointment I grew very concerned and suspicious. Nothing she said added up.

'When I was finally able to get him back I was in shock. After only a few weeks in her care he was almost dead. Skin and bones,' Stinnett added.

The dog was taken to Woodland Animal Hospital, and doctors said he must have been starved for weeks to lose 20 pounds

She posted a harrowing video of her discovery and photographs show Lucky's bones jutting out of its emaciated frame.

The dog was taken to Woodland Animal Hospital, and doctors said he must have been starved for weeks to lose 20 pounds, according to WSBTV and NBC.

Lucky is expected to make a full recovery, and a fundraising effort to cover the dog's medical expenses has raised more than $15,000.

A blind American bulldog mix named Simpson was also found at the home in Smyrna.

The Cobb County Animal Control has launched an investigation, and no charges have been filed at this time.
A person in Seven West Media's management allegedly told the ex-mistress of CEO Tim Worner that she would forever be known as Australia's 'Monica Lewinsky' if she spoke out about their drug-fuelled affair.

Former Seven personal assistant Amber Harrison, 37, claims that their 'secret love' started in 2012 after she began exchanging sordid text messages with the married chief executive and they began meeting up for sex at her Sydney apartment.

According to the Herald Sun, Ms Harrison filed a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission claiming that the Seven manager had threatened her in 2014.

'Do you really want to be that girl and have this all come out in public? Monica Lewinsky has never recovered from her dalliance with Bill Clinton,' the manager allegedly said.

Amber Harrison, 37, (left) said the 'secret love' started in 2012 after she began exchanging text messages with married Seven West Media chief executive Tim Worner (right)

Ms Harrison claims a Seven manager told her she would forever be known as Australia's 'Monica Lewinsky' (pictured with Bill Clinton) if she spoke out about her drug-fuelled affair

'You are just some girl who slept with a guy at work. This isn't worth more than what we are offering you,' the manager allegedly continued.

'You let a guy use you for sex for two years. That is what everyone is going to say about you if this gets out.'

According to Ms Harrison, the manager then allegedly drew comparisons between her and former David Jones junior publicist Kristy Kirk-Fraser, who settled a sexual harassment case against the department store's former head Mark McInnes in 2010.

The person in Seven management allegedly told her she would be like Ms Kirk-Fraser and might 'never work again' if she refused to accept a $100,000 settlement.

Monica Lewinsky was a White House intern who admitted to having an affair with then-US President Bill Clinton between 1995 and 1996, when she was 22 and he was 49.

Mr Clinton denied having a sexual relationship with Ms Lewinsky but admitted to sharing an 'improper' relationship with her in a television conference in 1998.

Mr Worner (pictured with his wife Katrina) is married with four children and lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches

On Monday, Seven West Media's Board of Directors held an emergency meeting to discuss the swirling allegations surrounding the network's Chief Executive Officer.

According to the Daily Telegraph, all ten directors - including billionaire company owner Kerry Stokes, iiNet founder Michael Malone and former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett - were all present or connected via Skype for the meeting.

The publication cited insiders who explained that the board directed just two questions to Mr Worner, firstly asking him whether there were 'any other' relationships, and secondly whether he had ever done drugs while at work.

It's believed Mr Worner answered both questions with a firm 'no.'

Ms Harrison (pictured, left) claims a person in Seven West Media's management told her she might 'never work again' if she refused to accept a $100,000 settlement to stay quiet

Ms Harrison was allegedly compared to Monica Lewinsky (pictured centre left with then-President Bill Clinton) by a person in Seven management

In a statement to the media on Sunday, Ms Harrison claimed she begged to Mr Worner for her to 'be fired' after suffering regular panic attacks, but he instead visited her during sick leave to have sex with her 'seven times'.

After she told him she has 'no idea what to say,' Mr Worner allegedly responded: 'I want to f*** you so badly and I want you to deal with my super hard c**k'.

In 2013, the pair allegedly began using cocaine to 'enhance their sexual experiences'.

'I think my performance was drug assisted,' Mr Worner allegedly said.

Ms Harrison claims Mr Worner sent her a text message asking her if she wanted to 'go dirtier' and was 'slightly scared'.

'You are f (sic) hot so I will take the chance,' he allegedly wrote.

In a statement to the media on Sunday, Ms Harrison claimed she begged Mr Worner to 'be fired' after suffering regular panic attacks, but he instead visited her during sick leave to have sex with her 'seven times'

Monica Lewinsky (pictured) was a White House intern who admitted to having an affair with then-US President Bill Clinton between 1995 and 1996

The former personal assistant claims the couple were still sending lewd text messages to each other six months later.

'I love being with you. Too much. Too sexy,' Mr Worner allegedly told the 37-year-old in March 2014.

On March 24, 2014, Ms Harrison claims Mr Worner told her he wanted to 'f*** her like a wild man'.

The former executive assistant was also treated to a romantic weekend in Melbourne with Mr Worner during the 2014 Australian Open.

'I knew he was married. It was never about love. It was about sex and power,' Ms Harrison said in a statement.

After the sordid affair started to take its toll, Ms Harrison claims she begged Mr Worner to be fired as the relationship was 'killing her'. A recreation of the text message is pictured

Ms Harrison claims Mr Worner sent her a text message asking her if she wanted to 'go dirtier' and was 'slightly scared'. A re-creation of the text message is pictured

After the sordid affair started to take its toll, Ms Harrison claims she begged Mr Worner to be fired as the relationship was 'killing her'.

Mr Worner allegedly told her she had a 'huge future' at Seven and visited her a number of times while she was on sick leave to 'have sex with her'.

Ms Harrison said the couple had intercourse for the last time in June 2013 and the affair ended after she discovered he was allegedly sleeping with other women previously and currently employed by the Seven network.

In a separate complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission, Ms Harrison reportedly said Mr Worner's other affairs included a television presenter and a well-known actress, The Herald Sun reported.

But on Monday, Seven West Media denied the allegations Mr Worner had affairs with any women other than Ms Harrison and say her claims 'contain wide-ranging inaccuracies'.

'Seven agrees that the inappropriate consensual sexual relationship made public by Ms Harrison is deeply regrettable,' the statement read.

In a statement, the embattled Mr Worner apologised for his actions and said he was filled with 'the deepest regret and shame'

The statement did not refer to Mr Worner's alleged drug use, with the network refusing to make any comment.

In the same statement, the embattled Mr Worner apologised for his actions and said he was filled with 'the deepest regret and shame'.

Ms Harrison claims she was made redundant by the network in November 2014 after she was investigated for the misuse of a company credit card.

She said she was paid $100,000 in a settlement and claims the company agreed to pay her a further $350,000 after being made redundant, but never did.

On Monday the company's share prices dropped $98 million in the wake of the saga, but Seven's board and boss Kerry Stokes said Mr Worner's job as chief executive was safe.
The morning after his White House victory was affirmed by the Electoral College, Donald Trump began his day by taking on his Democratic rival's spouse, lashing out at Bill Clinton.

'Bill Clinton stated that I called him after the election. Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations). He "doesn't know much" ...,' Trump wrote, continuing in a second tweet, 'especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states ( and more).'

'They focused on wrong states,' the president-elect added.

Comments Bill Clinton made at a small town New York bookstore had reverberated through the political world as electors spent yesterday casting their votes.

The ex-president, taking questions from patrons as he shopped, said he received a phone call from Trump the day after the election, characterizing the conversation as cordial.

After seeing Trump's tweets Tuesday morning, Clinton revised his statement using his Twitter account Tuesday afternoon.

'Heres one thing @RealDonaldTrump and I can agree on  I called him after the election,' Clinton wrote.

A shopper had also asked the Democrat if he thought Trump was smart.

'He doesn't know much,' Clinton replied. 'One thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him.'

That comment, the ex-president didn't take back.

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Good morning Twitter! Donald Trump started his day lashing out at Bill Clinton, who recently said that Trump had called him the day after the election and told bookstore patrons that the president-elect '[didn't] know much'

A NEW FEUD: Donald Trump's (left) Electoral College victory lap began Tuesday morning with a Twitter tell-off of former President Bill Clinton (right)

By Tuesday afternoon, former President Bill Clinton had revised statements he said in a local bookstore, verifying that he indeed placed a call to Donald Trump after the election

Clinton's comments trickled into the news cycle after being reported by a writer from the Record-Review, a weekly newspaper that covers the small towns of Bedford and Pound Ridge, New York  communities close to the Clintons' Chappaqua.

Politico uploaded photos of the newspaper's print edition, as the editorial wasn't published online.

The author of the column had merely been book shopping with his wife.

He ran into a man with 'short, white hair and reading glasses propped on the bridge of his notes' whose 'unmistakable voice from Hope, Arkansas, was the giveaway.'

During the Q&A session, Clinton pointed a finger at FBI Director James Comey for his wife's election loss.

'James Comey cost her the election,' Clinton announced.

Bill Clinton, seen watching his wife concede on Nov. 9, took questions about the election from patrons in a small town New York bookstore

Bill Clinton, photographed during his wife's concession speech, said Donald Trump called him that day and said, 'She was tougher than I thought she'd be'

'He doesn't know much,' Bill Clinton said of President-elect Donald Trump (left), while the 42nd president blamed FBI Director James Comey (right) for Hillary Clinton's loss

Sounding like his wife and her campaign chairman John Podesta, both of whom have placed blame on the FBI head, Clinton explained that the letter he sent to Congress less than two weeks before the election did irreparable damage.

'We were up seven points,' Clinton noted.

The caveat that no further evidence of illegal activities had been found was also lost on the public, the former president pointed out.

With his bookstore session coming on the heels of U.S. intelligence officials saying Russia was deliberately trying to sway the election for Trump, Clinton was asked by another shopper if this revelation surprised him.

It didn't.

'You would need to have an single-digit IQ not to recognize what was going on,' Clinton replied.

Of that phone conversation with Trump, who says it was Clinton-initiated, the Democrat said the president-elect acted like 'it was 15 years ago' back when the Clintons and the Trumps were still socializing.

The Clintons famously attended Trump's 2005 wedding to Melania.

Trump also said of Hillary Clinton, 'She was tougher than I thought she'd be,' reported Bill Clinton.

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, though Trump won the Electoral College.

Bill Clinton couldn't help but mock Trump for calling his win a 'landslide.'

'Landslide?' Clinton mused. 'I got something like 370 electoral votes. That was a landslide.'

Clinton correctly cited the number that he won during the 1992 election against incumbent President George H.W. Bush.

He performed even better in 1996 against Republican Sen. Bob Dole, receiving 379 electoral votes.

His wife, on the other hand, received far fewer.

She got 227 to Trump's 304.

After passing the important marker of 270, which means he had officially clinched his win, Trump once again boasted about his performance.

'Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy,' he said in a statement to reporters. 'I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States.'

'The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media,' he added.

He also took to Twitter to confirm his victory, writing: 'We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media).'

As far as what's next for Hillary Clinton, her husband ruled out one high-profile government job.

One of the customers asked if President Barack Obama could use a recess appointment and put her on the Supreme Court.

After acknowledging that President Dwight D. Eisenhower did such a thing, Bill Clinton suggested it wasn't in the cards.
President-elect Donald Trump broke bread with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim over a meal at Mar-a-Lago  then pronounced after feuding with one of the world's richest men that Slim was a 'great businessman' and a 'GREAT GUY!'

Trump described the weekend meeting with Slim as a 'lovely dinner,' while Slim's side said the tete-a-tete left a 'very positive taste' in Slim's mouth.

Trump tweeted about the encounter on Tuesday afternoon, after the Washington Post, giving a new level of prominence to a potential thaw.

'Yes, it is true - Carlos Slim, the great businessman from Mexico, called me about getting together for a meeting. We met, HE IS A GREAT GUY!' Trump wrote.

Trump earlier called the meeting, which was reported by The Washington Post, 'a lovely dinner with a wonderful man.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim met with President-elect Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club this weekend, it was revealed

The mogul meeting was not revealed by Trump's transition, which otherwise lists Trump's sit-downs with less well-known figures, such as today's Trump meetings with Jovita Caranzana, a former deputy Small Business Administration administrator and Dr. Toby Cosgrove, head of the Cleveland Clinic.

Slim's son-in-law Arturo Elias confirmed the report and called the meeting 'very cordial and with a very good vibe for Mexico.'

Slim 'was left with a very positive taste in his mouth regarding the relationship with Mexico,' Elias said, Reuters reported. He said Trump had issued the invitation.

Trump and Slim weren't always on such cordial terms during the campaign. After the New York Times published stories about women who alleged Trump made unwanted advances toward them, he went after Slim and the paper, though not with the same force he reserves for other adversaries.

'The largest shareholder in the Times is Carlos Slim. Now Carlos Slim, as you know, comes from Mexico," Trump said during the campaign. 'He's given many millions of dollars to the Clintons and their initiative. So Carlos Slim, largest donor of the paper, from Mexico,' Trump said.

Trump tweeted about the meal with 'great businessman' Carlos Slim on Tuesday

'Do not worry. We are going to build the wall,' Trump told a crowd in Alabama Saturday

In June of 2015, a TV company controlled by Slim became one of the first to break away from Trump after he launched his campaign with comments about Mexican 'rapists' and began touting his plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.

The production company Ora TV, founded by Slim and TV host Larry King, nixed a program it was working on with some of Trump's companies, Elias said at the time.

'His statement was totally out of line...working with someone so closed-minded was not going to work,' said Elias said, calling Trump's comments were racist.

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski helped arrange the meeting with stealthy trips to Mexico City in early December, the Post reported.

Forbes lists Slim's wealth as $49 billion, and says he was hit hard by Trump's election, having lost $5 billion in net worth during just four days after Trump's win.

Of particular interest is how Trump will handle NAFTA, after pledging to scrap the trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Carlos Slim ''was left with a very positive taste in his mouth regarding the relationship with Mexico,' his son in law said after the meeting with President-elect Donald Trump

Trump continues to vet possible candidates to be the U.S. Trade Representative, and has put officials who favor protectionist measures on the initial teams that work with the agency.

Trump hasn't sent many signals since the election about how he plans to implement his promises to cut back immigration and require people who came here illegally to leave the country.
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Former reality show contestant Lisa Marie Naegle, 36, has been reported missing after she never came home from a birthday party

A former bridal reality show contestant has been reported missing after she attended a birthday party over the weekend and never came home.

Lisa Marie Naegle, who competed on the E! show Bridalplasty, was at a party at the Alpine Village Restaurant in Torrance, California on Saturday night.

The 36-year-old nurse texted her husband Derek Harryman around 2.45am to let him know she was grabbing food and then coming home.

Two days have passed since that last text and Harryman hasn't heard a word from his wife.

'Everyone is beyond frustrated, beyond worried,' Harryman told the Orange County Register. 'I'm flipping out.'

'We are trying to have a baby. We are looking forward to starting a family.'

Harryman, who is a vessel operations superintendent at the Port of Los Angeles, was at work when Naegle told him she was headed to the party with her brother.

Naegle had only planned to stay for a few hours because she was scheduled to teach nursing classes at West Los Angeles College on Sunday.

But when Harryman returned from work at 2am on Sunday, he saw that his wife still wasn't home.

He said Naegle called her a minute or two later.

'She sounded really, really drunk,' he said. 'She said, "I'm going to get some food and then I'll be home.'"

Harryman expected Naegle would come home with an Uber car, saying she often uses the app and the same driver to get home.

Naegle was nowhere to be found when Harryman woke up the next morning, but he believed she must have just stayed with her brother and gone straight to work.

Naegle came in fourth place on the E! reality show Bridalplasty, where women compete for a dream wedding and plastic surgery, in 2010

Naegle, a registered nurse, had called her husband Derek Harryman around 2.45am on Sunday morning to say she was getting food and coming home - but never returned

Then Harryman found out that Naegle hadn't gone to the party with her brother, Rafael Chavez, but a male nursing student who had picked her up.

The student, a friend of Naegle's, had told Harryman his wife had wanted to go to an after-party. He said he did not stay with her and went home alone.

After talking to the student, Harryman texted his wife: 'You didn't come home last night. This is unacceptable. You must be feeling horrible because you have to teach.'

But then Harryman received a call notifying him that Naegle had never showed up to her class. That's when he and Chavez went to the police and reported her missing.

On Monday Naegle's family invited the nursing student to their home. They said his story began to change as they asked him questions, and they called police.

Harryman posted this image on Facebook, which he says is surveillance footage of Naegle when she was last seen at the party around 2.15am

Video footage from Alpine Village was discovered showing Naegle getting into a black SUV

The student, whose name has not been released, is now being questioned as a person of interest, according to KTLA.

An image from a surveillance camera has since been posted on the Finding Lisa Marie Naegle Facebook page that shows Naegle at the party around 2.15am.

Harryman also told KTLA that video footage from Alpine Village had been discovered showing Naegle getting into a black SUV.

Danielle Naegle-Kaimoana said her sister's disappearance is completely out of character.

'Lisa loves her family, Lisa loves her husband, Lisa checks in,' Naegle-Kaimoana said.

'And she didn't check in with us.'

Naegle finished fourth on Bridalplasty, a 2010 reality show about a group of women who moved into a mansion to compete for a dream wedding and plastic surgery.

This missing poster was released after Harryman reported Naegle missing on Sunday
Both births will likely be featured on the third season of Jill and Jessa's reality show Counting On

born just a few months after Israel, Spurgeon, and is expecting her second child in February

Her sister Jessa also has a 1-year-old son who was

Jill, 25, has been vocal about her desire to have another child or adopt one so that Israel could have a sibling

in June 2014 and Jill gave birth to son Israel in April 2015

responded by posting a Pro-Life meme which he then deleted and replaced with another that stated: 'Abortion = murder = sin'

The Duggar family got the best present of all this holiday season with daughter Jill announcing that she and her husband Derick are pregnant.

'Words can not describe how excited we all are that God has blessed us with another precious gift!' wrote the couple on their website Tuesday.

'We are eager for another sweet Dillard baby to join our lives, and we know Israel will be a great big brother.'

They also posted a photo standing with their son Israel who held up a sign reading: 'I'm being promoted to big brother.'

Derick joked about the post on his Twitter account, writing that there was some exciting news to share' before stating: 'If you guessed we're getting a new puppy, then guess again!'

His tweets after that were not so jovial though, including one in which he shared his excitement and wrote about how 'blessed' he was but then included an image that showed the outline of a pregnant woman's body.

An arrow pointing to the fetus drawn on the body read, 'Someone else's body. And underneath the woman it said 'NOT your body.'

That tweet was quickly deleted however and replaced with one that had the same image but no mention of Derick's baby joy.

'You shall not murder,' it said up top, attributing the quote to Exodus 20:13. Then beneath that line it read: 'Abortion = murder = sin'

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Baby news: Jill and Derick Dillard are expecting a second child this July they announced on Tuesday (couple's baby announcement with son Israel above)

It's a child...: Derick, like the Duggar family, is a very vocal supporter of the Pro-Life movement, and tweeted the above meme after announcing his baby news

Replacement: Derick then deleted his first tweet and replaced it with another that stated: 'Abortion = murder = sin'

The couple married in June 2014 and welcomed son Israel in April of the following year.

In the most recent season of her TLC reality show Counting On, 25-year-old Jill spoke about her desire to have another child so that Israel could have a brother or sister.

Soon after giving birth to Israel however the family traveled to Central and South America for a year to do missionary work.

That proved to be a less than ideal place to get pregnant for the reality star, who was not only away from her siblings and parents but also in a Zika hotspot.

Jill's sister Jessa, 24, is also pregnant with her second child, and expected to give birth in February.

Jessa and husband Ben Seewald gave birth to their son Spurgeon in November of last year, almost one year to the date of their wedding anniversary.

News of that pregnancy came just nine months after Jessa gave birth to Spurgeon.

And there could be more pregnancy and wedding news for the Duggar family in the near future.

Baby boy: The couple married in June 2014 and Jill gave birth to son Israel in April 2015 (Derick, Jill and Israel at a friend's wedding in November)

Almost there: Jessa is expecting her second child in February of next year (on left while 31 weeks pregnant with Spuregeon in 2015, at right 31 weeks pregnant with her new child

Daughter Jinger wed soccer-player-turn-pastor Jeremy Vuolo in November, and could be looking to start a family.

And daughter Joy-Anna announced in November that she had made the decision to enter into a courtship with her friend of 15 years, Austin Forsyth.

Duggar births and weddings have both proven to be huge hits with viewers.

Jinger's November nuptials marked the fourth time TLC had aired a Duggar wedding special, with the first three all delivering huge numbers for the network.

This latest special kept that trend going, with 2.3million viewers tuning in, the biggest audience the show has had since its premiere this past March.

It was not however able to surpass the 4.4million viewers who watched Jill Duggar and Derrick Dillard say 'I do' back in 2014.

That is still the most watched episode of any Duggar reality program, and a number which will likely be hard for the family to ever top.

Rumors began to swirl back in August that Jill might be pregnant after she and Derick made the decision to leave South America and move back home to Arkansas.

What's more, Duggar matriarch Michelle never went more than two years without giving birth between 1988 when son Josh was born and 2009 when she delivered daughter Josie.

More joy: Jessa also has a 1-year-old son who was born just a few months after Israel, Spurgeon (above with husband Ben and Spurgeon)

Duggar wedding?: Joy-Anna announced in November that she had made the decision to enter into a courtship with her friend of 15 years, Austin Forsyth (couple above)

Morw kids: Daughter Jinger wed soccer-player-turn-pastor Jeremy Vuolo in November (above), and could be looking to start a family

The Duggar family's penchant for procreation was a frequent topic of discussion on their former TLC show, the aptly titled 19 Kids and Counting.

Oldest son Josh and his wife Anna also have four children.

The youngest of the couple's four children, Meredith Grace, was born in July of last year, two months after it was revealed that Josh had molested five minors when he was a teenager.

Two months after Meredith's birth, Josh flew off to Illinois and checked into a faith-based rehab program when it was revealed he had an account on the adult cheating website Ashley Madison and one woman alleged that he paid her for sex.

In his absence Anna raised the children and began spending more time with Jessa and Jill while filming the family's new TLC show Counting On.

That show began as a three-part special in which Jessa and Jill were the focus, and it premiered just a few months after the two revealed that they were victims of Josh's molestation.

Josh also molested two more of his female siblings when they were minors and a young family friend.

Those three women have not spoken publicly about the incidents.
The number of quango bosses earning more than the PM has soared by 40 per cent with salaries reaching up to 750,000.

Some 58 chief executives were being paid more than 150,000 this year - up from 42 in 2015, according to details released by the government.

Many appear to have seen their remuneration increase sharply. The top paid this year was HS2 chief Simon Kirby, who was on 750,000 - around seven times the premier's salary.

The top paid this year was HS2 chief Simon Kirby, who was on 750,000 - around seven times the premier's salary. He resigned from the job in September to join Rolls-Royce.

The Cabinet Office report showed the number of quangos had fallen to 463 this year - down from 468 in 2015. But salaries for the most senior officials appear to have been rising

He resigned from the job in September to join Rolls-Royce.

Nuclear Decommissioning authority chief executive John Clarke's pay increased from 573,484 to 593,584.

National Savings & Investments boss Jane Platt was on 270,000, up from 220,000.

HM Courts & Tribunals service Natalie Ceeney 250,000, compared to 180,000 - although it is not clear whether the 2015 figure included pension contributions.

David Cameron pledged a 'bonfire of the quangos' when he entered Downing Street in 2010, complaining that it was ridiculous there were 900 separate bodies.

The report, published by the Cabinet Office on the last day before the Commons goes on its Christmas break, showed the number had fallen to 463 this year - down from 468 in 2015.

Jim Mackey of health watchdog Monitor was on a salary of 234,000. John Clarke of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was earning 594,000

David Cameron pledged a 'bonfire of the quangos' when he entered Downing Street in 2010, complaining that it was ridiculous there were 900 separate bodies

Jane Platt was being paid 270,000 as boss of National Savings and Investments, up from 220,000 in 2015. Chief Executive of Public Health Duncan Selbie was paid 229,000

The department said its actions in merging and abolishing quangos had cut costs by 3billion.

But the latest information suggests salaries for the most senior officials have been rising.

TOP 10 QUANGO EARNERS IN 2016 Simon Kirby High Speed 2 Ltd 750,000 John Clarke Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 594,000 Jane Platt National Savings and Investments 270,000 (up from 220,000 in 2015) Natalie Ceeney HM Courts and Tribunals Service 250,000 Andy Samuel Oil and Gas Authority 250,000 Jim Mackey Monitor 234,000 Madeleine Atkins Higher Education Funding Council for England 230,000 Lesley Titcomb Pensions Regulator 230,000 Duncan Selbie Public Health England 229,000 Lynne Owens National Crime Agency 220,000 Advertisement

Dawn Austwick at the Big Lottery Fund was listed as having a total remuneration package of 215,000 including bonus and pension - slightly up on the previous year.

The chief executive of the Science Museum Group, Ian Blatchford, was on 165,000.

The chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) Lord Deben is being paid 1,000 a day - while Alison Evans, chair of the Independent Commission for Aid gets 548 a day.

The figures show Marcine Waterman, boss of the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO), which monitors government procurement, was earning 142,000 this year. She also had a potential 17,500 performance-related bonus.

She was appointed to the post after being axed from the Audit Commission when it closed with a pay-off of nearly 250,000.

Overall the number of public bodies fell from 468 in 2015 to 463 this year.

Cabinet Office minister Ben Gummer said: 'Over the last Parliament the Governments overall reform programme reduced the cost of administering public bodies by 3 billion.

'This is a fantastic achievement but we recognise that there is more to do.

'Working in partnership with departments and public bodies, we will deliver a more cost-effective, transparent and simplified landscape that is better able to meet the needs of the people it serves.'

Harry Davis, Campaign Manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance: 'Savings need to be made across the public sector and that means taking a long hard look as to whether taxpayers are getting value for money from those receiving bumper quango pay packets.

'Some of these positions might be important but it is very difficult to judge with so little accountability and transparency available to the public.

'Hard-pressed families expect their money to pay for essential services, not to be squandered on the quangocrat gravy train.'

Dr Andy Samuel of the Oil and Gas Authority had a salary of 250,000. Natalie Ceeney HM Courts and Tribunals Service was on the same pay
A number of musicians whose names have been floated for the inaugural have since said they will not perform, including Garth Brooks and Andrea Bocelli

While four years ago Kesha played at the same fundraiser, the Recording Industry Association of America has country group Big & Rich at an event

Veterans will be saluted by the rock super group Kings of Chaos and also by Blues Traveler's John Popper and Sam & Dave's Sam Moore

However, Politico reported some musical acts that plan to perform at surrounding inaugural events

Very few details have come out about Donald Trump 's official inaugural

Beyond an artist being picked to sing the national anthem at the swearing-in ceremony  16-year-old Jackie Evancho  few details have been confirmed about Donald Trump's inauguration next month.

While the names of those who might be performing at the official inaugural balls remain hush hush, details about peripheral events are beginning to trickle out.

Veterans will be toasted in a number of ways, with Politico writing this morning that the rock super group Kings of Chaos is slated to perform at the 'Rock and Roll Salute to the Armed Services Heroes Ball IV,' which includes an after party with Sam Moore of the R&B duo Sam & Dave and John Popper, the frontman of Blues Traveler.

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Members of the rock super group Kings of Chaos will play at a veterans inaugural ball, held outside the official Presidential Inaugural Committee events

Sam Moore, the R&B singer who was part of the duo Sam & Dave is expected to play at an after party saluting veterans, as part of the broader inaugural festivities

Country acts are expected to be front and center at this year's inaugural, with the group Big & Rich tapped to play a Musicians on Call fundraiser at the 930 Club hosted by the Recording Industry Association of America

The Recording Industry Association of America is hosting a nighttime event on January 20, a Musicians on Call fundraiser at the popular D.C. music venue the 930 Club, where country music act Big & Rich will perform.

These initial names come as no surprise as Trump's team and other organizers try to wrangle in big name acts for a candidate who was largely criticized by Hollywood and many in the popular music scene.

Kings of Chaos, often made up of the members of Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Def Leppard, Deep Purple and Aerosmith, follows in the footsteps of another rock super group, Camp Freddy, which happily played at the Republican National Convention in 2012.

Camp Freddy played at the Democratic National Convention in 2012 as well.

That same year, Popper, who's closely identified with libertarian politics, was a surprise guest at a giant Ron Paul rally, put on in Tampa the day before the RNC kicked off in the Florida city.

Four years later, Popper sat with the Connecticut delegation at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and played a show at the local House of Blues one of the nights.

John Popper's performance at an inaugural event shouldn't be surprising as he's shown up at GOP events for years, including this Ron Paul rally in Tampa, Florida in 2012, which took place as the Republican National Convention was kicking off

Moore, for his part, is one of the few artists to ever send a cease and desist to a Democratic candidate for playing a song.

In 2008 he asked then Sen. Barack Obama to stop playing 'Hold On, I'm Comin' at campaign rallies.

That didn't stop Moore from performing alongside Sting and Elvis Costello at an inaugural event in 2009, to celebrate the incoming Democratic president, according to Rolling Stone's account.

The RIAA's choice in Big & Rich showcases what's likely to be a trend throughout the inaugural weekend: a switch from pop to country.

Four years ago, at the same party, pop star Kesha appeared.

Other performers' names who have been floated include Kid Rock, who has also played at the RNC, and Garth Brooks, who told TMZ's cameras he would be up for it.

Another trend that has been developing is that as soon as a performer's name has been reported, the individual has turned around and said that's not the case.

A source told TheWrap that after Brooks' initial comments, he now plans to sit the inauguration out.

Tenor Andrea Bocelli, whose name was also floated, decided against the move because of social media backlash.

Four years ago, the Musicians on Call fundraiser was headlined by pop star Kesha (pictured), now a more Republican-friendly country act will perform

While rumored performers Garth Brooks and Andrea Bocelli will be sitting the inaugural out, 16-year-old Jackie Evancho confirmed she's been tapped to sing the national anthem

'Bocelli said there was no way hed take the gig . . . he was "getting too much heat" and he said no,' a source told Page Six.

Producer David Foster, who was briefly linked to the inauguration, snuffed out that idea too.

'I was invited to participate and I politely declined,' Foster told People magazine. 'I have no idea where this story came from.'

TheWrap also reported that members of the Presidential Inaugural Committee were practically begging big stars, like Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars, to come to Washington to perform.

The spokesman for the committee quickly pushed back on that report.

'No one with any official position at, or official relationship with, the Presidential Inaugural Committee, is engaging in the conduct described,' said spokesman Boris Epshteyn.

That didn't stop Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway from having a good time with the news.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is telling his employees why he joined a high-tech summit with President-elect Donald Trump last week, justifying his recent participation as an effort to be 'in the arena.'

Trump gathered some of the nation's top tech CEOs around a conference table at Trump Tower, using the opportunity to rib the execs and tout a stock boom when he said, 'So right now everybody in this room has to like me  at least a little bit.' Trump added: 'But we're going to try and have that bounce continue.'

Cook, who in photographs of the event had a serious expression on his face, provided a lengthy explanation of Apple's engagement in an internal company forum.

'You dont change things by just yelling,' he wrote, in comments reported by TechCrunch.

'You dont change things by just yelling,' Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in an internal company forum when asked about his recent meeting with President-elect Donald Trump

Cook ran through several of what he said were the company's top issues with government, then added: 'The way that you advance them is to engage.'

'Personally, Ive never found being on the sideline a successful place to be. The way that you influence these issues is to be in the arena.'

He made his comments in response to a query that only hinted at the question of whether to engage with Trump, something that a variety of CEOs in other sectors are grappling with.

Cook hosted a campaign fundraiser for Trump's defeated rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, in August, though he also hosted an event for Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan.

'Last week you joined other tech leaders to meet President-elect Donald Trump. How important is it for Apple to engage with governments?' was the question Cook responded to.

'We very much stand up for what we believe in. We think thats a key part of what Apple is about. And well continue to do so,' Cook wrote.

He then made the case for interfacing with 'governments' generally, using some of the same arguments U.S. officials make for engagement with China despite its spotty human rights record.

Trump, pictured with PayPal founder Peter Thiel and Cook, went after Apple during the campaign

Trump used the meeting to rib tech CEOs and point out the post-election stock market boom

'Governments can affect our ability to do what we do. They can affect it in positive ways and they can affect in not so positive ways. What we do is focus on the policies,' Cook wrote.

'Some of our key areas of focus are on privacy and security, education. Theyre on advocating for human rights for everyone, and expanding the definition of human rights. Theyre on the environment and really combating climate change, something we do by running our business on 100 percent renewable energy,' he wrote.

Trump has at times called climate change a 'hoax,' and civil libertarians have blasted his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

'We have other things that are more business-centric  like tax reform  and something weve long advocated for: a simple system. And wed like intellectual property reform to try to stop the people suing when they dont do anything as a company.'

Trump is also making tax reform a major priority. President Obama also has called for tax reform, though congressional Democrats fear reform legislation will be used to provide cover for major upper bracket tax reductions.

'Right now everybody in this room has to like me - at least a little bit,' Trump said at the tech roundtable

'So whether its in this country, or the European Union, or in China or South America, we engage,' Cook continued. 'And we engage when we agree and we engage when we disagree. I think its very important to do that because you dont change things by just yelling. You change things by showing everyone why your way is the best. In many ways, its a debate of ideas.'

'We very much stand up for what we believe in. We think thats a key part of what Apple is about. And well continue to do so,' Cook concluded.

Apple has some fence-mending to do with Trump. The candidate blasted the company in February as the government was trying to gain access to the cell phone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.

'But to think that Apple wont allow us to get into her cell phone  who do they think they are? Trump said.

Trump said one of his 'real dreams' was to get Apple to establish manufacturing in the U.S. '

"But they make their product in China. And they have offices here but China makes more money with Apple than we do, if you think about it,' he told Business Insider.

'And we have to bring Apple  and other companies like Apple  back to the United States. We have to do it. And that's one of my real dreams for the country, to get ... them back. We have a great capacity in this country,' Trump said.

Responding to this line of argument, Cook said in his statement that creating jobs is 'a key part of what we do' at Apple.
A police officer has been suspended from duty after being filmed snorting what appears to be cocaine inside his patrol car while on duty.

The cop, named locally as Lucas Emanuel Montero, was still wearing his bulletproof vest when he bent his head down to take the drugs as messages came across his police radio.

And he was so oblivious to what was going on around him that he carried on regardless despite telling the female in the car with him not to take his picture and getting the response: 'I'm not taking your picture, I'm stretching my back.'

The cop, named locally as Lucas Emanuel Montero, could face prosecution

The officer, based in Ezeiza near Argentina's main international airport a short drive from Buenos Aires, is also facing prosecution over his actions.

State prosecutor Maria Garrido has been put in charge of the case.

Local reports said police got a warrant to body search the officer and found cocaine on him after being sent the footage soon after the incident occurred.

The woman who took the footage, a colleague who is also said to have been suspended, can also be overheard asking him as she films him: 'How do you manage? Doesn't it hurt your nose?'

The officer was filmed in a squad car in Argentina snorting what appears to be cocaine

He replies: 'This, no. This is good.'

It is not known how the video reached the authorities.

The male officer is expected to be expelled from the force after an internal investigation has run its course.

Social media users criticised him with one raging: 'It's no wonder there's so much insecurity around when they give druggies like this guns and send them out on the streets.

'The best solution is to head straight for the airport at Ezeiza and never come back.'
The families of the five police officers killed by a gunman in downtown Dallas on July 7 have received a combined $10million in donations since the shootings.

Individual donors from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Italy contributed from as little as $5 to more than $250,000 each, according to The Dallas Morning News.

The donations were given to the families as part of a fundraising campaign by the Dallas Foundation and the Assist the Officer Foundation.

The money will be placed in a trust for the families.

Relatives mourn near the casket of slain police officer Patrick Zamarripa in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 16, 2016

Police officers attend Zamarripa's funeral. 'It's really, really heartwarming and it's just kind of unbelievable that this many people care about us,' Zamarripa's widow, Kristy, said

Another non-profit, the New York-based Tunnel to Towers Foundation, also announced on Monday that it would pay off the mortgages of the five families or give them money to buy new homes.

A portion of the money raised will also be paid to the nine people who were wounded in the attack.

The news is a welcome relief for the widows and relatives of the fallen police officers, some of whom now have to raise children on their own.

The five officers - Brent Thompson, 43; Sgt. Michael Smith, 55; Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, 48; Michael Krol, 40; and Patrick Zamarripa, 32  were shot and killed while on duty during a protest against police-involved shootings which took place days before in Louisiana and Minnesota.

The gunman, Micah Xavier Johnson, a US Army reservist, 'stated that he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,' Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.

Photos of the fallen officers - from left to right, Michael Krol, Brent Thompson, Lorne Ahrens, Michael Smith, and Patrick Zamarripa - are displayed during a memorial in Dallas on July 12

Johnson was killed during a standoff when police used a bomb attached to a remote control bomb disposal robot.

The Dallas shootings were the deadliest incident targeting law enforcement since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Smith's widow, Heidi Smith, was worried that she would not be able to afford the lifestyle that her husband had worked extra jobs to make possible, according to The Dallas Morning News.

She said that the donations were 'just a weight lifted off of my shoulders, knowing that I can do what Mike and I had planned for the girls.'

Brent Thompson (left), Michael Smith (center), and Michael Krol (right) are seen above. Smith's widow says the donations will allow her and her two daughters to remain in their home

Patrick Zamarripa (left) and Lorne Ahrens (right) are seen in the above photos. The Dallas shootings were the deadliest incident targeting law enforcement in the September 11 attacks

Now she can continue to live in the same home while her daughters, ages 14 and 10, can still take part in extracurricular activities like volleyball and softball.

'It was a huge weight on my mind  to be a widow at 44 years old with two minor children,' Smith, a private school teacher, said.

Another widow, Kristy Zamarripa, says that the donations are a tremendous boon to her and her two young boys, ages three and eight.

'It's really, really heartwarming and it's just kind of unbelievable that this many people care about us,' she said.

Having just completed college, Zamarripa says that the money removes the anxiety that comes with the pressure of having to wonder whether or not there is income for everyday expenses.

Now her 'concerns and energy can go straight to the kids instead of having to look for work to pay everything,' she said.

After her husband was killed, Emily Thompson wondered whether she would have to work overtime and be away from her two-year-old son while paying down her mortgage.

Now, she can take a deep breath.

'It has been amazing to see the generosity,' she said.

Frederick Frazier, who chairs the Assist the Officer non-profit which made this possible, said the donations were 'a powerful gesture.'

When asked about the identity of the donor who gave over $250,000, Frazier said that the money was contributed by a businessman on condition that he remain anonymous.
Many Russians choose such moonshine liquids as a cheaper alternative to vodka

One of the victims was Vladimir Fokeev, 53, who suffered an agonising death

A state of emergency has been declared and more deaths are expected

Investigators have seized dozens of bottles of counterfeit bath lotion which were sold as cheap alcohol to drinkers in a Siberian city as the death toll from the scandal rose to 52.

The regional health ministry in the Russian city of Irkutsk said 29 people were in hospital after drinking bottles of the deadly concoction - which was sold for 40 roubles (52p) - many of whom were expected to die.

They suffered 'rapid and agonising' deaths from methanol poisoning.

Russia's Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry into why so many people consumed the liquid, which was labelled as a hawthorn-scented bath essence but was apparently being marketed as a cheap alternative to vodka.

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A bottle of the hawthorn-scented bath liquid is held up outside an illegal distillery discovered by the police in Irkutsk. Several people have been detained after 52 deaths in the city

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the deaths were a 'tragedy' that required 'very close attention'.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Irkutsk, Alexander Semyonov, said at least 57 people were known to have consumed the liquid, known as Boyaryshnik.

They were a mixture of men and women, aged between 35 and 50.

The Mayor of Irkutsk, Dmitry Berdnikov, has imposed a state of emergency in the city, pledging to 'uncover and punish the perpetrators'.

Shocking: A nurse treats a man who was taken to hospital after drinking the 'bath lotion' in the Siberian city of Irkutsk

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered his cabinet to 'sort out' the problem of selling such liquids, which are often targeted at impoverished alcoholics.

Mr Medvedev said their widespread sale through vending machines, which takes place all over Russia, including in the capital Moscow, as 'an absolute disgrace'.

In summer Irkutsk - 2,600 miles from Moscow - is a bleak and remote city but in the bitterly cold Siberian winter it is a place that defies description. Many people drink alcohol to blot out their miserable existence.

Vladimir Fokeev (pictured) was one of those who died after drinking the deadly liquid

But in this case the liquid they were consuming contained m ethanol, which metabolised into formaldehyde, then formic acid or formate salts, which are poisonous to the human central nervous system and lead to blindness, coma, and death.

A chief doctor Yevgeny Vygovsky caring for the victims said: 'They have heavy chemical poisoning.

'All of those who were brought to us were unconscious. Their central nervous system, internal organs are struck and the toxic shock was developing rapidly.'

A man pours the hawthorn-scented infusion into a glass. The Russian government has warned people against drinking the liquid, which was selling for just 40 roubles (52p)

It was sold in street kiosks and other outlets in an Irkutsk suburb, say relatives of the victims.

The drink was allegedly manufactured at an illegal distillery in Irkutsk.

Several people have been detained in connection with its manufacturing and sale.

A patient lies in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Irkutsk, after consuming the mixture

A state of emergency was declared in the region over the deaths.

Andrey Kiselyov, a neighbour of Vladimir Fokeev, 53, who was killed by the poisonous alcohol, said: 'They sell it in every kiosk here for 70 roubles a small bottle .

'Of course, people drink it. Those who are stronger, drink it as it is, some mix it. It's not the first case.

'People drink it and go crazy. It's mainly older people drinking it, 40-45 and older.'

Fokeev's stepdaughter Ekaterina Dubrovskaya, said: 'He wasn't feeling well in the morning.

An ambulance outside a hospital in Irkutsk which has been treating the victims

'I asked him what was happening. He said nothing.

'I left, went to the city centre with friends, returned home and he was already lying - all black. I called the ambulance.

'His daughter and I went to the hospital, they said he wasn't doing well.

'We got home and 40 minutes later received a phone call. They said he died.'

She told how 'he always bought this Boyaryshnik' in a shop nearby.

'We persuaded him to choose vodka, but he insisted that it is more tasty and no head ache in the morning.

'He said the shop was checked by the authorities. He always bought there.'

Bath lotion containing methanol or methyl alcohol. It is unknown if the victims consumed the drink knowing it was a bath lotion

His widow Olga Dubrovskaya, 50, said: 'They used to sell this is transparent glass bottles, now it's purplish.'

The bath lotion was strictly for external use.

Poisonings caused by surrogate alcohol are common in Russia, but this case has been described as the deadliest for years.

Methyl alcohol a light, colorless, flammable liquid and has been detected in the composition of bath lotion, health officials told Russian News Agency TASS.
The family of the Italian woman who went missing in the Berlin Christmas market fear she may be among the victims.

Fabrizia Lorenzo's mobile phone and travel pass were found in the aftermath of the atrocity that left 12 dead and 48 wounded when a 25-tonne truck tore through a busy festive market on Breitscheidplatz Square.

Six of the dead are believed to be German and three are Hungarian. An Israeli man in his sixties is being treated for his injuries in hospital and his wife is still missing.

Ms Lorenzo, 30, is a transport specialist working in Berlin but her cousin said they had not heard from her since last night and revealed her personal belongings had been found.

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Missing: Fabrizia Lorenzo, pictured, 30, is a transport specialist working in Berlin but her cousin said they had not heard from her since last night

Fear: In a heartbreaking plea for help, her cousin tweeted today: 'My cousin (Fabrizia Di Lorenzo) not replying to us since yesterday night'

Atrocity: At least 12 were killed and another 48 injured when a 25-tonne hijacked truck ploughed through the busy festive market on Breitscheidplatz Square

In a heartbreaking plea for help, her cousin tweeted today: 'My cousin (Fabrizia Di Lorenzo) not replying to us since yesterday night. Someone found her phone and metro pass on the site.'

The names of the victims have yet to be released but authorities have suggested Ms Lorenzo, who hails from the Italian town of Sulmona in Abruzzia, could be among them.

Police confirmed a mobile phone found at the crime scene was registered to her.

Ms Lorenzo's mother and brother have traveled to Berlin to submit DNA samples in a bid to identify the young woman, Italian website Repubblica reported.

Her heartbroken father Gaetano, who works at a post office in Sulmona, said 'there are not a lot of doubts' about the outcome.

He said: 'We understood that it [the attack] was over at 1.30am this morning. We were the ones to call the Farnesina [ministry of Foreign Affairs] but the biggest help has come from Sulmona's Carabinieri.'

'From what my son told me from Berlin I deduce there are not a lot of doubts. We are waiting for confirm but I'm not alluding [deluding] myself.'

Mystery: Police confirmed a mobile phone found at the crime scene was registered to Ms Lorenzo, who graduated from the University of Bologna in 2012

Attack: Ms Lorenzo's mother and brother have travelled to Berlin to submit DNA sample in a bid to identify her

Her heartbroken father Gaetano, who works at a post office in Sulmona, said 'there are not a lot of doubts' about the outcome. Pictured: Police and photographers surround the truck used in the attack in Berlin

Destruction: Ms Lorenzo's last tweet came on December 5, when she shared a scene from award winning film, The Best Of Youth. Pictured: The lorry used to mow down dozens of people at a Christmas market in Berlin

Lukasz Urban, pictured, the Polish lorry driver who was stabbed and shot during the Berlin truck terror attack had also been severely beaten with cuts and bruises swelling his face

ORDEAL OF SPANISH STUDENT WHO SURVIVED ATTACK A young student from Spain survived the terror in Berlin with multiple broken bones but his life intact. Inaki E. from Bilbao was at the Christmas market with three female friends when the truck-terrorist struck. Inaki, 21, an Erasmus student, was walking with his friends when the lorry hit the shoppers and the flimsy Christmas huts, turning them into matchwood. He remembers the truck shedding a tyre before he was struck. The Berlin School of Economics and Law student suffered multiple fractures - a broken leg in three places and broken bones in his foot. He underwent emergency surgery Monday night. He was due to travel home on Thursday but is confined to hospital. His parents have travelled to Berlin to be at his bedside as he recovers. His mum told Germany's BILD newspaper: 'Mentally he is coping well. He said when he lay on the ground waiting for the rescuers he had not really taken in everything that was happening. 'The girls took it much worse than him even though they were not hurt. We have had to cancel his flight home, we do not know how long he will be here.' Advertisement

Ms Lorenzo's last tweet came on December 5, when she shared a scene from award winning film, The Best Of Youth.

Her many social media posts suggest she was both liberal and supportive of refugees in a country which has been divided over the migrant crisis and the more recent burqa ban.

In March she shared an interview with Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman who argued a spike in immigration is not related to an increase in terrorism.

She also directed her 246 followers to research which showed the majority of Muslims living in Islamic countries held negative views towards ISIS.

Stefan Wolff, the CEO of the company where she worked, said that he had taken news of the atrocity hard.

'As a German citizen I feel scared about the situation in Berlin, where an attack can happen at a Christmas market,' he told MailOnline. 'Any incident that hurts people is very bad.'

'We are a very international company, with employees from 20 nations,' Wolff added. 'Anybody who works here is highly skilled and driven to be excellent. But they are also open and friendly as well.'

As an employee of the company, Di Lorenzo would have been 'not an average consultant who always knows better  but someone who listens carefully and is very open and friendly.'

Because of strict German privacy laws, Wolff would not confirm or deny any details about Di Lorenzo.

Pietro Benassi, Italy's ambassador to Germany, said: 'I can confirm we are searching for someone and we fear for her.'

Attack: German police have said the Pakistani refugee arrested and accused of being the driver may be the wrong man and the real killer could be armed and on the loose

A senior police officer said: 'We have the wrong man... The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause further damage'

Ms Lorenzo graduated from the University of Bologna with a degree in International Relations and Diplomacy in 2012.

She began working in Germany in November 2013, according to her LinkedIn profile, as a customer services coach for electronics company Bosch.

Just over a year later she joined supply chain management company 4Flow, where she worked as a transport specialist.

Among the 48 injured is an elderly Israeli man whose wife has not been seen since the attack, the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said.

He was seriously wounded and had to undergo surgery but his life is not believed to be in danger, the Times of Israel reported.

According to Israeli sources, the man sustained horrific injuries to the 'lower part of the body' and is in an induced coma after undergoing an operation.

Doctors are keeping him under observation to ascertain whether a further operation will be necessary.

Children of the couple are on their way to Berlin, and plan to make their way directly to hospital to visit their father while they ensure the agonising wait to hear news about their mother.

Berlin police today admitted the Pakistani refugee they arrested in connection to the attack could be the wrong man and the real attacker may still be on the loose and armed.

A senior police chief has confirmed the Berlin Christmas market killer may still be on the run, and ready to inflict 'further damage', 12 hours after Pakistani asylum seeker Naved B was arrested.

Detectives interrogating the 23-year-old suspect said there was no blood on his clothes, he suffered no injuries and denies hijacking the lorry which tore through a festive market at 40mph.

A senior police officer, told die Welt newspaper: 'We have the wrong man. So we have a new situation. The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause further damage.'
An inspirational mother-of-four who inspired thousands by documenting her battle with terminal cancer has passed away.

Julia Watson inspired thousands across the nation with her endearing approach to life - despite her impending death - and her heartfelt blog on her fatal journey with stage four bowel cancer.

But the loving mother's adventure sadly ended on 18 December when she passed away surrounded by family and friends.

Her friend Donna, who had taken over posting on her Facebook blog, posted a heartbreaking message on Sunday.

Julia Watson inspired thousands across the nation with her endearing approach to life - despite her impending death - and her heartfelt blog

The loving mother's adventure sadly ended on 18 December when she passed away surrounded by family, including her four children (pictured)

Julia Watson lived every day as if it were her last in her final few months

Her friend Donna, who had taken over posting on her Facebook blog, posted a heartbreaking message on Sunday

In August, Mrs Watson spoke to Tara Brown on 60 Minutes in an emotional interview that inspired thousands to follow her story through her blog.

She was also the author of 'Five Fairies and a Fella' a larger than life blog detailing her honest journey with cancer, which captured the hearts of readers.

Her honesty when discussing difficult topics such as years of sexual abuse, body image issues, marriage breakdown, several miscarriages and the challenge of raising a young girl with Down syndrome and more recently living with cancer has resulted in her Facebook page being flooded with touching tributes.

Ms Watso (pictured in hospital with her four children) was also the author of 'Five Fairies and a Fella' a larger than life blog detailing her honest journey with cancer

Julia Watson was also the author of 'Five Fairies and a Fella' a larger than life blog detailing her honest journey with cancer, which captured the hearts of readers

In her final few months Mrs Watson lived her life to the absolute fullest.

After her 60 Minutes interview, Ms Brown told Daily Mail Australia that the true beauty in Julia's story was her absolute authenticity and unwillingness to accept the cards she has been dealt.

'She's found the gift of living in the moment. Really enjoying every moment of every day. That doesn't mean not living with fear, not living with anger,' Ms Brown said.

'The point of her is she is real, she doesn't hide away from any of those emotions or any of those feelings - and in the moment, she's found herself,' she continued.

A few months ago Julia recently released the honest account of her struggle coming to grips with impending tragedy in her first book, 'Breakfast, School Runs, Chemo'.

In a bittersweet moment, a beaming Julia holds up her newly published book and says, 'There's so much of me in it, they'll read it [her kids] and they'll go  "that was our mum! Our mum did that!"'

Friends of the family have set up a GoFundMe page to help the family cope with the difficult times ahead.
A woman found her missing husband's body before police were able to by using the Find My iPhone app to track him to a car wreck.

Jayesh Patel, 49, failed to return to his home in Pacifica near San Francisco, California, on Friday night, prompting his wife to report his disappearance to police.

She tracked his cell phone to the interchange of highways 101 and 92 on Saturday where she found his body trapped inside his totaled Mercedes.

Jayesh Patel's wife traced his cell phone to an underpass at the interchange of highways 101 and 92 near San Francisco, California, where she discovered his body in his crashed car

Mr Patel is believed to have veered off the ramp at some point late on Friday night and fallen some 30ft in the car.

California Highway Patrol pried him out of the vehicle on Saturday after being called to the scene by his devastated wife.

It is not clear what caused the 49-year-old to veer off path.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Art Montiel told San Francisco Gate emergency responders had to use the 'jaws of life' to pry Mr Patel's car open.

Other local residents questioned why it took so long for anyone to come across the man's body at such a busy stretch of road.

It's not clear whether police who were looking for Mr Patel had attempted to trace his phone.

None were available for comment on Tuesday morning.

Friends paid tribute to Mr Patel as a 'family man' and experienced colleague after hearing of his death.

'A devoted husband, father & family man. A well respected Sr Manager who has touched many lives. We are all devastated,' said one acquaintance.
The captain was preparing to descend from 30,000 feet when Matthew Worrall said through his headphones: 'What does it take to get a f**king drink in this place?

A pilot had to leave the controls of his plane as it was about to land after a British holidaymaker began barking out demands for a drink over the intercom system.

The captain was preparing to descend from 30,000 feet when Matthew Worrall said through his headphones: 'What does it take to get a f**king drink in this place?'

As a result, the unnamed Jet 2 pilot had to leave colleagues in charge of the Boeing 757 from Manchester to Tenerife to speak to him.

When asked for his passport the Network Rail worker, 28, replied sarcastically: 'It's in the overhead locker and I can't get it - because the seatbelt signs are on.'

Worrall has previously been pictured on social media with Coronation Street actress Brooke Vincent and two TOWIE girls - Gemma Collins and Chloe Lewis.

He was arrested by Spanish police, who called to Tenerife Sur airport as the aircraft touched down.

It also emerged Worrall - who was on a 'lads' holiday - had earlier been trying to flirt with one of the air hostesses aboard the aircraft as she carried out safety checks.

Although cabin crew had limited the amount of alcohol given during the journey Worrall continued asking for more alcohol and was 'constantly pressing the bell'.

At Manchester magistrates court, Worrall, of Crewe, apologised and admitted to purposely interfering with the performance of aircraft crew member's duty.

But he now faces jail after JPs said their powers were not sufficient to sentence him.

Worrall has previously been pictured on social media with two TOWIE girls - Gemma Collins (left) and Chloe Lewis (right)

The incident occurred last August during a four and a half hour flight to the Canary Islands.

Miss Shazia Aslam, prosecuting, said: 'On August 30 this year the defendant booked on a Jet2 flight departing from Manchester going to Tenerife.

'He was one of a group of males who were on a 'lads' holiday from work.

'The crew were briefed and made aware of the group on the flight. That was this defendant and his friends.

'Attention was drawn to the group because of the noise, the noise continued to be loud as they boarded but they didn't appear drunk and were not abusive, just a loud group of lads.'

Miss Aslam described how Worrall did not pay attention during the safety briefing and was 'appearing to distract the stewardess'.

Worrall pictured on social media with Coronation Street actress Brooke Vincent

She added: 'For take off another crew member was sat in the crew seat, directly in front and he was very confident, loud and was flirting with her.

'She ignored his remarks and by this time he had attracted the attention of all crew.

'They limited to amount of alcohol to him. He was continuing to ask for more alcohol every one a crew member passed his seat. He started to request more drinks and was constantly pressing the bell.

'The captain stated he was getting the aircraft ready for landing and he was disturbed by a voice over his head set asking 'what does it take to get a f**king drink in this place?'

Mr Ravi Sethi, mitigating, said: 'Having spoken to him he realises how serious this offence is and tells me he's very apologetic for his behaviour on that day.

'He has handed in a letter of apology that he hopes could reach the crew and captain.

'Often he doesn't behave in the correct way which is disappointing to him and his family.

'Outside drinking he's normally a hard working man. He's worked for Network Rail for the last three years and is a lines person and has a Personal Track Safety card.

'He's just bought a house as well and is hoping to settle down and has a regular partner who he's been with for ten years and she's a PE teacher.

Worrall said: 'I'd just like to apologise, I think it was a misunderstanding.

Worrall was arrested by Spanish police, who called to Tenerife Sur airport as the aircraft touched down

'I didn't pick the phone up myself it was knocked off but I did insinuate that we should order some drinks over the phone.

'I know if I would have put the phone back the matter would have been forgotten. I'd just like to apologise.'

But JP Alison Edwards sent Worrall to sentencing before a judge at crown court and told him: 'Have you any idea how other passengers would have felt?

'People that are perhaps not that good flying having to see the captain coming out to deal with someone like you.

'The awareness of other people seems to have lost you all because of alcohol.

'We have thought long and hard about this and decided our sentencing powers are not sufficient.'
may still be on the run, police say

A German politician has described the country as being 'in a state of war' after a man drove a truck into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market killing 12 people and injuring 48.

The interior minister of the German state of Saarland, Klaus Bouillon, told German broadcaster SR on Tuesday: 'We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this.'

A Pakistani asylum-seeker was arrested on suspicion of mowing through the market in a truck but he may not be the attacker, and the real perpetrator could still be on the run, German police said on Tuesday.

The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of west Berlin's most famous landmarks, at about 8pm on Monday.

Women mourn at the scene where a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital last night

The truck is towed away as forensic experts examine the scene at the Christmas market near the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche in Berlin

Europe's 'cup of patience' over migration is beginning to spill over, the Slovak Prime Minister said responding to the news.

'The facts are simple: a migrant who arrived in Germany and got refugee status ... is now interrogated as a suspect responsible for this heinous, repugnant crime,' Robert Fico told a televised news conference.

'I think that the cup of patience is beginning to spill over and Europe's public will rightfully expect rather stronger (anti-migration) measures.'

Slovakia has been one of the toughest critics of the European Union's response to unprecedented inflows of migrants, opposing quotas for asylum seekers and calling for tougher border controls. It has refused to take in refugees and migrants from Italy and Greece, citing security concerns.

The bloody carnage on Monday immediately emboldened right-wing populist critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal refugee policy.

Merkel has been under fire over her decision in September last year to let in tens of thousands fleeing war and poverty from mostly Arab and Muslim nations.

The arrival of around a million people over the past two years has deeply polarised society, and the German leader has said that next year's election would be 'more difficult' than any other she has contested.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a statement the day after a man drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market

German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to the victims of the bloody attack

Hours after the attack that claimed at least 12 lives, Merkel admitted: 'I know it will be especially hard for us to take if it is confirmed that the person who committed this attack sought protection and asylum in Germany'.

The Islamophobic and anti-immigration populist party AfD wasted no time in laying the blame on Merkel.

'The milieu in which such acts can flourish has been negligently and systematically imported over the past year and a half,' the group's co-leader Frauke Petry said in a statement, in a clear reference to Merkel's decision to let in refugees.

'Germany is no longer safe. It should be the responsibility of the chancellor to tell you this. But since she won't do it, then I'll say it,' Petry declared, demanding 'control over our territory, no ifs and buts'.

Marcus Pretzell, also an AfD lawmaker and Petry's partner, went as far as to label the victims of the Christmas market 'Merkel's dead'.

Merkel's popularity has waned over the record refugee influx, although her decision to seek a fourth term in next year's elections was greeted with approval from 64 percent of the population as measures to curb the refugee influx - including through a controversial deal with Turkey - began to show results.

Security and rescue workers tend to the area after a lorry truck ploughed through the crowd and killed 12 people

But voters had also punished her over her refugee policy, with her CDU party suffering setbacks in five consecutive state polls, while the upstart AfD saw a stunning rise.

In a world upended by Brexit and the surprise election of Donald Trump, questions are flying on how she plans to counter rising populism.

German Marshall Fund analyst Christian Moelling said the 'biggest risk to Merkel is how her own party will react to' the attack.

'Up to now she is the candidate of the conservatives for the chancellor post... but maybe the conservative right-wing will try to get more concessions from her on the questions of internal security and migration,' he told AFP.

What emerges from the investigation into the attack could determine how much of a toll it could take on Merkel politically, said Moelling.

The trailer of a truck stands beside the destroyed Christmas market huts in Berlin

A key question was 'whether we see that this is a kind of lone wolf approach, or whether there is a more systematic approach or group behind it'.

An organised attack would 'support the case that we have been unsuccessful in scanning the people coming into Germany last year and it could be seen as Merkel's policy leading to this increased risk,' he warned.

For now, most mainstream politicians have been adopting a largely cautious stance.

But Merkel's Bavarian allies, the CSU, who have been among her biggest critics over the refugee issue, are already gearing up for a fight.

'We owe it to the victims, those affected and the entire population to re-examine and re-adjust our entire immigration and security policies,' said CSU chief Horst Seehofer.

Earlier, Joachim Herrmann, the CSU interior minister of Bavaria state, had already called for an open dialogue about the risks that Germany is facing due to the arrival of many refugees.

'We need to talk about this question, what risks do we face now with this big number of refugees here,' he said in an interview with regional radio Bayerische Rundfunk.

The population could not be expected to 'keep going like that, in which we face a higher risk of attacks by people from a radical Islamist background.'

But Spiegel Online called for cool heads to prevail, saying 'whoever exploits the situation, like the cynics at the AfD are, to incite people against others, is doing the work of terrorists.
All remaining civilians and rebels have been told to get out of war-torn eastern Aleppo by Syrian government forces - with officials saying a huge-scale evacuation could be completed within the next two days.

Russia and Iran, which are both government allies, and Turkey, which supports Syrian opposition forces, have agreed to acts as guarantors in peace talks.

It is thought that 25,000 people have been evacuated from the city in the past week, and soldiers using megaphones have called on those remaining to leave.

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Empty buses that are going to be used to evacuated Syrians from eastern Aleppo enter the embattled city today

Aleppo residents smile to the camera after arriving to the city's countryside as part of an evacuation process that commenced last week

Convoys of buses are evacuating people from eastern Aleppo today

Russian Foreign Minister Sergi Lavrov said the three countries have backed expanding a ceasefire that would allow rebel-held areas to be evacuated.

He said the evacuation of east Aleppo should finish within 'one or two days'.

Critics, including eastern Aleppo residents and the Syrian opposition, say the evacuation amounts to forced displacement.

Critics, including eastern Aleppo residents and the Syrian opposition, say the evacuation amounts to forced displacement

A source in the Syrian military said: 'The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave'

A source in the Syrian military told AFP: 'The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave.'

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say 60 buses have entered the eastern section of the city to pick up an estimated 3,000 people who remain there.

Opposition media activist Ahmad Primo today told the Associated Press that the next convoy of buses that will evacuate rebels and civilians may well be the last one.

Russia and Iran, which are both government allies, and Turkey, which supports Syrian opposition forces, have agreed to acts as guarantors in peace talks

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the evacuation, said at least 25,000 people have left rebel-held areas in the past week

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the evacuation, said at least 25,000 people have left rebel-held areas in the past week, but thousands more are waiting to be taken to safety.

Spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said that 750 people had been evacuated in parallel from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria besieged by rebels.

Buses and ambulances have been bringing rebels and civilians on a tense journey from Aleppo's battered east into government-held neighbourhoods, and back into rebel-held territory west of the city.

A Syrian girl, who was evacuated from the last rebel-held pockets of Syria's northen city of Aleppo, pictured eating today in the opposition-controlled Khan al-Assal region, west of the embattled city

Thousands of people - mostly women and children - squeezed onto buses with whatever belongings they could carry

It is estimated that around 3,000 people remain in rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo

Thousands of people - mostly women and children - squeezed onto buses with whatever belongings they could carry, many in tears and others shivering in the cold, according to AFP correspondents who made the trip.

Evacuees must pass several checkpoints manned by either Syrian army soldiers, Russian officers or Iranian and Iraqi fighters.

Moscow is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Ankara sponsors the rebels seeking to topple him.

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, warned that remaining residents in the rebel enclave should leave 'as quickly as possible'.

Russia's foreign minister said he expects the evacuation of the war-torn city to finish within the next two days
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have decided to fight for their marriage for the sake of their kids, North, 3, and one-year-old Saint, DailyMail.com can reveal.

The couples four-year relationship has become the subject of intense speculation, after it was reported that Kardashian, 36, was considering a divorce from the rapper, 39.

But following a heart-to-heart over the weekend, the pair have now decided to get counselling in an effort to mend their marriage, which was rocked by Wests breakdown last month.

A glum-looking West, who spent part of last week with President-Elect Donald Trump in New York, was pictured with his equally gloomy wife on Sunday night, leaving a Santa Monica restaurant.

A glum-looking West was pictured with his equally gloomy wife on Sunday night, leaving a Santa Monica restaurant

A source close to the couple insisted that, contrary to appearances, things have begun to improve. Theyre actually doing better, said the insider

However a source close to the couple insisted that, contrary to appearances, things have begun to improve. Theyre actually doing better, said the insider.

It was obviously a bit tough when everything [Wests psychotic breakdown] went down and it was confusing with the stuff going on. But theyre doing better now.

Kardashian, who was left conflicted over the future of her marriage following Wests hospitalization on November 21, now wants to give the relationship a chance.

Kim is so in love with him and love can be blinding sometimes - she just adores him and the family loves him as well, said the friend of the couples.

Its a situation that shes giving another shot, a second chance. She feels hes been under a lot of pressure, so she feels like he deserves another shot.'

They had a heart-to-heart about it and Kim is still deeply in love with him.

Kardashian is also making her two children with West a priority and, having thought hard about her situation, has concluded that making the marriage work would be better for them.

The insider told DailyMail.com: Despite the fact that logic tells her the best thing to do would be to move on, the other side of that is that she has children with him now.

Kim told me, Its not just about me, its about the kids. So she wants to make it work. The only issue right now is he needs more time to recover and get better so she wants to wait and see how it goes.

Despite the fact that logic tells her the best thing to do would be to move on, the other side of that is that she has children with him now, says a friend

West suffered a psychotic breakdown culminating in him being put on a 5150 psychiatric hold after an incident at the home of his personal trainer Harley Pasternak on November 21.

The episode came a day after the rapper, who had launched into a bizarre rant onstage in Sacramento on November 20, announced that he was canceling the remaining 21 dates on his Life of Pablo tour.

After being released from the hospital on November 30, West moved into his and Kardashians Bel Air mansion along with a phalanx of nurses, who continued his treatment at home.

Having attended a gallery opening in West Hollywood on December 9; last week, he traveled to New York where he met with President-Elect Trump at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

After emerging from the 15-minute meeting with the President-Elect by his side, a beaming West took to Twitter to hint at a future run for the Presidency and disclose the content of their discussion.

I wanted to meet with Trump today to discuss multicultural issues, said the rapper in a series of Tweets posted on December 13.

Kanye was all smiles when he met with President-elect Trump last week

Kardashian was a Hillary Clinton supporter, although the couples political differences are not thought to have contributed to their current difficulties.

Instead, Wests heavy work schedule, the anniversary of his mother Dondas death and the attack on Kim in Paris on October 2 are all thought to have played a part in last months psychotic break.

He is also thought to have been left increasingly paranoid after being forced to pay a cousin $250,000 not to leak a 2012 sex tape featuring the rapper with a fair-skinned woman to the media.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, cousin Lawrence Franklin, 31, said the episode had started his decline.

'The sex tape episode started his decline - he stopped trusting people,' Franklin explained.

'At the end of the day if a member of your family had taken you for a quarter of a million dollars so they can complete their own ambitions - who can you trust within your circle?

Kardashian, who has only been seen on five occasions since being robbed of an estimated $7.5m-worth of jewels, is still trying to get over that traumatic experience herself.

Now friends say the couple are giving each other time to recover before they make a call on the future of their marriage.

Hopefully, hell be in a space after hes worked on himself, hell be in a space where they can work together on their marriage, an insider told DailyMail.com.

She [Kim] wants them to get therapy, counselling and for them to get through this together. Right now, theyre both individually recovering  her from a traumatic experience and him from going crazy.

But once they get through this and get back in shape, theyre going to do counselling to see if they can save this [their marriage] for the sake of the kids.

The rest of the Kardashian clan are said to have their fingers crossed that therapy will work  and have made a pact to get through the holidays without further scandal.

At a recent family discussion, sparked by the very public spat between Rob Kardashian, 29, and his fiancee Blac Chyna, 28, over the weekend, they made an agreement to get to the New Year without any more scandals.
A high school maths teacher has come under fire for using sexting as a theory in his lessons.

Daniel Rapp asked 14-year-old students to calculate how long it would take someone to send nude photographs and text messages as part of a class at Middleburg Heights Junior High School in Ohio.

'Tony can send 5 texts and 3 nudes in 19 minutes. He could also send 3 texts and 1 nude in 9 minutes.

'How long would it take him to send one text and one nude?' he asked.

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A high school maths teacher came under fire for asking students how long it would take to send 'nudes' and texts as part of a lesson

He was disciplined after one of the student's fathers reported his method to senior staff at the school.

In a photograph taken during the class, the offending question is seen projected on to a large white board.

Captioning the image to share with friends, the student wrote alongside it: 'What we learned today'.

School superintendent Michael Sheppard told Fox Rapp had been told the language was 'inappropriate'.

Daniel Rapp was told his method was 'inappropriate'

' We addressed the teacher and kind of clarified exactly what happened, and in this case provided what we thought was the appropriate consequence, which was clarification that that was inappropriate.'

Rapp already had a written warning for similarly inappropriate conduct in his file, he said.

'He's a good teacher, and just in this case used the inappropriate word.

'You have to look to see if it is out of character or not, and in this case, it was something that happened that was just obviously not acceptable from the school district's perspective and that's why we took it, looked at it very seriously and provided the appropriate consequence,' he added.
Tuesday's Electoral College balloting produced more 'faithless electors' than any other presidential election in history, but the rebels mostly fled from Hillary Clinton's column, not Donald Trump's.

When the dust settled, five electors had abandoned the Democratic candidate and just two ditched the Republican victor.

The days leading up to Monday's final chapter in the epic election throwdown were littered with news about supposed plans to upend the process by denying Trump the 270 electoral votes he needed in order to ratify his Nov. 8 win. Aging Hollywood stars launched a video plea and 'Saturday Night Live' featured the idea in a thinly veiled comedy skit.

In the end just seven bolted and ran, although that was the most in U.S. history. The last time there were six faithless electors was 1808. And no election since 1832 had included more than a single such renegade.

Donald Trump's Electoral College victory was full of sound and fury and produced 7 'faithless electors'  the most in history  but it was still not enough to deny him the presidency, and most of the defectors hurt Hillary Clinton instead

Trump went on Twitter to celebrate his victory after the Electoral College vote was released

Members of the Electoral College voted in statehouses around the country today, like this group in Atlanta, Georgia

Only 157 'faithless' votes have been recorded in American history, according to Politico. The last one, a lone Democratic dissenter, came in 2004.

The number of faithless votes has now become the most-ever cast in a single presidential election. The record was set in 1808, when six Democratic-Republican electors opposed James Madison. Its also the first time since 1832 in which more than a single elector cast a faithless vote.

Trump's margin of victory remained comfortable despite a pair of defections in Texas. Clinton lost four electors in the state of Washington and one in Hawaii.

Election officials in Colorado, Maine and Minnesota shot down three other electors' attempts to buck Hillary and vote for someone else.

One Colorado Democrat attempted to cast his Clinton-earmarked vote for Republican John Kasich, but state elections officials replaced him. Colorado and 28 other states have laws on the books requiring electors to support the candidate who receives the most votes on Election Day.

The elector, Michael Baca, could theoretically be charged with a crime. His lawyer told CBS-TV4 in Denver that there's no indication it will happen.

'We're going to wait and see if charges will be filed. At this point they have not been. He has not been arrested,' attorney Jason Wesoky said.

Futile: Protesters demonstrated ahead of Pennsylvania's 58th Electoral College at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., in freezing temperatures - but electors ignored them and voted for Trump

In Washington state, three Clinton electors voted for retired former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell. That move appeared designed to give GOP members of the House of Representatives an alternative to Trump if the president-elect had failed to accumulate 270 votes, throwing the election to the lower house of Congress.

In such a situation, the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would allow House delegations to choose from among the top three Electoral College finishers  in this case Trump, Clinton, and Powell.

Another Democratic elector in Washington cast his ballot for an American Indian activist named Faith Spotted Eagle, known for protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.

Hours later in Hawaii, another protesting Democrat voted for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Trump's two Texas mutinies produced votes for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Rep. Ron Paul.

Trump secured his victory on Monday when Texas electors cast ballots that put him over the winning threshold of 270 votes.

He promptly flaunted his triumph at reporters.

Token vote: Bill Clinton voted for his wife in New York - but it will not change the result, with the Republican on course to take the Electoral College

Ignored: North Carolina's antebellum Capitol building in Raleigh, drew protesters whose attempt to persuade electors to be faithless was fruitless

'The official votes cast by the Electoral College exceeded the 270 required to secure the presidency by a very large margin,' Trump said in a statement, 'far greater than ever anticipated by the media.'

He also tweeted: 'We did it! Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media).'

Congress will certify the Electoral College vote on January 6, with outgoing Vice President Joe Biden presiding over the counting. Trump will be sworn in on January 20.

The result left Harvard law professor Larry Lessig with egg on his face. Lessig helped organize a small anti-Trump Electoral College movement that he predicted would produce as many as 20 Republican turncoats.

Clinton collected all 29 votes in her adopted home state of New York, which she formerly represented in the U.S. Senate.

One of them was cast by her husband.

Afterward the bleary-eyed former president, Bill Clinton, told reporters: 'I never cast a vote I was prouder of.'

'You know, I watched her work for two years. I watched her battle through that bogus email deal,' he said. 'At the end we had the Russians and the FBI deal  she couldn't prevail against that.'

Even in Georgia, a more traditionally red state, protesters urged electors to go rogue and vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump

A protester was pulled by police out of the capitol building today in Madison, Wisconsin as electors in that state cast votes for Donald Trump

Protesters held rallies at state Capitols around the country, including in Nashville.

The group called the December 19 Coalition said it wanted to try to persuade electors to change their minds given the CIA and FBI's conclusions that Russia interfered in the presidential election with the goal of supporting Trump.

Vermont's three members of the Electoral College were the first to report their vote for president.

All three chose Clinton, reflecting the state's vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election.

The Vermont electors are Gov. Peter Shumlin, state Rep. Tim Jerman and Martha Allen, president of the Vermont chapter of the National Education Association.

In Pennsylvania, the hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the steps of the Capitol building in Harrisburg were simply ignored in their attempt to persuade the electors not to vote for Trump.

The sign-waving protesters in 25-degree weather Monday were examples of demonstrations around the country against the Electoral College's selection of Trump as the nation's 45th president.

As Trump officially got to 270 electoral votes, the Republican National Committee's co-chair Sharon Day urged Democrats to stop fussing about the election results.
Richard Marx and his wife Daisy Fuentes were on a flight from Hanoi, Vietnam to

Music legend Richard Marx stepped up to the plate, when an unruly passenger got violent on his Korean Air flight.

The Grammy Award-winning rocker was on a flight from Hanoi, Vietnam to Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday when a man sitting a row away from him started attacking flight attendants and other passengers.

In posts on Facebook, Marx and his wife - TV presenter Daisy Fuentes - say he aided the 'ill-equipped' stewardesses in restraining the passenger for nearly the entire four-hour flight.

Pop icon Richard Marx helped flight attendants subdue an unruly passenger on a flight from Hanoi, Vietnam to Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday

His wife, TV presenter Daisy Fuentes, says 'ill-equipped' flight staff struggled to keep the passenger contained to her seat for nearly the entire four-hour flight

The couple says the passenger broke free of his restraints three times during the flight

When the plane landed in Seoul, Marx says local police came on board to arrest the man

Marx sits in his seat during a break from subduing the unruly passenger

Fuentes writes that the male passenger in question 'got crazy and started attacking the flight attendants and passengers'.

'When he started pushing the female staff and pulled them by the hair, [Marx] was the first to help subdue him. This went on for four hours,' she said.

While Fuentes says she feels 'horrible for the abuse the staff had to endure' she says their airline should have better prepared them for situations like this.

The flight attendants had a taser, but had not idea to use it. Nor did they know how to use the rope restraint, leading the man to break free from his binds not once but three times.

On his own Facebook page, Marx wrote that the crew was 'completely ill-prepared and untrained' for the situation.

Marx complained on Facebook that flight crew was not trained for the situation and he had to help intervene

The couple have promised to release video footage of the 'psycho' passenger

Marx and Fuentes are pictured above in a photo from their recent trip to Hanoi, Vietnam

'The all female crew was clueless and not trained as to how to restrain this psycho and he was only initially subdued when I and a couple other male passengers intervened,' he wrote.

Marx complained that Korean Air 'should be sanctioned for not knowing how to handle a situation like this without passenger interference'.

In the end, two passengers and a crew member were injured during the man's in-air breakdown.

When the plane landed in Seoul, Marx says local police came on board to arrest the man.

The couple, who married in 2015, caught a connecting flight to Los Angeles in Soeul. They promised to post a video of the man after their next flight.

In his music career, Marx has sold more than 30 million records - including several number one hits like Hold On to the Nights, Satisfied and Right Here Waiting.

Fuentes made history as the first Latina MTV VJ.
We will do whatever is necessary. That means long-range weapons, short weapons, machine guns, even if this sounds martial.

These were the words of German politician Klaus Bouillon, a member of Mrs Merkel's CDU party, in response to yet another slaughter of innocents, this time at a Christmas market in Berlin.

Of course, Merkel wasn't around to respond to the horror as it unfolded. She was attending an award ceremony to celebrate the International Day of Migrants even as it seemed one of the 1.1 million she has let into the country tore another hole in her people and in Germanys cultural life.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel (bottom left) surveys the site of the attack in Berlin today

And this determination to see only good, to hide the truth of what we are facing in 2017, is all-pervasive.

Initially media reports across our state broadcaster, Left-wing political news sites and CNN - reported only a truck crash, 12 killed.

Some pushed hard behind the early information that the truck was registered to and driven by a Polish man.

Hoping against hope the finger of blame could be pointed at Eastern Europeans, at Christendom, and not again at the Muslim community in our midst.

I have spoken to many Eastern Europeans across Europe who all feel pushed out by the migrant invasion from the Middle East. Who all believe England and Europe love Muslims and hate the Polish and Eastern Europeans. Who feel their hard work and ambition to truly integrate are no longer welcome.

And it strikes me their feelings are sadly well-founded.

Mrs Merkel joins politicians including Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller to visit the attack scene

Ironically, a Polish man just trying to do his job was slaughtered in his truck, the first to die in a killing spree designed to strike the West at a time of Christian celebrations and family festivity.

And as we looked in horror at bodies strewn on the floor, thoughts of the believers were punctuated with tweets from the Caliphate encouraging others to rise up and do more of the same.

So now we will place yet more concrete blocks and cops with guns around our Christmas markets. And hope for the best.

But there can never be enough bollards, never enough policemen wielding sub-machine guns.

At Winter Wonderland in London security bag checks that force hundreds to cram together in shuffling queues have simply created another tasty target for the bombers.

People stand at a memorial in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin tonight

In truth, there is no defence against terror.

It is all-pervasive. Suffocating.

And here we are again. Sitting waiting for the next attack - which is highly likely, if not imminent.

Sitting like ducks waiting to be picked off.

Some find comfort in pretending to be Brave. Accepting fate decides, emboldening themselves with the mantra we will not let them win.

Merkel encouraged her citizens not to be paralysed by fear, standing there preaching with blood on her hands  a woman surrounded 24/7 by security, who never has to go shopping in a crowded market with the nagging fear that this may be the day her number comes up in the terror lottery.

Others reach for a hashtag and tea lights. Probably not with any hope, faith, or remaining belief in humanity; but simply because they aren't sure what else to do and they know how to do this. After all, we've had plenty of chances to practise.

Politicians look at the scene in Berlin where a truck was driven into a packed Christmas market

Some say they prefer to have faith in humanity. But this is blind faith. You are closing your eyes to the horror.

Predictably, other weak liberals have slithered out to say they condemn this in the strongest possible terms. Obama says he will stand shoulder to shoulder with Merkel.

Except his shoulders are so slopey nothing ever sticks. And nothing ever gets done.

You will remember Obamas election campaign saying 'Yes we can'. And Merkel's migrant slogan: We can do this'.

Well, my liberal friends  no you can't. No we can't.

And what's more, why should we want to?

I don't want to live in a world where we have to be endlessly tolerant of those who display no tolerance at all.

Rescue workers run towards the Christmas market in Berlin last night following the attack

Where we have to accept and understand, whilst migrants refuse to learn our language and our ways. Where we lecture employers about equality but bend over backwards for a religion which keeps women segregated and hidden in the kitchen.

Yesterday we got a glimpse. A glimpse of life in 2017. And 2018 come to that. And 2019. And 2020. And it was violent and shameless.

A never-ending procession of atrocities committed by people for whom grievance against the West is a way of life.

And a gradual erosion not just of our freedoms but of lifes little pleasures.

In Ankara the Russian Ambassador was gunned down by a Turkish police officer, killing in revenge for Aleppo, because Allah Akbar - his God is the greatest.

Another heinous act in a country the EU would wish to welcome with open arms. Why? So that it can bring more terror to Europe?

And all the while we are supposed to sit back and watch it happen. To be brainwashed by a media determined to play down the war bubbling up under our feet. To watch from the sidelines as ambassadors are shot, on film, in cold blood. To have the truth neutered, dumbed down, sanitised for multicultural Brits and Liberal Americans.

The German Chancellor's visit came after a lorry driver mowed down 12 people at the market

No wonder an elderly serviceman waiting outside the Court of Justice to see if Marine A would be free told me recently he will be glad to be out of it soon.

Free from watching the country he fought for, the country he loves, go down the pan to the point where our national team is fined for showing respect to our war dead and soldiers who risked their lives to defend us go to jail.

These days the only cultures its outlawed to offend are those that are most opposed to ours.

We tiptoe around their sensitivities instead of standing up for our culture, the one they have chosen to join.

Last week thousands of Muslims blocked the streets of London chanting Allahu Akhbar, demanding an Islamic caliphate.

Their leaders congratulated the crowd on amassing so quickly and in such large numbers saying: This gathering today  in a matter of a few hours, hundreds of brothers and sisters coming together  is a sign of positivity and revival, and a sign of victory for Allah.

It was barely reported.
An African American teacher at a Milwaukee charter school has been suspended by administrators after parent complaints over an assignment asking his predominantly black class to write a paper defending the Ku Klux Klan.

The controversy was sparked by an assignment given to a seventh grade language arts class at the Business and Economic Academy of Milwaukee (BEAM), according to Fox 6.

The students were asked to write a persuasive essay from the vantage point of a lawyer defending KKK members on trial.

The paper was to be written with the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, which the students had just watched in class, in mind.

Damaris Dorsey (above) is the parent of a student at the Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee. She complained about an assignment in which students had to defend the KKK

The assignment (above) 'is not to teach students the Klan was correct in its behavior, but rather to teach the students how to write persuasively'

To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel by Harper Lee which tells the story of a white lawyer in the American Deep South who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman during the Great Depression.

'The goal of this paper is not to teach students the Klan was correct in its behavior, but rather to teach the students how to write persuasively,' the assignment read.

The assignment did not sit well with parents, who complained to the school board that their children were being made to grapple with topics they did not grasp yet.

'To even ask my child to write a paper like this - his mind, level of thinking, is not there yet,' said concerned parent Damaris Dorsey.

Tory Lowe (above), a community activist who also received complaints from parents about the assignment, says that 7th grade is too soon for kids to be assigned papers on the KKK

The school's board responded to parent complaints by canceling the assignment and suspending the teacher

'I don't teach him hate. So therefore, he does not know the in-depth of the Ku Klux Klan.'

The KKK is a white supremacist organization whose membership numbered in the millions in the early and middle parts of the 20th century.

Tory Lowe, a community activist who heard complaints from other parents about the assignment, said it was simply too soon to burden seventh-graders with weighty issues like race and the KKK.

The KKK is a white supremacist organization whose membership numbered in the millions in the early and middle parts of the 20th century. A KKK rally is seen above in Mississippi in 2007

'These are young students, young children,' he said.

'This is not law class. If it was a Jewish child, they wouldn't give him an assignment to defend Hitler.'

The school agreed and decided to suspend the teacher and pull the assignment altogether.

'We feel the choice of topic is inappropriate for a seventh-grade class,' BEAM said in a statement.
The Farmington City Council held its last regular monthly meeting of the calendar year.

With a steady stream of footsteps from the visitors to Winter Wonderland upstairs from council chambers, the council worked quickly through a light agenda.

The only legislative item on the agenda was a second reading and council action on the changing of the classification zoning from R-3, Single-Family Residential Zoning District to OP-1, Office and Professional Zoning District for property located at 924 N. Washington St.

The motion passed with five yes votes  councilmen Mark Kellogg, Garett Boatright and John Robinson were absent.

During the Public Safety committee report, Ward III Councilman Dennis Smith reminded the council of the Battle of the Badges blood drive scheduled from 1 to 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Farmington Fire Department, located at 222 E. Columbia St.

The annual blood drive puts the Farmington Fire Department and Farmington Police Department in a battle of bragging rights to who can bring in the most donors.

This is the seventh year for the event. Last year, the fire department pulled ahead of the police department in what could have been a potential tie year for the sixth annual Battle of the Badges blood drive.

But, most importantly, 59 units of blood were donated.

The fire department took back the coveted Battle of the Badges plaque with their fourth win over the police department with 33 units donated and 25 units donated for the police department. One donor was marked "undecided."

Finance Director Michelle Daniels gave a finance report during the meeting.

Daniels reported the December sales tax receipts are currently up one percent over the budgeted four percent.

Farmington City Administrator Greg Beavers said the monthly sales tax receipts are sometimes tricky to watch.

Month-over-month sales tax reports arent always indicative of whats going on for a couple of reasons, he said. The principle one being that not all businesses pay on a monthly schedule. Some businesses pay quarterly and some businesses pay late by the time we get the report.

Its not a fantastic indicator month over month, however the trend is moving the right direction.

Beavers said the city has a lot more retail traffic than in years past with new businesses reporting to do very well.

Many of the existing businesses that we were concerned about the competitive nature. Ive talked to several of them and they are doing OK and doing well even with the new competition being introduced in the market. We believe at least in the short term that we have to evaluate it that, if were having the effect of expanding the market area and bringing more customers into the retail base and hopefully growing everybodys business or creating an opportunity for them to access more customers.

Ward I Councilman Larry Forsythe gave the Public Services report in Councilman Robinsons absence. Forsythe highlighted a number of events scheduled for the Farmington Public Library and Farmington Civic Center in January. Read more about those events in this weeks edition of the Farmington Press, including an expanded banner contest for the downtown area.

The council next meets in regular session on Jan. 12.
Two men have been arrested in Eastern Europe on suspicion of using the 'dark net' to sell firearms to buyers in Britain and smuggling them in the post.

The pair, aged 39 and 33, were detained in Ljubljana, Slovenia, after police raided a house and found semi-automatic guns, hand grenades and ammunition.

Weapons and ammunition were sent via postal mail to buyers across Europe, including France, Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, according to Europol.

Two men have been arrested in Eastern Europe on suspicion of using the 'dark net' to sell lethal weapons to buyers in Britain and smuggling them in the post

Among the weapons seized were an AK-47 type rifle and a sub-machine gun.

Europol said buyers paid for the weapons using online currency Bitcoin.

Intelligence provided by the law enforcement agency helped Slovenian police identify the suspects.

The dark net is a subsection of the deep web, the part of the internet that does not show up in search engines or on social media.

It is used as a way of sharing information and trading goods, but the anonymous and encrypted nature of it has attracted large amounts of illegal activity.

Weapons and ammunition were sent via postal mail to buyers across Europe, including France, Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, according to Europol

The dark net uses numerous layers of security and encryption, hiding the IP address and the activity of the user.

It is used as a way of sharing information and trading goods, but the anonymous and encrypted nature of it has attracted large amounts of illegal activity.

The famous Silk Road website was used to sell drugs in exchange for Bitcoins.
Leah Remini says she doesn't know if Scientology leader David Miscavige's wife - who disappeared from public life almost a decade ago - is still alive.

The King of Queens star has been speaking out against the Church of Scientology since she left it in 2013, first in her bestselling book, Troublemaker, and now in her popular A&E series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.

In her latest episode, the 46-year-old spoke about the mysterious disappearance of Shelly Miscavige.

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In her latest episode of her popular A&E series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, Leah Remini questions the whereabouts of Scientology leader's 'missing' wife Shelly Miscavige

There has not been a confirmed sighting of Shelly, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige, in public for years.

In 2006, while still a member of the church, Remini became so concerned about her, she started questioning guests at Tom Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes. The move reportedly outraged her fellow church members and leaders.

Upon leaving the church in 2013, Remini filed a missing person report for Shelly with the Los Angeles Police Department.

After Remini filed the report, Shelly allegedly spoke with members of the Los Angeles Police Department to say she was fine and not being held against her will by the Church.

Shelly made national headlines when her friend and former Scientology member Leah Remini (both pictured above) filed a missing persons report that was found 'unfounded' by the LAPD

According to an ex-Scientologist on A&E's series about Remini, Shelly (left) was allegedly sent away to a secret Church facility after she 'displeased' her husband David (right)

Police allegedly later closed the case saying they had met with Shelly in person.

Remini's actions were slammed by the church at the time as 'ludicrous self-promotion', as the LAPD announced the report was 'unfounded.'

On her Monday A&E episode, ex-Scientologist Mike Rinder said that Shelly was previously sent to a Scientology church near Lake Arrowhead in California after she 'displeased David Miscavige,' Page Six reports.

When Remini questioned why, he replied: 'Shelly was privy to everything that went on with Dave.'

The actress says that she never got a satisfactory response to her police report and that she was following up to get real answers.

'I do NOT know that she is alive,' Remini said. 'I do not know that she's not being held against her will.

Ron Miscavige - David's father - released an undated photo in May of Shelly and his son together

Ron Miscavige, who has left the church, appeared on Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

'I do not know these things and so if the church produces her, by bringing her to an event  even if she went on a program and said, 'Hi, Leah Remini. Go f**k yourself,' I'd be happy to know that she was alive.

'The police department should say, 'Yes, we've seen her.' No, I wasn't told that. I was told that a representative saw her or spoke to her,' she said.

The Church of Scientology vehemently denies claims that Shelly Miscavige is missing and attacked Remini for what they called her 'obnoxious efforts to harass the leader of the Church of Scientology and his wife, with whom Ms. Remini has been obsessed and has stalked for years.

'This culminated in a scandalous report filed in 2013 with the Los Angeles Police Department that her book shows was a fraud from the outset.'

The church claim she filed the police report, 'to get publicity and harass the leader of the religion and his wife, who had refused contact with Ms. Remini because of her disgraceful behavior that was both abusive and unethical.

The source reportedly told Oretga that the woman who resembled Shelly (file above) looked 'frail' and that 'it was awkward'

'Ms. Remini also outrageously touts that the LAPD failed to do its job when it investigated her phony report and within hours unambiguously declared it unfounded, causing her stunt to blow up in her face. Anyone knowingly making a false report to law enforcement is a bald-faced liar who should be held accountable for diverting police from protecting the public.'

It is unclear why Shelly has not been seen at any public events since 2007.

But there have been unconfirmed reports she was spotted in a small town near the Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) looking 'thin', 'frail', and 'almost like she was homeless'.

A source told journalist and Scientology expert Tony Ortega they saw a woman who closely resembled Shelly in Crestline, California near the CST headquarters.

They first saw the woman in December 2015 walk into the Lake Drive Hardware store, which is just blocks away from Lake Gregory. The second happened in April, where the same source spotted the same woman at Goodwin & Sons Market which is near the hardware store.

'She was a thin, smaller woman, escorted by two men,' the insider claimed. 'Disheveled. Almost like a drug addict, or like she was homeless.'

In May, a never-before-seen photo released by the father of David Miscavige, Ron Miscavige, shows the controversial Scientology leader posing with his family - including his wife Shelly.

Ultimately, it took Leah six years to fully get out of the church. She and her family had been with Scientology for years, and Leah herself had donated millions to it.

'If you are questioning the teachings or the organization, they start to go to work on your family and friends, who, remember, are all Scientologists at this point,' she wrote. 'So it's one thing to walk away and to say, 'I'm not into this s*** anymore, I'm gone.'

Vocal opponent: Leah has also written a book about her experiences called Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology

'If you have kids you would have indoctrinated them into Scientology. Your family, your mother, your father, and you usually work for Scientologists. So walking away means leaving all of that behind, because they have to shun you if you leave. You have to be willing to give up everything you've ever known.'

While Leah was lucky  her family left the church with her  not everyone is so fortunate. Her new TV series tells the stories of ex-church-members who had to abandon their loved ones to escape.

Even after publishing her book and promoting her show, though, she's not shutting up  even if it's just to reiterate points she's already made.

'Listen, I'm over the church of Scientology. Period. I've written a book. I've told my story,' she explained. 'What I am taking a stand against is the church turning around and turning against every journalist, every person, every organization who has the balls to tell their story about what really happened.'

She says she knows the Church will go after her and A&E, as well as the individuals featured on her show. They'll try to discredit them and make them look bitter and out to get the Church  but, she says, they are out to get the Church, and for good reason.

In Leah's new A&E series, ex-Scientology members open up about their own stories

'When you hurt people, defraud them out of money and their lives and brainwash them and victimize them, that's what happens,' she concluded.

Since Leah's series came out, the Church of Scientology has, predictably, lashed out at Leah in return, releasing this statement: 'Leah Remini's 'reality' show, like her last one, is nothing more than a scripted, rehearsed, acted and dramatized work of fiction. She and the other anti-Scientologists in her program have been expelled from the Church for unethical conduct.'

They called other participants 'liars' and accused Leah of extorting money from the Church, claims the star has already refuted.

Yet, Remini describes her show a 'David and Goliath' mission.
Cooper launched his career in Myanmar after using a forged press pass to get in and producing his own segments about those fighting the Burmese government

49, arrived in Myanmar on Sunday, with their last stop in New York City being Kelly Ripa's holiday party

The French-born nightlife mogul has been popping up on Cooper's Instagram account with far more frequency these days

Anderson Cooper and Benjamin Maisani cheered up a sanctuary full of rescued elephants on Tuesday afternoon.

The CNN host and his boyfriend stopped by the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in Myanmar and decided to help out some of the mistreated mammals by washing them down.

This required that both Cooper and Maisani, 43, strip down and take off their shirts, which put the men's taut abdomens, bulging biceps and wide shoulders on full display.

Cooper, 49, later posted a few photos on Instagram from the afternoon of feeding and washing the animals.

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Out of Myanmar: A shirtless Anderson Cooper spent Tuesday afternoon washing elephants at the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in Myanmar (above)

Sculpted sidekicks: Copper was joined by his longtime boyfriend Benjamin Maisani (right) and Argentinian comic book artist Pablo Raimondo (left) on the trip

Junk in the trunk: Maisani also stripped down while cleaning, and a photo later posted by Cooper (above feeding an elephant lunch) showed his boyfriend's impressive biceps, abs, shoulders and chest

In the first photo posted from the outing Cooper looks a bit tentative and is still wearing his shirt as he crouches under the trunk of one of the elephants while feeding it what appears to be a piece of fruit.

'Got to feed and help wash old elephants today at #GreenHillValleyElephantCamp near Kalaw in #Myanmar. They have been rescued after decades working for the timber industry,' wrote Cooper in the photo caption.

In the second photo however Cooper could be seen really getting down to business as he scrubbed one of the elephants while it lay in some water.

For that task Cooper had to take off his shirt and really work those biceps to get the giant mammal clean.

He did not take off his glasses though, likely to make sure he didn't miss any spots.

Cooper wrote in the caption of that photo: 'washing an old elephant at #GreenHillValleyElephantCamp in #Myanmar. A sanctuary for elephants rescued after decades working in the logging industry.'

Tongue-tied: Raimondo wrote in the caption of this image: 'Feeding my new pet. My studio is about to get crowded'

Brokedown Palace: Cooper launched his career in Myanmar after using a forged press pass to get in and producing his own segments about those fighting the Burmese government (above on Sunday in Yangon)

Golden: On Monday Cooper posed a photo of the Shwedagon Pagoda (above)

For his third and final picture Cooper posted a photo of is two helpers for the day, Argentinian comic book artist Pablo Raimondo and his longtime boyfriend Maisani.

'@pablor2810 and Benjamin after washing the elephants,' wrote Cooper in the caption of the photo which showed Raimondo in a sleeveless shirt.

The photo showed Maisani with not shirt at all however, giving Cooper's 1million Instagram followers a good look at the Adonis-lie torso of the nightlife mogul.

Maisani has been popping up on Cooper's Instagram account with far more frequency these days.

In addition to the elephant outing on Tuesday Cooper shared a photo of the two at their Brazilian home three weeks ago and one over the weekend of the men with Kelly Ripa and Marc Consuelos, Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters and producer Albert Bianchini that was taken at Ripa and Consuelos' holiday party.

Boys from Brazil: Maisani has been popping up on Cooper's Instagram account with far more frequency these days (couple above in Brazil over Thanksgiving)

Biking in the buff: Raimondi (above in Central Park) was one of the four nightlife names behind NYC gay bar Atlas Social Club, as was Maisani

Fitted tees and Christmas trees: Cooper, 49, and Maisani, 43, arrived in Myanmar on Sunday, with their last stop in New York City being Kelly Ripa's holiday party (l to r: Cooper, Jake Shears, Maisani, Consuelos, Ripa and Bianchi)

And after that party it was off to Myanmar, with Cooper posting photos on Sunday and Monday from Yangon, including one of the Shwedagon Pagoda.

It is not clear if the men are on vacation or if Cooper is possibly filming a segment in the Southeast Asian nation for CNN or 60 Minutes.

Cooper's career was launched in Myanmar back in 1993 when he made the risky decision to enter the country with a forged press pass and his own camera in order to interview some of the students who were fighting against the Burmese government.
Monell is charged with murder and weapons possession in the death of Tara O'Shea, 36, who was killed in

New Jersey State Police are on the hunt for a man accused of killing his estranged wife after she had left him along with their children.

Investigators are searching for 32-year-old Jeremiah Monell, of Cumberland County, after the body of his wife, 36-year-old Tara OShea, was discovered by troopers shortly after 8am Monday at her home on Raymond Drive in Commercial Township.

State police have not said how the woman died, only calling her death suspicious.

Husband sought: New Jersey State Police are on the hunt for Jeremiah Monell, 32 (left), who is suspected of killing his wife, 36-year-old Tara O'Shea (right)

Grisly end: Friends claim O'Shea had her throat slit in front of her 12-yer-old son (pictured)

OSheas friends and family, however, revealed to the station WPVI that Monell slit her throat in front of the couples 12-year-old son, who then ran to a neighbor's home for help.

The suspect has been charged in absentia with murder and weapons possession, with his bail set at $1million.

Monell is described as a male standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 140lbs. He was last seen driving a blue 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck with New Jersey license plate X91GJV.

The victim's childhood friend Jen Messeck told NJ.com O'Shea had been planning to move out of New Jersey with her children to get away from Monell.

Messeck has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover O'Shea's funeral expenses. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fundraiser has drawn just under $800.

Other friends of O'Shea's said the mother-of-two had endured years of physical violence at the hands of her husband.

Friends of O'Shea's said the mother-of-two had endured years of physical violence at the hands of her husband (left and right). She had recently obtained a protective order against him

Monell was last seen driving a blue 1994 Chevrolet pickup truck (pictured) with New Jersey license plate X91GJV

'You don't know how many times she came to my house beat up,' victim's friend Penny Morey said.

The friend added in an interview with NJ.com that O'Shea was afraid of her estranged husband and told anyone who would listen that eventually Monell was going to kill her.

According to Morey, O'Shea had recently obtained a restraining order against Monell and was hoping to sell her possessions and move her family to her native Tennessee, but a judge barred her from taking her and Monell's children out of state
Germany has been subjected to a year of terror with 22 innocent people killed in seven different attacks since January.

Some 112 people have been wounded in the attacks which have used explosives, firearms, knives an axe and now an articulated truck.

Several of the attacks have been claimed by ISIS and have involved asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan.

Communities across the country have been forced to confront the reality of random attacks.

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Communities across Germany have been hit by a string of terrorist attacks during 2016

On February 27, a teenage girl stabbed a policewoman in Hanover, northern Germany. The attacker, known only as Safia S told detectives she wanted to strike at home because she could not get to Syria.

A month earlier, she had tried to sneak into ISIS-controlled territory after flying to Turkey but was brought back by her mother. Her brother Saleh is in jail in Turkey after being discovered also trying to cross into Syria to join ISIS.

Three German-born Muslim teenagers have gone on trial for the April 16 attack on a Sikh Temple in the western city of Essen.

The teenagers are accused of leaving a fire extinguisher containing a bomb outside the temple having met online and became radicalised seeking to kill 'infidels'.

Three German-born Muslim teenagers are accused of attacking a Sikh temple in Essen

On July 18, ISIS claimed Muhammad Riyad had attacked commuters on a train outside Wurzburg with an axe.

Five people were wounded during the attack while German police shot dead Riyad as he tried to flee the scene.

ISIS claimed responsibility for this attack on a commuter train in Wurzburg on July 18

On July 22, German-born Ali Sonboly, who is of Iranian origin launched a gun attack on a McDonalds Restaurant in Munich leaving nine dead and 35 injured.

Investigators discovered he had purchased his firearms on the dark web and spent more than a year planning his deadly attack.

Ali Sonboly, who was a German of Iranian heritage killed nine people in Munich in July

In Reutlingen on July 24, Polish mother-of-four Jolanta Kijak, 45, was murdered at a kebab stall by a Syrian refugee.

The victim and five bystanders were attacked by the killer with a large kebab knife.

A Syrian asylum seeker, pictured, was arrested for killing a Polish woman on July 24

On the same day in Ansbach, southern Germany, another Syrian refugee tried to blow up people at music festival.

15 people were injured outside a wine bar after the terrorist was denied access to the open-air venue.

A Syrian refugee detonated an explosive device outside a wine bar in Reutlingen on July 24

On December 19, a hijacked truck was used to kill 12 people and injure 48 in a terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

The killer is still at large.
The FBI reopened its investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server days before the election based on a hunch that it might contain classified information that had been found on 27 email chains previously recovered , according to a search warrant in the case unsealed on Tuesday.

Authorities said in the warrant request that they suspected a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series used by senior Clinton aide Huma Abedin contained classified email exchanges with Clinton, but claimed they had not actually looked at the content of the messages.

The FBI said it previously found 27 email chains sent to or from Abedin that contained classified information, in its earlier examination of emails recovered from the Clinton server and the State Department.

Comey announced last summer that although thousands of emails containing classified material had passed through Clintons server, he did not see evidence of criminal intent and would not recommend prosecution.

Officials argued in the warrant request that because classified information had been sent to or from Abedin in the past, there was a good chance that some of her emails on the laptop also contained classified information.

Authorities said in the warrant request that they suspected a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series used by senior Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin contained classified email exchanges with Clinton

A judge still approved the search warrant on October 30, following FBI Director James Comey's bombshell announcement to congress that the FBI was reopening the Clinton investigation.

Many Democrats blame the move for costing Clinton the election less than two weeks later.

The FBI seized the laptop owned by Abedin's husband, disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner in October, in an unrelated investigation into sexual messages he exchanged with a 15-year-old girl.

DailyMail.com broke the story last September: Weiner carried on a months-long online sexual relationship with the teen during which she claimed he asked her to dress up in 'school-girl' outfits for him on a video messaging application and pressed her to engage in 'rape fantasies'.

In the process of the Weiner probe, investigators found that the computer contained 'thousands' of emails sent and received by Abedin, according to the warrant request.

They petitioned a federal judge to issue another warrant related to the investigation of Clinton's private email server, which the FBI had closed earlier this year.

Although investigators claimed they did not look at the content of Abedin's emails  which they were not authorized to do without a warrant  they said the existence of the messages made it likely that some were exchanged with Clinton and contained classified information.

The FBI argued that because other emails they previously reviewed showed that Abedin and Clinton communicated regularly and sometimes exchanged classified information, there was a strong chance that the emails on Weiner's laptop contained did as well.

'Given the information indicating that there are thousands of [Abedin's] emails located on the Subject Laptopand the regular email correspondence between [Abedin] and Clinton, there is probable cause to believe that the Subject Laptop contains correspondence between [Abedin] and Clinton,' said the warrant request.

The FBI discovered Clinton-related emails on the computer when it was seized after DailyMail.com exposed Weiner's sexting relationship with a 15-year-old girl

In the message to teen which were obtained by the Dailymail.com, Weiner repeatedly complimented the girl's body, told her that she made him 'hard'. He also sent the girl a selfie from a hot tub

'Because it has been determined by relevant original classification authorities that many emails were exchanged between [Abedin] using [redacted] and/or [redacted] accounts, and Clinton that contained classified information, there is also probable cause to believe that correspondence between them located on the Subject Laptop contains classified information,' continued the request.

The FBI also said it was concerned about whether any classified information stored on the laptop was compromised through hacking or other methods.

The warrant and supporting documents were unsealed on Tuesday by Judge P. Kevin Castel.

The request to unseal the warrant was filed by E Randol Schoenberg, a California-based attorney who recovers artwork stolen by the Nazis and helped inspire the film Woman in Gold.

He blasted the FBI on Tuesday after the warrant was unsealed, saying that it showed they had no probable cause to reopen the Clinton probe.

'I see nothing at all in the search warrant application that would give rise to probable cause, nothing that would make anyone suspect that there was anything on the laptop beyond what the FBI had already searched and determined not to be evidence of a crime, nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her longtime aide Huma Abedin,' said Schoenberg.

The name of the requesting agent on the warrant was redacted, in addition to Abedin's name and Weiner's name.

Authorities had obtained Weiner's computer in October during a separate probe into sexual messages he exchanged with a 15-year-old girl. But they needed a second warrant to search the computer for information regarding the Clinton case.

A judge still approved the search warrant on October 30, following FBI Director James Comey's (left) bombshell announcement to congress that the FBI was reopening the Clinton investigation. The request to unseal the warrant was filed by E Randol Schoenberg (right), a California-based attorney

DailyMail.com broke the story in September that Weiner carried on a months-long online sexual relationship with the teen, during which she claimed he asked her to dress up in 'school-girl' outfits for him on a video messaging application and pressed her to engage in 'rape fantasies'.

Following the report the FBI launched an investigation into the disgraced congressman.

Clinton and her aides have repeatedly blamed Comey's letter and the FBI for her loss to Trump in November.

Former President Bill Clinton has reportedly made similar claims, recently telling shoppers at his local bookstore that 'James Comey cost her the election.'

Comey wrote an 'update' letter to members of congress in late October telling them that the FBI had renewed its investigation into Clinton after it found potentially relevant emails on Weiner's laptop.

He said the FBI had obtained a warrant but it was not clear at that time whether the emails contained new or substantial information.

Many of the emails reportedly belonged to Huma Abedin, who had also used an email account on the candidate's private server while working at the State Department.

Days before the election, amid strong backlash from Democrats, Comey announced that investigators had not uncovered anything significant to the probe and that it would be closed.

But Clinton and many of her supporters said the overwhelming political damage had already been done by that point, and she was not able to recover before Election Day.




An 11-year-old girl who was abducted and taken abroad by her father made a heartbreaking call to her mother in England to tell her how much she missed her, a court heard.

Aishah Al Barwani, who was taken to the Middle East to live four years ago, told her mother: 'I really miss Christmas, I miss the cold weather and I miss you,' as she called home.

The young girl and her brother Faris are believed to be with their father's sister in Oman and their mother, Lacey Plato, told a family court judge about the message in her bid to get her children returned to Britain.

Lacey Plato with her children Aishah (left) and Faris (right) who were taken to Oman by their father in 2012. She has launched a family court battle to have them returned to the UK

Former bank clerk Usama Al Barwani (left) served half of a four-year sentence for abduction after taking the children following the breakdown of his relationship with Miss Lacey (right)

Their father, former bank clerk Usama Al Barwani, took them out of the country in 2012 after the breakdown of their relationship, sparking an international court battle with their mother.

It led to an international warrant being issued for his arrest after he refused to comply with a High Court order telling him to return the children to the UK, although it could not be served as Interpol has no jurisdiction in Oman.

But Mr Al Barwani was eventually jailed for contempt of court and abduction, serving half of a four-year sentence before being released last month.

Aisha made the call a few days ago without warning after the children's desperate maternal family, from Portsmouth, launched litigation to try and get them back to England.

A family court judge heard how Aishah (right, with Faris) called her mother a few days ago without warning then lost connection

Miss Plato, who is in her 30s, told Mr Justice Hayden: 'I said to her, "Christmas is coming - you should be here for Christmas". She said, "I really miss Christmas, I miss cold weather and I miss you".' The connection was lost shortly afterwards.

Barrister Jonathan Evans, who represented Miss Plato, suggested that he might ask for Al Barwani - who was at the hearing - to be committed to prison for not arranging the return of the children, in breach of family court orders.

But Mr Justice Hayden said he wanted to give the children's parents a chance to talk.

He ordered Court 45 at the Royal Courts of Justice to be emptied so that Miss Lacey and Al Barwani could speak privately. The pair talked for more than 30 minutes.

Al Barwani indicated afterwards that he would contact relatives in Oman and try to make arrangements for the children's return.

Mr Justice Hayden said the pair's discussions gave him 'real hope', and said he would reconsider the case again in the near future.

Last year, another judge - overseeing an earlier stage of the litigation - had described Al Barwani as 'disgraceful'.

Mr Justice Moor had said it was rare that a court was faced with a father who could behave so 'wickedly'.
New road closures will be put in place around Buckingham Palace during the Changing of the Guard from tomorrow as security measures are stepped up across the capital in the wake of the Berlin massacre.

The Metropolitan Police said the closures, which will increase the no-drive zone around the Palace, were necessary to protect the thousands of spectators who flock to watch the ceremonial event, as well as the military personnel taking part.

While a three-month trial period had already been planned, police admitted the start date had been brought forward to tomorrow in light of the attack in Berlin last night.

Tourist attraction: Thousands flock to watch the ceremonial Changing of the Guards outside Buckingham Palace, which takes place three or four times each week. The Metropolitan Police tonight announced there will be new road closures put in place to protect spectators

Increased security: The new measures will increase the no-drive zone around Buckingham Palace. More metal barriers will also be erected around the parade area to protect military personnel. Pictured, an armed police officer on duty during the Changing of the Guard in 2013

Twelve people were killed and 48 others injured when a truck was ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the centre of the city. The driver remains on the run.

In Britain armed have been patrolling markets in major cities and surrounding them with a ring of steel crash barriers to prevent a vehicle being used as a weapon.

Tonight the Metropolitan Police announced further measures would be taken at the Changing of the Guard, one of the most popular events for tourists in the capital.

In a statement the force said: 'The closure follows a request from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) as part of ongoing security measures aimed at keeping the public safe.

'In a request to The Royal Parks, which manages the roads, the MPS highlighted that due to the events high profile in an iconic location with a substantial military presence and attracting large crowds, the closures were a necessary precaution to continue protecting the public and those taking part in the event.

'The MPS has stressed the road closures, which have been planned for some time, are a precautionary measure and not in relation to any specific intelligence.

A map showing the roads that will now be closed during the Changing of the Guard

'The planned implementation has been brought forward following the events yesterday, Tuesday 19 December, in Berlin.'

It added that additional barriers will also be put in place to maintain security.

Constitution Hill, the Queen Victoria Memorial, Spur Road, Link Road and The Mall (up to the junction with Marlborough Road) will all be affected by the closure.

Today security was beefed-up at one of Britain's most famous Christmas markets this morning in the wake of the Berlin atrocity.

The Southbank Winter Festival, next to the Royal Festival Hall, remained quiet before its 11am opening, with just a few members of the public waiting for the gates to open.

A heightened police presence patrolled the busy promenade underneath the London Eye, handing out cards warning members of the public about the risk of terrorism.

The cards, which had the number of the anti-terrorism hotline, prompted tourists to be wary of suspicious behaviour and people taking an interest in security.

Concrete barriers were erected at Birmingham's German Market earlier this month to prevent attacks similar to that witnessed in Berlin last night, and armed police have been patrolling Newcastle amid fears of terror attacks.

Greater Manchester Police said they had strengthened their presence at the markets, which have almost 350 stalls spread across 10 sites in the city.

Armed officers from Northumbria police have also been seen in Newcastle city centre, posing with children and families while carrying assault rifles.
A Marine who survived a mine explosion while doing a tour of duty in Afghanistan was killed early Monday morning when he was hit by a car while trying to help a suspected drunken driver on a California highway.

Enrico Antonio Rojo, a 29-year-old enlistee from Ontario, California, was driving with his fiance to Los Angeles International Airport on the 10 Freeway near Loma Linda when he stopped to aid a woman whose car had crashed into a tractor-trailer and flipped onto its roof, according to CBS 2.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Rojo came to the aid of Crystal Adrianna Martinez, 22, who had driven a Toyota Matrix, at around 1:30am.

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Enrico Rojo (above) was a 29-year-old Marine based in southern California. Rojo was struck and killed by a car on a highway while trying to help the driver of an overturned vehicle

The Matrix had collided with a semi-truck and rolled over. It then came to rest in traffic.

As Rojo attended to Martinez, a 2017 Hyundai Sonata that was approaching the scene veered to avoid the Toyota.

The Hyundai struck Rojo, killing him.

The driver of the Hyundai, Alexander Petricevic, stopped and called 911.

With his fiancee holding Rojo, firefighters arrived at the scene, where he was pronounced dead.

The accident took place at Freeway 10 near the Mountain View Avenue exit in Loma Linda, California

Rojo was trying to help the driver of an overturned Toyota Matrix (above) on the 10 Freeway near Loma Linda. The driver is suspected to have been driving while intoxicated

As Rojo was tending to the driver, the driver of a Hyundai Sonata (above) veered away from the Matrix and struck Rojo. The driver, who was sober, is cooperating with investigators

Martinez was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

Petricevic is cooperating with the investigation, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Highway patrol officials said that Petricevic made an effort to avoid hitting Rojo.

Rojo was a Marine stationed at 29 Palms, a Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms, a town in the southern part of San Bernardino County.

He and his fiancee were flying to Houston to visit his parents.

He lived a hero and he died a hero, his father, Miguel Rojo, told KPRC 2 in Houston.

A firetruck arrived at the scene of the accident (above) late Monday. Firefighters tried to resuscitate Rojo, but were unable to. They pronounced him dead at the scene

Miguel Rojo said his son joined the Marines six years ago.

While on tour in Afghanistan, his units vehicle hit a landmine.

The explosion left Rojo with a broken foot.

Rojo returned to the United States and was making preparations to wed next year, his dad said.
An air traffic controller gave a pilot the wrong directions during a rain storm, sending a jumbo jet into the path of another plane moments after it took off from Los Angeles International Airport.

An air-traffic controller told the pilot of an EVA Airways flight headed to Taipei, Taiwan, to turn left instead of right after it took off from LAX at 1.20am on Friday, ABC reported.

The air traffic controller quickly realized her mistake, but it took repeated warnings before the plane stopped flying towards the San Gabriel Mountains finally turned around.

An air-traffic controller told the pilot of an EVA Airways (file photo) flight headed to Taipei, Taiwan, to turn left instead of right after it took off from LAX at 1.20am on Friday

The plane flew into the path of an Air Canada flight that took off from LAX before it headed towards the San Gabriel Mountains, where it was below the summit of Mount Wilson

The Boeing 777 had switched from the LAX control tower to another one in San Diego when it received directions to make a left turn to a 180-degree heading, the FAA's Ian Gregor told CBS.

What she meant, however, was for the pilot to make a right turn, Gregor said.

She quickly realized her mistake, and instructed the pilot to turn around, Gregor said.

The plane flew into the path of an Air Canada flight that had also taken off from LAX, although the two maintained the distance required by FAA regulations.

But the EVA flight continued towards the San Gabriel Mountains, where it was below the summit of Mount Wilson.

The air-traffic controller repeated demands to 'stop your climb' and 'turn south', at one point even saying: 'EVA 015 Heavy, what are you doing?'

The pilot finally turned around, but residents in the San Gabriel Valley said they were surprised to hear the sound of a jet in their neighborhood.

The pilot finally turned around, but residents in the San Gabriel Valley said they were surprised to hear the sound of a jet in their neighborhood because of the mountains nearby (pictured)

Kate Sullivan told ABC: 'It sounds like...a really big frickin' jet is going right over the house really slowly.

'We never have jets coming in, in this neighborhood, because we have Mt. Wilson right here,' she added.

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the incident.
The Mineral Area College Board of Trustees have voted to revise the school's Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) Articulation Agreement that allows the college's graduates to transfer to a four-year college or university with their credit hours intact.

Dr. Diana Stuart, dean of Arts and Sciences, explained to the trustees why the revision was necessary and how it could possibly affect MAC graduates in the future when the board met in regular session Thursday in the boardroom on the Park Hills campus. She said that with recent changes, all programs in the state "have made some pretty significant changes."

The original articulation agreement allowed for students who had earned an Associate in Arts Teaching degree at a Missouri community college the opportunity to complete a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Education at any four-year transfer institution in the state. The agreement stated that any Missouri community college student who has earned an AAT degree from any Missouri community college was guaranteed consistent treatment by the four-year transfer institution in accordance with the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Educations (CBHE) Credit Transfer Policy, Principles of Best Practice and related addenda and clarifying comments.

"We thought it was working very, very well, but with the changes in the standards and the end assessment for teacher ed programs at two-year schools," Stuart said, "four-year and two-year schools had to make some pretty significant changes and adjustments in curriculum alignment and so it has taken two years to hammer out AAT version II, started originally in 2014 and just really solidified within the last month or so.

"The new agreement will allow all two- and four-year colleges who wish to sign to do so, assuring their students seamless transfer. What we don't have this time that we did have in 2007 is a 100 percent buy-in across the state. Last time all two-year schools signed. This time all two-year schools are planning on signing, but there are some four-year schools who do not intend to sign. What that means for our students and for our advisers is that we have to go back to program-to-program, college-to-college articulation. That is certainly something that we can do, but it is not quite as smooth and seamless as what we had to offer our students before.

"Just a couple of significant changes in the new AAT, there is a new course that is focused on diversity for our students. We used to offer just a foundations in education class and now it's foundations in education and diversity. We'll also be able to offer a couple of electives that we haven't offered before."

She said one of those is education diversity and society and the other is education of exceptional learners.

"So it is my recommendation that Mineral Area College sign the articulation agreement. I think it's what's best for our students and then we will continue to work with our four-year partners. Many of our local partners are signing the agreement. And for the colleges that do not, our advisers will work individually with the students to help them as best we can to have a smooth transition to their four-year institution."

Stuart added that it's possible several other four-year universities in the state will end up signing the agreement, as well.
He reportedly said 'no' when asked if he had 'done drugs in a work context'

She claims married father-of-four had affairs with four other women from Seven

He was grilled on his two-year affair with former

Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner has reportedly denied he had affairs with other women besides a former personal assistant in a tense board meeting with chairman Kerry Stokes.

On Monday, the married father-of-four sat down for a brief meeting with 10 board members who asked him if he had been involved with other women besides Amber Harrison, 37, or whether he had 'done drugs in a work context'.

Mr Worner, 55, reportedly denied both explosive claims and answered with a firm 'No,' The Daily Telegraph reported.

Mr Stokes, who was looped into the meeting via phone from his Beaver Creek property in Colorado, is reportedly 'embarrassed' by Ms Harrison's revelations, but is supporting Mr Worner to continue his role as CEO.

Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner has reportedly denied he had affairs with other women besides Amber Harrison in a tense board meeting with chairman Kerry Stokes (both pictured)

On Monday, the married father-of-four sat down for a brief meeting with 10 board members who asked him if he had been involved with other women besides Amber Harrison (left)

Mr Stoke's son Ryan, former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett and iiNet founder Michael Malone were also reportedly in the board meeting.

On Sunday, Ms Harrison sent a lengthy statement to the media detailing her two-year affair with Mr Worner.

After Mr Stokes was reportedly made aware of the affair with the former executive assistant in 2014, a source claimed he told him he had 'let the company down'.

'Having made the decision to back him two years ago, it is hard not to back him now, given that there is no new information on what has previously been revealed in 2014,' the source said, according the The Daily Telegraph.

Ms Harrison claims the 'secret love' started in 2012 after she began exchanging sordid text messages with the married chief executive and they began meeting up for sex at her Sydney apartment.

She claimed Mr Worner sent her messages saying he wanted to 'f*** her like a wild man' and alleges the pair started taking cocaine in 2013 to 'enhance their sexual experiences'.

Mr Worner (pictured with his wife Katrina) is married with four children and lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches

After the sordid affair started to take its toll, Ms Harrison claims she begged Mr Worner for her to be fired as the relationship was 'killing her'. A recreation of the text message is pictured

Mr Stoke's (far right) son Ryan, former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett (centre) and iiNet founder Michael Malone were also reportedly in Monday's board meeting. The pair are pictured arriving at Seven's annual general meeting last month

The 37-year-old said Mr Worner sent her a text message saying his performance 'was drug assisted' after one of their nights together.

In a separate complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission, Ms Harrison alleged Mr Worner's other affairs included a television presenter and a well-known actress, The Herald Sun reported.

Seven West Media have claimed Ms Harrison's account contains 'wide-ranging inaccuracies' and have denied Mr Worner had other affairs besides Ms Harrison.

'Seven agrees that the inappropriate consensual sexual relationship made public by Ms Harrison is deeply regrettable,' a statement from the network read.

The statement did not refer to Mr Worner's alleged drug use, with the network refusing to make any comment.

In the same statement, the embattled Mr Worner apologised for his actions and said he was filled with 'the deepest regret and shame'.

After Mr Stokes (pictured) was reportedly made aware of the affair with the former executive assistant in 2014, a source claimed he told him he had 'let the company down'

Ms Harrison claims that during their affair Mr Worner (pictured with his wife Katrina) used cocaine to assist in his sexual adventures before texting her the following day to talk about his 'performance'

Ms Harrison claims she was made redundant by the network in November 2014 after she was investigated for the misuse of a company credit card.

She said she was paid $100,000 in a settlement and claims the company agreed to pay her a further $350,000 after being made redundant, but never did.

On Monday the company's share prices dropped $98 million in the wake of the saga, but Seven's board and boss Kerry Stokes said Mr Worner's job as chief executive was safe.

A person in Seven West Media's management allegedly told Ms Harrison she would forever be known as Australia's 'Monica Lewinsky' if she spoke out about their affair.

In a separate complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission, Ms Harrison alleged Mr Worner's other affairs included a television presenter and a well-known actress
As he prepares to leave office with a number of his accomplishments subject to being overturned by his successor, President Barack Obama is advising President-elect Donald Trump not to rely too much on executive orders.

'Going through the legislative process is always better in part because its harder to undo,' Obama observed in an interview with NPR near the end of his eight years in office.

Obama, who has been counseling Trump in multiple phone calls since the elections, made clear that it is Trump's prerogative if he wants to reverse some of his own actions.

'If he wants to reverse some of those rules, that's part of the democratic process. That's, you know, why I tell people to vote  because it turns out elections mean something,' Obama said.

President Obama told NPR that going through the legislative process is 'always better' to produce lasting changes. Donald Trump is vowing to undo many of Obama's executive actions

Obama said he relied on executive orders  which critics including Trump blasted as unconstitutional  only after first seeking legislative solutions.

'Keep in mind, though, that my strong preference has always been to legislate when I can get legislation done. In my first two years I wasn't relying on executive powers because I had big majorities in the Congress and we were able to get bills done, get bills passed,' he said.

'And even after we lost the majorities in Congress, I bent over backwards consistently to try to find compromise and a  a legislative solution to some of the big problems that we've got.'

Obama enacted some of his most sweeping reforms, including Obamacare, while Democrats held the House and a 60-vote majority in the Senate. Since then, the share of Democrats in Congress has dwindled.

In the face of consistent Republican opposition, Obama began to rely on actions he could take on his own, absent action by Congress. Obama sometimes highlighted his authority, saying: 'Ive got a pen and Ive got a phone.'

He has signed 260 executive orders, according to the American Presidency Project, a number that is not historically high. However, Obama issued numerous other executive actions during his presidency that are technically not executive orders but still effect changes in U.S. policy.

HOW OUR LAWS ARE MADE (SOMETIMES): President Barack Obama signs the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Republicans have vowed to repeal and replace of it, but much of Obamacare is set in law, making it hard to get rid of

THE PEN IS MIGHTER: Obama signed a bill making changes to Medicare in October, 2014  before Democrats lost the House and Senate, making it much harder to enact legislation

President-elect Donald Trump, who attended a stop on his "USA Thank You Tour 2016" on December 16, is vowing to undo many of Obama's executive actions

OBAMA EXECUTIVE ACTIONS THAT TRUMP COULD UNDO UNILATERALLY - Deferred action from deportation for childhood arrivals- Paid leave for federal contractors - Steps to reduce carbon emissions at power plants - Actions enabling Obamacare - Iran sanctions relief in keeping with nuclear deal - Sanctions on Russian officials and economic sectors, and a series of immigration actions. - Commitments to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions under Paris climate accord - Expanded expanded background checks for gun purchases - Transgender bathroom use at federal facilities Advertisement

Among the array of executive actions taken by President Obama range include paid leave for federal contractors, an order on transgender bathroom use at federal facilities, sanctions on Russian officials and economic sectors, and a series of immigration actions.

Obama's DACA actions provided deferred action from deportation for childhood arrivals, meaning people brought here as children illegally.

In keeping with a Paris climate accord Obama helped negotiate, he has made commitments to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 26 per cent to 28 per cent below 2005 levels by the year 2025.

Obama has signed 260 executive orders, according to the American Presidency Project

Trump said in January he would 'unsign' executive actions on expanded background checks for gun purchases.

He pledged during the campaign to 'cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama.' Congressional Republicans frequently blasted Obama's efforts to use executive actions to get around Congress as an unconstitutional overreach.

On Tuesday, in just the latest use of his executive authority, Obama designated certain parts of the Arctic as 'indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing,' the White House announced.
Newly released 911 recordings from a suspected road-rage shooting that took the life of an Arkansas toddler show that the victims unsuspecting grandmother drove for 10 miles with her mortally wounded 3-year-old grandson in the backseat.

The woman's saying this little kid's been shot, a female caller said on the 911 call, released Tuesday to the Associated Press under an open-records request.

According to police, the grandmother, Kim King-Macon, was in her car at a stop sign in the pouring rain Saturday when a man driving a black Chevrolet Impala opened fire on her Dodge Charger, fatally striking her grandson, Acen King.

Horrible discovery: Newly released 911 tapes showed that Kim King-Macon, 47 (left), did not realize her grandson, Acen King (right), has been fatally shot until she pulled over and went to take him out of the backseat

Police are hunting for a man who fatally shot Acen King (pictured) while he was out shopping with his grandmother on Saturday. Family and friends shared pictures of the toddler on social media

King-Macon, 47, told police that she didn't realize her grandson has been shot until she pulled over outside a JC Penney, about 10 miles from where the shooting occurred, and discovered the toddler slumped over in his seat with a bullet wound in his neck.

She didn't know he was shot, the woman who made the 911 call on King-Macons behalf told the emergency dispatcher after talking to the woman.

A one-year-old who was also in the woman's car at the time was not hurt.

As of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests have been made and the FBI said it is joining the investigation. A $40,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

In the harrowing 911 recording, a dispatcher asks the caller  an apparent bystander at the shopping mall  for any suspect information. The caller yells: Ma'am, do you know who did it?

King-Macon said another driver stepped out of his car and started shooting, hitting the boy at least once. She then drove to this mall, where she realized her grandson had been hit and called police, but he later died at a hospital

A woman, presumably King-Macon, is heard frantically explaining: I was at the stop sign and the guy blew the horn at me, and I blew it back. And he shot, but I thought he shot in the air. He shot at the car!

Little Rock police have described the deadly shooting as a 'road rage incident,' saying that the gunman opened fire on King-Macon's vehicle 'because she 'wasn't moving fast enough at a stop light.'

King-Macon then drove to the shopping center 10 miles away, where she called police.

Cops responded at around 6.22pm and the boy was rushed to Arkansas Children's Hospita, where he was pronounced dead.

The grandmother told police that a black Chevrolet Impala had pulled up behind her while she was parked at a stop light.

The other driver honked his horn, and King-Macon honked back, the police report said.

'A black male then exited [the Impala] and fired one shot', the report said. King-Macon then drove to the shopping center. It was only there that she discovered her grandson had been hit.

The grandmother (pictured) told police that a black Chevrolet Impala had pulled up behind her while she was parked at a stop light

Police Lt Steve McClanahan said investigators believe Acen (pictured) and his grandmother 'were completely innocent' and have no relationship with the shooter

Both King-Macon and the one-year-old who was also in the vehicle were uninjured in the attack.

Police Lt Steve McClanahan said investigators believe the boy and his grandmother 'were completely innocent' and have no relationship with the shooter, who is currently at large.

Police were seen Saturday night inspecting King-Macon's Dodge Charger, which was parked outside a JC Penney in the Shackleford Crossing shopping center.

No other description of the suspect has been released. Police have appealed to the public for help finding him.

Little Rock Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner (pictured) told press that no arrests have been made and the suspect is still at large

Investigators have been searching this car, right outside the store. pic.twitter.com/o4AlnPKQrK  David Lippman THV11 (@david_lippman) December 18, 2016

Little Rock - home of former President Bill Clinton - has seen two infants die in road-rage gunfire in the past two months.

In November, a two-year-old girl was killed while being driven by her mom, Shunta Johnson, 37, when the driver of a passing vehicle fired into it.

The shooter in that case hasn't been captured, and the girl has not been identified.

Police Chief Kenton Buckner said the road rage killings were frustrating for the police department and the community, especially because the young victims were 'very innocent' and 'can do very little to protect themselves.'

'We cannot have a community to where the least protected among us, being infants, who are dying these senseless crimes in our city,' Buckner said.
Police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident

The two young children were still fighting for

The twins - aged 23 months - were rushed to hospital in a

Two young twins are fighting for their lives after their mother found them submerged in a back yard pool.

Charli and Robbie Manago - aged 23 months - were unconscious when their mother Fleur Manago pulled their lifeless bodies from the pool of their Kellyville Ridge home, in Sydney's north west, on Tuesday night.

Their father Robert Manago rushed to her side and was assisted by a neighbour who performed potentially life-saving CPR on the young children until paramedics arrived and took over.

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Charli (right) and Robbie (left) Manago are fighting for their lives in hospital

Paramedics and police loaded the two critical children into ambulances outside their Kellyville Ridge home on Tuesday night

The children were transported to the Westmead Children's Hospital in a critical condition under police guard and were still fighting for their lives on Wednesday, a hospital spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

Chief Inspector Garry Sims said the parents had only looked away for a moment when the pair went under.

'I think those with children are very aware how quickly things can change,' Chief Inspector Sims told the ABC.

'Whatever happens in seconds is a life-changing situation for the families, and you can't imagine the grief the family are going through,' he added.

The children were transported to the Westmead Children's Hospital in a critical condition under police guard and were still fighting for their lives on Wednesday

Multiple police cars and ambulances responded to the call out on Tuesday night

Neighbour Michelle Skevington said she had only just done a CPR refresher course when she rushed over to the Manago household after she heard screaming coming from the back yard.

'I had an inkling to yell over the fence 'are you okay' when I heard the screaming... but I am pleased my instincts said to me 'get over and have a look to see if they're okay,' Ms Skevington told Nine News on Wednesday.

'We may have saved those children's lives... I am not sure but I hope we have.'

'We just kept going and going until the paramedics arrived,' she added.

Michelle Skevington (pictured) said she had only just done a CPR refresher course when she rushed over to the Manago household after she heard screaming coming from the back yard

Police confirmed both children were underwater when they were found.

The children were pictured sitting atop Santa's lap ahead of Christmas Day last year with their four siblings.

Their parents have not made any comments to media about their condition.

A neighbour said news of the incident had rocked the community.

'Everybody was in shock because they are such lovely neighbours. They are very caring parents... it's really sad,' Elsae Susanto told Sunrise.

Paramedics rushed to a house in Kellyville Ridge (pictured) after the lifeless bodies of a brother and sister - aged 23 months - were pulled from a backyard pool

The children were taken to hospital under a police guard in two separate ambulances

Several officers could be seen at the home after nightfall, with some cordoning off the house with crime scene tape (pictured)

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding how the children became submerged was launched on Tuesday night.
Gunshots have been fired at the CFMEU's office in Melbourne, shattering the front door and piercing upper level windows.

The shots were fired at the construction union's office on Swanston Street in Carlton just after 3am on Wednesday, police said.

The glass pane was shattered by about five bullets, before the gunman drove off, a witness said.

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Gunshots have been fired at the CFMEU's office in Melbourne, shattering the front door

Police are investigating after shots were fired at the CFMEU Victoria branch on Swanston Street in Carlton about 3am on Wednesday

'I heard a bang. A male [was] holding a gun. I saw it's a hunting gun,' the man told ABC.

'He shot like five times or something, [then] the driver just drove away.

'It was very loud.'

Another witness told 3AW radio she saw a man jump into a white station wagon and speed off.

However, police are yet to determine what type of car and gun was used in the attack.

Police have marked Swanston Street where bullet casings landed after the shooting

Police are pictured at the scene as the gunman remains at large

The list of suspects would be 'long and distinguished', CFMEU Victorian State Secretary John Setka said.

'We all have our disputes, we all have our squabbles here and there, but you don't resolve it using guns, I mean, we never have.

'Why would you want to fire a gun in the middle of Melbourne. How dangerous is that?

'It's a petty cowardly act, to fire gun shots in the middle of Melbourne just before Christmas ... It's pretty scary,' he told 3AW.

Mr Setka said all staff we safe and he didn't know why the office was targeted.

Nobody was injured in the early morning shooting at the CFMEU office

The list of suspects would be 'long and distinguished', CFMEU Victorian State Secretary John Setka said

'We tell them some moron's fired shots at the building and endangered all of Melbourne. I mean, what else can you tell them?'

'You got that idiot out there that you can never stop,' he told 3AW on Wednesday.

Detective Sergeant Haydn Beale said police were speaking to witnesses and looking for CCTV of the 'concerning and dangerous' attack.

'This end of town is a little difficult I suppose, it's sort of the bottom end of town, there's probably not as much CCTV as there is in the heart of the city,' Det Sgt Beale told reporters.

Det Sgt Beale said the community was not at risk from the gunman.

'This is obviously a fairly specifically targeted type situation,' he said.

The glass pane was shattered by about five bullets, before the gunman drove off, a witness said

'A person has come here with a specific reason and specific intent,' police said on Wednesday

'A person has come here with a specific reason and specific intent.'

The union confirmed the shooting in a statement on Wednesday morning, which reiterated all staff was safe.

'Our priority is to look after the staff at the office who are shocked and frightened. Thankfully no one was harmed and we can confirm that all staff are safe,' the statement said.

No one was injured during the incident and police are investigating.
A powerful storm that is expected to make its way across the Northwest this week is expected to dump significant amounts of snow and rain across the Great Plains and Midwest by Christmas Sunday.

The large system, which is currently out over the Pacific Ocean, is expected to make landfall over Northern California on Friday, bringing rain and wind to low-lying areas as well as snowfall in elevated regions, including the Rocky Mountains.

As the storm continues its eastward push into the weekend, snow, freezing rain, and sleet is possible in the Great Basin region, including Wyoming, Montana, and Utah, according to The Weather Channel.

The storm is set to make landfall Friday over Northern California, where it will likely dump significant amounts of snow and rain across the West and Northwest

Travel conditions in these areas may be hazardous, as snow, rain, sleet, and ice combined with heavy winds make for poor visibility.

Christmas Day will likely be a stormy one for wide swaths of the country stretching from the Great Plains to the Midwest.

Inclement weather is most likely to be felt on Sunday in major cities including Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Kansas City, according to AccuWeather.com.

If the storm intensifies, it could result in numerous travel delays, power outages, and property damage.

By Saturday, the storm will likely have moved further inland quite swiftly, with Utah, Wyoming, and Montana beginning to feel the effects

By Christmas Day, much of the central US will be blanketed by the storm. Heavy winds will likely exacerbate blizzard conditions in the western Great Plains, while rain is due in Midwest

By Monday, some leftover snow is possible in Minnesota, but strong winds are still expected to hit the Midwest as well as the Northeast and New England

While temperatures will be relatively warm in areas like Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, and Detroit, northern regions like Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota could face blizzard conditions.
Only 29 per cent of Americans are convinced 'with near certainty' that Russia was behind a series of election-year computer hacks that left Hillary Clinton playing permanent defense in the months leading up to the Nov. 8 election.

That number includes fully half of Democrats surveyed  but just 14 per cent of Republicans.

A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday also found that 46 per cent agree that Americans 'cannot be sure about who is primarily responsible.' Another 25 per cent either don't know or have no opinion.

Were Russia and Viacimir Putin responsible for election-year political hacking that helped Donald Trump win the White House? Fewer than 3 in 10 Americans say it's certain

Trump has denied Moscow was definitely involved, saying it could have been China or a lone rogue hacker

In addition to the 29 per cent who are sure Russia is to blame, hearly half said Americans can't be sure who is responsible

President-elect Donald Trump pushed back repeatedly during his campaign against the notion that Russia and its president Vladimir Putin hacked the Democratic National Committee's computer network and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's personal email account in order to give him a political advantage.

During a September debate with Clinton, Trump claimed that while Russia could have been responsible, the same might be said of China or 'someone sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds.'

Since then the CIA has reportedly told intelligence leaders in Congress during a classified briefing that it has a high level of confidence that Russians did the hacking specifically to help Trump win the election.

The FBI and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper at first chose not to concur with that CIA assessment, but both ultimately did.

Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta saw his private emails  including damning messages about the campaign  published by Wikileaks after a hacker or hackers stole them

Americans are divided by political party on the Russia-hacking question, with half of Democrats definitively blaming Russia and just 14 per cent of Republicans agreeing

Officials with the Trump transition team have called on those agencies to make their findings public.

Outgoing president Barack Obama has demanded a report on the hacks by the time he leaves office on January 20.

But even if Obama were to find damning evidence about Moscow's involvement, the Morning Consult poll showed that barely half of Americans  55 per cent  would trust him to provide the public with accurate information about foreign intelligence.

An even smaller number, 51 per cent, said the same of Trump.
The U.S. Embassy Berlin has warned Americans to 'maintain a low profile and exercise vigilance' after the massacre.

The warning comes after a lorry driver plowed into a Christmas market killing 12 people and injured at least 48 others on Monday.

ISIS have since claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the driver a 'soldier' - as German police continued to hunt for the killer amid warnings a second terror attack in the city could be imminent.

With the terror threat still high, the U.S. embassy issued a security message today warning American vacationers that the suspect was still at large and that they should take extra care while visiting Europe during the holidays.

The U.S. Embassy Berlin has warned Americans to 'maintain a low profile and exercise vigilance' after a lorry driver plowed into a Christmas market killing 12 people and injured at least 48 others on Monday

Close up: The shattered glass on the windshield of a truck the morning after it crashed through the Christmas market

'In light of the on-going investigation, Embassy Berlin encourages all U.S. citizens to maintain good situational awareness, a low profile, and exercise vigilance,' the embassy said in a statement.

'We continue to work with local authorities to determine if any U.S. citizens were injured in the event. We urge U.S. citizens in Berlin to contact family members and loved ones to notify them that you are safe.

'Terrorism remains a concern across Europe, particularly during the holiday period, and we encourage you to review the Europe Travel Alert.'

The U.S. embassy issued a security message today warning American vacationers that the suspect was still at large and that they should take extra care while visiting Europe during the holidays

The warning comes after the terror attack in Germany left 12 dead and almost 50 people injured.

Tonight German police faced difficult questions about their investigation after they released the only suspect they had in custody, saying there was not enough evidence to tie him to the rampage.

TOURISTS WARNED OF TERROR ATTACKS AT CHRISTMAS MARKETS Just weeks ago, US tourists were warned to be on high alert if visiting traditional markets in Europe due to a heightened terror threat. The US State Department issued the advice for citizens travelling to the continent during the holiday season. The warning came after it was revealed ISIS encouraged lone jihadis to use trucks as weapons to target large-scale events. Advertisement

Naved B, a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker, had been detained in the immediate aftermath of last night's carnage following a tip-off from witnesses. But Naved B, who had no blood on his clothes and no injuries, denied having anything to do with bloodbath. It means the killer lorry driver remains on the loose and armed with a gun.

Berlin prosecutor Holger Munch has warned of a 'serious threat' of another 'significant' terror attack and Berliners were urged to stay indoors.

Interior minister for a German state, Klaus Bouillon, said that Germany is 'in a state of war' after the massacre on Breitscheidplatz Square last night - the seventh in the country this year.

Meanwhile, tensions are bubbling under the surface across Europe after a series of recent attacks.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot and killed by off-duty policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, on Monday at an art gallery in Turkey, who screamed, 'Don't forget Aleppo'.

Today, a sinister caller warned that France's 'Cologne's main station will soon be in the air' in a bomb threat that forced police to close the transport hub amid heightened tensions following yesterday's Berlin attack.

Will the lorry killer strike again? Police and the security services are hunting for the Christmas market killer and admit a second terror attack could be imminent

Terror attack chain of events: The polish lorry was hijacked when it arrived in Berlin and hours later was driven through Christmas market crowds. The main suspect was pursued on foot and arrested - but it appears he is the wrong man. Police also raided the hangar he lives in with other asylum seekers at the Tempelhof airport

The entire station was closed after the call at 6.28pm, one of the busiest periods for commuters at a time when thousands are also shopping in the nearby city center ahead of Christmas.

Just last week, the state department issued a travel warning that said U.S. citizens should 'exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets,' amid intelligence that ISIS were planning attacks in Europe over the Christmas period.

'US citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathizers or self-radicalized extremists may conduct attacks during this period with little or no warning,' it stated.

The State Department also highlighted attacks that have already happened this year in Europe.

'While extremists have carried out attacks in Belgium, France, Germany, and Turkey in the past year, the Department remains concerned about the potential for attacks throughout Europe.
A Taiwanese-born multicultural group leader running as a One Nation candidate says Pauline Hanson was right to warn that Australia was in danger of being swamped by Asians.

Shan Ju Lin says 'good Asians' will vote for One Nation at the next Queensland election, tipped to be held next year.

The teacher, running in an Ipswich-based seat, has backed Senator Hanson's assertion, in her 1996 maiden speech to parliament, that Australia was 'in danger of being swamped by Asians'.

Scroll down for video

One Nation candidate Shan Ju Lin (pictured right) with Queensland senator and party leader Pauline Hanson

'She sees the problem ahead of everybody, including you and me. Everything she said is happening now,' Ms Lin told ABC radio on Wednesday.

Ms Lin, who was born in the Taiwan, said Senator Hanson was actually talking about the Chinese when she was a new Ipswich-based member of federal parliament in September 1996.

'I feel the Chinese Communist Party is a great threat to Australia because they bought a lot of businesses and our harbours and properties,' Ms Lin said.

'They will take over power of Australia. They will form their own government. Would you like 20 million people to move to Australia? Would you like to see that happen?'

Pauline Hanson said Australia was in danger of being swamped by Asians during her maiden speech to the House of Representatives in September 1996

However, during a media conference shortly after the July election, Ms Hanson reasserted her sentiments expressed in her maiden speech 20 years ago.

'You go and ask a lot of people in Sydney, at Hurstville or some of the other suburbs. They feel they have been swamped by Asians and, regardless of that now, a lot of Australians feel that Asians are buying up prime agricultural land, housing,' Ms Hanson said.

'You ask people in Melbourne how they feel about it as well.'

Ms Hanson, who in early July was yet to be sworn in as a Queensland senator, explained her 1996 comments were taken out of context, adding she had called for a crackdown on 'a high intake of Asians  coming via New Zealand'.

Shan Ju Lin is running as a One Nation candidate even though the party is opposed to multiculturalism and she heads the World Harmony Society which promotes multiculturalism

Ms Lin, who is the president of Brisbane's World Harmony Society which promotes multiculturalism and Taiwanese independence from China, is running in the safe Labor seat of Bundamba, held by former police minister Jo-Ann Miller.

Her stance in favour of multiculturalism is very much at odds with One Nation's policy of abolishing multiculturalism and getting rid of the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975.

'Multiculturalism has failed everywhere. It is negative and divisive, a weight that is drowning our once safe and cohesive society,' its policy said.

Ms Lin, who grew up in Taiwan which Australia considers to be part of China, said the Chinese Communist Party regime was buying up too many assets.

The One Nation candidate for the Ipswich-based seat of Bundamba

Her dislike of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dated back to her birth in Taiwan, which has elections and considers itself separate from China.

'There are two groups of Asians ... The good Asians will be like me,' she said.

'The other group will be supporting CCP, and those people who support CCP are selfish people.'

Ms Lin, who moved to Australia 26 years ago, ran as a Katter's Australian Party candidate in Brisbane at the last federal election, and compared the Chinese government to ISIS.
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Within the hallowed grounds of one of the most famous Christian buildings in England, the traditional Christmas nativity scene should have been a place of peace and tranquillity.

But yesterday crowds who gathered to appreciate the sacred scene at Canterbury Cathedral were confronted by the fearful sight of armed police bearing assault rifles patrolling the manger where the figure of Baby Jesus lay.

The extraordinary image offers a chilling glimpse of Britain braced for a possible terrorist attack just days before Christmas in the wake of atrocities in Berlin and Turkey.

Armed police patrolled in front of the nativity scene at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent yesterday following the Berlin attack

Authorities increased security in the aftermath of Monday's terror attack with armed police patrolling high profile locations

Security chiefs fear British-based terrorists may launch their own attack on a busy location in the run up to Christmas

Security was stepped up dramatically around the UK yesterday after a total of 12 people were killed and 58 injured when a truck was driven into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin, hours after a Russian Ambassador was assassinated in Turkey on Monday night.

Within hours of the carnage which Islamic State claimed responsibility for, police in Britain responded by throwing a ring of steel around potential major targets including the Changing of the Guard.

In an unprecedented move, Scotland Yard announced that roads around Buckingham Palace would be closed to vehicles from today and additional barriers placed around the guard movements over the next three months.

The measure was described as a 'necessary precaution' to protect the substantial number of military personnel and huge crowds drawn to the spectacle which takes place daily between 10.45am and 12.30pm.

Elsewhere in the country, other forces dispatched scores of officers to Christmas markets in towns and cities to prevent a copycat attack.

The Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace has also received additional security following Monday's attack

Scotland Yard announced the decision to increase security around Buckingham Palace in the aftermath of the Berlin attack

Police stress there is no intelligence to suggest that an attack is imminent, although 400 jihadis have returned from Syria

In a dramatic day of developments, it also emerged that-

A huge manhunt was underway last night for the Berlin Christmas market killer after police released their only suspect.

Now another atrocity is feared as police were said to have 'no idea who they are looking for' after wasting precious hours interrogating a Pakistani asylum seeker who had nothing to do with the attack.

The Foreign Secretary announced holidaymakers will for the first time be given advice about how likely terror attacks are abroad, where they have previously happened and what foreign governments have done to prevent them.

Whitehall sources fear Islamic State leaders are putting pressure on sympathisers overseas to stage spectacular attacks to distract attention from their heavy losses in the Syria-Iraq warzone.

With ISIS territory being squeezed, their strategy is increasingly to take the war  and battle-hardened young men - to the heart of the 'enemy' .

Police say there is no intelligence to suggest an attack in Britain is imminent.

But there are fears that the call from ISIS could lead to a lone wolf attack from any of the 400 militants who have returned here from fighting in Syria or Iraq.

Security sources said there were no plans to increase the UK terror threat level, which remains at severe - meaning an attack is seen as 'highly likely', but members of the public were urged to remain vigilant and alert over the busy festive period.

Scotland Yard confirmed it was reviewing plans to protect people over the Christmas and New Year festivities

The officers were armed with Heckler and Koch G36 assault rifles, Glock 17 semi-auto 9mm pistols and Tasers

One Whitehall official said: 'We have been aware for some time of the potential for a car or a van or a lorry being used as a deadly weapon. You do not need to have access to an IED.

'Precautions have been taken, which is why you now see bollards which stop pretty much anything from getting past in London and elsewhere.

'There is, of course, only so much that you can do however.'

Scotland Yard said it was reviewing 'detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period' to consider the threat posed by 'large vehicles' following the attack in Berlin and Nice, where a truck driver mowed down 86 revellers last July when he drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day.

Commander Simon Bray, responsible for security, said: 'The Met undertakes a range of different activities including strengthening security and high-visibility policing as part of a counter-terrorist strategy, and it will continue to take whatever action it believes is necessary to protect and reassure the public.'

A spokesman said the road closure around Buckingham Palace was a trial that had been brought forward following the events in Berlin.

Huge numbers of people will be in London around the holiday season as shoppers flock to the capital for the post-Christmas sales, while more than 100,000 revellers are expected to attend the New Year's Eve fireworks display.

Police forces have also stepped up patrols at Christmas markets elsewhere.

Greater Manchester Police said they had 'strengthened' their presence at the markets, which have almost 350 stalls spread across 10 sites in the city.

In the Southbank, additional concrete barriers were installed to prevent any similar truck-based attack on the area

Additional police patrols were also seen in Manchester's Albert Square at the city's Christmas Market

Chief Constables across the country have increased the number of officers protecting high profile potential targets

West Midlands Police said they were reviewing security measures and increasing visible patrols in Birmingham, and had a dedicated team of response officers for the city's popular Christmas German market.

Concrete barriers have also been erected to protect the market from a truck attack.

Security was also beefed-up at the Southbank Winter Festival next to the Royal Festival Hall where teams were seen moving heavy concrete planters with forklift trucks to block vehicle access to the site.

Police patrolled the promenade underneath the London Eye, handing out cards bearing the number of the anti-terrorism hotline.

At least six police officers were also seen guarding Leicester Square's Christmas grotto in central London.

In addition, firearms officers were seen yesterday patrolling major shopping centres and other major landmarks including Canterbury Cathedral where police have begun regular patrols armed with Heckler and Koch G36 assault rifles, Glock 17 semi-auto 9mm pistols and Tasers.

It follows an attack on a priest whose throat was slit by Islamic State fanatics in a French church.

Tourists on Horse Guards Parade in London saw heavily-armed police officers acting as a deterrent against possible attack

Members of the public looked slightly started to see the police officer carrying an assault rifle in central London

National Police Chiefs' Council lead for protective security, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi, said: 'Our activities and intelligence are continually reviewed in response to a range of risks and threats, including those seen in Berlin and other places around the world in recent weeks.

'Following incidents like the dreadful attacks in Germany last night, forces across the UK, as is routine, review and assess security measures at public events and other places.

'I would like to reassure everyone that the police, along with the security and intelligence services, are tirelessly working together to deal with the terrorist threat to keep the public safe.'

But last night experts warned that despite the extra security measures, a 'lone wolf' attack by someone previously unknown to the intelligence agencies who could use a lorry as a deadly weapon of terror would be very difficult to prevent.

Bob Broadhurst, former Gold Commander for the Met during the London Olympic Games and now Special Adviser to Security & Counter Terror Expo (MUST) said: 'This type of attack is certainly one that we should be wary of in the UK and it will be at the forefront of current attack methodology.

'Stealing, hijacking or borrowing a large lorry and driving it at speed into a crowd is a very simple method of terrorism.

'Such attacks have long been a concern, but in the past the fear was using vehicles to deliver bombs.

'The mitigation has been in place for many years - place large concrete or metal barriers in key positions to prevent vehicles getting into the area you want to protect.

'The problem comes with deciding what to protect. There is a national stock of barriers but they are expensive to move around and will cause additional traffic congestion when deployed.

'You cannot simply protect every mass gathering of people against such a simple attack.

'Even if there had been barriers at the Berlin market, you would still cause a crowd to form at the barriers or gates as they queue to get in. That crowded place could be your target.'

Special forces and police have rehearsed taking down a vehicle running amok, but it is one of the trickiest scenarios because marksmen need to be in front to get a clear shot at the driver, not chasing after.

It emerged last week that 200 undercover SAS soldiers are to be deployed to assist police forces in the event of an attack.

But Professor Chris Kemp, an expert in crowd planning and risk said: 'We still seem unprepared for this change in modus operandi and attack methodology.

'Crowded space activities including theme parks, Christmas markets, festivals, events and major venues seem to be perceived as soft targets by the terrorist.

He added: 'A queue is always a target and that's what they will be looking at.'

Yesterday visitors to London's Winter Wonderland complained they were being put at risk after large numbers were forced to queue in a penned-in area to get through security.
The Mineral Area Community Elks Lodge 2583 in Desloge partnered with St. Francois Countys East Missouri Action Agencys Head Start once again this year to provide needy families with food baskets on Wednesday.

Elks Leading Knight Roland Seal said they have been doing this for about 10 years now and they work with EMAA. He added it all goes through them to Operation Head Start and all the case workers come in and distribute the baskets to where they go.

Each basket has a certificate good for a turkey which is redeemable over at Save-A-Lot in Park Hills, explained Seal. Then they take their certificate there and get their turkey fresh. These girls are distributing all their food baskets today.

Seal said they ask the membership for help with donations and they make a list of the basics of what they need and send that list to the members.

Then they bring in the food for those baskets and we also solicit donations from people for food items for the baskets, said Seal. Then we give them each a turkey. Down at the Farmington Fun Center we have a bowling get-together and people bring canned goods.

Seal added the Mineral Area Elks Lodge wishes to thank its membership, the Farmington Family Fun Center, the Park Hills Save-A-Lot, the Park Hills Country Mart and the United Autoworkers Union for their contributions to the program.

These people really came to help us put this thing together and without them we couldnt do it, said Seal. The lady who is in charge with this program from EMAA Head Start is Jan Cooley, which is the wife of Elks member Mike Cooley.

Jan said she was approached a few years go about this and they started working together. She said they select the children and it started with the neediest of the needy in the St. Francois County Head Start in Park Hills and the Bonne Terre Head Start.

This has grown and all of our families are low-income families, but to this point it has grown to every enrolled child in the Park Hills and Bonne Terre centers actually get one of these food baskets, said Jan. So every child who is enrolled at this point gets one and we will serve 128 families.

Jan said it started with 40 baskets the first year and it has grown so much since then as people found out what they were doing.

It seems like this time of year people are really generous, but I know Cathy (Dickerson) works hard on it and puts in a lot of her time, Jan said. She has started earlier every year and that has helped it grow.

Seal said Dickerson starts putting the boxes together in October and solely stuffs each one. Jan said Dickerson does an amazing job.
A sheriff's deputy who was arrested for drunk driving flashed his badge and pleaded with the responding officers to let him go, insisting that he could just 'sleep it off'.

Lieutenant Brian Filipiak of Washtenaw County, Michigan, refused a sobriety test after he was pulled over in Montmorency County more than 200 miles away from his home.

A video captured by a responding deputy's body camera shows the cops trying to pull Filipiak out of the car until one officer threatened to taser him.

An open bottle of vodka was recovered in the back seat, and Filipiak was found well over the limits of 0.08 with a blood alcohol content of 0.28 and 0.27, according to an incident report.

Lieutenant Brian Filipiak (pictured in the body cam footage) of Washtenaw County, Michigan, was pulled over in Michigan more than 200 miles away from his home and arrested for operating while intoxicated

The responding deputies said Filipiak was 'uncooperative', and even tried to pull him out of the vehicle until one cop threatened him with a taser (pictured)

Deputy Zachery Morrison received two reports of a truck that nearly hit several vehicles and almost ran off the road several times, according to an incident report.

Filipiak was soon pulled over, and when the cops asked for his driver's license and ID, he also showed them that he was a police officer.

An officer can be heard saying: 'Brian, I'm going to have you step out of the car and do some field sobriety tests.'

When Filipiak was told he couldn't just stay in his car like he asked, he threw his head back in frustration and continued to plead with the cops.

At one point, the officers could be seen trying to pull Filipiak from the car before he was threatened with a taser.

It was then that Filipiak complied and stepped out of the vehicle. Deputies noted that he was staggering, swaying from side to side, and slurring his words, the incident report stated.

Filipiak refused to take sobriety tests, and was arrested and taken back to the sheriff's office, where his blood alcohol content registered at 0.28 and 0.27.

Morrison said in the report: 'During the entire investigation, Brian was very uncooperative. Brian would try and use that he is a Lieutenant for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office to try and persuade me by letting him go.'

Filipiak received a citation for Operating While Intoxicated and has been placed on administrative leave.
President-elect Donald Trump's new Washington luxury hotel, which is booked solid throughout his inauguration, has snagged another high-profile client: the Kuwaiti embassy in Washington.

The Kuwaiti ambassador, said he was never contacted by the Trump organization, but made the booking in order to try out a new property in Washington, rather than the Four Seasons, where the embassy celebrated the Kuwait national day last year.

Six hundred guests are expected for the event, which occurs February 25.

'I do not know President-elect Trump. Or his people. No one has contacted me about moving the event,' Sabah told the Washington Post.

'It was solely done with the intention of providing our guests with a new venue. We have been holding the event at the Four Seasons for years. There is a new hotel in town, and we thought we would give it a try,' he said.

The Ambassador of Kuwait, He Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jabar Al-Sabah, says he was not contacted by the Trump organization, but booked the hotel just to 'give it a try'

Kuwait and the U.S. have close relations. The U.S. liberated the country following the Iraq invasion in 1991, relied on the oil-rich country to stage the 2001 invasion, and provides it with military hardware.

Liberal web site ThinkProgress had issued a report Monday citing a source who said Trump Organization officials 'pressured' the ambassador to move the event  which he explicitly denied.

Trump gave the hotel plugs throughout the campaign, even jumping off the campaign trail to hold a ribbon cutting there in the final weeks of the campaign.

Since his stunning victory, ethics watchdogs have warned that it pose a major conflict of interest, potentially putting him in conflict with the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which bars officeholders from accepting gifts of any kind from foreign governments.

Former George W. Bush ethics lawyer Richard Painter has warned that the hotel will be a red flag for potential conflicts.

'The business empire is going to have to be sold if the president is going to be able to be free of conflicts of interest, or we're going to have a disaster on our hands,' Painter told House Oversight Committee Democrats last week.

The new Trump hotel in D.C. is booked during the days around the presidential inauguration, and has snagged a new client in February: the embassy of Kuwait

'This is not some arcane provision. All it says is no for government payoffs for anybody holding a position of trust with the United States Government, not just the president,' Painter said.

Added for ethics counsel for President Obama Norm Eisen, 'Every one of those dollars that hits the hotel come January 20 will be in violation of the United States Constitution.'

British travel group LTI-Luxury Travel Intelligence gave the Trump hotel a stinging review, calling it the third-worst new luxury property, Washingtonian reported.

'The building itself is undoubtedly impressive, but once inside we start to ask questions,' according to the review of the hotel, which the Trump Organization leases from the government, having modified the historic Old Post Office building.

'LTI finds the decor a little garish and more quantity over quality,' the group wrote.

Trump plans a press conference in January to explain how he will handle his business interests while in office, after postponing it from December 15.
A Chinese woman had managed to get all her money back from a suspected robber after she chased him for half an hour.

The woman was mugged on December 13 outside a bank in Yiwu, eastern China, as she held 24,000 yuan (2,800) worth of banknotes in her hands, reported People's Daily.

Determined to get her money back from the suspect, she chased the man in the streets wearing high heels. At one point, she jumped onto the suspect's motorbike as he attempted to flee by his vehicle.

The woman was robbed after she withdrew the money from a bank in Yiwu, China, last week

The victim, surnamed Wang, fell to the ground during the attack (left), but she quickly got up and started chasing the man (right)

The woman, surnamed Wang, had just withdrawn the money from the bank, according to CZTV.com.

The money had been sent by a client of her company and the woman was about to deposit the cash into another bank.

She failed to fit the pile of banknotes into her bag so she held them in her hands.

The suspect spotted the opportunity and snatched the cash from her hands.

The victim confronted the suspect as he was about to get on his motorbike to flee from her

A CCTV footage shows the woman being attacked and robbed by the man who was wearing a black coat.

Wang, who was wearing high-heeled shoes, fell to the ground during the attack and the suspect quickly ran away from the scene.

The victim kept yelling 'I got robbed' as she got up from the floor and started chasing the man.

In order to stop passersby from intervening, the suspect yelled in return claiming the woman had owed him money.

Another surveillance camera captured the moment the man got on a motorbike, attempting to escape from the woman.

Wang carried on following the man by jumping into the passenger seat of the motorbike.

She used her right arm to strap his neck and the two fell to the ground during the struggle.

The man abandoned the bike and kept running away from Wang.

Wang carried on following the man by jumping into the passenger seat of the motorbike

Tired of being chased, the suspect returned 10,000 yuan (1,164) to Wang, asking her to stop following him.

At one point, he threatened to 'beat her to death' if she persisted.

However the determined woman said she did not give up.

She told a reporter: 'I insisted chasing after him and he eventually returned the remaining cash to me.'

Afterwards, Wang reported the case to police.

She used her right arm to strap his neck and the two fell to the ground during the struggle

The suspect eventually returned the money to Wang, who reported the case to the police

On December 14, the suspect, surnamed Pan, was arrested in a rented house in Yitingzhen.

Pan, 48, is now under criminal detention.

The dramatic footage, also posted to Miaopai, had attracted over eight million of views.

'This woman is so brave but she ignored her personal safety,' one user noted.

'She's lucky that the robber didn't carry a knife,' another one commented.
Sex robots could be a target for hackers who want to get access to details of your sexual perversions.

That's according to Dr Kate Devlin who made the warning during a t alk at the 'Love and Sex with Robots' conference in London this week.

She says that connected sex toys could store incredibly personal data, raising concerns over how it could be used in future.

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One expert has warned that these connected sex toys, including sex robots, could store incredibly personal data, raising concerns over how it could be used in future.

COULD SEX-BOTS REDUCE CRIME? According to behaviour therapist Nicolas Aujula, sex-bots could be a mechanism for helping fetishists explore extreme sexual fantasies, which could help fight sex crime. Aujula said: 'Over the next few years, sex bots I believe could commonly provide a safe and discreet solution for exploring fantasies  offering the possibilities of simply having more creative sex, through to satisfying extreme fetish behaviour. Advertisement

'Right now my big concern is about data,' said Dr Kate Devlin, from the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London.

With people often ticking the boxes to agree with terms and conditions without even reading them, the consequences could be huge.

But it depends on how any saved data is used, explained Dr Devlin.

Dr Devlin admitted data collected by some intimate connected gadgets could be useful for improving the product or for helping.

'But do we want people to know when we have sex and how we have sex?' Dr Devlin asked.

She referred to a case in which a woman sued sex toy firm Standard Innovation, makers of the WeVibe, earlier this year - claiming the company was keeping tabs on intimate data collected by the smart dildo and its corresponding app.

The case highlights the potential pitfalls of handing over such intimate data.

Dr Devlin also raised concerns the current designs of sex robots encourage the objectification of women.

'Women are massively underrepresented in the technology world and we see that reflected in the products,' she said.

Yesterday it emerged that nearly half of men could see themselves buying a sex robot in the near future.

Findings presented at the conference suggested robots will become an increasingly popular companion in the bedroom, warranting a system of ethics for their development and use.

In one study, the researchers surveyed 263 heterosexual males between the ages of 18 and 67.

Participants were shown two-minute videos of female humanoid robots. The team also conducted 'personality measures' and 'attractiveness ratings.'

Then, the men were asked whether they would buy such a robot for themselves now or within the next five years.

The study revealed a staggering number of men admitted they would buy a sex robot, with 40.3 per cent of participants responding in this way.

'I wanted to see what kind of characteristics influence the use of sex robots,' Jessica Szczuka from the University of Duisburg-Essen said at the conference.

'We react towards computers and machines as we do with human beings. This involves showing empathy and keeping an interpersonal distance with robots.'

The researchers also noted lonely men were more likely to attribute human characteristics to robots.

By turning to sex-bots, however, humans may over-exert themselves to the point of collapse, researchers warned.

Nearly half of men could see themselves buying a sex robot in the near future. But, if they aren't careful, the tireless robots could push their human lovers over the edge, experts have warned. Stock image

Oliver Bendel, a researcher from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Northwestern Switzerland, says the development of sex robots should be subjected to questions of machine ethics, the Register reports.

Bendel warned there are 'physical limits' to human sexuality  especially for men.

As robots have the potential to carry on without tiring out, this could put users at risk of over-exertion.

'If the machine over-exerts the human, it reduces the possibility of human sex,' Bendel said.

Another question included whether robots should be able to 'entice' users, according to the Register.
A huge jet stream of molten iron is heading towards Canada.

But before you panic, there's good news - it lies deep within the Earth's core, around 1,860 miles (3,000km) below the surface.

Researchers believe the jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards a boundary from both sides, causing it to be squeezed out sideways.

The discovery could shed light on how Earth protective, magnetic shield works.

Deep within the Earth's molten iron core, researchers have discovered a jet stream circling the North Pole. The stream lies around 1,860 miles (3,000 kilometres) below the surface, and was detected by the European Space Agency's (ESA) Swarm satellites

WHY IS THE JET STREAM THERE? The study found the position of the jet stream aligns with a boundary between two different regions in the Earth's core. Researchers believe the jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards this boundary from both sides, which is squeezed out sideways. Professor Rainer Hollerback, co-author of the study, said: 'Of course, you need a force to move the liquid towards the boundary. 'This could be provided by buoyancy, or perhaps more likely from changes in the magnetic field within the core.' Advertisement

The protective field extends thousands of miles into space and its magnetism affects everything from global communication to animal migration and weather patterns.

But this magnetic field, so important to life on Earth, has weakened by 15 per cent over the last 200 years.

And this, scientists claim, could make Earth far more vulnerable to space weather.

But researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how it works

The jet stream could shed some light on the mystery.

It was discovered by researchers from the University of Leeds, using the European Space Agency (ESA's) Swarm satellites.

Dr Phil Livermore, who led the study, said: 'The European Space Agency's Swarm satellites are providing our sharpest X-ray image yet of the core.

'We've not only seen this jet stream clearly for the first time, but we understand why it's there.

'We can explain it as an accelerating band of molten iron circling the North Pole, like the jet stream in the atmosphere.'

The core's remote location under 1,860 miles (3,000km) of rock, makes it very difficult to study.

Previous studies have been based on measurements of the planet's magnetic field.

They found changes in the magnetic field indicated that iron in the outer core was moving faster in the northern hemisphere, mostly under Alaska and Siberia.

But new data from the Swarm satellites has revealed these changes are actually caused by a jet stream moving at more than 25 miles (40km) per year.

This is three times faster than typical outer core speeds and hundreds of thousands of times faster than the speed at which the Earth's tectonic plates move.

The ESA's Swarm mission features a trio of satellites which simultaneously measure and untangle the different magnetic signals which stem from Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere.

The ESA's Swarm mission features a trio of satellites which simultaneously measure and untangle the different magnetic signals which stem from Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere

They have provided the clearest information yet about the magnetic field created in the core.

The study found the position of the jet stream aligns with a boundary between two different regions in the core.

Researchers believe the jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards this boundary from both sides, which is squeezed out sideways.

Professor Rainer Hollerback, co-author of the study, said: 'Of course, you need a force to move the liquid towards the boundary.

'This could be provided by buoyancy, or perhaps more likely from changes in the magnetic field within the core.'

WHAT IS THE SWARM MISSION? Swarm is a ESA satellite mission that launched on 22nd November 2013 (illustrated right). The mission consists of three identical satellites that are precisely measuring the strength and direction of Earth's magnetic field. The new data is being processed by the British Geological Survey to produce an accurate map of this field. In order to best measure the field, the satellites orbit in a unique configuration. Two satellites will fly side-by-side at height of 280 miles (450km), while the third satellite will fly at an altitude of 330 miles (530km). The lower two satellites allow very fine measurements of the magnetic field generated by the rocks in the Earth's crust, which are difficult to detect otherwise. The upper satellite gives a simultaneous measurement at a different location. Advertisement

The researchers believe that the discovery of the jet stream will not be the only surprise revealed by the Swarm satellites.

Rune Floberghagen, mission manager of the ESA Swarm, said: 'Further surprises are likely.

'The magnetic field is forever changing, and this could even make the jet stream switch direction.
Some Virgin Media customers are in for a frustrating Christmas, as internet blackouts across the UK are expected to continue until into the new year.

In the past few days, users in some areas of the UK have been complaining of regular internet outages during peak browsing periods.

Now the company has said its customers should not expect a fix until the middle of January next year.

Some Virgin Media customers are in for a frustrating Christmas, as internet blackouts across the UK are expected to continue until the new year. Stock image

THE OUTAGES IN BRIEF In the past few weeks, users in some areas of the UK have been complaining of regular internet outages during peak browsing periods. While some customers had lost internet completely, others were complaining of slower than expected broadband speeds. Customers including some in Basildon, Blackpool, North Belfast, Leeds, Barking and Peterborough complained of blackouts. Now Virgin Media has said its customers should not expect to see a fix until the middle of January 2017. Advertisement

'We are aware of an issue affecting some customers' broadband services...and are working hard to resolve it as quickly as possible,' Virgin Media said in a statement to the Daily Star Online.

'We apologise to customers for any inconvenience experienced.'

The company added the problems will not be fixed until at least January 18, 2017.

According to Down Detector, a website where people can report outages of internet or mobile signal, people have been facing issues all across the UK.

Most of these, 63 per cent, have been issues with internet and 36 per cent have been problems with phone signal.

The number of people affected has not been confirmed

'Reports suggesting a widespread outage or UK "blackout" affecting our broadband network are inaccurate,' a VIrgin Media spokesman told MailOnine

'The reports are based on an issue affecting some customers in Twickenham. We apologise for the inconvenience caused, work is planned to resolve the issue this week.

'At Virgin Media we work hard to provide the best broadband to our customers. If something happens to affect the service we provide, we work with our customers to put it right as quickly as possible.'

According to USwitch, there were 4.9 million Virgin Media broadband customers in the UK at the start of November this year.

Customers complaining on Down Detector include some in Basildon, Blackpool, North Belfast, Leeds, Barking and Peterborough.

Frustrated customers have also taken to Twitter to express their anger, with some even suggesting they would move to rival companies.

While some customers had lost internet completely, others were complaining of slower than expected broadband speeds.

'Got home & no broadband (yet again) with @virginmedia, Completely unacceptable,' one customer said.

According to DownDetector, a website where people can report outages of internet or mobile signal, people across the UK have been facing issues - with 63 per cent of the issues happening with internet and 36 per cent with phone signal

Frustrated customers also took to Twitter to express their anger, with some even suggesting they would move to rival companies

Virgin Media has apologised to customers 'for any inconvenience experienced.' The company added the problems will not be fixed until at least January 18, 2017

While some customers had lost internet completely, others were complaining of slower than expected broadband speeds

Earlier this year, BT broadband customers faced similar issues with outages.

For two days in a row in July, the UK's biggest internet provider faced technical issues.

The second problem was caused by a circuit that tripped in a building in London, owned by Telehouse, which hosts a data centre used by BT.
At first glance, it's a simple video of a dancer spinning.

However, in fact it is an optical illusion that some say could actually reveal how smart you are.

It plays with the brain's visual perception - some see her spinning clockwise, counterclockwise or even switching between the two.

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An optical illusion featuring the silhouette of a dancer doing a pirouette is playing tricks on our visual perception - some see her spinning clockwise, counterclockwise or switching between the two - and for years it used to test IQ and which side of the brain was more dominate

SPINNING DANCER The optical illusion was created by the Japanese Flash designer Nobuyuki Kayahara in 2003 and for many years, was used to determine whether people are right-brain (creative) or left-brain (logical) dominant. However, recent studies reveal that it does not deal with areas of the brain, but our perspective. Most people see her spinning clockwise because we tend to choose a viewpoint from above rather than below. Another reason for our clockwise bias is an attentional bias that leans towards the right side of the body. There is also a trick to see her switch between directions. 'Cover up everything but her foot touching the ground,' said Arthur Shapiro, a computer science professor at American University. Stay focused on the foot and the shadow beneath her as she spins. 'Now imagine you are physically moving up or down in space.' When you imagine yourself below the dancer she should spin counterclockwise and clockwise if you envision yourself above her. Advertisement

For years, the rotating figure was used to test intelligence and determine which side of the brain was more dominate.

Now, experts say it isn't about brain hemispheres, but most will see the dancer rotate clockwise because we tend to have a viewpoint from above and an attentional bias towards the right side of the body.

The optical illusion was created by the Japanese Flash designer Nobuyuki Kayahara in 2003 and for many years, was used to determine whether people are right-brain (creative) or left-brain (logical) dominant.

And apparently, people with high IQs can see the figure spinning in both directions.

Paul Spencer with Tonic contacted Arthur Shapiro and Niko Troje, a pair of scientists who dissect Kayahara's spinning girl in the forthcoming Oxford Compendium of Visual Illusions, to understand the truth behind this theory.

'That's just gibberish,' Shapiro, a computer science professor at American University in Washington D.C. and creator of the color wagon wheel illusion, told Spencer.

He explains that there is are much more complex reasons behind why we see her spinning in different directions.

The duo explains that this ballerina is deemed a reversible image in the class of optical illusions, meaning, even though she spins, she displays 'similarities to other static illusions'  like the Necker cube.

Just like the spinning dancer, the Necker cube can be viewed in two ways: either the lower right panel is in the front or people see it placed in the back.

Reversible images like the cube and dancer change at a moment's notice because they can be viewed in more than one way, explained Troje, director for BioMotion Lab at Queens University.

And the reason for the uncertainty is because these kinds of optical illusions do not reveal any clues about the image's depth to help us make sense of it.

When images aren't clear, your brain takes the initiative to fill in the gaps where information is missing.

The dancer is reversible image in the class of optical illusions, meaning, even though she spins, she displays 'similarities to other static illusions' like the Necker cube (pictured), which can be viewed in two ways: the lower right panel is in the front or it placed in the back

However, a second video adds small white contour lines in certain areas of the dancer's body, which allows our brain to 'solve the illusion faster', said Shapiro.

This is because your brain is able to gather more information from what is being presented.

Shapiro also reveals that you don't have to be a genius to see the dancer switch directins.

'Cover up everything but her foot touching the ground,' he said.

Stay focused on the foot and the shadow beneath her as she spins.

A second video adds small white contour lines in certain areas of the dancer's body, which allows our brain to 'solve the illusion faster', said Shapiro. This is because your brain is able to gather more information from what is being presented

'Now imagine you are physically moving up or down in space.'

'If you want her to switch directions, look at her as if you're filming her from below.

'Now pretend to be filming her from above.'

When you imagine yourself below the dancer she should spin counterclockwise and clockwise if you envision yourself above her.

A 2010 study reveals that most people will see the figure spin around clockwise, as we tend to choose a viewpoint from above rather than below, reports BrainDecoder.

Experts reveal that it isn't about brain hemispheres, but most will see the dancer spin clockwise because we tend to choose point of view from above and have an attentional bias towards the right side of the body

SOLVE THE 'IMPOSSIBLE ROOF' Kokichi Sugihara is famous for building 3D optical illusions that make viewers question the laws of nature, but are then blown away once the structure's true form is revealed. However, even after the hoax is revealed, viewers still see the same illusion after the structure is back in its mystical position. After studying different shapes, Sugihara realized that our brain will choose the most rectangular configuration when it attempts to decipher features that have different interpretations, reports New Scientists. He says our brains tend to interpret objects as symmetrical and it is just complete reality that facilitates the deception. The reason our brains are easily fooled is because images do not share its depth, which leaves our brains to fill in the missing pieces. Advertisement

And a study from 2015 says that the viewing-from-above factor is only the tip of the iceberg.

The paper suggests another reason for our clockwise bias, which is an attentional bias - humans tend to lean towards the right side of the body, researchers explain.

And Shapiro and Troje tell Tonic that the reason most people see the dancer spinning clockwise also has to do with the area of our brain that deals with fear, rage and panic  the subcortical system.

Most things that can harm us are more likely to sit on the ground, such as snakes and spiders, explained Troje.
It is a stunning image showing man's outpost in space in a whole new light.

NASA has released this stunning composite image, made from ten frames.

It show the International Space Station, with a crew of six onboard, in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016.

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Taken from California, it shows the International Space Station, with a crew of six onboard, in silhouette as it transits the sun at roughly five miles per second on Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016.

Taken from Newbury Park in California, it reveals the orbiting outpust.

Onboard as part of Expedition 50 are: NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson: Russian cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Oleg Novitskiy: and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Nasa has previously revealed similar snaps - some with a planet thrown in for good measure.

On 9 May Mercury passed in front of the Sun as seen from Earth, which occurs only around 13 times every century, so astronomers all over Earth were eager to capture the event.

French astrophotographer Thierry Legault travelled to Philadelphia to take the stunning image, and admits he was 'very lucky' to catch the unique phenomenon.

Thierry Legault decided capturing Mercury and the Sun alone was not enough, however  he wanted the International Space Station in the frame as well.

To catch the Station passing across the Sun, you need to set up your equipment within a ground track less than 3 km wide.

For Thierry, this meant flying to the USA from his home near Paris, France.

On 9 May there were three possible areas to capture the Station and Mercury at the same time against the solar disc: Quebec, Canada, the Great Lakes and Florida, USA.

Choosing the right spot took considerable effort, says Thierry: 'Canada had bad weather predicted and around Florida I couldn't find a suitably quiet but public place, so I went to the suburbs of Philadelphia.'

With 45 kg of equipment, Thierry flew to New York and drove two hours to Philadelphia to scout the best spot.

Mercury transits the sun from Earth's perspective about 13 times per century, with the last transit happening in 2006 and the next occurring in 2019, according to Nasa.

Even then, all the preparations and intercontinental travel could have been for nothing because the Station crosses the Sun in less than a second and any clouds could have ruined the shot.

'I was very lucky: 10 minutes after I took the photos, clouds covered the sky.

'Adrenaline flows in the moments before the Station flies by  it is a one-shot chance. I cannot ask the space agencies to turn around so I can try again. Anything can happen.'

The hard work and luck paid off.

The image here includes frames superimposed on each other to show the Station's path. Mercury appears as a black dot at bottom-centre of the Sun.

For Thierry, the preparation and the hunt for the perfect shot is the best part.

'Astrophotography is my hobby that I spend many hours on, but even without a camera I encourage everybody to look up at the night sky.
Last spring, researchers made headlines with the discovery of Casper, a translucent octopod spotted 4,000 meters (about 2.5 miles) down off Necker Island near Hawaii.

Now, researchers have revealed the creature is at risk - and mobile phones are to blame.

A report published in Current Biology on December 19 reveals the ghost-like, deep-sea octopods lay their eggs on the dead stalks of sponges attached to seafloor nodules rich in the increasingly valuable metals used in cell phones and computers.

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During a recent deep-sea dive in the Hawaiian Archipelago, a remotely operated vehicle came across an unknown creature. Unlike most cephalopods, the little octopus found by the NOAA Deep Discoverer lacks pigment, making it ghostlike and mysterious, and every bit adorable

PHONE CHEMICALS The deep-sea manganese nodules form similarly to pearls in an oyster. In a process that could take millions of years, metals gradually build up in rocky layers onto a small starting seed, perhaps a shell fragment or a shark's tooth. Many of the metals contained are 'high-tech' metals, useful in producing mobile phones and other modern computing equipment Advertisement

'Presumably, the female octopod then broods these eggs, probably for as long as it takes until they hatch - which may be a number of years,' says Autun Purser of the Alfred Wegener Institute's Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Germany.

'The brooding observation is important as these sponges only grow in some areas on small, hard nodules or rocky crusts of interest to mining companies because of the metal they contain,' including manganese, he adds.

'The removal of these nodules may therefore put the lifecycle of these octopods at risk.'

Purser explains that the deep-sea manganese nodules form similarly to pearls in an oyster.

In a process that could take millions of years, metals gradually build up in rocky layers onto a small starting seed, perhaps a shell fragment or a shark's tooth.

'These nodules look a bit like a potato, and are made up of rings of different shells of metal-rich layers,' Purser says.

'They are interesting to companies as many of the metals contained are 'high-tech' metals, useful in producing mobile phones and other modern computing equipment, and most of the land sources of these metals have already been found and are becoming more expensive to buy.'

Purser says that little was known about the creatures found in the deep-sea environments where those attractive metals are found.

In a series of recent cruises, the researchers set out to find the organisms that live there and to understand how the ecosystem and animals might be impacted by mining activities.

Their studies have shown that octopods are numerous in manganese crust areas, precisely where miners would hope to extract metals of interest.

The mineral-biota association that they observed is a first for any octopod lacking fins (a group known as incirrate octopods), and it puts these captivating octopods, which live their long lives at a slow pace, at particular risk.

'As long-lived creatures, recovery will take a long time and may not be possible if all the hard seafloor is removed,' Purser says.

THE DEEP-SEA OCTOPODS According to NOAA, deep-sea octopods are separated into two groups: cirrates and incirrates. Cirrate octopods are finned, also known as 'dumbo' octopods. These have fins on the sides of their bodies and fingerlike cirri associated with the suckers on their arms But, during its mission, the remotely operated vehicle called Deep Discoverer found something extraordinary  a small octopus sitting on a rock, pictured above. The discovery was made at a depth of 4,290 meters. Deep Discoverer captured images of the octopus, researchers classify the animal among the incirrate octopods Incirrate octopods, lack both fins and cirri and are similar in appearance to common shallow-water. The researchers say the newly discovered octopus is previously undescribed, and may not belong to a known genus. It is an incirrate, and appears to be low in muscle and lack pigment. And, its suckers are arranged in one series on each arm, rather than two. Advertisement

'This would be a great loss to biodiversity in the deep sea and may also have important knock on effects. Octopods are sizable creatures, which eat a lot of other smaller creatures, so if the octopods are removed, the other populations will change in difficult to predict ways.'

Purser says that he and his colleagues continue to study the nodules and their importance to microbes and animals both small and large, including starfish, crabs, and fish.

The discovery was made during the first operational dive of Okeanos Explorer's 2016 season on February 27.

Researchers planned to collect geological samples from the Necker Ridge in order to determine its possible connection with Necker Island (Mokumanamana).

But, during its mission, the remotely operated vehicle called Deep Discoverer found something extraordinary  a small octopus sitting on a rock.

The discovery was made at a depth of 4,290 meters.

Deep Discoverer captured detailed images of the octopus, allowing researchers to classify the animal among the incirrate octopods.

These kinds of octopods lack fins and cirri, the wispy strands on some octopuses' arms.

Researchers planned to collect geological samples from the Necker Ridge in order to determine its possible connection with Necker Island

This one, however, appeared to be low in muscle and lacks the pigment cells called chromatophores, which most cephalopods have.

Researchers say its cartoonish appearance has social media users pushing to name it 'Casper,' after the friendly ghost (pictured above)

And, its suckers are arranged in one series on each arm, as opposed to two.

The NOAA says the ghostly octopus is 'almost certainly an undescribed species and may not belong to any described genus.'

Deep-sea octopods are classified within two groups  incirrates, like the unusual ghost specimen and cirrates.

Cirrate octopods are finned, also known as 'dumbo' octopods.

They have fins on the sides of their bodies, and cirri associated with the suckers on their arms, NOAA explains.

While cirrate octopods have been reported even deeper than this find, even upwards of 5,000 meters, this is the deepest published report of an incirrate.

All others are recorded at depths less than 4,000 meters.

Michael Vecchione of NOAA writes that he's since contacted other researchers to weigh in on the find, including Louise Allcock who is currently stationed on a British ship near Antarctica, and Uwe Piatkowski, of Germany.

The team is now considering taking the observation a step further, and combining it with others observations from the eastern Pacific into a manuscript for publication.
The Trans-Siberian is arguably the world's most epic and iconic railway journey

'Come on in! Don't you want to look seven years younger?'

Reversing the ageing process Siberian-style means nerves of steel and exposure to teeth-shattering cold.

Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world, is a mile deep in parts and so big that in heavy mists ships get lost when traversing its waters.

Just the ticket: The Tsars Gold luxury train runs past Siberias vast Lake Baikal

According to local legend, this is the place to take a dip if you want to turn back the clock.

My guide Marina stands on the pebble strewn shore as I plunge into the 12 degree water for 25 seconds of blood freezing pain.

I emerge with my face locked in an expression of open-mouthed shock and am handed a shot of vodka which I down gratefully.

'Now you're a true Siberian,' says Marina.

'But you really should go and put some clothes on...' Luckily, sanctuary is close at hand.

It's only a few steps to my cabin aboard the Tsar's Gold luxury train  the only private train to ply the legendary Moscow-Siberia-Mongolia-Beijing route; a 16-day odyssey through forest, steppes, desert and great big cities.

The first Trans-Siberian railway line opened a century ago this year.

I am here to celebrate the birthday of one of the most incredible manmade constructions on the planet.

Nomadic life: Yurts in the Gobi Desert, which spreads across China and Mongolia

It was the brainchild of the doomed last Tsar Nicholas II.

And, naturally, none of the privations of the standard Trans-Siberian experience apply on the Tsar's Gold.

My single-occupancy carriage has rich red curtains, drapes and pillows on which to recline and devour my well-thumbed copy of Dr Zhivago as the train chugs out of Moscow's Kazan station to the soundtrack of a live brass band.

Any worries that life onboard might be dull are immediately put to rest.

The train, unlike the standard Russian Railways rolling stock, stops at a different location each day.

Our small group is taken to see a Siberian summer in full bloom, there are classical concerts in Soviet-era domed concert halls in Ulan-Ude and mulling around markets with their bounty of Siberian fish and fruit in Novosibirsk.

There's also a visit to the cathedral on the site where the last Tsar and his family were murdered in 1917 as an Orthodox service was in progress in Yekaterinburg.

The further from Moscow we get, the more my preconceptions of Russia as an intimidating hostile place are swept away under a tide of hospitality, food, bonhomie and, of course, vodka and Russian champagne  known as shampanskoye.

Mongolia is a dramatic contrast.

The vista of birch and maple trees, trickling streams and sodden meadows fade to an all but treeless landscape of dragon tooth mountains, shimmering green hills, cinematic skies and minuscule villages where men still ride on horseback.

White sheep's wool yurts squat on the hillsides; still the home of choice for the majority of local farmers and villagers.

Changing trains at the Chinese border (the different tracks mean the Tsar's Gold is swapped for a slightly less luxurious train) we slowly cross the Gobi Desert, a parched land of staggering size where camels and herders eke out a life of bone-crushing toughness.

Golden ticket: Tsar's Gold is the only private train to run the Moscow-to-Beijing route

After the serenity of a Siberian summer and the untouched steppes of Mongolia, Beijing is a loud blast of modernity.

A city of more than 35 million people, this is a place of searing heat, endless ring roads, fabulous dim sum cuisine and an atmosphere of ambition and ceaseless reinvention.

But escape from the morass is possible. On my final day, we drive to the Juyong Pass, just 35 miles outside the city to climb the Great Wall of China; perhaps the only manmade construction to surpass even the Trans-Siberian in terms of human achievement.

Avoiding the worst of the crowds, amid intense midday humidity, I climb around 2,500 vertiginous steps before admitting defeat. From this vantage point, I am utterly alone.

Butterflies dance and the tree-smothered mountains beyond are shrouded with a thin mist.

Grand finale: The journey ends in Beijing, from where you can reach the Great Wall of China

The Tsar's Gold is not just a journey through three vast nations, it takes you from 19th to the 21st century in a little over a fortnight.

And what a way to travel. I will never forget those warm afternoons gazing through my window watching one of the most untouched regions on earth glide past.

The words of the American businessman, Harry de Windt, who travelled on the Trans-Siberian over a century ago, apply to the Tsar's Gold, too.

'The train,' he wrote, 'was truly an ambulant palace of luxury... one to recall in after days with longing.'
At first glance, we could almost be in England. My three children and I have flown over 11 hours from London, but emerge to overcast skies.

Our guide is in a right hand-drive Land Rover and even the road signs look the same. A familiar triangular red warning sign looms in the distance: but, what's that? A picture of an elephant?

As if on cue, there is a thrashing in the undergrowth as an elephant lumbers out, ears flapping. My 11-year-old daughter shrieks, prompting my teenage sons to raise their heads from their phones. We are along way from England.

Wild side: Giraffes roam in Botswana's Chobe National Park, close to Ngoma Safari Lodge

We are in Botswana, which this year marks 50 years of independence from Britain, though this beautiful African nation still has a deep connection with its past.

Its current president, Ian Khama, was born in England and a film celebrating his parents' controversial love story is in cinemas now, starring Rosamund Pike as his English mother Ruth Williams and David Oyelowo as his father, Sir Seretse Khama.

Khama Sr led Botswana to independence, becoming its first democratically elected president and transforming it from the world's third poorest economy into one of its fastest-growing.

Elephants crossing: Conservation efforts have meant a boom in the number of wild animals

In other words, the country did rather well once Britain gave up the reins. And yet the film is called A United Kingdom, referring to Botswana, but underscoring its closeness to Britain.

Arriving at the fabulous Ngoma Safari Lodge, we are greeted with a very English offer of Earl Grey tea or gin and tonic. The lodge blends so perfectly with its surroundings that it seems as though we are in the middle of nowhere. Inside, the whole of

Botswana appears to be laid out at our feet: an expansive terrace overlooks the Chobe River floodplain where, far below us, zebra and giraffe are congregating to drink.

My sons do not look at their phones again for days  for once, real life is more interesting.

We are shown to two of the lodge's eight deceptively rusticlooking huts, which span out across a ridge. They are supremely luxurious with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on to the animals. It's like being in an episode of Planet Earth II. Outside each hut is a private deck and plunge pool, occasionally drained overnight by elephants.

Fantastic photobomb: Helena on safari with her children Isabel, 11, Ben, 15 and Joe, 13

My sons share one hut, my daughter and I another. After dark, we are not allowed to leave our huts for dinner without an escort  due to the very real risk of becoming dinner ourselves.

My sons are delighted that I cannot nag them to go to bed. But they are so exhausted after all the excitement that there is no need. Our days fall into an easy pattern of lavish breakfasts, spectacular game drives, river cruises, picnics in the bush and candlelit dinners under the lodge's 3,000-year-old baobab tree.

On one game drive, we come across a zebra that has been killed by lions. They have hauled the carcass into a ravine and our guide Timothy drives right up to the edge, cautioning us not to make any sudden movements.

Two lionesses raise their heads to stare at us, noses bloodied. After a minute of tension, they go back to their kill.

That slow southern style: Ngoma Safari Lodge blends in perfectly with its surroundings

When we return to the same location at the crack of dawn the next morning, they are lying, sated, by the ravine  but will not leave the carcass.

Hyenas, jackals and vultures circle, biding their time as the sun rises. We wait quietly in the cold for nearly an hour, wrapped in ponchos, watching. Eventually the lions lope off and the scavengers pounce.

In a local village, we meet 96-year-old Keloesitswe James Phuzedi, who has lived here all his life, planting crops and rearing cattle. Almost toothless, he walks with a cane, standing in front of his corrugated iron and stick hut.

I ask him if he has noticed any difference in Botswana since independence. He says that life is both better  as farmers receive assistance from the government  and worse, as a huge increase in wild animals, thanks to the government's conservation policies, threatens his livelihood.

Nation in the spotlight: Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo in the new film A United Kingdom

'Elephants destroy my crops and lions are killing my cattle,' he says, shaking his head in despair.

In A United Kingdom, there is a scene with Rosamund Pike lying in the arms of Oyelowo/Khama on a terrace: 'I didn't just marry you for your good looks,' he murmurs in his wife's ear.

'Liar,' she giggles, knowing full well their love runs far deeper. The same could be said of Botswana. You may be attracted by its good looks. But something fundamental lodges it in your heart.
Some of the most picturesque beaches in the United States are slowly disappearing.

The Outer Banks are a 200-mile barrier island chain on the North Carolina coast and are a major tourist destination, with tourists flocking there to enjoy fresh seafood and beautiful beaches.

However, major portions of the island-chain, which starts in southern Virginia and stretches nearly the entire North Carolina coastline, are collapsing.

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The Outer Banks are a 200-mile barrier island chain on the North Carolina coast and are a major tourist destination, with tourists flocking there to enjoy fresh seafood and beautiful beaches. But the beaches are being severely eroded

In Rodanthe, North Carolina, waves threateningly lap around the stilts of this home

In this aerial view, the ocean is shown encroaching on homes that were built along the beach

The damage to the beaches, and beach-side properties, is putting a way of life and tourism-based economy at risk

Stanley Riggs, a coastal geologist at East Carolina University in Greenville, told National Geographic that the damage is the result of tropical storms, beach-front development and sea-level rise.

The magazine reported that in certain areas, the beaches have receded about 2,500 feet in just 150 years  and geologists such as Riggs warn that the beautiful beaches there could one day be swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean.

He said: Sea-level rise and storms are taking out eastern North Carolina today - not a hundred years from now. They're doing it today.

Stanley Riggs, a coastal geologist at East Carolina University in Greenville, said the damage is the result of tropical storms, beach-front development and sea-level rise

Outer Banks residents first noticed that their beaches were disappearing back in the 1930s

The blame for the beaches being degraded can partly be laid at the door of engineers  and their reaction to rising sea levels and storms.

Outer Banks residents first noticed that their beaches were disappearing back in the 1930s, so in the 1940s engineers began building dunes along the coast to keep water surges at bay.

Once Highway 12 was built in 1962 - the only road that travels the entire length of the Outer Banks - they had even more reason to continue piling the sand up because of the economic benefits the road fuelled.

During a storm, water sometimes entirely reshapes beaches, or causes parts of it to disappear completely

The bridge shown in this picture connects Nags Head on the Outer Banks to the mainland of North Carolina, and is in major danger due to damage caused by storms

While the engineers' intentions have been noble  and for a while they certainly kept the economy buoyant - theres an argument that they just made the situation worse.

Heres how.

The Outer Banks should in theory be gradually moving towards the mainland, courtesy of storm-level sea water cutting channels through it and depositing sand on the other side - where there's an inlet called a sound - and winds blowing sand westwards, too.

This photo shows the beaches at a time when they were much wider

Older homes experience the most damage after a major storm comes through

This dramatic image shows a cottage called Wave Breaker on the Outer Banks being swamped by a stormy high tide

The coastline on many of the beaches is believed to have receded about 2,500 feet in the last 150 years as a result of multiple storms, development, and sea-level rise

This image was taken in 1965 and shows how Outer Banks home owners enjoyed vast expanses of sand at that time

So the islands should be staying the same size, but moving landwards.

But this natural migration has been stopped by engineers blocking the newly carved water channels and piling up sand, according to Riggs.

As a result, the islands are thinning because the sand is being degraded on the ocean side but isn't being allowed to build up naturally on the sound side.

What's more, the water levels in the inlet are being kept artificially high, because the excess can't drain back into the ocean.

Then there are the storms.

Nearly every time that a hurricane or major tropical storm hits Highway 12, it undergoes serious damage.

This image shows the devastating damage caused to Highway 12 by Hurricane Irene

Highway 12 is the only road that runs the entire length of the Outer Banks

A woman takes video footage of the damaged caused by surging waves to Highway 12 in Kitty Hawk

Beach refurbishment projects (pictured) aim to replace sand on beaches to maintain a steady stream of tourism

Towns on the Outer Banks have to spend large sums of money to refurbish sand on the beaches

A child carries his family's wall mirror from their beachfront home in Nags Head, having been forced to evacuate it due to a brewing storm

THE OUTER BANKS - A TOURIST DESTINATION The Wright Brothers - first flight Aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright were two American brothers credited with inventing the world's first successful airplane. They made the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight on 17 December, 1903, four miles south of Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. The brothers applied for their famous 'flying machine' patent based on their successful 1902 glider. Wild horses On the northern Outer Banks town of Corolla wild horses roam the beaches. The Wild Colonial Spanish mustangs have been settled on these North Carolina beaches for nearly 500 years. No one really knows how they got there. Wild horse tours have drawn tourists for years. Travellers can donate to the Corolla Wild Horse fund, which helps to make sure the creatures can live undisturbed. Dune hang gliding Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nag's Head has the tallest natural dune system on the east coast, with dunes ranging from 80ft to 100ft tall. The same wind and climate conditions that attracted the Wright Brothers to take their first flight, as well as views of Roanoke Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, have drawn people keen on participating in the thrilling sport to this spot for nearly 50 years. Shipwrecks The Outer Banks is also known to sailors and historians as the graveyard of the Atlantic. The 200-mile stretch of beaches is home to hundreds of shipwrecks, some of which are hidden deep in the ocean and others that are right up on the beach. The Lost Colony America's longest running outdoor play tells the story of the Lost Colony. The Lost colony arrived in the Outer Banks nearly 100 years before Jamestown settlers, and disappeared without a trace. Nobody is entirely sure what happened to them, and there has been a play running about the mystery since the 1930's. Advertisement

This makes it difficult for residents and tourists alike to travel along the island, and makes post-storm clean-up nearly impossible.

The damage caused is putting a way of life and tourism-based economy at risk, not to mention some of the most breathtaking views on the eastern shore-board.

Garry Parry, the mayor of popular Outer Banks destination Kitty Hawk, told MailOnline Travel: The beach road has been damaged and rebuilt numerous times throughout the length of Kitty Hawk.

'The beach has eroded to the point one stretch required sandbagging in an effort to save it.

Hurricane Irene left these houses surrounded by high tides

These photos show the change over time of Outer Banks beaches at Hatteras Village (left) and Ocracoke Island (right)

The Outer Banks - now a string of islands popular with beachgoers - first formed around 7,000 years ago

WHY ARE AMERICA'S MOST PICTURESQUE BEACHES DISAPPEARING? The Outer Banks - now a string of islands popular with beachgoers - first formed around 7,000 years ago, and settled roughly into their current location 2,000-3,000 years ago, as reported by National Geographic. Scientists argue that since 1900, the sea has begun to rise at an accelerated pace, mostly due to climate change. The Outer Banks should in theory be gradually moving towards the mainland, courtesy of storm-level sea water cutting channels through it and depositing sand on the other side - where there's an inlet called a sound - and winds blowing sand westwards, too. So the islands should be staying the same size, but moving landwards. But this natural migration has been stopped by engineers blocking the newly carved water channels and piling up sand, according to Riggs. As a result, the islands are thinning because the sand is being degraded on the ocean side but isn't being allowed to build up naturally on the sound side. What's more, the water levels in the inlet are being kept artificially high, because the excess can't drain back into the ocean. The islands are thinning because the sand is being degraded on the ocean side but isn't being allowed to build up naturally on the sound side This map shows the estimated sea level rise at different portions of the North Carolina Coast over the past 150 years. Scientists argue that since 1900, the sea has begun to rise at an accelerated pace, mostly due to climate change Advertisement

Large storms, hurricanes or nor'easter winds (macro-scale cyclones) impact our ocean side through "over-wash flooding", large movement of beach sand westward onto roadways and under built-up houses.

The loss of wide and high beach has been severe enough that even moderate storm waves or surges causes flooding damage.

With no alternative left, Kitty Hawk along with three other municipalities have embarked on a beach nourishment project this coming spring/summer to pump compatible sand from offshore to widen our beaches.

In addition, Kitty Hawk has installed pumping stations to remove flood water that occurs in the low area between beach and high dune that separates the beach zone from the west side "village zone.'

When hurricanes and other major tropical storms hit the islands, it causes major damage to the beaches and beach-side infrastructure, including piers




Stressed travellers at Glasgow airport are being given a festive boost thanks to a Christmas carol-singing robot.

GLAdys, the UK's first humanoid robot airport ambassador, is on hand to welcome customers throughout the holiday season.

In her role as chief airport entertainer, she sings and dances to three Christmas songs  Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rocking around the Christmas Tree and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

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GLAdys, the UK's first humanoid robot airport ambassador, sings songs like Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and tells festive tales to passengers like 'Twas the Night before Christmas'

Young passengers can also choose to ask the robot to tell them a festive story.

She has three seasonal tales stored in her memory - Twas the Night before Christmas, When Santa Claus Comes and Santa's Workshop.

Customers can also pose for pictures with GLAdys using her hand-mounted selfie camera.

Once they are happy with the picture, they can have it sent to their email address or shared on Glasgow airport's social media channel.

GLAdys has already become a big hit with many of Glasgow airport's young travellers

Mark Johnston, operations director at Glasgow Airport, said: 'GLAdys will be a fantastic addition to the terminal team and will prove to be an extremely popular feature with passengers commuting through the airport.
She's the fun-loving model and TV presenter turned respected entrepreneur.

And Jennifer Hawkins enjoyed her well-deserved success when she celebrated the one year anniversary of her premium tequila brand Sesion.

The 32-year-old took to Sydney Harbour on Monday with her husband Jake Wall and a group of friends for a spirited Christmas party.

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Living it up: Jennifer Hawkins took to Sydney Harbour on Monday with her husband Jake Wall and a group of friends for a spirited Christmas party

The Miss Universe winner looked quite happy as her and the crew lived it up on a vessel provided by Whitehaven Motor Yachts.

They enjoyed a glorious sunset and stunning views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and other local attractions.

Wearing a long black dress paired with a straw hat and natural makeup, the blonde bombshell snuggled up to her handsome partner while toasting to the good life.

Power couple: The 32-year-old enjoyed her well-deserved success when she celebrated the one year anniversary of her premium tequila brand Sesion with her husband

The budding tycoon and her husband launched Sesion last year.

After being in business for four months, the brand's Mocha version won a gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits competition.

'We find that if we have tequila, the night takes unexpected turns,' she told Gourmet Traveller last year. 'It's more spontaneous and fun. It kind of elevates you.'

Loving life: The model only had eyes for her husband, who posed for a snap on the boat that she captioned 'Yum'

Bottoms up! Sesion won a gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits competition, earlier this year

The Newcastle-born beauty is wisely building an impressive portfolio of businesses.

In addition to Sesion, she owns a burgeoning property development company with Jake.

She's also the founder and CEO of two successful brands, Cozi by Jennifer Hawkins swimwear and the Jbronze tanning line.
She's put body-shaming trolls in their place numerous times.

And on Tuesday, Victoria's Secret bombshell Bridget Malcolm stood proud and defiant as she soaked up the rays at Rottnest Island, off the Western Australia coast.

Flaunting her slender, toned bikini body on Instagram, the 25-year-old is snapped enjoying some down time at the beach, after wrapping up her modeling commitments for the year.

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Defiant: Victoria's Secret model Bridget Malcolm has showed off her slender figure in her latest Instagram photo as she posed on the beach in a tiny bikini

Bridget matched the beaming post with an equally positive caption: 'Yessssssss life.'

In the image, the blonde beauty wore a red and white striped bikini as she raised her toned arms to the sky in a celebratory stance.

The post sent a defiant message, proving the vegan model will continue to proudly show off her slender frame, regardless of negativity that's been leveled against her online.

Criticism: The post comes weeks after the 25-year-old was swamped by negativity comments from fans who called her 'too thin' on social media

Bridget has been a repeat recipient of harsh body-shaming since entering the public eye in 2013.

Last week she copped a lengthy sermon after posting an image of herself wearing nothing but her beige underwear.

A fan complimented her in a comment, saying, 'You have the most beautiful face', before later adding: 'but you are so thin, too thin.'

The commenter then went so far as to infer that Bridget was setting a bad example for little girls that admired her.

The negativity comes despite the fact the Perth-born beauty repeatedly denies claims that she has an eating disorder.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph earlier this month, she adamantly stated that she did not suffer from the 'horrific' disorder.

Extremely fit: She has been dealing with the negative body image feedback for some time and has repeatedly denied having an eating disorder

Last year, the vegan responded to online trolls who again claimed she had an eating disorder.

'I am extremely fit and healthy and am not in the slightest way anorexic,' she clearly stated.

Bridget added: 'Maybe today take a look inside yourself and wonder why you feel the need to shame strangers over the Internet about their bodies.'
He's the former Bachelor star well known for his ripped physique.

But on Monday, Tim Robards was looking after his skin, with girlfriend Anna Heinrich applying a nourishing mask to his face.

The hilarious 'beauty night in' was captured on Tim's Instagram story and shared to his 136,000 followers.

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'What have I become?' On Monday The Bachelor's Tim Robards shared a video of him getting a face mask during a hilarious 'beauty night in' with girlfriend Anna Heinrich

The 33-year-old appears shirtless in a video on the social media site, showing off his chiselled body.

Flaunting his bulging arm muscles, Tim holds his phone up to film as a mask is applied to his face.

The person behind the application is Anna but her face is out of frame.

'Beauty night in with Anna haha!' Tim looks pained at times from the application, closing his eyes in a wince

Instead the 30-year-old can be seen wearing pink pajamas and dabbing the mask onto Tim's face from a small bowl.

Tim looks pained at times from the application, closing his eyes in a wince.

'Beauty night in with Anna haha!' the socialite captions the video.

Beautiful people: Anna appears slightly out of frame in the video as she applies the mask on Tim's face

'What have I become,' Tim said, adding a crying laughing face and a clown emoji.

After the mask is applied, the personal trainer takes a moment to snap a mirror selfie.

Tim appears slightly shocked by his appearance in the photo, with a bewildered look plastered across his face.

Ripped! Bachelor star Tim Robards flaunted his VERY chiseled frame during a Bondi Beach workout session on Thursday

While he is yet to show fans the after results, Tim's Instagram followers certainly got an eyeful of his ripped body, last Thursday.

The fitness fanatic shared a video of a workout routine on Bondi Beach to his Instagram.

Always one to take things to the maximum, Tim urged his followers to complete 11 repetitions of each exercise, rather than the standard ten.

Work it! Tim urged his followers to complete 11 repetitions of each exercise, rather than the standard ten

'Try this little challenge to add some 'flava' to your standard gym session,' he captioned the clip.

'I decided to combined my chiro and ex. science knowledge and create a program to cater for any level and turn your body into a well oiled machine,' he continued.

'Well, the oil is optional.'
As The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story snaps up awards, another infamous 1990s trial's being resurrected for television.

On Monday, ABC released the trailer for their upcoming documentary Truth And Lies: The Menendez Brothers.

In August 1989, 21-year-old Lyle and 18-year-old Erik Menendez murdered their parents Jose and Mary 'Kitty' Menendez with shotguns in their Beverly Hills mansion.

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Back to the 1990s: On Monday, ABC released the trailer for their upcoming documentary Truth And Lies: The Menendez Brothers

After a chilling snatch of video from the crime scene, the trailer's opening shows Erik saying in court that 'as I walked into the room I just started firing.'

When asked what was in front of him, he replies softly: 'My parents.' At which point, viewers are launched into a whirlwind of news footage from the period.

Then, against a rollicking soundtrack, talking heads filmed for the documentary chatter away about how 'One kid killing the parents is a bad seed. Two kids killing the parents is a bad family.'

The crime: In August 1989, 21-year-old Lyle and 18-year-old Erik Menendez murdered their parents Jose and Mary 'Kitty' Menendez with shotguns in their Beverly Hills mansion

According to one of them: 'People assume that if you have money, you have no problems, and you're certainly not gonna do anything like kill your parents.'

Another notes: 'If I killed my parents, I don't think I'd buy a Porsche that first week,' referring to Lyle's post-murder splurge, which also included a Rolex and a restaurant in Princeton.

They were arrested in 1990, and their trial aired on Court TV, erupting into a massive media event and morbidly fascinating the public.

'The Original Trial Of The Century': They were arrested in 1990, and their trial aired on Court TV, erupting into a massive media event and morbidly fascinating the public

Still inside: Convicted in 1994, they were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole in 1996

Convicted in 1994, they were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole in 1996. Both have married whilst inside, Lyle twice.

The elder Menendez brother gets a chance to speak for himself in the documentary. Audio clips in the trailer reveal his fretting about his 'secrets upon secrets.'

As he recalls: 'I was just trapped in the same nightmare.' In a separate audio clip, he says: 'You're almost, like, emotionally, you're a ghost, now you're living with this act that you've committed that is - just seems unimaginable to you.'

'Secrets upon secrets': Lyle gets to speak for himself in audio interviews in which he says: 'You're almost, like, emotionally, you're a ghost, now you're living with this act that you've committed that is - just seems unimaginable to you'

The trailer also includes archival footage in which Erik reflects on the crime to Barbara Walters during a 20/20 interview that aired days before the sentencing.

'I'm just a regular kid,' he insists, prompting his horrified interviewer to exclaim: 'Oh, Erik, you're a normal kid who killed your parents!' His brother sat next to him, Erik responds coolly: 'Yeah, I know.'

Truth And Lies: The Menendez Brothers - covering what the trailer calls 'the original trial of the century' - will premiere at 9/8c on ABC on the 5th of January next year.
It's a tough life being a model.

Alexandra Rodriguez spent her Tuesday attempting to paddle board the day away after shooting a sexy picture spread on a speedboat in Miami.

The model in her mid-20s looked slim and sensual in a photo posted to her social media account, posed looking over her shoulder with boats docked in the background as she prepared to push off for the excursion.

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Tough life! Alexandra Rodriguez spent her Tuesday attempting to paddleboard the day away after shooting a sexy picture spread on a speedboat in Miami

On the water: Justin Bieber's ex was joined by a female friend as she wore a nude bikini for the adventure, leaving her life-preserver off as she was strapped in by the ankle to her board

Perfectly posed: The model looked slim and sensual in a photo posted to her social media account, posed looking over her shoulder as she prepared to push off for the excursion

Famous ex: Alexandra was romantically linked to Justin Bieber, seen her hiking in Los Angeles on December 12, as the two were seen together on a yacht over the Fourth of July holiday

Justin Bieber's ex was accompanied by a female friend as she wore a nude bikini for the adventure, leaving her life-preserver off as she was strapped in by the ankle to her board.

It appeared she may have struggled a bit with the standing up part of the paddleboarding, as many photos showed her seated or kneeling as she made her way around the water.

When she was caught upright, her toned physique was on full display as her muscles flexed from the activity.

Rough waters: She may have struggled a bit with the standing up part of the paddleboarding, as many photos showed her seated or kneeling as she made her way around the water

Sit through it: Alexandra seemed to struggle a bit on the water

Taking a break: The model was caught seated in many photos from her excursion

It wasn't all fun and games for the Miami-based model, though. She had to put in work that morning, with a sexy photo shoot on a speedboat.

The shoot appeared to be for BWC Garments, a Philadelphia-based lifestyle brand that 'cultivates a casual fusion of sophistication and comfortability,' according to its website.

She also wore a nude bikini for the shoot, but this one was accented with purple and pink flowers on the triangle top and side-tie bottoms.

Muscled up: When she was caught upright, her toned physique was on full display as her muscles flexed from the activity

Early in the day, the Puerto Rican native posted a sultry-looking photo from that morning to her Instagram account.

In it she's seated on the hand rail of a speed boat, looking down as the sun rises behind her.

Her caption said simply, 'Rise and shine amore.'

Sunrise shoot: Early in the day, the Puerto Rican native posted a sultry-looking photo from that morning to her Instagram account
They split this summer after six years together.

But Dan Edgar won Kate Wright back in what proved to be one of the most romantic TOWIE scenes to date, on Monday night's finale.

Standing outside the shop window where Kate Wright stood chatting to Georgia Kousoulou, Dan appeared with an array of cue cards to win back his former flame.

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Fighting for his love: Dan Edgar won Kate Wright back in what proved to be one of the most romantic TOWIE scenes to date, on Monday night's Essexmas finale

'I'm in love with you': Standing outside the shop window where Kate Wright stood chatting to Georgia Kousoulou, Dan appeared with an array of cue cards to win back his former flame

Having complained earlier that she blocked him and he couldn't get through to her, he plotted a romantic gesture with the help of Diags.

Standing suited and booted outside the shop window, he expressed his love for her on cabbage-embroidered cue cards, ending them with: 'I'm in love with you, always have been always will be'.

Georgia, overwhelmed for her friend, broke into tears as Kate admitted: 'You know I love him, that was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me'.

Looks familiar: The scenes were just like those between Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley in the movie, Love Actually

And his sweet gesture won her over, as the couple later sealed their reunited love at Megan McKenna's glamorous There's Snow Place Like Essex Christmas party.

As Megan took to the stage to sing a cover of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is you, the duo shared a passionate kiss, signalling their romance was back on.

Kate made her debut on the show in series 16 last year, when she entered the cast as Dan's ex-girlfriend of six years leading to their eventual reunion.

While they became one of the show's strongest couples, when the show was off-air they enjoyed a trip to Mexico in May in which they littered social media feeds with romantic snaps

Despite their seeming love to the outside world, it appears behind closed doors the romance has shattered as Kate revealed in opening scenes of The Only Way Is Majorca in July that they were no longer together.

Speaking to fellow newly-single star Lydia Bright, she said: 'We went to Mexico and we had the most amazing holiday but... you know it just felt like we were friends.'

Fighting: Having complained earlier that she blocked him and he couldn't get through to her, he plotted a romantic gesture with the help of Diags

Back on: And his sweet gesture won her over, as the couple later sealed their reunited love at Megan McKenna's glamorous There's Snow Place Like Essex Christmas party

Dan agreed that they had lost their spark at the time, adding: : 'I feel like our relationship was like we'd been married for 30 years and we got on each other's nerves. I cant believe it's come to this, I genuinely thought we'd be together for the rest of our lives.'

Meanwhile their reunion wasn't the only romance hotting up, as Pete Wicks welled up during Megan's impressive performance on Monday.

Dressed as a snow queen, Megan put on a head-turning display with an extravagant head piece made from glitter at the 'Snow place like Essex' party.

Sealing the deal: As Megan took to the stage to sing a cover of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is you, the duo shared a passionate kiss, signalling their romance was back on

More talent than TOWIE: Taking to the stage in Monday's dramatic Essexmas finale, Megan showcased her impressive vocal ability as Pete looked on proudly

Accentuating her bright blue peepers with statement black eyeliner, she wore her brunette tresses in an up-do.

And flaunting her toned figure in a pale blue silk gown, she sung to a hall-full of her co-stars as they enjoyed a plush Christmas party.

The duo reunited last month after splitting briefly over his sexting scandal with his ex.

But the tattooed hunk managed to win her back, with them rekindling their love in time for the festive period.

Proud: Pete Wicks and Megan Mckenna looked more united than ever as he watched her perform Mariah Carey's hit song All I Want For Christmas Is You

Teary: As she continued to give an emotional performance, Pete started welling up as he proudly watched his girlfriend

And the episode had its fair share of drama as it marked Danielle Armstrong's final episode.

Opening with her crying to her mum, the blonde beauty was still getting over events aired in Monday night's episode, where she and ex James Lock both confessed to dating new people.

'As the conversation went on James got angry when I said I can see it going somewhere with my new guy.. I was taken back that he was seeing someone as but what really upset me is when he said she was his type and prettier. I was hoping we could end this happily with us being friends,' she told her mother.

Back together: The duo reunited last month after splitting briefly over his sexting scandal with his ex

Heartbreak: Following the explosive rows with ex James Locke, Danielle Armstrong confessed to Chloe Sims that one of them had to break out of the circle and move on

Meanwhile James confessed to Megan, Pete, Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallet that he thought her getting with his 'pal' was shady.

'I'm bothered about how she went about this- she met him through me, she was texting him 2 years ago, texting is cheating,' he claimed, adding: 'I want to be with someone who likes me for me, anyone else can f*** off'.

Things came to a head at Megan's Christmas party, with Danielle confessing to Chloe Sims that one of them had to break out of the circle and move on.

Leaving the party, James followed her to apologise for their rows.

'I'm sorry for looking for a rise out of you, I'm old school and what bothers me is loyalty- you threw away any chance of ever being friends.. you've been shady and disrespectful,' he spat.

'Don't you dare! I've been nothing but a good girlfriend to you, I never cheated on you or disrespected you,' Danielle screamed, crying.

Dramatic exit: Leaving the party, James followed her to apologise for their rows

'You threw away any chance of ever being friends.. you've been shady and disrespectful,' James spat

'You hated my dad, my friends,' James hit back as they got into a full blown screaming match.

'You made your bed now lie in it,' James slammed her, as she responded, 'I will!'

Diffusing the situatiuon a sobbing, a crying Danielle concluded: 'See this is why we can't be around each other, we've been through so much and I thought I was going to spend my life with you.

'It's hard when all of our friends are so close, I feel like I've lost my best friend- but I think it's for the best I leave.'

'It's a shame but I don't regret any of- everything happens for a reason. I wish for you to have your fairytale- you deserve it.

And with that James watched a downcast Danielle depart the show.
She has pinged right back into shape just two months after giving birth to twins.

Now, Rebecca Judd has revealed she is one of the lucky few who didn't suffer from stretch marks during her pregnancy.

While taking to Instagram, the 33-year-old credited a $99.95 bottle of cream from Switzerland for keeping her mark-free.

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So that's her secret! Rebecca Judd has credited a $99.95 bottle of cream from Switzerland for keeping her stretch mark free during her recent pregnancy with twins

'I measured at 47 weeks by the end with the twins and I didnt get a stretch markI use this every day,' she gushed while showing off the bottle.

According to the product's website, 'Stratamark is a breakthrough medical product specifically designed for prevention and treatment of stretch marks.'

Bec welcomed her twin sons Darcy and Tom via emergency c-section at 35 weeks on September 29.

Full of praise: The 33-year-old gused: 'I measured at 47 weeks by the end with the twins and I didnt get a stretch markI use this every day'

Before giving birth, the TV presenter revealed her obstetrician told her she would need a caesarean delivery because she was having Mono Di twins.

Monochorionic twins have two amniotic sacs yet share a placenta, and a natural birth is considered risky.

Speaking to Pregnancy Life & Style, she added: 'I had a natural birth with both Billie and Oscar and thankfully there we no issues. At least now I can say I've experienced both!'

Arrival: Bec welcomed her twin sons Darcy and Tom via emergency c-section at 35 weeks on September 29

Bec also revealed who's officially the oldest out of the two.

'Tom's [the oldest] and biggest by one minute,' the lifestyle blogger told Lisa before revealing their exact time of birth.

'So 12.43pm and [Darcy] 12.44pm. He was about 400grams lighter and he still is.'

She and Chris are also parents to son Oscar, five, and two-year-old daughter Billie.
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She became a mother for the second time last week.

And on Monday, Sally Obermeder hit the snowy streets of Milwaukee, U.S.A. with her newborn daughter, Elyssa Rose.

Taking to Instagram, the TV presenter cradled the tiny tot close to her chest as she rugged her up in a fluffy white onesie.

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Keeping warm: Sally Obermeder cradled her newborn daughter Elyssa Rose on Monday as they took to the snowy streets of Milwaukee, U.S.A

While holding onto her baby, Sally beamed with happiness as she kept warm with an oversized puffer jacket, jeans and knee-high boots.

She also added a dark grey beanie to her winter wonderland attire.

The Daily Edition host was joined by her sister Maha Koraiem.

Stuck Inside! Earlier in the day, Sally shared a heartwarming photo with herself and her bundle of joy still in their pyjamas after waking up to a chilling minus 18 degree U.S. winter day

Earlier in the day, Sally shared a heartwarming photo with herself and her bundle of joy still in their pyjamas after waking up to a chilling minus 18 degree U.S. winter day.

'All hail pyjama Sunday,' she wrote in the Instagram caption.

Sporting a low-cut white top and loose striped pyjama pants, the 43-year-old clutched Elyssa Rose, who was wrapped tight in a soft, spotted blanket.

'It's minus 18 today so this bug and I are going NOWHERE,' she continued.

Venturing out! The Daily Edition host also shared a video of the heavy snow falling from her hotel room window

Sally and husband Marcus welcomed their glowing bub into the world last week.

Elyssa Rose was born via surrogate after Sally was told the risks of giving birth to a second daughter were too high due to her experiences with breast cancer.

After previously blasting Australian surrogacy laws in an interview with Sunrise, Sally had flew to Milwaukee to await the arrival of her newborn.
They're the loved-up couple who aren't shy about flaunting their physiques during public displays of affection.

And on Monday, The Bachelor's Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon took their exhibitionism to another level, sharing a series of very racy photos of the pair in bed together.

The blonde beauties are seen wearing sheer lace lingerie, revealing their enviable figures as they embrace each other.

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White-hot! The Bachelorette's Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon have shared racy photos of them wearing sheer lace lingerie in bed together on Monday

In one raunchy image, Megan spoons Tiffany, sensually kissing her lady love on the shoulder.

Both former reality TV stars wear their long blonde locks in loose natural waves, with a sultry smoky eye and siren red lipstick.

In the caption for the racy shot, shared on Tiffany's Instagram, she shares a quote from author Marie Lu explaining how Megan leaves her so she 'can't catch my breath'.

The look of love: In another photo shared to Megan's social media account, the pair hold hands as they stare deeply into each other's eyes

'You drive me insane...You're the scariest, most clever, bravest person I know, and sometimes I can't catch my breath because I'm trying so hard to keep up,' Tiffany writes.

'There will never be another like you. You realize that, don't you? Billions of people will come and go in this world, but there will never be another like you.'

In another photo shared to Megan's social media account, the pair hold hands as they stare deeply into each other's eyes.

'You both inspire the LGBT community': Megan and Tiffany's fans have gushed about their romance

Unable to keep matching smiles off their faces, the loved-up couple's bodies on full display as they lounge together on the bed.

In the accompanying caption, Megan explains how their love would still be unconventional even if they were heterosexual.

'If you took the whole same-sex 'issue' out of our relationship, it would still be untraditional,' she wrote.

Not shy: Both girls aren't afraid to flaunt their enviable physiques in countless photos of them at the beach

'We ordinate our own life and love terms, and somehow it works.'

The couple have been dating since June, cementing their love by going on a romantic trip to Bali together.

They finally confirmed their relationship after months of speculation in late October.

With their love going from strength to strength, the girls are now using their social media sway to campaign for marriage equality.

'You drive me insane': On Monday Tiffany captioned one of the racy lingerie snaps with a quote explaining how she feels about Megan

Megan recently revealed she had hoped her relationship with Tiffany would 'normalise' same-sex relationships in an impassioned post to Instagram.

'I've been wanting my story with Tiffany to 'pleasantly' and without force try to help normalise same-sex relationships and desires,' she wrote.

Tiffany has also posted her thoughts on same-sex marriage and followed Megan by writing her thoughts on social media.

She wrote: 'I'm actually wondering how many more letters will be added to the LGBTIQ label before it's accepted that love has NO LABEL.'
She's been enjoying a picturesque holiday in Fiji.

And on Monday, Instagram model Pia Muehlenbeck shared another snap that left very little to the imagination to her official account.

While promoting a drone giveaway with her 1.4 million followers, the brunette beauty flaunted her ample cleavage and toned torso in a skimpy bronze bikini.

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Leaving little to the imagination! Pia Muehlenbeck took to Instagram on Monday to flaunt her ample cleavage in a skimpy bronze bikini while holidaying in Fiji

'Drone giveaway we just got a new drone, so we are giving one lucky person our previous Phantom which still ROCKS!' she began the caption.

While promoting the moving vehicle that takes aerial shots, Pia drew attention to her enviable figure in the teeny tiny two-piece ensemble.

The triangle top flaunted her ample cleavage and taut torso, while the high-cut briefs accentuated her bronzed and lean legs.

Sweeping her brunette tresses underneath a wide-brimmed hat, Pia pouted for the camera, drawing attention to a glamorous makeup palette.

Holiday vibes: A snap shared to Instagram just a day prior, saw the Grazia Market Editor flaunting her ample assets once again, as she stood on a boardwalk with picturesque views

This is not the first time Pia has flaunted her assets on social media.

Just a day prior, the Grazia Market Editor put on another busty display, as she stood on a boardwalk with picturesque views.

A skimpy white polka-dot bikini top accentuated her generous bust while a pair of denim shorts highlighted her enviably trim torso.

Tilting her head to one side and allowing her short tresses to fall effortlessly over one shoulder, Pia gave the camera a close-up view of her striking facial features.

A flawless complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a coat of nude lipstick, finished off the look.

Stunning: Another holiday snap saw the Instagram sensation donning a skimpy khaki bikini top and wrap-around white skirt

Thirsty work! Pia was seen enjoying a large coconut as she gave the camera a close-up look at her ample assets

Pia enjoyed a vacation in Fiji with boyfriend Kane Vato, while attending the Your Paradise festival, an annual event held on Plantation Island.

The six-day party showcased talented DJs from around the world.

This year's line-up included international stars such as What So Not, Skrillex and Thomas Jack.

In good company: Pia enjoyed a vacation in Fiji with boyfriend Kane Vato, while attending the Your Paradise festival, an annual event held on Plantation Island

Pia and Kane's trip to Fiji is just one of many flights the genetically-blessed couple have taken in the last few months.

In November, Pia and Kane spent time together in the Maldives before exploring Western Australia.

And earlier this year, the pair visited a number of small islands around the Philippines for a photoshoot.
The location for what would become the battle of the screen blondes was Walton Film Studios in Surrey on a summer evening in 1957.

Britains own redoubtable Anna Neagle left the film set, tapped on the dressing-room door of her co-star, the distinguished Shakespearean actor Anthony Quayle, and pushed it open.

The sight that confronted her was not one she expected. Quayle, in flagrante, lay naked on the floor. The films third star, the blonde Hungarian sex symbol Zsa Zsa Gabor, also naked, sat astride him, her voluptuous breasts bouncing like balloons.

Bewitching: The blonde Hungarian sex symbol Zsa Zsa Gabor in the fifties

Innocence: Zsa Zsa with her two sisters Eva and Magda before she became an object of desire for men all over the world

Neagle, a friend of Quayles wife and famous for her screen portrayal of Queen Victoria, was not amused. Her face taut with fury, she slammed the door shut with a crash that reverberated throughout the studio.

Gabor, unknowingly, had made a powerful enemy. More than 30 years later, she told me: That beautiful man, Tony Quayle, was the real love of my life. I would have married him in a moment if I had been allowed.

But Gabor was never to marry him, or to succeed in annexing him from his wife and children. Neagle, with formidable strength of character, made quite sure of that.

In Gabors long and tempestuous sexual odyssey, comprising nine marriages, seven divorces, one annulment and literally hundreds of lovers  they included U.S. president Richard Nixon, Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton and the screens original James Bond, Sean Connery  Quayle was the man who got away.

In her unbelievably narcissistic autobiography, One Lifetime Is Not Enough, the outrageous Zsa Zsa insists that she had never given a fig for titles, status or snobbery.

Really? When she died this week at the age of 99, she was calling herself Princess Frederic von Anhalt, Duchess of Saxony, a style and rank to which she had no valid claim whatever, any more then her ninth husband, Hans Lichtenberg, the soi-disant Prince, a former masseur and the son of a humble Berlin policeman.

1. Her first marriage was to the Turkish propaganda minister Burhan Asaf Belge in 1937. It was never consummated

2. Moving to America, she wed Conrad Hilton in 1942 and had an affair with his teenage son Nicky

3. In 1949, she married British actor George Sanders, a cad and an emotional sadist

But then mere facts were never allowed to interfere with the fabled self-invented legend that was Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Her sixth husband, Jack Ryan, once observed that she dwells in a perpetual fairyland that never was; and that was true from the very moment of her birth in Budapest on February 6, 1916, when her nouveau riche middle-class parents named her Sari  Hebrew for Princess.

As far as Zsa Zsa was concerned, a princess is what she always remained, and what she was determined to leave this world calling herself.

Her own mythology depicts her Jewish mother, Jolie, as the heiress to a jewellery fortune, and her family as the aristocratic scions of pre-war Hungarian society. The truth, like everything else about Zsa Zsa, was considerably less romantic. A large proportion of her mothers income came from running one of Budapests most thriving brothels.

Gabors third husband, the actor George Sanders, once described her as the last of the great courtesans.

As a sexual adventuress, which she remained all her life, Zsa Zsa started young. Her horrified mother discovered her, at the age of 12, with her face black and smeared with coal dust. Pressed for an explanation, she admitted that she had been kissing the coalman, who was 14 years her senior.

4. Herbet Hutner, a private investment banker and philanthropist, was next in 1962. They divorced after four years

5. Then came flamboyant Texas oil baron Joshua S. Cosden Jr in 1966. They divorced in 1967

6. In 1975, she married Jack Ryan  designer of Barbie dolls and nine years her junior

That girl will come to a bad end, predicted her mother, before packing her off to an expensive Swiss boarding school in Lausanne.

Her elder and younger sisters, Magda and Eva, were also to become actresses, socialites and international sex symbols. With their diamonds, their lavish clothes, their well-heeled and famous lovers, their heavily accented English, their flamboyant habit of calling everyone Dahlink, and their unquenchable hunger for publicity, the Gabors became the prototypes of the modern celebrity.

Their talent for anything beyond displaying themselves was minimal, and none of them was ever in the remotest danger of winning an Oscar for their acting. They were, as society arbiter Elsa Maxwell memorably pronounced in 1952, famous for being famous.

In 1936, Zsa Zsas mother entered her for the Miss Hungary contest, which she claimed she won, only to be disqualified because I was too young. She was 20 at the time.

Things looked up when she made her stage debut in Vienna. The Viennese Press raved about my beauty, she announced. Men threw themselves at my feet, and I revelled in my power.

A year later she married Burhan Belge, the dark and handsome Turkish propaganda minister. She was 21 (not 15, as she claimed). He was some 15 years her senior.

As Belge was always addressed as His Excellency, she insisted that she should be addressed as Her Excellency. The marriage remained unconsummated, partly through her habit of taking her Scottie dog, Mishka, to bed with her. Belge, a Muslim, would not agree to sleep in the same bed as an animal.

When her virginity was finally surrendered, she claimed it was not to her husband but to his political master, Kemal Ataturk, the all-powerful ruler of Turkey.

He dazzled me with his sexual prowess and seduced me with his perversion, she wrote. No documentation survives to support this claim. Like almost everything in her life, its a case of believe it if you will.

In 1941, with the world at war and the Germans invading Europe, she left Belge and, using her diplomatic passport to dodge the Nazis, embarked on the Orient Express, with 21 pieces of luggage, for the United States, where she joined her sister Eva in Los Angeles.

7. Next was Michael OHara in 1976. He was her lawyer in the divorce from Jack Ryan

8. Her shortest marriage was to Felipe de Alba on a boat in 1983. It was annulled the next day

Over dinner in Ciros restaurant, she met the billionaire American hotelier Conrad Hilton, and, after divorcing Belge, married him. She was 25, he 55.

She deplored his taste, completely redecorating his Bel Air mansion, sending him to an upmarket tailor, and convincing him to buy her favourite New York hotel, the Plaza.

But Hilton was not faithful to her, and when he took her to a brothel on Long Island and had sex there while she waited for him, the gloss fell from their opulent marriage.Perhaps in retaliation, Zsa Zsa began to sleep with her teenage stepson, Nicky Hilton, and continued to do so throughout her marriage to his father, and even after Nickys own marriage to Elizabeth Taylor.

Her union with Hilton Sr was heading for divorce, when, according to her, he performed the remarkable feat of raping her while his leg was in a plaster-cast. Her daughter, Francesca Hilton  the only child to be born from any of the 20 marriages clocked up by the three Gabor sisters  was the result.

Husband number three was the suave and sardonic British actor, George Sanders, who represented everything Zsa Zsa considered to be class. When she first approached him at a party and confessed, Mr Sanders, Im madly in love with you, he smiled down at her condescendingly and murmured: How well I understand, my dear.

Sanders, a cad and an emotional sadist, not unlike the characters he often played on screen, was also a voyeur, and urged his beautiful wife to make love to a handsome young Italian priest while he watched from behind a curtain.

When Sanders won an Oscar for his performance in All About Eve, Gabor accompanied him to the awards ceremony. But when he had collected his Oscar, he did not come back to rejoin his wife. He left her sitting alone in the auditorium until the cleaners arrived.

But the publicity pendulum gradually swung away from Sanders and towards Gabor. Her beguiling way with a one-liner had made her a highly-paid television personality.

Asked how many husbands she had had, she drawled: You mean, apart from my own? On the subject of male sexuality, she observed crushingly: Macho does not prove mucho.

And there was the most-repeated witticism of all: I am a vondairful housekeeper, dahlink. Every time I get divorced, I keep the house.

Signed by MGM for her first movie role in Lovely To Look At, she was paid a staggering $10,000. Sanders was outraged. For his own Hollywood debut, he had received $250.

9. Finally, in 1986 she wed a policemans son and former masseur who called himself Prince Frederic von Anhalt, Duke of Saxony

Aged: Zsa Zsa, old and frail, poses with her ninth husband who is pushing her in a wheelchair

Her impact on-screen led to a major role in Moulin Rouge. Her singing voice was dubbed  atrociously  and the director, John Huston, told his cameraman: Move in close. I mean close. If they can see how beautiful she is, they wont notice that she cant act. But the film was a hit  and so was she. Other major movies followed.

To the professional rivalry between herself and Sanders was now added a bitter personal jealousy.

Gabor had a scandalous and hugely publicised affair with the Dominican playboy and polo player, Porfirio Rubirosa. A legendary sexual athlete, Rubi was also violent, and knocked Gabor around, causing her to appear on stage in her Las Vegas cabaret act wearing a black eye-patch.

She and Sanders were divorced in 1954, but were to remain close friends until his suicide in 1972.

In 1957, Gabor arrived in London to film The Man Who Wouldnt Talk, with Anna Neagle and Anthony Quayle. Neagle, outwardly affable to Gabor, watched with concern while she openly flirted with Quayle, to the point where he became infatuated and talked of running away with her.

IN HER OWN INIMITABLE WORDS ON DIAMONDS Diamonds are a girls best friend and dogs are a mans best friend. Now you know which sex has more sense. I love to put on diamonds and beautiful evening gowns and make my girlfriends upset. I never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back. ON HER HUSBANDS How many husbands have I had? You mean apart from my own? My husband said it was him or the cat. I miss him sometimes. Husbands are like fires  they go out when unattended. I believe in large families: every woman should have at least three husbands. ON HER BOYFRIENDS A great mind. A big brain. (On Richard Nixon. She hinted that everything about him was big.) ON SEX I know nothing about sex because I was always married. ON MEN The only place a man wants depth in a woman is in her decolletage. I want a man whos kind and understanding. Is that too much to ask of a millionaire? ON OTHER WOMEN Being jealous of a beautiful woman is not going to make you more beautiful. The womens movement hasnt changed my sex life. It wouldnt dare. ON LOVE A girl must marry for love. And keep on marrying until she finds it. To be loved is a strength. To love is a weakness. Men fall in love with their eyes  they like what they see. And women fall in love with their ears  they like what they hear. I only cook when Im in love. ON MARRIAGE I always said marriage should be a 50-50 proposition. He should be at least 50 years old and have at least $50 million. A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then hes finished. ON DIVORCE I am a marvellous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house. Getting divorced just because you dont love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do. FAVOURITE MAXIM Never complain, never explain. Advertisement

Quayle had been married for ten years to Neagles friend, the actress Dorothy Hyson. They had three children, the youngest, Christopher, then a baby only a few months old.

After discovering the lovers in flagrante, Neagle rounded on Quayle. What on earth are you thinking of, Tony? she said. To give up everything you have for this? Just how long do you think it could possibly last with a woman like that?

On Gabors last day of shooting at Walton Studios, Neagle strode into the Hungarians dressing-room and closed the door behind her.

No one knows exactly what passed between them, but from the moment Neagle left the room, Gabor backed off. She flew home to Hollywood. Quayle returned to his wife. In 1989, when he was dying from liver cancer, Quayle filmed a brief tribute for Gabors This Is Your Life. By the time the programme was screened, he was dead.

I sent roses to his funeral saying that I would never forget him, she wrote. And I wont, because I can still see his big, round, lovable, boyish face smiling at me.

Gabors next four short-lived marriages  to businessman Herbert Hutner, oil baron Joshua Cosden Jr, electronics expert Jack Ryan and lawyer Michael OHara  all ended in divorce.

Her eighth marriage, at sea in 1983, to Felipe de Alba, whom she chose to believe was the Duke of Alba, a Spanish nobleman  though in reality he was a Mexican ex-actor and suburban estate agent with no title  was annulled within 24 hours.

In 1986 came her ninth and last marriage, the most bizarre of all. Hans Robert Lichtenberg, a former masseur and the son of a policeman, was adopted in 1980, at the age of 37, by the last Kaisers 82-year-old widowed daughter-in-law, Princess Marie-Auguste of Anhalt, who was close to bankruptcy at the time.

The adoption, a business transaction, was brokered by Hans Hermann Weyer, a former Munich window dresser who was jailed several times for selling bogus titles.

Lichtenberg thereafter called himself His Highness Prince Frederic von Anhalt, Duke of Saxony, and on Zsa Zsas marriage to him in 1986  which even her mother and her sister Eva boycotted  Gabor called herself Her Highness Princess Frederic von Anhalt, Duchess of Saxony.

Adopted children have no rights of succession to hereditary titles, but Their Highnesses were photographed in ersatz royal regalia, he in a pantomime uniform bedecked with braid and tin medals, she in a tiara and regal sash.

Since their marriage, the Prince has reputedly made millions by adopting four men to the Anhalt title, one a brothel owner, the second the owner of Los Angeles striptease clubs, the third the owner of health clubs, and the fourth a surgeon. All four now call themselves Prince von Anhalt.

To the end of her extraordinary life, Zsa Zsa Gabor was the subject of yet more headline publicity. In 1990, she spent three nights in the El Segundo City Jail in Los Angeles, for slapping a policeman who had the temerity to stop her for a traffic violation.

Her health declined after a car crash in 2002, and an accident in 2010 when she fell out of bed while trying to answer the telephone. Five years ago, she had her right leg amputated above the knee because of a serious infection, after which she remained confined to bed at her LA mansion. Her declining health meant she was unaware of her daughter Francesca Hiltons death from a stroke in 2015.

During her last illness, rumours were rife that she and the Prince were facing financial ruin, with the loss of her $14 million Bel Air mansion, their luxury cars and fabulous art collection, after losing $10 million of their savings to the U.S.investment fraudster Bernie Madoff.
Ronnie Corbett will be honoured with a final farewell at Westminster Abbey next June

Ronnie Corbett may have been denied a knighthood before he died in March aged 85 from motor neurone disease, but his friends have ensured the diminutive comedian will be given a send-off befitting a showbusiness giant.

I can reveal that on Wednesday, June 7, more than 2,000 people will pack Westminster Abbey for a final farewell to the King of Comedy.

Organised by BBC Television, where Corbett starred for 16 years with his long-time partner Ronnie Barker in the popular comedy series The Two Ronnies, the thanksgiving service will cover every aspect of Corbetts 64-year career in showbusiness, and also his lifelong work for charity.

The former chairman of the BBC and the former executive chairman of ITV, Michael Grade  Baron Grade of Yarmouth, 73  is expected to give the address at the service, and Sir Michael Parkinson and Jimmy Tarbuck, both close friends of Corbett, will also be giving tributes.

Corbetts 83-year-old widow, the former West End musical star Anne Hart, will be leading the congregation, supported by her actress daughters, Emma and Sophie, and her four grandchildren, Tom, Tilly, Dylan and Billy.

A friend of the Corbett family tells me: Ronnies final illness, and the eight months since his death, have proved a tremendous strain for Anne.

Corbetts widow, the former West End musical star Anne Hart, pictured together, will be leading the congregation, supported by her actress daughters, and her four grandchildren

I know that Sir Bruce Forsyth, who was very close to Ronnie, wanted very much to take part in this service, but sadly, it seems unlikely that his current health will permit it.

But I know that Anne very much wants his fans, and members of the public, to have the chance to attend this final great tribute to him.

The late Ronnie Barker, his co-star in The Two Ronnies, was honoured ten years ago with a similar service at the Abbey. When Corbett gave the address, he brought his own crate so he could be seen behind the lectern.

As celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Geri Halliwell choose increasingly bizarre names for their offspring, like Apple and Bluebell, lingerie model Daisy Lowe admits she very nearly failed to escape the moniker curse. I was supposed to be called Star or Moon or Chelsea, explains the 27-year-old daughter of rock star Gavin Rossdale and fashion designer Pearl Lowe. And then Mum heard [rap song] Daisy Chain and I popped out. She thought: That works for me. 

Who's this tiny star in a home-made dress?

Homespun: Kylie Minogue as a young girl

Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue may be a fashion icon, but the 48-year-old is not afraid to show off her homespun childhood wardrobe.

Sharing this picture online, in which a young Kylie wears a red dress decorated with cartoon characters and white frilly sleeves, she writes: I love, LOVE the late 1970s when my brother, sister Dannii Minogue and I were all under ten years of age.

Christmas time meant school holidays, long, hot summers and much excitement on Christmas Day.

This was taken at my grandmother, Nains house. She also would have made my dress!

These days, Kylie, who is engaged to 29-year-old British actor Joshua Sasse, can rely on her fashion designer pals for such sartorial favours.

Moira Stuart has filled the Mary Berry-shaped hole in Sue Perkinss life. After quitting Bake Off, Perkins has joined the veteran newsreader for Skys The Big Spell, a nationwide spelling competition.

Moira is the most charming woman on earth and she is naughty as well  in the same vein as Mary Berry, says smitten Sue.
She married her longtime partner Tom Ackerley on Monday afternoon.

And according to the Northern Star, Margot Robbie's favourite dishes were on offer at her intimate wedding.

Breakfast cereal Coco Pops - known as Cocoa Krispies in the USA - was reportedly served for dessert, in what is no doubt a very unusual offering.

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That's unusual: According to reports, Margot Robbie had Coco Pops as dessert at her 'secret wedding' to beau Tom Ackerley (seen recently)

A source said the star skipped the traditional wedding cake, and instead set up bowls, milk and cream around the dance floor, for guests to indulge in the chocolate treat.

The news outlet also reports that pizza and BBQ was the theme and that 100 guests attended the affair at Coorabell, near Byron Bay in her native Australia.

A short drive west of Byron Bay town centre, the venue boasts stunning country charm.

A happy bride: The news outlet also reports that pizza and BBQ was the theme and that 100 guests attended the affair at Coorabell, near Byron Bay in her native Australia

She's a fan! Coco pops is a popular chocolate breakfast cereal

Wedding bells! The pair are seen here last year

The idyllic spot is surrounded by lush mountains, making it the perfect hideaway for A-list couples.

The interior boasts mahogany wooden floorboards and holds a rustic charm, while the exterior features acres of greenery and a stunning rectangular pool.

Bedrooms in the luxurious abode feature antique charm, with wood panelling and draping of fabric from the curtains to the bedhead.

Fairytale: A private property in Coorabell, in the Byron Bay Hinterland, is the perfect spot for a private wedding

Ornate furniture and intricate detailing in the overall aesthetic gives an old-worldly charm.

Decadent rugs feature in the spacious hallways of the abode, adding an element of warmth to the otherwise cool space.

Ensuring there's a style to meet all, other rooms in the manor hold a cleaner and more simplistic design.

White wooden walls take centre stage, while touches of old world charm are still featured in the form of antique leather chairs and gilded mirrors.

Old-worldly charm: Bedrooms in the luxurious abode feature antique charm, with wood panelling and draping of fabric from the curtains to the bedhead

Versatile: Another room in the luxury abode features clean white wooden walls, and touches of old luxury

Taking a step outside the luxurious abode, a sprawling lawn is complete with a rectangular pool.

A paved pathway leads to a set of ornate gates, with picturesque views of the hinterland.

Several sun chairs line the pool, while a teepee features at the back.

Haven: Taking a step outside the luxurious abode, a sprawling lawn is complete with a rectangular pool

A venue previously thought to host the A-list nuptials was Harvest Newrybar, also a short distance from the Byron Bay town centre.

Harvest delivers the best of both worlds, with lush farmlands as well as Byron Bay's picturesque beaches a short distance away.

While other guests have kept a low profile on social media, it is thought a friend of Margot's posted a secretive snap of an intimate beachside location set up for a wedding.

Margot and Tom have been dating for three years after meeting on the set of the World War II drama Suite Francaise in France.
She's the former beauty queen who's currently holidaying in New York.

And Monika Radulovic couldn't pass up the opportunity to tuck into one of the city's most iconic foods during her travels - the Reuben.

Making sure to document her experience, the 26-year-old shared a video of herself chowing down on the massive sandwich, adding the caption: 'My first Rueben experience.'.. I didn't eat the whole day after this.'

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Dig in! Monika Radulovic documented her first Reuben sandwich experience while holidaying in New York

The Bosnia and Herzegovina-born stunner added the hash-tag 'model food' to her post.

Sitting at a table at Katz's Delicatessen, the former pageant winner gazed at her sandwich - which overflowed with layers upon layers of beef and melted cheese - before picking it up.

'So the Reuben has arrived and it's bigger than my head,' she said in the short clip.

'I don't know how I'm going to eat this': The 26-year-old was apprehensive about eating the iconic sandwich, which was overflowing with eight layers of beef and melted cheese

'I don't know how I'm going to eat this.'

Looking every inch the model with a fresh manicure and a full face of makeup, the brunette began to take a bite of the sandwich.

With her mouth full, Monika muttered the words 'it's good' while nodding her head in approval.

She looked rugged up for the New York winter, sporting a grey jumper underneath a tan wool coat.

Not model behaviour: The former beauty pageant winner managed to take a small bite of the sandwich, which she said was 'bigger than my head'

Winding down: The brunette beauty jetted off to the US from Sydney for a holiday on Friday

Jet-set couple: Monika was joined by her fiancee Alesandro Ljubicic for the trip

The engaged beauty arrived in the US on Friday with her fiancee Alesandro Ljubicic as they wind down for Christmas and New Year.

Sharing a snap from Sydney airport before departing, Monika asked her Instagram followers for travel tips.

'And just like that, we're off to NYC. What should we do while we're there??? I'd love all your advice (sic),' she wrote.

Rise to fame: Bosnia and Herzegovina-born Monika was crowned Miss Universe Australia in 2015

As for wedding plans, Monika recently admitted she would be 'too excited' to marry Alesandro that she won't likely be able to keep their nuptials a secret from media.

'I'll be too excited to not share it with everyone to be honest,' she confessed to Daily Mail Australia, at the Chandon S launch in Sydney last week.

The blushing bride-to-be also gushed about the 30-year-old painter, saying: 'He's so great... he's perfect, he's just so supportive and he's wonderful.'
She's the mother of three whose relationship status is constantly a hot topic.

But vivacious TV presenter Suzi Taylor might be spending this Christmas alone.

The 44-year-old former host of The Block posted a photo to Instagram on Tuesday suggesting she's taking care of herself when it comes to gift giving.

Santa baby: Suzi Taylor posted a photo to Instagram on Tuesday suggesting she's taking care of herself when it comes to gift giving

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'Dear Santa...I guess I'll be buying my own presents this year,' the buxom brunette wrote in the pic's caption, adding the cryptic hashtag '#toonaughty'.

The former model showed off her pearly whites and bright green eyes as she smiled directly into the camera.

She flaunted her ample cleavage in a red off-the-shoulder top with a candy cane brooch, complimented by a red and green hair bow.

Busy: The controversial reality star has denied rumours she dated both radio presenter David 'Luttsy' Lutteral and millionaire playboy Geoffrey Edelsten not too long ago

She geo-tagged the image at the Real Estate Academy of Australia and appeared to be in a green room of some kind, with a couch and professional camera.

The controversial reality star has denied rumours she dated both radio presenter David 'Luttsy' Lutteral and millionaire playboy Geoffrey Edelsten not too long ago.

And after recently being spotted with real estate entrepreneur Drew Davison, she told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday she was 'very single'.

Me myself and I: After recently being spotted with real estate entrepreneur Drew Davison, she told Daily Mail Australia she was 'very single'

To drive home her declaration, she dedicated an Instagram post to the current lack of love in her life the same day.

Titled a 'poem for the press', the collage featured photos of herself with each of the three men she has recently been linked to.

It was captioned: 'Last month I was apparently dating Luttsy....This week I was apparently dating Geoffrey....And now I'm apparently dating Drew....Who's Next??? Just have ur (sic) photo with me and apparently it'll be you.'
It is a conflict that is seldom out of the news.

And now it has emerged George Clooney is developing a film based on the exploits of the Syrian Civil Defense first responders.

It will be a dramatisation of the Oscar-nominated Orlando von Einsiedel-directed documentary The White Helmets.

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Project: George Clooney is developing a film based on the exploits of the Syrian Civil Defense first responders

According to Deadline, the ageing ER hunk and his partner Grant Heslov will develop the project through their company Smokehouse Pictures.

The Syrian Civil Defense are politically neutral local volunteers who help to rescue victims from devastation caused by the ongoing civil war between the Assad regime and rebel forces.

They are often called into action when buildings are destroyed during Russian bombing raids targetting rebel groups.

Rescuers: The group rush in to aid people hurt in the ongoing Syrian civil war

Schools and hospitals are among the buildings that can be hit during such operations, and the rescue workers will dig through the rubble to save survivors.

It is estimated the group has saved an around 70,000 victims over the five year long Syrian civil war.

However it has come at a cost, as they have lost 154 of the 2900 of their volunteers in the process.

It is claimed they are often deliberately targetted by government and Russian forces, and that the latter will fly over bombed areas so they can attack the rescuers.

Subject: The film will be based on the Oscar-nominated documentary The White Helmets

The Netflix documentary has been shortlisted for the best documentary short subject Academy Award.

George, 55, has tackled such material through his production company in the past, with his 2005 film Syriana focusing on petroleum politics and the oil industry's influence in the Middle East.

And Oscar-winning Argo told the story of Americans being rescued from Tehran after the United States embassy staff was stormed after President Jimmy Carter gave the Shah asylum in the US during the Iranian Revolution.
She's starring in new play, Saint Joan - and Gemma Arterton and her good pal Tom Hiddleston were celebrating at the after party of the press night on Monday night.

Gemma Arterton plays Joan Of Arc in Bernard Shaw's classic, which will be broadcast live, to cinemas around the world, directly from the Donmar Warehouse on Thursday 16 February 2017.

Tom is a good friend to the theatre, after starring in Corionalus there previously.

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Arc de Triomphe: Gemma Arterton continued to show off her short locks as she cosied up to Tom Hiddleston at a party for new play Saint Joan on Monday night at the Hospital Club

The firm friends were no doubt thrilled to be letting their hair down together, with Gemma showing off her recently shorn locks at London's Hospital Club.

She looked incredible wearing a calf length black dress which had subtle embellishments and red satin strappy shoes.

The beauty was also pictured cuddling her younger sister Hannah, who is also an actress.

Her moment: Gemma plays Joan Of Arc in Bernard Shaw's classic, which will be broadcast live, to cinemas around the world, directly from the Donmar Warehouse on Thursday 16 February

Runs in the family: The beauty was also pictured cuddling her younger sister Hannah, who is also an actress

Taylor Swift's ex Tom appeared in fine form in his suit as he posed for a selection of snaps.

Earlier this year, Gemma told the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye that she was 'not the obvious choice' to play the title role.

She said: 'It's not the type of thing I usually play. My characters have usually got a bit more sass.'

Happy chappy: Tom was super smiley and looked handsome in his smart suit attire

Gemma is certainly a busy lady at the moment.

She has other projects planned with Stephen Woolley, one of the key producers on Their Finest.

Plus, theres talk of her appearing with Romola Garai in Vita And Virginia: a film based on Eileen Atkins play about Vita Sackville West and Virginia Woolf.
She's recently single.

And Charlotte Crosby took to Instagram on Monday to show the former men in her life what they were missing out on, posing in a thigh-skimming playsuit.

The 26-year-old Geordie Shore star then appeared to be having a sentimental moment, as she shared a cute snap of herself as a baby.

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Legs for days! Charlotte Crosby took to Instagram on Monday to show the former men in her life what they were missing out on, posing in a thigh-skimming playsuit

The first snap made the most of her enviably slim pins, as she rocked an elegant black one-piece cinched in at the waist with a belt.

Wearing her blonde hair poker straight and adding a healthy dab of lipgloss, she accentuated her stature with gold sandals.

She then shared an adorable snap of herself as a baby, dressed in a nautical inspired dress.

'Hello smaller self', she captioned the snap, adding a hand-waving emoji.

'Hello smaller self!' The 26-year-old Geordie Shore star then appeared to be having a sentimental moment, as she shared a cute snap of herself as a baby

Meanwhile over the weekend she had an accidental post-off with ex Gaz Beadle.

The duo are no longer speaking after a huge falling out, but Charlotte and her ex Gaz were posting on their social media at the same time on Sunday night.

While newly single Charlotte broke up with her man Ash Harrison a matter of days ago, Gaz was sharing a romantic snap of himself and his girlfriend Emma McVey.

Charlotte looked incredibly sexy in her snap, which saw her wearing a shredded white knitted mini dress from her own range which showed off her toned pins.

Now that's awkward! Newly single Charlotte posed in a shredded white dress as her ex Gaz Beadle shared a romantic post with girlfriend Emma McVey on Instagram on Sunday

She teamed the number with a pair of thigh-high suede boots which added a further injection of glamour.

Captioning the image, she wrote: 'Sunday night with the girls. Jumper dress (my range) @inthestyleuk. Boots @inthestyleuk.'

Meanwhile, Gaz's post showed him looking rather dapper wearing a suit for a rather romantic occasion with his pretty other half.

Romantic: Meanwhile, Gaz shared this snap of himself with girlfriend Emma McVey, who ws wearing a bridal inspired gown

Emma, who used to date TOWIE's Mario Falcone wore a bridal inspired gown as the pair stood in front of a Christmas tree.

With their arms around one another and drinks in hand, the pair appear very much in love.

Gaz captioned the image with the words: 'Amazing night and good seeing everyone at the @11_degrees xmas party @emma_jane1392.'

All over: Charlotte only recently broke up with her boyfriend Ash Harrison

Just a few weeks ago Charlotte was gushing about her budding romance with former Big Brother housemate Ash Harrison.

But the 27-year-old as unceremoniously unfollowed her from Twitter and Instagram.

A representative for Charlotte told MailOnline at the time: 'Charlotte and Ash dated for a while however work commitments and living in Manchester and Newcastle meant they hardly got to see each other.
She reportedly tied the knot with longtime boyfriend Tom Ackerley in a secret ceremony on Monday afternoon.

And it appears that Margot Robbie had a hens do before the nuptials.

Party pics have emerged on the Instagram accounts of several of the Suicide Squad star's best pals.

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Party time: It appears that Margot Robbie had a hen's do before her reported nuptials with longtime boyfriend Tom Ackerley over the weekend

Over the weekend, the actress's close friend Brittany Lindores posted a snap of herself, another girlfriend and Margot drinking what she described as 'Purple G&Ts'.

In the snap, Margot showed off a wide smile and soon after shared an image of herself drinking the same drink and dressed in the same attire to her account.

Alongside her post, the Australian beauty simply caption with a cocktail emoji.

Party time: The Australian actress also shared a snap from the outing, where she beamed with happiness and clutched onto a purple coloured beverage

'No words': Margot's pal Brittany also uploaded an outrageous snap over the weekend of three girls dressed in dressed up outfits

And just a day ago she uploaded a video of herself and two other girls dancing while in fancy dress costumes.

Another one of Margot's girlfriends, Kat took to her Instagram account to share an image of a group of females reuniting over a drink in Byron Bay.

In the image, the four ladies huddled close together as they wrapped their arms around each other and displayed big smiles.

'Reunited with these beauties in Byron #britsabroad #sausagesizzle,' the close pal to the star captioned the image, which didn't include Margot.

Together again: Another one of Margot's girlfriends, Kat took to her Instagram account to share an image of a group of females reuniting over a drink in Byron Bay

On their way: Another friend, Lotti (R) also shared an image of herself and another pal travelling to the picture-perfect destination with the caption: 'Calm before the storm...'

Another friend, Lotti also shared an image of herself and another pal travelling to the picture-perfect destination.

'Calm before the storm...,' she captioned the image.

The 26-year old actress arrived home in a suggestive Say 'I Do' Down Under T-shirt at Gold Coast airport, last week.

Out and about: Margot's brother's Cameron was also seen posing with a group of her friends

Wedding bells! Margot wed Tom on Monday afternoon after celebrating their engagement, earlier this year



And according to a report from News.com.au, there were about 50 invited guests at the wedding and the festivities kicked off at 4pm.

The couple exchanged their vows under a large white teepee-style tent at a luxurious property in Coorabell, in Byron Bay's hinterland.

Following the ceremony, guests danced into the night, with celebrations reportedly lasting until around 11pm.

Hint? The 26-year old actress arrived home in a suggestive Say 'I Do' Down Under T-shirt at Gold Coast airport last week

Sweeping her off her feet! The couple have been together for over three years

The wedding location was so top secret, with even guests kept in the dark about where the couple would wed.

The publication states those lucky enough to score an invite were asked to gather at different locations from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast, so that they could be collected by bus and taken to the under-wraps locale.

The idyllic spot is surrounded by lush mountains, making it the perfect hideaway.

Inside, the accommodation boasts wooden floorboards and walls and holds a rustic charm, while outside features acres of greenery and a picturesque pool.

A short drive west of Byron Bay town centre, the charming venue boasts stunning country charm as well as modern luxury.

It is thought that Margot's mother Sarie Kessler gave her daughter at the wedding.

The blonde beauty is estranged from her father Doug.

Anything for his love: According to an Australian mag, Tom wished to get married in his native UK, but gave up his dream for his ladylove, who has always wanted to say 'I do' Down Under

The actress's other siblings Lachlan and Anya were assumed to also be in attendance, with her sister was reportedly her maid of honour on the special day.

Cameron, who flew to Queensland on Saturday, was tagged in a photo at what is thought to be Margot and Tom's wedding party, along with four of her friends.

Earlier in the day, Woman's Day claimed that while Margot was set to enjoy the festive season with her family, she would also be preparing for her nuptials.

So in love: The couple attended the wedding of one of Tom's relatives, earlier this year

The publication alleged that the pair would wed in a secret location on the Gold Coast, Queensland, where The Wolf Of Wall Street actress grew up.

According to the magazine, Tom wished to get married in his native UK, but gave up his dream for his ladylove, who has always wanted to say 'I do' Down Under.

'The Gold Coast was somewhere she always wanted to get married, given it's where she was raised as a kid on her grandparents' farm,' a 'friend' allegedly told the publication.

'They decided to get married around Christmas so they could spend time with both their families afterwards, which they've never done before,' an insider added.

Smitten: Margot recently posted this loved-up snap of the pair on her Instagram account

The magazine claimed that the pair wrote their own vows for the ceremony, and that Margot would likely wear an Oscar de la Renta dress for the ceremony.

Margot and Tom met in 2013 on set of World War II drama Suite Francaise in France.

The couple sparked rumours of a secret marriage after they were seen wearing matching gold bands while Margot filmed Suicide Squad in Toronto, last June.

Margot touched down in Australia last week, sharing an Instagram photo of herself enjoying a cocktail on Queensland's Gold Coast, last Friday.

Details: It is claimed that the pair wrote their own vows for the ceremony, and that Margot would likely wear an Oscar de la Renta dress for the ceremony

She wore a wide-brimmed hat and reflective sunglasses, as enjoyed cocktails at Bam Bam Bakehouse at Mermaid Beach.

The trip Down Under is a well-earned break for the former Neighbours star, as her career goes from strength to strength.

She recently won Best Actress in an Action Movie for her role in Suicide Squad at the Critics' Choice Awards in LA.

She will also reprise her role as super villain Harley Quinn in spin-off Gotham City Sirens, it was recently announced.

Longtime lovers: Margot and Tom met in 2013 on set of World War II drama Suite Francaise in France




Last Tango In Halifax (BBC1)

Rating:

Timeshift: Booze, Beans and Bhajis (BBC4)

Rating:

The joy of Last Tango is how completely its womenfolk have subjugated their men

The five most frightening words a man can hear are, Shes in a funny mood...

Dean Andrews whispered them to Sir Derek Jacobi, across the yard of a hilltop farm on Last Tango In Halifax (BBC1), and you could feel the north wind drop another couple of degrees as it whipped down from the moors.

The theatre knights face froze, though to be fair his skin had been shinily taut and lineless all through the episode. I expect he moisturises.

You can be certain the wrinkles on Deans face have never known the smallest smear of Nivea For Men. His forehead looks like it has been ploughed, and his moustache lies across his upper lip as if it has given up and wants to be left to die.

Can you blame it? For years Dean was a dodgy sergeant in retro detective show Life On Mars, getting his backside kicked daily by two-fisted copper Gene Hunt. Now hes married to Gillian, the moodiest old soak east of the Pennines  a woman who, even on her cheerful days, possesses the temperament of a sow chewing on rusty barbed wire.

Sir Derek plays Alan, Gillians meekly mollifying dad. A good yelling-at is her way of showing him affection. No wonder these two poor blokes exchange furtive updates on her current grumpy status.

The joy of Last Tango is how completely its womenfolk have subjugated their men. Writer Sally Wainwright, who also created Happy Valley, has made the dramas female characters so utterly dominant that she actually pities the males.

In one scene, Gillian (Nicola Walker) lined up all the men in her family and screamed at them, while they stood with heads bowed, afraid even to flinch. What was their crime? One of them had foolishly mentioned that he liked her green dress... when she wasnt wearing it. Men  honestly!

Anne Reid and Sarah Lancashire are the other female powerhouses of this show, as Sir Dereks new love Celia and her daughter, lesbian headmistress Caroline.

After three series of plots so highly lathered they were downright soapy, Last Tango is too convoluted for simple summaries, and anyone coming to this Christmas special for the first time would have been helplessly confused.

Its enough to know that Gillian was once married to her hubbies brother, Eddie, and killed him. No one suspects, apart from Caroline  certainly not Deans character Robbie, the one with the suicidal moustache.

Now Gillian is convinced that Eddies vengeful spectre is haunting her, so this was a festive ghost story of sorts. Not that Robbie has anything to fear from the supernatural.

After three series of plots so highly lathered they were downright soapy, Last Tango is too convoluted for simple summaries, and anyone coming to this Christmas special for the first time would have been helplessly confused

He was in hospital after Gillian startled him while he was using an angle-grinder  and then nagged him mercilessly in the ambulance all the way to A&E. Poltergeists and the living dead would come as light relief.

There was nothing festive or whimsical about Timeshift: Booze, Beans And Bhajis  The Story Of The Corner Shop (BBC4).

Apart from its unwieldy title, this was a ham-handed history of how Britains small stores and newsagents became the preserve of Asian immigrants.

Journalist Babita Sharma, whose Indian parents ran a corner shop in Reading, talked to actors, comedians and playwrights who had grown up in similar circumstances  watching their parents rise at 3.30am to sort the newspapers, sometimes not closing up until after the pubs emptied at 11pm.

There was nothing festive or whimsical about Timeshift: Booze, Beans And Bhajis  The Story Of The Corner Shop

There was a great deal of pious emphasis on the contribution made to British society by immigrants, in the face of hostility from racist yobs. To hear Babita tell it, youd think every white face in the country was part of the National Front in the Seventies.

She would have been more justified in telling the story of how mum-and-dad businesses, just like the one run by her family, were the backbone of Tory Britain  bettering their own lives by hard graft and serving the community, with shopkeepers daughter Margaret Thatcher as their figurehead.
Skye Wheatley's changing appearance has incurred the wrath of fans who are unhappy that the makeup artist 'no longer looks herself'.

The buxom babe posted a photo to Instagram on Monday, showing off her brunette hair and enhanced features, leaving some fans to quickly voice their concerns.

'Nooo im devastated...I absolutely loved your nose before. It was perfect for your face. You no longer look like "Skye" (sic),' one fan lamented.

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Not herself? Fans have expressed concerns that Skye Wheatley's appearance had changed too much

Another Instagram follower told the former Big Brother contestant: 'I am confused why you want to look like someone else? You have lost your identity now.'

They added: 'I used to love following you, now when you come up in my news feeds I don't recognise you. Sadly I'm going to unfollow now'.

Another simply said, 'You don't look like yourself anymore,' while others speculated if Skye had also had dental veneers or was wearing a wig.

Fan backlash: An Instagram fan told the former Big Brother contestant: 'I am confused why you want to look like someone else? You have lost your identity now'

In the past, the 22-year-old has been open about her plastic surgery, discussing her recent nose job and discussing lip fillers.

Earlier this month, Skye spoke about her recent rhinoplasty, which at first was so grueling that it left the Gold Coast native in tears.

'It was really painful because obviously I had just had my face half ripped up,' she told Yahoo7 of the procedure.

Before and after: In the last, Skye has discussed lip fillers, a boob job and rhinoplasty

Also on her lists of enhancements is what the model jokingly called a 'Bangkok boob job', which she underwent in Thailand early last year.

The Instagram star isn't shy about her surgery, captioning one recent Instagram post, 'Did not come out the womb like this that's for sure'.

Describing herself as 'an ugly ducking,' the socialite believes, 'the older I get, the more improved I am.'
Women supporting other women really is a beautiful thing, especially when the women involved are accomplished individuals in the same line of work.

Busy Philipps stepped out in support of her fellow actor and long-time friend Michelle Williams Sunday night, joining her at a special screening for her latest film, Manchester By The Sea, at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York City.

These two ladies have enjoyed a time-tested friendship dating all the way back to 2001, when Busy, 37, joined Michelle, 36, on the cast for seasons five and six of Dawson's Creek.

Gal pals: Busy Philipps (R) with fellow actor and long-time friend Michelle Williams (L) Sunday night at a special screening for Manchester By The Sea in New York City

The event was sponsored by Louis Vuitton, and as such, the two beauties really brought their A game in the fashion department.

Busy, whose legal name is Elizabeth Jean Philipps, wore an all-black top with long sleeves, a high neckline and lace embellishments.

She paired the top with black leggings and black combat boots, and accessorized with a silver and black pendant and colorful clutch.

The test of time: The ladies' friendship dates all the way back to 2001, when Busy, 37, joined Michelle, 36, on the cast for seasons five and six of Dawson's Creek

Michelle shimmered upon her arrival in a dainty black slip dress covered in a sheer overlay that showcased sparkling, silver accents.

She wore open-toed, ankle strap black heels and carried a simple black clutch.

Both actors wore rosy makeup with a pink lip, with hair chic and straight for the event.

All that glitters: Michelle shimmered upon her arrival in a dainty black slip dress covered in a sheer overlay that showcased sparkling, silver accents

Busy also accompanied her pal, Michelle, to the 22nd Critics' Choice Awards, held in Santa Monica on December 11, where the latter star was nominated for the category of Best Supporting Actress for her role as Randi, Lee's ex-wife, in Manchester By The Sea. Lee is played by Case Affleck.

Also out this year, Michelle starred in Certain Women alongside Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart, a drama written and directed by Kelly Reichardt about the separate lives of three strong-willed women forging their own paths in the American northwest.

Busy is currently starring as the character of Amanda in Jenny Mollen's autobiographical comedy, I Like You Just The Way I Am, and has appeared as Gale Liptrapp in several episodes of HBO's Vice Principals.
Their final show was broadcast on Sunday, after it was axed by Southern Cross Austereo.

But Dan and Maz co-host Dan Debuf insists he's not bitter, despite the company poaching he and his co-star Maz Compton from rival network Nova FM four years ago.

'It's showbusiness with a capital B,' the 31-year-old funnyman said in an interview with News.com.au.

'It's show business': Dan (pictured with co-star Maz) says he does not feel bitter about being dumped by Austereo, explaining that he got to travel and meet many people as part of the gig

'It would be very hard to say, 'Gee, we had a rough run, didnt we?'' Dan explained, saying that he and Maz got to travel and interview many people as part of their job.

In the course of their four-year run at Austereo, the radio duo have met many of the world's biggest celebrities, including Khloe Kardashian and Usain Bolt.

Dan, who is a Game of Thrones fan, also got to meet the show's star Jack Gleeson as well as chat with the franchise's creator, George R.R. Martin.

End of an era: Dan took to Instagram after his final show on Sunday to say farewell

'People would pay thousands of dollars for that opportunity and I got to do it as part of my job,' he said.

Dan, who has spent ten years in radio, took to Instagram over the weekend to say farewell.

Perks of the job: Game of Thrones fan Dan got to meet the show's star Jack Gleeson, as well as chat with the franchise's creator George R.R. Martin

'Hanging up the headphones. After almost a decade of doing radio, I guess it's time to try something else,' he captioned below a photo of his microphone.

After he posted the pic, many fans left their condolences.

'Miss you already x', wrote one. 'This sucks,' commented another.

More famous guests: Dan and Maz are pictured with A-list stars Khloe Kardashian and Mark Ronson

Life amongst the A-List: Dan is snapped with Olympian Usain Bolt

The star, who studied law at universities in both Perth and Melbourne, told the publication he's currently working on a sketch comedy show for the upcoming Perth Fringe festival.

Dan and Maz first presented an Adelaide breakfast program on Nova between 2009 and 2012, before they signed with Southern Cross Austereo.

Clowning around: The radio star is pictured here with Federal Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten

After presenting both national night and drive-time slots they were offered the illustrious Sydney breakfast program in 2015.

The spot that was previously occupied by radio titans Kyle and Jackie O, who defected to KIIS.

Dan and Maz lasted only eight months in the breakfast position before they were bumped to weekends in favour of a new show starring Rove McManus and Sam Frost.

Stars: Dan and Maz pictured on the red carpet at the 2014 Logies
Stassi Schroeder became hysterical on Monday's episode of Vanderpump Rules and unleashed an expletive-laden tirade against Scheana Shay and Ariana Madix.

After a drunken row she sobbed on the bathroom floor screaming: 'They can go f*** themselves! I am so angry right now.'

The mercurial reality star had decided that no one should be friends with leggy hostess Lala Kent - after she had said some mean things to Katie Maloney.

Profane tirade: Stassi Schroeder unleashed an expletive-laden tirade against Scheana Shay and Ariana Madix on Monday's episode of Vanderpump Rules

'This girl is f***ing evil,' she spat of Lala.

The drama erupted during a surprise party thrown for Scheana's teetotaler husband Michael Shay and Kristen Doute's boyfriend Brian Carter  amid red cups and paddling pools filled with liquor.

Scheana was incredulous while Ariana was filled with ennui about Stassi's histrionics.

'She gets into this very heightened state and I find her very annoying,' moaned Ariana, 31, who was rolling her eyes theatrically.

Great party: Scheana was consoled by Ariana after Stassi cussed her out

Worked up: Stassi got worked up when Ariana was asked by Scheana to back her view

Heightened state: Ariana tossed her hands up in frustration as Stassi stormed off

Solid impersonation: The 'heightened state' Stassi was impersonated by Ariana who found her behaviour annoying

Stassi went into the bathroom to sob.

'They can go f*** themselves! I am so angry right now,' she bawled.

'Stop being a b****, stop being an a**hole,' Stassi later screamed to Scheana after emerging from the bathroom.

Bathroom bawling: Stassi retreated to a bathroom and cried on the ground as Katie Maloney tried to console he

So angry: The ladies sat on the bathroom floor as Stassi raged about Scheana and Ariana

Scheana , 31, also accused Katie, 29, of turning into her irate drunken alter ego 'Tequila Katie' again.

'I've never thought I was better than them until this moment, because they're acting like a**holes,' said Scheana, who was sober.

The show opened with Stassi praising the Sur restaurant, despite 'hating it' when she worked there.

Tequila talking: Katie told Scheana that she could read her like a book and said she was the 'most transparent person'

Losing it: Stassi started ranting at Scheana after she accused 'Tequila Katie' of resurfacing

'I am ride or die with those goat cheese balls, and my white wine,' said the blonde beauty.

Stassi, who was fired from Sur, decided to interview Jax Taylor for her podcast about his former penchant for 'cheating on girls'.

'They're going to be talking about personal things, so it is a little bit weird' said Brittany Cartwright, Jax's new girlfriend, who feared he might still have a crush on Stassi.

Former workplace: Stassi at the start of the episode hung out at her former workplace Sur

Ride or die: The former Sur staffer said she was 'ride or die' with the goat cheese balls and white wine

'When I think back to my relationship with Stassi I'm reminded of that movie Misery,' Jax assured Brittany.

'I just like being cordial with her because it's safer,' added the reformed Lothario.

On the record Stassi told Jax that he'd been 'a douchebag for most of his life'.

Safe way: Jax Taylor told Brittany Cartwright that it's safer being cordial with his ex Stassi

She then made him take a 'Sociopath Test'  which he failed dismally.

'He shouldn't feel bad about being a sociopath, Tom Sandoval is probably a narcissist, Kristen meets most of the criteria for borderline personality disorder, Ariana has a superiority complex, Katie has anger management issues, Scheana's a hypochondriac and I'm an alcoholic,' Stassi quipped to the camera.

Terminally good-natured Brittany shrugged off the diagnosis.

On the record: Stassi grilled Jax about his past bad boy ways and gave him a Sociopath Test

Joking around: The podcast host said Jax shouldn't feel bad about being a sociopath and listed everyone's mental disorders including her own alcoholism

'It's not the end of the world,' she smiled.

Ariana was urged by Lisa Vanderpump to mediate the conflict between Katie, Lala and Scheana.

'I don't know what the f*** Ariana is trying to do, trying to broker this peace treaty between myself and Scheana and Lala,' scoffed Katie.

Peace mission: Ariana was urged by Lisa Vanderpump to broker a peace agreement

'As far as I'm concerned there are no more chances with Lala,' she added, recounting times the hostess had called her 'disgusting' and said she 'wants to f*** my fiance' because 'he has the biggest d***'.

Lala, 25, said she'd already apologised, and wasn't sure how to make it up to them.

'What? Do I need to finger you to make you forget?' she asked, as the girls quivered with rage.

In the middle: A peace meeting was initiated by Ariana in the break area behind the restaurant

Peace talks: Katie wanted nothing to do with Lala who angered her more with a crude comment

The attempted reconciliation culminated in a gaping fissure between Katie and Scheana after Scheana apologized to Lala for her role in spreading any falsehoods about her.

After apparently having some some drinks Katie texted Scheana announcing that she was 'repulsed' by her for contemplating being friends with Lala again.

'I feel like I can't have an opinion anymore,' Scheana told Jax tearfully.

Getting emotional: Scheana complained to Jax and Brittany about Katie texting her

Very disappointed: Katie sent a late night text to Scheana for apologizing to Lala

Under the bus: A later text from Katie accused Scheana of throwing her under the bus and said her apology to Lala 'repulsed me'

Jax blamed Stassi and Kristen Doute for stirring the pot that ultimately spilled over during the surprise party.

'I can predict this group like Gandhiwas it Gandhi that can predict the future?' Jax asked ignorantly.

Their boss Lisa Vanderpump was bored of the drama.

History lesson: Jax asked if Gandhi was known for predicting the future

Over it: Lisa Vanderpump was getting tired of her staff's bicker

Wedding talk: Tom Schwartz sought out wedding advice from Mike Shay

'Why am I paying these people? They should be paying me for therapy,' she sighed.

Meanwhile, Tom Sandoval was stressing about the rapidly mounting costs for his wedding to Katie.

'Don't inquire too much about the cost of things, just deal with the pain at the end,' he cringed.

Vanderpump Rules continues next week on Bravo.

Rising costs: Katie and Tom disagreed about the rising costs of their upcoming wedding
On Monday, Vogue uploaded the latest edition of their web series 73 Questions, in which celebrities are interviewed whilst touring the magazine through their homes.

Neil Patrick Harris was the latest host, allowing the camera to follow him through the Harlem townhouse he shares with his husband David Burtka and their children.

After revealing such tidbits as his favourite workout song (Britney Spears' Work B****) and his pick for a celebrity with which to have a 'sham Hollywood marriage' (Charlize Theron), the 43-year-old rapped through My Shot from Hamilton.

On Monday, Vogue uploaded the latest edition of their web series 73 Questions, in which Neil Patrick was interviewed whilst touring the magazine through his Harlem townhouse, which includes a home cinema

The How I Met Your Mother star began the video in his home cinema, where the credits to the 1939 Shirley Temple film The Little Princess played behind him.

'Hey, old school!' he said, smiling. 'The Empire Strikes Back. Nice flick,' and went onto describe his home's look as an 'adventurer's club with a Genius Bar inside.'

Leading the camera outside the cinema and offering his interviewer the contents of his popcorn machine, he revealed the oddest thing he's seen on a subway in New York: 'A guy with a needle in his arm.'

Vintage collection: As he walked backwards into his study, the camera caught sight of his antique L C Smith typewriter

As he walked backwards into his study, he tossed popcorn toward his mouth and missed. On his desk was an antique L C Smith typewriter.

The clutter on his shelves included five Emmy trophies, though what he described as 'the coolest' item in the room was 'my Tony Award,' which he won in 2014 by leading Hedwig And The Angry Inch on Broadway.

He then introduced the camera to 'the actual booth from How I Met Your Mother. I stole it when we wrapped,' he confessed, settling onto the red leather seat.

Garlanded: The clutter on his shelves included five Emmy trophies, though what he described as 'the coolest' item in the room was 'my Tony Award,' which he won in 2014 by leading Hedwig And The Angry Inch on Broadway

His favourite episode of the sitcom - which features the booth in MacLaren's Pub, the characters' watering hole - is Girls Versus Suits, from the fifth of nine series.

When prodded about a recurring gag on the show that might've escaped the average viewers' sights, he noted that his character 'Barney's bad with chopsticks.'

From 1989 to 1993, Harris played the titular teenage medical prodigy on Doogie Howser, MD. As he told Vogue, his character today is now probably 'in rehab.'

Memories: He then introduced the camera to 'the actual booth from How I Met Your Mother. I stole it when we wrapped,' he confessed, settling onto the red leather seat

Meanwhile, 'the most random person' he's had over to the brownstone was - 'recently,' as he put it - the drag queen stand-up comic Bianca Del Rio.

He also showed off a Gideon Rubin painting of a young boy sat on a white bench, 'part of the reason why we named our son Gideon.'

Up the stairs was a full bar, complete with two large beer taps, where Harris made his guest a 'new-fashioned,' admitting his biggest fear was 'probably public humiliation.'

Backstory: He also showed off a Gideon Rubin painting of a young boy sat on a white bench, 'part of the reason why we named our son Gideon'

A decade hence, he pictures himself 'directing Star Wars Episode XLVI' - small wonder, since he'd previously said he'd want to collaborate with JJ Abrams - and the person he most admires is 'probably Jim Henson.'

After indicating the Banksy painting on the wall, he was goaded to 'Prove it,' when he listed My Shot as the musical number to which he'd memorised all the lyrics.

A piano began tinkling in another room, and Harris led the camera in to reveal the pianist: Burtka, whom he wed in 2014 after New York legalised same-sex marriage.

Baring his soul: Up the stairs was a full bar, complete with two large beer taps, where Harris made his guest a 'new-fashioned,' admitting his biggest fear was 'probably public humiliation'

As questioning continued, they agreed Burtka was more stylish and that the Disney character Harris would be is Mickey Mouse. Each, of course, thought he was the cooler father.

When asked: 'What's something you let your kids do that your husband doesn't know about?' Burtka conceded: 'Too much sugar,' whilst per Harris: 'I let them stay up later than they should.'

The frequent Tony Awards host advised America to 'Think locally,' and, when asked which made-up awards show he wanted to host, said: 'The Animatronic Awards.' His monologue joke: 'Welcome to the 48th Annual Animatronic Awards, and we are live!'
She's certainly not shy when it comes to posting revealing selfies.

And once again, radio star Mel Greig flaunted her assets when she stripped down to a one piece costume while enjoying her Summer break.

The 34-year-old shared to Instagram a shot of herself reclining on a pool chair, putting on a very busty display.

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On show! Mel Greig flaunted her assets when she stripped down to a one piece costume while enjoying her Summer break

'Bathers for days,' Mel captioned part of her shot.

'Keeping my curves in check,' the blonde added.

Her hashtags included 'few days between boob selfies' and 'relaxing.'

If you've got it! It comes after she shared a shot online of herself in a black and red bikini while also on holiday

It comes after she shared a shot online of herself in a black and red bikini while also on holiday.

'I'd like to thank the strategically placed hat covering my Endo (sic) belly and @amberlouise_brown for creeping over my shoulder to take the pic (sic),' Mel wrote.

The royal prank DJ - who has long been open about her struggle with endometriosis - is currently single having split with husband Steve Pollock recently.

She announced their breakup in April and this week revealed her heartbreak about their frozen embryos they have together, from their time doing IVF.

Single: The royal prank DJ - who has long been open about her struggle with endometriosis - is currently single having split with husband Steve Pollock recently

Mel said that although she doesn't intend to have them implanted, she also can't bring herself to destroy them.

'This is a battle that will haunt me for life,' the former 2DayFM host wrote in Mamamia.

'To me, they are my children even as embryos. I went through hell to create them.

Sad: She announced their breakup in April and this week revealed her heartbreak about their frozen embryos they have together, from their time doing IVF

'But the reality is, it is nearing more and more impossible for me to become a mother.'

She added: 'I cant bring myself to destroy them, that doesnt feel like the right thing to do, and I dont want to donate them and see a little Mel running around if I havent had my own children.

Mel revealed that she is overcome with sadness whenever she reads about Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara and her legal battle with ex-fiance Nick Loeb.
Ryan Reynolds is having a really great year.

Just a few days after the Canadian actor received his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, he was feted at the Museum Of Modern Art in New York City.

Ryan's comic book movie Deadpool was declared to be one of the most influential and innovative movies of 2016 and he was the man of the moment at a screening of the film Monday night in Manhattan.

Man of the hour: Just a few days after Ryan Reynolds received his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, the Canadian actor was feted at the Museum Of Modern Art in New York City

Ryan showed up for the special event solo, leaving wife Blake Lively at home with their two young children.

He paired dark blue pants with a white shirt and brown waistcoat.

He added a dark blue and brown tie and navy jacket along with scuffed brown brogues.

Happy: The actor, 40, is having a great year as his comic book movie Deadpool was declared by MOMA to be one of the most influential and innovative movies of 2016

Box office smash: The R-rated comic book movie released in February has grossed $782 million to date worldwide

Interesting wardrobe: Ryan showed up solo to the Monday night event wearing dark blue pants with a white shirt and brown waistcoat. He added a dark blue and brown tie and navy jacket

The star has been nominated for a Gioden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

The movie has taken $782 million worldwide since it debut in February.

On Thursday the hunky 40-year-old actor was joined by his family as he was honored in Hollywood.

He praised the Gossip Girl actress, 29, whom he wed in 2012 in his speech at the special event.

'I want to thank my wife, Blake, who is sitting right there who is everything to me. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me,' Ryan said.

'You make everything better. You make everything in my life better. You've given me two of the most incredible children I've ever hoped to have.'
A dressing robe-clad Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid announced via Snapchat that they shot their last modeling gig of the year together on Monday.

The marketable appeal of the reality stars-turned-supermodels - both 21 years old and 5ft10in tall - lies within their eye-popping, combined 140.8M social media followers.

And thanks to their fathers Caitlyn Jenner and David Foster's marriages to Linda Thompson, the nepotistically-privileged socialites are almost related.

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Millennial millionaires: A dressing robe-clad Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid announced via Snapchat that they shot their last modeling gig of the year together on Monday

Insta-girls: The marketable appeal of the reality stars-turned-supermodels - both 21 years old and 5ft10in tall - lies within their eye-popping, combined 140.8M social media followers

Jenner's half-brothers, Brandon and Brody, happen to be the step-siblings of Sara and Erin Foster - who are Hadid's stepsisters.

The Calabasas-raised brunette and the Malibu-raised blonde were recently two of 50 lucky ladies to strut down Victoria's Secret's coveted catwalk inside the Grand Palais in Paris.

'You dream of doing this show your whole life, but you would never dream for it to be as good as to do it with all your friends, like genuinely your friends outside of work,' the KUWTK star told E! News last month.

'Gigi and I have been texting the whole time like, "Oh my god. I'm so excited! Where are you? Stay with me." We've had a buddy system this whole trip. It's just nice. It's really comforting.'

Nepotistically-privileged: And thanks to their fathers Caitlyn Jenner (L) and David Foster's (M) marriages to Linda Thompson (R), the socialites are almost related

Complicated connection: Jenner's half-brothers, Brandon and Brody, happen to be the step-siblings of Sara and Erin Foster - who are Hadid's stepsisters

Ooh lala! The Calabasas-raised brunette and the Malibu-raised blonde were recently two of 50 lucky ladies to strut down Victoria's Secret's coveted catwalk inside the Grand Palais in Paris

The KUWTK star told E! News last month: 'Gigi and I have been texting the whole time like, "Oh my god. I'm so excited! Where are you? Stay with me." We've had a buddy system this whole trip. It's just nice. It's really comforting'

Angelic? With only 6.7M viewers tuning in, ratings reached a new low for the San Francisco brand's big bra and panty show, which aired December 5 on CBS

With only 6.7M viewers tuning in, ratings reached a new low for the San Francisco brand's big bra and panty show, which aired December 5 on CBS.

It's hard to believe that Kendall was allowed to represent the lingerie label since she clearly fronts competitors - Calvin Klein and La Perla.

Meanwhile, Gigi - born Jelena - wears little more than Versace's 'Palazzo' leather court shoes for the Italian fashion house's FW/17 campaign.

Conflict of interest: It's hard to believe that Kendall was allowed to represent the lingerie label since she clearly fronts competitors - Calvin Klein and La Perla
Hot air? It has been claimed Matt Damon may have been exposed to toxic fumes while filming The Great Wall in China

It is the film set in the picturesque and unspoiled location of medieval China.

But it has been claimed toxic chemicals were used on the set of forthcoming film The Great Wall.

And it seems the movie's A-list star Matt Damon may have even been exposed after it was revealed a producer expressed concerns about the fact he would not be wearing a mask during shooting.

A crew member told the Wall Street Journal they were exposed to toxic substances banned in the United States while filming in China.

The insider said: 'I nearly passed out from the fumes that came out of a spray can.'

And a co-producer allegedly raised the issue of safety during an on-set meeting, saying: 'How do I look Matt Damon in the face when he's the only one not wearing a mask?'

There were also supposedly issues with lax standards during while the set was being built for the $150 million film.

Key grip Guy Michelett said, 'You had to be a policeman,' and claimed harnesses were routinely not worn by workers while climbing scaffolding to erect lights.

A source close to the production told The Wrap Mr Michelett was not employed when shooting began.

Its not known if he only worked during pre-production. Matt Damon has yet to comment on the allegations.

Most of the movie was filmed in the Qingdao region of China, where the Dalian Wanda corporation is building an $8.2 billion, 408-acre studio. It will also feature a Universal Studios-esque resort, theme park and a 5,300-seat cinema.

Under fire: The film has been criticised for'whitewashing' by hiring Damon, even though he was enlisted to give the movie more international appeal

A company insider said bringing standards on par with those in the United States is a top priority for when the facility is fully open.

The film, which is due to be released in February, is already under fire for supposed 'whitewashing' due to the hiring of Hollywood star Damon to appear in a main role.

This is despite the fact he was hired to make the Chinese movie more attractive to international audiences.

In the film he is a hitman who hails from Europe who fights with the Chinese to protect the Great Wall from evil monsters.
She's definitely getting into the Christmas spirit.

And Sarah Paulson, 41, played the part wonderfully in a gorgeous sequined red and pink knee-length dress during a stop at Late Night with Seth Meyers.

The American Horror Story star paired the sparkling gown with a pair of bright red pumps and kept her hair sleek and simple for the appearance.

Christmas cheer: Sarah Paulson wowed in a gorgeous sequined red and pink knee-length dress during a stop at Late Night with Seth Meyers

Simple tattoo: The cool star showed off a tiny tattoo that peaked out just below her ankle on the top of her foot

The glittery number almost came down to Sarah's ankles and the red sleeves were the perfect touch to add a bit of Christmas cheer.

Her blonde hair was slicked back and tucked behind her ears and she kept her makeup pretty with just a small amount of eyeliner and mascara around her eyes.

She finished off the look with a slick of nude lipstick, keeping her face looking young and fresh.

The cool star showed off a tiny tattoo that peaked out just below her ankle on the top of her foot.

The dress is enough: Her blonde hair was slicked back and tucked behind her ears and she kept her makeup pretty with just a small amount of eyeliner and mascara around her eyes

Naturally pretty: She finished off the look with a slick of nude lipstick, keeping her face looking young and fresh

Matching red shoes: The 41-year-old actress paired the sparkling gown with a pair of bright red pumps

The actress, who is dating fellow actress Holland Taylor, 73, recently celebrated a Critics Choice Awards win for Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries for her work in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

During her acceptance speech, she thanked the show's executive producer, Ryan Murphy and said that he 'changed my life.'

The star also thanked her co-stars, calling the show an 'incredible experience.'
She stunned the world after confirming her marriage to boyfriend Tom Ackerley on Monday afternoon.

And now, details have emerged about how exactly Margot Robbie, 26, managed to pull off one of this year's most secretive weddings.

According to News.com.au, the Suicide Squad actress kept her Byron Bay nuptials hush hush by mandating a media blackout, with guests being forced to hand over their mobile phones and cameras during the celebrations.

The master of secrecy! Details have emerged about how exactly newlywed Margot Robbie, 26, managed to pull off one of this year's most secretive weddings

The publication has also claimed that up to a dozen security guards were also present at the event, which took place at a private property in Coorabell.

The wedding location was so top secret that even guests were kept in the dark about where the couple would wed.

Taking no risks! The Suicide Squad actress and her husband Tom Ackerley (right) kept her Byron Bay nuptials hush hush by mandating a media blackout

According to the publication, attendees were told to gather at various locations between Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.

Guests were then picked up by buses and driven to the undisclosed venue.

Nestled in Byron Bay's lush hinterlands, the property is surrounded by lush mountains, making it the perfect hideaway for the couple.

Hideaway: Attendees were told to gather at various locations between Byron Bay and the Gold Coast and were then picked up by buses and driven to the undisclosed venue

Secluded: Nestled in Byron Bay's lush hinterlands, the property is surrounded by lush mountains, making it the perfect hideaway for the couple

Inside, the accommodation boasts wooden floorboards and walls and holds a rustic charm, while outside features acres of greenery and a picturesque pool.

On Tuesday afternoon, Margot took to Instagram to flaunt her engagement ring in a cheeky Instagram snap.

She was seen sticking up her wedding ring finger to the camera while kissing her beau in the background.

As their lips locked, Tom lent forward and rested his hand on the beauty's leg while she donned another loose-fitting white ensemble.

Boho luxury: Inside, the accommodation boasts wooden floorboards and walls and holds a rustic charm
Suzi Taylor embraced the Christmas spirit as she took to the streets of Brisbane on Tuesday.

The busty former Block contestant wore a low-cut festive dress and knee-high socks as she was pictured en route to a party.

Suzi was later spotted with rumoured love interest Drew Davison, who donned a Santa hat and dyed his beard grey for the occasion.

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Ho ho ho: Suzi Taylor got into the Christmas spirit as she sported a revealing festive outfit while out in Brisbane on Tuesday

The dark-haired beauty left little to the imagination with her revealing outfit, putting her ample assets on display in the off-the-shoulder number.

The silky red dress was suitably festive, featuring a polka dot ribbon and candy cane decoration on the neckline.

A short, frilly skirt put her tanned legs on show, while the dress also featured a white apron with candy cane decoration.

Santa's little helper: The busty former Block contestant wore a low-cut festive dress and knee-high socks as she was pictured en route to a party

Naughty list: The dark-haired beauty left little to the imagination with her revealing outfit, putting her ample assets on display in the off-the-shoulder number

Suzi completed her outfit with a pair of white knee-high socks and a pair of open-toe black stilettos.

The reality TV star was also seen enjoying a candy cane as she accompanied a female friend along the street.

A smartly-dressed Drew then joined Suzi, carrying a Christmas cracker and a brown paper bag as the pair entered a building.

The real estate entrepreneur wore a black suit with a crisp white shirt as he puffed on a pipe.

Festive frolics: A smartly-dressed Drew then joined Suzi, carrying a Christmas cracker and a brown paper bag as the pair entered a building

Santa's grotto: The real estate entrepreneur wore a black suit with a crisp white shirt while adding a festive twist with a Santa hat and grey beard

Taking to Instagram during the festive bash, Suzi shared a snap of herself showing plenty of cleavage.

She captioned the image: 'Dear Santa...I guess I'll be buying my own presents this year.'

Adding her location at the Brisbane office of the Real Estate Academy, Suzi included the hashtag 'too naughty' on her post.

Christmas cheer: Taking to Instagram during the festive bash, Suzi shared a snap of herself showing plenty of cleavage

A couple of hours later, Suzi took to social media once again to upload a shot of herself with Drew and two friends.

She captioned the pic: 'Twas the week B4 Xmas when we announced our biggest news...'

On Sunday, The Block star used her Instagram to dismiss recent rumours which had linked her to a trio of men.

Suzi and Drew had been spotted leaving Rydges hotel together on Monday - just a day after she told Daily Mail Australia she was 'very single'.

Alongside Drew, Suzi had been rumoured to be dating both David 'Luttsy' Lutteral and millionaire playboy Geoffrey Edelsten, who told News Corp that he was in a 'relationship' with her.
Orlando Bloom celebrated the 15th anniversary of the worldwide release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on Monday by sharing 11 behind-the-scenes snaps.

The SAG Award winner - who turns 40 next month - originally auditioned for the smaller role of Faramir before landing Legolas two days before graduating from London's Guildhall School.

The handsome Englishman - who broke a rib on set - trained on the bow and arrow for two months to better inhabit the elvish archery expert from Mirkwood.

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'The rest, as you know, is history': Orlando Bloom celebrated the 15th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring on Monday by sharing 11 behind-the-scenes snaps

First gig! The SAG Award winner - who turns 40 next month - originally auditioned for the smaller role of Faramir before landing Legolas two days before graduating from London's Guildhall School

$2B-earning, Oscar-winning trilogy: The handsome Englishman - who broke a rib on set - trained on the bow and arrow for two months to better inhabit the elvish archery expert

Orlando shared a collage of his wig and make-up tests, including the blue contact lenses that scratched his corneas so bad director Peter Jackson had to digitally colour his eyes in several shots.

There was a shot of Bloom smiling beside a New Zealand river, shortly before he and the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) managed to capsize their boat.

In one picture, the Easy actor and co-star Viggo Mortensen - who played Aragorn - wear similar hats as they wait to take off in a helicopter.

Another image showed the Burning Man enthusiast shirtless enjoying a day off surfing with Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, who played the hobbits Merry and Pippin.

Elf ears: Orlando shared a collage of his wig and make-up tests, including the blue contact lenses that scratched his corneas so bad director Peter Jackson had to digitally colour his eyes in several shots

Dry as a bone: There was a shot of Bloom smiling beside a New Zealand river, shortly before he and the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) managed to capsize their boat

Incognito: In one picture, the Easy actor and co-star Viggo Mortensen - who played Aragorn - wear similar hats as they wait to take off in a helicopter

Catching waves: Another image showed the Burning Man enthusiast shirtless enjoying a day off surfing with Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, who played the hobbits Merry and Pippin

John Rhys-Davies declined: Orlando was among the eight of the nine members of the Fellowship to get matching 'nine' tattoos spelled in J. R. R. Tolkien's Tengwar language

Orlando was among the eight of the nine members of the Fellowship to get matching 'nine' tattoos spelled in J. R. R. Tolkien's Tengwar language.

The Digging for Fire actor spent Sunday at Disneyland with his 'amazing' girlfriend of 10 months, pop diva Katy Perry.

On Saturday night, Bloom and the 32-year-old Grammy nominee attended Westworld actress Shannon Woodward's birthday bash at WeHo karaoke bar, Blind Dragon.

'I'm super proud of the work that she does!' the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador gushed to ET last week.

Weee! The Digging for Fire actor spent Sunday at Disneyland with his 'amazing' girlfriend of 10 months, pop diva Katy Perry

Still going strong: On Saturday night, Bloom and the 32-year-old Grammy nominee attended Westworld actress Shannon Woodward's birthday bash at WeHo karaoke bar, Blind Dragon

Turning 6 next month! The Hobbit heartthrob admitted his 'level of compassion' has grown since becoming father to son Flynn with his ex-wife, Australian model Miranda Kerr

'She's a voice that speaks to so many and it's remarkable to see her champion this cause, [and] it's amazing that we happen to do this together.'

The Hobbit heartthrob admitted his 'level of compassion' has grown since becoming father to son Flynn - turning 6 next month - with his ex-wife, Australian model Miranda Kerr.

Orly will next reprise his other star-making role - as Flying Dutchman Captain Will Turner - in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which hits UK/US theaters May 26.
Her sister is one of the fashion industry's most legendary party girls.

So Lottie Moss, the half-sister of veteran supermodel Kate, naturally knows a bit about merriment, as illustrated when she stumbled into a cab after a night out on Monday evening.

The 18-year-old aspiring model, who was naturally extremely stylishly clad, looked dishevelled as she attempted to climb into a waiting car while assisted by her equally trendy pal.

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Party girl: Lottie Moss, the half-sister of veteran supermodel Kate, naturally knows a bit about merriment, as illustrated when she stumbled into a cab after a night out on Monday evening

Lottie has just returned from a trip to Barbados with her Made In Chelsea star boyfriend Alex Mytton and his ex-girlfriend and co-star Jessica Anne Woodley.

It seems the blonde beauty is still in the holiday spirit as she lived it up, looking stunning in a low-key quilted grey top with tight black jeans.

Showing off her stunning physique, the chic ensemble was bang on trend - complete with a stylish choker and black blazer.

Her blonde tresses were styled into loose waves falling from a centre parting, with her bright colour enhanced by the Caribbean sunshine.

Chic: The 18-year-old aspiring model, who was naturally extremely stylishly clad, looked dishevelled as she attempted to climb into a waiting car while assisted by her equally trendy pal

Hometime! Lottie has just returned from a trip to Barbados with her Made In Chelsea star boyfriend Alex Mytton and his ex-girlfriend and co-star Jessica Anne Woodley

She kept her make-up classic to best exhibit her stunning natural features, with a slick of cat-eye eyeliner paired with a dab of pink lipstick.

She touched back down in the UK a week ago and is naturally missing the sunshine as she settled back into the chilly London temperatures, when she posted a throwback bikini snap to her Instagram on Saturday.

She flaunted her slim figure and peachy derriere by posing with her back to the camera in the cheeky photo.

Lottie has been lamenting the end of her Caribbean break with Jess and boyfriend Alex Mytton all week - posting another sun-soaked bikini snap on Wednesday.

Out and a pout: She kept her make-up classic to best exhibit her stunning natural features, with a slick of cat-eye eyeliner paired with a dab of pink lipstick

Living it up: Lottie's sister Kate is one of the fashion industry's most legendary party girls

Having just arrived back in the UK on Monday, the Calvin Klein stunner looked to be missing every aspect of island life.

Promptly taking to her Instagram page, the Vogue cover girl posted a series of snaps which saw her flaunting her incredible figure in an array of skimp swimwear.

She posted just a smattering of pictures during her actual time on the island, so it seems that Lottie was keen to share more snippets of her holiday with her 86,400 follower.

The first photo in her throwback session showed the model stood in front of the crystal clear sea, though thanks to her tiny bikini her derriere drew most of the focus.

Throwback: She posted just a smattering of pictures during her actual time on the island, so it seems that Lottie was keen to share more snippets of her holiday with her 86,400 follower

As she uploaded the first of her images she was clearly aware that some may get fed up of her stream of sun-soaked snaps, so she made sure her first photo was captioned: 'Here come the Barbados pics...'

She then went on to upload another very similar photo, though this time the model is showing off her best pout as she turns around to stare into the camera.

Again Lottie couldn't help but draw attention to her peachy bum, thanks to her pose, captioning the shot: 'Let me know when u have seen enough pics of my bum [sic].'

Other snaps included a cheeky loved-up snap of her and beau Alex, 25, which pictured him pinching her bum.

Cheeky! Other snaps included a cheeky loved-up snap of her and beau Alex, 25, which pictured him pinching her bum

The two love-birds haven't been afraid of packing on the PDA while they were away, with the two frequently seen frolicking in the sea or rolling around on the beach.

And despite her own admission that she was a third wheel on the couple's holiday, it seems Jess Woodley was another thing that Lottie was going to miss.

Just before the trio departed Barbados on Monday, Lottie posted a sweet snap of herself and the E4 star cuddling up together as they stared out across the sea.
She has returned to the cobbles after 13 years.

And Georgia Taylor is fitting right back into life on Coronation Street as she was spotted shooting scenes with fellow stars Jane Danson and Catherine Tyldesley in Cheshire last week.

The 36-year-old actress, who plays Toyah Battersby in the soap, slipped into a robe while filming the spa day scenes alongside her co-stars.

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She's back! Georgia Taylor is fitting right back into life on Coronation Street as she was spotted shooting scenes with fellow stars Jane Danson and Cath Tyldesley in Cheshire last week

Georgia looked totally comfortable during her return to the street, as she filmed alongside colleagues both old and new.

Clad in a fluffy white dressing gown, the flame-haired beauty was perfectly made up for her return to the screen, with a smudge of eyeliner and heavy foundation.

Leanne Battersby, her on-screen sister played by Jane, wore a bizarre mix of dressing gown paired with chic over-the-knee brown leather boots.

Her blonde hair was perfectly coiffed into a chignon, which contrasted even further against her dressing gown ensemble.

All wrapped up: Leanne Battersby, on-screen sister played by Jane, wore a bizarre mix of dressing gown paired with chic over-the-knee brown leather boots

Warmed up: Cath was sporting the same look as her pal as she slipped into the robe while looking fresh-faced and totally make-up free

Cath was sporting the same look as her pal as she slipped into the robe while looking fresh-faced and totally make-up free.

Also hitting the spa was a stunning actress who heated up the set by allowing her robe to fall open and flash her lingerie beneath.

Georgia has made a sensational return to reprise her role as troublesome Toyah.

Toyah left Weatherfield back in 2003 after discovering her college lecturer boyfriend had impregnated her best friend Maria Sutherland.

But the mouthy character, who is mentioned regularly by her sister, is set for a fiery return after over a decade away.

Cheeky! Also hitting the spa was a stunning actress who heated up the set by allowing her robe to fall open and flash her lingerie beneath

All the girls: Cath was leading the pack as they headed out of the hotel

It's not yet clear whether Toyah is here to stay, but Georgia - who went on to appear in Casualty and Law & Order - says she's 'delighted' to be back in the role.

The actress gushed over her imminent return: 'I am thrilled to be re-joining my old friends on the cobbles and hugely excited to be given the opportunity to explore the character of Toyah 13 years on.

'Coronation Street has always had a place in my heart and I'm delighted to be working again with my good friend Jane Danson and bringing the Battersby sisters back together.

Way back when: It's not yet clear whether Toyah is here to stay, but Georgia - who went on to appear in Casualty and Law & Order - says she's 'delighted' to be back in the role

That was then... The actress gushed over her imminent return: 'I am thrilled to be re-joining my old friends on the cobbles and hugely excited to be given the opportunity to explore the character of Toyah 13 years on

'The script writers and producers have come up with some fantastic, clever, and detailed story-lines that have inspired me and I feel excited to get started.'

During her time on the soap, Georgia's character was involved in an unlikely romance with Emily Bishop's lovable nephew Geoffrey 'Spider' Nugent.

But Toyah's life was turned upside down when she was beaten and raped by Phil Simmonds in 2001, for which the actress won the best dramatic performance award at the British Soap Awards.

Here come the girls! Producer Kate Oates said: 'I am delighted that Georgia Taylor has agreed to return to the role of Toyah. She is a talented actress who has had great success since leaving the show in 2003

Producer Kate Oates said: 'I am delighted that Georgia Taylor has agreed to return to the role of Toyah. She is a talented actress who has had great success since leaving the show in 2003.

'Family relationships are the lifeblood of soap operas and I am excited to explore the drama that Toyah will bring with her to the cobbles. She has led an interesting life away from Weatherfield and she has secrets she has kept even from Leanne.
She's the bikini-loving beach bunny known for flaunting her curves in barely-there swimwear.

And Natasha Oakley, 25, didn't disappoint fans this Tuesday when she shared a sultry social media snap of herself posing in an indigo-hued bikini by her brand Monday Swimwear.

The permanently-bronzed blonde beamed as she posed while adjusting her bikini top, writing in the caption: 'My favorite bikini changes on a daily basis.'

Teeny weeny bikini! Natasha Oakley, 25, didn't disappoint fans this Tuesday when she shared a sultry social media snap of herself posing in an indigo-hued bikini by her brand Monday Swimwear

Fans were quick to shower the curvy Instagram model with compliments, with one writing: 'So beautiful! Love this bikini!'

'Body goals!' wrote another.

Despite her social media success, which has seen Tash amass 1.8 million followers on Instagram alone, the beach bunny has come under fire for airbrushing her photos.

Doctored images: Despite her social media success, which has seen Tash amass 1.8 million followers on Instagram alone, the beach bunny has come under fire for airbrushing her photos

After candid images of the star looking much different to her social media snaps emerged online, the beauty was forced to admit that she does retouch her images.

'I think that everyone is doing that (retouching) because of what they see in the media,' the airbrush enthusiast told The Daily Telegraph.

'I think with the general population are just trying to follow exactly what they see with pictures being edited'.

Controversy: After candid images of the star looking much different to her social media snaps emerged online, the beauty was forced to admit that she does retouch her images

She also admitted that she feels pressure to look good all the time but is adamant her aim to look good is more for herself than anyone else.

'I feel it - I'm a human and a natural curvy woman! But for me, it's really more about feeling good in myself, and healthy and fit,' she noted.

Natasha's photos are gazed upon by some 1.8 million Instagram fans, many of whom are young girls who aspire to look just like her.
Kiki Morris is counting down the days to Christmas.

The Bachelor beauty posted a throwback snap from her recent holiday to Bali as she revealed she was 'floating' through her last week of work before Christmas.

The photo, which was uploaded to Instagram on Tuesday, showed the busty star sat in an inflatable rubber ring as she relaxed in a pool.

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Floater: Kiki Morris posted a throwback snap from her recent holiday to Bali as she revealed she was 'floating' through her last week of work before Christmas

Her caption read: 'Floating thru the last week of work (sic).'

A day earlier, the reality TV star got dressed up for a party as she enjoys herself over the festive season.

Pictured in an intriguing multi-coloured dress, Kiki alluded to the fact that she was looking forward to 'silly season' in her new 'party' outfit.

Party girl: A day earlier, the reality TV star got dressed up for a party as she enjoys herself over the festive season

The bronze beauty offered a glimpse of her ample cleavage as she posed in the short dress, which she complemented with a pair of nude heels.

On Monday, Kiki posted another throwback picture from her Bali break when she added a snap of herself sporting a revealing one piece swimsuit.

The reality star looked every inch the glamour model as she sat by the pool during a recent visit to the Indonesian island with boyfriend Jeremy Banks.

Kiki posted a snap of herself sporting a revealing one piece swimsuit while taking a sip from a tropical drink during a recent holiday in Bali

The high-cut green number showed off her gym honed legs, while the plunging design showcased her cleavage.

Kiki wore her long locks down over her back and took a sip from a tropical drink as she struck a pose for the camera.

'Green juice and a real tan, that is what I'm talking about,' she captioned the photo, adding the hashtag 'Monday's be like.'

Flaunting it: Kiki is known for showcasing her model figure on her social media pages

During her recently holiday to the tropical island, the brunette shared several swimwear snaps with her 79,000 Instagram fans.

In one, she sported a stunning white lace-up number as she kicked back on an inflatable unicorn, taking in the sun's rays poolside.

She captioned the post: 'The only thing better than tanning by the pool, is tanning on the pool on a unicorn!'

'Tanning on the pool on a unicorn!' During her recently trip, Kiki shared several swimwear snaps with her Instagram fans

Retro-style: In another holiday snap, she posed with one leg forward and covered her face with a wide-brimmed straw hat

In another, Kiki shared a 1950s-inspired photo of her in a bikini as she posed retro-style with one leg forward.

She covered her face from the harsh Balinese sun with a wide-brimmed straw hat.

Kiki was in Bali with her new boyfriend, Jeremy. The pair went public with their relationship in late October.
She found fame as a glamour model - best known for her bevy of kiss-and-tells.

And Alicia Douvall returned to her scantily-clad roots as she stripped down to practically nothing while departing London's Dorchester Hotel in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The 36-year-old wore just a babydoll night dress, styled to look like a bow over her surgically-enhanced cleavage, paired with thigh-high boots and a thong - making for a shocking look in the blistering December chill.

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Yowzers! Alicia Douvall returned to her roots as she slipped down to practically nothing while departing London's Dorchester Hotel in the wee hours of Tuesday morning

Alicia, real name Sarah Howes, has always been candid about undergoing a mass of plastic surgery procedures - previously claiming to have spent over 1million on elective work.

She showed off the results of her pricey quest for body perfection as she slipped into the sheer babydoll which had no place outside the bedroom.

The top of the nightie wrapped around her ample bust before descending into a floaty sheer base with an entirely split front.

As she braced herself against the cold while walking upwind, the brunette beauty flashed her barely-there thong underneath the floaty number.

Barely-there bow: The 36-year-old wore just a babydoll night dress, styled to look like a bow over her surgically-enhanced cleavage, paired with thigh-high boots and a thong - making for a shocking look in the blistering December chill

Oh dear: Alicia, real name Sarah Howes, has always been candid about undergoing a mass of plastic surgery procedures - previously claiming to have spent over 1million on elective work

Sheer delight: Alicia did not appear bothered as she showed off her derriere

Keeping the look festive, she wore thigh-high black leather boots which coordinated with her Fendi bag - both bizarre additions to a lingerie look.

Ever the glamour puss, Alicia wore a diamante choker with a matching cuff to help give the ensemble a touch of bling.

As the mother-of-two stood outside the hotel, she chatted on her phone, seemingly engrossed in a deep conversation while unaware of her shocking nude state.

After becoming more famed for her surgery than her modelling, the enhanced beauty, who had her first surgery at aged 17, has now turned her back on the plastic look. In July, she chatted on This Morning and she looked beautiful as she debuted her new and natural appearance.

Not shy! Keeping the look festive, she wore thigh-high black leather boots which coordinated with her Fendi bag - both bizarre additions to a lingerie look

Got the giggle: Ever the glamour puss, Alicia wore a diamante choker with a matching cuff to help give the ensemble a touch of bling

Having a chat: As the mother-of-two stood outside the hotel, she chatted on her phone, seemingly engrossed in a deep conversation while unaware of her shocking nude state

Not your average girl: Alicia's ensemble no doubt caused stirs on the prestigious Park Lane

Troubles: Mother-of-two, Alicia once sparked outrage when she said she wouldn't mind if her daughter Georgia, now 21, had plastic surgery too - but she has since changed her mind

Way back when: She found fame as a glamour model - best known for her bevy of kiss-and-tells (pictured in 2003)

Host Eamonn Holmes told her: 'You look as nice as I have ever seen you. More natural. I've stripped away most of the surgery. My hair extensions have gone, I've gone back to brunette. I'm back to me.

'Some of it is permanent damage. I've had lots of reconstructive surgery and implants taken out. You name it, I've had it in places you wouldn't expect, hips, bottom, cheeks, chin.'

While Alicia was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder several years ago but says she's finally in a place where she is happy in her skin.

She said: 'It's been a long journey. I've been to rehab three times. I had my daughters, I've worked on myself and I've had counselling. I had to cocoon myself from the outside world for a long time.'

Stressful: While Alicia was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder several years ago but says she's finally in a place where she is happy in her skin

Serious business: Ruth Langsford asked her if she felt ready to face the outside world now. 'I've almost reinvented myself,' she said. 'I reinvented myself before from Sarah Howes to become Alicia Douvall and now I've done it again

Tough times: 'I was in a bad place back then,' she said. 'I was addicted to surgery but I would never want her to have it. She used to think it was normal but she realises it isn't. It made me uglier than I was before. She's so different to me, she doesn't even want to dye her hair'

Ruth Langsford asked her if she felt ready to face the outside world now. 'I've almost reinvented myself,' she said. 'I reinvented myself before from Sarah Howes to become Alicia Douvall and now I've done it again.

'Now I'm campaigning to highlight to other people what can go wrong. I took it too far and I met many bad plastic surgeons.

Mother-of-two, Alicia once sparked outrage when she said she wouldn't mind if her daughter Georgia, now 21, had plastic surgery too - but she has since changed her mind.

'I was in a bad place back then,' she said. 'I was addicted to surgery but I would never want her to have it. She used to think it was normal but she realises it isn't. It made me uglier than I was before. She's so different to me, she doesn't even want to dye her hair.'

Having a laugh: Alicia could not resist showing off her posterior

Why hello there! Her look was bound to shock passersby
Boozy Katie Price went topless and walked around in a black thong in a club toilet when she was invited to host an EnergySave Christmas party on Monday night.

In a video obtained by The Sun, the worse for wear mother-of-five, 38, can be seen stumbling around before lifting her dress up to reveal her bare breasts, after she was paid 13k to attend.

Wearing a black thong and thigh-high boots, Katie showed off her recently enhanced assets as a reveller filmed her in the ladies loos.

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Boozy: Katie Price went topless and walked around in her underwear in a club toilet following a bizarre expletive-filled speech at a 13k Christmas bash, according to The Sun (stock picture)

Happier times: Married Katie appears to look back fondly on her romance with Dane Bowers as she dubbed him the love of her life in a rambling rant at the event

The clip followed a bizarre expletive-filled speech about 'love of her life Dane Bowers' at the bash, which was held a conference suite at Derby County's IPRO Stadium.

The couple dated from 1998 to 2000, before suffering an extremely acrimonious split.

The Sun also reports that managing director Jason Rowan was demanding a refund on her personal appearance fee and branded her an 'obnoxious drunk', claiming that she was unable to stand by the end of the night.

They claim she 'grabbed his crotch under the top table and asked his wife Catherine "Is he f*****g you or me tonight?".'

She reportedly called Jason's 16-year-old daughter a 'c***t' and getting up on stage to call guests 's***s' and 'b******s'.

It is also claimed she screamed: 'I earned my fee. I posed with every f*****g punter who wanted a picture taken.'

Drunken: In a video uploaded to Facebook, Katie can be seen slurring her words as she harps on about her ex Dane Bowers and how he gave her a 'toe job'

Can't stop it: She also belts out some of her fave Whitney Houston tracks while on the mic

She also said: 'I love all my kids, even though Harvey... anyway. Whatever.'

MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Katie Price for comment.

The glamour model, who has been married to Kieran Hayler for three years, made the shock confession while uttering obscenities during a speech before sources told The Mirror they were very 'touchy feely'.

In a video obtained by the site, Katie took to the stage at the bash where she stumbled slightly while addressing the eager crowds with a microphone in hand.

In trouble when you get home? The 38-year-old glamour model, who has been married to Kieran Hayler for three years, made the shock confession while uttering obscenities during a speech before sources told The Mirror they were very 'touchy feely'

She said: ' My ex-boyfriend actually got me the job tonight, Dane Bowers, the love of my life, before she made the lewd admission: 'Oh yeah he gave me a toe job'.

In a Facebook video, she also said: 'I love all my kids, even though Harvey... anyway. Whatever.'

As she told the crowd she was intending on singing Whitney Houston's I Have Nothing, she also went on to call the audience: 'little s***s'.

Insiders told the publication: ' Katie was meant to be with hubby but arrived on her own. Everyone was surprised there was no Kieran with her.'

Way back when: During her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in January last year Katie was asked who the love of her life is to which she responded: 'pre-Kieran, she surprises the group by saying former CBB Housemate Dane Bowers, rather than Peter Andre, her first husband and father of her children, Princess and Junior

Shocker: Shortly after Katie's CBB confessional, Dane revealed his shock that his former girlfriend was still talking about their two-year relationship

The source revealed that the couple arrived together in a Rolls Royce before they began acting 'very touchy-feely' together.

Atop her shocking confession, Katie was caught being ushered off stage in a video obtained by The Sun. As she prepares to belt out the Whitney hit, she is grabbed by a master of ceremonies who then pushes her towards her chair.

During her appearance on CBB last year Katie was asked who the love of her life is to which she responded: 'pre-Kieran, she surprised the group by saying Dane, rather than Peter Andre, her first husband and father of her children, Princess and Junior.

She went on to explain that is it was the first time my heart got properly broken. Katie says this resulted in an attempted overdose and that she was obsessed.

The glamour model added that she degraded herself and if he said jump, she would say, how high? She added: He hurt me so much. The conversation ended with Katie saying it made her stronger and she will never let a man do that to her again.

Devastated: Katie has always spoken with a heavy heart about her relationship with Dane

Shortly after Katie's CBB confessional, Dane revealed his shock that his former girlfriend was still talking about their two-year relationship. She is obsessed, he insisted. I try to move on but she loves to drag it up by telling everyone on CBB about how I broke her heart 15 years ago.

She has been married three times but to this day claims Im the love of her life. Its crazy. During their relationship, they were left embarrassed when a sex tape featuring the two of them and another woman was stolen from their home and leaked on to the internet and later watched by 20 million people.

Their romance turned bitter after Another Level split and Bowers started to forge a solo career by doing a duet with Victoria Beckham.

Happier times: After their split, Katie went on to marry pop star Peter Andre

The beginning of the end... Their romance turned bitter after Another Level split and Bowers started to forge a solo career by doing a duet with Victoria Beckham (pictured in 2000)

After their split, Katie went on to marry pop star Peter Andre, cage fighter Alex Reid and current husband Kieran Hayler, while Dane split from model Sophia Cahill last year.

Katie recently spoke on Loose Women, saying: 'Lots of people try and do things make their exes jealous. But at the end of the day they've seen what you're really like, so if you try and look different or go with their mates if they don't want to know you they don't want to know you.

'When I was younger stupidly enough, I wanted my ex Dane Bowers back and stupidly I took an overdose to get him back - you do these things for attention. It is a massive thing, it does not work, but I was young and naive, if anyone was speaking to me just do not do it.
He's the adorable son of PR queen Roxy Jacenko.

And Hunter Curtis, two, showcased his cute cherub-like smile as he showed off his new Thomas The Tank Engine swimmers enthusiastically on Monday.

Roxy appeared to take to the youngster's Instagram account, boasting 20,000 followers, to post the Sydney beachside snap.

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Roxy Jacenko's two-year-old son Hunter Curtis adorably shows off his new Thomas The Tank Engine board shorts in beachside snap

Social siblings: Both of Roxy's children have their own Instagram accounts, with daughter Pixie's account attracting more than 111,000 fans worldwide

Both of Roxy's children have their own Instagram accounts, with daughter Pixie's account attracting more than 111,000 fans worldwide.

His publicist mother thanked Myer for the outfit in the caption, which read in part: 'look out ladies.'

Her four-year-old Pixie also struck a pose on Instagram before the beach outing, spruiking new Frozen sandals.

Little posers! Her four-year-old Pixie also struck a pose on Instagram before the beach outing, spruiking new Frozen sandals

However only hours after the angelic posts were uploaded, it appeared the child got in trouble by the blonde Sweaty Betty owner.

In the image, Hunter held wipes against a marble kitchen bench, while his account painted the picture of what had happened.

It read: 'When you get sent to your room for creating a crayon masterpiece on the marble and then she demands you clean it offseriously.'

Naughty! Only hours after the angelic posts were uploaded, it appeared the child got in trouble by the blonde Sweaty Betty owner by drawing on a marble kitchen bench with crayon

As the summer heat has well and truly hit Sydney, the family has been increasingly visited the beach in recent weeks.

A photograph uploaded by Pixie on Monday saw the young girl dressed in a baggy lifeguard jumper with her arm around her brother.

The image was used to promote the Royal Life Saving Society and to encourage parents to be vigilant around the water during the Christmas break.

For a good cause: Pixie posted a heartwarming Instagram picture of herself and her brother sitting on the beach to raise awareness for the Royal Life Saving Society, who are urging parents to keep a better eye on their children in the water

The children will be spending the festive season without their father Oliver Curtis, who was jailed for insider trading earlier this year.

In previous interviews Roxy has revealed she is telling her children their father Oliver is overseas on business.

Roxy failed to appear at her husband Oliver Curtis' appeal hearing in recent weeks, which saw his insider trading conviction upheld - meaning he will spend the Christmas holidays behind bars.
He reportedly said 'I do' with longtime girlfriend Margot Robbie in a secret ceremony on Monday afternoon.

And it appears Tom Ackerley enjoyed a traditional stag do days before his Byron Bay nuptials.

In a series of photos shared by one of Tom's pals, Tom and a gang of pals are seen celebrating on a party bus.

All aboard the party bus! It appears Tom Ackerley enjoyed a traditional stag do days before his Byron Bay nuptials

In one photo, Tom is seen sitting behind the driver's seat wearing a headband with bunny ears, a pair of sunglasses and a sporty singlet top.

It comes after party snaps emerged on the Instagram accounts of Margot Robbie's best friends over the weekend.

Apparently enjoying a hen's do, the actress's close friend Brittany Lindores posted a snap of herself, another girlfriend and Margot drinking what she described as 'Purple G&Ts'.

No bunny business! In one photo, Tom is seen sitting behind the driver's seat wearing a headband with bunny ears, a pair of sunglasses and a sporty singlet top

In the snap, Margot showed off a wide smile and soon after shared an image of herself drinking the same drink and dressed in the same attire to her account.

Alongside her post, the Australian beauty simply caption with a cocktail emoji.

And just a day ago she uploaded a video of herself and two other girls dancing while in fancy dress costumes.

Party time: It appears that Margot Robbie also enjoyed a hen's do before her reported nuptials

Another one of Margot's girlfriends, Kat took to her Instagram account to share an image of a group of females reuniting over a drink in Byron Bay.

In the image, the four ladies huddled close together as they wrapped their arms around each other and displayed big smiles.

'Reunited with these beauties in Byron #britsabroad #sausagesizzle,' the close pal to the star captioned the image, which didn't include Margot.

Party time: The Australian actress also shared a snap from the outing, where she beamed with happiness and clutched onto a purple coloured beverage

Over the weekend, the actress's close friend Brittany Lindores posted a snap of herself, another girlfriend and Margot drinking what she described as 'Purple G&Ts'.

In the snap, Margot showed off a wide smile and soon after shared an image of herself drinking the same drink and dressed in the same attire to her account.

Alongside her post, the Australian beauty simply caption with a cocktail emoji.

Margot's pal Brittany also uploaded an outrageous snap over the weekend of three girls dressed in dressed up outfits.

Another one of Margot's girlfriends, Kat took to her Instagram account to share an image of a group of females reuniting over a drink in Byron Bay

'No words': Margot's pal Brittany also uploaded an outrageous snap over the weekend of three girls dressed in dressed up outfits

Together again: Another one of Margot's girlfriends, Kat took to her Instagram account to share an image of a group of females reuniting over a drink in Byron Bay
She sent fans into meltdown after sharing a photo of herself sipping a lavender-hued drink days before her secret wedding to Tom Ackerley.

And it has now been revealed that Margot's drink of choice was a gin and tonic made using Ink Gin, an award-winning, floral-infused drink created using native and exotic botanicals to achieve it's unusual hue.

The image, uploaded to Margot's Instagram page on Saturday, has already garnered over 1 million likes.

Cheers to that! Days before her wedding, Margot Robbie was pictured sipping on a gin and tonic made using Ink Gin, an award-winning, floral-infused drink created using native and exotic botanicals to achieve it's unusual hue

Husk Distillers is the family-owned distillery which produces the gin, which sells for around $80 a bottle.

Husk Distillers owner Paul Messenger told News Corp that the gin has sold out online and at Dan Murphy's in the days since Margot posted the photo.

Margot and several female pals enjoyed the drink at Gold Coast eatery Bam Bam Bakehouse, which has previously welcomed the likes of Hugh Jackman and Cody Simpson.

Purple gin and tonics: Margot's pal Brittany shared a photo of herself, Margot and another female pal sipping the purple drink

'Margot and her friends were such a pleasure to have,' owner Ursula Watts told News Corp.

Margot confirmed she wed her longtime boyfriend Tom Ackerley on Tuesday, flaunting her pear-shaped diamond ring on social media.

According to the Northern Star, Margot Robbie's favourite dishes were on offer at her intimate wedding.

It's official! Margot confirmed she wed her longtime boyfriend Tom Ackerley on Tuesday, flaunting her pear-shaped diamond ring on social media

Not your usual wedding! A source said the star skipped the traditional wedding cake, and instead set up bowls, milk and cream around the dance floor, for guests to indulge in the chocolate treat

Breakfast cereal Coco Pops - known as Cocoa Krispies in the USA - was reportedly served for dessert, in what is no doubt a very unusual offering.

A source said the star skipped the traditional wedding cake, and instead set up bowls, milk and cream around the dance floor, for guests to indulge in the chocolate treat.

The news outlet also reported that pizza was on hand for attendees.
She shared the screen with her handsome son Damian on Sunday night's episode of The Royals.

And proud mother Elizabeth Hurley looked in high spirits as she treated her son, 14, to a night out in London on Monday, catching a showing of The Bodyguard musical at the Dominion Theatre.

Walking hand-in-hand, the lookalike duo showed off their striking looks as they wrapped up against the chilly winter weather.

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Like mother, like son! Elizabeth Hurley looked proud as she treated her son Damian, 14, to a night out in London on Monday, catching a showing of The Bodyguard at the Dominion Theatre

The actress, 51, looked effortlessly stylish as she kept warm in an oversized fur poncho, paired with skintight leather trousers.

Completing her all-black ensemble, the Bedazzled star teetered in towering ankle boots, while she toted her belongings in a chic chain-detailed handbag.

Meanwhile, Damian gave a brooding look to onlookers as he clung onto his mother's arm, while his floppy locks billowed in the cool breeze.

The young actor donned a navy padded jacket, paired with fitted black jeans and added a youthful touch with high-top sneakers.

Runs in the family: Walking hand-in-hand, the lookalike duo showed off their striking looks as they wrapped up against the chilly winter weather

Acting debut: Damian (left) made his acting debut in The Royals on Sunday night, and quickly received high praise from fans of the show

The rising star made his acting debut on Sunday night as he joined his mother on screen to take on the part of Prince Hansel in her popular E! drama, and quickly received high praise.

'Prince Hansel is iconic,' said one viewer. With another adding: 'Prince Hansel is hilarious!'

The talented teen plays spoiled German monarch, Prince Hansel, who has begun a new career as a reality star.

He was an immediate hit with the audience, one viewer summing it up by saying: 'Damian Hurley aka Prince Hansel is so fabulous! I like him already!'

On-screen debut: Damian plays Prince Hansel, who has just signed up for a new royal reality show: Royal & Beautiful

Sharing the opinion, another fan of the TV drama said: '#DamianHurley was hilarious in last nights episode @TheRoyalsOnE'

British-born Liz, who shares son Damian with American businessman Steve Bing, made her own acting debut in 1987, at the age of 22.

Besides the naturally good looks that he's inherited, she's obviously taught her son well in the acting department.

'#DamianHurley is not spending anytime in his Mums shadow,' said one fan. 'He has risen 2b his own handsome talented funny star'

High praise: Viewers of the E! drama were singing the young actor's praises, saying her was 'hilarious' and 'handsome'

Another said: 'Helena @ElizabethHurley looks at "Prince Hansel" #DamianHurley with such love - I can tell it's your son! '

Their likeness was undeniable, though some argued that there was something 'creepy' about Damian acting alongside Liz.

One viewer commented: 'Anyone else watching Harry with Liz Hurley & her son, Damien? Can't put my finger on it, but it's creepin me out!'

Starring in debut scene alongside his mother, Elizabeth's character Queen Helena was seen flicking through TV whilst ill in bed.

Fit for a queen: Elizabeth, 51, portrays Queen Helena in the E! drama

The ruthless royal happened across the show, Royal & Beautiful, where Damian was seen playing the German prince as he demanded that one of his butlers works out with him on his back.

Clearly used to getting his own way, the young monarch then let rip when his aide claimed to be in pain.

Playing the part perfectly, Damian moaned: 'His back? What about my feelings? I am the crowned prince of Lichtenstein.

'He needs to bow down to the crown. Nobody understands what it's like to be royal beautiful. Nobody!'

Reigning royal: The talented teen plays spoiled German monarch, Prince Hansel, who has begun a new career as a reality star

Proud mother Elizabeth revealed that Damian would be making his acting debut back in July as she shared a sweet snap of the pair together.

She captioned the image: 'Mama taking a back seat tomorrow on the set of #TheRoyals. Passing the baton to my son, who is guest starring as Prince Hansel von Liechtenstein.'

Damian's father is American business man and film producer Steve Bing, with whom Elizabeth had a brief relationship with back in 2001.

Earlier this year, Elizabeth revealed Damian would most likely pursue a career in showbusiness like herself.

Good genes: Proud mother Elizabeth revealed that Damian would be making his acting debut back in July as she shared a sweet snap of the pair together

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine in February, she said Damian 'loves being there' when she films scenes for The Royals and admits he was with her on set throughout the summer holidays helping her out.

She explained: 'He loves being there [on set]. We shoot right across the the summer holidays so actually there's not a lot of choice in that but thank goodness he enjoys it even more than I do

'So he sets my alarm every morning, he gets out my clothes for me, he runs my lines with me, he bullies me all day long.

'I dont know if he will be an actor. I think he will be in showbusiness. He might be behind the camera. Hes quite despotic when hes making his own little mini movies, hes quite good at it.

'I think he wants to run a studio, maybe employ his aging geriatric mother, well see you, never know.'
She has been braving the snowy streets of Milwaukee, USA after welcoming her newborn daughter, Elyssa Rose, via surrogate last week.

And so it's no wonder Sally Obermeder is counting down the days until she jets off to Hawaii for a tropical holiday.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, the Daily Edition host shared a throwback photo of herself standing on a beach pulling peace signs at the camera, captioning the snap: 'Countdown to Hawaii Can. Not. Wait.'

Dreaming of a tropical getaway! Sally Obermeder shared this throwback snap on Tuesday as she counted down the days until she jets off to Hawaii for a tropical holiday

Hours earlier, she shared a Boomerang video showing her cooking in the microwave of her hotel room, which she is sharing with her sister Maha.

'From dressing like an Eskimo to dressing like I'm back in Aus  freezing outside, sauna inside and @maha_koraiem has challenged me to make a 3 course meal in our hotel room ! It's on! (go the microwave)' she quipped in the caption, tagging her sister.

On Monday, Sally hit the snowy streets of Milwaukee, with her newborn daughter, Elyssa Rose.

Candid: Hours earlier, she shared a Boomerang video showing her cooking in the microwave of her hotel room, which she is sharing with her sister Maha

Keeping warm: Sally cradled her newborn daughter Elyssa Rose on Monday as they took to the snowy streets of Milwaukee

Stuck Inside! Earlier in the day, Sally shared a heartwarming photo with herself and her bundle of joy still in their pyjamas after waking up to a chilling minus 18 degree U.S. winter day

Taking to Instagram, the TV presenter cradled the tiny tot close to her chest as she rugged her up in a fluffy white onesie.

While holding onto her baby, Sally beamed with happiness as she kept warm with an oversized puffer jacket, jeans and knee-high boots.

She also added a dark grey beanie to her winter wonderland attire.

Venturing out! The Daily Edition host also shared a video of the heavy snow falling from her hotel room window

Earlier in the day, Sally shared a heartwarming photo with herself and her bundle of joy still in their pyjamas after waking up to a chilling minus 18 degree U.S. winter day.

'All hail pyjama Sunday,' she wrote in the Instagram caption.

Sporting a low-cut white top and loose striped pyjama pants, the 43-year-old clutched Elyssa Rose, who was wrapped tight in a soft, spotted blanket.

'It's minus 18 today so this bug and I are going NOWHERE,' she continued.
Georgia Fowler showed she's a natural beauty by posting a makeup-free selfie on Tuesday.

The Victoria's Secret model, who made her catwalk debut for the lingerie giant earlier this month, uploaded the snap to Instagram as she kicked back after flying home to New Zealand for Christmas.

With her brunette locks disheveled, Georgia's piercing blue eyes are the focal point as she relaxes in a shoulderless top.

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Stunner: Georgia Fowler showed she's a natural beauty by posting a makeup-free selfie to Instagram on Tuesday

She captioned the snap: 'Now Chill Works up! (sic)'

Georgia flew back to her homeland on Monday after bidding farewell to Shanghai, where she took to the runway for Italian fashion house Max Mara last Friday.

Before flying out to China, Georgia joined her model pal Tahnee Atkinson for a swim in Sydney's affluent suburb of Vaucluse earlier this month.

The genetically-blessed pair showed off their enviable physiques in tiny bikinis as they posed for a photo.

Hot stuff! Tahnee Atkinsin was joined by Victoria's Secret model Georgia for a swim as they flaunted their bikini bodies in Sydney

Sharing the image on her Instagram page, Tahnee wrote: 'Georgia & I wearing @kenniandkai // Sonic Tops with Pac & Rally Bottoms (sic ).'

The former Australia's Next Top Model winner took the opportunity to spruik her swimwear line, which she launched together with her sister Kaila this year.

Throwing one arm each in the air as they posed, Tahnee and Georgia, both 24, looked effortlessly flawless in their matching bathers.

Fresh off the runway: Georgia, who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, has recently walked her first Victoria's Secret show in Paris

Tahnee flashed ample cleavage in a black crop top, while showing plenty of skin in a tiny pair of string bottoms.

The sun-kissed pair oozed confidence as they showed off their endless pins and sculpted abs.

Appearing makeup-free after their swim, the girls looked flawless and fresh-faced in the Summer snap.

Finally! Georgia's debut for the lingerie giant comes after five years of tough auditions

With her drenched brunette locks worn out, Tahnee grinned from ear to ear as she struck the pose, showing off a small tattoo on her hip bone.

Georgia starred in her first Victoria's Secret fashion show last month after five years of auditions.

Days after walking the catwalk in Paris, Georgia appeared to still be pinching herself as she took to social media to express her gratitude.

Thrilled: Days after the show, the 24-year-old thanked her lucky stars via a social media post, writing: 'So blessed and grateful to be given the chance to walk the #VSFashionShow'

The brunette beauty shared an image of herself in her costume from the night with her extensive social media following, and attached a lengthy emotional caption.

'So blessed and grateful to be given the chance to walk the #VSFashionShow among the most beautiful and hard working women in the industry,' Georgia wrote.

'I'm so appreciative for all the people that have backed me since day one.

'Five years of sweat and tears was all worth it to have this moment. Wish we could do it all over again!'
Monika Radulovic's Christmas wish has been granted at the end of a 'whirlwind' year.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, the former Miss Universe Australia, who relinquished her title in August, said visiting New York is something she's 'always wanted' to do.

Early Christmas and New Year celebrations took place with her family and friends in Syndey last week before she headed to the Big Apple with fiancee Alesandro Ljubicic on the weekend.

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Dream come true: Monika Radulovic's Christmas wish has been granted after she flew to New York for the festive period

She said: 'It's just a bit of a wind down. I've always wanted to go to New York, so it's the time.'

The Serbian-born beauty, whose family sought refuge in Australia when she was four, posted a snap from Sydney Airport on Saturday ahead of their flight to the states.

Making sure to pack everything she needed, the 26-year-old posed beside six suitcases outside the departures terminal.

Packing light: Making sure to pack everything she needed, the 26-year-old posed beside six suitcases outside the departures terminal

Happy couple: Early Christmas and New Year celebrations took place with her family and friends in Syndey last week before she headed to the Big Apple with fiancee Alesandro Ljubicic

After arriving Stateside, Monika and her fiancee took to the streets of Lower Manhattan on Monday as they braved the cold and snow to see the sights.

While the pair didn't reveal their exact plans for Christmas Day, Monika told the publication that she had an early celebration before leaving Australia at The Greens bowls club in North Sydney.

She said: 'I celebrated my Christmas and New Years early, with a game of bowls and some sundowner drinks.'

Downtown: After arriving Stateside, Monika and her fiancee took to the streets of Lower Manhattan on Monday as they braved the cold and snow to see the sights

After passing on her Miss Universe Australia crown to Caris Tiivel, the beauty told Daily Mail Australia last week that she's looking forward to moving on with her career

After passing on her Miss Universe Australia crown to Caris Tiivel, the beauty told Daily Mail Australia last week that she's looking forward to moving on with her career.

She said: 'For me, Miss Universe was always that platform, it was never that end goal.'

'I'm so grateful and I loved it but I'm so happy where I am now and moving onto that next chapter, which I'm very, very excited about.'
Ariel Winter does not hesitate to make any look sexy.

And on Monday the 18-year-old was at it again as she flashed her backside while posing in a sexy Mrs Santa Claus outfit for an Instagram post.

The Modern Family star was cuddled up to her 'Man Crush Monday,' new beau Levi Meaden, 29, who was nicely dressed in a black suit and tie.

Lotta leg: Ariel Winter was cuddled up to her 'Man Crush Monday,' new beau Levi Meaden, who was nicely dressed in a black suit and tie, in this Monday Instagram post

Cute: A week ago, the Sofia The First star wore the same outfit in another Instagram post, so the photo shoot is not new

The TV star was in a blonde wig with her bare, tanned legs on display with beige strappy slingback heels.

Her outfit was a red Santa dress with white fur trim and a bolero style jacket.

The normally brunette beauty was looking up at Levi, who had on a Santa hat that said Naughty.

Jingle bells! Winter took her family and her cleavage to see Santa at the Grove in LA on Sunday

A week ago, the Sofia The First star wore the same outfit in another Instagram post, so the photo shoot is not new. It is also not known what the shoot was for, perhaps a Christmas card.

This posting comes after Winter wore a plunging dress to shop at The Grove mall in Los Angeles on Sunday.

With a neckline plunging right to her waist, just a single simple bow knot prevented what would have been a wardrobe meltdown rather than mere malfunction. She finished the eye-catching look in a pair of towering gold wedge sandals.

Wow: The 18-year-old donned a tiny white dress for her audience with Santa, which exposed her chest and legs in equal amounts

Despite an impending meeting with Mr Clause, the actress was completely engrossed in her phone.

The Modern Family star was bringing her niece to meet the big man; the youngster was dressed a little more appropriately in a cute festive red dress with matching hat, and a cosy pair of Ugg-style boots.

There was no sign of Ariel's new boyfriend Meaden during the outing. The couple's relationship was finally confirmed when they were spotted kissing last month.

Levi is best known for his role on the 2016 TV series Aftermath and for his part in the Netflix original series The Killing.

However he later made an appearance on her Snapchat feed, as she shared a pic of herself - now bundled up in black - inside an elevator with him.

Miss Winter is incredibly proud of her incredible cleavage, rarely missing an opportunity to show it off.

Nevertheless she used to consider it something of a bane; thus in June of last year she underwent breast reduction surgery, shrinking from a 32F cup to a 34D.
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She's known for flaunting her naturally stunning features through candid selfies.

And Pia Miller wowed again in her latest snap posted to Instagram on Tuesday.

The Home and Away star, 33, appeared effortless chic with barely there makeup and a hint of pink lipstick and rosy cheeks.

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Bronzed babe! Home And Away's Pia Miller flaunts flawless complexion as she posts behind-the-scenes snap on set from a special project with her hair stylist on Tuesday

She posed with hair stylist Richard Kavanagh in a behind-the-scenes snap from the set of a 'special' shoot .

The actress captioned the humurous snap with 'on set with the master', before claiming she was a 'giant' as he towered over him in the image.

Seemingly playing along, it appeared the stylist was kneeling down as he stared up blankly at the model.

She's a natural beauty! Pia Miller simply stunned in her latest selfie posted to Instagram on Monday

Only a day earlier she displayed her flawless complexion from the set, as her warm brown eyes gaze into the camera.

She captioned the post: 'Shooting something special today' as she hashtagged the post #ghdhair_anz.

Many of her fans took to praise her beauty with some commenting 'stunning' to ' I looked up beautiful in the dictionary and it said see piamiller (sic).'

Beach babe! Pia Miller is making the most of her holidays, spending Saturday at Coogee Beach, Sydney before travelling to Melbourne with her 13-year-old son Isaiah

Meanwhile, the brunette beauty has been making the most of her summer break, flaunting her slim figure at Coogee Beach on Saturday before flying to Melbourne with her son.

The actress sizzled in a stylish black swimsuit while showing off her flawless complexion and messy hair.

Pia appeared to have taken a dip in the ocean as she appeared make-up free and perfectly windswept.

Holiday mode! Pia plays police officer Katarina 'Kat' Chapman on TV soap Home And Away, which finished filming for the year on Friday

Later that day, the mother-of-two travelled to Melbourne with her son Isaiah.

The Chilean-born beauty posed for an Instagram photo with the 13-year-old as they sat in a car together.

'Melbourne hangs with my little man,' she wrote in the caption, alongside the hash tag: 'Son love'.

Doting mother: Pia and her eldest son, 13-year-old Isaiah, shared an Instagram as they spent time together in Melbourne on Saturday

Son dates! It comes just days after she took her youngest son Lennox on a family 'date'

Pia kept up her summery look with a daisy print outfit and a light application of natural-look makeup.

It comes just days after she took her youngest son Lennox on a family 'date', and shared photos of the trip on Instagram.

Isaiah and Lennox have two different fathers, but share a close relationship with each other.
Christina El Moussa kept her head held high on Tuesday amid a personal crisis that all but ensures her seven-year marriage to husband Tarek is over.

The 33-year-old star of the HGTV series Flip or Flop was snapped shopping in Anaheim Hills, California, as TMZ reported that the celebrity realtor's not open to the idea of rekindling her romance with Tarek, 35.

The fashionable mom-of-two was well-dressed for a chilly morning in Orange County, wearing an aegean blue long-sleeved top with a white undershirt, black leggings with horizontal tears, and black boots. The TV personality rounded out her cute, casual ensemble with black sunglasses, large earrings and a black leather purse with thick fringes.

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Promise of a new day: Christina El Moussa, 33, looked calm and confident in Anaheim Hills, California on Tuesday amid reports that she's not open to rekindling her romance with her estranged husband Tarek, 35

One step at a time: The HGTV beauty and her estranged spouse on Monday downplayed a May incident in which police were summoned to their home in response to reports Tarek left their house with a firearm. They said it amounted to 'an unfortunate misunderstanding'

Moving forward: The stunning mother-of-two looked a bit stressed as she exited her vehicle, which is understandable amid the pressure of keeping the show going as the marriage ends

Christina is determined to keep things cordial for their children (six-year-old daughter Taylor and 15-month-old son Brayden) and their HGTV series, insiders told the outlet.

The mother-of-two is currently dating contractor Gary Anderson, sources told the outlet, noting that her new romance is not the reason she's closed to the idea of any romantic reunion with Tarek, who was reportedly involved for a short time with 23-year-old beauty Alyssa Logan, who worked as the duo's nanny.

The latest update came amid news that the estranged couple's 'show will end after' its contract is complete, sources told E! News, which would have episodes airing in the new year.

Precious tots: The duo vowed to remain civil for their kids: six-year-old daughter Taylor and 15-month-old son Brayden

Introspective: Christina was snapped with daughter Taylor grabbing a meal last week in Orange County

The network in a statement Monday said that 'the series will continue production as scheduled,' adding, 'We admire and appreciate Tarek and Christina's great work on Flip or Flop. When it comes to matters related to their own family, we respect their privacy and honor any decision that works best for them and their children.'

The estranged duo on Monday also addressed a May incident in which Christina told police she saw Tarek leaving their Orange County, California home with a handgun in tow.

The incident was treated by officials as 'a call of a possibly suicidal male with a gun,' TMZ reported. When authorities responded to the scene, Tarek fully cooperated and subsequently handed over all of his weapons, officials said, adding that he had not made any threatening gestures or statements toward Christina, himself or anyone else.

Killer smile: Tarek was briefly linked to the couple's one-time nanny Alyssa Logan, who at 23 is 12 years his junior

In a statement, Tarek and Christina called the sequence of events 'an unfortunate misunderstanding,' clarifying that nothing violent occurred 'and no charges were filed.'

They said that 'Tarek was going on a hike and took a gun for protection from mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and rattlesnakes,' and that there was confusion about what his intentions were in regards to carrying the firearm.

In announcing their separation earlier this month, Christina and Tarek, who tied the knot in 2009, said they were 'committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be,' vowing to 'to work through this process civilly and cooperatively' in hopes of continuing with the three-year-old cable series.
She's usually decked out in super stylish ensembles.

But Chloe Moretz, 19, swapped her gladrags for a more low-key look as she enjoyed a stroll through the streets of Varese, Italy, during a break from filming her upcoming movie Suspiria on Tuesday morning.

The teen actress' co-star Mia Goth, 23, echoed the Kick Ass starlet's casual fashion sense, opting for a similar all-black outfit.

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Barefaced beauty: Chloe Moretz, 19, went make-up free as she enjoyed a stroll through the streets of Varese, Italy, during a break from filming upcoming movie Suspiria on Tuesday

Combating the cool Italian weather, Chloe looked youthful in an oversized Adidas hoody, worn under a fur-trimmed padded jacket.

Showing off her slim frame, the blonde beauty donned figure-hugging leggings, as she gave her usually heeled feet a rest in a pair of monochrome trainers.

With her long golden locks scraped into an effortless bun, the teenager's makeup free complexion was on full display.

Mia donned an equally laid-back look featuring a furry wrap coat, worn on top of a knitted turtleneck jumper and Adidas tracksuit bottoms.

Low-key lady: Mia Goth, 23, echoed the Kick-Ass starlet's casual fashion sense, opting for a similar all-black outfit as she wandered around on set

Glam: Mia was a far cry from her glamorous appearance at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's benefit earlier this year

The star, who married fellow actor Shia LeBouf earlier this year, chatted on the phone as she flaunted her model good looks with little to no make-up.

The pair are set to appear in the remake of horror flick Suspiria, which is set for release in 2017, alongside Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton.

A retelling of the 1977 original, the story centres on a young ballet dancer who travels to a prestigious dance academy in Europe.

But upon arrival she discovers it is a front for something far more sinister and supernatural amidst a series of increasingly grisly murders.

Blooming gorgeous: Chloe showed off her signature style as attended The Trevor Project's Trevor Live Fundraiser in Beverly Hills earlier this month

Chloe is definitely making some big changes as she opened up on Twitter Monday about her choice to go vegetarian/pescatarian.

The young star is definitely no stranger to the horror genre, having scored childhood success in the Amityville Horror and Let the Right One remakes as well as Tim Burton's supernatural comedy Dark Shadows.

The actress, who rose to prominence at the tender age of 8, recently revealed she planned to drop out of all her upcoming movies in a bid to 'reassess' who she was.

Big changes: On Monday Chloe discussed her decision to go vegetarian/pescatarian on Twitter

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, the actress said that she 'had a 'Come to Jesus' moment' and subsequently quit her upcoming projects.

She revealed: 'I pulled the plug on all my movies because I want to reassess who I am and find myself within my roles again.'
Kate Beckinsale and her period drama Love & Friendship are amongst the leading nominations at the 37th annual London Critics' Circle Awards after being named in seven categories.

The British actress, 43, has received nominations for Actress of the Year and British/Irish Actress of the Year for her titular role as Lady Susan Vernon in the screen adaptation of Jane Austen's 1794 novel Lady Susan.

The film has been nominated in a further five categories, including Film of the Year, British/Irish Film of the Year, Supporting Actor of the Year and British/Irish Actor of the Year for co-star Tom Bennett and Screenwriter of the Year for director Whit Stillman.

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Leading the way: Kate Beckinsale, Tom Bennett and their period drama Love & Friendship are amongst the leading nominations at the 37th annual London Critics' Circle Awards after being named in seven categories.

Elsewhere Barry Jenkins' drama Moonlight, an adaptation of the Tarell Alvin McCraney play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue has also received seven nominations.

The film will compete with Love & Friendship in the categories for Film of the Year, Supporting Actor of the Year for Mahershala Ali, Supporting Actress of the Year for Naomi Harris, Screenwriter of the Year for Barry Jenkins and Best British/Irish Actress, also for Harris.

There is also a Director of the Year nomination for Barry Jenkins and Technical Achievement nod for Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon's editing work.

Well received: has received nominations for Actress of the Year and British/Irish Actress of the Year for her titular role as Lady Susan Vernon in the screen adaptation of Jane Austen's 1794 novel Lady Susan

Potential triumph: Kate and co-star Tom Bennett have been nominated four awards in total

In the mix: Luike Love & Friendship, Barry Jenkins' drama Moonlight, an adaptation of the Tarell Alvin McCraney play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue has also received seven nominations

Following closely behind the two leading pictures, German comedy Toni Erdmann received six nominations including both Film of the Year and Foreign-Language Film of the Year.

Casey Affleck, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Simonischek will battle it out with Bennett for Actor of the Year, whilst Amy Adams, Sandra Huller, Isabelle Huppert, and Emma Stone go head to head with Kate for Actress of the Year.

Elsewhere Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's lavish Hollywood musical La La Land picked up five nominations, including Actress of the Year for Emma.

Recognition: Naomi Harris will go head to head with Kate Beckinsale for Supporting Actress of the Year and Best British/Irish Actress

All singing, all dancing: Elsewhere Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's lavish Hollywood musical La La Land picked up five nominations, including Actress of the Year for Emma

In contention: Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals has been nominated for Film of the Year

The Damien Chazelle directed movie is also a contender for Film of the Year with Andrea Arnold's American Honey, Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals, Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester By The Sea, Laszlo Nemes' Son of Saul, Gianfranco Rosi's Fire at Sea and Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake.

Rosi's immigration-themed film is also nominated for both Foreign-Language Film and Documentary.

Last year's ceremony saw Australian director George Miller winning Film and Director Awards for Mad Max: Fury Road.

In with a chance: Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake is amongst the Film of the Year nominees

Rival: The film will compete with Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester By The Sea. Leading man Casey Affleck (far right) has also been nominated for Actor of the Year

Hopeful contender: Gianfranco Rosi's immigration themed Fire at Sea is nominated for both Film of the Year and Foreign-Language Film and Documentary

A further three awards went to Andrew Haigh's 45 Years, while the prestigious Dilys Powell Award presented to Kenneth Branagh.

The event is sponsored by The May Fair Hotel and Suqqu, along with Audi, Remy Martin, Sacred Spirits, Voss and Cameo Productions.

Reflecting on this year's nominations, Chair of the Critics' Circle Film Awards Rich Cline said: 'Our critics nominated more than 160 titles for Film of the Year alone, representing the range of wide opinions and the sheer number of movies critics watch each year. Making it onto that final list of nominees is never easy.'

The gala ceremony for the awards will be held on January 22 2017.
In June, she was dethroned as Miss Great Britain after enjoying an on-screen romp with Alex Bowen on Love Island.

Yet Zara Holland, who was left devastated after the cruel twist of fate, is ending the year on a better note after revealing she has found love with hunky Elliott Love.

The 24-year-old former beauty queen spoke to The Sun about life after Love Island where she revealed she has packed on half a stone since meeting her beau, who she revealed 'loves me for me'.

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Dreamboat: Zara Holland is ending year on a better note after revealing she has found love with hunky Elliott Love

Zara was the reigning Miss GB for the 2015/2016 period, yet her appearance on Love Island ended in disaster after she enjoyed a steamy romp with Alex, who is now dating fellow contestant Olivia Buckland.

After news surfaced of the dalliance, the blonde beauty received the news that she had been dethroned before later leaving the show when she discovered her mum had been taken ill in the UK.

Having failed to find love on the ITV2 dating show, Zara appeared to struggle when she hit the real world as she admits many men she met appeared to have an agenda - yet Elliott had no idea about her TV rise and fall.

She said: 'He didnt know who I was. He didnt watch one episode of Love Island  he was the first guy I met after coming out of the villa who didnt know who I was in fact... When you know, you know  we clicked straight away...

Madly in love: The 24-year-old former beauty queen spoke to The Sun about life after Love Island where she revealed she has packed on half a stone since meeting her beau, who she revealed 'loves me for me'

On-screen: Zara was the reigning Miss GB for the 2015/2016 period, yet her appearance on Love Island ended in disaster after she enjoyed a steamy romp with Alex, who is now dating fellow contestant Olivia Buckland

'Weve been official for a couple of months now. It just happened naturally and thats the best way... But he just likes me for me which was so refreshing. Elliot just likes me for me  which is a good thing seems Ive put on half a stone since meeting him.'

Zara's tough time came when she was initially said to have 'disappointed' pageant bosses but the organisation confirmed that Zara would no longer represent them shortly after.

The official statement said: 'Following recent actions within ITV2 show Love Island it is with deep regret that we, the Miss Great Britain Organisation, have to announce that Zara Holland has formally been de-crowned as Miss Great Britain.'

Oh no! Zara's tough time came when she was initially said to have 'disappointed' pageant bosses but the organisation confirmed that Zara would no longer represent them shortly after

Lashing out: Retaliating to the news, Zara said: 'Ive done nothing wrong. All women have needs'

'As an organisation we have not taken this decision lightly, we are close to all of our winners and wherever possibly stand by them during their rein. That said, we feel we have no choice but to make this decision under the circumstances.

'The feedback we have received from pageant insiders and members of the general public is such that we cannot promote Zara as a positive role model moving forward.

'We wholly understand that everyone makes mistakes, but Zara, as an ambassador for Miss Great Britain, simply did not uphold the responsibility expected of the title.'

Retaliating to the news, Zara said: 'Ive done nothing wrong. All women have needs.'

'All the things Miss GB claims to stand for have been used against me. I sacrificed my work, my own personal savings, I worked my ass off,' added Zara, who says all everyone else does the same on a weekly basis.
She's Made In Chelsea's resident Hollywood starlet, and the blondest bombshell of all the female cast members.

So it's no surprise that California beauty Stephanie Pratt has secured herself a new modelling deal with agency MiLk Model Management.

Along with the news, the agency has released a number of photographs exclusively to MailOnline, showcasing Steph's diverse range and stunning looks.

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Model In Chelsea! Stephanie Pratt debuts her classic new look in high fashion photo shoot as she signs to MiLk Model Management

In one, the 30-year-old perches casually on a bar stool, one leg hiked up and resting on the back of the seat, wearing stonewashed jeans and a silky black strap top with a floral design embellished down one side of it.

The simple outfit highlights the former The Hills star's toned and slender physique as she rests casually on the stool, one hand grazing her blonde locks.

Steph wears her tresses behind her shoulders in the photos, giving the look of a shorter bobbed style.

In a closer-up head shot, the camera simply focuses on Steph's face, one hand lightly touching her full lips, her cheekbones accentuated lightly with a swipe of blusher.

Ready for her close up: In a head shot, the camera simply focuses on Steph's face, one hand lightly touching her full lips, her cheekbones accentuated lightly with a swipe of blusher

Classic look: Channeling 60s icon Twiggy, Steph looks lazily down at the camera, her long legs waning a little, finishing off the look with strappy black pumps

Wearing the same outfit from the close-up - a turtle-necked dove grey mini-dress made with a corded velvet texture - she poses loosely, tugging lightly on the hem of the skirt.

Channeling 60s icon Twiggy, Steph looks airily down at the camera, her long legs waning a little, finishing off the look with strappy black pumps.

The reality star flips her look entirely for the fourth of the images, which sees her totally covered up in a high-necked smokey grey sweater with '1970' branded across the front, and high waisted dark trousers.

In an almost dork-chic look, Steph stands casually glancing to the side, her jumper tucked in to her trousers.

Dork chic: Steph said of her new singing - 'I am super excited to join MiLk Management! I love collaborating with designers and beautiful brands'

Steph said of her new singing: 'I am super excited to join MiLk Management! I love collaborating with designers and beautiful brands.

'So this is the start of a great new chapter for me going into 2017!'

Katie Atkin, of MiLk, added: 'We are thrilled to add Stephanie to our roster for fashion representation, and are looking forward to working with her on various campaigns and brand collaborations in the coming year.'

Steph is presumed to be continuing her appearances on scripted reality series Made In Chelsea, when it returns for its 13th season next spring.

Steph in a box! In Monday's season finale, the American blonde was seen finally asking her long-term crush Alex Mytton out on a date

Surprise! Her tactics included jumping out of a giant wrapped up Christmas package on his front doorstep as a surprise

Flirty! Her advances seemed to work as Alex and Steph were seen at the end of the episode looking cozy together at the annual holiday party

In Monday's season finale, the American blonde was seen finally asking her long-term crush Alex Mytton out on a date.

Her tactics included jumping out of a giant wrapped up Christmas package on his front doorstep as a surprise.

Her advances seemed to work as Alex and Steph were seen at the end of the episode looking cozy together at the annual holiday party.
Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello had a pretty epic time in Mexico last weekend.

The couple took a trip to the Southern country for a friend's wedding where a number of images from the getaway were posted on Instagram.

The beautiful stars looked mighty elegant as they celebrated the love of two people they care about while celebrating their own love as well.

Wedding day: Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara attended a friend's wedding in Mexico last weekend. The two posed for a romantic shot in a photo posted by the Magic Mike actor

In one Instagram picture, Joe looked extremely dapper in his grey suit and black tie. With his styled hair and scruffy face, it's no wonder that he's taken by one of the loveliest Hollywood stars of this generation.

Sofia kept it fashionable in her long black dress that exposed part of her leg. She and her man posed for the camera by standing close and showing that they've got it going on.

The former True Blood star captioned the image, 'Adios Mexico!'

So in love: The happy couple got cute in a photo booth at the wedding as they snuggled up and smiled for the camera

The Modern Family star posted some images on her social media page, including one where she and her husband smile together in a photo booth.

The two stand close and show off their happy smirks and look more in love than ever.

Sofia captioned the photo, 'Partyyyy.'

Lucky girl: The 39-year-old star walked a bridesmaid down the aisle on his buddy's big day

The hunky actor also had the experience as a groomsman for the wedding.

Sofia captured him walking down the aisle with a bridesmaid who looked more than pleased to lock arms with Joe.

The big day took place outside in the sun in what can only be a romantic setting.

What a night: The 44-year-old star had an amazing time in Mexico as she laid outside in her tighter print top and black baithing suit

Mexican nights: The actress captured her husband as he enjoyed the evening weather in his black tank top and shorts

The celebrity couple managed to get more time for themselves as the Colombian star added more images to her page.

In one snapshot, she can be seen smiling while lying down outside in her bathing suit during the warm after hours.

Her husband, in his black tank top and shorts, lounged outdoors on the 'perfect night.'

Pre-wedding fun: The spouses started their weekend with a beach photo in their casual attire

Stylish woman: The brunette beauty donned a black top with a purple and white skirt as she got ready to attend the rehearsal dinner party

Before the wedding took place, Joe and Sofia attended the rehearsal party.

Dressed in a black top with a purple and white flowing skirt, the actress smiled for the camera in another photo. Her spouse of one year sported a white T-shirt and jeans as he wrapped his hand around his wife's waist.

It definitely appeared to be a memorable night as the happy pair stood by the beach on the breathtaking evening.

Staying cute: The pair have been married for one year now. Here they are in Austin, Texas last March

The stars tied the knot in November 2015. There has been come chatter if they'll have children together anytime soon. According to Hollywood Life, that's not happening right now.

'Sofia is not pregnant, nor is a surrogate for her and Joe,' a source told the site. 'Any rumors or stories saying otherwise are not true. Furthermore, Sofia and Joe have put on hold trying to have a baby even though they have wanted to start their own family since the day they got married.'
James Franco is back in women's clothes.

The 38-year-old was snapped early Tuesday filming an upcoming project in Los Angeles, decked out in a billowing yellow gown adorned with ruffles.

The Oscar-nominated star rounded out the look with a headband, a gold necklace and a pair of black open-toe heels as cameramen caught his moves.

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Dressing up: James Franco, 38, donned a billowy yellow gown on the set of an upcoming project Tuesday in Los Angeles

Ready for his close-up: The 127 Hours actor waited patiently on the set to continue filming

Pensive: Franco takes a moment to himself while striding forward in his open-toe black heels

The Spring Breakers star is no stranger to ladies' apparel, as he's been pictured many a time getting in touch with his inner fashionista in a multitude of women's fashions over the years.

This past summer, Franco posted a shot to his Instagram page in which he was clad in a women's undergarment get-up of a bra and shots, both patterned with roses on top of a dark blue base. He captioned the June 15 post, 'Summer is here!'

More than six years ago, Franco covered the second-ever edition of Candy magazine in full drag for the publication's fall-winter 2010-2011 edition.

Dapper: The leading man was on the red carpet Saturday for the Los Angeles premiere of Why Him?

In the shoot, which was conducted by famed photographer Terry Richardson, the 127 Hours star was decked out in full women's makeup, complete with blue eye shadow, red lipstick, earrings and a matching necklace. Franco wore a black blazer and leather gloves to round out the look for the magazine, which touts itself as 'the first fashion magazine completely dedicated to celebrating transvestism, transexuality, crossdressing and androgyny.'

Following Franco's turn on the cover, the publication subsequently snared elaborate cover shoots with stars such as Miley Cyrus, Tilda Swinton and Jared Leto, among others.

The Milk actor earlier this year addressed speculation about his sexuality, noting that he felt it was a fixation of the media's.

Just rosy: The Spider-man actor modeled this two-piece set on Instagram this past summer

Smokin! Franco appeared on he cover of Candy in drag, in a shoot conducted in 2010 by famed shutterbug Terry Richardson

He told New York Magazine in April, 'There is a bit of overfocusing on my sexuality, both by the straight press and the gay press, and so the first question is, "Why do they care?" Well, because Im a celebrity, so I guess they care who Im having sex with.'

The Angie Tribeca actor followed up in saying that he was 'a little gay, and theres a gay James.'

It's bound to be a busy 2017 for the This Is the End actor, who has more than a dozen pending project at various stages of development.

Among the most anticipated is HBO's The Deuce, the latest brainchild of The Wire's David Simon and George Pelecanos, chronicling the Manhattan sex landscape of the 1970s and 1980s.

Long hair don't care: Franco showed off pink locks on Instagram this past summer




Claire Danes is continuing to bring more adventures to the screen.

On Tuesday, the actress was seen in New York City filming a scene for an upcoming episode of Showtime series Homeland.

With cameras and microphones around her, the TV star seemed to be caught up in a dramatic moment.

So serious: Claire Danes was spotted in New York City on Tuesday filming a scene for an upcoming episode of Homeland

The 37-year-old wore a warm black coat with leather gloves and fancy pants.

She added on a blue beanie as her blonde hair flowed to her shoulders.

A black purse came with her attire as the starlet took on the strength that her character always shows on the series.

Cold day: A crew member dressed warmly on the filming day as the actress stayed in character for a phone call moment

At one point in the filming process, Claire pulled out a phone, giving insight on what's about to go down in this scene.

One of the crew members sported some black clothes, including a beanie and a thick coat.

With a pink scarf added on, it appeared to be a cold shooting day.

Looking fresh: The actress took a little break to get some touch-ups on her face as the makeup experts stayed warm

The New York native took a short break between takes to get some makeup touches on.

The other workers on the series also dressed in layers with fluffy beanies and large jackets.

Claire sat patiently as her makeup expert made sure she was camera ready.

What next? The TV star took on a dramatic scene with her co-star Mandy Patinkin

The Hollywood icon will be joining Mandy Patinkin, who plays Saul on the series, for this moment.

The actors were spotted giving some dialogue on a bench as their characters discuss more drama to come.

Claire's co-star wore a dark brown coat with a black beanie as they filmed the big scene.

Saul's day out: The actor walks around on the set of Homeland in brown coat and black beanie

Homeland revolves around Claire's character Carrie who works for the CIA. She deals with the harsh reality of what it's like to go on the hunt for terrorists with Saul on her side.

The show won three Golden Globe Awards in 2013 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series (Mandy), Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series (Claire) and Best Television Series- Drama.

The show's star also won a Golden Globe Award in 2012 for the same category.

Carrie on: The Golden Globe Award winner is continuing to bring the Homeland action to life. Here she is last October in New York filming a scene for the new season

The wife of Hugh Dancy spoke to LA Times last May about playing Carrie. Despite her character's struggles, she still remains powerful.

'Part of Carrie's heroism is that she has not become a cynic,' Claire explained. 'She's still searching for a solution, both politically and personally. Believe me, I'm hoping she does eventually find one.'

Homeland Season 6 premieres on Showtime on January 15, 2017.
Gal Gadot was outraged when the United Nations abruptly ended her character Wonder Woman's Honorary Ambassadorship for the Empowerment of Women and Girls last Friday.

The fictional female superhero has a 75-year history of inspiring and empowering young girls thanks to DC Comics, the ABC/CBS series, and the upcoming Warner Bros. film.

The expecting 31-year-old and original star Lynda Carter had attended the October 21 unveiling ceremony at the U.N.'s Manhattan headquarters amid protests.

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'Seriously?' Gal Gadot was outraged when the U.N. abruptly ended her character Wonder Woman's Honorary Ambassadorship for the Empowerment of Women and Girls last Friday

Icon: The fictional female superhero has a 75-year history of inspiring and empowering young girls thanks to DC Comics, the ABC/CBS series, and the upcoming Warner Bros. film

Dynamic duo: The expecting 31-year-old and original star Lynda Carter had attended the October 21 unveiling ceremony at the U.N.'s Manhattan headquarters amid protests

Some U.N. staffers angrily opposed the 'overtly sexualized, large-breasted white woman of impossible proportions' representing the 193-member state organization.

An online petition demanding that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reconsider the immortal Amazon warrior as a symbol of feminism garnered 44,881 signatures.

'There are so many horrible things that are going on in the world, and this is what youre protesting, seriously?' Gadot argued in the December 26 edition of TIME.

'When people argue that Wonder Woman should "cover up," I don't quite get it. They say, "If she's smart and strong, she can't also be sexy." That's not fair. Why can't she be all of the above?'

Turning their backs: Some U.N. staffers angrily opposed the 'overtly sexualized, large-breasted white woman of impossible proportions' representing the 193-member state organization

Ridiculous: An online petition demanding that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reconsider the immortal Amazon warrior as a symbol of feminism garnered 44,881 signatures

Gadot argued in the December 26 edition of TIME: 'There are so many horrible things that are going on in the world, and this is what youre protesting, seriously?'

She added: 'When people argue that Wonder Woman should "cover up," I don't quite get it. They say, "If she's smart and strong, she can't also be sexy." That's not fair. Why can't she be all of the above?' (pictured April 7)

No one batted an eyelash when Ki-moon appointed Angry Bird Red as Honorary Ambassador for Green on March 18.

And where was the uproar over scantily-clad Tinker Bell as the Honorary Ambassador of Green back in 2009?

Even Winnie the Pooh - who famously doesn't wear trousers - was made Ambassador for Friendship in the year 2000.

Climate envoy? No one batted an eyelash when Ki-moon (3-L) appointed Angry Bird Red as Honorary Ambassador for Green on March 18

Hypocrisy: And where was the uproar over scantily-clad Tinker Bell as the Honorary Ambassador of Green back in 2009?

New Zealand love: Even Winnie the Pooh - who famously doesn't wear trousers - was made Ambassador for Friendship in the year 2000

'I think people take it the wrong way when I say I'm a feminist,' the former Miss Israel 2004 said.

'Feminism is not about burning bras and hating men. It's about gender equality. Whoever is not a feminist is a chauvinist.'

On November 6, the Keeping Up with the Joneses actress and her husband of eight years Yaron Versano announced they were expecting their second child.

The former Miss Israel 2004 said: 'I think people take it the wrong way when I say I'm a feminist. Feminism is not about burning bras and hating men. It's about gender equality. Whoever is not a feminist is a chauvinist'

'#mommyforthesecondtime': On November 6, the Keeping Up with the Joneses actress and her husband of eight years Yaron Versano announced they were expecting their second child

'#MyFamilyFunDay': Gal and the Israeli real estate developer are already parents to five-year-old daughter Alma

Gal and the Israeli real estate developer are already parents to five-year-old daughter Alma.

The Israel Defense Forces veteran can be seen as Diana Prince in the long overdue big-screen Wonder Woman finally hitting US/UK theaters on June 2.

Emmy-nominated director Patty Jenkins helmed the WWI-era film - which also features Lisa Loven Kongsli, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Chris Pine, and Danny Huston.

Bulletproof wrist cuffs: The Israel Defense Forces veteran can be seen as Diana Prince in the long overdue big-screen Wonder Woman finally hitting US/UK theaters on June 2
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They first went public with their relationship in early 2015 after Tyson Mayr appeared on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

Now it's been confirmed the popular Naked Traveller blogger has called it quits with ex-Bachelor star girlfriend Lisa Hyde.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the 30-year-old decided to end things with the brunette following their trip to Italy in September.

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In happier times: I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here's Tyson Mayr (R) has confirmed his split from former Bachelor star Lisa Hyde (L)

The Daily Mail Australia has contacted Tyson and Lisa for comment.

Daily Mail Australia revealed on Tuesday the couple had not been spotted together since early October.

Over the last few weeks, Tyson has also been spotted travelling in Canada and South Africa without Lisa, who stayed in Australia.

Calling time: According to reports, the 30-year-old decided to end things with Lisa following their trip to Italy in September

Separate ways: Earlier this week, Daily Mail Australia revealed the pair hadn't been spotted together since early October

And while they have kept their distance from each other, the reality TV stars have both been active on social media.

Over the last two weeks, Lisa has been flaunting her slender tanned figure on her Instagram account.

And Tyson has followed in her footsteps by posting numerous shirtless pictures, showcasing his impressive muscles.

Fans have been questioning the relationship, with many asking Lisa, 'Are you still with Tyson?' She has failed to respond.

Out on his own: Over the last few weeks, Tyson has also been spotted travelling Canada and South Africa without Lisa

Staying home: While the hunk continues to travel the world, Lisa has remained in Australia

Showing them what they're missing? The reality TV stars have both been active on social media following their split

In September, the couple put on a loving display as they attended a friend's wedding in Italy, weeks after a holiday in the Mediterranean.

Tyson and Lisa have travelled to the globe together since going public with their relationship in 2015.

Before they dated, Lisa Hyde tried to find love with Blake Garvey on The Bachelor Australia in 2014.
They're currently starring opposite each other in panto as Robin Hood and Maid Marion at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

But Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace gave a very different type of performance as they took to the stage to film Lip Sync Battle UK for a seasonal episode which is set to air on Tuesday night.

The former Alfie and Kat Moon of EastEnders went head-to-head in the mouthing competition and got rather raucus as they performed their chosen songs.

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We're not in Walford anymore! Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace are a far cry from their EastEnders alter egos Alfie and Kat as they go head-to-head on the Lip Sync Battle stage

Spank! Shane was loving it as he was surrounded by half-dressed dancers, and was sure to give one a cheeky spank

The pair put a new spin on the Christmas classic A Fairytale Of New York, swapping the vocal parts of Shane MacGown and Kirsty McColl so that Shane sang Kirsty's lines and Jessie sang Shane's.

The pair then split up to perform a solo track each, with Shane giving a rendition of Low by Flo Rida and Jessie choosing a song by Pink.

Shane was loving it as he was surrounded by half-dressed dancers, and was sure to give one a cheeky spank.

He sported a shaggy fur coat, a silver top and his hood up for the number, as well as a thick gold chain, playing homage to the song's original performer.

Spectacle! The pair then split up to perform a solo track each, with Shane giving a rendition of Low by Flo Rida and Jessie choosing a song by Pink

Making an entrance! Jessie was given quite the set up for her solo song, which saw her lowered from the air sitting in a giant circus ring as she was brought down to the Christmassy stage

Jessie was given quite the set up for her solo song, which saw her lowered from the air sitting in a giant circus ring as she was brought down to the Christmassy stage.

Her outfit looked as if she was fresh from the Moulin Rouge; she sported a sparkling pink can can girl dress, with black frills galore and a feather atop her head.

She gave it her all as she busted out the tunes, strutting across the set in her high heels.

What a woman! She gave it her all as she busted out the tunes, strutting across the set in her high heels

Pearly king and queen: The pair put a new spin on the Christmas classic A Fairytale Of New York

New series: The Christmas edition of the show marks the return of the regular series, which starts its second run next month

The Christmas edition of the show marks the return of the regular series, which starts its second run next month.

Returning hosts Professor Green and Mel B will be back at the helm, watching on and enjoying the events as they unfold on stage.

Celebrities lined up for season two include Danny Dyer, Katie Price, Craig Revel Horwood and Jimmy Carr.

Shane and Jessie will also be back on TV next year as their EastEnders alter egos Alfie and Kat when they reprise the roles in spin-off drama Redwater.

Lip Sync Battle airs Tuesday night on Channel 5.
She's one of Australia's most recognised TV personalities.

And this week, it was revealed that Kerri-Anne Kennerley is returning to television to co-host the Australia Day 2017: Live At The Opera House concert with Grant Denyer on Channel Ten next month.

According to TV Tonight, the 63-year-old will be doing interviews at the event, with Guy Sebastian and Tina Arena performing.

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Back to business! It's been revealed that Kerri-Anne Kennerley is returning to TV to co-host the Australia Day 2017: Live At The Opera House concert with Grant Denyer

Former Big Brother host Gretel Killeen will be based in Tamworth for the broadcast.

It comes after Kerri-Anne revealed her husband John is back home from hospital after a freak accident left him paralysed.

'John's home. This is the day I've hoping and waiting waiting for since March 6th Thank you to each and everyone one of you. Forever thankful,' Kerri-Anne wrote on Instagram.

Tough times: It comes after Kerri-Anne revealed her husband John (R) is back home from hospital after a freak accident left him paralysed

In March, John broke his neck after a fall in Coffs Harbour.

While doctors admitted he was lucky to be alive, Kerri-Anne has struggled to come to terms with her husband' injuries.

'I hate this new life to be quite frank. I just hate it. It's awful,' she recently revealed to Channel Seven's Sunday Night.

'I think right now, the most difficult thing is not being able to talk to him,' she added.

His rock: In March, John broke his neck after a fall in Coffs Harbour

'I hate this new life': The blonde broke down in tears when talking about John's injuries during an appearance on Sunday Night recently

'It wasn't a particularly big fall,' John told the program.

'It was only about 800mm, but I just landed on my head and neck - there was a crack.'

'I remember coming to... I couldn't move anything. I couldn't move my arms, I couldn't move my legs.

'And Kerri was with me within a second and I remember saying to her "I think I'm paralysed, I can't move." Soon after that, I fainted.'

Struggles: Kerri-Anne confessed the tragic incident has taken its toll on her, reshaping who she is as a person

'I couldn't move anything': John also spoke about his accident (seen in October 2014)

Kerri-Anne confessed the tragic incident has taken its toll on her.

'I want my old life back. And I want my husband back. I have my husband, we're just different now.'

For the tell-all interview, Kerri-Anne reportedly received $350,000.

In September, she went on special assignment for Sunday Night, flying to the US to interview Rick Springfield.
She's known for having one of the most flawless figures in the world.

And Alessandra Ambrosio certainly got heads turning and jaws dropping on Monday as she enjoyed some beach time in Florianopolis, Brazil.

The 35-year-old showed off her stunning beach body in a skimpy two-piece as she enjoyed some fun in the sun with her girlfriends.

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Beach babe: Alessandra Ambrosio certainly got heads turning and jaws dropping on Monday as she enjoyed some beach time in Florianopolis, Brazil

The Victoria's Secret Angel made sure to stay hydrated as she was spotted buying coconuts from a local stand.

And the delicious natural source of purified water certainly paid off as the stunner looked pleased as punch while sipping directly out of her green coconut.

Alessandra also kept cool by dipping her toes in the idyllic ocean water while protecting her money-making face with a sun hat.

Loving the beach life! The 35-year-old showed off her stunning beach body in a skimpy two-piece as she enjoyed some fun in the sun with her girlfriends

The Victoria's Secret Angel made sure to stay hydrated as she was spotted buying coconuts from a local stand; And the delicious natural source of purified water certainly paid off as the stunner looked pleased as punch while sipping directly out of her green coconut

Wanderer: The stunning model took the road less traveled as she trudged through some briny seawater to cool off

She was later seen taking the road less traveled as she trudged through some briny seawater near some drift wood for a solo jaunt with her coconut.

Alessandra, who plays mother to two children, made sure to catch up with her pals as she took some quality time with a pack of girls on the beach.

The model shares Anja, eight, and Noah, four, with longtime partner Jamie Mazur, a 35-year-old businessman.

Talking about life: Alessandra, who plays mother to two children, made sure to catch up with her pals as she took some quality time with a pack of girls on the beach

Yummy mummy: The model shares Anja, eight, and Noah, four, with longtime partner Jamie Mazur, a 35-year-old businessman

What a beautiful deck! The star made sure to outshine the idyllic scenery

Slurp! The coconut certainly looked like the ideal treat

While Alessandra has walked the runway for Victoria's Secret and a slew of high end fashion brands there is still one aisle she has yet to strut down.

The model has yet to marry Re/Done Jeans founder Jamie - who popped the question back in 2008.

'When I do the wedding it's going to be very special, so I want to take time for that,' she claimed to Extra a year ago.
He's taking some time off to relax in the sun on his annual Barbados holiday after the latest X Factor ended just over a week ago.

And Simon Cowell and his bikini-clad girlfriend Lauren Silverman were clearly making the most of their down time on Tuesday, larking about on the beach together.

The 57-year-old mogul sported mirrored sunglasses and white shorts as he chatted with Lauren, friend Sinitta and her children.

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Bikini babe: Lauren Silverman was clearly enjoying herself with beau Simon Cowell on holiday in Barbados on Tuesday, where she looked incredible in her sexy two-piece

Simon was also spotted chatting to a young teenage fan called Jack who accepted a homemade birthday card from the group.

The X Factor judge then sweetly invited Jack to tea and the teenager gave Lauren a hug in thanks.

Sinitta posted video footage of the meeting on her Twitter, alongside the caption: 'Silly Simon invites Jack to tea barbados.'

Me and my man: The mogul larked about with Lauren and a group of friends on the beach

So sweet: A fan named Jack accepted a card from the group before being invited to tea

Happy holidays: Simon and Lauren also brought their two-year-old son Eric along to enjoy the sunshine

Lauren looked stunning in her lilac patterned bikini top with a white towel wrapped around her waist.

Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail while she accessorised with aviator shades and a gold watch.

There was no sign of the couple's two-year-old son Eric, although the couple had earlier enjoyed a boat trip with the tot.

Snap happy: Sinitta posted video footage of the special moment on her Instagram

Annual festivities: Simon regularly enjoys a jaunt to the Caribbean over Christmas

The look of love: Simon and Lauren have been together for three years

Simon traditionally spends Christmas on the Caribbean island at the exclusive One Sandy Lane complex and often brings his former flames - notably close pal Sinitta - with him.

Sinitta was joined by boyfriend Jason Gale for the trip and she also brought along her children Magdalena and Zac with her daughter holding a Yorkshire Terrier dog for their day at the beach.

Despite all his worldly success Simon Cowell is just like any other parent, as the 57-year-old music mogul revealed his 'worst nightmare' would be to outlive his son.

Me and my man: Lauren, who originally hails from the U.S. spends much of her time in the UK with Simon as he fulfils his TV commitments

Wrapped up: Lauren had clearly been in the sea for a swim

So relaxed: The playful nature of Simon and Lauren's relationship was apparent

Perfect pooch: Sinitta also brought along her children Magdelena and Zac for the trip with her daughter holding a Yorkshire Terrier dog for their day at the beach

Explaining his fatherly fears, he said: 'Knowing you will outlive your own child is everyones worst nightmare and I am more aware than ever that it can happen to anyone.'

In a heartfelt talk with the Mirror, Simon admitted that he has a new perspective on life thanks to his son.

'Now that I am a father I understand on a much deeper level how devastating it would be to hear the news that your child was unwell,' said Simon.

Cloned: Simon's friend and colleague Nicole Scherzinger revealed how two-year-old Eric is very much his father's son

Me and my crew: Simon enjoys being surrounded by family and friends for his trips abroad

Life's a beach: Lauren has enjoyed a variety of activities including a boat trip on the luxury break

Meanwhile Cowell's X Factor colleague Nicole Scherzinger admits Eric is already following in his father's footsteps.

'I think he just cloned himself. He is just like Simon, he never listens to me,' she told The Jonathan Ross Show.

'I'll say, "Eric give me a hug" and he walks away. I'll say "Do you want a cookie? Can I have a bite of your orange?" and he just ignores me. He goes to his dad all the time, he loves his dad.'
She's a long way from her native Australia.

But on Monday night, Miranda Otto looked right at home on the red carpet in Manhattan, New York.

The 49-year-old looked simply sensational as she posed in a little black dress, attending the PaleyLive event to promote her upcoming television series, 24: Legacy.

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Stunning: Australian actress Miranda Otto wore a classic little black dress as she attended the PaleyLive event in Manhattan on Monday to promote her upcoming TV show, 24: Legacy

The flame haired beauty's figure-hugging, cross-over dress highlighted her fantastic physique.

A twist on the classic little back dress, the frock featured a keyhole around her chest area, which added a sexiness to the sleek number.

The sleeveless garment showed off Miranda's toned arms, with the dress dropping below the knee.

Classic beauty: The flame-haired Australian actress looked right at home on the red carpet in the simple yet effective ensemble

The Lord of The Rings actress wore a pair of nude pumps with the outfit, and kept her jewellery minimal, wearing only her wedding band and a thin gold bracelet.

Miranda also wore minimal make-up, with blush and pink lipstick emphasising her natural beauty.

The star left her famous amber locks out for the appearance.

Highly anticipated series: Miranda discussed the upcoming series 24: Legacy, which will premiere early next year

On the red carpet the star was joined by 24: Legacy's creator, Evan Katz, and her co-stars Anna Diop, Corey Hawkins and Dan Bucatinsky

Inside the event at the prestigious Paley Center For Media, Miranda discussed the highly-anticipated upcoming series, which will commence screening on FOX in February.

A spin-off of the the original blockbuster series starring Keifer Sutherland, 24: Legacy will follow the journey of war hero Eric Carter.

Friends and co-workers: Miranda posed at the event with series creator, Evan Katz (left), and her co-stars

Miranda will play Rebecca Ingram, the former head of the revived Counter Terrorist Unit in Washington D.C.

Miranda has recently been starring in another smash-hit political drama, Homeland, alongside Claire Danes.

However, the star recently revealed she has been spending more time Down Under, with her 12-year-old daughter, Darcey, and husband Peter O'Brien.

Home is clearly close to Miranda's heart. She recently co-starred alongside another Australian, Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, in the acclaimed drama The Daughter.
She's not shy when it comes to revealing her body on social media - and glamour model Rhian Sugden really went for it on Twitter on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old shared a selfie of herself wearing nothing but silver briefs as she went completely topless.

She covered her modesty with two Christmas pudding emojis as she worked her magic in front of the lens.

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Just desserts: Rhian Sugden went completely TOPLESS for a very sexy festive selfie as she covered her modesty with xmas pudding emojis on Twitter on Tuesday

The pretty brunette, who is engaged to former Coronation Street actor Oliver Mellor no doubt delighted her 325k followers with her giggly snap.

She captioned the image with the words: 'It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmaaaaaas.'

Rhian and Oliver have recently returned from a saucy holiday to Amsterdam, where she was pictured enjoying a rude novelty lollipop.

She also shared a beach babe in a daringly plunging swimsuit, posted last week.

Taking the plunge: Rhian recently flaunted her ample assets once again in a sexy black one-piece in a sizzling Instagram snap

The blonde beauty wore her golden hair in polished curls that effortlessly framed her features, which she highlighted with a sweep of bronzer and a nude lip.

Fixing a sultry pout at the camera, Rhian flaunted every inch of her enviably trim physique in the sexy black one-piece.

She captioned the shot: 'Dreaming of being in the sunshine somewhere in my @lacefromreyn swimsuit!' And Rhian was up to her old tricks again last week as illustrated in a sizzling video posted to her page

The glamour model shed all inhibitions as she stripped off to just a pair of tiny red knickers while holding on to her chest.

Oopsie! Rhian Sugden is naturally keen to show off her attributes, as illustrated in a sizzling video posted to social media

Rhian, who boasts a whopping 185,000 followers on the photosharing site, ensures her social media feeds are littered with the sauciest snaps possible.

Her latest sexy shot saw the blonde beauty slip down to just her knickers in the Boomerang video which she captioned: 'Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle ....'

With her bold blonde tresses scraped into a high chignon with tendrils cascading around her face, she seemed to go make-up free.

She pulled a cheeky face into the camera as she poked out her tongue while heightening her shoulders and pouting away.

Sexier than ever: The 30-year-old glamour model, who became embroiled in a sexting scandal with Vernon Kay earlier this year, shed all inhibitions as she stripped off to just a pair of tiny red knickers while holding on to her chest

Blue babe: Rhian, who boasts a whopping 185,000 followers on the photosharing site, ensures her social media feeds are littered with the sauciest snaps possible

Coordinating her knickers to her vampish crimson manicure, it seems Rhian had her sexy clip all planned out ahead of shooting the video in a mirror.

Rhian's post comes after she was embroiled in a second sexting scandal with married DJ and TV presenter Vernon.

Speaking about their relationship, Rhian claimed the pair had got back in touch in December, after a break of six years, which felt like an 'old friendship coming back'.

Shocking stuff: Rhian's sexy video comes after she was embroiled in a second sexting scandal with married DJ and TV presenter Vernon

Old friends: Speaking about their relationship, Rhian claimed the pair had got back in touch in December, after a break of six years, which felt like an 'old friendship coming back'

Back in 2010, Vernon was forced to make a public apology to his wife Tess Daly on Radio 1 and subsequently promised he would no longer contact Rhian or four other women he had been caught messaging at the time.

But earlier this year, the busty blonde revealed she was still speaking with the star, and even claimed he had asked her to meet up.

Vernon claimed at the time of the allegations that the Whatsapp messages he sent to Rhian asking to meet had been taken out of context, that he had done 'nothing wrong' and that his wife was completely aware of all contact.

Sorry: Back in 2010, Vernon was forced to make a public apology to his wife Tess Daly on Radio 1 and subsequently promised he would no longer contact Rhian or four other women he had been caught messaging at the time
California officials challenge fracking off coastline

California's chief prosecutor and an environmental commission on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging an assessment by federal authorities that clears the way for hydraulic fracturing off the state's coast.

The lawsuit from Attorney General Kamala Harris and the California Coastal Commission targets the US Department of the Interior as well as two federal agencies.

The federal agencies in May said that an environmental assessment had determined that fracking poses no significant impact, clearing the way for a moratorium on the controversial form of gas and oil extraction to be lifted.

Environmental groups and California's two senators have also called on Obama to protect California's coastline by taking advantage of a federal law DAVID MCNEW (Getty/AFP/File)

"We must take every possible step to protect our precious coastline and ocean," Harris, who was elected to the US Senate in November and will take up her new post next month, said in a statement.

"The US Department of Interior's inadequate environmental assessment would open the door to practices like fracking that may pose a threat to the health and wellbeing of California communities."

The legal challenge comes just days after California's governor Jerry Brown urged President Barack Obama to permanently ban all new offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters off California's coast before he leaves office in January.

Environmental groups and California's two senators have also called on Obama to protect California's coastline by taking advantage of a federal law.

Brown's appeal and the lawsuit filed on Monday have taken on more urgency given President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of several Republicans with ties to the oil and gas industry to key posts in his administration.

Among them is ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who was nominated to be secretary of state, and Scott Pruitt, the attorney general of the oil and gas-producing state of Oklahoma, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Experts 'highly confident' MH370 not in search zone

Missing flight MH370 is almost certainly not in the current search zone in the remote Indian Ocean and may be further north, new analysis showed Tuesday, but authorities indicated the hunt may not be expanded.

No trace has been found in the massive underwater search off Australia for the jet lost en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

However, more than 20 pieces of debris recovered mostly on western Indian Ocean shorelines have been identified as likely, or definitely, from the doomed Malaysia Airlines plane.

Missing Malaysian flight MH370 is almost certainly not in the current search zone in the remote Indian Ocean but could be further north GREG WOOD (POOL/AFP/File)

With scouring of the wild 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) swathe of sea coming to an end, Australian and international experts, including from Boeing and Inmarsat, met in Canberra last month to review their evidence and modelling.

They concluded the plane was not where they have been looking, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which has been leading the mission, said in a report.

"There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," it said.

The area being searched was initially based on satellite analysis of the jet's likely trajectory after it diverted from its flight path coupled with aircraft dynamics and meteorological data.

This indicated the last known location was somewhere along an arc sweeping north into Central Asia or south into the Indian Ocean. The northern corridor was quickly discounted in the belief the plane would have been detected.

The report said updated satellite and debris drift modelling results "present strong evidence that the aircraft is most likely to be located to the north of the current indicative underwater search area".

It identified an area of approximately 25,000 square kilometres "with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft".

"The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted," the report added.

- Up to Malaysia -

A final sweep of the existing search zone is underway with the last vessel looking for MH370 -- Fugro Equator -- leaving for the southern Indian Ocean from Australia last week.

The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China, where most of the passengers were from, have previously agreed to pull the plug on the operation once the current search area was fully scoured unless "credible new information" emerged.

Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester indicated the report did not constitute such evidence.

"The information in the ATSB report does not give a specific location of the missing aircraft," he said.

"As agreed at the tripartite ministers meeting in Malaysia in July we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft."

His Malaysian counterpart Liow Tiong Lai echoed similar sentiments, saying "we remain to be guided as to how this can be used to assist us in identifying the specific location of the aircraft".

But he added: "I wish to reiterate that the aspiration to locate MH370 has not been abandoned and every decision made has and will always be in the spirit of cooperation among the three nations."

Many next-of-kin of missing passengers have repeatedly complained about the lack of a coordinated search in the western Indian Ocean and along the African coast.

A group of relatives recently went to Madagascar, combing beaches for clues about the lost plane, after fragments identified with "near certainty" as coming from MH370 were discovered on the coast of east Africa.

With neither the location nor the cause of the crash known, many wild conspiracy theories have surfaced, including that it was a hijacking, terror plot, or rogue pilot action.

A report by the ATSB last month said the plane was likely out of control when it plunged into the ocean with its wing flaps not prepared for landing, casting doubt on theories a pilot was still in charge.
China returns seized US naval sea drone

China on Tuesday returned a US underwater probe it seized in the South China Sea, the Pentagon confirmed after Beijing's capture of the craft sparked a dispute between the two powers.

The Chinese navy handed over the drone near where it was seized, the Pentagon said, repeating US condemnation of Beijing's actions in what it says are international waters.

"This incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

A US unmanned underwater probe like the one seized by the Chinese Navy Cmdr. Santiago Carrizosa (Department of Defense/AFP/File)

We have "called on Chinese authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and to refrain from further efforts to impede lawful US activities."

A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the probe was handed over to the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin and will be taken to a naval base for inspection.

A Chinese naval vessel seized the probe last week around 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, a move that heightened existing tensions between the world's two largest economies.

The Pentagon statement said the US Navy drone was "conducting routine operations in the international waters of the South China Sea in full compliance with international law."

- Rise in 'interactions' -

For its part, China said the handover of the drone was "completed smoothly" after "friendly consultations" between both sides, according to a short defense ministry statement on its website.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the handling of the incident showed the two countries have a "smooth channel of communication."

But she also warned the US against "conducting close reconnaissance in China's coastal waters."

"China is strongly opposed to this and has been asking the US to stop these kinds of activities," she said, adding: "I believe this was the root cause for this incident happening."

A second US defense official told AFP there had been an increase in "interactions" between US and Chinese vessels over the past year in the South China Sea and western Pacific.

Pentagon officials said last week the Chinese had "unlawfully" grabbed the marine probe, which they described as a craft that gathers unclassified data -- including water temperatures, salinity and sea clarity.

Such data can be used to help submarines navigate and determine sonar ranges in murky waters.

China said it snatched the craft because it might pose a safety hazard to other vessels. It also said it "strongly opposed" US reconnaissance activities and had asked Washington to stop.

Washington insists the small, slow-moving craft cannot be used for surveillance.

- Continuing tensions -

The incident has heightened continuing tensions in the South China Sea. Beijing has fortified its claims to almost all the waterway by expanding tiny reefs and islets into artificial islands hosting military facilities.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have competing claims in the waterway.

While Washington takes no position on the sovereignty disputes, it has repeatedly called on China to uphold freedom of navigation.

Its military has conducted several operations in which ships and planes have passed near the sites Beijing claims.

US President-elect Donald Trump raised the rhetorical heat further after the probe was seized, by accusing Beijing of theft.

After Beijing and Washington announced on Sunday the drone would be returned, he tweeted: "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back. - let them keep it!"

China's foreign ministry on Monday rejected Trump's accusations Beijing had stolen the craft as "not accurate".

The state-owned China Daily said in an editorial earlier that Trump's behavior "could easily drive China-US relations into what (US President Barack) Obama portrays as 'full-conflict mode.'"

Trump had already angered China by questioning longstanding US policy on Taiwan, calling Beijing a currency manipulator and threatening punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.

Though this is the first time the Chinese navy has seized a probe, it is not unusual for the underwater craft to go missing.

The Navy deploys about 10 ocean gliders in the western Pacific each month, and a small percentage of these are lost in fishing nets, storm damage or through equipment failures.

"In October, one of our ocean gliders was lost in the vicinity of Vietnam, but we are not sure of the final disposition of the glider," said Lieutenant Commander Matt Knight, a US Pacific Fleet spokesman.
UN rights chief urges Philippines to probe president for murder

The UN rights chief urged the Philippines Tuesday to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for murder, after he boasted that he in the past had personally killed suspected criminals.

Duterte said in a speech last week that when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao, where he served three terms between 1988 and 2016, he personally killed people to set an example for police.

He made the comments in a speech to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he has personally killed people in the past MANMAN DEJETO (AFP/File)

"The Philippines judicial authorities must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

"The killings committed by Mr. Duterte, by his own admission, at a time when he was a mayor, clearly constitute murder," he said.

- 'Unthinkable' -

"It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer," he insisted.

Duterte has said that as newly elected mayor of Davao, he and several local policemen ambushed a group of suspected kidnappers shortly after the gang collected ransom from the parents of the released hostage, a local teenage girl.

"Maybe my bullets killed them, maybe not, but after the (firefight) they were all dead," he said.

He told the BBC on Friday that he had personally killed "about three people" during his term as mayor.

Philippines Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre insisted that the president had not violated any law.

"If the suspect fought back, he must have been forced to kill him," Aguirre told reporters last week.

But Zeid was adamant, warning that the acts clearly violated the constitution of the Philippines.

"The killings described by President Duterte also violate international law, including the right to life ... and innocence until proven guilty," he said.

The UN rights chief's statement also decried the "environment of alarming impunity and violence" created by Duterte's deadly campaign to eradicate illegal drugs.

According to the UN, nearly 6,100 people had been killed since Duterte took office in late June.

"Despite police investigating thousands of the deaths perpetrated by vigilantes, there is surprisingly little information on actual prosecutions," Zeid said.

"Children as young as five years old have been the innocent victims of this appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings," he warned.

He also cautioned that repeated assurance that police officers who commit rights violations in the line of duty will receive immunity constituted "a direct violation of all democratic safeguards that have been established to uphold justice and the rule of law".

He called for "credible and independent investigations" to be immediately reopened into the Davao killings.

And he demanded similar probes into the "shocking number of killings that have occurred across the country since Mr. Duterte became president".
DR Congo people react furiously as president clings on

Black smoke rose over Kinshasa and angry young men waving red cards blocked roads as Democratic Republic of Congo's leader, Joseph Kabila, clung to power Tuesday despite fears that more violence will follow.

The announcement just before midnight of the appointment of a new government -- but with President Kabila still in ultimate control -- triggered cries of "treason", "provocation" and "confrontation".

"What happened yesterday (Monday) was a rebellion," said Daniel, 63, referring to Kabila's decision not to step aside. "Even those without education know that after his second term, a president must leave office. They even know that in primary school!"

Marks of burnt tyres following a protest in the Lingwala neighborhood in Kinshasa on December 20, 2016 Eduardo Soteras (AFP)

The 45-year-old leader, who has ruled since 2001, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term but under a controversial recent constitutional court order, he may stay on until a successor is chosen.

Kinshasa ground almost to a halt Tuesday with people staying at home as groups of youths burnt tyres and built barricades on the streets.

Dozens of troop carriers patrolled the megacity of 10 million people and police officers and paramilitaries were out in force in other cities as they have been since Sunday. A crash barrier on a road in the capital had been daubed with red paint reading: "Kabila leave".

"We had been waiting for the final declaration from CENCO," said Louis, a 60-year-old from Kinshasa's Singa Mupepe district, referring to the panel of bishops who had been negotiating a peaceful transfer toward new elections with the government and opposition factions.

- 'Why do we all dream of going to Europe?' -

Large plumes of black smoke rose above Kinshasa's Yolo and Matete districts early Tuesday, with scorch marks visible on the streets where protesters had burnt tyres.

So serious is the crisis rocking Congo that some have even suggested that the Belgian colonisation of the country was preferable to the current situation.

"When the Flemish were here, they would even come to get us if we didn't go to school. Now if you owe ten dollars (to the school) they will chase you even if you're successful (academically)," said Therese, 75, speaking on her doorstep wearing a blue dress as she waved a hand fan.

"(Young people) suffer a lot. What future have they given them? It's graduates who go on to be motorcycle taxi and rickshaw drivers. I want to cry."

Two-thirds of DRC's 70 million people are under the age of 25.

"Why do we all dream of going to Europe and settling there? Because here, we don't have a chance to survive," said Fabrice, another of Kinshasa's increasingly angry residents who warned that people would only take so much before they began to resist.

Chronology of events in DR Congo since January 2015 Aude Genet, Sabrina Blanchard (AFP)

Groups of youths burnt tyres and built barricades on the streets of Kinshasa Eduardo Soteras (AFP)
India's Mistry launches legal battle against Tata Sons

Cyrus Mistry, the ousted former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata, took his battle against former employer Tata Sons to court Tuesday, one of his spokesmen said.

Mistry filed a suit against Tata Sons in the National Company Law Tribunal, a quasi-judicial body that hears corporate grievances, a day after he resigned from all of the Tata Group's listed companies.

The allegations listed in his petition include the oppression of minority shareholders and mismanagement of the company, Adnan Syed, a spokesman for Mistry, told AFP.

Cyrus Mistry, the ousted former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata, pictured in Mumbai on May 27, 2016 PUNIT PARANJPE (AFP/File)

Tata said in a statement it was in consultation with its lawyers and would contest the allegations.

The latest move comes after Mistry said Monday that he had "decided to shift this campaign to a larger platform" as he resigned from the boards of six publicly listed companies, including car maker Tata Motors and steel giant Tata Steel.

Mistry, 50, has been engaged in a bitter public battle with company patriarch Ratan Tata since he was sacked in October as chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of India's most famous family conglomerate -- the $103 billion steel-to-salt Tata Group.

The move, which shocked India's business world, saw 78-year-old Tata, who led the group for more than two decades, reassert his authority over the sprawling conglomerate, including taking interim charge until a successor is found.

The pair have traded daily ugly barbs since Mistry's ouster, plunging the group into bitter infighting with directors firmly placed in either camp.

Mistry was last week stripped of his directorships of IT giant Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Industries and Tata Teleservices.
Appeal of Chad's Habre opens January 9

The appeal of Chad's former president Hissene Habre against his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity will open on January 9, the special tribunal who tried him said Tuesday.

The Extraordinary African Chambers, a body created by Senegal and the African Union, sentenced Habre to life in jail in May, an unprecedented conviction hailed as a blow to the impunity long enjoyed by repressive rulers.

Marcel Mendy, the court's spokesman, said the process "will begin on January 9 at 9 am (0900GMT)."

Former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, pictured in 2015 will have the appeal against his conviction open on January 9, 2017 SEYLLOU (AFP/File)

Habre has refused to recognise the court's authority but court-appointed lawyers requested an appeal on his behalf.

The verdict against Habre brought closure for relatives of up to 40,000 people killed and many more kidnapped, raped or tortured during his 1982-1990 term as president of Chad.

It set a global precedent as the first time a country had prosecuted the former leader of another nation for rights abuses.

In July, Habre was further ordered to pay up to 30,000 euros ($33,000) to each victim who suffered rape, arbitrary detention and imprisonment during his rule, as well as to their relatives.

Known as a skilled desert fighter and often dressed in combat fatigues to fit the role, Habre fled to Senegal after his 1990 ouster by Chad's current President Idriss Deby.
UN to send 20 observers to east Aleppo

The Syrian government and other parties on the ground have agreed to allow 20 observers to be sent to east Aleppo to monitor evacuations, the UN spokesman said Tuesday.

The United Nations is however waiting for all sides to grant access for deliveries of humanitarian aid to Aleppo, where civilians have been living under siege since July.

The green light came a day after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on deploying the monitors to oversee the evacuation and report on the protection of civilians who remain in the besieged city.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross George OURFALIAN (AFP/File)

"We have received authorization to send 20 international and national staff to Aleppo to play a critical role in the monitoring and response in Aleppo city," said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

"Access to people in need to provide them with life-saving humanitarian assistance is also urgently needed," he added.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Syrian forces last week moved to assert full control over the east of the city, which had been held by opposition fighters since 2012.

The fall of Aleppo will hand President Bashar al-Assad his biggest victory in the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 and displaced half of the country's population.

A UN team is present at a Syrian government checkpoint in Aleppo to monitor the convoy of buses carrying evacuees en route to rebel-held territory, Dujarric said.

"Protection of civilians leaving these areas remains the biggest concern," said Dujarric.

"All remaining civilians must be allowed to safely leave should they choose to do so."
US reaffirms Russia sanctions with new financial restrictions

The Obama administration reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining sanctions on Russia over Crimea with new financial restrictions announced Tuesday on Russian businessmen and companies.

While the sanctions are not unusual, the timing is, as Donald Trump's US election victory has created doubts about the future of US policy towards Russia and for a united approach to sanctions given his apparently softer line on President Vladimir Putin.

The US Treasury Department announced financial sanctions on seven Russian bankers and businessmen, and eight businesses with operations in Ukraine.

The US Treasury Department announced financial sanctions on seven Russian bankers and businessmen, and eight businesses with operations in Ukraine, thus maintaining sanctions on Russia over Crimea SAUL LOEB (AFP/File)

The actions show the US "remains steadfast in our commitment to maintain sanctions until Russia fully implements its commitments under the Minsk agreements," Treasury said in a statement, referring to the 2014 pact to end the war in Crimea.

"This action underscores the US governments opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea and our firm refusal to recognize its attempted annexation of the peninsula."

The European Union on Monday extended sanctions against Russia for six months.

The latest sanctions by Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blocks any property of investment by the designated individuals and companies in the United States, and prohibits any transactions with them by Americans individuals or companies.

"These targeted sanctions aim to maintain pressure on Russia by sustaining the costs of its occupation of Crimea and disrupting the activities of those who support the violence and instability in Ukraine," acting OFAC Director John E. Smith said in the statement.
Israel govt asks court to delay settlers' eviction

The Israeli government Tuesday asked the country's supreme court for a "final" extension of a deadline to evict 40 families from a West Bank settlement outpost, the justice ministry said.

The court ruled in 2014 that the settlers at Amona, northeast of Ramallah, must go because the outpost was found to have been built on private Palestinian land in the occupied territory.

It gave them two years to relocate, ordering they must be gone by December 25, 2016.

Young Israeli settlers pray in the settlement outpost of Amona, which was established in 1997 and built on private Palestinian land, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank JACK GUEZ (AFP/File)

In a last-ditch effort to avoid evicting the politically influential settlers by force, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came up with a plan Sunday to relocate their hilltop outpost peacefully.

Now he needs more time in which to implement it.

"The state filed to the court a request for a final postponement of 45 days from the deadline set by the court, that is to say until February 8, 2017," the justice ministry said in a statement.

It did not say when the court would deliver its response.

The agreement envisions moving 24 of the 40 families to a nearby parcel of land considered to be abandoned.

Another parcel would be reserved for the remaining families.

Amona residents said in a statement that the plan would see a total of 52 homes and public structures erected in the new areas.

But legal issues linked to the two plots could still pose problems.

Rights group Yesh Din said the Palestinian landowner of one of the plots in question was filing an appeal against the plan.

The dispute over whether to demolish the outpost has taken on international importance because of concern over settlement expansion in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967.

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, are seen as illegal under international law, but Israel differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not.

Settlements such as Amona are called outposts -- those that Israel has not approved.
Former city managers face criminal charges in Flint water crisis

US prosecutors filed charges Tuesday against high-ranking officials in the contaminated water probe in the Midwestern city of Flint.

Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose, who were in charge of the Michigan city's finances and management at the time of the water contamination, face three felonies and one misdemeanor count for allegedly borrowing money under false pretences on behalf of Flint and forcing a switch of the city's water source as part of the financing scheme.

The change to a more corrosive water in April 2014, and its inadequate treatment, caused lead to leech out of old water pipes. The toxic metal poisoned thousands of children. Twelve people also died of Legionnaire's disease following the contamination, officials said.

Former emergency manager Darnell Earley faces three felonies and one misdemeanor count after a water crisis in Flint resulted in the lead poisoning of thousands of children, and the death of twelve people from Legionnaire's disease Mark Wilson (Getty/AFP/File)

Earley and Ambrose could face up to 46 years in prison if convicted.

In announcing the charges at a news conference, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said the case was a "great example of money over people."

"All too prevalent and very evident during the course of this investigation has been a fixation on finances and balance sheets," Schuette said. "This fixation came at the expense of protecting the health and safety of the people of Flint."

To underscore the point, Schuette said a $200-a-day chemical treatment solution would have prevented the lead contamination.

Earley and Ambrose were emergency managers, appointed by the state's governor to manage Flint's struggling finances. They are accused of using false pretences to borrow $85 million dollars for a public works project.

As part of that deal, they allegedly pressured city workers to switch Flint's water supply and use the city's water treatment plant to deliver drinking water  even after they were warned that the plant was not ready to do so safely.

Two other former city executives, Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson, were also charged with two felony counts each, for allegedly aiding in the scheme. They ignored warnings and test results suggesting the water would not be safe, according to prosecutors.

As residents in Flint continue to use bottled water or water filters to ensure their drinking water is safe, the latest charges bring to 13 the total number of current and former government officials facing criminal prosecution. One struck a plea deal and agreed to cooperate in the investigation.

The state's attorney general also sued two water engineering companies over the summer, the French firm Veolia and the Texas-based Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, claiming they failed to prevent or properly address the crisis.

The two companies have denied the allegations.

The year-long investigation continues to go up into higher ranks of government, Chief Investigator Andrew Arena said. "We will continue to follow the evidence."

With the emergency managers charged today having been appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, there are mounting questions about whether the governor's office could be ensnared in the investigation.

"This is a broad and comprehensive investigation," Schuette said in response, adding that no one person was a target.
Israel weighs opening its hospitals to Aleppo wounded

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he is looking into bringing wounded civilians from the shattered Syrian city of Aleppo to the Jewish state for treatment.

"I've asked the foreign ministry to seek ways to expand our medical assistance to the civilian casualties of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo," he said at a year-end reception for foreign media.

"We're prepared to take in wounded women and children, and also men if they're not combatants... bring them into Israel, take care of them in our hospitals as we've done with thousands of Syrian civilians," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during his annual end-of-year address to foreign journalists in Jerusalem on December 20, 2016 GIL COHEN-MAGEN (AFP)

"We're looking into the ways of doing this," he added. "It's being explored as we speak."

Israel and its northern neighbour have formally been at war for decades but following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war it has been treating casualties, including wounded fighters.

More than 2,000 Syrians have been treated in Israeli hospitals since 2013, according to the Israeli army.

Syrian government forces last week moved to assert full control over east Aleppo, which had been held by opposition fighters since 2012.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of city since the operation began, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The World Health Organization said the Aleppo evacuees included about 300 people needing medical treatment, among them dozens of children.

"The huge majority of these patients have trauma injuries," spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said, adding that 93 people in critical condition had been referred to hospitals in Turkey.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has the support of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement and, since last year, the Russian air force.

Hezbollah, which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006, has sent thousands of its fighters to support Syrian government troops.

More than 310,000 people have been killed since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, and over half the population has been displaced, with millions becoming refugees.

The Jewish state has sought to limit its involvement in the conflict, but has carried out sporadic sorties against Hezbollah inside Syria.

Israel says it reserves the right to stop the group acquiring sophisticated weapons from Syria and Iran and threatening Israel from both its Lebanese base and positions in Syria.

"We dont let the Syrian war or aggression from Syria spill over into our territory," Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
US military formally ends anti-IS operation in Libya's Sirte

The US military has officially ended operations in a former Islamic State bastion in Libya, officials announced Tuesday.

The Pentagon had launched Operation Odyssey Lightning to help local forces push the jihadists from the coastal city of Sirte on August 1.

"In partnership with the Libyan Government of National Accord, the operation succeeded in its core objective of enabling GNA-aligned forces to drive Daesh (IS) out of Sirte," the US military's Africa Command said in a statement.

The US military formally ended operations in Sirte, where they partnered with forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (pictured) against IS jihadists Mahmud Turkia (AFP/File)

US drones, gunships and warplanes had hammered IS positions, conducting a total of 495 strikes.

"We are proud to have supported this campaign to eliminate ISIL's hold over the only city it has controlled outside Iraq and Syria," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters, using an IS acronym.

Officials said the United States would continue to strike IS jihadists if the Libyan unity government asked for help in doing so.

Unity government leader Fayez al-Sarraj on Saturday announced that military operations in Sirte were done, but IS still has fighters in Libya and on Sunday conducted a suicide attack in Benghazi.

The fall of Sirte -- Kadhafi's home town located 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Tripoli -- is a major setback for IS, which has also faced military defeats in Syria and Iraq.
Obama moves to tie Trump's hands on Arctic, Atlantic drilling

The White House blocked new leases for oil and gas drilling in sections of the Arctic and Atlantic Tuesday, a high-stakes bid to forestall exploration and tie Donald Trump's hands.

With Trump is bringing a strident pro-oil stance to the White House, the outgoing administration has launched a rearguard action.

President Barack Obama announced he was placing swaths of the Arctic and Atlantic "indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing."

Obama's environment agenda is likely to come under sustained assault from the Trump administration MANDEL NGAN (AFP/File)

The protection covers an area of the Arctic roughly the size of Spain or Thailand and 31 sea canyons in the Atlantic.

A senior administration official said that there was a "strong legal basis" for the move, and suggested Trump could not revoke the decision without an act of Congress.

The action, based on a law from the 1950s, was taken in tandem with the Canadian government and introduces an additional headache should Trump try to row it back.

Obama said in a statement that the measures would "protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem."

He also warned that the risk of oil spills "are significant," and the ability "to clean up from a spill in the regions harsh conditions is limited."

- Deepwater Horizon's shadow -

The Hawaii-born president's second year in office was dominated by the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which poured millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

The spill could not be stopped for 87 days, devastating wildlife and fishing-dependent communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama.

The American Petroleum Institute, an industry lobby group, warned that Obama's decision "blocking offshore exploration would weaken our national security, destroy good-paying jobs, and could make energy less affordable for consumers."

The Sierra Club, an environmental lobby group, welcomed the move as a step toward "protecting our beaches, the climate, and coastal economies."

Obama's eight years in office have resulted in a tidal wave of new environmental legislation, protecting marine ecosystems, curbing carbon emissions and boosting renewable energy.

Obama rushed through ratification of the Paris Climate Accord in record time to make sure that it could not be shelved by the incoming administration.

Many rules have been finalized, making them difficult to roll back. States like California have also introduced their own climate-friendly legislation.

But Obama's agenda is likely to come under sustained assault from the Trump administration.

The business tycoon-turned-commander-in-chief has named Exxon boss Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state and Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Administration officials fear that while Trump cannot scrap the Paris deal, it could fatally undermine it.

Many of the US commitments to reduce carbon emissions are in the Clean Power Act, which Obama unveiled in 2015. The Act limits the amount of carbon pollution power plants can emit.

Obama described the legislation at the time as "the single most important step that America has ever made in the fight against global climate change."

The measures however have come under fierce legal challenge, including from Pruitt in his role as attorney general of Oklahoma, an oil state.

Sources familiar with Trump's transition planning say the new administration is weighing options like simply shutting down the government's legal defense of the act, or scrapping plans to appeal a Supreme Court ruling that froze portions of the program.

In practical terms that would mean abandoning the plan and reneging on international commitments.

According to a recent Pew poll 48 percent of Americans believe climate change is caused by humans.

Trump once wrote that global warming was a Chinese conspiracy to weaken the United States.

"The concept of global warming" was "created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive," Trump wrote on Twitter in 2012.
World Bank approves $1.5 bn in aid for war-torn Iraq

The World Bank on Tuesday announced an additional $1.5 billion aid package for Iraq, to help the war-torn country implement reforms, improve public services and boost its economy.

The package includes loan guarantees from the UK for about $372 million, and from Canada for about $72 million.

"Despite an ongoing war and low oil prices, Iraq is undertaking bold transformational reforms that will safeguard economic stability and lay the foundations for longer term private sector development and inclusive growth for all Iraqis," said Ferid Belhaj, World Bank director for the Middle East.

The World Bank announced an additional $1.5 billion aid package for Iraq to help the country implement reforms, improve public services and boost its economy Sabah Arar (AFP/File)

The reforms also will help to expand social safety nets "to reach the most vulnerable segments of the population," he said in a statement.

The bank also approved $41.5 million for a program to improve management of the country's public funds.
Invoking Syria, policeman kills Russian ambassador to Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russia's ambassador to Turkey on Monday in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit and then, pacing near the body of his victim, appeared to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"

The leaders of Turkey and Russia said the attack in Ankara, the Turkish capital, was an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as the gunman, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around Ambassador Andrei Karlov as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

An unnamed gunman shouts after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. A Russian official says that the country's ambassador to Turkey has died after being shot by a gunman in Ankara. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

The assailant, who was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old member of Ankara's riot police squad, was later killed in a shootout with police. Three other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.

The assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Russia's support for President Bashar Assad in the Syrian conflict and Russia's role in the bombardment and destruction of Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

The gunman shouted about Aleppo in Turkish, and also yelled "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great," continuing in Arabic: "We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad."

The attack, condemned by the White House and the United Nations, was another sign of how Turkey, a NATO member and a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State group, is struggling to contain multiple security threats. The war in Syria has been a major problem for years, sending several million refugees into Turkey and, more recently, drawing in Turkish troops.

Turkey has become accustomed to deadly attacks  Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for Dec. 10 bombings in Istanbul that killed 44 people, many of them police.

The spectacle of 62-year-old Karlov's assassination by a member of the Turkish security forces at a photography exhibit meant to highlight Russian culture reinforced the sense of unease over the region's conflict and complex web of alliances and relationships.

It came a day before a key meeting about Syria to be held in Moscow. Those attending include the foreign and defense ministers from Turkey, an opponent of Assad, and Russia and Iran, backers of the Syrian regime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the killing of Karlov as an attempt to damage Russia-Turkey ties "and to thwart a peace process in Syria which Russia, Turkey and Iran have been actively trying to promote."

Putin said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in a phone call that Russian investigators would fly to Ankara to conduct a joint probe with their Turkish counterparts.

"We must know who was directing the killer," Putin said in televised remarks. He ordered top officials to strengthen protection of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow and asked Turkey to increase security at the Russian mission in Ankara.

In a video message shown on several Turkish TV channels, Erdogan said: "This is a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation."

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in Ankara when he was gunned down.

Altintas, the gunman, also fired shots in the air, sending panicked audience members running for cover, and smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition. The floor was splattered with blood, and the ambassador's eye glasses lay a few feet from his body.

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman got into a 15-minute shootout with police before he was killed, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The shooter's family home in the western province of Aydin was later searched and his mother, father and sister were detained, the news agency said, without citing sources. The man's house in Ankara was raided and his roommate, also a police officer, was also taken into custody, it said.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Altintas, who was born in 1994, had been an officer with Ankara's riot police squad for more than two years. He did not give a motive for the attack.

"It's a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Ambassador Karlov has made a lot of personal contributions to the development of ties with Turkey. He has done a lot to overcome a crisis in bilateral relations," she said. "He was a man who put his heart and his soul into his job. It's a terrible loss for us and also the world."

Karlov joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang from 2001-2006, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministry's consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

The White House condemned the assassination, saying "this heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable," President Barack Obama was briefed by his national security team while on vacation in Hawaii

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned what he called a "senseless act of terror," for which "there can be no justification."

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November 2015, but Turkey's apology earlier this year helped overcome the rift. Putin and Erdogan have held several meetings in recent months and spoken frequently over the phone.

Russia and Turkey have co-sponsored the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo and also discussed the prospect of organizing a new round of peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Security threats to Turkey include the Islamic State group, and which has been blamed for attacks in Turkey. Additionally, Turkish security forces and courts remain preoccupied with purging state institutions of the supporters of an exiled Islamist cleric whom the government accuses of staging a failed coup attempt in July.

___

Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report.

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. A Russian official says that the country's ambassador to Turkey has died after being shot by a gunman in Ankara. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. A gunman opened fire on Russia's ambassador to Turkey at a photo exhibition on Monday. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said he was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said he was hospitalized with a gunshot wound. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, speaks at a photo exhibition in Ankara on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, moments before a gunman opened fire on him. Karlov was rushed to a hospital after the attack and later died from his gunshot wounds. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

People crouch in a corner after Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, was shot at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Karlov, 62, was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photo exhibition when a man fired a gun at him. Karlov was rushed to a hospital after the attack and later died from his gunshot wounds. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, on the ground after being shot at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. A gunman in a suit and tie shouted slogans about Syria's civil war after he killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in the Turkish capital on Monday, according to an Associated Press photographer who witnessed the shooting. Police later killed the assailant, Turkish station NTV reported. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Spectators are evacuated after a gunman shot the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. A gunman in a suit and tie shouted slogans about Syria's civil war after he killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in the Turkish capital on Monday, according to an Associated Press photographer who witnessed the shooting. Police later killed the assailant, Turkish station NTV reported. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkish police officers cordon off the area close to a photo gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot and killed by a gunman in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo)
FBI sought evidence of intrusions in Hillary Clinton emails

NEW YORK (AP)  The FBI was trying to get a look at thousands of Hillary Clinton's emails on disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner's computer partly to see if anyone had hacked in to steal classified information, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

Investigating possible hacking appeared to be a secondary rationale for the email search, which FBI Director James Comey launched in the waning days of the presidential election.

When the FBI asked a magistrate judge in New York to issue a search warrant for Weiner's computer on Oct. 30, an agent spent pages describing concerns it might contain evidence Clinton had mishandled classified information.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, file photo, Hillary Clinton addresses the Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds celebration at the Newseum in Washington. A federal court in New York is scheduled to release redacted copies Tuesday, Dec. 20, of the search warrant that allowed the FBI to dig into a trove of Clinton emails days before the presidential election. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

The warrant application, made public Tuesday, was filed two days after Comey informed Congress investigators had discovered email correspondence that could be pertinent to his recently closed probe of Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

In the document, the agent wrote that thousands of emails between Clinton and top aide Huma Abedin had been discovered on a laptop used by Weiner, Abedin's estranged husband.

At the time, investigators had yet to look at the content of those emails, but based on previous work in the case the agent wrote they had reason to suspect they might contain classified material, possibly including top-secret information that could cause "grave damage to national security" if disclosed.

"A complete forensic analysis and review," the agent added, "will also allow the FBI to determine if there is any evidence of computer intrusions into the subject laptop, and to determine if classified information was accessed by unauthorized users or transferred to any other unauthorized systems."

A magistrate judge signed off on the search warrant that day.

The FBI hasn't publicly revealed whether it found any evidence of a hacking attempt.

During the presidential campaign, hackers accessed the email accounts of Democratic Party officials and Clinton's campaign chief, John Podesta, and leaked them to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

U.S. intelligence officials have linked the hacking to Russia's intelligence agency and its military intelligence division, although Moscow has denied those accusations.

After getting court consent to delve into the newly discovered emails on Weiner's computer, agents spent several days analyzing them before Comey announced they contained no new evidence of wrongdoing by Clinton.

The surprise restart of the email probe, however, upended the presidential race just days before the election. Clinton supporters have blamed the investigation for her loss to Republican Donald Trump.

Weiner's laptop was initially seized by agents investigating his online relationship with a teenage girl in North Carolina. That inquiry is ongoing.

Los Angeles lawyer E. Randol Schoenberg, who had sued to obtain the court papers, said in a statement he saw "nothing at all in the search warrant application that would give rise to probable cause, nothing that would make anyone suspect that there was anything on the laptop beyond what the FBI had already searched and determined not to be evidence of a crime, nothing to suggest that there would be anything other than routine correspondence between Secretary Clinton and her longtime aide Huma Abedin."

U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled Monday the public had a right to see the search warrant application and supporting paperwork. He ordered the redaction of sections of the paperwork related to the investigation into Weiner's online correspondence.

Weiner, who resigned from congress in 2011 after revelations he was sending sexually explicit messages to multiple women, has acknowledged he corresponded with the teenage girl and has apologized for his "terrible judgment."

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2013 file photo, Democratic mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner makes his concession speech at Connolly's Pub in midtown in New York. A federal court in New York is scheduled to release redacted copies Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, of the search warrant and other documents that gave the FBI new license to dig into a trove of Hillary Clinton emails days before the presidential election. The emails were found on a computer belonging to former U.S. Rep. Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, as part of an investigation into an online relationship between the disgraced New York congressman and a teenage girl in North Carolina. (AP Photo/Jin Lee, File)
Emergency managers charged over Flint's lead-tainted water

FLINT, Mich. (AP)  A criminal investigation of Flint's lead-contaminated water turned to former key officials at City Hall on Tuesday as Michigan's attorney general announced charges against four people accused of keeping residents on a contaminated system that caused the crisis.

Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose separately were state-appointed emergency managers in Flint in 2014-15 when the city was using the Flint River as a source of drinking water. Ambrose also served earlier as a financial adviser to the troubled town.

They were charged with four crimes, including conspiracy and misconduct in office. Howard Croft, Flint's former public works director, and Daugherty Johnson, the former utilities director, were charged with conspiracy and false pretenses.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette addresses a news conference, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, in Flint, Mich., where he charged two former State of Michigan Emergency Managers, Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose, with multiple 20-year felonies for their failure to protect the citizens of Flint from health hazards cased by contaminated drinking water. Schuette also charged Earley, Ambrose and Flint city employees Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson with felony counts of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses in the issuance of bonds to pay for a portion of the water project that led to the crisis. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Attorney General Bill Schuette said Earley and Ambrose committed Flint to $85 million in bonds to join a new regional water pipeline to Lake Huron while at the same time using a city water plant that was not equipped to properly treat the river water before it went to roughly 100,000 residents.

They claimed that debt-burdened Flint needed to sell bonds to clean up a lagoon, Schuette said, but the money went as the city's share to Karegnondi Water Authority to build the pipeline, which still is under construction.

"This case is a classic bait-and-switch. ... The lime sludge lagoon was not an emergency," said special prosecutor Todd Flood.

During a news conference, there was no allegation by Schuette that Earley and Ambrose personally gained from the bond deal or by keeping the Flint River as the source of water for Flint while the pipeline was being constructed.

Flint's water system became contaminated with lead because water from the river wasn't treated for corrosion for 18 months, from April 2014 to October 2015. The water ate away at a protective coating inside old pipes and fixtures, releasing lead.

Schuette said the investigation has revealed a "fixation on finances and balance sheets" in Flint during that period.

"This fixation has cost lives," he said, noting that 12 people died from Legionnaires' disease, which has been linked by experts to the river water. "This fixation came at the expense of protecting the health and safety of Flint. It's all about numbers over people, money over health."

Earley did not appear in court and couldn't be reached for comment. Not-guilty pleas were entered for Ambrose, Croft and Johnson.

"We're going to stand by that," said Johnson's attorney, Edwar Zeineh.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero released a statement, defending Ambrose as a "man of the highest character who would never knowingly endanger the public health."

But Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said the charges highlighted the problem of having state-appointed emergency managers with sweeping powers.

"Our voice was taken," she said.

The latest charges bring to 13 the number of people who have been charged in the investigation of Flint water and the Legionnaires' outbreak. The other nine are eight current or former state employees and a water plant employee.

Perhaps the most significant catch so far: Corrine Miller, Michigan's former director of disease control, pleaded no contest to willful neglect of duty in September. She said she was aware of dozens of cases of Legionnaires' in the Flint area around the same time the city changed its water source, but she didn't report it to the general public.

"The investigation has continued to go up and go out. ... We are not at the end," said former FBI agent Andy Arena, the lead investigator.

Meanwhile, tests show Flint's water quality is improving, although residents are urged to drink tap water only if it's first run through a filter.

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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap

Flint, Mich., Mayor Karen Weaver listens as Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette addresses a news conference, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016 in Flint, Mich., where he charged two former State of Michigan Emergency Managers, Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose, with multiple 20-year felonies for their failure to protect the citizens of Flint from health hazards cased by contaminated drinking water. Schuette also charged Earley, Ambrose and Flint city employees Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson with felony counts of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses in the issuance of bonds to pay for a portion of the water project that led to the crisis. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Belgian police detain one, seize weapons in Brussels raid

BRUSSELS (AP)  Belgian authorities say they have detained one person and seized weapons and computer materials in a raid in Brussels.

The Brussels prosecutor's office said Tuesday that the search "was aimed at a person suspected of being in possession of arms and explosives and who was thought to have made threats of a terrorist nature."

The raid was launched Monday in the Schaerbeek neighborhood of the Belgian capital. An explosives team was called into to handle a suspect package, but no explosives were found.

Police search an area in the Schaerbeek neighborhood in Brussels on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

The person, identified only as A.B. and who is known to police, is due to face a judge Tuesday.

Belgian police and the military have been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people at Brussels airport and on the city's subway in March.

Police search an area in the Schaerbeek neighborhood in Brussels on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Police search an area in the Schaerbeek neighborhood in Brussels on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Romania's new parliament sits amid concerns about corruption

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Romania's new Parliament has sat for the first time since elections amid concerns that the country's vaunted anti-corruption fight may weaken under a new government.

The left-leaning Social Democrats easily won the Dec. 11 parliamentary elections, but did not secure a majority. Party leader Liviu Dragnea is banned from being prime minister because he has a conviction for electoral fraud.

The Social Democrats say they will form a coalition government with a minority partner. Dragnea said Tuesday Parliament would likely invest a new government next week.

Anti-corruption site Clean Romania reported that 172 of the 465 lawmakers have integrity problems, ranging from convictions and graft probes to conflict of interests.
Strike over pay stops flights of Nigeria's biggest airline

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP)  Workers unpaid since September by Nigeria's biggest airline went on strike Tuesday, stranding thousands of passengers before a deal with labor unions was announced.

Arik Air operations stopped before dawn, Ahmed Roland Maikudi, vice president of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, told The Associated Press.

"We Say No To Slavery!" said placards waved by chanting workers who picketed the airline's padlocked headquarters at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub. Arik Air said strikers blocked officials from entering the empty domestic and international terminals.

Staff and union members of Arik Air protest over unpaid salaries in Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Workers unpaid for months by Nigeria's biggest airline went on strike Tuesday, halting flights and stranding thousands of passengers days before Christmas. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Arik, which flies more than 100 domestic and international flights daily, accused labor organizations of using "strong-arm tactics" in trying to unionize its work force, according to a statement from spokesman Ola Adebanji.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority called a meeting where Arik agreed to pay October and November salaries before Dec. 31, according to a communique from the authority signed by Arik and four unions.

It was not immediately clear when flights would resume.

Maikudi said dozens of pilots and engineers already have left Arik for jobs abroad.

The airline has been struggling for months with delayed and cancelled flights usually blamed on aviation fuel shortages. A Dec. 17 statement says the airline has been able to procure only about 200,000 of the 500,000 liters of fuel needed daily.

Two other Nigerian airlines suspended operations weeks ago, and two international carriers recently stopped flying to the country. Other international airlines have taken to refueling in neighboring Ghana, losing Nigeria its spot as the leading airline hub in West Africa.

Africa's largest economy, and the continent's second-biggest oil producer, is struggling in a recession caused by low oil prices and a massive shortage of foreign currency.

Stranded passengers stand at the closed Arik Air check-in counter following a protest over unpaid salaries by staff in Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Workers unpaid for months by Nigeria's biggest airline went on strike Tuesday, halting flights and stranding thousands of passengers days before Christmas. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

A police officer stand guards at the entrance of Arik Air's office during a protest by union and staff in Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Workers unpaid for months by Nigeria's biggest airline went on strike Tuesday, halting flights and stranding thousands of passengers days before Christmas. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Staff and union members of Arik Air protest over unpaid salaries in Lagos, Nigeria, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Workers unpaid for months by Nigeria's biggest airline went on strike Tuesday, halting flights and stranding thousands of passengers days before Christmas. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Iran will reduce its heavy water exports

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's atomic agency says it will begin exporting less heavy water because of an oversupply in the international market.

State TV quotes agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying on Tuesday that Iran will export some 20 tons of the material annually from now on.

That's much less that the 70 tons of heavy water that the country exported to the United States, Russia and Oman since last year's nuclear agreement went into effect in January.
Turkey's coast guard: 5 migrants found dead, 9 rescued

ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkey's coast guard says it has retrieved the bodies of five migrants, including a child, off the Turkish coast.

The Turkish Coast Guard says in a statement it responded to an accident report early Tuesday near the Ayvalik district in western Turkey and recovered a half-sunk boat carrying migrants. It says seven adults and one child were saved from the sea and one person was rescued from an island. A photo of the operation shows a man being pulled out of the water in the dark.
Swiss man tied to Malay 1MBD scandal freed from Thai prison

BANGKOK (AP)  A Swiss man convicted of blackmail linked to a Malaysian financial scandal was freed Tuesday after serving over a year in a Thai prison.

Xavier Justo was one of around 30,000 inmates released early under a pardon by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradevarangkun to mark his ascension to the throne on Dec. 1. Justo's lawyer said his client will be deported to Switzerland.

Justo was convicted in August 2015 of blackmailing his former employer, a Saudi oil exploration company, by threatening to sell to the media documents related to the company's dealings with Malaysia's 1MDB state development fund unless the company paid him $2.47 million.

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2015 file photo, Swiss national Xavier Justo, left, is escorted by Thai Corrections officers as he leaves the Bangkok South Criminal Court in Bangkok, Thailand. Justo, who was convicted of blackmail linked to a Malaysian development fund scandal, has been freed after serving over a year in a Thai prison. Justo was one of around 30,000 inmates released early under a pardon by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradevarangkun to mark his ascension to the throne on Dec. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit,File)

The 1MDB fund has been the focus of investigations in the U.S., Switzerland, Singapore, and other countries over allegations of a global embezzlement and money-laundering scheme.

The U.S. Justice Department says people close to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stole at least $3.5 billion from 1MDB, which was meant to promote economic development projects. The department acted in July to seize $1.3 billion it says was diverted from the fund to buy assets in the U.S. Najib has stymied government investigations into the fund, denies any wrongdoing and rejects calls for his resignation.

Thai police had said Justo confessed to handing over documents to Sarawak Report, a London-based news website opposing the Malaysian government. He was originally set to be jailed for six years, then his sentence was halved for pleading guilty and commuted further for good behavior. Stories in Sarawak Report and The Wall Street Journal first revealed the fund's problems.
Wisconsin's Walker asks Trump for more control over refugees

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker asked President-elect Donald Trump in a letter delivered Tuesday to give his state more authority in determining how many refugees can come from countries with ties to terrorism.

Walker also asked for help to allow the state to proceed with drug testing for some food stamp recipients and legalize the hunting of gray wolves.

The requests are among several that Walker, a Republican who challenged Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, makes in the letter. Walker offered few details on what he wanted Trump to do. It also wasn't immediately clear how quickly Trump could move to address his concerns given that some of what Walker wants has been blocked in court or would require law changes.

Walker is drawing attention to issues that play well with conservatives and on which he and President Barack Obama's administration disagree. Walker told The Associated Press that he was "very optimistic" Trump would act quickly on his requests after taking office next month.

Trump's spokesman did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, urged Trump to work with the governor on what he called "common sense reforms to increase flexibility and return authority to Wisconsin."

On the refugee issue, Walker said governors and states should "have a broader role in determining how many refugees and from which countries" are admitted "until we are comfortable with the vetting process that is being utilized to screen these individuals."

"We have no idea how many people may have ties to the Islamic State or to other forms of radical Islamic terrorism or jihadist groups, and I think it's a legitimate public safety concern," Walker said in the interview.

Wisconsin has been accepting refugee resettlements since 1974. Since 2000, more than 16,000 refugees have been resettled in the state from 50 different countries, according to the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

One of the leading refugee resettlement agencies operating in the state is Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. It plans to relocate 510 refugees in the state next year, said Mary Flynn, the group's refugee resettlement manager.

Flynn said she is confident in the security screening process that's already in place.

"I also see details in my daily work that I know these security screenings are ongoing and continuous until the person arrives in the United States," she said. And in some cases the monitoring continues after the person is relocated, Flynn said.

Flynn said she wanted to review Walker's letter to Trump before commenting on it in detail.

Walker is also hoping a Trump administration will be more open to drug testing for childless adults who receive food stamps.

Walker sued Obama's administration to permit such drug testing after the Agriculture Department said federal law prohibits such screening. There's also been a Republican push in Congress to allow for it.

Walker also wants to charge higher premiums for childless adults earning less than the federal poverty level of $11,880 a year if they "purposefully increase their health risks," without saying what that means.

The hunting of gray wolves in Wisconsin is a hot issue, particularly in more rural northern parts of the state. Wolf hunting is not allowed in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota under a 2014 federal judge's ruling that threw out an Obama administration decision to remove gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the endangered species list.

Animal protection groups contend wolves must remain protected, but advocates for hunting them say they are increasing in number, becoming more aggressive and are moving south. Walker argues in the letter that Wisconsin successfully managed the wolf population prior to the court ruling and should be allowed to do so again.

Walker said he has spoken several times with Vice President-elect Mike Pence about these requests. Walker has a close relationship with Pence, the governor of Indiana and helped him prepare for his vice presidential debate earlier this year.

Pence was among dozens of governors from mostly GOP states who attempted to block Syrian refugees following the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, saying there were questions about the federal government's refugee screening process. A federal appeals court blocked Pence's attempt to prevent social service agencies from helping resettle immigrants from certain countries in Indiana. A three-judge panel in October called it "nightmare speculation" that refugees might commit acts of terror.

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AP writer Rick Callahan in Indianapolis contributed to this story.

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Afghan official says foreign national abducted in the north

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A foreign national was abducted by gunmen in northern Kunduz province in an attack on a Red Cross convoy, an Afghan official said Tuesday.

Spain's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the abductee is a Spanish citizen.

Mahmood Danish, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Tuesday that armed men stopped a convoy of vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday and snatched the only foreigner, leaving the Afghans behind.

No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the abduction. ICRC's spokesman in Kabul, Ahmad Ramin Ayaz, confirmed the abduction without providing further details.

Ayaz says the ICRC staffers were traveling in two vehicles from northern Balkh province toward Kunduz province when the attack happened.

The Spanish statement quoted Monica Zanarelli, who heads the Red Cross delegation in Afghanistan, as saying the organization was in contact with different authorities in a bid to have their staffer freed.
Utah sisters accused of laundering $1M in Mexican drug money

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Federal agents have arrested two Utah sisters accused of using their money order businesses in the Salt Lake City area to launder an estimated $1 million for Mexican drug traffickers.

The Deseret News reports (http://tinyurl.com/zb9zat8) 41-year-old Rosa Rodriguez and 35-year-old Yadira Rodriguez allegedly concealed the trafficker's identities by falsifying information on the transfers.

A federal indictment released after their arrests last week accuses them of using fictitious names on money transfers at their Happy Travel outlets in Salt Lake City and West Valley City.

No other details have been released.

It wasn't immediately clear if the sisters have hired attorneys or will be appointed federal public defenders.

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Iowa cabinet maker taking 800 employees on Caribbean cruise

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP)  A Waterloo cabinet manufacturer is taking its more than 800 employees on a company-paid Caribbean cruise to celebrate achieving key goals as it recovers from the recession.

Bertch Cabinet manufacturing co-founder Gary Bertch told his employees last week that the company had met its goals for the year  and they would go on a week-long cruise. Employees depart on Jan. 8, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (http://bit.ly/2hize3j ) reported.

The company, founded in 1977, once employed more than 1,000 people. Employment dropped to about 600 people in 2011, but the company has since added about 240 workers, Bertch said.

Joe Battles installs drawers in a cabinet at Bertch Cabinet in Waterloo, Iowa, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. (Brandon Pollock/Waterloo Courier via AP)

"We finally got into the black again last year after we made it through the recession," Bertch said.

He challenged employees a year ago to meet certain goals and offered the cruise as an incentive. Cruises had been reward to employees since 1989, but that hadn't happened since 2005 because of the recession. Bertch noted the recovery has been "very slow" in his industry.

"We were anticipating we'd have better sales again this year," Bertch said. "We just tried to get all of our people pumped up a little more to achieve the various goals, both customer-oriented goals and financial goals."

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Officers broke rules handcuffing elementary students

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP)  Six of the 10 officers involved in arresting elementary students at a school in Tennessee violated their department's policies, an internal police investigation determined.

Murfreesboro Police Chief Karl Durr said the case prompted police to respond to the community's concerns with reforms, including giving officers the option to handle juvenile offenders informally, through their parents. The department also is developing a new policy for issuing citations to juveniles instead of the court-mandated practice of arresting all of them, he said.

Murfreesboro police arrested four children at Hobgood Elementary School and took them away  two in handcuffs  to a juvenile detention center in April, accusing them of being involved in some off-campus bullying weeks before. One handcuffed girl was arrested falsely, because no one double-checked her name against the juvenile delinquency petitions obtained by the school's assigned officer.

An internal investigation report showed Maj. Clyde Adkison, Sgt. Greg Walker, School Safety and Education Officer Crystal Templeton, Officer Mark Todd, Sgt. Scott Newberg and Lt. Steve Teeters were cited for violations, The Daily News Journal (http://on.dnj.com/2hn7WZC) reported.

Adkison was cited for "unsatisfactory job performance for failing to properly supervise this event," according to the report.

Investigators found Templeton violated department policy under "unsatisfactory job performance, incompetence" because she "did not conduct a systematic and thorough investigation of the underlying incident."

Walker, Newberg and Teeters were all found to have "failed to supervise" either Templeton directly or the situation in general, and Todd was cited for misusing sick leave; he called in sick the day of the arrests saying "the stress from what was going to happen made him feel like he was having a heart attack."

The report found that most issues leading to the arrests stemmed from a failure to communicate between everyone involved. The chief said the schools and police have since established a formal communication process.

Murfreesboro police spokesman Sgt. Kyle Evans said the cited officers can dispute the findings before any disciplinary action.

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Testing stem cells in tiniest hearts to fight birth defect

BALTIMORE (AP)  The 4-month-old on the operating table has a shocking birth defect, nearly half his heart too small or even missing. To save him, surgeons will have to totally reroute how his blood flows, a drastic treatment that doesn't always work.

So this time they are going a step further. In a bold experiment, doctors injected donated stem cells directly into the healthy side of Josue Salinas Salgado's little heart, aiming to boost its pumping power as it compensates for what's missing.

It's one of the first attempts in the U.S. to test if stem cells that seem to help heart attack survivors repair cardiac muscle might help these tiniest heart patients, too.

In this Nov. 28, 2016 photo, Dr. Si Pham, left, injects stem cells into Josue Salinas Salgado alongside Dr. Sunjay Kaushal, center, during open heart surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

"We think the young heart is able to be more responsive," said Dr. Sunjay Kaushal, chief of pediatric cardiac surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center, who is leading the study in partnership with University of Miami researchers.

Kaushal bent over the baby's right ventricle, the part of the heart that will take over for the abnormal left side. The surgeon had repaired as much as possible for now. Next he measured where to place eight shots of precious stem cells.

Then the bustling operating room went silent as Kaushal helped fellow surgeon Dr. Si M. Pham guide tiny needles into the ventricle's muscle.

"We're not saying we're going to cure it," Kaushal said of the birth defect, called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. But, "my whole quest is to see if we can make these little kids do better."

Josue's parents knew there was no guarantee the experimental injections would make a difference. But their son had been hospitalized since birth and needed open-heart surgery anyway for a chance to go home. Teary-eyed, they clasped hands and prayed over Josue's crib moments before nurses wheeled him to the operating room.

"We are marching ahead with God," said Josue's father, Hidelberto Salinas Ramos, speaking in Spanish through a hospital interpreter.

_____

Nearly 1,000 babies are born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome in the U.S. each year. It's the most complex cardiac birth defect.

Josue is missing his left ventricle, the main pumping chamber that pushes oxygen-rich blood to the body. Other key structures on his heart's left side are too small or malformed to work.

Always lethal until a few decades ago, this defect now is treated with three open-heart surgeries performed between birth and age 3. Doctors route blood around the abnormal left heart and they convert the right ventricle  which normally would shuttle oxygen-poor blood to the lungs  into the main pumping chamber.

Today, about 65 percent survive at least five years, and many reach adulthood, said Dr. Kristin Burns, a pediatric cardiologist at the National Institutes of Health.

But too many children still die or require a heart transplant because the right ventricle wears out under its increased workload.

That's why doctors are conducting this early-stage study of whether stems cells might help that ventricle work better.

"This is very different than a surgical approach or giving a medicine just to treat the symptoms. This is trying to treat the underlying problem," said Burns, of NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

_____

"I know you're really nervous," Kaushal told Josue's father, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine."

Just 4 months old, Josue was undergoing his second open-heart surgery. The first operation, a day after his birth, was a temporary fix to keep his heart pumping and create an aorta, the main artery leading to the body, big enough for blood to flow. While he babbled happily at his family and nurses, Josue never got strong enough to be discharged to his Edgewater, Maryland, home. This time, Kaushal would take pressure off Josue's right ventricle  and inject those stem cells.

Even in adults, stem cell regeneration is highly experimental. But small studies involving heart attack survivors and older adults with heart failure have found what Dr. Denis Buxton, a stem cell specialist at NIH's heart institute, calls a modest benefit in how well their hearts pump blood.

For testing in babies, Kaushal turned to Dr. Joshua Hare at the University of Miami's Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, who researches a specific type of stem cell donated from the bone marrow of healthy adults. Hare's institute freezes these so-called mesenchymal stem cells, which have a long safety record in adult studies, and is providing them free for the baby study.

Initially, Kaushal's team tested piglets, whose hearts are similar to humans. When the right ventricle was damaged, they found stem cell injections preserved the piglets' heart tissue. Apparently the cells spurred some of the heart's existing repair mechanisms.

Back in the Baltimore operating room, University of Miami researchers helped Kaushal's nurses thaw the frozen stem cells and prepare injections. A few feet away, Kaushal was moving a large vein so it will drain deoxygenated blood from the top of Josue's body straight to his lungs without having to enter that overworked right ventricle. (When he's 3, Josue will need a final operation to similarly reroute blood returning from his lower body.)

Then, just before his chest was stitched back up, Josue became the second baby with this defect to receive the experimental bone marrow stem cells.

It's an early-stage study that will compare 30 babies, half given stem cells, to see if the strategy is safe and shows any difference over surgery alone. If so, it could open stem cell research for other pediatric heart problems.

Other types of stem cells also are being explored for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Mayo Clinic researchers have tested stem cells taken from affected babies' umbilical cord blood. Kaushal also plans to try stem cells from affected newborns' own heart tissue, something researchers in Japan are pursuing.

It will take several years to know if stem cell experiments work. But, like many babies after their second surgery for the heart defect, Josue bounced back  and a week later, finally got to go home.

In this Nov. 28, 2016 photo, Hidelberto Salinas Ramos, left, says goodbye to his son, Josue Salinas Salgado, before he is wheeled into open heart surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

In this Nov. 28, 2016 photo, Dr. Sunjay Kaushal, left, performs open heart surgery on Josue Salinas Salgado at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

In this Nov. 28, 2016 photo, Dr. Sunjay Kaushal, right, performs open heart surgery on Josue Salinas Salgado at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

In this Nov. 28, 2016 photo, a researcher inserts stem cells into a syringe before doctors inject them into Josue Salinas Salgado's heart during open heart surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

In this Nov. 28, 2016 photo, Dr. Si Pham, bottom left, injects stem cells into Josue Salinas Salgado during open heart surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Lawyers for Donald Trump and former students of his now-defunct Trump University filed an agreement in court to settle lawsuits alleging that the president-elect defrauded them, signaling that a deal announced last month remains on track for a judge's approval next year.

Trump agreed last month to pay $25 million to settle two class-action lawsuits in San Diego and one by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Under the terms, the president-elect admits no wrongdoing.

President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit against his Trump University series of real estate seminars

Trump will admit no wrongdoing related to Trump University, launched in 2005

The filing late Monday puts a formal agreement in front of U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel to determine if it is 'fair, reasonable and adequate' under federal law.

When announcing the terms in his courtroom on Nov. 18, Curiel called it 'the beginning of a healing process that this country sorely needs.'

Curiel's preliminary approval would trigger additional procedural steps  such as formally notifying class members and giving them an opportunity to object  and set the stage for final approval next year.

About 7,000 students who paid up to $35,000 a year are expected to be eligible for refunds of at least half of what they paid to attend seminars that promised to share Trump's real estate secrets.

Plaintiff attorneys agreed to waive their fees.

The lawsuits alleged that Trump University gave nationwide seminars that were like infomercials, constantly pressuring people to spend more and, in the end, failing to deliver on its promises.

Judge Gonzalo Curiel

A San Diego trial that had been scheduled to begin Nov. 28 would have been pinned on whether jurors believed Trump misled customers by calling the business a university when it wasn't an accredited school and by advertising that he hand-picked instructors.

Trump has strongly denied the allegations and said during the campaign that he would come to San Diego to testify after winning the presidency.

Last month, Trump said he settled 'for a small fraction of the potential award' because he needed to focus on the country.
It's a tough time in Oklahoma, except for Scott Pruitt

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  The last few years have been grindingly tough for state government in Oklahoma as plunging oil prices decimated tax revenues, forcing agencies to lay off employees, shutter offices and scale back services.

But you wouldn't know that by looking at the office of Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to become director of the Environmental Protection Agency. While living in the same harsh fiscal climate and preaching small-government conservatism, Pruitt has managed to increase his office's expenses by 40 percent and add nearly 60 employees since taking over, creating a dynamo for legal attacks on the Obama administration and a launching pad for his political career.

Ambitious conservatives abound in deep-red Oklahoma, but the 48-year-old Pruitt has become known for an extraordinary talent for expanding his power and budget. This drive and ingenuity will soon be trained on a federal agency that has long been a nemesis for the GOP's right wing.

FILE - In this March 10, 2016 file photo, Scott Pruitt, Oklahoma Attorney General, gestures as he speaks during an interview in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Capitol is at rear. Pruitt is President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

"He's known to be a fighter," said Oklahoma Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, whose own general counsel was pushed out after Pruitt made him a target over several flawed executions. "He's taken stances and led the charge."

And he's not worried about appearances.

While other agencies downsized, Pruitt moved the satellite state office near his suburban Tulsa home into the luxurious Bank of America Tower, more than tripling its rent and increasing its space to more than 10,000 square feet.

A native of Kentucky who got his law degree in Tulsa, Pruitt has been attracting attention for his boldness since he knocked off a seemingly safe Republican state senator by mobilizing members of his large suburban church, the First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow.

"There are a number of people who cross your path, and I've come across a lot of them in my career in the military, politics and law, who are great self-promoters, and he's one of them. Maybe that's what you've got to do," said former GOP state Sen. Ged Wright, who lost the 1998 race.

After making unsuccessful bids for Congress and lieutenant governor, Pruitt won the race for Oklahoma attorney general in 2010, and quickly began making the job bigger.

A staff of 149 employees in 2011 grew to 207 this year. Expenditures jumped from about $28 million to more than $37.5 million last year.

"Why this particular agency seems to receive some favoritism is kind of a quandary in my mind," said outgoing Republican Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, among those mystified by Pruitt's bureaucratic audacity.

Meanwhile, a state budget hole that grew to $1.3 billion last year  nearly 20 percent of spending  led to cuts across state agencies, including 1,200 jobs at the Department of Human Services alone since 2014.

Pruitt's growth came from tapping other agencies' budgets and collecting more fines, fees and settlements. His office completely absorbed the state Human Rights Commission, which had a $500,000 budget, and took over the legal work of more than two dozen smaller boards, convincing the Legislature that the consolidation was more efficient.

A Pruitt spokeswoman said the consolidation saved millions of dollars, freeing up revenue for other state services.

At the same time, Pruitt raised his office's legal sights to national political targets.

One innovation, a "federalism unit," was assigned to look for examples of overreaching federal government. In his first year in office, he filed lawsuits challenging President Obama's health care law and the EPA, the first of several against the federal government.

Pruitt's splashy challenges earned him invitations to pen editorial page articles for The Wall Street Journal and to appear on national political talk shows.

"As Attorney General I plan to do all that I can to protect and preserve the state's authority and responsibility under the Clean Air Act to craft and implement solutions for our state," Pruitt said just three months after taking office.

Not growing was the office's environmental protection unit, which included several attorneys and an investigator charged with probing illegal pollution cases. It has been essentially disbanded, dropped from the list of divisions on the agency's website.

Pruitt has declined repeated requests for interviews since meeting with president-elect Trump, but a spokesman for his office said in a statement that environmental cases now are being handled by the agency's new solicitor general's unit.

"Under the leadership of AG Pruitt, this team has held bad actors accountable and protected stewardship of Oklahoma's natural resources," said spokesman Lincoln Ferguson.

Ferguson cited the settlement of a water rights lawsuit between the state and Native American tribes and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against a Texas water district seeking access to Oklahoma water.

Critics of Pruitt say his expanded operations have produced more publicity for Pruitt than tangible results for the state.

"I know the attorney general has sued the federal government several times, and the state of Colorado, and he's had to defend a lot of unconstitutional measures that the Republican majority has passed," said Rep. Eric Proctor, a Tulsa Democrat critical of Pruitt's spending. "They evidently have prioritized that at a greater level than they have prioritized public education."

Pruitt's challenge to the federal health care law failed, but his defense of Oklahoma's lethal injection protocol did prevail. Many of his lawsuits against federal agencies remain tied up in court.

Clearly successful, however, has been his campaign fund-raising. Though running unopposed in 2014, he brought in more than $700,000, much of it from energy industry donors.

Pruitt's new appointment may divert him from an expected race for governor in 2018.

In an interview with The Associated Press earlier this year, he said he doesn't worry about making political plans too far ahead.

"The long and short of it is: there will be opportunities," he said.

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Follow Sean Murphy at www.twitter.com/apseanmurphy
The Latest: Search warrant unsealed in Clinton email probe

NEW YORK (AP)  The Latest on the unsealing of a search warrant for Hillary Clinton's emails (all times local):

1:30 p.m.

A federal court in New York has released redacted copies of the search warrant and other documents that gave the FBI permission to take a second look at Hillary Clinton's emails.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, file photo, Hillary Clinton addresses the Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds celebration at the Newseum in Washington. A federal court in New York is scheduled to release redacted copies Tuesday, Dec. 20, of the search warrant that allowed the FBI to dig into a trove of Clinton emails days before the presidential election. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Among the documents unsealed Tuesday was an FBI affidavit arguing there was probable cause to examine the emails found on a computer belonging to former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The papers offered no new revelations about a case that factored into the presidential race.

The discovery of the emails prompted FBI Director James Comey to briefly reopen an investigation that he had closed into Clinton's use of a private computer server. Agents spent several days analyzing them before Comey announced that they contained no new evidence.

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1 a.m.

A federal court in New York is scheduled to release redacted copies Tuesday of the search warrant that allowed the FBI to dig into a trove of Hillary Clinton emails days before the presidential election.

The emails were found on a computer belonging to former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of a top Clinton aide.

A judge ruled Monday that the public had a right to see the warrant application, but said portions would be blacked out to conceal information about an ongoing investigation involving Weiner.

Federal agents have been probing his online contact with a teenage girl.
Volkswagen deal gives some diesel car owners buyback option

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Volkswagen reached a deal that will give at least some owners of the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles caught in the company's emissions cheating scandal the option of a buyback and provide compensation to all of them on top of any repurchase or repairs, U.S. regulators and a federal judge said Tuesday.

The $1 billion settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will give owners of 20,000 3-liter diesel cars the choice of a buyback. The figure does not include additional payments to owners.

Volkswagen believes it can bring the other 60,000 vehicles into compliance with pollution regulations and will not offer a buyback if that's the case, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said in San Francisco.

FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2015, file photo, a Volkswagen logo is seen on car offered for sale at New Century Volkswagen dealership in Glendale, Calif. Volkswagen is facing a deadline of Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, to tell a federal judge in San Francisco whether it has reached a deal with U.S. regulators and attorneys for car owners on the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles that cheated on emissions tests. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

The deal includes $225 million the German automaker will contribute to an environmental fund to offset the cars' excess pollution, Cynthia Giles of the EPA said in a conference call with reporters.

Additional compensation for car owners will be substantial, according to the judge, but he did not provide a figure and said the sides still had more work to do.

"I am optimistic the parties will resolve the remaining issues," Breyer said, without elaborating on what was left to be done.

The settlement was a major step toward rectifying lawsuits stemming from the global scandal that erupted last year, damaging Volkswagen's reputation and hurting its sales. The company previously reached a nearly $15 billion deal for 475,000 2-liter diesel cars also programmed to cheat on emissions tests.

Hinrich J. Woebcken, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Inc., said the agreement announced Tuesday was part of Volkswagen's "efforts to make things right" for its customers.

"We are committed to earning back the trust of all our stakeholders and thank our customers and dealers in the United States for their patience as the process moves forward," he said in a statement.

The deal protects the environment "by removing the cars from road and by offsetting harmful emissions that resulted from their cheating," said Giles with the EPA.

It requires the company to buy back or terminate leases on 2009-2012 Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7 diesels. The EPA says it's unlikely those can be fixed to meet clean-air standards.

For newer 3-liter vehicles  such as the 2013-2016 Volkswagen Touareg, 2013-2015 Audi Q7, 2013-2016 Porsche Cayenne, and 2014-2016 Audi A6 quattro, A7 quattro, A8, A8L and Q5  a fix is possible, so buybacks won't be offered.

Giles said the fix should be submitted soon.

The new settlement appears to mirror the terms for the cars with smaller engines. The previous deal gives 2-liter owners the option to have the automaker buy back their vehicle or pay for repairs.

Volkswagen also will pay those owners $5,100 to $10,000 each.

The company has agreed to spend up to $10 billion compensating those consumers. That settlement also includes $2.7 billion for unspecified environmental mitigation and $2 billion to promote zero-emissions vehicles.

The settlements emerged out of lawsuits from car owners and the U.S. Department of Justice after the EPA said Volkswagen had fitted many of its cars with software to fool emissions tests.

The software recognized when the cars were being tested on a treadmill and turned on pollution controls. The controls were turned off when the cars returned to the road. The EPA alleged the scheme let the cars spew up to 40 times the allowable limit of nitrogen oxide, which can cause respiratory problems in humans.

The company has reached a separate $1.2 billion deal with its U.S. dealers and is still facing potentially billions more in fines and penalties and possible criminal charges.

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AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed from Detroit.

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2008, file photo a Volkswagen Jetta TDI diesel engine is displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Volkswagen is facing a deadline of Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, to tell a federal judge in San Francisco whether it has reached a deal with U.S. regulators and attorneys for car owners on the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles that cheated on emissions tests. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
Berlin truck rampage survivor: 'It ran over both of my legs'

MADRID (AP)  Inaki Ellakuria, a 21-year-old student from Spain, knew immediately that this was no accident.

"I heard the truck crashing against the first stall," he tweeted Monday, only minutes after the vehicle ran over dozens of shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin.

"It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally," he posted.

The Brandenburg Gate is illuminated in the colors of the German flag in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, the day after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

His next tweet was chilling: "It has swept me and ran over both of my legs."

Ellakuria was one of the 48 injured in a truck attack on the market  and his family is grateful he was not among the 12 killed in Monday night's attack near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.

On Tuesday, he underwent surgery at a hospital in Berlin for the broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He also has broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip, but he is recovering well, according to his relatives.

"He's come out of surgery and he's making good progress," his father Juan Jose Ellakuria said over the phone from Berlin, where his parents had traveled on Tuesday morning from Bilbao in northern Spain. "He suffered a big shock yesterday and today. Even if he's improving, he's still affected."

Ellakuria, who has been studying economics in Berlin on a scholarship, was passing through the area with two friends when the black truck drove at high speed, running over market stalls and visitors in what German authorities have labeled an "act of terrorism."

His two female friends were unhurt and one rang up his family with the news of his injuries.

"It hurts every time I think about it. I didn't think I was going to overcome the pain," Ellakuria wrote in another tweet.

But he was grateful for the kindness of strangers, thanking them online for the help he received from passers-by.
Kuwait moves annual Washington party to Trump's hotel

WASHINGTON (AP)  One of the Middle East's richest nations said Tuesday it would host its annual Washington party at Donald Trump's new hotel, underscoring the president-elect's unusual status as the owner of a major venue for events in the U.S. capital.

Salem Al Sabah, Kuwait's ambassador to the U.S., said the party would take place Feb. 25, adding that he hopes guests like the "new hotel in town." He said no one pressed him to move the Kuwaiti National Day event from its regular venue at the Four Seasons. Although Kuwait did not have a contract with the Four Seasons for the party, the date had been set aside for it to possibly take place there.

"I do not know President-elect Trump," the ambassador told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I do not know any of his people. None of his people have contacted me." He added: "I thought would be exciting for our guests to see a new venue. It looks great. It looks cool. So let's do it."

FILE - This Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, file photo, shows the exterior of the Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington. Donald Trumps unusual status as incoming president and owner of a Washington hotel is drawing renewed attention as one of the Middle Easts richest kingdoms plans to host its National Day celebration at the venue. Salem Al-Sabah, Kuwaits ambassador to the U.S., says the party is scheduled for Feb. 25 at the new hotel in town. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Al Sabah noted that last year's reception occurred at the Newseum, a museum promoting the media.

Nevertheless, the move to Trump's $200-million renovation of the Old Post Office Pavilion could reinforce questions raised about the incoming president's possible conflicts of interest. House Democrats already have warned that they'll make the splashy hotel a headache for Trump if he doesn't dump his ownership stake before taking office Jan. 20. Trump has a six-decade lease on the property.

The Trump Organization is moving to remove thorny overseas relationships, canceling hotel licensing deals in Azerbaijan, neighboring Georgia and Brazil.

Al Sabah ridiculed the notion that he would choose the D.C. hotel to curry favor with the next administration.

"We have very deep economic, military and cultural ties; we've had tens of thousands of American troops in our country," he said, noting Kuwait's basing of forces for U.S. operations in Afghanistan and to fight the Islamic State group. "You think a two-hour reception in a ballroom does that?"

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Defendant in Indiana house explosion gets maximum 50 years

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  An Indiana judge sentenced a woman Tuesday to 50 years in prison for her role in a deadly Indianapolis house explosion, which prosecutors say stemmed from a plot to collect insurance money.

Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. Shirley had earlier cooperated in providing testimony against alleged co-conspirators but received the maximum prison sentence available to the judge.

Shirley, who sentencing stretched over two days because of a large number of people who wished to give victim-impact statements, also addressed the hearing and tearfully apologized to the family of the couple who died, Jennifer and John Longworth.

"This is something that will be in my heart forever," she said.

Shirley pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson in the November 2012 natural gas explosion that destroyed her home, killed a couple who lived next door and damaged or destroyed 80 homes. She faced between a minimum 20-year suspended sentence with probation and the maximum 50-year prison term.

The Marion County prosecutor, Terry Curry, welcomed the sentence.

"Ms. Shirley ultimately took responsibility for her actions by pleading guilty and provided important information during the investigation," the prosecutor said in a statement. But Curry added: "No one involved in this investigation or prosecution will forget the stories of this tragedy and the continuing fear and trauma that it caused to the survivors."

Shirley's defense attorney said she should have received a lesser sentence, arguing that she was coerced by her then-boyfriend. Prosecutors say Shirley, her ex-boyfriend, his half-brother and two other people were involved in a plot to destroy Shirley's home to collect $300,000 in insurance money.

Among those testifying on Monday was Glenn Olvey, who lost his home to the explosion.

"That day not only changed me, it changed my children, it changed my wife, it changed everything," he told the packed courtroom.

The explosion trapped Olvey, his wife and one of their two teenage daughters when their home's roof collapsed.
Donald Trump has won the Electoral College vote despite protests across the US  ensuring he will become Americas 45th president.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions.

Mr Trumps polarising victory on November 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

He later issued a statement saying: With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead. I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans.

Even one of Mr Trumps fiercest Republican rivals, Ohio Governor John Kasich, said it was time to get behind the president-elect.

We want unity, we want love, Mr Kasich said as Ohios electors voted to back Mr Trump at a statehouse ceremony. Mr Kasich refused to endorse or even vote for Mr Trump in the election.

Honored to speak at today's Ohio #ElectoralCollege meeting. Ohio cast its 18 votes for President-Elect @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/0onYH6oQww  John Kasich (@JohnKasich) December 19, 2016

With all states voting, Mr Trump finished with 304 votes and Mrs Clinton had 227. It takes 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency. Texas put Mr Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Befitting an election filled with acrimony, thousands of protesters converged on state capitols across the country on Monday, urging Republican electors to abandon their partys winning candidate.

Protesters demonstrate against President-elect Donald Trump outside the State Capitol building in Carson City

Jo Walter, of Bremerton, Washington, wears a large Donald Trump head mock-up as she protests at Electoral College voting

More than 200 demonstrators braved freezing temperatures at Pennsylvanias capitol, chanting: No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!

In Madison, Wisconsin, protesters shouted, cried and sang Silent Night. In Augusta, Maine, they banged on drums and held signs that said Dont let Putin Pick Our President, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The union at the centre of the bitter Southern Railway dispute says a Christmas truce is in the hands of the Government.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will continue a 48-hour walkout on Tuesday in the long-running row over changes to the role of conductors.

Coupled with an overtime ban by drivers in the Aslef union, the strike has led to fresh disruption to services, including cancellations and delays.

 Industrial action by RMT & ASLEF unions is significantly affecting services today https://t.co/bCaQfjfLHJ Plan: https://t.co/AZeIm9asMg  Southern (@SouthernRailUK) December 20, 2016

The RMT highlighted recent agreements on new rail contracts elsewhere in the country in which conductors have been retained.

The arrangements cover Great Western, East Coast and Transpennine Express contracts and are in addition to the deal achieved on the Scottish Governments rail contract this year, said the RMT.

General secretary Mick Cash said: This year the Government has already agreed three new rail contracts in other parts of the country which have kept the guarantee of the guard while introducing new modern rolling stock. All we are asking is for them to authorise a similar deal on its Southern rail contract.

Mick Cash

This would provide a basis for a Christmas truce on Southern and negotiations that will deliver passengers a win-win of new, safe, modern rolling stock whilst keeping the guarantee of their guard. I wrote to the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling last week and I would be happy to meet him, informally and away from the media glare if that helps, to thrash out a workable solution to this long-standing dispute.

The leader of Aslef has accused Mr Grayling of making an empty gesture by offering to meet him last week while the union official was in court during a failed legal bid to halt a strike by drivers.

Mick Whelan also attacked the minister for exaggerating and misrepresenting comments he made at a private meeting between the two in September.

Mick Whelan

He wrote: I was sorry that you have been disingenuous over publicising your attempt to contact me prior to Aslefs industrial action last week.

I know that, in reality, there was no attempt to do so. Similarly your exaggeration and misrepresentation of what I said at a private meeting  held, I was told, under Chatham House rules, with you in September  is also regrettable.

Why ASLEF is taking strike action on Southern Rail https://t.co/QzoXLA3ovu pic.twitter.com/TzkfksnK2b  ASLEF (@ASLEFunion) December 16, 2016

A Southern spokesman said: We invited the RMT to talk to us last week and, to show good faith and a genuine interest to find a solution, to call off their strike action. Were happy to listen to their proposals to help us implement our modernisation plans with the driver in full control of the train.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: I am deeply disappointed that this totally unnecessary strike action is to continue and cause thousands of passengers more disruption and misery. I have reaffirmed my offer for talks with the unions if they call off strike action, but they have failed to come to the table.
The murder of Russias ambassador to Turkey was a heinous attack, minister for Europe Sir Alan Duncan has said.

Diplomat Andrei Karlov was gunned down at a photography exhibition in Ankara, with the killer named by the Turkish authorities as 22-year-old riot policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Sir Alan said the Foreign Office had been in contact with the authorities in Turkey and Russia following the assassination.

Today's session starts at 10am. Watch live here: https://t.co/pujtjSCxXG pic.twitter.com/YjWLOrUHmX  Foreign Affairs Committee (@CommonsForeign) December 20, 2016

Dramatic images showed suited assassin Altintas brandishing a pistol as he shouted slogans linked to the war in Syria.

Russian forces have supported Syrian president Bashar Assads troops in the battle to retake rebel-held areas of Aleppo in recent weeks.

The killer, who fired multiple shots, shouted in Turkish: Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria!

He also shouted Allahu akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great.

Appearing before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Sir Alan said: We obviously fully condemn this, its a heinous attack.

You can be assured that the Foreign Office, in a proper way, has been in contact both with our Turkish and our Russian counterparts to express our condolences.

Flowers are placed in front of a portrait of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov outside the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

After murdering the ambassador, Altintas was killed in a shoot-out with Turkish police.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned the despicable murder of the ambassador as a cowardly attack.

Shocked to hear of despicable murder of #Russia's Ambassador to #Turkey. My thoughts are with his family. I condemn this cowardly attack.  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 19, 2016

And Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon told MPs it was a shocking act involving a diplomat who should otherwise, of course, enjoy proper protection, adding: His murder does not bring any conflict in the Middle East further to a resolution.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said that the killing of Mr Karlov was a provocation aimed at derailing Russia-Turkey ties and the peace process in Syria.

Vladimir Putin

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a video message being shown on several Turkish TV channels, said: This is a provocation to damage the normalisation process of Turkish-Russian relations.

He added: Both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation.

Both leaders said that Russian investigators will be part of the official probe into the assassination.

Richard Moore, the UKs ambassador to Turkey, spoke of his devastation on Twitter.

Devastating news about Andrei Karlov. My wife & my thoughts with his wife Marina & family & to all colleagues at Russian Embassy.  Richard Moore (@ChiefMI6) December 19, 2016
Nigel Farage has sparked outrage among Labour politicians after linking the widower of murdered MP Jo Cox to extremists hours after the Berlin terrorist attack.

The former Ukip leader laid into Brendan Cox after he questioned the right-wing politicians Twitter claim that the atrocity in the German capital was a result of Chancellor Angela Merkels decision to allow migrants into the country.

Brendan Cox, widower of Jo Cox

Mr Cox, whose wife was murdered by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in June, had replied saying that blaming politicians for the actions of extremists was a slippery slope.

Hours later Mr Farage went on LBC radio and said: Well, of course, he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox, he backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means.

The sheer nastiness of Farage sometimes takes my breath away. https://t.co/jOMnLtTG7J  Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) December 20, 2016

Chris Bryant, the Rhondda MP and former shadow Commons leader, said: The sheer nastiness of Farage sometimes takes my breath away.

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins added: When your entire career has been built on hate, not hope, it perhaps shouldnt shock me, but Farage still sinks lower than Id have believed.

Beggars belief... A new low for Farage https://t.co/BBasbCMMcG  TracyBrabin (@TracyBrabin) December 20, 2016

Tracy Brabin, who won the by-election to replace Mrs Cox in her Batley and Spen constituency after she was killed, said: Beggars belief A new low for Farage.

Mr Farage had taken to social media on Tuesday morning in the wake of the Berlin outrage, which left at least 12 dead at a Christmas market.

Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.  Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) December 20, 2016

The comment prompted hundreds of retweets and replies, including from Mr Cox, whose Labour MP wife was shot and stabbed days before Junes EU referendum.

Before Mr Farages Twitter comment, Mr Cox had tweeted: Terrible news from Berlin. We must pull together to drive out hate in all its forms.

Terrible news from Berlin. We must pull together to drive out hate in all its forms. #IchBinEineBerliner  Brendan Cox (@MrBrendanCox) December 20, 2016

Far right &Islamist extremists share same hate driven psychology, intolerance towards difference& tendency to violence. We must defeat both  Brendan Cox (@MrBrendanCox) December 20, 2016

Mr Farage also told LBC: Im sorry Mr Cox, it is time people started to take responsibility for whats happened. Mrs Merkel had directly caused a whole number of social and terrorist problems in Germany, its about time we confronted that truth.

Mrs Merkel has shifted her policy towards refugees and migrants to the right in recent weeks, including a speech in which she suggested stemming the number entering Germany and restricting the use of face veils.

Germany admitted almost 900,000 migrants in 2015 after deciding to allow in those who had made it to Hungary.

Although the numbers has dropped sharply in 2016, Mrs Merkels CDU party has suffered internal strife and a string of poor election results.

Mair, who killed 41-year-old mother-of-two Mrs Cox as she arrived to hold a surgery in her Batley and Spen constituency in Yorkshire, was handed a whole life sentence in November.
Doctors are optimistic Petra Kvitova will be able to play tennis again after the two-time Wimbledon champion underwent surgery on the hand injury she suffered during a knife attack at her home.

The 26-year-old said she was fortunate to be alive after defending herself during a robbery in her apartment in Prostejove, Czech Republic.

The intruder posed as a utilities man seeking to read a meter to gain access to the apartment, Press Association Sport understands, before a struggle ensued. It is understood the knife was put to Kvitovas throat and her left hand was injured as she pulled the weapon away.

Thank you for all your heartwarming messages. As you may have already heard, today I was attacked in my apartment by an... Posted by Petra Kvitova on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Kvitova underwent a successful near four-hour operation on what is her racket-holding hand on Tuesday evening.

The Czech player will be out of action for at least three months, but her PR manager told Press Association Sport: Doctors are optimistic she will be able to play tennis again.

Kvitovas PR manager continued: Petra had surgery for three hours, 45 minutes. Considering the damage to her left hand, it was a success.

She had tendon damage to all five digits on her left hand, and nerve damage to two of them.

Just finding out about @Petra_Kvitova and the awful stabbing and injury to her hand- pulling for you Petra, vsichni drzime palce!!! Xoxo  Martina Navratilova (@Martina) December 20, 2016

Shes been told she will have to have her hand in a splint for six to eight weeks, and will be unable to bear any load for three months.

More information on how long Kvitova is likely to be out for is expected on Wednesday, but she is now certain to miss Januarys Australian Open as well as a host of other tournaments.

The years second grand slam, the French Open, begins in late May while Wimbledon takes place in July.

Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, had already announced earlier on Tuesday that she would be missing Januarys Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia as she continues to recover from a foot injury.

I am so disappointed that I cannot play at the @hopmancup The results of an MRI have confirmed that my foot is healing, but (1/2) pic.twitter.com/9OLvRxyjOA  Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) December 20, 2016

not as quickly as we would have liked. The Hopman Cup is a fantastic event and I'm sorry I won't be able to represent my country there (2/2)  Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) December 20, 2016

The intruder who attacked Kvitova fled the scene after stealing 5,000 Czech Koruna (around 155), according to sport.cz.

The assailant on Tuesday afternoon was still being sought by police.

I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive, Kvitova wrote on Facebook, speaking before her operation.

Just heard what happened to @Petra_Kvitova ! All my thoughts are with her today! So scary! One of the nicest people I know!  Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) December 20, 2016

The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this.

Her publicist Karel Tejkal said it was not a targeted attack.

He told sport.cz: It is apparently a random criminal act. Petra is now in the care of doctors.

@Petra_Kvitova All my prayers & thoughts are with u Petra.This is just beyond awful!! U are so strong , u will come back to us on the @WTA  MARION BARTOLI (@bartoli_marion) December 20, 2016

Fellow Czech player Lucie Safarova, speaking at an event which Kvitova had been due to attend, told Czech public radio: Things like that are shocking to us all. It could happen to any one of us.

Aside from her two grand slam titles at Wimbledon, Kvitova has two WTA singles titles in 2016 and a career total of 19, with career prize money of more than US dollars 22.8million (around 18.4million).
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said her proposals for protecting Scotlands place in Europe are a serious and genuine attempt to unify the country around a clear plan.

The options outlined in the paper  Scotlands Place in Europe  represent a significant compromise on the part of the Scottish Government, she said.

The document proposes the UK should remain in the European single market and the customs union.

Nicola Sturgeon

What you need to know about the first plan anywhere in UK for dealing with #Brexit: 'Scotland's place in Europe' https://t.co/MrU2tVxjd0 pic.twitter.com/Aug9H4ittj  The SNP (@theSNP) December 20, 2016

It also sets out how Scotland could remain in the single market without the rest of the UK and proposes a substantial transfer of new powers to Holyrood after the country leaves the EU.

Launching the paper at Bute House in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said: I hope and expect that the UK Government in considering these proposals will demonstrate the same flexibility and willingness to compromise.

Looking forward to publishing 'Scotland's Place in Europe' - the first plan anywhere in UK for dealing with Brexit. pic.twitter.com/5GZ6jAeUQV  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 20, 2016

The Scottish Government has proposed the UK as a whole should stay in the single market by remaining a party to the European Economic Area Agreement and staying in the customs union.

Ms Sturgeon said: I accept that there is a mandate in England and Wales to take the UK out of the EU. However, I do not accept that there is a mandate to take any part of the UK out of the single market.

It would make no economic sense whatsoever for the UK to leave the single market. It would be entirely democratically justifiable for the UK to remain within it. So, the Scottish Government will continue to argue  and build common cause with others of like mind  for continued UK membership of the single market.

However, I reluctantly accept that as things stand  given the rhetoric of the Conservative government  that seems an unlikely outcome.

The second strand of the paper proposes ways in which Scotland could stay in the single market  through European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Economic Area (EEA)  even if the rest of the UK chooses to leave.

Ms Sturgeon insisted this option does not prioritise membership of the EU single market over continued free trade across the UK.

It would safeguard both, she said. Talk of a hard border for Scotland has always rung hollow from a UK Government that says no such hard border will be required between a post-Brexit UK and the Republic of Ireland, a continuing member of the EU, she said.

 Find out why Scotland's place in the single market matters here: https://t.co/8v7odo2Avc pic.twitter.com/21FSc0n9tE  The SNP (@theSNP) December 20, 2016

The paper sets out how free movement of goods, services and people would continue across the UK, even with Scotland in the single market and the rest of the UK not, Ms Sturgeon added.

Under this option, the Scottish Government has proposed the rest of the UK and Scotland should both stay in the customs union  allowing goods to move across EU borders without customs controls.

.@willie_rennie responds to Brexit paper: SNP should join us in pushing to give people final say on Brexit dealhttps://t.co/9bCbS7e0Lw  Scottish Lib Dems (@scotlibdems) December 20, 2016

If the UK opts to leave the customs union, then Scotland  in common with other EFTA EEA countries  would not be in the customs union either, Ms Sturgeon said.

There will of course be disadvantages to Scottish businesses if we are not in the customs union  although those disadvantages would be minimised if Scotland remains in the single market.

However, under this proposal the border between Scotland and England would not be an external EU customs border. What is in effect a customs union now between Scotland and the rest of the UK would continue.

A Downing Street spokesman said the Government welcomed the Scottish paper and would look closely at it. But the spokesman made clear Theresa May is determined to deliver a UK-wide Brexit and did not believe there should be a second referendum on Scottish independence.

The Government is committed to getting a deal on exiting the EU that works for all parts of the UK  which clearly includes Scotland  and works for the UK as a whole, said the spokesman.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other members of the Royal Family have attended Buckingham Palace for their annual Christmas lunch.

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry arriving for the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace

Among the first to arrive was William spotted at the wheel of a vehicle, with Prince Harry in the passenger seat beside him, and Kate and their three-year-old son Prince George on the back seat.

The royal trio carried out their last official engagement of the year yesterday, joining a Christmas party in London for their mental health campaign organisation, Heads Together.

Today The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry attended @heads_together & @TheMixUK Christmas Party. More - https://t.co/6G1c6FF8Jn pic.twitter.com/bGUd7uvGEs  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) December 19, 2016

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall arriving for the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace

The Duke revealed George is so caught up with the Christmas spirit that he has been unwrapping presents before the big day.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were chauffeur-driven to the family gathering, while Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie arrived in separate cars.

Zara and Mike Tindall arriving for the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace

Other members of the Royal Family who joined the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh for lunch included Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and their daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor.

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent with their daughter Lady Gabriella of Windsor arriving for the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace

Her brother, Lord Freddie Windsor, arrived separately behind the wheel of a car with his wife, actress Sophie Winkleman.

Princess Eugenie arriving for the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace

The Queens niece Lady Sarah Chatto, Princess Margarets daughter, also drove herself to the annual event.

Princess Beatrice arriving for the Queen's Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace
Boosting trade ties between Britain and China will be top priority in talks between the two nations over the coming year, the Prime Minister and Chinas top diplomat have agreed.

Theresa May reaffirmed plans to create a golden era of Sino-British relations in talks with Yang Jiechi in No 10.

The state councillor arrived in Downing Street after the regular UK-China Strategic Dialogue at Lancaster House with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

Prime Minister Theresa May holds talks with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi at 10 Downing Street

Mr Johnson said: The UK and China share an interest in a stable and ordered world. State Councillor Yang and I talked about the great progress we have made in the first year of our global strategic partnership as well as the urgency of working ever more closely to address global challenges including through the UN Security Council on issues such as North Korea and Syria.

I am pleased that we have agreed to step up our co-operation in support of Afghan reconstruction and an Afghan-owned and led political settlement to the conflict, and work together to support the development of infrastructure in Afghanistan.

As two global powers, the UK and China are building economies of the future underpinned by the rule of law that enables the business environment.

I am committed to intensifying our trade relationship, including more market access for UK service exports and more Chinese investment in the UK.

And the links between our people continue to grow. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Britain has more than doubled over the last five years and we currently welcome over 140,000 Chinese students to our world-class educational institutions here in the UK.

Here in the UK more and more young people are learning Chinese, positioning the UK in an ever more global marketplace.

The Government is keen to build stronger trade links with China once Britain quits the European Union.

A Downing Street spokesman said: The Prime Minister reaffirmed her commitment to developing a genuine strategic partnership in this golden era of bilateral relations.

They agreed priority areas in the coming year would include enhanced trade and investment between our two countries, greater co-operation on security, and more joint work to tackle global challenges such as climate change.
Increased security measures will see some of Londons most famous streets around Buckingham Palace face closures for the next three months.

The restrictions have been planned for some time, but have been brought forward in light of the Berlin lorry attack on Monday.

From Wednesday, Constitution Hill, the Queen Victoria Memorial, Spur Road, Link Road and The Mall  up to the junction with Marlborough Road  will be closed at specific times on the days of Changing the Guard.

New road closure plan for Changing of the Guard #London https://t.co/DcwfjGOLKv pic.twitter.com/xyjGVyjwYE  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) December 20, 2016

Additional barriers will also be in place to maintain security for the guard movements, Scotland Yard said.

The closures follows a request from the Metropolitan Police as part of ongoing security measures.

The force highlighted to the The Royal Parks that due to the events high profile with a substantial military presence and attracting large crowds, the closures were a necessary precaution.

The Mall, London

Met Commander Simon Bray, responsible for security, said: The Met undertakes a range of different activities including strengthening security and high-visibility policing as part of a counter-terrorist strategy, and it will continue to take whatever action it believes is necessary to protect and reassure the public.

Police continue to work in partnership to minimise disruption, but its priority is to ensure the safety and security of those who live, work and visit London.

It might be nothing but if you see/hear anything that could be terrorist-related call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline #CounterTerrorismUK pic.twitter.com/Roxpt75s0s  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) December 1, 2016

On the days of Changing the Guard road closures will be in place from around 10.45am to 12.30pm.

The threat to the UK from international terrorism remains severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.
Labour has called on Theresa May to investigate whether Boris Johnson breached the ministerial code by talking about one of his books during an official visit.

The Foreign Secretary was in Serbia on government business last month when he attended a closed meeting in Serbias oldest bookstore that officials said was about press freedoms.

Serbian media reports and publisher quotes suggest Mr Johnson presented his book on Winston Churchill during the visit.

Boris Johnson

 READ: My letter to the Prime Minister in respect of Boris Johnson, his book promotion and the Ministerial Code: pic.twitter.com/7zOvbkMhzE  Andrew Gwynne MP  (@GwynneMP) December 20, 2016

Labour said the publicity around the event appeared to contradict comments from the ministers office that he had been invited to discuss freedom of the press and was not aware the event would be used to promote his book and claimed it was a potential conflict between his public duties and private financial interests.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Andrew Gwynne suggested the event raised questions over Mr Johnsons future in the job.

The shadow minister without portfolio wrote: As you are aware the ministerial code sets out strict rules forbidding any such conflicts and further states that it is the personal responsibility of ministers to avoid conflicts of interests.

Should it not be possible to avoid conflicts of interest, the ministerial code states that the Prime Minister must be consulted, and that it may be necessary for the Minister to cease to hold the office in question.

In light of the Foreign Secretarys conduct during a ministerial visit to Serbia, I request that the incident be investigated to determine as soon as possible if a breach of the ministerial code has taken place.

Labour called on the Prime Minister to clarify whether Mr Johnson had breached the ministerial code, if she had been made aware of his financial interests from book sales from The Churchill Factor before the visit and if she had agreed action regarding these financial interests.

Shadow minister Clive Lewis said: Once again, Boris Johnsons conduct has raised questions on his ability to represent Britain internationally, let alone hold the office of Foreign Secretary. It is not acceptable that on Armistice Day, Boris used a state visit as an opportunity for self promotion.
Felipe Massa has reportedly agreed to come out of retirement to rejoin Williams next season, if Valtteri Bottas departs to replace the retired Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.

The 35-year-old Brazilian announced his retirement in September and brought the curtain down on his 14 years in Formula One at the end of the 2016 campaign, but now seems set for a U-turn.

Williams hinted last week that they could let Bottas join Mercedes in 2017 if they could tempt Massa back.

Felipe Massa

Deputy team principal Claire Williams told BBC Sport: If we did allow Valtteri to leave, we would only do this if an experienced, credible alternative was available, such as someone like Felipe Massa, for example.

Reports in Italy, Brazil and Britain on Tuesday evening claimed Massa has indeed been persuaded to reverse his retirement decision, with the matter now dependent on Bottas next move.

Mercedes have had one offer for 27-year-old Bottas turned down as they search for a replacement for Rosberg.

Rosberg, 31, shocked the sport when he decided to retire just five days after being crowned champion and it remains to be seen who will fill the Germans boots to team up with Lewis Hamilton for 2017.

On the way to our holidays! Time to enjoy , relax and ... a caminho das ferias! Curtir , descansar e ... pic.twitter.com/L6iPXPu1yP  Felipe Massa (@MassaFelipe19) December 15, 2016

Earlier on Tuesday, Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda insisted his team were yet to make a decision on Rosbergs replacement and said they may wait until the end of January before making an announcement.
Yahoo security problems a story of too little, too late

By Joseph Menn, Jim Finkle and Dustin Volz

SAN FRANCISCO/BOSTON/WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - In the summer of 2013, Yahoo Inc launched a project to better secure the passwords of its customers, abandoning the use of a discredited technology for encrypting data known as MD5.

It was too late. In August of that year, hackers got hold of more than a billion Yahoo accounts, stealing the poorly encrypted passwords and other information in the biggest data breach on record. Yahoo only recently uncovered the hack and disclosed it last week.

The timing of the attack might seem like bad luck, but the weakness of MD5 had been known by hackers and security experts for more than a decade. MD5 can be cracked more easily than other so-called "hashing" algorithms, which are mathematical functions that convert data into seemingly random character strings.

In 2008, five years before Yahoo took action, Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute issued a public warning to security professionals through a U.S. government-funded vulnerability alert system: MD5 "should be considered cryptographically broken and unsuitable for further use."

Yahoo's failure to move away from MD5 in a timely fashion was an example of problems in Yahoo's security operations as it grappled with business challenges, according to five former employees and some outside security experts. Stronger hashing technology would have made it more difficult for the hackers to get into customer accounts after breaching Yahoo's network, making the attack far less damaging, they said.

"MD5 was considered dead long before 2013," said David Kennedy, chief executive of cyber firm TrustedSec LLC. "Most companies were using more secure hashing algorithms by then." He did not name specific firms.

Yahoo, which has confirmed it was still using MD5 at the time of the attack, disputed the notion that the company had skimped on security.

"Over the course of our more than 20-year history, Yahoo has focused on and invested in security programs and talent to protect our users," Yahoo said in a statement to Reuters. "We have invested more than $250 million in security initiatives across the company since 2012."

COMPETING PRIORITIES

The former Yahoo security staffers, however, told Reuters the security team was at times turned down when it requested new tools and features such as strengthened cryptography protections, on the grounds that the requests would cost too much money, were too complicated, or were simply too low a priority.

Partly, that reflected the internet pioneer's long-running financial struggles: Yahoo's revenues and profits have fallen steadily since their 2008 peak while Alphabet Inc's Google , Facebook Inc and others have come to dominate the consumer internet business.

"When business is good, it's easy to do things like security," said Jeremiah Grossman, who worked on Yahoo's security team from 1999 to 2001. "When business is bad, you expect to see security get cut."

To be sure, no system is completely hack-proof. Hackers have managed to break into passwords that were encrypted using more advanced technologies than MD5. Other Internet companies, such as LinkedIn and AOL, have also suffered security breaches, though none nearly as large as Yahoo's.

"This could happen to any large corporation," said Tom Kellermann, a former World Bank security manager and security industry executive.

Kellermann, now CEO of investment firm Strategic Cyber Ventures, said he was not surprised that it had taken Yahoo several years to identify the massive attacks. "Hackers often have a capacity to burrow deeper than we thought into a system and remain for years," he said.

Reuters could not determine how many companies besides Yahoo were using MD5 in 2013. Google, Facebook and Microsoft Corp did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to another former security veteran at Yahoo, even when the company was growing quickly, security sometimes took a back seat as the company focused on system performance to keep up with the growth.

Then, when growth stalled, senior security staff left for other companies and the chances of getting approval for expensive upgrades dropped further, the person said.

"Any changes to the user database took forever because they were understaffed, and it's an ultra-critical system - everything depends on it," said the former Yahoo employee.

Yahoo declined to comment on details of its security practices, but said it routinely conducted drills to test and improve its cyber defenses and highlighted campaigns such as a "bug bounty" program in which it pays hackers to find security flaws and report them to the company.

TWO BIGGEST BREACHES

Last September, Yahoo disclosed a 2014 cyber attack that affected at least 500 million customer accounts, the biggest known data breach at the time.

Following last week's news of the even bigger 2013 breach, U.S. federal investigators and lawmakers said they are scrutinizing Yahoo's security practices, and Verizon Communications Inc is seeking to renegotiate a July deal to buy Yahoo's internet business for $4.8 billion.

The former Yahoo employees said the company's security problems began before the arrival of Chief Executive Marissa Mayer in 2012 and continued under her tenure. Yahoo had suffered attacks by Russian hackers for years, two of the former staffers said.

In 2014, Yahoo hired a new security chief, Alex Stamos, and one of the security crews he led - known internally as 'The Paranoids' - thought they were making headway against the hackers, former employees said. In 2015, when the security crew discovered a hidden program attached to Yahoo's email servers that was monitoring all incoming messages, their first thought was that the Russian hackers had come back.

It turned out that the program had been installed by Yahoo's email engineers to comply with a secret surveillance order requested by a U.S. intelligence agency, as Reuters previously reported. Stamos and some of his staff left Yahoo soon after that, creating further disruptions to security operations.

This week, in addition to disclosing the 2013 hack, Yahoo said someone had accessed its proprietary computer code to learn how to forge "cookies," which would allow hackers to access an account without passwords. Yahoo said it connected some cookie-forging activity to the same state-sponsored actor it believed was responsible for the 2014 data theft.

"They burrowed in and got access to everything," said Dan Guido, chief executive of cyber security firm Trail of Bits.

On Thursday, Germany's cyber security authority criticized Yahoo for failing to adopt adequate encryption techniques and advised German consumers to switch to other email providers.

Yahoo told Reuters it was committed to keeping users secure by staying ahead of new threats. "Today's security landscape is complex and ever-evolving, but, at Yahoo, we have a deep understanding of the threats facing our users and continuously strive to stay ahead of these threats to keep our users and our platforms secure."
Five men sentenced to death in India for Hyderabad bombings

NEW DELHI, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Five men were sentenced to death by an Indian court on Monday for their role in two deadly bombings in 2013 in the city of Hyderabad, including the co-founder of an outlawed Islamist group accused of involvement in a series of attacks.

The convictions last week of Yasin Bhatkal, founder of Indian Mujahideen, and the others marked the first time members of the group had been found guilty, the National Investigation Agency, India's chief counterterrorism organisation, said after the sentences were handed down.

Two bombs ripped through a busy market in Hyderabad, a major information technology centre in southern India, in February 2013, killing at least 17 people.

The man police accuse of masterminding the blasts remains on the run.

The trial took place in a special court run by the NIA and the five convicted are expected to appeal against the judgment.
Tunisia says initial evidence shows foreign organisation may be behind Hamas assassination

TUNIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Tunisia's government said on Monday initial evidence showed a foreign organisation may be behind the assassination last week of a Tunisian national who Palestinian group Hamas said was one of its drone experts.

Mohammed Zawari was shot multiple times in his car in front of his house in El Ain, near Sfax, on Thursday, officials said. Four rental cars were used in the killing and two handguns and silencers were seized.

"There is information that Zawari was a member of Hamas and our preliminary conclusions are that it is possible a foreign organisation was behind this assassination," Tunisian Interior Minister Hedi Majdoub said at a news conference.

Majdoub said 10 Tunisians had been arrested but two foreigners who were suspected of plotting the killing had escaped. The minister gave no details on their nationalities or which organisation may be involved.
U.S.-based cleric: Killing of Russian envoy "heinous act"

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen on Monday condemned the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey as a "heinous act of terror" and urged the Turkish government to identify anyone who aided the gunman.

Gulen's written statement was issued after one of his advisers strongly denied allegations by an unnamed senior Turkish security official of "very strong signs" that the gunman who killed the ambassador belonged to Gulen's movement.

Ankara has accused the cleric of instigating a failed coup in July and has cracked down on thousands of people it suspects of links to the Turkish Muslim cleric. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, denies any involvement.
Turkish official links Russian envoy killer to exiled cleric

By Orhan Coskun

ANKARA, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A Turkish security official said Ankara saw "very strong signs" the gunman who killed Russia's ambassador there on Monday was a follower of a U.S.-based Muslim cleric blamed for orchestrating a failed coup in July.

A representative of cleric Fethullah Gulen, Alp Aslandogan, denied any link and said the exiled cleric condemned the murder as a "heinous act".

The Turkish official, who declined to be identified, said the current investigation was focused on the gunman's links to the network of Gulen's followers, which the government calls the "Gulenist Terrorist Organisation" or "FETO".

The government says Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, created a "parallel network" in the police, military, judiciary and civil service aimed at overthrowing the state. Gulen denies this.

President Tayyip Erdogan identified the attacker, who was later killed by security forces, as a member of the Ankara riot police who had spent 2-1/2 years on the force.

"The people he lived with before school were detained over FETO. It was determined that the people with whom he graduated from school were from a FETO team," the senior security official said of the attacker.

"Information was obtained to the effect that people who helped him get into school were from FETO. There are very strong signs that the person who carried out this attack was from FETO. The investigation is currently focused totally on this."

The official also cited the fact that the attacker had taken July 15-17 as holiday. The government may argue the timing of his holiday demonstrated foreknowledge of the July 15 coup.

Gulen adviser Aslandogan, who advises Gulen on media issues, said the allegations by the Turkish official were "laughable" and intended to cover up for lax security.
Brazil to challenge Canada at WTO over Bombardier funding

By Brad Haynes and Allison Lampert

SAO PAULO/MONTREAL, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Brazil unveiled a probable challenge against Canadian regional and government funding for Bombardier Inc at the World Trade Organization, reviving a bitter trade feud between the Canadian jetmaker and Brazilian rival Embraer SA.

Brazil's foreign ministry said on Monday its trade chamber had authorized WTO proceedings against Canada over $2.5 billion in support for Bombardier from the province of Quebec.

Bombardier and Embraer have battled for decades over the regional jet market and traded accusations of unfair subsidies in the late 1990s that their countries hashed out at the WTO.

The latest case stems from support for Bombardier's roughly $5.4 billion CSeries jetliner program, which competes with some Embraer jets as well as the smallest products of plane giants Boeing Co and Airbus Group SE.

Bombardier, which considered bankruptcy protection last year after simultaneous airplane developments caused a cash crunch, confirmed a $1 billion injection in the CSeries from the Quebec government in June.

It also sold a 30 percent stake in its rail division to public and private pension fund manager Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec for $1.5 billion. Now, negotiations are underway for a $1 billion federal cash injection.

Brazil is upset about the move, which has also drawn criticism from Boeing in the United States.

"There are indications that Canada's federal government soon intends to make another significant capital injection in (Bombardier) to ensure the viability of the new CSeries and its placement in the market at artificially reduced prices," the Brazilian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Montreal-based Bombardier said all investments in the company comply with trade rules and, as so often happens in spats involving the WTO, hit back with a counter-accusation.

"It is a bit ironic given the level of government subsidies and support Embraer has received," said Olivier Marcil, a company spokesman.

But Embraer insisted its rival was damaging the market.

"Canada's subsidies have created serious distortions in the market," said Embraer Chief Executive Paulo Cesar Silva.

CONSULTATIONS

It is the fourth time the two countries have clashed on aircraft support at the WTO after a series of cases focusing on export financing at the end of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Under WTO procedure, Brazil must ask for consultations which can take 30 days before filing a lawsuit, which could then take years for the overloaded Geneva body to resolve.

If it goes ahead, Brazil may aim to repeat a successful complaint about state capital injections into Europe's Airbus brought by the United States.

That is part of a much larger set of transatlantic aircraft subsidy cases that make up the world's largest trade dispute, still not entirely resolved after 12 years.

Quebec defended its transactions with Bombardier and a federal spokesman said Canada would continue to meet all its trade obligations.

A spokesman for Quebec's Caisse, which is expected to be targeted as part of Brazil's challenge, said the fund's investment in Bombardier Transportation was based on "commercial principles" and made independently.

"To associate it with (Quebec's) investment in the company's aerospace business is completely false," spokesman Maxime Chagnon said in an email.

Foreign Minister Jose Serra told Reuters in July that Brazil was mulling a WTO challenge involving Bombardier, but his remarks were quickly brushed off by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Last week, Trudeau said Canada was working "very productively" with Bombardier and he hoped to make announcements in coming months.

Toronto trade lawyer Mark Warner said it was not surprising that Brazil would react publicly to Trudeau's recent remarks about Bombardier, but the country would probably only file an action once Canada announces an additional investment.
Legal firms want unilateral UK action to safeguard sector after Brexit

By Huw Jones

LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Britain should take immediate action to safeguard the pre-eminent global role of its courts and legal services in resolving disputes over commercial contracts once Britain leaves the EU, a lobby group for the industry said on Tuesday.

Britain's legal services sector is second in size only to the United States and Britain has become the world's top centre for dispute resolution due to the use of English law in commercial contracts.

EU rules, known as Rome I and Rome II, require member state courts to respect a party's choice of law for their contracts.

Britain's exit from the European Union, however, could make the choice of English courts less attractive to international businesses, the report from TheCityUK, which lobbies on behalf of UK-based financial and related professional services firms, said.

The choice of English law for a contract and the choice of the English courts as the dispute resolution forum should be considered as a package, as typically the same law and jurisdiction is chosen, it said.

"We recommend that the government - and the devolved administrations - should make clear they will apply the rules set out in Rome I and Rome II, including choice of law for non-contractual obligations, by converting them into domestic law," the report said.

"This can and should be done now, unilaterally and without affecting the negotiations to exit the EU."

Some European academics have already questioned the validity of making London the place of dispute resolution for new contracts since the Brexit vote in Britain. Countries like Singapore also want to become bigger centres for dispute resolution.

Failure to underpin UK decisions for use in contracts across the EU after Brexit would undermine Britain's legal services in the wider global market, the report said.

More than a fifth of all practising solicitors in Britain work in financial services-related functions, and the UK legal sector's trade surplus has nearly doubled over the past decade to 3.4 billion pounds.

Losing access to the EU's single market would pose a high risk of causing considerable losses in financial and reputational terms to the legal services sector over the long term, the report said.
Investigators urge extending search for missing Malaysian flight

By Tom Westbrook and Rozanna Latiff

SYDNEY/KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Investigators searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have recommended extending the search by 25,000 sq km (9,650 sq miles), to an area further north in the Indian Ocean, after conceding for the first time they were probably looking in the wrong place.

Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board, most of them Chinese, en route to Beijing from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Its whereabouts have become one of the world's greatest aviation mysteries.

The search coordinator, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, issued a report earlier on Tuesday in which it said new evidence from ocean drift modelling and analysis of satellite communications with the aircraft and washed-up debris helped determine the new area.

But Australia, one of three search countries, rejected the recommendation citing a lack of "credible evidence" to extend the search, leaving it unclear whether Chinese and Malaysian search teams would finance a prolonged hunt.

"The report does not give a specific location for the missing aircraft and so we need credible evidence that identifies the specific location of the aircraft to extend the search," a spokeswoman for Australia's Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester told Reuters by telephone.

Malaysian transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said it remained to be seen how the investigators' report could help identify the specific location of the aircraft. He did not comment on funding.

A hunt of the current 120,000 sq km (46,330 sq miles) search area west of Australia is due to be completed in January, with no sign of the missing jet..

The recommendation to extend the search followed a meeting in November between crash investigators, satellite communication and aviation experts including Boeing and government representatives from Malaysia, China and Australia.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not have any details about the search.

"But what I want to stress is that since the MH370 incident, the Chinese government has paid great attention to this, and proactively participated in relevant work," she told a daily briefing.

"We will continue to maintain close communication with Malaysia, Australia and other parties, and cooperate with them to do their relevant work well."

WRONG PLACE?

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it believed the plane was not in the current search area.

"There is a high degree of confidence that the previously identified underwater area searched to date does not contain the missing aircraft," it said in its report.

"Given the elimination of this area, the experts identified an area of approximately 25,000 sq km as the area with the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft."

The new search area is north of the current one, which has been the focus of the A$200 million ($145 million) effort. It would represent the second time the search has been extended if funding was forthcoming.

Malaysia and Australia have contributed the bulk of search financing. Malaysia holds ultimate responsibility given Malaysia Airlines is registered there, while the aircraft is thought to have crashed west of Australia, placing it in the country's maritime zone of responsibility.

Grace Subathirai Nathan, whose mother was on the plane, said it was not clear what authorities were doing to find the new evidence that would satisfy the Australian government demands.
Australia, France sign lucrative DCNS submarines deal

SYDNEY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Australia and France formally sealed an agreement on Tuesday under which French naval contractor DCNS will build a new fleet of submarines, a deal worth A$50 billion ($36.3 billion).

Australia selected DCNS in April as its preferred bidder to build its fleet of 12 submarines, ahead of other offers from Japan and Germany. The deal signed on Tuesday finalises one of the world's most lucrative defence contracts.

"This is a critically important step in the development of our security, in the assurance of our government in delivering Australians the security and prosperity that they need," Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

Australia's new fleet of submarines is the centrepiece of its defence strategy unveiled in February, which called for an increase in military spending of nearly A$30 billion over the next 10 years to protect strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia rejected offers from Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Germany's ThyssenKrupp AG when selecting DCNS.

Earlier this year, DCNS was left reeling after details from more than 22,000 pages of documents relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper, leading to concerns about the company's ability to protect sensitive data.

Australian government ministers said they were certain of maintaining the security of the new submarine fleet.

"We are continuing to invest in cyber security, which is a major part of warfare into the future," Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said.
China has returned a US underwater drone taken by a Chinese naval vessel in the disputed South China Sea last week after what China's Defence Ministry said were 'friendly' talks between the two countries.

The United States acknowledged receipt of the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) and criticized China for the seizure, saying it was 'inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea.'

China's capture of the drone triggered a diplomatic protest and speculation about whether it will strengthen US President-elect Donald Trump's hand as he seeks a tougher line with Beijing.

Scroll down for video

An unmanned underwater vehicle like the above was collecting oceanographic data in international waters when it was snatched by the Chinese Navy on December 15 - five days later it was peacefully returned

The USNS Bowditch, a civilian U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship, was recovering two drones on Thursday when a Chinese navy ship approached and sent out a small boat that took one of the drones

A Chinese naval ship took the drone, which the Pentagon says uses unclassified, commercially available technology to collect oceanographic data, on Thursday about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines.

In a brief statement, China's Defence Ministry said the drone had been given back to the United States.

'After friendly consultations between the Chinese and US sides, the handover work for the US underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South China Sea at midday on December 20,' the ministry said in a short statement.

A drone similar to the one above was stolen by the Chinese Navy in international waters off the coast of the Philippines on December 15

The defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the handover.

The Pentagon said the vehicle had been handed over to the guided missile destroyer USS Mustin near where it had been 'unlawfully seized.' It called on China to comply with international law and refrain from further efforts to impede lawful US activities.

Trump shot off two tweets criticizing the stealing of the drone, but then saying that China should be told to keep it

Trump was widely mocked when he originally spelled 'unprecedented' as 'unpresidented' in a tweet about China seizing the US drone

China apparently didn't want to keep the drone and returned it on Monday say US officials

'The US remains committed to upholding the accepted principles and norms of international law and freedom of navigation and overflight and will continue to fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows,' Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

President-elect Donald Trump had weighed in on the drone theft on Twitter, calling the act 'unprecedented' but originally spelling it 'unpresidented.'

He then said 'Let them keep it!'

The seizure has added to US concerns about China's growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarization of maritime outposts.

China is deeply suspicious of any US military activities in the resource-rich South China Sea, with state media and experts saying the use of the drone was likely part of U.S. surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway.

The US Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60 kg (130 pounds) and able to stay underwater for up to five months.
Romania - Factors to watch on Dec. 20

Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Tuesday.

NEW PARLIAMENT

The new legislative emerged after the Dec. 11 national election will be sworn in on Tuesday.

The leftist Social Democrat Party (PSD) has a combined 221 deputies and senators in the two houses, the Central Electoral Bureau said.

With its long-time ally, the ALDE grouping, the PSD will control 250 of the combined 465 seats in the two chambers, allowing them to pass legislation fairly smoothly.

DEBT TENDER

Romania sold a less than planned 356 million lei ($82.37 million) worth of five-month treasury bills on Monday, with the average accepted yield at 0.76 percent, central bank data showed.

Debt managers, who had planned to sell 800 million lei, issued six-month paper in September at an average yield of 0.42 percent, and one-year bills in November at 0.84 percent.

CEE MARKETS

Polish stocks dropped and the zloty briefly dipped on Monday on the fourth day of protests against the government, which the opposition accuses of undermining democracy.

MOODY'S

Romania makes progress in correcting imbalances and consolidating finances; fiscal risks remain.

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on

For emerging markets economic events, click on

For an index of all diaries, click on
China offers $14 mln arms package to the Philippines - Manila's defence minister

MANILA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - China has offered to provide $14 million worth of small arms and fast boats to the Philippines for free, aiding President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs and fighting terrorism, Manila's defence minister said on Tuesday.

The offer was made by China's ambassador Zhao Jianhua during a meeting with Duterte late on Monday night at the presidential palace, Delfin Lorenzana said, adding Beijing has also made available $500 million long-term soft loan for other equipment.

"China has given us a list of military equipment and we will go through it to find out what we really need," Lorenzana told reporters after giving out Christmas gifts to wounded soldiers at an army hospital in Manila.

"We might get some small arms, fast boats and night vision goggles because $14.4 million is not that much. We will finalise the deal before the end of the year and a technical working team will soon go there to look at the equipment."

Lorenzana said they hope to get the Chinese armaments by the second quarter next year. "The Chinese ambassador last night told the president, I know your problem in drugs so we would like to help you," he added.

Just six months ago, Manila and Beijing's relations were very frosty after the Philippines filed an arbitration case in The Hague, questioning China's extensive nine-dash line claims on the South China Sea.

But, Duterte, who came into power on July 1, reversed the country's foreign policy, distancing from Washington to pivot to Beijing and winning about $24 billion in trade and investment pledges after an October visit to China.

China's arms offer came after a U.S. senator has said he would block the sale of 26,000 M4 rifles to the Philippine police due to human rights concern. Early this month, executives from China's arms maker, Norinco, also met with Duterte.

Washington, the former colonial master and security partner, has been providing second-hand weapon systems to the Manila for nearly two decades since the return of U.S. forces for training and exercises.
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Dec 20

SOFIA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- Negotiations between the centre-right GERB - the biggest parliamentary party, right-wing Reformist Bloc and nationalist Patriotic Front appeared to put Bulgaria a step closer to a new government, headed by a prime minister from the Reformist Bloc. GERB-led cabinet resigned last month (Standart, Trud, 24 Chasa, Sega, Monitor)

-- Two of the three drivers of the cargo train whose gas tanks derailed, triggering an explosion that killed seven people earlier in December, have been indicted, prosecutors said. The train was travelling at 78km/h at a place where the speed limit was 40km/h (Standart, Trud, Monitor, Sega)

-- Outgoing Health Minister Petar Moskov has been ousted from his right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party. No reasons were given for the move (Standart, Monitor, Trud)
Zurich mosque gunman was Swiss, no Islamist link -police

By Silke Koltrowitz

ZURICH, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A gunman who shot three worshippers in a Zurich mosque on Monday evening was a 24-year-old Swiss man with Ghanaian roots and no apparent links to Islamist radicalism, police said on Tuesday.

The suspect, whom they did not identify by name, is thought to have killed another man in Zurich on Sunday. He seems to have taken his own life shortly after the mosque shooting, whose motivation remains a mystery, police officials said.

"He is Swiss and we don't know anything about the motives," Christiane Lentjes Meili, head of criminal investigations for the Zurich cantonal police, told a news conference.

The gunman from the nearby town of Uster had stormed into the Islamic centre near the main train station in Switzerland's financial capital and opened fire on people praying, wounding three men, whose condition was said to be improving on Tuesday.

His body was found soon afterwards around 300 metres (yards) away. He appears to have shot himself, police said.

Investigators were still puzzling over what set off the deadly chain of events. The man - whose last run-in with the law was as a bike thief seven years ago - had quit his job in a shop on Friday.

There were indications that the man had taken an interest in occult sciences, Lentjes Meili said, adding it was not clear at this stage whether he was mentally ill.

Two days later he is suspected of killing a man with South American roots he seems to have been acquainted with and leaving the body in a playground in Zurich.

The mayhem continued when he entered the mosque after dusk on Monday, armed with a gun for which he had a permit.

"We are still waiting to see if that person was targeting us or if it was a coincidence that brought him to us. Everything is open," Saad Subaan from the Zurich Islamic Community Foundation told reporters after the media conference.

The victims are aged 30, 35 and 56. Two of them were seriously injured in the attack, a rare case of gun violence in Switzerland, while a third sustained less severe injuries.

"All Muslims are of course shocked that people praying came under fire," Onder Gunes, spokesman for the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland, said before the shooter's background became known.

"This would be equally shocking if done by a Muslim, Christians, Hindus or any other religious group," he said, adding: "We all have to stand together for peace. This cannot be allowed to escalate."
Ugandan shilling strengthens as banks trim dollar holdings

KAMPALA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Ugandan shilling firmed on Tuesday, buoyed by a sell-off of dollars as commercial banks sought to trim their positions in the American currency on the back of subdued appetite from large firms. At 0924 GMT commercial banks quoted the shilling at 3,565/3,575, stronger than Monday's close of 3,575/3,585. UGX Spot Rate.................... Ugandan Shilling Money Guide.... Calculated Cross Rates.......... Deposits..................... Deposits & Forwards............. Uganda Equities Guide....... Uganda All Share Index........ Shilling background ..... Ugandan Debt Guide............ All Uganda Bonds............. Uganda T-Bills.............. Uganda Benchmark............. Central Bank ............... Ugandan Contributor Index.... Uganda Coffee Prices...... (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; editing by Katharine Houreld)
Chinese lawyers sue government for failure to stop smog

SHANGHAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Several Chinese lawyers are suing the cities of Beijing and Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei for what they say has been their failure to fulfil responsibilities in battling against smog, which has shrouded the region since Saturday.

Home to seven of China's 10 smoggiest cities last year, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, also known as Jing-Jin-Ji, is a front line in China's "war on pollution", and it has pledged to cut coal use and promote cleaner industries.

But pollution levels have soared this week as a result of rising winter coal use as well as "unfavourable weather conditions", which have brought concentrations of dangerous breathable particles known as PM2.5 to record levels at some monitoring stations.

Since Saturday, a total of 24 cities have declared pollution "red alerts", including Beijing, Tianjin and another eight locations in Hebei province.

The lawsuit, posted by lawyer Li Zhongwei on his Twitter-like Weibo microblogging account on Tuesday, accused the region of being "all talk and little action", adding that the red alerts "proved that local governments had not conscientiously fulfilled their legal obligations to control air pollution".

The lawyers in the suit said the region had allowed pollution to increase in the interests of "toxic economic growth", severely endangering the physical and mental health of millions of people.

They called on the three governments to issue a formal apology and pay damages to the complainants.

Cheng Hai, another lawyer behind the suit, told Reuters that governments bore overall responsibility for pollution and needed to be held to account.

"We believe that China's smog is not unavoidable, but is the result of weaknesses in governance," he said. "Ordinary people think that the previous stage of economic growth led inevitably to smog, but this is completely wrong."

China has promised to provide legal channels that will allow citizens to sue polluters, and special tribunals have been set up across the country to deal with environmental lawsuits.

China's amended environmental protection law, which went into effect at the beginning of last year, allows individuals to take legal action, but only via non-profit "social organisations" that have been approved by the government.
Worsening Congo situation justifies European re-examination of ties, France says

PARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - France's foreign ministry called for the European Union to re-examine its relations with Democratic Republic of Congo after President Joseph Kabila failed to step down when his mandate expired on Monday.
Turkish police detain six after Russian ambassador shot dead

By Orhan Coskun and Daren Butler

ANKARA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of Russia's ambassador, security sources said, widening an investigation to relatives of the off-duty policeman who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo!" as he gunned the envoy down.

Both countries cast Monday's attack at an art gallery in the capital Ankara as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by civil war in Syria, where they back opposing sides.

The war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Islamic State, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.

Russia, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, supported that advance with air strikes.

Karlov's remains were sent back to Moscow from Turkey after a ceremony at the airport in Ankara.

The white, red and blue Russian flag was draped on the casket as a Russian Orthodox priest recited prayers.

Turkey identified the killer as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police for 2-1/2 years. Altintas, who also shouted slogans associated with Islamist militancy after shooting ambassador Andrei Karlov, was killed minutes later by members of Turkey's special forces.

His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained, security sources said.

One senior Turkish security official said investigators were focusing on whether Altintas had links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for a failed July coup. Gulen has denied responsibility for the coup and Monday's attack and has condemned both events.

The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology, rather than that of Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue.

"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here," he shouted in Turkish.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he and Russia's Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Putin said it was aimed at derailing Russia's attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis. The foreign ministers of three countries, meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, said they were ready to broker a Syrian peace deal.

'ALLEGIANCE TO JIHAD'

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from Islamic State. Earlier this month a spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged global sympathisers to carry out new attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets.

Altintas also shouted "We are the ones who swore allegiance to Mohammed for the jihad!", which the mass circulation Hurriyet newspaper said was a slogan commonly used in propaganda videos of the group formerly allied to al Qaeda in Syria.

Media present at the event Karlov was attending, an exhibition of photographs from Russia, captured the killing in graphic detail.

Altintas, dressed in a suit, necktie and white shirt, is caught in one photograph standing behind Karlov. In a video, Karlov is shown crumpling as he appears to be shot from behind.

As special forces stormed the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassador's body and would not allow him to be treated, Hurriyet reported.

An initial police report said that 11 shots were fired on the ambassador and nine were on target, the senior security official said. In a video message to the nation on Monday evening, Erdogan said Altintas had graduated from a police academy before joining the riot police.

Russian investigators arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, officials from the Kremlin and the Turkish presidency said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the street where the Russian embassy is located would be named after the ambassador.
Polish parliament lifts media ban, opposition demands more to ease crisis

By Marcin Goettig

WARSAW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Poland's lower house of parliament lifted a temporary ban on media access on Tuesday in an effort to defuse anti-government protests that have paralysed the assembly, but the opposition said more still needed to be done.

The clampdown on media access planned by the ruling right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party is among a raft of measures its critics say have eroded the independence of the media and the judiciary. Fears of an authoritarian drift in Poland have brought thousands of protesters onto the streets in the past year and alarmed the country's European Union partners, though the government remains broadly popular among Polish voters.

Despite the removal of the media ban, opposition lawmakers extended their occupation of parliament's debating chamber into a fifth day.

They vowed to stay put until a debate and vote on the 2017 budget they say was held illegally in a side room on Friday to avoid protests and reporters is re-run with all lawmakers.

The planned curbs on media access to the Sejm announced last week by PiS Speaker Marek Kuchcinski triggered demonstrations outside parliament and an occupation of the Sejm's podium and the speaker's chair by opposition lawmakers.

In response, Kuchcinski temporarily barred all reporters and moved the vote to a side room.

The Sejm's press office said on Tuesday the ban had been scrapped but rules on media access were still likely to change. That was an allusion to an earlier proposal to reserve all recording of parliamentary sessions for five selected TV stations and limiting the number of journalists allowed in parliament to two per media outlet.

"We want, however, to give an assurance that these changes will not be introduced without broad consultations and agreements with reporters," the press office said.

The opposition welcomed the move but demanded the lower chamber also re-run the disputed budget vote. PiS officials replied that the vote was legal and would not be repeated.

BUDGET PROBLEMS?

"PiS is retreating," the leader of the liberal Nowoczesna party, Ryszard Petru, said on his Twitter account. "Another debate on the budget is a key issue."

The deputy speaker of the upper house Senate said the situation could lead to problems with Polish debt issuance.

"If there are doubts around the budget, there will be doubts regarding the purchase of debt paper (by investors)," said Bogdan Borusewicz of the opposition Civic Platform.

The standoff in parliament is the most serious for years in Poland and marks the sharpest escalation in tension between opposition parties and PiS since it won an October 2015 election with a large majority.

Spreads in Polish 10-year bond yields over those of Germany's have risen by 81 basis points in the last 12 months to 3.16 percent amid uncertainty over the policy plans and increased borrowing needs of the new government.

Poland's borrowing needs are to rise next year to 79 billion zlotys ($18.54 billion) from almost 65 billion zlotys expected in 2016 as PiS boosts social spending programmes.

The eurosceptic PiS has promised a return to patriotic and Roman Catholic values in public life and a tougher stance towards the EU and historical adversary Russia.

The government has placed state media and prosecutors under its direct control, passed legislation making it more difficult for the constitutional court to issue verdicts and approved a bill critics say will limit freedom of assembly.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has put the question of Poland's media restrictions on the agenda of Wednesday's meeting of the EU's executive.
Renzi plots path back to Italian power from Tuscan basement

By Steve Scherer

ROME, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Three days after resigning as Italian prime minister and before his successor took office, Matteo Renzi typed a late-night Facebook post from his family home near Florence that seemed to cast doubt on his future.

"I have no seat in parliament, no salary, no pension... I'm starting over," he wrote.

Since stepping down on Dec. 7 after a crushing referendum defeat over his flagship constitutional reform, newspapers have conjured up images of Renzi sitting in rush-hour traffic while driving his three kids to school, writing his memoirs and entertaining lucrative job offers outside politics.

But the truth is that Renzi has set up an office in his basement where he meets advisers and spends hours on the phone with party allies plotting his path back to power, two sources close to the 41-year-old said.

Renzi staked his government on the plan designed to make Italy more governable but which almost 20 million voters rejected in the referendum. The loss left him, and his Democratic Party (PD), "navigating without a compass", one PD source said.

The former boy scout's rise from the political ashes is far from certain. But he appears determined to capitalise on his continued appeal within the PD and looks keen to shape Italy's future political landscape.

Renzi, who remains leader of the party, fears his absence could open the door to extremists on the right and left.

Any comeback would probably involve championing progressive reforms while challenging European budget austerity and migrant policy, as he did during his first - and so far only - term that lasted less than three years.

Despite the disagreements with Brussels, he wants to keep Italy at the heart of the European project, unlike the increasingly popular anti-euro 5-Star Movement which would be one of the main obstacles to a return to office.

Even if he does succeed, it may mean teaming up with former premier Silvio Berlusconi - as the PD had to do in 2013 - to keep the 5-Star out of power.

No clear winner would emerge if an election were held now, according to opinion polls, with the PD, the centre-right and anti-establishment 5-Star each drawing a third of voters.

First, Renzi will have to reassert his hold on the fractious PD. But if that fails, he is ready to consider forming a new party, provided a new electoral law makes that advantageous, two separate PD sources told Reuters.

Unlike in Britain, where David Cameron left politics soon after losing the Brexit referendum, Italy has a history of prime ministers returning to power after defeat. Berlusconi had four terms while Christian Democrat Giulio Andreotti served five times as premier from the 1970s to the 1990s.

On Sunday, Renzi stood before more than 1,000 PD members and pledged "an extraordinary listening campaign" to electors in January as the party enters a "Zen" phase of reflection before moving forward.

Silence and meditation have never been traits associated with the fast-talker, who was Italy's youngest prime minister when he seized power in a party coup in 2014. Three months later, the PD won almost 41 percent of the vote in European elections, a level of consensus last reached by the then-dominant but now defunct Christian Democrat party in 1958.

RENZI'S POPULARITY

Renzi's return to Tuscany and a rumoured new book belie a tactical threat to PD rivals who want him to step down as party secretary and make way for new blood, PD sources said, because his retreat would leave the party severely hobbled.

The PD would win only about 10 percent of the vote if Renzi left the party and ran solo, two separate polls showed. Even after the referendum, his leadership was backed by between half and two-thirds of PD voters, two different surveys showed.

"I'm convinced that - as polls say - Renzi is the leader recognised by the PD base by a huge margin compared with other candidates," Anna Ascani, a PD lawmaker close to Renzi, told Reuters.

Roberto Speranza, a member of the minority left-wing faction of the bloc, has already said he would run for the party leadership, and two others have expressed a similar aim, but none of them has nearly the same following as Renzi.

"It's in Renzi's interest to accelerate the process and go to a vote as soon as possible to head off any internal rivals," said Federico Benini, the head of polling agency Winpoll.

It is still unclear whether there will be early national elections in the first half of 2017, or whether the legislature will head to the end of its term in 2018. Renzi has said he favours a snap vote.

But parliament is unlikely to adopt new voting rules until after a Constitutional Court ruling on the lower house electoral law, which is expected at the end of January. The court will also rule on whether to allow another referendum - this time on Renzi's labour reform - in January.

Meanwhile, Renzi is in his basement putting into practice the boy scout motto he knows well - "Be prepared". In 2009 his election as Florence's mayor proved to be a springboard to the prime ministership. Before getting there, however, he lost a 2012 primary election to party rival Pier Luigi Bersani.
U.N. sees steep Gaza population growth in 30 years, with economic problems ahead

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Gaza's population will more than double in about 30 years, signalling even more serious economic problems ahead for Palestinians in the small enclave if the conflict with Israel is not resolved, a U.N. official said on Tuesday.

Andres Thomsen, of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), told Reuters "it will be very hard to imagine that you can create the right conditions for (economic) growth that can accommodate this dramatic population increase", without easing Israel's Gaza blockade.

He was commenting on a new UNFPA report examining demographic changes and opportunities for development in the Gaza Strip and Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The report forecast an increase in Gaza's population of 2 million to 4.8 million in 2050, outpacing that of the West Bank, where the number of people is predicted to rise from the current 2.9 million to 4.7 million.

Thomsen said that even by 2030 there would be 1.3 million additional people in Gaza, territory ruled by the Hamas Islamist group, and meeting their needs will be challenging.

Gaza, where Israel and Hamas last fought a war in 2014, already needs thousands of housing units and hundreds of schools and medical centres, aid officials say.

But without a peace agreement with Israel, "political instability and the occupation will remain the primary obstacles to making development gains", the UNFPA report said. Peace talks broke down in 2014.

The World Bank has also cited a nearly 50 percent decrease in foreign support for the Palestinian Authority in the past three years as a factor in what it has described as a worrying Palestinian economic outlook.

Overall the Palestinian economy is expected to grow at around 3.5 percent in the coming years.

Thomsen, UNFPA's representative in the Palestinian territories, said that with unemployment in Gaza at 43 percent and 18 percent in the West Bank, 1 million jobs must be created in both areas by 2030 just to prevent those figures from worsening as populations grow.

"To do that you need to have targeted investments in young people, in women who will enter the labour market," he said, calling for a "serious dialogue with Israel and others about how the (Israeli) blockade can slowly and gradually be lifted".

Israel says it has eased restrictions on overland movement of goods into Gaza but a naval blockade must remain to prevent weapons-smuggling. Egypt, which is at odds with Hamas, keeps its Gaza border largely closed.
Ukraine central bank says banking system has enough liquidity

KIEV, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian banking system has enough liquidity and there are no substantial outflows of deposits expected from PrivatBank, the central bank's deputy governor said on Tuesday.

Ukraine declared PrivatBank, the country's largest lender, insolvent on Monday and took it under state control. Some 2 billion hryvnia ($75.76 million) were withdrawn from the bank's cash machines on Monday and the finance ministry is expected to issue bonds as part of the rescue this week.

Deputy Governor Oleg Churiy told a news conference that Ukraine has a good chance of securing another tranche of aid from the International Monetary Fund next year, once parliament has passed the 2017 budget.
A 15-year-old girl suffocated to death after being forced to stay in a poorly ventilated shed because she was menstruating.

She died in an age-old Hindu practice banned over a decade ago, police in western Nepal said yesterday.

Roshani Tiruwa's body was discovered by her father early on Sunday in mud-and-stone hut in Gajra village in Achham district, 275 miles west of Kathmandu.

The practice of the 'Chhaupadi system' has been banned in Nepal for the past decade

'While we are waiting for the post-mortem report for the cause of her death, we believe she died due to suffocation,' Police Inspector Badri Prasad Dhakal told Reuters by phone from Sanfebagar, the main town in the area.

'She had lit a fire to keep herself warm before going to bed in the shed which had no ventilation,' he added.

The teenager is the second to die in the region this month due to 'Chhaupadi system' - a practice where Hindus banish menstruating girls and women to animal sheds for the duration of their period as they are thought to be impure.

Roshani Tiruwa's body was discovered by her father early on Sunday in mud-and-stone hut in Gajra village in Achham district, 275 miles west of Kathmandu

It was outlawed in 2005, but sporadic reports of women and girls dying in attacks by wild animals and from snake bites, or being raped while they are in seclusion in these sheds, indicate the archaic practice still continues in Nepal's remote west.

Some communities believe they will suffer misfortune such as a natural disaster if women and girls are not sent into isolation when they menstruate. They are also not permitted to drink milk and are given less food to eat during their period.

Activists say the government's response to stamp out practices such as the Chhaupadi system and child marriage in the Himalayan nation has been inadequate. But officials say they are battling age-old attitudes which cannot be changed overnight.

Young girls are forced into isolation when they menstruate in Nepal in a practice which has been banned (Stock picture)

'We have launched different schemes but quickly removing practices that are deep-rooted in the society is difficult,' said Binita Bhattarai, an official from Women and Child Welfare ministry.
Austria arrests Moroccan on suspicion of planning attack in Salzburg

VIENNA, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Austria has arrested a 25-year-old asylum seeker from Morocco on suspicion of planning an attack during the holiday season in the city of Salzburg, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

A search on Monday of an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in the town of Fuschl am See, where the man was living, found "no materials clearly required for the execution of an attack", the Salzburg prosecutors' office said in a statement.

It could not, however, be ruled out that he was planning an attack, a spokesman added. The formal accusation against the suspect is that he belongs to an unspecified "terrorist organisation".

Independently of the arrest, Austria is deploying more police at busy public places and tightening other security measures in response to Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin in which 12 people were killed.

"The police were informed in recent months that unidentified men had discussed an alleged terrorist attack in Salzburg in the period around Christmas/New Year," the prosecutors' office said, describing the Moroccan as the main suspect.

Salzburg, near Austria's border with Germany, is one of the country's main tourist centres, famous as the birthplace of Mozart and known for its Christmas market.
Norway replaces oil, justice, EU ministers before election year

By Stine Jacobsen

OSLO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg replaced the ministers for energy, EU affairs and justice in her right-wing government on Tuesday in a reshuffle nine months before the next general election.

The minority government of Solberg's Conservatives and the anti-immigration Progress Party has lagged the centre-left opposition in recent opinion polls.

Solberg said that the three ministers quitting the cabinet had wanted to leave for personal reasons.

Oil Minister Tord Lien of the right-wing Progress party will stand down in favour of Terje Soeviknes, a popular small-town mayor.

Lien "has been a driving force for a continued high tempo of oil and gas off Norway, at the same time as developing renewable energy," Solberg told a news conference.

Norway is western Europe's top producer of oil and natural gas, and the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy manages the government's majority stake in Statoil.

Justice Minister Anders Anundsen of the Progress Party was replaced by Per-Willy Amundsen, until now a junior minister. EU Affairs Minister Elisabeth Aspaker of the Conservative Party will be replaced by Frank Bakke-Jensen of the same party.

Two small centrist parties, which support Solberg's minority government in parliament, criticised the appointments as a step to the right.

"This is not an invitation to the centre, perhaps the opposite," said centrist Christian Democrat leader Knut Arild Hareide.

Trine Skei Grande, head of the centrist Liberal Party, said that the Progress Party appointments would add a dose of scepticism about man-made climate change to the government.

Solberg rejected the criticisms, saying the reshuffle "does not change the political foundations of the government".
U.S. sanctions companies, people over Russia actions in Ukraine

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday blacklisted seven people and eight companies and government enterprises over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement.

In addition, it named 26 subsidiaries of Russian Agricultural Bank and gas producer Novatek, both of which had already been sanctioned in 2014. U.S. sanctions on those firms are relatively narrow, and prohibit Americans from dealing in certain kinds of debt with the companies.

"Today's action is in response to Russia's unlawful occupation of Crimea and continued aggression in Ukraine," John E. Smith, acting director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in a statement.
A high-end, high powered motorcycle worth over Rs.4 million, which had been smuggled into the country under the patronage of the son of a former VVIP during the previous regime, was seized by the police from a place where it was hidden in Keselwatta, yesterday.

The Colombo Central Divisional Law Enforcement Unit had raided a room on Silversmith Lane off Abdul Hameed Street, which was said to have been a secret hideout used by underworld operatives.

Police had raided the place after receiving information that it was used by underworld operatives as a meeting place and to do drugs. Police had never expected to find an Italian made black coloured Ducati with an engine capacity of 1,200 cc. parked inside.

A man was arrested on the spot and he had told the police that the expensive motorcycle had been given to him as a gift by one of his friends -- a clearing agent who had died sometime ago.

According to police sources, the suspect and his acquaintances had been riding the motorcycle, which cannot be legally ridden on the local roads as its engine capacity is above the legal limit.

Inquiries had revealed that the motorcycle had neither been registered with the Department of Motor Traffic nor brought in to the country with the knowledge of the Sri Lanka Customs.

Police been told that the motorcycle had been smuggled into the country through illegal channels under the patronage of the former VVIPs son.

Under the prevailing motor traffic laws, clearance from the Ministry of Defence is required to import such high capacity motorcycles, and then too only for riding on race tracks.

Police are conducting further inquiries to discover how the motorcycle was smuggled in and how it ended up with the suspect.

Police, however, had found that the suspect had no criminal record. He was produced before the Maligakanda Magistrate yesterday and remanded.

Colombo Central Divisional Law Enforcement Unit OIC, CI Janak De Silva is conducting investigations, instructed by Senior DIG (Western Province) Nandana Munasinghe, DIG Colombo Lalith Pathinayake, SSP Central Division Saliya de Silva and SP Sanjaya Irasinghe. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)
Sri Lanka Navy today assisted the Sri Lanka Coast Guard to arrest 7 Indian fishermen along with 2 Indian fishing trawlers, poaching in Sri Lankan waters in the seas off Delft Island.

The fishermen and their two boats have been handed over to the Department of Fisheries in Jaffna. The arrested fishermen will be produced before a court.
President Maithripala Sirisena informed the leaders of his United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday that the local government elections would be conducted early next year.

UPFA secretary, Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, told Daily Mirror that the leaders of the constituent parties of the UPFA had met and discussed the current economic situation and matters pertaining to the local government elections.

He said the UPFA had decided to hold the elections early next year. The participants had also discussed the present state of the economy.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the committee appointed to rectify delimitation issues, Ashoka Peiris, said he was ready with the final report which is to be handed over on December 27.

"We have already finished the report. It will be handed over to the subject minister, he said.

After that, the electoral wards, created in accordance with recommendations of this committee, have to be gazetted. The total number of members to be elected should also be announced by a gazette notification. (Kelum Bandara)
AFP/19 December 2016- France and Australia will sign a multi-billion dollar deal -- which Paris has billed as the contract of the century -- for 12 state-of-the-art submarines, their defence ministers said on Monday.



Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Frances Minister of Defence, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will ink the inter-governmental accord in Adelaide with the French shipbuilder DCNS designing and building the Shortfin Barracudas.



Defence Minister Marise Payne said in Sydney the fleet of subs was the largest defence procurement programme in Australias history.



The overall cost of the submarine fleet, which includes separate agreements with US and Australian contractors, totals Aus$50 billion (US$37 billion).



The new contract, which will be signed Tuesday, will lay out the legal framework under which Australia and France will partner on the future submarine programme over the coming decades.

She added that it was a critical milestone in delivering the regionally superior fleet of submarines.
Balasooriya Hospital Chairman Priyanthalal Balasooriya received the Silver award in the Large category  Service sector (National level) and the Silver award in the Large category  Aervice sector (Provincial level) at the Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year Awards ceremony organised by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL).

Balasooriya Hospital also received the Merit award at the Productivity Awards ceremony organised by the National Productivity Secretariat. Balasooriya received this prestigious award.

We are dedicated to serve the people of our country with high-quality medical services and constantly strive to maintain high standards in doing so. In order to deliver this service, we have a dedicated and committed team of experts in the field, stated Balasooriya.

Balasooriya Private Hospital, registered as a private company in 2010 coming under the purview of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, is the leading hospital that is equipped with all the facilities of a private hospital in the North Western Province. The hospital has received many accolades and has the distinction of being ISO 9001-2008 and ISO 14001-2004 certified.
A renaissance to the Colombo high quality culinary feasting is now facilitated with the new culinary enclave in the Dutch Hospital Square in the form of Black Pepper.

The well-appointed restaurant, located in the heart of Colombo offers multi cuisine dishes with a special focus on Crab, and is managed and owned by the Earls Court Group, locally and internationally renowned in the tourism and hospitality industries.

Some selected highlights at Black Pepper include the Jaffna crab curry, Negombo clay pot prawn curry, Tangalle seer fish head curry, the traditional Batticaloa mutton curry, Black Pepper crab, Yellow fin tuna steak, Sri Lankan style chicken curry etc. The restaurant menu weighs much to the authenticity of Sri Lankan seafood cuisine. Its key features are the delectable signature dishes representing the north, south, east and the west of our resplendent island, making dining an unforgettable culinary voyage.

Commenting on Earls Court Groups venture into the restaurant industry, Chairman Earl Gunasekara stated, With our knowledge and highly acclaimed experience in managing three premier Earls Hotels in Kandy and Resorts we are confident of expanding our expertise to Black Pepper. With many of the dishes being exclusive to Black Pepper along with specialized dishes from the four corners of Sri Lanka not popularized before, we are able to provide a unique experience to our guests.
A Southern Provincial Minister forfeited his portfolio when his Ministrys expenditure vote under the 2017 Budget was defeated recently.



The ruling party members had been at loggerheads with the ousted Minister for a long time over the latters negative response to their requests. And they had threatened to vote against his Ministrys expenditure allocation at the voting time, but the Minister had refused to soften his stiff attitude.



The Chief Minister, who made a consistent effort to save the situation, had made an eleventh-hour bid to get the Minister to sign a letter promising the aggrieved ruling party members to comply with their reasonable requests. But the Minister had curtly refused to sign the letter. And when his Ministrys expenditure allocation came up for voting, the ruling party members had joined the opposition in voting against it, they say.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) called for further strengthening in the financial sector supervisory and regulatory framework, as the recent rapid growth seen in credit has slightly lowered the capital adequacy ratios (CARs) of banks and finance companies. The local authorities have also welcomed technical assistance from the IMF on financial supervision and regulation and asked for further coordination with other technical assistance donors.

Sri Lanka loosened both its fiscal and monetary policies from the beginning of 2015 in a myopic policy decision aimed at re-election at the parliamentary polls.

However, these policies fuelled the demand for cheaper credit, causing faster growth in the risk weighted assets of banks, which dented the CARs while creating macroeconomic instability.

Going forward, there is a need to strengthen the supervisory and regulatory framework and identify (and) mitigate the vulnerabilities in the financial sector, said IMF Mission Chief Jaewoo Lee.

Lee also expressed his concerns over private credit continuing to grow by over 25 percent monthly on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, while noting that a level below 20 percent is favoured by the IMF.

We think it is more prudent to avoid another round of vulnerability through too high credit growth. So, it would be preferable to be a lot more conservative on credit growth, he told the reporters from a live teleconferencing from Washington, D.C. recently.

Sri Lankas banking and finance companies gave Rs.692 billion in credit in 2015, the highest recorded in a single year.

In the first nine months of 2016, private sector credit has grown by Rs.515.8 billion compared to Rs.398.1 billion YoY, but the Central Bank said the provisional data points to a deceleration in credit growth in October.

However, if the situation does not show any sign of improvement, the Central Bank might resort to imposition of more tightened loan-to-value (LTV) ratios on selected sectors as they have indicated their willingness to do so to the IMF officials.

The authorities noted that if necessary, the loan-to-value ratio can be tightened in sectors with rapid credit growth, following a successful experience for vehicle loans in 2015, a recent IMF Staff report following discussions with local authorities said.

In 2006, authorities had increased risk weights on housing loans to address excessive credit growth.

According to the Central Bank data, the banking sector Tier I and Tier II CARs have edged down to 11.8 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively at end-September from 13.0 percent and 15.4 percent at the beginning of the year.

Despite slight weakening CARs, they still remain above the minimum requirement and financial soundness indicators are generally adequate for the banking system, the IMF said.

However, the minimum CARs are expected to increase considerably from the current 5 percent and 10 percent for Tier I and Tier II, respectively when the new rules under the BASEL III comes in to full effect.

While the banks have already been issued with a consultative paper with higher CARs to be maintained during the transition period, a directive is yet to be issued by the Central Bank. However, the Central Bank monitors the compliance with BASEL III CARs by the banks.

The Central Bank is now in the process of estimating the possible implications of the capital position of state-owned banks from the BASEL III implementation, since the national treasury as their sole shareholder might find it a challenge to inject fresh capital as the government coffers remain shallow.

Meanwhile, the IMF has also highlighted the need to monitor the impact of the ongoing state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms on the financial soundness of these banks.

The Central Bank recently announced that they were preparing a resolution plan of some 15 distressed non-bank finance companies using a special-purpose vehicle and in mid-October the Monetary Board approved a resolution mechanism for the repayment to depositors of four insolvent non-bank financial institutions.

It has been found that of the 46 licensed financial companies in Sri Lanka, 15 are facing liquidity issues, with six at a high level of distress with non-performing loans ranging from 50 to 90 percent.

In addition to the mismanagement and irregular practices, the rapid growth of the non-bank financial sector has often led to excessive risk taking which has led to the deterioration of the financial position of these companies, the IMF noted.

However, the cost of resolution is expected to be minimal as the total assets of the distressed companies are about one percent of gross domestic product.
Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan parliamentarian and son of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has asked why MarumalarchiDravidaMunnetraKazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko opposed laws that seek to protect Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen, The Hindu reported.

#Vaiko claims to speak on behalf of Tamil people. Then why oppose laws that protect livelihoods of #SriLanka Tamil fishermen? @narendramodi, the young parliamentarian, who Mr. Rajapaksa considers his political heir, tweeted on Monday; days after Mr. Vaiko addressed a protest rally in Rameswaram.

Sri Lankas Fisheries Ministry is considering imposing steep fines, of up to Rs. 7 crore, on foreign vessels trespassing into its territorial waters.

Addressing Tamil Nadu fishermen recently, Mr. Vaiko had said the proposed law, expected to come into effect in early 2017, would crush the livelihoods of Tamil Nadu fishermen. He urged Prime Minister NarendraModi to pressure Sri Lanka against introducing such a law.

Contentious issue

The fisheries conflict between Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen has remained a contentious issue between the neighbours. Bottom trawlers originating from Tamil Nadu fish in the Palk Bay, a narrow strait between south-eastern coast of India along Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankas Tamil-majority north, often crossing into Sri Lankan waters.

The livelihood of nearly 2 lakh Tamils across Sri Lankas war-torn Northern Province is tied to the sea  fisheries and agriculture being two key sectors of their rural economy. Sri Lankan fishermen have repeatedly observed that while they value the solidarity expressed by their Tamil Nadu counterparts through the years of war and later, the State needed to appreciate their right to livelihood.

Following recurring complaints from Sri Lankan fishermen, leaders from both sides of the Palk Bay have met multiple times since 2010, only to find negotiations turn futile.

The Sri Lankan Navy continues arresting Indian fishermen on charges of engaging in illegal fishing, and apprehends the trawlers. In 2016, 254 Indian fishermen were arrested and 46 trawlers seized. Since 2014, Sri Lanka has been releasing the arrested fishermen swiftly, but has retained the seized trawlers, now numbering close to 150.

Marginal decrease

Following this, Sri Lanka has observed a marginal decrease in the number of Indian trawlers spotted in its waters.

Early November, Foreign and Fisheries Ministers of India and Sri Lanka met in New Delhi to discuss the issue. India acknowledged the need to phase out bottom-trawling, a destructive fishing method that threatens marine biodiversity, and the two countries have decided to meet regularly, through a Joint Working Group.

The next meeting is scheduled for January.
A Pakistani asylum-seeker suspected of ploughing a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market and killing 12 people may not be the right man, police said on Tuesday, sparking fears the real killer could be on the run.



As the shell shocked German capital reeled from the countrys deadliest attack of recent years, doubts emerged over whether the man detained overnight actually committed the atrocity.



Twelve people were killed and almost 50 wounded, 18 seriously, when the lorry tore through the crowd on Monday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of Julys deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.



It is indeed uncertain he was the driver, Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt told reporters about the Pakistani man while forensic work and questioning continued.



Berlin police tweeted that we remain especially vigilant, urging Berliners to do the same.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was later set to visit the scene near the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, said the deadly rampage was believed to be a terrorist attack.

Merkel said if it was confirmed that the killer had been part of the refugee influx, this would be particularly sickening in relation to the many, many Germans who are involved every day in helping refugees.



Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had said the top suspect was a Pakistani man who had arrived via the so-called Balkan route last New Years Eve and was staying at a Berlin refugee shelter.

BERLIN AFP/ Dec20, 2016-
By Chandeepa Wettasinghe

The sale of a majority of shares in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is not privatization, but commercialization, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake stressed recently, despite past instances being classified to the contrary.

No. Were not privatizing. The correct word is what we use. Were saying privatization is not there. But commercialization, yes, Karunanayake told Mirror Business recently.

The lease of regional plantation companies that cultivate tea, rubber, coconut etc., for 50 years in 1992 is still considered privatization.

The sale of shares in Sri Lanka Telecom in 1997, as well as the sale of shares of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation in 2003 prior to re-nationalization were also considered privatization by past governments, to name just a few.

When pressed on why the government is engaging in such semantic play, Karunanayake said that the government has no option but to sell some loss making SOEs, and that the interpretation of the move is up to each individual.

You can interpret it however you want, that is true. But then, what else? Tell me why are we going to allow the assets to be under used? he said.

The government had also used the word public private partnership to describe some of the deals that it has been making.

The 2016 budget, as well as the 2017 budget, had sought to list over half a dozen SOEs on the Colombo Stock Exchange, and sell their shares in order to earn over US$ 1 billion to settle high cost public debt.

Karunanayake had later said that the funds would be used to bolster foreign reserves.

Sri Lankas official reserve assets have fallen by US$ 850 million over the span of 2 months ending this November to US$ 5.65 billion. Sri Lankas public debt amounts to over 80 percent of gross domestic product, when including debt undertaken by SOEs.

Over US$ 1 billion the government is hoping to use to settle US$ 760 million in commercial debt and boost reserves this January will be coming from the sale of 80 percent of the shares of the Hambantota Port to a Chinese state-owned company.

The government is also planning to sell shares of the Mattala Airport, and enter into a public private partnership for SriLankan Airlines.

Economists have pointed out that privatization has a negative connotation in Sri Lanka, since many state-sector employeessupported political forces with vested interestsare unwilling to become productive, and are concerned with their job security, and that the anti-privatization movement has spilled onto the

general public.

Karunanayakea member of the United National Party that heads the unity governmenthad last year said that privatization is a banned word under the unity government.

Moves to privatize SOEs are considered as one of the reasons for the downfall of the 2001-2004 UNP regime.

Karunanayake had instead said last year that the government would make loss-making SOEs as productive as the private sector. It is estimated that SOEs have run upwards of Rs. 600 billion in losses up to 2015.
Sri Lanka is an extremely hospitable country. This is reflected through the warm smiles and welcoming nature of the local people, which is often a rare sight elsewhere in the world, said Tajikistan Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Nenatullo Khikmanllozoda.

Sri Lanka is also a nation famed for its scenic beauty and excellent tourist services. Thus, it is an ideal destination for most holidaymakers. I believe that promoting bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Tajikistan will be mutually beneficial forboth countries, Khikmanllozoda added. The envoy made these observations during a discussion with Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) President Dr. Amila Kankanamge, during his visit to Sri Lanka recently with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon.

During this visit, the Tajikistan representatives held bilateral trade discussions and signed a number of MoUs with the Sri Lankan government and the local business community. The President of CCC and the Trade Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan also signed a MoU as a first step towards promoting collaboration between Sri Lanka-Tajikistan business chambers.
ALEPPO AFP/ Dec20, 2016- Syrias army on Tuesday urged the last remaining rebels and civilians to leave the besieged opposition enclave in Aleppo as it prepares to take full control of the devastated city.



The evacuation of Aleppos rebel sector is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people and triggered a major humanitarian and refugee crisis.

Following a flurry of diplomatic activity, key regime allies Russia and Iran as well as rebel supporter Turkey agreed to act as guarantors in Syria peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.



They also backed expanding a ceasefire, according to Lavrov, who said the evacuation of east Aleppo should finish within one or two days.



At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of east Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the operation.

Thousands more were still waiting to be bused out, spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said.
Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC commenced the initial testing of a cutting-edge cement manufacturing plant in Trincomalee at a soft opening ceremony held recently.

The fully-automated, hi-tech plant is the companys fourth mill and is slated to nearly double its production capacity when it begins commercial operations in February 2017. The cement grinding mill and bulk cement manufacturing facility once in full operation will add one million metric tons (MTs) per annum to the existing capacity of Tokyo Cement, bringing the total to 2.8 million MTs per annum.

The pilot operation was ceremoniously inaugurated by Japans Ube Industries Limited Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer Tadashi Matsunami. Ube Industries Limited, Japan is the technology services partner of Tokyo Cement. The event was held under the auspices of Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC Chairman Dr. Harsha Cabral PC and Managing Director S.R. Gnanam and the distinguished members of the board of directors of the Tokyo Cement group. Representatives of technology and logistics partners of the upcoming project and the management and staff of Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC and Tokyo Eastern Cement Company (Private) Limited were also present at this milestone event.

Gnanam during the event said, Our strategic priorities pivot on expanding capacity and strengthening our supply chains in order to meet anticipated demand growth fuelled by the countrys development momentum. Today, we set forth on yet another momentous journey and in the upcoming months we will strive to ensure that Tokyo Cement is fully geared to meet the rising demands of the construction industry and the national infrastructural growth.

The state-of-the-art machinery from Japan, India and Germany trialled at the new factory is a reflection of Tokyo Cements commitment to invest in innovative technology whilst adopting an environmentally-efficient production process.

This plant commissioning symbolized the beginning of an ambitious expansion plan undertaken by the Tokyo Eastern Cement Company (Private) Limited, a fully-owned subsidiary of Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC, to reinforce the companys leadership position. This plan will see the company investing over US $ 50 million over the next few months to increase the manufacturing capacity of Tokyo Cements products, trusted for decades for their superior strength and quality.

The multipronged project will include the setting up of a fully-automated dry mortar manufacturing plant to produce the companys innovative range of value-added products. Upholding the companys commitment to environmental sustainability, the company will also commission an eight MW sustainable biomass power plant geared to meet the energy requirements of the new factory.

As part of this planned expansion drive, Tokyo Cement will develop the private jetty in Trincomalee to accommodate larger vessels that can transport bulk quantities of raw material and finished product to and fro from the new plant. The master plan once completed will also add cement storage silos to contain Nippon Cement Pro, Tokyo Cements brand of higher-grade cement, specially formulated for high risers and super structures, to enable an uninterrupted supply.

Tokyo Cement has earned its reputation in Sri Lankas construction industry as the most trusted supplier of high-quality cement and concrete used in infrastructure projects that have stood the test of time. Delivering superior products for projects that mark Sri Lankas growth, from iconic structures gracing city skylines, to overhead bridges, railroads and suspended highway networks, the company has cemented its legacy as a partner in nation building and is committed to raise the bar on quality and fortify its market position as a trailblazer.
by Nihal de Alwis

Vijaya Dahanayake, eldest son of the revered teacher K. Dahanayake, was our classmate at Richmond College, who bid goodbye to us after being ill for a time.

Vijaya was one of the most determined students at the College, with several handicaps in that he was born with a defect in his eyesight. But he was one of those students at Richmond who excelled in debating and applied himself to his studies with commitment. He was an important member of the College debating team. I recall his late father, a much respected teacher and a brilliant product of Richmond College as Principal of Denham Academy where he nurtured and trained his three sons, namely Vijaya, Saranaguptha and Parakrama in their English and General Knowledge. In fact sometimes when we visited Vijaya we were also encouraged to participate in these sessions. Vijayas father, K. Dahanayake was very keen to impart his knowledge and experience to his three sons.

I recall when it came to exams or writing notes in class, Vijaya used a magnifying glass to enable him to write notes and answer question papers. To me and our classmates, Vijaya was a man who was rich in qualities though not rich in monetary terms. A person who valued compassion, love and humanity. He always displayed a sense of honesty and integrity despite these qualities and spoke out expressing his views tempered with cordiality, tact and compassion. To my knowledge, he never said anything to hurt anyone. He was a very sincere friend who extended a helping hand to anyone.

I also recall his closeness to his cousin Ranjith de Silva, better known as R.L. de Silva, who was a batch mate of mine in the Police, and always gave him brotherly advice about his heram scaram ways. Vijaya was helpful to me in a situations where I was used by a colleague of mine to get me transferred from Allawa police station without any rhyme or reason.

He in fact intervened on my behalf and spoke to his uncle Late Mr. W. Dahnayake, one time Prime Minister who was the Minister of Home Affairs in 1969 and helped me to get the transfer cancelled. Vijaya learnt his ABC in politics from his uncle, Late W. Dahanayake when he was his Private Secretary.

He had a good grounding and was successful, winning the Municipal Elections ultimately becoming the Mayor of Galle. It was around this time that he married Nalani whom I came to know when he used to come to the airport to proceed to BELGUIM Schipole on a KLM flight when I was the Security Manager. His wife has been a great asset to him.

Vijaya is an excellent example of a politician who lived honourably and had a vision. His vision in politics was to improve the city of Galle.

It is well known by all that his visits to Europe whilst he was Mayor of Galle produced results in terms of development in the Galle Fort and Galle City. Perhaps he is the last of the Mohicans who lived a simple and humble life with a high degree of honesty which was clearly displayed through the way he lived all these years, in his parental home along with his brothers who supported him. A politician who lived sans jeeps, luxury vehicles and bodyguards.

Vijaya to me was a person who had clean hands, a pure heart and did not lift his soul for what is false.

He also believed that life should resemble channels and not reservoirs, for reservoirs store water and channels distribute it. That was Vijaya. He was a channel of blessings to others.

We all love you Vijaya. We will never forget you

May you Rest in Peace.

Your classmates at Richmond.
The conquest of Goa was the first European annexation of Indian territory since the invasion of Alexander the Great. It transformed Portuguese influence in the East. Goa was one of the finest harbours in the world, protected from storms and easily defensible. From this safe base the Portuguese ships, with their superior firepower, could range along the western Indian coast and dominate its trade.

Other ships would be allowed on the high seas only with the permission of the Portuguese. The Portuguese would corner much of the trade in spices and in horses. Warfare on the Indian mainland was dominated by cavalry. Horses were essential for the armies of the Indian rulers. Very few good horses, however, were bred in India and there was a large trade in Arab imports. Portuguese General Afonso de Albuquerque saw his opportunity. He wrote to the king of Portugal:

I have decided that all the horses of Persia and Arabia should be in your hands, for two reasons: one being the heavy duties that they pay, and secondly, that the King of Vijayanagar and those of the Deccan may recognise that victory depends on you for he who has the horses will defeat the other.

Albuquerque gave instructions that all horses coming from Arabia and Persia should be offloaded at Goa. His ships intercepted those that carried horses and escorted them to the island.

Those who voluntarily brought horses to be sold at Goa and those who purchased horses there were given customs concessions on their other cargoes. There was no import duty on horses, but a heavy tax on their export  a tax that eventually brought in over half the total revenue of Goa.

The king of Vijayanagar and Albuquerques former enemy, Adil Shah, sent ambassadors to Goa. The southern Hindus and the northern Muslims were often at war with each other. Both offered friendship to the Portuguese and tried to secure a monopoly over the purchase of the horses at Goa.

The Theft of India; HarperCollinsIndia; Rs 399

Albuquerque played one off against the other and sold horses to both. Having secured the financial and political future of Goa, Albuquerque was determined to transform a garrison of a few hundred troops into a self-perpetuating colony.

Albuquerque was not married, but he had a son by an African mistress. He encouraged his men to marry the Muslim and Hindu women they had captured, and endowed these couples with property.

Many women committed suicide rather than proceed with these marriages, which involved conversion to Christianity. Many others, however, accepted the offer of a less bleak life. These mixed marriages  which mostly involved the poorer Portuguese  produced a class that monopolised the minor offices of government.

Outside the city of Old Goa, Albuquerque allowed the thirty village communities to continue to administer themselves much as before. Preferment was given to Christians, but Hindus were allowed to continue their worship. The practice of sati, the burning of widows, was forbidden.

Albuquerque was in his fifties  with a beard that reached down to his chest  but still fired by ambition. He made plans to divert the Nile to starve Egypt, to capture Alexandria and Suez; to burn Mecca. In 1513 he sailed for Aden, hoping to capture the fortress that guarded the entrance to the Red Sea. The operation was a disaster.

The Portuguese suffered heavy losses.

Albuquerques policy of being helpful to the Vijayanagar kings proved extremely useful to the Portuguese.

In 1515, Albuquerque sailed for Ormuz, an island city famous as a bazaar, which commanded the entrance to the Persian Gulf. Here, Albuquerque played the diplomat.

A dynastic struggle was in progress. The king had been imprisoned by his nephew who had then assumed power. Fifteen princes, who might have had ambitions, had been rendered harmless by holding a red-hot bronze bowl to their eyes to make them blind. Albuquerques arrival prompted the nephew to release his uncle.

Albuquerque invited the nephew to negotiations and then assassinated him. The king was reinstated as a Portuguese puppet. Albuquerque then built a fort to control the trade between Persia and India. His health, however, had begun to fail. Wracked with dysentery, he decided to return to Goa.

On his return journey, Albuquerque overhauled a ship carrying a message from the king of Portugal ordering his replacement. Enemies in Lisbon had conspired to arrange his downfall. As the ship entered the River Mandovi, Albuquerque rose from his sickbed to view Old Goa. As the ship came to anchor, he died. Albuquerque was buried in the church of Our Lady of the Mount.

The king of Portugal, who had already regretted and countermanded his decision to remove the viceroy, gave instructions that the body should remain in Goa as a talisman. It required the intervention of the Pope for the family to finally bring the bones back to Portugal in 1566.

Albuquerques policy of being helpful to the Vijayanagar kings proved extremely useful to the Portuguese. Vijayanagar forced Adil Shah out of much of the mainland adjacent to Goa and then encouraged the Portuguese to occupy it.

The Portuguese were then able, by backing one of the contestants for the throne of the Adil Shahs, to obtain a formal treaty giving them the territories of Bardez and Salcete. These acquisitions more than quadrupled the area of Goa.

The Catholic Church did all it could to aid the Portuguese conquest. It was common for Portuguese soldiers to be given communion together before they went into battle.

They also received free indulgences from the church so that, if they were to die, their passage to heaven would be all the swifter. Although the spread of Christianity was supposedly one of the main aims of Portuguese policy in India, it was some years before it was given any priority.

The first bishop arrived in Goa in 1538 and this signalled an end to the easy relationship between the Portuguese Christians and the Indian Hindus. In 1540, proselytisation began in earnest with the destruction of all Hindu temples. The following year the Church expropriated all temple land. In 1542, the first Jesuit arrived at Goa. Francis Xavier was a man of extraordinary charisma.

In his ten years in India and the Far East, he made many Christian converts. In one month he was said to have converted over 10,000 villagers in southern Malabar.

In Goa he supervised mass conversions of hundreds in a single day. He reorganised the religious administration and schooling. His efforts were aided by Portuguese official discrimination against Hindus and the rewarding of converts, particularly those with influence.

A huge programme of construction of religious buildings was inaugurated, with the construction and enlargement of many churches, monasteries and convents. Francis Xavier died off the coast of China in 1552.

He was at first buried in Malacca. Following a rumour that his body was miraculously preserved, it was shipped back to Goa in 1554 and was eventually interned in the Basilica of Bom Jesus. It became an object of great veneration, particularly after Xaviers canonisation in 1622.

The body has been put on exposition many times over the years, with increasing frequency in recent times.

It no longer seems to be defying decomposition and at various times parts have been removed  a toe was bitten off and taken away at the first exposition; the right arm was sent for by a pope; parts of a shoulder blade are in Cochin, Malacca and Macao; the upper arm is in Japan; the internal organs have been distributed as relics; several other toes have been lost during the ritual kissing at expositions.

Before Francis Xavier died, he asked the Pope to establish the Inquisition in Goa. It arrived in 1560  a year after five men were publicly burnt alive for sodomy  and took over the old palace of the Adil Shahs.

Although it only had authority over Christians  and non-Christians who were considered obstructive to Christianity  there was much work to do. Many Hindus had converted to Christianity and mass baptisms on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul became a feature of life in Goa. Some Hindus, particularly from the oppressed lower castes, converted voluntarily.

Indian Christians carry the remains of St Francis Xavier towards the Se Cathedral during a procession in Goa.

Some Hindus, since land could only be inherited by those who could prove they were the offspring of a Christian marriage, encouraged some of their family to convert. Other Hindus were converted by force. It has been recorded by Portuguese friars that, a few days before the mass baptisms, Jesuit priests would go to the Hindu quarter with their slaves to seize Hindus. These victims would then have their lips smeared with beef. Having lost caste and become untouchables, they would have little option but to convert.

Many of these converts to Christianity kept some of their old customs and beliefs. There were also converted Muslims and Jews. Not only was irregular worship forbidden by the Inquisition, but it also became an offence to retain non-Christian customs  to cook rice without salt, to refuse to eat pork, to arrange feasts at funerals, or to strew flowers at weddings.

The Inquisition investigated 16,172 cases before it was abolished for the first time in 1774. It was revived in a modified, less draconian form, in 1778 before being finally abolished in 1812. Most of its records were destroyed  probably deliberately.

It is not possible to calculate either how many heretics were burnt at the stake or the much greater number that died in the dungeons. It is certain, however, that the Inquisition in Goa destroyed the happiness of many thousand.

In 1674, Gabriel Dellon, a French doctor, was captured by the Inquisition at the Portuguese fort of Daman. The governor had asked Dellon to bleed his son. In order to do this, Dellon had asked the boy to remove an ivory figure of St Antony that had been attached to the boys arm.

The boy had refused, saying he needed the figure to prevent any mishap during the bleeding. Dellon had then unwisely upbraided the boy for believing in superstition. Dellon was arrested and transported to Goa for trial. He spent two years in prison being interrogated. Conditions were so bad that he attempted suicide.

The day after the Portuguese surrendered to India after 450 years of occupation.

Eventually, he was sentenced to five years in the galleys and shipped off as a prisoner to Portugal. Through the intercession of a French physician to the queen, he was unshackled and released in 1677. He then wrote an extensive account of his ordeal in Goa:

During the months of November and December, I every morning heard the cries of those to whom torture was administered, and which was inflicted so severely, that I have seen many persons of both sexes who have been crippled by it and, amongst others, the first companion allotted to me in my prison.

No distinctions of rank, age, or sex are attended to in this tribunal. Every individual is treated with equal severity; and when the interest of the Inquisition requires it, all alike are tortured in almost perfect nudity.

Nor did the Inquisition restrict its activities to the living. Garcia dOrta belonged to a Spanish family that had left for Portugal when Spain expelled the Jews. These Jews were forcibly baptised in Portugal and became known as New Christians.

DOrta qualified as a physician and then moved to Goa in 1534. He was highly regarded and even given a lease over the island of Bombay, now Mumbai. His renowned book on Indian medicinal plants was printed at Goa in 1563. This volume is also famous among bibliophiles for having possibly the most typographical errors of any book. DOrta died in 1568.

Almost immediately the Inquisition moved against his family. His relatives were tortured. In 1569 his sister was burnt at the stake.

In 1580, Garcia dOrtas body was dug up and put on trial. He was convicted of not being a true Christian and his remains were burnt at an auto-da-fe., a ceremonial burning to death of those found guilty.

The extremes that the Portuguese priests went to in order to suppress Hindu ceremonies is well illustrated by what happened at Bassein, a fort north of Bombay, in 1564. It was the custom for the Hindus to gather at festivals and bathe in Bassein creek. To deter this, the Jesuits planted the entire length of the waterway with crosses. The worshipers then decamped to a nearby lake.

But, urged on by the clergy, the captain of Bassein dispersed them with soldiers and cavalry. Furthermore, the lake temple and its idols were demolished. Not content even with that, the Jesuits had a cow killed and its blood sprinkled over the sacred lake.

Despite the oppression, Goa remained largely populated by Indians: Christians and Hindus.

Reputedly, 2,000 Portuguese a year came out to India. There was a proverb: "Of the hundred who go out to India not even one returns."

Many did not even survive the journey out and mortality in India was dreadful. At the end of the sixteenth century, the population of Old Goa was about 75,000. Less than 2,000 of these were of Portuguese, European or mixed blood. Of course, this small group controlled all the power and the wealth.

It has been said that the British Empire in India was a form of outdoor relief for the upper classes and this was certainly true for the Portuguese. Those who came out to high administrative or ecclesiastical appointments arrived with a host of poor relations and followers who expected rich pickings.

It was a favourite destination for the illegitimate sons of the aristocracy. Those who survived often did make their fortunes, for Goa was the hub of the Portuguese empire and accumulating money was easy. For the majority of the Portuguese who came out to India, however, life was far from easy.

Great difficulties were encountered in finding enough men to crew the ships and man the army. Few respectable peasants or working men volunteered for a life where death was common and rewards uncertain.

To find enough men for the overseas empire, convicts were allowed to work out their sentences in the colonial army; murderers imprisoned in Portugal were allowed to avoid execution by volunteering for banishment to the East.

Wages due to these and more regular volunteers was deferred until after they arrived in India, and then, often for many extra months.

These penniless unfortunates became thieves and pirates in order to live. Many entered the private service of the administrators to become thugs or agents of bribery and corruption. In 1539, the viceroy wrote to the king that of 16,000 men on the payrolls only 2,000 were to be found on duty. Very few Portuguese women came to India and fewer still that were respectable.

The men took concubines  some of whom they married  and women slaves. Goa relied on a huge population of slaves. A relatively low-ranking Portuguese might have had twenty slaves, while a man of substance might have had hundreds. Women slaves were sold semi-naked at auctions and fetched more if they were virgins.

The Portuguese were the dominant power in the Indian Ocean for a century. The only major challenge came in 1538 from a Turkish fleet, which the Portuguese defeated. After the Vijayanagar Empire was overrun by the Muslims in 1565, the Muslim rulers united to attack the Portuguese forts.

This culminated in a ten-month siege of Goa in 1570. The Portuguese survived and continued to control much of the Indian Ocean and much of the spice trade.

Portuguese mastery of the sea was enforced by the cartaz. This was a written permit allowing safe passage. In addition, the cartaz specified what route the ship should follow and what commodities could be carried.

The Portuguese reserved certain monopolies, such as that on spices, to themselves. Some cargoes had to be offloaded at specific ports; horses, for example, had to be taken to Goa.

Any ship without a cartaz, or found to be contravening its conditions, was liable to seizure and confiscation. To enforce the cartaz system, the Portuguese established a number of heavily armed fleets.

The strongest resistance to the Portuguese came from Calicut. After early efforts to effect a truce with the Portuguese, the Zamorins of Calicut became their greatest adversaries.

In this, they were helped by a dynasty of able naval commanders, the Kunjali Marakkars. The Zamorins had originally hoped for help against the Portuguese from the Arabs who traded at Calicut.

This had not materialised. In 1506, many of these Arab traders, fearful of the Portuguese, sold up the long-established businesses they had in the Zamorins domain.

As they embarked for Arabia at Pantalayini Kollam, a Portuguese fleet swooped down. The Portuguese captured a huge amount of gold. It is said that 2,000 Arabs were killed.

The Kunjali Marakkars were Moplas, local Muslims, who had become rich merchants. Unlike the foreign Muslims, they were keen to resist the Portuguese. They offered their services to the Hindu Zamorin, became the admirals of his fleet and began to harass Portuguese shipping.

The old Zamorin died. His successor was more sympathetic to the Portuguese, thinking he could come to an arrangement with them. He concluded a treaty with Albuquerque and allowed the Portuguese to build a fort at Calicut. All went well until the death of Albuquerque.

The Portuguese then began to violate the terms of their treaty. They used force to obtain preference for their spice exports and they also seized some Indian vessels. In 1522, this Zamorin who was friendly to the Portuguese died.

The new Zamorin instructed his navy to attack the Portuguese. The Kunjali Marakkars and in particular one of their captains, Kutti Ali, did this to great effect.

Realising that they could not compete on equal terms with the Portuguese warships, the Zamorins commanders built large numbers of small boats, rowed by thirty or forty men, to make guerrilla attacks. Bags of cotton were hung over the sides of the boats to give some protection from small arms fire. The heavy cannon of the Portuguese were designed to attack ships similar to their own and they found it difficult to pinpoint the smaller vessels.

Even a successful hit only disabled one boat in a swarm. The Indians hid hundreds of these little boats along the Malabar Coast.

They posted lookouts on vantage points to spot Portuguese shipping that came close to the shore. An elaborate signalling system was established to link these points with each other and with the flotillas of boats below. The Portuguese were particularly vulnerable when the winds dropped. The Indian boats would be rowed out at speed to the becalmed warships. They would send fire arrows into the enemys sails, then board on all sides. The Portuguese would usually be heavily outnumbered and cut to pieces by the Indian swordsmen.

Sometimes the Indians were victorious in battle; sometimes the Portuguese. Neither side was able to gain ascendancy over the other. Meanwhile, considerable quantities of spices evaded the Portuguese blockade and made their way to Arabia and Europe.

The battles between the Portuguese and the Zamorins admirals, the Marakkars, went on until the late sixteenth century. Towards the close of that century, however, relations between the Zamorins and the Marakkars deteriorated.

A weak Zamorin tried to come to terms with the Portuguese and he allowed them to build a fort at Ponnani where the Marakkars were based. The Marakkars then moved their base to the north of Calicut.

On a peninsula just inside the mouth of the River Kotta, they built a fortress from where they attacked Portuguese ships on both the western and the eastern coasts of India. However, Mohammed Kunjali Marakkar then overreached himself. He began to operate independently of the Zamorin and finally declared himself Raja of Kotta.

The Portuguese saw their opportunity and began negotiations with the Zamorin to launch a joint attack on Kotta. It is probable that, by entering into these negotiations, the Zamorin merely meant to frighten Marakkar into resuming allegiance.

However, Marakkar decided instead to insult the Zamorin. He took an elephant from a royal stable and cut off its tail. The Zamorin then amassed an army to attack Kotta from the mainland while the Portuguese prepared an attack from the sea.

It had been agreed that the joint attack would begin on 4 March 1599, just before dawn. The signal would be given from the top of a prominent landmark, the Iringal Rock, by a burning lance. For some reason, the man to whom this task had been assigned did this at midnight  five hours too early. In the ensuing confusion the Portuguese and the Zamorin suffered heavy losses and had to abandon their assault.

At the end of 1599, the Portuguese and the Zamorin returned to mount a fresh siege. The Portuguese had been reinforced by fresh recruits from Lisbon; the Zamorin had amassed 5,000 soldiers, 1,000 workmen, timber and fifteen elephants, plus some ships to guard the river. Meanwhile, a Portuguese sea blockade of Kotta had further weakened the defenders.

Marakkar had ships in place to seal the mouth of the river, but the Portuguese, with the help of the Zamorins men and elephants, dragged some ships overland into the river. Heavy cannon were installed on the riverbank to bombard the fort.

The Portuguese managed to capture some of the forts outworks and install themselves. Their artillery was then able to move forward to batter the fortress. It was an unequal battle.

Marakkar was soon reduced to a few hundred men and decided to sue for peace.

The Zamorin merely wanted Marakkars surrender, but the Portuguese wanted his life. Marakkar knew this and was only prepared to give himself up to the Zamorin who had promised not to kill him and his men. Secretly, however, the Zamorin had agreed to allow the Portuguese to abduct Marakkar. On 16 March 1600, Marakkar surrendered.

The Portuguese and the Zamorins men lined up on either side of the main gate. Four hundred men marched out between them and submitted to the Zamorin, who let them free.

Then came Marakkar with a black cloth on his head and a sword with the point lowered in his hand. He went up to the Zamorin, presented him with the sword and fell at the rulers feet. The Portuguese then grabbed Marakkar and began to take him away.

The Zamorins warriors were appalled at this treachery. A fracas ensued, but the Portuguese managed to hold on to their prize captive and forty of his followers. Kotta was sacked and burnt. A week after the surrender, the Portuguese sailed for Goa with Marakkar and his men in chains.

In Goa there were great celebrations. The victors were welcomed with gun salutes, together with "drums and fifes, bagpipes and trumpets". The first of the captives was landed and stoned to death. Marakkar was taken to the Tronco, the prison used by the Inquisition. At a show trial he was sentenced to death.

A great crowd, presided over by the viceroy and the archbishop, came to see Marakkar executed. He was beheaded with an axe. The body was quartered, and then exhibited on the beaches. Then, his head was salted and conveyed to Cannanore, there to be stuck on a standard for a terror to the Moors. Afterwards, all his surviving companions were executed.

By combining with the Portuguese to defeat Marakkar, the Zamorin secured his own eclipse. The last great power to oppose the Portuguese on the coast of Malabar no longer had an effective navy.

During the sixteenth century, the Portuguese built an extraordinary number of factories and forts in India. These forts were there to protect the factories and enforce a monopoly on the purchase of spices and other designated goods. Many were huge and had large garrisons.

Working in coordination with the Portuguese navy, these forts were able to monitor virtually all shipping arriving and departing from Indias ports. They enforced the rule that all ships on the Indian Ocean must carry a Portuguese permit, a cartaz.

After the construction of the small fort at Cochin in 1503, came others in rapid succession. There was, of course, a cluster of major forts in Goa. On the west coast there were also huge forts at Diu, Daman, Bassein, Chaul, Cannanore and Cranganore, plus a massive complex at Cochin. There were more forts on the Coromandel Coast; others skirting the Bay of Bengal.

All together, there were at least fifty major Portuguese forts in India and many other minor fortifications. Garrisoning these forts  and others in the Far East and Africa  as well as finding men for its ships, was not easy for a country such as Portugal, which had a population of only a million.

Moreover, the Portuguese were ploughing many of their resources into the development of Brazil.

Nevertheless, as long as Portugal could enforce its monopoly in the East, it was just possible to sustain the edifice. Any serious breach of that monopoly would bring disaster. Despite its control of the high seas, the Portuguese failed to achieve total control over the spice trade. The merchants of Malabar found it advantageous to take some of the crop inland and have it transported on the backs of animals and men to the Middle East and Europe. Or they would move the spices clandestinely, well away from the closely monitored main ports in small boats up the western coast. Gradually, these new routes became very significant.

As a result, Venice partly recovered the trade it had lost to Portugal. The Portuguese, however, were still amassing wealth. Not only did they ship huge quantities of spices and other goods back to Portugal but, with their cartaz, they also levied a toll on the large trade between the territories which bordered the Indian Ocean. All this was set to change with the arrival of the Dutch and the British.
Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir is pictured in a courtroom in

Nouadhibou, Mauritania, in April in a picture supplied by his sister. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir awaits the final verdict for a blog seen as critical of Mauritania's caste system.





In the dusty Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott, thousands of protesters armed with loudspeakers gathered outside the countrys Supreme Court on November 15. Demonstrators held messages of protests on paper, some worn around their heads to keep their hands free, and demanded the court uphold the death sentence against Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, a Mauritanian blogger imprisoned in January 2014 on charges of apostasy. His alleged crime was to defame the name of the Prophet Muhammad. Our first demand [is] to execute this criminal. The Prophet Muhammad is our honor, nobody has right to talk about him! said one unidentified protester outside the court.





For Mkhaitirs sister, the scene was almost too much to bear. When I saw hundreds of people demanding that my brother must be executed, I felt like I could not breath anymore. I wished to be dead [rather] than to see that, she tells Newsweek in WhatsApp messages sent to and translated by an intermediary. She requested anonymity since she fears reprisals for being associated with her brother. I asked myself, How can they be like that? Do they not have sisters or mothers? Do they not understand how we feel?





While the court set December 20 as the date for a final decision on Mkhaitirs case, the 29-year-old blogger languished in a cramped cell 300 miles north of the capital in the city of Nouadhibou, isolated from family and legal counsel. His detention looks set to roll into a third year, as the removal of one of the Supreme Courts judges means that it will likely be 2017 before the court decides whether Mkhaitir will become the first person in Mauritania to be executed for almost 30 years.





The bloodthirsty protest in November was the latest instalment in a case that has become a source of national fury in Mauritania, a conservative Islamic republic and one of just eight countries where apostasy is a capital offense. But activists supporting Mkhaitir say that the case is not about Islam, but is rather an example of discrimination. And despite its similarities to more prominent casessuch as that of imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif BadawiMkhaitirs supporters say his plight is at risk of being ignored by the international community.





The story goes back to December 2013, when an anonymous article appeared on a Mauritanian news website and circulated via social media. The title of the article was Religion and Religiosity for Blacksmithsthe Arabic word maalemine, rendered as blacksmiths, refers in Mauritania to people descended from craftsmen, who are among the lowest in terms of social status. In the article, the author argues that Mauritanias ruling classes have used incidents from the Prophet Muhammads life to justify racial discrimination and slavery.





The article sparked public outcry and Mkhaitir was quickly revealed as its author. Mkhaitir, was by no means a prolific blogger; he worked as an accountant for a loading company in Nouadhibou at the time, according to U.S.-based advocacy group Freedom Now. He turned himself in to police on January 2, 2014, and was charged with apostasy. Eight days later, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz appeared to back calls for Mkhaitirs execution, telling protesters: We will apply Gods law on whoever insults the Prophet and whoever publishes such an insult.





Mkhaitir was kept in detention for 12 months before his trial commenced in December 2014. Soon after his arrest, he released a public statement repenting of his alleged crime. When his trial finally began in December 2014, Mkhaitir publicly apologized and again repented. Mauritanian law allows for the death sentence to be overturned in the case of a convicted apostate who repents. However, on December 24, 2014, the court sentenced Mkhaitir to death for the crime of zendegha , or hypocrisyaccording to Mauritanian law, this is the crime of someone committing apostasy and then repenting insincerely. He was sentenced to be executed by firing squad.



The blogger appealed and, in April 2016, the Mauritanian court of appeal ruled that the appropriate conviction would have been apostasy, rather than hypocrisy. The court of appeal thus transferred the case to the Supreme Court to judge whether Mkhaitirs repentance was sincere.

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Source: Newsweek, Conor Gaffey, December 19, 2016
Dakota.



Jim BrunnerBy Jim Brunner

Seattle Times political reporter

OLYMPIA  Only eight of 12 Democratic electors in Washington cast their votes for Democrat Hillary Clinton, who won the state in November.



In an act of symbolic protest, three electors voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and one cast a vote for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American elder from South Dakota.



Its the first time in four decades that the states electors have broken from the popular vote for president. Washingtons 12 electors met Monday afternoon in the state Capitol to complete the constitutional formality.
Oregon Court of Appeals Judge James C. Egan describes the work of his court with the common sense you would expect from a country boy who grew up in Tangent.

Egan says Oregons 191 circuit court judges mine the ore; the 13 members of the Oregon Court of Appeals hammer it into shape; and the states seven Supreme Court judges put a fine edge on it.

Egan, 60  who prefers to be called Jim unless hes at work  officially took office in February 2013. An attorney for 25 years, Egan was a circuit court judge for 2 years.

The Circuit Court is like a roller coaster and the Court of Appeals is more like a merry-go-round, Egan said. Every day at the Circuit Court, the hallway is lined with people and the cases vary greatly. You go from hearings to trials, to jury instructions. We might have anything from a murder arraignment to a drug sentencing to a sexual abuse trial.

By contrast, although the judges are hearing the same types of cases as the lower courts, the hallways of the Court of Appeals are quiet, which belies the urgency of the caseloads facing each judge.

The court handles anywhere from 2,500 to as many as 4,000 cases per year, although about 70 percent of the cases are affirmed quickly.

Egans fellow Court of Appeals judges are Chief Judge Erika Hadlock, Rex Armstrong, Darleen Ortega, Timothy Sercombe, Rebecca Duncan, Joel DeVore, Erin Lagesen, Douglas Tookey, Chris Garrett, Meagan Flynn, Roger DeHoog and Scott Shorr.

When Egan took the oath of office four years ago, he became the 10th sitting judge and although three new positions had been approved, they had not yet been funded. That has since occurred and there are now 13 judges who work in panels of three.

Whats really nice is that we hear a lot of workers compensation cases and I specialized in that for many years in private practice, Egan said. I have been fortunate to write decisions on two key cases.

Egan, who spent 34 years in the military  active and reserves  said his first year on the Court of Appeals was a lot like someones first year in the Marine Corps. I enjoyed the challenge. It was a real hoot, but I got lucky and got a seasoned clerk who had a great teaching personality.

Egan said that is important, since the judges actually have a style book which sets out parameters about language and styles used in writing decisions.

Egan said clerks serve for two years and most of them are overachievers who graduated in the Top 10 percent of their classes at law school.

But I like to mix it up, Egan said. Every other year I pick someone from an alternative group. For example, Jennifer Potter had practiced law in Albany for five years. She is female and Hispanic, both of which are under-represented. She brought a completely different perspective that was much needed.

Former delinquent

If there was a surprise involved in the move to the Court of Appeals, it was the sheer volume of cases. Egan predicts that will only grow.

Each panel of three judges is assigned about 625 cases per year, so thats two per day and each comes with 50 to 100 pages of briefs, Egan said. We affirm 70 percent of the cases right off the bat on average, which shows Oregon judges are by and large getting things right.

On average, the judges complete one case each week and they write a 15- to 20-page decision for each.

We try to get cases out within six months, but some can take more than a year, Egan said.

Thats a sharp contrast to the circuit courts, where you have to learn to make decisions in five minutes, Egan said. But its also important to remember that you are making a decision based on perhaps the worst 10 minutes of someones life.

Egan calls himself a former juvenile delinquent, which proved beneficial as a Circuit Court judge.

I used to tell kids who werent understanding the seriousness of their situation about my jail cell, Egan said. They thought I was talking about having an open cell to put them in. Instead, we would take them up to the fourth floor of the courthouse, to the old jail and I would show them the cell I spent some time in. They usually got the message.

He also took pride in helping the young people grasp complex subjects by reading classic books such as To Kill a Mockingbird" to learn about racial issues, or Of Mice and Men to understand real poverty.

Egan said each judge brings a unique background and profile to the court. He is one of two judges who have served as Circuit Court judges, along with Roger DeHoog, who served on the Deschutes County bench.

Before a hearing, the three of us on our panel meet briefly around a conference table, Egan said. We have all read the briefs. We take an informal straw poll and then hear about half the cases. The other half are decided on the briefs alone.

In about half of the cases, the court affirms the lower court judges ruling.

They then argue about the remaining 15 percent.

We dont really argue, Egan said. Its really just a conversation and our clerks and staff attorneys are present. They often comment as well.

Egan sits on the Judicial Fitness Commission, which has had some interesting cases in the last year, including that of Marion County Judge Vance Day, who was indicted on gun and misconduct charges.

Egan says its too early to tell whether Oregons new recreational marijuana laws will increase the Oregon Court of Appeals caseload.

It will probably depend on whether President-elect Trumps administration exercises pre-emption, which means that federal law outweighs state laws, Egan said.

Marijuana possession remains illegal under federal law at this time.

One thing Egan misses since becoming an appellate judge is that he cannot be active in politics, even on the local level. He said he has been interested and active in politics since he was a teen.

My wife, Michelle, and I like to take part in walks to benefit charities, Egan said.

Between them, the Egans have eight children. His wife went back to college a few years ago and is now in her third year at Oregon State, where she is studying sociology, a subject her husband finds fascinating.

Egan recently retired from the military after 34 years of active and reserve military duty.

It guess it was in my genetics, he said of his enlistment in the Marine Corps while a long-haired Willamette University student in the 1970s. My dad served in the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II.

Egan said he has no plans to retire from the bench any time soon.

Ill probably still be working when Im 75, he said.

Egan has served as a pro-tem judge on the Supreme Court. The case involved Kip Kinkel, who killed his parents and two students at Thurston High School in Springfield.

Would he be interested in serving on the Oregon Supreme Court?

He says yes, but that all depends on timing of potential openings and if he is in an election cycle. His current term expires in 2019.

In the meantime, the judge continues to be visible in the mid-valley: At 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, he will talk with two sections of the AVID college prep classes at South Albany High School. Last year, he and two other judges heard three real cases at West Albany.
Dec. 9, 1946  Dec. 14, 2016

Paul Richard Davis, a longtime resident of Corvallis, passed away on Dec. 14, 2016, at Stanford University Hospital surrounded by his loving family. He heroically and courageously fought a nine-year battle with cancer. Throughout the long struggle, Paul continued to live every day to the fullest.

He was born Dec. 9, 1946, in Artesia, California, to parents Paul Davis Sr. and Irene Davis. Paul attended Cupertino High School in Sunnyvale, California, and graduated in 1965. After high school, Paul enlisted in the Air Force in 1966. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in 1975. Paul continued his career at Stanford National Laboratory Accelerator, Applied Theory and Hewlett Packard before starting his own business.

In 1979, Paul launched his new business creating a video card enhancement solution for Apple Computers and, in doing so, became the founder and chief engineer of Videx Inc. In 1985, Paul launched a new product line, portable data collectors. Paul was proud that one of his data collection products, the TimeWand II, boarded the Mir Space Station in 1991 and was used by the crew to track inventory of materials. In 2000, Paul introduced a third product line, electronic locks and smart keys. Today, Videx and CyberLock are recognized as leaders in the security industry.

Those who worked with Paul remember him as a visionary, an incredible entrepreneur, and a creative innovator. Those who knew Paul express enormous respect for his kindness, intelligence and compassion to help others. He loved technology and flying helicopters. He was also a passionate supporter of the Stanford Asian Liver Foundation, and was proud to help make a difference in many lives around the world. Paul was a devoted husband and loving father. He was fiercely loyal to his family, friends and Videx-CyberLock family. Paul enjoyed spending time pioneering and designing new technology solutions, but most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

He leaves behind his beloved wife of 28 years, Tammy Davis, and the two children they raised together, daughter Brittany Davis of Palo Alto, California, and son Chad Davis of Corvallis. He is also survived by his mother, Irene Davis of Mission Viejo, California; three sisters, Cheryl Ford, Jan Gagne and Susan Launier; in-laws, aunts and uncles, cousins and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Paul Davis Sr.

A Viewing will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Callaghan Mortuary, 3833 East Ave., Livermore, California. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, at St. Michaels Catholic Parish, 458 Maple St., Livermore, California. Burial will follow the Mass at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 26320 Mission Blvd., Hayward, California.

A local celebration of life will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, at CH2M HILL Alumni Center, 204 CH2M HILL Alumni Center, Corvallis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, 780 Welch Road, CJ130, Palo Alto, CA 94304. The website is: https://makeagift.stanford.edu/get/page/makeagift?noLoopSecure=y&mop=CC&gfty=G&pgnTPC=399&stp=111&gdso=5&tgso=6&cturl=close&olc=11844&refid=F40D8BFD42BD02D8DCB4A8A035D9FCA903C19427963F0078BADD79C938D570EE7399C6814A502C06B5F4E5C4D75DADEC

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Stanford University Hospital nurses and staff for their kind compassion and gracious services.
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Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC.

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Richard E. Dick Andy Anderson, 86, of Vancouver, Washington, formerly of Corvallis, died Dec. 9. A graveside service with military honors will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. Immediately following will be a celebration of life in Vancouver, Washington. Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is handling arrangements.

Shirley H. Bird, 75, of Sweet Home died Thursday at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House. A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, at Huston-Jost Funeral Home in Lebanon.

John Selleck, 84, of Albany died Nov. 5 in his home. A memorial service has been rescheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Marion Church of God Seventh Day with a lunch to follow. Fisher Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Jean Martin Sullivan, 65, died Dec. 9 at her home. A memorial service will be from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Dec. 22, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2945 N.W. Circle Blvd., Corvallis. Please come with your memories and stories. A light lunch will be served. A full obituary can be viewed at http://bit.ly/2hf6Hwq.
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, prime brokerage, and data analytics. This segment also provides trustee, paying agency, fiduciary, escrow and other financial, issuer, and support services for brokers and investors. The Market and Wealth Services segment offers clearing and custody, investment, wealth and retirement solutions, technology and enterprise data management, trading, and prime brokerage services; and clearance and collateral management services. This segment also provides integrated cash management solutions, including payments, foreign exchange, liquidity management, receivables processing and payables management, and trade finance and processing services. The Investment and Wealth Management segment offers investment management strategies and distribution of investment products, investment management, custody, wealth and estate planning, private banking, investment, and information management services. The Other segment engages in the provision of leasing, corporate treasury, derivative and other trading, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, renewable energy investment, and business exit services. It serves central banks and sovereigns, financial institutions, asset managers, insurance companies, corporations, local authorities and high net-worth individuals, and family offices. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Wells Fargo & Company, a diversified financial services company, provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending; Commercial Banking; Corporate and Investment Banking; and Wealth and Investment Management. The Consumer Banking and Lending segment offers diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses. Its financial products and services include checking and savings accounts, and credit and debit cards, as well as home, auto, personal, and small business lending services. The Commercial Banking segment provides financial solutions to private, family owned, and certain public companies. Its products and services include banking and credit products across various industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease products, and treasury management services. The Corporate and Investment Banking segment offers a suite of capital markets, banking, and financial products and services to corporate, commercial real estate, government, and institutional clients. Its products and services comprise corporate banking, investment banking, treasury management, commercial real estate lending and servicing, equity, and fixed income solutions, as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities services. The Wealth and Investment Management segment provides personalized wealth management, brokerage, financial planning, lending, private banking, and trust and fiduciary products and services to affluent, high-net worth, and ultra-high-net worth clients. It also operates through financial advisors. Wells Fargo & Company was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
United Rentals, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities. The specialty segment rents specialty construction products, including trench safety equipment consists of trench shields, aluminum hydraulic shoring systems, slide rails, crossing plates, construction lasers, and line testing equipment for underground work; power and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment, such as portable diesel generators, electrical distribution equipment, and temperature control equipment; fluid solutions equipment for fluid containment, transfer, and treatment; and mobile storage equipment and modular office space. This segment serves construction companies involved in infrastructure projects, and municipalities and industrial companies. It also sells aerial lifts, reach forklifts, telehandlers, compressors, and generators; construction consumables, tools, small equipment, and safety supplies; and parts for equipment that is owned by its customers, as well as provides repair and maintenance services. The company sells used equipment through its sales force, brokers, website, directly to manufacturers, and at auctions. The company operates a network of 1,360 rental locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. United Rentals, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.
Harry W. "Sam" Sappington took his place Monday in Oregon's Senate Chamber, ready to cast his electoral vote for Hillary Clinton for president.

But like his fellow electors, the North Albany man, chairman of the 5th Congressional District Committee for the Democratic Party of Oregon, did so under protest.

Speaking for all seven Electoral College members of the Democratic Party of Oregon, Frank Dixon, the party's state chairman, formally objected to Monday's process.

Dixon said the group wanted "a thorough inquiry of the electoral process" in light of information that Russia may have interfered with the election. A burst of applause from the gallery and from some of his fellow electors followed the statement.

Dixon said the electors also wanted to "present for the record our objection that this process doesn't honor the principle of one person, one vote."

However, he added, "We will cast our ballots as we have pledged to do."

Sappington, 61, said he and the other six electors agreed with Dixon ahead of time to lodge the protest.

However, all seven did cast their ballots in accordance with the pledge they signed this summer, which was to give their votes to the person who won the state: Hillary Clinton.

Sappington said he's deeply ambivalent about the Electoral College in general. The fact that someone could win the popular vote by nearly three million ballots and still lose the presidency is "distressing," especially considering it's the second time in recent history, he said.

Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000, but George W. Bush won the presidency in the Electoral College, 271-266.

At the same time, he added, "If we didn't have the Electoral College, states like California and New York could pretty much singlehandedly determine the outcome of nationwide elections. A lot of people feel that would not be a fair system, either."

The nation is just as divided on the question, Sappington pointed out. Nobody cared much four years ago, for instance, when Sappington cast his electoral vote for Barack Obama. But this year he was inundated with calls, emails and Facebook messages, all with variations on the message, "Please do whatever you can to try to prevent Donald Trump from becoming our next president."

Also unlike last time, several dozen protesters met the electors on the steps of the Capitol this year, holding signs that read, "Stop Trump" and "#Doesmyvotecount" and chanting, "This is what democracy looks like."

"A lot of people were really stirred up this time around," he said. "I think election integrity is being called into question on many, many, many levels in many, many, many parts of the country."

Sappington acknowledged he could have broken his oath, but said there wasn't much point in naming a different Democrat, and no Republican alternative had stepped forward to ask for consideration.

Nor did he consider sitting out the electoral vote entirely. Somebody can have ambivalence or outright objections and still participate.

A licensed psychologist with an office in Corvallis, Sappington became involved in politics under the George W. Bush administration, "mainly in opposition, should we say." He ran unsuccessfully against Andy Olson to represent District 15 in 2006 and has held three terms as chairman of the 5th Congressional District Committee.

Sappington said he doesn't plan to run for chairman again but will continue to be involved in politics. He worries, however, that not enough people will follow his example.

"Participatory democracy cannot thrive if a growing segment tunes out, doesnt participate, pay attention or vote," he said. "We all need to, if we care about our future, if we care about our democracy, if we care about our planet, if we care about whats fair and whats just and whats right.
Paycom Software, Inc. provides cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solution delivered as software-as-a-service for small to mid-sized companies in the United States. It offers functionality and data analytics that businesses need to manage the employment life cycle from recruitment to retirement. The company's HCM solution provides a suite of applications in the areas of talent acquisition, including applicant tracking, candidate tracker, background checks, on-boarding, e-verify, and tax credit services; and time and labor management, such as time and attendance, scheduling/schedule exchange, time-off requests, labor allocation, labor management reports/push reporting, and geofencing/geotracking, and Microfence, a proprietary Bluetooth. Its HCM solution also offers payroll applications comprising better employee transaction interface, payroll and tax management, Paycom pay, expense management, mileage tracker/fixed and variable rates, garnishment management, and GL concierge applications; and talent management applications that include employee self-service, compensation budgeting, performance management, position management, and Paycom learning and content subscriptions, as well as my analytics, which offer employment predictor reporting. In addition, its HCM solution provides manager on-the-go that gives supervisors and managers the ability to perform a variety of tasks, such as approving time-off requests and expense reimbursements; direct data exchange; ask here, a tool for direct line of communication to ask work-related questions; document and checklist; government and compliance; benefits administration/benefits to carrier; COBRA administration; personnel action and performance discussion forms; surveys; and affordable care act applications, as well as Clue, which securely collect, track, and manage the vaccination and testing data of the workforce. Paycom Software, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Citizens Bank, National Association that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking. The Consumer Banking segment offers deposit products, mortgage and home equity lending products, credit cards, business loans, wealth management, and investment services; and auto, education, and point-of-sale finance loans, as well as digital deposit products. This segment serves its customers through telephone service centers, as well as through its online and mobile platforms. The Commercial Banking segment provides various financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, and interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as syndicated loans, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity capital markets services. This segment serves government banking, not-for-profit, healthcare, technology, professionals, oil and gas, asset finance, franchise finance, asset-based lending, commercial real estate, private equity, and sponsor finance industries. It operates approximately 1,200 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia; 114 retail and commercial non-branch offices in national markets; and approximately 3,300 automated teller machines. The company was formerly known as RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc. and changed its name to Citizens Financial Group, Inc. in April 2014. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1828 and is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island.
Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao engages in the retail of food, clothing, home appliances, electronics, and other products through its chain of supermarkets, specialized stores, and department stores in Brazil. It operates in Brazilian Retail, Grupo Exito, and Other Businesses segments. The company sells non-perishables, beverages, fruits, vegetables, meat, breads, cold cuts, dairy products, cleaning products, disposable products, and personal care products; and home appliances and other non-food products, such as clothing and baby items, shoes and accessories, household articles, books, magazines, CDs and DVDs, stationery, toys, sports and camping gears, furniture, mobile phones, mattresses, pet products, and gardening equipment and tools, as well as electronic products, including personal computers, software, computer accessories, and sound and image systems. It also offers medications and cosmetics at its drugstores; and non-food products at gas stations, as well as rents commercial spaces and e-commerce sales. The company operates its supermarkets under the banners of Pao de Acucar, Extra Supermercado, Mercado Extra, and Compre Bem; hypermarkets under the banner of Extra Hiper; and proximity stores under the banners of Mini Extra, Minuto Pao de Acucar, Pao de Acucar Adega, and Aliados Minimercado; and gas stations and drugstores under the banners of Extra and Pao de Acucar, as well as sells its products through its Websites. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 667 stores, 74 gas stations, and 68 drugstores in 16 Brazilian states and the Federal District, as well as 15 distribution centers and warehouses across Brazil. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao operates as a subsidiary of Casino, Guichard-Perrachon S.A.
The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Petersburg Products International" LLC, "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, 1837 LLC, Agile Pursuits Franchising Inc., Agile Pursuits Inc., Ambi Pur, Arbora & Ausonia, Arbora & Ausonia S.L.U., Avon - Giorgio Beverly Hills, Billie, Braun GmbH, Braun Shanghai Co. Ltd., Celtic Insurance Company Inc., Charlie Banana USA LLC, Corporativo Procter & Gamble S. de R.L. de C.V., DDFSkincare, Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery Shanghai Co. Ltd., Fameccanica North America Inc., Farmacy Beauty, Fater Central Europe SRL, Fater Eastern Europe LLC, Fater Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Fater S.p.A., Fater Temizlik Urunleri Ltd STI, First Aid Beauty, First Aid Beauty Limited, Folgers Coffee, Fountain Square Music Publishing Co. Inc., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette China Limited, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Shanghai Ltd., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay S.A., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, Inversiones Plaza LLC, LLC "Procter & Gamble - Novomoskovsk", LLC "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", LLC Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, Laboratoire Mediflor S.A.S., Laboratorios Vicks S.L.U., Lamberts Healthcare Ltd., Liberty Street Music Publishing Company Inc., Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones C.A., Merck Consumer Healthcare, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, Native, Nature's Best Health Products Ltd., New Chapter Canada Inc., New Chapter Inc., Nioxin Research Laboratories, Noxell Corporation, OUAI, Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Consumer Health Germany GmbH, P&G Distribution East Africa Limited, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding Inc., P&G Health Austria GmbH & Co. OG, P&G Health France S.A.S., P&G Health Germany GmbH, P&G Healthcare Zhejiang Limited, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Investment Management Ltd., P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G Japan G.K., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G South African Trading Pty. Ltd., P&G-Clairol, PG13 Launchpad Alpha Inc., PG13 Launchpad Beta Inc., PG13 Launchpad Gamma Inc., PGT Healthcare LLP, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Pressbox, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chengdu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble China Ltd., Procter & Gamble China Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent Beijing Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deutschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distributing Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Distribution Company Europe BV, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe LLC, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana S.A.U., Procter & Gamble Far East Inc., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finance U.K. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble Ghana Trading Limited, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Ltd., Procter & Gamble Guangzhou Technology Innovation Co. LTD., Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care LLC, Procter & Gamble Health & Beauty Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Belgium BV, Procter & Gamble Health Limited, Procter & Gamble Health Ltd., Procter & Gamble Health Poland Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Hellas Single Member Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holding Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Holdings UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Honduras S de RL, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership KKT, Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings Inc., Procter & Gamble Indochina Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala Limitada, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama S. de R.L., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International Sarl, Procter & Gamble Investment Company UK Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Italia S.p.A., Procter & Gamble Jiangsu Ltd., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea Inc., Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble L&CP Limited, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA Pty Ltd, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Tianjin Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Mataro S.L.U., Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Philippines Business Services Inc., Procter & Gamble Philippines Inc., Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo Higiene e Saude S.A., Procter & Gamble Product Supply U.K. Limited, Procter & Gamble Productions Inc., Procter & Gamble RHD Inc., Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services Sarl, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Switzerland SA, Procter & Gamble Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology Beijing Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Trading Thailand Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Vietnam Company Limited, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil Ltda., Procter & Gamble do Brazil LLC, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble doo Beograd, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Procter and Gamble Lanka Private Limited, Procter and Gamble SA Pty Ltd., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Recovery Engineering, Redmond Products Inc., Richardson-Vicks, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Riverfront Music Publishing Co. Inc., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Series Acquisition B.V., Seven Seas Limited, Shulton Inc., Snowberry, Snowberry New Zealand Limited, Sunflower Distributing LLC, TAOS - FL LLC, TAOS Retail LLC, THIS IS L, TULA, Tambrands, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving, The Art of Shaving - FL LLC, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Iams Company Inc., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company LLC, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., This is L. Inc., Thomas Hedley Co, US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon Shanghai Academy, VitaminHaus Pty Ltd, Walker & Co. Brands Inc., Walker & Company Brands, Wella AG, Zenlen Inc., Zirh, and iMFLUX Inc..

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Donald J. Trump officially was elected the next president of the United States on Monday by the Electoral College, which is the system we've established under the U.S. Constitution. Say what you will about that, but Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, knew how the system worked and lost, at least in the vote tally that really matters.

Clinton, of course, won the popular vote by a margin of some 3 million votes. Trump has argued that's only because millions of illegal voters backed Clinton.

But what's the evidence that voter fraud occurred in this election on such a widespread scale? That's an important question, not just for this election, but in light of efforts nationwide to push for tighter voter-ID laws; such laws require voters to produce identification before voting.

The consensus of state election officials contacted by The New York Times is that the amount of voter fraud this year is "next to none."

Reporters for the Times went to the sources, checking in with state elections officials in all 50 states. (Officials in Kansas were the only ones who did not respond; that could be because the secretary of state there, Kris Kobach, is an advocate of tougher voter-ID laws and advised the Trump campaign on immigration issues.)

But the story in the 49 states that did respond to the Times was remarkably consistent: Officials in 26 states and the District of Columbia said that, thus far, they had heard no credible accounts of voter fraud in their jurisdictions. Officials in another eight states said they had heard of just one allegation.

There were states that had opened investigations into a few dozen allegations of irregular voting: Tennessee, for example, was investigating 40 credible claims, out of some 4.3 million primary and general election votes. Georgia officials were investigating 25 inquiries into what they termed "suspicious voting or election-related activity."

Now, because we work for a newspaper, we're not experts on mathematics. But our sense is that these reports do not add up into the millions.

This is not the first time (nor will it apparently be the last) that Trump has said something without any evidence. But this claim is important to the extent that it supports the argument for tighter voter-ID laws.

And this is particularly worth noting in a state like Oregon, which has made a point of removing barriers to voting. It's remarkably easy to vote in Oregon, and that's how it should be.

This is not an issue that breaks down along typical liberal vs. conservative lines, at least not in Oregon: The Linn County clerk, Steve Druckenmiller, holds conservative political views, but he believes in tearing down barriers to voting. (For Druckenmiller, it's a simple matter of allowing citizens to exercise a fundamental right with as few obstacles as possible.)

In fact, Linn County, as reliably red as they come these days, has helped lead the charge over the years to extend the franchise as broadly as possible.

So residents here know to be suspicious of attempts to restrict the right to vote  especially with a lack of hard evidence that voter fraud is pervasive.

The Times article did cite a potential case of election fraud in Oregon: According to the story, a U.S. citizen in Oregon registered her noncitizen husband to vote, which he did. The husband then discovered it was illegal. So he reported the mistake to county election officials  and he asked that his ballot not be counted.

The issue of voter fraud may be agitating Trump. The rest of us probably can relax. (mm)
Mr. Michael Bomar's letter (Mailbag, Dec. 11) points out homicide rates in Japan, France and the U.S. due to guns as 1.03, 1.3 and 5 per 100,000 respectively, saying suicides don't count as they are voluntary acts. (Adding in suicides makes Japan 22.1, France 16.1, Belgium 15.2 and the U.S. 16.8 per 100,000. )

When anti-gun proponents talk about firearms deaths, they also criticize the ease of using guns for suicide in their proposals. Thus looking at the whole picture is appropriate, and reasonable.

Mr. Bomar also says banning future assault weapons is not confiscation. And talk of such is an "NRA inspired scare tactic."

No, it is not. During Hillary Clinton's early campaign, she clearly said, "... Assault weapon confiscation (like Australia) is something to consider." Do those words make it clear confiscation is in the mind of these politicians?

Also, anti-gun proponents usually talk of initial laws enacted as a first step. Anyone with intelligence knows when criminals do not obey the first law, politicians will enact another, and another, and another, eventually leading to confiscation.

We must pay attention more closely in order to get the full picture. No law will ever be enough for these people.

Gary Hartman

Lebanon (Dec. 11)
You could not ask for a more clear-cut case of police misconduct than the shooting of Walter Scott. Video captured on a witness cell phone showed North Charleston, S.C., officer Michael Slager shooting Scott in the back as the unarmed black man ran away from him. Scott died from his injuries.

The jury deadlocked, and the case ended in a mistrial. Initial reports suggested a lone holdout prevented unanimity; later reports reveal that several jurors couldnt make up their minds. That is simply outrageous.

Prosecutors vow to re-try Slager, and he still faces federal civil-rights charges, but the result delivers grim testimony about the problem of police shootings. Many of those shootings are entirely justified: Officers confront armed and hostile individuals, many with mental-health problems, who present an immediate and deadly threat.

But the shootingand often killingof many other individuals by officers are not justified: Tamir Rice. Philando Castile. Alton Sterling. Terence Crutcher. Levar Jones. James Boyd. John Geer. And many more.

Remarkably, there is no national database that tracks deaths caused by officers use of force; The Washington Post managed to cobble together a database for one year, 2015but the Justice Department does not maintain an ongoing one, norevidentlydoes any other agency.

That needs fixing. So do policies that often treat officers according to a different standard than private individuals who kill with a firearm. In South Carolina, investigators give officers cooling off periods before questioning them, and do not look into their backgrounds, which is common with other suspects. Nationwide, the names of the officers are not even disclosed 20 percent of the time.

Most Americans sympathize with officers involved in deadly confrontations, and rightly so: Cops often have only seconds to make life-or-death decisions in chaotic situations involving unknown actors who might kill them if they are not extremely carefuland sometimes even if they are. Nobody wants to see those who serve and protect punished for doing the right thing.

But it should not be too much to expect that they be punished when, on rare occasion, they do wrong.
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1 On the Nuclear Issue of North Korea Hu Side Sun Xiangli Wu Jun 1 The XV International Amaldi Conference in Helsinki September 25-27, 2003 Abstract: In this paper, the authors first estimate North Korea s capability to make a nuclear bomb, and then analyze the dangers that a nuclear peninsula would bring about to Northeast Asia and the NPT regime. Finally the authors give their views on the resolution of this issue. It s stressed that realizing peace and stability on a nuclearweapon-free Korean Peninsula should be the major goal, and addressing North Korean security concerns is the key point in resolving the Korean nuclear issue. 1. Introduction After the Cold War, the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction has aroused extensive concerns in the world. There are good reasons to believe that the current nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula is one of the most challenging problems in this regard. This issue involves not only the American-Korean relationship, but also directly affect the Northeast Asia security and the global nonproliferation regime. How to find a way out of the nuclear stalemate on the Korean Peninsula is a thorny but important and urgent issue that the international community has to resolve. 2. An Estimate on North Korea s Capability to Make a Nuclear Bomb The question of whether North Korea has already possessed nuclear weapons directly determines the nature of this issue and the possible approaches to solve the problem. For the time being, there is no immediate answer to this question, but only guesses from some sources. Here, we would like to make a technical assessment on North Korea s ability to build a nuclear device. From the technical perspective, one has to master the following three important elements to produce a nuclear device: principle of the bomb, configuration of the bomb, and nuclear materials. There are mainly two kinds of nuclear devices: atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb. The design of an H-bomb is very sophisticated, and it s impossible to produce an H- bomb without some nuclear tests. Therefore we believe that currently North Korea can not possibly master the technologies to make an H-bomb. However, the design of an atomic bomb is relatively simple. Since the 1980s there have been many open materials introducing in detail the principle and structure of atomic bombs. For example, Nuclear Weapons Databook and U.S. Nuclear Weapons: the Secret 1 The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent opinions of their institutions.

2 History. 2 Some information in this regard is also available on Internet. There are numerous nuclear scientists and engineers in North Korea, so there should be no difficulty for them to master the knowledge. There are two different designs for an atomic device: gun-type and implosive-type. For plutonium materials, only implosive-type can be adopted. Designed in a simple form, the materials inside could be fabricated into a sphere. Although there are some technical problems to be solved for this kind of design, for a country like North Korea who has a long history in nuclear materials studies, there should be no special difficulty in designing this kind of rude nuclear device. As for North Korea's amount of nuclear materials, there are many guesses and estimates in the world. According to some estimates from U.S. sources, North Korea has reprocessed some fuel rods from the 5 MW reactor at Yongbyon, and separated kilograms of plutonium, which is enough for one or two bombs. 3 Besides, there is an unconfirmed report saying that about 56 kilograms of plutonium was smuggled from Russia in the early 1990s. 4 Apart from the above three major elements, one certainly need to acquire some other things in order to make an atomic bomb, such as the initiating system, the neutron source, the computer codes, the detonation experiments and so on. All these are within the capabilities of most contemporary states. In fact, a great deal of information concerning nuclear weapon designing has been declassified during the s, and some advanced specialized computer codes for nuclear device designing can be obtained from open channels. So we should say that in the s, many non-nuclear weapon states have in many respects got much better conditions to build an atomic bomb than the United States during the 1940s. Since North Korea is close in distance to South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. military bases in this region, it s relatively easy for it to establish a deterrent force. It dose not have to produce advanced, long distance and high yield nuclear weapons, and only several rude nuclear atomic bombs will work. This kind of rude plutonium bomb does not necessarily need nuclear test, and some conventional detonation experiments are enough. According to some calculations, an implosive-type nuclear device with several kilograms of plutonium in a simple form of solid core can produce a yield up to hundreds or thousands of tons, with a size that could be fit by some existing delivery means in North Korea. Based on the above analysis, we can say that there are no essential technical barriers for North Korea to build a rude nuclear device. So it s our judgement that North Korea has the capability to make rude nuclear weapons. 2 Chuck Hansen, U.S. Nuclear Weapons: the Secret History, A Division of Crown Publishers, inc. 1988; T. Cochran et al., Nuclear Weapons Databook vol. I: US Nuclear Force and Capabilities, NRDC, Larry A. Niksch, North Korea s Nuclear Weapons Program, Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress, Order Code IB1141, Oct. 9,2002,p.5; David Albright, Frans Berkhout and William Walker, Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium 1996, pp ; David Albright, North Korea s Current and Future Plutonium and Nuclear Weapon Stock, ISIS Issue Brief, Jan.15, Larry A. Niksch, North Korea s Nuclear Weapons Program, p.6; Lee Wha Rang, North Korean Nuclear Arsenal, 2

3 If North Korea had obtained some amount of plutonium, then the possibility cannot be excluded that it possesses several nuclear weapons already. Even if North Korea had not yet possessed nuclear weapons for the moment, predictably it could make some nuclear weapons in a short time if it reprocesses the existing spent fuel. 3. The Possible Consequences that a North Korea with Nuclear Weapons Would Bring About It s still not clear where the North Korea will go in the next step. However, it s obvious that a nuclear North Korea would bring great impact on the regional security and global non-proliferation regime. In the Japanese history, there have always been some voices advocating developing nuclear weapons in Japan. A nuclear North Korea might provide Japan a pretext to develop nuclear force. In South Korea it s reported that it once had a nuclear weapon program, and was forced to give up under the U.S. pressure. 5 If North Korea develop nuclear forces, and Japan goes to nuclear, then South Korea must feel pressure to develop nuclear weapons. Of course Japan and South Korea have some other options to deal with that situation like strengthening cooperation with the United States in missile defence and nuclear umbrella, but the possibility cannot be ruled out that they choose to develop their own nuclear forces. If Japan and South Korea have their own nuclear weapons, the allied relations among the United States, Japan and South Korea will change, and the Northeast Asia security structure will face major adjustment. So, North Korea s nuclearization will bring great uncertainty to the strategic structure of this region. Non-proliferation and counter-proliferation are among the priorities of the U.S. national policies. A North Korea with nuclear force is not in the interests of the U.S. regional and global security. The United States will not accept a North Korea with nuclear force. If no agreement can be concluded on the nuclear standoff between these two countries, a series of political, economical or military conflicts will come up, which would greatly endanger the security and stability of this region. The increase of the number of nuclear weapon states in Northeast Asia would also cause new security peril in this region. The probability of nuclear accident and nuclear war would rise. And the prospect of nuclear weapons' falling into terrorists hands would get more worrisome. So far, North Korea is the only state that has withdrawn from the NPT treaty and declared to develop nuclear deterrent force. If this issue could not be resolved appropriately, it would create a negative precedent, which would heavily impair the NPT regime. A North Korea with nuclear force will lead to chain reactions which are unfavorable to China s security. China is focusing on economic development, and a stable and secure periphery environment is crucial to its economic development and 5 Selig S. Harrison ed., Japan s Nuclear Future: the Plutonium Debate and East Asian Security, A Carnegie Endowment Book, 1996,pp

4 social stability. Therefore, realizing peace and stability on a nuclear-weapons-free Korean Peninsula serves best the interests of China. So, China actively supports denuclearizion on this Peninsula. There should be no doubt that realizing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the common aim for all states concerned in this region. 4. Approaches to Settle the Korean Nuclear Crisis It s infeasible to de-nuclearize the Korean Peninsula by military means. Considering that North Korea may possibly have had nuclear weapons already, in such case, military actions would lead to a disastrous result. Even if North Korea has no nuclear weapons, its conventional military force should not be underestimated. A military conflict or war on this Peninsula would cause heavy casualties and destruction, which neither Japan nor South Korea can bear. And other neighboring countries like Russia and China might also got involved. So the military approach will never do, and only peaceful and diplomatic means can work. The six-party talks in Beijing in August was a good step to the peaceful solution of this issue. However, the North Korean and U.S. delegations put forward contradictory preconditions. The United States requires the North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons program first before talking other issues, while North Korea demands a nonaggression treaty with the United States as a precondition to give up its nuclear program. In order to find the right direction to settle the issue, it s necessary to analyze North Korea s motivations of developing nuclear weapons. In the past decades, confronting with the military alliance of the United States, Japan and South Korea, North Korea has always been showing worries on its security. During the Korean War, North Korea was subject to nuclear threats by the United States. Since 1976, the U.S. started the Team Spirit joint military exercises with South Korea, which involved practice in using nuclear weapons in this region. 6 It s not hard to imagine how irritating it was to North Korea. After the cold war, the feeling of isolation and the example of the Gulf War actually provided new incentives for North Korea to develop nuclear weapons. Many people in the world believe that the role of nuclear weapons in safeguarding national security and resisting superpower s armed intervention could never be replaced by other means. This is something that many relatively small or weak states are well aware. The comment made by the Indian former Army Chief of Staff General K. Sundarji is very typical. He said: [Coalition members] could go in because the United States had nuclear weapons and Iraq didn t, The Gulf War emphasized once again that nuclear weapons are the ultimate coin of power. 7 The just ended Iraq War might hint to the North Korean leaders that 6 Daniel A. Pinkston, North Korean Motivations for Developing Nuclear Weapons, cns.miis.edu/research/korea/ dprkmotv.pdf.; North Korean Nuclear Developments: An Updated Chronology, cns.miis.edu/research/korea/nuc/ chr4789.htm. 7 Keith B. Payne, Deterrence in the 2nd Nuclear Age, The University Press of Kentucky, 1996, p.28. 4

5 conventional weapons are unreliable in confronting with the United States. So, we believe that North Korea is not only playing a political card but has strong securityoriented motivations for acquiring nuclear weapons. Though Pyongyang has both security and economic concerns, no doubt security concern is the first priority. One can imagine that the collapse of Saddam Hussein s empire must have given Korean leaders a serious warning, and President Bush s wellknown phrase of the axis of evil and the preemptive nuclear strike policy might have seriously upset the North Koreans and made Pyongyang more strongly determined to rely on nuclear deterrence. So it s reasonable to believe that North Korea would not abandon its nuclear program unless it gets credible security assurance. Economic aid is needed, but it s the second consideration. Poverty does not necessarily threaten a regime. Many regimes in poor countries can survive for very long time. For the North Korean leaders, the regime s survivability and national security definitely take precedence over economic goals. Therefore, addressing the security concerns of North Korea is the key point to settle the issue. There were some precedents of de-nuclearization in the world. Ukraine, as a Republic of the former Soviet Union, gave up its nuclear forces after obtained a security assurance from the United States and Russia. In the case of North Korea, We believe it s possible for it to abandon its nuclear program if its security concerns were relieved. By doing this, North Korea can not only obtain economic aid, but also get out of political isolation, turn into international community, and create a good basis for the unity of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang s consent of participating in the sixparty talks is a positive signal, which indicates that it is willing to negotiate to solve this issue. Therefore, the United States and other states concerned should consider an appropriate arrangement to give Pyongyang a reliable security assurance. Of course, the package of solution should include strict and effective verification measures, so that North Korea's nuclear program be disarmed completely and irreversibly. 5. Conclusion The North Korean nuclear issue is a challenge in the field of security and nonproliferation; it s also a touchstone to test whether those countries concerned can closely cooperate to jointly safeguard regional security. If North Korea s nuclear program would continue to develop without any control, there would be chain reactions that seriously damage the regional security and global non-proliferation regime. So, all the states concerned should strengthen cooperation, sincerely address Korean security concerns, dispel its motivation for nuclear weapons, and ultimately realize the peace and stability on a nuclear-weapons-free peninsula. 5
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1 Northeast Asian Security: Mongolia and Korea Syungje PARK Asia Strategy Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea Abstract Mongolia comes from a similar political landscape to North Korea, but is adapting well from its old system to its new market economy. Mongolia s transformation over the last 20 years can demonstrate to North Korea that political change can be achieved successfully and peacefully, and in this way, from a position of experience Mongolia can better explain to North Korea the benefits of democratic reform. Keywords:Mongolia-Korea relations, North Korea, Republic of Korea. Background Archaeologists have said that the roots of Mongolian and Korean culture are clearly the same (The Korean Association for Mongolian Studies 2009). Philological study has also confirmed linguistic closeness between the Korean and Mongolian languages (Ki Sun Kim 2009). 1 This historical record of a close connection between the two cultures dates back more than 1500 years. Recently, after normalization of relations between Mongolia and Korea, ties are becoming even closer than in ancient times. From Korea s perspective, Mongolia is a very important country, primarily because Korea s relations with Mongolia will impact relations between the North and the Republic of Korea (RoK). The RoK has frequently promoted to North Korea the concept of a market-based economy, various political and economic reforms, and democracy. But to date there has been little progress in getting North Korea to change. On this point, Mongolia is especially important for the RoK, because Mongolia can explain concepts of economic and political reform to North Korea from experience. North Koreans have said that they fear market-based economic reforms, because they believe that the elite will lose power and be killed by their own people if such reforms are implemented (The North Korea Freedom Coalition ). But Mongolia is the perfect example to illustrate to North Korea s powerful elite that no one was actually hurt during the transition period of new government and reform. Mongolia has effectively demonstrated to the world how they changed their political parties and government without violence. North Korea can learn from Mongolia s experience of the market economic system over the last 20 years. This friendly relationship between Mongolia and North Korea goes back many years. As noted by the Ministry of Health, especially during the Korean War, many North Korean orphans sought refuge in Mongolia. Most went back to the North in the 1960s but still many North Koreans recall how much Mongolia helped them during the war. Until 1 The Mongolian word for left and right is Jum garon teashi and Baron garon teashi, and the Korean for left and right is Wenpyun and Brun pyun. Also many words on JeJu Island still use Mongolian derivatives, especially words related to horse.

2 this year, the two countries had regular exchanges between students, government, and party officials. In 2008, more than 30,000 Mongolians were working in the RoK, and a couple of thousand Koreans lived in Mongolia. These numbers provide good resources for both countries economies. In total, according to police reports more than 40,000 Mongolians live in Korea. Of course no one really knows about the number of people who live illegally in Korea. Marriage, missionary work and study are major reasons to stay in Korea. International Cooperation Anti-terrorism Northeast Asian countries need to work together, especially in the War on Terrorism. Trade of missiles and weapons is a serious issue we must face in Northeast Asia. Controls are needed, particularly on exports and imports to criminal elements. Refined information exchanges are also required because today s international terrorists operate country to country, which makes international cooperation vital. Northeast Asian nations need to exchange not only intelligence on identifying terrorist organizations, but also information about the transit of suspected members, contact information, and banking and financial data of suspected terrorists. The War on Terror is not the responsibility of any one country, but an obligation of all nations. As such, the RoK and Mongolia have clearly shown willingness to be major supporters of the fight against terrorism. Proliferation Security Initiative and weapons of mass destruction To reduce tensions in Northeast Asia, support is required from regional nations. Because of its geographical location, Mongolia is an important country for gaining such support. Of course, other regional powers Russia, China and Japan are also important countries, but particularly if Mongolia, Japan and Korea can cooperate more closely, many good outcomes can be achieved. A couple of years ago I thought that even with the reasonably good results from the Six Party talks we cannot clearly predict what will happen, but at least the talks were a good first step. If six countries agreed that North Korea should no longer have nuclear weapons, North East Asia will have a more secure future. Of course initially we thought progress was made in 2006 and 2007, but then in 2007 North Korea tested a ballistic missile. The subsequent missile test of April 2009 changed the situation dramatically. However, it is very important that we persist in preventing North Korea from developing nuclear weapons by encouraging them to change their policy. Despite obstacles that prevent the implementation of this agreement, the agreement will give us more strength so we can proceed to the next stage, such as supporting the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation Security Initiative. The RoK and Mongolia should prepare to join or otherwise support future PSI operations. Making Northeast Asia a non-nuclear weapons zone Nuclear weapons are a danger in any country, but even more so when inadequate controls are in place. The Republic of Korea, Japan and Mongolia can clearly demonstrate that they do not need nuclear weapons, thereby enhancing control of nuclear powers. We know that nuclear weapons cannot ultimately protect a regime nor help in any way the economic situation of a nation. But some countries still adhere to the belief that nuclear weapons can only help their security and economic stability. By sending the strong message that

3 nuclear weapons are unnecessary, and by constantly explaining and reminding neighboring countries on this point, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Mongolia can make a positive impact on increasing stability in Northeast Asia. A new security organization for Northeast Asia A new international organization to guarantee peace, stability and security for Northeast Asian countries could play a pivotal role in bringing North Korea onto the international stage. Such an organization could be similar to NATO, and should include the USA, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, China, the Republic of Korea and North Korea itself. North Korea s membership in such an organization would be essential, and its participation would also provide greater opportunities for the North to actively engage with other countries, as well as learning and understanding more about how the rest of the world really works. Since we cannot yet penetrate North Korea s closed system, we must entice North Korea to come out and join the world community. This new Northeast Asian organization may also be charged with the responsibility of controlling inspections in Northeast Asia and preventing the trafficking in nuclear materials and other weapons of mass destruction. Such a new organization is essential for the security and stability of the region. Anti-drug and other operations Drug operations continue to grow as more countries become involved in illicit drug trading. The Northeast Asian community can cooperate on an international scale, especially targeting origins of drug production and the control of drug trafficking and sales. Together Northeast Asian countries must attempt to prevent the export of illegal drugs from the outset. Other operations, such as counterfeiting money, must be stopped and prevented. Counterfeiting damages worldwide economies and hurts international markets. For example, if one country gets information about counterfeiting from another country, the information should be shared immediately with other countries and relevant international law enforcement agencies, along with the full identities of those involved and methods revealed. Through aggressive cooperation we can have a greater impact on the prevention of counterfeiting in Northeast Asia. Counterfeit cigarette operations A Northeast Asian organization can also work together toward eliminating cigarette counterfeiting. As counterfeit cigarette operations need the backing of criminal organizations on an international scale, international cooperation is the only effective countermeasure. Because of North Korea s nuclear weapons problem Nuclear weapons testing and lack of nuclear controls during Kim Jong-il s regime means that we must vigilantly watch the North. We will need further inspections and Six-party talks, and the Northeast Asian community will be responsible for the inspections and guarantees for North Korea. International cooperation is also essential for exchanging port and airport information, so we understand what North Korean ships and airplanes carry and their destinations. We can explain to North Korea what benefits will be available to them if they join the international community and relinquish all nuclear weapons and programs.

4 Between Mongolia and the Republic of Korea New perspective needed for Korean Peninsula specialists Twenty years ago, most Korea specialists from Mongolia studied in North Korea, mainly because they had no opportunity to study or do research in the Republic of Korea, although now this situation has changed. At present, most Mongolians study in the RoK, but both countries have to consider the best methods to help these students become good specialists in Korean studies. First, we must capitalize on the fact that Mongolian students who study in the RoK will have a much better understanding of a market-based economic system than students studying in North Korea. Those who study in the RoK should be better prepared and willing to use this knowledge not only back in Mongolia, but also in helping North Korea understand that reforms won t be so threatening. Around twenty years ago many Mongolians studied in North Korea, not only in Pyongyang but also in Chungjin and other different cities. Even though knowledge gained in North Korea has been very useful over the last twenty years, the international environment has since changed. Due to North Korea s isolation policy and weakened economic state, Mongolian students think that North Korea no longer offers opportunities to study economics, technology, banking and the computer industry. On the other hand, many Mongolian students like to study in the RoK. If Mongolia s specialists in Korean first study in the RoK instead, and then go to North Korea, they can more effectively entice the North to change, and in doing so contribute to the stability of Northeast Asia. RoK must do more to facilitate Mongolians chance to work in the RoK I lived in Mongolia more than 10 years ago, and at that time I noted that Mongolians were trying to learn very fast and eagerly; they worked and studied very diligently. Today there are many Mongolians working in the RoK, and mostly they too are very committed to working and learning hard. When I look at the Mongolian worker in Korea, I am reminded of Koreans` past work record in foreign countries, and Mongolians are doing the same today. Forty years ago, many Koreans traveled abroad, leaving family and friends behind to earn money, which became Korea s major source of income at that time. Simultaneously, this overseas work experience helped the RoK s economic development in the 1960s and 1970s by developing the country s capital and technology base. In the same way, someone from Mongolia now working in Korea might be in a position to strengthen Mongolia s economy after they return to Mongolia, and so it is very important to encourage more Mongolians to work in Korea. Discreet support needed from Mongolia to assist North Korean refugees To date, more than 13,000 North Korean refugees have been settled in the RoK, with more refugees arriving every year. However, North Korean refugees are experiencing increasing trouble in China (US North Korea Human Rights Committee Report 2007 and 2008). The NE Asian Community could save many lives if Mongolia would permit a temporary refugee camp in their country. The North Korean refugee issue is not only a political issue, but a human rights one as well. Most North Korean refugees escape the North not only for political reasons, but mostly economic ones. After they arrive in China, North Korean refugees are granted little support or protection from the Chinese government, and are usually deported back to North Korea. Back in their home country,

5 many refugees cannot get a job and in a food-rationing country like North Korea, no job means survival is unlikely. North Koreans who succeed in escaping often have little choice but to deal with dangerous people, criminal elements and those eager to sell North Korean women into prostitution. A few women are fortunate enough to find a husband in China, but this is unlikely for most women. 2 When they escape from North Korea, refugees have two directions to travel: north or south. The northern route leads to Russia and Mongolia, while the southern route leads to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. However, the southern route is too far from North Korea, and the northern route is difficult to cross covertly, as the border between Mongolia and China is mainly exposed desert, so refugees are easily discovered by Chinese border patrols. If there was a refugee camp in Mongolia, refugees could be discreetly moved to the RoK and many North Koreans could be saved. This would not only be a human rights success, but it would also enhance Mongolia s reputation as a humanitarian country in Northeast Asia and the world. The issue of North Korean refugees will not go away anytime soon because it is caused by North Korea s dismal economic situation and its dictatorial political tyranny. Stability for Northeast Asia can only be achieved when we solve North Korea s economic problems, which is related to stopping the North s nuclear weapons programs. But before solving the nuclear problem and the Chinese government s treatment of North Korean refugees, the NE Asia community must aggressively support the settlement of North Korean refugees. North Korea s Human Rights Issues Stability in the region is influenced by human rights abuses. What North Korea is now doing to its people is like plucking birds from the sky, caging them, and then telling the rest of the international community that they need money to feed the captured birds because there s no money in the NK birdcage. Birds do not need birdcages, they need their freedom, and so North Korean people need liberation from a government that stifles their existence. Kim Jong-il s birdcage is ultimately creating instability in Northeast Asia. If North Korea cannot feed its own people, then the easiest solution for the North is just to let them go free. North Koreans know how to live and how to survive, but the only problem is that they do not have the freedom to do so. Even during the Korean War more than a half-century ago, few people died of starvation and one of the main reasons for this was that people had the freedom to keep searching for food and look for new jobs. But now they cannot freely move from one place to another. We know that inside a birdcage, a bird without food will soon die. But outside of a birdcage, birds cannot die from starvation. Improving North Korea s human rights will help improve North Korea s living conditions and reduce tension on the Korean Peninsula. 2 According to data from the Unification Ministry, more women came from North Korea than any other country. The data also reports that more than 50 percent of people fled from North Korea due to difficult living conditions (Unification Ministry RoK 2004). From 2000 to 2004 June, 4,716 people came from the RoK; 2,007 of this number were men, 2,945 people were women.

6 North Korean Studies Mongolia and the Republic of Korea can embark jointly on various North Korean studies. Topics for study and research should focus on questions like: how can we fundamentally help North Korea s economic reforms, and how can we genuinely improve the North Korean human rights situation? We could also study other questions, such as: How can we help small businesses prosper in North Korea? What can be done to help North Korea improve its dilapidated transportation system? How can we assist North Korea to improve local markets, or so-called Jang ma dang and farmers` markets? We could also study together about how to reduce the number of government workers in North Korea. In this case we could research a number of different areas and decide whether to start by looking at the party, the military or the government bureaucracy. In the case of the military, we could examine what areas could best be reduced: infantry, artillery or armored troops, or the political army. Regarding the North Korean Labor Party, we should decide whether to first begin with the local party, the central party or the administrative apparatus, or the overall organizational structure. There are many areas to be considered. We can also apply to our joint studies Mongolia s wealth of experience in developing a viable market-based economy without substantial capital outlays. Now North Korea still has no capital ownership and no significant private business. Most people in North Korea have no experience of a market-based economic system. They may have some familiarity with small business practices in farmers` markets and so-called Jang ma dang, but such experience is highly limited to local situations. Some people in larger cities have sales experience, but mostly belong to a government organization, such as a county economic committee, district economic committee, or local city party economic committee. Real private market sales experience will be necessary before North Koreans can adjust to the realities and benefits available in a market system. This is another point where Mongolia has the upper hand in being able to help North Korea learn how to move from a socialist economy to a free-market system. Conclusion North Korea cannot remain oblivious to the plight of its people, who will continue to flee because of economic factors. Their people are hungry and are beginning to slowly learn about the bounty in other parts of the world, especially in the RoK. For more than a decade Mongolia has worked aggressively to peacefully replace its failed socialist economy with a market system that works. Mongolia has had a close relationship with the North at least since the Korean War, but now also has strong ties with the South. Mongolia is uniquely positioned to make significant contributions in helping North Korean refugees and to assist in educating North Koreans about the benefits of changing their economic and political systems gradually but progressively towards a market system, and giving more freedom to its people. The RoK and Mongolia should closely work together to identify opportunities that entice North Korea to follow Mongolia s successful transition. Mongolia has a major role to play in facilitating stability in Northeast Asia through its cooperative efforts with the RoK, and in helping the people of North Korea.

7 References The Korean Association for Mongolian Studies Mongol History (BC20C AD12C) [online] available at Ki Sun Kim A Comparative Study on Onomatopoeia between the Korean and Mongolian Language. The Korean Association for Mongolian Studies 27 th Book: The North Korea Freedom Coalition (NKFC) Interview with North Korean officials in China. [online] US North Korea Human Rights Committee and US North Korea Human Rights Committee Report.
There are 4 Jews among the House freshmen, Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brad Schneider (D-IL) and two who left, Alan Grayson (D-FL) and Steve Israel (D-NY). That means the 115th Congress will have 21 Jews in the House (20 Democrats and one Republican) and, with Barbara Boxer's retirement, 9 in the Senate. The most Jewish district in America (37.6% of the population) is NY-10 which takes in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn and is represented by Jerry Nadler. Over the weekend, Nadler spoke out about Trump's bizarre nomination of right-wing extremist David Friedman to be ambassador to Israel.





Nadler's statement emphasized that the nomination "underscores, yet again, the extremist agenda of Donald Trump and his administration. This is an appointment with dangerous consequences for both the United States and Israel, not only with respect to the prospect of an eventual negotiated peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but also with respect to the relationship between our two countries, and more generally, to regional stability.

"Mr. Friedmans views and comments about a two-state solution are not only a total break from decades of American and Israeli policy, but are fundamentally out-of-step with the views of the majority of American Jews. Support for a two-state solution is not only official U.S. policy, it is also the official Israeli policy when it comes to a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. Breaking from this position undermines the longstanding diplomatic alignment between our two countries, and magnifies the risk to Israels long-term safety and security by increasing dangerous regional instability. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of American Jews, along with most American Jewish organizations across the spectrum-- from AIPAC to J-Street-- all support a two-state solution. "Mr. Friedmans appointment is even more disturbing given his hateful rhetoric in describing, for example, some supporters of a two-state solution as worse than kapos. Using Nazi imagery, such as the term kapo-- a reference to Jews who cooperated and/or assisted the Nazis during the Holocaust-- when referring to Jews or Israel today, no matter the circumstance, is broadly deemed to be anti-Semitic and should be condemned in the same way it would be if someone who was not Jewish were to use it.



"Mr. Friedmans extreme views and use of such hateful language is an insult to the majority of American Jews.



"With the appointment of David Friedman, Donald Trump has continued the divisive politics that were regularly on display during his campaign. As another in a series of extremists to be appointed to top positions within the Administration, Mr. Friedmans radical hardline positions place him far outside the mainstream of both American and Israeli policy and of American Jewry. His appointment is not only offensive to both American and Israeli Jews, it again signals the intent of Donald Trump and the Republicans who support him to align with extreme right-wing positions. Mr. Friedmans views break with one of the fundamental building blocks of U.S. and Israeli policy, jeopardizing the U.S.-Israel relationship going forward."

Two of the Jews in Congress, Steve Cohen and John Yarmuth, represent districts with tiny Jewish populations, respectively Memphis and Louisville. Yarmuth posted a similar comment on his Facebook page : "Trumps appointment of David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to Israel is totally out of step with longstanding, bipartisan US foreign policy. At a challenging and precarious time in the Middle East, catering to right-wing inflammatory views that will unnecessarily strain our relationships in the region is extremely dangerous. We should be working toward a two-state solution, with both Jews and Palestinians living alongside each other in peace and security."













Meanwhile, there aren't many Jews in Montana at all-- maybe 6,000 people and 7 synagogues in Billings, Bozeman (2), Butte, Great Falls, Kalispell and Missoula. Trump won a huge victory in Montana, beating Hillary 279,240 (56.2%) to 177,709 (35.7%). Of the state's 56 counties, Trump won 50, although Hillary won Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. Whitefish is a small town, around 6,500 people, in Flathead County. That's Trump country. He beat Hillary in the county 65-28%. We mentioned Whitefish Saturday when we reported that Trumpist Nazi Richard Spencer was thinking about running for Congress. Although he lives in the DC suburbs, his mother lives in Whitefish. And now other Nazis are stirring up anti-Semitism in Whitefish.





One of the few newspapers anywhere in the country to endorse Trump, the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer has called on their people to "take action" against Jews in Whitefish, mostly because Spencer's mother, apparently also a Nazi, has a failing real estate business, normal people preferring to avid doing business with her.

Daily Mail that said Sherry Spencer "said she is being forced to sell a building she owns in the small town because residents are rebelling against her son." The story claims the "vicious, evil race" has harmed the Whitefish business of Richard Spencer's mother. It quotes a story from the British newspaperthat said Sherry Spencer "said she is being forced to sell a building she owns in the small town because residents are rebelling against her son."



...The Daily Stormer website has a tab called "Jewish Problem." It asks for donations from readers with a plea: "These bastards are always at our throats."



...Some of those targeted by Thursday's post are involved in Love Lives Here, a group that fights discrimination-- racial, ethnic, religious and gender-- in the Flathead. It was founded in 2009 in response to screenings of pro-Hitler films by a white separatist group called Kalispell Pioneer Little Europe. Daily Stormer calls Love Lives Here a "Jew terrorist group."

The Daily Stormer refers to Jews as a "vicious, evil race of hate-filled psychopaths" and "a people without shame" and winks at its supporters, "reminding" them not to be violent, while including names, photos, phone numbers, email addresses of Jews. Another prominent supporter of both Trump and Spencer, KKK leader David Duke, is backing the call to action against Montana Jews.





And, as long as we're talking about Montana and Nazis... how close is Ryan Zinke with his state's crackpot racist contingent? Too close , but just right for Steve Bannon, who helped get Cathy McMorris Rodgers iced for Zinke.





NY Times. "[H]e is unsuitable to represent America in one of the most high-pressure diplomatic positions in the world. This call to withdraw Mr. Friedmans name also reflects a sober assessment of the damage that could be caused to American interests and to Mr. Trumps presidency by the reckless words for which Mr. Friedman is already known." This is an integral part of Trumpism. I'm sure he'd like to make Jews feel-- like feudal European kings and later Russian czars did-- that they need to come to him for protection against his rabid followers. It's the flip side of the outrageous David Friedman nomination, which George W. Bush's ambassador to Israel, Daniel Kurtzer, wrote is hazardous to peace and "a serious mistake that should be rectified" in Saturday's. "[H]e is unsuitable to represent America in one of the most high-pressure diplomatic positions in the world. This call to withdraw Mr. Friedmans name also reflects a sober assessment of the damage that could be caused to American interests and to Mr. Trumps presidency by the reckless words for which Mr. Friedman is already known."
BlackBerry will initially work with middleware supplier PolySync and semiconductor company Renesas Electronics Corp (6723.T), as well as its hometown University of Waterloo on its autonomous driving project.

Ottawa: Canada's BlackBerry Ltd plans to invest C$100 million ($75 million) in a new autonomous vehicle testing hub over several years, the company's chief executive said on Monday, as the fallen smartphone pioneer looks elsewhere for growth.

Most of the money will go to engineering jobs, possibly hundreds in coming years, John Chen told reporters at the Ottawa-area headquarters of its BlackBerry QNX subsidiary, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his side.

The company, which is racing to increase software sales as its handset unit and related legacy service access fees shrink, hopes to make itself indispensable in the automotive industry's looming self-driving arms race.

"One could make the argument that QNX is the strongest asset in their portfolio right now, so it's refreshing to see this investment," said IDC's consumer mobility analyst Brian Haven.

But he said scaling the business and dealing with rivals with more money to throw at autonomous driving initiatives would be challenges for the company.

BlackBerry is hoping its security and safety credentials help it win a seat at the table as an array of automakers, chip and sensor providers and software developers work in competitive co-operation to bring self-driving cars to the mass market.

"It will require significant cooperation between all those involved to be sure that the end product and its communication configuration is both safe and secure for the individuals that use them and those sharing the road," said David Masson, Canada country manager at cybersecurity firm Darktrace.

BlackBerry will initially work with middleware supplier PolySync and semiconductor company Renesas Electronics Corp as well as its hometown University of Waterloo on its autonomous driving project, but hopes to welcome more companies to its Ottawa facility.

The company's Toronto-listed shares were up 2.9 per cent at C$10.40, after earlier rising as much as 4 per cent to a one-month high.

The company's QNX unit, renamed BlackBerry QNX, currently employs around 400 engineers, some three-quarters of them at its facility in Kanata on the outskirts of Ottawa.

BlackBerry has about 5,000 employees in total.

While the embedded operating system market is likely to grow quickly as autonomous driving takes off, BlackBerry faces numerous competitive threats, including from independent embedded operating system producer Green Hills Software as well as chipmakers such as Intel Corp.

It must also convince system integrators including former QNX owner Harman International Industries Inc that its offering is compelling.
Currently, the recall has been issued in the US market but the Indian motorcycles are imported as CBU units in India from the US market.

23,766 units of motorcycles manufactured by Indian between April 15 2013 and July 15, 2016, have been recalled. The reason behind the recall is a defective fuel rail system. Apparently, the faulty system can come in contact with adjacent components due to vibrations, resulting in a fuel leakage, which can even cause a fire.

Currently, the recall has been issued in the US market but the Indian motorcycles are imported as CBU units in India from the US market. So, we can expect an official announcement for the recall in India soon. Moreover, an source from the Indian Motorcycles dealership stated that they have been informed regarding the staff training before initiating the recall and all the Indian motorcycle owners with a bike manufactured between the April 15th, 2013, to July 15th, 2016 will be called to the dealership post training and the required rectifications will be carried out.

Source: BikeDekho.com
Online used car retailer Carvana opened its newest vending machine last week in Houston, where the gleaming, glass-encased structure sits right off a busy freeway.

Washington: If brick-and-mortar stores fear Amazon and e-commerce as a threat to their existence, used car dealers may be terrified by the newest development in their industry: a car vending machine.

Yes, it's real. And no, you can't shake it to get a free one. Online used car retailer Carvana opened its newest vending machine last week in Houston, where the gleaming, glass-encased structure sits right off a busy freeway.

The eight-storey automated garage  three levels higher than the first version which debuted in Nashville a year ago holds 30 cars. It dispenses used vehicles in four delivery bays, but only to customers who have the special coin to make it work -- which they receive after completing an online purchase.

This is a marketing gimmick, of course. But the company believes it could prove a valuable part of the strategy to win customers over by completely overhauling the dreaded process of buying a used car, something notoriously difficult and plagued by the fear of sales people taking advantage of prospective buyers.

Our view of what we are trying to do is make the experience a high quality one that customers love, Carvana co-founder and CEO Ernie Garcia told AFP. The goal, he said, is to make car buying fun.He said the founders did not start out planning to be an online site, but aimed to rethink the car buying transaction from start to finish and find ways to differentiate economically, through the entire pipeline.

The first step was to take a page out of Amazon's book and get rid of dealerships, which Garcia says adds $400 to the price of a car. Another $1,400 goes to pay sales personnel.

Carvana, which launched in 2013 and is now in 21 markets after adding 12 this year, stores its cars far outside cities in areas where rent is cheap.

The company says this year it saved customers more than $1,400 on average on purchase prices compared to the Kelley Blue Book suggested price, the industry standard.

The typical concern for customers buying a used car is whether they can trust that the vehicle is safe and reliable, and whether they are paying too much.

And even in the best of cases, the process can take several hours of paperwork to complete a purchase through a traditional dealer.
Mumbai: A day after Cyrus P Mistry's sudden decision to quit from the boards of six Tata group companies, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) shareholders at the EGM today expressed concern over his taking the battle to the courts.

Following Mistry's decision, there was no voting on removing him as director at the IHCL Extraordinary General Meeting, but shareholders showed concern over the ousted Tata Sons Chairman's intention of taking legal course in the ongoing board room war at the over USD 100 billion group.

Mistry quit ahead of five Tata companies  Indian Hotels, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power and Tata Chemicals  calling EGMs starting today to remove him as a director on company boards in view of his abrupt removal from the group's holding firm Tata Sons on October 24.

Ratan Tata, a scion of the conglomerate's founding family, replaced him as chairman of the group's holding company. In a dramatic turn to India's biggest boardroom spat, while quitting yesterday from the boards, Mistry launched a scathing broadside against Ratan Tata vowing to shift his fight to a "larger platform".

At today's EGM, 35 shareholders expressed their views to interim chairman Ratan Tata along with Tata Trusts trustee R K Krishna Kumar and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust Managing Trustee R Venkataramanan who attended the meeting.

IHCL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Sarna chaired the meeting, in which directors, including Deepak Parekh, Mehernosh Kapadia and Nadir B Godrej, were also present.

Most of the shareholders said the public spat, which could have been resolved amicably, has damaged the Tata brand and decreased the market value of the company.

"This hassle is not good for the image of the company. There was no need to wash dirty linen in public," said one of the shareholders, Jahangir Batliwala. Echoing a similar view, Aloysious Mascarenhas said Mistry should have resigned long back.

"I request Mistry not to take the legal course as it takes long long time and is also not good for the image of the company," he said. Former Managing Director GIC Mahesh Rao said somewhere down the line maturity was lacking in case of Mistry.

"The group was run by Ratan Tata for so many years and there was not a single controversy. Reputation doesn't come with paying high dividends, but it comes with how gracefully and with dignity you run the company. No amount of criticism is going to touch this group."
Mumbai: Blame it on depreciating value of pound sterling against rupee or a robust overall performance in last 25 years, but you cannot deny the fact that Indian economy has overtaken that of the United Kingdom, a report published in Forbes magazine said.

The development may also be attributed to Britain voting out of the 28-memebr economic block, the European Union.

Indian economy was expected to overtake that of the UKs in the year 2020 but the acceleration in surpasso came with the British pound falling nearly 20 per cent over the last 12 months, the report said, consequently UKs 2016 GDP of GBP 1.87 trillion converts to $2.29 trillion at exchange rate of GBP 0.81 per $1.

Whereas Indias GDP of Rs 153 trillion converts to $2.30 trillion at an exchange rate of Rs 66.6 per $, report added.

With this, the gap between the two big economies is further expected to widen as India grows at 6 to 8 per cent a year whereas the UK registers a growth of 1 to 2 per cent annually.
The I-T department will soon sign a MoU with the Oil Ministry in order to begin this transfer of personal taxpayer data, in a "confidential and safe" manner.

New Delhi: The Income Tax department will soon begin sharing personal data--like PAN, residential address and mobile number--of a taxpayer earning over Rs 10 lakh per annum with the Oil Ministry as part of government's initiative to effectively block subsidised cooking gas to higher income groups.

As part of the official deal between the two government departments, the taxman will also share the date of birth, gender, email id, residential phone number and all available addresses of the taxpayer in its database so that the Petroleum and Oil Ministry could zero down on each LPG subscriber who is availing the subsidy beyond the stipulated rules and has not voluntarily given it up.

The I-T department will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Oil Ministry in order to begin this transfer of personal taxpayer data, in a "confidential and safe" manner.

The department, till now, used to share such proprietary data with Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) like police, CBI, ED and others with a rider that they should not share this information with anyone else and use it for their investigation purposes only.

The latest move has also been approved by the policy-making body of the department, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), in the backdrop of government's decision which had said that tax payers with annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh will not get subsidised cooking gas (LPG).

"This tax data with the Oil Ministry will ensure that all those who have income above Rs 10 lakh per year will automatically be barred from getting subsidised cooking gas cylinders. The data will be processed by the Oil Ministry and only names of those ineligible will be shared with the concerned LPG distributor on field.

"While some individuals and households have already given up this subsidy voluntarily after government asked them to do so, there are many who have not done so.

The government wants to check pilferage in this regard and hence the data is being shared between the two departments," a senior official said. The official said the transfer of data will begin soon.

At present, all households are entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates. The government has asked well-off people in the past to voluntarily give up using subsidised LPG and instead buy cooking fuel at market price.

The government, while announcing this decision last year, had said it "has decided that the benefit of LPG subsidy will not be available for LPG consumers if the consumer or his/her spouse had taxable income of more than Rs 10 lakh during the previous financial year computed as per the Income Tax Act, 1961."
New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the meeting of 70-member Board of Trade next month to discuss ways to boost exports, which has been largely languishing in the negative zone.

It will be the second meeting of the reconstituted Board of Trade (BoT), an official said. The meeting assumes significance as exports have started showing positive growth since September this year.

It grew 2.29 per cent in November. The official said that issues like impact of demonetisation on exporters would figure in the meeting. The objective of the BoT is to have continuous discussion and consultation with trade and industry. BoT is a top advisory body on trade.

The BoT advises the government on policy measures relating to foreign trade policy in order to achieve the objective of boosting India's trade. The Board's last meeting was held in April this year.

In that meeting, the ministry had said that it would focus on six areas, including reviving SEZs and according priority sector status to export credit, in order to boost overseas shipments.

The reconstituted BOT comprises 19 members from industry and academia (non-official members); 31 heads of trade and industry associations (ex-officio members); and 20 top officials including 13 secretaries to government of India, Deputy Governor of RBI, Railway Board Chairman and National Highways Authority of India Chairman.

Besides, the Director General of Foreign Trade is the member secretary of the Board. The non-official members include ICICI Bank Ltd MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar and Biocon Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.

The terms of reference of the BoT include reviewing export performance of various sectors, identify constraints and suggest industry-specific measures to optimise export earnings.

Since December 2014, exports fell for 18 consecutive months till May 2016. Shipments witnessed growth only in June this year, but again slipped in July and August. Exports started recording positive growth from September.
Mumbai: On Monday afternoon, Bollywood veteran star Dharmendra was rushed to a suburban hospital after he complained of gastric complications. Apparently, the actor has not been keeping well since few days and when he complained of pain and uneasiness, he was immediately taken to Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital in Mumbai.

The actor has been diagnosed with a serious gastroenteritis, an intestinal infection marked by diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, fever and cramps. As revealed by the doctors, the actor was immediately put on antibiotic treatment and his condition is currently stable.

As he is responding well to the treatment, he will be discharged in a couple of days.

The actor celebrated his 81st birthday earlier this month. On his birthday, Bollywood fraternity showered the actor with birthday wishes.
The film has been reported to be a biopic on yesteryear's action star Hunterwali Nadia. (Photo: Viral Bhayani)

Mumbai: Kangana Ranaut might be going through an unprecedented wave of success in her career, and she has fresh reasons to smile.

The actress's first look from 'Rangoon' is finally out, and it very much seems like a tribute to Mary Ann Evans aka 'Hunterwali Nadia,' the action queen from the '30s.

The screen-name of her character in the film will quirkily enough be 'Jaanbaaz Miss Julia'.

The film, director Vishal Bharadwaj's dream project, is eagerly awaited since his films are inherent stunners and cinephiles are known to await them with bated breath. The film also stars Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles.

Reportedly, Shahid plays an Indian armyman, fighting for the British army, she had initially fallen in love with. She later falls for director Jamshed JBH Wadias younger brother Homi, portrayed by Saif, whom she meets after landing in India.

Homi had fallen for her himself, and began casting her in his films, written with her in mind. They ultimately get married in the film.

Hunterwali, was said to have been amongst Nadias first roles. She had performed some daredevil stunts in the film, thereby fetching the title.

'Rangoon' is slated for a February 24, 2017 release.
Mumbai: Priyanka Chopra remained away from the Hindi film industry this year except for featuring in 'Jai Gangaajal', but the actress says she will be doing two Bollywood movies in 2017. Priyanka, an international figure now, was busy this year working on her maiden American series 'Quantico and Hollywood debut 'Baywatch'.

"I will be doing two Bollywood films next year. I have come to India to decide on those films. By the end of January, I will finalise which those films will be," the 34-year-old actress said.

'Baywatch', which also stars Hollywood biggies like Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, will release next year. Priyanka said the film's cast will fly to India to promote it. "We have made a global plan for the promotion of 'Baywatch', of which India is a part. So, yes the Hollywood cast will come to India to promote the movie," she said.

The trailer of the film, in which the actress will be seen enacting the main antagonist, was recently released but Indian fans were disappointed to see her featuring only in one scene in it.
Stills from the trailer. The film is slated for a April 7 release.

Mumbai: An abandoned yet dutiful son embarks on a journey to bring home his missing father but the journey turns out to be a life-altering adventurous experience in itself.

From running wild in fields to riding ostriches, the lead pair (real life estranged couple Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif) indulges in a series of bizarre events. It is only towards the end that we hear Ranbir talking, otherwise the entire trailer is a montage of the duo embarking on and disembarking from one fun ride to another.

Even before you get a hang of what is happening, both the actors have already moved to a completely different frame with a different backdrop altogether.

The trailer, which was surprisingly released just hours after the first look had been revealed, has stark similarities to Kapoors last outing with Anurag Basu Barfi!

And, it will not be wrong to say that Anurag Basu has tried to pull off a Tin Tin in Wes Anderson style. Looks like a successful attempt to us.

A refreshing break from conventional trailers, the importance of the plot presumably lies in the chaos that these two central characters are dragged into.

The chaotic trailer is brilliant because its offbeat!

Watch the full trailer here
Mumbai: Dianne Pandeys (Chunkey Pandeys wife, for the uninitiated) birthday bash, turned out to be the talk of the town!

No, not that any of the celebrities did anything naughty or wild. But the paparazzi noticed that the moment superstar Salman Khan made his entry with girlfriend Iulia Vantur, Malaika, looking sexy in a green gown, made a hurried exit. Well, its an open secret that all is not well between her and Sallubhai.

Apparently, ever since Malaika filed for divorce from Arbaaz Khan, Salman has been upset  he has stopped talking to his favourite bhabhi.

Just a naughty thought  Imagine a party with Vivek Oberoi, Aishwarya Rai, John Abraham and Ranbir Kapoor. Now, how many hasty exits would the host have to plan!
Still from the film 'Aligarh'. The actor has garnered positive reviews for his performance in this real-life drama.

Mumbai: There is not even an iota of doubt that Bajpayee has made immense contribution to cinema. Be it a classic cult or a comedy drama or the newer trend of short films, the actor has always gone beyond his limits and successfully impressed everyone.

Adding to the acknowledgments Manoj has received so far in his cinematic journey, the respected Patna Film Festival honoured the fine actor with the Bihar Ratna for his tremendous contribution towards Indian Cinema.

The Bihar Film Nigam Board has organised the prestigious Patna Film Festival last week where they had the 2-time National Award Winner amongst them. The actor was awarded with the prestigious Bihar Ratna.

Talking about the honour, Bajpayee says, I believe in doing challenging and different roles throughout my career. I have tried my best to challenge myself every time I take up a film and when I see the kind of love I receive, it keeps me going. Such felicitations are a mark of love and support coming from my audience that inspires me to do more. I am happy with the appreciation I have received and grateful to this industry to have taken me in and nurtured me to become what I am now.
Mumbai: Its mostly the architecture, the food or the scenic locations that make people travel to a particular destination. But there is no bigger pull than the urge to learn something new. Kunal Kapoor has always been fascinated by martial arts. He was introduced to the art form at an early age, but over the last couple of years he lost touch with it. Untill Veeram happened.

Kunal had to go through some heavy training for this Malyalam-Hindi-English period drama that is high on action. Besides putting on 12kgs of muscles, the actor also had to master his martial arts skills. During this training period Kunal connected with the art form that he loved as a child. And once this love was rekindled, there was no looking back.

The shooting of Veeram got over but Kunal remained committed to the art form. He continued to train in Kalari and also added MMA to his repertoire. His fascination made him dig deeper. And about a few months ago he came across an article about a family of Ninja warriors in Japan that have a 400 year old history. The Jidaa School is one of the few ninjutsu dojos in Japan with strong family origins having served generations of emperors.

After the release of Dear Zindagi and finishing his last schedule of Tigmanshu Dhulia's Raagdesh, Kunal headed to Tokyo for a holiday that had a learning agenda at its focus. 'I have always been a huge fan of Japanese culture, having grown up on Manga comics, their movies and food. I have been wanting to go there for a long time. When I found out about this family, my urge to go there grew all the more. And the moment I got a break from my schedule, I enrolled myself in the programme. While I was there, we worked on movement, weapons training and a meditative technique known as Ku.'

The training happened in a small dojo. And whats more intriguing is that Kunal didn't even get to see the face of his instructor. "Yup, he wore a mask all the time. If I meet him on the street, I wouldn't even recognize him" he laughs.

During his stay in Japan, Kunal also visited many monuments and eateries. The trip will remain etched forever in his memory. "The Japanese are such lovely people. So humble and disciplined. I am totally enamoured by their culture and would love to go back again and train".
Mumbai: On Tuesday, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan were blessed with a baby boy. Filmmaker Karan Johar shared the good news with the world by tweeting about it where he also revealed the baby boys name, Taimur.

While people bestowed good wishes upon the bundle of joy, many wondered why Saif and Kareena named their first child after Turco-Mongol ruler and founder of the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asian, Timur, historically known as Tamerlane.

As the name started to trend on Twitter, many took to their handles to troll the couple for naming their baby boy Taimur, which means Iron in Urdu. But the Twitterati bashed the couple as the name also resembles to the barbaric ruler who invaded India.

Twitterati also called Saif a jihadi. WHAT?! However, some also thrashed those who were hating on the little baby who knows nothing about the world yet.
Mumbai: Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan are all set to feature in their third film together, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, after previously working on Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Student of the Year before.

The pair had earlier announced on Twitter the wrap of the film and were seen feeling emotional about the completion.

With the film gearing up for release in March next year, the makers are already preparing to generate buzz about the film. Previously they have shared numerous stills from the film, where we have seen the lead pair enjoying a few romantic moments.

The duo has now shot for a special photoshoot, with Varun and Alia taking to social media to share those pictures.

Fans of the couple would definitely be looking forward to watching their chemistry on the big screen again.

Badrinath Ki Dulhania has been directed by Shashank Khaitan and produced by Karan Johar.
If its a Bollywood event, chances are that the backstage happenings will surpass the show put up on stage  well almost. For instance, at a recent awards ceremony, Ranbir Kapoor, who reached the venue quite early, was looking for means to avoid eye contact with Salman Khan. An eyewitness at the party revealed, Ranbir attended the award function, but as soon he got to know that Salman is about to enter the same venue, the actor quickly escaped from there at around 10 pm. Salman was getting ready in his vanity van in the backstage area at the time. The two havent been the best of friends ever since Katrina Kaif walked into the equation, but one was surprised at how quickly Ranbir took to his feet at sighting Sallu.

On a more positive note, Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Kajol lauded the Pakistani cinema owners decision to end the long ban on Bollywood films. This move came months after the ban was imposed in the aftermath of the Uri attacks in September.

Priyanka, who recently returned to India from her long stay in New York said, Art should go across the world. I have always believed that. Kajol agreed with Ms Chopra, when she said, Anything which is positive for the film industry at large is definitely something I am all in favour of, she said. The star-studded night also saw the likes of Karan Johar, the Bachchan family, Varun Dhawan, Sunny Leone, Sonam Kapoor, Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi turning up in their sartorial best.
Raghava Lawrence is busy wrapping up the shoot of his film Shivalinga, which is helmed by P Vasu. As the films shooting is coming to a close, reports suggest that the duo might team up yet again for another remake  and for this new film, Lawrence is likely to reprise the role of Superstar Rajinikanth in the superhit film Mannan!

The Kanchana 2 actor affirms that talks are on for the new film, Shivalingas shooting is currently underway. We are planning to shoot a song in Bangkok. Right now, we are only discussing the possibility of a remake of Mannan. It is also reported that actor Vadivelu has been roped in to reprise Goundamanis role in the remake.

Lawrences affinity towards Rajinikanths films is evident since the actor also has plans to make a film titled Moondru Mugam. Notably, he has earlier acted in a film called Rajathiraja  the title of another Rajinikanths film.

Lawrance, who will also write the screenplay for Moondru Mugam, also revealed that he has plans for yet another film in the Kanchana series.

Meanwhile

Anirudh Ravichandran has crooned for a peppy number in Shivalinga. The music composer of the film, Thaman, took to Twitter to share a picture from the studio. He wrote, Rock Star @anirudhofficial sings for Music Sensation @MusicThaman 4 @offl_Lawrence s #Shivalinga An energetic peppy number #RannguRakkarra. (sic)
The woman had alleged that she was raped by a group of men for two days. They also threatened her with dire consequences. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: A 25-year-old US national, who was allegedly gangraped earlier this year in a five-star hotel in New Delhi, arrived here this morning to join the probe.

She will be meeting the investigating team to assist in further investigation, said a senior police officer.

She had said that she was not satisfied with the probe and was ready to come to India to identify the accused.

On December 8, the tourist guide, accused of raping her along with his accomplices, was questioned by police after his arrival from Nepal.

Police had identified the man and contacted him while he was in Nepal.

The tour guide had denied his involvement in the matter and told police that the victim had given positive comments about him in the feedback form while returning to her country and that the internal inquiry by the travel agency hadn't found him guilty.

The woman had alleged that she was raped by a group of men for two days. They also threatened her with dire consequences if she reported the matter to anybody. She had also stated that the accused had made a video of the act and had threatened to make it public if she reported the matter to anyone.
Hyderabad: A 51-year-old businessman approached the Rachakonda police alleging that four of Nayeems associates forced him to register his land in their names and the manager of the Union Bank of India's Kamalapuri Colony branch helped them. B. Shankar, belonging to Nalgonda named Ch. Chandrashekar, T. Niranjan, N. Rajanikanth and the bank manager in his complaint.

Shankar said that he purchased a 240 square yard land from Chandrashekar in Hayathnagar in 2012 in his brother-in-law Jakkula Yadagiris name. With help from friends and relatives, he constructed a house, he said. He said the land owner who claimed to be a member of Nayeems gang threatened him even before the deal was settled. In October 2014, Chandrashekar along with Niranjan and Rajanikanth kidnapped Shankar and Yadagiri and they were taken to an isolated place in a car.

They aimed a firearm at us and threatened to kill us if we did not execute the house documents in their name. They said that they will kill us and since they belonged to Nayeems gang, police cant touch them, he said.

Later, they were taken to the sub registrar office and forced to sign on blank documents. In July 2016, Shankar received a notice from the Union Bank of India Kamalapuri colony branch asking him to clear loans. After inquiry he found the suspects used the documents he signed and procured a loan by colluding with bank officials and when he approached Hayathnagar police and the ACP, they refused to accept it fearing Nayeems gang, he said.

Shankar said that due to their continuous harassment his wife died. He said that he could not complain in time due to his wife's sudden death. He said he approached the Rachakonda police and submitted a petition seeking action against the three suspects. LB Nagar police is inquiring into the matter.
KOLLAM: A youth from Tamil Nadu has alleged that he was tortured and jailed for eight months by the Kollam east police in a false drug case. As the case became controversial, DGP Loknath Behera on Tuesday ordered a probe by the Crime Branch IG Belram Kumar Upadhyaya into the case and asked him to submit a report. A special investigation team was also set up for the probe. The anti-narcotics team under Kollam police had arrested Mukesh, 28, a vendor of undergarments, from near the DTPC boat jetty in Kollam, with a packet of 'white powder' weighing 1.044 kg, on September 15, 2013.

The police claimed that it was 'codeine' worth crores of rupees though Mukesh said it was rice powder. Mukesh from Arumana in Kanyakumari district was taken into custody based on a tip-off received by the then Commissioner Debesh Kumar Behera by the anti-narcotics team, including Kollam east CI Shereef and SI G. Gopakumar on the directions of ACP B. Krishnakumar.

He was subjected to third-degree torture following which he had to accept the charge and was jailed. The powder was examined in the laboratories in Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad where it was tested negative, according to a report submitted by the Crime Branch one-and-a-half months ago. The Crime Branch pointed out lack of evidence and ordered to hold back the case proceedings. Meanwhile, the excise department alleged sabotage behind the packet of codeine turning into rice powder.
Kochi: A three-member gang, including a 27-year-old woman from Indore, arrested for alleged matrimonial fraud based on the complaint of a Kochi native, have allegedly duped at least five men and swindled money worth Rs 1.37 crore besides gold jewellery, police said on Tuesday. Megha Bharghav (27), her sister Prachi Bhargav (29) and her husband Devensh Sharma (32) - the alleged fraudsters, used to target rich but physically disadvantaged men from the Jain community settled in various states. They used to zoom in on victims by going through matrimonial ads. Then Megha used to marry the victim before making off with the cash and other valuables, received as gifts, after a brief period, said Ananthalal, Circle Inspector, Ernakulam Central.

The trio was brought here days after their arrest from Noida as part of evidence collection. In 2012, Megha married one Rajesh Goleja of Raipur in Chattisgarh and allegedly duped him of Rs 90 lakh. Later, she went on to marry four more persons - Hemanth Kumar of Gujarat in 2014, Sandesh Chopra of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Lenin Jithendar of Kochi in 2015 and Arun Kumar of Surat in Gujarat in 2016, who were all cheated in a similar fashion. We are probing if they had carried out similar fraud elsewhere in the country and have passed on information regarding their arrest to police units in other states, the officer said. Last year, Lenin Jithendar had lodged a complaint with the Kadavanthra police that his wife Megha had made off with Rs nine lakh and gold jewellery weighing 25 sovereigns, 20 days after their marriage in May 2015.

It was through Mahendra Bundela, a native of Madhya Pradesh, that the complainants family fixed an alliance with Megha. Twenty days after the marriage, her sister Prachi and Devendra arrived to take their sister home on the pretext of a religious custom and she never returned after that, police said. Soon, the complainants family went to Indore in search of the missing bride and traced their house, which had been lying closed for a very long time. Sensing trouble, they lodged a cheating case with the Kadavanthra police.
Hyderabad: The five condemned prisoners and IM operatives including Yasin Bhatkal , Asadullah Akhtar, Zia-ur-Rehman, Tahseen Akhtar and Aizaz Sayeed Shaik will be shifted to Tihar jail in four days time. Apart from the Dilsukhnagar twin blast case, all the five were involved in various cases across the country and trials are going on in Delhi, Bihar and Karnataka NIA courts.

The NIA will shift them as per section 3 of Transfer of Prisoners Act (1950), which allows the shifting of condemned prisoners to other states for trials in other cases. As per the section, the state government, with the consent of the government of any other state, should shift them by providing high security.

As per the Supreme Court's order issued earlier, a senior most officer-in-charge of jail outside the state should make such arrangements as are necessary to prevent a recurrence of the activities of the respondent. No special privilege should be allowed for him other than what is promised in the law.

All the five condemned prisoners from Cherlapally jail will be kept in solitary confinement cells. Retired additional SP B. Reddanna said if a prisoner got capital punishment from a court in a case and if he has a few more cases pending, police officials generally speed up the investigation in all the remaining cases.

"Until the time the accused gets capital punishment from the Supreme Court and the President of India rejects the clemency plea, the investigation in other cases will continue," he said.

Prisons DIG Akula Narasimha said the five prisoners would be shifted to other jails by the NIA soon in order to speed up the investigation in other cases. A section in the code emphasises to speed up the investigation in other cases related to a prisoner who is sentenced to death. Most probably, the NIA may shift them in the coming four days, he said.
Hyderabad: The income-tax department is likely to file at least five more criminal cases against jewellers with investigating agencies such as the Telangana state and AP police, similar to those filed on Musaddilal Jewellers Private Limited.

Sources said five to six big jewellers located in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam had resorted to a similar method to convert black money into gold on November 8 and 9, following demonetisation of old notes.

A source said, We are working on similar modus operandi of black money conversion running into crores of rupees using fictitious names. After booking criminal cases, the ED will be asked to probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. I-T sleuths are verifying a few other cases of suspicious declarations made under the Income Disclosure scheme.
Ahmedabad: The Patel quota agitation and Dalit uprising after the Una flogging incident took the toll on Gujarat's first woman chief minister Anandiben Patel in 2016, setting the stage for a cliff hanger elections next year.

Sensing it could inch closer to power in Gujarat after 25 years as the ruling BJP seems to lack a strong state leader to fill the void after Narendra Modi's exit from Gujarat, Opposition Congress stepped up protests and rallies against new Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, hoping to make inroads, visited the state thrice and during one such visit described Rupani as "rubber stamp" of BJP president Amit Shah.

Modi himself visited the state five times in the past as many months as the party here believes that winning the elections will be crucial for it to retain power at the Centre in 2019. Trips of Shah also increased.

Cow vigilantes mercilessly thrashing Dalit youths in Una town when they were skinning a dead cow led to violent agitation by the community in the state and created outrage in the country.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi visited Gujarat afterthe Una incident so did BSP supremo Mayawati, Left leaders Brinda Karat and D Raja and JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav.

The Dalit agitation continues under young leader Jignesh Mevani, as the community has decided to boycott their traditional work of disposing of dead animals carcasses and are instead demanding land and jobs from the government.

Simmering Patel quota agitation led by Hardik Patel continued to be a big concern for the BJP government and its declaration of 10 per cent quota for economically backward among upper caste, was also struck down by Gujarat High Court.

Hardik, who was behind bars till June in sedition cases, was granted bail by the high court with a condition that he will have to remain outside Gujarat for next six months. At present he is leading the agitation from Udaipur of Rajasthan and is expected to return to the state in January.

The Patel community, which had been a staunch supporter of the BJP, continued to remain up in arms against the state government on its demand of reservation. To pacify the community, the state government declared 10 per cent quota for economically backward among upper caste on April 29. However, the move was struck down by the high court soon, after which the state government approached the Supreme Court.

The state government sensing trouble after return of Hardik in January had in November invited agitating Patel community members for fresh round of talks on their demand, but these have remained inconclusive so far.

Analysts say mishandling of Patel quota agitation and late action after the Dalit flogging case of Una led to the ouster of Anandiben, who also faced charges of corruption against her family members. She resigned in August after being at the helm for over two years.

Transition of power was not smooth, as Anandiben apparently wanted her trusted aide Nitin Patel to be the next chief minister while Shah wanted his man Rupani in the hot seat. As a compromise formula, Rupani was made chief minister and Patel his deputy.

For first-time MLA Rupani, the year proved to be quite lucky, as he was made state party president in February and elevated to the post of chief minister in August, though he belongs to minority Jain community which has just 2 per cent population in the state.

Congress, which had won local bodies polls in 2015, increased protests and rallies in Gujarat in the year and started preparations for next year's crucial polls. The

Opposition party has almost finalised its candidate selection process to give ample time to them to campaign.

In a boost to BJP after Modi's demonetisation move, it won local bodies elections in November capturing 107 of the total 123 seats.
Without naming Pakistan, Indias permanent representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens. (Photo: PTI)

United Nations: In a clear reference to Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups, India has told the UN that the international community needs to urgently address the backing outfits like the Haqqani Network, LeT and JeM draw from their "shadowy supporters" outside Afghanistan.

"Experience, as well as academic research, provides ample support for the assertion that conflicts in which foreign assistance is available to shadowy entities that fight legitimate state authorities tend to be more severe and last longer than other types of conflict," India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in a Security Council session on the situation in Afghanistan.

Without naming Pakistan, Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens in the country's neighbourhood and the international community must address the issue of the support that terror outfits like the Taliban and al-Qaeda get from their supporters outside Afghanistan.

"If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood," he said.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, al-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said at the United Nations on Monday.

He pointed out to the meeting in the 15-nation Council that it is apparent that efforts by nations for rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being "undermined, schools are being destroyed, mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted".

"It is also evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside," he said, in a veiled but strong reference to Pakistan.

Akbaruddin noted with concern that while the international community recommits to standing by the Afghan people each time the UN members discuss the situation in the war-torn country, the number of Afghan civilian and security forces casualties keeps rising.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory. Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism," he said.

The Indian envoy emphasised that the international community must introspect about the way it is approaching the situation in Afghanistan and whether there is need for course correction.
New Delhi: A day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its chargesheet held Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar responsible for the Pathankot terror attack, a report says that Azhar has also taken responsibility for the Nagrota attack.

According to a report in DNA, Maulana Masood Azhar continues to freely run the terror group's online publication and brazenly claim responsibility for last month's attack on another military camp in Nagrota from Pakistan.

"This week's publication was delayed as the attack in Nagrota was still in action at the time of writing and communication failure (on details of the attack) from Kashmir,'' Azhar wrote under his pen name Saadi. On November 29, three militants entered the army camp in Nagrota killing 7 Indian security forces. They left behind a message saying it was revenge for the hanging of Afzal Guru.

Elaborating on the attack in the 'heart of the Northern Command of the Indian Army', Azhar says the attack was carried by the Afzal Guru squad involving five militants and two of them managed to escape to safety. "There were three security cordons around the camp... it is not easy and inexpensive to gain entry and set the stage for the attack."

He indicates that the squad was helped by people with close knowledge on the geography of the camp and its frequent visitors, because strange men walking around could have roused the immediate suspicions of Indian security forces.

Azhar says the demonetization of high currency denominations has not deterred the Kashmiri mujahideens nor impacted militancy funding. He goes on to make the claim that the money changers and industrialists were aware of demonetization before its public announcement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The Kashmiri Mujahideen, Maoists and Khalistan fighters will not suffer any financial hardship, Azhar claims.

The JeM chief then writes in the publication that India is paying for the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the hanging of 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, both of which could have been avoided.

The Indian government is desperately trying to include Azhar on the UN Security Council's 1267 sanctions list, but its endeavours have repeatedly been blocked by China, which is a permanent member of the UNSC.
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday expressed confidence that the currency shortage will be mitigated soon as he expects the state to receive Rs 1,600 crore, including Rs 500 denomination notes on Wednesday. He recalled that state received Rs 2,500 crore including Rs 500 crore in Rs 500 denominations on Saturday. Addressing officials and bankers through a teleconference on Monday, Mr Naidu asked them to give priority to rural banks in cash distribution.

The officials informed the CM that Rs 2,500 cr received on Saturday was distributed to all banks. Mr Naidu advised the officials to prevent inconvenience to farmers as rabi season started. He said priority should be given to Dwcra women and NREGS workers in payment of cash. The Chief Minister directed the marketing officials to encourage cashless transactions in all rytu bazaars. He said free WiFi facility be provided in rytu bazaars.

Expressing satisfaction at increase in mobile banking transactions to 1.6 lakh, the CM said Fibre Grid work be speeded up to introduce cable, phone and internet facility for Rs 149 per month as it will help to increase cashless transactions. The CM said educated people should switch over to mobile and online banking transactions to make available the small currency to others. He said one village in a mandal and seven villages in a constituency should be developed as cashless transaction villages.
The package will be used for the development of infrastructure. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: Centre on Tuesday said it has released "special assistance" of Rs 450 crore to Telangana for the current fiscal as per the provisions under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 entrusts the Central government to support the programmes for the development of backward areas in the successor states, including expansion of physical and social infrastructure.

"In keeping with its commitments to support the development of backward areas of Telangana, the Central government has provided a further Special Assistance of Rs 450 crore to the state for 2016-17," a finance ministry statement said.

Centre had released Rs 450 crore during 2015-16 for the development of 9 backward districts of Telangana.

The backward districts which are being supported with this development fund are Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Medak, Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgoda and Khammam. Cumulatively, the Central government has so far released Rs 900 crore to the state for this purpose.

"These additional resources from the Central government would enable the state to devise and implement schemes best suited for mitigation of backwardness and alleviation of poverty," the statement said.

The developmental activities would improve the physical and social infrastructure bringing these districts at par with the more developed districts of the state, it added.
Last month, at least 43 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan for allegedly entering its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea. (Photo: Representational Image)

Ahmedabad: The Indian Coast Guard has apprehended 26 Pakistani fishermen and seized their five fishing boats off Gujarat coast near Kutch as they crossed the Indian territorial waters.

A release issued by Defence PRO said in Ahmedabad that these Pakistani fishermen on five boats were held yesterday when they were inside Indian territory.

The Coast Guard vessel C-419 apprehended Pakistani fishing boats with 26 crew members on board.

The PRO further said these boats and the crew are being escorted to Jakhau port for further investigation.

Last month, at least 43 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan for allegedly entering its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan and India often arrest fishermen from the other country for violation of their territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.
Chennai: DMK will hold a protest demonstration on January 3, 2017 in Madurai District to urge the State and Central governments to "come forward" to hold the bull taming sport Jallikattu, during Pongal festival in January next.

The demonstration will be held at Alanganallur in Madurai District, DMK treasurer Stalin said here today in a statement. He said the protest is to urge the State and Central governments to "come forward to hold the bull taming sport Jallikattu."

Alanganallur is famed for its annual bull taming sport till it was banned by the Supreme Court. He invited all political parties and apolitical organisations to participate in the protest.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had dismissed a review petition filed by Tamil Nadu to review the top courts 2014 judgment banning Jallikattu.
Allahabad: Union minister Nitin Gadkari launched a veiled attack on the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre believed in development for all, "unlike the situation in the state where caste is supreme".

"Our government is working with the motto -- 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' -- as articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is reflected on the government's stress on development and the non-discrimination in grant of funds," Gadkari said here while inaugurating a number of projects which included highways and a bridge over the river Ganga.

Without naming the Samajwadi Party or any of its top leaders, Gadkari said, "Our approach has been quite unlike what we get to see in the state of UP. Here caste is supreme. It trumps every other issue."

The former BJP president's remarks come against the backdrop of frantic efforts by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to project a pro-development image even as his party faces allegations of nepotism, patronage to criminals and preferential treatment to members of a particular caste.

Gadkari, who holds the Road Transport and Highways and Shipping portfolios, also said, "Work is taking place at an unprecedented speed and since there is no corruption, there is no quality on compromise as well. We have no hesitation in saying that the roads that are being built now will remain free of potholes for 200 years."

During his brief visit, the minister laid the foundation stones for widening of two highways -- one connecting the city with the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh and the other with the adjoining district of Pratapgarh.

Both these projects will involve a cost of more than Rs 1,200 crore.

Gadkari also laid the foundation stone for a six-lane bridge which will be built over the river Ganga at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore.

"All these projects would be completed before the the mega religious congregation Ardh Kumbh which will be held at the holy Sangam here in 2019," Gadkari said.
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court started hearing appeals in the 2002 Naroda Patiya case, including those filed by former BJP minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi on Monday.

Defence lawyers started arguments before the division bench of justices Harsha Devani and A S Supehia. While Kodnani, Bajrangi and other convicts have challenged the verdict of the trial court, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Supreme Court has filed appeals against the acquittal of 29 accused. It has also sought enhanced punishment for some of the convicts.

The hearing is likely to be conducted on a daily basis. Last month, Justice Akil Kureshi had recused himself after which the case was transferred to the present bench.

Before that, Justices M R Shah, K S Jhaveri, G B Shah, Sonia Gokani and R H Shukla had recused themselves from the matter.

Also in April 2015, the apex court had stayed the proceedings after the SIT complained that Justice R R Tripathi of the high court was hearing only Kodnani's appeal expeditiously. Tripathi retired and the case went to another division bench.

97 people belonging to the minority community were killed by a mob during a riot in Naroda Patiya area of Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002, a day after the Godhra train incident in which 59 karsevaks died.

The trial court had on August 30, 2012 awarded life imprisonment to Kodnani and 29 others, and "imprisonment till death" to Bajrangi. It had acquitted 29 others.
"This is a weblog that is truly welcome in blogtopia  a new blog doesn't seem to be frantically trying to score points for any party. That does NOT mean it's afraid to take a stand or be critical....You really can't predict exactly where The Debate Link will come down on all issues. It's not chanting anyone's mantra." -- The Moderate Voice "[A]n emerging genius in legal scholarship and commentary." -- Jim Chen "It's on my 1st cup of coffee rss feed." -- Hanno Kaiser "I heart this blog.... he referenced Wittgenstein, and it was entirely appropriate and non-pretentious." -- kath.A.rine "[F]unny, thoughtful, acclaimed ...." -- The Core
New Delhi: With the summer unrest badly hurting tourism season in Kashmir, the state government is focussing on promoting border tourism to attract more visitors to the state.

Several places on the border with Pakistan will be developed as tourism destinations on the lines of the Wagah border in Punjab, according to Minister of State for Tourism of J&K Priya Sethi.

"We want to project the International Border in J&K as the border of peace and bonhomie. The initiative has a huge potential," she said at an event here.

The state government has set aside Rs 500 crore for the project, the minister said.

"The government has plans to develop the border areas in Uri, Rajouri and Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch among others. The Union Ministry of Tourism has given its nod to the project. We will soon discuss it with the Border Security Force," said J&K's Tourism Secretary Farooq A Shah.

"Under Phase I, which will be completed by 2018, the government will spend more than Rs 50 crore on developing facilities for tourists in a few places we have identified for this purpose," he added.

Kashmir valley's tourism season this year was badly hit during the summer months by the unrest triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.

Sethi said the PDP-BJP government aims at sending a message of peace and cultural harmony across the country through people visiting the frontiers. The efforts will build momentum for cross-border tourism.

"A tourist facilitation centre, a theme park, a theatre, a walkway, eateries and cafeterias have come up in Suchetgarh border belt in RS Pura tehsil of Jammu district. Cultural programmes and local food will lift up spirits of tourists," she said.

Work is on to develop infrastructure for 3D shows based on the history of the area and the IB. The government also intends to conduct beating retreat and flag ceremony at Suchetgarh border.

"We want to give people a feel of life on the frontier. Being at the border in itself is thrilling. The feeling cannot be compared with anything else," she said.

Sethi said the state came out strong after the "five- month-long unrest thanks to the tourism industry. We extend a warm-hearted invitation to tourists and pilgrims to visit the Valley and help it revive its economy".

Jammu and Kashmir has gone through a lot of turmoil, but it has time and again come up trumps in difficult situations with the support of the countrymen, she said.

Suchetgarh, which was an important trading point between Sialkot and Jammu before partition, records close to a thousand tourist footfalls daily, he said.

"The main thrust of the project is to attract more and more visitors. We want to utilise the vast potential in the tourism sector in J&K," he said.

The tourism sector can generate employment for 70 percent population of Jammu and Kashmir, which has flourishing transport, horticulture and handicraft industries, he said urging the tourism partners to lend priority to the state.
A bust-sized statue of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa placed before her portrait at the memorial on Marina where she was laid to rest. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: An overzealous AIADMK functionary caused a flutter at the Marina beach on Monday when he installed a bust-sized statue of J. Jayalalithaa at the place where she was laid to rest on Dec. 6.

The statue, made of plaster-of-Paris, was removed after a few hours when the state officials discovered that it did not have the partys sanction. But by then, several hundred AIADMK loyalists and members of the public had gone round the statue placed next to Jayalalithaa's portrait.

State Ministers R.B. Udayakumar (Revenue) and Sevoor S. Ramachandran (HR&CE) accompanied by party followers arrived at the site and paid homage to Jayalalithaa's portrait after tonsuring their heads. The police was given the task of guarding the MGR memorial and the nearby site where Jayalalitha was laid to rest.

The cops on duty did not stop the person bringing her statue as they assumed he had the necessary approvals. When we got the alert that there was no such clearance from above, we removed the statue, said a senior police officer requesting anonymity.
The Kyrgyz President's visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to the central Asian country in July last year. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held delegation-level talks with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev in New Delhi.

"Reaffirming a closer partnership with Kyrgyz Republic. PM @narendramodi and President Almazbek Atambayev lead delegation level talks," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

"Its been a special month for diplomacy with Central Asia. After Tajik President last week, PM welcomes Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev," he added.

Earlier, the Kyrgyzstan President was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

President Atambayev is leading a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.

This is his first visit to India as President.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a dinner banquet in his honour this evening.

Bolstering existing defence cooperation, enhancing trade ties and exploring surface connectivity projects will be high on the agenda of talks between the two leaders.

The Kyrgyz President's visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to the central Asian country in July last year.

India and Kyrgyzstan share excellent relations in all areas including defence, economy, commerce, education, human resource development, culture and tourism.

The trade between the two countries was 27.99 million dollars during the last fiscal, with India's exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

Apparel and clothing, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and tea are some of the important items in India's export basket to the country.

About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan.

President Atambayev's visit is expected to further strengthen the cordial relations between the two countries. He is also scheduled to attend a Joint Business Forum on Tuesday.
New Delhi: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday held parleys with Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to India Saud Mohammed Alasti to discuss "smooth and safe" Haj for Indian pilgrims.

Alasti has assured "full co-operation" to India for the annual pilgrimage, the Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) told reporters.

At a separate event, Naqvi also launched a website (www.haj.gov.in) dedicated to Haj to help applicants understand the procedures related to the annual pilgrimage, dos and donts and other information.

"In order to ensure safe and smooth pilgrimage for devotees from the country, we have advanced our co-ordination with Saudi Arabia's administration. As part of the efforts, I met the Ambassador today and had detailed discussion. He hasassured the government that they will extend support to Indian pilgrims," Naqvi told reporters.

The Minister said he will also lead a delegation comprising senior officials and Haj Committee to Jeddah to hold meeting over the pilgrimage and arrangements concerned to be made in the first week of January.

To a question, Naqvi replied the government will deploy senior officials in Saudi Arabia for overseeing preparations and coordinating with local government during Haj 2017.

He also stated the Ministry is planning to form an expert committee to look into grievances of pilgrims including the alleged differences in airfare charged at 21 embarkation points in India.

Naqvi said that discussions have been held with Civil Aviation Ministry officials to provide aircraft with modern facilities for pilgrims.

Launching the website, made available in Hindi, Urdu and English languages, Naqvi also reiterated that maximum numbers of devotees should send their applications online for transparent processing and in view of their convenience.

The applications for next year's pilgrimage will be available January 2 onwards.

"Last year, only 11 per cent of the total applications, that is 45,843 applications, were received online. We want maximum pilgrims to do so. We are also going to launch a mobile application to help pilgrims send applications online," he added.

According to a statement issued by the Minister, the pilgrims can make their payments online as well as through debit cards besides cash.

The Minister informed the website gives detailed information regarding the Ministry, Haj Department, the pilgrimage, rules and regulations on Haj, Haj Committee of India and private tour operators. The website also has "Do's and Don'ts" during Haj pilgrimage and also a film informing about various aspects of the pilgrimage.

99,903 devotees went to Jeddah for Haj from 21 embarkation points across India through Haj Committee of India for Haj 2016. Apart from this, about 36,000 Haj pilgrims went there through the private tour operators.
The United Naga Council (UNC) has imposed an indefinite economic blockade on the National Highways of Manipur since November 1 hampering supply of essential items. (Photo: Representational Image/PTI)

Kohima: The Naga Students Federation (NSF) has decided to impose a "total blockade" on all Manipur-bound vehicles, including passenger and goods carriers, in all Naga- inhabited areas till the Manipur government gave its assurance to Naga people about their safety and security in that state.

Many innocent Naga travellers in Manipur were assaulted, their vehicles set on fire and luggages damaged on the highways in the past few days, NSF president Subenthung Kithan alleged on Tuesday.

A mob had vandalised 22 vehicles on Imphal-Ukhrul Road on December 18.

In this regard, Kithan said, the decision to impose a total blockage on Manipur vehicles, including passenger and good carriers, was taken.

The NSF chief also cautioned that anybody travelling from Naga-inhabited areas to Manipur would be doing so at his or her own risk. Kithan, however, said NSF would exempt students travelling back to Manipur from their vacations.

The United Naga Council (UNC) has imposed an indefinite economic blockade on the National Highways of Manipur since November 1 hampering supply of essential items.

The UNC has been agitating against the Manipur government's decision to create Sadar Hills and Jiribam into full fledged districts, claiming it would bifurcate ancestral lands of Nagas in the state.
Activists of Yuva Morcha, BJP's youth wing, had on December 14 burnt Kamal's effigy in protest against his alleged remarks on playing the national anthem before every show at IFFK. (Photo: DC File)

Kochi: Sedition charges against Kerala writer and theatre activist Kamal Chavara may be dropped, the police said on Tuesday.

According to a report in NDTV, Chavara, who was arrested two days ago over a Facebook post that was allegedly disrespectful to the national anthem, started a hunger strike on Monday night.

"He was being questioned for a complaint. In my experience sedition case won't stand. To change the section we have to inform the court and that process in on," a senior police officer was quoted as saying.

Read: Malayalam writer Kamal C Chavara in custody for insulting national anthem

The Malayalam writer and theatre artist was arrested on Sunday by the police in Kozhikode and taken to Kollam, to be investigated for his remarks on Facebook.

The outraged writer said there were other motives behind his arrest. "As a writer I have to be truthful to my story and character. My characters could be patriots, traitors, maoists, terrorists, thief... There is some other reason or motive for them to take this action," he was quoted as saying on Monday.

Activists of Yuva Morcha, BJP's youth wing, had on December 14 burnt Kamal's effigy in protest against his alleged remarks on playing the national anthem before every show at IFFK.

They had also allegedly addressed Kamal as 'Kamaluddin' and termed him "anti-national".

The activists had also charged that Kamal was behind selecting controversial Malayalam film "Ka Bodyscapes" which they alleged insulted the Hindu religion.

The issue had come into focus at the recently concluded International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) after police took 12 persons into custody on December 14 for showing disrespect to the national anthem. They reportedly refused to stand up while the anthem was being played.
Police has registered a case against unidentified persons in this connection. (Photo: Representational Image)

Muzaffarnagar: Facing shortage of cash after demonetisation, a group of angered customers pelted stones at the SBI branch in Kakroli village in Muzaffarnagar, police on Tuesday said.

The branch manager Chander Mohan lodged a complaint alleging that some persons pelted stones at the bank on Monday evening and damaged property while they were protesting against the shortage of cash at the bank, SHO Anand Mishra said.

Police has registered a case against unidentified persons in this connection, he said.

In a similar incident at Fatehpur village in Shamli district, about 40 km from Muzaffarnagar, customers vandalised the branch of UP Gramin Bank on Monday after they were unable to get cash, police said.

People blocked the Shahpur-Kandhla road after the bank in their area ran out of cash, police said. Police later intervened and cleared the road for traffic movement.

In Jalalabad town of Shamli district, irate people blocked the Delhi-Saharanpur road as they were turned down by the PNB branch. Traffic movement was affected for several hours due the protests in this area on Monday.
Hyderabad: After Indian Mujahideen operative Yasin Bhatkal was sentenced to death for the 2013 Hyderabad blasts, his mother claimed that his real name was Mohammad Ahmed Sidibapa, and not Yasin Bhatkal.

We have petitioned the High Court thrice in the past against branding my son Mohammad Ahmed Sidibapa as Yasin Bhatkal but nothing happened, she said according to a report.

We do not know who is Yasin Bhatkal. My brothers name was Mohammad Ahmed Sidibapa and we do not know why my brother was named Yasin Bhatkal, Abdul Samad, a close relative of Yasin was also quoted as saying.

However, Yasins mother Rehana Begum added that if he had indeed committed the crime, he should be punished, because nobody is bigger than the country.

On the other hand, Yasins father Zarar Sidibapa, who was taken ill after hearing the news, was too grief-stricken to speak.

The Maqdhoom Colony of Bhatkal showed no signs of grief on hearing of the judgement, said the report. Some people said they felt sorry for the family, but did not recognise Bhatkal as he had left the place 20 years ago.

Five key operatives of Indian Mujahideen, including the banned terror outfit's co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and a Pakistani national, were on Monday awarded death penalty by a Special NIA court in the February 2013 Hyderabad bomb blasts which claimed 18 lives.

Pronouncing the sentence, Judge T Srinivasa Rao described the case as the "rarest of the rare".

This is the first case where operatives of the home-grown group have been convicted in a terror case.

NIA Special Public Prosecutor K Surender said the court, after going through their evidence, found that the case is based on facts. "As per investigation...evidence that is placed on record clearly reflects that the five IM members planned and executed the bomb blasts. We sought capital punishment (for the convicts) and accordingly the court gave death penalty to them," he said.

The prosecutor described the verdict as a "victory" for NIA's investigation and the witnesses.

The court, after hearing the arguments of prosecution and defence counsels on sentencing, awarded death penalty to the convicts and also varying jail terms on different counts including, waging war against the Government of India and commission of terrorist act.
New Delhi: Taking another swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the constant stream of announcements and notifications post demonetisation, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was changing the rules just like Modi changed his clothes throughout the day while addressing several rallies.

"RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes," he said in a tweet along with the link to an article talking about the different policies being announced by RBI and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Rahul had last met the Prime Minister at the Parliament last week, to raise the plight of farmers who he met with during his tour of Uttar Pradesh and seeking loan waivers for them.

Meanwhile, echoing similar sentiments, senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram said that the citizens have no clue who to believe as both the RBI and Jaitley have zero credibility.

Taking to Twitter Chidambaram continued his attack on Centre, saying that the government was resorting to desperate measures.

"Breaking PM's promise of Nov 8 and FM's assurance of Nov 11, RBI makes new rule on deposit, FM contradicts. Who should citizen believe? Neither has credibility," he tweeted.

The Reserve Bank of India on Monday announced that deposits in old notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 exceeding Rs 5,000 would be allowed to be deposited only once till December 30.

However, Arun Jaitley clarifying over the confusion on reports, said there is no limit as such of Rs 5000 and any person can deposit any amount in the old currency, however, not repeatedly.

Questioning the government over its latest notification, Chidambaram tweeted as to why could not the people deposit old notes till December 30, as was promised by the government in the first instance.

"Old notes usable until Dec 15. Why can't we deposit remaining notes until Dec 30 as notified?" he said.

Condemning the move of demonetisation, no where even near to the objective of curbing black money and corruption, Chidambaram said, "Hoarders have laundered their old notes. The poor and middle class left high and dry."

After banning old 500 and 1,000-rupee notes on November 8th, the government had allowed all of the cash holdings with any person to be deposited in bank accounts till December 30. There was no limit on the quantity or value of the junked notes that could be deposited.

However, the government on December 17th issued a gazette notification putting restrictions on deposits henceforth.
New Delhi: Hitting out at RBI Governor Urjit Patel, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said he was "extremely disappointed" that the central bank chief did not handle the demonetisation issue as any "independent autonomous institution should have".

"I am extremely disappointed that Mr Urjit Patel did not handle this matter (demonetisation) as any independent autonomous institution should have handled," Chidambaram said in an interview.

RBI, he said, compromised its independence and integrity which were acquired over the years under different governors.

He regretted that Governor Patel was "steamrolled" into calling the RBI's Board meeting at 5.30 pm on November 8 and "told to send the recommendation within an hour".

"I want to see the minutes of that RBI meeting. Why is the RBI unwilling to disclose those minutes? I want to know who attended the meeting, what was discussed there, were there any voices of dissent, what was the information placed before the RBI Board.

"Equally, I want to know what are the numbers contained in the Cabinet Note that was placed before the Cabinet at about 6.30 that evening. How can you have a command performance like this? 5.30 (pm) RBI Board meets, 6.30 (pm) Cabinet meets awaiting the recommendation of RBI. This is all pre-scripted...," the former finance minister said.

Chidambaram further said that he was "equally disappointed" that Patel does not speak up and has spoken exactly once in the last 40 days.

He added that none of the key players - Finance Secretary, Financial Services Secretary and Chief Economic Advisor  too have spoken on the issue.

The senior Congress leader also said demonetisation does not have any impact on black money generation, and government has tacitly agreed to this as well.

Chidambaram said black money is being laundered and there is simply no machinery to scrutinise both Jan Dhan and non-Jan Dhan accounts.

He said the remonetisation process will take at least 6-7 months, and the situation is not going to normalise before April even if the government floods the market with new Rs 2,000 notes.

Chidambaram also said a completely cashless economy means maximum information with government and an end to privacy. He, however, advocated that high value transactions must be digital.
This World Politics in a Time of Populist Nationalism (WPTPN) guest post is written by Stewart Prest is a SSHRC postdoctoral fellow at Carleton Universitys Norman Paterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His research focuses on civil conflict and non-violent resistance, and the role of local institutions in shaping patterns of contentious politics. He can be reached on Twitter @StewartPrest.

I. The Global Rise of Neo-Nationalism

Though its expression varies markedly from country to country, two aspects recur with remarkable regularity in the new populist nationalisms now sweeping much of the developed world: 1) a newfound, or perhaps rediscovered, suspicion of outsiders that often veers well into the territory of xenophobia and outright racism, and 2) a powerful new distrust of certain aspects of globalization and those who seem to benefit from it. Two different themes, but they co-occur to a remarkable degree. When they do, the result is often coloured by xenophobia and explicit racism. For ease of use, for the purposes of this essay Ill refer to the occurrence of the two of them together as neo-nationalism, as some others have done.

The United Kingdom has the UK Independence Party, and last spring voted to leave Europe during the Brexit referendum. The United States elected Donald Trump President-elect. France seems to be headed for a presidential run-off including the explicitly anti-immigration and protectionist Marine Le Pen. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban makes the same kinds of arguments in more strident, nakedly racist terms. He has referred to asylum seekers as a poison, and has claimed that Muslim immigration would lead to a parallel society, destroying Europe. He also would like to see sovereignty re-centred at the national level within a restructured European project.

It is a sign of the times that much of the world exhaled with relief when Austrias Freedom party finished second in the countrys recent national election with only 46% of the vote. Meanwhile even in Germany, the explicitly anti-Muslim Alternative for Germany party has crept into third place in opinion polls, behind the countrys two traditional major parties. The fact that Angela Merkel, often seen as the chief global opponent to such politics, recently floated the idea of a legal ban on full-face veils in certain public venues provides an indication of how German public opinion is shifting.

The Netherlands, a seeming bastion of tolerance and progressive politics, saw Geert Wilders lead his Freedom party (PVV) to a third place finish in the 2010 election there, and leads opinion polls in the run-up to next Marchs general election. Scandinavia is not immune either. Leaders from Norways normally moderate conservative Progress party have sounded dire warnings about the risk of Islamization there, endorsed the idea of a ban on full burkinis, and plan to ban full face coverings in schools and universities. Progress is now part of a coalition government with the Conservative party, and together they are considering a ban on face coverings. Their government has also placed new restrictions on some migrants and asylum seekers while making it easier to deport criminals, radical Muslims and people who have come to Norway just to live off the generous welfare system, as the Daily Mail puts it.

Its a puzzle why neo-nationalism has become such a force. Why now? Why has the effect been so powerful, and yet varied both across countries and within them? It would be foolhardy to provide a single explanation accounting for them all. Foolhardy, and yet irresistible and even important, for there is clearly *something* linking its widespread occurrence, some common set of factors producing similar but distinct outcomes in country after country. In this essay, I am going to extract what seem to be several common streams, and compare them against a key outlierCanadain an attempt to move towards a coherent explanation for what is clearly a worldwide, yet not yet universal phenomenon, one that grapples with that dual nature of the neo-national appeal.

What are the common links? One remarkable feature, I believe, is the explicitly moral language used by neo-nationalist politicians. Common themes include re-establishing equality of process and restoring fairness of outcomes. UKIP, for instance, is motivated above all by the desire to separate the UK from the European project. UKIP is a party of enthusiastic hypothetical free traders, arguing that the UK will be better positioned to make better, fairer deals once free of Europe. There is a similar moral tinge to its immigration policies as well; for instance, the partys platform includes a commitment to establish an ethical Visa system for work, and study to be based on the principle of equal application to all people. (Emphasis added in throughout.) The recurring theme is that the current system is unfair, unjust, and therefore immoral.

Trump makes similar points using even blunter language. The appeal that originally brought him success was to restore fairness to immigration by removing those who had immigrated illegally and erecting a wall to stop more from arriving, and to restore fairness to international economic agreements. The principle of fairness, of restoration of some natural order, dominates.

Another common feature is the way in which its appeal is most evident in the less economically prosperous areas of the country. The Brookings Institute put out a now famous graph charting Clinton and Trumps success in terms of the GDP of each county they won; Clinton effectively won regions accounting for nearly 2/3rds of American economic activity.

By now virtually every country has some form of this two-speed economy. Most countries feature a subset of urban areas, often heavily integrated with global markets via sectors such as finance, technology, and so on, where incomes dramatically exceed the rest of the country. Neo-nationalist appeals have far greater take-up in the other regions of the country. In France, Parisian incomes are 60% more than the rest of the country, even as Paris is the least receptive region of the country to Marine Le Pens explicitly anti-immigrant and protectionist Front National. During the last French presidential election in 2012, Le Pen made major inroads across the country, finishing third overall in the first round of presidential voting. Her support was weakest in Paris and its environs. In many other areaswhat Le Pen herself describes as the France of the Forgottenshe performed far better.

In the UK likewise, incomes in London are more than double those found in the poorest regions of the country; London also proved the centre of the Remain vote during the Brexit referendum, and thus the most resistant to appeals from UKIP. Other significant correlations tend to reinforce this account. Trump voters and Brexit supporters both tended to be older and less well educated than those who voted for Clinton and Remain, respectively. Clearly, some common theme of feeling left behind has spread in the last decade, a feeling that falls along stark geographic, educational, and generational lines.

If economic malaise is one dimension of neo-nationalism, the otheranti-immigration, and quite often anti-Islam or simply anti-minorityis the more worrisome, and in what seemed like a short time ago an increasingly progressive and tolerant world, the less explicable. Certainly, it is not clear why areas least exposed to migrationfor new arrivals in virtually all countries tend to settle in large urban centres that are most resistant to neo-nationalist appealswould become the most reactionary, and why it would happen now.

Those in the regions and populations that feel left behind have considerable grievancessome valid, others not, some correctly directed, others perhaps notagainst those others who appear to have benefited by joining the that larger cosmopolitan exercise. The grievance takes on a strong moral component, because it is a violation of what those left behind perceive as a fundamental and essentialeven if implicitagreement for all to share in the burdens and benefits of social life.

In places where such appeals catch hold, that feeling of betrayal is often directed against both the others and the central government perceived to take care of their interests ahead of those feeling left behind. One finds this in various forms in different countries. In the U.S., Arlie Hochschilds exhaustive ethnographic work documenting how Tea Partiers, and subsequently Trump supporters, view politics has helped her to identify what she views as the deep story underpinning the politics of many of these voters. Its worth quoting in full:

You are patiently standing in the middle of a long line stretching toward the horizon, where the American Dream awaits. But as you wait, you see people cutting in line ahead of you. Many of these line-cutters are blackbeneficiaries of affirmative action or welfare. Some are career-driven women pushing into jobs they never had before. Then you see immigrants, Mexicans, Somalis, the Syrian refugees yet to come. As you wait in this unmoving line, youre being asked to feel sorry for them all. You have a good heart. But who is deciding who you should feel compassion for? Then you see President Barack Hussein Obama waving the line-cutters forward. Hes on their side. In fact, isnt he a line-cutter too? How did this fatherless black guy pay for Harvard? As you wait your turn, Obama is using the money in your pocket to help the line-cutters. He and his liberal backers have removed the shame from taking. The government has become an instrument for redistributing your money to the undeserving. Its not your government anymore; its theirs.

An avowed willingness to take on such perceived line jumpers was obviously one part of Trumps appeal. Just as important was his vow to take on the establishment, to drain the swamp as he put itat once targeting those who both help others jump the line and appear to profit excessively from that unfair two-speed economy. As Hochschilds deep story makes clear, beyond that economic basis, there are clearly cultural elements as well, some without any direct link to economic activity, though there is a clear clustering of associations. In the U.S. these take on distinctly racial overtones. One can imagine similar stories in each country, in each case tailored to political concerns and international contexts. Thus, whereas in the US neo-nationalists rail against Mexican imports and Chinese currency levels, in Europe, the question concerns the degree of integration in the larger European Union project and the role of both refugees and intra European migrants in displacing worthy locals from work.

Simply put, neo-nationalism is not reducible to either racial or economic factors. It is a product of the interaction of both such forces, and at present is highly adaptable to a range of political circumstances. In most cases, the movement attracts passionate supporters motivated by quite successful appeals, expressed not just in terms of interest, but morality.

II. The Canadian Exception?

And what of Canada? To date, the country has seen no major party embrace a broad neo-nationalist agenda at any level of government. Just as strikingly, the current Liberal government, led by Justin Trudeau, campaigned and won on a platform diametrically opposed to neo-nationalist themes, that included an inclusive concept of what it means to be Canadian, strong support for free trade, and a commitment to accept 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015.

Though the country has yet to see a major party embrace the entire anti-immigrant, anti-globalization package, it has seen politicians in different contexts endorse aspects of neo-nationalism. At the federal level, though the previous government under Conservative Stephen Harper remained committed to fairly robust immigration targets and a staunch proponent of international trade, it also dabbled in a variety of symbolic politics aimed politicizing the definition of what it means to be Canadian. The symbolic measures included a banlater struck down by the courton taking the oath of citizenship while wearing a niqab. The party also vowed to strip the citizenship of convicted terrorists, including those born in Canada. During the 2015 election campaign, the party also proposed to implement a hotline for Canadians to report barbaric cultural practices, a move that earned the party and the ideas chief proponents, cabinet ministers Kellie Leitch and Christopher Alexander, considerable scorn on social media. The tactics did resonate with some Canadians, particularly in Quebec and rural parts of the country, but the party lost in the October 2015 federal election. Many subsequently viewed the result as a strong repudiation of such politics.

Related issues continue to flare up however, as for instance during a recent right wing rally in Edmonton, Alberta. While the rally was ostensibly about the provinces planned carbon tax, it got decidedly off topic at various points, most notably when the demonstrators started to chant lock her up during a speech by Alexander, now a Conservative leadership candidate. (The her in this case is Alberta premier Rachel Notley, a decidedly moderate centre-left politician who faces no criminal allegations of any kind.) Reaction to the episode provides evidence of the strong crosswinds swirling around Trumpism in Canada, particularly on the political right. Some prominent Conservatives quickly condemned the episode in blunt terms. The partys interim leader referred to the chanters as idiots, for instance, and Alexander took considerable heat for not trying to shut the chant down from other Conservative leadership hopefuls. At the same time, another leadership candidate expressed regret he had not been at the rally to join in the chant.

Leitch is also running for Conservative leadership, and she has gone the farthest in embracing neo-nationalist themes. She has built her candidacy in large part around a call to screen all new arrivals, including visitors, for opposition to Canadian values. Neither the lack of a definitive list of such values, nor a practicable way to actually screen for them, has dampened her ardour for the cause. The former cabinet minister, orthopaedic paediatric surgeon, and associate professor at the University of Toronto has also come out as staunchly opposed to Canadian elites. So far, the strategy has produced modest fundraising success and significant controversy, allowing her to remain among the early front-runners in a wide-open leadership race. UBC graduate Eric Merkley recently demonstrated the extent to which her campaign has benefited from media coverage of her incendiary proposals, despite a lack of either previous celebrity or the performative circus that accompanied Trumps rise. The race for Conservative leader is far from over, however, and it remains to be seen whether such attention will last and, if it does, if Leitch can translate it into votes.

There are relevant examples beyond federal politics as well. In Quebec, politicians of all stripes have engaged in anti-Muslim politics. For more than a decade, the province has struggled with the idea of reasonable accommodation: how much should the majority Quebec society, concerned as it is with preserving its own culture as a minority within the larger Canadian context, accommodate the religious needs and preferences of minority groups within its own borders and vice versa? Ultimately however, ethno-nationalist appeals have proven no sure-fire path to victory in Quebec, either. The most recent election saw voters reject the Parti Quebecois and its controversial Quebec Charter of Values, a document widely interpreted as an appeal to ethnic nationalism targeting visible minorities.

Finally, there is the late Rob Ford, former mayor of Toronto, whose populist campaigns were deeply anti-elite in method and message. He did not attempt to stir up ethnic nationalism in support of his cause, however. He was champion of the suburbs, not of a white majority. It is perhaps for this reason that his surprisingly regular racist outbursts did not cause him to lose the support of many visible minorities in Torontos outer suburbs.

The bottom line is that the country has not seen a major political party fully embrace the neo-nationalist platform. Parties that have in recent years engaged in limited versions of such politics have not won elections as a resultat least, not yet. If that seems a low bar, its nonetheless one that few other developed democracies clear.

III. An Inductive Explanation

So why is this? Whats so special about Canada? When one thinks about the differences between Canada and elsewhere, various things come to mind: a massive imposing geography, a harsh climate, bilingualism, tolerance, multiculturalism, healthcare, and so on. None of these in isolation is novel to the Canadian experience however.

One possible explanation is institutional. One school of thought suggests that single member plurality systems are less vulnerable to extremist politics, since they tend to encourage two-party centrist politics. This may have some merit. Though Canada is something of a Duverger deviant, with three, four, or even five parties contesting national elections (Johnston 2008), the country has nonetheless had a small number of relatively centrist parties hold power for the entirety of its history. J.J. McCullough provides another form of this argument in a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, focusing on the ability of parties to manage their own nomination processes and enforce party discipline on MPs.

However stated, the institutional explanation remains insufficient on its own. Single member plurality systemsindeed systems of virtually every descriptionhave proven vulnerable elsewhere. Trump won in the American plurality system, even if he didnt quite win a plurality of the vote. Likewise, an outright majority of UK citizens voted to leave Europe, and Le Pen is poised to get into the final round of the 2017 presidential election in France. It may be easier for neo-nationalist parties to gain a foothold in PR systems, but they clearly can succeed in plurality and majoritarian contexts as well. Indeed, the experience of Trump suggests that plurality systems might be more vulnerable to outright takeover by neo-nationalist politicians, should they manage to secure the leadership of a major party.

Another set of explanations focus on economic factorswhat one might call the economic anxiety thesis. Canada exhibits the same characteristics of a two-speed economy as are found elsewhere. Indeed, there are significant disparities between average incomes in the relatively affluent major urban centres like Toronto and Vancouver, and other regions of the country, as well as between the regions themselves. Despite this however, and in contrast with many other places, there is no anti-globalization/anti-elite movement. On the contrary, Canada continues to exhibit a multi-party consensus on trade to the effect that the country must push forward with new trade agreements in order to preserve its prosperity. Canadian voters are generally in favour of trade as well, though many remain ambivalent about particular agreements, or specific elements of individual trade agreements. For instance, certain aspects of the recently completed Canada-EU trade agreement came in for challenge, primarily from the left. In general however, CETA constitutes an example of how commitment to free trade crosses party line, as the agreement was the product of considerable labour by successive Conservative and Liberal governments. Even the left-leaning federal New Democratic Party (NDP) found itself internally divided over the issue, rather than squarely opposed. In short, though Canada is as economically divided as many other countries, that division is not reflected in its national politics. There must be some intervening factor at work. It is an issue I return to below.

A third set of explanations for neo-nationalism focus on ethnicity and intergroup conflict. Here Canadas outlier status becomes clearer. Canada ranks sixth among OECD countries in terms of foreign born as a share of the total population. On balance a majority of Canadians continue to like the idea of immigration as well. One study in October found that overall, 67% of Canadians were satisfied with how well new immigrants are integrating in their communities, and another recent survey found that a majority of Canadians say they prefer the current level of immigration. More tellingly perhaps, when a governmental advisory panel recommended the country increase annual immigrant intake from 300,000 to 450,000, the reaction was decidedly muted. Indeed, there are voices across the political spectrum calling for increases to meet coming labour challenges, and no major politician calling for a significant reduction, let alone a freeze.

Even so, the robustness of that consensus itself requires explanation, for Canada has no lack of raw materials for neo-nationalist politics grounded in appeals to xenophobia and racism. Even as Canadians express satisfaction with the integration of newcomers, a majority also agrees with the statement minorities should do more to fit in better with mainstream Canadian society. The country witnessed an outbreak in racist events in the weeks following Trumps U.S. victory. Canada has a long history of institutionalized racism with regard to its in treatment of, and attitudes towards indigenous Canadians (Backhouse 1999). The country still has not squarely faced that past, or effectively dealt with the ramifications that continue into the present. Black Canadians often face an undue burden of suspicion when interacting with Canadian police forces. It is not for lack of racists or racism that Canada lacks racist neo-national politics, as it were.

So, how then to account for the fact that Canada appears to be keeping its small-l liberal head, when all around it are losing theirs? I begin my explanation focusing on another distinctive, yet perhaps more often overlooked Canadian feature: its borders. Bounded on three sides by ocean, and on a fourth by the U.S., virtually no one gets in or out of the country without submitting to government procedures that are broadly accepted as legitimate in the eyes of most Canadians. This isnt true of any other country in the world. The U.S. has long-running issues around its southern border, while E.U. countries confront two dimensions of population movementnot only the recent influx of Syrian refugees, but 20 years of free movement among EU members under the Schengen Agreement. Even Australia has a numerically small but persistent and seemingly enervating issue regarding asylum seekers and other economically and politically motivated migrants arriving regularly by boat.

This lack of immigration crisis, and the high level of confidence Canadians have with their immigration institutions makes it easier to maintain another unusual Canadian characteristic: its procedurally defined legitimate membership in society. Where most countrieseven, increasingly, the United Statesplace great emphasis on preservation of a dominant culture or cultures in the face of new arrivals, Canadians for the most part continue to resist the articulation a particular and limited concept of national identity to which new arrivals are expected to adapt. Canadian expectations remain more procedural and behavioural, focused on adherence to law and a relatively thin set of norms governing daily life. There is no essential quality to being a Canadian that might be used to arbitrarily exclude some new arrivals, or indeed existing residents and even citizens.

This inclusivity of social membership helps to explain the lack of ethno-nationalism in Canadian politics. It also enables the countrys commitment to the universal provision of a range of public goodsmost notably, but not solely, universal publicly-provided health caredespite that multicultural, multi-ethnic and indeed multi-national context. This clearly runs against the finding of studies that associate multi-ethnic societies with a reduced provision of public servicesa finding that applies to developed countries as well as developing ones. In contrast, countries like France and the U.S. continue to demonstrate how racial politics can shape everything from the provision of health care, to education, to housing.

Of course, Canada has some serious problems on these frontsproblems that actually act as interesting sub-cases within the larger Canadian context. The most notable and disturbing set of issues related to inter-group integration relate to Canadas indigenous peoples. Though Canada is in principle committed to the preservation of indigenous ways of life, many continue to live on federally administered reservations in conditions more often associated with the poor areas of developing countries. Likewise, minorities have a rough go of it, particularly in Quebec, where politicians from multiple parties have experimented with imposing restrictions on religious expression.

Intriguingly, both these conflicts involve distinct, institutionally reinforced rules of membership and belonging. Indigenous groups seek to preserve their own cultures in part through racially determined rules of membership (the subject of episode one of the excellent Colour Code podcast). Likewise, Quebeckers at the moment are more engaged than other Canadians in defining what behaviours and customs can and cannot be reasonably accommodated by the majority and, by extension, the statean exercise that in part grows out of the provinces long struggle to articulate a distinct Quebecois culture in the midst of a majority English country.

IV. A Deductive Theory

Let me take a step back, and provide a stylized account for what I think is happening. It begins with the idea of the social contract, that venerable liberal democratic attempt to account for how individuals can live together in a well-governed society. In its most common form, the social contract is viewed as existing between the state and its citizens: the state agrees to provide certain goods and services necessary for survival of the polity, and the people pledge their loyalty in return.

Less often discussed, but no less true, one can conceive of the social contract as an agreement amongst inhabitants to share in the burdens and benefits of society, so long as others do so as well. Margaret Levi (1989) refers to this as contingent compliance, and identifies it as a crucial mechanism in the construction of the modern state. In a separate context, Elinor Ostroms research shows how smaller groups can overcome collective action problems through the development of institutions driven in part by some form of that same principle of contingent compliance.

It applies equally, if more abstractly, to larger society. When all is well, we think to ourselves, I am ok doing my part, because a) I believe the goals to which I am contributing are legitimate (normally ensured via some institutional mechanism such as democratic election), and b) I trust that those around me will do the sameand that those who do not will be found out, and sanctioned accordingly. We tend to think of the social contract as a thought experiment, but in this latter sense perhaps more akin to a folk theorem, a set of intuitions guiding people as to how best to resolve otherwise vexing collective action problems.

That agreement can break down in different ways. When some members are perceived to received outsized benefits without sharing the burdens equallyeffectively, when a subset of the population engages in something akin to free-riding or rent-seeking, capturing a greater share of the wealth of the nation than others believe they are entitled toothers may object. Taken to an extreme, offended members may take action, either against the offenders or the institutions entrusted to prevent such behaviour. Given the importance of fairness to ones own complianceI do my part, because I trust others to do the samesuch violations can take on a moral character. Those who feel they complied while others took advantage feel like suckers. They feel cheated.

Another equally serious kind of breakdown occurs when identifiable groups within the society are perceived by the majority to exist outside the bounds of the contract, to have entered into the society by illegitimate means, or to threaten the community in some manner. Another of Ostroms key insightsone that I have seen at work in my own research in Boliviais that boundaries matter. Institutions must incorporate all parties with a stake in the shared project in order to function well. The ones best able to do this are those that define legitimate membership in open, procedural ways, often grounded in geography, and avoid recourse to cultural or ascriptive characteristics, markers that tend to separate one cultural, religious, or ethnic group for another.

Of course, the idea of legitimate membership in a polity is an inherently political and endlessly contestable concept. Every country sets its own rules, both formal and informal, for how to become a member in good standing. Adherence to institutional procedures is one part of it, but there are cultural components to membership as well. The effects can be pervasive, yet hard to discuss rationally, since rules about in-group/out-group status register at very basic psychological levelwhat some refer to as the human lizard brain. Further complicating matters, formal and informal rules of membership can change within countries over time.

Simply put, a country can talk itself into a crisis of identity and belonging, and once such a process is under way, it takes on a life all its own. Its hard to overstate the role of perception in this process. Perception can become widespread and durable on little or no evidence, and initial suspicions can create self-fulfilling prophesies in which evidence is sought, found, and highlighted without due attention to the larger context. Work by scholars such as Joseph Heath highlight how modern communications processes can exacerbate such processes. As politics speed up, voters are forced to make rapid judgements. In order to do so, they depend on rapid reaction driven by emotion and gut instinct rather than the comparatively slow processes of reasoned decision-making.

However it occurs, once triggered, such an outcome again triggers the feeling of being played a sucker. Instead of targeting the distant rich however, it targets the all too vulnerable members of minority groups, marked out by their distinctive name, culture, language, and appearance.

V. Canada: Outlier or Laggard?

This then (finally!), is the claim I make about Canada, what sets it apart from other countries. Its particularly procedural, non-ascriptive approach to legitimate membershipand the trust that citizens have in the processes of legitimation, aided in no small measure by the lack of any kind of immigration crisis thanks to the countrys naturally secure bordersrenders Canada less exposed to the dual pathologies exploited by neo-nationalist politics. Canadians broadly trust in the integrity of immigration and refugee systems, making a backlash against continuing immigration comparatively unlikely.

In turn, the lack of deep politicized divisions between the still relatively white Canadian majority and new arrivals creates fewer political obstacles to the continued provision of crucial public goods to all Canadians. In this, the less generous nature of Canadas public goods programs in comparison with more social democratic European states may have even aided the cause of universality. As a result, most Canadians see backlash campaigns to retrench benefitssuch a prominent feature of American politicsas either intrinsically unfair, or at least more trouble than they are worth.

The lack of obstacles to universality might in turn be an important factor in accounting for the comparatively robust Canadian support for trade. Even the IMF has (rather belatedly) recognized that countries must redistribute gains from trade in order to protect those who lose out if such policies are to remain broadly popular. Accordingly such universal redistributive policies may play a large role in ensuring Canadians, even those outside the major urban areas, do not feel as left behind.

In contrast to Canada, in many countries, I argue left behind voters perceive a dual violation of the social contract. They at once see rich urban elites seemingly profit excessively from the processes of globalization. At the same time, they see movements of people over which the government seems no longer willing or able to controlwhether the movement of Mexican labourers to the U.S., the free movement of workers in Europe, or the arrival anywhere of refugees fleeing conflict, economic stagnation, and other intolerable situations at home. Left without trust in those profiting from globalization (the elites, as it were), parties seeming to aid and abet such profiting, or in government institutions failing to adequately regulate movement of people into their societies, they vote to sanction those who cheated and broke the social contract. In short, they vote to restore what they view as the proper moral order.

Of course, its equally possible that Canada is just slower than the U.S. and most European nations to respond to the neo-nationalist wave. Certainly, Leitch and several other Conservative leadership candidates see considerable advantage in trying to bring such politics into the Canadian mainstream; likewise, the Canadian media has so far demonstrated an eagerness to cover the issues at great length.

As a result, it seems likely that the countrys next major political fights will be fought precisely on the ground discussed above, over the question of just how inclusive Canadian society is. The result of those contests will tell us much about the viability of neo-nationalism in Canada. Given the continuing lack of objective immigration crisis, should Leitch or someone espousing similar views win the Conservative leadershipor indeed become Prime Ministerit would constitute evidence that the structural institutional factors I focus on here may be less important than some other mechanism driving the diffusion of neo-nationalist ideas from one polity to another.

Beyond the federal level, two provinces offer intriguing subcases within the larger Canadian case. The first, briefly discussed above, is Quebec. It is no coincidence, in my view, that the province which so often finds anti-Muslim rhetoric in its political debate is also the part of the country that most resembles the rest of the world in its attempts to cultivate and safeguard some conception of a founding nation with its own distinct culture. So long as Quebec remains committed to a nationalist project, one requiring institutionally reinforced rules of it will also remain vulnerable to the darker neo-nationalist politics seen elsewhere.

Alberta provides another kind of example, illustrating how neo-nationalist politics may diffuse from one country to another even in the absence of obvious structural affinity. For many years Alberta has been the most reliably conservative province in the country. It has also been the most receptive to trends in American right wing politics. Accordingly, if there is to be a broad transmission of Trumpism to Canada, we may see it in Alberta first. There are a number of potential beachheads for such ideas in Canadaoutposts of the angry rightand many focus their attention Alberta politics.

The most visible of these is perhaps The Rebel Media, a self-styled online news advocacy organization known for taking positions to the extreme right of Canadian politics, which enjoys a moderate following online (its YouTube channel has more than 450,000 subscribers, for instance). Though based in Toronto, it has taken a strong interest in opposing Notleys centre-left NDP government. In addition to organizing the rally in Edmonton described above, The Rebel has quickly latched onto a number of Trumpisms, going so far as to trademark and merchandize the phrase Make Canada Great Again (and, for good measure, Make Alberta Great Again too). If American-style neo-nationalism does catch on in Canada, it may well do so first in Alberta, and organizations such as The Rebel will likely be prominently involved, providing as they do so strong evidence of diffusive processes at work.

In short, time will tell, and soon, if Canada is simply a laggard or a true outlier with regard to neo-nationalist politics. Either way, the countrys experience in the next few years will tell us much about the power of such ideas, and whether and how they may best be countered.

The Duck of Minervas WPTPN group is still seeking guest contributions. If you are interested in writing a post and have research expertise in international relations, international political economy, foreign policy, comparative politics, or cognate fields please see this post for more information.
As much as Rs 280 crore of undisclosed amount was unearthed by Income Tax teams in raids and surveys, post demonetisation in the Telugu states.

Hyderabad: As much as Rs 280 crore of undisclosed amount was unearthed by Income Tax teams in raids and surveys, post demonetisation in the Telugu states. Director General for Central Investigation Unit (CIU) Ms Neena Nigam on Monday informed media during a press conference that the I-T conducted 12 searches after November 8 in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

We have seized Rs 11 crore of cash during searches apart from Rs 280 crore towards undisclosed amount, she said. Income Tax sleuths across the country have conducted about 3,000 searches in which Rs 300 crore was seized and Rs 2,870 crore undisclosed amount unearthed. Against the national figure, the AP and Telangana teams have unearthed 10 per cent of the total undisclosed amount.
Dehradun: Under flak over the decision on namaz break, the Harish Rawat government has said state employees, irrespective of their religion, caste and creed, will be allowed "special short breaks" to offer prayers during their festivals if they make a request for it.

"A decision has been taken to allow special short breaks to state employees of all communities, creeds and castes for prayers, religious occasions and festivals. It will be given only if they make a request," media advisor to the chief minister Surendra Kumar said in a statement.

"The Chief Minister took the decision in view of the spurt in demands for holidays by state employees belonging to different religions and communities on festivals and religious occasions," he said.

The announcement came two days after the state cabinet allowed a two-hour break for government staff to offer namaz on Fridays.

The cabinet's decision to allow a special two-hour Friday break for Muslim employees had drawn flak from the opposition parties, including BJP, which had accused the government of indulging in "minority appeasement" ahead of Assembly polls.
The BBMP, which had developed a mobile app in 2013 to keep track of potholes before and after they are filled, is now reworking it in association with its IT cell and a private company.

Anybody who has driven through Bengaluru will tell you that there are more potholes than roads, a situation that worsens to nightmarish proportions in the rain. There appears to be no excuse for this, as the BBMP has a staggering Rs 31 crore for major road works this year alone! What then are authorities doing? As far as the Palike is concerned, keeping the city in good condition has more to do with making money than giving citizens their due.

The budgets are staggering. The BBMP has Rs 14.85 crore at its disposal for filling potholes under its programme of works and Rs 31 crores under major road works this financial year alone. In addition it has Rs 6.31 crore for mechanical pothole- filling.

While the BBMP's major roads department is expected to fill potholes on major arterial and sub-arterial roads, the various area corporators are supposed to pitch in with Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh from the funds allotted to them for developmental work to repair roads in their jurisdiction.

So why then is the city still filled with potholes when the civic agency seems flush with funds to repair its roads? Urban expert, Ashwin Mahesh believes the answer is simple.

"Filling of potholes is seen as an annual money making exercise, he says candidly. Also, there is an administrative angle to the whole problem, he explains.

As the BBMP cannot issue a contract to fill just one pothole, its waits till their number has increased and then engages someone to fill them. But by then they become much bigger and more numerous, he deplores.

Instead he suggests the BBMP should issue a forward contract, and deposit an amount of say Rs 5 crore with the contractor, who must be told to fill every new pothole that emerges and and get it certified from the local engineer.

This way even emerging potholes can be addressed, Mr Mahesh explains. Noting that the constant digging of roads for various repairs by other civic agencies contributes to the problem as well, he suggests that the utilities be shifted to the side in ducts, so that they can be reached without damaging the rest of the road.

Agreeing that pothole filling is nothing but a money making exercise, urban expert, R K Mishra, claims that the repairs are deliberately shoddy to make sure they dont last too long.

The BBMP needs to do away with the practice of filling potholes ward-wise and hand over the entire exerice to contractors hired annually for the job. They should be told to fill the potholes no matter how many times they wear out.This is the only way quality can be maintained and keep the roads free of potholes after a heavy spell of rain, he says emphatically.

Those travelling long distances the worst hit

While people in the city have become enured to potholes, those travelling long distances on work or other reasons have it bad as they suffer bumpy rides for much longer.

Mr Prakash Murugan of Uttarahalli, whose granite business takes him around the city every day for one reason or the other, says he has the worst time in Banashankari 5th and 6th stage, as the roads there are filled with potholes. While the roads are already in bad condition, the rains last week only made them worse. Also, roads are dug up for one or other reason and left unrepaired," he complains angrily.

A factory worker, Nagabhushan, who commutes from Doddakallasandra to J P Nagar every day, says the road leading to Kanakapura main road becomes a nightmare after rain. The road is in terrible state owing to the ongoing Metro Rail work, making travelling a big headache every day," he grumbles.

Mr Jayaram, a techie who heads to Electronic City from Anepalya for work, says he encounters a big pothole in the middle of the road near the Adugodi traffic police station. This potholes has been the cause of many accidents. Speeding two-wheeler riders skid when they try to avoid this death-trap and fall down. But still no has cared to fill it," he regrets.

Mr Mohammad Aziz, a hotelier, who supplies food to his customers on a two-wheeler, says he has a very hard time at Majestic, Anand Rao Circle and in Okalipuram as the roads there are in very bad shape.

As the roads are filled with potholes we are forced to drive at a snail's pace. The bad road damages our vehicles too, he adds. But the pothole menace is not confined to these areas alone, and is seen almost everywhere, whether it is Austin Town, Ejipura, Commercial Street , Indiranagar or Malleshwaram, leaving people in the city begging for a smooth ride.

No scientific method for filling potholes: MN Sreehari, traffic expert

Potholes are deliberately not filled properly so they can re-emerge in heavy rain and BBMP corporators and officials can make big money. Also, official are lying about the number of potholes in the city. If a proper survey is done, their number could cross a lakh easily.

They cause numerous problems for people. Many have broken their spine or had their joints dislocated while trying to avoid them. The average speed of vehicles too drops to as low as 10km an hour leading to traffic jams owing to potholed roads.

The BBMP does not have a scientific approach to filling potholes. What it does is simply pour some tar and gravel into the gaping holes. But that's not the right way to go about it. When filling a pothole, it has to be first cleaned and shaped like a rectangle or square based on its dimension.

Later, bitumen, sand and coarse aggregates must be mixed in the desired proportion and then poured into the pothole in two layers. The first layer must be levelled and allowed to settle down before the second layer is poured.

Finally, the rectangular or square edges must to be sealed to prevent water from seeping in as it is the main reason why potholes form. If the entire process is done scientifically, potholes will never re-emerge on our roads.
Hyderabad: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday asked why the country's premier probe agencies are not showing the same urgency to convict the accused in all terror cases, a day after a special NIA court awarded death penalty to five IM operatives, including Yasin Bhatkal, in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts case.

In a series of tweets, the Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP questioned the NIA and also mounted a veiled attack on the Centre saying, "Do not be surprised the way NIA is pursuing those Bomb Blast cases where accused are Non-Muslims they will be exonerated bcos of Ache Din?".

"Why can't our Premier Investigation Agencies show same urgency to convict all alleged terrorist cases, Demolition (of) Babri Masjid pending since 92," he asked.

Read: Punish my son if he's guilty, but I don't know who is Yasin Bhatkal: mother

Over the awarding of death penalty to the five Indian Mujahideen operatives, he sought to know, while 2013 Dilsukhnagar blast accused were convicted, will the NIA "get conviction" in Mecca Masjid blast, Ajmer Dargha blast and Malegaon blasts cases.

"2013 Dilsukhnagar blast accused all get conviction Mecca Masjid blast, AJMER Dargha Blast, Malegaon blasts Will NIA get conviction these cases," Owaisi said in a tweet.

In further tweets, the AIMIM chief said, "Dilsukhnagar bomb blast accused can be convicted in 3 years why is it taking long to convict M Masjid, Ajmer, Malegaon Can NIA throw some light."

However, in another tweet, Owaisi said "Dilsukhnagar blast courts have given a verdict which must be accepted, terrorist should be punished."

Five key operatives of the banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, including its co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and a Pakistani national, were yesterday awarded death penalty by a Special NIA Court here for the February 2013 Hyderabad's Dilsukhnagar bomb blasts which claimed 18 lives.
New Delhi: The massive victory of the BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal combine in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections has come as a shot in the arm both for the saffron party and the Centre, particularly as it comes close on the heels of the hugely contentious demonetisation move.

The results of the largely urban dominated city may now well be viewed as an endorsement of the demonetisation drive and the BJP is likely to make political capital out of it in the days ahead, though the sweeping victory was primarily due to a combination of a host of issues, many of them local.

According to local political observers, one of the main reason for the BJP-SAD coalition winning 21 of the 26 municipal wards is that Chandigarh being a Union Territory is primarily governed by the Centre and comes directly under the administrative control of the Union home ministry.

There was a view among the electorate that with the BJP being in power at the Centre and the local MP, Kirron Kher, also from the same party, there could be better co-ordination with the local civic agency if the same party is voted to power.

With the Centre deciding on the budget of the MC and other issues like appointing the UT administrator, perhaps people felt that local problems could be addressed better if the BJP was voted to power, said Trilochan Singh, a former lecturer of political science at Punjab University.

According to Mr Singh, the demonetisation was not a major issue during the MC elections since Chandigarh does not have a sizeable agricultural or industrial work force.

Though locals in Chandigarh are facing problems due to the demonetisation, the party failed to convert it into a major electoral issue and it worked in favour of the BJP, Mr Singh added.

Sources in the Chandigarh administration say at least three days before the civic polls, a large amount of new currency notes were pumped into the citys ATMs, which diluted the impact of the demonetisation drive.

BJP chief Amit Shah described the win in the Chandigarh MC polls as the peoples stamp of approval for the demonetisation. He said the victory in elections in different parts of the country following the decision shows popular mood and should serve as a lesson to the Opposition parties.

Encouraged by the major victory Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal described it as a trailer, and said the complete film would emerge after the spectacular victory during the coming Assembly elections. This result would prove as a trendsetter for ensuring back to back victory of the alliance for the third consecutive term in the state, Mr Badal said.
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday slapped Rs 1 lakh costs on a petitioner who had filed a PIL seeking to declare the action of the Telangana government in not declaring the properties belonging to late J Jayalalitha, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, in the state as public properties as per the Succession Act as illegal.

Gareeb Guide, a voluntary organisation of the city represented by its president Ms. G. Bhargavi, moved the PIL stating that if an interstate has left no heir qualified to succeed his or her property in accordance with the provisions of Hindu Succession Act 1956, such property shall devolve on the government.

The petitioner brought to the notice of the court that Ms Jayalalitha had 14 acres agriculture land in Medchal village of Malkajgiri district and commercial complex in Srinagar area of Hyderabad. D. V. Rao, the counsel for the petitioner said Ms Jayalalitha died without writing any will and that she has no heirs.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A Shankar Narayana, while dealing with the PIL, asked the counsel what was the basis for his claims and how does he know that there was no will. The counsel replied that he was relying on media reports. When the bench questioned as to what happens to the kin of Jayas brother who are very much there in Tamil Nadu, the counsel replied that he was not aware of this fact.

The bench reminded the fact that she had a brother who died in a road accident was also carried by newspapers. The bench observed that it is only a few days since the leader died and the petitioner is before us without verifying the facts at the ground level. This is a publicity orientation petition and not a public interest petition.

When the bench decided to slap fine, the counsel started requesting the court to allow him to withdraw the plea or at least reduce the penalty amount. The bench did not relent. While indicating that he would approach Supreme Court, the counsel urged the bench to provide a copy of the order by the end of the day. The bench made it clear that he would get it in usual course of time. When again he counsel started insisting on his plea, the bench cautioned of contempt proceedings.

While expressing displeasure at the petitioner for filing the frivolous petition to waste the valuable time of the court, the bench awarded Rs 1 lakh costs and directed to pay within 4 weeks to the state government.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi launched another scathing attack on the Prime Minister regarding the demonetisation issue.

Rahul said, Prime Minister had promised that people can deposit money till December 30 but he again changed the rules. His words dont carry weight now.

The Congress vice-president took to Twitter to lash out at Prime Minister after the AICC demanded a rollback of the restriction under which Rs 5,000 in scrapped currency can be deposited only once per account till December 30.

RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes, Rahul tweeted, while posting an article on the RBI rules announced post-demonetisation.

The attack came as the Congress leader is all set to take the battle over the issue of demonetisation to the turf of the Prime Minister with a rally at Mehsana in Gujarat on Wednesday.

Rahul also said, when the time comes we will tell the people that the words of the Prime Minister are hollow and empty. Notifications have been changed 125 times.

After Gujarat, Rahul will be addressing a rally at Bahraich in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh on December 22 and at Almora in Uttarkhand the next day.

Assembly polls in Uttarkhand are also scheduled early next year.
Hyderabad: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao has warned the Opposition of filing defamation cases if baseless allegations were made against the government. On Tuesday, the Assembly witnessed a heated discussion on corruption in Mission Bhagiratha scheme. Minister KTR and Congress member and TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy made counter challenges on each other.

Participating in a short discussion on Mission Bhagiratha, Mr Reddy challenged if the government places all the files before the Speaker, he will prove corruption in tenders. Otherwise, Mr Reddy said he is ready to face any punishment. In a counter-challenge, the minister said if the opposition members have any evidence over the corruption in Mission Bhagir-atha they should place it before the Speaker or they can go to court. If corruption is proved, the minister said he would be ready to face any punishment.

Earlier Congress member Bhatti Vikramarka alleged there was huge corruption in the finalisation of the Mission Bhagiratha tenders. He demanded the government place all the files before the Speaker and sought a House committee for enquiry. He also dema-nded the government to send all files to Central Vigilance Commission for verification. While tenders were filed for 10 to 30 per cent less amount against the government es-timates in the Mission Kakatiya, he asked as to why in Bhagiratha tenders were filed only for 0.25 to 0.15 less amount than the government estimations.
Hyderabad: The Telangana state government has opposed the Krishna River Management Boards interim order to release higher share of Andhra Pradesh for the Rabi season and sought an immediate rectification of the order.

On Monday, KRMB ordered to an interim release of water to AP and Telangana in 70:30 ratio as against the agreed ratio of 63.13:36:37. The interim release, Telangana officials claim, would give an extra 6.87 per cent of water to Andhra Pradesh.

Special chief secretary, irrigation department, S. K. Joshi, wrote to KRMB member-secretary Sameer Chaterjee on Tuesday stating that the Telangana government is in disagreement with the order making allotments to AP and TS in the ratio of 70: 30 and has decided to protest. He wrote that on the basis of orders issued by the erstwhile AP government, out of 811 TMC ft of dependable water, the share of AP and Telangan-a is respectively in the rat-io of 512: 299 TMC ft, that is, 63.13: 36.87 per cent.

He wrote that this was also agreed to in the meeting between the two states held on June 21, 2016 in the ministry of water resources. The same ratio should be maintained till it is modified by the Tribunal, as such you may take action to revise the release order at the earliest, Mr Joshi stated in his letter. The Board passed the controversial order after failing to get consensus between the two states for an agreement on the release of Krishna waters to meet the needs of the Rabi crop. The KRMB member secretary in his order clearly observed that there are different views regarding sharing of the balance eligible water by the respective states.

Hyderabad gets 4 tmc ft in order:

KRMB on Monday made the following interim water releases for the requirements of TS and AP, up to January 19, 2017. For AP, it allotted 10 TMC ft for the Krish-na delta system, 15 TMC ft for Nagarjuna Sagar Right Canal, 3.1 TMC ft for Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal (AP areas), 7 TMC ft for Handri Neeva Main canal: Total 35.1 TMC ft. For TS, it allotted 4 TMC ft for drinking water needs of Hyder-abad, 13 TMC ft for Nagarjuna Sagar left canal: Total 17 TMC ft.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has held unsustainable the rules and government orders against employing women at toddy or liquor shops. The court made it clear that they are in violation of Article 14 and 15 of the Constitution of India. A single bench of the court made the observation while asking Kerala Public Service Commission to appoint seven women candidates shortlisted for the post of peon/helper in the Kerala State Beverages (Manufacturing and Marketing) Corporation.

The court held that the petitioners should be accommodated against the available vacancies without reference to whether such vacancies are in shops or

otherwise. If no such vacancies are available, they shall be appointed against the supernumerary vacancies and upcoming vacancies, the court added, while considering a plea of B. Sanuja, L. Chandralekha, Archana, A. Sreeja, S. Sheeba and S. Suja of Kollam. They were not given appointments in their turn stating the condition that no women shall be employed in any capacity in FL-1 shops (Bevco retail outlets). The petitioner argued that surpassing their candidature all male candidates on the main list have got appointed.
Its been more than forty years since Pakistan passed a constitutional amendment declaring that members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim minority religious community are not Muslims. And attacks against Ahmadis by those who consider them heretics continue.

On December 12 thousands of Sunni Muslims marking the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad in Punjabs Chakwal city attacked a mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. According to reports, stones and bricks were thrown and weapons fired at the mosque as it was stormed. Several people were wounded, and one person died of a heart attack during the attack. Security forces were said to have been brought in to calm the situation.

In another incident on December 5, police from Punjabs Counterterrorism Department raided the communitys headquarters in Rabwa, and arrested several Ahmadis who were believed to be involved in publishing religious literature. They were later charged under provisions in Pakistans penal code and Anti-Terrorism Act.

In its most recent international religious freedom report on Pakistan, the U.S. State Department noted the concern by leaders of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community over the governments continued targeting of Ahmadis for blasphemy, and over legislation which deny them basic rights. Members of religious minority communities stated that the Pakistani government was inconsistent in safeguarding minority rights, and official discrimination against religious minorities persisted.

The report noted that U.S. officials have met with Pakistani officials repeatedly to discuss the treatment of all minority religious groups in Pakistan, including Ahmadiyya Muslims, as well as to encourage interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance.

At a recent press briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said the United States was very concerned over reports about the raid by police on the Ahmadiyya Muslim headquarters.

We have regularly noted our concerns about Pakistani laws that restrict peaceful religious expression, particularly by the Ahmadiyya community in our international religious freedom report, Mr. Toner said. We believe such laws are inconsistent with Pakistans international obligations and we would urge the Government of Pakistan to protect religious freedom and basic rights of all members of its population, including religious minorities.
Visakhapatnam: The 22-year-old wife of TV artiste Chadalavada Ramesh (Potti Ramesh) was found hanging in her room on Monday at Gajuwaka here. Tripurambika married Ramesh in December 2015. Mr Ramesh was away on a shoot in Hyderabad when his wife hung herself.

CI Immanuel Raju said Tripurambika and Ramesh lived with his parents, his sister and her husband in Srinagar Colony. Rameshs parents called the police when they found their daughter-in-law hanging. The police rushed her to a hospital in Gajuwaka where doctors declared her dead.

Mr Ramesh was questioned by the police when he returned. He told journalists that there were no conflicts between him and his wife and he didnt know why his wife ended her life.

The mother of Tripurambika, P. Pushpalatha, however, alleged that it was a murder. My daughters in-laws and sister-in-law have been harassing her from day one. Mr Ramesh, who is a cousin of mine, is the sole breadwinner of their family. They were always trying to separate the couple out of fear that Ramesh may dump them if he has children, Pushpalatha said. She alleged that the parents and sister did not allow the couple to sleep in a room or talk to each other.
Kolkata: TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is in the forefront of anti-demonetisation protests, said even though senior party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay has received three calls from CBI, it will not deter the party from fighting the note ban on Monday.

Banerjee said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) will not be cowed down by the "Centre's tactics of browbeating my party" reiterating that nothing will deter the party from the fight against demonetisation.

When contacted, Bandopadhyay, who is the parliamentary party leader for TMC in Lok Sabha, confirmed the development and said "I called them (CBI) back. They said you have to come to our office."

Bandopadhyay is also the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways. On Monday, Banerjee had attacked the Modi government, saying it did not understand the hardship faced by people who had turned 'fakirs' after demonetisation.

"Realising the people's difficulties, Venezuela withdrew the decision on demonetisation, but the Modi government doesn't listen to anyone," she had said.
Mehsana: A day before Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's rally here, some unidentified persons allegedly tore the posters put up by his party alongside a road near the city, to welcome him.

Gandhi is scheduled to address a public rally here tomorrow.

While Congress sees BJP's hand behind the act, Gujarat BJP said there is no need to tear the posters, and claimed people have already discarded the opposition party in the state.

According to local Congress leaders, at least three posters, having Rahul Gandhi's photo, were allegedly vandalised by miscreants early today at different places on Radhanpur-Panchot road on the city's outskirts.

Commenting on the incident, state Congress spokesman Manish Doshi blamed BJP for the act.

"People of entire north Gujarat are eagerly waiting to listen to Rahulji. There is great enthusiasm among the masses for our leader. It is very clear that BJP could not digest such popularity of Rahulji and indulged in such unruly act of tearing apart the posters," Doshi said, adding that no police complaint has been filed in this regard.

Countering the allegation, state BJP's media convener Harshad Patel said his party does not indulge in such acts.

"It is not in our nature to tear posters. Why should we do that when people have already rejected them. Tearing posters is something which they do, not us. During Lok Sabha poll campaign in Vadodara, their leader Madhusudan Mistry climbed on a poll and tore apart Narendra Modi's posters," Patel said.
Hyderabad: While saying that the court verdict in Dilsukhnagar bomb blast case must be accepted and terrorists should be punished, MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday accused the National Investigation Agency of targeting a particular community. An NIA special court had on Monday sentenced five Indian Muhajideen activists including co-founder Yasin Bhatkal for the 2013 blasts in which 18 persons were killed.

Speaking to the press at his residence in the city, Mr Owaisi said the NIA should a take uniform approach in terror cases irrespective of the communities of the accused. He said he was not doubting the NIAs investigation in the Dilsukhnagar bomb blast case and stated that the agency had done a good job.

He questioned why the NIA, which had completed its investigation and trial of the Dilsukhnagar case in three years, had not shown the same involvement with the investigation into the bomb blasts at Mecca Masjid, Ajmer and Malegaon. He asked why the NIA had not filed an appeal against the bail granted to Swami Aseemanand, accused in the Mecca Masjid and Ajmer bomb blast cases, and why it had allowed the 90-day appeal period to last. He asked why the NIA had told the court that it had no objection in releasing Sadhvi Pragya Thakur in the Ajmer bomb blast case.

Earlier, in a series of tweets, Mr Owaisi said: Why can't our investigation agencies show same urgency to convict all alleged terrorist cases and demolition of Babri Masjid case pending since 1992 (sic). Do not be surprised the way NIA is pursuing those bomb blast cases where accused are non-Muslims they will be exonerated because of Ache Din (sic)? he tweeted.

Dilsukhnagar bomb blast accused can be convicted in 3 years why is NIA taking long to convict Mecca Masjid, Ajmer and Malegaon. Can NIA throw some light (sic)? he asked on his Twitter handle. "Dilsukhnagar Blast accused all get conviction. Then Mecca Masjid blast, Ajmer Dargah blast, Malegaon blasts will NIA get conviction these cases (sic), he wrote.
Firaq Gorakhpuri was the senior poet on the stage at a Lucknow mushaira. A rookie versifier was on the mike, Firaq appeared to have dozed off, as his turn, the last usually, was still a few more senior poets away. That sounds like my verse you are reciting, sir, he suddenly interrupted the poet who was in full cry. The unhesitant accusation was padded with a half smile. Thank you indeed Firaq sahib, but this is obviously an accident, the frazzled poet pleaded, waiting for the nod to continue. The reply, however, provoked a sharper reaction than was bargained for. Young friend, we have seen bullock carts crashing into pedestrians. Accidents are known to occur between cars and trains, Firaq wouldnt stop. But an accident between an aeroplane and a bicycle? The auditorium was in splits. Imagine Gautam Buddha as the senior poet and the world of intellect that followed as his proteges.

I too felt like the rookie man the other day when I thought I had figured out how Buddhism may have impacted global religions and some great literature too in no small way. Existentialism, theatre of the absurd, pacifism, T.S. Eliots The Wasteland, they all flitted by. Damyata (control), datta (give), dayadhvam (compassion) from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad are Eliots last words in the long poem. The words are thought to have come from the Buddhist reflection of the Upanishads. It was humbling to realise soon enough that scholars had arrived at similar conclusions with far more diligence than I could hope to muster as a journalist. Sitting in 10 days of Vipassana silence recently, the mind leapt. Any number of lines by Ghalib are infused with Buddhist meditation that may pass for Sufi influence.

The religious injunction came to mind in the reverie: travel to China to seek knowledge. Why be partial to China, why not Greece, for example, which produced great philosophers? Could it have to do with Buddhism, which had travelled circuitously to China? Was that the wisdom Muslims were being counselled to partake of? Surely there was more than an outside chance that Buddhas teachings had imbued Confucianism with moral and temporal sinews. The idea of the unstitched cloth worn by Haj pilgrims and Buddhist monks crossed the mind. I noted that the focus on the inward gaze suggested by Buddhist contemplation was coursing through Allama Iqbal, possibly the greatest Muslim philosopher from Asia. Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-i-zindagi/Tu agar mera nahi banta na ban, apna to ban. (Delve into your soul to seek lifes buried tracks. Will you not be mine? Then be not mine, be your own at least!) Kabir was a popular pre-Mughal poet. Bulleh Shah came along from Bukhara with the Mughal arrival in India. Both learned poets divided by 1,000 miles between them and a couple of centuries apart spoke Buddhas language.

Main jaana jogi de naal (Im going together with Jogi)  akin to the essential invocation  Buddham sharanam gachhami. (Im off to surrender to Buddhas care). Kabir says: Man na rangaae, rangaae jogi kapda. It was a direct indictment of the priestly class. The mystics colour their clothes when they were required to fix their thought. Buddhas use of the human body as an implement to train the mind to deal with worldly traps is reflected in Kabir faithfully in his poem Jheeni jeeni beeni chadariya. Any number of lines by Ghalib are infused with Buddhist meditation that may pass for Sufi influence. But was Sufism devoid of Buddhas core beliefs? Khwaja Mir Dard the Sufi poet of the 18th-century Delhi offered an insight into his grasp of classical music and mysticism that came close to the voice of the Great Teacher of 600 BC. Khalq mein hain par juda sab khalq say rahtay hain hum/ Taal ki gintee say baahar jis tarah roopak mein sum. (We belong to the world we live in, but we always stand apart/Like the climax of the roopak taal uniquely aloof from the cyclical beat of the drum.) From Turkey to Iran, the Buddhist thought had been woven into poetry. Take Rumi or Adam Sanai in the 12th century, Buddhas presence is inescapable. Someone who keeps aloof from suffering is not a lover, says Sanai in a translation by Coleman Barks. Buddha would be smiling with joy, not the half smile of Firaq.
These pains you feel are messengers. Listen to them.

 Rumi, Essential Rumi



In the chaos that prevails around us the most authentic hope comes from Sufis whose poetry and philosophy combines the virtuous message of formal religion with the transcendental values of love and harmony. The foundation of Sufism is the life-determining belief in God. Sufis are touched and moved by Him, pervaded by the awareness of God. Their lives are centred entirely on God. They have unlimited faith in Him who cares for everyone. Sufism has been concerned with building bridges, not least between communities whose contact can be of mutual benefit. Through years of effort, Sufi masters have developed a scientific approach to achieving such refinement. They discovered that in addition to the mind human beings have other centers of consciousness that serve as inner faculties for attaining knowledge.

Foremost among these centers is the heart. With diligent practice, teachers of Sufism perfected techniques that activate the heart, cultivating profound intuition and realization. The polished heart becomes a mirror that catches the light of truth and reflects it in ones consciousness. With this light dawns the understanding that beyond material phenomena, there exists a Being of which everything in the universe is a reflection. Ones own being itself reflects the higher Being. Where is God to be found? He is to be found in the heart of man which is His shrine. But if this heart is buried, if it has lost that light, that life, that warmth what does this heart become. It becomes like a grave. In a popular English song there is a beautiful line which says,The light of a whole life dies when love is gone. That living life giving element in the heart is love. It gets overlaid by the dense layers of our worldly pursuit and vain ambitions. Sufism is the message of digging out that water-like life which has been buried by the impressions of this material life. There is an English phrase: a lost soul. But the soul is not lost; it is only buried. When it is dug out divine life bursts forth like a spring.

Sufis consider the spirit and body to be one whole. They believe in integration, not dichotomies. What we do in our physical lives affects our spiritually, and vice versa. We cannot look at our lives in a vacuum. Our lives are integrated with our environment, ethics, and family. A well known Sheikh Muzaffer says, Keep your hands busy with your duties in this world, and your heart busy with God. Our faith has to be practised daily within our corporate lives. As Sahi, an eminent Sufi mystic exhorts: A man should be in the marketplace while still working with true reality. Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing has followed the Sufi path . She explained its attraction: Sufi truth is at the core of every religion, its heart, and religions are only the outward vestments of an inner reality.She writes further:They will find the word mysticism has lost its bizarre associations, and that the way of the Sufi reveals itself as a sophisticated view of life, embodied in people who through the centuries have always been in advance of their time.
With almost four-fifths of the 50 days gone and with the seriousness of the demonetisation injury apparent, the Panchatantra tale of the devoted monkey who cut off his royal masters nose to get rid of a pesky fly that threatened the royal slumber comes to mind. Cutting off the nose to spite the face is probably the more apt expression. More to the point is the common warning against a needlessly self-destructive over-reaction to a problem: Dont cut off your nose to spite your face. Its a warning against acting out of pique, or against pursuing revenge in a way that would damage oneself more than the object of ones anger. History is replete with instances when acting out of pique inflicts huge costs on a nation. The Embargo Act of 1807 passed by the United States Congress in protest against British and French interference in US shipping had the side effect of prohibiting nearly all US exports and most imports, greatly disrupting the American economy. Closer home, the great Ladakh king, Senge Namgyal (1620-70), imposed a punitive tax on the pashm wool trade between Tibet and Kashmir, that largely went by the shortest route through Ladakh, in response to a slight by the Kashmir ruler. The pashm then began to flow to Ludhiana, helping the Punjab city become the great centre for the manufacture of woollens it still is. Ladakh never recovered from the loss of revenue.

Even if not educated in the conventional sense, seeking many options from a deep study of the issue by the knowledgeable is a quality essential for successful leadership. This entails wisdom. But instead of wisdom there is much vaingloriousness in the PMs style of decision-making that crimps discussion and a study of the possible alternatives. By all accounts, the decision to demonetise was by a small secretive cabal with a larger-than-life figure, that Mr Modi now is, actively part of it. This frequently leads to a psychological malaise which the well-known psychologist Irving Janis called groupthink. In 1961, the newly-elected US President, the brilliantly-educated John Fitzgerald Kennedy, agreed to the disastrous invasion of Cuba at Bay of Pigs. This crisis almost set off a nuclear Armageddon next year. Irving Janis was a part of the Presidential Commission which studied the faulty decision-making that caused so many obvious pitfalls to be ignored.

JFKs national security team was made up of the best and brightest people. But the brightest of them was Richard Bissell, the CIA deputy director in charge of operations. Bissell had a brilliant track record of toppling regimes from Iran to Guatemala. When he presented his plan to the group, each and every one of the best and brightest, including Kennedy, assumed Bissell would have applied his prodigious intellect and experience and that the plan was foolproof. Other options were not considered. The greater lesson here was that Kennedy realised he was taken in and was the one responsible. He went public and acknowledged responsibility. He even said in public: How could I have been so stupid? There isnt even the slightest sign that Narendra Modi has realised the massive goof-up his demonetisation policy has turned out to be. When you abruptly pull out high-denomination currency notes equal to 86 per cent of the value or Rs 14.2 lakh crore, one would expect proper arrangements would have been made to replace what was now excluded. Clearly, the government was unprepared. It had very few Rs 2,000 notes rolling out of its security presses, and no additional small-value notes to pick up the slack somewhat. The cashlessness that this caused has cost the national economy hugely and devastated tens of millions of livelihoods.

The average daily wage in India is Rs 272, which means it is essential to have a good part of that for a typical family to escape starvation daily. Of the vast reservoir of 415 million employed in the unorganised sector, about half are engaged in farming, and another 10 per cent each in construction, small-scale manufacture and retail. These are almost all daily wage-earners. Just visualise the cold hearths in these homes and children going to bed cold and hungry. There are harrowing stories from across the country and the PMs push for electronic payments and mobile banking has the air of asking starving people to eat cake instead! The loss due to this unprecedented drop in production and income to the economy this year is expected to be around two per cent of GDP. This is almost Rs 2 lakh crores. The cost of printing replacement notes is likely to be between Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore. The PM made out that demonetisation was going to mean the extinguishing of black money and all that wont be returned to the banks will be its bonus. None of this is being borne out. The seizures of hundreds of crores in new pink Rs 2,000 notes all across the country by the police and the income-tax authorities is proof of that. It just shows new money too turns as easily into black money as old money, and nothing has changed.

But theres a larger reality. Of the Rs 14.2 lakh crore in high-denomination notes, Rs 13.2 lakh crore have come back into the system. There are 10 days still to go and it looks that Prime Minister Modis bonus may not be too much. The government has just announced that the banks wont be accepting more than Rs 5,000 per person for the rest of this season of cashlessness. The incidence of counterfeits was hugely exaggerated with the RBI stating that only 0.0006 per cent of the money the banks handle are counterfeit, with a value of Rs 29.64 crore of the Rs 16.4 lakh crore in circulation. One hopes he will finally realise that only four per cent of black money is kept as cash. The rest is abroad or in property or bullion. Last year his government had allowed the import of about 1,000 tons of gold, and Global Financial Integrity estimated the illicit export of $83 billion in 2014. The government was barking at the smallest of the trees.

In recent days the PM changed his avatar from being a corruption fighter to becoming pitchman for electronic payments. One Cabinet minister told me that the PM constantly asks all his ministers if they have Paytm in their mobile phones. His fondness for Paytm is now a subject of some speculation. But there are costs to this as well. The average life of an Rs 100 note is estimated to be about a year, involving between 500 to 1,000 exchanges. Every credit card or debit card or even Paytm transaction entails charges of about two per cent. The merchant typically passes this on to the customer. So the charges entailed during the average lifespan of an Rs 100 note would be between Rs 1,000-2,000. The mobile telephony charge would be about 20 paise per minute. So think of it as an average of Rs 100-200 per Rs 100 lifespan. And a replacement note with transportation and distribution costs will not be more than Rs 5. How does this economics look to you? But Mr Modi doesnt seem to see it. The irony of this in a country where the average daily wage is Rs 272 and where not more than 30 per cent have smartphones just cannot be missed. But then Mr Modi doesnt have any use for history, understanding of economic costs and awareness about the consequences of policy. He is a go-getter. But wheres he going?
Scientists have discovered a jetstream within the Earth's molten iron core using the latest satellite data that helps create an 'X-ray' view of the planet.

Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK found the position of the jet stream aligns with a boundary between two different regions in the core. The jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards this boundary from both sides, which is squeezed out sideways.

"The European Space Agency's Swarm satellites are providing our sharpest X-ray image yet of the core. We have not only seen this jet stream clearly for the first time, but we understand why it is there," said lead researcher Phil Livermore from the University of Leeds.

"We can explain it as an accelerating band of molten iron circling the North Pole, like the jet stream in the atmosphere," said Livermore.

Because of the core's remote location under 3,000 kilometres of rock, for many years scientists have studied the Earth's core by measuring the planet's magnetic field - one of the few options available.

Previous research had found that changes in the magnetic field indicated that iron in the outer core was moving faster in the northern hemisphere, mostly under Alaska and Siberia. However, new data from the Swarm satellites has shown that these changes are actually caused by a jet stream moving at more than 40 kilometres per year.

This is three times faster than typical outer core speeds and hundreds of thousands of times faster than the speed at which the Earth's tectonic plates move.

The European Space Agency's Swarm mission features a trio of satellites which simultaneously measure and untangle the different magnetic signals which stem from Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere.

They have provided the clearest information yet about the magnetic field created in the core. The study found the position of the jet stream aligns with a boundary between two different regions in the core. The jet is likely to be caused by liquid in the core moving towards this boundary from both sides, which is squeezed out sideways.

"Of course, you need a force to move the liquid towards the boundary. This could be provided by buoyancy, or perhaps more likely from changes in the magnetic field within the core," said Rainer Hollerbach from Leeds.

"We know more about the Sun than the Earth's core. The discovery of this jet is an exciting step in learning more about our planet's inner workings," said Chris Finlay from the Technical University of Denmark. The study was published in Nature Geoscience.

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Greenply saw an opportunity not simply to replicate the previous landscape but to optimise its whole approach to running SAP ERP.

Greenply Industries Limited (Greenply) is an interior infrastructure company and the domestic leader in the manufacture of plywood and medium density fibreboard (MDF). The company has four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities for plywood and one for MDF, producing interior products for domestic and global markets.

In November 2014, Greenply Industries took a strategic decision to demerge its decorative business, comprising of laminates and related products, into Greenlam Industries. The proposed demerger was intended to create a new platform for independent growth for the decorative business, while allowing Greenply Industries to concentrate its growth efforts in the plywood and medium density fibreboard (MDF) businesses. This promised to strengthen both companies position as market leaders.

For parent company Greenply, the demerger meant that it would need to set up a new, resilient landscape  including disaster recovery options  for SAP ERP applications. Prior to the demerger, the consolidated company had been running SAP with IBM DB2 databases on the IBM AIX operating system, which runs only on proprietary IBM Power Systems servers.

Greenply saw an opportunity not simply to replicate the previous landscape but to optimise its whole approach to running SAP ERP. On the business side, the company was keen to cut its manufacturing costs and improve service levels by strengthening the supply chain. The key aim was to improve the integration of the supply chain with manufacturing, so that the company could avoid manufacturing too much or too little of a given product as demand levels fluctuated.

Dr. Vineet Bansal, CIO of Greenply, explains: It was clear that gaining real-time stock visibility would improve our control over manufacturing and reduce our costs. We recognised that the SAP HANA in-memory database technology would give us this realtime capability, and this became the cornerstone of our plans for the new SAP landscape. This was a great opportunity for Greenply to take advantage of new technologies rather than just continuing down the existing path  which would also have been more costly.

The company is keen to be as lean as possible in all areas, so total cost of ownership was an important consideration for the new SAP landscape. Setting up new SAP ERP applications on the same kind of IBM platform as its existing SAP landscape would be a low risk, low disruption option, but Greenply was concerned that the cost of acquiring and maintaining the AIX and Power Systems stack would be high. The company would then also be locked into this combination of proprietary operating system and hardware.

The Solution

We undertook an extensive review of the different options open to us, including remaining on AIX, recalls Dr. Bansal. Based on our key criteria for selecting a new operating system  simplicity, flexibility and speed  we determined that Linux would be a better option, particularly because we could run it on any x86 platform.

Greenply compared SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and concluded that the SUSE operating system was better suited to its needs. In terms of performance and stability, the combination of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SAP HANA was the best, says Dr. Bansal. Equally, it was simpler and more costeffective to ensure high availability, because the SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension is included as an integral element in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications.

The SAPcertified SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension enables Greenply to attain 99.999% availability. It incorporates not only a clustering solution for application servers, but also solutions for highavailability storage and network loadbalancing. Choosing the SUSE operating system gave us a single, integrated route to high availability; with Red Hat, achieving the same would require us to licence and deploy three separate products for the OS, the storage and the network components, says Dr. Bansal. Another important reason for going with SUSE was that it offers a distribution of Linux that is certified for SAP ERP and finely tuned to its demands.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is a tailormade distribution of Linux specifically tuned for SAP software. SUSE runs a completely separate update channel for this distribution, pretesting all new and updated packages and reverting to the last good version of any package that is found to create problems in SAP  whether in terms of performance, security or stability. The company then works to fix the faults in the package so that it can be safely added back into the main branch of the distribution.

Greenply is taking advantage of a kerneltune option in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications to optimise performance for its large SAP workloads. As standard, the Linux kernel swaps out any application memory pages that are rarely accessed, using the freedup memory pages as a cache to speed up file system operations. However, some SAP applications need large amounts of memory to ensure fast access to business data  and some of this memory is only rarely accessed.

If a request from a business user requires the application to access memory that has been paged out by the kernel, this will naturally mean poor response times. The kerneltune option tells the kernel that once the pagecache is filled to the configured limit, application memory takes priority and should not be paged out. Using this feature, Greenply can limit the amount of pagecache used by the Linux kernel whenever there is competition between the application memory and the system pagecache, thereby avoiding the possibility of degraded response times.

As an early adopter of the SAP HANA technology in India, Greenply faced some implementation challenges, particularly around the creation of a clustered HANA landscape  because HANA does not use a shared storage model. With assistance from SUSE support, the company successfully set up four HANA servers, three in its primary data center and the fourth in its disasterrecovery site. At the primary site, one HANA instance is dedicated to testing and development, and the other two are clustered to act as the production database for the entire SAP ERP landscape.

Greenply migrated its SAP ERP landscape from AIX to clustered instances of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications hosted on VMware vSphere on Cisco blade servers. The company runs a full suite of SAP applications, including financials, costing, sales and distribution, materials management and quality management.

In order to migrate to SAP HANA, Greenply had to move up an Enhancement Package (EHP) level in its SAP landscape. This upgrade would have been easier to perform if the company was not migrating to a new operating system at the same time, but the company was sure that moving to the SUSE operating system was the right option.

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Samsung is likely to bring the service to all its mid-range smartphones to increase its adoption in the country.

Samsung is testing its mobile payment service Samsung Pay to work in India, and could soon release it in the country in early 2017.

In the aftermath of demontisation of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes in India, many digital payment services, such as Paytm and Freecharge is gaining grounds among the citizens. As a result, the South Korean tech giant is building their path to enter into digital payment market in the country via Samsung Pay.

According to a report by Sammobile, due to lack of NFC-equipped Point of Sales in India, Samsung Pay will come with Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) support, allowing Indians to make payments through traditional card-swiping method.

MST is a technology that sends a magnetic signal from your device to the payment terminal's card reader (to emulate swiping a physical card without having to upgrade the terminals software or hardware). MST technology is accepted at nearly all payment terminals with a card reader.

Samsung is likely to bring the service to all its mid-range smartphones to increase its adoption in the country.

Samsung Pay service is currently available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and the US.

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From time to time, the United States identifies certain individuals as crucial to the operation of terrorist organizations. Most often these are top leaders, or they help finance terrorist organizations. In all cases, these are people who have committed, or are deemed to pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism.

Such is the case with Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani, Abdelilah Himich and Basil Hassan. All three are involved in the external operations of the Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, ISIL, also known as Daesh.

Iraqi national Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani works with foreign terrorist fighters who choose to join ISIL. He handles their accommodation and arranges transportation for suicide bombers.

Abdelilah Himich, also known as Abu Sulayman al-Faransi, is a Moroccan-born, senior foreign fighter for ISIL.In 2015, Himich created the Tariq Ibn Ziyad Battalion, a foreign fighter cell composed primarily of Europeans. This group, which once numbered as many as 300, operates on behalf of ISIL and conducts attacks in Iraq, Syria, as well as outside of the Middle East.

Basil Hassan is a Lebanon-born Dane who is an external operations plotter for ISIL. He is accused of an attempted assassination in 2013 of 70-year old Danish author and journalist Lars Hedegaard.He was arrested in Turkey in 2014, but was later released, allegedly as part of an exchange for 49 hostages held by ISIL.

Under Executive Order 13224, Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani, Abdelilah Himich and Basil Hassan have been named by the U.S. Department of State as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, and their names have been placed on the Specially Designated Terrorists List. This means that their assets within U.S. reach have been frozen, and they are locked out of the global financial network. No U.S. citizen or company may conduct business with them. In this way, the United States disrupts financial support networks for terrorists and terrorist organizations.

By designating Abdullah Ahmed al-Meshedani, Abdelilah Himich and Basil Hassan as global terrorists, the United States hopes to hinder the deadly agenda of these terrorists.
The newest issue that is said to be affecting both Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones is related to sound at the highest volume.

Earlier this month, Googles latest smartphone flagship reportedly contained a hardware defect that affected several users and now it appears as like there is yet another un-related audio issue popping up for more users.

A Reddit user badmark reported an issue which apparently affects Pixel devices when listening to videos using apps or playing music at the highest volume. According to this comment on Reddit, he has replaced his Pixel XL device a total of four times due to this audio problem. Four Pixel XLs and my wifes standard Pixel, all have static distortion at the highest three levels of volumes. I would suggest checking to see if your device exhibits this issue and contact Google if such, the user posted on 19 December. Google needs to acknowledge and take care of this issue as it is unacceptable behavior for a $900 device, he added. However, Google hasnt commented on this matter yet. Therefore, it is unclear whether this is a software or a hardware issue. The user is also running a poll to determine whether he is the only Pixel owner to have faced these problems. As a result, it does not appear like he is alone as there are many other Pixel users that are experiencing sound problems.

I am also having the popping/crackling noise on my Pixel XL. Safe Mode has not solved the issue, another owner commented.

Out of 328 votes registered, 38 per cent claim that their Pixel XL device devices are affected and only 22 per cent of Pixel XL and 12 per cent Pixel users claim that their devices arent affected by the audio issue.

A report by Softpedia suggests that Google is willing to replace the affected Pixel/Pixel XL device if it is affected by the audio problem. However, the company hasnt officially addressed the problem as yet.

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Finnish company HMD Global recently announced the Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM, which will be available starting Q1 2017. Now rumours suggest that the company is working on yet another smartphone, the one that will be Nokias Android flagship for the coming year.

Leaked images of the speculated Nokia P flagship were spotted on Chinese social network website Weibo. The pictures showcase the front and back panels of the device with the Nokia brand located on the rear side. According to the image showcased on the website, the device appears to be coming the grey colour variant.

The same post on Weibo even suggested that the Nokia P could come with Snapdragon 835 and Adreno 540 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The chipset is said to offer download speeds of up to 1Gbps and have a design that incorporates 4 large and 4 small octa-cores. The leak further points that the smartphone may offer 6GB RAM along with a 23MP rear camera with Zeiss lens. The smartphone might also have Quad HD display resolution.

There is no other information available regarding the smartphone yet.

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Samsungs upcoming flagship Galaxy S8 is speculated to 15-20 per cent expensive than its predecessor Galaxy S7, says investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Some experts from the investment bank suggest that the tech giant may launch the Samsung Galaxy S8 with a massive price tag, which would be approximately 15-20 per cent higher than the Galaxy S7 smartphone. According to these experts, Samsung will debut its own AI-driven virtual assistant in the S8.

Earlier, Samsung was believed to unveil the Galaxy Samsung S8 at the Mobile World Conference (MWC) in Barcelona on February 26, but new reports suggest that the company will delay the launch of the smartphone, and will release it April 2017.

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Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official according to US media, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on January 20. (Photo: AP)

Washington, United States: America's Electoral College on Monday confirmed Donald Trump's election as the 45th president of the United States, unswayed by a desperate bid by die-hard opponents to bar the Republican's path to the White House.

Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official according to US media, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on January 20.

"We did it!" the 70-year-old billionaire tweeted after the results came in. "Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)."

In a statement released by his team, the president-elect welcomed the "overwhelming vote" in his favor, while reaching out to the Democrats who sought against the odds to block him.

"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," he said. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans."

Under normal circumstances, the college vote is a little-watched, rubber stamp formality in which electors -- most of them party members -- officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.

This time, however, the divisive nature of the campaign, Trump's provocative personality, and Clinton's lead of nearly three million votes in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.

The Electoral College vote works like this: when US voters cast ballots on November 8, they did not directly elect the president but rather 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality.

Trump won a clear majority of those electors: 306.

Democratic activists casting the Republican as a threat to the nation staged a vocal, weeks-long campaign urging electors to break ranks and refuse to vote for him.

To bar Trump's road to the White House, they needed to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon their candidate.

The odds of that happening were considered next to none.

According to a New York Times tally, four Republican electors cast their votes for someone other than Clinton, and two Republicans voted for someone other than Trump.

'Fate Of Our Nation'

One Texas Republican elector, Christopher Suprun, had publicly said he would not vote for Trump, arguing he is unqualified to be president for reasons including conflicts of interest created by his vast overseas business holdings.

An online petition urging electors to reject Trump collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen recently released a video to goad electors to dump Trump.

Undeterred by their outside chance of success, protesters rallied Monday at statehouses from Pennsylvania to Texas to Utah as electors gathered across the country to cast their votes.

In Wisconsin, where Trump carried a thin margin that was key to propelling him into the Oval Office, a few protesters chanted "Shame!" as the state's 10 electoral votes for Trump were announced, the New York Times reported.

"I feel the fate of our nation is at stake here," protester Ray-Ellen Kavey, 68, told The Washington Post outside the capitol building of the Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania.

"I know nothing will come of this, but my conscience won't let me do any less."

In New York, former president Bill Clinton cast one of the state's 29 electoral votes for his wife.

"I've never cast a vote I was prouder of," he was quoted as saying by the Post.

'Cynical'

The Republican National Committee welcomed the result -- and urged Democrats to accept Trump's victory once and for all.

"This historic election is now officially over," RNC co-chair Sharon Day said in a statement. "For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election."

The anti-Trump movement gained further momentum in recent days amid the uproar over allegations of Russian hacking aimed at swaying the vote in favor of the Republican.

Ten electors -- nine Democrats and one Republican -- wrote an open letter to National Intelligence Director James Clapper seeking a briefing on the matter ahead of their vote, but their request was denied.

Even in the unlikely event that Trump had lost the Electoral College vote, it would have been up to the House of Representatives -- controlled by Republicans -- to designate the successor to President Barack Obama.

The final vote result will be formally announced in the US Congress on January 6, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated.
New York: A federal court in New York is scheduled to release redacted copies Tuesday of the search warrant and other documents that gave the FBI new license to dig into a trove of Hillary Clinton emails days before the presidential election.

The emails were found on a computer belonging to former US Rep. Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin, as part of an investigation into an online relationship between the disgraced New York congressman and a teenage girl in North Carolina.

U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled Monday that the public had a right to see the search warrant application and supporting court paperwork, but said portions would be blacked out to protect the identity of the investigating agents.

The judge also ordered the redaction of sections of the court paperwork related to the ongoing investigation into Weiner's online correspondence.

The discovery of the emails prompted FBI Director James Comey to briefly reopen an investigation that he had closed over the summer into Clinton's use of a private computer server to handle emails she sent and received as secretary of state.

After getting court consent to delve into the newly discovered emails on Oct. 30, agents spent several days analyzing them before Comey announced that they contained no new evidence of any wrongdoing by Clinton.

Weiner, a Democrat, resigned from Congress after public revelations that he had sent sexually explicit texts and social media posts to various women.

He tried to revive his career two years later by running for New York City mayor, but his campaign fell apart when new sexting allegations arose.
New York : A homeless man in the US has thrown hot coffee in the face of a 21-year-old Muslim woman and called her a "terrorist".

Nathan Gray, 34, a store employee, told the woman he "hated Muslims" and was going to kill her, police said.

Gray walked into a Dunkin Donuts shop in Manhattan on Sunday and asked for a cup of coffee before sitting next to a group of Muslim women, an employee said.

"I gave him coffee and he said something to me about terrorists, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. He walked away from me and sat next to a group of Muslim women," the store employee said.

He said the man began talking to them and said "terrorists" while the group tried to ignore him.

"He started talking to them and I could hear him saying, 'Terrorists!," he said.

"One woman called him 'stupid'. So he threw his hot coffee in her face. It was hot, hot coffee. She could have been burned! Then he swung his bag at her and it hit her in the face," the employee was quoted as saying by the New York Daily News.

The woman ran outside, and Gray put her in a headlock, police said.

Gray has been charged with assault as a hate crime, police said, adding that the victim has refused medical attention.
The Chinese Navy vessel that had seized the drone returned it near the location where it had been taken. (Photo: Representational Image/AP)

Washington: China has returned to the US an unmanned underwater drone the Chinese Navy seized unlawfully last week in international waters, the Pentagon said. China's defence ministry said it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations."

The Chinese Navy vessel that had seized the drone returned it near the location where it had been taken, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement issued late Monday. The incident occurred last Thursday near the Philippines.

The USS Mustin received the vehicle for the U.S. in international waters about 50 miles northwest of Subic Bay, according to Cook.

The U.S. said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. Officials say a non-combat ship was recovering two drones when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them. Cook said the US will continue to investigate the incident.
Without naming Pakistan, Indias permanent representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens. (Photo: AFP)

United Nations: In a clear reference to Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups, India has told the UN that the international community needs to urgently address the backing outfits like the Haqqani Network, LeT and JeM draw from their "shadowy supporters" outside Afghanistan.

"Experience, as well as academic research, provides ample support for the assertion that conflicts in which foreign assistance is available to shadowy entities that fight legitimate state authorities tend to be more severe and last longer than other types of conflict," India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in a Security Council session on the situation in Afghanistan.

Without naming Pakistan, Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens in the country's neighbourhood and the international community must address the issue of the support that terror outfits like the Taliban and al-Qaeda get from their supporters outside Afghanistan.

"If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood," he said.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, al-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said at the United Nations on Monday.

He pointed out to the meeting in the 15-nation Council that it is apparent that efforts by nations for rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being "undermined, schools are being destroyed, mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted".

"It is also evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside," he said, in a veiled but strong reference to Pakistan.

Akbaruddin noted with concern that while the international community recommits to standing by the Afghan people each time the UN members discuss the situation in the war-torn country, the number of Afghan civilian and security forces casualties keeps rising.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory. Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism," he said.

The Indian envoy emphasised that the international community must introspect about the way it is approaching the situation in Afghanistan and whether there is need for course correction.

"We need to ask ourselves whether what we are working on in Afghanistan is the wrong thing to be working on, or whether we are working on it in the wrong way. Since we all agree that supporting the people of Afghanistan is not the wrong thing, then the questions we need to ask ourselves should be related to our ways of going about it. What do we mean when we say we stand with the Afghan people? Are we doing it right? What is it that we are missing out on," Akbaruddin said.

He said the international community also needs to send the right message that it will neither "roll over in the face of terror" nor allow the "roll back" of the achievements of the people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half.

Referring to the 'Heart of Asia' ministerial meeting on Afghanistan held earlier this month in Amritsar, Akbaruddin said a key focus during India's co-chairmanship of the process was to bring to centre-stage the importance of connectivity for Afghanistan.

"A well-connected Afghanistan will be economically vibrant, prosperous and politically stable. A well connected

Afghanistan will have great potential to engage the energies of its youth and attract its talents back from foreign lands," he said.

Akbaruddin underscored the connectivity that terror networks have established needs to be replaced by that of roads, trade networks and ideas for peace and prosperity, as he drew upon an old adage that what one sows bears fruit and so one should not "plant anything but peace".
When asked whether she would run for the office, Michelles reply was a straight no. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

Washington: The First Lady Michelle Obama bid goodbye to the White House in her interview with chat show icon Oprah Winfrey, which was aired on Monday night on CBS.

According to a report in Daily Mail, Michelle Obama in her interview with Oprah said she would help her successor Melania Trump once she settles in her new role. She said her door would remain open if the new First Lady had any questions, the same courtesy her predecessor, Laura Bush, extended to Michelle eight years ago when she became the new First Lady.

She discussed how these eight years of presidency had brought her and her husband closer. She moved into White House thinking the experience would either make or break her daughters who were seven and ten at the time.

When asked whether she would run for the office, Michelles said she didnt want Sasha, 15, and Malia, 18, her daughters, to spend 16 years of their life with a parent as president. 'I wouldn't do that to my kids,' she said.

'I don't make stuff up. I'm not coy. I've proven that. I'm pretty direct. If I were interested in it, I'd say it. I don't believe in playing games. It's not something I would do,' she added. She even cleared that the Democratic Party hadnt asked her to run for any office and that she wasnt having any discussion about this matter.

Talking about Melanias visit to the White House in November, Michelle said she didnt offer any advice because it was too early then and Melania probably didnt know what kind of questions to ask yet.

'You really don't know what you don't know until you're here,' Michelle said. 'So I - the door is open, as I've told her, and as Laura Bush told me, you know, and as other First Ladies told me', she said.

When asked about the 2016 US Presidential elections which witnessed Donald Trumps shocking victory against Hillary Clinton, she didnt hold back her feelings and said it was painful.

'This past election was challenging for me as a citizen. To watch and experience. It was painful,' Michelle said.

Both Barack and Michelle were seen extending their strong support to Hillary during the election campaign.

She said she went to bed early on Election Night feeling she knew what the results would be. Her thoughts were confirmed the next morning when she checked her phone.

Barack did a cameo proving how close he is with his wife and praised Michelles legacy as the first lady.

'We all knew she was brilliant and cute. And strong and a great mom. But I think the way in which she blended purpose and policy with fun so that she was able to reach beyond Washington on her health care initiatives, on her military family work, was masterful,' he said.

Michelle also said that she looked forward to regain some anonymity. Her mother, who stayed with them in the White House for eight years, has headed back to Chicago.

Oprah ended the interview by asking Michelle what her prayer for the country was. 'My desire for this country is that we remain hopeful and that -- and that we find a place in our hearts to love each other. It's really simple, you know? Just opening up our hearts to others. Making room', she said.
Beirut: Russia, Iran, and Turkey are ready to act as guarantors to a future settlement between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, as hundreds more residents left the opposition's last foothold in eastern Aleppo.

The announcement from Moscow underscored Turkey's position as a key broker in the Syria conflict, after it mediated last week's agreement with Russia to have the opposition surrender its presence in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

The United States was notably absent from the meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

Moscow is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Ankara sponsors the rebels seeking to topple him.

The talks in the Russian capital were a sign that the two countries wanted to keep their ties on track after the dramatic assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey the previous night by an Ankara policeman. After killing his victim, the shooter cried out, "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" - a reference to Moscow's role in backing Syria's assault on the city politically and militarily with airstrikes.

In Aleppo, a fleet of buses entered east Aleppo again on Tuesday afternoon to evacuate the remaining rebels and civilians from the city, activists said.

Opposition media activist Ahmad Primo said the fleet could well be the last one to leave the city. He spoke from the Rashideen crossing between government and rebel-held territory in the Aleppo countryside. Primo estimated 2,000 people remain awaiting evacuation.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 60 buses were sent to pick up 3,000 gunmen and civilians remaining.

Residents from eastern Aleppo and the Syrian opposition say the evacuation amounts to forced displacement. Months of devastating Syrian and Russian air raids that destroyed buildings, hospitals and schools in the enclave - and reduced much of eastern Aleppo to rubble - left the residents with little choice but to flee.

The precise number of people seeking evacuation - and who have already left - has never been clear.

Observatory head Rami Aburrahman said 17,000 civilians and 5,000 fighters have left; the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has overseen the evacuations, said 25,000 have left; and the Turkish Foreign Ministry's figure is 37,000.

Lavrov said in Moscow that the evacuations could continue for another one or two days.

Abdurrahman said the fate of 70 pro-government fighters taken prisoner by rebels over the course of four years of fighting over the rebel enclave remains unknown. He says they were supposed to be handed over to the government as part of an agreement to allow the opposition to evacuate the city

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad forces, warned the remaining residents in the rebel enclave on Tuesday to leave "as quickly as possible" in statements broadcast by a Hezbollah media arm.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the killing of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in the shooting Monday night in Ankara plays into the hands of those who want to derail peace talks for Syria and "drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey."

The development followed a UN Security Council resolution that was agreed on Monday night to send observers to monitor the exodus.

Syrian state media meanwhile said several more buses had arrived to the government-controlled Aleppo countryside after evacuating the sick and wounded from the rebel-besieged Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya.

The swap evacuations are part of the Aleppo cease-fire deal; Syrian rebels besieging the two villages agreed to allow over 2,000 people to leave from there in exchange for the government allowing civilians and rebels to leave eastern Aleppo.

Pro-government Al-Ikhbariya TV broadcast live images showing buses arriving from Foua and Kfarya, escorted by International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles, on Tuesday.

Hezbollah's media arm said eight buses left the two villages earlier in the morning.

The taking of all of eastern Aleppo would mark Assad's greatest victory since the 2011 uprising against his family's four-decade rule, but the cost has been staggering. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced, many of whom may never return.

Also, Syria's civil war is far from over; the opposition still controls the northwestern Idlib province and pockets of territory elsewhere in the country, while the Islamic State group rules a large swath of the northeast.
This holiday season, the United States government is profiling the cases of prisoners unjustly held around the world and the families they leave behind. The campaign is sponsored by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power and is known as #FreeToBeHome Political Prisoner Campaign.

The stories of these individuals highlight the broader struggle faced by so many families of political prisoners, who have to commemorate countless family occasions with loved ones behind bars.

One such individual is Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov. He was arrested in Crimea in 2014 shortly after Russia's occupation of the peninsula in retaliation for his vocal opposition to the occupation. In 2015 a Russian court convicted him and a fellow activist Alexander Kolchenko of plotting terrorist attacks in Crimea in a trial that Amnesty International described as "redolent of Stalinist-era show trials." Heather McGill, a researcher at Amnesty International went on to say, "This trial was fatally flawed and credible allegations of torture and other ill-treatment have been ignored by the court."

Sentsov was given a 20 year sentence and is incarcerated in a penal colony in the Siberian region of Yakutia, about 3,500 miles from Ukraine's capital Kyiv. He has not seen his two young children or wife since. His co-defendant Kolchenko received a 10 year sentence.

At least 10 Ukrainians are serving long jail sentences in Russia following dubious trials. Others are in captivity in separatist-run eastern Ukraine or in occupied Crimea. In a letter from Sentsov smuggled out of prison in September, he wrote, "There are many of us held in Russia and even more in Donbas. Some have been freed. Others hope and wait."

Sentsov was detained for exercising his universal rights. He represents thousands of other prisoners unjustly detained around the world.

The United States, said Ambassador Power, calls on all governments, including Russia, to release their political prisoners.

"Political prisoners should be free to believe. They should be free to be loved. They should be free to be home."
Istanbul: President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed to avenge the assassination of Russias ambassador in Ankara Andrei Karlov as he and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted the killing wont undermine the restoration of ties strained by the war in Syria.

The Russian ambassador was shot dead in a brazen attack by a Turkish policeman at the opening of a photography exhibition on Monday in what both sides branded an act of terror.

The assassination, by a gunman shouting Allahu Akbar and Dont forget Aleppo, came after days of protests in Turkey over Russias role in Syria and on the eve of an unprecedented meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran on the conflict.

Russia seeks answers over envoy murder

A team of Russian investigators arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to probe the assassination of Moscows ambassador in an Ankara art gallery, as both sides pledged the murder would not damage improving relations.

Veteran diplomat Andrei Karlov was shot nine times in the back by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas at the opening of an exhibition of Russian photography on Monday.

Altintas did not go through the metal detector security check when he entered the exhibition in central Ankara and was warned by a security officer, said the Cankaya municipality in Ankara where the exhibition centre is located. He had stayed at a nearby hotel to prepare for the attack.

But after showing his police ID, he was allowed to proceed, it said.Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities have detained six people, including the killers parents, sister, roommate and two other relatives who are being questioned, Turkeys Anadolu news agency reported.
Melbourne: A hijab-clad Muslim woman was allegedly assaulted in Australia with a beer bottle and her headscarf torn off after her attacker said "merry Christmas" but she replied with "happy holidays".

The woman was allegedly assaulted after an exchange of words with a man at the Beeliar Village shopping complex, Perth, that quickly escalated into a physical fight.

The 33-year-old woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told WAtoday that she was walking into Coles (supermarket) when a man yelled out "merry Christmas".

"I turned around and said and 'happy holidays' to you," she said.

"He then yelled, 'no Merry Christmas', so I said, 'ok', then he called me a '(expletive) Muslim'," she said.

"I asked him what he said and I saw him grab a bottle so I quickly turned away and he threw it at me and it smashed on my shoulder and neck. Imagine if I didn't turn around, it could have cut my face open," the woman said.

She said her headscarf came off during the scuffle, which the man dumped near the shopping complex.

Despite the single mother being left shocked and traumatised by the incident that took place on Friday, she decided to follow him as she was calling the police. She said the man then started hurling sticks and rocks at her.

"I was screaming on the phone to triple-zero because I thought this guy could kill me," she said.

"I was running into oncoming traffic to get away from this guy because he was threatening to punch me in the face. I have been racially abused in the past because of my religion but this is by far worse," she added.

The woman went back to the shopping centre and waited for the police to arrive. She waited for an hour and rang police again who allegedly told her there was no log of her triple-zero call.

Cockburn Police are investigating the assault and are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.

The woman also reported the incident to the Islamophobia Register Australia and the Register's President, Mariam Veiszadeh, was quoted as saying that it was one of the "worst attacks" she had heard of.

The suspect was described as light skinned, 25-35 years old, 175-180 centimetres tall of slim build. He is believed to have short blonde and was wearing blue shorts and a white top.

The attack comes amid assaults targeting hijab-clad women in different parts of the world from the US to the UK.
Firefighters inspect the site after a truck ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed several people in Berlin, Germany. (Photo: AP)

Berlin: A lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more in what police said was a suspected terror attack.

Ambulances and heavily armed police rushed to the area after the vehicle mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in horrific scenes reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet, although there are many things pointing to one," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public television.

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least 12 people were killed and 48 others were injured in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

Australian Trisha O'Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there."

O'Neill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

'We mourn the dead'

A German police spokeswoman told AFP that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

Security sources cited by DPA news agency said that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

The Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him. He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.

German authorities said there was no indication of "further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz", where the suspected attack took place.

"We are investigating whether it was a terror attack but do not yet know what was behind it," a police spokesman said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."

'Safer than Paris'

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"It's awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas," said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris."

The crash happened in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a warning to future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard which was packed with holiday shoppers.

Police said the truck made it as far as 80 metres (yards) into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

High alert

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July injured five people, and a suicide bombing wounded 15 people in the same state six days later.

In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

The attack in Berlin also comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the Berlin tragedy, France beefed up security at its own Christmas markets.

"The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe," President Francois Hollande said.

The Nice bloodshed -- as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day holiday on July 14 -- further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.

The United States labelled it an apparent "terrorist attack" and pledged its support.

President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians in the German capital.
The gunman shouts after shooting the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov at a photo gallery in Ankara. (Photo: AP)

Ankara: A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russias ambassador to Turkey on Monday in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit and then, pacing near the body of his victim, appeared to condemn Russias military role in Syria, shouting: Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria!

The leaders of Turkey and Russia said the attack in Ankara, the Turkish capital, was an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as the gunman, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around Ambassador Andrei Karlov as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

The assailant, who was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old member of Ankaras riot police squad, was later killed in a shootout with police. Three other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in Ankara when he was gunned down.

Altintas, the gunman, also fired shots in the air, sending panicked audience members running for cover, and smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition. The floor was splattered with blood, and the ambassadors eye glasses lay a few feet from his body.

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman got into a 15-minute shootout with police before he was killed, Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency reported

The assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Russias support for President Bashar Assad in the Syrian conflict and Russias role in the bombardment and destruction of Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

The gunman shouted about Aleppo in Turkish, and also yelled Allahu akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great, continuing in Arabic: We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Mohammad, for jihad.

The attack, condemned by the White House and the United Nations, was another sign of how Turkey, a Nato member and a partner in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group, is struggling to contain multiple security threats. The war in Syria has been a major problem for years, sending several million refugees into Turkey and, more recently, drawing in Turkish troops.

Turkey has become accustomed to deadly attacks  Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for December 10 bombings in Istanbul that killed 44 people, many of them police.

The spectacle of 62-year-old Karlovs assassination by a member of the Turkish security forces at a photography exhibit meant to highlight Russian culture reinforced the sense of unease over the regions conflict and complex web of alliances and relationships.

It came a day before a key meeting about Syria to be held in Moscow. Those attending include the foreign and defence ministers from Turkey, an opponent of Assad, and Russia and Iran, backers of the Syrian regime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the killing of Karlov as an attempt to damage Russia-Turkey ties and to thwart a peace process in Syria which Russia, Turkey and Iran have been actively trying to promote.

Putin said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in a phone call that Russian investigators would fly to Ankara to conduct a joint probe with their Turkish counterparts.

We must know who was directing the killer, Putin said in televised remarks. He ordered top officials to strengthen protection of the Turkish embassy in Moscow and asked Turkey to increase security at the Russian mission in Ankara.

In a video message shown on several Turkish TV channels, Erdogan said: This is a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation.

Ambassador Karlov

Its a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

Ambassador Karlov has made a lot of personal contributions to the development of ties with Turkey. He has done a lot to overcome a crisis in bilateral relations, she said. He was a man who put his heart and his soul into his job. Its a terrible loss for us and also the world.

Karlov joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russias ambassador to Pyongyang from 2001-2006, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministrys consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013

The gunman

The shooters family home in the western province of Aydin was later searched and his mother, father and sister were detained, the news agency said, without citing sources. The mans house in Ankara was raided and his roommate, also a police officer, was also taken into cus ody, it said.

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu said Altintas, who was born in 1994, had been an officer with Ankaras riot police squad for more than two years. He did not give a motive for the attack.

The White House condemned the assassination, saying this heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable, President Barack Obama was briefed by his national security team while on vacation in Hawaii

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned what he called a senseless act of terror, for which there can be no justification.

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November 2015, but Turkeys apology earlier this year helped overcome the rift. Putin and Erdogan have held several meetings in recent months and spoken frequently over the phone.

Russia and Turkey have co-sponsored the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo and also discussed the prospect of organizing a new round of peace talks in Kazakhstans capital, Astana.

Security threats to Turkey include the Islamic State group, and which has been blamed for attacks in Turkey. Additionally, Turkish security forces and courts remain preoccupied with purging state institutions of the supporters of an exiled Islamist cleric whom the government accuses of staging a failed coup attempt in July.
German authorities said that the suspect was arrested two kilometers away from the spot where he committed mayhem and is now being interrogated. (Photo: AP)

Berlin: Several countries in Europe have sounded an alert after a Pakistan-origin hardliner hijacked a truck and ran over several people in Berlin, Germany.

The truck driver ploughed his vehicle into a Christmas market, killing 12 persons and injuring dozens of others, German media reported.

German authorities said that the suspect was arrested two kilometers away from the spot where he committed mayhem and is now being interrogated.

Security sources were quoted by media as also saying that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February. The truck, police said was registered in Poland.

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

The incident occurred in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a reminder of the horrors of war for future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard, which was packed with holiday shoppers. Police said the truck made it as far as 80 yards into the Christmas market before it came to a halt.

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers mostly from Pakistan.

Monday's incident in Berlin has once again brought into focus the alarming prospect of men of Pakistani origin repeatedly perpetrating acts of terror worldwide, and the fear among nations in Europe that they are extremely vulnerable to being exposed to 2008 Mumbai-style terror attacks by Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), whose tentacles have been found to have spread across the continent by security agencies.

Last year's deadly terror attacks at multiple locations in Paris, France, that claimed 130 lives, and the terrorist attack on the departure lounge of Brussels Airport in Zaventem that claimed the lives of 31 people and injured another 300 by two suicide bombers are cases in point that justify this concern.

A group a terror suspects arrested in France last week were reportedly plotting an attack on a Christmas market on the Champs Elysees, in Paris.

In Europe, security agencies in countries like France, Germany Austria and Italy are increasingly unearthing the presence of terrorists with links to Pakistan.

Many European nations are realizing the potential threat to their national security from the rising number of Pakistanis, recruited by terrorist groups based in Pakistan and then illegally sent to Europe, say experts.

Groups like LeT and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which carry out their activities unhindered in Pakistan, instruct Muslim youth in extremist ideology to carry out jihad against the West, say experts, adding that these youth are then illegally pushed into different countries to take forward the objectives of the group to radicalise European Muslims and use them for terror attacks.

In 2015, Italian police arrested more than 18 foreign nationals, many of whom were Pakistanis, on the charge of involvement in jihadi activities in the country. Some of those arrested were also found to be linked to LeT.

It is also learnt that the Greek government, which has been grappling with large inflow of refugees from countries like Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, has recently sent a strong message to Islamabad, warning if it failed to take back all illegal Pakistani nationals residing in Greece, it could be faced with the prospect of being declared an "exporter of terrorism".

Apart from yesterday's killing in Berlin, till now, there have been at least 12 terrorist attacks in Europe in 2016.

Security experts feel that there is an urgent need for the European Union members to respond to this threat jointly by de-radicalisation programmes, enhancing security cooperation and intelligence sharing.

Further, EU members need to quickly put together a common policy on dealing with illegal immigration from countries like Pakistan, where with the tacit support of the government, extremist ideology is being promoted and freely disseminated by radical Islamic and terror groups.
The shock defeat forced David Cameron to step down and triggering a bloodbath in world markets besides opening a fresh debate over issues like immigration and advance of the right-wing across Europe. (Photo: AFP)

London: Britain's historic vote in 2016 favouring an exit from the EU was a political upheaval of seismic proportions as it led to a leadership change which brought to power a woman Prime Minister whose first bilateral visit outside Europe to India signalled the depth in ties.

Theresa May's choice of India for the trip after assuming office following the June 23 referendum sent a positive message but her government's recent crackdown on student and professional visas can hardly be called India-friendly.

'Brexit' also emerged as the word of the year due to the massive projected repercussions of the June 23 referendum, with the shock defeat forcing David Cameron to step down and triggering a bloodbath in world markets besides opening a fresh debate over issues like immigration and advance of the right-wing across Europe.

The early indications for Indo-UK ties seemed positive as there was widespread excitement over the prospect of a free trade agreement between India and Britain, one of the EU's big three economies, freed from the perceived shackles of its membership of the 28-nation economic bloc after four decades.

"As we leave the EU, we will forge our own trade deals. The leaders from India, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore said they would welcome talks to remove trade barriers," the new Prime Minister told the House of Commons in September.

She then followed up on this promise during her November visit to India which came under very different circumstances than the other high-profile UK visit in April by Prince William and wife Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Her visit also came nearly a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the UK, the first by an Indian premier to the country in nearly a decade.

Ahead of the visit, May said she would use this visit to "reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree to concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security".

However, this message was somewhat overshadowed by her government's wider efforts to curb immigration into the UK, with a crackdown on student and professional visas expected to hit Indians the hardest.

Modi was candid in his message as he opened the UK-India Tech Summit in New Delhi alongside May, "Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future. We must, therefore, encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities."

Within days, tougher new rules announced on November 24 by the UK Home Office for the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category, raising the salary threshold requirement to 30,000 pounds, came into force.

With Indian IT workers accounting for nearly 90 per cent of visas issued under this route, the tightening of this visa category as well as an expected halving of the number of student visas issued to non-EU applicants, including Indians, is unlikely to be seen as very India-friendly.

However, during her visit, May said there were "more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business".

Taking about the capital required for India's infrastructure, she said that since the launch of the first masala bond in London in July, rupee-denominated bonds worth over GBP 900 million have now been issued, "and we expect a further four bonds with a total value of GBP 600 million to be issued in the next three months".

"This is a vote of confidence in India's growth story. And it's a vote of confidence in London as the world's leading financial centre," she said, adding the potential to expand the commercial opportunities for both countries is huge.

The "Leave" vs "Remain" campaign itself had a distinctly Indian flavour with so-called "curry wars" dominating much of the debate around the perceived bias against migrants from outside the European Union, including countries like India.

Priti Patel, the then UK employment minister and Cameron's Indian Diaspora Champion, led the Brexit charge with claims that Britain's membership of the EU meant unmanageable levels of European migration which led to Indian chefs being denied visas.

She said, "There are over 12,000 Indian restaurants in the UK. But the future of this sector is under pressure and at risk while we remain in the EU. Curry is often voted Britain's favourite meal. But there are fewer and fewer chefs able to come into the UK to cook curry dishes and train the next generation of chefs."

Pitted against her on the side in favour of "Remain" was Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz, who accused Patel of playing "divide and rule" politics by claiming Britain's curry houses could be saved with Brexit.

"I was furious to see Priti Patel claiming that leaving the EU and shutting the door on immigrants from Poland and elsewhere would save Britain's curry houses. This is divide and rule politics of the worst kind," argued the Opposition Labour MP.

However, in a year marked by a series of shockwaves and changes, Patel's camp went on to win the referendum 52 to 48 per cent and led to her being promoted to the post of Secretary of State for International Development making her the senior-most Indian-origin politician in the UK Cabinet.

In her assessment of India-UK ties in a post-Brexit scenario, Patel said that the government remains determined to deepen the relationship under May's leadership.

"The people-to-people ties have never been stronger. The year 2017 will be marked as UK-India Year of Culture, which is a great celebration of the history between our two countries. This is truly an exciting time for the UK-India relationship," she said.
London: An Indian-origin shop manager who runs a store in the UK is being hailed as a hero after he had the presence of mind to spray a masked armed robber with red dye to scare him off.

Selvan Manoharan was startled as the man armed with a gun stormed into his store in Essex, near London, and threw a bag on the counter demanding it be filled with cash.

As the robber momentarily turned away to check behind him, Manoharan took his chance and grabbed two cans of the scarlet spray.

The 41-year-old father of two forced the robber to flee empty-handed after he covered his face in red dye, which will last at least for a week.

"He just said 'Put the money in the bag'. I was little bit shaky but I thought I could manage him. Basically, he was a young lad and I thought let's see what happens, I'll give it a try.

"He didn't want to talk, he was covered up and his voice was muffled. I tried to make him speak to see if I recognised him. I could see he was scared, I decided he was a chicken so I got him," Manoharan told Metro.

He said while his wife was upset at him for taking the risk, he was proud that he had been able to protect his shop and 300 pounds of earnings in the till.

"I'm not scared now. I just want a comfortable life. Crooks know now if they come here I'll mess them up. Everyone says I'm a hero, I'm so proud," he said.

Police in Essex have since arrested two teenagers, aged 17 and 16, in relation to the incident.
Scene from the market through which the truck went. (Photo: File)

Berlin: A Pakistani asylum-seeker suspected of ploughing a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market and killing 12 people may not be the right man, police said Tuesday, sparking fears the real killer could be on the run.

As the shell-shocked German capital reeled from the country's deadliest attack of recent years, doubts emerged over whether the man detained overnight actually committed the atrocity.

Twelve people were killed and almost 50 wounded, 18 seriously, when the lorry tore through the crowd Monday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

"It is indeed uncertain he was the driver", Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt told reporters about the Pakistani man while forensic work and questioning continued.

Berlin police tweeted that "we remain especially vigilant", urging Berliners to do the same.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was later set to visit the scene near the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, said the deadly rampage was believed to be a "terrorist" attack.

Merkel said if it was confirmed that the killer had been part of the refugee influx, this would be "particularly sickening in relation to the many, many Germans who are involved every day in helping refugees".

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had said the top suspect was a Pakistani man who had arrived via the so-called Balkan route last New Year's Eve and was staying at a Berlin refugee shelter.

Bodies everywhere'

The mangled truck came to a halt with its windscreen smashed, a trail of destruction and screaming victims in its wake, with Christmas trees toppled on their side, days before the country's most important festival.

The Polish-registered vehicle, which was loaded with steel beams, had cut a bloody swathe of 60-80 metres (yards) into the popular tourist spot in the once-divided city's inner west.

A Polish man, killed with an apparent gunshot, was found on the passenger seat, said de Maiziere. He was believed to be the truck's registered driver.

The Polish owner of the lorry, Ariel Zurawski, confirmed Monday that his driver - his 37-year-old cousin - was missing, said: "We don't know what happened to him...I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him."

Survivors recounted harrowing stories of near misses and carnage as festive revelry turned to death and destruction in a matter of seconds.

Briton Emma Rushton was enjoying a glass of mulled wine when the Christmas scene was shattered by a loud crash and screams.

"We heard a really loud bang and saw some of the Christmas lights to our left starting to be pulled down," she told Sky News.

"Then we saw the articulated vehicle going through people and through the stalls and just pulling everything down and then everything went dark."

Local newspapers reported that after the truck driver left the cabin, a man followed him on foot and used his mobile phone to stay in touch with police, who arrested him about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) away near Berlin's Victory Column.

Berlin police praised the man's "civil courage".

Commandos overnight also raided Berlin's largest refugee shelter, a hangar at the disused Nazi-era Tempelhof airport, famous from the Cold War-era Berlin airlift.

De Maiziere said later that the Pakistani man had not appeared on any terror watch lists and had denied involvement during police questioning.

The Die Welt daily then quoted unnamed Berlin police as voicing the suspicion that "we have the wrong man".

'Free way of life'

German flags flew at half-mast on Tuesday and mourners placed flowers and candles at the site. Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate was to be lit in the German colours black, red and gold in honour of the victims at dusk on Tuesday.

The government declared that Christmas markets and other big events should continue because "regardless of what we may learn about the exact motives of the assailant, we must not let our free way of life to be taken from us".

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with bloody jihadist attacks striking Paris and Brussels.

Germany also suffered two attacks in July in the southern state of Bavaria committed by asylum seekers and claimed by the Islamic State group.

An axe rampage by an Afghan or Pakistani man on a train wounded five people and a suicide bombing by Syrian asylum seeker left 15 people injured six days later.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

Marcus Pretzell of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party labelled the Christmas market victims "Merkel's dead".

The attack in Berlin comes five months after Tunisian Islamist extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

President Francois Hollande said France was facing a "high level of threat" following the Berlin bloodshed.

The United States condemned an apparent "terrorist attack", while President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "this crime committed against peaceful civilians shocks with its brutality and cynicism".
Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, speaks at a photo exhibition in Ankara on Dec 19 moments before a gunman opened fire on him. (Photo: AP)

Ankara: The assassinations of top world leaders, like US President John F Kennedy and Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, may be better remembered, but the killing of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara on Monday serves as a grim reminder that diplomats and others representing their countries away from home are also frequently targeted. These are just some examples:

1914, Sarajevo: Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The heir to the Austrian throne. He was shot and killed by a Serbian independence group while riding in an open-top car in an incident widely seen as a catalyst leading to the start of World War I.

1918, Moscow: Wilhelm von Mirbach. German ambassador to Russia. Von Mirbach was shot and killed by members of the Left Socialist Revolutionary Party in an attack widely thought to have been a failed attempt to incite a war between Germany and newly-formed Soviet Russia.

1973, Khartoum: Cleo A Noel, Jr. US Ambassador to Sudan. Captured by the Black September militant group while attending an event at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, then killed.

1979, County Sligo, Ireland: Lord Louis Mountbatten. The last viceroy of India was killed in 1979 in an Irish Republican Army bombing while on holiday. Mountbatten was one of four people killed when the IRA bomb exploded on his yacht soon after it left Mullaghmore Harbor in western Ireland.

1979, The Hague: Richard Sykes. The British Ambassador to the Netherlands. Sykes was shot and killed outside his residence in The Hague. The Irish Republican Army later claimed responsibility.

1982, Ottawa: Atilla Altikat. Turkish military attache to Canada. Altikats car was ambushed by an Armenian militant group, who fired into it when it was stopped for a red light.

2012, Benghazi: Christopher Stevens. US Ambassador to Libya. Stevens and three others were killed when militants attacked the US Special mission in Benghazi. In the aftermath of the attacks, Republicans criticized the Obama administration and its then-secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, but a two-year investigation found the CIA and military acted properly in its response.
The gunman shouts after shooting the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov at a photo gallery in Ankara. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul: The assassin of the Russian ambassador to Ankara was a 22-year-old from a quiet region in the west of Turkey who had served with the anti-riot police for less than three years.

The man identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and "Don't forget Aleppo" as he waved his gun around at a cultural centre in the Turkish capital.

But there has yet to be any indication Altintas, who was later "neutralised" by police", was attracted to religious extremism or had any history of activism.

Images showed the clean-shaven man smartly dressed in a suit, tie and white shirt pull out a gun and fire at ambassador Andrei Karlov from behind as the envoy opened a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara.

He then threatened terrified spectators, yelling "Allahu Akbar" and saying that the murder was vengeance for Russia's actions in the war-battered Syrian city of Aleppo.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Altintas was born in the town of Soke in Aydin province in western Turkey and attended a special school for training future policemen.

Altintas then joined the Ankara anti-riot police -- the Cevik Kuvvet in Turkish -- and had worked there for the last two-and-a-half-years.

The region of Aydin on the Aegean coast is one of Turkey's most peaceful regions well away from trouble-spots and the country's most religiously conservative areas.

Family Questioned

After the attack on Karlov, Altintas refused to surrender and remained inside the exhibition centre as clashes took place with police for 15 minutes.

But he was then killed by police in an operation, authorities said.

Reports said that his mother, father and sister were immediately detained for questioning in their homes in western Turkey.

The mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, known for his outspoken comments, speculated on his official Twitter account that the attacker may be linked to the group of Fethullah Gulen blamed for the July 15 coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His suggestion has yet to be echoed by other officials.

In footage from the scene, Altintas talks about pledging allegiance to jihad in Arabic.

Switching to Turkish, he then says: "Don't forget about Syria, don't forget about Aleppo. All those who participate in this tyranny will be held accountable".

The attack came after days of angry protests in Turkey over Russia's actions in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad.

But Erdogan has spearheaded a rapprochement with Russia in recent months and the two countries had been working closely to remove civilians from war-torn Aleppo.
The partnership between the United States and Germany has a long history and is rooted in their common understanding and commitment to NATO and to a Europe that is whole and free.

This relationship is going strong today, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on a recent trip to Germany. "Over these past years in recessions, in conflict, through the memorable airlift, through the construction and destruction ultimately of an ugly wall, our alliance has withstood the test of time. And it has provided indispensable benefits to both of our countries."

Chancellor Merkel recently said Germany's friendship with the U.S. is a cornerstone of German foreign policy, adding that with no country outside Europe does Germany have a deeper link than with the United States.

"The fact is that anywhere you look in the world today," said Secretary Kerry, "you will see our two countries front and center in dealing with the issues of global significance." The U.S. and Germany are standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight against ISIL. Already the global coalition against ISIL has recovered 55 percent of the territory the terrorist group took in Iraq. "Were moving on Mosul. Weve liberated Tikrit and Ramadi and Fallujah, and we are moving on al-Raqqa," said Secretary Kerry, and we are working in concert with allies around the world to close off the numbers of recruits that can travel down from 1,000 a month" to now a trickle.

The U.S. is steadfast in supporting the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine and is grateful for Germanys and Frances leadership in the effort to bring peace to Ukraine by implementing the Minsk agreements. As we approach the holiday season, it is all the more important that we work to reestablish a durable and effective ceasefire, ensure the residents of Donbas receive the humanitarian assistance they so desperately need, and implement confidence-building measures such as disengagement and prisoner exchanges.

The U.S. and Germany have worked together to address the refugee crisis in Europe, political and security challenges in Libya, and war in Yemen. In Syria, both countries continue to work to end the catastrophic, senseless, war.

Over the course of nearly seven decades, the alliance of Germany, the United States, NATO, and Europe has helped to move the European continent towards greater peace, security, and freedom. And it will continue to do so in the years ahead.
The gunman shouts after shooting the Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov at a photo gallery in Ankara. (Photo: AP)

Istanbul, Turkey: The Russian ambassador to Ankara was shot dead in a brazen attack by a Turkish policeman at an art exhibition on Monday in what both sides branded an "act of terror."

The assassination, by a gunman shouting "Allahu Akbar" and "Don't forget Aleppo", came after days of protests in Turkey over Russia's role in Syria and on the eve of a unprecedented meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran on the conflict.

Here is what we know so far:

The Attack

Dramatic footage showed the very moment the lone gunman -- dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and tie, shot his target in the back as the envoy was speaking at the opening of a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara.

The assailant is seen standing behind the ambassador and then swaggering around the gallery waving his automatic handgun and pointing aggressively into the air.

The man shouts "Allahu Akbar" and then talks in Arabic about pledging allegiance to jihad in Arabic.

He then switches to Turkish, shouting: "Don't forget about Syria, don't forget about Aleppo. All those who participate in this tyranny will be held accountable."

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been "neutralised" in a police operation after a 15-minute standoff when he refused to surrender.

The Policeman

The gunman was identified by the Turkish interior minister as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked in the Ankara anti-riot police squad for the last two-and-a-half years.

It was not known if he was on duty at the time and if not, how he managed to gain access to the cultural centre with a weapon.

Media reports said Altintas's mother, father and sister were detained for questioning at their homes in western Turkey.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek speculated on his official Twitter account that the policeman may be linked to the group of exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for the July coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It is not yet clear whether the assassin was acting alone and no group has claimed responsibility.

But it will add further to jitters in Turkey, which has been rocked by a wave of deadly bomb attacks carried out by Islamic State jihadists or Kurdish terrorists.

The attempted coup has led to a massive crackdown on so-called Gulenists and opponents of the increasingly authoritarian president.

The Target

The slain ambassador, Andrei Karlov, was a veteran career diplomat who helped weather rocky ties between Moscow and Ankara.

Karlov, 62, was appointed to Ankara in 2013 at a time when the two countries were pushing to boost trade ties despite deep differences over the Syria conflict.

Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described his killing as a "tragic day in the history of our country and our diplomatic service".

The married father of one spent a large chunk of his career -- which stretched back to the Soviet period -- working on the volatile Korean peninsula, in both Seoul and Pyongyang.

The Hurriyet Daily News said Karlov was the first ambassador to be assassinated in Turkey, although the British consul was killed in an Istanbul bombing in 2003 and Israel's consul general was kidnapped and shot dead by leftist militants in 1971.

The Timing

The shooting came on the eve of a crucial meeting between the Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syrian conflict.

At the exact moment of the attack, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was on a plane flying to Moscow for Tuesday's talks, which he insisted would go ahead.

Moscow and Ankara remain on opposite sides of the conflict -- with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad.

Protesters in Turkey have held Moscow responsible for rights violations in war-wracked Aleppo, with thousands massing outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

Diplomatic relations between Ankara and Moscow sank to their worst levels since the Cold War in November last year when a Turkish jet shot down a Russian war plane over Syria.

But relations have since warmed, with intense contacts in recent days that led to a deal for evacuations from Aleppo.

Erdogan swiftly called President Vladimir Putin and both sides described the killing as a "provocation", insisting it would not be allowed to cast a shadow on ties.
Dhaka: Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said there will be complete ban on all public gatherings, demonstrations, and celebrations nation-wide after 6 pm on New Year's Day, and added that major churches around the country will receive police protection during Christmas.

The Dhaka Tribune quoted him, as saying that parties can only be held indoors after taking permission from the authorities.

The minister also said fireworks would not be permitted and that pubs have been ordered to close after 6 p.m. as well.

The minister made the announcement in the presence of Border Guard Bangladesh Director General Abul Hossain, RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed, Dhaka Municipal Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia and Fire Service and Civil Defence Director General Ali Ahmed Khan.

He also said: "Some very excitable youths get unruly on New Year's eve. They refuse to abide by the law. So, we are taking steps to ensure things do not get out of hand."

He added that additional police will be patrolling Gulshan-Baridhara-Banani and other residential areas in Dhaka on New Year's Eve.

Criticising the government's announcement, the public took to social media to express their exasperation and amusement.
Islamabad: Former Pakistan president general (retired) Pervez Musharraf has said former army chief general Raheel Sharif helped him to leave the country by influencing the courts

"Well he, (Raheel Sharif) did help me and I am absolutely clear and grateful. I have been his boss and I have been the army chief before him, he helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the ECL, they turned it into a political issue," the Dawnquoted Musharraf, as saying in an interview to a local news channel.

He said that unfortunately someone had to reveal this. Musharraf said the judiciary should move towards justice.

He said that the army chief had a role to play in releasing the pressure behind the scenes as these courts work under pressure behind the scenes and then give decisions.

The former president said that General (retired) Sharif eased the pressure which the government was putting on the courts.

Musharraf said the courts gave their judgement and allowed him to go abroad for treatment after General (retired) Sharif got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting.

Musharraf had left the country for Dubai in March earlier this year after the the Supreme Court's order to lift the ban on his foreign travel by the interior ministry who had issued a notification to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
Beijing: In a setback to Indian travellers, Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, has withdrawn the visa-free facility for Indians and they will now have to complete a pre-arrival registration from January.

The pre-arrival registration for Indian Nationals will be implemented on January 23, 2017. The online service for Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals is now opened, the Hong Kong immigration department said on its website.

Indian nationals must apply for and successfully complete pre-arrival registration online before they can visit or transit the HKSAR visa-free (if seeking to enter the HKSAR during transit). Pre-arrival registration is not required for Indian nationals in direct transit by air and for not leaving the airport transit area, it said. This is a major set back for over half a million Indians who visit the former British colony for business and holidays.

Till now Hong Kong, which is now a Special Administrative Region of China, has permitted Indians to enter with a valid passport for a period up to 14 days without a visa.

But the facility has been withdrawn despite representations from India ostensibly on the grounds that the number of Indian asylum seekers was on the rise, official sources said here.

Indian officials say that Hong Kong is using the asylum seekers as pretext to deny the visa free entry to Indians who are one of the largest spenders for the local economy.
Shouting "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" a Turkish policeman in a suit and tie fatally shot Russia's ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibit today. Police killed the assailant after a shootout.



Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara when a man fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.



"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" the gunman shouted in Turkish, referring to the Syrian city where Russian bombardments have helped drive rebels from areas they had occupied for years during the war.



He also shouted "Allahu akbar.



Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu identified the gunman as Mevlut Mert Altintas.



He said Altintas, who was born in 1994, had been an officer with Ankara's riot police squad for more than two years. Soylu did not give a motive for the attack.



The gunman approached Karlov as he lay on the ground and shot him at least one more time at close range, the AP photographer said. The attacker also smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition, as panicked people ran for cover. Three other people were wounded in the attack, Turkey's NTV television said.



After shooting the ambassador, the gunman climbed to the second floor of the same building and was killed after a 15-minute shootout with police, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.



The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria. Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the nearly six-year conflict, while Turkey has supported Assad's foes.



"It's a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in televised comments.



"Ambassador Karlov has made a lot of personal contributions to the development of ties with Turkey. He has done a lot to overcome a crisis in bilateral relations," she said.



"He was a man who put his heart and his soul into his job. It's a terrible loss for us and also the world."



Karlov joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang in 2001-06, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministry's consular department.



He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013. US State Department spokesman John Kirby said US officials were aware of reports about the shooting.



"We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source," Kirby said.



The United Nations also condemned the attack.



"There can be no justification for an attack on an ambassador ... and we very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
At least 12 people were killed and 48 others injured when a truck driven by a Pakistani youth ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the heart of Berlin, an attack German Chancellor Angela Merkel termed as linked to terror and likely committed by an asylum seeker.





The truck, bearing a Polish number plate and laden with steel girds, rammed into the traditional Christmas market in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, one of the main landmarks of the city, shortly after 8 pm (local time) as hundreds of people were milling around the shops and stands.



The vehicle rolled about 50 to 80 metres into the market area at the major public square Breitscheidplatz popular with tourists, hitting a number of visitors and demolishing several shops.



Two persons were inside the driver's cabin at time of the incident, police said, adding that while the driver jumped out of the vehicle after it came to a halt and fled from the scene, a body of a Polish national was found inside the truck.



The driver, who many German media called a Pakistani national, was later apprehended by police.



The suspect was identified as 23-year-old Naved B from Pakistan by BILD newspaper, that cited the information to investigator circles. The newspaper said he was reportedly registered as a refugee in Germany about a year ago - in February, 2016.



Merkel said authorities believe the deadly rampage was a "terrorist" attack likely committed by an asylum seeker. "According to what we know, we have to assume this was a terrorist attack," Merkel, visibly moved and dressed in black, told reporters.



"I know it will be especially hard for us to take if it is confirmed that the person who committed this attack sought protection and asylum in Germany," she added.



The interior ministry said though the incident was an "attack", there was no reason to close the country's popular Christmas markets.



After a telephone conference between Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere and his regional counterparts, the ministry said they agreed "that Christmas markets and other big events should continue to take place".



"Regardless of what we may learn about the exact motives of the assailant, we must not let our free way of life to be taken from us," the ministry said in a statement.



Police said the truck belonged to a Polish transport company and they suspect it may have been stolen from a construction site.



The haulage company that owns the truck said it lost contact with the vehicle some four hours prior to the attack. The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked.



Ariel Zurawski also told TVN24 said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon who told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload in the morning. "They must have done something to my driver."



German police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf told reporters: "We've had a description of the driver who was on the run at first. Because of this description, one suspect could be arrested. We are now investigating whether the arrested person is actually the driver of the truck."



The suspect, who was picked up about 2 kms from the crash site, was reportedly known to police for minor crimes though there was no official confirmation regarding this.



Berlin police earlier said on Twitter: "Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz."



Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas, who did not give further details in a tweet last night about the "shocking news" but said "we are mourning with the relatives" of the victims.



BILD posted a picture of a large truck with its windshield smashed out on the pavement alongside the market, scenes reminiscent of the July 14 Nice attack carried out by a Tunisian living in France that killed 86 people and was claimed by the ISIS.



In the latest attack, ambulances and heavily armed officers rushed to the area after the driver mounted the pavement.



Berlin's governing mayor Michael Mueller and interior senator Andreas Geisel are expected to give details of the current level of investigations at a press conference.



Germany's interior minister Thomas de Maiziere earlier said in a TV interview he would deliberately refrain from using the term "terror attack" to describe the bloodshed at this stage though "many things speak for that".



"There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation," he said.



German authorities had already tightened the security precautions for the month-long Christmas markets in all major cities as they are considered "soft targets" for possible terrorist attacks.



In the immediate aftermath of the attack, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leaders blamed Merkel's liberal asylum policy for the carnage in the country, that has been increasingly wary since two attacks in the southern state of Bavaria in the summer by asylum-seekers and claimed by the ISIS.
German police said today they were treating as "a probable terrorist attack" the killing of 12 people when a lorry ploughed through a packed Berlin Christmas market.





Dozens more were wounded yesterday when the truck tore through the crowd, smashing through wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.



Police detained the man believed to have deliberately crashed the heavy vehicle loaded with steel beams into the festive market in a area popular with tourists near the capital's iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.



The man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker believed to be from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February, according to security sources cited by DPA news agency.



A Polish man, thought to have been the truck's registered driver, was found dead on the passenger seat, and police said he had not steered the vehicle.



Twelve people were killed and 48 others injured as the lorry tore through the market for as far as 80 metres (yards) in the incident which came less than a week before Christmas.



"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet, although there are many things pointing to one," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere hours later.



Berlin police early Tuesday said they presumed the lorry was "intentionally steered" into the crowd and called the bloody carnage a "probable terrorist attack".



One of the survivors, Australian Trisha O'Neill, said she was only metres from "this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people".



"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.



O'Neill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".



Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."



A German police spokeswoman told AFP that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.



The daily Tagesspiegel said the man behind the wheel was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.



Police later identified the passenger as a Polish national, while the Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.



"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him. He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski said yesterday evening.



Lukasz Wasik of the same company said contact was lost with the 37-year-old at around 3 PM (1930 IST).



Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"It's awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas," said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris."



The crash happened at a square at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a reminder of the horrors of war for future generations.



Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.



An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July wounded five people, and a suicide bombing left 15 people injured in the same state six days later.



In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.



The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.



The attack in Berlin comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the suspected attack in Berlin, France beefed up security at its own Christmas markets.



"The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe," President Francois Hollande said.



The Nice bloodshed - as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day holiday on July 14 - further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of jihadist attacks.



The United States labelled yesterday's incident an apparent "terrorist attack" and pledged its support.



President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians in the German capital.


In a rare rebuttal, a senior Chinese diplomat has denied allegations of corruption and unequal distribution of projects under the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and sought public support against "disinformation" campaigns targeting it. Acting Chinese ambassador in Pakistan Zhao Lijian yesterday addressed a seminar organised by Strategic Vision Institute (SVI)  a local think tank  in Islamabad.



Dawn reported today that the Chinese embassy, known for quiet diplomacy, had all along been uneasily watching allegations of unequal distribution of projects among provinces, lack of transparency, corruption in CPEC projects, and environmental concerns. But it seems that the embassy officials have are now finally pushing back at the critics of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).



"CPEC is working well. But there are some people who are maligning the project, which enjoys the support of most of the people of Pakistan," he said while responding to a question about the embassy's handling of the objections being voiced by different quarters. The main criticism of the project has been that Punjab was the main beneficiary at the cost of smaller provinces. Zhao said some called it 'China-Punjab Economic Corridor', but the reality is that Balochistan had a larger share in the project.



"Then why not call it China-Balochistan Economic Corridor," he said addressing the detractors. He further dismissed allegations of corruption. "This is all taxpayer's money. These are investment projects. How can we tolerate corruption or bribe," the diplomat said, adding a transparent bidding process was in place for award of the projects. About the alleged secrecy, Zhao said all information was readily available.



Citing the presentations at the seminar, he said where did all these people get their figures? "Some people are making false allegations," he observed and said public support was needed to counter the "disinformation" campaigns by the opponents of CPEC. In his briefing, he sought to allay concerns of environmentalists about the coal power projects. "All international standards are being complied. Environmental issues would be taken care of," he said.



Zhao also said that China was committed to complete the project and several early harvest schemes will mature in three-year time. He also said that bulk of the money for the CPEC was investment by Chinese companies while Chins has also given soft and grants also for some projects. Zhao who uses Muhammad Lijian Zhao for his twitter account said he was using social media to dispel impression of any criticism against the CPEC.


A hijab-clad Muslim woman was allegedly assaulted in Australia with a beer bottle and her headscarf torn off after her attacker said "merry Christmas" but she replied with "happy holidays".





The woman was allegedly assaulted after an exchange of words with a man at the Beeliar Village shopping complex, Perth, that quickly escalated into a physical fight.



The 33-year-old woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told WAtoday that she was walking into Coles (supermarket) when a man yelled out "merry Christmas". "I turned around and said and 'happy holidays' to you," she said.



"He then yelled, 'no Merry Christmas', so I said, 'ok', then he called me a '(expletive) Muslim'," she said.



"I asked him what he said and I saw him grab a bottle so I quickly turned away and he threw it at me and it smashed on my shoulder and neck. Imagine if I didn't turn around, it could have cut my face open," the woman said.



She said her headscarf came off during the scuffle, which the man dumped near the shopping complex.



Despite the single mother being left shocked and traumatised by the incident that took place on Friday, she decided to follow him as she was calling the police. She said the man then started hurling sticks and rocks at her. "I was screaming on the phone to triple-zero because I thought this guy could kill me," she said.



"I was running into oncoming traffic to get away from this guy because he was threatening to punch me in the face. I have been racially abused in the past because of my religion but this is by far worse," she added.



The woman went back to the shopping centre and waited for the police to arrive. She waited for an hour and rang police again who allegedly told her there was no log of her triple-zero call.



Cockburn Police are investigating the assault and are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.



The woman also reported the incident to the Islamophobia Register Australia and the Register's President, Mariam Veiszadeh, was quoted as saying that it was one of the "worst attacks" she had heard of.



The suspect was described as light skinned, 25-35 years old, 175-180 centimetres tall of slim build. He is believed to have short blonde and was wearing blue shorts and a white top.



The attack comes amid assaults targeting hijab-clad women in different parts of the world from the US to the UK.
The menace of human waste being splattered on houses from airplanes while landing, today led the National Green Tribunal to slap a fine of Rs 50,000 on the airline whose aircraft empties toilet tanks on air.



The NGT directed aviation regulator DGCA to issue a circular to all airlines, whose planes are involved, to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation.



A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar passed a slew of directions while disposing of a plea of a retired army officer alleging dumping of human excreta by aircraft over residential areas near the IGI Airport here.



Normally, the waste in the aircraft tanks are disposed of by ground handling personnel once the plane lands. However, there are cases where lavatory leaks occur in the air.



The tribunal asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue circular to all ground handling services and airlines to ensure that they do not release waste from human waste tanks while landing or anywhere near the terminals of the IGI Airport.



"DGCA shall also issue directions that aircraft on landing shall be subjected to surprise inspection to see that human waste tanks are not empty. If any aircraft is found to be violating such circular or (their) tanks are found empty on landing, they shall be subjected to environment compensation of Rs 50,000 per default," the bench said.



The direction came on the plea of Lt Gen (Retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya who has sought action against the airlines and levy of hefty fines on them for endangering the health of residents, terming their act as violation of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.



While issuing directions, the green panel also said it was "surprised" to note the stand taken by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that on analysing the samples taken from the petitioner's house, it could be ascertained that it was excreta but its source could not known.



"We are surprised to note the stand of CPCB to the extent of coliform and the kind of splashes created on the houses of the petitioner as well as others clearly demostrate that it was human excreta," the bench said.



It added that the amount collected shall be deposited with CPCB for using it for environment protection and a quarterly report shall also be submitted by DGCA before it.

DGCA was also asked by the tribunal to set up a helpline so that similar complaints can be addressed and the helpline number as well as email address be kept in public domain.



During the hearing, DGCA told the bench it has issued a circular to constitute a committee to investigate the matter. The NGT had earlier slapped a cost of Rs 5,000 on the Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for their failure to file inspection report on the plea.



It had also directed CPCB to depute a senior environmental engineer to inspect the petitioner's house and check the existence of human excreta on its walls and if excreta was found, samples should be collected for analysis and the report placed before the tribunal.



In his petition, Vasant Enclave resident Dahiya had sought creation of a 24-hour helpline for immediate reporting of such incidents and a monitoring mechanism to check that no aircraft drops "human soil or excreta" while landing.



The Ministry had opposed the argument and said plane toilets stored the waste in special tanks which are normally disposed of by ground crews once the plane lands.



However, aviation officials acknowledge that lavatory leaks can occur in the air at times.
Six persons, including a Delhi Police constable, have been arrested for allegedly running an extortion racket here, in which they used to 'honey trap' their victims and then demand money from them, police said today.





The Crime Branch has arrested six accused, identified as Krishna Nand Bhat, Jeet, Tabassum, Nidhi Singh, Ankita and constable Pradeep, who was posted in Burari police station, said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (Crime).



Pawan, who works as a clerk in ESI Hospital, Rohini, Sec-16 told police that he was receiving calls from a woman asking him to come and meet her at her room in Burari, said the officer.



Pawan then went to to meet the woman at Begali Colony, Burari on November 17. "Two persons posing as a cop and a reporter entered the room and started beating him. He got scared when they said that they were going to inform his family about his wrongdoings," said the officer.



They demanded Rs 25 lakh for letting him go. He paid Rs 15 lakh for his immediate release and was asked to pay Rs 10 lakh later. He mustered courage and decided to inform police.



After the accused were established, the investigating team zeroed in on the woman identified as Tabassum. "On December 18, an information was received that Tabassum would be travelling to Shahjahanpur from New Delhi railway station for attending the marriage of her sister. She was arrested from the railway station and she led police to her accomplices," said the officer.



During investigation, it emerged that Pradeep Kumar, who is posted as constable in Burari was also involved. "He had given the mobile number of the complainant, who happens to be his brother-in-law. Pradeep knew that the victim is well-off and if trapped, he could be extorted of a handsome amount. Out of the extorted amount, Rs 6 lakh was kept by the constable," said Yadav.



One of the other accused, Krishna Nand Bhat is a reporter and runs his own weekly newsletter.


He justified it saying being the only "non-Tata group" person on the board, he was not in the know of various aspects. "During my watch as the chairman, my aim was that no malafides can happen under me. If anything malafide was happening, I would put in a due process to make sure that it would not happen," he said.

Ousted Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry today ruled out chances of a truce with Ratan Tata, claiming his fight is for larger issue of governance and that he will slug it out without giving up his family's 18.5 per cent holding in the USD 103-billion conglomerate."I will fight for that. I have fought for that... We have been there for 50 years, its not one day or two days," Mistry said a day after he quit from the boards of six listed Tata companies and declared he will take his battle against Tatas to courts. "This is not about a business group fight. It is not about those type of things. If that was the situation, I would like to sit in the position. That's why I have removed myself from the position, because it is not me looking for position or power," Mistry told PTI in an interview.He replied in negative when asked specifically if his family will exit its ownership in Tata Sons, the holding company of the country's biggest conglomerate, if he loses his fight in the courts. Mistry family's 18.4 per cent holding in Tata Sons is valued at close to Rs 1 trillion and is the single largest non-promoter group investor for over five decades.Mistry surprised all by resigning from all six key Tata group companies yesterday, even before the EGMs of some firms where shareholders were to vote on Tata Sons' proposal to oust him from directorship. When asked if there is a chance of smoking the peace pipe, Mistry sought to distinguish his fight from feuds in India Inc's families, saying he is fighting for larger issues like ethics and governance at what is arguably one of the most revered conglomerates."This is about governance and reforms. If governance reforms happen, I benefit, I am not saying no to that," Mistry said. The 48-year-old Mistry also ruled out demanding more board positions at Tata Sons. He continues to be the lone family representative on the board at present and has ruled out giving up on it."I am not looking for board positions. I am looking for good governance. We will see what happens in the future," said Mistry, who was the first Chairman from a non-Tata family at the 149-year salt-to-software giant. Mistry, who blames attempts to expose wrongdoings on the governance and ethics front for his removal, said Tatas are at an "inflection point" and there is a need to institutionalise processes to future-proof the business and feared that it would go down a "slippery slope" if action is not taken."Today, if you have a situation where the Trusts will go into the wrong hands and wrong governance happens, what will happen to the companies? If wrong decisions, both from a governance perspective and ethics, happen, this is a slippery slope that we will go down," he said.Ahead of the crucial extra-ordinary meetings of shareholders that began today, Mistry after attending a board meeting of Tata Sons last evening had announced that he was "removing himself from the EGMs" to end to the uncertainty plaguing the group companies since his sacking on October 24.While Indian Hotels EGM took place today, some other key companies like Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Power and Tata Chemicals will hold their shareholder meets through next Monday on the proposal for removing Mistry as director. Non- promoter shareholders own more than 55 per cent on average in these listed firms.The EGMs have also been called to remove Wadia group chairman Nusli Wadia from three of the Tata Group companies as independent director -- Tata Motors (for 37 years), Tata Steel (35 years), and Tata Chemicals (15 years). Replying to investors' ire on value erosion due to his actions, Mistry said "convenience" of outcomes cannot drive actions always and there is a need to stand up to what is right."At the end of the day, everybody has to take the right decisions for the right reasons. I think when you take decisions, you should take them not on the basis of what you believe is a convenient outcome, but what you believe is the right outcome," he said, adding, "If we all wanted to sweep things under the carpet, we would not take any decisions."Mistry said it was his actions on the governance and ethical front which made the Tatas nervous and might have led to his sudden dismissal and added that even before his dismissal at the October 24 meeting, the Tata Sons board discussed his proposal on streamlining governance."We had multiple discussions on governance and on the day that I was removed, there was actually a tabled draft note for understanding what is corporate governance in terms of roles of Tata Trusts, Tata Sons board and the operating company boards," he said.Mistry said actions and discussions on shortcomings on both the counts had been initiated much before he was dismissed, and specifically pointed out to the Air Asia India and billionaire C Sivasankaran episodes as cases, which he said unnerved the old guard at Bombay House.Mistry reiterated that discussions at Tata Sons about making Sivasankaran pay his share of the DoCoMo put option leaked out and wondered how the billionaire investor close to Ratan Tata sent a notice to the group within days."Within two or four days of us discussing at the board meeting, rather than us recovering the money, he (Siva) puts a claim on us. That is absolute nonsense, very frankly," he said.Mistry wondered how the group entered the aviation business in two ventures when everybody else was making losses, but said he went by his predecessor Ratan Tata's judgement as he did not have any experience in the sector.On Air Asia India, he asked why more funds were committed to the venture at the November board meet of Tata Sons without taking necessary action on a forensic audit which established a Rs 22 crore fraud in the carrier.When asked for timelines on discovering of what he terms as "malafide" practices, Mistry hinted he came to know about much of it after taking over the reins. It can be noted that he had been on board of Tata Sons since 2006 before taking over chairmanship in December 2012.
Police have seized over Rs 46 lakh cash in valid currencies in two separate incidents in Morbi town and detained five persons Out of the seizure, Rs 29 lakh was in new Rs 2000 denomination and rest in Rs 100 and Rs 50 bills.



In an operation conducted last night by the Special Operations Group (SOG) team, a man was held near Darbargadh area in Morbi carrying cash worth Rs 17 lakh in new currency notes, police said.



"An SOG team on night petrolling found one Bhavik Lodariya (20) carrying a bag in a suspicious manner. When searched, they recovered from his possession 853 pieces in denomination of Rs 2000, worth Rs 17,06,000," said Morbi SOG police sub inspector J V Dhola.



Lodariya has been detained and investigation is on to trace the source of money and purpose for carrying it. In another incident, Morbi town Local Crime Branch (LCB) team recovered Rs 29 lakh from a suspiciously moving car on Sunday night, of which Rs 12 lakh was in Rs 2000 tender.



"Four persons in the car, including driver, were detained from Morbi-Navlakhi road Sunday night after currency notes amounting to Rs 29 lakh was recovered from their possession," said Morbi LCB in-charge police inspector Bharatsinh Parmar. He said of Rs 29 lakh, Rs 12 lakh was in the form of Rs 2000 denomination.



They are identified as Rasik Patel, Manu Rabari, Wasim Fakir and Bhagvandar Dangar, he said, adding Income Tax department has been informed after the quarter failed to produce documents pertaining to money they were carrying.
The son has risen in the literary horizon with Swimmer in the Stars, a collection of short stories. Kanishk Tharoor, New York-based writer and son of Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor, has grown beyond his surname while his work is clearly a departure from traditional storytelling. In the city for the Bangalore Literature Festival, Kanishk took time out to share his thoughts with Anupama Ramakrishnan on how books and places have shaped him, his latest work and whats on the cards.



You grew up in the company of books  Indian mythology among others... How has that influenced you?

I was fortunate to grow up in a family that is obsessed with books. They were very much part of our upbringing. My mother is a professor of literature and my father is a writer; so it always felt like something essential  thanks to my parents. Also thanks a bit to our upbringing in this slightly international milieu of the schools we went to, both in Geneva where we very small, and then in New York and also in Kolkata.

I remember as kids, we had condensed Mahabharat which we loved reading. My brother and I are twins, so we were always sort of sympathetic to the underdogs  the neglected Nakul and Sahadev. My mother would also read to us from Shahnameh, the Persian epic. Because of the books we inherited from our parents, we have, as many people of our generation have, this reservoir of childrens books in English like Enid Blyton, Biggless, Asterix comics. The habit of reading began for us, as a result, at a pretty young age and the idea that at all times you must be having a book by your bedside table  that began at a young age. We were lucky in growing up in a setting where reading from various kind of literatures was a familiar thing to do.



Do you remember what you wrote first...

Yes, my brother and I would write on this old, sort of blue screen, word processer on my parents old computer. Predictably as boys, we were obsessed with things like war and fighting. I remember writing a story at quite a young age  six or seven  very happily and proudly about a naval commander in the Mauryan empire (laughs). Slowly, I think my writing matured, it isnt just about things like warriors of the past.



Swimmer in the stars reflects the global citizen of sorts in you?

I am an Indian citizen and have grown up outside of India most of my life. But I grew up in a way that in New York, I always felt like I was an Indian living in New York, and not kind of an aspirational American. Also, I have this upbringing in the UN family. But I think a lot of people, irrespective of that kind of globetrotting-enforced upbringing, are influenced and affected by the cultures and politics of places and connected to those things. My frame of reference is not bound by boundaries or time periods. The stories hop across boundaries and time. Its the way my imagination works. I always had an interest in the histories and realities in the places around the world. The stories I like telling can take place in various places, and in no place. I have deliberately not given them a specific time period or place.



How has it been balancing a journalistic career and being an author..

Right now, I am slightly more focussed on my fiction-writing. So it hasnt been too much of a struggle to find that balance. Its because I am working on a novel right now, its a nice change of rhythm to take a break from writing this novel  the kind of which I am finding seemingly interminable, agonising, quite tiring process without any periods of any satisfaction of finishing it. So its nice to break that up with writing sort of discreet journalistic thesis. You know, you have moments of fulfilment and satisfaction. So far its been not too difficult.



It is said your work comes out between cups of tea. Is that your style of functioning?

(Laughs) Its not my style. My day-to-day life is punctuated by tea...so inadvertently it happens



Do you discuss your stories to your parents?

I am privileged to have encouraging and supporting parents. I value their opinions and their judgments. When I was younger, I wrestled with them too. I occasionally bounce my ideas of them, not every single day, but yes.



How is it being in the city?

Well, I have so many families here. Its a quick visit and I am trying to catch up with all the families we have here.


While Israel recently fought its worst ever fire incident, Palestines offer to help put off this fire was highly commendable given the decades-old acrimonious war history between them. If there is empathy really evolving between them, the consequent opportunity may prove to be a milestone towards resolving their long persisting mutual dispute over Palestine. This, obviously, will be carefully availed by both the arch-rivals.



History shows that militancy and terror have their close connection with West Asia ever since Arab Muslims began exerting their hegemonic control over Palestine, then a British mandate. This was in their bid to uproot Jews who were then gradually consolidating themselves as part of Zionist movement to secure their homeland, particularly after the British announcement of Balfour Declaration in 1917.



This declaration over Palestine, which is the confluence of three different religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam and abode to their equally distinct followers Christians, Jews and Muslims respectively  paved the way for a new non-Arab and non-Muslim community, gradually taking hold over the Palestinian land to claim the right for not only a Jewish national home but for a Zionist state.



Obviously, the Muslims, while disliking Christians, were opposed to the rising Jews population in Palestine, considering them as a socio-religious threat for their religion and culture. The Muslims upheld their attitude by maintaining their strong links of a common language and faith. That soon resulted into mounting militancy and terror with the ever-macabre violence, killing the rising Jewish population which retaliated by resorting to more savage terror-tactics against the Muslims.



As the British, who were supporting the struggling Jews, had become the sole surviving target of the expanding Arab-nationalism in the aftermath of Balfour Declaration, they therefore wanted to divert the so-arisen Muslim-wrath elsewhere.

They were afraid of the retaliatory instincts of the militant section of Muslims who consider their corporal life having a noble mission to find an Ummah or the earlier Caliphate system  an utopian society of Muslims sans kafirs (non-faithful).



This is the deep-seated longing of terrorist Abu bakr Baghdadi and his terror-outfit Islamic State (IS). Baghdadi  who appears encircled by the US-led western forces and who many say will be eliminated any day - wishes to establish the Caliphate over Syria and Iraq and, hence he is inflicting inhuman and blood-curdling massacre of innocent people. Obviously, this barbaric psychology of terrorism has already acquired the much hyped religious-fundamentalism in the form of jihad.



As Palestine belongs to the Christians, Jews and Muslims as well, they all have their legitimate stake over there. Hence, none has the right to uproot another on grounds of being from a different community having different socio-cultural and religious identity.



But a section of Arab Muslims insistence to uproot the Jews by using terror and consequent reaction of the so-victimised Jews has already caused three bitter Arab-Israel wars. But why is terrorism going on as the land in question is the common ancestral abode of these three religions? In fact, this proves their simultaneous coexistence since ages.



The phenomenon of terrorism is very complex and has multiple reasons against its origin and growth. While rooted in the psychology of deprivation, frustration and helplessness, it results as a reaction into uncontrolled violence with a view to arouse fear and awe not only in the target but among all, even ultimately to the very might of a state.



Violence and terror

Thus, terror and counter-terror became more and more macabre as reflected in several ghastly events of violence and terror like the one at Munich Olympics in 1972, the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat etc.



With the passage of decades, there so-evolved mutual animosity became worse due to the interference of major powers which deliberately pushed the dispute to get complex and remain unresolved with a view to capture the lions share of the excessive petroleum resources of the region.



Though the Jews have established their homeland as well as a sovereign state by forcibly capturing and evicting the Muslims from the disputed area of Palestine, there looks no end to the continuing violence between them. Although many efforts for establishing peace (Camp David and by the United Nations) in the region have been made, all of them have failed because of several complexities in the region.



But that doesnt mark the end. The so-emerged empathy among the Muslims will hopefully be cordially reciprocated by the Jews with a view to rem-ove the persisting misunderstanding between them because that will assuage their hurt sentiments and help arouse kinship feelings because they have the same ancestral origin. Hence, both must resume direct talks on the complex issue for its final resolution, so West Asia may see a new ray of hope and survival.



(The writer is Associate Professor, MDPG College, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh)


High school students in remote villages of Karnataka will soon get a chance to explore planets, galaxies and the universe right on their school premises.

Mobile planetaria will go from school to school as part of a project by the Department of Science and Technology.





Bringing the stars to the students will be customised vans carrying domes and telescopes. One van will travel in each of the four revenue divisions over a period of three years.



Students will be viewing shows in Kannada about the sun, stars, universe, man landing on the moon and so on. The content is based on their syllabus, a scientific officer of the Karnataka Science and Technology Promotion Society (KSTePS) said.



KSTePS will implement the project with the help of Varnaaz Technologies. They will be in charge of procuring the van and equipment and running the service. The project cost for three years is estimated at Rs five crore.



It is not possible to set up a mini-planetarium in every district because each one costs about Rs six crore to Rs 10 crore. With the mobile unit, we will be able to give children in rural Karnataka first-hand exposure to matters of the universe, said M R Seetharam, Minister for Science and Technology. In the next three to four months, four vans will be sent out to different divisions.



I will discuss with the principal secretary and deputy directors of public instruction (DDPIs) to come up with a standard format so that all students get the benefit, he said. The domes will be set up using a digital projector. The software being used has the facility to create shows and display the live sky, both day and night, of any part of the world. The presenter is being extensively trained to conduct the shows and engage students. The van is self-sufficient with a solar UPS (uninterrupted power supply), GPS tracking and bathroom facility for the driver and instructor. The dome can accommodate 30 to 40 students at a time. This week, one van will be sent to Chikkaballapur as part of a pilot project over two months. After this, the first van will go to the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani on Tuesday said, to diversify the apparel sector, silk should become unisex fabric.





The notion that silk is meant only for women should change, the minister said at the launch of indigenous automatic reeling machine and inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Training at the Central Silk Board here.



She said scientists, officials and marketing teams should sit together and find out new areas for better utilisation of silk. She said a meeting would be held in New Delhi in the third week of January 2017, to discuss the proposal to bring silk under the new textile policy.



Smriti made out a case for digitisating the silk sector. Digitisation would help track the availability of raw materials in the textile sector, benefiting people who work in an unorganised manner.



She felt that the digitisation would also eradicate middlemen. A mobile application E-Dhaga has been launched in Hindi, English and Urdu. The app will soon be launched in Kannada, Urdu, Bengali and Assamese, she said.



Smriti said that an outreach programme is required for those who produce cocoons, so that the government can provide them some support. She felt the need to create clusters of silk growers under the outreach programme and, reaching out to those areas where silk production is possible.



Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda highlighted the plight of silk growers saying that the Karnataka government has not done enough to protect the interest of people in the silk industry. Of the 14,000 metric tonnes of silk produced in the country, 9,000 metric tonnes is contributed by Karnataka alone. I request the chief minister to give more attention towards silk growers and weavers. More training programmes are required, said Gowda.



Officers honoured

On the occasion, 16 officers and employees were honoured for their exemplary services in the field of sericulture.




A meeting of all stakeholders, including activists, will be held at Bengaluru on December 26, to discuss the pros and cons of Yettinahole project, said District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai.



Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme, he said that the meeting will discuss various problems with regard to Yettinahole project and also stress on the implementation of Paschima Vahini project, which involves the construction of a series of check-dams at different points along the Kumaradhara and the Nethravathi rivers for recharging groundwater in Dakshina Kannada district.



The construction of a series of check dams under the project will not only improve the groundwater level but also help the farmers to irrigate their farm land. The implementation of the Paschima Vahini project would be a boon to Dakshina Kannada district. All MLAs from the district will impress upon the government for the implementation of Paschima Vahini project during the chief ministers meeting.



Encroachment



Rai, who is also Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology, said that the tribals whose huts were cleared recently at Diddalli had encroached upon the forest land three months ago.



He said, As forest minister, my priority is to safeguard the forest. We know that tribals are poor, the district administration will take steps to rehabilitate the tribals.



Expressing his helplessness, he said, I cannot provide them rights beyond the rules. There are village forest committees at village levels to decide on such matters and the deputy commissioner of the district will be the final authority.



The government has chalked out a programme to protect forest dwellers who have been residing inside forest for generations. However, it is restricted to those who are dwelling on less than three acre forest land. The central government had also brought Forest Rights Act (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act to protect the rights of tribals and other traditional forest dwellers.



It was passed to ensure that forest dwellers are given rights to use the forest land under the Act. Only those who are living inside forest for three generations and more than 75 years are entitled to receive the benefit under the act. Those who have encroached upon forest land recently will not get the benefit. In spite of it, the government will take an initiative to rehabilitate encroachers who have encroached small piece of land inside the forest, said the minister.



On global warming and climate change, Rai said sufficient care should be taken to prevent damages on environment.




Visibility problems also delayed the arrival of 27 flights, including an international schedule by British Airways and two cargo flights of Blue Dart and Singapore Cargo.



Six flights were diverted. A British Airways flight was re-routed to Hyderabad while five other flights were asked to head for Chennai.



The flights diverted to Chennai belonged to Blue Dart, Singapore Cargo, Jet Airways, Go Air and Air Costa. Six other flights were cancelled.



The disruptions had a cascading effect on other flight arrival and departures. Some airlines, such as SpiceJet, had a message for those catching flights: All passengers are requested to cross check their flight status before leaving for the airport.



The weather conditions are likely to remain the same in the City on Wednesday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted fog / mist in the morning and partly cloudy sky later. Minimum temperature is expected to be 16 degrees Celsius.



Hearty response



Ramesh Srivats, social media influencer and humorist, was one of those affected. His flight was cancelled and he had to return to Bengaluru. He tweeted, Checked in. Hit lounge. Ate. Ate. Ate. Flight insanely delayed. Cancelled. Full refund. Came out. Yay! Free breakfast.





Poor visibility disrupted 90 flight arrivals and departures at the Kempegowda International Airport here on Tuesday morning.This is the first major impact of fog this season, according to an airport spokesperson. Fifty-one departures were delayed, as visibility dropped to just 50 metres.Most delays were recorded between 5 am and 8.25 am. Fog-related disruptions are expected to increase as temperatures drop during winter.Visibility values are determined with the help of special equipment installed by the meteorological department.Many passengers had to wait long hours at the airport. However, the airlines did their best to ensure the inconvenience was minimised.Four international flights  one each of British Airways, Air Mauritius, Jet Airways and Indigo  took off late. The freighter flights of FedEx, Blue Dart and Singapore Cargo were also delayed.
The management of Sindhi College, that lost one of its students in an accident at Esteem Mall Junction on Ballari Road last year, is relieved.





Their long-pressing demand of skywalk at Hebbal-Kempapura Junction has finally received an impetus. More than 15 trees were cleared recently by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). It hopes to construct the skywalk in the next six months. The proposal to build the skywalk was chalked out following the accident on February 26, 2015 when a tanker had run amok, killing two persons, including the Sindhi College student.



NHAI had demolished the compound wall of the mall on March 7, 2015 to facilitate construction of the skywalk. But the project gathered dust after Esteem Mall owners moved the high court over the demolition of the compound wall. We are happy that some work is taking place. Students and parents are a worried lot after the accident and fear while crossing the Road. I hope the skywalk is built at the earliest, Pallavi Vinod, the college principal, said.



A source from NHAI said that along with the skywalk, they plan to widen the service roads on Ballari Road and for this, already one-acre of defence land near Hebbal lake has been acquired. The project was delayed due to land acquisition issues, seeking permission for tree felling, preparing the project design and other factors. The authorities are now awaiting to acquire land from KIADB for road widening work.
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The two newest members of the Solana Beach City Council were sworn in, and two departing council members stepped down after receiving gifts and kind words from their colleagues, at a combination meeting and ceremony held at City Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

After taking the oath of office, newly elected council members Jewel Edson and Judy Hegenauer took their places on the council dais, alongside Councilman David Zito, who won a new four-year term on Nov. 8. Zito also took the oath of office Dec. 14.

Council members Lesa Heebner and Peter Zahn stepped down, after both opted not to run for re-election. Heebner served 12 years on the council, while Zahn had served four years.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, the new council selected Councilman Mike Nichols to serve as mayor for the coming year, and Councilwoman Ginger Marshall to serve as deputy mayor. The largely ceremonial mayors post rotates among the council members on an annual basis.

Zito served as mayor for 2016, and will now revert back to his council seat for the coming year.

In his final remarks, before taking his seat in the audience, Zahn said he was proud of maintaining a balance between accommodating growth and maintaining Solana Beachs small-town charm.

He also offered advice to the council going forward.

Act boldly and innovate. I hope residents will encourage that, that is how progress is made, Zahn said.

Heebner said she also ran for council with the goal of preserving the communitys character while making progress on a number of fronts.

I know Im leaving this gem in capable hands, she said. Im ready for the next chapter, what it is I have no idea yet. Thats the fun part.

Along with praise from members of the public and their council colleagues, both departing council members received proclamations from Third District County Supervisor Dave Roberts, himself a former Solana Beach councilman and mayor. Roberts attended Wednesdays meeting and presented the framed proclamations to Zahn and Heebner, recognizing their service on the council.

Roberts, who narrowly lost his re-election bid to Encinitas Mayor Kristin Gaspar, will be stepping down soon from his seat on the county board. His last Board of Supervisors meeting took place earlier on Wednesday.

Zito, seeking his second term on the council, led the field of six candidates with 3,820 votes. Edson came in second with 3,422, while Hegenauer came in third with 3,378 votes.

Edson is a small business owner who also serves on the citys View Assessment Commission. Hegenauer is a retired special education programs administrator with the California Department of Education, and a founding member of the Solana Beach Climate Action Commission.
ELKO  Atlas Copco employees spread some Christmas cheer at Elkos temporary homeless camp by passing out pizzas and cookies.

Destiny McQueen and Mike Isaak of Atlas Copco on Dec. 19 delivered nine pizzas and bags with cookies to people staying at the camp on Hot Springs Road. As they passed out the food, Isaak wished each of the homeless merry Christmas.

We made the whole loop here, Isaak said. Theres actually quite a few (tents) that are abandoned.

A daughter of one of the employees was selling pizzas to raise money for the cheerleading team, McQueen said.

When this came up, I asked Mike if hed be willing to make pizzas with me, McQueen said.

Atlas Copco bought Little Caesars pizzas for the employees and extras for the homeless at the camp.

This wasnt the first time Isaak has delivered food to the camp.

We have functions where we serve lunches, and we have all this left over stuff and I would bring it out here on Friday, because I didnt want it to go in the dumpster on Monday, Isaak said.

However this was the first time he was kept on the clock for the delivery.

Atlas Copco donated our time so we could go down and bake these at FISH (Friends In Service Helping), Isaak said. They were very helpful at FISH  pre-heating the ovens for us and making sure everything was a go.

Isaaks daughter, Annie, helped pass out the pizzas and cookies.

Isaak asked one of the men at the camp if they got the right flavors of pizza

Yeah it works for me, the man responded.

Matthew Gordon said he has been living at the camp since November.

Im grateful, I appreciate it, he said about the pizzas.

Mike and I were talking about it, McQueen said about the camp. It doesnt matter if youre homeless or not, youre still somebodys somebody. I dont think you should look down on people because they dont have a home.

Ron Haber said he has been at the camp for a year and a month. He said it is hard to stay warm.

They are allowed to have fires at the camp, but its difficult to keep them lit.

Haber said he was taken to the hospital this weekend because of the cold, and the camp needs supplies to keep warm.

Ive got a couple blisters on one foot, he said.

The weekend forecast had called for low temperatures to be in the single digits, which is not cold enough to put the Citys emergency shelter plan into action, but wind chills were forecast to be below zero. The coldest temperature recorded at Elkos airport  which is just a few blocks from the homeless camp  was 5 degrees Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Haber said if people have five-gallon propane tanks that they want to donate, he and others at the camp can get them recertified to use as heaters. A heater attaches to the tank.

Were just trying to stay warm, he said. Were all downhill until about May.
ELKO  District Judge Al Kacin wants Thomas Mooneys criminal history clarified before he is sentenced on a drug charge.

On April 4, Mooney, 26, of Spring Creek pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a controlled substance, a category E felony. The sentencing hearing was originally set for June 27. In an unrelated case, Mooney was convicted in early October on 14 charges related to having improvised explosive devices.

Kacin was ready to send Mooney to prison for the charge, but defense attorney, David Lockie, said a felony case Mooney was convicted on in Maricopa County, Arizona, was actually a misdemeanor.

Kacin attempted to sentence Mooney to 38 months in prison with parole eligibility after 15 months.

Your Honor, I think its mandatory probation, Lockie said.

Kacin said the pre-sentence report stated the case was not mandatory probation.

If Mooney had two prior felonies he would not be eligible for probation, but if he only has one prior felony then the drug charge would be mandatory probation.

Kacin told parole and probation to verify if the one charge was reduced to a misdemeanor.

Im sure Mr. Lockie is not fibbing to the court, I would never believe that, but the lawyers basis of information is sometimes doubtful, Kacin said.

Lockie suggested continuing the sentencing hearing until Jan. 25, which is the same time Mooney will be sentenced on the improvised explosive devices charges.
Donald Trumps warped war on facts continues.

The Central Intelligence Agency has concluded with high confidence that Russia tried to influence the presidential election in Trumps favor by hacking into Democratic computers. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, the president-elect dismissed the finding as ridiculous and added, I think its just another excuse, I dont believe it. ... No, I dont believe it at all.

His close adviser Kellyanne Conway called the CIAs report laughable, and Trump demeaned the agencys credibility with a snarky statement: These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Heres a hard truth that Trump and his team refuse to recognize: Just because the president-elect believes something does not make it true. Faith is not fact. Theology is no basis for governing.

This is getting really dangerous. It is one thing, as a candidate, to spin a fantasy world of outright lies (Muslims in New Jersey did not celebrate the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11) and false promises (most manufacturing jobs are not coming back to the industrial Midwest).

But when a president denies reality, especially in critical areas of national intelligence and security, the stakes are much higher.

Michael V. Hayden, director of the CIA under President Bush 43, told The New York Times: To have the president-elect of the United States simply reject the fact-based narrative that the intelligence community puts together because it conflicts with his a priori assumptions  wow.

Trumps attacks on the intelligence agency are part of a clear and disturbing pattern: He demeans any person or institution that criticizes his worldview or contradicts his assumptions.

Chuck Jones, a union leader at the Carrier Corp., told The Washington Post that Trump was actually saving only 730 jobs in Indiana, not the 1,100 he claimed when he visited the plant recently. Trump refused to admit the discrepancy and instead assailed Jones on Twitter for doing a terrible job representing workers.

Asked about climate change on Fox, Trump said nobody really knows what causes global warming. But thats not true. As the Post pointed out, There is a broad scientific consensus that human activity is the cause. Trump, however, feels no obligation to support his claims with evidence. His assertions are sufficient. This is Peter Pan-style politics: Clap if you believe in fairies.

During the campaign, Trump repeatedly assailed journalists in a deliberate and cynical campaign to undermine their credibility as critics. Now hes doing the same thing with scientists and intelligence analysts.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trumps attack on the CIA appears to be a unique historical event, according to scholars. Current and former intelligence officers said they were stunned by Mr. Trumps remarks, which indicated that he not only distrusts the CIAs analysts but may view the agency as aligned against him.

Paul Pillar, former deputy director of the CIAs Counterterrorism Center, told the Post: Given his proclivity for revenge combined with his notorious thin skin, this threatens to result in a lasting relationship of distrust and ill-will between the president and the intelligence community. That distrust is already apparent, since Trump often declines to attend the agencys daily intelligence briefing because hes such a smart person.

Now, the CIA is certainly not infallible, and its flawed reports on Saddam Husseins arsenal were a huge and costly error. But this is a president-elect who has zero experience in foreign policy and security issues. A smart person would welcome those briefings and admit what he doesnt know. Not Trump. His ignorance is only exceeded by his arrogance.

Fortunately, a number of Republicans are deeply alarmed at Trumps cavalier dismissal of the CIAs report. Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina joined senior Democrats in issuing a statement that read, Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, endorsed a Congressional investigation, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said such a probe would be useful toward achieving an objective accounting of any alleged meddling by foreign adversaries. Sen. Ron Johnson said his Homeland Security Committee would continue to hold hearings based on fact  not innuendo  for the purpose of informing effective policy.

Objective accounting. Hearings based on fact. Apparently these are radical notions in Trumps alternative universe. But they are absolutely essential to the national interest.
Some supporters of Hillary Clinton are taking out their frustrations in a vigorous campaign to, as they say, Abolish the Electoral College. Their mantra is that since Clinton had a larger share of the popular vote than Donald Trump, she effectively won the election. Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer reflects this view: The Electoral College is an outdated undemocratic system that does not reflect our modern society and it needs to change immediately, says Boxer. In its place Senator Boxer wants a popularly elected president.

This means, of course, that all governmental office-holders would be elected by a direct vote. Actually, the word democracy does not appear in the Constitution, nor in the Declaration of Independence. Nor are all office-holders elected. James Madison summed up the reason the Founders opposed all office-holders being directly elected in Federalist No. 10, observing that in democracies there is no check on the majority faction to protect the rights and interest of the minority. Elsewhere he expressed concern about mob rule in democracies.

The Founders came up with another idea. But, before we turn to that, lets illustrate how the direct vote system, desired by Boxer, would work out. Think about a hypothetical 2016 presidential election. The present population of the nation is about 320,000,000 people. Assume that half of them are eligible to vote160,000,000. Probably only half of that number would actually vote (80 million). Then 40,000,001 people could elect the president. Stated another way, about 25 percent of eligible voters could elect the president. That would mean that only a few states with large populationsCalifornia (40 million), Texas (27 million), Florida (20 million), and New York (20 million) could elect the president. Specifically, California alone could elect the president. This would mean that the fly-over states would have diminished power.

Its obvious that in a direct-vote system (i.e., direct democracy) one party, or faction as the Founders called them, could have most of the power. And, the obvious must also be stated: The rest of the states would have little or no effective power. Members of the Constitutional Convention recognized this imbalance of power among the states and that it would likely cause perpetual unrest in the nation. Thus, the founders sketched out something new, something unique, in the Constitution of 1787namely, a federal republic. That republic has been affirmed for decades by millions of Americans every day when they recite, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. Though not emphasized in textbooks and by teachers in todays public schools, evidence of it is overwhelming.

Consider what the Constitution itself says. Article IV, Section 4 states: The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a republican form of government. To the Founders this meant a rejection of monarchy and heredity rule. In place of that, Madison wrote famously in The Federalist Papers (No. 39) that a republic has a government which derives all of its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people. And he said, its powers are administered by people holding their offices for a limited time and during good behavior. Moreover, suspicious of concentrated powers, as in the British monarchy or Parliament, the Founders also embraced French thinker Baron Montesquieus idea of a separation of powers in the government, expressed in his Spirit of the Laws. The result was the familiar three branches of governmentexecutive, legislative, and judicial. As Madison and others envisioned, when each branch had its own basic power, it could be used to check excesses that might emerge in the other branches of the government.

Significantly, the Founders decided that as part of the republican system of government it would be prudent to use electors in the indirect election of the president and vice president. This little understood concept occupies much space in the Constitution and its Amendments. Together, the Constitution and the Amendments have 7,591 words. Comments on the use of electors take up between 2,500 and 3,000 wordsmany more words than any other topic. Readers can find most of the comment on electors in the following places: Article II, Section 1(1789); in Amendment XII, (1804); in Amendment XX (1933); and in Amendment XXII (1957).

Readers of the Constitution might be surprised to see that the term electoral college does not appear anywhere in the Constitution or the Amendments. In fact, it first appeared in discussions in 1845. Eventually, it was codified (1948) in 3 US Code.

Extensive provisions for electors in the American governmental systems executive branch testify to its importance as a part of the republic the Constitution created.

Its fair to say that without the electoral system the republic would dissolve. On reflection, Americans should recognize the crucial place the electoral system has in the republic. It must endure.
Apple is looking at locally assembling iPhones in India

Apple is reportedly in talks with the Indian government to start manufacturing in India. The Cupertino-based iPhone maker is exploring opportunities to start assembling its products in India as it seeks to grow its sales in South Asia.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has already outlined its plans in a letter to the government last month. In order to move ahead with its plan, Apple is seeking financial incentives and the company recently met senior authorities from trade ministry to discuss the matter. Apple is looking at emulating its China model to gain foothold in India.

Assembling iPhones locally in India would give Apple an opportunity to open its own local stores and expand its footprint. Apple is currently the most successful brand in the premium smartphone space here but the market share is less than 5 percent. IDC expects India to overtake US as the second larget smartphone market globally. Apple recently reported its third quarterly decline in iPhone sales and with slowing sales in China, Apple needs India to fuel growth.

"Apple wants to emulate its China model in India. The company wants financial incentives, which the concerned government departments are looking into," an official told the Wall Street Journal.

Back in May, Apple CEO visited India and discussed company's local plans with PM Narendra Modi. Apple recently approached government to loosen local sourcing norms in single-brand retail in order to establish its own stores here. Most of Apple's iPhones are assembled by Foxconn in China and the company has recently set up its own factories in India. Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and others have started assembling their smartphones locally and Apple could soon follow suit.
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African gold producer Goldplat announced on Tuesday that it has received confirmation from the Government of the Republic of Ghana that its licence to purchase and deal in gold in the country has been renewed for a period of three years.

The AIM-traded companys wholly-owned gold recovery subsidiary in Ghana, Gold Recovery Ghana, recovers gold from byproducts of the mining process, providing an economic method for mines to dispose of waste materials and adhere to environmental obligations.

GRG was previously operating under a temporary licence, pending confirmation that its application for the renewal of its gold licence had been accepted.

As per previous licences, Goldplat said the renewed licence grants it the right to purchase and process byproducts for the purpose of recovering and exporting gold and concentrates.

Under the terms of the licence, GRG will pay a royalty to the Ghanaian Government of 5% on all minerals obtained from its operations.

In order to maintain the licence, GRG must continue with its previously announced plans to install an elution plant.

The licence requires that an elution column arrives in Ghana by 30 June 2017, pre-construction work is completed by 30 September 2017, the elution plant is installed by 31 December 2017, and the plant is commissioned and brought into production by 30 June 2018.

The company said it is confident it can install the elution column within this timeframe to meet the defined milestones.

Customs clearance and shipping of a number of containers - containing concentrates and other by-products destined for further processing outside of Ghana, which have been awaiting the renewal of the licence - will begin immediately, Goldplats board confirmed.

The profits from the sale of the affected stock will be realised in H2 2017 rather than the first half of the financial year, although the company said it does not expect this shipping delay to affect the group's full year results.

We are very pleased that we have been granted a three-year licence at our Ghanaian recovery business, as a major pillar of our growth strategy is the international diversification of sourcing of material for import into and processing at this operation, said Goldplat CEO Gerard Kisbey-Green.

We are in complete agreement with the government regarding the need to install and commission an elution plant, which will significantly increase our operational capacity, and look forward to delivering on our construction targets.
Oil and gas investor MX Oil signed a memorandum of understanding with the Grenadian government to explore in the maritime boundary between Trinidad and Tobago.

The company agreed to invest in the exploration and development of hydrocarbons in a subterranean area which adjoins the two islands.

It covers the underexplored prospective territory in the Grenada Tobago basin acreage, which is adjacent to the Venezuelan and Trinidadian Patao-Poinsettia gas trend.

The memorandum is pre-text to negotiate a more detailed production sharing agreement, likely in the first half of next year, which will cover a tenure and work programme and, if preliminary work proves encouraging, further exploration.

MX Oil stressed that the memorandum of understanding does not guarantee a production sharing agreement.

Chief executive Stefan Olivier, said: "We are very pleased that we have now signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Grenada. We believe that this agreement provides us with the scope for an early entry in an exciting but underdeveloped region underpinned by the strong support of the Grenadian government."

Shares in MX Oil were down 2.33% to 1.05p at 0836 GMT.
Deutsche Bank upped its price target on challenger bank Aldermore to 257p from 194p as it reiterated its buy rating on the stock.

It noted the shares are up 38% since the beginning of September amid an improved perception of the UK economy and following a better-than-expected third quarter.

We think there is still upside from here, driven in particular by falling funding costs, Deutsche said.

On todays advertised deposit rates, we estimate a flow cost of deposits of around 1%, compared with 1.8% at 1H16. We expect the majority of this benefit to flow through over the next two years, helping offset asset pricing pressure and providing Aldermore with a stronger buffer against falling margins than other UK peers.

The bank said key downside risks include deterioration in the UK economy or market sentiment, slower loan growth, asset price compression, higher loan losses/UK recession, a material fall in house prices and higher capital requirements.

At 0915 GMT, the shares were up 3.7% to 236.70p.
Crude-oil futures are higher on Tuesday afternoon but remain below their December highs, with an expectation that prices might now stabilise going forward.

At about 15:34 GMT, Nymex-quoted West Texas Intermediate rose 0.63% to $52.45 a barrel, while Intercontinental Exchange-traded Brent was up 1.46% to $55.72 a barrel.

"With the output cut now agreed between OPEC and non-OPEC nations, we could now see prices stabilise around $50-55 (a barrel) in WTI and $53-58 (a barrel) in Brent," said OANDA senior market analyst Craig Erlam.

"Where we go from here will depend on the implementation of the cuts, which is far from guaranteed and I wouldnt be surprised to see it hit a few stumbling blocks along the way."

That, of course, could see prices plunge once again. "Especially if it comes at a time when the US is once again ramping up production," Erlam stated.

Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK, observed that Brent crude prices continued to remain well supported despite a strong US dollar after reports that Iraq may well cut its output by 200,000 barrels a day in the first half of next year.

Crude's rise was also linked to a due-soon weekly US supply update from the American Petroleum Institute, with the US Energy Information Administration issuing its on Wednesday.

Meantime, on Comex, gold was down 1.16% to $1129.40 an ounce, with silver down 2.01% to $15.77 an ounce and copper lower 0.26% to 249.30 cents a pound.

"Gold and silver prices have also slid back with silver breaking below its June lows to hit its lowest levels since April on the back of a strengthening US dollar," said Hewson.

Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets, noted that gold turned back from $1140 an ounce to resume its six-week downtrend channel.

Three-month industrial metals on London Metals Exchange were lower, with copper and zinc particularly so.

Among agriculturals, Chicago Board of Trade-listed corn was down 0.42% to 351.50 cents a bushel, while wheat gained 0.19% to 405.75 cents a bushel.

On ICE, cocoa fell 1.82% to $2261 a MT, and cotton No.2 lost 0.1% to 69.50 cents a pound. Live cattle improved 0.43% to 116.45 cents a pound.
German police said it was unclear whether a man they had in custody over the truck used in the terrorist attack on Berlin's Christmas market which killed 12 people was the driver.

President of Berlin police Klaus Kandt told a news conference that the suspect, believed to be an asylum seeker from Pakistan, had denied any involvement in the attack. He was arrested about two miles from the incident.

The truck ploughed into a crowd of people at the popular market, with a further 48 injured, some seriously. Police confirmed that a Polish national was found dead in the truck. He has been identified as Lukasz Urban.

The owner of the trucking company told broadcaster TVN Urban was stabbed and shot to death in the cabin of his truck.

Ariel Zurawski says German authorities asked him to identify him from photos.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Zurawski said.

Lukasz Wasik, the manager of the trucking company, described Urban as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work.

"I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if were attacked," Wasik told TVP, Poland's state broadcaster.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Monday recapped his countrys rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council with a call to end the humanitarian crisis in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Council is meeting on Tuesday for one last session, which Rajoy will preside after Spain was designated to head the body in December  the country's second stint in the presidency in the 2015-2016 period.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. EMMANUEL DUNAND (AFP)

Speaking in New York on Monday, the Spanish PM said that the resolution recently approved by the Council to deploy UN monitors to oversee civilian evacuation is a step in the right direction but that more needs to be done.

He said he was moved by the testimony provided on Thursday by the mayor of Aleppo regarding the citys plight.

Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy stressed he would not meet with Donald Trump while in New York

Rajoy said that the Syrian conflict has dragged on for too long, and that finding a solution is a matter of capital importance and a priority for the international community.

Looking back at Spains presidency, Rajoy said that his country has played a fundamental role in very relevant issues, citing a resolution against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and another one aimed at streamlining the mechanisms to fight against terrorism.

He noted that the term will end with a proposal that was negotiated between Spain, France, United States and Russia against human trafficking.

On Tuesday, the Spanish leader will also award the outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon the Collar of the Spanish Order of Civil Merit. Rajoy has pledged to be equally supportive of Ki-Moons successor, Antonio Guterres.

The Spanish leader confirmed that he is in New York exclusively for the UN session, and that he will not be getting in touch with US president-elect Donald Trump.

English version by Susana Urra.
Internet giant Google has defended itself over allegations that it overly controls terms on its search engine, but also acknowledged that it was looking into ways to improve its service.

The company received criticism after a report from the Guardian showed that searching the question "did the Holocaust happen?" led to a top result of a post claiming it did not.

Google, Facebook and other sites have come under pressure in recent months, owing to their use of algorithms which select the top search results and choose what content is seen based on a user's past activity.

"This is a really challenging problem, and something we're thinking deeply about in terms of how we can do a better job," a spokesperson for Google said.

Despite the admission of the challenging nature of the issue, Google said it in no way reflected the company's own views.

"Search is a reflection of the content that exists on the web. The fact that hate sites may appear in search results in no way means that Google endorses these views."

Shortly after the report from the Guardian emerged, the search results in the US were altered, but the post from white supremacist site Stromfront remains the top result in the UK.

The journalist who compiled the report, Carole Cadwalladr, said Google's actions were akin to disseminating "hate speech".

"It's selling ads against these searches," she said. "It's profiting from Holocaust denial. Its algorithm is helping Stormfront reach new recruits."
Germanys Linde AG and US rival Praxair have agreed to a merger of equals in a deal that will create a $65bn industrial gases company.

Under the proposed terms of the transaction, Linde shareholders would receive 1.540 shares in the new holding company for each share exchanged in the German offer, while Praxair shareholders would receive one share. As a result, current Linde and Praxair shareholders would each own about 50% of the combined company, assuming a 100% share exchange in the German offer.

Praxair chief executive and chairman Steve Angel said: "The strategic combination between Linde and Praxair would leverage the complementary strengths of each across a larger global footprint and create a more resilient portfolio with increased exposure to long-term macro growth trends.

We consider this to be a true strategic merger, as it brings together the capabilities, talented people and best-in-class processes of both companies, creating a unique and compelling opportunity for all of our stakeholders."

The merged entity is expected to create significant shareholder value through the realisation of about $1bn in annual synergies, driven by scale benefits, cost savings and efficiency improvements.

The companies cautioned that the agreement is non-binding and there is a chance the deal may not be consummated.

Praxair and Linde had ended previous talks back in September but discussions between the two resumed at the end of November.

Olivetree Financial said: It was long-rumoured that the deal had never died, and the strategic opportunity of keeping this deal alive was clear  the margin improvement potential at Linde coupled with substantial synergy potential.

Todays announcement, whilst non-binding, represents a highly positive development from the depths of the August collapse. The transaction brings with it significant synergy potential, but with that a high degree of overlap that will inevitably result in protracted anti-trust review. However, a more detailed assessment by region and product may well identify a pathway through what appear high market shares in a market going from four to three participants.

At 1305 GMT, Linde shares were down 0.1% to 163.40 and Praxair was down 0.8% to $122 in pre-market trade.
Rite Aid , which is currently in the process of being bought by Walgreens Boots Alliance, has agreed to sell 865 Rite Aid stores to Freds Inc for $950m in cash.

The deal is being entered into to satisfy certain concerns raised by the Federal Trade Commission in its review of Walgreens proposed acquisition of Rite Aid.

If approved, the transaction would establish Freds Pharmacy as one of the largest drugstore chains in the US, with significant presence in the South and on the East and West coasts.

Freds expects to continue to employ all store associates and certain field and regional associates related to the operations of the acquired stores on completion of the divestiture. Fred's Pharmacy would continue to operate the acquired stores under the Rite Aid banner during a transition period.

If the FTC requires divestiture of more Rite Aid stores and Walgreens agrees to sell them, the purchase agreement requires Fred's to purchase such additional stores.

Walgreens Boots said it expects to realise synergies in excess of $1bn from the acquisition of Rite Aid, within three to four years of closing of the merger.

Walgreens vice chairman and chief executive Stefano Pessina said: "With this agreement, we are moving ahead with important work necessary to obtain approval of our acquisition of Rite Aid. We look forward to continuing to provide our customers and patients with the highest level of care and attention."

At 1425 GMT, Freds shares were up a whopping 40% to $15.50 in pre-market trade, while Rite Aid shares were up 6% to $8.68 and Walgreens was up 1.4% to $87.25.
Producer prices in Germany rose more than expected last month, according to figures releases by Destatis.

Producer prices were up 0.3% in November from October and 0.1% higher on the year. The year-on-year change was the first positive annual rate of change since June 2013.

Economists had been expecting a 0.1% increase on the month and a 0.2% drop on the year.

Excluding energy, prices were up 0.3% on the month and 0.8% on the year. Energy prices rose 0.3% in November from the previous month but fell 1.7% from November last year.
State media in China have accused US president-elect Donald Trump of not being sufficiently capable to run a superpower, in a move which could ignite a further war of words with the New York businessman.

Trump pledged to rip up trade deals with the likes of China during his election campaign, believing them to be detrimental to US jobs. Among a variety of other jibes aimed in the direction of China was an allegation that climate change was a "hoax" perpetrated by the country.

In the state-controlled Global Times newspaper on Monday, an opinion article claimed that Trump "bears no sense of how to lead a superpower."

"The Chinese government should be fully prepared for a hard-line Trump," the piece continued. "We should show Trump what the one-China policy is and what bottom lines in Sino-U.S. ties he should not touch. Once he does, he is bound to suffer the same losses that he makes China suffer from," the editorial said.

The article was in response to the president-elect's series of tweets on Sunday following China's seizure of a US-owned underwater drone in international waters over the weekend.

Trump attacked the move from Chinese security forces, referring to it as an "unprecedented" attack.

"China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters  rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act," one of Trump's tweets read on Sunday.

"We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back. - let them keep it!"

Trump will enter the White House on 20 January next year with the country's relationship with China of the utmost importance with regards to markets and the trade relations between the two superpowers.
US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed so-called Islamic State for the Berlin truck attack that killed 12 people, saying the terror group should be "eradicated from the face of the earth".

The attack occurred on Monday night when a truck ploughed through a busy Christmas market in Berlin, similar to the attack which took place in Nice, France, earlier this year.

The attacker fled the scene following the incident, with the security forces indicating since that a man they have detained relating to the attack may not be the perpetrator.

"Isis and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad," Trump said in a statement on Monday.

"These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners," he added.

Trump gained an unexpected victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in November's US presidential election, with one of his main campaign promises being an assault on radical Islamic terrorism.

This year has seen a sharp rise in high-profile terror attacks in Europe, with attacks coming in Brussels, Nice, and Turkey among others.

Trump later tweeted that there must be a change in how the subject of security from such attacks is approached.
Budget airline Flybe has appointed former CityJet boss Christine Ourmieres-Widener as its chief executive officer with effect from 16 January.

Ourmieres-Widener started her career in the maintenance department of Air France and between 2010 and 2015 she was the CEO of CityJet. Since then, she has been chief global sales officer for American Express Global Business Travel.

Executive chairman Simon Laffin said: We are delighted that Christine is joining Flybe at what a very exciting time for the company, as we transition to become an increasingly customer-driven business. Christine brings extensive experience of aviation and travel, as well as deep knowledge of the UK regional aviation market, which will be extremely valuable to Flybe."

The company also announced that it will be heading to Heathrow for the first time next year, launching new routes between Scotland and the London airport, with more than 40 scheduled flights a week from Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

The route expansion means that with effect from 26 March, Flybe will offer up to 18 flights a day between London and Edinburgh and 10 between London and Aberdeen.

Laffin said: The new routes to Heathrow complement the existing ones we operate to London City, and will benefit our business customers and customers in Scotland who want to connect with our long haul codeshare partners.

At 0900 GMT, the shares were down 0.15 to 40.97p.
Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline said it achieved positive results from a phase three HIV study, which assessed the efficiency of a two-drug regimen.

ViiVHealthcare, which is majority owned by the company with stakes owned by Pfizer and Shionogi, said the first phase three study showed the efficacy of a two-drug regimen, as opposed three or four drugs, as maintenance therapy for HIV.

In June 2014, ViiV Healthcare and Janssen Sciences Ireland, from pharmaceutical Johnson & Johnson, teamed up to investigate potentially combining dolutegravir and rilpivirine in a single tablet in order to expand the treatment options available to people living with HIV.

The study assessed the safety and efficacy of switching virologically suppressed patients from a three or four drug antiretroviral regimen to a two-drug regimen of ViiVHealthcares dolutegravir and rilpivirine, from Janssen Sciences Ireland.

The company said the study met the primary endpoint of non-inferiority at week 48, which based on the US Food and Drug Administration's snapshot analysis, was the portion of patients with plasma HIV-1 RNA with less than 50 copies per milliliter.

Dominique Limet, chief executive of ViiV Healthcare, said: "These are important results for the HIV scientific community and represent an important milestone in our understanding of how HIV can be treated. The results support our strategy of investigating two-drug regimens as innovative treatment options for people living with HIV and we are planning regulatory submissions for this two-drug regimen as a single tablet in 2017."
The UKs overseas territories face renewed pressure to abandon corporate secrecy after 80 MPs joined forces to demand greater financial transparency from offshore havens. The cross-party group is backing an amendment to the governments criminal finances bill on Tuesday that would force Britains 14 overseas territories to introduce public registers revealing the true owners of locally registered companies. - Guardian

The Radio Times is poised to go into foreign ownership, as German publisher Hubert Burda finalises a deal to buy its parent company. Immediate Media, which struck a 121m deal with BBC Magazines to buy, license or contract publish titles including Top Gear, Top of The Pops and Match of the Day magazines in 2011, could announce the deal before Christmas. - Guardian

Innovia, the manufacturer of the new plastic 5 notes that contain animal fat, has been snapped up by Canadian label and packaging giant CCL Industries for CAN $1.13bn (680m). The Wigton-based company, which has about 1,200 employees, is currently owned by a consortium of UK private equity investors managed by The Smithfield Group. - Telegraph

Christine Lagarde looked to be safe in her role as the International Monetary Funds managing director on Monday night after its board gave her its backing, just hours after she was convicted of negligence over a huge payout to a business tycoon while she was French finance minister. The IMF board praised the wide respect and trust for Mrs Lagardes leadership as it expressed its full confidence in her ability to continue in the role at the upper echelons of international finance.  Telegraph

AstraZeneca has parted company with its head of oncology, who is returning to his native France to take up the post of chief executive of the biotechnology company Innate Pharma. The pharmaceuticals group said that it already had a replacement for Mondher Mahjoubi. Oncology is an important part of the pledge made by Pascal Soriot, Astras chief executive, to create a new stable of innovative treatments to combat the so-called patent cliff, when established drugs lose their exclusive status and can replicated and sold by rivals.  The Times

Law firms have advised British banks that they could sue the European Union if it fails to give them a gradual path to Brexit. Banks are pushing for retention of rights that allow them to offer services to clients across the European Union from their London offices.  The Times
The number of complaints for gender violence filed with Spanish courts were up 14% from June to September compared with the same period in 2015, according to a specialized government body. Records kept by the Domestic Violence Observatory of the General Council of the Judiciary, Spains legal watchdog, show that 36,079 women filed 38,402 complaints during the three-month period.

A protest against gender violence in Madrid. CARLOS ROSILLO

That is an average of just over 426 cases a day.

The statistics, released on Monday, also reflect a considerable rise of over five percentage points in the convictions-to-complaints ratio. In the third quarter of the year, 69.5% of cases ended in a ruling against the abuser, compared with 64.1% in the same period in 2015.

The highest rate of victims of domestic violence is to be found in the Balearic Islands

From June to September, Spanish courts handed down 10,570 decisions, of which 7,344 were convictions and 3,226 were acquittals.

The data shows that 69.2% of the women who filed the complaints are Spanish citizens, while 30.8% have other nationalities.

Broken down by regions, the highest rate of victims of domestic violence is to be found in the Balearic Islands, with 29.6 cases for every 10,000 women, and the Canary Islands, with 23.1 cases. The lowest ratio is in La Rioja, with 7. The national average is 15.2 cases per 10,000 women.

As of late November, 39 women had been killed as victimes of gender violence this year in Spain, a number that has been in slow decline for several years.

English version by Susana Urra.
Franklin County judge blocks state gun law after Columbus sues him

Franklin County judge Stephen. L. McIntosh has blocked a state gun law after Columbus sued him for inaction over the city's 2019 legal challenge.
A Spanish Red Cross worker was kidnapped on Monday in Afghanistan by four armed men in Kunduz province while travelling with colleagues in two vehicles to Baghlan, Afghan police and the Spanish government have confirmed. Afghan authorities say first indications suggest that criminals, rather than terrorists are responsible. The Red Cross has not asked the Spanish government to intervene, saying it hopes to resolve the issue itself.

Food distribution in Afghanistan. Norimasa Tochibayashi (CICR)

The kidnapped Red Cross employee is Spanish and was captured at the village of Hussain-Khil in Ali-Abad district, in Kunduz province, a spokesman for the Kunduz police force told Spanish news agency Efe, adding that the kidnappers had not been identified.

The Red Cross worker was singled out from the group he was travelling with after a fake roadblock was set up to ambush two vehicles travelling without an escort, said the International Committee of the Red Cross.

We are very worried for the safety of our colleague, said Monica Zanarelli, the ICRCs director in Afghanistan. We are doing everything we can to discover what happened and hope he will be freed as soon as possible alive and well, she added.

Kidnappings are frequent in Afghanistan, with aid organization employees usually held until a ransom is paid

In February, five Afghan employees of the ICRC were kidnapped in Ghazni province, in the southeast of the country. They were freed shortly after.

Kidnappings are frequent in Afghanistan, with aid organization employees usually held until a ransom is paid.

Last month, armed men kidnapped an Australian employee of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR) in a high-security area of Kabul.

English version by Nick Lyne.
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP)  The children of a late Michigan businessman are donating $10 million to help build a memorial and museum in Alabama dedicated to black lynching victims.

Philanthropists Jon and Pat Stryker have each given $5 million toward the Equal Justice Initiative's $35 million campaign to build The Memorial to Peace and Justice. The group says the memorial honors the 4,075 black people killed by lynching nationwide from 1877 to 1950.





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LONGVIEW, Cowlitz County (AP)  The Longview YMCA will get proceeds from a land sale as restitution, after a judge found that a former bookkeeper who embezzled from the nonprofit shouldn't have transferred that land.

The Daily News reports that a Cowlitz County Superior Court judge last week authorized the sheriff's office to sell property that Tomi Dupper had transferred to her daughter.





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Sweden's SCA to buy German bandage and plaster cast maker BSN Medical for $2.9 bn

Swedish consumer goods company Svenska Cellulosa AB (SCA) today struck a deal to buy German bandage and plaster cast maker BSN Medical from private equity firm EQT Partners for 2.74 billion ($2.9 billion) including debt.

The sale comes ahead of BSN Medical's plan to separate into two publicly traded parts in 2017.

The acquisition will be fully debt funded and SCA said that it has committed credit facilities in place.

SCA expects to realize annual synergies of at least 30 million in three years after closing.

BSN Medical, which specialises producing branded products in the areas of compression therapy, wound care and orthopaedics was established in 2001 as a joint venture between Beiersdorf AG, Hamburg, and Smith & Nephew plc and later acquired by Montagu Private Equity.

EQT, which acquired BSN Medical from Montagu in 2012 for 1.8 billion, had been exploring a sale of Leukoplast, Cutimed and Actimove brands maker, and had hired Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase to conduct an auction.

The Hamburg-based company's brands include Leukoplast, Cutimed, JOBST, Delta Cast, Delta Lite and Actimove which are long established brand leaders in their key markets.

It sells its products in more than 140 countries, has production facilities in 11 countries and employs around 6,000 people.

BSN medical reported 2015 net sales of 861 million and adjusted EBITDA of 201 million and net sales for the first nine months of 2016 of 627 million.

''This acquisition will significantly strengthen SCA's customer offering, channel presence and market access. This will further strengthen and develop SCA's global market leading position within incontinence products under the TENA brand,'' said, Magnus Groth, president and CEO of SCA.

With a market cap of around $19.1 billion, Stockholm-based SCA is global hygiene and forest products company producing personal care, tissue and forest products.

Its leading global brands include Tena and Tork, and regional brands, such as Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, Vinda and Zewa.

The group has about 44,000 employees and annual sales of around 12.3 billion.
Further details have emerged of the scale and violence of the criminal activities of Mexican national Juan Manuel Munoz , arrested by Spanish police in March on charges of money laundering and drug trafficking for a number of Mexican drug cartels, among them the Zetas . EL PAIS has been given access to telephone conversations between Munoz, known as El Mono (The Monkey), made during his stay in an upscale gated community outside Madrid and henchmen in Mexico

Juan Manuel Munoz (right) in Madrid in March 2015.

More information El telefono de la muerte del narco Mono Munoz

During these conversations, he ordered beatings, torture, kidnappings and murders to be carried out. Munoz is currently being held in a Spanish jail and US authorities have requested his extradition.

Munoz made his calls using PGP encryption, but Spanish authorities were able to listen in and record several conversations. In one, made on June 27, 2014 he tells a man named Gustavo, whose father is with him, that he will be held until he repays a debt of some 1.1 million.

-Munoz: If you were standing in front of me I would kill you. And you, with all due respect [referring to the father] your son is worth less than nothing. Whats going to happen now? Now he is going to be taken away and they are going to keep him until he pays. Is that clear?

Munoz has been linked to several judges and senior officials in Mexico

-Gustavo: I am right here listening.

-Munoz: Good, you are going to be collateral until you return what you owe me and with the costs incurred. You are a pile of lies and deception. I warned you, but no, you wouldnt listen. I gave you the chance to sort this out

-Gustavo: Give me a chance.

-Munoz: No, no, no. What last opportunity? What are you going to do? Sell your soul? What are you going to sell? Where are you going to find 24 million pesos? Where?

-Gustavo: At least let me try. Give me time.

-Munoz: Time? Go to your bank and ask them for time. I told you, theyre going to come and take you away, and until you pay you wont be going back. Its a shame, because I liked you and your family, all of them you bastard, and I warned you that this would be your grave, you son of a bitch, you went broke

In another conversation, Munoz asks about Mexican federal police officers in his pay

The Spanish and US authorities say that aside from his drug trafficking activities Munoz runs a chain of filling stations in Coahuila  the state bordering Texas  that he uses to launders money. In a number of the conversations he tells his henchmen to deal with employees accused of stealing from him. On November 28, 2014, Munoz received a call in which he is told that his men have visited the home of the uncle of somebody they were looking for, and had given him a shock, suggesting that this would encourage the wrongdoer to give himself up.

Munoz was arrested in Spain as part of a wide-ranging investigation that established links between the Zetas drug cartel, which Munoz is accused of working for, and Humberto Moreira, the former governor of Coahuila. Moreira was arrested in Madrid in January, although he was released conditionally later and then absolved by High Court judge Santiago Pedraz who found insufficient evidence of wrongdoing by the former PRI president or links to the Zetas.

In another conversation, Munoz asks about Mexican federal police officers in his pay and is told: They couldnt come with us today, but Zamora talked to them to tell them to be ready to catch him. Munoz then adds: His family needs to go as well.

Now he is going to be taken away and they are going to keep him until he pays Juan Manuel Munoz

From Munozs conversations, he appears to have ordered his nephew, Salomon Ayup to murder a public prosecutor in Coahuila in the Zetas pay who failed to warn the latter that an arrest warrant had been issued against him. Go there and kill her, Munoz tells him. The Spanish authorities immediately informed their Mexican counterparts of the order, but there was no response. The fate of the public prosecutor is not known.

The Spanish police say they have linked Munoz with several judges and senior officials in Mexico as a result of their phone tap. At the house where he was arrested, police found several Excel spreadsheets detailing the handover at a number of hotels in Mexico City of 63 million obtained from the sale of more than two tons of cocaine in Europe.

English version by Nick Lyne.
US President-elect Trump clears last hurdle winning 307 electoral votes

Republican Donald Trump on Monday prevailed over his detractors, cruising past the 270 votes in the US Electoral College voting to officially confirm his election as the 45th President of the United States.

Trump secured 307 electoral votes against his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton's 227 votes, formally becoming US President-elect.

However, at least half a dozen US electors broke with tradition to vote against their own state's directives, as a small group of legislators opposed to Trump's policies tried to block him from entering the White House.

Nearly 11 weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump will succeed Barack Obama on 20 January 2017, becoming the 45th President of the United States.

An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the President-elect came to naught and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions.

Even Trump's fiercest Republican rival, Ohio Governor John Kasich, is reported to have got behind the President-elect.

"We want unity, we want love," Kasich said as Ohio's electors voted to back Trump at a statehouse ceremony, an AP report stated.

Trump's election campaign only helped to polarise American electorate, especially among the new migrants and descendents of early migrants.

Also, Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, who was widely expected to win the elections, had won the national popular vote.

Although Hawaii is still to vote, Trump has already won 304 votes against the 270 needed for a win in the Electoral College.

Trump lost two votes in Texas where one voted for Kasich, the Ohio governor, while the other voted for former Texas Representative Ron Paul.

Clinton lost four electors in Washington state three voted for former Secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Native American tribal leader Faith Spotted Eagle.

Several Democratic electors in other states tried to vote for protest candidates but they either changed their votes to Clinton or were replaced.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator.

Trump thanked voters for the overwhelming support.


Excerpt from Diwan of Travancore

Chapter: Impressive Ttenure in Baroda

The affairs of Baroda were at this time in a state of frightful confusion. ''It was a phantasmagoria of rapine and treachery, a confusing dream of intrigue and bloodshed, where reckless aspirants for ephemeral power were continually engaged in internal contests, unredeemed by any ennobling principle, and usually to all appearance motiveless; except so far as motives are supplied by lust of plunder and venal self-aggrandizement. It required an iron hand and an iron will to restore order in the midst of this confusion. The iron will was Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row's and the iron hand that of Sir Philip Sandys Melville, Resident.'' Therefore, during his Diwanship captain French was the leader of the state in the true sense. He held issues like building roads, abolishing juvenile infanticide, opposing child trafficking and commencing railway operation for the benefit of the public, in high regard. His disciplinarian attitude ensured that the work went on a satisfactory pace.

Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Vadodra had functioned as per Malharrao's diktat. Coffers were empty. The state was in debt. The money lenders were pestering for their money. Officials were busy in hoarding for personal gain. The list of royal jewellery made was missing. Malharrao did not care for public grievances. The officials befriended Malharrao and considered Jamnabhai and Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row as outsiders. When Sayajirao was selected over local descendants, they subtly objected the move. They were against discipline. Things deteriorated to such as extent that Sir Richard Meade observed, ''There is no possibility of improvement in Vadodara's administration and the state has become useless.'' However, Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row stood firm to the task. Diwan Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row and the governor general of the British army successfully removed the anarchy born during the rue of Malharrao. The efficiency levels, the calibre and skill of the man from the south was commendable. Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row performed the duty for fourteen years. Based on his prior experience, he handled the state administration very well and turned it into one of the finest institutions. Prior to this, the supreme government had decided to appreciate his work and in 1873 had sent him to the anarchy-ridden Indore state.

Tricksters and conniving officials soon understood that they shall not be able to prosper in Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row's regime. They raised obstacles in his work. Some officials even charged Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row of being irresponsible. However, Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row paid no heed to them; his mature ideas overshadowed these machinations and intrigues. He persuaded the government to expel those officials who could not work according to the new system of administration. Competent and reliable officials were appointed. While the government was busy training the village-grown prince into a pro-English king, Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row was cleaning the local administrative system.

The territory of Vadodara spread out in Gujarat was unevenly distributed. There were disputes regarding the boundary territories. Public grievances never stopped. The vaghers of Okha and Mewasi, Bhils of Bahadarpur in Sankheda were infamous for violating laws of the land. The Thakurs of Amreli would consider themselves as rulers and disregard the government's laws and policies. There was a problem of providing good healthcare services, drinking water, fighting cholera and other diseases. Good governance was no less than a walk over fire. Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row had two alternatives. Either live a selfish life for personal gains like the former ruler or face the brickbats sitting atop the stressful administrative position. A normal man would choose the first path, but he chose a group of reliable friends and tried to revive the administration. Madhava Row was undoubtedly confident and efficient. The previous Diwan Dadabhai Naoroji too had launched many innovative and good projects but he was pestered by the Resident at every stage. This Parsi gentleman, soft by nature could not show a characteristic firmness in tackling the problem and was soon frustrated and decided to leave the post. Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row showed maturity in appreciating Dadabhai's good projects and began enforcing them in day-to-day activities.

Sir Thanjavir Row brought discipline to work. He established decorum in interstate relations celebrating royal anniversaries, festivals or exchanging gifts in the Durbar. By hook or by crook he implemented his ideas to improve the economic condition of the state. He opened the Huzoor court for efficient administration. His ten point legal formulae was a significant step. He was committed to efficiently coordinate matters pertaining to law, education, governance, health, and finance and court procedures. He considered the administrative and constructive agendas for the state's progress. He appreciated the capability of Jamnabai and involved her in the state's machinery. Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row conducted the smallest work with discipline and gave no exception to this. He committed both himself and Jamnabai to observe the rules. He entrusted her with internal matters of the state. She acknowledged the appropriate distribution of income and understood the need to emphasize on observing rules despite the fact that it implied less power to the monarch.

Unlike Dadabhai, Sir Thanjavur Madhva Row had less interference from the Resident but he could not do whatever he wished. Albeit, with an intention to relieve extra pressure on Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row, the Resident continued to supervise the work and establish control of sovereign government. Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row understood that going to the young age of the ruler, the entire burden of work was on the Diwan. The Diwan was not in a position to use his powers as Diwan to its full because as a Diwant-regent his role and powers underwent a slight shift. This in a way proved beneficial to the British government.

Therefore, there was no problem in functioning according to the will of the government. Sir Thanjavur Madhava Row used his experience to make use of the dos and donts given to a Diwan under British rule. He knew that the assistance committee to the Diwan was a mouthpiece of the Resident. Therefore, he knew that many a time the decisions would not benefit the public but as a young prince was on the throne and it was a regency that was functioning, he could do nothing.

The first major intervention by the new Diwan Sir T Madhava Row was to revamp the revenue administration in the state. The revenues of the state were allotted to certain bodies called Sirdars for a fixed number of years, who in their turn farmed them to certain Sowcars. These Sowcars, with the aid of armed forces, lost no opportunity whatever of enriching themselves at the expense of the people. Rich and poor were alike ground to death with impunity. Plunder and oppression were the rule everywhere. Having received a consideration from the Sirdars, the Government could not with any show of justice resume the right of collecting the revenue. Sir Thanjavur Mdhava Row, therefore by special acts of state, compelled the Sirdars to sell their rights. The Sirdars, who had the Maratha blood running in their veins, would not so easily submit to a new regime. Astute lawyers quoted law and precedent, and spoke of appealing to the secretary of state for redress. However, Sir Thanjaviur Madhava Row pursed his course undaunted. By dint of entreaty, intimidation and deportation of troublesome people, he succeeded in restoring order.

(See interview: In quest of a legendary Diwan's legacy to three princely states)
Failte Ireland has appointed Donegal woman Martina Kerr Bromley to a national role as head of enterprise development.

Martina has worked for Failte Ireland for more than ten years and has been very involved in the strategic direction of tourism in Donegal, the north west and nationally as regional manager and head of operations locally.

With more than 25 years extensive business and market development experience at home and internationally, Martina is delighted to be heading up this new development for Failte Ireland, one that has the tourism industry at its heart.

Our vision for this division is to ensure Failte Ireland is recognised nationally and internationally as a dynamic, innovative and highly effective provider of enterprise development solutions and supports for the tourism industry in Ireland, she said.

The new business unit has been put together to consolidate and enhance the work of two separate units, business supports and hospitality. The enterprise unit will be responsible for all industry upskilling and capability building. In essence, it will be a one-stop shop for industry business supports, housing all functions from the design, delivery and implementation of all business supports across the organisation and nationally. The unit will also track the improvements in business performance year on year to see what impact there is on building industry capability and ensuring growth.

The new unit has been created in large part to strengthen Failte Irelands value relationship, engagement and impact with industry and also to support the three experience brands, Wild Atlantic Way, Irelands Ancient East and Dublin along with business tourism.

Failte Ireland will remain close to industry, to assist them to address issues and challenges they face. We need to have our finger on the pulse of what is happening out in the marketplace, market intelligence is vital, and our role is to create solutions and give help to address those challenges to showcase the great growth potential there is for industry in the tourism sector particularly leveraging the strength of the brands, Martina said.

Martina takes up her new role this month and will be located in the Sligo office. Nationally, the team is across Dublin, Sligo and Limerick.
The Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital is once again experiencing overcrowding today.

As of this morning, there were 27 patients awaiting beds, according the the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's Trolley Watch. Ten were on trolleys and 17 were in wards.

This afternoon a spokesperson for Saolta University Hospital Group confirmed that the department remains "extremely busy" with "significant numbers of patients awaiting admission".

"We apologise to patients and their families for these delays," the spokesperson continued.

"The Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented and all efforts continue to be made to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge.

"Management at the hospital would like to advise people who are attending the Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital that they can expect delays. We would like to remind the public that we encourage them to attend the Emergency Department only in the case of real emergencies and they should contact their GP or GP Out-of-Hours service in the first instance.

"Letterkenny University Hospital again apologises to all patients and their families for any distress caused as a result of these delays," the spokesperson concluded.
The number of airline passengers travelling in and out of Australia rose to 36.2 million in 201516. Considering the lower air fares that have accompanied with this upward trend, together with a government commitment to signing Free Trade agreements, its fair to say that the scene is set for businesses to take full advantage of the opportunities this affords.

Nonetheless, with opportunity comes challenge, and the management of business travel has the potential to be a nightmare when poorly executed, and when outdated and irrelevant solutions are applied.

If theyre not doing so already, companies should aim for 100% online adoption of the technology when requesting, and managing business travel. There are a number of online systems and travel policies available, that private and public organisations can implement to better manage their corporate travel.

Below are three tips to help companies of all sizes to manage their business travel while making sure that employees are travelling safe and comfortably.

Be proactive and think ahead with travel management

When it comes to managing business travel, it is paramount to be proactive rather than reactive in order to get the best travel options and implement time and cost-saving initiatives. For that reason, using a robust and modern online travel platform is crucial.

An effective corporate travel platform will offer live tracking and updates, allocated to different business trips, including location, accommodation, additional travel requirements and more. It evaluates the worthiness of every business trip and to ensure ROI is assessed, to determine if the trip should be approved. For example, sometimes organising a face-to-face meeting rather than a video conference call can be the difference between signing an important partnership or missing on the opportunity.

Every time an employee wants to go on a business trip, a travel request should be submitted and analysed according to the companys travel policy. This should all be done online to save time and ensure the request is clear to all parties with access to the platform. Anything outside of policy can be immediately assessed and additional information requested if necessary.

Choose the right travel technology

Ensuring that every business trip is within policy can delay the process for approvals, requests and reporting, if its done in an inefficient way  and we all know that booking a flight just a couple of days in advance can be pricey.

To guarantee that your companys corporate travel is within policy but without time-consuming approvals, use effective travel technology to automatically captures the full end-to-end of travel data, one that can be tailored to your travel program and take the pain out of the activity.

Using smart technology gives a company complete control and visibility of every aspect of your travel, and at the same time it helps companies to streamline end-to-end processes. Requests, approvals, bookings, duty of care, expenses, reports and more can all be managed on a single interface. This kind of approach boosts efficiency by shifting from traditional processes such as emails, phone calls and manual paper pushing for approvals and expense claims, to an easy-to-use platform that allows travellers and managers to send and receive real-time information on any device, anywhere in the world. This technology can also bypass the approval process, if the business trip and all the details captured are within policy  bringing efficiency to another level.

Modern travel management technology allows travel managers to implement cost-saving initiatives, drive policy compliances and monitor real-time changes to travel spending.

Create a culture of reward

Culture plays a pivotal role in every organisations travel behaviour. Employee beliefs and attitudes towards when and where they fly, the airlines they choose, and the hotels in which they stay, can dramatically impact the overall effectiveness of your corporate travel.

Having used an effective online travel management system, businesses can implement an internal culture where those employees who save on travel expenses get rewarded. For example, instead of staying in a five-star hotel, they can choose a room at a four-star hotel or Airbnb. Then the employees who make these types of spend-wise decisions can be rewarded with gift cards or something the organisation considers appropriate. Companies can also encourage employees to book in advance to get cheaper deals.

Ultimately the positive results from business travel are key to the success of any growing company. Let smart technology enable your existing processes and procedures to truly reap the rewards of best-practice travel management.

About the author
Digital marketing is a complex and relatively new field that can leave many start-ups and small business feeling overwhelmed. In order to reap the full benefit, businesses must ensure many moving parts are correctly aligned. In addition, digital marketing continues to evolve with new, must have platforms popping up every day. While most businesses will have the basics of digital marketing down pat, there are advantages to be gained from tapping into emerging digital marketing trends.

Here are five trends to be aware of 2017 and some practical tips on how to employ them in your business:

Vanity metrics to metrics that matter

Likes and reach are going to only be good for brand awareness and will start to die off in terms of overall importance. The new focus is going to be on click throughs, driving traffic to where it counts and on content that converts to maximize every marketing dollars spent. Ensure that theres a clear alignment between your business goals for 2017 and the marketing measurements that will drive you on pathways to success.

Action  Only measure what matters and understand how it ties into your bottom line.

Influencers will be more influential

The visibility and influence of bloggers and social media influencers will intensify in 2017 and continue to disrupt the marketing environment. The audience, reach and engagement that influencers can provide using social media platforms as their hangout of choice, means that millions of people can be reached by engaging certain influencers or groups of influencers. My agency was recently involved in an expedition to Port Lincoln for tourism marketing with 22 influencers whose combined audience of 1,007,500 meant 2 to 4 million people were reached. GTM has just released an analytics report on the effectiveness of social media influencers, indicating that the potential return on investment for Adventure Bay Charters would be $0.002 per view and approximately $1 per lead.

Its important that start-ups and small business only work with influencers that are aligned with their target audience and customers. When you engage an influencer, ensure they are happy to collaborate with your brand or business and that the outcome of the engagement is defined before you begin. Set your goals, budget and process of capturing the new audiences before you kick off a social media influencer campaign.

Action  Identify three influencers that your target audience listen to and reach out to discuss a paid collaboration campaign.

Invest time into your personal brand

Investing time, and maybe some money, into your personal brand in 2017 will benefit your bottom line. We live in the world of googling and seriously who hasnt done a quick google of someone that were about to meet?!

The good news is that its not hard to get started. Begin by making sure that you have a LinkedIn account with a great head shot  pictures ensure profiles perform 9x better! Update your summary, experience and education and flesh this out with what youre working on currently. You can also work with a personal branding specialist to take your brand to the next level if you have big, bold and out of the box goals.

Action  Ensure that you, as the CEO, founder or owner, and your employees, can be found on LinkedIn and invest in some great new headshots.

CMOs and CTOs will become BFFs

The line between tech and marketing is not only blurred but completely gone, having been automated away by tech driven marketing geeks. When we think about marketing, we have to think digital first. There are lots of products out there that can help us automate processes around your customers that in return can offer deeper insights into acquisition and retention for marketing purposes. This can give you greater leverage and access to your customers and prospective clients.

Action  Look into automation software, as well as marketing and sales tracking products to see what is new and coming down the line. Investigate anything that can bring you relevant data on the metrics that matter!

Keep it social.

Everyones on social media but this year is about raising it to the next level with technical applications and expertise for better bang for your buck. Bump up your social with a six month strategy or by investing in a specialist who can increase your business objectives through a technical execution.

There are lots of digital marketing specialists and agencies out there on multiple platforms who can bring you inspiration, industry or business specific advice, and share their experiences. Search out those in your industry or in digital marketing to find someone who you can learn from, upskill you and your team and take your digital marketing to the next level!

Action  Download a Social Strategy like this, and have a crack! If youre at the next level already then engage a social specialist or agency to refine and hone in on achieving your business objectives for this year.

About the author
92 million package to help enhance Moldovas energy security

In a joint effort to strengthen Moldovas energy security, the European Union (EU), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are providing a 92 million financing package for the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Romania to Chisinau.

The EIB and the EBRD are each lending 41 million and the EU is providing a 10 million grant. The funds will be extended to I.S. Vestmoldtransgaz, a state-owned company which will build and operate the gas pipeline and the Romania-Moldova interconnector.

The project will complete the connection of the gas transmission systems of Romania and Moldova by linking Chisinau, a major area of gas consumption in the country, to the interconnector between the eastern Romanian city of Iasi and Ungheni, a Moldovan town on the Romanian border. It was built in 2014 to enable Moldova  a country which is more than 90 per cent dependent on energy imports  to diversify its energy sources. The EU provided a 7 million grant for the interconnector.

As part of the new financing package, the Moldovan government has agreed to implement a comprehensive reform package to promote the liberalisation of the energy market and strengthen competition in the sector.

Octavian Calmic, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, said: The decision of our partners at the EBRD, the EIB and the EU to support the Moldovan government in the construction of the Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline is very important to our country as it is a vital step towards ensuring the countrys energy security and overcoming the situation where we are dependent on one source to supply the population with energy. Furthermore, the implementation of this project will allow us to connect to the EU energy system which will ensure energy stability for a long period of time and promote free competition on the market.

EU Ambassador to Moldova, Pirkka Tapiola, said: "I am delighted that the EU, together with its bank and our EBRD partners are contributing to the construction of the Ungheni-Chisinau pipeline. The EU fully supports this project which is of strategic interest to Moldova. It will reinforce the energy security of the country and contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the Moldovan energy market to the benefit of all citizens."

EIB Vice-President Jan Vapaavuori commented: I welcome very much that the EIB contributes to the diversification of the energy resources for Moldova, a country dependent on energy imports. This will help to increase the energy security and support both the liberalisation of the gas market in the country as well as its integration in the European energy system. At the same time this project is a good example of successful cooperation between the EIB, our partner financing institution the EBRD, and the European Union that are co-financing this strategic undertaking.

Dimitri Gvindadze, head of the EBRDs office in Chisinau, added: The pipeline will enable Moldova to buy gas from EU markets and will promote measures that will help foreign gas suppliers enter the Moldovan market. This will allow the country to diversify its energy supplies and will strengthen competition in the sector.

Additional support comes from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) which has provided nearly 600,000 for a comprehensive feasibility study conducted by the engineering consultancy Fichtner GmbH to assess technical, market, regulatory, economic and environmental and social aspects of the project.

The EBRD is also providing 1 million grant financing from its own funds to support the implementation of the project, including legal and regulatory assistance.

Background information

The EIB  the European Unions bank  finances projects in Moldova on the basis of an EU mandate for the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood, the so-called External Lending Mandate (ELM). The 2014-2020 ELM provides for a total amount of bank financing in the Eastern Neighbourhood of 4.8 billion to support projects of significant interest to both the EU and its Eastern Neighbours in the areas of local private sector development, social and economic infrastructure and climate action. In addition, the bank has set up a 3 billion own-risk Neighbourhood Finance Facility to enhance its support for the Neighbourhood countries.

The loan signed today comes under the ELM and is covered by the EU Comprehensive Guarantee.

The EIB is committed to supporting Moldova following the June 2014 signature of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement, which includes a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (AA/DCFTA). This agreement will lead to much closer political and economic ties with the EU within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

Moldova is one of the countries that most benefited from EIB loans per capita in the Eastern Partnership Region. The EIB lending portfolio, being well balanced and covering all important sectors of the countrys economy, has reached almost 700 million since signing the first EIB loan in the country in 2007. The gas interconnection project is one more successful example of cooperation in Moldova between the EU, the EIB and the EBRD which together have been supporting numerous projects such as the Moldovan Road Rehabilitation Programme, Chisinau trolleybuses, and rehabilitation of water utilities.

The EBRD is the largest institutional investor in the Moldova, with over 1.1 billion of cumulative investment in more than 110 projects in agribusiness, energy, the financial sector, infrastructure and manufacturing.

The EBRD is a multilateral bank committed to the development of market-oriented economies and the promotion of private and entrepreneurial initiative in more than 30 countries from Morocco to Mongolia and from Estonia to Egypt. The Bank is owned by 65 countries, the EU and the EIB.
If he didnt have health insurance, Jason isnt sure how he would have paid for gallbladder surgery.

Changing careers is never easy, but Jason Cole knew it was the right decision for him. He left his job as a correctional officer to return to school to fulfill his dream of becoming a high school history teacher, because he wanted to make a difference in young peoples lives before they got in trouble and wound up in jail.

Jason chose to complete a two-year graduate program in one year, which leaves little time to work. He has two minimum-wage jobs to pay the bills while he studies and student teaches, and none of the jobs offer health insurance like he had while working as a correctional officer.

So as soon as he left that job, he bought health insurance at Healthcare.gov. As someone who leads a healthy lifestyle and hasnt had many health issues, he really didnt think hed need insurance. As it turns out, he did.

After Id paid my first or second premium, I sprained my ankle really badly. I thought Id broken it. I had to get an X-ray, crutches  all of that. So right away, it paid off. A few months later, I started having what turned out to be gallstone attacks, and within a few weeks I was having surgery to have the gallbladder removed.

Jason had chosen a plan with a low premium  just $33 a month with the help of tax credits available under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare  and a relatively high deductible of $6,000. So hes responsible for paying $6,000, but what he owes could have been much, much more.

Without insurance, Id probably be $20,000 or $30,000 in debt. Im not in the greatest spot but I can get out of it. I graduate in May and theres light at the end of the tunnel.

Jason, who is 41 years old and lives in South Dakota, is concerned about what might happen to him if the Trump administration repeals or dismantles Obamacare, especially since the soonest Jason would start a full-time teaching job would be August.

Its terrifying to think about going that long without insurance. I never would have imagined a gallbladder would have been an issue. I went without insurance before but now its a scary proposition. Its frustrating thinking that this is even something we have to talk about.

Jason admits that the ACA isnt perfect, but at least it gives people like him a chance.

This is a step in the right direction. Healthcare should be a fundamental right. If were genuinely the most powerful country in the world, we should also be the most compassionate. Youd think that would go hand-in-hand.

Has Obamacare helped you or someone in your family? Tell us about it HERE if youd like to be considered for a future post.

Open enrollment for 2017 insurance continues through January 31, 2017. Get covered today at HealthCare.gov.

[Photo courtesy of Jason Cole.]
Artificial intelligence will be having a big coming out party in 2017. While there are plenty of opportunities in this space for workers, executives, investors and partners, not every company that uses the term AI in its marketing will become a serious winner in the field.

As advanced as AI is  and I have seen some technology that would blow your socks off  not every company is created equal. Some will be real winners early on, but most wont go much further than using the terminology in their marketing, so they can ride the next growth wave.

Still, the AI marketplace will change dramatically as it grows over the next several years. AI will continue to advance and mature. It will get better and do more.

That said, today is like the early days of the automotive industry a century ago, with the Ford Model T at the center of that universe. Now, a century later, we know the growth path that industry took  but back then people were just giddy with excitement about what was new.

AIs Growth Engine

AI has been with us for decades  from research and trials to fictional books and movies. Finally, the early generations of AI products are here, and the field is growing rapidly.

A growing number of companies are using AI in their advertising and marketing in a bid to attract early investors and media attention. Many others are being acquired by larger companies that want to be real players in the space tomorrow.

We must take every mention of AI with a grain of salt, but we also must realize this is how every giant industry is formed. The early days are often the best time to get into new industries.

Watson, Siri, Alexa and More

There are plenty of early movers that are making early headway in the AI space. IBM has Watson. Apple has Siri and Google has its Assistant. Microsoft has Cortana, and Amazon has Alexa. Samsung has announced its plans to move into AI in 2017.

Many companies in other spaces also are going to be powerful players in AI: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Intel, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and many others. In fact, companies in every sector are moving rapidly toward AI. This is an incredibly powerful wave that will rewrite the business world in the next decade.

Competitive Advantage

Early players have a competitive advantage, but when AI spreads widely enough, having it will no longer be a competitive advantage. It will become a simple cost of doing business. Thats when every competitor in every sector will move rapidly into this arena.

The players that are knee-deep into AI technology today are shaping the course it will take going forward. It will stay on this early track for years, until it makes a major leap or transformation to the next level.

Smartphone Industry Comparison

There are lessons to be learned from the smartphone industry. BlackBerry, Nokia and Motorola once led the space. Roughly a decade ago, Apple entered with the iPhone and Google followed with its Android operating system. They rapidly changed the entire industry. The number of apps available exploded from a few hundred to millions in a few short years.

Existing leaders were thrown off their saddle, and new leadership took over. Thats what I expect to see with AI, when growth in this new sector takes off.

There are many different levels of AI  from basic voice recognition, like Apples Siri, to more advanced machine learning and deep learning, like IBMs Watson. Each is AI, but each functions within a completely different area. Some are simple and others are more complex. Considering these are the early days, just imagine what we have to look forward to.

2017 and Beyond

AI  along with the cloud, virtual reality, and many other technologies  is going to be very important in transforming our world over the next decade. All are rapidly growing sectors, and they all will work together  and with other industries, like wireless and telecom.

Of the many companies entering the AI space today, some are serious players, like IBM, and others are looking for a way to put a flag in the AI ground and prepare for tomorrow. Any way you slice it, AI is one of the most exciting new areas, and 2017 will be its coming out party.
Fitbit, the leader in the wearables category, is close to an agreement to buy struggling smartwatch maker Pebble for up to US$40 million, in a move to gain the firms intellectual property and software.

The negotiations follow several months of financial turmoil at Pebble, which reportedly slashed its workforce by 25 percent in March and has rebuffed several prior offers to be acquired, The Information reported last week.

Its rumored that Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky last year turned down Citizens $740 million acquisition offer, as well as a $70 million bid from Intel prior to the launch of Pebble 2.

Fitbit does not comment on rumors or speculation, company rep Michelle McCourt told the E-Commerce Times.

The expectation that Pebble would going to have to make a tough decision on the way forward has intensified.

Pebble was overmatched in a market awash with smartwatches, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Thats in spite of the fact that they have one of the best products in the segment  particularly with regard to battery life and price, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Fitbit has a far wider reach, but it ha struggled to develop a product that isnt tightly focused on exercise, Enderle observed.

Fitbit feels it can provide Pebble with the resources to address a broader market, while Pebble provides watches that support a broader market, he suggested.

Fitbit Forecast

Fitbit has seen its own share of turmoil in recent weeks after less-than-expected third-quarter revenue, along with a profit warning, led to several analysts downgrades last month.

The company this summer unveiled new software features for Fitbit Blaze and design options for Blaze and Fitbit Alta, which soon were followed by Fitbit Charge 2 wristbands featuring new PurePulse heart rate tracking.

Fitbit shares on Monday closed $8.03  just pennies above its $7.98 low since last years IPO.

Although the company continued to be profitable, its growth would not match the pace previously expected, CEO James Park warned in the quarterly earnings announcement.

Fitbit expected fourth-quarter revenue of between $725 million and $750 million, representing growth of 2 percent to 5 percent, and earnings per share of between 14 and 18 cents, he said.

Category Crumble

The reports of the Pebble talks come amid overall weakness in the category.

Smartwatch sales fell by 32 percent in the second-quarter of 2016 from 5.1 million units to 3.5 million, year-over-year, the first such decline the firm recorded, IDC reported this summer.

Consumers were holding off on smartwatch purchases in anticipation of upgrades in hardware, the report indicated. The expectation of a new operating system from Apple effectively stalled sales of the Apple Watch.

Shipments of basic wearables rose sharply in the second quarter to 22.5 million, representing growth of almost 49 percent to compared with the year-ago period, IDC reported weeks later. However, smart wearables, which involve the use of third-party software, declined 27.2 percent year-over-year.

Basic wearables, which include most fitness trackers, accounted for nearly 83 percent of all wearables shipped during the quarter, the firm said.

Fitbit was the leading firm in the overall wearables category, with 5.7 million shipments, holding 25.4 percent market share, according to IDC. The category was rounded out by Xiaomi, Apple, Garmin and Lifesense.

Despite Apples continually cheery talk about sales of its watch, the broad wearables market seems to be faltering rather than gaining traction, Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, told the E-Commerce Times.

The category is struggling mainly because theres still a dearth of apps or use cases, said Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for worldwide mobile device trackers at IDC.

The smartwatch category is still heavily reliant on the smartphone and doesnt offer a differentiated enough experience to justify the added cost, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Apart from that, many users still arent satisfied with the design or battery life, Ubrani pointed out. However, Fitbit and to some extent Pebble do have great design and battery life compared to other smartwatches out there, so itll be interesting to see how this plays out.
Softbank has cut a check for US$1 billion to OneWeb, which plans to build a constellation of satellites to provide Internet access to underserved parts of the world, the companies announced Monday.

Helmed by satellite industry veteran Greg Wyler, OneWeb raised a total of $1.2 billion in its latest round of funding.

The company will deploy 650 Ku band satellites into orbit at a height of 750 miles, which will offer more than 10 terabits per second of new capacity.

OneWeb also will build user terminals containing embedded LTE, 3G, 2G and WiFi. The company plans to start with a fleet of 750 satellites.

Launching a global satellite network and making money from it has been a challenge, noted Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

Motorola was the first company to make the attempt 25 years ago with its Iridium project, he told the E-Commerce Times, but because it selected the wrong technology and didnt foresee the competition from cellphones, it failed.

Plans and Manufacturing Facilities

OneWeb plans to launch 10 production satellites in 2018 for detailed testing, according to Wyler, the companys chairman. Six months later, it will begin launching the rest of its fleet.

The units will be manufactured at a new facility in Exploration Park, Florida.

OneWeb will begin providing low-latency broadband access to rural areas in the United States, and to emerging markets worldwide by 2019.

The company also will offer its networks to mobile operators and ISPs, so they can extend their coverage at low cost.

In addition, it plans to target cellular backhaul, the Internet of Things and connected cars.

OneWeb aims to connect every school to the Internet by 2022, and to bridge the digital divide fully by 2027.

Theres an old saying in business: If youre not growing, youre dying,' McGregor remarked. To reach the next billion people, the electronics community needs to look to new avenues and business models, with the understanding the ROI will be lower.

The Fight for First

OneWeb faces stiff competition.

Elon Musks SpaceX last week filed an application with the United States Federal Communication Commission to launch its own global Internet access network with more than 4,000 satellites.

SpaceX has received investments of nearly $1 billion from Google.

Google, meanwhile, has its own Project Loon, which uses balloons to relay transmissions from its carrier partners ground-based cellular towers.

Facebook, which plans to deploy a fleet of solar-powered drones, this summer announced the first full-scale test flight of its Aquila high-altitude drone.

Still, OneWeb might gain the upper hand. Its going to use new technology to produce satellites more cheaply than before, for one thing.

The cost to build, launch and insure OneWebs satellite network and complete early work on user terminals will be $1.5 billion to $2 billion, according to Wyler.

Musk is prepared to spend $10 billion on SpaceXs network.

The expectation that billions of devices will interact in the Internet of Things raises not only a question of capacity, [but also] a question of access to the network, observed Andy Mulholland, a principal analyst at Constellation Research.

OneWeb is taking a bold step to bring a disruptive move to the current, more linear path of developing existing forms of connectivity, he told the E-Commerce Times.

OneWeb is separate from Facebook and Google, so its solution eventually could enhance both of their offerings rather than compete with them, Enderle suggested.

The stakes are high. Everyone wants to establish foothold and become the preferred supplier, McGregor pointed out.

The main problem the hopefuls face is establishing a reliable network, he said, becauseit doesnt matter if youre the first to provide services if they are slow or unreliable.

Revenue is another important issue, McGregor added, as its difficult to model revenue projections in new markets, especially from consumers with limited resources.
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WAKEFIELD - Ecotextile News is pleased to announce a raft of new high profile names who have agreed to be interviewed for the tenth anniversary edition of the magazine which will appear in the early new year. Among the interviewees are Marks & Spencer's director of sustainable business, Mike Barry, Germany's development minister, Dr Gerd Muller, Inditex corporate social responsibility director, Felix Poza Pena, H&M head of sustainability, Anna Gedda, Patagonia chief operating officer, Doug Freeman, Levi Strauss & Co senior vice president and chief supply chain officer Liz O'Neill, and incumbent Bluesign Technologies CEO, Jill Dumain.

They join other prominent apparel industry names such as Bjorn Gulden, CEO of Puma, Dr Michael Otto, founder of the Otto Group, Glenn Bennett, a member of adidas' executive board and head of global operations, Tom Glaser, vice president of VF Corp and president of global supply chain, and Ma Jun, renowned Chinese environmentalist, and director with the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs.

This 100-page special edition of Ecotextile News will reflect back on the progress the textile industry has made in addressing environmental issues over the past decade. We will also ask the apparel industry's most senior decision makers  in many cases, the people in control of the purse strings  what their organisations will be doing in order to operate in a more sustainable and responsible manner moving forwards.

We don't believe so many senior industry executives have ever before been brought together in one publication  and we hope this magazine will lay down a real marker for the industry.

Talking to Ecotextile News, Dr Michael Otto, founder of German-based retailer, the Otto Group, that he believes the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will certainly have an impact on how companies operate in future.

"Especially in the area of product manufacturing and consumption, significant changes are necessary to reach the goals," he told us. "We have to abandon fossil fuels and move to renewable energy, we need to ensure better environmental and social standards in global supply chains, foster different consumption patterns, and offer more sustainable products.

"Furthermore, the Otto Group needs to integrate the growing digital change into its corporate culture without sacrificing its identity as a value-driven and socially responsible company. To implement ethical values in one's company and thus to remain credible is as challenging as the digital change itself."

To ensure you see a copy, subscribe to Ecotextile News HERE.
(Photo: REUTERS / Stringer)Philippine National Police (PNP) carry a body bag, containing a member of the Special Action Force, to a van in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, January 26, 2015. At least 30 people were killed in heavy fighting between police and Muslim rebels in the Philippines on Sunday, military and local officials said, threatening a year-old peace agreement and shattering a ceasefire that held for three years.

GENEVA  The U.N. human rights chief is urging the Philippines judicial authorities to launch a murder investigation following the admission by President Rodrigo Duterte that as Mayor of Davao he had killed people, and encouraged others to do the same.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein released a statement Dec. 20 noting Duterte told business leaders at the presidential palace on Dec. 14 that he had patrolled the streets personally on his motorcycle and killed people.

On the same day Philippine Catholic leaders and human rights groups referred to Duterte as "barbaric" and condemned his plan to restore the death penalty and execute "five or six" criminals daily, International Business Times reported.

The newspaper noted that Duterte has revived the death penalty in the Philippines, a mainly Catholic nation, and made it his top legislative priority as part of a drug war that has killed nearly 5,300 people.

"There was death penalty before but nothing happened. Return that to me and I would do it every day: five or six (criminals). That's for real," the 71-year-old leader had said Dec. 17.

An official at Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the church "totally opposed" Duterte's plan.

"The Philippines will be viewed as very barbaric," Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary at its public affairs office, told AFP. "It's going to make the Philippines the capital of death penalty in the world," he said.

The U.N. rights office in its statement said that in a Dec. 16 interview with the BBC, the Philippines' leader confirmed he had personally killed "about three" people during his term as mayor.

Duterte served as mayor for three terms between 1988-2016. He has previously stated the three people killed in 1988 were suspected of rape and kidnapping.

"Such acts directly contravene the rights enshrined in Article III of the Philippine Constitution," the U.N. High Commissioner said.

"The killings described by President Duterte also violate international law, including the right to life, freedom from violence and force, due process and fair trial, equal protection before the law, and innocence until proven guilty. As a government official, if he encouraged others to follow his example, he may also have committed incitement to violence."

RULE OF LAW

"The Philippines judicial authorities must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation," said the U.N. human rights chief said.

"The killings committed by Mr. Duterte, by his own admission, at a time when he was a mayor, clearly constitute murder. It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer."

Zeid said the President's repeated calls for the police, military and the general public to engage in a 'war on drugs', bringing people in 'dead or alive', has fostered an environment of alarming impunity and violence.

Since assuming the presidency on 30 June, reports suggest a total of over 6,100 people have been killed either by police, or by vigilantes and mercenaries, apparently acting in response to the President's war on drugs. In his public comments last week,

Duterte promised "For as long as there are drug lords, this campaign will go on until the last day of my term and until all of them are killed."

"Despite police investigating thousands of the deaths perpetrated by vigilantes, there is surprisingly little information on actual prosecutions," said Zeid. "Children as young as five years old have been the innocent victims of this appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings."

Zeid said that repeated statements indicating that immunity would be provided to police officers who engaged in human rights violations in the line of duty were "a direct violation of all democratic safeguards that have been established to uphold justice and the rule of law."

"Credible and independent investigations must be urgently re-opened into the killings in Davao, as well as into the shocking number of killings that have occurred across the country since Mr. Duterte became president," said Zeid.

"The perpetrators must be brought to justice, sending a strong message that violence, killings and human rights violations will not be tolerated by the State and that no one is above the law."
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

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PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

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The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
Thailand's broiler sector: Flying high again

 The substitution of EU grandparent stock in place of banned, bird-flu afflicted US supplies sustained production  Improving feed conversion ratios, finishing weights, biosecure housings boosted efficiency and meat safety  High red meat prices pushed up domestic broiler prices. Falling input costs, a depreciating ba ...
The underwater drone seized by China was part of an unclassified program to collect oceanographic data, including salinity, temperature, and clarity of the water

News broke that a Chinese warship seized an underwater drone belonging to the U.S. Navy. Unarmed and six feet in length, the drone, which resembles an oversized childrens bath toy, was meant to help the U.S. Navy figure out how to use its actual submarines more efficiently, especially in shallower waters. Costing $150,000, next to nothing for the Pentagon, its not the sort of U.S. military equipment that usually triggers an international incident.

But thats exactly what happened. China seized the drone, claiming that it was a hazard to navigation in the open ocean, and that they did so for safety reasons. The Pentagon insisted that it was operating in international waters, and pointed out that the mothership was in sight at the time the drone was snatched, and immediately demanded its return. Beijing offered to do so, and the underwater craft was returned to the U.S. this past Monday night.

The drone was launched by the Bowditch, an American ship, last week. Image source: U.S. Navy Visual News Service, via Associated Press.

So what exactly is an underwater drone? Basically, its a miniature submarine without any people inside. Because its much harder to send radio signals through water than air, these drones are typically not operated by remote control. In most cases, theyre completely autonomous, navigating with onboard computers and sensors.

The underwater drone seized by China was part of an unclassified program to collect oceanographic data, including salinity, temperature, and clarity of the water, according to a U.S. official. Data such as this can help inform U.S. military sonar data.

According to military.com, the U.S. Navy deployed underwater drones from submarines for the first time at the end of 2015. Now you are talking about a submarine [commanding officer] who can essentially be in two places at the same time  with a UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) out deployed which can do dull, dirty, and dangerous type missions, Rear Adm. Joseph Tofalo told military.com. This allows the submarine to be doing something else at the same time.

An illustration of the U.S. Navy's underwater drone that was seized by China. Image source: Teledyne Marine vehicles.

The underwater drones used by the military are similar to commercial units used by oil companies for underwater exploration and by emergency services for search and rescue. The Navy, for example, used a Bluefin-21 to search for wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, diving to 5,000 feet to scour the ocean floor.

We're using commercial off-the-shelf technologies to do real-world missions for the combatant commander, Tofalo told military.com. The sensors are similar to the sensors that the oil and gas industry might use. They might be surveying where their oil pipes are, whereas we might want to be looking for a mine field.

The technology behind the U.S. Navys underwater drones is still so new that theres not a proper military acronym for it yet. Some refer to them as AUVs, for autonomous underwater vehicle, others call them UUVs, for unmanned undersea vehicle, and there are at least half a dozen other names thrown around. Acronyms aside, its easiest to think of the unmanned miniature submarines as underwater gliders.

It should also be noted that there are other types of submarine drones. Several navies and oceanographic research institutions have a variety of shorter-endurance, shorter-range, and faster submarine drones. Realistically, most modern torpedoes could be called UUVs because they can operate on their own after being launched at their targets. But those drones all require lots of power to turn their propellers. This allows them to move much faster, but the trade-off is that they cant operate for as long.

Underwater gliders like the one China seized are designed to get around such an issue by using changes in water temperature to make the vehicle rise or sink, but to always move forward slowly. This means that they can operate across enormous distances and for long amounts of time without needing to be recharged.

In operation since the 1950s, there are over 250 different configurations of underwater drones in service, according to the Bard Center for Study of the Drone. Recently, the U.S. Navy has been expanding its investment in this area and named its first assistant secretary for Unmanned Systems in November 2015.

Sources: bard.edu, The Verge, Vox

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Manxman graduates from Sandhurst



Second Lieutenant Christopher Bolton

A Manxman is preparing to take charge of a platoon of 30 soldiers following his graduation from the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy.

Officer Cadet Christopher Bolton was among the latest group to pass out at the academy following a 44-week intensive military and academic training programme.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall was present for the graduation, which also saw the 29-year-old promoted to Second Lieutenant.

Those who graduate from the academy are immediately given leadership roles in the military, and can be deployed on peacekeeping missions and the delivery of humanitarian aid within months of leaving Sandhurst.

Bolton will join the Adjutant General's Corps, which provides support to a number of areas in the British Army.
Health worker loses unfair dismissal claim



Michael Inglis

A health worker who claimed she was unfairly dismissed from her job at Noble's Hospital has lost her claim.

Michelle Inglis - who also stood in this year's House of Keys General Election - claimed she was fired for being unable to return to her full duties after undergoing cancer treatment.

However, the hospital insisted her dismissal was due to a breakdown in trust, and that she had been warned she would be suspended if she refused to leave the hospital after being removed from an on-call shift.

A tribunal was critical of Mrs Inglis's decision to speak to local and British national media about her situation while suspended from her position, claiming articles has brought the hospital into disrepute.

The hearing went on to say what was written about the case was a "gross distortion" of the truth, which breached the trust and confidence of her employer.

The tribunal concluded Mrs Inglis was justifiably dismissed because of a breakdown in trust between her and senior management.
Drop-off day for Food Bank's advent appeal

A charity aiming to ensure everyone has enough food this Christmas is collecting boxes of food made up as part of an advent appeal.

The Isle of Man Food Bank asked Manx residents to put aside one item of food per day throughout advent before dropping it off at one of a number of collection points on the Island.

A number of Commissioners officers, churches and local businesses are opening their doors to make sure everyone can drop off their boxes.

The appeal came just weeks after it was revealed 114 people had sought help from the Food Bank in recent months.

A full list of collection points for the appeal can be found on the Food Bank's Facebook page.
Human cannonball stunt company fined



Scott May runs Stunts UK Ltd

A company who operated a human cannonball stunt which resulted in the death of a Manxman has been fined 100,000 for breaching health and safety laws.

Stunts UK Ltd will pay the fine and 80,000 in court costs, while Scott May - who runs the company - has been handed a 12-month community order and must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

May's defence told Maidstone Crown Court that he was truly sorry for the events which led to the death of Matthew Cranch in April 2011.

The 24-year-old stuntman died when his safety net collapsed during a performance in Kent after the quick release mechanism was accidentally released.

Stunts UK will not perform the human cannonball stunt again, telling the court the equipment will be destroyed now that the case is over.
Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

Google Ad

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh
Iranian Presidents Visit to Yerevan against the Background of Israeli-Azerbaijani Rapprochement

Recently it has become known that President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani is visiting Armenia on December 21, and then visits are envisaged to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. And though the information about the visit was known to the public since October, the final date was announced on December 18. The last few years were favorable for relations between Iran and Azerbaijan and, hence, unfavorable for Armenia partly due to Russias efforts. In particular, Tehran and Baku have signed a number of agreements and have started works aimed at improving railway connection, making Azerbaijan the main transit route of trade between Iran and Russia. Azerbaijan was the venue where Russia and Iran had their diplomatic meeting in summer of this year. Besides, it has become common to have meetings on the presidential level between Iran and Azerbaijan during the last three years (at least 7 meetings between the presidents). Meanwhile, the situation is different with Armenia. Hence, it can be claimed that Hassan Rouhanis visit to Armenia on December 21 has special importance. It is worth noting that Tehran mentioned the exact date of Rouhanis visit to Yerevan two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit to the country. In his turn, Netanyahu had criticized Iran during his visits to Baku and Astana. Moreover, he had called Baku a strategic ally of Israel in South Caucasus. Naturally, this was followed by Irans spiritual leader Ali Khameneis criticism. There is another interesting circumstance, namely, after his visit to Yerevan, President of Iran will leave to Astana, where Netanyahu visited a few days ago. In sum, we can claim that finally there are favorable conditions for establishing closer relations between Armenia and Iran. And this opportunity has been created without any efforts by the Armenian side. Nevertheless, we should realize that Hassan Rouhanis visit to Yerevan is not only a display of Armenian-Iranian friendship, but also result of Israeli-Iranian hostility. Anna Pambukhchyan, Union of Informed Citizens
Jamie Dornan denies having a secret relationship with his Fifty Shades Darker co-star, Dakota Johnson. His wife, Amelia Warner is reportedly expecting their third child.

Jamie Dornan and his co-star Dakota Johnson has been the subject of gossip ever since they set the temperatures soaring with their steamy chemistry in Fifty Shades of Grey. The sequel Fifty Shades Darker shows them with even better camaraderie but fans of the duo can rest assured that they are not having an affair in real life.

Though Dornan did not open up about the rumors linking him with Dakota Johnson for a long time, he has finally spoken up, reports International Business Times. The 34-year-old actor recently said that he shares a very friendly and professional relationship with Johnson and nothing beyond that. He also expressed admiration for her saying that only she understands what he is going through and vice versa.

Notably, Johnson and Dornan were rumored to be having a clandestine affair. It was also said that his wife Amelia Warner was not happy with them working together and at a point even pressurized Dornan to leave the Fifty Shades franchise. If fans remember, some time back, speculations about Ian Somerhalder replacing Dornan were doing the rounds.

Speaking of Warner, it may be true that the English actress is expecting a third baby with her husband, Dornan reports iTech Post. The couple might be expecting their third child as Warner has been seen in loose outfits often, lately. At the recently-held British Independent Film Awards, she was spotted adjusting her dress many times. So, is she pregnant?

Well, she could be but till there is an announcement, one cannot be certain. Sadly, the chances of that are very less as the actor is known to be protective of his family. He did not reveal anything when his wife was expecting their second daughter and only spoke after she was born in February.

Jamie Dornan said that his wife and two daughters keep him quite busy and he likes to lead a quiet life with them. It was clear from his statement that the actor is a family man and totally devoted to his wife.

There is no love affair with Dakota Johnson and neither any feud. Everything is fine and audiences can look forward to their amazing chemistry in the upcoming sequel.

Fifty Shades Darker is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Feb 10, 2017.
It was probably Brad Pitt's worst birthday last December 17, when he turned 53. He could not see his children.

But it was a pleasant day for the mother, Angelina Jolie, when she took her 10-year-old daughter Shiloh for 'camera shopping' at Samy's Camera in Los Angeles, according to Us Weekly.

"Shiloh is very interested in photography, and Angelina asked to look at some of the vintage cameras," says an inside source. "Angelina inspected the cameras from many different angles and was asking questions. Shiloh was listening intently and paying close attention."

Said the source: "Angelina told Shiloh she would love to get her the camera and asked her, 'Are you satisfied?' She told Shiloh it even had black and white, which was a nice added feature. Shiloh nodded her head but didn't talk much. She really listened to Angelina and deferred to her on everything. Angelina purchased the camera and they stayed for about 10 minutes and then left with a driver."

However, as it was Brad Pitt's birthday, it is not known how they celebrated it - or even if they did. Did anyone even wish him?

It is only one week before Christmas.

It is not known whether the poor actor will be able to meet his six children - Shiloh, Maddox, 15, Pax, 13, Zahara, 11, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 8. He did not see them during Thanksgiving, and might not see them for long on Christmas too, though he will meet them for some time.

He has been allowed a visit for just four hours on Christmas, says Daily Star.

The Fight Club hunk and the 41-year-old Jolie, 41, are still involved in their custody battle over their children. As she had complete physical custody of the children, Pitt, even though he had been cleared of child abuse allegations by the FBI in November, has agreed to limited visits overseen by a therapist.

Angelina Jolie filed for divorce in mid-September. She, at least, is enjoying her time with her children.

YouTube/STARS NEWS
Considering that the Redmond-based software giant has only around 0.4 percent share in the smartphone market across the globe, it is difficult to fathom how Microsoft will be treading on the grand stage during next year's Mobile World Congress (MWC).

As of late, the organization is setting-up domains that suggest a prominent appearance during the biggest gadget event in Barcelona. With a weak handset base, Microsoft's intentions remain unclear.

However, with the Surface Book units and the Windows 10 OS in the horizon, speculations hint that revelations associated with the recent launchings will be unraveled. The possibility of promoting future products is also likely.

It should be recalled that Microsoft has given up handling the Nokia product lines. With this in mind, it is still puzzling to know that the organization has established a page known msmwcmeetings.com with no device to offer.

Judging that the mobile summit is an important step towards promoting or selling new and incoming smartphones, it is difficult not to believe that the Redmond-headquartered team has a surprise under its sleeve.

With the Surface 2-in-1 concepts making a run in the laptop and tablet markets, the likelihood of launching a Surface phone is highly possible. Microsoft is probably out to declare that it is re-joining the handset bandwagon.

During this year's Windows Hardware Engineering Community (WinHEC) conference in Shenzhen, Qualcomm, the makers of the Snapdragon processors, has entered into a partnership with Microsoft. With the approach of integrating all user platforms, it is likely that the Bill Gates-founded company will come up with a phone that will have encompassing systems compatibility.

As of late, the joint venture has unraveled the next-generation chips that run on 64-bit capable processors. More than that, both tech companies will be enhancing the Windows 10 which can be employed on the PC and the smartphones.

With Qualcomm in the equation, it is anticipated that the Snapdragon will be used as the base to support computing gadgets associated with Microsoft. Within this context, the likelihood of manufacturing a Microsoft Surface phone will be a lot closer than people think.
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin are caught again for another controversy regarding their impending divorce. Speculations are swirling that the couple's marriage is nearing its end and people might expect for a holiday divorce.

George and Amal are regarded as one of Hollywood's hottest and perfect couples but before they married Clooney has been regarded before as one of the industry's greatest bachelors.

It seems like Clooney and Alamuddin are experiencing crisis in their marriage and they are now being chased by divorce issues. Since they are caught with this rumor, some reports would tell that there are certain things that the couple could not just agreed upon like baby issues and Clooney's several affairs with other famous women.

As reported by InTouch Weekly, George Clooney betrayed Amal Alamuddin and that is the exact reason Amal is planning to file for divorce. It has been reported that George actually has several affairs including women from the Hollywood. Though it has never been confirmed, this is considered a hot issue today with regards to the cause of the impending divorce.

Some speculate that there are famous actresses who are involved with this and who are the reason for Amal Alamuddin's headache. The renowned lawyer did not even give her comments to clarify things out and to enlighten everyone about the real status of their marriage.

Amal Alamuddin is a stunning Human Rights lawyer and that perhaps is the factor that captivated Clooney's attention and heart. If the rumors are true then George Clooney is following his friend, Brad Pitt's footsteps, a divorce.

Aprt from the infidelity issues, Amal Alamuddin and George Clooney are said to be fighting over baby issues. It has been speculated that George actually doesn't want Amal to get pregnant even if she is really thrilled to have a baby as mentioned on Radar Online. What could be George Clooney's valid reason for him to disagree on his wife's interest to have a child?

If George Clooney is indeed cheating on Amal Alamuddin with his several affairs then perhaps his wife is already tired of this and as a lawyer, she thinks divorce is the right move.
The large-screen adaptation of Divergent novels by American author, Veronica Roth, was supposed to be comprised of four science fiction films all set in the same universe. However, due to the poor performance of the first three installments, Lionsgate unfortunately decided to put the last film on-hold, indefinitely.

Shortly after the company announced that the final installment, Divergent Ascendant, was to be put on hold. The film's producers had proposed that the final events of the series, which would follow the latter half of the Allegiant novel, was going to be adapted into a television series. The new television series was also apparently going to be a branch out extension of the franchise itself.

However, some of the movie's cast members were quick to express their doubts about the series. Both Shailene Woodley, who plays the movie's main antagonist, Beatrice Prior, and her co-star Miles Teller, who plays the character, Peter Hayes, have already expressed their hesitations in starring in a television series tie-in.

Now, the movie's leading man, Theo James, who plays the role of Tobias Eaton, has also come out to express his doubts about starring in the franchise's television series. During an interview with TooFab, James immediately acknowledge the demand from fans for the franchise to have a proper end. Despite this, James mentioned that he was quite doubtful about his willingness, and that of his co-stars, to participate in a television series reboot.

In the same interview, James thanked the movies' fans for their support and apologized to them for not being able to see the story through. The actor then closed the interview by saying that the actors that were involved in the three movies were unlikely to return if the franchise does branch out into a different form.

Lionsgate has yet to make any announcements regarding its television series plans, which means that fans would likely have to read the novel itself if they really want to know how everything ends.
The first time I wrote about PLUMgrid was in June 2013, when the company emerged from stealth with $10.7 million in funding and a dream to enable the Software Defined Networking (SDN) market. Three and a half years later, that dream is dead as PLUMgrid is gone, with some of its assets and employees joining VMware.

No, this is not a grand exit for PLUMgrid, or a great acquisition with big numbers. In fact, there are no public numbers to speak of in regards to what VMware is paying for the limited assets it is picking up. PLUMgrid had raised a total of $46 million in funding over its three years of existence and its not clear if investors recovered all their money.

A VMware spokesperson told Enterprise Networking Planet that on Friday, December 16, VMware acquired certain IP assets from the company and that a number of PLUMgrid employees have now joined VMware.

PLUMgrid founder Pere Monclus wrote in a blog post that the company will be starting a new journey as we continue revolutionizing and transforming the networking industry to build and expand on software-defined infrastructure for private and public clouds.

PLUMgrid has a number of interesting technologies that will be of value to VMware. The core PLUMgrid OpenStack Networking Suite (ONS) is an interesting overlay approach that likely wont survive intact inside of VMware, as it competes with NSX, already a mature solution. That said, there are elements of ONS that could help enhance NSX.

Plumgrid is also the founder of the Linux Foundations IOvisor effort, which in an interesting networking effort that is baked into ONS. VMware could do well to take over stewardship of the open-source effort and use it as a way to further enhance NSX over time.

Its not clear at this stage why PLUMgrid isnt continuing on its own. The company got a new CEO in Larry Lang in June 2015. I did a video interview with Lang just over a year ago while in Tokyo, Japan, and at the time he was very optimistic about the continued growth trajectory of the company.

That said, while there is a lot of hype in the SDN space, not every SDN vendor is able to grow at a pace that investors want. The open-source networking options available to OpenStack Neutron users are many, as are the options for container networking users as well. I suspect that with PLUMgrid, revenues exceeded costs, venture funding dried up, and VMware was the best exit under the circumstances.

Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist
Two major data breaches recently exposed more than 10 million peoples personal information.

The online training company Lynda.com, which was acquired by LinkedIn last spring, acknowledged that an unauthorized third party accessed 55,000 users cryptographically salted and hashed passwords, Graham Cluley reports.

Another 9.5 million users were notified that while their passwords werent exposed, their contact information and details of viewed courses may have been accessed.

[W]hile we have no evidence that your specific account was accessed or that any data has been made publicly available, we wanted to notify you as a precautionary measure, the company told users by email.

Noting that the breach took place as Microsoft is wrapping up its acquisition of LinkedIn, RiskVision CEO Joe Fantuzzi told eSecurity Planet by email that the breach underscores the importance of taking extra precautions around risk during any acquisition process. In addition to adding new talent, technology and innovation, acquisitions can also sometimes add unintentional risk, he said.

As a result, Fantuzzi said, organizations need to be highly aware of the risk posture of the acquired organization as well as their own. This requires that they put especially strong efforts into aligning the two sets of security policies and detecting hidden vulnerabilities in the newly acquired systems that can easily fall through the cracks and expose the parent organization to damaging breaches and attacks before any value from their purchase can be realized, he said.

In a separate breach, 756,000 peoples confidential health data or personal information may have been accessed when a May 2016 phishing email successfully tricked 108 Los Angeles County employees into providing user names and passwords to their accounts, the L.A. Times reports.

Most of the people whose information was accessed had contact with the Department of Health Services, though a dozen other county departments were also affected.

The data potentially accessed includes names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, financial information and medical records.

Last week, an arrest warrant was issued for Austin Kelvin Onaghinor, 37, charging him with nine felony counts including unauthorized computer access and identity theft. My office will work aggressively to bring this criminal hackers and others to Los Angeles County where they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement.

Spirion CEO Jo Webber told eSecurity Planet that its no surprise to learn that the breach was caused by a phishing email. We expect this type of breach to continue to accelerate through 2017, and corporations must focus on securing sensitive data and informing all employees of what phishing emails look like and how convincing they often are, she said.

According to the results of a recent Alertsec survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults, 25 percent of respondents said recent high-profile hacks have prompted them to get more strategic about their online security. Forty-eight percent of respondents worry about hacker groups, particularly Russian hackers and Anonymous.
Union of Informed Citizens Responds to accusations of Russian Embassy

Today the press service of the Russian Embassy in Yerevan had a publication in which it addressed the publications of the sut.am website founded by the Union of Informed Citizens NGO. In particular, the following publications have aroused the embassys dissatisfaction: Ambassador Attributes Armenian and UN School Meals Program to Russia, and Ambassador Volinkin Lied about the Arms Supply. The embassy called these publications and their authors false, bought with thirty pieces of silver, ordered, fresh Psaki (probably meaning former Spokesperson of the US Department of State), and etc. Moreover, they claim in the embassy that the main donor of UNs Armenian school meals program is Russia with its 18 million USD donation (without giving any reference except for DLMN news website). Sut.am website has referred to Head of Financial and Accounting Department of RA Ministry of Education and Science Gevorg Yeghinyans words, who denied funding of that program by Russia (you can find the audio-recording here). Regarding the analysis related to the 200 million USD loan, the embassy offers to make an inquiry to the RA Ministry of Defense or simply watch the military parade on September 21. But Union of Informed Citizens did make inquiries on this issue both to the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Finance. Not receiving any answer from the RA Ministry of Defense, we have published the response of the Ministry of Finance, in which one can clearly see that no arms supplies had been made by that time within the framework of the loan agreement. The scanned version of that letter was published in the material in question. Sut.am is always guided by official materials and cannot guarantee that everybody will like their publications. This is even more actual in the light of the circumstance that very often we do not manage to get any comment or information from the press service of the Russian Embassy in Armenia. We will not make an attempt to address the political part of the embassys statement. We will only note that the claims regarding the anonymity of the materials and the authors behind them are unacceptable. The materials of sut.am are investigative in nature, a whole team usually works on them and, as it is mentioned in the website, the author of the publications is Union of Informed Citizens. There is no need to write a specific persons name under the news material in the same way as there is no need to write a specific name under the embassys press release in question. Union of Informed Citizens
Pierre-Alain Coffinier (Robert Schuman Foundation)

British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March 2017 at the very latest. The process of withdrawal and arrangement of future relations will be a complicated one and from the various statements made by representatives of EU member countries we can discern certain negotiating positions. The underlying assumption is that any restriction on the free movement of people made by the UK will automatically lead to the loss of access to the single market.

Possible forms of the British-EU relations after Brexit can be derived from the existing models. First, the Norwegian version is based on the membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) and hence on the access to the EU single market. Norway must respect all four freedoms of movement and contribute to the EU budget without having decision-making powers. Second, the relations between Switzerland and the EU are regulated based on bilateral agreements. Switzerland, however, does have neither access to the single market in services, nor control over immigration. Third, the free trade agreement, such as the one completed between the EU and Canada, covers services, goods and investment, but on a smaller scale compared to the above mentioned models.

Regardless of what will eventually be the most acceptable option for both parties, the Brexit process itself will first require an agreement on withdrawal. It will mostly cover topics such as budget, rights, institutions and others. The agreement on the arrangement of future relations should ensure continuity of close cooperation in the areas of security, foreign policy or environmental protection. To negotiate a chapter on the economy will undoubtedly be challenging. The simplest solution would be if the Kingdom remained in the EEA, but given the current British sentiment, this option seems highly unlikely. In the light of the expected difficult negotiations, a transitional agreement for a certain period of time cannot be excluded as an option.

Moreover, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which predominantly voted for the UK to remain in the EU, contribute to Britains unenviable position. The Scottish strong financial sector and agriculture that depend on the EU Common Agricultural Policy are very much jeopardized by Brexit. As for Northern Ireland, it is the largest recipient of structural funds in the UK. It is therefore a great paradox that Great Britain, which seeks a greater autonomy and more prominent position in the world by withdrawing from the EU, is now actually faced with the prospect of disintegration.

(The study can be downloaded here)
The European Union yesterday (19 December) prolonged the economic sanctions, targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy. The first set of punitive measures was launched in July 2014 for one year in response to the annexation of Crimea. The initial measures targeted the financial, energy and defense sectors and were reinforced in September 2014. In the spring 2015, Brussels linked the duration of sanctions with the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, which was foreseen by the end of 2015. Since Russia did not comply till this date, the Council extended the sanctions until mid-2016 and eventually till January 2017.

The European Council has now assessed the implementation of the Minsk agreement and decided that the sanctions would be prolonged till the end of July 2017. The most significant sanctions prolonged by this decision are for example the limited access to EU primary and secondary capital markets for five major Russian majority state-owned financial institutions as well as three major Russian energy and three defense companies, ban on exports and imports on trade in arms, an export ban for dual-use goods for military use or military end users in Russia and curtailed access to certain sensitive technologies and services that can be used for oil production and exploration. In addition to these economic measures, there are also several other measures such as travel bans and asset freeze currently for more than 150 individuals and 37 entities.

The announcement of EUs decision to prolong sanctions against Russia came very unfortunately yesterday when Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated at an art exhibition in Ankara by a Turkish gunman screaming God is great! and dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria! in what the leaders of Turkey and Russia called a provocative terrorist attack. Following the shocking assassination, EUs Federica Mogherini sent a message to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the following text: I was deeply shocked to hear of the inconceivable attack against Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara this afternoon. Our fullest sympathies are with his family, all his colleagues, and the Russian authorities. The European Union condemns in the strongest possible manner this attack against your countrys representative in Turkey. We wish to express our solidarity with Russia in the face of this criminal act of violence.
Senior private bank professionals in Brazil expect that the extension to the amnesty on undisclosed offshore assets will lead to further inflows  for the government and private banking industry  in 2017.

The initial deadline of the end of November this year raised R$46.8 billion for the Brazilian government, with 15% fines and 15% tax on a total of R$132 billion declared by Brazilian nationals.

However, the deadline was extended by 120 days  with a higher combined government take of 35%  and Joao Albino Winkelmann, head of private banking at Bradesco Private Bank and head of the Brazilian banking association Anbimas private banking committee, says he expects the extension to drive material additional declarations.

I was expecting between R$70 billion and R$80 billion of taxes and so I think the extension will see an additional R$20 to R$30 billion in taxes, he says.

Luiz Ribeiro, head of private banking at Itau Private Bank, says: We were expecting between R$80 billion and R$100 billion so we would expect the extension to lead to more declared assets next year  depending on who is eligible for the next stage.



Luiz Ribeiro, Itau

That eligibility criterion referenced by Ribeiro is in response to a draft amendment that would change the regulations that governed the November amnesty, which prevented anyone participating if they have a close relative working as a public servant. Wealth managers report that they had many clients who wanted to declare offshore assets, but were unable to do so because of relatives ties to the public sector.

We are in favour of anyone being eligible to participate in the amnesty because the source of these assets is pretty clear very quickly when you start to examine the source of funds documentation, says Bradescos Winkelmann.

He argues the amnesty couldnt be used to clean money related to recent public-sector corruption scandals because its so easy to see in the due diligence and if someone is lying [about the source of funds] they can stull suffer the consequences later on.

However, the irony is that despite the large volume of declared funds, the impact on AUM for local private banks was negative. This is because some clients used onshore money to pay the fines and kept assets offshore. And with the majority of clients just bringing in the amount needed to pay the fine and tax, the net effect was negative for onshore AUM.

Most clients left it to the last minute to participate and many just brought back enough resources to pay the fine or used onshore funds says Rudolf Gschliffner, executive superintendent of Santander Private Banking in Sao Paulo.

However, we opened [international] accounts and helped the clients through the process and now we will enter the battle for the [management] of this money. Next year, now that the money is clean, we can go to the next step managing inflows and organizing portfolio diversification.

However, there were other benefits: Itaus private bank increased FX sales and trading revenues by more than 200% when compared with 2015.

The growth in our net new assets was positive but below expectations, but on the other hand the revenues from FX trading were very strong, says Itaus Riberio.

Also, next year will see individuals move on to developing coherence in their onshore and offshore portfolios that  in many cases  will see positive AUM effect for domestic managers.

International operations

Local bankers are also heavily marketing their international operations in a bid to boost the AUM of Brazilians who want to keep the now-declared money offshore. Ribeiro says that Itau has already opened 300 international accounts and is working with lawyers to market Itaus international banking services, based in Miami and Zurich.

Itau is already the leader in the local market and so our main strategy for growth next year is to be the global adviser for those clients [that have just declared significant offshore assets], says Ribeiro, who is targeting 15% growth in international AUM and 12% domestically.

Winkelmann says that much of the offshore funds was at small private banks and he believes clients will look to consolidate portfolios next year.

Some of these banks in places like Switzerland  or Michigan in one example  I have never heard of, he says. I believe Bradesco will be able to capture those accounts  either through the client bringing the money back to Brazil, which is already happening, or the transfer of these assets to one of our international banking offices.

And there are other advantages of combining international and domestic accounts, with the former being able to be used a collateral by Brazilian banks if its under their management to enable high-net-worth individuals greater flexibility to use offshore capital to provide local working capital without liquidating positions.

Another is simply practicality.

Clients tell me these banks used to visit Brazil three times a year and now its once  if at all, says Winkelmann. In many cases clients have to travel overseas to check on these assets and now that it is declared, the attraction of being able to speak to us here in Brazil  even if they keep the assets offshore  is very attractive.
Of all the cases weve covered here where scientists and others have been persecuted for sharing ideas favorable to intelligent design, what happened to David Coppedge is arguably the most reprehensible. Thats partly because Coppedge, working at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab as a team lead on the Cassini Mission to Saturn, wasnt a PhD scientist with the space agency. He was a computer administrator, albeit a senior one, and therefore by definition a less powerful, more vulnerable player in the science world.

Another aggravating factor: His offense was not public (like, for example, the scientists whose stories are told in the film Expelled), in the sense of publishing or teaching about ID at a university or museum. In those instances, you could at least say that the persecutors acted on behalf of their cause, materialism. No, this was strictly private, and thus gratuitously cruel. Coppedge loaned out documentaries on DVD, highlighting relevant scientific evidence of design in biology and cosmology, to willing colleagues. Thats it! Thats all he did.

In a series of podcasts on ID the Future, Coppedge tells his own story for the first time (outside of a courtroom context). The series concludes now with a third and final episode. Listen to it by clicking here.

As he approached retirement age, for his mild-mannered and entirely private advocacy, Mr. Coppedge was disciplined, demoted, shamed, and finally, after he sued over this indefensible treatment, fired. Completing the drama, in a five-week anti-discrimination lawsuit, a California Superior Court judge sided with JPLs team of high-paid lawyers, shortly after which Coppedge was diagnosed with cancer.

You must hear about all of this now. Its a David versus Goliath story, except that here, Goliath creamed David and walked away. Taking advantage of his vulnerability, David Coppedges supervisors sought to hurt and silence him. They succeeded. And that, by fear of career and personal ruin, is how the scientific consensus against ID is maintained.

Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Im on Twitter. Follow me @d_klinghoffer.
A sharp increase in UK public sector net borrowing weighed heavily on the Pound to Euro exchange rate (GBP EUR), particularly as investors continued to lack clarity over the governments Brexit plan.

Confidence in the outlook of the UK economy remained limited in spite of an uptick in the GfK consumer confidence index, leaving the British pound on a weaker footing against the euro.

Although the GfK index unexpectedly rose from -8 to -7 in December, expectations are for this confidence to diminish in the New Year, with consumers thought to be making purchases in anticipation of higher inflation.

Positive German import price index data and expectations of a government rescue for Monte dei Paschi have supported the Euro, meanwhile.

EUR/GBP had come under pressure as shares in the beleaguered Monte dei Paschi slumped 18% in early trading, although this selloff was soon wiped out when Italian MPs approved plans to borrow 20 billion Euros to support the banking sector.

With worries eased, albeit temporarily, the GBP/EUR slumped ahead of the afternoons Eurozone consumer confidence index.

Current Pound/Euro Exchange Rates as Reference

The Pound to Euro exchange rate today (22/12/16): -0.48pct lower on the day at 1.17912.

The Euro to Pound exchange rate today: +0.48% at 0.84809.

The Pound Euro exchange rate (GBP EUR) edged lower on Tuesday afternoon as the latest Brexit comments from Britains Prime Minister left Sterling less appealing.

UK PM Theresa May indicated in a testimony to commons that she may not respect MP desires to vote on the final Brexit deal nor the possibility of a second Scottish independence referendum.

GBP/EUR spend much of the day trending below the level of 1.19, but the pair generally remained close to that level. GBP/EUR could see a more defined fall on Wednesday if the UKs upcoming borrowing figures disappoint.

GBP/EUR stabilised earlier on Tuesday as renewed fears over 'Brexit' were balanced by fresh concerns over Italys beleaguered banking sector as the government seeks a 20bn rescue package.

The GBP EUR exchange rate traded flatly this morning as the Italian government has reportedly begun to prepare 20bn in funding to help support its struggling banking sector.

Analysts expect that the funds could be used to bailout Monte dei Paschi, Italys third largest bank, by the end of the week if the bank fails to secure 5bn in funding from private investors.

Markets fear the impact that the potential bailout will have on Monte dei Paschi and Italys financial sector as a whole as EU regulations on bank bailouts would hamper the banks ability to lend money.

As Bloomberg Reports, A failure of Monte Paschis recapitalization would be a blow to Italys stuttering efforts to revive a banking industry thats burdened with about 360 billion euros in troubled loans, dragging down the economy by limiting lending.

Meanwhile there are also worries of the political impact the bailout may have on the newly formed government, with criticism already growing from taxpayers that the burden will fall on them.

Pound Remains Weakened by 'Brexit' Concerns

The Pound has struggled to capitalise on the Euros woes today as it still reels from yesterdays Deutsche Bank report which caused 'Brexit' fears to flare up once again.

The research by Germanys largest lender indicated that Sterlings recent surge was likely to soon come to an end and advised investors to short the overvalued currency.

Deutsche Bank predicts that the Pound will collapse in early 2017 as the prospect of a favourable deal for the UK government in 'Brexit' negotiations is likely to be hindered by political instability in Europe caused by the rise of populism ahead of the French and German elections.

Meanwhile a rise in the UK CBI retail data did little to help the Pound this morning as despite jumping from 26% to 35% in December and beating expectations that it would slide to 20%, Sterling was unable to advance and actually fell briefly.

Investors are concerned that the bump was caused by shoppers wanting to spend before prices are expected to rise when retailers renegotiate with suppliers and these price rises are likely to cause a notable drop in consumer spending next year.

ING economist James Knightley explained, 2017 is already shaping up to be more challenging. Consumer confidence has weakened significantly in the past couple of months, which may be partly due to growing fears over what Brexit might mean for households, but also an anticipation of sharply higher prices.

GBP EUR Exchange Rate Forecast: Rise in Consumer Confidence may Boost Pound on Thursday

The Pound may rally later this week with the release of Gfks latest Consumer Confidence Survey for the UK. Although analysts expect it to hold at -8 in December, a surprise improvement could help Sterling trend higher.

Germany will also release its own Gfk survey on Friday which may help the Pound to rise as markets predict that German confidence will tumble from 9.8 to 9.7 in January.
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Expats want different things when they start a new life in their chosen country, but now new research could help them make up their minds where in the UK is the best place to relocate.Winchester, famous for its cathedral and history and less than an hour from London, has been named as the best place to live in the UK.  The Orkney Islands have taken second place, followed by Wychavon in Worcestershire, Derbyshire Dales and Hambleton in North Yorkshire, according to the 2016 Halifax Quality of Life Survey.If you are after good weather then the sunniest place in the UK is the Isle of Wight, not far from Winchester, where residents enjoy an average of 36.9 hours of sunshine a week, above the national average of 29.7 hours per week.The lowest average annual rainfall at 525 mm is in Castle Point in Essex and eight of the 10 driest districts in the UK are in the East of England. The UK average annual rainfall is 869.9 mm.If access to superfast broadband is important then the south of England does not do well. It is areas such as Greater Manchester, York and Ards in Northern Ireland that have the highest proportion of premises able to receive 5 Mbps (megabits per second).If you have children and their school results are in important then the best GCSE results in England can be found in Sutton with 81.1% successIf your lifestyle involves having a great British traditional pub then Eden in Cumbria is the place to go as it has the highest number of pubs per 10,000 adults at 28.3, followed by the Derbyshire Dales 26.7. The national average is 10.1. Cornwall comes out top when looking at the total number of pubs in a local authority with 620.If physical activity is important then Islington in London is the place to head to for health and fitness clubs where there are 6.3 clubs per 10,000 people. The national average is 1.4.Looking across a wide range of indicators considered by our research, residents of Winchester in Hampshire enjoy the best quality of life in the UK, benefiting from a combination of above average weekly earnings, low crime rate and good health, said Martin Ellis, an economist at the Halifax.But he pointed out that there is a cost associated with a high quality of life in Winchester with house prices in the city some 9.7 times the average annual local income, significantly higher than the UK average of 7.2.Overall areas in the South of England scored highly on weekly earnings, weather, health and life expectancy. Meanwhile, areas in the North received high ratings on low house price to earnings ratio, environmental measures such as low population densities and low traffic flows, as well as smaller primary school sizes.Northerners believe themselves to be less anxious and happier than in those living in the south, whereas southerners responded as more satisfied and content in life.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Heres a brilliant podcast discussion for people in their 20s, 30s, even their 40s to learn about funeral planning, wills and trusts. Bad With Money With Gaby Dunn titled its December 14, 2016 episode, Death is F*cking Expensive.

Gaby Dunn interviews two young comedians about their experiences with parental death when mothers and fathers die without wills and no discussion of funeral plans.

You know those money podcasts where financial experts teach you practical steps for maximizing your income? Bad With Money is the opposite of that. Gaby Dunn is anything but a financial expert.

A self-described bridge-burning livewire, shes always viewed money as an endless existential crisis  and she has a sneaking suspicion you do, too. So much of our identity and self-worth is caught up in how much money we have (or dont have), how hard it is to get it, and even harder to keep it.

Money makes us freak out, cry, and do wildly inappropriate things. So how come nobody ever talks about it? Join Gaby for conversations with comedians, artists, musicians, actors, her parents, a financial psychologist, her boyfriend, and many others about the ways that money makes us feel confused, hopeless, and terrified. This is a safe space to admit that you have no idea what youre doing either.

In the December 14, 2016 Death is F*cking Expensive episode, she interviews young comedians Eden Dranger and Steve Basilone. They are just like Gaby  comedians with poor life skills. As weve learned, thats not a great combination when it comes to money. For Eden and Steve, it was particularly bad when their parents died, leaving them in charge of closing out their estates  a process which turns out to be as complicated financially as it is emotionally.

Listen to the podcast! And then get a competent attorney and make some funeral plans
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At least seven lawsuits already have been filed against Valero Energy Corp. and an asphalt company blamed for contaminating Corpus Christis water supply, with more likely as hundreds of local businesses assess damage from shutting down last week.

This was devastating to the local population and businesses because we were not able to use the water at all.  There was no workaround, said lawyer Kathy Snapka, whose Corpus Christi-based firm filed a lawsuit against Valero Energy Corp., some of its subsidiaries, and Ergon Asphalt and Emulsions on behalf of at least two businesses Thursday. We could not boil the water or freeze it or in some other way make it OK to use. It was simply, There is a contaminant in the water, dont use it for anything, so it really brought the city to a standstill for a couple of days.

Snapka filed suit on behalf of two businesses, including a laundromat owned by her mother, but said she has been contacted by at least 10 other businesses.

The citywide ban was issued Wednesday night after a backflow incident at the Ergon site leaked up to 24 gallons of a chemical called Indulin AA-86 into the Corpus Christi water system. Indulin AA-86 is a corrosive agent used to emulsify asphalt.

The incident caused the city to issue a ban on all water use, forcing residents to use bottled water for everything from bathing to washing dishes from late Wednesday through Saturday. Full use of city water services wasnt restored until Sunday.

Many businesses, including restaurants and hair salons, reportedly either had to reduce services or close during the ban. Canceled catering events and hotel stays also were reported.

Craig Sico, managing partner with Corpus Christi-based law firm Sico Hoelscher Harris and Braugh, said in a phone interview that he filed a temporary restraining order against Valero and Ergon in the aftermath of the water ban for the purpose of protecting the evidence and making sure that things didnt continue to change without any kind of transparency.

We plan to coordinate and work with Valero and Ergon to try to determine what actually happened, Sico said. Obviously theres a cause and effect. The effect we know: The effect was water was shut down for the entire city, had a dramatic effect on many businesses. The cause of that and how things transpired, were trying to figure out.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration considers Indulin AA-86 a hazardous material. Ergon, based in Jackson, Mississippi, said in a statement Saturday that Indulin AA-86 could have been mixed with hydrochloric acid at the companys emulsion manufacturing facility that it leases from Valero.

Bill Miller  one of the founders of Hillco Partners, an Austin-based public relations and lobbying firm hired by Ergon after the water contamination  declined to discuss the litigation against Ergon.

Valero spokeswoman Lillian Riojas confirmed that Valero owns the emulsion manufacturing facility, which Ergon leases and operates. Valero operates an asphalt terminal adjacent to the Ergon site. Valero has repeatedly denied any responsibility for the contamination, and released a timeline on Saturday showing that Valero employees had noticed foul water at their asphalt terminal administration building since Nov. 23.

In a lawsuit filed Friday, Martina Robledo of Lilas Mexican Restaurant sued Valero Marketing and Supply Co., Valero South Texas Marketing Co., Valero Refining-Texas, Valero Energy Corp. and Ergon for $1 million in damages.

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.

Attorney Josh Hopkins with Corpus Christi-based law firm Elliot and Ritch filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lilas Mexican Restaurant. Hopkins said the case could become a class-action lawsuit.

All these restaurants, all of them had, as far as we can tell, lost profits because of the fact that their business was either nonexistent because they were closed or they fell off because people thought they should be closed, Hopkins said.

While residents on the northwest and coastal portions of Corpus Christi saw water restrictions lifted Friday, residents closer to the center of town had to wait until authorities gave the green light for the entire city.

Water testing will continue over the next couple of weeks, said David Gray, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency .

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokesman Terry Clawson said testing of Corpus Christis water will end when were absolutely certain its safe.

rdruzin@express-news.net

@druz_journo
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Southwest Bancshares Inc. CEO J. Bruce Bugg Jr. and other San Antonio executives are trying to start a new community bank in Austin  which would become the first new bank in Texas since the financial crisis.

The group has formed The Bank of Austin, which is expected to be initially capitalized with up to $40 million, the newly formed bank announced Monday. The bank is scheduled to open by the end of June or early part of the third quarter, pending state and federal regulatory approvals.

The proposed board will be chaired by Bugg, whose Southwest Bancshares Inc. owns The Bank of San Antonio. Bugg also chairs The Tobin Endowment, a charitable foundation that supports the performing arts in San Antonio.

The board will be stocked with other notable local executives, including Robert Cavender, president of Cavender Automotive Group; Gene Dawson Jr., chairman of Pape-Dawson Engineers; David Spencer, biotech entrepreneur and investor; and Brent Given, president and CEO of The Bank of San Antonio.

They also were all founders of the San Antonio bank, which had more than $661 million in assets as of Nov. 30. It began with $25 million in capital and assets when it launched in 2007.

The business reasons for starting the new Bank of Austin in Austin are compelling, Bugg said in an interview.

He cited the Austin areas population growth and the rise in local bank deposits. Deposits have nearly doubled to $30.6 billion in Travis County over the last eight years, figures from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. show. There were 49 banks operating in the county as of June 30, including four based in Austin, though one of those local institutions is slated to be acquired.

There has been a dearth of new bank charters, and we think the timing  is perfect, Bugg added.

The last new bank, commonly referred to as a de novo institution, to launch in Texas was R Bank in Round Rock in June 2009, said Bob Bacon, deputy commissioner of the Texas Department of Banking. The seven years-plus between de novo banks in the state is the longest gap in at least the past 35 years, he added.

The financial collapse of the late 2000s wiped out about 800 banks in the U.S. and spawned a heightened regulatory environment with increased compliance costs for banks, creating new hurdles for startups. The rate of new-bank formation has plummeted from an average of about 100 per year since 1990 to a handful over the past several years, according to a March 2015 report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and data from the FDIC.

But the industry appears to be on the upswing. The number of applications across the U.S. for de novo banks this year already exceeds the last four years combined. There were five applications through the first 10 months of this year, compared with four applications approved from 2011 through October, according to FDIC data. This years figure does not include the Bank of Austin.

In the wake of the Great Recession, the FDIC extended from three to seven years the period that de novo nonmember FDIC banks were subject to higher capital maintenance requirements and more frequent examinations, FDIC chairman Martin Gruenberg told a congressional committee in July. Given the improving performance of the banking industry, he said, the FDIC rescinded that policy and returned to the three-year oversight period in April. Some believe that could spark renewed interest in bank startups.

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.

Curtis Carpenter, principal and head of investment banking at Sheshunoff & Co. Investment Banking who is based in Austin, called plans for Bank of Austin brilliant.

There is a real scarcity of local, entrepreneurial owners in an Austin-based financial institution, Carpenter said. There are a few but the city could accommodate twice as many as there are right now.

Jon Eckert, who has more than 24 years experience as a commercial banker in Austin, has been tapped as Bank of Austins proposed president and CEO, and a board member, according to a news release.

A substantial portion of Bank of Austins capital is expected to come from the Austin business community. Applications for the new bank have been filed with the Texas Department of Banking and the FDIC.

Our strategy is going to be to just focus on locally owned, small- to midsized businesses and professional groups, Bugg said.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD
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Cowboys Dancehall, a popular Northeast Side honky-tonk mired in bankruptcy, may be forced to sell its assets to pay back millions of dollars owed to its creditors after U.S. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Ronald King ruled against it in court Monday.

King cleared the way for the music venues creditors to decide on a liquidation plan proposed by Cowboys main lender  Business Property Lending. Whether the clubs owners are forced to sell hinges on a vote next month. A forced liquidation would sell off the 16.6-acre lot at 3030 Loop 410 on the Northeast Side along with its inventory, concert equipment and vehicles, among other assets.

Creditors will also be able to vote on a competing plan filed by Cowboys earlier this month that would allow it to stay open and repay its creditors over time.

Cowboys Far West, the Arlington-based partnership that owns the nightclub, could have blocked Business Property Lending from getting a vote. But the owners missed the October deadline to file their reorganization plan, opening the door for creditors to try to force a sale. The reorganization plan is also on the table, but Cowboys wont be able to initiate the voting process on its proposal until Jan. 11 at the earliest.

Creditors have until Jan. 25 to decide on the lenders proposal, and King is scheduled to confirm the lenders plan on Jan. 30.

Proceeds from any sale would be put toward the roughly $10 million Cowboys owes to creditors, including Missouri-based Business Property Lending, which holds a $5 million loan on the property with an outstanding balance of $3.9 million. The company says its building and land, valued at $5.3 million by Bexar County this year, are worth $10 million.

Business Property Lending may have already found a buyer for property. The lenders attorney Eric English told King in a hearing Monday that Westdale Real Estate Investment and Management, based in Dallas, had approached Business Property Lending with an unsolicited offer of $6.5 million to purchase the property.

The fact that weve already received an unsolicited offer at $6.5 million suggests it may not take that long to get a very competitive price for this, English said.

A call to Westdale was not returned Monday.

Cowboys attorney James Wilkins objected to the plan, arguing that it doesnt weigh whether the club could resolve its debts by remaining open. He said the plan demonstrates a complete lack of knowledge regarding operation of a nightclub and dance hall.

Its got some holes in it that still have not been resolved, Wilkins said during Mondays hearing.

At least one creditor is on the fence. Elliott S. Cappuccio  a lawyer representing an arm of Minnesota-based Prinsbank, which holds the nightclubs second mortgage  said Monday that his client is looking over both plans, citing concerns that the lenders plan may not allow enough time for a sale of the property and that Prinsbank could reduce the amount of interest the Minnesota lender could receive.

Were still evaluating both of them and trying to figure out which plan would make the most sense for my client, Cappuccio said.

Cowboys Far West filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June to avoid losing the property in a foreclosure sale.

The partnership sued Business Property Lending and its parent company in July, claiming the lender wrongfully foreclosed on the nightclub and forced it into bankruptcy. Cowboys lost that lawsuit in September but appealed that ruling earlier this month.

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.

jfechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports
An Army major general has been stripped of his stars and forced out of the military after a 30-year career because of a long extramarital affair and "swinger" lifestyle.

An Army spokesman said Maj. Gen. David Haight was demoted three grades to lieutenant colonel, a steep and rare downgrade for a senior officer.
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As cold temperatures descend on South Texas, a Texas-sized gift of oatmeal will help warm thousands of families in need.

Monday morning, H-E-B delivered a truckload of more than 4,000 boxes of its Quick Oats Oatmeal to the food bank; the nonprofit was one of 17 food banks across Texas and Mexico to receive a holiday shipment.

According to the food retailer, a fleet of trucks delivered enough oatmeal to provide more than 2.3 million meals to people served by 17 food banks across Texas. In San Antonio, officials estimated, the delivery will amount to 138,240 bowls of the breakfast staple.

The truckloads of oatmeal are part of the grocers commitment to prevent food insecurity in Texas, said Danny Flores, H-E-B public affairs manager. He said one in six Texans live in food-insecure homes that include one in four Texas children.

Theres no reason for hunger in the state of Texas, Flores said, standing near the open doors of a trailer backed up to a dock at the food banks warehouse. So thats the reason were here, to be able to support communities and fight hunger within our communities.

The donations, offered through the H-E-B Food Bank Assistance Program, were distributed to the food banks, all with Feeding America, a national domestic hunger-relief organization. Founded in 1982, the program makes food deliveries and financial donations throughout the year to food banks in Texas and Mexico.

After the presentation, Flores joined a dozen people as Gilbert Najera, shipping coordinator, steered a stand-up forklift into the trailer and wheeled out the first pallet of plastic-wrapped boxes.

Erika Borrego, chief operations officer, said families will be happy to have oatmeal on their tables for breakfast. The food banks nutrition team, she added, would help clients learn about using fresh fruit to enhance the meal.

So many people this holiday season are going to celebrate around their table with a beautiful meal, Borrego said. And then there are other people in our community who, with the grace and help of our community members and generous donors like H-E-B and staff at the food bank, they too will be able to celebrate a nice, warm holiday meal.

vtdavis@express-news.net
ISTANBUL  Russias ambassador to Turkey was assassinated at an Ankara art exhibit Monday evening by a lone Turkish gunman shouting God is great! and Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria! in what Russia called a terrorist attack.

The gunman, described by Ankaras mayor as a policeman, also wounded at least three others in the assault, which was captured on Turkish video. Turkish officials said he was killed by other officers in a shootout.

The assassination instantly sent relations between Turkey and Russia to a new level of crisis over the protracted Syrian conflict on Turkeys southern doorstep. It came after days of protests by Turks angry over Russias support for Syrias government in the conflict and the Russian role in the killings and destruction in Aleppo in northern Syria.

The envoy, Andrey Karlov, was shot from behind and immediately fell to the floor while speaking at an exhibition, according to multiple accounts from the scene, the Contemporary Arts Center.

The gunman, wearing a dark suit and tie, was seen in video footage of the assault shouting in Arabic: God is great! Those who pledged allegiance to Muhammad for jihad. God is great!

Then he switched to Turkish and shouted: Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria! Step back! Step back! Only death can take me from here.

Turkish officials said the gunman was killed after a shootout with Turkish special operations forces police. The assailants identity was not immediately known.

Russias Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told the Rossiya 24 news channel that Karlov had died of his wounds in what she described as a terrorist attack.

Russian news agencies said the ambassadors wife fainted and was hospitalized after learning of her husbands death. They also said Russian tourists in Turkey had been advised against leaving their hotel rooms or visiting public places as a precaution.

Russias Tass news agency initially quoted witnesses as saying that there had been an assassination attempt against Karlov and that he had been shot from behind while finishing his opening remarks at the opening of the exhibition, called Russia Through Turks Eyes.

While the Russian and Turkish governments back different sides in the Syrian conflict, they had been collaborating in recent days in efforts to evacuate civilians from Aleppo.

Karlov, who started his career as a diplomat in 1976, worked extensively in North Korea over two decades before moving to the region in 2007, according to a biography on the Russian Embassys website. He became ambassador in July 2013.

For many Russians, the assassination is likely to remind them of the 19th-century killing in Tehran of Aleksandr Griboyedov, a poet and diplomat who died after a mob stormed the Russian Embassy.
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AUSTIN  Texas awarded President-elect Donald Trump 36 electoral votes Monday, putting him over the top in the final tally to elect him the 45th president. But it wasnt easy.

In a laborious meeting that stretched nearly three hours amid procedural delays and chants from protesters outside the Texas House of Representatives, all but two of Texas 38 electors voted for Trump. In a secret ballot, one elector voted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and the other voted for former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul.

Its kind of long and boring, but its kind of cool, said Rocio Arroyos, a mother from Granbury who watched from the gallery of the House chamber with her son and a friend from his Boy Scout troop. If you dont vote, you get left out.

Four of Texas presidential electors missed the vote, leading the body to nominate and elect fill-ins. That was followed by three rounds of voting to elect the groups chairman. By the time Texas finally voted, Trump needed only two more electoral votes to reach the 270-vote threshold required to gain the White House.

The Lone Star State pushed Trump to 304 electoral votes. Democrat Hillary Clinton ended up with 227.

The gallery was full nearly the entire meeting and erupted in boos after the vote. Hundreds of people had spent much of their day outside the Texas Capitol, protesting and picketing in near-freezing temperatures in hopes of encouraging electors to vote their conscience by casting a ballot for someone other than Trump.

Protesters pointed to his temperament, his coziness with Russia and his attitude toward women and people of color as reason enough for individual electors to think twice before voting for him.

Sabra Booth, 51, of San Antonio spent much of her Sunday laboring over the sign she would bring. An artist by trade, she cut a black foam board in the shape of a garbage can and painted Trumps face emerging from within, next to a New York City rat who didnt appear to like Trump much more than she did.

Our forefathers meant it to be a safety valve to keep a demagogue from getting into office, Booth said of the Electoral College. Now, we have someone who definitely has tyrannical leanings.

Demonstrators in state capitals across the country protested against Trump, hoping to persuade at least 37 electors to support other candidates or sit out the vote altogether. Denying Trump 270 electoral votes would send the decision to the U.S. House of Representatives, but only a handful of electors nationwide switched their votes, mostly away from Clinton.

Two Texas electors had publicly proclaimed that they would not vote for Trump. The first, Art Sisneros of Dayton, said he would resign because voting for Trump would bring dishonor to God. He was replaced at Mondays meeting.

Dallas resident Chris Suprun said this month that he would cast his vote for Kasich, and he encouraged others to do the same.

Surrounded by a throng of reporters before what normally would be a little-observed formality, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said electors should be bound to vote for the candidate who won the state. Texas lawmakers plan to consider legislation to require that of electors, but Cornyn said a state law is unnecessary and pointed to the uniqueness of this years electoral politics.

This is an anomalous or unusual circumstance, where there is such a concerted effort on the outside to try to sway the electors when, in fact, their job is not to vote their own wishes, its to implement and execute the vote cast by the voters on November the eighth, he said.

Gov. Greg Abbott took a different tack, saying later on Twitter that this charade is over. A bill is already filed to make these commitments binding. I look forward to signing it & ending this circus.

With a bundled-up 6-month-old strapped to her chest, Claire Jain stood on the edge of the protest outside the Capitol, hoping electors would see the crowd.

Certainly, I was a Hillary Clinton supporter, but anybody would be better than Trump, she said as daughter Mira slept. I just cant sit at home if theres something I can do.

Demonstrators were orchestrated by the December 19 Coalition, made up of groups including the Hamilton Electors, Bold Progressives and Democracy Spring.

Were here because we all love our country so much and were afraid for its future, said Erin Zwiener, 31, of Driftwood, a volunteer organizer with Hamilton Electors, a national group whose namesake wanted to guard against the election of candidates unfit to serve as president.

andrea.zelinski@chron.com

twitter.com/andreazelinski
The Electoral College has affirmed Donald Trump as the nations 45th president, pushing him past the 270-vote threshold for election, with scant evidence of the anti-Trump revolt among electors that some of his critics had hoped would occur.

Normally a political footnote, the electoral vote acquired an unexpected element of drama this year after Trumps upset of Hillary Clinton, who received nearly 2.9 million more popular votes but won in states that totaled only 232 electoral votes. The states Trump won held 306 electoral votes.

His electoral victory spawned a determined effort to block his path to the presidency by grass-roots advocates who saw him as unfit for the White House and by some who saw him as a threat to the political system.

Presidential electors  and particularly Republican electors, who are bound by tradition and often state law to support Trump  were inundated with phone calls, emails and even threats demanding that they vote for someone else. Leaders of groups that were lobbying the electors had privately believed that they had a chance to persuade enough Republican electors to defect, denying Trump an Electoral College majority and throwing the election to the House of Representatives. But by late Monday, only a handful of electors had broken ranks.

While Trumps opponents needed 37 Republican defectors to bring his electoral-vote tally below 270, the bulk of electors who broke ranks  four in Washington state  were Democrats who otherwise would have voted for Clinton. Instead, they voted for former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell and Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American tribal leader who has led opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.

Elsewhere, Democratic electors who sought to vote for someone besides Clinton switched back to her under pressure or were replaced with Clinton supporters.

In Texas, two Republican electors cast protest votes, one each for Ron Paul and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. One other Republican opposed to Trump resigned and was replaced.

A strategy memo by the anti-Trump forces has estimated that as many as 34 Republican electors were prepared to vote for someone besides Trump, but it also said many were afraid of the consequences and suggested that a poor turnout of other anti-Trump electors would weaken their resolve.

That appears to have been the case in Texas, where more defections were expected, said Ryan Clayton, leader of Americans Take Action, a group opposed to Trump. When they saw the trend line, they just decided to get out of the way of the electoral Alamo that was taking place, Clayton said.

That left most of the opposition to demonstrators who protested outside and inside electoral voting sites in most if not all 50 states.

In Michigans capital, Lansing, opposition protesters chanted Vote your conscience! Follow your heart! and sang We Shall Overcome in the state capitol as Republican electors gave all 16 of the states votes to Trump.

In Kentuckys state Supreme Court chambers, protesters silently watched electors give the states eight votes to Trump as 50 to 100 demonstrators stood outside.

The chants of protest inside the Michigan Capitol never stopped. Not when the states 16 electors headed up the stairs to the Senate chamber to start their meeting. Not when the doors to the chamber were closed. Not even as the proceedings went forward  all 16 votes going, as expected, to Trump.

State law requires Michigan electors to vote for the candidate who won the state, which Trump did by only about 11,000 votes. Still, a group of protesters that gathered Monday for several hours said they had hoped that there might be one elector, maybe even two, who might vote a different way. Vote Your Conscience! they chanted, gathering on different floors of the building.

Many said they had never before attended a meeting of the electors. They had never thought to before, they said. And there were signs in the Capitol that this meeting is not usually a focal point for demonstrators: Security officials outside the Senate chamber looked vaguely uncomfortable as the protesters chanted right outside the room where Republican officials could be seen settling in for their vote.

In New York state, former President Bill Clinton cast the states first electoral vote for his wife, Hillary, in a bittersweet scene played out in the Senate chamber in Albany. Bill Clinton, smiling, sealed the envelope with Hillarys vote  one of 29 she won in her home state, just before Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also an elector, praised him as always kind, always generous in front of a partisan Democratic crowd.

After the event, Bill Clinton said he had never cast a vote I was prouder of than the one for his wife.

In the end, he suggested that his wifes candidacy was undone by Russian hacking as well as an announcement just before the election by FBI Director James Comey that his agency would review new emails related to a closed investigation of her use of a private server. (Two days before the election, Comey reiterated an earlier finding that Hillary Clintons activities had warranted no legal action.)

At the end, we had the Russians, and the FBI deal, she couldnt prevail against that, said Bill Clinton, heading toward the elevators in the Capitol. But she did everything else. And still won by 2.8 million votes.

Trump won the unanimous votes of 16 electors in Georgia and 11 in Tennessee, states he handily won in November.

Protesters gathered outside the state capitol buildings in Atlanta and Nashville before the ballots were cast and in the House chamber in Nashville. There were a few protesters in the gallery, and a couple of times they would try to say something or shout  but nothing outrageous, said Adam Ghassemi, spokesman for the secretary of state.

Tennessees electors were bound by state law to vote for the winning presidential candidate. Georgias were not, but before voting, electors there had to select a replacement for an elector who earlier has resigned, saying he could not vote for Trump.

Unlike most states, Maine does not award all four of its electoral votes to the popular-vote winner. It gives two votes to the winner of the states popular vote and one each to the winner of the states two congressional districts. The elector from the states 2nd Congressional District was expected to support Trump, who won the most votes in that district. Another elector, David Bright, wrote on Facebook on Monday that he would vote for Bernie Sanders.

Sanders was defeated by Clinton in the Democratic primary, but he handily won the caucuses in Maine. Bright wrote that he wanted to send a message to people who cast their first votes for the Democratic Party to support Sanders.

Arizonas 11 electors were not obligated to vote for the winning candidate, which explains why so many protesters gathered on both sides of the State Capitol for a last-ditch  and long-shot  push to get them to change their minds.

However, all 11 votes went to Trump.
Thinking about Christmas, seeing Nativity scenes  and hearing the story of hundreds of mothers with children being released from detention centers this month  made me remember a pilgrimage to the Holy Land I took several years ago with 36 others, mostly from San Antonio. It was there that we learned what it means to be a Holy Family.

Members of the Palestinian Womens Solidarity Project, whom we visited in a West Bank village just miles from Bethlehem to learn about their work, deeply impressed us all. We learned how these women have organized themselves with the collaboration of Catholic Relief Services, the relief and development agency of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, a ministry I work with.

The women support their families by sewing scarves, shawls, bags and other handicrafts. They work under difficult conditions in what the U.N. calls Occupied Palestinian Territories, where many of their husbands have lost their jobs because of the wall that separates Jerusalem from the West Bank. Now, for the most part, women are the sole breadwinners of their families.

They are not bitter or hateful, just determined to overcome hardship and work for a better life for their children. Their spirit, the hardships they are overcoming and their hope seem to mirror what we see in the mothers from Central America who are in our community today. They also are determined to provide their families a secure and better life. They also have struggled through tremendous hardship to arrive at a place where their children might have a chance, safe from unimaginable gang violence in their home countries.

They, and the many San Antonio groups and individuals who are helping them, inspire me to more clearly understand the story of the Holy Family.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph also lived in difficult times and under difficult conditions. Their country was occupied territory, and violence was a daily experience. As immigrants to Bethlehem, the young couple experienced the same rejection and isolation that many refugees, migrants and others throughout the world feel today. As refugees in Egypt, they had lived in a foreign country to escape threats to their child and to simply survive as a family.

As poor people, they existed in a world with no safety nets provided by government. It is difficult for many Americans, who live comfortable lives, to really grasp the struggle to be a family under such conditions  to understand what it means to be an immigrant or a refugee or to live in extreme poverty. Yet the Holy Family is a model for us.

Pope Francis spoke Dec. 28, 2014, about the example Jesus, Mary and Joseph provided.

This light which comes from the Holy Family encourages us to offer human warmth in those family situations in which, for various reasons, peace is lacking, harmony is lacking and forgiveness is lacking, Francis said. May our concrete solidarity not diminish, especially with regard to the families who are experiencing more difficult situations due to illness, unemployment, discrimination and the need to emigrate.

Father David Garcia directs the nonprofit Old Spanish Missions, which oversees ongoing restoration work on the four Spanish colonial mission churches south of downtown.
A new era has begun for the former headquarters of the San Antonio Light newspaper, a distinctive and historic five-story building that has sat vacant for more than six years on a barren stretch on Broadway downtown.

Local developer GrayStreet Partners bought the Light building on Monday from Hearst, the parent company of the San Antonio Express-News, GrayStreets managing partner Kevin Covey said. The firm plans to renovate the building, adding about 60,000 square feet of new class A office space downtown.

Covey said he hopes to attract tenants to the building that have fled downtown for the comforts of the suburbs, such as engineering firms. But he expects to get a lot of demand from tech companies and other creative businesses that are begining to cluster around Houston Street. Prestigious local architecture firm Ford, Powell & Carson is considering relocating about a mile across town to the building and is expected to be lead architect on the project, Covey said.

Im going to take it to anybody who will fog a mirror. But tech companies are who have really been pushing downtown office, Covey said. Id love to see other types of tenants that are more traditional and have been north of town in suburban areas come down here.

The sales price was undisclosed for the 2.15-acre property at 420 Broadway St. It was assessed at $4.7 million this year by the Bexar Appraisal District. Louis Nowikas, Hearsts vice president of real estate and planning, said the price was above the assessment but below $10 million.

With the purchase of the Light building, GrayStreet now owns or is invested in about 9.2 acres of property with about 631,000 square feet of potential office space on the east side of downtown, according to the Bexar Appraisal District.

The Light building is across the street from a 1.1-acre property that GrayStreet bought from Hearst in August, where the firm plans to build an apartment complex in a partnership with Houston developer BHW Real Estate Partners, Covey said. The plans are preliminary, but he expects the complex to be about eight stories tall and to include 160 apartments and 400 parking spaces.

The 1.1-acre property also includes a two-story historic home where the San Antonio Symphony is considering moving its administrative offices, Covey said, as well as a one-story house that he hopes to fill with a coffee shop.

A representative of the symphony declined to comment. Representatives of Powell, Ford & Carson didnt respond to requests for comment.

GrayStreets plans could be a turning point for the downtown portion of Broadway, an area where developers and city officials see a lot of potential despite its glut of parking lots and vacant buildings. The city is positioning Broadway as San Antonios cultural corridor  it runs by the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, the San Antonio Museum of Art and the DoSeum, among other cultural institutions. The citys upcoming financing package includes a $43 million project to make the road more friendly to cyclists and pedestrians.

A redesign and redevelopment of Broadway will lead to a lot of new projects, Covey said. Thats part of why were interested in doing the apartments right there. I think people will want to live in a really well-done cultural corridor.

Downtown Broadway has other things going for it  it is only a few blocks from the emerging tech district on Houston Street, and its surrounded by a cluster of architecture firms such as Lake|Flato and Overland Partners. Several midrise apartment buildings have sprung up along Broadway a half-mile to the north, near the Pearl. Silver Ventures recently revealed plans for a 10-story office building there.

The Light building was constructed in 1931 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and was home to the San Antonio Light until 1993 when Hearst shut down the 112-year-old newspaper after it couldnt find a buyer. The city included the building in its application to get part of downtown designated as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Light building housed the Express-News business operations until around 2009, when the newspaper consolidated its staff into its current home on Avenue E in the midst of layoffs and an industry downturn.

Hearst received a lot of interest in the property and fielded offers from at least five or six firms from inside and outside San Antonio, Nowikas said. GrayStreet was the highest bidder, but Hearst also chose the company because they proposed the best plan for the neighborhood, he said.

The propertys been vacant for almost a decade, and I think it became apparent that there was no further business need for it, Nowikas said. It just made sense to sell it so it would produce and do better for the community.

No plans have been made yet for a three-story warehouse connected to the Light building by a skybridge, which was included in the purchase, Covey said. He wants to eventually develop the parking lots next to the building, he said.

Downtown is changing in real time, said Kamil Alavi, GrayStreets finance director. Were not buying things with a preconceived notion of what its going to be. Were open to new things. It takes a year to close a transaction  in that year, things can change dramatically.

GrayStreet expected to redevelop the Light building in a joint venture with another group, Covey said. But it ended up being fully a GrayStreet project, he said in an email.

There was consensus that it would be best for GrayStreet to maintain full control of the project for the sake of cohesiveness, the firms spokeswoman Tomoko Iimura Alavi said in an email.

The Light, which published its first issue in January 1881, was Texas only Republican daily newspaper for a while in the late 19th century, according to the Texas State Historical Association. It later adopted a liberal-Democratic attitude.

For decades, it was engaged in a fierce rivalry with the Express-News. Legendary publisher William Randolph Hearst incorporated the Light into his media empire in 1924, and it moved into its namesake building in 1931.

In 1992, Hearst announced it was buying the Express-News from Rupert Murdochs News Corp. and that it planned to sell or close the Light. After failing to find a buyer, it shut down the Light in January 1993. At the time, the Light had more than 600 employees, according to the historical association.

Renovating the Light building will be difficult, Covey said. Ironically, one of the biggest challenges will be bringing enough light into the structure. One side of the building has no windows.

Yet Covey said hes optimistic that he wont have much trouble getting approval from the city Historic and Design Review Commission for the renovations.

Preservationists are going to want to keep it the way it is, but it needs to be marketable, he said. I think HDRC understands that. Theyd like to see a building occupied. And Ford Powell Carson has done a lot of historic rehabs.

rwebner@express-news.net

@rwebner
(This version has been updated 12.21 with a clarification regarding the ownership of four of the seized horses.)

WOODSFIELD, Ohio  In early December, Linda Snyder, of Monroe County, was charged with 21 counts of animal cruelty and abuse to 12 horses, seven dogs and one miniature donkey.

Ronda Piatt, Monroe County humane officer, said she was sent an anonymous tip that included pictures of the allegedly abused animals before receiving a search warrant for the properties located at 40331 and 40433 Cranes Nest Road.

Rescued horses

Of the 20 animals seized from the property by Piatt, four were released to their owner, and the rest are being housed at the Monroe County Fairgrounds and are being treated by Dr. Mary Edge of the Woodsfield Veterinary Service.

We ran a body score on all the horses. On a scale of one to nine (nine being the best condition), we had ones, twos and threes, said Piatt. Most of the horses ribs and other bones could be seen through the skin, she said. Edge declined to comment while the case is ongoing.

These horses were covered with lice, aside from being emaciated, said Piatt. She added we just dont tolerate this kind of negligence.

Poor conditions

In an affidavit filed along with the criminal complaint, Deputy Brandon Peska, of the Monroe County Sheriffs Office, outlines how he and Piatt found the animals, described as malnourished and having poor living conditions.

According to the report, the horses stalls appeared to be left unclean for long periods of time and the animals had no access to food or water.

Verdict

Snyder was arraigned Dec. 14 and entered a plea of not guilty, according to Monroe County Prosecuting Attorney James Peters. A bond hearing is set for Jan. 4. Piatt said an adult daughter is also involved but no charges have been filed against her at this time.

Currently, Piatt and a crew of volunteers are caring for the horses and actively seeking foster homes until a court decision is made.

The dog shelter is accepting monetary donations for the upkeep of the horses and checks can be made out to: Monroe County Dog Pound, 47137 state Route 26, Woodsfield, OH 43793. (Include Humane Horse Case in the memo line.) For more information call Piatt at 740-472-0300.
WOOSTER, Ohio  Kristina M. Boone, Ph.D., has been named director Ohio States Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, effective April 1.

Most recently, Dr. Boone was head of the Department of Communications and Agricultural Education in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University.

She also was the director of an interdisciplinary secondary major in Global Food Systems Leadership, and as part of a team, developed an interdisciplinary doctoral program in leadership communication.

Prior to serving as department head, Boone held teaching and research appointments.

She received her bachelors degree in agricultural communication at Texas Tech. Her masters and Ph.D. are from Ohio State University in agricultural communication and extension education, respectively.

Boone was an Ohio State University Extension water quality agent in the Darby Creek Watershed, and co-led a water education program at Ohio State during her graduate program.

As Ohio State ATI director, Boone is responsible for managing the administrative, human, and financial resources for Ohio State ATI. She will provide leadership for all programmatic and administrative functions including on campus and web-based instruction.

Ohio State ATI, located in Wooster, is an associate degree-granting institute within the universitys College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, offering 26 programs of study.
Youth engage in statewide 4-H Career Pathways Academy

Youth in grades 8-12 from across Iowa have been participating in the year-long 4-H Career Pathways Academy program.
Northern Ireland's Assembly has called on First Minister Arlene Foster to stand down pending an independent probe into a green energy scheme that has landed taxpayers with an estimated bill of 400 million.

Set up in November 2012 by Foster when she was the economy minister, the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme was an attempt by the Northern Ireland Executive to help to increase consumption of heat from renewable sources.

It offered financial incentives to farms, businesses and other non-domestic consumers to use biomass boilers that mostly burned wood pellets, as well as solar thermal and heat pumps.

But flaws in setting the scheme's subsidy rate left it open to abuse as claimants could earn more cash the more fuel they burned, with one farmer having made 1m out of renting an empty shed.

The scheme was finally halted early this year, by which time its overall cost had reached 1.18bn.

As economy minister, Arlene Foster was in charge of the department that developed the RHI from its inception in 2012 to 2015. Much of the scrutiny on Mrs Foster has focused on how she responded to concerns raised by a whistleblower during that time.

Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Fein deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, has suggested that Foster should step down while an independent inquiry is held into what has been called the cash for ash scandal.
A bespoke poultry programme aimed at developing skills and knowledge of young people in one of Britains biggest farming sectors, has been hailed a success.

A total of 16, 20 to 35 years-olds took part in the 2015/2016 NFU Poultry Industry Programme (PIP), run in conjunction with ABN, which has recently concluded with one of the candidates announced as the first winner of the NFU PIP award, as well as the 2016 EPIC (Egg and Poultry Industry Conference) Young Poultry Person of the Year.

Daniel Johnson, national sales manager for poultry and game at ABN, explains the importance of these initiatives to the industry.

ABN have been partners of the NFU PIP since it started, and for us this is one of many initiatives we are involved in thats vital to help encourage young people to choose a career in agriculture.

In its infancy, both the NFU and ABN were looking for involvement in an initiative that helps retain and develop the knowledge and skills of young people in the poultry industry. And the NFU PIP is the perfect vehicle for this, says Mr Johnson.

'Programmes like this are vital'

Gary Ford, NFU poultry adviser, reiterates how the partnership between the NFU and ABN has really made a programme that is highly valued by the industry.

This is the second NFU Poultry Industry Programme weve run, in line with ABN, and its again been so rewarding for all involved, says Mr Ford.

Programmes like this are vital to the poultry industry to ensure we retain people within the sector. With the absence of a levy board, its crucial we have the opportunity to share best practice advice and new skills and technologies, says Mr Ford.

This years programme has seen the candidates undertake a jam-packed training schedule across a wide range of areas. These included negotiating and understanding market trends and industry pressures, learning about cutting edge technology, and information and advice surrounding lobbying.

NFU PIP award

Mr Johnson explains: We work closely with Gary and Patrick Joice, the Chairmen of the NFU PIP, to develop a range of activities which will benefit the candidates. And this year was no exception.

We arranged trips to Brussels and Westminster, as well as to one of our mills and a mainline retailer, all with the intention of exposing candidates to experiences they would not necessarily have access to, helping with skill development.

He also explains that theyve also run the first NFU PIP award this year, where participants were required to write 1,000 words on how they would overcome one of the main challenges they saw for the poultry industry in the coming years. The aim being for candidates to demonstrate continual development throughout the programme.

The award has been really well received by the participants, and we have our first worthy winner, Dr Steven Pace, who has also recently been announced as the 2016 EPIC Young Poultry Person of the Year, which really highlights how Stevens contribution to the industry has been widely recognised across our sector.

There is a real desire for this programme within the industry, and ABN are in it for the long run. The poultry industry is very proud of its self-sufficiency, and this has been built on good communication and networking between the industry. Maintaining this through future generations, and continuing to build on this is very important, says Mr Johnson.
NFU Cymru Conference: Farmers need more help to 'weather current storms'
Elders started its offering with a Hereford of 760kg from S & J Murphy that sold to WMP for $1763 at 232c/kg, backing this up with the top steer at $1818 and 244c/kg from GM Flannagan.
Where to eat and drink in the Fayetteville area this weekend
Image courtesy of Deutsche BankWall Streets independent regulator fined Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. $3.25 million Friday for failing to provide the same information to all users of its off-exchange trading system.

An Alternative Trading System or ATS is non-exchange trading venue that matches buyers and sellers. Each ATS has to be approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SEC Regulation ATS requires that ATS operators disclose certain information to the SEC by filing a Form ATS.

In its Form ATS, Deutsche Bank represented that it would provide all of its ATS users with identical access to all services and features offered by the ATS.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or FINRA found that Deutsche Bank failed to provide all ATS users with a complete description of certain ATS services and features. Most of the undisclosed features involved the ability to include or exclude other parties or groups of parties against whom orders would execute.

Deutsche Banks failure to disclose those features gave some ATS users  including high-frequency trading firms  a potential advantage. They requested and received services that others may not have known were available, FINRA said.

Deutsche Bank also failed to have adequate supervisory procedures in place to ensure that it disclosed material information regarding the ATSs services and features to all users, FINRA said.

FINRA  the biggest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States  has now fined Deutsche Banks securities unit three times in 2016.

In August, Deutsche Bank Securities paid a $12.5 million fine for sending out internal alerts  hoots and squawks  that might contain confidential information traders and their customers could use.

FINRA said then that Deutsche Bank ignored multiple red flags about potential confidential information leaking to salespeople and their customers.

In July, the regulator fined Deutsche Bank Securities $6 million for failing to provide complete and accurate trade data to FINRA and the SEC.

It was the biggest fine FINRA had imposed for so-called blue sheet violations.

In reaching Fridays settlement, Deutsche Bank neither admitted nor denied the charges but consented to the entry of FINRAs findings.

___

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
The DOJ Thursday settled a case with a pharma company accused of paying doctors illegal speaking fees.

The settlement resolves allegations filed in Milwaukee federal court by a w former pharmaceutical sales rep at Forest Laboratories LLC, located in New York.

Kurt Kroenig will receive $7.8 million as part of the settlement.

Forest Labs settled the allegations for $38 million. The federal government will receive $35.5 million and state Medicaid programs will receive $2.5 million.

The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments.

Kroenig filed a lawsuit under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. It allows private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery.

Forest Labs and and a subsidiary paid speaking fees to doctors of $500 to $2,500.

The DOJ said some doctors were paid when the speaking events didnt happen or no licensed health professionals attended.

Sometimes the same attendees attended multiple programs over a short period of time, the DOJ said, or when the meals associated with the programs exceeded Forests internal cost limitations.

The fees were paid for speaker programs between 2008 and 2011.

The payments violated the federal anti-kickback law because they were allegedly paid to increase perscriptions of three drugs  Bystolic, a blood pressure medicine, Savella, used for fibromyalgia, and Namenda, to treat dementia.

Forest Labs denies any wrongdoing in the settlement announced Dec. 15.

Nola Hitchcock Cross is the attorney for the whistleblower, Kurt Kroening.

The allegations are that the company was essentially paying doctors related to the amount of their prescriptions under the guise of paying them for speaking, which is normally referred to in the health care fraud arena as pay to play,' Cross said.

The DOJ said the claims resolved by the settlement were allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

The case was United States ex rel. Kroening v. Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc., et al.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
I live in Los Angeles but moved here from Australia thirty-two years ago. I attended film school and had stars in my eyes when I landed a job on a movie magazine. Within a few weeks, I had my first house guests and first genuine weird, Hollywood experience.

About You

I went to see a psychic.

At the time it wasn't my intention. I had better things to do with twenty bucks but my two cousins visiting from London wanted to visit Venice Beach and so we went. It took us longer to find parking than time actually spent there but the place was a hoot. Total loons lined the boardwalk hawking everything from mysterious artwork to respectable-looking jewelry. And then came the row of psychics.

My cousins wanted readings. I did not. But they talked me into it and funnily enough I landed the gypsy among the pile of desperadoes. She held my hand in her grubby fingers and told me I had a death curse over me. She could remove it for three-hundred dollars.

"No thanks." I tugged my hand from hers.

"You're about to make a grave mistake," she shrieked. "You're with the wrong man."

"I'm not involved right now," I said, aware that tourists had stopped and were watching us.

She grabbed my hand again and jabbed her thumb into my palm. "You're already had one bad marriage. You really want another?"

My head was spinning and my cousins turned from their own readings to stare at us.

"But I've never been married," I sputtered.

The gypsy screamed in my face. "Well, if you don't want to face reality"

My cousins laughed until the gypsy demanded fifty dollars for the reading.

We argued because she'd said twenty at first. Now she wanted fifty and had told me nothing but garbage. When she realized she wasn't going to get anything from me she said in low tones, "If you think God's been bad to you, wait until you see what I do to you."

My cousins and I fled the boardwalk. The experience upset us all. Nothing that a visit to the British pub a few blocks away couldn't cure.

It's been three decades and I laugh about it now. I've told this story often as a dinner party anecdote. At the back of my mind though, I've been aware that some people are taken in by some of these readers. I wondered how they fell for it. I always assumed maybe they had a screw loose and in yearning for an authentic voice could be taken in, for a lot of money.

A couple of years ago I went for a job interview at a movie studio. It was going swimmingly until my prospective employer insisted she do an astrology chart on me. She also wanted me to go to her psychic. I was stunned. I've been asked to do some odd things in La-La-Land but this was truly out there.

I wanted the job though and went over to the psychic's house. He was world-famous and had an unusual approach. He asked me to write three questions on a white card that he never looked at but somehow managed to answer. I searched the walls and ceilings of his house for hidden cameras. Even if he'd seen the questions he could not have known the things he knew about me. He talked of the death of my beloved mother when I was six and mentioned things even I didn't know because my father has never spoken of her.

To this day just her name can reduce him to tears. The psychic knew the name of my current boyfriend and the name of my cat that had been stolen from me years before. Writing all this now has my eyes filling up and my fingers shaky. I couldn't believe it. I left thirty minutes later awed but a little confused because he said I'd meet a man whose name started with T and he'd be the love of my life.

I didn't get the job but I met two guys whose names started with T and it was all so astonishing I had to write a book about it! The result was About You, and although this is a fictionalized account of what happened, it's all based on me.

I hope you get a chance to check out About You.

And what about you? Have you ever been to a psychic? Would you want to meet someone who knows so much about you? Who meets you and knows just everything about you?

Happy Holidays to you all!

A.J.

About You:

The psychic predicted Ky would meet his one and only. What in the world does he do with two guys who both match her description?

Ky Maxwell is desperate for work. When his cushy studio PR job disappears, his former boss takes pity on him, referring him to an independent movie company going into production with a huge sci-fi trilogy.

Ky's excited until Lisa, his prospective employer, insists on doing an astrological chart of Ky as part of the interview, along with a psychic reading. His crazy maybe-boss predicts a new man coming into Ky's life. She goes into great detail. He's a fire sign, probably a Leo, his first name starts with a T, he's in his early 30s. Andhe's the one!

Ky couldn't be less interested. He needs work. Love won't pay the bills. He doesn't get the job because Lisa believes their stars are out of alignment. Really? The reading is proving to be frighteningly accurate. Since he's cut off from her, though, he has no idea which of the two wonderful new guys he meets is his forever man. How can he choose? Or will they, too, soon vanish as fast as Ky's last paycheck?

About A.J. Llewlleyn

A.J. Llewellyn lives in California, but dreams of living in Hawaii. Frequent trips to all the islands, bags of Kona coffee in the fridge and a healthy collection of Hawaiian records keep this writer refueled.

A.J. never lacks inspiration for male/male erotic romances and on the rare occasions this happens, pursues other passions such as collecting books on Hawaiiana, surfing and spending time with friends and animal companions.

A.J. Llewellyn believes that love is a song best sung out loud.

About You is now available to buy and download from Pride Publishing, Amazon and other retailers.
Mr Churchill's Driver is a sensational crime/ conspiracy novel. But it carries a sense of history. The novel refers to real events and events that may be real. I wanted to explore what makes a serial killer, and also how that might relate to our shared history.

Mr Churchill's Driver

Most of the book is told in the first person, by William Gilbey, 58 years old. William Gilbey admits he is a life long criminal. Gilbey has been in prison for twelve years for a murder which, according to him, he did not commit. But he admits to other serious crimes.

William's earliest memory, a story told to him by his father when he was an eight year old, states that 'Bert' Gilbey had driven Churchill to a meeting in 1940 with the neutral Irish Prime Minister de Valera. They had agreed terms for Ireland to enter the war, and to enter negotiations to end the war completely.

William, a long term criminal, unexpectedly released in 2014, now seeks the truth of this story, as well as money and jewels kept for him by gang members, his 'Uncles', while he has been in prison. After fifty years of neglect William also wants to find out the truth about his father Bert, hanged in 1964, 'the last man to be executed in England' (capital punishment was shortly to be abolished in Britain) for a dubious murder.

The novel, told mainly by William, but copied and addressed as a memoire to 'important persons', follows the two weeks after his release when he finds 'comfort and love', but also 'bitterness, fear and evil' in his life.

The story turns on a series of deceptions and misunderstood clues. The reader sees events through Gilbey's eyes and also those of three groups watching him-the gang members (the 'Uncles', a group of violent criminals, of which his father was a part); the British Security Service MI5 (itself divided as to Gilbey's importance); and an extreme Irish nationalist group.

It is believed by all three groups that Gilbey had learned from his father the location of critical documents and antiques smuggled from Ireland to England during the war. They are all determined to find the truth, no matter what cost. A violent confrontation between them occurs at Holyhead where, according to Bert's story, Churchill had met de Valera.

In his research William Gilbey visits Dublin. He meets Eireann Canning, the director of the 'de Valera Foundation' and her mother Bridie. In London Gilbey also meets Francis and Gillian Bevington-Ward, childhood friends and children of his adoptive parents, Andrew and Gloria.

But, without any convincing proof and discovering lies in all the stories he has been told, William decides that only through violent action and the posthumous publication of his story will the truth will be told. When Gilbey returns to London, via Holyhead and Chester, the 'truth' he has believed begins to unravel. So he carries out a series of attacks and murders.

So what is the truth? Whatever, in any situation, is the 'truth'?

One member of MI5, Morgan Janvir, the son of an Iranian immigrant, himself estranged from his father, reads and believes Gilbey's story. His reputation and career depend on it.

But will others, including readers of Mr Churchill's Driver believe as Morgan believes? Will others? Only by reading the book can you form your own judgement. I do not pretend that this is a comfortable judgement, but one which every reader, in so many situations, may have to make.

COLIN FARRINGTON

Mr Churchill's Driver: for more information see www.mrchurchillsdriver.com
Sofia Vergara's frozen embryos could be moved from California to Louisiana.

Sofia Vergara

The 'Modern Family' actress has been locked in a legal battle with former fiance Nick Loeb after he filed a suit last year to protect, and bring to term, two female embryos, which they had created and planned to use with a surrogate during their relationship.

And now a new legal filing will ask for the embryos to be transferred from the Beverly Hills clinic they are currently stored in, to a facility in Louisiana, which is the only state where embryos have legal rights of their own, the New York Post's Page Six reports.

Nick's attorney Mark J. Heller told the publication: "Although Nick Loeb is not a party to the existing litigation or [this] subsequently contemplated litigation, he may be a beneficiary if the court adjudicates that the embryos are not chattels but entities with constitutional rights of survival. Such a ruling would defeat [Vergara's] intention to keep her daughters' embryos frozen in perpetuity and endorse the irrevocable right of parenthood granted to donors when they contribute to the creation of an embryo."

Earlier this month, Sofia - who is married to Joe Manganiello - was sued by the embryos, when a right-to-live lawsuit was filed on their behalf.

The lawsuit - which was filed in Louisiana, a traditionally pro-life state that offers special legal protections for frozen embryos - also has James Carbonnet, the eggs' 'trustee', listed as a plaintiff.

Sofia and Nick had signed a contract at the ART Reproductive Center in Beverly Hills when they created the embryos in 2013, which stated neither could use the embryos without the consent of the other.

However, the new lawsuit argues the agreement should be deemed void as it didn't say what should happen if they split, and it violated California code and Louisiana law.

Nick had previously filed to protect the embryos in California, but reportedly dropped that case after a judge ruled in favor of the 44-year-old actress' legal team, who had applied to force the businessman to identify two former lovers who had had abortions during his relationships with them.

He had appealed the decision but was turned down.

Though Nick, 41, spends most of his time between New York and Florida, he still serves as a reserve police officer in Louisiana, and is a graduate of Tulane University in the state.
'Moonlight' and 'Love & Friendship' lead the nominations for the London Critics' Circle Film Awards with seven nominations each.

Kate Beckinsale at the Love and Friendship premiere

The Barry Jenkins drama - which has received nominations for Film of the Year, Supporting Actor of the Year for Mahershala Ali, Supporting Actress of the Year for Naomie Harris, Director of the Year for Barry Jenkins, Screenwriter of the Year for Barry Jenkins, Best British/Irish Actress for Naomie Harris, and Technical Achievement for Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon's editing work - will go up against the Whit Stillman comedy, which as been nominated for Film of the Year, British/Irish Film of the Year, Actress of the Year for Kate Beckinsale, Supporting Actor of the Year for Tom Bennett, Screenwriter of the Year for Whit Stillman, Best British/Irish Actor for Tom Bennett, and Best British/Irish Actress for Kate Beckinsale.

Following closely behind the two leading pictures, German comedy 'Toni Erdmann' received six nominations including both Film of the Year and Foreign-Language Film of the Year, whilst Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling starrer 'La La Land' picked up five nominations, including Actress of the Year for Emma.

'La La Land' is also a contender for Film of the Year - which both 'Moonlight' and 'Love & Friendship' have been nominated for - alongside the likes of 'American Honey', 'Nocturnal Animals' and 'Manchester By The Sea'.

Chair of the Critics' Circle Film Awards Rich Cline said of the nominations: "Our critics nominated more than 160 titles for Film of the Year alone, representing the range of wide opinions and the sheer number of movies critics watch each year.

"Making it onto that final list of nominees is never easy."

Elsewhere, Casey Affleck, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Simonischek will battle it out for Actor of the Year, whilst Amy Adams, Kate Beckinsale, Sandra Huller, Isabelle Huppert, and Emma Stone go head to head for Actress of the Year.

The gala ceremony for the awards will be held on January 22.

The full list of nominees for the 37th London Critics' Circle Film Awards:

FILM OF THE YEAR

American Honey

Fire at Sea

I, Daniel Blake

La La Land

Love & Friendship

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Nocturnal Animals

Son of Saul

Toni Erdmann

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

Fire at Sea

Son of Saul

Things to Come

Toni Erdmann

Victoria

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years

Cameraperson

The Eagle Huntress

Fire at Sea

Life, Animated

BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR

American Honey

High-Rise

I, Daniel Blake

Love & Friendship

Sing Street

ACTOR OF THE YEAR

Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea

Adam Driver - Paterson

Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge

Jake Gyllenhaal - Nocturnal Animals

Peter Simonischek - Toni Erdmann

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

Amy Adams - Arrival

Kate Beckinsale - Love & Friendship

Sandra Huller - Toni Erdmann

Isabelle Huppert - Things to Come

Emma Stone - La La Land

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR

Mahershala Ali - Moonlight

Tom Bennett - Love & Friendship

Jeff Bridges - Hell or High Water

Shia LaBeouf - American Honey

Michael Shannon - Nocturnal Animals

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

Viola Davis - Fences

Greta Gerwig - 20th Century Women

Naomie Harris - Moonlight

Riley Keough - American Honey

Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Maren Ade - Toni Erdmann

Damien Chazelle - La La Land

Barry Jenkins - Moonlight

Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea

Laszlo Nemes - Son of Saul

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

Maren Ade - Toni Erdmann

Damien Chazelle - La La Land

Barry Jenkins - Moonlight

Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea

Whit Stillman - Love & Friendship

BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR

Tom Bennett - Love & Friendship, Life on the Road

Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge, Silence

Hugh Grant - Florence Foster Jenkins

Dave Johns - I, Daniel Blake

David Oyelowo - A United Kingdom, Queen of Katwe

BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS

Kate Beckinsale - Love & Friendship

Rebecca Hall - Christine

Naomie Harris - Moonlight, Our Kind of Traitor, Collateral Beauty

Ruth Negga - Loving, Iona

Hayley Squires - I, Daniel Blake

YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER

Ruby Barnhill - The BFG

Lewis MacDougall - A Monster Calls

Sennia Nanua - The Girl With All the Gifts

Anya Taylor-Joy - The Witch, Morgan, Split

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo - Sing Street

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER

Babak Anvari - Under the Shadow

Mike Carey - The Girl With All the Gifts

Guy Hibbert - Eye in the Sky, A United Kingdom

Peter Middleton & James Spinney - Notes on Blindness

Rachel Tunnard - Adult Life Skills

BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM

Isabella - Duncan Cowles & Ross Hogg

Jacked - Rene Pannevis

Sweet Maddie Stone - Brady Hood

Tamara - Sofia Safonova

Terminal - Natasha Waugh

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

American Honey - Robbie Ryan, cinematography

Arrival - Sylvain Bellemare, sound design

High-Rise - Mark Tildesley, production design

Jackie - Mica Levi, music

Jason Bourne - Gary Powell, stunts

La La Land - Justin Hurwitz, music

Moonlight - Nat Sanders & Joi McMillon, editing

Sing Street - Gary Clark & John Carney, music

Rogue One - Neal Scanlan, visual effects

Victoria - Sturla Brandth Grovlen, cinematography
Red Hot Chili Peppers have postponed their Dublin shows due to frontman Anthony Kiedis suffering from flu.

Anthony Kiedis

The 'By The Way' rockers - also comprised of Flea, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer - were due to perform at the Irish Capital's 3Arena on Tuesday (20.12.16) and Wednesday (21.12.16), but have put the shows on hold until the new year so that the 54-year-old rocker can get better.

In a statement, released via promoters MCD, the band said: "We are so sorry that we cannot come to Dublin as planned for the next few days.

"Anthony has been fighting off the flu all week and after the show last night (18.12.16) it was clear that he has to stop touring and recover, hence the decision to push back the shows to next year."

In May, the rock group had to pull out of their KROQ Weenie Roast headlining slot at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in Irvine, California, and their planned performance for iHeartRadio after Anthony was rushed to hospital by ambulance with "extreme stomach pains".

The band's drummer Chad Smith revealed the medical emergency was "really scary", but said Anthony was "on the mend".

At the time, Chad said: "His stomach was killing him (and) It was really scary. So we went directly to the hospital and we were really upset we couldn't play for the fans, but also more worried about him. I really appreciate all the well wishes. People sent so much stuff."
Prince Harry gets a "huge kick" out of helping others.

Prince Harry

The 32-year-old royal has admitted he loves going to Africa - where he founded charity Sentebale, which helps kids affected by Aids and HIV - because he likes to "escape" from normality and feels great to be able to do "something constructive".

Speaking on ITV documentary 'Prince Harry in Africa', he said: "I've got a year off I want to do something constructive with my life and something to make my mother proud.

"For me, personally, it's an escape. I have this love of Africa that will never disappear and I hope the love carries on for my children as well. For me I get a huge kick out of helping others."

The flame-haired prince admitted when he first came to Africa to help youngsters he felt like the "ginger white prince who had come to try to make these kids laugh".

During the show he was seen reuniting with African orphan Mutsu Postane, who he first met 12 years ago.

Harry met him last year in Lesotho when the documentary was filmed, and afterwards the youngster said: "I felt very happy, very excited. I'm very comfortable around Harry, he is very comfortable around me. We click."

Also in the documentary, Harry was praised by Sir Elton John for carrying on his late mother Princess Diana's charity work in Africa following her death aged 36 in 1997.

He said: "If his mother was alive, she'd still be doing the work she set out to be doing, and he's carrying it on in the best possible way."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to see in the new year together.

Meghan Markle

The couple are set to spend New Year's Eve with one another (31.12.16) after falling for each other since they started dating earlier this year, but it's not known if they will head to the 'Suits' star's home in Toronto, Canada, or spend the festive break in London.

According to the Daily Star newspaper, the pair may even decide to meet in the middle and head to Los Angeles to bring in 2017.

But the couple will not be together for Christmas.

The 32-year-old royal was spotted dropping Meghan, 35, off at London Heathrow Airport over the weekend where she flew back to Toronto, where she lives and films the US TV drama series.

The prince was spotted at the airport, where he was escorted by numerous protection officers.

Harry is expected to spend Christmas time with his grandmother Queen Elizabeth and the other royals, but his brother Prince William is set to spend such time with his in-laws this year.

William, his wife Duchess Catherine and their kids, Prince George, three, and 19-month-old Princess Charlotte will head over to her parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, for the festive celebration.

It will be the couple's first Christmas away from Sandringham since George and Charlotte were born.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.  On Jan. 12, 2017, Wheels Automotive Dealer Supplies Inc. will begin servicing the certified pre-owned merchandising and marketing needs of Kia Canadas network of dealers, the two companies announced this week.

Kia Canadas decision to partner with Wheels Automotive stems from their ability to meet our unique needs and to better serve the Kia network of dealers with class-leading print, point-of-purchase, and other essential marketing materials. This partnership aligns the Kia Canada investment into the Kia CPO program heading into 2017 and for years to come, said Stephane Lubin, manager, National Remarketing and CPO, Kia Canada.

Through the partnership, Canadian Kia dealers will be able to source Kia-approved merchandising through a Kia Canada-branded web portal, according to the company. The transaction details will be handled by Wheels, simplifying ordering and distribution for Kia and its dealer body.

We are grateful to have earned Kia Canadas respect and business for the CPO merchandising and marketing needs for its dealer network, said Rick Ashworth, Wheels founder and CEO. Kia Canada joins 16 other OEMs whove partnered with us to support the merchandising needs for their certified pre-owned programs.

Wheels also has other dealer and OEM partners that it services within the United States. In 2017, Wheels will be celebrating its 30th year in business.
The textile and leather sectors of Zambia have the potential to boost the countrys growth and contribute towards wealth creation, according to the Zambia government. However, Zambian minister of commerce trade and industry Margaret Mwanakatwe is of the opinion that more contribution is needed to accelerate manufacturing in these two industries.

On the last day of the 2016 Leather and Textile Expo held in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, Mwanakatwe said that this expo can help accelerate the progress of these sectors in the country.

The expo was a platform for the textile and leather sectors to form collaborations and partnerships and will help these industries become market leaders on regional as well as international levels, said a leading Zambian daily quoting Mwanaktwe.

The textile and leather sectors of Zambia have the potential to boost the country's growth and contribute towards wealth creation, according to the Zambia government. However, Zambian minister of commerce trade and industry Margaret Mwanakatwe is of the opinion that more contribution is needed to accelerate manufacturing in these two industries.#

The minister also said that the support given to the expo proves that the Zambian government and other partners value the countrys textile industry.

The theme of the 2016 expo held in Lusaka was Enhancing Competiveness of Leather and Textile sectors through value addition. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Apparel and clothing items are the second-most browsed and bought products on m-commerce, says a recent report. About 20 per cent of the people said in a survey that they buy clothing and accessories from online retailing channels using their mobile phones. Close to 65 per cent women shopped for clothing items online as against 27 per cent men.

The report titled M-Commerce Trends in India 2016 by Regalix states that about 33 per cent of Indian consumers browse clothing items and accessories on their mobile phones and purchase them through physical stores.

Clothing and accessories was the only category in our study in which the number of consumers who browse online but purchase offline was higher compared to consumers who purchase online, across gender and age groups, says the report.

Apparel and clothing items are the second-most browsed and bought products on m-commerce, says a recent report. About 20 per cent of the people said in a survey that they buy clothing and accessories from online retailing channels using their mobile phones. Close to 65 per cent women shopped for clothing items online as against 27 per cent men.#

Regalix interacted with men and women, owning smartphones, in the age groups of 18-24 and 25-34 for this survey. About 83 per cent of the people surveyed shop online using their mobile phones. A larger proportion of consumers in the 25-34 age group (90 per cent) seem to shop on their mobile phones than consumers in the 18-24 age group (80 per cent).

Flipkart is the most frequented e-retailing site as 44 per cent of respondents shop on it, while Amazon and Snapdeal followed with 32 per cent and 19 per cent.

Flipkart seemed to find favour with the younger audience with 49 per cent of respondents in the age group 18-24 choosing Flipkart as their most frequented platform as against 35 per cent of respondents in the 25-34 age group. Interestingly, a larger proportion of respondents (25 per cent) in the 25-34 age group preferred Snapdeal over other platforms as compared to only 13 per cent from the 18-24 group, adds the report.

Close to 94 per cent of consumers find shopping through mobile apps more convenient than through mobile websites. Cash-on-delivery (34 per cent) and free delivery (34 per cent) have the strongest influence on a consumers decision to purchase online.

Cash-on-delivery (63 per cent) is the most popular mode of payment, followed by credit/debit card (17 per cent) and net banking (17 per cent) and EMI (3 per cent).

Cash-on-delivery found greater favour amongst the 18-24 year olds (67 per cent of consumers in the 18-24 age group chose cash-on-delivery as against 53 per cent of consumers in the 25-34 age-group), while credit/debit card found easier acceptance amongst the 25-34 year olds (25 per cent of those in the 25-34 age group preferred credit/ debit card as against 14 per cent in the 18-24 age group), states the report.

Product quality is a major concern for 75 per cent of those who do not shop on their mobile phones and 71 per cent of those who do not shop on their mobile phones, shop online through their laptops or desktops. About 31 per cent respondents who do not shop using their smartphones, will start in the future. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Karl Mayer, Germanys leading textile machinery company, received positive feedback and managed to attract a huge number of visitors at the recently held India ITME 2016, a leading international textile machinery exhibition, held at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, NSE Complex, Goregaon, in Mumbai, from December 3 to 11, 2016.There was a great deal of interest in warp knitting among large companies operating outside the sector. Specific projects were also discussed with some representatives of leading conglomerates.

Karl Mayer, Germany's leading textile machinery company, received positive feedback and managed to attract a huge number of visitors at the recently held India ITME 2016, a leading international textile machinery exhibition, held at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, NSE Complex, Goregaon, in Mumbai, from December 3 to 11, 2016.#

The tricot machines on show were sold at the fair itself. For producing warp knits, Karl Mayer was showcasing the fourth generation of the high-speed HKS 3-M, with its modern design, and the HKS 4-M EL machine, which is as versatile as it is productive. The four-bar, high-speed tricot machine was demonstrating the advantages of its EL control facility.In addition to the production possibilities offered by the machines on show at the fair, equipping them with the LEO system as standard was the subject of many conversations. LEO is a well-thought-out technology for saving energy and costs. There were also many enquiries regarding the production of stretch raised fabrics, warp-knitted terry goods and velour.For those visitors who were focusing on progress and innovation, a wide range of multibar lace featuring new bourdon cord designs and a variety of looks produced by block multi guides were available. Lace fabrics, either as stand-alone fabrics or else made-up into stylish outfits, invited people to come and touch them, develop new ideas and ask questions. The presentation of the new LACE.EXPRESS machine series proved to be a real magnet for the public.Karl Mayers Warp Preparation Business Unit also got good feedback on the machines it was showcasing. The PROSIZE was also the subject of many discussions. The key feature of this sizing machine for processing staple-fibre yarns, the Size Box, generated a great deal of interest owing to its exceptional productivity.The new ISOMATIC machine also attracted a great deal of attention. This new, performance-optimised, short-warp warping machine for standard applications was developed especially for the Indian market, and the visitors were impressed by its excellent cost:benefit ratio.Karl Mayer rounded off the presentation of its machines and products by showcasing its 360 technical support service. By utilising the latest components of online communication, this comprehensive service concept provides even more user benefits and machine efficiencies than ever before. The digital innovations mainly include the Karl Mayer CONNECT app and the Karl Mayer SPARE PARTS WEBSHOP. Demonstration versions of both systems were being tested live at the show.Many Indian companies have also registered for the Karl Mayer SPARE PARTS WEBSHOP. The intuitive handling features and possibilities offered by this online platform for buying the required spare parts easily have impressed both the market and the trade visitors. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. a fully reporting biotechnology company focused on the commercialisation of new textiles and high performance fibres including spider silks has announced that it has completed the first batch of Dragon Silk cocoon production for its recently reported military contract to produce ballistic shoot packs for the US army.The fibres will be headed to a reeling facility to be prepared for delivery to Warwick Mills, a leader in the engineering of technical textiles for protective applications.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. a fully reporting biotechnology company focused on the commercialisation of new textiles and high performance fibres including spider silks has announced that it has completed the first batch of Dragon Silk cocoon production for its recently reported military contract to produce ballistic shoot packs for the US army.#

Kraig will contract Warwick Mills to produce ballistic shoot packs, for delivery to the US Army, based on the Companys Dragon Silk technology. The company is expected to make final delivery to the US army in the second quarter of 2017.Kraig founder and CEO Kim Thompson said, The Indiana factory scale up of our proprietary recombinant spider silk, we call Dragon silk, has exceeded our expectations. As we ship this first batch of Dragon Silk cocoons dedicated for the US army, we are already beginning to prepare for production of fibres ready for commercial sale to some of our primary end users.The company will soon began its sale of Dragon Silk and Monster Silk fibres, in earnest, to the various parties that have submitted sample requests, with priority given to substantive collaborative development agreements and key end uses. (GK)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Rumours were doing the rounds that Mallika Sherawat had secretly married her French boyfriend Cyrille Auxenfans after her Cannes trip in May, 2016 and she seems to be well-settled in life there in Paris. Also a source close to the couple had revealed that "Mallika has no intention of coming back to India and doing Bollywood films again," which heightened the rumours to a new level.

Superstar Rajinikanth Sends Out A Special Message To Hrithik Roshan & The Entire Kaabil Team!

However, when Mallika was asked if her wedding rumours were indeed true, she denied and expressed that she was very upset with the media for being sensational towards her personal life. Adding to that, she also released a statement saying that she wants everyone to know that her marriage news is totally false and does not bear an ounce of truth.



She also revealed that she never said she was leaving India for good and her never coming back to Bollywood is false news. She expressed disappointment saying that these are just speculations turned into news and are totally irrelevant.

Tiger Shroff Interfering Too Much In Alleged Girlfriend Disha Patani's Life?

Mallika Sherawat met her uber rich boyfriend Cyrille Auxenfans in Paris and the business tycoon ended up falling madly in love with her. It is reported that Cyrille had gifted Mallika expensive gifts and made her feel extremely special on Valentine's Day 2016 by gifting her a high end sophisticated car in which she zoomed around the streets of Paris!

Shahrukh Khan Is A Coward & Beggar! Says Canadian Ex Minister Ujjal Dosanjh For Meeting Raj Thackery
Christmas is one of the most happening movie release seasons for the Malayalam movie industry. But sadly, Mollywood will not have Christmas releases this year, due to the dispute between the Film Producers Associations and Exhibitors Federation.

All the Malayalam Christmas releases, including Mohanlal's Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol, Dulquer Salmaan starrer Jomonte Suviseshangal, Prithviraj's Ezra, and Jayasurya movie Fukri have got cancelled, following the failed compromise talk between the producers and theatre owners.

The exhibitors and distributors recently had a detailed discussion with the producers association members over the issue, in the presence of minister AK Balan. But the teams failed to make a final decision and have decided to hand over the issue to a special commission.

Reportedly, the Theatre Owners Association and Film Exhibitors Federation have demanded a 50-50 share in the theatrical collections. But both the Producers Association and Distributors Association disagreed, stating that it would cause a huge loss for the production banners.

As per the latest updates, the teams are planning to have a discussion by the upcoming weekend. If things fall in place, Jomonte Suviseshangal, Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol, Ezra, Fukri will hit the theatres by the last week of December and the first week of January, in the pre-determined order.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/19/16 -- Energizer Resources Inc. (TSX: EGZ)(OTCQB: ENZR)(WKN: A1CXW3) ("Energizer" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of the Annual and Special Meeting of stockholders (the "Meeting") held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 19, 2016.

All of the resolutions put forward at the Meeting were approved. The final voting results of the Meeting are set out below:

1. Election of Directors. The Company's shareholders elected the following 7 nominees to the Board. Each of the nominees will serve for a one-year term and hold office until the next annual meeting of shareholders, unless he sooner ceases to hold office. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the election of directors: Broker Nominee For Withheld Abstain Non-Vote ---------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------------------- John Sanderson 96.44% 3.56% - 6.52% Craig Scherba 96.44% 3.56% - 6.52% Quentin Yarie 96.43% 3.57% - 6.52% Robin Borley 96.36% 3.64% - 6.52% Albert A. Thiess, Jr. 96.45% 3.55% - 6.52% Dean Comand 96.31% 3.69% - 6.52% Dalton Larson 96.42% 3.58% - 6.52% 2. Appointment of MNP LLP. The Company's shareholders approved the appointment of MNP LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending June 30, 2017. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the appointment of MNP LLP: Broker For Withheld Abstain Non-Vote 98.13% 1.87% - 0% 3. Approval of the Share Consolidation. The Company's shareholders approved a share consolidation of the Company's common stock and corresponding amendment to our articles of incorporation to implement the share consolidation, and authorized the board, in its sole discretion, to effect a share consolidation of our common stock at an exchange ratio of not less than 1-for-5 and not greater than 1-for-10, by filing an amendment to our articles of incorporation at any time through December 19, 2017. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the approval of the share consolidation and corresponding amendment to our articles: Broker For Against Abstain Non-Vote 92.11% 7.89 % - 0% 4. Approval of the Name Change. The Company's shareholders approved a change in the name of the company, as shall be determined in the sole discretion of the board, by filing an amendment to our articles of incorporation. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the approval of the name change: Broker For Against Abstain Non-Vote 95.36% 4.64% - 0% 5. Amendment of the Stock Option Plan. The Company's shareholders approved an amendment to the Company's Stock Option Plan. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the amendment to the Stock Option Plan: Broker For Against Abstain Non-Vote 77.95% 22.05% - 6.52% 6. Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation. The Company's shareholders approved the non-binding advisory resolution, commonly known as a "Say on Pay" proposal, regarding the compensation of the Company's named executive officers. The following table sets forth the vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting with respect to the advisory vote on executive compensation: Broker For Against Abstain Non-Vote 95.26% 4.74% - 6.52%

Subsequent to the Meeting, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the appointments of the following executive officers:

-- John Sanderson as Chairman of the Board -- Craig Scherba as President and Chief Executive Officer -- Marc Johnson as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Finance -- Brent Nykoliation, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development -- Robin Borley, Senior Vice President, Mine Development

About Energizer Resources

Energizer Resources is a mineral exploration and mine development company based in Toronto, Canada, that is developing its 100%-owned, feasibility-stage Molo Graphite Project in southern Madagascar.

Contacts:

Energizer Resources Inc.

Craig Scherba

President and CEO

cscherba@energizerresources.com



Energizer Resources Inc.

Brent Nykoliation

SVP, Corporate Development

+1.416.364.4911

bnykoliation@energizerresources.com




REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN -- (Marketwired) -- 12/19/16 -- Information Services Corporation (TSX: ISV) ("ISC" or the "Company") today announces the resignation of Mr. John Dowd from its Board of Directors.

The Company thanks Mr. Dowd for his service. ISC will not be seeking an immediate replacement for Mr. Dowd.

About ISC

Headquartered in Canada, ISC is the leading provider of registry and information management services for public data and records. Throughout our history we have delivered value to our clients by providing solutions to manage, secure and administer information through our registry and services segments. ISC is focused on sustaining its core business while pursuing new growth opportunities. The Class A Shares of ISC trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ISV.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, including management's expectations and certain assumptions with respect to our registry services and products, and, in particular, the resumption and continuing operation of our registry services, the other services we provide, our competitive landscape, economic conditions in Canada and in particular, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, real estate market in Saskatchewan, economic impact of energy and resource sectors, transaction volumes, statements regarding the future financial position or results of ISC, customer growth and diversification, dividend expectations, creation of shareholder value, growth opportunities, capital and operating expectations, real gross domestic product, changes that impact our registry services, such as changes in high-value property registrations, motor vehicle sales volume and the number of active business entities, consolidated EBITDA margin, income taxes, our ability to attract and retain skilled staff, the compensation and benefits that will be paid or provided to employees and our level of customer service, as well as goodwill and intangibles are material factors in preparing forward-looking statements.

In addition, the words "may", "will", "would", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "trend", "indicate", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "project", "targets", "strive", "strategy", "continue", "likely" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words or other comparable words or phrases are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although ISC believes the forward-looking information contained in this release is based upon reasonable assumptions, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as it is inherently uncertain and no assurance can be given that the expectations reflected in such information will prove to be correct. Many factors and risks could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking information including those detailed in ISC's Annual Information Form, dated March 15, 2016, ISC's Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, as well as other documents filed by ISC with Canadian securities regulators through SEDAR at www.sedar.com from time to time. Investors and others should carefully consider the above-noted factors and risks and other uncertainties and potential events. The forward-looking information in this release is made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, ISC assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances.

Contacts:

INVESTOR CONTACT

Jonathan Hackshaw

Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications

Information Services Corporation

306-798-2136

investor.relations@isc.ca



Pamela Keck

Manager, Investor Relations

Information Services Corporation

Toll Free: 1-855-341-8363 in North America or 1-306-798-1137

investor.relations@isc.ca



MEDIA CONTACT

Shea Haverstock

Manager, Corporate Communications

Information Services Corporation

306-787-1343

shea.haverstock@isc.ca




BASEL (dpa-AFX) - Novartis (NVS) announced the signing of exclusive option, collaboration and license agreement with Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., to develop new oral treatments for chronic liver diseases. This agreement will enable Novartis and Conatus to jointly develop emricasan. Emricasan is an investigational, first-in-class, oral, pan-caspase inhibitor for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with advanced fibrosis (scarring) and cirrhosis. This collaboration has the potential to expand treatment options for people in various stages of fatty liver disease, where no approved medicines currently exist. Under terms, Novartis will make an upfront payment to Conatus of $50 million. Any additional exercise fee will be paid to Conatus following achievement of certain criteria as defined in the license agreement. Novartis said it is developing Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists for chronic liver diseases. As part of this collaboration, Conatus will conduct multiple Phase 2b clinical trials with emricasan in NASH. There are currently no approved treatments for NASH patients in all stages of the disease, which is expected to be the leading cause of liver transplants in the US by 2020. If concluded positively, Novartis would then conduct Phase 3 studies of emricasan as a single treatment and start development of combination therapies with an FXR agonist. 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.
GURGAON, India, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

South East Asia has got it's first Blockchain Incubator mentored/invested by Bitcoin pioneerslike Roger Ver, Amit Bhardwaj, Michael Terpin to name a few.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/450671/PRNE_SatoshiStudios_photo.jpg )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444565-INFO )





The incubator is very aptly namedSatoshi Studiosand is inviting applications from entrepreneurs working inthe South East Asia region. The incubator has a 3-month intensive residence program in New Delhi India, where the founders will spend time with the other Blockchain startups and receive 50K USD in funding for 8%-15% equity in the company.

Speaking about the same, incubator's co-founder,Sahil Baghla said, "We had been receiving a lot of interest from fellow entrepreneurs seeking feedback on their ideas using the Blockchain technology and some of the entrepreneurs we've met are building some really interesting applications, and we wanted to work with them and see if we could get an opportunity to know and work with more of these geniuses."

Speaking further, Sahil said, "We are proud to be backed by people like Roger Ver (who has single-handedly funded the seed rounds for the entire first generation of Bitcoin businesses), Amit Bhardwaj (who is leading the march for Bitcoin Adoption in India), Michael Terpin (he co-founded BitAngels, the first angel network for investments in bitcoin/digital currency companies) and more Bitcoin pioneers."

Speaking about what else the incubator will be offering to the selected startups, Sahil said, "Startups will get an awesome workspace and living space for 3 months in New Delhi. There will be intensive mentorship sessions by Blockchain veterans (including our backers) which will help startups to reachProduct Market Fit quickly."

About Darwin Labs

Darwin Labs is a startup studio based out of India, creating products in Bitcoin, Blockchain, Virtual Reality and Ad Tech. Satoshi Studios is a product of Darwin Labs.



Contact:

Sanjay Goswami

sanjay@darwinlabs.io

+91-7042817302


TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Japan's department store sales dropped for the ninth month running in November, though the pace of decline slowed from the previous month, a report from the Japan Department Stores Association showed Tuesday. Department store sales fell 2.4 percent year-on-year after a 3.9 percent slump in October. In September, sales declined 5 percent. In the capital region Tokyo, sales dropped 1.4 percent following a 4.4 percent fall in October. Sales declined 4.6 percent in Kobe and 4.4 percent in Sendai, followed by a 3.5 percent slump in Osaka. 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.
MUNICH, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Wirecard extends its global merchant acquiring services to yet another country directly and provides internet technology to digitalize payments

Today Wirecard AG and Cuscal, one of Australia's leading payment services companies, announced that they will be working together to allow Wirecard's merchant acquiring services throughout Australia, with Cuscal as acquiring BIN sponsor. That includes the use of Wirecard's proprietary omnichannel payment processing platform to receive credit and debit card transactions in Australia. The partnership with Cuscal allows Wirecard to offer Australian and global merchants with Australian footprint the efficient method of online payment processing: ranging from e-Commerce to POS, to mPOS solutions. Wirecard's offer can be adapted to meet the individual requirements of each merchant, improving conversion rates at the checkout. With this, Wirecard enables internet technology to merchants such as airlines, fintechs and the retail sector by helping them to digitalize payments as well as the whole shopping experience.

Following the cooperation with Cuscal on merchant acquiring, the partnership will be shortly extended to the area of card issuing. That means, that Wirecard will be offering the whole payment value chain to its Australian customers, in the near future. This range goes from the issuing of traditional and virtual prepaid cards over payment processing to risk management and mobile payment solutions.

Acting General Manager, Product & Service at Cuscal, Colin Sultana said: "We're really pleased to be supporting Wirecard in Australia. We're all about using our expertise and scale to help existing companies grow as well as to support new companies to enter the market. By working with companies like Wirecard we're driving competition in payments, increasing innovation and giving businesses greater choice which will ultimately benefit everyone."

Grigoriy Kuznetsov, Executive Vice President Global Financial Services at Wirecard, adds: "We are delighted to expand our cooperation with Cuscal. This enables us to extend our global merchant acquiring solutions to one of the most important payment markets in the world and ensure that our customers can enjoy consistent service and seamless access to payment options worldwide."

Cuscal and Wirecard have been working together for more than one year. Cuscal, provides payment services to more than 100 financial institutions, airlines and other organisations in Australia. Cuscal processes around 16 percent of EFT transactions in Australia as well as processing transactions for 40% of Australia's ATMs and managing over 7 million debit, credit and prepaid cards.

About Wirecard:

Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. A global platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions. With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licences for card and account products. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI). For further information about Wirecard, please visit http://www.wirecard.com or follow us on twitter @wirecard.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49-(0)-89-4424-1363

E-Mail: jana.tilz@wirecard.com

About Cuscal:

Cuscal is Australia's leading independent provider of payment solutions including card and acquiring products, mobile payments, fraud prevention, EFT switching and direct entry. We process 16% of Australia's EFT transactions, have over 7 million cards under management and switch and acquire for around 40% of Australia's ATMs. We partner with more than 100 clients from a range of industries including financial services, airlines, fintech and retail. We use our expertise and scale to help existing companies grow and new companies enter the market. This drives competition throughout the payments industry, increasing innovation and giving businesses and consumers greater choice. For more information, please visit: http://www.cuscal.com.au

Cuscal media contact:

Cuscal Limited

Jake Waddell

Tel.: +61-(0)-8299-9091

Email: jwaddell@cuscal.com.au
PARIS, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Chair of IECQ Receives Thomas A. Edison Award for Outstanding Contribution

With constant evolution of technology, brand manufacturers and their procurement teams need to be confident that the electronic parts used in their products are of the required quality and reliable. This is where the IECQ comes in. Its goal is to minimize costs associated with incoming inspection and quality auditing of suppliers when a manufacturer sources components with IECQ product certification. Bureau Veritas' Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano, the Chair of IECQ since January 2014, has recently been recognized by the IEC for her outstanding contribution at the Thomas Edison Awards.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151216/296440LOGO )



The IEC Website states, "...Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano embraced her role, responsibilities and duties with enthusiasm and a dynamic hands-on approach. In this role, she has had the strong support of her employer, LCIE - a Bureau Veritas company. IECQ has been reinforced as an international "best practice" model for supplier assessment and as an extremely valuable Supply Chain Management tool for the many industries involved in the manufacture, supply and distribution of electrical/electronic components, parts and assemblies.

During her initial term as Chair, IECQ has benefited from d'Ornano's leadership as illustrated in a number of key initiatives and achievements:

IECQ support and collaboration on the new CA Harmonized Basic Rules

Closer cooperation between IECQ and specialized industries, e.g. avionics

Development and rollout of the new IECQ Scheme for LED lighting

Establishment of collaboration between IECQ and other CA Systems, notably IECEE

Introduction of the new IECQ developed and run Training Programme, launched in 2015

The first IECQ International Conference on Supply Chain Management, in Paris in April 2016

in Fostering international cooperation with other organizations, e.g. STACK International

About Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano - LCIE Certification Director / CODDE (Eco-design) Manager at Bureau Veritas

Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano has a Masters in Engineering from ENSEEIHT, the University for Electronic Engineering, Electronics, Computer Science, Hydraulics and Telecommunications in Paris, France, and a Masters in Management of Technology and Innovation from the University Dauphine, Paris, France.

After completing her studies, Marie-Elisabeth worked first for Electricite de France (EDF), the French public utility with worldwide activities, and then for the French branch of the Swiss company, ASCOM, a leader in the telecommunications sector.

In 2005, Marie-Elisabeth joined LCIE Bureau Veritas in France. Initially responsible for the transportation, aeronautics and defense markets, Marie-Elisabeth has additionally managed the training and consulting activities and is now looking after Bureau Veritas' LCIE global certification and eco-design businesses.

About IECQ

The IECQ is a worldwide approval and certification system covering the supply of electronic components and associated materials and assemblies (including modules) and processes. It uses quality assessment specifications that are based on International Standards prepared by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). IECQ QC 080000 (Hazardous Substance Process Management System Requirements) provides manufacturers with a tool that makes it easier for them to produce "clean" products and to comply with the increasingly tough requirements and legislation that restrict the use of hazardous substances in electronic products and components.

About the Thomas A. Edison Award

Created in 2010, the Thomas A. Edison Award recognizes exceptional achievement (within the past five years), dedicated service and significant contributions to the IEC through the effective management of committees of currently active TC/SC Officers (Chair, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of a Technical Committee or Subcommittee) and officers of the IEC Conformity Assessment Systems and their subsidiary bodies.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas is a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services. Founded in 1828, the group has more than 68,400 employees in around 1,400 offices and laboratories all across the world. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performances by offering innovative services and solutions in order to ensure that their products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environment protection and social responsibility.

Website:http://www.bureauveritas.com

Bureau Veritas' Consumer Products Servicesdivision is a leading global quality assurance provider for the global consumer product and retail markets. It offers an array of specialized services including testing, inspections, certification, audits and engineering services for a wide range of consumer products. These products include soft goods; electrical and electronic products; smartworld products and services including wireless and mobile devices; automotive equipment; hard goods; toys and juvenile products; premiums; food products as well as health, beauty, cosmetics, and household products.

Website:http://www.bureauveritas.com/cps

Press Contact

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services

Sophie Petersheim

Email: sophie.petersheim@fr.bureauveritas.com

Tel: +33-(0)-1-40-95-55-59


BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Destatis releases German producer prices for November at 2:00 am ET Tuesday. The index is expected to rise 0.1 percent on month, after a 0.7 percent gain in the October. The euro traded mixed against its major rivals ahead of the data. While the euro advanced against the yen, it dropped against the rest of major counterparts. The euro was valued at 1.0376 against the greenback, 122.34 against the yen, 0.8375 against the pound and 1.0681 against the franc at 1:55 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.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

THE THIRD QUARTER 1 SEPTEMBER-30 NOVEMBER 2016

 Net sales of SEK 2,245 million (2,179), an increase of 3.0 per cent.

 Operating profit of SEK 168 million (161).

 Profit after tax of SEK 102 million (100) and earnings per share of SEK 1.16 (1.14).

 The cash flow from operations was SEK 398 million (319).

 Cash flow for the period was SEK 154 million (117).

THE NINE-MONTH PERIOD 1 MARCH-30 NOVEMBER 2016

 Net sales of SEK 6,615 million (6,156), an increase of 7.5 per cent.

 Operating profit increased to SEK 431 million (200)1).

 Profit after tax of SEK 251 million (-4) and earnings per share of SEK 2.84 (-0.05)1).

 The cash flow from operations was SEK 898 million (461)2).

 Cash flow for the period was SEK 13 million (-12) 2). Cash flow for the period included disbursement of last year's dividend

of SEK 230 million (0).

IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE THIRD QUARTER

 Nobina won a contract to provide bus-for-rail services for the commuter trains in the Stockholm region on behalf of MTR.

 Nobina's contract for bus traffic in Norrtalje was extended by two years, to June 2021.

IMPORTANT EVENTS SINCE THE QUARTER

 Nobina won traffic contracts worth SEK 260 million and was awarded an environmental bonus of SEK 1 million in Finland.

 Magnus Rosen has been appointed as new President and CEO of Nobina AB. He will take up the position as CEO of Nobina on1 June 2017.

CEO'S COMMENTS

Nobina delivered a new strong result for the third quarter of 2016/2017 and it is pleasing to note that, despite newly started contracts and an extraordinary winter in November, Nobina was able to increase its earnings compared with last year. Our contract portfolio is thereby performing according to our expectations and, as a whole, very well.

As a consequence of Nobina's optimisation of the joint-group fleet of vehicles, we have reduced residual value losses for our buses and reported relatively low capital losses for the quarter. Despite early, heavy snowfalls in the Stockholm region as well as the implementation of traffic starts in Sweden and Finland at the cut off point for the second quarter, sound traffic planning has also contributed to satisfactory efficiency already being achieved in our newly started contracts. I can thereby once again conclude that Nobina's business model is functioning well and that we are duly discharging our task, as a member of society, within the area of public transport.

During the third quarter of the year, we were notified that Nobina's contract in Norrtalje has been extended. The contract has been extended by two years and now stretches until June 2021, in large part thanks to the high level of customer satisfaction we have succeeded in achieving. During the period, Nobina has also signed a 10-year agreement with MTR regarding bus-for-rail services for the Stockholm commuter train system. We were awarded by the PTA Movia in respect of passenger satisfaction in Copenhagen and we were also officially awarded as the employer that has been most successful on reducing sick leave in Tromso, Norway.

We can now focus on developing the company further as we have a period of less contract exposure.

Ragnar Norback,

President and CEO

The information comprises such as Nobina AB (publ) is obliged to publicly disclose pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Market Act. Through the above contact person, the information was submitted for publication at 8.00am CET on 20 December 2016.

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Ragnar Norback, President and CEO +46 8-410 65 000

Per Skargard, CFO +46 8-410 65 056

Mattias Gelinder, Head of Treasury & IR +46 8-410 65402

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE: ALV and SSE: ALIVsdb), the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, is to launch a learning, intelligent vehicle system. The system is developed by Autoliv Research to facilitate collaboration and shared control between driver and vehicle. This in order to attain trust and facilitate required safety in autonomous driving. The LIV-system is to be demonstrated at CES in Las Vegas on January 4.

The first version of LIV, the Learning Intelligent Vehicle, utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, and coming versions will incorporate on-line and off-line machine learning, utilizing a wide array of data sources and developing an individual relationship to the driver. LIV, pronounced {'li:v} or "leave", literally means "life" in Swedish and is a common Swedish first name as well as part of Autoliv's own life-assuring brand name.

"With this research platform, Autoliv Research aims to solve what truly proactive safety is all about. With LIV, we have found a way to combine our history of saving lives and our leading technology within active safety to accelerate the safe development of automated vehicles," says Ola Bostrom, Vice President Research at Autoliv.

LIV 1.0

The first version of LIV is equipped with Autoliv technology readily available today, connecting all the different technologies via an AI-based ECU, which communicates and acts on all available data. Data sources include what is derived from the driver, the car, its surroundings, as well as from other vehicles and external data sources.

In both autonomous driving situations as well as with the driver in control, LIV complements the driver, monitoring and analyzing all aspects surrounding the vehicle and safeguarding the situations in close cooperation with the driver.

LIV also provides assistance based on the traffic around the car as well as the preferences of the driver, keeping the driver in the loop by allowing for two-way communication as well as interpreting the driver's behavior. In forthcoming versions, LIV will also incorporate machine learning technology, providing the necessities to learn the unique characteristics in the relation between the individual driver and vehicle.

The main reason for promoting the LIV research platform, incorporating and testing new and existing technologies on a continuous basis, is to develop the necessary conditions to be able to unleash autonomous driving and AI technology on a broad scale - while maintaining safety and providing a better driving experience. The accelerated innovation and technology development within autonomous driving and automated transport solutions in turn requires for more of a so called human centric approach - where shared control and two-way trust between human and smart vehicle is crucial for a safe autonomous development.

Ola Bostrom, Vice President Research at Autoliv and in charge of the LIV project, explains further: "The more advanced machine learning and AI technology becomes, the more important it is to have a human centric approach - understanding how we humans and smart machines collaborate as a joint cognitive system. As vehicles become safer, in a sense we become worse drivers. We no longer need to control the vehicle unless it needs or wants us to. With LIV, we have turned this table around, with a system that trusts you to drive and works together with you, and not the other way around."

Inquiries:

Cathrine Stjarnekull, Director External Communications.

Tel: +46 (0)8-58 72 06 81

About Autoliv

Autoliv, Inc., the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, develops and manufactures automotive safety systems for all major automotive manufacturers in the world. Together with its joint ventures, Autoliv has more than 80 facilities and 68,000 employees in 27 countries. In addition, the Company has 20 technical centers in nine countries around the world, with 20 test tracks, more than any other automotive safety supplier. Sales in 2015 amounted to about US $9.2 billion. The Company's shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ALV) and its Swedish Depository Receipts on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm (ALIV sdb). For more information about Autoliv, please visit our company website at www.autoliv.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This report contains statements that are not historical facts but rather forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include those that address activities, events or developments that Autoliv, Inc. or its management believes or anticipates may occur in the future. All forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations, various assumptions and data available from third parties. Our expectations and assumptions are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize or prove to be correct as forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual future results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. For any forward-looking statements contained in this or any other document, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we assume no obligation to update any such statement.

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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DANA GROUP INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENTS LIMITED

("DANA" or the "Company")

Change of Securities Identifier (ISIN)

DANA, the Dubai-based real estate investment company, wishes to inform the market of a change in its securities identifier ("ISIN") consequent upon the approval on 30 May 2016 by shareholders of the change of the Company's name from Makkah & Madinah Holdings Limited ("MMH") to DANA.

With effect from 00.01 hours tomorrow (Wednesday 21 December 2016), DANA's Class A voting shares of GBP 0.005 (one halfpenny) each ("Shares"), which may be held and transferred electronically through CREST in the form of depository interests, shall be identified by the ISIN: BSP014091040. The new SEDOL no. for Shares, with effect from the same date, shall be BD3HCB3.

Shareholders should note that, if they hold their Shares in certificated (paper) form and the certificate(s) show them to be holders of MMH, the existing certificate(s) will still be valid and represent the same number of Shares of DANA as appears on the front of the share certificate(s). New certificates bearing the Company's new name shall be issued only in respect of future transfers of ownership, withdrawals from CREST, the issue of balance certificates where part-holdings have been transferred or sold and allotments in certificated form of new Shares.

Mohammad Firas Baba, Director,

Dubai, 20 December 2016

This announcement, for the content of which the Directors of DANA accept responsibility, has been made after due and careful enquiry.

Enquiries:

Dana Group International Investment Limited:

Mustafa Saifuddin, Financial Manager: tel: +971 (0) 4 818 3030; e-mail: ir@mm-holdings.com; further information on Dana Group International Investments Limited is available from the Company's website: www.mm-holdings.com (shortly to be re-branded to reflect the Company's new identity).

Keith, Bayley, Rogers & Co. Limited:

Graham Atthill-Beck: tel: +44 (0) 20 7464 4092; mobile: +971 (0) 50 856 9408/+44 (0) 750 643 4107; e-mail: blackpearladvisers@gmail.com; Graham.Atthill-Beck@kbrl.co.uk

Hugh Oram: tel: +44 (0) 20 7464 4096; e-mail: Hugh.Oram@kbrl.co.uk
Fiskars Corporation Stock Exchange Release December 20, 2016 at 10:00 EETFiskars' new organizational structure from January, 2017 onwardsFiskars' organizational structure, coming into effect as of January 1, 2017, features two Strategic Business Units (SBU) Living and Functional. The company announced its plans to shift from a region-based organization and form two strategic business units in November, 2016 with the aim to leverage the full potential of its strong brands, build company-wide capabilities and increase speed and alignment.In connection with the new organizational structure, Fiskars proposed to reduce positions in areas where there are overlaps or potential to seek efficiencies. Including the addition of a number of new positions, the net reduction of Fiskars' personnel was estimated to be 130 positions globally. Employee consultations initiated in Finland have now been concluded and the maximum number of positions being reduced is 19 in Finland. The process continues in other countries and timelines vary from one country to another. Plans are subject to information and consultation with employees and their representatives according to local legislation. Employees in manufacturing and distribution centre operations are not in scope of the personnel reductions.These changes are a part of the Alignment program announced on November 10, 2016. The program focuses on the structural changes in the organization, proposed headcount reductions announced in November, and the full integration of the English & Crystal Living business, acquired in 2015.FISKARS CORPORATIONKari Kauniskangas President and CEOMedia and investor contacts: Head of Corporate Communications and Corporate Responsibility Maija Taimi, tel. +358 204 39 5031, communications@fiskars.comFiskars - Making the everyday extraordinary Fiskars serves consumers and customers around the world with a brand portfolio of globally recognized brands including Fiskars, Gerber, Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Waterford, and Wedgwood. Building on our mission to create a family of iconic lifestyle brands, Fiskars' vision is to create a positive, lasting impact on our quality of life. Please visit www.fiskarsgroup.com for more information.Attachment:https://cns.omxgroup.com/cds/DisclosureAttachmentServlet?messageAttachmentId=608940
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Switzerland's watch exports declined in November, data from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH showed Tuesday. Exports decreased 5.6 percent year-on-year to CHF 1.86 billion in November. The decline was driven again by precious metal watches. The main markets were down overall in November. Watch industry exports to Hong Kong remained practically stable. On the other hand, the United States registered one of its worst results of the year after March. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom remained one of the few positive markets in Europe. China rose once again after August and 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.
PUNE, India, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Blowing Agents Market by Product Type (HCFC, HC, HFC), Foam (Polyurethane, Polystyrene, Phenolic, Polyolefin Foams), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global market is projected to reach USD 5.47 Billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2016 to 2026.

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



Browse 94 market data Tables and 51 Figures spread through169 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Blowing Agents Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/blowing-agents-market-71329121.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

This growth is fueled by the high demand from the construction & building, appliances, and packaging industries and increasing global demand for blowing agents in Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.

HFC: The most-widely used product type of blowing agents

The scheduled phase out of the hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) is facilitating the growth of the hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) in the market. HCFC is scheduled to phase out as it has high ozone depletion potential (ODP) and high global warming potential (GWP) and hence is harmful to the environment. HFC currently is effectively being used by the manufacturers as a substitute for HCFC as it is a drop in replacement for HCFC. Therefore, the market for HFC is large. Also, HFC have a low ODP hence it is accepted as a replacement for HCFC.

Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=71329121

Polyurethane Foams: The largest foams made from blowing agents

Polyurethane foams are the largest type of foams made from blowing agents. They have wide application in various end-use industries such as appliances, apparel, automotive, building & construction, electronics, flooring, marine, furnishing and others. Also, they have superior properties and hence they help in energy saving for appliances and automotive applications. These foams are widely used for insulation and cushioning purposes.

Asia-Pacific: The largest blowing agents market

Asia-Pacific is a potential for Blowing Agents Market, in terms of value, and is expected to continue to be dominant market during the forecast period. Countries in this region such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea are witnessing significant increase in the use of blowing agents for appliances, building & construction, and packaging industries. This growth is mainly due to the rapid economic growth and increasing population that is driving the demand for blowing agents type for various end-use industries in Asia-Pacific. China is estimated to be the fastest-growing market in Asia-Pacific till 2021.

Purchase Report at http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Purchase/purchase_report1.asp?id=71329121

The blowing agents have a few numbers of global players competing for market share. These companies are actively adopting various strategies such as partnerships/collaborations/agreements, new product developments, merger & acquisitions, and expansion projects globally to increase their market share. Major players such as Arkema SA (France), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Solvay SA (Belgium), Exxon Mobil Corporation (U.S.), Linde AG (Germany), and others have adopted various organic and inorganic developmental strategies.

Browse Related Reports:

Aerosol Propellant Market by Type (DME, HFC, HFO, Other Hydrocarbons, and Others), by Application (Personal Care, Household, Medical, and Others), and by Region - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/aerosol-propellant-market-35516484.html

Polyurethane Foam Market by Type (Flexible, Rigid, and Spray Foam), End-Use Industry (Bedding & Furniture, Building & Construction, Electronics, Automotive, Footwear, Packaging), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/polyurethane-foams-market-1251.html

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

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

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

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DUBAI, UAE, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A team from Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai has successfully treated an elderly patient from Saudi Arabia, restoring the patient's sight in one eye after he spent 18 months with no sight in either eye. 83 year-old Mr. Hassan Al Shaikh Ahmad is now mobile and independent again, after a series of procedures performed in Dubai by Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, ConsultantOphthalmologist with a special interest in strabismus and cataract.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451113/Moorfields_Eye_Hospital_Dubai.jpg )



The patient had a very severe corneal scar in the right eye andhis left eye had a convergent squint (so severe that the cornea was invisible) and cataract. The right eye was inoperable and so the team focused on treating the left eye with a two-stage surgical procedure, first to correct the squint and then to perform the cataract surgery which was necessary after the cataract had been discovered during the squint surgery.

The first phase strabismus surgery by Dr. Irfan was successful and once the left eye had been straightened enough to allow further detailed examination of the eye, a significant cataract was discovered. This led to the second stage of the treatment, following a month of recovery after the squint surgery, in which Dr. Irfan performed the cataract surgery.

Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, ConsultantOphthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, commented: "This was a particularly challenging elderly patient presenting with serious problems in both eyes, and revealing additional problems once we had been able to perform a full examination of the eyes. Unfortunately, we were unable to treat his right eye but the results of the treatment on the left eye have been successful and the team is delighted with Mr. Hassan's progress and recovery, allowing him to lead a normal life after living without vision for 18 months. He is now walking independently and performing his daily activities and routine, which is so important for every patient and especially those older patients."

Mr. Hassan Al Shaikh Ahmad, the 83 year-old patient from Saudi Arabia added: "I cannot express my gratitude enough to Dr. Irfan and the team at Moorfields; I am so happy to be able to walk again and to do things independently without the help of others."

Strabismus (squint or crossed eyes) is a misalignment of the eyes, inward or outward, and can only be treated with vision therapy or surgery. Acataractis a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil.Cataractsare the most common cause of vision loss in people over the age of 40 and are the principal cause of blindness in the world. Most cataracts are related to aging and they are very common in older people.

Dr. Irfan Khan is one of the few ophthalmologists in the world with dual training from United Kingdom and Canada.He is subspecialty trained in the management of all aspects of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Ocular Motility including; Paediatric Cataracts, Paediatric Glaucoma, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Retinoblastoma, Paediatric Anterior Segment Reconstruction, common Paediatric Oculoplastics, Strabismus or Squint, Adult Strabismus (with Adjustable sutures) and Adult Cataract Surgery. He is a valuable member of the Moorfields team and holds clinics in both Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai and Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital.

Notes to editors

About Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) is the first overseas branch of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the oldest and one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in the world. Located at the Al Razi Medical Complex in Dubai Health Care City, the facility provides day case surgery and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, for a variety of surgical and non-surgical eye conditions. MEHD will also raise standards for research and teaching in the region. MEHD is owned and managed by the NHS Foundation Trust, and maintains close links with London, to ensure that patients in the GCC receive the best eye care treatment in the world.

http://www.moorfields.ae

Issued on behalf of Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai by WPR.
OSDORF, Germany, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

In the free port of Geneva, superrich collectors gather to celebrate 130 years of progress in the automotive industry. They pay homage to the most revolutionary invention on the way to seemingly unlimited mobility: 2016 the very first four-wheeled automobile with a combustion engine celebrates its 130th anniversary.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451117/TRANSPORT_Daimler.jpg )



In the year of 1886 the first drive of the Daimler motor carriage took place. Equipped with the first fast moving petrol engine this invention of Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Maybach commences an era of unimaginable perspectives and possibilities for generations and millions of people to come.

However, there is a drop of bitterness throughout the celebrations in Geneva - the birthday boy is missing. The prime father out of the long line of ancestors of classic cars is missing. The original of all four-wheeled automobiles has disappeared.

In order to celebrate this remarkable anniversary as part of a glittering event, several ambitious collectors and fancyfancies have created a most elaborate model of a Daimler motor carriage - itself slumbered longforgotten in the attic of a mansion - adorned with around 3,000 smaller and 12 multi-carats colour-intensive fancy diamonds.

The model THE MISSING LINK is valued at around 260 million Swiss Francs, thus being a collector's item in a class of its own. Befitting one's rank, it is reminiscent of the priceless lost original. Besides, THE MISSING LINK is the first exhibit of the ff fancyfancies diamonds & art collection.

At Sotheby's and Christie's international auctions of jewellery and diamonds in 2015 fancy diamonds (colourful blue, pink and orange multicarats) arrived at sensational prices of several million $/ct. (1ct = 0.2 Gramm)

Fancy diamonds create highest value on the smallest possible space. They are natural and very rare coloured diamonds that are only produced in very few diamond mines in the world. That explains their exclusiveness and their enormous capital gains that could be compared to the rarest of classic cars.

Note to Editors:

A picture accompanying this release is available through the PA Photowire. It can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.

Contact:

Santi Covato

Diamond Grader

m: +49-160-365-17-68


Vilnius, Lithuania, 2016-12-20 11:03 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --On the 20th of December 2016 the Annual General Shareholders Meeting of Vilniaus baldai AB adopted the following resolutions:Agenda item #1: Consolidated annual report. The Company's consolidated annual report for the FY 2016 ended 31 August 2016.Agenda item #2: Company's auditor's report. The report of auditor KPMG Baltics UAB for the FY 2016 ended 31 August 2016 was presented.Agenda item #3: Approval of the Company's financial statements for the FY 2016 ended 31 August 2016. Resolution: to approve Company's financial statements for the FY 2016 ended 31 August 2016.Agenda item #4: Approval of the Company's consolidated financial statements for the FY 2016 ended 31 August 2016. Resolution: to approve Company's consolidated financial statements for the FY 2016 ended 31 August 2016.Agenda item #5: Approval of the Company's profit distribution. Resolution: to approve Company's profit distribution.Undistributed retained earnings, brought forward 3 023 764 EUR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net result for the current year 3 237 730 EUR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Profit (loss) not recognized in the income statement of the 21 064 EUR reporting financial year -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Distributable result 6 282 558 EUR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transfers to the obligatory reserves - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transfers to other reserves - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To be paid as dividends* 1 049 292 EUR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To be paid as annual payments (bonus) to the Board members 90 000 EUR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Undistributed retained earnings, carried forward 5 143 266 EUR --------------------------------------------------------------------------------* 0.27 EUR dividends per one ordinary share.Additional information: Head of Finance Jonas Krutinis Phone No.: +370 (5) 252 57 00
Espoo, Finland, 2016-12-20 11:15 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --SRV GROUP PLC PRESS RELEASE 20 DECEMBER 2016, AT 12.15Architects Soini & Horto Ltd wins architectural competition for hotel to be constructed next to REDI shopping centreA hotel plot is planned in connection with REDI, under construction at Kalasatama, Helsinki. For this planning work, SRV organised a limited invited architectural competition in cooperation with the City of Helsinki. The jury decided unanimously to award first place to the competition entry "HILA", by Architects Soini & Horto Ltd.The purpose of the competition was to find a feasible hotel building which is architecturally fresh and high quality, and which will complement the Kalasatama area and REDI, while integrating naturally into its environment.SRV has signed a letter of intent on the construction of the hotel with Restel, Finland's largest hotel and restaurant sector company, which has 43 hotels in Finland. The new hotel will be built next to the REDI shopping centre, and it is a planned to have 200-250 rooms, a restaurant and a cafe.A compact urban centre is currently being constructed at Kalasatama. In the next few years, around 20,000 people will come to live in the area, i.e. Kalasatama will have around the same number of residents as the city district of Kallio. In addition, jobs for around 8,000 people are planned for Kalasatama. The Helsinki City Board has allocated to SRV a site in Kalasatama for the planning of the hotel. The project still requires a change in the city plan, so the result of the architectural competition will be used as a basis for zoning the site and in the further planning of the hotel."There is currently a severe shortage of hotel rooms in Helsinki, so the new hotel will complement well the services of Kalasatama, REDI and neighbouring areas as well as Helsinki as a whole," says SRV Executive Vice President Timo Nieminen.At the heart of Kalasatama, Helsinki, SRV is currently building REDI, which will consist of eight tower buildings and a shopping and experience centre, due to open in 2018. Majakka, the first residential tower to be completed at REDI, will rise to a height of 132 metres and it will be Finland's tallest residential building. The new hotel, to be built on a site next to REDI, will complement the REDI complex well.The competition rules of the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) were adhered to in the architectural competition. Four architectural offices were asked to enter the invited competition: Architects Soini & Horto Ltd, Tengblom Eriksson Architects Ltd, Helin&Co Architects and Arkkitehtitoimisto K2S Oy.The jury consisted of SRV's Executive Vice President Timo Nieminen and REDI Project Director Juhani Katko, Architect Salla Hoppu and Project Manager Tuomas Hakala of the Helsinki City Planning Department, and Architect Mikko Heikkinen, of Arkkitehtuuritoimisto Heikkinen-Komonen Oy, an expert member selected in collaboration with the competition participants.Further information:Timo Nieminen, Executive Vice President, tel. +358 400 424 552, timo.nieminen@srv.fi Tiina Niemi, Communications Manager, tel. +358 40 502 7549, tiina.niemi@srv.fiFrom SRV's public image bank you can download pictures of the Competition Entry "HILA":http://srv.kuvapankki.info/check_a.php?hash=0ea3904a89dab17b7071f64fdc367e39www.srv.fiYou can also find us in the social media:Facebook LinkedIn Twitter InstagramSRV - Building for life
LONDON, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Investment bank Northland Capital Partners ("Northland") is delighted to sponsor the Master Investor Show 2017. Hosted at the Business Design Centre, London on March 25th, Northland will bring its investment services to the UK's number one platform for connecting private investors with the CEOs and founders of companies. As exclusive sponsors of the event's Gallery Suite, Northland will host company investment pitches throughout the day and showcase a selection of AIM-quoted clients.

Northland has built a strong reputation as an independent institutional stockbroker, corporate adviser and NOMAD service provider. Northland works with clients across multiple sectors including healthcare, consumer, leisure and gaming, natural resources, media and telecoms, and technology. The Master Investor Show is an ideal fit for the company. Through sponsorship of the Gallery Suite, Northland will attract investor delegates looking to benefit from the company's connections, research, advice and trading services.

Swen Lorenz CEO of Master Investor: "We have a 15-year history of connecting AIM-listed companies and private investors. The IPOs that Northland has brought to the market since 2015 have had an average share price performance of +29%. I couldn't be more pleased about having such a high-quality investment bank be a partner in our flagship event."

Patrick Claridge, CEO of Northland, said: "We are delighted to be sponsoring the Master Investor Show 2017. Now in its fifteen year, it is the leading event of its kind for private investors and provides a valuable opportunity for companies to engage directly with private investors. 2017 promises to top previous years in both the range of companies attending and in the line-up of main stage speakers."

In April, 4,500 delegates and 100 exhibitors attended the Master Investor Show. Next year's event marks the 15th year anniversary of the annual event. Northland will add to the growing list of high-profile sponsors already secured for the show, which also includes Fidelity International, Seven Investment Management and London South East.

For more information about Master Investor Show 2017, visit http://www.masterinvestor.co.uk/show

About Master Investor Ltd.

Master Investor Ltd. is an investment media and events company that delivers independent, financial commentary and analysis to UK private investors and traders. Master Investor Ltd. is backed by Jim Mellon, the well-known financier. It is privately held with offices in London and the Isle of Man.

About Northland Capital Partners Limited

http://www.northlandcp.co.uk/

Based in London, Northland is an independent institutional broker and corporate adviser. Northland enables growth companies to access capital and offers a full NOMAD service to quoted small/mid-cap companies. It has excellent connections with investors, providing them with equity research, advice and trading services.

Northland Capital Partners is a privately owned company managed and controlled by its employees.

Website: http://www.masterinvestor.co.uk

Social media:

http://www.facebook.com/masterinvestor

http://www.twitter.com/masterinvestor

Media enquiries: james.hudson@masterinvestor.co.uk
AMSTERDAM, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Scottish food-tech start-up 3f Bio has won the first "Start-up Innovation Challenge", organised by Health Ingredients Europe & Natural ingredients in association with Agroparc and Presans and supported by Naturex. This University of Strathclyde spin-off has developed a new technology that halves the costs of Mycoprotein-production while simultaneously reducing waste material to zero. Vitamin- and fat-enriched Mycoprotein, marketed as "Quorn", is already one of the most popular meat substitutes available. The fungal protein has been available in Germany since 2012. The patented 3f-process is a milestone for Mycoprotein, as the unfavorable energy balance of the process has often been criticised in the past. This technology does not use glucose syrup and surplus sugar, waste protein and energy are returned to the bio refinery production cycle, making this process more sustainable and cheaper. The production of 3f-protein is a massive 75% cheaper than producing meat. In addition to its application in the production of Mycoprotein, 3fBiotechnology also optimises the production of bioethanol and animal feed. Natasha Berrow, Group Brand Director for the Food ingredients portfolio and jury member: "The 3f technology creates completely new dimensions for the market potential of Mycoprotein and allows it to be a global supplier of protein. We are proud that a chapter of this success story was written at Hi Europe & Ni."

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130723/629764-a )



(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451123/Health_ingredients_Logo.jpg )



(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451124/Natural_ingredients_Logo.jpg )



For winning the first "Start-up Innovation Challenge", the 3f Bio-team has been awarded an extensive support program. The award partner Agroparc will guide the start-up in entering the market with its entire know how and through use of its development laboratories. UBM will supply an event package worth 5,000 Euro for Fi Europe in 2017.

Tim Laird, CEO 3f Bio: "We were delighted to participate in the Start-Up Innovation Challenge, and for companies like 3f Bio, it provides a unique opportunity to explain the case to a panel of sector and industry experts." "The benefits from winning the Start-Up Innovation Challenge include increased profile, and several new contacts who we hope will evolve to become commercial partners. One of the benefits includes support to participate at Fi Europe 2017. In 2017, we will continue to develop the technology and look forward to presenting this at Fi Europe."

GreenFood50 was awarded the "Natural Ingredients" special prize, sponsored by Naturex. The Dutch start-up produces various quinoa products that are used, among others, in baked goods, snacks and sauces.

The Start-up Innovation Challenge is organized by UBM, in association with Agroparc and Presans, supported by Naturex. The finalists could, among other things, present themselves to an international audience of experts in Industry Insight Theatre at Hi Europe & Ni.

About Food ingredients Global - The trusted route to market since 1986

Food ingredients was launched in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 1986. Its portfolio of live events, extensive data, digital solutions and high-level conferences are now established throughout the world and provide regional and global platforms for all stakeholders, in the food ingredients industry. Over 500,000 people have attended our shows over the years with billions of Euros worth of business created as a result. With over 25 years of excellence, our events, digital solutions and supporting products, deliver a proven route to market, with a truly global audience. For more information about the Food ingredients portfolio please visit: http://www.figlobal.com. For more information about press and for press registration please visit: http://www.figlobal.com/hieurope/about/press

About UBM EMEA

UBM EMEA connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premier brands such as Routes, CPhI, IFSEC, Ecobuild, Seatrade, and many others, UBM EMEA exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across seven industry sectors.
Only FDA-Cleared CTC Test to Join Company's Portfolio of Diagnostics

BOLOGNA, Italy, and SAN DIEGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Menarini-Silicon Biosystems today announced they have signed an agreement to purchase all the assets and relevant business related to the CELLSEARCH Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) system from Janssen Diagnostics, LLC. CELLSEARCH is used to help manage patients with metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. It is the only FDA-cleared CTC test, and has also been approved by China's FDA for use in monitoring breast cancer patients. Financial details were not disclosed.

The CELLSEARCH system will join Menarini-Silicon Biosystems' family of advanced diagnostics, which includes the Company's flagship DEPArray' System. DEPArray is a rare-cell detection and isolation technology that is used globally in a number of therapeutic areas, including oncology. With both DEPArray and CELLSEARCH in its portfolio, Menarini-Silicon BioAsystems will be able to provide CTC detection on an FDA-cleared platform, and give oncologists and researchers access to unparalleled molecular characterization capabilities. Together, the two technologies provide a unique opportunity to advance next-generation, personalized medAicine strategies.

"We are excited to welcome CELLSEARCH to the Menarini-Silicon Biosystems portfolio," commented Lucia Aleotti, Chairman of Menarini Group and Giuseppe Giorgini, CEO, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems. "The combined capabilities of CELLSEARCH together with our DEPArray System will enhance our potential to enable meaningful advances in the field of personalized medicine."

Under terms of the agreement, when the closing will occur, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems will seek to retain many of the Janssen Diagnostics employees in roles dedicated to CTCs, and assume operation of Janssen Diagnostics' CLIA-certified laboratory in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. The two companies will work closely to transition the business across the many global markets where CELLSEARCH is available.

About CELLSEARCH Technology

Clinical data to date from 28 independent prospective studies involving more than 4,700 patients have validated the clinical performance and value of CELLSEARCH CTC testing to predict progression-free survival and overall survival both before and after therapy initiation. CELLSEARCH data have been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.

About the DEPArray System

DEPArray technology is recognized as the gold standard to isolate single CTCs from enriched blood, with data published in 19 peer-reviewed publications and mentioned in more than 30 review articles. The full synergy between CELLSEARCH enrichment and DEPArray sorting have been shown to deliver 100% pure cells suitable for very precise and reproducible downAstream next-generation sequencing analysis. In addition, DEPArray technology has other appliAcations that include recovery and molecular characterization of pure cell populations from disAaggregated formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens, fresh tissues and fine needle aspiration samples.

About Menarini-Silicon Biosystems

Menarini-Silicon Biosystems Inc. is a Menarini Group company, with European headquarters in Bologna, Italy and U.S. headquarters in San Diego, California. Menarini-Silicon Biosystems operates in the healthcare sector and in personalized medicine, through the development of technologies and products that help to understand the biological complexity of many pathologies thanks to the study of single cells. For more information see www.siliconbiosystems.com and follow on Twitter @SiliconBio.




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Copper Fox Metals Inc. ("Copper Fox" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: CUU)(OTC PINK: CPFXF) is pleased to provide its shareholders with an update of corporate activities.

Over the past few weeks, spot copper prices have shown some significant gains. This much needed correction in price, while still too early to call, could be the early stages of the long awaited positive metal cycle. As indicated in our last corporate update, Copper Fox has been positioning itself to take advantage of this long-expected move to higher copper prices.

Elmer B. Stewart, President and CEO of Copper Fox, stated, "We are very pleased with the approach and progress on the updated resource block model for the Schaft Creek deposit. The positive results of the preliminary metallurgical testwork from Carmax's Eaglehead project and the preliminary results of the mapping and sampling program from the Mineral Mountain project are encouraging."

Highlights:

-- The resource block modelling for the Schaft Creek deposit is ongoing. The results of this work are expected to be made available during the latter half of the first quarter of 2017. -- Upon completion of the resource block modeling, a decision will be taken on whether an updated resource estimate for Schaft Creek is required. -- On Carmax's Eaglehead project, locked cycle testwork has yielded recoveries of 89.9% copper, 71.1% molybdenite, 78.6% gold, and 78.1% silver. -- The mineralization at the Mineral Mountain project shows a strong northeast structural control as well as a Cu-Mo-Ag-Au-Bi-Te geochemical association, a typical signature of porphyry copper systems.

Schaft Creek Project:

Since our update on November 9, 2016, the work required to update the resource model for the Schaft Creek deposit continues. This work includes a full review of all data generated on the Schaft Creek deposit since the late 1960s up to and including the work completed by the Schaft Creek Joint Venture between 2013 and 2016. This work also includes incorporating updated geological model information which provides a better understanding of the lithological and structural controls on the mineralization. As previously stated, one of the objectives of this work is to better understand the content and distribution of precious metals in the deposit and whether or not an updated resource estimate for the Schaft Creek deposit is required. The results of the resource modelling work should be available during the first quarter of 2017, after which a decision to update the resource estimate will be taken.

Carmax Mining Corp:

Carmax has released the results of the preliminary test work completed on their Eaglehead copper project located in northwest British Columbia. The work by SGS shows that the copper mineralization consists mainly of chalcopyrite with lesser amounts of bornite.

Based on locked cycle testwork, the final copper-molybdenite bulk concentrate assayed 29.6% Cu, 2.72% Mo, 28.2 g/t Au, and 175.9 g/t Ag with estimated metal recoveries of 89.9% copper, 71.1% molybdenite, 78.6% gold, and 78.1% silver. The copper-molybdenite concentrate contained very low concentrations of arsenic, selenium and tin.

Carmax also reports that tests to upgrade molybdenum recovery in a separate molybdenum cleaner circuit were not completed.

Mineral Mountain Project:

The Mineral Mountain project is located in a northeast trending structural lineament that hosts the porphyry copper deposits at Casa Grande, Resolution and in the Miami-Globe district in Arizona. Bedrock exposures within the project are estimated to be approximately 10-15%. The recently completed program consisted of outcrop and trench sampling (where applicable) as well as mapping lithologies, alterations, and vein assemblages. The work was completed within the area (approximately 3,000ft X 2,000ft) reported to contain copper +/- molybdenite mineralization hosted in a Laramide age Granodiorite intrusion.

Analytical results for 51 of the samples collected have been received. A number of these samples had to be re-submitted for assays due to over limits on the initial geochemical analytical method. The balance of the sampling results will be reported when received. Preliminary results are positive and indicate the following:

a. A zone of significant (greater than 1,000 ppm), northeast structurally controlled copper mineralization is emerging (pending further sample results) in the Granodiorite; b. The mineralization exhibits a Cu-Mo-Au-Ag-Bi-Te geochemical association along with anomalous Re values; c. The mineralization occurs in a series of quartz-chlorite-Kspar veins and veinlets (A-type) that carry a combination of chrysocolla, chalcocite and malachite; and d. The interpretation of the results will be provided when analytical results (including over limit samples) for all samples have been received.

Analytical and Sampling Procedures:

Rock chip samples (approximately one kilogram) were collected from outcropping material to characterize the metals present in veins and other mineralized structures. The samples were transported to Skyline Laboratories in Tucson, Arizona and delivered in person.

Samples were crushed to plus 75% -10 mesh, split and pulverized to plus 95% -150 mesh. Pulps were subjected to a multi-acid digest (HNO3, HF, HClO4) followed by analysis by ICP/OES. Gold was analyzed on a 30-gram charge by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. Fluorine was analyzed by an ion-selective electrode. The Skyline's package code Te-5 was used to analyze the samples for the base and other trace elements. Skyline has an ISO/IEC 17025/2005 accreditation.

Quality Control

The first sample of each batch was a field blank. One certified standard pulp was inserted into the sample stream for each laboratory batch of twenty samples. A total of 4 blanks and certified reference standards were inserted with the sample batches for which analyses have been received.

Elmer B. Stewart, MSc. P. Geol., President of Copper Fox, is the Company's non-independent, nominated Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101, Standards for Disclosure for Mineral Projects, and has reviewed and approves the scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release.

About Copper Fox:

Copper Fox is a Tier 1 Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX VENTURE: CUU) focused on copper exploration and development in Canada and the United States. Copper Fox and its wholly owned Canadian and United States subsidiaries, being Northern Fox Copper Inc. and Desert Fox Copper Inc. hold the assets listed below:

1. 25% interest in the Schaft Creek Joint Venture with Teck Resources Limited on the Schaft Creek copper-gold-molybdenum-silver project located in northwestern British Columbia. 2. 100% ownership of the Van Dyke oxide copper project located in Miami, Arizona. 3. 65.4% of the shares of Carmax Mining Corp. who in turn own 100% of the Eaglehead copper-molybdenum-gold project located in northwestern British Columbia. 4. 100% ownership of the Sombrero Butte copper project located east of Mammoth, Arizona. 5. 100% ownership of the Mineral Mountain copper project located east of Florence, Arizona.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Elmer B. Stewart, President and Chief Executive Officer

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and forward-looking information within the meaning of the Canadian securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information in this news release include statements regarding a positive metal cycle, with higher copper prices; receiving results from the Schaft Creek resource block modeling in the latter half of 1Q17, along with a decision on whether an updated resource estimate is required; the existence of porphyry copper systems at the Mineral Mountain project; mineral estimates and indications based on testwork; and providing the interpretation of Mineral Mountain testwork once analytical results for all samples have been received.

In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, Copper Fox and its subsidiaries have made numerous assumptions regarding, among other things: the geological, financial and economic advice that Copper Fox has received is reliable and is based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with industry standards; the speed of field studies; the usefulness of historical reports; and the stability of economic and market conditions. While Copper Fox considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies.

Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause Copper Fox's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include, among others: copper prices may not increase in 2017; the uncertainty of the timing of completing the resource modelling on the Schaft Creek deposit, or at all; the Mineral Mountain mineralization may not be as preliminary testwork suggests; and results of the Mineral Mountain testwork may not be received on a timely basis, or at all.

A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing Copper Fox is disclosed in Copper Fox's continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and Copper Fox disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Copper Fox Metals Inc.

Lynn Ball

1-844-464-2820 or 1-403-264-2820




NORTH CANTON, Ohio and PADERBORN, Germany, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE: DBD), a global leader in providing consumer and cash transaction solutions for the financial and retail industries, today announced the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published provisional findings in connection with the business combination of Diebold, Incorporated and Wincor Nixdorf.

Diebold Nixdorf is pleased that the CMA has not called into question the global transaction and integration of the businesses outside the United Kingdom, and that any remedies required to preserve competition in the United Kingdom will involve the least costly and intrusive remedies needed. Diebold Nixdorf is also pleased that the CMA is committed to continue working with the company and that the CMA will consider both behavioral and structural remedies to address and resolve their review as expediently as possible. The process is expected to be completed during the first half of 2017.

On Aug. 15, Diebold, Incorporated completed its acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf AG, achieving approval from shareholders and key regulatory authorities around the world. In the United Kingdom, however, the Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf brands and operations are to remain separate and distinct pending completion of the CMA's review of the transaction.

About Diebold Nixdorf

Diebold Nixdorf is a world leader in enabling connected commerce for millions of consumers each day across the financial and retail industries. Its software-defined solutions bridge the physical and digital worlds of cash and consumer transactions conveniently, securely and efficiently. As an innovation partner for nearly all of the world's top 100 financial institutions and a majority of the top 25 global retailers, Diebold Nixdorf delivers unparalleled services and technology that are essential to evolve in an 'always on' and changing consumer landscape.

Diebold Nixdorf has a presence in more than 130 countries with approximately 25,000 employees worldwide. The organization maintains corporate offices in North Canton, Ohio, USA and Paderborn, Germany. Shares are traded on the New York and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges under the symbol 'DBD'. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future including, without limitation, the business combination with Wincor Nixdorf. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of Diebold and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industries in which the combined company operates may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. In addition, risks and uncertainties related to the acquisition include, but are not limited to, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses of Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf, the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any governmental and regulatory approvals that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the business combination, risks associated with the impact of the business combination agreement, the contemplated domination and profit and loss transfer agreement and any related litigation may have on the business and operations of the combined company, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the acquisition, and the risk that the acquisition could have an adverse effect on the ability of the combined company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its suppliers, and on its operating results and businesses generally. These risks, as well as other risks are more fully discussed in Diebold's reports filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Any forward"'looking statements speak only as at the date of this document. Except as required by applicable law, neither Diebold nor Wincor Nixdorf undertakes any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and PsiOxus Therapeutics, Ltd. (PsiOxus) today announced an agreement granting Bristol-Myers Squibb exclusive worldwide rights to NG-348, a pre-clinical stage, "armed" oncolytic virus with the goal of addressing solid tumors. The agreement is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

Oncolytic virus therapy utilizes modified viruses like the adenovirus (otherwise known as the common cold virus) that selectively replicate within tumor cells and not within normal tissue. Such viruses stimulate an inflammatory response in the tumor microenvironment, resulting in the accumulation of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. The NG-348 virus uses PsiOxus' proprietary Tumor-Specific Immuno-gene Therapy (T-SIGn) platform to "arm" the virus with two additional immuno-therapeutic transgenes.

"PsiOxus has developed a novel platform of tumor-targeted delivery with oncolytic viruses focused on cancer and shares our passion for helping more patients respond to treatment," said Fouad Namouni, M.D., head of Development, Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb. "We are excited to bring our deep expertise in Immuno-Oncology to the continued development of NG-348 and to better understand the potential role of oncolytic viruses in enhancing checkpoint blockade in multiple types of cancer in the tumor microenvironment."

"NG-348, represents the first of our T-SIGn armed-viruses," stated John Beadle, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, PsiOxus, "We are thrilled to partner once again with Bristol-Myers Squibb, a leader in Immuno-Oncology, to drive this program into clinical development with the aim of providing a potential treatment to cancer patients."

Under the terms of the agreement, Bristol-Myers Squibb will grant PsiOxus a $50 million upfront payment and will be solely responsible for global clinical development and commercialization activities related to NG-348. PsiOxus is also eligible to receive up to $886 million in development, regulatory and sales-based milestones, as well as royalties on net sales. Bristol-Myers Squibb will also be responsible for providing PsiOxus funding to support activities related to the preclinical development of NG-348.

This agreement follows a June 2016 agreement between the two companies where Bristol-Myers Squibb and PsiOxus entered into an exclusive clinical collaboration to study enadenotucirev, PsiOxus' systemically administered "unarmed" oncolytic adenovirus therapeutic.

About NG-348

NG-348 is designed to drive T-cell immune responses locally within the tumor microenvironment. It is a transgene-modified variant of PsiOxus's enadenotucirev virus that encodes two immunomodulatory MiTe proteins in its genome. The two Membrane-integrated T-cell-engaging (MiTe) proteins encoded within NG-348 are:

A membrane anchored full-length human CD80

A membrane anchored antibody fragment specific for the T-cell receptor CD3 protein

When expressed together on the surface of NG-348 infected tumor cells, these two membrane proteins provide both the T-cell receptor (signal 1) and costimulatory (signal 2) activation signals required to polyclonally activate tumor-infiltrating T-cells in an antigen independent manner.

The expression of both transgenes encoded in the NG-348 virus is controlled by the endogenous virus major late promoter. This restricts expression of the proteins to the surface of cells permissive to virus infection (i.e. tumor cells) and prevents off-target expression in the cells from healthy tissues. NG-348 infected tumor cells can potently activate both CD4 and CD8 human T-cells, both in vitro and in a human tumor xenograft model. By contrast, non-tumor cells exposed to NG-348 do not express the MiTe proteins or activate T-cells.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

About PsiOxus Therapeutics

PsiOxus Therapeutics aims to be the world's leading immuno-oncolytic virus company, delivering medicines of value to patients with cancer. Our work is product and platform based with a focus on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies for the treatment of solid tumors. Our products utilize enadenotucirev, our proprietary first generation oncolytic virus and our proprietary platform technology for next generation oncolytic viruses, Tumor-Specific Immuno-Gene Therapy (T-SIGn). The T-SIGn therapy platform is based on the company's oncolytic virus, enadenotucirev, which has properties that allow it to be delivered systemically via intravenous administration and to replicate only in tumor cells. The anti-cancer capability can be further enhanced through "arming" a process that involves the addition of new genes into the virus. The armed T-SIGn platform makes possible creation of a broad range of systemically delivered oncolytic immune therapeutics including oncolytic viruses that express one or more antibodies, cytokines, immunomodulatory proteins, or nucleotide (RNA) based payloads. The T-SIGn platform is in preclinical stage, while phase I/II clinical trials are ongoing with enadenotucirev in different tumor types and with different combinations including checkpoint inhibitors and conventional chemotherapeutics. www.psioxus.com

Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward-looking Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that the investigational compounds discussed in this release will be successfully developed or approved for any of the indications described in this release. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly those identified in the cautionary factors discussion in Bristol-Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161220005066/en/

Contacts:

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Media:

Ken Dominski, 609-252-5251

ken.dominski@bms.com

or

Investors:

Tim Power, 609-252-7509

timothy.power@bms.com

Bill Szablewski, 609-252-5894

william.szablewski@bms.com

or

PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd.

John Beadle, +44 1235 42 98 40

john.beadle@psioxus.com
NACKA, Sweden, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

HagaHuset was acquired with the aim of developing a Live-Work-Play concept building that will further boost Fabege's business and meet the varying needs of tenants over time. The location of the building at the entrance of Haga National City Park reinforces the connection between city and park. The purchase price of Fortet 2 (HagaHuset) is SEK 172 million and Fabege will gain access as of 1 February 2017.

HagaHuset, which is being sold by AFA Fastigheter, currently offers 6,400 sqm of office space plus Restaurang Haga, divided into a low section with five floors and a high section with eleven floors and views extending for miles. The high section has borrowed its shape from the Pirelli building in Milan.

HagaHuset is an excellent fit for our urban development in Solna in terms of timing. The building has almost been emptied and we say great potential for creating new values, says Klaus Hansen Vikstrom, Vice President and Director of Business Development at Fabege.

The Live-Work-Play concept has emerged in the majority of metropolises around the world, but is still relatively unexplored in Sweden. It is based on a concept that brings together living, workplaces, social spaces and recreation in the same building. The increasing demand for this type of solution can be linked to the global labour market, with a high level of mobility, the sharing economy and the need for new forms of creative meeting places that lead to new ideas and cross-pollination between companies and individuals.

We have long been attracted by the building's location, its shape, its wealth of details and, not least, the artistic thoughtfulness in the little park. It offers unique opportunities to create an attractive concept that many of our major tenants are asking for to meet the needs of their employees and partners who are a long way from home, says Carl Michael Augustsson, Director of Urban Development at Fabege.

HagaHuset is a development property that is better suited with a project-oriented owner like Fabege, says Anna Berfenstam Transaction Manager at AFA Fastigheter.

Fabege AB (publ)

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Klaus Hansen Vikstrom,

Vice President and Director of Business Development,

Tel: +46 (0) 8-555148 74,+46 (0)70-239 34 81

Carl Michael Augustsson,

Director of Urban Development,

Tel:+46 (0)8-555148 21, +46 (0)70-544 48 42

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/fabege/r/fabege-acquires-hagahuset-and-develops-a-concept-building-for-our-era,c2153087

The following files are available for download:
NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - The Indian rupee lost ground against the U.S. dollar in evening deals on Thursday, as rising geopolitical tensions across the globe instilled a sense of caution among traders. The benchmark BSE Sensex closed 66.72 points or 0.25 percent lower at 26,307.98, while the broader Nifty index dropped 21.95 points or 0.27 percent to 8,082.40. The rupee that ended Monday's trading at 67.85 against the greenback slipped to a new 2-week low of 68.08. The rupee may locate support near the 69.00 mark. 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.
Solteq is a digital commerce expert that provides you with integrated total solutions for multichannel commerce: from back office processes all the way to the purchasing experience of the customer - from supply chain management to digital marketing. Our passion is to deliver the unexpected to our clients - in the fast changing world, you need a partner that can deliver today what you will need tomorrow. We employ about 500 experts in three countries and make deliveries to Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Our net sales amounted to 54 million euros in 2015.

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.
BRISTOL, England, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

- 69 percent revenue growth

- New offices in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney

- Bold plans to grow visitors to 25m a month

Bolstered by the development of their branded content unit 'Hybrid Create', the independent media company has reached 2.5 million in revenue for the December to December financial year. These numbers represent a 69 percent increase on figures from the previous year, and Hybrid's Finance Manager, David Bond, states the company has managed to dramatically increase profit margins by 74 percent.

"Setting up our content and delivery hub in Kuala Lumpur has not only increased our regional reporting coverage across Asia but also helped us to maintain a competitive cost structure," Managing Director of Hybrid News Group, James Craven, says.

Hybrid News Group operates a global portfolio of websites including AsianCorrespondent.com, TechWireAsia.com, TravelWireAsia.com and StudyInternational.com. This year has seen the organisation partner with a range of leading brands, including Oracle, Japan Airlines, Intercontinental Hotel Group, and Kings College London.

"We're very proud to work with some of the biggest brands in the world, connecting them with quality editorial so they can tell their story and engage our global readers," Craven explains.

In November, Hybrid's web portfolio reached over six million unique visitors, according to data from Quantcast. In 2017, Hybrid News Group plans to grow its reach and readership by over 400 percent. James Craven suggests that the company is readily-prepared to boost these numbers further throughout the coming year.

According to Hybrid's MD, "Our investment in content...journalism, video and audio in the coming 12 months means we will increase monthly visitors to 25 million by the end of 2017. We are very ambitious about what we can achieve in the next two to three years. "

About Hybrid News Group

Hybrid News Group (Hybrid News Limited) is a digital media company with a portfolio of websites targeting Asia and emerging markets. As of December 2016, the company reaches 6 million unique monthly visitors with a high composition of 18- to 35-year-old readers interested in politics, education, travel, environment, technology and investment. Hybrid News has 60 + staff and offices in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Bristol, UK. It plans to open offices in Boston in January 2018.

Media Contact:

Corey Archard, External Relations

corey@hybridnewsgroup.com

(44) 117 244 3750




Participants in the Fujitsu Group's tropical rainforest regeneration activities



Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

TOKYO, Dec 20, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced that the state legislature of Sabah, Malaysia, has certified as a forest reserve the Fujitsu Group Malaysia Eco-Forest Park, located in the Kinarut region of Sabah. The Fujitsu Group established the Eco-Forest Park in 2002, and with the goal of regenerating Malaysia's tropical rainforests it has planted local species and carried out conservation activities.Now the Fujitsu Group's many years of activities to conserve biological diversity have borne fruit with this certification by the state legislative assembly of Sabah.In Sabah, Malaysia, areas that are to be permanently managed as forest land are certified as forest reserves, which are divided into seven classes, depending on their function. Now the Eco-Forest Park, located in the Kinarut area of Sabah, as well as the surrounding areas (about 320 hectares), have been certified as the "SAFODA(1) Kinarut Forest Reserve Class IV." Class IV is for forests reserved for recreation, educational, and research use. This certification clearly demonstrates that the Eco-Forest Park is to be used as a place of research and environmental learning about forest conservation, as well as a place of public recreation.http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuEnviro1220.jpgParticipants in the Fujitsu Group's tropical rainforest regeneration activities(1) SAFODASabah Forestry Development Authority. An institution based in the state of Sabah that carries out preservation, investigation, and research in tropical rainforests.About Fujitsu's Tropical Rainforest Regeneration ActivitiesAs part of an effort to conserve biological diversity, the Fujitsu Group has been working with the Sabah Forestry Development Authority (SAFODA) to regenerate the tropical rainforest in the Eco-Forest Park since 2002. These activities include the planting of 37,500 saplings of native species across about 150 hectares in order to regenerate the original tropical rainforest of a secondary forest where invasive species had grown up, as well as the maintenance necessary for the saplings to grow. In addition, the Eco-Forest Park is being used as a place for environmental education, where Fujitsu Group employees get hands-on experience by participating in eco-tours to deepen their understanding of the current state of tropical rainforests and the issues facing them. Altogether, over 2,000 people have participated in these activities up to this point, including Fujitsu Group employees and their families, as well as local students.The Fujitsu Group will continue its efforts to contribute to society in the environmental field, in order to leave a beautiful global environment for the next generation.About Fujitsu LtdFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 159,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702; ADR:FJTSY) reported consolidated revenues of 4.7 trillion yen (US$41 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.* Please see this press release, with images, at:http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/Source: Fujitsu LtdContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) Tuesday announced that it has signed an agreement to sell a portion its acreage and producing properties for approximately $465 million to an affiliate of Covey Park Energy LLC. The company expects this transaction to close in the 2017 first quarter. The properties are in its Haynesville Shale operating area in northern Louisiana. The sale includes approximately 41,500 net acres and 326 operated and non-operated wells currently producing approximately 50 million cubic feet of gas per day, net to Chesapeake. Doug Lawler, Chesapeake's Chief Executive Officer, commented, 'We are pleased with the results of our non-core Haynesville sales packages, totaling projected gross proceeds of $915 million, while divesting of only approximately 80 mmcf of daily gas production and approximately $50 million of estimated 2017 operating income.' 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.
RALEIGH, NC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 --Percona, the company that delivers enterprise-class MySQL and MongoDB solutions and services, today provided a sneak peek at the breakout sessions, and announced the full tutorial schedule and MySQL and MongoDB 101 Workshops for Percona Live Open Source Database Conference 2017, taking place April 24-27, 2017, at The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara and Santa Clara Convention Center. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, and Early Bird Registration Discounts can be purchased through Jan. 8, 2017 at 11:30 p.m. PST.

The Percona Live Open Source Database Conference 2017 is the premier event for the diverse and active open source community. It is the place to be for open source software developers and users, as well as businesses that develop and use open source software. Topics for the event will focus on three key areas -- MySQL, MongoDB and open source databases.

Breakout Sessions

Conference breakout sessions will take place April 25-27 and feature a range of in-depth talks related to each of the key areas. Breakout session examples include:

MySQL

MySQL 8.0: Major New Features, Geir Hydalsvik, Oracle

If Only I Could Find My Databases - Service Discovery with Smartstack and MySQL, Susanne Lehmann, Yelp

Reducing Risk Before Upgrading MySQL, Kenny Gryp and Tom De Cooman, Percona





MongoDB

Comparing MongoRocks, WiredTiger and MMAPv1 for Performance and Efficiency, Mark Callaghan, Facebook

Adapting the MongoDB Ruby Driver for Increased Resiliency, Jon Hyman, Appboy

MongoDB 3.4: What's New and Changed, David Murphy, Percona





Open Source Databases

What Is Apache Kafka? How It's Similar to the Databases You Know and Love, and How It's Not, Kenny Gorman, Eventador.io

Cassandra Eye for the Straight MySQL Guy, Solomon Chang, Zynga.com

Time Series Collection and Processing in the Cloud: Integrating OpenTSDB with Google Cloud Bigtable, Zburivsky Danil, Pythian





Conference Tutorials

Day one of the conference has a range of in-depth, hands-on tutorials that are three hours in length and feature a Q&A. Example tutorials include:

MySQL InnoDB Cluster & Group Replication in a Nutshell: Hands-on Tutorial, Frederic Descamps, Oracle, and Kenny Gryp, Percona

Best Practices for MySQL High Availability in 2017, Colin Charles, Percona

How to Analyze and Tune MySQL Queries for Better Performance, ystein Grvlen, Oracle

MySQL Performance Schema in Action, Alexander Rubin and Sveta Smirnova, Percona

MySQL Document Store: SQL and NoSQL United, Giuseppe Maxia, VMware

MySQL 8.0 Optimizer Guide, Morgan Tocker, Oracle

InnoDB Architecture and Performance Optimization, Peter Zaitsev, Percona

MongoDB - Sharded Cluster Tutorial, Antonios Giannopoulos, Rackspace, and Jason Terpko, ObjectRocket by Rackspace





MySQL 101 Workshop

MySQL 101 Workshop sessions take place April 25. Example workshop sessions include:

Schema Best Practices/High Performance SQL

Indexes - What You Need to Know to Get the Most Out of Them

Best Practices for MySQL Performance & Troubleshooting with the Aid of Percona Monitoring and Management

Choosing a MySQL High Availability Solution

Deploying MySQL in Production

Security and Encryption in the MySQL World





MongoDB 101 Workshop

MongoDB 101 Workshop sessions take place April 26. Example workshop sessions include:

MongoDB and MySQL: JSON, Document Store Perspectives

Efficient CRUD Queries in MongoDB

MongoDB Engines: Demystified

MongoDB Security: Making Things Secure by Default

What Alert Checks Should I Have for MongoDB? What Graphs?

Percona Server for MongoDB - Enterprise Features Made Open





Sponsorships

Sponsorship opportunities for Percona Live Open Source Database Conference 2017 are available and offer the opportunity to interact with more than 1,000 DBAs, sysadmins, developers, CTOs, CEOs, business managers, technology evangelists, solution vendors, and entrepreneurs who typically attend the event. Current sponsors include:

Silver - Yelp

Exhibitor - AgilData, Codership, ScaleDB, Severalnines, VividCortex, ScaleArc

Reception Sponsor - Booking.com

Media - CMSWire, InsideBigData, InsideHPC, Packt, Women Who Code





Planning to Attend?

Early Bird Registration Discounts for Percona Live Open Source Database Conference 2017 are available through Jan. 8, 2017 at 11:30 p.m. PST.

Visit the Percona Live Open Source Database Conference 2017 website for more information about the conference.

Percona Live Conferences

What: Percona Live Open Source Database Conference 2017

Where: The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara and Santa Clara Convention Center

5101 Great America Parkway Santa Clara, CA 95054

When: April 24-27, 2017

About Percona

With more than 3,000 customers worldwide, Percona is the only company that delivers enterprise-class solutions for both MySQL and MongoDB across traditional and cloud-based platforms. The company provides Software, Support, Consulting, and Managed Services to large, well-known global brands such as Cisco Systems, Time Warner Cable, Alcatel-Lucent, Rent the Runway and the BBC, as well as smaller enterprises looking to maximize application performance while streamlining database efficiencies. Well established as thought leaders, Percona experts author content for the Percona Database Performance Blog and the Percona Live Open Source Database Conferences draw attendees and expert technical speakers from around the world. For more information, visit www.percona.com.

Percona, XtraBackup, TokuDB and Fractal Tree are registered trademarks of Percona LLC or its subsidiaries. All other registered and unregistered trademarks in this document are the sole property of their respective owners.

Company Information



Press Contacts

Brigit Valencia

For Percona

(360) 597-4516

Email Contact




SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - December 20, 2016) - Revenue Management Systems, a Mercator Company (RMS), today announced that its cloud-based revenue management system, airRMexpress, has been selected and deployed by JetSuiteX, the California based provider of private jet travel now revolutionizing the landscape of air travel. airRMexpress integrates sophisticated forecasting and optimization, inventory control methodologies, and reporting tools into a comprehensive revenue management suite.

JetSuiteX joins more than 80 carriers around the world that benefit from RMS' market leading software. airRMexpress is designed so that airlines can quickly and efficiently optimize their seat inventory through cutting-edge revenue management tools, thereby significantly improving their bottom line.

"We are delighted to be working with JetSuiteX," said Chris Anthony, Senior Director Sales & Support -- Americas at RMS. "JetSuiteX has driven change in the premium charter business, and their innovative spirit matches with our own. airRMexpress will lend its powerful inventory control and reporting tools to help JetSuiteX achieve their continued success with scheduled flight operations."

About JetSuite and JetSuiteX

JetSuite provides flying that moves your soul through transparent pricing, efficient operations, acute attention to detail, acclaimed customer service, and industry-leading safety practices. Offering a WiFi-equipped fleet of jets across the US, JetSuite was recently ranked #1 in light jet utilization by ARGUS. Under the leadership of CEO Alex Wilcox, a JetBlue founding executive, JetSuite is IS-BAO certified and rated Platinum by ARGUS, the highest possible safety rating in the private jet industry. In April 2016 JetSuite introduced JetSuiteX to offer short haul public charter flights, sold by the seat, operating from private terminals. For information please visit www.jetsuite.com and https://x.jetsuite.com.

About RMS

Revenue Management Systems, a Mercator Company, has been developing airline revenue management systems in cooperation with some of the most successful airlines in the world today. Their most popular product, airRM, is used by over 80 airlines including Tiger Airways, Ryanair, AirAsia, Virgin America, flydubai, and Jetstar. RMS products help their users realize higher revenues and increased staff productivity. RMS, founded in 1996, was acquired by Mercator, a leading provider of software platforms and product-led solutions to the global travel, transportation, and logistics industry in April 2016. RMS is headquartered in Seattle, Washington (USA) with offices in Australia, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Spain, and Singapore. More information about airRMexpress and RMS may be found at www.revenuemanagement.com.

About Mercator

Mercator is a leading provider of software platforms and product-led solutions to the global travel, transportation, and logistics industry. The company helps move the world in the safest, fastest, and smartest ways possible. Every day, over 3 million passenger journeys and 70,000 tons of cargo are processed with Mercator products, enabling them to analyze large streams of data and deliver actionable insights that drive value for their customers. For more information about Mercator please visit www.mercator.com.

Contact

Martin Kaduc

+1 206 518 5198

mkaduc@revenuemanagement.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- BMO Financial Group today announced that it has surpassed $1 billion in assets under management for customers holding Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) accounts.

At the same time, BMO announced a renewed partnership with the Plan Institute - a not-for-profit organization committed to ensuring the safety, security and well-being of those living with disabilities - to support the growth of the RDSP across the country. Under the agreement, BMO will distribute Plan Institute educational materials on the RDSP, while the organization will assist eligible individuals with opening RDSP accounts at BMO.

"As the first Canadian bank to offer this innovative product in 2008, we are proud to have reached this milestone - demonstrating our continued market leadership for this important segment," said Trevor Philp, Senior Manager, Registered Products and Managed Solutions, BMO Global Asset Management. "An RDSP can play a critical role in helping reduce the financial strain on individuals and families, given the significant savings a beneficiary can accumulate through the Canada Disability Savings Grant (CDSG) and the Canada Disability Savings Bond (CDSB), as well as the impact of tax-deferred investment growth."

Mr. Philip added, "With the renewal of our partnership with the Plan Institute, we hope to continue to build awareness of the RDSP, and help support the needs of individuals with disabilities in communities across Canada."

In Canada, those living with a disability can benefit from access to the RDSP - a savings vehicle that helps families manage the financial costs associated with having someone, or caring for someone, with a severe and prolonged disability. It is available to Canadians who are eligible for the Disability Tax Credit, and can provide peace of mind to parents and other contributors who may put a plan in place for a beneficiary with a disability.

For more information on investing in an RDSP, visit bmo.com/rdsp. The RDSP contribution deadline for the 2016 tax year is December 31, 2016.

BMO also recognized the early initiatives by the Government of British Columbia, both to educate eligible investors about the benefits of the RDSP and to help those who would benefit from the program become investors in it. "B.C. has taken great strides in supporting the RDSP, following the recommendations of its RDSP Action Group," noted Mr. Philp. "We would encourage other provinces to consider the best practices of the B.C. model to help make the RDSP more accessible to Canadians."

About the RDSP

The RDSP encourages families and individuals to save for the long-term financial security of persons with severe and prolonged disabilities. It is available to Canadians who are eligible for the Disability Tax Credit, and can provide "peace of mind" to parents and other contributors who may put a plan in place for a beneficiary with a disability.

-- Contributions are not tax deductible but grow on a tax-deferred basis -- Earnings generated on contributions are tax-exempt while in the plan -- When earnings are withdrawn as part of a disability assistance payment, they are taxable in the hands of the beneficiary (likely to be taxed at a lower rate) -- Only one beneficiary can be named per RDSP. A beneficiary can hold only one RDSP ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RDSP ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is it? A tax-deferred savings vehicle that provides long- term financial security for persons living with a disability. Includes government incentives such as the Canada Disability Savings Grant (CDSG) and Canada Disability Savings Bond (CDSB) that could add up to an additional $90,000 per individual. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who is eligible? Canadian residents must open an RDSP in the year before they turn 60, (or by Dec 31 in the year in which they turn 59), have a valid SIN, and are eligible for the Disability Tax Credit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who can set up an An account can be set up by the beneficiary, parents account? of a minor (ages vary depending on province of residence) beneficiary or any individual or organization legally authorized to act on behalf of the beneficiary. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who can contribute? Anyone can contribute to an RDSP, provided they have written consent of the account holder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is the Up to $200,000 lifetime per individual over the life contribution limit? of the RDSP. There is no annual contribution limit. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contribution deadlines? Annual contribution deadline for Grants and Bonds: December 31. Last day for Grants and Bond eligibility: December 31 of the year the beneficiary turns 49 years of age. Last day contributions permitted to the plan: December 31 the year the beneficiary turns 59 years of age. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817, and currently marking its 200th year of operations, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services provider based in North America. With total assets of $688 billion as of October 31, 2016, and more than 45,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

Contacts:

Media Contacts:

Catherine Litwinski, Toronto

416-867-3996

catherine1.litwinski@bmo.com



Valerie Doucet, Montreal

514-877-8224

valerie.doucet@bmo.com



Web: www.bmo.com

Twitter: @BMOmedia




HELSINKI, Finland, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Solteq Plc Stock Exchange Bulletin 20.12.2016 at3.05 pm

Solteq has acquired the entire share capital of Pardco Group Inc. The company acquisition is part of the digital commerce growth strategy that Solteq published earlier this year. One step forward on growth path was the decision to invest in the Nordic mid-market omnicommerce growth by launching Magento Practice. Omnicommerce means a retailing strategy that delivers a seamless customer experience through all available shopping channels - from brick-and-mortar shops to online stores and mobile. In this environment, it is essential that all the systems in the retail chain work seamlessly together, starting from the customer encounter all the way to supply chain management and digital marketing.

The new omnicommerce competence center complements Solteq's existing omnicommerce solution offering, which is at its best for large or global clients in retail or wholesale. Magento Practice, which was launced in autumn 2016, will bring another strong pillar for Solteq's offering of digital commerce solutions, serving especially mid-market Nordic retail and wholesale customers.

The company acquisition enhances the Magento technology expertise of the omnicommerce competence center by 8 people. In addition, SaaS-based eCommerce to small and mid-market clients, called Magentokauppa.fi, will be transferred to Solteq's ownership. The parties of the acquisition do not share the value of the deal in details.

The omnicommerce competence center for mid-market clients has been built during the past few months by recruiting Magento technology experts and offering job circulation opportunities to Solteqians. In October, we announced that we would recruit 40-50 employees for this business area in Finland or in Sweden in the next 12 months. The acquisition of Pardco completed and signed today will increase the number of personnel in the Magento Practice to 15. Demand for omnicommerce solutions designed for mid-market clients has been active, and Solteq intends to continue growing the business in 2017 as planned.

Shared will to grow in the digital commerce

The parties to the deal share a will to grow in the strategically important area.

- The acquisition of Pardco will increase the coverage of our digital commerce solutions offering. We have already been able to offer eCommerce, back end systems, digital marketing and design to global and large clients. Today, we are able to offer the same to mid-market wholesale and retail clients. An especially important result of the acquisition is the synergy between eCommerce and digital marketing, which will certainly benefit mid-market clients, states Juha Luomala, Vice President, Service Development from Solteq Plc.

- We want to be part of a growth story. We will be in the strategic core of a significantly bigger player in the industry, which will create interesting prospects for all of us. New clients, bigger projects and more versatile growth paths are just some of the reasons why our team is so excited, Pardco Group Inc's CEO Janne Tiainen explains.

Profit guidance

Solteq Plc makes no changes to its profit guidance and expects its revenue to grow significantly from the 2015 level. The operating profit and the operating profit before non-recurring items are also estimated to grow from the 2015 level.

Additional Information

Juha Luomala, VP, Service Development, Solteq Plc

Tel - +358 50539 9323

E-mail- juha.luomala@solteq.com

Janne Tiainen, CEO, Pardco Group Inc.

Tel - +358 358 20 729 9859

E-mail- janne.tiainen@pard.co

Press release 5.10.2016: Solteq to invest in growth - Magento Practice for delivery of eCommerce solutions to be lauched (https://www.solteq.com/en/investors/releases-and-publications/releases/solteq-invest-growth-magento-practice-delivery-ecommerce-solutions-launched/)

Distribution

NASDAQ OMX Helsinki

Key Media

www.solteq.com

Solteq in Brief

Solteq is a digital commerce expert. We offer total solutions for omnicommerce, from back end processes all the way to the purchasing experience of the customer and from supply chain management to digital marketing. Our passion is to deliver the unexpected to our clients - in the fast changing world, you need a partner that can deliver today what you will need tomorrow. We employ about 500 experts in three countries and make deliveries to Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. In 2015, our annual net sales amounted to 54 million euro.

Pardco in Brief

Pardco Group Inc.is an agile ICT company that specializes in Magento eCommerce development and maintenance. We help our clients implement a long-term eCommerce plan. We believe that the key to a successful implementation is a trusting relationship between the client and the supplier. Our revenue is about 0.5 million euro.

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil futures continued to rise Tuesday morning, ahead of U.S. oil inventories data. The American Petroleum Institute is out with industry figures this afternoon, while the Energy Information Administration releases the government's data Wednesday morning. Last week's data showed a surprising drawdown in oil stockpiles, giving oil prices an additional boost. WTI oil for February was up 22 cents at $52.33 a barrel. Prices are likely to stay near recent 18-month highs unless OPEC hesitates to start production cuts early next year. On the economic front, the Redbook data, a weekly measure of comparable store sales at chain stores, discounters, and department stores, will be released at 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.
DENVER, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- American Cannabis Company, Inc. (OTCQB: AMMJ) (the "Company"), a full-service business-to-business consulting solutions provider, and seller of ancillary products to the cannabis industry, today announced its Maryland based client successfully secured a dispensary license for the state's new medical cannabis program. This authorization allows the client to distribute cannabis to qualifying patients within the state of Maryland.

Corey Hollister, CEO of American Cannabis Company, commented: "We are excited about our client securing a license to operate in this emerging market. Maryland has done a strong job structuring the market and positioning operators for success in meeting the needs of qualifying patients within the state."

About American Cannabis Company, Inc.:

American Cannabis Company, Inc. offers end-to-end solutions to existing and aspiring participants in the cannabis industry. We utilize our industry expertise to provide business planning and market assessment services, assist state licensing procurement, create business infrastructure and implement operational best practices. American Cannabis Company also developed and owns a portfolio of branded products including: The patented Satchel, SoHum Living Soils, The Cultivation Cube and The High Density Cultivation System. In addition, we design and provide other industry specific custom product solutions. The building and development of our brands and product suite is based on our Geoponics Philosophy, "the art and science of agriculture in soil."

For more information, please visit:

www.americancannabisconsulting.com

www.americancannabiscompanyinc.com

www.sohumsoils.com

www.dabwerks.com

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov.

Contact:

Terry Buffalo

Chief Operating Officer

IR@americancannabisconsulting.com

303-974-4771




DENVER, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- 1st NRG Corp. (OTC PINK: FNRC), an exploration and production company headquartered in Denver, Colorado, has issued a corporate update to shareholders on the past year's progress and its plans for 2017.

CEO Kevin Norris noted, "These are exciting times at 1st NRG Corp.! We are embarking on a path which will launch us on a growth trajectory for 2017. Many of the steps to do that have been put in place over the past year, and we now expect to see the results of those efforts."

The company's 2016 highlights, and upcoming efforts include:

In November, the company announced the potential acquisition of a natural gas gathering system. The system will cover over 364 miles and give the Company access to over 100,000 acres of potential development. We are negotiating the purchase and sale agreement right now and hope to close in Q1 2017.





The Company expanded its activities into Ohio participating in a development of prospective acreage encompassing approximately 7,000 acres. In 2014, a vertical test well was drilled, logged, cored and cased to a depth of approximately 7,620 feet, testing the Utica Shale but ultimately completed in the Beekmantown Dolomite. The well has been acidized and pumping equipment has been installed; we estimate our share of reserves to be 251 MCFE and production to begin January 2017.





The company plans to bring the Clabaugh Ranch field in Wyoming back into production Q1 2017. Our estimated reserves at Clabaugh Ranch are 18.7 BCF.





The company is in discussions to raise $25-30 million dollars for the announced acquisitions and for a few that are planned.





CEO Kevin Norris continued: "While commodity prices in 2016 led to us being a bit inactive, this year it is turning around and we are set up to hit the ground running."

About 1st NRG Corp.

1st NRG Corp. (OTC PINK: FNRC) is an exploration and production company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Our activity has been centered upon the development of coal bed methane reserves in Wyoming where we operate and hold a working interest in 43 producing wells and 3,059 undeveloped acres. The undeveloped acreage could be permitted for up to 36 additional locations which are characterized by what we believe to be low geologic risk, a repeatable development opportunity and are offsetting wells which all demonstrated developed coal seams in the Schwartz, Anderson, Canyon, Cook and Wall formations.

In 2015 we expanded our activities into a development of acreage in SE Ohio encompassing approximately 7,000 acres. We hold a 35% working interest in a development well completed in the Beekmantown Dolomite. We currently hold 100% of the offset development rights.

Forward-looking statements in this release are within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934 as amended. A statement identified by the words "expects," "projects," "plans," "feels", "anticipates," and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed "forward-looking statements." Although 1st NRG Corp. believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this press release.

Brad Holmes

Energy IR: b_holmes@att.net

(713) 304-6962




MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Midland Exploration Inc. ("Midland") (TSX VENTURE: MD) is pleased to report that the latest prospecting campaign completed in November in three areas has led to the discovery of several new gold-bearing zones on its Heva Project. A recent soil sampling program, completed last August, identified several new exploration targets that were followed up during this prospecting campaign. Prospecting work carried out on targets defined by soil sampling confirmed a correlation between soil anomalies and the discovery of new gold-bearing quartz veins.

This project is wholly owned by Midland and is located near the prolific Cadillac Break, about 5 kilometres northwest of the Canadian Malartic gold mine, jointly held by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited and Yamana Gold Inc., where proven reserves are estimated at 54.89 million tonnes grading 0.97 g/t Au (1.72 Moz Au) and probable reserves at 166.64 million tonnes grading 1.12 g/t Au (6.0 Moz Au), for a total of 7.72 Moz Au. The Heva Project, acquired by Midland in May 2013 from Arianne Phosphate Inc., consists of two claim blocks, Heva West and Heva East, totalling 33 claims and covering a surface area of more than 1,200 hectares.

Prospecting highlights (grab samples)

-- 41.0 g/t Au, 9.2 g/t Au (East area) -- 13.9 g/t Au, 8.0 g/t Au (Central area) -- 1.7 g/t Au (West area)

Prospecting was carried out in November in three different areas (West, Central and East). A total of 114 samples were collected on the property. In addition to the results reported above, prospecting samples in the West area also yielded grades of 1.30 g/t Au, 0.70 g/t Au, 0.71 g/t Au as well as eight (8) samples grading between 0.10 and 0.50 g/t Au. In the Central area, additional gold values of 2.12 g/t Au, 0.83 g/t Au, 0.68 g/t Au were reported, as well as ten (10) samples grading between 0.10 and 0.50 g/t Au. In the East area, additional gold values include 3.65 g/t Au, 1.32 g/t Au, 1.21 g/t Au, 1.04 g/t Au, 0.99 g/t Au, 0.77 g/t Au, 0.60 g/t Au, 0.55 g/t Au along with twenty (20) samples grading between 0.10 and 0.50 g/t Au (note that gold values from grab samples may not be representative of the mineralized zones).

Midland will begin a new phase of exploration work very shortly, including line cutting, a ground magnetic survey and an OreVision IP induced polarization survey.

Figures showing the location of new results on the Heva Project may be consulted using the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Heva_December20_2016.pdf

Quality Control

Sample preparation and analysis was performed by ALS Minerals in Val-d'Or. All samples were analyzed for gold by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish (AA23) on a fraction of 30 grams and a gravimetric finish for values greater than 3.0 g/t Au. For quality control purposes, in each sample batch, certified standards and blanks were inserted at regular intervals throughout the sequence of samples. The data were reviewed by Mario Masson, VP Exploration for Midland, certified geologist and Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Midland

Midland targets the excellent mineral potential of Quebec to make the discovery of new world-class deposits of gold, platinum group elements, base metals and rare earth elements. Midland is proud to count on reputable partners such as Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, Teck Resources Limited, Osisko Exploration James Bay Inc., SOQUEM Inc., Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation and Abcourt Mines Inc. Midland prefers to work in partnership and intends to quickly conclude additional agreements in regard to newly acquired properties. Management is currently reviewing other opportunities and projects to build up the Company portfolio and generate shareholder value.

This press release was prepared by Mario Masson, VP Exploration for Midland, certified geologist and Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Midland's periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Midland from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.

Contacts:

Midland Exploration Inc.

Gino Roger

President and Chief Executive Officer

450 420-5977

450 420-5978 (FAX)

info@midlandexploration.com

www.explorationmidland.com




SHANGHAI, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Wison Engineering Services Co. Ltd. ("Wison Engineering, or "the Company", SEHK Stock Code: 2236), one of the leading chemical engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") management service providers in China, announced today that its non-wholly owned affiliated company, Wison Engineering Ltd., has been awarded an EPC contract for a new liquefied natural gas ("LNG") project (the PROJECT) by Astana Trans Oil LLP ("Astana Trans Oil"), which is the first LNG facility in Kazakhstan. Wison Engineering will be responsible for the turn-key services from FEED, basic and detailed engineering, procurement, construction, to commissioning, start-up, and operators training. The PROJECT is scheduled to be delivered at the end of 2018.

The PROJECT is located inZhambyl, Kazakhstan, which is one of the Sino-Kazakhstan production capacity cooperation projects. The PROJECT is of great significance to the promotion of Sino-Kazakhstanrelations under "the Belt and Road" policy, enrichment of "the Silk Road Economic Belt" development as well as execution of the "Bright Path" new economic policy by the government of Republic of Kazakhstan.

As one of the most competitive companies in the field of cargo transportation in Kazakhstan, Astana Trans Oil LLP has begun preparations for the first domestic LNG facility since 2014. Upon completion of the PROJECT, the local cargo transportation cost will be significantly reduced and the shortage of natural gas supply in North Kazakhstan will be effectively alleviated as well.

Adhering to internationalization strategy, Wison Engineering has been actively seeking business opportunities in countries under "the Belt and Road" policy in terms of energy development. The Company has established a management system and execution team to cater to its international business operations in combination with a global procurement and construction resources network. Currently, execution of several major EPC projects in the Middle East and South Americais in progress.

About Wison Engineering (www.wison.com)

Wison Engineering ("the Company", SEHK Stock Code: 2236) is one of the leading chemical engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") management service providers in China. The Company specializes in serving the energy sectorsincludingpetrochemicals, coal chemicals, oil refining and fine chemicals. From technology licensing, project planning and consultation to PDP, FEED, engineering design, procurement and construction management, as well as start-up and operational services, the Company provides diversified services and one-stop solutions to clients worldwide.
HAUPPAUGE, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Orbit International Corp. (OTC PINK: ORBT), an electronics manufacturer and software solution provider, today announced that its Electronics Group has received an award from a U.S. Government Procurement Agency valued in excess of $1,230,000 for its MK 119 Gun Computer System Cabinet (GCSC). The contract also includes the purchase of spare parts. The cabinets will be built at the Company's Integrated Combat Systems ("ICS") division located in Louisville, Kentucky. Deliveries of completed units are expected to commence in the third quarter of 2017 and continue through the second quarter of 2018.

The MK 119 GCSC is an unmanned, environmentally-isolated shipboard enclosure that houses a standard 19" electronics rack containing processors, electronic devices, cooling and power conditioning equipment that perform processing, interfacing and data extraction functions designed to meet the most stringent U.S. Navy operational systems requirements.

Mitchell Binder, President and CEO of Orbit International, commented, "This is the first of two large awards that we were expecting before year end. It also continues the significant momentum of orders that have been received by our Electronics Group since the beginning of 2016, which has well positioned our delivery schedules for the second half of 2016. We expect this will continue into the first half of 2017. We continue to carefully manage our costs and strive for improving our revenue levels in order to take advantage of our operating leverage to further improve our operating performance."

Orbit International Corp., through its Electronics Group, is involved in the manufacture of customized electronic components and subsystems for military and nonmilitary government applications through its production facility in Hauppauge, New York. Orbit's Power Group, also located in Hauppauge, NY, designs and manufactures a wide array of power products including AC power supplies, frequency converters, inverters, uninterruptible power supplies, VME/VPX power supplies as well as various COTS power sources. The Company also has a sales office in Newbury Park, CA and a facility in Louisville, KY dedicated to the design and manufacture of gun weapons systems as well as VME/VPX solutions including backplanes, health monitors, air transport racks and components.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company including, statements regarding our expectations of Orbit's operating plans, deliveries under contracts and strategies generally; statements regarding our expectations of the performance of our business; expectations regarding costs and revenues, future operating results, additional orders, future business opportunities and continued growth, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Federal securities laws. Although Orbit believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved.

Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond Orbit International's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact Orbit International and the statements contained in this news release can be found in Orbit's reports posted with the OTC Disclosure and News service as well as Orbit's prior filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, annual reports on Form 10-K and its other periodic reports. For forward-looking statements in this news release, Orbit claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Orbit assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT

Mitchell Binder

President & Chief Executive Officer

631-435-8300




BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - China on Monday returned a US underwater drone five days after it was seized by the Chinese navy in the disputed South China Sea. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement that the People's Liberation Army-Navy vessel returned a U.S. Navy Ocean Glider Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) to the United States, near the location where it had been seized on Dec. 15. USS Mustin (DDG 89) received the vehicle for the U.S. in international waters approximately 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay. The Pentagon said the U.S. Navy vessel was returning to the nearby USNS Bowditch (T-AGS 62) after conducting routine military oceanographic survey operations in full compliance with international law when it was seized. The U.S. will continue to investigate the events surrounding this incident and address any additional findings with the Chinese, as part of our ongoing diplomatic dialogues and the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Mechanism, Cook 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.
Acelity L.P. today announced a definitive agreement with Allergan for the acquisition of Acelity's LifeCell business unit for $2.9 billion in cash.

Upon completion of the transaction, LifeCell's industry-leading regenerative medicine and reconstructive surgery portfolio will be combined with Allergan's leading portfolio of medical aesthetics and breast implants and tissue expanders, enhancing the potential for continued long-term growth of the LifeCell portfolio. The combination will offer Allergan access to a strong commercial channel, robust R&D pipeline and demonstrated manufacturing capability.

LifeCell is recognized for applications in plastic and reconstructive surgeries and abdominal wall procedures. The LifeCell portfolio encompasses regenerative and reconstructive acellular tissue matrices for repair of soft tissue defects, as well as autologous fat grafting solutions. Leading products include ALLODERM Regenerative Tissue Matrix, a human allograft tissue matrix which allows for a strong, intact repair in breast reconstruction post-mastectomy procedures and other surgical applications, by providing soft tissue reinforcement; and STRATTICE Reconstructive Tissue, a porcine based tissue matrix for reinforcement of soft tissue in challenging hernia repair procedures.

"This strategic transaction will benefit Acelity and the patients, customers and employees of the LifeCell business," said Joe Woody, Acelity President and Chief Executive Officer. "The sale of LifeCell to Allergan allows Acelity to continue its transformation with increased momentum and investments that focus on developing and commercializing advanced wound therapies and dressings in markets across the globe."

"The LifeCell brand is renowned in the industry for safety, efficacy and superior clinical results, and the Acelity Board is confident that Allergan will lead it into a strong new phase of growth and development. We are equally excited to continue supporting Acelity as it pursues its quest to enhance advanced wound therapy and improve patients' lives," said Buddy Gumina, Chairman of the Acelity Board of Directors.

Until the transaction is finalized, Acelity will continue to manage the LifeCell business, providing full product availability and support to surgeons. The transaction is subject to expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and fulfillment of certain other customary conditions to closing. Pending such approvals and fulfillment of other conditions, Acelity anticipates closing the transaction in the first half of 2017.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Goldman, Sachs Co. are serving as financial advisors to Acelity, and Simpson Thacher Bartlett LLP is serving as Acelity lead legal counsel.

About Acelity

Acelity L.P. Inc. and its subsidiaries are a global advanced wound care and regenerative medicine company created by uniting the strengths of three companies, Kinetic Concepts, Inc., LifeCell Corporation and Systagenix Wound Management, Limited. Available in more than 80 countries, the innovative and complementary ACELITY product portfolio delivers value through solutions that speed healing and lead the industry in quality, safety and customer experience. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Acelity employs more than 5,800 people around the world.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161220005611/en/

Contacts:

Acelity L.P.

Investors:

Caleb Moore, 210-255-6433

caleb.moore@acelity.com

or

Media:

Cheston Turbyfill, 210-255-7757

cheston.turbyfill@acelity.com
PARRISH, FL -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Real Estate Contacts, Inc. (OTC: REAC) is pleased to inform shareholders that the company has entered into a binding Letter of Intent ("LOI") for the acquisition of Patriot Bioenergy Corporation, a Kentucky corporation ("Patriot"). Patriot is an alternative agriculture biofuel company specializing in the utilization of hemp. The LOI includes acquisition of all assets, trade secrets, intellectual knowledge, and proprietary information.

Real Estate Contacts, Inc. expects a definitive acquisition agreement to be finalized by both parties in the fiscal quarter. A reflective 8K will be filed upon completion of the acquisition.

Robert DeAngelis, President & CEO of Real Estate Contacts, Inc., stated, "Anything hemp related is currently a hot commodity. Our momentum and progress are strong and increasing. We have only just begun to see where that may lead.

We will be introducing and offering several product lines with signed contracts from other companies and businesses that will produce immediate revenues for REAC. We look forward to 2017 and sharing our ever expanding new business model, business plans, and business success with you in the weeks and months ahead. "

The Company's expansion plans to focus operations in the areas of cannabinoids, industrial uses, product infusions, software, and biofuels, as well as becoming a vendor for other businesses within the sector.

Safe Harbor: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Robert DeAngelis

President & CEO

724-656-8886

contact@realestatecontacts.com




ANKARA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S Embassy in Ankara, the U.S Consulate General in Istanbul, and the U.S. Consulate in Adana were closed on Tuesday after a man opened fire in front of the U.S. embassy in the Turkish capital. The incident occurred at 3:50 am local time, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was fatally shot by a gunman at a painting exhibition. The US embassy and the arts center are located in the same neighborhood. There have been no reported injuries and the attacker is in police custody, the U.S. Embassy Ankara 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.
NEWPORT BEACH, CA and WASHINGTON, DC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Newport Beach, California-based R.D. Olson Development, a firm active in developing and repositioning commercial and hospitality properties nationwide, was awarded Development Partner of the Year by Marriott International at the hotelier's Full Service Owners Conference in Washington, D.C Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, 2016. The prominent national award honors companies with outstanding accomplishments in the hotel industry that develop upscale full-service hotels that stand above the rest.

"This recognition speaks to the strong partnership we have built, and continue to build, with Marriott International," said Bob Olson, founder and CEO of R.D. Olson Development. "We are proud of our work and look forward to partnering with Marriott on future full-service projects that will continue to provide guests with exceptional lodging experiences."

R.D. Olson Development began developing hotels in 1997 and has been especially active over the past six years. The firm recently completed several Marriott brand hotels throughout California and Hawaii, including the 200-room Residence Inn by Marriott in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, and the 144-room Residence Inn by Marriott in Old Town Pasadena, California. In 2016 the firm also completed Pasea Hotel & Spa, a 250-room upscale water front boutique hotel in Huntington Beach, in a co-development with Pacific Hospitality Group at the master planned Pacific City.

"We deeply appreciate the commitment R.D. Olson Development has displayed to the Marriott International brand throughout our partnership," said Noah Silverman, chief development officer for Marriott International. "The firm has delivered top-tier projects that have helped distinguish the reinvented Marriott Hotels brand."

The firm has several projects underway for in 2017 including the 130-room Lido House Hotel in Newport Beach, California. The property will be part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection, an ensemble of independent boutique hotels, and is scheduled for completion in late 2017. The hotel will offer a variety of amenities including a luxury spa and the only rooftop bar and restaurant in Newport Beach. R.D. Olson Development is also developing the 271-room full-service Irvine Spectrum Marriott in Irvine, a 118-room Residence Inn by Marriott in Goleta, California as well as a 204-room Residence Inn by Marriott Silicon Valley in San Carlos, California.

About R.D. Olson Development

Based in Newport Beach, Calif., R.D.Olson Development is engaged in the development and repositioning of commercial properties nationwide. A specialist in developing hospitality properties, the firm also develops office, retail, multifamily and recreational projects. Robert Olson founded R.D. Olson Development in 1997 following nearly 20 years as founder and CEO of R.D. Olson Construction. The firm's portfolio of developments may be viewed at www.rdodevelopment.com.

For more information, follow the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/rdodevelopment) and Instagram (rdo_development).

Contact:

Jillian Hunt

714-263-8743

jillian@ideahall.com



Kristina Sarenas

714-263-8750

kristina@ideahall.com




PUNE, India, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report"Energy-efficient Windows Marketby Glazing Type (Double, Double Low-e, Triple, and Triple Low-e), Component (Glass, Frame, and Hardware), Application (Replacement & Renovation and New Construction), End-use Sector, and Region - Global Forecast to 2026" published by MarketsandMarkets, the market size is estimated to grow from USD 10.12 Billion in 2015 to USD 25.31 Billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 8.6% between 2016 and 2026.

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



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The energy-efficient windows market is projected to witness significant growth in the next few years due to increase in adoption of green building standards, the trend toward improving energy efficiency, and growth in popularity of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) applications. Rise in construction activities in emerging economies and increase in inclination toward sustainable construction methods are creating growth opportunities for the energy-efficient windows market.

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Residential sector to gain maximum traction during the forecast period

The residential segment dominated the market in 2015 and is projected to be the fastest-growing end-use sector in the next ten years. As a result of the growth in population, rise in urbanization and industrialization, this market is mostly driven by the upward surge in the demand for new constructions across the world. Factors such as increase in need for energy-efficient windows in buildings due to several benefits (such as reduced noise and dust and improved thermal insulation) these windows offer, is driving the market for energy-efficient windows in the residential sector.

Replacement & renovation segment projected to be the fastest-growing during the forecast period

On the basis of application, the replacement & renovation segment is projected to grow at a higher CAGR from 2016 to 2026. This growth can be attributed to the existing base of installed windows, which need replacement over the years. Also, growth in concerns with regard to energy consumption and increase in trend of sustainable construction is also anticipated to propel the homeowners and building contractors to switch to energy-efficient windows for replacement purpose, majorly in developed markets.

European region constitutes the largest market share in the energy-efficient windows market

The European region contributes a major market share in the global energy-efficient windows market. However, the European market is projected to grow at a comparatively lower rate than other regions as a result of weak construction demand in the region due to sub-performing economic conditions. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to register the highest growth from 2016 to 2026, while China is projected to be fastest-growing country-level market in the region for energy-efficient windows market. North America is projected to grow at the second-highest rate between 2016 and 2026, with the U.S. registering the highest growth rate in the region. Emerging economies such as South Africa, Brazil, and countries in the Middle East are projected to grow at moderate CAGRs between 2016 and 2026.

The major players in the energy-efficient windows market includes Saint Gobain S.A. (France), Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (Japan), Nippon Sheet Glass Co. Ltd. (Japan), SCHOTT AG (Germany), Central Glass Co. Ltd. (Japan), Masco Corporation (U.S.), Builders FirstSource, Inc. (U.S.), Jeld-Wen Holding, Inc. (U.S.), YKK AP, Inc. (Japan), Ply Gem Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), Associated Materials LLC (U.S.), Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (U.S.), Deceuninck NV (Belgium), and PGT, Inc. (U.S.).

Browse Related Reports:

Insulation Products Market by Insulation Type (Thermal, Acoustic, and Vacuum), Material (Mineral Wool, Fiberglass, and Foamed Plastics), End-use Industry (Residential, Commercial, and Industrial, HVAC & OEM), and Region - Global Forecast to 2021

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/insulation-product-market-76188343.htm

Door Systems Market by Type (Wood, Metal, Glass, Plastic & Composite), Mechanism (Swinging, Sliding, Folding, Revolving & Others), Technology (Manual, Access Control & Automatic), Application (Residential & Non-residential) & Region - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2020

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Pentagon has disclosed the death of two more terrorists in a US airsrike in Afghanistan in October. A precision airstrike carried out by the U.S. military on October 23 near Kunar killed three senior al-Qaida leaders, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement Monday. Previously DoD disclosed that the strike eliminated Faruq al-Qatani the group's emir for Eastern Afghanistan. The department has now determined the same strike also killed Bilal al-Utabyi, al-Qatani's deputy as well as Abd al-Wahid al-Junabi, a senior al-Qaida explosives expert. All three were actively involved in carrying out and plotting terror attacks inside and outside Afghanistan. The deaths of these three al-Qaida leaders will significantly reduce the group's ability to threaten the United States, its interests and allies, Cook 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.
BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Risk Strategies Company, a privately held, rapidly growing national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, today boosted both its real estate expertise, one of its core practice areas, and growing presence in Florida with the acquisition of business insurance specialist Advanced Insurance Underwriters (AIU), headquartered in Hollywood, FL. Terms of the deal were not announced.

The fourth largest independent broker in South Florida, and among the top 60 privately held insurance agencies in the United States, AIU specializes in commercial property & casualty insurance with additional capabilities in employee benefits, private client services and other specialty insurance programs. Included in the acquisition is Advanced E&S Group, a managing general underwriter.

AIU was founded in 1976 and has additional offices in Miami, Sarasota, Palm Beach, Estero and Marco Island. In addition to South Florida, its Advanced E&S Group maintains offices in Dallas, TX; Chicago, IL; and Basalt, CO.

"Soft markets level the brokerage playing field, making proven expertise in problem solving a real differentiator," said Michael Christian, CEO, Risk Strategies. "Advanced Insurance Underwriters is known for their commercial insurance expertise and creative approach in this dynamic market, making it a perfect fit for Risk Strategies' consultative, specialty-driven focus."

In its commercial brokerage and risk management business, AIU serves a broad cross-section of industries including real estate, construction, hospitality, health care, resorts, and clubs among others. A noted specialist in property insurance, AIU brings deep experience in helping individuals, homeowners associations and property management companies develop customized insurance and risk management plans for high-end dwellings, high rise condominiums and apartment buildings.

"Like Risk Strategies, our success has been grounded in knowing that true client value lies in expertise that clarifies complexity and simplifies the process of creating cost effective programs to manage risks," said AIU Co-Owner, Harvey Sheldon. "Becoming part of a national organization with the same approach will greatly benefit all of our clients."

Risk Strategies' third Florida acquisition this year, the AIU buy follows all-lines brokerage Kahn-Carlin Insurance in September and leading yacht and boat insurance specialist Atlass Marine in May.

"Today's fast-paced, interconnected world of business makes a deep bench of knowledge and resources a perquisite for continuing growth," said Charlotte L. Floyd, Managing Partner and Founder of AIU. "Risk Strategies has the capabilities and regional commitment to make a real difference for our clients."

Combined, AIU has just over 140 employees. Prior to the acquisition, Risk Strategies had over 800 employees nationwide.

About Risk Strategies Company

Risk Strategies Company is a privately held, national firm with offices across the country. As a leading U.S. insurance broker, the company offers sophisticated risk management advice as well as insurance and reinsurance placement for property & casualty, healthcare and employee benefits risks. Risk Strategies serves commercial companies, non-profits, public entities and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets. Ranked in the top 25 brokers in the country, the company has offices in more than 30 locations including Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; Minneapolis, MN; Dallas, TX; New York City; San Francisco; Atlanta, GA; Portsmouth, N.H.; Providence, R.I.; Long Island, N.Y.; Teaneck, N.J.; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Irvine, Calif.; and Sacramento, CA.
NYKOPING, Sweden, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

CTT SYSTEMS AB ("CTT"), the market leader of aircraft humidity control systems, announces Cair' VIP System order for one Airbus ACJ330-200 VIP completion.

"CTT is honoured to deliver the humidification system for the entire widebody cabin to another prestigious VIP completion. This is our 85th Cair' VIP order for Airbus ACJs/Boeing BBJs.", says Peter Landquist, Vice President Sales & Marketing of CTT Systems.

Cair' humidification reduces dry air related negative health and wellbeing impact on long-haul flights by maintaining the Relative Humidity on ground like levels (i.e. human body and its membranes will not be exposed to quick de-hydration that otherwise is the case in an extremely dry cabin). The Cair' humidification system generates a relative humidity of approx. 20%, compared to 3-5% without humidifiers. The higher humidity reduces dry air related problems (e.g. fatigue, jet-lag, red eyes, dry skin, spread of virus diseases). The humidifiers are based on evaporative cooling technology that effectively precludes the transfer of bacteria and improves air quality by reducing particles in the cabin air. Cair' keeps humidity in balance with Zonal Drying' anti-condensation system that enables cabin humidification without any moisture related problems.

About CTT SYSTEMS

CTT provides aircraft humidity control products - the anti-condensation systems (preventing moisture problems) and the humidifiers (enabling in-flight comfort and wellbeing for crew and passengers') for VIP, airliner line-fit and retrofit installations for all common Boeing and Airbus platforms. The Zonal Drying' is basic equipment on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and optional on A350. Our humidifiers are standard in all crew rest compartment fitted 787 aircraft and optional for flight deck on both A350 and 787. The humidifier for crew rest compartments is optional on both A380 and A350XWB. The Cair' cabin humidification system is optional on A350 for First/Business Class (Zone1-3). Also visit: www.ctt.se

For additional information:

Torbjorn Johansson, President, CTT Systems AB.

Tel. +46-155-205901 alt. mobile. +46-70-665 24 46, or E-mail: torbjorn.johansson@ctt.se

Peter Landquist, VP Sales, Marketing & Customer Support, CTT Systems AB.

Tel. +46-155-205902 alt. mobile. +46-70-665 24 45, or E-mail peter.landquist@ctt.se

This information is disclosed by CTT Systems AB in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and the Swedish Securities Markets Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication on December 20, 2016 at 16.30 (CET).

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/ctt-systems/r/ctt-systems-receives-cair--vip-order-for-one-acj330-200,c2154369

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NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- DigitalOcean, the cloud for developers, today announced it has been selected as one of the 100 most exciting startups in New York City by a panel of 40 judges, including investors, media representatives, established entrepreneurs and other insiders. The full list can be found on Business Insider at http://www.businessinsider.com/100-of-the-most-exciting-startups-in-new-york-city-2016-12?op=0.

DigitalOcean, known for its "developer first" mentality, was founded in 2011 with the mission to simplify the complexities of infrastructure by offering one simple and robust platform for developers to easily launch and scale their applications. DigitalOcean has become the second largest and fastest growing cloud in the total number of public facing apps and websites, according to Netcraft. The company is now investing heavily in advancing its cloud to further support growing teams and larger production workloads.

"It's an honor to be named one of the most exciting startups in NYC," said Ben Uretsky, Co-Founder and CEO of DigitalOcean. "From our humble beginnings with five co-founders starting in 2011 to becoming the #1 cloud for developers in a short 5 years, it has been an incredible journey. I'm proud of all that our teams have been able to accomplish and look forward to a very exciting 2017 with multiple products and features coming to market."

This is the latest in a series of accolades for DigitalOcean. Earlier this year, DigitalOcean was named to the first-ever Forbes 2016 Cloud 100, the definitive list of the world's top-tier private companies leading the cloud technology revolution, InformationWeek's list of the 25 cloud vendors to watch and Wealthfront's annual list of career-launching companies.

About DigitalOcean

Founded in 2011, DigitalOcean is a cloud platform that is simplifying the complexities of infrastructure for software developers. DigitalOcean has become the second largest and fastest growing cloud computing platform in the total number of public facing apps and websites, according to Netcraft.com. The company has raised $123 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Access Industries, IA Ventures, CrunchFund, and Techstars. The company is headquartered in New York City with data center regions throughout the world. For more information, simply visit https://www.digitalocean.com or follow @digitalocean.

Media and Analyst Contact:

Amber Rowland

press@digitalocean.com

+1-650-814-4560




MCLEAN, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today announced multifamily investing fundamentals grew stronger in the third quarter, both nationally and in all 13 major metro markets tracked by the Freddie Mac Multifamily Apartment Investment Market Index(SM) (AIMI(SM)). This marks the third consecutive quarter of positive growth tracked by AIMI, a free online analytical tool that combines multifamily rental income growth, property price growth and mortgage rates to provide a single index that objectively measures multifamily market investment conditions.

Nationally, AIMI values increased just 0.4% in the third quarter to 110.9 from 110.4 in the second quarter. Local markets experiencing the biggest quarterly gains were Washington, D.C. (7.3%), Orlando (4.4%) and Atlanta (3%).

A rise in AIMI from one quarter to the next implies an increasingly favorable environment for multifamily investment opportunities, while a decline suggests that attractive investment opportunities are becoming more difficult to find.

"The AIMI index has been indicating a favorable investment environment for apartments since 2009. A move up in the index in the third quarter marked the third consecutive quarterly increase in the index, but it is down slightly year-over-year. The Index has been in a consistent range since 2013," said Steve Guggenmos, vice president of Freddie Mac Multifamily Research and Modeling.

Looking beyond the national level, AIMI values fell in five of 13 metros tracked over the last quarter, and fell in 10 metros during the past year. The only three markets where AIMI increased relative to this time last year were Washington, DC, (12.7%), Atlanta (2.4%), and Dallas (0.9%).

In addition to national and local values, AIMI also provides a sensitivity table that shows how the Index value adjusts based on changes in the underlying variables. Additional information about AIMI is on the Freddie Mac Multifamily website and includes FAQs and a video.

Freddie Mac Multifamily helps ensure an ample supply of affordable rental housing by purchasing and securitizing mortgages on apartment buildings nationwide. The loans range from $1 million to several billions and roughly 90 percent support rental units for lower income households. Freddie Mac securitizes about 90 percent of the multifamily loans it purchases, thus transferring the vast majority of the expected credit risk from taxpayers to private investors.

Freddie Mac was established by Congress in 1970 to provide liquidity, stability and affordability to the nation's residential mortgage markets. Freddie Mac supports communities across the nation by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Today Freddie Mac is making home possible for one in four home borrowers and is the largest source of financing for multifamily housing. Additional information is available at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Mac's blog FreddieMac.com/blog.
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.
HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwired - December 20, 2016) - On Saturday, December 17, the McDonald's Owner/Operators Association of Greater Houston (MOAGH) treated 100 children at Neighborhood Centers, Inc.'s Cleveland-Ripley community center to brand new bicycles, breakfast, games and activities, as well as pictures with Santa Claus, Ronald McDonald, Hamburglar and Grimace. The holiday-themed charitable event was spearheaded by McDonald's Hispanic Operators Association of Greater Houston (MHOA), which comprises 13 local business people who collectively own and operate 71 of the 300+ McDonald's restaurants in Greater Houston.

The weekend festivities were the latest in a series of philanthropic investments made by MOAGH in 2016, capping off more than $2 million in charitable giving to hundreds of organizations throughout the region. Charitable investments made by this co-operative of local business people this year included several significant educational, human services, civic and cultural gifts such as:

$1 million pledge to Ronald McDonald House of Houston Behind Every Door campaign

67 College Scholarships awarded through Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Houston/Galveston

Title sponsorship of the McDonald's Houston Children's Festival, providing cash, in-kind products and more than 100 volunteers

Underwriting support for the Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center

Support for schools in more than 15 area school districts

Investment in Houston's Tier One University of Houston Leadership Academy

Lead support for the Pasadena ISD Texas Invitational Basketball Tournament

Surprise lunch for 400 Veterans at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Veterans Day Ceremony, plus free in-restaurant sandwich offer for active and retired military on Veterans Day

Monthly Coffee with a Cop and McTeacher fundraiser events

According to Matthew Kades, President of MOAGH, "We are delighted to celebrate the holiday season by bringing some joy to our young neighbors at Neighborhood Centers. A philosophy of community leadership and social responsibility guides the management team for our restaurants here in the Houston area. In addition to more than $2 million in local giving, our owners served on more than 25 boards and committees in the area and contributed more than $80,000 in in-kind product giving. We are proud of our support for so many worthwhile organizations, and we look forward to spreading more cheer in 2017."

MOAGH collectively owns and operates more than 300 McDonald's restaurants in the region and employs more than 15,000 people in communities across Greater Houston. MHOA, much like the Black McDonald's Owner's Association of Houston (BMOA), is one of many within the co-op that leads community investment programs. Individual owners and operators also work directly with organizations in their neighborhood to serve their local communities through cash, in-kind gifts, and volunteer service.

For information, images and video related to McDonald's community impact this year, click here and view the organization's press kit here.

ABOUT McDONALD'S OWNER/OPERATORS ASSOCIATION OF GREATER HOUSTON

The McDonald's Owner/Operators Association of Greater Houston (MOAGH) is a co-operative of local business owners who own and operate more than 300 McDonald's restaurants in Greater Houston. MOAGH-owned McDonald's restaurants employ more than 15,000 people in the Greater Houston community. Follow your local McDonald's on Twitter @McD_Houston.

Julia Davis

CKP

(832) 930-4058 x102

julia@theckpgroup.com



Jeremy Little

CKP

(832) 930-4058 x113

jeremy@theckpgroup.com



Jennifer Evans

CKP

(832) 930-4058 x107

jen@theckpgroup.com
Technavio has announced the top six leading vendors in their recentglobal enterprise storage marketreport. This research report also lists 30 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161220005031/en/

Technavio publishes a new market research report on the global enterprise storage market from 2016-2020. (Graphic: Business Wire)

An enterprise storage center is a repository for storing business information or data for a period of time depending on the needs of end-users. Enterprise users can fetch these data and share them through interconnected networks or online. Enterprise storage comprises SSD and HDD devices that are commonly used in SAN, NAS, and DAS environments.

Competitive vendor landscape

Competition among the existing storage players is very high owing to the increase in enterprise-generated and processed data. Over the years, several innovations have been witnessed with regard to the scalability and performance of storage systems in data centers. The use of flash-based storage is increasing among data centers owing their increased business needs. SAN is the commonly adopted storage system used among enterprises followed by the NAS and DAS systems.

"Most of the enterprises prefer to adopt server-storage architecture, and this has experienced a greater adoption, especially on the hyper-scale market. The ODM market share is growing because of the ability to offer customized storage solution as per the enterprise data processing demands," says Abhishek Sharma, a lead data centerresearchanalyst from Technavio

Almost all the vendors in the global enterprise storage market offer SAN, server-storage, NAS, and DAS storage with some already experiencing increased revenue by using flash-based storage systems and others continuing innovation toward the betterment of existing and advanced systems specific to business needs.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=55046

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Top six enterprise storage market vendors

Dell

Dell is one of the leading computing solutions providers. The company offers a wide range of client computing devices, servers for enterprise customers, and networking solutions. It also offers peripherals, including monitors, printers, and projectors.

EMC

EMC offers virtual infrastructure technologies, information infrastructure, solutions, and services for enterprises worldwide. It also provides security solutions and enterprise software and cloud solutions, which include EMC Documentum portfolio that offers information, content management, and others.

Hitachi Data Systems (HDS)

Hitachi Data Systems provides data storage solutions, information infrastructure, and services for clients. It offers storage systems, such as flash storage products, unified storage systems, and unified storage with enterprise virtualization systems. It is a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd.

HPE

HPE's business operations are classified into seven business segments: personal systems, printing, enterprise services, enterprise group, software, HP financial services, and corporate investments. The company offers a variety of IT infrastructure and business solutions through its segment, namely Enterprise Group (EG).

IBM

IBM storage revenue decreased by around 12% because of lesser demand for its traditional disk and tape storage systems. Around 50% of systems hardware revenue in 2015 was for solutions, namely analytics workloads, hybrid, and private clouds environments.

NetApp

NetApp offers storage and data management solutions such as specialized hardware and software and services related to storage management for open network environments. It also provides data management and storage offerings under various categories such as data storage systems, flash systems and technologies, and data management software.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Data Center Storage Market 2016-2020

Global Mobile NAND Flash Market 2016-2020

Global NOR Flash Market 2016-2020

Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like IT hardware, IT security, and cloud computing. This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently.

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/20161220005031/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Calling the Electoral College an 'antiquated mechanism,' the New York Times Editorial Board has called for end to the system currently used to elect the president.



The editorial was posted online on Monday after Donald Trump secured the presidency with a 304 to 227 vote in the Electoral College even though Democratic rival Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes.



The Times noted that Trump's popular vote deficit is the biggest for an incoming president since President Rutherford B. Hayes won a disputed election in 1876.



'Yes, Mr. Trump won under the rules, but the rules should change so that a presidential election reflects the will of Americans and promotes a more participatory democracy,' the Times wrote.



The Times argued that the Electoral College results in the election being fought in just a dozen or so 'battleground' states, leaving tens of millions of Americans on the sidelines.



'Conservative opponents of a direct vote say it would give an unfair edge to large, heavily Democratic cities and states,' the Times wrote. 'But why should the votes of Americans in California or New York count for less than those in Idaho or Texas?'



The editorial board added, 'A direct popular vote would treat all Americans equally, no matter where they live - including, by the way, Republicans in San Francisco and Democrats in Corpus Christi, whose votes are currently worthless.'



The Times criticized the Electoral College systems as doing a terrible job of representing the nation's demographic and geographic diversity.



The results of a Morning Consult/Politico survey released Monday found that a plurality of American voters believes the race for the White House should be decided by the popular vote.



Forty-five percent of registered voters said the Constitution should be amended to replace the Electoral College with the popular vote, while 40 percent said the current system should remain in place.



Voters were slightly more likely to back changing the current system if they were not told it would require a constitutional amendment.



The poll found significant partisan division on the issue, as a vast majority of Democrats back a change to the popular vote but most Republicans favor the Electoral College.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- A British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) panel has permanently banned Ayaz Dhanani (aka Azim Virani, Michael Lee, Alex Nebris, Paul Dhanani, Samuel Ramos, and Rahim Jiwa) from B.C.'s capital markets for fraud.

In May, the panel found that Dhanani, a B.C. resident, fraudulently raised a total of $188,800 from three investors in exchange for promises to purchase shares in three resource companies that Dhanani claimed were about to go public. Dhanani promised each investor that their investments would increase significantly in value over a short period of time. No securities were ever purchased with the investors' money.

Describing Dhanani's misconduct, the panel noted "This was an egregious form of fraud. There were no real investments. In one case, Dhanani adopted an alias to perpetuate the fraud. Dhanani represents the upper end of risk to our capital markets."

For his misconduct, Dhanani has been ordered to pay a disgorgement order of $188,800 and an administrative penalty of $225,000. He must also resign any position he holds as a director or officer of any issuer or registrant.

He is also permanently prohibited from trading in and purchasing any securities and exchange contracts, becoming or acting as a director or officer of any issuer or registrant, becoming or acting as a registrant or promoter, acting in a management or consultative capacity in connection with activities in the securities market, and engaging in investor relations activities.

You may view the sanctions decision on our website www.bcsc.bc.ca by typing Ayaz Dhanani, Azim Virani, Michael Lee, Alex Nebris, Paul Dhanani, Samuel Ramos, Rahim Jiwa or 2016 BCSECCOM 413 in the search box. Information regarding disciplinary proceedings can be found in the Enforcement section of the BCSC website.

Please visit the Canadian Securities Administrators' Disciplined List for information relating to persons and companies disciplined by provincial securities regulators, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (MFDA).

About the British Columbia Securities Commission (www.bcsc.bc.ca)

The British Columbia Securities Commission is the independent provincial government agency responsible for regulating capital markets in British Columbia through the administration of the Securities Act. Our mission is to protect and promote the public interest by fostering:

-- A securities market that is fair and warrants public confidence -- A dynamic and competitive securities industry that provides investment opportunities and access to capital

Learn how to protect yourself and become a more informed investor at www.investright.org.

Contacts:

Media Contact: British Columbia Securities Commission

Alison Walker

604-899-6713

www.bcsc.bc.ca



Public inquiries:

604-899-6854 or 1-800-373-6393 (toll free)

inquiries@bcsc.bc.ca




CHESTER, PA--(Marketwired - December 20, 2016) - On Monday, December 19, Santa Claus hand-delivered gifts to more than 1,000 kindergarten-through-second graders at Chester Community Charter School (CCCS), the largest K-8 charter school in Pennsylvania, as part of the school's annual "Santa Brigade" holiday program, which took place on each of the school's three campuses: East, West and Upland.

Santa Claus will also visit kindergarten-through-second graders at two additional CSMI-managed schools, Atlantic Community Charter School, in Galloway, NJ, and Camden Community Charter School, in Camden, NJ, this week.

Vahan Gureghian, CEO of CSMI, the school's management company, together with his wife, Danielle, donated approximately $17,000 to fund the purchase of this year's gifts. Thus far, Mr. and Mrs. Gureghian have contributed more than $500,000 to Santa Brigade initiatives, for charter schools students, since the program's inception, 17 years ago.

Additionally, CCCS recently hosted, on its West campus, together with the Andrew L. Hicks, Jr. Foundation, a "pop-up" Holiday Toy Store, wherein students were able to shop for toys and other Christmas gifts with "Monopoly money," in an effort to ensure that Chester-area students and their families had an opportunity to purchase holiday items.

Commenting on the festivities, Dr. David Clark, CEO of the charter school, said, "We host our Santa Brigade, and other holiday programs, because of our dedication to the students and their families. CCCS is an educational beacon, here, in Chester, but our reach goes beyond the classroom, and into the homes of our students. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Gureghian's donations, thousands of Chester students have had joyous holiday seasons, over the years."

About Chester Community Charter School

Chester Community Charter School opened its doors on September 9, 1998, serving 97 students from its modest, four, meeting rooms, in the lobby of the Howard Johnson Hotel, in Chester, PA. Since that time, the school has steadily grown to include more than 3,000 students in 11 state-of-the-art-buildings, spanning three campuses. Through collaboration with the Gureghian Charitable Foundation, and CCCS' High School Search and Selection Program, more than $9.5 million in scholarships and financial assistance to prestigious private secondary schools has been awarded to 225 of the school's graduates, since 2009. http://chestercommunitycharter.org

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/12/20/11G125665/Images/santa8-549ca9034b48bcbf9e9288e7e8045396.jpg

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Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/12/20/11G125665/Images/santa1-1687bac0bc1e9add8ce9364a31fcf2c7.jpg

Contact:

Meaghan F. Washington

Tel: 215-751-0140

Email: mwashington@m3mpr.com

Twitter/Instagram: @M3M_PR



Contact:

Dr. David Clark

Tel: 610-447-0400

Email: dclark@chestercommunitycharter.org

Twitter/Instagram: @Chester_Charter
The MSCI EM Europe 10/40 Index declined -1.1% in November in USD terms. The Company outperformed the index and was up +1.6% in USD terms.



Country performance in the region was led by Greece (+9.5%) and Russia (+4.8%); whilst Turkey (-15.1%), Czech (-10.6%), Poland (-7.5%) and Hungary (-4.6%) lagged.



Greece was the best performing country in the region in November amid improving GDP growth, continued progress towards the second bailout program review, and Moody's revised outlook on the country's banking system to 'stable'. Russia performed strongly following the US elections in anticipation of a Trump administration looking more favourably on Russia than its predecessor.



Conversely, the strong USD and steepening of the US yield curve had a negative impact on most European currencies. Turkey, with its twin deficits, was the biggest laggard in November. However, Hungary, Poland and Czech were not immune and also saw their currencies weakening following Trump's victory.



Focus on: Ferrexpo



Ferrexpo is a Ukrainian iron-ore producer and a top three supplier of iron ore pellets to the steel industry globally. The company went through a cash crunch in 2015 when some of its funds got locked in a Ukrainian bank that went into administration. This coupled with the collapse in iron ore prices in late 2015 put the company's debt sustainability at risk. Since then it has significantly reduced the cost base, continued to improve its product mix and focused on servicing its debt load.



As a result of these efforts Ferrexpo delivered solid first half 2016 financial results, paid-off one of its trade finance loans and demonstrated that it was able to meet the remaining debt obligations going forward. The higher iron ore price and improved investor perception of debt sustainability has resulted in excellent stock performance. We continue to believe that Ferrexpo will generate solid cash flows, and should be able to dramatically reduce its debt burden through 2017, allowing for further stock price gains.



20 December 2016
DUBLIN, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Pulse Generator Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The report forecasts the global pulse generator market to grow at a CAGR of 9.15% during the period 2016-2020.

The report, Global Pulse Generator 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.

The trend in the industry is high-speed digital-to-analog converter (DAC) providing up to 16-bit resolution. AWGs that are used for the design and test applications enable the users to specify a source waveform in different ways. High-speed DACs provide the foundation for an AWG with a bandwidth to address advanced radio and communications applications. For instance, Agilent's M8190A is a hig- performance, high-bandwidth product that has a 14-bit DAC and is a compact box available in the market with advanced telecommunications architecture extension for instrumentation. It offers one of the best spurious dynamic ranges present in the market.

According to the report, the demand for test and measurement equipment such as signal generators from the aerospace and defense industry has increased significantly as the majority of countries will upgrade their defense systems used on the field and in aircraft. The signal generators are used to testify the circuits and electronic instruments attached to the aircraft in case of any issues. Furthermore, developing countries China and India are purchasing aircraft (commercial and fighter) from the established players in the industry. For maintenance and servicing of such machines, there is a need of test equipment such as signal generators. For instance, India is in talks with France to buy aircraft. Globally, major countries such as China and India have started investing substantially in defense establishments and manufacturing of defense equipment.

Further, the report states that End-users in the global signal generator market demand additional features at low cost.

Companies Mentioned:

Nritsu

B&K Precision

Keithley Instruments

Keysight Technologies

National Instruments

Rohde & Schwarz

Tektronix

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary

Part 02: Scope of the report

Part 03: Market research methodology

Part 04: Introduction

Part 05: Market landscape

Part 06: Market size and forecast

Part 07: Buying behavior

Part 08: Market segmentation by end-user

Part 09: Geographical segmentation

Part 10: Market drivers

Part 11: Impact of drivers

Part 12: Market challenges

Part 13: Impact of drivers and challenges

Part 14: Market trends

Part 15: Vendor landscape

Part 16: Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/h7dkll/global_pulse

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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ROSEVILLE, CA--(Marketwired - December 20, 2016) - The dairy business in California is not getting any easier, according to a new report by the Food & Agribusiness Research (FAR) and Advisory, a wholly owned unit of Rabobank Group, which also owns California-based Rabobank N.A. Looming regulations aimed at mitigating surface and ground water contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions will spur higher operational costs and complexity.

The report, "Digesting Environmental Policy: California Dairies are Swimming in It," contends that dairies that invest in new technology and increasingly incorporate environmental management into their routine farming practices will be in the best position to sustain their businesses and potentially realize new revenue streams.

"The nation's largest milk-producing state faces real but surmountable regulatory hurdles in the coming years," said James Williamson, an analyst with Rabobank's FAR unit. "By researching and planning now, California dairy owners can consider capital investments in solutions like subsurface drip irrigation for forage and croplands, anaerobic digesters that convert methane into energy, and other options currently being explored. Along with new-era management practices, dairies can tackle compliance demands, while supporting long-term profitability goals."

FAR's extensive report addresses a number of issues including:

Water regulations are becoming increasingly important and will impact both surface and groundwater withdrawals. Dairies that utilize subsurface drip irrigation and precision crop management can increase their forage crop yields, and potentially free up to 25 percent of dairy lands for other investments.

The cost of green-house-reducing, energy-generating anaerobic digesters can be offset for dairies that can realize economies of scale and afford major capital expenditures. Some digester investments may even become profitable. However, if production costs continue to increase, as is expected, some dairy owners may choose to retire or consolidate their businesses.

Dairy coalitions, especially in the Central Valley, are becoming increasingly important for managing the state's evolving, water-related regulations. For example, a working group comprised of more than 95 percent of the Central Valley's dairies are researching best-practice guidelines for protecting groundwater.

"There are real examples today of dairies sharing both the costs and revenues," said Williamson. "Sometimes, it can mean the difference between staying in business independently and leaving it altogether. The important thing is to fully appreciate the industry's current and future challenges, and know what options are available now and in the long term."

The full report is available to Rabobank clients and the news media upon request.

About Rabobank Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory

The Rabobank Food & Agribusiness Research (FAR) and Advisory group is a global team of more than 90 analysts who monitor and evaluate global market events that affect agriculture worldwide. This international team works to collect key insights into commodity markets; conduct in-depth analysis of the factors that drive sector success or failure; and examine the megatrends that ultimately influence clients' business strategy. These analysts are internationally respected experts in sectors from protein to produce, inputs to oilseeds, and their knowledge is shared with Rabobank Group customers.

About Rabobank N.A.

Rabobank N.A. is an award-winning, full-service bank serving California communities grounded in agriculture. With more than $14 billion in assets, Rabobank provides a wide range of financial products and services for individual, business, and food and agribusiness customers. Its 102 branches, multi-function ATMs, and online and mobile banking resources empower Californians to bank when, where and how they want. Committed to service, Rabobank's more than 1,500 employees take pride in improving their communities personally and professionally. Rabobank N.A. is a nationally chartered bank, FDIC member and equal opportunity lender. Visit www.rabobankamerica.com.

The content, views and opinions in this article are based upon the report, "Digesting Environmental Policy: California Dairies are Swimming in It," produced by FAR. The information contained herein is intended for general educational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal, tax, or financial advice. Please consult with your own legal, tax or financial advisor for guidance with your own particular circumstances.

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Contact:

Greg Jones

Rabobank N.A.

gregory.jones@rabobank.com
Regulatory News:

Vivendi (Paris:VIV) has today crossed the 20% and 25% thresholds of the Mediaset share capital.

Vivendi owns 25.75% of the Mediaset share capital and 26.77% of the voting rights as of December 20, 2016.

Important Disclaimers

This press release contains information that may have characterized, before becoming public, inside information as defined by Article 7, par. 1, of the European Regulation 596/2014 regarding Vivendi's acquisition of a participation in the capital of Mediaset. It also contains forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, business, strategy, plans and outlook of Vivendi. Although Vivendi believes that such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not limited to the risks related to antitrust and other regulatory approvals as well as any other approvals which may be required in connection with certain transactions and the risks described in the documents Vivendi filed with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (French securities regulator), which are also available in English on Vivendi's website (www.vivendi.com). Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed by Vivendi with the Autorite des Marches Financiers at www.amf-france.org, or directly from Vivendi. Accordingly, we caution readers against relying on such forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and Vivendi disclaims any intention or obligation to provide, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Unsponsored ADRs. Vivendi does not sponsor an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) facility in respect of its shares. Any ADR facility currently in existence is "unsponsored" and has no ties whatsoever to Vivendi. Vivendi disclaims any liability in respect of any such facility.

About Vivendi

Vivendi is an integrated media and content group. The company operates businesses throughout the media value chain, from talent discovery to the creation, production and distribution of content. The main subsidiaries of Vivendi comprise Canal+ Group and Universal Music Group. Canal+ Group is the leading pay-TV operator in France, and also serves markets in Africa, Poland and Vietnam. Canal+ Group operations also include Studiocanal, a leading European player in production, sales and distribution of film and TV series. Universal Music Group is the world leader in recorded music, music publishing and merchandising, with more than 50 labels covering all genres. A separate division, Vivendi Village, brings together Vivendi Ticketing (ticketing in the UK, the U.S. and France), MyBestPro (experts counseling), Watchever (subscription video-on-demand), Radionomy (digital radio), Olympia Production, the L'Olympia and the Theatre de L'Oeuvre venues in Paris and the CanalOlympia venues in Africa. With 3.5 billion videos viewed each month, Dailymotion is one of the biggest video content aggregation and distribution platforms in the world. Gameloft is a worldwide leading video games on mobile, with 2 million games downloaded per day.

www.vivendi.comwww.cultureswithvivendi.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161220005868/en/

Contacts:

Vivendi
Technavio analysts forecast the global Pompe disease treatment marketto grow at a CAGR of almost 12% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161220005043/en/

Technavio publishes a new market research report on the global Pompe disease treatment market from 2016-2020. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global Pompe disease treatmentmarketfor 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue from the sales of the drugs available in the market and the drug candidates that are in various phases of development for the treatment of Pompe disease.

The regulatory assistance provided to drug manufacturers in emerging markets is expected to propel the growth of the market during the forecast period. Developing economies are growingly becoming aware of the significance of orphan drug designations and are working toward defining the regulatory protocols required to award these designations. In addition, these countries are also working on providing incentives such as reimbursements to pharmaceutical manufacturers to encourage research in this area.

Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=55145

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Technavio healthcare and life sciencesanalysts highlight the following four factors that are contributing to the growth of the global Pompe disease treatment market:

Special regulatory drug designations for orphan drugs

Reimbursement policies for treatment

Designated under ICD-10 code

Shorter development timelines

Special regulatory drug designations for orphan drugs

Pompe disease is listed as a rare disease by regulatory authorities of the US and Europe. Diseases with a limited patient population mean a smaller market for treatment, which might not be profitable in terms of recovering the R&D expenses of the drug. To overcome this limitation, the US and the EU have provisions for orphan drug designation for drugs developed to treat Pompe disease.

Sapna Jha, a lead central nervous system research analyst at Technavio, says, "In the EU, orphan drugs receive protocol assistance and 10-year market exclusivity. In the US, they are offered incentives such as tax credits for clinical testing, exemption from prescription fees, and market exclusivity for seven years

Reimbursement policies for treatment

The costs associated with the treatment of Pompe disease are very high, USD 100,000-300,000 per individual per annum, making it difficult for individuals to continue with the treatment for a long period. According to Genzyme report 2015, an estimated the treatment cost of an adult and a child with Myozyme to be USD 300,000 per annum and about USD 100,000 per year, respectively.

"Organizations such as the Canadian Association of Pompe, Acid Maltase Deficiency Association, and International Pompe Association provide financial support to individuals to continue the therapy. The existence of such programs is expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period," adds Sapna.

Designated under ICD-10 code

International classification of disease (ICD) is a standard tool used globally for analytical and diagnostic purposes. Under this, the codes are provided to the individuals to emphasize the need to visit medical centers and by healthcare partners to understand the frequency of medical visits recommended for the individuals. Thus, ICD codes can be used for reimbursement purposes by private and government insurers.

Shorter development timelines

The shorter development timelines are anticipated to have a positive impact on the market for orphan drugs during the forecast period. The clinical trials of orphan drugs are significantly shorter than those of non-orphan drugs owing to the special status. The average time required to launch an orphan drug from Phase II is 3.9 years, compared with 5.42 years for the non-orphan drugs.

Top vendors:

Amicus Therapeutics

Audentes Therapeutics

Sanofi Genzyme

Browse Related Reports:

Global Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Drugs Market 2016-2020

Global Alopecia Drugs Market 2016-2020

Pompe Disease Market in the US 2015-2019

Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like cardiovascular devicesoncologyandin-vitro diagnostics. This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently.

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/20161220005043/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
SAN DIEGO, CA --(Marketwired - December 20, 2016) - Rejecting their most recent challenge, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Anello (U.S. Southern District of California) denied the North San Diego Association of REALTORS (NSDCAR) and the Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS (PSAR) joint motion to dismiss a portion of the lawsuit filed against them by the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS (SDAR). With this ruling, NSDCAR and PSAR must now answer the lawsuit and all 11 causes of action as the case moves forward.

"I'm hopeful that the court's lengthy rebuke will curb further, similar, issues, and cause the defendants to reconsider their ill-conceived lawsuit seeking dissolution of Sandicor. In the meantime, we are confident in our ability to meet our members' needs, and ensure that the data is protected and remains uninterrupted and unrestricted," said Cory Shepard, SDAR President.

Filed in January 2016, the lawsuit claims NSDCAR and PSAR misused their authority in managing Sandicor, the region's sole multiple listing service provider. SDAR seeks changes in Sandicor's governance structure, as well as compensatory damages.

"We are glad to see the court recognizes the merits of all of our claims," said Shepard. "Our goal all along has been to ensure that our 13,000 members, and all MLS subscribers in San Diego County have access to the best MLS system possible. That includes making structural and operational improvements to Sandicor, ensuring there is no interruption in service, and demonstrating that our members have a local association that stands up and fights for their interests."

According to details included in the claim, SDAR is providing a number of member benefits that are being hindered by NSDAR and PSAR. In fact, SDAR develops and offers innovative products and services for its members, while NSDAR and PSAR opted to join forces and restrict SDAR's ability to provide needed member services. Examples provided in the complaint include:

SDAR developed "Just Knock" to provide hyper-local community resources to local brokers and agents. This program relied on access to local MLS data. NSDAR and PSAR conspired to cut off SDAR access to this MLS data in an effort to frustrate and prevent competition.

SDAR negotiated to provide "Showing Suite" for local members that relied on access to MLS data. NSDAR and PSAR conspired to deny SDAR access to the data unless it was offered for use by competing organizations.

Stephanie Pac

(310) 463-5792

spac@sdar.com


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Voters that supported President-elect Donald Trump widely say it is very important to reduce the national deficit, but the results of a new Glover Park Group poll found that most also want to maintain or increase spending across a wide range of federal agencies.



The poll found that a majority of Trump voters want to increase government spending on immigration enforcement, the military, homeland security and infrastructure.



Trump voters also want to maintain the current level of spending for a number of areas, including internet and wireless networks, oil and gas exploration, scientific and medical research, and environmental protection and conservation.



GPG noted that the only two areas where Trump voters favor a decrease in spending are foreign aid and welfare programs like food stamps and public housing assistance.



'This poll shows that the coalition that supported President-elect Trump values and has distinct priorities for the role of government, and isn't making the same demands as traditional conservatives for across-the-board cuts,' said Katie Cissel, Senior Vice President of Research at GPG.



The poll also found that most Trump voters want to either expand or keep the power of various federal agencies, including the FDA, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Departments of Education, Agriculture and Health and Human Services.



Housing finance and mortgage agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were the exception, as Trump voters favor limiting their power or eliminating them altogether.



GPG said the support for government funding and institutions comes even though reducing the deficit and balancing the budget rank only behind combating terrorism as the campaign issues Trump voters said were most important.



The GPG survey of 2,000 self-identified Trump voters was conducted by Morning Consult from December 11th through 13th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.



(Photo: Gage Skidmore)



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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Still upset over the death of her signature piece of legislation, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, claimed House GOP leaders chose to attend a holiday party in New York rather than complete negotiations on the energy policy bill.



Murkowski told the Alaska Journal that House Speaker Paul, R-Wis., chose to adjourn the House on December 8th to attend the party rather than round up the votes for the conference committee version of her Energy Policy Modernization Act.



'The Speaker said 'We've run out of time' because they wanted to get on the party train,' Murkowski told the Alaska Journal, claiming Ryan and other House Republicans didn't want to miss a train from Washington, D.C., to New York City.



Washington newspaper The Hill noted the National Republican Congressional Committee was scheduled to hold its annual 'Bright Lights and Broadway' fundraiser in New York City that weekend.



Ryan's office signaled the death of the energy bill the day before the House adjourned, saying negotiators were not able to reach agreement on various outstanding issues in time for the House to consider a conference report.



However, Murkowski blamed the House for 'moving the goalposts' in the end stages of negotiations amid expectations they will be able to get a better bill in the next Congress.



'Those who think it's going to be easier next year don't understand the realities of the Senate,' Murkowski said, noting that Democrats can still filibuster the bill.



The bill, which the Alaska Senator had been working on for almost two years, would have been the first federal energy reform package in nearly ten years.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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TORONTO, ON -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- In an annual tradition, the travel experts at Cheapflights.ca, the champions of simple travel search, are taking a look at where -- and how -- Canadians will travel next year. The team shares its predictions for the New Year with its Travel trends and hot destinations for 2017 report, and the good news is that travel has become more flexible, more accessible and more convenient.

Changes coming in 2017 are set to transform every aspect of the travel experience -- from the way travellers book (on their mobile phones in response to deal alerts) to the airline they choose (including an upswing in low-cost options), to how far they can stretch their travel budget (the result of greater competition). All these innovations -- plus the desire for more meaningful travel -- will see some Canadians opt to combine work and travel in a new, nomadic travel lifestyle.

Here are five ways that the Canadian travel landscape is set to change in 2017:

The rise of low-cost carriers and unbundled airfare - 2017 is the year the low-cost carrier model really makes an impact for Canadian travellers. Base airfares for travel in the U.S. and across much of the rest of the world will continue to drop as more airlines -- from legacy carriers such as United and Delta, to growing low-cost airlines like Allegiant and Norwegian -- add to the volume of available discount seats. For Canadians, this trend will get an added push from the growth of overseas players like Wow, and new domestic start-ups like NewLeaf (and possibly Jetlines and FlyToo), as well as the recent decision to raise the limit on foreign investment in Canadian airlines. Travellers around the world have voted with their wallets, fuelling the demand for low-cost carriers, and now, more and more Canadians will have the opportunity to opt for lower fares, recognizing the upside of saving on their seat and paying only for the "perks" that matter enough to them that they will fork out added cash for the service. While such travel is still not for everyone, it will be an increasingly popular choice as travellers embrace the opportunity to get where they want to go for less.





A "golden age" for international travel - With airlines around the world offering increasing budget options, international travel will be more accessible than ever. Look for more moves like Norwegian Air's adoption of narrow-body planes and BYO entertainment to ensure lighter, more streamlined flying and continued low fuel costs to help keep airline costs (and thus, airfares) in check. Open Skies agreements have added to this "golden age" for international travel, as they allow for increased cross competition from international airlines. Add into the equation some major currency fluctuations, which have created increased buying power in many popular markets from Europe to Vietnam and Brazil to Japan. Of course, there are some potential headwinds for overseas travels, especially as Brexit and other industry lobbying threaten some key Open Skies agreements and raise the possibility of more immigration and customs challenges. Despite the tumult, some internationally minded folks will see travel as the antidote to the politics of the day. And all should recognize that there may be no better opportunity than the present to get out there and explore the world.





More airport innovation and investment - Business leaders from markets across Canada are calling for a renewed focus on airport investment and innovation. In the wake of record-setting security and immigration lines throughout North America and increased comparisons to the efficiency of top international airports, such a rallying cry is no surprise. Government moves, like the rules change on foreign investment in airlines and the efforts to streamline preclearance for travel to the U.S., are signs of progress, and we anticipate a few more commitments to new investments and policies aimed at making air travel more efficient and affordable. In the meantime, though, look for a wave of short-term upgrades introduced by the private sector to start impacting travellers' airport experience. Improvements to watch for include automated security screening lanes, higher tech baggage tracking systems, biometric-powered and fast-tracked security screenings, and personalized services like food delivery to your departure gate or print-your-own luggage tags.





Portable travel search - Mobile technology has changed the face of travel planning and search. The evolution of online travel has extended well beyond the desktop and is now moving beyond the travel website. Whenever and wherever travel inspiration strikes, look for travel search to be close by. At the most basic, it's the simple step of pulling out your phone for an impromptu vacation planning session over dinner. But increasingly, expect text alerts for fare sales and price drops, or to get a price from your favourite voice-based Internet device or through Facebook Messenger. Coming soon: drag a photo from an online article about a team, festival or concert right into a search window and get the flight options for attending upcoming events delivered in real time.





The decline of the generic vacation - Travel as an experience increasingly eclipses just the basics of getting away. We see an uptick in people looking to travel with purpose. Examples includes:



Living like a local - Thanks to the popularity of homestay services like Airbnb, travellers can easily take up residence in a new city or a remote bit of countryside, whether for a few days, weeks or months. This is giving rise to the search for a more personalized and "authentic" experience. Paired with services like local tour guide matching and EatWith-style at-home dining with locals, it's far easier to get a full-immersion vacation. These options add fuel to the growing solo travel market, and make it easier to cut the ties to home, which is key to a digital detox experience. For the growing group of travellers motivated to deep dive into a culture, this vacation style is hard to beat. Working vacation - While total immersion is one increasingly popular option, there is also a trend for combining work and travel in new ways. One is the so-called "bleisure" trip, combining both business and leisure, where you tack on time and possibly an added destination or two to your work travel. Done right, this is the ultimate in multi-tasking -- add another outfit or two to your bag and have work pick up the bulk of your travel tab. Another spin is the "have laptop, will travel" habit. If you can work wherever you are -- an increasing phenomenon in today's tech-driven, remote employee world -- there's no reason not to take your job with you on the road. Look for more and more people exploring the world by working business hours for their day job and then exploring in their off hours. Ecotourism - The ticking clocks of climate change and overdevelopment are getting louder and louder for many people, driving a sense of urgency for seeing destinations that are endangered, and for supporting tourism services that sustain vulnerable lands and species. The other "green" tourism - With marijuana now legal or at least decriminalized in a growing number of places, expect to see a rise in this kind of "green" travel as well. The boom in pot tourism in Colorado, after the sale of recreational marijuana was legalized in 2012, underscores the pent-up demand. With other places in the U.S. like Massachusetts, California and Maine voting to legalize it this fall, and with Canada eyeing such a law at the national level, we expect to see travel in this segment light up even more.



And where does Cheapflights.ca predict Canadians will be heading in 2017? Rounding out our annual travel trends report are four destinations predicted to be on the rise next year: Cork, Ireland; Polynesia, Finland and Montreal, Canada. To find out why these spots will make it onto travel bucket lists in 2017, read Cheapflights.ca's complete report on Travel trends and hot destinations for 2017 at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-travel-trends.

About Cheapflights.ca, part of the Momondo Group

Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating more than C$4 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands into numerous other territories. More than 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter receive the best deals from more than 120 travel businesses -- for whom it has driven more than C$80 million in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

Follow us on:

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Contact Information:

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 20, 2016) - Galileo Petroleum Ltd. (TSXV: GPL) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the TSX-Venture Exchange has approved the Company's name change to "Galileo Exploration Ltd.", effective as of the opening of markets on December 20, 2016. In connection with the change of name, the Company will be changing its stock symbol to GXL.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Claim Post Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: CPS) ("Claim Post" or the "Company") announces commencement of non- brokered private placement to raise up to $2,000,000 Canadian.

The offering is for up to 40,000,000 Units, for maximum gross proceeds of $2,000,000, which may be comprised of Common Share Units (the "Common Unit Offering") and Flow-Through Units (the "Flow-Through Unit Offering") of the Company at an issue price of CDN $0.05 per Common Unit and at an issue price of CDN $0.05 per Flow-Through Unit (collectively, the "Offering"). Subscribers may choose to subscribe for only Common Units or only Flow-Through Units or a combination of both. Each Common Share Unit consists of one (1) common share and (1) one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") at an exercise price of CDN $0.10 cents per share for a period of two (2) years from the date of issuance. Each Flow-Through Unit consists of one (1) Flow-Through common share and one-half (1/2) of one Warrant at an exercise price of CDN $0.10 cents per share for a period of (1) one year.

If the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange for any 20 consecutive trading days equals or exceeds CDN $0.15 per share, the Company may, upon providing written notice to the holders of the Warrants, accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants to the date that is 30 days following the date of such notice.

The Offering will be conducted by the Company utilizing the "existing shareholder exemption" as described in Multilateral CSA Notice 45-313 - Prospectus Exemption for Distributions to Existing Security Holders (the "Existing Shareholder Exemption"), as well as exemptions under the "accredited investor" exemption of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus and Registration Exemptions ("NI 45-106"), and also other applicable exemptions available to the Company.

The proceeds received from the Offering will be used for (1) re drill the 1940 DDH #5 Gold Discovery Hole in Deloro Township just south of downtown Timmins, Ontario. (2) to fund general exploration and diamond drill specific airborne and IP targets gold and VMS targets on the Timmins Properties; (3) to fund the acquisition of land in the Porcupine Mining District on a strategic basis (4) to fund property payments and a drill program on the silica - frac sand project located near Seymourville, 200km NE of Winnipeg, Manitoba, (Canada); and (5) for general working capital purposes.

All securities issued will be subject to a four (4) month hold period from the date of closing. The Offering is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

At closing of the Offering finder's fees of up to 8% of gross proceeds may be payable in cash. In addition the Company will issue finder's warrants equal to 8% of the number of units subscribed for in the offering. Each finder Warrant will be exercisable for one common share of the Company at an exercise price of CDN $0.05 per share for a period of 2 years from the issue date. The acceleration provision, set out above, shall also apply to the Finder's Warrants.

The Company also announces that is entered into an agreement with German Mining Networks to provide marketing services in the European marketplace an initial retainer of $3,500 has been paid. The Company also announces that it has retained Minvestec Capital Corp. as a financial advisor to Claim Post Resources and assist the Company on a nonexclusive basis in raising equity.

Claim Post Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE: CPS) is a Canadian based mineral exploration company and a reporting issuer in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Claim Post has more than 23 square miles of exploration of properties (6690 hectares) in the main Timmins Camp for gold and base metal exploration. The recent interest in gold now makes the Timmins Camp very active for exploration - for example the $930 million Tahoe Resources deal to buy Lakeshore or the Goldcorp 5 million ounce Century Pit Project expansion.

Claim Post is also well positioned to become a future leading provider of premium white silica sand proppant to shale oil drilling operations in the Williston Basin (both the Canadian and U.S. sides of the Border), and to the oil and natural gas plays in the Western Canada from its Seymourville Frac Sand Project. There are 125,583,908 common shares of the Company currently issued and outstanding.

Statements in this release that are forward-looking reflect the Company's current views and expectations with respect to its performance, business, and future events. Such statements are subject to various risks and assumptions, some, but not necessarily all, are disclosed elsewhere in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Such statements and information contained herein represent management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on the information currently available; however actual results and events may vary significantly.

The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts:

Claim Post Resources Inc.

Charles Gryba

President and Director

416-801-6366

www.claimpostresources.com



Claim Post Resources Inc.

Peter Gryba

Corporate Affairs

416-203-3776




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- ZoomerMedia Limited (TSX VENTURE: ZUM) (the "Company"), the leader in serving the interests of the 45+ "Zoomer" market in Canada, today announced its financial results for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2016.

Consolidated Results

For the year ended August 31, 2016 the Company had revenues of $52.7 million, operating expenses of $46.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $6.1 million. Net income for the year ended August 31, 2016, after taking into account a gain on the sale of property of $11.9 million and income tax expense of $2.4 million, was $1.8 million.

For the year ended August 31, 2015 the Company had revenues of $54.4 million, operating expenses of $50.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $4.4 million. Net income for the year ended August 31, 2015 was $137,454.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-IFRS earnings measures which do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA presented by other companies. EBITDA represents earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA excludes impairment of broadcast licenses and the gain on sale of property. These measures are important to management since they are used by potential investors to evaluate the Company's operating performance and ability to incur and service debt, and as a valuation metric. Investors are cautioned that this non-IFRS financial measure should not be construed as an alternative to other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS.

Additional Information

Detailed financial information and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended August 31, 2016 can be found on SEDAR's website at www.sedar.com. The financial information included in this release is qualified in its entirety and should be read together with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2016, including the notes thereto.

About ZoomerMedia Limited

ZoomerMedia is a multimedia company that serves the 45plus "Zoomer" demographic through television, radio, magazine, internet and trade shows. ZoomerMedia's television properties include; Vision TV, Canada's only multi-faith specialty television service; ONE: Get Fit, offering programs on exercise, meditation, yoga, natural health and living a planet-friendly lifestyle; JoyTV in Vancouver, Victoria, Surrey and the Fraser Valley, and HOPETV, a lifestyle television service out of Winnipeg devoted to broadcasting Christian programming and is available in approximately 6 million Canadian homes. ZoomerMedia's radio properties include CFMZ-FM Toronto - The New Classical 96.3FM, CFMX-FM Cobourg - The New Classical 103.1FM, CFMO-FM - Collingwood - The New Classical 102.9FM, Canada's only commercial classical music radio stations serving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), eastern Ontario and Collingwood, CFZM-AM 740 Toronto and CFZM-FM 96.7FM Toronto - Zoomer Radio, Toronto's "Timeless Hits" Station. ZoomerMedia also publishes ZOOMER Magazine, the largest paid circulation magazine in Canada for the mature market. ZoomerMedia is Canada's leading provider of online content targeting the 45plus age group through many properties, the key one being www.EverythingZoomer.com. ZoomerMedia also has trade show and conference divisions that produce the ZoomerShows, annual consumer shows directed to the Zoomer demographic and ideaCity, an annual Canadian conference also known as 'Canada's Premiere Meeting of the Minds'.

Cautionary note on forward looking statements

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Certain statements made in this report are 'forward-looking statements' which may include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain the words 'believe', 'anticipate', 'expect', 'estimate', 'project', 'will be', 'will continue', 'will likely result' or similar words or phrases. Forward - looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward - looking statements. The risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in filings by ZoomerMedia Limited with provincial securities commissions. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such risk factors, nor can it assess the impact of all such risk factors on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

-- the risks inherent in magazine publishing; -- the risks inherent in the operation of Internet media properties; -- the risks inherent in the operation of television broadcast properties; -- the risks inherent in the operation of radio broadcast properties; -- the risks inherent in the operations of affinity partners with respect to royalty revenue; -- the risks inherent in the operation of consumer shows generally, -- the competition within the media industry for the baby boomer generation's business; -- the risks associated with governmental regulation of the publishing, internet, radio broadcasting and television broadcasting businesses; -- the results of legal claims made by or against the Company; -- the dependence of the business on the continuing operation of its computer systems; and -- the dependence of the business on key personnel.

Given these risks, and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward -looking statements as a prediction of actual results. ZoomerMedia Limited does not intend and does not assume any obligation to update these forward -looking statements.

Contacts:

George Kempff

Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

ZoomerMedia Limited

(416) 607-7735

g.kempff@zoomermedia.ca



Leanne Wright

Vice President Communications

ZoomerMedia Limited

(416) 886-6873

leanne@zoomer.ca




OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Sunwing's flight attendants rejected a tentative agreement reached earlier with the employer by a margin of 68.8 %. The CUPE Local 4055 bargaining committee will now consult the members and ask for a strike mandate.

In early January, the bargaining committee will visit all of Sunwing's bases across the country to listen to the members and hear what additional improvements should be made to their collective agreement. The bargaining committee will also ask the members to give them a strike mandate. Once this round of consultation is over, the union will be ready to go back to the bargaining table.

"A strong mandate from our members will increase our bargaining power, and we will use that strength to negotiate the fair deal we deserve", said CUPE Local 4055 President, Mark Brancelj.

The flight attendants' collective agreement expired on May 31, 2016. After six months of negotiations, a tentative agreement with the employer was reached on November 8. The results of the ratification vote were released on December 20.

CUPE Local 4055 represents 1,000 flight attendants working at Sunwing's eight bases: Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Winnipeg.

Contacts:

Philippe Gagnon

CUPE Media Relations

613 894-0146

pgagnon@scfp.ca




EDMONTON, Alberta, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Alberta Investment Management Corporation ("AIMCo"), on behalf of certain of its clients, is pleased to announce that it has agreed to acquire an ownership stake in Howard Energy Partners from EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:ENLK). The investment, representing an ownership stake of approximately 28% of Howard Energy Partners, makes AIMCo the second largest unitholder in the company. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2017, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

The transaction follows AIMCo's initial investment in August 2016, which allowed for the purchase of up to US$500 million of Series B Preferred Units (Preferred Units) of Howard Energy Partners.

Howard Energy Partners is a diversified, growth-oriented midstream provider with assets in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas, along the Gulf Coast of Texas, as well as in the Marcellus Shale region in Pennsylvania. The investment represents a compelling opportunity for AIMCo's clients to participate in an attractive midstream portfolio with exposure to high demand markets. It is supported by a high quality management team with a demonstrated track record of execution and a robust project pipeline that will produce stable, fee-based cash flows.

Commenting on the investment, Kevin Uebelein, AIMCo Chief Executive Officer said, "AIMCo is very pleased to have the opportunity to increase our investment in Howard Energy Partners. Since our preferred investment in August, we have forged a strong working relationship with Howard Energy Partners' management team, as well as with the other investment partners, and we are confident in their opportunities for continued growth in the future."

Evercore served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to AIMCo.

About Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)

AIMCo is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than $90 billion of assets under management. AIMCo was established on January 1, 2008 with a mandate to provide superior long-term investment results for its clients. AIMCo operates at arms-length from the Government of Alberta and invests globally on behalf of 31 pension, endowment and government funds in the Province of Alberta. For more information on AIMCo please visit http://www.aimco.alberta.ca.

About the EnLink Midstream Companies

EnLink Midstream is publicly traded through two entities: EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE: ENLC), the publicly traded general partner entity, and EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: ENLK), the master limited partnership entity. EnLink Midstream is a leading, integrated midstream company with a diverse geographic footprint and a strong financial foundation, delivering tailored customer solutions for sustainable growth.

EnLink Midstream's assets are located in many of North America's premier oil and gas regions, including Oklahoma's Midcontinent, the Permian Basin, and the Gulf Coast region. Based in Dallas, Texas, EnLink Midstream's assets include approximately 11,000 miles of gathering and transportation pipelines, 21 processing plants with approximately 4.4 billion cubic feet per day of processing capacity, seven fractionators with approximately 260,000 barrels per day of fractionation capacity, as well as barge and rail terminals, product storage facilities, purchase and marketing capabilities, brine disposal wells, an extensive crude oil trucking fleet, and equity investments in certain private midstream companies.

Additional information about the EnLink companies can be found at http://www.EnLink.com.

About Howard Energy Partners

San Antonio-based, Howard Midstream Energy Partners, LLC dba Howard Energy Partners is an independent midstream energy company, owning and operating natural gas gathering and transportation pipelines, natural gas liquids processing plants, rail facilities, liquid storage terminals, deep-water port facilities and other related midstream assets in Texas and Pennsylvania. The company has corporate offices in San Antonio, Houston and Mexico City. For more information on Howard Energy Partners, please visit our website http://www.howardenergypartners.com.

Media Contact: Denes Nemeth; Corporate Communication, O: +1-780-392-3857, M: +1-780-932-4013, E: denes.nemeth@aimco.alberta.ca
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/20/16 -- Fortress Paper Ltd. ("Fortress Paper" or the "Company") (TSX: FTP) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with Mr. Chadwick Wasilenkoff for his continued role as Executive Chairman of the Company on a full-time basis. The agreement will commence on January 1, 2017 for a term of four years. The agreement supersedes and replaces Mr. Wasilenkoff's transition agreement and all other services arrangements with the Company and its subsidiaries, and provides the Company with a further deferral until the end of the term, or the termination of the agreement, of the $3 million payment that the Company agreed to pay him under the transition agreement.

Over the past 12 months, the Company has achieved improved financial results and a strengthened balance sheet which provide for greater flexibility to pursue new business opportunities. The Company has also identified certain value creating initiatives which could be realized by leveraging the Company's core strengths. The Company believes that Mr. Wasilenkoff's more robust role will provide a catalyst to achieving the Company's renewed strategic direction which will focus on growth and expansion.

Yvon Pelletier, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are extremely pleased to have come to an agreement with Chad regarding his continued employment with the Company as its Executive Chairman, ensuring that the Company retains a valuable executive for the medium to long-term. Chad's strategic and entrepreneurial talents are an asset to our Company, and we look forward to working with him to maximize value for all our stakeholders."

Mr. Wasilenkoff commented, "I look forward to continuing to work with Yvon and our talented management team. Yvon's strong operational experience and leadership has played a key role this year with Fortress Paper successfully completing various strategic initiatives. As we move forward, the entire team is excited about the opportunities and potential within our existing business segments, as well as the prospects of new growth initiatives which leverage the Company's core competencies."

About Fortress Paper

Fortress Paper operates internationally in two distinct business segments: dissolving pulp and security paper products. The Company operates its dissolving pulp business at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill located in Canada, which has expanded into the renewable energy generation sector with the construction of a cogeneration facility. The Company operates its security paper products business at the Landqart Mill located in Switzerland, where it produces banknote, passport, visa and other brand protection and security papers.

Contacts:

Fortress Paper Ltd.

604-904-2328

info@fortresspaper.com




HarbourVest Partners, a Boston, MA-based global private markets asset manager, announced its promotions.

Managing Director, Principal, and Senior Vice President promotions included:

 Ryan Gunther, promoted to Managing Director, Boston, focuses on primary investments in US buyout, venture capital, mezzanine and distressed debt partnerships, as well as emerging markets partnerships. He joined HarbourVest in 2004 after having spent three years with Market Metrics, a Boston-based strategy consulting firm.

 Senia Rapisarda, promoted to Managing Director, Canada, focuses on partnership and direct co-investments in Canada and has helped to expand HarbourVests local presence in the market. She joined the Firm in 2014 from BDC Venture Capital, where she was responsible for the establishment of a team focused on direct and indirect investments across Canada.

 Kelvin Yap, promoted to Managing Director, Hong Kong, focuses on growth equity and buyout co-investments in Asia Pacific, having transferred from London to HarbourVests Hong Kong team in 2009. He joined the firm in 2006 from Deloitte in London, where he managed merger and acquisition (including demergers and IPOs) due diligence for both private and public transactions.

 Greg Ciesielski, promoted to Principal, London, focuses on global secondary investments purchased through both traditional and more complex transactions. Greg left the firm in 2011 and rejoined the London team in 2013 after receiving his MBA. Prior to HarbourVest, he worked at Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. as an investment banking analyst.

 Shumin Gong, promoted to Principal, Beijing, focuses on business development and marketing in addition to evaluating, executing and monitoring primary partnership investments in Asia Pacific, and in China specifically. She joined HarbourVest in 2010 from Goldman Sachs Private Equity Group in Hong Kong.

 Ryan Jones, promoted to Principal, London, is involved in all aspects of direct investment activity, including analyzing and monitoring growth equity and buyout portfolio investments. He joined HarbourVest in 2009 from Deloitte in London.

 McComma Grayson III, promoted to Principal, Boston, is member of HarbourVests primary partnership team focused on US venture, buyout, credit and real assets investments. He is also involved with cleantech and Latin American investments. Grayson joined the firm in 2007 from Morgan Stanleys Global Energy Group in New York.

 W. Fran Peters, promoted to Principal, Boston, focuses on coordinating, monitoring and enhancing relationships with new and existing investors and consultants. He joined HarbourVests client relations team in 2015 from Meketa Investment Group.

 Dustin Willard, promoted to Principal, Boston, focuses on global secondary opportunities, including traditional and complex transactions.

 David Zug, promoted to Principal, Boston, focuses on sourcing, evaluating, and executing growth equity, buyout, and mezzanine transactions. He also played a key role in the expansion of the firms operations to Canada and the opening of the Toronto office. Zug joined HarbourVest in 2005 from The Monitor Group, an international strategy consulting firm.

 Monique Austin, promoted to Senior Vice President, Boston, focuses on fund information, corporate governance, and general legal support for business and operational matters. She joined the firm in 2012 from Craig and Macauley Professional Corporation.

 Tony Cobuzzi, promoted to Senior Vice President, Boston, joined HarbourVest in 2008 and oversees the production of financial reports and statements for HarbourVest funds. Additionally, he leads the development and ongoing management of HarbourVests annually issued report on internal controls.

 Danielle Green, promoted to Senior Vice President, Boston, serves as HarbourVests Chief Compliance Officer and is responsible for the evolution and maintenance of the firms global compliance program. She joined HarbourVest in 2012 from Alcion Ventures in Boston, where she served as Chief Compliance Officer and Counsel.

HarbourVest is an independent, global private markets investment specialist with more than 30 years of experience and more than $40 billion in assets under management. The platform offers clients investment opportunities through primary fund investments, secondary investments, and direct co-investments in co-mingled funds or separately managed accounts. HarbourVest has more than 400 employees, including more than 100 investment professionals across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

In November, the firm announced the final close of its latest secondaries fund at $4.77 billion.

FinSMEs

20/12/2016
I think, aesthetically, car design is so interesting  the dashboards, the steering wheels, and the beauty of the mechanics. I don't know how any of it works, I don't want to know, but it's inspirational  Paloma Picasso.

The quote by the French fashion designer and businesswoman, best known for her jewelry designs for Tiffany & Co, hints at how a well-designed object can transform it from being functional to inspirational. The inclusion of sublime design can turn an everyday object into so much more! Thats the beauty of great design and the reason for it being so important  it can literally transform your life.

Design in the automotive industry has gone through numerous changes since its inception. The Edwardian Era named for the widespread use of brass lasted from 1905 to the beginning of World War 1 in 1914. The high-wheel motor buggy was a popular car design in this era which resembled the horse buggies in the nineteenth century. The was followed by the Vintage Era which lasted from the end of World War 1 in 1919 to the Wall Street Crash in 1929. During this period front engine cars became the norm which gave us the modern day shape of the car from the buggy type shape that existed earlier. Pre-World War 2 era introduced closed body cars called sedans. The automotive industry experienced its first design revolution in the post-war era with the introduction of the Ponton-style. And as the time went by automobiles went through numerous design changes  adapting and evolving to our needs.

Car design, in the modern times, continues to evolve. A new design style has been created recently called Crystalline. This particular design manifests itself through sharp angles and contours of a crystal and has recently been successfully implemented by Skoda Auto in their cars. The inspiration for Skodas crystalline design DNA comes from many sources; like a crystal glass. Bohemian crystal glass has been part of a proud history of Czech inventiveness. It also derives its inspiration from historic and modern architecture in Prague.

All the edges and lines are clear, precise and sharp; crystalline design elements accentuate the exterior. The interplay of light and shadow creates powerful effects on the strikingly chiselled surfaces.

The crystalline design element has also featured prominently on the latest art project initiated by Skoda. The Skoda design project has the carmaker collaborate with various artists across different mediums. The Skoda Design Project aims to create art in different forms such as digital, metal work and fiber inspired by the new Skoda Rapids crystalline design. One of the artists Nishikant Palande is an illustrator and visual artist. His area of work lies at the intersection of graphic design, contemporary illustration, and art. He drew his inspiration from the crystalline design to create this beautiful digital painting.

You can see the making of the Skoda Rapid Crystalline digital painting right here -

Skodas Design Project proves that car design is not just inspired by art but it can influence art too. The philosophy of crystalline design is an amalgamation of the rich history of the Czech Republic and its modern innovation resulting in a design born out of passion and progress.

Explore the New SKODA Rapid!

This is a partnered post.
The government of India has been receiving good response from the public with information on black money hoarders. According to a media report, the government's official email address blackmoneyinfo@incometax.gov.in has received 4,000 messages since Friday with regards to information on black money.

Most of the messages sent to the government's email id pertain to allegations on deposits in Jan Dhan and urban cooperative bank accounts, credit card payments, loan repayments, electronic transfers and withdrawals etc. among others, The Times of India said in a report.

This is in addition to the tax department and various government investigative agencies already getting in huge amount of data on a regular basis about the deposits in bank accounts and other undeclared income through the Financial Intelligence Unit, the TOI report added.

In past several weeks, the income tax sleuths have acted on tip-offs and carried out raids on jewellery shops and banks to unearth huge amount of old and new notes.

For instance, several branches of private sector bank Axis Bank were raided by income tax officials in recent weeks and crores of rupees were seized.

The income tax department last week week raided Axis Bank's Noida branch and unearthed deposits worth Rs 60 crore from twenty fake accounts. Before this, the IT department had conducted a raid at the bank's Chandni Chowk branch in New Delhi last week where they uncovered Rs 100 crore deposited in 44 fake accounts.

With an aim to root out black money from the system, the government kickstarted voluntary black money declaration under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana starting 17 December till 31 March, 2017.

"We want people to join PM Garib Kalyan Yojana and through this scheme they contribute to welfare of the people. Unaccounted cash can be disclosed under PMGKY that comes with 50 percent tax and penalty starting from tomorrow till 31 March, '17," Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said last week.

The Lok Sabha, which passed the Taxation Laws (2nd Amendment) Bill, 2016, on 29 November, said it proposes to levy a total tax, penalty and surcharge of 50 percent on the amount deposited post demonetisation while higher taxes and stiffer penalty of up to 85 percent await those who don't disclose but are caught.
To understand the strange nature of the tussle between Cyrus Mistry and Ratan Tata to run the Tata group of companies, one must first understand the somewhat paradoxical nature of the way the group run from Bombay House is structured.

The holding company, Tata Sons Ltd, which ousted Mistry as chairman under Ratan Tata's controlling gaze, is a closely-held company that in turn is controlled by a clutch of trusts that in effect stand for the interests of a community and its values. At the other end, this closed group manages and often controls several publicly-held companies with millions of small investors who are either direct shareholders or hold stakes through mutual funds.

"The interface between the Trusts, Tata Sons and operating companies -- these are elements that need to be discussed," Mistry has said, defining a conundrum that needs to be resolved.

Mistry's decision this week to quit the boards of Tata companies and fight a legal battle instead of shareholder meetings is on the one hand acknowledging that the number game, whether in Tata Sons Ltd or in several public companies it controls, is not on his side. On the other hand, it announces his likely arrival as India's first big-scale activist investor -- which in a way marks the maturing of shareholder democracy in India.

The irony could lie in the fact that Mistry prefers courtroom battles to addressing shareholders, but this is because both independent directors as well as government-controlled financial institutions such as the Life Insurance Corporation would by and large prefer to avoid taking sides with Mistry, whose actions on investment decisions made by predecessor Ratan Tata fall in the grey area where open-and-shut answers are not easy.

Mistry now has to defend himself at two levels -- which explains why he prefers legal battles. He has to talk over the heads of silent or reticent institutional voters to gain public credibility, and also has to redeem himself from implicit charges that he acted against Tata "values" which have a measure of concern for him as a member of the Parsi community.

In the 1990s, Ratan Tata ousted old-world satraps such as Russi Mody, Ajit Kerkar and Darbari Seth in largely silent coups. It was Rajan Nair, a trade union leader representing workers of the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (Telco -- which became Tata Motors in 2003), who once spoke aloud in a shareholders meeting. Mistry is now donning battle fatigues -- right at the top.

When Dhirubhai Ambani addressed literally crowds of Reliance investors with his hands on his hips at the then Bombay's Brabourne Stadium, he ushered in the razzmatazz of shareholder democracy but with no significant dissent.

We saw skirmishes in the 1980s and 1990s when takeover tycoons such as Manu Chhabria, Rama Prasad Goenka and Swaraj Paul fought shareholder battles with mixed results. UK-based Paul's bid to take over Escorts and DCM failed despite financial institutions (FIs) backing him as courts supported H.P. Nanda. Maybe Mistry has similar hopes from the courts, this time as an aggressor than as a defender.

The role of FIs has been controversial because there is an inevitable political angle to it. With Ratan Tata's pet Nano project located in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Gujarat state, and Tata having met finance minister Arun Jaitley last month, Mistry is decidedly on a weak wicket if private lobbying is of essence. Activism in public fora such as media and the courts are a natural, logical next step.

The US has activist hedge funds and investors such as Kirk Kerkorian, Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman, who regularly stand up to ask tough questions to big business boards, and often swing boardroom decisions. India's FIs and mutual funds have been largely passive at best and politicised at worst, despite having the mandate to represent small shareholders.

India has seen minority shareholders fighting small battles in companies such as Maruti Suzuki Ltd and Tata Motors, aided by incipient institutional advisory firms, but never a high-profile face with financial and legal msucle.

In this backdrop, Mistry's role may be of historic significance, if he takes up corporate governance as an issue that concerns public discourse in a democracy than as one involving privately defined values in trusts.

(The author is a senior journalist. He tweets as @madversity)
New Delhi: Demonetisation and its impact on Indias economy have been discussed in detail since 8 November, the day PM Modi made the shock announcement by invalidating over 80 percent of Indian currency. Based on their political affiliations, economists have differed widely on the impact of this step but most are unanimous on at least one point: This single move will contract one of the worlds fastest growing economies. Former PM Manmohan Singh, also an economist, had said in Parliament that demonetisation could contract the GDP by as much a 2 percent though he did not give a timeframe for this prognosis. Brokerage Ambit Capital has already created shock waves by predicting that GDP growth will fall to 5.8 percent in 2017-18 from the 7.3 percent estimated earlier.

It follows then that job creation, which has been Modi governments biggest headache even before the demonetisation move, will slow down further as economic growth tapers off. The clearest indication of a direct link between job losses and demonetisation came from CPIMs Sitaram Yechury, who claimed in Parliament last month that since 8 November, four lakh jobs have vanished.

And more than 31.9 million people employed in the textile sector or government sectors have not been getting wages. There is no way to authenticate what Yechury said but we must remember one simple fact: an overwhelming 94 percent of Indias jobs lie in the informal sector. This means more than 9 in 10 Indians are employed here without any job security, most likely without even being paid minimum wages and almost all wages are in cash. This is the segment of the economy which has been the hardest hit after demonetisation.

Rituparna Chakraborty, Executive VP of Teamlease says it is impossible to quantify job losses this soon into the demonetisation situation. I can say that there would be a 5-7 percent negative impact in the formal sector but it is quite impossible to fathom the impact demonetisation would have on the informal sector jobs. She also counted out sectors where demonetisation has actually driven up hiring demand  these include digital payments, fintech and banking infrastructure. The formal sector jobs will bounce back in 4-5 months but for the informal sector, pickup will take longer. The MSME sector has seen the maximum impact on jobs due to demonetisation and this sector could take at least three quarters to bounce back.

A slowdown in manufacturing activity in at least the automobile sector is evident from this report which says Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor, Honda Motor, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ford Motor and Renault-Nissan have scheduled shutdowns of a week to 15 days. Honda Cars India and Mahindra are suspending production for to correct inventory as demand is slow; some larger auto makers routinely shut production at year end. D L Sachdeva of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) says when factories fall silent, it is the casual workers who suffer since their wages are not paid and sometimes, prolonged shutdowns lead to job losses. Even in some other organised sector industries like e-commerce, cash-on-delivery accounts for two-thirds of sales and this segment has seen a massive slowdown post demonetisation.

Not just automobiles, construction and allied sectors, jewellery, textiles and real estate are some sectors where job losses, if not already happening, are imminent. B N Rai, President of the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (affiliated to the BJP), had said earlier Workers who are employed as contract labour, those working in construction and other infrastructure sectors, daily wagers and those getting wages weekly are definitely affected by this demonetisation drive. I do not have estimates but many jobs have vanished in these sectors.

Sachdeva of AITUC says close to half the workers engaged in the MSME sector have been rendered jobless due to the ongoing cash crunch. He said this has lead to reverse migration  they are now returning to their villages  while pointing out that 2/3rd of Indias workforce or 25-30 crore workers are employed in sectors which offer only minimum wages. If one were t o say that 20-25 percent of this workforce has lost jobs due to demonetisation, then crores of people have lost their livelihood.

The NDA government has already been in a bind over the extremely slow pace of job creation under its tenure. In November, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said in Lok Sabha that the unemployment rate increased significantly last fiscal, from 2.2 percent in 2011-12 to 3.7 percent in 2015-16. Dattareya went on to say that employment generation was a key priority of the government and the 12th Five Year Plan projects five crore new job opportunities to be generated in the non-farm sector besides also providing skill certification to an equivalent number of people. What has the governments job creation record been so far? In calendar 2015, only 1.35 lakh new jobs were created in the eight labour intensive sectors that the Labour Bureau was studying for its quarterly quick estimates. This compares quite poorly with even the 2014 stats, when close to 5 lakh new jobs were created, and belied the election promised or crores of new jobs being created each year.

So what about specific impact on jobs by through demonetistion? Dattaterya answered one such question in Rajya Sabha by quoting stats from the last Labour Bureau Survey for the December quarter of 2015!

In a paper titled Demonetisation: Impact on the Economy, NIPFP has said that if the extinguished cash (through demonetisation) was used as a medium of exchange in financing unaccounted income generation or income in the informal sector, demonetisation would result in these activities closing down and a corresponding reduction in the incomes and employment associated with these activities. The spillover effect would be felt by the organised sector as well since the consumption from the incomes generated would extend to the formal sector as well.

NIPFP cites the example of the real estate sector which is sure to be impacted by demonetistaion. With contraction in demand from one set of agents  say agents who have earned unaccounted incomes and placed them within the real estate space  either prices within this segment would fall or transactions would cease to happen. While of itself, this would be considered a positive development and evidence of a correction in the unaccounted incomes, it could lead to a compression in investments in the construction sector which can have adverse income and employment consequences for the economy.

This piece speaks of roughly a fifth of the almost 32 million people employed in the textile and garment sector (who are paid wages either daily or weekly) being hit. While some of them have already lost their jobs, many are apprehensive of such a fate. A majority of garment industry workers, especially in hubs like Tirupur, do not have a savings bank account as 70 percent of them are migrant workers from the north and northeastern parts of the country.

Similarly, 20-25 percent of the roughly 2.5 lakh workers in the leather industry have been adversely affected as they are daily wage workers. The industry has been hit particularly hard as 90 percent of the units are small and medium enterprises. In the jewellery sector, 15-20 percent of workers, who are paid daily, have been affected.
Islamabad: Pakistan's Senate has recommended scrapping of the 5,000 rupees (Rs 3,256.6512) banknote, despite government opposition and warnings that removal of the country's highest denomination bill could destabilise the economy.

A resolution, which is not binding, called for the government to remove the banknote to "reduce illicit money flow, encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of the undocumented economy".

The resolution passed on Monday, comes less than two months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprisingly scrapped his country's two biggest currency bills  the Rs 1,000 ($15) and Rs 500 notes  in a move that led to acute currency shortages and threatens to slow India's short-term economic growth.

Senator Osman Saifullah Khan, who proposed the motion, wants the banknote to be scrapped over a three- to five-year period, domestic media said.Pakistan has a huge informal economy and transactions are often handled in cash, partly because much of the population is not part of formal sectors. The government also offers frequent tax amnesties to encourage people with hidden wealth to declare their assets, hoping to expand Pakistan's extremely narrow tax base.

Pakistan has a huge informal economy and transactions are often handled in cash, partly because much of the population is not part of formal sectors. The government also offers frequent tax amnesties to encourage people with hidden wealth to declare their assets, hoping to expand Pakistan's extremely narrow tax base.

Successive governments have struggled to boost Pakistan's persistently low tax-to-GDP ratio, which now stands at about 10 percent. Zahid Hamid, law and justice minister, told the Senate that the government opposes the motion as the 5,000 rupee note accounts for almost one-third of the 3.3 trillion rupees of notes in circulation.

He said withdrawing the note would hamper business activities, hurt the government policy of financial inclusion and cause "chaos in the market", local media reported.

Modi's experiment to scrap about 86 percent of India's currency by value has drawn sharp criticism from many inside the country, where it led to huge queues outside banks and cash shortages that have disrupted business.

He has touted his war against "black money" as a vital reform to boost state coffers and help the government battle tax evasion and corruption.
When the Centre chose vice-chief of army staff, lieutenant general Bipin Rawat, to succeed the outgoing Army Chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, it overlooked the senior-most officer of the world's third largest army, lieutenant general Praveen Bakshi. Here's all you need to know about Bakshi and the possible reasons why he may have been superseded.

National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla alumni:

Bakshi is a graduate of the National Defence Academy, the premier training institute for all military officers. He was later commissioned into the Skinner's Horse regiment.

Served two army commands

Lt General Bakshi has been at the helm of two major army commands, the Udhampur-based Northern Command and Kolkata-based Eastern Command.

Currently, he is the General Officer Commanding of the Eastern Command, which handles the anti-terror operations in the crucial North East states bordering China, Bhutan and Myanmar. Previously, he was the chief of staff of the Northern Command.

Experience in handling operations and commands:

While Rawat is an infantry officer, Bakshi is an armoured officer. He has commanded an armoured brigade in the Western sector, a division in the deserts of Rajasthan, and army corps in the plains of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, The Economic Times noted.

The Eastern Command chief has also been decorated with the prestigious Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal.

May become first ever chief of defence staff

Media reports suggest that Lt General Bakshi might take over as India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The proposed position was first mooted after the Kargil War. The CDS would be the one point contact for the defence minister and prime minister on matters of India's defence security.
After the central government's demonetisation drive started on 8 November, fruit seller Yamuna Sahni was one of the first people to put up a board urging people to pay using PayTM. About a month and a half later today, he uses it only as the last option to receive payments. Explaining his reluctance to use cashless transactions, he says, "I can transfer a maximum of Rs 25,000 from my PayTM account to my bank account every month. So if I sell fruits worth more than that, I have to wait an extra month just to transfer the excess amount back to my bank. Though I have money, it gets blocked for a month, which means my working capital is affected."

Sahni mentioned that while he has head this limit can be increased, he doesn't know how it gets done.

Digital payments have picked up across the country in the last month-and-a-half, but the many impediments mean that the signs aren't very encouraging.

Raju Yadav, who sells paan on the streets of Noida, says he too had opted for digital payments, but is now facing hurdles. "The wholesaler from whom I get my daily supplies doesn't accept digital money. So I need to first transfer the money to my bank account, then write a cheque to my wholesaler to clear my dues," he said.

Market watcher Bimal Jain, who works as an office bearer in the Punjab Haryana Delhi Chambers of Commerce, told Firstpost that people have started using digital modes of payments. "But we have to wait some more time before digital becomes the first option as a mode of payment," he said, adding that cashless transactions have proliferated in Tier-I and Tier-II cities on account of unavailability of cash in accordance with demand.

"Unavailability of cash has definitely pushed digital transactions in these cities. But it will take more time for digital payments to pick up in Tier-III and Tier-IV cities," he added.

But the problems faced by these towns in the country's hinterland are felt even in the National Capital Region. Many weekly haats in Noida are considered to be good places to buy cheap fruits, vegetables and foodgrains. Most of them do not accept digital payments.

Raghav Choudhury, vegetable seller in one of these markets, says he purchases in wholesale from farmers of Uttar Pradesh. While he gets his supplies from the farmers on credit, he has to repay them in cash. "If I accept payment through Pay TM, how will I pay them back, since they do not use such modes of payments?" he asks.

On the other hand, many traders also believe that online payments will decrease their competitiveness. "People buy from us because we provide goods at cheaper rates. But digital payments may include service charge, which will add to our cost price and selling price," he added.

PayTM charges minimum a of 1 percent and maximum of 4 percent as service charge on transfers from wallet to bank accounts. Jain said one way to encourage more digital transactions is by making them completely bereft of additional costs. He said the government should take special precautions to acquaint people with digital transactions, especially to encourage people in Tier-III and Tier-IV cities.

The Finance Ministry had launched a PR campaign to popularise digital transactions. 'Span Communications', a PR firm that won the campaign to make India a cashless economy said in a press release that it has come up with an ambitious plan to carry on the aggressive plan forward.

CEO Naresh Khetrapal said, "We live in a country where cash is king. Considering the demographics of India, the campaign will help create awareness about cashless transactions among the masses and embrace the new methods of payments in the digital era."
The Kodavas in Karnataka are up in arms again.

On the back of reports that there was a nude protest on 7 December, by some tribals over the eviction of 577 families from the Devamacchi Reserve Forest in Diddalli, in Kodagu district, which has however been denied both by an embarrassed government and activists alike, activists have now vowed to continue their protests until the tribal dwellings are made permanent and property documents handed over to them.

But wait, these protests are not supported by the Codava National Council (CNC), which has been spearheading much of the community's cause. The president of CNC, NU Nachappa told Firstpost, I dont want to comment, they are not localites, some 10 days back they came from outside Coorg for plantation work, not for Kodava plantation work but for Consolidated (Coffee) Tata company work. And some politicians took them and dropped them in the forest.

Nachappa says,We are the original inhabitants and tribals of this land. Some 10 years back so many came from other states, like Kerala, and they keep on coming, theyre not tribals. Bangladeshis are also there now, they too are claiming theyre tribals. Were not against anybody, we want to prove our identity, otherwise, we will vanish from this land. I dont want to comment because theyre outsiders, theyre not inherent settlers of the forest.

On 7 December, several families living in huts in the forest were evicted and their huts razed by forest officials, on grounds that this was reserved forest limits. A secret video shot by a local had surfaced on television channels and social media on Sunday about the nude protest during the eviction. Deccan Herald reported that eight persons, including tribal leader Appaji had been arrested for indecent protests. after forest, revenue and police officials cleared about five acres of forest land at Diddalli.

On Sunday, calling it 'Sankalp' day, activists, human rights commission members, tribal rights awareness panel members and local leaders protested outside the Ashrama School near the forest in Diddalli, in Kodagu, where the tribals are currently staying. Among the leaders supporting their cause, was also senior journalist and activist, Gauri Lankesh.

Firstpost reached out to Gowri Lankesh,Nachappa claims the protestors are not tribals at all? Your comments?

Gauri Lankesh, People who had set up hutments belong to Jenu, Kuruba and Yerava communities. They are on the scheduled list. It is idiotic of Nachappa to say they are not tribals at all.

While the two warring factions stand divided over the very nature of the tribals who were evicted, the Karnataka government has refused to budge, saying that the evicted tribals would be rehabilitated in any other area, but in the reserve forest, where the families had built their huts. Kodagu district in-charge minister MR Seetharam told the media that the tribals would be rehabilitated soon, and if there was any slip-up by the forest officials, action would be taken.

Meanwhile, there were press reports that that coffee planters were behind the evictions of the tribals from their settlement in Diddalli, as the coffee planters wanted them to move back to line houses where labourers of coffee plantations live. Deccan Herald reported that the tribals had earlier lived in these line houses in the estates at Virajpet, Balele, Kutta, Gonikoppa and Siddapura and paid poor wages and had moved out over bad working conditions.

When Firstpost asked Nachappa about these media reports, he said, No, no, they (the plantations) are not dependent upon them. Nowadays, Assamese and Bangladeshi labour are coming. All this is bogus created by the Maoists. There are plenty of labourers now, agencies are there, daily they are coming  after 2/3 years, they claim theyre original inhabitants. He added, But coffee planters are not Kodavas, 60 per cent are owned by North Indian business tycoons, Burma Chettiars and Kerala people and Reddys, they all have 2/3 acres properties. We continued our struggle and made complaintswe Kodavas may not have property, our population is living in a compact area. They are worried, they want to destroy our identity. They want to de-populate Kodavas and re-populate others.

When Firstpost posed the same question to Gauri Lankesh, she said, My sources say yes some estate owners who want cheap and bonded labourers are behind the tribal hutments being destroyed.

This is not the first time that the Kodavas have been in the news. Only last week, according to a Times of India report, the Chief minister Siddaramaiah had directed the social welfare department officials to discontinue the ongoing ethnographic and socio-economic survey, which had been undertaken to check if the Kodava community qualified for tribal status. The survey was stopped in the wake of former MLC and advocate AK Subbaiah seeking the CMs intervention, stating, Kodavas don't need any tribal status. They are way forward in terms of socio-economic parameters and literacy. They cannot be compared to tribals like Kadu Kuruba and Hakki-Pikki, among others.''

This was a strange move by the Karnataka government as the survey had been undertaken after representation from different quarters. This included All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesperson and leader Brijesh Kalappa, also the legal advisor to the CM. Deccan Herald reported as early as March 2016, that Kalappa while demanding tribal status for Kodavas had said, It was not just a spur of the moment to seek any benefit, but the culture and tradition practised by Kodavas are akin to tribals in the State. Earlier, especially post-independence, Kodava IPS officers were in large numbers. Now, the number of such officials in civil service has dwindled. Owing to lack of reservation, Kodavas are not able to get their due share in such top service oriented jobs. So, if Kodavas are considered as tribes and reservation facility is extended, they can benefit from it.

Even AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes had joined his voice to the demand of the CNC. In fact, as far back as 2011, the UPA government had directed the then BJP government to take up the survey following petitions by the community.

The CNCs demands has a long history of 22 years of trying to get the rights of the Kodavas enshrined under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The Hindu reported in 2013 that among the CNCs demands were ethno-linguistic-tribal-minority status for the Kodavas; Kodava thakk (language) in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution; political reservation on the lines of the Anglo Indians; and formation of a Codava Land Autonomous Region.

Asked about the stopping of the ethnographic survey, Nachappa told Firstpost, At the age of 27 I started this movement and have been fighting this for 26 years. Subbaiah has become a spokesman for major communities in Karnataka, they want to impose hegemony on us. Karnataka is not a homogenous state, its a heterogenous state... In his entire political career, he has not done any good either for Kodavas or for the entire country. Hes only interested in creating rift between communitiesI am fighting peacefully for my Constitution and fundamental rights. We are a different ethnic group and minority group, its our constitutional duty to give space to our community.

Stating that Kodavas are hospitable people, lovable people, not more than a lakh, I am approaching the UNHRCour movement is a peaceful movement, under the Indian charter and Indian constitution, we are asking that the (Kodava) identity, historical continuity, ancestral property, entire language and culture should be protected, he added, My organisation is the sole and irreplaceable voice of the Kodava world.

When Firstpost asked Gowri Lankesh what the real issue was, she said, The real issue here is the utter disdain on the part of the government and administration regarding the lives of poor tribals. The same government and district administration does not raise a finger against Nachappa who illegally entered protected forest area twice to erect memorials for the alleged 'thousands' of Kodavas who were butchered by Tipu Sultan. But when poor tribals who seek freedom from bonded labour set up hutments the powers that be unleash JCBs on them. By doing so they have proved that they are only anti poor, they have shown that they are working at the behest of feudal landlords.

The population of Kodagu district is around five lakhs, of which Kodavas are reported to be only around 65,000 people. So, any division in their ranks is not going to help the Kodava cause, but will only undermine their struggle. The warring factions need to come together to represent the Kodava community, which has contributed immensely to the country, with several famous Kodava names populating the armed forces, civil services, sports, journalism and literature.

While the jury is still out on whether the 577 families who were evicted from the Devamacchi Reserve Forest in Diddalli, in Kodagu district were tribals or squatters  its time for the two warring factions to sit across the table and sort out their issues and speak in one voice.
The Madras High Court order of 19 December that declared Sharia courts functioning from mosques across Tamil Nadu as illegal is of far-reaching consequences. The court said, "If a place of worship  whether it be temple, mosque or church  is used for purposes other than prayers, and more specifically to create extra-constitutional forums, certainly the authorities are duty-bound to take action against them." The order, delivered by a bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sundar, shows a ray of hope for the Indian republic because India has recently seen the birth of parallel courts being run by Islamic groups  many of them funded by Saudi money.

This might also be the first time that the higher judiciary has made it clear that "extra-constitutional forums" like Sharia courts are illegal and unacceptable. The order came on a petition challenging the extra-constitutional role of Chennai-based Makka Masjid Shariat Council, which has been engaged in administering justice in Muslim family disputes. The high court order also clarifies that mosques, churches and temples can only be used as a place of worship  a point with which no religious group should have any disagreement. The order is not specific to Muslims and empowers police and administrative officials in Tamil Nadu to close down any extra-constitutional court whether run by Muslims, Christians or Hindus.

However, it is not clear if the 19 December order applies only to those Sharia courts that function from mosques, or also to those which operate from madrassas and non-religious places. A large number of Sharia courts  managed by imams (prayer leaders) and Islamic scholars associated with mosques, madrassas and religious organisations  operate from places that are not mosques. Therefore, there will be a need for further legal clarification on this subject. Otherwise, these Sharia courts in Tamil Nadu will simply move away from the mosques to non-religious places in order to skirt the high court order.

In July 2014, the Supreme Court of India had declared that the Sharia courts run by Islamic clerics have no legal basis, and their orders are not binding and can be challenged in a court of law. The Supreme Court order effectively meant that government officials and police officers are free to close down extra-constitutional institutions like Sharia courts. However, the Madras High Court order is clear in that it makes the operation of Sharia courts illegal. But this order applies on to the state of Tamil Nadu. Ultimately, the Supreme Court too will need to deliver such a clear judgment that outlaws parallel courts across the country.

As the world is witnessing the rise of jihadi groups worldwide, India too has seen the emergence of radicalisation among Muslim youths in favour of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. India is at present surrounded by two countries where jihadi forces are strong: Bangladesh and Pakistan. Within India, a number of new Islamic organisations and NGOs are being formed whose funding comes from Saudi Arabia and other West Asian countries. Between 2011 and 2014, around 25,000 Wahhabi preachers reportedly visited India.To counter jihadism, both courts and government officials in India need to have a clear thinking that the modern Indian State cannot allow a parallel legal system to continue to function in the country.

In this context, it is a matter of concern that a number of Islamic clerics and religious organisations are running Sharia courts across the country. Such courts are known by many names such as Dar-ul-Qaza (House of Justice) and Dar-ul-Ifta (House of Fatwas). They deliver fatwas that are supposed to be juristic opinions but carry more weight than the law. Almost all major religious groups, mosques and madrassas such as Darul Uloom Deoband run such parallel Sharia courts.

Two Islamist organisations engaged in running aparallel Sharia-based legal system are prominent: the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Aandolan (BMMA), both of which run Sharia courts. While the role of AIMPLB in running Sharia courts and promoting an orthodox version of Islam across India is well known, the BMMA has got some legitimacy in the press for the reason that it is opposed to the practice of instant triple talaq. Due to this, BMMA is seen as a legitimate organisation by women's rights groups but for all practical purposes, it is a Sharia group out to promote the same religious orthodoxies that its male counterparts in the AIMPLB do. The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Aandolan announced last July that it is training 30 women judges in Quranic law.

India is a hugely diverse country that was divided in 1947 in the name of religion, not by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is to the credit of the framers of the Indian Constitution that they did not come under the influence of the communal nature of the Partition, and despite the Muslim-Hindu bloodshed that was raging at the time, delivered an authentic secular Constitution to the people of India. The Madras High Court order reminds us that Indians must not accept parallel courts and religious organisations like the AIMPLB and the BMMA which ultimately sow the seeds of partition from the country's mainstream.

The author is a former BBC journalist and is presently executive director of the Open Source Institute, New Delhi. He tweets @tufailelif
New Delhi: The United Naga Council (UNC) on Monday urged the Centre for imposition of President's rule in Manipur where an economic blockade by the organisation snapped two highways connecting the state.

The demand was placed by the UNC before Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh when a delegation of the group met in New delhi.

"We appeal for imposing President's rule in Manipur as the state government has failed completely on all fronts and law order has deteriorated. Creation of seven new districts is a ploy by the Manipur Chief Minister for electoral gains," senior UNC leader Adani Mao said at a press conference in New Delhi.

Mao, the former UNC president, who is at present looking after the affairs of the Council after the arrest of its senior leaders, alleged that Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was trying "cheap tricks ahead of polls to hide the government's incompetency".

Claiming that violence has taken place in several areas of Manipur, Convener for Joint Naga Civil Societies, Lakpachui Siro, accused the Congress-led state government of disrupting peace by creating seven new districts for "electoral gains" ahead of the assembly elections next year.

"The state government is going to upgrade Sadar Hills and Jiribam regions to full-fledged districts without consulting the Nagas who inhabit the areas. Precious lands, which belong to them, are being snatched away and there are unrest in the state," he said.

The UNC, which has imposed an economic blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH 37 (Imphal-Jiribam) that serve as lifelines for the landlocked state, said Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh decided to create seven new districts "without consulting" the Nagas who, they said, are the most important stakeholders.

The UNC has demanded immediate release of its President Gaidon Kamei and Publicity Secretary Stephen lamkang who they said have been arrested "arbitrarily".

The UNC has accused Meiteis of creating unrest in the state by killing innocent people, saying Meiteis are not only torching vehicles, burning down houses and looting Nagas, but also attacking places of worships in the state.

A tripartite talk involving a delegation each from the Manipur government, the UNC and the Ministry of Home Affairs was scheduled to be held in Delhi on November 15 on the current situation of the state but the state government did not send anyone to attend that meeting, Siro said.

In a gazette notification issued on 9 December, the state government announced the creation of seven new districts for administrative convenience, taking the total number of districts in the state to 16.

The decision has sharply divided the state's three main communities which are Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis. Though Meitei and Kuki groups have welcomed the move, the UNC has been protesting against it.

The UNC claim that the decision would bifurcate ancestral lands of Nagas in Manipur.

The Chief Minister said the move was aimed at addressing a long-standing demand of the majority Meitei community and the minority Kukis.

The ongoing economic blockade by UNC launched on 1 November against the state government's proposed move to create the new districts of Jiribam and Sadar Hills has resulted in black marketing of essential goods.

Out of the nine districts of Manipur, four districts  Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishenpur  are valley districts, and the five rest  Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachandpur  are hill districts.

The five hill districts are tribal districts. Valley districts are smaller with a high density of population but hill districts are sparsely populated.

On Monday, the situation in Manipur remained tense with violence spreading to Senapati district where miscreants torched two vehicles even as the Chief Minister appealed for peace among different ethnic groups of the state.

Indefinite curfew continues to remain in force in Imphal East district where mobile data services were suspended since Sunday to prevent spread of rumours. This will be in force till December 25.
A year ago, on 18 December 2015, Rohith Vemula  Dalit PhD scholar from the University of Hyderabad  wrote a letter dripping with sarcasm to the vice-chancellor of the university, V Appa Rao Podile, about the discrimination being meted out to Dalit students.

He wrote, offering a 'solution for the Dalit problem':

1. Please serve 10mg Sodium Azide to all the Dalit students at the time of admission. With direction to use when they feel like reading Ambedkar.

2. Supply a nice rope to the rooms of all Dalit students from your companion, the great Chief Warden. As we, the scholars, PhD students have already passed that stage and already members of Dalit Self-Respect movement unfortunately, we here are left with no easy exit, it seems. Hence, I request your highness to make preparations for the facility EUTHANASIA for students like me. And I wish you and the campus rest in peace forever.

A month later, on 17 January, 2016, Rohith Vemula committed suicide. The suicide rose to national importance as it shed light on a deeply disturbing, yet ignored facet of Indian universities: Caste discrimination. The February 2016 protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) sparked important and much needed debates on freedom of speech and the right to dissent. The two incidents awoke a new political consciousness among students  spreading across various universities and campuses, students took to the streets in the national capital demanding justice for the Dalit scholar and an adequate response to the JNU crisis.

While the goal should have been to introspect, what was achieved was nothing material  it was probed whether Rohith Vemula was in fact a Dalit, his mother was questioned.

He was a Dalit.

Then, he was not.

Then again, he was  mere distractions from addressing the elephant in the room. Political mileage was gained, Vemula's name was on the Opposition's lips hoping to score brownie points and Vemula's name probably occupied a larger corner in the minds of those running the government.

Why are we going over these tiresome details of case forgotten? Didn't we move on to other news? The National Anthem directive, perhaps? (no, we seem to be over that one too). These tiresome boring details must be revisited to address the people who haven't forgotten, those who feel wronged by a system that perhaps isn't there to support them in the first place.

What has come out of the Vemula suicide and the subsequent political storm?

One, a 12-point recommendation from the Ministry of Human Resources and Development on how to prevent campus suicides. The HRD ministry added six points to Roopanwal Commission's six recommendations to curb campus suicides. The measures suggested by the ministry include a "strong induction programme for better acclimatisation and establishing a local guardian system for outstation students," "grievances of students should be discussed and dispensed with on weekly basis and vice-chancellors should hold monthly meetings."

Two, Appa Rao Podile's continued tenure as the the vice-chancellor of the University of Hyderabad. On Sunday, Dontha Prashanth, Seshaiah Chemudagunta and Vijay Kumar (Pedapudi), Vemula's friends, fellow Dalits and PhD students who were also suspended along with Vemula from the University of Hyderabad wrote a letter to the President of India, urging him to remove Podile as the vice-chancellor of the university. He was reinstated even while protests were in full-swing, just a few months after the suicide. If the idea was to allay the burgeoning anger amid students, why wasn't a man with sub-par academic qualifications, especially one with a history of unethical academic practices such as plagiarism allowed to continue as the university's vice-chancellor?

Students asking for Podile's removal is not new, such demands have been made earlier by the student body of the University of Hyderabad. Prashanth, Chemudagunta, Pedapudi had earlier written an open letter to the Prime Minister of India in August this year:

What action was taken after a committee appointed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development brought out the institutional lapses that led to Rohith's suicide? Why did you not speak, Mr Prime Minister, when Smriti Irani spoke utter lies in Parliament? What happened to the Judicial Commission appointed by HRD Ministry which was supposed to submit its report by 1 August, 2016?

The anger in the University of Hyderabad has been simmering for a long time. 189 academics had written a letter to the President of India, seeking his intervention in the Rohith Vemula, asking for the dismissal of the vice-chancellor. JNU's Kanhaiya Kumar and the face of the Indian student politics for well over a year wrote a dramatic letter to Smriti Irani about Vemula (and the state of Dalits in the country).

The three other students will perhaps continue writing letters because everything else has been done, yielding little to nothing. Simmering anger, growing resentment and disappointment make for powerful ink, but what if the system ends up being illiterate?
The appointment of Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat as new Chief of Army Staff has snowballed into a controversy, once it emerged that Rawat was not the senior-most officer in the Indian Army. The officers who were bypassed to let Rawat become the new army chief were not only more senior, but they were also in command positions, placed there because they are capable enough and experienced enough to become chief.

They have been on the frontline as active commanders. You don't get to become an army commander unless you're ready and trained, as simple as that. It's not just a question of seniority; hundreds of very senior people get bypassed, sidelined, passed over, and continue to serve "juniors" for several years if they wish to stay in uniform. In all these cases, the officers are competent field commanders, and have already touched the stars...literally.

But then, it's no secret that there is a coterie at the army headquarters. The Gorkha Rifles are so strongly represented at the highest levels that it raises eyebrows even within army circles. The incumbent Chief of Army Staff, Dalbir Singh Suhag, is from the Gorkha Rifles, as is Bipin Rawat, the man who will replace him on 31 December. In April this year, five of the 14 major generals promoted to their third star were from the Gorkha Rifles. The director general military intelligence, Lieutenant General SK Patyal, is from the Gorkhas. The director general military training Lieutenant General AL Chauhan is from the Gorkha Rifles.

These, by the way, are the top jobs at army headquarters; they oversee all strategic matters. Another very important position is director general military operations, currently held by Lieutenant General AK Bhatt, again from the Gorkha Rifles. Even the adjutant general Lieutenant General RK Sharma is from the Gorkha Rifles.

What are the odds that in an army of over a million, with dozens of battalions and regiments, all with glorious histories, the top five jobs would be held by officers from the same section of the army.

None of this is rocket science. And it's all available on the public domain.

Sure, the Gorkhas have a proud history, but so do the Sikh Regiments, the Maratha Light Infantry, the Rajputana Rifles, the Madras Regiment, the Guards, the para regiments, the Punjab Regiment, the Grenadiers, the Bihar Regiment, the Jats, the Dogras, the Assam Regiment, J&K Rifles, the Armoured Corps, the Mechansied regiments, etc.

Handing command to a Gurkha is not a flaw in itself, but it means one regiment will continue to hold sway at South Block. If it is happening at the expense of others is a question worth asking.

Retired Lieutenant General Ike Singha, as head of the Peacekeeping Mission in Golan Heights in Syria and Israel from 2012 to 2015, has seen more action than anyone else in the Indian Army. This is what he has to say about the controversy over Bipin Rawat's appointment. "The NDA government launched a surgical strike on the Indian Army by superseding very competent generals and selecting Bipin Rawat as the next COAS. In the past, only once has the seniormost army commander been passed over; when Lt Gen. Sinha was overlooked and Gen. AS Vaidya appointed COAS by the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi. History punished the nation for this folly. Gen. Vaidya lacked the moral guts to tell Gandhi that the army, an apolitical organisation should not be dragged into storming a religious place like the Golden Temple. Gen. Sinha, a strong man, would have perhaps resisted and that is why he was overlooked. The BJP resurrected Sinha, and he was appointed a member of the Rajya Sabha. Unfortunately, the NDA government has made the same mistake and overlooked two very capable officers. I have very closely served with all three senior officers and we have grown together. All three are thorough professionals and Praveen Bakshi and PM Hariz lacked nothing."

"Modi, like Jawaharlal Nehru, feels that the country is not going to fight a war with any of its neighbours. Nehru showed Chou en Lai all our defence establishments, and the shrewd Chinese leader saw the chinks in our armour and annexed Tibet in 1959. India was stunned, but before it could recover from the jolt, China affected an embarrassing defeat in the 1962 war. Modi has a disdain for the Indian Army that I watched closely as General Officer Commanding in Gujarat. It seems he is going the Nehru way and has no inclination to learn from history. (Manohar) Parrikar is a technocrat and has been chief minister of Goa, a state with two districts. A novice in security matters, he thinks he has a magic wand and has a solution for all the complex problems and challenges facing the defence forces."

He does not.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has laid down two conditions for an alliance with the Shiv Sena for the Mumbai civic elections that will be held in a few months. The warring partner has to concede enough seats to BJP reflecting its growing strength, and ensure transparency in the functioning of the countrys biggest  by budget and population  municipal corporation.

These conditions may not be agreeable to Sena despite BJP's improved performance in the election to the municipal councils: nagar parishads and nagar panchayats. After all, Mumbai is its golden goose and they would like keep control of the prestigious body despite the fact that is being run into the ground because of corruption and shoddy work.

It is all very well for the BJP, which steers the states administration, to demand the numbers as it has won substantially in the councils. As the results show, BJP has won 1,090 seats in all councils put together across the state, with Congress coming close at 894, Nationalist Congress Party with 774, and Shiv Sena 618. If these numbers alone count, Sena has lost its case for Mumbai.

Mumbais, as well as the conjoined Thanes political dimensions are different from the rest of the state, including its urban areas. There is a massive shift in demography with changing cultural and linguistic affiliations. The Sena may retain its core base, but absence of any civil disturbance in the wake of the crushing impact of demonetisation on the common man shows that BJP can retain its hope.

It is significant that while talking about the future of their parties, both the BJP and Sena keep referring to the likely contests and the importance of the outcome in the municipal corporation elections. It is the Mumbai and Thane scenes that seem to matter, but the rest would only be fought hard locally.

Barring the major cities, Senas lowest ranking in urban areas statewide would be the leverage for BJP to exploit. However, the numbers, including the presidents directly elected  this for the first time  may be somewhat misleading. The BJP with 1,090 would spin it and crow about it but they are out of the total 4,560 that went to polls. It is only its fourth.

The presidents on BJP tickets who got directly elected stand at 65 against the 72 taken by its rivals, including Senas 27. Impressively, Congress won 31, and NCP 23. This could be a different yardstick to measure BJPs gains because in many places, it won the top job but lost the councils to other parties. That is a clear case of local politics overturning the broader party identities. Civic poll outcomes in small towns are hard to predict.

Regardless of these developments, Sena is unlikely to concede to the BJP norms for alliance in Mumbai. Battle for the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai is going to be existential for it and no holds would be barred. Any pre-poll talks could end up as a dialogue of the deaf but with the two hoarsely screaming their entitlements, as they did in the run up to the Assembly polls.

If the two do come together, it would be a major triumph of hope over experience and then lead to a possible realignment of relationship in the government where Sena is a nagging partner which behaves like an Opposition. The irritation of having them in the government is visible, but to Fadnavis, putting the obdurate Sena in place in its decades old stronghold is important in the political brinkmanship.

A noteworthy facet of this civic polls across the state  a couple of phases are yet to be held  is that though some leaders like Ashok Chavan have retained their districts control, the BJP and Sena together have appropriated most space which the Congress and the NCP need to spring back to life in the state.
Although Finance Minister Arun Jaitley holds considerable clout in the Narendra Modi government, his mere words on television would do little to assuage the hardships faced by the common man owing to the demonetisation scheme as the government and its institutions run only on orders available in black and white.

That explains why the Jaitley clarification on Monday sounded more like a stout rebuttal of his own ministry as also of the Reserve Bank of India official statement on deposits made beyond Rs 5,000 in old demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. In reality, it means nothing to the banks and to thousands of harassed customers. It is the RBI and the finance ministry's order which is final and binding to all commercial banks both public and private.

Frequent change of goal posts, one order overriding another, another nullifying yet another previous order, no matter who announced the previous order, the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, economic affairs secretary or an official statement or even public advertisements issued by the ministry, nothing deters the government from and the RBI to reverse it overnight and put its own citizens to a greater peril. The Indian Express says that the order on Monday by RBI and finance ministry putting restrictions on deposits of over Rs 5,000 is order number 59 since 8 November when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced demonetisation.

The move has created trust deficit against Modi government, as also panic among those who had not yet deposited old currency notes they have with them. Many of them had been waiting for further shortening of queues at the banks or were just taking it leisurely to go to the banks as the 30 December deadline approaches. It should be a matter of concern for the ruling BJP and the Modi government that this trust deficit is not limited to political rivals or to permanent cynics of Modi government or those who for various reasons were opposed to Modi and BJP. It is now spreading to those who had been strong votaries of Modi government and the Prime Minister's leadership abilities.

A Facebook post by Indian Institute of Mass Communication, director general, KG Suresh, posted on Tuesday afternoon is interesting.

His message is open to interpretations, even as he makes a guarded comment, he says a lot and reveals the kind of public sentiments that he may have seen after the latest flip-flop by the government. This writer met some other people including homemakers who were very anguished with continued and often contradictory orders by institutions concerned. Same is true for statements issued by people at the top.

Based on contradictory positions taken by Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Economic Affairs Secretary, this writer had earlier written, who should people at large believe.

See what Jaitley said on Tuesday night in clarification statement: "If they go and deposit with bank any amount of currency no questions are going to be asked to them and therefore the 5000 rupee limit does not apply to them if they go and deposit it once."

Contrast that with RBI circular issued to all banks: "Tenders of SBNs in excess of  5000 into a bank account will be received for credit only once during the remaining period till December 30, 2016. The credit in such cases shall be afforded only after questioning tenderer, on record, in the presence of at least two officials of the bank, as to why this could not be deposited earlier and receiving a satisfactory explanation. The explanation should be kept on record to facilitate an audit trail at a later stage. An appropriate flag also should be raised in CBS to that effect so that no more tenders are allowed."

A finance ministry statement issued around the same time was in sync with RBI statement: "The banks have been advised to conduct due diligence regarding the reasons for not depositing these notes earlier. Amounts of Rs.5000 or less may continue to be deposited with banks in the customers account, as at present. However, cumulative deposits exceeding Rs.5000 between 19th and 30th December, 2016 will be as per the procedures advised by RBI in respect of deposits exceeding Rs.5000 as stated above. Further, an opportunity has been given to the public to make the payments towards tax, penalty, cess/surcharge and deposit under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) 2016 with the old bank notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1000 denomination upto 30th December."

The finance ministry rationale for the same order was: "Already more than five weeks have elapsed since the time of the announcement of the cancellation of the legal tender character of these notes. It is expected that, by now, most of the people would have deposited such old notes in their possession. Keeping this in view and to reduce the queues in the banks, it has now been decided that amounts exceeding Rs.5000 in old notes can be deposited only once between now and 30th December, 2016."

From the clarification or rebuttal issued by the finance minister suggests that he either didn't know of the statement issued by his own ministry or was made to salvage the situation after the government realised that the popular opinion was turning against it. The order also fall flat on Jaitley's earlier statement advising people to go to banks at later dates to avoid long queues and a public advertisement issued by ministry of finance on 11 November.

A senior public sector bank official told Firstpost that the banks can't by words spoken over television by finance minister, it has to abide by what RBI circular says. If finance minister is serious in what he says he should ask his ministry and RBI to modify their circulars dated 19 November.

The official added that Jaitley's oral clarification would meet the same fate as his government's announcement of giving Rs 2.50 lakh to people in whose families a wedding was planned till 30 December. The RBI circular on the release of money from banks to customers made it so difficult that only most industrious and pursuant ones could avail the waiver.

Take a look on kind of conditions that RBI had imposed on withdrawal of Rs 2.5 lakh for marriage purposes: "Withdrawals are permitted only from accounts which are fully KYC compliant; Withdrawals can be made by either of the parents or the person getting married. (Only one of them will be permitted to withdraw); Since the amount proposed to be withdrawn is meant to be used for cash disbursements, it has to be established that the persons for whom the payment is proposed to be made do not have a bank account; The application for withdrawal shall be accompanied by following documents -- (a) evidence of the wedding, including the invitation card, copies of receipts for advance payments already made, such as Marriage hall booking, advance payments to caterers, etc; (b)A detailed list of persons to whom the cash withdrawn is proposed to be paid, together with a declaration from such persons that they do not have a bank account. The list should indicate the purpose for which the proposed payments are being made."

The banks were asked to keep a proper record of the evidence and produce them for verification by the authorities in case of need. The scheme will be reviewed based on bona fide use thereof.

After scoring a landslide win in Chandigarh municipal polls, the morale in BJP is high. Amit Shah termed it as a kind of verdict on demonetisation: "After demonetisation was announced five states have had municipal polls, and people have approved of the BJP. Every single poll that has taken place after 8 November and where the BJP has won, people have accepted the move." Modi tweeted "Thank you to the people of Chandigarh for supporting @BJP4India & @Akali Dal. This shows the importance people attach to good governance."

Ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab, BJP should be wary of its own complacency.
Senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary Indresh Kumar, said on Tuesday that Indian Muslims are patriotic like any other citizen of this country.

Kumar was speaking in the context of a controversial statement made by the BJP MP from West Delhi, Parvesh Verma.

Verma's earlier comment that Muslims have never cast their vote for the BJP and never will "as it is a patriotic party", has already stoked a row.

The opposition parties, especially the Congress have already launched a scathing attack on BJP stating that it would incite communal violence.

I cant say exactly in what context the BJP MP made that statement may be in a casual manner or in a lighter vein, but Indian Muslims are patriotic, there is no doubt about it, Indresh Kumar, national convener of Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), an RSS-affiliate body, told Firstpost.

On 17 December, during an interaction with the media, after addressing a gathering at Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, Verma had said, Hum kisi vote bank ki chinta nahin karte. Muslim kabhi na humein vote kiya hai aur na karengeIsliye ki BJP ek rashtrabhakt party hai. Hamein kisi samudai ki chinta nahi hai (We dont care about any vote bank. Muslims have never voted for us and they never will Because the BJP is a patriotic party, thats why Muslims dont vote for us. We dont care about any particular community).

Parvesh Verma is the son of former Delhi chief minister late Sahib Singh Verma.

May be the MP had wanted to say that the Muslims should come out openly and support (BJP), and shouldnt be under any fear. In this context I would like to emphasise that if a Muslim sings National Anthem or hoists the National Flag, its dubbed an act of saffronisation or BJP-karan of Muslims." Kumar said.

Kumar also criticised the negative connotation that he alleged was commonly associated with patriotism and the BJP.

"This is ridiculous. Is the slogan Bharat Mata ki Jai an exclusive right of BJP? Doesnt other political parties like Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP, etc have equal right on it? Why its not dubbed as Congress-isation when they raised this slogan? Through this kind of negative perception-building, patriotism, nationalism and loyalty towards nation have been shifted to BJP camp with a negative connotation. This is wrong, Kumar added.

MRM is an initiative of former RSS chief KS Sudarshan to allow the Sangh Parivar to reach out to Muslims, with an aim of bringing Hindu and Muslim communities in India closer together.

Indian Muslims are patriotic. If any particular section among them hasnt voted for BJP or stayed away from the party, it might have been due to ignorance, illiteracy, due to socio-political issues or poverty. Even a man doesnt remember god, if hes in dire hunger; here its about a political party, said Girish Juyal, national organizing convener of MRM.

The statement may be Vermas personal view, which might have arisen due to his personal observation of the situation in his constituency. It cant be universal. But now with Modijis leadership as a PM and Indreshji spearheading the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, the perception among Muslims has witnessed a change. Due to several initiatives undertaken by the central government, especially for the youth, the Muslim community has got more integrated and getting closer to BJP, added Juyal.

Besides, MRM, the academicians and experts on Islamic studies have also strongly dismissed Vermas statement against Muslim voters.

99% of Muslims are nationalist and pro-India and identify themselves as Indians, but its also true that 99% of Islamic clerics and Muslim leaders believe only in Islamic globalization. At practical level, Indian Muslims are diverse in their life-style and identify themselves as patriots, whereas at theoretical level, they identify themselves with the homogenous global Islamic group. What the BJP MP has said is practically not true, observed Tufail Ahmad, Executive Director at Open Source Institute, a Delhi-based think tank on Islamic studies.

However, Zafar Sareshwala, chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University is more scathing in his remarks.

The statement shows the perverse mindset of the MP. He should learn from PM Narendra Modi and his party president Amit Shah, who have worked towards integration of the Muslim community in these two-and-half years period. The PM said in the Parliament that no one should either ask for or give certificate of nationalism. By making such a statement against the community, he has displayed his ignorance in public, Sareshwala remarked.

Quoting the poll data from Modi's native state Gujarat and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Sareshwala added, The skepticism about the Muslim communitys reservations about voting for the BJP was laid to rest during Gujarat polls in 2012, followed by the general election in 2014. In Gujarat assembly election, nearly 25% Muslims had voted for Modiji and he won for the third time. Similarly, in general election, more number of Muslims voted for BJP than ever. Given this fact, the BJP MP himself is damaging the ethos built-up by the BJP than anybody else.
Like a ship caught in a storm, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has for some time now somehow managed to float on, given the war of words often exchanged between the two parties. At a time when the bugle is blowing loud and clear for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls early next year, the turf war is now burgeoning into a prestige issue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea on 24 December but the political grapevine is heating up casting doubts if Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray would attend the event or not.

"If I get proper respect, then I will definitely join the function. We have always supported the good things done by the government. The chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) and I are in regular touch with each other and there is nothing to worry about," said Uddhav on Tuesday.

The degree of respect is such that it might even decide the future course of political decisions  primarily the continuance of the alliance.

During the Assembly session, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik had demanded that Uddhav be given the same respect that is extended to NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Sena insiders claimed that Uddhav will not be attending the ceremony unless he is given due respect and is seated next to Modi.

On two earlier occasions, Uddhav had refused to attend the functions when he did not get to share the stage with Modi.

A senior Sena official told Firstpost that when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister, at a public function, Vajpayee had sidelined all protocols and shared the stage with late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

The BJP insiders and sources close to Fadnavis told Firstpost that the chief minister will personally invite Uddhav for the function, however, there has been no confirmation from Sena whether their party chief will attend the event or not.

A senior government official assured that there is no question of ego and all protocols will be followed and Uddhav will be treated with respect.

Fadnavis had recently said at the Nagpur Assembly that Modi is likely to perform the bhoomi pujan ceremony and will also inaugurate the Mumbai and Pune's metro projects. Though the official programme has not been finalised, Modi is likely to attend a party meeting at the Bandra Kurla Complex, said a senior official of the Protocol Department.

The Centre has already cleared all the 12 permissions required for the Rs 3,600 crores memorial that will be spread across 15.96 hectares on reclamation land. The work will be carried out in two phases. The Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 2,300 for the first phase and tender process will begin soon, said the chief minister.

"Shivaji Maharaj is the pride of Maharashtra and that's why the inauguration function will be a grand one," he added. Fadnavis will be inviting all the MLAs to the function as well.

For the memorial function, water from 70 rivers and soil from over 50 forts will be used. The first phase will involve the construction of Tulja Bhavani Mandir, eight museums, an amphitheater, exhibition gallery, helipad, hospital and other tourist attractions.

On Tuesday, while addressing media persons in Pali, Ratnagiri, Uddhav said that he will wait for another 10 days, thereafter he will speak his mind on demonetisation. Taking a dig at Modi, he asked, "Will everything function smoothly once the 50-day deadline is over?"

Uddhav and his party have been vocal about their opposition to demonetisation. Their stand has been that the move has caused harassment to the poor.
The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is not taking any chances in leaving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Digital India dream unfulfilled. And to that effect, the railway ministry is taking the lead with Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu personally monitoring a selection of projects, including the introduction of a new train, free WiFi services at stations, and investment in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and the rest of Maharashtra. To lend a helping hand to Prabhu, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is using all the machinery at his disposal. After the demonetisation announcement on 8 November, Fadnavis immediately announced that within the next two months, the state would introduce its own PayTM-esque 'Maha wallet'. A majority of transactions of the state government are now conducted through this Maha wallet.

He has also been holding regular meetings with railway officials and representatives from Google and telecommunication companies.

Last week, Prabhu inaugurated WiFi services at nine suburban railway stations along the Western, Central and Harbour lines. In the speech delivered at the inauguration, the railways minister said that his ministry was making a wholehearted effort to bring Digital India to life. "WiFi stations are the first step in that direction and I am happy to say that a majority of railway work is being moved online," he said, adding, "We will fulfil commuters' demands by providing WiFi services at 100 places by the end of 2016."

"There was also a long-standing demand for a train to eastern UP and today we fulfilled it," said Prabhu, after flagging off the Bandra Terminus-Gorakhpur Express on Sunday.

At this time, the main focus of state and Central BJP leaders is on the upcoming Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa elections. But, with an eye on the upcoming Mumbai, Thane, Bhiwandi and Ulhasnagar municipal elections, plans to provide more railway services to the MMR region are also in place.

At Sunday's event, Prabhu said, "The development of the Thane region station is my agenda. To improve suburban travel for commuters, a new terminal near Kalyan station called Thakurli is being set up. It will help lakhs of commuters who travel on the Central line. By converting 12-car rakes into 15-car rakes, we have increased the passenger capacity of suburban services by 25 percent." He added that an investment of Rs 40,000 crore is on cards for the improvement of the suburban network and that the Union government has provided assurances of full cooperation to the state.

The Bandra Terminus-Gorakhpur Express will depart from Bandra every Friday and its return journey starts in Gorakhpur every Wednesday. It is likely that this service was announced with an eye on the UP election. In addition, the new railway station between Jogeshwari and Goregaon (at Oshiwara) is to be called Ram Mandir Station. The station will be inaugurated on Thursday by Prabhu, Minister of State Vidya Thakur, MP Gopal Shetty, BJP Mumbai president and MLA Ashish Shelar and many other BJP MLAs and office bearers.

And while the BJP has been unable to build a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, it appears what the party is able to do is name a station in Mumbai 'Ram Mandir'. The logic is clear. The Goregaon region is home to many people who are originally from Uttar Pradesh.

At the same time, Prabhu announced the Tejas Superfast Rail from CST to Goa. The interesting thing is Prabhu has faced many complaints about the Konkan Kanya Express and so, he announced a new train that reaches Goa in just eight hours (as opposed to the 11 hours it takes at present). And so, reducing the duration of the journey is being done with a focus on the Goa Assembly election, which is scheduled to take place in the next 100 days.

On his part, Fadnavis held a review meeting of the progress of Modi's Digital India initiative the very day after the Winter Session of the Maharashtra Assembly had come to a close. The chief minister chaired a meeting with officials from the railways, Google, MTNL, BSNL and senior official from government. In the meeting, Fadnavis ordered that by the end of 2018, more than 400 railway stations should have WiFi services.

Political observer and senior journalist Abhay Deshpande told Firstpost that Prabhu is using the rail machinery to reach UP, Goa, Mumbai and other parts of the country. "In Mumbai, more than 75 lakh commuters travel by trains. The number of people living in the Thane district is huge. To cater to those commuters and considering the upcoming elections in the MMR region, Prabhu is taking the lead in Maharashtra," he said.

"At the same time," Deshpande added, "Fadnavis is one of the younger politicians who has a connect with the youth. If the BJP government can provide more than 400 railways stations with free WiFi services, the youth will remember it. So, this is a good move to cater to UP, Goa and the MMR region in civic elections."
By Caroline Copley

| BERLIN

BERLIN Christmas markets in Berlin stayed shut on Tuesday as the city mourned the victims of the previous evening's truck rampage, while security measures were stepped up at similar events elsewhere in Germany and abroad. Germanys interior ministry said other Christmas markets and large gatherings would not be called off, and appropriate steps to increase security should be decided at each location.Flags flew at half mast out of respect for those killed when a truck ploughed into a crowd at a market by Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church on Monday."No matter what we continue to learn about the exact background and motives of the perpetrators, we ...must not let them take away our freedom," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement.Michael Krzyzniewski, security a expert for big public events, said safety measures were already in place at Christmas markets though some might want to review them. He said erecting protective concrete barriers was one option. In Dresden, the tourist information service said authorities had done that around the Striezelmarkt, one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets. "This has several serious downsides, for example it is then no longer possible for emergency vehicles to access the market in case someone has a heart attack," Krzyzniewski said.

"We need to make sure that we dont fall into panic and call for knee-jerk measures."The association of German fairground exhibitors recommended markets hold a minute's silence at 1700 GMT and refrain from playing music on Tuesday.HUNDREDS OF MARKETS

While Germany remains the focal point of Europe's Christmas markets, visitors and shoppers also flock to hundreds elsewhere in Europe, where authorities were also on their guard. In Italy, Interior Minister Marco Minniti ordered police to reinforce security at Christmas-related events and ceremonies and other crowded public areas, according to a statement.In France, where the Berlin incident revived memories of a similar attack on Bastille Day in Nice in which 86 people were killed, authorities sought to reassure the public about safety during upcoming festivities, saying security forces were working round the clock.

"The police are everywhere. There are concrete blocks everywhere," said Ludovic Ferla, a stallholder at the Christmas market lining Paris' Champs Elysees avenue. In Brussels, where Islamist bombers killed 32 people in suicide attacks in March, no additional security measures were implemented. Interior Minister Jan Jambon tweeted on Monday night that security would remain at alert level three out of four.Around the central Grand Place square and nearby Christmas market, cargo trucks continued their daily delivery routine.Resident Roger Lepers, 86, said Monday's attack did not deter him from taking his grandson to the event."It happened in Nice, it's now happened in Berlin," he said. "It will probably happen again elsewhere, but when, we don't know." (Reporting by Caroline Copley in Berlin; additional reporting by Steve Scherer in Rome, Lucien Libert and Antony Paone in Paris and Clement Rossignol and Christian Levaux in Brussels; Editing by Michelle Martin and John Stonestreet)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Berlin: The driver who rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in the heart of the German capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50, did so intentionally, police said Tuesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel said authorities believe it was a terror attack.

The truck smashed into the popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday.

"Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz," Berlin police said on Twitter.

Merkel said she was "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened."

"There is still a lot that we don't know about this act with sufficient certainty," she told reporters. "But we must, as things stand, assume it was a terrorist attack."

Numerous German media reported that the suspect, who was picked up about 2 kilometres from the crash site, was a Pakistani citizen.

Footage showed the suspect, his head covered in a white sheet, being pushed into a police car shortly after the attack.

Berlin's public radio station RBB-Inforadio cited security sources saying the man entered Germany on 31 December, 2015. News agency DPA, also citing unnamed security sources, said he came to Germany as a refugee in February 2016. Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the man was known to police for minor crimes.

Police declined to comment on the reports, referring questions to federal prosecutors who said they would hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon. But Merkel, who has been criticised for allowing in large numbers of migrants, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a large-scale search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

Among the dead was a man in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but didn't give further details of who he was or what happened to him.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Germany has not so far experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same week-long period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday's attack, blaming Merkel.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

Manfred Weber, a member of Merkel's conservative bloc and leader of the European Parliament's biggest political grouping, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists didn't enter the country.

"The state must be able to check every refugee who comes here," he told German public broadcaster ARD.

French Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux expressed his sympathy after the attack.

"We are all Berliners today," he told Europe-1 radio Tuesday. "In this type of situation, we need unity to face down terrorists, and on this occasion we need European unity. It must be strong, particularly strong."

The White House condemned "what appears to have been a terrorist attack." It came less than a month after the US State Department warned that extremist groups including Islamic State and Al-Qaeda were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.

The German government said Merkel spoke on Tuesday with President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences.

The Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On 14 July, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

US President-elect Donald Trump Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

Berlin's mayor, Michael Mueller, planned to hold a news conference on the attack at 1 pm (1200 GMT). The archbishop of Berlin, Heiner Koch, said he would hold prayers for the victims at the St. Hedwig Cathedral at noon.
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

| AMMAN

AMMAN Four Jordanian policemen were killed in clashes with Islamist militants during a raid on a village near the southern city of Karak on Tuesday, a security source said.The violence occurred two days after a shootout between police and gunmen holed up inside a Crusader castle near Karak. Ten people including a Canadian tourist were killed. Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the violence.A Jordanian police source said Tuesday's clashes took place in a house where suspects linked to the four militants involved in the castle bloodshed were believed to be sheltering. At least 11 people, mostly security personnel, were wounded in the clashes that were continuing in the village of al Waysa, a security source said.Police said late on Sunday they had killed four "terrorist outlaws" after flushing them out of the castle where they were holed up after an exchange of fire that lasted several hours. Security forces were able to release around 10 tourists unharmed. At least 30 people were taken to hospital.

Security forces then launched a widescale manhunt to track down the militants' support network. Jordanian officials have not publicly confirmed whether the four slain gunmen were militants. But they said that a large cache of weapons, ammunitions and several suicide belts were discovered in a hideout in a home in the desert town of Qatranah, 30 km (20 miles) northeast of Karak.

Security sources said the gunmen were all Jordanian nationals. Interior Minister Salamah Hamad said on Monday that the four had fled from the Qatranah area to Karak after an exchange of fire with the police. Based on the quantities of explosives and weapons, "I don't think the target was just Karak castle, it's more," he added. He would not elaborate, saying disclosing details at this stage could imperil national security.Jordan has been relatively unscathed by the uprisings, civil wars and Islamist militancy that have swept the Middle East since 2011, but maintains a high level of vigilance.

However, it is among the few Arab states that have taken part in a U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State militants holding territory in Syria and Iraq. Many Jordanians oppose their country's involvement, saying it has led to the killing of fellow Muslims and raised security threats inside Jordan.Last November three U.S. military trainers were shot dead when their car was fired on by a Jordanian army member at the gate of a military base. Washington disputed the official Jordanian version that they were shot at for failing to stop, and said it did not rule out political motives. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Paris: France is under "high level of threat" from terror attacks, but already has a large-scale security operation in place, said President Francois Hollande on Tuesday, following the carnage at a Christmas market in Berlin.

"We have a high level of threat and we also have a particularly high level of mobilisation and vigilance," Hollande said, expressing his "solidarity and compassion" with Germany.

France, which has been rocked by a series of deadly jihadist strikes over the past two years, "knows... how important it is to be united" in the face of terror attacks, he said.

"That goes for a single country when it is attacked and for all of Europe and the entire world, faced with the terrorist threat," he said.

Hollande said French authorities had already ordered that security be beefed up over the holidays "at all locations as far as possible, in particular Christmas markets and other gatherings".

Interior minister Bruno Le Roux earlier urged the French to "enjoy themselves", but also be careful when celebrating Christmas and the New Year. "We will ensure the security of our territory and citizens," said Le Roux, who visited France's best-known Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg, near the German border, to Europe 1 radio.

Soldiers have been patrolling the streets of French cities since last year's November jihadist bloodshed in Paris. Last month, French police broke up a jihadist terror ring which was allegedly planning to attack Paris on 1 December and had researched a Christmas market on the prestigious Champs-Elysees avenue among its potential targets.
By Michelle Martin and Sabine Siebold

| BERLIN

BERLIN German authorities on Tuesday released a Pakistani asylum-seeker suspected of driving a truck into a Berlin Christmas market and killing 12 people due to a lack of evidence and the interior minister said the real perpetrator may still be on the run.The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages on Monday evening at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of west Berlin's most famous landmarks. Forty-five people were injured, 30 severely.The Chief Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement it had been unable to prove that the suspect had been in the cabin of the truck at the time of the attack and said he had denied any involvement.Earlier, Die Welt newspaper quoted an unnamed police chief as saying: "We have the wrong man. And therefore a new situation. The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage."Commenting on the suspect's release on Tuesday evening, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ZDF television: "That's why it is true that one cannot rule out that the perpetrator is still at large."He said there was still no doubt the Berlin incident had been an attack but the motive remained unclear. He also said it was not yet known how many foreigners were among the victims of the attack, adding that no children had been among the dead.News of the arrest of the 23-year-old Pakistani had led politicians in Germany and beyond to demand a crackdown on immigration, but Chancellor Angela Merkel urged caution."There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack," she told reporters earlier on Tuesday."I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum," she added.POLISH CONNECTION

The truck belonged to a Polish freight company and its rightful driver was found shot dead in the vehicle. The Polish truck driver had arrived hours earlier in the German capital and spoken to his wife about 3 p.m., according to his cousin.

When she called again an hour later, there was no answer."At 3.45 p.m. you can see the movement on the GPS (Global Positioning System). The car moved forward and back. As if someone was learning to drive it," said the cousin, Ariel Zurawski, who was also the boss of the trucking company."I knew something was wrong."Merkel joined hundreds of mourners on Tuesday evening at a memorial service at the church near the site of the attack. Her spokesman said she had spoken with the leaders of seven European countries and also with U.S. President Barack Obama, who all assured her of their support for Germany. Security officials in Germany and Europe have warned for years that Christmas markets could present an easy target for militant attacks. In 2000, an al-Qaeda plan to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market on New Year's Eve was foiled. There were no concrete barricades at the Berlin Christmas market, as have been installed at a similar venue in Britain.

The attack fuelled immediate demands for a change to Merkel's immigration policies, under which more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany this year and last."We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this," said Klaus Bouillon, interior minister of the state of Saarland and a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).Horst Seehofer, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, said: "We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy and to change it.""FEAR OF EVIL"

The record influx has hit Merkel's ratings as she prepares to run for a fourth term next year and has boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).

AfD leader Frauke Petry said Germany was no longer safe and "radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany".The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State.The influx of migrants to the European Union has deeply divided its 28 members and fuelled the rise of populist anti-immigration movements that hope to capitalise on public concerns next year in elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands.On Tuesday morning, investigators removed the black truck from the site for forensic examination. People left flowers at the scene and notes, one of which read: "Keep on living, Berliners!" One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers.Merkel said Germans must not be cowed by the attack: "We do not want to live paralysed by the fear of evil.""Even if it is difficult in these hours, we will find the strength for the life we want to live in Germany - free, together and open."Other European countries said they were reviewing security.Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route used by many migrants arriving in Europe in order to better control foreign jihadist fighters' movements.London police said they were reviewing their plans for protecting public events over the festive period.Manfred Weber, head of the centre-right European People's Party, said: "It's not an attack on a country; it's an attack on our way of life, on the free society in which we are allowed to live." (Reporting by Michelle Martin, Caroline Copley, Joseph Nasr, Emma Thomasson, Paul Carrel, Michael Nienaber, Madeline Chambers in Berlin; additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla in Vienna; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
NEW YORK A self-proclaimed white supremacist convicted on charges he planned to use a "death ray" to kill Muslims and President Barack Obama was sentenced on Monday to 30 years in prison, federal prosecutors in New York said.Glendon Scott Crawford, 52, a Navy veteran and a member of the Ku Klux Klan, was found guilty in August 2015 of conspiring with another man to build a radiation dispersal device, dubbed a "death ray" by tabloids.Crawford is the first person to be convicted under a law barring attempts to acquire or use a radiological dispersal device, which combines conventional explosives, such as dynamite, with radioactive material. Congress passed the statute in 2004 to punish individuals who try to set off a so-called "dirty bomb."U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe imposed the sentence at a hearing in Albany, prosecutors said in a statement. He was convicted on three counts, including conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. Crawford from upstate New York plans to appeal the conviction as well as his sentence, his attorney Danielle Neroni said in a statement. His lawyers argued unsuccessfully at trial that he was entrapped by the government.

Crawford's co-conspirator, Eric Feight, pleaded guilty in connection with the case and was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison.U.S. prosecutors had sought life in prison for Crawford. He faced a mandatory minimum of 25 years. After his release, he will be supervised for life."His plot to murder people he did not know was designed to, in his oft-repeated words, 'take his country back' from government leaders by forcing them to change government conduct he perceived as favouring Muslims," prosecutors wrote in a pre-sentencing court filing.

Authorities said Crawford, who worked at General Electric Co (GE.N), carried out extensive research on radiation dispersal devices, learning what level of emission was required to kill humans and conducting reconnaissance on potential targets, including a local mosque.In conversations recorded without his knowledge by a confidential law enforcement source, Crawford spoke often of his hatred of Muslims and said he would go after Obama in the White House with the device.

Defence lawyers wrote in court papers that the device in question was constructed by federal agents and that Crawford never actually intended to use it."Mr. Crawford maintains that he never intended to endanger human life through the release of radiation or of radioactive nuclides," Neroni wrote. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by David Ingramediting by Andrew Hay and Jeffrey Benkoe)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
New York: Families of three victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting that left 50 dead and 53 wounded in June this year have sued tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter for allegedly providing "material support" to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and helping radicalise shooter Omar Mateen.

According to a Fox News report, the lawsuit was filed in federal court in the eastern district of Michigan on Monday on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero, stating that the three web platforms "provided the terrorist group IS with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds and attract new recruits."

"Without Defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of IS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," Fox News cited the lawsuit as saying.

"They create unique content by combining IS postings with advertisements in a way that is specifically targeted at the viewer. Defendants share revenue with IS for its content and profit from IS postings through advertising revenue," the lawsuit alleged.

Investigation revealed that Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard who opened fire inside Orlando's Pulse nightclub, was not a member of the terror group but had been inspired by it in part through what he saw on the internet.

An outpouring of anger toward the lax US gun control policy was witnessed on social media after the shooting  dubbed as the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history after it surpassed the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech which left 32 people dead.

Furious gun control supporters questioned why laws were still permitting people with radical thinking or mental illness to acquire assault weapons.

Meanwhile, Keith Altman, the attorney representing the three families in the Orlando nightclub lawsuit, was quoted as saying that Facebook, Google and Twitter should be held liable for what users post on their services because they pair content with advertising.

Earlier this month, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter said they would share a database of terror images and videos to quickly remove terrorism content.
By Aaron Ross and Tim Cocks

| KINSHASA

KINSHASA Protests erupted in several neighbourhoods of the Congolese capital Kinshasa late on Monday and police fired tear gas to disperse them, witnesses said, just before President Joseph Kabila's mandate expires at midnight.Demonstrators in the districts of Kalamu, Matete and Lingwala and at Kinshasa University blew whistles to signal to Kabila that it was time to leave, and students at the university burned tires, multiple witnesses said. Hundreds of anti-Kabila demonstrators earlier defied a ban on marches against the president's plans to stay in office past the end of his term, and security forces faced off against groups waving red cards saying "Bye, bye Kabila." Opposition activists have accused Kabila of trying to cling to power by letting his term run out without an election to chose the next leader of Congo, which has not witnessed a peaceful change of power since independence in 1960."Kabila's mandate finishes at 1159. ... Tomorrow (Tuesday) it will be chaos," said Hugue Ilunga, 21, as dozens of soldiers deployed nearby in the capital, an opposition stronghold of 12 million people. Shops shut in other parts of Kinshasa, and streets in the capital were largely empty. At least 80 protesters were arrested in the eastern city of Goma, the U.N. human rights office in Congo said, mostly activists who were simply wearing red shirts, an opposition colour. Police said nine opposition demonstrators were detained.Kabila's elite Republican Guard also arrested prominent opposition activist Franc Diongo in Kinshasa, Kikaya said, after Diongo's private guards beat up three of them.Militia fighters raided a jail in eastern Congo's Butembo trying to free prisoners, triggering clashes that killed a South African U.N. peacekeeper and a police officer.

Seven attackers were also killed, Kabila's chief diplomat, Barnabe Kikaya, told a news conference in Kinshasa."FLIRTATION WITH DISASTER"

The government and elections officials have blamed logistical and financial problems for the delay in the vote, currently scheduled for April 2018.

Some opposition leaders agreed Kabila can remain in office until then. The constitutional court has also ruled that Kabila, leader since his father was assassinated in 2001, can stay on.But the main opposition bloc rejects the deal as a ploy, though it said it would not call protests. Talks mediated by the Roman Catholic church failed to reach a compromise."Joseph Kabila will remain in office tomorrow," Kikaya said.Authorities have blocked most social media and outlawed protests in Kinshasa, raising fears of more violence in a nation that has been plagued by war and instability for two decades since the fall of kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko. Diplomats fear any escalation could trigger a conflict like the 1996 to 2003 wars that killed millions, sucked in neighbouring armies and saw armed groups clash over Congo's mineral wealth and the use of mass rape as a strategic weapon.

U.S. Great Lakes envoy Tom Perriello on Thursday said that Kabila's hanging on was "an entirely unnecessary flirtation with disaster," in a speech at the United States Institute of Peace.Youth activists say they have taken inspiration from Burkina Faso in West Africa, where protests ousted Blaise Compaore in 2014 as he was trying to extend his 27-year rule.As in Burkina, protests in Congo are in part driven by economic desperation. Congo is Africa's biggest miner of copper and metals used in gadgets, like cobalt and coltan, but a slowdown linked to falls in commodity prices has triggered steep budget cuts and a 30 percent fall in the Congolese franc. However, the country of 70 million people and more than 200 ethnic groups is fragmented. Previous protests achieved little.Former colonial master Belgium advised its citizens to leave before Monday. The United States warned against non-essential travel, telling expatriates who remain to stay indoors.Outside Congo, South African police used stun grenades to disperse anti-Kabila protesters in Cape Town. (Additional reporting by Ed Cropley in Johannesburg and Amedee Mwarabu in Kinshasa; Editing by Tom Heneghan and Leslie Adler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
ANKARA The remains of Russian envoy Andrey Karlov were sent back to Moscow from Turkey on Tuesday, a day after he was shot dead by an off-duty police officer in the Turkish capital.The white, red and blue Russian flag was draped on the casket as a Russian Orthodox priest recited prayers in a ceremony at the Ankara airport. Top ministers from the Turkish government also made spoke in memorial to Karlov.Karlov was killed on Monday night, shot in the back by a 22-year-old off-duty policeman who shouted slogans associated with Islamic militancy as he launched the attack.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by David Dolan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Alex Dobuzinskis

| LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES Authorities moved quickly to arrest wealthy real estate scion Robert Durst last year because they feared he would flee after his confession to multiple killings was aired in the chilling HBO documentary "The Jinx," Los Angeles prosecutors said.Prosecutors made the disclosure in court papers filed on Monday ahead of a hearing Durst is scheduled to attend on Wednesday in Los Angeles, where he has been charged with the 2000 murder of writer Susan Berman.Durst, 73, who has pleaded not guilty, is charged with shooting Berman, his longtime friend, in Los Angeles because of what she might have known about the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen, in 1982 when the Dursts lived in New York City.The case is likely to revive discussions not only about the investigation of Durst in his wife's disappearance, which remains unresolved, but also his 2003 acquittal by a jury in the killing of his Texas neighbour two years before.Durst was arrested on suspicion of Berman's murder at a New Orleans hotel on March 14, 2015 - one day before the airing of the final episode of "The Jinx."

In that last episode, Durst was presented with evidence that his handwriting appeared to match that of Berman's likely killer. His voice was captured on a microphone after the interview, muttering off-camera: "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."Prosecutors in the court papers filed on Monday said Durst "confessed to killing multiple people" with those comments and they moved fast to have him arrested for Berman's slaying because they feared he would run.

"'The Jinx's' final episode ... was about to become public and defendant (Durst) was about to hear for the first time this extremely damning evidence," prosecutors wrote.Prosecutors have not said how they knew what Durst would say in the episode.Durst told authorities in Louisiana shortly after his arrest that for as long as he could remember he smoked marijuana daily and was high on methamphetamine when he talked to "The Jinx" filmmakers, according to a transcript filed in court on Friday.

Durst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said in a telephone interview prosecutors overstepped by releasing Durst's jailhouse interview with law enforcement, because it could taint potential jurors."This case needs to be tried in front of a jury that hasn't already formed an opinion," DeGuerin said. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bill Trott)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Stephanie Nebehay

| GENEVA

GENEVA The Syrian government has authorised the United Nations to send an additional 20 staff to east Aleppo, where they will monitor the continuing evacuation of thousands of people, a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday."The task that has been given and mandated by the Security Council is to monitor and observe the evacuations," Jens Laerke told a news briefing in Geneva.The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously called for U.N. officials and others to observe the evacuation of people from the last rebel-held enclave in Aleppo and monitor the safety of civilians who remain in the Syrian city.The U.N. staff, composed of national and international staff already in its Damascus office, will travel to Aleppo "as soon as possible", reinforcing a small U.N. monitoring team already at al-Ramousah crossing, Laerke said."We do not know exactly how many people remain in the besieged enclave. However the goal is clearly that everyone who needs to get out and expressed a wish to get out can do so safely and in dignity."

Some 25,000 people have been evacuated from the rebel-held enclave since Thursday, including 15,000 on Monday and 10,000 last Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.They included 14 wounded evacuated overnight, ICRC spokeswoman Krista Armstrong said. "People leaving are mostly women, children and the elderly; clearly, most are civilians."Laerke said that U.N. aid partners had counted 19,000 people arriving in Idlib province. Others have gone to opposition-held parts of rural western Aleppo.

"We do not have independent U.N. access to the buses, so we've not been able to enter and talk to people; that does not take away from the protection concerns that we do have and continue to have," he added.Some 43 people were medically evacuated from east Aleppo on Monday, bringing the total to 301 since last Thursday, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said."Out of those 301, 93 patients were referred to hospitals in Turkey, others are in hospitals in Idlib and (opposition-held) western rural Aleppo," he said.

The vast majority have trauma injuries, and the sick and wounded include 67 children, he added.The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said there was no sign of a heavy influx of people fleeing Aleppo into neighbouring Turkey. "All the borders of Syria are very tightly managed at present. People, we understand, are being allowed to cross into Turkey when they come. But I think this is speculative as we are not yet seeing people move across in relation to what's happening in Aleppo," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By SKC Ogbonnia





Before assuming the presidency in May 2015, Muhammadu Buhari rightly proclaimed that corruption will kill Nigeria, unless Nigeria kills corruption. Unfortunately, however, after barely one year in office, a diverse segment of the population began to openly pray for the freedom of corruption in-so-far there is food on the table. By December 2016, the Nigerian Legislature answered by formally introducing a bill to amend the Constitution to grant its members immunity or, more plainly, the unrestrained freedom from prosecution against corrupt practices. As if the circus lacks in folly, the Senate followed by mysteriously rejecting the presidents nominee to head the war on corruption. But this whole dilemma has roots deeper than the ordinary eye can meet.



Not long ago, the transition to a democratic government in 1999 after years of military rule seemed like the ultimate game-changer. There was a semblance of freedom in most areas of national life. It then seemed the citizens had finally become free from the shackles of dictatorship that had strangled the country for ages. But dont hold your breath. A more complex problem soon emerged: The way the political elites conceived the freedom turned out to be upside-down. The crux of the matter is that the very practice of Nigerias democracy also allowed the leaders the freedom to do as they chose. In the process, they chose to revert back to the military style of dictatorship, leading to gross mismanagement of resources and human right abuses.

This culture of impunity under a democratic setting resulted in massive corruption. Different attempts by successive governments to combat the societal ill were openly frustrated at the courts where some unique tenets of freedom and rule of law were employed to produce unsavoury outcomes. Despite the fact that Nigeria was consistently ranked near the top of global corruption index, no major politician served a jail term in the African soil from 2008-2015, apart from the lone case of Olabode George. Not surprisingly, freedom of corruption became the order of the day. With the price of crude oil then already beginning to take a nose dive, it was only a matter of time before the national economy would crumble.

That was the exact situation in 2015 when the masses beckoned back Muhammad Buhari for salvation. For many, Buhari was a ramrod-straight ex-general whose austere image as well as anti-corruption track record were best suited to oust a weak and pliable incumbent president in Goodluck Jonathan.

Since assuming the office, however, Buharis war against corruption has been a vain pursuit. Any attempt by the president to introduce far-reaching anti-corruption measures is readily resisted, with the opposition always clinging to one form of freedom or the other. A current example is the issue of special courts being canvassed by the president to expedite corrupt cases. Of course, the delay in the courts has nothing to do with lack of human resources especially in a country where thousands of jobless lawyers roam the streets. The special courts, instead, are to de-oxidize the existing culture where judges and politicians combine to sustain freedom for corrupt leaders through frivolous adjournments, plea bargains, and state pardons. Regrettably, the critics of the special courts, most of who constitute the first line of defense for the corrupt oligarchy, quickly pounded on the president, digging out all sorts of legal jargon to ridicule the initiative. They would helm the argument by invoking the independence of the judicial branch and, of course, vitality to the broader democratic freedom. But while this warped notion of freedom may seem to favour those in the position of power, it is definitely failing Nigeria as a whole.

Freedom, no matter the essence, must not be antagonistic to the well-being of the citizenry. Besides, Nigeria must not base its rule of law solely on borrowed legal theories. Just as leadership is contingent upon the environment, the rule of law ought to take into considerations the prevailing conditions in the particular society or country. Nigeria is at a critical war with corruption and should explore extra-ordinary measures. Even the United States of America, a country that prides itself as the true bastion of freedom, had to adopt the USA Patriot Acta pervasive government control mechanism that allows intrusive checks at the airports. Though initially condemned as an infringement on civil liberties, the Act has been embraced for effective homeland security in response to the tragic incident of 9/11.

Lampooning only the opposition for the clog in the wheel of Buharis change agenda is an injustice to human conscience. The president has to share part of the blame. He effortlessly ruptured the balloon of public goodwill initially inflated by a cocktail of desire for change and the myth of a legendary track record. Apart from the slow pace of his government, Buhari forgot there is always a delicate balance between freedom and authority. His early missteps, particularly the mode of political appointments, the refusal to obey court orders, and lack of transparency, simply evoked a frightening nostalgia of the dictatorial tendencies that doomed his military regime. Such excesses, or rather abuse of freedom, coupled with the harsh economic condition on the ground, were all the corrupt oligarchy needed to gain the public support to subdue the president.

Today, the bulging optics is that the strongman elected to strengthen the system has been cowed into a weakling in office. That is how the opposition has been able to hoodwink many to now believe that freedom for corrupt politicians is a desirable compromise to stimulate the economy. That is how and why the president now appears to embrace the very culture of impunity that he was elected to decimate. Instances abound. But definitely mind-boggling are the manner he dropped charges for a clear case of forgery against the principal officers of the Senate, and the apparent freedom for corrupt politicians in return for part of their loot. What else is more? With the Executive branch already enjoying a corrupt freedom in the name of immunity, not many were shocked when the Nigerian Legislature formally introduced a bill to amend the Constitution to also grant its members the freedom from prosecution against corrupt practices.

These developments are utterly mystifying and only go to encourage criminal ingenuity rather than deterrence. Yet, dont count on a mass revolt. Given Nigerias recent past, any scheme masked with freedom is perceived with a sacred aura. But the masses must resist the gambit this time. Hope anchored through a corrupt premise, regardless of the inherent freedom, is a poisoned chalice.

The aim here is by no means to circumvent the role of freedom in democracy. Viewed in its totality, freedom is not only essential for democracy, it is also vitally important for any human or organizational development. But however indispensable it might seem, the cardinal truth is that in democracy as we know it, neither the freedom nor the liberty is rooted in an abstract sense where the leaders or the followers are free to do as they please.

Often ignored in the contemporary discussions of Nigerian democracy is the ageless adage: every coin has two sides. There are positive and negative kinds of freedom. On the one hand, positive freedom refers to where people are free to engage in endeavours towards the common good. It goes with moderation, responsibility, and accountability. Importantly, positive freedom is open to allnot just the sole province of the leaders themselves. On the other hand, negative freedom typifies the prevailing Nigerian situation where leaders freely engage in acts inimical to the common good. Such negative freedom allows Nigerian leaders to hide behind all sorts of rule of law to loot the public treasury without qualms.

Change does not come easy, especially in an environment where most processes are fraught with rules of law tightly woven with negative freedoms. Yet, there is hope. President Buhari can still reset by cautiously navigating through the prevailing rules of law while strengthening the system to wipe out the negative freedoms undermining the leadership processes. But any reset requires a change in style. What Nigerians sought and voted for in 2015 and hope to see today is a resolute, just, and transparent leader capable of demonstrating serious consequences for corrupt practices regardless of whose ox is gored.

*Ogbonnia, a leadership scholar, wrote from Houston, Texas, USA

Email: SKCOgbonnia@firsttexasenergy.com
One of the drawbacks of using iPhone is the non-availability of expandable storage and dual SIM support. However, it looks like Apple might add dual SIM functionality to the iPhone soon. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted Apple patent for dual SIM tech.



The patent describes System, apparatus, and method for controlling access to multiple antennas in mobile devices having multiple SIMs. It shows how the technology feature enables the use of two SIM cards in a mobile device and how the device determines SIM priority. If a SIM card is being actively used for a phone call in any given moment, that card is given priority over the second SIM that also actively uses data.

It must be noted that receiving a patent does not necessarily mean that Apple will use the technology. Dual SIM Android phones have a great demand in India and China. In addition to the USPTO patent, another document filed with Chinas State Intellectual Property Office (screenshot in Chinese below) describe a dual-SIM card feature for the iPhone.

Source| Via
Vodafone has launched its 4G LTE services in Maharashtra. It has already launched 4G services in Kerala, Karnataka, Kolkata, Delhi & NCR, Mumbai, Haryana, UP East, Gujarat, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Assam & North East circles.

It uses 2100MHz band in the circle and offers internet access via mobile, Mi-Fi and dongles. It is built on a strong fibre backhaul and is supported by its 3G services on a new and modern network.

As a limited period offer, customers buying greater than 1GB packs and all 4G RED customers will get twice the data allowance and unlimited local Vodafone to Vodafone Calls. It is also offering 3 months access to free TV, Movies & Videos on Vodafone Play as part of Vodafone 4G subscription.

Vodafone offers instant SIM swap at all Vodafone stores and select retail outlets, Vodafone subscribers can also check if their SIM / Phone is 4G compatible by sending an SMS <4GCHECK> to 199 and get Door-Step delivery of Postpaid SIMs by calling the call centre or sending an SMS <4GSIM > to 199. Users who upgrades SIM will also get 2GB data free.

Vodafone said that Maharashtra & Goa circle, is a focus and significant growth market for the company. To cater to the growing volumes of customer usage and their increasing need for speed, it has invested Rs. 10,880+ crore till date including Rs. 248 crore in H1 FY17 to expand, modernize and build a more technology and energy efficient network. Vodafone has a large retail footprint with 940 Vodafone branded stores spread across prominent localities in the circle.

Vodafone plans to launch its 4G services in Goa, Punjab, UP West, Chennai and Tamil Nadu soon. The company already confirmed that it will roll out 4G services in 2400 towns across the country by March 2017.

Commenting on the launch, Maharashtra, Ashish Chandra, Business HeadMaharashtra & Goa Circle, Vodafone India, said:

Maharashtra is a key market for Vodafone India and as one of the leading telecom service providers our 1.87 crore customers in the circle have a lot to look forward to. Building on our experience in Mumbai and now the launch in Nagpur, the winter capital of the state and a key centre for both trade and tourism, we will shortly expand the Vodafone SuperNetTM 4Gservice across the entire state in a phased manner. We invite our data savvy customers in the city to make the most of the bonanza of special benefits being offered to enjoy the best mobile internet experience.
What happened?

New York Community Bancorp (NYCB -1.38%) and Astoria Financial (AF) announced that both companies' boards had agreed not to extend the merger agreement, which is to be terminated as of January 1, 2017. This news comes after the bank's report that it did not expect to receive regulatory approval to close the deal before the end of the year.

Many investors were not big fans of this merger in the first place, as my colleague John Maxfield discussed in an article shortly after it was announced. For one thing, it was certain to push New York Community Bancorp, which has $49.5 billion in assets, over the $50 billion threshold that makes it the target of more intense regulatory attention and also translates to added compliance expenses.

Also, New York Community Bancorp has been one of the highest-paying bank stocks for some time. In an effort to remain under the $50 billion cap, the bank paid out a dividend yield of more than 5% for much of the past decade or so -- unheard of in the banking industry today. The dividend has already been cut once since the merger was announced, and there was widespread fear that further cuts were in the cards.

Finally, the main reason New York Community Bancorp has been so successful over the past few decades is that is has primarily focused on a lucrative market niche -- rent-controlled New York City apartment buildings. As a result, it has delivered mind-boggling returns to investors, and it has also run one of the most efficient and stable banking operations in the U.S.

Does it matter?

This absolutely changes the investment thesis from a long-term perspective. Now investors don't have to worry about the regulatory hurdles of the merger, and New York Community Bank can stay under the $50 billion threshold if it chooses to do so.

Most importantly, NYCB will not be diluting its ultra-efficient operation. The bank runs at an efficiency ratio of well under 50% (lower is better), while Astoria Financial and its 74% efficiency ratio was sure to change that. In addition, NYCB has some of the lowest delinquency and charge-off rates in the business, which are now secure.

The bottom line is that NYCB can now continue to be the NYCB investors have grown to love. Personally, I view the 2% drop on this announcement as a tremendous buying opportunity.
Procter & Gambles once popular ultra-soft Downy brand is facing a stiff reality: millennials dont use fabric softener.

As a result, sales of Downy's liquid softener have fallen 26% between 2007 and 2015, pushing the entire U.S. liquid softener category down 15%, according to Euromonitor.

During an investor meeting last month, Shailesh Jejurikar, P&G's President of Global Fabric Care, said millennials simply dont know what the product is for or think it is for a specific load.

P&G (NYSE:PG), which owns Downy and Gain and more than half of the $1.3 billion U.S. fabric softener market, is hoping to change that sentiment and reel in millennials  quickly.

While most households do laundry and use detergent for cleaning, only two-thirds use a fabric conditioner, Damon Jones, P&Gs communication director, told FOXBusiness.com, which means we do have an opportunity grow this business through benefit education.

That means teaching millennials the benefits of fabric softener, he said.

Millennials  different than previous generations, didnt grow up spending lots of time doing household chores or possibly didnt see the product used at home with the frequency which prior generations experienced, Jones said.

One way the company believes it will draw in the younger generation is through humor and technology. The companys new television ads feature a GoPro video captured inside a washing machine that it hopes will educate millennials and lure them into buying its products.

Zach Forsburg, 31, a Ph.D. student and lab instructor from Florida, says he already knows about the product but eschews it because of environmental issues.

I prefer to have as low of an impact on our waterways as possible, so I opt out of fabric softener. I use a natural detergent with tea tree oil. While there are some more environmentally friendly softener alternatives, I don't notice a difference with or without it, so I opt to not use it, he told FOXBusiness.com. I also wash in all cold water on the short cycle and line dry.

Samantha Winters, 33, a project manager at Renewal by Andersen of Central Pennsylvania, said she avoids it because her towels dont dry as well when she uses softener and she also thinks it deteriorates the fabric over time.

In the 1960s, Downy was hugely popular, mainly because of its ability to make clothes feel better and softer with less advanced washing machines. The smell was also a big hit, which it why some millennials still use it today.

I use Downy every time I do my laundry, mainly because I love how it smells, Ashley Boznanski Serino, 31, a sales assistant, told FOXBusiness.com. Andrea Spohn, a 32-year-old teacher from Chambersburg, Pa says Gain is her go-to detergent because of the smell and the softness her clothes have afterward.

P&G says that despite the slump, Downy is still the #1 fabric-conditioner brand in the world and the company is finally seeing an upswing in sales after years of decline.

Globally our business is up 8% over the past five years, indicating a positive consumer response, said Jones. He said the growth was partly due to a new innovation called scent beads, which the company introduced in 2014.

Scent beads today, he said, represent more than $250 million in annual global sales.
The tax laws give retirement savers several opportunities to earn tax benefits by saving for retirement. 457 plans are among the more obscure employer retirement plans, with 401(k) and 403(b) plans getting a lot more attention. However, 457 plans have the same high contribution limits in 2017, letting savers under age 50 put aside $18,000 and those 50 or older save $24,000 toward their retirement. Below, we'll take a closer look at what 457 plans are and whether you can use them to get a tax break on your retirement saving.

Image source: Getty Images.

How 457 plans work

Section 457 of the Internal Revenue Code covers deferred compensation plans for state and local government entities as well as any organization that is exempt from income tax. This potentially includes not only charitable organizations but also other tax-exempt organizations, such as 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations. Since only charitable 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible to use 403(b) plans as a retirement savings option for their employees, a 457 plan is often the best option for tax-exempts that don't qualify as public charities.

Just like other retirement plans, 457 plans can help workers get tax benefits for saving for retirement. With traditional 457 plans, workers can save money on a tax-deferred basis while excluding their contributions from income currently. That leads to an immediate tax reduction compared to what your tax bill would have been without the contribution. Also, taxes on interest, dividends, capital gains, and other investment income are deferred until you take withdrawals from your 457 plan account. Only when you withdraw your money will have to include the amount of the withdrawal as income for tax purposes.

Some employers offer Roth 457 plan accounts. Like most Roth-style retirement accounts, contributing to a Roth 457 plan doesn't give you an up-front tax break. However, it turns the interest, dividends, and gains that your investments generate within the account into tax-free income, even when you withdraw it during retirement.

The most special aspect of 457 plans

There is one feature that 457 plans offer that you won't find with 401(k) or 403(b) plans. There is a special provision that offers catch-up contributions that are enhanced compared to other retirement plans. For up to three years prior to reaching normal retirement age as specified in the plan, 457 plans can allow participants to contribute up to twice the annual limit. That means that if a plan specifies age 65 as the normal retirement age, then 62-, 63-, or 64-year-olds could contribute up to $36,000 in 2017 -- twice the standard $18,000 contribution.

However, that special catch-up provision is only available if participants failed to take advantage of their full ability to make contributions in past years. For instance, if a participant contributed the maximum amount each year except for one year in which the contribution was $3,000 less than the maximum, then the maximum catch-up under the special provision would be just $3,000 above the normal $18,000, or a total of $21,000. Moreover, the special catch-up provision is only available if you didn't take advantage of the standard age-50 catch-up contribution that most retirement plans now offer.

What else to know about 457 plans

Bear in mind that like many other retirement plans, 457 plans have investment options that are limited to what your employer provides for you. In some cases, that can make the 457 plan less than ideal, if the investments chosen charge high fees that detract from your total returns.

Even with that caveat, however, the benefit of getting to use a 457 plan to defer huge amounts of income can outweigh the downsides of higher costs. Typically, a 457 plan will give you at least one reasonable investment option that you can use to take advantage of its provisions.

457 plans aren't as common as 401(k) plans, but they play the same role in helping employees save more for retirement. If you work for an employer that offers a 457 plan, take a closer look to see whether the plan is good enough to let you reap the tax breaks it offers by letting you save more than you'd be able to save with IRAs or many other retirement savings options.

The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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Election Day 2016 didn't just bring a big change to the White House. It also heralded a major defeat for Altria Group (NYSE: MO), one that many believe could be a sign of even worse things to come not just for the Marlboro maker but for the entire U.S. cigarette industry. For Altria, however, the focus was on the West Coast, where California voters overwhelming supported a state ballot initiative that will result in a huge increase in state tobacco taxes. Given the importance of the California market, Altria, Reynolds American (NYSE: RAI), and other cigarette makers will all suffer as a result of their collective failure to persuade California voters to defeat the initiative.

Image source: U.S. Mint.

California's Proposition 56: How it hammered Altria and its peers

The tobacco industry has been a popular target for state governments seeking to raise revenue for various purposes, and the 2016 election season was no exception for Altria and its fellow manufacturers. Proposition 56 in California was designed to increase tobacco product taxes dramatically, taking anticipated revenue and using it to fund healthcare programs, tobacco use prevention and control programs, and disease research on tobacco-related illnesses, as well as some ancillary uses such as law enforcement, physician training, and dental disease prevention. Unlike advocates of similar provisions in some other states, California activists foresaw the potential for reduced cigarette consumption as a result of the higher tax, and they therefore put in fail-safe mechanisms to ensure level funding of existing programs supported by tobacco taxes currently.

The result of the vote left no doubt as to the magnitude of the tobacco industry's loss. About 63% of voters supported the proposition, rejecting the arguments that opponents of the proposition had made that the primary beneficiaries of the measure would be health insurance companies rather than other stakeholders. Instead, they seemed persuaded by familiar arguments that many have made nationwide in support of higher cigarette taxes, noting that encouraging quitting and discouraging younger people from smoking in the first place are worthy goals.

As a result of the vote, tobacco taxes will triple, with a $2 boost in the per-pack cigarette tax to $2.87 to take effect on April 1. Given that California is the nation's second-largest market, with about 8% of the country's total volume, the impact will be substantial.

What's to come for Altria and the cigarette industry

Just about the only good news for Altria, Reynolds American, and their peers was that things could have been worse. Similar ballot measures in North Dakota, Colorado, and Missouri went down to defeat. Yet the Colorado vote was much closer, and some fear that future efforts elsewhere could be more successful. In particular, Indiana Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma has said that a cigarette tax might be an integral part of a package to fund road maintenance and repair needs, and some believe that with Vice President-elect Mike Pence's move to Washington in January, higher taxes on tobacco could be easier to achieve in Indiana.

Still, longtime investors in Altria and Reynolds American have seen the two tobacco giants overcome long odds before. Cigarette taxes have climbed steadily across the nation, yet so far, the two companies have managed to find ways to implement price increases of their own in to offset the falling demand from higher taxes.

One new challenge, though, could come from California's initiative. The ballot proposition specifically included electronic cigarettes and other tobacco alternatives within their purview, closing off one potential strategy that Altria and its peers could have used in emphasizing reduced-risk products over traditional cigarettes. Both tobacco giants are likely to continue their work toward developing cigarette alternatives regardless of taxation, but both would clearly benefit if taxing authorities give those alternatives preferential treatment.

Higher taxes are never good news for companies, and the California ballot initiative's victory was a big defeat for Altria, Reynolds American, and other tobacco companies serving the Golden State. Investors will have to see whether other states move forward with similar initiatives in determining the long-term effect the measure could have on profitability going forward.

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International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Monday she does not intend to appeal her conviction in France on a negligence charge over a government payout she approved as French finance minister.

"I have been held negligent, but without penalty, without sanction, without registration of the decision. I am not satisfied with it, but there's a point in time when one has to just stop, turn the page and move on and continue to work with those who have put their trust in me," Lagarde said in a statement she read to reporters at IMF headquarters in Washington.

"So I'm very happy to not appeal this decision and to focus all my attention, all my time, all my efforts, all my energy and enthusiasm to my mission as head of the IMF," she added.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Retirement might seem like a far-off milestone when you're in your 40s. It's easy to forget about retirement when you're deep in the throes of mortgage payments and child care expenses, but in reality, your 40s are a key time to focus on saving for the future. Here's what you need to do today to set yourself up for a financially secure retirement.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

1. Get rid of bad debt

You'd think millennials would be the ones guilty of having the most credit card debt, but actually, that not-so-coveted title goes to those in the 45- to 54-year-old bracket. Recent data from ValuePenguin reveals that Americans in this age group owe more than $9,000 on average. If you're carrying bad debt, you'll need to start chipping away at whatever you owe so that it's not hanging over your head as retirement nears.

Furthermore, the sooner you pay off your debt, the less money you'll end up wasting on interest charges. Imagine you're carrying a $5,000 balance on a card charging 18% per year. (Many cards, for the record, charge even more.) If it takes you five years to pay that off, you'll wind up spending an extra $2,600 on interest fees alone.

On the other hand, if you work on minimizing your expenses to pay off that debt in a year's time, you'll spend just $500 on interest -- a $2,100 difference. And, if you then take that $2,100, invest it, and generate an average annual 8% return with a stock-focused portfolio, you can turn it into almost $9,800 over 20 years -- a far better alternative than giving it away to your credit card company.

2. Max out your retirement plan contributions (or get as close as possible)

Your 40s are a critical time to start pumping money into your retirement account. Though you'll be subject to an annual limit of $5,500 for an IRA and $18,000 for a 401(k), hitting the max for either type of account can make a huge difference in your ending balance, especially if you're planning to retire in your mid-60s or later.

Imagine you're able to contribute $18,000 a year to your 401(k) for the next 20 years. (Once you hit age 50, you'll have a chance to put in even more, but we'll stick with an annual $18,000 contribution since it's a pretty impressive figure on its own.) If you focus your investments on stocks and generate an average annual 8% return, you'll have about $824,000 by the time retirement rolls around. Of course, most of us can't afford to part with $18,000 a year, but saving even half of that under the same circumstances would give you roughly $412,000 two decades from now.

Now if you're in your 40s but have yet to start saving for retirement (which is the case for many Americans), it means you've already lost out on a good 20 years of compounding. It's therefore all the more crucial that you take steps to catch up, even if it means cutting back on expenses to free up extra cash to save.

Furthermore, if you wait until your 50s to focus on retirement savings, you stand to amass a lot less by the time you're ready to leave the workforce. Even though the annual contribution limits for retirement accounts are higher for Americans 50 and older, waiting five to 10 years means losing out on even more growth opportunity.

Say you start putting $24,000 a year (currently the 401(k) limit for those 50 and older) into a retirement account at age 55 and want to retire 10 years later. Let's also be optimistic and say your investments generate an average annual 8% return -- even though you should ideally shift a larger portion of your portfolio out of stocks by the time you're within five years of retirement. By age 65, you'll have about $348,000. While that's not a small amount of money, it's less than what you would've accumulated by saving $9,000 a year starting at age 45. The point here is that the earlier you start saving, the more opportunity you'll have to grow your wealth, so if you can't max out your retirement contributions in your 40s, do whatever you can to get as close as possible.

3. Explore dividend stocks

Your portfolio should remain largely stock-focused when you're in your 40s, as you still have several decades to ride out whatever stock market volatility comes your way between now and retirement. But if you're going to put your money in stocks, it pays to consider dividend stocks that you can hold until and during retirement. Remember, dividend payments can serve as a steady source of income for retirees, and if you reinvest your dividends along the way, you stand to gain even more.

Another thing to keep in mind about dividend stocks is that they've historically outperformed their non-dividend-paying counterparts. And that makes sense, because companies that pay dividends tend to be established businesses with strong, sustainable competitive advantages and solid earnings -- the type of companies that are best positioned to withstand volatility and economic downturns. If you're willing to give dividend stocks a shot but aren't sure where to begin, check out these strong contenders to add to your portfolio.

While you may still have a number of working years until retirement, now's the time to take advantage of whatever savings opportunities you have. A few smart moves in your 40s could set the stage for financial success down the line.

The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

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.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) says that its new F-Series Super Duty pickups, first launched in September, are off to a strong start -- even stronger than it had expected.The early success of the new big pickup line has implications (good ones) for Ford's fourth-quarter earnings report. Here's why.

A 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty Lariat equipped with the expensive -- and popular -- diesel engine option. Image source: Ford Motor Company.

Sales are up, and buyers are choosing loaded models

Ford doesn't break out Super Duty sales from its overall F-Series sales reports. But it did say in a statement on Monday that total sales of the new-for-2017 Super Duty models were up 24% in November from a year ago -- and retail sales were up 33%.

The retail-fleet distinction is significant. The Super Duty is popular with commercial-fleet operators, and Ford views that as good, profitable business -- but retail sales are where the biggest profits-per-truck are usually realized. That's because retail buyers tend to opt for upscale trim lines with more luxury and convenience features, and those are the most profitable trucks for Ford.

Ford's typical practice when launching a new model is to emphasize higher-level trims in early production to maximize profitability while the product is in highest demand. But demand for loaded Super Duty trucks has exceeded the company's expectations, Ford officials said.

High-tech features and dieselmodels are in strong demand at retail

The new Super Duty in five trim levels, from XL to Platinum. Generally, the highest volumes are at the lower tiers. But Ford said that the top three trim lines -- Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum -- accounted for 71% of retail Super Duty sales in November, and that trend has been consistent since the new truck's launch and into December.

That's a big deal. While an F-250 XL starts at $32,535, the starting price on a top-tier F-250 Platinum is about $30,000 higher ($62,110) -- and options like an $8,000 diesel engine package can take that price over $70,000. (That may sound like an expensive diesel, but Ford said that about 80% of retail Super Duty buyers have opted for the diesel so far.)

That's a lot of money for a pickup truck. But Ford says that, at least so far, its retail truck buyers have been willing to pay up because of the new Super Duty's unique emphasis on high-tech features. Ford went to great lengths to include features like adaptive cruise control to its big trucks by optimizing them for specific use cases, like towing a heavy trailer. And it created a special system to help guide a driver when backing up the truck to connect to a trailer.

Ford's new Trailer Reverse Guidance system, optional on the Super Duty, aims to simplify the daunting task of connecting a big pickup truck to a trailer. Image source: Ford Motor Company.

At least one dealer thinks that the Super Duty's emphasis on useful technology is drawing a lot of new buyers. "The technology features in the new F-Series trucks, in particular the all-new 2017 Super Duty, are generating even greater interest," said Chaz Gilmore, the managing partner of Grapevine Ford Lincoln, near Dallas, Texas, as quoted in a Ford statement. "This truck is bringing a lot of new buyers out of competitive brands and into the Ford family."

Ford officials say they're discovering that heavy-duty truck customers on the high-end retail side have been waiting for this kind of technology, which hasn't been available on the biggest pickups. That's drawing a lot of them to Ford dealers right now.

Ford's investment in tech as a differentiator in trucks is paying off here

A Ford official told me that average transaction prices on the 2017 Super Duty since its launch have been just over $60,000, up about $10,000 from what the outgoing model was averaging before the 2017's launch.

There's a lot of profit for Ford in the difference, and that bodes well for the Blue Oval's fourth-quarter result.

10 stocks we like better than Ford When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

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John Rosevear owns shares of Ford. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford. 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.
Fast-food stock investors endured volatile returns in 2016. Former market darling Chipotle (NYSE: CMG) slumped while industry kingpin McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) grew just slightly. Restaurant Brands, which owns the Burger King and Tim Hortons franchises, trounced rivals by posting a 29% stock price gain. Meanwhile, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell operator Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) surged higher as it spun off its China business.

The industry is likely to remain intensely competitive in 2017, and that dynamic will favor companies that have well-established brands and powerful operating strengths. There's also room for disruptors like Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK)to potentially carve out a significant niche for themselves. Let's take a look at some of the biggest fast-foods stocks and some of the most promising to see which might make attractive buys heading into 2017.

Top fast-food stocks

Fast-Food Stock Market Cap Sales Growth Profit Margin P/E Ratio McDonald's $102 billion (2%) 31% 23 Yum! Brands $23 billion (2%) 17% 23 Chipotle $11 billion (14%) 3% 157 Panera (NASDAQ: PNRA) $5 billion 3% 9% 35 Shake Shack $1 billion 29% 11% 75 Restaurant Brands $11 billion 1% 37% 40

Sales growth and profit margin are for the trailing 12 months. P/E = price-to-earnings. Data source: YCharts.

Growth standouts

Industry growth started out weak in early 2016 and only slowed down as the year progressed. That tough dynamic means comparable-store sales gains -- increasing sales at existing locations -- will be critical to powering long-term investor returns from here.

McDonald's is enjoying a nice rebound on this score thanks to starting all-day breakfast in late 2015. Comps increased 3.5% last quarter, up slightly from the 3.1% mark in the previous quarter, and are on pace to rise by just less than 3% for the full 2016 year. Shake Shack appears set for solid, but not especially strong, growth. The burger joint upstart is forecasting comps up roughly 2.5% in 2017, down from the 4.5% increase it's estimating for this year.

Image source: Panera Bread.

Yet Panera could see some of the industry's best comps in the new year, perhaps on par with the 3.4% increase it posted for the third quarter. After all, the company has invested heavily on initiatives like digital ordering, catering, and delivery while revamping its menu to reflect customer demands for healthier, less processed food.

With the costs of these projects mostly behind them, CEO Ron Shaich and his executive team now can reap the benefits by soaking up market share while sustaining a projected double-digit profit increase in 2017.

Profitability leaders

For the greatest potential for market-thumping earnings growth, consider Yum! Brands and Shake Shack. Yum!'s restaurant-level operating margin is an impressive 22% in its Taco Bell franchise, and its KFC segment is no slouch either, as profitability is up nearly a full percentage point this year, to 15% of sales.

Image source: Getty Images.

Shake Shack is the clear winner in this matchup, though. Restaurant-level profit weighed in at 29% of sales last quarter, which matches Chipotle's peak figures from 2015. The burrito chain's operating margin sank to 14% recently in the wake of its food safety problems.

Shake Shack is still firmly in growth mode, with plans to add 22 new locations in 2017, up from 19 launches in 2016. That means most of its restaurant-level profits will be plowed back into the business. However, with moderate menu-price increases set to roll out over the next few months, Shake Shack could see its leading operating profit tick even higher.

Sticking with the winners

A final recommendation for a top fast-food stock comes under Golden Arches. Investors seeking stable returns can put McDonald's on the top of their watch list. Its cash-generating abilities are unmatched, even during times of stress on the business. Revenue fell 10% in 2015, for example, but operating cash ticked down by only 3% as the fast-food titan produced $4.5 billion of net earnings.

Its heavily franchised business model means it won't ever post the kinds of surging profits that Chipotle did for most of 2015. But that setup also insulates the business from swings in demand, which is how Mickey D's was able to fund a solid boost to its dividend this year following 2015's weak sales results. There are good reasons why McDonald's dominates the fast-food industry decades after its peak store-expansion period. And thesesame factors are likely to allow the company to soak up more than its fair share of fast-food profits in the coming years.

10 stocks we like better than McDonald's When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and McDonald's wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016

Demitrios Kalogeropoulos owns shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill and McDonald's. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread. The Motley Fool is short Shake Shack. 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.
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey warned Tuesday that any effort by President-elect Donald Trump to roll back renewable energy regulations will face fierce opposition from a newly galvanized environmental movement.

The Massachusetts Democrat said he's particularly concerned about the Republican president-elect's nominees for secretary of state  Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson  and director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.

Tillerson is a lifelong oil executive with deep ties to Russia. Pruitt has questioned the science of global warming and sued the EPA over plans to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Markey said he feared Republican control of the White House and Congress could spark efforts to roll back tax breaks for solar and wind energy and curb clean water or clear air regulations. In Massachusetts alone, he said, there are 100,000 people employed in the renewable energy sector.

Markey said he was also concerned about Trump's pick to run the Energy Department  former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. When he was a candidate for president in 2011, Perry pledged to eliminate the department. Perry also sits on the boards of two petroleum companies.

Markey called the appointments "a big oil all-star team."

"President Trump has not named a Cabinet," Markey told reporters during an afternoon press conference. "President Trump is naming a cartel to be the leaders of energy and environment policy in the United States."

Markey sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and vowed to put Tillerson under "very tough, close questions" when he comes before the committee, especially about potential conflicts of interest with Russia.

Markey said Democrats are going make sure public health is at the top of the priorities they are going to fight to protect under a Trump administration.

While Democrats are in the minority in Congress, Markey said he's hopeful they'll be able to peel off some Republicans to fight attempts to curb environmental regulations.

Asked if those efforts to resist changes to environmental laws could include lawsuits or protests, Markey said, "All of the above."

"Republicans historically have underestimated the power of the environmental community in the United States," Markey said. "We are going to see a level of activism in the environmental movement that we have never seen before."
Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA called on Tuesday for the aviation industry to set limits on state funding of aircraft development, a day after Brazil said it would challenge Canada over government support for rival Bombardier Inc .

Embraer Chief Executive Paulo Cesar Silva said the aviation industry's standards for export financing by state banks had worked well to promote fair competition between Embraer, Bombardier and larger peers Boeing and Airbus .

"If the industry can establish a framework for aircraft development financing similar to what we have for export financing, then we'll have a level playing field," Silva told journalists.

The timing may be tough for an industry accord, however, after Brazil said on Monday it would dispute investments made by the province of Quebec in Bombardier's CSeries, which helped to develop a direct competitor for Embraer's E-195.

Silva said the capital injection had helped Bombardier sell the CSeries at cut-rate prices to Delta Air Lines Inc in April and there were signs of similarly aggressive pricing in other ongoing U.S. sales campaigns.

Bombardier did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The latest standoff at the World Trade Organization (WTO) recalls nearly a decade of sparring between Brazil and Canada over state financing for Embraer and Bombardier's exports. Silva's comments on the rules that settled those disputes shows the Brazilians may be looking ahead to industry-wide talks.

Silva said it is especially important to set limits as new entrants from Russia, Japan and China are challenging Embraer's and Bombardier's duopoly in the regional jet market, in some cases with generous government backing.

"This is a market that can barely fit two players. Five is impossible," Silva said.

Making matters worse, Silva said demand in the aviation industry is passing through a softer cycle, making 2017 a challenging year.

Structural changes to the executive aviation market, with the rise of fractional ownership companies such as NetJets in the United States, have also given buyers more leverage in an already weak market for new private jets, Silva said.

Embraer shares fell 2 percent on Silva's downbeat outlook to their lowest in two months.

One bright spot for Embraer is the defense division, which is expected to start delivering the new KC-390 military cargo jet to the Brazilian Air Force in 2018. Jackson Schneider, head of Embraer's defense division, told journalists he expected to book another order for the KC-390 in 2017.

(Reporting by Brad Haynes; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Arnold Schwarzenegger is hoping his turn at bat on the NBC series The Celebrity Apprentice will be judged on the merit of the show and not the shadow of its former host -- the man who will soon be the United States 45th president.

"I hope everyone chills and just sees the show for what it is, Schwarzenegger told The Hollywood Reporter.

Donald Trump will step into the White House on Jan. 20, but Celebrity Apprentice will premiere Jan. 2. There's been buzz about Trump retaining an executive producer credit on the NBC show.

The Governator said the uproar about Trump's executive producer credit is only good for the series.

"I come from a marketing mentality, and the most important thing is that every American knows this show is coming on," he said.

The 69-year-old former California Governor told THR he reached out to his CAA agent when Trump left the series.

"It seemed like he was going to do that for another 4,000 years," Schwarzenegger said, adding, "I always thought it would be interesting to sit there, but I never thought it would happen."

For 14 seasons at the helm, Trumps most recent season on Apprentice delivered an impressive 2.4 rating among adults 18 to 49 and almost 8 million viewers  and that was prior to the spotlight the show now has beaming on it.

Apprentice is currently building anticipation and buzz by keeping the new catch phrase -- set to replace the signature Youre fired-- very tight lipped.

"We narrowed it down to like eight of my sayings from the movies and one other option, but even I don't know yet," says Schwarzenegger.

In a tweet from Trumps adviser Kellyanne Conway on Dec. 10, a suggestion was made that the President-elect would make an appearance on the show. Trump vehemently denied the idea.
Leah Remini raised the explosive topic of the mysterious disappearance of Shelly Miscavige in a special episode of her A&E series, "Scientology and the Aftermath" on Monday night.

During the hour that was called "Ask Me Anything," Remini answered fan questions via Reddit AMA about various Scientology topics. And the former "King of Queens" star didn't hold back as she continued to hammer the Church she left in 2013 after having been a member since childhood.

At the end of Monday's show, Remini read the most controversial viewer question of all --where do you think Shelly Miscavige is?

Shelly, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige (who is also a close friend of Tom Cruise, the Church's most famous member), allegedly hasn't been seen in public for years. Remini was so alarmed that she questioned guests at Cruise's 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes about Shelly's whereaboutswhich reportedly outraged Scientology members. In 2013, Remini filed a missing person report regarding Shelly with the Los Angeles Police Department.

It's been reported that detectives closed the missing person case after saying they had met with Shelly in person.

However, Remini continues to wonder about the well-being of the Scientology boss' wife.

On her Monday A&E episode, ex-Scientologist Mike Rinder said that for a long time, Shelly was at a property the Church owned near Lake Arrowhead in California.

"She was sent there when she displeased David Miscavige," Rinder claimed.

Remini asked, "Why, Mike, why?"

He replied, "Shelly was privy to everything that went on with Dave."

Remini exclaimed, "Which is why I filed my police report," adding, "Which, by the way, I'm still following up on because there's still answers that I need.

"I do NOT know that she is alive.

"I do not know that she's not being held against her will. I do not know these things and so if the Church produces her, by bringing her to an eventeven if she went on a program and said, 'Hi, Leah Remini. Go f--k yourself,' I'd be happy to know that she was alive. The police department should say, 'Yes, we've seen her.' No, I wasn't told that. I was told that a representative saw her or spoke to her," the actress told the cameras.

Rinder commented, "That is what they managed to convince the LAPD of."

Remini vowed, "I'm going to continue to get and gather information."

As the show noted, the Church has stated the police report was filed in bad faithand Scientology has also challenged the credibility of Remini and all the contributors to her series. In fact, the Church has said on a website it launched to slam her claims, "Leah Remini's 'reality show'....is nothing more than a scripted, rehearsed, acted and dramatized work of fiction. She and the other anti-Scientologists in her program have been expelled from the Church for unethical conduct."

In responding to fan questions, the actress said that Scientologists are brainwashed and taught to believe "by turning you in" for supposed infractions, "they are helping you."

Later, Remini urged viewers to Google "Scientology and coerced abortions," amongst other topics.

Still, Remini admitted she misses the certainty Scientology gave her, remembering she was taught that, "Scientology is the answer.It's going to cost you a quarter of a million dollars minimum, but we have the answers.' "

Remini calls her show a "David and Goliath" mission and on Monday night, told viewers she's going to next focus on "the children who have been affected by this abusive organization and I want to get their stories.once you know something, you have the responsibility to do something about it."
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera praised an 11-year-old girl on Tuesday for her "depth and maturity" after she said in a recent TV interview that she wants to give birth to the baby who was conceived when she was raped by her mother's partner.

Pinera's comments caused anger on social media in a case that has ignited a heated national debate over abortion in one of Latin America's most socially-conservative nations. Abortions, even for medical reasons and in the case of rape, are illegal since Gen. Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.

Pinera's government has opposed any easing of the ban.

"I've asked the health minister to personally look after the (girl's) health," Pinera said. "She's 14 weeks pregnant, and yesterday she surprised us all with words showing depth and maturity, when she said that, despite the pain caused by the man who raped her, she wanted to have and take care of her baby."

The girl was repeatedly raped over the course of two years by her mother's partner who has been arrested and has confessed to abusing the fifth grader. Her mother shocked Chileans recently when she defended him saying his relationship was consensual. The case was brought to police by the pregnant child's maternal grandmother in the remote southern city of Puerto Montt.

"It will be like having a doll in my arms," the girl whose face was obscured during the interview, told local Canal 13. "I'm going to love the baby very much, even though it comes from that man who hurt me."

Chile remains firmly conservative in social matters four decades after the dictatorship. This latest case highlights the chasm within Latin America, a mostly Catholic and social conservative region that has seen several high-profile instances of social changes. Several countries have legalized sex-same marriages.

Chile legalized divorce in 2004, becoming one of the last in the world to grant married couples that right. The Chilean Senate rejected three bills last year that would have eased the absolute ban on abortion.

Pinera said his government is concerned about protecting the girl's health.

But experts say the girl's life is at risk and that she is not prepared to take a decision about her pregnancy.

"At that age the girl doesn't have a capacity of discernment, not even at age 14 would she have the mental and emotional capacity to discern this," said Giorgio Agostini, a forensic psychologist who has worked on dozens of child sex abuse cases.

"It's very likely that she is saying that she wants to have the baby like a living doll. We've seen this in other investigations," Agostini said. "So what the president is saying doesn't get close to the psychological truth of an 11-year-old-girl. It's a subjective view that is not based on any scientific reasoning to support it."

Former President Michelle Bachelet, the frontrunner in the Nov. 17 presidential elections, favors legalizing abortion in cases of rape or risks to the health of the pregnant woman or the child. The pediatrician who spent the past several years heading the U.N. agency for women, also referred to the child's case in a recent interview.

"She's a girl who needs to be protected and therefore I think a therapeutic abortion, in this case because of rape, would be in order," Bachelet told local Radio ADN.

In Latin America, only Cuba, Uruguay and some local governments make early abortions accessible to all women. Uruguay recently passed a law authorizing elective abortions in the first three months of pregnancy in the most liberal law of its kind in Latin America. Many countries in the region outlaw abortion in all circumstances.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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She is a national television personality, best-selling author, ordained minister and licensed psychologist. But at one point during her lifes journey, Dr. Robin L. Smith had to painfully come face-to-face with the harsh reality that deep within her soul, she was emotionally starving. Overcome with fear, depression and hunger, Smith began her push to find her true self.



Her latest book, Hungry: The Truth About Being Full is a provocative look at how Smith had to take a look at what was causing her to feel empty inside and how she could start healing that malnourishment. The book is meant to help people all over the world to peel back layers of doubt, fear, uncertainty and superficiality to uncover their authentic selves.

Smith has recently appeared with Oprah Winfrey on her uplifting Super Soul Sunday on OWN to discuss these very issues. She joins us now on MY Lifestyle Extra to explain emotional anorexia and what we can do about it.

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A woman in Tennessee filed a complaint with the Tennessee Department of Health after she said a doctor told her that her back pain was caused by her ghetto booty.

I think I blacked out after he said ghetto booty. I think my mind was just stuck on the phrase because I couldnt believe he said that, Terry Ragland, 55, said.

Ragland said she had been to the doctors office several times before, but this was the first time she had seen this particular doctor. The doctor ordered x-rays for her, then returned with the diagnosis.

Ragland said she complained to the office manager, who apologized. Then, a few weeks later she received a letter from Dr. Timothy Sweo himself.

In the letter, Sweo said, I was trying to take technical conversation regarding your lower back and make it less technical.

The letter offended Ragland, though, because she felt he didnt believe she had enough intellect to understand his more technical explanation of her lower back pain. Sweo said Ragland has lumbar lordosis, which is a fancy name for the curve of the lower spine that makes the buttocks protrude more.

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If you dont want to lose it, you better use it.

New research boosts the "use it or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp, showing that people who delay retirement have less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia.

According to the French study, which included nearly half a million participants, working tends to keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged  all things known to help prevent mental decline.

"For each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent," said Carole Dufouil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government's health research agency.

She led the study and gave results Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston.

About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million have Alzheimer's  1 in 9 people aged 65 and over. What causes the mind-robbing disease isn't known and there is no cure or any treatments that slow its progression.

France has had some of the best Alzheimer's research in the world, partly because its former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, made it a priority. The country also has detailed health records on self-employed people who pay into a Medicare-like health system.

Researchers used these records on more than 429,000 workers, most of whom were shopkeepers or craftsmen such as bakers and woodworkers. They were 74 on average and had been retired for an average of 12 years.

Nearly 3 percent had developed dementia but the risk of this was lower for each year of age at retirement. Someone who retired at 65 had about a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to someone retiring at 60, after other factors that affect those odds were taken into account, Dufouil said.

To rule out the possibility that mental decline may have led people to retire earlier, researchers did analyses that eliminated people who developed dementia within 5 years of retirement, and within 10 years of it.

"The trend is exactly the same," suggesting that work was having an effect on cognition, not the other way around, Dufouil said.

France mandates retirement in various jobs  civil servants must retire by 65, she said. The new study suggests "people should work as long as they want" because it may have health benefits, she said.

June Springer, who just turned 90, thinks it does. She was hired as a full-time receptionist at Caffi Plumbing & Heating in Alexandria, Va., eight years ago.

"I'd like to give credit to the company for hiring me at that age," she said. "It's a joy to work, being with people and keeping up with current events. I love doing what I do. As long as God grants me the brain to use I'll take it every day."

Heather Snyder, director of medical and scientific operations for the Alzheimer's Association, said the study results don't mean everyone needs to delay retirement.

"It's more staying cognitively active, staying socially active, continue to be engaged in whatever it is that's enjoyable to you" that's important, she said.

"My parents are retired but they're busier than ever. They're taking classes at their local university, they're continuing to attend lectures and they're continuing to stay cognitively engaged and socially engaged in their lives."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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There is growing concern in Texas that its new abortion legislation, approved last week by the state legislature, could prompt women to turn to a shady miscarriage-inducing pill that is widely available south of the border.

Misoprostol, locally coined as the pill that brings a womans period back, can easily be found at pharmacies immediately beyond the Texas-Mexico border, as well as under the rug at some Texas flea markets.

The generic box of 28 pills is only $35, while the brand Cytotec can be had for $175  an abortion procedure in the U.S. typically costs around $400.

The women see it as a pill to make my period come, Whole Womans Health Vice President Andrea Ferrigno told The New York Times. Often in their minds, its not abortion.

Although it is not as easy to obtain north of the border, Misoprostol is not an uncommon drug in the United States. Paired with a steroid, the drug is used in legal abortive practices within the first nine weeks of pregnancy with a 95 percent success rate. It is also used to prevent gastric ulcers.

The unregulated use of Misoprostol could potentially be dangerous to womens health, though. According to the Times, some pharmacists doling out the drug in Mexico dont know how it is properly used, while others recommend practices that doctors say could be unsafe.

When used improperly, especially in the later stages of pregnancy, Misoprostol can cause serious bleeding or a partial abortion, according to the Times interview with Ibis Reproductive Health Vice President, Dr. Dan Grossman.

Last week, the Texas Senate approved anti-abortion legislation that includes such measures as not allowing women to get abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and requiring abortion clinics to be held at the same standards as hospital-style surgical centers. Some people think that the financial burden of upgrading facilities will force many abortion clinics to shut down.

Republican State Senator Glenn Hegar said he didnt mean to force the termination of clinics, but instead to increase the quality of care for Texas women.

If the legislation clears any and all legal battles that may arise, the clinics will need to upgrade their facilities by September 1, 2014. The only two abortion clinics available to residents of south Texas, which perform about 3,500 abortions every year combined, will have to close their doors if they can't come up with the funds.

This would make things difficult for low-income women in the region, who would then need to make a trip to San Antonio, the nearest clinic four hours away. Traveling to Mexico to buy relatively cheap pills would be simpler.

Lucy Felix, a community educator for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, told the Times that many of the women she works with "do not have legal residency and cannot drive north in Texas through Border Patrol checkpoints or even cross the southern border to buy the pill directly for fear that they may not be able to return to their families in Texas.

The only option left for many women will be to go get those pills at a flea market, Felix told the Times. Some of them will end up in the E.R.

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Smoking leads to cancer, but it also may help doctors discover it in a person's body.

An experimental surgical knife can help surgeons make sure they've removed all the cancerous tissue, doctors reported Wednesday. Surgeons typically use knives that heat tissue as they cut, producing a sharp-smelling smoke. The new knife analyzes the smoke and can instantly signal whether the tissue is cancerous or healthy.

Now surgeons have to send the tissue to a lab and wait for the results.

Dr. Zoltan Takats of Imperial College London suspected the smoke produced during cancer surgery might contain some important cancer clues. So he designed a "smart" knife hooked up to a refrigerator-sized mass spectrometry device on wheels that analyzes the smoke from cauterizing tissue.

The smoke picked up by the smart knife is compared to a library of smoke "signatures" from cancerous and non-cancerous tissues. Information appears on a monitor: green means the tissue is healthy, red means cancerous and yellow means unidentifiable.

To make sure they've removed the tumor, surgeons now send samples to a laboratory while the patient remains on the operating table. It can take about 30 minutes to get an answer in the best hospitals, but even then doctors cannot be entirely sure, so they often remove a bit more tissue than they think is strictly necessary.

If some cancerous cells remain, patients may need to have another surgery or undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

"(The new knife) looks fabulous," said Dr. Emma King, a head and neck cancer surgeon at Cancer Research U.K., who was not connected to the project. The smoke contains broken-up bits of tumor tissue and "it makes sense to look at it more carefully," she said.

The new knife and its accompanying machines were made for about 250,000 ($380,000) but scientists said the price tag would likely drop if the technology is commercialized.

The most common treatment for cancers involving solid tumors is removing them in surgery. In the U.K., one in five breast cancer patients who have surgery will need further operations to get rid of the tumor entirely.

Scientists tested the new knife at three hospitals between 2010 and 2012. Tissue samples were taken from 302 patients to create a database of which kinds of smoke contained cancers, including those of the brain, breast, colon, liver, lung and stomach.

That was then used to analyze tumors from 91 patients; the smart knife correctly spotted cancer in every case. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The research was paid for by groups including Imperial College London and the Hungarian government.

At a demonstration in London on Wednesday, doctors used the new knife  which resembles a fat white pen  to slice into slabs of pig's liver. Within minutes, the room was filled with an acrid-smelling smoke comparable to the fumes that would be produced during surgery on a human patient.

Takats said the knife would eventually be submitted for regulatory approval but that more studies were planned. He added the knife could also be used for other things like identifying tissues with bad blood supply and identifying the types of bacteria present.

Some experts said the technology could help eliminate the guesswork for doctors operating on cancer patients. "Brain cancers are notorious for infiltrating into healthy brain tissue beyond what's visible to the surgeon," said Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. "If this can definitively tell doctors whether they've removed all the cancerous tissue, it would be very valuable," he said.

Still, Lichtenfeld said more trials were needed to prove the new knife would actually make a significant difference to patients. Early enthusiasm for new technologies hasn't always panned out, he said, citing the recent popularity of robotic surgery as an example.

"It expanded very rapidly but is now hitting some bumps along the road," he said.

Lichtenfeld said it's unclear whether more widespread use of the smart knife will actually help patients live longer and said studies should also look into whether the tool cuts down on patient's surgery times, their blood loss and rate of wound infections.

"This is a fascinating science and we need to adopt any technology that works to save patients," Lichtenfeld said. "But first we have to be sure that it works."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Its a boy! And four girls for Bianca and Jose Garcia.

Last week, a Sioux City, Iowa couple welcomed a healthy set of quintuplets at a Nebraska hospital.

The five babies were born last Thursday three weeks early, at 28 weeks, via a Caesarian section at Women's Methodist Hospital in Omaha. They are the third set of quintuplets in Nebraska history.

Essentially, the first goal for Bianca was to make it to 24 weeks, her perinatologist, Todd Lovgren, said. Thats when babies are more likely to survive. The next is 25 weeks, and our third goal was 28 weeks. The babies are still critically ill at that point, but thats when we can start addressing complications instead of just their survival.

Adding that Bianca handled the high-risk pregnancy well and at this point while all things look fantastic, Lovgran added that this could change in the course of a day.

Shes got a strong mind, spirit and heart. You need a lot of faith as well, and Bianca has that, said Lovgren. Shes a fairly petite woman too, so her risks were higher, but she did it all with such grace, she just did fantastic.

According to the hospital, all five of the little ones were born from separate eggs so none are twins.

The babies, girls Rosalyn, Marah, Jimena and Arleth, and boy Christobal, are expected to go home within two to two-and-a-half months.

Already parents to 9-year-old Jose and 7-year-old Abrahan, the Garcias were no way prepared when they heard the news theyd be having multiples.

"With our first ultrasound, the doctor said we'd be having three children," Bianca, 30, said in a phone interview with the Sioux City Journal Monday from the hospital. "But we went back a week later and they said we'd be having two more. We were just in shock."

For her husband, Jose, 32, this pregnancy was a game changer.

Before, when she was pregnant, she was able to take care of our oldest son as well, Jose said. But shes been in the hospital since 18 weeks, so Ive had to do a lot as well. It was more work, just different.

Jose Garcia said now everyone is just trying to return to normal.

Once were all home well settle down into a normal routine, and then things will settle down, he said.

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New Mexican lawmakers say more has to be done to investigate and determine why a rare brain and spinal disorder disproportionately affects, and has for centuries, Hispanics residing in their state.

Over 1.5 million people all over the country are afflicted by the potentially deadly condition, called Cerebral Cavernous Malformation, but the disease is oddly concentrated in this specific demographic.

The malformation occurs when abnormal blood vessels form angiomas, or clusters, in the brain or spinal cord. If the angiomas bleed or experience pressure from pushing against structures in the central nervous system, the consequences range from headaches to seizures, neurological deficits or hemorrhages.

According to Senator Tom Udall (D  NM), the Spanish immigrants that settled the New Mexico area in the 1580s carried the disease, and it has since been passed down from generation to generation. As a result, the rare disorder primarily plagues New Mexican Hispanics.

Since there has been little research on the rare disease, it cannot be determined exactly how many New Mexico Hispanics are affected by it, but the number is estimated to be in the thousands.

Very little is known about this genetic disease that disproportionately affects Hispanic New Mexicans, but can result in seizure, stroke and death, Sen. Udall said, according to a press release on his website.

On June 27, Sen. Udall, along with the New Mexico congressional delegation, introduced the Cavernous Angioma Research and Treatment Act to Congress, with hopes of expanding research and treatment for the disease.

This bill brings much-needed attention to this rare disease, while also takes vital first steps in finding new treatments and approaches to assist individuals in New Mexico and across the United States living with this debilitating disease, Representative Steve Pearce (R  NM) said in a press release.

The bill would improve the communication channels among medical centers over the state of New Mexico, so that doctors and researchers can share information with ease and educate each other on the little-known disorder. Also, it would help people living in rural communities have better access to necessary health care.

Investing in clinical and research centers across the country to track and treat individuals afflicted by this illness is an important step in developing a cure, Senator Martin Heinrich (D  NM) said.

Organizations such as the Angioma Alliance Scientific Advisory Board and CCM3 Action, as well as the University of New Mexico, support the bill.

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Monday marks the seventh day of a hunger strike for protesters demanding access to organ transplants for undocumented immigrants at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

There were about 40 picketers in front of the hospital on Sunday, including the 14 people on the hunger strike.

"We're asking for help," said Blanca Gomez, 23, who needs a kidney transplant. "I go to dialysis three times a week. I'm not going off the hunger strike until I get on the transplant list."

Gomez said she had lost four pounds and was surviving on water and Gatorade.

The group said 14 undocumented Mexican immigrants who live in the Chicago area need either a liver or kidney transplant. But they can't afford it because they are denied federal health care. They are not U.S. citizens.

The protesters said they would stay until Northwestern Memorial CEO Dean Harrison agrees to a meeting.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the only hospitals in the region to offer live donor liver transplants.

On Sunday afternoon, a spokesman for Northwestern Memorial Hospital was not able to provide answers about Northwestern's transplant policies.

The situation boils down to a moral and ethical dilemma, said Dr. David Ansell, chief medical officer at Rush University Medical Center.

"One the one hand, the intent of the national transplant registry is to base transplants on who needs them most, but there are indeed a whole group of people who find themselves shut out," he said. "And these are people who are uninsurable, and it creates an ethical dilemma of doing the right thing against the extreme cost of doing a transplant."

An average kidney transplant can cost between $100,000 and $200,000, Ansell said. The care needed before and after surgery, in addition to medication, can cost tens of thousands more.

"These are people who contribute to the community. The answer can't be no access, but it's going to require calling together all the transplant centers in the region, as well as politicians and members of the community to find an equitable solution," Ansell said. "The other thing to note is that 20 percent of organs come from uninsured people, but around 1 percent of organs go to uninsured people who need them. These people donate the organs, but mostly don't get access to them."

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The new front line of the "No Smoking" battle has moved outdoors.

City parks, public beaches, college campuses and other outdoor venues across the country are putting up signs telling smokers they can't light up. Outdoor smoking bans have nearly doubled in the last five years, with the tally now at nearly 2,600 and more are in the works.

But some experts question the main rationale for the bans, saying there's not good medical evidence that cigarette smoke outdoors can harm the health of children and other passers-by.

Whether it is a long-term health issue for a lot of people "is still up in the air," said Neil Klepeis, a Stanford University researcher whose work is cited by advocates of outdoor bans.

Ronald Bayer, a Columbia University professor, put it in even starker terms.

"The evidence of a risk to people in open-air settings is flimsy," he said.

There are hundreds of studies linking indoor secondhand smoke to health problems like heart disease. That research has bolstered city laws and workplace rules that now impose smoking bans in nearly half of the nation's bars, restaurants and workplaces.

In contrast, there's been little study of the potential dangers of whiffing secondhand smoke while in the open air. But that hasn't stopped outdoor bans from taking off in the last five years. The rules can apply to playgrounds, zoos, beaches and ball fields, as well as outdoor dining patios, bus stops and building doorways.

"Secondhand smoke is harmful. It's particularly harmful to children," said Councilwoman Mary Cheh of the District of Columbia, one of more than 90 U.S. municipalities or counties considering an outdoor smoking law.

But is it really dangerous outdoors?

Federal health officials say yes. Studies have clearly established that even a brief exposure indoors to cigarette smoke can cause blood to become sticky and more prone to clotting. How long that lasts after just one dose isn't clear, officials say. The best-known studies so far have measured only up to about a day afterward.

Repeated exposures are more dangerous, and can worsen your cholesterol, increase the odds of plaque building in arteries, and raise the risk of chest pain, weakness, or heart attack.

Health officials say there's no reason to think that can't happen from breathing in smoke outdoors.

"There's no risk-free level of secondhand smoke," said Brian King, an expert on secondhand smoke with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, it's hard to pin down the health effects of outdoor smoke. There have been some studies  fewer than a dozen  that tried to measure how much secondhand smoke can be found outdoors. Some have found levels that rival what people may breathe indoors, depending on which way the wind is blowing or whether there's an overhang or sheltered area that can trap smoke. One study detected significant fumes as far as 44 feet away from a smoker.

"If you can smell it, it's obviously there," said James Repace, a Maryland-based scientist-consultant who's done some of the outdoor studies.

Two small studies tested about two dozen nonsmokers at a smoky outdoor dining area in Athens, Ga. The saliva tests detected significant jumps in cotinine, a substance produced when the body metabolizes nicotine.

That doesn't mean it's causing chronic illness, though. Repace thinks only two kinds of people may face a serious health risk outdoors  those with severe asthma and staff at outdoor cafes where smoking is allowed.

Indeed, health advocates in some places have focused on sites like sidewalk cafes, feeling they can't make the case for beaches or open-air parks.

"We only get involved where there's a real health risk," said Flory Doucas, co-director of Canada's Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control.

Still, cigarette smoke in a place like a park can be a nuisance to some, just like loud music or dog waste.

That's how Roger Montiel of Atlanta views it.

"I don't really like the smell and I don't like it blowing in my face. If I'm enjoying a day at the park, I'd rather it not be part of that experience," he said while walking through a downtown park recently.

That's good enough reason for outdoor bans, Repace said. "People don't have to be dropping dead for you to regulate something," he said.

Well, not so fast, said Simon Chapman, an Australian researcher. He once won a prestigious American Cancer Society award for his anti-smoking efforts and formerly was editor of a medical journal focused on smoking's dangers. But in recent years he's become a vocal opponent to wide-ranging outdoor smoking bans.

He and Bayer worry such bans are really motivated by desires to make smoking seem like an unusual, socially unacceptable behavior. Ban proponents see that as a worthy goal; Chapman thinks it's a bad precedent.

"Next you might say 'Let's not just stop there. Let's not have people smoke anywhere they might be seen'" he said. "And then is it legitimate to say that any behavior that people don't like should be disapproved of because people might see it."

In Atlanta, a city council member decided to act after an encounter with a smoker in a park. A ban on smoking in the city's parks went into effect last summer. Technically, a violation could result in a fine of as much as $1,000. But  as in other cities  Atlanta officials have not arrested anyone.

"Enforcement generally has been someone says 'put that out,' and they put it out," said George Dusenbury, Atlanta's parks and recreation commissioner.

At Woodruff Park, a 6-acre downtown hangout, nearly a dozen smokers could be spotted in the park on a recent, sunny Friday morning. The regulars said they knew about the rules, but found ways to get around them.

"Smoke rises. I don't see a reason why it should bother other people out here," said Tommy Jackson, 55, lighting up with a friend at the edge of a paved footpath through the park.

Park worker Rufus Copeland said he's seen only a small drop in smoking since the green and white "Smoking Prohibited" signs went up last year. He steers smokers to the sidewalk rimming the park. But people still smoke. "It's hard," he said.

Brianna Mills, a 26-year-old nursing student from suburban Marietta, sat down for a quiet moment in the park with her Newports, unaware of the ban.

"It's supposed to be a free country," said Mills, who developed her habit 10 years ago. "It's like: 'Where can you smoke?'"

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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A drug used to treat enlarged prostate and male pattern baldness also reduces a man's risk of prostate cancer by nearly a third, according to a large new study..

The new work could prompt a fresh look at using the drug for cancer prevention. Experts say it could prevent tens of thousands of cases each year, saving many men from treatments with seriously unpleasant side effects.

The drug is sold as Proscar by Merck & Co. and in generic form as finasteride to treat urinary problems from enlarged prostates. It's also sold in a lower dose as Propecia to treat hair loss.

A decade ago, the drug was found to cut the risk of prostate cancer. But there was a small rise in aggressive tumors among its users. Some researchers said that by shrinking the prostate, the drug was just making these tumors easier to find in a biopsy sample  not causing them.

But the concern led the Food and Drug Administration to turn down the drug for cancer prevention and warnings were added to its label.

Now, with 18 years of follow-up from that earlier study, researchers report that men on the drug were no more likely to die than those not taking it.

That's reassuring because if the drug were truly spurring lethal tumors, there would have been more deaths among its users as time went on, said Dr. Michael LeFevre, a family physician at the University of Missouri.

LeFevre wrote an editorial that appears with the study in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. He is one of the leaders of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of doctors who advise the federal government. The group has not taken a stance on finasteride for prevention but has advised against screening with PSA blood tests.

Screening does more harm than good, the panel has said, because although 240,000 new prostate cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States, only about 30,000 prove fatal. That means many men are treated for cancers that grow too slowly to be life-threatening, and often suffer sexual and urinary problems as a result.

The study, led by Dr. Ian Thompson at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center in San Antonio, was done to see whether finasteride could lower the risk of prostate cancer in men who were getting screened with annual PSA blood tests, as many still choose to do.

Researchers assigned 18,882 men 55 or older with no sign of prostate cancer on blood tests or a physical exam to take finasteride or dummy pills for seven years. When the study ended, those who had not been diagnosed with prostate cancer were offered biopsies to check for hidden signs of the disease.

For the new analysis, researchers tracked the study participants for a longer time  18 years in all since enrollment began. Only about 10 percent of men on finasteride developed prostate cancer versus 15 percent of those on dummy pills. Aggressive tumors were found in 3.5 percent of men on the drug versus 3 percent of the others. Yet 78 percent of both groups were alive after 15 years.

That means the drug cannot be recommended to prolong life, just to ease suffering by preventing disease, LeFevre said.

"You may be preventing cancers that don't need to be prevented" because so few are life-threatening, but screening is finding these tumors anyway and leading to unnecessary treatments, he said. Reducing that number is a valid reason to use a prevention drug, he said.

Finasteride's other impact is financial. Proscar and a similar drug, GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Avodart, cost about $4 a pill. Generic finasteride is available for less. Insurers cover it when prescribed to treat urinary problems but may not pay if it's used solely for cancer prevention.

The drug also can cause hot flashes, fatigue, weakness, low sex drive and trouble having sex.

"A man certainly needs to know what he's getting into if he decides to take this," LeFevre said.

Based on reporting by The Associate Press

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When someone is a vegetative state, it is often difficult to gauge their level of awareness.

Now researchers have created a tool to peek inside the brain and measure varying levels of consciousness.

The work reported Wednesday is highly experimental, not ready for bedside use yet  and if it pans out, a big question is how to use it without raising false hope. No one knows what level of consciousness at a certain point after injury really predicts recovery.

But it offers the hope that one day doctors might track consciousness nearly as easily as they check blood pressure.

"Consciousness can grow and shrink," said Dr. Marcello Massimini, a neurophysiologist at Italy's University of Milan who led the research to quantify just how much that is happening under different circumstances.

It seems obvious  consciousness fades during deep sleep, and doctors can slip us under with anesthesia.

Yet scientists don't have a good way to measure consciousness, especially when the very ill appear to be unconscious. It's important to try to distinguish if patients are at least minimally conscious, and not in a vegetative state, because the sooner there's some sign of awareness, the better the chance of recovery.

Today, doctors check if those patients can do things like blink or move a limb on command, or react to touch or pain. If not, scans of the brain's electrical activity may offer clues. Scientists even have put seemingly unconscious patients inside MRI scanners and told them to imagine throwing a ball. How the brain reacts can indicate if they're aware and just can't show it, what's called locked-in syndrome. But all these tests have drawbacks.

The new work, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, aims for an easier, more objective measure. It's based on the theory that consciousness depends on the complexity of activity in the brain, how well different regions connect and process information. For example, when you're deeply asleep, the neighbor's car alarm may not wake you but your brain still processes that you heard it. When you're wide awake, it also processes how annoying the alarm is and how often it goes off.

Massimini's team combined two well-known medical devices. First, a coil delivers a powerful pulse of magnetism that travels through the skull to stimulate the brain, essentially knocking on it to say "wake up."

Then an EEG, which measures brain waves through electrodes attached to the scalp, records the patterns of activity as neurons fire in response.

The final trick: The researchers created a formula to compare the complexity of those resulting brain patterns by "zipping" them, like digital files are compressed so they can be emailed. They called the resulting numerical measurement the PCI, or pertubational complexity index.

The team compared tests from 32 healthy people who were awake, asleep, dreaming or anesthetized, and 20 people with a variety of serious brain injuries. The two patients with locked-in syndrome clearly were aware, scoring nearly as high as awake and healthy people, they reported. The patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative state had scores as low as people rendered unconscious by the most powerful anesthesia. The minimally conscious were somewhere in-between.

The strategy could miss consciousness, so it wouldn't give doctors enough information for end-of-life decisions, researchers caution.

But it's a pioneering study that offers highly promising leads, said Dr. Nicholas Schiff, a professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, who wasn't part of the project.

If it's ultimately proven to work, the bigger impact could be in helping doctors study whether patients improve when given different treatments, added Dr. Lori Shutter, a brain intensive care specialist at the University of Pittsburgh, who also wasn't involved with Wednesday's work.

But she cautioned that just finding a glimmer of consciousness could mislead families hoping for a miracle long after the possibility for improvement is over.

"This may provide a lot of insight," Shutter said. "The downside is once you prove there's any consciousness, how will a family react?"

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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NEW YORK - Most delinquent youth achieve few positive milestones in the years after their detention, especially if they are boys, Hispanic, or African American.

Researchers followed nearly 1200 boys and girls for 12 years after their detention in Chicago's Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center. They looked for positive outcomes in eight areas: educational attainment, residential independence, gainful activity, desistance from criminal activity, mental health, abstaining from substance abuse, interpersonal functioning, and parenting responsibility.

Twelve years after detention, only 22 percent of boys and 55 percent of girls were successful in more than half of these outcomes, according to a report in JAMA Pediatrics.

Dr. Linda A. Teplin from Northwestern University in Chicago and colleagues found that among the boys, 46 percent of non-Hispanic whites had achieved more than half the outcomes, compared with only 29 percent of Hispanics and 19 percent of African Americans. Results for girls did not differ by race or ethnicity.

As adults, the former delinquent boys fell into five broad categories: 24 percent were unlikely to have positive outcomes in any area; 28 percent were incarcerated; 21 percent were living independently but struggling; 6 percent were struggling family men; and 21 percent were functioning independently with positive outcomes in nearly all domains.

More than half of the former delinquent girls were at-home mothers (60 percent); 14.4 percent were unstable mothers with positive outcomes only in parenting responsibility; 10 percent were substance free but struggling; and 16 percent had positive outcomes in every domain except interpersonal functioning.

Minority boys were most likely to fall into the worst outcome classes, while there were no racial/ethnic differences among girls.

The researchers recommend that services for delinquent youth be expanded, especially for minority males, and they urge support for policies that make it easier for these youth to obey the law and to overcome barriers to social stability and employment.

Dr. Robert J. Sampson from Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, who wrote an editorial related to this report, told Reuters Health by email, "The police and courts alone are ill equipped to handle the needs of adolescents who are falling through the cracks of society's support system. Constructing positive 'turning points' is central to breaking the reinforcing cycle of adversities that institutionalization can trigger."

"Meaningful structural change will likely be long in coming, however, so how to prevent delinquency in the first place and how to steer delinquent youth onto a path of success after being involved in the criminal justice system are the immediate, challenging questions," he writes in his editorial.

"At the very least, we should redesign the juvenile system so that it does not exacerbate existing inequalities," he concludes. "Because juvenile detention has durable consequences for later development, and because today's children and adolescents are tomorrow's parents, there is urgency to breaking the stigma of a criminal record and the associated intergenerational cycle of compounded adversity."
Carmelo Flores Laura, a native Aymara, speaks during an interview outside his home in the village of Frasquia, Bolivia, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. If Bolivias public records are correct, Flores is the oldest living person ever documented. They say he turned 123 a month ago. To what does the cattle and sheepherder owe his longevity? I walk a lot, thats all. I go out with the animals, he said. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
The devastation in Haiti has brought into stark relief the best and worst of Americas approach to tragedy abroad. On one hand, there is a commendable outpouring of charity from the American people and yet another display of the effectiveness and competence of the U.S. military. On the other, the Obama administration and other spendthrifts are asserting a non-existent responsibility for American taxpayers to help rebuild Haiti. Their call to ride to the rescue reflects a foreign policy that wastes taxpayer dollars while actually fueling corruption and misery. Furthermore, there is no compelling reason for the United States to involve itself in Haitis reconstruction. It is an impossible task for another country and there are no U.S. interests at stake that warrant involvement beyond short-term rescue activities.

Haitis misery is not the fault of U.S. actions or inactions, although this appears to have eluded some commentators. In a Washington Post op-ed piece on Sunday, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and author of "Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet," announced the United States will have to do things differently, casting partial blame upon Americas political swings, ideologues in the Bush administration, U.S. economic sanctions, and an illegal aid freeze on international development agencies. He wants Western governments, who are already broke, to spend ten to fifteen billion on Haiti. -- At least he did not go as far as actor Danny Glover who seemed somehow to relate the earthquake and its aftermath to U.S. policy on climate change!

Neither Sachs nor Glover identified the chief culprit of current or past suffering in Haiti: intense corruption. Transparency International ranks Haiti as one of the most corrupt places on earthonly 7 of 180 countries have a worse ranking. The State Departments human rights report on Haiti cites severe corruption in all branches of government, including serious police, judicial and voting improprieties. It notes that there were no charges even filed during the most recent year the report covered, despite plenty of investigations and evidence against senior officials.

Without strong support for the rule of law, large-scale commerce is difficult or impossible, wealth is accumulated primarily by the corrupt, and things not deemed essential for everyday lifelike stronger buildingsare overlooked. This is overwhelmingly due to the government of Haiti. To the extent that there is any foreign complicity in this dire situation, it is from funneling economic assistance through corrupt Haitian institutions.

The U.S. has spent nearly $1.5 billion in aid to Haiti since 1990. Before the earthquake, Congress mandated in this years federal budget that not less than $296 million in aid be spent on the island nation. While that is not a lot by Washington standards, it means that all of the federal income tax generated from more than 38,000 average American taxpayers will be spent on Haiti. This is hardly an efficient use of Americans hard-earned money.

In seeking donations and laying the groundwork for additional government outlays, President Obama and his two predecessors asked the public for blind trust. Bill Clinton said that before this earthquake Haiti had the best chance in my lifetime to escape its history and asserted the prognosis is somehow better now. George W. Bush, who further indebted the American people by trillions of dollars through his own extravagant heresy of compassionate conservatism, said just send your cash. One of the things that the president and I will do is to make sure your money is spent wisely.

While that is not theoretically impossible, it would be unprecedented. Aid to corrupt locales risks spreading corruption because it flows through corrupt organizations. Before last weeks earthquake, the Haitian nation was economically indistinguishable from its state in 1990. That fact alone is evidence that Western largesse has not helped matters. When U.S. aid was at its highest in the 1990s, Haitian per capita GDP actually shrank.

It is true that the U.S. has also poured aid into other corrupt economies, such as Egypt and Pakistan, with a similar negligible or negative economic result. But there is a major difference between Haiti and those two countries, where the U.S. has clear national interests given their strategic importance. With Pakistan in particular, the negative implications of corruption take a back seat to the need to support a necessary, if unreliable, wartime partner. There is an acceptable political justification, even if there is not an economic one.

But this is not the case with Haiti, where we have virtually no interests at stake. It does not pose the same risk of failed states that occurs where Islamists and terrorists are active. The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard can prevent any attempt at mass illegal immigration to America. Put bluntly, the U.S. government has no business attempting to rebuild Haiti.

This does not mean we have to turn our backs on Haitian suffering. Private charities are active in Haiti and can be more efficient than governments. American efforts to save trapped Haitians and deliver short-term emergency relief are also effective. They show once again that while the U.N.s core competency in disaster situations seems to be holding press conferences, the U.S. military accomplishes tough missions with vigor. But when the rescue job is done, the military should leave and the U.S. government should shut off the spigot and stop squandering taxpayer dollars on Haiti.

Christian Whiton was a State Department official during the George W. Bush administration from 2003-2009. He is a principal at DC Asia Advisory in Washington, and a fellow at the American Freedom Alliance in Los Angeles. http://twitter.com/ChristianWhiton
The world remembers Hitlers annexation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 as just one of the many events that led to World War II. But for the Czech and Slovak peoples the event marked the end of their 20-year-old free and democratic republic, and the beginning of a five-decade-long nightmare of foreign occupation.

In 1941, as if to erase any memory of freedom, the Nazis destroyed a monument symbolizing Czech independence that had stood in Prague since 1928. Today, seventy years after its destruction, that monument has been rebuilt.

Yet few Americans know that the monument being unveiled today honors President Woodrow Wilson, who in 1918 supported the Czech and Slovak bid for independence in the aftermath of World War I.

In fact, the Czech people so revere Wilsons role in securing their freedom that the monument erected to his memory stood  and now stands again  in front of Pragues main train station, which is named after Wilson.

As Chairman of the American Friends of the Czech Republic (AFoCR), I have the honor of participating in the Woodrow Wilson Monument rededication events taking place this week in Prague.

For several years, AFoCR, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the relationship between the United States and the Czech Republic, has worked side-by-side with the Czech authorities and Prague officials to ensure that this day would come.

I am proud to be joined by former Czech President Vaclav Havel, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was born in Prague, and U.S. Ambassador Norman Eisen.

The story of the Wilson Monument, its destruction and resurrection, is the story of a friendship between two nations that has lasted for nearly 100 years.

It began with Wilson and the support he gave at the end of World War I to Czech patriot Tomas Masaryk. During the war, Masaryk traveled throughout the United States and spoke before thousands in cities like Philadelphia and Chicago, urging Americans to support a Czechoslovak state. During his U.S. tour, the future president of a free and democratic Czechoslovakia convinced Wilson to put the full support of the United States behind his peoples aspiration for independence.

Students of history will know Wilsons ambition of leading a war-weary Europe still shocked at the degree of death and destruction from War World I. His grandest idea  the League of Nations  failed to save the world from war once again, although it led to the establishment of the United Nations. But his first and most immediate impact was the support he gave to Masaryk and the founding of a new Czech-Slovak state.

Indeed, Masaryk modeled the new Czechoslovak constitution after the U.S. Constitution. In 1918, he said, We accept the American principles as laid down by President Wilson: the principles of liberated mankind, of the actual equality of nations, and of governments deriving all their just powers from the consent of the governed. Unfortunately, the new republic found itself consumed by the great totalitarian states of the 20th Century, first the Nazis then the Soviet Union, crushing the fledgling democracy.

Since its liberation from behind the Iron Curtain, the Czech Republic has reemerged as a staunch ally of the United States. Czech soldiers have followed their American counterparts into both Afghanistan and Iraq, just as their exiled forebears fought beside Allied soldiers in World War II.

Today, Prague is one of the most prosperous, beautiful capitals in the world, thanks to the Czech Republics embrace of free-market principles.

Indeed, the resurgence of the Czech people following decades of oppressive rule is once more symbolized by todays rededication of the Woodrow Wilson Monument. After all the hardship and suffering that the Czechs have endured, they have never forgotten the role the United States and its president played in securing their freedom.

Fred Malek is the chairman of the board of the American Friends of the Czech Republic. He served as an adviser to Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
Conservative pundit Ann Coulter has been one of the loudest critics of immigration reform, claiming it will give the Democratic Party more voters since Latinos are a lazy, liberal and government-dependent people.

While there are many sound arguments to make against the Gang of Eights immigration bill, the basis of Coulters arguments focus on offensive stereotypes and her analysis of the potential political consequences of immigration reform is greatly exaggerated.

Ann Coulters offensive and inaccurate comments about Latinos are causing more harm than good for the conservative movement, and for America.  Michelle Fields

Many on the right have recommended that the GOP improve its messaging with Latinos and work on reforming our broken immigration system. Coulter, on the other hand, believes that Latinos arent worthwhile because they are the bottom of the barrel and that its impossible to turn Mexico's underclass into Republicans.

Not only are Coulters comments insulting, but it is also clear that she doesnt know very much about the Latino community or immigration. First off, the idea that all undocumented immigrants are Mexicos underclass is false. Latinos account for 80 percent of undocumented immigrants in America, and, obviously, not all of them are from Mexico. Also, no, Latinos arent a bunch of lazy people sitting around doing nothing. According to U.S. Census data, Hispanic entrepreneurs opened twice as many businesses as the national average in the 2000s.

In addition, the very act of leaving ones home country to seek opportunity in another isnt exactly a characteristic of a lazy person. If anything, it shows entrepreneurial spirit, risk-taking, and motivation  all of which are attributes that benefit the country.

Coulter also incorrectly argues that passing immigration reform will turn America into a dumping ground for the world's welfare cases because Latino immigrants are reliant on welfare. According to a Cato Institute study by Leighton Ku and Brian Bruen, poor immigrants use welfare programs less than native-born Americans, and when poor immigrants do use welfare programs it costs less.

Coulter and others will likely point out that the number is probably low because undocumented immigrants do not qualify for entitlement programs. But the fact that immigrants come to a country knowing that they will not qualify for free government benefits proves that they arent in it for the welfare programs. Immigrants come here to work, not to become dependent on the government. They take a huge risk by leaving behind their country, family, and friends in order to come to America. They come here because they are attracted to Americas labor market, not our entitlement programs.

Coulter has been scaring Republicans into rejecting immigration reform for faulty political reasons. Coulter claims that immigration reform will give Democrats 30 million new voters and a permanent majority. She says that if the Republican Party fixes our immigration system, then they deserve to die.

The notion that we should not fix the immigration problem in this country because it will give the Democratic Party more voters is both immoral and incorrect. Not every immigrant will choose the pathway to citizenship and become a voter. For example, less than half of the people eligible for citizenship after the 1986 immigration bill decided to become a citizen. The truth is that most eligible voters do not turn up to vote and its safe to say that Latino immigrants would likely be no different from any other group.

For example, in 2012, only 48 percent of Latinos turned up to vote at the polls. Coulters assumption that every single undocumented immigrant will one day be eligible to become a citizen, will want to go through the difficult process of becoming a citizen, will turn out to vote on election day, and will be a Democrat is wrong.

She also incorrectly believes Latinos are a lost cause because theyre hopeless Democrats. According to Resurgent Republic, 54 percent of Latinos identify ideologically as conservative and only 39 percent identify as liberal. Unsurprisingly, Latinos share many of the same values as Republicans, such as: faith, hard work, and family values. They even came out in large numbers for George W. Bush in 2004, giving Bush 44 percent of the Latino vote.

The reason why the Republican Party has lost Latino voters, and why Mitt Romney was only able to get 27 percent of the Latino vote, has little to do with Latinos and more to do with the Republican Party.

There are legitimate reasons to be against the immigration reform currently being proposed in Congress. However, Coulter ignores them and instead resorts to harsh rhetoric to make bad arguments. Coulters offensive and inaccurate comments about Latinos are causing more harm than good for the conservative movement, and for America.
Now that the immigration debate has shifted from the U.S. Senate to the House of Representatives, we should expect every Congressman to do their elected duty and work toward finding the common ground needed to confront our national immigration problem now.

While there are many people and vested interests on both ends of the political spectrum that would much rather see the status quo remain, the reality is that a continuation of todays state of affairs only exacerbates the myriad of immigration problems we face.

The Senates proposal threatens to not only undo what we have accomplished, but redirect that talent and energy elsewhere.  Rosario Marin

Not only would we continue with de facto amnesty, but the border will go unsecured and, to put it bluntly, the countless industries requiring everything from manual to highly-skilled labor will simply not be able to hire the manpower they need.

These problems will not get better. In fact, they will only grow worse. That is bad news for our lawmakers in Washington. But thats even worse news for our economy. McKinsey & Co estimates that by 2020, an estimated 1.5 million jobs will go unfilled in the United States. To accomplish real change, we need to think about immigration reform not in terms of social justice - but in terms of our economic security. Reform means jobs, it means growth and it means sustaining our competitive advantage in a global economy.

The Senates bill dealt with some important issues. Among other promising elements, it doubles the number of H-1B visas made available each year to highly-skilled immigrants. Those that supported this reform in the Senate should be commended for this. But there are other provisions that concern me deeply because they would impact our economy in the most basic and damaging terms.

The United States, with all the economic challenges we currently face, is not graduating the number of engineers, math and science students our economy requires. To make matters worse, a significant portion of those that graduate at U.S. universities are international students, many of whom would likely stay to work here for American companies if they had a visa attached to their diploma. But, because we dont give them one, they go to work in competing economies, whether in Asia, Europe, Latin America or even Canada.

The Senates legislation would also place arbitrary limits the number of visas an American company can secure, capping its potential for growth, and prohibit the companies best able to attract skilled international talent from providing high tech consulting services at their client sites.

The Senate understands that we have an H-1B problem. If we need a solution, our neighbors to the north are recruiting. The main highway connecting San Francisco to Silicon Valley boasts a billboard recruiting our best and brightest, with promises of easy visa accessibility, high-paying jobs and low taxes. Canada is not alone, with Australia, Britain and Chile offering some of the same inducements. Referencing the ads strategic placement, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason T. Kenney calls the Bay Areas talented commuters a captive audience.

The most fundamental component of a capitalistic world is human capital. And the United States established its commanding presence in the global 21st century economy by mastering the potential of the human economy.

The Senates proposal threatens to not only undo what we have accomplished, but redirect that talent and energy elsewhere.

I have said for a long time that this is a very difficult problem because if it was an easy problem to solve we would have found the solution long time ago. President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform act in 1986 and since then, the problem that he thought he fixed has grown exponentially.

With only so many days left on the Congressional calendar, there is little time this year to accomplish any major legislative achievements. With the clock ticking, all eyes are now on the House of Representatives. We need to fix immigration now and we need to do it right.
The United States Senate is suddenly relevant again after a bipartisan effort delivered a comprehensive immigration bill that deals with visa reform, border security and that creates a pathway to citizenship for the millions in this country not here legally.

But with the bill headed to the House, a big dose of real leadership will be needed once again as the legislation is already facing criticism from both parties.

The Senates bill is not perfect. Far from it. Although senators, especially the Gang of Eight coalition that got the ball rolling, deserve credit for finally confronting one of our countrys steepest challenges, the bill needs a lot of help before it will be ready for the presidents signature.

The good

Lets not lose sight of the historic nature of this bills passage. For those of us who recall the vitriolic immigration debates of 2006 and 2007, the Senate showed that it is not completely paralyzed by partisan bickering.

For many of the Republicans who voted for this bill, this was not an easy vote. But rising stars like Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) set aside the usual carping from a vocal minority and did the right thing by taking on an issue that the American people believe needs fixing now.

Sessions has long been an immigration hardliner, but hes living in his own political world, one frozen in time, where hes (...) apparently willing to allow the 11-12 million undocumented immigrants in our country to live in a state of what Sen. Rubio rightly calls, de-facto amnesty.  Nelson Balido

And while Im not in the camp that says the Republican Party cannot survive without an immigration reform bill, this bill does present an opportunity to engage Hispanic voters on an important issue in a positive way. Republicans would be wise to take a page from George W. Bush, a strong immigration reform supporter who won 44 percent of the Hispanic vote in his last presidential election. You win elections by plowing new ground, not by relying on the same old shrinking base.

The bad

The bill contains an amendment by Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that was aimed at placating those senators who claimed the underlying bill was too soft on border security. The result is the most over-the-top effort to attract votes youre ever likely to see. Its like the equivalent of wanting a burglar alarm for your house and the salesman bringing you the U.S. Marine Corps.

The amendment requires an additional 20,000 Border Patrol Agents, bringing the agency to approximately 40,000 agents total, and it calls for border fencing to be extended to 700 miles. If youre looking for a new career option, consider becoming a contractor in the fencing business, because Uncle Sam might be in the market soon. I would rather see technology play a larger role, especially modernizing our communications through advanced radios which are in great need for our border law enforcers and the use of force multipliers such as mobile scope trucks and stationary towers such as the ones currently used in parts of Arizona where we have seen the illegal penetrations fall to negligible numbers.

As someone who has gone along on his share of ride-alongs with the Border Patrol and who has traveled to remote and rugged outposts like Cochise County, Arizona and traveled along the Texas-Mexico border and visited with private landowners there, I would urge the House of Representatives to find a better way to spend that fencing money.

There might be areas where new and improved barriers are needed, but walling off our countrys southern border is neither practical, nor cost-effective, nor smart. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said of the amendment, Well be the most militarized border since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Thats a very expensive and foolish aspiration, Senator.

The ugly

Despite Corker-Hoevens inclusion in the bill, there were still some senators who claimed that they could not vote for the bill over security concerns.

Some, like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) offered up many thoughtful amendments throughout the debate in committee and on the floor. Some passed, some did not. But throughout the entire process, the Senate minority partys number two official was doing his best to improve the bill.

Other senators, though, were just looking to score cheap political points on the backs of a contentious issue.

Republican Jeff Sessions of Alabama offered dozens of amendments, none designed to keep the conversation moving in a productive way, but rather to gut the entire bill.

Sessions has long been an immigration hardliner, but hes living in his own political world, one frozen in time, where hes oblivious not only to a changing America, a business community crying for reform of our byzantine visa system and a Republican Party facing some major demographic challenges, but where hes apparently willing to allow the 11-12 million undocumented immigrants in our country to live in a state of what Sen. Rubio rightly calls, de-facto amnesty.

Time is short for an immigration bill to make it into law. We have less than six months before candidates begin filing for office for the 2014 election cycle. If we dont have a plan passed through both chambers by then, it will be too late.

Weve made tremendous progress. Lets not let this opportunity pass us by.
I would meet a woman, marry her, and then produce children, making my mother an abuela.

Well, at least what my mother expected me to do as I grew up. Similar to many Latin mothers, my mother imagined her only son giving her a daughter-in-law that she would later insist could not cook as well as her.

However, my mothers dream for me and my lovely bride to be quickly faded as I told her I was gay, that yes I did not like girls, and no this wasn't just a phase. What I didnt know then is that when my mothers dream of my wedding died, I lost my ability to imagine ever getting married to a man.

Who knows, one day I might find the man of my dreams and give my mother the moment she always imagined, her son devoting his life to someone he truly loves regardless of the gender.  Mark Travis

On June 25, I went to bed with my stomach in knots. As someone who advocates for equal rights for all people, I was fearful that I would wake up the next day and still be a second-class citizen  a second-class American. I went to bed that night not knowing if I would wake up in a nation that would finally recognize my right to wed as a homosexual male.

On the morning of June 26, I woke up to discover that a great deal of progress had been made; the Supreme Court of the United States struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), dismissing the definition that marriage is between a man and a woman. Suddenly I felt like a burden had just been taken off my back, I could stand a bit taller, with more dignity. I was proud.

Though I am happy about the verdict, don't get me wrong; marriage is still not for me. However, there is a certain solace I find in knowing that if one day I decided to, I would be recognized for doing so. I am overjoyed by the fact that now my friends who are in loving and committed relationships will be able to get their marriage federally recognized. That now an immigrant in a same-sex marriage will have the same opportunities for a green card as their heterosexual counterparts.

In an article published on the Huffington Post, Hours after the ruling found the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, the federal government announced it would start extending immigration benefits to gay married couples.

While I recognize the classism centered in the same-sex marriage movement, I also recognize the advantages that stem from the SCOTUS decision. It helps to prevent lesbian and gay Latinos from being deported due to their immigration status.

LGBTQA Latinos will finally be able to have the kind of relationship we have seen growing up within our families. When I think of marriage, I think of my grandparents who have been together for 26 years. Growing up in a Puerto Rican household the importance of family was instilled in me from an early age.

So who knows, one day I might find the man of my dreams and give my mother the moment she always imagined, her son devoting his life to someone he truly loves regardless of the gender. She would know that her son would have found happiness and someone to share in his life with, that he would experience the same kind of aging with love that his grandparents experienced.

At the end of the day, love is love.
In the last couple of years weve seen the Latino market of buyers and sellers grow at an incredible rate. By 2050, Latinos will account for 30 percent of the nations population. And the fact is that if companies want to succeed in the economy of the future, Latinos simply cannot be overlooked.

With this astonishing statistic, its no wonder that each and every day more companies are trying to engage us in a meaningful way. Now, more than ever, businesses should be looking to tap into the huge capital that is the Latino community.

It cant just be about the bottom dollar  you must be interested in marketing to Latinos because you know that your service will benefit the community.  Jose Aristimuno

But targeting the Latino market is not an easy task. With our community coming from over 20 countries, catering to Latinos will never be successful with a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, companies must take into consideration the different Latino cultures that are weaved into the greater American fabric.

Gone are the days when a company could execute a total market strategy and be successful in engaging and connecting with us. Marketing to Latinos isnt solely about the language  you cant just translate your companys strategy and expect a positive result  instead, companies must connect by identifying with people culturally, and it must be genuine.

Companies such as Dish Network, Procter and Gamble, and ESPN are great examples of businesses that are beginning to understand how to properly target our communities by having meaningful communication with us, being respectful, and getting to know us on a personal level.

Even the big players have had to learn this lesson. Univision, the Spanish network, used to only cater to Spanish-speaking individuals. This year, in a joint venture with ABC, the Latino broadcaster will launch Fusion, an English-language news station.

Aside from effective communication, cultural intelligence is also a vital element in marketing to our community. Cultural intelligence, the ability to recognize and understand the beliefs, values, attitudes, and behavior of a given group of people in order to achieve a specific goal, is one of the most important ingredients when marketing to our community. If you dont have this, your strategy is likely to fail.

Culture, for the most part, defines our identity. By understanding the culture, you begin to understand how Latinos think and why they purchase and become loyal to certain brands. It cant just be about the bottom dollar  you must be interested in marketing to Latinos because you know that your service will benefit the community.

With the way our country is changing, and Latinos purchasing power estimated to reach $1.5 trillion dollars by 2015 now is the time for companies to make an investment in our community. By doing so, not only will Latinos have greater access to a variety of brands, but companies will have the potential of growing and ultimately impacting the economy in a positive way. With an estimated $1.5 trillion to spend, the Latino consumer market will help improve a variety of economic sectors, including the housing, food, retail and financial markets.

As the Latino population continues to rise and the elements of our country continue to shift, companies must be ready to adapt and reap the benefits, for the sake of both parties involved. This is because, at the end of the day, in order for the economical equation to work, companies that want to succeed and grow in the Unites States must attract the Latino consumer.
According to press reports, when White House Chief Domestic Policy Advisor Cecilia Munoz first got to Washington, D.C., 25 years ago, her job was Latinos 101  heres who we are, etc. Today, I hope she counts among her many accomplishments her role in championing the community-led efforts that resulted in President Obama protecting the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in California in 2012 and New Mexicos breathtaking Rio Grande del Norte National Monument earlier this year.



The national League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) this past weekend unanimously approved a resolution thanking President Obama for protecting both national monuments so that these places and stories can inspire generations to come.

Protecting our Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks would be another step toward achieving that balance between developing our energy resources and conserving our great outdoors.  Ralph Arellanes

The national resolution comes on the heels of one passed by New Mexican members of LULAC. In May, we joined with the Hispano Round Table of New Mexico to approve identical resolutions that celebrate these steps toward acknowledging the contributions of Hispanos and Latinos in U.S. history.



But like the national membership of LULAC, we too, called on the White House to consider protecting additional sites that interpret and preserve rich cultural traditions of American Latinos. Despite the best efforts of Ms. Munoz and so many others, we still need to say heres who we are.



Cesar E. Chavez was a labor and civil rights leader whose efforts in the farm worker movement helped build a foundation for workers rights in the United States, not only for American Latinos  but all Americans. Located in Keene, California, this monument protects Chavezs home and gravesite as well as the headquarters of United Farm Workers of America, better known as Nuestra Senora Reina de la Paz.



The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument protects 242,555 acres of public lands northwest of Taos. The region has been deeply tied to Hispanic culture for centuries. The monument recognizes and protects traditional Hispano uses of the land, including hunting, grazing, and the gathering of firewood and pinon nuts.



Of course, these two sites alone do not encompass the diverse Hispano and Latino-American story. As scholar Dr. Stephen J. Pitti wrote in the National Park Service-commissioned report, American Latinos and the Making of the United States: A Theme Study: Deeply embedded in economic and political life across many decades, Latinos have played instrumental roles in the development of the U.S., and public recognition of the Latino past is long overdue.



Here in New Mexico, we point to the Organ Mountains Desert-Peaks near Las Cruces as an opportunity to further recognize American Latinos cultural contributions to our nation. Local elected officials, small business owners, veterans, sportsmen, Native American tribes, the Hispano Round Table of New Mexico, and LULAC-NM are all calling for its protection as a national monument to preserve its historic significance.

People traveling El Camino Real from Chihuahua to Santa Fe passed through here. The mid-1800s war and boundary disputes with Mexico were fought and resolved here. Many Hispano families trace their roots to this region and its colorful history.



It is our responsibility now to protect that history for the next generation. The president has been challenged to protect as many acres of public lands as he leases for oil and gas development  an issue we know well in New Mexico. Protecting our Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks would be another step toward achieving that balance between developing our energy resources and conserving our great outdoors. We hope that the president takes additional steps forward to honor our Latino heritage and shows our grandchildren, heres who we are.
They held an emotional two-and-a-half-hour therapy session in the basement of the Capitol Wednesday morning, scores of them, and almost all angry old white guy career politicians from safe Congressional districts that apparently could care less about the fact there may never be another Republican president.

Led by Representative Steve King of Iowa, who has mocked and marginalized his own party's leadership on this issue, the goal of their angry get -together was simple. They wanted to let the Senate know that no matter how sensible immigration reform might be for the country and for their party nationally, the majority of House Republicans stand implacably opposed to anything that smacks of amnesty for the nations 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Why should a guy like Rep. Steve King care about the Latino vote, about the only Latinos he ever meets in his home District work in the kitchen of Taco Bell?  Geraldo Rivera

One after the other, the members of the House Republican Conference came to the microphone to condemn what their big brothers in the Senate did in passing comprehensive bipartisan legislation. These hard-liners werent even going to cut any slack to the dreamers, the innocent immigrant kids brought here at a young age by parents desperate to give them a shot at a better life. Once you start down that line (by giving the kids a break) youre destroying the rule of law, said the self-righteous Mr. King.

The Obama administration cannot be trusted to deliver on its promises to secure the border and enforce laws as part of a single, massive bill like the one passed by the Senate, the caucus proclaimed in a joint declaration following their defiant parlay. Normally I like defiance. But this is more like Jonestown, a political suicide pact without the Kool-Aid.

The whole show makes House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, and party leaders Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor look impotent; not to mention RNC Chair Reince Preibus and prominent conservative commentators Bill OReilly and Sean Hannity. All those heavyweights came to the conclusion following the Republicans' crushing defeat and the sweeping re-election of the unpopular Mr. Obama last November, winning over 70 percent of the Latino vote that the fate of the GOP depends on broadening the partys appeal to Latinos and other minorities.

But to the vocal majority of House Republicans, loyalty to their national party leadership is obviously secondary to their loyalty to a nativist ideology that since about 2005 has stymied the best efforts of two presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, to normalize the lives of this gigantic sub-species of immigrant Americans whose numbers equal the combined populations of New York and Los Angeles. It is a huge population, but the shadow it casts falls weakly in districts represented by opponents of immigration reform.

Those House Republicans are the heart of the opposition to the heavily negotiated bill that came out of the Senate with the hopes and dreams of millions of immigrants attached. The legislators who oppose the compassionate, but pragmatic Senate bill generally hail from congressional districts gerrymandered to achieve one crowning achievement, the re-election of the congressman from that district. Why should they feel any political, as opposed to moral concern for undocumented Latino immigrants? Their Districts are 74.5 percent white. Only one in nine of their legal residents is Hispanic.

These safe Republican House seats exist to protect members from both sides of the aisle from the dangers of losing an election. They are stacked decks; districts drawn by compliant state governments that follow contorted lines designed to include as many loyal followers as creative geography allows. And both parties do it. House Democrats sit just as safe and smugly in their urban strongholds as House Republicans do in their Red State suburban and rural districts. Why should a guy like Rep. Steve King care about the Latino vote, about the only Latinos he ever meets in his home district work in the kitchen of Taco Bell?

So when King and his colleagues talk reform what they really mean is crackdown. Their proposed legislation is heavy with provisions to strengthen further the physical border with Mexico and to staff that rugged frontier with so many border patrol officers that they stand virtually shoulder to shoulder. It is the re-birth of the Berlin Wall. The anti-illegal immigrant cabal is so contemptuous of what they see as the sellout pro business-wing of their own party that one of their major efforts is to punish more harshly those employers who would hire undocumented immigrants. And those draconian punitive measures are all that these members will allow.

So please dont kid yourselves. Whether or not President Obama rolls up his sleeves and starts twisting arms, or whether or not thousands fill the National Mall to advocate comprehensive immigration reform, nothing like the reforms advocates want will ever pass the House as long as it remains as it is currently constituted. And there will never be another Republican president.
The Zimmerman outcome was shocking, but not surprising. I think we had all braced ourselves for this outcome, knowing that powerful advocates for these Stand Your Ground (But Only if You're White) laws were going to be pulling a lot of strings in the background. Zimmermans lawyer, in coordination with the media, also had ample opportunity to smear the names and characters of key witnesses based on speculation, misinformation, and fear. All of the theatrics became a distraction to the root of the problem: is a black boys life really as equal as a white boys in the eyes of the law?

Siding with Zimmerman simply because of his Peruvian background is like a Latino voter trusting Ted Cruz with their vote in the hopes that he stands for Latino politics because of his surname.  Jesus Iniguez

The conversation stopped being about Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman long ago; it became about the black experience in white America, where racism is now a silent conniving ghost that haunts the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government. And when George was found not guilty for his killing of a young black boy, we knew that the spirit of that dark and savage racist past was still stirring and working, hiding behind legal jargon, technicalities, and incredulous narratives. It twisted words and language to continue to make it legally permissible to shoot and kill a young black boy, regardless of who pulls the trigger.

Well never really know what transpired that night between Trayvon and Zimmerman. What we do know is that one of the two is deceased, his character assassinated by Zimmermans lawyer, and some in White America think that Martin had it coming.

The interesting thing about this entire Trayvon vs. Zimmerman is the way that Latinos swayed on the circumstances of this trial. The vast majority of our Presente.org members felt that the ruling was shocking and unjust. But some of our members were upset that, as a Latino organization, we were not publicly siding with Zimmerman (who is of Peruvian decent), hence failing the Latino community. Others felt that the killing of a black boy was not something that we should discuss on our social media platforms, demanding instead that we dont steer from solely focusing on Latino issues and interests.

Siding with Zimmerman simply because of his Peruvian background is like a Latino voter trusting Ted Cruz with their vote in the hopes that he stands for Latino politics because of his surname. (Are you kidding me?!) In order for us Latinos to help ourselves supersede in these times, we must be willing to hold each other accountable.

Zimmermans Peruvian background didnt change the fact that he left his vehicle in pursuit of Martin after the 911 operator told him to stay put. It didnt change the fact that Zimmerman noticed Trayvon simply because he was a black kid wearing a hoodie at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Therein lies the issue that draws tangents between the black and brown experience in the United States (which are not always mutually exclusive, as there are millions of Afro-Latinos in the United States). Just as black people are persecuted and accosted by police for being black, brown people are being corralled and assaulted by police and ICE for being brown. Black men are killed by police for reaching into their pockets and pulling out their own wallets just as brown men are tasered to death while hogtied at the U.S./Mexico border.

And in the same manner that justice turns a blind eye upon black youth like Trayvon Martin, justice ignores brown voices like that of Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, a 15-year-old who was shot to death by border patrol: with impunity, without investigation, without thought, without justice.

We are all Trayvon. We are all Jose Antonio. And living with a system that serves to protect the interest of one gun-owner over the life of one young black boy is a system that will continue to perpetuate the status quo of white supremacy upon all people of color.
Of all the spin leading up to the dramatic but not unexpected acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin, nothing was as disingenuous as the accused being identified as a white Hispanic. Whether it was created in a feeble attempt to continue the narrative of a white racist preying on a defenseless black teenager, it is clumsy, counterproductive and inaccurate.

First of all, what is a Hispanic? The word derives from a region called Hispania the collective name for the four 15th century Christian kingdoms on the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela united the peninsula and expelled the Moors.

The Riveras are all Latinos. So is George Zimmerman. Get over it.  Geraldo Rivera

As I wrote in my 2007 book His-Panic, the word Hispanic has for the last 525 years referred to people from the original mother country of Spain, its far-flung subjects around its once mighty, world-girdling empire, as well as to its Spanish culture and language. So Hispanics can be black, brown, red, or white; Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, or Buddhist; and residents of Spain, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, or other Caribbean, Mexican, Central or South American nations. Excluded are folks coming from places like Brazil with its Portuguese roots, Belize and Guyana with their British antecedents and French Guiana.

Latino and Hispanic mean exactly the same thing. The terms therefore define geographic and linguistic roots, not race.

So is George Zimmerman a white Hispanic? I guess, if youre referring to the race of his parents. But then wouldnt we have to label mixed race folks like Barack Obama a white African American? Would the media then refer to me as a white or a white Jewish/Catholic Hispanic in recognition of my own mixed racial background and Jewish mother?

During slavery and Jim Crow, and in racist regimes like Apartheid-era South Africa, both Obama and Zimmerman would have been considered non-white; judged and classified by a system that bestowed rights and privileges that increased as blackness decreased.

Race politics stained history, DNA equaled destiny.

In the five centuries European colonialism was fueled by slavery, the Southern half of the New World became a racial melting pot. The blood of European conquerors and settlers, merchants, pirates and priests mixed with slaves and servants and with Mayan and Aztec and other aboriginals now called Native Americans. In South and Central America the result was the worlds first, largest mixed race super-continent.

I dont know the specific genealogy of George Zimmermans Peruvian mother but she does not appear drawn from the group that once made up the Daughters of the American Revolution.

And you cant be a little pregnant. Over time, when it came to non-white blood, a little went a long way to determining ones fate in Latin America or elsewhere. During the Holocaust, detainees were considered Jewish enough for extermination if one of their four grandparents was Jewish. As I wrote in my 2009 book The Great Progression for purposes of tribal treaty rights, access to various programs and sometimes even economic windfalls like oil rights, cigarette sales or the right to build and operate a casino the awesomely intermarried Native-Americans are said to be Indian enough to be considered among our original inhabitants if they have a single great grandparent from a federally recognized tribe among their ancestors.

In His-Panic I cite a study, Are Latinos Becoming White? presented at the American Sociological Association Conference in August 2007. It revealed deep and dramatic differences within the Latino community on racial self-identification. The researchers from the University of Cincinnati reported that 91 percent of Cubans surveyed self-identified as white, as compared to just 56 percent of Puerto Ricans and 49 percent of Mexicans, who preferred other when asked whether they were white, black or something else.

Those figures, even among Cubans have likely shifted in the last six years, since the researchers also found that the longer Latinos remain in the United States, the less likely they are to identify as white, gravitating instead toward a Spanish racial/ethnic self-identification.

What makes this so intriguing is that it is in sharp contrast to the experiences of previous immigrants from Italy and Ireland, and the European Jews, who campaigned aggressively against being classified as other and insisted on being incorporated into the white category.

Essentially, a new quasi-race is being born that mimics the days of Black is Beautiful. In the same way African-Americans overcame the color prejudice within their community by rejecting skin tone as the definer of who is or is not black, we Latinos are following suit.

My buddy Cheech Marin and I refer to each other as my brown brother. My father Cruz Rivera is one of 17 children from the same parents. My army of first cousins on his side ranges from fair-skinned with orange-red hair to light brown to near black Afro-Caribbean. My five children are a rich multi-ethnic, multi-religious brew, but if asked they tell people they are proud to be Hispanic, in the same way Americans with even a drop of Irish blood claim to be heirs of Saint Patrick.

The Riveras are all Latinos. So is George Zimmerman. Get over it.
Obamacare, the signature accomplishment and pride and joy of President Obama, is unraveling, and fast. From the get-go it was a hard pill to swallow. So much so because it was shoved down Congress throats without even giving them the courtesy of time to read the 2,700-page document. Infamously, the ever so thoughtful Speaker of the House at the time, Nancy Pelosi, declared that they had to pass the bill before they could read it, to understand what was on it.

The small and medium size entrepreneurs are so saddled with the myriad of regulations that they have to follow, that they spend more time trying to understand their new and unwelcomed duties than they spend managing their actual businesses.  Rosario Marin

It is abundantly clear that even the few people who wrote parts of the bill, actually read the entire bill. Neither Nancy Pelosi, Senator Harry Reid, nor for that matter the president himself read the entire bill. So is it any wonder that as America and most especially the business community is burdened with its implementation, confusion, uncertainty and outright frustration abound?

There seems to be few winners, if any, at this point. The promises that were made to the most ardent supporters have not been kept. People were promised that they could keep their plans, only to find out that it is not likely. They were promised that they could keep their doctors, but that is hard to do when their doctors are not even willing to practice medicine anymore. They were promised that their premium costs would not go up and yet, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation health care, premiums for the average family cost $1,975 more today than in the year President Obama signed the bill into law. Paradoxically, the president held a press conference just last week to tout the $100.00 rebates some people are getting from their insurance companies. Is he serious?

A lot of the big firms got their waivers right away, but the small and medium size entrepreneurs are so saddled with the myriad of regulations that they have to follow, that they spend more time trying to understand their new and unwelcomed duties than they spend managing their actual businesses. They are not expanding; as a matter of fact, they are actually contracting so much so that franchises across the board are reducing the number of hours their employees are working.

And so that brings us to the latest group of supporters of the law to turn on Obama and the Democrats who shoved this monstrosity down Americans throats: the mighty unions. Three of the largest unions sent a scathing letter to Congress last week reminding them how much they have supported them. They have painfully witnessed how many of those boots on the ground have gone from full-time to part-time employees. They now feel that the threat to the middle class is real. This law will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of the other hardworking Americans, their letter says.

Obamacare couldnt be implemented as it had been originally anticipated for too many reasons to explain here, so the government announced last week that penalties for companies failing to comply with the law will be delayed by a year. Coming to think of it, why dont we just delay it forever? Now that is something even the unions could smile about.
The Trayvon Martin speech of Barack Obama is the greatest symbol of his style of governance and the focus of his administration. Detroit became the largest city to declare bankruptcy last week, but Obama chose to stir the flames of racial division and give America a lecture on racism rather than address the factors that led to the Motor City's demise.

This exemplifies how Obama perceives his office  it's more of a celebrity post than a seat of governance. There are countless examples. He preached on the necessity of Obamacare, but left the details of the law to Congress. To capitalize on the immigration debate, he announced an Executive Order that was mostly composed of vague recommendations for an immigration law. He waited until the Egyptian uprising looked to be successful before speaking out against Mubarak. He dragged unwilling parents of the Newtown tragedy to push a gun bill that would not have stopped the massacre. He talked about punishing bank executives for the global financial disaster, but instead prosecuted more journalists than any other administration. He takes credit for the killing of Osama Bin Laden, but refuses to call the Fort Hood attack terrorism. After four Americans died in Benghazi, Obama flew to Las Vegas with his pals Jay-Z and Beyonce.

For Obama to impose himself on the Trayvon Martin case as if African-Americans are threatened by a rash of neighborhood watch murdering white Hispanics is the height of this celebrity hubris.  Sooper Mexican

Obama puts all his effort into keeping up the celebrity front of his presidency and neglects the governing part of the job.

The example of Detroit is especially poignant and instructive.

During the 2012 election, the Obama administration made Detroit a centerpiece on its argument contrasting what this country would look like under Mitt Romney. Over and over, Obama said to different crowds, I wasn't going to let Detroit go bankrupt... I bet on American workers.

Does it matter? The administration has promised that it would be the most transparent in history, but what it has been is the most unchallenged administration by a media industry mostly composed of those who lavish praise and admiration on Obama.

The news media is complicit in aiding Obama's celebrity administration  Detroit won't be a threat to his image as long as they keep self-flagellating over Trayvon. And yet, Detroit should serve as an example of the true threat to all Americans, whatever shade of color.

In terms of debt, depending on who you listen to, Detroit is in debt for $16 to $20 billion dollars, with a gross metropolitan product of $200 billion. They're not completely comparable, but Detroit is going bankrupt owing 10 percent of what they produce and the United States owes more than 100 percent of what it produces, with absolutely no signs of abating.

For Obama to impose himself on the Trayvon Martin case as if African-Americans are threatened by a rash of neighborhood watch murdering white Hispanics is the height of this celebrity hubris. African-Americans are murdered at a much greater rate than any other ethnic demographic, but the vast majority of those (something like 94 percent) are by other African-Americans. The real threat to the Black community is not white or Hispanic racism, but a host of problems which would be significantly lessened by a focus on family, not gun laws or racism.

But these are difficult solutions to problems that have arisen over many decades. It's easier, and more politically expedient, to blame racism than to tell a flailing community the truth  more government spending won't solve issues arising out of a culture of victimhood and absent fathers.

As long as Obama perpetuates this racist myth, he is a greater threat to the black community than any George Zimmerman.
In his July 23, 2013 USA Today Op-Ed entitled, "What Supreme Court Shutouts Reveal," George Mason law professor Ilya Somin reminds us of the alarming number of cases in which the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously against the Obama White House. The professor correctly concludes that when a president pursues policies that require such expansive federal power that he cant get a single justice to agree, something is probably amiss.

Having participated in more discussions than I can count on terrorism-related issues with some of the brightest lawyers in America, I can attest that the legal issues we confronted after the September 11, 2001 attacks were difficult and unique.  Alberto Gonzales, Former U.S. Attorney General

However, Professor Somin misses the mark when he equates the record of President George W. Bush with the current administration with respect to pushing the limits of federal executive power. Having participated in more discussions than I can count on terrorism-related issues with some of the brightest lawyers in America, I can attest that the legal issues we confronted after the September 11, 2001 attacks were difficult and unique. I concede we did not always accurately anticipate where the Supreme Court would draw the balance between security and liberty. However, I derive some professional satisfaction knowing that, unlike with the 9-0 court shutouts the professor highlights, the justices struggled with the issues presented in the four major terrorism cases decided during my tenure in government: Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Rasul v. Bush, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and Boumediene v. Bush.

Collectively these four cases produced 17 opinions, not one of which was able to attract more than five votes. In the Hamdan case alone, six of the eight participating justices felt compelled to author an opinion, thus showing the difficulty of the issues presented.

Professor Somin alludes that President Bush is an example of a president who routinely pushes the limits based on dubious theories of federal power. However, in the four cases above, 11 of the 12 judges in the federal circuit courts below agreed with the governments assertion of power based on precedent.

While it is true that in the Hamdi case the Court held that due process required that a U.S. citizen being held as an enemy combatant had to be given meaningful opportunity to contest the factual basis of his detention, a clear majority of the Court also recognized that a courts review of the Executives actions in wartime should be deferential. Furthermore, the Court recognized the legitimate application of the laws of armed conflict. Finally, in her plurality opinion, Justice OConnor confirmed that the President could detain an enemy combatant without charges for the duration of hostilities, even if the enemy combatant is an American citizen.

The Obama era cases identified in Professor Somins writing deal primarily with issues in the domestic arena. At least in those cases in which President Bush has been accused by pundits and political critics of governing as an imperial president, he acted in response to national security threats. These decisions rested in part upon his Commander-in-Chief powers under the Constitution - a power at its apex during a time of conflict or when acting in self-defense to an attack such as 9/11.

I believe strongly in the exercise of executive power to protect our citizens. I believe even more that those actions must be constrained by the limits of the Constitution. The Bush Administration took extraordinary actions in response to an extraordinary threat. However, many people worked hard to ensure that the exercise of presidential power was within appropriate constitutional limits. We did so, not because we feared a unanimous loss at the Supreme Court, but because that is what President Bush directed and what the Constitution demands.
Conservative leader Phyllis Schlafly recently said she opposed immigration reform by claiming "Latinos do not understand the Bill of Rights and have too many children out of wedlock. In addition to being inaccurate, such comments only cement a negative image of Republicans among Latinos. We can debate ways to fix a broken immigration policy without igniting antagonism against Latinos.

Fortunately, we have Republican leaders like Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan and Christian evangelical groups who understand the value of all our people in this country and welcome the economic dynamism a well functioning immigration policy brings.

Latinos are properly suspicious of people who only show up once every two years to ask for votes.  Clara del Villar

Core conservative beliefs center on Freedom, Faith, Family and a celebration of aspiration. In debating immigration reform, we must remember Latinos share these same ideals and contribute substantially to our economy.

Americas 50 million Latinos are committed to hard work. They prize how freedom can help them provide for their families. They are highly religious. They embrace family as the basis of a well-balanced life and many have proudly served in our armed forces.

Like all immigrants, Latinos seek economic opportunity because they are frustrated with their home country conditions. Thats why they have undertaken the difficult journey to the U.S. The longer immigrants stay in the U.S. to raise families, run small businesses, educate themselves and earn higher incomes -- the more likely they are to accept conservatism. My impoverished parents left the Dominican Republics Trujillo dictatorship in the mid 1950's. The gratitude they felt for this country's freedom and the dreams realized are etched into my American DNA.

Polling by Latino Decisions found 85 percent of undocumented immigrants have a family member who is a U.S. citizen; 68 percent of the undocumented have been living in the U.S for over a decade. The overwhelming reason they came here is opportunity - 77 percent hope to create a better life for their families. Our challenge is crafting a fair compromise towards a legitimate path to live and work in the U.S.

There are over 2.5 million US Latino businesses generating over $600 billion in revenue annually. Hispanic/Latino consumption /purchasing power exceeds $1.1 trillion.

By 2015, U.S. Latinos will represent the world's ninth largest economy.

In his new book Global Crossings, scholar Alvaro Vargas Llosa estimates new U.S. immigrants contribute almost $100 billion a year to the economy--not including the incredible input by high skilled immigrants.

How can we NOT be winning over this group with a free enterprise message?

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senates immigration bill would boost economic growth and cut the federal deficit by almost $1 trillion over the next two decades. These projections are based on the fact that immigrants create jobs and consume good and services. They increase economic activity because they are far more likely to start businesses as well as own them than native workers. The Senates expansion of visas for highly skilled workers is critical as their contributions to the U.S. technology and science sectors have a multiplier effect on national wealth.

Conservatives must take note of a recent Nielsen report that found US Hispanics the fastest growing ethnic group in mobile technology adoption, video online activity and social networking. Univision recently marked the highest viewer rating of any broadcast network among those aged 18 to 49.

U.S. Census data shows that 36.5 million people in the U.S. use Spanish as their first language. Spanish is recognized as the third most common language among Internet users worldwide. Republicans must accelerate a digital communication strategy as well as use bilingual social media to connect with this vibrant community of Latinos.

Every anti-immigrant slur is highlighted on countless media platforms and further taint the image of conservatives among Latinos.

Criticizing cultures has always been a losing political strategy.

A new national survey of Latinos by GOP pollster John McLaughlin finds that only 27 percent believe the Republican Party cares about people like them. In addition, 65 percent believe the Republican Party discriminates against Latinos and wants to stop immigration because they don't want more newcomers to the U.S. Not all the data was gloomy for conservatives. The poll showed 46 percent of Latinos feel there are new forces in the Republican Party like Senator Marco Rubio who are fighting for fair treatment of Latinos. Having no House plan on immigration reform and only carping keeps conservatives vulnerable.

Conservatives would do well to combine support for immigration reform with efforts to engage the Latino community. Private conservative groups could easily do more to include Latinos business executives, entrepreneurs, religious leaders at policy gatherings. Latinos are properly suspicious of people who only show up once every two years to ask for votes. Community events can be initiated offering Latinos many services such as simple health care checkups, tax return preparation and tips on how children can access online learning. Young Latinos who are plugged into the digital universe can be offered online job training on designing and maintaining web sites. The information they access is often shared with all family members.

Lets not forget how each generation of immigrants have contributed to our nation's growth. As Alvaro Vargas Llosa notes, its likely that in the next decade Mexicos resource riches will finally be tapped and its economy opened up. If that happens, we may long for the days when valuable labor flowed freely into the U.S. and we will be grateful for the workforce that is here contributing to our economys vitality.
After celebrating Mass for over three million people on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Pope Francis took a helicopter ride over the city, boarded his plane with reporters, and in Spanish, embraced gays.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains and says that those people should not be marginalized, Pope Francis said, and that they should be integrated into society.

If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?

"Si una persona es gay y busca al Senor y tiene buena voluntad, quien soy yo para criticarlo?"  Pope Francis

In many ways, Pope Francis comments are a very public caution to a significant culture of homophobia throughout the Roman Catholic Church. His predecessor, Pope Benedict, said that gay men should not be priests, and stood by a longstanding Catholic moral teaching that gay acts are sinful. The same teaching says that being gay is not a sin. By refusing to judge gays, the Pope seeks to realign the Vatican with the latter.

The Pope did not, however, write a moral blank check to gay rights.

The problem is not being gay, but in forming a lobby the Pope said. He denies ever encountering a gay lobby in the Vatican, but says that when someone encounters such a person, they should distinguish between being gay and lobbying, because no lobby is a good thing. In other words, the Pope is distinguishing between existing a certain way and having a certain agenda.

To wit  Gay? Fine. Agenda? Bad.

Of course, as with all Catholic teaching, the devil is in the details. The practical impact Pope Francis' words will have has yet to be seen. But he seems willing to have a new, more-compassionate discussion on the role of homosexuality in Catholic teaching.

For now he is making two things very clear: homosexualitys place within the Roman Catholic context can evolve, and Francis has all the makings of a rock star Pope.
By the time you read this, I will likely be in jail.

I was arrested in an act of civil disobedience against unjust immigration policies that are tearing families apart, leaving children without their parents, wives without their husbands and brothers and sisters without each other.

We turn to non-violent direct action because this is a moral crisis and America and Republicans need to understand how the broken immigration system is an ethical wrong visited on thousands of American families every month.  Deepak Bhargava

I was arrested for Oscar Alfaro. Oscar came to the U.S. to escape poverty and make enough money to support his family. Now, he fears being deported and separated from his wife and daughters. Last year, Oscar was served with a deportation order to leave the country. After receiving support from numerous elected officials and more than 30 letters of support from neighbors, friends and co-congregants about his good moral character, Oscar was issued a one-year stay of deportation. This solution is temporary, and leaves his family with the constant fear of receiving the final order.

I was arrested for Angie Kim. Angies parents brought her to the U.S. when she was nine years old. Recently, she received deferred action under the Deferred Action for Young Arrivals program but she still fears for her parents, who are undocumented.

I was arrested for Jennifer Martinez. Jennifer is a young mother of four from Manitowoc, WI and a U.S. citizen. Her husband was deported to Mexico over a year ago and now she works three jobs to provide for her family.

I was arrested with more than two dozen other courageous activists in the immigrant rights, progressive, faith and labor movements including: Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles; Eliseo Medina, Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union; Arturo Rodriguez, President of the United Farm Workers, and; Arlene Holt-Baker, Executive Vice President of the AFL-CIO. We all were arrested because we need to send the strongest message possible to our leaders: No More! No Mas!

Together, we kicked off 40 Days of Action and Prayer for Families. This is a major cross movement escalation in the fight for immigrant families and a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

We committed this act of civil disobedience because we need to send the strongest message possible to our leaders, that the current situation is so unjust and unsustainable that people are no longer willing to comply or be complicit in the injustices committed by our government.

Contrary to what politicians would have you believe, immigration reform is not a political issue but a moral imperative.

House GOP members, not only have failed to act on a pathway to citizenship, but have instead let the most conservative and anti-immigrant GOP members take the lead on the conversation. For example, the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year approved making it a federal crime for undocumented immigrants to be in the United States. More than 130 House Republicans voted against authorizing the Violence Against Women Act, which offered protections for immigrant women. And the House passed an amendment introduced by anti-immigrant GOP Rep. Steve King to deport DREAMers.

These actions are a tragic affront to faith, family and American values and we have had enough. Our communities have marched and we have voted in record numbers, delivering a mandate to Congress to keep our families together. In blocking a way forward on a pathway to citizenship, Republicans are making a disastrous political mistake  but that is not why we are raising the stakes to civil disobedience. We turn to non-violent direct action because this is a moral crisis and America and Republicans need to understand how the broken immigration system is an ethical wrong visited on thousands of American families every month.

Our organizations  immigrant rights, faith, progressive and labor  will not stop escalating until we win what is right for America. Our rapidly growing political power confronts Congress with the moral urgency and human cost of our broken immigration system that can only be ignored at the risk of unprecedented upheaval. America deserves a vote on immigration reform with a path to citizenship. Republicans have run out of excuses. The House GOP is what stands between 11 million immigrants and the American Dream.

We say, No More! No Mas!

No more inaction on a bill.

No more allowing your anti-immigrant members to dictate the conversation.

No more tearing our families apart.

No more fear for Oscar, Angie and Jennifer.

We are willing to spend a bit of time in jail to send the message: No More! No Mas!
Imagine if Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King had referenced some particular body part when criticizing young African, Italian, Irish or Israeli immigrants, suggesting that something about the kids reminded him of a food group; say watermelons or bananas, potatoes or pasta. As your mind races, it will come up with invariably ugly possibilities; which makes the point of how obscene and racist Rep. Kings statement was when he used cantaloupes to make a vicious argument against President Obamas leniency toward undocumented Latino youngsters.

He said infamously that for every valedictorian among them, theres another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and theyve got calves the size of cantaloupes because theyre hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert.

Let us not forget that Mr. King led the Speaker and virtually the entire Republican caucus by the nose two months ago, convincing them to void legislatively President Obamas Executive Order to the Department of Homeland Security to delay deportations.  Geraldo Rivera

His inference that 99 percent of young immigrants are drug mules was chastised as ignorant and wrong even by his boss House Speaker John Boehner. But King is unrepentant, backing off only slightly on Thursday when he told ABC News, We have young people that are being recruited from age 11 on up to increasingly smuggle drugs into the United States, King said without citing his source. We seem to want to be ignorant of that because theres such a desire to pass a DREAM Act, which would include some valedictorians. Were all sympathetic to those valedictorians, but it isnt all going to be valedictorians.

How can Republicans ever hope to court the Latino vote in this country while allowing this Jim Crow throwback to occupy an influential position on the powerful House Judiciary Committee, charged with crafting immigration policy? And despite Speaker Boehners welcome condemnation of the cantaloupe slur, let us not forget that Mr. King led the Speaker and virtually the entire Republican caucus by the nose two months ago, convincing them to void legislatively President Obamas Executive Order to the Department of Homeland Security to delay deportations for otherwise law-abiding young, undocumented immigrants.

Cantaloupe Kings amendment to throw them all out of the country passed the House 224-201, with only six Republicans opposed. Speaker Boehner was not one of the six heroes. In backing King, the GOP leadership argued that they werent voting against the kids, they were voting against the arrogant president who did an end run around the legislative process in deferring the deportations. They may be right about President Obamas motives. Maybe he did it just to get the Latino vote last November. But if youre a kid being deported the politics are irrelevant. One party wants you thrown out, the other wants you to stay in the only country you have ever known.

I got a good laugh Thursday afternoon when I heard about the stunt pulled on King and Company by dozens of young undocumented immigrants who hand-delivered cantaloupes to the 221 Republicans and three Democrats who voted for the amendment to defund the presidents program to halt deportations.

The activists from groups like United We Dream and the United Farm Workers attached a message to every piece of fruit. It read, This cantaloupe was picked by immigrants in California. You gave Steve King a vote. Give us a vote for citizenship. As far as I know, Rep. King was not in his office to receive his fruit basket. But after another sit-in type demonstration in his office last week, he tweeted how 20 brazen self-professed illegal aliens have just invaded my DC office. And about how, Obamas lawless order (to defer deportation for law-abiding youngsters brought here as children) gives them de facto immunity from U.S. law, which of course is also untrue.

On my radio show Thursday, eloquent Hispanic Republican activist Ana Navarro saw a silver lining to Kings radical nativism, stating the proposition that the congressmans views are so out of touch with mainstream thinking in America, including Iowa, that it would strengthen the hand of moderate Republicans in the ongoing debate over immigration reform. She may be right. If she is not, look for the cantaloupe to be a powerful symbol in get-out-the-vote campaigns for the next few election cycles.
Before Congress left for August recess, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on to discuss the future political status of Puerto Rico. Although President Obamas Puerto Rican Task Force has publicly stated that resolving Puerto Ricos political status is the territorys most pressing issue, no one from the Obama administration attended or participated in this hearing.

By remaining on the sidelines, President Obamas White House has decided to cast aside the will of the people of Puerto Rico.

In November 2012, 54 percent of Puerto Ricos residents voted to reject their commonwealths status as an unincorporated territory, and 61 percent of voters cast their ballot in favor of statehood for Puerto Rico, with a full 72 percent of the eligible electorate participating.

One thing is certain  President Obama has inexplicably decided to stand by inaction and ignore the loud voices of a clear majority in Puerto Rico asking for permanent change.  Javier Ortiz

In December 2012, the White House unequivocally stated that "the results were clear, the people of Puerto Rico want the issue of status resolved, and a majority chose statehood in the second question." A White House spokesman added, "Now it is time for Congress to act and the administration will work with them on that effort, so that the people of Puerto Rico can determine their own future."

Congress is taking this issue seriously, as evidenced by the August Senate hearing. Testifying before the Committee were: The Honorable Alejandro Garcia-Padilla, Governor of Puerto Rico, who supports territorial commonwealth status; the Honorable Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Ricos Resident Commissioner in the U.S House of Representatives in Washington DC, who supports statehood; and the Honorable Ruben Berrios, former Puerto Rico Senator, who supports independence.

Unfortunately, no one in the Obama administration heard what they had to say.

The White House has not provided a public explanation as to why it was uninterested in participating in a hearing to discuss the November 2012 plebiscite in which a clear majority of the American citizens residing in Puerto Rico resoundingly announced that they were no longer interested in living under the current colonial status.

Every presidential administration during the past 30 years, both Democratic and Republican, has consistently engaged with, and testified before, congressional committees on the issue of Puerto Ricos current territorial status to provide the nations Chief Executives point of view.

How can the administration claim to work with them on that issue if it will not even provide testimony to the Senate committee of jurisdiction?

For the Obama administration to be absent from these hearings is mystifying to many because there is no shortage of engagement in less public forums. For instance, the Honorable Tony West, Associate Attorney General (Acting) was in Puerto Rico the week of July 22nd, 2013 for official business. AAG West also is the Co-Chair of the Presidents Task Force who wrote the report on Puerto Ricos status.

Why is it easy to travel thousands of miles from Washington, DC to San Juan, PR, yet be sorely missed at the U.S. Capitol, within walking distance of the Justice Department?

In another twist of puzzling confusion, Mr. Oscar Ramirez, a former senior aide to the U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Obama and the husband of a senior aide to the President, was recently hired by Governor Garcia to lobby "against statehood". Public records show Mr. Ramirezs firm is being paid some $50,000 a month for this work. This is particularly baffling considering Puerto Rico is in a major fiscal crisis and lobbying against statehood doesnt provide solutions for the high unemployment, access to healthcare, and better education.

The press in Puerto Rico is abuzz with speculation and innuendo. No one can say for sure if Mr. Wests recent visit to Puerto Rico or the work Mr. Ramirez has done on behalf of Governor Garcia have anything, or everything, to do with President Obamas change of heart on his own commitments to Puerto Rico.

Whatever the reason for Mr. Wests visit or the motivation behind Mr. Garcias work, one thing is certain  President Obama has inexplicably decided to stand by inaction and ignore the loud voices of a clear majority in Puerto Rico asking for permanent change.
I applaud the courage, passion, and commitment of the DREAM 9. And I am thrilled that they are no longer in immigration detention.

But while I stand with them in their effort to achieve immigration reform I do not agree that self-deporting and then seeking to return was a wise move.

First, from a purely technical legal perspective, self-deporting from the U.S. subjected the DREAM 9 to the danger of irreparable legal damage. The bottom line is that in the vast majority of cases there is no legal remedy for an undocumented person who leaves the U.S. and attempts to return. True, all 9 DREAMERs have, thankfully, been released from custody. But they are hardly out of legal jeopardy. They are now each burdened with the task of proving to an immigration judge that they fear persecution or torture if they are returned to Mexico. Statistics show that the vast majority of Mexican asylum claims are denied.

The DREAM 9, perhaps unwittingly, created an opportunity for people like nativist lawyer Kris Kobach to cynically question the true motives of those that seek to find solutions to Americas broken immigration system.  David Leopold

More importantly, self-deporting and attempting to return under the glare of the media spotlight, as the DREAM 9 did, might tend to incorrectly suggest to others that legal remedies do exist for those that self-deport, encouraging them to follow suit. But thats not the case. Once an undocumented person departs the U.S. without proper papers all bets are off. Attempting to returneven legallycan, in some cases, result in severe legal consequences, including even criminal prosecution.

Third, the DREAM 9 protest, while a demonstration of courage and commitment to the plight of the victims of Americas badly dysfunctional immigration system, seemed designed to take the pressure off of an intransigent House GOP leadership which refuses to consider the bipartisan immigration reform bill passed by the Senate earlier this year.

Would it not have made more sense to focus pressure on those members of the House of Representatives who, against the wishes of the American people, reject bipartisan calls for a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented aspiring Americans? Why not call out Speaker Boehner and his GOP leadership lieutenants who have allowed their House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee chairs to spend the better part of the summer doing little more than pushing anti-immigrant legislationlike Rep. Steve Kings (R-IA) bill to defund the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) process which give DREAMERs a temporary reprieve from deportation while Congress gets to work passing immigration reform. Why not ask House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) why he refused to give a direct answer when asked by Fox News Sundays Chris Wallace whether he was committed to a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants and why he chose instead to hide behind classic Washington-speak, We will have a vote on a series of bills at some point, Cantor said, And it will deal with a variety of issues.

Fourth, the DREAM 9s border exercise could have dangerously played into the hands of anti-immigrant restrictionists; those who trade in hate and fear, and who will stop at nothing to defeat real immigration reform. The DREAM 9, perhaps unwittingly, created an opportunity for people like nativist lawyer Kris Kobach who thankfully recently failed in his nasty bid to have DACA declared unconstitutional to cynically question the true motives of those that seek to find solutions to Americas broken immigration system.

I strongly support the hopes and aspirations of the DREAM 9 and all other aspiring and future Americans to build a fair and just immigration system which includes a reasonable road to citizenship for the undocumented living in Americas shadows. But at this moment in the historic struggle for immigration reform, I believe our energy, passion and commitment to making America the best it can be must be aimed at getting Speaker John Boehner and the House Republicans to work toward sending President Obama a comprehensive immigration reform bill that he can sign into law.
It has been over 24 hours since nine young immigrants were released from detention after engaging in what has been characterized as one of the most courageous acts of civil disobedience in the history of U.S. immigration law. If the law remains unchanged it could be years before they are scheduled for a merits hearing on their underlying claims for asylum. If they win they will take their first step on the ever elusive pathway to citizenship. If they lose they will be deported.

The question has been asked, why did these nine individuals risk so much for what may be so little?

When I am standing before an immigration judge with an undocumented parent of two citizen children facing deportation I can tell you with absolute certainty that I have never once been asked when will I be eligible to vote."  Matthew Kolken

The organizers of the DREAM 9 protest explain that it was to provide a voice for the voiceless 1.7 million deported since President Obama took office, to recognize the devastating separation of families, and most importantly to bring their community home. Some have said the protest served to highlight the systemic human rights concerns in deportation detention. Others cynically dismiss it as a distraction to shame the President. What I find conspicuously absent from any of these explanations is a plea for a pathway to citizenship.

And why is that important?

The biggest impediment to immigration reform is just that, a pathway to citizenship. The Democrats demand it, and the Republicans reject it. This is little more than politicians fighting over votes in the elections to follow.

That is the real distraction.

When I am standing before an immigration judge with an undocumented parent of two citizen children facing deportation I can tell you with absolute certainty that I have never once been asked when will I be eligible to vote.

No, the undocumented communitys concerns are much more practical. Ask anyone facing deportation whether they care if reform includes an immediate pathway to citizenship, and they will tell you they just dont want to be separated from their family.

They also want an opportunity to work in this country legally, and obtain a social security number to pay their taxes. They want a license to drive their kids to school. They dream of having the ability to leave the country periodically, without penalty, so that they can be at their sick mothers side, or to attend a funeral. These are the real world concerns that plague them on a day to day basis and what shutters them in the shadows. To borrow a phrase from my friend and colleague Chuck Kuck, what they are looking for is a pathway to legality.

And so you ask what would a pathway to legality look like? If it were up to me it would provide a temporary renewable status that brings people out of the shadows, and provides employment and travel authorization. It could be renewed indefinitely in the absence of disqualifying criminal grounds of removal. It would require a one-time payment of a penalty fee, and a substantially lower filing fee for renewals, which would be required every ten years.

Although there would be no independent pathway to citizenship baked in, you would not be precluded from obtaining a Green Card and ultimately citizenship through the normal channels. For this solution to work properly an increase of immigrant visa numbers would be required as Congress deems appropriate. Sprinkle in a robust skilled and guest worker program to afford future immigrants an opportunity to come to this country legally.

In sum, a middle-of-the-road solution that actually solves problems.

Maybe the legacy of the DREAM 9 will be that our politicians in Washington stop fighting to win elections, and turn their attention to solving problems.

One can only DREAM.
The Sao Paulo Forum, a group of Latin American leftist political parties and organizations, recently announced a gathering in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, on October 12. The stated reason for the gathering is to contribute to the triumph of Honduran democratic forces and the consolidation of democracy, in that Central American countrys upcoming presidential elections.

Why should a group of socialist and communist movements that includes Colombias armed guerrilla FARC make such an effort? And why in Honduras?

For Latin Americas left, the struggle inside Honduras is not a domestic political dispute; rather it involves shifting the balance of power in the Americas.  Fernando Menendez

For one thing, on November 24th Honduras will elect a successor to President Porfirio Lobo, who came to office following the political crisis initiated by the removal, in June 2009, of then president Manuel Mel Zelaya.

President Zelaya precipitated a national crisis by pursuing a referendum asking Honduras if they wished to convene a constituent assembly in the next presidential term leading to changes in term limits, presidential succession and the form of government. The countrys Supreme Court ruled the measure unconstitutional. Zelaya ignored the courts ruling and proceeded with the referendum, dismissing the head of the military command for disobeying his order to hold the poll. On June 28 the military arrested Zelaya and exiled him.

The Organization of American States, the Unite Nations, the European Union and the United States condemned Zelayas removal and expulsion as a coup detat. Hugo Chavez threatened to invade the country in order to restore Zelaya. Eventually returning home, Zelaya formed a leftist opposition movement known as LIBRE (Liberty and Refoundation).

Et tu, Mel?

A conservative member of the oligarchy, Zelaya came to power in 2006 and shifted sharply to the left, pursuing an anti-U.S. foreign policy, persecuting opposition journalists, and pushing for a referendum to re-write the existing constitution. Most importantly, Zelaya aligned himself with Hugo Chavezs ALBA, the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas, an organization including Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and a handful of Caribbean islands dependent on Venezuelan petroleum.

For many in the region, Zelaya followed ALBAs game plan. Each ALBA-allied country, with the exception of communist Cuba and the Caribbean associate states, has established a dictatorship of the majority by means of constituent assemblies re-writing constitutions to remove legal barriers to centralized power and state control of the economy. The Bolivarian model uses a present majority to disable the checks of democracy and then consolidates a permanent presidential dictatorship. ALBA and the Sao Paulo Forum work hand-in-hand in pursuit of these aims.

Round Two

In Honduras upcoming elections Zelayas wife, Xiomara Castro, is LIBREs presidential candidate and currently leads polls with about 28 percent of voter support. An anti-corruption candidate follows her with 21 percent. Hondurass traditional parties, the Nationalists and the Liberals, are the clear losers viewed as either corrupt or ineffective. Another 19 percent of Honduran voters remain undecided. Ms. Castro is riding this wave of anti-establishment sentiment and has made the call for a constituent assembly the centerpiece of her campaign.

Since the president is elected by a plurality of the votes, political polarization is a serious probability. With none of the major candidates expected to top 35 percent of the vote, approximately two-thirds of the electorate will not have voted for the winner.

This is where the Sao Paulo Forum, and their ALBA backers, comes in. Should Ms. Castro lose, they will raise the cry of electoral fraud seeking to delegitimize the entire process. If she does manage to win a plurality of the votes, the Latin American left will paint the results as a victory of the majority and increase pressure for a constituent assembly. This is one reason they have called for electoral observers from UNASUR, the union of South American republics, to substantiate results.

Clearly, the stakes are high for Honduras and the international left is redoubling efforts both to write the narrative, no matter what voters decide, and to pull Honduras back into the ALBA fold. For Latin Americas left, the struggle inside Honduras is not a domestic political dispute; rather it involves shifting the balance of power in the Americas. For the moment, the field of battle is in one of Latin Americas poorest countries.
As the nations chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Eric Holder was correct in speaking out earlier this week about the challenges to our criminal justice system. I agree with much of what he said and several of his recommendations. In a time of shrinking budgets, the Department of Justice should better spend its resources wisely, and better coordinate with state and local law enforcement, objectives we worked hard to achieve under President George W. Bush.

While most of the changes discussed by General Holder are commendable, refocusing on (...) other values for Americas youth will go a long way in reducing the burden on our criminal justice system.  Alberto Gonzales. Former U.S. Attorney General

The Attorney General is correct in saying we cannot simply prosecute or incarcerate our way to becoming a safer nation. Education, rehabilitation, and treatment is often a better way, particularly for non-violent offenders. I was also pleased to see the Attorney General acknowledge DOJ priorities of national security, combating violent crime, fighting against financial fraud, and safeguarding the most vulnerable members of our society.

The Attorney General expressed reservations about the harsh results of the mandatory minimum sentences imposed by Congress for certain minor drug offenses, and he called for greater discretion by federal prosecutors in charging these offenses. The mandatory minimum requirements for sentencing, and to some extent the Departments charging policy, were intended to promote uniformity in the overall administration of justice. Defendants in Vermont should not be punished differently from defendants in Texas for essentially the same conduct. It is ironic that in the same speech in which the Attorney General laments the racial disparity in our criminal justice system, he announces a change in charging policy that creates the potential for even greater sentencing disparity by giving more discretion to federal prosecutors. While I agree that prosecutors should have discretion, Congress and the American people should monitor this new policy carefully to ensure such discretion is not abused.

I agree with the Attorney General that new solutions are necessary for our war on drugs. However, I worry that what he calls a new approach is in reality a surrender, at least when it comes to recreational use of marijuana. The Attorney Generals decision to not prosecute minor drug offenses, coupled with the Departments indecision to challenge state constitutional amendments in Washington and Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana use, sends an unmistakable message to our young that recreational drug use will be tolerated. The administration has already developed a disturbing pattern of selectively declining to enforce laws simply because it disagrees with the policy choices of the Congress. It is dangerous when the Executive intentionally disregards congressional statutes not otherwise unconstitutional, especially in the arena of domestic policy. The Presidents repeated failure to faithfully execute the law upsets the balance of powers between the elected branches.



Finally, while I appreciate the Attorney General speaking out on the values of a just criminal justice system, it may have been more beneficial for the Hispanic and African American community for the administration to speak out more forcefully for the institution of marriage, and the importance of a safe and stable home where there is a father or father-figure who can serve as a role model. The most important job of any parent is to be present to raise their child, to instill the values of self-accountability and responsibility, and to learn respect for self, others, God and country. While most of the changes discussed by General Holder are commendable, refocusing on these other values for Americas youth will go a long way in reducing the burden on our criminal justice system.
I have grown very tired of all the comments from Democrats telling the Republican Party what to do concerning immigration. Whether it is elected officials, political consultants or talking heads, advising republicans that immigration reform must happen or else the Republican Party as we know it is done, finito, gone, I cannot help but shake my head.

Every time I hear their well-meaning comments, my eyes just roll. Why, I ask, should we Republicans believe they have our best intentions at heart? Why are they so determined to save our Party? Do they actually believe that Republicans are listening very carefully to their advice? So why do they do it? There is really an agenda there, but it is not what it seems.

Not for one second do I believe their goodwill. We will not be fooled. The last thing Democrats want is a vibrant GOP. They are not really worried about our survival --just the opposite-- theyre afraid of it. Politics is a zero-sum game.

Quite frankly, their narrative has the intent to put us between a rock and a hard place. And I am afraid they are succeeding, because the media plays into their hands every single time. It is true that we have had a few loud thoughtless strident Republican voices, but they are just that -- a few. Yet the media has painted the entire Republican brand as anti-immigrant.

Nevertheless, lets just take a walk down history lane. The reality is that it has been Republicans, from Ronald Reagan who signed the immigration reform in 1986 to George W. Bush who worked so hard to welcome immigrants and almost succeeded in passing immigration reform, that have done the most on this issue. However, one wouldnt know it from all media coverage today.

Need we remind anyone that when he was in the senate, Barack Obama voted against the immigration reform agreement reached by Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain? Yet no one really talks about it or about the fact that President Obama, when he had Democrat majorities on both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, didnt even touch immigration reform.

When the Democrats had the opportunity to do immigration reform all by their little selves, they didnt lift a finger; now theyre telling Republicans that they must do it! The gumption!

I believe immigration reform is needed. Clearly our legal immigration system is not working. Our enforcement is lacking and we need to figure out a humane way to deal with the 11 million people that are not authorized to be here.

Republicans have a good track record dealing with this issue. Actually, Republicans have a good track record dealing with every major issue currently facing the United States for that matter. Unlike the current administration and its compounded failures in dealing with the economy, jobs, and Obamacare implementation, we Republicans can figure things out.

We do not need the Democrats to tell us how to do it. Their track record on the immigration issue is non-existing. So Democrats, spare us your good intentions; we have figured you out.
Conservative media was too quick to jump on the purported blackness of the kids who killed Christopher Lane, the Australian ballplayer shot in the back in Oklahoma. Rush Limbaugh insisted that the shooting was Trayvon Martin in reverse. Knowing the answer, Glenn Beck asked rhetorically whether mainstream liberal media bias was the reason for the lack of coverage of the race angle in the Lane murder. When it comes to black on white crime, he assured us, It doesnt fit the American news agenda.

Both Rush and Glenn are correct that a Not So Silent majority of Big Media leans left. The mainstream seems sometimes to recognize no causal factor for black on white crime but income inequality and slavery. In every newsroom Ive worked, save Fox, the instinct is that the traditional Civil Rights-era narrative persists; black are vulnerable to predatory whites and must be protected. This feeling prevails among reporters and commentators, just as it does more understandably on college campuses.

When there is a relatively rare example of racially-motivated white on black crime, as Trayvon Martin initially appeared, a highly evolved, well-oiled civil rights machine is engaged.  Geraldo Rivera

The new and old left pine for the more straightforward epoch when minorities, especially blacks, were victims whether at the hand of Simon Legree in Uncle Toms day or George Zimmerman in ours. The old and new right rejects that victim narrative and points to the deterioration of the black family since the Great Society got them addicted to government entitlements, baggy pants and the abdication of personal responsibility.

In real life, African-Americans (and Latinos) are undeniably on the short end of the stick by every social-economic indicator: income, education, longevity, home ownership, etc. The unequal distribution of wealth, health and opportunity cannot seriously be argued. But while there is ample evidence of blacks especially being exploited by landlords and payday money-lenders and such, there is no evidence that they continue to be victimized by ordinary white criminals. Racially profiled by cops (and neighborhood watch captains)? Yes. Disproportionately punished by a biased criminal justice system? Yes. Denied access to services and memberships and residences? Yes. Victimized by ordinary white criminals? Not often.

When there is a relatively rare example of racially-motivated white on black crime, as Trayvon Martin initially appeared, a highly evolved, well-oiled civil rights machine is engaged. And my friends the Reverends Sharpton and Jackson are quick to ride the engine of sympathetic news coverage. In these campaigns, the leaders avoid the reality that, in terms of ordinary crime  murder, assault, robbery, rape and so forth  more whites are victimized by blacks than the other way around.

Conservatives argue with justification that, like black on black crime, black on white crime is not covered with the same passion as the media displayed in Trayvon.

The most egregious current example is the Florida bus beating of the 13-year old white kid by three black 15-year olds. The race of the assailants went generally unremarked until the viral video showing the black kids pounding and kicking the white kid made it a talking point on conservative talk radio. But ideology aside, how could you possibly report that story without mentioning the race of the victim and the perpetrators? Can you imagine what the narrative would have been if three white bullies had brutally beaten a black kid under the same circumstances. It would have been the biggest story in the nation.

Hyper-vigilant to expose liberal hypocrisy in the post-Trayvon era, the right also seized on the Brunswick Georgia slaying of a white 13-month old toddler by two black teenage robbers allegedly angry the mother of the child could not or would not comply with their larcenous demands. That trial has just begun. Like the bus beating, it is not commanding the attention or outrage among liberals that Trayvons death did.

Why is the race of the participants as relevant in the bus and the Brunswick cases as it was in the Trayvon case? It is relevant because the public deserves the material facts concerning all crimes that cross the threshold of general public interest. Indeed, until the Society for Professional Journalists, in a burst of political correctness several years ago, misguidedly decreed that the race of criminals was almost never relevant, describing what criminals looked like has always part of crime reporting. Plus, given the video evidence, this bus beating certainly looked like a hate crime. The fact law enforcement ultimately decided the young black assailants were motivated by revenge and not by race does not diminish the journalistic requirement that all material facts, including race, should be initially reported, if only to be discounted. Relevance is determined after investigation, not before, and not by editors or reporters deciding for the public which facts are important and which are not.

The latest installment in this battle over race and crime reporting between liberal and conservative commentators is the infuriatingly senseless murder of 22-year-old Christopher Lane, the Australian jogger shot in the back by the three thugs in Duncan Oklahoma.

Pick your conservative and almost to a man or woman, before all the facts were known and despite racially ambiguous mug shots, they seized on the incorrect narrative that three black kids wantonly killed a white man and the liberals were failing to give the crime adequate attention.

We later learned that the trio consisted of one black kid, 15-year old James Edwards; one white, the getaway driver 17-year old Michael Jones, and the alleged shooter, 16-year old Chancey Luna, who is mixed white and black.

Christopher Lanes murder is outrageous on many levels, but principally because of the banality of the alleged killers motive; one of the punks said they did it because they needed something to do. Point to the disintegration of the American family particularly the urban American family to find motive. Values are wobbly or non-existent, parents are absent or preoccupied, kids are perverted by video and music and movies that extol all the wrong virtues.

This case was about a lot of things, but as reporters discovered, least of all about race.
Similar in nature to the famed Tuskegee Airmen and other segregated U.S. military units, the 65th Infantry Regiment Borinqueneers were the largest and longest-standing segregated unit in U.S. history. Last week, I was very saddened to hear the news of the death of another 65th Infantry Regiment Borinqueneer veteran, Arcadio Torres, who was 87 years old. I really wish that he was able to hang on long enough to receive the proposed and well-merited Congressional Gold Medal along with his other remaining living Borinqueneer brothers-in-arms.

In the 237-year history of the Congressional Gold Medal, only one has been awarded to a Latino-American, and that was 40 years ago.  Larry Byrstran

Earlier this year I had the pleasure and honor of spending some time with Don Arcadio at a Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance event in Massachusetts. There, he was presented with his Combat Medic pin, a decoration that he hadnt received more than 60 years ago in Korea during his battlefield service with the illustrious Borinqueneers, the Latino, segregated U.S. Army unit that hailed from Puerto Rico. Seated in a wheelchair, Don Arcadio said that he was ready to defend the cause of freedom again if necessary.

Don Arcadios recent passing further underscores the need to expedite the passage of the Borinqueneer Congressional Gold Medal bills now in Congress. Like the Tuskegee Airmen, Navajo Code Talkers, Nisei Soldiers, and Montford Point Marines who were all recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal, the Borinqueneers overwhelmingly distinguished themselves in battle while enduring the additional hardships of segregation and discrimination. The youngest of these remaining Latino-American heroes are in their 80s and 90s, having served in the Korean War, 60 years ago or more.

A nationwide, non-partisan, all-volunteer group, the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance has been advocating the awarding of the medal since late last year. Made up of veterans, Latino-Americans, and like-minded patriots, the organization has worked closely with members of the U.S. Congress to encourage the introduction and support of this special bipartisan legislation, which requires co-sponsorship by two-thirds of each chamber for passage.

The U.S. House of Representatives bill, introduced this spring by Reps. Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR) and Bill Posey (R-FL), H.R. 1726, currently has 83 of the required 290 co-sponsors. The U.S. Senate bill, S. 1174, introduced in June by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), has 14 of the necessary 67 co-sponsors.

Even though this will be a first for many of us, the alliance is asking everyone to immediately contact their one U.S. House of Representatives member and their two U.S. Senators to request their co-sponsorship of the bills that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Borinqueneers.

Information on how to identify and quickly and easily contact your Congressional representatives via phone calls or their email web forms is available on the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal Alliance website at www.borinqueneers.org.

Please do this ahora!

Among the national organizations supporting this important initiative are Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), American GI Forum (AGIF), and National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC).

Here is an excerpt from the bills to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers (U.S. House of Representatives H.R.1726 and U.S. Senate S.1174):

(22) Beyond the many hardships endured by most American soldiers in Korea, the Regiment faced unique challenges due to discrimination and prejudice, including:

(A) the humiliation of being ordered to shave their moustaches 'until such a time as they gave proof of their manhood';

(B) being forced to use separate showering facilities from their non-Hispanic 'Continental' officers;

(C) being ordered not to speak Spanish under penalty of court-martial;

(D) flawed personnel-rotation policies based on ethnic and organizational prejudices; and

(E) a catastrophic shortage of trained noncommissioned officers.

During the Korean War, 2,771 Borinqueneers earned Purple Hearts; 750 of them were killed in action and more than 100 are still missing in action. They never came home. Those who did were never the same.

I think that its also important to note that in the 237-year history of the Congressional Gold Medal, only one has been awarded to a Latino-American, and that was 40 years ago.

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Kansas and Arizona are suing the federal government over the feds refusal to allow those two states to institute voter ID laws that conflict with federal law. The lawsuit asks the federal government to modify its voter registration form in those states to allow for proof of citizenship. Currently, the federal voter registration form only requires prospective voters to verbally declare that they are citizens.

Kansas and Arizona will probably lose their case  the supremacy of federal law over state law is a deeply entrenched facet of our Constitution and is buttressed by miles of case law and legal precedent.

Still, its worth considering the merit of Kansas and Arizonas larger point: should proof of citizenship be required to vote?

The first instinct of too many on the left is to brand those who would protect the time-honored tenet of one citizen, one vote as racists is a sad commentary on the state of our discourse.  David Laska

Since the founding of our Nation, voting has ranked among our most cherished rights, and requiring voters to demonstrate who they are safeguards, rather than assaults that right.

The status quo, with its laughably lax requirement of a mere verbal pledge that an individual is a citizen, doesnt cut it.

But America has a dark history of denying voting rights to women and minorities. As Americans, we can and should have a good faith conversation about the appropriate means of determining eligibility to vote.

So why cant Democrats do so without demagoguing the issue to death? In discussing voting ID laws, Democrat politicians see an opportunity to cast Republicans as racists (their favorite straw man) and themselves as latter-day civil rights crusaders.

With this Wednesday marking the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech, Democrats natural urge to play racial politics is all the more tantalizing.

But to compare contemporary conflicts over voter ID laws with the deplorable discriminatory policies of Martin Luther Kings day devalues the man and his legacy.

Put another way, voter ID laws are Jim Crow laws like Oasis is the Beatles.

And the idea that voter ID laws exist so that racist southern governors can prevent minorities from voting is absurd on its face: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and Washington State all require some form of identification to vote.

The record amongst other nations is even more telling. Our friendly neighbor to the north, Canada, requires citizens to show proof of address to vote.

Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland all require some proof of identification to vote.

In the Netherlands, where practically everything is legal, voters need to show both a government issued polling notification and a photo ID in order to vote.

Thats Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland and the Netherlands  hardly a roll call of institutionally racist countries.

Indeed, most other countries in the civilized world look at the United States in disbelief that we dont require proof of identification to vote.

Even our own bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform recommended a voter ID requirement when they issued their comprehensive recommendations in 2005. Their report called voter identification one of five pillars that would build confidence in the integrity of federal elections. Only three of the 21 commission members voted against requiring photo identification of voters. Of course, that Commission was co-chaired by notorious right-wing hack Jimmy Carter.

Americas history of institutional racism at the ballot box is very real. But its also history. National opinion polls continually show about 70 percent support for voter ID laws. Does anyone really believe that 70 percent of Americans want to suppress minority voting rights?

But the first instinct of too many on the left is to brand those who would protect the time-honored tenet of one citizen, one vote as racists is a sad commentary on the state of our discourse.

As Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal recently put it, there is no more shallow, hollow, or soulless way to think about human beings than in terms of their skin color.

But many Democrats cant seem to talk about voter ID laws without doing just that.
The election of Donald J. Trump to be the next president will soon enable congressional advocates of pro-growth energy policy to go on the offense for the first time in eight yearsand they should, for the sake of our Constitution, among other things.

During the Obama presidency, the U.S. House of Representatives passed numerous bills to rein in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), protect consumers from regulation-induced energy price increases, and clear the path for job creators to produce, transport, and utilize Americas fossil fuel resources. Those bills could not get past President Obamas actual or threatened veto.

With the election, the political balance of power has shifted dramatically in favor of pro-growth energy policies The Competitive Enterprise Institute, for one,urges Congress to defund the EPAs so-called Clean Power Plan, oppose carbon taxes, and amend the Clean Air Act to clarify that Congress in 1970 did not authorize the EPA to legislate national policy on climate change.

But most critical is that the Senate should work with President Trump to repudiate the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In addition to withdrawing formally from the Agreement pursuant to its provisions, Trump should submit the treaty to the Senate for review, for two key reasons. First, it will dramatically reaffirm the Senates shared power in treaty making, which was bypassed in the Obama Administrations endorsement of the accord. Second, it will put the entire U.S. Government on record, not just the Trump Administration, as rejecting the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement, which entered into force on November 4th, is designed to put the U.S. energy sector in an ever-tightening straight jacket. It is a clever strategy to mobilize global political pressure on each Congress and administration, every five years, to pledge increasingly aggressive reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissionsthe inescapable byproduct of the carbon-based (fossil) fuels that supply 82 percent of U.S. energyand to pony up billions dollars annually in green foreign aid.

Both our emission-reduction pledges and our alleged duty to subsidize renewable-energy projects overseas will be debated in countless U.N.-sponsored meetings where countries eager to hold back U.S. industry and pick the pockets of U.S. taxpayers will comprise the majority.

In addition to jeopardizing our prosperity and sovereignty, however, the Paris Agreement endangers the constitutional separation of powers.

The Agreement , is clearly a treaty given its potential costs and risks, its ambition compared to previous climate treaties, and longstanding U.S. diplomatic practice. Yet President Obama refused to send the Agreement to the Senate for its advice and consent pursuant to Article II Sec. 2 of the U.S. Constitution.

Why? Because he knew that even when Democrats were the majority party, there was no chance the Senate would approve a new international climate treaty. The Senate, after all, had refused even to consider similar domestic legislation in 2010, when the Obama Administration was on the ascendant.

Unless forthrightly challenged, Obamas unilateral adoption of the Paris Agreement could set a perilous precedent whereby the President can evade Senate review of major international commitments simply by calling them non-treaties. Congressional leaders should encourage President Trump to submit the Agreement to the Senate, where it would likely fail to obtain the requisite approval of two-thirds of the Senators present.

To be sure, President Trump will have the authority to cancel Americas participation in the Paris Agreement on his own. Under the Constitution, the president needs the Senates consent to ratify a treaty, not to withdraw from it.

By the terms of the Paris Agreement, a party may withdraw just from the Agreement alone, a process that takes four years to complete, or it may withdraw as a consequence of withdrawing from the parent treaty, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, a process that takes one year to complete.

Trump should follow the Paris Agreements withdrawal procedures out of respect for the sensitivities of our negotiating partners. However, he should clarify that, as a matter of international law, the United States need not withdraw from the Agreement because we never properly joined it.

On the other hand, Senate leaders and President Trump should collaborate to repudiate the Paris Agreement because it is the American people who actually reject it.
It's been a difficult year politically for NeverTrumpians. Take, for example, Peter Wehner, the former speechwriter for George W. Bush, who spent most of the year expressing outrage over Donald Trump.

Now that the "Electoral College will revolt against Trump" fantasy is officially dead, certain Republicans like Wehner still can't do the "Frozen" thing and "let it go."

On issue after issue, for the last 20 years or so, the bipartisan Establishment has delivered policies that were not moderate, or even safe.

No rallying around the White House, or lectures about unity, for Wehner. Instead, in a column in The New York Times, he continues his attacks on the president-elect while celebrating what he calls the "ancient virtue" of moderation. He fears that moderation is "out of step with the times, which are characterized by populist anger and widespread anxiety." He's right about the anger and anxiety. But, as usual, he's wrong in his diagnosis. The voters didn't turn on the Clinton/Bush Establishment because it was too moderate -- instead, they turned on it because it was too radical.

The whole problem with Wehner's argument is that it rests on a flawed understanding of what "moderation" looks like. He has confused the message with the form in which it is delivered. Donald Trump often gives fiery and dramatic speeches in front of thousands of cheering blue-collar types. George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton prefer giving really dull speeches to small groups of extremely rich people. Wehner assumes that the cheering blue-collar types want radical policies, while the boring millionaires want to be safe and steady. But this assumption is simply incorrect. On issue after issue, for the last 20 years or so, the bipartisan Establishment has delivered policies that were not moderate, or even safe:

1.) It was not moderate to respond to 9/11 with a sweeping plan to bring democracy to every nation in the Middle East, even nations that had no tradition of free and open elections.

2.) It was not moderate for a president -- no matter how much money he raised from big donors -- to radically alter the immigration policy of the United States by unilaterally refusing to enforce the law.

3.) It was not moderate to take the position that almost any effort to push back at the market-distorting practices of China -- practices that include theft of intellectual property, providing government support for massive state-owned enterprises, and the deliberate creation of overcapacity in key industries like steel and aluminum -- is nothing more than "protectionism."

4.) It was not moderate to assume that any deal claiming to advance "free trade" -- even a 5,500-page deal negotiated by President Obama -- is good for the United States.

5.) It was not moderate to stretch the executive war-making power to its absolute constitutional limits -- and to double down on unpopular wars even when the voters send clear signals to change course.

6.) It was not moderate to do nothing, year after year, to prevent a massive housing bubble that almost destroyed the economy in 2008.

7.) It was not moderate to go to Republican voters who were furious with party leadership, and who had been complaining about the immigration issue for almost 20 years, and tell them that the only two acceptable presidential candidates in 2016 were Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.

On each and every one of these points, it's the Bush supporters like Wehner who are the radicals, and the Trump voters who are simply trying to reassert common sense. With respect to immigration, for example, the moderate -- and even prudent -- thing to do is to assure everyone that the laws on the books will be enforced without special privileges for anyone. The notion that the president executes the laws as written is a bedrock principle of our democracy, but one that was sadly ignored in recent decades.

Similarly, it makes sense to use our economic leverage over China to encourage that country to stop acting in ways that distort markets -- it is not only radicalism but folly to pretend China will change on its own. And finally, both common sense and caution demand that after years of relative economic decline, the United States must align its foreign policy goals with the resources that are available to achieve those goals. For years, many Americans have been mystified that their radical leaders in Washington are too stubborn to acknowledge these obvious points. And last month, they gave the White House to the only candidate who showed enough moderation to credibly plot a new course on these issues.

We need to understand that talking in a low tone of voice doesn't make you a moderate.

American politics will enter a new era on January 20, 2017, and so it's very important for us to understand how we got here. Trump didn't win the election because the voters wanted to do radical things like threaten war with Russia, eliminate any legal distinction between citizens and non-citizens, require gay marriage by judicial fiat in all 50 states, sell off more and more of the country to China, or allow policy discussions to be dominated by a tiny coterie of insiders and donors. Trump won the election because the voters were trying to stop those type of radical notions.

Furthermore, we need to understand that talking in a low tone of voice doesn't make you a moderate. Populist candidates like Donald Trump will always communicate in a very dramatic way, because that's the only way they can overcome the institutional advantages of their elite opponents. But after two decades of radical ideas couched in really boring prose, Trump is actually offering common sense solutions that are much more consistent with our history and prior practice.

Until Peter Wehner and his fellow Bush supporters realize these facts, they will keep misunderstanding what has already happened in 2016 and what is likely to happen next.
In a do or die month for immigration reform, backers of the comprehensive bill are gearing up for a final push during Congress' monthlong August recess, especially in the districts of key House Republicans.

The campaign to flip House Republicans, some of which are open to immigration reform, comes as some backers begin to openly voice fears they're already losing the fight.

"August is a month in which either legislative proposals die, or they survive."  Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

Business and religious groups and others with ties to the GOP majority are under pressure to win over lawmakers through tailor-made campaigns from within their districts, involving ministers, local executives and other contacts. Immigration activists, labor leaders and others on the left are making plans for large-scale mobilizations such as rallies and marches to exert pressure from without.

"Here's the fact: We're not winning, so we've got to wage a campaign," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a lead author of the Senate-passed immigration bill. "There are many members of the House that don't want to take up any bill at all, as you know. What our job is, we want to convince them to at least pass legislation, so that we can go to conference and work together."

The scenario supporters hope to avoid is what happened to President Barack Obama's health care bill in the summer of 2009, when it was savaged by irate voters at unruly town hall meetings, taking a beating it never really recovered from.

"August is a month in which either legislative proposals die, or they survive," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J. He said those who favor immigration legislation must be heard in August. "And if we do that, we'll be well positioned for the fall in the House. If we don't, then we run a risk."

Immigration legislation, a top priority for Obama, has been in limbo since the Senate last month passed a sweeping bill with provisions aimed at securing the border, requiring employers to verify their workers' legal status, allowing many more workers into the country legally, and offering eventual citizenship to the 11 million immigrants already in the country illegally.

Many members of the House's Republican majority oppose citizenship for people who crossed the border illegally or overstayed their visas, and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has ruled out taking up the Senate bill in the House. Instead, he's declared that the House will move in a piecemeal fashion, beginning with border security.

Although Boehner had hoped for House action on immigration before August, that goal is no longer in sight. He reiterated Thursday that the House must address the issue. When and how remained unclear, although Boehner said he hoped to see the House pass something before Congress next confronts raising the debt ceiling, which is expected sometime this fall.

Authors of the Senate bill summoned dozens of business lobbyists, officials with religious groups and others to the Capitol earlier this week to tell them they needed to work harder and coordinate better to win over House Republicans. The senators distributed a list of 121 House Republicans seen as persuadable, and instructed those present to focus on tailoring individual campaigns for their congressional districts.

"We are going to have numerous business contacts  whether it be a local restaurant that cares about immigration or a high-tech or manufacturing or financial business in their district  contacting them in terms of how important this is to the future of jobs in each district," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The coalition that supports immigration overhaul includes agriculture interests, businesses large and small, Catholics and evangelicals, high-profile Republicans, labor groups and others. By most measures, it dwarfs those opposed to reform, including tea party activists and lesser-known groups such as NumbersUSA, as well as some leading Republican voices.

"We're up against a very shrill minority," said Charles Spies, a GOP fundraiser and co-founder of the group Republicans for Immigration Reform.

Yet thus far, supporters have not translated their greater numbers and bigger budgets into a successful campaign to shift opinion among House Republicans.

Some officials with outside groups say that until recently their attention was focused on the Senate, arguing that as they begin to make inroads in congressional districts their efforts will show.

Joe Trauger, vice president of human resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, said his group is making plans for everything from plant tours for members of Congress to showing up at their town halls over August, all aimed at "making sure they understand there are folks out there that do support moving forward on immigration reform and want the House to proceed."

That's not keeping some, on the right and left, from criticizing business in particular for failing to spend more money and push harder in the fight.

"The business wing of the GOP has been outhustled by the anti-immigrant wing of the GOP for years," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, which supports immigration reform. "This is the moment, and they've really got to throw down."

Yet some House Republicans say there's a limit to how much outside groups can influence their thinking anyway, saying they're more interested in what their constituents have to say.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Looking for lessons to draw from the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, President Barack Obama said Friday afternoon that the nation needs to do some "soul searching."

Delving directly and personally into the national debate over race and ethnicity in the aftermath of George Zimmerman's acquittal of killing Martin, Obama said the country needs to look for ways to bolster African-American boys and examine state and local laws to see if they encourage confrontations like the one in Florida.

"Where do we take this?" Obama wondered aloud in an impromptu appearance in the White House briefing room. "How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?"

The president said it's time "for all of us to some soul searching," but he also said it's generally not productive when politicians try to orchestrate a conversation.

On the positive side, he said race relations in the United States actually are getting better.

Looking at his own daughters and their interactions with friends, the president said, "They're better than we are. They're better than we were."

The president declined to wade into the details of legal questions about the Florida case, saying, "Once the jury's spoken, that's how our system works."

But he said state and local laws, such as Florida's "stand your ground" statute, need a closer look.

Obama questioned whether a law that sends the message that someone who is armed "has the right to use those firearms even if there is a way for them to exit from a situation" really promotes the peace and security that people want.

And he raised the question of whether Martin himself, had he been armed, "could have stood his ground on that sidewalk" and shot neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman if he felt threatened when being followed.

Though last year the president said Martin could have been his son, on Friday Obama likened the late teenager directly to himself, saying he could have been Martin 35 years ago.

Obama's appearance marked his first extended comments on the Martin case since Zimmerman was acquitted last weekend of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in Martin's death last year. Jurors found that Zimmerman was acting in self-defense when he shot the unarmed 17-year-old.

Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Justice Department has an open investigation into the case. The department is looking into whether Zimmerman violated Martin's civil rights.

George Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman, Jr., said he was glad to see the president speak about the societal impact his brother's case has had on the nation.

"People wanted to hear from the president and they heard from him," he said in a telephone interview immediately following the president's remarks.

I agree with the president that African-American youth, and of all colors need our encouragement. My brother is Hispanic, and he spent his time mentoring African-American youth to encourage them, he said.

But he wouldn't have minded seeing the president touching on some points he omitted.

Would I have liked the president to call for calm? Yes, there is plenty of evidence that things have gotten violent. Do I expect him to bring it up? Its politics. I dont have expectations that hes going to say 'Please stop threatening the Zimmerman family.' And he didnt."

Fox News Latino political analyst Juan Williams said the president's move was bold  and risky.

This is a president who took a tremendous risk on what is the most polarizing issue in American history  which is race, Williams said.

We are a more diverse society, there are more black and Hispanic people, and some believe we dont have to pay attention to race, but thats a dodge, Williams added. "Truth is we are an extremely race-conscious society. Any Hispanic mother or any black mother knows that.

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The leader of a national Latino evangelical organization says non-Latino faith leaders must make a greater effort to push for comprehensive immigration reform.

In a written public appeal to evangelical faith leaders, Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC), said: "Even though today we see a proactive reaction from our Anglo evangelical brethren, the truth is that there will be no comprehensive immigration reform passed in Congress, unless those most conservative members of the House of Representatives will be compelled to vote in favor of [it].

Riveras call to his fellow pastors comes as the role of evangelical leaders grows more critical amid discussions in the House of Representatives over how to handle illegal immigration. The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill in late June that, among other things, tightens enforcement, provides a path to legal status for many of the nations 11 million undocumented immigrants, and expands visas for foreign workers.

But Republicans in the House, where they hold a majority, are divided over how to handle immigration reform. The more conservative members are firmly against giving undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize, viewing that as amnesty, or a reward for law-breakers.

Many political experts say that some of these conservative lawmakers may be swayed by faith leaders and their congregants from their congressional districts. This is where, they say, evangelical leaders could wield significant influence.

On Wednesday, hundreds of evangelical leaders plan to converge in Washington D.C. to hold a prayer for immigration reform, and to meet with members of Congress to urge them to pass a measure this year.

They say theyre praying for reform, and prayers are fine, Rivera said. I believe in the power of prayer. But praying is not enough. They have to go up to the pulpit and preach about immigration, they need to excite their congregations, get them to support this and to let their congressional representatives know.

Roughly 25 percent of Americans are evangelicals; that includes some 20 percent of Latinos. Many non-Latino evangelicals are in some of most conservative congressional districts.

Non-Latino evangelical leaders say they are working to push for immigration reform.

Evangelicals are concerned that the immigration system is broken, said Galen Carey, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals. It needs to be fixed in a way that secures our borders and provides opportunities for immigrants who are here to earn legal status and share with us responsibilities and rights.

Asked to comment on Riveras concerns that non-Latino evangelical leaders are not making enough of an effort, Carey said: Theres always more than can be done. But weve been doing a lot. We have been educating our members, weve been meeting with members of Congress, encouraging them to take a compassionate approach to immigration reform.

In the last effort to push for a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2007, Latino evangelical leaders were largely on their own in trying to build momentum. After the effort failed, despite President George Bushs commitment to pressing for legislation, Latino evangelical leaders concluded that they needed the help of pastors whose congregants were the constituents of the lawmakers with the most hard-line views on immigration.

The Anglo church leaders simply were not there with us, for us, in 2007, said Rivera, whose organization has a membership of 24,000 churches. We fought with them to support us. We protested in front of their organization buildings in Washington D.C.

Rivera acknowledges that non-Latino peers are more involved in  and open to -- immigration reform than they were previously, but their commitment, he said, still falls short.

Many of them have not done anything to stop the anti-immigrant rhetoric in last years election campaigns, and the harsh tone of many lawmakers in their states, Rivera said.

Rivera said evangelical leaders have proven how vocal and forceful they can be on issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.

"They were very, very aggressive and persistent in the anti-abortion movement," he said. "So they do it when they feel very committed to an issue."

Carey said that many pastors and parishioners of evangelical churches have become more sympathetic to the aspect of immigration reform that calls for giving undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize. That is because, he said, immigrants increasingly are joining evangelical churches.

"My wife's family is from Mexico," Carey said. "And I have two sisters who are married to immigrants."

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, wrote an editorial in June that helping undocumented immigrants come out of the shadows is a moral imperative, one that is consistent with the values of our Christian faith.

Evangelicals are also seen as a crucial voting bloc by prospective national candidates.

On Friday, for instance, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican and the son of former 2012 presidential candidate, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, traveled to Iowa to court evangelical pastors.

Cruz, who supports a hard-line on immigration and does not support a path to legal status for the undocumented, spoke about the importance of evangelicals in the electorate process.

"Pastors in Iowa and across the country are critical leaders, and pastors have a responsibility to speak up for their convictions," Cruz said after the speech, according to the Associated Press. "I am honored to have the opportunity to visit with pastors who are speaking the truth about the enormous challenges this nation faces."

Paul, who is also against a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented, echoed Cruz at the event, according to the AP.

"I think the Republican Party base is people who go to church, he said. If you poll people and ask them if they go to church, maybe 60 percent of them vote Republican."
The economy is more important than immigration at the moment, said House Speaker John A. Boehner over the weekend.

The Republican Congressmans comments, in a television interview, are significant because they came as the House, where the Republicans hold a majority, now are in a position to halt comprehensive immigration reform.

Boehner said in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation" that the economy must get moving again and that this would only happen by stopping unnecessary regulations and bringing the federal deficit under control.

Describing "this new normal of slow economic growth, no increase in jobs that are available, wages are being basically frozen," Boehner said: "We're squeezing the middle class. And I would argue the president's policies are getting in the way of the economy growing, whether it's Obamacare, whether it's all these needless regulations that are coming out of the government."

The speaker, who is from Ohio, would not directly address his personal view on whether comprehensive immigration view should include a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants.

A bipartisan Senate bill that passed in late June included tighter enforcement, expanded visas for foreign workers and a path to legal status for many of the countrys 11 million undocumented immigrants.

But many conservative Republicans in the House vehemently opposed giving a break to undocumented immigrants, and denounce it as amnesty.

They maintain that allowing undocumented immigrants to stay in the United States is tantamount to rewarding lawbreakers and would encourage more illegal immigration.

Those who support a path to legal status argue that the nation cannot deport all undocumented immigrants and that something must be done to bring them out of the shadows.

Boehner has often said that the House will not rubber-stamp the Senate measure.

Instead, he said he intends to deal with the issue on a piecemeal basis.

"It's not about me, it's not about what I want," said Boehner. "This about allowing the House to work its will."

Boehner has said in recent days that he supports allowing undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors a chance to legalize their status.

On Tuesday, the House will hold a hearing on a measure that would offer legal status to those immigrants.

This is about basic fairness, Boehner said during a news conference last week. These children were brought here on no accord of their own and frankly, they are in a very difficult position.

The proposed legislation is being drafted by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, both from Virginia. It will form part of the House's piecemeal approach to immigration reform.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sen. Ted Cruz sought to brush aside over the weekend the impression that he plans to run for president in 2016.

Asked about presidential aspirations in an interview for ABC News, the Texas Republican said his attention is on helping to solve current national problems.

We are having a national debate about which direction the country should goand what I am doing now is trying to participate in that national debate, Cruz said. Im not focused on the politicsthe last office I was elected to was student council. So this has been a bit of a whirlwind.

Cruz raised speculation about his presidential ambitions because of his visit on Friday to Iowa, an obligatory stop for candidates hoping to make it to the Oval Office someday.

He and Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican and son the son of former 2012 presidential candidate, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, were in Iowa courting a group that could wield powerful influence over the outcome of the state's 2016 GOP presidential caucuses: evangelical pastors.

Cruz, a conservative who rocketed to GOP stardom last year with a primary win over one of Texas' most powerful Republicans, privately addressed the conservative American Renewal Project on Friday morning in his first trip to Iowa.

"Pastors in Iowa and across the country are critical leaders, and pastors have a responsibility to speak up for their convictions," Cruz said after the speech. "I am honored to have the opportunity to visit with pastors who are speaking the truth about the enormous challenges this nation faces."

Some Republicans, however, are publicly hoping that Cruz and Paul do not run for president.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., sees the two Tea Party favorites as having limited appeal to voters, not only threatening GOP aspirations of winning back the White House but the party itself. A top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, King said Friday that he, too, was considering a presidential bid in 2016.

King told ABC News that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, would easily win a presidential election in 2016 presidential if she ran against Cruz or Paul.

I think shes very strong on foreign policy, and I think that if we nominate someone from our isolationist wing of the party, shell destroy them, King said in the interview. "Both of them endanger us winning nationally and also, more important than that, they hurt our national defense."

In his remarks over the weekend, Cruz took issue with those who said that he might not be eligible to run for president because he was born in Canada.

He said his mother was born in Wilmington, Del. Shes a U.S. citizen, so hes a U.S. citizen, he said.

Im not going to engage in a legal debate. The facts are clear, he added. I can tell you where I was born and who my parents were. And then as a legal matter, others can worry about that. Im not going to engage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The United States closest ally in Latin America and its biggest foe met Monday to put aside the diplomatic dispute between the two countries that has been simmering for months.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to start fresh relations that had soured after Santos met with Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles in May. Claiming that the meeting represented a meddling in Venezuelan affairs, Maduro slammed Santoss springtime meeting with Capriles, who narrowly lost Venezuela's presidential election in April.

"There are things that we do not agree on ... but we have the immense obligation and responsibility to work together - and that's what we're going to do," Santos said Monday following the meeting in Puerto Ayacucho, the capital of Venezuela's Amazonas State that lies across the Orinoco River from Colombia, according to Reuters.

Maduro pledged his support to the continuing peace talks between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, in Spanish), Latin Americas largest and oldest guerrilla group that has battled the Colombian government for decades and in recent years become involved in the countrys drug trade.

"You can count on our best efforts to ensure peace can be achieved," Maduro said.

The meeting between the two Latin American leaders was held following the opening of a new Colombian Naval force that will patrol the river that act as Colombias borders with Venezuela and Brazil. Colombia shares an 809-mile-long border with Venezuela and Brazil.

Relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been tense for years, especially during the tenures of the late Venezuelan socialist leader Hugo Chavez and former conservative Colombian leader Alvaro Uribe.

The two countries almost came to arms in 2008 during the so-called Andean Diplomatic crisis, which dealt with a Colombian incursion on Ecuadorean turf during a raid on a FARC camp. The crisis was resolved a Rio Group summit on March 7, 2008, with a public reconciliation between the three countries.

Santos, seen before his election as closely tied to Uribe, has made strides at repairing relations with Colombias testy neighbor. Days after his inauguration in 2010, Santos met with Venezuelas Chavez and quickly reestablished diplomatic relations with the country.

Accusations of Venezuela aiding the FARC and Colombias support of U.S. policies in the region, however, have kept relations between the two countries on thin ice and kept political and economic ties greatly hindered.

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A federal court has blocked a Dallas suburb's law banning undocumented immigrants from renting.

In the latest ruling on a series of laws targeting immigration that local governments across the nation have passed, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said multiple parts of the ordinance in Farmers Branch are unconstitutional and encroaches on the federal government's authority.

"We conclude that enforcement of the ordinance conflicts with federal law," the court said Monday. The appeals court relied heavily on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year that struck down parts of Arizona's immigration law.

The suburb's ordinance would have required all renters to obtain licenses. The city's building inspector would check an immigrant's status and deny licenses to anyone in the country without permission. Landlords who allowed immigrants without permits would have faced fines or revocations of their renters' licenses.

Unless the U.S. Supreme Court decides to step in, Farmers Branch won't be allowed to enforce the ordinance, which has sparked an expensive legal battle. As of late last year, the city  with about 29,000 residents just a few miles north of Dallas  had spent nearly $6 million on legal bills and expenses related to immigration laws, a Farmers Branch spokesman has said.

[Banning immigrants from renting apartments] not only fails to facilitate, but obstructs the goal of bringing potentially removable noncitizens to the attention of the federal authorities.  5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

The full appeals court heard arguments last September after a three-judge panel ruled against Farmers Branch in March 2012. The decision to have a full rehearing of a case, known as an en banc hearing, is rare and created speculation that judges wanted to reverse the panel's decision.

In 2012, the three-judge panel wrote, We conclude that the ordinances sole purpose is not to regulate housing but to exclude undocumented aliens, specifically Latinos, from the City of Farmers Branch and that it is an impermissible regulation of immigration.

Latinos are nearly 50 percent of Farmers Branch, and nearly 80 percent of District 1.

Tensions between Latinos and other residents peaked when the citys mayor called for banning undocumented immigrants from rentals.

Farmers Branch Mayor Bill Glancy said late Monday that he hadn't yet seen the opinion and couldn't comment. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a well-known advocate for tougher immigration laws who argued the case on Farmers Branch's behalf, did not return a phone message Monday.

William Brewer, the plaintiffs' lead attorney, called the decision "critically important" because the town had "thrust itself into the national debate over immigration."

"This outcome was critically important for those who believe immigration reform must take place at the federal level.

Being in the United States without legal permission isn't a crime on its own, the court said, and immigrants in the process of deportation are often required to give agents a reliable address. Banning immigrants from renting apartments "not only fails to facilitate, but obstructs the goal of bringing potentially removable noncitizens to the attention of the federal authorities," the court said.

Judges also questioned the process in which a renter or a landlord would be told to appeal a decision under the law in Texas state court. The appeals court said that could open "the door to conflicting state and federal rulings on the question" of whether someone could legally live in America.

Nina Perales, vice president of litigation for Latino civil rights group MALDEF, said the court's ruling sent a strong message that there were "few legal ways" for states and local governments to get involved in immigration.

"It is our sincere hope that (Farmers Branch) will accept the court's ruling, stop wasting the taxpayers' money, and move on to issues of real public concern," Perales said.

Other towns that have fought to enact similar laws have seen mixed success. A federal appeals court ruled against a renters' ordinance in Hazleton, Pa., but a different appeals court last month allowed law passed in the eastern Nebraska city of Fremont to go into effect.

In May, the town made history when it elected its first Hispanic to the City Council.

City Councilwoman Ana Reyes got involved in politics in Farmers Branch after the passage of the law making it illegal to rent to undocumented immigrants.

Her election was in large part the result of the new District 1, created after a federal judge ordered the city to change its election system to single-member district balloting. Reyes, 39, enjoyed a comfortable 2-to-1 lead all through the ballot counting last week, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Reyes, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, beat Bill Capener, co-founder of a group associated with the Tea Party.

Keranews.com said Her election is significant because Farmers Branch has been an epicenter for policies some consider anti-immigrant.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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First Lady Michelle Obama may wade into the hot waters of immigration when she delivers the keynote speech at the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza on Tuesday.

Immigration is one of President Barack Obama's top second-term priorities, but one that at least for the time being, seems stuck.

While Michelle Obama's pet issue during the first term was fitness, the first lady did occasionally address immigration matters in media interviews.

In a 2012 interview with national Spanish-language network Univision, she downplayed the Obama administrations record number of deportations when the reporter raised the subject.

There is nothing more critical than keeping families together and that is why Barack has been fighting so hard for comprehensive immigration reform, she told the network For the sheer fact that we cannot continue to let families be broken apart. That is at the heart of the success of any community -- thriving families being able to stay together.

And in 2011, also in an interview with Univision, she urged Latinos to help build momentum for immigration reform  which would include a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants  because, she said, her husband could not overhaul the flawed system by himself.

Its got to get through Congress; he cant do it alone, she said.

He has talked about [immigration] at every State of the Union address that hes given, and he pushed hard, I think, as he said, the greatest disappointment in this last legislative year is that the DREAM Act didnt get passed, that immigration got pushed aside, she said. But people have to know that the president cant pass immigration reform without the support of Congress, and we dont have that.

In June, the first lady tapped Maria Cristina Gonzalez Noguera, known as MC, and who was global vice president of Estee Lauder, to be her communications director.

The Senate in late June passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill that tightens enforcement, expands visas for foreign workers and provides a path to legal status for many of the nations estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. Now its the Houses turn to work on a bill, and Republicans in that chamber have said they are determined not to rubber-stamp the Senates measure.

Some conservatives in the House, where Republicans have a majority, opposed giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status, saying that would be rewarding lawbreakers.

President Obama has insisted that any measure that is sent to his desk for his signature must include a path to legal status.

In the presidents second term, Michelle Obama has shifted her social-issues emphasis to kids and gun violence after spending four years stressing better physical fitness for the young.

A meeting with high school students from a poor, gang-infested neighborhood in Chicago, her hometown, led Mrs. Obama to put a new spin on the stalled legislative debate over whether to ban firearms or impose new background checks on people who want to buy guns.

A mother to a teen and a tween, Mrs. Obama argued that the debate also is about the country's obligation to help kids like these grow up and become adults. Several of the school's current and former students were killed by gunfire within the past year.

One of the presidents highest-ranking Latinos in his administration is Cecilia Munoz, a former vice president of National Council of La Raza, a Latino advocacy group.

It is unclear whether Mrs. Obama will continue to speak about gun violence or immigration after the address on Tuesday to NLCR. The speech is one of her few remaining public events before she takes her traditional month off in August. But her words and actions on the gun issue have drawn notice.

She recently said that first ladies, more than presidents, "get to work on what we're passionate about."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Despite concern from the Obama administration that the measures could interfere with nuclear negotiations, Congress is considering a new series of hard-hitting Iran sanctions on everything from mining and construction to the Islamic republic's already besieged oil industry.

House and Senate bills are both advancing at a time President Barack Obama's national security team is gauging whether Iranian President-elect Hasan Rouhani is serious about halting some elements of Tehran's uranium enrichment activity. Those involved in the process said the administration wants to temper Congressional plans until Rouhani takes office in August and has an opportunity to demonstrate whether his government will offer concessions.

The House's bill may pass before Congress' August recess. The Senate version won't get a vote until at least September, said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a leading advocate of tougher Iran sanctions.

The Senate Banking Committee, which will put forward the package, is in ongoing consultations with the administration, according to one U.S. official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the sanctions.

The legislation would blacklist Iran's mining and construction sectors, effective next year, because they are seen as heavily linked to Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guard corps. It also would commit the U.S. to the goal of ending all Iranian oil sales worldwide by 2015, targeting the regime's biggest revenue generator and prime source of money for its weapons and nuclear programs.

U.S. penalties that went into effect last year already have cut Iran's petroleum exports in half, but that still leaves billions of dollars coming in every month from Turkey, China and several other Asian countries.

John McCain, R-Ariz., said the U.S. should immediately "plow ahead" with greater and tougher measures against Iran. "We're running out of time," he said.

The U.S. and many other countries believe Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Obama has said Iran has until sometime next year to prove to the world its nuclear program is peaceful. If diplomacy fails, the stage may be set for a military intervention by the U.S. or Israel, which sees an Iranian nuclear weapon as a threat to its very existence.

In a report last week, David Albright and Christina Walrond at the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security concluded that Iran will be able to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear explosive without being detected by mid-2014.

Iranians insist their program is solely for energy and research purposes.

The State Department wouldn't comment specifically on new legislation while it said it was waiting for Rouhani to be sworn in. "We will see what he does once in office," spokeswoman Marie Harf said.

A senior U.S. official said the administration's concerns were about the timing and content of the legislation.

If Rouhani is serious about compromise, setting new sanctions in advance of talks risks undercutting him, the official said. Even if the new Iranian leader isn't serious, the oil measures in particular are problematic, turning a potential U.S. diplomatic success into a failure.

If China or Japan, for example, decides to flout the U.S. demand to stop all importing from Iran, the administration would then have to weigh enforcing the law by blacklisting Chinese and Japanese banks and companies at the risk of widespread economic harm -- including for Americans. The likelier result is that the U.S. does nothing, making the sanctions look hollow and eroding international solidarity on pressuring Iran.

Despite wide bilateral support in Congress for tougher sanctions, some Democrats and Republicans are embracing the administration's cautious approach. In a letter last week to Obama, 18 GOP House members joined more than 100 of their Democratic colleagues in urging the president to "reinvigorate U.S. efforts to secure a negotiated nuclear agreement" and give Rouhani a chance.

Rouhani's election clearly has bolstered hope of compromise. A former nuclear negotiator and relatively moderate cleric, Rouhani has suggested a more accommodating approach than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has final say on nuclear issues.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said last week his country would be ready to resume talks once Rouhani, who takes office the first weekend in August, puts together a negotiating team.

World powers want the meeting "as soon as possible," Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said last week. Ashton has served as the point of contact for the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia since talks with Iran restarted last year. They've yet to make significant headway despite four rounds of discussions.

Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an adviser to Congress and the administration on Iran sanctions, said moving forward with new measures made sense. "Iran's nuclear ploys continue to beat Western economic pressure," he said. "The administration must go into the next round of negotiations with significant, re-enhanced leverage."

The administration has other options too. It could toughen enforcement of existing restrictions on Iran related to energy, shipping, port management and other sectors the U.S. has blacklisted in recent months. Dubowitz estimated that stamping out gold flows to Iran that already are subject to U.S. penalties could eliminate $20 billion a year in Iranian government revenue alone. The rough parameters of any larger nuclear deal with Iran are clear. It would have to include the West scaling back some of the sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy over the past few years.

In return, the Iranians probably would be allowed to continue producing low-enriched uranium for fuel but would be required to halt production of any higher-enriched material that comes closer to warhead-grade, and send existing stockpiles of such material out of the country for safekeeping. Western powers also would surely demand tougher monitoring of Tehran's nuclear activities.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Criticism rained down this week on Rep. Steve King, the Iowa Republican who is known for making incendiary comments about immigrants, for his assertion that many undocumented youth are drug mules and should not get be able to legalize their status.

In an interview last week with conservative news outlet Newsmax widely distributed on Tuesday, King said that while some undocumented immigrants brought as minors may be exemplary members of U.S. society, more of them work for dangerous Mexican drug cartels that undermine the rule of law.

For everyone whos a valedictorian, theres another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and theyve got calves the size of cantaloupes because theyre hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert, King said. Those people would be legalized with the same act.

For everyone whos a valedictorian, theres another 100 out there that weigh 130 pounds and theyve got calves the size of cantaloupes because theyre hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act.  Rep. Steve King, Iowa Republican, speaking about DREAMers

King. who was elected to Congress in 2002, made his comments as the House of Representatives is considering providing a pathway to legalization for some undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors by their parents, or who fell out of status when their parents overstayed visas -- commonly known as "DREAMers."

The bill, being crafted by Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, both Republicans from Virginia, would be one of several in the House addressing immigration reform.

Kings comments drew attention Tuesday after they were raised by Rep. Joe Garcia, a Florida Democrat, in a hearing in the House on providing undocumented immigrants who came as children an opportunity to legalize their status.

He was swiftly and widely criticized, even from the top Republican in the House.

John Boehner, an Ohio Republican and Speaker of the House, said: There can be honest disagreements about policy without using hateful language. Everyone needs to remember that.

And Cantor noted: I strongly disagree with his characterization of the children of immigrants and find the comments inexcusable.

In the hearing, Garcia read Kings comments, labeling them inflammatory and unbecoming of a member of Congress.

When members of this committee, when members of this House, use inflammatory language, use offensive language, it does not help the process, said Garcia, who did not mention Kings name while addressing the comment.

Despite the harsh reaction, King still stood by his controversial comments.

In an interview late Tuesday with Radio Iowa, he said he was only stating the facts about undocumented immigrants who were brought as minors.

Its not something that Im making up, he said. This is real.

We have people that are mules, that are drug mules, that are hauling drugs across the border and you can tell by their physical characteristics what theyve been doing for months, going through the desert with 75 pounds of drugs on their back, he told the radio station.

If those who advocate for the DREAM Act, if they choose to characterize this about valedictorians, I gave them a different image that we need to be thinking about because we just simply cant be passing legislation looking only at one component of what would be millions of people, King added.

King often has drawn fire for his no-holds-barred views of immigrants. He does not apologize for his more prickly comments, saying simply that liberals take them out context in order to demonize him.

He has compared immigrants to dogs, saying that the United States must pick the best of the litter, something he later defended as a compliment in a previous interview with Fox News Latino.

He has said that there should be an electrified fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, and wants to deny birthright citizenship for immigrants who have children here. He has likened illegal immigration to a slow-motion terrorist attack and a slow-motion holocaust.

And he has often said that while he understands the sympathy many have for DREAMers, he will not give in to efforts to sugarcoat a serious concern with sympathetic-sounding stories about well-meaning youngsters.

They say things that tug at our hearts, King said in an interview a year ago with Fox News Latino. They say [immigrants] werent aware they were breaking the law. But it was their parents that made the poor choices for their children. Its not our moral obligation to make up for the poor decision to bring them illegally from their countries.

Many immigrant advocacy groups, including those focused on helping DREAMers, said that King, who started a construction company in Iowa in 1975 that his son now runs, perpetuates a mindset common among lawmakers who have a hardline view of foreigners.

The congressman's comment were completely out of line and represent a small segment of the population that are racist, Diego Sanchez, a DREAMer who was singled out by President Obama during a speech about immigration earlier this year, told Fox News Latino. It is sad to see a congressman use such a derogatory comment towards our community.

Sanchez, 22, graduated from St. Thomas University, a Florida college where he was student body president and was named Student of the Year.

We hope that in his next election he is voted out. He is no leader and does not deserve to be in public office.

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These days, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio may be feeling like he needs the people he inadvertently may have left behind.

Rubio is renewing his outreach to tea party supporters and his advocacy for GOP causes as he struggles to repair his image as a conservative standard-bearer.

The shift comes after the potential 2016 presidential candidate pushed the Senate to approve an immigration overhaul bill that's been panned by some on the right who could be crucial to his future.

Rubio joined about 50 conservative activists and other lawmakers Tuesday at a meeting of the Senate's tea party caucus, putting him in a room with representatives of grassroots activists who helped fuel his unlikely Senate victory in 2010.

Rubio, considered a formidable presidential candidate in 2016 if he seeks the White House, spent months advocating for a comprehensive immigration reform proposal but has been largely absent from lobbying efforts since the process moved to the House. Instead, he has returned to conservative causes he has supported in the past, highlighting his opposition to President Barack Obama's health care law by pushing for an elimination of its funding, backing a measure to place more restrictions on U.S. funding of the United Nations and opposing the White House's choice to lead the Labor Department.

It comes as some of his supporters cite frustration with his backing of the Senate immigration plan.

"His immigration bill is much more of a letdown than him taking a sip of water in the response to the State of the Union," said Kellyanne Conway, a Republican pollster, referring to the senator's reach for a water bottle during his February speech.

Participants said Rubio was warmly received at the closed-door meeting and discussed immigration reform and Obama's health care law. The meeting was also attended by Republicans such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, also stopped by the meeting to advocate for immigration reform and told activists he was a "Ronald Reagan Republican  and that's a big tent party. There should be plenty of room for everybody."

Johnson said that Rubio "understood and I think Republicans and conservatives understand our immigration system is broken and it needs to be fixed so he showed some real political courage. I think he'll probably be rewarded in the end for that courage."

Eighteen months before voters begin considering the Republican field, it remains difficult to predict whether Rubio's stance on immigration could be a liability with voters. Two potential Senate rivals, Cruz and Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the immigration reform bill and have been critical of the measure as they begin appearing in early voting states like Iowa and South Carolina.

In Iowa on Friday, Cruz said the Senate bill continued "the same mistakes of the past," citing a 1986 reform law that is anathema to conservatives now.

The tea party meeting was bringing together several lawmakers and representatives of a variety of tea party organizations and other conservative groups, including the anti-tax Americans for Tax Reform and 60 Plus Association, which advocates on issues relevant to the elderly. While tea party activists said they were frustrated with Rubio's advocacy for the Senate bill, which has been rejected by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, many said they still view the senator as a stalwart on benchmark issues like federal spending and opposition to the health care law.

"It's not like he's speaking to a foreign audience. He's speaking to his family," said Niger Innis, a chief strategist for the TeaParty.net, which is helping plan the meeting.

For months, Rubio was by far the most prominent salesman for the Senate's immigration bill in the conservative community, appearing multiple times weekly on conservative talk radio shows, Fox News Channel and other programs to promote the bill.

He met with House Republicans and fellow GOP senators to try to win them over, and convened meetings of leading Republicans from think tanks and outside groups to try to build consensus around the need for reform.

Rubio didn't win over everyone, but his involvement was seen as partly responsible for the much friendlier initial response from conservatives to the legislation compared to Congress' last attempt to write a comprehensive immigration bill, which failed in 2007.

Throughout, Rubio was largely flying solo. The other Republican authors of the bill  McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina  couldn't match Rubio's conservative bona fides or his popularity with the tea party, and largely left the conservative outreach to him. That put Rubio far out on a limb with the bill, which passed the Senate on a strong bipartisan vote of 68 to 32 last month.

Almost immediately, the legislation was rejected by House conservatives, leaving its future unclear and Rubio's efforts potentially frustrated. The bill's unpopularity with the right seemed to grow, raising the question of whether Rubio's advocacy would help him politically by creating a reservoir of goodwill with Latino voters  or turn out to have been a spectacular miscalculation.

"He should have distanced himself from that bill earlier on. I'm not sure why he even voted for it," said Everett Wilkinson, a Florida-based chairman of the National Liberty Federation, a tea party organization. Despite unhappiness with Rubio on immigration, Wilkinson said his stances on other issues important to conservatives are "spot on."

In the weeks since the bill cleared the Senate, Rubio's silence on the bill has been impossible not to notice. He's stopped issuing statements on the legislation and promoting it in interviews, and when the Senate authors of the bill summoned business lobbyists to a meeting last week to push them to step up their campaign in the House, Rubio was conspicuous by his absence.

Some  including House Republicans  have interpreted Rubio's silence as more than that.

"As people have learned about the Senate bill its favorability has gone down," said Rep. John Fleming, R-La. "Sen. Rubio, who was the tip of the spear on that, has shut up about it completely, he doesn't even talk about it anymore. It's unpopular."

Rubio's aides insist the senator is not trying to distance himself from the immigration issue, but simply giving the House space to do its work.

"I think anybody that questions Sen. Rubio's commitment to immigration reform has been living in a cave for the last seven months," said Rubio spokesman Alex Conant. He said the House should be given "the time and space to consider its own immigration legislation and he won't be part of any effort to pressure the House."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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A Latina who long has championed the rights of workers is New Jerseys Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.

On Monday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono named labor leader Milly Silva, who came to New York with her mother from Puerto Rico and was raised in public housing in the Bronx, as her running mate.

Buono and Silva make up the first all-female ticket in a New Jersey gubernatorial race, and only the third nationwide. Buono and Silva are challenging Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, Republicans who are seeking a second term.

For now, Christie has been beating Buono in polls of likely voters by wide margins.

Silva, who is executive vice president of the New Jersey chapter of 1199SEIU, a private union of health care workers, wasted no time in criticizing Christie, whose policies she says have hurt the middle- and working-class.

In a speech that included remarks in both English and Spanish, Silva denounced Christies handling of Hispanic issues.

We live in a New Jersey where whatever Chris Christie says goes, she said. Thats not a leader, thats a bully.

Silva, 43, and the mother of three children, also said that Christie is not the moderate politician he often projects himself to be, saying that he aligns himself with "right-wing extremists."

Silva criticized Christie for campaigning for U.S. Rep. Steve King, a Republican from Iowa who has come under fire  most recently last week  for inflammatory comments about immigrants.

Just recently, his good friend Steve King casually said the majority of DREAMers  young immigrants who had no choice about whether to come to this country with their parents  are more likely to be criminals than scholars, Silva said, according to published reports.

Buono said that Silva would improve life for New Jerseyans from all walks.

For the last 20 years, Milly has dedicated herself to being a voice for the voiceless, Buono said. And I know she will bring the same passion to the lieutenant governors office. From increasing the minimum wage to making tuition more affordable, Milly knows how public policy can help improve the lives of New Jerseyans and their families.

In recent week, Christie, who is seen as a potential 2016 presidential candidate, launched the Hispanics for Christie coalition for his gubernatorial re-election campaign.

The group has dozens of appointed members, including 13 pastors who form part of its Hispanic Clergy Advisory Council. The coalition will have representatives in all 21 counties and will be headquartered in Paterson, the state's third-largest city, where Latinos form a majority.

New Jersey is home to 1.6 million Hispanics, they are almost 20 percent of the state population, the eighth largest Latino share in the nation. About 680,000 of the states Latinos are eligible to vote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Activists on both sides of the immigration reform debate plan to take their mission to persuade Congress to go along with their views to the lawmakers home turves during the summer recess.

Advocates for an immigration reform law that would include a path to legal status for many of the nations 11 million undocumented immigrants plan to zero in on more than 100 House Republicans, many of whom refuse to endorse what they consider amnesty.

The advocacy grassroots effort includes unlikely alliances such as liberal groups and conservative ones all favoring a way to bring undocumented immigrants who meet a strict set of criteria out of the shadows.

The basic goal of legal pathway proponents is to rally the lawmakers constituents around legalizing the undocumented, and in turn make it difficult for the most reluctant members of Congress to continue to oppose it.

The immigration system is broken and Americans want Congress to find a real solution through a step-by-step methodical approach, said Brian O. Walsh, president of the American Action Network, which announced Wednesday the launching of the Conservative Immigration Support Network. The Conservative Immigration Support Network will deliver important an important message to Congress this August to continue their work on conservative immigration reform.

AAN said this August initiative will include a $250,000 program "engaging key local leaders, mobilizing our existing grassroots network, and releasing district-by-district studies on the economic impact of immigration reform.

The Republicans in the House of Representatives, who have the majority, are debating how to move forward with immigration legislation after the Senate passed a comprehensive bill in June with visa reforms, border security and eventual citizenship for the immigrants already in the country illegally.

No action is expected in the House until fall, at which point Republicans may advance a piecemeal series of single-issue bills beginning with border security. The potential for the House to reach any agreement with the Senate on a final package that could reach President Barack Obama's desk is very much in doubt.

Charles Spies of Republicans for Immigration Reform is quoted in POLITICO as saying that in the last attempt to pass immigration reform  in 2007, under the George W. Bush administration  those who opposed a pathway to legal status dominated the discussions in the lawmakers districts.

For our conservative base, the month of August is very important to provide accurate information about the need for comprehensive reform, Spies said. [In 2007] there was no grassroots effort and a loud minority that opposes reform controlled the dialogue. This time, proponents of reform are not going to be caught off-guard.

On Wednesday, liberal groups such as labor unions, and the National Council of La Raza unveiled their blueprint for building momentum in the lawmakers districts, including staging hundreds of events during August.

Those who oppose a path to legal status are busy planning counter-efforts.

NumbersUSA, which was instrumental in helping defeat the 2007 immigration reform effort, is organizing August recess rallies and mobilizing anti-legalization activists.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, another major organization that favors strict immigration policies, plans to get activists to swarm town hall meetings that the lawmakers hold and keep beating the drum for a tough approach to immigration.

Obviously, there is a great deal of money being poured in to this by the people who want to pass amnesty, said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for FAIR, in a POLITICO story. As things begin to heat up in the House, well probably consider ads based on where we believe the need is.

Beyond the face-to-face grassroots campaign in their districts, members of Congress are getting letters from groups that hope to persuade them one way or another.

Earlier this week, hundreds of leading business groups and GOP donors called for action on immigration legislation, seeking to increase pressure on the House GOP as lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for their summer recess.

Two letters were released separately, one signed by more than 400 leading businesses, chambers of commerce and others, and the second by around 100 GOP donors, including boldface names such as former Vice President Dan Quayle and GOP strategist Karl Rove.

In addition, more than 270 Texas and Arizona business leaders signed letters sent Tuesday to their congressional representatives, including two influential members of the House Judiciary Committee, urging them to support a temporary worker program for less skilled immigrants.

Theres no mistaking the message here, said Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, which worked with state groups to coordinate the letters. Employers in an array of sectors count on less skilled immigrants as a vital part of their labor force, and they want a way to hire them legally when there are no willing and able Americans.

The Texas letter was signed by 187 employers and business associations from the Texas Association of Business and the Texas Restaurant Association to small, family-owned construction and landscaping companies. It was sent to Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, including Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas.

The heart of reform is fixing the legal immigration system so it works for America in the future, admitting the immigrants we need and preventing future illegal immigration, the Texas letter said. We urge you to help deliver legislation that provides the workforce Texas employers need to keep their businesses open and contributing to the economy.
If at first you don't succeed, try try again. And again.

Members of Congress have reintroduced a bill that would create a national Latino American history museum in one of the oldest buildings on the National Mall.

An advocacy group on Wednesday urged Congress to pass the bill this year. The group, Friends of the American Latino Museum, has begun raising money for an advocacy effort to urge Congress to authorize it.

Two years ago, a presidential commission called for the creation of a Smithsonian American Latino Museum. But the effort stalled last year in Congress.

Now, Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida have reintroduced the measure in Senate. In the House, California Rep. Xavier Becerra is the lead sponsor, along with Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.

"We're looking for a home for our history, for our culture, for our contributions to this country," Becerra said Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

The California congressman, who serves on the Smithsonian's governing board, said the 18 facilities of the world's largest museum and research complex can only show a small fraction of their approximately 140 million objects.

"We want America to see who we are," Becerra said. "But if we're going to be housed in the dark recesses of some storage container because there's not enough room for all that, that's not enough."

The legislation calls for the creation of the new museum in the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building, which has been shuttered for years due to structural problems.

Actress Eva Longoria has been a leading proponent of the museum effort, along with producer Emilio Estefan, Rosario Dawson and other entertainers.

Estuardo Rodriguez Jr., the newly appointed executive director of the museum advocacy group, said supporters would have to raise at least $325 million in private donations to build the museum if it's authorized by Congress. The group has held a town hall meeting at Rice University in Texas and is planning another at the University of Southern California to build support nationwide.

In 1994, a Smithsonian report entitled "Willful Neglect" found Hispanics were the only major contributor to American civilization not permanently recognized at the museum complex.

Ros-Lehtinen said the contributions of more than 50 million Hispanic Americans deserve further attention.

"We've been part of America's history because we are Americans since our republic's founding," she said.

The museum group also unveiled a new painting as a poster to symbolize the effort. It was created by artist Ana Maria Villegas, an immigrant who lives in Coral Springs, Fla. She said the image of a young Latino with a guitar and American flag in the background was inspired by seeing her daughters integrate their Mexican heritage with American culture.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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A senior Republican in the Senate plans to delay a full Senate vote on the confirmation of Katherine Archuleta as federal personnel director until questions are answered about health coverage for Capitol Hill staffers, according to The Washington Post.

Sen. Tom Coburn, the ranking Republican on a Senate oversight committee, said Wednesday that he wants to know how health coverage for Capitol Hill staff members will be affected under the Affordable Care Act, the Post reported.

The ACA calls for members of Congress and their staffs to obtain coverage under the laws insurance exchanges, rather than the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which they currently use.

The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee already has approved Archuletas nomination. If confirmed, Archuleta would be the first Hispanic to serve as director of the Office of Personnel Management.

One looming question about ACA and its impact on Capitol Hill staffers is whether they would continue to receive an employer contribution  which now covers about 70 percent of their cost  under the new healthcare law.

That uncertainty has caused growing anxiety among congressional staffers as the startup of the ACA approaches, The Post story said, raising the prospect that retirement-eligible Hill employees would choose to retire before the end of this year in order to keep their health coverage as retirees under the current terms.

Bradford Fitch, president and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, a nonpartisan organization that works with Congress to improve its operations, told the Post: Chiefs of staff are concerned about a brain drain, that senior staff have a significant incentive to leave now.

Its not just an issue of forcing federal employees out of FEHBP, its the uncertainty of whether their employer will continue to contribute to their health care plan. They dont know anything and theyre getting very worried, he said.

Many might opt for retirement if the contribution does not continue, he said.

Archuleta was the national political director for Obama for America, the official name for the presidents election campaign, from 2011 to 2012.

Her previous jobs included chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Labor, senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy, and chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The position for which Obama nominated Archuleta is not part of the Cabinet.

Many Latino organizations have been closely watching Obama appointments amid complaints from many Hispanic groups that, other than recently confirmed Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Obama had not nominated any other Latinos for his Cabinet in his second term.

Perezs confirmation was delayed several times at the request of Republicans, who voiced strong opposition to Perez's nomination.

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Lawsuits related to voting rights are seeing a decline across the country, according to an analysis of federal statistics by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University.

New voting rights lawsuits filed in June numbered just nine, a drop of 25 percent over those filed in May, TRAC found.

When compared to such cases filed a year ago, the drop was even larger  37 percent.

Over a five-year period, going back to 2008, voting rights lawsuits filed are down 22.5 percent.

The study offered no theories for the drop.

The analysis, released Tuesday, comes as the Obama Administration has vowed to strengthen the Voting Rights Act following the Supreme Court decision striking down a the provision that required the federal government to authorize changes to voting systems in states that have a history of racial discrimination.

Most of those states are located in the South.

Opponents of the Supreme Court decision want Congress to restore the provision. Some believe that the decision could embolden states to make moves toward implementing voting practices that could hurt minorities.

Among the nine voting rights suits filed in June was one by the Democratic Party of Hawaii that is challenging the practice of voters being able to vote for anyone in the primaries regardless of their party affiliation.

The party argues that primaries are nominations and are not meant to be treated as elections. It is seeking to have only Democrats be able to vote for Democrats in a primary, and only Republicans for Republicans.

Another lawsuit was filed by Doris J. Hubbard and Jesus Mayor, who are arguing that the Lone Star College System violates minority voters' rights by having at-large elections that limit their representation.

Hubbard is black and Mayor is Hispanic.
Anthony Weiner says that the name he chose for his illicit online exchanges with at least one woman stemmed from an inside joke between them.

Weiner explained in an interview with the Spanish-language television station Univision that the name, Carlos Danger, arose from an inside joke between him and his sexting partner, a woman named Sydney Leathers from Indiana.

It was a joke in my personal life between me and one person, said Weiner, who is a New York City mayoral candidate. Im not going to comment on anything about the information that that person has chosen to release. They can do whatever they want, try to harm me in any way that they want. Im moving forward.

Leathers went public recently with transcripts of her online exchanges with Weiner after she learned that he was running for mayor. She said she had fallen in love with Weiner, who stressed that he had left his online dalliances behind him after attending therapy with his wife and resigning from Congress in 2011.

But Leathers' revelations proved otherwise -- that Weiner continued to have sexual exchanges with women online and over the telephone as recently as late 2012.

At least one of Weiner's mayoral rivals, Rev. Erick Salgado, took umbrage over the name "Carlos Danger."

Salgado said it was an insult to the Latino community and demanded that Weiner apologize.

The New York City mayoral hopeful plunged to fourth place among Democrats in a poll taken since he admitted to having illicit online exchanges with women even after he resigned from Congress amid a sexting scandal.

The poll released earlier this week also showed about half of likely Democratic voters saying Weiner should abandon his mayoral bid.

Weiner's support fell from 26 percent last week to 16 percent in Monday's Quinnipiac University poll. Last week's survey was taken largely before Weiner's latest scandal was revealed.

"He's in a free-fall," said poll director Maurice Carroll. "He can't win. He simply can't win."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by immigration agents who challenged the Obama administrations program that gives a reprieve from deportation to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors.

U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor, who earlier this year had expressed agreement with the agents contention that the deferred deportation program undermined their duty to enforce the law, said on Wednesday that it was not within his courts jurisdiction to decide on what essentially is a dispute between federal employees and their employer, the U.S. government.

President Obama implemented the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, last year amid growing criticism from immigration advocates that he had failed to fight hard enough for comprehensive immigration reform  particularly the aspect of it that gives certain undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize their status.

Many activists had argued that the president, who blamed Republicans in Congress for the lack of progress on a reform measure, had the authority to implement some changes in immigration policies through an executive order or some other initiative.

Republicans assailed the idea, saying it was an end-run around Congress.

In his decision to dismiss the case, OConnor, sitting in Dallas, Texas, nonetheless reiterated his view that DACA was inherently unlawful.

Plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the Department of Homeland

Security has implemented a program contrary to congressional mandate, he said in his ruling.

Kris Kobach, the attorney who represented the 10 agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their lawsuit, said that despite the dismissal of the case, the judges comments vindicated the agents.

Today, the court once again made clear that the Obama Administrations DACA Directive violates federal law, Kobach said in a written statement. The question that the court focused on in the ruling was a purely jurisdictional onewhether this case can proceed in federal court or whether it must go through administrative bodies in the executive branch.

The fact remained that the Obama Administration is ordering ICE agents to break the law, Kobach said.

It is imperative that this attack on the rule of law be stopped, one way or another, he said.

Kobach, who is Kansas Secretary of State, is the architect of many of the nation's state-level immigration measures, including Arizona's SB1070. Kobach also served as GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney's unofficial immigration advisor, a liaison that many observers believed ended up being detrimental to the former Massachusetts governor.

Kobach, a champion for those who oppose illegal immigration, long has been a proponent of the concept of "self-deportation," whereby life becomes so difficult for undocumented immigrants that they leave the United States on their own.

To be eligible under DACA, immigrants have to prove that they arrived in the United States before they turned 16, have been in the country for at least five years, are 30 or younger, are in school or have graduated or have served in the military. They cannot have a criminal record or otherwise be considered a threat to public safety or national security.

The president of the ICE agents union, Christopher L. Crane, is the main plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Many immigration advocates had vehemently criticized the lawsuit, saying it targeted immigrants who had been brought to the country as children and, as such, had no say in their parents decision to enter illegally, or to overstay their visas.

They have pushed for Congress to pass the DREAM Act, a measure that would give such immigrants a pathway to legalization. Several efforts to pass it have failed. But new efforts to come up with an immigration reform law include a provision to allow immigrants brought as minors a chance to obtain legal status.

Most Americans support the DREAM Act and think legalization is a much more realistic solution than mass deportation, especially for young people who have grown up in the United States, said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat and chairman of the immigration task force for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, last year in addressing the ICE union lawsuit.

He said the presidents policy allows enforcement agents to concentrate on deporting criminals.

"These are young people brought up in the U.S. who have achieved scholastically and remained crime-free, he said.
The FBI is investigating a Texas business that helps the government recruit foreigners seeking U.S. visas in exchange for $500,000 job-creating investments, according to court documents.

The FBI agent leading the case referred to it as possible Ponzi scheme.

The case shines a bright light on an industry that has boomed in recent years.

Search warrants indicate the FBI has been investigating USA Now Regional Center since at least early last year on suspicion of wire fraud, money laundering and transportation of stolen property. Federal agents searched the company's office and the owners' home in McAllen earlier this month.

USA Now is among hundreds of private businesses designated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to recruit foreign investors to the "EB-5" investor visa program. The so-called regional centers  which have proliferated amid the nation's economic downturn, but also attracted controversy  offer investment opportunities to foreigners and then pool their money for development projects ranging from hotels to a Vermont ski resort.

The government's objective is to attract foreign capital and create jobs. But the investors are primarily interested in getting permanent U.S. residency for themselves and their families, and any financial gain from the investment is generally considered a bonus.

No charges have been filed in the McAllen case. The FBI declined comment, citing its ongoing investigation.

The company's attorney, Tony Canales, told The Associated Press that the FBI doesn't understand the business. "We think the government's wrong. We think we can explain it," he said Wednesday, declining to go into details.

Bank records obtained by the FBI show that on the same days investors transferred their $500,000 payments to USA Now, the money was routed through other bank accounts. Those accounts were used to buy a new Mercedes for the company's owner, pay off the owner's civil lawsuit settlement and at least once to repay an investor who wanted out, according to court documents filed this month in federal court in McAllen.

The FBI seized the Mercedes and a pickup truck that it said was purchased with an investor's money, the court records show.

The FBI agent leading the case wrote in his request for the search warrants that he believed it was "a scheme executed by employees of USA Now Regional Center to defraud foreign investors by using investors' funds for personal gain and other illegitimate manners without the investors' knowledge or approval." The agent labeled it a "Ponzi scheme," showing how money from one investor was used to make interest payments to others.

The investigation was first reported by The Monitor newspaper in McAllen.

Congress created the EB-5 program in 1990, and regional centers were added as a pilot program in 1992. Now, more than 90 percent of EB-5 applications are made through regional centers rather than through direct investment.

The advantage to using a regional center is that investors become limited partners without responsibility for managing the business, yet they receive credit for the jobs it creates. That means their investments could be in McAllen while they live in Miami.

There were only 11 of these government-sanctioned businesses nationwide in 2007; now, there are more than 300. The centers became popular sources of investment income for U.S. developers when traditional credit markets tightened during the economic downturn.

Each investment  $500,000 in economically depressed areas, $1 million elsewhere  must create at least 10 jobs. But the investment alone does not guarantee the visa.

The government traces the source of the funds to ensure they're legal and requires the money be at risk.

Once the investment is made, the investor is eligible for two years of temporary residency. After that period, if the jobs are created and everything else checks out they can apply for permanent residency. The program is capped at 10,000 visas annually.

If the project isn't built and the jobs aren't created in the required time frame, investors will not get a green card. Depending on how the deal was structured, they may not get their money back. Plus, investors are on their own to judge the prospective projects.

There have been EB-5 debacles in California with a proposed sewage treatment plant, in a South Dakota dairy and a plant in Missouri to produce an artificial sweetener.

There are other investor-type visas, but not all offer permanent residency. Experts say the residency bonus is the primary draw, noting that other routes toward green cards can take many years.

USA Now operates from a suite of offices in downtown McAllen just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Christopher Bentley, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Wednesday that applications could be temporarily held or processed during ongoing investigations, depending on the specifics of the case.

The company's director of operations, Marco Ramirez, was named in the search warrants and did not return a call for comment on Wednesday. But in a July 2011 interview with The Associated Press, he said the company was focusing on Mexican investors because of their proximity and the deteriorating security situation across the border.

"The biggest reason is security, 60 percent of the families that come through here have had a situation" such as extortion or kidnapping by organized crime, Ramirez said.

At the time of that interview, Ramirez said USA Now had nearly 200 investors and almost $100 million  just four months after the company had been approved as a regional center by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The government does not release any information about the number of applications filed through individual regional centers nor the number of their clients who successfully obtain visas.

In October 2011, an AP reporter attended a seminar in Mexico City on investment opportunities presented by USA Now. About 45 Mexicans gathered at a luxury tower hotel in an upscale neighborhood to hear Ramirez pitch investment opportunities in South Texas that could earn them permanent residency.

Some wore suits, others were stylishly casual and toting hints of wealth such as iPads and iPhones. One young man asked if money from a trust fund could be used to make the $500,000 investment. Some of the attendees cited security concerns for wanting to both live and invest their money in U.S. rather than Mexico.

Ramirez pitched several opportunities that day including a high-rise condo project, a hospital and a retirement home. He said they charged $40,000 for the application process. When he asked the crowd how many were there "just for the investment," only one person raised a hand.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Uruguay has taken a critical step towards passage of an unprecedented plan to become the first nation to create a legal marijuana market.

On Wednesday just before midnight all 50 members of the ruling Broad Front coalition of the lower house of the Uruguay Congress approved the proposal in a party line vote, keeping a narrow majority of the 96 lawmakers present after more than 13 hours of passionate debate.

The measure now goes to the Senate, where passage is expected to make Uruguay the first country in the world to license and enforce rules for the production, distribution and sale of marijuana for adult consumers.

Legislators in the ruling coalition said putting the government at the center of a legal marijuana industry is worth trying because the global war on drugs had been a costly and bloody failure, and displacing illegal dealers through licensed pot sales could save money and lives.

They also hope to eliminate a legal contradiction in Uruguay, where it has been legal to use pot but against the law to sell it, buy it, produce it or possess even one marijuana plant.

"Uruguay appears poised, in the weeks ahead, to become the first nation in modern times to create a legal, regulated framework for marijuana," said John Walsh, a drug policy expert at the Washington Office on Latin America. "In doing so, Uruguay will be bravely taking a leading role in establishing and testing a compelling alternative to the prohibitionist paradigm."

Opponents of the proposal warned that marijuana is a gateway drug and said fostering the bad habits of addicts is playing with fire.

President Jose Mujica had postponed voting for six months to give supporters more time to rally public opinion. However, recent polls said two-thirds of Uruguayans remained opposed despite a "responsible regulation" campaign for the bill.

National Party Deputy Gerardo Amarilla said the government was underestimating the risk of marijuana, which he called a "gateway drug" for other chemical addictions that foster violent crimes.

"Ninety-eight percent of those who are today destroying themselves with base cocaine began with marijuana," Amarilla said. "I believe that we're risking too much. I have the sensation that we're playing with fire."

Dozens of pro-marijuana activists followed the debate from balconies overlooking the house floor, while others outside held signs and danced to reggae music.

"This law consecrates a reality that already exists: The marijuana sales market has existed for a long time, but illegally, buying it from traffickers, and in having plants in your house for which you can be thrown in jail," said Camilo Collazo, a 25-year-old anthropology student. "We want to put an end to this, to clean up and normalize the situation."

Mujica, for his part, said he never consumed marijuana, but that the regulations are necessary because many other people do. "Never in my life did I try it, nor do I have any idea what it is," he told the local radio station Carve.

The heavy toll, costs and questionable results of military responses to illegal drugs have motivatedmarijuana legalization initiatives in the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington, and inspired many world leaders to re-think drug laws.

The secretary-general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Inzulza, told Mujica last week that his members had no objections. Pope Francis, however, said during his visit to Brazil that the "liberalization of drugs, which is being discussed in several Latin American countries, is not what will reduce the spread of chemical substances."

Under the legislation, Uruguay's government would license growers, sellers and consumers, and update a confidential registry to keep people from buying more than 40 grams a month.

Carrying, growing or selling pot without a license could bring prison terms, but licensed consumers could grow up to six plants at a time at home.

Growing clubs with up to 45 members each would be encouraged, fostering enough marijuana production to drive out unlicensed dealers and draw a line between pot smokers and users of harder drugs.

The latest proposal "has some adjustments, aimed at strengthening the educational issue and prohibiting driving under the effects of cannabis," ruling coalition deputy Sebastian Sabini said. "There will be self-growing clubs, and it will also be possible to buy marijuana in pharmacies" that is mass-produced by private companies.

An Institute for Regulation and Control of Cannabis would be created, with the power to grant licenses for all aspects of a legal industry to produce marijuana for recreational, medicinal or industrial use.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Immigration enforcement agents are likely to keep challenging the legality of a federal program that suspends deportations for certain undocumented immigrants, their attorney said Friday.

Kris Kobach, who represents 10 agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that the Obama administration program giving a two-year reprieve from deportation to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors undermines his clients duty to enforce the law.

Were assessing our options, Kobach said to Fox News Latino. The lawsuit is not over. One option is to appeal this decision. Another is to follow the administrative course under the civil service rule.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor said he was dismissing the lawsuit because it was not within his courts jurisdiction to decide on what essentially is a dispute between federal employees and their employer, the U.S. government. The judge said that there were civil service employment channels through which the agents could challenge the program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

The lawsuit is not over. One option is to appeal this decision. Another is to follow the administrative course under the civil service rule.  Kris Kobach, attorney representing immigration agents

OConnor, sitting in Dallas, Texas, pointed out that he essentially agreed with the agents contention that the deferred deportation program undermined their duty to enforce the law.

The ICE officers are correct in their legal conclusion about DACA, Kobach said. It orders ICE agents to violate federal law, and its important that the judge said that because the court didnt have to.

Obama implemented DACA last year amid growing criticism from immigration advocates that he had failed to fight hard enough for comprehensive immigration reform  particularly the aspect of it that gives certain undocumented immigrants a chance to legalize their status.

Many immigration advocates vehemently criticized the agents' lawsuit, saying it targeted immigrants who had been brought to the country as children and, as such, had no say in their parents decision to enter illegally, or to overstay their visas.

Kobach, who is the Kansas secretary of state, is a pivotal figure in many high-profile cases around the country that seek to crack down on illegal immigration.

He is the architect of many of the nation's state-level immigration measures, including Arizona's SB1070.

He was a lead attorney in cases involving ordinances in Hazleton, Pa., Farmers Branch, Texas and Fremont, Neb. that called for making it illegal to rent to undocumented immigrants.

Kobach, a champion for those who oppose illegal immigration, long has been a proponent of the concept of "self-deportation," whereby life becomes so difficult for undocumented immigrants that they leave the United States on their own.

Kobach said that his commitment to getting involved in cases like that of the ICE agents and the others that strive for tough enforcement against undocumented immigrants is, for him, a matter of the rule of law.

There are a lot of cases going on right now, he said. Were trying to ensure the law is being enforced. Are we a country of laws, or a country where we are fueled by political forces?

He added: Every state is a border state. Illegal aliens are smuggled in, mostly through Arizona these days, they are taken to safe houses in Phoenix, and theyre shipped out across the country.

To be eligible under DACA, immigrants have to prove that they arrived in the United States before they turned 16, have been in the country for at least five years, are 30 or younger, are in school or have graduated or have served in the military. They cannot have a criminal record or otherwise be considered a threat to public safety or national security.

The president of the ICE agents union, Christopher L. Crane, is the main plaintiff in the lawsuit against DACA.

Immigration advocates have pushed for Congress to pass the DREAM Act, a measure that would give such immigrants a pathway to legalization. Several efforts to pass it have failed. But new efforts to come up with an immigration reform law include a provision to allow immigrants brought as minors a chance to obtain legal status.

The advocates expressed relief over the dismissal of the ICE agents' lawsuit. But they are watching what happens next.

Kris Kobach is the only one who seems to believe that his campaign of anti-immigrant litigation, legislation and advocacy is going well," said Frank Sharry, the founder and executive director of America's Voice, a D.C.-based group that advocates for more lenient immigration laws.

"He just lost his lawsuit against DREAMers. He lost at the Supreme Court last year, when the justices knocked the legs out from under the Arizona and Alabama state laws he helped write. His local ordinances have been blocked in the courts and cost local communities millions to defend. Given his sorry track record, the anti-immigrant world might want to look for a new lawyer.
For the first time, the State Bar of California will have a Hispanic president.

Luis Rodriguez, the son of Mexican immigrants, ran unopposed for resident, according to the associations website. Rodriguez, who is a public defender, is 46 and lives in Los Angeles.

Rodriguez has indicated that fighting immigration fraud by attorneys will be one of his priorities for the association.

The bar regulates more than 237,000 attorneys.

"I'm the first Latino and that's something to celebrate, especially in the state of California, but at the same time, it's a stark reminder of how long it takes for certain groups to move up and become part of the leadership of the community," Rodriguez is quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Daily News. "It's an opportunity to show everybody that given the opportunity, we can provide and give as much as anyone else for the betterment of our community."

Rodriguez told the newspaper that he still remembers how police officers mocked his fathers broken English when they visited the United States. He also recalled how he and his friends were being singled out by authorities for car searches because they were Latinos.

Though he was born in Los Angeles, he and his family lived in Mexico for about a decade before moving back to California when he was in elementary school.

"It was an interesting childhood; I was neither from there nor here," said Rodriguez, who was the first in his family to attend college. "The beauty of it was that I was really able to experience two different cultures, two different societies, the good and the bad of course."

He graduated with honors from Santa Clara University, where he got his law degree.

A part-time job as a law clerk at the Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office provided an epiphany.

"It was like love at first sight," Rodriguez said. "I was getting paid to do something I believed in, which not too many people get to do."

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The first Hispanic chief judge of the Chicago area said there's a "strong showing" that the federal government in a drug case racially profiled African-Americans and Latinos  raising a sensitive issue that for years has arisen in various forms nationwide.

Judge Ruben Castillo wrote in his decision this week that since 2011, 19 African-Americans and seven Latinos have been charged in drug stings in the Chicago area, in which agents used an informant to talk suspects into robbing fake stash houses. Over the same period, no whites have been charged, he wrote, citing defense filings.

The decision, which was posted late Wednesday, has potential to reach beyond Chicago. Law enforcement in other metropolitan areas has been accused of racial profiling, and similar stings are done nationwide.

Castillo says there's a "strong showing of potential bias" and ordered the government to turn over the name and race of each defendant in such cases brought by federal prosecutors in the Chicago area since 2006.

On Thursday, one defense attorney in the case welcomed the ruling as "potentially groundbreaking."

More On This... New Hispanic Chief Judge Calls For More Jury Diversity

"It is groundbreaking if, in the end, the court recognizes that these prosecutions are tinged with a racial animus," said Michael Falconer, who represents one of five defendants in the case. "With this ruling, Castillo has already gone further than I could have hoped for."

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, Randall Samborn, declined comment on the ruling.

Last month, Castillo became the first Hispanic chief judge for the northern Illinois district. He told The Associated Press then that one of his priorities was to ensure diversity issues were looked at more closely at the courthouse.

In the Chicago case, prosecutors say the five men were charged after an undercover agent told them he knew of a house where Mexican cartel operatives kept a stash of 20 kilograms of cocaine with a street value in the tens of thousands of dollars. The men, who allegedly spoke of cutting the throats of any stash-house guards, were arrested on Aug. 14 last year as they prepared to storm the location.

In addition to attempted robbery, the suspects_ as is common practice in such stings  also were charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute it, even though the product never actually existed. A conviction on that charge alone carries a minimum 10-year sentence and maximum life term.

Castillo in his ruling also asks for any instructions that prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms provide to employees on how to avoid profiling based on race. A spokesman for the ATF in Chicago, Thomas Ahern, also declined comment Thursday.

Attorneys for a defendant in the case, Abraham Brown, have sharply criticized the practice of using fake stash houses.

"The informant and agent search for their prey  someone whom they can convince to act on their phony plan," their motion, filed in June, says. Numbers indicating most targets are black, it adds, "presents a stark discriminatory picture."

In their reply, prosecutors said there was no evidence that's true. To show any such bias, the government argued the defense had to show that non-minorities with criminal histories who were potential sting targets "were not further investigated or prosecuted because of their race."

Steve Greenberg, a Chicago defense attorney unconnected to the case in Castillo's ruling, said it was rare for a judge to even broach the issue of prosecutors' impartiality.

"And for a judge to question prosecutors' decisions on racial grounds  I've never seen that before," Greenberg said. "He's not saying they are doing it_ racial profiling  but he is saying, `I have seen enough to make me wonder if there is something here.'"

The judge gave the government until Aug. 23 to turn over the asked-for data. If he eventually decides racial profiling was involved, he could dismiss all the charges, Falconer said.

It's not the first time Castillo, a former civil rights attorney, has raised questions about race and the law.

In 2000, in approving a settlement involving accusations that a suburban village engaged in racial profiling, Castillo wrote that the phenomenon was a "deadly cancer on our justice system."

The question regarding the fairness of stash-house stings has arisen before in this district, court filings show.

Last year, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago found such stings were acceptable. But in a partial dissent, Judge Richard Posner wrote there is a greater risk of illegally entrapping suspects because of the promise of hundreds of thousands in drug money dangled before targets.

"Most robberies, even bank robberies, net little money for the robber," he wrote. "But a stash house is a potential goldmine." He added that such stings are "a disreputable tactic."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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The City Council members of a Texas town that made national headlines over tensions between its officials and Latino residents recently decided to drop a fight over a court ruling that paved the way for the first Hispanic to get elected.

But that, it turns out, did not put the matter to rest.

Now, a resident of Farmers Branch is suing the town over that decision  specifically, the resident is accusing the City Council of acting under the radar when it took the action to drop its challenge of the court ruling mandating single-member districts, according to Law360.com

The change from at-large district elections to single-member led to the victory of Ana Reyes in May.

Latinos had complained that the at-large system of selecting City Council members violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and a federal judge agreed.

In February, Farmers Branch filed an appeal of that decision, but then dropped it in a meeting last month.

The resident filing the suit, Mark Baker, said the council made that decision in a meeting that was properly publicized so that the public could have its say about it. He is alleging that the city officials violated the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Im sure there is no violation and that the proper notices were in place, Farmers Branch City Manager Gary Greer told Law360.com

Baker strongly disagreed.

The City Council intentionally concealed from the public the real purpose of their executive session, which was to implement a new course of action  Move on  by dismissing the pending appeal in the single member district lawsuit, he said in the suit, according to the website.

Latinos are nearly 50 percent of Farmers Branch, and nearly 80 percent of District 1, which elected Reyes.

Tensions between Latinos and other residents peaked when the citys mayor called for banning undocumented immigrants from rentals.

A federal court last month blocked the Dallas suburb's rental ban law.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said multiple parts of the ordinance in Farmers Branch are unconstitutional and encroaches on the federal government's authority.

"We conclude that enforcement of the ordinance conflicts with federal law," the court said.

The appeals court relied heavily on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year that struck down parts of Arizona's immigration law.

The suburb's ordinance would have required all renters to obtain licenses. The city's building inspector would check an immigrant's status and deny licenses to anyone in the country without permission.

Landlords who allowed immigrants without permits would have faced fines or revocations of their renters' licenses.

Reyes got involved in politics in Farmers Branch after the passage of the law making it illegal to rent to undocumented immigrants.

Reyes, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, beat Bill Capener, co-founder of a group associated with the Tea Party.

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The Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma reported Friday that the number of Cubans receiving U.S. nonimmigrant visas jumped by 79 percent in the first half of the year.

According to statistics published by Granma, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana issued 16,767 such visas in the first six months of 2013, compared to 9,369 in the same period last year.

Officials at the Interests Section, which Washington maintains in Cuba instead of an embassy because the countries do not have full diplomatic ties, confirmed the figures.

On its website, the Section said it recently beefed up its capacity for handling application interviews to 500 per day, up from 120 to 150 per day a year ago.

"This has substantially reduced the wait for an appointment, and we are working to reduce that wait time even further by the end of 2013," the webpage read.

Granma's report was published a day after a new U.S. policy took effect extending multiple-entry visas valid for five years to Cubans who are approved for nonimmigrant travel to the United States. Before, most such visas were good for six months and a single entry.

In Havana's first official public reaction to the change announced Wednesday, Granma noted that it makes life easier for Cubans by eliminating the need to show up in person and pay a $160 processing fee each time they want to travel to the U.S., but said it doesn't represent a change in U.S. attitudes toward Cuba.

"New instruments, same policy," read the headline.

A U.S. State Department spokesman also said this week that the modified visa rules do not amount to a significant change in Washington's Cuba policy.

High-level Cuban and U.S. officials met in Washington last month for a new round of migration talks that are supposed to happen every six months, but had been stalled since January 2011.

And earlier this year Cuba scrapped the widely detested exit visa that for decades had been required of any islander seeking to travel abroad. It also extended from one to two years the amount of time Cubans can remain overseas without losing residency rights and benefits back home.

Havana reserved the right to deny passports in some cases for essential personnel or for people with pending legal matters, but government opponents have mostly been free to travel overseas and return, often after bashing President Raul Castro's Communist system in very public forums.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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When three undocumented immigrants left the United States for Mexico last month and then, joined by six others, tried to re-enter as a larger protest against U.S. deportation policies, they thrust immigration activism into a whole different dimension.

The risky and provocative move even rattled veteran activists who long have challenged U.S. immigration policies, and bitter  and very public  disagreements even erupted among them over the so-called DREAM 9.

Some, like David Leopold, the former president of American Immigration Lawyers Association, said that while he supported their views, he disagreed with their tactics. Others call them courageous and say the risky move may give a necessary jolt to an immigration reform effort that seems to have stalled in Congress.

The stakes of the DREAM 9 protest were, on a personal level, quite high. The immigrants risked being denied re-entry, or being kept indefinitely in the Arizona detention center where they were taken after they attempted to return to the United States.

The nine asked for political asylum when they approached the U.S.-Mexican border, and this week were found to have sufficient grounds to pursue a claim, and were all released on Wednesday pending a resolution. While they wait for a decision, which could take years, they can obtain a work permit and a drivers license.

But beyond themselves, the DREAM 9 have become a flashpoint, a new chapter in immigration activism, many experts say.

In Washington, the acts of the Dream 9 have upset the delicate politics of the immigration debate, wrote Michelle Chen in In These Times.

When they crossed the line, the Dream 9 rejected the notion that migrants should be content with merely surviving the journey, wrote Chen. By standing firm even when theyre locked up, theyre liberating their narrative from the politics of fear. And their creative recklessness helps us redefine the art of the possible.

The DREAM 9 turned up the temperature of the already bold nature of DREAMers, the name given to the estimated more than 1 million undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors, and who lack legal status because they entered illegally or their parents overstayed visas.

Their fight to get legal status through a measure called the DREAM Act  which has failed to pass in Congress  put a face to a population that usually had remained in the shadows.

They had, experts say, things at their disposal that their parents, for instance, did not. Many of them were bred in the United States, English was their primary language, they did not have a sense of themselves as being guests in an adopted homeland  this was their country  and they were comfortable with social media.

Because of social media, they are able to control the messaging, said Matthew Kolken, an immigration attorney who provided guidance to the original three DREAM 9 activists about the possible ramifications of leaving the United States and trying to re-enter. They are not beholden to traditional news media sources. They can connect and get their message out to an audience that is much bigger than the New York Times audience.

One of the other things that the new generation of undocumented activists have learned, Kolken added, is that oftentimes, publicity can prompt authorities to back off plans to deport.

The more exposure their case gets, the greater the likelihood that they can prevent their own deportation.

But many DREAMers say they are risking exposure for the greater good of what they see as a more logical and more humane immigration process.

Last year, many DREAMers and their supporters traveled from Phoenix, Ariz. to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. in what they dubbed the UndocuBus.

They wear their illegality on their sleeve, wrote Dallas Morning News editorial writer Gabriel Escobar, as well as on t-shirts, placards and banners strung across the bus . No Papers, No FearSin Papeles, Sin Miedois the official slogan.

The nine immigrants spent part of their lives in the United States. Besides the original three activists, some returned voluntarily to Mexico years ago, others were deported. They include five men and four women.

The three original protesters are Lulu Martinez, who is 24 and from Chicago and came to the United States when she was 3; Marco Saavedra, who is 23, from New York, and also came when he was 3, and Lizbeth Mateo, who is 29 and from Los Angeles and came when she was 10.

Through their activism, theyve attained champions, said Kolken of the DREAM 9 as well as other DREAMers, Senator [Dick]Durbin and Congressman [Luis] Gutierrez have been amazing supporters of the DREAM Act and immigrant rights.

Theyve made politicians take note of their bravery and willingness to stand up for their cause, he said.

Leopold doesnt think the U.S. governments finding that the DREAM 9 seem to have credible fear of persecution if they return to Mexico is as remarkable as some have described it.

Theyre not intimidated by the DREAM 9 and all the publicity they attracted, Leopold said. The U.S. is just following the law. They were released pending an asylum hearing."

Leopold said he doesnt think their protest will have an enduring impact, one way or another.

On a personal level, Im glad they were released, he said. Im glad theyre out, just like I am when anyone is out of immigration detention. Its not a nice place to be.

But Leopold maintains that it was extremely risky and perhaps, ultimately, not effective on a large scale as far as immigration reform.

What was highlighted that we didnt know before? he asked. That we have a broken immigration system? We know that, and that is why many of us are working hard to fix the system. Is it to show that we have a bad detention system, that 1.7 million people have been deported under Obama? We knew all this. Congress is not even in session, it just seems like a wasted opportunity.

Kolken disagrees.

He said that many Americans remain unaware of some of the most serious flaws of U.S. immigration.

Its easy for people who are inside the fight to say that everyone knows, he said.

Its unlikely we will have an immigration bill this year, he said. And the Obama deportation machine continues to grind up families.

While it was inadvisable for the DREAM 9 to leave the United States and try to re-enter, he said, they were aware that it was inadvisable and they put the interests of 1.7 million people who dont have a voice above their own interests in making a political statement.
The governor of Florida wants to re-energize the controversial past effort to boot people who are not U.S. citizens  and thus not eligible to vote  off voting rolls, according to The New York Times.

The move by Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, is the latest one in a number of states that want to pursue a tougher system of checks and balances regarding voters. The new push comes on the heels of the Supreme Court decision striking down a provision that required the federal government to authorize changes to voting systems in states that have a history of racial discrimination.

Floridas crackdown on non-citizen voters, a practice that was in effect before last years election, became the focus of several lawsuits and accusations that Republicans wanted to dissuade minorities from voting because they tend to lean Democratic.

In a federal lawsuit filed last year in Tampa, an immigrants voting-rights group charged that the attempt to scrub the voter rolls disproportionately affected minority voters and that the state had failed to get Justice Department clearance as required under the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Times story said.

The Florida Legislature, which has a Republican majority, tried to deal with the criticism by lifting some measures put in place that reduced the number of early voting days and that led to long lines at the polls, among other problems.

Scott had objected to what he saw as a dangerous compromise by the Legislature.

With Scotts reverting to his aggressive stance on non-citizen voters and a pursuit of them, The Times said, Florida will end up back in the center of the voting rights battle.

Governor Scott seemingly is bent on suppressing the vote in Florida, with his latest move coming as an unfortunate result of the recent Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act, The Times quoted Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, as saying.

A report released by Syracuse University in recent weeks revealed that lawsuits related to voting rights had seen a decline across the country.

New voting rights lawsuits filed in June numbered just nine, a drop of 25 percent over those filed in May, according to an analysis of federal statistics by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University.

When compared to such cases filed a year ago, the drop was even larger  37 percent. Over a five-year period, going back to 2008, voting rights lawsuits filed are down 22.5 percent.

Opponents of the Supreme Court decision want Congress to restore the provision. Some feared that the decision would embolden states, such as Florida, to make moves toward implementing voting practices that could hurt minorities.
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Republicans everywhere, take note  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie could win re-election in November with significant support from Democrats, Latinos and African-Americans, according to a new poll.

The outspoken Republican governor, seen as a potential presidential candidate someday, leads his Democrat opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono, 58 to 30 percent among all likely voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

Latinos, notably, were virtually split in the poll, with 41 percent saying they would vote for Christie, and 43 percent giving the nod to Buono.

No other racial or ethnic group identified in the poll, in fact, came close to Latinos as far as being split over whom they prefer for governor.

White voters favor Christie 66 to 25 percent, blacks favor Buono 54 to 30 percent.

Republicans would vote for Christie 91 to 4 percent, and Democrats would go mostly for Buono, 57 to 30 percent.

"The big election is still the race between Gov. Christopher Christie and State Sen. Barbara Buono and the governor's 2-1 lead remains undented after months of polling," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Sen. Buono is down 3-1 among independent voters and even loses 30 percent of Democratic voters to Christie. There's no point even counting Republicans."

Christies robust support among Latinos is noteworthy, given the fact that Buono named as her running mate a Latina, labor leader Milly Silva, who long has championed the rights of workers.

Christies popularity among many Latinos has not been hurt, evidently, despite some moves by the governor over the years that some of the states most prominent Latino leaders have criticized.

Some of the more notorious moves by Christie were large cuts in programs that Latino leaders say adversely affect Latinos, and his choice of Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who as sheriff before assuming her statewide position implemented the controversial 287G immigration enforcement program in her county.

Christie recently launched the Hispanics for Christie coalition for his gubernatorial re-election campaign.

The group has dozens of appointed members, including 13 pastors who form part of its Hispanic Clergy Advisory Council. The coalition will have representatives in all 21 counties and will be headquartered in Paterson, the state's third-largest city, where Latinos form a majority.

New Jersey is home to 1.6 million Hispanics, they are almost 20 percent of the state population, the eighth largest Latino share in the nation. About 680,000 of the states Latinos are eligible to vote.

The poll surveyed 2,042 New Jersey voters.
In recent days, Mitt Romney has urged his fellow Republicans not to take a hard line on President Obamas health care measure to the point of forcing a government shutdown.

But many Republicans are not shying away from taking a hard line on a variety of issues, despite expectations from some quarters that Romneys loss in 2012 would lead to softer stance by the party on certain key issues.

Indeed in tone, if not always in substance, a number of elected Republicans -- chief among them Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida -- seem to be edging farther right and toward greater combativeness with Obama on numerous issues.

Prominent Republicans are urging colleagues to close the government temporarily this fall -- by refusing to fund federal operations beyond Sept. 30 -- if that's the only way to cut off money for Obama's health care law.

Cruz and Rubio have embraced a particularly take-no-prisoners approach to Obamas health care law.

In an interview on The Mark Levin Show, Rubio said: We are not threatening to shut down the government. We are fully prepared, despite the fact that we are not fans of short-term budgets, we are fully prepared to support one so long as it does not fund ObamaCare because it is a disaster. This is no longer an ideological thing.

For nearly two decades, Republicans shunned the idea of shutting down the federal government in budget disputes with Democratic presidents. They recalled the two partial shutdowns in the mid-1990s that angered many Americans, who in turn blamed Republicans more than President Bill Clinton and his fellow Democrats.

For his part, Cruz said the mid-1990s experience wasn't so bad.

The predicted "parade of horribles," Cruz said in a recent Senate speech, "did not occur. Social Security checks continued to flow. The military continued to be funded. ... Planes didn't fall out of the sky."

Cruz taunted fellow Republicans who denounce Obama's health care law but refuse to shutter the government to block it. "If you fund it, you're for it," he said.

Some senior House and Senate Republicans call Cruz's plan political suicide. They say it could cost the GOP control of the House in next year's elections. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told constituents on Tuesday that the effort is "self-defeating" and that most of his colleagues who signed on to the initiative now regret it.

Democratic activist Brad Woodhouse said of Cruz's efforts: "Please, Lord, bring it on!"

After Romney's 2012 loss, many senior Republicans concluded the party must moderate its image on issues such as immigration and reproductive rights.

But, beyond Cruz and Rubio, some GOP lawmakers have done the opposite.

They imposed new restrictions on abortion in several states. They are strongly resisting a broad immigration bill in the U.S. House. They're waging a steady assault on "Obamacare," with some House and Senate Republicans vowing to shut down the government if that's what it takes to choke off the health care law Congress enacted in 2010.

These trends worry establishment Republicans. And they expose a growing split in the GOP, which is driven more by campaign strategy than ideology.

One side focuses chiefly on presidential elections, saying that Republicans must change course to compete in 2016 and beyond after having lost the popular vote in five of the last six contests.

The other side is a congressional wing, driven largely by House conservatives focused on their own elections, and determined to avoid primary challenges from the right.

To an extent not mirrored among Democrats, these two GOP wings sometimes work against each other.

For instance, a Republican Party- sanctioned study of Romney's loss concluded the party must embrace "comprehensive immigration reform" to stem losses among Hispanic voters nationwide.

The Senate has passed such a bill, which would create a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants living here illegally. But dozens of House Republicans oppose it, because their conservative supporters dislike what they consider "amnesty" for law breakers.

Rubio was a key part of a bipartisan Senate group, known as the Gang of Eight, that worked on a comprehensive immigration reform measure that passed in the chamber. While he was working to ensure passage in the Senate, Rubio provided a constant, almost daily, drumbeat in favor of the bill, which both tightens enforcement and provides a pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants.

His push for the bill, particularly the part that calls for legalizing undocumented immigrants, drew bitter attacks from many conservatives, including Tea Party groups, many of whom staged protests aimed at Rubio. They termed him a turncoat for pushing what they view as amnesty.

But once immigration reform moved to the House of Representatives, Rubio has fallen largely silent on the issue. Now the near-daily emails from his Senate office are about Obamas health care law, and how flawed it is.

Romney himself ended months of silence in a speech to New Hampshire donors Tuesday night that warned congressional Republicans against risking a government shutdown. He called on his party leaders to "stay smart" and said there are better ways to eliminate the health care law.

"I know, I lost. I'm probably not the first person you'd ask for advice," Romney said in remarks distributed by his office. "But because we all learn from our mistakes, I may have a thought or two of value."

Abortion is another issue that has tripped up some high-profile Republican candidates. Two Senate nominees lost competitive races last year after making explosive comments about pregnancies resulting from rape.

Establishment Republicans said the two men did not speak for the party. But Democrats used the incidents to argue the GOP is insensitive to women's rights in areas that include access to abortion.

This year, several Republican-controlled state governments have tightened abortion regulations. Some have outlawed abortions 20 weeks after conception. Wisconsin, which tilts Democratic in presidential elections, now requires women to get an ultrasound before having an abortion.

The party's official study of Romney's loss -- irreverently called an "autopsy" report -- cited Republican activists "frustrated by the party's negative image among women." On messaging in general, the report said, "we must change our tone, especially on certain social issues that are turning off young voters."

Few issues worry presidential-oriented Republicans more than immigration. A Who's Who of Republican donors and former officials sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to enact a law giving "legal status" to the roughly 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally. The more than 100 signers included past cabinet members, former Vice President Dan Quayle, and prominent campaign adviser Karl Rove.

Such efforts seem to have modest impact in the House, where Republicans intensely track sentiments of conservative activists who dominate GOP primaries back home.

"Immigration is proving as big a challenge as people feared it would be," said Washington-based Republican adviser Sara Taylor Fagen.

Campaign consultants say people who focus on presidential or gubernatorial elections view politics differently from those elected to the U.S. House or to state legislatures from districts, which often are drawn with strong partisan slants.

"The nature of how House members get elected is fundamentally different from presidential campaigns," said veteran consultant Terry Holt. But he said he's not worried that the party is not "making progress where we're not making progress," because the next presidential election is more than three years away.

He's not alone. Still, if congressional Republicans spearhead a government shutdown this fall, some party insiders say, they'll be moving the party in the wrong direction.

"Republican leadership is courting disaster here," said GOP campaign veteran Steve Lombardo. "Voters are in no mood for this at a time when the country is politically fractured and teetering on economic recovery. This is very dangerous politics."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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August was supposed to be the time when a major immigration bill would land on the desk of President Barack Obama.

Instead, Obama finds his fifth year in office beset by distractions, perhaps none with broader implications than the revelation of secret government surveillance programs.

That matter dominated Obama's hourlong news conference Friday. The issues that the White House had hoped to be promoting this summer? They played a diminished role, if at all.

The president set the tone, opening the session by announcing that he would work with Congress to make "appropriate reforms" to the National Security Agency surveillance programs. He also made clear that he had no intention of stopping the daily collection of Americans' phone records.

"Given the history of abuse by governments, it's right to ask questions about surveillance, particularly as technology is reshaping every aspect of our lives," he said, one day before leaving for a weeklong vacation on Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast.

Even without the NSA disclosures, Obama still would face the same political dynamic with congressional Republicans that stalled progress on immigration, vanquished hope of a long-term budget bargain and defeated gun control and other administration priorities.

It's a reality of any administration that unexpected challenges can arise and shake up the carefully laid plans.

But the scope of the surveillance programs, leaked by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden, makes this an issue that's probably will be more than a temporary distraction.

Obama's poll numbers have dropped since the programs became public, and that could hamper his political leverage. The revelations are particularly problematic for Obama because the issue strikes a chord with his base and can't simply be dismissed as partisan-driven.

Seeking to address critics of the secret programs, the president acknowledged at the news conference that he may have underestimated the public's concerns. He outlined steps that he said he hopes will increase public confidence in the programs.

One step is the creation of an independent attorney to argue against the government during secret hearings of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews requests for surveillance inside the U.S.

Obama also is forming an outside advisory panel to review U.S. surveillance powers.

The president says he welcomes the debate over government surveillance, though his national security team has said it never intended to tell Americans about the highly classified programs.

"There's no doubt that Mr. Snowden's leaks triggered a much more rapid and passionate response than would have been the case," Obama said.

The NSA revelations have more than intruded on Obama's second-term domestic agenda; they are entangled with some of his foreign policy priorities.

Snowden fled the U.S. first for Hong Kong, a semiautonomous region of China, and then Russia. Both China and Russia have complex and sometimes prickly relationships with the United States.

Russia granted Snowden temporary asylum, leading Obama to cancel plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in September.

While relations with the U.S. and Russia were deteriorating, the Kremlin's decision on Snowden pushed them to a new low and underscored Russia's willingness to thwart the White House's demands.

Leaders in Europe, where many countries have stricter privacy laws than in the U.S., have criticized the surveillance problems. Obama has been pressed on the issue in meetings and phone calls with European leaders.

He appeared keenly aware of how other countries are viewing the surveillance and privacy debate in the U.S.

"To others around the world, I want to make clear once again that America is not interested in spying on ordinary people," he said. "Our intelligence is focused above all on finding the information that's necessary to protect our people and, in many cases, protect our allies."

The issue of government surveillance had been largely dormant until June, when stories broke in the Guardian newspaper and The Washington Post detailing secret programs to track U.S. phone and Internet records.

Every day, the NSA sweeps up the phone records of all Americans. The program was authorized under the USA Patriot Act, which Congress hurriedly passed after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The NSA says phone records are the only information it collects in bulk under that law. But officials have left open the possibility that it could create similar databases of people's credit card transactions, hotel records and Internet searches.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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A feisty online rant that compared undocumented immigrants to Satan cost a top Wisconsin state official his job after the virtual tirade went viral and caused an uproar among Latinos and state lawmakers.

Steven Krieser, assistant deputy secretary at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, went on a rage during a Facebook discussion over the controversial Illegal Immigrant Hunting Permit bumper stickers that were being sold in local gas stations.

"You may see Jesus when you look at them," Krieser said in response to one comment comparing undocumented immigrants to Jesus. "I see Satan."

Krieser went on to say that American citizens have seen their ranches completely overrun with violent criminals who routinely raid their homes and trash their land as the stream of wretched criminals continues to flow unabated to the north, day after day, night after night.

Following Kriesers online escapade, it took Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker only two hours to hand the No. 3 official at the states DOT his exit papers.

"These comments are repugnant, completely unacceptable, and have no place in Governor Walker's administration," said Tom Evenson, spokesman for Walker, to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Governor Walker condemns his views, and they do not represent the governor or his administration in any way."

The comments come as a blow to the Republican governor as his party struggles nationally to reach out to Latino voters while Congress attempts to pass some form of immigration reform. Walker  a rumored Republican presidential candidate in 2016  said he believes Congress should provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the country.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan has emerged as one of the key leaders in brokering an immigration deal in the House, as the Senate has already passed a bill that provides a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Speaking to the Journal Sentinel before his firing, Krieser said that he had taken down the rant from Facebook and emphasized that he didnt write the post on state time or on a state computer. As for his comparison to Satan, Krieser admitted that he had used "a poor choice of words" and that he was sorry for what he wrote.

"If I had it to do over, I would not have put it up," Krieser said. "I certainly didn't mean any offense."

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Sen. Ted Cruz once again denounced President Barack Obama's health care law at the Family Leadership Summit on Saturday and told conservative Christians that congressional lawmakers can't be counted on to do it.

The Texas Republican, a tea-party favorite and a possible presidential candidate in 2016, drew a standing ovation with his criticism of the health care initiative labeled "Obamacare" by its critics.

"That reaction right there shows how we win this fight," Cruz said. "If I was sitting in the Senate cloakroom, the reaction would be fundamentally different. If we have to depend on Washington, it will never be done."

As he has in remarks to other conservatives, Cruz asserted that a grassroots effort would be needed. "The only way we win this fight is if the American people rise up and hold our elected officials accountable," he said.

Cruz has been part of a push by some conservative lawmakers to close the government temporarily this fall - by refusing to fund federal operations beyond Sept. 30 - if that's the only way to cut off money for Obama's health care law. Other Republicans have dismissed the tactic as counterproductive and even dangerous for Republicans seeking re-election next year.

Last Tuesday the party's most recent presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, told donors that "there are better ways to remove Obamacare" and predicted that a shutdown effort would result in the health care law being funded anyway, Republicans suffering at the polls and Americans being unhappy.

Asked about the Romney remarks, Cruz told reporters at the Iowa event: "There are lots of folks that can share their views. In my view, No. 1, there's bipartisan agreement Obamacare isn't working. No. 2, this is the single best opportunity to defund it."

Cruz demurred when asked whether he agreed with Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus' warning to NBC and CNN that airing TV programs about Hillary Rodham Clinton, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, could cost the networks any party cooperation on future GOP primary debates. NBC plans a miniseries and CNN a documentary.

"The RNC will make its own decisions," Cruz said. "I don't think anybody is surprised to discover that that the mainstream media are in love with Hillary Clinton. Indeed, I would expect both of those movies will be released on Valentine's Day."

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., who sought the Republican nomination in 2012 and might again in 2016, told the group that the party must do a better job reaching out to working-class voters. The winner of the Iowa caucuses in 2012 said that by focusing on business owners in that election, the GOP failed to connect with "job holders" and "marginalized" a group of voters.

"We need to reject this idea that if we build the economy, all boats will rise. We need to talk about people who have holes in their boats, because we all do," Santorum said.

Reality TV star and real estate mogul Donald Trump, who flirted with a presidential run in 2012, said the GOP was struggling and would need a strong candidate in 2016, "someone who is really smart and really good."

The daylong event was one of many cattle calls for potential candidates in the grueling run-up to the next presidential election. Conservative voters will likely be critical to a victory in the Iowa caucuses, the nation's first presidential nominating event.

Iowa Republican consultant Doug Gross said conservative Christian voters could play a big role in 2016.

"Historically the people that are there (at the Family Leader summit), represent about 40 percent of the caucus-goers. That's not an insignificant portion," Gross said. "It depends how many conservatives get in the race. It's totally wide open."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Real estate mogul Donald Trump has reignited the subject of birthplace and presidential candidates  this time with fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz as his target.

On ABCs This Week on Sunday, Trump raised doubt about Cruzs eligibility to be president, noting that the senator was born in Canada.

"If he was born in Canada, then perhaps not," Trump said when asked if Cruz qualified to be president, given that he was born outside the United States. "That will be ironed out. I don't know the circumstances. If he says he was born in Canada, that's his thing."

Trump made his comments on a weekend when both he and Cruz further raised speculation about their interest in running for president in 2016: both appeared in Iowa, a battleground for the race for the Oval Office.

This was Cruzs second visit to Iowa this summer. He was in the state to speak at the Family Leadership Summit on Saturday  he was one of the crowd-pleasers as he denounced President Obamas health care law. Trump was the final speaker in the day-long summit, on which former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum also made an appearance.

The United States Constitution stipulates that only natural-born citizens may be president.

Cruz has rebutted the contention that his Canada birth disqualifies him by pointing out that his mother is a U.S.-born citizen. Cruzs father was born in Cuba.

Im not going to engage in a legal debate. The facts are clear, Cruz said in July. I can tell you where I was born and who my parents were. And then as a legal matter, others can worry about that. Im not going to engage.

The so-called "birther" issue dogged both Obama  whose critics claimed was born in Kenya though hes furnished his birth certificate, showing he was born in Hawaii  and former presidential candidate John McCain, an Arizona GOP senator who was born in a U.S. Naval base in Panama.

Trump was one of the key players in the quest to question Obamas eligibility to be president and to cast doubt about the presidents birth in the United States.

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Eva Longoria and Cory Booker have a date  on the campaign trail.

The actress, an A-lister in Democrat circles as well as in Hollywood, is scheduled to join the Newark mayors bus tour, stopping in such places as Plainfield and Jersey City before ending in Bookers city for a Monday evening rally, according to newjerseynewsroom.com.

Booker is the front-runner in Tuesdays special election primary, which is being held to pick the Democratic and Republican nominees for the Oct. 16 election to fill the unexpired term of the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

Although he is considered a shoe-in, Booker, a Democrat, is bringing out all the heavy celebrity artillery, leaving nothing to chance.

Were not taking anything for granted, Booker said, according to the Wall Street Journal. Were just going to do everything we can to bring people out to the polls.

Longoria tweeted Please help me support #CoryBooker and spread the word 2 vote in the NJ Democratic Primary, Tuesday, Aug. 13. Thank you.

Longoria has become a force in politics in recent years. She was co-chair of Obamas re-election campaign and his inauguration this past January. Shes also on a presidential commission that is pushing for the establishment of a museum dedicated to Latinos in U.S. history.

She has charities dedicated to improving life for disabled children, education for Latinos, and business opportunities for Latinas. And she is one of the most high-profile non-politician advocates for immigration reform.

Longoria, the daughter of Mexican-American parents  a teacher and an Army engineer  grew up in Corpus Christi, Tex.

I took out loans to pay for school, she proudly recalled during her speech at the Democratic National Convention last year. Then I changed oil in a mechanic shop, flipped burgers at Wendys, taught aerobics and worked on campus to pay them back.

Longoria graduated in May with a Master's degree in Chicano Studies that she had been pursuing over the past three years at California State University.

Those running in the Democratic primary, in addition to Booker, are state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, Reps. Rush Holt and Frank Pallone. On the Republican side are former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan and Alieta Eck, a physician.

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Gov. Chris Christie, who has battled the Democrat-controlled state Senate over Supreme Court nominations, has picked a county judge who, if confirmed, would be only the second Latino in New Jersey history to serve on that bench.

Christie said Monday that he was nominating Camden County Judge Faustino Fernandez-Vina, a Cuban-born Republican who was confirmed unanimously by the Senate for the Superior Court.

The governor said that Fernandez-Vina was an example of the American Dream, according to PolitickerNJ.com

Christie said he would not renominate fellow Republican Supreme Court Justice Helen Hoens because Democrats indicated they won't approve her for lifetime tenure. Hoens' seven-year term expires in September.

Christie decided not to drag Hoens into his ongoing fight with Democrats over Supreme Court nominees.

The Senate has failed for eight months to act on two other Supreme Court nominees.

Christie said he pulled Hoens' nomination after hearing Democrats aren't finished exacting retribution over his failure to reappoint Justice John Wallace for tenure in 2010.

Hoens said she was saddened she can't continue on the court but thankful for having had the opportunity to serve New Jersey.

Fernandez-Vina, who is 62, is a graduate of Widener University and Rutgers University School of Law-Camden. He served as a law clerk to Superior Court Judge E. Stevenson Fluharty before going into private practice.

The first Latino to serve on the state Supreme Court was Roberto Rivera-Soto, who decided not to seek renomination in 2011 after he drew criticism for announcing that he would refrain from rendering decisions on the bench as a form of protest over the presence of a temporary judge on the bench. The temporary judge had been assigned after Christie, breaking with precedent, who refused to reappoint another judge to the High Court.

The New Jersey Hispanic Bar Association then expressed concern that the state Supreme Court would be left with no Latinos.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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North Carolina's governor signed a measure on Monday tightening the election process to require, among other things, government-issued photo IDs at the polls and less time for early voting.

The American Civil Liberties Union joined two other groups in announcing that they were filing suit against key parts of the package. This came hours after Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said in a statement that he had signed the measure, without a ceremony and without journalists present.

Republicans lawmakers who backed the measure said it was meant to prevent voter fraud, which they allege is both rampant and undetected in North Carolina. Independent voting rights groups joined Democrats and libertarians in suggesting the true goal was to suppress voter turnout, especially among traditional Democratic constituencies such as blacks, the young, the elderly and the poor.

"It is a trampling on the blood, sweat and tears of the martyrs  black and white  who fought for voting rights in this country," said the Rev. William Barber, president of the state chapter of the NAACP, which is pressing its own legal challenge. "It puts McCrory on the wrong side of history."

North Carolina is among a number of states with GOP strongholds that have passed stricter voter identification laws, redrawn political maps fortifying Republican majorities and reduced early voting under President Barack Obama.

Such states claimed victory after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision in June, effectively wiped out part of the landmark Voting Rights Act that required federal "preclearance" of election-law changes in all or parts of 15 mostly Southern states with a history of discrimination. The law was enacted during the 1960s to outlaw racial discrimination against voters.

That high court ruling cleared the way for North Carolina's Republican leadership to enact voting law changes without prior federal approval.

However, the Obama administration has signaled that it plans to take on some states over potentially discriminatory changes. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in July that the U.S. Justice Department would challenge a new voter identification law in Texas and previously suggested the department was closely watching developments in North Carolina and in other states.

Once dominated by Democratic centrists, North Carolina has drawn national attention since Republicans who took over the Legislature after the 2010 elections pushed through an ambitious conservative agenda on topics such as abortion, health care and elections.

On Monday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the North Carolina election law amounted to "the greatest hits of voter suppression." She addressed the issue of voting rights during a speech at the American Bar Association meeting in San Francisco.

Barber called the Republican-backed measure one of the worst attempts in the nation at voting reform. He said the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People considered the package an all-out attack on existing laws long seen as a model of voter participation.

The package would take effect in 2016. It requires voters to present government-issued photo IDs at the polls and shortens early voting by a week, from 17 days to 10. It also ends same-day registration, requiring voters to register, update their address or make any other needed changes at least 25 days ahead of an election. A high school civics program that registers tens of thousands of students to vote each year in advance of their 18th birthdays has been eliminated.

A provision also would end straight-ticket voting, in place in the state since 1925.

Critics said disclosure requirements intended to make clear who is underwriting campaign ads also would be weakened, and note that political parties would be allowed to take in unlimited corporate donations. The cap on individual campaign donations also would rise from $4,000 to $5,000.

McCrory, who announced the signing in a statement, appeared in a 95-second message on YouTube giving his reasons and focusing solely on the voter identification component.

The first-term governor cited laws that require people to present photo IDs to board airplanes, cash a check or apply for government benefits. "Our right to vote deserves similar protection," McCrory said in the video.

The governor's video message also took aim at opponents.

"Many of those from the extreme left who have been criticizing photo ID are using scare tactics," McCrory said. "They're more interested in divisive politics than ensuring that no one's vote is disenfranchised by fraudulent ballots."

McCrory, a former Charlotte mayor who ran as a moderate but now shares power with conservatives who control the state legislature, also assailed critics when he recently signed a measure containing new abortion restrictions that had been attacked by Democrats and abortion rights groups.

Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat, was among those who had urged a veto.

"This bill was much more than just voter ID," Cooper said in a statement Monday. "There were dozens of reasons to veto this bad elections bill with its restrictions on voting, more corporate campaign money and reduced public disclosure being just a few."

Although records show only a handful of documented cases of in-person voter fraud that were prosecuted in the last decade, Republicans compared North Carolina's elections to the tainted races in Chicago in the 1960s. Meanwhile, Democrats and other opponents predicted the changes  if implemented  would lead to long lines and chaos at the polls, as was the case in 2012 after early-voting days were cut in Florida.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Ecuador's combative leftist president is so concerned about the environment that he is threatening to force the country's newspapers to go all-digital as a way to save paper.

Rafael Correa has long had a prickly relationship with Ecuador's opposition-owned newspapers, and his Twitter statement Monday is a jab at papers backing a proposed referendum to block oil exploration in the pristine Yasuni national park.

Correa announced last week that he's asking a loyal Congress to back drilling in Yasuni. Rich nations had refused to fund his plan to protect the biodiverse Amazon preserve as a hedge against global warming.

Correa tweeted that if the necessary signatures are gathered and there is a referendum, he'll propose that newspapers be published in digital format alone "to save paper and avoid so much indiscriminate cutting of trees."

Last Thursday, Correa announced he was abandoning a unique and ambitious plan to persuade rich countries to pay Ecuador not to drill for oil in a pristine Amazon rainforest preserve.

Environmentalists had hailed the initiative when Correa first proposed it in 2007, saying he was setting a precedent in the fight against global warming by lowering the high cost to poor countries of preserving the environment.

"The world has failed us," Correa said in a nationally televised speech. He said the global recession was in part responsible but chiefly blamed "the great hypocrisy" of nations who emit most of the world's greenhouse gases.

"It was not charity that we sought from the international community, but co-responsibility in the face of climate change."

Correa had sought $3.6 billion in contributions to maintain a moratorium on drilling in the remote Yasuni National Park, which was declared a biosphere reserve by the United Nations in 1989 and is home to two Indian tribes living in voluntary isolation.

But he said Thursday evening that Ecuador had raised just $13 million in actual donations in pledges and that he had an obligation to his people, particularly the poor, to move ahead with drilling. The U.N. and private donors had put up the cash.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Undocumented immigrants will once again face being banned from renting in a Dallas suburb if town officials get their way.

Members of Farmers Branch City Council voted 3-2 late Tuesday night to appeal a Supreme Court ruling that overturned a ban on renting apartments to immigrants in the country illegally.

They are appealing the July ruling by the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court.

The appeals court struck down the ordinance as unconstitutional and an encroachment on federal authority.

The ordinance passed in 2008 would require all renters in the city of nearly 30,000 residents to obtain city licenses. It also would require a city official to deny licenses to anyone found in the U.S. illegally.

Farmers Branch is one of several U.S. cities targeting unlawful immigration by enacting renting restrictions.

The appeals court relied heavily on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year that struck down parts of Arizona's immigration law.

The suburb's ordinance would require all renters to obtain licenses. The city's building inspector would check an immigrant's status and deny licenses to anyone in the country without permission. Landlords who allowed immigrants without permits would have faced fines or revocations of their renters' licenses.

Unless the U.S. Supreme Court decides to step in, Farmers Branch won't be allowed to enforce the ordinance, which has sparked an expensive legal battle. As of late last year, the city  with about 29,000 residents just a few miles north of Dallas  had spent nearly $6 million on legal bills and expenses related to immigration laws, a Farmers Branch spokesman has said.

In 2012, the three-judge panel wrote: We conclude that the ordinances sole purpose is not to regulate housing but to exclude undocumented aliens, specifically Latinos, from the City of Farmers Branch and that it is an impermissible regulation of immigration.

Latinos are nearly 50 percent of Farmers Branch, and nearly 80 percent of District 1.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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It may be quieter than usual on Capitol Hill with lawmakers on summer recess.

But the pressure to act on immigration hardly has subsided.

In town halls back in the politicians' home districts, the topic of immigration is arising, and often dominating, as lawmakers meet with their constituents to gauge their feelings on various issues. And several groups on opposing sides of the immigration debate have planned rallies and ad campaigns aimed at influencing the immigration reform effort.

Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who was part of the so-called Gang of Eight  four Democrats and four Republicans  who drafted a comprehensive immigration reform bill that the Senate passed in June, has spent part of his summer recess urging his constituents to lobby the states congressional delegation to support the measure.

But in a Virginia town hall, Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, told the audience that that the House must chart its own course on immigration even if it never results in a bill President Barack Obama can sign.

He said that he'll do everything he can to ensure the House never takes up the Senate's comprehensive immigration bill. Goodlatte said the House will proceed with individual immigration bills once lawmakers return to Washington in September from their summer recess, beginning with bills on interior enforcement, border security and workplace verification.

Speaking to a capacity crowd of more than 200 people at a local government building in Verona, Va., Goodlatte gave no sign of altering the position he's been articulating for months: Immigrants here illegally should not get what he terms a "special" pathway to citizenship, which is what he sees in the Senate bill.

The resistance by many conservative Republicans in the House to the Senate bill, and to providing a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, prompted a coalition of evangelical leaders to launch a $400,000 radio ad campaign on Tuesday targeted at the home districts of 60 members of Congress. The ads, which will air over two weeks in 14 states, ask for prayers and passage of comprehensive immigration reform.

Millions of evangelicals look to Christian radio for news and perspective on social, moral and spiritual issues, said Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, in a statement. Hearing local evangelical leaders present a biblically informed call for a just, compassionate and effective immigration system will unleash a new wave of support for reform.

On Thursday, leaders of immigrant rights groups, labor unions, and faith institutions plan a demonstration in Manhattan for comprehensive immigration reform, and against the record number of deportations under the Obama administration.

They also plan, according to a news release, to send a message to House leadership that the fight for immigrant families will continue until the House produces comprehensive legislation that includes a path to citizenship.

In Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio, another member of the Gang of Eight, has steered clear of discussions about the measure  particularly the part of it that calls for legalizing undocumented immigrants, an idea that is unpopular with many of his conservative constituents.

At a meeting the Republican senator had with constituents recently, a local radio talk-show host asked Rubio why he had worked with Democrats on legislation that would give undocumented immigrants an eventual path to citizenship.

"We know you, and we've always loved you," Doc Washburn said, "and yet you're pushing this and it's a real problem for us."

The exchange  and Rubio's reluctance to raise the issue after spending months advocating for comprehensive immigration reform  underscore why the potential presidential candidate has undertaken a sort of image-rehabilitation tour, promoting his conservative bona fides to crowds in Florida's most Republican bastions.

Once embraced by the tea party, Rubio's name can now elicit boos and catcalls at rallies. And since he began championing immigration changes, his standing has slipped in some polls.

The senator acknowledges the fallout. He told Republicans in Panama City, "Politically, it has not been a pleasant experience, to say the least." But his aides insist that his pivot to health care is driven by policy, not politics, that he's simply giving the U.S. House its own space to tackle immigration.

In California, Rep. Karen Bass, a Democrat, expressed pessimism about the odds of a comprehensive immigration reform bill passing this year.

The bill making their way through the House I would not want to see go anywhere  they are very onerous; there is no pathway to citizenship in the bills.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has been active in politics in recent years, planned to meet with Sen. Marco Rubio during the lawmakers visit to California on Wednesday.

The Florida Republican is in the Golden State to raise money for his re-election effort as well as his political action committee, Reclaim America.

The meeting was to take place on the Facebook campus, said several published reports.

At 29 years old, the billionaire is trying to use his influence to push for comprehensive immigration reform and give a boost to various politicians on both sides of the political aisle who are seen as potential presidential candidates.

Zuckerberg hosted his first political fundraiser in February for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, and also has donated to the Senate campaign of Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, according to Bloomberg.com.

Zuckerberg has maintained a high profile on the push for comprehensive immigration reform, especially for components that would expand employment-based visas and provide a legal status for undocumented immigrants brought as children.

Earlier this month, Zuckerberg appeared at a screening of Documented, a movie about undocumented immigrants and spoke about the need for immigration reform.

In the San Francisco appearance, Zuckerberg said his interest in an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy surpassed just bringing in more high-tech workers from overseas. He said he wants a way for millions of undocumented immigrants to be able to legalize their status.

Americans for a Conservative Direction, a group funded by Zuckerberg, bought about $350,000 worth of TV ads pushing immigration reform in the Milwaukee-area congressional district of Rep. Paul Ryan, a Republican.

The spots, which are to run through the beginning of September, defend Ryans support for comprehensive immigration reform, and note that it would also tighten border security and require undocumented immigrants who want to legalize to pay back taxes, TheHill.com reported.

Little was disclosed about what Zuckerberg planned to discuss with Rubio, but some published reports quoted unidentified sources as saying the issues would probably include immigration reform.

Rubio was part of the Senates so-called Gang of Eight, made up of four Democrats and four Republicans who drafted a measure that called for strengthening border security and providing a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria.

Rubio was one of the most vocal champions of immigration reform this year, especially in the months leading up to the Senates passage of the reform bill in June.

The Senate passed the bill, but now it is pending in the House, where it is meeting with opposition by some conservative Republicans who say they will not support an amnesty.

Since the Senate passed the measure, Rubio has fallen nearly silent on the matter, instead devoting most of his public attention on denouncing Obamas health care reform law.

In a recent interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo, Zuckerberg said his activism for immigration reform did not sit well with everyone at Facebook.

"When we were first talking about doing this, a lot of people actually were worried that it was going to be a problem for Facebook," he said.

But he took it up as a cause, anyway.

"There are 11 million undocumented people who came here to work hard and contribute to the country," he said, "and I don't think it's quite as polarized as people always say."

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Democratic lawmakers couldnt believe their ears as they listened to Vicki Marble, a Republican state senator in Colorado, deliver a long soliloquy explaining that more blacks and Hispanics live in poverty, in part, because of fried chicken.

The comments came during a meeting of the Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force Wednesday at the Capitol as lawmakers on the committee were presented with a number of statistics highlighting racial disparities in the poverty rate.

When you look at life expectancy, there are problems in the black race: Sickle-cell anemia is something that comes up, diabetes is something thats prevalent in the genetic makeup and you just cant help it, Marble said. Although Ive got to say, Ive never had better BBQ and better chicken and ate better in my life than when you go down south and you  I love it.

Marble went on to mention how Mexicans eat vegetables in Mexico but stop eating healthily when they immigrate to the United States.

These things arent good for you, she continued. Theres so many attributing factors as to why these graphs look the way they do.

According to Sen. Evie Hudak, D-Arvada, there was an audible gasp in the room.

Moments later, Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, responded to Marble on the record  and she didnt pull any punches.

The title for this committee is the Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force; and one of the things I will not tolerate is racist and insensitive comments about African Americans, the color of their skin. You mentioned what we eat  I was highly offended by your remarks, Fields said, addressing Marble directly.

I will not engage in a dialogue where Im in the company where you are using the stereotype references about African Americans and chicken and food and all kinds of things. I will just not tolerate that, Fields continued.

This is not what this committee is all about. So I will ask that you suspend your perceptions and judgments about African Americans, about poverty  what were trying to do is come up with solutions and its not about chicken.

Its not about eating chicken.

At that point, the chairman hastily put the task force into recess.

Earlier Wednesday, Fields slammed another GOP lawmaker, Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, after he tweeted that Obama supporters should just get over the rodeo clown who mocked the president earlier this week in Missouri.

Marble released a statement Wednesday night.

My comments were not meant to be disparaging to any community, she said. I am saddened they were taken in that regard. I take my responsibility seriously and I hope our work on this committee will offer real solutions to the health and financial challenges of our vulnerable populations.

On Thursday, The Denver Post editorial board weighed in, calling Marbles comments finger-lickin stupid.

We are saddened a state lawmaker can be this ignorant in 2013, the editorial board wrote.

Even the conservative blog, Colorado Peak Politics, lambasted Marble on Wednesday, writing: Stupidity is not the sole purview of either party, it seem."

While what she said wasnt meant to be malicious, it did expose a stunning ignorance and small mindedness, the blog published..

For more stories, go to kdvr.com

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Kansas and Arizona are pushing for voting registration forms to require proof of citizenship when people sign up to vote.

The states have a joint lawsuit against the federal government in pursuit of the change on the forms.

The lawsuit demands that the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission modify the federal voter registration form in both states to allow for the citizenship requirement.

The federal form doesnt require proof of citizenship. It only requires prospective voters to declare that they are citizens.

A mere oath without concrete evidence of citizenship, as allowed for by the current version of the Federal Form, does not suffice to effectuate the State laws of Plaintiffs or enable Plaintiffs to obtain information Plaintiffs deem necessary to assess the eligibility of voter registration applicants and to enforce their voter qualifications, the lawsuit reads.

It is the latest legal effort in a nationwide battle by states to crack down on voter fraud by making it harder for non-U.S. citizens to gain access to the ballot box.

Several states have made moves to tighten voter ID rules on the heels of a June 25 U.S. Supreme Court decision in which justices threw out the most powerful part of the Voting Rights Act, whose enactment in 1965 marked a major turning point in black Americans' struggle for equal rights and political power.

The Justice Department said Thursday it will sue Texas over the state's voter ID law and will seek to intervene in a lawsuit over the state's redistricting laws.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the action marks another step in the effort to protect voting rights of all eligible Americans. He said the government will not allow a recent Supreme Court decision to be interpreted as open season for states to pursue measures that suppress voting rights.

In the voter ID lawsuit, the U.S. government will contend that Texas adopted a voter identification law with the purpose of denying or restricting the right to vote on account of race, color or membership in a language minority group.

The Arizona-Kansas lawsuit was filed in federal court in Topeka.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and his Arizona counterparts have been active in seeking to tighten voter registration laws, including passage of laws that require applicants to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

"Voting is the most cherished right of a U.S. citizenship," Kobach said. "We take seriously our obligation to protect that right and to secure that right and to guard it close so that only citizens may exercise the right to vote."

The high court ruled 7-2 that the Arizona law is pre-empted by the federal voter registration law, and the majority noted that the U.S. Constitution allows Congress to "make or alter" state rules on the times, places and manner of elections for federal offices.

Kobach maintains the ruling has no effect on the Kansas law, though the two are similar.

The Kansas proof-of-citizenship law applies when people register to vote in the state for the first time, requiring them to provide a birth certificate, passport or other documents. Elections officials must accept the registration application but residents wouldn't be eligible to vote until they provide proof of citizenship.

The Arizona statute said that election officials must reject any voter registration application that is not accompanied by proof of citizenship. The Supreme Court said that rule added a requirement for using a federal registration form not imposed by Congress.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said the Supreme Court told states they could file an action with the courts if the EAC lacked enough members to act on its own, or if executive director Alice Miller didn't approve a state's request for changes.

"She's denied our request and that's exactly what we're doing," Horne said. "I fully expect us to be successful based on the Supreme Court decision. The reason it's important is because we want citizens to vote and we don't want illegal aliens to vote."

Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Voting Rights Project, said he wasn't surprised the lawsuit was filed, noting that the case would do nothing for the some 15,000 residents who have applied to register to vote in Kansas whose applications are in "suspense."

"This is ridiculous. Instead of fixing the problem he's suing the federal government," Ho said.

The ACLU has informed Kobach in a letter that it considers Kansas in violation of a federal election law requiring states to allow people to register to vote at their driver's license offices.

The residents are in "suspense" because they filled out registration forms but election officials haven't yet received a birth certificate, passport or other acceptable document.

The lawsuit was assigned to U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren, a former U.S. Attorney for Kansas who was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush.

Kobach said the lawsuit was filed in Kansas for financial reasons since his office will do most of the work on the case. Other options would have been to file it in Arizona or the federal court in the District of Columbia.

Pail Bender, a constitutional law professor at Arizona State University, said that both states will likely have an uphill battle convincing a court to order the commission to grant what the states are seeking.

He said the issue is whether the states need the requirement to show proof of citizenship for voter registrations in order to administer its voter qualification standards.

"I think the state has a very weak position there, because I am not aware of any proof they have that the failure to require proof a citizenship when you register to vote has resulted in any non-citizen voting." Bender said.

Kobach said there had been a handful of instances where non-citizens tried to vote, including one case where an individual voted illegally five times during one election in southwest Kansas.

In the Justice Department lawsuit against Texas, intervening in the redistricting case would enable the federal government to present evidence about the purpose and effect of the Texas redistricting plans.

A federal court in Washington, D.C., has previously held that Texas failed to meet its burden of proving that its 2011 redistricting plans and its 2011 voter identification law were not discriminatory.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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Debate over President Obama's health care law, or so-called Obamacare, has trumped the immigration debate across the country where constituents opposed to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. illegally were expected to voice their views at Republican House members' town hall meetings this month.

"In a sort of immediate sense, Obamacare is what the party has decided they want to make a big deal of in these town halls, so that's frankly siphoning off a lot of outrage because the people ticked off about Obamacare are the same people ticked off about amnesty," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which opposes higher immigration levels.

It was the kickoff of a "Stop Amnesty Tour" organized by the Tea Party Patriots and other groups. But the crowd was so sparse that immigrant advocates were soon gleefully circulating photos of the featured speaker, Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa, standing alone on an empty stage.

The rally earlier this month at a public park in Richmond, Va., along with the subsequent cancellation or postponement of several similar events, points to an emerging reality during Congress' five-week summer recess: Opposition to overhauling immigration laws appears notably muted, almost tame. Meanwhile, advocates who support comprehensive overhaul legislation are claiming they've changed at least a handful of minds among House Republicans.

"In a sort of immediate sense Obamacare is what the party has decided they want to make a big deal of in these town halls, so that's frankly siphoning off a lot of outrage because the people ticked off about Obamacare are the same people ticked off about amnesty."  Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies

In 2007, during Congress' last attempt to remake the immigration system, lawmakers got death threats, and angry calls overwhelmed the Senate switchboard. This summer other issues, notably President Barack Obama's health care law, seem to be topping the list of voters' concerns.

Plus, the pro-immigration reform side is better organized and funded this time around and many establishment Republicans are on board. "All of that put together means you're not going to see the same level of frantic activity," Krikorian said.

What's less clear is how much it will matter once lawmakers return to Washington in September.

Immigration overhaul legislation, a top second-term priority for Obama, is in limbo after the Democratic-led Senate in June passed a far-reaching bill that includes tens of billions of dollars for border security, new visa programs to bring more high- and low-skilled workers to the country, requirements for employers to check all workers' legal status, and a 13-year path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants already in the country illegally.

GOP House leaders have rejected that approach, vowing to proceed with single-issue bills instead, beginning with border security. And although by advocates' count more than 20 House Republicans have now declared their support for some kind of citizenship path, the majority of House Republicans remain opposed, creating a potentially unbridgeable divide between the House and the Senate. Congress also faces looming deadlines on the debt ceiling and spending bills to keep the government running. It all adds up to a tough environment for getting an immigration bill to Obama's desk.

Nonetheless, pro-immigrant advocates are claiming success in their August recess efforts to pressure House Republicans to act on immigration in the fall. An unusual and deep-pocketed alliance of Catholics and evangelicals, labor unions, business groups and others have been targeting dozens of GOP members viewed as open to hearing them out, and say they'll have momentum on their side when Congress reconvenes.

"The big story I think of the August recess is that we haven't seen what some had predicted, this major anti-immigrant movement where members of Congress would be heckled into inaction," Galen Carey, vice president of government relations at the National Association of Evangelicals, said on a press call this week to announce a $400,000, 14-state radio ad buy in support of immigration reform. "We've seen very much that that has been a muted voice, but actually the pro-immigrant voice has been rather prominent at many of the town halls that we have observed."

Pro-immigrant activists sent some 1,500 supporters into House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy's Bakersfield, Calif., district last week; delivered a 10,000-signature petition to Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas; and launched a statewide tour through Wisconsin, among other activities.

They're pointing to comments in the past few weeks from House Republicans, including Daniel Webster of Florida, Aaron Schock of Illinois and Dave Reichert of Washington, indicating qualified support for eventual citizenship for immigrants here illegally, as long as certain conditions are met. So far, though, such comments have not become too widespread and it's uncertain they'll add up to a real impetus for action in the fall.

But pro-immigrant activists who'd been concerned that this summer could be a repeat of 2009, when irate voters trashed Obama's health care bill at unruly town hall meetings across the country, are starting to breathe easy.

The Stop Amnesty Tour event Aug. 12 in Richmond was to have been followed by events in other states, several of which subsequently disappeared from the Tea Party Patriots' website, according to an archived version circulated by the pro-immigrant group America's Voice. Organizers said most were going forward or rescheduled and disputed the claim by America's Voice that events were being canceled due to lack of interest.

"I think that when I heard about what happened at the Richmond event, we just look at what can we do to improve going forward, and one thing would be to give people more than 72 hours' notice," said Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots. The group is working on the events with others, including NumbersUSA, which advocates lower immigration levels.

The Black American Leadership Alliance, which opposes allowing more immigrants into the country to compete for jobs, canceled a series of rallies, according to cached copies of Facebook postings collected by America's Voice. But Leah Durant, the group's founder, said those events were being held by local groups and the Black American Leadership Alliance was just trying to help support them.

"When I look at the focus of what's going on I wouldn't say that there's no enthusiasm," Durant said. "I hear from people every day who say they are very concerned about this."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

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Determined to stop a potential wave of states from pursuing measures that suppress voting rights, the Justice Department sued Texas on Thursday over the state's voter ID law and will seek to intervene in a lawsuit over its redistricting laws that minority groups complain are discriminatory.

Texas Republicans, however, insist these laws are designed to protect the state's elections from fraud.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the action marks another step in the effort to protect voting rights of all eligible Americans. He said the government will not allow a recent Supreme Court decision to be interpreted as a precedence for states to suppress voting rights.

"This represents the department's latest action to protect voting rights, but it will not be our last," the attorney general said.

Holder is concentrating on Texas because of years of litigation over the state's voter ID law and redistricting maps that federal judges in Washington have determined would either indirectly disenfranchise minorities and the poor, or intentionally discriminate minorities.

In the voter ID lawsuit, the U.S. government will contend that Texas adopted a voter identification law with the purpose of denying or restricting voters' rights based on race, color or membership in a language minority group. The law requires voters to produce a state-issued ID before casting a ballot, while before voters could use their registration cards.

Texas is the only state found to have intentionally discriminated against minorities in this decade's round of redistricting, and the state was banned from enforcing either law. But the U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring revisions to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 took away the judges' authority to intervene.

That has forced Holder and minority groups to use other aspects of the Voting Rights Act or the Constitution to fight the cases in other federal courts.

Gov. Rick Perry called Holder's move a blatant disregard for states' 10th Amendment rights and has said the Obama administration's actions are an "end run around the Supreme Court."

"The filing of endless litigation in an effort to obstruct the will of the people of Texas is what we have come to expect from Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama," he added.

Attorney General Greg Abbott, a proponent of the voter ID law and currently a candidate to replace Perry, vowed to fight the Justice Department.

"Eric Holder is wrong to mess with Texas," he said. "By intervening in the redistricting case, the Obama DOJ is predictably joining with Democrat state legislators and Members of Congress and the Texas Democratic Party, who are already suing the state."

But state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus that is a plaintiff in the redistricting case, said federal intervention was necessary to protect minority rights.

"Federal courts have ruled time and again that government officials in Texas are systematically making it harder for minorities to vote," he said in a statement. "I am confident that the overwhelming evidence demonstrating intentional discrimination in Texas, when presented in court, will compel state officials to remove barriers to voting that will disenfranchise far too many of our citizens."

Intervening in the redistricting case would enable the federal government to seek a declaration that Texas's 2011 redistricting plans for the U.S. Congress and the Texas State House of Representatives were adopted to deny or restrict the right to vote on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group.

Since a federal court found that Texas intentionally discriminated against minorities with its 2011 redistricting plans and voter identification law, state lawmakers have withdrawn their original maps and replaced them with a plan adopted by a federal court as a stop-gap measure. But Abbott has said the voter ID law is in effect.

The separate provision of the Voting Rights Act that Holder is invoking may be a difficult tool for the Obama administration to use. A handful of jurisdictions have been subjected to advance approval of election changes through this provision, but a court first must find that a state or local government engaged in intentional discrimination under the 14th or 15th amendments, or the jurisdiction has to admit to discrimination. Unlike other parts of the voting law, the discriminatory effect of a law is not enough to trigger the provision.

The NAACP, one of the plaintiffs in the redistricting case, said it will intervene in the voter ID case in support of the Justice Department.

"Texas has a deeply disturbing history of brazenly suppressing the votes and voting strength of Black and Latino voters," said Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "A Texas voter is more likely to be struck by lightning than to see someone attempt to vote fraudulently at the polls."

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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A conservative Republican lawmaker with a hard line on immigration doesnt normally attract attention for uttering the word amnesty.

But that all changes when its someone like Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, saying that the Senate comprehensive immigration bills provision allowing undocumented immigrants to legalize their status is not amnesty.

I dont use that word, Grassley said at an Iowa town hall meeting in response to a member of the audience who asked Do you consider the Senate immigration bill amnesty?

I use the word legalization because its a little bit different than what we did in 1986, said Grassley, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees immigration. I would call the immigration bill of 1986 amnesty because there wasnt any conditions to it.

The Senate bill, he said, puts conditions ahead of legalization.

Grassley was a vocal critic of the Senate bill, which he voted against, because he said it did not do enough to improve border security.

The Senate passed the far-reaching bipartisan bill in late June.

The measure includes border security, workplace enforcement and a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants as long as they meet a strict set of criteria. But the majority of House Republicans remain opposed to any path to legalization, denouncing it as amnesty, and creating concerns that legislators will be unable to craft a compromise bill.

Grassleys move to make a distinction between amnesty and the legalization plan that the bill provides was significant because it went to the heart of one of the main points of contention between opponents and supporters of the measure.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who was part of the so-called Gang of Eight  four Republicans and four Democrats who drafted the bill  launched a media campaign before the Senate passage of the bill to rebut claims that it offered amnesty, or rewarded lawbreakers.

The bill requires those seeking legalization to register with the government, submit fingerprints, pass a background checks, pay fines, stay employed and learn English. Only after 13 years would they be able to turn their conditional legal status to legal permanent residency, commonly known as getting "a green card."

Rubio has stressed the long and difficult process toward legalization for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, and said that is why it is earned and not amnesty.

"We're not awarding anybody anything. All we're doing is giving people the opportunity to eventually earn access to our new, improved and modernized legal immigration system," said Rubio earlier this year.

Immigration advocates quickly seized on Grassleys comments.

Americas Voice, a lobby group that favors more flexible immigration laws, sent out a press release titled: BREAKING: Senator Grassley Confirms Senate Immigration Bill Not Amnesty.

While anti-immigrant blowhards like [Rep.] Steve King continue to rail against all immigration reform as amnesty, the statement said, Grassleys insistence that the Senate bill is not that puts him closer to immigration reform supporters like Jeff Flake and John McCain, who said just yesterday [Wednesday] that the Senate bills 13-year wait and strict penalties precludes the legislation from being amnesty.

As Grassley himself said, Putting conditions ahead of legalization which is what the Senate bill does, via onerous requirements like a 13-year-wait, the payment of back taxes, learning English, and other provisionswould preempt the use of the word amnesty.

Those who favor strict immigration enforcement expressed bewilderment over Grassleys comment.

The notion that amnesty is different than legalization is novel, said Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, which lobbies for tighter enforcement. Hes got a new approach I suppose, but it sounds like a distinction without a difference.

Stein added that amnesty is forbearance from prosecution for a range of criminal offenses, in this case.

It is also a reward when the alien receives a benefit he/she would not have been able to obtain but for having broken the law, Stein said. The Senate bill is both an amnesty and a reward. Amnestys definition doesnt turn on what happens downstream at the border. It turns on how the alien is dealt with substantively.
President Barack Obama is defending the Justice Department's lawsuit over Texas' voter ID law and says his administration will use tools available through the Voting Rights Act to keep jurisdictions from enacting laws that have the effect of preventing people from voting.

In an interview with PBS broadcast Wednesday, Obama said that while some voting restrictions may contain a racial element, the reasons for the constraints are more likely partisan.

The Supreme Court has said the Voting Rights Act needs revisions, meaning certain jurisdictions no longer need to have new voting laws reviewed ahead of time to gauge their effect on minority voters.

Obama said he's working with lawmakers to amend the act. But he said his administration also will try other approaches to make up for the court's decision.

Determined to stop a potential wave of states from pursuing measures that suppress voting rights, the Justice Department sued Texas last Thursday over the voter ID law and will seek to intervene in a lawsuit over its redistricting laws that minority groups complain are discriminatory.

Texas Republicans, however, insist these laws are designed to protect the state's elections from fraud.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the action marks another step in the effort to protect voting rights of all eligible Americans. He said the government will not allow a recent Supreme Court decision to be interpreted as a precedence for states to suppress voting rights.

"This represents the department's latest action to protect voting rights, but it will not be our last," the attorney general said.

Holder is concentrating on Texas because of years of litigation over the state's voter ID law and redistricting maps that federal judges in Washington have determined would either indirectly disenfranchise minorities and the poor, or intentionally discriminate minorities.

In the voter ID lawsuit, the U.S. government will contend that Texas adopted a voter identification law with the purpose of denying or restricting voters' rights based on race, color or membership in a language minority group. The law requires voters to produce a state-issued ID before casting a ballot, while before voters could use their registration cards.

Texas is the only state found to have intentionally discriminated against minorities in this decade's round of redistricting, and the state was banned from enforcing either law. But the U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring revisions to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 took away the judges' authority to intervene.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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At least one Latin American leader sees the silver lining in a possible Donald Trump White House.

The leftist Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said a Trump presidency might be bad for the United States, but it could be good for Latin America. Especially its progressive political movements.

"I think it would be very bad for the U.S.," Correa said of a possible President Trump, according to Telesur. "However, since Latin America is quite independent from the U.S., I think we may even see an increase in the progressive trend here. That would be a major positive of a Trump victory."

Correa referenced the years that former President George W. Bush was in the White House, which coincided with the so-called Pink Tide  a group of left-wing, progressive leaders who came into power in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela.

A Trump presidency would be similar to that of George W. Bush, who, with what Correa called his "primitive" politics, alienated much of the world.

The Ecuadorean president had high praise for both Democratic candidates running for president in the U.S., especially Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont  saying he is "breaking ways of thinking" with his anti-establishment politics.

"He is 74 years old and has the support of young people. Why? Because he is iconoclastic, he is against Wall Street, against the big transnational corporations. He is saying what people want to hear," Correa said.

He added that he also admires former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but he believes she is more with the establishment than Sanders is and will not provide the kind of radical change espoused by the Vermont lawmaker.

The president's comments came as Americans in 12 states went to the polls in the Super Tuesday contests that saw Trump and Clinton emerge as the days big winners.

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Incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, smarting from the Democratic Party's big November losses, is blaming the messengers.

With Christmas days away, nearly every member of the Senate Democratic Media Center has been fired, a senior Democratic aide confirmed to Fox News. Schumer swung the axe on Friday, according to Politico, which first obtained goodbye emails from staffers, including some with decades' experience.

The move comes amid plans to revamp the unit, which handles video content, in an effort to help the Senate Democratic caucus get their message out in the New Year. The party not only lost the presidential race, it failed to capture the Senate or House and lost state legislative races throughout the country.

Critics, including some within the party, say the party has become dominated by East and West coast elites who can't connect with working class folks in the country's interior.

A senior democratic aide told FoxNews.com that Schumer decided Senate Democrats would need to produce sharper, more creative digital content.

As a result, we are bringing in new people with expertise in digital videos and content for Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, a senior democratic aide told FoxNews.com. The mission of the revamped SDMC will be to produce more content to make content more creative and catchy, and to do so faster than weve been able to in the past.

The timing could not be worse, given the holidays. But the 115th Congress begins just two days after the New Year, and Schumer apparently wanted to start fresh, and hit the ground running.

We dont comment on personnel decisions, a spokesman from the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), which serves as an advisory board to the Democratic Leadership in which Sen. Schumer will serve, told FoxNews.com in an email.

The aide would not share the number of employees fired, or the official number of employees working at the Senate Democratic Media Center.

A Republican Senate aide called the timing "brutal."

Job creation has never been a strength of the Democrats, a Republican aide told FoxNews.com. But firing staffers just days before the holidays so they can play catch-up is pretty brutal.
China on Tuesday handed back to the United States an underwater drone whose seizure raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Donald Trump's signals of a tougher policy toward Beijing.

Last week's seizure near the Philippines prompted a new volley of criticism by Trump, who has riled the Chinese leadership by saying he might reconsider policy toward Taiwan, the self-ruled island the mainland claims as its territory.

The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near where it had been taken, and it was received by the USS Mustin about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. Cook said Washington considered the seizure illegal.

"This incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea," he said, adding that the U.S. has called on China to refrain from "further efforts to impede lawful U.S. activities."

The statement said the U.S. would continue to "fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows." Such freedom of navigation missions in which U.S. ships sail near China's artificial islands draw warnings and rebukes from Beijing.

China's defense ministry said in a statement that it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations."

Chinese officials say the drone was removed from the water to ensure the safety of passing ships, but domestic political experts have read the move as a warning to Trump not to test Beijing's resolve over Taiwan.

Early this month, Trump broke protocol by speaking with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. He later said he did not feel "bound by a one-China policy" unless the U.S. could gain trade or other benefits from China. Beijing regards any acknowledgement that Taiwan has its own head of state as a grave insult.

"China wants to send a message to the U.S. side about how serious the consequences can be if sensitive issues in China-U.S. relations are handled unilaterally and indiscreetly," said Xiong Zhiyong, an international relations expert at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. "The return of the seized drone shows that China hopes the U.S. will not provoke China on these issues and engage in solving issues through consultation."

The incident underscores how Trump will confront as president an increasingly assertive China that wants to extend its reach in the South China Sea, a strategically vital area through which about $5 trillion in global trade passes each year. Several of China's smaller neighbors have protested China's territorial claims there and are closely watching Trump's handling of the disputed sea.

The seizure of the drone fits into China's broader strategy aimed at shaping the perception that it is in control of the South China Sea and will not back down, said Michael Raska, a military analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"They use the South China Sea as political, economic and informational means to project power and to influence domestic and external perception that the South China Sea is basically Chinese," Raska said. "This puts the U.S. and China into contending trajectories, but neither side has the strategic interest to escalate beyond these low-level incidents."

The U.S. said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. A noncombat ship was recovering two drones last Thursday when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them, officials say.

Trump, still a month away from being inaugurated, accused Chinese authorities on Saturday of stealing the drone, and said on Twitter, "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back.- let them keep it!"

Trump has pledged to be more unpredictable on the world stage, billing the approach as a much-needed change from President Barack Obama's deliberative style and public forecasting about U.S. policy.

That is likely to unnerve both allies and adversaries, leaving glaring questions about whether the foreign policy novice is carrying out planned strategies or acting on impulse.


Hillary Clinton and her inner circle seem to be handing out lots of blame for her defeat.

But almost no one is blaming the candidate for failing to do what the Democrats once thought would be easy, beating Donald Trump.

The press usually revels in party-in-disarray stories, and this one has all the elements: the fall of the House of Clinton, the Democrats controlling nothing on the Hill and losing governorships. There has been a little bit of that, but the Trump transition has sucked up most of the media oxygen. And the former Democratic nominee has been keeping such a low profile that the Washington Post did a piece on neighbors hunting for Hillary in the Chappaqua woods.

But the finger-pointing is truly striking, because it doesnt deal with the core issues that caused Clinton to lose: She had no message, especially not an economic message. She all but ignored Wisconsin and Michigan. She failed to build a personal narrative. She crippled herself with the private email server. She was a status quo candidate in a change election. She was so hypercautious about her media appearances that even Rachel Maddow couldnt land an interview. Her platform was basically, Donald Trump is crazy and Im not.

Even President Obama has acknowledged that the Democrats failed to connect with paycheck-to-paycheck voters at the grass roots. But there has been little such reflection from the Clinton camp.

Instead, Hillary Clinton says Russian hackers came after her campaign and the DNC because Vladimir Putin has a personal beef against me.

That may be true, especially since Trump campaigned for friendlier relations with Moscow. Clinton told a group of donors in Manhattan that the press is finally catching up to the facts, and that this is an attack against our country. And that is true, assuming the murky leaks about the CIA and FBI findings are accurate.

But thats not why Clinton lost. The leaks were embarrassing and a huge distraction, but they hardly tipped the election.

Now Bill Clinton has gotten into the act. He told a local paper that Trump doesnt know much, but one thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him.

Its an odd diagnosis from Bubba, since hes said part of his political success came from getting rednecks to vote for him, the kind of rural voters that his wife failed to connect with.

The former president blamed James Comey, saying the FBI chief had cost her the election by starting a new email inquirythis one having to do with Anthony Weiners computerless than two weeks before Election Day.

And yesterday Clinton said his wife had been subjected to that bogus email dealas if she had not apologized for circumventing government email and Comey hadnt found her to have mishandled classified information.

As for Weiners estranged wife, Huma Abedin, she gets slapped around in a Vanity Fair piece. One Clinton insider is quoted as saying Abedin was enjoying the red carpet and enjoying the photo spreads much too much in my opinion. She enjoyed being a celebrity too much. This person said Abedin and other top advisers may have suffocated Hillary, reinforcing her bad habits and risk-averse approach to politicseven deterring her from making more than one appearance on The View.



So its Putin, Comey, Huma, you name it, not the former first lady and secretary of State.

If the Democrats dont do a better job of diagnosing their failures, they are doomed to repeat them. And for all the fascination with Trump, that is a worthy subject for journalistic inquiry.
The unofficial lobbying push to confirm Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as the next attorney general already is under way, with conservative allies launching a campaign and website to tout his bona fides  and prevent past controversies from creating turbulence next month.

Sessions, one of President-elect Donald Trump's earliest supporters, was one of his earliest Cabinet selections. Trump, in naming him to the powerful post, called Sessions a world-class legal mind admired by virtually everyone who knows him.

At the time of Trump's November announcement, however, the pick was met immediately with angry objections from Democrats and immigration activists over his hardline views on the subject. In 2015 he called the phrase immigration reform a legislative honorific almost exclusively reserved for proposals which benefit everyone but actual American citizens.

Some critics also have sought to revive a decades-old controversy that surfaced during his 1986 nomination to be a federal judge. That nomination was rejected after former colleagues testified he had made a number of racially charged comments, including that he had called the NAACP and ACLU "un-American," called a black prosecutor boy and made a joke about liking the Ku Klux Klan until he heard they used marijuana. Sessions has denied making racist comments and called the charges inaccurate.

Sessions confirmation hearing is set before the Senate Judiciary Committee for Jan. 10-11.

In preparation, the website ConfirmSessions.com launched Friday, offering a staunch defense of Sessions record as both a senator and attorney general in Alabama, who has worked tirelessly to defend the civil and legal rights of all Americans.

From his time as U.S. Attorney to his tenure as Attorney General for the state of Alabama, Jeff Sessions successfully prosecuted drug and violent criminals, corrupt politicians, and white collar offenders, and his record shows an absolute commitment to equal justice under law by putting the people first  not powerful special interests, Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the Judicial Crisis Network  the group behind the push -- said in a statement. The website is being accompanied by a digital ad buy.

Perhaps anticipating efforts by Democrats to focus on past controversies in his hearing, the group uses the site to highlight Sessions' achievements in the area of civil rights, showing pictures of him holding hands with civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., commemorating 50 years since Bloody Sunday in 2015.

The site also notes his vote in favor of an extension of the Voting Rights Act, his work suing the KKK in Alabama and his efforts to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. The site includes a lengthy document outlining his civil rights record as a U.S. attorney, including quotes of praise.

At a time when many U.S. Attorneys in the South were not always welcoming to the Civil Rights Division, Jeff Sessions was, said Barry Kowalski, a former DOJ employee who prosecuted the L.A. police officers who beat Rodney King. Jeff had the vision and the courage and the desire to do right.

The push comes as Trump moves to finalize his Cabinet selections. He still needs to name a Veterans Affairs and Agriculture secretary, but his AG pick stands as one of his most important Cabinet nominees. Sessions could be a crucial advocate in Trump's pursuit of immigration policy changes, among other priorities.

The controversy surrounding Sessions, however, may have ebbed as critics focus on other more recent picks such as ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for secretary of State, and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy. Tillerson in particular has faced bipartisan concerns over his Russia ties.

Further, with Trump needing only to muster a simple majority in the Senate to confirm Cabinet nominees, he could seal Sessions' appointment by keeping majority Republicans in line.

Sessions' allies still are taking care to stress Sessions' past bipartisan support, in hopes that his colleagues on both sides of the aisle join together in confirming him. The pro-Sessions site includes testimonials from top Democratic leaders including incoming Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

We are from different parts of the country, and not only different parties, but clearly different ideologies, but he is always a gentleman, it quotes Schumer as saying in 2002.

Schumer recently said Sessions will get a "very thorough and tough vetting" in the confirmation process. Other Democratic colleagues signaled they'll make noise next month.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a November statement: Thirty years ago, a different Republican Senate rejected Senator Sessions nomination to a federal judgeship. In doing so, that Senate affirmed that there can be no compromise with racism; no negotiation with hate. Today, a new Republican Senate must decide whether self-interest and political cowardice will prevent them from once again doing what is right.

Severino told FoxNews.com their website is focused on helping voters understand who Sessions is, while countering some of the criticism leveled at him over alleged past remarks.

We will be batting those attacks down, but the bigger purpose is to make the positive case and we are explaining why he is qualified for this position, she said. We just want to be ready if they do ramp [the attacks] up further.
A last-ditch effort by die-hard Donald Trump foes to derail the president-elects victory in the Electoral College fell flat Monday, leaving the never-Trump movement licking its wounds and looking to 2017 for ways to thwart Trumps presidency and agenda.

The push to deny Trump the requisite 270 electors and send the election to the House of Representatives seemingly was doomed from the start, though it received significant media attention. In the end, only two Republican electors broke ranks  more defected on the Democratic side from Hillary Clinton.

What comes next for anti-Trumpers isn't entirely clear.

Some are preparing to attack him over his business ties, while the "I" word already is being bandied about.

Liberal filmmaker and activist Michael Moore tried to crowdsource ideas after the Electoral College flop, asking, He's not president for four and a half weeks. Next idea?

The Hamilton Electors  the group of electors behind the push to deny Trump 270 votes  published a statement Monday indicating their fight was not over, urging supporters to "stay tuned."

Hamilton Electors hope this watershed moment will lay the groundwork for the emerging grassroots resistance to Trumps agenda, the statement read.

Our response. More to come. Please stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/3SisGIM6y5  Hamilton Electors (@HamiltonElector) December 20, 2016

Texas Republican elector Chris Suprun, who voted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Monday, hinted that a push for Trump's impeachment could be in the works.

As a person who has always played fast and loose with the law, Trump will likely be impeached within the first year of his Presidency by responsible Republicans in Congress. For the rest of us Americans, his presence in the Oval Office represents a crisis for the Constitution, the economy and the country, he said in the statement.

Republican lawmakers and mainstream conservative voices for the most part have indicated they're ready to work with Trump. Some were buoyed by conservative picks in his Cabinet such as Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., for Health and Human Services secretary and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for attorney general.

President Obama and Hillary Clinton, too, signaled immediately after the election that Democrats should give Trump a chance.

But some Trump critics remain, if nothing else, on high alert for any constitutional violations from the Trump presidency.

Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin tweeted Tuesday what he called a call to action from Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson, a former Bush speechwriter. Gerson called on citizens to defend the legislature and judiciary from any encroachment, and defend people from organized oppression, including Muslims and refugees.

A call to action from principled conservative @MJGerson during the Trump years: "Defend every group of people." https://t.co/ppUt4dpeD0 pic.twitter.com/mhRnVTlm1E  Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) December 20, 2016

With Trump's inauguration now inevitable, his foes may turn next to battling his Cabinet picks.

Some dissent has been bubbling over the choice of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of State, with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., warning that Tillersons relationship with Russia is a matter of concern for me.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and other Democratic allies also are eyeing a fight over Trumps business interests. Last week, five Democratic senators including Warren announced they would introduce legislation to require Trump to divest assets that could be a conflict of interest, and put them into a blind trust.

Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Chris Coons, D-Del., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., are all backing the bill, which would deem a violation of conflict-of-interest laws a high crime or misdemeanor under the impeachment clause of the U.S. Constitution.

"The American people do not want the President encumbered by conflicts of interest that put him in violation of the Constitution or US law," Cardin said in a statement.

This isnt the only sign Democratic lawmakers are gearing up for an impeachment threat sometime in the future. Politico reported Wednesday that House Democrats have held a mock hearing on Donald Trumps conflicts of interest, using staging, television cameras and testimony from witnesses.

The narrative that Trump could run afoul of the Emoluments Clause -- which bars government officials from receiving gifts from foreign states -- is gaining support from some progressive voices.

GQs Keith Olbermann said in a video that Trump is a moving, breathing conflict of interest who will likely be guilty of impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors within hours if not minutes of his inauguration.

Olbermann went one step further, advising Americans: "Never address Trump as president. He is Trump. Just Trump. Never president."

Former 2000 Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader also wrote an open letter (published in the Huffington Post) earlier this month telling Trump to divest or face impeachment.

The only appropriate response is to completely divest on December 15 and therefore avoid potentially becoming a walking Article of Impeachment beginning on January 20, he said.

Republican officials, meanwhile, argue it's time for those fighting his presidency to stand back.

After the Electoral College decision on Monday, RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day said in a statement:

This historic election is now officially over and I look forward to President-elect Trump taking the oath of office in January. Our unified Republican government will hit the ground running next year so we can deliver real change and make America great again. For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election, which Donald Trump won decisively in the Electoral College with more votes than any Republican since 1988.
President Obama on Tuesday ordered U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean placed "indefinitely" off-limits for future oil and gas leases, in a final fossil-fuel crackdown before he leaves office.

The move, intended to protect the areas ecosystem, is a final push by Obama to seal his environmental legacy, and a possible way to bind the hands of his successor.

Today, in partnership with our neighbors and allies in Canada, the United States is taking historic steps to build a strong Arctic economy, preserve a healthy Arctic ecosystem and protect our fragile Arctic waters, including designating the bulk of our Arctic water and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing, the White House said in a statement, issued while Obama is on vacation with his family in Hawaii.

The White House announced the actions in conjunction with the government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which also placed a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing in its Arctic waters, subject to periodic review.

The Atlantic waters placed off limits to new oil and gas leasing are 31 canyons stretching off the coast of New England south to Virginia.

Industry groups swiftly protested.

Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) Senior Vice President Dan Naatz said in a statement the group was extremely disappointed in President Obamas eleventh hour decision to shut down economic development and lock away Americas true energy potential for communities that need it most."

Although the move uses executive powers, environmental groups are hoping the ban will be difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to reverse. The billionaire has repeatedly pledged to unleash the nations untapped oil and natural gas reserves.

Obama used a 1953 provision that allows the president to ban offshore leases in the outer Continental Shelf permanently. The administration has been considering opening an area of the Atlantic Coast to drill, but has slowly backed away from the idea, culminating in Tuesdays announcement. Earlier this year, the administration removed potential Atlantic lease sales from its blueprint for offshore drilling. But that ban only applies to a five-year period starting in 2017, and could be more easily reversed by Trump in his own five-year blueprint.

Trump is looking to fill his administration with nominees who opposed Obamas environmental agenda. He has tapped Environmental Protection Agency opponent Scott Pruitt to head the agency, and has picked former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head the Department of Energy, which Perry once vowed to eliminate. Trump has called for more offshore drilling and to make the U.S. energy self-sufficient.

Some in the industry have expressed confidence the ban will not stand under the Trump administration, noting he can simply issue a new proclamation after taking office.

"There's no such thing as a permanent ban," Erik Milito, a policy director at the American Petroleum Institute, told The Associated Press.

However, Niel Lawrence, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the AP that the result of a Trump proclamation isnt that simple, as while the statute says a president can withdraw waters from the country's leasing plans, "it doesn't say you can put back in."

If Trump does issue an order reversing Obama's proclamation, it would be up to environmental groups or others to challenge his actions in court. If he doesn't, then it would be up to Congress to intervene.

Fourteen senators had signed a letter calling on Obama to ban offshore drilling permanently. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., had said before the announcement that he doesnt think future administrations can undo the order without congressional approval.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Donald Trump fired back at Bill Clinton on Tuesday after the former president was quoted mocking the incoming presidents intelligence and blaming FBI Director James Comey and angry, white men for Hillary Clintons defeat.

The comments emerged after an editor at the Bedford-Pound Ridge Record Review caught an impromptu Q-and-A with Bill Clinton at a New York bookstore and published the details in the papers print edition. The editorial did not appear online but the contents were reported by Politico.

He doesnt know much, Clinton said when asked if Trump was smart. One thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him.

He also said Trump called him the day after the election.

Trump, on Twitter, disputed that detail and tried to turn the tables on the former president  questioning the Clinton teams grasp of what it took to motivate voters in key swing states.

They focused on wrong states, Trump wrote, in an apparent reference to post-election reports that detailed how the Clinton campaign failed to focus their resources and get-out-the-vote efforts on key Midwestern states that helped swing the election to Trump in the end.

Clinton later tweeted back: "Heres one thing @realDonaldTrump and I can agree on  I called him after the election."

Still pointing fingers: The Clinton political machines final malfunction?#Election2016 pic.twitter.com/PZfoy4x8G5  Fox News Research (@FoxNewsResearch) December 20, 2016

Clinton, though, had placed the blame for Hillary Clintons defeat squarely at the feet of Comey, who announced 11 days before the election that the FBI was reviewing newly discovered emails for any ties to the investigation of Hillary Clintons secret server. Comey told Congress two days before the election the FBI didnt find any new evidence.

James Comey cost her the election, Clinton said during the discussion at the New York bookstore.

Clinton also said he believed the allegations that Russia was responsible for a series of pre-election hacks that revealed embarrassing  and politically damaging  acts by some prominent Democrats associated with Hillary Clintons campaign.

Clinton doubled down Monday as he cast his electoral vote for his wife in Albany, N.Y.

According to CBS News, he said she battled through that bogus email deal and prevailed but at the end we had the Russians and the FBI deal and she couldnt prevail against them.

Trumps victory was affirmed in the Electoral College on Monday.
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc presents a gift to the Saigon New Port Corporation. (Source: VNA)



Praising the achievements the company has made over the past time, the Prime Minister said Saigon New Port needs to work harder to build itself into a leading defence economic unit in Vietnam.

The corporation should expand production and focus on approved strategic positions while continuing to reorganize its affiliates, he said.

The PM urged the company to focus on raising labour productivity, ensuring stable income for workers and improving competitiveness.

The Saigon New Port Corporation, a 100 percent State-owned enterprise, operates under the one member limited liability company model and focuses on ports, logistics and sea transport.

The company has a market capitalisation of over VND30 trillion (USD1.35 billion). It has grown 21 percent per year on average.

In 2016, the company expects to earn VND17,263 billion (USD775 million) in revenue and VND1,952 billion (USD88 million) in profit.

The company possesses 17 ports capable of accommodating up to 200,000 DWT. Its container port services account for 50 percent of market share in Vietnam 89 percent in HCM city.

Saigon New Port is named in the top 20 logistics companies in Vietnam with sea transport services making up 25 percent of the domestic market share./.
Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote on Monday and secured his election as the 45th president of the United States, as the latest  and perhaps last  stop-Trump movement failed to gain traction in state capitals.

A fervent push by anti-Trump forces to persuade electors to defect had turned the normally mundane civic procedure into high drama.

But Trump easily surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win, as representatives tabbed to cast ballots in accordance with their states Nov. 8 decision mostly adhered to the election results. After all the states had voted, Trump finished with 304 votes and Clinton had 227.

Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence afterward tweeted "congratulations" to his running mate while saying he was "honored & humbled" to be officially elected the next vice president.

Republican National Committee Co-Chair Sharon Day urged Trumps detractors to stop fighting his election, now that his victory is affirmed.

This historic election is now officially over and I look forward to President-elect Trump taking the oath of office in January, she said in a statement. For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election, which Donald Trump won decisively in the Electoral College with more votes than any Republican since 1988.

Elector antics were few and far between throughout the day, with most the disruptions occurring on the Democratic side. A Democratic elector in Maine tried to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders, but switched to Clinton after it was ruled improper. Another who tried to vote for Sanders in Minnesota was replaced; a Colorado elector who tried to back Ohio Gov. John Kasich likewise was replaced. One of the biggest deviations was in Washington state, where three electors voted for Colin Powell and one voted for Faith Spotted Eagle; the remaining eight went to Clinton, the states winner.

It marked the first time in four decades the state's electors broke from the popular vote. Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman vowed to work with the state attorney general and charge the four unfaithful electors with a violation of Washington state civil law. Such violations carry a fine up to $1,000.

With Trumps win now secured, a joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results.

Trumps clear Electoral College victory could serve to deter any further last-ditch efforts to effectively nullify his November win and prevent his inauguration, though the battle may shift next to his Cabinet picks.

Few expected the faithless elector push to imperil Trumps victory on Monday.

Only one Republican elector  Texas Chris Suprun  publicly stated he would vote for an alternative candidate. (He backed Kasich, while another Texas elector used his ballot to vote for former congressman Ron Paul.) More than three dozen Republicans would have had to abandon Trump to complicate his path to the presidency.

But GOP electors still faced immense pressure -- with some even receiving threats -- from Trump foes in the run-up to Mondays Electoral College vote. Those urging disorder in state capitals often cited Clintons popular-vote win, by roughly 2.6 million votes, over Trump in November.

Celebrities made public appeals to electors to use the arcane process to upend Trumps victory, as some Democratic electors tried to persuade their Republican counterparts to defect. Reports that U.S. intelligence officials determined Russia interfered in the election to boost Trump  findings disputed by Trump himself  only fueled efforts to wield the Electoral College vote as a political circuit-breaker.

As electors met, thousands of protesters descended on state capitals Monday in one last push to convince Trump voters to change their minds.

In Arizona, dozens of protesters gathered outside the meeting site, marching around the Capitol mall and carrying signs that said, "Stop Trump." More than 200 demonstrators gathered at Pennsylvania's Capitol, chanting, "No treason, no Trump!"

Both states, and dozens of others, cast their electoral votes for Trump anyway.

In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant dismissed attempts to sway Republican electors.

"This idea  that we want to change the electors minds who have been dedicated to Donald Trump very early in the process I think is just misguided, he said.

If nothing else, the furor over Mondays proceedings has served to re-acquaint Americans with a process that few pay attention to every four years.

The Electoral College was devised at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It was a compromise between those who wanted popular elections for president and those who wanted no public input.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one -- or 270 electoral votes. Most states give all their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins that state's popular vote. Maine and Nebraska award them by congressional district.

After a joint session of Congress certifies the results on Jan. 6, the next president will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

Trump already is nearly done naming his Cabinet appointees, as he prepares for confirmation hearings and the inauguration ceremonies, in addition to his first 100 days agenda.

Despite the transition process being well underway, Republican electors said they were deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support the billionaire businessman in the days and weeks leading up to Mondays proceedings. Many of the emails were part of coordinated campaigns.

"The letters are actually quite sad," said Lee Green, a Republican elector from North Carolina. "They honestly believe the propaganda. They believe our nation is being taken over by a dark and malevolent force."

Wirt A. Yerger Jr., a Republican elector in Mississippi, said, "I have gotten several thousand emails asking me not to vote for Trump. I threw them all away."

Arizona elector Robert Graham told Fox News on Saturday that the states 11 electors received hundreds of thousands of emails telling them not to vote for Trump and that hes received information that some of the other 10 have been followed or have received a death threat.

Its out of hand when you have such  a small group of people that is pushing so hard against millions if not hundreds of millions of people who still appreciate this whole system, said Graham, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. The Electoral College is part of the Constitution.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Department of Defense officials may have found the remains of U.S. servicemen missing since their aircraft crashed in the Himalayas during World War II.

U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) visited two sites in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh in the search for remains, a DPAA spokesman told FoxNews.com. Aircraft carrying the still-unaccounted-for airmen are believed to have crashed in the remote region.

The teams goal was to find out if the reported sites can be correlated to known crash sites involving missing U.S. servicemen, the Embassy in India said, in a statement.

3 WWII SHIPWRECKS HAVE MYSTERIOUSLY VANISHED

Officials found the wreckage of a B-24 Liberator at one of the sites.

During discussions with local residents, the DPAA team was presented with human remains, which a witness had recovered near the wreckage of the crashed aircraft. After arriving at the site, additional human remains, believed to be associated with missing US service members, were found.

Once approved by the Indian government, the remains will be sent to a DPAA laboratory with the goal of identification, according to the Embassy.

HAUNTING PHOTOS OF JAPANESE MINI-SUBMARINE SUNK

DURING PEARL HARBOR ATTACK

Other material evidence was recovered from the site of the B-24 Liberator crash and will be analyzed on its return to the U.S., the DPAA spokesman told FoxNews.com.

If the evidence gathered on the mission can be corroborated with historical records and reports, future missions may conduct an excavation to recover the remains and return them to DPAAs laboratory for identification, according to the Embassy.

The United States is committed to making sure all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who served our country come home, said U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma, in the statement. DPAAs mission in India is a vital part of that commitment.

MILITARY VETERANS SMASH SKYDIVING WORLD RECORDS IN THE HIMALAYAS

The DPAA officials trekked up to 10,000 feet in altitude during the grueling expedition. The Indian government, the government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Indian Air Force were also involved in the mission.

This is not the first time that U.S. officials have targeted the region  the DPAA successfully recovered remains from Arunachal Pradesh last year. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter received remains from the Indian government in April  DPAA is working to identify the remains.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
A stone slab found off the coast of Israel has finally revealed the name of the ruler during one of the most iconic moments in Jewish history: the Bar Kokhba revolt.

The slab dates to the second century A.D., a bloody time in Jewish history when a fiery leader named Simon bar Kokhba led a failed revolt against Roman rulers . The huge chunk of stone was found at an underwater site called Tel Dor, located about 18 miles south of the city of Haifa. [Photos: 5,000-Year-Old Stone Monument in Israel]

The area once housed the Biblical city of Dor, which was occupied until the fourth century. Over the last 70 years, the site has yielded a treasure trove of pottery , anchors and other artifacts from ancient Israel. Ehud Arkin-Shalev and Michelle Kreiser, researchers from the Coastal Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Haifa, uncovered the giant slab while looking in the water of the Dor Nature Reserve.

The inscription was clearly visible, even beneath the water, the researchers said. The team eventually decided to bring the slab out of the water, to prevent damage to the inscription. Researchers discovered that the massive, 1,300-lb. slab had seven lines of ancient Greek inscribed upon it.

"The stone probably formed the base of a sculpture from the Roman period. As far as we know, this is the longest inscription found underwater in Israel," Assaf Yasur-Landau, the University of Haifa archaeologist who led the excavation, said in a statement.

Although the researchers have not completely deciphered the text, they have already made two discoveries: The inscription identified the Roman prefect in charge of Judea as Gargilius Antiques. Though researchers had found one other inscription bearing this name, that artifact did not mention the region Antiques ruled. In addition, the inscription confirms the name of the province involved in the revolt as Judea, which, until now, no inscription immediately preceding the Bar Kokhba revolt had stated, the researchers said.

The inscription dates from a tumultuous time in Jewish history. The second temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, and around A.D. 132, tensions simmering between the Roman rulers of the province and the Jewish inhabitants boiled over once again. At that point, the Jewish leader Simon bar Kokhba led a revolt against the Romans. During the four years of fighting, both sides sustained heavy casualties, and many Jews were ultimately sold into slavery or scattered.

"Immediately after the Bar Kokhba revolt, the Romans decided to abolish the province of Judea and to obliterate any mention of its name. The province was united with Syria to form a single province called Syria-Palestine," Yasur-Landau said. "So what we have here is an inscription dated to just before Judea ceased to exist as a province under that name. Of the two inscriptions mentioning the name Judea, this is the latest, of course. Because such findings are so rare, it is unlikely that we will find many later inscriptions including the name Judea,"

Original article on Live Science .
A team of scientists from the U.K.s Queen Mary University of London have discovered the secret behind what makes reindeer antlers so tough.

In a report published Monday in the ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, the team said it used X-ray techniques and computer modeling to get a closer look at the antlers. The team also examined the antler structures at a nano level, which measures at roughly one thousandth of the thickness of a hair strand, in order to identify what makes them so strong.

SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE FOUND 'FIFTH FORCE OF NATURE'

Scientists were keen to discover why reindeers' antlers can endure impacts during fights. First author Paolino De Falco from the universitys School of Engineering and Materials Science explained their durability on the schools website. "The fibrils that make up the antler are staggered rather than in line with each other, said De Falco. This allows them to absorb the energy from the impact of a clash during a fight."

This discovery has provided insight and filled a previous gap in scientists' understanding of the structure modeling of bone, according to the university, which added that the information could be used in the future to create damage resistant materials.

Ettore Barbieri, a co-author of the report, said the next steps include creating a 3D printed model with fibers arranged in staggered condition and linked by an elastic interface.

WEASEL SHUTS DOWN WORLD'S LARGEST ATOM SMASHER IN SWITZERLAND

The aim is to prove that additive manufacturing - where a prototype can be created a layer at a time - can be used to create damage resistant composite material, said Barbieri.
Its not what you'd envision as ideal vacation hotspot: Long lines at ATMs, reports of local businesses straining just to stay open and protesters taking to the streets.

By many accounts Cyprus doesnt seem like a carefree holiday destination right now. But should you steer clear? Experts say no.

Definitely go ahead and take that vacation and enjoy Cyprus. Just make sure you take extra precautions to have enough money and room on your credit card limits to enjoy a hassle- and worry-free trip, travel expert Mark Murphy said.

Cyprus, which boasts blue waters, beautiful beaches and three UNESCO world heritage sites, is a popular destination, especially for Europeans. But travel agents say that more Americans looking for good deals are vacationing in Cyprus rather than nearby Greece, with its own financial problems.

Whether recent travel trends could change, at least for the short term, remains to be seen. All banks in Cyprus are closed at least until Thursday, and an increasing number of businesses reportedly have stopped accepting credit or check payments, insisting on cash only.

The crisis hasnt resulted in any violence, and the U.S. State Department has not changed its travel advisories in light of the current situation.

Even so, State Department spokeswoman Katherine Pfaff says tourists should use caution when traveling to the island nation and should check the agencys website regularly for any travel updates.

Murphy advises that though Cyprus continues to work through its financial problems, travelers should be prepared and take enough cash to pay for all expenses, including incidentals.

Carry a couple of credit cards with enough room to add charges during your stay. I recommend a Visa or Mastercard, as well as an American Express, he says, but he adds, Cash is definitely king.

For those concerned about carrying large sums of cash, consider a money belt and take advantage of the hotel safe.

Don't carry more than you need for a particular day or excursion to avoid any potential issues, Murphy said.

Hulya Aydogan with Elite Turkey Tours in New York, which books trips to Cyprus, says despite the headlines shes has not received any complaints from clients in Cyprus.

Aydogan says travelers can avoid potential pitfalls by booking through a reputable tour company, because things such as airfare, hotel and transportation are pre-paid. If a Cypriot company does not accept a credit card payment for fear it wouldnt be paid by a bank, at least they have an advocate working on their behalf, she says.

My advice is to book with an American travel agency," she said. "Problems could arise because people are booking hotels directly online.

Cyprus' currency issues aren't affecting flights or, for the most part, hotel stays, experts say. Yet, dont be surprised to encounter a few bumps along the way if youre taking a taxi or eating at restaurant.

Even with limited withdrawals and banks closed you shouldn't see more than basic inconveniences," Murphy said.

At least for the moment.
At the request of Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the president and CEO of the state's official tourism marketing arm, Visit Florida, will step down from the position.

On Friday, Scott requested CEO Will Seccombes immediate resignation amid growing controversy over a seven-figure contract with Miami-based rapper Pitbull whom the governor once praised for his "devotion to our great state."

Seccombe, who makes $120,000 annually, refused to disclose publicly how much Pitbull was getting paid to promote the state, despite House Speaker Richard Corcorans insistence that taxpayers had the right to know how their money was being spent.

FLORIDA'S BEST BEACHES

Trade secret, Seccombe said. But Corcoran filed a lawsuit.

Pitbull broke the stalemate, tweeting "FULL DISCLOSURE - FLORIDA" with a link to the 11-page agreement he signed to produce and appear in the "Sexy Beaches" video and also promote the hashtag #LOVEFL on his social media sites and during concerts.

But what stood out in the legnthy agreement was the bottom line: the rapper was paid $1 million.

Pitbulls tweet quickly caught the attention of Gov. Rick Scott, who had the last word. He asked Seccombe to step down, and he asked Visit Florida to begin publishing its spending, contracts, salaries, audits and other financial information, Billboard reported.

In an email, Visit Florida spokesman Tim DeClaire said Seccombe, who has led the agency since 2012 and had been its chief marketing officer for nearly five years before that, was in agreement with the governor. DeClaire added that the agencys chief financial officer and chief marketing officer positions were also eliminated.

Scott, in a letter to William Talbert, who chairs Visit Floridas board of directors, said the shakeup was all about transparency, and not about Pitbull or his video or its lyrics.

"The notion that Visit Florida spending would not be transparent to the taxpayers is just ridiculous, Scott wrote. We must have major reforms at Visit Florida in the weeks ahead that require new leadership.

FLORIDA SEES RECORD TOURISM NUMBERS DESPITE HURRICANES, ZIKA

"I appreciate Pitbull and his devotion to our great state, Scott wrote. His willingness to help promote tourism in Florida is a great example for other entertainers to follow."

According to Orlando Weekly, Florida has seen a big increase in visitors over the past five years, 87.3 million in 2011 to 106 million tourists last year.
A U.S. man died Thursday from gunshot wounds he suffered a week ago during a robbery in Haiti where he was working on an orphanage he and his wife were building through their charity, officials said.

David Bompart, 50, of Columbus, Ohio, died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted last week. He was shot Jan. 24 outside a bank in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. He was able to walk to the nearby Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare, where he underwent two surgeries before being flown to Florida, his wife had said.

Bompart had helped build the Project Medishare trauma center, managing the warehouse and logistics, after the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

"David is a symbol of the thousands of American volunteers who dropped everything with their lives and their families to grab a small bag and get on a plane to Haiti, not knowing what to expect," said Dr. Barth Green, Project Medishare's co-founder.

Bompart, known as "Big Dave," simply showed up at Project Medishare's field hospital at the Port-au-Prince airport 10 days after the earthquake, Green said.

"He was as big as one of our tents and he said, `Can I help?"' Green said. "He had extraordinary organizational and leadership skills, and within a short amount of time he was working for us."

Bompart worked for Project Medishare through October, when he began an orphanage building project through Eyes Wide Open International, a charity the Bomparts' started to help widows and orphans.

Robbers sprayed bullets at Bompart at close range as he was picking up money for an orphanage building project, his wife, Nicolle Bompart, 45, said last week.

They stole his camera and passport, but the money for the orphanage remained safe in Bompart's pants pocket, his wife said.

The suspects have not been arrested.

The Bomparts spent much of the last two years flying between Haiti, Florida and Ohio for their charity work and for medical care for their 14-year-old son, a Haitian boy they adopted after the earthquake. The couple also has a 26-year-old daughter.

Nicolle Bompart said last week that she felt the robbery was the act of people desperate to feed their families. Her husband, who had served in the military in his native Trinidad and Tobago, felt he could handle the risks of working in a city prone to instability and violence, she said.

Each had lost a first spouse to premature death, and her husband was devoted to helping people who suffered similar tragedies, Nicolle Bompart said.

The couple's charity would continue to work in Haiti and finish the orphanage, Bompart's family said in a statement.

"It's what Big Dave would have wanted," they said.

Meanwhile, hospital security and police were investigating the theft of Nicolle Bompart's laptop computer at the hospital.

"Jackson has a zero tolerance for any criminal activity and always seeks to provide a safe and supportive place for patients and their loved ones. We sincerely regret this happened during such a trying time," hospital officials said in a statement.
The U.S. Navy has taken control of a new missile defense base in southern Romania, one of two European land-based interceptor sites for a NATO missile shield which Russia strongly opposes.

The base at Deveselu is scheduled to be operational in 2015 as part of NATO's ballistic missile defense system.

"Ballistic missile threats to the U.S. and our allies are real and growing," said Rear Adm. John Scorby, commander of Navy Region Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia on Friday.

"Fortunately, NATO's capabilities ... against these threats are also real and growing."

The system is the key component in President Barack Obama's plan for a phased deployment of a missile defense umbrella in Europe. Another missile base is scheduled to become operational in Poland by 2018.
A Colorado woman accused of leaving her son alone in a car overnight during a snowstorm appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol around the time she apparently abandoned the boy.

Court documents say that surveillance video captured 26-year-old Nicole Carmon walking into a gas station Friday night in suburban Denver looking disheveled and appearing distressed. Investigators say she said seemed to say something about "Target" and pointed to a nearby Target store before walking off.

The boy was found Saturday morning in a car covered in snow parked at the Target store about 14 hours later. He had hypothermia and frostbite.

The Denver Post (http://dpo.st/2hSGJP2 ) reports that Carmon told police that she had six shots of vodka Friday.

The public defender's office declined to comment on the allegations.
In his report, Nguyen Van Thang, the newspapers Deputy Editor-in-Chief, clearly noted that in 2016, the newspaper continued to promote the role of a central-level press agency, disseminating official information about the Party viewpoints, guidelines, policies and activities, while it also reflected comprehensively the political, economic, cultural and social aspects across the country, contributing to encouraging the whole Party, people and army to successfully realise their missions.

At the meeting (Photo: CPV)



The quality of news and articles has been remarkably increased, which has been praised by readers. During the 12th National Party Congress which was held in January, a team of CPV reporters, editors and technicians, covered the events news on the spot. After the Congress, 400 pieces of news, articles and videos in the Vietnamese language and over 600 pieces of news and articles in the English, Chinese and French languages were posted on the newspaper. The excellent achievements were recognised by certificates from the Prime Minister and the Party Central Committee (PCC) Commission on Popularization and Education.

The newspaper was also successfully covering news about the election of deputies to the National Assembly and the Peoples Council at all levels; domestic and external activities of the Party and State leaders; as well as the countrys important political events, including the PCC meetings.

In 2016, no political mistakes were made while there was an increasing number of visits to the newspaper website at 16-17 million per week, according to Deputy Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Van Thang.

In addition, the English, Chinese and French pages realised well their missions in disseminating information about the 12th National Party Congress, the election of deputies to the National Assembly and the Peoples Councils term 2016-2021, and the protection of sea and island sovereignty.

In particular, by running a page about President Ho Chi Minh, the newspaper continued to update documentary books about President Ho Chi Minh, and disseminate information about the implementation of the Politburos Decree 05-CT/TW on increasing the studying and following President Ho Chi Minhs ideology, ethics and style. Meanwhile the database on the Party archives was also updated.

According to Mr Thang, the newspapers Deputy Editor-in-Chief, in 2017, the newspaper will continue to disseminate the Party and State guidelines and policies, contributing to heightening Vietnams position on the international arena; disseminate the implementation of the 12th National Party Congress resolution; disseminate achievements in socio-economic development as well as the Politburos Decree 05-CT/TW; and promptly reject the hostile viewpoints by reactionary people and political opportunists.

Addressing the meeting, Lam Thi Phuong Thanh, a 12th PCC member and Deputy Head of the PCC Commission on Popularization and Education, praised the excellent achievements made by the newspaper in 2016.

Lam Thi Phuong Thanh addresses the meeting. (Photo: CPV)



Noting that 2017 is forecast to see complex development in the world situation as well as domestic difficulties, Ms Thanh suggested that CPV Online newspaper should go straight to issues that interest cadres, Party members and people, while ensuring accuracy and timeliness.

She stressed that the newspapers reporters should be more dynamic in covering news at the grassroots level to address its obstacles which may restrict development.

Urging the newspaper to further increase the quality of news and articles, she encouraged it to open training courses for reporters and editors so that their professional ability and political sensitivity could be raised.

Dao Ngoc Dung, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, pledged to further increase the quality of operations, continuing to fill the role of an important channel of official information of the Party and State, and striving to become one of the best newspapers of the country./.
A man who spent 16 years as an international fugitive after killing a guest at a New York wedding on Long Island has been sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.

Balkumar Singh was sentenced Monday in Nassau County Court. He pleaded guilty last month to murder in the 1999 fatal shooting of 19-year-old Abzal Khan.

Authorities say Singh shot Khan seven times following a dance floor dispute at a wedding hall; scores of guests witnessed Khan's death.

Singh, who had several aliases, traveled to Canada and Guyana before an international manhunt ended in Trinidad in March 2015 with his capture by law enforcement.

He was featured in a 2009 episode of "America's Most Wanted."
When police seize a gun that was owned illegally, should they destroy it or auction it off?

Some cities around the country would like to destroy them, but cant because more than a dozen states have passed laws forcing city governments to put the guns up for auction.

Gun rights advocates helped get the state laws passed, arguing that destroying old guns is wasteful. But officials in cities like Tucson, Ariz., and Savannah, Ga., are pushing back against those laws, saying they need to destroy the guns to prevent more violence.

Tucson has destroyed nearly 5,000 seized guns since 2013, despite a law that, the state government claims, bans doing so. After the state threatened legal action, the city voted this month to stop destroying guns while it challenges the law in court.

In Savannah, city council members have launched an effort to get permission from the state to destroy guns, rather than sell them.

I favor destroying those weapons. I dont want them sold to pawn shops or gun dealers. These guns seem to always wind up in the poor neighborhoods, City Councilman John Hall told FoxNews.com.

He admitted that it is likely to be a tough fight.

We are facing an uphill battle to get that changed because of the heavy gun lobby in the state, he said.

Gun advocates who helped get the bill passed argue that re-sold guns should be treated just like new guns.

The holy grail of gun prohibitionists, the background check, will be employed when a person purchases one of these firearms, Jerry Henry, executive director of GeorgiaCarry.org, told FoxNews.com.

There is absolutely no reason to destroy a perfectly good legal item just because the item was stolen and is now in the hands of law enforcement, Henry said.

Hall does not agree.

A lot of people say these guns wont end up in the hands of the wrong people. These guns do, he said. Asked if he had a specific example of that, he said he did not  but knew that it happened.

Asked if re-selling the guns might provide a cheap alternative for people looking to buy a gun for self-defense, Hall said, Most people who buy for legitimate purposes  they buy new weapons. Thats what I believe.

Alan Gottlieb, the founder of the pro-gun rights Second Amendment Foundation, noted that destroying guns would benefit gun manufacturers.

If theres a demand to buy firearms, and the city has destroyed these guns, it just helps the firearms industry selling new guns  If youre anti-gun it backfires in your face.

While neither Hall nor other proponents of destroying seized guns argue that the point is to prevent weapons manufacturers from turning a profit, Gottlieb sees the cities efforts as part of a campaign against guns in general, because they hate guns and dont want anybody to own one.

Gottlieb added that the group isnt looking to help the gun manufacturers. Were here to help the consumer. And if consumers can buy a firearm at a lower price, thats what were here to do.

For his part, Hall doesnt understand why anyone would oppose destroying guns and other anti-gun laws.

I had an older brother who was murdered in 1984 by a handgun, Hall said. Its downright disgusting to me how people argue against common sense legislation. Did you know that a 12-year-old can walk down the streets of this city with a long gun? Thats legal. We live here in a state where you can carry a gun in church or in a bar. We have gun nuts here who just arent for any common sense gun control.

Those gun nuts believe that restrictions on weapons nearly always backfire.

The only people they ever injure with their gun-control laws are law-abiding citizens. Criminals will always have their firearms, regardless of laws, Henry said.
A woman who was one of five people charged in a deadly Indianapolis house explosion has been sentenced to 50 year in prison.

Monserrate Shirley received the maximum term Tuesday during a sentencing hearing, which stretched over two days because of a large number of witnesses. Shirley tearfully apologized, saying "this is something that will be in my heart forever."

The 51-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit arson in the November 2012 natural gas explosion that destroyed her home, killed a couple who lived next door and damaged or destroyed 80 homes. More than a dozen of her former neighbors testified about their losses.

Shirley's defense attorney said she should have received a lesser sentence, arguing that she was coerced by her then-boyfriend.
The driver of a U.S. Postal Service box truck was killed Monday after his vehicle overturned on a California highway, authorities said.

The crash occurred at around 3:30 a.m. on the southbound side of Interstate 680. The 26-year-old driver, a Sacramento native, struck abandoned minivan on the right side of the highway, the California Highway Patrol said.

Police were able to rescue the man trapped inside the two-axel box truck, according to KTVU-TV. The man was transferred to a local hospital where he later died. Authorities dont believe drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash.

The vehicle was carrying hundreds of packages for the U.S. Postal Service, many of which spilled onto the highway and snarled commuters for hours. Lanes were able to reopen at around 9 a.m.

Click for more from KTVU-TV.
Sen. John McCain is blasting the Navy for spending $12.4 billion for 26 littoral combat ships -- calling it "an unfortunate and classic example of defense acquisition gone awry."

McCain, R-Ariz., a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the United States cannot afford to waste its money on unnecessary or poorly performing programs.

The littoral ships, designed to operate in shallow coastal waters, initially were budgeted at $220 million per ship, but the cost has ballooned to $478 million per ship.

The Navy also said the cost of each ship is below the congressionally mandated cap of $480 million since that limit was set in 2011, and the production cost per ship has been steadily declining.

Navy Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces, defended the program to lawmakers in the House of Representatives earlier this month.

"We're learning about the issues. We're learning about how to maintain it, and going forward, I am 100 percent confident that we'll tackle those issues and we'll defeat them," Rowden said.

Besides the ships, which McCain says have "no proven combat ability," he singles out the Pentagon for improperly spending $458 million on incomplete or inappropriate travel expense reimbursements; $58 million for alternative fuel sources for the Navy; and $1 million for reimbursements for unauthorized expenses at casinos and strip clubs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An ordained Pagan priest received permission last week to sport goat horns in his Maine drivers license photo.

Phelan Moonsong said that unless hes sleeping or bathing, he always wears his goat horns. The horns serve as his spiritual antennae and help him educate others about Paganism. According to the New York Post, he was told in August that the horns would have to be removed for his ID.

Moonsong questioned the state, explaining his religious beliefs to Bureau of Motor Vehicle staff members and adding that the horns didnt obstruct his face.

The Maine Secretary of State's office said the state was not familiar with his choice of headdress and had asked Moonsong for more information to review the issue. A spokeswoman said the state allowed the goat horns because Moonsong cited their religious purposes and also because they didn't obstruct his face.

Maine motor vehicle staff can hold license photos for review if they have a concern about religious headdress.

After appealing to the Secretary of states office, he contacted the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in late November, he was told his ID was rejected  which was news to him.

Moonsong then filled out an application for legal assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, which recently told him it was unable to take his case.

"What I was requesting should have been accepted according to what was written in statute and in guidelines," he said.

It should be no different than a nun wearing a habit, or a Sikh wearing a Turban, Moonsong said.

But, he said, he was happy to receive his new driver's license last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Authorities say a former U.S. postal worker is charged with delaying and destroying mail after investigators found about 4,500 pieces of mail in the woods outside Atlanta.

Prosecutors say 25-year-old Thomas O. Beaurem of McDonough was indicted by a federal grand jury on the charge. He has pleaded not guilty.

Investigators say they found the mail in a wooded area in Decatur, and some pieces of the mail that was dumped had cancellation dates as early as Oct. 5. The Postal Service was first informed of the undelivered mail Oct. 18.

Authorities said that some of the correspondence was too badly damaged to deliver, but other mail from the woods has since been delivered.

Federal court records do not list any attorney for Beaurem who could be reached for comment on his behalf.
Around 250 Gypsy families were evicted from the wooden shacks that for years have been their homes in Serbia's capital Thursday, despite protests by international human rights groups.

Belgrade authorities are moving the some 1,000 Gypsies, or Roma, to four segregated metal container settlements outside of the city.

The families were packed onto dozens of buses, and their belongings  beds, wood stows and clothing  loaded onto trucks. Many could be heard loudly protesting, some shed tears, while others appeared happy to leave the drab and dirt-filled settlement.

Amnesty International said "people are coming up to us, with tears in their eyes, asking us what they should do and where they should go."

A pregnant 17-year-old girl has been told she will be sent to the town of Nis in southern Serbia, where she has no home, and nowhere to stay, the rights group added in a statement.

Amnesty said the "forced eviction" represents a "blatant" breach of human rights law.

"The Serbian government is flagrantly violating international law by allowing Belgrade city authorities to carry out this eviction," said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Director. In a statement, the group called for the European Commission to "immediately call on the city authorities" to stop the action.

Belgrade authorities say the settlement, built from wooden shacks in a new part of Belgrade, is illegal and prevents construction projects. It has been expanding for several years, as gypsies who have been resettled in other parts of the capital have gradually returned.

The settlement is on a field in front of a luxury hotel, while a new 10-floor housing complex  called Belvil  is some 100 meters (yards) away. The developers have complained that they cannot sell the apartments in the project while the slum remains.

Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas, who has faced criticism over Roma evictions in the past, defended the policy, saying the Roma would be better off in the new settlement than in the slum.

He said the Roma situation all over Europe is problematic, but Belgrade is doing its best. "We are trying to move things forward," he said.

Amnesty said it is likely that the metal containers the Roma are being moved to do not meet international adequate housing standards.

Although they have been able to take their belongings, the rights group said the community has not been allowed to take the scrap materials from which they earn their living, and have been told that they cannot collect or store scrap at the new sites.

The European Union has promised 3.5 million ($4.6 million) for permanent housing solutions for the Gypsies, Amnesty International said.

There are an estimated 500,000 Gypsies  many of them who resettled during the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s  living in Serbia, or about 7 percent of the population. They often face harassment from Serbian extreme nationalist groups.
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Thony Belizaire, who won numerous awards while working as Agence France-Presse's photographer in his native Haiti for more than 25 years, died on Sunday. He was 54.

Belizaire, who joined AFP in May 1987, died at a hospital in Petion-Ville from complications related to respiratory difficulties.

Belizaire was AFP's eyes in Haiti for the past three decades, covering the political upheaval that has bedeviled his homeland and natural disasters such as the 2010 earthquake that left more than 250,000 people dead.

In the last months of his life, Belizaire had been working on a photo essay about the environment and the work that needs to be done to improve the lot of the Haitian people.

Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said the country had lost an "outstanding professional."

"Mr. Belizaire devoted more than 30 years of his life to covering the major social, political and cultural events in the life of the Haitian people," Lamothe said.

"He was a profound influence on Haitian photographers, particularly photo journalists."

David Millikin, AFP's regional director for North America, also paid tribute to Belizaire.

"Thony was a gentle but very courageous man -- not only for ignoring personal risk while covering the momentous events which marked Haiti's recent history, but also for pursuing his career with passion and diligence despite battling serious health issues in recent years," Millikin said.

Belizaire is survived by his wife, Marie-Florence, and three children Jeremie, 17, Jonathan, 13, and Jovanny, 5.
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The spokesman for a Tuareg separatist movement in Mali says relations with U.N. peacekeepers have been suspended after a deadly clash.

Mossa Ag Attaher on Friday accused U.N. peacekeepers of siding with the government and its allied militias and threatened to boycott the next round of peace talks set for Feb. 8 in Algiers.

A Dutch attack helicopter with the U.N. mission destroyed a separatist vehicle on Tuesday near the remote desert town of Tabancort killing seven, according to Attaher.

The U.N. said peacekeepers came under fire.

Northern Mali fell under control of Tuareg separatists and then al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremists in 2012. A French-led intervention last year scattered the extremists.

U.N. troops are now trying to stabilize the north, and peace talks have begun between the Malian government and Tuaregs.
Photo: VNA

On December 19, Minister To Lam and the Vietnamese delegation paid homage to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and sent condolences to the Queen, the Royal Family, the Government and the National Legislative Council and the Thai people over their tremendous pain.

During a meeting, the Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha showed his pleasure over the development of the Thailand  Vietnam strategic partnership, confirming that Minister To Lams visit would help deepen the relationship between the two countries, between Thai related agencies and the Vietnamese Public Security Ministry, and wishing the Vietnamese people to continue to gain more achievements and more prosperity.

Minister To Lam thanked Prime Minister Prayut for making favourable conditions for the Royal Thai Police to promote effective cooperation with the Vietnamese Public Security Ministry, stressing that the Vietnamese delegations visit to Thailand during the countrys national mourning for King King Bhumibol Adulyadej showed its respect for the King, expressing his belief that the reign of the new King would continue to make the country prosper.

Minister To Lam confirmed that Vietnam considered Thailand an important partner in ASEAN, praising the role and prestige of Thailand in the establishment and development of the ASEAN Community. During his dialogue, the two sides carried out deep and wide discussion over cooperation between the forces of the Vietnamese Public Security and the Royal Thai Police, especially in exchanging international and regional situations of common concern, the prevention of trans-national crime, drug crime and environmental crime, said Minister Lam.

Minister Lam suggested Prime Minister Prayut direct relevant agencies in looking towards the signing of an agreement on extradition as legal basis for law enforcement forces of the two countries; and strengthening cooperation in the development, management and sustainable and effective use of Mekong River water resources for the mutual benefit.

The Minister expressed his hope that Prime Minister Prayut would continue to facilitate cooperation between the Vietnamese Public Security and Thai agencies in different areas, contributing to ensuring security and order in each country.

On the same day, Minister Lam visited the Vietnamese Embassy and the overseas Vietnamese community in Thailand, and attended a ceremony to announce new air connections between Vietnam and Thailand by Vietjet Air./.
Authorities in northern Dominican Republic are conducting an extensive search for a Florida man who has been missing for about a week.

Darryl Fornatora, 46, was last seen during a surfing trip to the beach town of Cabarete, about four hours north of Santo Domingo, the country's capital.

A spokesperson from the Cabarete Police Department told Fox News Latino that Fornatora was seen on the beach last Wednesday afternoon, though two possible sightings were reported a few days after that.

He was here surfing with a friend, and it looks like he went out by himself on Wednesday, Sgt. Rosario said, adding that an accidental drowning is not likely. The last time he was seen he was out of the water, he said.

Cabarete Bay has been the location of professional kitesurfing competitions and nearby Playa Encuentro is among the most popular surfing beaches in the Caribbean.

We are doing an extensive search of the area, the beach and the surrounding hilly areas for any clues. At the moment we have not found anything, he told FNL on the phone.

Crime Stoppers Dominican Republic is also helping in the investigation. Leon Alter, who works with the organization, said the West Palm Beach resident was last seen walking in a paranoid state, though would not speculate what got him there.

He said they are following a lead of a possible sighting from Monday.

We are pulling all the stops, he said of the investigation, which includes support from local police, K-9 units and the Coast Guard. This is a really strange case, Alter said.

He added he had a similar case a year ago and they found the man in the jungle six days later.

Fornatoras brother and sister-in-law have arrived on the island to help with the search. Alter said the family was understandably distraught.

Fornatoras father, Gilbert Fornatora, told the Palm Beach Post that he last spoke with his son a day before his disappearance.

"He said that everything was fine, that he had spent plenty of time in the water that day and he was exhausted," he said. "He said to my wife, 'I love you,' and that was it."

A $100,000 RD ($2,185 US) reward has been offered.
Venezuelas grim situation is impacting not only millions of households around the country  it is also sending panic waves across the Caribbean all the way to Cuba, a solid ally that for decades now has relied heavily on Chavismos generosity.

Cuba, a communist country with a weak economy, has alienated itself from the rest of the world and has largely relied on Venezuela to stay financially afloat. But Venezuelas falling oil prices is causing Cuba to distance itself from the South American country.

So far this year Venezuelan oil shipments to the island have declined by 19.5 percent, forcing an energy rationing that is reminding people of the early 90s, when the Soviet Union dissolved and Cuba lost its top provider almost overnight.

Now with Venezuelas wealth slowly fading away, the geopolitical chessboard may change in a way that some say will inevitably drive Havana closer to the U.S.

Venezuelas inability to help Cuba creates a void that will very likely be filled by the U.S., said foreign policy expert Giovanna De Michelle to Fox News Latino.

Cubas opening to foreign investment has been slow, but now they dont have another option if you consider Venezuelas grim situation, said Felix Arellano, also an internationalist.

Venezuela and Cuba started strengthening ties soon after Hugo Chavez, a socialist and open admirer of Fidel Castro, came to power in 1999. The alliance, fueled by a close personal friendship, helped the Castro brothers keep the island afloat amid the Soviet Union domino collapse.

Currently  and for more than a decade now  Venezuela supplies more than 50 percent of the islands intake of oil at very preferential terms. In exchange, in 2003 Cuba started providing human resources to Venezuela, mostly teachers and medical doctors to support Chavezs various social programs, like Barrio Adentro and Mision Robinson, which focused on reducing analphabetism.

According to the most recent information available, in 2013 Venezuela provided Cuba with 99,000 barrels of crude oil a day. To date, Cuba has sent approximately 200,000 workers to Venezuela.

This oil-for-workers deal greatly benefited both Castros and Chavezs agendas: while Cuba kept running on cheap oil, Venezuela found a way to secure and preserve the social programs that are the backbone of Chavismo.

After Chavez died in 2013, his handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro has kept the close relationship with Fidel and Raul Castro  according to an FNL count, Maduro has visited Cuba 15 times since becoming president three years ago.

The new economic scenario doesnt mean that political relations between Cuba and Venezuela will turn sour, according to foreign analyst Edgar Otalvora. Ideologically, they will remain close, he said, pointing at Raul Castros cautious speech before Venezuela's National Assembly on July 8th.

However, Castro did turn heads during his speech when he acknowledged the repercussions that Venezuelas deepening crisis is having on Cuba.

He said Cubas economy grew just 1 percent in the first part of the year, half of what the government had planned for, due in part to a certain contraction in the fuel supplies agreed upon with Venezuela, despite the firm will of President Maduro and his government to fulfill them."

"Logically that has caused additional tensions in the functioning of the Cuban economy," Castro told the Assembly.

Analysts say the severity of the financial and political crisis in Venezuela may force Cuba to change course sooner rather than later.

Havana needs to also start drawing investments from Europe, Brazil, Canada and China, Arellano told FNL. The down part for the Castro brothers is that this might require political changes in the near future.

As for the U.S., it is very likely Washington will keep pushing to increase its influence in Cuba regardless of Novembers election outcome.

American investors are betting big on Cuba, which will probably result in the ease of the U.S. embargo [over the island] in the near future, De Michelle said.

This will improve the wellbeing of the Cuban people and will make Venezuelas aid less necessary, the expert added.

Another scenario is that Venezuelas opposition keeps gaining ground and, if and when in power, it brings to a halt the financial aid it has publicly condemned  many say the current arrangement benefits Cuba way more than Venezuela.

The loss of the Cuban doctors wouldnt be such a big problem for Venezuela, given the fact that some of them just work as spies and they can be replaced with our own doctors, Arellano said.

On top of this, it is no that secret many of these social workers have used their appointment to Venezuela as an opportunity to flee the islands regime.

According to Colombian authorities, in 2015 as many as 720 Cuban medical doctors entered to their territory from Venezuela. Hundreds of them then requested U.S. visas.
A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin Monday night, killing at least 12 people and injured 48 others in what witnesses described as a deliberate attack.



German authorities said they are still investigating whether the crash was an accident, but a statement from the White House National Security Council (NSC) said the incident "appears to have been a terrorist attack."

The large Scania truck with a Polish license plate crashed into the market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The truck came to a halt on a sidewalk on one side of the market, shortly after ramming a large stand called "Fascination Christmas," ripping off one side and knocking down a large Christmas tree. The three-meter tree lay in the street, red and gold ornamental balls still attached to its limbs and a golden star at the top.



Police said a suspect believed to be the driver was arrested about 1 1/2 miles away, near Berlin's Victory Column monument. A passenger in the truck died at the scene as paramedics were attending to him.

Authorities initially estimated that 50 people were injured. Police later revised the total to 48, while Berlin's fire brigade said others were "more mentally injured."

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.



"They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24. Zurawski added that the truck had been loaded with steel structures weighing 25 tons.

Die Welt newspaper reported that the arrested suspect is a Pakistani known to police for minor criminal offenses, but not terrorism. The newspaper also reported that the dead passenger was a Polish national.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the incident had a chilling echo of the July 14 truck attack in Nice, France that killed 86 people.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the Nice attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France. ISIS and Al Qaeda have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack public places.

Mike Fox, a tourist from Birmingham, England, told The Associated Press at the scene in Berlin that the large truck missed him by about three yards as it drove into the market, tearing through tables and wooden stands.

"It was definitely deliberate," Fox said. Fox said he helped people who appeared to have broken limbs, and that others were trapped under Christmas stands.



Dozens of ambulances lined the streets waiting to evacuate people, and heavily armed police patrolled the area. Police on Twitter urged people to stay away from the area, saying they needed to keep the streets clear for the rescue vehicles.

Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. But Berlin's top security official, state interior minister Andreas Geisel, told RBB television that it was too early to say whether it was an attack, and called reports that the truck may have been hijacked "pure speculation."

Even so, some politicians were pointing fingers. Marcus Pretzell, a prominent member of the anti-migration Alternative for Germany party, lashed out at the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying on Twitter: "When will the German state of law strike back? When will this cursed hypocrisy finally stop? These are Merkel's dead! (hash)Nice (hash)Berlin."

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement calling the attack "horrifying."

"Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday," Trump said. "ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners."

Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by ISIS group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, helped stoke tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Monday's incident comes less than a month after the State Department warned U.S. citizens to be cautious in markets and other public places, saying extremist groups were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events."

In a statement, State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned the "horrendous events" at the Christmas market.

NSC spokesman Ned Price said the United States has already been in contact with German officials and stands ready to assist in the investigation and response.

Law enforcement sources tell Fox News that the FBI's Legal Attache (LEGAT) office in Berlin had been in touch with German officials to offer intelligence support to investigators. The sources said late Monday that no Americans had been identified among the victims.

Zurich police search for gunman after shooting at mosque; at least 3 injured

Last week, German prosecutors said a 12-year-old boy attempted to set off a nail bomb at a Christmas market in the southern city of Ludwigshafen.

The German-born son of Iraqi parents is alleged to have tried to set off the device at the Christmas market on Nov. 26, and again outside city hall on Dec. 5, Focus magazine reported, citing security sources.

In the second failed attempt, a passer-by spotted the backpack containing the device and reported it to authorities. Inside they found a glass jar packed with firecrackers with nails taped to it, Focus reported.

Police said it would have burned but would not have exploded.

Fox News' Matt Dean and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Canada called Monday for the unconditional release of a Canadian man and his American wife after a new video appeared to show them begging their governments to intervene on their behalf with their Afghan captors.

The video, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday and has not been independently verified by The Associated Press, shows Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman, who were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012.

Coleman refers to "the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves" and urges "governments on both sides" to reach a deal for their freedom. She then adds: "My children have seen their mother defiled."

Two young children appear in the video with them, and Coleman has told her family that she gave birth to two children in captivity.

Canadian Global Affairs spokesman Michael O'Shaughnessy said his government was aware of the latest video.

"We are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman and their young children and call for their unconditional release," O'Shaughnessy added.

The State Department said it was reviewing the footage.

The video came to public attention through the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity online. SITE said it was dated Dec. 3, though the AP could not verify the date of the recording.

The two vanished after setting off in the summer of 2012 for a journey that took them to Russia, the central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and then to Afghanistan. Her parents, Jim and Lyn Coleman, last heard from their son-in-law on Oct. 8, 2012, from an internet cafe in what Josh described as an "unsafe" part of Afghanistan.

In 2013, the couple appeared in two videos asking the U.S. government to free them from the Taliban. The Colemans received a letter last November in which their daughter said she had given birth to a second child in captivity.

In July, Jim Coleman, speaking to the online news service Circa News, issued a plea to top Taliban commanders to be "kind and merciful" and let the couple go.

A video released in August showed Coleman and Boyle warning that their captors would kill them and their children unless the government in Kabul ends its execution of Taliban prisoners.
The man believed to have driven a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin Monday evening had come to Germany as a refugee from Pakistan this past February, multiple German media outlets reported.

The attack killed at least 12 people and left 48 others injured. Officials in Germany and the United States have described the crash as an apparent terror attack, though no group has claimed responsibility.

If confirmed, the revelations are likely to heap more pressure onto German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose decision to accept waves of migrants from Africa and the Middle East has stoked controversy and unsettled Germany and Europe.

Der Tagesspiegel reported that the suspect, whom the paper said was Afghan or Pakistani, was known to police for multiple minor offenses, but had not made the radar of anti-terror authorities. The dpa press agency reported that the suspect used multiple names, making it difficult for authorities to confirm his actual identity.

The suspect was arrested about 1 1/2 miles away from the scene of the carnage at the popopular Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. A Polish passenger in the truck died at the scene as paramedics attended to him.

Several questions remained unanswered early Tuesday, including exactly how the suspect came to be behind the wheel of the large Scania truck with a Polish license plate that was carrying several tons of steel.

The truck was registered in Poland, and police said it was believed to be stolen from a building site there. They didn't give a specific location.



The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Die Welt newspaper reported that the truck was driven into the market crowd without its headlights on, another indication that the crash was deliberately planned.

Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel told the paper that after the truck came to a stop, the suspect fled in the direction of Berlin's famous Tiergarten park. A witness followed the suspect and pointed him out to police, who arrested him near the Victory Column monument.

In total, Wenzel said the witness who alerted police followed the suspect for almost a mile and a quarter through the streets of the German capital.

"He probably wanted to find shelter in the darkness of the park," Wenzel told Die Welt.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Albanian prosecutors have asked election authorities to cancel the mandates of two lawmakers and a mayor because of their criminal records.

It would be the first such action taken under a law passed last year that bars people with criminal records from holding public office or most civil service jobs.

A statement by prosecutors Tuesday says Dashamir Tahiri of the main opposition Democratic Party, Shkelqim Selami of the Socialist Movement for Integration and Kavaja Mayor Elvis Roshi should leave their posts.

The statement cites their criminal convictions in Italy, including for money laundering and human and drug trafficking. All three officials have denied that they have criminal records.
Four policemen were killed Tuesday in an exchange of fire with wanted men in a central Jordanian province where assailants had killed 10 people in a series of ambushes earlier this week, state media said.

Several wanted men were killed and others arrested after the firefight in the province of Karak, the official news agency Petra reported. The report did not say how many of the alleged fugitives had been killed.

State media said police officers came under fire during a raid of a suspected hideout of fugitives. Petra said the cell targeted Tuesday was not connected to those involved in Sunday's attacks in Karak.

Earlier Tuesday, the extremist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for Sunday's shootings which killed nine Jordanians and a tourist from Canada.

Sunday's shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamic militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the U.S.-led military campaign against IS, which seized large areas in neighboring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a "caliphate" there.

The back-to-back violent clashes between security forces and armed men this week undermine the kingdom's claim to be an oasis of stability in a region increasingly threatened by Islamic extremists.

Sunday's shootings took place in the town of Qatraneh in Karak province and in the provincial capital of Karak city.

Hours after an initial attack on a police patrol in Qatraneh, four gunmen were killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and popular tourist destination.

The IS claim of responsibility was published Tuesday on "Shumoukh al-Islam," a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that "four soldiers of the caliphate" armed with machine guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 "apostates." It said the four IS fighters were engaged in "fierce clashes lasting several hours" with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-IS coalition member states. "We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...," it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism; hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other IS militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

Earlier this year, IS claimed responsibility for a deadly cross-border attack from Syria on a Jordanian border post.
An Afghan official says a foreign national was abducted by gunmen in northern Kunduz province in an attack on a Red Cross convoy.

Mahmood Danish, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Tuesday that armed men stopped a convoy of vehicles from the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday and snatched the only foreigner while leaving the Afghans behind.

The abduction took place in Ali Abad district, where the Taliban are active, like elsewhere in Kunduz. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Danish didn't specify the nationality of the foreigner.

ICRC's spokesman in Kabul, Ahmad Ramin Ayaz, confirmed the abduction without providing further details.

Ayaz says the ICRC staffers were traveling on two vehicles form northern Balkh province toward Kunduz when the attack happened.
The assassination of a Russian diplomat Monday in Ankara was chillingly captured on camera, but Turkish officials say the real motive of the killer, who shouted "Allahu Akbar" and claimed to be avenging attacks on Aleppo, remains unclear.

Authorities say it's unlikely the assailant acted alone, however, it's unclear who may be behind the attack. Speculation has ranged from a shadowy, exiled opposition leader to Islamic extremists.

Even the CIA has been floated as possibility.

Authorities quickly named Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, as the apparent Islamist gunman who murdered Russias ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, during an art show. Altintas yelled Allahu akbar and specifically mentioned the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo after shooting Karlov in the back, but no terror group has yet taken credit for the attack.

A senior Turkish government official described the killing as "fully professional, not a one-man action" and said the attack was well-planned, though he did not say who may have coordinated with Altintas.

That vacuum of information has left room for pro-government forces to speculate Altintas was linked to Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania. Gulen, through an adviser, denied those allegations and told Reuters he categorically condemned the heinous act.

Turkeys pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak ran a story claiming Karlovs killing was a plot by a U.S. intelligence agency that was carried out by Gulens movement.

Great Sabotage, Yeni Safak said in its headline.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Karlovs killing a terrorist attack and said Russian investigators had been sent to Turkey to assist in the investigation.

PUTIN VOWS REVENGE FOR AMBASSADOR'S MURDER

We have to know who organized the killing, who gave orders to the assassin," Putin said.

So far, any evidence linking Altintas and Gulen appears circumstantial.

Turkeys government believes Gulen has created a parallel network of dedicated followers in the countrys military and police forces, something which Gulen denies, but that appeared to be exposed during a failed coup on July 15. The brief uprising has led to mass purges of military and civil agencies throughout the country and the imprisonment of tens of thousands of suspected members of the Gulenist Terrorist Organization, or FETO.

Altintas was a member of the riot police for 2  years and, officials told Reuters, took a holiday from July 15-17. The government could assert this showed Altintas knew about the coup attempt beforehand.

The people he lived with before school were detained over FETO. It was determined that the people with whom he graduated from school were from a FETO team, a senior security official told Reuters about the attacker.

Information was obtained to the effect that people who helped him get into school were from FETO. There are very strong signs that the person who carried out this attack was from FETO. The investigation is currently focused totally on this.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The photographer who took the haunting picture of the Turkish assassin standing next to the sprawled out body of a Russian ambassador recalled the chaotic shooting and how he was not even assigned to attend the gallery opening in Turkeys capital.

I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the Ankara office, Burhan Ozbilici, the photographer for The Associated Press, wrote in a first-person essay Tuesday.

But the photograph Ozbilici took Monday of Mevlut Mert Altintas and the dead ambassador landed on the front pages of major newspapers across the world, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and New York Post.

The picture was as brutal as it was simple: Altintas, 22, a Turkish policeman, is seen in a dark suit holding a gun and yelling. The body of Andrei Karlov, his target and the Russian ambassador to Turkey, is seen on the floor. Everything is white and sterile: the walls, the floor. There is no trace of blood.

Dont forget Aleppo, Dont forget Aleppo. Those who have a part in this atrocity will all pay for it, one by one, he yelled, it was later reported.

Video from before the shooting shows Altintas lurking behind Karlov in front of the new exhibit called From Kainingrad to Kamchatka, from the eyes of travelers." Altintas appeared calm and -- while Karlov spoke -- stepped off to the right. Altintas was still in the frame when he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small gun.

He opened fire. Karlov was hit several times and fell. The horrified audience ran for their lives; some found refuge behind nearby columns and others lunged behind tables. Ozbilici, however, managed to take pictures of the killer and disregarded the old adage: If you can shoot him, he can shoot you.

This is what I was thinking: Im here. Even if I get hit and injured, or killed, Im a journalist. I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos  But I wouldnt have a proper answer if people later ask me: Why didnt you take pictures?

While newsrooms across the country have cut back budgets on photo desks, photojournalists have played pivotal roles in conflicts ranging from Iraq to Syria.

Matthew McDermott, a photojournalist for more than 20 years who covered the Sept. 11 attacks and the 2005 earthquake in Haiti, said photojournalists often have one thing in common: they are adrenaline junkies.

Youre in this moment, McDermott said, and you know theres a chance for bodily harm, but thats all secondary. Youre there to take the shot.

McDermott said photojournalists are also often pressured by their editors to come up with the picture.

If youre bosses know you were there, you better not let someone beat you, he said.

Rick Shaw, the director of Picture of the Year International, told FoxNews.com that Ozbilici's photograph was outstanding.

Photojournalism is a balance between photography as an art form and journalism, which is content-related, he said. Any photograph that reaches the highest level for both is an exceptional picture.

Shaw went on to say that individual news organizations often will identify at what point a photographer stops covering an event, but said during breaking news, the decision is ultimately up to the photographer.

Conflict photojournalists are in this situation two to three times a day, he said. But its not until something like this happens that we are awakened to these photographers responsibility and danger.
The festival draws the participation of more than 30 publishing units.

(Photo for illustration/ Source: vietnamnet.vn)

Visitors to the fair will take part in many interesting activities such as paintings, taking photos and receiving presents with Santa Claus, enjoying cultural exchanges with the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam, and book introduction.

The event will contribute to meeting the demand for reading and studying books of readers at all ages, and create a useful cultural space for young people to share the passion for reading and to having exchanges with famous writers./.
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Belgian authorities say they have detained one person and seized weapons and computer materials in a raid in Brussels.

The Brussels prosecutor's office said Tuesday that the search "was aimed at a person suspected of being in possession of arms and explosives and who was thought to have made threats of a terrorist nature."

The raid was launched Monday in the Schaerbeek neighborhood of the Belgian capital. An explosives team was called into to handle a suspect package, but no explosives were found.

The person, identified only as A.B. and who is known to police, is due to face a judge Tuesday.

Belgian police and the military have been on high alert since suicide bombers killed 32 people at Brussels airport and on the city's subway in March.
In an effort to prevent a repeat of last years string of robberies and sexual assaults that end-of-the-year celebrations in Cologne, city and law enforcement officials are planning to increase police presence and are even emptying more jail cells.

The crimes, blamed largely on foreign men, heightened tensions in Germany over the influx of migrants in 2015. Police were criticized for their handling of the situation, and the city's then-police chief was removed.

Current police chief Juergen Mathies said more than 1,500 officers will be on duty in Cologne this New Year's Eve, compared with around 140 last time. Video surveillance is being stepped up.

On top of that, Mayor Henriette Reker said that the city's office for public order and private firms will provide some 600 security officers.

The Daily Mail reported that police have also prepared 66 empty prison cells that will be used to lock up any sex attackers or thieves. They can accommodate up to 100 people at a time.

In addition to the five prisoner-transporter vehicles already in Cologne, more vehicles from other cities have been ordered for use on New Years Eve, a police spokesperson said. They will be distributed at different locations in the city as required, and can bring up to seven people into police custody at the same time.

Most of last year's crimes occurred around the cathedral and nearby train station. The area around the cathedral is being fenced off as a secure zone, inside which fireworks  ubiquitous in Germany on New Year's Eve  will be banned, and a nearby bridge across the Rhine river closed to pedestrians. Authorities plan a light show at the cathedral.

Prosecutors say they received 1,222 criminal complaints following last year's events, 513 of them alleging sexual assaults or harassment. They opened proceedings against 333 people, 87 of whom were suspected of sexual offenses.

It has proven difficult to secure sufficient evidence against many of the suspects. Thirty-five people have been indicted, mostly for theft or similar offenses, of whom 24 were convicted so far and one acquitted. Other cases are pending.

Five of the indictments involved sexual offenses. Two suspects were convicted of sexual assault or being an accessory to it, and a third of making lewd comments.

In Austria, officials say police will be distributing shrill pocket alarms to women visiting a popular Vienna New Year's Eve venue as a precaution against the type of harassment experienced last year in Germany.

Interior Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said Tuesday that police will be handing out the devices at entry points to Vienna's "Sylvesterpfad"  a route snaking through the inner city that is lined with musical performances and other events and visited by hundreds of thousands of people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Police detained a gunman who fired multiple shots near the entrance to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey early Tuesday hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack across the street.

The state-run Anadolu news agency reported the man took out a pump-action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air before the embassys security guards intervened and overpowered him. The news agency reported that the man was only identified as Shain S.

The State Department said in a statement that no one was injured in the incident and praised the prompt response of Turkish authorities.

The embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be "closed for normal operations on Tuesday."

The U.S. Embassy is located just across the street from the art exhibition center where the Russian ambassador was killed. It was not immediately known if the two incidents were connected.

The leaders of Turkey and Russia have described the attack as an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

It came as the foreign and defense ministers from Turkey, Iran and Russia prepared to hold a key meeting on Syria on Tuesday in Moscow.

The security scare occurred hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer as Karlov delivered a speech at the opening of an art exhibition in the capital.

The assassin stood over Karlov's body and condemned Russia's military role in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria before he was killed by police.

It was not immediately clear whether Karlov's assassination and the incident at the U.S. Embassy were connected.

Two Russian news agencies, quoting unnamed sources, reported that a group of Russian investigators and experts has left for Ankara to take part in the probe, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had accepted during a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russian experts take part in the investigation.

Turkish police meanwhile detained two more people connected to Altintas on Tuesday, raising the number of people in custody for questioning to six, Anadolu reported. They include the man's parents, sister, two other relatives and his roommate in Ankara.

Turkey's pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak claimed Karlov's killing was a plot by the U.S. intelligence agency that was carried out by a movement led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey says is behind a failed coup in July aimed at toppling Erdogan. Gulen denies the accusation.

"Great Sabotage," Yeni Safak said in its headline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iran's atomic agency says it will begin exporting less heavy water because of an oversupply in the international market.

State TV quotes agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi as saying on Tuesday that Iran will export some 20 tons of the material annually from now on.

That's much less that the 70 tons of heavy water that the country exported to the United States, Russia and Oman since last year's nuclear agreement went into effect in January.

A recent report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog said that Iran had exceeded its heavy water limit by 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds) over the 130 metric tons allowed. Heavy water is used to cool reactors that produce large amounts of plutonium.
More than a month before Monday's deadly terror attack at a Berlin Christmas market, social media sites tied to ISIS were flooded with links to an article in the groups magazine touting the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle.

In Facebook and Twitter posts dated Nov. 11 and 12, ISIS promoted the latest edition of their propaganda magazine, Rumiyah, alongside screenshots of an article entitled Just Terror Tactics and hashtags like Jihad, KhalifaDE and Rumiyah4.

Though being an essential part of modern life, very few actually comprehend the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle and its capacity of reaping large numbers of casualties if used in a premeditated manner, the article in Rumiyah stated, before going on to praise Bastille Day terror attack where a Tunisian-born terrorist drove a cargo truck into a crowd of people in Nice.

The article continued: The method of such an attack is that a vehicle is plunged at a high speed into a large congregation of kuffar (an Arabic term for unbeliever), smashing their bodies with the vehicles strong outer frame, while advancing forward  crushing their heads, torsos, and limbs under the vehicles wheels and chassis  and leaving behind a trail of carnage.

Terrorism experts and social media monitors say these postings are a sign of ISIS expanding use of social media to recruit and radicalize followers and of the difficulties faced by both governments and private companies to properly combat accounts maintained by terror groups.

Its a marketing tool and a trending tool, Eric Feinberg of the cyber security and intelligence firm GIPEC told FoxNews.com. ISIS is a brand and they are selling their brand on social media to people who sympathize with them.

Terror groups have used the Internet to spread their message almost since the inception of the World Wide Web, but ISIS emerged as a major presence on social media shortly after the group begin seizing major swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq back in 2014.

As a recruiting tool for foreign fighters and an outlet for the groups messages, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter proved much more appealing and effective to ISIS than traditional websites.

They didnt have to build a platform. Its all there for you, it has no cost to maintain and it has a global reach, David Fidler, an adjunct senior fellow for cybersecurity at the Council of Foreign Relations, told FoxNews.com. There is also a little bit of giving a sting in the tale by using this platform that was invented in the West against the West.

Efforts by the U.S. government to combat ISIS social media presence have focused on a combination of military force and online counterinsurgency work. The counterinsurgency work  which includes tactics like working with social media companies to delete ISIS accounts and pushing out counter messages on these platforms  has been deemed less effective than military strikes, at least in terms of concrete gains against the terror group.

U.S. and British forces last year carried out a series of drone strikes that killed roughly a dozen members of an ISIS cell called the Legion, a group of computer specialists who became the megaphone for the terror group online. The FBI has arrested nearly 1,000 people in connection with the group over the last two years.

The military has really had an impact on the effectiveness of ISIS social media accounts, Fidler said. Theyre going after the underlying source rather than a symptom of the problem.

Companies like Twitter and Facebook, experts say, are caught between a rock and hard place when it comes to the issue as they have voiced willingness to aid in the fight but have been less than transparent when it comes to sharing proprietary information like their algorithms.

The lack of transparency and the delay in taking down posts from terror groups has led to widespread criticism both in the U.S. and abroad.

These posts were there from Nov. 11 and 12, Feinberg said of the Rumiyah article. What we need here is to have these things blocked.Why arent the same rules that apply to traditional media applied here.

A Facebook spokesperson said the company polices accounts aggressively.

Facebook has zero tolerance for terrorists, terror propaganda, or the praising of terror activity, and we work aggressively to remove such content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it, the spokesperson said.

Twitter responded by forwarding a number of blog posts in which the company says it suspended 235,000 accounts between February and August of this year for violating our policies related to promotion of terrorism.

[T]here is no one magic algorithm for identifying terrorist content on the Internet, one of Twitters blog posts stated. But we continue to utilize other forms of technology, like proprietary spam-fighting tools, to supplement reports from our users and help identify repeat account abuse.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel summoned Germany's top security officials Tuesday to discuss the government's response to the deadly truck attack in Berlin that claimed at least 12 lives.

Nearly 50 people were injured when a truck plowed into a popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday.

"There is still a lot that we don't know about this act with sufficient certainty," Merkel told reporters in Berlin, in her first personal statement following the incident. "But we must, as things stand, assume it was a terrorist attack."

Police, too, said that the truck appeared to have been driven intentionally. So far, no group has claimed responsibility.

Authorities arrested a man about 2 kilometers (1 miles) from the crash site on suspicion of having been at the wheel of the truck.

Numerous German media reported that the suspect was a Pakistani citizen. Footage showed the suspect, his head covered in a white sheet, being pushed into a police car shortly after the attack.

Berlin's public radio station RBB-Inforadio cited security sources saying the man entered Germany on Dec. 31, 2015. News agency dpa, also citing unnamed security sources, said he came to Germany as a refugee in February 2016. Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the man was known to police for minor crimes.

Police declined to comment on the reports, referring questions to federal prosecutors who said they would hold a news conference Tuesday afternoon. But Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in large numbers of migrants, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a large-scale search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

Among the dead was a man in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but didn't give further details of who he was or what happened to him.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Germany has not so far experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday's attack, blaming German Chancellor Angela Merkel for what had happened.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

Manfred Weber, a member of Merkel's conservative bloc and leader of the European Parliament's biggest political grouping, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists didn't enter the country.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

Merkel said Monday's attack would not cause Germany to live in fear.

"Even if it's difficult at this hour we will find the strength to live life the way we want to live it in Germany. Free, together and openly," she said

___

Associated Press writers David Rising and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
A North American couple captured by the Taliban-tied Haqqani Network in Afghanistan was purportedly seen on video pleading for their governments to intervene on their behalf with their captors.

The video, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday, purportedly shows Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman, who were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012.

Coleman refers to "the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves" and urges "governments on both sides" to reach a deal for their freedom. She then adds: "My children have seen their mother defiled."

Two young children appear in the video with them, and Coleman has told her family that she gave birth to two children in captivity.

Canadian Global Affairs spokesman Michael OShaughnessy said his government was aware of the latest video.

FLASHBACK: NORTH AMERICAN COUPLE HELD BY AFGHAN TERRORISTS ISSUES PLEA IN NEW VIDEO

"We are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman and their young children and call for their unconditional release," O'Shaughnessy added.

The State Department said it was reviewing the footage.

The video came to public attention through the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity online. SITE said it was date Dec. 3.

The Haqqani network has orchestrated a vast array of brutal attacks in Afghanistan in recent years, against both locals and the U.S. military, but unlike their Taliban associates, they are deemed to be more motivated by money than faith. That could help the U.S. get around its official policy of not dealing with terrorists.

The two vanished after setting off in the summer of 2012 for a journey that took them to Russia, the central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and then to Afghanistan. Her parents, Jim and Lyn Coleman, last heard from their son-in-law on Oct. 8, 2012, from an internet cafe in what Josh described as an "unsafe" part of Afghanistan.

FLASHBACK: US EVALUATING TALIBAN VIDEO OF CAPTIVE COUPLE IN AFGHANISTAN

In 2013, the couple appeared in two videos asking the U.S. government to free them from the Taliban. The Colemans received a letter last November in which their daughter said she had given birth to a second child in captivity.

In July, Jim Coleman, speaking to the online news service Circa News, issued a plea to top Taliban commanders to be "kind and merciful" and let the couple go.

A video released in August showed Coleman and Boyle warning that their captors would kill them and their children unless the government in Kabul ends its execution of Taliban prisoners.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Russia, Iran, and Turkey are ready to act as guarantors to a future settlement between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday, as hundreds more residents left the opposition's last foothold in eastern Aleppo.

The announcement from Moscow underscored Turkey's position as a key broker in the Syria conflict, after it mediated last week's agreement with Russia to have the opposition surrender its presence in Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

The United States was notably absent from the meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

Moscow is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Ankara sponsors the rebels seeking to topple him.

The talks in the Russian capital were a sign that the two countries wanted to keep their ties on track after the dramatic assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey the previous night by an Ankara policeman. After killing his victim, the shooter cried out, "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"  a reference to Moscow's role in backing Syria's assault on the city politically and militarily with airstrikes.

In Aleppo, a fleet of buses entered east Aleppo again Tuesday afternoon to evacuate the remaining rebels and civilians from the city, activists said.

Opposition media activist Ahmad Primo said the fleet could well be the last one to leave the city. He spoke to The Associated Press from the Rashideen crossing between government and rebel-held territory in the Aleppo countryside. Primo estimated 2,000 people remain awaiting evacuation.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 60 buses were sent to pick up 3,000 gunmen and civilians remaining.

Residents from eastern Aleppo and the Syrian opposition say the evacuation amounts to forced displacement. Months of devastating Syrian and Russian air raids that destroyed buildings, hospitals and schools in the enclave  and reduced much of eastern Aleppo to rubble  left the residents with little choice but to flee.

The precise number of people seeking evacuation  and who have already left  has never been clear.

Observatory head Rami Aburrahman said 17,000 civilians and 5,000 fighters have left; the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has overseen the evacuations, said 25,000 have left; and the Turkish Foreign Ministry's figure is 37,000.

Lavrov said in Moscow that the evacuations could continue for another one or two days.

Abdurrahman said the fate of 70 pro-government fighters taken prisoner by rebels over the course of four years of fighting over the rebel enclave remains unknown. He says they were supposed to be handed over to the government as part of an agreement to allow the opposition to evacuate the city

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad forces, warned the remaining residents in the rebel enclave on Tuesday to leave "as quickly as possible" in statements broadcast by a Hezbollah media arm.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the killing of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in the shooting Monday night in Ankara plays into the hands of those who want to derail peace talks for Syria and "drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey."

The development followed a U.N. Security Council resolution that was agreed on Monday night to send observers to monitor the exodus.

Syrian state media meanwhile said several more buses had arrived to the government-controlled Aleppo countryside after evacuating the sick and wounded from the rebel-besieged Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya.

The swap evacuations are part of the Aleppo cease-fire deal; Syrian rebels besieging the two villages agreed to allow over 2,000 people to leave from there in exchange for the government allowing civilians and rebels to leave eastern Aleppo.

Pro-government Al-Ikhbariya TV broadcast live images showing buses arriving from Foua and Kfarya, escorted by International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles, on Tuesday.

Hezbollah's media arm said eight buses left the two villages earlier in the morning.

The taking of all of eastern Aleppo would mark Assad's greatest victory since the 2011 uprising against his family's four-decade rule, but the cost has been staggering. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced, many of whom may never return.

Also, Syria's civil war is far from over; the opposition still controls the northwestern Idlib province and pockets of territory elsewhere in the country, while the Islamic State group rules a large swath of the northeast.
Just hours after a Russian ambassador was gunned down Monday by a Turkish assassin, another high-ranking Russian diplomat was found shot in the head at his Moscow home, The Mirror reported, citing local media.

Peter Polshikov, 56, was a senior figure in the Latin American department of the Russian foreign ministry, The Sun reported. Some local reports suggest Polshikov may have left the Foreign Ministry and its unclear if he worked for the Russian government at the time of his death.

It's unclear when exactly Polshikov died.

Polshikovs wife was reportedly inside the home at the time of the shooting, but she was said to be safe.

Investigators discovered two bullet shells and a gun under the bathroom sink.

Authorities have yet to offer a theory on how Polshikov died.
Union officials say a strike by unpaid workers has halted flights of Nigeria's biggest airline, stranding thousands of passengers days before Christmas.

Ahmed Roland Maikudi of the pilots association says Arik Air operations halted before dawn Tuesday. He says pilots have not been paid for up to five months.

Officials of Arik Air, which flies more than 100 domestic and international flights daily, could not immediately be reached for comment. The airline has been struggling for weeks with delayed and cancelled flights usually blamed on fuel shortages.

Two other Nigerian airlines suspended operations weeks ago, and two international carriers recently stopped flying to the country.

Africa's biggest economy is struggling in a recession caused by low oil prices and a massive shortage of foreign currency.
A Swiss man convicted of blackmail linked to a Malaysian development fund scandal has been freed after serving over a year in a Thai prison.

Xavier Justo was one of around 30,000 inmates released early under a pardon by Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradevarangkun to mark his ascension to the throne on Dec. 1. Justo's lawyer said the man will be deported to Switzerland.

Justo was convicted in August 2015 of blackmailing his former employer, a Saudi oil company, by threatening to sell to the media documents related to the company's dealings with 1MDB unless the company paid him $2.47 million.

After some documents were published, the 1MDB fund became the focus of investigations in the U.S., Switzerland, Singapore, and elsewhere over allegations of embezzlement and money laundering.
Swiss police said they have found no radical Islamist or far-right motives for a gunman who killed himself after a shooting spree at Zurich mosque Monday that wounded three worshippers.

Criminal police chief Christiane Lentjes Meili said investigations were continuing Tuesday in connection with the 24-year-old Swiss citizen behind the shootings.

"There's no indication of any kind of terrorist connection to [ISIS] or an Islamic radicalization of the suspect," Meili said.

An investigation determined that the gunman, who was not identified by name, had also recently stabbed to death an acquaintance, she said.

Two people seriously wounded in the mosque attack were recovering.
Protests are planned in Tunisia over the killing of the head of Palestinian militant group Hamas' drone program in a Tunisian beach resort. Hamas accuses Israel of assassinating him.

In addition to Tuesday's protests, Tunisia's Parliament is expected to hold a special session in the coming days to discuss the killing, which critics call an attack on Tunisia's national sovereignty.

Tunisian authorities have arrested 10 people over the shooting of Tunisian aviation engineer Mohammed Alzoari, according to Interior Minister Hedi Medjoub.

The minister told reporters late Monday that Tunisian authorities aren't ruling out Israel's involvement. He said investigators have determined the killing was ordered by two foreigners and plotted from Hungary and Austria.

Hamas says Alzoari led the development of its drones.

The Israeli military has not commented.
Turkey's coast guard says it has retrieved the bodies of five migrants, including a child, off the Turkish coast.

The Turkish Coast Guard says in a statement it responded to an accident report early Tuesday near the Ayvalik district in western Turkey and recovered a half-sunk boat carrying migrants. It says seven adults and one child were saved from the sea and one person was rescued from an island. A photo of the operation shows a man being pulled out of the water in the dark.

More than a million refugees and migrants traveled from Turkey to Greece and on to other European Union countries until a deal struck in March between Turkey and the EU to return the migrants significantly reduced the number of crossings.
Austrian officials say police will be distributing shrill pocket alarms to women visiting a popular Vienna New Year's Eve venue as a precaution against the type of harassment experienced last year in Germany.

Interior Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said Tuesday that police will be handing out the devices at entry points to Vienna's "Sylvesterpfad"  a route snaking through the inner city that is lined with musical performances and other events and visited by hundreds of thousands of people.

Dozens of women reported being robbed and groped in the German city of Cologne last New Year's Eve by groups of foreigners. Women in other German cities reported similar attacks.
Marcos Pizza Announces Aggressive Growth Plans for New Mexico

Nations Fastest Growing Pizza Franchise to Add 10 New Locations

December 20, 2016 // Franchising.com // Albuquerque, N.M.  Marcos Pizza, the fastest-growing pizza franchise in the United States, continues its growth in Albuquerque with plans to introduce 10 new locations creating more than 250 new jobs throughout the market. The brand plans to ramp up growth through a selective strategy and aims to open the new locations in the next three to five years.

In addition to the Marcos Pizza business model indicating the area would support prosperous Marcos locations, the increasing tourism and continued growth of the city, at a rate higher than the national average, make Albuquerque an attractive market for Marcos to pursue. Target markets surrounding the greater Albuquerque area include Carlsbad, Rio Rancho, Alamogordo and Roswell.

Our development in Albuquerque is only beginning, which is an exciting chapter in our growth story. Our team is knowledgeable about the regions of the untapped state, and poised to bring success to its entrepreneurs, said John Ramsay, VP of Franchise Development. We want to continue expanding the Marcos brand to the southwestern part of the nation and Albuquerque shows every sign for potential success for franchisees.

As the only national franchise chain founded by a native Italian, Marcos Pizza has carved out a niche in the industry as the expert in authentic Italian pizza, known for its fresh never-frozen dough made daily on site, a proprietary cheese blend that is fresh never-frozen and a secret pizza sauce recipe. The 750-plus unit company aims to reach 1,000 locations in 2017. Marcos Pizza continues to open an average of one new store every third day, more than doubling its size in less than five years.

For more information on Marcos Pizza franchising opportunities, visit http://www.marcosfranchising.com/ or call 800-836-2074.

About Marcos Pizza

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marcos Pizza is the fastest-growing pizza company in the United States (based on the number of stores signed into development since 2007). Marcos was founded in 1978 by Italian born, Pasquale (Pat) Giammarco and thrives by making Italian Pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate 750 stores in over 30 states, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and India. Most recently, Marcos Pizza was ranked No. 2 on Forbes Top 10 Franchises to Invest In in the medium investment range and the No. 2 fastest growing U.S. chain on the Nations Restaurant News Top 100 report. To inquire about franchise opportunities with Marcos Pizza visit marcosfranchising.com.

SOURCE Marcos Pizza

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Fishman Public Relations

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Year of the Coyote

Coyote Ugly Opens First Three Franchisee-Owned Bars

December 20, 2016 // Franchising.com // NEW YORK  In its first full year of international franchising, Coyote Ugly  the rowdy, western themed bar that celebrates the wild side of American culture  opened three bars in Japan, Kyrgyzstan and Wales.

Its no longer debatable. Not even for a split second. Coyote Ugly is, in fact, the most famous bar in the world, said Coyote Ugly founder Liliana Lil Lovell, noting the brands presence in 24 cities and seven countries. We couldnt be more pleased with the positive response we've received from franchise owners, and customers alike, who are eating up this whole American idea of Coyote Ugly with the girls and culture.

Looking to expand upon its success in 2016, Coyote Ugly plans to open at least five additional franchise locations in 2017. Three of those bars are expected to be opened by the franchise partners in Japan, who have already committed to opening 14 additional locations over the next five years. Meanwhile, serious conversations are ongoing with prospective franchisees in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Thailand, and Singapore, to name a few.

Without trying to sound too cliche, the skys the limit, Lovell said. As our fame continues to grow, so does our pipeline of prospects. We look forward to taking the world by storm one boot-stomping, drink pouring bar at a time.

After graduating from New York University in 1990, Lovell began her career as a stock brokers assistant on Wall Street. Making only $250 a week, she moonlighted at an East Village bar where her wild antics  dancing on the bar and yelling at patrons  garnered her more tips in one night than the brokerage paid in a week. By 1993, she had saved about $70,000 and opened the first Coyote Ugly, luring in late night revelers with tabletop dances, bra chandeliers, body shots and its no-rules, raucous atmosphere.

The bar became a national brand in 2000 after Hollywood turned it into a major motion picture. The film  starring Maria Bello as Lil, as well as Tyra Banks, LeAnn Rimes and John Goodman  grossed more than $100 million worldwide.

The movie gave me opportunities. There was no reason for me to think that I could have taken Coyote Ugly to an international level. I most probably would have never opened it in another city, so what it did was give me the motivation to expand Coyote.

Today, Coyote Ugly 24 locations operating in seven countries  the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Japan, Kyrgyzstan and the United Kingdom.

For more information about the Coyote Ugly franchise opportunity, visit www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/franchising or call (720) 442-7777.

About Coyote Ugly Saloon

Founded in 1993 in New York Citys East Village, Coyote Ugly has become widely recognized as the most famous bar on the planet. The music is loud, the liquor is hard, and the female bartenders, known for their dance routines on top of the bar, serve a little bit of attitude with the drinks. The company currently has 24 locations operating in seven countries  the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Japan, Kyrgyzstan and the United Kingdom  and is looking to strengthen its growing presence by attracting qualified single and multi-unit franchise owners. For more information on the Coyote Ugly franchise opportunity, visit http://www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/franchising/.

SOURCE Coyote Ugly Saloon

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New U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt has reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut in income taxes. Hunt said Monday he was scrapping almost all the tax cuts announced last month by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Liz Truss, and also signaled that public spending cuts are on the way. It was a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets spooked by fears of excessive government borrowing. The move raises questions about how long the beleaguered prime minister can stay in office, though Truss insisted she has no plans to quit. She vowed to lead the Conservatives into the next general election, but many in the party want her gone.
A Fredericksburg man has been arrested on charges that he used credit card information belonging to a woman in a Stafford County assisted-living facility to make more than $1,200 in purchases, police said.

Sheriffs spokeswoman M.C. Morris Moncure said Deputy M.R. Flick received a call Friday from the caretaker of the victim. Someone had used the victims credit card information at the Red Roof Inn in Spotsylvania County and to make online purchases.

The person who made the charges never physically had the card, Moncure said, and its not clear how the victims information was accessed, she said. The suspects own name and a New York address were used in making the motel reservation, Moncure said.

Flick called the motel and learned that a man had used the card to pay for several nights at the motel. The desk clerk told police that the man had just left with a woman and was expected to return later Friday.

Flick contacted the Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office about the incident and a Spotsylvania deputy was assigned to the motel to await the suspects return. The man was taken into custody after he returned.

Jacques Deas, 36, of Forest Village in the city was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail after being charged with multiple fraud-related charges in Stafford and Spotsylvania, including identity theft and credit card forgery.
A Maryland man has been arrested on charges that he pulled a gun during an encounter with a King George deputy Saturday night, police said.

Sheriffs spokeswoman Kecia Wharton said a resident called the Sheriffs Office about 8:30 p.m. and reported that multiple people were trying to break into a neighbors house in the Dahlgren area near Potomac Elementary School. The culprits were kicking the doors and trying to open windows, the caller said.

Several deputies responded and identified several people. Deputy Kyle Furlong confronted a man who was walking away from the scene and asked to speak with him, Wharton said.

Wharton said the man kept walking as Furlong got out of his cruiser. The man then stopped, turned around and faced the deputy with his hands in his pocket, Wharton said.

The man pulled out a gun and dropped it to the ground, Wharton said. He picked it up and ran with Furlong in pursuit, ordering him to stop and drop the gun, she said. The man never pointed the gun at the deputy, she said. The man climbed a six-foot-high privacy fence and ran through several yards, Wharton said, before deputies surrounded the area and a police dog, Kilo, tracked the man to some nearby woods, where he was taken into custody.

The man no longer had the gun, Wharton said, but a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun was found in one of the yards he had run through.

Regis Dewitt Jackson, 31, of Waldorf, Md., was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, concealing a firearm, brandishing and destruction of property. He was placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

Sheriff Steve Dempsey said he was happy the incident was resolved without shots being fired. We are truly fortunate that no one got hurt, Dempsey said. This could have turned out a lot differently.

Wharton said Jackson was the only person charged as of Monday night.
GOOD leadership often involves doing boring things to keep dramatic things from happening. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has been exercising such leadership in regard to some key functions of state government in recent weeks.

The governor has proposed a variety of reforms to straighten out the troubled Virginia Economic Development Partnership, an independent agency that has made headlines with dramatic and embarrassing failures.

The states Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, an independent watchdog, found that VEDPs grants program is wide open for criminal activity. It has done a poor job of critically examining economic development prospects to ensure theyre viable or that the ventures live up to the states expectations, JLARC concluded.

Thats a terrible assessment for an agency that has awarded nearly $400 million in incentive grants over the past 10 years, almost all of it financed by tax dollars. The partnership, established under Gov. George Allen in 1995, has been highly unstructured, misusing its money and exposing the state to cheating, JLARC said.

The governors proposals are bureaucratic: Put the states commerce secretary in charge of the VEDP board, require its CEO to produce an operational plan and create an auditing arm within the agency. These are yawners, but they could help prevent situations like the one involving Lindenberg Industry, a fake company that bilked the state out of $1.4 million in economic-development funds. That story was certainly exciting, and nobody hopes to see it repeated.

Moving boxes on the organizational chart is useful but not sufficient. Personnel and policy matter as well.

VEDPs board recently brought in Steven Moret to head the agency. Moret formerly was the secretary of economic development in Louisiana under Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal. He might be exactly the man Virginia needs to set the VEDP back on a proper course. But its worth noting that Louisiana is suffering a hangover from the orgy of tax credits and other incentives it handed out to corporations during Jindals term, which Moret has defended.

The governor also has proposed allocating tens of millions more for mental health and substance-abuse services. The money would pay for drug treatment, same-day screening at community service boards that deal with the mentally ill, better operations at the states mental hospitals, and fund a $4.5 million study of the states mental system.

Those steps deserve enthusiastic approval, with the exception of the last. Another study is not needed in a state that already has a Joint Subcommittee Studying Mental Health Services in the 21st Century, which is nearing the end of its own four-year study.

That study follows one conducted by the panel that examined the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech. And another by the Commission on Mental Health Law Reform, ordered in 2006 by Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leroy Hassell.

Mental health reform has been a subject of constant discussion in Virginia for years. By contrast, concrete action has been intermittentusually appearing in the wake of a public tragedy. Gov. McAuliffes push to act on the issue in the absence of dramatic developments is not exciting, but it is good leadership.

Adapted from the Richmond TimesDispatch

The governor has proposed a variety of reforms to straighten out the troubled Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
Column mocks the science of climate change

Hopefully, most readers werent fooled by Benjamin Zychers misleading op-ed [Trump considers the economics of climate change, Dec. 11].

Alert readers probably noticed Zychers snarky statement mocking proponents of climate action as unable to read a profit/loss statement. Yet, CEOs of hundreds of major American corporations, people who read profit/loss statements quite competently, have urged Congress to enact emissions reducing legislation.

Rex Tillerson, Exxons CEO and Donald Trumps nominee for Secretary of State, can read oil and gas company profit/loss statements, and Tillerson has publicly discussed his hope for a national carbon tax. Recently, Shell Oil urged Canada to implement a carbon tax. Yet Zychers nonsensical arguments never mentioned the need for a carbon tax.

When Zycher mocked the Paris agreement and President Obamas climate actions as having almost no impact on temperature, I wondered where he got his bizarre calculation. It seems that he relied on calculations by Cato Institute employees.

As a Citizens Climate Lobby volunteer, I immediately recalled Jerry Taylor speaking in June to the groups annual conference about his work at Cato, and why he left that organization and established the libertarian Niskanen Center. While at Cato, Taylors job was to read climate science and policy reports and devise the best counterarguments. Taylor was clear: his job wasnt to write more correct analyses about human-caused climate change or the economics of emissions policies. His job was to devise the most doubt-raising, counterarguments to stall public understanding and congressional action.

Taylor spent so much time studying the science and economics of climate change that eventually, he felt obligated to leave Cato and help the public understand why we need climate action. Zychers op-ed ended with amateurish theology. As a rabbi, Im more impressed by Taylors moral decision not to help people do evil than Zychers double talk.

Judy Weiss

Brookline, Ma.
No new treatments in 20 years

Genital herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus, usually the type called HSV-2. Lifelong and incurable, it is one of the most frequent sexually transmitted infections worldwide. There have been no new treatments in 20 years.

The next step, Wald said, is to continue testing pritelivir to assess its safety. Although the clinical trials conducted so far in humans have shown no serious side effects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put a hold on the drugs clinical use in 2013 because of skin and blood abnormalities shown in a concurrent animal trial. The hold came while the study published today was underway, forcing it to end early.

The German drug maker AiCuris is working with the FDA to partially lift the hold so that pritelivir can be tested in a new clinical trial on patients who are resistant to drugs in the acyclovir family, which include acyclovir, famciclovir and valacyclovir.

I hope that if the trial for acyclovir-resistant HSV goes well, we would be able to go back to the general population with further trials, Wald said. Its important to develop new drugs for this incredibly common infection.

Herpes toll

In the U.S., an estimated 16 percent of adults between ages 14 and 49 are infected with HSV-2. The virus spreads through skin-to-skin contact during vaginal or anal sex and can cause painful genital and anal lesions. (Another herpes simplex virus, HSV-1, usually causes cold sores on the lips but can be transmitted through oral sex and cause genital lesions as well.)

The virus can be passed to newborns and cause serious illness or death. In people with suppressed immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy or other cancer treatments, sores can be severe. And HSV-2 infection can increase the risk of getting or transmitting HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, HSV-2 is one of the main drivers of the HIV pandemic, Wald said.

Once a person is infected, the virus persists in a dormant state, hiding out in nerve cells but frequently reactivating. One of the tricky things about genital herpes is that rapid viral expansion resulting in high viral loads can occur before a sore is visible or without symptoms at all. So even if people avoid sex during visible outbreaks they still spread or contract the virus.

Condoms can lower, but not eliminate, the risk of transmission. Treatment by drugs in the acyclovir family can treat symptoms and  if taken daily  suppress new symptom outbreaks and reduce transmission, but only by about 50 percent.

Having a new medication would definitely give people more options, said "Dex," who created and runs an online community for people with herpes and who, like many on the site, prefers to be identified only by his screen name. The current options dont always provide the relief needed. If anything, having new competition might even drive the price down. Unless you have insurance, prescriptions are expensive.

Pritelivir is in a different class than the older herpes antivirals and acts in a different way. The earlier study, also by Wald and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2014, was a small, phase 1 trial testing pritelivir against a placebo to determine safe dosage and identify any side effects.

Encouraging results, but more trials needed

The new study was conducted in four U.S. cities between October 2012 and July 2013. It was a crossover trial, meaning that rather than one group receiving only pritelivir and the other only valacyclovir, each participant received both drugs sequentially for 28 days, with a washout period of 28 days in between to make sure the drug taken first was fully eliminated. Because the viral shedding rate is highly variable from person to person but relatively stable within the same person, the trial was designed to compare the two drugs within rather than between people. The order in which the drugs were given was assigned randomly, and neither participants nor researchers knew which drug was given when  considered the gold standard of clinical trial design.

Fifty-six participants had completed both treatment periods when the study was terminated due to the FDA hold. Throughout treatment, the participants collected genital swabs four times daily for testing.

HSV was detected in 2.4 percent of swabs during pritelivir treatment compared with 5.3 percent of swabs during valacylovir treatment. Genital lesions were reported on 1.9 percent of days during pritelivir treatment compared with 3.9 percent of days on valacyclovir. The proportion of days with pain was 4 percent with pritelivir and 6.7 percent while taking valacyclovir.

Wald called the results encouraging.

It means we can do better, she said. Pritelivir probably is better than valacyclovir, but we need more work on it to understand the safety concerns that have emerged in the animals.

Pritelivir is under development by AiCuris, which funded the trial.

Other authors on the paper included Fred Hutch researchers Drs. Amalia Magaret and Larry Corey. In the 1980s, Corey worked with biochemist Trudy Elion to show that acyclovir, a then-new type of drug invented by Elion, could control and suppress a viral infection. Acyclovir and its successors had a huge impact, reducing mortality rates for babies born with herpes from 80 to 10 percent. Corey  who went on to found and head the international Fred Hutch-based HIV Vaccine Trials Network  and Wald also studied the daily use of antiretrovirals to prevent herpes transmission.
Dallas Term Life Insurance Skip Doctor Living Benefits For Gen X Released

Drake Insurance Group has just released policies for Generation Xers that require no medical exams and that pay Living Benefits that pay out up to 90% of death benefits for major accidents, illness or end of life care.

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Drake Insurance Group, a Dallas-based independent insurance agency with more than 25 years of experience, has just released life insurance policies with rates that allow Generation Xers to skip the medical exam as well as have the option to receive Living Benefits.

More information can be found on Drake Insurance Group's website at: http://insuranceonly.net.

According to the Pew Research Center, by the year 2028 the number of Generation Xers, those between 35 and 50 years old, projected to be 64.6 million, will outnumber the Boomer generation and peak at 65.8 million in 2018. According to research by the credit bureau Experian, this generation carries the most credit card debt.

Investment News reports that Generation Xers have the poorest financial habits. Even though this generation is in the peak of their earning years, the group includes more spenders than savers. Gen Xers are also likely to have more debt than savings.

Drake Insurance Group is offering policies that allow clients who fall within the demographics of Gen X to receive up to $500,000 worth of insurance with its "No Exam Term Life" policies which require no medical exams.

When a person has an exam for life insurance, the insurance company checks for information in the blood like cholesterol, liver enzymes, glucose, and others that might cause a person to be rated up or declined. But when there's no exam, there is no blood to check which will let a policy be issued that might not have been otherwise.

Also available from Drake Insurance Group are policies with Living Benefits. These policies allow clients to receive a payout while they are still living. They can pay up to 90% of the death benefit while the client is still alive if they need it.

Living Benefits policies work just like a regular life insurance policy where the client pays an x amount of premium for an x amount of coverage. The difference between a regular policy and one with Living Benefits is that the Living Benefits policy allows clients to receive up to 90% of the death benefit due to a major accident or illness.

The early payout can assist in paying medical bills or end of life care. As an Independent Agency, Drake Insurance Group offers rates from 50 companies to choose from to allow the client to receive their best rate.

More information can be found at the company website listed above.

For more information, please visit http://insuranceonly.net

Contact Info:

Name: Clay Drake

Organization: Drake Insurance Group



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Weight Loss Counselor Renee Jones Signs Publishing Deal With Ainsley & Allen Publishing

Renee Jones, Weight Loss Counselor and Founder of PackYourOwnBag.com, has signed a deal with Ainsley & Allen Publishing to publish the upcoming book 'What's Really Eating You? - Overcome the Triggers of Comfort Eating' which is scheduled for release in January 2017.

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Weight Loss Counselor and Founder of PackYourOwnBag.com, Renee Jones, recently signed an agreement with Ainsley & Allen Publishing to publish her book What's Really Eating You? - Overcome the Triggers of Comfort Eating. This new book is a guide to facing issues and making different choices to find the parallels that can provide freedom from emotional, stress, and comfort eating.

According to Jones, "At a young age, our mothers would give us a pacifier when we were upset. As we get older, perhaps we are given certain foods when we have a problem. We get in the habit: when something is bothering us, we put something in our mouths. And it could be a cigarette, a drink or food of any sort - perhaps sweet or salty. And even more often, it's something that we learned to depend on as a child."

Continuing to do this takes a toll on the body, especially as someone gets older. Jones finds that if the emotional triggers can be identified, changes can be made to deal with those triggers in a way that would not involve food. "We don't have to stuff our feelings and follow it with a food chaser," she said.

Jones' mission is to help women who are struggling with their weight, who look to food to relieve stress, boredom, and emotional issues, and then feel that their value as a person is tied to their weight or any other kind of performance.

With a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Clinical Residency in Pastoral Care, Renee utilizes traditional and contemporary counseling models as well as relaxation and horse assisted models. Renee has worked as a chaplain and counselor in long-term acute care hospitals and hospice for more than a decade serving patients, families, and staff. In 2011, she opened an international private practice in counseling serving clients and colleagues in the U. S., United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, India, South Africa, Romania, Australia, and New Zealand.

Ainsley & Allen Publishing specializes in publishing personal development and business books for entrepreneurs, small business owners and professionals.

Co-Founder of Ainsley & Allen Publishing, Jack Mize, said, "We are very proud and excited to have Ms. Jones on our roster of authors. She's an impressive entrepreneur and brought us a first rate manuscript. I am sure that What's Really Eating You will be a big success for all involved."

What's Really Eating You? - Overcome the Triggers of Comfort Eating will be available on Amazon.com and other national book retailers in January 2017.

For more information about Renee Jones, visit http://Packyourownbag.com

Company Name: Ainsley & Allen Publishing

Contact Name: Rachel Allen

Country: United States

Phone: 713-242-1662

Email: press@ainsleyallenpublishing.com

Website URL: http://ainsleyallenpublishing.com

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Power Rental Market by Fuel (Diesel, Gas) by Application (Base Load, Stand by Power), and by Region - Forecast to 2027

Global Power Rental Market Information Report by End-users (Oil & & Gas, Utilities, Shipping, Manufacturing, Mining, Construction, and others), by Fuel (Diesel, Gas and others), by Application (Base Load, Stand by Power and Peak Shaving), and by Region - Forecast to 2027

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Market Highlights

Considering the sudden surge in the construction industry in the recent times the demand in the power rental market is expected to increase. The need for revamping the old Transmission and Distribution infrastructure is beckoning the growth of the power rental market.

With many countries looking to develop their infrastructure, heavy investments have been made to boost the infrastructural activities globally. All these factors are playing a major role in the growth and development of the power rental market. Lack of permanent power capacity in developing nations leads to energy shortage which further leads to creating a market for power rental.

The Major Key Players

o Aggreko (U.K.)

o Cummins(U.S.A)

o Hertz, Caterpillar Inc. (U.S.)

o Sunbelt Rentals(U.S.A)

o United Rentals(U.S.A)

o Ashtead Energy PLC (U.K.)

o APR Energy PLC (U.S.)

Request a Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample-request/global-power-rental-market-research-report-forecast-to-2027

Segmentation of Power Rental market

Basis of application

o base load

o stand by power

o peak shaving

Basis of application

o oil & & gas

o utilities

o shipping

o manufacturing

o mining

o construction

o others

Basis of Fuel

o Diesel

o Gas

o Others

Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread in 120 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on "Global Power Rental Market Research Report - Forecast to 2027"

Study Objectives of Power Rental Industry

o To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Power Rental market

o To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth

o To Analyze the Power Rental market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters five force analysis.

o To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to six main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East, and Africa

o To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective

o To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by end-users, by fuel, by application and by region as well as its sub segments

o To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market

o To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and new product developments in the global Power Rental market

Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/global-power-rental-market-research-report-forecast-to-2027

Regional Analysis of Power Rental Market

Aging infrastructure which leads to frequent blackouts and power shortages is one of the major driving factors for the power rental market in the North American region. The sudden surge in the construction industry is also assisting the growth of the power rental market in the North American region. Asia pacific is one of the fastest growing markets with several transmission and distribution projects expected to be initiated shortly.

North America

o US

o Canada

o Mexico

South America

o Brazil

o Argentina

o Venezuela

o Rest of South America

Europe

o Russia

o UK

o Netherlands

o Germany

o France

o Rest of Europe

Asia- Pacific

o China

o India

o Indonesia

o Malaysia

o Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East

o Saudi

o UAE

o Kuwait

o Qatar

o Rest of Middle East

Africa

o Nigeria

o Egypt

o Rest of Africa

The report on Power Rental of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance.

The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value, Furthermore technological advancement, and macro-economic factors in the market have also been discussed in detail in the report. The report provides detailed information and strategies of the key players in the industry. The report also provides a broad study of the different market segments and regions.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

For more information, please visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/global-power-rental-market-research-report-forecast-to-2027

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Phone: +1 646 845 9312

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US Global Navigation Satellite System Market: by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application -Forecast to 2027

US Global Navigation Satellite System Market by application, by satellite technology & Forecast to 2027

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Navigation satellite system or satnav is a system of satellite which provide which provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. In general terms it helps the electronic receiver devices to determine their location by receiving the geo-spatial frequencies. In United States, this market is been growing very rapidly as US has their own GNSSs (global navigation satellite system) name NAVSTAR GPS. Currently this market is growing with the CAGR rate

Segmentation

For the better understanding of the report, this market has been segmented on the basis of application & technology. Applications of GNSS include- Agriculture, Aviation, Location-based services (LBS), Maritime, Road, Rail, Surveying and Timing and synchronization. By Satellite technology market has been segmented as Global constellations and Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). Global Constellations includes- GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems includes- EGNOS (Europe), WAAS (North America), GAGAN (India) and MSAS (Japan).

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Key Players for Navigation Satellite System Market:

Rockwell Collins (US)

Qualcomm Technologies International Ltd. (US)

AgJunction, Inc. (US)

Garmin Ltd. (Switzerland)

Furuno Electric Co Ltd. (Japan)

Hexagon (Sweden)

Raytheon Company (US)

Topcon Corporation (Japan)

Trimble Navigation Ltd. (US)

Rockwell Collins (US)

TomTom NV (Netherlands)

Industry News

In July, 2016, Department of Transportation (USA) calls for more testing of GPS receivers for Adjacent Band Compatibility.

On 5th July 2016, Rockwell Collins has been selected by the China based Shenzhen Airlines for advancement in avionics.

In July, 2016, ARL (The U.S. Army Research Laboratory) has entered into collaboration with Raytheon Company to develop next generation radar.

Test the market data and market information presented through more than 195 market data tables and figures spread over 145 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on "US Global Navigation Satellite System Market Research Report- Forecast to 2027.''

Study Objective of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)

To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the US Global Navigation Satellite System Market

To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth

To analyze the GNSS market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porter's five force analysis etc.

To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW)

To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective

To provide country level analysis of the market for segment, by application, by satellite technology and sub-segments.

To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market

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Brief TOC of Global Microbial Products Market

1 Executive Summary

2 Scope of the Report

2.1 Market Definition

2.2 Scope of the Study

2.3 Markets Structure

3 Market Research Methodology

3.1 Research Process

3.2 Secondary Research

3.3 Primary Research

3.4 Forecast Model

4 Market Landscape

5 Industry Overview of Global Microbial Products Market

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Growth Drivers

5.3 Impact analysis

5.4 Market Challenges

Continued....

About Market Research Future

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

For more information, please visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/us-global-navigation-satellite-system-market-research-report-forecast-to-2027

Contact Info:

Name: Akash Anand

Organization: Market Research future

Address: Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune - 411028

Phone: +1 646 845 9312

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/us-global-navigation-satellite-system-market-by-manufacturers-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2027/155664

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Locomotive Market Information Report by Technology, by Application, and by Region, Industry Growing Players Forecast to 2022

Global Locomotive Market expected to experience resilient growth in the next Five years. Increasing rate of urbanization has been contributing towards the growing popularity of locomotive among the general public.

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Market Highlights

Increasing rate of urbanization has been contributing towards the growing popularity of locomotive among the general public. Expansion of rail networks in majority of developed as well as developing nations as well as growing concern among the individuals regarding environmental sustainability has had a positive impact on the global Locomotives Market. Significant investment by authorities across the globe in development of railway infrastructure for freight and high speed trains has also resulted in the growth of global locomotive market.

Key Players

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited

Berliner Maschinenbau

Lokomo

China Northern Rail Corporation Limited

Bombardier Transportation

Brookville Equipment Corporation

GE Transportation

Alstom Ferroviaria S.p.A

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Scope of the report

Asia-Pacific region is expected to dominate the global locomotive market mainly due to the existing infrastructure proving to be insufficient to cope with the increasing population. Europe is expected to hold the second largest share in the global locomotive market mainly due to the largest market for rail products, of which major share is acquired by locomotives.

This study provides an overview of the Locomotive industry, tracking market segments across the categorized five geographic regions. The report provides a five-year forecast for the market size in terms of value for North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. The scope of the study segments the Locomotive market based on Absorber Plate, and Application.

Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 40 market data tables and figures spread in 100 pages of the report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on "Locomotive Market Research Report - Global Forecast to 2022"

Intended Audience

Locomotive manufacturing companies

Locomotive service providers

Locomotive Consultants and Investment bankers

Government as well as Independent Regulatory Authorities

Browse Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/locomotive-market-research-report-global-forecast-to-2022

List of Tables

Table 1 Global Non-Concentrating Solar Collectorsystemmarket Snapshot

Table 2 Drivers for the Market

Table 3 Restraints for The Market

Table 4 Locomotive Markets, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 5 Conventional Locomotives: Locomotive Market, By Region, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 6 Turbocharged: Locomotive Market, By Region, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 7 Maglevs: Locomotive Market, By Region, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 8 Locomotive Markets, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 9 Residential: Locomotive Market, By Region, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 10 Passengers: Locomotive Market, By Region, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 11 Freight: Locomotive Market, By Region, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 12 Locomotive Markets, By Region, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 13 North America: Locomotive Market, By Country, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 14 U.S.: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 15 U.S.: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 16 Canada: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 17 Canada: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 18 Mexico: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 19 Mexico: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 20 Europe: Locomotive Market, By Country, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 21 U.K.: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 22 U.K.: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 23 Germany: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 24 Germany: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 25 France: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 26 France: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 27 Spain: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 28 Spain: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 29 Rest of Europe: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 30 Rest of Europe: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 31 Asia Pacific: Locomotive Market, By Country, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 32 China: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 33 China: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 34 India: Locomotive Market, By Technology, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Table 35 India: Locomotive Market, By Application, 2017-2022 (USD Million)

Continue........

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About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

For more information, please visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/locomotive-market-research-report-global-forecast-to-2022

Contact Info:

Name: Akash Anand

Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com

Organization: Market Research Future

Address: Office No. 524/528, Amanora Chambers, Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune

Phone: +1 646 845 9312

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Global Sand Control Systems Market Regional Analysis, Industry Segments, Development, Opportunities, Forecast to 2027

Global Sand Control Systems Market Information Report by Type (Gravel Pack, Frac Pack, Standalone Screens, Expandable Screens, Sand Consolidation, Inflow Control Devices, and Others), by Well type (Land and offshore), and by Region - Forecast to 2027

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Market Scenario

There has been a considerable contraction in the revenues as well as investments in the oil and gas industry following the oil price decline, since mid-2014. However in recent months, oil prices have been rising steadily and are expected to achieve price stabilization. The demand-supply gap is gradually reducing resulting into a change in the industry dynamics. This change has instigated an increase in the rig count leading to a rise in the demand for production operations. Growth in production to curb the expected increase in oil demand is would boost the market for sand control systems.

Regional Analysis of Sand Control Systems

North America dominates the Sand Control System Market, with the U.S. and Canada contributing a considerable share within the sand control systems market. The Asia-Pacific and European region account for considerable portion of oil and gas demand and are expected to have significant impact on the sand control system market.

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Study Objectives of Sand Control Systems

o To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Sand Control Systems

o To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth

o To Analyze the Sand Control Systems based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, Porters five force analysis.

o To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to six main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East, and Africa

o To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective

o To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by type, by well type, and by region as well as its sub segments

o To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market

o To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and new product developments in the global Sand Control Systems market

Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 40 market data tables and figures spread over 120 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content (TOC) & market synopsis on "Global Sand Control Systems Market Research Report - Forecast to 2027".

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Segments

The Sand Control Systems is segmented

o On the basis of type as gravel pack, frac pack, standalone screens, expandable screens, sand consolidation, inflow control devices, and others.

o On the basis of well type the market has been segmented into land and offshore.

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North America

o U.S.

o Canada

o Mexico

South America

o Brazil

o Venezuela

o Rest of South America

Europe

o U.K.

o Norway

o Russia

o Rest of Europe

Asia- Pacific

o China

o India

o Australia

o Malaysia

o Indonesia

o Rest of Asia-Pacific

Middle East

o Saudi Arabia

o UAE

o Kuwait

o Qatar

o Rest of Middle East

Africa

o Egypt

o Nigeria

o Angola

o Libya

o Rest of Africa

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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Contact Info:

Name: Akash Anand

Organization: Market Research Future

Address: Market Research Future Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune -

Phone: +1 646 845 9312

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/global-sand-control-systems-market-regional-analysis-industry-segments-development-opportunities-forecast-to-2027/155608

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Regency Agency Inc, the auto insurance firm, has moved to Brooklyn, New York in an exciting move for local residents looking to get the best quotes for insurance on their car. Any interested parties wanting personal auto insurance in Brooklyn, New York City, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx and New Jersey can get in touch to discuss quotes.

More information can be found on the company website at: http://regencyagency.com.

Regency Agency was established in 1979 in order to serve the greater New York City communities with high levels of auto insurance and customer service. It is now fully licensed in the state of New Jersey and has become an industry leader for its renowned low cost premier insurance for personal and commercial auto insurance, motorcycle insurance, and a rage of other options.

The site explains that the friendly staff and family members who work at Regency Agency pride themselves on offering the best coverage at unbeatable prices to help meet the needs of every customer they work with. One of the things that separates the company from the competition is that it offers family touch and personal service.

Interested parties wanting to get in touch with Regency Agency for car insurance can talk to the experts, who will take them step by step through the process. This helps to determine the best insurance company available to them, and choose a cost effective plan that's right for them and their budget.

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Because the company deals with so many insurance companies on its clients' behalf, it is able to offer a wide range of choices, which can open up more opportunities for people with different lifestyles and budgets.

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Divorce Cost Funding Available In South Florida Is One Less Problem To Deal With

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Law Firm, Pazos Family Law and Matrimonial Financing Company, Novitas have announced a strategic partnership going forward.

The partnership will encompass services across South Florida. Novitas provides innovative and cost effective solutions for lawyers and their clients. This new partnership will allow both Pazos Family Law and Novitas U.S. to assist more clients seeking a divorce.

In the near future, customers of both companies can expect Novitas to solve their cash-flow challenge by providing divorce financing to clients for legal fees, expert costs and personal expenses. Novitas provides financial solutions that allow clients to move forward with their divorce process.

Novitas was founded at the start of 2011 in the UK. The company was created to meet a growing demand for people struggling to fund their legal disputes and thus unable to secure the legal support they needed. Over the last 4 years, Novitas has grown to become the preeminent funder of UK law firms and their clients. The company is privately owned and is fully independent with no ties to any financial institution. On the 1st of January 2015, building on the success of the UK business, Novitas U.S. Inc. was launched. Nicole Noonan, a leading New York based matrimonial attorney, joined the business as the CEO of the U.S. operation. Nicole will be overseeing the expansion of the range of financing solutions and the geographical growth of the business.

Pazos Family Law was founded in 2013, in the heart of Weston, FL. In three short years, Pazos has managed to secure a solid reputation in South Florida, as a boutique law firm with a human touch. The AV Preeminent rated firm, has been bestowed several awards, including "10 Best of 2016" from the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. Most recently, Lawyers of Distinction recognized Nadia Pazos, Esq., and managing partner at Pazos Family Law, as being within the top 10% of attorneys in the United States in the area of Divorce and Family Law, her respective field.

As part of a long-term strategy, the two companies hope to assist people in moving forward with divorce, people that otherwise may have to put their proceedings on hold due to cash-flow issues. When asked about the new joint venture, Mario Pazos from Pazos Family Law said, "We look forward to a long and rewarding Partnership with Novitas. We want our Law firm to express itself through actions rather than words. It is extremely important to our firm to constantly evolve and push our boundaries to better serve our clients."

Nicole Noonan, Esq., CEO of Novitas U.S. is equally excited about the venture, saying "It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Pazos Family Law into the Novitas Team. With Pazos' stellar reputation as South Florida's Premier Divorce Law Firm, we look forward to a long lasting Partnership."

Current and future customers are invited to learn more about the joint venture and how they will benefit by visiting their websites at :

http://www.pazosfamilylaw.com

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The current release of Wishloop is making waves among emarketing review professionals due to its claim of providing its users with a better way of interacting with website visitors to create higher engagements. The commencement of Wishloop happens as a new report states that Facebook will be making changes to their media buying programs.

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Facebook is shaking up its Marketing Partners program. Once known as Preferred Marketing Developers, these ad partners would receive a badge of approval from Facebook that they could then place on their ads. The company announced Monday that they would be eliminating this media buying program. These ad management companies will no longer be able to display the media buying badge. This change will become effective December 31. Introduced in Oct 2014, the media buying badge was available only to companies based in the United States. As a result of this decision, several agencies will be removed from Facebook's Marketing Partners program. There were 12 companies who were entitled to display this badge. Of these, four were ad agencies: Resolution Media from Omnicom Media Group, iProspect, and 360i from Dentsu Aegis Network, and MediaVest from Publicis Groupe. These four companies were not awarded badges in other specialties. If they were, they would have been allowed to remain in the Marketing Partners program.

Representatives from the four agencies did not comment on this move by Facebook. Facebook noted in their blog that this change would allow them to focus the ad buying program on those partners who were helping to build Facebooks API. These are the tech firms who use the automated tools that Facebook created for buying, targeting, and measuring ads. These firms also use these tools to manage their Instagram and Facebook accounts. While none of the Facebook executives would comment on the change, a spokesperson did state that Facebook had decided to highlight individual employees at certain companies instead of focusing on the service-oriented companies themselves.

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Organization: eMarketingChamps



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Cyber security breaches are becoming a reality for more companies than ever before. This is largely down to small to medium sized enterprises struggling to cope with almost daily attacks not least because they are viewed by cybercriminals as easy targets. Unfortunately, the cost of these breaches can be anywhere between 75,000 and 310,000 - a potentially devastating figure for companies just finding their feet. Bridewell Consulting is a data security company that specializes in cyber security, data privacy, risk assessment and assurance. In response to this emerging threat, Bridewell Consulting is now offering tiered cyber security packages tailored for SMEs.

The new SME cyber security protection service comes in bronze, silver and gold. The bronze package starts at less than two hundred pounds a month and provides security support to organisations having up to 10 systems per month which contrasts to the comprehensive gold package which will provide security support for organisations having up to 75 systems per month. Coverage includes security bulletins, security clinics and even awareness training for employees. The company prides itself on fast reaction times and is even able to take over on short notice if companies have been let down by another supplier.

While the new service packages are fully scalable, they are also customizable to fit the individual needs of the business in question. By covering security operations, network security and security architecture, they can offer the most robust protection possible.

Anthony Young, partner of Bridewell Consulting, explained, "With both permanent and associate consultants on the team, all of whom are highly qualified in cyber security and experienced experts in their field, we can tailor our solutions easily and effectively. What's more, we are vendor and platform agnostic, recommending the right solution for each client's needs based on their risk appetite. With this much flexibility and expertise, for such low overheads, we can offer an incomparable service to SMEs. We are excited to launch what may well become our flagship package, and are already rolling the service out to a number of clients across the UK."

About Bridewell Consulting: Bridewell Consulting is a UK based information security consultancy, providing professional services and contract resources across a broad range of industries, to companies of all scales. They are able to provide information security services at any stage of a business' development, whether starting from scratch or overhauling existing systems.

For more information, please visit http://www.bridewellconsulting.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Anthony Young

Email: cybersecurity@bridewellconsulting.com

Organization: Bridewell Consulting LLP

Address: Bridewell Gate, 9 Bridewell Place, London, EC4V 6AW

Phone: 01189 255084

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/bridewell-consulting-launch-sme-cyber-security-protection-service/155837

Release ID: 155837

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Chicago Bankruptcy & Foreclosure Attorney Launches Debt Relief Legal Services

Chicago bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney Gregory K. Stern, P.C., announced the launch of its Chapter 7, Chapter 13 and foreclosure legal services. The firm helps individuals protect assets and restructure debt through effective debt relief legal services in Chicago while offering alternatives to the process.

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The Chicago bankruptcy attorneys at the law office of Gregory K. Stern, P.C., announced the launch of its bankruptcy and foreclosure services in the city. The firm specializes in legal advice for bankruptcy and foreclosure legal services.

More information about Gregory K. Stern, P.C., and its bankruptcy and foreclosure legal services is available at https://www.gregstern.com

Bankruptcy remains one of the last legal recourse available individuals who are unable to repay their loans to their creditors. In the United States, more than 900,000 individuals and businesses file for bankruptcy to restructure existing debt or discharge that debt by the sale of applicable assets. Industry analyses indicate that unbearable medical expenses are the leading cause of bankruptcy, while IRS actions, civil lawsuits, auto repossessions, and mortgage default are also major reasons for bankruptcy.

With more than a century of collective debt relief counseling experience, the law office of Gregory K. Stern, P.C., offers its legal expertise in Chicago. The firm offers comprehensive legal expertise and services to individuals filing Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. The firm offers its services to businesses that are reorganizing debt through Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

For individual filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, sound legal advice and the effective administration of qualifying requirements is crucial to the protection of assets covered by exemptions. The law office of Gregory K. Stern, P.C., works with a client to ensure the proper implementation of all exemptions permitted by the law. In the case of Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the firm helps working individuals pay off their debt through a repayment plan.

According to a spokesperson for Gregory K. Stern, P.C., "Our commitment is to help the people of our great city eliminate or restructure their debt through bankruptcy while protecting their assets. Bankruptcy laws are specifically designed to help individuals who face financial difficulties. We provide compassionate, humane, and pragmatic legal advice for Chapter 13 bankruptcy and Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help our clients successfully navigate through the process."

The Chicago bankruptcy attorneys at the law office of Gregory K. Stern, P.C. specializes in legal advice for individuals and businesses affected by foreclosure and bankruptcy, offering debt relief legal services in Chicago. The firm's award-winning team of attorneys helps individuals from diverse backgrounds discharge or restructure their debt.

For more information, please visit https://www.gregstern.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Gregory K. Stern

Email: gregsternpc@gmail.com

Organization: Gregory K. Stern, P.C.

Address: 53 W Jackson Blvd #1442, Chicago, IL 60604 United States

Phone: 312-427-1558

Release ID: 155785

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Disaster Housing Haiti: Veerhouse Voda Releases Rapid Build Options

Due to increasing need for disaster housing after Hurricane Matthew, Haiti company Veerhouse Voda is announcing intent to build as many as 70 affordable emergency structures per day. The uniqueness of the system enables individual units to be converted into disaster-resilient, permanent buildings, too.

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When creating disaster housing, Haiti can count on Veerhouse Voda. Since 2010, following the country's massive earthquake, Veerhouse Voda has helped rebuild the country and is now creating as many as 70 structures per day in the wake of hurricane Matthew.

For more information on disaster housing in Haiti, go to VeerhouseVoda.com today.

Veerhouse Voda is poised to make a major difference in the rebuilding efforts, as the company's system is both affordable and versatile. Units retail for between $3,000 and $4,000, depending on the total number ordered at one time. Veerhouse Voda's local factory can not only produce 70 in a day, but also constructs the emergency shelters in a matter of just a few hours each, without the use of major equipment.

The emergency shelters consist of robust lightweight steel frames, which work similar to traditional wood frames, but don't contribute to deforestation, and include durable covers that last five years or more. This gives people recovering from a tragedy instant protection from the elements, as well as the framework to construct an affordable and permanent home at a later date.

Visit VeerhouseVoda.com to learn more about disaster housing in Haiti.

The company first came to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, which left more than 200,000 dead and 1.5 million displaced. At the time, Veerhouse Voda had to ship materials in from other countries. While the benefit was still great, the company opted to build a factory in Port au Prince, which opened prior to hurricane Matthew striking. This measure drastically improved response times and made it possible to construct even faster.

Although Matthew did not impact the country to the same degree as the earthquake did, and all of Veerhouse Voda's structures survived the incident, the hurricane was a somber reminder that many of Haiti's homes are simply not built to withstand such forces. Certain areas of the country were completely destroyed; an issue Veerhouse Voda aims to correct with its affordable and strong structures. By starting families off with emergency structures, which can later be converted into permanent housing, topped off with solar and water treatment centers, the Veerhouse Voda system can literally save lives, both before and after a natural disaster.

About Veerhouse Voda

Veerhouse Voda specializes in creating disaster-resilient structures in an affordable and eco-conscious manner. Buildings can be used as housing, for community needs like worship, and for business requirements. In emergency situations, the framework for a Veerhouse Voda structure can be topped off with a tent-like covering. After urgent needs are seen to, the same framework can receive walls and traditional trimmings, protecting generations from natural disasters. For more information on the company or how the system works, go to VeerhouseVoda.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.veerhousevoda.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Brendon Brewster

Organization: Veerhouse Voda

Address: 14 Rector Street Floor 4, New York, 10006 United States



Release ID: 155816

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Power Rental Market worth 21.25 Billion USD by 2021,registering a CAGR of 10.7%

This growth can be attributed to the lack of electricity supply, rise in construction and infrastructural activities, and increase in number of planned events, triggering an increasing demand for energy.

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The report "Power Rental Market by Fuel (Diesel, Gas, Duel Fuel & HFO), Power Rating, End User (Utilities, Oil & Gas, Events, Construction, Mining, Manufacturing, Shipping), Application (Peak Shaving, Base Load, Stand by), by Region - Global Trends & Forecast to 2021", The global power rental market is projected to grow from an estimated USD 12.88 Billion in 2016 to USD 21.25 Billion by 2021, registering a CAGR of 10.7%. Factors such as lack of electricity access, aging T&D infrastructure and the rise in global construction and infrastructural activities are driving the global market for power rental solutions.

Browse 116 market data Tables and 54 Figures spread through 201 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Power Rental Market "

Speak to Analyst: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=744

Utilities-the key end-user of power rental market

Utilities are the major end-users of power rental solutions. In 2015, utilities constituted the largest segment of the power rental market, and accounted for the largest share of the total market. Increasing power demand, lack of grid stability & support and low electrification rates are the major driving factors of the power rental market in the utilities segment.

Stand by power segment expected to grow at the highest CAGR in the power rental market

The market on the basis of application has been segmented into standby, peak shaving, and base load/ continuous power. Rapidly growing demand for power across different industries is the primary growth driver of this segment.

North America to dominate the market for power rentals

In this report, the power rental market has been analyzed with respect to six regions namely, North America, Africa, Asia-Pacific, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. North America is estimated to dominate the market, owing to factors such as aging grid infrastructure and natural calamities, which causes frequent power outages. Furthermore, the construction and manufacturing industry is gradually recovering from the slowdown in 2016 and is also expected to drive the demand for rental power solutions.

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes profiles of some of the leading players in the power rental market Aggreko PLC (U.K.), APR Energy Inc. (U.S.), Ashtead Group Plc (U.K.), Caterpillar Inc.(U.S.), Power Electrics (U.K.), Speedy Hire (U.S.), United Rentals (U.S.), Cummins Inc.(U.S.), Hertz Corporation(U.S.), Kohler (U.S.), Smart Energy Solutions (UAE), and Rental Solutions and Services (UAE), among others. Contracts & agreements was the strategy most commonly used by top players in the market, followed by, expansions, and other developments.These players are trying to penetrate developing economies and are adopting various methods to increase their market share.

Make an Enquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=744

Target Audience:

o Engine/generator manufacturers, dealers, and suppliers

o Power grid infrastructure companies

o Transmission & distribution utilities

o Power rental companies

o Consulting companies in the energy and power sector

o Governments and research organizations

o Shareholders/investors

o Power plant project developers

o Renewable energy companies

o Consulting companies from the oil & gas sector

o Investment banks

Available Customizations:

With the given market data, MarketsandMarkets offers customizations as per the client's specific needs. The following customization options are available for this report:

Regional Analysis

o Further breakdown of the African power rental market into Angola, and Mozambique, among others

o Further breakdown of the Asia-Pacific power rental market into Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, and Philippines, among others

o Further breakdown of the South American power rental market into Colombia, Venezuela and Peru, among others

o Further breakdown of the European power rental market into Sweden, Finland, and Kazakhstan, among others

o Further breakdown of the Middle East power rental market into Iraq, and Yemen, among others

Company Information

o Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (Up to 5)

Request for Customization: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomization.asp?id=744

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

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

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

For more information, please visit http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/rental-power-generation-market-744.html

Contact Info:

Name: Rohan

Organization: MarketsandMarkets



Source: http://marketersmedia.com/power-rental-market-worth-21-25-billion-usd-by-2021registering-a-cagr-of-10-7/155907

Release ID: 155907

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Diesel Generators Market worth 16.96 Billion USD by 2020,at a CAGR of 5.4%

Lack of grid infrastructure in remote locations and increasing industrialization in developing countries are driving the diesel generator market globally.

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The report "Diesel Generators Market by Application (Standby Power, Peak Shaving, Prime or Continuous Power), by Power Rating (0-100 kVA, 100-350 kVA, 350-1000 kVA, above 1000 kVA), by End-User (Industrial, Commercial, Residential) & by Region - Global Forecast to 2020", defines and segments the global diesel generators market with analysis and forecast of the market size.

Browse 75 market data tables and 49 figures spread through 141 pages and in-depth TOC on "Diesel Generators Market"

Speak to Analyst: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=163671714

The diesel generators market is expected to grow from an estimated USD 13.06 Billion in 2015 to USD 16.96 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2015 to 2020. Growing need for continuous power supply and increasing power outages are driving the diesel generators market worldwide.

Standby application growing at the highest rate in the diesel generators market

The market has been segmented on the basis of application power rating, end-user, and region. The market based on application has been subsegmented into standby, peak shaving, and prime or continuous power. The standby application held the largest market share in 2014. Rapidly growing demand for continuous and reliable power across industries and the commercial sector is the primary growth driver of this segment.

Industrial sector to drive the diesel generators market

The report also segments the diesel generators market on the basis of end-user, which includes industrial (power generation/utilities, oil & gas, and others), commercial (IT & telecom, healthcare, and others), and residential. The industrial segment is one of largest users of diesel generators and occupies more than 50% of the total market share in the end-user segment of the diesel generators market. This market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to chronic power outages and rapid growth of industries, infrastructure, and IT & telecommunication industry across the world.

Asia-Pacific is estimated to be the global leader in the diesel generator market

In this report, the diesel generators market has been analyzed with respect to five regions, namely, North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Rising demand for power unmet by existing grid infrastructure in Asia-Pacific results in frequent power outages. As a result, growing industrialization and frequent power outages are driving the demand for diesel generators in this region. The diesel generators market in India is expected to grow at the highest CAGR, owing to growing IT, datacenter, telecom, and ongoing infrastructure development programs in the country.

To provide an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes profiles of some of the leading players in the diesel generators market. These players include Caterpillar (U.S.), Cummins (U.S.), Kohler Co. (U.S.), and Generac Holding (U.S.) among others. Dominant players are trying to penetrate the developing economies and adopting various methods to grab the market share.

The scope accordingly aids market participants to identify high growth markets and help in managing key investment decisions. For this report, major players in the diesel generators market have been identified using various primary and secondary sources, which include annual reports of top market players, interviews with key opinion leaders such as CEOs, directors, and marketing personnel. Based on this research, the market shares have been evaluated and validated.

Make an Enquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=163671714

The study answers several questions for the stakeholders which include OEMs, utility service providers, distributers & suppliers, consulting firms, private equity groups, investment houses, equity research firms, and other stakeholders. It provides information about market segments to focus on for the next two to five years for prioritizing efforts and investments.

Scope of the report:

o This study estimates the global diesel generators market, in terms of USD, till 2020

o It offers a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market

o It provides a comprehensive review of major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, winning imperatives, and key issues of the market

o It covers various important aspects of the market including an analysis of supply chain, Porter's Five Forces model, competitive landscape, market dynamics, market estimates in terms of value, and future trends in the diesel generators market.

Available Customization

With the market data provided above, MarketsandMarkets offers customizations as per the company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

o Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (Up to 5)

o Country-wise analysis can be extended by one country for every region

Request for Customization: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomization.asp?id=163671714

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

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

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

For more information, please visit http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/diesel-generators-market-163671714.html

Contact Info:

Name: Rohan

Organization: MarketsandMarkets



Source: http://marketersmedia.com/diesel-generators-market-worth-16-96-billion-usd-by-2020at-a-cagr-of-5-4/155912

Release ID: 155912

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a telephone conversation with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde, the press service of the Ukrainian president has said.

"Petro Poroshenko and Christine Lagarde coordinated steps within the development of further cooperation between Ukraine and the IMF under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program," a statement reads.

The parties also agreed to hold a bilateral meeting in January 2017.

The IMF chief welcomed the decision on the nationalization of PrivatBank. She noted the balanced and decisive steps of Ukraine's leadership, in particular, Head of the National Bank of Ukraine Valeriya Gontareva in this regard, which is crucial for maintaining public confidence and the banking system stability.

In addition, the sides discussed the process of consideration of the draft national budget of Ukraine for 2017 and the prospects of its adoption.
NOTE: this is an archived page and the content is likely to be out of date.

Fujitsu today announced that the state legislature of Sabah, Malaysia, has certified as a forest reserve the Fujitsu Group Malaysia Eco-Forest Park, located in the Kinarut region of Sabah. The Fujitsu Group established the Eco-Forest Park in 2002, and with the goal of regenerating Malaysia's tropical rainforests it has planted local species and carried out conservation activities.

Now the Fujitsu Group's many years of activities to conserve biological diversity have borne fruit with this certification by the state legislative assembly of Sabah.

In Sabah, Malaysia, areas that are to be permanently managed as forest land are certified as forest reserves, which are divided into seven classes, depending on their function. Now the Eco-Forest Park, located in the Kinarut area of Sabah, as well as the surrounding areas (about 320 hectares), have been certified as the "SAFODA(1) Kinarut Forest Reserve Class IV." Class IV is for forests reserved for recreation, educational, and research use. This certification clearly demonstrates that the Eco-Forest Park is to be used as a place of research and environmental learning about forest conservation, as well as a place of public recreation.

About Fujitsu's Tropical Rainforest Regeneration Activities

As part of an effort to conserve biological diversity, the Fujitsu Group has been working with the Sabah Forestry Development Authority (SAFODA) to regenerate the tropical rainforest in the Eco-Forest Park since 2002. These activities include the planting of 37,500 saplings of native species across about 150 hectares in order to regenerate the original tropical rainforest of a secondary forest where invasive species had grown up, as well as the maintenance necessary for the saplings to grow. In addition, the Eco-Forest Park is being used as a place for environmental education, where Fujitsu Group employees get hands-on experience by participating in eco-tours to deepen their understanding of the current state of tropical rainforests and the issues facing them. Altogether, over 2,000 people have participated in these activities up to this point, including Fujitsu Group employees and their families, as well as local students.

The Fujitsu Group will continue its efforts to contribute to society in the environmental field, in order to leave a beautiful global environment for the next generation.
A 20-year-old student has died after reportedly participating in an alcohol-fuelled initiation to join a university agricultural society.

Newcastle University student Ed Farmer, from Leicestershire, was taken to hospital last Tuesday (13 December) after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

He died the following day.

An unnamed student told the Daily Mail that Mr Farmer had been participating in an unofficial initiation to join the Agric (agricultural) Society.

The student said Mr Farmer was studying economics rather than agriculture but had chosen to join the society because his friends had.

Statement

Mr Farmers father, Jeremy, released a statement to the Mail.

It said: You have undoubtedly proved to each and every one of us that there is such a thing as the guy who has it all  the intelligence, the humour, the looks and the personality.

Not many people can challenge a position like that. Thank you for all the memories.

The statement added: The family would like to thank all the staff at the hospital and university who have supported them throughout this time.

Guidelines

Newcastle Universitys student services website Student Progress says it is very concerned about an increasing culture of excessive alcohol consumption by students.

It advises students to think carefully about their alcohol consumption, including advice on sensible drinking limits, helping others and getting support.

It is noted that initiations and irresponsible drinking can be synonymous, says the website.

Initiations are banned by the university and it is likely that anyone found to have organised or participated in an initiation ritual will become the subject of disciplinary action.

Northumbria Police said an investigation into Mr Farmers death had been passed to the coroner.
Vets have criticised a Welsh government decision not to install cameras in abattoirs to capture welfare breaches, saying it will increase the risk of animal abuse.

The government had ordered an investigation into the possible benefits of making CCTV compulsory at Wales 26 slaughterhouses.

But, with just 312 reports of animal welfare breaches identified among the 3.7 million cattle, sheep and pigs, and 60 million poultry slaughtered in 2015, a government report concludes that this is simply not sufficient basis for making cameras mandatory.

See also: Abattoir worker jailed for shocking animal cruelty

It is compulsory for Freedom Food accredited sites to have CCTV and these can range in cost from 5,000 to 25,000, but the government report suggests that existing controls in other abattoirs, including the presence of an official veterinarian, are sufficient.

There is no evidence that CCTV does contribute to higher levels of welfare compliance, the report states.

Disappointed

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said it was disappointed with the decision, insisting that any potential risks to animal welfare are heightened by an absence of CCTV.

BVA president Gudrun Ravetz said the Association stood by its recommendation for CCTV to become mandatory in all slaughterhouses.

We recognise that the cost of installing CCTV may be a burden for some very small abattoirs, but it is important that the animals we farm for food have both a good life and a humane death and CCTV has a key role to play in ensuring these requirements are met, he said.

Breaches

The investigation by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) was ordered after video footage emerged showing animal welfare breaches in abattoirs in England.

Of the 312 animal welfare breaches reported in Wales in 2015, incidents included an absence of drinking water, overcrowding and cows not being milked.

The report ruled out a need for cameras to film stunning and bleeding practices because these areas were manned by experienced and trained staff.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih has won the case on the damage to the environment exceeding UAH 72 million at the Higher Economic Court of Ukraine against the prosecutor's office of Dnipropetrovsk region, acting in the interests of the state in the person of the State Ecological Inspectorate in Dnipropetrovsk region.

"The Higher Economic Court of Ukraine made a ruling, satisfying the cassation appeal of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih in full. The decision of the Dnipropetrovsk Economic Court of Appeals has been overturned, while the ruling of the Economic Court of Dnipropetrovsk region remained unchanged. The latter refused the prosecutor's office the claim for the recovery of UAH 72.699 million from ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih for the damage caused to the state due to the violation of environmental legislation requirements," the report reads.

As reported, the Dnipropetrovsk Economic Court of Appeals upheld the appeal of the prosecutor's office of Dnipropetrovsk region in the interests of the state in the face of the State Ecological Inspectorate in Dnipropetrovsk region, according to which more than UAH 72 million is recovered from ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.
Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Omelian expects to sign an agreement on the joint Air Space with the European Union in 2017.

"I decided to personally conduct consultations with Madrid and London in order to clearly make the message on the part of Ukraine, that this treaty has technically outgrown its format and turned into political format. Like a visa-free regime issue, the issue of open skies between the EU and Ukraine is very sharp. It's good that both capitals understand this situation," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

He stressed that London has officially agreed to resume negotiations with Spain on how to find a mutually beneficial formula for the signing of an agreement between Ukraine and the EU and specify Gibraltar's position in the correct way so that to provide all the parties with security and national interests.

"The same information was announced by me in the European Commission and I hope that we will soon be able to come to a common compromise in this triangle, and that the agreement will be signed in 2017," the minister said.
Google Pixel XL Latest News & Update: Google Pixel XL VS iPhone 7 Plus: Camera, Design, Specs, Price

Google Pixel XL is recently taking over the insignia of flagship Android smartphone. Here is a comparison of Pixel XL with Apple's iPhone 7 Plus to check how these two giants fare in various aspects.

Google Pixel XL vs. Apple's iPhone 7 Plus: Size, Weight & Speed

In terms of size and weight, Google Pixel XL, despite having a 5.5-inch display, similar to the iPhone 7 Plus, is smaller and lighter. The Pixel XL feels slightly smoother, based on doing everyday tasks than the 7 Plus, in term of speed, which was not the case for Android in the past, according to Forbes.

Google Pixel XL vs. Apple's iPhone 7 Plus: Camera

Both smartphones scored equally in terms of snapping photos. There are instances the Pixel XL takes enhanced pictures, sometimes the iPhone 7 Plus does. Pixel XL has an outstanding camera that can hold its own against the best smartphone cameras in the market. This is impressive, taking into account that it is Google's first branded phone launch as compared to Apple's wide range of phones.

Google Pixel XL vs. Apple's iPhone 7 Plus: Design

iPhone 7 Plus is like a doppelganger in terms of hardware likeness of the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus. Google Pixel XL, on the other hand, has a considerably smaller chassis compared to the 7 Plus and is slightly better than the iPhone when it comes to the feel-on-your-hand factor.

Google Pixel XL vs. Apple's iPhone 7 Plus: Apps Experience

Operating Android apps on the Pixel XL is just as satisfying as iOS apps on the 7 Plus. The greater point is that Google Pixel XL functions in this arena just like iOS on the iPhone. Both smartphones yield the same user experience. In addition, the XL is tremendously fast.

Google Pixel XL vs. Apple's iPhone 7 Plus: Price

The Google Pixel XL comes at a starting price of $769 for its 32GB model, and 128GB model at $869. On the other hand, the iPhone 7 Plus is almost similarly priced. It has 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB model priced at $769, $869, $969 respectively, reported by PCMag.
iOS 10 Jailbreak Release, News & Update: Luca Todesco Launching Working Jailbreak Tool Soon? Users Should Stick With iOS 10.1.1 To Work

The popular iOS hacker Luca Todesco will reportedly release an iOS 10 jailbreak tool soon. He has announced on Twitter that there is a high chance that the full jailbreak would be released soon. However, users need to stay on iOS 10.1.1 in order for the jailbreak tool to work.

On the other hand, renowned Chinese hacking entity Pangu is still mum about the jailbreak tool they are supposedly releasing that fans have been waiting for. Pangu has already teased their iOS 10 jailbreak too last July, at the Mobile Security Conference. However, it must be noted that it was only the first beta of the iOS 10 that the team was able to hack.

Previous reports have stated that Pangu was actually just waiting on a stable version of iOS 10.2 before releasing their jailbreak tool. However, Apple has already released iOS 10.2 just recently, and Pangu still has not released anything even remotely close to a working iOS 10 jailbreak tool to the public.

With Apple's update for the iOS 10.2, the software security of their devices has never been tighter and more robust. With this, hackers are having a very difficult time to penetrate the system and come up with a working iOS 10 jailbreak tool. With only seemingly empty promises coming from both Pangu and Luca Todesco, the public is left hanging on what the real fate of the jailbreak tool is.

It has been reported that the exploit that Luca Todesco will be using is the Google Project Zero one from Ian Beer. The bug has been filed in a report back in October. It has then been revealed that the exploit actually works on versions earlier than the iOS 10.1.1.

With Pangu, Luca Todesco, and Apple seemingly on a wild chase, fans could only hope that a working iOS 10 jailbreak tool would be released soon. For now, Apple device users just have to wait and see when the exploits are going to be officially unveiled.
Apple iOS 10 Jailbreak Tool Expectants Receives Something Interesting From Known Hacker Luca Todesco, An Update for iOS 9.3.x Jailbreak Version

Users may be disappointed with the lack of a working iOS 10 jailbreak tool but well-known iOS hacker Luca Todesco has come up with a web-based loader for the iOS 9.3.x jailbreak version. It is an untethered browser-based loader that is very easy to use. It does not even require a developer certificate. It will be interesting to see whether Todesco also comes up with jailbreak patches for earlier versions.

This new iOS 9.3.x jailbreak update has been embraced by users who have grown tired of waiting for an Apple iOS 10 jailbreak tool. All eyes are on Todesco and Chinese hacking group Pangu though many, including Apple, believes that iOS 10 is impenetrable. This is probably the reason neither Todesco nor Pangu have released one yet. Moreover, with every update, jailbreaking is becoming all the more impossible.

However, the latest iOS 9.3.x jailbreak update has made unlocking easy. All players need to have is Safari and a web URL. Once the users are on this site, all they need to do is push a button to unlock the iPhone. As per NEUROGADGET, Todesco has exploited a known vulnerability in Safari. Now, users can execute an arbitrary code and reactivate Pangu 9.2-9.3.3 jailbreak.

Todesco could be bringing an untethered Pangu 9.3.3 jailbreak version somewhere later in 2017. The latest update by Todesco covers only the iOS jailbreak version for Pangu 9.3.3. This is specifically for iOS 9.3.x users only. The update simply replaces the Pangu re-jailbreaking apps.

The list of unsupported features of the new Pangu loader tool for new iOS 9.3.x jailbreak version includes jailbreak devices on firmware not supported by the Pangu team, install Cydia, work on any 32-bit device (iPhone 5 or older) and make jailbreak permanently untethered. Stay tuned on GameNGuide for more updates on iOS jailbreak updates.
Samsung Notebook 9 Release Date, News & Update: Korean Tech Giant Debuts Lighter, Kaby Lake-Powered Laptops!

Samsung did not wait for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to showcase it re-designed Notebook 9 laptops. This after the Korean tech giant unveiled this week the upgraded version of Samsung Notebook 9 featuring the lightest notebook in the tech market.

Sporting a more curved design, the newest 13- and 15-inch Samsung Notebook 9 showcase sleek and light chassis as compared to their predecessors. The 13-inch version weighs 1.8 pounds while its 15-inch counterpart weighs two pounds.

The newest Samsung Notebook 9 laptops also feature a backlit keyboard, two USB 3.0 ports, a single Type-C port, HDMI, and microSD slot with a conservative seven hours of battery life. Its display reclines up to 180, making it simple to share presentations with co-workers, or pictures with your friends and family. Samsung said the device is a perfect combination of performance and portability.

The device is powered by Skylake processor, the next generation chipset from Intel, with Core i5 for the 13-inch device while the premium 15-inch Notebook was equipped with Core i7 chipset. The newest revamped laptops come with the latest Windows Hello OS with a fingerprint scanner for improved security.

According to TrustedReviews, the 15-inch model features 8GB of DDR4 dual-channel memory while the 13-inch model comes with 16GB of DDR4 dual-channel RAM. Both models are pack with Full HD displays with 1920 x 1080p screen resolution. The company said Samsung Notebook 9 was designed with a superb full-HD display with bright, vivid and accurate colors.

With its Samsung RealView Display, the Samsung Notebook 9 elevates the viewing experience to new heights with support for a high-level of brightness, true-to-life colors, and a wide viewing angle, according to Samsung. As of this posting, Samsung has not yet revealed the pricing for the device and when it would be available in the market.Watch the newly-designed Samsung Notebook 9 here:
Samsung Galaxy S8 Release Date, News & Update: New Flagship To Launch In April 2017 Exclusive Event

Samsung has caught fire again - but not for the most terrible of reasons. Still reeling from the reputational damage caused by the ill-fated flagship Galaxy Note 7, South Korea's largest smartphone maker is currently recalibrating in the buildup to the launch of the all-new Galaxy S8.

Instead of revealing the Galaxy S8 to the world during the annual Mobile World Congress on February 2017, Samsung has opted to launch the device in a separate New York launch event in April 2017, as reported by Yahoo. The report further elaborated that the delay was meant to allow the company to talk to "external agencies" in a bid to recover lost consumer trust.

The Korean tech giant is currently struggling to repair its image as it had to endure the entire year dealing with reports of battery explosions in the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung has already rolled out an update for US customers that will render the doomed device inoperable.

Heralding the course of Samsung's road to recovery, the Galaxy S8 has understandably met high expectations concerning its specifications. Among the speculations floated around include the following: the inclusion of a 4K display, dual-lens camera, and enhanced high-performance processors, among many others.

The Galaxy S8 might also come without a physical home button - a signature feature in all other Samsung smartphones, and might do away with the headphone jack as well the way Apple's iPhone 7 did. Forbes further added that the new flagship will go for the curved design once again and sport an even thinner body.

Critics have weighed down on the dual-edge curved design of Samsung's latest smartphones, saying that the company prioritizes aesthetics more than introducing salient benefits. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen at its point on whether the company can redeem itself again with a brand-new release. Watch CNET's discussion of details on the upcoming S8 below:
Nokia Android Phones Release Date, Specs, Pricing, News & Update: Nokia Confirms 2 Android Phones Early 2017; Smartphones to Compete with iPhone 7

Nokia Android phones have been in the rumor mill for quite some time now, and fans could not wait for the Finnish multinational communications company to deliver. According to the latest report, Nokia is said to have confirmed two Android smartphones to come out in the first quarter of 2017.

Previous reports suggested that the European phone maker was going to launch the two new Nokia Android phones in the last quarter of 2016. With less than two weeks before the start of another year, several industry observers doubt if the release will still happen.

However, Nokia will apparently introduce the highly anticipated smartphones during the Mobile World Congress or MWC 2017, which is already scheduled to happen in late February. The report says that the two Nokia Android phones will be its flagship device and the other one is the entry level handset. According to reports, the flagship smartphone will carry impressive specs under the hood and is expected to become a worthy challenger to the mighty iPhone 7 and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8. On the other hand, the mid-range device will be perfect for budget-conscious consumers.

The latest report suggests that the new Nokia Android phones will stay true to Nokia's signature design, and this was confirmed by the CEO of HMD Global, Arto Nummela. "It will be premium quality [and a] design that people will immediately recognize as Nokia," Nummela said in a report by The Economic Times of India.

Nokia is said to immediately go global once they decide to release its two Nokia Android phones as they expect to compete with other major smartphone makers. According to reports, the company will make sure to compete well in terms of specs and pricing.

There have been speculations suggesting that the two Nokia Android phones will carry price tags from $150 to $200. The high-end model is expected to run on a powerful processor paired with 3 GB of RAM, while, the budget-friendly device will have 2 GB Memory.

As of the moment, Nokia has yet to provide the release date specifics of its upcoming two Nokia Android phones. However, the company is expected to make an announcement early next year. Stay tuned for more news and updates.
'Battlefield 1' Latest News & Update: Giant's Shadow DLC Features 3 Close Quarter, Ranged Combat Zones

Giant's Shadow, the very first map since launch of "Battlefield 1" is unleashing today, December 20. Players can expect a mixture of close quarter assault and ranged combat in this new map so everybody who have chosen their field of specialization can enjoy.

Giant's Shadow was based on Battle of the Selle which happened in 1918. "Battlefield 1" made sure that it will relive the grim and glory behind Cateau-Wassigny railway where an airship crashed. A century later, it served as "Battlefield 1" reenactment of battles between British and German firefights as they clash in Hindenburg line, Inverse narrated.

Here is how "Battlefield 1" gave justice to Giant's Shadow; a large map that accentuates both Conquest and Rush. Further, players can expect six major objectives to include a trio of clash points. Yes, this "Battlefield 1" map is reminiscent of the war with a village, railway station and zeppelin airship to combat on.

Giant's Shadow village combat can give a fast-paced "Battlefield 1" experience as players hone their close-quarter combat skills. A great strategy to beat the village is to loose assault specialist to do their point-blank combative skills. Then supports, scouts and even medics can painstakingly take on the enemies spawning from zeppelin crash site.

Going into "Battlefield 1" zeppelin addendum, this too, provides a nice close-quarter combat. Actually, the whole feel of the zeppelin is a mixture of mayhem where there is a constant risk of grenade explosion, as BreatheCast reported the introduction of grenade crossbow. This "Battlefield 1" twist will also look like undisciplined camp where players have to tuck their head often due to gunfire whizzing above frequently.

Lastly, "Battlefield 1" Giant's Shadow presents the railway station which is a marriage of close and ranged combat. There is a barn situated in the middle of the field which is purposely set for snipers. So it is a given, the final "Battlefield 1" twist in this DLC is a battle of those who live by the ethos of "one shot, one kill."
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is ready to reschedule the debt of PrivatBank on its refinancing loans being UAH 19 billion today, including UAH 14 billion of overdue debt, Deputy Governor of the NBU Kateryna Rozhkova has said.

"After the transfer of ownership rights we will work with new managers to restructure the debt," she said at a briefing at the NBU on Tuesday.

Rozhkova said that immovable property and movable property in the form of airplanes is used as collateral for these loans.

"Most [of the refinancing loans] are covered with collateral. They [collateral] are in ownership of persons affiliated with shareholders of PrivatBank," Deputy Board Chairman of the NBU Oleh Churiy said.
Nokia D1C & Nokia Android Phones Release Date, News & Update: Nokia Looking to Capture Market With Competitive Pricing

Nokia Android phones are coming in 2017 and latest reports suggest that the Nokia D1C could be made available at a starting price of just $150. Nokia is expected to release three Android handsets in 2017 and Nokia D1C is one of the three. Apple ad Samsung are the top brands in the smartphone segment with Google and Microsoft all looking to solidify their presence too.

Nokia, the original maker of the mobile phone, won't be left behind. The company has neither confirmed nor denied the competitive pricing of the Nokia D1C. Rumors suggest there will be two variants of the phone. One will be a 5-inch Full HD Display phone with 2GB RAM and a price of $150. The other will have 5.5-inch Full HD Display and 3GB RAM. Its price may range from $200 to $250.

As per Gadgets 360, the Nokia D1C handset may sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and Adreno 505 GPU. Both the mentioned variants may come with 16GB internal storage. Camera-wise, the D1C may have 13MP and 16MP rear camera modules. Both variants are expected to sport 8MP front cameras.

Nokia is also said to be working with an entry-level Android phone, known as Pixel, and also another high-end Android phone. The Pixel is said to run on Android 7.0.1 Nougat and it may also be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC and 1GB RAM. Quick Charge 3.0 may also be included. Apart from the Nokia D1C and Nokia Pixel, the high-end smartphone may also be unveiled at the MWC 2017.

This Nokia Android phone will either sport a 5.2-inch or 5.5-inch screen 2K (QHD) display. The handset may be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and the primary camera could have a premium Carl Zeiss lens. This phone may have a metal unibody design and waterproof capability. Stay tuned on GameNGuide for more updates on Nokia D1C and other Nokia Android phones.
Android 7.0 Nougat Latest News & Update: Finally Comes To Xiaomi Redmi 3, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi 3S; Sony Xperia Too!

Android 7.0 Nougat-based MIUI 9 software update will soon come to the Xiaomi smartphone models Mi Note, Mi 4c and Mi 4s. As the Android 7.0 Nougat beta testing has already begun, the MIUI operations manager announced that some of the company's smartphones will be one of the first to get the software update.

The Android 7.0 Nougat update is also expected to come to other Xiaomi smartphones such as Xiaomi Redmi 3, Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime, Xiaomi Redmi 3S, and Xiaomi Redmi 3A. Also, Xiaomi Redmi Pro, Xiaomi Mi MIX, Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus, and Xiaomi Mi Note 2 will get it too.

Android 7.0 Nougat-based MIUI 9 update for the Xiaomi smartphones, however, has no confirmed date of release yet. Nevertheless, there are speculations that the release will likely happen before 2016 ends, given that the Android 7.0 Nougat update is expected to make the handsets become more appealing to the customers.

In fact, reports suggest that the Android 7.0 Nougat-based MIUI 9 is Xiaomi's own Android version, which is believed to include great details from the company compared to the regular Nougat features of Android. As such, Xiaomi smartphones would likely stop being just among the few notable brands that were lagging behind a number of its own rivals, according to report.

Meanwhile, the Android 7.0 Nougat update also continues with software for Sony smartphone such as Sony Xperia X (F5121), Sony Xperia X Dual (F5122), and Sony Xperia X Compact (F5321). According to reports, the said Sony devices have started receiving the Android 7.0 Nougat since Friday. In addition, the handsets will also update to system version 34.2.A.0.266 to take from Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow to Android 7.0 Nougat.

Moreover, those users who have not received the Android 7.0 Nougat update yet can check for the available software by accessing Settings > About Phone > Software update. The Android 7.0 Nougat update is expected to hit the markets in these areas by this time: Vietnam, Russia, Turkey, Latin America, Australia, Middle East and Thailand, Android Police reported. Watch Android 7.0 Nougat | LIST OF DEVICE | Final List |
Blackberry News & Updates: TCL Buys Blackberry; Alcatel Name Allegedly On It?

The Chinese company TCL bought BlackBerrys global rights. TCL already made BlackBerrys last two phones DTEK50 and DTEK60. In September BlackBerry announced they sold their global rights to TCL and now they will focus on better service and software.

However, BlackBerry still is not fully cut off. TCL will design, manufacture, sell and provide customer support while BlackBerry will work on software and services. The companies are working on a new deal with an Indian company, however, these global rights dont apply in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Indonesia, The Verge reported. The last models as well as the upcoming wont be made by BlackBerry, which was expected since the company is holding to 0.1 % on the global market, where in 2009 they held 20%.

Things took a bad turn when Apple and Android phones appeared on the market which were a total success, but this meant death for BlackBerry. For six years they struggled on the market but couldnt surface among these phone giants when they finally sold the global rights to a Chinese company TCL as The Next Web reported. Now, TCL will sell their products under the Alcatel marquee. But this means nothing since TCL bought Palm in January and still havent done anything with it.

According to PC World, BlackBerry is dead. Yes, they sold their global rights to TCL and yes they are dead. The Chinese company will do everything for their phones while BlackBerry can work on software and service. Among smartphone giants like Apple and Samsung who are currently making the rules for the market, but Nokia and BlackBerry went with the option to sell their global rights. TCL bought Alcatel and they are planning to sell BlackBerrys phones with Alcatel name on it, but nothing is for sure yet since they bought Palm in January and did nothing with it, this could easily be the case with BlackBerry too, however, they will announce their plans in the next few months.
'Final Fantasy' 30th Anniversary News & Update: Celebration Set For Jan 31; More Details Revealed

"Final Fantasy" will be celebrating its 30th anniversary early next year. And it will kick off with an opening ceremony next month.

Square Enix has announced that it will be holding an event in celebration of the anniversary of "Final Fantasy". The series' birthday bash is said to start off with "'Final Fantasy' 30th Anniversary Opening Ceremony".

The "Final Fantasy" 30th anniversary opening ceremony will be held in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo at Toha Cinemas on January 31, 2017, as per Dual Shockers. Two events are slated to take part at the same day with the same contents. The first will be held at 6:30 PM while the other one is at 5:00 PM.

Moreover, Shinji Hashimoto is set to host the event. Hasishimoto is the brand manager of "Final Fantasy" and he is currently the acting general producer of the anniversary.

On top of that, admission will be free. However, only 200 fans can get a chance to join the opening ceremony of "Final Fantasy's birthday bash. These lucky fans will be chosen through raffle.

To join, just head on to Square Enix's website and sign up for free.Those "Final Fantasy" fans who want to test their luck to get a chance to be one of the fortunate 200 fans can submit their applications before January 9, 2017.

Lots of special guests are expected in the "Final Fantasy" 30th anniversary opening ceremony as well. However, details on that still remain under wraps.

The opening ceremony of "Final Fantasy" 30th anniversary is the same date as the 20th birthday of "Final Fantasy" 7. With that, speculations are making rounds that the gaming icon might probably celebrate both of the anniversaries even bigger.

However, the opening ceremony is only slated in Japan. Even so, the title of the "Final Fantasy" event suggests that it might probably hold more events in the coming months later in the year. Thus, keep an eye out on updates.
Samsung Galaxy S8 To Be Powered By LG's Battery Technology

Samsung has just recently concluded their official investigation on the Galaxy Note 7 explosions. Sources have continually pinpointed the battery as the cause for these incidents, while an engineering company blames the phone's internal design. The company has previously sourced its batteries from its own subsidiary and another supplier. However, recent reports suggest that Samsung might source its batteries from LG by 2017 to power its Galaxy S8.

Gamenguide previously reported that the Galaxy Note 7's internal design was tagged as the most probable culprit. The phone's aggressive push for a slimmer size with better battery performance has apparently gone the wrong way. As experts have indicated, the note 7 barely had enough space to account for battery expansion. They speculate that Samsung was aware of the design risk but still went ahead with production. Samsung still has not publicly released the results of their official investigation, but it seems they won't take another risk with their batteries and are reportedly in talks with LG's chemical unit.

Beginning next year, Samsung could be sourcing their battery directly from their rival LG. That would mean its upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 series and Galaxy Note 8.0 follow up will be powered by LG's battery technology. PhoneArena reports that a source says "There is a strong chance that LG will start supplying smartphone batteries to Samsung around the second half of next year." Speculations point out that Samsung attempted to avoid any transactions with their rival because of professional pride. After Sharp stopped supplying LCD displays for the company, LG willingly took their place as main supplier.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 was supposed to be a flagship smartphone that would outshine other brands this year. It seems bad decisions were made from an engineering standpoint, which greatly affected the company's image and sales numbers. Perhaps it is time for Samsung to get back on track and take its rightful place as the top smartphone brand with the Galaxy S8.
iOS 10.1.1 Jailbreak Release Date, Latest News & Update: Lucas Todesco Discovers Bug, Apple Crack Shift iOS Version Focus

It has been a week since Apple release iOS 10.2 to the public, not to mention a week with no iOS 10 jailbreak in sight. Pangu and other hacking groups continue to remain mum on one with most giving up.

Hacker Lucas Todesco has been keeping the iOS 10 flame alive though his focus has been on another version  iOS 10.1.1. While most are waiting for an iOS 10 jailbreak, he may have just stumbled on to something sensible.

Apparently, this had to do with a kernel and root exploit originally exposed by developer Ian Beer. The said bug is present on iOS 10.1.1, affirming Todescos earlier theory. Hence, most of the Apple Jailbreaking Community may end up sticking to iOS 10.1.1. and hope for an actual jailbreak from Todesco, Forbes reported.

In what could perhaps be the best news tied up to a potential iOS 10 jailbreak, this somehow offsets a previous claim that Todesco issued. As mentioned in a previous post, Todesco admitted that iOS 10 was un-jailbreakable, admitting Yahoo has done a fine job cleaning up the bugs and exploits.

With Pangu and other hacking groups opting to remain silent, waiting on iOS 10.1.1 jailbreak has reinvigorated the wait for some members of the Apple Jailbreaking community. But like before, it would be best to lower expectations with no crack made public for iOS 10 as we speak.

The last working crack was for iOS 9.3.3 by Pangu. Nothing followed thereafter with most believing the Chinese hacking group issuing a crack once iOS 10.2 was out. As of this writing, there is no indication of one coming.

Apple has done its part though Pangu never mentioned anything about an actual date on when they would release iOS 10.2. That could happen this Christmas or maybe in 2017. Then again, there could be no iOS 10 jailbreak coming at all which should disappoint Apple owners relying on the iOS crack.
NVidia PC Gaming Revival Kit Now Available Especially for Lapsed PC Gamers With Free 'Gears of War 4' at $417, More Details Here!

NVidia has a new bundle of products called PC Gaming Revival Kit that the company aims to motivate lapsed PC gamers to enlist themselves again. It appears to be geared in the direction of Spanish speaking European consumers.

VideoCardz has disclosed what comes in the NVidia PC Gaming Revival Kit in Spanish and set a price in Euros. The bundle comes with a Corsair Force Series LE 240GB solid-state drive (SSD), an MSI GeForce GTX 1060 3GT OC Twin Frozr graphics card and a Corsair CX450M power supply for 399 or $416.62 plus a copy of "Gears of War 4" for Windows 10 and an Nvidia-branded T-shirt, according to Tech Radar.

There are purpose-built gaming PC that are unable to carry such requirements of new releases but with the several components that come with the NVidia PC Gaming Revival Kit bundle, the company hopes to make consumers upgrade their rigs with no trouble.

According to Digital Trends, the components of NVidia PC Gaming Revival Kit are only meant to revive the PC in question instead of transforming it to a powerhouse competent of operating new releases. What's on the box particularly refers to MOBA games, which suggests the type of content that the kit would be able to handle.

Each of the components included in the NVidia PC Gaming Revival Kit, which has a total price close to the bundle. This means that consumers can find each of these parts elsewhere whenever they plan to upgrade. However, it's way easy to get the bundle especially this holiday season without having to search the internet with lots of acronyms that people need to go through to get these kinds of PC gaming parts.

On the other hand, the NVidia GeForce GTX 1060 highlights the brilliant 1080p performance, a stable 1440p performance, remarkable overlocker and GTX 980 matching. The kit sells for $239.99 at Amazon.
Antonov State Enterprise (Kyiv) has finished building An-132D multipurpose plane-demonstrator with a carrying capacity of 9.2 tonnes for Saudi Arabia.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Antonov on Tuesday with participation of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

The head of state congratulated the project participants with the completion of the An-132D plane-demonstrator. He expressed confident that the project would be the first step in implementing a large potential of Ukrainian-Arabian cooperation. He thanked Arabian partners for the participation in financing the project. He said that thanks to An-132 Saudi Arabia would receive the basis for creating own aviation industry.

He said that the new An-132D is a truly international project with leading aircraft builders participating in it.

Poroshenko said that the new multipurpose air freighter An-132D had been designed and constructed in a record-breaking time  one year and a half. He said that the plane must be tested. He expressed confidence that the project has good market prospects: the market of the new An-132D until 2035 is estimated at 260-290 planes.

It is planned that after tests in spring 2017 the new plane will be presented to potential customers in Saudi Arabia.

Infrastructure for the An-132 program in Saudi Arabia is being prepared now.

The An-132D multipurpose plane is a modification of light transport An-32. The new plane is to replace An-32 and An-26 on the market. Antonov is implementing the program under a contract signed in April 2015 with Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Taqnia Aeronautics Co. The plane is being built with participation of leading western manufacturers: Pratt & Whitney Canada, CMC Electronics (Canada), U.S. Honeywell, France's Liebherr and Britain's Dowty Propellers.
Palestinian Alia AlAbsi of Northampton, holding a sign that reads "Children of Syria we have not forgotten you," speaks briefly but emotionally to about 100 people gathered in front of First Churches in Northampton during a rally in support of the people of Syria on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Michael Kane with the Valley Syrian Relief Committee reads a letter from U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern during a rally in support of the people of Syria held in front of First Churches in Northampton on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Sara Weinberger, with the Valley Syrian Relief Committee, speaks to about 100 people gathered in front of First Churches in Northampton for a rally in support of the people of Syria on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Smith College senior Nashwa Alsharki, left, listens as Yamila Irizarry-Gerould, right, of Hatfield and Mukaram Hhana, center, a postdoctoral fellow at Smith College, speak to about 100 people gathered in front of First Churches in Northampton for a rally in support of the people of Syria on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Sara Weinberger, left, and Debbie Shriver, both with the Valley Syrian Relief Committee, and Ahmad Sawan of West Springfield were among about 100 people who gathered in front of First Churches in Northampton for a rally in support of the people of Syria on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Yamila Irizarry-Gerould of Hatfield, above, translated the comments of one of the Syrians who spoke, in Arabic, to Sundays rally of about 100 people held in front of First Churches in Northampton. Below, Sana Sawan, 7, of West Springfield holds a sign that reads Please find a solution to the crisis in Syria. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING PHOTOS

Sana Sawan, 7, of West Springfield holds a sign that reads "Please find a solution to the crisis in Syria," during a rally in front of First Churches in Northampton on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Zid Alnasar, left, of Westfield and Ahmad Sawan of West Springfield attend a rally in front of First Churches in Northampton in support of the people of Syria on Sunday, December 18, 2016. Both men spoke, through a translator, to the gathering of about 100 people. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Zaid AlNassar, right, of Westfield was one of the Syrians who spoke to a rally of about 100 people gathered in front of First Churches in Northampton in support of the people of Syria on Sunday. GAZETTE STAFF/KEVIN GUTTING

Remas AlSalamaat, left, and Leen AlSawan hold signs in Arabic that read "Aleppo is bleeding" and "Welcome refugees" during a rally in front of First Churches in Northampton in support of the people of Syria on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

Smith College McPherson/Eveillard Postdoctoral Fellow Mukaram Hhana welcomes about 100 people to a rally in front of First Churches in Northampton in support of the people of Syria on Sunday, December 18, 2016. GAZETTE STAFF / KEVIN GUTTING

NORTHAMPTON  A world away from Aleppo, Syria, Zaid AlNassar stood behind a microphone Sunday and in Arabic tried to convey an unimaginable feeling: the pain of a relentless war that has ripped apart his homeland.

Wind swept in and clouds churned overhead as about 100 people huddled in front of First Churches of Northampton, endeavoring to do what they could to help put an end to Syrias civil war.

The pain and the bloodshed is unimaginable in Syria and in Aleppo, AlNassar said through a translator. Every day hundreds and hundreds of people die.

AlNassar, 37, who now lives in Westfield with his wife and five children, said he and his family were resettled in Massachusetts two years ago from Daraa, Syria, a city credited with helping spark the rebellion aimed at toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.

He is begging the international community and governments to respond to this crisis, the translator told the crowd. To the crowd, and to Americans, the translator said, Hes very grateful.

Thank you so much, AlNassar said into the microphone, in English.

The international community has failed to stop the bloodshed throughout Syria, where the Assad regime, backed by Russia and Iran, has tangled with the Islamic State, various rebel factions and Kurdish fighters in a bloody fight over territory. The worlds attention has been drawn to Aleppo in recent weeks, where leaders have struggled to come up with an evacuation plan for civilians left behind as government forces have wrested control of the city from rebels.

In Northampton, organizers urged those gathered to keep up pressure on world leaders to hash out a plan to shepherd civilians to safety and more broadly negotiate an end to the war.

And while organizers said governments have so far failed Syrians, they urged regular citizens not to forget them.

When people say that the world has turned its back on Syria, I think governments have turned their backs on Syria, said Sara Weinberger of the Valley Syria Relief Committee. But ordinary people have not. And this community has not, and we hope, will not.

She said the Valley Syria Relief Committee has raised about $150,000 since last fall to be donated to the Syrian American Medical Society, a non-political nonprofit working on the front lines in Syria to provide medical aid.

In addition, the Catholic Diocese of Springfield is coordinating the resettlement of 51 refugees to the Pioneer Valley, some of whom will be Syrian. Refugees could start arriving in mid-January, said Yamila Irizarry-Gerould, who helped plan Sundays rally and who said shes been working on resettlement efforts.

Irizarry-Gerould said theres a lot of doubt with the new administration coming in about the future of refugee resettlement from war-torn areas.

Irizarry-Gerould and Mukaram Hhana, a postdoctoral fellow at Smith College studying Middle Eastern history, handed out pamphlets with names of groups those gathered could donate to, including Mercy Corps, White Helmets, Doctors without Borders and NuDay Syria.

Also on the pamphlet were the names and numbers of Massachusetts congressional delegation, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, the White House and the Russian ambassador to the United States.

It is critical that you donate, Hhana said. Its really just about everybody putting in what they can to show our support and solidarity for the victims of political warfare.

Toward the end of the event, Alia AlAbsi, 39, who said she was Palestinian, held up a poster with a picture of a wounded Syrian child, stood behind a microphone and sobbed.

Please, she said. Please do something.

Contact Jack Suntrup at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com.
This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department, the Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise.

Corvallis Police Department

SATURDAY, DEC. 17

RECKLESS BURNING: 10:27 p.m., 900 block Southwest Jefferson Avenue. Police responded to a report from residents that Michael Adam Campbell had lit the flag on their house on fire, broke into their house, stole some items, punched their wall and threatened them with a hammer before fleeing. An officer found Campbell, 38, no address, and arrested him for charges of first degree burglary, menacing, unlawful use of a weapon, second degree criminal mischief, third degree theft and reckless burning.

Benton County Sheriffs Office

SUNDAY, DEC. 18

DUII: 12:20 a.m., 4000 block Northeast Highway 20. A deputy responding to a report of an intoxicated driver arrested a 16-year-old male for charges of DUII, possession of liquor by a minor and reckless endangering. The minor reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.14 percent.

FRIDAY, DEC. 16

DUII: 9:40 p.m., Northwest Circle Boulevard and Northwest Ninth Street. A deputy arrested Leslie Anne Margeson, 32, of Corvallis, for charges of DUII and reckless driving. She reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.18 percent.
When you grow trees for a living, you tend to make plans for the long term.

Thats the way they do things at Starker Forests, the Philomath timber company founded by Oregon Agricultural College forestry professor T.J. Starker in 1936 with 110 acres of second-growth trees in the Coast Range.

T.J. Starkers strategy of buying cut-over ground and nurturing trees to maturity has paid off, resulting in a company with 20 full-time employees, 87,000 acres of standing timber in Benton, Lincoln, Lane, Linn and Polk counties, and annual sales of around $15 million. So has his vision of grooming younger family members to take an active role in the business, with a fourth generation of Starkers now involved in the company.

But sometimes life gets in the way, as it did in 1975, when T.J.s son, Bruce Starker, died unexpectedly in a small-plane crash, thrusting his own sons, Bond and Barte Starker, into management positions years earlier than expected. It happened again last year, when health issues forced Barte Starker, the younger brother, to retire prematurely.

Now 69, Bond Starker is preparing to step down as president and CEO, even though the next generation isnt quite ready to move into the executive suite.

We figured (Barte) would be the bridge, Bond Starker said in an interview last week.

Instead, the company is launching a search for a new chief executive who can lead the firm into the immediate future. Both brothers have two grown children apiece, but one of them is not involved in the family business. The other three all serve on the Starker Forests board but still have young children at home and are not prepared to take on more responsibility just yet.

As we know, accidents can happen, Bond Starker said. We wanted to make sure we had a planned transition as opposed to an unplanned transition.

Starker plans to retire after the April 22 board meeting, about a week before his 70th birthday.

Our goal is to have somebody identified (for the CEO position) by mid-March and have them start sometime between then and mid-April, he said.

After that, hes looking forward to a celebratory family trip to Hawaii and hopes to have more time to devote to his favorite hobby, photography. Also on his retirement bucket list: a boat tour of Crater Lake and an overnight stay at the park lodge.

Even with the new CEO in place, however, Starker will stay on as chairman of the board and will continue to come into the office on a regular basis, though with scaled-back duties.

Hopefully I can do more of what I like to do and less of what I dont like to do, businesswise, he said.

That means hell get to spend more time away from the office, checking on the familys scattered timber plantations stocked with Douglas and grand fir, cedar and hemlock, with a smattering of pine and spruce.

Its really good to see those trees you remember when you planted, and now theyre 12 inches or bigger in (diameter), he said.

As a company that has always believed in long growing rotations to maximize the value of its timber, Starker Forests is only now reaching what it considers a sustainable harvest level of about 44 million board feet a year.

Weve cut some of the trees Mom and Dad planted back in 1949 or 1950, Starker said. But we havent cut all of them yet.

As for the trees he and his brother planted when they were just starting out with the family firm in the 1960s and 1970s, it will be up to their kids to cut them  when the time is right.

That was kind of the plan from the beginning, I guess, Starker said. We wanted to make sure there was something for the next generation to harvest.
Mexico launches antidumping probe into imports of seamless pipes, including from Ukraine

Mexico's Secretariat of Economy has launched an antidumping investigation into imports of seamless pipes originated from South Korea, Spain, India and Ukraine.

Diario Oficial publication published the report on the start of the probe on December 15, 2016.

According to the report, the antidumping probe was opened against seamless pipes under foreign activity codes 7304.19.01, 7304.19.02, 7304.19.99, 7304.39.05, 7304.39.06 and 7304.39.99 of the Mexican customs tariff.

The investigation was launched under a claim of Mexico's TAMSA (Tubos de Arcero de Mexico S.A.) where 99% of shares belongs to Italy's Tenaris.
The aviation authorities of Uzbekistan and Ukraine plan to hold talks in Tashkent on the resumption of regular flights on the Tashkent-Kyiv-Tashkent route, the press service of Uzbekistan's Embassy in Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine.

Uzbekistan's Ambassador to Ukraine Alisher Abdualiyev noted that the last Tashkent-Kyiv-Tashkent flight was conducted in May 2015.

"Since then we have not had regular flights on this route, which affected the volume of mutual trade and the development of international tourism. As we can see, the lack of air communication between the two capitals leads to the loss of potential revenues for the both sides. At the same time, air carriers of third countries get additional advantage in this situation," the ambassador said.

According to Abdualiyev, as the result of the meetings held in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the State Aviation Service of Ukraine, the negotiations between the aviation authorities of the two countries have been scheduled for the beginning of 2017 in Tashkent.

"It is too early to speak about any results, there are a number of unresolved issues, but there is a hope that the parties will soon find a compromise that takes into account, first of all, needs and interests of the civilian population, as well as business circles of the two countries," the ambassador said.

In 2013, Uzbekistan Airways, the national airline of Uzbekistan, planned to stop regular flights on the Tashkent-Kyiv-Tashkent route. It explained that the reason for the flight cancellation could be a conflict with UIA, which it said was exerting pressure on its Uzbek partners, involving the aviation authorities and diplomats in order to get specific slots (permits to fly on certain days and certain time) of Tashkent International Airport. UIA denied this, saying that it was ready for cooperation.

In mid 2014, Uzbekistan Airways and UIA agreed to enter into an interline agreement on mutual recognition of traffic documents, as well as a code-sharing agreement (joint operation of the same flight).

In May 2015, Uzbekistan Airways again temporarily suspended Tashkent-Kyiv-Tashkent flights in the absence of the agreement between the aviation authorities of Uzbekistan and Ukraine concerning the operation of the agreed services.

Later, the then Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Andriy Pyvovarsky, expressed hope that the issue of flights on the Kyiv-Tashkent route will be resolved.

In September 2015, Uzbekistan Airways closed its office in Kyiv.
Berlin Christmas market attack : Bonn flags fly at half mast in solidarity: Arrested man may not be the culprit

BONN/BERLIN Bonn is flying flags at half mast in solidarity with victims of the Berlin Christmas market attack. Berlin police say the suspect they apprehended is denying any involvement in the attack.

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As a sign of solidarity with the victims of Berlin, Bonn city office and administration buildings will lower their flags to half mast. Hannelore Kraft, the Minister President of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) said, Such a hideous act just before Christmas tears right into our hearts. She added that NRW police and domestic intelligence remain in constant contact with security authorities at the federal level and in other countries. She resolved, We will not surrender to terror. Twelve persons were killed and dozens injured when a truck rammed into a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening.

Meanwhile, Berlin police sent out a message on Twitter that the suspect they apprehended is denying any involvement in the attack and they are asking people to remain attentive. Welt newspaper reports that a source in the Berlin police department said, We have the wrong man and that the real culprit is still out on the street and could strike again.

NRW Interior Minister Ralf Jaeger said to the broadcaster WDR5, Now we must show more vigilance and presence. Germanys Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maiziere said in a press conference on Tuesday that there could no longer be any doubt; it was a terrorist attack. He said that there had not been any statement from terror group ISIS in which they claimed responsibility.

In the passenger seat of the truck, police found a man who had been shot dead. The truck was owned by a Polish trucking company, as its owner Ariel Zurawski told Polish network, TVN 24. The driver, his cousin, was not reachable from 4 pm on Monday. Something must have been done to him, he said.
Reaction to attack in Berlin : Bonn police step up presence at Christmas market

After a truck plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing twelve persons, Bonn police are strengthening security measures in the city. At 6:30 pm, the Munster Cathedral will sound its bell to remember victims.

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Reacting to the deadly attack at the Berlin Christmas market, Bonn has increased the presence of officers patrolling Bonn city center. They are wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying machine guns. The police are taking the extra measures in accordance with a statement made by NRW Interior Minster Ralf Jager that more presence and awareness needed to be shown. He indicated that undercover measures were also being taken.

As a further measure, access to the Christmas market is blocked with the use of retractable pollards and large vehicles.

We are in close communication with all security authorities, and all police officers have once again been made keenly aware of the situation. We are doing everything we can to ensure security, said police chief Ursula Brohl-Sowa. Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan also vowed the citys support for police. He said he was convinced that visitors could feel safe at the Christmas market with all the measures that have been taken.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing a EUR 71 million loan to JV Nibulon LLC to develop and modernize logistic infrastructure in Ukraine, the company has said on its website.

Nibulon said that the funds would help the company to form a package of investment of $200 million. The money will be sent to finance the project on development and reconstruction of elevators, building transshipping and logistics terminals (building of tugboats) in Ukraine that would be implemented in coming two or three years.

The project is intended to create a stable, modern and wider grain storage and transportation system. The prices on domestic transportation would decrease and exports of agricultural products would grow, the company said.

Nibulon seeks to build up to 10 modern elevator complexes, including on the Dnipro and Southern Bug rivers. This would help to bring the total grain storage capacity of the company to 2.5 million tonnes.

The company intends to reconstruct the Nibulon shipyard. It would build up to 15 ships and processes up to 15,000 tonnes of metal a year.

Nibulon wants to increase the deadweight of its cargo fleet to 250,000 tonnes and boost river transportation by e Dnipro and Southern Bug rivers to 4 million tonnes. This would help to save UAH 3.16 billion of budget funds on repair of roads.

The agreement between the company and the EIB was signed on December 19 in Brussels as part of the meeting of the Ukraine-EU Association Council.
Twelve killed in Berlin : Police say truck was deliberately steered into Christmas market

Berlin A truck raced into a Christmas market in Berlin at the Gedachtniskirche. Twelve people are dead and dozens injured.

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After a truck plowed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Monday night, investigators believe it was a deliberate act. Police reported this assumption on Twitter on Tuesday morning. They have ruled out an accident and are calling it presumably a terrorist act. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere also said in the night that much pointed to an attack. However, it is still not entirely clear if it was a rampage or a terrorist attack.

A spokesperson from dpa (German Press Agency) said the identity of the driver is still unclear. The suspected driver escaped initially but was found by police near the Siegesaule (Berlin Victory Column). Security circles are reporting that the man could be Pakistani or from Afghanistan and that he came to Germany as a refugee but identifying him is difficult because he could be using a false name. Besides the driver, there was a second man in the truck sitting in the passenger seat and he was found dead. His identity also remains unclear.

The truck belonged to a Polish trucking company and was carrying a load of steel construction. The head of the trucking company said it was on its way from Italy to Berlin but police are looking into information that the truck had been stolen from a building site in Poland.

The incident took place in the heart of Berlin at the Gedachtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church), killing at least twelve people and injuring dozens. At around 8 pm, the truck drove with a high speed about 50 to 80 meters through the crowds in the market, destroying some stands along the way. Besides the driver, there was a second man in the truck sitting in the passenger seat and he was found dead in the cabin of the truck.

Federal public prosecutors in Karlsruhe have taken on the investigation. This news was sent out on Twitter in the evening by Heiko Mass, Federal Minister of Justice.
An opportunity for foodies and beer lovers to get lost in a world of food and drink from a hand-selected range of food trucks and breweries from around New Zealand.
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.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has noted the importance of the decision to by the European Commission to provide EUR 104 million as financial assistance to Ukraine, as well as the signing of a memorandum and a number of cooperation agreements with the European Investment Bank (EIB).

"I have closely followed the meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council, which has been held in Brussels today. We are pleased with the practical results of this meeting. I would also like to note that the Association Council called for the need to continue both political interaction and cooperation in the fields of energy, infrastructure, trade, agriculture, justice and home affairs. This means that in 2017 we will have to do a lot of systemic work with our European partners," he wrote on Facebook page on Monday.

The prime minister stressed the importance of the signing of several agreements with the European Commission, in particular regarding the provision of non-repayable financial assistance to Ukraine in the amount of EUR 104 million to support public administration reform.

"The memorandum on cooperation and four other agreements signed today with the European Investment Bank provide an opportunity to attract EUR620 million (!) of credit resources for the modernization of Ukrainian railway and agricultural logistics infrastructure, improving the energy efficiency of individual Ukrainian higher educational institutions, as well as the financial and banking support for small and medium enterprises in the country," Groysman said.

As reported, on December 19, during a meeting of the Association Council with Ukraine, an agreement on the provision of EUR 104 million was signed between the European Commission and the Ukrainian government. The agreement governs European Commission support to Ukraine's public administration reform. It is a component of a larger package totaling EUR 300 million of EU support for accountable and transparent government in Ukraine, developed over past months in order to back Ukraine's own reform efforts.
PHOTOS: Anambras Chioma Obiadi Stephanie Crowned The 40th Miss Nigeria

bohlah at 20-12-2016 08:08 AM (5 years ago) (m)

Last night the 40th edition of the Miss Nigeria pageant was held at the Eko Hotel Convention & Suites in Lagos and the show wrapped up a couple of hours ago with a newly crowned queen.

Last night the 40th edition of the Miss Nigeria pageant was held at the Eko Hotel Convention & Suites in Lagos and the show wrapped up a couple of hours ago with a newly crowned queen.

Representing Anambra, Chioma Obiadi Stephanie was crowned Miss Nigeria 2016 replacing the outgoing Leesi Peter.





Chioma recently represented Nigeria at the 2016 Miss Earth beauty pageant.



Apart from the title, Chioma also won an all-expense paid trip to France.



See photos from the winning moment below.















Representing Anambra, Chioma Obiadi Stephanie was crowned Miss Nigeria 2016 replacing the outgoing Leesi Peter.Chioma recently represented Nigeria at the 2016 Miss Earth beauty pageant.Apart from the title, Chioma also won an all-expense paid trip to France.See photos from the winning moment below.

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 20-12-2016 08:08 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero

zobi at 20-12-2016 08:14 AM (5 years ago)

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donsmoki at 20-12-2016 08:23 AM (5 years ago)

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Dramaking at 20-12-2016 08:24 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Posted: at 20-12-2016 08:24 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Smh Reply

Raphkomo at 20-12-2016 08:38 AM (5 years ago)

(m) cool Posted: at 20-12-2016 08:38 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming cool Reply

journalist96 at 20-12-2016 08:46 AM (5 years ago)

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Donchijoz at 20-12-2016 09:09 AM (5 years ago)

(m) I wonder what this girls are going through before becoming this most beautiful girl. Chidinma own is cucumber, this one sha I don't know. Pawpaw Posted: at 20-12-2016 09:09 AM (5 years ago) | Upcoming I wonder what this girls are going through before becoming this most beautiful girl. Chidinma own is cucumber, this one sha I don't know. Pawpaw Reply

freethinker at 20-12-2016 09:10 AM (5 years ago)

(m) CONGRATS!!! DAUGHTER OF BIAFRA.

BIAFRA LEADS OTHERS FOLLOW FOLLOW Posted: at 20-12-2016 09:10 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac CONGRATS!!! DAUGHTER OF BIAFRA.BIAFRA LEADS OTHERS FOLLOW FOLLOW Reply

emytex74 at 20-12-2016 09:39 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Make e no be say tomorrow now we go come dey story about cucumber

no be to win be the problem Posted: at 20-12-2016 09:39 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac Make e no be say tomorrow now we go come dey story about cucumberno be to win be the problem Reply

gogoman at 20-12-2016 10:40 AM (5 years ago)

(m) CUCUMBER GIRLS Posted: at 20-12-2016 10:40 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero CUCUMBER GIRLS Reply

morolayo at 20-12-2016 11:43 AM (5 years ago)

(f) E don do! No story in future o! Okay? Posted: at 20-12-2016 11:43 AM (5 years ago) | Gistmaniac E don do! No story in future o! Okay? Reply

chimexcel at 20-12-2016 12:15 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Good for her Posted: at 20-12-2016 12:15 PM (5 years ago) | Upcoming Good for her Reply

kison at 20-12-2016 12:40 PM (5 years ago)

(m) JUST CONTINUE TO BE CAREFULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Posted: at 20-12-2016 12:40 PM (5 years ago) | Hero JUST CONTINUE TO BE CAREFULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Reply

kacylee at 20-12-2016 07:52 PM (5 years ago)

(f) gogoman are u seeing what im seeing?? I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 20-12-2016 07:52 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero gogoman are u seeing what im seeing?? Reply

BournIdentity at 28-12-2016 03:50 PM (5 years ago)

(m) Sidon there dey look like zombie,,,,.. I just dey wakaring Posted: at 28-12-2016 03:50 PM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero Sidon there dey look like zombie,,,,.. I just dey wakaring Reply

BournIdentity at 29-12-2016 05:08 AM (5 years ago)

(m) Knack mi tori.....,,,

I just dey observe! Dey pass jejeli as in,, maka, make jelorsi no kill u o Posted: at 29-12-2016 05:08 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero Knack mi tori.....,,,I just dey observe! Dey pass jejeli as in,, maka, make jelorsi no kill u o Reply
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clarajancita at 20-12-2016 10:14 AM (5 years ago) (f)

A small airline abruptly canceled its flights from JFK to Guyana in South America on Saturday morning, leaving about 1,000 travelers stranded at the Queens airport. Among those left high and dry by Dynamic International Airways was Leezel Cambridge, 27, a bride-to-be who missed her own wedding because of an unexplained snafu in the 2 a.m. flight.

A small airline abruptly canceled its flights from JFK to Guyana in South America on Saturday morning, leaving about 1,000 travelers stranded at the Queens airport. Among those left high and dry by Dynamic International Airways was Leezel Cambridge, 27, a bride-to-be who missed her own wedding because of an unexplained snafu in the 2 a.m. flight.

Guyanese Leezel Campbell who was to have been married yesterday saw her wedding being put off after Dynamic Airways cancelled her flight.



Her husband had to tell their 300 guests, who were already waiting at their venue, that she wouldnt be making it.

I had to cancel it, she said of her nuptials. She spent Sunday which was supposed to be her wedding day curled up on the airports floor with her wedding dress and 15 of her family members.



Guyanese Leezel Campbell who was to have been married yesterday saw her wedding being put off after Dynamic Airways cancelled her flight.Her husband had to tell their 300 guests, who were already waiting at their venue, that she wouldnt be making it.she said of her nuptials. She spent Sunday which was supposed to be her wedding day curled up on the airports floor with her wedding dress and 15 of her family members.

Post Reply I am a metro reporter on Gistmania, I have been publishing news materials for over 5 years Posted: at 20-12-2016 10:14 AM (5 years ago) | Hero
MoneyTap Introduces Indias First App-Based Credit Line, Brings Credit to Consumers On A Tap Features oi -Chakri Kudikala The Fintech based startup launched its first credit line app in partnership with several banks in India.

After the announcement of the scrapping of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes in India, things have quickly changed. All these days we have seen some rampage rise in the digital wallet apps space in the country.

However, nearly a month ago, a Bangalore based startup launched a new kind of service, and it is India's first App-Based Credit Line service, namely, the MoneyTap. For this service, the startup has collaborated with banks in India to deliver credit of money with a tap to customers.

Also Read: Nokia C1 Video Renders Reveal Stunning Design, Dual Camera Setup, and Xenon Flash

Speaking about the much-interested Credit Line feature, it is a facility which was previously available for businesses and the feature is now made available to consumers as well. Having said that, the Credit Line feature means that the bank will issue a limit of up to 5 lakhs without charging interest.

After being assigned a particular limit in the MoneyTap application, the consumers can borrow as little as Rs. 3000 to as much as Rs. 5 lakhs and the amount taken can be repaid as EMI's from two months to 36 months or three years. The interest is applicable only for the amount borrowed, and the rates can be as low as 1.25 percent per month.

The most interesting thing with this MoneyTap app is the limit will automatically replenish as soon as the EMI's are paid back. Till now, many of you might get a question that how this app works? Well, we are here to show that as well.

How MoneyTap App Can be Used?

Firstly, remember that any salaried employee can download this free Android app and register in the service is dead easy. The application is built on a patent-pending Chatbot interface, and it asks for all the typical information required by banks. The app securely connects with the banking systems to ensure that users will get instant approval along with a credit limit depending on the individual credit history.

Also Read: Protect Your Smartphone From Being Hacked In Just 2 Minutes!

The application interface is near and clean. Upon opening the app, we get a chatbot based interface that asks for your eKYC details. Also, you can just scan your Aadhar card barcode, and the application will automatically generate your information within seconds. Also, it asks for your PAN card to check whether you are a salaried employee or not.

The application will scan all your details, and within five minutes, it shows you whether you're eligible for the credit limit or not. If you're available for the credit limit, you will be allotted with a certain amount up to Rs. 5 lakhs. If you're not eligible, then the application shows the same.

After getting the credit line approval, you can transfer a minimum of Rs. 3,000 to a maximum of Rs. 5 lakhs to your bank account within seconds. And yeah, the transfer will be done within seconds as it uses IMPS to transfer funds. That's it, the taken amount should be paid by you via EMI's up to 36 months.

Apart from this, MoneyTap is also providing a master card with which you can transact on almost all the sites in India. The card can be swiped at offline markets as well, which is a good feature to have around.

The application is currently available only for the salaried citizens of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai. However, the company is planning to expand their services in the coming months. All said and done, this new MoneyTap application will be unique to its kind and users as of now are satisfied with the service from the company.

Best Mobiles in India
Select Sony Xperia Handsets Receive Android 7.0 Nougat Flavor, Get Enhanced User Interface Features oi -Sneha Sony Xperia X, X Dual, and X Compact receive Android 7.0 Nougat update.

August 2016 has been a crucial month for Sony as the company decided to roll out Android 7.0 Nougat update for a wide range of Xperia handsets. The Japanese-based firm had earlier noted that it is working towards rolling out the Android 7.0 Nougat update to most Xperia series smartphones by the end of this year.

Sony has begun rolling out the Nougat software update to Xperia X (F5121), Xperia X Dual (F5122), and Xperia X Compact (F5321) units starting early December. Upgrading from Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow to Android 7.0 Nougat will bring improvements to the camera set up and the stamina mode of the smartphones, state reports.

SEE ALSO: Asus Zenfone 3 Max 5.5 Now Available in India at Rs. 17,999



The latest flavor of Android 7.0 Nougat brings a number of improvements to the devices including instant apps, better notifications, enhanced the user interface, more power saving optimizations, lower system requirements, seamless updates, Daydream VR, Google Allo and Duo messaging apps, improved multi-tasking, and many more enhancements.

To get the software update, the user can just go to Settings > About Phone > Software update, and they are good to go.

SEE ALSO: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Likely to be Launched in India by Mid-January at Rs. 8,900



Along with the Android 7.0 Nougat update, Sony also plans to be the first non-Google branded manufacturer to release Android 7.1.1 to its devices sooner than anyone can imagine. The Xperia devices that had already received Android 7.0 Nougat update are likely to be the first ones to get the 7.1.1 version. Along with this, Sony might also plan to skip Android 7.0 and upgrade a few Xperia devices directly to Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

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A New Nokia Z2 Plus Flagship Smartphone with 4GB of RAM Spotted on Geekbench News oi -Chakri Kudikala The smartphone is expected to house Snapdragon 820 SoC, coupled with 4GB of RAM.

Just the other day, we reported that two new Nokia flagship phones were spotted online and now possibly a new Nokia flagship smartphone which is due to release next year pays its visit to benchmark site Geekbench.

Dubbed as the Nokia Z2 Plus, the smartphone gained a single core test score of 2156 and dual-core test score of 5217, which clearly indicates that it's a flagship smartphone. Having said that, the Geekbench listing also revealed the processor of the smartphone and it houses an MSM8996, and it is possibly the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset with a clock speed of 1.77GHz.

Also Read: MoneyTap Introduces India's First App-Based Credit Line, Brings Credit to Consumers On A Tap

The Nokia Z2 Plus will come with 4GB of RAM. Interestingly enough, the smartphone is running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow according to the listing. Nevertheless, all the previous rumors regarding Nokia phones suggested that they would boot Android Nougat out-of-the-box, but this new listing proves it wrong.

As per previous rumors, Nokia is planning to launch two flagships, and they are expected to be unveiled at MWC 2017. One of the flagships is rumored to come with 5.5-inch 2K display and the other one with a 5.2-inch 1080p screen, but none of them are officially confirmed. The 5.5-inch variant might get Snapdragon 821 chipset and 6GB of RAM along with much powerful camera as well. And, the Z2 Plus is what we are assuming as the 5.2-inch model, but not sure about that, though.

With the launch date nearing, we are expecting more leaks about the Nokia phones. We will keep you once there is any other relevant information regarding the Nokia phones.

Source

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New Nokia Flagship Smartphone Images and Specs Leak Online News oi -Samden Sherpa The images of a new Nokia-branded smartphone have hit the web.

It seems like Nokia is planning to create a stir in the smartphone market once again. With the news of various Nokia devices already circulating all over the internet, we are still hearing rumors about a Nokia flagship smartphone that could debut in 2017.

Samsung Plans to Use LG Made batteries for its Next Note Smartphone

A recent post on the Chinese blog, My Drivers, has once again revealed the images of a new Nokia-branded smartphone, which is tow to be released sometime in the next year.

The new leak suggests that the smartphone could be dubbed Nokia P and reveals key design elements of the upcoming device.

In addition, the Chinese blog, which is in possession of the images claims that the Nokia P will likely feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC paired with 6GB of RAM. It's also expected to come with a 23MP rear camera with Zeiss lens.

Xiaomi Mi 6 Could Come in 3 Variants With Different SoCs

While there are no details about the screen size, previous rumors have indicated that the device might come with a Quad HD resolution display. The device should also run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

However, there is no mention of the price or the launch date as of now. We can just wait for now. More details on Nokia phones will surface online once the company holds a press conference at MWC (Mobile World Congress) Barcelona in February 2017.

Amidst such developments, it will be interesting to see what Nokia has been planning to develop and launch to mark its return to the mobile phone business. Furthermore, it looks like 2017 is going to be an exciting year with various manufacturers launching different flagship products for the consumers.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he is shocked by the news of an attack on a Christmas market in the center of Berlin.

"The Ukrainians are praying for the innocent victims of the tragedy and condemn this devilish act of violence that can have no justification," Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.

At least nine people were killed when a truck plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in center of Berlin, near the Gedachtniskirche church, on Monday.
Samsung Plans to Use LG Made batteries for its Next Note Smartphone News oi -Rohit To avoid the next battery fiasco, Samsung is reportedly partnering with LG Chem for smartphone batteries

The Galaxy Note 7 fiasco gave a big blow to Samsung in the passing year 2016. It was a great device, but succumbed to severe battery issues, which ultimately forced the tech giant to call for a global rollover of the handset.

That said, to avoid any future similar incidents, Samsung is reportedly talking with LG Chem, the battery manufacturing arm of LG, for its next Galaxy Note smartphone and possibly for all other smartphones launching in the 2017.

As per a report by engadget, Samsung is in serious talks with LG Chemical to use their batteries in company's upcoming smartphones.

SEE ALSO: MoneyTap Introduces India's First App-Based Credit Line, Brings Credit to Consumers On A Tap

As it requires over a time period of six months designing and completing the test procedures for a new device, we might not see the Galaxy S8 carrying the LG made battery. But there's a serious chance that the next Note device- the Galaxy Note 8 might come with LG made battery.

The report states that both the companies are holding productive talks but a final agreement has yet to be declared.

The Korean giant had to stop using batteries from its own affiliate Samsung SDI after the Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco in October 2016.

Soon after it was launched, there had been several cases of the smartphone exploding or other cases of the phone heating up, then suddenly bursting up in flames and some have claimed to see smoke coming out of the device when kept idle.

The Note device was even banned at airports globally to prevent any fatal incident.

It will be worth seeing how Samsung markets the Galaxy Note 8 device carrying the LG made battery because both the companies are rivals in the smartphone segment. LG has recently launched their latest flagship smartphone - the V20 that takes on Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.

Whatever will be the final decision between the two tech giants, it is quite clear that Samsung just cannot afford an incident like this in future. The company's shares have also plunged 8 per cent in the market after the rollover of Galaxy Note 7 and the customer loyalty is also compromised, which Samsung wants to revive with its upcoming devices.

Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals

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Xiaomi Mi 6 Could Come in 3 Variants With Different SoCs News oi -Prajith Get ready for Xiaomis upcoming flagship.

Xiaomis upcoming flagship smartphone, the Mi 6 is speculated to come in 3 variants each with different chipsets, a new leak suggests. The smartphone was earlier rumored to be equipped with Qualcomms upcoming SoC, the Snapdragon 835. However, in addition to this, expect the Mi 6 to come powered with a MediaTeks Helio SoC and an in-house Pinecone SoC.

According to @KJuma, a China-based leakster, there will be three variants with the monikers Mi 6S, Mi 6E, and Mi 6P with each letter after the 'Mi 6 representing the chipset name. For instance S in the Mi 6S represents the Snapdragon 835 SoC. Similarly, 'P represents Pinecone SoC and for some strange reason 'E represents MediaTeks Helio SoC.

Also Read: BLUBOO to Release the First Android Smartphone With Dual Front and Rear Camera Setup

The leakster later adds that 'E could represent an Exynos chipset. But, we dont think thats happening anytime soon since theres no news that both the companies struck any deal of late.

As far as other details are concerned, theres no solid information available yet. Nevertheless, you can expect the smartphone to come with 6GB of RAM and Android 7.0 (or 7.1) Nougat based MIUI 9 among others.

Source

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Alan Burkitt-Gray speaks to Don MacNeil, chief operating officer of GTT, about its company restructuring after coming out of Chapter 11 and its strategic roadmap for the next 12 months.
German English

2A Pharma AB to continue development of AAVLP based vaccines



Martinsried/Munich, 20 December 2016. Medigene AG (FSE: MDG1, Prime Standard, TecDAX) announced today that it has granted an exclusive, worldwide license for the development and commercialization of its preclinical stage adeno-associated virus like particles (AAVLPs) technology to the Swedish biotech company 2A Pharma AB, located in Malmo, Sweden. Under the terms of the agreement, Medigene is eligible to receive clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments in addition to royalties on net sales of future AAVLP products by 2A Pharma AB. Further financial details were not disclosed.

The AAVLP technology is unrelated to Medigene's current immunotherapy programs and was a former research project at Medigene before its repositioning as a T cell immunotherapy company.

Dave Lemus, COO of Medigene AG, comments: "We are pleased to have created a new future for our AAVLP platform at a promising young biotech company which is wholly focused and dedicated to successfully developing this vaccine technology. While Medigene will potentially benefit from its future progress, we will continue to concentrate on our core business, especially the development of T-cell receptor (TCR) modified T cells and next generation dendritic cell (DC) vaccines."

Prof. Sren Nielsen, CEO of 2A Pharma AB, adds: "We founded 2A Pharma AB in order to further develop this very interesting AAVLP technology. We are convinced of the future potential of the same as an innovative therapy and we are pleased that we have attracted investors who will provide us sufficient funding to reach the clinical development stage."

About AAVLP: AAVLPs offer the potential to develop vaccines against various indications, including cancer and infectious diseases. The adeno-associated virus is non-pathogenic, and the virus protein shell, the capsid, is well-suited for the production of virus-like particles (VLPs), as a basis for novel vaccines.

AAVLPs have previously been developed as B-cell vaccines. Peptides inserted in the capsid can induce a humoral immune response (B-cell induction and antibody production). First preclinical tests with AAVLPs were conducted by academic partners of Medigene AG.

About 2A Pharma AB: 2A Pharma AB was newly founded as a limited liability company in December 2016 in Malmo, Sweden, with Prof. Sren Nielsen as CEO, Preben Bruun Nyzell as CFO and Dr. John Nieland as COO, as a start-up biotech company with the aim to develop novel vaccine products. Strong private investors participated in the company's first financing round.

Medigene AG (FSE: MDG1, ISIN DE000A1X3W00, Prime Standard, TecDAX) is a publicly listed biotechnology company headquartered in Martinsried near Munich, Germany. The company is developing highly innovative, complementary treatment platforms to target various types and stages of cancer with candidates in clinical and pre-clinical development. Medigene concentrates on the development of personalized T cell-based immunotherapies.

For more information, please visit www.medigene.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements representing the opinion of Medigene as of the date of this release. The actual results achieved by Medigene may differ significantly from the forward-looking statements made herein. Medigene is not bound to update any of these forward-looking statements. Medigene is a registered trademark of Medigene AG. This trademark may be owned or licensed in select locations only.

Contact Medigene AG

Julia Hofmann, Dr. Robert Mayer

Tel.: +49 - 89 - 20 00 33 - 33 01,

email: investor@medigene.com

Kontakt 2A Pharma AB

Sren Nielsen

CEO, Prof.Dr.

2A Pharma AB

Malmoe, Sweden

Tel: +45 2539 4137

Email: sn@2apharma.com

In case you no longer wish to receive any information about Medigene, please inform us by e-mail (investor@medigene.com). We will then delete your address from our distribution list.

Attachments:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/22bd7312-a9f8-4071-804d-af84b1c6db33
Ukrainian army positions in Donbas came under 47 attacks in the past 24 hours, including by artillery and grenade launchers, the Anti-Terrorist operation (ATO) staff said on Facebook on Tuesday.

Shyrokyne and Vodiane were attacked by 122mm artillery in the Mariupol sector over the past day, it said, adding that 120mm and 82mm mortars, infantry combat vehicle weapons and tanks were used against Shyrokyne. Mortars bombarded Ukrainian army positions near Novotroyitske, Maryinka and Talakivka.

In the Luhansk sector, 120mm and 82mm mortars shelled Krymske, grenade launchers were used against Novo-Oleksandrivka, Lobacheve, Krymske and Stanytsia Luhanska, and sniper activity was observed in Stanytsia Luhanska, the report said.

In the Donetsk sector, hostiles fired 122mm artillery and 82mm mortars on Luhanske, mortars of various calibers shelled Avdiyivka, and grenade launchers were fired near Zaitseve, it said.

A source in the security agencies of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic told the Donetsk news agency later in the day that the Ukrainian army fired more than 270 artillery shells and mines on DPR territory on Monday evening and during the night.

"In the period from 6 p.m. till 2 a.m., the Ukrainian army fired 279 152mm and 122mm artillery projectiles and 82mm and 120mm mines on the Trudovske and Oleksandrivka neighborhoods in the west of Donetsk, as well as Zaitseve, Shyroka Balka near Horlivka, the villages of Spartak and Kruta Balka in the Yasynuvata district, Sakhanka, Leninske and Kominternove in the Novoazovsk district in the south of the country, and the suburbs of Dokuchayevsk," the source said.

Information about possible casualties is being verified, he said. He also said that infantry combat vehicle weapons, grenade launchers and small arms were employed in the army attacks, in addition to artillery weapons and mortars.
Virginias 13 Electoral College electors performed their constitutional duty Monday and cast their votes for Democrats Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who carried the state Nov. 8.

But it wasnt easy.

With tears in their eyes or emotional pronouncements, the Democratic electors stood on the floor of the Virginia Senate in the state Capitol in Richmond and proudly cast their ballots for Clinton and Kaine.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, won enough other states to prevail nationally in the Electoral College tally. Trump will be inaugurated Jan. 20 as the nations 45th president.

Elector Terry C. Frye from Bristol praised Clinton, the first female presidential nominee of a major party, for putting 66 million cracks in the glass ceiling, and for fighting for equality.

Frye also expounded during his separate vote for Kaine as vice president, calling him a great senator, and a wonderful human being.

Virginia has one elector from each congressional district and two at-large electors.

Elector Vivian Page of Norfolk cast her vote for Clinton with a full heart and clear conscience.

Tattooed, blue-haired elector Bethany J. Rowland, perhaps the youngest of Virginias 13, struggled through tears to announce her vote for Clinton.

The electors selected her mother, and fellow elector, Susan J. Rowland of Chesapeake, as president of Virginias Electoral College. Susan Rowland set the tone in her opening remarks, saying I also share in your disappointment and concern, over the Democrats loss and Trumps election.

Rowland predicted that looking back, events will show in time that we stood on the right side of history.

The electors were joined on the floor by several notable guests, including Virginia Supreme Court Justice William C. Mims, who administered the oath of office to the electors, and incoming state Sen. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, a Clinton supporter.

Retiring Rep. Robert Hurt, R-5th, a former state senator, was also seated on the floor to watch his son, John Sydnor Hurt, serve as a page during the proceeding. Omar Edgardo Cortes, the son of Edgardo Cortes, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, also served as a page.

During the ceremony, each elector was required to sign multiple documents, prompting Susan Rowland to quip: I told you you were going to feel like you were buying a house today.

Electors took turns using their smartphones to record votes and document signings.

Upstairs, electors family and friends and Democratic Party officials crowded into the Senate gallery, nearly filling it, and strained to take photos from above.

The last two Virginia Electoral College elections, in 2008 and 2012, were held in the larger House of Delegates chamber, but officials declined a request to make it available to the State Board of Elections for Mondays proceeding.

Anti-Trump protest

A coalition opposed to Trumps election had organized protests in all 50 states where electors gathered Monday to formally cast votes.

Because Democrats won Virginia, there was little practical reason for anti-Trump protestors to worry about how the Democrats would vote. But the event still drew several dozen protesters to the Bank Street entrance of the state Capitol, where they held signs and chanted slogans against Trumps imminent election.

Electors Wake Up. Break this Mess up, the protesters chanted.

You have a choice. Use your voice.

Among the signs they carried were messages such as: Putins Puppet, Vote your Conscience and Do the Right Thing.

Were really concerned about the possibility of Trump being president, said Shelli Frydman, 64, a massage therapist who made the drive from Chantilly in Fairfax County to stand in the cold with other protesters who apparently had been organized through social media.

I think its important to speak out (against) somebody so divisive for the country. It reminds me of Hitler and how he came to power, said Frydman, who said she is the daughter of Holocaust survivors.

If you dont speak out, the bullies take over, she said. Ive been waking up every morning with a sinking feeling a dread of what is on the horizon.

A bundled-up Roger Hildreth, 81, from Richmond, wore a handmade Kermit the Frog winter cap.

Im concerned about whats happening to the country, he said. I want to see anybody but Trump in that office, though he acknowledged that his presence outside the Capitol and the days collective protests would likely have little impact on the inevitability of Trumps election.

He added: I hope things change at the midterms.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Dec. 19, 2016) -

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

GoviEx Uranium Inc. (TSX VENTURE:GXU) ("GoviEx" or the "Company") today announced that it has closed the first tranche of its previously announced private placement financing (the "Private Placement"), positioning the Company to advance its portfolio of advanced stage uranium exploration projects. In this first tranche, the Company issued an aggregate of 47,429,856 Units at a price of C$0.10 per Unit, for gross proceeds to the Company of approximately C$4.742 Million. The second tranche is expected to close on or before Friday, December 23, 2016.

Govind Friedland, Executive Chairman of the Company said, "This is an incredibly important day for the Company's shareholders, employees, partners and stakeholders. Closing this financing recognizes the hard work and dedication of our team, and the financial support of the investor community. It also validates our decision to migrate to the TSX Venture Exchange and to pursue strategic transactions that demonstrate our commitment to growing our resource base and advancing our projects towards production."

"We'd like to thank Sprott Global Resource Investments, Ltd. and all those investors who participated in this financing, and also those partners who have helped build the Company over the years, including Denison Mines, Ivanhoe Industries, Toshiba Corporation, Cameco Corp. and SEMAFO. We are grateful for all the support and will make every effort to build and realize value for all stakeholders."

The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to fund continued exploration and development activities on the Company's assets and for general corporate purposes. The funds also will enable the Company to pursue discussions related to strategic opportunities and potential transactions. All securities issued under this Private Placement will be subject to a customary hold period and may not be traded before April 20, 2017. In addition, securities issued to subscribers in the United States will be subject to a hold period under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") and can only be resold in strict compliance with the applicable exemptions from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act.

Each Unit consists of one (1) Class A common share and one (1) Class A common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant") of the Company. Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) Class A common share of the Company for US$0.15 until December 19, 2021.

GoviEx insiders subscribed for C$60,820 or 608,200 Units. In aggregate, the Company paid finders' fees of approximately C$188,640 and issued finders' warrants exercisable for up to 1,886,400 common shares of GoviEx. Each finder warrant allows the holder to subscribe for one (1) Class A common share until December 19, 2019, at an exercise price of US$0.075.

The Private Placement remains subject to the final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About GoviEx Uranium

GoviEx is a mineral resource company focused on the exploration and development of a diversified portfolio of uranium projects in Africa. GoviEx's principal objective is to become a significant uranium producer through the continued exploration and development of its flagship Madaouela Project in Niger, as well as its Mutanga Project in Zambia, and its uranium-copper-silver exploration Falea Project in Mali.

Visit GoviEx's website: www.goviex.com

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All information and statements other than statements of current or historical facts contained in this news release are forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in GoviEx's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "should," and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information.

Forward-looking statements include those with respect to Company's use of the proceeds raised under the Private Placement and the completion of a second tranche. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurances that its expectations will be achieved. Such assumptions, which may prove incorrect, include the following: (i) GoviEx will be successful in its efforts to pursue the exploration activities referred to in this news release, (ii) GoviEx's management will not identify and pursue other business objectives using the proceeds of the Private Placement and (iii) the price of uranium will remain sufficiently high and the costs of advancing the Company's mining projects sufficiently low so as to permit GoviEx to implement its business plans in a profitable manner. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include (i) the inability or unwillingness of subscribers to the second tranche closing of the Private Placement to fulfill their contractual obligations, in whole or in part, (ii) the Company's failure to make effective use of the proceeds of the Private Placement, (iii) the failure of the Company's projects, for technical, logistical, labour-relations or other reasons, (iv) the Company's inability to obtain the necessary final regulatory approvals for the Private Placement, (v) a decrease in the price of uranium below what is necessary to sustain the Company's operations, (vi) an increase in the Company's operating costs above what is necessary to sustain its operations, (vii) accidents, labour disputes or the materialization of similar risks, (viii) a deterioration in capital market conditions that prevents the Company from raising the funds it requires on a timely basis and (ix) generally, the Company's inability to develop and implement a successful business plan for any reason.

In addition, the factors described or referred to in the section entitled "Financial Risks and Management Objectives" in the MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2015, of GoviEx, which is available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, should be reviewed in conjunction with the information found in this news release.

Although GoviEx has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information in this news release will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that GoviEx will derive there from. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and GoviEx disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for account or benefit of, U.S. Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) unless registered under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Victoria, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Great Thunder Gold Corp. (TSXV: GTG) is pleased to announce that it has engaged SGS Metallurgical Laboratory to conduct mineralogical and chemical analyses on lithium-rich rock samples collected from Great Thunders Chubb and Bouvier properties located in the Preissac-Lacorne area of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Quebec.

The analyses will include scanning electron microscopy, particle mineral analysis, electron microprobe and x-ray diffraction to characterize and quantify the spodumene and other lithium-bearing minerals for the purpose of future ore beneficiation.

In addition, Mr. Joel Simard, a geophysicist from Quebec, has been hired to undertake in-depth processing and interpretation of data acquired in the 2010 ground-based magnetic and induced polarization surveys. The processing will include 3-D mag and IP inversions that will help define precise future drilling targets.

The Chubb Property

The Chubb property is located in northern Quebec in the Abitibi-East County, Lacorne municipality, NTS map sheet 32C05. The lithium claims are situated within the Preissac-Lacorne plutonic complex of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. The complex forms one of the best prospective areas for lithium mineralization, including the Quebec Lithium mine, for which Canada Lithium reported measured and indicated resources of 29.3 Mt grading 1.19% Li 2 O and 20.9 Mt of inferred resources grading 1.15% Li 2 O, respectively, according to a technical report by Canada Lithium filed on SEDAR June 8, 2011.

The Chubb property lies 32 kilometers north of Val dOr and consists of 35 contiguous recorded mineral claims for a total area of 1,509 hectares or 15.1 square kilometers. The property geology is dominated by quartz monzodiorite and metasomatized quartz diorite (tonalite). A swarm of spodumene-rich granitic pegmatite dykes intrude fractures and small faults within the plutonic rocks. The pegmatite dykes are 1 to 6 meters thick, oriented 345  350 and vary in length from 25 to 250 meters. They are crudely zoned, some having quartz cores and border zones of aplite. The granitic pegmatites are composed of quartz, albite and/or cleavelandite, K-feldspar, muscovite, with 5% to 25% spodumene. There are three important granitic pegmatite dykes containing spodumene mineralization (Dyke #1, #2 and Main Dyke).

Exploration of the Chubb property persists since the early 1950s and mainly consisted of mapping, trenching, geophysical surveys and diamond drilling. In 1991, J. Descarreaux estimated a possible historical resource of some 1,814,370 metric tons. 1 The best drilling intersections were obtained in 1994 by Abitibi Lithium Corp. producing intervals of 3.72 m @1.78 wt. % Li 2 O, 2.75 m @1.00 wt. % Li 2 O and 2.38 m @1.25 wt. % Li 2 O. In 2010, International Lithium carried out magnetic and IP geophysical surveys, mapping and channel/grab sampling in the area surrounding the three principal spodumene-bearing dykes. The main dyke, which is 300 meters long, was shown to have Li 2 O concentration of 1.00 wt. % (n=41).

The Bouvier Property

The Bouvier property is located within the Preissac-Lacorne plutonic complex of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, in the Saint-Mathieu municipality of Figuery Township (NTS map sheet 32D08). The geological setting and structure of the volcano-sedimentary assemblages form an ideal host for lithium-rich pegmatites being located between the Northern Manneville Deformation Zone and the northern edge of the fertile Lacorne monzogranite pluton.

The Bouvier property consists of 16 contiguous recorded mineral claims for a total area of 692 hectares or 6.92 square kilometers. The southern Bouvier property contains several exposures of biotitemuscovite monzogranitic plutonic rocks intruding metasediments and injected by granitic pegmatite and aplite dykes that constitute nearly 20% of the rock. Many granitic pegmatites contain beryl and tantalite, but very few have spodumene.

To the north, the metasediments are in structural contact with the metavolcanic rocks of the Malartic and Harricana groups, with the Manneville Deformation Zone marking the contact between the metasedimentary and metavolcanic formations. Spodumene-bearing granitic pegmatite dykes occur only south of the Manneville Fault and were emplaced principally in metasediments. The dykes are oriented parallel to the Manneville Fault and can reach 100 meters in length and 10 meters in apparent thickness. Most granitic pegmatites are zoned, some having quartz cores and border zones of aplite. They are composed of quartz, albite and/or cleavelandite, K-feldspar, muscovite, with 5% to 25% spodumene. Accessory minerals are beryl, tantalite, garnet, bismuthine and molybdenite.

1 The estimates presented are treated as historic information and have not been verified or relied upon for economic evaluation by the Company. These historical mineral resources do not refer to any category of sections 1.2 and 1.3 of National Instrument 43-101, such as mineral resources or mineral reserves as stated in the 2010 CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. The Company is unable to verify the data acquired by the various historical drilling campaigns, and must undertake additional sampling and drilling to verify historical estimates. A Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. The Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves.

The Bouvier property was submitted to sporadic mining exploration from the early 1950s to 1979, which included geological mapping, rock sampling, trenching and diamond drilling. A bulk sample taken by Teck Corporation and reported in their 1979 Annual Report, returned an average grade of 1.39% Li 2 O and an estimated possible historical resource of 907,000 tons.1 In 2010, Mineral Hill Industries Ltd. carried out an exploration program involving line cutting, a magnetic and IP survey, trenching and panel and grab rock sampling, The work unearthed east-west oriented spodumene-bearing granitic pegmatites parallel to the Manneville Deformation Zone. The main dyke displayed an average lithium concentration of 1.51 Li 2 O wt. % (n=20).

A technical report, entitled The Chubb and Bouvier Lithium Properties, Preissac-Lacorne Plutonic Complex, Abitibi Subprovince, Quebec, Canada and dated August 2, 2016, is available at www.sedar.com.

The technical contents of this release were approved by Michel Boily, Ph.D, geo., an independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed Kevin C. Whelan

Kevin C. Whelan, President

Direct line: (250) 474-6640

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/GreatThunder12202016.pdfSource: Great Thunder Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:GTG)

To follow Great Thunder Gold Corp. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com

Copyright  2016 Filing Services Canada Inc.
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden in the framework of a telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has welcomed the decision of the Ukrainian authorities on the nationalization of PrivatBank, the press service of the Ukrainian president has said.

During the conversation it was noted that the "courageous and necessary" step demonstrates the determination and devotion of Ukraine for further implementation of the necessary reforms.

"Poroshenko and Biden coordinated actions to support Ukraine in the context of the cooperation program with the IMF," the report says.
CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Dec. 20, 2016) -

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

Champion Bear Resources Ltd. ("Champion Bear" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:CBA) announced today that it intends to complete a private placement for up to 5,000,000 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.10 per share for total gross proceeds of up to $500,000, subject to receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals.

Champion Bear intends to use the proceeds of the offering to further exploration programs on its wholly-owned Plomp Farm Au Property and Eagle Rock Cu-Au-Pt-Pd Property located near Dryden, Ontario as well as for general corporate purposes. Steve Siemieniuk, P.Geo. of Clark Exploration and Todd McCracken, P.Geo. of WSP Canada Inc., both qualified persons under NI 43-101,Champion Bear's consulting geologists, will be overseeing the exploration programs.

All securities issuable under the private placements will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the closing date.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

Champion Bear is a mineral exploration company focused exclusively on the historically prospective regions of Ontario. The Company's primary target is platinum group and precious metals and to a lesser extent polymetallic base metal and pegmatite-hosted tantalum deposits. Champion Bear's aim is to create shareholder value through selective property acquisition and joint venture followed by focused exploration emphasizing drilling. The Company has assembled a large land position in the Dryden and Sudbury areas, totaling over 16,000 hectares.

This news release contains forward-looking statements concerning the completion of the private placement, the use of proceeds of the private placement and the timing and composition of the exploration programs to be completed on certain of Champion Bear's mineral properties which are based on Champion Bear's current internal expectations, which may prove to be incorrect. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are common to junior mineral exploration companies. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, Champion Bear's need for additional funding to continue its exploration efforts, changes in general economic, market and business conditions; and competition for, among other things, capital and skilled personnel. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws.

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
TSX-V: CLZ

www.canasil.com

VANCOUVER, Dec. 20, 2016 /CNW/ - Canasil Resources Inc. (TSX-V: CLZ, DB Frankfurt: 3CC, "Canasil") is pleased to announce that the Company has received the required drill permit and mobilized a drill rig which is currently on site at the La Esperanza silver-lead-zinc project in Durango and Zacatecas States, Mexico. Drilling started on December 17, 2016, with the aim of completing the first drill hole before the year-end holidays. Drilling will then resume early in the New Year for a planned initial program of 1,500 metres to 2,000 metres in 4 to 5 drill holes.

Drilling will be targeted to investigate the La Esperanza vein along strike and at depth. Past drilling on this vein along an approximate strike length of 250 metres and to a relatively shallow depth of approximately 200 metres has returned consistent high-grade silver-lead-zinc intercepts. The La Esperanza vein structure is made up of the Main vein and an associated Hanging Wall vein at the upper levels. The average true width of intercepts from 8 drill holes on the Main La Esperanza vein was 4.21 metres returning 330 g/t silver, 0.93% zinc and 1.57% lead. The average true width of drill intercepts from 5 drill holes which intersected the Hanging Wall vein was 1.53 metres returning 324 g/t silver, 1.37% zinc and 1.80% lead (details listed under the La Esperanza project profile on the Company's website www.canasil.com, and previously reported in the news releases dated November 6, 2006). Three later drill holes on a blind section to explore this vein approximately 100 metres northwest along strike returned increasing widths and grades with depth, with the deepest intercept returning 189 g/t silver, 5.20% zinc and 2.22% lead over a true width of 3.24 metres, including 278 g/t silver, 5.8% zinc and 2.8% lead over a true width of 1.92 metres (reported in the news release dated February 22, 2012). The current drill program will be targeted to investigate extensions of this vein at depth, approximately 50 metres to 100 metres below previous intercepts, as well as by 100-metre step outs to the northwest and southeast along strike.

About La Esperanza

The La Esperanza Silver-Zinc-Lead project covers 14,916 hectares, located 100 km SSE of the city of Durango on the border between Durango and Zacatecas States. The project site is easily accessible from Canasil's operating base in Durango with excellent infrastructure. The project location in southern Durango and northern Zacatecas States is on the well-recognized world class Fresnillo silver belt, hosting a number of prominent silver mines such as San Martin-Sabinas mines of Grupo Mexico and Penoles, the La Colorada mine of Pan American Silver and La Parrilla and Del Toro mines of First Majestic Silver Corp. and Fresnillo Plc's Fresnillo mine. A series of silver-lead-zinc epithermal veins are observed over a northwest-southeast striking zone extending over approximately 20 kilometres hosted in the Lower Volcanic Group. Mineralization occurs in low to intermediate sulphidation veins, primarily striking northwest and dipping southwest. The main La Esperanza vein is a banded and cockade white to grey quartz breccia epithermal vein with silver, lead and zinc mineralization associated with argentiferous galena, silver sulfosalt minerals and sphalerite.

The technical information herein has been reviewed and approved by J. Blackwell (P. Geo.), a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Blackwell is a technical advisor to Canasil.

About Canasil:

Canasil is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a strong portfolio of 100% owned silver-gold-copper-lead-zinc projects in Durango and Zacatecas States, Mexico, and in British Columbia, Canada. The Company's directors and management include industry professionals with a track record of identifying and advancing successful mineral exploration projects through to discovery and further development. The Company is actively engaged in the exploration of its mineral properties, and maintains an operating subsidiary in Durango, Mexico, with full time geological and support staff for its operations in Mexico.

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 news release.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts are forward looking statements, including statements that address future mineral production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in commodities prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. The reader is referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for disclosure regarding these and other risk factors. There is no certainty that any forward looking statement will come to pass and investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Canasil Resources Inc.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Dec. 20, 2016) -

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE USA

Angel Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE:ANG) ("Angel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a "Mandate Letter" (the "Mandate") with Kallpa Securities ("Kallpa"). Under the terms of the Mandate Angel engages Kallpa as its advisor in connection with the design of the marketing strategy in Peru, Chile and Colombia.

About Kallpa Securities:

Kallpa Securities is a company dedicated to equity and fixed income sales & trading, capital markets, investment banking and portfolio management in Peru. Kallpa is one of the top brokers in the Peruvian market and the number one broker team for the junior mining sector in the region. It is sponsor of all junior mining companies listed on the Venture Exchange of the Bolsa de Valores de Lima (BVL) and leads primary deals in the sector.

About Angel Gold Corp.:

Angel is a Canada-based gold and silver exploration company focused on responsible development of mineral resources in Colombia, host to some of the world's largest gold deposits. Angel's flagship project the El Porvenir is located at less than 2 km from Gran Colombia project, the El Pino West Project is adjacent to Gramalote project, B2Gold and Anglo Gold Ashanti JV, 2.5M oz. discovery and its Heliconia project is located north of the Titiribi district along the Cauca fault system.

Angel has been focused on acquiring and validating strategic mineral exploration opportunities in Colombia's best mining districts with the highest potential for new discoveries.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Angel Gold Corp.

Blanca Stella Frias, Director, President and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed the content of this News Release and therefore does not accept responsibility or liability for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this News Release. This news release contains certain "forward- looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The transaction described in this News Release is subject to a variety of conditions and risks which include but are not limited to: regulatory approval, shareholder approval, market conditions, legal due diligence for claim validity, financing, political risk, security risks at the property locations and other risks. As such, the reader is cautioned that there can be no guarantee that this transaction will complete as described in this News Release. We seek safe harbour.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko within the framework of a telephone conversation with U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden briefed on the situation in Donbas, in particular on the planned Russian armed attack in Svitlodarsk arc region, the press service of the Ukrainian president said on Monday.

"Biden condemned the continuing provocations and attempts of Russian militants to exacerbate the security situation in Donbas," a statement reads.
On Saturday, in the evening, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended Christmas Eve service at St Thomas' Anglican Church, Toowong.
Description

GIS - 20 December, 2016: The Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo, held a press conference on 16 December 2016 at the seat of the Ministry,in Port-Louis, to speak of the achievements of her ministry for this year.

The Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions , made an overview of the initiatives and projects undertaken by the Ministry to enhance the welfare of the vulnerable groups, aligned with governments mission of improving the life of the population.

She pointed out that the Ministry was allocated a budget of Rs 21 m to execute key projects. Several measures have been undertaken with the aim of boosting the various services, including Disability Watch, Non-governmental Organisations, Elderly Watch, Rehabilitation Youth Centre (RYC). These concern provision of materials to disabled persons, increased allocation to victims of fire, funeral allocation. Coupled with that, the Protection Elderly Act has been amended to reinforce protection of elders. Also, NGOs representatives have undergone trainings offered by the Government with the aim of professionalising the social sector.

Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo also underscored Governments efforts to create an inclusive and accessible society for everyone. Several measures with the collaboration of different ministries are underway. She pointed out to the current negotiations with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport to set in place rules for new buildings to accommodate disabled persons and the possibility of having low-floor buses. She also referred to the pension now being allocated to children below 15 years old and suffering from 60% disability. Such measures, underlined the Minister, are essential to curb the injustices being afflicted to vulnerable persons. Also on the agenda is a Disability Bill for the rights of disabled persons has already been drafted and will be effective by 2017.

The Minister also mentioned forthcoming projects which include: a major reform actually underway in the RYC to ensure an effective rehabilitation of juvenile offenders by renovating the RYC and the construction of Small Homes to provide a friendly and safe environment .A key restructuring is on course,whereby the quality of education will be improved and psychological assistance will be offered.

Mrs Jeewa-Daureeawoo underlined the unemployment issue regarding disabled people and announced a series of measures to tackle this. Reviewing the mechanism of employability will be her Ministrys priority next year, she said. New trainings and new Skill development programme are being set up for disabled people. Maximum training and support will be provided to them so that they are better equipped to set foot in the world of work, she stressed.

She also announced the need to have a pension reform which is a high level priority since the ageing population is swelling. For that, a technical committee has already been set up.
NRC meeting does not indicate return to previous NATO-Russia relations - Stoltenberg

The meeting held by the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) at the level of ambassadors in Brussels on Monday has shown that Russia and NATO allies differ in their views, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"And our meeting does not indicate a return to business as usual," the secretary general said in a statement released by the NATO headquarters.

Without dialogue, countries will be unable to settle their differences and improve mutual understanding, Stoltenberg said.

"NATO does not seek confrontation and poses no threat. Everything we do - including strengthening our presence in the east of the Alliance - is defensive, proportionate and in line with our international commitments," the secretary general said.

"NATO's goal is, and remains, to protect our allies, prevent conflict and preserve the peace," the NATO chief said.
(TNS) -- FORT WORTH -- In Texas, the Tarrant Appraisal District did not clearly outline business and technical requirements for new computer software, and then did not adequately test it before flipping the switch for a mass appraisal of property, according to an audit released Friday.As a result, more than two years after going live with the troubled Aumentum software that TAD agreed to buy five years ago, there were about 50 "broad" requirements still unfulfilled as of October, according to a report to TAD's executive board by the Weaver and Tidwell accounting firm.TAD's board requested the audit after a series of software snafus were blamed for leaving millions of dollars of property off the books in 2015 and causing a surge of taxpayer refunds late this year after the software produced tax rolls that didn't catch critical changes in accounts.It certainly explains why the conversion of the software was such a disaster for everybody.Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Ron WrightTarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Ron Wright called the audit's findings "explosive," saying it contained crucial information that the board had not heard before. He criticized Thomson Reuters, which TAD hired to install the system, because the auditors said the company offered "limited cooperation.""It certainly explains why the conversion of the software was such a disaster for everybody," Wright said. "It explains a lot and the question now is how do we go forward because there has to be accountability for this. But I won't mask my disappointment with both TAD management and, in particular, Thomson Reuters."TAD Chief Appraiser Jeff Law said the software conversion clearly could have gone better. He said the agency has taken steps to improve communication with taxing entities to help them deal with the software conversion. His staff also meets monthly with representatives of Wright's office.But Law added that the agency already has, and will continue, to hold Thomson Reuters accountable for any more problems. The agency agreed to pay $1.9 million for the software in 2011 but has withheld about $806,000. Thomson Reuters also has reimbursed TAD about $794,000 for late implementation.Anytime you have a complex software system like ours, [a conversion] is not an easy task; it is going to have challenges.TAD Chief Appraiser Jeff Law"Anytime you have a complex software system like ours, [a conversion] is not an easy task; it is going to have challenges," Law said. "I think, with the benefit of hindsight, it is easy to go back and say we could have done this and we could have done this."Thomson Reuters spokesman Paul Thies disagrees that his firm didn't cooperate with Weaver and Tidwell's audit, which was conducted from the beginning of May until the end of October.He said the company provided the auditors with hundreds of pages of documents detailing system conversion plans, requirements and testing. Thomson Reuters also met with the auditors twice but admittedly didn't allow them to meet with system analysts and development teams because they were too busy serving customers."I would say that Thomson Reuters responded to all reasonable requests from Weaver," said Thies, a vice president for business communications. "Obviously, when you do a large software migration like this, there are going to be challenges, we recognize that. But we have been very forthcoming in working with TAD to address those issues and make resources available."The audit was presented to the TAD board by Brian Thomas, a partner at Weaver and Tidwell.TAD entered into a contract with Manatron to buy new software to replace its legacy mainframe appraisal system in 2011. Thomson Reuters bought Manatron in 2012 and replaced Manatron's Government Revenue Management products suite with Aumentum.Originally, the Aumentum software was to "go live" in October 2013, but problems with the conversion pushed back the start date until October 2014. Despite the delay, troubles continued. After teh system went live, there were still more than 110 broad system requirements that needed to be met, the audit states.But even before that, the audit indicated that there wasn't a detailed plan for business and functionality requirements before selecting the system, and that TAD did not describe to Thomson Reuters some of the statutory requirements that needed to be provided to the county's taxing entities.It never should have happened. ... They should have made sure it was right.Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector Ron WrightEven as TAD worked on implementing the conversion, it did not conduct a stakeholder analysis with taxing entities such as the cities and school districts, the audit states. Wright and others at Tarrant County have complained about the lack of communication with TAD."We could have done a much better job communicating to our stakeholders. We have actually apologized to them," Law said.TAD and Thomson Reuters also did not clearly delineate who would be responsible for checking out the system before it went online, leading to overall "inadequate testing," the audit states. Thomson Reuters also did not conduct system integration testing, the report states.While individuals within TAD were well aware of problems with the software, there was no formal assessment of readiness conducted and "Go-Live proceeded as scheduled even though the number of unresolved critical faults increased" the audit states."It never should have happened. ... They should have made sure it was right," Wright said.Since problems with the software became known earlier this year, TAD and Thomson Reuters have taken initiatives to ensure better performance, including creating a joint Blue Chips Taskforce to track, resolve and implement fixes that address critical and high priority "bugs," and requests.To make sure that things do get fixed appropriately, it was suggested during the audit presentation that a third party should be hired to oversee what else needs to happen with the conversion, an idea Wright supported."I think that is something we need to seriously consider," Wright said.
(TNS) -- The city of Rochester knows it has transportation challenges coming with Destination Medical Center and anticipated downtown job growth; a new technology, autonomous vehicles, could be a part of the solution.One of the companies on the forefront of autonomous vehicles already has a foothold in Rochester. First Transit Inc., the parent company of the Rochester Public Transit Operator, is piloting an autonomous passenger shuttle at an office park near San Francisco.According to a Rochester Public Transit news release, the autonomous vehicle passenger shuttle pilot program is the first of its kind in North America.In partnership with EasyMile, a driverless vehicle company, First Transit is exploring an autonomous vehicle passenger shuttle that would connect riders to multiple Bay-area transit options by running a fixed route in the office park.The pilot will begin with two vehicles, and each vehicle will be staffed with a customer service agent for questions and information, a press release said. The vehicles can carry 12 passengers each and run for 14 hours on a battery charge.Autonomous vehicles are well suited to address "first mile, last mile" service, said Richard Freese, Rochester Public Works director and city engineer. It could help connect people from their homes or park and ride locations to buses that would take them to end destinations."New technologies such as autonomous shuttles, which compliment a strong fixed route system, can make it more convenient to use transit and will help us attract new riders," Freese wrote in an email to the Post Bulletin. "Attracting new riders is essential for achieving our goals in terms of the transit share of commuter trips into the central business district."Transit currently accounts for about 10 percent of commuter trips to downtown Rochester, Freese said. To accommodate job growth anticipated with the DMC initiative, the transit share of downtown commuter trips needs to increase to about 30 percent.The city of Rochester is in the process of conducting four integrated transit studies that will refine the concepts in the DMC Development Plan. The public's first chance to give input and comments on the studies is Jan. 24 at an open house hosted by the Public Works Department.The department in October hosted a transit technology workshop where concepts for new and emerging transit technologies were explored for their potential applications in Rochester.Autonomous vehicles were a part of that discussion, said Nick Lemmer, Rochester Public Transit marketing and outreach coordinator. Lemmer was excited when First Transit Inc. announced its pilot program."This was one of those items from the technology workshop that seemed a little bit beyond the horizon in terms of being in operation. So I was most excited to see one of those items actually being piloted, and coincidentally, being piloted by the same operator that we have here at RPT," Lemmer said.While the autonomous vehicle technology has a Rochester connection, Lemmer said it was far too soon for the city to commit to any one mode for future transit technologies. Lemmer would like to see other technologies piloted  in Rochester, if possible."We are encouraging all kinds of transportation companies and providers to include the city of Rochester in potential future pilot programs, like the one you're seeing in San Francisco," Lemmer said. "We happen to think Rochester, with its potential growth, might be the perfect test case for some evolving technologies in transit."
The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) will migrate licensing, permitting and evidence-cataloging processes fully online, an agency official said, following a new audit suggesting that a paper-based culture and computer software issues are behind two series of irregularities, one dating to 2007.The audit by the State of Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury was released in November and scrutinized programs and activities from July 1, 2011, to March 31, 2016.It identified longstanding problems at TABC in maintaining internal control of seized evidence, including cash, which increased the risk of evidence misappropriation or misuse. These had been previously identified in a 2007 financial and compliance audit.The review also uncovered difficulties in the agency's paper-driven process of issuing permits to manufacture, distribute, sell or serve alcoholic beverages. These, it said, increased the risk that ineligible applicants would be permitted.TABC maintained nearly 2,700 pieces of evidence at nine separate locations as of April 2014, according to an audit listing of confiscated evidence.But auditors discovered that the commission's evidence custodians at the agency's central office in Nashville, a district office in Chattanooga and a subsidiary post in Winchester did not record all evidence using online Evidence Management System (EMS) software purchased in 2012, and instead kept separate paper listings."Because custodians maintained their own records and no master listing existed, the commission had no independent record of what confiscated inventory should be on hand," auditors wrote.John Dunn, public information officer for the Tennessee comptroller, noted that the issue of independent records was limited to just three offices. "The use of the EMS was not mandatory at the time of the audit," he noted.In a random sampling of confiscated evidence in Nashville, Memphis and Winchester, auditors found one item at each location that was not listed. Auditors also found $1,200 cash had been held in evidence in Winchester without prior authorization from the chief law enforcement officer, and had remained there for 109 days after being checked in.Auditors recommended transferring all cash evidence to the central office; using EMS to fully document, control and maintain oversight of confiscated evidence; and using employees independent of TABC to conduct periodic inventories.TABC Assistant Director Zack Blair said the agency agreed with the recommendations and has revised its policies to include mandatory use of EMS and transfer of cash evidence to Nashville within five days. But he was unable to explain why some agency offices had not used the software system."I would characterize that we are way behind when it comes to technology. Were excited about getting into the 21st century very soon," Blair said, pointing out he was only appointed in July. This was just one month after the appointment of new Executive Director Clayton Byrd, who replaced former Executive Director Keith Bell. Bell resigned in March.The audit also found that the total number of permits issued for the manufacture, distribution, sale or serving of alcoholic beverages during the period examined could not be verified, due to lack of TABC control.Auditors found 11,200 permit numbers that could not be accounted for due to gaps in sequence; 260 distiller's representative permits issued to the public that were not properly logged; 15 permit numbers assigned to multiple applicants; and 10 permit numbers that were issued to more than one applicant.Additionally, 138 permit holders were assigned multiple permit numbers in the commission's server permit software; and 22 permit numbers were incorrectly recorded.However, it remains unclear whether permit holders actually paid for or received multiple permits."Were not sure if it was the software or the staff, or maybe it was a clerical error," Dunn said.Divon Crutchfield, who worked on the audit, said auditors didnt see any fraudulent activity with the system."We do get the sense that theyre aware of these issues and their importance, aware of a lot of the risks in these areas," he said. "I think that is really going to result in a lot of changes there."Blair said permitting and licensing issues should end by mid-2017 with the online migration and automation of the permitting and licensing of alcoholic beverage manufacture, distribution, sale and service.TABC hired Accela in May 2015 at a cost of nearly $3.4 million to provide an online Regulatory and Licensing Permitting System (RLPS) software system.Migrating to RLPS will allow applicants to upload supporting documentation, and, following staff review and payment, to print their own licenses and permits. It will also generate regulatory, though not criminal, citations.The system will only allow a permit to be issued after an application is fully vetted and approved by staff.When completely automated, the online migration should eliminate roughly 127,000 pieces of paper in the permitting process of alcohol servers alone, Blair said, and reduce wait time for applicants. It will also free up employee hours, allowing staffers to be cross-trained and equalize workloads.The migration will also make data analytics increasingly possible."The great thing about this system is a robust reporting function. We will have access, specifically for management, to dashboards with data points," Blair said. "Things that we cannot get access to right now, so thats exciting."
Hawaiis Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) formally announced that Vincent Hoang had been named the states chief information security officer (CISO) Dec. 15  though he has been serving in the role since Dec. 1.The position was originally created earlier in the year during the 2016 legislative session, along with two other cybersecurity-focused positions. In an interview with, Hoang said his first two weeks in public service have been spent acclimating to his new environment and the varied processes of state government.Despite a lengthy IT career in private industry, the CISO said he is taking a measured approach to his new responsibilities.I dont want to come in with guns blazing," he said. "Im trying to take a more moderate approach, just listening and observing, really baselining the people and the infrastructure, and being more comfortable with that."In addition to most recently serving as an enterprise architect for Hawaiian Telecom, Hoang has also worked as a senior systems consultant for the Bank of Hawaii; a security engineer for Munger, Tolles and Olson; a technical support manager for TD Technology Services; a network performance and systems engineer for Cable and Wireless America; and a senior systems administrator of San Mateo, Calif.-based NetSuite.Hoang said he believes his past work experience gives him a unique perspective when it comes to industry verticals and working with outside partners.As for an immediate action item, he said bolstering the personnel rosters with qualified candidates takes a top spot on the list. Despite Hawaiis lure as a tropical paradise, state officials have expressed frustration around attracting new and qualified IT workers to government service.The largest [priority] is to fill the positions that are open right now throughout the team, Hoang said. And then, as part of me getting acclimated with the environment and building the team, well be able to put down more firm initiatives on what to get done.As part of building that team for the long term, Hoang explained that he plans to focus on building stronger relationships with the states academic institutions to not only better identify where new tech talent is coming from, but also to help establish the state as an ideal place to learn new skills.There are a lot of similar issues being in the private sector versus public. There is a talent shortage. So my personal approach is to try to work more closely to the student populations, Hoang said. My draw is whoever is brought on board is going to be immersed in a very, very large robust and complex environment, and they are going to be learning an immense amount with respect to their career and their trade.As for the overarching goals of ETS, the new CISO said that the need for a long-term, sustainable IT enterprise is one area where leaders have expressed interest.
Swath of Internet-Connected Devices Could Be Conscripted into Virtual Army, Experts Fear
President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz during a phone conversation with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has confirmed the EU's readiness to complete all the procedures to meet its obligations for the provision of the visa-free regime to Ukraine.

During the conversation, Poroshenko thanked Schulz for his clear position in support of Ukraine during the European Council's session held in Brussels on December 15, in particular for the unblocking of the process of ratification of the Association Agreement, visa-free regime for Ukraine and continuation of the regime of sanctions against Russia in response to the lasting violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Ukrainian president's press service reported.

"Martin Schulz confirmed willingness of the European Parliament to complete all relevant internal procedures in order to fulfill the EU's obligations concerning the provision of the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens," the report reads.

The president of the European Parliament also emphasized the importance of prompt completion of the Association Agreement's ratification and expressed his readiness to promote this process.
Mercedes could be set to further delay its decision about the identity of world champion Nico Rosberg's successor.

Initially, the German team said it would give a lucky candidate the ultimate Christmas present, but then a spokesman said there would in fact be no decision until after the New Year's break on January 3.

But team chairman Niki Lauda now says: "It could take until the end of January before we know what path we are going to take.

"We are not ready yet. There are quite complicated negotiations," he added.

It is clear that, failing all else, junior Pascal Wehrlein is ready to step in. But Mercedes' preferred solution is believed to be Valtteri Bottas, the Toto Wolff-managed driver who is under firm contract at Williams.

German publication Auto Bild claims that the deal is basically done, involving Felipe Massa being convinced by Williams to cancel his retirement plans to replace Bottas.

No matter what happens, Lauda admits that Mercedes is on the back foot, with Red Bull now having "the best driver pair" in the form of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

The F1 legend agrees that comparisons between Verstappen and Ayrton Senna ring true.

"Everyone is different, but the potential of Senna, Schumacher and Verstappen are comparable," Lauda told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV.

(GMM)
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko welcomes the adoption at the plenary session of the UN General Assembly resolution "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine)."

"I am sincerely grateful to all partners for support and participation in the elaboration of that important document. From now on, the given Resolution assigns status of invader and full responsibility for the brutal violation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol - to Russia at the highest international level," Poroshenko said.

The president said that the given decision of the UN General Assembly "is the most important sign of international unity and solidarity in times when the worst practices of the Soviet Union are used in Crimea, including methods of "punitive psychiatry", show trials, abductions, tortures and even intentional murder of people who openly protest against Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories."

"Today's decision is a demonstration of broad support of the international law and basic values of post-war world order. The aggressor must feel high price for crimes committed in the Ukrainian territories," the president said.

Poroshenko said: "The most efficient and non-alternative way to restore justice is full de-occupation and restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula. Crimea is Ukraine. We continue struggle."

As reported, the UN General Assembly adopted the Ukrainian resolution on Crimea on December 19. Some 70 members voted for the resolution, 26 against it, and 77 abstained.

The resolution recognizes Russia as s an "occupying power," Crimea as "temporarily occupied" by Russia, and condemns the abuses and discrimination against Crimean Tatars, the Ukrainian mission to UN reported.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is paying working visit to Odesa region on Tuesday.

The diplomat got familiarized with the work of the Citizen Service Centre, noted the high level of its organization and assured that the U.S. will continue contributing to the work of this centre and similar centres in Ukraine, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.

In addition, Yovanovitch has met with Acting Head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Solomia Bobrovska, with whom she intends to discuss the progress of reforms in the region.
Heavy-duty electric truck builder Orange EV announced that fleets in California can purchase a new T-Series pure electric terminal truck for less than the cost of a new Tier 4 diesel truck. With three new approvals, all of Orange EVs on-road truck configurations are now eligible for the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project ( HVIP ), a streamlined incentive program enabling large point-of-sale discounts.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB), in partnership with CALSTART, launched the Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) in 2009 to accelerate the purchase of cleaner, more efficient trucks and buses in California. HVIP provides incentives for zero-emission and hybrid trucks and buses and low NO x natural gas engines. To date, HVIP has helped deploy 2,400 vehicles, accelerating the growth of the nations early market of zero-emission and hybrid trucks by 30%.

Public, private and federal fleets can utilize HVIPs pre-approved voucher amounts to save up to $140,000 per truck, paying as little as $104,950 for a new standard duty (80 kWh) T-Series emission-free terminal truck (aka hostler, spotter, yard truck). The T-Series remains the only commercially deployed 100% electric class 8 vehicle.

It doesnt get easier. Californias HVIP program guarantees hefty discounts off the purchase price, enabling fleets to purchase electric trucks with the same funds earmarked for diesels, and then operate for significantly less saving up to 90% net in fuel, and more in a broad range of other areas. Fleets also avoid the headache of operating and maintaining Tier 4 diesel engines while greatly improving air quality on-site and in neighboring communities. The T-series is the truck of choice for California drivers who have repeatedly affirmed that Orange EV trucks do the job while being cooler, smoother, quieter and cleaner than diesels. Mike Saxton, Orange EV chief commercial officer

More than 60% of Orange EVs fleets have re-ordered. One such firm, Nolan Logistics, serves major third-party logistics (3PL) and large consumer-brand distribution centers and is aggressively deploying Orange EVs electric terminal trucks.

HVIP aims to accelerate the purchase of cleaner, more efficient trucks and buses in California by simplifying the incentive process and removing uncertainty. Fleet owners secure discounts through an approved vendor or dealer (such as Orange EV, also the OEM) who handles the voucher request process start to finish.

Requests are a few pages long and can be approved within days. Once approved, discounts are applied at purchase allowing fleet owners to pay the truck cost less incentive amount. The vendor bears the risk of collectingOrange EV receives voucher funds after trucks have been delivered. HVIP does not require the destruction of an existing truck or engine. Similar point-of-sale discount programs exist in other major metropolitan service areas around the country including Chicago and the state of New York.

However, funding for HVIP is currently exhausted; funding is appropriated for HVIP each year in the State Budget. For FY 2016-17, funding has not yet been appropriated for this project.

Saxton said that voucher requests submitted now are getting in line for the next round of funding due in February. When funding is available, the vouchers will be processed in order.
Volvo Cars has raised SEK5 billion (US$533 million) from the sale of newly-issued preference shares to a group of Swedish institutional investors. The group of investors comprises two Swedish pension funds, AMF and the First Swedish National Pension Fund (AP1), as well as Folksam, a Swedish insurance company.

The preference shares may be repurchased or converted into listed ordinary shares upon the majority shareholders decision. At this time, no decision has been taken. The issuance has been conducted to further diversify Volvo Cars long-term funding sources.

The detailed terms of the sale have not been disclosed, but the transaction will have an immaterial dilutive effect on the current 100% ownership of Volvo Cars by Zhejiang Geely Holdings.

The share sale follows two bond issues earlier this year, a 500-million (US$521-million) bond to global institutional investors in May, and a further SEK3 billion (US$320 million) to Swedish institutional investors in November. The bonds were issued for general corporate purposes and aimed at increasing the company's financial flexibility.

The latest financing move is another step towards Volvo Cars long-expressed ambition to act as a listed company.

Volvo Cars expects that 2016 will be another record year in terms of sales, with growth coming across the board from its three main sales regions of Europe, China and the US.

Operating profit for the first nine months of the year was SEK7.7 billion (US$821 billion) compared to a full year operating profit for the whole of 2015 of SEK6.6 billion (US$703 million), prompting Volvo Cars expectations for the full year to substantially improve profits compared to last year.

Volvo Cars has successfully built a sense of momentum around its transformation since it was acquired by Zhejiang Geely Holdings in 2010, driven by the ongoing renewal of its complete product range, powertrain and chassis technologies and safety and connectivity technologies.

In coming years Volvo Cars will continue to reposition its brand to compete with its global premium rivals, revive its operations in the US and develop its global manufacturing footprint, grow further in China and double its market share in Europe.

It will also introduce an entirely new model range, embed its new engine technologies and maintain its position as the leader in car safety and autonomous drive (AD) technologies.

Volvo Cars intends to set up a joint venture with Autoliv, the leading automotive safety technology company, to design and manufacture separately-branded AD and driver assistance software technology packages for sale to third party OEMs.

Volvo Cars has also joined forces with Uber, the ride sharing company, to build and co-develop base vehicles for AD cars.
Russia is responsible for deaths of thousands of innocent people, but this does not justify envoy murder Klimkin

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said there is no justification for assassinating Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.

"Russia is responsible for the horrific human rights violations and the killing of thousands of innocent people in Syria and Ukraine. However, there is no excuse for killing the ambassador of a sovereign state located in a different sovereign state. International law and human rights must be obeyed," he wrote on his Twitter.
Two years after states around the country passed an unprecedented number of police reforms after the killing of George Floyd, some are struggling to make the new policies stick. The momentum for change has slowed from its earlier frenetic pace. Some of the reforms have been rolled back or at least tweaked after police complained that the new policies were hindering their ability to catch criminals. Legal experts say police killings of Black people over the last decade  epitomized by Floyds killing  have altered the trajectory of policing. But change has come about unevenly in thousands of police departments across the U.S.
Activities

The Guilford Chapter 301, United Daughters of the Confederacy, met Nov. 15 at the Greensboro Historical Museum with Michele Miller, third vice president general, presiding. Deborah Baisley was meeting hostess.

Jon Zachman, curator of collections, shared information about the kepi (a military cap) worn by Lt. Col. William S. Rankin during the Civil War. Kepi restoration and preservation was made possible through the museums Adopt an Object program and a special contribution by Guilford Chapter 301 member, Elizabeth Stephens.

Bert Dunkerly, historian and author, presented the program Bread Riots in Richmond.

The chapters next meeting will be at 1:30 p.m. today. Miller, meeting hostess and speaker, will present a program.

To request an invitation, call (336) 285-5900 or visit www.Guilford301UDC.org.

Announcements

Audubon North Carolina is inviting birdwatchers to participate in the longest-running citizen science survey, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Through Jan. 5, hundreds of bird-loving volunteers will participate in counts across North Carolina.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running wildlife census in the world. Each individual count takes place in a 15-mile-wide circle and is led by a compiler responsible for organizing volunteers and submitting observations to Audubon. In the 51 circles in North Carolina, participants tally all birds seen or heard that day  not just the species but total numbers to provide a clear idea of the health of that particular population.

Last year, N.C. volunteers counted 796,959 individual birds of 222 species.

For information, contact Elizabeth Link at elzlink@yahoo.com or visit www.christmasbirdcount.org.

Awards

The Furnitureland Rotary Club recently announced its Fairview Elementary School Students of the Month: Hope Glass for November and Dua Asgar for December.

Each month, the faculty at Fairview Elementary School nominates a fifth-grade student who has demonstrated good citizenship and academic growth during the year. These students are recognized at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Furnitureland, where the teachers letter of nomination is read.

Students who receive the Furnitureland Rotary Club Student of the Month Award are eligible to participate in a drawing to receive a Shirlee Carda Scholarship at the end of the school year.
A Clemmons woman whose body was found in the Yadkin River near Tanglewood Park last summer was depressed and wrote suicide notes, according to a preliminary investigative report from a Forsyth County medical examiner.

Gayle Annette Fleming, 63, of Lake Cliff Drive was reported missing by a family member on April 18. Deputies with the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office and other agencies found her body June 6. Deputies found her car, a red 2000 Lexus GS 300, on April 20 in a parking lot near Tanglewoof Dog Park. She didnt have her dog with her when she was last seen, and Forsyth County deputies never found any evidence that she left the park.

Dr. Anna Greene McDonald, a Forsyth County medical examiner, said in a preliminary summary in the report that Fleming was depressed with marital issues and wrote numerous suicide notes found within a drawer at home.

In an autopsy report released earlier this month, McDonald said that friends told authorities that Fleming and her husband had a history of marital trouble but the friends added that she did not have thoughts of suicide.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bill Schatzman said Monday that he had not read the report or the autopsy.

It is my understanding that the investigation is open and ongoing, he said. We havent ruled out anything.

Chief Deputy Brad Stanley said earlier this month that investigators had found no evidence of foul play.

McDonald said in the report that Fleming left the house on April 17 after having a fight with her husband. She left with only her purse and was not heard from again. According to the autopsy report, Fleming left the house while her husband was in the shower.

According to the autopsy, McDonald wrote that Flemings cause of death was undetermined and that examination was limited by postmortem changes.

A preliminary examination of Flemings body showed no signs of trauma, the sheriffs office said. According to the autopsy report, McDonald said she did not find any injuries.

The investigative report also mentioned that Fleming had health issues, including fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by widespread pain. A toxicology report found alprazolam in Flemings liver. Alprazolam is a drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.

The N.C. Center for Missing Persons had issued a Silver Alert for Fleming, who was believed to be suffering from a cognitive impairment.
Units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have rebutted illegal armed groups during an attempted attack on the Ukrainian army positions in the area of Svitlodarsk town of Bakhmut district in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian Defense Ministry has said.

"Terrorist groups after the methodical mortar attack by three assault groups numbering 3-5 people each, have made an attempt to shell out the Ukrainian units from its affected positions in the Svitlodarsk direction today, on December 20, at 10.30 a.m. The enemy was forced to retreat after an adequate response of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units," the statement says posted on the official website of the Defense Ministry.

According to Defense Ministry data, there are no losses among the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Enemy losses are being tabulated.
GREENWICH  Audubon Connecticut will present an Environmental Leadership Award to Gina McCarthy, the current head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, at an April fundraising gala.

This years honorees also include Melissa Groo, an accomplished wildlife photographer and avid conservationist, and Leslie and Bill King of the Back 40 Farm Group, a family-owned agricultural enterprise based in Washington, Connecticut.

They were all really excited to be a part of the event and recognized for their work locally and their work on the environment, said Beth Bobek, an event planner with Audubon Connecticut. Not always do those people get recognized for what they do, so they were very excited.

Tickets for the awards gala at the Belle Haven Club will go on sale early in the new year, Bobek said. Prices start at $500. Funds raised will go to programs focusing on education, policy, science and conservation run by Audubon Connecticut across the state.

It is a significant fundraising moment for Audubon Connecticut and the work we do for not only Greenwich but across the state and in our part of the Atlantic Flyway, said Stewart Hudson, executive director of Audubon Connecticut. Its a celebration of the achievement of these heroes, and I think in that way inspirational.

This years honorees all have ties to Connecticut. That is not a requirement for recipients, but it is a common theme, Hudson said.

The Kings are based in Connecticut, and Groo and McCarthy have both spent time here in the past. McCarthy works closely with Audubon Connecticut leadership, Bobek said.

Groo is a wildlife photographer, a contributing editor to the Audubon magazine and a columnist for the magazines Outdoor Photographer and Wild Planet.

(Groo) believes that photography can be both fine art and a powerful vehicle for storytelling, and considers herself a wildlife biographer as much as a wildlife photographer, according to her website, www.melissagroo.com. It is her hope that her images will help raise awareness about not only the extrinsic beauty of animals, but also their intrinsic worth.

The Kings own a 75-acre farm in Washington, where they grow organic produce that they then market to the surrounding communities.

Our mission is to grow quality organic produce and distribute fresh healthy food to our extended family and community, reads their website. Our farming goal is to return more to the earth than we take out and we strive to serve as an educational source to generate dialogue about the sustainable food movement.

From 2004 to 2009, McCarthy was the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. She was appointed by President Obama to lead the E.P.A. in 2013 and took the helm after a 136-day confirmation fight with an oppositional Congress.

She has since led the organization in implementing stricter environmental regulations pushed by the Obama administration, including raising emissions standards for coal-fired power plants and more recently trying to wean the U.S. off coal to adhere to the U.S. commitment to the Paris climate agreement.

Past honorees have included former New York Governor George E. Pataki, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and J.P. Morgan Chase bank.

The recipients of the award are chosen because they have made great contributions to the mission of Audubon Connecticut, according to a release from the organization.

Its a great opportunity to celebrate what Audubon is about: nature education and protecting birds and their habitat, Hudson said. And its a great opportunity for those who care about those issues to provide support in a year when I think we will need more resources to continue our work.

Tickets will be available on the Audubon Connecticut website, www.ct.audubon.org.

pfrissell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss
Shutterstock

With the holiday season in full swing, small businesses should keep one important fact in mind: thanks to the rise of ecommerce and mobile commerce, online shopping for the holidays is now a global affair. Throughout the year, businesses of all sizes, including corner retail shops, home-based enterprises and larger internet-only merchants, are reaching -- and shipping to -- customers as far away as India and China. During the holiday season, this international activity ramps up, just as domestic sales do.

If your business is selling to global customers, then you need to be prepared for the unique marketing and shipping challenges that the holiday season brings. Of course, your international customers will be looking for many of the same things as your U.S. customers this holiday season, including competitive prices, impressive sales offers and free or reduced shipping. But communicating with buyers in different countries, and delivering your goods to them on time and in one piece, take special care and expertise. For instance, you will want to make sure your social media and marketing strategies account for the language and cultural differences that exist from area to area. Additionally, ensure your shipping partner understands high-volume planning and is experienced with customs and border clearance processing.
Private joint-stock company Odesa Cognac Plant, a large cognac producer in Ukraine, has signed contracts to supply its products to Australia and Poland.

"Odesa cognac plant would increase production and sales this year. We are entering new markets. Two weeks ago we shipped a batch of our products to Australia. Now we have signed a contract to supply cognac to Poland," Board Chairman Eduard Horodetsky told reporters.

He said that now the enterprise is expanding geography of shipments and developing on the U.S. market. The company exports its products to 14 countries.

"Around 10% of products are exported," he said.

He said that the cognac production facilities were located by 55% during the year.

"Our distilling capacity is 30 million liters of wine a season. Now around 8 million liters of cognac spirit is aging," he said.
Andres, who is embroiled in a legal battle against the president-elect. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

As completely predictable as it was, its been nevertheless astonishing to see the speed with which many self-declared foes of Donald Trump have reversed their positions since he was elected president. Republicans and Democrats alike who warned against Trump in severest terms have been all too willing to backtrack for the sake of political expediency  or a potential cabinet position. Likewise, many of the major scandals that were poised to trip him up have fallen by the wayside. He settled the Trump University lawsuit with relatively little fanfare. It seems likely hell do whatever he wants as far as his business holdings are concerned. So its worth taking a closer look at the opponents who have not backed down, chief among them, the celebrity chef Jose Andres, best known for restaurants specializing in olive-oil bonbons, tomato caviar, and foie-gras cotton candy.

Andres, born in northern Spain and raised in Barcelona, trained under Ferran Adria at the acclaimed El Bulli, and now operates more than a dozen mostly Spanish restaurants in cities including Washington, D.C., Miami, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Hes considered to have been instrumental in helping to introduce and popularize concepts like small plates, tasting counters, and molecular gastronomy in America. His restaurants in D.C., where hes based,  Jaleo, Bazaar, the Michelin-starred Minibar  have also played a huge part in elevating the citys now-thriving food scene.

Plenty of celebrities have been and continue to be vocal in their opposition to Trump, but most of them dont have much at stake  at least not yet. Andres, meanwhile, is in a very real legal battle against the president-elect. As has been widely reported, in 2015, shortly after Trump announced he would run for office and promptly made disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants, Andres withdrew the commitment hed made to open a costly restaurant in Trumps new D.C. hotel. Trump, naturally, sued him for breach of contract, seeking $10 million in damages. Andres countersued, arguing that Trumps comments had completely destroyed the restaurants reputation and his ability to do business, long before it had opened.

I am a proud immigrant!! To my fellow immigrants thank you for the amazing work you do every day #ToImmigrantsWithLove pic.twitter.com/8Oc2ej41Zq  Jose Andres (@chefjoseandres) December 19, 2016

This might or might not have proved to be true, but even if it had, Andress decision was more than a business calculation: It was also a political statement. At the time, Andres announced, More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests. And, as a proud Spanish immigrant and recently naturalized American citizen myself, I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status.

This stance is hardly out of character for Andres. As the profile of celebrity chefs has grown, a number of them  Rene Redzepi, Dan Barber, Tom Colicchio, Roy Choi, Adria, and especially Andres  have used their platforms to explore the political side of fine dining, advocating for changes to improve the worlds food systems. Andres has also been more than just a culinary ambassador. In 2006, he changed the name of his umbrella company from Proximo to ThinkFoodGroup. In 2012, he was honored as one of Time magazines most influential people in the world, categorized as an activist, and described by Anthony Bourdain as capable of anything, after he started an organization called World Central Kitchen with his wife, Patricia. Inspired by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, its aim is to build kitchens in developing countries, to serve as a model for sustainable cooking using local ingredients and solar-powered cookstoves, and to feed people in crisis.

Andres received a National Humanities Medal earlier this year. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

A 2014 article in the Washington Post detailed the constant hop-scotching [Andres] does between business and charity. He has taught classes at Harvard and George Washington University. In 2015, he founded a vegetable-centric chain called Beefsteak (as in the tomato), in an effort to push Americans toward eating more healthily. Earlier this year, he was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Obama, for introducing new and vibrant ingredients to our Nation, whether through his innovative techniques in the kitchen, his work on clean cooking technology and access to education, or the inspiration he provides to new Americans.

Andress refusal to back down against Trump is a different kind of political maneuvering, given that its mired in a business transaction. Hes risking not only a great deal of money, but also some of the optics of what he does  most high-end chefs, who specialize in transporting diners with their expensive, beautifully executed cuisine and hospitality, make a point of limiting the public exposure given to the nitty-gritty of restaurant operations. But a business-related lawsuit is perhaps the most effective way to threaten our future businessman-in-chief. The recent news that the suit will require Trump to be deposed for up to seven hours, just weeks before his inauguration, has received significant play. That deposition will be videotaped, and as NPR notes, Trumps critics will be able to comb through it, examining both what he said and how he came across  looking for the kind of video moments that quickly flow into social media.

One might wonder why Andres  or Geoffrey Zakarian, the other celebrity chef to pull out of the hotel, who is also being sued  agreed to work with Trump in the first place; its not as though he hadnt shown his colors before his campaign. But chefs within the Trump orbit have in the past been able to maintain a certain degree of distance from their infamous landlord: Jean Georges, for example, Jean-Georges Vongerichtens celebrated New York flagship, is in a Trump hotel, something few people seemed to notice or care about until Trump invited Mitt Romney there for the worlds most awkward-looking dinner. Now, Andres has set a new precedent  for both chefs and Trumps opponents in general.
For a fun segment this year, the Global Calgary news team decided to share their favorite holiday dishes live on air. When traffic reporter Leslie Horton gets her turn, she prefaces it by saying that what she wanted to do was play it safe and go buy a Safeway fruitcake. She caved, however, because her family guilt-tripped her into making artichoke dip. You know, artichoke dip is one of those things  like pizza  thats pretty good, even when its bad.

Or not, if its prepared by Leslie I am a terrible cook Horton:



Yeah, its not supposed to look like that, she tells everyone, before warning them, Im going to make you guys try it. The aroma was apparently positively gag-worthy, causing anchor Scott Fee to observe that it smells like a barn. Liberally topped crackers are passed around, multiple co-hosts complain of a vinegary taste, and meteorologist Jordan Witzels gag reflex seems to kick in, forcing him to frantically hunt down something to spit the food into. Anchor Amber Schinkel, meanwhile, simply clutches at her throat and cries, It burns!



Horton admits she made a couple improvisations to the recipe, which is her sisters: a dry mandarin orange she had on hand instead of lemon, and some oregano and celery salt for spices. If theres a moral to this story, its that Canadians blessed politeness will be the death of them.


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Sprint is almost ready to start selling the yet-unannounced Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017). The carrier will have it in its own stores, but will also offer it through its prepaid brands, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. The phone is supposed to debut on January 6, according to a new leak from Evan Blass (a.k.a. @evleaks).

Sprint and its two prepaid arms will sell it as the Samsung Galaxy J3 Emerge, and what you see below are leaked press renders showing the upcoming entry-level handset.

This US version of the J3 (2017) may be different from the international one in more than its name, with some features such as the cameras being kept identical to those in the original J3 for the US.

The J3 Emerge will sport a 5-inch 720p touchscreen, the Snapdragon 430 chipset, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage. These are all improvements compared to its predecessor, as is the Android version it will run, namely 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

However, the fixed-focus 5 MP rear (with 720p video capture) and 2 MP front cameras will stay the same, as will the 2,600 mAh battery capacity. With these specs, we're hoping that the Galaxy J3 Emerge will be a bargain, because otherwise we fail to see why anyone would pick it up. Pricing information hasn't been leaked yet unfortunately.

Source
The European Union is financing a project, titled "Support to Police Reform" (EUR 6 million), as part of which in three Ukrainian regions 20 model police stations and bureaus will be established, according to the press release of the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM) group for reforming civil safety.

Head of the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine (EUAM) Kestutis Lancinskas presented the EU-funded project in Lviv on Tuesday. The police departments and bureaus will be formed in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv regions (7 will be established in Lviv region).

"Our plan is for the 20 police stations we will be cooperating with to serve as models of the new police for the rest of the country. We aim for the public in the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv regions to feel better protected and served by the police after this project is completed," Lancinskas said.

According to the project, some 20 police stations will be refurbished, re-equipped and their staff re-trained. A number of measures will be conducted to increase trust between police and citizens living in these regions.

The project will be carried out under the aegis of the Swedish police in cooperation with the Consultation Mission of the EU and the United Nations projects bureau.
Xiaomi announced the Mi Notebook Air back in July as its very own high-end entry into the laptop space. Almost half a year later, the Chinese company is ready to reveal a new version of this device. So it's scheduled a special event for that purpose, which will take place on December 23, which is this Friday.

The teaser image you can see to the left has surfaced in China, and it shows us a very small part of the upcoming laptop. The overall design seems to have remained the same, though. What is intriguing is what can be seen in the bottom right of the screen - namely a 4G signal strength indicator.

This confirms that the new Mi Notebook Air will come with built-in mobile data connectivity, supporting 4G LTE networks. Unfortunately no details about which bands will be supported have been leaked, nor anything else about the new laptop really.

So this could just be a 4G-enhanced variation of the already available Wi-Fi-only Mi Notebook Air, coming with the exact same specs otherwise. Of course there's also a chance that Xiaomi has refreshed the device's internals too, but it's impossible to tell. Hopefully we'll see some leaks about it in the next couple of days. If not, we'll find out everything there is to know about it on Friday.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
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Haiti - FLASH : BCEN orders the verification of 12% of minutes





Following the decision by the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to reject Saturday the requests for recusal of the Electoral Advisers sitting on the Office of National Electoral Litigation (BCEN) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19554-haiti-flash-official-the-cep-rejects-the-requests-of-recusal-of-all-the-complainants.html and the referral of the plaintiffs to the Electoral Court on Monday, LAPEH, "Pitit Desalin" and "Fanmi Lavalas" finally pleaded their case, calling once again for further verification at the tabulation center of the minutes.



Me Andre Michel, LAPEH's lawyer called for the examination of 78% of tabulated PV at the Voting Tabulation Centre (CTV);



Me Gervais Charles and Me Axene Joseph,lawyers of Famni Lavalas claimed substantially the same % of verification, stating that these minutes were tabulated without taking into account of the 4 admissibility criteria stipulated in article 171.1 of the Electoral Decree. Failing to say that the CEP regulation allows the CTV to assess the minutes and makes the application of these criteria non-mandatory as confirmed during the tabulation by Robenson Cherilus, the Director General of the CTV "Article 171.1 of the Electoral Decree granting the privilege to the Tabulation Centreto decide whether or not to count a PV and that this Article is not mandatory. The 14 criteria are not mandatory," according to the regulations of the CEP https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19345-haiti-flash-already-more-than-1-700-minutes-in-quarantine-presidential.html



Me Evelt Fanfan one of the lawyers of "Pitit Dessalin" followed the same arguments and claimed, like the other two complainants, the verification of 78% of the minutes.



As for the lawyers of the PHTKthey continued to find these claims unjustified in the absence of concrete evidence of allegations of massive fraud.



Following Monday's hearings, the Electoral Court gave partially a "success" to the complainants and ordered in its decision very early on Tuesday morning, that starting today, December 20 (at 9 days of the deadline for publication of the final results) that 12% of randomly drawn presidential minutes be verified.



In its conclusion, the BCEN "orders its transport to the Votes Tabulation Centre for verification of 12% of the minutes, ie a total of 1,560 minutes, randomly", these verifications, according to the decision of the BCEN, will be carried out in the presence of the parties concerned and the national and international electoral observation organizations.



Note that, contrary to the request of the three complaining parties, only one Chamber ruled on the three cases of dispute, a situation that the complainants did not challenge this time.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19527-haiti-flash-publication-of-final-results-possible-delay.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19518-haiti-flash-bcen-hearings-postponed-sine-die.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - FLASH : Two employees of municipality of Delmas shot dead





On Monday, two roadworkers working for the municipality of Delmas were shot dead in front of the town hall of Delmas by unidentified individuals, who fled after their act, without being worried, confirmed the mayor of Delams Wilson Jeudy.



Shortly after the Haitian National Police arrived at the scene to gather the first testimonies awaiting the Justice of the Peace for the legal finding and the removal of the bodies of the two victims dead on the spot.



A few days before Christmas, the security situation in Port-au-Prince remains worrying as police officers serve as targets for thugs (26 police officers killed https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19501-haiti-security-a-young-24-year-old-police-officer-savagely-assassinated.html ) and that armed robberies and assaults multiply, leaving a virtually permanent threat to the tranquility of citizens...



While the population lives in fear, the Minister of Justice constantly condemns these criminal acts and speaks of "crackdown and zero tolerance", de facto President Privert wants to be firm and reassuring and passes his instructions... and the PNH constantly announces a lot of security measures and new plans and strategies to guarantee the safety of citizens...



The only thing that can be seen is that the bandits continue to operate in broad daylight with impunity in the majority of cases, that no citizen is safe and that the population lives in fear a few days of Christmas... waiting for the final results of the presidential elections, scheduled on December 29, whose outcome at the level of the protesters remains unpredictable...



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-19555-icihaiti-petit-goave-the-main-perpetrator-ofsabotage-identified-and-on-the-run.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19553-haiti-securityprivert-tries-to-reassure-the-economic-forum.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19501-haiti-security-a-young-24-year-old-police-officer-savagely-assassinated.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19484-haiti-flash-a-police-officer-executed-in-a-tap-tap.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19438-haiti-security-two-police-officers-shot-dead.html



TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Security : Mario Andresol receives the International Leadership Award





Monday, 19 December, the International Diplomatic Institute awarded the International Leadership Award to the former Head of the Haitian National Police (PNH) and Candidate for the Presidency of Haiti in 2015, Mario Andresol for his contribution to the democratic struggle in Haiti and his commitment against banditry and drug trafficking in the Caribbean region.



Learn more about Mario Andresol :

Former student of the Faculty of Human Sciences and INAGHEI Mario Andresol joined the Military Academy of Haiti in 1982. He graduated with the rank of second lieutenant and specializes in Fort Benning (USA) as infantry officer. In 1986, he trained in Melun (France) in the maintenance of order. On his return to Haiti, he distinguished himself in various units of the army to the rank of captain. In 1995 he joined the PNH as Commissioner of Petion-cille and then as head of the Judicial Police.



In 2001, following political persecution and assassination attempts, he went into exile in the United States for four years and returned to the country in 2005. The Haitian Parliament unanimously approves his choice as Chief of Police and renews him its confidence in 2009. At the end of his term, he devotes himself to his professional activities before becoming a Candidate for the Presidency in 2015 as an independent.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















On Wednesday, December 21, at 13.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference "Political Situation 2016: Crisis or aggravation?" The participants will include: Director of the Institute of Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov, expert at Gardarika strategic consulting corporation Kostiantyn Matviyenko and director of the Ukrainian Barometer sociological service Viktor Nebozhenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation.




Haiti - Economy : Just 1% growth for Haiti in 2017





In its latest report just released, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has significantly revised Haiti's economic growth forecasts for 2017 to 1% instead of the objective of 2.2 % set by the Haitian Government.



This drastic downward revision of 1% in 2017 (compared to 2% in 2016) takes into account the passage of Hurricane Matthew which caused nearly $ 2 billion in damage to the economy and uncertainties about the end of the process electoral. If politicians or political actors do not find a consensus by February 2017 to stabilize the country, the Haitian economy could even grow close to 0% or negative.



According to the report of the CEPAL, the growth rate in 2017, for the region of Latin America and the Caribbean is expected to be around 1.3%. Economic growth in the Caribbean will be drawn without surprise by the Dominican Republic with a growth of 6.2% (6.4% in 2016).



While the worst economy of the region in 2017 will be Venezuela, which is expected to record negative economic growth of -4.5%, followed by Ecuador 0.3%, Brazil 0.4% and Trinidad and Tobago 0.5%.



TB/ HaitiLibre


















By Vasia Orion | Published on 2016/12/19

Episode thirteen of "Dr. Romantic" tackles the highly dangerous MERS and the responsibility medical care professionals carry in such potential outbreak situations. Sadly, the episode also uses this serious topic to kick its romance into a forced high gear through the heavy hand of danger. Doldam is in major trouble and someone I thought we knew makes a horrible decision and betrays a colleague.

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Before getting to the problematic parts of the episode, I want to talk about Seo-jeong (Seo Hyun-jin) and how she has grown to be a well-rounded character with focus and agency. It is such a pleasure to see her handle situations without faltering, even when those situations turn unfair. The only other person who has been so bold with Chairman Sin (Joo Hyun) is Teacher Kim (Han Suk-kyu) himself, which reinforces my belief that Seo-jeong is the closest in his crew to become the idealistic doctor that he is.

As for the romance, I think it develops well up to a point. The "romantic suturing" is a bit corny, but the series takes place in a hospital and therefore flirting can only happen in that environment. I also find the fact that the two lovebirds continue to be friends and good colleagues while flirting a nice touch. The series tried too hard in the first episode and Dong-joo's (Yoo Yeon-seok) behavior toward Seo-jeong has been problematic, but the drama was slowly addressing this.

Unfortunately the temptation in Dramaland always exists to get more romantic, which brings us to the problematic part of the episode; the use of MERS as a romantic plot device. Danger can generate honesty, but the panic of loss can also twist someone's arm when they are not ready for something. Using a serious topic to push Seo-jeong's feelings is a rather cheap trick, although not a surprising one, given the writer has a habit of rushing through important situations related to their main characters.

I just wish the creators understood that impactful drama does not need and is in fact only ruined by "soapy" elements. In-beom's (Yang Se-jong) turn toward the wicked and his trick to send Seo-jeong to her possible doom is also a sudden development which is highly out of character for him. It is a clear shock attempt and I wonder if it is also a way to reassure the audience their romance will not be threatened.

Whichever the case, the episode's interesting choice of topic and the portrayal of all the issues that it creates is quite thrilling. I just hope the creators will stop overshadowing or even sullying their good work by using their interesting material to force their narrative. The series has recovered from this before, so let us see if it can manage it again.

"Dr. Romantic" is directed by Yoo In-sik, written by Kang Eun-kyeong and features Han Suk-kyu, Yoo Yeon-seok, Seo Hyun-jin and Kim Hong-pa.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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Published on 2016/12/20 | Source

Added episodes 33 and 34 captures for the Korean drama "The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop" (2016)

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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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KYIV. Dec 19 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Private joint-stock company Fanplit (Kyiv), a producer of plywood and wood chipboard, seeks to challenge the court ruling to arrest equipment of the enterprise and the closure of its workshop over emissions under a petition of Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) in Kyiv. The company believes that the events, including protests of residents of the Comfort Town residential complex, organized to close the enterprise are linked to the use of the land parcel where the workshop is located for construction.

"Under a petition of Prosecutor General's Office on December 9 the court halted the plywood workshop, leaving 250 employees without wages and jobs before the New Year. The enterprise has been operating for 108 years. Around 500 people work there. The company produces goods worth some UAH 200 million, and the products are exported to 30 countries," Fanplit Director General Palladiy Horbatiuk said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

He said that according to the court ruling, information that the Fanplit plant violates environment protection legislation was taken from online and media reports.

He said that in the past months Comfort Town residents held protest rallies. They were complaining of noise and air pollution. The ecological inspectorate and Ukraine's State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Rights Protection started frequent inspections.

"We several times proposed them [the residents] to work out joint steps to remove the problems. Today the company is working on emission reduction, but it looks like they are not interested in it," the top manager said.

Deputy Head of the committee for safety of doing business at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine Valeriy Buniak said that the problem is not new: construction in the industrial zone and then complaints of residents over air pollution.

"The Comfort Town complex has been built in the place where one cannot build, in particular, in the sanitary zone of Fanplit. It is 300 meters. Kyiv has problems with the general plan and these situations appear. They should be settled in a civilized way, with the attraction of environmental specialists or sanitation centers, but without interference of PGO. Here PGO arrived and closed the workshop, while there are no claims to it Under the previous authorities it was called "pressure on business," he said.

According to a ruling of Dniprovsky district court in Kyiv issued on December 9, the court banned operation of the heat generator burning wood chips and equipment to burn wood chip joined to the thermal oil unit, as Fanplit consumes wood chips without a permit and its emission violate environment protection law.

Press conference participants said that Fanplit really planned to switch from gas consumption to wood chip burning to save energy. They conducted tests to receive the relevant permits, while PGO wrote in its petition that the company is already burning chips.

"Why no one raises the issue that the land parcel planned for construction, where earlier Vtorchormet plant was located, is polluted with cesium? And they want to close the enterprise that is taking measures to reduce emission, despite the difficult financial state. Of course, there are plans to expand construction in the industrial zone. There are utility networks there. There is no need to install them, but the plant must be destroyed for this purpose," lawyer Viktor Kolbantsev said.

Along with the submission of a counterclaim, employees of the company plan to hold rallies.

"We will file a claim about the crime of constructors. They are building in the sanitary zone. We will file appeals about the unlawful construction on the place where the aluminum plant and other plants are located in this industrial zone where one cannot build [houses]. We will hold rallies near PGO and Kyiv City Administration. It they do not hear us, we will hold rallies near the presidential administration," Horbatiuk said.

He said that residents of Comfort Town are to answer too, as they bought apartments close to the industrial enterprise and did not ask about the environment situation in the area.
Azerbaijan oil company SOCAR lambasted over safety record

UK-based oil and gas news and recruitment website Oil and Gas People has penned a very critical article on Azerbaijan state-owned oil company SOCAR for its safety record over the last few years. The website says the company has seen an average of 18 worker deaths each year since 2013, a figure which has disgraced the company and left its safety reputation in tatters.

Stock image

SOCAR recorded 14 deaths in 2014, 34 in 2015 and 11 so far in 2016, the website says. The biggest fatality events for the company were in December 2015 when 30 were killed in a fire and lifeboat sinking on the Gunlashi No 10 platform in the Caspian Sea, with a further 10 presumed dead after a walkway on an offshore platform collapsed into the sea during storms a few days ago.

Oil and Gas People contrasted SOCAR, which employed over 61,000 employees in 2014 (and only a fraction of this figure offshore), with the UK Oil Industry, which employed around 260,000 people in 2014 and has seen 2 worker deaths from 2014 to 2016.

It pointed to the fact that in the recent incident, workers were lost when working outside in 90 mph winds, a practice that would not be acceptable anywhere in the North Sea. Also, the companys reports on these incidents giving the cause as high winds or adverse weather seem to imply that offshore installations are not designed to withstand such conditions.

The figures are damning and the timeline shows a repeat of similar incidents that can only question the integrity of previous investigations and whether any lessons learned have been deployed throughout the organisation to prevent further fatalities.

With oil and gas industry workers giving first hand reports of poor safety standards, inadequate maintenance and substandard conditions aboard SOCAR installations it's no surprise that incidents like those listed above are a frequent occurrence to the organisation, the website says.





More information...
More than two million Australian workers are being forced to take their annual leave over the Christmas period, according to a finder.com.au survey of 2,026 Australians.



It also found that 13% of employees will be made by their employers to take one week off, while a further 11% are required to take two weeks leave due to the slow trading period and a number of workplaces shutting their doors over Christmas and New Year.



More than 340,000 Australians (4.2%) will involuntarily take three or four weeks off, the majority of their annual leave days, during the slow business trading period in December and January.



Bessie Hassan, Money Expert at finder.com.au, said some employees may be taking compulsory leave begrudgingly.



While expecting staff to take one week off at Christmas is reasonable, especially if they have excess annual leave days, more than that is unfair and could cause financial hardship and stress down the line, particularly for new employees who dont have enough annual leave accrued, she said.



For Aussie workers, forced annual leave means they arent able to choose when they holiday. Accommodation and airfare prices are up to 103% higher during this peak time and some may not be able to afford to go away, and those who do will be paying through the roof.



It also makes setting aside some leave for a mid-year break or an unexpected event much harder.



According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, an employer can only direct an employee to take annual leave when the business is closed during the Christmas and New Year period and when an employee has accumulated excess annual leave.



If you are unsure if you are required to take annual leave, check the terms of your registered agreement for information. To find a registered agreement, visit the Fair Work Commission website.



Hassan added that while time off work is important both mentally and physically, employees should be able to choose when they take their annual leave.



Imagine if you were saving your annual leave for something important like a new baby or visiting relatives but you were forced to take it at Christmas, she said.



Having a few annual leave days up your sleeve can help cover you in an emergency as not everyone has enough savings to cover themselves for an extended period of absence.



She urged employees to consider income protection to avoid worrying about not having access to leave if they became sick or injured, especially if all annual and personal leave has been used up for the year.



Generation breakdown
Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) received an early Christmas gift from the Logan family in early December. Jane Logan donated 72 acres along the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Cascades Falls Overlook to BRC.

Located in Ashe County, this property will contribute to the connectivity of protected lands in the area, benefiting the public by preserving vistas and promoting healthy waterways. Connecting large, undeveloped tracts of land has positive impacts on wildlife habitat and water quality.

This property is home to 5 headwater springs of Pine Swamp Creek, a tributary of the South Fork New River, most of which originate on the land and are protected by forested buffers. Additionally, the property borders the Blue Ridge Parkway for 3,500 feet and is highly visible by visitors travelling in the north and southbound lane.

According to Phillip Logans sister Jane Logan, Phil Logan was born in the flat lands of Indiana and did not move to the Blue Ridge Mountains until his late twenties. But it was in the mountains here that he found his true home. He made many friends as a pharmacist during the more than forty years he lived in West Jefferson and Boone and felt he had found his place. He especially loved the Blue Ridge Parkway and spent many hours hiking its trails. With his father Howard he bought the acreage on the Parkway and it has remained untouched.

With the acquisition of this property, Blue Ridge Conservancy completed its third land protection project bordering the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2016, which coincides with the centennial celebration of the National Park Service. The three projects total 354 acres of conserved land adjacent to the Parkway.

Thanks to the generosity of Jane Logan and her family, this property will be enjoyed by Parkway visitors for many years to come.

Upon Phils death in 2014 his sister and nieces felt that donating all the land was the best legacy they could think of to honor him and his love of the land. We feel very happy to know that the land will remain in its natural state for generations to come and we know that his spirit will live on in his beloved mountains said Jane Logan.

BRC plans to transfer the propertys ownership to the National Park Service in the near future. Funding for the transaction costs was made possible by a generous donation from Fred and Alice Stanback.

Blue Ridge Conservancy and the Conservation Trust for North Carolina work together to Save the Places You Love along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Both organizations, along with other land conservation partners, recently launched a website highlighting protected properties along the North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The web link is: http://protecttheblueridgeparkway.org/.

The website includes photos and property descriptions, including availability for hiking, an interactive map, landowner stories, and information about each partner land trust and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

About Blue Ridge Conservancy

BRC is a private, non-profit, non-governmental organization incorporated in North Carolina. BRC has protected over 19,450 acres in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey Counties. In addition to protecting working farmland, BRCs efforts have resulted in the creation of state natural areas like Beech Creek Bog, Bear Paw State Natural Area and Bullhead Mountain. We continue to help Grandfather Mountain State Park and Elk Knob State Park expand their borders and established Pond Mountain Game Land in Ashe County. More information about Blue Ridge Conservancy is available at www.blueridgeconservancy.org.

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On Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016, the Boone Police Department and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation concluded an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) operation, resulting in the arrest of Timothy Glenn Hart, 48, of Greeneville, Tenn.

The Boone Police Department and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are members of the North Carolina ICAC Task Force, which is continually engaged in proactive and reactive investigations and prosecutions of persons involved in child abuse and exploitation of children involving the internet.

Hart had arranged a meeting in Boone, with the intent of having a sexual encounter with a minor female, and traveled there from his home in Greeneville, Tenn. Officers observed Hart as he arrived at the meeting location, approached him and conducted an interview. Hart was then taken into custody prior to having made any physical contact with a minor.

This investigation has led the Boone Police Department to charge Timothy Glenn Hart with Soliciting a Child by Computer, Disseminating Obscenity, Attempted 1st Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Indecent Liberties with a Child. Hart was taken before a Watauga County Magistrate, and then turned over to the staff at the Watauga Detention Center.

The arrestee in this case is:

Timothy Glenn Hart

Shelton Mission Road

Greeneville, TN 37743

W/M, 48 years of age

The charges filed are:

One count of Felony Solicit a Child by Computer and Appear

One count of Felony Dissemination of Obscenity

One count of Felony Attempted 1st Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

One count of Felony Indecent Liberties with a Child

Harts court date was set for Jan. 17, 2017 and his conditions of release were set as a $125,000 secured bond.

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Its Time For Audubons 117th Annual Christmas Bird Count

North Carolinas Bird Lover Winter Tradition Still Contributing To Science

CHAPEL HILL (December 12, 2016) Audubon North Carolina invites birdwatchers to participate in the longest-running citizen science survey, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Between December 14 and January 5, hundreds of bird-loving volunteers will participate in counts across North Carolina.

During the 2015 North Carolina CBC volunteers counted 796,959 individual birds of 222 species. 2016 is shaping up to be another great year for citizen science.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running wildlife census in the world. Each individual count takes place in a 15-mile-wide circle and is led by a compiler responsible for organizing volunteers and submitting observations to Audubon. In the 51 circles in North Carolina, participants tally all birds seen or heard that daynot just the species but total numbers to provide a clear idea of the health of that particular population.

Each year, North Carolina ranks in the top performing states participating in the global citizen science event. North Carolina will record every individual bird and bird species seen in a specified area, contributing to a vast citizen science network that continues a tradition stretching back more than 100 years.

Its never been easier to be a citizen scientist and its never been more important to be one, said David Yarnold (@david_yarnold), president and CEO of the National Audubon Society. Birds and the people who watch them are noticing changes. Using the data gathered by more than a century of Christmas Bird Counts, Audubon will keep protecting birds and the places they need. Im incredibly proud of the volunteers that contribute to this tradition.

Christmas Bird Count data have been used in more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, including Audubons landmark Birds and Climate Change Report, which found that more than half of the bird species in North America are threatened by a changing climate. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continents bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years. The long-term perspective is vital for conservationists. It informs strategies to protect birds and their habitat, and helps identify environmental issues with implications for people as well.

Last year, the 116th Christmas Bird Count included a record-setting 2,505 count circles, with 1,902 counts in the United States, 471 in Canada and 132 in Latin America, the Caribbean, Bermuda and the Pacific Islands. In total, 76,669 observers out in the field tallied up 58,878,071 birds representing 2,607 different speciesabout one-quarter of the worlds known avifauna. Approximately 5 percent of the North American landmass was surveyed by the Christmas Bird Count.

From our mountains to our coasts, the 117th CBC is a tradition that everyone can participate in, said Curtis Smalling. Adding observations to more than a century of data helps scientists and conservationists observe trends that will help make our work more impactful.

Beginning on Christmas Day in 1900, Dr. Frank M. Chapman, founder of Bird-Lore  which evolved into Audubon magazine  proposed a new holiday tradition that would count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them. Conservation was in its beginning stages in that era, and many observers and scientists were becoming concerned about declining bird populations. So began the Christmas Bird Count. 117 years later, the tradition continues and still manages to bring out the best in people.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is a citizen science project organized by the National Audubon Society. There is no fee to participate and the quarterly report, American Birds, is available online. Counts are open to birders of all skill levels and Audubons free Bird Guide app makes it even easier to chip in. For more information and to find a count near you visitwww.christmasbirdcount.org.

About Audubon North Carolina

With over a century of conservation history in North Carolina, Audubon strives to conserve and restore the habitats we share with all wildlife, focusing on the needs of birds. Audubon North Carolina achieves its mission through a blend of science-based research and conservation, education and outreach, and advocacy. Audubon North Carolina has offices in Corolla, Boone, Wilmington and Chapel Hill. Learn more at nc.audubon.org and @audubonnc.

About Audubon

The National Audubon Society saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubons state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubons vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and follow @audubonsociety.

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Gov. Pat McCrory called a special session for the N.C. General Assembly on Wednesday for the reconsideration of HB2, otherwise known as the bathroom bill, after Charlotte rescinded its non-discrimination ordinance. Read more about the background here.

Below is a transcript of McCrorys message, announcing the meeting:

Hi this is Governor Pat McCrory.

Now that the Charlotte ordinance has finally been repealed, the expectation of privacy in our showers, bathrooms and locker rooms is restored and protected under previous state law.

I have always publicly advocated a repeal of the overreaching Charlotte ordinance.

But those efforts were blocked by Jennifer Roberts, Roy Cooper and other Democratic activists.

This sudden reversal with little notice after the gubernatorial election has ended sadly proves this entire issue, originated by the political left, was all about politics at the expense of Charlotte and the entire state of North Carolina.

But as I promised months ago, if the Charlotte ordinance was repealed, I would call our General Assembly into a Special Session to reconsider existing state legislation passed earlier this year. And Im doing just that for this Wednesday.

But it should also be noted that the whole issue of gender identity is a national issue that will be resolved by the courts and the United States Justice Department.

Like all of us, I look forward to that resolution and to working with our state legislators in the coming days.

Thank you and may God continue to bless the great state of North Carolina.

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By Bob Garver

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story takes place between Episodes III and IV of the official Star Wars series. It answers the question of how Princess Leia came to be in possession of the plans for the Death Star at the beginning of Episode IV. It also answers the question of why the Death Star was built with a convenient Destroy Entire Death Star feature. So it serves to fill in a few blanks. And yet Rogue One feels like an entirely useless movie. Not only is it hard to get invested in aspects of the story that we know wont continue, but it quickly becomes apparent that those aspects arent worth continuing anyway.

Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, the daughter of engineer Gelen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), who is being forced to work on the Death Star by the evil Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) of the Empire (when will movie villains realize that its a bad idea to have dissenters build their superweapons?). Shes recruited by the Rebels to go on a mission to track down her father, who they plan to assassinate. Shes accompanied by Rebel officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his wisecracking robot K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). First she has to track down old family friend Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whitaker) and while on his planet, the team adds blind warrior Chirrut Imwe (Donny Yen), short-tempered warrior Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), and turncoat pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed). After some twists and turns and betrayal and heartbreak, the team finds themselves on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star out from under Krennics nose.

This movie does special effects right, Ill give it that. Especially commendable is the way CGI is used to recreate some classic characters, one of whom was played by an actor whos been dead for over twenty years. These type of effects can become creepy and laughable very easily, but as far as I could tell the movie does it seamlessly. I actually thought they were somehow using old footage before I learned that it was new actors with CGI makeup. Elsewhere, everything from aliens to spaceships to entire action sequences would be right at home in the series proper. From this standpoint, I can see why the filmmakers thought they had a hit here.

But then the movie hits a brick wall when it comes to its script, and in particular its new characters. I could not bring myself to care one iota about Jyn, Andor, Gerrera, or Krennic. This despite Forrest Whitaker having an Oscar, Ben Mendelsohn having an Emmy, and Felicity Jones frankly being better than her Oscar-winning costar Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything. Lower-tier cast members like Tudyk and Ahmed fare better, stealing scenes as expected, but the film doesnt have memorable characters or performances where it needs them. Instead it relies too much on lazy fan service. One cameo proves to be a powerful presence, but all the others are there just for the sake of being there. It really makes you appreciate The Force Awakens and how it came up with interesting and meaningful roles for all of its returning characters.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was clearly made with a dont get too attached to them attitude toward its original characters and it backfires badly. I was cheering at the end, not because of an emotional connection, but because I was glad to be done with this insufferable offshoot forever. Its a shame too, because the technical aspects of this movie are excellent and deserve a story worthy of them. I think that about 90% of the people who worked on this movie were happy and honored to be working on a Star Wars project, but the writers and cast were secretly resentful that they werent working on an installment of the main series, so like Erso, they sabotaged their own work.

Two Stars out of Five.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of sci-fi violence and action. Its running time is 134 minutes.

Contact Bob Garver at [email protected].

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Weekly Events at Lost Province Brewing Company

December 19, 2016-December 25, 2016

Short List

Tuesday, 12/20/16- Cheap Date Night and a Movie. A salad, pizza and two pints for $25. The movie, A Christmas Story, is free!

Wednesday,12/21/16-Trivia at 7pm.

Thursday, 12/22/16- -$3 Thirsty Thursday and Live Music with Holden Bare.

Friday, 12/23/16-Live Music: Dane Page at 7:30pm.

Saturday, 12/24/16-Closed for Christmas Eve.

Sunday, 12/25/16-Closed for Christmas.

Friday, 12/30/16-Live Music: Klee and Mike Show at 7:30pm.

Saturday, 12/31/16-New Years Eve Celebration with the Lazybirds starting at 8pm.

Monday December 19

Family Night-Buy any regularly priced pizza and receive one free kids meal.

Tuesday December 20

6pm-10pm-Cheap Date Night Dinner and a Movie. Join us at Lost Province for our monthly (every third Tuesday of the month) Cheap Date Night Dinner & A Movie. This month were showing A Christmas Story so grab your leg lamps and dont shoot your eye out. The Cheap Date Night special includes 2 pints of beer, one wood fired Neapolitan Pizza and one salad, plus popcorn during the movie for only $25. Anyone can, of course, still order off of the regular menu, and the movie is free and open to all! Come in anytime between 6-8pm to take advantage of the Cheap Date Night Food & Drink Special! The movie will start promptly at 7:30.

Wednesday December 21

7pm-9pm Trivia Night: Beginning at 7pm, Lost Province will be hosting Trivia Night. Compete on your own or on a team! The competition gets started at 7pm so come a little early for a pizza and a pint and get your seat!

Thursday December 22

College Night and $3.00 Thursday-$3.00 pints on all Lost Province brewed beers (except high gravity).

7:30-Close Live Music: Holden Bare. Holden Bare has been creating good times for over 3 decades playing the music you remember. His one-man show can transport you back to the 60s and 70s with songs from your favorite artists that will always touch you. Holdens vocals, along with either piano or guitar, can add just the right touch to make your dining experience a memorable one. Years of entertaining coupled with an extensive song list will ensure that you will have a good time with plenty of smiles and memories to take with you.

Friday December 23

7:30pm-Closing Live Music: Dane PageDane Page has been playing music professionally for 4 years in bars/coffee shops/breweries and wherever else in the Charlotte and Boone area, but calls the Carolina Piedmont his home. He started playing guitar in 7th grade wanting to be Jimmy Page, and still does, but music has lead him to many different genres of music, and most recently, songwriting. His songwriting influences range from modern song writers (Amos Lee, Josh Ritter, Gregory Alan Isakov, Justin Townes Earle) to classic song writers (Merle Haggard, Hall & Oates, Woody Guthrie, Paul Simon)

Saturday December 24

Closed for Christmas Eve.

Sunday December 25

Closed for Christmas Day.

Discover Andy Warhol Dec. 20 at BRAHM

** COFFEE WITH THE CURATOR

 

** Andy Warhol: Six Silkscreen Prints

 

** Tuesday, Dec 20, 11 am

 

**

 

Take a walk through the galleries with Dianna Cameron, Curator of

Exhibitions and get a behind-the-scenes look into Andy Warhol: Six

Silkscreen Prints. Afterward, guests are invited to converse and pose

questions while enjoying complimentary coffee.

On loan from the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts

(http://BlowingRockMuseum.us9. list-manage.com/track/click?u= 58a927d92e24acf7ea8b5e40c&id= 99859d82ed&e=186aa2a2e6 )

, Appalachian State University.

Watauga Sanitation and Convenience Centers Closed Dec. 24-25

The Watauga County Sanitation Department(including All Convenience

Centers) will be Closed on December 24th and 25th. All Convenience

Centers, and the Transfer Station will be open on December 26th. The

Landfill Convenience site will also be closed on (Sunday) New Years

Day .

For more information, please call 828-264-5305.

Spring Registration Continues Through Jan. 5 at CCC&TI

Upcoming Courses, Events

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute will continue registering new students for the Spring 2017 semester on both the Caldwell and Watauga Campuses through Dec. 22 and Jan. 3 through Jan. 4 after the holiday break. During the time the institution is closed for Christmas, students will be able to register online, but are urged to meet with an advisor before the college closes on Dec. 22 at 12 p.m. CCC&TIs Final Registration session will be offered from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 5. Spring classes begin on Monday, Jan. 9. A variety of financial aid options are available for students who qualify. For more information on how to apply or register for classes at CCC&TI, contact Student Services at 828-726-2200 on the Caldwell Campus and 297-3811 on the Watauga Campus.

Mixology Class

The Corporate and Continuing Education division at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute will offer Mixology: The Study of Mixing Beverages from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays from Jan. 30 to March 13 in Room H-308 on the Caldwell Campus in Hudson. The class will cover making and mixing todays popular drinks, bar management, Alcohol Law Enforcement laws/procedures, customer service skills and increasing tips. The cost of the class is $126 and includes a certificate upon completing. Students must be at least 21 to register. For more information, or to sign up, call 726-2242.

Conversational Spanish II

The Corporate and Continuing Education division at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute will offer Conversational Spanish II from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays from Jan. 23 to April 10 on the Caldwell Campus in Hudson. Some prior knowledge of Spanish is required to enroll. The cost of the class is $71. For more information, or to register, call 726-2242.

Industrial Maintenance Technology Starts Jan. 9

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute will offer an Industrial Maintenance Technology class from Jan. 9 to April 6, with classes meeting Monday through Thursday. Students will receive training in basic welding, HVAC, basic DC/AC circuitry, industrial blueprint reading, hydraulics and pneumatics, mechanical operating systems, PLCs and safety training. The classes will be offered on the Caldwell Campus in Hudson. Tuition is $187, and grants are available to applicants who are unemployed or underemployed. For more information, call 726-2242.

Massage Therapy  Watauga

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institutes Corporate and Continuing Education division will offer an evening Massage Therapy course for the Watauga Campus in Boone that will prepare students for the certification examination required for North Carolina licensure. The course, which includes a Human Resource Development component, will take place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from Feb. 6 to Oct. 17. The cost of the course is $306. For more information, or to register, call 726-2242.

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By Jessica Isaacs

Merchants up and down King Street decked out their storefronts for this years window decorating contest, and designer bridal shop Did Someone Say Party? took home first place with a double window scene inspired by Christmas magic and the bohemian beauty of its new line of gowns from the Lillian West collection.

Shop owner and seamstress extraordinaire Donna Cook has been dressing up those windows when she opened DSSP in 1989.

My window is my advertisement to the world. We go to market all over and so many people say, I came to Boone and saw the cutest little dress shop and I get to say, Thats mine!' Cook said. The windows are our best advertisement and we have a following. If we dont change them in time, they let us know.

Every couple of months, the DSSP team gets creative and develops an elaborate idea for a new eye-catching display. Whether its crafting a giant paper moon or thousands of handmade flowers, you can be sure that theres a lot of hard work and attention to detail behind every DSSP window.

For Christmas this year, the display that stole the hearts of the Downtown Boone Development Association features on one side a Bo-Ho-Ho look focused on selections from the shops new Lillian West collection of bohemian chic and vintage-inspired gowns. On the opposite side, a beaded ball gown from Venus Bridal and an oversized snowman in a suit.

Our consultant Jasmine made the snowman out of a thousand paper cups. We made a vest for him and a hat and lit him up, said Cook. We were looking for different things to do instead of the regular Christmas trees, a little on the off-beat side.

Drawings from her grandchildren made the displays complete!

With a win from the local contest under her belt, Cook has entered the Bo-Ho-Ho display in a national window design contest or the Lillian West brand, which the store now carries for local brides.

Lillian West is a subdivision of Justin Alexander, which weve carried for many years now, and it is such a Boone line. Everything is very soft  the laces are very soft, cotton lace, the liners are stretchy. Its that bohemian, easy, carefree look. Nothings itchy, nothings scratchy, nothings tight, and the laces are gorgeous, Cook explained. This is not the first year for the line, but its the first year they really did it justice. They just blew us away, and Justin Alexander is such a wonderful company to work with. The owner is the most personable man youve ever met and he treats us like were family when were in New York.

Next time youre shopping downtown, swing by Did Someone Say Party? and see whats going on in the windows! If youre on the hunt for your perfect bridal gown, or even a dress or formalwear for your next big occasion, stop in and shop with the DSSP team.

Check out DSSP online or call the shop at 828-264-7307.

For more on this local business, check out our business spotlight on DSSP.

DSSP is a member of the High South Event Professionals network  a community of like-minded industry pros who work together to promote the mountains of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia as the premier special events destination in the Southeast.

Christmas window display photos by Ken Ketchie:

Other recent window displays at Did Someone Say Party?:

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Are you looking for ways to lose weight and achieve your weight-loss goals? One way is by changing
We're drafting laws for today and the future, he reminded in an interview with Uusi Suomi. Our constitution is quite old and may not necessarily take into consideration completely how the world around us has changed.

The Constitution of Finland should be re-written to reflect the changes in the world around us, views Kaj Turunen (PS), the chairperson of the Parliament's Commerce Committee.

The Government's proposal to entitle asylum seekers to ten per cent less social security benefits than Finns, for example, was in violation of the constitution, he highlighted.

Jaakko Jonkka, the Chancellor of Justice, cited the very same proposal as an example of the constitutional problems that have plagued the draft bills of the Government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday.

The Office of the Chancellor of Justice, he said, reminded repeatedly that the proposal should be reviewed in case of constitutional or human rights-related problems.

The Government's proposal was suddenly presented to us for a review. For some reason the feedback we offered was never taken into consideration. At that point, we had no choice but to make sure the Constitutional Law Committee is asked to comment on the proposal, he said to the daily newspaper.

The Government ultimately withdrew the proposal after it was deemed to be in violation of the constitution by the Constitutional Law Committee.

Turunen commented on the issue also on Twitter. The Government is updating the legislation for today and the future. Also the constitution is in need of revisions, because it is becoming an obstacle, he stated.

The Constitution of Finland, he stressed to Uusi Suomi, must guarantee the rights of Finns without affecting or undermining democracy and human rights in any way.

It's currently being claimed that the problem lies with the current legislative practices. No one has drawn attention to the question of why [legislative projects] are stopped by the constitution, is there something in our constitution that should be revisited, he pointed out. The constitution was drafted at a time when we didn't have such high levels of immigration.

Turunen also underscored that his views do not necessarily reflect those of other members of the Finns Party.

One of his party comrades, Laura Huhtasaari (PS), echoed his assessment by stating in an interview with Satakunnan Kansa that the constitution is outdated, identifying the section granting everyone the right to indispensable subsistence as particularly problematic.

If someone is in the country illegally, are they included in the definition of everyone? she asked.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Markku Ulander  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
More than one-half, or 52 per cent, of respondents estimated that the current social climate is somewhat distressing, 22 per cent that it is rather distressing and 6 per cent that it is extremely distressing. Only 17 per cent of respondents, by contrast, indicated that the social climate is not at all distressing.

Finland's current social climate is distressing according to as many as four in five Finns, indicates a survey conducted by Alma Media.

Oula Silvennoinen, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, is not surprised by the survey results.

The results indicate that mutual trust between citizens is at least under threat. Mutual trust is absolutely a key factor for measuring how meaningful the society is perceived to be, he says in an interview with Kauppalehti.

Silvennoinen, who is known to the wider public particularly for his research work on fascism, believes the ongoing public debate over immigration has contributed to the hardening of attitudes in Finland.

Our society is becoming more and more polarised. We're dividing into tribes and starting to see others as enemies and traitors. Someone who disagrees with you is no longer simply disagreeing but a traitor who is a threat to you and Finland, he says.

Finland is no stranger to animosity towards those with different opinions, reminds Silvennoinen. The nation was divided into communists and anti-communists, both of whom regarded each other as traitors, in the post-war years. The culture of division never disappeared entirely and is currently re-emerging, according to him.

Financial difficulties, he reminds, have a clear association with the hardening of attitudes, as evidenced by the verbal outburst against asylum seekers witnessed on online discussion boards.

The Finnish economy has been doing poorly for several years. Many have lost their jobs and their confidence in the future. Alma Media's survey clearly indicates that low-income earners perceive the social climate as more distressing than high-income earners, he says.

The discourse is commonly associated with the fact that the participants feel that they've been deprived of something and that they can't get by any longer  that someone else is getting the benefits that belong to them, continues Silvennoinen.

These issues are clearly connected.

Silvennoinen characterises the continuing debate over immigration as a lightning conductor that has also attracted other expressions of disappointment and embitterment.

But what exactly can be done to mitigate the social climate in Finland? You can speak out, replies Silvennoinen. If someone on a bus is bellowing at a person of different skin colour, you have to state that this won't stand. You can create a better climate by having the courage to step up.

This is our society and it'll be exactly the way we make it.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Mikko Niiles  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
(Global Times) 14:17, December 19, 2016

A Pentagon spokesperson said Saturday that Beijing and Washington have secured an understanding that China will return the captured underwater drone to the US. China's defense ministry also announced the same day local time that Beijing had decided to hand over the drone to the US side in an appropriate manner. Meanwhile, China also expressed its discontent over the US military's frequent close-up reconnaissance and military surveys within Chinese waters by vessels and aircraft.

In general, the military from both sides have exercised restraint. The two governments have shown their responsibilities in maintaining peace and stability in both the big picture of Sino-US cooperation and the South China Sea. Such an ending waved off concerns that the Chinese and US military might head for major crisis from a specific conflict.

Among US voices, the tweets by President-elect Donald Trumphave added the most fuel to the fire. His initial tweet said "China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act," in which he misspelled unprecedented, amusing American netizens. Later he posted another tweet saying "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back. - let them keep it!" He seemed emotionally upset, but no one knows what he wanted to say.

Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month. He bears no sense of how to lead a superpower. Even the US military did not use the term "steal" to describe the move by the Chinese navy. Trump's second tweet makes people worry that he will treat China-US relations as child's play.

Now people don't know if Trump is engaged in a psychological war with China or he is just unprofessional, even though he will be sworn in soon. Regarding the Sino-US relationship, he challenged the one-China policy and despised the principles which both countries have adopted to manage crises.

One thing for sure is that Trump has no leverages to maneuver the world, nor can he reshape China-US relations and the way the two major powers interact. Since he has not taken office, China has kept a calm attitude toward his provocative remarks. But if he treats China after assuming office in the same way as in his tweets, China will not exercise restraint.

It is possible that Trump is worried about his upcoming post and is eager to make waves against China so as to gain some leverage from China once he is sworn in. The Chinese government should be fully prepared for a hard-line Trump. We should show Trump what the one-China policy is and what bottom lines in Sino-US ties he should not touch. Once he does, he is bound to suffer the same losses that he makes China suffer from.
A 69-year-old businesswoman who suffered a triple fracture of an ankle after she slipped and fell in a Dublin hotel has been awarded 56,250 damages.

Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke said the entrance floor to the Herbert Park Hotel, in Ballsbridge had been impeccable and maintained to the highest standard.

However, Delia Manning should not have been allowed to enter through the emergency exit doors, he said.

Judge Groarke said evidence showed the floor became slippery when moisture was carried under people's shoes. There was no mat at the emergency doors to trap any potential moisture and "it was an accident waiting to happen", the judge said.

Ms Manning, of Assumption Terrace, Kinsale, Co Cork, told the court that she had stayed at the hotel with her son and grandson in August 2014 to attend the RDS Horse Show.

The show's last day, August 10, was wet and it ended early. They decided to go home and were leaving the hotel car park but the barrier would not lift.

Fracture

She had gone back into the hotel to check her ticket had been validated when she slipped and fell forward, feeling pain in her left ankle.

Ms Manning had been attended to by hotel staff before being taken by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, where X-rays revealed a fracture in her ankle.

The court heard she wore a plaster cast for several weeks and was no longer able to walk long distances and may develop arthritis in the future.

She sued Herbert Park Hotel Limited, trading as Herbert Park Hotel, and Sheelin McSharry (Ballsbridge) Limited, of Embassy House, Herbert Park Lane, Ballsbridge, for negligence.

The defendants had denied liability and alleged Ms Manning had used the emergency doors because the main entrance was crowded with a group of tourists and she had been rushing when she slipped.

Judge Groarke said Ms Manning, who suffered a "very nasty and extremely serious" injury, may have been distracted. Initially awarding her 75,000 damages, he reduced it by 25pc for contributory negligence.
Dale Creighton died soon after attack on New Years Day

A man who was killed after an allegation that he stole a phone did not have a mobile on him when he was found unconscious on a Tallaght footbridge.

A garda sergeant gave the evidence yesterday during the sentence hearing of five Dubliners who admit the manslaughter of Dale Creighton early on New Year's Day in 2014.

Two others are being sentenced for lesser offences arising out of the same incident.

The six men and one woman were originally charged with murder and went on trial at the Central Criminal Court in October after pleading not guilty.

Allegation

However, those charges were dropped on the 15th day of the trial when they pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Mr Creighton (20) was assaulted at the footbridge over the Tallaght bypass between Saint Dominic's Road and Greenhills Road four hours after he had seen in the new year.

The court heard that there had been an allegation that the Tallaght man had stolen a woman's mobile phone.

He died in hospital the next day. The cause of his death was blunt force injury to his head and face.

The seven accused, who are all from Tallaght, had all seen in the new year at a local night club.

They are Aisling Burke (23) and David Burke (28), of Beechpark, Collinstown, Co Westmeath; Graham Palmer (26), of Park Avenue, Portarlington, Co Laois; Ross Callery (23), of Gortlum Cottages, Brittas, Co Dublin; James Reid (26), of Glen Aoibhinn, Gorey, Co Wexford; Jason Beresford (23), of Coill Diarmuida, Ard a' Laoi, Castledermot, Co Kildare; and Gerard Stevens (27), of Grosvenor Square, Rathmines in Dublin.

Each of the accused initially pleaded not guilty to violent disorder at the footbridge. However, Beresford later changed his plea to guilty. Aisling Burke, a mother of one, has now also changed her plea to guilty.

Palmer, Callery, Stevens, Beresford and David Burke have now pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Reid has pleaded guilty to possession of a knife, which had a blade or was sharply pointed.

Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy spent yesterday watching CCTV footage of the attack on the footbridge and listening to the contents of gardai interviews.

Gda Sgt Brian Cagney testified that Mr Creighton was not known to gardai and that he had no mobile phone on him when he was found on the footbridge.

David Burke had previous convictions for theft, being drunk in charge of a vehicle, possession of drugs and intoxication in public.

Reid had convictions for possession of drugs for sale or supply and was on bail at the time of the offence.

Stevens had convictions for dangerous driving and driving without licence or insurance.

Tony McGillicuddy, handed in a letter on behalf of Beresford and read out one paragraph:

Apologise

"To whom it may concern," he wrote. "I wish to apologise most sincerely to the Creighton family for my actions. To this day, I feel sick constantly for the harm I caused to their son."

He said his actions that morning were out of character and that he knew they had impacted on many lives.

"This does not reflect who I am as a person. I can't make excuses for what I have done. I can only repeat how sorry I am," he concluded.

The sentence hearing will continue tomorrow.

The judge has indicated that she will announce sentence next month.
The site on the corner of Cherry Orchard Avenue and Cherry Orchard Drive in Dublin

An innocent worker was lucky not to suffer serious burn injuries during an incident at a Dublin site.

A thug threw a lit carton of petrol into a digger on the site at Orchard Lawns, Ballyfermot at 1.10pm yesterday.

The driver managed to escape from the vehicle and suffered minor injuries to his legs after his trousers caught fire.

Shaken

Sources said the innocent Dubliner, aged in his 40s, was "very shaken" but not seriously hurt.

Ballyfermot gardai are investigating if the man was caught in the crossfire between two dangerous opposing mobs - one who is against the building of a 72-unit social housing site in the area and another mob allegedly involved in protecting it.

Yesterday's incident is just the latest in a string of anti-social behaviour and public order incidents that have happened at the site in recent weeks.

In September, the Herald revealed allegations that a notorious gang linked to crime figure Derek 'Dee Dee' O'Driscoll had been hired to protect the same council site.

A number of reports claimed that a gangster - who is a key associate of 'Dee Dee' - had been involved in intimidating residents protesting against the construction of modular homes in the area.

The matter was referred to gardai and was brought to the attention of the council's Chief Executive, Owen Keegan.

Sinn Fein Councillor Daithi Doolan has spoken out against yesterday's attack.

Attack

"The attack on workers on a Cherry Orchard building site is totally unacceptable. We are very lucky it was not fatal. A totally innocent man going about his work to provide social housing was brutally attacked," he said.

"It should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Our thoughts are with the man and his family. We wish him a speedy recovery.

"The response from the community has been one of revulsion. I have been inundated with messages of support for the workers on the site. Local people will not be bullied.

"We need a full and adequate response from gardai. All the resources required must be made available to ensure site workers receive protection

"I have supported these houses from the start and I will continue to work with locals and builders to ensure this project is completed," he added.
The construction of 46 new homes which had been opposed by Transport Minister Shane Ross will not go ahead after a decision by An Bord Pleanala.

The planning authority agreed with the minister that proposals for a five-story complex on the site of the former Kiely's pub in Mount Merrion, south Dublin would "seriously injure the visual amenity of the area".

Site

It had been proposed that the site - partly owned by Paddy McKillen Jr - would be developed to include retail spaces, parking for 185 cars, a gym, a restaurant and other amenities.

Mr Ross was among 330 people who objected to the development, comprised mostly of two-bed apartments.

In his submission the minister argued that roads at the site are "not fit for current capacity" and that the area's "tranquillity would be completely upended during the construction".

"The size and style of this proposed development is completely out of character with the surrounding area," he wrote.

His views were echoed by several other local representatives, including Fine Gael councillor Barry Saul who told the Herald the decision was a "victory for sustainable planning in the area".

He said Mount Merrion is "a residential area and not a shopping destination".

An Bord Pleanala's ruling said the development "by reason of scale, siting, layout, bulk and height, would not compromise an appropriate designed response and would relate poorly to its receiving environment, seriously detracting from the area in terms of visual amenity".
Chinese PremierLi Keqiang(R) meets with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

China and Norway issued a statement in Beijing on Monday on normalization of ties.

"The Norwegian side is fully conscious of the position and concerns of the Chinese side and has worked actively to bring bilateral relations back on track," said the statement.

China-Norway relations deteriorated since the Oslo-based Nobel Committee conferred the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on convicted Chinese criminal Liu Xiaobo. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in jail on Dec. 25, 2009, after a court in Beijing convicted him of engaging in activities designed to overthrow the government.

"Through numerous, meticulous conversations, the two sides have reached a level of trust that allows for resumption of normal relations," said the statement.

The Norwegian government will not support any action that undermines China's core interests and major concerns, and will do its best to avoid any future damage to China-Norway relations, said the statement.

According to the statement, the Norwegian government reiterates its commitment to the one-China policy, fully respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and attaches high importance to China's core interests and major concerns.

Both sides agreed to boost cooperation in various areas including trade, culture, education and polar region, and cement consultation on global issues.

In his meeting with visiting Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the two countries' foreign ministers had candid and in-depth talks, and reached an agreement on the normalization of bilateral ties.

China hopes to work together with Norway to open a new chapter in bilateral ties, and push forward a sustained, healthy and stable relationship, Li said.

China appreciates the new Norwegian government's adherence to the one-China policy and its wish to improve and develop ties with China, said the premier.

The two economies are highly compatible, Li said, adding China is ready to negotiate with Norway on an FTA, to send out a clear signal of trade and investment liberalization.

Brende, in his turn, said the normalization of relations is of historic significance, and has sent a positive message to the international community.

Norway adheres to the one-China policy and respects China's core interests and major concerns, which are the political foundation for ties, he said.

Li told Brende the history of China-Norway relations shows mutual respect, equality and taking care of respective core interests and major concerns, serve as the precondition and foundation for strengthening political trust and developing ties.

Norway hopes to take the opportunity of normalization of ties with China to enhance high-level exchanges, boost bilateral FTA negotiation and expand win-win cooperation in such areas as investment, hydropower, and offshore oil and gas exploitation, Brende said.

Earlier on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had talks with Brende.

The Norwegian side has reflected profoundly on what damaged mutual trust, and consulted seriously with the Chinese side on improving ties, Wang said.

The two sides had reached consensus on learning from the past and resuming trust, which met the fundamental interests of Norway and the Norwegian people, complied with the UN Charter and set China-Norway ties on the correct path, Wang said.

China hopes Brende's visit will normalize relations and boost healthy and stable growth of ties, Wang said.

"The new Norwegian government does not want to bear the burden of history. It took a more pragmatic approach and was eager to improve relations with China," said Cui Hongjian, director of the department of European studies at the China Institute of International Studies.
A traffic officer directs a driver at a toll station in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, on Monday after the freeway linking Beijing and Hong Kong was partially closed due to heavy smog. ZHAI YUJIA/CHINANEWS SERVICE

Zhang Juan, a stay-at-home mom in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, usually would not consider taking a trip until Spring Festival. However, smog seems to have left her no choice.

"I have a 1-year-old baby who is extremely sensitive to smog, and the air cleaner at my apartment doesn't look like a problem solver," she said. "So, since governments have issued smog alerts, I will take my son to Sanya in Hainan province or another city with clean air."

Industry insiders said heavy smog has become the major driver of winter travel. The online travel agency Ctrip said on Monday that it expected to help send more than 150,000 travelers to overseas destinations in December, simply to escape the smog.

UTour International Travel Service Co didn't give specific figures, but it said the number of travelers in December has increased by 10 to 15 percent compared with the same period last year, and smog is the major reason.

Since Friday, vast regions in northern, central and eastern China have faced severe smog, which is considered the most serious since autumn in terms of area affected and severity.

As the smog lingered, 24 cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, issued red alerts, the highest response level, as of Sunday, and more than 50 issued orange alerts, the second highest level.

Wang Zhenyue, deputy director of UTour International Travel Service's direct-marketing center, said smog has been an issue for a long time. "However, people can arrange trips in advance now, because governments usually issue red alerts for air pollution one or two days in advance."

"Schools stop classes and companies allow employees to work remotely," Wang added. "All of these contributed to an increase of travel to escape smog."

Travel agencies including UTour, Lvmama and Ctrip said Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei still account for the largest number of tourists who want to escape smog. Chengdu, Sichuan province, and Chongqing in Southwest China also saw a surge of tourist numbers in the past two weeks.

Domestic tourism destinations that offer a good natural environment and air quality are the beneficiaries, including Sanya, Hainan province and Lijiang, Yunnan province. Overseas destinations with loosened visa policies also are drawing many Chinese tourists.

Additionally, many lesser-known tourism destinations have gained popularity among clean-air seekers.

"For example, Xunliao Bay is a very small and quiet place in Guangdong province. No one wanted to visit there before, because it doesn't have any famous scenic spots," said Wang Zhenyue from UTour. "However, with many elderly people and children wanting to find a peaceful place to rest and stay away from smog, it becomes a perfect choice."

Zheng Jinran contributed to this story.

Clean-air vacations

TOP 5O VERSEAS DESTINATIONS

1. Thailand

2. Japan

3. Indonesia

4. Australia

5.Maldives

TOP 5 DOMESTIC DESTINATIONS

1. Sanya, Hainan province

2. Xiamen, Fujian province

3. Lijiang, Yunnan province

4. Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region

5. Zhangjiajie, Hunan province

Source: Ctrip
File photo of Yang Jiechi, China's State Councilor. [Photo: vip.people.com.cn]

China's State Councilor, Yang Jiechi has arrived in Britain for regular talks, and for a meeting with the Prime Minister, Theresa May, amid uncertainty about the process of Britain leaving the European Union.

China's Foreign Ministry says Yang will co-host the eighth China-Britain strategic dialogue with British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. The two will also have discussions on a variety of issues of common concern.

"Facing a complicated international situation and challenges in global governance, it is important for China and Britain, two influential major powers, to further strengthen strategic communication and dialogue," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying.

Britain has been a popular choice for Chinese investment, with many firms seeing it as a springboard for the far larger European Union market.

But those plans could be at risk with concern surrounding what kind of market access Britain will get in the future, given its so-called Brexit vote in June to leave the EU.

Hua said she could not predict whether Brexit would directly come up, but diplomatic sources say China has been seeking clarity from Britain about its plans, and is nervous about what it means for Chinese companies in particular.

"But China's position is very clear. Brexit is an issue between Britain and the EU. We hope that they can appropriately handle the issue via talks and consultation. For China, we believe that Britain is a great country with important international influence. We hope to work together with Britain to further promote the development of relations between China and Britain, strengthen the negotiation and communication in international affairs," Hua said.

British prime minister Theresa May has yet to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would begin the formal process of leaving the EU, although she has pledged to do so by the end of March. There would then be two years of negotiations before the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

However, her plans for those negotiations have been shrouded in secrecy and businesses and investors fear Britain might seek a "hard Brexit", where controlling immigration takes priority over access to the European single market.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, noted that China is ready to work with Britain on the basis of mutual respect and equality to enhance political mutual trust, deepen cooperation in all areas, and to strengthen coordination on international affairs.

The 45th anniversary of ambassadorial diplomatic relations between China will be marked in the next year.
Candidates with no legislative history not uncommon

Maryland's candidates for governor do not have long legislative records. Wes Moore has none at all. Analysis shows that is not uncommon.
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 19, 2016 shows the Linjinyu Island in the Coastal Volcano National Geological Park of Zhangzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province. With the sea and land planning area of about 100 square kilometers, the park is a rare coastal vlocano geological landform scenic area in China. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)
People gathered together on December 20, 2016 to light candles near the incident site to mourn the victims at Berlin, Germany. A heavy truck crashed into a crowd at a Christmas on December 19 evening. According to the latest news from the police, the incident has already led to 12 people killed and 48 people injured.
[File photo]

A Chinese manufacturing tycoons decision to build factories in the U.S. has sparked fierce debate among the Chinese public, with many media outlets and scholars accusing Chinas tax system of crippling the countrys global competitiveness in manufacturing.

In an interview with Yican.com in December, Cao Dewang, the chairman of Fujian-based Fuyao Glass Industry Group, said he planned to spend $1 billion building factories in the U.S., as Chinas manufacturing industry is stagnant due to high taxes and rising labor costs. As the worlds second largest automotive glass supplier, the company has selected Moraine, Ohio to host its North American after-market automotive glass manufacturing, which is expected to result in 2,500 new jobs.

The hashtag CaoTalksAboutManufacturing has garnered over 6 million page views as of press time, with many scholars and netizens worried that the China is losing its grip on the manufacturing industry.

Cao is not the first entrepreneur to transfer business abroad. Li Ka-shing, the richest person in Asia, has been trimming his property portfolio in China since 2011, switching his focus to European and other foreign markets.

The decision of Chinese manufacturers to shift focus to foreign markets is widely believed to be connected to severe tax burdens. In addition to a 25 percent corporate income tax, Chinese companies still have to pay other taxes including added-value tax, which can be over 10 percent. For the past decade, tax revenue increases in China have generally been higher than the countrys GDP growth rate, according to a commentary published on Dec. 19 by Xiakedao, a public WeChat account operated by Peoples Daily.

Chinese companies have to pay comprehensive taxes of over 50 percent, ranking fourth among the 21 APEC economies. Technically, after paying taxes, Chinese companies are on the verge of death, said Li Weiguang, a professor at Tianjin University of Finance and Economics.

Apart from high taxes in China, skyrocketing labor and energy costs have also eroded the country's competitiveness in manufacturing. According to a report from BCG, a Boston consultancy, the cost of natural gas has soared by an estimated 138 percent in China; by contrast, prices for natural gas have fallen by as much as 35 percent since 2004 in North America. BCG projected that by the end of 2018, it will be 2 to 3 percent cheaper to manufacture products in the U.S. than in China.

Caos decision, together with U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps efforts to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., have many Chinese experts and entrepreneurs worried. A number of scholars have proposed reforming the countrys tax system, as well as lowering energy costs.
[File photo]

Another survivor of the Nanjing Massacre passed away on Dec. 19, reducing the number of registered survivors of the atrocity to 106.

Zhang Xiuhong died at the age of 90. Before her death, Zhang left a testimony for Chinas first documentary about Nanjing Massacre survivors, in which she revealed her painful memory of being raped by Japanese invaders when she was only 11 years old.

Due to the injuries I retained from [the rape], every time it rains, my whole body hurts,said Zhang in the documentary, adding that she hoped no similar wars would happen again in the future.

In addition to Chen, 27 other survivors passed away this year, including Chen Baozhu, who died on Nov. 12 at the age of 89, and Ren Jingping, who died at the age of 94 on Nov. 10.

The deaths of so many survivors has worried Chinese historians, who stress the importance of collecting testimonies. In order to preserve oral testimonies, the Nanjing Massacre memorial hall launched a data collection project in October, aiming to gather oral records and visual files from 50 survivors who still retain clear memories of the event.

The Nanjing Massacre, which took place on Dec. 13, 1937, led to the murder of over 300,000 Chinese people, including defenseless civilians and unarmed soldiers. There were also innumerable reports of rape, looting and arson.
A villager surnamed Ran surrendered a hand grenade to police in Ziyang county, Shaanxi province, Dec. 5, 2016. (Photo/Huashang Daily)

On Dec. 5, a villager surnamed Ran in the town of Dongmu in Shaanxi province surrendered to police a tool he had used to smash walnuts for 25 years. To police officers' surprise, the tool turned out to be a hand grenade. Although the detonation device of the grenade was missing, no one knew whether it was equipped with explosives, Huashang Daily reported on Dec. 19.

Ran was given the hand grenade when he worked in the town of Shuangqiao in 1991. The device's hard iron head made it a good tool for smashing walnuts. Ran has used this special utensil for 25 years. He didn't realize it was a hand grenade, which individuals are prohibited from possessing, until he received a leaflet describing the dangers of firearms and explosives. Police criticized Ran's possession of the hand grenade as reckless.
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About

Hinduism Today Magazine is a nonprofit educational activity of Himalayan Academy with the following purposes: 1. To foster Hindu solidarity as a unity in diversity among all sects and lineages; 2. To inform and inspire Hindus worldwide and people interested in Hinduism; 3. To dispel myths, illusions and misinformation about Hinduism; 4. To protect, preserve and promote the sacred Vedas and the Hindu religion; 5. To nurture and monitor the ongoing spiritual Hindu renaissance; 6. To publish a resource for Hindu leaders and educators who promote Sanatana Dharma.
Two years after it was set up to help women victims of violence, countrys first one stop crisis centre (OSCC) Gauravi in Bhopal would soon have some competition with the state women and child development (WCD) department planning to set up its own centre for destitute women in the same premises.

Gauravi was set up by the state health department at JP Hospital in June 2014. the department runs the centre with Action Aide, an NGO.

Chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Veena Sinha confirmed that the district administration has allotted space to WCD to set up a 10-bed centre under Usha Kiran Yojna at JP Hospital.

The health department had earlier urged the WCD to open the centre at Hamidia or Sultania hospital.

In case of any emergency, patients from nearby districts and villages rush to Hamidia Hospital. If the new centre is opened there, it will benefit a large number of women, said Sarika Sinha, regional director, Action Aide.

District women empowerment officer Ramgopal Yadav said, Gauravi is being run by an NGO. The WCD centre will be run by government.

Asked why the second centre was being set up in the same premises as Gauravi, Yadav said, We are only following the instructions of the state government.

Women activist Sandhya Shaily said, The opening of an OSSC-like centre will create confusion among those seeking help.
Madhya Pradesh finance minister Jayant Malaya will announce on Tuesday the states first cashless village on the outskirts of Bhopal, said government officials.

Badjhiri village near Neelbad area is nearly 15 kms from Bhopal city. In October this year, Bank of Baroda had started a campaign to make Badjhiri village a digital or cashless village by providing ATMs, point of sale machines and kiosks to the villagers for making cashless transactions.

A cabinet meeting held earlier in the day discussed the initiatives required to be taken to promote cashless economy in all departments. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told cabinet ministers to ensure cashless transactions in their departments.

Administrative control of 56 schools to zila panchayat/urban bodies

Among other important decisions, the cabinet meeting also decided to give administrative control of 56 schools fulfilling state governments prescribed guidelines to zila panchayat/urban bodies as per the prescribed procedure in compliance to the order issued by the Supreme Court.

Under this, decision has been taken to merge eligible academic and non academic staff on contractual posts in the schools following prescribed guidelines as per the consent of finance department.

The cabinet also decided that the employees of teachers cadre who have completed three years will be merged in teachers cadre and minimum pay grade of the regular posts of principal higher secondary and principal high school will be fixed. This decision will benefit 1,600 persons and an annual expense of 12 crore will be incurred by the state government.

The state cabinet decided to give administrative sanction of 65 crore to purchase equipment, furniture and vehicle for New Medical College in Datia. Also, approval for creation of 1,685 posts and to fill these posts was given at the cabinet meeting. Moreover, services of 318 class 4 posts will be taken from outsourcing.

The cabinet also decided to approve proposal given by NTPC and the ministry for new and renewable energy for sale of bundled solar power from the proposed 250 megawatt solar energy project of NTPC of Suwasara district Mandsaur.

Similarly, the cabinet gave approval for revising the grant of Rs 10 crore provided by the state government to  65 crore to Eco-Tourism board. This amount is for the year 2012-13 to 2016-17 under the 12th five year plan.
China's Central Economic Work Conference was recently held in Beijing. People's Daily published an article under the name of Zhong Sheng on December 19, which points out the world lacks certainty under the current international situation. It notes that China's steady progress will inject confidence in the global development.

Following is the full text of the article:

Given a turbulent international situation, many countries have experienced chaos during 2016. As a result, the world now lacks a sense of "certainty" with increasing expectations on China's reform and development. The just-concluded Central Economic Work Conference is undoubtedly a step forward to meet the world's expectations.

According to the conference, making progress while maintaining stability is an important principle of national governance and a methodology of economic work as well. The country needs to make progress in some key areas under the premise of stability -- the keynote of development. International observers captured such information and began focusing on the country's "steady progress". The continuity of China's macro economy has also been reported by major international media such as Reuters and AP.

Judging from an international perspective, China's steady progress will provide sufficient opportunities for the world economy. Despite the slowdown in recent years, the Chinese economy is stable and is moving in a positive direction, and the economy is operated within an appropriate range with improved quality and efficiency. Stephen Roach, former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, said that China's contributions to global growth count 50 percent larger than the combined 0.8-percentage-point contribution likely to be made by all the other developed economies, and the country still remains one of the world's major growth engines.

China will keep stabilizing its economy and deepening supply-side reform, to offer more benefits to the world's economy. Thanks to its scale of economy, the country is bound to provide the world a broader market, sufficient capital, various products and valuable opportunities as long as it sticks to the guideline of making progress while maintaining stability.

In addition, China's steady progress will bring orders to the world. Currently, China, the world's second-largest economy, is gradually adapting itself to its new roles: a driver of change in the world economy, a leader of global economic governance, and a creator of international economic order. On global and regional platforms such as G20 and APEC, China is dedicated to offering a remedy to the sluggish world economy, revitalizing global trade and investment, promoting trade liberalization and facilitation, and accelerating the integration of regional economy. The UK media outlet Financial Times stressed in its commentary that China has the chance to become the guardian of global governance and torch bearer of the open trading system.

Besides, China's steady progress can provide more methods for the world in terms of governance. Nowadays, the influence of China's development can not be measured just by statistics. The country will offer valuable experiences to the world in future development. Former US Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson writes in his book Dealing with China that Chinese leaders know what they need to do, which is also the reason for his cautious optimism toward the prospect of China's reform.

For some time, China's proposals such as five development concepts and supply-side reform have been well accepted by the world, and the country's adherence to problem-oriented and bottom-line mindset also enlightens other countries. China's reform and development will surely set up an example for many countries to solve their own problems.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Peru in November, his Peruvian counterpart Pedro Pablo Kuczynski hailed China's development. It is a reflection of the world's expectation on China's development. With steady progress, China will bring more cooperation opportunities to each country and contribute more to the revival of world economy.
The Madhya Pradesh government will construct an Anda Cell or egg-shaped high-security jail on the lines of Mumbais Arthur Road jail and Tihar jail in Delhi to keep dreaded criminals in the state.

The decision was taken during a high-level meeting led by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the presence of senior officials of Jail ministry, administration and jail department on Monday.

The chief minister instructed the jail department to ensure foolproof security in the jails of the state and utilise the available resources to its optimum. Chief secretary, minister of jail, director general of police, director general (jail) were also present along with senior officials.

During the meeting, the decision was taken to construct an Anda Cell which would be located in Bhopal central Jail or Indore Central Jail. Apart from this, there are also plans to construct two new jails in Indore and Burhanpur, said director general (jail) Sanjay Choudhary.

He said 1,000 new jail warders would also recruited soon to enhance the security in the jails.

Choudhary told HT that it was also decided to shift jails from residential areas. According to the decision, jails of Bhopal, Rewa, Morena and Ratlam would be shifted from the residential areas. A budget of about 8 crore was also cleared by chief minister for enhancing security measures in the jails.

Choudhary said a decision was also taken to create a fund for welfare activities of the jail department personnel.

During the meeting, the chief minister also assured that all the facilities which are at present provided to the family of martyrs of police department, would now also be provided to the martyrs of jail department, said Choudhary.
National Bal Rang began in Bhopal on Monday. As part of the event state-level dance competitions will take place.

A large number of people, including students, teachers and guardians were present. The national dance competition will be inaugurated on Tuesday.

The Madhya Pradesh School education department and the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya are jointly organising National Bal Rang.

Children dressed up await their turn during Baalrang 2016, in Bhopal on Monday. (PTI photo)

On the first day, various cultural and literary state-level activities were held, including competitions for students of schools, madarsas, yoga education.

On the second day, participants from 22 states and union territories including Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Haryana, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Tripura, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh will present folk dance.

Students perform at the stall of Jharkhand at an exhibition 'Bharat Darshan' during Balrang. (Mujeeb Faruqui/HT photo)

Students from five north eastern states who are participating in the events, brought plants of their region and gifted it Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya as a memento from their states.

A cash prize of Rs 51,000 would be awarded to the team achieving top position while the first runners-up and the second runner-up will receive Rs 31,000 and Rs 21,000 respectively. A consolation prize of Rs 5,000 and a participation prize of Rs 1,000 would also be given along with shields and certificates.

A scout camp to showcase jungle camp, river crossing, monkey bridge, commando bridge, branch tower, ban will also be organized by scout guides of Madhya Pradesh.

The aim of the interstate cultural fest is to promote folk culture of India.
The Madhya Pradesh government is planning to invite Indian and international experts to study sand minings impact on Narmada river, an official said here on Monday.

Illegal sand mining on Narmada - the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh - is reported on a regular basis. Experts say sand mining affects a rivers groundwater tables besides destroying habitat of biodiversity.

Mineral resources department director VK Austin said his department was planning to use services of experts at national or international-level for the study following the chief ministers directive.

Studying the impact of mining on Narmada will take a lot of time and will require expertise. We want to study how much sand quantum is being excavated, what is replenishing rate of the river and whether mining was affecting the river as a whole, he said.

Austin said the department plans to float tenders for inviting experts or agencies to conduct the study. After experts give their suggestions, the government will take a decision on whether to ban or limit sand mining in Narmada, he said.

Before starting online auction process for sand mining in March 2015, the state government released a new sand mining policy to bring more areas under sand mining. After the policy was unveiled, sand mining area increased from 5,206 hectares to 9,946 hectares this year.

A network of criminals, also known as the sand mafia, is active on the Narmada riverbed and ravaging it with heavy machines to loot sand and sell it to builders. Police officers and activists, who fought against the sand mafia, were either attacked or threatened.

On December 12, a day after launching a five-month-long Narmada Sewa Yatra, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced banning of mining in Amarkantak - the rivers origin point. The yatra aims to make the river pollution free.

The state government is under pressure from the opposition to check sand mining on Narmada. Responding to a demand of Congress legislators in the assembly that a resolution should be passed on banning sand mining on Narmada, Chouhan on December 9 assured the house that his government will consult experts and environmentalists on the issue.

Union water resources minister Uma Bharti has described mining as the biggest problem for Narmada. If mining is stopped, the sacred river will be automatically saved, she said.

NARMADA RIVER

The 1312 km long Narmada river is the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent.

It originates from the Maikal ranges at Amarkantak, 1057 m above the sea-level, in Annuppur district of MP.

It finds mention as one of the seven most sacred rivers in ancient texts and forms the traditional boundary between North India and South India.

It is one of only three major rivers in peninsular India that runs from east to west (largest west flowing river) along with the Tapti and Mahi.

It primarily flows through the Madhya Pradesh (1,077 km), Gujarat (161 km) and briefly through Maharashtra.

Narmada in Sanskrit means the Giver of Pleasure.

Narmada is joined by 41 tributaries, out of which 22 are from the Satpuda range and the rest on the right bank are from the Vindhya range.
Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Kajol have welcomed Pakistani cinema owners decision to end the ban on Bollywood films.

Cinema owners in the neighbouring country will allow screenings of Indian films again, months after ban was imposed in the aftermath of Uri attacks in September.

Happy with the development, Priyanka said, Art should go across the world. I have always believed that. So, I am glad about it.

Kajol added that she is happy that it is a great sign for the film industry. Anything where the film industry gets a brick, where the film industry gets a positive sign etc, I am all for the film industry, she said.

Anil also expressed his happiness over the decision. I am very happy about it, it is a great news, the veteran said.

The actors were speaking at the Sansui Colors Stardust awards last night.

The ban came after there was a demand on the boycott of Pakistani artists from Indian films. Pakistani cinema owners said that this step was a move towards restoring peace between the two nations.

They also admitted that financial concerns also motivated the decision as cinema owners suffered losses.

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These recent translations from across genres are the perfect introduction to the prolific authors vast body of work

Ashokamitran is considered to be a heavyweight among contemporary Tamil writers and one just has to read his fiction (a lot of it available in translation) or non-fiction to understand why.

The Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer, now 85, is well regarded for his simple yet powerful prose that chiefly concerns itself with the everyday struggles of ordinary people. The Chennai-based author has written over 250 short stories, two dozen novels, besides numerous essays and columns. The three books in question  samplings from across genres  are the perfect introduction to the brilliance of Ashokamitrans prose and his versatility as a writer.

Still Bleeding from the Wound

By Ashokamitran

Translated by N Kalyan Raman

Publisher: Penguin

Price: Rs 499

Pages: 368

The characters in the 20 short stories in this collection all face some sort of crisis poverty, grief, despair, jealousy, hunger, loneliness or simply change. Not all find closure and Ashokamitran displays a Keatsian negative capability in his exploration of the human psyche and condition.

He enters a variety of perspectives with ease and the reader, too, becomes at once a poor student moonlighting as a house painter, a differently-abled woman expecting her second child, an arsonist in police captivity dreading torture, a physically abused wife praying for deliverance, a middle-aged music teacher hankering for respect, a struggling actor jealous of his girlfriend-cum-colleagues success, as well as the devoted girlfriend who puts up with his passive aggression, and so on.

Many stories are set in a film studio (Born Thyagarajan, the author worked in the erstwhile Madras Presidencys famous Gemini Studios for 14 years before turning a full-time writer and taking the pseudonym Ashokamitran), and when read with Fourteen Years with Boss (more on that later) the stories reveal how Ashokamitrans work provided the fodder for his art.

The Ghosts of Meenambakkam

By Ashokamitran

Translated by N Kalyan Raman

Publisher: Penguin

Price: Rs 299

Pages: 151

The nameless narrator in this story runs into an old acquaintance at an airport and finds himself unwittingly embroiled in a terrorist plot. He is grieving for his dead daughter, and his thoughts meander back and forth in time as he ruminates on her short life. The focus of the tightly structured narrative is both the inner anguish of the narrator as he tries to cope with this tragedy as well as the events that unfold as he crosses paths with a friend from the past.

The magic, once again, is in the storytelling. Ashokamitran conveys the powerful grief that grips the father and his guilt at all the had beens and if onlys in the simplest of prose. Not one sentence is wasted or unnecessary and carries the plot forward. N Kalyan Ramans translation is so smooth and nuanced that at no point did I feel that I am reading the book in translation. I can only imagine how much more moving Ashokamitrans writing would be in the original.

Fourteen Years with Boss

By Ashokamitran

Publisher: Penguin

Price: Rs 299

Pages: 164

Fourteen Years with Boss first appeared in 1984 as The Great Dream Bazaar, a series of articles in the Illustrated Weekly of India. In these essays, Ashokamitran writes of the time he worked as a PRO for Gemini Studios, the film production company run by the magazine publisher and film producer-director SS Vasan or Boss, as he was called by his staff.

Ashokamitran reflects on both the cinema of that era and the people who made it. The book is full of entertaining anecdotes featuring famous (Madhubala, Devika Rani, Ramanand Sagar, Dalai Lama, the then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, the then-Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Rajagopalachari ) and not-so-famous but equally fascinating people.

With a 600-strong staff and many colourful characters, Gemini Studios emerges as a parallel universe where the resourceful Boss is the creator and preserver, fine-tuning miles of footage into art. Ashokamitran shares the stories behind some of Vasans blockbusters as well as colossal flops and the various changes and challenges the studios faced as competition grew.

The focus of these articles remains the world of Tamil cinema with the only personal narratives being that of the death of the authors father due to medical negligence (told through the eyes of a bewildered boy, without sentimentality or self pity and all the more moving for the lack of it), and some references to his writing life on the side. Yet they reveal a lot about Ashokamitran.

The writer, who stays hidden behind the narratives in his fiction, comes to the fore in this collection as an intelligent, sensitive person with a fantastic sense of humour (dry, matter-of-factly) and an ability to see things and people with objectivity and empathy.

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During a brief interaction with HT, exactly 15 minutes to be precise, ousted Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry, 48, looked relieved. Having decided to step down from the boards of all listed companies of the Tata group, the former chairman can now partially end the fight that he fought for eight weeks with Tata Sons, contesting the groups decision to remove him as chairman on October 24. The fight over the past eight weeks has seen charges and counter charges being traded, personal allegations levelled at one another, and even Tata Trusts, the charitable organisation of the group, also being dragged into the public forum. Excerpts from the interview.

Before you describe the fallout of your move, what is it that you have decided?

I have decided to step down from the boards of all listed companies of the group. This is mainly to ensure that we protect all shareholders and stakeholders. The history of the Shapoorji Pallonji family has been one of support to the Tata Group. In the last eight weeks, I have seen a significant cohesive behaviour from Tata Sons. As you have seen from the EGM (extraordinary general meeting) notice a very threatening attitude, which has let to tremendous unease. My belief is that from here the platform has to change. The output is still the same. What we are looking for is governance reform. I will continuously pursue very vigorously the values of our founder. What we have seen in the last eight weeks is a lack of governance.

What is the trigger for such a move?

There is no trigger as such. One has to reflect on making sure dialogues are there, so that the interests of all stakeholders and shareholders are protected. We felt that going ahead with EGMs would be destructive.

You have mentioned that you would now look at legal options. Can you elaborate on that?

I would not like to talk about my legal strategy. That is something that we would like to keep aside. What we are trying to do is to take steps that are in the best interests of all stakeholders.

Mr Tata has said that the actual reasons for removing you would go with him to the grave?

Have you seen anything that offers light on that? In the past eight weeks is there anything that says that? So you can understand.

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Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was found guilty Monday of criminal charges linked to the misuse of public funds during her time as Frances finance minister, a verdict that could force her out of her post.

Lagarde, who began her second five-year term at the IMF in February, will not face any jail time, the judge said. The scandal has overshadowed her work at the fund, to which she was appointed in 2011, after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director when he was accused of having sexually assaulted a maid in a New York City hotel.

The move is likely to destabilize the IMF as it faces a host of thorny issues, including questions over its participation in a multibillion-dollar bailout for Greece and uncertainty about the U.S. role in the organization once Donald Trump becomes president in January.

The verdict was a surprise, after the prosecutor in the trial said last week that the case against her was very weak and did not appear to be enough to win a conviction. It is a theme that prosecutors have previously repeated.

The trial revived concerns in France about high-level corruption, shining a spotlight on intimate ties between politicians and businesspeople, and on the large sums that are sometimes used to grease the countrys political wheels.

The case against Lagarde centered on Bernard Tapie, a former entertainer and owner of Adidas who had previously been jailed on corruption charges. Tapie accused the lender Credit Lyonnais, in which the French state had a stake at the time, of cheating him when it oversaw the sale of his share of the sportswear empire in 1993. Years of costly legal battles ensued.

In 2007, Lagarde sent the dispute to a three-person private arbitration authority that awarded Tapie more than 400 million euros, or $420 million at current exchange rates, in damages and interest, to be paid by the state.

Her critics said that decision was politically tainted, and she was charged with negligence for allowing the arbitration and for then declining to appeal the panels verdict.

The trial against Lagarde was just one facet of the scandal  many people associated with it are under investigation, for accusations as varied as embezzlement and organized fraud.

Legal proceedings are expected to begin next year against Stephane Richard, the chief executive of the French telecommunications giant Orange and the former chief of staff to Lagarde, who said that she had relied on his judgment to send Tapies case to arbitration.

Tapie, who has been ordered by a French court in 2015 to repay the full amount with interest after a judge invalidated it, is expected to be called to a separate trial. He is under bankruptcy protection and has not repaid the sum.

Separately, a judge on the arbitration panel that heard Tapies case is accused of fraud and is expected to be tried, as is Tapies lawyer.

Witnesses at Lagardes trial described a system in which influential, wealthy members of the French elite, like Tapie, had easy access to government officials and parlayed those relationships to the advantage of both parties, sometimes at the expense of taxpayers.

Bruno Bezard, a former director of the French Treasury, described curious relationships at the Finance Ministry when he worked there with Lagarde, saying that Tapie was often seen walking around the hallways, presumably to visit officials  which was rather unexpected.

Bezard, who led a government body overseeing state holdings, including a bank set up to take over Credit Lyonnais bad assets, said Lagarde had ignored repeated warnings from members of his staff not to proceed with arbitration.

It was the worst of solutions, he said. But we quickly learned that a political decision had been made, despite the colossal risks that the state would have to pay for any damages and interest awarded to Tapie.

Bezard suggested that Lagarde had further erred by not challenging the amount of the payout.

I was more shocked by the speed with which we gave up on contesting it than by the speed of the arbitration decision, he said. Given that the amount was so scandalous, even if we had one chance in 1,000 to win, it should have been done.

Lagarde testified that she had declined to do so because it could have resulted in a slew of new lawsuits from Tapie and additional costs to the state.

Tapie, a former Socialist who served in the administration of President Francois Mitterrand in the 1990s, switched political allegiances and in 2007 backed the presidential campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy  the president at the time of the arbitration hearing.

Tapie visited the Elysee Palace, the seat of the French presidency, at least 20 times during Sarkozys first two years in office, the French media reported. The businessman is said to have met with Sarkozy and Francois Fillon, the prime minister at the time and the front-runner in next years presidential election.

In July 2007, Tapie met with Richard, Lagardes chief of staff, and Claude Gueant, an aide to Sarkozy.

Richard, also a longtime friend of Sarkozys, later said that he had paved the way to move the case to arbitration because he left the meeting with the strong impression that it is what Gueant favoured.

Richard refused to testify at Lagardes trial, citing a parallel criminal inquiry into his role in the events. Gueant was questioned in 2014 as part of a separate investigation into the matter. Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
India is adding about a million new mobile wallet users every day, according to industry sources.

The rapid increase in new users comes on the back of the cash crunch, which has hit the country ,following the governments move to demonetise 500 and 1,000-rupee banknotes. The situation is likely to take more time to normalise.

The biggest beneficiary of the rise is Paytm, the countrys largest mobile wallet company, which is adding more than half a million new users every day, and has crossed 170 million wallet users. Its nearest rival, MobiKwik, which is adding 2.5-3 lakh new users, followed by Snapdeal-owned Freecharge.

This is the biggest change in India becoming cashless new features such as point-of-sale functionality, merchant acquisition and ease of use are helping to increase the base faster, said Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder and CEO of Paytm.

Since demonetisation, Paytm has added 20 million new wallet users in small and big cities, resulting in millions of transactions every day across small and big merchants. They are used for paying bills, online shopping, and even money transfers.

The governments initiatives have also helped.

For example, based on RBI regulations, Paytm on Monday allowed its registered merchants to transfer R50,000 (it was R25,000 earlier) to their bank accounts.

For the first time, people who stayed away from digital payments or use of plastic cards, have started using wallets.

However, the rise is new wallet users comes with the risk of a fall-out once the cash returns into the system. According to a CEO of one of the top three private banks, the cash situation will become much better in the next one month.

But Sharma and other wallet company owners do not agree. This a permanent change in behaviour. Cash has lost trust In organised retail people have transferred from cash to non-cash, so I dont know why it wont happen in unorganised retail, said Bipin Preet Singh, founder and CEO of MobiKwik.

Singh also believes that for small merchants, mobile wallets is the only way of making them accept digital payments. The biggest chunk of cashless payments will be wallets, and not UPI or net banking or cards, he said.

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Spearhead of the Patidar stir Hardik Patel on Tuesday announced to restart the agitation for the Other Backward caste (OBC) status for the community in Gujarat early next year.

The face of the Patels stir for quota, who is at present based in Haridwar, told Hindustan Times he would visit his home state Gujarat on January 17 to once again push for the reservation demand.

This time there will be a Dangal (uproar). They (the state government) want to send us behind the bars and we are ready for this. We will not retreat. We will fight till the end, he said.

The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) headed by Patel in July last year started demonstrations across Gujarat for the OBC status for the community, which would entitle Patidars to a reserved quota in government jobs and education.

Patel reiterated his intention to take active part in politics when Gujarat go to polls in December next year to defeat the ruling BJP.

He, however, set to rest all speculations about him participating in campaign or floating a party to contest elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab that will go to polls early next year.

We are the victim of BJPs outrage. We will never forget their torture. We will work to defeat the party not only in the next years assembly elections but also in 2019 general polls, he told the HT.

But he was quick to add he had nothing personal against the BJP.

I like the BJP, but the ideology its presently pursing and its current leaders are wrong. I have no political affinity. But I want to create awareness among the youths across the country to come out and fight for their rights. Fight for development and peaceful society, he said.

He claimed to have good rapport with several political leaders such as Arvind Kejriwal, Nitish Kumar, Mamta Banerjee and also Harish Rawat.

Dwelling on reservation stir, he is spearheading in Gujarat, Patel said he would support similar demands in other parts of the country.

He said reservation on the basis of economic condition might sound good but was not practical.

We have a clear line on reservation. It should be given on the basis of the population percentage of a caste or community in the society. Without this, reservation cannot be successful, he added.
A rape case reaching court is not the end of a survivors ordeal.

Rape survivors are made to die a thousand deaths due to lack of legal support, poor counselling, insensitive lawyers and a hostile courtroom atmosphere turning the entire process into a spectacle.

When survivors seek justice, they also surrender themselves to a slew of procedures, which begin with them reporting complaints with the police. Inevitably, these processes often become the second rape with little done to support survivors to help them take the fight to its logical conclusion.

Over the years, there have been several decisions of the courts setting down various guidelines on how to deal with a rape survivor to make the process less traumatic. However, implementation has been very poor.

Victims of rape have become a sort of tamasha (spectacle), says Dharmesh Sharma, member secretary of Delhi State Legal Service Authority (DSLSA).

The moment a survivor files a complaint, she has to deal with a counselling member of a rape crisis intervention cell of the Delhi Commission for Women, then police officers who register the first information report and medical officers for a medico-legal examination.

Read | Its our duty to be on rape survivors side: A lawyers letter to his colleagues

After all this is over, the victim has to face the local magistrate for recording her statement and then go through the trial, where she has to deal with the public prosecutor, answer the defence counsel, and the judge.

This is a grey area victims should not be made to speak and deal with so many people, Sharma says.

He says the DSLSA along with DCW is currently working on a one advocate model where the survivor is given a counsel to assist her during the entire process. This will ease the ordeal to the extent that the victim will have a dedicated person looking after the case.

One-stop centres

The Justice Usha Mehra Commission, set up after the December 16 gang rape case to suggest measures to improve womens safety, had said there is need for establishment of a one-stop centre (OSC) at a notified hospital to help victims of sexual assault and ensure speedy punishment to culprits.

It was decided the OSCs will be set up in two tiers: the first based in hospitals and the second operating from court complexes. At present, nine hospitals in Delhi have OSCs.

Sharma says the work done in the hospitals on the OSCs were less than satisfactory. Many of the hospitals have set up centres on the fourth or fifth floor despite being asked to set up the centre as close as possible to the casualty ward.

The victim has to run from one ward to another to get their MLC test done or submit forensic evidence. This defeats the purpose of setting up the OSCs in the first place, Sharma says.

The hospitals are also yet to appoint dedicated staff for the OSCs. During the medical exam, the victim often has to deal with a doctor who has not been sensitised.

Barring one, all six district courts in the Capital have OSCs operating in their premises. Rape survivors summoned by the court during the course of a trial can go to the OSCs and not to the court, Sharma says, a measure to prevent the victim from facing the accused.

Also, to ensure survivors are not threatened or intimidated inside the courtroom by family members or supporters of accused, the courts need to have a vulnerable witness room which provides a witness-friendly setup. The room is designed to provide protection, privacy, confidentiality and comfort to vulnerable witnesses such as rape victims and child witnesses so that they feel free to depose before the judge. The facility has a courtroom, a witness room, an accused room and a waiting room.

Under the new arrangement, witnesses can also depose through video-conferencing without facing the accused in the case.

Financial support

A 2013 research paper An Analytical Study of Rape in Delhi published in the International Journal of Education and Psychological Research (IJEPR), said majority of the victims (81%) were from lower socio-economic background.

The study said most of the victims were illiterate or poorly educated, unmarried and belonged to the lower social segments of the society.

Advocate Meera Bhatia, who is assisting the Delhi high court as amicus curiae in a case after the December 16, 2012, gang rape case, says compensation is vital to many of the survivors who need instant money to attend to medical needs.

The DSLSA, responsible for dispensing compensation to rape victims, said it takes about 30-45 days for a panel to clear the interim compensation amount after conducting its enquiry. Once it is done, the money is dispensed within 24 hours.

After the recent demonetisation move, the DSLSA said, there is delay in payment of compensation as bank employees are busy with cash exchange and related works. The high court then made it clear that payment of compensation has to be prioritised.

Counselling

Many court judgments have reiterated that once a rape victim approaches police, they are duty-bound to inform the victim that she is entitled to an advocate who will help her in the case.

The DCW swings into action at this stage to help the victim file an FIR, seek witness protection if needed, provide counselling help to the victim and the family and the rehabilitation of the victim. While there are new rules laid down to help victims, the implementation has to be perfect. Only then will the real rehabilitation of the victim be achieved, Bhatia says. And we are far from that at the moment.

Liza Donnelly is a celebrated New York-based cartoonist and writer best known for her work in the New Yorker magazine.

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To celebrate the 17th anniversary of its return to its motherland, the government of Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China held a grand flag-raising ceremony on Dec. 20.
The decision to do away with stamping of baggage tags at airports may not save commuters any time as the airlines are now checking luggage at the boarding gate.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), in charge of airport security, had started a week-long trial to allow domestic travellers to fly without putting tags on their cabin bags.

These trials are being run at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports and the force aimed to save 10 minutes of a passengers time. But it asked the airlines to randomly check cabin bags before passengers board the plane.

What is the point of removing the baggage tag if you are going to check my baggage again before boarding the plane. There was a long queue at the boarding gate as the airline was checking every baggage, said a passenger travelling from the Delhi airport.

The initiative is likely to be made permanent and extended to other airports. The CISF, however, said that baggage checking by airline is a part of the extensive search that is carried out when threat perception is high.

We ask airline to scan passengers baggage whenever the threat perception is high. During the trial run also, we have asked the airlines to randomly check passengers baggage. This will not cause any inconvenience, D-G CISF OP Singh said.

The airlines are asked to conduct Secondary Ladder Point Checking (SLPC) whenever there is a specific threat to airport. SLPC is conducted when the threat is at its highest level and passengers have to go through with complete frisking just before entering the aircraft.

Presently only a few airlines, especially those going to US, conduct SLPC. The airlines staff have been asked to conduct SLPC, either at aerobridge or at the apron area.

During the trial run from December 15-21, security check area will be monitored through CCTV cameras to ensure no passenger can skip the mandatory check. The CISF staff at the boarding gates has been asked not to check for a baggage tag. The decision was taken after the D-G met representatives of all the airlines last week.

We discussed enhancing coordination among agencies and making the process of security check friendly for travellers. The CISF also emphasized on building a sound security information sharing network among the staff employed/hired by various operators to achieve a real-time information flow. This information sharing mechanism will add teeth to our security matrix, Singh said.
Delhis municipal corporations on Monday welcomed the National Green Tribunals order to impose a fine of Rs 10,000 on those throwing garbage in the open.

They said the order will add teeth to their enforcement of the sanitation rules and make it imperative on the people to segregate waste and ensure that it is dumped properly.

The civic agencies believe the order will help streamline garbage management. They said they are working on several initiatives to make the city clean.

This includes collecting and segregation of the garbage at the source, developing local segregation sites and a proper disposal by engaging private firms.

We were already working on implementing the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The NGT order has provided impetus by imposing stricter fines on the violators, said a senior municipal official.

Read More: Delhis second waste to energy plant to start at Ghazipur this month

The anti-littering law of 2009 mandates fines ranging between R50 and R500. In June, the Delhi government asked the municipal corporations to change the bylaws, so that they are in accordance with the Union governments Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The fresh provisions recommended fines ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 for throwing garbage and littering in public space.

But now the NGT has ordered an environment compensation of Rs 10,000 on vegetable vendors and slaughter houses for throwing garbage in public places. This will add teeth to our enforcement drives, said a senior South Delhi Municipal Corporation official.

The civic bodies are preparing a list of garbage sources and the way garbage is dumped there. If their functioning is not found satisfying and environment friendly, then immediate action will be taken, another official said.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation will start door-to-door garbage collection in four of its six zones from the next month.

The waste generators will have to separate wet (biodegradable), dry (plastic, paper, metal, wood, etc.) and domestic hazardous wastes (diapers, napkins, blades, batteries, mosquito repellents, etc.).

Read More: Gone to waste: How India is drowning in garbage

If they wont segregate then we will be authorised to penalise them as per the rules, said PK Gupta, commissioner, North Corporation. The civic body will also hire a concessionaire for collecting waste and dumping it at the landfill site after proper segregation.

Initiatives like installation of fixed compacting stations in each ward for segregation, compressing and transporting solid waste collected from household has also been started. Already 40 fixed compacting stations have been installed with the help of the private firm, senior south corporation official.

Civic agencies lay stress on proper functioning of three solid waste management sites in Okhla, Ghazipur and Najafgarh. For disposal of hazardous waste, the corporations are working in coordination with Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

The agency has dedicated sites for dumping hazardous waste. We will use them, said an official.

Read: NGT orders Rs 10,000 fine for throwing garbage at public places

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A Delhi Police constable and five others, including three women, have been arrested for running an extortion racket in which they honey trapped businessmen and government employees, police said on Tuesday.

The gang had recently extorted R15 lakh in scrapped R1,000 and R500 banknotes from a clerk posted at ESI Hospital in Rohini after trapping him with one of their women members.

Posted at Burari police station, Constable Pradeep,26, was the kingpin of the racket. He got the majority of the share from the extorted money. The six used to honey trap victims and then the constable would raid the place. They used to threaten their victims that if they wont pay up, they will expose them.

Others arrested were identified as Tabassum,28, Nidhi Singh,27, Ankita Sharma alias Aradhana, 26, Krishna Nand Bhat, 48, and Jeet, 28. Bhat runs a weekly newsletter, Adarsh Bharat Times.

Rajesh Deo, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said the arrests came following investigation into an extortion case filed by the ESI hospital clerk, Pawan, who is a relative of the constable.

In his complaint, Pawan told the police that Tabassum was calling him since early November. They became friends and and then some days later, she asked him to come to her house in Burari.

Read: Less honey, more trap: Extortionists held for conning men through dating sites

On November 17, Pawan went to Bengali Colony in Burari to meet Tabassum, said Deo. They were in the middle of a conversation when Jeet and Nidhi, posing as a policeman and a journalist, entered the flat and began thrashing Pawan after telling him that he was caught in a raid.

They threatened Pawan that they had taped his wrong doings with the woman and a copy of the video will be sent to the press and his family. They demanded Rs 25 lakh to settle the matter and return the videos.

Pawan arranged R15 lakh from his friends and relatives and paid the money to them. He was asked to pay the remaining money soon. However, he reported the matter to the police, the DCP said.

A police team gathered intelligence about the suspects on the basis of info provided by Pawan.

Tabassum was the first to be arrested when she was about to board a train to Shahjahanpur from New Delhi railway station. Her interrogation led to the arrest of Constable Pradeep and the other four gang members, said an investigator.

Pradeep told the interrogators that that Pawan was his brother-in-law and he had only provided his mobile number to Tabassum. Pradeep knew that Pawan is well off and if trapped, a handsome amount could be extorted from him, the officer said.
Dear brother and sister advocates,

I write this to you about an issue close to our hearts. All of us have, at some time or the other, been involved in either prosecuting a rape accused or defending one. If we go by old ethical norms, a lawyer is supposed to represent his client no matter what. This has resulted in some of us doing things that make us uncomfortable. For example, a rape survivor may be intimidated in court during cross-examination. The accused may pay off the police to spoil the case. The accused may get a fake DNA test result showing his sperm didnt correspond to that found at the crime site. Attempts may be made to bribe and intimidate the rape survivor to turn hostile.

While we do have a duty to our client, we have a higher duty to ensure that justice is done. We must jettison the old so-called ethical standard that permitted us all kinds of illegalities in the guise of representing our client. A new ethical norm should be followed that requires all advocates to only do things that are morally upright. Thus, we do away with the old contradiction between legality and morality. Anything that is immoral should also be taken as illegal. Thus while representing the accused in rape cases, a lawyer should not descend to the level of being a mouthpiece of his client. Rather she should be frank and fair with the court and the rape victim.

Read | Let us show a rape survivor were on her side: A cops letter to his colleagues

Lawyers must get rid of the impression that they are required to be neutral. Since women in India suffer terrible oppression, discrimination and violence, it is our duty to be on their side.

Lawyers must keep abreast of the latest developments in law and guide judges in the direction of enlightened decision-making based on a strong inclination in favour of women. The Constitution encourages a bias towards women and so we ought not to feel apologetic about this. Rather, we must be proud to say that we are feminist lawyers. Medical examination by the finger test must never be done. The dignity of the rape survivor should not be undermined in the slightest manner by suggesting that she was habituated to sexual intercourse. The past sexual history of a rape survivor is not the concern of the court. Even if you are defending the rape accused, you must ensure that compensation is paid and that the rape survivor is rehabilitated in accordance with the various state schemes with the provision of government jobs, residential houses, educational facilities and ration cards. You can play an important role during trials to ensure witness protection, free medical treatment and counselling, without prejudicing the interests of your client. If you practice in a rural area where khap panchayats play a terrible role in forcing the woman to withdraw her case under threat of removal of the entire family from the village, you must rise to the occasion and fight for her rights. Young people in the villages are not particularly happy with the backward notions of their seniors and they need leaders to show them the way to change. Lawyers therefore, must transform into social activists, reformers, agitators, mobilisers and educators. You are respected in society. The time has come for all of us to earn that respect not by appearing for the rich and powerful and upholding the retrogressive status quo, but by moving aggressively towards social change.

We also have a very important role to play at the police station where the rape survivor is taken first and where lawyers can counsel the woman, ensure the recording of a proper FIR, ensure the medical examination is done well, ensure the woman is protected from further intimidation and finally stop any attempts by the accused and his friends to influence the police.

During the freedom struggle, Indian lawyers sided with the movement against the British. We are now in a similar situation where there is crisis all around us. While choosing to represent clients, we must give first preference to representing the rape survivor in the criminal proceedings. Whereas earlier, such a lawyer aiding the prosecution had hardly any role to play, today such a lawyer can file a vakalatnama on behalf of the woman complainant, intervene in court proceedings and even ask questions in cross-examination with the permission of the judge, and bring to the notice of the court any mistakes committed during the trial. Such a lawyer can protect his client from intimidation.

Lawyers must get rid of the impression that they are required to be neutral. They must be seen as legal warriors who fight injustice everywhere so that constitutional ideals permeate everyday life. Since women in India suffer terrible oppression, discrimination and violence, it is our duty to be on their side. In the process we may lose some of our rape-accused clients. Never mind.

Colin Gonzalves is a Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India. A human rights litigator, he specialises in human rights protection, labour law and public interest law.
The alleged prime accused in Munirka double murder case, Arjun Thapa, was arrested from Agra on Tuesday.

His interrogation led to the recovery of the severed head of Sonam, one of the two women whose decapitated body was pulled out from a sewer on the ground floor of a Munirka building on November 25.

Sonams head was recovered from another sewer located barely 10 meters away from the building. The head, with scanty skin cover remaining, was stuck inside the vent pipe, police said.

Ironically, the police had searched that sewer twice for the missing head after the recovery of Sonams body. But the head could not be recovered, as it was stuck inside the plumbing vent. The police had checked only waste-in and waste-out pipes.

Read | Delhi cops hunt for 4 suspects in brutal murders of sex workers

Senior police officers said they initially did not believe Thapas claims that he had dumped Sonams head in the sewer through its manhole. It was only when Thapa maintained his claim despite sustained interrogation that the police searched the sewer again and found a third duct where the head was stuck.

Thapas live-in partner, Mini Sangam aka Neha from Meghalaya, and their cook Jeevan from Nepal, were arrested on December 10 for allegedly killing two freelance spa therapists, Sushma alias Sonam from Assam and Nayesha from Nepal on November 16 and 17.

The fourth accused, Govind, continues to be at large. Police were hunting for the duo in areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh bordering Nepal, after they learnt that their last location was in Nepal.

RP Upadhyay, joint commissioner of police (southeastern range), said that Thapas arrest was crucial in the case as he was the main conspirator and only he could tell the exact motive behind the two gruesome murders.

A love triangle between Arjun, Neha and Sonam, Arjuns greed for money, and a possible sex racket merged to make a compelling motive in the murder of Sonam and Nayesha. Arjun owed Rs 3 lakh each to Sonam and Nayesha but was not returning it to them, said police.

Read | Love triangle, sex ring, money behind chopped bodies found in Delhis Munirka

Manishi Chandra, additional DCP (south), said that interrogation of Neha and Jeevan revealed that Arjun had hideouts, not only in Delhi but also in other states, where he had associates and facilitators. His cell phone location suggested that he had fled to Nepal.

But further interrogation of Neha disclosed that Arjun had made categorical plans to return soon and move to a South Indian city from where he could carry out his spa-related facilitation services, said Chandra.

Arjuns associates in other states were questioned and it was eventually learnt that he had already arrived in Uttar Pradesh to proceed with the plan to settle in a South Indian city. We developed the information and Arjun was arrested from near Waterworks Crossing in Agra, added Chandra.
Two days before Mohammed Umar Khan, 36, committed suicide in his house in Seelampur on Monday, he met his friend and neighbour Mohammed Iqbal over a cup of tea. Khan was frustrated because his aluminium business had been hit due to cash crunch. He had shut down his factory in Mandawali two weeks ago as he was unable to pay the labourers.

Umar was depressed. He told me he was not able to sleep. His business was running into losses ever since demonetisation was announced. Repaying debts and making payments had become difficult for him, recalls Iqbal.

When Iqbal woke up on Monday morning, he was told that Khan was dead. He had hanged himself with a belt.

Read | 72-year-old man goes to deposit banned notes, dies outside Mumbai bank

Khan lived with family in a two-storey house in northeast Delhis Seelampur. He is survived by wife Tarannum and three children- daughter Bushra, 12, son Adeeb, 8, and son Sameer, 4.

According to Khans family, he committed suicide around 6.30 am on Monday. Half an hour ago, he woke up Bushra and asked her to get ready to go to school. Later, he went to Tarannum who was in the kitchen and asked her to make tea. Then, Khan went to a verandah on the first floor, pulled out a chair, climbed on it and hanged himself from the ceiling with a belt.

When tea was ready, Tarannum decided to call her husband and went downstairs, only to come across his body around 6.30am. She screamed that alerted the neighbours. Tarannums family, which lives in the same block, informed police. Khans body was taken for post mortem.

Police, however, have denied any demonetisation angle to the case.

Read | 3-yr-old dies as father waits at bank; no cash for fee, student commits suicide

Khan was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead. No suicide note was found. He had sent a WhatsApp message to his brother but it did not get delivered due to poor connectivity. Further investigation is underway, said a senior police officer.

In the WhatsApp message, Khan has allegedly mentioned that he was under stress as he had borrowed money from many people.

Asma Khan, Tarannums sister-in-law, said he had begun smoking a lot for the past three weeks and was taking sleeping pills for the last eight days. She said Khan was depressed. After he was forced to shut his factory due to cash crunch, he had stopped talking and stayed indoors mostly.

Khan had even stood in bank and ATM queues and asked his wife to do the same. But the limit on the amount of withdrawal frustrated him, the family said.

Umar had become thin. He needed lakhs of rupees to run his business. But that was becoming very difficult due to demonetisation. He was also under tremendous pressure to repay the money he had borrowed, said Asma.

Khan hailed from district Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. He started his business in Delhi when he was in his early 20s. He was the first person in his family to migrate to the capital. After his aluminium business flourished, he helped other family members in his hometown to migrate to Delhi by finding jobs for them.

If not for the cash crunch, Umar would have been able to run his business smoothly. He was very hardworking and honest, said Asma.

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Demonetisation has prompted people to turn to e-wallets, but not without a share of trouble. The loopholes in the security of such apps have users in a fix. From personal security to losing money, there are issues galore, say users.

E-wallet friends

While making payments, the application shares contact details with the receiver and that turns out to be a problem for girls. I pay autorickshaw drivers through mobile apps and use e-wallets to pay local vendors. Since they have my number now, some of them have begun to give me missed calls and send random messages. They call themselves e-wallet friends, says Shakshi Goyal, who studies in a private university in Noida.

Make most of the money

Many say they are paying 5 to 15 percent extra money to use e-services. Radhika Mishra, a resident of Sector-14, Gurgaon says, A parlour in Sector-15 is charging 15% extra on e-wallet payment. Another Gurgaon resident has also paid extra money in a parking area. I have paid extra money for parking in a mall in MG road as they were charging more money if we pay by app, he says.

Boon or Bane?

Those who have lost their phones are unable to keep a track on the payments done through apps. Most of the users are not aware of the privacy setting that can guard their money. Manisha Sharma, a resident of Faridabad says, I lost my phone two days back and the one who picked it up spent all my money from the app account.

Shaveta Arora, a resident of Gurgaon too has lost money. She says, Despite chasing the app center for the last 10 days, I am not getting any response. I transferred some money to the merchants mobile number but he didnt receive it. Neither did I get a confirmation SMS, due to a glitch in their system. But the amount was debited from my wallet. Dont know how their system does reconciliation of failed transactions. I still havent got my money back and the customer support is not helpful at all.

So according to her, govt should also give a constable with each paytm account so that phones cannot get stolen. pic.twitter.com/Iu7h5kh5G1  Smokinder Skills (@SmokingSkills_) December 12, 2016

#Paytm #Paytmcare 2000Rs lost from wallet. Paytm Erased my trxn history. No direct contact.Lost faith in paytm.it would be next scandal  Hardeep (@Hardeep0707) December 13, 2016

What Cyber law expert has to say?

We have observed several cases where girls have complained about missed calls from unknown numbers and messages due to sharing of details from e-wallet apps, says Pavan Duggal, Cyber Law Expert.

However, Anyesh Roy from the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police says, Our department has not received any complaints yet, may be other departments like the cyber crime cell has.

Tech Advice

We are aware of privacy issues but the companies are trying to work on them and they will be sorted out soon. As far as the security is concerned, most of the users are not using it. There are biometrics sensors and security pin in most of the apps. Apart from these, there are customer care executives and a support team to help users in trouble, says Rohan Khara, a tech expert who works with an e-wallet company.

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The assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey and the bus-borne attack on a Christmas market in Germany should be seen as reminders of how difficult it is for any country to avoid the consequences of Islamicist terror. But this would be better understood as examples of how difficult it is for any country, especially in Europe, to escape the consequences of State collapse in West Asia.

Read | Berlin Christmas market attack suspect 23-year-old migrant from Pakistan

The contradictory geopolitical interests and interventions of regional powers like Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia and great powers like the United States and Russia have so far only added tinder to the sectarian flames that burn in the region. Russia may have intervened militarily to stop the Islamic State from capturing Syria. However, the assassination of their ambassador is a sign that the more they involve themselves, the more Russia will become a target for Sunni Muslim anger and frustration  as the US was a decade ago.

Read | German police storm Berlins former airport used as refugee home: media reports

Germanys terrorist attack seems to have been an indirect fallout of chancellor Angela Merkels generous decision to allow a million West Asian refugees to enter her country. Both policies, while as different as guns and butter, are placebos for what really ails the region  which is why neither has stopped terrorism from striking either country. Motives, whether good or bad, are no substitute for clear and strategic thinking about finding a long-term solution to such crises.

Read | US-based cleric Gulen shocked by Russian envoys killing

There is certainly a crisis within the Arab Muslim world, often compared to the sectarian conflicts that rent the Christian world several centuries ago. But radical and apocalyptic visions like those of the Islamic State and similar groups find ready adherents because for those who live in the region between the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf feel as if the world has come to an end. The siege of the Syrian city of Aleppo and the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding there are a microcosm of all that is wrong today in West Asia and why nothing that is being done there is actually resolving the core problems that beset the region.

Read | Sharp-suited killer of Russian ambassador used police ID to enter Ankara show

Unfortunately, creating a stable state structure in this span of West Asia is beyond any single country and would strain even the most comprehensive international coalition. The only hope is that, over time, a series of terrorist attacks and Aleppo style tragedies will lead all the external powers and some of the domestic players to recognise that the present scorched earth policies are getting them nowhere. Even if the Islamic States is defeated, another version will take its place. The fact Turkey and Russia, bitter rivals only a few months ago, accept they have to work together is hopeful evidence of a trend that needs to find greater momentum.
Actor Aamir Khans upcoming film Dangal will not be released in Pakistan, contrary to some media reports which said that the movie will have a theatrical screening in the neighbouring country.

Cinemas in Pakistan on Monday began screening Indian movies, over two months after film exhibitors and theatre owners suspended it amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Uri terror attack and cross-border firing incidents.

The cinema owners across Pakistan have suffered about Rs 150 million loss and some 100 employees lost their jobs since the non-screening of Indian movies, an official had earlier said.

There were reports that Aamirs biographical sports-drama will also be released in Pakistan.

However, the spokesperson of the distributors of the film has issued a statement and confirmed that Dangal will not be releasing in Pakistan and any news reports to the contrary are false.

Dangal is based on the life of ace wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and the journey of his daughters Geeta and Babita Phogat. The film stars Aamir in the role of Phogat and also features Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra among others.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film is scheduled to release in India on December 23.
Under flak over the decision on namaz break, the Harish Rawat government has said state employees, irrespective of their religion, caste and creed, will be allowed special short breaks to offer prayers during their festivals if they make a request for it.

A decision has been taken to allow special short breaks to state employees of all communities, creeds and castes for prayers, religious occasions and festivals. It will be given only if they make a request, media advisor to the chief minister Surendra Kumar said in a statement.

The Chief Minister took the decision in view of the spurt in demands for holidays by state employees belonging to different religions and communities on festivals and religious occasions, he said.

The announcement came two days after the state cabinet allowed a two-hour break for government staff to offer namaz on Fridays.

The cabinets decision to allow a special two-hour Friday break for Muslim employees had drawn flak from the opposition parties, including BJP, which had accused the government of indulging in minority appeasement ahead of Assembly polls.
New Zealand's latest investigation into Chinese galvanized steel is "discrimination" and will not help solve problems in the NZ steel industry, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said here Tuesday.

The remarks came after the New Zealand government began an anti-subsidy probe on Monday into galvanized sheet steel from China.

Wang Hejun, head with the trade remedy investigation department with the MOC, said that the products involved only account for 2.5 percent to 4 percent of New Zealand's domestic market, causing no harm to the domestic industry.

New Zealand's imports of galvanized steel from China have remained around 4,000 tonnes, worth 3.2 million U.S. dollars. By contrast, imports from other sources have doubled in the past two years.

Investigating such a small amount of Chinese products while ignoring imports from other sources is discrimination, he said.

It will not help to solve the problems in New Zealand's steel industry and will hamper Sino-New Zealand trade, Wang added.

China has been New Zealand's biggest source of manufactured goods for years, and now China's imports from New Zealand are growing steadily.

Wang said faltering global recovery and shrinking demand are cause of the difficult situation of the steel industry worldwide, and called on all countries to cooperate during tough times.

Protectionism is not the answer for New Zealand's steel industry and will only deal a further blow to international trade, he said.

China hopes New Zealand will use trade remedy measures in a prudent and restrained way and work with China to resolve trade issues through dialogue and communication, he said.
The Centre on Tuesday asked Delhi and its neighbouring states to ban mining and construction of farmhouses across the Aravalli range in the national capital region (NCR), declare rivers and tributaries flowing through it as national conservation zones, and increase the green cover by six times.

At a meeting of the NCR Planning Board, the central government extended the 1992 notification of the environment ministrys ban on mining and other non-forest activities to 13 districts of Haryana, seven of Uttar Pradesh, and two of Rajasthan. Till now, it was applicable only to certain pockets of Gurgaon and Alwar district in Rajasthan.

The notification issued by the ministry of environment & forests in 1992 clearly specifies that Gurgaon district in Haryana and Alwar district in Rajasthan should regulate certain processes and operations in specified areas of the Aravalli range. This notification will now guide identification and delineation of the Aravalli in the entire national capital region, a statement issued by the board read.

However, environmentalist Amina Shervani questioned the feasibility of the move when the Gair Mumkin Pahar in Gurgaon  an area figuring in the 1992 notification  was yet to be included in the Aravallis because the state government was still conducting a survey. Now the government will have to conduct the study again because 13 additional districts have been included through the boards decision, she added.

On paper, the development should put an end to mining and developmental activities on the Aravalli hills extending across the four states unless prior approval is acquired from the environment ministry.

However, this can happen only after the state governments notify forested areas under their jurisdictions as national conservation zones (NCZs). For that, they would have to conduct ground-truthing surveys, the statement said.

NCZs are defined as areas where construction beyond a limit of 0.5% is not permitted, in accordance with the National Capital Regional Plan-2021.

Green activists were far from enthused by the decision. Claiming that state governments have been given enough leeway to keep wooded zones not considered as forests out of the picture, Gurgaon-based environmentalist Vivek Kamboj said: This is a deliberate attempt by the board and the bureaucrats to exclude many green areas from the 1992 notification.

The board also said conservation zones in the Aravalli range should include major rivers like the Yamuna, Ganga and Hindon, besides tributaries and lakes such as Badkal, Suraj Kund and Damdama. This would result in additional restrictions on non-forest activities in and around the water bodies.

The decision was taken amid a rising demand to control air pollution levels in the region, and prevent the contamination of surface as well as ground water.

In the third directive, the board instructed Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to increase forest and green cover in the NCR to 20% of its total geographical area in a phased manner. It also expressed concern over the reduction in tree cover from 4.3% in 1999 to 3.3% in 2012.

However, environmentalists pointed out that a majority of wooded areas were being left out because the definition of forests was still unclear. The board has maintained that it would continue to be defined under existing statutes and laws until the ministry of environment, forests and climate change finalises a change with the Supreme Courts approval.

During the meeting, Delhi and its adjoining states were asked to submit action plans to improve the forest cover and alleviate air pollution concerns. They were also directed to speed up inter-state connectivity for seamless travel in the region and initiate the NCR Regional Plan for 2041.

The NCR comprises the national capital, besides 13 districts of Haryana, seven of Uttar Pradesh and two of Rajasthan.

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In another attack on Narendra Modi, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the Prime Minister should desist from coercing the Opposition using CBI over demonetisation.

Modi ji, don't try to coerce opposition into submission thro CBI. Everyone is not Rahul Gandhi. https://t.co/G06VdDJIdP  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 20, 2016

Kejriwals tweet followed that of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who questioned the ruling BJPs vendetta politics, adding that the Trinamool Congress would continue its agitation against the Centres demonetisation move.

Why is BJP govt doing vendetta politics? Our party LS leader got 3 calls from CBI .Nothing will deter us from fight against #DeMonetisation  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 20, 2016

Banerjee has been relentlessly critical over the move to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes, even rallying opposition parties to submit a written memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee.

Both Banerjee and Kejriwal have been attacking the government for the inconvenience caused to the common man. Banerjee thanked Kejriwal for his support. Many thanks Arvind, she tweeted. The duo have been at the forefront after the PM Modi announced scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes on November 8.

In another tweet, Kejriwal said Modi should first ensure that BJP accepts cashless donations before forcing others.

Beggars should accept cashless support, confectioner should accept cashless payment, urinals should be paid in cashless, but pay BJP in cash, old notes will also do, Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Airlines will be penalised if they empty toilet tanks during flight, the green panel ordered on Tuesday.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the countrys aviation regulator - Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) - to issue instructions to all airlines, whose planes are involved, to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation.

The NGT bench chaired by Swatanter Kumar passed a slew of directions to be followed by airlines while hearing a plea of a retired army officer, who claimed the terrace of his house in south Delhis Vasant Enclave is being repeatedly spattered with excreta falling from aeroplanes.

DGCA shall also issue directions that aircraft on landing shall be subjected to surprise inspection to see that human waste tanks are not empty. If any aircraft is found to be violating such circular or (their) tanks are found empty on landing, they shall be subjected to environment compensation of Rs 50,000 per default, the bench said.

The direction came on the plea of Lt Gen (Retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya who had sought action against airlines and levy of hefty fines on them for endangering the health of residents, terming their act as violation of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

For over a week now, we found that walls and floors of our terrace are splattered with large patches of excreta dumped by aircraft flying in front of Palam airport at night. The last time it happened early in October, we had to spend Rs 50,000 to get the exterior painted, Dahiya had stated in his plea.

Earlier, the green panel had asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), to send a senior environmental engineer to inspect the petitioners house and if human excreta was found on its walls, sample should be collected for analysis and the report placed before the tribunal.

The CPCB, after analysing the samples taken from the petitioners house had stated that, it was indeed excreta, but its source is not known.

While issuing directions, the green panel expressed surprise over the CPCB report, saying, We are surprised to note the stand of CPCB to the extent of coliform and the kind of splashes created on the houses of the petitioner as well as others clearly demonstrate that it was human excreta.

Earlier the NGT had slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on the environment ministry and the ministry of civil aviation for failing to file inspection report on the plea.

During the hearing, the DGCA told the bench it will investigate the matter.

In his petition, Vasant Enclave resident Dahiya had sought creation of a 24-hour helpline for immediate reporting of such incidents and a monitoring mechanism to check that no aircraft drops human soil or excreta while landing.

The Ministry had opposed the argument and said plane toilets stored the waste in special tanks which are normally disposed of by ground crews once the plane lands. However, aviation officials acknowledge that lavatory leaks can occur in the air at times.

The green panel added that the amount collected as fine from airlines shall be used for environment protection and a quarterly report shall also be submitted by DGCA before it.
The Income Tax department will soon begin sharing personal data--like PAN, residential address and mobile number--of a taxpayer earning over Rs 10 lakh per annum with the oil ministry as part of governments initiative to effectively block subsidised cooking gas to higher income groups.

As part of the official deal between the two government departments, the taxman will also share the date of birth, gender, email id, residential phone number and all available addresses of the taxpayer in its database so that the Petroleum and Oil Ministry could zero down on each LPG subscriber who is availing the subsidy beyond the stipulated rules and has not voluntarily given it up.

The I-T department will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Oil Ministry in order to begin this transfer of personal taxpayer data, in a confidential and safe manner.

The department, till now, used to share such proprietary data with Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) like police, CBI, ED and others with a rider that they should not share this information with anyone else and use it for their investigation purposes only.

The latest move has also been approved by the policy-making body of the department, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), in the backdrop of governments decision which had said that tax payers with annual income of more than Rs 10 lakh will not get subsidised cooking gas (LPG).

This tax data with the Oil Ministry will ensure that all those who have income above Rs 10 lakh per year will automatically be barred from getting subsidised cooking gas cylinders. The data will be processed by the Oil Ministry and only names of those ineligible will be shared with the concerned LPG distributor on field.

While some individuals and households have already given up this subsidy voluntarily after government asked them to do so, there are many who have not done so. The government wants to check pilferage in this regard and hence the data is being shared between the two departments, a senior official said.

The official said the transfer of data will begin soon.

At present, all households are entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates.

The government has asked well-off people in the past to voluntarily give up using subsidised LPG and instead buy cooking fuel at market price.

The government, while announcing this decision last year, had said it has decided that the benefit of LPG subsidy will not be available for LPG consumers if the consumer or his/her spouse had taxable income of more than Rs 10 lakh during the previous financial year computed as per the Income Tax Act, 1961.
A 13-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and sold off for Rs 80,000 to a man, who repeatedly raped her for five months at a village in Banaskantha district, police said.

The minor was rescued from Manpura village in the district last night and six persons, including the alleged rapist to whom she had been sold, have been arrested in this connection, police said.

The girl, who hails from Udaipur in Rajasthan, had been brought to Rupapura village in Banaskantha district as a farm labourer. However, around five months ago, she was kidnapped by three accused, identified as Mukeshbhai Vadi, Kantibhai Makwana and Vishnu Thakor, Banaskantha assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Akshayrajsinh Makwana said.

The girl was then sold off for Rs 80,000 to one Khodabhai Thakor at Manpura village. Gyanjibhai Thakor and Ranuba Thakor had struck the deal for him, he added.

The victim was kept in confinement at a farm and raped repeatedly by Khodabhai, the officer said adding, The girl was rescued last night and all six accused were arrested.

The six accused-- Khodabhai, Mukeshbhai Vadi, Kantibhai Makwana, Vishnu Thakor, Gyanjibhai Thakor and Ranuba Thakor-- were brought to Sihori police station in Banaskantha district.

While Khodabhai has been booked under IPC section 376 (rape), others have been booked under sections 363 (kidnapping), 344 (wrongful confinement), 370 (human trafficking), 372 (selling a minor for prostitution), among others. They have also been booked under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to police, when the victims family lost contact with her, they launched a search. However, since they could not trace the minor, her father had approached Sihori police station, who started the investigation into the case.

The police officer said that during the interrogation, Ranuba told them that he had sold one more girl to someone for Rs 50,000.

Based on the information provided by him, the other girl was also rescued from a village in Patan district today, Makwana said adding that no arrests have been made in the second case as yet.

According to the ASP, more cases of girls being kidnapped and sold off are likely to come to light.

Further investigation into both the cases are on.
A lion which strayed into the Virpur-Gadhia village in Amreli district of Gujarat was captured and sent to Jasadhar medical centre for treatment, a senior forest department official said on Tuesday.

The lioness was captured and caged at around 3 AM on Sunday (December 18) from the forest area near the Virpur-Gadhia village. We found her to be weak and hence she was sent to the Jasadhar medical centre for treatment, T Kapaswami, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Amreli told PTI.

After the lioness is found to be fully fit, she is will be released in the forest, Kapaswami added.

According to the official, the village is located about 10 kms from the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, which houses 511 lions as per last census.
Indian travellers will not be eligible for visa-free entry to Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, from January, when a pre-arrival registration process will be put in place.

Indian nationals can currently enter Hong Kong without a visa for a period of up to 14 days.

The Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals will be implemented on January 23, 2017. The online service for Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals is now opened, Hong Kongs immigration department announced on its website.

Indian nationals must apply for and successfully complete pre-arrival registration online before they can visit or transit the HKSAR visa-free (if seeking to enter the HKSAR during transit). Pre-arrival registration is not required for Indian nationals in direct transit by air and not leaving the airport transit area, the department said.

The pre-arrival registration is valid for six months, during which the applicant can visit Hong Kong multiple times. Indian nationals must furnish an approval slip before boarding a plane or ship to the city.

The new rules will affect hundreds of thousands of Indians who visit the former British colony every year for tourism and trade. According to the latest figures, 561,625 Indian tourists visited Hong Kong last year, a rise of 22% compared to 2013. In the first 11 months of this year alone, 474 615 Indians visited the city.

Immigration department assistant director Ma Chi-ming told the South China Morning Post newspaper that India was chosen as a testing point because it is one of the major sources of asylum-seekers. We do not rule out extending the scheme to other countries in the future, he said.

This is the first time Hong Kong has implemented such a restriction for a country. Among the total of 10,335 pending refugee applications in the city, 80% are from India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

The only Indians exempted from pre-arrival registration are holders of diplomatic or official passports or a Hong Kong Travel Pass, and Indian nationals who have successfully enrolled for the e-Channel service for frequent visitors.

Last year, Hong Kong authorities had dropped plans to scrap visa-free entry for Indians after representations from business and tourism bodies. Indian visitors are among the largest spenders contributing to the local economy.

Some reports also suggested the new rules were being introduced because of pressure from China.

Immigration department official Ma Chi-ming also said Indian visitors should not enter fake data to try to improve their chances of entering Hong Kong to seek economic asylum. If we doubt travel purpose at the counter, we can still refuse (entry), he said.

Giving fake information on the registration form is liable to prosecution, Ma said, adding those who use a false instrument could face 14 years in jail.

Information provided by Indian nationals during online registration, including their travel history and local itinerary, will be used by an automated system to assess risks and issue an instant result. The immigration department had evaluated the backgrounds of Indian asylum-seekers and had come up with a group of combined factors to review travellers, Ma said.
India and Kyrgyztan finalised broad contours of a bilateral investment treaty and inked six other pacts covering a range of areas besides resolving to work closely to combat challenge of terrorism, extremism and radicalism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev held comprehensive talks and agreed to step up engagement in key areas of defence, security and trade with specific focus on mining, IT, agriculture and energy.

We discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society against common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism. We agreed on the need to coordinate and work closely in addressing and overcoming these challenges for our common benefit, Modi said in a media statement.

The Central Asian nation bordering China is strategically important for India and both countries have been steadily ramping up defence collaboration.

Modi had visited Kyrgyztan in July last year during which a pact for boosting defence cooperation was inked.

A joint statement issued after the talks said the two leaders noted the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism globally as well as in the Asian continent, and emphasised the importance of ensuring a stable and secure environment for peaceful economic development.

In this context, they also called for the adoption by the United Nations of the draft Comprehensive Convention on Combating International Terrorism, it said.

Aiming to broaden economic engagement, the two countries initialled a bilateral investment treaty which will provide protection to investors in each others country apart from creating enabling environment for trade to grow.

The six MoUs will provide for deeper cooperation in areas of agriculture, tourism, culture, broadcasting and youth affairs.

In his comments, Atambayev said he was not happy over the current volume of bilateral trade as there was huge untapped potential for its expansion and called for removing bottlenecks in transportation of goods between the two countries through Iran.

Denouncing terrorism and extremism, he said both countries were binded by historical links and fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. He also mentioned about popularity of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor in his country.

To ramp up economic engagement, both sides, during the talks, directed the ministries concerned to develop a comprehensive road-map for a five-year timeframe.

The two leaders also reviewed the cooperative engagement in defence with Modi calling the Kyrgyz-India Mountain Bio-Medical Research Center as an excellent example of successful collaboration.

Both the countries are also involved in Mountain Bio-Medical Research and Modi called it an excellent example of successful collaboration.
Indonesian police said on Tuesday that three people had been arrested over a suspected plot to carry out a suicide bomb attack in an undisclosed location outside the most populous island of Java.

Two men were arrested in the Central Java city of Solo on Sunday on suspicion they made explosives to be carried by a female accomplice, said Martinus Sitompul, a spokesman for the national police.

A suspected female suicide bomber had been arrested in Purworejo, also in Central Java, last Thursday, he said.

The group was planning to carry out an attack outside Java, Sitompul said. He declined to elaborate and said police would hold a news briefing later this week.

The three were linked to a group police arrested earlier this month for planning an attack at the changing of the guard at Jakartas presidential palace, he added.

In both cases, police suspect the groups planned to use a female suicide bomber, a new tactic for attacks in Indonesia.

The suspects held over the planned Jakarta attack had been communicating with and received money from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant known to be fighting with Islamic State in Syria, police have said.

Indonesian police are currently interrogating 14 suspects related to the planned Jakarta bombing and the plot outside Java, Sitompul said.

Security is usually stepped up in Indonesia at this time of year, following attacks in previous years during Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Earlier on Tuesday, a bomb squad on the Indonesian island of Bali detonated an unattended backpack in the city of Ubud with a sign saying bomb. Bali police spokesman Made Sudana said there was no bomb threat and it contained fireworks, adding the backpack belonged to a Dutch man who had lost it.

Bali has suffered two major attacks including nightclub bombings in 2002 that killed 202 people, and suicide attacks in 2005 that killed 20.
Four years after the gang rape of 23-year-old physiotherapy intern in Delhi shocked the nation, a university in Jharkhand is set to launch a course aimed at training girls in self-defence through martial art.

Kolhan University will roll out the course next month, making enrolment mandatory for graduate and PG students in five of its womens colleges.

No additional fees will be levied from the 8,000 students expected to benefit from the programme.

University vice-chancellor RPP Singh said girl students groomed in martial arts would be capable of thwarting sexual attacks as well as physical harassment. The course will also help curb crimes against women in society, he added.

Singh said students will not be allowed to attend degree examinations if they fall short of attendance in martial arts classes. The girls will be given a certificate after the training. Marks obtained in the course, however, will not be added to their degree course examination results, he said, adding that the six-month course will also focus on yoga and theoretical studies.

The university notified the colleges under its jurisdiction about the course after getting the approval of the chancellor-cum-governor.

The university has taken a major step towards empowering girls to deal with anti-social elements, said Usha Shukla, professor-in-charge of the Graduate School College for Women in Jamshedpur.

However, some remained sceptical in the knowledge that though such courses were introduced in these colleges, they had to be discontinued after the girls showed little interest.
Writer and theatre activist Kamal C Chavara, who was arrested on Sunday on charges of insulting the national anthem, is on an indefinite fast at the Kozhikkode medical college hospital since Monday where he was admitted. In a conversation with Hindustan Times correspondent Ramesh Babu, Chavara explains the whole controversy. Excerpts:

Why did the police arrest you?

I have no idea. The book they mentioned (Smashanangalude Notupustakam) was written two years ago and I posted excerpts of the novel two weeks back. My work is not banned also. Before my arrest police resorted to all gimmicks to pressurise me  my wife was threatened and abused verbally. My house was also raided. I never absconded as they claimed. I was arrested like a criminal. A police officer even asked me why I married an Adivasi girl and took her caste name repeatedly while questioning me.

Did you really insult the national anthem?

I dont think so. If it is so, let the law of the land take its own course. I am not scared of the case. But the way it was done really shocked me. They tortured me mentally. Even some of my friends who came to help me at the hospital were rounded up citing three-year-old cases. Left parties led the agitation when JNU leaders like Kanhaiya Kumar were booked under the sedition law. I was also booked under the same law. I never expected this from a Left government. My father is still an active worker of the CPI(M).

Who gave the complaint against you?

I have no idea. Someone told me leaders of the Bharatiya Yuva Morch gave a complaint to the state DGP citing my Facebook post.

You are on fast now. What do you plan to do next?

I will continue my fast till I get a satisfactory explanation: why I was treated like this and why my friends were booked? A writer is not a criminal. Hes the conscience-keeper of the society and it is natural to reflect the present day world in his works. I personally feel dissension is not a crime, rather it makes our democracy more vibrant.

Also read | Kerala writer held for insulting national anthem seeks withdrawal of sedition case

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The Naga Students Federation (NSF) has decided to impose a total blockade on all Manipur-bound vehicles, including passenger and goods carriers, in all Naga- inhabited areas till the Manipur government gave its assurance to Naga people about their safety and security in that state.

Many innocent Naga travellers in Manipur were assaulted, their vehicles set on fire and luggages damaged on the highways in the past few days, NSF president Subenthung Kithan alleged on Tuesday.

A mob had vandalised 22 vehicles on Imphal-Ukhrul Road on December 18.

In this regard, Kithan said, the decision to impose a total blockage on Manipur vehicles, including passenger and good carriers, was taken.

The NSF chief also cautioned that anybody travelling from Naga-inhabited areas to Manipur would be doing so at his or her own risk.

Kithan, however, said NSF would exempt students travelling back to Manipur from their vacations.

The United Naga Council (UNC) has imposed an indefinite economic blockade on the National Highways of Manipur since November 1 hampering supply of essential items.

The UNC has been agitating against the Manipur governments decision to create Sadar Hills and Jiribam into full fledged districts, claiming it would bifurcate ancestral lands of Nagas in the state.
Even as Kullu police is interrogating ISIS suspect Abid Khan alias Abu Mohammad, National Investigation Agency (NIA) team is likely to visit the state to interrogate the suspect.

Khan was sent to five-day police remand on Sunday. Police has been interrogating him on various grounds and gathering information. He is cooperating but how far he is speaking the truth is a matter of further investigation, a senior cop told HT, requesting anonymity.

Police also interrogated the local chapel priest Kamlesh. Sources said Khan, who was living here as Paul C Neo, was sent here by a priest in Bangalore. Both the suspect and Kamlesh have been cooperating. NIA has complete information about the arrest and soon a team will visit here, he added.

On Saturday evening, Kullu police on a tip-off from central agencies had arrested Abid Khan from Sidhwan. He is suspected to have been planning to escape to Indonesia to his female friend. He had plans to go to Siria, revealed a cop.

Khan had been converted into Christianity in Bangalore and living here with a name- Paul C Neo. However, his identity proofs bore his original name. Already fluent in five to six languages, Khan was learning Hebrew language in Kullu, which is mostly in practice in Israel.

A case was registered under Section 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) of the Indian Penal Code and under Section 18 (punishment for conspiracy), 19 (punishment for harbouring) of unlawful activities prevention Act, 1967.

During the search, all identity proofs recovered from him were on his original name. Police sources said NIA had arrested few people in Bangalore in January this year and Abid was under scanner since then.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday reiterated that her fight against demonetisation would continue despite the Centres tactics of browbeating my party.

Stating that TMC parliamentary party leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay has received three calls from CBI, she said, Nothing will deter us from the fight against demonetisation.

When contacted Bandopadhyay told PTI that he has received three calls from CBI.

I called them (CBI) back. They said you have to come to our office, he said.

Bandopadhyay is also the chairman of Railway Standing Committee.

Banerjee had on Monday attacked Modi government saying it did not understand the hardship faced by people who had turned fakirs after demonetisation.

Realising the peoples difficulties, Venezuala withdrew the decision on demonetisation, but the Modi government doesnt listen to anyone, she had said.
Questioning of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Rauf Asghar and two key lieutenants  Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif  in the Pathankot air base attack case still remains pending as Pakistan did not keep its promise of hosting of a team Indian officials to conduct a probe there, NIA chief Sharad Kumar has said.

It is unfortunate that Pakistan didnt allow the visit of NIA officials. When the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) came to India, we were promised a reciprocal visit for gathering additional evidence in Pakistan. If allowed to visit Pakistan, we would have asked for questioning of the JeM leadership, thorough searches at its headquarter in Bahawalpur and training camps at other places. But Pakistan went back on its promise, Kumar said, after his officials filed a charge sheet, nailing the JeMs role in the attack that took place on January 2 this year.

Asked about the role of Pakistani state actors, Kumar said: The JeM doesnt work in isolation. The way it operates openly along with its front outfit al Rehmat Trust in Pakistan, it is quite not possible without the patronage of Pakistani state.

Kumar said the NIA charge sheet will add weight to Indias case in the UN for declaring Masood Azhar a global terrorist.

Our probe can withstand any international scrutiny. Even the Pakistani JIT didnt question the credibility of the evidence gathered by the NIA, said Kumar.

On the controversy over exact number of attackers, Kumar said the role of only four attackers have come up so far in the probe.

Our investigation is still on, he said.

On the role of Punjabs superintendent of police Salwinder Singh, Kumar said: Nothing adverse has come out against him so far.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held delegation-level talks with Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev here.

Reaffirming a closer partnership with Kyrgyz Republic. PM @narendramodi and President Almazbek Atambayev lead delegation level talks, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarp tweeted.

Its been a special month for diplomacy with Central Asia. After Tajik President last week, PM welcomes Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, he added.

Earlier, the Kyrgyzstan President was given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.

President Atambayev is leading a high-level delegation comprising ministers, senior officials and business leaders.

This is his first visit to India as President.

President Pranab Mukherjee will host a dinner banquet in his honour this evening.

Bolstering existing defence cooperation, enhancing trade ties and exploring surface connectivity projects will be high on the agenda of talks between the two leaders.

The Kyrgyz Presidents visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Modi to the central Asian country in July last year.

India and Kyrgyzstan share excellent relations in all areas including defence, economy, commerce, education, human resource development, culture and tourism.

The trade between the two countries was 27.99 million dollars during the last fiscal, with Indias exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

Apparel and clothing, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and tea are some of the important items in Indias export basket to the country.

About 4,500 Indian students are studying medicine in various medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan.

President Atambayevs visit is expected to further strengthen the cordial relations between the two countries. He is also scheduled to attend a Joint Business Forum on Wednesday.
Police on Tuesday intercepted a car and detained three traders with Rs 60 lakh in denomination of Rs 2,000 notes in Satara in western Maharashtra.

Police suspect the trio, who hail from Kolhapur, could be part of a racket involved in exchanging banned currencies of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for valid ones by charging a premium.

Upon receiving specific information about the activities of the trio, Satara crime branch officials laid a trap near a flyover in Bombay Restaurant Chowk and intercepted the car.

After searching the vehicle, police found 3000 pieces of Rs 2000 tender worth Rs 60 lakh.

We suspect a racket is active in exchanging old scrapped notes for new ones by charging a commission of 30 to 40%. Investigation is going on accordingly, Satara superintendent of police Sandeep Patil said.

The trio are identified as Sagar Aarde (45), Bhagwan Bhople ((50) and Umesh Kamble (48).

We are questioning them to know the source from where they got such a large number of new bills, Patil said, adding the help of Income Tax department is taken into the matter.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed the state police chief on Tuesday to drop sedition charges against Malayalam writer Kamal C Chavara and activist C Nadir after their arrest invited widespread criticism from many quarters including the ruling party.

The CM also instructed the director general of police Loknath Behra to slap charges of sedition only after deliberating on a particular incident.

Chavara, who is also a theatre activist, was arrested and charged with sedition on Sunday for allegedly insulting the national anthem on Facebook. The Bhartiya Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had filed a complaint against Chavara, citing his post on the social media website.

In a school in Kerala there were 44 students named after the states 44 rivers that had dried up. The teacher never bothered to heed requests of students, including their wish to go to the washroom. At 4 pm every day they had to stand up for the national anthem. Since urinating was more important to me than Jana Gana Mana, I was the most indisciplined student, he wrote on Facebook.

Read | Is the Left in Kerala losing space to Right-wing groups?

He was kept in a police lock-up for several hours until he was granted bail. Nadir, who came the next day to help Chavara at the hospital, was rounded up citing an old case.

The writer is on fast demanding the withdrawal of both cases.

Human rights campaigners and social activists criticised the arrests, alleging that there is a growing intolerance against people who raise questions and sought to view things rationally. They alleged that the police acted swiftly after a complaint filed by the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha.

After Marxist veteran VS Achuthanandan, party secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also criticised the police.

The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act should not be slapped on people who are raising political and social issues. Some police officers are working against the policies of the government to portray it in a bad light, Balakrishnan said.

The CPI, a partner in the ruling coalition, also slammed the police action.

Such actions will strengthen peoples belief that the state is moving to fascism, VS Achuthanandan said criticising the police.

Achuthanandan said Dalits, artists, writers, Adivasis and marginalised people have been living fearlessly in Kerala and its the polices duty to prevent them from meeting the fate of rationalists MM Kalburgi of Karnataka and Govind Pansare of Maharashtra, who were murdered for their views.

Chavara was planning to move the court for anticipatory bail while he was arrested.

Earlier this month, six people were arrested for not standing up when the national anthem was played before the screening of a film at the International Film Festival (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram.

Last month, the Supreme Court asked all cinemas to play the national anthem before a film is screened, a controversial decision that many say will embolden right-wing Hindu groups pushing a strident brand of nationalism.
Police have seized over Rs 46 lakh in valid currencies - Rs 29 lakh in 2,000 rupee notes - in two separate raids in Morbi town, Gujarat.

The Monday night operation carried out by the Special Operations Group (SOG) resulted in detention of five persons.

An SOG team on night petrolling found one Bhavik Lodariya (20) carrying a bag in a suspicious manner. When searched, they recovered from his possession 853 pieces in denomination of Rs 2000, worth Rs 17,06,000, said Morbi SOG police sub inspector J V Dhola.

Lodariya has been detained and investigation is on.

In another incident, Morbi town Local Crime Branch (LCB) team recovered Rs 29 lakh from a car on Sunday night, of which Rs 12 lakh was in 2000-rupee notes.

Four persons in the car, including driver, were detained from Morbi-Navlakhi road Sunday night after currency notes amounting to Rs 29 lakh was recovered from their possession, said Morbi LCB in-charge police inspector Bharatsinh Parmar.

He said of Rs 29 lakh, Rs 12 lakh worth of 2000-rupee notes were found.

They are identified as Rasik Patel, Manu Rabari, Wasim Fakir and Bhagvandar Dangar, he said, adding Income Tax department has been informed after the quarter failed to produce documents pertaining to money they were carrying.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi continued to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi over flaws in implementation of the demonetisation drive, saying RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes. Gandhis remarks invited sharp reaction from the BJP, which warned him of opening a Pandoras Box if he continued making personalised attacks on the Prime Minister.

RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes, Gandhi tweeted on Tuesday, while posting an article on the RBI rules announced post demonetisation. Gandhi alleged that Modis words have lost gravity and have turned hollow. He reminded that the PM had announced about the December 30 deadline to deposit notes, which was changed on Monday.

They have changed rules 125 times; and gave a message to the nation that our PMs s words are hollow, Gandhi told ANI. We will show it to you in coming days that how his words are hollow.

RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clotheshttps://t.co/UNmJB9etFb  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 20, 2016

The attack came as the Congress leader is all set to take the battle over the issue of demonetisation to the turf of the Prime Minister with a rally at Mehsana in Gujarat on Wednesday.

At a rally in Jaunpur, Rahul had on Monday said that only one per cent people have 60 per cent of the countrys wealth and that Modi has made fun of 99 per cent honest people through demonetisation.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram also slammed the new restrictions, calling them desperate measures of a desperate government at a time when hoarders have laundered their money while the poor and the middle class have been left high and dry.

In a series of tweets, he wondered, Old notes usable until Dec 15. Why cant we deposit remaining notes until Dec 30 as notified?

Chidambaram said, RBI makes new rule on deposit, FM contradicts. Who should citizen believe? Neither has credibility.

BJP reacts

Meanwhile, an angry BJP asked Rahul to grow up and behave responsibly, as he represents an old political party. In Uttar Pradesh rally on Monday, the BJP said, Rahul gave a good example in suggesting that murdabad slogans should not be raised against the PM.

Within 24 hours, the DNA of the Congress and Gandhi family was out. What he said yesterday he forgot within 24 hours, BJP secretary Sidharth Nath Singh said. He added, I would warn Rahul Gandhi to please resist from making personalised attack on the PM because if that box is open then it will be a Pandoras Box that will be opened on you.

(With inputs from PTI)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

The OSCE is expected to monitor the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia Dec. 21, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Dec. 20.

The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative in the direction of Azerbaijans Gazakh District.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, Jiri Aberle and Simon Tiller.

On the Armenian side, the monitoring will be carried out by field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative, Gennady Petrica, Peter Svedberg and Hristo Hristov.

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.
An RSS-affiliated group plans to audit the performance of policy think tank Niti Aayog at a conference next month in which leaders critical of the Narendra Modi governments economic policies, such as Yashwant Sinha, will be present.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) will hold the meeting in New Delhi on January 10 to discuss the work of the Niti Aayog, the Modi governments version of the now-defunct Planning Commission. The Manch will evaluate if it has achieved its goal.

Its been two years since the Aayog was formed. Two years is sufficient time and this is the right time to review its approach, said Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convener of the Manch, a nationalist group that promotes self-reliance.

We have found that its approach on various issues was not reflecting peoples wishes and those of state governments.

The grassroots group associated with the RSS  the ruling BJPs ideological fount  has been a vocal critic of several policies, especially on genetically engineered or GM crops because of the reliance on seeds patented by multinationals.

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RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said on Tuesday that the organisation was not a remote control and its aim was to build a strong nation with Hindutva at its core.

The Sanghs aim is to build a strong India with the right leader and with Hindutva at its core, Bhagwat said, addressing the concluding function of a four-day-long meeting of RSS pracharaks from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa.

There is a need to bring the right kind of change in the society based on the ideology of Hindutva, he said.

RSS will strive to bring about right changes in the society to make the nation strong in the hands of a right leader, he said without naming anyone.

RSS is not a remote control, he said in an apparent reference to the allegation of opposition parties that it dictates terms to the BJP-led NDA Government.

Many misgivings about the Sangh are prevailing in the society for various reasons and people talk about the Sangh without knowing about it or the essence of its activities.

RSS is for peace and solution to all kinds of problems faced by the world and India, and Hindutva is the core of Hindustan, it is its identity, RSS supremo said.

It is wrong to look at Hindutva as an ideology of a particular religion or community. Sangh does not ask anybody his caste or creed when he joins us after believing in our ideology, he said.

Bhagwat also said RSS does not take any help from the government. RSS does not beg for financial assistance from anybody, he said.

RSS is not for those who want to make money...only those whose integrity is not doubtful can become its members, he said.

The world has now begun to recognise the importance of Hinduism, he said.
Seven Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested by Sri Lankan Naval personnel for allegedly fishing near Neduntheevu in the island nation.

The fishermen from Jegadapattinam hamlet in Pudukottai district were detained yesterday and taken to Kangesanthurai Port there, along with their two boats, Pudukottai Fisheries Department Assistant Director, Sekar said on Tuesday.

The Lankan navalmen also allegedly rammed their boat against one of the mechanised boats and sank it leaving five fishermen on board to struggle in the sea till fellow fishermen rescued them, he said.

The fishers had put out to sea in more than 100 boats and were fishing off Neduntheevu when the naval personnel arrived and chased them away, he added.

On December 17, fishing nets of 10 mechanised boats of Tamil Nadu fishermen were allegedly snapped by the Lankan Naval personnel, who also chased away nearly 3,000 Rameswaram fishermen off Katchatheevu islet.
A soldier was injured in a landmine explosion on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district on Monday, police said.

A soldier identified as Minter Singh of 21 Punjab Regiment was seriously injured in a mine explosion on the LoC in Mendhar sector.

The injured soldier was immediately evacuated to Mendhar hospital for treatment, said police here.

Landmines are used by security forces to secure infiltration-prone areas on the LoC.
Posting and circulating obscene material online would make a person liable to be prosecuted under the Information Technology Act and not the general criminal law that is the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Supreme Court has ruled.

Once the special provisions having the overriding effect do cover a criminal act and the offender, he gets out of the net of the IPC, said a bench headed by justice Dipak Misra while quashing a criminal case against a senior executive of a popular e-commerce company.

The Delhi Police had registered a case under the IPC as well as the IT Act against the executive after a video clip of two school students in a sexual act was uploaded for sale on the website in 2004. The IPC section invoked against him pertained to selling of obscene material. On a challenge, the Delhi high court quashed the case registered under IT Act, but ordered continuation of IPC proceedings.

Noting the settled legal position, the top court said the IT Act was a special law and prevailed over the general and prior laws. The provision under the IT law covers the offence described in IPC, the bench said.

We have already referred to the scheme of the IT Act and how obscenity pertaining to electronic record falls under the scheme of the Act, the bench said, accepting the arguments of senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi that his client should not have faced trial under IPC after having being discharged under the IT law.

During the hearing the Centre and Delhi government took opposite stands on the controversy. The Centre, represented by attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, told the bench there was a distinction between the offences referable to the internet and the print medium and the IT Act would override the IPC, he submitted.

But according to Delhi government, the IPC section was broader and included offences committed in the electronic medium also.

We are inclined to think so as it is a special provision for a specific purpose and the Act has to be given effect to so as to make the protection effective and true to the legislative intent, the bench said, underlining the mandate behind the IT Act.

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A Singapore based firm on Monday made a donation of Rs one crore to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala here with a request to use it for a temple run trust which gives free meals daily to thousands of devotees visiting the shrine.

Representatives of Helix Limited handed over a bank Demand Draft for Rs one crore to Dr D Sambasiva Rao, Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), temples Public Relations Officer Dr Talari Ravi told PTI.

The TTD governs the world famous hill temple.

The PRO said the representatives requested TTD to use the amount for Sri Venkateswara Anna Prasadam Trust, meant for providing free meal to thousands of visiting devotees daily on the hills.

Earlier this month a devotee from New Delhi had also donated Rs one crore to the shrine with a request to use it for Sri Venkateswara Praanadaana Trust, meant for free medical facilities to poor patients suffering from life threatening ailments at TTD run hospitals here, he added.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday accused the government of not allowing investigation agencies to probe terror attacks involving non-Muslims.

All accused in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar blast got conviction. But will NIA (National Investigation Agency) give conviction in the Mecca Masjid, Ajmer Dargah, Malegaon blasts cases? the Lok Sabha MP asked in tweets.

Why cant our premier investigation agencies show same urgency to convict all alleged terrorist cases of demolition of the Babri Masjid which is pending since 1992? he asked.

Dilsukhnagar bomb blast accused can be convicted in three years but why is it taking long to convict Mecca Masjid, Ajmer, Malegaon? Can NIA throw some light?

Owaisis remarks came a day after a NIA court on Monday sentenced to death five convicts, including the banned Indian Mujahideens co-founder Yaseen Bhatkal and a Pakistani, for the 2013 Hyderabad bomb blasts.

The twin blasts in Hyderabads Dilsukhnagar area on February 21, 2013 killed 18 persons, including an unborn child, and injured 131 others.

Do not be surprised the way NIA is pursuing those bomb blast cases where accused are non-Muslims as they will be exonerated because of Ache Din, the AIMIM leader said.
The political fate of the Samajwadi Partys Ayodhya hero Tej Narayan Pandey, who is also known as Pawan Pandey, appears uncertain in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

The partys state chief Shivpal Yadav had announced Pandeys expulsion from the party during the feud in the ruling partys first family. But, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav did not remove him from his cabinet despite Shivpals recommendation.

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav ordered Pandeys sacking after party MLC Ashu Malik filed an FIR against him for assaulting him at the chief ministers residence on October 24, hours after a war of words between Akhilesh and Shivpal at the party office.

Pandey also had openly protested against senior SP leader Amar Singh on October 23.

If Akhileshji says contest, I will contest. If he says back off, I will back off, Pandey, the Ayodhya MLA who wrested the seat from the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2012 assembly election, said.

UP polls: Delay in candidate announcement for all parties

It was the first time the SP won the seat that had been the bastion of the BJP since the Ram Temple movement in the 1990s. Before Pandeys maiden entry into the state assembly as a member, the BJPs Lallu Singh won the seat five times in a row in 1991, 1993, 1996, 2002, and 2007.

Pawan was 31 when he defeated Lallu Singh by 5,405 votes.

The SP won an absolute majority in 2012 and the Ayodhya victory was the icing on the cake for the party. Pandeys victory earned him praise from Mulayam in public.

Before that, no one had ever imagined that the party could win Ayodhya, where Mulayam as the chief minister had ordered police firing on kar sewaks (volunteers) on October 30, 1990. Mulayams coalition government fell a few months later.

Without him, the SPs chances in Ayodhya appear slim.

I am confident of getting the ticket. Netaji (SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav) will give it to me; Akhilesh ji will give it to me. It was Akhilesh ji who ensured the ticket for me on this seat, Pandey told Hindustan Times on Thursday.

I am wholeheartedly preparing for the elections and have nurtured my constituency well since I became the MLA, he said.

The ruling party has declared its candidates for all the seats that it had lost and has begun working on finalising the nominees for those it won the last time.

Pandey joined the SP in 1998 and won Lucknow University students union vice-presidents election in 2004.

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Reeling under the demonetisation-induced cash crisis, the industry needs more time to prepare itself for the goods and services tax (GST) and so is not worried about a delay in its rollout.

The GST Council, chaired by finance minister Arun Jaitley, is yet to agree on three more issues, and its rollout looks unlikely by April 1, 2017. Once the law is passed, the industry will need at least three months time to be GST ready as the IT infrastructure will have to be in place.

Let the industry recover from demonetisation and the resultant economic slowdown. A new tax regime will bring its own set of challenges. We are expecting GST implementation from second quarter of 2017, Pithampur industry association president Gautam Kothari said.

Association of Industry, Madhya Pradesh, president OP Dhoot said, We feel that GST should not be implemented until there is total clarity on the new law. There are some issues that would become clear once the GST Council deliberations are over. For now, we have been asked to complete the provisional registration for GST.

Dewas industry association president Ashok Khandelia, however, said, The problem in implementing GST midway through the financial year is that two separate books will have to be maintained for that year -- one related to VAT and other taxes, and the other when GST gets implemented. The question also arises on how to claim input credit and other such claims. So we would prefer that it gets implemented from the new financial year, although that is highly unlikely now.

Jaitley said last week that certain turf issues still remain to be sorted out before the GST rollout and the new indirect tax regime can be implemented anytime between April 1 and September 16, 2017.

GST is a transactional tax and not an income tax. Transactional tax can start in any part of the financial year and therefore, the range of timing when it has to come into force because of constitutional necessity is April 1, 2017 to September 16, 2017, Jaitley said.

The GST will subsume all the taxes including VAT, central excise and entry taxes, and will make it easier for the government to track tax evasion.
In its efforts to provide round-the-clock power supply, the Madhya Pradesh government has ended with a problem of plenty with projected surplus availability of 23,122 million units of energy in 2016-2017. The problem is compounded as it hardly has any buyers for surplus power.

Ironically, all the three state-run electricity distribution companies (discoms) are running in loss.

Reason: most states are now power surplus. And states like UP, which need electricity, dont pay on time, said R C Somani, a former energy department official.

Also, energy is available at less than Rs 2.50 per unit in the open market, which has prompted industries and railways to buy from there instead of state discoms.

Madhya Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission has admitted this in its retail tariff order for 2016-2017. As the sale of surplus energy is at Rs 2.50 per unit, power generating stations having variable rate of more than Rs 2.50 per unit will have to be backed-down (shut down), Commission chairman Devraj Birdi said.

Govt signed long-term power purchase agreements

The main reason behind the excess electricity is consecutive governments signing long-term (upto period of 25 years) power purchase agreements (PPAs) with private power generation companies in the last two decades. The flip side of the deal is that the government is required to pay fixed charges whether or not it buys electricity from them.

At present, seven PPAs are in operation in state for which government would pay the power companies Rs 11,884 crore, which is 59% of total purchase cost. Madhya Pradeshs total power purchase cost is Rs 18,443 crore for 2016-2017.

PPAs were signed to insulate MP from any power shortage in future. Weve taken several measures to boost electricity supply within state by offering rebates upto 20% on energy charges, MP Power Management Co Ltd MD Sanjay Shukla said.

Some other states too are facing a similar problem.

Former secretary to Government of India EAS Sarma in a letter dated July 29, 2016 to Comptroller & Auditor General of India demanded special audit into state governments signing PPAs with a deemed generation clause that forces them to pay for power they dont need.

States should have refrained from committing themselves to such PPAs

Had states been prudent enough, they would have refrained from committing themselves to such PPAs. States should have asked private players to offer their bids on assumption that no payment (fixed charges) would be made for deemed generation. The amount they need to pay to private developers annually towards deemed generation runs into thousands of crores of rupees, the letter (HT has copy) stated.

There are other reasons behind discoms in Madhya Pradesh suffering financial loss. Their average cost of power supply (which is approximately Rs 4.50 per unit) is more compared to revenue (of Rs 4 per unit) they generate. Then, they are required to purchase minimum 7% renewable energy (which includes solar, wind, bio mass, micro hydel etc) of their total electricity purchase under Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO). The RPO will be raised to 9.25% by 2018-2019. If the hydel and thermal energy costs them Rs 3 to Rs 4.50 per unit, green energy costs Rs 5 to Rs 7 per unit.

Power sector is in dark (in the red) given the financial losses it is incurring. Government is not bothered. For instance, state government will ask us to slow down on bill recovery, penalties imposed on power thefts as 2018 assembly polls are near, a west discom official said requesting anonymity.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 19

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Cuba is open to any cooperation with Azerbaijan, Alfredo Nieves Portuondo, newly appointed ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Azerbaijan, told Trend.

"Our countries have developed good relations at bilateral and international levels," he said.

As for the priorities of his future activities, the diplomat noted that the main attention will be paid to the development of the Azerbaijan-Cuba economic cooperation and to taking it to the political level.

"I am planning to aim efforts at the promotion of Azerbaijan in Latin America. The Cuban government expresses interest in developing cooperation with Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan is also interested in this," the ambassador said.

Alfredo Nieves Portuondo said healthcare and biotechnology could be among the priority areas of the interstate cooperation.

Cuba achieved great success in production of the newest medicines and biotechnologies and it is ready to offer its medical services and supply its products to Azerbaijan, according to the ambassador.

Cuba is already rendering medical services to Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Russia and other CIS countries, he added.
The Congress alleged a scam in the Annapurna Rasoi scheme, launched by the Vasundhara Raje government a few days ago to provide meals at 8 and breakfast at 5 through mobile kitchens in 12 cities of Rajasthan.

A Kota-based firm has been allotted the job without any tender; the government will be separately giving a subsidy of 15.70 for meals and 13.70 for breakfast to the firm, Jaipur district Congress president Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said on Tuesday.

There would be a big scam; the company will raise fake bills and charge the government crores without even providing food, Khachariyawas alleged while addressing a rally taken out from the state Congress office to the Civil Lines crossing to protest against what the party called the state governments ill governance and anti-people policies.

At present, the Akshaya Patra Foundation is providing food at 5 in Jaipur, and was ready to provide it across the state. What was the need for giving contract to another firm for food at 23.70 and breakfast 18.70? It is a scam and should be probed, he demanded.

Khachariyawas alleged the Raje government has not fulfilled any of its poll promises and people are distressed because of ill-governance in three years of the BJP government.

He said, The government is surrounded with scams such as Lalit Modi, mines, PHED, NRHM, cow shelter, JDA, municipalities, and so on.

Khachariyawas said atrocities on Dalits are increasing, unemployment going up and there is no one to hear distressed employees, businessmen and youth.

The Congress has hit the roads against corruption, and its agitation will continue till the ill governance of BJP ends, he said.

State Congress vice president and spokesperson Archana Sharma said, The state government has not fulfilled any of the promises made. We have prepared a document to expose this, and will make it public soon.

Other Congress leaders present at the rally included Bhanwar Lal Meghwal, Brij Kishore Sharma, Suresh Choudhary, Jyoti Khandelwal, Sanjay Bafna, and Ashq Ali Tak.
Masood Hussain is a conman with a difference. This 45-year old resident of Mayur Bhanj Road in Ekbalpore in south Kolkata duped police officers and did not hesitate to telephone even police commissioners. To convince his victims, he even introduced himself as a peon at the headquarters of Trinamool Congress. On Saturday his luck ran out as Madhya Pradesh police arrested him from Kolkata and took him to Bhopal.

The modus operandi was as simple and daring. He would keep a vigil on news reports from around the country to spot police officers grappling with criminal cases. He would simply tell them that he has information that can crack the case and arrest of the culprit.

But he had a rider: Money for information. The amount pocketed, Hussain would simply vanish.

Hussain did not baulk at seniority. He telephoned police commissioners, IGs, ADGs and DGPs of at least 10 states.

Two years ago, he telephoned the Mumbai Police commissioner in a fake currency case. Hussain claimed that he had vital information and offered to part with the information if the police chief sent officers to Kolkata with money.

Following the telephone conversation with the commissioner, an inspector named Kadam came to Ekbalpore. However, Kadam did not pay the Rs 20,000 as he became suspicious.

The case in which he was eventually arrested on Saturday involved the kidnapping of a girl who is a resident of Bhopal.

A Harda police team left for Kolkata and met Hussain, who assured them of helping crack the case for Rs 50,000 as reward. Falling in Hussains trap, the police officers helped him to buy a smartphone worth Rs 8,000 and paid him Rs 12,000 cash in advance. He asked the police team to meet him at Howrah railway station on the next day, but he did not turn up, said Harda police superintendent Aditya Pratap Singh.

Hussian told the cops that he had a tip-off about the girl who was kidnapped from Harda a few months ago and claimed that kidnappers were about to demand Rs 5 lakh for the girls release.

Kolkata Police officers told HT that they rounded up Hussain two years back when he tried to play the same trick with Mumbai police. But they did not arrest him as the money did not change hands.

We found out that he was a fraud. He keeps notes of crimes committed in other states and would call senior police officers claiming that he has detailed information on the case. Then he would ask for money to help with information, an officer of Kolkata Police told HT.

MP police booked him under sections related to fraud.

We gathered details of the phone numbers from which he called us. A call analysis revealed that he uses six cell phones to call from eight different phone numbers. Most of the calls were made to senior police officers such as IG, ADG and DG in different states, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. We have informed them as well, said Singh.

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Nineteen people were arrested for assaulting six policemen and a Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) official during an anti-encroachment drive in Devidham Nagar in Digha on Monday.

The arrested accused, who include eight women, were booked for rioting and assaulting public servants. The court has remanded to judicial custody on Tuesday.

According to the police, MIDC officials had demolished several shanties on a plot of land in their area a few days ago too. Over a hundred families were staying in those shanties illegally occupying the land. On Monday, the MIDC officials fenced the area and installed a few boards stating the ownership of that land. There was strong police bandobast during the drive. The officials also demolished a few shanties which were left the last time. It was then that the people who were evicted from the land, came and started arguing with the officials, said a police officer from Rabale MIDC police station.

Within a few minutes the people got enraged and they started hurling stones at the police force and the MIDC officials. Six policemen and one driver MIDC driver were injured in the attack. S Sanap, a police constable, suffered severe injuries on his head and was admitted to a local hospital in Airoli. He has got five stitches on his head, the officer said.

The cops launched a massive operation to get hold of the culprits following the attack and arrested 19 people within a few hours. One of them was a minor and they let him after some time. We are trying to identify the others involved in the crime. More arrests are likely, another police officer said.

Read

48-year-old Mumbai cop assaulted with iron rod during demolition drive

Mumbai: Demolition of slums in Dhobi Ghat begins

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After several tantrums by the Shiv Sena over their chief being given due respect during Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the city on Saturday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis rushed to pacify the BJP ally to avoid a complete boycott like the last time the PM was in Mumbai.

On Tuesday, the Sena clearly indicated that party chief Uddhav Thackeray would skip the PMs function if not given due respect  meaning Thackeray should be invited to share the dais with Modi. Fadnavis, who doesnt want any friction with the alliance partner at this juncture, sought special permission from Modis office to circumvent protocol and invite the Sena chief, who does not hold any public office, to share the stage with Modi when he lays the foundation stone for a few showpiece projects in Mumbai.

I have personally invited the Shiv Sena chief for Saturdays event, Fadnavis told the HT.

A BJP minister, on the condition of anonymity, said, The chief minister has told me personally that Uddhavsaheb will be invited to the event 101%, and it is possible that the formal invitation has already been extended to him. The chief minister applied for and received special permission from the prime ministers office to invite the Sena chief, even though it does not fit into the protocol.

The minister, however, said the government will not be able to give Thackeray a place right next to the prime minister on the stage, as requested by some Sena leaders.

The chief minister and the state governor will be on either side of the prime minister. Designation and post have to be respected after all, and are greater than experience, seniority, wealth, power or anything else. For example, LK Advani is much senior than our prime minister today, but at any function, it is Modi who will be given the position of most respect, the senior leader said.

Last year, all Sena ministers and leaders had completely boycotted a ceremony where Modi laid the foundation stone for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkars memorial at Indu mills in Dadar and two new Metro rail projects in Mumbai, citing the unceremonious invitation to Thackeray at the eleventh hour. With Thackeray not holding any public office, BJP leaders and government officials were said to be confused about how to accommodate him on stage next to the prime minister, leading to the last-minute invite.

This time, Sena legislator from Thane Pratap Sarnaik raked up the issue during the state legislative Assembly in Nagpur.

The prime minister will visit Mumbai on Saturday to conduct a bhoomipujan for the showpiece mid-sea Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial, two new Metro projects for the city and the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, just two months ahead of the Mumbai civic polls. The state government is making grand preparations, planning to get water, stones, and soil from across various locations significant to Chhatrapati Shivajis life across the country, followed by a large public address at Bandra-Kurla Complex. This assumes significance politically because the ruling The BJP is wary of Maratha protests for reservation in government jobs and education. Shivaji is the biggest icon of the community and the much-delayed memorial has been a sensitive issue.

However, while government officials as well as BJP ministers have been actively involved in the planning, participation from the Sena, a junior partner in the government, has been nearly negligible, sources said. The Sena further attempted to furtively distance itself from the preparations, with Thackeray stating he plans to talk to farmers protesting against Fadnavis pet Nagpur-Mumbai expressway project on Saturday, the same day as the bhoomipujan.

Sena leaders, however, said that although Thackeray said he would meet the farmers at Shahapur in Raigad district, the date is not carved in stone and can be adjusted in case the leader decides to attend the bhoomipujan ceremony.

Thackeray said at a function: If everything is taking place respectfully I will attend the bhoomipujan. We always back any good work that is being done. Even when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister, he had set aside protocol to invite and share the stage with Balasaheb Thackeray. The chief minister and I are in touch and others need not worry about it.

Ever since it was reduced to being a junior partner of the BJP after the 2014 assembly polls, the Sena has consistently had a hot and cold relationship with its ally that has grown choppier off late with elections to the Mumbai civic body scheduled next year. While the Sena and BJP have contested the polls together in an alliance for the past 20 years, this time, with the BJP having aggressive ambitions of expanding in Mumbai, there is a cloud of uncertainty on the future of the tie-up for the polls.

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Role reversal in Maharashtra politics: BJP quick to adapt, Congress-NCP still struggling

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Yesteryear Bollywood superstar Dharmendra was admitted to a suburban hospital on Monday afternoon owing to gastric complications. The doctors of Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital (NSSH) said the 81-year-old actor is stable now and will be discharged in a day or two.

The actor was suffering from gastroenteritis, an intestinal infection marked by diarrhoea, cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever. He was immediately put on antibiotic treatment and his condition stabilised thereafter, the doctors said.

He responded well to the treatment and the infection has subsided. Looking at his health conditions, we believe he will not need longer hospitalisation, said Dr Vishesh Agarwal, MD (medicine), NSSH. The doctors added that they will keep the Sholay star under observation for 48 hours and will take a call on discharge, considering his recovery in the period.

In May last year, the actor was taken to the Breach Candy Hospital in South Mumbai after he sustained injuries on the set of his film. He had also undergone a shoulder surgery for the injury.
A major fire broke out at Badlapur chawl at Byculla late on Tuesday.

Fire brigade officials said the blaze started at godowns and slums along Megharaj Shetty Marg at 10.20pm. Fourteen fire engines, 9 water tankers and two ambulances were rushed to the spot.

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Fire in Mumbais Air India building; no casualty
Citizens will soon be able to call on a 24x7 toll free number (1926) to lodge complaints or get information about a variety of issues related to forests and wildlife.

In a first in the country, the Maharashtra forest department will launch a state-wide call centre facility from January 6. It will operate from Goregaon in Mumbai and is currently functioning on a trial basis.

So far, there was no medium through which citizens could contact the forest department for their queries, categorised in two segments: general and emergency.

Under the general category, inquisitive citizens can find out about plantations, conservation strategies, basic wildlife information about safaris, social forestry and all other basic avenues of the forest department.

In the second category, citizens can complain about illegal wildlife trade, illicit procurement of wild animals, poaching, forest fires, encroachments on reserved land, etc.

The call centre would circulate the query within the network and try to respond with a feedback within a minimum of 48 hours and maximum of four days. General enquiry information can be disseminated during the call itself.

There has to be a single point public interface with the forest department. The idea is how to make the forest governance more credible, transparent and accountable to the public at large, said forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar. We hope to get some positive and constructive suggestions from the public, reduce misinformation and develop a better network from this collective exchange.

The forest department appointed one SAAR IT Solutions Pvt Ltd in Goregaon for the service. The information technology (IT) director, the state forest department, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the company till August 2017.

The state government had allowed us to use the technical support of the company for the call centre, said P Srivastava, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for IT and policy of the state forest department. They are already providing call centre facilities to the state election commission, chief ministers helpline and women and child welfare.

Srivastava added that four main options will be available for every caller to choose from (see box) and the call centre team will be ready with details of the specific forest offices with their names, email ids and mobile numbers. All forest offices have been mapped on their database. The call centre will provide unique identity numbers to each caller and all their details will be tabulated on their system, he said, adding all calls will be recorded to prevent nuisance. There will be daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly reviews of all calls from across the state.

The state has selected 12 subject experts from various departments on topics such as mangroves, forest development corporation and wildlife.

On receiving complicated queries, the call centre will escalate the matter to these officers and will relay the information within a maximum of four days, said Srivastava.

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With one more phase to go for the municipal council and nagar panchayat polls, dubbed as part of the mini assembly polls, in Maharashtra, the BJP government has substantially improved its performance compared to 2011. While the saffron party emerged victorious in the first two phases, the Congress shared laurels with the BJP in the third phase.The local polls are seen as a bellwether of the Devendra Fadnavis government performance in the last two years and the Centres demonetisation move. Here are the five takeaways.

1 The BJP has stamped its presence across all small towns in the state winning the maximum number of seats and most presidential posts in the 199 municipal councils and nagar panchayats. The party jumped from a poor third rank with 340 seats in 2011 to number one rank with 1,090 seats.

2 Since the 2014 assembly polls victory, the Fadnavis-led government has managed to keep the momentum despite demonetisation pangs for the rural economy and lack of grass root level presence in these small, rural towns. Deft electoral management and strategic decisions such introducing direct election of municipal council presidents helped the BJP score brownie points over other parties, insiders say.

3 Although Congress and NCPs numbers fell in the municipal councils, they managed to regain some of the lost ground, considering the 2014 assembly wipe out. For instance, they continue to dominate the Marathwada region. The Congress saved face by ranking number 2 in terms of seats as well as party president posts

4 The BJPs victory largely came thanks to the party cementing its base in Vidarbha. As many as 518 seats of 1,090 seats came from this region. The BJP also largely ate into its ally Shiv Senas vote bank besides poaching on Congress space

5 While the Sena managed to increase its share of seats from 2011 polls, compared to the last assembly elections of 2014, its space has been eroded by the BJP. The party retained its strength only in Konkan, and lost a fair amount of its advantage to the BJP in Marathwada, North Maharashtra.

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The showpiece mid-sea Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial was originally conceived in the 1980s and has been a talking point for all political parties for every election ever since. Grappling with tension within the Maratha community, which considers the warrior king as its icon, and preparing for civic polls across the state, the BJP-led Maharashtra government is now racing ahead with the project. Here are five things to know about the proposed memorial:

1)The project involves building the worlds tallest statue, surpassing the height of New Yorks Statue of Liberty and the under-construction Statue of Unity of Saradar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat. The entire memorial will be 210 metres tall, close to a 12-storey structure, built entirely in the sea on an islet of 15.96 hectare.

2)The memorial is estimated to cost Rs3,600 crore. Besides a statue in an equestrian pose, the state government will also build a library, an amphitheatre, an aquarium, an IMAX theatre to showcase short films on the Maratha warrior king, guest rooms, a helipad, a hospital, etc.

3) The government roped in design consultant EGIS India to draw up a plan for the memorial. Besides various facilities, architecturally, the memorial will bear the stamp of construction from the time of the Maratha empire. It will have replicas of the Tuljabhavani Temple, the entrance arch of the Raigad Fort, and forecourts modelled on the palaces and wadas, traditional residential structures.

4) The state government has invited tenders for the first phase of the memorials construction, estimated to cost approximately Rs2,500 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conduct a bhoomipujan for the memorial in the Arabian Sea on December 24 with water from rivers across Maharashtra and stones, soil and bricks from across 19 locations significant in the emperors life.

5) For access to the public, the state government is planning four jetties  Colabas Radio Club, NCPA at Nariman Point, Sagar Sangam near Nerul in Navi Mumbai. The first phase will cater to about 10,000 visitors a day, while the second phase will expand the holding capacity to another 15,000.

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More than 2,100 domestic fliers were not allowed to board aircraft despite having valid boarding cards in November, the highest number this year, showed the aviation safety regulators data. This happened primarily because most flights were overbooked.

The cases were also a few hundred more than those recorded during the same time last year, the data revealed.

Airlines are permitted to sell seats up to 15% above a planes capacity in anticipation of last-minute cancellations and stray passengers who miss flights. But the spike in the number of passengers denied boarding during vacations indicated gross wrong estimation by airlines, said industry observers.

The second-highest denied boarding cases were recorded in May (1,873) when many set off on family vacations because schools were shut for summer vacations. This indicates airlines need to review their booking patterns during holidays, said a senior executive with an aviation think-tank, on condition of anonymity. For instance, on December 2, a Bhopal-bound Jet Airways flight was held up at Mumbai for two hours because the crew did not have seats for 17 bona fide fliers. The airline spokesperson blamed a technical glitch for the fiasco, which led to overbooking above the norm.

Most airlines use software programmes, which suggest selling more than the available number of seats in a flight, based on an algorithm drawn from last-minute cancellations observed earlier.

In November, 1,603 Jet Airways passengers were denied seats, the highest among domestic airlines, followed by SpiceJet (434) and Air India (106), the data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation added.

In August, the civil aviation ministry raised the compensation for fliers denied a seat by five times, to up to Rs20,000. But that has failed to discipline airlines ostensibly owing to gaps in the implementation of the policy. Indias domestic market still has several new fliers who are unaware of their rights. As a result, the government should appoint an ombudsman to fight for travellers rights, said a member of the Civil Aviation Economic Advisory Council, an independent panel formed by the ministry, requesting anonymity. Last month, domestic airlines paid Rs.84.17 lakh as compensation to such fliers.

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Passengers on Mumbai-bound Air India flight in Visakhapatnam held up for 15 hours

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry has extended condolences over the tragic incident in Berlin, as a result of which people were killed and injured, the ministrys press service said in a message Dec. 20.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expresses its deep condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, according to the message.

Azerbaijans Embassy in Germany is in contact with local authorities and is conducting an investigation in order to find out whether there were Azerbaijani nationals among the casualties.

A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz, West Berlin, on Dec. 19 evening, killing at least 12 people and injuring 48 others.
It is a created myth that all cash is black money and all black money is cash. Whoever implemented demonetisation, did not know elementary economics, said P Chidambaram, former Finance Minister of India. He spoke at the Mumbai University on Tuesday to mark 25 years of economic reforms in India and the challenges that lie ahead. While his lecture highlighted eleven decisions by successive governments since 1991, students in the audience demanded his opinion on the recent demonetisation of Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes.

Demonetisation is a monumental tragedy which is anti-poor and has crippled the economy. The governments aim to capture all black money doesnt hold ground because black money is not a stock, its a constant flow, said Chidambaram. He added that governments move was the worst thing ever happened to a growing economy and it would not bring any economic reform.

Not only did he dismiss the move for demonetization, calling it a bad judgment, he also blamed the government for not making an informed decision. Until recently, the government was not even aware of how much black money is flowing in and out of the country. Whats worse is that a recent figure showed that only 6% of black money is in cash, so banning currency was the worst decision, he said. He added that in the last 50 years, no major economy has resorted to demonetisation. We are now in the distinguished company of Zimbabwe, North Korea, Libya and Venezuela, all smaller economies compared to India, thanks to the governments move.

While the audience attentively held on to every word coming from Chidambaram, some also asked for an alternative that could have been a better means to get rid of black money in the country, to which Chidambaram said the same is not possible. Everything depends on demand and supply  as long as people demand for unaccounted money, it will be generated. The government should focus on stamping out corruption from various sectors that run on unaccounted money. Demonetisation is not the answer to black money, he concluded.

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RBI changing rules like PM changes his clothes, says Rahul Gandhi

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As many as 23 suspicious accounts at Axis Banks Sector 18 branch were reported to the income tax department in the last couple of days. An I-T official said they are probing 63 suspicious accounts in three different branches of the bank in Noida and Delhi with a total transaction of over Rs165 crore.

The Sector 18 branch of Axis Bank informed us about 23 suspicious accounts. Now we are probing 63 accounts at Sector 51, Sector 18 and New Delhis Krishna Nagar branches, said an I-T official.

Sources said that post demonetisation, all transactions from these accounts were made to a bullion traders account in Delhis Chandni Chowk.

Read more: Axis Bank raid: Cops seek transaction details of two accounts under scanner

On Thursday, I-T officials conducted a raid at Axis Banks Sector 51 branch over suspicion of transactions worth crores of rupees from bogus accounts.

The department found that a big amount was transferred to a Delhi-based bullion traders account after demonetisation. The bullion trader is accused of selling gold worth hundreds of crores after the demonetisation announcement on November 8.

All these accounts belong to separate companies. They were opened months before demonetisation. We are probing the transactions and trying to find the owners of these companies, said an I-T officer.

Sources say the accounts were opened in the names of fake companies for large transactions of unaccounted money.

Meanwhile, the Noida police have also started a probe into an FIR that was registered against Axis Banks Sector 51 branch.

The investigating officer of this case visited the bank on Tuesday to collect evidence, said a senior police official.

Read more: Embarrassed over employees conduct: Axis Bank CEO after demonetisation raid

Meanwhile, Axis Bank officials said they have proactively filed suspicious transaction reports (STRs) of many accounts across NCR to the I-T department that are being probed.

We have already filed about 139 STRs over a period of time for the cases under discussion, including several STRs in the last one month. Additional information, as required, has also been shared proactively with the investigative agencies to aid their efforts. We continue to file STRs on various situations that may lead to suspicious transactions, said a spokesperson for Axis Bank.

The FIR against Axis Banks Sector 51 branch was filed on the complaint of N Paswan, a resident of Pitampura area of New Delhi, who claimed that his identity was forged to open an account in the bank from which suspicious transactions were made.

Read more: After IT raid at Noidas Axis Bank branch, ED files money laundering case

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Its always been hard to describe to those who dont know Manipur how deeply divided the state is and how hatred and venom are consuming its people at an alarming rate. And its harder to describe the pain of coming home to angry protestors who are burning tyres and vehicles and causing panic and fear. Painful still, is, coming home to a reality where normal life is almost suspended with an indefinite economic blockade where an LPG gas cylinder is up for grabs at 1000-2000, and a litre of fuel comes for 300 or more, if available.

The current unrest began with the recent creation of seven new districts. Given that the state is divided on communal lines, this decision did not go down well with the Nagas, as they stand to lose control of their ancestral lands in two districts: Sadar and Jiribam. People doubt chief minister Okram Ibobi Singhs assurance that it was only for administrative convenience. But then, given that there is a perpetual breakdown of law and order even with the earlier nine districts, the intended purpose of administrative efficiency for which the state now has 16 districts is something thats debatable.

Read | Creation of new districts could be game-changer in Manipur polls

Whats unfolding is an ugly chain reaction of things. The economic blockage was imposed by the United Nagas Council (UNC) to protest to the governments decision.

In Manipur, economic blockade is nothing new. In 2011, it withstood a blockade that went on for more than 100 days. What really comes across during such economic disruptions are a couple of things about this landlocked state. Most glaring is the states utter dependence on other states for sustenance even for basic survival. Despite having fertile land, Manipur depends on other states for items like potatoes, onions and lentils.

The Meiteis responded to the blockade with counter protests. Vehicles that belonged to Nagas were burnt and a place of worship was destroyed. And those enterprising Naga women who sell daily fresh produce in the local markets are conspicuous by their absence. Suddenly, its as if that happy co-existence is something alien to the people. Its almost as if the shadow of an ethnic war is looming large.

Read | Curfew continues in violence-hit Manipur district

Prices may soar but the deeper cut isnt on the purse strings, its on the psyche of the people. Its a worrying sign for the government that each time it announces a political decision, things should go out of its hands and people resort to take laws by their hands. And Ibobi Singh, who is said to be using his Naga trump card each time his popularity is on the wane, surely needs to act like a leader and not a divider.

It is about time, the state, which is home to more than 33 different ethnic groups, learns to find peaceful solutions. It is about time people celebrate the diversity and learn to live with tolerance and respect. Importantly, it is also about time the Centre keeps a check on who it sends to Manipur, to make sure that the very emissary it sends isnt just paying a flying visit but doing something constructive for the state.

Hoihnu Hauzel is a journalist

The views expressed are personal
Demonetisation of old currency notes by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre would be a prominent issue in the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.

But in Manipur, the fifth state which is headed for polls early next year, creation of seven new districts and its repercussions, which has sharply divided the states three main communities  Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis  would be a more significant topic.

In a gazette notification issued on December 9, the Congress government in the state led by Okram Ibobi Singh announced the creation of seven new districts  taking the total number of districts in the state to 16.

The new districts  Jiribam, Kangpokpi, Kakching, Tengnoupal, Kamjong, Pherzawl and Noney  were carved from Imphal East, Churachandpur, Senapati, Thoubal, Chandel, Ukhrul and Tamenglong districts.

Read | Manipur CM Okram Ibobi inaugurates two more districts

The chief minister later told a public function that the move, which addressed a long-standing demand of the majority Meitei community and the minority Kukis, was for administrative convenience and not with an eye on polls.

The decision was taken ahead of the Election Commission of Indias announcement of poll dates and despite an ongoing blockade of two key national highways (NH2, NH37) by the United Naga Council (UNC), which claims to represent the minority Nagas residing mainly in the states hill districts.

The ongoing UNC blockade, which began in November 1, against the state governments proposed move to create the new districts of Jiribam and Sadar Hills, has led to a scarcity of essential goods, rise in prices (especially of petroleum products) and hurt the states economy.

Read | 3 Manipur police personnel killed in militant attacks

While creation of the new districts was welcomed by several Meitei and Kuki groups, the UNC opposed it and intensified protests.

Last week there were several attacks on security personnel at various locations, killing three security personnel and injuring nearly a dozen. The attacks are believed to be the handiwork of cadre from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM).

Three low-intensity bomb blasts in Imphal led the administration to shut down Internet services in several districts. On Sunday, over 20 vehicles were torched by protesters opposed to the UNC blockade in Imphal East district resulting in imposition of curfew.

Amid all these developments, in which the state government insinuates the BJP-led government in Centre of having a role, speculations are already underway whether the CMs move would benefit the Congress and help it retain power.

Read | Blockades in Manipur a gross violation of law: MHA warns

Singh, who has been at the helm of affairs in Imphal since 2002, is looking for another term. The party had suffered some setbacks in recent months with five of its MLAs quitting and joining BJP.

An opinion poll in October declared Manipur could be the second state in Northeast after Assam to come under BJP rule. It predicted the saffron party could win 31-35 seats in the 60-member assembly while Congresss share may get restricted to 19-24 seats.

Congress is hoping the Singhs bold decision would help in boosting the partys image among the decisive Meitei and Kuki voters and thwart anti-incumbency.

The BJP, which was caught on the wrong foot by creation of the new districts, is still confident of ousting Singh. Senior party leaders blamed the CM for trying to shift responsibility of the present situation to Centre despite law and order being a state subject. How can new districts be created without adequate infrastructure? The CM is trying cheap tricks ahead of polls to hide the governments incompetency. Voters are not going to fall for such gimmicks as they want change, said a former Congress leader who shifted allegiance to BJP recently.

Read | Curfew continues in violence-hit Manipur district

The BJP, which is a coalition partner of Naga Peoples Front-led government in Nagaland, has announced it will not partner the party in Manipur.

This could be due to the realisation that votes of Meiteis, which would be crucial in two-third of the total seats, would be essential for attaining power. The NPF could wrest several seats in the Naga-dominated hill districts, which have 19 seats.

Polls dates are yet to be announced and there are still some more weeks for elections. If the economic blockade and violence continues, the situation in Manipur could change again before voters press buttons on EVMs.

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The fissures between nationalists or the self-appointed guardians of culture and the so-called liberal Left in Kerala runs deep and is getting evident with every passing day  with the scales now tilted towards the former. The latest example of this is the arrest of writer and theatre personality Kamal C Chavara on Sunday.

The Kerala Police arrested Chavara based on a complaint filed by the Bahratiya Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP, which felt that Chavaras Facebook post insulted the national anthem. On Sunday evening the 41-year-old writer was released on bail, and on Monday the writer began a hunger strike claiming that false charges were being leveled against him and his friends.

Read | 5 arrested after forcing Kerala college students to do push-ups, drink undiluted alcohol

The arrest is a denial of human rights, or civil rights, says K Satchidanandan, a poet and former secretary of the Sahitya Akademi. I saw the post by Kamal [Chavara] and did not find anything particularly objectionable in it. He has not made fun of the national anthem. He has put the anthem in a situation and it is a critique of the situation, rather than the anthem.

On November 31, the Supreme Court had asked all cinema halls to play the national anthem before a film was screened for the love of the motherland.

Since then, there have been several incidents where people have been detained for not standing up for the national anthem. Film director Kamal, who voiced his disapproval of the courts decision, became the target of the Yuva Morcha, which marched to his house in Thrissur, in Kerala, and sang the national anthem in protest.

Read | Has Gods Own Country become a hub for terror-related activities?

It is a misuse of the national anthem. If you make the national anthem as an excuse to take revenge on those whom you consider as the other in society, then it is a misuse. The national anthem is used as a ploy for revenge. [Director] Kamal was targeted by the Yuva Morcha only because he was a Muslim, Satchidanandan told Hindustan Times.

Malayalam novelist and newspaper columnist Paul Zacharia feels that Chavaras arrest was motivated and other events related to the national anthem reflect the failure of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala. The complaint filed by the Right-wing group was one meant to harass [Chavara]. It was motivated.

There is a strong feeling that this government is not able to protect the rights and freedoms of the people. It appears to be carrying out the agenda of the central government, Zacharia says. I dont know why Pinarayi Vijayan is afraid of the police or he is not capable of handling them.

Read | Pinarayi Vijayan must be more chief minister and less comrade

Where were these activists till the SC judgment came? They are using this as an occasion to come to the light, says novelist TP Rajeevan. I am against the Supreme Court judgment, and at the same time I am against those mocking or misusing that judgment.

Is the Left in Kerala losing space to Right-wing groups?

Many believe that recent events point towards this.

I fear that we are losing the sense of humour. That is absolutely scary. If you can arrest someone for a cartoon or innocuous jokes, I think weve come to a time when were losing our sense of humour. This always happens in fascist and totalitarian societies. The first thing that dies is the sense of humour, says Satchidanandan.

Read | Violence leaves north Kerala bloody as political equations change

On the political and social front, since the Pinarayi Vijayan government took office in May, there have been two visible changes in society: First, the emergence of a political restive BJP. Motivated after winning its first assembly seat from the state capital, the Right-wing party has grown bolder in making its political presence felt. The violence by Right-wing groups in north Kerala is a sign of this boldness.

The BJP has moved into the position of a third front in the state at a time when the Left appears to be equivocating from its responsibilities and the UDF allies are busy fighting each other.

This is happening because there is an opinion, a consensus that politicians are corrupt....Also, after K Karunakaran in the Congress and EK Nayanar in the Left, leaders have lost their contact with the public, Rajeevan told HT.

Read | Vamana Jayanti: BJP gets it wrong in Kerala, again

Second, the BJP is keen to extend its nationalist agenda to the southern state. Though it drew a blank in the 2014 polls and won just one seat in May, the party is undeterred. Under Amit Shah, the BJP is in for the long haul in Kerala.

The Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government is failing to protect the rights, justice and freedoms of individuals  guarantees one expects from an elected government, particularly from a Left government.

If the Left government thinks that appeasing the RSS is the right way to survive in Kerala, I doubt it. If theyre trying to do it, this is the end of the CPI(M). The Congress have been appeasing them [RSS] for years and thats why theyre nowhere, says Zacharia.

Read | Too early for the BJP to break out the bubbly in Kerala

The arrest of Chavara is the latest example of how Right-wing groups are carving a space for themselves in Kerala while the Left is becoming an overarching hollow shell over the state.

It is a sign that the Left in India are losing the last of its major strongholds, and that of the BJP is increasing its presence in the southern state.

@VijuCherian

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There are no written rules for the appointment of an army chief. The rulebook says the chief will be appointed by the government. Nobody can challenge the governments prerogative constitutionally or legally.

Having said that, every decision that the government takes at this level, will have both positives and negatives. It doesnt happen on the basis of personal whims and fancies. The process is supervised by the appointments committee of the cabinet (ACC), which virtually amounts to a selection board. The ACC has three members: the PM, the Home Minister and the Defence Minister. All of them give their recommendations on the candidate. The profiles of the officers in contention are compared. There are notings from the cabinet secretary and defence secretary and the Home Secretary on the file before it goes to the PMO. All these factors are taken into account.

In our highly competitive Army, anyone who reaches the rank of Lieutenant General, having been screened by five stringent selection boards, has the competence to handle the top job. The only difference may be in their respective exposure and experience. By convention we have been mostly following the seniority principle when it comes to the appointment of the army chief. On the positive side it means there is no ambiguity or uncertainty in the line of succession. On the flip side, the moment a person becomes a lieutenant general, he will know his future prospects. The one who is in the run for Chief may tend to play safe. The others who are not in the run may slacken off and their motivation level may drop. This is human nature.

If on the contrary, the government follows the principle of selection from among one of the army commanders and vice chief, then all these candidates remain motivated enough to try for the premier post. The negative is that the government keeps the carrot dangling till the last minute, which may lead to some unhealthy cut-throat competition among the higher echelons.

Read: Army chief appointment: No compelling reason to break the chain of seniority

What would have possibly influenced the governments thinking is the present-day strategic and security scenario. As we know, on the western front India has a very violent border; more than 60 soldiers have been martyred this year alone. On the north-eastern side with China, the border is again turbulent and disputed. There are numerous incursions that take place. Obviously, somebody who has had experience of serving in both these environments would have an edge and would be relatively better placed.

With the proxy war that has been happening for decades, the Kashmir operations are mostly infantry-based. General Bipin Rawat has commanded a brigade and a division in the Valley. He has also served in Arunachal Pradesh on the Chinese border. That having been said the government would have also considered some other factors. In the past the convention of seniority has been violated in the Army and more often in the air force and the navy. It needs to be remembered that the Army is the only organisation that is totally secular and apolitical. It is in the national interest to keep it such. Any speculation that someone was overlooked because of his religious background, as some media reports have hinted, is simply irresponsible talk. I can vouch that the Indian Army is the most secular force in the world. .

Read: Eight things you need to know about new army chief Bipin Rawat

In a democracy opposition parties have a right to question the government, but they should keep in mind that they should be discreet in the subjects they choose. The Armed Forces should not be used as a tool to hit the government with. The moment the government gives a justification, as the opposition parties are demanding, they are likely to start questioning that very justification. Any Member of Parliament, who is genuinely keen to know, should walk into the defence ministers office and ask him the same, in confidence. Why rake it up in the media?

As I said all three people who were in contention for the chiefs post are competent. The very fact they have reached there shows that their competence is not in question. Only the experience is different. The other two officers  Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Lt Gen PM Hariz belong to the mechanised forces. Their experience would be greater in the plains of Punjab and Rajasthan. They may not have commanded troops in Jammu and Kashmir. That might be the difference..

Kashmir today is a reality. A conventional war is a hypothetical scenario. From all indications there should be no conventional war. We dont need it and Pakistan cannot afford it. Nor is there a chance of a war with China. They are developing their economy. Also, the Chinese are a patient people. They dont want a solution to an issue overnight. They can wait for decades.

Secondly, if you actually examine the role of the army chief, he is not strictly a commander. When we got Independence, we had the post of commander-in-chief who was the head of all three defence services. In the 1950s, the government changed it to chief of army staff. Staff itself means he isnt heading the command. The actual command finishes at the army commanders level. The chief is the link between the defence forces and the government. He must be able to reconcile contradictions that inevitably exist in the system and get along with the political class. He should be able to deal with the administrative and financial bureaucracy. The government must also have a comfort level with him. Unfortunately, we have had situations where the chief was in confrontation with the government. I am sure no one wants a repeat of that unhappy experience.

. (as told to Aasheesh Sharma)

Lieutenant General Raj Kadyan is a former Deputy Chief of Army Staff
The declaration of the chief ministerial candidate by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Goa that goes to polls almost at the same time as Punjab has brought the focus back on the big question  who will be partys CM candidate in Punjab?

The party supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has maintained a studied silence on the issue in Punjab. However, now with his declaring a former bureaucrat Elvis Gomes as the partys CM candidate in Goa, the party will come under pressure to make a similar announcement in the state.

The partys principal opponents  the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Congress have been suggesting that the reason that Kejriwal is not announcing any of his local leaders as the CM candidate is because the AAP convener himself is harbouring hopes of becoming the Punjab chief minister. The partys move in Goa is likely to recharge the clamour that a party of outsiders is trying to usurp power in Punjab to bring it in confrontation with the Centre.

The party does seem to be unclear about its choice for Punjab. In a bid to counter the SAD and Congress, the partys spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira had announced in September that Kejriwal will never leave Delhi to become Punjab CM. Earlier in April, the partys Punjab in-charge Sanjay Singh too had ruled out the possibility of Kejriwals becoming the Punjab CM. But the man himself has never categorically denied the possibility.

Kejriwal, however, has shied away from answering this question keeping the cards close to his chest, choosing to be rather cryptic in his responses. Answering media queries during his three day tour of Punjab in October, he said it was not important for the people of Punjab to know who will be AAPs CM candidate. When asked if he would be CM, he had said, There is no such discussion in the party right now. In another interview early this month, Kejriwal said it was the public that decides its chief minister. Last month, Kejriwal announced that the deputy chief minister of the state will be a Dalit in case the AAP forms the next government . But again there was no word on the CM candidate.

Other than its opponents upping their ante against the party following the Goa announcement, the party is also likely to face a reaction from its local leadership. Within the AAP, there are voices which have been goading Kejriwal to declare the CM candidate to boost their campaign. The partys campaign committee in-charge Bhagwant Mann has been saying for long that a CM candidate should be declared. There are others in the party who say that the CM should be chosen from among the elected MLAs in case it gets a majority in the state.

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"They claimed to have a target of raping 1,000 girls, said the 21-year-old woman about the two men who gangraped her at knifepoint in a forested area of Sector 29 on December 12.

In her statement to the police, the BA fifth-semester student, who also works part time at a call centre, said both the accused, including an auto-rickshaw operator, told her to remain quiet as they committed the heinous crime, threatening to recreate the bone-chilling December 16 Delhi gangrape that had shook the nation four years ago.

They shot my video and allowed me to leave the spot after half an hour. They said if I tell anyone about the incident, they would upload my video on the internet and spoil my reputation, said the victim in her police statement.

How the crime unfolded

On the fateful evening, after completing her work, the woman hired an auto-rickshaw from Piccadily Chowk (Sector 21/22/34/35) for home at 7:58pm.

She told the police another person was already sitting in the three-wheeler. Moving on the Madhya Marg, after jumping the signal at Government Medical College and Hospital light point (Sector 29/30/31/32), the auto driver took the slip road in Sector 29 and stopped the vehicle at an abandoned spot (beyond the iron and steel market), pretending to repair it.

As she sat their unsuspecting, the driver approached her, covered her mouth with his hands and pulled her out of the auto while the other man pushed them into a ditch (in the forested area).

After raping her and shooting the video, the accused took the victim to Tribune Chowk (Sector 29/31/Industrial Area) and asked her to go home.

The woman hired another auto from there to reach home. She told the police that her mobile phone was also left at the crime spot.

Deeply shocked after the incident, the victim was unable to inform the police immediately. She first narrated the incident to her mother, following which the police control room (PCR) was informed at 7am the next day.

Victim identifies auto driver

The victim has identified the accused auto-rickshaw driver before the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), East.

The police had arrested Wasim Malik, 26, a resident of Transit Housing Colony, Sector 52, on Saturday (December 17), following which he was sent to the Burail jail. During the identification parade conducted on Sunday, the victim identified him.

Police are yet to identify the other accused besides recovering the auto-rickshaw. They have sought Wasims seven-day police remand from a local court. The plea will be decided on Tuesday.

A case was registered against the duo under Section 376-D (gangrape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on December 13.

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Punjab government has kept the controversial employees regularisation bill that Vidhan Sabha passed on Monday out of the ambit of any judicial review, a move that is set to raise hackles.

Passed without discussion or amendment, the Punjab Ad-hoc, Contractual, Daily Wage, Temporary, Work Charged and Outsourced Employees Welfare Bill-2016 that parliamentary affairs minister Madal Mohan Mittal moved and described as historic says civil court will have no jurisdiction.

No court or tribunal shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceedings in respect of any claim for absorption or continuation arising from the provisions of this Act, the bill states.

Also, insulating officers from any judicial scrutiny for having taken any decision under this law once implemented, the bill says: No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against the officers of the state government or its entities for anything done in good faith under this Act.

The bill provides for regularisation of services of Group A, B,C and D employees working on ad hoc, contractual, daily wages, temporary and work charged basis under the state government or its entities.

Also, the government will take under its wings on contract basis the employees hired on outsourced basis.

Notwithstanding anything contrary contained in any law, judgment, decree or order of any court, tribunal or any other authority, the services of the employees in question will regularised if they had completed at least three-year continuous service the day this law will come into force.

However, the bill also says: The entities of the state shall consider regularisation only if such entity is in a financial position to take the financial burden on its own without transferring any liability to the state exchequer.

The regularised employees will be paid salary at the minimum of the pay band applicable in each category or actual salary at the time of regularisation, whichever is more.

As per this bill, the annual financial burden of this single stroke will be Rs 583 crore; and Rs 1,749 crore in first three years after the employees are regularised.

But after three years when these employees will be given regular pay scale, the annual financial liability in the first year will be Rs 2,438 crore. And taking an annual salary growth at 10%, the annual financial implications at the end of five years after regularising these employees will be Rs 3,600 crore, according to financial memorandum of the bill.

OTHER BILLS cleared

1 The Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Amendment) Bill-2016 (to appoint chairman and senior vice chairman)

2 The CT University BIll

3 The Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Bill-2016

4 The Punjab School Education Board (Amendment) Bill-2016 (for the appointment of its chairman from the IAS or PCS officers)

5 The Punjab Bhagwan Valmiki Ji Tirath Sthal (Ram Tirath) Shrine Board Bill

6 The Punjab State Commission for Women (Second Amendment Bill) 2016

7 The Punjab Allotment of State Government Land Bill-2016

8 The Punjab State Commission for Minorities (Third Amendment) Bill-2016

OBITUARY REFERENCES

Punjab Vidhan Sabha observed two-minute silence as mark of respect to the prominent personalities who had died in the recent past.

Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal led the House in paying tributes to former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa; ex-ministers Avtar Singh Brar and Devinder Singh Bajwa; freedom fighters Hakam Singh, Gurdyal Singh, Pritam Singh, Harchand Singh, Kulwant Singh, Tara Singh, Teja Singh and Chanan Singh. The House also remembered martyr Hawildar Sukhraj Singh, who was killed in a terror attack at Nagrota.
Amid stiff revolt over his candidature by senior leaders of his party, Congress nominee from Nawanshahr (SBS Nagar) constituency Angad Saini, 26, on Monday met them for damage control and tried to get their support for campaigning, but his attempts seem to be failing to yield any convincing outcome.

Angad, who is son of present MLA Guriqbal Kaur Babli, accompanied by a few supporters, even went to meet his arch rival Satvir Singh Palli Jhikki at his house, but he was not available due to which they had to come back empty-handed. Satvir has been present district Congress committee president in SBS Nagar for the past few years. Satvir was one of the strong contenders for the ticket from this constituency and after Saini got the ticket, the district Congress president held a meeting with his supporters in which they all refused to go with Saini in this assembly election.

Last Saturday, when Angad arrived in the city from New Delhi and his supporters organised a roadshow, the Satvir group was absent from the scene, which has apparently increased worries of Saini. On Sunday, MLA Babli, Angad and others held discussions with their supporters and decided to approach the rebels.

On Monday, Saini along with municipal councillors (MC) Kamaljeet Lal, Vinod Pinka, municipal council president Lalit Mohan Pathak Ballu met Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Vipan Taneja, MC Mohinder Singh DSP and requested them for their support. When they went to meet Satvir at his Palli Jhikki village, they knocked at his houses door many times, but no one responded. Then, they came back after someone informed that Satvir and all family members had gone to New Delhi.

Speaking to HT, Taneja said everybody was welcome to meet and till his leader Satvir did not take any decision, he would not go with Angad. MC Mohinder Singh DSP also said the same and asked the visiting leaders to meet Satvir.

Meanwhile, Satvir continues to stick to his stand and claimed that it is a completely wrong decision of the party to give ticket to Angad and he would not work with him at any cost.

When contacted, Angad said Satvir was like his elder brother and a senior leader of the party.

He claimed he would be the first person to meet him whenever he landed in the city from New Delhi. He also said that other leaders have given positive response and hoped they would abide by the partys decision.

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Details added (first version posted on 18:18)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

There are no citizens of Azerbaijan among those killed and injured in the Berlin incident, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told Trend Dec. 20.

Hajiyev said the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Germany obtained this information from the German law enforcement agencies.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry extended condolences over the tragic incident in Berlin, as a result of which people were killed and injured.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expresses its deep condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured, according to the Foreign Ministrys message.

A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz, West Berlin, on Dec. 19 evening, killing at least 12 people and injuring 48 others.
Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said there was sufficient proof that certain elements were trying to revive terrorism in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections and intelligence agencies were fully alert on this.

Rijiju, who was here to lay the foundation stone of the upcoming campus of the 7th National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Battalion, said they will be issuing a red-corner notice to Pakistan soon for extradition of the four terrorists involved in the Pathankot airbase attack, a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) submitted a chargesheet in this connection.

The NIA on Monday filed a detailed chargesheet against Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar and Shahid Latif and Kashif Jan, all based in Pakistan, for plotting and executing a fidayeen (suicide) attack at the Pathankot airbase on January 2 this year.

Security forces are on high alert and we have kept our eyes and ears open. The good news is that terror funding is over, he said.

Asserting that demonetisation has gone a long way in curbing terrorism, Rijiju said that it is in their record that terror funding for 60 militant organisations in the north east has stopped since November 8 when high-value currency notes were pulled out of circulation.

Some stray attempts reported in Kashmir recently are desperate attempts by these elements who want to disrupt peace, he said.

The chargesheet in the Pathankot attack case is against eight attackers, four of whom were killed in the encounter, said Rijiju while talking to HT on the sidelines of the event.

He said Pakistan should understand that it will also face the ill-effects of terrorism.

Pakistan ko ye samajhna chahiye ki agar wo saanp paalega to wo usko bhi dasega. (Pakistan should understand that if it rears a snake, it will bite him too.

The entire world should join us in putting pressure on Pakistan. Everyone is facing the wrath of terrorism and countering it is a huge challenge, he said.
Jharkhand government on Tuesday declared four panchayats-- two each in East Singhbhum and Bokaro districts-- cashless-enabled.

They were picked for the cashless mission on the basis of the bank account penetration and mobile accessibility there.

Chief minister Raghubar Das announced an incentive of Rs 1 lakh each for the panchayats for achieving the feat.

Residents of these panchayats have played an important role in building a cashless society, Das said, adding, their initiative would help fight the black-money menace.

He said that micro ATMs would be installed in all panchayat secretariats of the state to benefit villagers.

Raghubar Das government on December 2 had launched a Cashless Jharkhand programme to make transactions completely digital in the states 29 blocks spread across 24 districts by December 28.

The programme was launched after Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a BJP parliamentary meet on November 29 urged all to support his endeavour to make India a digital economy and a cashless society.

Modi on November 8 announced his governments decision to demonetise 500 and 1000-rupee notes in a bid to weed out black money.

Das had then announced to reward the district which would achieve the feat first.

Bokaro districts Dugdha West and Dugdha South panchayats under Chandrapura block were declared cashless as most residents and traders there have adopted cashless mode of transactions.

Even roadside barbershops and vegetable vendors in these panchayat areas have turned to digital mode of transactions, Bokaro deputy commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray told Hindustan Times.

All permanent shops in the two panchayats are either accepting debit and credit cards or using PayTM and buddy apps for transaction, he said.

Dugdha west has 695 households while the Dugdha east has 660. The DC said each household has at least one bank account. The two panchayats have 168 small and big shops, of which 106 are using point-of-sale machines and rest are using PayTM or buddy apps.

The Bokaro DC claimed that a team of Vinoba Bhave University (VBU) Hazaribag recently surveyed the two panchayats and found most people are using cashless mode of payment.

He said other panchayats of the block will soon be made cashless.

Similarly, altogether 1871 households of Kashida panchayat and 1742 households of Dharambahal panchayats have been trained in cashless mode of transactions.

East Singhbhum assistant collector Ananya Mittal said all residents hold bank accounts and either debit or RuPay card.

Since most residents in these rural areas do not have smart phones, they have been trained in USSB mode of transaction through feature phones. Through USSB mode, one could make transaction ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 5,000 at a time, Mittal said, adding, most villagers have started cashless mode of payment.

There are 24 point-of-sale machines at shops in these two panchyats and 1255 people, including traders, are using different Apps for transactions.

Officials said that being cashless-enabled did not mean that there would be no use of cash in these panchayats. Our objective is to encourage people to go for more cashless transactions so that use of cash can be restricted. This will help discourage black money, said an official of the CM secretariat, who did not want to be named.

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Kannada writer Vasudhendras bestselling book Mohanaswamy, which was recently translated into English, explores life as a gay person is contemporary India and has been inspired by his own life experiences

Five years ago, Desha Kala, the Kannada literary magazine edited by writer Vivek Shanbhag, ran a 6,500-word story titled Mohanaswamy. It was about a gay character by the same name and the author took on the pseudonym Shanmukha S.

Shanbhag says the story was fascinating, and not because it spoke of gay love. The central aspect of love and longing was well beyond the social and anatomical construct in the story. Its emotional energy was very high because it was deeply autobiographical, he says.

Two years later, the real Shanmukha S came out of the closet: he was Vasudhendra, a celebrated Kannada author and high-ranking techie who had just stepped down from the position of a vice-president at the UK-based Genisys Software the same year when Mohanaswamy was published. By then, Vasudhendra had already published 12 books and was being hailed as the next Masti Venkatesha Iyengar of Kannada literature.

Initially, Vasudhendra wrote the Mohanaswamy stories under a pseudonym. But he came out as gay in 2013 when a full collection of the Mohanaswamy stories was published in Kannada. (Vinay Kumar)

Vasudhendra released a full collection of Mohanaswamy stories in 2013 and it was clear that the stories were autobiographical. He spoke in them as the one who made the journeys described in the writings. The cover showed a naked man crouching against a dark massive tree trunk. Ironically, the book was released on December 11, 2013, the same day the Supreme Court upheld Section 377 that criminalises gay sex.

The verdict sent him into some panic: could the admission of homosexuality through a book be actionable? But the support he got from friends and well-wishers was simply overwhelming, he recalls, and this allayed some of his fears. When I look back at the challenges, I feel happy that I faced them instead of cowering down, says Vasudhendra.

An overwhelming response

Initially, the book was greeted with shocked silence and it did seem for a while that Vasudhendra may have put at stake his hard-earned reputation as a litterateur whose books had sold as many as 80,000 copies. But soon the buzz around the book grew and it became the most widely discussed publication across Karnataka, especially over online forums. Vasudhendras fan base now extended to its small towns as well. Before long, Mohanaswamy had turned into a bestseller.

I gained new friends all over. The response was so overwhelming that Mohanaswamy suddenly became omnipresent. The book had lost (me) a few readers but it also created a new genre of readers, he says.

This week, the English translation of Mohanaswamy was launched by Harper Perennial India, giving his writing a far wider base of readers.

An English translation of Mohanaswamy was recently released.

The writing life

Vasudhendra, 47, has given up his corporate career to become a full-time writer. (He does teach a few hours in an engineering college. Looking back at the furore his book caused, he says that he had no option but to open up on the question of his sexual identity through the book.

It took me more than four years to put out all the stories of the Mohanaswamy collection together since it was painful in the beginning to confront my own sexuality. Did it hurt some? Did it offend them? I dont know. No matter what, Mohanaswamy unburdened me and gave me the wings. I would never trade that feeling with anything else, he says.

Vasudhendras literary career had a dream start. His first book, Nammamma Andre Nangishta, a collection of short stories, had sold 18,000 copies and an additional 5,000 audio books and won him the Sahitya Akademi award in 2006. His early works were built on his own life experiences  they dealt with his growing-up years in the small town of Sandur, near Bellary, and the urbanization of the mining town where rapacious commerce was bringing in wealth but also drastically changing human relationships. His later works came during his stints abroad.

When Mohanaswamy was published as a single story in Desha Kala, it had elicited a rather curious response. Most questions revolved around the identity of the writer, says Shanbag, who kept the writers identity confidential even as he discussed the story at literary forums.

Vasudhendra admits that coming out of the closet was an easier task for him than many others  he is upper caste, affluent and a global citizen in many ways (he spent a couple of decades as a coder in the UK). I am aware of my privilege. But being gay is just one part of my identity. It isnt my entire being, he says.

The author does not see himself as an activist in the conventional sense. I am adequately political in my writings. This is my activism. If I take the other roads that do not support my writings and choose to walk a path thats not mine integrally, Ill be finished, he says.

Same-sex love in Kannada literature

Vasudhendra is also a publisher who supports lesser-known authors writing in Kannada. (Vinay Kumar)

Vasudhendra is not the first or the only writer to deal with homosexuality in Kannada literature. Writer and critic SR Vijayshankar talks of Punarapi, a Kannada novel on lesbian relationships by young writer Kavya Kadame that was published after Mohanaswamy. What Mohanaswamy achieved was something unique, it created space for an alternate literary genre. Vasundhendras narrative encouraged an ecosphere of plurality and also tolerance to a personal norm that the majority may have objection to. He has set a new order of experiences to be narrated from, says Vijayshankar.

During his journey from Sandur to Bengaluru, and then to the west, Vasudhendra often struggled with the question of his identity and the question of keeping it quiet or going public with it. His father was a state government employee and his mother a traditional homemaker. Vasudhendra was the youngest of three siblings and the lone son. But by the time Mohanaswamy was published his parents had passed away. His sisters however empathised with him. They have been compassionate about this. One of my sisters said you suffered so much for so long, he says.

Traditionally, homosexuality was viewed as an eccentricity in Kannada literature. Being gay was considered curable. It was also seen as a behavioural issue that only the rich faced, or something that men without access to female company felt, Vasudhendra says.

Works of Kannada authors such as Yashawanta Chittala, Shivarama Karanth and Dr U R Ananthamurthy, among others, did explore the idea of alternate sexuality. But it was the always the outsiders perspective and a telling judgment of sorts about the issue without dealing with the intricacies.

Writing, or narrating in the written form is a positively labyrinthine process. There are thoughts that get transformed into words, and then there are human experiences that get articulated. Good literature needs both, points out Shanbhag.

After Mohanaswamy, one can make an argument there has been a marginal increase in the openness in Karnataka about depicting the LGBT community. Kannada film Naanu Avananlla Avalu (I am she, not he) based on the Kannada translation of the Tamil autobiography of transgender artiste, Living Smile Vidya, won many accolades. It also brought home a national award for acting to Kannada film industry after nearly three decades.

Vasudhendra is also a publisher who encourages writers from small corners of Karnataka, especially first timers who have unconventional ideas. In 2004, he set up a publishing house, Chanda Pustaka, that has published 63 books so far. Even today it is a one-man operation and produces six books a year. One of its young writers, Padmanabha Bhat Shevkar, for instance, has received numerous awards for his work.

With the publishing of Mohanaswamy, Vasudhendra says his literary life has acquired a new dimension. It gave me a worldview that I hadnt been able to access till then, he says. Can he imagine a future in which it wouldnt be such an event for a writer to unburden his sexuality through his writings? Thats possible too. A few years down the line, we could train our eyes on the focus alone. But for that to happen, Mohanaswamy is a curve in your path youll have to meet, make peace with, leave behind, and continue your march, he adds.

(In arrangement with Grist Media)

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Eleven crew members went missing after their fishing boat collided with a merchant ship and capsized off east China coast early on Tuesday, officials said.

The accident took place in the sea waters off Zhangzhou city, Fujian province, at about 0:15 AM (local time), the citys maritime search and rescue centre said in a statement.

All 14 fishermen aboard the fishing boat from Quanzhou city fell into the sea waters.

Three persons have been rescued and the others remain missing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

A helicopter and 15 boats are searching the area.
For two years, a handful of ships have diligently combed a remote patch of the Indian Ocean west of Australia in a $160 million bid to find Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. On Tuesday, investigators made what was surely a painful admission: They have probably been looking in the wrong place.

The latest analysis by a team of international investigators concluded the vanished Boeing 777 is highly unlikely to be in the current search zone and may instead be in a region farther north. But though crews are expected to finish their deep-sea sonar hunt of the current search area next month, the possibility of extending the search to the north appeared doubtful, with Australias transport minister suggesting the analysis wasnt specific enough to justify continuing the hunt.

The latest twist in the search for Flight 370 highlights the extraordinary difficulty officials have faced in their attempts to find the aircraft based on the faintest scraps of data. All along, officials have said they are not simply looking for a needle in a haystack  they are looking for the haystack.

On Tuesday, the haystack was poised to shift again, with the release of a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading the search for the plane. The report is the result of a November meeting of international and Australian experts who re-examined all the data used to define the search area for the aircraft, which vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board.

Since the plane disappeared, experts have analysed a series of exchanges between the aircraft and a satellite to estimate a probable crash site along a vast arc of ocean in the southern hemisphere. A deep-sea search of a 120,000-sq km stretch of water along the arc has so far come up empty.

In November, the experts went back over the satellite data, along with the results of a new ocean drift analysis of the more than 20 items of debris likely to have come from the plane that have washed ashore on beaches throughout the Indian Ocean. The analysis, based on where the items washed up and when, suggested the debris originated farther north along the arc from the current search zone.

Given the number of aircraft parts found so far, the team concluded that a debris field had floated on the water surface after the plane crashed. So they eliminated areas of the ocean where air crews had searched the surface in the early stages of the hunt.

That left a 25,000-sq km area immediately to the north of the current search zone as the most likely place where the plane hit the ocean, the report said.

The investigators concluded with a high degree of confidence that the plane is not in the current search area. And they agreed the new area needs to be searched.

The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted, the report said.

However, a new search would require fresh funding. The countries involved  Malaysia, Australia and China  agreed in July that the $160 million search will be suspended once the current effort is exhausted unless new evidence pinpoints the planes exact location.

Australian transport minister Darren Chester suggested an extension was unlikely, noting that the latest report does not give a specific location of the plane.

As agreed at the Tripartite ministers meeting in Malaysia in July we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft, Chester said in a statement. The search for MH370 has been the largest in aviation history and has tested the limits of technology, and the capacity of our experts and people at sea.

Malaysias transport minister Liow Tiong Lai did not explicitly rule out a new search, but said in a statement, We remain to be guided as to how this can be used to assist us in identifying the specific location of the aircraft. When asked about the search, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson did not comment beyond noting Chinas role in the effort so far.

Australian government oceanographer David Griffin, who worked on the analysis of how the debris drifted, said he is confident the plane is in the newly identified search area. And he dismissed the idea that the new analysis means the search to date has been a wasted effort, saying that the current search zone was based on the best available data at the time.

It could have been where we were searching, absolutely, but the new information does clarify that immediately north is more likely, Griffin said.

As part of their analysis, Griffin and his team built replicas of the first piece of debris that was found  a wing fragment known as a flaperon that was discovered on Reunion Island off the African coast in July 2015. The team then set the replicas adrift, measuring how fast they travelled and noting how much the wind influences their rate of speed. They then ran computer simulations of how the aircraft parts could have drifted, which helped paint a picture of where they originated.

The newly identified search zone does include an area that was searched very early on in the hunt, but crews didnt comb a wide enough area to rule it out, Griffin said. They didnt go quite far enough away from the arc to cover all possibilities, he said.

The fact that crews were so close to the area now identified as the likeliest crash site  coupled with the lack of commitment to search the new area  is sure to frustrate families of those on board, who have been pushing the governments to continue searching.

They should keep searching no matter how much money they will spend, said Li Jingxin, whose brother was on the plane. The cost of the search has nothing to do with us relatives. They should also raise the amount of compensation (to families) to make up for the time lost while they searched the wrong place.
A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russias ambassador to Turkey on Monday in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit and then, pacing near the body of his victim, appeared to condemn Russias military role in Syria, shouting: Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria!

The leaders of Turkey and Russia said the attack in Ankara, the Turkish capital, was an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as the gunman, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around Ambassador Andrei Karlov as he lay motionless and shooting him again at close range.

The assailant, who was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old member of Ankaras riot police squad, was later killed in a shootout with police. Three other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in Ankara when he was gunned down.

Altintas, the gunman, also fired shots in the air, sending panicked audience members running for cover, and smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition. The floor was splattered with blood, and the ambassadors eye glasses lay a few feet from his body.

Read | Graphic content: The moment Russian envoy to Turkey was shot

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman got into a 15-minute shootout with police before he was killed, Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency reported

The assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Russias support for President Bashar Assad in the Syrian conflict and Russias role in the bombardment and destruction of Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

(GRAPHIC CONTENT) Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov lies on the ground after he was shot dead at an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey. (Reuters Photo)

The gunman shouted about Aleppo in Turkish, and also yelled Allahu akbar, the Arabic phrase for God is great, continuing in Arabic: We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Mohammad, for jihad.

The attack, condemned by the White House and the United Nations, was another sign of how Turkey, a Nato member and a partner in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group, is struggling to contain multiple security threats. The war in Syria has been a major problem for years, sending several million refugees into Turkey and, more recently, drawing in Turkish troops.

Turkey has become accustomed to deadly attacks  Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for December 10 bombings in Istanbul that killed 44 people, many of them police.

The spectacle of 62-year-old Karlovs assassination by a member of the Turkish security forces at a photography exhibit meant to highlight Russian culture reinforced the sense of unease over the regions conflict and complex web of alliances and relationships.

Read | Putin says ambassadors murder in Turkey ploy to wreck Syria peace process

It came a day before a key meeting about Syria to be held in Moscow. Those attending include the foreign and defence ministers from Turkey, an opponent of Assad, and Russia and Iran, backers of the Syrian regime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the killing of Karlov as an attempt to damage Russia-Turkey ties and to thwart a peace process in Syria which Russia, Turkey and Iran have been actively trying to promote.

Putin said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in a phone call that Russian investigators would fly to Ankara to conduct a joint probe with their Turkish counterparts.

We must know who was directing the killer, Putin said in televised remarks. He ordered top officials to strengthen protection of the Turkish embassy in Moscow and asked Turkey to increase security at the Russian mission in Ankara.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd left) speaks with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (left), director of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Naryshkin (right) and Alexander Bortnikov (2nd right), director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), during a meeting at the Kremlin. (AFP Photo)

In a video message shown on several Turkish TV channels, Erdogan said: This is a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation.

Ambassador Karlov

Its a tragic day in the history of our country and Russian diplomacy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

Ambassador Karlov has made a lot of personal contributions to the development of ties with Turkey. He has done a lot to overcome a crisis in bilateral relations, she said. He was a man who put his heart and his soul into his job. Its a terrible loss for us and also the world.

Read | Andrei Karlov: The veteran Russian diplomat killed in Turkey

Karlov joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russias ambassador to Pyongyang from 2001-2006, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministrys consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013

Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov. (Reuters File Photo)

The gunman

The shooters family home in the western province of Aydin was later searched and his mother, father and sister were detained, the news agency said, without citing sources. The mans house in Ankara was raided and his roommate, also a police officer, was also taken into cus ody, it said.

Interior minister Suleyman Soylu said Altintas, who was born in 1994, had been an officer with Ankaras riot police squad for more than two years. He did not give a motive for the attack.

Read | Strong signs gunman who killed Russian envoy linked to US-based cleric: Official

The White House condemned the assassination, saying this heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable, President Barack Obama was briefed by his national security team while on vacation in Hawaii

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned what he called a senseless act of terror, for which there can be no justification.

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November 2015, but Turkeys apology earlier this year helped overcome the rift. Putin and Erdogan have held several meetings in recent months and spoken frequently over the phone.

Turkish police officers cordon off the area close to a photo gallery in Ankara. (AP Photo)

Russia and Turkey have co-sponsored the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo and also discussed the prospect of organizing a new round of peace talks in Kazakhstans capital, Astana.

Security threats to Turkey include the Islamic State group, and which has been blamed for attacks in Turkey. Additionally, Turkish security forces and courts remain preoccupied with purging state institutions of the supporters of an exiled Islamist cleric whom the government accuses of staging a failed coup attempt in July.
At least 22 people were killed in clashes between government forces and rebels on the outskirts of the flashpoint city of Taez in southwest Yemen, military sources said Tuesday.

The fighting late Monday north of Taez, held by loyalists but partly surrounded by Shiite Huthis and their rebel allies, left at least 14 rebels and eight soldiers dead, they said.

Residents said relative calm was restored on Tuesday.

In the north, two loyalist officers were killed in clashes around the Red Sea port town of Midi, the sources said, while a rights activist said a 13-year-old girl died when a shell fired by rebels crashed into her home in the southern province of Dhaleh.

Yemens 20-month-old conflict has killed more than 7,000 people and wounded nearly 37,000, the United Nations says.

The Huthis overran the capital Sanaa and other parts of the impoverished country in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab military coalition to intervene six months later in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
Bangladesh security forces on Tuesday arrested two members of an Islamist militant group blamed for a deadly attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July in which 22 people were killed, most of them foreigners.

The July 1 attack in Dhakas diplomatic quarter was claimed by the Islamic State and was the worst militant attack in Bangladesh, which has been hit by a spate of killings of liberals and members of religious minorities in the past year.

The two suspects, aged 21 and 28, were members of a faction of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militant group, known as New JMB, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, and which police believe was involved in organising the cafe attack.

We have recovered money, jihadi books, leaflets and sharp weapons, Lutful Kabir, a senior official with the police-led Rapid Action Battalion, which is involved in counter-terrorism efforts, told a news conference.

The five gunmen who attacked the cafe were all killed.

Police have killed at least 42 suspected Islamists in raids since then, including the man police said was the attack mastermind, Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury.
This story has been updated. Click here for the latest.

A man arrested on suspicion of driving the semi-trailer truck that ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin and killed 12 people was on Tuesday identified by German media and security sources as a 23-year-old of Pakistani origin.

The truck rammed into the market in the heart of the German capital on Monday night, injuring nearly 50 more. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack that was reminiscent of a similar assault with a truck in the French city of Nice that killed 86 in July.

A German security source was quoted Reuters as saying that the suspect, who fled after the attack and was held nearly 2 km from the Christmas market, was a migrant from Pakistan. The man arrived in Germany in February, was known to police for minor offences and used several names, the source said.

He was staying at a refugee hostel in the defunct Tempelhof airport, the source added.

Several German media outlets identified the suspect as Naved B and said he had sought asylum in Germany.

German terrorism and homeland security expert Michael Gotschenberg tweeted the suspect was born in Pakistan on 1.1.1993.

#Berlin Sicherheitskreise: mutmalicher Fahrer des LKW am 31.12.2015 uber Passau eingereist. Er soll am 1.1.1993 in Pakistan geboren sein.  Michael Gotschenberg (@GoetschenbergM) December 20, 2016

There were also reports that the man found dead in the truck, believed to be a Polish man who was originally driving it, had been shot.

The dpa news agency cited its sources as saying that the suspect had come to Germany via the Balkan route and lived in a home for refugees in Berlin. It too reported that the suspect had used several names.

Die Welt newspaper reported that the suspect was caught after several courageous witnesses nailed him down. Several people informed authorities by telephone about the suspect leaving the scene after the attack and one witness pursued him from a safe distance, the report said.

Police prosecutor Winfried Wenzel said this witness followed him through dark areas and while informing an emergency call center on phone about the suspects movements.

After about 2km, a police patrol car stopped the suspect. With the help of this witness, we were able to capture the suspect, Wenzel was quoted as saying.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev offered condolences to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on December 20 over heavy casualties after a lorry ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin.

We were deeply saddened by the news of heavy casualties and injuries as a result of a bloody terror attack in Berlin, the president said in his letter of condolences.

We are outraged by this tragic event, condemn this act of brutality against civilians and deem it significant to unite efforts in the fight against terrorism.

On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my deepest condolences to you, the bereaved families, the loved ones of those who died and the people of Germany, and wish the injured the swiftest possible recovery, the Azerbaijani president added.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that authorities believe a deadly rampage by a lorry driver at a Berlin Christmas market was a terrorist attack likely committed by an asylum seeker.

According to what we know, we have to assume this was a terrorist attack, Merkel, visibly moved and dressed in black, told reporters.

I know it will be especially hard for us to take if it is confirmed that the person who committed this attack sought protection and asylum in Germany.

Merkel added that if it is confirmed that the suspect, who was detained after the lorry he was allegedly driving killed 12 people in a large crowd, was an asylum seeker, it would be particularly sickening in relation to the many, many Germans who are involved every day in helping refugees.

She added it would also be repugnant toward the many people who need our protection every day and who are working on integration in our country.

Media reports said the suspect had arrived in Germany from Afghanistan or Pakistan earlier this year seeking asylum.

The suspect had a temporary residence permit since June 2016, German newspaper Die Welt cited a criminal police report as saying.

A German security source told Reuters that the suspect was a 23-year-old migrant from Pakistan known to police for committing minor offences.

Merkel said she personally was horrified, shocked and deeply saddened by the attack and would visit the site later Tuesday with her interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, and Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller.

She pledged that German authorities would get to the bottom of the assault and that it would be punished with the full force of our law.

The arrival of 890,000 asylum seekers last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat. Another 300,000 people have arrived this year.

Merkel still enjoys strong popularity despite her liberal asylum policy but has seen some of her support eroded by the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ahead of a general election expected next September.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, AfD leaders blamed Merkels liberal asylum policy for the carnage.
Canada on Monday called for the unconditional release of a Canadian man and his American wife after a new video appeared to show them begging their governments to intervene on their behalf with their Afghan captors.

The video, which was uploaded to YouTube on Monday and has not been independently verified by The Associated Press, shows Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman, who were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012.

Coleman refers to the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves and urges governments on both sides to reach a deal for their freedom. She then adds: My children have seen their mother defiled.

Two young children appear in the video with them, and Coleman has told her family that she gave birth to two children in captivity.

Canadian global affairs spokesman Michael OShaughnessy said his government was aware of the latest video.

We are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman and their young children and call for their unconditional release, OShaughnessy added.

The state department said it was reviewing the footage.

The video came to public attention through the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity online. SITE said it was dated December 3.

The couple vanished in 2012 after setting off on a journey that took them to Russia, the central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and then to Afghanistan. The womans parents, Jim and Lyn Coleman, last heard from their son-in-law on October 8, 2012, from an internet cafe in what Josh described as an unsafe part of Afghanistan.

In 2013, the couple appeared in two videos asking the US government to free them from the Taliban. The Colemans received a letter last November in which their daughter said she had given birth to a second child in captivity.

In July, Jim Coleman, speaking to the online news service Circa News, issued a plea to top Taliban commanders to be kind and merciful and let the couple go.

A video released in August showed Coleman and Boyle warning that their captors would kill them and their children unless the government in Kabul ends its execution of Taliban prisoners.
Chinas foreign minister has expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart on the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, calling the assassination a barbaric act of terrorism.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that China strongly condemns such actions targeting diplomatic personnel and was resolutely opposed to all kinds of terrorism.

Wang says China is willing to work with the international community in resolutely supporting Russias efforts to crack down on terrorism and will boost cooperation with Moscow on this front.

Chinese and Russian leaders have in recent years extolled the blossoming strategic partnership between the former communist rivals, despite a major decline in two-way trade and the failure to materialize a slew of ambitious projects.

Read| Russian envoys killing: Chilling pics of attack at Turkey art gallery
China has offered to provide $14 million worth of small arms and fast boats to the Philippines for free, aiding President Rodrigo Dutertes war on drugs and fighting terrorism, Manilas defence minister said on Tuesday.

The offer was made by Chinas ambassador Zhao Jianhua during a meeting with Duterte late on Monday night at the presidential palace, Delfin Lorenzana said, adding Beijing has also made available $500 million long-term soft loan for other equipment.

China has given us a list of military equipment and we will go through it to find out what we really need, Lorenzana told reporters after giving out Christmas gifts to wounded soldiers at an army hospital in Manila.

We might get some small arms, fast boats and night vision goggles because $14.4 million is not that much. We will finalise the deal before the end of the year and a technical working team will soon go there to look at the equipment.

Lorenzana said they hope to get the Chinese armaments by the second quarter next year. The Chinese ambassador last night told the president, I know your problem in drugs so we would like to help you, he added.

Just six months ago, Manila and Beijings relations were very frosty after the Philippines filed an arbitration case in The Hague, questioning Chinas extensive nine-dash line claims on the South China Sea.

But, Duterte, who came into power on July 1, reversed the countrys foreign policy, distancing from Washington to pivot to Beijing and winning about $24 billion in trade and investment pledges after an October visit to China.

Chinas arms offer came after a US senator has said he would block the sale of 26,000 M4 rifles to the Philippine police due to human rights concern. Early this month, executives from Chinas arms maker, Norinco, also met with Duterte.

Washington, the former colonial master and security partner, has been providing second-hand weapon systems to the Manila for nearly two decades since the return of U.S. forces for training and exercises.

From 2002, the United States has provided nearly $800 million worth of second-hand small arms, ships and helicopters, and radios, armour vests, night fighting equipment and coastal radars. Last year, Manila got its biggest military aid at $82 million.
China on Monday rejected US President-elect Donald Trumps claim that it had stolen an American research drone, as state media said his diplomatic inexperience could spark a confrontation between the two nations.

Beijings seizure of the marine probe in international waters in the South China Sea raised already heightened tensions between the worlds two largest military powers.

On Sunday, after Beijing and Washington announced the drone would be returned, Trump tweeted: We should tell China that we dont want the drone they stole back. - let them keep it!

Read | Trump, on Twitter, says China should keep the seized US drone

Trumps accusation that China had stolen the drone was not accurate, said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

Imagine that you found something on the street -- you would need to first check and verify it before handing it back to someone else, she told a regular press conference.

Hua said the two sides are in smooth communication through military channels, and we believe the incident will be properly handled. She gave no further details.

The Chinese military is expected to return the probe to the US Navy in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a US defence official said.

A US destroyer will be there, the official told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook declined to confirm when the return would take place.

Conversations are ongoing at this time. Were working out the logistical details with the Chinese through appropriate channels, he said.

The Pentagon said last week a Chinese naval vessel had unlawfully grabbed the drone around 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines.

China said it had been snatched since it might pose a safety hazard to other vessels. It also said it strongly opposed US reconnaissance activities and had asked Washington to stop them.

The US said the device was collecting information on water temperatures, salinity and sea clarity.

Trump had also accused Beijing of theft in an earlier, misspelled tweet Saturday.

China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters?rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act, he wrote.

Read | US demands immediate return of underwater drone unlawfully seized by China

The state-owned China Daily rejected the claim in an editorial.

What is truly amazing about this tweet, was the soon-to-be US president completely misrepresented what had actually happened -- that is more dangerous than funny, it said.

Trumps behaviour could easily drive China-US relations into what Obama portrays as full-conflict mode, it added, next to a cartoon that depicted Trump riding a bull into a china shop while US businessmen looked on aghast.

A separate article quoted experts as calling Trumps conduct diplomatically inept.

- Not presidential -

Trump has already infuriated Beijing by questioning longstanding US policy on Taiwan, calling Beijing a currency manipulator and threatening punitive tariffs on Chinese imports.

Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month. He bears no sense of how to lead a superpower, the often nationalistic Global Times, which has close ties to the ruling Communist Party, said in an editorial.

There are broader tensions in the South China Sea, where China has moved to fortify its claims to the region by expanding tiny reefs and islets into artificial islands hosting military facilities.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have competing claims in the waterway.

The Philippines described the latest incident as troubling and said it might require its US ally to inform it about what it called drone movements in Philippine waters.

While the US takes no position on sovereignty claims in South China Sea, it has repeatedly stressed freedom of navigation.

Its military has conducted several operations in which ships and planes have passed near the sites Beijing claims.
China said on Tuesday it has returned a seized underwater probe to the US Navy in the South China Sea, after Beijings seizure of the craft sparked a dispute between the two powers.

The handover of the small vehicle to the US went completed smoothly after friendly consultations between both sides, Chinas defence ministry said in a short statement on its website.

The United States acknowledged on Tuesday it had received an underwater drone unlawfully seized by a Chinese vessel last week.

The USS Mustin received the vehicle for the United States in international waters approximately 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines, near where it was taken, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

China seized the probe around 50 nautical miles (90 kilometres) northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines last week, in an incident which heightened already tense relations between the worlds two largest economies.

Pentagon officials had previously said that it would be handed over to the crew of a US warship in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.

Read | China rejects Trumps claim it stole US drone

Highlights The Chinese military returned the underwater drone to the US Navy in South China Sea on Tuesday. The Pentagon said last week a Chinese naval vessel had unlawfully grabbed the drone around 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines. China, however, maintains that its military had seized the underwater glider to ensure safe navigation of passing ships. The drone incident has raised fresh concerns about Chinas increased military presence and aggressive posture in the energy-rich South China Sea

Last week, Pentagon officials said the Chinese had unlawfully grabbed the marine probe, which they described as a craft that gathers unclassified data that can be used to help submarines navigate and determine sonar ranges in murky waters.

China said it had been snatched since it might pose a safety hazard to other vessels. It also said it strongly opposed US reconnaissance activities and had asked Washington to stop.

US President-elect Donald Trump also waded into the row. On Sunday, after Beijing and Washington announced the drone would be returned, Trump tweeted: We should tell China that we dont want the drone they stole back. - let them keep it!

Chinas foreign ministry on Monday rejected Trumps accusations Beijing had stolen the craft as not accurate.
German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the circumstances of Mondays deadly truck crash at a Christmas market in Berlin were still unclear, but a lot pointed to an attack.

We dont yet have anything conclusive regarding the circumstances and the course of events, de Maiziere told ARD public television, adding that investigators were working hard to put together all the pieces of evidence.

I dont want to use the word attack yet although a lot points to that, the minister said.

German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement that it was still unclear exactly what had happened. Security officials are trying to secure the site and find those responsible, he said.
Criticism of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has forced Beijings usually inscrutable diplomats into overdrive to defend the $46-billion project, with an envoy engaging in a very public spat with a top Pakistani journalist.

The CPEC was announced in 2013 but work began on infrastructure that is part of the venture over the past year, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif looking to the project to create jobs and ramp up the generation of electricity to counter a crippling energy crisis.

However, Pakistani experts have repeatedly questioned how China will raise the funds for the CPEC and also the amount that Islamabad will have to pay back as interest on loans for the project, with one estimate putting the annual net outflow at $3.54 billion. India too has opposed the CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Read | Pakistan special naval force to guard Gwadar port and CPEC against maritime threats

The allegations and charges appear to have angered Zhao Lijian, the acting Chinese ambassador and charge daffaires, who has used Twitter over the past few months to defend the CPEC. Sources in Islamabad described Zhao as an aggressive diplomat who did not like criticism of the flagship project.

Zhao took to Twitter early on Tuesday morning after he was apparently angered by an allegation that China was using prisoners as labour on the CPEC.

Is China using Prisoners as labour to save costs under CPEC? This is nonsense. The person spreads rumors like this has a hidden agenda  Muhammad Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) December 19, 2016

Referring to allegations of graft in the CPEC, the diplomat  who uses the name Muhammad Lijian Zhao on Twitter  posted this:

For those who accuse CPEC projects of corruption, there is one Chinese saying: Gauge the heart of a gentleman with one's own mean measure.  Muhammad Lijian Zhao (@zlj517) December 19, 2016

Zhaos tweets didnt go unnoticed among Pakistanis, including Dawn columnist Cyril Almeida, who replied:

Easy there... Chinese, yes, but still a diplomat in Pakistan, no? https://t.co/tFuqGd0xiv  cyril almeida (@cyalm) December 19, 2016

Almeida, who was recently in the news after the military was angered by his report on differences between the army and civilian government on countering terrorists, also referred to Chinas long battle with corruption.

No need for that war on corruption back in China, then... https://t.co/A3T9ARr5DB  cyril almeida (@cyalm) December 19, 2016

Almeida also responded to Zhaos snarky comment about senior journalists believing stories of Chinese prisoners in CPEC projects by questioning whether his remark was a diplomatic response:

Much that is unfortunate here and several out of their minds, but surely not a reasonable (diplomatic?) response... https://t.co/CTIV3ipZv1  cyril almeida (@cyalm) December 19, 2016

The Dawn daily also reported that Zhao had dismissed criticism of the CPEC at a seminar organised by a think tank in Islamabad on Monday. CPEC is working well. But there are some people who are maligning the project, which enjoys the support of most of the people of Pakistan, he said.

Read | Beijing says China-Pakistan economic corridor not against India

Besides criticism of its cost and financing, the CPEC has led to a row among Pakistans provinces, with smaller units such as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa saying the project would benefit Punjab, the most populous and prosperous province. Leaders in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had said their province had not been allocated any projects and the local assembly had threatened to file a petition in court to seek a clarification.

The Chinese embassy had described these charges as untrue and misreporting. It said in a statement: CPEC is for Pakistan as a whole and will bring benefits to all Pakistani people including the people from the western parts.

Read | India, Pakistan spar over economic corridor passing through PoK

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Egypts state news agency said a 10-year-old girl who was critically wounded in the suicide bombing at a Cairo church earlier this month, died, taking the death toll to 27.

Egypts Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the bombing, though authorities blamed the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

Read: Bombing at Egypts main Coptic Christian cathedral kills 25

Egypt security forces and members of the clergy inspect the scene of a bomb explosion at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Coptic Orthodox Church on December 11. (AFP file photo)

The girl, Maggie Mamoun, became the face of the Coptic communitys grief in the days following the horrific bombing, with photos of the smiling child circulating on social media, along with prayer requests.

The MENA news agency on Tuesday said her funeral will be held at the church that was bombed.

The attack was the worst in the living memory of Egypts Christians, who make up nearly 10% of the population.
The Russian media on Tuesday reacted with outrage to the killing of the countrys ambassador to Turkey but said it was unlikely to derail warming ties between Moscow and Ankara.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was gunned down on Monday at the opening of a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara by a Turkish policeman crying Aleppo and Allahu Akbar (God is greatest), in what Moscow called a terrorist act.

Read: Police officer shoots dead Russian ambassador at art gallery in Turkey

The murderer was afraid to look him in the eye, ran the banner frontpage headline on pro-Kremlin paper Izvestiya above a picture of Karlov with his killer looming behind.

They did not shoot at Karlov. They shot at Russia, senator Konstantin Kosachev said in comments published alongside.

Both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the attack a provocation aimed at sabotaging ties that have been patched up since a furious dispute over Ankaras downing of a Russian jet in Syria in November, 2015.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov (R) and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif lay flowers in memory of murdered Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday. (AP photo)

Putin also said the killing in Ankara was designed to undermine efforts to find a settlement on the conflict in Syria that are being spearheaded by Russia and Turkey.

Read: Russian envoy assassinated in Turkey: What we know so far

Moscow and Ankara are on different sides of the conflict in Syria but the two countries have worked closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

The foreign and defence ministers from Russia, Turkey and Iran are set to meet Tuesday in Moscow for key talks on Syria.

I dont think that Moscow will provoke conflict over the incident, Leonid Isayev of Moscows Higher School of Economics told RBK business daily. Today dialogue between Russia and Turkey is developing quite actively.

In an interview with Izvestiya, the head of Russias parliamentary committee on foreign affairs Leonid Slutsky warned that those who try to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey will fail.

The main thing is that there will not be a new round of tensions between Russia and Turkey, no matter how much our opponents want this, he said. This was a terrible tragedy, but interstate relations overall will not suffer from this.

Other outlets were, however, harsh towards Ankara -- which state television had portrayed as Russias top foe in the wake of the jets downing -- pointing out that Turkish authorities had been unable to protect the Russian envoy.

Responsibility for the death of a foreign ambassador on its territory always lies with the host country, Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid wrote, adding that the murder was yet another powerful blow to the reputation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Ankara aims at simplifying customs procedures with Azerbaijan and creating a green corridor, similar to the one existing between Russia and Turkey, said Turkeys Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci in an exclusive interview with Trend.

Turkeys Ministry of Customs and Trade wants to simplify and speed up customs procedures to ensure the access of Turkish goods to new markets in order to strengthen the countrys competitiveness, Tufenkci said.

Turkey joined the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, which expands the opportunities for our businessmen, he said.

The minister said that mutual trade between Turkey and Azerbaijan has been growing steadily over 15 years. Turkey ranks the second in Azerbaijani imports and the 14th  in the exports.

Considering our brotherly relations and economic potential of the two countries, we can say that the current level of trade turnover doesnt reflect the real potential of our economic ties, added Tufenkci.

The minister said that there are plans to bring the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey to $15 billion in the coming years.

Azerbaijan mainly imports various equipment, electrical appliances, household items, cars from Turkey, he noted adding that Turkey, for its part, imports oil and oil products, as well as gas from Azerbaijan.

Tufenkci also mentioned that in recent years, Azerbaijan has been focusing on diversification of its economy, going towards the non-oil sphere.

We also want to see such investments of Azerbaijan in Turkey, noted the minister adding that the work between the two countries businessmen should be boosted.

He went on to say that Azerbaijan is the leader for the volume of investments in the Turkish economy among the countries of Central Asia and Caucasus.

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR is the main investor. Turkey and Azerbaijan are the biggest investors of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project, added Tufenkci. Azerbaijan also has major investments in such sectors as the hotel business, construction of hospitals and medical sphere in Turkey.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Europes cup of patience over migration is beginning to spill over, the Slovak Prime Minister said on Tuesday, following an attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 and wounded dozens.

A truck crashed into people gathered there on Monday evening in what investigators suspect was a terrorist incident. The police have not confirmed the identity of the suspected driver, but a German security source said he was a 23-year old migrant from Pakistan.

Read: Truck rams into Berlin Christmas market, killing 12: What we know so far

The facts are simple: a migrant who arrived in Germany and got refugee status ... is now interrogated as a suspect responsible for this heinous, repugnant crime, Robert Fico told a televised news conference.

I think that the cup of patience is beginning to spill over and Europes public will rightfully expect rather stronger (anti-migration) measures.

Read: Berlin Christmas market attack suspect 23-year-old migrant from Pakistan

Slovakia has been one of the toughest critics of the European Unions response to unprecedented inflow of migrants, opposing quotas for asylum seekers and calling for tougher border controls. It has refused to take in refugees and migrants from Italy and Greece, citing security concerns.
France is under a high level of threat from terror attack but already has a large-scale security operation in place, President Francois Hollande said Tuesday, following the carnage at a Berlin Christmas market.

We have a high level of threat and we also have a particularly high level of mobilisation and vigilance, Hollande said, expressing his solidarity and compassion with Germany.

France, which has been rocked by a series of deadly jihadist strikes over the past two years, knows... how important it is to be united in the face of terror attacks, he said.

That goes for a single country when it is attacked and for all of Europe and the entire world, faced with the terrorist threat, he said.

Hollande said French authorities had already ordered that security be beefed up over the holidays at all locations as far as possible, in particular Christmas markets and other gatherings.

Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux earlier urged the French to enjoy themselves but also be careful when celebrating Christmas and the New Year.

We will ensure the security of our territory and citizens, Le Roux, who visited Frances best-known Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg, near the German border, told Europe 1 radio.

Soldiers have been patrolling the streets of French cities since last years November jihadist bloodshed in Paris.

Last month, French police broke up a jihadist terror ring which was allegedly planning to attack Paris on December 1 and had researched a Christmas market on the prestigious Champs-Elysees avenue among its potential targets.
Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has claimed that ex-army chief Gen Raheel Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts.

Participating in a talk show on Dunya News on Monday night, he said: Well he (Raheel Sharif) did help me. I have been his boss and I have been the Army Chief before him... he helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the ECL, they turned it into a political issue.

When asked to explain how the recently retired army chief helped him, Musharraf said Gen Sharif played a role in releasing the pressure on courts to prevent him from leaving the country.

Behind the scenes, the army chief had a role to release that pressure by dealing with the government.

Once he (Gen Sharif) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment, Musharraf elaborated.

Talking about his case, Musharraf said Pakistani courts unfortunately... give decisions under pressure behind the scenes and this pressure was relieved by Gen Sharif with an influencing role.

Musharraf had left the country for Dubai in March earlier this year hours after the interior ministry issued a notification to remove his name from the exit control list.

The government notification followed the Supreme Courts order to lift the ban on his foreign travel.

But the order from the top court had come with the rider that the federal government or the three-judge special court trying the retired general for treason was free to make decisions to regulate his custody or restrict his movement.

Apart from murder cases of Benazir Bhutto, Nawab Akbar Bugti and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, the retired general is facing treason charges for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers. His name was kept on the exit control list for more than 20 months.

Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan had said in March that Musharraf had committed to facing all cases against him in court and had promised to return in four to six weeks.
German magazine Focus said on Tuesday that police special forces were storming a hangar at Berlins defunct Tempelhof airport, which now houses a refugee accommodation centre.

On Monday evening a truck ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others. Police say they suspect it was a terrorist attack.

German media cited local security sources as saying that there was evidence suggesting the arrested suspect was from Afghanistan or Pakistan and had entered Germany as a refugee.

Neither police nor prosecutors were immediately available for comment.
A truck rammed into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more in what German officials said was suspected to be an attack.

While Germany has so far been spared the devastating jihadist carnage that has hit neighbouring France and Belgium, it has suffered a spate of attacks this year.

In some cases, the assaults have been claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group and been carried out by asylum seekers.

The Berlin market horror comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a 19-tonne truck into a crowd at a fireworks display in the French Riviera city of Nice, killing 86 people.

A timeline of attacks in Germany this year:

February 27: policeman stabbed

A 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl stabs a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, an assault allegedly ordered by the IS but which was not claimed by the group.

The teenager attacks the policeman during a routine check at Hanover train station in northern Germany, before being overpowered by another officer.

July 18: train attack

A 17-year-old asylum seeker, wielding an axe and a knife, attacks passengers on a Bavarian train.

The assailant, who is believed to be Afghan, injures five people, four of them tourists from Hong Kong.

He is shot dead by police. The IS group releases a video purportedly featuring the attacker announcing he would carry out an operation in Germany, and presenting himself as a soldier of the caliphate.

July 22: Mall shooting

David Ali Sonboly, 18, shoots dead nine people at a Munich shopping mall before turning the gun on himself, having spent a year planning the rampage.

Police say the German-Iranian was obsessed with mass murderers like Norwegian right-wing fanatic Anders Behring Breivik and had no links to the IS group.

July 24: Suicide blast

A 27-year-old failed Syrian asylum seeker blows himself up near an open-air music festival in the southern city of Ansbach, wounding 15 others.

The Bavarian interior minister says the man had pledged allegiance to IS, while the jihadist-linked Amaq news agency says he is a soldier of the group.

The asylum seeker, who was due to be deported to Bulgaria, had received treatment at a psychiatric hospital and was reported to have suicidal tendencies.

Foiled attacks

Police say in October they foiled a plot by a Syrian refugee to bomb a Berlin airport, having initially wanted to target trains in Germany.

When commandos raid the apartment of Jaber Albakr, they find 1.5 kilos (over three pounds) of TATP, the homemade explosive used by jihadists in deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels. He commits suicide in prison.

In late November, a German working in intelligence is exposed as a suspect Islamist, Germanys domestic security agency says, following reports he was planning an attack on its headquarters.

And on December 16, German prosecutors say they are investigating a case in which a 12-year-old boy allegedly tried to detonate a home-made nail bomb at a Christmas market in the western city of Ludwigshafen.
A man who shot three people at a Zurich mosque on Monday is dead, police said on Tuesday, confirming that a body found near the scene was that of the assailant.

Zurich cantonal police said authorities had identified the suspect, but gave no details. A news conference was scheduled for 1300 GMT.

The gunman had stormed into the Islamic centre and opened fire on worshippers.

The dead man found around 300 metres (yards) from the scene of the crime after the shooting in the mosque is the suspect, a statement on a police website said.

Two of the three victims -- aged 30, 35 and 56 -- were seriously injured in the attack, which took place shortly after 5:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) near the main train station in Switzerlands financial capital. A third sustained less severe injuries.

Police had identified the suspect only as a man around 30 years old wearing dark clothing and a dark woollen cap who fled the mosque after the attack.
German authorities are calling the truck attack on a crowded Christmas market an act of terrorism that had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremism. Many questions remained over who carried out the attack that killed 12 people and wounded nearly 50 in the heart of Berlin, even as the Islamic State claimed responsibility through its Amaq news agency.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday night released a man taken into custody in the vicinity of the crime on suspicion that he drove the vehicle in the attack Monday night, saying they hadnt found evidence putting him in the truck at that time.

The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based upon a description of the man who jumped out of the truck and fled. But prosecutors said he had denied any involvement in the attack. Prosecutors also said no forensic evidence had been found proving that he was in the cab during the rampage, and no witnesses had followed him from the scene of the carnage to where he had been picked up.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was the trucks driver. Muench also said police havent yet found a pistol believed used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering steel beams with the truck used in the attack until it went missing.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain particularly vigilant and to report suspicious movements to a special hotline.

We may still have a dangerous criminal out there, Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Flowers and posters are placed at the scene where a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital last night in Berlin. (Reuters)

Germanys top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the Monday night attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of Julys deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group.

There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations, Frank said.

Still, he said authorities had not yet heard any claim of responsibility.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans way of life.

Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, arent among us anymore, she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives.

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowded Christmas market Monday evening. It smashed through the market, going 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before finally coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and the man found shot and killed in the trucks passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified, and 18 people are still suffering from serious injuries.

Berlin's famous landmark Brandenburg Gate is illuminated to commemorate the 12 killed victims of a truck that ploughed into a crowded Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin. (REUTERS)

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany, Merkel said. This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country.

A spokesman for Berlins office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the citys now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

They must have done something to my driver, he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday nights attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security, Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

Forensic police officers work on December 20, 2016 at the scene where a truck crashed into a Christmas market near the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church) in Berlin. (AFP)

Manfred Weber, a member of Merkels conservative bloc and leader of the European Parliaments biggest political group, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists didnt enter the country.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

US President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be eradicated from the face of the earth and pledged to carry out that mission with all freedom-loving partners.

The attack came less than a month after the US State Department warned that extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing on the upcoming holiday season and associated events in Europe.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. IS claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.
He didnt want to stop, he just kept on driving, said one shell-shocked tourist, still trembling after a lorry mowed through a Christmas market bustling with revellers in a central Berlin square.

Where revellers mingled on Monday just minutes before, a battered Christmas tree lay on its side and festive stalls were shattered by the force of the lorry that killed at least nine people and injured 45 others.

Australian Trisha ONeill, who was sitting metres from the scene of the tragedy, described the horror as she saw the huge lorry bearing down on her.

We sat just behind the stall having a mulled wine and then all of a sudden there was a big boom, she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there, she said, adding there was blood and bodies everywhere.

Read | As it happened: Truck ploughs into crowded Christmas market in Berlin, several dead

Ambulances and heavily armed police rushed to the scene, just near one of Berlins main shopping streets in an area heavily frequented by tourists.

One Tunisian student described the scenes of carnage that greeted him when he arrived just after the truck had completed its deadly journey through the crowd.

A firefighter walks passed a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market. (AP Photo)

We arrived just after and there were all these people lying on the ground, said a Tunisian student. I dont feel safe here anymore.

Christmas markets are immensely popular in Germany, with stalls selling traditional mulled wine, festive trinkets and filling winter food.

But this market turned into a scene of horror and destruction just one week before Christmas.

Shaking and scared

ONeill said everything happened in a flash.

People, including children and older people, werent moving -- people were crying and I just burst into tears. All the police and ambulances came and we decided to walk away from the streets and go somewhere safe.

Read | Polish owner of Berlin lorry says driver is missing

Im shaking and scared. It all just happened so fast.

The crash occurred in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a warning to future generations.

The square is at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard which was packed with holiday shoppers.

The site where a truck crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin. (AFP Photo)

Kathy Forbes, an American in her 40s, said they had chosen Berlin over Paris because they thought it would be safer.

We didnt see anything because we were in a restaurant not far from here she said, adding that they preferred to stay in a nearby mall because they didnt dare to go back to the hotel as long as the truck driver was still at large.

Now we can go, she said after reports that the driver had been detained.

Read | US condemns apparent attack in Berlin, Trump blames Islamist terrorists

Germany this year has been hit by a string of attacks claimed by the Islamic State and carried out by asylum seekers.

But it had until now been spared the large-scale death tolls seen in France and Belgium.

A rescue blanket covers a body after a truck ploughed into the crowded Christmas market in the German capital of Berlin. (Reuters Photo)

This is the worst case scenario and sends a message to the world: it happens everywhere. Everywhere. It is a terror attack, said a German security guard in his 30s, who declined to give his name.

Read | Circumstances around Berlin truck crash unclear, a lot points to attack: Minister
A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in central Berlin which was filled with a mix of tourists and locals killing atleast 12 people and injuring 48 as it tore through tables and wooden stands. Police said a suspect believed to be the driver was arrested nearby and a passenger died as paramedics were treating him. German officials said they were investigating what caused the crash.

The destroyed windscreen of a polish truck is seen following an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. (REUTERS Photo)

Covered dead bodies lie on the ground of a Christmas market after a truck ploughed through a crowd on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016. (REUTERS Photo)

A Christmas tree lies next to a truck following an accident with the truck on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. (REUTERS)

A survivor of an accident with a Polish truck is rescued on a stretcher near a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. (REUTERS Photo)

General view shows police and firefighters working around the truck that crashed into a christmas market at Gedachniskirche church in Berlin, on December 19, 2016 killing at least 12 people and injuring at least 50 people. (AFP)

German police officers secure the site of an accident with a truck at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. (REUTERS)

A candle is burning on a German national flag near the site where a truck ploughed through a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016 REUTERS (REUTERS Photo)
Several villages held by Islamic State have been captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of militias backed by the United States that includes a strong Kurdish contingent, an organisation that monitors the war said on Monday.

The advance is part of a military campaign backed by an international coalition led by the United States to drive Islamic State from its Syrian capital of Raqqa. It follows SDF gains against the jihadist group across the north of the country.

The strongest group in the SDF is the Peoples Protection Units or YPG, a Kurdish militia, but Washington has said that any operation to retake Raqqa should be predominantly Arab, the ethnicity of most of the citys residents.

The latest advances in the countryside about 50 km (30 miles) west and northwest of Raqqa follow an earlier phase of SDF gains on another front about 30 km north of the city.

Three SDF soldiers were killed fighting Islamic State after the capture of five villages, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Monday.

Islamic State had been on the back foot in both Syria and Iraq, where it is under attack in Mosul, its biggest and most important possession, and after a string of U.S. air strikes that have killed many of its leaders this year.

However, earlier this month it launched a surprise attack 160 km southwest of Raqqa to retake the ancient desert city of Palmyra, which it had lost in March to Syrian army forces backed by Russian air power after a nine-month occupation.

That attack demonstrated the risks still posed by the group across Syria even after its territorial losses there since mid-2015, including holdings along the Turkish border which were once its main route for supplies and recruits.

Complicating the efforts against Islamic State is a second campaign being waged against it in northwest Syria by Turkey and Syrian rebel groups allied to Ankara. This has taken a large area from the jihadist group but is also aimed at stopping Kurdish expansion.

The Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are now attempting to capture the city of al-Bab from Islamic State, a move that will end Kurdish hopes of uniting their two separated areas of self rule in northern Syria.

Early on Monday, the Turkish military said one of its soldiers had been killed in a car bomb in al-Bab on Sunday and that 11 militants were also killed in clashes that day.

Read more | US-backed forces launch assault to oust Islamic State from Raqqa
The International Bank of Azerbaijan subsidiary in Georgia IBA-Georgia won Investment Awards in several categories. The bank won awards in the following categories: transparency of activity, constant progress and comprehensive banking services and social responsibility. The bank was recognized as universal, dynamically developing institution with high degree of reliability and modern standards-based banking services.

Media Holding Georgian Times and the public opinion and marketing research company  GORBI have been jointly conducting business ratings since 1995. The winners were awarded within the framework of the event which aims to reveal and promote the investors.

The best companies and businessmen were identified by the independent experts, heads of government departments, economic journalists, consulting companies, non-governmental organizations, foundations and pollsters. The International Bank of Azerbaijan occupies one of the leading positions in the banking sector of Georgia.

The bank "IBA - Georgia" provides services to residents, non-residents and large corporate clients. By introducing the new retail products, the "IBA - Georgia" is planning to expand its customer base.
Several Chinese lawyers are suing the cities of Beijing and Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei for what they say has been their failure to fulfil responsibilities in battling against smog, which has shrouded the region since Saturday.

Home to seven of Chinas 10 smoggiest cities last year, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, also known as Jing-Jin-Ji, is a front line in Chinas war on pollution, and it has pledged to cut coal use and promote cleaner industries.

But pollution levels have soared this week as a result of rising winter coal use as well as unfavourable weather conditions, which have brought concentrations of dangerous breathable particles known as PM2.5 to record levels at some monitoring stations.

Read: Factories shut, cars limited as north China cities disappear in haze of smog

Since Saturday, a total of 24 cities have declared pollution red alerts, including Beijing, Tianjin and another eight locations in Hebei province.

The lawsuit, posted by lawyer Li Zhongwei on his Twitter-like Weibo microblogging account on Tuesday, accused the region of being all talk and little action, adding that the red alerts proved that local governments had not conscientiously fulfilled their legal obligations to control air pollution.

People ride bicycles and electric bikes in Beijing as the city is shrouded by heavy smog on Tuesday. (AP photo)

The lawyers in the suit said the region had allowed pollution to increase in the interests of toxic economic growth, severely endangering the physical and mental health of millions of people.

They called on the three governments to issue a formal apology and pay damages to the complainants.

Cheng Hai, another lawyer behind the suit, said the governments bore overall responsibility for pollution and needed to be held to account.

We believe that Chinas smog is not unavoidable, but is the result of weaknesses in governance, he said. Ordinary people think that the previous stage of economic growth led inevitably to smog, but this is completely wrong.

China has promised to provide legal channels that will allow citizens to sue polluters, and special tribunals have been set up across the country to deal with environmental lawsuits.

A man, wearing a mask, visits a park amid heavy air pollution in Beijing on Tuesday. (AFP photo)

Chinas amended environmental protection law, which went into effect at the beginning of last year, allows individuals to take legal action, but only via non-profit social organisations that have been approved by the government.

Our plan is to file the suit and we will receive the verdict within seven days on whether or not it will be accepted, and if it is not accepted, we will take it to the higher courts, said Cheng.
A hijab-clad Muslim woman was allegedly assaulted in Australia with a beer bottle and her headscarf was torn off after her attacker said merry Christmas and she replied with happy holidaysat the Beeliar Village shopping complex in Perth.

The 33-year-old woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told WAtoday that she was walking into Coles (supermarket) when a man yelled out merry Christmas.

I turned around and said and happy holidays to you, she said.

He then yelled, no Merry Christmas, so I said, ok, then he called me a (expletive) Muslim, she said.

I asked him what he said and I saw him grab a bottle so I quickly turned away and he threw it at me and it smashed on my shoulder and neck. Imagine if I did not turn around, it could have cut my face open, the woman said.

She said her headscarf came off during the scuffle, which the man dumped near the shopping complex.

Despite the single mother being left shocked and traumatised by the incident that took place on Friday, she decided to follow him as she was calling the police. She said the man then started hurling sticks and rocks at her.

I was screaming on the phone to triple-zero because I thought this guy could kill me, she said. I was running into oncoming traffic to get away from this guy because he was threatening to punch me in the face. I have been racially abused in the past because of my religion but this is by far the worse, she added.

The woman went back to the shopping centre and waited for the police to arrive. She waited for an hour and rang the police again who allegedly told her there was no log of her triple-zero call.

The Cockburn police are investigating the assault and are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.

The woman also reported the incident to the Islamophobia Register Australia and the Registers President, Mariam Veiszadeh, was quoted as saying that it was one of the worst attacks she had heard of.

The attack comes amid assaults targeting hijab-clad women in different parts of the world from the US to the UK.
Families of three victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting that left 50 dead and 53 wounded in June this year have sued tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter for allegedly providing material support to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and helping radicalise shooter Omar Mateen.

According to a Fox News report, the lawsuit was filed in federal court in the eastern district of Michigan on Monday on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero, stating that the three web platforms provided the terrorist group IS with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds and attract new recruits.

Without Defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of IS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible, Fox News cited the lawsuit as saying.

They create unique content by combining IS postings with advertisements in a way that is specifically targeted at the viewer. Defendants share revenue with IS for its content and profit from IS postings through advertising revenue, the lawsuit alleged.

Investigation revealed that Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard who opened fire inside Orlandos Pulse nightclub, was not a member of the terror group but had been inspired by it in part through what he saw on the internet.

An outpouring of anger toward the lax US gun control policy was witnessed on social media after the shooting -- dubbed as the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history after it surpassed the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech which left 32 people dead.

Furious gun control supporters questioned why laws were still permitting people with radical thinking or mental illness to acquire assault weapons.

Meanwhile, Keith Altman, the attorney representing the three families in the Orlando nightclub lawsuit, was quoted as saying that Facebook, Google and Twitter should be held liable for what users post on their services because they pair content with advertising.

Earlier this month, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter said they would share a database of terror images and videos to quickly remove terrorism content.
The Pakistani judge who led the official commission which probed the 2011 raid by US Navy SEALs that killed Osama Bin Ladin has said the panel's report should be made public.

Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal demanded the report be made public because "the commission has identified those responsible for the incident".

The inquiry commission set up by the government investigated the circumstances surrounding the May 2011 raid on the al Qaeda chiefs compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad. The commission interviewed more than 300 witnesses and made 200 recommendations in a 700-page report submitted to the prime minister in January 2013.

The report was immediately classified, but a version was leaked by an international news network.

Iqbal said his daughter kept asking whether bin Laden was in Abbottabad, and he had told her that if he revealed this, nothing would remain in the report.

Asked by media who was responsible for what happened, Iqbal said he was bound by oath and could not reveal such details.

He explained the commissions task was to identify those responsible and suggest action against them. It is only the government of Pakistan which has the authority to identify those responsible before the public, he added.

Iqbal complained about the government not implementing the commissions recommendations and said the panel had not absolved anyone of responsibility.
The Polish owner of the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people in what police said was a possible terror attack, confirmed his driver was missing.

We havent heard from him since this afternoon. We dont know what happened to him. Hes my cousin, Ive known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him, transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.

The companys transport manager, Lukasz Wasik, said the driver is 37 years old and had been transporting Thyssen steel products from Italy to Berlin.

The company where he was supposed to unload the products in Berlin was not able to receive them and told him to return on Tuesday morning. They told him to wait in Berlin somewhere, Wasik told AFP.

We lost contact with him around 3:00 pm local time. We dont know what happened -- whether he was taken hostage, killed. We know nothing. Were very worried about him.

But a police spokesperson in Berlin said the nationality of the suspected truck driver is still unclear.

The suspect, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was being interrogated by officers, police spokesperson Thomas Neuendorf told reporters.

He confirmed that the crashed truck had a Polish license plate and that German officials were in contact with Polish authorities.
Scotland Yard on Tuesday said it had detailed plans to protect public events during the Christmas and New Year period, when large numbers of people are expected at events such as the fireworks display on the Thames.

It said in a statement after Mondays truck attack in Berlin and the assassination of the Russian envoy in Ankara: As a matter of routine, as a precaution, we review our plans after attacks overseas, and we are doing so at present following the awful incidents in Berlin and Ankara last night.

The current threat level from international terrorism is set to severe, which means an attack is highly likely in the United Kingdom.

Scotland Yard said its security plans recognised and considered the range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.

Top security officials revealed in November that Britain had foiled 12 terror attacks in the past three years.

Read | Berlin Xmas market carnage a terrorist act, likely by asylum seeker: Merkel

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The Russian ambassador to Ankara was shot dead in a brazen attack by a Turkish policeman at an art exhibition on Monday in what both sides branded an act of terror.

The assassination, by a gunman shouting Allahu Akbar and Dont forget Aleppo, came after days of protests in Turkey over Russias role in Syria and on the eve of a unprecedented meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran on the conflict.

Here is what we know so far:

The attack

Dramatic footage showed the very moment the lone gunman  dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and tie  shot his target in the back as ambassador Andrei Karlov was speaking at the opening of a Russian photography exhibition in Ankara.

The assailant is seen standing behind the ambassador and then swaggering around the gallery waving his automatic handgun and pointing aggressively into the air.

The man shouts Allahu Akbar and then talks in Arabic about pledging allegiance to jihad in Arabic.

He then switches to Turkish, shouting: Dont forget about Syria, dont forget about Aleppo. All those who participate in this tyranny will be held accountable.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been neutralised in a police operation after a 15-minute standoff when he refused to surrender.

Read | Anti-riot police officer shoots dead Russian ambassador at Turkey art gallery

The policeman

The gunman was identified by the Turkish interior minister as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked in the Ankara anti-riot police squad for the last two-and-a-half years.

It is not known if he was on duty at the time and if not, how he managed to gain access to the cultural centre with a weapon.

Altintass mother, father and sister were detained for questioning at their homes in western Turkey.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek speculated on his official Twitter account that the policeman may be linked to the group of exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for the July coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It is also not yet clear whether the assassin was acting alone; no group has claimed responsibility.

Read | Strong signs gunman who killed Russian envoy linked to US-based cleric: Official

But it will add further to jitters in Turkey, which has been rocked by a wave of deadly bomb attacks carried out by Islamic State jihadists or Kurdish militants.

The attempted coup has led to a massive crackdown on so-called Gulenists and opponents of the increasingly authoritarian president.

The target

The slain ambassador, Andrei Karlov, was a veteran career diplomat who helped weather rocky ties between Moscow and Ankara.

Karlov, 62, was appointed to Ankara in 2013 at a time when the two countries were pushing to boost trade ties despite deep differences over the Syria conflict.

Russias foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described his killing as a tragic day in the history of our country and our diplomatic service.

The married father of one spent a large chunk of his career  which stretched back to the Soviet period  working on the volatile Korean peninsula, in both Seoul and Pyongyang.

The Hurriyet Daily News said Karlov was the first ambassador to be assassinated in Turkey, although the British consul was killed in an Istanbul bombing in 2003 and Israels consul general was kidnapped and shot dead by leftist militants in 1971.

The timing

The shooting came on the eve of a crucial meeting between the Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syrian conflict.

At the exact moment of the attack, Turkeys foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was on a plane flying to Moscow for Tuesdays talks, which he insisted would go ahead.

Moscow and Ankara remain on opposite sides of the conflict  with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscows ally president Bashar al-Assad.

Protesters in Turkey have held Moscow responsible for rights violations in war-wracked Aleppo, with thousands massing outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

Diplomatic relations between Ankara and Moscow sank to their worst levels since the Cold War in November last year when a Turkish jet shot down a Russian war plane over Syria.

But relations have since warmed, with intense contacts in recent days that led to a deal for evacuations from Aleppo.

Erdogan swiftly called President Vladimir Putin and both sides described the killing as a provocation, insisting it would not be allowed to cast a shadow on ties.

Read | Reactions to Ankara attack: Russia says terrorist act, UN hopes for justice
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen on Monday said it had made limited use of British-made cluster bombs, a type of weapon which 100 countries have pledged not to use.

In its 21-month campaign against Shia rebels who have seized much of Yemen, the Saudi-led alliance has faced repeated allegations of killing civilians.

It said it used the BL-755 cluster bombs against legitimate military targets to defend Saudi towns and villages against continuous attacks by the Houthi rebels.

The insurgents have killed more than 100 civilians and soldiers on the Saudi side of the border.

The coalition deployed the weapons in accordance with international humanitarian law, and not in civilian areas, it said, adding that Saudi Arabia no longer uses the BL-755.

London-based rights group Amnesty International in June alleged that at least 16 civilians -- including nine children -- have been killed or injured by cluster submunitions between July 2015 and May of this year.

Read | Saudi-led coalition air strikes kill over 60 Yemen rebels, prisoners

Amnesty said its findings came from the rebel stronghold of Saada as well as the Hajja area. Both are near the border with Saudi Arabia.

One hundred nations are party to the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions which bans their use.

Britain is a party to the convention but Saudi Arabia, its coalition partners, and the United States are not.

In January, the coalition spokesman said alliance forces had used CBU-105 cluster bombs against rebel vehicles.

President Barack Obamas administration moved in May to block sales of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia as concerns over civilian casualties in Yemen mounted, the journal Foreign Policy reported.

Cluster bombs contain multiple submunitions, which sometimes do not explode and become de facto landmines that can kill or maim long after being dropped.

Human Rights Watch, a New York-based watchdog, on Monday said the British-made cluster munitions had been transferred years ago and are no longer sold to Saudi Arabia.

But Britain continues to sell other weapons to the kingdom despite the clear risk of their use in future coalition attacks, the watchdog said, calling for a suspension of British arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Last week, the United States blocked the transfer of precision-guided bomb kits to Saudi Arabia out of concern over flaws in coalition targeting, a senior US administration official said.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Sunday dismissed such reports as media propaganda.

Since fighting escalated last year, more than 7,000 people have been killed in Yemen, about half of them civilians.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in August reported that coalition air strikes were suspected of causing around 50 percent of all civilian deaths.

Read more | US halts some Saudi arms sales over Yemen deaths concerns
The Turkish policeman who assassinated Russian ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov at an Ankara exhibition centre used his police ID to enter the show while armed, reports said on Tuesday.

Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, set off the metal detector security check when he entered the exhibition in central Ankara as he was carrying a gun, the pro-government Sabah daily said.

But after showing his police ID, he was waved through and allowed to proceed.

The Hurriyet daily added that Altintas, who had worked for Ankaras anti-riot police for the last two and a half years, had stayed at a nearby hotel to prepare for the attack.

It said Altintas, who was off duty at the time, had put on a suit and tie and shaved at the hotel before heading to the exhibition centre.

He was later killed by police after a shootout that lasted over 15 minutes.

Altintas was born in the town of Soke in Aydin province in western Turkey and attended a special school for training future policemen.

The mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, known for his outspoken comments, speculated on his official Twitter account that the attacker may be linked to the group of Fethullah Gulen blamed for the July 15 coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His suggestion has yet to be echoed by other officials but was repeated in the pro-government press, which claimed what Ankara terms the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO) was behind the attack.

An attack on friendship by treacherous FETO, said Sabah. A bullet from FETO, added the Star daily.

The mainstream Hurriyet said that authorities were investigating the assassins possible links to the Gulen movement.

They were particularly focusing on friends Altintas may have had at the police academy, it added.

Gulen denies having any link to the failed coup bid and supporters also issued a statement rejecting any connection to the attack on the Russian ambassador.
The 22-year-old Turkish policeman who gunned down the Russian ambassador in Ankara called in sick on the day of the attack and promised to bring a doctors note for his supervisors, a senior security official told Reuters.

The government has identified Mevlut Mert Altintas as the gunman who shouted Dont forget Aleppo! and Allahu Akbar as he opened fire repeatedly on envoy Andrey Karlov while he was giving a speech at an art gallery in the Turkish capital.

The attack, caught on video and widely circulated on social media, was a grisly reminder of the spillover faced by both Turkey and Russia from the Syrian civil war, where they are on opposing sides and where Russian-backed Syrian forces last week ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.

On Monday morning, Altintas called the division of the Ankara riot police where he had worked for 2-1/2 years and said he was unwell and would bring a doctors note upon his return, the official said.

Altintas, who lived in a shared flat in the Demetevler neighbourhood on the outskirts of Ankara, spent the night before the attack at a hotel in central Ankara close to the gallery, the official said.

He walked from the hotel ... to the gallery. He showed his police ID at the entrance, the official said.

This allowed him to bypass a security check and bring his gun into the venue.

Read | Andrei Karlov: The veteran Russian diplomat killed in Turkey

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov lies on the ground after he was shot by Mevlut Mert Altintas at an art gallery in Ankara on Monday. (Reuters)

Smartly dressed

Karlov was speaking at an event for the gallerys showing of an exhibition of photos from Russia, entitled From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka. Media present captured the killing in graphic detail.

In one photo, Altintas - dressed smartly in a suit, necktie and white shirt - is seen standing just behind Karlov as the ambassador spoke. In a video from moments later, Karlov is shown crumpling as he appears to be shot from behind.

Altintas fired some 11 shots with nine of those hitting Karlov, the official said, citing the initial police report. Photographs from the incident showed a wall marked by what appeared to be gunfire.

Read | Turkey detains six over envoys assassination as Russia seeks answers

Turkish special forces stormed the gallery and gunfire was heard for some time after, according to a Reuters cameraman at the scene. As they entered the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassadors body and would not allow him to be treated, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

A source familiar with the gallery said Altintas was spotted at the exhibition on the opening night, the Friday before the attack.

There was a ceremony for the opening of the exhibition on Friday evening and the attacker came to that event, the person said. Probably he was doing reconnaissance.

Gulen behind killing

Turkeys foreign minister has told US secretary of state John Kerry that Ankara and Moscow believe followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen were behind the killing of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov, ministry sources said on Tuesday.

Ankara has also accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed coup in July, a charge the cleric denies.

Read | US-based cleric Gulen shocked by Russian envoys killing
Details added (first version posted on 12:11)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

The volume of investments for the establishment of a metallurgical complex, consisting of five plants, in Azerbaijan is estimated at 1.225 billion euros, said Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev.

Mustafayev made the remarks during an event titled Development of metallurgical industry: new challenges and goals in Baku Dec. 20.

During the event, a contract was signed on construction of a metallurgical complex in the countrys Sumgait city.

The contract was signed by Chairman of Supervisory Board of Baku Steel Company Rasim Mammadov and Chairman and CEO of Danieli Group Gianpietro Benedetti.
The number of Russians who died after drinking contaminated bath oil rose to 52 from 41, the Irkutsk regions health ministry said.

Read: 33 in Siberia die after drinking bath essence for alcoholic kick

Around 29 more people are in the hospital, some of whom are in a serious condition, a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

The poisoning in Irkutsk, a hard scrabble city around 2,600 miles (4,000 km) east of Moscow, is one of the worst such cases in recent years in a country where up to 12 million people use cheap surrogate spirits.
Sri Lanka said on Tuesday it was investigating a former navy sailor convicted of attempting to assassinate Indias Rajiv Gandhi 25 years ago on suspicion of involvement in an alleged plot to kill Sri Lankas president.

Vijithamuni Rohana de Silva served two and a half years in prison for trying to murder the former Indian leader as he inspected a naval guard of honour in Colombo in 1987.

He has since turned to astrology and on Tuesday Sri Lankas Information and Parliamentary Affairs ministry secretary said police were investigating whether he was part of a plot to kill President Maithripala Sirisena.

Nimal Bopage said authorities could not ignore claims de Silva had posted on Facebook and other social media over the past five months, in what he called a sustained campaign.

This man claims to be an astrologer and he is predicting that the president will be killed by January 26, Bopage told reporters in Colombo.

We have alerted the police to carry out a criminal investigation because we suspect this to be part of a wider plot to assassinate the president.

De Silva took up a singing career after his release from jail, later turning to politics, before settling on astrology.

Sri Lankan politicians have immense faith in astrology. Many have their own seers whose predictions are considered more important than the advice of senior aides.

Former president Mahinda Rajapakse called a snap election nearly two years ahead of schedule on the advice of his personal astrologer -- and lost to Sirisena.
Senior Labour MP Keith Vaz will face an inquiry by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards into alleged breach of the MPs code of conduct after he was shown in a September sting operation discussing drugs in the company of two male prostitutes.

A police inquiry against Vaz was dropped on Friday. The inquiry by standards commissioner Kathryn Hudson was suspended pending the police investigation, but a spokesperson for the commissioner told Hindustan Times on Tuesday that she had decided to resume the probe.

The parliamentary inquiry relates to alleged breach of two paragraphs (10 and 16) of the code of conduct.

Paragraph 10 states: Members shall base their conduct on a consideration of the public interest, avoid conflict between personal interest and the public interest and resolve any conflict between the two, at once, and in favour of the public interest.

According to Paragraph 16, MPs shall never undertake any action which would cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons as a whole, or of its members generally.

Vaz, 59, resigned as chair of the influential Home Affairs Committee after questions about conflict of interest were raised between the panels work and issues that figured in the sting operation by the Sunday Mirror tabloid.

He later became a member of parliaments Justice Committee in the face of opposition by some MPs.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards deals with the application of the code of conduct and related rules that apply to MPs.

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Swiss police say they have found no radical Islamist or far-right motives by a gunman who killed himself after a shooting spree at Zurich mosque that wounded three worshippers.

Criminal police chief Christiane Lentjes Meili said investigations were continuing today in connection with the 24-year-old Swiss citizen behind the shootings yesterday.

She told reporters Theres no indication of any kind of terrorist connection to (the Islamic State group) or an Islamic radicalization of the suspect.

Lentjes Meili said an investigation determined that the gunman, who was not identified by name, had also recently stabbed to death an acquaintance.

She said two people seriously wounded in the mosque attack were recovering.
The Syrian government has authorised the United Nations to send an additional 20 expatriate staff to east Aleppo, where they will monitor the ongoing evacuation of thousands of people, a U.N. spokesman said on Tuesday.

This will almost triple the number of international staff currently deployed to Aleppo, Jens Laerke told a news briefing in Geneva. The task is to monitor and observe the evacuations.

The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously called for U.N. officials and others to observe the evacuation of people from the last rebel-held enclave in Aleppo and monitor the safety of civilians who remain in the Syrian city.

The U.N. staff, already in its Damascus office, will travel to Aleppo as soon as possible, Laerke said.

Some 25,000 people have been evacuated from the rebel-held enclave of Aleppo since Thursday, including 15,000 on Monday and 10,000 last Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday.

Laerke said that U.N. aid partners checking people arriving in Idlib province put the figure at 19,000.

We do not have independent U.N. access to the buses, so we are not able to enter and access people; that does not take away from the protection concerns that we do have and continue to have, he added.

Some 43 people were medically evacuated from east Aleppo on Monday, bringing the total to 301 since last Thursday, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.

Out of those 301, 93 patients were referred to hospitals in Turkey, others are in hospitals in Idlib and (opposition-held) western rural Aleppo, he said.

The vast majority have trauma injuries, and the sick and wounded include 67 children, he added.

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said there was no sign of a heavy influx of people fleeing Aleppo into neighbouring Turkey.

All the borders of Syria are very tightly managed at present. People, we understand, are being allowed to cross into Turkey when they come. But I think this is speculative as we are not yet seeing people move across in relation to Aleppo, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said.

Some 750 people have been evacuated from the two besieged Syrian villages of Foua and Kefraya so far, where 20 buses headed to early on Tuesday morning, Laerke said.
Two Australian tourists accused of stealing a bicycle have been forced to take a walk of shame through an Indonesian island with signs round their necks, an official said on Tuesday.

I am thieve (sic). Dont do what I did, the signs read.

The tourists, whose identities were not revealed, allegedly stole the bicycle about 10 days ago on Gili Trawangan, a popular tourist destination in central Indonesia.

CCTV recordings showed the two Australians taking a bike from the hotel, said village chief Muhamad Taufik.

The hotel manager reported the case to the authorities who caught the pair the following day, Taufik added.

We interrogated them, made an agreement, paraded them around the island and forced them to leave Gili, Taufik told AFP.

The two were the first foreigners this year to undergo a walk of shame on the island. A few Indonesians have been forced to take part this year in similar parades for theft.

National laws are in force on the island but it is unclear whether the Australians underwent a formal police investigation.

The walk of shame parade is a regulation in our village. I dont know whether the police are charging them now, what matters to me is that theyre now gone, Taufik said.

Such parades have taken place for years on Gili Trawangan, a tiny island off the coast of Lombok and just east of the major resort island of Bali.
Police said Tuesday that the driver who rammed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in the heart of the German capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50, did so intentionally and that they are investigating a suspected terror attack.

The truck struck the popular Christmas market outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church late Monday as tourists and locals were enjoying a traditional pre-Christmas evening out near Berlins Zoo station.

Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz, Berlin police said on Twitter.

Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was intentionally driven into the crowd at the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz, Berlin police said on Twitter.

All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care, they said.

Hours earlier Germanys top security official had refrained from pointing to an intentional act, but said evidence pointed in that direction, while the White House condemned what appears to have been a terrorist attack.

The crash came less than a month after the US State Department called for caution in markets and other public places across Europe, saying extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing on the upcoming holiday season and associated events.

Read| In pics: Truck ploughs through Christmas market in Berlin

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

What happened A truck ploughed 80 metres into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday night. At least 12 people were killed and nearly 50 were injured, some of whom are in a critical condition. The incident was reminiscent of the July 14 attack in the French town of Nice in which a truck rammed through a procession that killed 86 people. German police said the truck was steered intentionally into the crowd and a suspected terror attack in being investigated. The truck was registered in Poland, and believed to be stolen from a building site there.

After the Berlin attack, dozens of ambulances lined the streets waiting to evacuate people, and heavily armed police patrolled. Authorities on Twitter urged people to stay away from the area, saying they need to keep the streets clear for rescue vehicles.

Among the dead was a passenger in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but didnt give further details of who he was or what happened to him.

A suspect believed to be the driver was picked up about 2 kilometers (1 miles) away, near the Victory Column monument. He was being interrogated, Wenzel said. The truck was registered in Poland, and police said it was believed to be stolen from a building site there. They didnt give a specific location.

Read| Polish owner of Berlin lorry says driver is missing

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. They must have done something to my driver, he told TVN24.

Federal prosecutors, who handle terrorism cases, took over the investigation, according to German Justice Minister Heiko Maas. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was in contact with German officials and ready to help in the investigation and response.

US President-elect Donald Trump blamed Islamist terrorists, though it was unclear what that assessment was based on. He said Islamic extremists must be eradicated from the face of the earth and pledged to carry out that mission with all freedom-loving partners.

Read| Germany shaken by spate of attacks in the recent past

But German officials said shortly after the attack that it was too early to call the crash intentional.

I dont want to use the word attack yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD television. There is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation.

Germany has not experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, helped stoke tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.
A lorry ploughed into a busy Berlin Christmas market on Monday evening in a suspected attack that left at least 12 people dead and dozens more injured.

Here is what we know of the event reminiscent of the horrific scenes in July when a truck drove into a crowd in the French Riviera city of Nice.

The attack

A semi-trailer truck ploughed 80 metres into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 50 more, some of whom are in a critical condition. Witnesses said the incident was reminiscent of the July 14 attack on Bastille Day celebrations in the French town of Nice that killed 86 people.

Police said early on Tuesday the truck was steered intentionally into the crowd at the Christmas market in Berlin.

Our investigators assume that the truck was intentionally steered into the crowd at the Christmas market, police said in a Twitter message.

In pics: Truck ploughs through Christmas market in Berlin

The site

The attack occurred at Breitscheidplatz, the square in front of the historic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and a popular tourist destination. It is located close to the Berlin Zoo and the well-known Kurfurstendamm shopping street.

A general view shows the site where a truck ploughed through the crowd. (Reuters Photo)

The truck

The Scania truck had a Polish registration number and was loaded with steel beams. It left Poland for Italy via Germany on Monday but the firm lost contact with the driver at 4 pm local time. Ariel Zurawski, the owner of the vehicle, told Polish media his cousin had been driving the truck but he believed it was hijacked. Reports now suggest a dead Polish man found in the cab of the truck was the actual driver. The shipping companys GPS tracking showed the truck was stationary in the Berlin suburb of Wedding for about two hours from 5 pm local time, Deutsche Welle reported.

The suspected attacker

The man who was allegedly driving the truck fled from the scene but was later arrested and was being interrogated by officers, police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf told the media.

There was no official word on the nationality of the suspect. The nationality of the suspected driver in custody is still unknown but Die Welt and DPA cited security sources as saying the man was a registered refugee and an asylum seeker from Pakistan or Afghanistan. Reports said the man had arrived in Germany on February 16.

Read | He didnt want to stop: Survivors at Berlin Christmas market describe attack

Claim of responsibility

There has been no claim of responsibility so far from any terror group but experts pointed out that the incident was strongly reminiscent of the truck attack in Nice, which was claimed by the Islamic State. The IS has also called on its members and supporters to carry out such attacks in Europe using heavy vehicles.

Germany has been on high alert after taking in more than 1 million refugees over the past two years and German security agencies have foiled several attacks, including an attempted bombing at Berlin airport in October.

Reactions

White House spokesperson Ned Price referred to the incident as an apparent terrorist attack and president-elect Donald Trump blamed ISIS and other Islamist terrorists for slaughtering Christians as part of a global jihad.

German interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said there were indications the incident was an attack. France tightened security at Christmas markets after the attack.

Read | Polish owner of Berlin lorry says driver is missing

German police officers guard a Christmas market after a truck ploughed into a crowd on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin. (Reuters Photo)
President-elect Donald Trump vowed Monday, a month before he takes office, to wipe terrorists off the face of the Earth, after a series of high-profile attacks in Germany, Turkey and Switzerland.

German police have so far spoken of a possible terror attack after a truck plowed through a crowd, killing at least 12 and injuring dozens more in scenes reminiscent of Julys deadly truck attack in the French city of Nice.

But still, Trump condemned the horrifying terror attack.

ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad, he added, referring to the Islamic State group.

Trump then promised: These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the Earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.

In Ankara, a policeman shot dead Russias ambassador to Turkey. Trump called the gunman a radical Islamic terrorist.

The shooting, during which the gunman shouted Aleppo and Allahu akbar (God is great), occurred on the eve of a key meeting in Moscow between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syrian conflict.

Protesters in Turkey have held Moscow responsible for human rights violations in Aleppo, with thousands protesting outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul.

Turkey and Russia stand on opposite sides of the Syria conflict with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscows ally President Bashar al-Assad.

But the rhetoric has warmed considerably since a reconciliation deal was signed earlier this year and a Russian and Turkish-brokered accord has helped the evacuation of citizens from Aleppo in the last days.

As a billionaire real estate investor, Trump has curried favor with Moscow through his business dealings over the decades.

His pro-Russia views came under increasing scrutiny in 2015 as he opened his ultimately successful White House campaign, as he has brushed off reports of brutality and repression by Vladimir Putins Kremlin.

Those ties are coming under fire after US intelligence agencies found that Russia had tried to sway the US election via a cyber hack.

At the same time, relations between the former Cold War foes are at a very low point.

In Switzerland, a man burst into a Muslim prayer hall, shooting and wounded three men.

Witnesses had described the shooter as a man aged around 30 wearing dark clothes and a dark woollen cap.

A number of Swiss mosques, including one near Zurich and the main one in Geneva, have in recent months been accused in media of allowing or encouraging the radicalization of their worshippers, especially the younger members of their congregations.

Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2016
Turkish authorities were on Tuesday holding six people over the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara by an off-duty policeman, as Russia urgently sought answers over the murder.

With the Turkish capital already on high alert after a string of attacks this year, an individual also fired outside the US embassy in Ankara overnight in a separate incident.

President Vladimir Putin declared we have to know who directed the hand of the killer and the Kremlin said a Russian investigative team were flying to Turkey to probe the murder.

An unprecedented three-way meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran in Moscow over the Syria crisis was meanwhile set to go ahead despite the killing.

Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot four times in the back by Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, as he opened an exhibition of Russian photography in Ankara.

Dramatic images showed Karlov stumble and then crash to the ground on his back as the attacker brandished his gun at terrified onlookers who cowered behind cocktail tables.

The gunman shouted Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) and then said all those responsible for what has happened in Syria and Aleppo would be held accountable.

Carrying police ID

Altintas had set off the metal detector security check when he entered the exhibition in central Ankara as he was carrying a gun, the pro-government Sabah daily said.

But after showing his police ID, he was waved through and allowed to proceed.

The Hurriyet daily added that Altintas, who had worked for Ankaras anti-riot police for the last two and a half years, had stayed at a nearby hotel to prepare for the attack.

It said Altintas, who was off duty at the time, had put on a suit and tie and shaved at the hotel before heading to the exhibition centre.

He was later killed by police after a shootout that lasted over 15 minutes.

Altintas was born in the town of Soke in Aydin province in western Turkey and attended a special school for training future policemen.

Six people have been detained over the attack, including the sister, mother, father and uncle of Altintas, Turkish media said.

The mayor of Ankara, Melih Gokcek, known for his outspoken comments, speculated on his official Twitter account that the attacker may be linked to the group of Fethullah Gulen, blamed for the July 15 coup aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His suggestion has yet to be echoed by other officials but was repeated in the pro-government press, which claimed what Ankara terms the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO) was behind the attack.

An attack on friendship by treacherous FETO, said Sabah. A bullet from FETO, added the Star daily.

The mainstream Hurriyet said that authorities were investigating the assassins possible links to the Gulen movement.

They were particularly focusing on friends Altintas may have had at the police academy, it added.

Gulen, who denies having any link to the failed coup bid, issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror.

Bandits will feel this

Hours after the assassination, an individual fired outside the main gate of the US embassy in Ankara, the mission said in a statement.

It said no-one was hurt and the individual was detained but the embassy and consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed for normal operations.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a group of Russian investigators were flying out to Turkey to probe the murder in a move agreed by Putin and Erdogan.

The corpse of Karlov was in an Ankara morgue and would be flown back to Moscow, Turkish media reports said.

The killing came after days of protests in Turkey over Russias role in Syria, although Moscow and Ankara are now working closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.

Putin called the killing of Russias ambassador a provocation aimed at sabotaging warming ties between Moscow and Ankara and efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria.

There can be only one answer to this -- stepping up the fight against terrorism, and the bandits will feel this, Putin said.

Turkey and Russia stand on opposite sides of the Syria conflict, with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscows ally President Bashar al-Assad.

But the rhetoric has warmed considerably since a reconciliation deal was signed earlier this year and the tripartite meeting in Moscow Tuesday is just the latest in a series of contacts.

Born in 1954 in Moscow, Karlov was a career diplomat who had began his career under the USSR in 1976. He was Russian ambassador to North Korea from 2001-2006.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

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The Azerbaijani government intends to write off tax debts of citizens in the amount of 624 million manats from January 1, 2017, Natig Shirinov, head of the Main Department for Risk Analysis and Control of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Taxes, said.

Shirinov made remarks at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Policy, Industry and Entrepreneurship in Baku Dec. 20.

"The bill "On regulation of tax debts of taxpayers as of January 1, 2017" includes two types of tax debts, he said. The first item of the bill includes writing off all interest accrued for non-payment of debt, while the second item  writing off a part of financial sanctions," Shirinov added.

"So, in case of repaying 30 percent of the financial sanctions in January 2017, some 70 percent of remaining sanctions will be written off, he added. In case of repaying 50 percent of the financial sanctions in January-February 2017, some 50 percent of remaining sanctions will be written off.

In case of repaying 70 percent of the financial sanctions in January-March 2017, some 30 percent of remaining sanctions will be written off, he added.
Turkish police on Tuesday detained a man who fired shots in front of the U.S. embassy in Ankara, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack across the street.

The man took out a pump-action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air before the embassys security guards intervened and apparently overpowered him, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

No one was hurt in the incident that occurred hours after a Turkish policeman, appearing to condemn Russias military role in Syria, fatally shot Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit.

The embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be closed for normal operations on Tuesday.

The US embassy is located just across the street from the art exhibition centre where the Russian ambassador was killed. It was not immediately known if the two incidents were connected.

The leaders of Turkey and Russia have described the attack as an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war.

It came as the foreign and defense ministers from Turkey, Iran and Russia prepared to hold a key meeting on Syria on Tuesday in Moscow.

The assassination occurred after days of protests by Turks angry over Russias support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russias role in the bombardment and destruction of Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

An Associated Press photographer and others at the art gallery watched in horror as the gunman, who was wearing a dark suit and tie, fired at least eight shots, at one point walking around the ambassador as he lay motionless and shot at him again at close range.

The assailant, who was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old member of Ankaras riot police squad, was later killed in a shootout with police.

FOOTAGE: Police arrest the gunman outside the US Embassy in Ankara. He swears and says "don't play with us" pic.twitter.com/ZmFzYR2kq0  DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) December 20, 2016

A group of 18 investigators and foreign ministry officials have left for Ankara to investigate the killing, Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had accepted during a telephone conversation with Putin a request that Russian experts take part. Anadolu reported that the Russian officials would participate in the autopsy.

Hurriyet newspaper said authorities were trying to determine whether Altintas acted alone or if his assault was an organized terror attack.

His actions appeared to be well-planned. The paper said Altintas had taken leave from work on medical grounds and booked himself into a hotel near the exhibition center.

Turkish police detained three more people connected to Altintas on Tuesday, raising the number of people in custody for questioning to seven, Anadolu reported. They include the mans parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara.

The Russian Embassy said Karlovs body would be flown to Russia on Tuesday and a ceremony would be held at the airport in Ankara.

Authorities increased security outside the Russian ambassy, and the Iranian embassy was closed on Tuesday as a precaution. Russian deputy foreign minister Oleg Syromolotov warned against traveling to Turkey, citing a number of terror attacks that have plagued the country over the past 18 months.

I think every person who travels to Turkey should think twice before doing it because terrorist attacks happen there almost every day, the Tass news agency quoted Syromolotov as saying.

Turkeys pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak claimed Karlovs killing was a plot by the US intelligence agency that was carried out by a movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey says is behind a failed coup in July aimed at toppling Erdogan. Gulen denies the accusation.

Great Sabotage, Yeni Safak said in its headline.

.
The UN rights chief urged the Philippines on Tuesday to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for murder, after he boasted that he in the past had personally killed suspected criminals.

Duterte said in a speech last week that when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao, where he served three terms between 1988 and 2016, he personally killed people to set an example for police.

He made the comments in a speech to businessmen as he discussed his campaign to eradicate illegal drugs, which has seen police and unknown assailants kill thousands of people since he became president on June 30.

The Philippines judicial authorities must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation, UN rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein said in a statement.

The killings committed by Mr Duterte, by his own admission, at a time when he was a mayor, clearly constitute murder, he said.

It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer, he insisted.

Duterte has said that as newly-elected mayor of Davao, he and several local policemen ambushed a group of suspected kidnappers shortly after the gang collected ransom from the parents of the released hostage, a local teenage girl.

Maybe my bullets killed them, maybe not, but after the (firefight) they were all dead, he said.

He meanwhile told the BBC on Friday that he had personally killed about three people during his term as mayor.

Philippines justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre insisted that the president had not violated any law.

If the suspect fought back, he must have been forced to kill him, Aguirre told reporters last week.

But Zeid was adamant, warning that the acts clearly violated the constitution of the Philippines.

The killings described by President Duterte also violate international law, including the right to life ... and innocence until proven guilty, he said.

The UN rights chiefs statement also decried the environment of alarming impunity and violence created by Dutertes deadly campaign to eradicate illegal drugs.

According to the UN, nearly 6,100 people had been killed since Duterte took office in late June.

Despite police investigating thousands of the deaths perpetrated by vigilantes, there is surprisingly little information on actual prosecutions, Zeid said.

Children as young as five years old have been the innocent victims of this appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings, he warned.
US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen said he was shocked and deeply saddened by the assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey in the capital Ankara, in a statement late Monday.

A Turkish policeman crying Aleppo! and Allahu Akbar! fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov while he was addressing visitors to a photo exhibition earlier in the day.

Read | Sharp-suited killer of Russian ambassador used police ID to enter Ankara show

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek had earlier speculated on his official Twitter account that the gunman may have been linked to the exiled preacher, whom the government blames for the July coup aimed at toppling President Erdogan.

I condemn in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror, Gulen said in a statement.

No terrorist act can be justified, regardless of its perpetrators and their stated purposes, he added. It is the expectation of the Turkish people and the world that the government investigate the circumstances of this incident, identify those who aided the perpetrator and take the necessary precautions so that such an attack cannot be staged in the future.

Read | Strong signs gunman who killed Russian envoy linked to US-based cleric: Official

Gulen, who has been based in the United States since the late 1990s, has vehemently denied the claims of his involvement in the coup.

The comments by Gokcek, the Ankara mayor, were echoed Tuesday by the pro-government press, which also alleged the gunman had ties to Gulen.

However, no ministerial-level official has repeated the claims so far.

A former close ally of Erdogans, Gulen also criticized the government over the gunman, a police officer who had served with the anti-riot police.

Turkish and international experts repeatedly have pointed out the deterioration of security and counter-terrorism efforts due to the Turkish governments assigning hundreds of counter-terrorism police officers to unrelated posts, as well as the firing and imprisoning (of) many others since 2014, Gulen said.

He also urged Turkey and Russia to work toward resolving the Syrian conflict.

This despicable act of shooting an ambassador, who represents an entire nation, only exacerbates the Syrian conflict that has already taken too many lives and driven too many from their homelands, like adding fuel to a fire.
The United States labelled as an apparent terrorist attack a drivers move to plow his truck into a busy Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, a tragedy that killed at least nine people and hurt 50 more.

Germany is one of our closest partners and strongest allies, and we stand together with Berlin in the fight against all those who target our way of life and threaten our societies, White House national security spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident.

The United States condemns in the strongest terms what appears to have been a terrorist attack on a Christmas Market in Berlin, Germany, which has killed and wounded dozens, Price said.

We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed, just as we wish a speedy recovery to all of those wounded. We also extend our heartfelt condolences to the people and government of Germany.

For his part, President-elect Donald Trump squarely blamed the slaughter of nine people on Islamist terrorists.

Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of todays horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday, Trump said in a statement.

ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad.

The Republican, who takes office January 20 and is known for his heated rhetoric, also promised to wipe out terrorists.

These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the Earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners, he said.
THIS APRIL we mark the 150th anniversary of the ending of the American Civil War. The Confederate surrender on the ninth day of that month followed a week of desperate maneuvering by the remaining Rebel army in Virginia to evade the Union forces that were closing in on Richmond. With the fall of Petersburg, Rebels fed their capital city after setting much of it ablaze. It would still take a catastrophic defeat at Sailors Creek followed by a failed last-ditch fight at Appomattox Station to finally convince Confederate general Robert E. Lee that all was lost, that it was time to quit the battlefield.

The nation that had been conceived in liberty and that won its independence just 150 miles east of Appomattox with the British surrender at Yorktown 84 years earlier would remain as onebut only after four years of brutal warfare that left staggering losses in lives and treasure. The ending at Appomattox, however, left poisonous wounds, whose depth and malevolence were manifested by the unthinkable assassination days later of the victorious President Lincoln. April 1865 ended the darkness of war. It brought light to a peopleblack and white, North and Southby freeing them from the shackles of the shameful and barbaric betrayal of their founding creed. But that light quickly dimmed as the nation, still chained to ingrained racism and nurtured by unapologetic remnants of a defeated ideology, began another war within itself. It would take a century of struggle to finally realize what had ostensibly been won in April 1865. Our look back on that fateful month of hope and anguish begins on page 50.

Another wars ending 80 years and one month after Appomattox saw Americans rejoicing with the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. This time it was a united America that went to battle, engaged in historys greatest global enterprise to defeat an evil ideology that threatened world domination. Even though Americans would continue to fight for months in the Pacific, V-E Day unleashed joy and fostered hope. Two letters penned at the end of the war (page 58) poignantly reflect on the cost of the fight and the optimism raised by victory in Europe. Few people at the time, however, realized that embedded in that victory were the seeds of yet another long season of conflicts, hot and cold, that would shape our future for decades to come. We have these stories and much more in our interactive iPad edition, available on the iTunes newsstand, including a gem from the American History vault. Its a captivating piece by Alex Haley, published in February 1974, that describes his ongoing genealogical research and discoveries in the United States and Africa that would result in his groundbreaking book Roots.

Roger L. Vance

Originally published in the June 2015 issue of American History. To subscribe, click here.
Risking all to expose corruption and crime is deeply rooted in the American ethos. Long before the likes of Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden, a small group of Revolutionary War sailors took great chances to report misdeeds to the Continental Congress

In February 1777 Captain of Marines John Grannis furtively departed the frigate near Providence, R.I., and made his way to Philadelphia to deliver a petition to the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress. It was a risky destination for an officer who had just jumped ship, but young Grannis had been chosen for the job. The petition, signed by him and nine other men aboard Warren, then anchored Warren, alleged that Commodore Esek Hopkins, head of the Continental Navy, was unfit to lead. In accompanying affidavits the sailors and Marines charged that a British warship had eluded capture through Hopkins incompetence; that he had been barbarous to prisoners; that he had spoken disrespectfully about the Congress; and, in the words of the chaplain, John Reed, he was remarkably addicted to profane swearing and regularly took the name of God in vain.

The Marine Committee agreed to investigate and called Grannis to testify. It is generally feared on board the feet as well as those ashore that his commands would be so imprudent that the ships would be foolishly lost, or that he would forego opportunities of getting to sea, or attempt it when impractical, Grannis stated in support of the charge that Hopkins was a hindrance in manning the feet. Regarding alleged mistreatment of prisoners, Grannis reported that some of them had been placed in irons for refusing to do ships duty and some had been held back from a prisoner exchange because Hopkins, desperate for crewmen, wanted them to enlist in the American navy. Near the end of his testimony, Grannis was asked whether he had obtained permission to leave the frigate. No, he said. I came to Philadelphia at the request of the officers who signed the petition against Commodore Hopkins, and from a zeal for the American cause. Grannis was not censured for this infraction; rather, the complaints were swiftly forwarded to the Continental Congress, which voted to relieve Hopkins of his command.

The fall of Americas first naval commander was only partly caused by the actions of Grannis and his shipmates, Americas first whistleblowers. Hopkins relationship with Congress had been acrimonious for most of his 15 months in high command. His appointment itself smacked of partisan politics, since his older brother, Stephen Hopkins, a former governor of Rhode Island and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, sat on the committee that had commissioned him. Still, Hopkins had proven to be a brave fighter during the French and Indian War, and as a merchant captain he had sailed around the world. Before commanding the Continental Navy, Hopkins was a brigadier general in charge of all of Rhode Islands military forces, which included a small feet. But an American navy was without precedent, and its first leader was bound to stumble. The colonies along the Atlantic produced many fine seamen, and their training and experience made them the best sort of raw material for an efficient naval force, noted maritime historian Gardner Weld Allen, but the lack of true naval traditionand of military discipline, and the poverty of the country, imposed limitations which, together with the overwhelming force of the enemy, seriously restricted the field of enterprise.

The feasibility of a colonial naval force had been hotly debated in Congress. Proponents such as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin clashed with skeptics such as Marylands Samuel Chase, who believed it the maddest idea in the world to think of building an American feet. . . . We should mortgage the whole continent. But most delegates saw the value in some sort of maritime power, and on October 30, 1775, Congress appointed a Naval Committee to supervise the creation of the first feet: two sloops, two schooners and four merchant vessels refitted as warships.

Hopkins was commissioned as commander on December 22, 1775, at age 57. On January 5, 1776, he received orders to sail to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and dispatch a small recon vessel to assess the enemys strength. If it wasnt greatly superiourto his own, Hopkins was to search out and attack, take or destroy all the Naval force of our Enemies. If successful, he would conduct similar raids in North and South Carolina, then sail to Rhode Island to complete the purge. Should some accident or disaster alter these plans, Hopkins was to decide the next move: Follow such Courses as your best Judgment shall Suggest to you. The feet was scheduled to depart in mid-January,but the icy waters of Philadelphias Delaware River were not navigable until February 17, when it finally set sail. A dockside crowd roared as a yellow banner rose above the flagship Alfred.Fluttering in the wind, the banner bore the image of a coiled rattlesnake above the words Dont Tread On Me.

Once upon the open sea, Hopkins best Judgment kept the feet clear of Virginia and the Carolinas and headed toward the balmy waters of the Bahamas. Intelligence officers had informed him of a stockpile of British guns and ammunition in a poorly guarded fort on the island of New Providence. As expected, the feet encountered little resistance in confiscating the stash. It took two weeks to lade the cache of cannons, mortars, shells, hand grenades, gunpowder and other munitions desperately needed for the cause. Good fortune followed them to the east coast of Long Island, where they captured two British vessels, a schooner and a bomb brig, both stocked with valuable provisions. But the winning streak ended on April 6, with a surprise encounter with Glasgow, a 20-gun British frigate carrying 150 men. Cabot, a two-master commanded by John Hopkins, Eseks son, fired the first broadside, but Glasgow pummeled the smaller vessel. With Cabot now silent and adrift, Alfred joined the fight, with Esek Hopkins in charge and John Paul Jones commanding a 9-pounder cannon crew on the lower deck. Alfred put up an able fight until its wheel block and tiller ropes were shot of. Despite engagements with Hopkins other ships, the battered Glasgow escaped into the Atlantic.

Notwithstanding this unfortunate incident, Hopkins was feted as a hero. John Hancock, president of Congress, wrote him a letter expressing the gratitude of that body in whose Name I beg leave to congratulate you on the Success of your Expedition. But real concerns about the commodore soon replaced the fanfare. He had, after all, utterly ignored his orders to sweep through the Chesapeake Bay and the Carolinas. And while two of his captains were court-martialed over the escape of Glasgow, Hopkins remained unscathed. Furthermore, as idle weeks passed after its maiden voyage, the Continental Navy failed to adequately man its ships.

On August 12, 1776, Hopkins appeared before the Marine Committee (the new incarnation of the Naval Committee) to account for his record, most specifically his disregard for the orders to attack southern ports. The British had increased their military might in Virginia and the Carolinas, he stated, and his small feet could not have overtaken them. This was true, since Hopkins orders had become known to British intelligence and squadrons had been dispatched to abort his mission. But Hopkins had not mentioned that in his original report, and Congress voted to censure him. It appeared to me that the Commodore was pursued and persecuted by that antiNew England spirit which haunted Congress in many of their proceedings, wrote John Adams, who had argued in Hopkins defense. I saw nothing in the conduct of Hopkins which indicated corruption or want of integrity. Experience and skill might have been deficient in several particulars: but where could we find greater experience or skill? I knew of none to be found.

Soon afterward, as if to mitigate the censure, Congress authorized Hopkins to refit the schooner he had captured of Long Island and name it Hopkins. It was to sail on his next mission to destroy British fisheries in Newfoundland and disrupt British trade in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. But Hopkins could not round up enough men even to begin the expedition.

Competition for able seamen came from American privateersarmed private vessels authorized to capture or destroy enemy ships. Typically, sailors aboard privateers shared in the prize money from the sale of captured ships, a practice that paid better than service in the regular Navy. Hopkins appealed to the General Assembly of Rhode Island, seeking an embargo on privateering, at least until his feet was manned. The measure lost by two votes, owing to a number of the members being deeply concerned in privateering, he wrote. Hopkins had sailed a privateer during the French and Indian War; during peacetime he had commanded commercial ships for local business titans who now profited from privateering. Once considered a colleague, Hopkins was now at odds with such men,including the Brown brothers, Nicholas, Joseph and John,prominent Rhode Island business and political figures who were members of a committee engaged in the construction of two naval frigates. Hopkins accused the committee of abusing its spending privileges to benefit privateers, and all of its members resigned after a rebuke from the Marine Committee.

Travel plans for the Continental Navy were dashed on December 7, 1776, when 18 British warships and convoys carrying 7,000 troops sailed into Narragansett Bay, R.I., where Hopkins feet lay at anchor in the Providence River. Newport fell to the enemy with little resistance; inclement weather prevented that happening in Providence. I have got the ships in the best position of defense we can make them, Hopkins wrote to the Marine Committee. If we get the ships manned, shall take some favourable opportunity and attempt getting to seabut at present think we are of more service here than at sea without we were manned.

On January 2, 1777, Hopkins was informed that a British frigate, Diamond, was stranded on a shoal between Providence and Newport. Hopkins and his men approached on a sloop, since the waters were too shallow to float a large ship.They opened fire, and a nearby fort seconded their salvos with cannon blasts. But the fort soon ran out of ammunition, the winds turned to turbulent gales and the waters rose enough for enemy warships to join the battle. As had Glasgow, Diamond sailed off to safety. A Boston prize agent who had ridden on the sloop as a volunteer sent his account of events to the Marine Committee. He depicted Hopkins as an incompetent old coot.Who couldnt capture a wounded frigate stranded in the sand?

Around the time of Grannis arrival in Philadelphia, three of the 10 Warren whistleblowers met with Hopkins and informed him of the petition and affidavits. Midshipman Samuel Shaw, Chaplain John Reed and Master Roger Haddock confessed that they had acted under the influence of some gentlemen of the town, the town being Providence, which lay a little north of the feet. They signed statements disavowing their earlier affidavits, which Hopkins forwarded to William Ellery, a Rhode Island delegate to Congress, along with a letter. He alerted Ellery to some paper or Petition greatly to my disadvantage: which they were persuaded to by some Gent of this Town, I suppose the Owners of the Privateers, who I am sorry to say are greatly prejudiced against me. . . . And as for Captain Grannis who I understand is gone to you with it, I am well persuaded he never has been on board the ship three nights together, nor I believe ten days this five months pastand this single thing must Convince every Impartial Person, that for an officer of a Ship to leave without the knowledge of the Captain or Lieutenant when she was in danger of being attackedand to go on such a Journey without first endeavoring to Remedy the Evil if there was any, cannot be a friend to his Country, but must act upon some private View.

Hopkins learned that 3rd Lieutenant Richard Marvin had been the catalyst in organizing the complaints against him.Marvin was the sole Rhode Islander among the 10 men, a resident of Providence who, as a carpenter on the new frigates,had worked for the same committee Hopkins had accused of corruption. Marvin was tried in a court-martial on April 3, 1777, aboard one of those ships, Providence, now in Hopkins feet. Captain Abraham Whipple presided over the court, with Hopkins and his son John assisting in the grilling. Marvin proved to be an unshakable and slightly arrogant defendant. I was born in England but America is grown dear to me, he told Hopkins, who asked about his place of birth.

What was it that I ever did that was injurious to the public welfare? asked Hopkins.

A number of facts coming to our knowledge which we thought was our duty to submit to Congress.

Do you remember what the facts were?

I do remember.

If you remember will you tell what they were? asked Whipple.

Whenever Congress or any body authorized by them calls upon me I am ready to relate the facts.

Do you think you was acting in the character of an officer when you made and signed a complaint and sent it away privately against your superior officer? asked Whipple.

I think I was.

Marvin was dishonorably discharged for having treated the Commander-in-Chief of the American Navy with the greatest indignity and defamed his character in the highest manner,but he was later granted a federal pension for his 11 months of service. Tough Hopkins was unaware of it, his service was over as well: Eight days earlier Congress had voted to suspend him. Since news traveled slowly, Hopkins received a copy of his suspension order on April 15, delivered by a Continental prize agent from Rhode Island. Although I have lost the Interest of a parcel of mercenary merchantsI do not think I have lost it in the major part of this State, he wrote to William Ellery. I am obliged to you for your advice to continue a Friend to my Country, and you may depend I shall, should I have a few friends in itneither do I expect to remain inactive.

Hopkins never gave Congress a rebuttal to the petition and complaints. He never answered the chargelodged by some petitionersthat the feets crew shortage stemmed from his reputation, not privateering. He never made public the conspiracy of privateer owners who bought of Marvin and his shipmates, if such a conspiracy ever existed. But when Hopkins was formally dismissed from the Continental Navy on January 2, 1778, he decided it was time to salvage his reputation, at least in Rhode Island. He brought a suit for criminal libel against the 10 petitioners, with damages set at 10,000.Only Marvin and Samuel Shaw were arrested; the rest were at sea or otherwise unreachable.

The defendants turned to Congress for help. They were not men of means, they wrote, and they had suffered much trouble and expense for doing what they believed was their duty. It is unclear whether Congress was aware that Shaw had recanted his claims against Hopkins; on July 31, 1778, Henry Laurens, president of Congress, wrote to inform Marvin and Shaw that reasonable expenses for their defense would be provided. He enclosed a copy of a law passed the previous day, the first whistleblower protection act, which they could present in court.

Resolved, that it is the duty of all persons in the service of the United States, as well as all others the inhabitants thereof, to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds or misdemeanors committed by any officers or persons in the Service of these States, which may come to their knowledge.

William Channing, Rhode Island attorney general and son-in-law of William Ellery, was hired for the defense. Hopkins brought forth an estimable group of character witnesses to attest to his fairness: a sea captain, a clergyman and college president, a prize agent and a judge of the maritime court of the state. The affidavits of the men disavowing their complaints were also submitted. The defense relied heavily on documents released by Congress, including the original petition and affidavits. After five days of trial, the men were found not guilty. The defendants congressional support no doubt impressed the jury, but Hopkins had few allies in Philadelphia and many delegates likely welcomed the chance to drive one more nail in his coffin. Future whistleblowers would rarely enjoy such government cooperation.

The next federal action to protect whistle came in 1863 with the passage of the False Claims Act. Referred to as the Lincoln Law, it rewarded those who uncovered corruption among contractors and other government service providers, even if the whistleblowers blowers -were involved in the malfeasance. It takes a rogue to catch a rogue went the thinking, and the informer earned a slice of the settlement. The Lincoln Law went virtually unchanged for almost a century.

In 1952 Senator Richard M. Nixon introduced a whistleblower protection act when he was concerned about upcoming hearings on the Truman administrations handling of the Korean War and other matters. Unless protection is given to witnesses who are employees of the Armed Services or employees of the Government, he wrote, the scheduled hearings will amount to no more than a parade of yes-men for Administration policies past, present and future. Nixons proposed legislation stalled and was never signed into law.

Ironically, the actions of Nixon as president inspired the next significant whistleblower protection legislation, 200 years after Congress first shielded those who came forward. To curtail Watergate-style cover-ups, the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act granted civil servants protection from reprisal for the lawful disclosure of information related to mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. That law was strengthened by the 1989 Whistleblower Protection Act; 25 years later, on July 30, 2014, the U.S. Senate unanimously recognized the second annual National Whistleblower Appreciation Day as an acknowledgment that whistleblowers risk their careers, jobs, and reputations to serve the public interest by ensuring that the United States remains an ethical and safe place.

Steve Boisson wrote about Hollywoods 1942 pro-Soviet film, Mission to Moscow, in the February 2014 issue of American History. He is currently researching a biography of fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey.



Originally published in the April 2015 issue of American History. To subscribe, click here.
Police have arrested six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, Turkish state media Anadolu Agency said on Tuesday.

On Monday a policeman had gunned down the Russian envoy Andrey Karlov at a photo exhibition in Ankara in full public view. According to media reports, the policeman shouted "Don't forget Aleppo!" as he gunned the envoy down. The policeman was identified as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police for around two years. He was later shot dead by members of Turkey's Special Forces.

His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained, the state-run Anadolu agency said.

The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology, rather than that of Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue.

"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here," he shouted in Turkish.

Russia is the main coalition partner who is backing Syrian President Bashar-al-Assad in the ongoing conflict in Syria which had led to mass killings of people opposing Assad forces. Meanwhile, Turkish government is backing the opposite rebel faction in war-torn Syria.

The killing of Russian envoy is being seen as the reaction of recent bombing in rebel held Aleppo where hundreds of people were killed last week. The ongoing civil war between Assad forces and Sunni rebels have killed around 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Islamic State.

However, the conflict reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.

Check the video here:

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Cyber attacks in the hotel industry are on the rise, and in particular, this year, there has been a series of high- profile data breaches affecting payment cards and guest data. Experts had already warned that the hotel industry would be the next big target for cybercriminals. Cyber criminals are releasing technology-focused malware such as MalumPoS that are designed to target systems running point of sale systems. The industry is also facing an unprecedented technology revolution that provides innovative solutions either to enhance the guest experience or to improve the operational efficiency of staffs. For the Hotel Yearbook, Jumeirahs Dileep Sreedharan provides a practical guide to security.

Related Document Building an adaptive security program for the hotel industry | By Dileep Sreedharan
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Baku will host the 6th meeting of economy ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council), the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry told Trend Dec. 20.

The meeting will be attended by more than 50 representatives from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

During the meeting, a report of the working group will be presented, as well as the opportunities to expand economic cooperation among Turkic speaking states will be discussed.

The Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (Turkic Council) was established in 2009 as an international intergovernmental organization, with the overarching aim of promoting comprehensive cooperation among Turkic Speaking States. Its four founding member States are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.
Generally, any hotel that uses a nearby educational institution as the primary demand generator can be considered a campus hotel; however, the scope of this article focuses on hotels that are directly affiliated with an educational institution, often a college or university.For each campus hotel project, developers should fully understand the school's vision to create a property that not only meets the design requirements and educational purposes, but is also economically sustainable. On the other hand, operators should have appropriate revenue management practice, leverage school's internal resources, and manage student employees with extra emphasis on scheduling and training.

The concept of campus hotels is not a new one. In 1923, the American Hotel Association proposed a "practice hotel" for Cornell's then newly-established hospitality program. For many years, because there are only a limited number of this kind of properties, there has not been significant study on this topic. However, in recent years, the industry has seen increasingly more joint ventures or other types of partnerships between educational institutions and developers all around the country. There are several reasons that contributed to this trend:

The boutique lifestyle hotel movement in the hospitality industry requires many older campus hotels to be renovated or upgraded.

More and more universities and colleges started offering or expanding their hospitality programs, and having a hotel can add practical value to these programs.

The hospitality industry is becoming more segmented in terms of branding, product offering and affiliated demand generators, and special considerations are required for the development and operation of each type. Corresponding to this need, the industry boasts developers who solely focus on campus hotels. For example, a Chicago based hotel chain, Graduate Hotels, has been developing college-themed hotels since 2014. SMART hotels, a hotel development company based in Cleveland, started their campus hotel specific development service in 2010.

Many educational institutions perceive their campus hotels much more than just a lodging facility; most campus hotels are considered an integral part of the school or program. Schools not only utilize these hotels in the traditional manner, but also use them to provide hands-on working experience for hospitality students. In some cases, the campus hotels have even become the activity and social center of the campus.

Contrary to many hotel guests' assumptions, campus hotels can offer high standards of service and product. Some are 4 diamond-rated luxury properties, and some have high-end meeting facilities and equipment. Examples in the U.S. include the Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center in Auburn University in Alabama, the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center at Michigan State University in Michigan, Morris Inn at University of Notre Dame University in Indiana, and Statler Hotel at Cornell University in New York. The following sections will discuss some of the most important considerations in the development and operation of campus hotels.

Morris Inn Meeting Space Photo by Horwath

Development Considerations

There is no cookie cutter model for the development of campus hotels. Each individual campus hotel property has its own set of advantages and challenges. According to Ed Small, president of SMART hotels, campus hotels often take more time and cost to build because there are often extra criteria and requirements from the school and the local community. On the other hand, campus hotel developers can sometimes benefit from the reputation and internal resources of the affiliated educational institution. The following are some issues for which campus hotels developers should be aware:

Multiple Layers of Approval - In addition to obtaining the approvals from the local municipality, campus hotel developers need to get the approvals from the school for most decisions in the development process. Educational institutions can have complex organizational structures; the developer not only needs to work with the hotel administration (for schools that offer a hospitality program) and other relevant departments, but also with the president of the school and even the board of trustees. In some projects, the student community can weigh in on some decisions as well. Because of the multiple layers of approval, the information and data gathering phase often takes longer than other types of hotels, and more planning meetings are needed.

- In addition to obtaining the approvals from the local municipality, campus hotel developers need to get the approvals from the school for most decisions in the development process. Educational institutions can have complex organizational structures; the developer not only needs to work with the hotel administration (for schools that offer a hospitality program) and other relevant departments, but also with the president of the school and even the board of trustees. In some projects, the student community can weigh in on some decisions as well. Because of the multiple layers of approval, the information and data gathering phase often takes longer than other types of hotels, and more planning meetings are needed. Return - As a type of commercial real estate, campus hotels' economic sustainability is key; however, for properties that are part of a hospitality program, pursuing favorable bottom line can sometimes counter the educational purpose. For example, campus hotels that are used as the "learning lab" for hospitality students have higher operational costs due to inefficient workflow and unskilled labors. Because campus hotel owners (the educational institution) normally have long holding periods, or no intention to sell the hotel at all, it is more important to make sure the project will be financially viable in the long run to support its educational goal. It is an art to find the balance between these two objectives.

- As a type of commercial real estate, campus hotels' economic sustainability is key; however, for properties that are part of a hospitality program, pursuing favorable bottom line can sometimes counter the educational purpose. For example, campus hotels that are used as the "learning lab" for hospitality students have higher operational costs due to inefficient workflow and unskilled labors. Because campus hotel owners (the educational institution) normally have long holding periods, or no intention to sell the hotel at all, it is more important to make sure the project will be financially viable in the long run to support its educational goal. It is an art to find the balance between these two objectives. Financing - Similar to other hotel development projects, economic viability and sustainability are the key consideration for debt or equity investors. With that said, some campus hotel developers find that the established credibility and reputation of the educational institution can facilitate the financing process. In addition to typical financing methods, there are several potential sources of capital related to the nature of the educational institution: alumni network, school endowment, donation or governmental grants, etc. Once the project is proven feasible, the developer generally have an easier time to gain capital compared to those who completely rely on their own track record.

- Similar to other hotel development projects, economic viability and sustainability are the key consideration for debt or equity investors. With that said, some campus hotel developers find that the established credibility and reputation of the educational institution can facilitate the financing process. In addition to typical financing methods, there are several potential sources of capital related to the nature of the educational institution: alumni network, school endowment, donation or governmental grants, etc. Once the project is proven feasible, the developer generally have an easier time to gain capital compared to those who completely rely on their own track record. Design - The design of campus hotels requires more considerations than is typically necessary. Not only should the design uphold the standards of the city and the brand (if branded), but it should also be compatible with the school's design parameters and principles: Most universities or colleges have strict standards for the look and construction of new builds on campus, - from color scheme to construction materials. The hotel may be adjacent to other historical educational facilities with unique designs; and the facade of the hotel should be in harmony with such surrounding buildings. Some campus hotels are designed to be physically connected to or part of the teaching facility, which requires more design effort regarding the circulation of public and back of house spaces. Today, many educational institutions are also conscious about the environment, requiring that the property be sustainable and environmentally friendly. For example, the hotel at Oberlin Campus in Ohio was designed and constructed to Platinum LEED standards and it is one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable hotels in the world.

- The design of campus hotels requires more considerations than is typically necessary. Not only should the design uphold the standards of the city and the brand (if branded), but it should also be compatible with the school's design parameters and principles: Risk and Volatility - Campus hotel's largest demand source is the school itself, which is a very stable demand generator. Many school-related events reoccur each academic year  graduation, job fairs, sport events or student galas  and these events normally will only take place at the subject school. These events are less affected by the fluctuation of economy, when compared to leisure travel or commercial conferences.

"Campus hotels show a certain degree of resilience to the volatility of economy," says SMART Hotels president Ed Small. "During the 2008 economy crash, campus hotels in general did better than other types of hotels."

The Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center Event Photo by Horwath

Operational Considerations

The operation of campus hotels varies property to property. For example, while students of Oberlin College can work at the college owned Hotel at Oberlin, the hotel is operated by a third-party company, and almost all employees at the property are full-time. Whereas on the other hand, Cornell University's Statler Hotel is considered the training laboratory for students, and as such a majority of hotel staff are students. During the Hotel Ezra Cornell(HEC) conference, students are allowed to operate the hotel entirely as they host distinguished alumni and visitors. While there is no fundamental difference between the operation of campus hotels and other types of hotels, some issues are worth noting for the managers:

Employees - It is not unusual for campus hotels to hire a significant number of part-time students for entry-level positions, possibly requiring extra resources to manage the student employees. According to Cornell Statler Hotel General Manager Richard Adie, a primarily student staff can create certain degree of challenge: First, most students are not able to fully commit to the hotel position because of their academic or career commitment. This is especially the case for exam periods, or career fairs. Second, since most student employees can only work on weekends for one or two shifts per week, the learning curve for them are much longer than full-time employees. It is not uncommon for students to take three months or even longer to become fully proficient in an entry level job.

Campus hotel managers handle these challenges in several ways - the most important part is to plan carefully based on the school's academic and career event schedules. Some campus hotels hire more students than they truly require in case students miss a shift, and nearly all campus hotels have ongoing hiring and comprehensive training programs to keep a skilled and stable student work force.

- It is not unusual for campus hotels to hire a significant number of part-time students for entry-level positions, possibly requiring extra resources to manage the student employees. According to Cornell Statler Hotel General Manager Richard Adie, a primarily student staff can create certain degree of challenge: First, most students are not able to fully commit to the hotel position because of their academic or career commitment. This is especially the case for exam periods, or career fairs. Second, since most student employees can only work on weekends for one or two shifts per week, the learning curve for them are much longer than full-time employees. It is not uncommon for students to take three months or even longer to become fully proficient in an entry level job. Campus hotel managers handle these challenges in several ways - the most important part is to plan carefully based on the school's academic and career event schedules. Some campus hotels hire more students than they truly require in case students miss a shift, and nearly all campus hotels have ongoing hiring and comprehensive training programs to keep a skilled and stable student work force. School Image and Branding - Campus visitors form their first impression of the school based on their experience at the hotel, which explains why more and more schools are renovating and upgrading their properties. "Our student employees are ambassadors of the hotel school," adds Statler's Adie. "Most guests enjoy talking to our student employees to know about our school and programs." Managers of campus hotels should not overlook this important opportunity to create pleasant memories for prospective students and families.

- Campus visitors form their first impression of the school based on their experience at the hotel, which explains why more and more schools are renovating and upgrading their properties. "Our student employees are ambassadors of the hotel school," adds Statler's Adie. "Most guests enjoy talking to our student employees to know about our school and programs." Managers of campus hotels should not overlook this important opportunity to create pleasant memories for prospective students and families. Seasonality - Campus hotels have very seasonal demand. Demand is relatively low during the summer and winter breaks, and is high during the fall and spring semesters. Some months are predictably much busier than others, such as August or May, when there are annual events for alumni, speakers, student parents and recruiters who visit the campus. Weekends tend to have higher demand than weekdays for campus hotels because most school activities take place on weekends - sport events, conferences, or Homecoming or Family Weekends.

- Campus hotels have very seasonal demand. Demand is relatively low during the summer and winter breaks, and is high during the fall and spring semesters. Some months are predictably much busier than others, such as August or May, when there are annual events for alumni, speakers, student parents and recruiters who visit the campus. Weekends tend to have higher demand than weekdays for campus hotels because most school activities take place on weekends - sport events, conferences, or Homecoming or Family Weekends. Segmentation - Due to the educational nature of the demand generator, visiting scholars, speakers, prospective students and their parents create a notable portion of the transient demand. Schools also attract significant group demand from their conferences / seminars / exhibitions and athletic programs. On the other hand, typical commercial demand and business travelers are relatively lower for campus hotels, though universities that have more career events or a business school may see more commercial demand.

- Due to the educational nature of the demand generator, visiting scholars, speakers, prospective students and their parents create a notable portion of the transient demand. Schools also attract significant group demand from their conferences / seminars / exhibitions and athletic programs. On the other hand, typical commercial demand and business travelers are relatively lower for campus hotels, though universities that have more career events or a business school may see more commercial demand. Internal Resources - A tremendous advantage for campus hotels is that managers can garner support from the affiliated college or university, where there are many experts in business-related industries, such as business management, data analysis, legal or even design. For universities that offer a hospitality program, the campus hotel benefits from direct consultation with the teaching faculty on various operational issues, from revenue management to marketing.

- A tremendous advantage for campus hotels is that managers can garner support from the affiliated college or university, where there are many experts in business-related industries, such as business management, data analysis, legal or even design. For universities that offer a hospitality program, the campus hotel benefits from direct consultation with the teaching faculty on various operational issues, from revenue management to marketing. Pricing - In general, the pricing of campus hotels follows the free market principle. However, because the owner (university or college) is often the biggest demand generator itself, campus hotel managers do feel they have less negotiating power on pricing. Many campus hotels offer "special rates" for internal demand, and sometimes campus hotel managers may face the pressure to turn down external demand at higher rates to meet the internal need. This requires the university and college to understand the operation of the hotel and collaborate with the management to determine the optimal prices.

Looking Forward

In 2012, Purdue University dedicated Marriott Mall for their hospitality and tourism management program; Hilton has a hotel at the University of Houston as a teaching facility for hospitality major students. The trend of hospitality integrating with higher education is expected to continue, and there will be more collaborations between major hotel brands and educational instructions in the United States, to meet the growing need for more upscale properties on campus. For investors and developers, there will be many potential opportunities that will not only have stable returns, but also help bring more young talent to the hospitality industry.
ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) announced today it has signed a multi-unit development agreement with GVK Enterprises, a hospitality management and development firm, to introduce and establish a hotel portfolio in Greece.

Choice anticipates the first property under the agreement will open by the summer of 2017 under the Comfort brand flag in Athens, and four additional properties will be developed on the Greek mainland and islands under the Comfort, Quality and Clarion brands.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our European portfolio to Greece, an important travel and tourism destination that has shown signs of strong recovery and positive forecasts," said Mark Pearce, senior vice president, international division, Choice Hotels. "Choice wants to support and participate in this recovery and we have every confidence that our brands will thrive in such a dynamic market."

"I'm delighted to work with Choice Hotels and bring their Comfort, Quality and Clarion brands to the Greek capital and islands. We look forward to helping Choice develop a portfolio of hotels that will appeal to international travelers visiting Greece for either business or pleasure. We are extremely proud to be able to bring Choice to a land filled with so much history and culture. Greece has always been one of the most popular tourism destinations and we look forward to sharing the food, hospitality and beaches with the rest of the world through the millions of guests of the Choice family," said George Kontos, President, GVK Enterprises.

This agreement follows several other EMEA market portfolio expansions that Choice has announced in 2016. In April, the company announced it had signed an agreement to deliver approximately 25 hotels and 8,000 rooms in UAE and Saudi Arabia by 2021. Other deals signed include establishing multiple hotels in Belgium and the co-branding of 19 properties in Germany, Austria and Hungary under the Comfort and Quality brands. Choice recently launched its upscale Ascend Hotel Collection brand in the UK and France, with Turkey to follow in 2017.

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With nearly 7,000 hotels, representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in 35 countries and territories as of March 31, 2022, the Choice family of hotel brands provides business and leisure travelers with a range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy segments. The award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty program offers members benefits ranging from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.

 2022 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statement

This communication includes "forward-looking statements" about future events, including anticipated hotel openings. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including construction delays, availability and cost of financing and the other "Risk Factors" described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any of which could cause actual results to be materially different from our expectations.

Addendum

This is not an offering. No offer or sale of a franchise will be made except by a Franchise Disclosure Document first filed and registered with applicable state authorities. A copy of the Franchise Disclosure Document can be obtained through contacting Choice Hotels International at 1 Choice Hotels Circle, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850, [email protected].

 2022 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Vince Kenkel

Former Evisions and Webtrends Executive to Oversee Software Delivery and Drive Client Success

NAVIS, the #1 reservation sales and marketing technology provider for the hospitality industry, has welcomed Vince Kenkel, seasoned technology executive, as their new vice president of engineering.

Kenkel comes to NAVIS with more than two decades of software experience, starting out as a software engineer but spending most of his career leading technical teams. Most recently, he was vice president of engineering at Evisions, Inc. and before that vice president of engineering at Webtrends, Inc. In both roles, he led the development of world-class, enterprise SaaS solutions.

Kenkel's considerable experience will help him lead the strategic direction of NAVIS technology portfolio and guide the build-out of its product roadmap, broadening and improving NAVIS suite of products and related services.

Regarding his new appointment, Kenkel said, "NAVIS sees technology as a means to success, not an end. Im fortunate to join such a visionary company that prides itself in breaking new ground while keeping clients' best interests at heart."

Kyle Buehner, NAVIS CEO said, "Vince brings a stellar record of developing and launching innovative, successful SaaS-based products. He's metric-minded, understands big data, and clearly shares our values of innovation and exceptional service. We're very fortunate to have found someone of his caliber to fill this role, and I know he can't wait to get started."

To learn why leading lodging companies trust NAVIS to help them take full advantage of sales and marketing opportunities that lead to more business, please visit http://www.TheNavisWay.com or call 866-712-3439.

About NAVIS

NAVIS is the #1 reservation sales and marketing platform for the hospitality industry. Because we believe technology should make you money, not cost you money, we developed our game-changing Revenue Performance Platform to transform teams into revenue makers, enabling them to drive, capture and convert more direct bookings. We deliver actionable guest insights so departments can seamlessly sell and market together. The result is always a dramatic increase in direct sales and profit. We guarantee it.

Founded in 1987, NAVIS is a privately held company with headquarters in Bend, Ore., and a growing East Coast office in Orlando, Fla. The company has been awarded Top Workplaces by The Oregonian for four consecutive years and named one of the 2016 Top 100 Workplaces in Central Florida.

To learn more visit www.TheNavisWay.com.
Joseph P. Kennedy, president of Crystal Investment Property, exclusively represented the Seller in the sale of the Trollers Lodge located in Depoe Bay, Oregon. The new owner is planning capital improvements including renovation of the owners quarters and possibly construction of additional rooms.

Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a member of Hotel Brokers International, announced the successful sale of the Trollers Lodge in Depoe Bay, Oregon. Crystal Investment Property, LLC, a licensed Oregon broker, exclusively represented the Seller in the sale. Joseph P. Kennedy, President of CIP, worked closely with the Seller, Buyer and Buyers Broker as well as the parties other professionals, to negotiate a mutually acceptable sale. The final sale price is confidential.

The 12-key property is sited on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean in the Whale Watching Capital of the Oregon Coast and offers sweeping views of Depoe Bay and ocean from most of the guest accommodations. Adjacent to Highway 101 and walking distance to shops and restaurants, the hotel is well located to take advantage of the attractions in the surrounding town. The hotel offers an outstanding mix of rooms for a variety of guests as well several managed units offering full house rentals for larger groups. The new owner intends to complete some capital improvements including a renovation of the owners quarters and possibly adding rooms.

Joseph Kennedy, President of Crystal Investment Property said, Trollers Lodge is a unique and special lodging property which radiates pride of ownership throughout. We were pleased to have a strong level of interest during the period CIP marketed the hotel and we were especially pleased to find a strong, local Buyer who will continue the proud tradition of excellence in operations the Sellers have begun!

Crystal Investment Property, a premiere hospitality investment advisory and brokerage company located in the Pacific Northwest, maintains the most cutting-edge technological, online and social media presence as well as a full range of traditional and web-based marketing reaching local, regional, national and international clientele. The firms core services of hospitality asset acquisition/disposition are supported by innovative and creative solutions to maintain position as the most active and successful hotel broker in the region. Crystal Investment Property represents the full spectrum of hospitality real estate owners and their experience covers all hospitality assets types, including: full service hotels, boutique hotels, select service hotels, limited service hotels, as well as development projects, and leasehold transactions. Crystal Investment Property may be accessed online at www.crystalip.com.

Founded in 1959, Hotel Brokers International members lead the industry in hotel real estate sales. HBI hotel brokerage specialists have successfully negotiated more than 10,000 hotel real estate transactions and consistently account for the largest share of all select-service and economy hotel sales in the United States. The organizations database currently comprises more than 100 property listings and the HBI website attracts site visitors from around the world. Founder and host of the popular Hotel Investors Marketplace Webcast, HBI also developed the Certified Hotel Broker professional designation program. In addition to hospitality real estate advisory services, HBI offers affiliate membership to professionals in allied fields, including franchising, lending, appraisals and investment services. For more information about HBIs hotel listings or to become a broker or affiliate member, visit www.hbihotels.com.

For more information contact:

Joseph P. Kennedy, President

Crystal Investment Property, LLC

Portland, Oregon

503.530.1316

joe@crystalip.com

Glenda J. Webb, Managing Director

Hotel Brokers International

Kansas City, Missouri

816.505.4315

gwebb@hbihotels.com
Hotel ZaZa partnered with HeBS Digital to redesign an artistic, user-friendly, responsive website that highlights the brands two iconic properties in Dallas and Houston. The two properties combine the luxurious ambiance of a full-service resort with the comfort and style of boutique properties and a playful ambiance. Featuring elegant accommodations for even the most discerning travelers, Hotel ZaZa pairs extraordinary design with unrivaled functionality  something that is now mirrored in their new website design. The new site is a testament to Hotel ZaZas prominent web presence and allows prospective guests to easily digest information about the hotel while viewing high-res photos via intuitive website navigation.

Hotel ZaZas new website is powered by HeBS Digitals award-winning, proprietary smartCMS v7 technology. The website also features search-engine optimized copy and destination specific guides that highlights the unique features of the properties in Dallas and Houston while showcasing attractions and activities within easy reach of the hotel.

The smartCMS v7 grants hoteliers an unparalleled level of control over visual, promotional and textual content. It also supports multi-brand, chain, multi-property and single property websites. This innovative content management system comes with a host of enviable features, including a series of modules designed specifically for the hospitality industry to drive direct bookings and limit abandoned reservations.

HeBS Digital has earned more than 400 prestigious industry awards for its digital technology, web design and marketing service and is a proud partner of Hotel ZaZa. Combined with results-driven marketing, the new Hotel ZaZa website is well-positioned to drive major direct bookings for the properties.

Explore the website here.

About HeBS Digital

Founded in 2001, HeBS Digital helps hoteliers drastically increase direct bookings and lower overall distribution costs by deploying industry best-of-breed digital technology, consulting and marketing (www.hebsdigital.com).

The firm has won more than 400 prestigious industry awards for its digital technology, website design and marketing services, including numerous Adrian Awards, Stevie Award in the American Business Awards, W3 Awards, WebAwards, Magellan Awards, Summit International Awards, Interactive Media Awards, and IAC Awards.

A diverse client portfolio of top-tier major luxury and boutique hotel chains, independent hotels, resorts and casinos, franchised properties and hotel management companies, convention centers, spas, restaurants and bars, DMO and CVBs are all benefiting from HeBS Digitals direct online channel strategy and digital marketing expertise. Contact HeBS Digitals consultants at (212) 752-8186 or success@hebsdigital.com

This article originally appeared on HeBS Digital.
10 Gifts Hotel Marketers Want For The Holidays

This article originally appeared on Tambourine.

Tis the season to create your holiday wish list.

However, a hotel marketers wish list is unlike any other. Instead of asking for a new car or the latest tech toy, what you secretly hope Santa brings are all the assets you need to hit budget in 2017.

So deck the halls with these top wishes from every hotel marketers holiday wish list:

1. Presidential Policies That Maintain Current Demand and Todays Steady Economy

After two years of presidential election anxiety and uncertainty, hotel marketers are crossing their fingers that President Elect Trump and his policies will work in the hotel industrys favor. Despite the controversial rhetoric during campaign season, we hope Trumps long-standing and famed career in real estate will serve us well during his time in office, with issues like immigration reforms that positively impact our employees, foreign trade agreements that benefit our supply chain, or promised tax relief.

2. More Legal Injunctions Against Airbnb

Earlier this month, Airbnb officially backed off a lawsuit they had against New York City and the citys new strict regulations targeting certain Airbnb hosts. The new rules impose fines up to $7,500 for hosts illegally renting out multiple units. This settlement comes after Airbnb walked away from another lawsuit earlier this year, attempting to block San Franciscos law that required hosts to register with the city. Other cities had kept a close eye on these cases, since the outcome would potentially shape their own battles against Airbnb. Plus, AHLA created model legislation for local governments to use in their own short-term rental measurements. These events leave us with renewed hope for more rulings against Airbnb in the future.

3. More Awareness of the Benefits of Booking Direct

We all have Marriott and Hilton to thank for setting up a strong foundation for the rest of the hotel industry in our battle to regain bookings from OTAs. Their high-profile marketing campaigns, like Hiltons Stop Clicking Around, intrigued audiences and raised awareness about the benefits of booking direct. Now that the stage has been set, our hope is more and more hotels will follow in their footsteps and start their own clever campaigns (no matter how small) to regain market share, plus offer more creative perks to entice guests to book direct.

Read more: 3 Ways to Overcome the Perception that OTAs are Cheaper

4. Simpler Data Collection and Personalization

Just like Santa, you want to deliver exactly what guests want when they want it. And, theres just one way to achieve that  data. Luckily, 2016 was a big year for data, giving us more tools to amass more timely information about guests than ever before. However, gathering and analyzing data can be time-consuming and complicated. So this year, hotel marketers are hoping for simpler methods and tools to collect that data and actually put it to good use.

5. To See Authentic Travel Marketing Pay Off

Todays hotel guests are all about extraordinary experiences and remarkable moments they cant achieve at home. So, for the past several years, hotels have been reimagining what defines their typical guest experience and giving guests front-row access to the local flavor and culture. From chef-led farmers market tours to lobby art shows featuring local upcoming artists, hoteliers are hoping their curated local experiences will prove to drive more bookings and boost their bottom line.

6. A Bigger Marketing Budget

You know all too well that successful hotel marketing campaigns take talent and money. And, nothing would make you happier this holiday season than a larger 2017 marketing budget to pay for the resources you know youll need. Unfortunately, there are still many hotel owners who believe you can hit your revenue targets with less money and cheap marketing methods. This year, hotel marketers are hoping to convince hotel execs that their lofty revenue goals need to be supported with loftier budgets (and maybe even more staff). Lets hope hotel owners realize that investing in marketing is one of the smartest moves they can make to boost revenue.

7. Property Upgrades to Remain Competitive

Major hotel brands have invested millions in creating new hotel collections or revamping current properties to align with the tastes and expectations of modern travelers. With so many new and noteworthy properties vying for guests attention, its more important than ever to keep up with contemporary amenities, experiences and aesthetics. No amount of brilliant marketing can hide an aging and outdated hotel property. Unless your hotel owners invest in the necessary upgrades, renovations and redesigns, marketing your behind-the-times hotel will be a fruitless endeavor.

8. Less Reliance on OTAs

We get it.

Sometimes you feel as if your hotel cant survive without OTAs. They bring bookings seemingly out of nowhere and consistently fill your rooms with a minimal amount of effort. However, the fact remains that those rooms are booked at rock-bottom prices. On top of that, OTAs still pocket 15-30% on top of the already reduced room rate. Driving your own reservations and relying less on OTAs IS possible. ROI-obsessed hotel marketers like many of our clients have created tools and perfected marketing techniques to take back bookings, such as booking engines that decrease bounces, copywriting that drives conversions, and pricing psychology that convinces guests to purchase. All of these smart tools and tactics already exist and are here for the taking, so consider this holiday wish granted.

9. Consistent Glowing Guest Reviews

From TripAdvisor reviews to Instagram images to Facebook photos, todays travelers rely on each others experiences to help drive and validate their own booking decisions. No matter how brilliant your marketing campaigns are, guest reviews will always have the upper hand. So, its important to deliver an outstanding guest experience each and every time. The more positive opinions guests share about your hotel, the more others will trust you with their travel funds as well.

10. Better benchmarking

Virtually every hotel marketer we speak to asks the same question: how am I doing compared to other properties ,like mine? While many common benchmarks (like STRs indexes) exist, KPIs like website conversion rate and direct vs 3rd party revenue ratio vary by property-type and market. Help apparently is on the way, as smart analytics companies like Snapshot Analytics in Europe and others are trying to help hotel marketers evaluate their performance vs relevant peers worldwide.
Azealia Banks is caught up in headlines and drama today. The first bout came when Azealia threw shots at fellow New York rapper, Nicki Minaj, the reason for which is unclear she revealed in the lengthy Facebook post (which she has since deleted) that shes collaborated with Nicki Minajs ex on a record, so this might have something to do with the seemingly unwarranted attack.

After that Facebook post, she got to typing some more. In another post, which she has also since deleted, she revealed some pretty heavy news she just suffered a miscarriage. She wrote on Facebook, So Ive just had a really major life event happen and I want to talk about it because this wouldnt be an Azealia Banks page without loads of oversharing right? Anywho, Ive just had a miscarriage and am pretty taken aback by it all and really confused and in shock and guilty and a bit depressed and like a failure and very ashamed.

View a screenshot of the Facebook post above. Shes followed up the deleted post with a new message, check that out below.

Should she have shared this on a public platform?

Were sending our condolences to Azealia. Hopefully things start looking up.

Azealia Banks
The State Duma (lower house of the Russian Parliament) may ratify the Turkish Stream gas pipeline deal in January 2017, the State Dumas International Affairs Committee Chair Leonid Slutsky said Dec. 20, Sputnik International reported.

The first spring session of the International Affairs Committee will review the deal, Slutsky said.



Russia and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on the Turkish Stream project Oct. 10.

The document envisions construction of two underwater legs of the gas pipeline in the Black Sea. The annual capacity of each leg is estimated to reach 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas. One leg is provided to supply gas directly to the Turkish market, the other for the supply of gas by transit through Turkey to Europe.

Pipe-laying work for the Turkish Stream is expected to begin in 2017 and end in late 2019.
Ryan Salandy, an aspiring Maryland rapper who goes by the stage name Ry Money, was sentenced on Monday to 18 years in prison for the second-degree murder of music producer William McDaniel. He had been convicted of the charge in September, one year after the incident in question. Salandy has been found guilty of executing a hit-and-run attack with his silver Saab that ended in the death of McDaniel, with whom he worked on music. Salandy is apparently a Christian rapper, reports CBS 6 News.

The tragic attack was a result of a conflict that began over CDs, as Salandy had allegedly paid McDaniel $300 to burn 150 CDs containing his music, reports XXL, but the negotiation did not play out as Salandy had intended. Multiple witnesses heard the two collaborators arguing about the CDs, according to court docs.

After a verbal altercation, Salandy sped away from Sweetspire Drive in Clarksburg, MD, only to return moments later. Authorities believe he intentionally drove his vehicle into McDaniel, whilst traveling at a speed between 37 and 49 miles per hour at the time of impact. McDaniel apparently rolled over the hood of Salandys car and was sent flying into the air upon being hit. Police discovered him at the scene with fatal injuries.

About 30 minutes after finding McDaniels body, police were able to find and arrest Salandy at his mothers home. In fact, his mother was the one who contacted them. Yes, Hi. I just got a call from my son, he accidentally hit someone in Clarksburg. My son was speeding and the person jumped in front of the car, she said on the 911 call. Salandy is presumed to have arrived at his mothers house soon thereafter. He would admit to deliberately hitting McDaniel after he was taken into custody.

McDaniel was 21 at the time of his death, whereas Salandy is now 23. In giving him 18 years and a second-degree murder charge, the judge decided that Salandy had not intended the hit-and-run to result in McDaniels death.

Salandy
This weekend resulted in yet another dramatic life event for a Kardashian family member, aka more fodder for the tabloid and gossip mill. In case you werent on the internet over the weekend, heres a quick recap: Blac Chynas Instagram account was hacked, resulting in many private DMs and text messages getting shared on her account. In didnt end there, a break-up happened between Rob Kardashian and Chyna as well, with Rob taking to social media to air out his grievances, in a very emotional post.

It seems Rob has taken some time and is reconsidering his rant from the past weekend. Hes hopped on social media again (sigh), to publicly apologize to Chyna, and express regret over his post. Chyna, on her end, claimed that Rob has some serious mental issues to deal with, so perhaps this is Robs way of owning up to it.

He wrote on Instagram, This weekend I was in an emotional bad place and did some things that embarrassed myself and my family. I apologize and Im seeking help to deal with my flaws/issues. Please pray for me and Im sorry @blacchyna. You are a great mother to our child and I love you.

In a second post, with a photo of their daughter Dream Kardashian, he wrote, I am going to get better for you Dream. You are my life and gave me a new start on being a better me. Love you.

You can view screenshots of both posts in the gallery above, or embeds below.

Rob Kardashian
Nile Rodgers says the deaths this year of so many of his musical friends has delayed the release.

Nile Rodgers has confirmed the delayed arrival of the new Chic album, Its About Time.

In a blog post, the disco legend explains that with so many of his friends dying he wasnt in the right headspace this year to release a record.

In 2016 the music industry was under pressure, he reflects. It lost so many giants to the Angel of Death. The year had barely started when David Bowie passed away. Though I've done dozens of albums with god knows how many superstars, David and Let's Dance is one of the highest plateaus in my career.

I'm a very optimistic person, but Glenn Fry and Paul Kantner died in that first month as well. The year was off to a very bad start, and the way forward through 2016 became unclear. Over the next few months I took some pressure off by touring with my symbolic other band, Duran Duran, and playing my own FOLD (FreakOutLetsDance) Festivals. I also collaborated on a huge amount of songs while focusing on what was most important in the world of CHIC - STAYING POSITIVE!

When Prince suddenly died, it was like I'd been struck by lightning twice. It made me see why I named the next CHIC album It's About Time. Time is so important, and what we do with it is everything.

I flashed upon this fact: 2017 is the 40th anniversary of the world's most influential disco in history, Studio 54. It's also the 40th anniversary of CHIC. Our song Le Freak became one of Studio 54's massive anthems.

In 2017, we will pay homage to the club that put us on the international map by doing a series of concerts, afterparties, VIP Packages, films and singles - then drop the full album along with a BIG SURPRISE! In 2016, I couldn't release an album about the joy of life in A Year of So Many Deaths.
Five years ago, the soaring price of oil meant Drum Oil and Gas and its profits were growing. The family-owned company, in addition to employing four members of the Drum family, was able to hire five additional full-time workers, buy dozens of wells, drill nine others, and move from Fort Worth to Liberty, north of Houston, to be closer to their operations.

Today, Drum Oil and Gas is barely breaking even, if that. Cash reserves are all but gone. The company has laid off its five-person crew, and the remaining family members have taken big pay cuts. Lainey Drum, who manages the books for her husband's 14-year-old company, has had to take a second job to make ends meet as oil prices remain stubbornly low.

"We are not Exxon," Drum said. "We employ our family. It makes us a living, but we struggle."

Drum Oil and Gas is just one of scores of oil companies for which the oil bust is far from over, even as big energy companies declare a bottom and prepare for a recovery after a two-year downturn. As markets and analysts have focused on the woes of Big Oil and large independents, the small, private and often family-owned firms that comb the Texas oil patch have been largely forgotten. Those that have survived hope they can hold on long enough for prices to rise. But many have given up.

"What's not talked about, what's not counted," said Ray Welder, owner of Welder Exploration and Production of San Antonio, "are the number of family companies which have not filed for bankruptcy but have just quietly shuttered."

A part of history

As Lainey Drum put it, small oil and gas companies are not Exxon, but they still play an important role in the energy industry and the state's economy. The history of oil in Texas, in fact, begins with the small companies and wildcatters that took big risks and earned bigger returns when they found gushers. They have inspired books, movies and legends, and become an integral part of Texas culture.

Today, with high up-front costs of exploration and drilling, the days of the lone wildcatter are largely gone. Most small companies operate marginal, or low-output wells that they acquire from bigger players moving to more productive fields. These wells, nonetheless, account for 10 to 15 percent of the state's production and millions of dollars in tax revenues.

Companies that operate marginal oil and gas wells, typically small firms like Drum, employ more than 70,000 people in Texas, according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a trade group. Marginal wells in Texas generate more than $10 billion in sales and $3 billion in wages and salaries.

As crude prices moved above $100 a barrel in 2014, the Drums employed a full-time crew of four to drill and service their 93 wells in Liberty, Hardin and Polk counties, north and east of Houston, and a pumper to monitor production. But once the price of oil plunged - around $50 a barrel today - the Drums were forced to lay off the crew, with the pumper leaving for another job soon after because he feared he would be next.

One employee agreed to stay on part-time, but he, too, left because there wasn't enough work. "He had to get another job," said Drum. "He has to feed his family."

Hard times all over

To get a sense of the difficulties facing small oil and gas companies, attend a meeting of Texas Railroad Commission. Every month, small companies plead with commissioners to waive fees or requirements that the firms plug old wells and clean up properties, claiming they just don't have the money and the costs could put them out of business.

At meetings in October, Houston oil and gas exploration company AnaTexas Offshore told the commissioners that it could not afford to plug one of its inactive wells. Roff Oil and Gas, an oil and gas operator also based in Houston, said its small company of 12 employees couldn't keep up with paperwork and missed the deadline to claim a tax exemption.

Dominion Production Company, an oil and gas driller from Florida, had its license to operate in Texas pulled after it failed to respond to the commission about a hearing; Dominion claimed it no longer had staff to file the paperwork.

None of these companies responded to requests for comment.

Among the cases heard in October was that of Robert Beck, of Wichita Falls, whose company R.D. Beck Operating owns one injection well and three stripper wells - even less productive than marginal wells - located nearly 150 miles west of Wichita Falls.

Beck and his partner are the only employees. When oil prices ran near $100 a barrel, they made a comfortable living. But today, there is little profit from the wells, which produce about five barrels a day.

They no longer have the money to keep the wells operating. To try to survive, Beck put off paying the $750 required to renew his license to operate in Texas. He owes the Railroad Commission more than $18,000 in fines for missing document filing deadlines and not plugging inactive wells.

Now 65, deeply in debt, Beck has no retirement savings and few job prospects. He works as a substitute teacher to pay some bills, but more keep piling up.

"I am going to have to just ride it out, I don't even have any credit anymore," he said. "It's starting all over from scratch in an economy that doesn't have anything for me."

'Hive of innovation'

The Railroad Commission has taken some steps to ease burdens on small companies, most recently changing its definition of an active well from one that produces 10 barrels a month for three consecutive months to one that produces at least one barrel a month for a year. That means companies won't have to plug and clean up as many wells, relieving them of substantial costs.

But the longer prices stay low, the greater the chance that more small companies will shut down, said Ed Longanecker, the president of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalties Association, an advocacy group for smaller energy companies. Few have the cash or access to capital that have helped bigger energy companies ride out the downturn, and few can make investments that have allowed large drillers become more efficient, productive and able to profit at lower prices.

Longanecker declined to disclose his organization's membership numbers over the past few years and whether they have fallen.

In San Antonio, survival for Ray Welder and his Welder Exploration and Production has meant taking unconventional steps. Welder, for example, opened the company's books to employees - virtually unheard of among private firms - so they could see the financial challenges and suggest ways to trim costs.

But that didn't spare Welder from hard choices. He has laid off about 40 percent of his employees, slashing his staff from a peak of about 35 to 20 today. His company, which once drilled as many as 15 wells annually, has not drilled one in at least a year.

Welder thought back a few years ago when offices in the Milam building in San Antonio and Esperson building in Houston - where George Mitchell, a pioneer of hydraulic fracturing or fracking, began his career - were buzzing with small oil and gas companies. The Milam building has been vacant for years; the Esperson's tenants are mostly bigger energy firms.

Welder pointed to another example, the 600 building in Corpus Christi, which housed small firms that helped drive discoveries and development in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas.

"The 600 building in Corpus Christi is a great example of what's happened to small companies in Texas," said Welder. "It was a hive of innovation. And that building is now being converted into housing."
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Kent Langerlan and his then-girlfriend Audra Benoit, both worked for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for years, he as an investigator and she as an enforcement coordinator. But when she was fired - for being too tough on corporate polluters, both believed - Langerlan contacted an employment lawyer at blue chip Houston firm Baker Botts.

A week later, Langerlan received his own termination notice. Baker Botts' top environmental lawyer, according to court records, had tipped off the agency about Langerlan's contact, allegedly to curry favor when appearing before regulators on behalf of the law firm's corporate clients.

Baker Botts recently settled a lawsuit brought by Langerlan that raised serious questions about the firm's ethics and its adherence to one of the bedrock principles of the legal profession, attorney-client confidentiality. Baker Botts said in court papers that it had no obligation to Langerlan and denied any wrongdoing; a spokesman noted that the undisclosed settlement was for a small amount, which was "indicative of the merits" of the case.

But specialists in legal ethics said the actions of Baker Botts seem a bigger deal. Under Texas laws that govern legal ethics, communications, including requests for representation, are considered privileged, private and confidential. The protections allow people to talk freely to a lawyer, without fear that the information would be used against them, legal analysts said.

Larry Doherty, a Houston lawyer who specializes in legal malpractice and starred in the courtroom television show "Texas Justice" that ran from 2001 to 2005, said Langerlan had the right to contact a lawyer and the right to confidentiality.

"You can't disclose a breach like that without permission," Doherty said. "It's really hard to believe."

Langerlan was out of work for eight months, lost his health insurance and borrowed from relatives to scrape by, according to depositions and an interview.

He and Benoit, who later married, also lost their home to foreclosure.

Langerlan said he is considering filing a grievance with the State Bar of Texas, which oversees the licensing of the profession. His lawyer, Joshua Davis of Houston, charged that Baker Botts sold out a person needing help to benefit high-paying corporate clients. With the click of a "forward" button, Davis said, Baker Botts changed Langerlan's life.

Langerlan began working in 2010 as an environmental investigator for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in Beaumont. In February 2013, Benoit was fired after working for the agency four years. She believed she was terminated for being too tough on corporate polluters, after being punished with excessive work for strictly following state and federal regulations, according to court documents. The commission declined to comment.

Langerlan knew about Baker Botts because the law firm - one of Houston's largest and oldest - represents corporate clients at the agency. He contacted one of the firm's employment lawyers, Shira Yoshor, about helping his girlfriend and said he had information that would discredit the agency's enforcement of environmental rules and regulations.

A week later, Langerlan, 35, was home recovering from back surgery when a messenger arrived at his door. In a termination letter, the agency said he was being fired for his contact with a "Houston law firm" and offer to reveal the agency's internal information. Both Langerlan and Benoit testified in depositions that the information they had was publicly available.

"I had no idea this could even happen," Langerlan said.

Langerlan sued Baker Botts in Harris County district court January 2015, alleging gross negligence. Through the discovery process, in which Baker Botts lawyers turned over documents and testified in depositions, Langerlan learned that Yoshor, whom Langerlan contacted on April 30, 2014, forwarded Langerlan's request to Matthew Kuryla, the chairman of the firm's environmental practice. She also notified Langerlan she would not represent him, according to court documents.

A day later, Kuryla said in a deposition, he notified the agency's in-house lawyers about Langerlan's request for legal help because be believed it was an "illicit exchange" of agency information.

At the agency's request, Kuryla forwarded a copy of Langerlan's email.

Baker Botts and Kuryla argued that Langerlan was never a client or a prospective client and therefore Langerlan had no right to confidentiality. They also believed Langerlan was proposing a criminal conspiracy when he offered to provide damaging information about the agency's enforcement division, according to court documents.

But Gaines West, a Texas legal ethics expert hired by Langerlan's lawyer, said in court records that Baker Botts and Kuryla breached their ethical and professional duty to Langerlan and Benoit.

"My general opinion is that Matthew Kuryla and the law firm, Baker Botts, committed legal malpractice and professional negligence," West said in a report that was introduced into evidence.

Kuryla declined to comment. So did Yoshor, who left Baker Botts in December 2014, according to her LinkedIn account. Yoshor is now a partner with Greenberg Traurig in Houston.

Langerlan amended his original suit against Baker Botts to include Kuryla. The case was scheduled to go to trial next year, but Baker Botts and Kuryl reached a confidential settlement with Langerlan and Benoit in November.

Langerlan eventually found another job with a tech company in Austin, one that pays twice as much as he used to make with the agency.

Langerlan said he views the settlement as clearing his and his wife's name. But, he added, they never received an apology from Baker Botts.
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Upgraded technology at Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports allows holiday fliers to check security wait times online before convening with their fellow travelers - all 2.4 million of them.

"We want passengers to think of fly2houston.com as their first stop on their trip, and it will give them information that will make their experience better and give them control over their whole journey," Houston Airport System spokesman Bill Begley said.

The wait time feature is a continuation of the airport's digital focus. The airport system unveiled a new website in May that provides travelers with a variety of information, including parking availability, food options and flight status. The system should get a good workout during the busy travel period between Dec. 17 and Jan. 2.

The system's old website had Transportation Security Administration wait times, too, but the new technology is more comprehensive and provides data in more real time, Begley said.

More Information Holiday travel From Dec. 17 to Jan. 2, 2.4 million people are expected to fly through Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports. Bush Intercontinental: 1.9 million people, up 1.1% from last year's holiday season. Hobby: 503,638 people, up 11.9%. Up-to-date local information: fly2houston.com. Source: Houston Airport System See More Collapse

Airlines for America, the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, expects 45.2 million people to fly globally on U.S. airlines between Dec. 16 and Jan. 5.

That's up 3.5 percent from last year.

"An improving economy and reduced airfares remain the driving force behind the growth seen in air travel," Airlines for America vice president and chief economist John Heimlich said in a news release.

Bush Intercontinental Airport ranks No. 7 among Airlines for America's list of busiest airports for holiday travel.

The top five busiest airports are in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver.

In Houston, 1.9 million people are expected to fly through Bush Intercontinental, an increase of 20,033 from last year; 503,638 are expected to fly through Hobby Airport, up 53,554 from 2015.

This year's growth in holiday travel has been slower than last year's as the Houston-area economy struggles. But international travel continues to grow at both airports and has helped buoy this year's numbers.

In another effort to ease the stress of flying, United Airlines will have professionally trained comfort dogs at Bush between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

"Pawfessional dog therapists from Faithful Paws will help travelers reduce stress and deliver smiles to travelers here at Bush Intercontinental," United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said in a written statement.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.20



By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The volume of investments for the construction of both lines of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline has been revealed.

The investments needed for the full implementation of the Turkish Stream project, including the amount previously spent on the South Stream are estimated at 7 billion euros, according to the documents attached to the draft law on ratification of the intergovernmental agreement on the project, RIA Novosti reported.

Russia and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement October 10 on the implementation of the Turkish Stream project.

The agreement involves construction of two branches of the main gas pipeline under the Black Sea, the power of each branch being 15.75 billion cubic meters of gas.

One branch is provided to supply gas directly to the Turkish market, the other for the supply of gas by transit through Turkey to Europe. The intergovernmental agreement also stipulates that these two offshore branches should be built by December 2019.
Bill Montgomery

An estimated 45.2 million people will fly on U.S. airlines in the 21-day period from Dec. 16 to Jan. 5, according to airline industry trade organization Airlines for America.

That's an increase of 3.5 percent from the same period a year ago and equates to 73,000 more passengers per day. Airlines will make 99,000 additional seats available during the period, according to the organization's estimates.
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CIUDAD BOLIVAR, Venezuela - Crowds gathered Monday outside the few supermarkets in Ciudad Bolivar that survived massive looting over the sudden decision to yank the most widely used currency note from circulation, as the city in Venezuela's interior tried to return to normality.

The weekend violence left dozens of businesses destroyed or damaged, and streets were still full of trash, rubble and burned motorcycles from the protests and looting.

Hundreds of police and soldiers have been deployed to the streets of Ciudad Bolivar, a riverside city of about 700,000 residents, but many stores remained closed as of midday due to fears of more looting.

Austerio Gonzalez, president of the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry, estimated that about 80 percent of stores that sell food in the city were ransacked.

He said those still standing found large crowds outside their doors Monday and were waiting for authorities to guarantee security before opening.

More than 350 businesses were looted between Friday and Sunday in Ciudad Bolivar, according to business sector estimates, along with 200 more in seven southeastern cities. Dozens of people were injured and four killed in the unrest.

The businesses targeted included supermarkets, liquor and hardware stores, auto dealerships, and shops selling tires and car parts.

Gonzalez said business leaders were talking with regional authorities about setting up special storage and distribution facilities to reduce crowding at the stores that survived.

Bolivar state Gov. Francisco Rangel Gomez said Sunday evening that 3,200 police officers were deployed to restore order, and 262 people were arrested in the state.

Protests and looting broke out in Ciudad Bolivar and elsewhere over President Nicolas Maduro's sudden decision to scrap the 100 bolivar note, the largest and most widely used in Venezuela despite being worth just a few U.S. cents at the black market rate.

The announcement also touched off long bank lines, a surge in electronic payments and widespread fears by poorer people with no bank accounts and all their savings in the doomed bills. Cash transactions such as buying food or gasoline became extremely difficult.

Over the weekend Maduro announced that the deadline for pulling the 100 bolivar notes out of circulation would be postponed until Jan. 2 because purported saboteurs had prevented the arrival of three airplanes carrying newly printed larger-denomination bills from abroad.

He did not provide details about the alleged plot.
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A former CEO of Houston-based Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations - long embroiled in legal cases over a 2012 oil rig explosion - was indicted with seven executives of a hedge fund on charges that they engaged in a Ponzi scheme, federal authorities said.

The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in New York, charged Jeffrey Shulse, 44, of Houston, with securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy for allegedly defrauding Black Elk bondholders. He was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

Black Elk was part of portfolio that the New York hedge fund Platinum Partners touted to its investors, authorities said. The company fraudulently sold bonds and then diverted $95 million in proceeds to Platinum as a way to help the hedge fund continue its scheme, the indictment alleged. U.S. Attorney Robert Capers called the scheme "one of the largest and most brazen investment frauds perpetrated on the investing public."

Shulse could not be reached for comment.

The indictment marks another development in Black Elk's troubled history. It started the morning of Nov. 16, 2012, when a worker on a company platform off Louisiana ignited oil vapors while welding pipe, triggering a chain reaction that caused oil tanks to explode. The blast killed three workers, injured several others and spilled about 480 barrels of oil and water into the Gulf of Mexico, federal investigators said.

Families of those killed sued the company, as did injured workers and Black Elk contractors. A federal report accused the company of failing to follow proper safety practices and rushing work.

Three years later, Black Elk and one of its contractors, Grand Isle Shipyards, were charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter, as well as eight charges involving federal safety practices under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and one violation of the Clean Water Act. A trial in the case was set for January.

In June, a complex trial that combined 10 lawsuits against Black Elk ended with a settlement. Terms weren't disclosed. A month later, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved the liquidation and dissolution of Black Elk.

Monday's indictment fleshed out two alleged conspiracies. The first accused Platinum of overvaluing oil assets such as Black Elk to fraudulently attract new investors. The money from the new investors was used to pay old investors, until Platinum ran out of cash, authorities said.

Platinum, investigators said, was supposed to be "a standard-bearer in the hedge fund industry." It reported $1.7 billion in assets under management and annual returns of more than 17 percent since it started in 2003, Capers said. The company earned $100 million in fees during the conspiracy, authorities said.

Mark Nordlicht, a founder and chief investment officer of Platinum Partners, and six other defendants were accused of lying to investors about the fund's performance. Nordlicht, 48, of New York, pleaded not guilty.

One of Platinum's biggest problems was Black Elk. Platinum valued the company at $282 million, but, after the explosion, the company wasn't making enough money to justify such a valuation, according to investigators.

The second conspiracy detailed by investigators on Monday alleged Platinum tried to sell Black Elk assets and take the money for itself, rather than paying creditors who held Black Elk bonds. By late 2013, Platinum knew Black Elk was "effectively insolvent," according to federal authorities, but still possessed certain valuable assets. The defendants then tried to sell those assets and divert proceeds to Platinum, instead of to bondholders, who should have been the first to receive the money, authorities said.

The criminal case has been assigned to Chief Judge Dora Irizarry of the United States District Court. If convicted, each of the defendants faces a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment.
A growing population and steadily improving economy have positioned many Houston-area retailers to shake off last year's holiday blues, rewarding those who invested and expanded locally with the promise of a healthier 2017.

"Overall, it's really good news, especially considering where we were last year," said George Kelemen, CEO of the Texas Retailers Association. "There was a lot of uncertainty about the oil patch and the energy sector and how low the bottom would go."

Despite lingering declines in the market for luxury and big-ticket items such as automobiles, evidence of a retail rebound is mounting. In the third quarter, for example, grocers, restaurants, home-improvement and soft-goods retailers expanded at the fastest rate in more than 10 years, CBRE's local office reported.

The commercial real estate firm forecasts the sector will occupy another 200,000 net square feet by year's end.

Biff Picone, owner of Natural Pawz, a pet store chain with locations in Houston and Austin, has watched customers spend more freely this season. He noted that December sales in the company's Houston-area stores have increased as much as 5 percent over last year.

More Information By the numbers 2 million square feet of commercial retail space under construction in the region $630 million sales tax revenue year-to-date for Housto, down 4.4 percent over last year 3.7 percent Increase expected over last year in holiday retail sales See More Collapse

"We expect that trend to continue as we get a little closer to the holidays," he said.

'Extremely pleased'

The fast-growing suburbs are benefiting most, several observers said. In The Woodlands, which has added more than 10,000 residents in the past five years, newer mixed-use developments such Hughes Landing are completely occupied, said Paul Layne, executive vice president of master-planned communities at the Howard Hughes Corp.

"A year ago, I was not as optimistic that things would be as strong as they are," he said. "I've been extremely pleased with the sales volume and the lease up of our retail space."

Elsewhere, grocers, apparel stores and other retailers are tapping into new sources of demand. Last week, for instance, Regency Centers Corp. announced plans to build a 165,000-square-foot retail center near Missouri City for $30.5 million.

"The retail segment has always been behind the population growth," said Ed Wulfe, CEO and founder of commercial real estate firm Wulfe & Co. "They're serving that growing market."

Despite the improvements, several economic indicators, notably sales tax receipts, have shown declines throughout the year.

Houston received about $47.7 million in sales tax revenue in October, according to the Texas Comptroller's Office, a year-over-year drop of more than 7 percent. Year-to-date receipts have fallen about 4.4 percent to $630.1 million.

But those figures reflect sales in multiple sectors, not just retail. They also account for spending by businesses, which cut back substantially in the depths of the oil bust, said Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president of research at the Greater Houston Partnership.

"You can't put the downturn in sales tax solely on the backs of consumers," he said.

In a report earlier this month, the Greater Houston Partnership forecast that population growth, as well as increases in employment and income, will continue to fuel retail expansion. It noted that about 2 million square feet of retail space are under construction, and much of that is expected to be occupied next year.

New retailers expected to enter the market next year include home and furniture store CB2, German discount grocer Lidl and Whole Foods Market's value store, 365.

Mixed signals

Small retailers also are showing signs of growth. Tim Jeffcoat, district director for the Small Business Administration's Houston office, said his agency guaranteed more loans to retailers this year than in any other sector.

"That's pretty interesting stuff at a time when people like to talk about how our economy isn't doing so well," he said.

Not all retailers have benefited from the boost. Houston-based Stage Stores reported lower third-quarter earnings and lowered its guidance for the fiscal year. Same-store sales in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico - the markets most affected by oil bust - fell 9.4 percent from the same quarter last year, compared to a 6.8 percent decline across the chain, the company reported.

"Our expectation is that holidays will remain challenged," said Randi Sonenshein, Stage's senior vice president of strategy and finance, adding the company has updated its inventory and structured promotions to boost seasonal sales.

Stage's performance aligns with a broader trend within the department store sector, which struggled this year amid lower store traffic and competition from off-price retailers, according to Moody's Investors Service.

But the ratings firm expects other holiday giants, including Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy and Amazon.com, to post stronger sales this year than last, a new report shows.

Across the board, IHS Global Insight expects holiday retail sales to rise 3.7 percent over last year, up from last year's rate of 3.2 percent.
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Ethel Hoffman's family may have paid a pretty sum in 1939 for her debutante portrait by the Udel Brothers' Baltimore photo studio. But her quizzical expression looks priceless.

Murray Moss thinks he knows why: "It's the  dress!" he said, looking at the print that's hanging at Hiram Butler Gallery.

Hoffman's voluminous tulle gown nearly dwarfs her as she poses stiffly on a formal settee in a room with other trappings of wealth - a fancy rug, a big silver vase, a painting that might depict a famous ancestor.

But Moss loves the image because it's been mangled a bit, and white-pencil crop marks separate Hoffman's upper body from everything else: This print came from the archives of the Baltimore Sun, where someone plucked just a one-column head shot from it.

Moss started collecting vintage newsroom prints with crop marks four years ago. "Weirdly, it's exceptionally timely at the moment," he said.

He loves them because they look "profound in the lie," allowing viewers to see what he thinks of as "the decision to deceive."

More Information 'Inadmissible Evidence: Annotated Press Photographs From the Collection of Murray Moss' When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesdays-Saturdays, through Jan. 7 Where: Hiram Butler Gallery, 4520 Blossom Info: Free; 713-863-7097, hirambutler.com See More Collapse

"When you look at these you go, whoa, the whole point of it was this, and they're not showing that," he said.

Moss has a legendary eye for details.

For 15 years, he and his partner, Franklin Getchell, ran the renowned New York design emporium Moss, which sold avant-garde designer home goods and gifts. After closing the store in late 2011, they opened a consulting business whose clients now include the gift shop at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

That led to the connection with Butler's gallery, where Moss is selling just a fraction of the prints he's collected from web-based companies that have acquired entire libraries of vintage, annotated prints from downsizing newspapers (including the Houston Chronicle) who have gone digital.

Moss paid about $6 apiece for the prints, sorting through millions of images online to retrieve only "good" ones with mark-ups that add a layer of narrative. That kind of handling is a kind of "patina of servitude" that makes a print a unique artwork, he said.

"I'm an object guy. I think when things have come to a point when they're no longer functional, they can become something else, sometimes, that's rather beautiful."

Moss grew up around other kinds of photography, without too much of an interest in it.

His father designed dental X-ray equipment and often experimented on Moss and his sister in a basement laboratory.

"He patented and did incredible things - this rotating anode tube that goes around your mouth at the dentist's today - my father invented that," Moss said.

His sister, the late Jean Moss-Weintraub, had a great career as a commercial photographer. Wanting to honor her memory a few years ago, Moss started looking for her work online and stumbled upon newspaper archives containing interviews and pictures of her.

Medication for Parkinson's disease kept him awake much of the night, and he ended up surfing those sites compulsively - and building a unique collection.

"This started as a personal thing with my sister, and I didn't want to make a big thing of it," he said. "But then I got interested in it. ... These are one of a kind. And they don't do it anymore."

Cropping photographs is still a standard practice by many in journalism, but very few make prints anymore in this digital world.

Moss gravitated to prints from the Baltimore Sun because he felt they were aggressively handled. "I find it amazing, the chutzpah to do this, and fascinating. And powerful," he said.

The show is full of images whose subjects were "lifted" from their environments - a widow and her children sitting underneath a cheap tapestry of "The Last Supper." A uniformed nurse at a shooting range, pointing a pistol. The head of a rapt Arthur Rubinstein, floating like an orb above his body as he plays the piano.

Even first lady Jackie Kennedy gets half-wiped out of a portrait with President John F. Kennedy and young Caroline, left to gaze back at viewers now with one eye.

Other images are interrupted by big black dots - text "windows" for inset blocks of type. Or they might have some element highlighted with paint, or a drawn layer to suggest some action that wasn't captured: A dull image of a nondescript building where a suicide happened, for example, with dotted lines leading from a high window to an "X" on the street.

"Sometimes it was about, how are you going to juicy it up?" Moss said.

He and gallery director Josh Pazda had some fun themselves with a sly exhibition design that aims to be slightly provocative.

The 30 prints are grouped by categories but not evenly spaced. (The curated, framed and documented prints are priced from $2,000 to $3,000.)

"Photographs are used domestically as souvenirs. This gallery is very precise; they know what they're doing," Moss said. "But not everybody measures. What happens if we ask you to  walk in the shoes of the people who just eyeball it?"

He said he wasn't trying to cause trouble or lay blame. He just wants to demonstrate how a situation can have multiple truths.

A photographer decided what was true to him by framing his composition. Then an editor had other needs.

"They were frugal, and they mutilated these prints, depending on what they needed," Moss said.

"This truth had many decisions, agendas, that had to be accommodated.  This is about looking. We are shaped, directed, guided by art to see things in a certain way. And we, as viewers, with our own baggage and experience, will augment that agenda.

"There is no one, absolute truth.  We can look at the same evidence, and it's not evidence. It's not."
If you need a little Christmas right this very minute, reach for a cocktail. Holiday spirits are a sure, direct way to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside  instant cheer whether shaken or stirred.

For those who enjoy cocktails it's the most wonderful time of the year. From now until New Year's Day, our drinks bubble with champagne, are shot through with seasonal flavors (orange, grapefruit, chocolate, vanilla, peppermint, cherries), and bolstered by brown spirits, jammy fruits, and cooking spices.
Shortly before Christmas Day 1946, Albert Camus delivered a book manuscript to his publisher. Unhappy with what he had written but unable to write any more, Camus consoled himself that this "complete failure will teach me modesty."

As it turned out, his book, The Plague, became an immediate bestseller upon its publication. Seventy years later, it remains a bestseller  a work as compelling today as it was at the start of the Cold War, when the defeat of one form of totalitarianismNazismgave way to the equally grim totalitarianism of Communism.

It is not clear whether the book's success taught Camus modesty. What is clear, though, is its potential to teach modesty, political and moral, to others.

Waiting for the Donald: The timeliness of Samuel Beckett's Godot

The novel's plot is simple: Sometime in the 1940s, the plague settles upon Oran, a city in French Algeria. Fearful and feckless, Oran's political leadership refuses to name the threat for what it is. They justify their dithering by the refusal of medical officials to affirm, with absolute certainty, that the plague is, indeed, the plague. Maddened by these hesitations, the book's protagonist, Doctor Rieux, exclaims: "It has small importance whether you call it the plague or some kind of fever. The important thing is to prevent it killing off half the population of this town."

As the daily body count climbs, however, officials finally quarantine the entire city. Most of Oran's residents, who had thought the plague could never happen in their lifetime, passively submit to their lot. But a small group of individuals instead join forces to resist the plague, forming sanitary squads that care for the ill and bury the dead. At first, their motivation isn't clear. These mena laconic doctor, an investigative journalist, a petty official, and a mysterious travelerseem to share nothing other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yet we soon discover they also share what we can call an ethics of attention. The traveler, Jean Tarrou, expresses this code when he tells Rieux about a childhood experience, accompanying to work his father, a state prosecutor. Watching his father argue for the death penalty, Tarrou was shocked by the contrast between the man of flesh and blood sitting in the dock and the euphemisms filling his father's closing argument.

Forever changed by the experience, Tarrou tells Rieux that we must keep an unending watch on our own selves and our words. The good man is "the man who has the fewest lapses of attention." What this comes down to, Tarrou concludes, is seeing and speaking clearly: "All of our troubles spring from our failure to use plain, clear-cut language."

De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images

Much has been written on how the president-elect's peculiar relationship to language reflects our "post-fact" and "post-truth" age. But The Plague reminds us that these same phenomena loomed over Camus's age. While Camus spoke of lies instead of "post-fact" and propaganda rather than "post-truth," he nevertheless battled against an earlier iteration of our current predicament.

By the time he completed the manuscript, the Iron Curtain was lowering over Europe. The show trials of dissident Communist leaders in Central and East Europe offered the second act to the Moscow show trials of the 1930s. In France, the univers concentrationnaire (the universe of concentration camps) was already being mapped by David Rousset, analyzed by Raymond Aron and recreated by Arthur Koestler.

At the same time, French Communist intellectuals denied the facts themselves, while fellow-travelers on the Left, while acknowledging them, denied their moral significance. As the brilliant apologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty argued, every political system is based on violence. Unlike the violence of capitalism, which is inherent to its workings, the violence of communism is a regrettable means leading to a radiant future.

Such casuistry on behalf of a murderous ideologyone thoroughly opposed to the reality-based community of postwar Europeenraged Camus. Shortly after the publication of The Plague, he declared: "Today things are clear and we must call something 'concentrationnaire' if that is what it is, even if it is socialism. In one sense, I shall never again by polite."

Similarly, Rieux and his motley band of resisters insist, as one of them declares, "in calling things by their name." It is only by getting the words rightusing them to describe the world as it isthat one can act right and make the world a bit more the way it should be. Totalitarianismfor which the plague stands as the allegorical representationgets words wrong. It uses them to describe a world that isn't, and thus creates a world that should never be. It comes to power through the harrowing of terror, and maintains itself through the hollowing of language. Hence Camus's reason for joining the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation: We were fighting, he declared, "for that fine distinction between the true and the false."

But to what end? By the time the sanitary squads help defeat the plague, Tarrou numbers among its victims. It was Tarrou, moreover, who had earlier reminded Rieux that his efforts to save his patients will never be lasting.

The doctor's reply"Yes, but it is no reason for giving up the struggle"at first sounds pat. But instead, it sounds the depths of human purposefulness: the demand, in the face of political or ideological absurdity, for justice and dignity. In The Rebel, his philosophical companion to The Plague, Camus insists on a key element to our resistance against absurdity: "to insist on plain language so as not to increase universal falsehood."

It hardly matters that such resistanceno less essential against Trumpism as it was against communismwill not lead to enduring victories. This is, as Rieux and Tarrou understood, the nature of struggle. What does matter, as Camus once observed, is that while there is no reason for hope, this is no reason to despair.





Robert Zaretsky teaches at the University of Houston and is the author, most recently, of Boswell's Enlightenment. He's currently writing The Empress and the Philosophe: Catherine the Great, Denis Diderot and the Eclipse of the Enlightenment.

Bookmark Gray Matters. The important thing is to prevent it killing off half the population of this town.
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In June, a gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 others in a horrific spate of violence at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Now, the families of some of the victims are suing Google, Twitter and Facebook over their role in allegedly radicalizing the shooter.

The families are accusing the tech companies of providing support to the Islamic State, the terror organization that seemed to inspire the attack. Although the gunman, Omar Mateen, did not appear to have official ties to the Islamic State, or ISIS, the victims' families say the group's indirect influence over the gunman is at least partly attributable to its "unfettered" ability to recruit fighters on social media.

Through their data-driven business models, companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook even "profit from ISIS postings through advertising revenue," according to the lawsuit, which was filed in a Michigan federal court Monday and was first reported by Fox News. The families of Tevin Eugene Crosby, Juan Guerrero, and Javier Jorge-Reyes are demanding a trial and unspecified monetary compensation.

"Without . . . Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," the lawsuit reads.

Other News These were the most edited Wikipedia pages of 2016

The suit is not the first to target tech companies over ISIS's influence. In a pair of separate court proceedings earlier this year, the families of people killed in the 2015 Paris attacks and in an incident in Jordan also accused Twitter of providing material support to the terror group.

In both cases, Twitter argued that it could not be sued because it was simply acting as a conduit for online speech, rather than a speaker for ISIS itself. The judge for the case about the Jordanian incident appeared to side with Twitter, dismissing the suit and saying that Twitter is protected by the Communications Decency Act of 1996. The other case is still pending. (Both were filed in California.)

Section 230 of the Act shields "online intermediaries that host or republish speech . . . against a range of laws that might otherwise be used to hold them legally responsible for what others say and do," according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights organization. The result, according to EFF, has been the flourishing of an Internet economy that includes Yelp, YouTube and Amazon - where individual users are held responsible for their own conduct on the platforms.

Courts have traditionally held that online platforms are not legally liable for the content they host, according to ISIS experts.

"[It's] in the same way that a telephone company is not responsible if you use your phone to hire a contract killer," said J.M. Berger, a fellow with the International Centre for Counter Terrorism. "It's very unlikely that this kind of lawsuit will succeed under current laws."

Further lawsuits accusing social media platforms of promoting ISIS may naturally peter out if judges continue to invoke the Communications Decency Act, according to a spokesperson for one of the tech companies named in Monday's suit. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing legal proceedings.

"These types of cases are always going to get press coverage," the person said. "But I think there will be certain diminishing returns this time, because this is at least the third case like this, and the first two aren't going anywhere."

Facebook said in a statement that it is committed to providing a safe experience for its users.

"Our Community Standards make clear that there is no place on Facebook for groups that engage in terrorist activity," the company said, "or for content that expresses support for such activity, and we take swift action to remove this content when it's reported to us. We sympathize with the victims and their families."

The other company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But, Berger added, Congress could seek to change those laws if it saw fit.

"In our brave new world starting January, who knows?" he said.
Q: My insurance company will no longer pay for two of my brand-name medications. I am allergic to certain fillers in generic drugs and thus cannot tolerate some.

I am thinking about ordering these two brand-name meds from Canada. I have perused Canadian pharmacy sites on the internet, and some look very good. I wonder if you might know of some Canadian pharmacies that people have had good luck with in relation to the quality of the medication received. We cannot afford to continue paying the outrageous U.S. prices for these medications.

A: Although generic drugs must have the same active ingredient as the brand-name equivalent, they often contain different binders, fillers and colors. This can cause serious problems for people who are allergic to such ingredients.

Savings on brand-name medicine purchased from a legitimate Canadian pharmacy can be dramatic. Sadly, a nice website does not guarantee that an online pharmacy is truly Canadian. Fake online sites might sell counterfeit or substandard medicines.

We have prepared a Guide to Saving Money on Medicine that provides more details on the benefits and risks of shopping for medicines online. It is available for purchase electronically at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

Q: My husband has been taking amiodarone for several months. In the past few weeks, he has been experiencing extreme nausea and vomiting. He also has developed a severe cough that seems to be getting worse. He has extreme shortness of breath, fatigue, and weakness and numbness in his fingers and hands.

He was placed on amiodarone because he has congestive heart failure and went into cardiac arrest. My husband now has liver and kidney problems along with everything else, and I firmly believe this medication is the root cause.

I intend to take him off it beginning today. He currently takes two tabs daily. I am going to lower his dosage to one tablet daily beginning today, and after one week, lower it to one-half tab daily.

I also want to take him off Coumadin and atorvastatin. I believe that all these drugs are killing him faster than the illness itself. I will keep him on the blood-pressure medication and the medication for his stent, but nothing else.

A: We urge you to get in touch with your husband's physician. His symptoms are concerning and could well be due to amiodarone, which can cause lung damage (Clinical Medicine Insights: Case Reports, Oct. 9, 2016).

Discontinuing amiodarone or any of your husband's medicines is not a do-it-yourself project. Once his physician hears about the serious symptoms he is experiencing, we suspect that his regimen will be adjusted.

Q: You wrote about a man with problems with violent REM sleep and you recommended melatonin. Why didn't you mention hops along with this? Hops increase the amount of deep sleep over REM sleep. I am more rested even if I don't sleep longer hours when I take hops at bedtime.

A: No one knows why some people are more vulnerable to acting out their bad dreams than others. Dream enactment of the sort the writer described may be linked to a neurological problem (Clinical Autonomic Research online, Oct. 18, 2016).

Recent research investigating the effect of hops on sleep is limited, but one study found that a combination of valerian and hops resulted in deeper sleep (European Journal of Medical Research). That seems consistent with your experience.

Another study compared standardized extracts of valerian, hops and passionflower to zolpidem (Ambien) for short-term insomnia (Indian Journal of Pharmacology). There was no difference between the two treatments, suggesting that the herbs may be as helpful as the sleep medicine.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, families and friends of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, who died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assault in Ankara Dec. 19, Nazarbayevs press service said Dec. 20.

The committed act of terrorism once again confirms the need to join efforts of the whole world in the fight against terrorism, said Nazarbayev in his message.

Kazakhstan strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, he added.

Nazarbayev also noted that Andrey Karlov was a talented diplomat, whose professional work gained respect and was aimed at strengthening of the Russia-Turkey relations.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
The morning after a special-education teaching assistant was shot and killed in a Third Ward bar, a coworker remembered him as a dedicated educator with a "heart of gold."

Untorio Jones, 39, died of multiple gunshot wounds after the shooting about 1:30 a.m. Monday at "Dbar," a club near Dowling and Wheeler.

"He was a mentor and a role model and loved by everyone he met," said Bridgette Alford, who first met Jones around 2007 when they worked together at Westbury High School.

Jones worked with students with autism at Westbury before teaching life skills and employment readiness at Jones High School, she said. He then moved to his most recent posting at Wisdom High School, the Houston ISD school known until this year as Lee High School.

The slain educator was a role model for young men, Alford said. He would walk and talk with students who had emotional breakdowns. He preached to students that their circumstances would not dictate their futures.

The shooting followed some sort of altercation, police said several hours after the incident.

"It just got heated, and somebody pulled out a gun," HPD homicide investigator Shawn Overstreet said.

There were as many as 100 people in the club at the time and the establishment has surveillance cameras, the detective said, but the shooting may have happened out of the cameras' view.

Overstreet said Monday morning that police were not yet close to an arrest.

The victim's mother, Sandra Holbert, said Jones' children were grieving the loss of their father. She said his teenage daughter was holding on to a text message he sent Sunday saying how much he loved her.

Photos of Jones' bloodied body were posted to social media after the shooting. Holbert and the victim's brother, Keith Hamilton, asked that they be taken down.

"We don't want his kids to see that," Holbert said. "They're already devastated."

Relatives and friends huddled through the night outside the bar, waiting for details as the temperature hovered around freezing.

Investigators so far have no suspect in the case. No description of the shooter was available.

Jones was a giver and a helper, Alford said, calling on Houstonians to follow his lead and do good deeds for others on Fridays - a tradition he called "Give Back Friday."

"He gave his time, he gave with his love, he gave financially," she said. "Let's just give back in his honor."
A Texas Southern University student accused of fatally stabbing his mother broke down at the sight of his family in court Monday.

Blake Jefferson, 22, was arrested Friday on a charge of murder, accused of killing Dedre Jefferson, a member of the Alief ISD board of trustees.

As he was led out of a holding cell into the courtroom of state District Judge Jeannine Barr, Jefferson, handcuffed and wearing an orange jail uniform, sobbed and doubled over when he saw family members sitting in the gallery.

After a brief hearing in which Jefferson was read his legal rights by a judge and he was uncuffed to sign a document, Jefferson put his hand over his heart and cried as he tried to mouth words to his family.

As bailiffs led him out of the courtroom to a holding cell, he wailed and doubled over in tears again.

Neither his attorney nor family spoke to reporters as they left the courtroom.

Jefferson is accused of stabbing his mother in the west Harris County townhouse they shared, according to authorities.

On Friday, friends and family said the allegations were a surprise because Jefferson had never been in trouble with the law. He had been acting strangely in the days leading up to the incident and had asked for help, according to police and the family's pastor.

Jefferson's estranged stepfather said the accused killer had contacted him and begged to meet up to talk. They had agreed to meet Saturday.

The 48-year-old victim was an alumna of Alief ISD's Elsik High School. She taught in the district for nearly 20 years before winning election last year to the board of trustees, on which she was vice president.
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ISTANBUL - Russia's ambassador to Turkey was assassinated at an Ankara art exhibit Monday evening by a lone Turkish gunman shouting "God is great!" and "don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" in what the leaders of Turkey and Russia called a provocative terrorist attack.

The gunman, described by Turkish officials as a 22-year-old off-duty police officer, also wounded at least three others in the assault on the envoy, Andrei Karlov, which was captured on video. Turkish officials said the assailant was killed by other officers in a shootout.

The assassination, an embarrassing security failure in the Turkish capital, forced Turkey and Russia to confront a new crisis tied directly to the Syrian conflict, now in its sixth year.

The longer-term implications for the Russia-Turkey relationship, which had been warming recently after plunging a year ago, were not immediately clear. But some analysts played down the notion that the assassination would lead to a new rupture, saying it could conversely bring the countries closer together in a shared fight against terrorism.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia said on Russian television that Karlov had been "despicably killed" to sabotage ties with Turkey. Putin spoke with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, by phone, and the two leaders agreed to cooperate in investigating the killing and in combating terrorism broadly.

In an emergency meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other top officials, Putin said, "There can be only one answer to this: stepping up the fight against terrorism, and the bandits will feel this."

'This is a provocation'

Erdogan, in a speech late Monday night, said the assassination was a provocation meant to derail efforts by Turkey and Russia to collaborate more closely on regional issues and economic ties.

"We know that this is a provocation aiming to destroy the normalization process of Turkey-Russia relations," Erdogan said. "But the Russian government and the Turkish republic have the will to not fall into that provocation."

The assassination came after days of protests by Turks angry over Russia's support for the Syrian government in the conflict and the Russian role in the killings and destruction in Aleppo, the northern Syrian city.

The Russian envoy was shot from behind and immediately fell to the floor while speaking at an exhibition of photographs, according to multiple accounts from the scene, the Contemporary Arts Center in the Cankaya area of Ankara.

The gunman, wearing a dark suit and tie, was seen in video footage of the assault waving a pistol and shouting in Arabic: "God is great! Those who pledged allegiance to Muhammad for jihad. God is great!"

Then he switched to Turkish and shouted: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria! Step back! Step back! Only death can take me from here."

Hasim Kilic, a Turkish photographer for the Hurriyet news organization who witnessed the attack and sold his images to Reuters, said in a telephone interview that the gunman had fired seven shots at the ambassador - "four from behind, three while the body was on the ground" - as guests screamed and scrambled to hide.

Kilic, who was crouched behind a cocktail table about 12 feet away, said the gunman had ordered everyone else out and refused a security guard's request to drop his weapon. "Call the police, and I will die here," Kilic quoted the assailant as saying.

Turkish officials said the gunman was killed after a shootout with Turkish Special Forces.

He was identified by Turkey's interior minister as Mevlut Mert Altintas, from the western province of Aydin and a graduate of a police college in Izmir. Local news reports said that Altintas' mother and sister had been arrested and that a computer had been confiscated from their house.

While it was too early to tell if the gunman acted alone, his use of jihadi slogans and his invocation of Syria raised the possibility that he was a member, or at least a sympathizer, of an Islamist group like al-Qaida's Syria affiliate or the Islamic State, two organizations that Turkey has been accused by allies, including the United States, of supporting in the past.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told the Rossiya 24 news channel that Karlov had died of his wounds in what she described as a terrorist attack. Turkey's Interior Ministry said the ambassador had died at Guven Hospital in Ankara.

U.S. condemns attack

The United States, which has tangled bitterly with Russia over the Syrian conflict, quickly condemned the assassination in Ankara. In a statement, Secretary of State John Kerry called it a "despicable attack, which was also an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world."

Other prominent officials who often criticize Russia's actions in Syria and elsewhere also offered their condolences.

"No justification for such a heinous act," said Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, said on Twitter. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations said he was "appalled by this senseless act of terror."

President-elect Donald Trump, who has been accused by critics of aligning with Russia, said in a statement that Karlov had been "assassinated by a radical Islamic terrorist."
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AUSTIN - Texas awarded President-elect Donald Trump 36 electoral votes Monday, putting him over the top in the final tally to elect him the 45th president of the United States. But it wasn't easy.

In a laborious meeting that stretched nearly three hours with procedural delays and chants from protesters outside the walls of the Texas House of Representatives, all but two of Texas' 38 electors voted for Trump. In a secret ballot, one elector voted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and the other voted for former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul.

"It's kind of long and boring, but it's kind of cool," said Rocio Arroyos, a mother from Granbury who watched from the gallery with her son and a friend from his Boy Scout troop. "If you don't vote, you get left out."

Four of Texas' presidential electors missed the vote, leading the body to nominate and elect fill-ins, which was followed by three rounds of voting to elect the group's chairman. By the time Texas finally voted, Trump needed only two more electoral votes to reach the 270-vote threshold needed to gain the White House.

The Lone Star State pushed Trump to his final tally of 304 electoral votes while Democrat Hillary Clinton ended with 227.

More Information By the numbers 36: Number of Texas electors who cast their votes for Donald Trump. 2: Texas electors who cast votes for someone else. 304-227: Final tally of electoral votes for Trump and Hillary Clinton. See More Collapse

The Texas House gallery, which was full nearly the entire meeting, erupted into boos after the vote before onlookers began to walk out of the chamber. Hundreds of people had spent much of their day outside the Texas State Capitol, protesting and picketing in near-freezing temperatures in hopes of giving courage to electors to "vote their conscience" by casting a ballot for someone other than Trump.

'A safety valve'

Protesters pointed to his temperament, his coziness with Russia, his attitude toward women and minorities as reason enough for individuals in the electoral college to think twice between voting for him.

Sabra Booth, 51, spent much of her Sunday laboring over the sign she would bring. An artist by trade in San Antonio, she cut a black foam board in the shape of a garbage can and painted Trump's face emerging from within, next to a New York City rat that didn't appear to like Trump much more than she did.

"Our forefathers meant it to be a safety valve to keep a demagogue from getting into office," Booth said, launching into a history lesson about the kind of leaders the drafters of the Constitution wanted to protect against. "Now, we have someone who definitely has tyrannical leanings."

People across the country gathered at their respective state capitals to protest Trump's election in hopes they could convince at least 37 electors to cast ballots for other candidates or sit out the vote altogether. Denying Trump 270 electoral votes would send the decision to the U.S. House of Representatives. In the end, only seven electors nationwide switched their votes, with five turning from Clinton.

'Charade is over'

Coming in to Monday's vote, two electoral college members had publicly proclaimed they would not vote for Trump. The first, Art Sisneros of Dayton, announced last month that he would resign as an elector, saying that voting for Trump "would bring dishonor to God." He was replaced during Monday's meeting.

Dallas resident Chris Suprun announced earlier this month that he would cast his vote for Kasich and encouraged others to do the same.

Surrounded by a throng of reporters before what normally would be a little-observed ceremonial proceeding, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said electors should be bound to vote for the state's nominee. With state lawmakers considering legislation to mandate electors vote that way, Cornyn said passing a state law is unnecessary and pointed to the uniqueness of this year's electoral politics.

"This is an anomalous or unusual circumstance where there is such a concerted effort on the outside to try to sway the electors when, in fact, their job is not to vote their own wishes, it's to implement and execute the vote cast by the voters on November the eighth," he said.

Gov. Greg Abbott countered Cornyn's statements, saying later on Twitter, "this charade is over. A bill is already filed to make these commitments binding. I look forward to signing it & ending this circus."

With a bundled-up 6-month old strapped to her chest, Claire Jain stood on the edge of the protest outside the Capitol, hoping the Republicans walking into the Electoral College votewould see the crowd and find confidence to vote their consciences.

"Certainly, I was a Hillary Clinton supporter, but anybody would be better than Trump," she said as her daughter Mira slept. "I just can't sit at home if there's something I can do."

Protesters rally

Demonstrators trying to convince electors to ditch Trump began rallying outside the capital Monday morning, orchestrated by the December 19 Coalition, made up of groups including the Hamilton Electors, Bold Progressives and Democracy Spring.

"We're here because we all love our country so much and we're afraid for its future," said Erin Zwiener, 31, of Driftwood, a volunteer organizer with Hamilton Electors, a national group whose namesake wanted to guard against the election of a candidate who is unfit to serve as president.
Nick Anderson

If you haven't followed the Houston Chronicle's "Denied" investigation, you should. If politicians in the state really cared about kids, they would stop fighting empty, symbolic battles and start to address real problems. Instead, they are arbitrarily denying access to kids with real needs. Click the gallery below to see many more cartoons by Nick Anderson.
Tamir Kalifa/FRE

Despite the pleadings of thousands of Hillary Clinton supporters, protests around the country and a TV-famous ensemble that included Martin Sheen, Debra Messing and Bob Odenkrik, Donald Trump easily won the 270 electoral votes he needed to become the nation's 45th president on Monday.

Despite predictions that this year's vote might be less predictable than usual, Monday's vote was uneventful. Two Texas electors spurned Trump, one voting for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the other for former Texas Congressman Ron Paul. The Electoral College chose the New York developer and reality-TV star, even though he lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million and despite reports of Russian interference and ongoing reports of his own conflicting business interests. Trump opponents could not find 37 Republican voters to deny Trump a majority and throw the election to the House of Representatives, nor could they find electors alarmed enough to heed the warnings of Alexander Hamilton in Federalist 68.
I've never met Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett. Truthfully, I've not met any of our current Supreme Court Justices. But I've thought a lot about them over the last few months since their ruling that Texas public schools are constitutional. I have to say I was surprised, and I don't think I'm alone in that. I was surprised when I read analyses of the ruling. If I hadn't known the Court had ruled our system constitutional, I might not have been able to tell from excerpts of justices' statements.

Justice Willett: "The system, while undeniably imperfect, with immense room for improvement, is constitutional," and "Texas' 5 million students deserve transformational, top-to-bottom reforms that amount to more than Band-Aid on top of Band-Aid."

Justice Eva Guzman: "There is much work to be done to improve our public school system, particularly for the population that represents the majority of the student base - economically disadvantaged students," and "While the constitution requires the system to be merely good enough, that does not mean that our system is good, or that it will continue to be enough."

These descriptions of our public schools are nothing to be proud of. If anything, I feel ashamed when I read them. How can a state as proud as Texas tolerate this?

To add insult to injury, I recently learned that not all of the local property taxes collected and sent to the state to be used to fund public schools are actually spent on public schools. According to the Legislative Budget Board, over the last 10 years approximately $14 billion dollars has been collected through local property taxes, of which $11.8 billion have been used to pay schools for increases in their student enrollment. The rest? It went into the state's coffers.

I've been conducting some research of my own, asking people in my community and those I meet in meetings around the state if they are aware that not all the money they pay in local property taxes goes to our schools. I haven't met a single person who wasn't surprised and, frankly, angry.

I've been involved in PTA since my children started school. As they grew I continued to grow too, as a PTA volunteer. This year I became the President of Texas PTA, the largest child advocacy association in the state of Texas. I spend all my time advocating for Texas children and for our public schools. I travel the state visiting schools and meeting with parents, teachers, principals and superintendents, and this summer Texas PTA invited groups who are interested in public schools to come together to discuss how to improve our system of school funding. I know that many schools face huge challenges to delivering an education of which our children are deserving, that there are large disparities between schools in terms of funding and quality. I know that money won't solve all our schools' problems, but we must begin with a level of funding that is adequate to meet the needs of all our students and that is distributed equitably across all our schools.

So my question for legislators is this: What will you do?

Will you commit to spending ALL property tax collections on our public schools or will you look the other way and let this diversion continue?

Will you heave a deep sigh of relief that the Supreme Court has let you off the hook, or will you take to heart the statements of our Supreme Court justices and agree with me that a school system that can be described like this is not worthy of Texas?

I hope you will work with Texas PTA and many others to pass legislation to rebuild our public school system so that it is one of which we can all be proud. Texas PTA vows to work with legislators and other advocates to create a system that is fair and that offers all students the education they deserve. We must come together - parents, school leaders, policymakers - to craft a solution that affords every student the opportunity to achieve his or her dreams through education.

We can do it and we must.

Holbrook is president of the Texas PTA.
Members of the Houston City Council heard an update Monday on activities of the Houston Area Chamber of Commerce.

Angie Quinlan outlined the recent Christmas parade and plans for the organizations annual banquet on Jan. 14. The city also OKd it agreement with the chamber that allows its occupancy at the Houston Visitors Center. The chamber pays only its utility costs.

In other matters, members:

Adjourned into a lengthy closed session. No votes were taken.

Heard from Royce Butkke about the citys utility deposit policy.

Approved a resolution concerning the citys handling of a petty cash fund.

Learned that Mayor Don Tottingham, Parks Director Drew Jordan and City Administrator Larry Sutton recently toured the Mansfield Civic Center and learned about its operation and facility layout.

Heard the citys annual Christmas dinner was Friday, Dec. 16, at Houston City Hall.

Learned that gabion baskets have arrived that will be used to ease erosion along Brushy Creek near the Houston Wastewater Treatment Plant.

A gabion wall is a retaining wall generally made of stacked stone-filled gabions tied together with wire.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 19

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

The Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan cooperation in transit transportation has good prospects and it can be beneficial to both sides, Isimbek Abdiyev, research officer at the National Institute for Strategic Studies of Kyrgyzstan, candidate of economic sciences, came to a conclusion while conducting a research in Azerbaijan for over three months.

Abdiyev presented the results of his study in Baku on Dec. 19.

He noted that Azerbaijan implements a number of transportation projects - a new port Alat is being constructed on the Caspian Sea, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is soon to be completed, Trans-Caspian International Transport Route project is being realized, through which it is planned to attract transit cargoes going from China to Europe and back. At the same time, Abdiyev said that the shortest, fastest and most convenient way to deliver cargo from China to Azerbaijan is via the route that goes though Kyrgyzstan and then through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Despite the fact that 94 percent of Kyrgyzstans territory is mountainous, the country has a modern well developed highway system which is connected with highway systems of China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, according to him.

Moreover, within the Eurasian Economic Union incentives are provided until 2018 to carriers importing goods via Kyrgyzstan. Thus, it is cheaper to carry goods from China to Europe via Kyrgyzstan than via Russia or Kazakhstan, for instance.

In addition, the Kyrgyz carriers offer attractive tariffs for their services  they are often 2-3 times lower than the tariffs of carriers from Russia and Kazakhstan. Along with that, there is a permit-free system for Kyrgyz carriers to transit goods via Kazakhstan, Russia and Uzbekistan and a licensing system with Turkey which allows them freely transporting cargo on the territories of these countries. Besides, the Kyrgyz carriers have substantial experience in driving on mountain passes, which is important for transportation in this mountainous region.

Abdiyev also noted that the Kyrgyz legislation does not pose any restrictions on the export of capital which makes the country attractive for foreign investors.

Meanwhile, the analyst noted that the railway network is not developed in Kyrgyzstan. He recalled that a railroad, connected with Kazakh railways, from the Issyk-Kul lake to the border with Kazakhstan has remained in northern Kyrgyzstan since the Soviet era. Moreover, there are small sections of a railway, connected with Uzbek railways, in the countrys south  in a district of the Osh city. During the Soviet era, when there were no borders between the Unions republics, this railway was single. However, currently, these railway sections are separated by the territory of Uzbekistan, and, as a consequence, are used rarely.

Abdiyev noted that as of today, there is no a railway linking the north and south of Kyrgyzstan, and in order to travel from the countrys southern regions to the northern regions, it is necessary to pass through the territory of three neighboring countries  Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and to pass the passport control for several times.

Meanwhile, there is no a railway stretching from east to west of Kyrgyzstan. The analyst noted that Kyrgyzstan cant independently finance the implementation of such a project and it is not planned to attract loans for the construction of the railway route, because currently, the countrys external debt exceeds 60 percent of GDP and additional loans will bring it to dangerous proportions.

Abdiyev added that there is an interest in this project, in particular, China supports the connection of its railways with Kyrgyz railways.

The expert also said that giving the Silk Road programs status to these transportation projects can help to develop transportation routes in the region. He noted that this will help to coordinate intergovernmental efforts, conduct a common policy and develop common norms in this sphere.

During the presentation, it was also noted that in order to stimulate cooperation in the transportation sphere, Kyrgyz embassy in Baku has initiated the creation of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyzstan fund on development of transportation.

Abdiyev said that along with the support to transportation and transit cooperation, such a fund will also help to the development of trade, tourism and other types of cooperation among countries.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Kyrgyzstans Foreign Ministry has released a statement in connection with the assassination of Andrey Karlov, Russian ambassador to Turkey, in Ankara on Dec. 19.

The statement says that the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry considers this crime as a terrorist act with regard to the official representative of the foreign country.

The incident clearly shows the urgent need to unite and deepen joint efforts to fight international terrorism, according to the statement.

The foreign ministry offered condolences to families and friends of Andrey Karlov, and expressed the hope that all those involved in this crime will be identified and punished.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
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According to Statistics Canada, the average age of marriage is now 29 for women and 31 for men - no matter what your Tinder app stats are telling you. The average age for a couples' first child is well into their 30s. This isn't really revelatory news, people are going to school longer, staying at home with their parents longer - focusing on locking down their professional goals before getting ready to "settle down." The statistics make perfect sense. However, the age increase in typical start time for intended lifelong romantic attachments does mean that employees will tend to experience marriage and parenting later on in life. Why is this relevant? Physiologically we cannot escape the fact that as we age we are more prone to health issues, exhaustion, etc. When pairing this human tendency with the desire to wait to put down roots - we are looking at a workforce of older parents, stresses on income such as home purchase, marriage, and children are pooled later into life. Yet certainly, people are much better equipped from a financial standpoint, due to their admirable adherence to putting their professions first. Let us consider this from the perspective of an employer when hiring and promoting. As much as we sometimes like to hold onto the illusion work and home are separate - it remains just that, an illusion. The proliferation of EAPs (employee assistance programs) in the last few years is enough to prove this point - ask anyone at MorneauShep...
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 20

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Campaigning continues for the presidential election in Turkmenistan, scheduled for Feb. 12, 2017, the Central Commission for Elections and Referendums of Turkmenistan reported Dec. 20.

The Turkmen MPs with the assistance of the Central Election Commission are holding meetings in Ashgabat and the administrative centers in the countrys regions.

Heads of ministries and departments, regional administrations, local government bodies, the Democratic Party, the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Agrarian Party, representatives of public organizations and associations, as well as law enforcement officials are invited to participate in these events.

In accordance with the Turkmen national law, all the candidates are given equal rights and opportunities for meetings with voters and their familiarization with the election programs and campaigning in the mass media outlets.

Three candidates are nominated for the president in Turkmenistan.

The Democratic Party nominated the incumbent head of state Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan nominated chairman of the Commercial Bank Rysgal, Bekmyrat Atalyev, and the Agrarian Party nominated Durdygylych Orazov.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has been elected twice as the countrys president. During the presidential election in 2012, 97.4 percent of voters cast their ballots for Berdimuhamedov.

Turkmen president is elected for a period of seven years, according to new amendments to the countrys Constitution.
Antarctica may be much more vulnerable to climate change than scientists previously thought, according to a recent study published in Nature Climate Change.

A team of European researchers travelled to East Antarctica in January, to take a closer look at a mysterious crater spotted on the King Baudoin ice shelf in 2014.

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"At the time, the media reported that it was probably a meteorite impact crater, Jan Lenaerts, a researcher with Utrecht University in the Netherlands and the University of Leuven in Belgium, said in a press release on Dec. 12, 2016. "My response was: in that area? Then it's definitely not a meteorite; it's proof of strong melting."

Lenaerts and his team suggest the crater is actually a collapsed lake with a moulin  a hole in the ice  which allows water to flow into the ocean, contributing to rising sea levels.

"It's definitely not a meteorite; it's proof of strong melting."

"That was a huge surprise, said Stef Lhermitte of University of Leuven and Delft University in the Netherlands. Moulins typically are observed on Greenland. And we definitely never see them on an ice shelf."

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While the crater itself isnt new, its cause may provide new evidence that ice sheets in Antarctica are susceptible to global warming. The team also discovered enormous rivers and lakes made of meltwater  some of which were several kilometres wide.

Normally, few signs of climate change are found in East Antarctica, because the area is so isolated from the rest of the world," Lenaerts said.

And while earlier studies have shown West Antarctica is extremely sensitive to climate change, our research now suggests that the much larger East Antarctica ice sheet is also very vulnerable."

Also on HuffPost

Drone Images Highlight Climate Change See Gallery
OTTAWA  The House of Commons is no place to discuss party matters such as the Liberals so-called cash-for-access fundraisers, Government House Leader Bardish Chagger told The Huffington Post Canada in a year-end interview.

You know, in that place [the House of Commons] is not where we talk about, I would say, political fundraising. Political parties can talk about that. We can talk about legislation. We can talk about the rules that govern the work we do, but I would say thats the place to really advance the challenges that Canadians are facing, the concerns that they are facing, Chagger told HuffPost.

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The Waterloo, Ont., MP and rookie minister for small business and tourism, has spent the past several weeks on her feet in the House responding to questions from opposition parties about Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus private fundraisers. Trudeau has been lending his ear to donors ready to fork over $1,500 to spend a bit of time in the prime ministers presence.

Conservative House leader Candice Bergen said Chaggers comments reflect her lack of experience.

The House of Commons and question period is definitely where these questions need to be answered, Bergen said. And what is shameful is their repetitive talking-point answers where they are not answering about the guidelines, they are only answering about Elections Canada laws.

The prime minister himself set out the ethical guidelines to great fanfare, and they were issued by the Privy Council Office and the Prime Ministers Office, Bergen said. That is government, that is connected, and definitely question period is the place to ask those questions.

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While not illegal, the private nature of the Liberals fundraisers appears to breach the standard of conduct that Trudeau said he expected from his ministers. In his Open and Accountable Government guidelines issued in Nov. 2015, Trudeau said: There should be no preferential access to government, or appearance of preferential access, accorded to individuals or organizations because they have made financial contributions to politicians and political parties.

The Globe and Mail, in particular, has been chasing stories outlining a close relationship Trudeau has built with wealthy individuals, including some members of the Chinese community who have business dealings involving the federal government.

Just before MPs went home for the holidays, Trudeau told reporters that at no point [does] attending a fundraiser give a particular or special access on policy to anyone. But the prime minister also acknowledged that people do try to lobby him.

I can say that in various Liberal Party events, I listen to people as I will in any given situation, but the decisions I take in government are ones based on what is right for Canadians and not on what an individual in a fundraiser might say.

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Liberals following letter of law: Chagger

Chagger skated around questions about whether she feels the Trudeau government is meeting the standard it set for itself  avoiding the appearance of conflict of interest. She preferred to focus on how the Liberal Party of Canada is following the letter of the law.

The rules clearly state that only Canadians can donate to Canadian political parties, that is true, Chagger said. When it comes to political financing, its important for [Canadians] to know that we do have some of the strictest rules  you do have to disclose who is donating, this is all on the public record.

As government House leader, Chagger is the person tasked with implementing many of the reforms the Liberals promised to make Parliament more open, accountable and transparent.

At the very top of her mandate letter, it says she is to work with parliamentarians to reform Question Period so that all ministers, including the Prime Minister, are held to greater account.

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Asked if she thinks Trudeau  who has skipped more question periods than he attended during his first year in office (missing 58 per cent, according to a HuffPost analysis done earlier this month), has avoided answering many questions about his own fundraising activities, and who has also avoided answering questions related to his portfolio as minister of youth  is meeting that benchmark, Chagger said yes.

Very much so. I believe that in question period, we have ministers who, when they are in the House, are responding directly to questions that are relevant to their portfolios, she said.

Chagger offered different reasons for why she is mainly answering  and defending  Trudeaus actions on the fundraising file.

First, she said, it is part of the Grits whole-of-government approach. Every minister has been empowered to respond, she said.

Opposition questions not relevant?

Second, she suggested the opposition parties are asking questions that are not important to Canadians.

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Question period, its question period, its a creature of its own, in that you dont know what questions will come and what is important for the opposition parties, she said. different parties will have different priorities. What is clear is that the oppositions priorities and our priorities are very different. Our priority is working for Canadians.

Third, she said Trudeau is out meeting with Canadians and offering them an unprecedented level of access to the government.

The prime minister is present to ensure that he is held to greater account. The prime minister is in Canadian communities on a regular basis, in the backyards, talking to everyday Canadians so they have access to him, she said.

Chagger, Monsef both under fire

Fourth, she said Trudeau responds to questions that come from the other party leaders during the leaders circle.

But it is all those times that Chagger, 36, is the face of the government on national television defending the governments actions that have the Tories saying the rookie minister is being used.

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Bergen said Chagger and another fellow rookie, Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef, should tell Trudeau they dont want to do his dirty work anymore.

They should say to him: Im not going to do this anymore, come up with a better plan to deal with these issues, Bergen said of the fundraising controversy and the bungling of the democratic reform file.

NDP House leader Murray Rankin also wondered if Chagger is acting independently or whether the Prime Ministers Office is involved to an unusual degree.

Although the opposition's questions are principally about the prime ministers accountability, Chagger said she decided to answer them and is not kowtowing to the PMO.

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Yes, she didnt write the guidelines Trudeau issued, she said, but party fundraising doesnt fit neatly in any other cabinet ministers portfolio, so as House leader, she stepped up.

She came up with her own lines, Chagger said. At the same time, she suggested many ministers, including her, are changing their talking points on the fly because they want to appear less partisan and not to be polished politicians.

Liberals have passed 15 bills this year

Chagger is a first-time MP but longtime Liberal activist and former political staffer. She took over as House leader from veteran Dominic LeBlanc when he was permanently appointed minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard following Hunter Tootoos surprise resignation from the cabinet.

Although a neophyte, she has mastered the ability to steer conversations away from topics she doesnt want to talk about and to answer direct questions with statements about working for Canadians.

Asked about the Liberals lacklustre legislative record  the Grits passed only 15 bills this year much less than half of what previous Conservative and Liberal governments pushed through  Chagger responded that the House of Commons belongs to the people of Canada. The Liberals, she suggested, arent rushing bills through the House because they have been busy consulting and engaging with the public.

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I personally love democracy. I do believe in the power of the people, so I believe its been so refreshing to see that the government does want to listen and that we do want to promote and encourage meaningful debate.

"I believe its been so refreshing to see that the government does want to listen and that we do want to promote and encourage meaningful debate."

The Liberals have accomplished a lot of the mandate Canadians gave the party, Chagger said. They lowered taxes on middle income Canadians, enhanced the Canada Pension Plan, signed the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union and passed legislation allowing medical assistance in dying.

Outside of the House, Trudeau also managed to corral most of the provinces together to sign a pan-Canada agreement on Climate change. Its a huge accomplishment that we will finally have a price on carbon, something that we know Canadians have been asking for, she said.

When asked if she thinks the prime minister will attend question period more often next year, Chagger was noncommittal.

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The prime minister takes his job, in this place, very seriously. Just like he takes his job engaging and meeting with everyday Canadians within their communities, very seriously, she said.

Whenever the prime minister is here, he is definitely at question period, she added, in a statement that is misleading and untrue.

I know that he recognizes that with a whole of government approach hes empowered ministers to answer those questions. This is not a one-person show. Trudeau is quite available and quite present, she said.

But thats my perception. Its always good to know what others are thinking.

Bergen believes the prime minister is uninterested in Parliament and suggests he is to blame for the Liberals inability to get their legislation through.

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Whether it is votes or question period, he isnt there a lot. Even when he is in town, he doesnt see the value of being in Parliament, she said. What it shows me is that the prime minister sees Parliament as more of a nuisance than a necessity, and I think his absence in question period is just another symptom of that.

Liberals are moving on other changes

Trudeau is less present than former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, Rankin noted. In the House, the Liberals have used time allocation to cut off opposition debate and speed up their bills more than 10 times, the NDP house leader said.

The Liberal leaders election promise of reforming question period to allow for a prime ministers question time one day a week  something Rankin said hes not sure he even wants  has yet to be fulfilled, he said. And the family-friendly changes the Grits also promised to make havent materialized either.

I dont see much of a mandate letter that has been achieved, he said.

In November, however, buried in the governments fiscal update, the Liberals announced they will open up meetings of the Board of Internal Economy, the secretive all-party committee that governs the House of Commons and handles everything from MP lawsuits to security on the Hill.

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The government also plans to introduce legislation to make the parliamentary budget officer an independent officer of Parliament and to expand the offices mandate to include reviewing the costing of party election platforms.

And the Liberals  Chagger and Treasury Board President Scott Brison  are working to reform the estimates process so that it is easier for parliamentarians to track the federal governments spending.

Those are three items that may soon be scratched of Chaggers bucket list.

Others, such as ensuring parliamentary secretaries cant vote on committees and dont direct proceedings, have already occurred. Rankin noted how the Liberal parliamentary secretaries are far ess obstructionist than their Conservative counterparts.

Time allocation used to curtail debate

The year started off on a positive footing, the NDP House leader said. The parties collaborative work on the on the medical-assistance-in-dying issue, for example, was a triumph of Parliament, he said.

But things quickly went downhill. Time allocation has curbed a lot of the goodwill parliamentarians had, Rankin said.

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Chagger acknowledged that she still has a lot of work to do. She told HuffPost she is waiting to see what the Commons committee on procedure and House affairs will recommend regarding question period changes and family-friendly measures, such as getting rid of Friday sittings.

Reforms are definitely still on the radar, she said.

Also on HuffPost
CBC has been on a roll lately.

First, one Toronto reporter enriched our lives with a 21-second video of him interviewing a squirrel last week. It's basically a heritage moment.

And now, Halifax reporter Brett Ruskin has crafted the year's most exciting Canadian thriller.

It's got it all: Ruskin chases after a car, he rescues a Tim Hortons cup from impending doom and  of course  is very polite throughout the entire thing.

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Watch the short film he shared Tuesday, which we'll hastily call "RUSKIN'S RUSH" or "PUBLIC MANDATE," embedded below:

Canadian tragedy averted pic.twitter.com/f3K8m5oihQ  Brett Ruskin (@Brett_CBC) December 20, 2016
If youre a working Canadian, this holiday season  as you rush to finalize travel plans and buy gifts  the odds are better than even that youll pay a self-imposed time-off tax.

Thats what human resources firm ADP is calling the phenomenon of employees who put in extra time at work before or after a vacation.

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According to ADPs latest sentiment survey, some three-quarters of Canadians feel they have to work extra hours before and after vacations, with nearly half (44 per cent) saying its very likely they will have to put in extra time around holidays.

Those who do so average an extra 10 hours of work before vacation, and 11 hours after vacation, for a total of 21 hours, or half a full-time work week.

In other words, if you take a week off, youve only really gotten half a week off.

People on the Prairies are the most likely to pay a time-off tax, with 90 per cent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan saying they work extra around vacations.

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At the other end is Quebec, where little more than half (53 per cent) say they feel the need to add work hours.

Infographic: ADP Canada

ADP says the pressure to stay caught up at work is causing people to forgo vacation time. It estimates that this year, Canadians will leave 31 million allocated vacation days unused.

Extra work is a good explanation for why many Canadians may be reluctant to take a vacation, and may not feel completely rested when they do, ADP Canadas VP for strategy and marketing, Virginia Brailey, said in a statement.

While holidays are important for physical and mental health, our study shows that for many Canadians, the extra work required to take that vacation has become a bit like a time-off tax.

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Bailey suggests businesses themselves address these issues. She says companies should check their culture to make sure they are not creating an environment where overwork is encouraged.

Business should also plan proactively to make sure productivity doesnt suffer when employees go on vacation, Bailey suggests.

The health and business benefits of well-rested employees are too important to ignore, says Brailey. This is a perfect time of year for managers to step back and make sure their employees arent feeling pressured to pay a time-off tax.

Also on HuffPost
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 20

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov and Ambassador of Palestine Muhammad Abdullah Tarshahani discussed intensifying the bilateral cooperation between the two countries in political, trade-economic and cultural-humanitarian spheres, the Turkmen foreign ministry said in a message Dec. 20.

According to the message, the role of political consultations was stressed during the meeting.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas paid an official visit to Turkmenistan on November 13-15. Bilateral documents were signed following his talks in Turkmenistan.
Subscribers to one of Canadas more prominent independent Internet providers are getting a surprise holiday gift: Lower Internet bills, thanks to a ruling from Canadas telecom regulator earlier this year.

Customers of Ontario-based TekSavvy received emails from the company this week notifying them that their service will be upgraded and prices lowered as of Jan. 1.

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The news was met with surprise and applause from its customers, of course.

Got an email from @TekSavvyBuzz informing me that my connection speed is going UP while my bill is going DOWN. WHAT IS HAPPENING!?  Ted Rouse (@takedanger) December 19, 2016

This is one of the largest price drops weve ever seen, TekSavvy CEO Marc Gaudrault told MobileSyrup. We are making changes for virtually our entire customer base.

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The changes are the result of a ruling by the CRTC in October that required the big telecoms to reduce the prices they charge to Internet resellers who rent space on the big companies networks.

The big telcos rates were not just and reasonable and had to be revised downwards, the watchdog said in its ruling.

The CRTC is very concerned that certain large companies have not conducted their cost studies in accordance with well-established costing principles and methodologies.

TekSavvy and other resellers like Distributel and are now paying up to 89 per cent less to access the big telcos networks, and up to 39 per cent less for bandwidth.

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But the new pricing may not last. The CRTCs decision is an interim one, and a final decision is expected by next summer.

In its October ruling, the CRTC sided with resellers arguments that the prices big telcos were charging them were in effect reducing competition in the market.

Canadians access to a choice of broadband Internet services would have been at stake had we not revised these rates, CRTC chairperson Jean-Pierre Blais said in a statement.

Also on HuffPost
Prince Harry was only 12-years-old when his mother, the late Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris.

Nearly 20 years later, the Prince admits he first buried his emotions after losing his mom, instead of dealing with them head on.

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"For a huge part of my life I didnt really want to think about it," Harry said in a documentary for ITV focusing on his charity Sentebale which he founded in memory of his mother.

Fortunately, things changed and prince now admits he feels "energized, fired up" and "lucky enough to be in a position to make a difference."

The change came in two stages. The prince has previously credited his military background for giving him confidence, as well as his charity work in Africa.

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During the interview, the 32-year-old prince jokingly referred to himself as a "ginger white prince," explaining that he wasn't sure what to do when he first landed in Africa.

Many years later, the prince continues to have a love affair with the continent, and even hopes it he can pass this love to his future children one day.

"For me, now, I have this love of Africa and it will never disappear and I hope it carries on with my children as well," he said.

This time last year the prince also spoke about his mother's death admitting he was left with "a gaping hole that could never be filled."

Also on HuffPost

15 Ways William And Harry Keep Diana's Spirit Alive See Gallery
Mounties in northern British Columbia hope a dash of childrens art on liquor store bags will make people think twice about drinking and driving this holiday season.

Prince Rupert RCMP dropped off hundreds of paper bags at the citys liquor stores on Monday, each with hand drawn designs and messages warning adults against impaired driving.

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Sgt. Jagdev Uppal told The Huffington Post Canada that local schoolchildren were very happy to be asked to help.

Uppal said one particularly creative design involved a drawing of a cell phone with the telephone number for a local taxi company on its screen.

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Parksville Qualicum Beach schools have also partnered with their local RCMP detachment and liquor stores to roll out the same campaign on Vancouver Island.

But this years campaign  dubbed Operation - Santas Helpers  is a first for Prince Rupert, Uppal said.

He noted everybody loves the artwork and the designs the children have come up with. Uppal called the campaign a cheerful occasion for Mounties and schoolchildren to work together.

Its just one of those good news stories for us, he said.

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Chris Wattie / Reuters Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, December 12, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

In May 2015, then Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and the Liberal caucus voted unanimously on Fin Donnelly's motion that there was a moral obligation to injured Canadian Veterans. On August 23, 2015, then prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau announced in Bellville that they were going to re-establish life long pensions to injured veterans. When elected prime minister, Mr. Trudeau's publicly released mandate letter announced that one of the goals laid down to his minister was the reestablishment of life long pensions.

On May 2, 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau did a one-handed push up video flanked by athletes of the Invictus team to call out Prince Harry and President Obama. On May 14th, the Liberal government announced that they were going to reopen the Equitas lawsuit, that is fighting for the reestablishment of life long pensions for veterans.

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Think about that on May 2, 2016 the prime minister did one handed push ups with injured veterans, the same veterans that he promised on three separate occasions to re-establish life long pensions, knowing full well that in a mere two weeks' time he was going to take injured vets back to court. To be that self absorbed in thinking that it would not be classless to do so is indicative to the current state of affairs.

In July 2016, it was announced that the port of Churchill was shutting down operations. The response of the government was a $4.6-million investment in tourism by the end of the year. The polar bear migration is October to November, so to depend on two months of tourism is not a plan, cottage season is at least five months long. It is short sighted and insulting to the people trying to make ends meet.

Last week a delegation flew from Churchill to plead with the government to nationalize the port. The minister could not even be bothered to meet with them. At least Fantino showed up to the meeting with the veteran delegation. Perhaps Minister Carr was too busy planning his military campaign on the pipeline protesters.

There is a tweet in which the prime minister says, "The Great Bear Rainforest is no place for a pipeline. Too many communities and too many jobs would be put at risk." The Northern Gateway was not approved I think in great part because of this tweet, if he could have redone it he would not have tweeted this statement.

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Thankfully he stayed ambiguous on Kinder Morgan. The pipeline decisions were made politically, even though the Liberals campaigned on a supplementary review of the Trans Mountain expansion project. Instead they used the same system that the previous Conservative government used, not a completely new review.

Speaking of money. Would any one like to pay $1,500 for me to go to a cash for access dinner to ask the prime minister if he knew about reopening the court case on veterans while he was doing one handed push ups. You have billionaires and millionaires paying money to either the Liberal Party of Canada or the Trudeau foundation for access to the prime minister or influential ministers.

This is our Clinton Foundation, and the worst part of how our political system is owned by big business. Especially because Finance Minister Bill Morneau (the Bay Street millionaire) is shilling a new economic growth council that is calling for a national infrastructure bank.

Picture the Pacific Railway Scandal. It will help if the bidders will get a better chance at the projects if they go to these cash for access dinners and donate thousands of dollars to the foundation and will have a great photo op under the new statue of Pierre Elliot Trudeau while you can't get ahead.

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"Canadians should get used to so-called 'job churn' -- short-term employment and a number of career changes in a person's life." That was the Bay Street millionaire talking about the precariousness facing the millennial generation.

That is why young Canadians turned their back on their prime minister. He is telling them to forget about careers benefits and retiring with dignity. Those are just election promises, but who keeps those?

Not this prime minister. "We are committed to ensuring that 2015 will be the last federal election conducted under the first-past-the-post voting system." Power has a strange way of changing people's minds. 39.9 per cent of Canadians voted for the Liberal government at a 63 per cent voter turn out rate. If you include the 37 per cent of Canadians that did not bother to vote, then the actual percentage of Canadians that voted for the Liberals would be around 28 per cent. Meaning approximately three out of four Canadians did not actually cast a ballot federally for the Liberal Government. Yet they have 100 per cent of the power.

Now that they have the power that promise to reform is being bungled so badly by Minister Monsef that the 21-month time frame that Elections Canada needs to implement the new changes will not be met. So, in fact the promise of electoral reform is just another broken promise.

There are literally hundreds of them. This is one of a plethora of promises that the current government has failed to keep thus far. Of the 223 promised made by Trudeau 37 have been fulfilled, but he has also broken almost as many as he has kept at 28.

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That is why I have put Prime Minister Trudeau up for a Guinness World Record. Not for most selfies by a world leader, or kilometres traveled abroad in the first year as leader. Record 161124012737mbep states "Most Broken Election Promises by a Western Democracy." I will find out in two months' time if the prime minister is in fact the recipient of the new world record, because all future world leaders need to realize that his example is one not to be emulated.

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Lucas Jackson / Reuters U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak during a USA Thank You Tour event at Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 15, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Like thousands of Canadians, I stayed up all night on November 8th watching the US election returns and getting a sick feeling in my gut as, impossibly, the map turned red. Stock markets and currencies plummeted on the shocking news that Donald Trump had won the White House and the brash outsider who'd never served his country in uniform or government was the most powerful man in the world. Predictably, there has been a tsunami of doomsday ink on the fate of the many progressive initiatives that were enacted under President Obama, including the Paris climate accord.

I'm attempting to shine an optimistic, hopeful light on the fate of our children's earth under the climate change denier-in chief. To introduce a peaceful, progressive ying to balance the bitter, redneck yang that has devoured the debate. This election result is a clarion call to climate action; the Chinese symbol for crisis, weiji, is composed of two characters, one for danger and one for opportunity. Call the election of the Donald a Trumpportunity.

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First, the sustainability revolution is well under way. Ever since President Obama took office in 2009, private companies have driven the sustainability movement in the U.S. And a new breed of business organization has been born called harvesters, companies whose sustainability-related actions and decisions add to their bottom line. Most harvesters have a chief sustainability officer [CSO] with a place at the board table and the ear of the CEO.

There are CSOs at blue chip companies like DuPont Chemicals, Coca Cola, AT&T and Kellogg. Secondly, consumers are willing to pay more for 'green' goods and services. A Nielsen study found that 66 percent of consumers across 60 countries, up from 50 per cent in 2013, are willing to pay more for products and services from companies committed to positive social and environmental impact. And, the next generation of business leaders recognizes that sustainability is the future of their chosen profession. Business students around the world say they are more willing to work for companies committed to sustainability and would accept lower salaries to do so.

In his campaign, Trump championed unemployed coal miners and pledged to fan the flames of the coal industry and raise it from the ashes [ahem]. Well, the market value of coal companies has fallen off the cliff, down 92 per cent from more than $60 billion in 2011 to $4 billion in 2016.

Trump isn't the first Republican president to hype the coal industry. George W. Bush received millions from King Coal but by the end of his eight years in office, the industry was flat-lining. Electricity generated by renewables produced around 90% of new electricity generation in 2015 and, contrary to the bleats of the fossil-fuel community, the global economy continued to grow by more than three per cent.

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Trump has repeatedly pledged to withdraw from the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change. But in late November, he backtracked, saying he would "keep an open mind" about rejecting the deal, and "I think there is some connectivity" between human activity and climate change. The good news is that Trump cannot legally withdraw from the Paris Agreement until 2020.

Trump's basis for denying climate change is as bizarre and unique as he is; he claims it is all a hoax concocted by the Chinese to hurt American manufacturing. But the Chinese are undeterred by Trump's rude ramblings and have calmly continued to lead the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. China's top climate change negotiator recently encouraged Trump to work with other countries to fight climate change rather than build walls. "Our policy is that our actions will not be impacted by a new U.S. government. We would continue to be an active player," said Gu Zihua, deputy director at China's Climate Change Office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Incredibly, China has committed to close 1,000 coal mines and will this year invest more in renewables than in coal.

World leaders need to figure out how to diplomatically educate Trump on climate change and Canada can play a leading role. We've done it before; Prime Minister John Diefenbaker played an important role in the expulsion of South Africa from the Commonwealth in 1961 for its apartheid policy. Then, in the 1980s, Brian Mulroney defied his many opponents to protest apartheid and openly challenged British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on her refusal to enact tough sanctions against South Africa. The UK imposed sanctions on South Africa in 1985 and Canada was one of the first countries visited by Nelson Mandela after he was freed.

Trump's theory about the Chinese global warming conspiracy is contrary to the opinion of the Pentagon, which says climate change poses "immediate risks to national security." But this isn't the first time an American president has had laughably absurd notions about the environment; Ronald Reagan thought acid rain was caused by ducks, and still Brian Mulroney got him to agree to drastic pollution cuts.

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Canada needs to be a voice of reason, hope and inspiration and lead the world in seizing this Trumpportunity.

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Hisham Ibrahim via Getty Images US Capitol Building, Washington DC, USA.State Capitol Building, United States Congress, Federal Building, Government, American Culture, International Landmark, Travel Destinations, Architecture, Dome, Neo-Classical, Building Exterior, Clear Sky, Facade, Steps, Government, Dome, American Flag, Column, Colonnade

Republican senators who have been hawkish on Russia will likely be placed in the uncomfortable position of deciding whether to confirm Exxon Mobil CEO, Rex Tillerson, President-elect Trump's nomination for Secretary of State. There is a chance, albeit one with low probability, that Tillerson's nomination will not even reach the Senate floor.

The first step to Tillerson's nomination process will be to receive a successful vote from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As it stands, the committee is comprised of 10 Republicans and 9 Democrats, which creates a small margin of error for Republicans looking to confirm Tillerson.

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If Tillerson's nomination proceeds successfully through the committee, the vote on the Senate floor has its own inherent challenges as two Republican senators, John McCain and James Lankford, have expressed some concerns with the pick.

When the vote is expected to take place in January, the Republicans will have a 52-48 seat majority in the Senate.

Depending on who you speak to, the case against Tillerson varies. The notion of the CEO from one of the world's largest oil companies becoming the Secretary of State certainly draws ire from many progressives concerned with the potential environmental impact that may result. Senator Bernie Sanders said: "In this appointment, Mr. Trump is making it abundantly clear that the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry are more important than climate change and the future of the planet. Very sad. Very dangerous. Mr. Tillerson must be opposed."

However, it is not environmental concerns which create real skepticism around the security of Tillerson's nomination; instead, it is his deep ties to Russia, including Tillerson's "warm relationship" with Vladimir Putin, and a personal friendship with Igor Sechin, chief of the state-owned oil company, Rosneft, and widely considered the second most powerful man in Russia.

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Following the signing of major deals with Rosneft, Tillerson won the bizarre Order of Friendship award from Russia in 2013. The partnership led to a drilling program where ExxonMobil spent $650 million to drill an exploratory well in the Arctic's Kara Sea.

"It is not to say that TIllerson should be unequivocally rejected for secretary of state, however, there are serious concerns that Congress has a responsibility to thoroughly examine."

As such, TIllerson has been publicly skeptical of sanctions imposed against Russia following the annexation of Crimea, which have halted some of Exxon Mobil's biggest projects in the country.

The company has billions of dollars in oil contracts with Russia, including one to explore and pump in Siberia, which on its own, could be worth tens of billions of dollars. The removal of sanctions would enable each of these potentially lucrative projects to move forward.

According to filings from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tillerson currently owns $233,078,184 of Exxon Mobil stock. The sheer magnitude of Tillerson's holding in Exxon Mobil make his nomination particularly complicated, as it is unclear how potential conflicts of interest will be handled, if at all.

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What further complicates this matter is that Tillerson's nomination comes following the release of a CIA report that alleges Russia interfered in the US presidential election in effort to boost Trump's campaign.

This has resulted in a bipartisan approach led by senators John McCain, Lindsay Graham, Charles Schumer, and Jack Reed, to urge for an investigation by Congress on Russia's potential involvement.

It is not to say that TIllerson should be unequivocally rejected for secretary of state, however, there are serious concerns that Congress has a responsibility to thoroughly examine.

If the Republican Party acquiesces to Tillerson's nomination without a thorough process in which the extent of his relationship with Russia is scrutinized, they will signal that they are willing to take a new approach to working with Russia. What is more important however, is for Congress to ensure that Tillerson directly addresses and mitigates these potential conflicts of interest, this may include setting up a blind trust, divestment, or reducing his holdings in Exxon Mobil.

If the Republicans in Congress fail to place effective pressure on Tillerson, then they will show that they are more than willing to turn a blind eye to any potential conflicts of interest that may arise with anyone within the Trump administration.

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Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 20

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Fifteen law-enforcement officials and energy experts from Turkmenistan discussed best practices in the area of critical energy infrastructure protection at an OSCE-organized seminar that concluded in Ashgabat today, said the OSCE in a message.

The two-day event provided an overview of existing and emerging risks for critical energy infrastructure.

International experts elaborated on electricity transmission and presented examples of projects on electricity grids run by international institutions, such as the European Commission.

Energy infrastructure security is one of the most serious security and economic challenges, said Ambassador Natalya Drozd, head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat.

The OSCE calls on its participating States to enhance cooperation at the national and international level to ensure the efficient protection of critical energy infrastructure, she noted. As Turkmenistan has developed a vast energy infrastructure network, protecting critical energy infrastructure is crucial for the countrys stability and regional security.

We believe this seminar provided an excellent platform for the exchange of best practices and lessons learnt in this area, Drozd added.

The seminar also addressed methods and approaches to risk assessment and governance, including participatory governance. The participants exchanged views on cyber threats and methods to mitigate risks and underlined the importance of coordination among different stakeholders at the national level.

The participants of the seminar included representatives of the interior and national security ministries, the State Border Service, and the state companies TurkmenOil and TurkmenGas.
STARS/Kristian Buus

By Shadi Saleh and Chaitali Sinha

In mid-November 2016, the Honorable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canada's Minister of International Development, announced a pledge of $20 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA): the official body mandated to deliver basic services to Palestinian refugees in a number of settings, including Lebanon. These funds will support increased access to education, health and social services.

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A health research project funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is showing how digital technologies - such as mobile phones and netbooks - can help to close the access and quality-of-service gaps for Palestinians in refugee camps and other vulnerable populations in Lebanon.

Many of these Palestinian refugees are raising the fourth generation of their families within these camps. They suffer from overcrowding, inadequate housing conditions and infrastructure and poor nutrition. These circumstances give rise to increased rates of non-communicable diseases (NCD), such as diabetes, hypertension and respiratory infections. They also make pregnancy and childbirth more risky for women.

Management of these types of conditions requires continuous and prolonged care, and benefits greatly from early screening and detection. Pregnant women in particular require special attention for conditions such as hypertension and diabetes (including gestational diabetes). Left undetected and untreated, they can have calamitous effects on both mothers and their newborns.

The e-Sahha project, implemented by the American University of Beirut and funded by IDRC, is working in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health in rural areas of Lebanon and with UNRWA in Palestinian refugee camps to bring better quality care to underserved populations who are at greater risks for developing NCDs -- including women with 20 or more weeks of pregnancy.

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Launched in 2014, e-Sahha is an implementation research project that was designed with a clear intention to use mobile technology, embedded in the local context, to improve the continuum of services for high-risk groups and to create the space for them to have a say in the quality of the health services they receive.

There is no one-size-fits all system to improve health. This is true for everyone -- and especially for refugee populations living in fragile and humanitarian contexts, where the right to health is far from guaranteed. Recognizing this, e-Sahha was designed not only to improve the timeliness and outreach of health monitoring, but also to gather feedback from pregnant women and other users about the perceived and actual quality of care they received.

The focus on quality of care is noteworthy because when it comes to refugees - living in registered camps and beyond -- this aspect is often diluted or ignored altogether. This is why e-Sahha invested in improving both access and quality of care through better use of mobile technology and upgrading the skills of the health professionals.

Health providers receive continuing education (clinical guidelines as well as provider-patient communication strategies) through electronic learning materials developed by the project and opportunities for peer-to-peer exchanges through online forums. In addition, community health workers are trained on how to use mobile devices during household visits to screen for diabetes and hypertension.

Once registered in the e-Sahha system, individuals and their families receive text messages on their mobile phones about healthy behaviours and reminders for their upcoming appointments.

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Implemented in three of the 28 UNRWA health centres and reaching 893 people, e-Sahha results to date indicate an increased demand for and access to better quality services. The research team is now monitoring the impact of e-Sahha activities on people's health.

While the project is working with a limited population, it is setting the groundwork for a growing number of diabetic or hypertensive individuals to enjoy more accessible and better quality health care on a continuous basis. These technologies hold the potential to be a game changer in health care provision across all underserved rural populations and refugee populations in Lebanon, including Syrian refugees.

For over 10 years, IDRC has invested in research to overcome various development challenges experienced by refugees in Lebanon. Contributions from the e-Sahha project demonstrate how locally driven innovations with strong community engagement can collectively address pressing health challenges by bringing life-saving information to those most in need.

There are staggering challenges to overcome when providing quality health care to underserved and displaced populations. But, with the clever use of technology, strong relationships with leaders and the community, and a persistent focus on reducing health inequities, the potential for positive transformative change can also be staggering.

Shadi Saleh is a Professor at the American University of Beirut and the principal investigator for the e-Sahha project.

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Chaitali Sinha is a Senior Program Officer at the International Development Research Centre and responsible for managing the e-Sahha project.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of CCIC or its members.
Eyecandy Images via Getty Images Portrait of young adult friends with party blowers and drinks at Christmas party

In 2003 my mother died from Cancer. A nurse by profession, she had discovered a lump on her breast soon enough to treat the disease but not soon enough to stop it from spreading. The ultimate betrayal; killed by her own body's malignant, metastasized cells.

I remember my first Christmas after she was gone and almost every one since my father -- my hero -- did his best to take her place, to fill the void. My sister bravely trying to do the cooking, and I, bravely trying to be brave. But we were all pretending, pretending to try and fill a hole that could not be filled. And every year since that day, Christmas has been the worst time of the year.

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2003 was the year that I joined the silent millions of people who hate Christmas. The people who are reminded every holiday season not of what they have but of what they have lost. Not of what joys lay ahead, but those in the rear view mirror.

As we get older those such as I - the Holiday Season malcontents - attempt to reconcile the version of Christmas we've inherited with the version we grew up with, but the two seem as far apart as stars in the sky. Like Chinese water torture, the Christmas music never stops, the jingle bells ring over and over. The holiday films with their homely messages - 'all will be well' they tell you, 'just be good, and good things will happen'. It all serves to add to our ache. And yet, like a chocolate chip floating in a glass of milk we feel a sense of something supportive, something buoyant around us. The jubilant cries of children awaiting gifts or loved ones eager to see family. I can think of no holiday so entwined in opposites - love and sadness, happiness and fear, hope and regret.

But what is my point? What does it matter? I found that answer in the laughter of an old man at a bar downtown as the background television showed clips from a terror attack in Berlin, the assassination of a Russian diplomat and Syrian refugees trapped in Aleppo. The laughter of one grey haired man sitting across from his lifelong friend, oblivious in his happiness to whatever horrors surround him. If joy has a sound, it was that laugh. And if we can bring a bit of that sound into the world once or twice a year perhaps this entire dangerous, unproven, happenstance endeavor we call 'civilization' may have some value. So, my fellow Holiday Season Malcontents (and there are so many millions of us) seek one another out this year for you are not alone. Find happiness in one another and if not that, the sound I heard in that bar - the happiness of others.

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iconics/a.collectionRF via Getty Images Nurse holding senior man's hand, Kanagawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan

So I've been working with a nursing related client recently, and I've discovered that nurses are a) seriously overworked and b) absolutely the best!

They do things that other people would shun. Really think about that. They are also underappreciated, which is a real shame because there aren't many professions in the world more awesome than nursing. We need to shower nurses with appreciation for their work because the things that nurses do for their patients are among the most noble on the planet.

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In case you have any doubt about how cool nurses are, check out my five reasons that nurses totally rock...

1. They Are Patient Advocates

If you or a loved one is in the hospital, make sure you are as kind as possible to the nurses. There is no one you can trust more in the hospital than the nursing staff. They are true patient advocates. Rushed doctors can sometimes not be as thoughtful about patient care as they could be, which is why it is so cool that nurses are always willing to fight with the doctors to get their patients the best care possible.

Always remember to do everything you can to support the nurses in their efforts as your patient advocate. If the nurses are urging you to talk with the doctor about a certain aspect of your care, do it. Nurses always have their patients' best interests at heart, and they deserve the highest of fives for the level of advocacy they demonstrate daily.

2. Nurses Are the Ultimate Lovers of Humanity

One of the most admirable attributes that nurses demonstrate is their ability to provide stellar care to every person who walks through their doors. Whoever a person is, whether they are good or bad, they will be treated equally by nurses.

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Nurses ensure that every patient gets the level of care they deserve as a member of the human race. It takes an amazing kind of soul to treat every segment of society equally. The fact that it is just par for the course for nurses shows precisely why they are so awesome.

3. Their Bravery Is Remarkable

Because nurses treat every member of society equally, they are exposed to the best and the worst it has to offer. While interacting with the bottom rungs of society, they can be insulted, shouted at and even attacked. It takes an incredible type of person to bravely face a work environment where you will be exposed to some of the dregs of society. Nurses walk through the doors of the hospital every day knowing that they may face a mentally ill or criminally desperate person who could make their work dangerous.

4. They Cover Some Serious Distance

If a nurse ever challenges you to a walking contest, you better make sure you are in shape. The average American walks 2.5 to 3 miles per day. On the other hand, nurses average four or five miles just during their workdays on a 12-hour shift. The kind of endurance nurses need to respond to many patients simultaneously while being on their feet all day makes them true heroes.

With that in mind, you might want to think about how long the nurses have been on their feet during their shift when you interact with them. They work so hard and in such a grueling manner that they deserve to be treated with respect. When you think about getting upset in the hospital, keep in mind that nurses are doing everything they can to make your stay as pleasant as possible.

5. They Have the Best Stories

Because they are so caring and see people at their best and worst, you will find that most nurses are treasure troves of stories. Their stories range from the heroic to the tragic to the hilarious, and you can bet that every nurse has several of the most incredible stories you will ever hear in your life. If you want to make a friend who is caring and full of great stories, there is no better friend than someone who wears nursing scrubs.

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It is indisputable. Nurses totally rock. They do the hard work of taking care of people when they need it the most. We should always do everything we can to show love and support to the hard-working members of the nursing world.

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CP/Nathan Denette

Four months ago, I began teaching inmates in two of Ontario's maximum security jails. The experience has taught me a lot in a very short amount of time. I'm learning about an alternative universe that exists in parallel to mine. I'm accessing a dimension which is completely divergent from the one I was born into, and I'm still trying to digest it all.

I come from an upper-middle class, white family, and I grew up in an affluent Toronto suburb. It was the modern-day "leave it to beaver." I started walking to school in grade three, and I wandered through life feeling safe and protected. I ventured into the downtown core once every six months to see the dentist, and that's about as much of Toronto as I registered. To me, this city consisted of my tiny suburbia and the urban dentist chair.

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Through periodic openings in conversation, I'm hearing about a place that is foreign, dark, and for a privileged white girl from Etobicoke, particularly jarring. I knew these stories existed, but I never realized their proximity to me. A lot of the inmates I work with are men between the ages of 20 and 30 and are either black or Latino. We are within the same generation, living in the same country and city, and under the same governmental system, yet our worlds are polar opposite.

If this hadn't been my world, I really don't know who I would be today or what decisions I would have made.

I've listened to stories about a family business in sex trafficking. I've even been asked, very seriously, if I thought "pimping" was wrong. I've been told that the choice to sell drugs or not doesn't always feel like a choice when you're 16, trying to support your family, and living in low-income housing. I've sat silently as one inmate explained that his reasoning for joining a gang came from feelings of worthlessness. His decision to become a gun-wheeling member of a violent group felt easy as it offered him acceptance within a city he found to be cold and unwelcoming for a 15-year old immigrant.

I listen to all this without judgement because I have no right. It's impossible to judge a young person who tells you that they used to sell crack to their high school teachers or a 20 year old who has looked up to neighbourhood drug dealers his entire life. If anything, I'm taking a really good look at, not only myself, but also parents, teachers, policy-makers, the judicial system, and our government.

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When I was a 16, I found my strength and encouragement in my home, at school, and within my community. I learned the value of a strong work ethic, the concepts of honesty and integrity, and the benefits of positive action. I, personally, was never touched by racism or prejudice, and I always felt like I had people on my side, constantly cheering me on. If this hadn't been my world, I really don't know who I would be today or what decisions I would have made.

I know now that it's easy to overlook others and to ignore a lot of what is right in front of you. I realize that I have been incredibly sheltered and naive. The lens that I'm currently looking through has trivialized my negative life experiences. Now that this other dimension has been opened up to me, I have begun to feel like my world was really made up of rainbows, kittens, and down-filled pillows.

Young people are vulnerable and require guidance. They need love, support, reassurance, and education. Yet, these are all the things that my students did not receive while they were growing up. Because they respond so enthusiastically to positive encouragement, it tells me that they are looking for someone to stand in their corner and support their strengths and ambitions. They need someone to talk to, and at the same time, they need to feel heard. It's important that these individuals find their worth within the same areas that I found mine, so I think it's time that we stop ignoring them, arresting them, and shutting them out of our world.

Literal Change is dedicated to teaching the incarcerated population the skills and strategies that will help these individuals reach literacy proficiency. According to the Correctional Services of Canada:

"[A] survey of Canadian institutional libraries warned that limited access to information, exacerbated by low literacy levels, renders inmates ill-equipped to cope with the complexities of Canada's information driven society upon release."

A major goal of our project is to move members of the remand population towards completing their education and career goals. We are able to teach the skills and provide the knowledge necessary for individuals to navigate a society that is overwhelmingly dependent on print and text.

If you're interested in learning more about the Literal Change initiative or want to view some amazing artwork and writing from talented members of the incarcerated community, check out our website athttp://www.literalchange.com

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The five things you need to know on Tuesday, December 20

1) PURE MAY-BELIEVE

Theres no Cabinet today and word in Whitehall is thats because Theresa May will spend the morning prepping for her 2pm appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee. The bi-annual grilling (OK, light toasting) by the chairmen and women of Select Committees today has two tricky topics - Brexit and social care - so you can see why the PM would want to swot up beforehand.

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Never knowingly under-prepared, May could still have a tough ride on both subjects. But it is on Brexit that it will be most difficult to get any worthwhile answers. In yesterdays EU summit statement in the Commons, the PM spent 90 minutes telling MPs virtually nothing. She turned her inscrutability into a kind of performance art.

May wouldnt say how long Parliament would get to scrutinise her plan before Article 50 was triggered. She hinted she backed a transitional deal, but didnt commit to one. It was classic Theresa May, Theresa May not. And on the vexed issue of whether the UK would continue to pay EU contributions after Brexit, she was again Sphinx-like.

Challenged by Philip Davies to pledge that we will not be paying any money into the EU budget (and to admit that to do so would mean betraying what people voted for), the PM replied with this utterly vague response: When we leave the EU, people want to ensure that it is the British government that decides how taxpayer money is spent. Lots of Tory May-believers saw that as a signal she agreed with Davies. But others saw it as her signally refusing to rule out continued EU contributions. Brexit, as ever with this PMs statements, is in the eye of the beholder.

Its down to more forensic questions from people like Treasury Select Committee chairman Andrew Tyrie to get better answers today when the Liaison meets. Maybe someone will ask too how May can hint she wants to stay in Europol and keep the European Arrest Warrant if she is not in the ECJ.

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Nicola Sturgeon will publish her own governments plan for Brexit today. For her part, May will be bolstered by a fresh ComRes poll for CNN. It found that 47% of Britons said they still support Brexit, with 45% saying they would remain and 8 % undecided. The Noes have it, the Noes still have it.

2) TERROR, FIRMER

The awful news kept on getting awful yesterday. We learned of the German Christmas market lorry attack hours after the shocking murder of the Russian ambassador in Ankara, and a gunman firing on people praying in a Zurich mosque.

The latest from Germany is that the driver of the Berlin lorry was allegedly an asylum seeker from either Pakistan or Afghanistan who had arrived in the country in February. With the right-wing AfD party already blaming Merkels open door refugee policy for many of the countrys ills, the suspects status will become a big, big political issue ahead of the German elections next year.

Turkeys President Erdogan rang Vladimir Putin and they both agreed their countries would resist the provocation intended by the assassination of Andrei Karlov by off-duty police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas.

The events of Berlin, Ankara and Zurich are a sombre reminder that Theresa May is the first PM in a long time who spent years as Home Secretary. The job used to be a political curse, of course, but its looking more like an asset. Her six-year reign in Marsham Street means she commands respect across her Government whenever theres a security incident.

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Our intelligence agencies have foiled several plots in recent months, but yesterdays tragic events are also a reminder of that infamous IRA statement after the Brighton bomb attempt to murder Margaret Thatcher: Remember we only have to be lucky once  you will have to be lucky always.

3) FEELING THE GRINCH

With rail, postal and airline strikes dogging this week, No10 made plain yesterday that Theresa May felt the trade unions were the grinches stealing Christmas. Or as the PMs deputy spokesman put it: Their actions are clearly designed to bring about maximum damage and disruption during the festive period.

In keeping with the Xmas theme, the unions in turn blame Scrooge bosses (hands up who realised BA cabin crew get a basic salary of just 12,000, and an overall salary of just 21,000 with allowances?) When even the ultra-moderate and reasonable Usdaw shopworkers union is striking at the Weetabix plant over 24/7 working demands, you know something is up. Unites Len McCluskey warned May against demonizing working men and women.

Ministers too are getting it in the neck from some commuters for failing to do more to get a grip of the Southern Rail franchise earlier. The PM herself has now decided to act, and the Times reports she told a group of Tory MPs yesterday that bus replacement services and more carriages on neighbouring train servces are being ordered for Januarys six-day action. In a real measure of desperation, public buildings in commuter towns could be opened up to give people somewhere to hotdesk if they cant get into London to work.

Yet while the PM wants a canny and visible Government response, she warned her MPs not to grab at ideas such as tighter strike laws. As for Labour, its a measure of how far the party has come now that MPs like Meg Hillier are criticised for suggesting unions are shooting themselves in the foot with Christmas disruption (even Gerard Coyne, the moderate Unite contender had a go at her). And the Shadow Business Secretary Clive Lewis tweeted a shout out and solidarity with striking post office workers. He even joked his inspiration was Tony: Benn, not Blair.

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BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR

Watch this priceless clip of US TV, with Ed Miliband reduced to a stock flu photo. At least he saw the funny side on Twitter.

4) TROUBLED PROGRAMME

It was hailed by David Cameron as his big attempt to tackle the 120,000 or so hard core families with multiple social problems from crime to deprivation. But Louise Caseys Troubled Families programme has itself long been in trouble when it comes to hard evidence that its making a difference.

Today, the Public Accounts Committees report shreds the policy, concluding there were no grounds for ministers claims that it had saved the public 1.2 billion. Meg Hillier, the chair of the PAC, said it would be a big mistake for the Department for Work and Pensions to simply dismiss its scathing findings as a bureaucratic slap on the wrist for Whitehall for its evasive and unacceptable delays in producing an evaluation of the programme.

And shes right. The report is a much bigger indictment on how politicians can draft and fund policy with little evidence or impact. Jonathan Portes, the former Government economist who has spent years warning of the over-claims, can be forgiven a touch of schadenfreude in his latest blog. The Casey programme was, he says, a perfect case study of how the manipulation and misrepresentation of statistics by politicians and civil servants  from the Prime Minister downwards  led directly to bad policy and, frankly, to the wasting of hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers money. As he concludes bad stats mean bad policy.

5) FAKE SHAKE

They do it rarely, but newspaper proprietors cant resist tweaking their rivals tails now and again. Rupert Murdochs letter in todays Guardian accuses it of publishing fake news by repeating a quote attributed to him about his stance on No10 and the EU. The quote, which spawned plenty of memes in the EU referendum campaign was this: When I go into Downing Street, they do what I say; when I go to Brussels, they take no notice.

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Murdoch writes: let me make clear that I have never uttered those words. Theres a problem with the media moguls defence, however. The quote was originally reported in the Evening Standard by its former City Editor Anthony Hilton, who wrote in February that Murdoch had personally uttered the words to him.

Now Hilton is pretty much a legendary figure in financial journalism, noted for his accuracy. Hes told the Guardian today: I stand by my story. He said Murdoch made the remarks in a conversation in the early 1980s, when Hilton was city editor of the Times. Hes referred to the anecdote several times over the years without either a denial or a complaint from his former boss, until now.

It may be the timing of the letter is purely coincidental. But any day now Murdochs Fox is set to formally notify the UK Government of its intention to take full control of Sky. Ed Miliband and Sir Vince Cable are among those who have urged Culture Secretary Karen Bradley to refer the bid to regulator Ofcom. If Bradley is notified soon, she will have a tricky Christmas: under the rules, she will have 10 working days from notification to deciding on whether a public interest investigation should be launched.

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Doctors Under Fire

The indescribable hell that is Aleppo is becoming a memory which will never fade for some. Six weeks of relentless barrel bombs devastated East Aleppo. These bombs were mixed with chlorine forcing children out of cellars into the open where they were shredded by mortars and artillery fire. We will probably never know the full human cost of East Aleppo.

Dr David Nott the eminent war surgeon and I, and the team at Doctors Under Fire have been negotiating for the last four weeks to get a group of 500 children out of Aleppo. We spoke to Russian diplomats pleading for their safe passage. David spoke to Russian Ambassadors and even rang Assad's office over 100 times to get safe passage. We spoke to MPs and Ministers in the British Parliament to use their very considerable diplomacy skills to enable the ceasefire. Eventually last Friday the much publicised ceasefire began and our sister charity UOSSM loaded the children into buses and ambulances and took them through the cross over point at Kan al Assal and into Idlib Province. From there they travelled the 20 kms to the UOSSM main hospital at Bab Al Hawa near the Syrian border about 10kms from the Turkish crossing point at Ryhanli.

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These first evacuees included the 500 children and also 47 orphans who had out out a plea to the world's media last Thursday to be rescued. Their faces, in the main were gaunt and haunted with the 1000 mile stare of somebody who has seen too much and is absolutely done in. The head psychiatrist at UOSSM recently told me that 75% of children in Syria have PTSD and in 50% of those it manifests itself in them being incontinent - what a legacy we have allowed to be built up? The evacuations then stopped until Monday leaving thousands to sleep outside in freezing temperatures and snow. Heartbreakingly, four babies succumbed to the temperatures and died over night waiting to be evacuated.

Many hundreds of injured civilians have now reached Bab Al Hawa hospital. Most are in a shocking state, malnourished, anomic and with horrendous blast injuries. But our doctors are getting to work and patching them up as best they can. Many thousands of civilians have also been evacuated, and are being taken to refugee camps near the Syrian border or to Idlib city. The international community has hitherto failed these people and the children in particular. We must press to extend the ceasefire and create safe havens in NW Syria for those who have survived the Armageddon which has been Aleppo this winter.

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Just two months ago, 25-year-old Leen and her three children made the perilous journey from Damascus, the capital of war-torn Syria, to Sudan and then through the Halayeb Triangle mountains and the desert to Egypt. It's a dangerous but increasingly common route for Syrian refugees seeking safety. "I had to hold my children together by a rope to stop them falling out of the truck," Leen told me. "We were going so fast, I thought I was going to lose one of them."

As the conflict in Syria approaches a sixth brutal year, families are still fleeing their homes and making dangerous journeys in search of safety. Leen calls the road from Sudan to Egypt a "Death Road". If the smugglers don't beat you or let you die of thirst in the desert sun, then there are the snipers, gangs and even organ traffickers to contend with. "If I'd known how bad it would be, I think I could have endured the strikes and air raids in Syria instead," Leen says. But without safe and legal routes away from the bullets and bombs, refugees will continue to rely on smugglers to get themselves and their children to safety.

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Leen (Centre, with ball) with children at UNICEF & ECHO supported Kindergarten

When I met Leen in Giza a few days ago, it was clear that at just 25 years old with three children aged 10, nine and four, she has learnt to be very strong from a young age. Having only arrived in Egypt a few weeks ago and still dealing with trauma herself, she has already started working as a teacher, providing vital psycho-social support and education to children who have experienced the same horrors as she did in Syria and along that 'Death Road'.

With more than 50,000 Syrian children registered as refugees in Egypt, Unicef is working with ECHO, the humanitarian arm of the EU, to support the youngest children to attend kindergartens like the one where I met Leen. Children are not only learning to write and count, but also to cope with the psychological impacts of growing up in the midst of war.

The parents, teachers and children I met in Egypt told story after story of the hell they've been living through since the Syrian conflict began: a five-year-old girl whose school was attacked and best friend killed; a six-year-old who saw her father beheaded and is now nervous and aggressive at school; a seven-year-old who wouldn't speak or leave the house for a year. But through the EU-Unicef partnership, education is giving children the chance to recover and build a better future for themselves and their communities.

Children like Leen's daughter Hala, 10. "I remember the raids, the killing, the kidnappings. I saw it all," says Hala. "But I'm happy at school now. I have friends. I feel safe when mum is close to us at school. I want to study and become a doctor so that I can help sick children."

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Ali,5, at UNICEF & ECHO supported Kindergarten

Children like five-year-old Ali, who witnessed more horrors than most children in Syria. Like so many children dealing with psychological trauma, Ali is very quiet, but he loves school. His teacher says he is always the one to calm everyone down if a fight breaks out. "The children who arrived from Syria recently hide under the desks when they hear planes overhead," says Ali's teacher. "The children who have been here for longer joke with them and tell them they don't need to be scared anymore."

And children like eight-year-old twins Abdel and Rokia, who also made that terrifying journey along the Death Road from Sudan. "We told them we were there for a picnic, to look at the moon, to walk in the fresh air. Anything to protect them," says their father. Yet by the time they arrived in Egypt, both children had severe speech difficulties: Abdel seemed constantly tongue-tied, and Rokia couldn't speak at all. They have been taking part in education activities and receiving psycho-social support at the Terre des Hommes Family Centre for the past few months, and the positive impact has been life-changing. When I met them, both children were playing, chatting and laughing.

Abdel (L) and Rokia (R), 8 at home in Obour City

What all of these parents want for their children, above all, is to be safe and to have a chance to learn. That's why next year, Unicef and ECHO will be supporting even more young children in Egypt to start their education and build the foundation for their futures.

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Photodisc via Getty Images

The red ribbon worn by many on World AIDS Day earlier this month is a powerful symbol of our fight to eliminate HIV and AIDS - and also of solidarity and support for people living with HIV.

This sends a vital message - because too many people living with HIV in the UK still face stigma and discrimination - from friends and family, at work and even at the hospital or GP surgery.

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This time last year the results of the People Living With HIV Stigma Index UK 2015 - a survey of more than 1,500 people living with HIV in the UK - revealed that stigma remains a significant obstacle for many people living with HIV.

While more than two-thirds of people felt in control of health and optimistic about the future, around half of the participants reported feeling shame, guilt or self-blame in relation to their HIV status, and one in five had felt suicidal in the previous year.

About one in eight people had decided not to apply for, or turned down, employment or a promotion due to their HIV status. And experiences of stigma in health care were common, with one in eight participants avoiding seeking care in the past year.

In the UK we have made great progress in changing the face of HIV from a death sentence in the 1980s to a treatable, manageable condition that doesn't have to stand in the way of a long and healthy life.

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We have also introduced anti-discrimination laws which protect the rights of people living with HIV, among others. Yet if we fail to address the stigma that still surrounds HIV, we will also fail to meet our national ambition to eliminate the infection entirely.

Public Health England's (PHE) work to combat HIV forms part of a national strategy to prevent more people becoming infected with HIV, and to support more people to get tested and to know their HIV status.

Knowing your HIV status is important for everyone, but it is particularly crucial for groups of people at higher risk - specifically gay and bisexual men and black African men and women.

Getting tested is the key to beginning effective treatment for people who test positive, as well as reducing the transmission of the infection to others.

The sooner someone starts treatment, the better it is for their health. Knowing their HIV status can motivate people who test negative to change potentially risky behaviour and reduce the risk of future infection.

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Yet new data from Public Health England shows that whilst the vast majority of people living with HIV are diagnosed and receiving life saving therapy, there remains a high proportion of people unaware of their HIV infection, and only three in five diagnoses are made at the early stages of infection, before HIV has started to damage the immune system.

Stigma can discourage people from getting tested for HIV, and delay essential treatment, as well as counselling and other forms of support.

Tackling stigma is therefore important in order to make testing more acceptable and accessible to everyone, particularly groups at high risk. It is also important to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV.

How we are working to combat stigma

Those that took part in the survey felt that education and awareness campaigns were key to challenging the stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV in the UK today - and in the past year we have made some real progress on this.

It Starts With Me is a national campaign that works to prevent HIV by bringing together real people and their experiences of HIV. The main focus of the campaign is improving attitudes and encouraging uptake of testing and condom use.

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Survey results show that the 2015 campaign was successful in reaching those at high risk with message about testing - 78% of men who have sex with men and 76% of black Africans agreed that the campaign ads made them think it was normal to get tested for HIV.

And in November last year, PHE launched the HIV Innovation Fund to support innovative local projects working to reduce HIV-related stigma and promote testing in people at high risk. Last year we funded seven projects across England, and this year we are supporting 13 projects.

For example, Laugh Out Loud against Stigma (LOLS) is exploring the use of comedy to address stigma and late HIV diagnosis among black African communities in London, while OutREACH Cumbria's In the Community project is working to make HIV testing an everyday occurrence within community pharmacies in a rural area with high rates of late HIV diagnosis.

These are just some of the many examples of national and local government, charities and people living with HIV working together to tackle stigma. But the evidence shows that we must all do more to make testing more acceptable and accessible, get more people treated early and protect others from acquiring HIV.

Five things everyone can do to combat HIV stigma:

Know your facts about HIV: anyone can get HIV regardless of their gender, religion on sexuality, HIV is not passed on through personal contact such as touching or kissing or sharing of cups and utensils, people with HIV who are on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load cannot pass on the virus (you can test your knowledge with the HIV Aware quiz) Make HIV testing part of your routine sexual health check-up. Getting tested is easy and knowing your status is essential in order to get effective treatment and prevent further transmission of the infection. Talk about people living with HIV in a positive way, raise awareness among your friends and family and challenge discriminatory attitudes towards peoples and communities affected by HIV. Be supportive if a friend, family member or colleague discloses their HIV status. Encourage greater visibility of people living HIV though the promotion of positive images and supporting role models. Use your voice and passion to advocate for positive change in the lives and wellbeing of those living with or affected by HIV, perhaps by getting involved with local or national charities that support this mission.
Over the past month, Donald Trump provided a clue to his governing approach by nominating members of his cabinet. It is now clear that Trump has executed the biggest bait and switch in American political history. Campaigning as a candidate who would stand up for and improve the lives of the working class, and receiving over 40% support from union households, Trump's cabinet nominees and the outlines of his economic policy suggest that he is doing the exact opposite. These actions, however deceitful for his voters and damaging for the country, are part of a broader process that has been going on since the 1980s where elite interests have come to dominate policy formation.

The elite capture of politics is when economic and business interests dominate the staffing of key government agencies and create policies that directly benefit their firms and financial interests at the expense of everyone else. Government policy is created and used to increase the wealth of the elite, to the detriment of the average person and the U.S. economy as whole.

The ability of a small elite to capture the political process has been made possible by the growth in income inequality since 1980, which led to a sharp rise in the wealth owned by the richest 1%. The rise in economic power was used to increase the political power of the elite by investing in politicians through campaign contributions and lobbying efforts, further increasing the elite's wealth and economic power, creating a feedback loop. American democracy has been replaced with an oligarchic plutocracy--rule by the rich.

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This process is baldly apparent in not only Trump himself, but also his cabinet nominees, who are part of a class of well connected, well capitalized economic and political elites. Instead of "draining the swamp" in Washington, Trump is turning on the fire hose to flood it.

Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon, was nominated to be Secretary of State. Although not specifically an economic posting, Tillerson has business connections to Russia and Vladimir Putin, putting into question his ability to lay aside his own financial interests in favor of those of the nation. As the U.S.'s chief diplomat, more than economic policy is at stake -- global stability might be in jeopardy.

Despite pillorying Goldman Sachs during his campaign, Trump appointed three individuals who worked for the firm at the highest levels. Steven Mnuchin, a veteran of the financial industry who worked for Goldman Sachs for 15 years, has been nominated as Secretary of the Treasury. Mnuchin was also Trump's largest campaign fundraiser. Gary Cohn, who was with Goldman Sachs for 16 years, has been tapped to direct the National Economic Council, a position that does not require confirmation. And Steve Bannon, who is best known as the founder of far-right opinion site Breitbart News, has been appointed Trump's senior counselor and chief strategist.

This Wall Street-Washington corridor is not new. Frequently employees of financial firms serve in government posts to chisel away at regulations, and are then hired back to the private sector to help firms escape whatever regulations remain.

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Outside of Goldman Sachs, former banker Wilbur Ross has been nominated as Secretary of Commerce. Ross and Trump have a long history, and he was a supporter of Trump's campaign. But Ross is no stranger to politics--he also advised Bill Clinton and Rudy Giuliani.

Secretary of Labor nominee Andrew Puzder is a career executive from the fast food industry who already seems to be using his nomination to lay the groundwork for eliminating or weakening laws and policies that inhibit his wealth acquisition. He is opposed to minimum wage increases, despite overwhelming public support and little evidence that they cause job loss; increased access to overtime pay; and stronger workplace safety regulations.

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry has been nominated to head the Energy Department. In addition to being a climate change skeptic and having ties to the oil and gas industry, Perry advocated eliminating the agency he has been tapped to lead.

This list of billionaires and multi-millionaires could go on. But taking a step back and looking at these selections as a whole, they demonstrate a radically rightward shift in economic policy -- tax cuts for the wealthy, corporate tax cuts, deregulation of financial markets, stripping away environmental protections, and a convoluted infrastructure plan that seems designed to enrich selected firms without actually addressing critical infrastructure needs.

All of these policies, which have been implemented in one form or another since 1980, have a impressive track record of slowing employment creation and wage growth, exacerbating income inequality, and increasing profit growth. If these nominees are confirmed, Trump and his cabinet will be able to continue to annually redistribute $1 trillion from the middle class to the wealthiest 1%.

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Although Trump's policies represent an intensification of neoliberal and supply-side economic dogma, his nominees' backgrounds should not be entirely surprising. Every president from Reagan on had at least one former employee of a major financial firm serve as their Treasury Secretary, to say nothing of other cabinet posts. But the elite capture of politics runs much deeper than these highly visible examples. For decades, business and elite interests have exerted substantially greater impact on key policy formation and decisions relative to those those of the average person.

Even if these nominees are not confirmed, the types of people Trump is considering gives us a clear picture of his governance vision and shows the contempt he holds for those who elected him. The sad truth is that that American democracy has been captured by elite interests, creating an oligarchic plutocracy where the wealthiest determine who will run for office and what they do while in office. This has been true whether a Republican or Democratic administration in power--Hillary Clinton was no stranger to Wall Street. The massive gains in wealth by the top 1% led to increased investment in politicians, causing them to become not only friendly to elite interests, but also wholehearted supporters.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been ill for quite some time, and over the years there have been speculations on his possible successor. The developments over the past year indicate that a possible successor is emerging. Though it may be hard for some to believe, the possible successor is someone who was a prime figure in a grave crime that occurred in 1988 at the end of Iran-Iraq war.

During summer of 1988 close to 3800 political prisoners were executed on the order of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. His then deputy, Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri was fiercely opposed to the executions. Ayatollah Montazeri's protests in defense of human rights activists and the political opposition led to Khomeini firing him on 27 March 1989.

In his order for firing Montazeri, Khomeini wrote, "If you succeed me, you will give power to the liberals and, thus, you have lost your qualifications and legitimacy for leading the Islamic Republic." Montazeri's resistance against and protests to the execution of the political prisoners was a very important factor in his sacking. In his order to fire Montazeri, Khomeini alluded to this when he wrote, "By revealing [to the public] this [the executions], you have served the United States very well," adding, "Given that you are [politically] very naive, and can be provoked [by the opposition] very easily, you must stop involvement in politics."

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Less than three months later Khomeini passed away, and the Assembly of Experts, the Constitutional body that appoints the Supreme Leader, selected Khamenei as Khomeini's successor. This was against the Constitution at that time that had stipulated that the Supreme Leader must be a Marja - a source of emulation for the Shiite masses, who is usually a grand ayatollah - which Khamenei was not. But, Montazeri, who was very shrewd and a strong defender of the opposition's rights, continued his scathing criticisms of the system by critiquing Khamenei. His criticisms were at their height on 14 November 1997 when he fiercely criticized Iran's theocracy and Khamenei's "royal" rule. He also criticized the security and military establishment that had pressured the clerics to declare Khamenei a Marja, for which he was not qualified.

On Khamenei's directions, the IRGC, the Basij militia and intelligence agents attacked Montazeri's home and offices, destroyed everything, and were on the verge of murdering him, when Grand Ayatollahs Yousef Sanei and Abdolkarim Mousavi Ardabili intervened and saved his life. Montazeri was put under house arrest for five years, his home was surrounded by security forces, and his contacts with people were cut off. Due to his illness and societal pressure for his freedom, his house arrest was ended in 2002.

Montazeri's memoirs were published on the internet in 2000. He had revealed many secrets of the Islamic Republic, one of which was Khomeini's order for executing the political prisoners in 1988, and the meetings that Montazeri had held with the officials, protesting the executions. At the height of the Green Movement in 2009 its leaders were strongly supported by Montazeri, who was considered the spiritual leader of the movement. Unfortunately, just when the nation and the movement needed him the most, he passed away on 19 December 2009. Hundreds of thousands of people took part in his funeral, "congratulating" him for his "eternal freedom," and shouting slogans in support of the Green Movement's leaders.

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In February 2011, the Green Movement's leaders - former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Dr. Zahra Rahnavard, and former Speaker of the Majles [parliament] Mehdi Karroubi - were put under house arrest that has been far more severe than Montazeri's, and has lasted to today.

Releasing the Audio Tape of Montazeri's Discussions with the Executioners

Last August, Grand Ayatollah Montazeri's oldest son, Ahmad Montazeri, who is a cleric himself, put on his website an old audio tape of a meeting between his father and a committee that was in charge of the 1988 execution of the political prisoners. The committee is known in Iran as the "death committee." The tape quickly spread and became a most discussed subject in Iran, so much so that almost every senior official had to take a position regarding its contents.

The death committee had four members: Mostafa Pourmohammadi (current Minister of Justice in the administration of President Hassan Rouhani), Morteza Eshraghi, Hossein-Ali Nayyeri (current deputy chief justice), and Ebrahim Raeisi who until recently was a deputy to the judiciary chief and also a member of the Assembly of Experts. In his meeting with the death committee, Montazeri fiercely protested the executions and declared that executing political prisoners who have already been given prison terms of 10 to 15 years by the courts implies nothing other than discrediting the judiciary. He added that he was protesting this because he was concerned for Islam's credibility, the Revolution, the country's future, and history's verdict on Ayatollah Khomeini. Half a century later people would say that "Mr. Khomeini was a blood-thirsty and irreverent figure," Montazeri told the death committee, adding, "We greatly hurt Islam by this repression." Montazeri declared that the executions were"the biggest crime in the history of the Islamic Republic," which will be condemned by history. He told the death committee that they had committed the grave crimes. History will condemn us, Montazeri said, and "will recognize you [the death committee} as criminals."Montazeri told the committee angrily that ever since the executions began, he had not been able to sleep and asked them to compare the executions with those committed by the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He asked them, "Who has executed more? The Shah did not kill even 10 percent of what we have."

Montazeri also told the death committee that he had written two letters of protest to Ayatollah Khomeini, as he considered it his duty to do so because, otherwise, he will not have anything to defend himself on the Judgment Day. Calling the executions butchering the people for the past 20 days [ever since they had begun], Montazeri told the death committee that it was the month of Moharram [a holy month in Shiism], the month of God and the Prophet [Muhammad], and told them angrily to have some shame because of Imam Hussein [a most revered figure in Shiite Islam who was murdered on the 10th of Moharram in 680 A.D.] and end the executions. Montazeri gave the committee an ultimatum, and told them that he had written to Ayatollah Khomeini that one cannot eliminate a school of thought, even a false one, by murdering its adherents; that those who commit suicide bombing believe in what they do [a reference to members of the MEK who had committed such crimes] and, thus, one must confront them by rational and wise thinking. He reminded the committee that the Prophet was called "mercy for the people of the world" because he forgave his enemies, and that if the Prophet were violent and cruel, people would quit believing in him. The ayatollah also reminded the death committee that people's lives are very important to Islam, and one must be utmost cautious in judging them [in courts]. He declared that "people have begun despising Velaayat-e Faghih [Supremacy of the Islamic Jurist, the backbone of Iran's theocracy]."Montazeri expressed his opposition to executing women and told the committee that only if women have committed murder, capital punishment for them may be considered. He angrily told them that no one can be killed before committing a murder, nor can they consider anybody as fighting God based only on his/her beliefs. "A government can last through blasphemy, but not by cruelty," Montazeri said.

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A member of the death committee told Montazeri that they had to carry out Khomeini's order. Another member asked Montazeri to give them permission to execute another 200 political prisoners, and then they would stop the executions during Moharram. Montazeri responded that he had always said that he was opposed to executing even one person, let alone 200. The committee insisted that the 200 could not be returned to the general ward, as it would create problems, and thus asked once again for permission for executing them, which Montazeri did not grant. The Grand Ayatollah was so angry, concerned, and restless that he even used profanities against himself and the entire government.

The Severe Punishment for Ahmad Montazeri

Although the essence of the audio tape was already in chapter 10 of Montazeri's memoirs, but the tape revealed blunt conversations that were very revealing. They questioned the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, and the credibility of Khomeini, his son Ahmad Khomeini [who is believed to have played a leading role in the sacking of Ayatollah Montazeri and passed away in 1995], many grand ayatollahs, Pourmohammadi, Raeisi, and others.

When asked by Ali Motahhari, the Deputy Majles Speaker to explain what had happened in 1988, Pourmohammadi responded that, "We are honored that we carried out God's order to get rid of the enemies of the country."

Ahmad Montazeri was prosecuted and his trial demonstrated that the 1988 crimes were so embarrassing that calling them "God's order" does solve the perpetrators' problems. On October 29 it was announced that the younger Montazeri had been given a 21 years jail sentence, of which 6 years will be mandatory. He will also be defrocked. If the genocide was God's order, why should anyone be imprisoned for publicizing it? How should God's despise of criminals be announced?

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Ebrahim Raeisi, a Probable Successor to Khamenei

As already mentioned, there have been widespread rumors regarding Khamenei's health. Many believe that the current Assembly of Experts that was elected last February will have to appoint the next Supreme Leader. Undoubtedly, Khamenei himself would play a leading role in choosing his successor. While former and current judiciary chiefs, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Sadegh Larijani, as well as Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, have been mentioned as possible successors, Raeisi, a member of the death committee, has emerged not only as one of the possible candidates, but also as a more likely one.

On 10 March 2016 Khamenei appointed Raeisi as the head of Astan Qods Razavi, the shrine of Imam Reza (Shiites' 8th Imam) in Mashhad (a large city in northeast Iran), and all of its vast assets and holdings throughout Iran that are worth tens of billions of dollars. Raeisi's father-in-law, Ahmad Alam-Olhoda is Khamenei's representative to Khorasan Razavi province (whose provincial capital is Mashhad). Both Raeisi and Alam-Olhoda are also members of the Assembly of Experts.

Shortly after his appointment, the pro-Khamenei press began referring to Raeisi as "ayatollah," hence trying to elevate him in the Shiite hierarchy in Iran. Then, last May, the IRGC Chief Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari and other senior IRGC commanders met with Raeisi in Mashhad, the photos of which were widely circulated by the hardline press. And even though according to the Constitution the President is the second highest official of the state, when President Rouhani met with Raeisi in Mashhad, the hardline press only mentioned it as the "meeting between the President and head of AstanQods Razavi," a less respectful tone for the President.

On December 10 a committee was appointed to monitor the next presidential elections on 19 May 2017. Six members of the committee belong to the Guardian Council, the Constitutional body the vets the candidates for almost all elections in Iran, while the 7th member was Raeisi, hence putting him in another powerful position.

Article 108 of the Islamic Republic Constitution stipulates that the Supreme Leader must have "adequate management skills at the highest levels." In his letter in which Raeisi was appointed as the head of AstanQods Razavi, Khamenei praised him for his "management skills at the highest levels," hence confirming that he has what the Constitution has stipulated on.

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Whois Ebrahim Raeisi?

Born in 1960, Raeisi played a leading role in the violent crackdown on the opposition in the 1980s. He was Tehran Prosecutor from 1989-1994, and headed the National Organization for Inspection (that monitors all governmental organs) from 1994-2004. He was chief deputy to the judiciary chief from 2004-2014, and was appointed as Iran's chief prosecutor in 2014. From 2012 he was also the prosecutor for the Special Court for the Clergy that is a tool for controlling dissident clerics.

Raeisi is a hardliner. After Congress and the Senate renewed U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran for another decade, Raeisi said that

"everyone is concerned about the results of the nuclear agreement [with P5+1]." He also said that to solve the country's problems, intellectuals look to the West, but Western government "do not allow free flow of facts about the world affairs to the people of the United States and Europe. Moreover, they have repressed their [people's] religious life, and are trying to take away from them their God-searching nature. Thus, Islamic societies must wage offensive jihad."

The term "offensive jihad" has not been mentioned in the Qur'an. The concept is invented by Islamic jurists. Unlike the usual jihad that is of defensive nature, fundamentalist clerics have falsely interpreted offensive jihad as meaning an aggressive jihad in which Muslims attack non-Islamic nations to convert them to Islam.

So, while the hardline press was trying to create an image of Raeisi as a popular cleric who is living a simple and revolutionary life, the audio tape of the conversation between Grand Ayatollah Montazeri and the death committee hurt Raeisi very badly. In fact, many believe that the harsh punishment that Ahmad Montazeri received was precisely due to the damage to Raeisi's credibility and image. When the younger Montazeri protested his jail sentence, he said that Raeisi, the chief prosecutor of the Special Court for the Clergy that had put him on trial, had been present in the conversation between his late father and the death committee, and that he had played a leading role in issuing the severe punishment for him. Ahmad Montazeri added that the judge of the court had accepted his argument that he had not revealed any state secrets, as they had already been publicized through his father's memoirs, but that "the sentence had been dictated to the judge by another place [center of power]."

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Khamenei and the hardliners are trying to prevent any criticism of Raeisi. When the judiciary was treating the Green Movement's supporters harshly, Raeisi was its chief deputy and the courts under him issued harsh sentences against the opposition to satisfy Khamenei. The executions of 1988 were also horrible crimes. But, by publicizing the 1988 audio tape, Ahmad Montazeri tried to warn the Iranian people, political factions and the world at large that Iran's hardliners are trying to elevate a criminal to be Khamenei's successor. The majority of the Assembly of Experts' members are supporters of Khamenei, but in the crisis in the aftermath of his death, they may not go along with appointing Raeisi as the next Supreme Leader. Currently, Rouhani is the only candidate of the moderates and reformists in the Assembly.

In the aftermath of renewal of the U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran, the hardliners have intensified their attacks on Rouhani, claiming that he compromised with the "world's chief" - the United States - and has committed treason against Islam, the Revolution, and Iran. Some hardliners have even called for putting Rouhani on trial. Their goal is to eliminate Rouhani from the next presidential election in May 2017.

Theocracy is incompatible with democracy, liberty and respect for human rights. Those who seek a peaceful transition to democracy in Iran cannot, however, ignore the power struggle in Iran and act in a way that benefits only the most radical elements of the regime.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.20



By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:



S&P Global Ratings has affirmed its 'B/B' long- and short-term counterparty credit ratings on Uzbekistans Halk Bank.



At the same time, we also affirmed our 'B-/C' long- and short-term counterparty credit ratings on Uzbekistan-based Turkiston Bank, said the report released by S&P.



The outlook on both banks is stable.



We believe that the change in economic risk will affect the capital adequacy of most Uzbek banks by no more than 70 basis points and will not lead to a revision of our view of their capital and earnings. Two banks, however, are more affected by this change: Halk Bank and Turkiston Bank, said the report.



S&P believes that Halk Bank's financial profile will be resilient to increasing economic risks over the next 12-18 months.



However, under our base-case scenario, we think that the bank will remain reliant on the government's recapitalization program to continue its operations while meeting all capital adequacy requirements (12.8 percent as of Nov. 1, 2016, versus the 11.5 percent regulatory minimum), said the report.



S&P now projects its risk-adjusted capital (RAC) ratio for Halk Bank (before adjustments for concentration and diversification) will remain at 5-5.5 percent over the next two years.



The stable outlook on Halk Bank reflects our view that its state ownership and ongoing government support will prove sufficient to preserve its creditworthiness over the next 12 months, said the analysts.



S&P sees the potential for an upgrade of Halk Bank as limited over the next 12-18 months, since that would require substantial strengthening of its loss-absorption capacity through stronger bottom-line earnings.



A positive rating action would also be contingent on more conservative capital management that ensured regulatory capital ratios stayed sustainably above the minimum requirement by more than 100 basis points, said the report.



As for Turkiston Bank, S&P believes that it will be able to withstand the increasing pressure.



While the deteriorating operating environment significantly impairs Turkiston Bank's capitalization under our definition (due to the rise in risk-weights under our RAC calculation), we view the bank as able to withstand mounting pressure and continue its business operations over the next 12-18 months, said the report.



S&P analysts have revised their capital and earnings assessment for Turkiston Bank to adequate from strong and expect the RAC ratio to be 7.5-9 percent over the next 12-18 months.



Despite our revised capital and earnings assessment, we affirmed the ratings, as we believe that Turkiston Bank's creditworthiness does not meet our criteria for assigning a 'CCC' rating, said the report. In particular, Turkiston Bank demonstrates clear signs of business recovery since the regulator authorized a foreign currency license in the first half of 2016.



Turkiston Bank strengthened the ties with its customers in 2016 and managed to broaden and diversify its funding, according to S&P.



The bank managed to markedly improve the stability of its funding base, and, contrary to the beginning of the year, the majority of accounts are now primary, which tend to be less confidence-sensitive than secondary accounts, said the report.



S&P analysts said that the larger amount of clients with primary accounts has contributed to the greater amount of net fee and commission income, which is expected to have doubled in 2016 compared with 2015 results.



The stable outlook on Turkiston Bank reflects our view that, over the next 12-18 months, the bank will be able to cope with the challenging operating environment and retain adequate capital and liquidity comparable with that of peers, said the report.







---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Back in 2015, I wrote an article for the Jerusalem Post respectfully suggesting that writers and commentators on Israel avoid using the word "kapo" to describe fellow Jews. That was obviously well before President-elect Donald Trump nominated a man to be US Ambassador to Israel who has repeatedly used the term to describe fellow Jews who do not happen to share his views on Israel. David Friedman, the bankruptcy lawyer Trump has chosen to represent our nation in Israel, thinks that the pro-peace, pro-Israel organization J Street, which I work for, and its hundreds of thousands of members and supporters are "worse than kapos." That demonstrates how unsuited he is for the position. By using this gratuitously hateful and offensive term, Friedman shows himself to be intolerant and divisive as well as willing to perpetuate a huge lie - really what amounts to a blood libel. Fellow supporters of the Israeli extreme right routinely use this pejorative to blacken the names of peace activists, proponents of a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, human rights advocates and in general members of the progressive Zionist camp. Our sages teach us that one of the reasons the Temple was destroyed was "sinat chinum" - gratuitous hatred among Jews. Use of this epithet is a classic example of sinat chimum. Kapos were Jews who were enlisted by the SS during the Holocaust to serve them in the concentration and extermination camps. Quoting from the Jewish Virtual Library: "The German concentration camps depended on the cooperation of trustee inmates who supervised the prisoners. Known as Kapos, these trustees carried out the will of the Nazi camp commandants and guards, and were often as brutal as their SS counterparts. Some of these Kapos were Jewish, and even they inflicted harsh treatment on their fellow prisoners. For many, failure to perform their duties would have resulted in severe punishment and even death, but many historians view their actions as a form of complicity. After the war, the prosecution of Kapos as war criminals, particularly those who were Jewish, created an ethical dilemma which continues to this day." So the charge against dovish columnists and leftist activists is that they are the equivalent of Jews who collaborated with Nazis - that they are in effect aiding in the mass extermination of the Jewish people. As the son of a Holocaust survivors, I find this accusation deeply offensive. I personally worked for years to build a suitable memorial for the victims of the Belzec extermination camp in Poland where my own grandparents were murdered. The effort eventually succeeded.One of the first images that greets visitors to the museum there is a large photo of my grandfather. I have written books about the Holocaust including a novel, "The Nazi Hunter." The topic is very close to my heart.
While Bitcoin has long been dominant in the cryptocurrency scene, it is certainly not alone. Ethereum is another cryptocurrency related project that has attracted a lot of hype because of its additional features and applications.

Ethereum: More Than Just Money

The first thing about Ethereum is that it is not just a digital currency. It is a blockchain-based platform with many aspects. It features smart contracts, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and it uses its currency called ether for peer-to-peer contracts.

Ethereum's smart contracts use blockchain stored applications for contract negotiation and facilitation. The benefit of these contracts is that the blockchain provides a decentralized way to verify and enforce them. The decentralized aspect makes it incredibly difficult for fraud or censorship. Ethereum's smart contracts aim to provide greater security than traditional contracts and bring down the associated costs.

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The smart contract applications are powered by ether, Ethereum's blockchain based cryptocurrency. Ether, as well as other crypto-assets, are held in the Ethereum Wallet, which allows you to create and use smart contracts. The system has been described by the New York Times as..



"a single shared computer that is run by the network of users and on which resources are parceled out and paid for by ether."

Implement Smart Contracts With Your Own Cryptocurrency

Ethereum allows you to create digital tokens that can be used to represent virtual shares, assets, proof of membership and more. These smart contracts are compatible with any wallet, as well as exchanges that use a standard coin API. You can copy the code from Ethereum's website and then use your tokens for many purposes, including the representation of shares, forms of voting and also fundraising. You can either have a fixed amount of tokens in circulation or have a fluctuating amount based on predetermined rules.



You Don't Need Kickstarter When You Have Ethereum

One great feature of Ethereum is that it gives developers a means to raise funds for various applications. For your new project, you can set up a contract and seek pledges from the community. The money that is raised will be held until the goal is reached or until an agreed upon date. The funds will be released back to the contributors if the goal is not met, or go on to the project if it is successful. Kicking out Kickstarter means that the third party is taken out, along with their rules, and also the fees they charge (when you include processing fees, Kickstarter can take up to 10% of a project's budget).

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Skip the Traditional Management Structure With Democratic Autonomous Organizations

Not only can Ethereum help you source funding, but it can also help to provide the organizational structure to get your idea off the ground. You can collect proposals from the people who backed your project and then hold votes on how you should proceed. This means that you can skip the expense of a traditional structure, such as hiring managers and doing paperwork. Ethereum also protects your project from outside influences, while its decentralized network means that you won't face downtime.

The Finer Details: Differences Between Ethereum and Bitcoin

There are also many smaller aspects that differ between the two blockchain-based projects. Bitcoin's average block time is about 10 minutes, while Ethereum's aims to be 12 seconds. This quick time is enabled by Ethereum's GHOST protocol. A faster block time means that confirmations are quicker. However, there are also more orphaned blocks.

Another key difference between them is their monetary supply. More than two-thirds of all available bitcoin have already been mined, with the majority going to early miners. Ethereum raised its launch capital with a presale and only about half of its coins will have been mined by its fifth year of existence.



The reward for mining Bitcoin halves about every four years and it is currently valued at 12.5 bitcoins. Ethereum rewards miners based on its proof-of-work algorithm called Ethash, with 5 ether given for each block. Ethash is a memory hard hashing algorithm, which encourages decentralized mining by individuals, rather than the use of more centralized ASICs as with Bitcoin.

Bitcoin and Ethereum also cost their transactions in different ways. In Ethereum, it is called Gas, and the costing of transactions depends on their storage needs, complexity and bandwidth usage. In Bitcoin, the transactions are limited by the block size and they compete equally with each other.

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Ethereum features its own Turing complete internal code, which means that anything can be calculated with enough computing power and enough time. Bitcoin does not have this capability. While there are certainly advantages to the Turing-complete, its complexity also brings security complications, which contributed to the DAO attack in June.





Ethereum and Bitcoin: Two Very Different Beasts
The Definition of "Flicker": to move unsteadily. To burn or shine fitfully with a fluctuating light. Fluctuatingbetween two worlds.

My Definition of "Flicker":

Or, as a psychic once told my mother as I lay in a coma, "She's deciding which way she wants to go."

And, as my mother retorted, "Well, she doesn't have a choice." (Psychic is then "escorted" out of the Pediatric ICU.)

"Fight, my warrior, fight," were the words my mother determinedly whispered to me throughout the months of my coma. Only she knew the real burn I was battling to save myself from: a secret that threatened to extinguish my inner fire, long before my external world, as I knew it, spontaneously combusted overnight.

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So, how does a fitful movement of light, a smoldering glow, a molested teenager, a comatose nomad, or a paralyzed family learn to be more than a flash in the dark once they've been burned?

After trauma, can we ever be more than a flicker in the dark?

I'd call myself a flicker that "fluctuated fitfully" to find myself. And Flickers and a Firestarter is a story that "fluctuated fitfully" to find itself. It's a full-length, fully-lived play I wrote that fluctuated to find itself too. Together, we flickered, tossed and turned, wracking our brains figuring out how to reclaim life from the crushed, icy wastelands of trauma

Or...Crushed Ice.

Yep. Crushed Ice. It was the first image I thought of when I took my first online playwriting course six years ago. What did I want to write about?

Ice.

No, not the cup full of crushed ice I drooled over when I couldn't wet my lips for six years: a forbidden treasure, shards of frozen liquid glimmering like jewels reflecting in the sunlight that blazed down on the hot sunny beach my parents moved to straight out of the Surgical ICU.

Not the best move after doctors forbid me from having a sip of water for an indefinite period of time.

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My Life Without Water, and the Man Who Stole My Icy Heart

At first, I would take these long walks to the beach, which was absolute torture in the heat of the afternoon, but I had nothing else to do - I had tons of energy, just no stomach. I would count the steps to the pavilion where I became acquainted with a guy around my age I came to know as the ice-man. Once I approached this mystical haven (or the food stand) I'd meekly ask "Can I please have a cup of ice?"

Who knows what he was thinking, but regardless, he'd fill up a big red paper cup with the coolest, meltiest ice for me every day, and I would hold onto it like it was my soul. When you're the only one who can't eat, everyone else feels like a god with uncanny superpowers.

The Best Cup of Ice I've Ever Had

As I peered over the rim of my cup, and I wanted to savor each heavenly piece before the sun melted it all to cool liquid. I could walk back home rubbing each ice cube individually on my cheek, up my back, down my neck, and if I was feeling a little naughty I would just put one piece in my mouth for a second and then quickly spit it out. And I would think to myself, the day I can eat every ice cube in this cup will be the happiest day of my life.

The Most Exciting Thing to Do When You Can't Drink

On really hot days at the beach I would go in the outdoor showers in my clothes and just drench myself. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy but I could care less. It was so hot and my throat was so dry, and who were they to judge when they could drink an infinite amount of whatever they wanted and I couldn't even have an ice cube? I'd start and stop water faucets for hours, get a high out of filling various containers of all different shapes and sizes with water. Sometimes I'd just let the faucet stream tap my wrist over and over again just to feel like I still had a pulse. The highlight of my day was whenever I would come across a water fountain hidden in the back of a store on a hot day, because I would just tilt the side of my cheek towards the curving stream and it felt like an angel was kissing me as I let the spurting water dance across my face.

The Most Exciting Thing to Do AFTER You Can Drink

But talked about that on TEDx and wrote a show about it all, Gutless & Grateful. In putting together the arc of a 70-minute musical, I was coming to terms with the "detoured" framework of my life. Giving my story a dramatic arc was a way to reframe my own narrative, and find the meaning in what I had been through: nearly 30 surgeries, six years unable to eat and drink, and perhaps a little mention that I had been sexually abused by my voice teacher shortly before my stomach exploded my senior year of high school.

I wasn't sure how sexual abuse fit into my story yet.

Perhaps it was because I hadn't figured out what being a survivor of sexual abuse meant to me at all.

Did Sexual Assault "Fit" In My Story?

Sexual assault is a big burden to carry as a secret - and none of the news stories were talking about anything other than my total gastrectomy and organ failure. In fact, my abuser was still teaching. (He still is.) Where did this experience fit into my narrative?

I learned that the memories I was still struggling with would not be solved by a musical comedy. In my "gutsy" life-story theatrical debut, I was joyously overwhelmed by rave reviews from New York theatre critics.

But there was one line from an otherwise great review that stuck with me:

"Although there is, of course, a connection between mind and body, it was somewhat hard to swallow that the source of her illness could be blamed on being raped, which was implied at the beginning."

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Really? Hard to swallow?

Did Critics Prove Me Wrong?

I was hurt, upset, and perhaps a bit insecure. Maybe she was right. How could I have the nerve to connect sexual abuse to my stomach exploding months later? Re-reading this line on my phone before my final performance, I started to question what I was never really sure about in the first place. Was she making jest on the theory that even doctors were leaning towards? When people heard about my crazy story, the first question they always asked was, "So what made your stomach explode?" I didn't know - I wasn't the doctor. But the more I researched on the science of stress, the more I was pulled to investigate this further. And the more research I did, the more startled I was by what I found.

Searching For a Mind-Body Connection

The only thing that connected molestation, secrets, hurt, pain, stomach ache, blood clot, and a coma was...me -my own soul, my own mind, my own emotions. Remembering how the energy in my body felt at each stage, perhaps my instincts were right.

Could Anxiety Lead to a Coma?

After all, the anxiety I felt in my core that made it hard to focus in high school, and the knotting in my chest had to be more than just mind games. There had to be some science to this. Or at least, as a playwright, it was my duty to illustrate what appeared so clear to me.

When I was betrayed by someone whom I really trusted, I froze. I literally don't remember thinking anything. My abuser himself called me a "space-cadet." As I sang for him the next week in lessons, he said, "Amy, it looks like your inspiration has run dry." Why couldn't I act with the same gusto in my songs? I froze to protect myself from frantic, tumultuous feelings that were suddenly tormenting me every waking second. I turned off my emotional radar and turned my heart to ice, to preserve it. I even remember suddenly feeling physically cold all of the time.

The Evolution of Numbness

When you undergo any kind of trauma, it causes a disturbance in emotions that once came so naturally at a time. My body stopped breathing the same way it used to - a big knot of tension evolved in my chest and remained there like a cocoon. My thoughts became corrupted - I couldn't think in my naturally poetic way. Suddenly my world became rigidly controlled by numbers and mechanical, compulsive thinking. I couldn't deal with everyday life. I was too busy hiding my soul in a dark corner so to shield it from the hurt I felt. Without your soul, you are only half a person, a machine who is constantly running from reality. I put up a daze like four safe walls that protected me from being consciously present in the abuse, and when the abuse ended, my daze remained. I lived in a world separate from everyone else.

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How Can You Go From Feeling to Frozen Overnight?

I froze after abuse and froze again months later, waking up in an ICU

I had no choice. How else do you deal with life after a coma - dystopian twilight-zone wasteland? When you ask your ICU doctor day after day when you will be allowed to eat, and he simply replies I don't know, as he copies down the various data displayed on a screen just above your head, you must become frozen. You have to numb yourself from hearing your soul cry out to you when you smell the Chinese food your brothers are sneaking outside your ICU cubicle. You have to forget that "lunch" is a normal thing.

Life After a Coma Isn't Passive

You don't get through not eating with just meekly accepting it and rolling with the punches, just casually shrugging your shoulder every time you pass a restaurant and patiently remarking well, I guess not today. No. To deal, you have to fiercely ignore your inherent need to feed yourself, to not moisten up your throat with some water in the 90-degree heat.

When Enjoyment Becomes Deadly

You have to fight to stay numb in order to survive. I closed myself off from all of my happy childhood memories for the years without oral stimulation. Enjoyment was deadly. The kitchen was deadly. My mouth was a forbidden temple - no trespassing. I did not have permission to fully access my body. And the rest of my body was tampered with and half the things it did were out of my control. It was like its own little machine with a life of its own. But it was not mine. It wasn't me. I could hardly know which tube or what part of me was leaking at any given moment. Ii just remember feeling wet all the time. Wet all over my body, everywhere except the one place I wanted to be wet - my mouth. And my soul. I wanted to be wet with my own tears, my own emotion. I wanted to cry about how miserable all of this was. But I couldn't even cry. It was deadly to feel - to feel anything because if I dived into my well of emotion I might feel the deadliest feeling of all - hunger.

"You're a Real Trouper!"

On the outside, I was a trouper, just being pushed along from doctor to doctor - I had no choice. Whatever, I'll get this surgery, I understand. No, don't be sorry about it, it's totally fine. Whatever I need to do to live, right? With my abuser, I was a trouper to whatever his needs were. Sometimes to survive you have to be compliant. But inside of me was a warrior who forced that compliant daze on me to get through, and made sure I would resort to anything in order to keep that daze up.

Could I Make My Own Diagnosis?

So how could I finally connect those two parts of me once and for all? The frozen warrior I had been when my voice teacher abused me. The frozen warrior I had to become when suddenly bound to IV machines for nourishment? How could I take those two ice-cold states of numbness I felt and break through them once and for all?

Crushed ice! Heck, I'll name my play that!

I had an image in my head: Me, played by two characters - Patty and Patricia. One would be from my life before the coma, and one would be waking up from one. The two girls would show the dichotomy I felt healing from medical traumas as well as sexual abuse. Both traumas made me numb for different reasons, and now I could show that on stage, side by side. The two girl would somehow come together at the end, piecing me back together and allowing me to move forward. I would call my play "Crushed Ice" to symbolize how healing meant "breaking through frozen numbness of trauma."

The Playwriting Begins...

The first question I was asked in my online, once-a-week course: Who is your protagonist?

Uh...me?

"My protagonist - tricky to say. I want the protagonist to be Patricia, the girl in the hospital, even though she is silent for most of the play, or maybe all of it. She is in a coma or in a very heavily sedated state in the ICU for most of the play, while at the same time she is reliving what happened with her sexual abuse, and we never actually see her in the hospital bed to show that even though she is physically in an IU, her mind and soul are somewhere else completely, still locked in this world of secrets that she was never able to disclose to anyone: the world of her sexual abuser."

Now, I was excited! I started to dig - dig through my memories, through my family stories, and through secrets that had never been brought to light. I discovered my brother Jeff's journal that he kept for the first 72 days I was in a coma and for the first time, realized that while I was comatose, my family had the most difficult part of all.

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Turning Myself Into Two Characters...

In unpacking these memories, I was setting myself free. I learned that our secrets do keep us sick, and in bringing them to light, we heal. Taking these memories out of storage was allowing this play to write itself. Suddenly I saw "Patty and Patricia" on their way to creating a bold, new identity.

....300 Pages Later

The more I took out of my own memory "storage," the more convoluted my drafts became. I was so excited picking up all of these new developments and ideas along the way, that "Storage" ended up being over 300 pages by the time I had finished the first draft. I realized that perhaps Storage was not my finished play, but the necessary unpacking I had to do of secrets that had been in storage, in order to bring the real story to life. How could I know if my memories were even accurate? The more I learned about trauma, the more I realized why I kept losing track of events, dates and stories I was trying to tell:

It came to me in a quote from "The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk:

"The imprints of traumatic experiences are organized not as coherent logical narratives but in fragmented sensory and emotional traces: images, sounds, and physical sensations."

Maybe that was why this play, Storage, was so long. Before I was a playwright, I was a person in terrible need of bringing this secrets to light. Maybe recounting these memories was how I was marking the "Imprints" that trauma had made on my life.

That's it! I'll call it Imprints!

Soon, I didn't know where Patricia ended and where I began. How could I separate my own writing therapy from craft? How could I liberate myself from the autobiographical nature of the piece? Where does a playwright go next? Would the tale I was trying to tell ever become more than therapeutic unpacking? Would any of these flickering inspirations finally catch momentum and write a darn play already?

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Could I Ever Make Something of This...and Myself?

Would I ever become more than just a flicker?

What's a flicker? "To move about or behave in an agitated aimless manner." A temporary growth of activity, and then, to die. A flicker is a flash, a flurry. It's a light source that flares up, just to subside. A flicker doesn't usually turn into anything. It's an almost imperceptible sign of something, and then back to darkness. Yet a flicker saturates the air with a lingering heat. Even in the darkness, something has changed.

What's a flame? A flame is a passionate burst of fire. And a fire is...well, a fire is heat. A fire is our life force. A fire is what happens when our hearts are ignited with breath, with feelings, with secrets, with all the pain and pleasure of life.

I didn't survive all of this crap to stay numb. I survived to flicker. And then ignite.

I believe we are all meant to be flames - not numb, frozen states of matter, and not a gaseous puff of past that has gone up in smoke. We are meant to flicker - to fail and win - to feel hurt and love - to dance fitfully between the light and the dark. Only when we fluctuate between both worlds do we truly know how to start a fire. And that is how I could use what I've learned from both the world of light and dark to create theatre: the ultimate eruption.

Trauma burns us. It burns with painful memories and lessons that perhaps we weren't ready to learn.

But a burn can rise from ashes, into flames, into fire, into LIFE.

Trauma frigidly freezes us from the warmth of the human race.

Theatre warmly brings us back.

Trauma makes us forget our inner power.

Theatre makes us tell truths to an audience and to yourself.

Theatre sets us on fire, from a flicker to a flame.

And rediscovering my inner fire was exactly what I needed all along, to "crush" through my icy numbness, to unpack my secrets in storage, and to transform my traumatic imprints into a FIERY warrior's thunderbolt scar.

Proving a Coma Through Theatre?

I've always sensed that the fire in my belly - the stomach ache that turned into a coma hours later - had been caused by seeds planted from a betrayal months prior. But I couldn't find the words. I couldn't find the story.

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Whether my "medical theory" is true or not, I needed to make that connection for myself, and theatre helped me get there. Through theatre. we learn lessons about ourselves that we seem to have known all along. But now they become a fierce part of our identity, and a gift we can give to the world.

And that's the power of theatre.

We feel heard even if we're saying nothing at all.

As creators and audience members interact with the space, we engage in a vital conversation we didn't even know we had needed.

Theatre sets us on fire. I was burnt 18 years old. I froze. I thawed. I burnt out. I struggled to flicker between the innocent world I once knew and the uncertain world ahead of me. In that flickering, I discovered my flame, my hunger, my passion. I reignited my aliveness. I found what made me light up again. I found me.

Trauma made me Flicker. Theatre made me a Firestarter.


Image By "Tyle" - http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/DefenseLINK_Search/Still_Details.cfm?SDAN=DFSC8302201&JPGPath=/Assets/Still/1983/Air_Force/DF-SC-83-02201.JPG, Public Domain, Link

Last year, my neighbor hosted Prince Charles when he stopped in at George Washington's historic home in Mount Vernon during his trip to Washington D.C. To prepare for his visit, she read his book Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World. She was extremely impressed with the book and told me I would love it. When she went north for the summer, she gave me her copy.

I had read over the years that Prince Charles was into organic farming and would bring his organic vegetables with him when traveling. Before reading Harmony, however, I was unaware of the full extent of his involvement in so many innovative projects that promise to make a beneficial impact on our world. As far as world leaders go, Prince Charles is my new hero.

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In his book, Prince Charles shares knowledge on how nature is complex and also profoundly interconnected. He points out that the critical problems we face today are of our own making--acting in disharmony with nature--resulting in climate change, disease, and poverty.

Prince Charles explains that before the Scientific Revolution began in the seventeenth century, nature was seen as an integral part of creation:

"The creator was not separate from his creation. Instead, divinity was considered to be innate in the world and in us..."(pg. 149).

The Scientific Revolution

During the Scientific Revolution, people began thinking mechanistically, and this "reductive" approach separated the different elements of an organism by examining its parts.

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Consequently, over time, the definition of God changed from a divinity ingrained in every part of creation to a Being that was separate from, and merely observing His creation. Prince Charles explains: "...as that happened, so Nature itself came to be seen more and more as an unpredictable force..." (pg. 150).

As science began to make a clean break from conventional religion, nature was understood as being outside of us, something we could conquer and control. Education began to reflect this perspective, focusing on discreet bits of information rather than on the underlying connections. This marked the onset of the modern industrial age.

Prince Charles makes the case for problems to be resolved by reconnecting ourselves back to the universal source of natural law within everyone of us: "Ancient cultures understood that the outer order observable in the world is based on inner harmony, which is the very structure of nature itself. To access this higher ordered realm, we must activate the soul and draw upon its inner harmonious qualities."

How do we do this? Wisdom and philosophy are intellectually stimulating, but only practical steps will solve the problems. Prince Charles shines in taking solution-orientated actions steps.

A Return to Holistic Education

Education is fundamental to transforming our "Age of Disconnection" to an "Age of Connection". To ensure the sustainability of our planet, Prince Charles is actively involved in reestablishing a holistic approach to gaining and applying knowledge through education. He also cites several schools and university curricula that have developed an integrated system of education.

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In 2004, Prince Charles set up his own school for this purpose. The Prince's School of Traditional Arts networks with other organizations and charities to support peace in troubled ethnic-minority communities, through such simple activities as teaching children to create artworks and decorations for their schools' new faith centers.

Although the Prince's School of Traditional Arts focuses mainly on the arts, it integrates art with math, geometry, and science so that children learn from a broad base perspective. The children connect their lessons in math and science to different aspects of nature. Through this learning methodology, the students become aware of universal patterns in nature, including those within their own bodies.

Consciousness-Based Education

This educational approach is similar to Maharishi University of Management (MUM), founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1971.

All students and faculty at MUM practice Transcendental Meditation twice daily, which connects the student to the universal source of pure consciousness within. In addition, students learn the common principles of intelligence that are prevalent in every field of study and discover that all knowledge emerges from the unified field of consciousness.

Through Consciousness-Based Education, the students begin to see the interconnectedness of every discipline, which is the fulfillment of the word "uni-versity"--diversity in unity.

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The Sustainability Revolution

Prince Charles also describes in his book a complementary project that he calls a Sustainability Revolution. This involves many components, such as sustainable-non-toxic housing projects, organic farming, and integrated health care projects.

To have a world leader such as Prince Charles who sees the interconnectedness of every bit of nature gives me hope for the world. What gives me even greater optimism at this precarious time is knowing that we have a leader who sees we need to regain connection to our source within "the voice of the soul."

In Maharishi's Master Plan to Create Heaven on Earth (pg. 25), Maharishi states:

"When the connectedness of individual life with Cosmic Life is damaged, intelligence remains disconnected from its own Cosmic Value. It grows like a bud without flowering and without the ability to spread its fragrance and glorify the whole atmosphere. This is the deplorable state of life imposed upon mankind through Modern Science-based education."

As Prince Charles similarly states in Harmony (pg. 306):

"Creation is a living presence, woven into the fabric of everything, and their [primary cultures] communion with its presence offers knowledge of the world."

As both Maharishi and Prince Charles point out, our inherent harmony with nature should be restored for wholeness of life. There is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come. Sustainability, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of all life are ideas whose time has come.

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[Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a test drive through the Eurasia Tunnel on Oct. 8,./ Source: The official website of the Eurasia Tunnel]

By AsiaToday reporter Jina Koh - The Eurasia Tunnel, the first-ever road tunnel linking Asia and Europe, will be fully operational on Dec. 20. People are paying attention to whether the construction of a huge undersea tunnel connecting two continents will lead to the dream of high-speed rail expansion.

According to Turkish daily newspaper Daily Sabah and other local media outlets, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yldrm will be the first to drive through the tunnel in an opening ceremony on Tuesday.

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The Eurasia Tunnel, which is a 14.6 kilometer long, including a 5.4-kilometer section under the Bosporus, is a mega underwater tunnel project with an investment worth $1.24 billion. SK Engineering & Construction participated in construction.

Bosporus Strait is the only channel connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The Eurasia Tunnel will connect Kazlicesme on the European and Goztepe on the Asian part of Istanbul. As one part of Istanbul lies in Europe and the other part in Asia, people had to either cross the two existing bridges or take a ferry in order to travel across the two sides of the city.

The Turkish government has great expectations for the Eurasia Tunnel, as it will reduce traffic jam and cut travel time from 100 minutes to 15 minutes. The tunnel is designed to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Moreover, a museum where the story of the construction of the tunnel will be digitally narrated will also open in the upcoming days.

The system used for the construction is cutting edge. Modern lighting technology and mass ventilation systems, special fire systems and emergency evacuation systems are designed together. The tunnel also has a closed circuit camera system to monitor traffic 24/7.

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[The blueprint of the Eurasia Tunnel./ Source: The official website of the Eurasia Tunnel]

Three years ago, Turkey opened the Marmaray Link, the world's first undersea railway linking Asia and Europe. The Marmaray runs under the Bosporus, the strait that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and divides Istanbul between Asia and Europe. It is the deepest of its kind in the world at 60 meters. It was first suggested by Ottoman Sultan Abdulmecid in 1860, but technological and financial difficulties prevented the project from coming to fruition. The Turkish media outlets congratulated the project as it fulfilled a 150-year-old dream.

Intercontinental undersea tunnels could ultimately boost ambition for high-speed railway construction. Russia, which is located on both Asia and Europe, also has an ambitious dream of building an undersea tunnel that would connect Asia and the United States. The tunnel is called Bering Strait Tunnel, which would connect the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia and the Seward Peninsula in the US. state of Alaska. The plan was first proposed four years ago by Vladimir Yakunin, then president of the Russian Railways Corporation.

The plan is to connect the existing Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) with existing railways in Europe and Asia to pass the Bering Strait through an undersea tunnel. The fantasy road trip from London to New York might cover over 20,000 kilometers. Since it's a large-scale project, it takes huge amount of time and money. However, the actual progress is uncertain due to the tensions between Western countries and Russia.

Yet, Russia has not completely abandoned its ambitious scheme. Earlier in October, Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun reported that the Russian government had asked the Japanese government to extend the TSR to Japanese island of Hokkaido. If the extension project is realized, a new route would cross the Strait of Tartary by bridge or underwater tunnel. The line would then cross into Japan through a tunnel to the island of Hokkaido through Soya Strait.
Six days before Christmas, I had a lot to be thankful for that I wanted to share in my blog. But it was such a gorgeous day in South Florida - near 80-degrees, brilliantly sunny - that I wrestled with whether my day might not be better spent in thanksgiving on the beach. The beach won out and I had a lovely time relishing the perfect weather, the thundering of the waves, the cloudless sky, the sounds of laughing children and two female Magnificent Frigate Birds lazily circling overhead. I was pleased to have made the right choice.



First Lady Michelle Obama's interview with Oprah Winfrey Monday night promises great things for the future of our national parks.

But by 9 pm Monday when my email and Facebook began blowing up with the news that, not only had Oprah invited First Lady Michelle Obama to go "glamping" with her in Yosemite, but the First Lady said yes, I started thanking divine intervention.

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"Consider the parks saved!" gloated one friend.

"Imagine you, Rue Mapp, Oprah and Michelle on a glamping trip! This needs to happen!" raved another.

Yes! My thoughts exactly. And if I hadn't gone to the beach, I wouldn't be able to share the great news with you. I felt like the greatest present just landed under my Christmas tree.

I know how much our First Lady loves our national parks - she's visited many with President Obama and their family. I also know how much Oprah loves the parks - some years ago when our friend Ranger Shelton Johnson invited her to Yosemite to learn about the Buffalo Soldiers, she was so inspired she said she'd love to visit them all. Former First Lady Laura Bush is also an avid fan of our natural, cultural and historic treasures in the National Park System.

A big part of my focus over the past 21 years has been to show that our national parks are among the most desirable vacation destinations on Earth. I think that point is made when our First Families and Oprah who can vacation anywhere in the world choose our parks.



'Glamping' in the Ahwahnee: From left Melody Anderson, Carolyn Finney, PhD, Rue Mapp, Cintia Ramaciotti and Pamela enjoy Yosemite and Bracebridge Dinner from the luxury of the lodge in 2010 when Frank and I served as "Visiting Squire and Lady."

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"Glamping" is an upscale version of camping, but in Yosemite I much prefer to "camp out" at the Five Star Ahwahnee Lodge where US Presidents and Queen Elizabeth have stayed. (Disclaimer - we got that privilege because I served on an advisory board of concessionaire Delaware North Parks & Resorts.) The point is, lodging options range from a minimally priced tent to the Ahwahnee and all points in between. If the First Lady and Oprah choose to glamp, I'd happily hang out with them though I'd much rather enjoy all the comforts of home at the Ahwahnee or at Yosemite Lodge.

Another wonderful Christmas gift arrived in the form of photos from our Volunteer Vacations with the American Hiking Society when our longtime friend and colleague Nadine Patrice sent reminders of our work maintaining trails and repairing a bridge in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, W. V. In 2006 our Volunteer Vacation took us to the Presidio of San Francisco, where 12 of us aged 21-80 pitched in with pickaxes, shovels and wheelbarrows to build part of a trail in the Tennessee Valley.



Carolyn Finney, PhD and I are members of the Next100 Coaltion doing trail work at Mount Rogers in 2005 with Iantha Gantt-Wright, then Cultural Diversity Director at the National Parks Conservation Association

It's awesome to know that pieces of our lives and energy remain in public lands across the country. I still remember Frank laughing out loud as he swung a pickaxe in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and said, "My father must be turning over in his grave right now. 'Boy, you think I worked so hard to send you to college so you can be out here doing manual labor for free?' "

The appreciation of the trail users put a high point on our efforts, only exceeded by the opportunity to stay in quarters near where the Buffalo Soldiers were bivouacked around 1903. We woke up every morning to the Golden Gate Bridge hanging like a jewel a stone's throw away from the Presidio.

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Scientist, climber, mountain guide and photographer par excellance, QT Luong has produced the definitive volume of images of all 59 national parks.

People who love our national parks and public lands really, really love them. One of the most devoted park fans is our friend QT Luong, who has invested his life and talent capturing the magic, mystery and timelessness of our national parks. His signature work Treasured Lands recently landed in my mailbox, and I'm thrilled beyond words to recommend it.

As we celebrate the holidays this year, I'm most grateful for the lasting bonds of friendship and the joy of knowing our efforts past and present will benefit the future. Our national parks really are a foundational value for so many of our friends and collaborators. Many of us are striving to expand the benefits of the parks to all Americans through our work with the Next100 Coalition.

So I'm yearning for the First Lady and Oprah to visit our national parks in 2017 and shine a light on them for millions more Americans to discover and cherish. If you're new to the parks, I produced a great guide for you - Our True Nature, focusing on the black and brown history in 59 of my top favorite parks and sharing when to go where, and what to do when you get there.
By Thomas Kennedy

Watching the news coverage on Election Day was shocking. By eleven o'clock, the mood in the room was somber. The crowd that had gathered to watch the coverage in the Miami neighborhood of Little Haiti that night could see the writing on the wall. Donald Trump was on his way to the presidency.

The overwhelming perception of both the public and the media prior to that evening had been that Hillary Clinton would win, and the general election would be almost like her coronation. Yet against all odds, Donald Trump took over the Republican Party, waging a one-man campaign that did away with the Bush/Clinton political dynasties and eventually culminated in his victory on election night.

As a former undocumented immigrant whose parents are still in this country without papers, I gave my all to stop a potential fascist from becoming president. I worked in voter registration campaigns during the primaries and get-out-the-vote operations during the general election. I birddogged politicians who aligned themselves with Donald Trump's xenophobic rhetoric, and I fought to uphold the issues that matter to our communities. Unfortunately, my efforts and those of others who worked tirelessly alongside me came up short, but not due to lack of trying or passion.

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The truth is that most folks in our community were blindsided by Trump's win, and I believe that this is because we live in our own bubble. We were not able to look past our own communities and get into the mindset of white working class America.

Donald Trump used a populist message to drive the point that the leaders of both parties had forgotten the woes of the average middle class American. With promises to end unpopular free trade policies, curtail lobbying and special interest influence, and deport undocumented immigrants who were blamed and scapegoated for both increased competition and decreased economic opportunity in a globalized economy, Trump managed to win over a significant portion of white working class voters.

We've had candidates before who have attempted to get elected by appealing to our fears and base instincts. The fear of the other has been used time and time again to scapegoat communities for political gain. After living 11 years as an undocumented immigrants and another 5 years as a permanent resident, I had managed to become a citizen right in time to vote in this election. To cast my vote and still see Donald Trump win using these type of populist and racist tactics has been deeply demoralizing and discouraging, yet I have learned valuable lessons from this election that I'll carry with me throughout these next four years. It is the conversations and outreach we take part in now across communities that will lay the groundwork into making Donald Trump a one term president.

Across the country, immigrant rights groups, congregations, and community organizations are developing workshops on community protection, information sessions about navigating potential changes in immigration and healthcare laws, and meetings to come together to strategize and plan for the future.

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But these groups cannot do it alone. It's up to each and every one of us to join the fight so that we can build an effective resistance against this new American nightmare.

To get involved in organizing efforts in your community, check out Reform Immigration for America's extensive list of local and national immigrant rights groups across the country, and text JUSTICE to 69866 for important immigration updates and alerts.
By Adanjesus Marin and Natalia Aristizabal

From President Barack Obama's first day in office, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell made blocking the President his raison d'etre. He spent the entire two terms of President Obama's term obstructing everything he could, going as far as proclaiming in 2010 that making Obama "a one-term President" was his principal objective. More recently, he refused to even hold hearings, much less a vote, on Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, nearly a year before the end of Obama's term.

McConnell's eight years of obstruction was wrong. It was craven politics that reflected nothing more than partisan warfare, and Democrats were right to rail against him.

Now, in the era of Donald Trump, Democrats are wondering: Should we draw from McConnell's playbook and use every effort to block Trump's extreme platform?

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The answer is yes: gumming up the works in Congress will not only be the most effective strategy, but it is also morally justifiable. Here's why.

Mitch McConnell's bet was that American voters would blame the President for Washington's failures. He cared far less about the substance of policy and far more about positioning his party for future gains. By ensuring that his caucus voted in lock-step -- on appointments, health care, the budget, and more -- he could prevent the Obama administration from carrying out its priorities. And, when President Obama confronted these efforts to hold government hostage by taking executive actions in instances where there was scope for it, McConnell and his supporters then railed against presidential overreach. In short, obstructionism over the past two terms was a cynical and morally bankrupt ploy to weaken a President, which for Republicans had the benefit of reinforcing their central critique that government is ineffective and inefficient.

Obama, a particularly skilled orator and campaigner, overcame McConnell's concerted effort to make him a one-term president and won re-election easily. But over the longer term, McConnell's strategy was as effective as it was odious. Democrats lost roughly 1,000 state legislative seats since 2008, and now, in addition to losing the White House in 2016, they will be in the minority in both the House and Senate. Republicans are understandably feeling vindicated in their obstructionist strategy, even as they prepare to govern with across-the-board majorities.

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Democrats, meanwhile, are presented with a conundrum. As the party that has always believed that government can actually work, some key figures are understandably wondering if they can be justified in mirroring McConnell's strategy. But, while it may feel uncomfortable to follow the same strategy one opposed so vocally, there is a strong moral case for obstruction in the Trump era.

The core reason for Democrats to use the filibuster and every available parliamentary tactic to block the Trump agenda is that the President-elect has pledged to cause grave harm to many different communities in this country, and there is a responsibility to protect them. Trump has pledged to devastate immigrant families through mass deportation, Muslims through surveillance and potential registration, and people of color through stop-and-frisk and other criminalization efforts. His appointments thus far, far from showing "softening," have included notorious racists Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions, with more odious people likely to come.

In short, the threats from the incoming Trump administration are qualitatively greater than those of any recent major party nominee. And there is a moral imperative to stop this reckless agenda: Democrats must stand with the most vulnerable people in our society when they are under attack.

If Democrats cave on anything -- for instance, a deeply-flawed infrastructure bill that they fear will appeal to the white working-class -- they will be handing legitimacy to a Trump administration that will use that political capital to double-down on attacking immigrants, Muslims, and people of color. After all, Trump's winning formula thus far has been precisely that: a combination of misguided economic populism with white nationalist appeals. There is no responsible way to negotiate with such an administration.

Beyond the intrinsic case for obstruction, blocking Trump at every turn is also sound strategy. The only reason that Democrats may give in to working with the Trump administration is that progressives tend to believe that government can work -- that it can provide public goods like public safety, clean air and drinking water, and an effective social safety net. But if Democrats cede ground and allow Trump to proceed with his agenda, they will be further vindicating the Republican strategy: obstruct long enough, Republicans will say, and eventually Democrats will fold because they are unwilling to bargain as hard as we are. Republicans need to see that Democrats mean business.

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We all know that Washington is broken. Polarization between the two parties has increased, communication has broken down, and the ability to negotiate fairly and efficiently -- without stalemates that take us to the brink of government shut downs and defaulting on our national debt -- has fallen by the wayside. But, frankly, this is the fault of Republicans -- who have presided over the deterioration of our political norms since Newt Gingrich's tenure leading the House.

With immigrants, Muslims, and communities color facing likely existential threats, Democrats in Congress cannot responsibly engage in deal-making with the Trump administration. They must prove their mettle by defending vulnerable citizens and residents of this country with every fiber of their being.

Only once Democrats in Congress have passed this moral and strategic test should they reconsider their strategy. After the grave threat to American communities has subsided, the two parties in Washington can engage again in the discussion of how to fix our broken political system.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) walks to a news conference after the weekly Republican caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said Monday that the majority leader of the Senate has not been in his office for more than a month because of a health issue.

Oleaginous M. Flack, McConnell's press secretary, said that McConnell's absence has prevented him from accomplishing any Senate business.

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Flack's announcement raised questions among McConnell's Senate colleagues.

"The majority leader hasn't accomplished anything in the last month?" asked Thad Milquetoast, D-FL, the minority leader in the Senate. "What Senate business did he accomplish in the months and years before that?"

One Republican senator, who requested anonymity, said he observed little difference in the Senate whether McConnell was there or not there.

"Even when he's here, he's not really here," the senator said, "and he's never all here."

Flack said that the 74-year-old senator was admitted into a hospital near his home in Moronville, Kentucky, where doctors diagnosed a rare health ailment.

Dr. Shirley Bunk, medical director at Jim Crow Memorial Hospital in nearby Louisville, confirmed that McConnell's medical issue was related to his heart, "or, more specifically, his lack of heart," she said.

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"We have not been able to identify if Senator McConnell has a functioning heart or not," she said.

Bunk was asked if it was rare for a person to function without a discernible heart.

"Under most circumstances, yes," she said. "But, remember, Mr. McConnell is a United States senator and he's a conservative Republican."

Bunk said doctors did not yet know the cause of McConnell's health issue.

"We don't know whether McConnell was born without a heart or if it simply atrophied because of a lack of use," Bunk said.

McConnell, who was first elected to the Senate in 1984, became leader after the Republicans won majority during the midterm elections in November 2014. McConnell began serving as Senate majority leader in January 2015.

One Gallup Poll concluded that McConnell has the lowest approval rating of any senator in the United States.

Milton J. Imperious, a professor of political science at Southeastern Northern University, in West, West Virginia, said that since McConnell has been the majority leader, it has been far more productive when it has been in recess than when it has been in session.

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"When the Republican-controlled Senate does nothing it does relatively little harm," he said. "When it does something, it either does something incredibly stupid or it challenges the very fundamentals of our democracy."

McConnell once said that he would do everything he could to see that President Barack Obama served only one term. Obama was re-elected president in 2016.

In addition, Imperious said, when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2015, McConnell, in an unprecedented decision, refused to allow confirmation hearings for Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court.

Flack was asked if McConnell, who represents the former slave state of Kentucky and has a history of telling racist jokes, blocked Obama's Supreme Court nomination on racial grounds.

Flack denied that McConnell was a racist. He then said that McConnell was looking forward to working closely with President-Elect Donald Trump.

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From 1972-87, I worked as a professional scuba diver for Marine World/Africa USA, an aquarium-zoo in Redwood City, California. Most of the work was plain hard labor, scrubbing algae off the walls, floors, and windows of the giant salt-water tanks. But the creatures we swam with? Sharks, dolphins, eels, seals and killer whales -- magic.

Sometimes we brought the dolphins to the vets for medical attention. This was not always as easy as it might sound. In later years, tanks were made with rising floors, which made the situation less stressful for all concerned.

But in those days, we would put a net in the water, to narrow the swimming area. Breathing through snorkel tubes, we would swim over the top of the net, wait until the dolphin appeared to relax, and then gently approach, and put our arms around them. When they cooperated, everything was easy.

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But one day a 350 pound dolphin named Ernestine snapped her jaws at me, and nodded her head in warning. ("Yes" means "no" in dolphin body language.) What I should have done was to back off and try again later. But I was young and foolish, and everyone was watching. I swam toward her, slowly, arms out.

She did a sudden forward roll, like dolphin judo. Her tail slammed the side of my head. It felt like a car crash. Cold water entered my now-burst eardrum.

When I pulled myself out of the tank, there was a roaring in my head. The world was spinning round and round, and I sat down to make the planet hold still. But I was lucky, the damage was minimal. I just had to stay out of the water for the next six weeks, and was deaf in the left ear for a while.

Most people lose their hearing in a less spectacular but far more permanent way.

Hair loss. No, not the gross tufts of hair protruding from old folks' ears, but essentially invisible hair cells, deep within the ear, inside the snail-shaped cochlea, where 30,000 hair cells rest in a bath of liquid. When noise happens, the hair cells tremble slightly, and send vibrations to the brain, as sound.

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When our hair cells wear out, there are no more: lose some, and you are hard of hearing. Lose them all? Deafness.

How big a problem?

"Across all age groups in U.S., approximately one million people over five years of age are functionally deaf."

And the number of people with lesser degrees of hearing loss?

"Approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million!) aged 18 or over report some hearing loss."

Hearing aides help somewhat, of course, amplifying the volume if you can still hear something. Even so, hearing-challenged people face difficulties, as they struggle to be a productive part of society.

Anyone who has had to answer the endlessly repeated questions -- "What did he say? What was that?" -- knows how irritating it can be. Imagine being on the other side of the equation, the person who must ask others to turn their volume up, not just once or twice, but on almost every encounter of the day?

Helen Keller, both blind and deaf, compared the two conditions:

"The problems of deafness are deeper and more complex...than those of blindness. Deafness means the loss of the most vital stimulus -- the sound of the voice that brings language, sets thoughts astir, and keeps us in the company of man. Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people."

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All too often a deaf person will just quit trying to participate, and sink into loneliness, depression and despair.

And, of course, some bosses will deny jobs to a hard-of-hearing person.

But what if we could fix things? If those hair cells could regrow, or if we could make more of them when there was need, we might restore hearing.

There are no deaf chickens, because birds can regrow hair cells. If they can do it, why should humanity be denied the subtlety and grandeur of sound?

At Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California, a group of scientists have dedicated their lives to restoring human hearing.

"There are seven of us in the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss (SICHL, pronounced like sea shell) working on different parts of the ear. As a group, we collaborate, and push hearing research forward," said Dr. Alan Cheng, M.D., when we did a recent catch-up interview.

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A surgeon, Dr. Cheng frequently operates on deaf children, giving them a cochlear implant, a "complex electronic device that can help provide a sense of sound..."

But implants, while valuable, give only a crude imitation of normal sound. The person may learn to understand speech, and grasp warning signals, like a car honking its horn, but that is about it.

Dr. Cheng feels frustrated, because he does not have something better to give the children. But if all goes well with his research, that may change.

Remember when the dolphin struck my head? Not only the ability to hear was affected, but also my sense of balance. That duality may be important.

The body's sound system has two parts: hearing itself, and the sense of balance. The hair cells in the hearing part do not regenerate, but those in the balance system are different.

The utricle, a balance organ, has hair cells that regrow. This tiny organ is the center of gravity awareness. When the elevator drops suddenly, or the fighter pilot swerves the jet, it is the utricle which signals us. And in the utricle, Dr. Cheng appears to have found the particular stem cell that starts that process of hair cell regeneration.

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"How's it going?" I asked him.

"It's going!", he said enthusiastically, "You can see the results happening. We see re-growth of hair cells in the mouse balance organs. And the balance function appears to improve, according to how many hair cells come back."

I was glad the California stem cell program had funded his research, and hopefully will be able to continue doing so.

And then, an unexpected delight, like finding a thousand dollar bill between the cushions of a second-hand couch.

There may be a way to prevent one major cause of deafness.

Hearing may be lost by using the wrong prescription drug.

In poor countries, sick children are often given an antibiotic drug called aminoglycoside. This helps their immune system problems--but may also make them deaf. An estimated 30% of those who take this drug lose their hearing.

What if there was a powerful antibiotic to replace aminoglycoside -- but which would not steal the patient's hearing? Dr. Cheng and colleagues have developed an experimental drug which may do just that.

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The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has funded several members of the SICHL group.

Their path is complicated and difficult. In fact, one of the group, the renowned Dr. Stefan Heller, has just released a paper on approaches that did NOT work for them.

Discouraging? Not really. The scientists at SICHL -- and all who learn from the paper -- can use that knowledge to avoid mistakes. And it offers a positive direction: on the importance of the environment of the inner ear.

As the paper states: "Our results provide a framework for future exploration of stabilizing microenvironments for efficient differentiation of stem cell-generated human otic (ear) cell types."

Cheng sums up the struggle.

"Regenerating hair cells in humans to restore hearing is going to be a long journey with numerous obstacles. But with the support of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and the Stanford Initiative in Curing Hearing Loss, I believe we are well positioned to overcome these challenges in years to come."

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-- Alan Cheng, personal communication

Scientists like Drs. Cheng and Heller are self-starters. If they have the funds, they will do the work: practically living at the lab, working toward the day when the deaf can hear again. If I had to sum up their attitude, it might be something like:
Tehran, Iran, Dec. 19

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The central Iranian dry port of Yazd is pushing to be registered in the Silk Road, Pishgaman Dry Port Kousar Co. Commercial Manager Hosseini Ezabadi told Trend.

China is preparing to transit goods to Europe via Iran. The cooperation will come as part of Chinas plan named Silk Road and is backed by Asian Development Bank. According to the plan, China will ship its cargos to Iran, from where they will be transferred to Europe by land.

Ezabadi said the Yazd dry port is Irans first privately-held dry port.

"It is being constructed in an area of 700 hectares. It has access via the cross-country railroad to Bandar Abbas and Rajaei Port as well as northern Iranian ports," he said.

He added that the first phase of the dry port is completely prepared to offer services, adding if legal gaps are filled and it becomes operational, the first phase will be able to serve 2 million tons of cargo a year.

"The dry port is expected to serve 10 million tons of cargo if it is completed, which will come in three 5-year phases."

"We have been holding talks with Chinese partners over the past two years to register ourselves on the Silk Road and we expect to be giving good news of the outcome in the near future," Ezabadi said.
ANKARA, TURKEY - DECEMBER 19: Turkish police secure the area outside where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot inside an art gallery on December 19, 2016, Turkey in Ankara. Russian foreign ministry confirmed the death of envoy Andrei Karlov in the attack at the gallery in the Turkish capital on Monday by a gunman shouting 'Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria'. (Photo by Erhan Ortac/Getty Images)

The fall of Aleppo is going to be a turning point in the annals of the entire Middle East, not just the Syrian civil war. This blog consistently called attention to the foreign, both regional and international dimension of the conflict, it being a Sunni-Shi'ite war, and in this regard also the growing role of Turkey. So, while the battle of Aleppo is hailed as a victory for Bashar Assad, the Shi'ites led by Iran and Russia, it is taken to be a defeat to the Sunnis and their undeclared but actual leader, Turkey. Well, welcome to the Middle East, where conflicts of this sort are not ending with a military defeat. On the contrary, they tend to accelerate and intensify as a result of such defeats, the humiliation they bring about and the unspeakable misery.

Russia's Ambassador in Ankara, Andrey Karlov who was just assassinated by a man shouting Allah Akbar and revenge for Aleppo is not the last victim of the battle for Aleppo, in fact for mastery of the Muslim world. Far from it, more victims will follow, many more. It is too early to direct fingers at any official organ of the Turkish government. I, for one, am sure, that the Erdoghan government had nothing to do with it, and they are utterly and genuinely disgusted with it. But there is something which is happening in Turkey under Erdoghan, something which creates the background to the rise of Islamist fundamentalism in Turkey, and this ''something'', is the relentless drive of Erdoghan to change the Turkish Republic of Ataturk into yet another Islamist state, not exactly Iran-type Islamic Republic, but not much different. Surely, one difference is there to stay and be ever more conspicuous in the foreseeable future- Iran is Shi'ite, Erdoghan is Sunni. The failed coup in July gave a major boost to the process which has been at play since the rise of the AK Party to being the dominant party in Turkey in the early years of this century. The events in Iraq and Syria and the seeming impression of Iranian domination in face of Arab weakness add a lot of motivation to the Sunni Muslim foreign policy of Erdoghan, and even much more so to the more radical Islamists in Turkey who may think that the Erdoghan policy Is giving them a licence to act in Turkey and outside. The Erdoghan government will do everything possible to assuage Vladimir Putin at this particular dangerous juncture, but they will not pull out the Turkish troops from either Iraq and Syria, as so much is at stake there for Turkey, Sunni Muslim considerations, but also the fear of Kurdish nationalism.

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Vladimir Putin is now the one leader who has to confront both the harsh realities of the Middle East in general, but also the need to maintain his image of the regional thug in dealing with Turkey. By being in bed with Shi'ite Iran, or being perceived as such, Putin is fast becoming a lightning rod for the Sunni world, and not only in the Middle East, but also in Russia itself, where the vast majority of the large Muslim population are Sunnis. He will take immediate steps to reassert Russian prestige, but being a realist, he will also have to start thinking about the post-Aleppo situation, perhaps the post-Assad situation altogether, and if such a reassessment process will take place, the role of Iran may be top on the agenda. Iran may have served its purpose for Putin, and it may be time for him to start a change. Turkey could become a partner for a post-Assad era, but also for a bigger Middle Eastern arrangement, one which will exclude Iran and the Shi'ites.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) waits for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to exit his plane after arriving for stop on his USA Thank You Tour event in Mobile, Alabama, U.S., December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

It's no accident that GOP Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is speed dialing the confirmation hearings of Attorney General designate Jeff Sessions to the second week of January. It's no accident that he has so far ignored all entreaties from skeptical Democratic Senators to delay the hearings. It's also no accident that the GOP has made no issue of Session's nominee questionnaire that cabinet picks must submit before confirmation hearings begin that has more gaping holes than swiss cheese.

Sessions is the GOP's long-awaited point man to fulfill the GOP's longest and fondest dream. That is its total domination of the national electorate. With that, the GOP will have a virtual lock on the federal government for years to come. To make that happen, the GOP must continue to discourage and damp down the number of minority and poor voters who can register to vote and who overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

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The first step was the wave of naked voter suppression laws, initiatives and stumbling blocks that several GOP dominated state legislatures enacted requiring rigid voter IDs, big scale backs in voting hours, limit, if not end, weekend voting, drastically restrict the number of polling places and registrars in minority neighborhoods, and ban felon voting.

The second step was to saber rattle the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. The GOP floated several trial balloons in Congress. The first one was in 1981 when the Act came up for renewal. The deal in the initial passage of the Act was that it be renewed every 25 years. A few hardline ultraconservatives in the administration of then President Reagan administration made some loud threats to push Reagan to oppose its renewal. Reagan signed the renewal legislation. When the Act came up for renewal again in 2006, a pack of House Republicans stalled the legislation for more than a week and demanded that hearings be held. Bush eventually signed the renewal order.

But this opened the gate for the next step; take it to the Supreme Court. Three days after President Obama's reelection in 2012 it demanded that the Court scrap the centerpiece of the Act, Section 5. That's the provision that mandates that states get "preclearance" from the Justice Department before making any changes in voting procedures. The court did.

This wasn't enough. The Voting Rights Act is still on the federal books. As long as it is it must be enforced. This puts it squarely in the lap of the Justice Department and the Attorney General. When the Justice Department was in the hands of Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder, there was no cause for concern. In countless speeches and interviews, Holder made it clear that he would do everything within his department's power to enforce the law to protect and, where possible, expand voting rights. He filed lawsuits against the more blatant suppression efforts in states and counties.

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He also demanded that state legislatures do their part to expand voting rights by lifting the felon bans that bar tens of thousands of mostly black and Hispanic ex-felons from the polls. This is no small point. The five Deep South states, and other old Confederacy states, have been lock down GOP states. But the increased number of black and Hispanics in these states pose a mortal threat to continued GOP dominance in those states. That is if there are no barriers propped up to their registering and voting. The rigid maintenance of the ex-felon ban is key to the GOP ethnic cleanse of the polls in those vital states.

Sessions is the final step in the GOP plan for permanent national political control. When he's had the chance during his tenure as a US Attorney, as state attorney general, and as a US Senator, he has cheer led voter id laws, relentlessly hunted down and prosecuted every real and imagined voter fraud act, railed against the pre-clearance provision of section 5 of the VRA, and though he grudgingly voted for an extension of the VRA in 2006, later expressed buyer's remorse about it.

GOP Senate leaders and Trump's transition team know that civil rights and civil liberties groups and many Democratic Senators will scream loud about Sessions and do everything possible to derail the confirmation. So, they have craftily launched a media and PR charm offensive. They now paint Sessions as practically a closet civil rights champion by citing his vote to extend the VRA, citing his alleged personal commitment to racial fairness, saying his past inflammatory remarks on race were taken out of context, and that he's a genuinely warm and affable guy.

The VRA is the major roadblock to the range of GOP ploys to ensure that the bulk of America's voting majority remains its majority. That is white, male conservatives, rural, blue collar voters in the Deep South and Heartland states. These are the voters that put Presidents Reagan, Bush Sr, W. Bush, and now Trump in the White House. They kept failed GOP presidential candidates John Mc Cain and Mitt Romney in the hunt for the Oval office. Sessions is the absolute key to make sure the GOP maintains its national control if it has its way into perpetuity.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is the author of the forthcoming The Obama Legacy (Middle Passage Press) He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States - November 19, 2016: Protesters carry signs during ongoing Anti-Trump protests, with more then a thousand participating, on Nov. 19, 2016, in Center City Philadelphia, PA.

You've just come across an infuriating post on Facebook. You open up the comment box and start typing furiously. You counter-argue using scientific sources, real numbers, and logic, and all you get back in response is name-calling and ridicule. Sound familiar?

Welcome to the "educated elite." See what they did there? They took something positive ("educated"), paired it with something negative ("elite"), and used it to label us.

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When did being "educated" become a bad thing? There was a time when education was revered and school teachers were respected. A time when scientists were heroes because they got us to the moon and people listened to doctors because their advice could save our lives. Today, I tell my kids to study or else they'll never get a good job, and what do they reply? "Mom, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates dropped out of college." Or, even better: "Mom, YouTubers make millions of dollars and they never have to go to college."

Today, Google has all the answers your doctor will never give you, all the science your religion allows you to believe, and a perfect world that beautifully matches your so-called values. Evolution isn't real, it's just a theory. Teachers are indoctrinating our kids, scientists are conspiracy theorists who enjoy telling us that the world will end, and doctors are vaccine impostors paid by Big Pharma. (On a side note, vaccines are cheap, they don't make the Big Pharma rich. What makes them rich are all the drugs you need when you get the diseases you could've vaccinated against.)

Who needs education when we can learn stuff on our own? This, you see, has been this election's winning message. And that's exactly why the incoming cabinet features a secretary of education who wants to dismantle public education; a national security adviser who tweets fake news; a secretary of treasury who ran a bank that was dubbed the "foreclosure machine"; and an EPA administrator who doesn't believe in environmental policies and doesn't believe in climate change. If you think about it, it's like all these people, instead of being rightfully shamed for their failures, have been rewarded with the highest positions in the government. All because we no longer trust education, let alone if it comes from the establishment. Can you hear your teenage kid's voice? "Get out of the way, Mom. I can do stuff on my own, now!"

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The secretary of energy for the past two terms has been a PhD. In fact, our previous secretary of energy was a Nobel laureate. These bright minds will now be succeeded by a BS in animal science and 'Dancing with the Stars' contestant. I'm sure those stardom experiences will come in handy when talking to scientists and engineers about the state of our nuclear weapons and climate change policies. Oh, wait. I forgot; the incoming secretary doesn't believe in climate change. So I'm sure he doesn't believe in investing money in basic research to address questions like, "Why are our trees dying?" or "Is there going to be enough water for our growing cities twenty years from now?" or "How are we going to sustain our agriculture when we'll run out of water?" or "Can we make more potent antibiotics in order to fight drug-resistant bacteria?"

And if you are wondering, all those questions do pertain the US Department of Energy. DOE oversees national security labs like the one where I work. My colleagues and I work hard every day on questions like the ones I mentioned above because drug-resistant bacteria and water problems are among the greatest threats our society is facing today. Ill-minded people could easily get a hold of these problems and turn them into bioweapons. But don't worry, I'm sure Google will hold all the answers.

Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." I want you to think about that for a moment. What do Mandela's words say about a country where college education is so expensive that many can no longer afford it? And even worse, a country where a good chunk of the population does not trust college education? Knowledge is freedom. Ignorance, instead, and the general inability to discern facts from fabrication and lies, make a country vulnerable to hacks and tyranny.

And so now the "educated" people are labeled "elite" when in fact we are the ignored majority, the ones who lobby for renewable energy, who warn that fracking and drilling will eventually contaminate all our drinking water, and who call for climate change action. We are the majority and if our voices go unheard it means we have to be louder. Because in a world too busy to take the time to ponder, too loud to stop to listen, and too arrogant to realize its own ignorance, the "educated elite" is all America will have left when catastrophe will strike. And in the best of Hollywood traditions, we will be there to come to the rescue.

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And when the tweet came for Khizr Khan,

I remained silent;

Because I am not Muslim.

And when the tweet came for Lauren Batchelder,

I did not speak out;

Because I am not a woman.

And when the tweet came for Alec Baldwin,

I did not speak out;

Because I am not a comedian.

And when the tweet came for Chuck Jones,

I remained silent;

Because I am not a union leader.

And when the tweet came for Alan Mulally,

I remained silent;

Because I am not a corporate executive.

And soon the tweet may come my way,

And if I do not speak out now,

There will be no one left to speak out for me.
By Anna Bengel

Sheila Siegel, a retired clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, first saw slavery in a shop in Jaipur, India. She had gone in to buy a traditional round, embroidered cloth, and sat to wait at the vendor's welcome behest. A barefoot, malnourished boy brought her a cup of tea, wafting with cinnamon, cardamom, and spices. She noticed how quickly the tea boy fetched it for her. It was slavery, she realized, hiding in plain sight.

Today Siegel is one of seven inspiring supporters profiled in the original Free the Slaves film series, "Why I Free Slaves." Siegel has become a recurring FTS donor, and more. In Haiti, India, Nepal and Ghana, Siegel has trained field staff to counsel and heal traumatized former slaves--to help them rebuild their lives and stay free.

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"I free slaves because I can't not! In my life" Siegel says. "I have always been an activist. I know it touched a place in my heart where I have an ache to do this. I will do this until I can't walk anymore."

Siegel retired several years ago with more than 40 years of experience. She was terrified of leaving her professional life behind. She had no idea what she would do with her time. "I was really worried about what retirement was going to look like," she says.

About a year before she was set to retire, at a crafts fair in Michigan, Siegel bought a small photograph by Lisa Kristine, the renowned humanitarian photographer, of young monks in Bhutan. It set in motion the events that led to Siegel's remarkable contributions to Free the Slaves. In her booth, Kristine had a coffee table book about slavery, produced in partnership with Free the Slaves. "I knew nothing about slavery," Siegel says.

An Abolitionist's Journey

The purchase of Kristine's Free the Slaves book, Slavery, put Siegel on her email list. Soon, she received an alert for Kristine's TED talk about human trafficking and the front-line work of Free the Slaves to end it. She watched the 20-minute presentation and turned to her husband: "I said, this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. It was at that moment I started on the journey to becoming an abolitionist."

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"I get so emotional when I talk about this. But when I'm there [in the villages], I contain it. I'm teaching," she says."

Siegel became an FTS annual donor, but she wanted to volunteer. She thought her background in psychology could be useful. Many freed slaves suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but there is little money for psychological services. She stayed up all night thinking about how she could contribute to creating sustainable models of freedom. "I called [the FTS director] and said, look, I have trained people to be lay counselors and students to be peer counselors. Why couldn't I do the same thing with the staff in the countries where Free the Slaves worked?"

A Tale of Two Villages

The first thing Siegel did was update the FTS manual on handling the psychological and emotional problems from which freed slaves often suffer. She added new lessons on mental problems and how to approach them. She developed teaching modules on dealing with trauma. Today she goes into the field to teach local activists how to help freed slaves who've experienced suffering heal more quickly.

Her first training opportunity came in Varanasi, a city on the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, North India--a society rooted in slavery. Siegel visited two villages: one where slaves had been free for six months, another for three years. The contrast was striking.

To the first village she brought art materials--paper, colored pencils--and sat with the kids on the ground while they drew. "Most of the boys drew pictures of the slave owner," she recalls. "He was larger than life. Very muscle-bound. And they drew the brick kilns." Very few children made eye contact. If they looked at Siegel at all, they kept their heads down, sneaking glances. The villagers were reserved, uncomfortable, on edge. Siegel and her husband sang "We Shall Overcome," which the local coordinator translated into Hindi.

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In the second village, the people laughed and smiled. The children held Siegel's hand, hugged and clung to her. They drew pictures of flowers. Most of the boys drew the water pump, in the center of the village. "That was the symbol of freedom for them," Siegel says. "When they worked in the brick kilns, they weren't allowed to get water. That they could get water whenever they wanted was really important to them."

'There Is Another Way'

Since her awakening to the horrors and ubiquity of modern slavery, Siegel has led two trainings in Haiti, three trainings in India, one in Ghana, and she worked with Nepal staff on self-care as human rights activists. She trains local activists to earn trust from victims and start a dialogue with scarred communities.

In Haiti, enslaved children are denied education, told that they're worthless, and trapped in domestic servitude. In India, enslaved people are weary, frightened, and suspicious. Siegel uses role-playing exercises to teach active listening--responding to the feelings behind a story to convey understanding.

In a coordinated exercise, a Varanasi woman who had been sexually trafficked played a reticent mother holding a child on her lap. When she refused to talk, a local activist asked to speak to her husband. Siegel stopped the role-play immediately. "I said, no, no. I went in and said, 'It looks like your child is sick. That must be really hard for you. Is there anything we can do to help?' At which point she started talking."

Through Siegel's expertise and dedicated training efforts, activists begin to understand that there is another way to do anti-slavery work. Her approach to healing former slaves is expressive, gentle, and effective.

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An Abolitionist for Life

The book Siegel first saw in Kristine's booth sits now on her coffee table. Family photographs--weddings, vacations, relatives--cover the wall of the stairway. But the Kristine photograph--six boyish monks in maroon robes, shaved heads, holding tiny candles--hangs in her living room. One boy is looking straight at the camera.

"I've always been an activist," Siegel says. Now she is writing a book about her profound experiences with FTS helping former slaves rehabilitate themselves. She doesn't have all of the answers, but she knows how to help slavery survivors. One boy in India particularly touched her.

"I couldn't come swooping in to rescue him, but I wished so much for this child, that he would learn and be successful, after having been enslaved." In Varanasi, Siegel conducted a counsel with the children. Sitting in a circle, she asked them to say something they wondered about, and almost all of them said slavery. Siegel wonders how people can be so inhuman to each other. She says, "There's nothing worse than slavery."

"The trips are grueling," she says. "But I will do this until I can't walk anymore. If I die doing this work, I will die doing something I love. It started as an interest. It grew into a passion. And now it's an obsession."

Siegel once knew nothing about slavery. Now she is one of Free the Slaves' most committed supporters.

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How Australia's widespread adoption of Energy Scores holds important lessons for the U.S. market



Last month REA Group--the global online real estate advertising company and owner of realestate.com.au--launched Energy Scores on its popular real estate platform in partnership with U.S.-based Tendril to provide an instant snapshot of whole home energy performance across more than 80 percent of Australia's home market.

Based on Tendril's HomeFit platform, Energy Scores delivers an energy score of 1 to 100 by aggregating both electricity- and gas-related cost and consumption data for single and multifamily properties. Energy Scores also provides details specific to a particular address to help owners better understand total cost of ownership, the estimated value of their home, and relative efficiency compared with other similar homes by size or neighborhood.

Several factors, including consumer demand and competitive advantage, motivated REA and Tendril's partnership.

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"In Australia's deregulated utility environment, electricity is expensive. In response, homeowners have embraced renewable energy and energy efficiency to lower their bills, but they have lacked the basic information on what performance measures make the most sense for their home, and how these changes will impact overall home operating costs or real estate value," said Jeff Woodward, business development manager with Tendril. "REA therefore saw a consumer need that it could fulfill with the Energy Scores tool."

Mounting evidence shows that the economic benefits of improved energy performance are inspiring action among homeowners. Survey results included by realestate.com.au in the Energy Scores media release state that about 79 percent of homeowners were actively trying to conserve as much energy as they could to reduce costs.

Energy Scores' "claim your home" feature empowers renters and homeowners to capture more energy savings. Renters and homeowners can use the feature to improve their listing's score on realestate.com.au by adding additional information about their energy usage, habits, and any completed energy upgrade projects for their home.

"Nobody wants a low score," said Woodward. "It's positive to see that homeowners are motivated to boost their rankings by making updates that have the biggest bang for the buck, such as attic insulation, which can improve a monthly bill and has a higher return as compared to other renovation projects."



What the U.S. Can Learn From Australia

Signaling increased global momentum toward improved energy transparency in the residential market, REA Group's announcement follows the release of similar tools on U.S. platforms, including Hotpads (a Zillow Group property which, like others, is working with UtilityScore) and Estately (which recently announced a partnership with Clearly Energy). This market trend is something Rocky Mountain Institute's (RMI) Residential Energy+ team is following closely as a way to institutionalize energy performance and upgrade value, and make that value visible to consumers.

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There are fundamental differences between the Australian and U.S. real estate markets. For example, Australia does not have a multiple listing service (MLS). Real estate agents in Australia also only act as sellers' agents and don't represent buyers. Regardless, growing integration of energy performance metrics into property listings indicates where the market is heading. That integration can motivate real estate platforms, homeowners, service providers, and realtors looking to gain competitive advantage and move the market in the "race to transparency."

Achieving transparency at scale is key to influencing customer behavior

Both U.S. and Australian homeowners are equally concerned with the cost and performance of their homes. However, these groups differ in their willingness to do anything about it.

Two-thirds of U.S. homeowners consider home energy performance a top priority, yet almost half of homeowners have done nothing to improve it, and the adoption of energy upgrades in the U.S. is currently increasing at a rate of less than 1 percent per year. Meanwhile, 76 percent of Australian homeowners are worried about growing energy costs, but this concern is, as mentioned above, being channeled into actions that improve home performance (for example, 20-25 percent of Australian homeowners have installed rooftop solar).

Lack of homeowner action in the U.S. can be attributed to several factors. First, there isn't yet a widely used equivalent to a miles per gallon (mpg) metric for U.S. homes--meaning consumers don't have easy access to data about a home's performance or the full cost of homeownership. Also, home energy upgrades don't have broad appeal in the way they are being marketed and delivered today. Energy upgrades also usually can't be seen, so they don't have the same visibility or curb appeal of, say, rooftop PV--although residential service providers have an opportunity to help homeowners better showcase these upgrades.

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"Currently, U.S. real estate platforms offering energy scores represent a small fraction of the market," said Rachel Gold of RMI's Residential Energy+ team. "This shows great leadership by early movers, but also leaves a large market gap for a big player to step in and provide the home energy performance data that America's 83 million homeowners need to make informed decisions and gain significant competitive advantage--as evidenced by the scale and positive outcomes achieved by REA."

Industry support is also important in making home energy upgrades a "must have"

REA and Tendril point out that consumers in Australia were the driving force in the successful release of Energy Scores. But additional influences on consumer decisions can help homeowners channel heightened awareness into action.

In the U.S., realtors, contractors, and installers looking for a competitive edge can play an equally powerful role in promoting the benefits and transparency of home performance to influence a customer's decision in absence of a widespread energy score for homes, as detailed in RMI's newly released Peer Diffusion report. One way this can be achieved--notes the report--is for service providers to communicate with homeowners that better-performing homes are simply better homes.

"A home energy score, while providing an at-a-glance rating for overall efficiency and carbon footprint, is also a description of the performance and comfort within a home. This comfort and performance comes from quality construction practices that reduce the inherent symptoms of shoddy construction, like air infiltration, noisy equipment, leaky ducts, cold floors, the list goes on," said Steev Wilson, owner of Forum Phi Architecture, an award-winning firm based in Colorado. "I believe that as scores become more prevalent, they will not only be valued as a means to identify energy efficient buildings, but will become a measure of the quality of the product being purchased and gauge the expectation for the quality of life and health that product is associated with."



Making Efficient Homes the Sought-After Standard

As leaders like REA, Tendril, and others offer new solutions that provide the transparency needed in the market to inform demand among homebuyers for greater energy performance--including the options available for energy upgrades--the scales will continue to tip in the direction of both improved supply of and demand for home energy upgrades as a means to boost property value, comfort, air quality, and monthly cost savings.

Australia lights the way for North American real estate businesses, which have yet to live up to the promise of sharing this critical information with consumers.

"It's only a matter of time until smarter, more efficient homes are the sought-after standard because comfort and performance are marketable as earmarks of a luxury product," said Wilson. "I look forward to homes having a metric for evaluating these qualities and giving them value in the marketplace."
When I went to Moscow during in the Soviet era as the ABC News correspondent, communism had long since waned as a rallying ideology for the people. The regime enforced its rule with all-pervasive KGB (Committee for State Security) surveillance plus control of sources of information, from children's books to state radio and television to newspapers and literature. The major national newspapers were "Pravda," which means "truth," and "Izvestia," which translates as "news." So Russians joked that you could find no news in Pravda and no truth in Izvestia. In fact, both specialized in what is now called "fake news," boasting of Soviet economic achievements while the population coped with shortages of common consumer goods, and depicting the United States and European democracies as failing societies.



The control of information was not quite total. Short wave news broadcasts from London and Washington penetrated the static of powerful jamming. Courageous dissidents pounded out commentaries and literary fiction on typewriters stuffed with carbon paper, copies passed from hand to hand so that more "samizdat" self-published copies could be made. So the government's attitude had become: "We lie to you. We know that you know we lie to you. But every government on earth lies to its people, even those who call themselves democracies. And if you have an accident in the street, we send an ambulance. In capitalist countries, they look in your wallet to see if you can pay before they take you to a hospital."

The Soviets exported their propaganda to the outside world, creating and subsidizing communist and other front organizations in every country that allowed freedom of association, beaming Radio Moscow in multiple languages, planting fake news where possible, romancing those they called "useful idiots" who advocated accommodation to Soviet policies. Their folks in New York took American editors to lunch and complained sarcastically about the Moscow correspondents who were unsympathetic to Russia because they couldn't get soft toilet paper, among other creature comforts.

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Among the Soviet policies that brought the world's opprobrium was the suppression the year before I arrived of what had become known as the "Prague Spring," an effort by the communist leadership of Czechoslovakia to mitigate the dissatisfaction of their citizens by liberalizing the country's politics, allowing an opposition press and policy debates within the ruling party. The conventional wisdom was that the Soviet regime would not act to crush their Czech brethren in defiance of world opinion. But Soviet tanks did indeed roll in and put the Czechs in their place back behind the Iron Curtain. Ironically, from today's perspective, the invasion took place as the Democratic Party in the United States was holding its 1968 presidential nominating convention.

Now, a half-century later, a KGB officer is running the show in the Kremlin and bringing the Soviet era back to the future. His military has peeled off a chunk of neighboring Ukraine, inviting the opprobrium of the allied democracies in the form of economic sanctions. Putin has been able to offer his people better consumer goods, thanks to the export of high-priced oil; they can buy pineapples and bananas, BMWs and Rolexes. And they have been free to travel wherever they can afford to go. Unlike in Soviet times, Putin's attitude toward young people who dislike his regime is that they're welcome to move to whatever country will take them.

And he has put the effort to destabilize Western democracies on vengeful steroids by using American-invented new media to replant the idea that whatever lies he tells, their governments are equally untrustworthy, their freedom a sham. He subsidizes fringe political parties that promote isolationism in their countries. He keeps the Baltic nations on edge with troop movements and overflights and naval maneuvers. And there are the new tools of cyber warfare, from shutting down government computer systems to hacking political communications to spreading fake news. The economic depredations of the financial crisis made the ground for disaffection more fertile, not to mention the Syrian refugee crisis exacerbated by the Russian air force.
XPO Logistics' CEO Bradley Jacobs is poised to reap a potential $110 million money grab while the company's employees have to deal with lousy health insurance and no retirement security.

At a special meeting set for today in Greenwich, Conn., the company's board of directors will ask shareholders to approve a proposal that could reward Jacobs, who is already XPO's largest shareholder, with a windfall stock bonus worth $110 million at current stock price levels. It will result in an increase five times greater than any such previous awards doled out before by XPO. Other top executives could also receive outsized benefits, and these stock prizes could be given out year after year. This is exactly the type of greed that Americans abhor, yet another example of the out-of-control income inequality that is harming millions of lives across this country.

The Board action coincides with key developments:

 In Los Angeles, also on December 20, there is a meeting involving four XPO Cartage drivers working at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach who filed wage and hour claims totaling more than $1.2 million with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. At the LA-area hearing, they will be seeking damages for unlawful deductions, unreimbursed expenses and unpaid meal and rest break premiums;

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 About 19,000 drivers at the former Con-way, Inc., which XPO bought in 2015 for $3 billion, continue to see their health care costs rise while coverage plummets. The workers also lost their pensions and have to now work with no retirement security; and

 Jacobs visited XPO warehouse workers in North Haven, Conn. three times, including the day before the workers chose to join the Teamsters. Jacobs arrived in a chauffeur-driven limousine and told the workers, who make about $12 an hour, that they don't need a union. The workers voted overwhelmingly to form their union.

These events expose the yawning divide in respect XPO holds when it comes to those at the top of the corporate ladder and those who actually do the work that make this multinational company successful. It's a view worthy of Scrooge himself. And it is why the Teamsters and other unions are standing up to fight against this greed.

Earlier this month, I joined 45 leaders of 15 labor unions in Europe that represent workers at XPO in nine countries, and we all agreed to condemn this executive stock windfall plan. Meeting during the International Transport Workers' Federation's week-long conference in Brussels, we all agreed that workers were being overlooked at the expense of Jacobs and his clubby Board of Directors.

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Even before the meeting, however, the Teamsters had been vocal in our opposition to the stock bonus proposal. In a letter sent to XPO Lead Independent Director Michael Jesselson on Dec. 1, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall noted that the plan as proposed could allow the board to award Jacobs compensation that is 160 times his base salary.

"Under no conceivable scenario is a potential payout of 2.5 million shares to CEO Jacobs, the company's largest shareholder, justifiable," Hall said. "The board has lost sight of one of its prime responsibilities -- establishing sound executive pay practices that incentivize performance and protect the interests of shareholders."

Meanwhile, many XPO workers have been fighting for their right to join a union, despite corporate resistance. Just last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with workers in Laredo, Texas who chose to organize with Teamsters Local 657, telling the company they must recognize the union as the workers' bargaining representative.

It was just the latest example of XPO employees standing up for better benefits. Last month, company drivers in King of Prussia, Pa. aligned with the union. And back in October, XPO drivers in Aurora, Ill. and warehouse workers in North Haven, Conn. voted to join the Teamsters in an effort to improve their standard of living.

Workers are demanding changes because they know the company is not treating them right. And tomorrow's vote perfectly encapsulates that argument. For while XPO cries poor-mouth to those on the job, Jacobs and his board are ready and willing to dole out excessive stock rewards.

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By Jerry Zezima

Since I am in the holiday spirit (and, having just consumed a mug of hot toddy, a glass of eggnog and a nip of cheer, the holiday spirits are in me), I have once again decided to follow in that great tradition of boring everyone silly by writing a Christmas letter.

That is why I am pleased as punch (which I also drank) to present the following chronicle of the Zezima family, which includes Jerry, the patriarch; Sue, the matriarch; Katie and Lauren, the childriarchs; Dave and Guillaume, the sons-in-lawiarch; and Chloe and Lilly, the granddaughtersiarch.

Dear friends:

It sure has been an exciting 2016 for the Zezimas!

Jerry had a particularly exciting year, which began with the publication of his third book, "Grandfather Knows Best." Like his first two books, "Leave It to Boomer" and "The Empty Nest Chronicles," it's a crime against literature. It also comes in handy for propping up wobbly table legs. Somehow, it didn't make the New York Times bestseller list.

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Jerry reached the pinnacle of his journalism career when he got a paper route. On a rainy night, he helped his newspaper carrier fling papers into subscribers' driveways and returned a lost dog to her grateful owners, which was the best delivery of all.

Jerry also completed his two-year term as president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists without running that otherwise august organization into the ground. Members attending the NSNC conference in Los Angeles celebrated with a four-letter word: beer.

Jerry's other adventures included being a server for a night at a restaurant. To ensure that the place wouldn't go under, he waited on his own family (Sue, Lauren, Guillaume and Chloe) and got a nice tip: Don't quit your day job.

That same group went bowling and Chloe, in an outing to celebrate her third birthday, beat everybody in the first game. She kindly let Jerry, whom she helped roll a strike and a spare in two late frames, win the second game.

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Chloe also had her first sleepover at Nini and Poppie's house and began a tradition of making breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausage, toast and a bagel) with Jerry, whose scant culinary skills pale in comparison with those of his granddaughter.

Chloe got her first haircut (Jerry got one the same weekend, approximately his millionth) and got her first big-girl bed, where she keeps her stuffed friends. (Jerry, who goes to bed when he's stuffed, keeps pajamas and other dirty clothes on his.)

Sue and Jerry refinanced the mortgage on their house, a hellish process that took months and was almost undone by a three-year-old unpaid traffic ticket. Now Jerry is afraid to drive to the bank to pay the new mortgage.

Jerry turned 62, which means he is eligible for Social Security and can, if he wants, retire. Considering his financial obligations (see above), he is convinced he will be working posthumously.

Speaking of death, Sue and Jerry lost Bernice, the last of their four cats, who at age 17 went to that big litter box in the sky. To fill the void (Bernice was fat), they welcomed Maggie, their sweet granddog, who is 11 and living with them temporarily. She keeps the house safe by being a canine alarm system, which makes her more valuable than Jerry.

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Katie and Dave, both journalists living in Washington, D.C., had lots to report on this year and learned the wisdom of the late, great humorist Art Buchwald, who also was based in the nation's capital and famously wrote, "You can't make anything up anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you're doing is recording it." Katie and Dave record it very well.

For the record, the best thing to happen in the family in 2016 was the birth of Lilly, Lauren and Guillaume's beautiful baby daughter. Everyone loves the adorable girl, including Chloe, who kisses her little sister and helps Lauren and Guillaume take care of her. So does Sue. Jerry tells her jokes, just as he does with Chloe. When you're a grandfather, that's your job.

Merry Christmas with love and laughter from the Zezimas.



Stamford Advocate humor columnist Jerry Zezima is the author of three books. His latest is "Grandfather Knows Best." Visit his blog at www.jerryzezima.blogspot.com. Email: JerryZ111@optonline.net.
When Keith Ellison threw his hat into the ring to seek the chairmanship of the Democratic Party, he challenged long-held thinking about the type of person that could lead a major American political party. Ellison is both African-American and Muslim, two personal attributes that make him unique as a leading figure in American politics today and that challenge, despite eight years of President Barack Obama, conventional thinking about what a leading American politician should look like.



So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the first minefield that Ellison has encountered during his candidacy is about whether or not he's sufficiently pro-Israel and supportive of Jewish values. After all, a tape was recently leaked that purportedly had Ellison making anti-Israel and anti-Jewish remarks, leading to a spike in concerns about him. A public fight has broken out about whether Ellison would be an ally or an adversary for both American Jews and Israel.



It's important to take these types of issues head-on when they arise. And especially so because 75 percent of American Jews just voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president and make up a significant portion of the party's donor base. What matters to American Jews should be a point for debate when considering the next Democratic Party leader.



Yet as often happens in our outrage-based political culture, this is much ado about nothing.



In fact, what Ellison's remarks on the tape revealed were that his views fit well within the majority view of American Jews about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while demonstrating admiration for American Jewish political organizing. And on the substance, Ellison called for an end to Israeli settlement construction and the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel with its capital in East Jerusalem. This position mirrors the position of President Obama, Clinton and the recent Democratic Party platform.



I empathize with Ellison as he grapples with these unfair charges. As a former congressional candidate in Maryland, I too was labeled as anti-Israel and anti-Semitic when I entered my race. And why? Because I strongly advocated in my professional career for peace between Israel and the Palestinians through a two-state solution. These charges were made despite the fact that I have lived in Israel, went to Brandeis University, worked for a Jewish senator and now send my three daughters to Jewish Sunday school.



To me it's clear that the problem that Ellison's detractors have with him is less about him as a person and more about his message. His views on how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not only fit well within the majority view of American Jews, but are also shared by a majority of Israelis and much of America's foreign policy community. Attacking Ellison is therefore aimed squarely at stifling the advancement of this view.



Still, politics is ultimately about the people we select to lead us. So who is Ellison when it comes to Israel and Jewish issues?



I first met Ellison while interviewing him for an endorsement with JStreetPAC in 2008, when I was the organization's first political director. During that meeting it was clear that he deeply wanted to be associated with a pro-Israel organization. He valued dialogue between Jews and Muslims and wanted to see peace between Israel and her neighbors. Asking for public support from a pro-Israel organization is not what an anti-Israel politician does.



And when I was the State Department's deputy assistant secretary for relations with the House of Representatives, where Ellison served, I saw him operate as a savvy legislator, both in public and behind the scenes. Ellison fought hard on multiple issues to help his constituents and to move the ball forward on issues like diplomacy with Iran. He's a serious legislator who knows how to work through the policy process. He was never perceived as anti-Jewish.



If there's one thing about Ellison that's consistent above all else, it's that he's passionate, energetic, smart and principled. That's why his local Minneapolis Jewish community adores him, and why leading Jewish Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have endorsed him for DNC chair.



As a committed Democrat, I want my party's leader to stand for the values of inclusion at home and peace abroad. And at this unsettled political moment, the last thing we should do is pay attention to the misrepresentations being made by those who oppose these values. Ellison's record, which falls squarely within the mainstream opinion of Jewish Democrats today, has become a proxy for this battle.



As American Jews, we should not let these misrepresentations take down this honorable man. For if we do, it will say much more about us than it does about him.



Joel Rubin, the President of Washington Strategy Group, is a former Candidate in Maryland's 8th Congressional District and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran currently exports some 700,000 barrels of crude oil to some 15 European firms and refineries, Mohsen Ghamsari, director of international affairs at National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC), said.

Companies from Greece, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland and Russia are Irans crude oil buyers in Europe at the moment, Ghamsari said, Mehr news agency reported Dec. 20.

Iran sells crude oil to European companies within the framework of long-term deals and spot cargo, he added.

Iran's exports to Europe in December look to rise 10 percent from November to this year's high of 767,000 bpd, topping levels seen prior to the imposition of toughened sanctions in 2012.

Before the sanctions were enforced, Iran was exporting about 2.2 million bpd of crude each month, with Europe taking about 600,000 bpd, according to the International Energy Agency.

Iran's crude output stood at 4.2 million bpd before the sanctions, some 2.3 million bpd of which used to be exported. Under the sanctions the output fell to 3.3 million bpd while the exports dropped to 1 million bpd.
A view of the Christmas market near the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtniskirche (Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church), the day after a terror attack, in central Berlin, on December 20, 2016.German police said they were treating as 'a probable terrorist attack' the killing of 12 people when the speeding lorry cut a bloody swath through the packed Berlin Christmas market. / AFP / Tobias SCHWARZ (Photo credit should read TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)

A Russian Envoy is gunned down in Ankara. A truck crashes into Christmas shoppers in Berlin. And gunfire wounds several, possibly fatally, at an Islamic Center in Zurich. Are these the work of large terrorist networks, part of a "wolf pack?" Or are these the acts of "lone wolves," attackers unknown to even the terror groups themselves, but claim their solitary deeds in the name of a larger entity? The answer could not only help catch the culprits, but prevent future attacks.

Less than a month ago, my students and I published our research on that subject, presented the day of the Paris terror attacks that killed more than a 100 people a year earlier. Titled "Freelance Terrorism: Comparing 'Lone Wolves' to 'Wolf Packs,'" the article from the journal Questions in Politics examines 60 attackers from 48 terror violence events from 2013, 2014 and 2015, gathered by The New York Times, Forbes, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

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We found that many counterterror experts, pundits, and journalists were quick to dub such attacks as the work of "lone wolves" (this was the result in 88.5 percent of our cases). Yet in reality, there was a solitary attacker in less than half of our sample; quite frequently, the terrorist worked with a small team or was connected to a larger unit.

My students and I also looked at more than 25 different factors about the attackers and the attack itself. Though in some cases, the two types of terrorists were pretty similar. In other cases, there's a big difference between the so-called "lone wolf," and those who operate in teams.

For example, lone wolves and wolf pack attackers are similar in education, rates of mental health, criminal background, employment status, having kids, experiencing a change in location (due to a recent move), having a change in job status, tangling with law enforcement, and facing a big change or pre-event behavior. The two groups even prefer the same type of weapons, though lone wolves are slightly more likely to prefer guns. Both are similar in choosing a nearby target, plot their attacks beforehand, carefully targeting a specific target (people or property). Neither type of terrorist is likely to express any regrets for his or her behavior.

But there are some considerable differences between the lone wolf and wolf pack attacker. Wolf pack attackers are significantly more likely to be younger than lone wolves, and be in a current relationship. Attackers who operate in small or large groups are more likely to change their political activities, schools, family relationship, and even religion. A few wolf pack attackers were female; all lone wolves in our survey were male. Others are more likely to be aware of the wolf pack attacker's activities, and these terrorists are less likely to be socially isolated.

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Most importantly, lone wolves are more likely to successfully execute their plots, and commit suicide. Wolf pack attackers are more likely to flee, or at least attempt to live to fight another day.

Are Ankara and Berlin killers with ISIS or merely inspired by them? Is the Zurich attacker perhaps part of some anti-Islamic group or a "freelance terrorist?" In the absence of clues, or even motives when the terrorist has been killed, knowing the differences between both types of attackers could provide the clues to solving the case, and stopping future similar attacks.

As a final note, it has been implied that modern terrorism cannot be defeated, because "lone wolf" terrorists or those inspired to attack cannot be detected or deterred. The example of the Nice truck attack is given in support of this argument. This gives one the impression that the problem is "unsolvable." But as our research shows, more than half of all cases involve terrorists who rely on accomplices or small groups of supporters, even if they don't have a membership card with a larger network. Further research in the Daily Telegraph reveals that the Nice attacker wasn't a lone wolf either, but had help from accomplices. Smart law enforcement and anti-terrorist units can use this information to disrupt future plots, if they know to look for these teams of terrorists.
Are sex robots a great development or a dangerous sign of the times? Will marriage to robots someday be legal? And how about those new gadgets, like an electronic kissing machine?

The many facets of sex dolls, electronic robots, and new interactive sex toys were the focus of the Second International Congress on Love and Sex With Robots held December 19 and 20 at the Goldsmiths campus of the University of London.

Sex robots have been hotly debated. Some see them as beneficial for people who are lonely, who have recently lost a loved one, or have disabilities. Genevieve Liveley, professor at the University of Bristol, mapped out two opposing views: David Levy, author of the 2007 best-seller Love and Sex With Robots has argued that by using sex robots, "many who would otherwise have become social misfits, social outcasts, or even worse, will instead be better-balanced human beings." But British professor Kathleen Richardson, a co-founder of the Campaign Against Sex Robots, has countered that sex dolls objectify women, and that using sex dolls to help pedophiles and rapists displace their darker impulses is a bad idea: "people who can't make human connections - they need therapy, not dolls."

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A new kissing device delighted the audience at the conference who ran up to try it out. Emma Yann Zhang of the City University, London along with several colleagues has developed a whimsical and fun real-time, multisensory kissing device that lets couples and family members transmit kisses over a distance. In a demonstration, when a person pressed her lips into a sensor-laden pad, the feel of the kiss was transmitted to the second person holding another pad. When asked if it felt like a real kiss, "It wasn't wet!" noted the recipient, smiling.



Sometime in the future, the Kissenger machine may be embedded in sex dolls, making them seem even more real. Said Zhang, the device could also be helpful to users of online dating websites to gauge how good a kisser their potential partner would be.

But new sex toys could also have unexpected drawbacks. Kate Devlin, professor in the Department of Computing at Goldsmiths drew attention to a class-action lawsuit launched by an American woman against the manufacturer of the We-Vibe vibrator--a sex toy that is smartphone controlled. Turns out the Canadian-based company was violating personal privacy by collecting intimate data about the users, including the vibration settings and temperature of the device.

State University of New York professor Julie Wosk, writer of this Huffington Post blog, described "A New Breed of Sex Robots" in films, television series, and plays. In her recent book My Fair Ladies: Female Robots, Androids, and Other Artificial Eves, Dr. Wosk cited men's quest to create a robot in the guise of "The Perfect Woman"--a robot like the ones in The Stepford Wives films that were sexy, soothing, compliant, and never had any needs or ambitions of their own. But in today's films like Ex Machina, and in television series like the hugely popular Westworld and Humans, female robots go rogue--sometimes even committing murder in order to retaliate against abuse or to gain their own freedom.

Speakers and the audience raised tantalizing questions. For people with very busy lives, would sex robots be an occasional alternative to help make marriages easier? What do we think about a recent robot clone of film actress Scarlett Johansson, who played the warm and seductive voice of the operating system in the movie Her ?

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Greece's nergy and Environment Minister, Giorgos Stathakis, was in New York recently in order to present investment opportunities in his country's energy sector during his participation in the "Capital Link: Invest in Greece" forum.

Stathakis' New York visit was part of a 10-day tour that also included stops in Rome, Brussels and Jerusalem with the aim of these international forays being to create the conditions promoting Greece as an energy hub in the region by attracting interest in its environmental and energy infrastructure.

During his stay in New York, Minister Stathakis had the chance to answer some poignant questions concerning his ministry and about Greece's challenges in the field of energy. At the same time, he was able to demonstrate his optimism with respect to Greece's financial recovery.

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Mr. Stathakis, as newly appointed minister of energy and the environment, normally two diametrically opposed departments, how do you perceive yourself combining the two roles?"Although the two sectors may be contradictory in many respects, still Greece is already committed in applying both the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Such commitments indicate that a lot has to be done in our energy model, both in terms of production and in terms of consumption, which opens up space for significant investments in energy saving, renewable energy and the cyclical economy.

On top of this, Greece is an environmentally sensitive area, with almost 30% of its land belonging to the "natura" regime, which is the European framework for the highest environmental protection. So this ministry combines environment, spatial planning and energy and in many respects it comes to combine three major areas of a sustainable approach to development."

Where have the major gains come from over the last decade? From wind, solar or electric power generated from renewable sources?"Already there is significant progress in terms of energy production. The Energy Union 2020 is asking member-states to have 20% of energy requirements from renewable sources in 2020. In 2015 more than 24% of our energy production came from renewable sources and big hydroelectric plants. Actually in 2015 renewable sources produced energy of 13.84 TWh or almost the one fourth of consumption, which totals to 56.7 TWh. In mainland Greece, there are 17 large hydroelectric plants with a potential production power 3173 MW, while an additional 4594 MW comes from other renewable sources (1775 MW wind, 2444 MW solar, 223.5 MW small hydro plants, 51.6 MW bioenergy). On the islands potential production power is 483 MW, which is mainly wind (322.7 MW) and solar (160 MW)."

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Have the difficulties regarding state subsidies for solar power been overcome?"During last summer we adopted a new institutional framework, following corresponding EU directives. From 1.1.2017 subsidies will be determined through special auctions. On Monday actually happened the first, test auction, about solar production of 40MW, which proved to be a success. We also plan public tender for new projects in solar power, producing more than 1,5GW."

One of your first acts as Minister was to unblock the construction study for the enrichment facility at Skouries, something which your predecessor staunchly refused to do. What does the future hold for this controversial project and how important is it to Greece's economic recovery?

"Regarding any foreign direct investment, the government is committed to safeguarding the legitimacy of activities, implementing decisions by judicial institutions, such as the State Council, and applying rules and contractual obligations. This obviously applies also to the case of Skouries. The decision you are referring to was an approval of a part of the licensing process that there was in full agreement with the ministry. On no account should it be understood as a change of course, concerning other decisions of the Ministry which concern the specific requirements that this investment has to meet in terms of environmental rules."

What is your view on the often discussed potential for oil exploration in Greece? Should a country like yours, with its pristine beaches and coastline, ever undertake such endeavors?"Greece has already launched two international licensing rounds for offshore hydrocarbons exploration in Western Greece and South of Crete. Two oilfields have proved very promising and we intend in the near future to re-launch a third round for the rest 18 fields. The gas field of Prinos is up and running and its overall capacity has skyrocketed to 129 million barrels. In Katakolo drilling is about to begin in 2018 and production is scheduled in 2019 with a total capacity of 10 million barrels. Of course environmental protection is our primary concern.

We recently adopted a related EU directive, setting high protective standards for workers and the environment. Companies involved are well aware of that and they focus on modern, environmental-friendly extraction technologies. By doing so, they also gain important technological advantage at the international competitive arena."

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Your training and previous ministerial experience is in economics. Tell us, Mr. Minister, has Greece finally turned the corner?"According to the latest available data, Greek economy exhibited a surprisingly strong performance during the summer quarter, confirming the most optimistic forecasts. On the third quarter the Greek GDP grew 1.8% on a yearly basis and it seems highly probable that it will stay unchanged for the full year or even grow by a small percentage. For 2017 international institutions (i.e. European Commission) forecast a growth rate higher than 2.5%, while in the medium term Greek economy appears set to achieve an average growth rate close to 3%. It is rather important that growth's main driving force is private investment, growing in the third quarter by 12.6%. Moreover, exports are recovering, increasing by 10.2% in the third quarter.

There is also an encouraging continuous decline of the unemployment rate, which on September was 23.1%, a level not seen after the spring of 2012. Of course it is still an unacceptably high level; however the decline by almost 5 percentage points during the last 3 years and by 1.2 points during the last 9 months is rather encouraging."

You continue to be an important member of the team negotiating with Greece's creditors. Are further measures in the works as rumors suggest?"The recent Eurogroup meeting was rather constructive and I believe all sides involved share the strong will to successfully complete the second review of the Program's progress, as soon as possible. I am convinced that everyone will eventually agree that there is neither the need nor the room for any additional austerity measures."

Is there a potential return to the markets for the country in the foreseeable future?"Nowadays it is clear to all sides that there is a roadmap for Greece to return to the markets: It includes a successful second review of Program's implementation, application of the short term debt-relief measures and a positive Debt Sustainability Analysis from the ECB, which is required to include Greek bonds in ECB's Quantitative Easing program."

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In the month since our November 8th election, educators across the country have been stunned by the increase in racial slurs, bullying, and graffiti featuring swastikas and hate speech on campuses, emulating what children saw and heard in the presidential campaign.

The morning after the election, three students marched through the halls of York County School of Technology in Pennsylvania carrying a Trump campaign sign and accompanied by chants of "white power."

Meanwhile, Michigan middle school students were chanting "build that wall" during lunchtime.

Students in Queens, NY, told children of color that they should be sitting in the back of the bus, because "Trump is president."

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A high school student in Shasta, CA, handed out deportation letters to students of color in his school and videotaped himself doing it to post on YouTube.

In Maple Grove, MN, a school bathroom door was painted: "F@#$ N@##$%s..... #whites only #white America TRUMP."

Graffiti on one school wall read: "Black lives doesn't matter and neither does your vote."

As the Nation reported, in Skokie, IL, 9th-grade public school science teacher Hillary Tulley overheard this question coming from one of her students: "Is it okay to burn Jews?" One student apparently thought that Jews deserve to burn; the other two disagreed. "I've been a teacher for 24 years," Tulley notes, "and I've never heard that kind of talk before."

In a white suburban community in Washington state, 6th-grade teacher Kyrian Smith observed both fear and bullying among her students. "White students said in class that they were scared of brown people and thought all Muslims should be removed from the country....The two Muslim students were bullied and called ISIS fighters. My black students were being called n-words."

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The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) anticipated these events in an April 2016 report, The Trump Effect: The Impact of the Presidential Campaign on Our Nation's Schools, based on a survey of approximately 2,000 k-12 teachers. More than one-third of the teachers surveyed said they had noticed a rise in anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment among their students, and a full two-thirds reported that their students--mainly Muslims, immigrants and children of immigrants, African Americans, and other students of color--were worried about what could happen to them and their families after the November election.

Tragically, the fears students expressed to their teachers last spring have proven to be well founded. News and social media include daily reports of students in k-12 schools and colleges being harassed or assaulted because of their race, religion, immigration status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. In a second online survey administered by SPLC shortly after the election, 90% of the more than 10,000 educators who responded reported the election negatively impacted students' feelings of safety and their behavior toward one another.

My colleagues and I at the Learning Policy Institute--a research and policy organization dedicated to supporting schools in which every student has the opportunity to thrive--join with all those who have condemned these acts of violence and hatred and recommit ourselves to the steps needed to secure equitable and empowering learning for each and every child.

What shall we do?

First, and most obviously, this is a moment for purposeful anti-racist teaching and action in all public spaces. While deeply disturbing, the explicitness and widespread public eruption of hate speech of all kinds gives us a direct opportunity to create a curriculum of civility and caring, and to unseat the tacit bigotry that is often under the surface in schools. This includes:

proactively ensuring that the images and messages on school walls and in textbooks are positive, multicultural, and anti-racist;

encouraging every teacher and administrator to read and integrate resources for equitable and anti-racist teaching, such as those from Teaching Tolerance and Facing History and Ourselves;

ensuring that the allocation of time, attention, and resources in schools attends equitably to all children--and that the divisions and segregation created by tracking and similar practices are challenged;

mobilizing the resources of foundations and people of goodwill to tackle the festering issues that America has been dealing with since its inception--when slavery was legalized, African Americans were defined as three-fifths of a person, Native Americans were massacred and driven at gunpoint across the country in the Trail of Tears, and students of color were segregated by law--and later by redlining and other racist customs.

Now, more than ever, educators and policymakers must take steps to ensure that our schools are inclusive, caring communities where differences are embraced and celebrated. And we need to ensure that students and staff alike develop the empathy and communication skills that are critical to bridging the divides that are woven into our country's history.

To create a more equitable and just education system and society, we also need to confront and change the inequalities and threats to productive learning that are embedded in many of our schools. These four goals are among the most critical to achieve:

Equitable allocation of resources to correct the inequitable opportunities, programs, and teacher distribution we now experience: Our country allocates education funds more unequally than virtually any other in the industrialized world. In most states, the wealthiest districts spend two to three times as much money per pupil as the poorest. As a consequence, in many communities, under-resourced schools serving low-income students have lower salaries and poorer working conditions that result in severe shortages of qualified teachers and school leaders. This in turn affects the quality of instruction and learning. It is a critical part of the opportunity gap that creates the achievement gap.

Equal opportunity for the kind of deeper learning demanded in the 21st century: A curriculum that supports critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and applications of knowledge to real-world problems is essential for today's society. And yet, this "thinking curriculum" is too often reserved for students in affluent suburban schools or advanced track courses within more diverse schools. We must help schools develop this kind of thinking curriculum for all students, support teacher preparation that ensures the sophisticated skills needed to teach heterogeneous classes, and question every time a school rations such opportunities to a small minority.

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Social and emotional awareness and skills developed alongside students' academic learning: We need to be explicit in helping students learn to recognize and manage their emotions, develop empathy for others, see others' perspectives, resolve conflicts peaceably, and engage in social justice work. These skills have been found not only to support safer schools and more psychologically healthy, higher-achieving young people, but they are stronger predictors of success in college and life than traditional academic indicators. Developing such skills cannot just be an add-on to standard operating procedures. Support for social-emotional and academic learning must occur across classrooms, through explicit instruction, and through restorative practices that replace suspension and expulsion with practices that help students learn and take responsibility for their lives and their community.

Personalization and strong relationships: Students need to feel cared about and cared for and to experience culturally responsive, engaging, and empowering learning opportunities in contexts that provide supportive relationships and community. Personalizing the educational context so that it responds to individual students' home, community, and learning contexts is potentially our most powerful lever to change the trajectories for children's lives. Often, it is because of close adult-student relationships that at-risk students are able to attach to school, problem solve, and gain the academic and other kinds of help they need to succeed, thereby decreasing risk for dropping out. Wherever children are not tightly connected to a family of other students and adults, alienation and hate can fester. We cannot cure violence with metal detectors in schools: We must create personalized communities of support and caring.

This is our work--to confront and address the individual acts of hatred and bigotry, while building new systems and structures that will support the equitable, inclusive schools our children need and deserve.

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It's the offseason at the moment, so American Pharoah's days are pretty quiet. The stallions are given a grain feed early in the morning by the night person - before our stallion staff arrives at 6.30 a.m.



The stallions all have their own paddocks and they are turned out as soon as our staff arrive. We don't ride any of our stallions, but if they need some extra exercise they are lunged for around 10 minutes in one of our lunge rings.



The stallions spend all morning outside and are brought in before lunch. They all get groomed and then are available for our clients to come and view.

At 2.30 the Ashford Stud tour takes place and American Pharoah is obviously one of the highlights. The tours are booked through Horse Country Inc. and run Monday to Friday for 25 people.



The stallions get their evening feed around 3 p.m. and are bedded down for the evening. All the stallions have cameras in their stalls so they are monitored around the clock, when our day staff leave and night watch begins.
Credit: Chatham House

There is a good reason why anti-Semite Henry Ford said that today we would do well to look into our past society.

In a bold and gallant statement issued a few days ago, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May declared, "The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is wrong; it is unacceptable, and this party and this government will have no truck with those who subscribe to it." In reference to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, in which Great Britain pledged to help build in the Land of Israel "a national home for the Jewish people," Prime Minister May concluded, "It is one of the most important letters in history. It demonstrates Britain's vital role in creating a homeland for the Jewish people. And it is an anniversary we will be marking with pride." But perhaps the icing on the cake was her assertion that the UK was now adopting an internationally backed formal definition of anti-Semitism in a "ground-breaking step towards eradicating anti-Semitism."

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I am very much in favor of defining anti-Semitism in a manner that allows everyone to see where he or she stands on the issue. That said, we cannot ignore the fact that Jews have been singled out for praise or condemnation (usually the latter) throughout the history of our people.

Hatred toward Jews has been around since the inception of our nation at the foot of Mt. Sinai. There, when we became a nation after having pledged to be "as one man with one heart," not everyone responded favorably to the idea. Those who did not subscribe to it began to loathe those who embraced it. They remained outside the Jewish people, and thus began the hatred of the Jews.

The Talmud (Masechet Shabbat) writes that Mt. Sinai "is a mountain from which sina'a [hatred] descended unto the nations of the world." The book, Kedushat Levi (Sanctity of the Levite), specifies, "that hatred came only after the reception of the Torah [which requires that we love each other as ourselves]," and the acclaimed Noam Elimelech adds that it is called Sinai, meaning "hatred," because "miracles happened to Israel and sina'a descended unto the nations of the world."

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Consciously or not, Jewish unity has always been a sore in the eyes of some non-Jews. They argue that the Jews are using their close ties with one another to gain unfair advantage over people from their host nations. Others, such as Winston Churchill, sensed that the "corporate spirit, the spirit of their race and faith," as Martin Gilbert quoted him in Churchill and the Jews, has a special role in Judaism. Churchill believed that this corporate spirit gives Jews a "special power which ... nothing else would ever give."

For the past 2,000 years, since the ruin of the Temple, we the Jews have not kept our vow to love our neighbors as ourselves. Yet, the hatred toward us has remained and for a very good reason. When we became a nation through our unity, we were also tasked with being "a light unto nations" by passing on that special "corporate spirit" to the rest of the world. As I wrote in "Why Do People Hate Jews," even if we are not told so to our faces, the fact that we are neither practicing nor passing on that spirit is the reason for the hatred toward us.

When times are good, anti-Semitism stays on the back burner. But as soon as trouble begins, it reemerges and the Jews take the heat.

As crises change, so change the accusations. Over the years, we have been accused of everything you can think of, and then some. We have been blamed for manipulating the media to our needs; we have been accused of usury, blood libels, well poisoning, dominating the slave trade, disloyalty to our host countries, harvesting organs, and spreading AIDS.

Wait, it gets better: We Jews are often accused of conflicting "crimes." Communists accused us of creating capitalism; capitalists accused us of inventing communism. Christians accused us of killing Jesus, and French philosopher, Francois Voltaire, scolded us for inventing Christianity. We have been labeled as warmongers and cowards, racists and cosmopolitans, spineless and unbending, and so on and so forth.

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The only conclusion we can draw from the above is that we are to blame for everything that is wrong in the world. As Prof. of Quranic studies Imad Hamato put it: "Even when fish fight at sea, the Jews are behind it." While it is tempting to snub such declarations as demagoguery, we should not be so reckless; they reflect people's true emotions toward us. Israel's international isolation and the disheartening results of the ADL's international survey on anti-Semitism prove that Jew-hatred is not a whim; it is mainstream. Mrs. May, I regret to admit, is in the minority.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Ball Is in Our Court

The good news is that the ball is in our court. If we want to abolish anti-Semitism, we can do it. In fact, we are the only ones who can. When the wickedness of human nature takes the helm, people seek a cure for it. However, they will not find it because that cure is the unique unity that our nation had achieved at the foot of Mt. Sinai and struggled to maintain until we lost it some two millennia ago. The memory of unity is still buried deep within us, but we cannot "switch it on" at will. Nevertheless, this is the cure for human nature that humanity is seeking, and deep down, or even openly, they know it and demand this of us.

The most notorious anti-Semite in American history, Henry Ford, recognized the role of the Jews in his book, The International Jew -- The World's Foremost Problem: "Modern reformers, who are constructing model social systems, would do well to look into the social system under which the early Jews were organized." Ford did not stop there. Concerning the importance of ancient Jewish society, he added that the Jews are "a race that has preserved itself in virility and power by the observance of those laws the violation of which has mongrelized so many nations."

To truly understand what Ford sensed, we need look no further than our own sources. The Book of Zohar writes (Aharei Mot), "And you, the friends who are here, as you were in fondness and love before, henceforth you will also not part ... And by your merit there will be peace in the world." In Tikkun (correction) no. 30, The Zohar, in one of its most blatant declarations about the responsibility of the people of Israel, unequivocally asserts that when we are not in "fondness and love," as we just read, we "cause poverty, ruin, robbery, killing, and destruction in the whole world." Indeed, as the Talmud tells us in Masechet Yevamot: "No calamity comes to the world but because of Israel."

In light of all the above, it is easy to understand the moving words in the letter of the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Kook, who cherished the Balfour Declaration: "Any turmoil in the world comes only for Israel. Now we are called upon to carry out a great task willingly and mindfully: to build ourselves and the entire ruined world along with us." Rav Kook knew that only if we restore our unity, we and the world will have peace. In Orot Kodesh [Lights of Sanctity], he went on to write, "Since we were ruined by unfounded hatred and the world was ruined with us, we will be rebuilt by unfounded love and the world will be rebuilt with us."

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The Surprising Benefits of Hatred

Anti-Semitism is indeed hatred of Jews. However, as The Zohar, the Talmud, and all of our sages throughout the generations have been telling us, we are not hated simply because we are Jews, but because we are divided and therefore do not act as "a light unto nations."

Having said that, we should know that the hatred between us is not our problem; it is in fact necessary for our success. If we did not hate each other, we would not be able to serve as a role model of overcoming divisions. Only when we rise above our hatred can we be an example. This is what the world desperately needs yet cannot find. We, who carry the recollections of our triumph in uniting above hatred, are the world's only hope. Therefore, when we do not live up to the nations' hopes, they hate us.

The more the state of the world deteriorates on the personal, societal, national, and international levels, the more anti-Semitic people will become. In an interview for Channel 2 in Israel, Thomas Friedman of The New York Times said that he recently asked Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, "What's the most prevalent disease in America, is it cancer, diabetes, heart disease? He said, 'None of those; it's isolation.'" It seems that people simply cannot stand to be with one another.

Yet, if we the Jews unite above our divisions and animosities, the world, which constantly examines our moves, will find that there is an alternative to hatred. If we did not hate each other, we would not be able to serve as proof that we can rise above it. But now that the world is deep in hate and we are hateful of each other, this is our time to shine the light of unity.

"As Israel correct themselves," writes the book, Sefat Emet [Truthful Words], "all creations follow them." And as Baal HaSulam said, "It is upon the Israeli nation to qualify itself and all the people of the world to develop until they take upon themselves that sublime work of love of others, which is the ladder to the purpose of Creation," for all of humanity to be "as one man with one heart."
This was a long time ago. I never became that monk. Marriage and career intervened. Now, I have an amazing partner and two wonderful boys. And though I never became a monk, a part of me is haunted by a yearning for such a life.





People come to Arunachala from all over the world not only because of the myth of Shiva but also because one of the greatest gurus of India made his home here. Also called as a youth to abandon family and dedicate himself to meditation, Ramana Maharshi lived in caves on the mountain for twenty-three years. Absorbed in meditation, he rarely took food. Local people literally put food in his mouth to keep him alive. The people found peace in his presence, and though he remained in uninterrupted silence, there they discovered answers to their problems and questions when sitting near him. News spread. When the crowds grew too large for the mountain forest around his cave, they built an ashram for him at the foot of the mountain. For the next forty years, Sri Bhagavan, as he is called, eventually began to take questions and to share a powerful meditation, called "self-inquiry." Westerners arrived. Books appeared. Ramana became famous among spiritual seekers the world over. And though he died in 1950, people still come, as we have, for the spiritual power of Arunachala is palpable. This is one of my favorite places in the world, one of the places where I feel I truly belong.



Nancy and I pass a sadhu sitting on the curb, his dreadlocked hair brushing the ground as he rocks and chants, holding the trident of Shiva, the divine avatar. Out of a face wreathed in black, his eyes peer out like seeing jewels. All these sadhus seem like aliens appearing out of another world. Yet, if you walk up and talk to one, what you most often encounter is a childlike smile and easy laughter. In spite of their poverty, homelessness, and material insecurity, they act like gleeful children with a great secret. And they do have a secret.

I remember the same bright fierceness, lightness and laughter, in the monks I once lived with. And I remember my calling to join them.



They say there are three ways to become a sanyassi in this life. The first is the usual way. A yearning for enlightenment stirs within, a burning desire to wake up, and one leaves home and society to seek that enlightenment. The second occurs after a spontaneous enlightenment. Already awakened, one realizes that worldly pursuits are futile. Why do anything other than live to serve the world as a monk, to teach the wisdom one was graced to attain? The third can happen when one has lived a family life but some inner desire burns for the renunciate's life. For these, it is said, one can still take the vows of a sanyassi even on one's deathbed, and at the very end of life join that tribe of wild, savage followers of Shiva, who have left this world while remaining in it, who have given up everything to call the Divine down into this world.



And yet, as many of us have come to realize, the life of the householder too has its asceticism, its daily sacrifices and renunciations, the sleepless nights, the offering of time to one's children, the intense focus on someone other than oneself. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says that performing such actions in the world can also be a kind of yoga--karma yoga--if we act without seeking reward making every act an offering. Everything on the spiritual path is paradoxical. Sanyassi father. Sanyassi spouse.



The sun strikes Arunachala with rose-gold light, and I say a prayer to Shiva:





Make me your outcast, your fool,

give me the one-pointed devotion of a drunk,

give me one grain of the strength of the poor,

who live with little and brush their teeth

at the side of the road.

In worlds of work, the world of time,

let me light my wick with the sanyassis

of the world. Om Namah Shivaya.

I want nothing but the Divine.
Portrait of businessman wearing suit

Many have argued that Donald Trump won the presidency because the political establishment ignored the plight of white working class Americans. Everyone from the far right to far left, including Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden has suggested that the Clinton campaign didn't pay enough attention to this group's legitimate economic grievances.

A few astute analysts, however, have noted that the sympathetic focus on white America's problems stands in stark contrast with conservatives' lack of empathy for communities of color. Indeed, when African Americans protest against profound racial inequality--unequal conditions that are directly traceable to discriminatory governmental policies--they are often condemned by the right as "whiners" who should simply try harder to remedy their own situations.

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Such different portraits of white and non-white Americans' grievances have their origins in what social psychologists call "ultimate attribution error." This error means that when whites struggle, their troubles are generally attributed to situational forces (e.g., outsourcing); but when non-whites struggle, their plight is more often attributed to dispositional traits (i.e., poor work ethic). Consequently, whites are considered "more deserving" than blacks.

To quantify this double standard in deservingness we embedded an experiment in a new HuffPost/YouGov survey. We asked half of our respondents if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: "Over the past few years, blacks have gotten less than they deserve." The other half of the sample was provided with the exact same statement, except we changed "blacks" to "average Americans"--a group that psychology research shows is implicitly synonymous with being white.

The results show a very strong public divide in the perceived deservingness of average Americans and African Americans:





A clear majority (57 percent) in the survey said that average Americans aren't getting their fair share in society. But only 32 percent agreed when that same statement applied to African Americans.

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The display further shows that this disparity in the perceived deservingness of average Americans and African Americans was even more pronounced among whites. Whites were thirty percentage points more likely to say that average Americans aren't getting what they deserve, compared to African American Americans (58 percent to 28 percent respectively).

The biggest double standard in deservingness, though, occurred for Trump voters. Almost two-thirds of Trump voters said that average Americans aren't getting as much as they deserve; only 12 percent of Trump supporters said blacks have gotten less than they deserve.

Meanwhile, there was a much smaller gap in the two groups' perceived deservingness among African Americans and Clinton voters. African Americans and Clinton voters were equally likely to say that both average Americans and blacks have gotten less than they deserve over the past few years.

Perhaps most importantly, the display shows that the main dividing line between Clinton and Trump voters was on the question black deservingness. Most voters, regardless of who they supported in the presidential election, thought that average Americans are getting less than they should. Yet, Clinton's voters were a great deal more likely than Trump's to say that blacks have also gotten less than they deserve (57 percent to 12 percent respectively).

It appears, then, that Trump voters weren't simply motivated by their widespread belief that average Americans are being left behind. Rather, their strong suspicion that African Americans are getting too much--a belief held by the overwhelming majority of Trump voters--was a much stronger predictor of their vote choices in last month's election.

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Racially resentful beliefs that African Americans are getting more than they deserve were so strongly linked to support for Trump, in fact, that their impact on both the 2016 Republican Primary and the general election were larger than they had ever been in before.

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Use the widget below to further explore the results of HuffPost/YouGov's survey. You can select survey questions using the menu at the top, and filter data by subgroups using the buttons at the bottom:






For the first time in our nation's history last month, African-Americans, Latinos, unmarried women and millennials who make up the "Rising American Electorate" became the majority of all Americans who cast votes in a presidential election. They represent the future of America, in all its diverse greatness.

But as the year comes to a close, it's becoming clear that Donald Trump doesn't understand, let alone appreciate, the changing demographics--and the changing face--of America.

At a rally just last week in Pennsylvania, the President-elect spoke disparagingly, again, about people of color. "Whether you are African American, Hispanic American, Asian American or whatever the hell you are, remember we are all Americans," he said. And then Trump asked his mostly-white crowd to cheer for the African-Americans who were "smart" and "didn't come out to vote" for his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

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Several of Trump's Cabinet picks are equally insulting to working mothers and working families, and will make life more difficult for members of the Rising American Electorate (RAE), many of whom already are living financially on the edge. The nominations reflect an "of the rich, by the rich, for the rich" worldview that rewards the uber-wealthy in America at the expense of the rest of us.

Trump's nominee for Labor Secretary, Andrew Puzder, is a case in point. He opposes the minimum wage increase and basic worker protections that unmarried women and other members of the RAE rely upon to make ends meet. Puzder has criticized paid sick leave policies and praised automation because machines are "never take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall or an age, sex or race discrimination case." And he prides himself on the demeaning ads he runs for his restaurant, Carl's Jr., featuring scantily clad women. "I like our ads," our presumptive Labor Secretary boasted to reporters. "I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it's very American."

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is concerned about Puzder. "I'm not saying he's anti-worker because he's conservative. I'm saying he's anti-worker because he's anti-worker," Reich said. "The Department of Labor came into his restaurants and found that half his restaurants had wage and labor violations ... You think it's pro-worker that his weekly paycheck equals the average yearly paycheck of his workers and he's against a minimum wage increase?"

Meanwhile, Trump's pick for Health and Human Services seems poised to make life more difficult for middle and lower-class Americans, too. Congressman Tom Price of Georgia recently released an agenda that would enable across-the-board cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other crucial social programs. The cuts would slash Social Security by $1.7 trillion and Medicare by $1.1 trillion over 10 years and are in line with Trump's proposed tax plan--which mostly benefits the wealthiest Americans.

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More than three-quarters (77.7%) of the Trump individual tax cuts would go to the top 20% of earners, and just 1% of the individual tax cuts would go to those making less than $25,000, according to our own analysis. With 63% of unmarried women currently making less than $25,000 a year, Trump's tax plan would have devastating consequences on single women and particularly on single mothers. The Tax Policy Center recently calculated that 6% of all households--including 51% of single parent households--would actually pay higher federal income taxes under the draconian Trump plan.

Given Trump's actions in selecting an Attorney General found to be too racist to be a federal judge and a National Security Director who tweeted that "Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL," the President-elect's speech last week in Pennsylvania rang hollow. He can say that "we are all Americans and we are all united by one shared destiny," but his words are undercut by the extremist views of the top officials who will be advising him. Trump needs to understand that the diverse faces of the Rising American Electorate represent America's strength. Helping them thrive and working together, with all of us, is his only path to continued American greatness.
If our world is defined by the climate of our politics, there's no denying that 2016 was a tumultuous year. Tensions are rising between global superpowers. Civil unrest continues to stand in the way of progress. And, in light of the Brexit and US presidential votes, unpredictability appears to be the new normal.

The talent acquisition profession is also undergoing significant change. While much of this change will pose challenges to employers and employees alike, I happen to think that, on balance, this evolution will ultimately be for the better.

As we approach the end of this unique year, I'd like to offer my top four predictions for how the world of talent acquisition will continue to evolve in 2017 and beyond.

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Big data will drive effectiveness. Businesses have access to mountains of data both from within and outside their four walls, and that will continue to accelerate in 2017. The challenge, as always: what is useful, and how do you apply it effectively?

In the talent world, we see big data enabling organizations to better target high-potential candidates by analyzing their social media activity and gauging their interest in job opportunities. This will help reduce waste in the recruitment process by helping organizations prioritize candidates who are truly interested in an opportunity, and engaging in ways that make them more attractive as a potential employer. It can even help companies identify flight risks within their own employee ranks.

By the way, this same data will increasingly be used to help organizations include the most diverse talent pools possible in their hiring. As I wrote about earlier in the year for this column, more than a check-the-boxes initiative, progressive organizations know the relationship that talent diversity has with financial performance is significant. Now more than ever, the successful ones are those that are using data about their existing employees to help them to target a more diverse workforce. From the tech sector, to trading, and beyond.

We also see opportunities for big data to help match candidates with the right jobs and the right employers. This has the potential to dramatically reduce turnover--which costs American companies in the order of11 billion a year--due to new employees failing to mesh well with a new employer. In fact, the online dating company, eHarmony, launched the "Elevated Careers" platform earlier this year, which uses algorithms to better match candidates with job listings based on their skills, cultural compatibility, and personality.



Automation will increase recruitment efficiency--and can elevate the profession. There's been a lot of talk about the rising tide of recruitment process automation (RPA)--the use of 'robots' and other technologies to do the work of recruitment professionals. Earlier in 2016, Citigroup identified jobs that are most at-risk--with those that are process-driven (like recruitment) and technical occupations at the top of the list.

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While it might be disconcerting to consider that your job could be taken over by a machine or an application--which can work 24/7/365 and never complains--the fact is, RPA and other technologies have the potential to create roles that are more creative and ultimately more rewarding.

We believe that 'robot' recruiters and human recruiters can live in harmony. Machines will tackle mundane tasks like resume sifting and interview scheduling--which they can do more efficiently, quickly and accurately than most humans. This will enable their flesh-and-blood counterparts to focus on uniquely 'human' skills such as problem solving, initiative, candidate communication, creativity and critical thinking.

"Total Talent Management" is the new employment paradigm. The definition of the word "employee" will continue to become murkier in 2017. Uber has become the world's largest taxi company without owning a fleet or, technically, employing any drivers. A study by the software company Intuit predicted that four out of ten American workers will earn a living as a freelancer, independent contractor, temp or consultant by 2020.

So the movement is real, it's unstoppable. The challenge for HR is that, in most companies, the hiring and management of non-permanent workers is managed by procurement professionals, or the departments that ultimately use their services. This lack of involvement presents a number of challenges that we see HR setting its eyes on in 2017: how does the company track gig workers? How does it assess their performance? How does it ensure they reflect the values and culture of the company? How does it make sure they're hired, managed and, if necessary, let go--all in compliance with the law?

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Candidates are the new customers. With a handful of exceptions, unemployment in most of the major developed nations is now down to pre-Global Financial Crisis levels. The battle to hire the best talent is heating up and for the first time in years, candidates--especially the best ones--now hold the upper hand. Organizations must create a quality candidate experience rivaling that which they provide their customers.

A proliferation of technologies in recent years has created a more candidate-centric recruitment experience. We've seen careers websites that are dynamically tailored to the visitor, job applications through social media, and gamified assessments that better engage candidates and predict with more certainty their potential to succeed.

Over the next couple of years, this movement will accelerate. We expect to see more increased use of mobile applications versus job boards, video job descriptions replacing text-based ones, and streamlined digital assessment technologies. We also predict that 'fast-laning' and one-click application strategies will be adopted more readily as organizations seek to make it easier for candidates to engage with them. Imagine recruitment as simple as the order-ahead function at Starbucks. It's coming.

While many of these innovations are technology-driven, it's vital to remember that talent acquisition is, at the end of the day, a person-to-person business. If a process or candidate experience is poorly designed, it will become that much more obvious when enabled by technology.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Irans Aria Banader Iranian Chabahar Port and Marine Services Company will hold an international tender for manufacturing, shipment, training and delivery of Mother Search and Rescue Vessel unit (Mother SAR) for Shahid Beheshti port of Chabahar.

Aria Banader Iranian Chabahar Port and Marine Services Co. as the equipment supplier of Shahid Beheshti port Development Plan First Phase proceeds to hold an international public tender of the manufacturing, shipment, training and delivery of the above vessel in a two-stage way after quality assessment.

Tender deposit: Unconditional and multiple extendable bank guarantees to the amount of 15 billion rials or its equivalent sum of 350,000 euros.

Consequently, in order to carry out the quality assessment, all local and foreigner eligible manufacturer companies are invited to receive a CD containing the Quality Assessment Forms and Tender Documents.

All those interested in participating in the tender must present an introduction letter, valid ID card, original bank receipt of 2 million rials deposited to account No. 0203568843007 of Aria Banader Iranian Chabahar Port and Marine Services Company by Bank Day. The

The deadline for submitting the documents and completed quality assessment forms will be up to Feb. 4, 2017.

Address: No. 40, Kish St., Jahankoodak Crossroads, Nelson Mandela Blvd., Tehran, Iran.

Postal Code: 1518814111.

Phone No.: +98 21 88190677-9

Fax No.: +98 21 88190679

Email: [email protected].
The "currency" of the IMF is not the SDR: it is trust among the global general public that the institution is competent, even-handed, and diligent. So when the IMF raises alarms, people sit up--and it matters that they do.

The Great Financial, Euro, and Chinese crises--all of which were the fruit of policies the IMF had strongly endorsed--have badly tarnished its reputation for competence and even-handedness. Now that its Executive Board, including the outgoing Obama administration, has just reaffirmed its confidence in Mme. Lagarde, it is led by a Managing Director convicted, no less, of negligence.

Her defenders have immediately attacked the credentials of the French court concerned--a court "of politicians, by politicians, for politicians"--and noted that it imposed no sentence.

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This defense ignores the tension between those two points. And it overlooks that in her own testimony at trial, she "did not have time", before deciding, to read memoranda from her own Ministry advising strongly against the course of action she then chose.1/ For a premier lawyer, as she is, "not making time" in such circumstances is the essence of negligence, regardless of the court in which such evidence is heard or of any penalty that it may or may not have imposed. There is fire under all this smoke.

The global general public is unlikely to focus on such details. Instead, coming hard on the heels of the disgrace of her three immediate predecessors, it will see that yet another politician, with power over them, has played by a different set of rules.

In this age, in which populism is stoked by precisely such concerns, and in which, as a result, the even-handedness and competence of expert global authorities is needed more than ever, this latest compromise to the core currency of the IMF could not have come at a worse time.

Many governments, globally, will take pleasure at all this:

China, for example, will be only too happy to see the IMF, in which it remains badly under-represented, thus diminished, even as it earns kudos from its peers by being "a team player" in re- endorsing her.

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Mr. Trump likewise, inclined to revenge against his personal detractors--such as Mitt Romney and the CIA--now has an easy target in Mme. Lagarde, who also attacked him personally, should she now caution against his more dangerous proposals.

Even the Europeans, with whom she has sparred at least in form if not in great substance, will be only too happy to see her humbled.

And from now on, every time Mme. Lagarde, on behalf of the IMF, advises a wayward government against its chosen course of action, local headlines will read: "Mme. Lagarde, convicted of negligence, says that we must change course, or else. But, unfortunately, it seems that, yet again, she has not done her homework ...."

One cannot lament descent into a "post-fact-world" when all this is how figureheads claiming to speak on behalf of facts behave.

Four troubled IMF MDs in a row--Kohler, De Rato, DSK, and now Lagarde--is indicative of basic failures in the appointment process, which now always picks European politicians. With the global economy at stake, this plainly makes no sense.

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The question now is whether four scandals in a row are sufficient, finally, to force adoption of a serious process to appoint IMF MDs 2/, in order to restore the institution's devalued and badly-needed global currency.

1/. http://on.ft.com/2hFB4Lk
U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he participates in his last news conference of the year at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Dear President Obama:

On November 28, 2016, Jimmy Carter, the President who negotiated the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt in 1978, wrote an op ed for the New York Times titled, "America Must Recognize Palestine." His urgent plea was directed to you to take "the vital step...to grant American diplomatic recognition to the state of Palestine, as 137 countries have already done, and help it achieve full United Nations membership," before you leave office on January 20, 2017.

Mr. Carter referenced your reaffirmation in 2009 of the Camp David agreement between Israel and Egypt and United Nations Resolution 242 when you called "for a complete freeze on settlement expansion on Palestinian territory that is illegal under international law." He noted that in 2011 you made clear that, in your words, "the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines" and that "negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine."

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Former President Carter sees that the "combined weight of United States recognition, United Nations membership [for Palestine] and a UN Security Council resolution solidly grounded in international law would lay the foundation for future diplomacy."

With Israeli lawmakers moving to annex more Palestinian land (the 22 percent left of old Palestine), prompting a public plea by outgoing UN chief Ban Ki-moon to reconsider, and the forthcoming carte blanche for Israeli repression of the Palestinians from the Trump Administration, Mr. Carter sees these measures as "the best--now, perhaps, the only--means of countering the one-state reality that Israel is imposing on itself and the Palestinian people" and "that could destroy the Israeli democracy."

He adds that "recognition of Palestine and a new Security Council resolution are not radical new measures, but a natural outgrowth of America's support for a two-state solution."

In the remaining post-election weeks of your final term, you are freer than you've ever been to make these decisions for peace and justice in that troubled area--moves rooted in your pronouncements early in your first term.

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More than any other president, you have approved the greatest transfer of the latest military weapons, research and intelligence to the Israeli government. More than any president, you have agreed to an unprecedented 10 year deal for the multi-billion dollar annual military assistance program. No other country has ever come close to receiving that gift from the American Taxpayers.

More than any other president, you have been forbearing to the extreme when the Israeli prime minister, in an impetuous move, widely criticized in Israel, circumvented the White House in 2015 so as to undermine your delicate, multi-lateral negotiations with Iran by his addressing a joint session of Congress.

In return for all this largess and astonishing self-restraint, you have been the subject of a non-stop revilement in Israel with ugly racist epithets and absurd accusations of anti-Semitism against Jews. This campaign of calumny has brought down your approval polls there often to single digits and diminished the Israeli peace movement.

Is it not time for action on behalf of regional peace? You'll have the support of the active peacemakers on both sides--including numerous former heads of the Israeli domestic and foreign intelligence agencies (see The Gatekeepers and the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace), former cabinet ministers, mayors and public intellectuals, not to mention stalwart Israeli human rights organizations, such as B'Tselem.

As if any further urgency to act is needed, you must be appalled by the declarations of Donald Trump and his selection of his bankruptcy lawyer, who is privy to Trump's innermost business dealings, David Friedman, to be the next Ambassador to Israel.

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Friedman, who has accused you of "blatant anti-Semitism ," is a hard-liner on Israeli colonial expansionism and annexations in the West Bank. His bigotry against Palestinian Arabs is deep and long standing, making him an anti-Semite against these Arabs whose Semitic ancestors have lived there since time immemorial (See James Zogby's "The Other Anti-Semitism"). If Friedman reflects Mr. Trump's policies, the uncontrollable eruption of this long-simmering conflict is seen as a near certainty by expanding Jewish-American groups such as J Street and Jewish Voices for Peace.

What more foreboding do you need?

Many commentators who know you have described your last year in office as rounding out your historical legacy as President. I have suggested a number of initiatives that help define your presidency (see Return to Sender).

But Jimmy Carter is experienced, right and prescient--he's earned that encomium--in believing that joining the community of nations by recognizing Palestine, allowing the UN security Council resolution to be passed and supporting UN membership for Palestine could be your most consequential contribution to Middle East security, and our domestic priorities, with other likely collateral benefits for world peace.

The American people, for the most part, including Jewish and Arab Americans, judging by the polls over time, would applaud such statesman-like actions.

Sincerely yours,
Holiday season or not, snippets of the devastation in Syria flash across our TVs. It's way too complicated to wrap our minds around and far too tragic to watch, so some of us continue to shop and make plans for our celebrations and try to ignore them.

This Holiday Season, Give to Aleppo See Gallery

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But whether we turn off our TVs or not, the brutal dictator Assad - a man who should be tried and hung by the United Nations for his multitude of human rights violations - continues to kill his own people rather than use a modicum of intelligence and military strategy to fight the rebels. There are countless others to blame too, rebels who, rather than choosing peace, continue to wreak havoc across the entire Middle East; Iran and Russia, evil powers who have self-interestedly chosen war over diplomacy; and governments in the West who are quick to express outrage but do nothing to intervene.

These are people, not pixels on our TV screens, and so many of them are children. Recently, some friends and I sponsored a Syrian family to immigrate to Canada. Their apartment in Damascus had been blown up, and they were living in Istanbul while they waited for LifeLine Canada to help them move to Toronto. The family knows several more back home who still need help. He shared this desperate plea with us from his friend Yassen, of the Abu Saeed family who are caring for 28 children in Ghota, the besieged area near Damascus. At the risk of spoiling your holiday mood, I am sharing it with you.

"This family was an example of love and intimacy till this Black 4th September 2012 of this horrible war was came, three of my brothers were killed Said, Samer and Bilal. They were executed by the regime without mercy, they have never been affiliated to one of the warring parties or any political organization. Each of them has large families. The first has six children, the second has four and the third has three children.

After three months the siege began, which prevented the entry of food. There was no food or water. Children cried all time and could not sleep because of hunger. The food was very expensive because it was so rare, so we spent all our saved money within one month in order to feed the 28 boys and girls in the family, all weak from hunger and illness.

Malnutrition is getting more severe and some children like Hajer who was in her third year of school is now unable to walk and her weight approximately 4 kg. The children haven't been to school in four years. Before, my Mom used to cook a big meal for all the family, now no food could be delivered to us, and if delivered we cannot pay for the high price these days, we are human beings under siege. Fighting has intensified over and over, and the long-suffering people are bearing the brunt of the devastation.

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Now, the war is approaching its sixth brutal year. The bloodshed continues. The suffering deepens and the situation is still getting worse, without income and with these large expenses, which relies donations and borrowing from friends outside the country.

I do not know if still we have hope? At least we did not die yet.
Throughout my pregnancy, I would see countless posts on social media of mamas meeting their babes for the first time and gushing about this magical moment after birth. They would share how they finally knew their purpose for living and that they couldn't even explain this overwhelming sense of love. I nonchalantly assumed I would feel the same, because I too was about to become a mother. Right? Wrong.

Me? Immediately after I delivered, I had two pairs of hands up in me trying to get my uterus to stop bleeding for an hour. In conjunction with this lovely occurrence, I now had this new little creature chomping on my boob, which would randomly spurt out milk. Surreal? Yes. Uncomfortable? For sure. Magical? Not so much.

During pregnancy, so much focus is put on the baby. You read the books, watch the DVD's, and take the classes, but what about mom? After a short three-day stint in the hospital, C-section mamas who can barely stand up straight and those of us whose vaginas just went to Vietnam and back are now supposed to go home and take care of such precious cargo? The baby I was prepared for, the aftermath to my body, I was not.

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As we arrived home, I was flooded with texts asking how amazing motherhood was and how head over heels in love I was with her. As I sat in my ice diaper putting lanolin on my cracked nipples, my response would be, "Uh, we are in the dating stage right now." And we were. Those beginning months, we were getting to know each other, understanding our quirks, and courting one another.

I had it pretty easy in the beginning, really nothing to complain about. She was a chill baby, great eater and sleeper and my hormones were in check. The first two weeks I was running on complete adrenaline. Once they were over I wanted someone to high five me and be like, "Congrats! She is back at her birth weight. You survived, you're done!" But at week three, it all set in. I turned to my husband on the couch and literally said, "Oh my God, she's never leaving." His reply, "Not for eighteen years."

Maybe it wasn't necessarily that I was having trouble falling in love with her, it was more about grieving and coming to grips with the loss of the self-centered life I once lived. When you've lived like that for thirty years, it's a major adjustment realizing it's not all about you anymore. No more hitting the snooze button and no more spontaneous weekend getaways.

While nothing may have completely readied me for what was to come, there were a couple things I'm glad I did in preparation. I had my placenta encapsulated and I took those pills every day for six weeks. It helped with my hormonal fluxes and I felt completely stable and didn't cry for no reason like a lot of my friends did. I still take the tincture to this day if I'm having a bad one.

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Also, the week before my due date, I alerted my therapist I was expecting, in hopes she could help me navigate this huge milestone in my life once it came. I feel like it should be completely covered by insurance for all new moms to receive some at-home mental healthcare after a baby. Just as you bring in your baby for check-ups right away, the same should be done for mom. As a country, if we put as much money and effort into our mental health as we did our physical health, there is no doubt we would be much better off as a society.

Having a support group also helps. I joined a Mommy and Me group when my daughter was five-weeks-old, and I'm so thankful I did. Yes, you have your friends and family who offer to help, but joining a group with women who have given birth within weeks of each other and who are experiencing the same things as you was beyond helpful for me.

Now before you go commenting about how I should be all hashtag blessed that I could even have a baby and that it was healthy, don't get me wrong, I truly was. All that I'm saying is that it is different for everyone, and we shouldn't be made to feel bad about that. I was so thankful my friend was honest with me and told me it took her a while to fall in love with her son. It really resonated with me, which is why I wanted to be honest and share this with all of you.

Love...For some it's instantaneous, for some it takes a bit longer, and for some it may take professional help to get to that point. For me it took about four months. Point being - no way is the right way. We are all just simply new moms, trying to survive each day, and doing the best that we can.
A few months ago, when Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy won her Oscar, one of my friends got in a heated argument with me. His contention was that people like her were "maligning" the image of Pakistan by unnecessarily inflating some isolated incidents. In his opinion, her efforts were just creating negative stereotypical images of Pakistan and which made "enemies" of Pakistan feel comfortable in their hate. In his opinion, Pakistan's gender related issues were not systemic and were blown out of proportion. "It is just a tiny minority which is indulging in honor killings and it is unfair to present Pakistan in negative light", he argued.

Is he correct? Now, one can argue that honor killing, which Sharmeen highlighted in her film, is not massively widespread. But one can easily also counter argue that the mentality which gives rise to a horrific crime like honor killing is extremely pervasive. Honor killing is merely an extreme form of the same basic patriarchal thinking. This mode of thinking equates "honor" of the family with female chastity and if a female member of the family is perceived of transgressing some limits, then it creates "embarrassment" for the family which in turn leads to a range of possible reactions, of which honor killing is the most severe one. Honor killing in some circumstances has also taken place for extremely mundane reasons such as women singing in a mixed gathering.

But female chastity and its linkage with family's honor is only part of the larger problem of gender imbalance in Pakistan. The reality is that in Pakistan gender imbalance is systemic in nature and extends to several dimensions. Women in Pakistan have much lower share in employment, far less is spent on their health and education and moreover the legal infrastructure is highly skewed against them.

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Some of these aspects of gender imbalance have been captured in World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index, which has ranked Pakistan as second last out of the total 144 countries evaluated in 2016. Only Yemen, which is a war-torn country was placed below Pakistan. What makes this ranking really embarrassing is the fact that Pakistan is placed lower than many countries with lower per capita income. Extremely poor countries like Ethiopia, Nepal, Ghana etc. have been placed above Pakistan. Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, has been ranked at 72, showing that perhaps they made the right decision by separating from us!

This index measures gender parity from several dimensions including: economic opportunity; educational attainment; health; and political empowerment. Within the above subcategories, Pakistan is ranked 143rd in economic opportunity, 135th in educational attainment, 124th in health and 90th in political empowerment. Pakistan's relatively better position in political empowerment has come due to the fact that it had a female Prime Minister in the past and a somewhat sizable number of female legislators. This objective criteria ( since it merely measure the numbers of female legislators) does not capture the actual political power imbalance which exists in the society. Moreover, Pakistan's dismal rankings in other subcategories also reveals that merely having female legislators does not essentially translate into improvement for women in other areas.

And this gender gap index does not capture the social problems which women face such as rape, honor killing and work place sexual harassment. It also does not reflect the everyday misogynist and sexist behavior which any Pakistani woman can vouch that she routinely faces.

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Rather than calling people like Sharmeen Obaid and Malala, who point towards an obvious reality as "enemies" of Pakistan, maybe we need to take a good hard look at the way, half of our population is treated. Maybe we need to understand that fake national pride aimed at presenting a glorified and misplaced image of Pakistan in the international arena is not the answer. If all we need to perhaps introspect and understand that there is a problem with the way we treat women. Pakistan has a systemic gender problem and denial is not going to help us.

However, I also think that gender imbalance is a general issue for Muslim countries and not just Pakistan. If we see the rankings closely we will find that Muslim countries are right at the bottom.

For example, out of 144 countries ranked in 2016, not even a single Muslim majority country makes it into the top 50. Kazakhstan is the top among Muslim countries (51st) and out of the 30 Islamic countries which have been ranked, 25 are in the last 50 (90-144). In fact, the last 15 countries (130-144) are all Muslim majority countries. This is an astonishing figure and clearly points to an across the board problem in the Muslim world.

Of all the factors, the fact that a country has Muslim majority is perhaps the strongest predictor of a country's position in this index.

What could be the reason behind that? In my opinion the reality is that Muslim countries by and large are time trapped and have failed to evolve due to religious orthodoxy. Religious orthodoxy is reflected in legal code which is skewed against women and also in the society's general mindset which is patriarchal. To quote, Lisa Beyer

" While it is impossible, given their diversity, to paint one picture of women living under Islam today, it is clear that the religion has been used in most Muslim countries not to liberate but to entrench inequality."

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The gender problem in Muslim countries, needs to be addressed and frank acknowledgement is the first essential step towards that. Merely repeating that "Islam gives equal rights to women" is not going to solve the problem. Unless and until, the religious orthodoxy, through reforming the way we interpret religion, is addressed the problem will continue to persist. Let's not forget in countries like Saudi Arabia, even in this age and time, women are not allowed to drive. And if they remove their hijab at a public place, they can get into severe problems

Of course, this does not mean that orthodoxy is the only reason as to why gender imbalance exists in a given society. Let's not forget, that literally every society in the world has gender imbalance. The difference between societies is only in form and extent. However, religious orthodoxy is an important and critical causal factor, which is making the problem in Muslim countries more acute.
Oral cholera vaccines are typically administered in two doses, but experience and recent research reveal this may not always be the best approach. Faced with an outbreak in South Sudan, epidemiologist Andrew Azman and his colleagues encountered a difficult decision: vaccinate as many people as possible with a single dose, or fewer with the standard two. Based on emerging research, they chose the first option and found that for the kind of short-term protection needed to stop an outbreak, a single dose works as well.



ResearchGate: How long has this vaccine been in use?

Andrew Azman: Injectable cholera vaccines were abandoned decades ago, because they didn't work very well and caused adverse reactions. In the 1980s, the research community started developing oral vaccines, which work better. Cholera is an enteric disease, so stimulating a response in the gut is going to be the most effective way of tackling it. Researchers in Sweden, the US, and Bangladesh developed the first version of the oral vaccine. It works very well, but is quite expensive and requires a buffer solution, which means you need clean water with every dose you give. For both these reasons, it's not well suited for large-scale humanitarian vaccination campaigns, though it's been used in travelers for decades.

In the 1990s, a similar vaccine without the component requiring the buffer solution was developed in Vietnam. The manufacturer didn't have all the certifications needed for international licensure, so it was initially used only domestically. But it worked very well--the incidence of cholera in Vietnam dropped drastically--and around 2009 the technology was transferred to an Indian manufacturer, where they started Phase III clinical trials. After the trial, the vaccine was licensed in India and received prequalification from the World Health Organization, allowing UN Agencies to procure the vaccine. Around the same time, Medecins Sans Frontieres demonstrated the importance of this vaccine by successfully using it in response to an outbreak in Guinea.

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In 2012, an emergency stockpile of this newer, highly effective oral vaccine was setup to ensure availability of the vaccine for emergencies. Since then, there have been a number of emergency requests from the stockpile, including the one we describe in the paper. They've also expanded it to include a non-emergency hotspot stockpile for places like Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.

Still, supplies are limited. There are a few billion people at risk of cholera. In 2015, only 4-5 million doses were produced. With a two-dose vaccine, that means you can cover only a few million people a year.

RG: Why two doses?

Azman: It's a two-dose vaccine primarily because the initial clinical trials looked at two and three doses and found that two doses worked just as well as three. It's a tragedy of expensive clinical trials that you often end up stuck with the study design of the initial trial for licensure.

In those initial studies, they used a duration of 2-6 weeks between doses, eventually narrowing that down to 14- or 21-day interval, which is easiest to implement. Recently, there've been a number of papers showing that the second dose at 14 days doesn't seem to do very much, and that it would probably be better to administer it much later.

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RG: What led you to look at the effectiveness of single doses?

Azman: The case centers around an outbreak in South Sudan, where cholera is fairly endemic. In 2014, there was a big epidemic of 5000-6000 cases that coincided with a massive displacement of people, most of whom stayed within the country in camps. The Ministry of Health did preemptive vaccination in those camps, but excluded the surrounding community, including Juba, which is at high risk because of population density and poor water and sanitation conditions. So when there was another outbreak in 2015, many people in Juba were unprotected.

The first cases were detected in early May, and then it took about a month to confirm the outbreak. It took two more weeks to make a request to the stockpile. By that time, there were 60 cases a day or so coming into clinics just in Juba. Vaccinations started in late July. There were an estimated 600,000 to a million people in Juba, and there were only 800,000 to 900,000 doses available globally. That's what made us consider trying a single dose, which had never been done before. It took a long time to deliberate with the Ministry of Health about what the best option was. Some modelling work my research group did in 2015 showed that when the supply is limited, vaccinating more people with even a weaker vaccine could ultimately reduce infection rates and mortality. That, combined with preliminary evidence from a clinical trial, led us to decide that taking a more population-based approach made the most sense given the limited vaccine availability. In the end, we got around 250,000 doses and tried to cover as many people as possible as quickly as possible rather than giving two doses over two weeks to only a select group.

RG: And how effective did you find the single dose to be?

Azman: It was highly effective, actually quite similar to two doses' effectiveness as measured in similar settings, with an adjusted vaccine effectiveness of 87 percent. However, that's only looking at a duration of two months. One of the biggest outstanding questions is how long the protection lasts after a single dose. But over the short term, it looks like one dose protects similarly to two doses. As many outbreaks are quite quick--on a scale of months--it seems that using a single dose as an outbreak tool could be a very smart approach.

RG: Is the ability to stretch limited supplies the only advantage to being able to administer a single dose instead of two, or are there other benefits?

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Azman: Limited supplies created the circumstances in which we had to use the vaccine as a single-dose regimen, but there are other advantages. In humanitarian emergencies, delivering two doses separated by any amount of time is quite complex. Often you have access to populations for only a very short window. In work with Medecins Sans Frontieres, there are often tricky security situations where you have a few days to get in and out. The ideal given the evidence now would be to fully vaccinate everyone, but if you can't reach them twice, providing at a minimum partial protection is great.

There are also significant costs and resources involved in keeping vaccination teams on-site during the period between doses. Storing the vaccines, which have to be kept cool, is also a challenge. In Juba, we had a container refrigerator that we brought in from Uganda. It's quite expensive to keep that going and to keep all of the vaccines in there.





RG: Are there other areas where single-doses could be tried?



Azman: Yes, October's hurricane brought a surge of cholera cases in Haiti. The stockpile only had just over a million doses available, which quite a large deployment, the largest in its history. They gave nearly all the vaccines to Haiti, where there's a huge population at risk. That raised the same question we had: do they vaccinate 400,000 people with two doses, or do they vaccinate 800,000 people with single doses? Based on our work in Juba and the results of a randomized clinical trial from Bangladesh, they ultimately decided to vaccinate 800,000 people, to use one dose and try to cover as many people as possible. But it's definitely not an easy decision. There are some people that are very opposed to it. Over the next year, as more vaccine becomes available, they will provide the second dose, to ensure long-lasting protection

While Haiti's the headline-catcher, we've also used this approach in Zambia, where there also wasn't enough vaccine and we needed to act quickly to vaccinate a large number of people. That was previously the biggest single-dose campaign. And there are many other places this may one day be a good option as well.

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RG: Why was there opposition to the single-dose approach in Haiti?

Azman: There's a lot of evidence to support the efficacy and effectiveness of two doses. The single-dose approach is something that is at best equal, but perhaps inferior to the standard, licensed regimen. We still need a lot more evidence, particularly on the duration of effectiveness, to fully understand when it's best to use the single-dose regimen. As Haiti has had cholera non-stop for six years, it's a place where the long-term protection is needed, and most experts believe two doses the best way to provide that.

RG: Do you see any broader implications from your findings in South Sudan?

Azman: I'd say the experience really shows the importance of being able to adapt off-label use of vaccines or therapeutics in emergencies. It highlights the need for a broader discussion that's starting to take place--Ebola and yellow fever for instance have also raised the issue of how to move regulation quickly to adapt to circumstances, and this is another example of that. We don't always have perfect information, but when we know something is safe or believe something is safe or more effective, we should have an ethical framework in place for making the right decisions.
"Cry, the Beloved Country" is Alan Paton's 1948 searing novel about South Africa, his country, as the apartheid system was being established. It portrays a people, the majority indigenous Black population, suffering under white man's law.

As different as the situations are, that sentiment applies to the Syria drama today. Syria's wars are a more complex patchwork of conflicts, and it's no longer clear whether Syria is, or at least was, a coherent people. Yet if I were Syrian, of whatever ethnic or religious group, Cry, the Beloved Country would express the humanitarian disaster that has occurred, an entire society exploded.

The fate of an oppressed people is an archetypal theme in human civilization. The flight last year of a million Syrians to Europe recalled to many of us the Biblical Exodus. With this difference: the Jews went on to the Promised Land whereas Syrian refugees and the internally displaced want only to return Home if they can do so in peace and safety.

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With the fall of Aleppo to Assad's forces, backed by Russian air power, a decisive moment has been reached. Chaos across the country is so complete that it's time for all Powers to put the Syrian population first. For Americans, it's time for U.S. policy to get out the way of Moscow's brutal intervention, if only because the Obama administration did too little too late. Assad, with Russian help, will remain in power, until Vladimir Putin decides otherwise.

Putin isn't attached to Assad. His support has cost him politically and financially. What he wants is to avoid Syria becoming another Libya, an ungoverned, unstable territory near to Russia, prey to Islamist groups that could endanger Russian interests and territory. As for the "moderate rebels," Obama has supported, at a certain point knowing how to lose a war in the least damaging way becomes the main thing. American policy faces that inevitability.

The absolute priority now must be to shut down the fighting in order to help the Syrian population. The Syria that existed in 2011, bad as it was when the Arab Spring arrived there, has exploded. No other society in recent memory has been destroyed and dispersed to this degree.

For the hundreds of thousands killed, nothing can be done. But for two groups, the internally displaced and those in exile, a lot can be done. Not the Biblical let my people go, but let my people return, at least those who want to. In any case, stop the bloodshed. The Syrian people have suffered enough for any conceivable political purpose. The Arab Spring against Assad has failed. The outside Powers--like it or not Moscow has become the most relevant--must now discipline the Assad regime's victory to limit reprisals. First by finishing the destruction of the Islamic State, then by dealing with Kurdish and other claims. Some sort of Russian/U.S. alliance has to win support or at least the acquiescence of Tehran, Ankara and Baghdad.

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Perhaps the UN Security Council can legitimize some sort of protectorate that would oversee peacemaking, prevent reprisals on all sides and organize the rebuilding of the country's infrastructure including sharing out how to pay for it. Syrian children need to get back into school in their home country.
If you have read my blogs about Philadelphia, you know I am a transplant from Baltimore, and that I am over the moon about the extraordinary cultural banquet offered here in every conceivable way. If you visit Philly for a week, you can have a fulfilling and exhilarating cultural opportunities each day. Plus, in this (and every regard), you will find us to be an exceedingly child friendly city. As an example, this week my ten year old grandson and I are going to our center city (downtown) Kimmel Center to hear John William's delightful score performed by our Philadelphia Orchestra to accompany the film classic, Home Alone.



Today I am going to move from our traditional cultural events and introduce you to our committed and vibrant Free Library of Philadelphia, an organization that offers Philadelphians innumerable opportunities for our multicultural city to come together, and is completely devoted to our city's youth. It is not possible to give you the full offering of our library system, but I will try to introduce you to some highlights.....

One of our city's most extraordinary library programs is LEAP, the incredible Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program, one that reaches 70,000 Philadelphia children each year. At the end of their school day, Philly children gravitate to their neighborhood libraries where they work with paid Teen Learning Assistants, who answer homework questions and provide literacy activities. As you can imagine, this program is win-win for students and TLAs alike. All of the TLAs graduate from high school, and many pursue degrees in Library Science.

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Although the LEAP program is for Philadelphia area children, the following is open to you, and would be well worth your visit and participation. Inaugurated in 1994, the Library's Author Events program offers all who attend the opportunity to share with today's most celebrated voices in the sciences and humanities. Praised by our local paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, which has won ten Pulitzers (and I believe deserves another for their recent series exposing the lethal lead poisoning that continues to threaten and impair so many children in major cities), the Library's Author Events program has earned three "Best of Philly" designations from Philadelphia Magazine.

Since its beginning, the Author Events program has grown and now introduces the public to more than 125 authors each year. Most author events are held at Parkway Central Library, located at 1901 Vine Street in center city (downtown) Philadelphia. An evening event features an author's presentation, a Q&A with the audience, and a book signing with fans. Books are sold on-site, and doors open 45 minutes prior to event start times. No tickets or reservations are required for free author events. I urge you to join these exciting evenings. For information about our 2017 programs, telephone the Author Events Office (215 567 4341) or email authorevents@freelibrary.org.

Here is another library program that will knock your socks off! Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2017, "One Book, One Philadelphia" is a signature event that promotes literacy, library usage, and citywide conversation by encouraging the entire greater Philadelphia area to come together through reading and discussing a single book. From January 25 to March 23, 2017 nearly 100 events and programs (many geared for children) will center around this year's chosen book, The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

"One Book, One Philadelphia educates, inspires, and uplifts. It is chaired by ardent reader, Marie Field, a former highly respected and gifted elementary school teacher who cherishes words and the way they interact and relate to each other. Other cities offer a similar program. However, if you attend one of our events and your city does not offer parallel programs, chances are strong you will return home to encourage your community to unite in similar meaningful ways. Learn more on the Free Library of Philadelphia web-site, http://freelibrary.org.

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Many Philadelphians will tell you that there has been no more uplifting and exciting library event than the presence of Bruce Springsteen on September 29. According to library spokesperson, Sandy Horrocks, tickets offered on line (through the events page of the library website) sold out in nine minutes. Due to the volume of those trying to attend, the library phone system went into overload and the web site crashed.

Springsteen was not scheduled to speak, and he said not a public word. Instead, the gathering was a personal meet and greet: For $33 those fortunate enough to secure tickets got a pre-signed copy of Springsteen's recent book, Born to Run, could shake his hand, speak to him, and take a selfie. As you can imagine, the line of 1200 circled many blocks; yet, no one I saw or heard complained about the wait.
My wife grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, and only visited her "shags" - or ancestral homeland - on vacations.

Phyll is, in other words, a city girl, but she knew enough about the countryside to recognize a bogus number when she heard it, and 50% was bogus.

That's the number that was commonly cited at human rights conferences she attended while studying in the United States as being the percentage of Kenyan women who were victims of female genital mutilation (FGM).

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"I kept hearing this number, and I knew it was false," she says. "No one could tell me where it came from, but everyone was using it."

Her direct experience told her the real number was much smaller, but she also knew that where FGM is practiced, it's deeply enmeshed in the culture, and stubbornly refuses to die.

Why the disconnect between perception and reality? And why was the practice so stubbornly persisting?

The questions gnawed at her for years, and this past Spring she and a small team of researchers spent three months in traditional villages of the Kisii people, about 300 kilometres east of Nairobi, looking for answers.

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They found them, and - as so often happens - they also found new and more fundamental questions about the role of women in traditional societies. In January, she's going back for answers, and you can help.

Participatory Action Research

Development efforts have a reputation for parachuting outsiders into a situation they know little about, where they offer solutions to problems they don't understand. Sometimes it works, but just as often, the problems remain when the intervention ends.

Phyll aimed to avoid that by following something called "participatory action research" (PAR), which I'd never heard of before, even though it's been around for decades and is proving to be an effective development tool.

It works by blending elements of hands-off analysis with hands-on intervention to help communities change themselves from within - but that often means starting off without clear outcomes in mind. To be effective, researchers must put their preconceptions aside and try to understand communities from the inside, and solutions are only offered after that understanding is achieved.

In this case, Phyll worked with a Dutch organization called 7Senses to find researchers from both inside the community they were studying and from Europe. They spent months in barazas (public meetings) and family gatherings, interviewing people from across the community: tribal leaders, midwives, husbands and wives - to first learn how women in the community felt about FGM, then whether they wanted to end the practice, and finally how they could achieve the goals in their own way.

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The findings were promising: FGM in Kisii, they learned, is no longer the sexuality-destroying "mutilation" that's practiced in some parts of the world, but is more akin to male circumcision practiced in the United States or even the labiaplasty that so many Western women are choosing to undergo for cosmetic reasons. It's been "tamed", in a sense, by organizations like the Fulda-Mosocho Project and Vinbel Foundation, which reached out to local "multipliers" like teachers and clan elders with health-based education.

FGM still takes place in Kisii, but it's usually performed by doctors and nurses in hospitals. It's not a health issue there, and most of the women who Phyll interviewed said it's not a women's rights issue, either - which contradicts findings from other parts of the world. Time and again, in interview after interview, researchers asked women how FGM fit into the power balance between genders, and time and again the women seemed befuddled by the association. When asked about gender imbalances, they dismissed FGM and asked instead for help creating of business cooperatives.

"We want to better ourselves," said a woman named Elimelida, with emphasis on the "selves", before explaining that some NGOs had conducted workshops, but that was the extent of it.

"As soon as they left, the programs fell apart," she said.

The women knew a bit about solutions that have worked elsewhere, such as microfinance and the formation of cooperatives, but the knowledge was cursory at best and often not relevant to their situation.

"Everyone, it turns out, wanted to tell the women how to improve their status in society," wrote Phyll in her blog. "But no one asked them - or the men in their lives - what they liked about their current status, and what they wanted to improve, or how they felt they could improve it."

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So now she's heading back to Kisii, with a new team of five researchers armed with a wealth of time-tested developmental lessons learned elsewhere. Their initial aim, however, isn't to teach, but to learn: to deepen the trust already developed and to better understand the gender roles within this unique society and its relationship with existing markets, businesses, NGOs, and governmental agencies to avoid the mistakes of the past and chart a path into the future.

She and the researchers are volunteering their time and covering their own costs, but she's hoping to crowdfund $7,000 for local logistics - a fairly small amount considering it's a 12-week program involving five researchers (although not all of them will be there the full 12 weeks).

That's where you can help: check out the crowdfunding campaign at the link below, and feel free to help out with as little or as much as you want, but act soon: the campaign ends the day after Christmas. She'll be starting a Facebook page as well to keep supporters up to speed, and you can join that as well.

Finally, a quick apology in advance: the platform uses a clunky payment system that sometimes doesn't recognize the drop-down credit card menu, meaning you have to click the icon for your type of card (Visa, Mater Card, etc), and sometimes you have to first click on "Ideal" to activate the credit card payment. It's annoying, but it's secure, and it's for a good cause. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Phyll directly at phyll@rocketmail.com. In a pinch, you can make a payment to her US or Dutch account, and she can add it into the campaign with your name on it for traceability.

How to Help

Here is the link to the campaign: https://onepercentclub.com/en/projects/women-empowerment
My mom died from Alzheimer's disease a couple of years ago.

Before that, while we were saying the "long goodbye," I used to visit as often as possible. Sometimes I'd make a two-day drive from my home in San Francisco to her house in northern Washington. Occasionally, I'd stop halfway at my friend Renee's house on California's North Coast. We'd let our kids play while we caught up on news and gossip.

I told Renee how hard it was to watch my Mom's fade out in time-lapsed visits. Renee shared concerns about her own mom, Betty, then in her late 70s, who was living alone in Mexico City.



My mom holds my son during a visit in 2009.

Last summer I visited Renee again while on vacation with my kids. She and her husband had found a beautiful little cottage in Eureka and had refurbished the second floor so that Betty, now clearly suffering from dementia, could live with as much dignity and independence as possible with her daughter's loving care, home cooked meals, and the company of a young grandchild. Though sad, it was a beautiful arrangement.

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So it came as a shock when, just after Thanksgiving, Renee emailed that Betty had been deported!



Betty, in California, 2016.

Here is what happened: Renee's family was on their way home from a short trip to Mexico City. Then, a SNAFU with bargain priced tickets forced the family to pass through customs in different places. Alone and confused, Betty faced immigration agents at SFO who accused her of a visa violation and then deported her without allowing her to see Renee or any other family members.

They sent Betty straight back to Mexico City-- where she no longer has immediate family or a place to live. Fortunately, some cousins were able to pick Betty up at the airport and even find her a temporary place to stay, but they are unable to provide anything like the kind of support that Betty now needs 24/7.

Renee is, understandably, furious and is prepared to move heaven and earth to get her mom back to California, where she can be properly cared for. She is working night and day and to marshal legal and community support for her mom's return. And because she is well known and respected in the immigrant rights community there is a good chance for success.

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Community leaders, elected officials, and immigrant rights defenders will gather at the Federal Building in San Francisco at 11 AM on Thursday 12/22 to support Renee's request to be able to care for her mother at home during her final years.

But as Renee and her supporters know, this case is but the tip of a very big iceberg.

During the Obama years, a record-breaking 2.5 million immigrants were deported. Now, with the ascension of Donald Trump things could get far worse.

With a stroke of the pen Trump can eliminate protection for nearly 750,000 "dreamers" and limit humanitarian legal remedies -- like the one Renee is seeking for her mom.

Trump's appointment of anti-immigrant hardliner Jeff Sessions as Attorney General has stoked fears of mass deportations, invoking memories of the 1930s when the economic panic of the Great Depression became pretext for "repatriating" over a million people to Mexico -- even though hundreds of thousands of them were US born citizens!



Picketing for immigration justice in the 1930's

Similar racist logic paved the way for the mass incarceration of Japanese-American citizens at the onset of WWII. That same logic echoed again among Trump advisors and in the candidate's own declarations on the campaign trail.

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Bringing Renee's mom home won't stop Trump from fulfilling his campaign promise to deport "millions and millions" of immigrants. Stopping Trump will take a mass movement.

We saw signs of such a mass movement back in 2006 when millions of undocumented immigrants and their allies peacefully marched in dozens of American cities to protest anti-immigrant legislation then being considered by the House of Representatives.



400,000 marching in LA for immigrant rights: 2006

The people who have come together to defend Renee's mom are a good example of a spontaneous "affinity group." In this case we've come together to support an old woman with Alzheimer's disease, who needs to be with her family. Such affinities built by working and mobilizing together will be the building blocks or "human capital" that strengthen our resistance, determination, and capacity to defend our communities.

Trump's immigration plans would forcefully divide and break the hearts of more American families than any force since slavery. Injustices like keeping Renee apart from her elderly mom would be multiplied by millions.



I know my mom would have despised the Trump agenda. I will be thinking of her this week while we're trying to get Betty home by Christmas. And I will channel all the fairness and decency she strove to instill in me as we work to take down Trump in 2017 -- and for as long as it takes.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

The Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinas Beijing General Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (BGRIMM) to cooperate in mining research.

Under the five-year deal the two sides will cooperate in manpower training, conducting research projects and implementation of processing and engineering studies, IMIDRO reported Dec. 20.

The Chinese state-run BGRIMM is a leading institute providing innovative technology, diversified products, and process-oriented engineering services in mineral and material industries worldwide.

IMIDRO is Irans largest holding in mines and mining industries.

Irans annual mining capacity currently stands at 400 million tons as there are about 5,400 operating mines in the country.


A fundamental challenge in Japan, in particular, is the low visibility of refugees and undocumented migrant workers. Stephan Geyer/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Japan is known for its negative attitude to immigration. While the door has been slowly opened to professionals, the Japanese government doesn't accept low-skilled migrant workers - except on temporary work visas - and has been very reluctant to welcome refugees.

Even 2015's so-called refugee crisis didn't change Japan's closed-door policy. Whereas countries such as the United States, Canada and Venezuela have accepted tens of thousands of asylum seekers, Japan has announced it will take only 150 Syrian "students" and their families in five years. Though this is an important step forward for the country, the number is still far too small.

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Contrasting attitude

The gap between Japan's passive attitude towards accepting refugees and providing sufficient support, and its proactive commitment outside its own territory has been much criticised by NGOs, the media and academics.

Japan is one of the top donors to the UN refugee agency and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a series of actions, including the provision of US$2.8 billion to refugees and hosting communities, at the Leaders' Summit in New York in September 2016. Despite this significant financial commitment, the nation's refugee acceptance rate is very low (less than 1% of total applications in 2015).

Of 3,898 asylum claims processed in Japan last year, only 27 were recognised as refugees. This figure included eight asylum seekers who appealed the government's decision not to accept their claim in previous years. Add to this the 79 people who were granted special status to stay in Japan on humanitarian grounds, and the total reaches just over 100.

Refugees are able to work without restriction. But they can only work if they sought asylum while staying in Japan legally.

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People who seek asylum after their travel documents have expired are taken to an immigration detention centre. Some may be provisionally released or be permitted to stay outside the centre. But they are still unable to work.

Civil society steps in

In light of the institutional constraints facing refugees and asylum seekers, Japanese civil society and businesses are gradually moving to help refugees gain acceptance, by assisting them in setting up their own business.

The Tokyo-based nonprofit organisation, Entrepreneurship Support Program for Refugee Empowerment (ESPRE), is the first public interest foundation that the government has authorised to microfinance refugees. In partnership with the Japan Association for Refugees and Social Venture Partners Tokyo, ESPRE loans up to a million yen (about US$8,800) to refugee entrepreneurs and provides additional support with business advice.

The types of projects ESPRE has financed range from food services to trading businesses. For instance, a Burmese former university lecturer, who sought asylum in Japan and has lived in the country for over 20 years, opened a Myanmar restaurant in Tokyo with ESPRE's support in 2012.

And a Vietnamese refugee, who left home as a teenager, was similarly helped to open a now popular Vietnamese restaurant in the city. ESPRE has also helped a Pakistani entrepreneur who runs a trading company to export used Japanese cars. His business began targeting the Mozambican market and has now expanded to other countries.

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Corporations also seem to like the idea of helping refugees through entrepreneurship. Uber Japan, for instance, launched a campaign in 2014 for its customers to donate to ESPRE and an anonymous tax accountancy provides pro bono services to refugee entrepreneurs, according to ESPRE's director, Masaru Yoshiyama.

All kinds of benefits

Academics and practitioners working with refugees have pointed out the positive effects of entrepreneurship on both refugees and their host societies.









Yuya Shino/Reuters





In the first place, it empowers refugees. It's easy for people to feel helpless and lose confidence if they have to rely on government allowances. These people can regain their autonomy and confidence by managing a business, earning money and engaging with their host community as a contributor.

Organisations such as ESPRE don't only help them by financing projects but also by lowering the language barrier, for which Japan is notorious. To this end, ESPRE holds English-language orientation sessions where business consultants and accountants explain how to run a business in the country.

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It has also been widely recognised that refugees can boost the local economy by creating employment opportunities. The Myanmar restaurant owner in Tokyo, for example, is hiring refugees and students. Though this has not yet happened in Japan, refugee entrepreneurs elsewhere often employ locals.

What's more, refugees' engagement in self-generating economic activities can change the public perception that they're a "societal burden". This lessens negative public sentiment towards refugees.

Remaining challenges

Despite these benefits, a number of barriers remain for facilitating refugee entrepreneurship in Japan.

The first is a lack of resources. Unlike countries where the number of refugees is large and the infrastructure to support refugee entrepreneurs (or minority entrepreneurs more broadly) has already been set up, efforts in Japan are still in early stages, and personnel and financial capacity is limited.

ESPRE director Yoshiyama has told me that this has hindered the setting up of a more organised process of assistance, from assessment of business proposals to support for implemented projects.

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Institutional inflexibility is also a hurdle. Asylum seekers can only work under strict conditions. And the rules are made under the assumption that they work as an employee rather than as an employer, or being self-employed. This can create unnecessary misunderstanding and add to their administrative burden as officials may not give them approval to set up a new business.

A fundamental challenge in Japan, in particular, is the low visibility of refugees and undocumented migrant workers. Though the recent refugee crisis has drastically raised public awareness, the issue is still perceived in Japan as something happening somewhere outside the country. This perception doesn't help improve the situation for refugee entrepreneurs.

Last but not least, we should bear in mind that refugee entrepreneurship is not a panacea. Many refugees are minors and vulnerable people, who may not be able to engage in economic activity. Refugee entrepreneurship should rather be regarded as an - excellent - alternative for helping refugees gain autonomy and become integrated in their host country.
According to a rosy stock market outlook, the first year of the Trump administration will run to near-perfection. A good deal of available evidence suggests otherwise, according to most economists. Currently, stock valuations are climbing on speculation that Trump can improve America's economic picture. The rosy expectation allows over-valued stocks to be sold at premium levels before the new Trump administration steps into a combative political environment. The coming political conflagration is not priced in, just the optimism that fiscal stimulus will boost growth. The complications of a widening economic inequality gap are ignored.

There was great economic euphoria following Herbert Hoover's election in 1928. Hoover, a self-made millionaire, rose from the status of an orphan. The presidency was his first elective office. He seemed to be a miracle man: Even FDR thought so in 1920. While campaigning in 1928, Hoover declared that poverty would soon be banished from the land. He saw the U.S. as set for the greatest commercial expansion in history, and his supporters believed him. Just consider how that turned out. A stock market crash in 1929 was followed by seven lean years.

Wall Street's narrative about the coming perfection will flip sometime after the 115th Congress convenes, and whenever Wall Street is ready. Wall Street and Hollywood are master storytellers. Those who spin the nation's narratives, and the timing of those narratives, manage the nation's wealth distribution, especially when the narratives induce dramatic swings in asset pricing.

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Top economists say the new administration's economic plans are flawed. The global political economy looks increasingly fragile as international relations become tangled. The U.S. Congress is extremely polarized and set for battle. Justifications on the Democratic side for obstructing Republican initiatives are at multi-decade highs. Is any of this priced into the stock market's post-election rally?

Many Democrats believe that Hillary Clinton's 2.1% victory in the popular vote (2.86 million votes) provides a mandate for a blue policy agenda, or at least blockage of a red agenda. Owing to the Senate's chamber rules, Democrats can make Trump's plans difficult to reach, especially since a half dozen Republican Senators are not on the Trump bandwagon. Has the stock market priced in the degree to which Trump's rosy promises can be thwarted? The bills Trump signs will be significantly different than the ones his supporters imagine. The dream of unfettered growth will fade. Markets will flounder, not fly. Speculative certitude will change to uncertainty, and markets will price in the change.

Policy Implementation Challenges

When it comes time for the implementation of Trump bills, the rule-making processes of the bureaucracy will fill with logjams. A huge wave of civil service retirements during the Obama administration combined with an emphasis upon diversity hiring in recent years has produced a liberal federal bureaucracy where many Federal employees, secure in their jobs, will impede Trump's policy initiatives. It is one thing to pass statutory laws: it is quite another to build out cost efficient operations.

Will the Trump administration find smooth sailing in important blue states like California, New York and Illinois? Hardly. Liberal Californians have found a new love affair with states' rights. Should Donald Trump's policies contribute to global warming, California state government will strongly resist. Meanwhile, California is looking at legislation that would undermine Trump's plans on immigration. This is but the tip of the iceberg that Trump's luxury liner is sailing toward.

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Looming Difficulties Ignored

Once Trump is in office, his political bluster and economic bravado will breed media concern. Yet in recent times the stock market has priced in a balmy confidence. This errant pricing of the political economy is strategic. Political delusions bring asset pricing disequilibia that can be gamed. The eventual disruptive nature of the Trump agenda will produce opportunities for exploiting misapprehensions of reality. This is what Wall Street does best, and one reason the Street got cozy with Hillary Clinton's campaign.

In the two months preceding Trump's electoral college win, liberal public opinion leaders declared the certainty of a stock market disaster if Trump was elected. The expectation was so strong that U.S. stock market futures fell dramatically the night that Hillary Clinton conceded the election. Stunningly, the market reversed the forecast the next morning, leaping upward in shock and awe fashion. By the following Monday, the Dow was up nearly 1,000 points above its November 4 close. Since then, another 1000 points have been added. Now, some veteran market observers are concerned that the Dow's move to 20,000 may be premature. At this level, stock prices don't match political realities. The prospect exists for something more daunting than a post-inauguration dip.

A Volume Spike Suggests Pump and Dump

A clue suggesting that Wall Street elites have been dissembling is found in the sudden spike in the volume of shares traded in the Dow and S&P 500 indexes during the last ten business days (Dec. 5-16). Volume at four times the five-year average suggests something big is afoot. What is moving through the shadows? Who are the mystery sellers? Does research show that the general public sells at tops? Or nicely times its buys? Or is Wall Street selling to itself? Is half of Wall Street right and the other half wrong? If so, there may be more upside. One must go back to the mini-panic in 2011 to find a ten-day surge in volume even remotely close. The odds are that Wall Street's animal spirits are coming out of hibernation to meet the Trump euphoria. Is this Hollywood's Forbidden Planet?

It would have been irrational for Wall Street elites to dump stocks right after Trump's election. Why make money in one direction when twice as much can be made on a round-trip: up and then down? Why go short in a flat market if it is possible to gain an elevated platform by which to attack exposed late-comers? All Wall Street needed was a viable (but false) bull narrative for the up-leg (the risk-on mantra) followed by a real world demonstration of the bull narrative's defects (thus creating a risk-off game for shorts). The speculative bull-narrative foresaw massive economic growth. But the dream is flawed. An electoral college miracle does not equate to an economic miracle.

A two-week buying frenzy erupted on December 5, but only after the Dow had already climbed a 1000 points. Wall Street met the new demand for stocks with plenty of supply, but not enough to break the upward trend. Tellingly, financial reporters are not highlighting the incredible surge in trading volume. Why not? Wall Street's media shills regularly pass along to the public whatever scraps they are fed by their Wall Street contacts. Their news reports frequently cause people to mistime the market: to buy when Wall Street traders are selling, and to capitulate in fear when Wall Street is ready to gather up their shares. What does this silence mean?

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The trading departments of the big investment banks sell into rising markets. When there are huge amounts of stock to lay off after a major pump and dump scheme, elite sellers cannot wait for the price apex. Once the public's optimism declines, buying demand from the public becomes fragile. Elite sellers move gingerly to ensure that huge paper profits can be turned into firm wealth without triggering a trend reversal that undermines demand. Thus, elites feed euphoric baloney to the financial media, while encouraging analysts to extrapolate trends so as to create alluring price targets. Some people step up and take the bait. Wall Street elites get their best night's sleep after luring their critics into dreamboats targeted for torpedoing.

Where To From Here?
In a sense, human history could be seen as an endless tale of the rise and fall of empires. In the last century alone, from the Hapsburgs and Imperial Japan to Great Britain and the Soviet Union, the stage was crowded with such entities heading for the nearest exit. By 1991, with the implosion of the USSR, it seemed as if Earth's imperial history was more or less over. After all, only one great imperial power was left. The Russians were, by then, a shadow of their former Soviet self (despite their nuclear arsenal) and, though on the rise, the Chinese were, in military terms at least, no more than a growing regional power. Left essentially unchallenged was the United States, the last empire standing. Even though its people rejected the word "imperial" as a descriptive term for their "exceptional" country -- just as, until oh-so-recently, they rejected the word "nationalist" for themselves -- the world's "sole superpower" was visibly the only game in town.

Its military, which already garrisoned much of the planet, was funded at levels no other country or even groups of them combined could touch and had destructive capabilities beyond compare. And yet, with the mightiest military on the planet, the United States would never again win a significant war or conflict. Though its forces would be quite capable of taking the island of Grenada or briefly invading Panama, in the conflicts that mattered -- Korea and Vietnam -- victory would never come into sight. And it only got worse in the twenty-first century as that military fought an endless series of conflicts (under the rubric of "the war on terror") across the Greater Middle East and Africa. In those years, it left in its wake a series of brutal sectarian struggles, ascendant terror movements, and failed or failing states and yet, despite its stunning destructive power and its modestly armed enemies, it was nowhere victorious. Never perhaps had an empire at its seeming height attempted to control more while winning less. (The power of its economy was, of course, another matter.)

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Now, its losing generals -- under the circumstances, there could be no other kind -- are, as TomDispatch regular retired Lieutenant Colonel William Astore points out today in "Too Many Generals Spoil the Democracy," being elevated to positions of power. The man doing so only recently derided their skills, claiming that American generalship had been "reduced to rubble" and was "embarrassing for our country." At the moment, his chosen generals are preparing themselves to take over key civilian positions in the country's ever more powerful national security state, now essentially its fourth branch of government.

And let's add to this one more curious aspect of the coming age of Trump: a phenomenon until now restricted to the military and its distant wars seems about to spread to what's left of the civilian part of our government. By the look of things, Trump's cabinet is being assembled along eerily familiar lines. Its members are unlikely to have the power to "win" (despite the president-elect's deification of that concept), but they will indeed have an unprecedented power to destroy.

They seem, in fact, to have been chosen largely for their desire to dismantle whatever agency or department will be in their care or to undermine the major tasks it is to carry out. Former Texas governor Rick Perry, recently picked to head the Energy Department, an agency he previously wanted to eliminate (and whose name he infamously forgot in a televised presidential debate), is typical. See also Scott Pruitt, prospective head of the Environmental Protection Agency; Betsy DeVos, the Department of Education; and Tom Price, Health and Human Services. The question, of course, is: Will the civilian part of our future government, in the end, add another country to the count of failed states the U.S. military has already chalked up?

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A Conversation with Ambassador Marriet Schuurman, NATO Special Representative for Women, Peace, and Security

By Karlijn Jans

At the end of October 2016, the United Nations Security Council held an open debate on Women, Peace and Security. On behalf of NATO, Ambassador Marriet Schuurman stressed the importance of the inclusion of women in the security and defense sector. She argued: "because it allows us to respond better -- and smarter -- to the many complex security challenges that we face today. Gender Equality is about credibility and capability. It is about the resilience of our societies; the readiness of our forces and the effectiveness of our operations." Shortly before the debate in the United Nations Security Council, I sat down with Ambassador Schuurman, NATO Special Representative for Women, Peace, and Security, a position created in 2012 as a high-level focal point of NATO's gender-related work.

With United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted 16 years ago, the international community acknowledged the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peacekeeping, and post-conflict reconstruction. It stresses the importance of equal participation for the sake of peace and security. Unfortunately, less than 3 percent of signatories to peace agreements and less than 10 percent of peace negotiators are women.

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Schuurman: "There are actually two parts in this. First of all, women have equal right to be heard, they are equally affected or often even more affected and at the same time it is the right thing to do but also a smart thing to do. In practice the smart argument always works better because everyone benefits when women have a meaningful way to participate and their experiences are as valuable as the male's in terms of conflict."

To support this claim we only need to look at the statistics: when women are included in peace processes there is a 20 percent increase in the probability of an agreement lasting at least 2 years, and a 35 percent increase in the probability of an agreement lasting at least 15 years. For example, in the recent Colombian peace negotiations, women made up one-third of peace table participants. These negotiations had a gender subcommittee--the first of its kind--and the final agreement has a gender chapter, also the first of its kind, and gender is mainstreamed across all areas of the agreement. The Ambassador noted that the matter not only evolves around having women at the table, but is also about their qualitative input.

Schuurman: "In those cases where there was qualitative participation and equal participation, we know that chances of a peace agreement increases by 15 percent, but that chances that that peace agreement will actually last increased by more than 35 percent... The reason for that, I think, has to do with gender, it has to do with the fact that all of society, men and women, have different concerns and are differently affected. And often what you will see at negotiation tables is that men negotiate for power, women negotiate for sharing of responsibilities."

She acknowledged that bringing women to the table will complicate things, but more people bring more ideas. It also means that if a solution is reached, it will be more comprehensive. Ambassador Schuurman is not the only advocate to empower women, calling for countries to step up their efforts in the defense and security field. She finds an ally at the UN, in fact the only women seated at the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Samantha Powers. "We know that when women are empowered to take place in peace processes, efforts to reach compromise and find solutions to deadly conflicts are more likely to succeed and the agreements reached are more likely to last," Ambassador Powers stated at the same UN Security Council debate in October.

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Inclusion is not only confined to peace negotiations, but needs attention in national militaries as well. Having an inclusive military involves both including a gender perspective in actions and operations as well as achieving diversity in an organizational matter by including women in the ranks. The NATO action plan aimed at improving inclusiveness is endorsed by all member states plus 27 NATO partners- a total of 55 nations.

Schuurman: "What we have seen since the adoption of UN Resolution 1325, that there is a rather big divergence among the allies in terms of female participation in armies, it goes from almost less than 1 percent to 20 percent in military positions."

Progress was made between 2000 and 2010 but slowed down between 2010 and 2015, particularly at the senior level, according to the Ambassador.

Schuurman interestingly noted there is a misconception that if you recruit enough women, they will automatically move towards the top. "We are 15 years later and it has not worked," she noted. Achieving inclusive security and female representation in the military ranks "is not something that organically grows as it implies a cultural change." Military culture still hold stereotypes of women. Change requires dedicated leadership for a longer period of time. Having women rise in the ranks takes time and attention.

Schuurman: "We have to make sure that we attract the best and the brightest and get the best out of our people."

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The Ambassador noted that those countries with gender inclusion targets in their militaries make progress in a very short period of time. Schuurman therefore believes that achieving higher female participation is a matter of sustained political will. Stressing the importance of inclusiveness and diversity, Ambassador Schuurman adapted Sheryl Sandberg's slogan: "Lean in, not blend in." It is paramount that the future generation of women stay engaged in the defense and security sector.

To young girls and women who wish to be active in advancing security and making societies more resilient, safe, and stable, the Ambassador recommended: "Go for it! Happily ignore all the prejudices that are out there. Do no try to change yourself... [trust your] importance and the added value of your unique being and your unique talents and experiences. They are as valuable as anyone else's. Once you start to copy a perceived image one may have of what it would be like to work at, for instance, NATO, you basically lost your added value."
Reno Commission puts liquor by drink without food sales on 2023 ballot

Hutchinson board acts quickly to respond to brewery's dilemma, but vote is more than a year away.
Tehran, Iran, December 20

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

An Iranian holding company which covers a vast area of activity from steel to oil equipment and wholesale says it is looking forward to booming relations with Russian partners.

We recently launched a trade company in Russia named Sadidros, of which I am the CEO. There are chain stores which would like to have Iranian things on their shelves. We can set up good trade since, for example Russia needs Iranian made cement and Iran in return needs steel sheets made in Russia.

Another of our companies Tasdid makes offshore equipment and platforms. Gazprom has come to Iran and is picking projects. So they can work with us, he said.

Russia has been working intensely to ease trade with Iran. Now visas are issued much more easily. Registering companies in Russia is also much easier. We have held talks on ship building as well.

The problem is that we have not had good trade with Russia, with the result that now for example good transport infrastructure is lacking. There are no containers which would condition the air for above or below 0 degrees Celsius, so we may have good products, but they may freeze and go bad, Kaveh noted.

What I know is that Iran Russia relations are strategic and they are working on a 50 year cooperation plan.

Many agreements have been made between Iran and Russia to improve mutual trade, but steps are yet needed to turn them into action, an Iran-Russia trade official told Trend December 13.

"Currently the two governments enjoy close ties, but the trade turnover is not keeping up. We need to operationalize agreements that have been made between the two countries," Hadi Tizhoosh Taban, deputy chairman of the Iran-Russia Chamber of Commerce said.

"Problems still exist, especially regarding visa and tariffs," he underlined.

"We hope to be able to meet each other more and introduce our capacities and available services that we can offer."

Trade turnover between Iran and Russia jumped by 80 percent in 2016, however the total amount was scanty, officials said. According to Iranian sources, in the first seven months of the current Iranian year (since March 20), Iran exported worth $86.5 million goods to Russia.
Insurers are lobbying for government support to beef up their ranks as the industry anticipates the retirement of a quarter of its workforce over the next five to 10 years.Mass Mutual government relations staff Hugh Barrett said in a report by local media outlet Hartford Courant that the industry needs institutionalized support to ensure succession in insurance companies with the expected retirement of a huge portion of its workforce.He stressed that the industry stands to benefit from the replication of a workforce development program that currently trains manufacturing workers, into which Connecticut poured nearly $18 million to support three community colleges that provide such training.Barrett spoke during a legislative forum where industry players aired their needs to perpetuate the industrys professional ranks. Stratford representative Kevin Kelley convened the forum.Kelley said that Connecticut legislature believes that insurance workforce development is a good idea. One specific measure that was proposed to achieve this goal is the undertaking of a partnership between the University of Connecticut and the Department of Economic Community Development.
Two midstate chiropractors face charges for making fraudulent insurance claims, and receiving a total of $150,000 in payouts over filings made in the last four years.Joseph Patrick Brady, Jr. and Joshua Michael Rosinski face two felony counts of theft and multiple felony counts of insurance fraud according to documents obtained from the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals office by local media outlet The Sentinel.The publication reported that the claims were made for false services rendered by the defendants to each other and their families.Brady maintains a chiropractic clinic in Chambersburg while Rosinski worked for Herman Chiropractic in Waynesboro, which closed shop after the owner, Lawrence Herman, pleaded guilty to making false statements in health care matters in 2013.Investigators followed a paper trail that contradicted the insurance reports made by Brady and Rosinski, such as hospital and travel records.After their arraignment, the two were released on $150,000 unsecured bail, The Sentinel quoted court records as saying.Magisterial district judge Richard Dougherty will preside over a preliminary hearing in January.
It's critical to help clients make the most of the plans they have
Vigiard Sentenced To 10-12 Years In State Prison On New Child Pornography Charges

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  A former Adams police officer will spend the next decade behind bars.

Alan Vigiard pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court to two counts of possession of child pornography and a single count of dissemination of child pornography. Judge Daniel Ford ordered him to serve 10 to 12 years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction on the dissemination charge. He was given concurrent nine to 10 years on the other charges.

Vigiard committed the crimes in Adams between May 26, 2016, and November 2, 2016.

The sentence is his second sentence for such crimes. In 2009 he was an officer in Adams and had sent child pornography to the District Attorney's Office instead of evidence related to a larceny case. The material included a video of a man, later identified as Vigiard, masturbating in the evidence room as well as photos of clothed local young girls. He was arrested for downloading and viewing the video inside of the Adams Police Station evidence room.

In 2011, he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to two years at the Berkshire County House of Correction and five years of probation.

This year Police received a tip that pornographic images were uploaded to a chat room earlier in May. The images were traced the images back to Vigiard's computer.

He was indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on the new round of charges. The incidents were investigated by state police detectives assigned to the District Attorney's Office and the Adams Police Department.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



The Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries are expected to hold a joint commission meeting to discuss the recent US move to renew the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), an Iranian MP said.



Hossein Naqavi, a member of the Iranian parliamentary commission of national security and foreign policy, has said that the meeting will take place on Jan. 10, IRNA news agency reported.



The US senate vote on the extension of the ISA is in violation of the nuclear agreement between Tehran and the six states, the MP said.



The US Senate passed a 10-year extension of the ISA on December 1. Following the vote, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Dec 13 tasked the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to plan work on nuclear propulsion devices to be used in sea transport in response to the US violation of the last years nuclear deal.






Owner Yuki Cohen and attorney Timothy Shugrue presented their side of the story to the Licensing Board on Monday.

Methuselah Likely to Face Punishment From Licensing Board After Shooting

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  It was around 11 p.m. on Nov. 25 when an expensive Mercedes or Jeep pulled up to Methuselah Bar & Lounge at 391 North St.

A man hopped out covered in tattoos, with a beard and long hair, and wearing expensive jewelry, according to Shane Tatro, who was working the door that night. Tatro said he asked the man for identification and was given an out-of-state license listing his birthday as 1981. The man entered and got a drink from owner Yuki Cohen.

"He immediately brought out his license. I had no reason to question it," Tatro said.

About a half hour later, the man left and was shot right by the doorstep of the bar. Police identified him as being 17 years old, half the age of the identification Tatro says he saw.

Both Tatro and Cohen swear the juvenile looked well over the age of 21, so much so that Tatro said he didn't ask for a second form of identification, which he typically does for those from out of state.

Even if that is the case, the bar will still likely face sanctions for serving someone underage and for the shooting at its doorstep. Exactly what those will be is yet to be determined as the Licensing Board waits to see if it can gather more information about discrepancies of the man's appearance and licenses.

"I believe there is going to be some penalties issued to Methuselah's bar. I'm willing to wait, as councilor [Dana] Doyle and [Thomas] Campoli suggested, to see what the investigation brings," Licensing Board member Richard Stockwell said.

Police Lt. Michael Grady said the 17-year-old's shooting was likely gang related. He doesn't believe the shooter was inside of Methuselah at the time but that "associates" of the shooter were. The victim walked into the bar, had a drink  as has been shown on the surveillance footage provided to police by Cohen  and then left after 20 minutes. It was then he was shot right outside.

Grady said the victim had an identification card on him, but that was his brother's and listed his age as being in his early 20s. Police have video of the incident from both Methuselah and a neighboring video and are still investigating the circumstances around the shooting.

"Mrs. Cohen has cooperated, even bringing the IT guy in to help get the best quality," attorney Timothy Shugrue, who is representing Methuselah, told the Licensing Board.

Shugrue says the company has already begun looking into purchasing card readers to ensure licenses are real and will be putting in a higher-quality surveillance system. But those steps will be helpful for the future and aren't expected to curtail any punishment.

The Licensing Board has a history of issuing suspensions and reduction of hours when it comes to similar incidents. The former Chameleons was slapped with a 21-day suspension in 2014. In 2015, Johnny's Beach Club had its hours reduced after a man allegedly shot himself in the foot inside the bar and, previously, had had a license suspension for an underage drinking issue. And earlier this year, Lachs Lounge had its license suspended for seven days as well as its hours reduced after a man was shot in the parking lot outside and patrons were found to be "overserved."

"To not do something here when we did something with Lachs Lounge and Johnny's and Chameleons, I think would be a disservice to others who own bars in the city," said Licensing Board member Diane Pero.

But exactly what that suspension or hour reduction will be is unknown.

Methuselah is arguing that it had acted properly and the incident wasn't a case of mismanagement. The board will wait to see if it can see the video and photos of the victim to determine whether the mistaken age was genuine or not.

Methuselah is willing to provide video to the board, but police don't want that to become public record. Shugrue tried to present photos of the victim to help his case claiming the man appeared old enough but that, too, was objected to by Grady.

Shugrue argues that the bar did everything it could. There is crime in Pittsfield, there was plenty of staff in the bar, and the man was carded. After the incident, the video was given to investigators and when detectives had trouble pulling it up at the station, Methuselah's information technology person was sent to the station to help.

"There are people who try to circumvent the law and we understand that," Shugrue said.

Stockwell, however, says the age difference between 35 and 17 is dramatic and no so easily confused. The license found on the victim for his brother in his early 20s makes more sense, but Shugrue says he isn't sure if that was what was presented to Tatro. Tatro says he remembers the name and the birthdate.

"My problem is that Mr. Tatro said it was 1981, it makes the person 35-year-old and he is 17," Stockwell said. "That to me would have raised a red flag."

While Doyle said it doesn't really matter what the man looks like, he is still just 17 and being served at the bar. That is a violation of the license.

Methuselah doesn't have a clean record. Cohen faced the Licensing Board a year ago after the bar was twice cited for overcrowding. In that same citation, police said they had received anonymous complaints that the bar was excessively noisy and serving underage patrons.

"I can't prove underage drinking. It was an anonymous complaint. We addressed the overcrowding but the underage drinking, we couldn't do anything about that," Grady said.

In the next month, Methuselah has agreed to upgrade its surveillance system and will return to the board in January. In the meantime, the board is hoping the investigation is moved along and more facts about the circumstances will be released.
Berkshire Health Systems Expands Primary-Care Access Across County

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Berkshire Health Systems has appointed five primary-care physicians, all accepting new patients throughout the Berkshires, from south to north.

Drs. Judith Aldrich and Brynn Hancock have joined Berkshire Osteopathic Health of Berkshire Medical Center, which has offices in Adams and Pittsfield. Dr. Maxim Bitunov is now providing care at Hillcrest Family Health Center of BMC in Pittsfield, and Dr. Terra Lampiasi is at Lenox Family Health Center of BMC. Dr. John Paul Hickey is with Barrington Family Medicine in Great Barrington.

The addition of these five physicians is a significant expansion of primary-care services in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont, which has been experiencing the national shortage of primary care physicians.

 Aldrich specializes in family practice medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine and is board certified in both specialties. She received her medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine and completed her residency in Family Medicine at Brighton Medical Center in Maine.

 Hancock is also board certified in family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine and received her medical degree from Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is fellowship trained in osteopathic manipulative medicine at BMC and completed her residency in family medicine at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Berkshire Osteopathic Health has offices on Summer Street in Pittsfield and Park Street in Adams. Aldrich is practicing in the Adams location and Hancock in Pittsfield. For appointments at either location, call 413-442-0085.

 Bitunov received his medical degree from Vitebsk State Medical University, Belarus, and completed his residency in internal medicine at BMC. For appointments with Bitunov, call Hillcrest Family Health at 413-499-2051.

 Lampiasi received her medical degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City and completed her residency in internal medicine at BMC. For appointments with Lampiasi, call 413-344-1700.

 Hickey is board certified in internal medicine and certified by the American Academy of HIV as an expert. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and completed his residency at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center in New York. For appointments with Hickey, call 413-644-9933.
Garfield House, built in 1850 and turned into fraternity in 1924 and later a Williams College dormitory, is being eyed for removal to make way for a new dorm.

Williams College Looks to Raze, Replace Dorm

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Williams College will ask the town's Historical Commission for permission on Thursday to raze an 1850 South Street structure that has served as a residence hall since the 1970s.



Garfield House, named for its first occupant, an 1885 alumnus and ninth president of the college and the son of the 20th president of the United States, also a Williams alumnus, is outdated, inefficient and far too costly to renovate, according to a nine-person committee that studied the building.



The college's executive director of planning design and construction, who co-chaired that committee, said she and other members went into the six-week study hoping and expecting to be able to save Garfield House, which was purchased in 1924 as the home of the Delta Upsilon fraternity.



"I feel strongly about renovating historic structures," Rita Coppola-Wallace said earlier this month. "I came from Florida, and in Florida, if something is 10 years old, they knock it down to make way for something new. I was impressed when I came here and saw buildings still very much in use dating back to the 19th century.



"I came into the committee fully expecting to go the route of historic renovation. At the end, myself and the other three people who came in with that perspective all looked at each other and said, 'It's a no-brainer.' "



The driving force behind the study is the college's memorandum of understanding with the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, which monitors compliance under the Americans with Disabilities Act.



Over the next 15 years, the college plans to tackle accessibility issues and other renovations in 11 to 13 dormitories, Coppola-Wallace said. Garfield is first on the list, and the MAAB expects the facility to be fully accessible  either through renovation or replacement.



The committee determined the former was impractical.



"This dorm has four different levels just on the first floor," Coppola-Wallace said. "We would have had to remove floors and joists.  The costs would have been astronomical.  We would have had to remove the stucco, take down the wood and remove portions of the floor."



The committee's Nov. 8 letter to the college community summarizing its findings made the same point.



"The committee felt that while many of the challenges that the existing structure presents could be solved during a renovation, that process would require the commitment of enormous resources just to solve them," the letter reads. "Constrained by the existing structure's footprint, various floor elevations and extremely poor circulation paths, the resultant project would be less than successful in improving the quality of student life and meeting the current college standards for residence halls."



Another issue standing in the way of renovation: energy efficiency.



Even a renovated Garfield House would have required 29 percent more energy per square foot to operate than a new dorm, according to the committee's report. And the total energy picture is more dramatic than that, because a new structure would require 26 percent less square footage than the existing 19,000 square foot residence hall for the same 40 beds it currently provides.



The total energy consumption of a renovated Garfield House would be 39 percent higher than a new build, concluded the college's consultants at New York-based engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti.



"The renovation option poses an interesting opportunity to perform a 'deep energy retrofit,' by essentially wrapping the whole building with continuous insulation," reads a report from Thornton Tomasetti's Michael Pulaski included in the committee's report. "This is relatively unique and can lead to significant energy savings getting close the performance of a new building, but has numerous hurdles to overcome including the introduction of a lot of cost risk associated with unforeseen conditions.



"While the renovated building will have all new [mechanical, electrical and plumbing] equipment, achieving a continuous insulation and air barrier around the perimeter will be a significant challenge. In particular, the details at the foundation and roof represent the biggest challenges."






iciHaiti - Justice : International Human Rights Day





The Embassy of the United States in Port-au-Prince celebrated the International Day of Human Rights by meeting with established and emerging actors from the field.



For the event, about 40 organizations were present, along with certain Embassy staff, for a brief work session on four topics chosen for the day: child protection, womens rights, inclusivity, and the rule of law.



US Ambassador Peter Mulrean praised the work of the participants, noting that the International Day of Human Rights, was an occasion to not only share the progress made but also to celebrate those who toil in the field, often with little recognition.



As for Political Counselor Melinda Crowley, she described her commitment to working closely with Haitian human rights actors, listening to their concerns, in order to help address the issues important to them.



Dr. Fils-Ely Thelot, President of the Haitis national anti-trafficking committee, also spoke. He shared the story of a 13-year old victim of trafficking and the tragic results, exhorting the audience to do all in their power to assure the rights of every individual.



IH/ iciHaiti


















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
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

A senior Iranian security official has criticized a recent UN Security Council resolution on mass evacuations from the rebel-held eastern Aleppo in Syria.

Secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani has said the resolution paves the way for the supporters of the terrorists to arrive in Aleppo, IRNA news agency reported.

The resolution has failed to give priority to rescuing and supplying aid to the people trapped in the area besieged by terrorists, he added.

The resolution has only envisaged the evacuation of armed individuals from the city, the official added.

The UN Security Council on Dec. 19 passed a resolution calling on UN officials and others to monitor the mass evacuations from eastern Aleppo and the safety of civilians still there.

According to Western sources, there are still about 7,000 people in Aleppo, while about 13,000 people have left the area over the past several days.

Rebels took control of eastern parts of Aleppo in 2012. The latest media reports suggest that Syrian army has advanced through the rebel-held areas, though the rebels reportedly continued to resist in some parts of the city.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday that Russia, Iran and Turkey were "ready" to be guarantors in Syria, Anadolu reported.

"Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to be guarantors for settlement of the Syrian crisis," Shoigu said before a meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts.

Shoigu said officials of the three countries had been working on a "declaration" for measures to settle the Syrian problem.

He added the steps that were taken in Syria with the U.S. had failed.

The foreign ministers of three countries met in Moscow to discuss the current situation in Syria. They are later expected to hold a joint news conference.

About the assassination of Moscows ambassador in Ankara, Shoigu said: "This is a terror attack against Russia."

Andrey Karlov was shot dead at an art exhibition in Ankara Monday evening.

Shoigu hoped those who involved in the attack would be identified and punished. He added Russia would continue with fight against terrorism.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

Istanbul has hosted a ceremony of opening of the Eurasia Tunnel (Avrasya Tuneli), crossing the Bosporus Strait undersea.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Azerbaijani Minister of Transport Ziya Mammadov and other officials attended the solemn ceremony.

The project cost is estimated at $1.3 billion.

The tunnels total length is 5.4 kilometers. Its underwater part is 3.34 kilometers long.

The Eurasia Tunnel links the Kazlicesme and Goztepe districts of Istanbul and will reduce the travel time between them from over 1.5 hours to 15 minutes.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
It started with Julius Caesar banning vehicles from rattling along the cobbles after 8pm so people could get to sleep. Things went backwards in the ensuing two thousand years but now it is coming center stage again. Whereas Smart City is the current hot topic despite it meaning everything and nothing, silent city is an equally important and more understandable term.

Many major cities are declaring dates when diesel vehicles then all internal combustion vehicles will be banned. Pure electric buses are being preferred for zero pollution at point of use and pure electric cars are being adopted very rapidly alongside plug in versions that can run in pure electric mode sometimes. All that reduces noise considerably even when laws come in requiring some sound to be generated to warn pedestrians. Low noise becomes synonymous with low or zero pollution in a win win situation.

The prospect of one autonomous pure electric taxi/bus - intensively used - replacing 20 private cars increasingly banned or discouraged in cities means less noise and less pollution. See the IDTechEx report, Electric Car Technology and Forecasts 2017-2027

Husqvarna, maker of electric robot lawnmowers and other devices, has an annual Silent City meeting. Its 2016 Silent City 2 meeting began with an expanded vision for the future of urban parks, reporting, "This vision will no doubt grow, and could include rooftops, automated maintenance, and a greater community adoption and shared "ownership". One thing is for sure, the look of circa 2030 urban parks could be a lot different than we imagine from the parks of today.

Pavel Hajman, president, Husqvarna Division, opened up their annual meeting at the Technical Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. This year the United Nations adopted new sustainability goals, and Husqvarna is committed to helping these become a reality. Husqvarna has been supplying forestry and or landscaping tools for the last 98 years.

While Husqvarna wants to use customer centric innovation to merge sustainability with efficiency, our interest lies in how it affects outdoor power equipment. Ergonomics and safety will be key along with tool intelligence. This extends to smart tools as well as user information to better understand how Pros use these tools.

Top image: Boston Coach Blog
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Orkhan Quluzade  Trend:

The attack on the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov showed vile and barbaric face of terrorism, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Erkan Ozoral said Dec. 20, the Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan said in a message.

This tragic event will be thoroughly investigated and those responsible will be brought to the Turkish justice, the diplomat added. We strongly condemn this event. We will not allow this attack to cast a shadow over relations between Turkey and Russia.

Turkey will make every effort to fight terrorism together with Russia and other partners, the diplomat said.

Karlov died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assault at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara late Dec. 19. Three other people were injured in the attack. The killer, Turkish off-duty police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, has been eliminated. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade
Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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With passion project Silence out the way, Martin Scorsese is starting to think about his next project with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Theres been talk of the pair, who last worked together on The Wolf of Wall Street, cooking up an adaptation of Erik Larsons book, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, for over a year now, and it seems the wheels are finally in motion.

Right now, there is a script being worked on, he told Sun Media.

One of the things that I had to stop for the past six months [to complete Silence] was my meetings on that script. They want me to start again in January and see if we can find a way because its an extraordinary story.

DiCaprio purchased the film rights to the book in 2010, which presents non-fiction events in a novelistic style.

Set in 1893, it weaves together the tales of two men - both of which sound very up DiCaprios street character-wise, though he is believed to be playing the latter:

- Daniel H. Burnham, an architect and urban designer who was behind the 1893 World's Fair

- H.H. Holmes, a charismatic doctor, con artist, bigamist and serial killer who lured anywhere between 27 and 200 victims to his elaborately designed Murder Castle.

Herman Webster Mudgett, who went by the name Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or H. H. Holmes

The Devil in the White City will be Dicaprios sixth film as Scorseses protagonist, following Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street.

DiCaprio said he shares a vision on film and life with the director, explaining: Weve become very close and we really love hanging out together.
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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Wind turbines could be used to create more sea ice in the Arctic in a massive geoengineering scheme on the scale of the Manhattan Project, scientists have said.

The increasing loss of ice, which reflects much of the heat from the sun, and the release of currently frozen stores of potent greenhouse gas methane threaten to create runaway global warming that would affect the entire planet.

Experts believe the Arctic could be essentially free of sea ice for the first time in about 100,000 years within the next few decades. The famously impassable North West Passage is already open to shipping and fossil fuel companies are considering drilling in the region.

A team of scientists from Arizona State University has now suggested trying to counteract the loss of sea caused by rising temperatures in the Arctic, which has seen increases well above the global average. In Svalbard, winter temperatures have been up to 11C higher than the late 20th century.

They said this could be done by using wind power to pump water from below the existing sea ice to the surface, where it would freeze more readily.

It would, however, be a massive undertaking on the scale of the Manhattan Project, which saw the US develop the first nuclear bomb.

Climate scientist Dr Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute in California, has warned that the rapid warming of the Arctic is unprecedented and could have a catastrophic effect on the climate of much of the world.

The jet stream, the usually steady flow of air circling the globe near the Arctic, has already changed, developing large loops which carry warm air towards the North Pole and freezing air south.

Recommended Arctic and Antarctic sea ice reaches record lows

The researchers estimated covering more than 10 per cent of the Arctic with the wind-powered pumps would cost about $500bn (404bn) over 10 years.

However, writing in Earths Future, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, they said doing this could more than reverse current trends of ice loss in the Arctic.

They warned that even if humans stopped producing carbon dioxide emissions it would still be too late to prevent loss of summer sea ice in the 2030s.

Restoring Arctic sea ice thus probably requires a local solution tailored to that part of the climate system, the scientists wrote.

Happily, though, any prevention of Arctic sea ice loss has the advantage of arresting the most powerful feedback in the climate system and making global climate change easier to deal with.

The pumps could also potentially be used to increase the amount of sea ice cover to beyond historic levels.

Could this approach be used to help the Arctic cool the Earth more effectively than it did in the 1980s and before? the researchers wondered.

Fresh snow reflects up to 90 per cent of sunlight, while sea ice reflects up to 70 per cent. Open water, however, absorbs about 94 per cent of the energy from the sun.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

[The] loss of sea ice represents one of the most severe positive feedbacks in the climate system, as sunlight that would otherwise be reflected by sea ice is absorbed by open ocean, the researchers wrote.

We propose that winter ice thickening by wind-powered pumps be considered and assessed as part of a multi-pronged strategy for restoring sea ice.

Deployment over only 10 per cent of the Arctic would require consumption of only about 13 per cent of the US steel production, and roughly five per cent of worldwide container ship capacity.

These are expensive propositions, but within the means of governments to carry out on a scale comparable to the Manhattan Project.

 Climate change: It's "game over" for planet earth

Other suggestions for geoengineering to reduce the effects of climate change include creating clouds by pumping seawater into the air, reflecting light from the sun in space, planting massive forests to absorb carbon dioxide and adding fertiliser to the sea in select areas to increase the numbers of organisms that absorb carbon dioxide.

Such projects have been criticised in the past for tinkering with the planet, but the researchers argued it was time to accept humans were already altering the climate artificially and needed to do something about it.

The researchers said: The term geoengineering is used pejoratively by those who feel it is morally irresponsible to try to alter the climate system in an attempt to prevent ecological disasters, mass extinctions, and human misery brought on by displacement, famine and war.

It is argued that: our knowledge of the climate system is imperfect; that lessening the effects of climate change in one area (eg temperature increases) does not fix the problem in other areas (eg precipitation patterns, ocean acidification); that the only solution to all of these problems is a rapid reduction in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions; that actively working to improve the climate presents a moral hazard, as producers of carbon dioxide emissions will feel less pressure to work toward a solution; and that assuming an active role in the climate commits us morally and practically to a permanent role in the climate.

All of these arguments are valid, and perhaps stewardship of the Earths climate is not a responsibility to be desired; but again, the alternative is to continue altering the climate without any purpose or plan.

We prefer the term geodesign in recognition of the fact that the climate is a highly integrated system that may be impossible to fix simply through application of a technology, yet which might be improved by viewing the climate as a planetary system, accepting the role of humans in the climate, and designing a new role for humans in the climate.
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A four-poster bed screams luxury  and who doesnt need a slice of that right now, especially in our sanctuary-like bedrooms? This is an unapologetically excessive furniture piece, which, by its very nature, is a whimsical and romantic affair.

But if you have fairytale-like dreams for your bedroom, tread carefully in your glass slippers because bringing in a canopy frame is the quickest way to overwhelm a space. Think carefully about whether you have the available square footage to accommodate such an imposing bed frame. If you do, your stately four-poster will elevate your bedroom in an instant, creating a positively regal focal point.

When it comes to trends, traditional four-posters have evolved. Now theres a wealth of new contemporary designs on offer, from wooden beds with sharp geometry to those with industrial styling in powder-coated steel or even brushed brass for a touch of luxury. Some even have nifty integrated storage.

Whichever style and material you choose, you can always up the romance with the addition of floaty voiles or twinkling fairy lights hung overhead.

With such a large piece of furniture coming through the door, youll need to roll your sleeves up and be prepared for some self-assembly  but thanks to the general cubic shape of these beds, the construction is largely self-explanatory, albeit the labour is typically a two-person job.

How we tested

We put our top four-posters to the test, weighing up quality of craftsmanship against affordability, whilst looking for that all-important wow factor. We measured ease of assembly and considered how different designs would suit different spaces and ceiling heights.

The best four-poster beds for 2022 are:
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In the midst of a string of terrorist attacks and robberies, experts say Frances $18bn fashion and luxury sector is under threat - but its fuelling a boom in sales for Britain.

While acts of terrorism often result in short-term plunges in retail sales, recent attacks combined with violent muggings of high net worth individuals are leading tourists to believe that the City of Light is not as safe as it once was.

As a result, Britain is now perceived as a safer destination, and fast becoming the go-to place for foreign visitors looking to buy expensive goods.

In October, reality star Kim Kardashian was held at gunpoint inside a luxury apartment during Paris Fashion Week where she was robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewellery. But, this wasnt an isolated incident.

Last month, Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and her partner were attacked with tear gas in a botched robbery attempt, and there has been a spate of muggings on the A1 freeway.

A road that connects Paris to the Le Bourget airport - Europes busiest terminal for private jets - it has been the site of two robberies in the past two months alone.

Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Show all 7 1 /7 Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian in the front row Givenchy show, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 02 Oct 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner attend the Givenchy show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2017 on October 2, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) Getty Images Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kim Kardashian in the front row Balenciaga show, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 02 Oct 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Riccardo Tisci and Kim Kardashian backstage Givenchy show, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 02 Oct 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Kris Jenner Off-White show, Front Row, Spring Summer 2017, Paris Fashion Week, France - 29 Sep 2016 Rex Features Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week (From L) Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Off-white 2017 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show, on September 29, 2016 in Paris. / AFP / ALAIN JOCARD (Photo credit should read ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Kim Kardashian at Paris Fashion Week (From L) Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian attend the Off-white 2017 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show, on September 29, 2016 in Paris. / AFP / ALAIN JOCARD (Photo credit should read ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images

Two wealthy Qatari sisters and a French businessman, were both attacked by robbers who forced their targets off the road using tear gas; they were robbed of millions of dollars worth of personal belongings.

While its difficult to judge the extent to which these events are contributing to Paris slump in sales, France has seen a drop of eight per cent in foreign tourists since January of this year.

I think foreign high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) have moved away from France, on the back of the terrorist attacks, Luca Solca, head of luxury goods at Exane BNP Paribas, told Business of Fashion.

Burglaries and hold ups make the situation only worse. London and Switzerland are benefiting as a consequence, he adds.

Consequently, British luxury fashion house Burberry revealed earlier this year that its UK sales had risen by more than a third and its not the only brand to benefit.

Recommended The most counterfeited handbags of all time and how to spot them

London department store, Harrods, enjoyed its best ever weeks of trading this year as HNWIs flooded the UK thanks to the weaker pound, and the assurance of safety.

Security concerns in Europe have been a major driver of people to the UK. For much of the Middle Eastern market, they didnt feel safe or welcome in France, and so have come to the UK, Michael Ward, managing director of Harrods told the Financial Times.

Nonetheless, Paris still ranks near the top of the list of the worlds top ten fashion capitals, valuing between five and six per cent of the overall global luxury market. But, the recent string of brazen robberies and attacks threatens to further disturb its postion.
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Google Maps is now wheelchair-friendly.

The wildly popular map app will now tell you whether locations are suitable for people with access needs  and it's thanks to a group of Googlers who worked on the feature in their "20% time."

It's a famous policy of the Californian search giant: Employees can spend 20% of their time working on other projects unrelated to their main jobs. Gmail, AdSense, and Google News all started as 20% projects. These days, Google employees need to get permission from managers to get this time, and most don't do it. Google HR boss Lazlo Bock says it has "waxed and waned" over time. But some still do  and Rio Akasaka is one of them.

By day, Akasaka is a product manager on Google Drive, the cloud file-hosting service. But in his 20% time, the Boulder, Colorado resident is a product manager working on accessibility features for Google Maps.

For the last year, he has worked with a team of contributors (between five and 10 of them, all in all) on introducing accessibility guidelines to Google Maps. The map tool already displays some information about venues and locations, like busy-ness, opening times, reviews, and atmosphere. Alongside this, it will now display information about their suitability for people with access needs.

How does Google Maps know? It sources the answers from its "Local Guides"  Google Maps users who answer questions about the places they visit on everything from cost to quietness. Earlier this year, queries on accessibility were added to the questions asked to these users, and with millions of answers, Google now feels confident enough to start displaying the results on its listings.

(Google (Google)

It looks like a small change  but if you're in a wheelchair, it's a pretty important one.

"Accessibility at Google is a big deal," Akasaka told Business Insider. "But it's often facilitated by whether or not there's a legal requirement, or some sort of requirement we need to adhere to." (There are standardised guidelines on how text should be rendered on the web to ensure it's legible, for example  but frustratingly, they are not always adhered to.)

But there are no rules governing accessibility requirements for mapping software, forcing Akasaka and his team to be more proactive.

The feature won't just help people in wheelchairs, either. The product manager cites parents with prams, or people reliant on canes, as people who will benefit from more information about a building's facilities.

"Googles mission is to organise the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful," the company boasts. Akasaka says he wants to make sure that "even those with access needs" benefit from this.

Read more:

 This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed

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 These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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When she was 9 years old, Moaza Al Matrooshi found out she would need chemotherapy in order to receive a bone-marrow transplant and treat a potentially fatal blood disorder.

Her family worried the chemotherapy would cause her to become infertile, so they made a decision that was considerably rare at the time: they removed her right ovary and froze the tissue.

Last Tuesday, about 15 years later, Al Matrooshi, of Dubai, gave birth to a healthy baby at Londons Portland Hospital for Women and Children. The 24-year-old woman is believed to be the first in the world to deliver a baby after having frozen an ovary tissue before puberty.

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The successful birth presents enormously valuable news for the parents of young girls requiring risky medical treatments  such as chemotherapy  that can damage ovaries, said Helen Picton, who leads the division of reproduction and early development at the University of Leeds and carried out Al Matrooshi's ovary freezing. The case provides evidence that doctors could potentially restore fertility in these women by freezing their ovary tissue at a very young age, she said.

She and her family really are courageous  and pioneers  to have done this, Picton told The Washington Post. Its tremendously hopeful technology because youre investing in the future fertility life of your daughter.

In an interview with the BBC, Al Matrooshi said the birth of her baby was like a miracle.

Weve been waiting so long for this result, Al Matrooshi said. A healthy baby.

When Picton preserved Al Matrooshis ovary tissue at the University of Leeds in 2001, there was not yet proof the process would work. The first human baby born from ovary tissue preservation would not be delivered until 2004, in Belgium.

We had no evidence that we would be able to restore her fertility, Picton said.

Then, two years ago  after more than a decade of advancements in fertility preservation  Al Matrooshis doctor reached out to Picton, letting her know the woman wanted to try transplanting the ovary tissue in the hopes of becoming pregnant.

Her doctor, Sara Matthews, had previously worked with Picton as a medical fellow. Picton put the doctor and the womans family in contact with a team of surgeons in Denmark who last year transplanted the ovarian tissue back into Al Matrooshis body, stitching four slivers to her left ovary and one onto the side of her uterus.

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Al Matrooshi had been going through menopause before the surgery, but after, her hormone levels began returning to normal, the BBC reported. She began ovulating and her fertility was restored. After Al Matrooshi and her husband Ahmed underwent IVF treatment  in the hopes of maximizing chances of fertility  three embryos were produced. Two of them were implanted earlier this year.

Through this entire process, Picton has served as a sort of behind-the-scenes architect of Al Matrooshis fertility restoration. Over the course of about 15 years, Picton has never met Al Matrooshi  but she would love to someday, she said.

The professor was getting constant updates from Matthews as the pregnancy progressed. It gets more and more exciting as it goes along, Picton said. We had to contain our excitement, because the most important thing is Moaza and her family and the baby.

Picton was fairly confident the restoration would work, but there was always a sliver of doubt, since it was a first, Picton said. On the one hand, doctors have known a girls egg bank is more plentiful the younger the age. But there were a lot of unknowns, she said.

The difference is the tissue is much smaller, the girl is much smaller, Picton said. You really only have one chance to do this, and you have got to get it right.

Al Matrooshi was born with beta thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder that can become fatal if left untreated. In addition to being the first case of pre-pubertal freezing, her delivery is the first from a patient who underwent treatment for beta thalassemia, Picton said.

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Last year, a woman in Belgium gave birth using ovarian tissue that was frozen at the age of 13, but unlike Al Matrooshi, she had not yet begun going through puberty when her ovary was removed.

Since 2004, more than 60 babies have been successfully born as a result of restoration of ovary tissue. Many more thousands of women have banked their ovarian tissue in the hopes of restoring fertility later on in life. Picton expects many more women will begin giving birth using ovary tissue that was frozen at a young age  even at the age of a toddler.

As for Al Matrooshi, the new mother still has one embryo in storage and two remaining pieces of ovarian tissue. She told the BBC she definitely plans to have another baby in the future.

I always believed that I would be a mum and that I would have a baby, she told the BBC. I didnt stop hoping and now I have this baby  it is a perfect feeling.
The main aim of assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey is the desire to undermine the process of normalization of Russian-Turkish relations and to prevent effective fight of the two countries against terrorism in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with NTV channel, Tass reported.

"We are confident that the main aim of those who plotted this barbaric thing was to undermine the process of normalization of relations between Russia and Turkey in order to prevent effective fight against terrorism in Syria," Lavrov said.



A gunman opened fire at the Russian diplomat at the opening of the photo exhibition "Russia from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka in the eyes of a traveler" in Ankara on Monday. Russian Foreign Ministrys official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Karlov died from the injuries. She said Moscow considers this as a terrorist attack.

Turkish authorities said the attacker was immediately liquidated by local security forces. Three other people were injured on the scene. A source in the Russian Embassy in Ankara told TASS that there were no Russians among those injured.
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Police have arrested the wrong man in the hunt for a lorry driver who killed at least 12 people in a suspected terror attack on a Christmas market, according to German media reports.

Sources told Die Welt a Pakistani man detained near the scene of the massacre in Berlin is not believed to be linked to the atrocity, meaning the attacker is still on the run.

"We have the wrong man," the newspaper quoted a Berlin police official saying. "And therefore a new situation  that the real attacker is still at large and can do more harm.

 Berlin attack: Suspect arrested by German police

A spokesperson for Berlin police said he could not confirm the report when contacted by The Independent.

Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, said the massacre could have been carried out by more than one person, adding that the suspect in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators"

Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said investigators were "uncertain" of whether they had detained the correct suspect, while the city's police sent out a tweet warning Germans they should stay "alert".

Police presence has been increased at Christmas markets across Germany and officers have been given machine guns and protective vests.

The man originally arrested was reported to be a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker who arrived in Germany last year.

Security sources told local media he was not previously known to intelligence agencies as a potential Islamist.

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According to German news agency dpa, blood-smeared clothing was found in the lorry, but no clothing stained with blood was found on the suspect.

When the 23-year-old was arrested he is not thought to have had a weapon with him, German daily Tagesspiegel reported.

Holger Munch, the head of federal crime office joined other officials in expressing doubts about the suspect, saying: Currently we have one suspect but we are not sure whether he is the perpetrator and we dont know whether there is only one.

"We have not found the weapon and that leads us to being in a high state of alert. Our investigations are ongoing to see whether there are other perpetrators that we need to arrest.

In the early hours of the morning, hundreds of armed police raided Germanys largest migrant accommodation centre at the disused Flughafen Tempelhof airport, where the initial suspect had reportedly been registered.

Germanys anti-migration Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party swiftly moved to capitalise on the massacre, blaming Angela Merkels decision to open borders to refugees during the height of the crisis in 2015.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

The lorry attack and a previous suicide bombing and axe attack carried out by asylum seekers are expected to damage Ms Merkels bid to be re-elected for a fourth term as Chancellor in next years federal elections amid growing anti-migrant sentiment and fear of further atrocities.

The lorry rammed into crowds enjoying the popular Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz at 8.30pm local time (7.30pm) on Monday.

It travelled up to 260ft, killing at least 12 people and wounding 49 more, before coming to a stop. The driver fled and a passenger, a Polish national, was found shot dead in the cabin.

Police are treating the man as a victim of the terrorist rather than an accomplice, supporting fears raised by the Scania cargo lorrys owner that it was hijacked.

Authorities have described the massacre as a probable terror attack but no group immediately claimed responsibility. Suspicion turned to Isis following two attacks in Germany by its supporters in July, and another lorry ramming that killed more than 80 people in Nice.

There had been no comment on the so-called Islamic States propaganda channels by Tuesday morning, suggesting commanders had no prior contact with the attacker. In other lone wolf attacks, Isis has waited for online pledges of allegiance or media reports to claim responsibility.

It has repeatedly called for attacks and other European nations supporting air strikes by the US-led coalition against its territories in Syria and Iraq, issuing calls in propaganda videos and detailed instructions for attacks against Crusaders online.

The latest atrocity has plunged Germany into mourning, with the interior minister ordering flags to be flown at half mast as a sign of respect. Tributes were being left at along police cordons near the scene and a book of condolence was opened at a church near the scene of the attack.

Facebooks Safety Check feature has been activated and police have set up an emergency phone number for anyone concerned for friends or relatives, on (+49) 030 54023111.
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Facebook could be facing a fine for providing incorrect and misleading information during the European Commissions review of its $19bn (15.4bn) takeover of messaging service WhatsApp.

Brussels said Facebook intentionally or negligently submitted misleading information, breaching EU merger rules.

The worlds biggest social network faces fines of up to 1 per cent of annual sales or roughly $125m, according to Facebook's annual revenue in 2014.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU's competition chief, said companies must take their obligation to give the Commission accurate information during merger investigations seriously.

She said: "Our timely and effective review of mergers depends on the accuracy of the information provided by the companies involved. In this specific case, the Commissions preliminary view is that Facebook gave us incorrect or misleading information during the investigation into its acquisition of WhatsApp. Facebook now has the opportunity to respond."

Facebook will have until January 31 to respond to the European Commission.

The issue regards a WhatsApp privacy policy change in August in which it said it would share some users' phone numbers with parent company Facebook, triggering investigations by a number of EU data protection authorities.

Users of the instant messenger were given the ability to opt out of sending information to Facebook through settings in WhatsApp's applications on smartphones.

The Commission said Facebook had pledged in its notification of the acquisition that it would not combine the user bases of the two companies' in order to allay competition concerns.

European data protection group G29 formally expressed its concerns at the end of October.

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. 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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. 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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. 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"In today's Statement of Objections, the Commission takes the preliminary view that, contrary to Facebook's statements and reply during the merger review, the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook users' IDs with WhatsApp users' IDs already existed in 2014," it said.

Facebook said that it had acted in good faith during the process.

We respect the Commissions process and are confident that a full review of the facts will confirm Facebook has acted in good faith, a spokesperson for the company said.

Additional reporting by agencies
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Investors in the maker of controversial animal fat 5 notes have received a multimillion pound windfall, tripling their money in two years after selling the company for 680m to Canadian firm CCL Industries

Innovia was embroiled in scandal after it emerged in November that it used tallow derived from animal carcasses as an ingredient in its banknotes.

Innovia attracted heavy criticism from animal rights campaigners, vegans, Sikhs and Hindus among others who condemned the Bank of England for allowing animal fat to be used.

A petition to ban the notes attracted 132,000 signatures, prompting the Bank to work on potential solutions to the problem.

Despite the controversy, the contract with the Bank of England has proved extremely lucrative for the companys private equity investors who bought the company just two years ago.

Lead investor Smithfield Group made 3.6 times its initial investment while fellow private equity firm Electra Partners cashed in a windfall of 106m  or 3.2 times what it put in. The initial investment was announced weeks after the award of the Bank of England contract.

The new buyer, Canadian label and packaging maker CCL Industries, was not put off by the animal fat scandal. Geoffrey Martin, chief executive of CCL, said the deal would propel the company to world leadership in the disruptive, fast growing polymer banknote market".

UK-based Innovia Group is a maker of polypropylene films used in labels and packaging, but the prime motivator of the deal was Innovias position as the dominant supplier of polymer banknotes, which are considered more secure than paper issues.

The methods by which the company obtained its near-monopoly position as the maker of plastic bank notes are highly controversial. The companys banknote division, previously known as Securency, has been at the centre of one of the biggest bribery scandals in central bank history, uncovered by Australia's the Age newspaper.

Started as a joint venture between the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and Innovia Films in 1996, its former employees have been found guilty of offering bungs to foreign officials to win contracts.

In May this year, former Africa sales manager, Peter Chapman, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to two and a half years in prison for channelling money through offshore bank accounts to a Nigerian official between 2007 and 2009.

Questioned under oath, Chapman stated that senior executives knew of his actions.

In 2012 the companys former chief financial officer, David Ellery, was sentenced by an Australian court to a six-month suspended sentence for false accounting over the cover up of a A$79,502 (46,000) commission payment to a Malaysian agent.

The sentencing judge slammed the culture of the company at the time: You were acting within the culture which seems to have developed within Securency, whereby staff were discouraged from examining too closely the use of, and payment arrangements for, overseas agents, the ruling said. Secrecy, and a denial of responsibility for wrongdoing, also seem to have been part of the corporate culture at Securency at that time.

Judge Elizabeth Hollingworth wrote in the ruling that when sentencing she had taken into account the fact that Ellery would be an important witness in charging other senior executives.

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

Cases against former senior executives  none of whom are still at the company  were brought in July 2011 but remain ongoing.

A 2010 audit by accountancy firm KPMG found that the company had paid A47.5m in commission payments to middlemen in countries around the globe with the aim of winning contracts.

After the Reserve Bank of Australia sold its half of the banknote making company to its partner, Innovia, in 2013, Innovia thanked the RBA for its help, which had enabled it to corner the polymer banknote market.

The RBA proved an outstanding partner in helping Securency establish itself in the global banknote industry during a period in which some of the worlds most successful companies, including 3M and Mobil also attempted to enter the banknote substrate market but were unable to do so, Innovia said in a statement.

The Bank of England would not comment on what it knew about the corruption allegations and prosecutions but said it had carried out due diligence on the company.

CCL said it expected Innovia to generate net revenue of about C$570m (343 million) for 2017, CCL said.
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The second of our online auctions raising money for the Young and Homeless Helpline appeal closes tonight.

Readers have until 9pm to bid for 26 stunning lots as part of our Christmas fundraising campaign.

The winning bids will help fund a helpline run by Centrepoint to give housing advice and support to young people living on the streets or on the cusp of homelessness, and vital services it will link them to.

Lots include the chance to train with an Olympic champion, luxury holidays in the UK and abroad, cooking lessons with top chefs, top sporting days out and tickets for Britains Got Talent.

Street artist Cartrain is donating a piece called 'Gilbert and George' (Alex Lentati)

You could get two hospitality tickets to watch Arsenal play at the Emirates on New Years Day, or a tour of the Mulberry factory with a handbag to take home.

Also on offer is an original artwork by a young man helped by Centrepoint tipped to be the next big UK street artist.

A late addition to the auction is the chance to ride through the tunnels of London Underground on the front of a brand new S stock train.

In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Show all 16 1 /16 In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Celebrities and 1,000 members of public attended the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Sadie Frost at the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Celebrities and 1,000 members of the public joined the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Seyi Obakin, the Chief Executive of Centrepoint, and Colin Salmon at the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Celebrities and 1,000 members of public attended the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Celebrities and 1,000 members of public attended the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Celebrities and 1,000 members of public attended the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Celebrities and 1,000 members of public attended the End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out in London's Greenwich Peninsula on 24 November Andy Barnes In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Lib Dem Leader Tim Farron gets ready to bed down as 1000 people get ready to sleep out for the annual Centrepoint Sleep out at the Greenwich Peninsula Nigel Howard In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out The RAF prepare tasty food before a 100 people get ready to sleep out for the annual Centrepoint Sleep out at the Greenwich Peninsula Nigel Howard In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Independent reporter Alex Dymoke gets ready to bed down as 1000 people get ready to sleep out for the annual Centrepoint Sleep out at the Greenwich Peninsula Nigel Howard In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Anjali Patel, Remy Diamon-Ross and Hannah Kilminster join members of the RAF as they are given dinner Nigel Howard In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Bedding down for the night, sleepers get ready for lights out in one of several tents at the annual Centrepoint Sleep out at the Greenwich Peninsula Nigel Howard In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Bedding down for the night, sleepers get ready for lights out in one of several tents at the annual Centrepoint Sleep out at the Greenwich Peninsula Nigel Howard In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Bedding down for the night, sleepers get ready for lights out in one of several tents at the annual Centrepoint Sleep out at the Greenwich Peninsula Nigel Howard In pictures: End Youth Homelessness Sleep Out Colin Salmon is 'photo bombed' before he gets ready to bed down as 1000 people get ready to sleep out for the annual Centrepoint Sleep out at the Greenwich Peninsula Nigel Howard

The prizes would make a unique Christmas present  while giving to a good cause at the same time.

The auction is powered by Givergy, which enables charities to raise cash by offering bidders the chance to win exclusive items and experiences.

For more information about all the lots, and to make your bid, visit: www.givergy.com/charity/centrepoint
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From the outside, says Charlotte Smith, We were a normal, average working class family.

Inside their south-London home, however, things were far more complex.

I knew from the age of eight or nine, there was something different about me, says Charlotte  not her real name.

But, admitting that was difficult in her family. Her Nigerian parents, she says, were conservative churchgoers.

My extended family was even more conservative. Four out of five of my uncles were pastors, or training to be pastors.

So when she found herself attracted to girls, I denied it, even to myself.

Until she realised the struggle was futile.

I needed to be who I am, she explains.

Just before she turned 16, she came out to her parents. Dad thought it was a phase. Mum thought it was a joke.

But the following summer her mother had no choice but to face the reality. She came home early to find Charlotte kissing another girl.

Mum started sort of smacking me, says Charlotte, saying Not in my house, not in my house. I had to leave and spend the night with my aunt. When I came back home, it was tense. Mum wouldnt speak to me.

A couple of weeks later, says Charlotte, she came home to find her key no longer worked: My mum had changed the locks.

Initially, Charlottes 14-year-old brother would let her in and she would go to her room.

But after a while, it became unbearable. One night no one came to the door. My brother told me I cant do this anymore. He would get in trouble with Mum if he let me in.

Charlotte had effectively been kicked out of the family home and made homeless aged 16, just because she was gay  one of what charities the Albert Kennedy Trust and Stonewall Housing say is an increasing number of young LGBT people being forced from the family home because of their sexuality.

The causes of homelessness Show all 7 1 /7 The causes of homelessness The causes of homelessness Family Breakdown Relationship breakdown, usually between young people and their parents or step-parents, is a major cause of youth homelessness. Around six in ten young people who come to Centrepoint say they had to leave home because of arguments, relationship breakdown or being told to leave. Many have experienced long-term problems at home, often involving violence, leaving them without the family support networks that most of us take for granted The causes of homelessness Complex needs Young people who come to Centrepoint face a range of different and complex problems. More than a third have a mental health issue, such as depression and anxiety, another third need to tackle issues with substance misuse. A similar proportion also need to improve their physical health. These problems often overlap, making it more difficult for young people to access help and increasing the chances of them becoming homeless Getty/iStock The causes of homelessness Deprivation Young people's chances of having to leave home are higher in areas of high deprivation and poor prospects for employment and education. Many of those who experience long spells of poverty can get into problem debt, which makes it harder for them to access housing Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Gang Crime Homeless young people are often affected by gang-related problems. In some cases, it becomes too dangerous to stay in their local area meaning they can end up homeless. One in six young people at Centrepoint have been involved in or affected by gang crime Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Exclusion From School Not being in education can make it much more difficult for young people to access help with problems at home or health problems. Missing out on formal education can also make it more difficult for them to move into work Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Leaving Care Almost a quarter of young people at Centrepoint have been in care. They often have little choice but to deal with the challenges and responsibilities of living independently at a young age. Traumas faced in their early lives make care leavers some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities, with higher chances of poor outcomes in education, employment and housing. Their additional needs mean they require a higher level of support to maintain their accommodation Getty Images/iStockphoto The causes of homelessness Refugees Around 13 per cent of young people at Centrepoint are refugees or have leave to remain, meaning it isn't safe to return home. This includes young people who come to the UK as unaccompanied minors, fleeing violence or persecution in their own country. After being granted asylum, young people sometimes find themselves with nowhere to go and can end up homeless Getty Images/iStockphoto

At first she sofa surfed at a friends house. Then she sought help from her local authority.

Initially the council didnt want to take me on, says Charlotte. They just told me Go back home, not understanding that was no longer an option.

It took the intervention of the gay rights charity Stonewall to stop Charlotte joining the up to one in three young people who are estimated to be turned away by English councils when they seek help with homelessness.

Even then the council only found her temporary accommodation, a bedsit on a sink estate, with a shared toilet with faeces all over it.

It reduced her to tears. She was taken in by a friend until, finally, the council referred her to a hostel run by the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.

And there, finally settled in safe, clean accommodation, Charlotte could reflect on what had happened to her.

Now, aged 24, she is out and proud. But back then, I was grieving the loss of my family. I felt isolated, like the black sheep of the family, the cause of all problems. It was hurtful.

And yet Charlotte considers herself one of the lucky ones.

At least my mum isnt violent, she says.

There are a lot of horror stories. I have got about five close, close friends who have been kicked out of the house because of their sexuality. One or two were beaten out of the house.

I know people where their family tried to send them to Africa to fix them.

Her experiences, and those of her friends, have led Charlotte to a grim conclusion: we shouldnt be fooled by equality laws and gay marriage into thinking that we now live in a blissfully enlightened, tolerant society.

Its not the case, says Charlotte. I might be out and proud, but I am not singing it or holding banners  because I know a lot of people only tolerate us because of the legislation.

People will never call me anything to my face in the workplace, because they know they are governed by legislation. That doesnt change how they truly feel, though.

They wont say anything in public, but they will at the dinner table, behind closed doors.

A lot of people are still homophobic  in my everyday disagreements, the first thing they pick on is You look like a boy.

And when it comes to their kids being gay, they dont take it well.

Although Centrepoint did help her achieve a reconciliation with her own family.

Mum and I are OK, she says philosophically. She loves me, but she is still praying that I will one day marry a man, not a girl. I kind of take it light-heartedly.

Helped by the charity, Charlotte has moved into a one-bedroom housing association flat, and found work as an administrator for a construction company.

If now she is happy, she is also adamant about the need for a homeless helpline of the kind being campaigned for by The Independent and Centrepoint  not least for the young LGBT people who are still, despite all the talk of progress, being kicked out of the family home.

The majority of my advice came from my friends, Charlotte admits. We were all young and foolish together. When it came to where to go, what to do  We didnt know any of the answers.

If this helpline had been there then, it would have been a lot easier for me.

*Charlotte Smiths name has been changed to protect her identity
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Andrey Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey became the first ambassador to be assassinated in Turkey since the foundation of the republic back in 1923. In chilling news which shocked many, he was gunned down by a police officer who shouted Dont forget Aleppo as he pulled the trigger on Monday evening.

Video footage showed the ambassador jolt as numerous shots were heard. The assailant is believed to be an off-duty Turkish police officer and the attack appears to be a backlash against Russian military involvement in the Syrian war.

But who was the diplomat who was attacked at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara?

He was previously Russia's ambassador to North Korea

A veteran career diplomat, the 62-year-old was born in Moscow in the mid-50s. In 1976, he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and joined the diplomatic service in the same year.

Being both an English and a Korean speaker, he previously served as Russias ambassador to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Between 2007 and 2009, Mr Karlov served as Deputy Director of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry and was promoted to director of the department in January 2009. According to a biography on the website of the Russian Embassy, Mr Karlov had been Russias ambassador to Turkey since July 2013.

He overaw the work of 236 Russian diplomatic missions in 146 countries

In his role as the top consular official, he oversaw the work of 236 Russian diplomatic missions in 146 countries.

He was married with a son. According to Russian news outlets, his wife fainted and was taken to hospital after she was told about his death.

Fellow diplomats have paid tribute to him in the wake of his death. Richard Moore, Karlov's British counterpart in Turkey, expressed his shock on Twitter, describing the ambassador as a quietly spoken, hospitable professional.

Notable deaths in 2016 Show all 42 1 /42 Notable deaths in 2016 Notable deaths in 2016 Debbie Reynolds was an American actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian. She died on December 28 in Los Angeles Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Actress Carrie Fisher died on December 27 aged 60 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Comedian and Actor Ricky Harris died on December 26 aged 54 Rex Notable deaths in 2016 British singer George Michael died on 25 December aged 53 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Rick Parfitt OBE was an English musician, best known for being a singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Status Quo. He died on December 24 in Marbella, Spain Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Lord Jenkin of Roding died at the age of 90 on the 21 December PA wire Notable deaths in 2016 Rabbi Lionel Blue died on the 19 December Rex Notable deaths in 2016 Zsa Zsa Gabor died on December 18 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Leonard Cohen died on 7 November Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Grand secretary of the Orange Order Drew Nelson died on 10 October aged 60 after a short illness PA Notable deaths in 2016 Aaron Pryor, the relentless junior welterweight died Sunday, Oct. 9, at the age of 60 at his home in Cincinnati after a long battle with heart disease AP Notable deaths in 2016 Polish Director Andrzej Wajda died on October 9, aged 90 Reuters Notable deaths in 2016 Stylianos Pattakos has died following a stroke on 8th October. He was 103 years old. AP Notable deaths in 2016 Dickie Jeeps, was an English rugby union player who played for Northampton. He represented and captained both the England national rugby union team and the British Lions in the 1950s and 1960s. He died on 8th October. He was 84 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Duke of Westminster Billionaire landowner the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor has died on 9 August, aged 64 Rex Features Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Knudsen Sir Roger Moores stepdaughter Christina Knudsen has died from cancer on 25 July at teh age of 47 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Caroline Aherne The actress Caroline Aherne has died from cancer on 2 July at the age of 52 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Christina Grimmie Christina Grimmie, 22, who was an American singer and songwriter, known for her participation in the NBC singing competition The Voice, was signing autographs at a concert venue in Orlando on 10 June when an assailant shot her. Grimmie was transported to a local hospital where she died from her wounds on 11 June Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Kimbo Slice Former UFC and Bellator MMA fighter Kimbo Slice died after being admitted to hospital in Florida on 6 June, aged 42 Getty Notable deaths in 2016 Muhammad Ali The three-time former heavyweight world champion died after being admitted to hospital with a respiratory illness on 3 June, aged 74 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Sally Brampton Brampton who was the launch editor of the UK edition of Elle magazine has died on 10 May, aged 60 Grant Triplow/REX/Shutterstock Notable deaths in 2016 Billy Paul The soul singer Billy Paul, who was best known for his single Me and Mrs Jones, has died on 24 April, aged 81 Noel Vasquez/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Prince Prince, the legendary musician, has been found dead at his Paisley Park recording studio on 21 April. He was 57 Notable deaths in 2016 Chyna WWE icon Joan Laurer dies aged 45 after being found at California home on 20 April Notable deaths in 2016 Victoria Wood The five-time Bafta-winning actress and comedian Victoria Wood has died on 20 April at her London home after a short illness with cancer. She was 62 Notable deaths in 2016 David Gest The entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli, David Gest has been found dead on 12 April in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old PA Notable deaths in 2016 Denise Robertson Denise Robertson, an agony aunt on This Morning for over 30 years, has died on 1 April, aged 83 Notable deaths in 2016 Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Hadid, the prominent architect best known for designs such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Guangzhou Opera House, has died of a heart attack on 31 March, aged 65 2010 AFP Notable deaths in 2016 Ronnie Corbett British entertainer Ronnie Corbett has passed away on 31 March at the age of 85 2014 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Imre Kertesz Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Imre Kertesz, who won the 2002 Nobel Literature Prize, has died on 31 March, at the age of 86 REUTERS Notable deaths in 2016 Rob Ford Rob Ford, the former controversial mayor of Toronto, has died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. The 46-year-old passed away at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto on 22 March Notable deaths in 2016 Joey Feek Joey (left) passed away in March after a two-year cancer illness. She was part of country music duo, Joey + Rory, with her husband Rory (right) Jason Merritt/Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Umberto Eco Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco died 19 February 2016 aged 84 EPA Notable deaths in 2016 Harper Lee Harper Lee, the American novelist known for writing 'To Kill a Mockingbird', died February 19, 2016 aged 89 2005 Getty Images Notable deaths in 2016 Vanity Vanity, pictured performing in 1983, died aged 57 REX Features Notable deaths in 2016 Dave Mirra The BMX legend's body found inside truck with gunshot wound after apparent suicide aged 41 Notable deaths in 2016 Harry Harpham The former miner became Sheffield Labour MP in May after many years as a local councillor. He died after succumbing to cancer, at the age of 61. 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Britain's ambassador to Moscow from 2004 to 2008, Sir Tony Brenton, said he did not know Mr Karlov but said the symbolic significance of his death had shocked him. As a former ambassador myself, you always know you're a symbol and also a target, he told CNN. Something like this is particularly horrifying when it happens. My first thought was sympathy for his family and colleagues.

He lead Russia through one of the most difficult periods in Turkey-Russia relations

Assigned to Ankara in 2013, Mr Karlov was thrust into a fraught role and sought to lead one of the most difficult periods in relations between Turkey and Russia in recent history. Diplomatic relations reached a low after the Turkish shooting-down of a Russian fighter jet near the Syria border in November 2015.

Giving an interview with with Russia's state-run TASS news agency in the aftermath of the attack, Mr Karlov accused Turkey of encouraging an anti-Russia campaign in an interview.

Of late, Turkey more often makes unfounded accusations, in particular, that Russia's military aircraft allegedly violate the airspace, he said. Most often, this misinformation launches anti-Russian campaigns in the Turkish mass media or becomes their part.
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The man who Katie Hopkins libelled as a Muslim extremist has told how his life suffered following her newspaper column where she suggested he was an extremist with links to Al Qaeda.

The impact when somebody does something wrong when someone apologises, it is never the same," Zahid Mahmood told The Independent. "The effect it has on the lives of the people, that does not come back.

You cannot get back the loss you made in terms of how people look at you and the stress it has caused you.

"It cant be compensated in the form of money or an apology.

Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Show all 16 1 /16 Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on 'plus size' 'To call yourself 'plus-size' is just a euphemism for being fat. Life is much easier when you're thinner. Big is not beautiful, of course a job comes down to how you look.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on naming children I think you can tell a great deal from a name. For me, there are certain names that I hear and I think Urgh. For me, a name is a shortcut of finding out what class that child comes from and makes me ask, Do I want my children to play with them? Theres a whole set of things that go with children like that and thats why I dont like those sorts of children. Hi, this is my daughter Charmaine. I hear: Hi, I am thick and ignorant. Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on gender equality 'Women don't want equal treatment, they couldn't handle it if they got it. It's a tough world out there. What a lot of women are actually looking for is special treatment. What women need to realise is that they have to toughen up.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on immigration 'I've always said if you go into a school playground and shout Mohammad, you'll probably get 100 children running towards you!" Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins to Benefits Street's White Dee 'Do you not feel like the patron saint of druggies and dropouts?' Channel 5 Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on tattoos 'Are tattoos just a badge for the stupid? For me, and for lots of people like me, when you see tatoos you think of someone who is just looking for attention, who hasn't managed to find a way in their life through conventional means and who is just shouting 'I want attention! I want to be looked at!' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on addiction I dont believe what Russell Brand says about addiction. I just dont buy it. Gazza likes drinking, let him crack on. He is enjoying himself. Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on The X Factor 'The X Factor 2013 has ended in a painful showdown between a fat mum in a jumpsuit (Sam Bailey) and a small boy in whatever his mum laid out for him on his bed (Nicholas McDonald)' ITV Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on the Egyptian uprising 'The difference between most mothers and me is that I didnt sit around drinking coffee at baby group for 12 months after the birth of my baby. No, in three weeks I was back in my suit, back at my desk earning profit for my business and I dont see why other women shouldnt do the same.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on maternity leave 'Egyptian uprising continues to look like Bonfire Night. Protest fireworks. Right up there with angry cup cakes.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on 'gingerism' 'Ginger babies. Like a baby. Just so much harder to love. A ginger person with tattoos called Jayden? The triumvirate of horror!' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on affairs 'I lied to get someone else's husband because I wanted him. I give myself 8 out of 10 for ruthlessness for that one.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on the elderly Personally I hate mobility scooters. I find their owners intolerable. Ran past a mobility scooter going up hill. Made me giggle. I need to grow up and stop being an arse. Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins after the Glasgow helicopter crash 'Life expectancy in Scotland is 59.5. Goodness me. That lot will do anything to avoid working until retirement.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on Ramadan 'Channel 4 broadcasts Islamic calls to prayer for Ramadan. A 30 day reminder that minority rules in the UK. Any more PC, it'd be a bloody laptop.' Katie Hopkins' most offensive moments Katie Hopkins on self-harming 'I am advised by the Twitterati to 'cut myself'. I grazed myself on my house gate yesterday. Will that suffice?'

Mr Mahmood and members of his family made headlines last December when they were barred from boarding a flight to California from London Gatwick after US Homeland Security revoked their authorisation without further explanation.

Following the incident, Hopkins wrote a column on 23 December, 2015, which was later taken down, for the Mail Online.

It was headlined: Just because Britains border security is a Mickey Mouse operation you cant blame America for not letting this lot travel to Disneyland  I wouldnt either.

On Monday, Hopkins and the Mail Online apologised to the Mahmood family and issued a statement saying: We are happy to make clear that Tariq Mahmood and Zahid Mahmood are not extremists, nor do they have any links to Al Qaeda. They were travelling to the USA with their families to see one of their brothers for a holiday in California and they had indeed planned to visit Disneyland as part of their trip.

Mr Mahmood, a well-known person in his community of Waltham Forest, said after Hopkins column he was no longer invited back into schools to speak to students about Islam and Islamophobia, which is something he had frequently done in his own time.

Recommended Katie Hopkins apologises to Muslim family she linked to extremists

The schools did not contact me after [the column], he said. I really enjoyed [visiting schools] because, for a lot of students, I could actually clear their misconceptions about Isis: how Isis portray [themselves] as an Islamic group but have nothing to do with Islam and then what the true message of Islam is, it teaches us peace. I had a platform where I could educate children and that affected me the most, I was not invited there after her column.

Mr Mahmood also said that his children, already upset by being barred from joining their cousins in California for the trip to Disneyland, received verbal abuse at school.

He said Hopkins' column was the only one which affected the family and after she connected the family to extremists, it became too much for them so they contacted a law firm. Mr Mahmood also called the hundreds and thousands of comments on her article very, very hurtful and said he felt everybody was watching them when they left in the house in the aftermath of the article being published.

The Mail Online also apologised for a further column by Hopkins where she suggested Tariqs son Hamza was responsible for a Facebook page which allegedly contained extremist material. It has now become clear the page was linked to him as an error involving his email address.

We and Katie Hopkins apologise to the Mahmood family for the distress and embarrassment caused and have agreed to pay them substantial damages and their legal costs, the Mail said in a statement. The damages are 150,000.

In a statement on his brothers website on Tuesday, Mahmood asked for people to stop targeting Hopkin, saying he and his family accepted both her and the Mail Onlines apology.

I know a lot of people are making vile comments about her, but please refrain and forgive her for her actions, he said. She may one day reflect and become a better human being. As far as we are concerned she has apologised and we have welcomed it.

A representative for Hopkins and the Mail Online did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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After Donald Trumps seismic victory, talk of whether Michelle Obama would run for president dominated discussions. Bolstered by consistently high popularity ratings and applauded for her barnstorming speech against the now-President-elect, the First Lady became one of the most popular figures of the 2016 election.

But Ms Obama has now made it clear she will not be running for office. In an extensive interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said she would not put her family through more time in the spotlight.

Referring to the rumours, she said: I think some people think it's serious, but some people are just hopeful.

I don't make stuff up, I'm not coy. I'm pretty direct. If I was interested in it, I would say. I don't believe in playing games.

Ms Obama said eight years in the White House had been long enough and she did not want to force her children to be faced with more sacrifices.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

This is hard, it's a hard job  When you run, your kids lives stop.

The next family that comes in here, every person in that family - every child, every grandchild - their lives will be turned upside down in a way that no American really understands, she said.

And it's not for us to complain about it, so you don't hear complaints, but it is a truth, an actuality, that there is a weight to it.

Barack Obama has previously denied that his wife would run for office, saying she did not have the patience or the inclination to actually be a candidate herself.

Recommended Michelle Obama urged to run for president by 3 new political groups

In the one-hour interview which was broadcast on Monday night on CBS, Ms Obama also expressed her surprise at being referred to as an angry black women during her husbands 2007 presidential campaign.

That was one of those things where you think, Dang, you dont even know me, she said. You just sort of feel like, Wow, where did that come from?

You think, that is so not me! But then you sort of think, well, this isn't about me, she went on. This is about the person or the people who write it.

"We are so afraid of each other, you know?" she said. "Color, wealth, these things that don't matter still play too much of a role in how we see one another. And it's sad, because the thing that least defines us as people is the color of our skin, the size of our bank account. None of that matters."

Ms Obama said she was concerned about the future of America and prayed Americans still have hope.

When she was probed about whether her husbands government achieved hope, she said she did but also noted the sharp distinctions between him and his successor President-elect Trump.

Yes, I do. Because we feel the difference now. See, now we are feeling what not having hope feels like, you know. Hope is necessary. It is a necessary concept. What do you give your kids if you can't give them hope?

Ms Obama also referred to her meeting with the soon-to-be First Lady Melania Trump, saying that while she did not give her any specific advice, she told her that the door is always open and you really don't know what you don't know until you're here.

Her husband also made a surprise visit to the interview. When asked about what has surprised him the most about his wife as First Lady, he applauded her expertise for the job. The way in which she blended purpose and policy with fun so that she was able to reach beyond Washington on her health care initiatives, on her military family work was masterful.
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The judge who sentenced convicted sex offender Brock Turner to six months in prison for assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster did not act wrongly, according to a body set up to monitor judicial behaviour.

The California Commission on Judicial Performance, established to investigate court misconduct in the state, found no evidence that Santa Clara county judge Aaron Persky acted with bias in his sentencing of the former Stanford University student last June.

The commission has concluded that there is not clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority, or other basis to conclude that Judge Persky engaged in judicial misconduct warranting discipline, the group said, according to the Associated Press.

An updated photo of Brock Turner now appears on the Ohio Attorney General's office website, where he will be listed as a sex offender for life (Ohio Attorney General's Office/Reuters) (Ohio Attorney General's Office/Reuters)

Mr Perskys ruling made national news after BuzzFeed published a statement that Turners victim read to him in court.

In addition to her chilling recounting of the night Turner assaulted her, The Guardian reported that Mr Persky said he feared a long prison sentence would have a severe impact on the young man.

I think he will not be a danger to others, he added.

 Brock Turner leaves prison

The 11-member panel said they received thousands of complaints and petitions demanding the recall of the judge, a Stanford alumni, from the bench. Those complaining believed his sentencing was too light.

The Recall Judge Aaron Persky campaign, started by Stanford Law professor Michele Dauber, has been among the initiatives to get Mr Persky dismissed. The organisation claims that Mr Persky ignored the statutory minimum sentence of two years and perpetuated rape culture.

Judge Persky's ruling also sends the message that campus rape is not real rape, the group's website reads.

Mr Persky denied the allegations and launched the website RetainJudgePersky.com in response. He also released a statement claiming that he acted fairly.

I took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not to appease politicians or ideologues. When your own rights and property are at stake, you want the judge to make a fair and lawful decision, free from political influence, he wrote, adding that he had 20 years experience presiding over sex crimes.

In August, he removed himself from a child pornography case.

Turner was released in September after having served half of his six-month sentence.

Hopefully this will wake people up, the victim told BuzzFeed at the time of the sentencing. I want the judge to know that he ignited a tiny fire. If anything, this is a reason for all of us to speak even louder.
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Scientists believe they have identified a groundbreaking new feature deep in the Earths molten core.

A new study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, details evidence of a jet stream of liquid iron flowing westwards under Alaska and Siberia, 3,000 km below the Earths surface.

The discovery came from measurements made by Europes Swarm satellites, which map the Earths magnetic field to better understand its workings.

According to scientists, the stream is moving at about 50km per year.

That might not sound like a lot to you on Earth's surface, but you have to remember this a very dense liquid metal and it takes a huge amount of energy to move this thing around and that's probably the fastest motion we have anywhere within the solid Earth, one of the papers authors Dr Chris Finlay from the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Space) told BBC News.

The molten iron flow is in some ways similar to the atmospheric jet stream - the high-altitude, belt of air that allows aircrafts to travel more quickly to their destinations.

Scientists believe the jet to be roughly 420km wide.

It's likely that the jet stream has been in play for hundreds of millions of years," said the papers lead author Dr Phil Livermore from Leeds University.

Scientists believe the stream was created due to its proximity to two different boundary regions in the Earths core.

When the molten liquid approaches the boundary from both sides, it gets propelled out to form a jet stream.

"Of course, you need a force to move fluid towards the tangent cylinder," said Professor Rainer Hollerbach, also from Leeds and another co-author on the paper.

"This could be provided by buoyancy, or perhaps more likely from changes in the magnetic field within the core."

Scientists are not yet sure of the depth of the flow.

Dr Livermore told BBC News: "It currently wraps about 180 degrees around the tangent cylinder. Although observations only constrain the jet stream on the edge of the core, our theoretical understanding suggests that the jet could in principle go very deep indeed - possibly in fact all the way down to the edge of the core in the southern hemisphere (i.e. at the other end of the tangent cylinder).
US President-elect Donald Trump condemned on Monday the assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara, Sputnik reported.

Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov died after he was badly wounded in an armed assault in Ankara Dec. 19, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.

The ambassador was taken to a hospital, but died there.

The assailant was killed in an ensuing police operation.

The attack on the ambassador was carried out when Karlov was on the podium in order to deliver a speech at a photo exhibition in the Ankara Center for Contemporary Art.
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Police in the UK are upping security at Christmas markets after the Berlin terrorist attack that killed at least 12 people and injured a further 48.

Londons Scotland Yard said it will review security arrangements for Christmas and New Year events in light of the Breitscheidplatz lorry crash and the Russian ambassadors death in Ankara.

Greater Manchester Police, meanwhile, said it is increasing patrols at many of its popular Christmas markets and adding extra protection at 10 market sites during this festive season.

The forces assistant chief constable Debbie Ford said the increase was in line with Britains national response and that there was no intelligence suggesting an imminent attack in Greater Manchester.

The countrys terror threat has long been judged to be severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said it has detailed plans for protecting public events over the Christmas and New Year period.

The Met said: These already recognise that the threat level is at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely, and have considered a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles.

As a matter of routine, as a precaution, we review our plans after attacks overseas, and we are doing so at present following the awful incidents in Berlin and Ankara last night.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

Huge numbers of people will be in London around the festive period as shoppers flock to the capital for the post-Christmas sales, while more than 100,000 revellers are expected to attend the New Years Eve fireworks display.

Police have stepped up patrols at Christmas markets in the wake of the events in Berlin.

Greater Manchester Police said they had strengthened their presence at the markets, which have almost 350 stalls spread across 10 sites in the city.

Ms Ford said: Greater Manchester Police already has a visible policing operation in place around the Christmas markets, in the city centre, and in other key areas across Greater Manchester in the run-up to Christmas.

We will be working in line with the national response and have strengthened our policing presence at the Manchester Christmas Markets and stepped up visible patrols, to ensure that people feel safe to go about their daily lives.

I would like to stress at this point that there is absolutely no information or intelligence suggesting any attack is imminent in Greater Manchester.

If you do have any concerns at all dont hesitate to get in touch with police.

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In Birmingham earlier this month, new reinforced temporary road-block barriers were installed at both the main routes leading to the citys popular Christmas market.

Last week, a senior UK terrorism official in the city said an attack in Europe around Christmas time had been expected, but there had been no specific intelligence of any plot.

The barriers were put up in Colmore Row and Bennetts Hill to beef up security for the busy city centre market, which draws thousands of seasonal shoppers.

It is estimated that about 5.5 million people will visit the market before it closes on 29 December.

Birmingham City Council leader John Clancy said: Birmingham is united with Berlin today and our thoughts and sympathies are with victims, their families and everyone affected by last night's attack.

He added that the council had written to Berlins mayor Michael Muller to express sympathy and solidarity.

A book of condolence has been opened in the Library of Birmingham and the library is being lit up in the colours of the German flag on Tuesday evening.

Agencies contributed to this report
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The Charity Commission has ruled that Jediism, a spiritual faith in the "Force" drawn from the mythology of the Star Wars blockbuster film series, is not a religion.

The Temple of the Jedi Order applied to be entered onto the register of charities as a "Charities Incorporated Organisation" in March this year.

However, the Charity Commission for England and Wales ruled against the request, partly because it was not satisfied that Jediism promoted "moral and ethical improvement for the benefit of the public".

 Star Wars: Troopers take London by storm

In their application, the Temple of the Jedi Order pledged to advance the religion for "the public benefit worldwide" in line with the "Jedi Doctrine".

It defined Jediism as: "A religion based on the observance of the Force, the ubiquitous and metaphysical power that a Jedi (a follower of Jediism) believes to be the underlying, fundamental nature of the universe."

But the commission, in its judgment, noted it will not recognise "everything that chooses to call itself a religion" and was unconvinced by evidence proposed to support Jediism as a legitimate faith.

In the 2011 census, 177,000 people registered themselves as Jedi, making it the seventh most popular religion. But the figure was a significant drop from 2001, when 390,000 declared themselves Jedi.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Show all 24 1 /24 Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere John Boyega, left, and Oscar Isaac poses for photographers upon arrival at the European premiere of the film "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AP Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actress Daisy Ridley attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British musician Noel Gallagher and family attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actor John Boyega attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Romeo and Brooklyn Beckham attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at Leicester Square AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere US filmaker George Lucas and partner Mellody Hobson attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Mark Hamill gives a red carpet interview during the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Actress Carrie Fisher poses with stormtroopers - as her dog watches on AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actress Daisy Ridley attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere US actor Adam Driver attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Harrison Ford signs autographs for fans on the red carpet PA Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Writer-director J.J. Abrams attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere British actor Peter Mayhew - who has played Chewbacca in all the Star Wars films - attends the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Warwick Davies poses for a selfie with Star Wars droid BB-8 AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Star Wars droid BB-8 attends the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Actor Warwick Davies and family attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Star Wars drones C-3PO and R2-DT attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Stormtroopers, Darth Vader and Chewbacca attend the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at Leicester Square AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Star Wars characters attend the opening of the European Premiere of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Fans dressed up as Star Wars character pose ahead of the European Premiere of "Star Wars The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Fans dressed up as Star Wars character pose ahead of the European Premiere of "Star Wars The Force Awakens" in central London AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Stormtroopers march through London's Leicesrer Square AFP/Getty Images Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere Star Wars London premiere Stormtroopers make their way down the red carpet ahead of the premiere AFP/Getty Images

The regulator's judgement read: "The Commission is not satisfied that the observance of the Force within Jediism is characterised by a belief in one or more gods or spiritual or non-secular principles or things which is an essential requirement for a religion in charity law."

It also noted the Temple of the Jedi Order was an entirely web-based organisation and said practices cited within its online community may be adopted as "a lifestyle choice as opposed to a religion".

The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year boosted the number of people joining the Church of Jediism, with more than 1,000 people joining the group each day.
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A Merseyside police officer left in a coma after a motorbike crash while he was on duty should be taken off life support, a judge has ruled.

Paul Briggs, 43, suffered a severe brain injury in July 2015 and was artificially kept alive by medical intervention from the outset, according to his wife, Lindsey Briggs. She said he would have wanted the treatment to end.

He will now be moved to a palliative care regime at a hospice.

Mr Justice Charles announced his decision on Tuesday after analysing evidence heard a few weeks ago at the Court of Protection in Manchester - where judgements relating to people who lack the mental capacity to take decisions are made.

Doctors at the Walton Centre in Liverpool had urged the judge to be cautious. A specialist said there was "potential" for Mr Briggs to emerge from a minimally conscious state.

But Mrs Briggs told Mr Justice Charles that her husband should be allowed to die - and would have wanted life-sustaining treatment to end.

"The court case was the hardest thing we have ever had to do but we did it for Paul to honour his wishes," she said after the hearing. "We are grateful that Mr Justice Charles has shown compassion towards Paul, has respected his wishes and values and has understood what Paul would have wanted.

"He has been able to place himself in Paul's situation, and for that we will be forever thankful."

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

She added that the past 18 months had been "extremely distressing and traumatic".

"All our lives have been turned upside down," she said. "We have been living in darkness and despair - from when Paul had the crash in the first place, through all the uncertainty, having to watch him suffer and be in pain, and all the endless procedures and complications. Paul has been artificially kept alive by medical intervention from the outset.

She added: "Paul was such a selfless, kind and charitable person. He dedicated his career and his life to serving others and protecting the public with commitment, vigour and sheer enthusiasm, both on and off duty.

 Boy wakes up from coma speaking fluent spanish

"We know that he would have wanted us to pursue this case for him."

After receiving the judgement, she said the family was "relieved for Paul.

She added: "We accepted this decision and began to come to terms that Paul would finally be free from pain and suffering and that we could find peace at Christmas time knowing this."
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A Foreign Office minister has refused to say that Russia has broken international law in Aleppo  despite stating it has killed 3,000 civilians.

Sir Alan Duncan described the controversy as a technicality, adding that Russias involvement in the war in Syria does not come across my desk.

The comments prompted incredulity from a senior Conservative MP, who said the Foreign Office had previously indicated it had no doubt that international law had been breached.

Only last week, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson  Sir Alans boss  accused Russia and Iran of failing to uphold humanitarian law in Aleppo.

As the evacuations got underway, Mr Johnson summoned both countries ambassadors to criticise their failure to help aid get to the city when it was under siege.

Giving evidence to the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, on "the UK's relations with Russia", Sir Alan said 3,000 civilians had been killed by Russian activity.

He also set out how Vladimir Putins forces had destroyed medical facilities and left half a million people under siege, adding: Nothing really can get more severe than that.

But, asked if Russia had violated international law, Sir Alan replied: Im not versed in the detailed technicality,, adding: I dont want to say something thats inaccurate.

Mike Gapes, a Labour MP, then said: You said the Russians have killed 3,000 civilians in Aleppo. If that is the case, have they breached international humanitarian law?

But Sir Alan replied: I cant give you a direct answer on that. I dont directly cover the Syrian brief.

The minister said Britain was collecting evidence in Aleppo and very strongly supporting an inquiry by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

However, asked if Russia had committed war crimes, Sir Alan said: I can only give the same answer, because I dont handle the Syrian brief personally.

He said: This a very, very technical legal matter adding: That does not come across my desk.

An astonished Crispin Blunt, the committees Tory chairman, said Mr Johnson had clearly implied Russia was in violation in the way they are conducting this.

The Foreign Secretary spoke out last week, as the first convoys of evacuees rumbled out of the ruins of Aleppo.

He told MPs: Both Russia and Iran have failed to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, specifically by failing to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians during the months when eastern Aleppo was besieged.

During the evidence session, Sir Alan described the murder of Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, as a heinous attack.

He said the Foreign Office had been in contact with the authorities in Turkey and Russia following the assassination on Tuesday.

Sir Alan said: We obviously fully condemn this, it's a heinous attack.

"You can be assured that the Foreign Office, in a proper way, has been in contact both with our Turkish and our Russian counterparts to express our condolences.
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Brexit uncertainty is having a "corrosive effect" on the UK's science sector and risks harming the economy, according to a Parliamentary committee.

Peers found a "clear perception" that British scientists are facing discrimination in EU wide projects.

Doubts over future relations between UK and the rest of the European Union face making the country less attractive for scientists and investors, the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee warned.

It also attacked Amber Rudd for her "deeply worrying" attitude towards student immigration and called for the number of people heading to Britain for study to be separated out from the overall net migration target.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

The Home Secretary is looking at reforms to shake up an "immigration system that treats every student and university as equal" to make it harder for students on lower quality courses.

"In the light of the EU referendum, the need for Government action on this issue is all the more pressing and the Home Secretary's speech deeply worrying," the report said. "Whilst recognising that immigration is a highly politically charged issue, we would remind the Government that the public's views on immigration are more nuanced than newspaper headlines might suggest."

Peers warned the impact Brexit is having on the sector, which includes natural sciences, engineering, medicine, mathematics, social sciences and humanities, could harm the economy.

The report said: "The prolonged delay in solid reassurances from the Government is having a corrosive effect on the UK science base and could consequently impact on the long-term health of the UK economy."

 Theresa May refuses to comment on suggestions Brexit deal will take 10 years

The committee said there was little documented proof so far that scientists from the rest of the EU were choosing not to work in Britain following the vote for Brexit but found that "nervousness about immigration and nationality persists in the science community".

Peers said that while there was a "scarcity of hard evidence" that British researchers in EU wide projects were being discriminated against, there was a "clear perception" it is happening and "perhaps in ways that will never be documented explicitly".

The committee called for the Government to actively search out the world's most accomplished scientists and persuade them to pursue careers in the UK.

Committee chairman Lord Selborne welcomed a funding increase announced in the Autumn Statement that will mean an extra 4.7 billion for research and development funding over the next five years.

He added: "The UK's outstanding reputation and performance in the scientific world depends critically on redoubling efforts to persuade many of the world's most talented scientists to pursue careers in this country. Our proposal to find global scientific leaders will help to tackle this and nurture the next generation of research leaders in the UK

"It is vital the UK is still seen as open to scientific talent; the Government has the ability to send this message to the scientific community enabling us to become world leaders after Brexit and beyond."

Press Association
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Leading doctors are urging the Government to guarantee the rights of NHS professionals currently residing in the UK at the earliest opportunity.

According to the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS)  an organisation that remained neutral during the EU referendum campaign  the health service wouldnt be able to function without the enormous contribution that migrants make to the NHS.

The rights of all EU migrants residing in Britain - and the rights of UK citizens living in EU  have been in state of limbo since the referendum in June.

In a new paper, Making the Best of Brexit, the RCS urge the Governemnt to confirm at the earliest opportunity it will protect the rights of all NHS professionals, already residing in the UK, to continue to working here.

But the surgeons also argue that, if this guarantee is made, improved patient safety in Britains health service could be a positive legacy for Brexit.

They RCS also reiterated its call for prospective NHS workers from the EU to undertake English Language tests as stringent as those applied to non-EU workers.

The law should be changed to allow the same language tests to apply to staff from the EU as the rest of the world on the basis of English language capability in a medical setting, they recommend. This would be consistent with other non-EU English speaking countries such as Canada and Australia who have moved towards using medically specific language tests.

Miss Clare Marx, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, added: The UK has voted to leave the EU and regardless of which side of the debate doctors found themselves on prior to the referendum, its now clear the public expect us to use Brexit to help, not hinder, the health service.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

First and foremost, we must make certain that the many staff from the EU already working in the NHS and on which it depends, are protected. We need good staff to maintain a safe NHS. Jeremy Hunts plans to increase the number of UK doctors being trained from September 2018 are very welcome but it can take around 15 years for a surgeon to be trained and in meantime the UK will still need to attract staff from overseas to address workforce shortages.

As part of the EU, weve had to accept laws and regulation on issues such as language testing of non-UK staff, professional qualifications, working time and the safety of medical devices and drugs which perhaps fell short of our own standards or hindered our ability to do our jobs to the highest safety standards. Brexit allows us to correct this.

The RCS strongly believes that if the opportunity is seized alongside protecting the right of staff from the EU to work here, improved patient safety in the NHS could be a positive legacy of Brexit.
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Downing Street has poured cold water on Nicola Sturgeons proposals for more powers for a post-Brexit Scotland, saying it is already the most powerful devolved nation in the world.

Theresa Mays official spokesperson said the Prime Minister will carefully consider Ms Sturgeons plans, including an option for Scotland to remain inside the EUs single market without the rest of the UK. But he added that ministers aim to deliver a UK-wide Brexit.

Ms Sturgeons paper, called Scotlands Place in Europe, proposed the UK as a whole should remain in the single market and customs union.

Recommended Scotland threatens to leave UK if forced out of single market

But the First Ministers document goes on to set out how, with a substantial transfer of new powers to Holyrood, Scotland could stay in the unions without England and Wales.

Asked about the extra powers, Ms Mays spokesperson said: Scotland is already the most powerful devolved nation in the world. It has been given a huge number of powers and that has been a real success.

Devolution as a whole has been a success for the UK. As we leave the EU thats going to be an important factor and thats why we are working closely with Scotland and the other devolved administrations.

He added that Ms May had spoken to Ms Sturgeon and would carefully consider her paper, which will be discussed at the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee, involving all UK devolved areas.

The spokesperson said the Government was clear in its belief that there should not be a second independence referendum in Scotland, something Ms Sturgeon has threatened if the nation is taken out of the single market.

 Nicola Sturgeon: 'Hard Brexit' could mean another Scottish referendum

He added: The Government is committed to getting a deal on exiting the EU that works for all parts of the UK, which clearly includes Scotland, and works for the UK as a whole.

The best way for that to be achieved is for the Government and devolved administrations to work together.

Launching her paper, Ms Sturgeon said she accepted there is a mandate in England and Wales to take the UK out of the EU, but not that there is a mandate to take any home nation out of the single market.

Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned  forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA  because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty

She said: It would make no economic sense whatsoever for the UK to leave the single market. It would be entirely democratically justifiable for the UK to remain within it.

So, the Scottish Government will continue to argue and build common cause with others of like mind, for continued UK membership of the single market.

However, I reluctantly accept that as things stand, given the rhetoric of the Conservative government, that seems an unlikely outcome.

The second strand of her paper proposes ways in which Scotland could stay in the single market, through the European Free Trade Association and the European Economic Area, even if the rest of the UK chooses to leave.
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Theresa May could withhold details of how she will deal with EU migration post-Brexit when she publishes her plan for future arrangements next year, it has emerged.

In a tense exchange with Labour's Yvette Cooper, the Prime Minister repeatedly refused to say when she would set out new migration controls to be placed on EU citizens after the UK leaves the bloc.

It comes after Brexit Secretary David Davis told a committee hearing earlier this week that immigration controls will not feature in the UK's negotiations with Brussels.

Asked at a session of the Liaison Committee whether Ms May will set out controls as part of a plan she has pledged to publish in the run up to triggering Article 50, the Prime Minister said: "We are working on our proposals for immigration, there are a number of ways in which we can address the issue.

"When we feel it is appropriate to give any indications of those details then we will do so."

The Prime Minister repeated the answer when asked by Ms Cooper, who also chairs the Home Affairs Committee, if that means details of new controls may not come as part of Ms May's plan.

Ms May then did not challenge Ms Cooper when she said she would assume, in that case, that details of migration controls would not be published with the plan.

Net migration into the UK is currently running above 300,000, with much of the figure coming from the European Union. Ms May has maintained the promise to bring the overall number down to the 'tens of thousands'.
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In early December, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was forced to deny reports that hed told a group of ambassadors he was personally in favour of the free movement of people across the European Union.

Given his previous negative public statements on the issue, reports of his private support for the principle, which allows all EU citizens to move freely around the bloc, came as a surprise. Speaking to a Czech newspaper in mid-November, he had rubbished the idea that free movement is a central principle of the EU and denied that every human being has some fundamental God-given right to move wherever they want.

Many were quick to point out that Johnson was confused on a matter of law. The EU parliaments lead Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt quipped on Twitter that he would bring a copy of the 1957 Treaty of Rome, the treaty establishing the European Economic Community (later the EU), to the negotiations to correct Johnson. Article 3 of the treaty proposes the abolition of obstacles to freedom of movement between member states.

Yet while Johnsons shaky grip of the facts about the EU should not surprise us. His comments inadvertently touch upon a fundamental moral issue that often gets overlooked in debates around immigration: whether there is a fundamental human right to move.

The right to immigrate

Talk of building walls, taking back control and legitimate concerns over immigration implicitly assume that states have a right to exclude who they wish. Yet among moral and political philosophers there is no consensus on the legitimacy of border controls and important arguments have been made for a human right to immigrate.

Those who take this position are not necessarily committed to an anarchist perspective that rejects the very idea of states  though free movement was an important demand for radical philosophers linked to whats known as the alter-globalisation movement. Instead, some argue for freedom of movement based on the logical and consistent extension of mainstream democratic values.

Under existing international human rights law, Article 13.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains a right to freedom of movement for individuals within states, but there is no such right to freedom of movement between states.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day 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in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK 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Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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We tend to think of the right to free movement within a state as an essential freedom. If the government banned you from visiting and settling in certain parts of the country you would rightly feel outraged. The government would be denying you the choice of where to live and study, who you can form relationships with, who you can associate with on a religious or political basis, and it would be denying you a range of important economic opportunities. These are fundamental choices that affect how our lives are lived.

But notice that these very same considerations also apply to freedom of movement across borders. In todays globalised world, restricting your right to move across borders is not so very different from confining you to the boundaries of Yorkshire, say, or Seattle.

Citizenship in an age of growing inequality

Perhaps the strongest argument, however, concerns the brute injustice of the worlds current border regime. Those born into prosperous states enjoy life prospects virtually unknown to would-be migrants in poorer parts of the world who are condemned to lives of poverty and destitution.

A sign near the train station in Como, Italy (Francesca Agosta)

This fact seems morally arbitrary if we accept the basic equality of human beings. In the words of the philosopher Joseph Carens, citizenship in Western liberal democracies is: The modern equivalent of feudal privilege  an inherited status that greatly enhances ones life chances.

Global inequality has been increasing dramatically over the past few decades. According to World Bank figures, American citizens were 72 times richer than sub-Saharan Africans and 80 times richer than south Asians by the year 2000.

The argument for a right to move is strengthened further when we consider how wealthy Western states have profited from colonial relationships with many of the very same countries migrants are fleeing. These same states are among those who now set the rules of the global economy to their own advantage thanks to power imbalances in the World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Refugee law currently affords no protections to those escaping life-threatening poverty since it limits the definition of refugee to those fleeing persecution.

In these circumstances, the illegal crossing of borders, which so preoccupies the newly elected Donald Trump and right-wing populists across Europe, might actually be considered a justifiable form of resistance and civil disobedience against the economic injustice of the global order.

Is a right to move plausible?

Many will be tempted to dismiss these arguments as the utopian fantasies of philosophers which fly in the face of basic common sense. Or they might point to the unacceptable level of cost and disruption which they predict will be the consequence of opening borders.

Yet we should reflect on the fact that many previous injustices, such as the institution of slavery, seemed like common sense at the time. The arguments given back then against abolition  based on its likely cost and disruption to slave-owning societies  seem perverse and wholly unconvincing today.

A more principled argument for restrictive border controls could be mounted on the basis of a states right to self-determination or on the purported rights of a nation to preserve its cultural identity. Some philosophers, such as the British political theorist David Miller, have attempted arguments along these lines.

But I think these philosophical arguments against a right to move are ultimately unconvincing. They fail to give sufficient weight to the essential interest that all of us have in being able to live, love, study, work and settle without being restricted by the coercive and often violent imposition of borders. In the context of massive inequality, the current border regime is even more unjustified, akin to the arbitrary and anti-human character of a global caste system.

Those who believe in more open borders are currently on the political defensive in Britain and elsewhere. With much of the debate framed in narrow terms around migrant skills and economic contributions, it is important not to lose sight of immigration as a moral issue.

If we approach it in this way, we will surely conclude that the current border regime is unjust and indefensible.

Guy Aitchison is a post-doctoral researcher, school of politics and international relations, at the University College Dublin. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)
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It is perhaps the last great question of contemporary philosophy: if David Davis cannot conceive of it, can it be real?

Lets begin with a purely conceptual example: somebody clever than David Davis. Of course, David Davis himself cannot conceive of such a thing, nor can its existence be empirically proved, but this should not close us off at least to the possibility of its existence.

And now a real one. For David Davis, it is inconceivable that parliament will not be given a vote on the final terms of Britains exit from the European Union. He said as much to a House of Lords committee just two weeks ago. So the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union will have found himself plunged into an existential thought experiment of unsettling complexity by our new Prime Ministers first ever appearance before Parliaments all high Liaison Committee.

Ms May was asked this very question three times, both by Hilary Benn and by the committee chair Andrew Tyrie, both men generously adding the clarifying suffix: yes or no?

Only the first of these answers, you will know, falls within the range of Daviss conceivability, a range considered, by him and perhaps by others, to form the boundary of human knowledge.

So what followed came straight from the realm of science fiction. We will make sure Parliament has the opportunity to discuss these matters, the Prime Minister assured.

Mr Tyrie tried again.

We will not be setting out on an hour by hour basis, a running commentary, the Prime Minister replied.

I think people are hearing a no? Mr Tyrie suggested, to some laughter.

I gave the answer I gave, Ms May insisted, to even more.

This happened only a few hours ago, but that there have been no confirmed public sightings of Mr Davis since must lead us to the sorry conclusion that it is indeed conceivable - likely even - that there will in fact be no parliamentary vote on the terms of Brexit, and that the Brexit Ministers head has therefore exploded.

Poor David Davis. The once inconceivable made suddenly real. It were as if Job and Ecclesiastes were sharing a quiet pint, opining on the unknowability of God only for the Almighty to walk in, show them his To Do list for the week and ask for ten ones for the fruity.

For the few of us who survived this earth shattering revelation, it was a chance to savour the sweet fruits of an ever more sophisticated political culture. A straightforward question. A non-answer. And then a chance to admire the straight-talking, honest, get-on-with-the-job common sense of our brand new Prime Minister: the simple answer to your question is the rambling obfuscation I have just given you. Don't make me say it all again.

Brexit means Brexit. I gave the answer I gave. Roll on 2017. What a pity Mr Davis wont be around to enjoy it.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

The mayor of Nice, Philippe Pradal, has tweeted about the similarities between Dec. 20 events in Berlin and the Bastile Day terror attack in Nice, when Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel deliberately drove a 190-tonne cargo truck into crowds on the Promenade des Anglais killing 86 people and injuring 434, RIA Novosti reported.

Same m.o.. Same violence blind. Same hatred of people happy. More than ever, combat obscurantism, he said.

A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in Breitscheidplatz, West Berlin, on Dec. 19 evening, killing at least 12 people and injuring 48 others.
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Nigel Farage has attacked the husband of murdered MP Jox Cox over extremism claiming the widower backs organisations that pursue violent and very undemocratic means.

The former Ukip leader became embroiled in a row with Brendan Cox after he questioned a claim that the attack in the German capital was a result of Angela Merkel policies.

Writing on his Twitter account Mr Farage said the incident  in which at least 12 people have died and 48 injured when a lorry ploughed through a Christmas market  was terrible news but no surprise.

Mr Cox, whose wife was murdered by the right-wing terrorist Thomas Mair, shortly before the EU referendum, had replied saying that blaming politicians for the actions of extremists was a slippery slope.

But then, in an extraordinary step, the former Ukip leader then said in an interview with LBC: "Well, of course, he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox, he backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means.

He continued: "I'm sorry Mr Cox, it is time people started to take responsibility for what's happened. Mrs Merkel had directly caused a whole number of social and terrorist problems in Germany, it's about time we confronted that truth."

Shortly after the incendiary interview, Hope Not Hate released a statement said they were aware of a serious and potentially libellous statement made by Mr Farage on LBC.

We have no idea on what Mr Farage bases his outrageous comments, the organisation added. Hope not hate has a proud history of campaigning against extremists and hatred.

We will not be making any further comments until we have had the opportunity to consult with out lawyers.

Chris Bryant, the Rhondda MP and former shadow Commons leader, said: "The sheer nastiness of Farage sometimes takes my breath away."

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins added: "When your entire career has been built on hate, not hope, it perhaps shouldn't shock me, but Farage still sinks lower than I'd have believed."

Tracy Brabin, who won the by-election to replace Mrs Cox in her Batley and Spen constituency after she was killed, said: "Beggars belief... A new low for Farage."
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Nigel Farage has been criticised by the widower of murdered MP Jo Cox after he claimed the tragedy in Berlin  and events of a similar nature  will be the legacy of Angela Merkel.

The comments came after a migrant was detained over the Berlin incident in which at least 12 people died and 48 were injured when a lorry ploughed into a Christmas market.

Recommended Christmas market truck smash follows series of European terror attacks

Police believe the man, allegedly from Pakistan and named as Naved B, arrived in Germany about one year ago, according to local media reports.

But Mr Farage, the former leader of Ukip, was accused of political point scoring after he posted on his Twitter account the day after the attack: Terrible news in Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.

His comments provoked a backlash on social media with Brendan Cox replying: Blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? Thats a slippery slope Nigel.

Earlier, in response to the attack, Mr Cox had said we must pull together to drive out hate in all forms. He continued: Far right and extremists share same hate driven psychology, intolerance towards difference and tendency to violence. We must defeat both.

But in an extraordinary step the former Ukip leader then attacked Mr Cox for his comments. On LBC radio, Mr Farage said: He would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox  he backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means.

Im sorry Mr Cox but it is about time people started to take responsibility for what has happened. Mrs Merkel has directly caused a whole number of social and terror problems in Germany. Its time we confronted that truth.

Last month, the terrorist Thomas Mair, who repeatedly shot and stabbed Ms Cox during the attack before the EU referendum in June, was sentenced to prison for life. The court had heard how Mair shouted, This is for Britain and Britain First during the attack.

Kenneth Roth, director of Human Rights Watch, said it was important to remember the attack was the work of a criminal, not an ethnicity or religion.
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Theresa May has been accused of abandoning the fight against child poverty, after axing a Whitehall unit set up for the task.

The Child Poverty Unit was set up by Tony Blair and is credited with helping to achieve a dramatic reduction in the numbers living below the breadline in the last decade.

Between 1998-9 and 2011-12, a total of 800,000 children were lifted out of poverty, a record recognised around the world.

But the unit has now been swallowed up by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)  after its staffing was halved over three years.

The move comes after an embarrassing 200,000 leap  to 3.9 million - in the number of children living in relative poverty in 2014-15, when housing costs are included.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies is forecasting that sluggish wages and harsh benefit cuts will deliver a 50 per cent increase over this decade.

The abolition of the unit was revealed in answers to parliamentary questions to Labour MP Dan Jarvis, who condemned the decision.

He said: When the Prime Minister stood on the steps of Downing Street, she promised to fight the burning injustice of being born poor and lead a government that worked for everyone.

Having a country that works for everyone requires a Government prepared both to help those who fall behind and to stop people being disadvantaged from the outset.

Theresa May has no unit, no target and no intention of eliminating child poverty.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, said the unit had been set up so policies could be drawn up across Government departments.

She said: A move to restrict the unit to just one department would be worrying and could potentially downgrade the units status and weaken its reach, influence and effectiveness.

Under Labour, the unit was jointly run by the DWP, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Treasury, part of an ambition to eliminate child poverty within two decades.

But the Conservatives have dropped that target, in favour of a wider measure of life chances, taking in issues such as debt and addiction.

That life chances strategy has also been delayed and will now focus on Ms Mays just about managing households, as well as the poor.

A DWP spokeswoman said it was nonsense to suggest that the scrapping of the standalone Child Poverty Unit meant the Government was no longer focused on its work.

She said: We are absolutely committed to tackling poverty and, in the New Year, we will publish a social justice paper outlining our plans for the years ahead.

By increasing the national living wage and taking millions of people out of paying any income tax, we are ensuring it always pays to be in work.

However, two-thirds of children growing up in poverty live in a family where at least one member works  showing work is no longer a guaranteed route out of poverty.

And it has long-lasting effects. By GCSE, there is a 28 per cent gap between children receiving free school meals and their wealthier peers, the Child Poverty Action Group says.
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Theresa May has suggested MPs will be denied on the final Brexit deal  backtracking on an apparent pledge two months ago.

Quizzed by a Commons committee, the Prime Minister refused  three times  to guarantee that Parliament will have its say on the outcome of the negotiations.

Instead, she said MPs would be able to influence Britains new relationship with the EU with the passing of the so-called Great Repeal Bill, by 2019.

Ms May suggested the timetable for the two-year exit process  starting with the triggering of Article 50 next year  would not allow a vote on the final deal.

And she said her priority was actually delivering on the vote of the British people  which is that we will be leaving the European Union.

The comments came as a surprise because, in October, Downing Street said it was very likely that MPs and peers will be given a vote on the final deal.

And, just last week, Brexit Secretary David Davis said it was inconceivable that no vote would be allowed.

Some have also argued that the Government is legally bound to grant a vote, under the 2010 Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.

However, such a vote would not allow the referendum result to be overturned. If the deal was rejected, it would probably mean the UK leaving the EU with no agreement at all.
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Former colonial power Belgium has said it will "re-examine" its relations with Democratic Republic of Congo after President Joseph Kabila failed to step down when his mandate expired on Monday.

Mr Kabila, who has ruled since 2001, was required by constitutional term limits to leave office but his government says the presidential election to replace him cannot take place until 2018.

A statement issued by Belgium's government said: "As there is no inclusive agreement, relations between Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo will be re-examined, with the greatest circumspection for any new engagement with the current authorities."

Belgium controlled Congo from 1885 until 1960. In the period during which it was under the control of Belgian king Leopold II, from 1885 until 1908, around 10 million people are estimated to have died as a result of colonial rule - roughly halving the country's population.

The new statement issued by Belgium came as the leader of Congo's largest opposition party urged peaceful resistance to the "coup d'etat" he said Mr Kabila carried out by staying in power after his mandate expired at midnight on Monday.

Angry demonstrators began putting up barricades in the capital, Kinshasa, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowds.

The political impasse has fuelled fears of widespread unrest in the vast Central African nation that has trillions of dollars' worth of natural resources but remains one of the world's poorest and most unstable countries.

The presidential election once set for November has been delayed indefinitely, adding to fears that Mr Kabila will not step aside.

Mr Kabila, who took office in 2001 after his father's assassination, is constitutionally barred from seeking another term, but a court has ruled that he can remain in power until a new election.

A man holds a bird as a crowd gathers to protest in the neighbourhood of Yolo in Kinshasa (Getty)

The ruling party says there is "no possibility" of one in 2017, saying it needs time to prepare. The opposition wants a vote as soon as possible.

In a statement posted on YouTube on Tuesday, opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called the president's actions "treason."

"I launch a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to not recognise the illegal and illegitimate authority of Joseph Kabila, and to peacefully resist a coup d'etat that was carried out with the blessing of the constitutional court," Mr Tshisekedi said.

Mr Tshisekedi, 84, is a longtime Kabila foe and once declared himself president following the 2011 elections.

Until now, he and other opposition figures had refrained from calling publicly for demonstrations, but political negotiations stalled over the weekend without reaching an agreement on a date for new elections or the release of political prisoners.

Africa Rising - in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Africa Rising - in pictures Africa Rising - in pictures Men using the natural Bogolan dyeing technique, which is an ancient craft tradition in the Niger River, particularly Mali. By Le Ndomo / Boubacar Doumbia. Photography by Adriaan Louw / Design Network Africa Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures An art piece by South African-born artists Athi-Patra Ruga. Photography by Adam McConnachie, Courtesy of Athi-Patra Ruga and WHATIFTHEWORLD Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures An image from C-Stunners by Nairobi-based artist Cyrus Kabiru. The phrames were made using scraps of disused technology. Photography by SMAC Gallery, South Africa Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Photography by Flurina Rothenberger published in the magazine 'I love to dress like I am coming from somewhere and I have a place to go'. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures From the photographic series Proud Women of Africa: Rainbow Girls, which captures the lesbians of South African townships of Gugulethu and Khayelitsha who have been disowned by their families. Photography by : Magic Group Media, Amsterdam, NL Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Babylonstoren, where guests partake in curated dining experiences. Most of the food is planted and cultivated on the farm. Photography by Babylonstoren Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Work by The Nest Collective which spans film, music, fashion and visual arts. Photography by Phyllis Galembo Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Photography by Phyllis Galembo, who documented the clothing of people across Nigeria, Benin, and Burkina Faso. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Architecture by Kunle Adeyemi / NLE Photography by Reze Bonna. In collaboration with Makoko Waterfront Community, Blok Kats van Veen architecten, Dykstra Naval Architects, Thieu Besselink, Roel Bosch architecten, Urhahn + Borra, Pieters Bouwtechniek, Ikeyi & Arifayan, Matrix Design & Works Nig Ltd., Solarmate Engineering Nig Ltd. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures A collaboration between Amandine David and Marie Douel, inspired by Burkina Faso. Photography by Emile Barret / Hors Pistes Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Photography by Hector Mediavilla, whose photo series the SAPE Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant People captures the dandies of Congo. Gestalten 2016 Africa Rising - in pictures Fantasma, a 'superband' formed in 2014 by producer and rapper Spoek Mathambo who recruited members from acros South Africa. Photography by Fantasma Gestalten 2016

Both are key demands of the opposition parties, along with the dropping of criminal charges against opposition leader Moise Katumbi, who fled the country as authorities announced plans to try him.

Mr Katumbi's supporters say the charges of hiring mercenaries are politically motivated, as he had been a leading presidential candidate.

A presidential adviser said on Monday that no election was feasible until 2018 and maintained that Mr Kabila's extended term was legitimate.

"The constitution clearly states that the president remains in his position until his successor is elected by the people of the Congo, not by a loud and insistent mob," said Barnabe Kikaya Bin Karubi, the president's diplomatic adviser.

People fear a repeat of the dozens of deaths in September, when the opposition took to the streets after the electoral commission failed to schedule the presidential election.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Saturday that concerns about unrest are high, especially since "no one to date has been held accountable" for the protesters' deaths in September.

Additional reporting by agencies
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A group of African countries has failed in their second attempt to block a United Nations (UN) expert from working on gender based and LGBT violence.

Thai law professor Vitit Muntarbhorn became the first ever UN investigator with a mandate to examine violence and discrimination against the LGBT communities worldwide when he was appointed in September.

But the bloc of mainly African states led by Burkina Faso, have twice tried to pass an amendment to delay his appointment.

They claimed there "is no international agreement on the definition of the concept of 'sexual orientation and gender identity.'"

Recommended UN appoints first expert to protect LGBT people from violence

After being defeated on the first vote in November, their attempt to delay Mr Muntarbhorns appointment was beaten again, by 86 votes to 77, with 16 abstentions, earlier this week.

While gay rights supporters welcomed the result, the close vote reflected deep international divisions on gay rights.

The UN has heightened the focus on LGBT rights in recent years but has faced consistent opposition from some member states, particular those from Africa, the Middle East and China and Russia.

Iran and Saudi Arabia also voted in favour of the amendment. Western and a number of Latin American countries were among those in favour of his appointment.

Graph demonstrates the areas in the world where homosexuality remains illegal (Washington Post)

At least 76 countries enforce laws which discriminate against LGBT people, according to a UN report, including legislation which criminalises consensual same-sex relationships among adults.

US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, led the campaign against the amendment.

She said international norms on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity are "well established" and have been referred to in UN statements and resolutions including in the General Assembly and Security Council.

LGBT+ rights around the globe Show all 9 1 /9 LGBT+ rights around the globe LGBT+ rights around the globe Russia Russias antipathy towards homosexuality has been well established following the efforts of human rights campaigners. However, while it is legal to be homosexual, LGBT couples are offered no protections from discrimination. They are also actively discriminated against by a 2013 law criminalising LGBT propaganda allowing the arrest of numerous Russian LGBT activists. AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Brunei Brunei recently introduced a law to make sodomy punishable by stoning to death. It was already illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison AFP/Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Mauritania Men who are found having sex with other men face stoning, while lesbians can be imprisoned, under Sharia law. However, the state has reportedly not executed anyone for this crime since 1987 Alamy LGBT+ rights around the globe Sudan Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal under Sudanese law. Men can be executed on their third offence, women on their fourth Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Saudi Arabia Homosexuality and gender realignment is illegal and punishable by death, imprisonment, whipping and chemical castration Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Yemen The official position within the country is that there are no gays. LGBT inviduals, if discovered by the government, are likely to face intense pressure. Punishments range from flogging to the death penalty Getty LGBT+ rights around the globe Nigeria Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal and in some northern states punishable with death by stoning. This is not a policy enacted across the entire country, although there is a prevalent anti-LGBT agenda pushed by the government. In 2007 a Pew survey established that 97% of the population felt that homosexuality should not be accepted. It is punishable by 14 years in prison Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Somalia Homosexuality was established as a crime in 1888 and under new Somali Penal Code established in 1973 homosexual sex can be punishable by three years in prison. A person can be put to death for being a homosexual Reuters LGBT+ rights around the globe Iraq Although same-sex relationships have been decriminalised, much of the population still suffer from intense discrimination. Additionally, in some of the country over-run by the extremist organisation Isis, LGBT individuals can face death by stoning Getty

"In reality, this amendment has little to do with questions around the definition of sexual orientation and gender identity," Power said. "Instead, this amendment is rooted in a real disagreement over whether people of a certain sexual orientation and gender identity are, in fact, entitled to equal rights."

Pooja Patel, who manages the organisation's LGBT rights program, called Monday's outcome a victory for equality.

Discrimination and violence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world "is real and needs to be combated," she said, adding the close vote shows how much work is needed to build bridges with many countries.

Additional reporting by AP
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Security forces shot dead several protesters who had gathered in the streets of Kinshasa on Tuesday to demand that Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired overnight.

Scattered protests started on Tuesday, and opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Mr Kabila, who has remained in power beyond his constitutional mandate with no election to pick a successor.

Gunfire crackled in several districts of the capital Kinshasa, a city of 12 million, as measures to thwart dissent raised fears of bloody repression.

On the issue of deaths, it looks bad, the UN human rights director for Congo, Jose Maria Aranaz, told Reuters. We are reviewing allegations of up to 20 civilians killed, but it (the information) is pretty solid.

At least two civilians were killed overnight when soldiers opened fire during clashes in the neighbourhood of Kingabwa, two witnesses said. The government spokesman could not be reached for comment and a police spokesman had no information.

With a ban on demonstrations in force and a heavy military presence, Kinshasa's normally busy main boulevards were for the most part deserted as pockets of youths gathered in sidestreets only to be dispersed by volleys of teargas.

By sunset, the city was calm, although littered with debris and burned tyres from earlier rioting.

Scores of people were arrested, especially in the eastern city of Goma, rights groups said. Reuters witnesses saw more than a dozen young men who had been arrested seated in the back of a military truck near the university.

I'm gravely concerned by the arrests of those who seek to express their political views, the head of the UN mission Maman Sidikou said in a statement, adding that UN staff had not been able to consistently gain access to jails to gather information on how many people had been arrested.

He called on Congo to end politically motivated detentions.

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

UN peacekeepers in armoured personnel carriers patrolled the streets, at one point cheered on by a crowd shouting: Kabila, know that your mandate is finished!

In Lubumbashi, in the heart of Africa's richest copper mining area, police and Kabila's elite Republican Guard fired live bullets to prevent demonstrations, Gregoire Mulamba, a local human rights activist, told Reuters.

Local activist Jean-Pierre Muteba reported at least one death, a 14-year-old boy shot by police. A police spokesman said he did not have enough information to comment.

The mayor of Lubumbashi, Jean Oscar Sanguza, told Reuters security forces had intervened to stop looters.

In the city of Kananga, in central Congo, fighting between security forces and a local clan militia shut down the airport.

In a video posted on YouTube, opposition leader Mr Tshisekedi called on people to not recognise the ... illegal ... authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist (his) coup d'etat.

Authorities have blocked most social media.

Western powers are nervous of a repeat of the conflicts between 1996 to 2003 that killed millions, drew in half a dozen neighbouring armies and saw rebel fighters rape women en masse. Congo has never experienced a peaceful transition of power.

The United States and European Union have called for Mr Kabila to respect the constitution. Congo's former colonial master Belgium said on Tuesday it would re-examine relations with Mr Kabila and France urged the European Union re-examine its links with Congo.

Mr Kabila, who has ruled since 2001, rarely speaks about the issue in public, but his allies say the election was delayed because of logistical and financial problems. The constitutional court has ruled Mr Kabila can stay on until the vote takes place.

Reuters
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Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of youths gathered in the streets of Kinshasa to demand that Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired overnight.

Some limited protests started after opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Kabila, who has remained in power despite the expiry of his constitutional mandate and with no election to pick a successor.

Sporadic gunfire crackled in several districts of the capital Kinshasa, a city of 12 million, as measures to thwart dissent fanned fears of more violence.

But with a ban on demonstrations in force, and a heavy military presence, Kinshasa's normally busy streets were for the most part deserted. UN peacekeepers in armoured personnel carriers patrolled an empty sidestreet.

I think there will be trouble. The people are saying Kabila has to leave, said student Joe Doublier, 20, peering nervously out of his house in the opposition stronghold of Limite, where youths burned tyres and pieces of wood in the streets.

It's been 16 years and nothing has changed, he said, referring to the time Kabila has been in power since his father was assassinated in 2001.

Reuters witnesses in various parts of the city heard repeated gunshots. Protesters also set off fireworks overnight.

I launch a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to not recognise the... illegal and illegitimate authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist (his) coup d'etat, Tshisekedi said in a video posted on YouTube.

The declaration appeared to be an effort by Tshisekedi and opposition leaders to reinsert themselves into the drama surrounding the conclusion of Kabila's mandate after they originally declined to call for mass protests.

Kabila faces potentially one of his biggest challenges since he took office. Critics accuse him of clinging to power by letting his term run out with no election to name his successor expected until 2018.

Kabila has rarely spoken about the issue in public, but his allies say the election was delayed because of logistical and financial problems. The constitutional court has ruled that Kabila can stay on until the election takes place.

Some opposition leaders have agreed Kabila can remain in office. But opponents, especially in Kinshasa, are not buying it. Diplomats have urged Kabila to step down to avoid triggering a crisis and possibly another civil war.

Demonstrators in the districts of Kalamu, Matete and Lingwala as well as at Kinshasa University blew whistles around midnight to signal to Kabila that it was time to leave.

Clashes that began a day earlier resumed outside of Kinshasa University, a witness said.

In what appeared to be an attempt at soothing opposition grievances, Kabila's administration announced on state TV an expansion of the government by about 20 ministerial posts to more than 65, many of them reserved for opposition members.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The main opposition coalition, led by Tshisekedi, refused to accept the deal enabling Kabila to stay on and is unlikely to be appeased.

Scores of protesters have been arrested in the past 24 hours, mostly in the eastern city of Goma, according to human rights groups.

Authorities have blocked most social media and outlawed protests in Kinshasa. Those measures have raised fears of more violence in a nation that has never had a peaceful transfer of power and has suffered near-constant war and instability in the two decades since the fall of kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko.

Western powers are nervous of a repeat of the conflicts between 1996 to 2003 that killed millions, drew in half a dozen neighbouring armies and saw rebel fighters rape women en masse.

Reuters
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A Texas sheriff who investigated the murder of the Navy SEAL known as the American Sniper has been found dead in his home.

Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant was reportedly found at his home in Stephenville with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the Stephenville Empire Tribune reported. City officials said Mr Bryants death occurred at 12:50am on Tuesday.

The statement obtained by the Dallas Morning News from the Texas Rangers did not indicate a specific cause.

Mr Bryant led the investigation into the murders of Chris Kyle  a former US military sniper who gained notoriety for his memoir, American Sniper, and the movie adaptation by the same name  and his shooting partner Chad Littlefield. Gunman Eddie Ray Routh, a former Marine, shot the two men dead while at a shooting range in February 2013. He pled insanity.

Less than a week before Mr Bryants death, news broke that the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) had been investigating him for education training fraud. Instead of completing the required 40 hours of training, he allegedly had another officer attend in his place.

I don't know of any investigation against me and I don't know why there would be one, Mr Bryant told local media. I have done nothing wrong.

In February 2015, a judge found Routh guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.

Eight months before his death, Mr Bryant was re-elected as sheriff.

The Texas Rangers are currently investigating his death.
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Arkansas police have launched a manhunt after a toddler was shot and killed in a road rage incident.

Three-year-old Acen King was shot while riding in car with his grandmother on a shopping trip after the driver behind their vehicle opened fire.

Police said the boy and his grandmother were at a stop sign in south west Little Rock on Saturday when a tall African American man driving behind them got out of his car and opened fire because the woman wasnt moving fast enough. A one-year-old baby was also in the car.

Recommended NFL running back Joe McKnight shot dead in road rage incident

The boy was struck by gun fire at least once but his grandmother did not realise he had been hit until they pulled into the car park of a shopping mall nearby, CNN reports. She called emergency services but the boy was later pronounced dead at hospital.

Police are searching for the man and his vehicle, described as an older black Chevrolet Impala. A $40,000 (32,400) reward is being offered for the arrest and conviction of the man, with $20,000 offered by police and $20,000 from the city of Little Rock.

Lieutenant Steve McClanahan said investigators believed the grandmother and the boy "were completely innocent" and had no relationship with the shooter.

Little Rock Police Department chief Kenton Buckner told KARK: I certainly have no information to say that anyone in this family has done anything to cost this young persons life. But this is about as frustrated as you can be as a public safety official or just a plain citizen.

Police said the incident marks the 40th homicide this year.

Additional reporting by AP
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

The man who drove a lorry into a crowded Berlin Christmas market killing 12 people in a suspect terror attack has been identified by local media as a 23-year-old Pakistani refugee, the Independent reports.

"Naved B", who had been living in Flughfen Tempelhof, an old airport that had been converted into a refugee centre, was detained last night following the attack.

According to German radio station RBB-Inforadio, the 23-year-old was registered in Germany on 31 December 2015 in Passau, in Bavaria.

German media have reported the suspect was known as a petty criminal, but was not thought to be a potential terrorist.

The information has not been confirmed by the police, who have yet to give information on the alleged offender.

The identity of the alleged attacker was first revealed by German daily Die Welt, which said the attacker was born on 1 January 1993.
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On Monday, President Barack Obama pardoned 78 people and commuted the sentences of 153 others, setting a single-day record for the use of presidential clemency power.

With 32 days left in his administration, hes pardoned a total of 148 prisoners and commuted the sentences of 1,176 federal inmates.

However, the president has not addressed a backlog of clemency cases at the Office of the Pardon Attorney where 1,937 pardon petitions remain pending along with 13,042 applications for commutations, USA Today reports.

We need the president to pick up the pace of commutations before he leaves office," Michael Collins of the Drug Policy Alliance told the news outlet. He is to be applauded for his actions thus far, but we know that the next occupant of the White House is unsympathetic to the cause of mass incarceration, and to the plight of those serving unjust sentences in federal prison.

Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Show all 10 1 /10 Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Tom Hanks Barack Obama smiles before presenting actor Tom Hanks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Cicely Tyson President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to actress Cicely Tyson Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Michael Jordan Michael Jordan waits to receive his medal Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Melinda and Bill Gates Melinda and Bill Gates receive their medals Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Ellen DeGeneres and Robert De Niro Robert De Niro comforts Ellen DeGeneres after she becomes emotional accepting her medal Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Eduardo Padron President Barack Obama awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to higher education advocate and Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Diana Ross Diana Ross and President Obama Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Robert De Niro Obama awards Robert De Niro the Presidential Medal of Freedom Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Barack Obama congratulates National Basketball Association all-time leading scorer and social justice advocate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Getty Barack Obama hands out his final Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Ellen DeGeneres Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres wipes away tears as her citation is read before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Barack Obama Getty

In a White House Blog post, Neil Eggleston, Obamas White House counsel expects the president to grant more pardons in his final days in office.

The mercy that the president has shown his 1,324 clemency recipients is remarkable, he wrote, but we must remember that clemency is a tool of last resort and that only Congress can achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure over the long run that our criminal justice system operates more fairly and effectively in the service of public safety.
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A former member of the Mormon church has launched a Wikileaks-inspired website in an effort to make the famously private Latter Day Saints more transparent.

MormonWikiLeaks went live on Tuesday after two-and-a-half months of planning and, like the original WikiLeaks, will seek to expose validated documents or videos anonymous tipsters choose to send in. The group also plans to have social media pages.

Founder Ryan McKnight, a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, conceived of the idea for the site after he helped an anonymous source leak videos of senior church members at a twice-yearly conference in October. He has been bombarded with people looking to share information since.

Ryan McKnight said he wanted to show the inner workings of the church (Ryan McKnight)

Mr McKnight told The Independent that sites goal was to show the inner-workings of the church as an institution, good or bad.

Im not interested in exposing a list of members or exposing list of people who go to the temple. It's all things that are done on an institutional level, he said. A lot of it is policy and procedures.

On Monday night, the project shared a few documents from 2010.

There are parameters in place, however, to make sure all information and content is vetted, including a team of five volunteer developers and social media managers that applied to his call-out in the ex-Mormon subReddit. They also have a lawyer.

The more salacious a doc the higher standard we're going to put on it, he said.

The website currently has a GoFundMe crowdsourcing page to offset the out-of-pocket costs used to launch, but Mr McKnight maintains they aren't looking for large sums of money.

The church has not made a public statement about MormonWikileaks yet, but last April tried to nail the main Wikileaks page for copyright infringement after the group published their handbook.

So far, a few members have voiced their concerns about MormonWikiLeaks, including Mormon culture writer Jana Riess. She told The Salt Lake Tribune shes concerned about privacy.

People in the workplace have the right to expect that intraoffice communication and their emails will stay private, she said.

Mr McKnight, who does not consider himself a whistleblower, said all he wants is transparency. It is this reason he started the website in the first place. He left the church at 32, after realising how little he knew about the churchs racist and perverted past.

He may not be alone. The church saw a mere 1.5 per cent increase in membership in 2015 despite the churchs 15.9m membership.

If something negative does come out, Mr KcKnight maintains that is no ones fault but the church.

I would say a nonprofit and a religion has a responsibility to be open, he said. I dont think [the LDS church] meet the proper standards. If a website like this can promote that, I think we can do some good.

Wikileaks does know about the Mormon look-a-like and tweeted at the website to change their name, which is not trademarked, but McKnight intends to keep it. He told The Independent he did file to trademark MormonWikiLeaks.

In the meantime, he is is focusing on the bigger picture. Were not looking for specific information, if someone has information and it eats at their conscious and they feel it needs to be shared with the public we're here to help them.

Joseph Smith founded the LDS in 1830 with followers are commonly referred to as Mormons. The church believes in Jesus Christ but unlike Christians, subscribe to The Book of Mormon as their bible.

The organisation said on Tuesday it had no comment to make about the Mr McKnight's project.
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A homeless man has attacked a Muslim woman at a New York branch of Dunkin' Donuts, throwing hot coffee over her and accusing her of a being a terrorist.

Nathan Gray, 34, reportedly told his 21-year-victim he hated Muslims and threatened to kill her.

He then hit her with his bag and put her in a headlock, according to police.

Officers were called and arrested Mr Gray at the scene. He was charged with assault as a hate crime.

The attacker walked into the donut shop near Seventh Avenue in Manhattan in the middle of the afternoon and asked for a cup of coffee, an unnamed Dunkin' Donuts employee told the New York Daily News.

She said: I gave him coffee and he said something to me about terrorists, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. He walked away from me and sat next to a group of Muslim women.

He started talking to them and I could hear him saying, 'Terrorists!''

The women initially ignored Mr Gray but he continued shouting, leading to an argument.

The employee said: One woman called him stupid. So he threw his hot coffee in her face.

It was hot, hot coffee. She could have been burned. Then he swung his bag at her and it hit her in the face.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

The incident occurred after New York authorities launched a campaign to fight Islamophobia in the city.

The number of anti-Muslim attacks has risen across the United States in the weeks following Donald Trumps election as US President.

Earlier this month, a New York police officer was called a terrorist and told You shouldnt be working for this city after being attacked while wearing a head scarf.

It was the third Islamophobic attack in New York in a week, after another off-duty police officer was assaulted and a Muslim woman on a train was verbally abused.

Mr Trump has previously promised to ban all Muslims from entering the US, calling for a total and complete shutdown until the threat from terrorism is better understood.
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A homeless man repeatedly attacked a 21-year-old Muslim woman at a Dunkin Donuts in Manhattan on Sunday while calling her a terrorist and throwing his hot coffee in her face, police sources told the New York Daily News.

The incident took place at 2:45 pm on West 35th Street near Seventh Avenue. Mason Gray, the 34-year-old suspect, ordered coffee then approached several Muslim women sitting together a table, allegedly.

"I gave him coffee and he said something to me about terrorists, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. He walked away from me and sat next to a group of Muslim women," one unnamed employee told the newspaper.

At some point, the suspect yelled out: "I hate Muslims, I'm a cop, and I'm going to kill you." Then, he threw his cup of hot coffee at the woman and the woman in the face with his bag, allegedly.

Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Show all 15 1 /15 Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: People participate in an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message "Go Trump". Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: Children play on playground equipment that was defaced with swastikas during an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz speaks at a anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: A piece of playground equipment that was defaced with swastikas stands during an anti-hate rally at a Brooklyn park named in memory of Beastie Boys band member Adam Yauch on November 20, 2016 in New York City. On Friday, the park and playground was spray painted with swastikas and the message AGo Trump.A Hundreds of people, many with their children, listened to community leaders and Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz condemn racism and intolerance. Following the election of Donald Trump as president, there has been a surge of incidents of racist activities reported. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn A woamn takes a photo of messages and flowers left at a playground before a protest against racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn New York State Senator Daniel Squadron speaks as activists protest racism and hate after swastikas found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Flowers left by activists at the entrance to Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016 after swastikas were found in the park. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Messages and flowers left by activists at a playground protesting racism and hate after swastikas were found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Activists Protest Racism And Hate In Brooklyn Activists protest Racism and Hate after swastikas found in Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2016. The two remaining members of the Beastie Boys called for an anti-hate rally at the park in memory of band member Adam Yauch after it was defaced with swastikas. / AFP / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images

As the woman fled the coffee shop, Gray followed her outside, put her in a headlock and said he was going to kill her, police told the Daily News.

Police responded to 911 calls, arrested Gray, and eventually charged him with felony hate crime assault. The victim refused medical treatment when first responders arrived at the scene.
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A huge explosion has ripped through Mexico's best-known fireworks market, reportedly killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 70.

Video uploaded to social media showed fireworks exploding as a massive plume of smoke billowed into the sky above the open-air San Pablito Market in Tultepec, north of Mexico City.

Drone footage shared in the aftermath of the explosion showed smoke rising from scorched firework stalls.

Mexico State chief prosecutor Alejandro Gomez said the death toll rose to 31, after several people died at local hospitals.

Luis Felipe Puente, head of national emergency services, said at least 70 were injured and the number could rise.

He also said some nearby homes had also been damaged.

Mr Puente urged people not to come within three miles (five kilometers) to avoid danger.

Firefighters and rescue workers remove debris from the scorched ground of Mexico's fireworks market in Tultepec (AP)

He said there was no choice but to let any unexploded fireworks burn off.

Authorities have not yet said what may have caused the explosions.

Mexico firework accident Show all 10 1 /10 Mexico firework accident Mexico firework accident Relatives grieve by the corpse of victim of a blast in a fireworks market, flattened by a huge blast that killed at least 26 and injured dozens, who lies on the ground in Mexico City Getty Mexico firework accident Firefighters and volunteers work amid the smouldering debris left by a blast in a fireworks market killing at least 26 and injuring dozens, in Mexico City Getty Mexico firework accident A boy takes his helmet off as he pauses while working at the scorched ground of the open-air San Pablito fireworks market, in Tultepec, outskirts of Mexico City, Mexico AP Mexico firework accident People look at a burnt car after an explosion at the San Pablito fireworks market outside the Mexican capital on Tuesday, in Tultepec, Mexico Reuters Mexico firework accident A man walks through the scorched ground of the open-air San Pablito fireworks market, in Tultepec, outskirts of Mexico City, Mexico AP Mexico firework accident A firefighter takes a rest amid the smouldering ruins left by a blast in a fireworks market that killed at least 26 and injured dozens, in Mexico City Getty Mexico firework accident People remain amid the debris left by a huge blast that occured in a fireworks market in Mexico City Getty Mexico firework accident View of the utter destruction caused by a huge blast in a fireworks market in Mexico City, killing at least nine people and injuring 70, according to police Getty Mexico firework accident People search amid the debris left by a huge blast that occured in a fireworks market in Mexico City Getty Mexico firework accident Survivors search amid the ruins left by a huge blast that occured in a fireworks market in Mexico City Getty

The Mexican Red Cross said it sent 10 ambulances with 50 paramedics to the market, where emergency crews attended to victims and hosed down smoldering hotspots as fireworks continued to pop off.

In 2005, a fire engulfed the same market, setting off a chain of explosions that levelled hundreds of stalls just ahead of Mexico's Independence Day.

A similar fire at the San Pablito Market also destroyed hundreds of stands in September 2006.

Many in Mexico traditionally celebrate holidays  including Christmas and New Year's  by setting off noisy firecrackers and rockets.
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Are social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter responsible for helping spread and disseminate extremist information and propaganda with deadly consequences. And if so, should they be held responsible?

That is certainly the contention of several relatives of the people killed in a shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida, who filed a lawsuit claiming Twitter, Facebook and Google provided material support to Isis and helped to radicalise gunman Omar Mateen.

The lawsuit, first reported by Fox News, was filed on Monday in federal court in the eastern district of Michigan on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero.

(AFP/Getty Images (AFP/Getty Images)

Without defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of Isis over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible, said the lawsuit.

Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard who pledged allegiance to Isis, opened fire inside Orlandos Pulse nightclub in June. He killed 49 people and wounded 53 others before being killed by police in what was the deadliest mass shooting in recent US history.

Isis claimed responsibility for the attack, although investigations found Mateen was not a member of the terror group but had been inspired by it.

Gunman Omar Mateen was radicalised by information he accessed on the internet (AP)

Mateen was radicalised by Isis using the defendants' tools for that express purpose, Keith Altman, the lawyer representing the three families, told Fox News.

Reports said the lawsuit was the latest to target popular internet services for making it too easy for Isis to spread its message.

Juan Ramon Guerrero was among 49 people who lost their lives (Reuters) (REUTERS)

In June, the family of a California college student killed in last years terrorist attacks in Paris sued Facebook, Google and Twitter. Mr Altman also represents the family of that student, Nohemi Gonzalez.

At the heart of the lawsuit is a provision included in the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996 called Section 230.

 Mosque of Pulse gunman was set on fire 'intentionally' says Sheriff

The language of Section 230 says: No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.

This has been taken to mean that sites such as Facebook or YouTube are not liable for what their users post on their sites.

Yet Isis also uses Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to spread propaganda and to attract and train new recruits. Earlier this month, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter said they would share a database of terror images and videos to more quickly remove terrorism content.

The families who filed the lawsuit believe that that the publishing sites should be held responsible in some way.

I wish we could get some regulations put in place, said Mr Guerrero. They have to do something to prevent these people from doing things like this.

Facebook, Twitter and Google have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Mark Bartholomew, Professor of Law at the University at Buffalo School of Law, told The Independent he believed the lawsuit would struggle to succeed. He said the statute has many elements built in that provided protection to such companies. Yet, he said should barriers could be penetrated and that if the suit was successful, it would create a huge impact.

He said: If it is successful, it would have very big implications.
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Donald Trump cruised through the final vote of the Electoral College, officially sealing his election win more than 270 votes.

As of now, Mr Trump has 304 of the 306 pledged electoral votes, as two faithless electors defected and cast their ballots for former Representative Ron Paul and Ohio Gov John Kasich.

The vote comes amid protests of Mr Trump's victory, as opponents urged the voters to break their pledge and cast their vote for another candidate. Although the gathering of the electors is required by the Constitution, they are not constitutionally required to adhere to their pledge that stems from the results of Election Night.

A massive lobbying effort gave some hope that Republican electors would vote against the New York businessman  as they cited reasons stemming from the Russian hacking controversy, enthusiasm for Mr Trump amongst white supremacists, and Hillary Clinton's 2.8 million lead in the popular vote.

However, the faithless electors did not show up in the numbers many believed or wished for. In fact, more electors voted against Ms Clinton than the two who decided against Mr Trump. The former Secretary of State only earned 228 electoral votes of her pledged 232. In the process, Ms Clinton lost four electors in Washington state  three of whom cast their votes for Colin Powell, and another for Native American leader Faith Spotted Eagle.

Mr Trump falsely touted the elector win as a "historic electoral landslide" in his statement on Monday.

"Today marks a historic electoral landslide victory in our nation's democracy. I thank the American people for their overwhelming vote to elect me as their next President of the United States," he said, as he proceeded to take a jab at the political press. "The official votes required to secure the presidency by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media."

Mr Trump's electoral college win is ranked 46th of the 58 elections in American history.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at statehouses across the country where electors congregated to vote on Monday afternoon.

World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Show all 29 1 /29 World reaction to President Trump: In pictures World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty Images World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mosul , Iraq Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures New Delhi, India Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Karachi, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kabul, Afghanistan AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem. Israel Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Moscow, Russia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Seoul, South Korea AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Peshawar, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Hyderabad, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kolkata, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Aleppo, Syria Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem, Israel EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Baghdad, Iraq Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Tokyo, Japan Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico Getty

Police escorted a woman from the Wisconsin statehouse after she lashed out at electors.

"You sold out our country," she yelled. "Everyone of you, you're pathetic. You don't deserve to be in America."

In Pennsylvannia, 200 protesters gathered outside of the state capitol chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!"

Mr Trump has raised the concerns of Americans after his campaign galvanised white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements  also known as the alt-right  across the country. His hiring of former Breitbart chair Stephen Bannon reaffirmed support from those groups.

Still, many petitioned electors to reevaluate their pledges after news broke of Russian efforts to sway the election in Mr Trump's favour.

 Donald Trump completes victory tour by declaring 'we have tremendous hope'

US intelligence officials concluded the Kremlin directed hacks of the Democratic National Committee and other officials, including Clinton campaign chair John Podesta.

"It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia's goal here was to favour one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected," one official said. "That's the consensus view."

The Trump transition team responded: "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest electoral college victories in history. It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again'."
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Residents living in 24 cities across north-east China have been told not to leave their homes after thick grey fog engulfed the region.

The build up of the most severe episode of poisonous smog in a year has prompted a red alert warning, triggering the closure of schools and restrictions on road traffic.

Some 460 million people have been affected by pollution levels that environmental group Greenpeace claimed were six times higher than the World Health Organisation's guideline levels.

China declared a war on pollution in 2014 amid concern its heavy industrial past was tarnishing its global reputation and holding back its future development

But it has struggled to reverse the damage done by decades of breakneck economic growth, much of it based on the coal-burning power sector.

The smog  which has shrouded the area for four days has grounded more than 300 flights from the country.

The chief executive of the worlds biggest oil exporter was also caught up in the disruption, with his plane prevented from landing in Beijing on Tuesday due to the heavy smog.

Amin Nasser, CEO of the Saudi Arabian oil producer Aramco, was due to attend an event on Saudi culture at Beijing's National Museum.

Chinas environment ministry has warned that firms were flouting emergency restrictions.

Some power plants and chemical producers had not scaled back operations in line with new regulations, according to China Environmental News, the official publication of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The region affected includes several major cities in the industrial province of Hebei, which surrounds Beijing.

Red alerts are issued when an air quality index (AQI) is forecast to exceed 200 for more than four days in succession, 300 for more than two days or 500 for at least 24 hours.

In Handan, a major steel producer, the 24-hour average AQI at one monitoring station reached a record 780, Greenpeace said.

The scale of the red alert measures show that the Chinese government is taking air pollution seriously, said Dong Liansai, a climate and energy campaigner with the group.

However, the ongoing 'airpocalypse' is further evidence that China must implement far stricter limitations on coal consumption and accelerate the restructuring of the economy away from the heavily polluting sectors, Mr Dong added.

Pollution alerts have become common in China's northern industrial heartland, especially during winter when energy demand  much of it met by coal  skyrockets.

Official data from the Hebei provincial capital of Shijiazhuang showed average readings of small breathable particles known as PM 2.5, a major components of China's AQI, had risen to 665 micrograms per cubic metre.

The World Health Organisation recommends concentrations of just 10 micrograms.

The government said average PM 2.5 concentrations in the first three quarters of 2016 dropped 8.5 per cent compared with the same period last year, but officials have expressed concern that heavy winter pollution has overshadowed any progress.

China has repeatedly blamed unfavourable weather for much of the pollution this month, with high humidity and low wind speeds preventing the dispersal of emissions from coal-fired winter heating plants.

Several lawyers are suing the cities of Beijing and Tianjin and Hebei province for what they say has been their failure to fulfil responsibilities in battling the smog.

London smog: Then and now Show all 18 1 /18 London smog: Then and now London smog: Then and now London A London policeman wearing a mask for protection against the thick fog which hit most of the country and turned to smog in the city London smog: Then and now London A cyclist wears a mask with an air filter as he cycles through Hyde Park London smog: Then and now pollution-UK-2.jpg Heavy smog in Piccadilly Circus, London, 1952 London smog: Then and now London The Shard and St Paul's Cathedral from Hampstead Heath in London London smog: Then and now London A couple of office workers wearing masks to protect them from the dangerous smog in London, 1953 London smog: Then and now London A cyclist wears an anti air pollution mask as she cycles along The Mall London smog: Then and now London A London bus makes its way along Fleet Street in heavy smog,1952 London smog: Then and now London A view of London skyline covered in smog.The environment department confirmed that the air pollution level could reach the top rung on its 10-point scale London smog: Then and now London Morning traffic at Blackfriars, London almost at a standstill because of the blanket smog,1952 London smog: Then and now London Dust settled on a vehicle in South Kensington, which has blown up from the Sahara desert London smog: Then and now London A tugboat on the Thames near Tower Bridge in heavy smog, 1952 London smog: Then and now London A view of the Tower Bridge as the country continues to experience 'very high' levels of pollution London smog: Then and now London A couple wearing masks to protect them from the smog in Blackfriars,1954 London smog: Then and now London Tourists wear face masks London smog: Then and now London A woman wears mask in London, 1953 London smog: Then and now London A woman wearing an anti-pollution mask rides a bicycle at Hyde Park Corner London smog: Then and now London Smog masks have become all the rage in London due to the life threatening levels of air pollution with result in severe smog or 'pea soupers', 1953 London smog: Then and now London A couple stands on the viewing platform of a skyscraper

In recent days, Beijing has imposed an odd-even licence plate restriction in a bid to remove half the vehicles from the roads, but there have been at least 85,000 cases of violations.

The capital has also suspended outdoor operations at more than 3,000 construction sites.

According to forecasts, the pollution will gradually abate with the expected arrival of northerly winds on Thursday.

Reuters contributed to this report
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China has handed back an American underwater drone it seized from international waters in the contentious South China Sea.

Beijings defence ministry said it returned the unmanned vehicle after friendly consultations.

The drone was given back close to where it was taken, around 92km north-west of Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

Civilian contractors were using the drone to collect unclassified scientific data in international waters, according to the US.

Officials say a non-combat ship was recovering two drones when a Chinese boat approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them.

Mr Cook said the US would continue to investigate the event, which happened on Thursday near the Philippines.

The incident was one of the most serious confrontations between the superpowers in decades and further escalated tensions between the countries.

Beijing had been angered by President-elect Donald Trumps public questioning of the One China Policy and by the future leaders willingness to take a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen earlier in December.

The seizure has added to US concerns about China's growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarisation of maritime outposts.

In a brief statement, China's Defence Ministry said the drone had been given back to the United States.

"After friendly consultations between the Chinese and US sides, the handover work for the US underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South China Sea at midday on 20 December," the ministry said in a short statement.

The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the handover.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The US Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60kg and able to stay underwater for up to five months.

They collect unclassified data about oceans, including temperature and depth and are used around the world, but it is unclear how many are used in the South China Sea.

China is deeply suspicious of any US military activities in the resource-rich waters, with state media and experts saying the use of the drone was likely part of US surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway.

Recommended China could deploy floating nuclear power stations in South China Sea

Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that is actually part of China, and the US has essentially accepted this situation for decades while selling arms to Taiwan.

Tensions between China and the US have escalated in recent years as the former has staked claims to ever-increasing chunks of territory and the latter has sought to maintain a strong military presence in the region.

The incident took place inside the Philippines exclusive economic zone, and the country described the incident as very troubling and increased the likelihood of miscalculations that could lead to open confrontation.
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North Korea is developing bigger drones with advanced capabilities, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing government sources.

The North is building larger drones with greater range and with the capability to be flown remotely by flight controllers, an official from Seoul's defence ministry reportedly said. Yonhap stated the drones were undergoing test flights and had been spotted multiple times by Seoul since the start of the year.

South Korea estimates that the North has approximately 300 observation drones and around 10 machines capable of conducting attacks with weapons. Pyongyang unveiled its attack drone during a military parade in 2013.

Christoph Bluth, professor of International Relations and Security at Bradford University, said these figures were probably true but that North Korean designs were unlikely to match the sophistication of Western drones. The US and South Korea have enhanced their radar capabilities to cope with UAVs. Drones can only effectively operate in an environment in which the party operating them has air superiority. This is not the case on the Korean peninsula, he added.

In the past, South Korean authorities have been able to keep track of the North's drone developments in large parts due to the crashed vehicles found on southern territory. The news agency did not provide any clear images but asserted the drones had tracking capabilities and could be used to check the atmosphere, detect forest fires and observe fishing grounds.

North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone Show all 13 1 /13 North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP North Korea trading despite nuclear sanctions - Inside the country's special economic zone AP

North Korea has obtained technology from Russia and China in the past to develop their drones programme. The North clearly seems to be interested in building its own UAV to replace the old imported machines, another source at the Korea Defence and Security Forum was quoted as saying.

Last September, Yonhap announced South Korea was designing a new air defence system to shoot down North Korean drones within their borders. The plans reportedly included laser weapons and electromagnetic pulses.
All the circumstances surrounding the assassination of Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador in Turkey, should be established as soon as possible, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Dec. 20, Sputnik reported.

Lavrov made the remarks at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow.

Karlov died after being fatally wounded in an armed assault in an art gallery exhibition in Ankara Dec. 19. Three other people were injured in the attack.

The assailant, Mevlut Mert Altintas, was killed by the police. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.
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A 15-year-old girl has died in Nepal after she was banished to a shed outside her family home because she was menstruating.

The girl, who is understood to have suffocated from the smoke of a fire she lit to keep warm, was identified by local media as Roshani Tiruwa from the countrys western Achram district, Al Jazeera reports.

Badri Prasad Dhajal, a local inspector, told AFP: We are investigating the case. We suspect that she died of suffocation from the smoke of a fire she lit to keep herself warm.

Recommended Nepalese girls take pictures on their periods to highlight taboos

The girl had reportedly been sleeping in a chhaupadi shed, a hut outside of the family home where women and girls are sent during their menstruation in the belief that they are impure.

Roshanis father told My Republica the girl had eaten at around 6pm before going inside the shed to sleep. When she did not appear the next morning, he called to her from outside the shed.

Then we saw her dead body, he told the publication. As it was her holiday on Saturday, we thought she had gone to jungle to collect firewood.

My Republica reported this is the second Chhaupadi-related death in the area in the space of a month.

Chhaupadi has been a banned practice in Nepal since 2005 but many areas still implement the Hindu custom, which forbids women from having contact with men during their menstruation as well as touching certain objects or foods.

Women subjected to chhaupadi are at risk of health problems, including pneumonia, and of sexual assault, during their menstruation, due to the conditions they are subjected to, according to the United Nations. It is also blamed for prolonged depression, young womens deaths and high infant mortality rates.
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Angela Merkels political allies have called for a change in the government approach to migrants following the Berlin truck attack which killed at least 12 people and injured dozens more.

A man arrested in connection with the attack has been named by local media as Naved B, a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Pakistan.

The comments will put pressure on the German leader, along with the more anticipated criticism from her rivals in the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD).

We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy and to change it, said Horst Seehofer, leader of Bavarias Christian Social Union (CSU)  the sister party to Merkels Christian Democrats (CDU).

The parties form part of a conservative bloc making up the current government, of which Ms Merkel takes the helm.

The CSU have previously expressed their doubts to Ms Merkels open-door policy on asylum seekers, a million of whom have entered Germany over the last year.

In September 2015, the party said it was the wrong decision to let a wave of migrants into the country from Hungary.

There were also strong words from within Ms Merkels own party. The interior minister of the German state of Saarland, Klaus Bouillon, told German radio: We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

The anti-immigration AfD also sought to exert pressure on Ms Merkel, who they will face in elections next year.

The open-door policy was directly attacked by AfD leader Dr Frauke Petry, who wrote on Facebook: We must not be under any illusions. The milieu in which such deeds can thrive has been created through negligence and been systematically imported over the past year and a half.

This case is not an isolated incident. That teaches us the look abroad, mainly to France. The Christmas market was not a random target. Its not just an attack on our freedom and our way of life, but also for our Christian tradition.

On the immigration issue Germany is a politically divided country. The terror will unite us.

In addition, just minutes after the attack took place  and before it was confirmed as terrorist related  Eurosceptic MEP Marcus Pretzell blamed the Chancellor for the attack.

 Merkel 'shocked and deeply saddened' by Berlin market attack

When will the German rule of law strike back? tweeted Marcus Pretzell, an AfD MEP. When will this cursed hypocrisy end? It is Merkels dead!

Immigration is likely to be a significant issue in the 2017 elections.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said "we must assume" the deaths of at least 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin "was a terrorist attack", saying it would be "repugnant" if it was true that a refugee was responsible.

A truck drove into the crowd at the market, injuring some 48 other people. A man has been detained in relation to the incident, which police believe may have been a deliberate act.

However the suspect, identified as a 23-year-old Pakistani refugee called Naved B, has reportedly denied involvement in the incident.

According to a live translation of her remarks at a press conference, Ms Merkel said: "We don't know anything for certain, but we must assume it was a terrorist attack.

"It would be very difficult for us to learn that a human being who came to Germany to ask for refuge and asylum committed this deed.

"It would be terrible for all Germans who are very active, day by day, in helping asylum seekers and refugees.

"It would be repugnant for those who are helping people who came to this country asking for our help."

Ms Merkel said she was "shocked and very saddened" by what had happened.

"Twelve people who were among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas and who had plans for the festive season, are no longer among us," she said.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

"It is a terrible deed which one cannot understand. It took their lives. Many people are injured, are fighting for their lives and their health.

"In these hours, first and foremost I think of these people, the dead, the injured, their families and friends. The whole of the country is with you in deep sadness."

Saying she would visit the site of the alleged attack and also hold a meeting of her security cabinet, Ms Merkel urged people not to allow terrorism to change their way of life.

"Millions of people, including myself, are asking ourselves, how can you live with the fact that, while celebrating the festive season where we want to celebrate life, somebody has come along and taken so many lives. I only know that we do not want to, and we cannot live with it," she said.

"We do not want to allow ourselves to be paralysed by terror. It might be difficult in these hours, but we will find a strength to continue living life as we want to live it in Germany, in freedom and openness and together."
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it would be "particularly sickening" if the attacker who drove a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market turned out to be a refugee who had sought sanctuary in the country.

Twelve people died in the attack and at least 48 more were injured.

Ms Merkel also said she was "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened" by the event, which took place in a crowded tourist area.

"We don't know anything for certain, but we must assume it was a terrorist attack," she added. "It would be very difficult for us to learn that a human being committed this deed who came to Germany to ask for refugee and asylum."

A suspect arrested in connection with the attack has been named in local media as 'Naved B'. He is reported to be a 23-year-old refugee from Pakistan.

He had been living in Flughfen Tempelhof  an old airport that had been converted into a refugee centre  and was detained following the attack.

According to German radio station RBB-Inforadio,he arrived in in the country a year ago. He registered in Germany on 31 December 2015 in Passau, Bavaria.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

Germany's open door policy on migration has allowed hundreds of thousands of refugees into the country, many from war-torn Syria.

However, the influx has caused some tension in Germany and contributed to the rise of populist, anti-immigration political parties.
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Germany has become victim of what appears to be the latest mass terror attack to rock Europe after a lorry drove through a crowd at a packed Christmas market in Berlin on Monday evening.

The incident killed at least 12 people and injured nearly 50.

Here is all that we know so far about the incident, and what has happened since.

What happened?

The truck was travelling at around 40mph as it crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in the heart of West Berlin.

Eyewitnesses described a big boom and then blood and bodies everywhere.

Australian student Trisha ONeill, who witnessed the incident, told ABC: All of a sudden there was a big boom and the people in front me jumped on top of me.

 Video shows immediate aftermath of Berlin lorry attack

All the lights went out and everything was destroyed. I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there.

There was blood and bodies everywhere.

Briton Emma Rushton, who was in the market, saw the lorry rush past her at speed and said it could not have been an accident.

She told Sky News she only missed being caught in the chaos because she had climbed up some steps to take a seat.

Ms Rushton said: The stall that we bought our mulled wine from was completely crushed. People were tearing off wooden panels to get out.

It was not an accident. It was going 40mph, it was in the middle of the market. There was no way that it could have come off the road and it showed no signs of slowing down.

Suspect detained.. But reports state he is the "wrong man"

On Monday night police detained a Pakistani refugee named Naved B in relation with the incident, but it was later reported that it was the "wrong man".

The 23-year-old, who is thought to have arrived in Germany in February before being granted a temporary residence permit in June 2016, denied involvement in the attack, according to German interior minister Karl Ernst Thomas de Maiziere.

German newspaper Die Welt later quoted a senior police source as saying: We have the wrong man. And thus a new situation.

"For the real culprit is still armed at large and can cause new damage."

Hours after the incident Berlin police said they were investigating it as a suspected terror attack that deliberately intended to cause harm.

 Berlin attack: Suspect arrested by German police

Police wrote on Twitter: Our investigators assume that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz.

All police measures concerning the suspected terror attack at Breitscheidplatz are being taken with great speed and the necessary care, they added.

Special forces stormed the makeshift migrant camp at the Flughfen Tempelhof airport hangar where the suspect was believed to live in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Four men were questioned at the centre but no arrests were made, according to a spokesman for the refugee agency.

Possible hijack

Berlin Police spokesman Thomas Neundorf said a passenger in the lorry  who officials later confirmed was a Polish national  was among those killed.

According to the Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior, the Polish passenger of the alleged assassin was probably shot, adding that the man was a victim and not an offender.

The Polish owner of the truck, Ariel Zurawski, said the driver was being driven by his cousin and told TVN24 they must have done something to my driver.

Political reaction

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said we must assume the deaths in Berlin were a terrorist attack, saying it would be repugnant if it was true that a refugee was responsible.

The Chancellor added that she was "shocked and very saddened" by what had happened in the German capital.

British Prime Minister Theresa May sent a message of condolence to Mrs Merkel on Monday evening to express that her thoughts were with the people of Berlin and we stand ready to assist in any way we can, a Number Ten spokesperson said.

France's right-wing National Front leader Marine Le Pen meanwhile called for France, the US and, more interestingly, Russia, to form a coalition to fight Islamic fundamentalism, using anti-immigration rhetoric in criticising a weak international approach in battling Islamic extremism.

Eurosceptic German MEP Marcus Pretzell, who has previously called for German border guards to use armed force against asylum seekers, blamed Ms Merkel for the incident, tweeting: When will the German rule of law strike back?

When will this cursed hypocrisy end? It is Merkel's dead!

Ms Merkel has shifted her policy towards refugees and migrants to the right in recent weeks, including a speech in which she suggested stemming the number entering Germany and restricting the use of face veils.

Germany admitted almost 900,000 migrants in 2015 after deciding to allow in those who had made it to Hungary, and although the numbers had dropped sharply in 2016, her Christian Democratic Party (CDU) has suffered internal strife and a string of poor election results.

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage also took to social media in the wake of the outrage, saying: Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy.

The comment prompted hundreds of retweets and replies, including from Brendan Cox, whose Labour MP wife was shot and stabbed to death by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair days before June's EU referendum.

The widower of murdered MP Jo Cox hit out at Nigel Farage on Twitter over the former Ukip leader's responsem saying Mr Farage was heading for a slippery slope after the right-wing politician linked the carnage in the German capital with Chancellor Angela Merkel's policies.

Mr Cox wrote: Blaming politicians for the actions of extremists? That's a slippery slope Nigel.

Tributes

As emergency services prepared to remove the lorry on Monday night, tributes began to appear nearby, as people laid red candles and flowers, while others wept as they passed the scene.

A glass jar with a white candle inside had a note pinned to it, which read: I am Berlin for more humanity and sympathy.

Context of caution

The incident came less than a month after the US State Department called for caution in markets and other public places across Europe, saying extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing on the upcoming holiday season and associated events.

Al-Qaida and Isis have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds.

The Berlin attack comes months after Isis claimed responsibility for an attack on 14 July, in which a Tunisian living in France plowed a truck into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people.

Heightened security for the UK

The attack has led to heightened security concerns in the UK, with Scotland Yard saying it will review security arrangements for events over Christmas and New Year following the deadly incidents in Berlin and Ankara.

Greater Manchester Police said they had strengthened their presence at Christmas markets, which have almost 350 stalls spread across 10 sites in the city.
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The driver of a lorry which ploughed into the crowd at a Berlin Christmas market was stabbed and shot to death in its cabin becoming the first victim of the attack, the owner of his Polish trucking company has claimed.

Ariel Zurawski said German authorities asked him to identify the victim, Lukasz Urban, 37, from photos.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Mr Zurawski told the broadcaster TVN.

Lukasz Wasik, the company's manager described Mr Urban as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work.

I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if were attacked," Mr Wasik said in comments carried by Poland's state broadcaster. TVP.

The truck crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages outside the ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in West Berlin, killing at least 12 people and injuring 48 others.

Mr Zurawski said his wife had been trying to contact him hours before the attack took place on Monday evening but no one had been able to reach him since midday.

He added there was no way his cousin would have been a willing participant in the attack.

This is my cousin. I've known him since I was born," He told Polish TV channel TVN24. "My scenario is that they did something to the driver  they hijacked this vehicle because it was practically in the centre of Berlin and they had a good vehicle with which they could do what they did.

He said the lorry had been travelling from Italy to Berlin laden with heavy steel.

German police said they are treating the act as a deliberate terror attack and have arrested a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker called Naved B. However, police sources told local media that they were uncertain if he was linked to the atrocity.

The attack has been likened to a similar lorry attack on a Bastille Day crowd in Nice in July.

The suspect reportedly ripped off his mask after he was arrested by German police and is now in police custody under armed guard.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

Berlin's public radio station RBB-Inforadio cited security sources saying the man entered Germany on 31 December 2015.

News agency dpa, also citing unnamed security sources, said he came to Germany as a refugee in February 2016. Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the man was known to police for minor crimes.

Police urged people to stay in their homes on Twitter and encouraged them to use the Facebook safety check feature to tell loved ones they are safe.

One eyewitness described blood and bodies everywhere after the truck ripped through the crowd.

Australian student Trisha ONeil said All of a sudden there was a big boom and the people in front me jumped on top of me.

All the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there.

Additional reporting by AP
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The truck that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin is the latest in a string of targeted attacks across Europe.

These include:

Charleroi

Two female police officers were attacked in the Belgium city on August 6 by a man wielding a machete and shouting Allahu Akhbar.

Both were injured but only the perpetrator, a 33-year-old Algerian man with a criminal record named only as "K.B.", was killed in the incident.

Isis later claimed responsibility for the incident.

Father Jacques Hamel

On July 26, 86-year-old French Catholic priest Father Jaques Hamel was murdered in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy, when his throat was slit by two Isis supporters, Adel Kermiche and Abdel Malik Petitjean.

The men filmed the incident and forced two nuns to watch before being shot by police as they fled the church.

Ansbach

A 27-year-old Syrian refugee, whose application for asylum had been declined by Germany, blew himself up at an open-air music festival in Ansbach, Bavaria, on July 25, injuring 12 people.

Bavarian train axeman

On July 18, several people were hurt when a 17-year-old Afghan teen stormed a busy commuter train passing through Bavaria brandishing a fire axe.

The youth, who was also heard to scream "Allahu Akhbar" at the scene, was shot dead by police.

Nice

Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian resident in France, drove a stolen 19-tonne Renault cargo lorry through a parade of Bastille Day revellers on the Promenade des Anglais in the resort town.

86 people were killed in the July 14 incident, many crushed in the stampede to escape.

Lahouaiej-Bouhlel was subsequently shot and killed in a gunfight with police.

Police officials murdered

Isis-inspired terrorist Larossi Abballa stabbed a police commander and his partner to death on June 13, in an attack streamed on Facebook Live.

Having tracked the couple for days, he killed Jean-Baptiste Salvaing, 42, a police commander in the Paris suburb of Les Mureaux, outside his home before going inside and taking Jessica Schneider and their three-year-old son hostage.

He killed the woman, who was a police administrator in the suburb of Mantes-la-Jolie, but did not harm the boy and was later arrested.

Paris

Co-ordinated suicide bombings and shootings at cafes, bars, a rock concert at the Bataclan theatre and the Stade de France stadium in the French capital left 130 people dead in the worst terrorist assault on Europe in a decade.

Most of the Paris attackers died on the night of November 13 2015.

Belgian extremist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, suspected of masterminding the deadly attacks in Paris, died along with his female cousin in a police raid in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis days later.

Train gunman thwarted

A man on board a Thalys high-speed train that had just crossed into France from Belgium tried to open fire with an AK-47 assault rifle but was overpowered by a Briton and three Americans, two of them off-duty members of the US armed forces.

IT expert Chris Norman, 62, was awarded the Legion d'Honneur - France's top bravery award - for his intervention.

French police declared it an Islamic extremist attack, but the alleged gunman, Ayoub El Khazzani, maintained he wanted to commit a robbery.

French authorities have linked El Khazzani to Abaaoud, the ringleader of the Islamic State cell that attacked Paris last November and Brussels in March.

Beheading

Yassin Salhi, a truck driver with a history of radical Islamic ties dating back to 2003, decapitated his employer before driving to a US-owned gas plant on June 26 last year.

He was also accused of trying to cause an explosion by crashing his delivery truck into gas canisters at the Air Products warehouse, in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier near Lyon, and hanging his employer's severed head on a factory gate.

Salhi was found dead in his Paris prison cell in December 2015. The authorities said Salhi, 35, had killed himself.

Charlie Hebdo

Gunmen stormed the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7 last year, killing 12 people.

The nation's sense of panic was heightened as the assailants fled, and there was a subsequent attack on a kosher supermarket, with four others being killed. The incidents triggered worldwide outrage.

Brussels

In March this year Brussels, Belgium, was hit by suicide bombings at the airport and on the Metro which killed 32 victims and wounded 270. The attacks were also claimed by Isis.

Tunisia

Although the majority of incidents were focused on Europe, a June 2015 terror attack in Tunisia saw 30 British holidaymakers were gunned down at a tourist resort in Sousse.

All the victims were killed by gunman Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi at the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel and the adjoining beach at the popular resort of Port El Kantaoui.

Just months earlier, in March 2015, 24 people were killed in a terror attack at Bardo National Museum in the country's capital, Tunis.

PA
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Police in Germany have detained a migrant in relation to the Berlin Christmas market incident in which 12 people died and 48 were injured, which they are now investigating as a suspected"terror attack."

They believe the man arrived in Germany in Ferbruary as a refugee from either Afghanistan or Pakistan, the German newswire DPA reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed security sources.

Police are treating the incident in which a lorry was driven into the crowd at Breitscheidplatz market in the German capital's city centre on Monday evening as deliberately intended to cause harm.

"Our investigators assume that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz," police said on Twitter.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack... are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence."

The German authorities had precious refrained from describing the bloody incident as a terror attack, but speaking to reporters on Monday night Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere had said there are many things "pointing towards one."

The suspect was detained around one mile away (two kilometres) after fleeing the scene on foot.

He is not known to have any previous link to terror but has a history of petty crime, a German daily newspaper said. The truck was found to be registered in Poland.

For a full report of the Berlin lorry attack, click here.

The tragedy has parallels to the terrrorist attack in Nice, France in July, in which a driver ploughed through the Bastille Day crowds, killing 86 people and wounding 434.

The suspect, who was shot at the scene, was inspired by Islamic extremism.

In the wake of the incident, Isis called on its supporters to carry out copycat attacks.
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Germany can expect further significant attacks after a lorry ploughed into crowds at a Berlin Christmas market on Monday killing at least 12 people, a police chief has warned.

Head of the federal criminal police office Holger Munch said Germany remained on high alert with police unclear whether a man arrested in connection with the attack is actually the perpetrator.

German police confirmed they are treating the incident, that injured at least 48, as a potential act of terrorism, however there has been no claim of responsibility so far.

We need to work on the assumption that an armed perpetrator is still on the loose. As a result of this we are on high alert, Mr Munch said at a press conference delivered by federal prosecutors.

"Currently we have one suspect but we are not sure whether he is the perpetrator and we dont know whether there is only one. We have not found the weapon and that leads us to being in a high state of alert. Our investigations are ongoing to see whether there are other perpetrators that we need to arrest.

It came as Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, said the massacre could have been carried out by more than one person, adding that the suspect in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators".

He also said terrorism as a motive was still just an assumption based on the similarities to the Nice terrorist attack.

Sources told Die Welt newspaper a Pakistani man detained near the scene of the massacre in Breitscheidplatz is not believed to be linked to the atrocity, meaning the attacker could still on the run. The man has denied any involvement in the attack.

"We have the wrong man," the newspaper quoted a Berlin police official saying. "And therefore a new situation  that the real attacker is still at large and can do more harm.

Mr Munch suggested that if no video emerges with a claim of responsibility, it could suggest the attacker acted as a lone wolf.

Police presence has been increased at Christmas markets across Germany and officers have been armed with machine guns and protective vests.

However, Germanys Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Christmas markets and other big events should continue to take place following the incident.

He said: Regardless of what we may learn about the exact motives of the assailant, we must not let our free way of life to be taken from us."
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Russian President Vladmir Putin has responded to the Berlin truck attack, which killed 12 people and injured 48 more.

"This crime against peaceful civilians is shocking in its savage cynicism," Mr Putin wrote to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck, according to a statement on the Kremlin's website.

A Pakistani refugee, named as 'Naved B', was arrested in connection with Monday evening's attack, when an articulated lorry drive into a Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church.

 Merkel on Berlin attack: 'We must assume it was terrorism'

Ms Merkel herself said she was "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened" by the attack and told reporters it would be "particularly sickening" if it turns out the attacker was an asylum-seeker who sought refuge in Germany.

Tributes also poured in from around the world.

Boris Johnson, British Foreign Secretary, wrote on Twitter: "My thoughts & condolences are with the people of Germany following tonight's terrible tragedy in Berlin, leaving so many dead & injured."

And the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the awful suspected attack on Berlin last night, particularly those who were injured, the families and friends of those who were killed and all the emergency responders.

"All Londoners stand in solidarity with the people of Berlin today - this was an attack on our shared values, freedoms and way of life."

President Barack Obama spoke with Ms Merkel on the phone about the attack.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

According to Ms Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert: "President Obama assured the German Chancellor that the United States would support Germany in the investigation."

A White House statement released on Monday night by the National Security council said the United States " condemns in the strongest terms what appears to have been a terrorist attack on a Christmas Market".

The statement continued: "We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed, just as we wish a speedy recovery to all of those wounded.

"We also extend our heartfelt condolences to the people and Government of Germany."

 Berlin attack: Suspect arrested by German police

Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump sent a message from his Florida residence about condemning the attack and blaming jihadi militant group Isis.

Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of todays horrifying terror attack in Berlin," Mr Trump said. "Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday.

"ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.

French President Francois Hollande, whose country also suffered a truck attack in Nice earlier in the year, said: "The French share the mourning of the Germans who are facing this tragedy, which hits all Europe."

Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was "horrified" by reports on the attack, stressing that "France stands alongside Germany at this dark and painful moment."
The Dec. 19 assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was aimed at derailing Moscow-Ankara ties, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow Dec. 20, Sputnik International reported.



This [assassination] is beneficial for those who seek to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey, hamper the repair of relations between the two sides, both bilateral and relations that allow strengthening and uniting the efforts for the Syrian political settlement, he said. Our investigators have arrived in Ankara.



Karlov died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assault at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara late Dec. 19. Three other people were injured in the attack. The killer, Turkish off-duty police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, has been eliminated. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.
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Eyewitnesses have described the blood and bodies everywhere after a lorry drove through the crowd at a packed Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least 12 people.

Berlin police have said that investigators assume the driver of a truck did so intentionally in a suspected terrorist attack.

The truck crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which was left as a ruin after World War Two, in the heart of former West Berlin on Monday evening.

Australian student Trisha ONeill was sitting metres from where the truck ploughed into the crowd at the Breitscheidplatz market.

She told ABC: "All of a sudden there was a big boom and the people in front me jumped on top of me.

"All the lights went out and everything was destroyed.

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there.

"There was blood and bodies everywhere."

She said she and her friends had frozen because they were unsure what to do. They were afraid to see dead bobies lying on the ground but eventually walk away to streets nearby when the police and ambulance arrived.

Briton Emma Rushton, who was in the market, saw the lorry rush past her at speed and said it could not have been an accident.

She told Sky News she only missed being caught in the chaos because she had climbed up some steps to take a seat.

Ms Rushton said: "The stall that we bought our mulled wine from was completely crushed. People were tearing off wooden panels to get out."

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

She added: "It was not an accident. It was going 40mph, it was in the middle of the market. There was no way that it could have come off the road and it showed no signs of slowing down.

"Our investigators assume that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz," police said on Twitter.

"All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence," police said

German radio station Bayern 1 reported that the suspect was a Pakistani national who had entered the country on New Year's Eve in 2015.

German police said the suspect had been arrested last night and was currently in custody.
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German police special forces have stormed a hangar at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof airport, which now houses Berlin's biggest refugee accommodation centre, according to German magazine Focus.

It comes hours after a truck ploughed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others.

Recommended Driver of lorry in Berlin Christmas market attack has been named

Four young men were questioned at the police station in the refugee camp, but there were no arrests, according to Sascha Langenbach, spokesman for the refugee agency.

The operation, which also involved forces from the special unit (SEK), began at 3am and lasted five hours, involving up to 250 officials, Welt.de reported.

Police have detained a migrant in relation to the incident, which they are now investigating as a "suspected terror attack" that deliberately intended to cause harm.

 Video shows immediate aftermath of Berlin lorry attack

Our investigators assume that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz, police said on Twitter.

All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack... are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence.

They believe the man arrived in Germany in Ferbruary as a refugee from either Afghanistan or Pakistan, the German newswire DPA reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed security sources.
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The suspect detained over the Berlin Christmas market incident in which at least 12 people died and 48 were injured has been named as a Pakistani refugee Naved B.

Police believe the man, named as "Naved B", arrived in Germany around one year ago, according to local media reports.

Special forces stormed the makeshift migrant camp at the Flughfen Tempelhof airport hangar where he was believed to live.

The German authorities have so far not described the incident as a terror attack, but speaking to reporters on Monday night, Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere said there are many things "pointing towards one".

And security services have said they are treating the tragedy as deliberately intended to cause harm.

The Berlin market suspect was arrested around one mile (1.6km) away after allegedly fleeing the scene on foot.

He is not known to have any previous link to terror but has a history of petty crime, a German daily newspaper said.

The lorry, a large black Scania, smashed into crowds gathered around brightly lit market stalls surrounding the citys landmark Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church close to Berlins Kurfurstendamm boulevard shortly after 8pm local time (9pm GMT) on Monday.

Eyewitnesses said injured victims lay bloodstained on the ground while others fled the scene in panic after the lorry struck, driving at a speed of some 40mph. More victims were buried under collapsed wooden market stalls.

A lunatic has driven into the Christmas market. People are screaming. Its carnage, one distressed marketgoer told Germanys Bild newspaper. It was the citys worst 'attack' in more than a decade.

Police said one of the two drivers was found dead inside the vehicles cabin and was thought to have died of injuries sustained in the incident.

A police spokesman said the suspected co-drivers identity was being checked. He said the Scania lorry had Polish number plates and that the lorry had been stolen. This appears to have been a deliberate attack, he said.

German television footage showed the entire Christmas market area sealed off by police as ambulance crews ferried bloodstained victims to hospital in the surrounding area.

Eyewitnesss Mike Fox from Birmingham, told the Associated Press that the lorry missed him by about three metres as it drove into the market, tearing through tables and market stalls.

It was definitely deliberate, he said, adding that he had helped people who appeared to have broken limbs and others trapped under Christmas stands.

The incident occurred at the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market, a focal point in west Berlin which stands next to the preserved remains of the citys Second World War-bomb damaged Kaiser Wilhelm church. The site is a famous tourist attraction.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has been in contact with the interior minister and the mayor of Berlin. Her spokesman, Steffen Seibert, tweeted: "We are in mourning for the dead and hope that the many injured can get help."

Mr De Maiziere told ARD television: "I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet at the moment, although a lot speaks for it."

He added that "there is a psychological effect in the whole country of the choice of words here, and we want to be very, very cautious and operate close to the actual investigation results, not with speculation."

Wolfgang Bosbach, an MP from Chancellor Angela Merkels ruling Christian Democratic party, said: Although there is a host of unanswered questions, indications are it was a deliberate attack... just a few days before Christmas, in the middle of the German capital and amidst happy, peaceful people. The message is clear: no matter where, no matter how, we can pounce at any time.

Berlins mayor, Michael Muller, said: What were seeing here is dramatic and a shock to us all. We hope what our fears that this is an attack wont prove true. Our thoughts are with the families of the injured.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

US President-elect Donald Trump condemned the suspected attack, saying in a statement: "Isis and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad."

Unlike France, Britain and Spain, Germany has managed to escape a major terrorist attack during the past decade. But the countrys security services warn that the likelihood of an attack is ever present and have asked the public to remain vigilant.

Mondays incident has echoes of last Julys terrorist attack in Nice, France, that left 86 people dead. A Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, striking down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day. The attack was claimed by Isis.
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Isis has claimed responsibility for the lorry attack on a crowded Christmas market in Berlin.

Through its Amaq news agency, the jihadi group has claimed the attacker is a "soldier of the Islamic State".

The phrase matches that used to claim previous lone wolf attacks, such as those in Orlando and Wurzburg.

The statement also said the attacker "carried out the attack in response to calls to target nationals of countries in the international coalition".

It did not name the attacker.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

Speaking after the Isis claim, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said investigators are following several leads.

"We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," Mr de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster.

"There are several leads that investigators are following now," the minister added.

Mr de Maiziere added that "nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught".

 Merkel on Berlin attack: 'We must assume it was terrorism'

Earlier on Tuesday, German authorities released a Pakistani asylum-seeker who was suspected of driving a truck into the market, killing 12 people and injuring 48.

The interior minister said the perpetrator of the attack is probably still on the run.

He said the man arrested earlier was released due to lack of evidence.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and traveling 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the truck's passenger seat was Polish.

The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained in hospital, 14 with serious injuries.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life.

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin.

"A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Ms Merkel, who has been criticised for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage head-on.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Ms Merkel said.

"This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."
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Reports that a German school in Turkey has banned Christmas celebrations  sparking widespread condemnation back home  are not true, according to the institution at the centre of the story.

The row started last week when the school principal sent an email to all staff reminding them that Christmas was not to be celebrated during class time, including through singing carols. The Christian festival was not on the curriculum and so it should not be taught, the missive said.

The story was picked up by German media, who alleged the school choir was also forced to cancel a festive performance at the German consulate.

On Sunday the foreign ministry in Berlin released a statement condemning the actions of the school, with some politicians even suggesting its funding could be removed.

We don't understand the surprising decision by the management of the Istanbul Lisesi, the German foreign ministry said.

It is too bad that the good tradition of pre-Christmas intercultural exchanges at the school with a long German-Turkish tradition has been suspended," it added in a statement.

We are of course taking this up with our Turkish partners.

But the allegations were swiftly denied by the Istanbul Lisesi school, a Turkish-German bilingual academy which receives some financial backing from the German government, which denied banning Christmas and said the media had misrepresented the situation.

The reports in German media about restrictions on Christmas festivities of German teachers do not reflect reality, it said.

A choir performance had been cancelled, it said, but by the German teachers involved in the event, who had pulled out.

A concert was cancelled by the German teachers in question without explanation and there is no question of the school or its management placing an obstacle in its way or prohibiting it."

Ruling AKP party MP Mustafa Yeneroglu also denied the claims, saying they were irresponsible. Such false reports do nothing for Turkey-Germany relations, he said.

But German politicians still reacted angrily to the claims, and several newspapers ran the story on the front page on Monday.

The Greens' education policy spokesman Ozcan Mutlu said the alleged ban was simply shocking, adding that if it remains in place the schools funding could come in to question.

Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images

Other politicians seized upon the alleged incident, seeking to contextualise it in recent friction between the two countries.

Relations between Ankara and Berlin have been strained since Turkey's failed military coup in July, with Germany repeatedly expressing concern over the scope of a massive crackdown on Mr Erdogan's opponents.

Andreas Scheuer, the general secretary of the Bavarian CSU party said the move was new proof that (President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan's Turkey is burning all bridges with Europe."

He told local media: "Christmas is part of Germany, and that applies too for a German school abroad."
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Germany is on edge once again as investigators try to stitch together the motive of a driver who ploughed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing 12 people in what German authorities described as a likely act of terrorism.

But new data shows that European authorities aren't just guarding against terror plots using weapons like trucks or bombs. They are also concerned about a more conventional threat: illegal firearms that may be increasingly easy for suspected terror networks to obtain.

According to the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence at King's College London, criminals-turned-terrorist suspects are becoming a more common problem. The research centre collected extensive data on 79 recent European militants with criminal pasts. About 80 percent of those involved in recent terrorism plots had criminal convictions.

The researchers fear that extremists with criminal pasts could plan large-scale attacks more easily because of underworld contacts and previous experience dodging the law. Because of the changing profiles of terrorists, it is easier and cheaper for them to obtain firearms, said Nils Duquet, senior weapons researcher at the Flemish Peace Institute.

The growing market for firearms has led to an increase in supply. The number of seized illicit firearms in Europe has been on the rise for years.

(The Washington Post)

A research project funded by the European Commission also laid out Europe's vast weapons trafficking network. The Fire Project documents all firearms that were seized in the European Union between 2010 and early 2015.

One country in Western Europe stands out among the rest: Belgium. Across the country, thousands of firearms were seized over the last few years - many more than in other Western European countries.

Many of the recent major terror attacks in Europe were planned in Belgium's capital, Brussels, where police have raided dozens of homes belonging to suspected Islamic State sympathisers or other militants. Experts, however, say that only a fraction of all illicit firearms which circulate in the small European country were found.

What authorities focus on is gaining some time, said Duquet. The aim is to make sure that terrorists need extra steps to obtain a gun - for instance, one week. Every additional day you win is an extra day for authorities to intervene.

Most trafficking takes place on land routes, rather than on ships or planes. Criminals involved in the trafficking business enter the European Union's Schengen area, where there are few border checks, through EU members Slovenia or Hungary.

(The Washington Post)

So how easy is it to cross the border into the Schengen area? A look at the chart below helps explain the answer: very easy, in most cases. So far, few EU citizens are thoroughly screened while entering the Schengen zone from outside. Whereas non-EU citizens are frequently asked to stop and have their vehicles searched, EU citizens are mostly allowed to pass.

This explains why the vast majority of those involved in firearms trafficking on European Union soil are citizens of the union. Many come from Southern Europe.

(The Washington Post)

Although the vast majority of weapons smugglers are young and aged between 20 and 34, there is also a surprising number of older criminals who earn money from the business.

(The Washington Post)

The mixed profiles of those offering illicit firearms in Europe is met by an increasingly diverse demand for the weapons on offer.

Ten years ago you wouldn't have found Kalashnikovs in Western Europe, said Duquet, referring to an assault rifle developed in the Soviet Union and now widely copied around the world. Tens of thousands of those weapons still circulate on the Balkans where war still raged two decades ago. Many of those weapons are now making their way to Western Europe, often smuggled in small quantities.

(The Washington Post)

For criminals, Kalashnikovs are not that interesting. You can't really rob a store with it, said Duquet. But for terrorists, Kalashnikovs are ideal. They kill many people in a short time frame.

The Washington Post
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The man arrested in connection with the suspected terror attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market which killed 12 people, has been identified by local media as a 23-year-old Pakistani refugee.

The suspect is being interrogated and denies involvement in the attack, Germany's interior minister said.

"Naved B" had been living in Flughfen Tempelhof  an old airport that had been converted into a refugee centre  and was detained last night following the attack.

The 23-year-old travelled to Germany a year ago via the Balkans and registered on 31 December 2015 in Passau, Bavaria, according to local media.

The suspect was granted a temporary residence permit in June 2016, according to the Die Welt newspaper, which cited a criminal police report.

German interior minister Karl Ernst Thomas de Maiziere told a press conference on Tuesday that Naved B's application for asylum had not yet been completed.

When he arrived in Berlin in February, he spoke a dialect for which no translator could be founded, Mr Maiziere added

The lorry was deliberately driven at the crowd for between 50 and 80 metres, law enforcement officials have claimed.

Witnesses of the Berlin attack described scenes of panic as a lorry veered off the road at around 8pm local time.

At least 12 were killed and 48 more injured in the incident at the market, just off the infamous shopping street Kurfurstendamm, near the Victory Column monument.

The suspect was picked up around 2km from the scene before being questioned.

Four young men were also questioned after German special forces police stormed a hangar at Berlin's Tempelhof airpot on Tuesday morning, but no arrests were made.

Bavaria's interior minister Joachim Herrmann has called for a review of German refugee policy in light of the incident.

"If it is confirmed that this attack was committed by someone who has been registered as an asylum seeker in the country, then it must lead to a fundamental reflection on the design of the whole refugee system," Mr Herrmann said on German radio.

 Video shows immediate aftermath of Berlin lorry attack

Klaus Bouillon, Germany's interior minister told Saarland radio: "We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people who want to see only the good cannot see."

The identity of the alleged attacker was first revealed by German daily Die Welt, which said the attacker was born on 1 January 1993.

A man who said he knew Naved B told a reporter for The Guardian he is just a normal guy.

The information has not been confirmed by the police, who have yet to give details about the alleged offender.

A passenger in the lorry, thought to be the original driver, was found dead inside. According to the Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior, the Polish passenger was probably shot.

The Polish driver is a victim and not an offender, Minister of the Interior Karl-Heinz Schroter claimed.

The German interior ministry said Christmas markets should continue to stay open after the fatal attack.
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At least 12 people have died and some 48 people injured after a migrant is believed to have ploughed a lorry into crowds at a Berlin Christmas market.

A truck, reportedly a stolen Polish lorry being driven by a refugee from either Afghanistan or Pakistan, ran over unsuspecting shoppers and destroyed buildings shortly after 8pm local time.

Pictures show debris scattered across the street, the damaged frontage of the black Scania and authorities removing bodies.

Follow the latest live coverage

Police say the Polish lorry was stolen and that the male refugee lorry driver is believed to have arrived in Germany in February Sean Gallup/Getty (Sean Gallup/Getty)

The refugee is believed to have come from either Afghanistan or Pakistan Sean Gallup/Getty (Sean Gallup/Getty)

Authorities are seen removing bodies at the Breitscheidplatz market Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty)

Police have stormed a refugee camp elsewhere in Germany Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty)

The tragedy followed a mirror incident in the French city of Nice in July Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty)

The truck driver mounted the pavement in what appears to be a deliberate assault Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty)

German special forces have since stormed a hangar at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof airport which noce houses Berlin's biggest refugee accomodation centre - according to German magazine Focus.
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A high-ranking Russian diplomat has reportedly been found dead from a gunshot wound at his Moscow home.

Local media reported a senior civil servant in the Foreign Ministry was found dead at his home in the Balaklavsky Prospekt apartment block with a bullet wound in the head.

The victim has since been named as Petr Polshikov, 56  who was the chief adviser to the Latin American department at the ministry.

In a statement the Russian Foreign Affairs ministry expressed their condolences to Mr Polshikov's family but said his death was not related to his work.

The death occurred just hours before an off-duty Ankara policeman, Mevlut Mert Altintas, shot the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, as he gave a speech at an art gallery on Monday.

The 22-year-old reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar", meaning "God is great", and said the attack was for Aleppo  the Syrian city which has been besieged by Russian airstrikes for months.

The gunman was killed at the gallery 15 minutes later. There is no indication that Altintas had been radicalised but was said to be on medical leave from his job as a member of the riot police.

There is no evidence the two shootings are linked.

Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Show all 13 1 /13 Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman opened fire at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was delivering a speech when the gunman opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman addressed the room after shooting the Russian Ambassador AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman spoke in Arabic after opening fire on the Russian ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara People in the art gallery react moments after the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Turkish police secure the area near the art gallery where Andrei Karlov was shot REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman reportedly shouted "Aleppo" and "revenge" after shooting Mr Karlov dead AFP/Getty Images Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman, a Turkish policeman, can be seen standing behind the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, before he opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara An ambulance leaves the area near the art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Guests leave as the gunman holds his weapon behind them AFP/Getty

Russian president Vladimir Putin said the attack was "undoubtedly" aimed at disrupting the normalisation of relations between the two countries, which warmed over the summer.

Ankara and Moscow had had strained relations since a Turkish plane shot down a Russian jet close to the Syrian border after it claimed it violated the country's airspace.

Outgoing UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon described it as a "senseless act of terror".
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Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of Russias ambassador Andrey Karlov, security sources have said, widening an investigation to relatives of the policeman who gunned the envoy down.

Both countries cast Mondays attack at an art gallery in the capital Ankara as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by civil war in Syria, where they back opposing sides.

The war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by Isis, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo. Russia, an ally of President Bashar al-Assad, supported that advance with air strikes.

Recommended Ankara assassination proves crisis in Middle East is engulfing Turkey

Mr Karlovs remains were sent back to Moscow from Turkey after a ceremony at the airport in Ankara. The white, red and blue Russian flag was draped on the casket as a Russian Orthodox priest recited prayers.

Turkey identified the killer as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police. Altintas, who also shouted slogans associated with Islamist militancy after shooting the ambassador, was killed minutes later by members of Turkeys special forces.

His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained, security sources said.

The gunman was unlikely to have acted alone, a senior Turkish government official said on Tuesday, as investigators from both countries hunted for clues as to who might have been behind the killing.

The senior government official described the assassination as fully professional, not a one-man action and said the attack was well-planned. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because he was not authorised to release details to the press.

Turkish authorities have not publicly released any information on the investigation or on a possible motive for the policeman.

Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Show all 13 1 /13 Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman opened fire at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was delivering a speech when the gunman opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman addressed the room after shooting the Russian Ambassador AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman spoke in Arabic after opening fire on the Russian ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara People in the art gallery react moments after the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Turkish police secure the area near the art gallery where Andrei Karlov was shot REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman reportedly shouted "Aleppo" and "revenge" after shooting Mr Karlov dead AFP/Getty Images Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman, a Turkish policeman, can be seen standing behind the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, before he opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara An ambulance leaves the area near the art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Guests leave as the gunman holds his weapon behind them AFP/Getty

Turkeys foreign minister has told US Secretary of State John Kerry that Ankara and Moscow believe followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen were behind the killing, ministry sources said on Tuesday. Ankara also blames Mr Gulen for a failed July coup, although Mr Gulen has denied responsibility for the coup and Mondays attack and has condemned both events.

The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical Islamist ideology, rather than that of Mr Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue.

Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here, he shouted in Turkish.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he and Russias Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call to strengthen cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Mr Putin said it was aimed at derailing Russias attempts to find, along with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis. The foreign ministers of three countries, meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, said they were ready to broker a Syrian peace deal.

Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from Isis. Earlier this month a spokesman for the hardline Sunni Muslim group urged global sympathisers to carry out new attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets.

Altintas also shouted: We are the ones who swore allegiance to Mohammed for the jihad!, which the mass circulation Hurriyet newspaper said was a slogan commonly used in propaganda videos of the group formerly allied to al-Qaeda in Syria.

Media present at the event Mr Karlov was attending, an exhibition of photographs from Russia, captured the killing in graphic detail.

As special forces stormed the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassadors body and would not allow him to be treated, Hurriyet reported.

An initial police report said that 11 shots were fired at the ambassador and nine were on target, the senior security official said. In a video message to the nation on Monday evening, Mr Erdogan said Altintas had graduated from a police academy before joining the riot police.

Russian investigators arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, officials from the Kremlin and the Turkish presidency said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the street where the Russian embassy is located would be named after the ambassador.

The gallery where the shooting occurred is opposite the US embassy. A gun was fired in front of the embassy overnight and the United States closed its three missions in Turkey on Tuesday.

Reuters
Malaysian police officers have detained seven people, including four foreigners, on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities of the Daesh jihadist group, Sputnik reported.

Seven Daesh suspects have been detained between November 3 and December 16, in the country's states of Malacca, Selangor, Sabah and Johor, the Star Online news website reported, citing a local police official.

Two of the foreigners are students, who have been detained within the framework of the police anti-Daesh operation, the media outlet added.
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Three men have been badly injured after a gunman opened fire on people praying at an Islamic centre in Zurich.

The attacker entered the Islamic Centre where about a dozen worshippers were gathered at around 5:30pm on Monday (4:30pm GMT) and began firing, Zurich police said in a statement.

He fired several shots at the worshippers, police said, adding: Three men, aged 30, 35 and 56, were injured, some seriously. The suspect then escaped from the mosque in the direction of Central Station."

The suspect was found dead near the scene hours after the attack, police said on Tuesday. His body was reportedly discovered on the river bank underneath a nearby bridge, and had been draped with a white sheet.

Witnesses described the gunman as a man aged about 30 wearing dark clothes and a dark woollen cap, according to Al Jazeera.

Zurich cantonal police said authorities had identified the suspect, but gave no details. A news conference was scheduled for 1pm GMT on Tuesday.

Police have urged witnesses who were in the area around the time of the shooting to come forward and said the motive for the shooting was still unclear.

Around a dozen people were inside the prayer hall at the time of the attack, the ATS news agency reported, adding a prayer service had been scheduled for 4:45pm local time.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The worshippers were mainly from North Africa, Somalia and Eritrea, according to ATS.

A number of Swiss mosques, including one near Zurich and the main one in Geneva, have in recent months been accused in local media of allowing or encouraging the radicalisation of their worshippers.

The shooting occurred within hours of an incident in Berlin in which 12 people were killed and nearly 50 injured when a lorry plowed into a Christmas market in the city.

Some social media users have said there has been a lack of attention on the mosque shooting.

One person wrote on Twitter: "Please don't forget the three people shot in a Mosque in Zurich yesterday as well, going about their day as well. Not all Muslims are bad."

Another, Anne Duumrat, meanwhile tweeted: "Do I keep missing UK media mention of Zurich mosque killings?", while Melissa Fouche wrote: "We keep talking about Berlin but what about Zurich?"
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The Turkish, Russian and Syrian governments have condemned the terrorist and cowardly assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, which is widely understood to be an attempt to disrupt relations between the two nations ahead of planned talks on the future of Syria.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was shot by a member of the Turkish police on Monday, a day before the meeting of foreign and defence ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Moscow, and a week before planned Syria peace negotiations in Astana, the Kazakh capital.

Dont forget Syria! Dont forget Aleppo! the gunman cried before he was apprehended and shot by police.

The diplomatic channel between Russia, a longtime ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, which backs various rebel groups, is one of the most important in the complex conflict; after years of strained relations it was Russian and Turkish diplomats who managed to broker an agreement to end the fighting in the embattled city of Aleppo last week.

The anticipated talks are seen as some of the most hopeful for ending the violence that has brutalised Syria over almost six years of war. Many in the diplomatic community are beginning to entertain the possibility of a rebel surrender now that the main groups have been pushed out of the countrys cities following the loss of Aleppo, their last urban stronghold.

The Russian and Turkish leadership, however, have presented a united front following the attack, announcing a joint investigation into the incident and emphasising that ties between the two countries should be strengthened in light of Mondays events.

 Russian ambassador to Turkey fatally shot at exhibition

Leonid Slutsky, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament, added that Russias enemies are making desperate attempts to spoil ties between Russia and Turkey, but those attempts will fail, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin called the attack a provocation.

Mr Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone on Monday night. Mr Erdogan said the leaders agreed the attack was wrecking the normalisation of Russian-Turkish relations and the Syrian peace process.

Mr Putin ordered security at Russian embassies around the world to be stepped up, adding that he wanted to know who had directed the gunman's hand.

In a televised statement, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stressed that the Turkish government will also not allow Mr Karlovs assassination to harm Russian-Turkish relations.

The Syrian foreign ministry called the attack terrorist and cowardly in a statement issued late on Monday.
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Russia, Iran and Turkey say they are ready to help broker a peace deal to end the almost six-year-long conflict in Syria after meeting in Moscow.

Foreign ministers from the three countries met for planned talks in the wake of the assassination of the Russian envoy to Turkey in Ankara on Monday. Meanwhile, in Syria, the last rebels and civilians continued to pour out of the embattled city of Aleppo.

Speaking after the meetings, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov predicted that the city would be completely empty of rebel supporters in the next two days, signalling a new era in the complicated conflict.

It is widely expected that the Syrian, Turkish, US and Gulf backed rebels  now without an urban stronghold following the loss of east Aleppo  will need to make significant changes to their military strategy if they are to have any hope of remaining a major player in the war.

Russia, Iran and Turkey have agreed that the priority in Syria is to fight Isis and terrorism rather than remove the government of Bashar al-Assad, Mr Lavrov said, which marks a change in Turkeys previous stance.

Relations between Moscow and Ankara have thawed somewhat in recent months, despite the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in the Turkish capital by an off-duty Turkish police officer on Monday night.

Russia called the attack a provocation that would not derail the Syria peace process.

The troika set out the terms that should be followed for opening access to humanitarian aid and an extended ceasefire, before restarting the peace process in a document called The Moscow Declaration.

 Man shouts 'We die in Aleppo, you die here' after shooting dead Russian ambassador to Turkey

Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to facilitate the drafting of an agreement, which is already being negotiated, between the Syrian government and the opposition, and to become its guarantors, the declaration read.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu added that support should be halted for all groups from abroad who go to Syria, saying it was wrong to only point the finger at one side.

Turkeys military operation to push Isis from the town of al-Bab would continue, he added. Turkish military intervention in the war since August had angered the Syrian government, which called it a violation of Syrias sovereignty.

The assault does not have a secret agenda, Mr Cavusoglu added.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

The troika met without consulting the US, UN, or other parties on the ground inside Syria, citing the ineffectiveness of previous pushes for peace talks.

The Russian foreign ministry also said today that UN-brokered negotiations in Geneva on the Syrian crisis had hit a dead end due to ultimatums from the Syrian opposition in exile.

All previous attempts by the United States and its partners to agree on coordinated actions were doomed to failure, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said. None of them wielded real influence over the situation on the ground.

Russia hopes to convene new peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana shortly.
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Several conspiracy theories are flying around in Turkey following the assassination of the Russian ambassador to the country at the hands of a gunman who shouted Remember Syria! Remember Aleppo! during the attack.

The incident is widely seen as an attempt to sour relations between the two countries ahead of two rounds of talks between Moscow, Ankara and Tehran on the future of the Syrian crisis.

While Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have publicly stressed that they are more determined to step up to terrorism together than ever in light of the incident, Mr Putin has also said he is keen to find out who was guiding the gunmans hand in the attack.

Anti-Western conspiracy theories are usually widely disseminated in both countries following major news events, and Mondays fatal shooting has been no exception.

Pro-government newspapers in Turkey were quick to point blame in the direction of the US Central Intelligence Agency, claiming the envoys death was a plot carried out by the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey says is behind the failed coup in July aimed at toppling Mr Erdogan.

Great Sabotage, newspaper Yeni Safaks front page headline read.

Mr Gulen has denied the accusation.

Many Turks have taken to social media to posit their own theories, including the idea that US President Barack Obama ordered the assassination as payback for Russian meddling in the election, or to prevent its Nato ally from becoming too close too Russia.

Some Russian politicians, too, have been speculating about the assassination, claiming it was orchestrated by Nato countries.

Frantz Klintsevich, the deputy chairman of the upper chamber of the Russian Parliaments defence and security committee, told reporters on Monday It is highly likely - that representatives of foreign Nato secrets services are behind it.

What has happened is a true provocation, a challenge. It is a challenge for Russia, he added.

 Man shouts 'We die in Aleppo, you die here' after shooting dead Russian ambassador to Turkey

Other theories floating around the internet include one which suggests the ambassador was not really killed.

How can someone be shot 8 times and there be no blood in any of the photos? Staged assassination?, one commentator wondered on Twitter.

And on the anti-Turkey side, some people are of the opinion that Mr Erdogan planned the whole thing in order to hasten the thawing of Russo-Turkish ties.

Similiar claims were made by Mr Erdogans critics about Julys coup after the president used the incident to consolidate his grip on power and crackdown on critics in the name of security.
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Irans Supreme Leader has denounced Theresa Mays comments about his country posing a threat to the Middle East, countering that the UK is the true source of evil and misery in the region.

In remarks published on his website, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Britain had inflicted pain and suffering for the past two centuries.

He said: Shamelessly, the British have recently called... Iran a threat to the region, but everyone knows that... it is the British who have always been the source of threats, corruption and misery.

Mrs May had called on the Gulf Arab states to work with the West to push back against Irans aggressive regional actions, whether in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria or in the Gulf itself during a Gulf Co-operation Council summit in Bahrain last week.

The PM added: So I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East.

Iran has been engaged in a proxy war with British ally Saudi Arabia and is believed to be arming Houthi rebels fighting in Yemen and helping to prop up Bashar al-Assads regime in Syria.

But Ayatollah Khamenei accused the UK and the US of provoking conflicts between the branches of Sunni and Shia Islam.

He claimed the old British policy of divide and conquer is seriously on the agenda of Islams enemies.

New York protests against Iran nuclear deal Show all 10 1 /10 New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a poster as she takes part in a rally on Times Square in New York opposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York An inflatable mushroom cloud stands among demonstrators during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A member of the Neturei Karta Orthodox Jews sect is escorted away by New York City Police during a rally near Times Square to demand that Congress vote down the proposed US deal with Iran in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman shouts slogans during a rally against the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square in New York New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A protestor holds a placard during a demonstration and rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran in Times Square New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Some of several thousand protestors crowd into 7th Avenue at 42nd street as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York A woman holds a placard as she joins several thousand other protestors to demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protesters rallied against the Iran nuclear deal in New York's Times Square KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images New York protests against Iran nuclear deal New York Protestors shout slogans as they demonstrate during a rally apposing the nuclear deal with Iran

Iranian media reported that the country's Foreign Ministry had summoned a top British diplomat in Tehran to protest about the UKs criticism of its actions in Syria.

On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson summoned his ambassadors to Tehran and Moscow to express his profound disquiet about the latest offensive against the besieged corner of Aleppo where many civilians are believed to have been killed.

It comes just a year after the UK reopened its Tehran embassy - which was closed in 2011 after it was stormed by protesters - in light of the deal between Iran and six Western nations for economic sanctions to be lifted in exchange for halting its nuclear programme.
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The violence of Syrias bloody civil war has had a shocking repercussion beyond its borders with the assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey in Ankara in what appeared to be revenge for his countrys part in the assault on Aleppo.

Andrey Karlov was killed at an art gallery in Ankara by a gunman who shot him eight times at close range. Standing over the 62-year-old diplomats body the assassin, wearing a black suit and tie, was heard shouting Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria. Unless our towns are secure, you wont enjoy security. Everyone who is involved in this will pay a price. Only death can take me from here.

Firing more shots into the fallen ambassadors body he declared: We are the ones who pledged allegiance to Mohammed, to wage jihad.

Film footage taken at the scene showed the killer repeatedly gesticulating with a pistol in his hand. There had been heavy security around Mr Karlovs presence at the art gallery, but, according to one of the guards, the gunman had entered by showing a police ID card and saying that he was an officer in the public order department.

The killer was identified as Mevlut Mert Aydintas, 22, by Turkeys interior minister  and it was suggested he was a member of the Ankara riot police.

Turkish special forces, it was reported, had shot the gunman dead. The government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged that those behind the murder will be found and punished. In Moscow, Vladimir Putin held an emergency meeting with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and the heads of intelligence agencies.

"A crime has been committed and it was without doubt a provocation aimed at spoiling the normalisation of Russo-Turkish relations and spoiling the Syrian peace process which is being actively pushed by Russia, Turkey, Iran and others," said Mr Putin.

"There can only be one response  stepping up the fight against terrorism. The bandits will feel this happening."

Mr Putin, who said he personally knew the murdered envoy, said he had agreed in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart that Russian investigators would soon fly to Ankara to help the Turks with the investigation.

"We must know who directed the killer's hand," Mr Putin told Mr Lavrov, Sergei Naryshkin, the head of his SVR foreign intelligence service, and Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the domestic FSB security service.

Mr Putin ordered security at Turkish diplomatic facilities in Russia to be stepped up and said he wanted guarantees from Turkey about the safety of Russian diplomatic facilities.

"I also ask you to implement the agreed proposals on strengthening security at Russian diplomatic facilities abroad," Mr Putin told the meeting.

The killing came a day before the Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, was due in Moscow to meet Russian and Iranian ministers to discuss the war in Syria.

There was trepidation over what may now follow the killing. Fatih Oke, a senior Turkish diplomat in Washington wrote on twitter The bullet to Ambassador Karlov is not only aimed at him, it aims also at Turkeys relations with Russia.

Speaking outside the hospital where Mr Karlov was taken after the attack, Melih Gokcek, the mayor of Ankara, echoed this, saying this was done to ruin what is between us and Russia.

A Turkish security official told Reuters that Ankara saw "very strong signs" the gunman who killed Russia's ambassador there on Monday was a follower of a US-based Muslim cleric blamed for orchestrating a failed coup by sections of the military in July.

A representative of cleric Fethullah Gulen, Alp Aslandogan, denied any link and said the exiled cleric condemned the murder as a "heinous act".

The Turkish official, who declined to be identified, said the current investigation was focused on the gunman's links to the network of Gulen's followers, which the government calls the "Gulenist Terrorist Organisation" or "FETO".

There was swift condemnation of the murder from the West. US State Department spokesman John Kirby said: We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. In London, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was shocked to hear of the despicable murder of Russias ambassador to Turkey. I condemn this cowardly attack".

Mr Karlov may not have been just a target of opportunity for those trying to lash out at Moscow over its role in the Syrian conflict. He had been extensively involved in Syrian affairs, playing a key role in the negotiations between Turkey and Russia which led to the evacuation of civilians and rebels from eastern Aleppo after the opposition held part of the city was overrun by the forces of Bashar al-Assad. The ambassador had also, it was said, played a part in convincing the Iranians, supporters of the regime with militia fighters present on the ground in Aleppo, to accept the deal.

He also served as ambassador to both North and South Korea for a prolonged period before arriving in Ankara and was widely respected in the international diplomatic circuit.

Russia and Turkey had been locked in a confrontation after the shooting down of a Russian warplane by the Turks last year. But relations thawed after an apology from President Erdogan, and the two countries have been cooperating on Syria, something Mr Karlov had also helped engineer.

Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Show all 13 1 /13 Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman opened fire at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was delivering a speech when the gunman opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman addressed the room after shooting the Russian Ambassador AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman spoke in Arabic after opening fire on the Russian ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara People in the art gallery react moments after the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Turkish police secure the area near the art gallery where Andrei Karlov was shot REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman reportedly shouted "Aleppo" and "revenge" after shooting Mr Karlov dead AFP/Getty Images Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman, a Turkish policeman, can be seen standing behind the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, before he opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara An ambulance leaves the area near the art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Guests leave as the gunman holds his weapon behind them AFP/Getty

There has, however, been anger in Turkey over the actions of the Assad regime and Russia in the war which had been heightened by the Aleppo assault with regular protests in Istanbul with liberals as well as Islamists taking part. In response, the Turkish authorities have put in additional security measures for Russian diplomatic staff and private businesses in the country.

It is unlikely that the murder would jeopardise the newly strengthened relationship between the two countries. But Mr Putin may well press Mr Erdogan to take more action against Islamist groups in Turkey and cut links with some of the hardline Sunni rebels Ankara had backed in Syria.

As for Mr Erdogan, he put out a very similar message to Mr Putin, saying that he had agreed in his telephone call with Mr Putin that their cooperation and solidarity in fighting terrorism should be even stronger after the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey.

Mr Erdogan called the killing a clear provocation aimed at damaging relations between Turkey and Russia at a time of normalisation.
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The US Embassy in Ankara has closed its operations for 24 hours after a shooting incident overnight, just hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated.

An individual opened fire at 3.50am (00.50am GMT) in the embassy's vicinity before being detained by police, a statement said. No one was harmed.

The man took out a pump action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air before the embassy's security guards intervened and apparently overpowered him.

As a precaution, the US has shut the embassy in Ankara and consulates in Istanbul and Adana for the duration of Tuesday.

The news comes after the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot by an off-duty police officer at an art gallery in the city, dying of his injuries in hospital. The suspect shouted "Remember Syria! Remember Aleppo!" before being shot dead by security services.

The US Embassy is just across the street from where the attack occured. It is not known at this point whether the two incidents are related.

The White House was quick to condemn Mr Karlov's killing. "This heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable, and we stand united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms, a spokesperson said.

Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Show all 13 1 /13 Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman opened fire at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was delivering a speech when the gunman opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman addressed the room after shooting the Russian Ambassador AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman spoke in Arabic after opening fire on the Russian ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara People in the art gallery react moments after the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Turkish police secure the area near the art gallery where Andrei Karlov was shot REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman reportedly shouted "Aleppo" and "revenge" after shooting Mr Karlov dead AFP/Getty Images Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman, a Turkish policeman, can be seen standing behind the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, before he opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara An ambulance leaves the area near the art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Guests leave as the gunman holds his weapon behind them AFP/Getty

Russia and Turkey, meanwhile, have said that the incident calls for greater cooperation between the two countries, which are due to meet, along with Iranian representatives, for talks on the future of the Syrian civil war in Moscow later today.

The assassination has widely been viewed as an attempt to derail the normalisation of ties between Moscow and Ankara.

Speaking on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he had spoken with his Turkish counterpart and the two men were agreed that Mr Karlov's death showed the need to "step up the fight against terrorism."

The embassies of several countries in Ankara have temporarily closed operations in the past after threats to the safety of staff have been made.

In September, both the UK and German embassies closed during Eid-al-Adha as a precaution after the Turkish security services warned of planned attacks.
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Once again, mass murder has taken place in a great European city. As with the attack in July on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, in which 86 people died, a celebration has changed in seconds into a massacre, with a lorry used as an instrument of terror. This latest attack, at the heart of German culture in the capital, shows the risks of an unsophisticated weapon that is very difficult to defend against.

As millions of British holidaymakers prepare to fly away for Christmas, what are the implications for travellers from the tragedy in Berlin?

In the immediate aftermath of the attack in Berlin, what is the official advice?

The police in Berlin initially advised everyone in the German capital to remain inside. The advice was: Please help us. Stay home and do not spread rumors. The emergency number for those who fear that their loved ones might be involved in the incident is +49 30 54023 111. You can follow the latest police advice on Twitter.

Were there warnings about the possible attack?

Yes. The Foreign Office describes Germany as having a high threat from terrorism. Christmas markets across Europe have been identified as targets, partly because of their Christian symbolism, but more significantly because they are crowded and vulnerable.

The Foreign Office warned: There may be increased security in place over the Christmas and New Year period, including at Christmas markets and other major events that might attract large crowds.

In addition, the US State Department warned last month that: Terrorists may employ a wide variety of tactics, using both conventional and non-conventional weapons  with a hijacked truck representing an unconventional but very deadly weapon. The Europe Travel Alert talked of credible information that so-called Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and their affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe, with a focus on the upcoming holiday season. Both IS and al-Qaeda have urged supporters to attack using trucks.

What protection is there in place against such attacks?

The Foreign Office says that, in Germany, increased security has been put in place as a precaution at public buildings, major events, transport hubs and large public gatherings.

Key buildings in many countries, from government ministries to railway stations, have permanent anti-truck barriers, but those are specifically designed to defend against trucks packed with explosives and driven by suicide bombers. They protect buildings regarded as vulnerable, but not the people who are outside the protective cordon.

What are the options for people on holiday or on business in Berlin?

British Airways says it is contacting passengers in the city on its Holidays programme, and offering them a range of options - which will include flying home early if space is available on flights to Heathrow or London City. In addition, easyJet is offering holidaymakers in Berlin the chance to fly home early. Both airlines offer a substantial programme of Christmas market breaks.

What are the options for someone planning to go to Berlin - or elsewhere in Europe - for Christmas or New Year?

From a statistical perspective the risks remain extremely low. Terrorists aim to disrupt daily life, and will see it as a victory if events are cancelled and tourists stay at home.

Of course, travellers should heed warnings from the authorities and pay close attention to advice from local people about staying safe.

But some travellers will be distressed and alarmed at the scenes from the massacre in Berlin and may want to cancel or postpone their trips. Travel insurance does not cover disinclination to travel.

Firms such as easyJet, British Airways, Ryanair and Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) may offer the chance to change destination or obtain a refund, but there is no legal obligation for them to do so.

The first travel company to respond was easyJet, which said last night: easyJets thoughts are with those affected by the incident in Berlins city centre.

Our schedule to and from Berlin is operating as normal this evening and is planned to continue as normal tomorrow. We will closely monitor the situation if circumstances change.

How can I show solidarity for the people of Berlin?

The most positive response is to travel to the German capital. There are plenty of good deals around; Expedia is selling a two-night stay at the fabulous Steigenberger Sanssouci in Potsdam (very handly for Schoenefeld airport) for 273 per person, flying out on 30 December from Stansted on Ryanair.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

Meanwhile the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara has intensified concerns about travel to Turkey. Is there any change in the advice?

For British travellers, the Foreign Office guidance remains as before: Attacks are most likely to target the Turkish state, civilians and demonstrations. Nevertheless, its likely that some attacks will also target western interests and tourists from western countries, particularly in the major cities.

Last year, the number of visitors to Turkey slumped because of a series of terrorist attacks. As the main holiday booking season is about to begin, the prospects for holidaymakers switching back to Turkey in large numbers look increasingly remote.
The assassination of Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov will not harm Russian-Turkish relations, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told journalists on Tuesday, TASS reported.

"Both sides understand that this disgraceful act will not harm our relations, we will do everything possible for this," Cavusoglu said.

He added that he learned about Karlov's assassination "as a result of a treacherous crime" with great sadness. The Turkish foreign minister described the Russian ambassador as his close friend.

The assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was aimed at disruption of settlement in Syria, among other things, Cavusoglu said.

"This crime was aimed against our joint efforts to help the people of Syria, to search for political resolution of the conflict in Syria," Cavusoglu said. "We understnd this very well and make every effort to prevent this," he added. Turkey will provide any necessary assistance in the investigation of the murder of Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andrei Karlov, according to Chavushoglu.

"The leaders of our countries reached understanding that the investigation will be carried out jointly," Cavusoglu said. "The Turkish side will provide any necessary assistance. As soon as we get the results of the investigation, we will immediately make a statement," he added.

"We are currently trying to organize coordination between relevant agencies," he noted. "This investigation will be carried out by the two sides at the same time," he concluded.
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From 26 March 2017, Flybe will take over the slots relinquished by Virgin Atlantic from Edinburgh and Aberdeen. It will operate more than 40 scheduled flights a week to Heathrow Terminal 2, making connections much easier to airlines that are members of the Star Alliance.

The slots belong to IAG, the company that owns British Airways. They were made available when BA took over BMI, as part of the agreement to maintain competition. Initially they were operated by Virgin Atlantic under the Little Red brand. Links began in March 2013, but ended in September 2015 after heavy losses.

Since then, British Airways has had a monopoly on flights to Heathrow from Scotland, with all services using Terminal 5.

Heathrow has since reduced handling charges for domestic flights by 10.

Flybe will be using smaller aircraft than Virgin Atlantic. Flybes Executive Chairman, Simon Laffin, hinted that the airline is hoping for more domestic routes to and from Heathrow:

Whilst other operators may have dismissed the possibility of further domestic routes into Heathrow, we look forward to working with the airport to further expand the range of domestic destinations.

Heathrows Chief Executive, John Holland-Kaye, said: More airlines flying routes to Scottish airports means more flights, more competition and choice for families, and more visitors to Scotland.

With Flybe based at Terminal 2, it also means new, unique direct access from Heathrow to markets such Colombia, Taipei and Auckland  meaning more opportunity for Scottish businesses looking to reach new export markets.
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Berlin is a dark city. At night, especially in winter, the streets are low-lit and quiet. On Monday evening, I walked a friend visiting from London through the Tiergarten, a 520-acre park thick with beech and oak trees, towards the central station. Less than two hours later, police arrested a man hiding out among those trees, supposedly attempting to flee the hell at Breitscheidplatz, a popular square in a commercial area of Charlottenburg, about a mile to the west. It's now unclear whether he was the driver  recent reports suggest he was an uninvolved civilian.

Details are still emerging about what happened at the Christmas market. Events already being stitched into the extraordinary narrative surrounding "Islamist terror", generally reserved for atrocities committed on European soil. One nice thing about the darkness, my friend pointed out, is that it makes the Christmas lights seem that much brighter.

Since Britain voted to leave the EU in June and the US elected Donald Trump to be its 45th president, I have been pompously reminding people in Berlin that we are living on an island, part of an archipelago of liberal values around which the sea is rising fast. As the news spread over Monday night  12 people are now known to have died and 48 were injured after a 32-tonne goods lorry careered off the road and ploughed into a busy Christmas market  I tried to answer texts and worried phone calls, some of which quite honestly seemed a little OTT, until I discovered that one of my friends was unaccounted for and started doing exactly the same thing.

I was in shock. I felt a sickening panic not so much from my proximity to such a violent and upsetting loss of life, but because it meant accepting Id been wrong. It meant the end of a kind of leftie fantasy: of safety, of special status, of an island sanctuary from the nastiness growing so rapidly elsewhere. In Berlin, reminders of how fragile tolerance and security can be are etched into the fabric of the city, from the small bronze stumbling stone plaques that commemorate the last known dwelling places of Jewish and other citizens murdered by the Nazis, to the remains of the Berlin Wall, which split the city for 28 years, as both physical and psychological scars.

Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Show all 18 1 /18 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Several people have been killed after a lorry drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'At least nine' people have been killed and more than 50 injured. AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency Services rush a Berlin market victim to an ambulance Associated Press Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Police cordoned off the square at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church following the incident REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers inspect the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market close to the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in Berlin EPA Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Emergency crews inspect the lorry that ploughed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine people AFP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Fire crews attend the scene of the attack AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Armed police secure the site of a lorry attack at a Christmas market in Berlin REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Crushed debris is visible beneath the wheels of the vehicle REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack An injured man is pushed to an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Medics attend an injured person after the lorry attack which killed at least nine and injured more than 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters examine the lorry which was rammed into a Berlin Christmas market REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack A person is carried into an ambulance REUTERS Berlin Christmas market lorry attack View of the lorry that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least nine and injuring at least 50 people AFP/Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Rescue workers push a person on a stretcher to an ambulance Getty Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters assess the damage after the lorry rammed the Christmas market, killing 'at least nine', and injuring more than 50 people AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Firefighters stand beside a toppled Christmas tree at the site of the suspected terrorist attack in a Berlin Christmas market AP Berlin Christmas market lorry attack Damaged stalls at the scene of the incident at a Berlin Christmas market where at least nine people have been killed EPA

Berliners famously relish their freedom but the citys significance extends far beyond those who call the German capital home. It is a place to which misfits can flee: a sanctuary for gays, liberals, artists and weirdos of all stripes, a possibility for when things really turn ugly. It has been exemplary in welcoming refugees from war. Most people I know here have been involved somehow in making provisions, whether by teaching, cooking, or helping people settle, for those arriving from the Middle East  a distinction with Britain that is now being castigated but in fact encouraged my decision to move out here.

Events like these will be Merkels legacy, Nigel Farage said this morning. Britains ambassador to Batshitland seems to be taking his cue from the German far right. These are Merkels deaths, Marcus Pretzell, an MEP from the far-right AfD, tweeted less that 15 minutes after the lorry had careered into the crowd  its victims still crushed under its wheels, waiting for ambulances to arrive.

Perhaps most confusingly, the Donald made a number of imaginative leaps in his statement to the world, blaming Isis and other Islamist terrorists [who] slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship, apparently confusing a bunch of kitschy stalls where locals and tourists huddle together to eat confectionery and neck buckets of mulled wine with some act of Christian piety.

In 1928, the Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels gave a speech in which he railed against the cinemas and bohemian hangouts that emerged during the Weimar era around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, the bombed-out bell tower of which remains to this day the focal point of Breitscheidplatz. Its one thing to enjoy the openness and freedom living in Berlin affords  whether that means parties that go on until dawn, fashion, art and hedonistic excess, or gathering together in a public square to give gifts and eat sweets in the run-up to Christmas  now is the time to defend the values that make it all possible. The coming days will be a test of openness, understanding and love, and I hope Germany will remain strong. Those are the only lights in a darkness like this.
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Drain the swamp was the rallying cry of Donald Trump and his entourage during the last few months of the election campaign. As the Electoral College members head to cast their vote at Capitol Hill, they may want to re-evaluate his pledge.

In a world of post-truth politics, Trump has refilled his swamp with oil giants, banking executives, anti-gay lobbyists, semi-professional conspiracy theorists, retired generals and too many men named Michael.

 Michael Moore calls for protests and civil disobedience to stop Donald Trump two days before Electoral College votes

Retired General Michael Flynn, incoming national security adviser, is reportedly prompting a mass exodus from the defence department due to his scarily Islamophobic views. Flynn's soon-to-be deputy, KT McFarland, insists that Muslims want to destroy western civilisation. Rex Tillerson, Trumps secretary of state, has incredibly close ties to the Kremlin, at a time when Russia is being investigated for hacking the election. The labour secretary and fast food CEO, Andy Puzder, is strongly against working people earning the minimum wage. He earns $17,000 per day. Scott Pruitt, incoming head of the Environmental Protection Agency, wants to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency. Gary Cohn, president of Goldman Sachs and a key player in the 2008 financial crisis, is about to get his hands on the national economic council.

Just a few more. Ben Carson said a few weeks ago that he had no governmental experience and would feel like a "fish out of water" to run a federal agency. He will be leading policy on housing and urban development. Energy secretary Rick Perry could not remember the name of the department he wanted to dismantle during a television debate in 2011 - it was the energy department. James "Mad Dog" Mattis, the secretary of defence, told veterans in 2005 that it was "a lot of a lot of fun to shoot some people".

These appointments are being overseen and encouraged by Stephen Bannon, Trump's chief adviser and the man who boasted that his website, Breitbart, provided a platform for white supremacists.

Trump's cabinet is arguably one of the least educated in political history. And, as Bernie Sanders pointed out, it is also one of the richest. Trumps 17 cabinet appointees have more wealth than one third of American households.

Even where Trump can be viewed more favourably in terms of policy, such as his moderate stance on the minimum wage, paid maternity leave and transgender rights, people in his cabinet will undermine any vestiges of New York liberalism from the President-elect. They are hardliners. Hardline climate change deniers, hardline pro-guns, hardline anti-abortion - without any exceptions for rape or incest. This cabinet will be key in advising the president-elect, shaping and implementing policy, and acting as the mouthpiece of the American government.

Women go on strike against Donald Trump Show all 7 1 /7 Women go on strike against Donald Trump Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump Protestors march during a demonstration against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump near Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York City, December 12, 2016. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images Women go on strike against Donald Trump People rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower on December 12, 2016 in New York. Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Given this impending horror, there were some almost desperate attempts to stop the 538 members of the electoral college voting for Trump today. Petitions abounded, gathering millions of names. People wanted to scrap, or at least reform, the electoral college. Faithless electors declared they would break ranks and vote for a more moderate Republican. But most of those faithless electors are democrat and bound to vote for Hillary Clinton. It is likely only Clinton will lose a significant number of votes.

D-Day is here, and this swamp is murkier and stinkier than ever. The electoral college might try to not blush from shame as they choose party loyalty over the prosperity of 318 million people.
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The assassination of the Russian ambassador to Ankara by a 22-year-old riot policeman underlines the degree to which Turkey is being destabilised by the hatred and violence spreading from the wars in Syria. Spectacular killings and bombings are happening every few days in which the identity, affiliations or motives of the perpetrators are often in doubt because the attacks are a reflection of the multiple crises threatening to tear Turkey apart.

The circumstances surrounding the killing of ambassador Andrey Karlov by Mevlut Mert Altintas are an example of this over-supply of possible suspects. Many Turkish observers regret that he was shot dead by the security forces soon after the assassination because his connections point in different directions and the reason for his actions may never be explained.

The international media has generally focused on his shout Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! This fits in with a simple narrative that a lot of Turks are enraged by Russias support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and for his recapture of east Aleppo. Maybe one of them decided to do something about it.

Recommended US relations with Turkey will suffer after the Ankara assassination

But these cries were not the killers first words after he had fired the fatal shots and may not have been the most significant. These were in Arabic and spoke of those who give Mohammed our allegiance for jihad, suggesting that the speaker had moved in jihadi circles in Turkey. This argues against the killing being a spontaneous response to events in Aleppo, but does not tell one much about the gunmans affiliations.

The best informed Turkish commentators are suggesting that these were with Jabhat al-Nusra, formerly the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria or with the movement of Fethullah Gulen, which the Turkish government blames for the attempted coup on 15 July. On the other hand, they admit that he could have been a lone assassin who happened, from his point of view, to be in the right place at the right time.

Turkish and Russian leaders are almost over-assiduous in reassuring each other that the murder of a top Russian diplomat will not break their new-found bonds of friendship. President Vladimir Putin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made statements to that effect and, soon after the Turkish, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers met in Moscow for a pre-arranged discussion on Syria. After failing to protect Mr Karlov, Turkey will probably have to pay a price by being more accommodating to Russia in Syria.

 Russian ambassador to Turkey fatally shot at exhibition

What is not in doubt is that Turkey is becoming a more violent place and a weaker power. In the last 10 days alone the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) or one of its offshoots have killed 58 people, mostly soldiers and police in carefully planned bomb attacks. The political leaders of the Kurdish minority, an estimated 14 per cent of the 80 million Turkish population, are being charged with terrorist offences for expressing even the mildest form of dissent. The same may be starting to happen to the Alevi who make up a further 15 per cent of the population. The failed military coup of 15 July provoked a purge of soldiers, civil servants, universities and media suspected of Gulenist connections with more than 100,000 sacked or suspended and 37,000 arrested. There is a continuing state of emergency and the purge has extended well beyond suspected Gulenists to include anybody critical of Mr Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

It did not have to turn out this way. As the Arab Spring so-called spread across the region six years ago, Turkey might have served as a mediator to prevent violence and contain crises. Instead, it backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria and elsewhere and tolerated ever more extreme jihadis. Mr Erdogan was certainly not alone in thinking that there would be regime change in Damascus, but he was the one worst affected when the project failed.

Turkey is now faced with the nightmare of Kurdish control along most of its border with Syria and Iraq. In Syria, there is a de facto Kurdish state, in military alliance with the US, ruled by the Syrian branch of the PKK. The Turkish government has established a narrow anti-Kurdish cordon sanitaire further west, but it remained largely mute while the Syrian armed forces retook east Aleppo. Turkish policy in northern Syria is now directed against the Kurds and hopes of getting rid of Mr Assad have languished.

Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Show all 13 1 /13 Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman opened fire at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was delivering a speech when the gunman opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman addressed the room after shooting the Russian Ambassador AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman spoke in Arabic after opening fire on the Russian ambassador to Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara People in the art gallery react moments after the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Turkish police secure the area near the art gallery where Andrei Karlov was shot REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman reportedly shouted "Aleppo" and "revenge" after shooting Mr Karlov dead AFP/Getty Images Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman stands over the body of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara The gunman, a Turkish policeman, can be seen standing behind the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, before he opened fire AP Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara An ambulance leaves the area near the art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot dead REUTERS Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead in Ankara Guests leave as the gunman holds his weapon behind them AFP/Getty

For all Mr Erdogans belligerent talk about military intervention in Iraq and Syria over the last six months, his actions on the ground have been cautious. The temptation may still be there to burnish his nationalist credentials and demonstrate his control over a heavily purged Turkish army by sending it deeper into Syria and even into Iraq.

But these ventures may be beyond the capacity of a Turkish state that lacks foreign allies prepared to back its policies. There are hopes in Ankara that a Donald Trump administration would be more sympathetic to the Turkish position than President Obama, but nobody knows if the new US position is going to be much different from the old. From Turkeys point of view, Russia and Iran may not be great allies but they could be very nasty enemies.

Governments in deep trouble sometimes play the nationalist card to get themselves out of it by military intervention abroad. The result is usually disastrous, though there is popular support among Turks for action against the PKK in its foreign enclaves. A Turkish newspaper even speaks of draining the swamp of the Qandil, a peculiarly ill-chose metaphor referring the PKKs bases in the Qandil mountains, one of the greatest natural fortresses on earth.

The assassination of Mr Karlov is one more symptom showing that the general crisis in the Middle East and North Africa is affecting Turkey. The forces unleashed in Syria and Iraq are exacerbating existing divisions in Turkey. Mr Erdogan is extending his authoritarian rule but he rules a weakening state unable to cope with mounting crises at home and abroad.
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After London voted to remain in the EU, Sadiq Khan promised to fight the capitals corner in Brexit negotiations. But the panel of advisory experts he revealed yesterday is worrying. He claims it includes leaders from financial services, technology, science and the media. A closer look shows that its strikingly corporate.

Other than a few exceptions like GQ, Imperial College, the Law Society and Cancer Research, it is big business that will be laying the groundwork for the Mayors negotiations. The panel is dominated by the likes of the Canary Wharf Group, London Stock Exchange Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Santander, Lloyds Bank and the City of London Corporation.

When securing the best deal for London, whose interests will Sadiq be thinking of? Will it be those of ordinary Londoners, or large corporations and banks? Of course business is important to Londons economy. But are the Mayors chosen organisations really fit to represent Londoners?

The Canary Wharf Group is responsible for privatising huge chunks of East London, driving regeneration by inviting investment banks and corporations into a part of the city which has the highest rate of child poverty in the UK. Nothing seems to trickle down from the steel and glass towers to the nearby estates. The Groups recent moves dont hold much promise for change eitheropposition to cycle lanes in Central London, the construction of luxury accommodation and a redevelopment of the Shell Centre.

 London City Airport: the best transport link in Britain?

Then weve got the City of London Corporation, which has been accused of serving as a hub controlling the network of tax havens housed in the UKs crown dependencies and overseas territories. Writing in the Guardian, George Monbiot likened it to an [offshore] autonomous state within our borders[] in a position to launder the ill-gotten cash of oligarchs, kleptocrats, gangster and drug barons.

Professional service provider PricewaterhouseCoopers was accused last year by MPs of promoting tax avoidance on an industrial scale, by helping clients to set up bases in Luxembourg.

Essentially, the Mayor has appointed a gang of corporate giants: gentrifiers, tax avoiders and deregulators, to help him sort out Brexit. These are groups that not only uphold a deeply unequal city, but work to further it. They lobby for a hypercapitalist London where wealth is transferred from the poor to the rich through privatisation and unpaid tax. Is this all we had to lose from the EU: ease for big business?

There is a sound left-wing critique of the EU. Its response to the financial crisis in Greece demonstrated an institutional love of austerity. The proposed EU-US TTIP trade deal would open up for more deregulation and privatisation. Much EU law is already designed to discourage public ownership of industry. Additionally, the Union has militarised its external borders, criminalised migrants, and begun deporting refugees.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty

But other elements of the EU are hugely beneficial for ordinary people. These include the freedom of movement, allowing citizens to live, work and study across the continent, made possible by a single market enabling businesses to expand and create jobs. There are also binding climate change targets and workers and parental rights provisions in the Social Chapter. Not to mention transnational science and education collaboration.

Surely Sadiq should aim to save this EU for London? Perhaps corporations are the only way he can access the negotiation tablebut would it be too much to ask for representation of the rest of society on it? Representatives from the NHS would be well-placed to discuss the possible shortfall in hospital staff caused by Brexit. The same goes for migrant groups concerned about the rights of EU citizens in the capital. How about Trade Unions who want to save EU social provisions? Refugee groups who want London to retain policy influence and push for increased acceptance? Scientists, dependent on EU collaboration and funding? And environmental groups, transport companies like Eurostar and the tourism industry?

Maybe we should give Sadiq the benefit of the doubt, given he has confirmed plans to look into post-Brexit London work visas for Europeans. But he needs to make it clear that hes serious about getting the best Brexit deal for all Londoners. Its also important to represent these voices on a national negotiation table where corporations and Conservatives will inevitably dominate.

Its people, not big business, that make London a great European city. Londoners deserve a Brexit panel that reflects this.
Finance companies are pressing Britain and the EU to agree to a transition deal that would keep many of the current arrangements for up to five years to help cushion them from the effects of Brexit. Photo: Bloomberg

Banks in Britain are being advised they may be able to sue the European Union if it fails to grant them a staggered departure from the trading bloc - using rights from an arcane treaty that usually governs international law.

The advice was given in a document drawn up by some of Britain's largest law firms for banks lobbying to retain so-called passporting rights that allow them to operate across all the EU out of their London bases.

The document says there are a number of laws giving them rights for a deal, including the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

"EU law cites a number of different bases for requiring transitional arrangements," the document says. "A failure to do so could possibly create an entitlement for an affected EU firm... to take action against the commission."

Finance companies are pressing Britain and the EU to agree to a transition deal that would keep many of the current arrangements for up to five years to help cushion them from the effects of Brexit. The issue of a transitional deal has emerged a potential flashpoint in Britain's plans to leave the EU. While some members of the British government and businesses are backing the demands for a deal, some European countries - such as Luxembourg - have ruled out an agreement.

The Bank of England has warned that an abrupt departure could undermine financial stability, but how a bridging deal could work remains a technical and political challenge.

There is no indication yet that banks are considering using the law to challenge the EU. Other lawyers say it would have limited chances of succeeding.

However, the fact that banks and lawyers are exploring these options shows the work they are doing to find work-arounds, mainly to buy time before they decide if they will move some operations from Britain to the continent.

The banks may be able to appeal to the European Court of Justice to ensure that they can continue trading in the single market based on one of the four principles of EU law, which is "legal certainty", according to lawyers. (Reuters)
The two main presidential candidates in France have said they want different outcomes for the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Francois Fillon, the candidate for the right wing Republican Party, has said the debate on the new CAP is a priority.

Fillon is currently the favourite to win the election and has said that plans to make our view of the CAP count during the reform debate.

He has also said that he is supportive of every euro of the CAP budget remaining in place.

However, the candidate currently second on the polls to win the French presidential election next May, Marine Le Pen, has said that any future CAP must be renationalised.

The main French farmers organisation, FNSEA has issued the presidential candidates with 13 recommendations for the countrys farmers in recent days.

Figures from the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) showed that the average income of French farms is set to fall by 26pc in 2016. It also said that dairy farmers would be worst hit, in a year where France has said that around 10pc of its 400,000 farms are in a situation of extreme urgency.

Meanwhile, the number of calls from French farmers to a helpline was up nearly three fold this year, compared to last years. Figures from earlier this year showed that around 600 French farmers take their own lives through suicide every year.

Figures also show that in 2015 30pc of French farmers earned less than 354 a month, while the French poverty threshold is 800 per month.

However, with farmers making up just 2pc of the countrys population, the French farming organisation FNSEA is calling on all the presidential candidates to show more consideration for farmers.

Xavier Beuline, head of the main farmers' union FNSEA, said if they dont they should "not be surprised" to see them turn away from traditional parties.
Ireland recently filed its formal appeal against the EU ruling, kicking off a court case thats likely to go on for some time. Stock photo: AFP/Getty Images

What is the new development in the Apple tax case?

In a way, there hasnt really been one. The flurry of activity in the last few days, or more correctly the flurry of spin by all sides, hasnt really moved things on from where they stood in August.

Remind me, where did they stand back in August?

The European Competition Commission, one of the most powerful EU institutions, concluded a three-year probe by ruling that Ireland had given Apple a sweetheart tax deal lasting decades. Apple was ordered to pay 13bn in back taxes plus interest. After a bit of intra-Coalition tension, the Government said it would appeal. Apples Tim Cook described the probe as political crap.

Ah yes, this is the 13bn Michael Noonan says we dont want even though Europe says were entitled to it.

Indeed, the Government position is that Ireland gets more in the long term from being a top location for foreign investment, and of course insists weve never given Apple or anyone else a sweetheart deal.

I thought the EU couldnt interfere in Irish tax issues.

It cant. EU treaties say tax affairs, such as who pays and how much, are issues for national governments to decide. However, the State aid ruling trumps that. No country is allowed to misuse its tax regime to give companies an unfair advantage over their national or European rivals.

Ok, so thats all been the same since August when the ruling came out. Whats new?

The process itself is rolling on. Ireland recently filed its formal appeal against the EU ruling, kicking off a court case thats likely to go on for some time.

Apple launched its appeal yesterday. The commission is set to fight both.

So where is the 13bn?

Were legally required to collect the back-taxes off Apple regardless of the appeals. That is set to happen in the next few weeks.

Because the Government doesnt want the money, at least until after the appeals, the cash is going to be kept in an escrow account, basically minded by lawyers until the case is resolved.

How much of a financial blow is this to Apple?

Apple has around 200bn in cash reserves, so it can easily peel off some of that to meet the bill. Even so, 13bn is a big bite out of anyones business. It warned investors of a material effect on its finances from the European probe, before it concluded back in August.

So what happens now?

The Government and Apple will push ahead with their appeals, the money will sit in the bank, the lawyers will get rich and the whole thing could take several years.
An Irish unit of Apple made a Revenue settlement two years ago - including paying tax, interest and penalties to authorities here.

The European Commission has revealed the 2014 tax settlement was made by Apple Distribution International (ADI).

Expand Close Apple has been operating in Cork since 1980. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision / Facebook

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This is one of two Apple subsidiaries at the heart of the Brussels case against Ireland and the US technology giant.

That was a year after the EU launched its probe into the US giant's Irish taxes which resulted in the massive demand for 13bn back taxes.

The 2014 Revenue settlement emerged as the EU published details of the legal arguments behind its ruling last August that Ireland granted illegal tax breaks to Apple.

And, worryingly, yesterday's document also pointed to discrepancies in other Irish cases, although it refused to speculate on whether it would be taking this any further.

Criteria

The document claims Revenue here applied "no consistent criteria" in assessing some elements of how tax is collected from large multinationals.

But the commission said Apple received an advantage even when it was compared to similar corporate groups looked at by Brussels.

The 130-page decision by European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple was granted "selective" advantages over other companies in Ireland.

Lucia Caudet, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, said the decision was "very solid and based on facts, and we will of course now defend our decision in court".

Read more: Europe 'has exceeded its powers' with Apple ruling - Government

"Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple which allowed it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses, over many years," said Ms Caudet.

Apple yesterday formally launched a legal appeal against the ruling.

The tech giant has said it was not properly consulted during the investigation and that expert advice it submitted to the commission on the issue was ignored.

The Government, which stands accused of providing illegal aid to the company, has already launched its appeal at the EU General Court. The Government has long argued that the company never benefited from a sweetheart tax deal.

According to the Commission, Apple operated two branches in Ireland but allocated much of its European profits to an offshore head office.

The commission says this did not reflect "economic reality", and so amounted to illegal state aid. The value of intellectual property rights has emerged as a crucial element in the commission's legal argument, which questions why they did not rest with Apple's branches in Ireland, where sales were booked.

The ruling may be used by other EU countries and the US to check if they can claim any share of the back taxes claimed from Apple.

But the 2014 settlement is the first evidence that authorities here had ever hit Apple for unpaid taxes.

It is separate to the 13bn bill for back taxes and it is unclear how, or even if, the settlement fits in with the claim that Ireland gave sweetheart tax deals not available to other companies.

Read more: John Mulligan: 'Political crap' or not, EU pursuit of Apple has huge implications

Details of the settlement agreement between the Irish Revenue Commissioners and Apple's ADI unit show that the unit declared no corporation tax liability for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011, the Commission said.

That was despite making profits, which in 2011 were in the region of 100m to 200m.

That was because ADI had originally calculated it didn't owe any corporation tax here, based on its understanding of a tax formula from 2007 that Irish authorities subsequently ruled did not apply.

In 2014, ADI accepted the Irish Revenue's position and a settlement was reached, the Commission said.

It is clear from the EU filing that taxes, penalties and interest were paid by the Apple unit, but the amounts involved have been withheld.
A gunman tried to enter the US Embassy in Ankara, police neutralised the attacker and took him into custody, Daily Sabah reported.

Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov died after he was badly wounded in an armed assault in Ankara Dec. 19, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.

The ambassador was taken to a hospital, but died there. The assailant was killed in an ensuing police operation.

The attack on the ambassador was carried out when Karlov was on the podium in order to deliver a speech at a photo exhibition in the Ankara Center for Contemporary Art.
"The benefits of globalization do not trickle down automatically. It takes politics to make sure that there is a benefit."

That was how the EU's Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, summed up her many struggles with multinational companies over their tax status in an interview with the Washington Post last month.

Viewed from Ireland, her 13bn fine verdict against Apple last August was a catastrophe.

But many people in Brussels and the other EU capitals also saw it as a first real attempt to take on the stateless multinational corporations which played one jurisdiction against the other to cheat ordinary citizens. It was styled as an attempt by the EU to hit back and deliver some of its stated mission to ameliorate the effects of globalisation.

On a purely philosophical level, Irish politicians would identify with this one in principle as a much-needed effort to reconnect the European project with ordinary citizens. But then again, pinning down multinational firms, and US multinationals especially, on taxation cuts deep into Ireland's long-established efforts to attract overseas investment with a low rate of corporate tax.

Ms Vestager (48) is nothing if not a political battler. A former Danish deputy prime minister, she was part of the inspiration for the main character in the Danish cult political series 'Borgen'.

The EU Competition Commissioner has unusually far-reaching direct powers to clamp down on cartels and restrictive practices.

But her use of these powers - in whacking Apple with a 13bn fine last August and catching Ireland in the crossfire - was without parallel.

The figure was greater than the sum of all fines, corrections and clawbacks, levied by the EU against all commercial entities since the turn of this century.

She is the daughter of Lutheran pastors and her memories are full of people coming to the family home seeking advice and support. She brushes off suggestions her work is about addressing the rising tide of Euroscepticism - insisting instead that her work concerns a battle against greed.

But she is known for her steely approach to politics and is renownedly difficult to dissuade once her mind is made up. It is noted that on a coffee table in her Brussels office is a cast of a hand with an upraised middle finger - an angry "gift" from a Danish trade union group which unsuccessfully lobbied her against plans to cut welfare payments.

She keeps it as a reminder that political decisions do not please everyone.

Colleagues have noted her background in a small niche party which did not court popularity. The focus of her politics has been about getting some specific things done, irrespective of how many others she enrages. For many in Brussels this is exactly what is needed right now.
Mr Donohoe said that, regardless of the outcome, there was 'no prospect' of the State getting 'a gigantic' windfall. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

Ireland is being told to operate as "a global tax collector" by the European Commission, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe has said.

Defending the decision to appeal the EC's ruling that Apple must pay 13bn in back taxes, Mr Donohoe told the Irish Independent there is "no pot of gold".

He said the Government would put "the most strongly resourced team that is possible" to fight the case through the European Courts of Justice.

And Mr Donohoe said that, regardless of the outcome, there was "no prospect" of the State getting "a gigantic" windfall.

"The way the European Commission has framed all of this is that they have invited other European governments to see if they believe they are entitled to a share of 13bn, which of course governments all over Europe and in the OECD are likely to do," he said.

"We will be mounting a very, very firm and strong defence of our corporation tax code, the Revenue Commissioner and the way in which we retain investment in Ireland."

Asked about the EC's judgment that Ireland failed to provide any justification for our tax treatment of Apple, Mr Donohoe said: "The European Commission is going to make that determination anyhow because they disagreed with us. We're now in a different space. We're in a legal space. We're going into the ECJ."

Children's Minister Katherine Zappone, who came close to quitting her job in Cabinet over the Government's response to the case, said other countries should be trying to get some of the 13bn.

"I hope that many of the countries that didn't get their fair share of tax because of the way in which we operated in the past have an opportunity to go into a court room and to be able to put that argument in an open and a transparent way," she said. While stating her view that tax arrangements made with multinational companies in Ireland in the past were "unethical", Ms Zappone does back the Government's appeal.

Fianna Fail's finance spokesman Michael McGrath said his party was supportive of the Government's position.

"The two tax rulings, issued in January 1991 and May 2007 by the Irish Revenue Commissioners, which are at the heart of this action by the European Commission did not, in our opinion, confer upon Apple or its subsidiaries, special tax treatment which was not available to other companies," he said.
Bank of Ireland shareholder Fairfax Financial Holdings agreed to buy insurer Allied World Assurance for $4.9bn (4.69bn) in cash and stock in ceo Prem Watsa's largest purchase.

Fairfax will pay $54 per share, which is 18pc higher than Allied World's closing price on Friday. For every share, Allied investors will receive about $10 in cash - half from Fairfax and the rest from a pre-closing dividend by Allied - as well as $44 of Fairfax's stock, according to a statement from the companies. Toronto-based Fairfax has an option to increase the cash portion by up to $30 per share. Smaller carriers have sought merger partners in recent years as commercial insurance buyers and their brokers prefer companies with scale. The deal that Allied reached will make it a wholly owned subsidiary, while keeping its executive and senior management teams. Allied is based in Zug in Switzerland.

"Allied World will operate within the Fairfax group on a decentralised basis after closing, and we are looking forward to supporting Scott and the entire team at Allied World in growing their business over the long-term," Watsa said in the statement, referring to Allied ceo Scott Carmilani.

Fairfax is among major North American insurers that have been expanding in the specialty market through takeovers to diversify. Earlier this month, Boston-based Liberty Mutual agreed to buy Ironshore for about $3bn (2.87bn) to expand in the Bermuda market. Watsa, often compared to Warren Buffett, bought into Bank of Ireland in 2011 at 10 cent a share. This month he sold 415m of the stock at 0.23 cent a share, having already reduce the stake from an original 9pc to 2.9pc. He retains around 1.5pc of Bank of Ireland shares. (Bloomberg)
Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers:

Irish Independent

* An Irish unit of Apple made a Revenue settlement two years ago - including paying tax, interest and penalties to authorities here.

The European Commission has revealed the 2014 tax settlement was made by Apple Distribution International (ADI).

* Shares in London-listed exploration firm San Leon - headed by Irishman Oisin Fanning - soared more than 25pc yesterday after it confirmed that it had received a takeover approach.

The company had a market capitalisation of 240m (285m) following the share surge.

* Dunnes Stores and SuperValu now hold an equal share of Ireland's multi-billion euro grocery market, as the pair battle it out for supremacy among consumers over Christmas.

New figures from research group Kantar Worldpanel show the retailers each have a 22.5pc share of the market.

The Irish Times

* The European Commission has accused Ireland of being inconsistent in applying its tax rules on multinationals meaning more implications could be on the way for overseas firms set up here.

The Commission accused the Government of offering selective treatment to Apple, a claim denied by both parties.

* Shares in San Leon Energy, the London-listed firm headed up by Oisin Fanning, soared by nearly 29pc yesterday on talk of a potential takeover bid.

It had been reported that a Chinese investor had approached the company about a potential bid but the company said an announcement on the situation would be made in due course.

* More than 8,200 mortgage customers have been denied a tracker rate by their lender, new figures from the Central Bank show.

The news comes as an update from the regulators investigation into 15 lenders across the country.

Irish Examiner

* Earnings at the Beacon Hospital in Dublin last year increased by 28pc to 9.2m, new figures show.

New accounts just filed by Beacon Medical Group Sandyford Ltd and subsidiaries confirm that the business enjoyed the boost in earnings after revenues increased by 53pc, going from 82.23m to 125.79m last year.

* A quarter of Irish shoppers plan to cross the Border to make the most of festive bargains due to weaker sterling.

New research shows that people will be flooding to shops in Northern Ireland, with those in the 25 to 34 age bracket the most likely to make the trip.
Central Bank governor Philip Lane has been accused at an Oireachtas Committee of being bullied by banks he regulates.

TDs and senators were disappointed Prof Lane was unable to provide precise numbers for those who had tracker mortgages taken off them by their lenders.

Committee chairman John McGuinness questioned if the Central Bank was up to regulating the banks.

An industry-wide probe is being conducted into banks stripping homeowners of good value trackers.

Prof Lane responded: "I totally dispute your characterisation of what the Central Bank is doing."

At the hearing, Central Bank executive Ed Sibley suggested Bank of Ireland may have restored 5,000 customers to trackers, and not 2,100 as Bank of Ireland has stated.

Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath suggested the total number of mortgage holders denied trackers may be 15,500.

After a break in the committee hearing, Prof Lane clarified that Bank of Ireland was stopped taking trackers from 3,000 customers by regulators.

Prof Lane said he made an error by disclosing this. The trackers were not removed after the Central Bank intervened.

And the total number who had trackers taken off them wrongly across 15 lenders is likely to be 15,000, the governor said.

Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty accused banks of theft from their customers over the tracker denial issue.

The Central Bank has now said that 100 people lost their homes because they were denied a low-cost tracker through the actions of their lender.

This is double the previous estimate.
A makeshift memorial to the victims of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, Florida (AP)

Facebook, Google and Twitter are being sued by families of the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting in which 49 were killed.

The civil suit is being taken against the social media platforms and search engine for allegedly providing "material support" to the Islamic State.

In the complaint filed by the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes and Juan Ramon Guerrero, as reported initially by Fox News, it is argued that the three web channels "provided the terrorist group ISIS with accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds, and attract new recruits."

On June 12, 29-year-old security guard Omar Mateen, who sympathised with Islamist extremist groups, opened fire inside Orlando's Pulse nightclub.

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"Life has not been easy for me or my whole family," Juan Guerrero, the father of one of the victims, told FoxNews.com.

"It is something I remember and have to live with every day."

Mateen killed 49 people and injured over 50 others before he was shot dead himself by a SWAT team.

At the time, ISIS were quick to claim responsibility for the mass shooting but Mateen was not found to be a member.

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Mateen was radicalised by ISIS using the defendants tools for that express purpose, Keith Altman, the lawyer representing the three families, told FoxNews.com.

"Without Defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible," the suit reportedly says.

The three tech giants also came under fire during the summer when they were sued by the family of another terrorist attack victim, 23-year-old Nohemi Gonzalez, who was killed in the Paris attacks.
Mobile phone operators will be required to cover greater parts of rural Ireland under new licensing conditions being considered by the government.

Communications Minister Denis Naughten said that he plans to make Ireland the first European country to base mobile operator licenses on geographical coverage rather than population coverage.

The move means that Vodafone, Three and Meteor will be required to cover more than cities or large towns to be granted new licenses, starting with the upcoming 5G mobile license auction in 2019.

At present, Irish mobile operators' licenses only require them to cover between 70pc and 85pc of the country by population, meaning there is no obligation to extend 3G or 4G services into relatively unpopulated areas of the country or rural roads."We hope to be the first country in Europe to roll out 5G licenses on a geographical basis rather than a population basis," said Mr Naughten. "Based on our dispersed population, we need to do it this way."

He said that 5G licence auctions are expected in Ireland in "late 2019 or early 2020" and that the relevant wireless spectrum for 5G is currently being freed up.

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"There are lots of reasons for geographic coverage instead of population coverage. If you take farmers, they need access to services on their phone when out and about. Farming and rural services are changing quickly and we need ubiquitous coverage for that."

"We all talk about driverless cars coming down the line, but you can't have driverless cars without ubiquitous 5G," he said.

However, the new geographic coverage requirements won't be applied to existing licences. Mr Naughten said that the government is launching new initiatives to increase mobile penetration around the country. He said that the use of equipment called 'mobile repeaters', aimed at boosting mobile signals in individual homes, will be allowed from next year.

He also said that some planning and mast-building hurdles for operators are to be minimised, such as development levies collected from mobile operators by local councils. Operators will get also more access to state property for infrastructure. And mobile operators will now report to a joint government task force headed by Minister Naughten and Arts Minister Heather Humphries.

Finally, a national mobile signal map is to be published by Comreg with input from the mobile operators' own data.
Glen Hansard has thanked the Irish public for getting behind Home Sweet Home and the Apollo House movement. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Glen Hansard has spoken about the extraordinary response from the Irish public to the Apollo House movement.

The musician, along with Hozier, Saoirse Ronan, Jim Sheridan, Kodaline, Damien Dempsey, Christy Moore and other Irish celebrities are involved in the taking over of Apollo House as a shelter for the homeless, with the help of housing activists Home Sweet Home.

On Friday, the group took over the NAMA-owned building on Poolbeg Street, Dublin, for use as a homeless shelter.

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on RTE Radio One, Hansard said that he wanted to do something worthwhile this Christmas which involved more than "just handing over a cheque at the end of the year".

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"Suddenly a lot of other people started coming to the table and it all started to feel more organised then... Everybody very courageously and very passionately stepped forward," he said.

The house was opened on Friday and Home Sweet Home say they have around 30 people living in the former civic office building at the moment.

Despite organisers currently having to turn people away, it is understood the capacity of building is set to increase over the coming days  with more facilities being made available. Campaigners expect that around 60 people will be able to stay at the facility once certain amendments are made.

"It is an office building. There are 60 rooms that could potentially be turned into accommodation. Give a single woman or man their own key and say 'Go inside. You don't have to leave in the morning. You can make this place your own.'"

Heating was turned on in the building on Sunday night, while showers, fridges, cookers and televisions have also been installed.

"We're learning as we go, all of us," said the Oscar-winning musician. "The Irish Housing Network has been wonderful. It's really been a challenge for us.

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"Everyone has stepped up and it's been an incredible thing."

Hansard spoke on Friday's The Late Late Show about the movement and told Tubridy today that it had been his most nerve-wracking speech to date.

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"I've never been more nervous in my life giving a talk. It's so bloody real. I didn't really have facts and figures to back everything up., All I had was heart.

"I get sick with anger and it's not an anti-government thing. Walking down Henry Street and seeing couples sleeping in doorways and they're half my age... We are at a point now where there needs to be an intervention.

"I was walking with one of the lads from Kodaline the other night and he said to me 'We've got people without homes and we've got homes without people. Surely we have to get them together.' It was such a simple message."

While the 46-year-old understands that eventually the building will be sold, he wants to ensure that families can occupy the building through the winter.

"This isn't a political issue. This is a humanitarian issue and this is what it needs to remain.

"It's about starting a national conversation. And much more than that, it's about getting people off the street. The weather has just turned. It felt very gratifying last night to know that there are over 30 people safe in accommodation with good people around them. I felt very proud.

"The passion behind Irish people when they're moved by something is such an extraordinary thing."

So far over 104,000 has been raised for Home Sweet Home through crowdfunding website GoFundMe.

Hansard will also play a free gig this lunchtime (between 1 and 2pm) outside Apollo House to thank people for their support.

Click here if you would like to donate.
8 Out Of 10 Cats Jon Richardson is bringing his stand-up tour to Ireland.

The British Comedy Award nominee and star of Live At The Apollo and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Jon Richardson is embarking on a tour to complain about the state of the world and offer no solutions.

He will play The Olympia Theatre on Thursday, October 26.

Tickets from 30 additional charges may apply, go on sale Wednesday December 21 at 9am.

Since his last show he has become a husband and father, seen the UK vote to leave the EU and watched the rise of Donald Trump, all of which leaves him asking one question, why does it seem that no one else alive can correctly load a dishwasher?

Best known as team captain on 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Jon has been massively in demand for television and radio appearances including; Have I Got News For You (BBC ONE), Live At The Apollo(BBC ONE), Channel 4s Comedy Gala Live At The 02and most recently Taskmaster (DAVE).
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim have discussed Monday's killing of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara, Anadolu reported.

"On December 19, 2016, a telephone call between Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim took place at the initiative of Turkey Medvedev stressed that a murder of an ambassador in a terrorist attack is an extraordinary situation in international relations," the Russian cabinet said in a statement.

Yildirim expressed condolences over the murder, stressing that the ambassador had made a significant contribution to Russian-Turkish relations.

The Turkish prime minister also stated that those behind the attack aimed to undermine the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries, the government press office added. Medvedev called on Yildirim to find and punish the organizers behind the attack, while the Turkish prime minister said investigations had already begun and promised to personally oversee the case.
The owner of Patrick Pearse's handwritten surrender letter has been blocked from taking it out of the country.

The note failed to sell at auction earlier in the month, with the Government insisting the guide price of between 1m-1.5m was too high.

The surrender letter was signed into the Register of Cultural Objects by Arts Minister Heather Humphreys last Friday and a request to take it out of the country was made yesterday.

After blocking an export licence, Ms Humphreys raised the prospect of the owner availing themselves of a massive tax break if it is donated to the State.

"I remain of the view that the guide price on this letter is too high," Minister Humphreys said.

Decision

"Especially considering that a number of other Pearse letters are already held by the National Library, the National Museum and the National Archives."

The minister said she took the decision to put it on the register because of the letter's heritage value and it now means an export licence cannot be granted for a year.

"This will provide some space and time, when other potential buyers may come forward and I think it is the right thing to do in this case," she said.

"It is worth repeating that should an individual wish to donate this letter to the State, they could claim 80pc of its value back in tax relief under the very generous Section 1003 scheme.

"As set out in the legislation, it is not open to me to refuse to grant the export licence, but by delaying it for a year, I am providing an opportunity to allow other options to keep the letter in the country to emerge."

The letter was the final instruction from Pearse to soldiers in the Four Courts in Dublin. Pearse wrote the surrender letter in his prison cell on April 30, 1916. He was executed three days later.

Auctioneers regarded it as one of the most historically significant artefacts from the rebellion years to have been offered publicly. At an auction held by Adam's Auctioneers in Dublin earlier in the month, the letter was withdrawn after failing to sell for 770,000.
Mick Wallace arrives at the High Court for his bankruptcy hearing. Photo: RollingNews.ie

Politician Mick Wallace says he was forced into bankruptcy after major creditors refused to allow him do a deal on his debts.

The bankruptcy will not affect Mr Wallace's seat as the law disqualifying a bankrupt person from being a member of the Dail was abolished in 2014.

But it means that control of his assets is now in the hands of Official Assignee, Christopher Lehane, who will seek to realise whatever value he can for creditors. Mr Wallace, who owes more than 30m, said neither AIB nor ACC would agree to the drawing up of a personal insolvency arrangement, which would have allowed him to restructure and possibly write off some of his debt. Both financial institutions were approached by a personal insolvency adviser acting on the Wexford TD's behalf after a third creditor, vulture fund Cerberus, petitioned the High Court to have him adjudicated a bankrupt last month.

He required their support if he was to stand any chance of staving off the bankruptcy application.

"Neither ACC nor AIB were interested in facilitating me," he told the Irish Independent.

Mr Wallace said the veto enjoyed by the banks meant personal insolvency legislation was "pointless" for people in his situation. He was speaking after being adjudicated bankrupt by Ms Justice Caroline Costello following a brief hearing at the High Court yesterday.

The application from Cerberus subsidiary Promontoria (Aran) Ltd was made after the fund secured a 2m judgment against the Independents 4 Change TD.

The debt arose out of loans issued by Ulster Bank to Mr Wallace's M&J Wallace construction firm. Cerberus bought the loan book two years ago.

Mr Wallace has been a major critic of the vulture fund's purchase of Project Eagle, the former Nama Northern Ireland loan book. The fund has declined to comment on claims by Mr Wallace that the application to bankrupt him was made to "settle a score".

Mr Wallace was accompanied by his solicitor Aidan Eames for the short hearing. His counsel, Keith Farry BL told the court James Green, a personal insolvency practitioner, had written to Mr Wallace's main creditors, AIB, ACC and Cerberus.

He said ACC was "the dominant creditor" and, under personal insolvency laws, would have to give consent to any personal insolvency arrangement as Mr Wallace's debts with the financial institution were greater that 3m.

ACC got a judgment against Mr Wallace for 20m in 2012, but has not sought to enforce it.

Mr Farry said ACC had written back to say it was not willing "to waive the 3m cap".

This effectively meant Mr Wallace could not proceed with a personal insolvency arrangement.

"From my point of view I cannot put up any further resistance," said Mr Farry. "I cannot see how we can come to a personal insolvency arrangement."

Eddie Farrelly BL, counsel for Promontoria (Aran) Ltd, said Mr Wallace's debts were "in excess of 30m".

"There is not much prospect of an arrangement," he said.
A man has appeared in court charged with stealing six turkeys from a hotel during the festive period in 2014.

Dublin man Douglas Purcell (33) denies taking the poultry along with chocolates, wine, whiskey and cigarettes in an alleged incident in the west of the city.

The total value of the goods allegedly taken just three days before Christmas day two years ago is 2,217.

Judge David McHugh adjourned the case against him at Blanchardstown District Court, for hearing on a later date.

Mr Purcell is charged with stealing six turkeys worth 180, a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates worth 5.49, 30 bottles of Jameson Whiskey valued at 714 , six bottles of Santa Rita wine at 46 and 600 cigarettes worth 272.

The theft is alleged to have happened at the Red Cow hotel on the Naas Road on December 22, 2014.

The court heard the defendant was pleading not guilty and Judge David McHugh adjourned the case to a date in February.

The defendant, of Melville Square, Cityside, Finglas, was remanded on continuing bail.

No details of the alleged festive thefts were heard during the accuseds brief court appearance.

Mr Purcell did not address the court.

The charge against Mr Purcell is under Section 4 of the Theft and Fraud Offences Act.
Gardai have arrested three men and seized heroin worth 300,000 during an organised crime raid.

The discovery was made at at house in Ballyfermot, Dublin on Monday evening.

In a statement gardai said the search was carried out as part of ongoing investigations targeting serious criminal activity in the Dublin region.

The intelligence led search was conducted by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau, supported by the Special Crime Task Force. During this operation Diamorphine (Heroin) with an estimated street value of 300,000 (subject to analysis) was seized.

Three men, aged 34, 30 and 25, years were arrested at the scene.

Two of the arrested men remain in custody at Ballyfermot and Clondlkin Garda Stations, where they are detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.

The 25-year-old man has been released and a file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Members of Dublin Fire Brigade have once again come to the rescue as they helped safely deliver a baby girl just in time for Christmas.

Baby Aubrey was delivered in the early hours of Sunday morning by two members of a DFB ambulance.

@DubFireBrigade well done, congrats to all! In the future; Baby Aubrey should hookup with Baby Kevin Street born a few weeks ago  Sinead Smurf Murphy (@smurf_sinead) December 18, 2016

She was born in an ambulance from the Rathfarnham unit in south Dublin with the help of firefighters Sarah and Niall.

Gardai also offered a helping hand by managing the traffic while little Aubrey was being brought into the world.

DFB has been busy with baby deliveries this year.

Just last month members of the Tallaght unit assisted the National Ambulance Service in the delivery of a baby who was born one month premature.

Officers from Dolphin's Barn also lent a hand when Lisa Connolly (33) went into labour with her second child outside Kevin Street garda station.

The couple got stuck in traffic on their way to Holles Street Hospital.

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In September, Dublin's fire officers experienced something of a baby boom with staff helping to deliver two babies on one shift.
Jacintha Murphy (26) from Wexford, who has been living in Berlin for two years, was at a Christmas market just 15 minutes away.

Irish in Berlin were reeling following the horrific crash which saw a lorry plough into the Christmas market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church.

Cillian McDonagh, an Irish student who works in a bar in the German capital, says there are systems in place in to make sure all Irish people are accounted for during any potential attack.

He is involved with the Berlin GAA club and says the club made direct contact with all members to make sure everyone was okay.

There are over 100 members in the GAA club and we also gave information to the Irish Embassy, he told the Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk.

It is the best place to live in Europe which is why I suppose it was such a target.

People in Germany have been expecting this because Germany has been the leader of the free world.

The lifestyle people have here is envied all over the world. In many ways, people were expecting this to happen and its good that it wasnt worse than it was.

People have been trying to keep as calm as possible and not to panic. Berlin people are very tough. They have been through a lot in the last hundred years. Berlin has built up an attitude where they kind of just get on with their lives and they dont let things like this affect them.

From what I can see this morning walking around the streets, people are calm; people are going about their daily business.

Police have now launched a raid on a refugee shelter which is actually near where Berlin GAA club train every Saturday.

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Nathan Young (23) from Derry is currently on holiday in Berlin with his girlfriend Claire.

The couple had visited the market earlier in the day and were enjoying a drink in the Irish Pub in the Europa-Center when the truck collided with the market.

"I think people are in shock," he said. "We were in the bar and didn't hear any loud noises or anything.

"When we went outside the street was cordoned off with fire brigades, police and ambulance everywhere.

Eileen Thornhill from Cork has been living in Berlin for 26 years. She works in The Irish Times Pub and became aware of the attack when friends and family suddenly started calling the bar.

"We all started getting phone calls asking if we were all right and then we turned on the news and saw what was happening," she told the Irish Independent.

"We are all shocked and in a state of disbelief. I don't know what to say. But German people are very resilient and good at coping".

The collision is being treated as a suspected terror attack and Ms Thornhill drew comparisons with the Nice massacre that occurred on Bastille Day, claiming the lives of 86.

"The market is always filled with tourists and the fact that it happened near Christmas and a holiday makes it more tragic. I suppose that's why they choose holidays to make the biggest impact possible."

She said she became slightly concerned over her security last week when police in the southwestern city of Ludwighshafen confirmed they were holding a 12 year-old boy in custody suspected of trying to detonate explosive devices at a city Christmas market. It is not known if the two incidents are connected.

The incident in Berlin is the latest in a string of attacks in Germany over the past 12 months.

On July 24, a Syrian suicide bomber injured 15 people in an attack on a music festival in Ansbach. During the same month in Munich nine people were killed by an 18-year-old gunman.

Jacintha Murphy (26) from Wexford, who has been living in Berlin for two years, was at a Christmas market just 15 minutes away.

She felt that a terrorist attack was in some ways inevitable. "There was a large police presence gathered within a short time where I was (Christmas Market at Schloss Charlottenburg) and a lot of emergency vehicle activity even though I wasn't in the immediate vicinity.

"People didn't seem overly panicked where I was though. My friends i was with and I were just checking in with family and friends once we heard."

"The Polizei have done a good job at keeping at bay until now but it was only a matter of time.I wasn't very shocked. Something of this sort was bound to happen in Berlin at some stage," said Jacintha.

Shauna Sheridan (20) from Blanchardstown, Dublin works in the Irish Pub with her boyfriend Alex Gutte (21), who is from Berlin.

Shauna was Christmas shopping for her family and waiting at Ernst-Reuter-Platz for a bus when ambulances sped past. "We spoke to a Spanish man who had just come from the market and he said there were people screaming and running away."

"Apparently we just missed the whole situation by five minutes. We arrived home 10 minutes later to see it all over the news."

Richard Clarkson (20) from Brighton was in an Irish bar with his friends on the street near were the incident happened.

He said: "I just walked out and I saw the truck, the windscreen was broken, I didn't see any bodies they were very quick to cover them up I think."

"The word terrorist is being thrown around a lot at the moment and people seem scared."

Last night Minister of Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan extended his condolences to the families of those who had lost their lives.

"I am horrified by the loss of life in Berlin this evening," he said. "Our thoughts are also with those injured in this appalling incident. Ireland stands in solidarity with Germany.
Rickshaws that were damaged in the blaze Photo: DFB

A number of rickshaws have been damaged after a fire broke out at a South Dublin house.

Several units of Dublin Fire Brigade attended the domestic blaze in the basement of the building on South Richmond Street.

All flats in the house were evacuated, DFB confirmed.

However damage was caused to the building and a number of rickshaws that were being stored in the basement.

Four fire units, from Dolphin's Barn and Headquarters, attended the blaze. A turntable was also used in the incident.

Gardai and the fire brigade were alerted to the fire at around 7.45pm.

It is believed that the rickshaws may have been stored in a shed or garage.

A cordon has now been established and a full forensic examination will be carried out in the morning.

A garda spokesperson confirmed that nobody was hurt or injured in the blaze.

"The course of the investigation will be decided pending the outcome of a forensic examination," the spokesperson confirmed.
A new website which aims to reduce renters risks by allowing them to rate and review the properties they rent has been launched by a man inspired by his own horrible experience.

DwellDown consists of a ten question survey which will serve as a database for people looking to rent accommodation in Dublin.

The sites founder, Chris Lynch, has been living in Ireland for two years and recently moved house with his wife and young child.

Within three weeks of moving into their new home, they realised they made a mistake.

The place was so cold and damp that their child had to wear winter clothes inside.

A number of amenities in the kitchen werent working and the landlord ignored their requests to fix them.

When Chris got in touch with the previous tenants, asking why they had moved house, they informed him that there was no way they could raise a child there.

That is when the idea came to me, Chris told Independent.ie.

I thought a site where people would share their living experiences would offer a platform which ensured better transparency in the rental market would help people make better decisions.

The idea is to be a Trip Advisor or a Glassdoor, it will be like a Trip Advisor for renters - a neutral place where tenants can go and share their rental experiences based on quality, price, communication and the neighbourhood, he added.

So far, 1,000 people have completed the survey.

There are good reviews and bad reviews. Probably the most negative would be dampness and a lack of speediness to fix things and get things done.

Also there are people reaching out saying This is a fantastic place to live, I would recommend this to students and families, which is good to know too.

Chris is hoping that the site will be international by this time next year.

Originally from Philadelphia, he met his Irish wife Helen in New York and moved to Ireland.

Right now we want to help the community in Dublin, but Im hoping it will eventually be international.

When asked if DwellDown might upset landlords who are renting substandard properties, he said it is important that tenants come together.

Im not worried about slandering or breaking any laws, it is just a platform for people to voice their concerns.

If people can go to Glassdoor and rate their jobs, Im sure their employers arent happy, but this is necessary to help the rental crisis in Ireland.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

The US embassy in Ankara will be closed on Dec. 20 against the background of two armed incidents, including the assassination of the Russian envoy, the US embassy tweeted Dec. 20.

The US Embassy in Ankara and Consulates in Istanbul and Adana closed for normal operations today, said the embassy.

Previously, Russias Foreign Ministry confirmed that Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assaut in Ankara Dec. 19.

Meanwhile, the US Department of State confirmed the information about the armed attack on the US embassy in Ankara and added that there were no injured people, and the attacker has been detained.
Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald described the as "unspeakably evil" the suspected terrorist attack in Berlin last night.

Ms Fitzgerald, who is also Justice Minister, said: "This appears to have been an attack not just on people innocently going about their business preparing for Christmas, but on freedom itself.

"Our values of democracy and liberty are the target of those who wish to see a world of dark tyranny imposed on us all.

"I know particularly from my international Ministerial counterparts that there is a steady determination to continue to take - and where possible enhance - measures to counteract this threat. And An Garda Siochana will continue to work closely with their international colleagues to this end."

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"Ultimately the values we cherish so deeply will prevail."

Foreign Affairs Minister in Ireland, Charlie Flanagan, said he was "horrified" by the atrocity.

"I am horrified by the loss of life in Berlin this evening," he said in an official statement.

"I extend sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. Our thoughts are also with those injured in this appalling incident.

"Ireland stands in solidarity with Germany," he continued.

"I urge Irish citizens in Berlin to follow the advice of local authorities and to make contact with their families who may be concerned at this concern."

For updated travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade please consult @dfattravelwise.

If you are concerned about Irish citizens in Berlin, please call +353 1 408 2000.
The empty Apollo House has been occupied by homeless campaigners to shelter rough sleepers

The occupiers of Apollo House say they are full to capacity and are trying to acquire more beds to keep up with increasing demand from rough sleepers.

The house was opened on Friday by housing activists Home Sweet Home, along with a number of high-profile celebrities, who say they have around 30 people living in the former civic office building on Tara Street at the moment.

Despite organisers currently having to turn people away, it is understood the capacity of building is set to increase over the coming days  with more facilities being made available.

Campaigners expect that around 60 people will be able to stay at the facility once it is brought up to scratch.

Heating was turned on in the building on Sunday night, while showers, fridges, cookers and televisions have also been installed.

Michelle Connolly of Home Sweet Home said that they are ensuring the building is fully-equipped before bringing in anyone else, with members of the media currently not invited on the premises for the privacy of residents.

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PRIVATE

We have consulted the residents, on the first day we asked people what they want, if they were happy to have reporters in and they said no, not just yet, Ms Connolly said.

Its their private area, theres still a lot of organisation going on, were still kitting out rooms, people are still coming in for the first time and its a little bit chaotic for people coming in off the streets.

The layout is great. There are nine floors, one floor is completely open-plan, thats the sixth floor.

Every other floor has a long corridor, rooms off it either side and a common area in the middle, she added.

The housing activists are holding a meeting at the Teachers Club on Parnell Street tonight to invite the public on how they can help, with more than 1,500 people having applied to volunteer.

Currently a number of doctors and psychiatrists have been volunteering  with tradespeople also working on ensuring the building is fit for purpose.

Its a matter of making sure they [residents] have what they need available to them. Its a lot more than just a space to sleep; we need to make sure everyone is looked after as well as possible for their own well-being.

VOLUNTEERING

A lot of them are [tradesmen], we have a huge amount of tradesmen who usually do jobs during the week and are volunteering their time to come in.

They do plumbing, carpentry, electrician work and the same with healthcare, we had a psychiatrist in last night and will do every night for the next while.

I havent been personally inspecting their credentials, but a lot of them would have information about themselves online, she added.

Meanwhile, a motion calling for official recognition of the Apollo House occupation was passed by members of Dublin City Council last night.

Anti-Austerity Alliance councillor Michael OBrien said there was a need for engagement between the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and representatives from the Apollo about the status of the residents on the homeless priority list.

Mr OBrien, who tabled the motion, said it was necessary for the residents to be recognised by the state the same as if they were staying in other emergency accommodation.

He also dismissed doubts over the safety of the building.

I have seen photographic evidence of Dublin City Council-approved accommodation in much worse condition than the great standards they have set in Apollo House.

This is run by volunteers who have given love to the residents which is a far cry from how theyve been treated in some other places, he said.
Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and First Minister Arlene Foster with party colleagues arriving at Parliament Buildings in Stormont as she faced a vote of no confidence in her leadership at the devolved Assembly. Photo: PA

Stormont's First Minister Arlene Foster faced down a motion of no confidence during a day of drama that included a mass walkout from the North's Assembly chamber.

Democratic Unionist Mrs Foster defied repeated calls for her to stand down, pending the outcome of an independent investigation into her role in a botched renewable heat scheme that has landed Stormont with an estimated 400m (476m) overspend.

Mrs Foster described the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) affair as her "deepest political regret", but insisted she was going nowhere.

"I remain as committed today as I did on the day I was elected as First Minister to fight the good fight," she said.

Expand Close Deputy First Minster Martin McGuinness, centre, with Megan Fearon, left, and Gerry Adams, right, at Stormont. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Deputy First Minster Martin McGuinness, centre, with Megan Fearon, left, and Gerry Adams, right, at Stormont. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

The SDLP's motion of no confidence was supported by a majority 39-36 of voting Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), but was defeated because it did not secure the required level of cross-community support, due to DUP opposition.

The DUP's partner in government, Sinn Fein, has also called for Mrs Foster to stand down - but its members did not vote in the debate, instead proposing another motion on the RHI scandal for mid-January.

Read more: Stormont crisis as all non-DUP members walk out ahead of Arlene Foster's statement on energy scheme

Read more: Sinn Fein and DUP square up over the next moves in 'cash-for-ash' inquiry

That eased fears of an immediate threat to the political institutions, though the crisis is far from over. Sinn Fein and the DUP are set to hold talks on the way forward in the coming days.

Ahead of the motion of no confidence, all non-DUP members of the Assembly walked out of the chamber amid an acrimonious row over Mrs Foster's right to make a statement without the required approval of Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

In extraordinary scenes, Mrs Foster made her statement to rows of empty benches, with only her party colleagues for company. The DUP leader fielded questions from her MLAs in an otherwise empty chamber.

Mr McGuinness branded the episode a "shambles". He said the RHI furore had left the power-sharing institutions in a "very difficult situation" but pledged to focus on getting them back on track.

But Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams has said the party "does not want" an election in the North. "This isn't about party politics. We have invested hugely, and no one more than Martin McGuinness, in trying to make these institutions work for everyone," the Louth TD told RTE radio.

"But that has to be on the basis of equality, fairness, joined-up-ness that is required in the executive.

"There's 400m (475m) gone down the swanney...if this was happening in the Oireachtas or the Dail we would be taking the very same position. We wouldn't be making judgments outside of a proper independent investigation lead by a judicial figure, bringing forward a report on these matters."

Later in the day, a majority of the absent MLAs returned to the Assembly for the motion of confidence debate.

Assured of the party strength to defeat the motion of no confidence, Mrs Foster branded it a "kamikaze" attempt at a "constitutional coup d'etat".

"I have to say it's a coup d'etat more worthy of a 'Carry On' film," she said.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood had tabled the proposal. "This is the biggest public finance scandal ever to hit these institutions," he said.

"So far, digging into this scandal has uncovered staggering incompetence - digging deeper has the potential to uncover corruption."

Mr Eastwood said Mrs Foster must do the "dignified and decent" thing and stand down.

"We can't go on like this. The longer the First Minister clings on, the more her credibility will fade. And let me assure the First Minister, Christmas will not save her," he said.

The 'cash for ash' scandal reached fever pitch last week when former DUP economy minister Jonathan Bell broke ranks to level a series of claims.

In a TV interview, a tearful Mr Bell said God told him to come clean as he claimed a "highly agitated and angry" Mrs Foster demanded he keep the RHI open for an extra fortnight.

Mrs Foster strongly rejected the claims. Mr Bell was suspended by the party over the weekend.
Mr Ross was furious after learning through the media that Mr ODonovan had proposed the introduction of gender quotas for sporting bodies. Photo: Caroline Quinn

Fine Gael ministers have voiced concern over what they perceive as a "toxic" relationship between Transport, Tourism and Sport Minister Shane Ross and the Minister of State in the department Patrick O'Donovan.

Senior Fine Gael figures believe Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be forced to intervene in the new year to improve relations between the pair.

Mr Ross was furious after learning through the media that Mr O'Donovan had proposed the introduction of gender quotas for sporting bodies.

The policy proposal, the first to emanate from the department since the formation of the new Government, will now be subject to a wider consultation involving interest groups.

Read more: Ross takes sides with 'the blazers' to kill off gender quotas for sports bodies

But in a further example of the poor relations between the two ministers, a meeting involving the country's key sporting bodies last week was not attended by Mr O'Donovan.

It's understood he was not invited by Mr Ross.

Fine Gael ministers believe an intervention by the Taoiseach will be needed to resolve the ministers' differences.
The NAMA owned Apollo House, which was been turned into a makeshift hostel. Photo: Damien Eagers

A Government minister has said she supports homeless people occupying the Apollo House office block staying there over Christmas as long as it provides "appropriate shelter".

However, Children's Minister Katherine Zappone backed campaigner Fr Peter McVerry, who said the occupation was not the solution to the homelessness crisis.

She was asked whether those occupying the vacant office building should be left there over Christmas.

"If that's what provides the appropriate shelter for those people during Christmas, why not?" she replied.

The building is lying empty ahead of a plan to redevelop the site.

The house was opened on Friday by activists Home Sweet Home along with a number of high-profile celebrities, including Jim Sheridan, Glen Hansard and Damien Dempsey.

Last week, Fr McVerry applauded the campaigners in Apollo House on Dublin's Tara Street for highlighting the issue of homelessness.

But he said he would not be joining the initiative because he did not believe it was a viable solution to the homeless crisis. Fr McVerry said his focus was on finding solutions.

"I probably would be with Peter McVerry in relation to his view," Ms Zappone said.

She said she believed in the "politics of people power" and that it became important when government decisions didn't move fast enough.

However, she added that while solving the housing and homelessness crisis was "very complicated", the Government was making decisions, highlighting last week's moves to bring more certainty to renters and efforts to reduce bureaucracy in the housing sector.
From Irish Water to the Eighth Amendment, judicial appointments and even the issue of Ireland's neutrality.

These are just a sample from the myriad of issues that have been the subject of tense and at times bitter exchanges at the Cabinet table.

It is no secret that the vast majority of the disputes within Government in recent months have involved members of the Independent Alliance, most notably Transport Minister Shane Ross.

Mr Ross appears to thrive on winding up Fine Gael ministers, and particularly Taoiseach Enda Kenny, whom he infamously described as a "political corpse" just days before supporting him in his bid to become Taoiseach.

During one of the more colourful stand-offs between the pair, Mr Kenny even resorted to waiving a copy of Bunreacht na hEireann as a means of reminding Mr Ross of our commitment to neutrality.

As former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds noted: "It's the little things that trip you up."

But as the European Commission reminded us yesterday, there is nothing little about a ruling that says Ireland facilitated Apple in avoiding billions of dollars in tax.

This was the one and only issue that has actually really threatened the stability of this minority administration.

As the month of August entered its final hours, the Cabinet was recalled to devise a response to the 13bn tax ruling.

It was here that Mr Kenny and Finance Minister Michael Noonan were blocked in their attempts to launch an immediate appeal against the Commission's judgment.

Leading the charge that stunned the Fine Gael-side of Cabinet was the softly spoken and highly capable Children's Minister, Katherine Zappone.

Cusp

Over a period of a few days which saw the Cabinet hold two emergency meetings, Ms Zappone was on the cusp of leaving Government - a move many in Fine Gael believe would have been followed by others.

The Dublin South West TD felt that the tax ruling exposed a common-held belief about Ireland: We are a tax haven.

At one point, the Cabinet meeting was adjourned to allow Ms Zappone a period of 30 minutes to "clear her head" and consider her future.

She was staunchly opposed to an appeal and informed some of her closest advisors and supporters that her stint in Cabinet looked set to be one of the shortest in history.

But after agonising over the decision, Ms Zappone agreed to the appeal in return for a series of compromises.

These include the staging of a conference next year on tax justice and the introduction of a motion designed to ensure more transparent tax dealings with multi-national corporations.

As part of this, the Revenue Commissioner has begun a review of its arrangements with global firms.

Similar to the Apple tax ruling itself, the split at Cabinet that engulfed Ms Zappone made headlines across the globe.
The curse that has afflicted Aleppo touched Europe yesterday with the cold-blooded murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey.

It was claimed that the Turkish policeman responsible for the murder shouted: "Allahu Akbar! Do not forget Aleppo!"

The assassination of an ambassador is a particularly provocative act. It violates all sense of order. The intention is to prompt an incendiary and disproportionate response, creating further instability and spreading the circle of terror.

Turkey, a long-time adversary of Russia and President Assad of Syria, had in recent times forged new ties with Moscow. It played a part in helping to broker a deal to evacuate civilians and rebel fighters from the last opposition enclaves in Aleppo. There is a strongly held view that the ruthless assault on Aleppo would not have taken place if Donald Trump was not US president-elect. The theory is that Mr Putin has been emboldened by the hiatus on Capitol Hill. He has out-manoeuvred the US repeatedly in the Middle East. Mr Trump has gone further than any recent American leader to make overtures to the Russian leader. The appointment of Rex Tillerson as the new US Secretary of State, a man who already has a strong working relationship with Mr Putin, is widely regarded as a step towards some kind of rapprochement between the two super powers. It is to be hoped that the atrocity in Ankara does not precipitate a new flashpoint. In the past, President Putin has defended himself by insisting that: "Today, it is imperative to end this hysteria, to refute the rhetoric of the Cold War and to accept the obvious fact: Russia is an independent, active participant in international affairs. Like other countries, it has its own national interests that need to be taken into account and respected." Russia undoubtedly has a constructive role to play; but it must work in tandem with the rest of the global community. The gravity of what transpired in Ankara cannot be overstated. This murder was a challenge to diplomacy, but if ever there was a time for diplomacy, this is it. As Enoch Powell once said: "History is littered with the wars everybody knew could never happen." There were chilling historical resonances in yesterday's assassination. The global temperature needs to be reduced given yesterday's attacks in Berlin and Ankara.
The couple: Amy Huberman and Brian O'Driscoll. The year: 2010. The dress: Stephanie Allin

Amy Huberman at the launch of Striking Out at the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar. Picture: Andres Poveda

Brian O'Driscoll and Amy Huberman arrive on day six of the Wimbledon Championships.

Actress and author Amy Huberman was announced as a judge for the Bord Gais Energy Student Theatre Awards. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Amy Huberman at the launch of Striking Out at the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar. Picture: Andres Poveda

Brian ODriscoll and wife Amy Huberman pictured at the launch of Newbridge Silverwares Luna Collection by Amy

Amy Huberman has opened up about her new obsession - giving her new dream home a complete makeover.

The actress (36) recently purchased a Georgian townhouse with husband Brian O'Driscoll in Rathmines and the pair will be gutting it from head to toe to make it their own.

The couple currently live in Goatstown with their two children Sadie (three) and Billy (two).

"Thatll be a good while away. It needs a good bit of work so we wont be in there for a good while," she told independent.ie.

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"If we spend Christmas there it might be a bit miserable because we have no heating or curtains.

"Im really looking forward to the project of it. I dont really know what Ill be doing.

"Itll be fun but itll be a lot of work."

Their purchase of the 2m home hit headlines earlier this month and the IFTA-winning star said she stumbled upon their new property accidentally.

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"I was actually on a walk with my cousin around that area and we werent even looking to move, it was all a bit of an accident," she explained.

"It is a really pretty old old house and we kind of went for it. It needs a bit of TLC but I love it."

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As for their Christmas plans this year?

"We'll go over to my folks."

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Huberman was speaking at the a sneak preview of her new four-part legal drama series Striking Out on RTE. In the upcoming show, she plays a lawyer who discovers her fiance (Rory Keenan) has been cheating on her with a colleague and embarks on a new chapter in her life.

In order to prepare for the role, she shadowed a friend who works as a lawyer in order to see firsthand what goes on in court.

"A friend of mine works in a firm and she said to come in. She spoke to the head dude and we went down to the courts for a day which was amazing," she explained.

"You see the shorthand of how they talk to each other - it was really formal but yet informal. We had legal advisers on the show but to see it first hand was great.

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"I panicked a bit when we went in. The solicitor was saying there's a court photographer and I hadn't thought about that.

"He said he's probably taking our picture on the way in and I was like 'Oh no. People will think I'm in trouble'.

"When it came out that we were doing the series a few weeks later, a few of his friends went 'Ah, that's why she was there'."

The first episode airs of Striking Out on RTE One on Sunday January 1st at 21:30 and will run for four weeks.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

Trend:

Russias security officials have been sent to Ankara to investigate the murder of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, TASS agency reported Dec. 20 citing a source familiar with the situation.

The Russian diplomat was fatally wounded by an armed gunman on Dec. 19 evening as he made a speech during the opening of a photo exhibition devoted to Russia in the Center for Contemporary Art in Turkeys capital Ankara.

The attacker was killed by local security forces shortly after, Turkeys authorities said. Three people were wounded. Russias Foreign Ministry said the attack on the ambassador was an act of terrorism.

A criminal case was opened in Russia with regard to the incident.
Female worker bumblebees are known to memorise the locations of their nests

Male bumblebees leave home and fly away without ever looking back, according to scientists.

They make no effort to remember where they grew up as they leave for the final time to begin their bachelor life as solitary adults.

But when they leave a newly discovered flower, they perform a "learning" flight during which they turn back and look at the flower so they can find it again.

However, female worker bumblebees are known to memorise the locations both of their nests and the flowers at which they find nectar and pollen.

Theo Robert, a PhD student at the University of Exeter, discovered this behaviour.

"Out of curiosity I placed a male on a feeder and found that its departure flight looked surprisingly similar to that of bumblebee workers," he said.

"I was intrigued by this observation, and so we recorded more flights of male bees to understand whether they are capable of performing learning flights, but decide to do it only at locations that are important to them."

Natalie Hempel de Ibarra, who also worked on the research, said: "Female bees have a rich behavioural repertoire that is widely studied, while the behaviour of males is less studied and is therefore sometimes held to be simpler.

"In fact, male bumblebees have to do more than just mate after they have left their natal nest.

"To avoid breeding with sisters or cousins, it is best for male bumblebees to travel far from their nest, often as much as six miles, and not return.

"After this migration, the males live as solitary foragers, and as a group they are significant pollinators.

"Finding queens to mate with is not easy. Darwin found that to do so the males patrol stable routes. They learn these routes and deposit pheromones on plants along the way to attract females.

"There is still much for us to learn about their lives."

The research was carried out in greenhouses on the University of Exeter's Streatham campus.

The paper - Male bumblebees perform learning flights on leaving a flower but not when leaving their nest - is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
Police stand beside a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market and killed 12 people in Berlin (AP)

Germany is grieving and in shock following the lorry attack. (AP)

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured.

The news came as German security forces hunt for the perpetrator of the attack after releasing a man from custody due to a lack of evidence.

IS said in a statement from its Amaq news agency that the attacker "in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition".

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refuelling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they had released a man arrested on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck. The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled.

But federal prosecutors said he denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was driving the truck at the time of the attack. Mr Muench also said police have not yet found a pistol authorities believe was used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and report "suspicious movements" to a special hotline.

"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Before Islamic State claimed responsibility, Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the militant group.

"There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organisations," Mr Frank said.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life.

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in Berlin.

"A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Later, Mrs Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and travelling 60 to 80 metres (200 to 260 feet) before coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the truck's passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained in hospital, 14 with serious injuries.

Mrs Merkel, who has been criticised for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Mrs Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but no one was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle had been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload on Tuesday morning.

"They must have done something to my driver," he told broadcaster TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an axe rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same week-long period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday night's attack, blaming Mrs Merkel for what happened.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

The German government said Mrs Merkel spoke on Tuesday with US President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

US President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the Earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners".

The attack came less than a month after the US State Department warned that extremist groups, including Islamic State and al Qaida, were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.

AP
An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A man gestures near to the body of a man at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov on ground, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

An unnamed gunman holds the gun after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkish police secure the area near an art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot in Ankara, Turkey, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov (L) accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov (L) accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin (not seen), who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo

Police cars parked in front of the Islamic centre, in Zurich. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone/AP)

A truck is seen near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

A truck is seen near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski

Police work near the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Paramedics work at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Paramedics work at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

A truck is seen near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Police work at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Police and emergency workers are at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

The smashed window of the cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded Christmas market Monday evening killing several people Monday evening is seen in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016.(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

The damaged windscreen of the truck which ploughed last night into a crowded Christmas market is pictured in the German capital Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

Fire fighters stand beside the truck which ploughed last night into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

A fire fighter stands beside the truck which ploughed last night into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German Foreign Minister Fank-Walter Steinmeier walk towards the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, December 20, 2016, one day after a truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

Police secures the area at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Terror group Islamic State have claimed responsibility for a horror attack on a German Christmas market which killed 12 and left up to 50 injured.

A news agency linked to the group have said the so-called Islamic State or IS has claimed responsibility for the truck crash as a new manhunt is underway for the suspect or suspects in the attack.

The executor of the operation.. in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic state and he executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries," the militant group's AMAQ news agency said on Tuesday

German authorities have released a man who was arrested in the wake of the attack, saying they do not have enough evidence to build a case.

Police have admitted that a suspect or suspects may still be at large.

However, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said investigators are now following several leads.

"We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster.

"There are several leads that investigators are following now," the minister added.

De Maiziere added that "nobody will rest until the perpetrator or the perpetrators are caught".

Islamic State has claimed the Berlin truck attacker is an IS soldier "targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition" .

A Pakistani asylum-seeker was arrested shortly after the horrifying incident but police said he may not be the attacker, and the real perpetrator could still be on the run before his release this evening.

Prosecutors noted in a statement that witnesses were able to follow the truck's driver from the scene but lost track of him. The man arrested matched witness descriptions of the truck driver, but investigators have not been able to prove he was in the truck's cab at the time of the attack.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

The German Interior Minister has said it is not yet known how many foreigners are among the victims of the Christmas Market crash but there are no children among the dead.

Earlier BKA chief Holger Muench said authorities are not sure if the suspect they have in custody was the driver of the truck, adding that the man denies being involved.

He said police have also not yet found a pistol believed to have been used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering steel beams with the truck when it went missing.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Police stand near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski Police work near the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch A truck is seen near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski Police secures the area at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch A truck is seen near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Paramedics work at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Paramedics work at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch A truck is seen near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Police and emergency workers are at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm avenue in the west of Berlin, Germany, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch Police work at the site of an accident at a Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz square near the fashionable Kurfuerstendamm REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch / Facebook

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Whatsapp Police stand near the Christmas market in Berlin, Germany December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski

Germany's top prosecutor Peter Frank told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by Islamic State (IS).

Mr Frank said: "There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organisations."

German chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life.

She said in a televised statement: "Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us any more.

"A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowded Christmas market on Monday evening. It smashed through the market, travelling 200-250ft before finally coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and the man found shot and killed in the truck's passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified, and 18 people are still said to be suffering from serious injuries.

Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said the man detained shortly after the attack was a Pakistani citizen. He had entered Germany as a migrant on December 31 last year and arrived in Berlin in February.

Berlin police urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and to report "suspicious movement" to a special hotline.

"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Mr Merkel, who has been criticised for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, directly addressed the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Mrs Merkel said.

Nine die in lorry 'attack' on Berlin Xmas market. US tourist Sabrina Glinz witnessed the aftermath of the incident. https://t.co/pOalxq41Oa  Sky News (@SkyNews) December 19, 2016

Horrified by the tragic loss of life in Berlin. Irish citizens in area: please follow advice of local authorities & consult @dfatravelwise pic.twitter.com/Tw36usXcDr  Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) December 19, 2016

"This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

The driver Lukasz Urban has been named as the "the first victim of this heinous act of violence" by Poland's prime minister, Beata Szydlo.

His cousin told Polish media that it was clear the man 'fought for his life' during the incident.

On Tuesday, Mr Zurawski showed reporters a photo on his phone of his cousin in a kebab bar around 2pm, the last photo known of him still alive.

Alert

The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of west Berlin's most famous landmarks, at about 8 p.m. on Monday. Forty-eight people were injured, 18 severely.

News of the arrest of the 23-year-old Pakistani led politicians in Germany and beyond to demand a crackdown on immigration.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin (not seen), who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov (L) accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov (L) accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Turkish police secure the area near an art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot in Ankara, Turkey, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) An unnamed gunman holds the gun after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov on ground, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) A man gestures near to the body of a man at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks at a gallery in Ankara, moments before the fatal attack (AP/Burhan Ozbilici) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin (not seen), who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo

Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters: "There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack."

She added: "I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum."

In a dramatic twist, police later said the suspect had denied the offence and might not be the right man.

"According to my information it's uncertain whether he was really the driver," Police President Klaus Kandt told a news conference.

Berlin police tweeted that they were "particularly alert" because of the denial. "Please be alert," they added.

Die Welt newspaper quoted an unnamed police chief as saying: "We have the wrong man. And therefore a new situation. The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage."

German media said the arrested man had jumped out of the driver's cab and run down the street towards the Tiergarten, a vast park in central Berlin. Several witnesses called police, including one who chased the suspect while on the phone, constantly updating officials on his whereabouts.

The chief prosecutor has said it is not known yet if the perpetrator was being instructed from elsewhere.

The attack fuelled immediate demands for a change to Merkel's immigration policies, under which more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany this year and last.

"We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this," said Klaus Bouillon, interior minister of the state of Saarland and a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).

Horst Seehofer, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, said: "We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy and to change it."

The record influx has hit Merkel's ratings as she prepares to run for a fourth term next year, and boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). Senior AfD member Marcus Pretzell blamed Merkel for the attack on Twitter.

AfD leader Frauke Petry said Germany was no longer safe and "radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany".

The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State.

The temporary arrested suspect denies the offense.

Therefore we are particulary alert.

Please be also alert.#Breitscheidplatz  PolizeiBerlinEinsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) December 20, 2016

The mass influx of migrants and refugees to the European Union has deeply divided its 28 members and fuelled the rise of populist anti-immigration movements that hope to capitalise on public concerns next year in elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said the latest attack would change perceptions of migration. "I think that the cup of patience is beginning to spill over and Europe's public will rightfully expect rather stronger measures," he said.

Nigel Farage of Britain's UK Independence Party tweeted: "Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy."

On Tuesday morning, investigators removed the black truck from the site for forensic examination. People left flowers at the scene and notes, one of which read: "Keep on living, Berliners!" One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers.

Bild newspaper cited security sources as saying the arrested man was Naved B. and had arrived in Germany a year ago. In legal cases German officials routinely withhold the full name of suspects, using only an initial.

A security source told Reuters the suspect had been staying at a refugee centre in the now defunct Tempelhof airport.

Die Welt said police special forces stormed a hangar at Tempelhof at around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT). A refugee there who gave his name only as Ahmed told Reuters security guards had told him there was a raid at around 4 a.m.

Prosecutors declined to immediately comment on the report.

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IRISH IN BERLIN

A young Irish woman has told of the shock in Berlin after the suspected terror attack.

Shauna Sheridan (20) from Blanchardstown, Dublin works in an Irish bar with her boyfriend Alex Gutte (21), who is from Berlin.

The bar is called Irish Pub and is across from the Christmas market where the incident occurred.

She told Independent.ie how they were told they missed the situation by "five minutes".

So we were on the U-bahn from Alexanderplatz, just doing some Christmas shopping," she said.

"We wanted to stop by Zoologischer Garten (stop closest to the market) to get a present for my mum for Xmas because we're flying to Birmingham on Thursday.

We decided not to go to the market and get off at Ernst-Reuter-Platz instead to make some dinner first. At Ernst-Reuter-Platz we waited for our connecting bus when a bus with ambulance sirens on it drove by in the direction of the market.

She continued; "We spoke to a Spanish man who we had just got a lighter from and he said he just came from the market and said there were people screaming and running away from the scene, the guy didnt see it himself but he was shook up too.

Apparently we just missed the whole situation by five minutes. We arrived home 10 minutes later to see it all over the news.

Cillian McDonagh, an Irish student who works in a bar in Berlin, says there are systems in place in to make sure all Irish people are accounted for during any potential attack.

He says the Berlin GAA club contacted all of its members to make sure everyone was okay.

There are over 100 members in the GAA club and we also gave information to the Irish Embassy, he told the Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk.

It is the best place to live in Europe which is why I suppose it was such a target."

People in Germany have been expecting this because Germany has been the leader of the free world."

He explained that raids on Tuesday morning were carried out near the home of Berlin GAA.

Police have now launched a raid on a refugee shelter which is actually near where Berlin GAA club train every Saturday.

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Jacintha Murphy from Wexford, who has been living in Berlin for two years, was at a Christmas market fifteen minutes away.

The 26-year-old says there was a sense that a terrorist attack was inevitable in Berlin.

"Well there was a large police presence gathered within a short time where I was (Christmas Market at Schloss Charlottenburg) and a lot of emergency vehicle activity even though I wasn't in the immediate vicinity.

"People didn't seem overly panicked where I was though."

Eileen Thornhill (below), from Co Cork, has been living in Berlin for 26 years. She is working in The Irish Times Pub, approximately 4.5km from the incident, and became aware of the attack when friends and family suddenly started calling the bar.

Expand Close Eileen Thornhill, from Cork, has been living in Berlin for 26 years / Facebook

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Whatsapp Eileen Thornhill, from Cork, has been living in Berlin for 26 years

We all started getting phone calls asking if we were all right and then we turned on the TV and saw what was happening, she told Independent.ie.

We are all shocked and in a state of disbelief. I dont know what to say. But German people are very resilient and good at coping.

Its a huge shock."

Eileen drew comparisons with the Nice attack that occurred on Bastille Day, claiming the lives of 86.

The market is always filled with tourists and the fact that it happened near a holiday makes it more tragic. I suppose thats why they choose holidays to make the biggest impact possible," she added.

Terror

The attack in Berlin came during a night of terror for Europe

In the Turkish city of Ankara, the Russian ambassador was shot dead while he spoke at a press conference at an art gallery.

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Expand Close The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

In Zurich, several people were injured by a gunman at a mosque.

However, police have now said they have found no sign of any radical Islamist or far-right motive by a gunman who killed himself after a shooting at a Zurich mosque which left three worshippers wounded.

Criminal police chief Christiane Lentjes Meili said investigations are continuing in connection with the 24-year-old Swiss citizen who was behind the shootings on Monday.

She told reporters: "There's no indication of any kind of terrorist connection to (the Islamic State group) or any Islamic radicalisation of the suspect. "

Ms Lentjes Meili said an investigation determined that the gunman, who was not named, had also recently stabbed an acquaintance to death.

She said two people who were seriously injured in the mosque attack are recovering.

Police forces and authorities across Europe have upped their security measures today, as it is suggested the suspected terror attacks may be linked.

Solidarity

Foreign Affairs Minister in Ireland, Charlie Flanagan, said he is "horrified" by the atrocity.

"I am horrified by the loss of life in Berlin this evening," he said in an official statement.

"I extend sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. Our thoughts are also with those injured in this appalling incident.

"Ireland stands in solidarity with Germany," he continued.

"I urge Irish citizens in Berlin to follow the advice of local authorities and to make contact with their families who may be concerned at this concern.

"For updated travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade please consult @dfattravelwise.

"If you are concerned about Irish citizens in Berlin, please call +353 1 408 2000."

Tainiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald described the as "unspeakably evil" the suspected terrorist attack in Berlin on Monday night.

Ms Fitzgerald said "This appears to have been an attack not just on people innocently going about their business preparing for Christmas, but on freedom itself.

"Our values of democracy and liberty are the target of those who wish to see a world of dark tyranny imposed on us all.

"I know particularly from my international Ministerial counterparts that there is a steady determination to continue to take - and where possible enhance - measures to counteract this threat. And An Garda Siochana will continue to work closely with their international colleagues to this end."

"Ultimately the values we cherish so deeply will prevail."

Berlin

In Germany, 12 people were killed and 48 were injured in the attack.

The driver, was reported to have fled. police later arrested a suspect but concerns were raised that they had the wrong man.

A passenger in the lorry  which came from Poland and may have been hijacked  was later found dead inside. It is believed he may have been the original driver of the truck.

According to a report in German newspaper Bild, the arrested man is a newly arrived 23-year-old Pakistani refugee.

Reuters is reporting that German Special Forces stormed a hangar at Berlin's defunct Tempelhof airport, which now houses a refugee accommodation centre.

The White House has condemned the apparent attack: "We have been in touch with German officials, and we stand ready to provide assistance as they recover from and investigate this horrific incident," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement."

Meanwhile, UK and French authorities have increased security at Christmas markets immediately.

US president-elect Donald Trump has blamed 'Islamist terrorists' for 'slaughter' of Christians in Berlin in a statement released late on Monday.

Trump statement on Berlin pic.twitter.com/Sf8dJVV70J  Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) December 19, 2016

"ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad," Mr Trump said in the statement, using an acronym for Islamic State or Isil.

He added: "These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from teh face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with freedom loving partners."

Ankara

The Russian ambassador to Turkey died after being shot by a gunman in Ankara.

Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.

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The gunman was a police officer the Turkish Interior Minister has confirmed.

Three others were wounded in the attack but none were seriously hurt and one has already been released from hospital according to Turkish officials.

President Vladimir Putin said the killing was a provocation to try to spoil Russia-Turkey ties and derail Moscow's attempts to find, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis.

In televised comments, Putin, speaking at a special meeting in the Kremlin, ordered security at Russian embassies around the world to be stepped up and said he wanted to know who had "directed" the gunman's hand.

Meanwhile, details of a call between the Turkish and Russian president have also emerged.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he had agreed in a telephone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin that their cooperation and solidarity in fighting terrorism should be even stronger after the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey.

Erdogan also called the killing a clear provocation aimed at damaging relations between Turkey and Russia at a time of normalisation.

Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek told reporters outside the exhibition centre that the "heinous" attack had aimed to disrupt newly-re-established relations between Turkey and Russiia.

US state department spokesman John Kirby said US officials are aware of reports about the shooting.

"We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source," Mr Kirby said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said America stands ready to help Turkey investigate the attack.

Mr Karlov, 62, joined the diplomatic service in 1976, and went on to serve as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang from 2001-2006.

He later worked as the chief of the foreign ministry's consular department, and had been Russia's ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

It was reported that t he gunman shouted in Turkish ahead of the shooting: "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria."

The man then yelled: "Stand back. Stand back. Only death will take me out of here.

"Anyone who has a role in this oppression will die one by one."

Zurich

Several people were wounded in a shooting at a mosque frequented largely by Somali immigrants in Switzerland's largest city while the suspect was shot dead by police.

Police and ambulances swarmed to the scene near the city's rail station, blocked off a nearby road, and secured the Islamic Centre.

On Twitter, the Zurich police department said: "Large operation after shooting at mosque in the Eisgasse. Several injured. Perpetrator on the run."

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It said the situation was under control and the wounded had been taken to hospital.

There were conflicting news reports about whether the shooting had taken place inside a prayer room itself, or outside.

A Zurich police official said the shooting occurred near the intersection of Militaerstrasse and Eisgasse streets.

Police told German-language daily Blick that three people had been injured.

On Tuesday morning, police confirmed that the gunman was dead.

Attacks by gunmen are rare in Switzerland. The country was shaken in 2013 by at least two multiple-fatality shootings.

The country has a long-standing tradition for men to keep their military rifles after completing compulsory military service - which partly explains a high rate of gun ownership in the country of about 8.2 million people.

Additional reporting by PA and Reuters
China has handed back to the United States an underwater drone whose seizure raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Donald Trump's signals of a tougher policy towards Beijing.

Last week's seizure near the Philippines prompted a new volley of criticism by Mr Trump, who has riled the Chinese leadership by saying he might reconsider policy toward Taiwan, the self-ruled island the mainland claims as its territory.

The Chinese navy vessel which seized the drone returned it near where it had been taken, and it was received by the USS Mustin about 50 miles (80km) north-west of Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement. He added that Washington considered the seizure illegal.

"This incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea," he said, adding that the US has called on China to refrain from "further efforts to impede lawful US activities".

The statement said the US would continue to "fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows". Such freedom of navigation missions in which American ships sail near China's artificial islands draw warnings and rebukes from Beijing.

China's defence ministry said in a statement that it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations".

Chinese officials said the drone was removed from the water to ensure the safety of passing ships, but domestic political experts have read the move as a warning to Mr Trump not to test Beijing's resolve over Taiwan.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump broke protocol by speaking with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. He later said he did not feel "bound by a one-China policy" unless the US could gain trade or other benefits from China. Beijing regards any acknowledgement that Taiwan has its own head of state as a grave insult.

"China wants to send a message to the US side about how serious the consequences can be if sensitive issues in China-US relations are handled unilaterally and indiscreetly," said Xiong Zhiyong, an international relations expert at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. "The return of the seized drone shows that China hopes the US will not provoke China on these issues and engage in solving issues through consultation."

The incident underscores how Mr Trump will confront as president an increasingly assertive China that wants to extend its reach in the South China Sea, a strategically vital area through which about 5 trillion US dollars in global trade passes each year. Several of China's smaller neighbours have protested over China's territorial claims there and are closely watching Mr Trump's handling of the disputed sea.

The seizure of the drone fits into China's broader strategy aimed at shaping the perception that it is in control of the South China Sea and will not back down, said Michael Raska, a military analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"They use the South China Sea as political, economic and informational means to project power and to influence domestic and external perception that the South China Sea is basically Chinese," said Mr Raska. "This puts the US and China into contending trajectories, but neither side has the strategic interest to escalate beyond these low-level incidents."

The US said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. A non-combat ship was recovering two drones last Thursday when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them, officials said.

Mr Trump, still a month away from being inaugurated, accused Chinese authorities on Saturday of stealing the drone, and said on Twitter, "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back - let them keep it!"

Mr Trump has pledged to be more unpredictable on the world stage, billing the approach as a much-needed change from President Barack Obama's deliberative style and public forecasting about US policy.

That is likely to unnerve both allies and adversaries, leaving glaring questions about whether the foreign policy novice is carrying out planned strategies or acting on impulse.

AP
Undated family handout file photo of stuntman Matthew Cranch, 24, a "human cannonball" killed during a stunt show in Detling, Kent, in 2011 after he was fired out of a cannon during a show. Photo: Family handout/PA Wire

A stunt company director will be sentenced today over health and safety breaches following the death of a human cannonball who was killed after being fired into the air at a show.

Stuntman Matthew Cranch, 24, died after suffering multiple injuries when a safety net intended to break his fall collapsed as he hurtled to the ground.

He had been fired from a lorry-mounted cannon in front of hundreds of spectators during Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show at the Kent County Showground in Detling on April 25 2011.

In July, Mr Cranch's boss Scott May, 40, of Stunts UK Ltd, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Magistrates' Court to a health and safety charge. A guilty plea was also entered on behalf of Stunts UK Ltd.

Prosecutors said May, of Higher Bosavern, St Just, near Penzance, Cornwall, had "failed to discharge the duty" as an employer to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of employees, including Mr Cranch.

A part-heard sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday was told a mechanism which triggered the release of the safety net was not properly set.

It could be unintentionally falsely closed, leading to the net dropping when the lorry recoiled upon firing of the cannon, the court was told.

Mark Watson, prosecuting, said the mechanism was only intended to be released when the stuntman had been caught in the net.

Expand Close File photo dated 20/01/15 of stunt company director Scott May who will be sentenced today over health and safety breaches following the death of a human cannonball who was killed after being fired into the air at a show. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp File photo dated 20/01/15 of stunt company director Scott May who will be sentenced today over health and safety breaches following the death of a human cannonball who was killed after being fired into the air at a show. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

But Mr Watson said: "In summary, there was simply no need for there to be a quick release mechanism attached to this safety net in those circumstances. It introduced a wholly unacceptable level of risk in relation to this stunt which was unnecessary in practice."

An inquest jury last year ruled Mr Cranch's death was an accident.

In footage shown at the inquest, one of Mr Cranch's colleagues was heard giving a "3, 2, 1" countdown on the public address system before he shouted "fire".

Mr Cranch could then be seen being propelled from the cannon amid a cloud of pyrotechnic smoke as the safety net in front of him suddenly collapsed.

Despite efforts by medics, he died at Maidstone Hospital. Relatives had described Mr Cranch as a "free spirit" whose death they could "never accept or recover from".

Kent Police announced in December 2012 that no criminal prosecution would be brought over Mr Cranch's death and the matter was passed to Maidstone Borough Council, which prosecuted May and Stunts UK Ltd.

At Monday's sentencing hearing, Mr Watson said May had not deliberately breached his duty but he had "hands-on control", was responsible for safety and was present on the day of the tragedy.

In mitigation, Tanya Robinson, defending, said: "Mr May considered himself to be compliant with health and safety legislation at the time. He believed he had done enough to protect his members of staff."

Judge Jeremy Carey will sentence May and Stunts UK Ltd at Maidstone Crown Court from 10.15am.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has canceled his visit to Ukraine scheduled for Dec. 20-21 because of the assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Ankara, a spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, told RIA Novosti Dec. 20.

Karlov died after receiving fatal wound in an armed assault at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara late Dec. 19. Three other people were injured in the attack. The killer, Turkish off-duty police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, has been eliminated. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.

Cavusoglu was planning to visit Ukraine within the preparation for the meeting of the Turkish-Ukrainian High Level Cooperation Council.

The visit has been postponed to a later date, the spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Andrey Karlov (2ndR), the Russian ambassador to Ankara, lying on the floor after being shot by a gunman (R) during an attack during a public event in Ankara.

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A Turkish police officer who was standing behind Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, as he gave a speech at an art gallery in the Turkish capital.

Moment later, he drew a handgun and shot Mr Karlov nine times before reportedly shouting "Allahu Akbar."

He is understood to have added, in a mixture of Turkish Arabic, words to the effect of: "We made an oath to die in martyrdom...it is revenge for Syria and Aleppo...until they are safe, you will not taste safety."

Russia's foreign ministry has described his actions as a "terrorist attack."

What do we know about him?

Melih Gokcek, the mayor of Ankara, has confirmed that the gunman worked in the city as a police officer, but little else is known about him at this early stage.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin (not seen), who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov (L) accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov (L) accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) Turkish police secure the area near an art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot in Ankara, Turkey, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) An unnamed gunman holds the gun after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov on ground, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) A man gestures near to the body of a man at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks a gallery in Ankara Monday Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici) The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaks at a gallery in Ankara, moments before the fatal attack (AP/Burhan Ozbilici) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin (not seen), who disembarks from the Presidential aircraft at Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo

Turkish media reports say he was 22 years old, and one local newspaper described him as an "agile" police officer who worked on special operations.

Turkish authorities confirmed that he had been serving in Ankara's riot police unit for the last two-and-a-half years.

He was clean-shaven and wore a black suit with a matching belt and tie.

Seconds before the attack he was captured on camera by an AP photographer standing innocuously behind Mr Karlov as he gave a speech.

Expand Close A picture of the unnamed gunman in his police uniform / Facebook

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Whatsapp A picture of the unnamed gunman in his police uniform

According to CNN, the words spoken by the attacker are similar to the unofficial anthem of the al-Qaeda-allied group Al Nusra.

A picture of the gunman wearing his police uniform has been widely circulated by the Turkish media, which identifies him as M. Mert Altintas.

Police officers standing outside the gallery said they believed the gunman was off-duty when the attack took place.

Turkish media reports said the gunman attended Korfez Preparatory School.

Turkish news agency Anadolu, without citing sources, said the shooter's family home in the western province of Aydin was searched and his mother, father and sister were detained.

Anadolu also says the man's house in Ankara was raided and his roommate, also a riot police officer, was detained.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Nigel Farage has been threatened with legal action over an extremism row with the husband of murdered British MP Jo Cox following the Berlin terrorist attack.

Campaign group Hope Not Hate said it had asked the former Ukip leader to apologise for suggesting its supporters "masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means" or face legal action.

Mr Farage's comments on radio station LBC came after Brendan Cox had criticised a tweet sent by the right wing politician which linked the Berlin atrocity with Chancellor Angela Merkel's policy on refugees.

In an appeal for funds on its website entitled "Help us take Nigel Farage to court", Hope Not Hate said: "This morning, on LBC radio, former Ukip leader Nigel Farage launched an outrageous attack on us, on Brendan Cox, husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, and by association on everyone who believes in Hope not Hate.

"Our lawyer has just sent Farage a letter demanding he retracts and publicly apologises or we will begin legal proceedings against him."

Early on Tuesday Mr Farage, who stood down as Ukip leader in November, had tweeted: "Terrible news from Berlin but no surprise. Events like these will be the Merkel legacy."

Expand Close MP Jo Cox. Photo: PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp MP Jo Cox. Photo: PA

The comment prompted hundreds of retweets and replies, including from Mr Cox, whose Labour MP wife was shot and stabbed to death by neo-Nazi Thomas Mair in her Batley and Spen constituency days before June's EU referendum .

Mr Cox replied to the tweet by telling the politician that "blaming politicians for the actions of extremists" was a "slippery slope".

Later, in an radio interview, Mr Farage responded by saying: "Well, of course, he would know more about extremists than me, Mr Cox, he backs organisations like Hope Not Hate, who masquerade as being lovely and peaceful but actually pursue violent and very undemocratic means.

"I'm sorry Mr Cox, it is time people started to take responsibility for what's happened. Mrs Merkel had directly caused a whole number of social and terrorist problems in Germany, it's about time we confronted that truth."

This prompted angry replies from Mrs Cox's former colleagues in Westminster.

Chris Bryant, the Rhondda MP and former shadow Commons leader, said: "The sheer nastiness of Farage sometimes takes my breath away."

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins added: "When your entire career has been built on hate, not hope, it perhaps shouldn't shock me, but Farage still sinks lower than I'd have believed."

Tracy Brabin, who won the by-election to succeed Mrs Cox in her Batley and Spen constituency, said: "Beggars belief... A new low for Farage."
A man who shot three people at a Zurich mosque on Monday is dead, police said on Tuesday, confirming that a body found near the scene was that of the assailant.

Zurich cantonal police said authorities had identified the suspect, but gave no details. A news conference was scheduled for 1300 GMT.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Special Unit Policemen secure the area in front of the Islamic center, in Zurich, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP) Police stand outside an Islamic center in central Zurich, Switzerland December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Police patrol near an Islamic center in central Zurich, Switzerland December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Police cars parked in front of the Islamic centre, in Zurich. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Special Unit Policemen secure the area in front of the Islamic center, in Zurich, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)

The gunman had stormed into the Islamic centre and opened fire on worshippers.

"The dead man found around 300 metres (yards) from the scene of the crime after the shooting in the mosque is the suspect," a statement on a police website said.

Two of the three victims -- aged 30, 35 and 56 -- were seriously injured in the attack, which took place shortly after 5:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) near the main train station in Switzerland's financial capital. A third sustained less severe injuries.

Police had identified the suspect only as a man around 30 years old wearing dark clothing and a dark woollen cap who fled the mosque after the attack.

At the scene, Abukav Abshirow, a 30-year-old Somali man who works at a Zurich car dealership, said his friend was among the injured. He recalled how they had celebrated a religious occasion at the centre the night before.

"I am under shock," he said. "We've had great times here. The atmosphere was always friendly and happy at the centre.

"I am very, very sad this happened. We never had problems here before. We spend the weekend here with our children in peace.

"I am waiting to find out what happened, and who is responsible."

Attacks by gunmen are rare in Switzerland, although the country was shaken in 2013 by at least two multiple-fatality shootings.

The country has a long-standing tradition for men to keep their military rifles after completing compulsory military service - which partly explains a high rate of gun ownership in the country of about 8.2 million people.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
Turkish police secure the area near an art gallery where the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was shot in Ankara, Turkey, December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, on the ground, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A man gestures near to Andrei Karlov on ground, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

An unnamed gunman holds the gun after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

A man gestures near to the body of a man at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

An unnamed gunman gestures after shooting the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, at a photo gallery in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Police have detained a man who fired shots in front of the US embassy in Ankara, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the man took out a pump action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air early on Tuesday. He was overpowered by the embassy's security guards.

No-one was hurt in the incident which occurred hours after a Turkish policeman, appearing to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

The embassy said its missions in Ankara, Istanbul and the southern city of Adana would be "closed for normal operations on Tuesday".

Photographs taken by an Associated Press photographer who kept his finger on the shutter while others dived for cover captured the aftermath of a murder which Russia described as a "terrorist act".

Expand Close Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Ankara, lying on the floor after being shot by a gunman during an attack during a public event in Ankara. Photo: AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Ankara, lying on the floor after being shot by a gunman during an attack during a public event in Ankara. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The incident followed days of protests in Turkey against Russia's support for the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and came on the eve of talks today in Moscow about the future of Syria involving Russia, Iran and Turkey. The talks are still planned to go ahead.

At 7pm local time yesterday Mr Karlov, the guest of honour, took to the lectern to make a speech at the launch of an exhibition of photography about Russia, attended by around 100 guests.

He was five minutes into it when a smartly dressed Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old riot squad police officer, took up position behind him and opened fire, shooting him several times in the back.

He shouted "Allahu Akbar" - God is great - as he pulled the trigger.

Read more: Night of terror: 'We just missed the whole situation by five minutes' - Irish people share witness accounts of suspected terror attack at Berlin Christmas market

Mr Karlov (62) was knocked flat on his back by the bullets, his glasses flying off and skittering across the floor.

A television camera that was still running after its operator had fled, recorded Altintas switching between Arabic and Turkish as he ranted: "Don't forget about Syria, don't forget about Aleppo. All those who participate in this tyranny will be held accountable.

"In the name of God, you killed innocent people. We will not permit you to do these things. We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad.

"We made an oath to die in martyrdom ... it is revenge for Syria and Aleppo. Until they are safe, you will not taste safety."

Witnesses said he shot Mr Karlov one or two times more as he lay dying on the floor.

It was unclear whether Altintas, who has been based in Ankara for two years, was inspired by Isil or the rebels who have been crushed in Aleppo after four years of war.

Reports in Turkey suggested that he recited a message in Arabic similar to a phrase associated with the rebel group al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qa'ida. He was shot dead by police in a shoot-out that lasted 15 minutes. Three other people were wounded. Mr Karlov was taken to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The Turkish foreign ministry insisted that it would not allow the murder to "cast a shadow" over Turkey's improving relations with Russia. Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, entered a diplomatic crisis when the Turkish air force shot down a Russian jet in November 2015. But in recent months Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Turkey Recep Erdogan have held talks about a ceasefire in Syria.
The Pulse massacre was the worst mass shooting in modern American history (AP)

Families of three people killed in the Orlando nightclub massacre are suing Facebook, Google and Twitter, claiming the gunman who killed their loved ones was radicalised through propaganda he found on social media.

The families of Tevin Crosby, Juan Ramon Guerrero Jr and Javier Jorge-Reyes filed the lawsuit on Monday at a federal court in Michigan.

The complaint said the companies should be doing more to stop Islamic State (IS) from using their platforms.

During the June rampage at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, gunman Omar Mateen pledged allegiance to IS.

Forty-nine people were killed in the worst mass shooting in modern US history.

Facebook said in a statement the company "takes swift action" to remove terrorist content when it is reported.

A similar lawsuit against Twitter was dismissed in August.
Ariel Zurawski, the owner of a Polish trucking company, shows the last photo taken of his cousin and driver, Lukasz Urban, who was apparently the first victim of the attack in Berlin on Monday (AP)

The first victim in the attack on a Berlin Christmas market was a 37-year-old Polish truck driver who was seemingly stabbed and shot to death in the cabin of his truck.

One of Lukasz Urban's colleagues said he was so dedicated to his work and his truck that he could be expected to defend the vehicle "to the end".

Mr Urban, who was from the western village of Roznowo, near the border with Germany, was found dead in the cabin of the truck which was hijacked and driven into the crowd on Monday evening, killing at least another 11 people.

German authorities are calling it an "act of terrorism".

Ariel Zurawski, the owner of the trucking company and the victim's cousin, was asked by German authorities to identify Mr Urban from photos.

"It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Mr Zurawski told Polish media.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. Police informed me that he had suffered gunshot wounds. Despite being stabbed he was shot dead."

Poland's prime minister, Beata Szydlo, said the Pole was "the first victim of this heinous act of violence".

Berlin police also said in a tweet that the man who was found dead in the truck did not control the truck which was driven to the Christmas market.

Mr Zurawski said Mr Urban arrived with a delivery of steel at a branch of the Thyssenkrupp company in Berlin on Monday at 7am but was told to wait with his delivery until 8am the following day.

On Tuesday, Mr Zurawski showed reporters a photo on his phone of his cousin in a kebab bar around 2pm, the last photo known of him still alive.

Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said authorities have the "exact movement of the truck" from GPS but they are not releasing any details. He added that it was only after the attack that the truck's owner got in touch.

Mr Zurawski said Mr Urban, who is survived by a wife and teenage son, last had contact with his wife at 3pm local time, but that she could not talk then because she was at work. She said she would call at 4pm, but at that point he was no longer answering his phone.

Mr Zurawski described unusual movements on the truck's GPS at 3.45pm that indicate Mr Urban was not in control.

"The car was started up, turned off, driven forward, then backward. As if somebody inside was learning how to drive," Mr Zurawski said in a separate interview broadcast on TVP Info, the state broadcaster's all-news network.

There was no more movement until 7.40pm, when the truck started and travelled some six miles, sometimes turning in tight spots or crossing the double line, before arriving at the Christmas market, Mr Zurawski said.

Lukasz Wasik, the manager of the Polish trucking company whose truck was used in the attack, described Mr Urban as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work, and the vehicle he drove.

"I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if attacked," Mr Wasik said.

AP
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 20

By Anakhanum Hidayatova  Trend:

Rapprochement between Turkey and Russia is unprofitable to third parties, Togrul Ismayil, political scientist, associate professor at the Department of International Relations at the Ankara-based TOBB University of Economics and Technology, told Trend Dec. 20.

He was commenting on the Dec. 19 assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov.

Karlov died after receiving fatal wounds in an armed assault in an art gallery in Ankara late Dec. 19. Three other people were injured in the attack. The killer, Mevlut Mert Altintas, was eliminated. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the incident an act of terrorism.

Togrul Ismayil says the assassination was very carefully planned in advance and is directed against joint actions by Turkey and Russia in Syria.

I think that now Turkey and Russia will strengthen the fight against terrorism in the region, and this issue is likely to be included in the agenda of the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Russia, being held in Moscow Dec. 20, said Ismayil.

He added that all these events clearly show how the problems of the region directly affect Turkey.

The situation in the world is really tense, and this is due to the fact that the superpowers are engaged in the redivision of the world, but it is unlikely that the process will lead to a third world war, according to the expert.

Big disasters are taking place in the world, the main players are changing, and the US, as a superpower, is trying to change the map of the world, but this is impossible without taking into account the interests of the regional powers, said the analyst.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
Syrians cross into Turkey at the Cilvegozu border gate with Syria (AP)

Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to act as guarantors in a peace deal between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said.

He spoke after a meeting between the three countries' foreign ministers in Moscow, a day after Russia's ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Ankara by a policeman who shouted: "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"

Mr Lavrov told reporters the three ministers have signed a joint statement which says that Russia, Iran and Turkey "are expressing their willingness to help the Syrian government and the opposition draft an agreement and act as its guarantors".

Syrian activists said only around 3,000 people are left awaiting evacuation in eastern Aleppo before the government resumes full control of the city after nearly six years of war.

Opposition media activist Ahmad Primo said the next convoy of buses taking rebels and civilians out may well be the last one.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 60 buses have entered eastern Aleppo to pick up the remaining 3,000 fighters and their families from the opposition's last foothold in the war-torn city.

Observatory chief Rami Abdurrahman said the fate of 70 pro-government fighters taken prisoner by rebels over the course of four years of fighting over the rebel enclave remains unknown.

He said they were supposed to be handed over to the government as part of an agreement to allow the opposition to evacuate the city.

Residents from eastern Aleppo and the Syrian opposition said the evacuation amounts to forced displacement.

Months of devastating Syrian and Russian air raids which destroyed buildings, hospitals and schools in the enclave - and reduced much of eastern Aleppo to rubble - left the residents with little choice but to flee.

The precise number of people seeking evacuation - and who have already left - has never been clear.

Observatory chief Rami Aburrahman said 17,000 civilians and 5,000 fighters have left; the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has overseen the evacuations, said 25,000 have left; and the Turkish foreign ministry's figure is 37,000.

Mr Lavrov said in Moscow that the evacuations could continue for another one or two days.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian president Bashar Assad's forces, warned the remaining residents in the rebel enclave on Tuesday to leave "as quickly as possible".

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian president Vladimir Putin, said the killing of Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara plays into the hands of those who want to derail peace talks for Syria and "drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey".

The development followed a UN Security Council resolution which was agreed on Monday night to send observers to monitor the exodus.

Syrian state media meanwhile said several more buses had arrived to the government-controlled Aleppo countryside after evacuating the sick and wounded from the rebel-besieged Shia villages of Foua and Kfarya.

The swap evacuations are part of the Aleppo cease-fire deal; Syrian rebels besieging the two villages agreed to allow over 2,000 people to leave from there in exchange for the government allowing civilians and rebels to leave eastern Aleppo.

Pro-government Al-Ikhbariya TV broadcast live images showing buses arriving from Foua and Kfarya, escorted by International Committee of the Red Cross vehicles, on Tuesday.

Hezbollah's media arm said eight buses left the two villages earlier in the morning.

The taking of all of eastern Aleppo would mark Mr Assad's greatest victory since the 2011 uprising against his family's four-decade rule, but the cost has been staggering.

Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced, many of whom may never return.

Also, Syria's civil war is far from over. The opposition still controls the north-western Idlib province and pockets of territory elsewhere in the country, while Islamic State rules a large swath of the north-east.
Fatemah Alabed hugs her seven-year-old daughter Bana after they reached the Aleppo countryside following their evacuation from the city. Photo: Qasioun News Agency via AP

A seven-year-old girl who used Twitter to show the world the horrors of Aleppo, plus dozens of orphans were among the thousands of people evacuated yesterday as humanitarian efforts reached "full steam ahead" after days of delays.

The UN Security Council also reached a rare unanimous decision to send UN observers into Aleppo to monitor the evacuation and prevent a Srebrenica-style massacre of civilians by pro-regime forces.

Expand Close A young child evacuated from Aleppo at a refugee camp in Rashidin, near Idlib. Image: AP Photo / Facebook

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Whatsapp A young child evacuated from Aleppo at a refugee camp in Rashidin, near Idlib. Image: AP Photo

Foreign and defence ministers from Turkey, Russia and Iran - three of the biggest external players in the Syrian war - will meet today in Moscow for unprecedented three-way talks on Syria's future.

Around 4,500 people were evacuated from the last remaining rebel area in east Aleppo yesterday, a major upsurge after the evacuations stalled over the weekend and rebel fighters torched a convoy of government buses.

There were still thought to be around 10,000 people in east Aleppo but Jan Egeland, the UN's humanitarian adviser on Syria, said the evacuation effort was "now in full swing". He added: "We must not fail."

There were several reports of babies and elderly people freezing to death as they waited outside for a spot on one of the buses.

Evacuations from two loyalist villages besieged by the rebels also continued as part of the deal.

Among those able to reach the relative safety of the western countryside was Bana al-Abed, a young girl who tweeted about life under siege in Aleppo with help from her mother Fatemah.

JK Rowling sent Bana 'Harry Potter' eBooks after her mother tweeted the author and last week the mother and daughter recorded a video for Michelle Obama, pleading with the US First Lady to help them.

The whole family was able to reach Idlib province yesterday where little Bana was greeted as a celebrity by journalists and aid workers who posed for selfies with her.

"I have hope that one day I will go back to Aleppo," she said after the evacuation. "We shall overcome some day."

The UN also said that 47 children who had been trapped in an Aleppo orphanage had also made it out of the city but that some were in "critical condition from injuries and dehydration".

"The evacuation of these orphans, along with thousands of other children from east Aleppo in the past days is a glimmer of hope amid a grim reality for the children of Syria," said Geert Cappelaere, Unicef's regional director.

The children featured in a heartbreaking video last week, where 10-year-old Yasmin Qanouz, whose parents were both killed in air-strikes, begged the world to help her and her fellow orphans.

While the children have escaped the immediate danger of the fighting in Aleppo, they are still far from safe.

Russia and the Syrian regime regularly bomb the countryside and the evacuees, who fled the city with few clothes and belongings, must now find shelter from the winter cold.

Russia did not veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for unarmed observers to go to Aleppo to oversee the evacuation, the first time in months that the UN body has been able to agree on anything on Syria.

Matthew Rycroft, the UK ambassador, said he "very much hoped" the Russian decision not to veto signalled a shift by Moscow towards engaging with other countries over Syria.

The resolution calls the UN to report within five days on whether the Syrian regime was actually allowing the observers into the city.

UN observers pulled out in 2012 as fighting intensified.

The UN Security Council has approved the deployment of UN monitors to Aleppo as the evacuation of fighters and civilians from the last remaining opposition stronghold in the northern city resumed after days of delays.

France said the monitors were needed to prevent "mass atrocities" from being committed by Syrian government forces. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Pressure on the HSE to agree on a price for the cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi has increased after Germany became the third country to make it available to patients.

It comes as talks between the HSE and Vertex, the pharmaceutical company which makes the groundbreaking expensive drug, resume in Dublin today.

German health authorities, which have a system of allowing a drug to be made available for a year on a trial basis, concluded Orkambi provided "considerable additional benefit".

It will be mid-January before it makes public the price it agreed to pay for Orkambi.

Orkambi is now also available in the United States and Austria. France, which is providing it on a trial basis, will make a decision in March.

Around 500 people with cystic fibrosis in Ireland are desperate to be allowed try the drug.

Expensive

But the HSE drugs committee said it was too expensive after a cost-benefit assessment.

A spokeswoman for Vertex said the German approval followed a comprehensive benefit assessment of the medicine by the German Federal Joint Committee.

She said Vertex "remains actively involved in reimbursement discussions in many other countries to make it available to all people who can benefit from this important medicine.

"Earlier this month, Orkambi received the 'Drug Discovery of the Year' award from the British Pharmacological Society and the French 'Prix Galien' award for the most promising rare disease medicine in 2016."

Philip Watt, chief executive of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, said: "Under the German system, authorities have a 12-month opportunity to assess the effectiveness and proposed pricing of a drug."

He called for an overhaul of the system of assessing drugs for rare diseases in this country and suggested there should be an adoption of the German trial period.

Referring to the resumed talks between the HSE and Vertex, he said both sides should make compromises in order to reach a fair agreement, including a considerable reduction in price from the manufacturer.

There needed to be a greater acknowledgment by the HSE of the very high costs and risks involved in developing a drug for rarer diseases, he added.

David Gillen, managing director and vice-president of international medical affairs at Vertex said: "The reimbursed price (in Germany) recognises the clinical value of Orkambi."

It also recognised the need for Vertex's continued investment in the research and development of new medicines for the two out of three people with cystic fibrosis still waiting for a treatment for the underlying cause of the disease, he added.
Mr Trump was quick to blame Islamist extremists over the attacks (AP)

US president-elect Donald Trump has blamed Islamic terrorism for deadly violence in Turkey and Germany, and vowed anew to eradicate their regional and global networks.

Despite investigations still being at an early stage in both countries, Mr Trump issued a pair of statements condemning the incidents.

The White House had already described the episode in central Berlin, in which a truck rammed into shoppers at a Christmas market, as an apparent terrorist attack.

Mr Trump called the shooting of Russia's ambassador to Turkey as he attended a photo exhibition in Ankara "a violation of all rules of civilised order".

He added that a "radical Islamic terrorist" had assassinated the diplomat, Andrei Karlov.

Turkish authorities identified the gunman as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a member of Ankara's riot police squad, and said he was later killed in a shoot-out with police. Altintas shouted in Turkish about the Syrian city of Aleppo and also yelled "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great".

In Berlin, where at least 12 people were killed, Mr Trump said Islamic State (IS) "and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad".

He added that these terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks "must be eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with "all freedom-loving partners".

Mr Trump's transition team did not respond to requests to cite the sources for his claims of terrorist involvement.

He later tweeted: "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!"

In Zurich, police said three people were wounded when a gunman opened fire in the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants.

Trump vowed during the presidential campaign to go after IS, but repeatedly declined to provide details on his plan.

His statements came at the end of a day in which he was formally elected president by the Electoral College, clearing the way for his January 20 inauguration. Mr Trump also announced his candidate for secretary of the Army on Monday and held a round of transition meetings.

AP
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that Russia, Turkey, and Iran agreed on a "joint declaration" to find a solution in Syria, Anadolu reported.

Lavrov's remarks came following a trilateral meeting on Syria with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, Javad Zarif and Mevlut Cavusoglu in Moscow.

He said a joint declaration was agreed on to find a solution in Syria.

"Turkish-Russian-Iranian cooperation ensures the evacuation of civilians and armed groups from eastern Aleppo," said Lavrov.

He said he hoped evacuations would end in one or two days.

Lavrov said the trilateral format was effective.

"The most efficient and effective format for solving the Syrian crisis is our current trilateral format," he added.

Turkeys Mevlut Cavusoglu said a total of 37,500 people have been evacuated from Aleppo so far.

"The best solution is a political solution. We believe in this. We have to focus on this," said Cavusoglu.

Cavusoglu said the countries will continue their efforts for Syria.

"We will continue together to pursue our efforts to stop bloodshed in Syria, spread a permanent cease-fire throughout the country, and unhindered humanitarian aid," he added.

He said they discussed expanding the cease-fire to the entire country.

"We can reach a solution in Syria if we sincerely implement the decisions taken," said Cavusoglu.

He reiterated that Turkey supports the national unity and territorial integrity of all of its neighbors.

Irans Zarif said the international community should cooperate on counter-terrorism and that violence in Syria needs to be prevented.

"The evacuation of civilians and armed groups from some regions has succeeded thanks to the collaboration between Russia, Iran, and Turkey," he added.

Zarif said he hoped a political solution could be reached in Syria. "We will strive to ensure territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said.

In recent weeks, numerous reports have emerged of violence being perpetrated against civilians in Aleppo, once considered an opposition stronghold.

The evacuation process was temporarily suspended on Friday after pro-regime foreign terrorist groups attacked a civilian convoy leaving the city, resulting in a number of evacuees getting killed.

It resumed Monday under an earlier deal brokered by Turkey and Russia according to which some 20,000 civilians and fighters are to be evacuated from eastern Aleppo on Monday and Tuesday.
The UN human rights chief has called for a murder probe by Philippine authorities after president Rodrigo Duterte claimed to have killed people in the past.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Husseinand also urged authorities to look into the "shocking number of killings" under Mr Duterte's brutal crackdown on illegal drugs, which has left more than 6,000 people dead.

Mr Al Hussein said in a statement issued in Geneva that Philippine judicial authorities "must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation".

He added it is "unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer".

Such calls have enraged Mr Duterte and will likely face opposition from his officials.
Noted Malayalam actor Jagannatha Varma has passed away in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where he was admitted and getting treated for prolonged illness. He was 77 when he breathed his last.

Jagannatha Varma was born in 1939 in the Travancore district. He joined the Kerala Police force in 1963 and rose up to the rank of Superintendent of Police and retained the post until he retired. Only then he started acting in films. He is also a well trained artist in Kathakali, the major classical dance form of Kerala.

The departed actor has been acting in Malayalam films since the late 1970s and he has over 500 films to his credit that includes Mammootty's cult mystery thriller 'Oru CBI Diary Kurippu' and 'Vietnam Colony' with Mohanlal. In his illustrious career he has shared screen space in many films with these two icons as well as many other prominent stars such as Suresh Gopi, Dileep, Mukhesh and Vineeth.

Jagannatha Varma is survived by wife Santha Varma. son Manu Varma who is a prominent Television anchor and daughter Priya. Popular Malayalam director Viji Thampi is his Son-in-law.

IndiaGlitz conveys its condolences to the bereaved family, friends and fans of Jagannatha Varma.
Single-digit reduction in NBS rates The revised NBS rates for ensuing Rabi season have been announced by the Government of India. New rates have not seen much steeper cuts as was widely anticipated; therefore, positive for complex (NPKs) fertilizer companies. This brings much comfort to the domestic complex fertilizer companies as a steeper cut would have entailed higher inventory losses. 03 Nov 2022 11:10 AM

October 2022 auto sales: PV and CV segments continue to impress Underlying demand trend has stayed strong for PV and CV segments. Analysts at IIFL Securities estimate October 2022 wholesale dispatches in PV, MHCV and LCV segments to have grown 30%, 24% and 14% YoY, respectively. They expect the above segments to clock 25-35% volume growth in FY23. 02 Nov 2022 11:43 AM

Initial signs of moderation in API cost pressures: IIFL Securities High raw-material inflation, elevated freight expenses, and normalization in marketing spends have impacted margins of Indian pharma players over the past 12 months. However, some of these API/RM cost pressures have started abating in Q3CY22. Cipla, Sun, JB Pharma and Torrent remain IIFL Securities top-picks in the pharma sector owing to lowest risk to IIFL Securities margin and earnings estimates for these companies. 01 Nov 2022 10:53 AM
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a phone call to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday over Monday nights incident in Berlin that claimed 12 lives, presidential sources said, Anadolu reported.

According to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Erdogan expressed sympathy to German people for what it called a terrorist attack.

Turkish president also informed Merkel on the evacuation process of civilians from Aleppo, the sources added.

At least 12 people were killed and 50 others injured when a truck crashed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital.

In brief remarks to journalists on Tuesday, Merkel said Mondays deadly truck incident at Berlin Christmas market was likely a terrorist attack.

We still don't know many details with certainty, but at this stage we have to presume that this was a terrorist attack, Merkel said.

Merkel promised a full investigation into the incident and said those involved would be punished using the full strength of the law.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday that Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) was behind Russian envoy Karlov's assassination, Anadolu reported.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Cavusoglu and Kerry had a phone conversation, during which the Turkish foreign minister informed his U.S. counterpart on Andrey Karlov's assassination and the assailant Mevlut Mert Altintas.

Cavusoglu informed Kerry that terrorist group FETO was behind the assassination of Russian envoy to Ankara, according to the sources.

The sources added that Kerry offered condolences to Cavusoglu and expressed sorrow about the incident.

Andrey Karlov died after being shot multiple times at an art exhibition in Ankara on Monday evening.

Karlov was delivering a speech when the assailant, 22-year-old policeman Altintas, opened fire on him.

U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen and his terrorist group FETO is accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming a parallel state.

Two top diplomats also talked about the trilateral meeting that happened today in Moscow between Russian, Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers.

In the meeting, a joint declaration was agreed on to find a solution in Syria.
The U.S. Borlaug Fellows in Global Food Security Program will hold its sixth annual Summer Institute on Global Food Security from June 4-17 on the campus of Purdue University.

Attending will be 40 graduate students selected from 20 universities from across the United States, including Purdue. Participants are selected based on their demonstrated interest and commitment to finding solutions to world hunger, and have chosen dissertation research that addresses the challenges of global food security.

The two-week learning program, hosted by the Purdue Center for Global Food Security, is for graduate students who are interested in developing a holistic understanding of the conceptual challenges around global food security with a focus on cross-disciplinary problem solving of real-world development challenges.

The application deadline is Feb. 15. Applicants must have completed at least one semester of graduate study and be enrolled in a U.S. institution at the time of application. U.S. citizenship is not required. For additional information and application forms, go to: http://www.purdue.edu/discoverypark/food/borlaugfellows/summer-institute/index.php

Students will develop country-specific food security group-project reports in response to a simulated request for proposals from the United States Agency for International Development. Purdue professors with experience in international development will simulate a donor panel on the last day, challenging students to defend their proposals.

Distinguished Purdue agronomy professor Gebisa Ejeta, director of the Center for Global Food Security in Purdues Discovery Park and the 2009 World Food Prize laureate, will be joined by several other Purdue faculty to work with the students during the two-week event.

The summer institute is part of the U.S. Borlaug Fellows in Global Food Security program, funded by USAID under the Feed the Future initiative. The program is aimed at preparing the next generation of U.S. food security professionals with the scientific foundation needed to effectively study and manage the global landscape in support of sustainable food systems.
A sad day for the Narragansett people

By Brian Lightfoot Brown

December 19th is a tragic day in the history of my tribe, the Narragansett Tribe

As the only federally recognized tribe in the state of Rhode Island, we are a small tribe, with approximately 2,400 to 2,600 tribal members today. But we once numbered 15,000 to 20,000, prior to European colonization.

As Europeans further encroached upon tribal lands and continued to undermine tribal leaders, tribal culture, religious customs and beliefs, more and more generations were settling in the area and pushing the indigenous population away. After a wave of disease ripped through the New England tribes between 1616 and 1619, the Narragansett somehow managed to avoid losing many to the diseases. This left the Narragansett as the largest and most powerful tribe in the region.

When the youngest son of Wampanoag leader Massasoit, Metacom (or King Philip, as the English knew him ) had finally reached his breaking point with the English colonies blatant disregard for the tribes, he waged war on the settlers for hanging Wampanoag men under what he felt were bogus circumstances. The Narragansett vowed neutrality.

As the fall of 1675 wound down and winter approached, colonists from Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and indigenous scouts felt that the Narragansett weren't keeping their word of remaining neutral when the Narragansett allowed injured Wampanoag to seek shelter with them. The English colonies then set about to attack a large Narragansett fort in the Great Swamp, in present-day South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

On December 19, 1675, my ancestors were ambushed -- estimates range from 600 to 1,000 Narragansett were brutally slaughtered in blizzard-like conditions at their winter fort in the Great Swamp. Most of the Narragansett who were murdered that day were women, children and the elderly. Many were burned alive.

Surviving Narragansett fought on over the next few months but were ultimately defeated when the last of their great sachems were killed. Three-hundred forty-one years ago, the Narragansett had been neutralized and lost control of their freedom in such devastating fashion. The remaining Narragansett were either sold into slavery in the Caribbean, forced into indentured servitude or left to find their own way, without any resources.

Fast forward 318 years to December 19, 1993: the Narragansett Indian Church, on the tribe's reservation in Charlestown, was burned down and the guilty parties endured a conveniently soft punishment considering their wretched deed. Twenty-three years ago, the Narragansett were basically attacked yet again.

Today the Narragansett continue to battle against challenges to the validity of our place in society and our place in what was once our homeland alone. The tribal community continues to find ways to survive and trudge on and refuses to cease to remain.

Even though the church was rebuilt, the scars still exist. But they are scars of survivors and of our undying spirit.

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A marker to the Battle of Slim Buttes in present-day South Dakota. Photo by Jimmy Emerson



A soldier who fought in the Indian wars in the late 1800s was posthumously presented with the nation's highest military award on Monday.

Robert Smith won the Medal of Honor for his service during the Battle of Slim Buttes in September 1876. But he died in 1930 without knowing about the award, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nevada) said.

That's because "Robert Smith" was actually an alias -- the soldier's real name was Harry Reynolds -- and the medal was never delivered to him before he relocated to Nevada. Smith's 82-year-old grandson Jerry Reynolds spent five years unraveling the mystery, the Associated Press reported, before reaching out to the Congressman for help.

"Its truly been an honor to assist Mr. Reynolds in recovering an important piece of his familys history," Amodei said in a post on Facebook

Today, I had the privilege of presenting a replacement Medal of Honor to Mr. Jerry Reynolds from Elko. Jerry is the... Posted by Congressman Mark Amodei on Monday, December 19, 2016

Congressman Mark Amodei on Facebook: Medal of Honor Ceremony



The Battle of Slim Buttes was part of a campaign to punish the Sioux Nation for defeating the United States at the Battle of Little Bighorn in June 1876. According to Wikipedia, it was the first U.S. victory in the war against the Oceti Sakowin.

The battle occurred near present-day Buffalo, South Dakota, on land that was promised to the Sioux Nation by treaty but which was later taken by the federal government. The Oceti Sakowin were then forced to live on much smaller reservations.

Robert Smith AKA Harry Reynolds was awarded the Medal of Honor for showing special bravery in endeavoring to dislodge Indians secreted in a ravine, according to The Military Times . He was one of just two soldiers who won the award for the Battle at Slim Buttes.

Read More on the Story: 140 years late, Nevada veteran lauded with US Medal of Honor (AP 12/20) Rep. Amodei Issues Replacement Medal of Honor to Late Soldier's Family (KTVN 12/19) Medal of Honor presented 140 years later (KOLO 12/19)

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Robin Li speaks during the second day of the 3rd World Internet Conference. (Photo : Getty Images)

Robin Li, the head of Baidu, one of the largest Web services company in China, said in a conference that he hopes talented workers who are not welcome in the U.S. anymore will migrate to China to help the country play a more important role on the global innovation stage. This is related to Donald Trump's immigration policy and campaign to crack down skilled workers with H1-B visas & permits.



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Adam Minter, a Bloomberg View columnist, said that Li shouldn't get his hopes up, as China won't be luring foreign tech talent anytime soon.



He also said that the country's struggles hold a lesson for every other country hoping to become the Silicon Valley of the future.



For years, the Chinese government has offered talented tech workers lucrative incentives if they decided to come to work in their universities and companies. China's online population is currently the world's largest, with a booming e-commerce market and increasing private/public research budgets.



The biggest problem in China is its "Great Wall," the government's control of the Internet. If you are a software developer, this is very inconvenient, as you will not be able to access software libraries, development tools, and YouTube during your coffee breaks.



Worst is that you will not be able to access Github, which is the open-source depository and collaboration tool that millions of developers use around the world.



You can bypass this wall by using a Virtual Private Network, but it will result in slow uploads and downloads, which in turn wastes time and will make it hard to collaborate with others. It also poses security risks.



Workers in the academe will suffer, too, as Google Scholar, a tool that indexes online peer-reviewed studies, books, conference proceedings and other research material, is blocked.



Chinese scientists are unable to keep up with the latest research that other countries are publishing, and they are hoping that the government can loosen supervision for academic purposes.



China also made clear that foreign tech companies hoping to do business in their country will need to make concessions. It seems it will remain really hard for lure tech experts to work in China.


For the first time in 150 years, Indian Economy has surpassed economy of its erstwhile colonial master United Kingdom in terms of size. Some may call it a result of United Kingdoms exit from the European Union, but its also a fact that the continuous rapid economic growth in last 25 years in India has contributed heavily to this development.

AFP

"Once expected to overtake the UK GDP in 2020, the surpass has been accelerated by the nearly 20 per cent decline in the value of the pound over the last 12 months, consequently UK's 2016 GDP of GBP 1.87 trillion converts to $2.29 trillion at exchange rate of GBP 0.81 per $1, whereas India's GDP of INR 153 trillion converts to $2.30 trillion at exchange rate of INR 66.6 per $1," a report published in Forbes Magazine said.

Interestingly, economic think-tank Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) had, in December 2011, forecasted that India would become the "fifth largest by 2020" but India has crossed this significant milestone much sooner.

AFP

"Furthermore, this gap is expected to widen as India grows at 6 to 8 per cent p.a. compared to UK's growth of 1 to 2 per cent p.a. until 2020, and likely beyond. Even if the currencies fluctuate that modify these figures to rough equality, the verdict is clear that India's economy has surpassed that of the UK based on future growth prospects," the report said.

But which are the industries that contributed this metamorphosis?

Here are the top contributers:

1. Retail and wholesale trade contributes 23 %

Reuters

Retail industry is the chief pillar supporting the Indian economy and roughly contributes 23% towards the national GDP. The Indian retail market is among the top five world retail markets in terms of economic value. The new concept of retail supermarkets has worked well and these supermarkets account for 4 percent of total retail market of 2008.In 2012, the then UPA government had permitted 51% of foreign direct investment in multi brand retail as well as 100% FDI in single brand retail.BJP too kept it like that in 2015 despite opposing the move in 2012.



2. Agricultural Sector still contributes 15.7 %

Reuters

Though agricultures share in Indian economy has declines in last few years owing to the rise of other industries, but it still contributes a substantive 15.7% to Indias GDP. Agriculture industry, apart from farming, also includes forestry, horticulture and fishing.



3. Real estate contributes 13.5%

Reuters

Thanks to the rapid urbanisation in India which has resulted in massive poplation shifting from rural India to Indian urban area, the real estate sector has increased its size massively. The unhampered growth of the industry has been seen because of a large population, their increasing incomes and rapid urbanization process. It contributes around 13.5% of the GDP.

4. Banking and Insurance chips in with 10%

Reuters

The Indian Insurance Industry has grown in the recent past at rate of 15-20%. Today the Insurance plus banking services contribute to 10% of the countrys GDP. It is a well-evolved industry serving as a boon for economic development of India by providing long- term funds for development of infrastructure.



5. IT and ITES sector contributes around 9 %

Reuters

IT is the reason behind rise of the cities like Bangalore, Gurgaon and Pune. Infact Bangalore is known as Indias silicon valley. It has contributed heavily in developing the service sector in India. It has been the chief industry that has led the services sector account for a whopping 64% of the entire GDP. The IT sector contributes almost about 9% of the national GDP.

Indias has increased its investment in UK too

Be it the Tatas iconic purchase of carmaker Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008 from US car maker Ford or any other small purchase, over the year India has increased its investment in UK rapidly. According to a report published in BBC in 2014 just before PM Narendra Modis visit, In 2014 alone, investment from India into the UK had increased by 64%, and was then almost level with France, the UK's second-largest investor after the US.
For the first time in the history of Republic Day celebrations, the 'black cat' commandos of the elite counter-terror force NSG may march down Rajpath in full armed gear on January 26, 2017.

BCCL/representational image

Officials said a decision in this regard has been taken after a meeting between the Union home and defence ministries, following which the National Security Guard (NSG) headquarters here has begun preparations to choose a contingent of about 60 commandos to showcase its prowess and commando-style fast march past.

"This would be the first time when the federal contingency force would participate in the Republic Day events by marching down Rajpath. The first clearances have been issued and hopefully the NSG contingent will march," they said.

Once at Rajpath, the 'black cats' will reflect a dashing sheen to the parade as they will be dressed in their trademark black coloured overalls, balaclava headgear and special assault rifles MP-5 along with the iconic commando dagger.

BCCL/representational image

Till now, the troops of Army's Special Forces were the only commando force to take part in the Rajpath during January 26 celebrations. The NSG contingent is expected to include commandos from both the Army and paramilitary-based units of the force, stationed at their garrison in Manesar near here.

However, it is expected that like last year, some regular paramilitary contingents may not be included this time too.

BCCL/representational image

While the iconic Border Security Force camel and band contingent has been given a go ahead for inclusion in the parade that straddles down from the citadel of power at Raisina Hills to the 17th century-built monument Red Fort, the contingent of border guarding Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) may miss the show.

"While the CRPF's special anti-riot unit RAF and Central Industrial Security Force contingents have been included, the inclusion of Indo-Tibetan Border Polices' squad is still uncertain and SSB may be a no show.

"Last time, the Central Armed Police Forces squad at Rajpath did not have ITBP, CISF and SSB contingents," they said.

BCCL/representational image

Senior commanders of the SSB and ITBP, they said, have already made official requests to the home ministry to take up the matter of the inclusion of their contingents with the defence ministry, the nodal authority for conduct of January 26 celebrations at Rajpath.

The NSG, raised in 1984, is the federal force to undertake counter-terror and counter-hijack operations across the country and till now it was associated with the Republic Day celebrations by way of providing its crack teams for special combat deployment around the parade route and sanitising it by deployment of snipers.
The National Green Tribunal, that's been established with the sole purpose of effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection, has come up with yet another positive campaign. Now, anyone who's found littering and throwing waste in public places will be charged a fine of Rs 10,000.

BREAKING: Now Pay Rs 10,000 As Fine For Throwing Waste In Public Places: NGT pic.twitter.com/P9SDY7wQ14  Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) December 19, 2016

This will force people to think.#Pay Rs 10,000 fine for throwing waste in public place: NGT https://t.co/sZAYAUpFQX  Arabinda Chakraborty (@arcchakraborty) December 19, 2016

Pay Rs 10k fine for littering in public place: NGT https://t.co/CEVc8zJOSL #india  Work fromHome Indian (@wfhInd) December 19, 2016

"Any such body, person, hotels, residents, slaughter houses, vegetable markets etc. which does not comply with the directions or throw their waste over any drain or public place shall be liable to pay environmental compensation at the rate of Rs 10,000 per default," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

The green panel said that all authorities are under "statutory" obligation to ensure that waste is "collected, transported and disposed" of in accordance with Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 so that it does not cause public health hazards.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the most serious pollutants in the country, especially in Delhi, the National Green Tribunal has said while announcing a fine of Rs 10,000 on those found throwing waste in public places.

Therefore, all major sources of solid waste should be directed to provide segregated waste and hand over the same to the Corporation in accordance with rules.

The national capital generates 9,600 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste per day, and they have no "clear map" ready for its disposal.

The committee has also asked commissioners of each corporation to submit a proposal for incentives for those who give segregated waste at source, "by way of rebate in property tax and on another hand to impose penalties on residents, societies, RWAs who do not provide segregated waste".

twitter

"It should be kept in mind that as per polluter pays principle, each person would be liable to pay for causing pollution if the waste is generated. It is the duty of a citizen to ensure that said waste is handled properly and not to cause any pollution or cause inconvenience to other persons. The entire burden cannot be shifted to the state and authorities," the bench said.

At present, the national capital has a terrible condition of waste management. There's littering everywhere and even the poshest areas entertain open dumping of waste.

Hopefully, this fine will change things for the better.
News agency AFP has gathered testimonies from multiple Afghan families whose children were abducted for the practice of "bacha bazi" -- sexual exploitation of boys.

AFP

The stories come after a report in June found the Taliban are exploiting the centuries-old practice, one of the most egregious violations of human rights in the country, to mount deadly insider attacks in the volatile south.

Here are some key answers about bacha bazi.

What is it?

Powerful warlords, commanders, politicians and other members of the elite often keep "bachas" as a symbol of authority and affluence.

Chris Gacek

Bachas, sometimes dressed as women, are often sexually exploited. They can also be used as dancers at private parties.

Bacha bazi is not widely seen as homosexual behaviour -- popularly demonised as a deviant sexual act, prohibited in Islam -- and is largely accepted as a cultural practice.

How common is it?

"Women are for child-rearing, boys are for pleasure" is a common saying across many parts of Afghanistan.

Chris Gacek

The ancient custom, banned under the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule, has seen a resurgence in recent years. It is said to be widespread across southern and eastern Afghanistan's rural Pashtun heartland, and with ethnic Tajiks across the northern countryside.

How has it been allowed to flourish?

Tight gender segregation in Afghan society and lack of contact with women have contributed to the spread of bacha bazi, rights groups say.

AFP

Several other factors such as an absence of the rule of law, corruption, limited access to justice, illiteracy, poverty, insecurity, and the existence of armed groups have also resulted in the spread of bacha bazi, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said in a report in 2014.

AIHRC points out that Afghanistans criminal law prohibits rape and pederasty, but there are no clear provisions on bacha bazi.

AFP

"There is a gap and ambiguity in the laws of Afghanistan regarding bacha bazi and the existing laws do not address the problem sufficiently," the report said.

"Many of the perpetrators have connections with the security organs and by using power and giving bribes they get exempted from punishment."

Where do the boys come from? And what happens to them afterwards?

Bachas are typically aged between 10 and 18. Many of them are kidnapped and sometimes desperate poverty drives their families to sell them to abusers.

"The victims of bacha bazi suffer from serious psychological trauma as they often get raped," AIHRC's report said.

AFP

"Such victims suffer from stress and a sort of distrust, hopelessness and pessimistic feeling. Bacha bazi results in fear among the children and a feeling of revenge and hostility develop in their mind."

In turn, many adolescent victims are said to grow up to have boy lovers of their own, repeating the cycle of abuse.

"In the absence of any services to recover or rehabilitate boys who are caught in this horrendous abuse, it's hard to know what happens to these children," said Charu Lata Hogg, a London-based fellow at Chatham House, a think-tank.

"We have heard anecdotal reports that many grow up to keep their own bachas, perpetuating the revolving door of abuse."

How is bacha bazi impacting Afghanistan's security situation?

Bacha bazi is having a detrimental bearing on the perpetual state of conflict in Afghanistan, helping the Taliban to infiltrate security ranks in provinces such as Uruzgan, officials say.

The abusive practice in security ranks also undermines support for NATO-trained Afghan forces.

AFP

"To date, the US has provided over $60 billion in assistance to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), including nearly $500 million to the Afghan Local Police," the US Congress said last year.

"Predatory sexual behaviour by Afghan soldiers and police could undermine US and Afghan public support for the ANDSF, and put our enormous investment at risk."

The practice also continues to embolden the Taliban's desire to reassert sharia law in Afghanistan and is fuelling their insurgency.

"Such wild abuses of the predatory mujahideen forces in the early 1990s drove the popularity of the austere Taliban, helping them sweep to power across most of the country. Similar behaviour of the government forces after 2001 is also helping to inspire the insurgency," a Western official in Kabul told AFP.
A Christmas market in Berlin was turned into a death scene as a truck rammed into people and killed 12 persons on Monday. According to initial reports, dozens more were injured in what s seen as a terror attack.

Ambulances and heavily armed police rushed to the area after the vehicle mounted the pavement of the market in a square popular with tourists, in horrific scenes reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Reuters

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet, although there are many things pointing to one," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public television.

#BREAKING Truck crashed into Berlin market 'intentionally': German police  AFP news agency (@AFP) December 20, 2016

As witnesses described scenes of panic and carnage, police said at least 12 people were killed and 45 others were injured -- four of them seriously -- in the incident which comes less than a week before Christmas.

Reuters

Australian Trisha O'Neill told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she was only metres from where the truck smashed into the crowded market.

"I just saw this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people and then all the lights went out and everything was destroyed. "I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there." O'Neill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

A German police spokeswoman told AFP that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

Reuters

Security sources cited by DPA news agency said that the man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February.

President-elect Donald Trump issues statement following "horrifying terror attack in Berlin." https://t.co/lRq3UGOBk9 pic.twitter.com/OFLQ8FRRYZ  ABC News (@ABC) December 20, 2016

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

The Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him. He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP.

German authorities said there was no indication of "further dangerous situations in the city near Breitscheidplatz", where the suspected attack took place.

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly to the tragedy, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.
The Greater Mekong region in Southeast Asia has given the world 163 never-found-before species. A new report published by World Wildlife Fund revealed the new Mekong species to the world  all of which were found in 2015 alone.

The Mekong river basin has very rich flora and fauna making it a biologists hotbed to discover new species of animals. Over the last 20 years, biologists have discovered nearly 2,500 new species in its mountains and rain forests.

Here are some of the animals newly introduced to the world.

Klingon Newt

Image Credit: nationalgeographic

Found in northeastern Thailand, the newt is reminiscent of Lieutenant Worf and other Klingons on Star Trek.

Horned Lizard

Image Credit: nationalgeographic

This lizard has spikes on its back. Found in Thailands Phuket, the horned lizard eats insects and is harmless to people.

Cave Gecko

Image Credit: nationalgeographic

Blue in colour, this gecko was spotted in the mountains and caves of Laos.

Woolly-Headed Bat

Image Credit: nationalgeographic

As the name suggests, the woolly-headed bats head is soft as wool and its ears are longer than its face. Spotted in central Vietnam, the woolly-headed bat isnt exactly a pleasure for the eyes.

Orange-eyed Frog

Image Credit: nationalgeographic

This frog has an orange tint in its eyeballs. Native to Cambodia and Vietnam, its discovery is quite late in the scientific world.

Rainbow Snake

Image Credit: nationalgeographic

A rainbow snake has a shimmering head, which has all the colours of a rainbow. A team of biologists spotted this beauty on a rocky cliff in Laos.
It's more bad news for those who want peace in the world as Russia's ambassador to Turkey was shot dead at an art exhibition in Ankara by qaTurkish policeman.

He was crying "Aleppo" and "revenge" as he fired the shots on Monday in what Moscow said was a "terrorist act". Andrei Karlov died of his wounds after the shooting, which occurred on the eve of a key meeting between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syria conflict.

Reuters

Dramatic TV footage showed a man in a dark suit and tie waving a gun and gesturing in the air at the Ankara exhibition hall. The state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been "neutralised" in a police operation.

The incident came after days of protests in Turkey over Russia's role in Syria, though Moscow and Ankara are now working closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo . The mayor of Ankara identified the attacker as a Turkish policeman.

AP

Pictures published by the Hurriyet daily showed at least two men in suits lying flat on the ground as another man brandished a gun. The shooting took place at the Cagdas Sanatlar Merkezi, a major art exhibition hall in the Cankaya district of Ankara where most foreign embassies are located including the Russian mission.

AFP

"It happened during the opening of an exhibition," Hurriyet correspondent Hasim Kilic, who was at the scene, said. "When the ambassador was delivering a speech, a tall man wearing a suit, fired into the air first and then took aim at the ambassador," said Kilic. "He said something about Aleppo and 'revenge'. He ordered the civilians to leave the room. When people were fleeing, he fired again," he added.

Protesters in Turkey have held Moscow responsible for human rights violations in Aleppo. Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu was at the scene to supervise a police operation.

Reuters

Turkey and Russia saw relations plunge to their worst levels since the Cold War last year when a Turkish jet shot down a Russian war plane over Syria. They stand on opposite sides of the Syria conflict with Ankara backing rebels trying to topple Moscow ally President Bashar al-Assad.
10 Criminals Involved In Selling Children Sentenced To Jail (Photo : Getty Images)

An observation by a recent study that sexual violence is on the rise in China among young victims was affirmed by the decision of a judge in a Wenzhou court to sentence seven teens up to six-and-a-half years jail term. The seven were found guilty of beating a girl in a hotel for 11 hours and making another girl dance topless in a bar.



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Wenzhou Judge Weng Zinyu found the seven youth, aged 16 to 19, guilty of illegal detention and assault. Their sentences ranged from nine months to six-and-a-half years, Hangzhou Daily reported.



The seven trapped on Feb. 18 Xiao Ting in a hotel room and abused her by slapping Xiao Tings face, dousing her body with cold water, kicking her abdomen and forcing her to kneel down and say sorry to them, according to Global Times. The other victim, after forcing her to dance topless in a bar, was verbally and physically abused by the seven teens after they left the hotel.



The judge linked the abuse they experienced as children because they grew up in a home ran by a single father that lacked love and instead subjected them to violence at an early age. However, Weng did not excuse their childhood experience for the abuse they did on the two victims.



In early November, Chinas Ministry of Education came out with new guiding principles on violence and bullying among students. The guidelines sought stronger prevention measures and for punishment of bullying, according to Xinhua News Agency.



The bullying happens even in elite schools where the focus is so much on passing exams and being successful academically. However, in these academic institutions, there is lack of moral education, correct social behavior and instilling family values, Global Times reported.






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Boruto: Naruto Next Generation Anime Preview: Sharingan User as First New Villain - 5 Potential Spoilers for New Series

Shin Uchiha (Photo : Youtube/ Naruto)

With the end of Naruto Shippuden pretty much in sight, it's about time to shift focus on the next gen, the new breed of ninjas in the Naruto universe led by Konoha's latest troika Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki.



During Shonen Festa, Studio Pierrot announced the upcoming anime adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto's Boruto: Naruto Next Generation.



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Set several years after the Fourth Great Ninja War and Naruto's one-on-one showdown with Sasuke, Boruto anime series will certainly bring back the youthful exuberance and coming of age theme of the original Naruto manga series.



Here are the 5 things every Naruto fan needs to know ahead of Boruto Anime Series premiere in April, 2017.



Naruto - the 7th Hokage:



The protagonist of the original series fulfilled his destiny of becoming the Hokage of Konoha, now known as The Village of the Dancing Leaves. Not only he has turned into the leader of the village, Naruto has also become a husband to Hinata Hyuga and the father to two children: Boruto (Bolt) and Himawari (Sunflower).



Unfortunately, being a Hokage has some drawbacks. Firstly, Naruto appears to have missed quality time with his children, especially his eldest Boruto. And secondly is he's always a high-value target by outlaws and unknown forces roaming around the shinobi world.



Sasuke's Return and Marriage with Sakura:



For Susako fans who have been shipping Sasuke and Sakura for the last 14 years, then Boruto has some good news for you all. They are married and have a daughter name, Sarada - the next generation and new hope of the exalted Uchiha Clan.



Here Comes The Next Gen Ninjas:



How time goes by? Really, how time flies by? Naruto and Hinata with Boruto and Himawari, Sasuke and Sakura with Sarada and now almost the whole gang have a family of their own. Boruto: Naruto Next Gen, you will learn more about Rock Lee's stud Metal Lee, Shikamaru and Tenmari's Shikadai, Sai and Ino's Inojin, Orochimaru's Mitsuki and eheeem, ehhem, Gaara's Shinki.



Expanded Chunin Exam



It's not yet confirmed, but I believe Boruto Next Gen anime series will feature an expanded version of the Chunin exam. In the anime series, we will finally see tournament matches featuring Sarada, Mitsuki, Metal Lee and other young genins, which the movie didn't much elaborate due to limited screen time.



Big Bad Strong Villains



We thought the age of peace has arrived in the Ninja world following the defeat of Kaguya Otsutsuki and Toneri Otsutsuki. However, a new story isn't going to be interesting enough without new villains, and honestly Boruto has plenty of that.



There's Momoshiki and Kinshiki, the still mysterious Kawaki and what I believe the first villain in the Boruto series - Shin Uchiha. Yes, Naruto Gaiden: the 7th Hokage and the Scarlet Spring will likely be the very first arc of the Boruto anime series, for chronological reasons as it happened before Momoshiki and Kinshiki's invasion.



Boruto: Naruto Next Generation anime will be released early April every Thursday on Tokyo TV and Crunchy Roll.



Boruto : Naruto Next Generations anime series announced!! Will air on April 2017. Additional announcements will come soon. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/NFiGZDLsFK    (@twtNarutoMY) December 17, 2016





For more Boruto anime, manga and anime update, follow me at ShonenLord@Twitter


The extreme northeast Aegean island ofwas the "cherry on the cake" of the leftist Greek government's decision -- now supported by practically all of the opposition in Parliament -- to suspend the harmonization of VAT rates for several islands plagued by the refugee/migrant crisis over the past two years.
By Nick Turse and Tom Engelhardt

December 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Tom Dispatch " -When Donald Trump enters the Oval Office, awaiting him will not only be his own private air assassination corps (those CIA drones that take out terror suspects globally from a White House kill list), but his own private and remarkably secret military. Ever since John F. Kennedy first made the Green Berets into figures of military glamour, theres always been something alluring to presidents about the U.S. militarys elite special ops forces.

Still, that was then, this is now. In the twenty-first century, the Special Operations Command, which oversees those elite forces cocooned within the regular military, has gained ever more power to act in ever more independent and secretive ways. In those same years, the countrys elite troops, including those Green Berets, the Navy SEALs, and the Armys Delta Force, have grown to staggering proportions, while ever more money has poured into their coffers. There are now an estimated 70,000 of them -- a crew larger than the actual armies of some reasonably sizeable countries -- and from trainers to raiders, advisers to hunter-killers, they now operate yearly in an overwhelming majority of the nations on this planet. Moreover, they generally do so in remarkable secrecy and (as once might have been said of the CIA) their most secretive part, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), responsible for the killing of Osama bin Laden, is in essence the presidents private army.

In these last years, President Obama, who gained a reputation for being chary of war, has nonetheless taken on with evident relish both those special ops forces and the drone assassins, while embracing what Washington Post columnist David Ignatius recently termed the role of covert commander in chief. Now, in these last weeks of his presidency, his administration has given JSOC new powers to track, plan, and potentially launch attacks on terrorist cells around the globe and to do so outside conventional conflict zones and via a new multiagency intelligence and action force. As a result, whatever this new task force may do, it wont, as in the past, have to deal with regional military commands and their commanders at all. Its only responsibility will be to the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and assumedly the White House; even within the military, that is, it will gain a new patina of secrecy and power (while evidently poaching on territory that once was considered the CIAs alone, no small thing at a moment when President-elect Trump is not exactly enamored with that agency).

One of the strangest aspects of the growth of Americas special ops forces and their global missions is how little attention those special operators get in the media (unless they want the publicity). The very growth of an enormous secret military, a remarkable development in our American world and a particularly ominous one for the Trumpian years to come, is seldom discussed (no less debated). And all of this, the firepower now available to a president and the potential ability of a commander in chief to wage a global campaign of assassination and make war just about anywhere on Earth, personally and privately, will now be inherited by a man to whom such powers are likely to have real appeal.

In this context, I admit to a certain pride that, thanks to Nick Turse, the exception to the above has been TomDispatch. In these years, due to Turses work at this website, you could follow, up close and personal, the growing power and operational abilities of Americas special operations forces. This was especially true, as with his piece today, of how they have moved, big time, onto a continent that may indeed, in the military's own phrase, be tomorrows battlefield and yet that we hear next to nothing about. Tom

A SOCAFRICA planning document obtained by TomDispatch offers a window onto the scope of these multi-national, collective actions carried out by Americas most elite troops in Africa. The declassified but heavily redacted secret report, covering the years 2012-2017 and acquired via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), details nearly 20 programs and activities -- from training exercises to security cooperation engagements -- utilized by SOCAFRICA across the continent. This wide array of low-profile missions, in addition to named operations and quasi-wars, attests to the growing influence and sprawling nature of U.S. Special Operations forces (SOF) in Africa.

[T]errorists, criminals, and non-state actors arent bound by arbitrary borders, the commander of Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) told an interviewer early this fall. That said, everything we do is not organized around recognizing traditional borders. In fact, our whole command philosophy is about enabling cross-border solutions, implementing multi-national, collective actions and empowering African partner nations to work across borders to solve problems using a regional approach.

How U.S. military engagement will proceed under the Trump administration remains to be seen. The president-elect has said or tweeted little about Africa in recent years (aside from long trading in baseless claims that the current president was born there). Given his choice for national security adviser, Michael Flynn -- a former director of intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command who believes that the United States is in a world war with Islamic militants -- there is good reason to believe that Special Operations Command Africa will continue its border-busting missions across that continent. That, in turn, means that Africa is likely to remain crucial to Americas nameless global war on terror.

Publicly, the command claims that it conducts its operations to promote regional stability and prosperity, while Bolduc emphasizes that its missions are geared toward serving the needs of African allies. The FOIA files make clear, however, that U.S. interests are the commands principal and primary concern -- a policy in keeping with the America First mindset and mandate of incoming commander-in-chief Donald J. Trump -- and that support to partner nations is prioritized to suit American, not African, needs and policy goals.

Shades of Gray

Bolduc is fond of saying that his troops -- Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets, among others -- operate in the gray zone, or what he calls the spectrum of conflict between war and peace. Another of his favored stock phrases is: In Africa, we are not the kinetic solution -- that is, not pulling triggers and dropping bombs. He also regularly takes pains to say that we are not at war in Africa -- but our African partners certainly are.

That is not entirely true.

Earlier this month, in fact, a White House report made it clear, for instance, that the United States is currently using military force in Somalia. At about the same moment, the New York Times revealed an imminent Obama administration plan to deem al-Shabab to be part of the armed conflict that Congress authorized against the perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to senior American officials, strengthening President-elect Donald Trumps authority to carry out missions there in 2017 and beyond.

As part of its long-fought shadow war against al-Shabab militants, the U.S. has carried out commando raids and drone assassinations there (with the latter markedly increasing in 2015-2016). On December 5th, President Obama issued his latest biannual war powers letter to Congress which noted that the military had not only conducted strikes in defense of U.S. forces there, but also in defense of local allied troops. The president also acknowledged that U.S. personnel occasionally accompany regional forces, including Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces, during counterterrorism operations.

Obamas war powers letter also mentioned American deployments in Cameroon, Djibouti, and Niger, efforts aimed at countering Joseph Konys murderous Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in Central Africa, a long-running mission by military observers in Egypt, and a continuing deployment of forces supporting the security of U.S. citizens and property in rapidly deteriorating South Sudan.

The president offered only two sentences on U.S. military activities in Libya, although a long-running special ops and drone campaign there has been joined by a full-scale American air war, dubbed Operation Odyssey Lightning, against Islamic State militants, especially those in the city of Sirte. Since August 1st, in fact, the United States has carried out nearly 500 air strikes in Libya, according to figures supplied by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

Odyssey Lightning is, in fact, no outlier. While the primary named operations involving Americas elite forces in Africa have been redacted from the declassified secret files in TomDispatchs possession, a November 2015 briefing by Bolduc, obtained via a separate FOIA request, reveals that his command was then involved in seven such operations on the continent. These likely included at least some of the following: Enduring Freedom-Horn of Africa, Octave Shield, and/or Juniper Garret, all aimed at East Africa; New Normal, an effort to secure U.S. embassies and assets around the continent; Juniper Micron, a U.S.-backed French and African mission to stabilize Mali (following a 2012 coup there by a U.S.-trained officer and the chaos that followed); Observant Compass, the long-running effort to decimate the Lords Resistance Army (which recently retired AFRICOM chief General David Rodriguez derided as expensive and strategically unimportant); and Juniper Shield, a wide-ranging effort (formerly known as Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans Sahara) aimed at Algeria, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal. A 2015 briefing document by SOCAFRICAs parent unit, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), also lists an ongoing gray zone conflict in Uganda.

On any given day, between 1,500 and 1,700 American special operators and support personnel are deployed somewhere on the continent. Over the course of a year they conduct missions in more than 20 countries. According to Bolducs November 2015 briefing, Special Operations Command Africa carries out 78 separate mission sets. These include activities that range from enhancing partner capability and capacity to the sharing of intelligence.

Mission Creep

Most of what Bolducs troops do involves working alongside and mentoring local allies. SOCAFRICAs showcase effort, for instance, is Flintlock, an annual training exercise in Northwest Africa involving elite American, European, and African forces, which provides the command with a plethora of publicity. More than 1,700 military personnel from 30-plus nations took part in Flintlock 2016. Next year, according to Bolduc, the exercise is expected to grow to include SOF from more countries, [as well as] more interagency partners.

While the information has been redacted, the SOCAFRICA strategic planning document -- produced in 2012 and scheduled to be fully declassified in 2037 -- indicates the existence of one or more other training exercises. Bolduc recently mentioned two: Silent Warrior and Epic Guardian. In the past, the command has also taken part in exercises like Silver Eagle 10 and Eastern Piper 12. (U.S. Africa Command did not respond to requests for comment on these exercises or other questions related to this article.)

Such exercises are, however, just a small part of the SOCAFRICA story. Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) missions are a larger one. Officially authorized to enable U.S. special operators to practice skills needed to conduct a variety of missions, including foreign internal defense, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism, JCETs actually serve as a backdoor method of expanding U.S. military influence and contacts in Africa, since they allow for "incidental-training benefits" to "accrue to the foreign friendly forces at no cost." As a result, JCETs play an important role in forging and sustaining military relationships across the continent. Just how many of these missions the U.S. conducts in Africa is apparently unknown -- even to the military commands involved. As TomDispatch reported earlier this year, according to SOCOM, the U.S. conducted 19 JCETs in 2012, 20 in 2013, and 20, again, in 2014. AFRICOM, however, claims that there were nine JCETs in 2012, 18 in 2013, and 26 in 2014.

Whatever the true number, JCETs are a crucial cog in the SOCAFRICA machine. During a JCET, exercise or training event, a special forces unit might train a partner force in a particular tactical skill and can quickly ascertain if the training audience has adopted the capability, explained Brigadier General Bolduc. Trainers can objectively measure competency, then exercise... that particular skill until it becomes a routine.

In addition, SOCAFRICA also utilizes a confusing tangle of State Department and Pentagon programs and activities, aimed at local allies that operate under a crazy quilt of funding schemes, monikers, and acronyms. These include deployments of Mobile Training Teams, Joint Planning Advisory Teams, Joint Military Education Teams, Civil Military Support Elements, as well as Military Information Support Teams that engage in what once was called psychological operations, or psyops -- that is, programs designed to inform and influence foreign target audiences as appropriately authorized.

Special Operations Command Africa also utilizes an almost mind-numbing panoply of security cooperation programs and other training activities including Section 1207(n) (also known as the Transitional Authorities for East Africa and Yemen, which provides equipment, training, and other aid to the militaries of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Yemen to conduct counter-terrorism operations against al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda affiliates, and al-Shabab and enhance the capacity of national military forces participating in the African Union Mission in Somalia); the Global Security Contingency Fund (designed to enhance the capabilities of a countrys national military forces, and other national security forces that conduct border and maritime security, internal defense, and counterterrorism operations); the Partnership for Regional East Africa Counterterrorism (or PREACT, designed to build counterterror capacities and foster military and law enforcement efforts in East African countries, including Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda); and, among others, the Trans-Sahel Counterterrorism Partnership, the Global Peace Operations Initiative, the Special Operations to Combat Terrorism, the Combatting Terrorism Fellowship, and another known as Counter-Narcotic Terrorism.

Like Africas terror groups and Bolducs special ops troops, the almost 20 initiatives utilized by SOCAFRICA -- a sprawling mass of programs that overlie and intersect with each other -- have a border-busting quality to them. What they dont have is clear records of success. A 2013 RAND Corporation analysis called such capacity-building programs a tangled web, with holes, overlaps, and confusions. A 2014 RAND study analyzing U.S. security cooperation (SC) found that there was no statistically significant correlation between SC and change in countries fragility in Africa or the Middle East. A 2016 RAND report on defense institution building in Africa noted a poor understanding of partner interests by the U.S. military.

Were supporting African military professionalization and capability-building efforts, were supporting development and governance via civil affairs and military information support operations teams, Bolduc insisted publicly. [A]ll programs must be useful to the partner nation (not the foreign agenda) and necessary to advance the partner nations' capabilities. If they dont pass this simple test... we need to focus on programs that do meet the African partner nations needs.

The 2012 SOCAFRICA strategic planning document obtained by TomDispatch reveals, however, that Special Operations Command Africas primary aim is not fostering African development, governance, or military professionalization. SOCAFRICAs foremost objective is the prevention of an attack against America or American interests, according to the declassified secret report. In other words, a foreign agenda, not the needs of African partner nations, is whats driving the elite forces border-busting missions.

American Aims vs. African Needs

Special Operations Command spokesman Ken McGraw cautioned that because SOCAFRICA and AFRICOM have both changed commanders since the 2012 document was issued, it was likely out of date. I recommend you contact SOCAFRICA, he advised. That command failed to respond to multiple requests for information or comment. There are, however, no indications that it has actually altered its foremost objective, while Bolducs public comments suggest that the U.S. militarys engagement in the region is going strong.

Our partners and [forward deployed U.S. personnel] recognize the arbitrary nature of borders and understand the only way to combat modern-day threats like ISIS, AQIM [al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb], Boko Haram, and myriad others is to leverage the capabilities of SOF professionals working in concert, said Bolduc. Borders may be notional and dont protect a country from the spread of violent extremism... but neither do oceans, mountains... or distance.

In reality, however, oceans and distance have kept most Americans safe from terrorist organizations like AQIM and Boko Haram. The same cannot be said for those who live in the nations menaced by these groups. In Africa, terrorist organizations and attacks have spiked alongside the increase in U.S. Special Operations missions there. In 2006, the percentage of forward-stationed special operators on the continent hovered at 1% of total globally deployed SOF forces. By 2014, that number had hit 10% -- a jump of 900% in less than a decade. During that same span, according to information from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland, terror incidents in Africa increased precipitously -- from just over 100 per year to nearly 2,400 annually. During the same period, the number of transnational terrorist organizations and illicit groups operating on the continent jumped from one to, according to Bolducs reckoning, nearly 50.

Correlation may not equal causation, but SOCAFRICAs efforts have coincided with significantly worsening terrorist violence and the growth and spread of terror groups. And it shouldnt be a surprise. While Bolduc publicly talks up the needs of African nations, his border-busting commandos operate under a distinctive America-first mandate and a mindset firmly in keeping with that of the incoming commander-in-chief. My foreign policy will always put the interests of the American people and American security above all else. It has to be first, Donald Trump said earlier this year in a major foreign policy speech. Kicking off his victory tour earlier this month, the president-elect echoed this theme. From now on, it's going to be America first. Okay? America first. We're going to put ourselves first, he told a crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In Africa, the most elite troops soon to be under his command have, in fact, been operating this way for years. [W]e will prioritize and focus our operational efforts in those areas where the threat[s] to United States interests are most grave, says the formerly secret SOCAFRICA document. Protecting America, Americans, and American interests is our overarching objective and must be reflected in everything we do.

Nick Turse is the managing editor of TomDispatch, a fellow at the Nation Institute, and a contributing writer for the Intercept. His book Tomorrow's Battlefield: U.S. Proxy Wars and Secret Ops in Africa recently received an American Book Award. His latest book is Next Time Theyll Come to Count the Dead: War and Survival in South Sudan. His website is NickTurse.com.
Clintons Defeat and the Fake News Conspiracy By Jonathan Cook December 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - There is an astounding double standard being applied to the US presidential election result. A few weeks ago the corporate media were appalled that Donald Trump demurred on whether he would accept the vote if it went against him. It was proof of his anti-democratic, authoritarian instincts. But now he has won, the same media outlets are cheerleading the establishments full-frontal assault on the legitimacy of a Trump presidency. That campaign is being headed by the failed candidate, Hillary Clinton, after a lengthy softening-up operation by US intelligence agencies, led by the CIA. According to the prevailing claim, Russian president Vladimir Putin stole the election on behalf of Trump (apparently by resorting to the US playbook on psy-ops). Trump is not truly a US president, it seems. Hes Russias placeman in the White House  a Moscovian candidate. An assessment of the losing sides claims should be considered separately from the issue of who won the popular mandate. It is irrelevant that Clinton gained more votes than Trump. For good or bad, the US has operated an inherently unrepresentative electoral college since the 18th century. That has provided plenty of time to demand electoral reform. Concern about the electoral college now, only because it elected Trump, is simply ugly partisan politics, not political principle. Launching last week what looked like a potential comeback, Clinton stepped up the establishments attack on the result. She argued that Putin had personally directed the hacking operation that lost her the presidency. He had sought to foil the wishes of the US electorate in revenge for her claims in 2011, when Secretary of State, that Russias parliamentary elections had been rigged. "Putin publicly blamed me for the outpouring of outrage by his own people, and that is the direct line between what he said back then and what he did in this election," Clinton told campaign donors at meeting in New York. CIAs evidence-free claims Clintons allegations, of course, did not arrive in a vacuum. For weeks the CIA and other intelligence agencies have been making evidence-free claims that Russia was behind the release of embarrassing emails from the Democratic party leadership. The last holdout against this campaign, James Comey, the head of the FBI, was reported late last week to have caved in and joined the anti-Putin camp. The Washington Post quoted CIA director John Brennan saying: "Earlier this week, I met separately with [the FBIs] James Comey and [director of national intelligence] Jim Clapper, and there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our presidential election." Craig Murray, a former British ambassador turned whistleblower on British government collusion in torture, has said he personally received the leaked emails on behalf of WikiLeaks. The data came, he said, not from Russian security agencies, or even from freelance Russian hackers, but from a disillusioned Democratic party insider. Russia experts in the US have similarly discounted the anti-Putin claims, as have former US intelligence agents. But either way, what is being overlooked in the furor is that none of the information that has come to light about the Democratic party was false. (Though the US intelligence services did indeed try to make that claim initially). The emails are real and provide an accurate account of the Democratic partys anti-democratic machinations, including efforts to undermine the campaign of Bernie Sanders, Clintons challenger. If Russia did indeed seek to influence the election by releasing truthful information that made Clinton and her allies look bad that would be far more legitimate interference than the US has engaged in against countless countries around the globe. For decades the US has been actively involved in using its military might to overthrow regimes in Latin America and the Middle East. It has also compromised the sovereignty of innumerable states, by sending killer-drones into their airspace, manipulating their media and funding color revolutions. The NSA is not archiving every bit of digital information it can lay its hands on for no reason. The US seeks global dominance, whether the rest of the globe wants it or not. The fake news threat The corporate media have been lapping up the CIAs evidence-free allegations as hungrily as an underfed kitten. Not only have they been credulously regurgitating the dubious claims of the same US intelligence agencies that knowingly spread lies about Iraqs WMD, but they have added their own dangerous spin to them. The media have suddenly woken up to the supposed threat to western democracies posed by "fake news". The implication is that it was "fake news" that swept Trump to power. A properly informed electorate, on this view, would never have made such a patently ridiculous choice as Trump. Instead, Clinton would have been rightfully crowned president. "Fake news", of course, does not concern the systematic deceptions promoted by the corporate media. It does not include the demonstrable lies  like those Iraqi WMDs  spread by western governments and intelligence agencies through the corporate media. It does not even refer to the press corps habitual reports  demonstrating a seemingly gargantuan gullibility  that take at face value the endless state propaganda against Official Enemies, whether Cuba, Venezuela, Libya or Syria. Or Russia and now Trump. No, "fake news" is produced only by bloggers and independent websites, and is promoted on social media. Those peddling fake news are writers, journalists and activists whose pay packets do not depend on continuing employment by western state-run media like the BBC, billionaire proprietors like Rupert Murdoch, or global corporations like Times-Warner. It is worth noting that the leaked Democratic emails, whether the leaking was done by Russia or not, were certainly not fake news. They were documented truth. But the leaks are being actively conflated with fake news. Shutting down dissent There have always been patently ridiculous stories in marginal, and not so marginal, mainstream media, whether it was reports of Elvis coming back from the dead or the millennium computer bug that was going to bring civilization to an end when we entered the year 2000. That problem has not substantially changed, it has simply moved on to new platforms like social media. Much more significantly, the systematic deceptions perpetrated by corporate media for many decades have left swaths of western publics distrustful and cynical. Social media has only added to widespread alienation because it has made it easier to expose to readers these mainstream deceptions. Trump, like Brexit, is a symptom of the growing disorientation and estrangement felt by western electorates. But the claim of fake news does usefully offer western security agencies, establishment politicians and the corporate media a powerful weapon to silence their critics. After all, these critics have no platform other than independent websites and social media. Shut down the sites and you shut up your opponents. The campaign against a Trump presidency will exploit claims of foreign, hostile interference in the US election as a pretext to crack down on homegrown dissent. Putin is not waging a war on US democracy. Rather, US democracy is proving itself increasingly inconvenient to those who expect to dictate electoral outcomes. Jonathan Cook is a Nazareth- based journalist and winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism - See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2016-12-18/its-clinton-who-rejects-the-democratic-vote/#sthash.jg7OlAhq.dpuf Jonathan Cook is a Nazareth- based journalist and winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism - See more at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2016-12-18/its-clinton-who-rejects-the-democratic-vote/#sthash.jg7OlAhq.dpuf Jonathan Cook is a Nazareth- based journalist and winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. http://www.jonathan-cook.net The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy.
9 Killed As Truck Plows into Christmas Market in Berlin:

Video

German police say they've arrested a suspect believed to be the driver of a truck that rammed into a crowded Christmas market in the center of Berlin, killing at least nine and causing multiple injuries.



Police spokesman Winfried Wenzel told ZDF public television that the man was arrested near the scene.



No further details were immediately available.

Posted December 19, 2016



A lorry has ploughed into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing nine people and injuring many more, police say.

Police now say they suspect it was a deliberate attack. Video footage from the scene shows stalls knocked over and people lying injured on the ground.

The driver is on the run, German media report.

The market is at Breitscheidplatz close to the Kurfuerstendamm, the main shopping street in the city's west.

A reporter for the Berliner Morgenpost described a "gruesome scene".

The Berliner Zeitung reports that police have set up a meeting point for relatives at the scene.

A photographer for the DPA news agency said that armed police were at entrance to the nearby zoo.

Image copyright Reuters
Unconventional Warfare: Killing Journalists Creates "Media Activist"

By Moon Of Alabama

December 19, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Moon Of Alabama " - As pointed out yesterday, a recent tweet series by Club des Cordeliers made some interesting observation about the #StandWithAleppo propaganda campaign:

The "Stand with Aleppo" campaign in the U.S. was started and is propelled by a Democratic party operative who is also CEO of a public relations company and "strategic affairs consultant" in Chicago, Becky Carroll.

The Cordeliere made some additional remarks on anti-Syria propaganda. These about the U.S. directed Information Warfare campaign from inside Syria. This leads me to the thoughts below about the U.S. waged Unconventional Warfare in Syria and how it may be responsible for the elimination of "neutral" journalists on the ground.

We start with Club des Cordeliers remarks on the video campaign coming out of Syria and currently especially out of east-Aleppo:

US State Dep't has openly trained Syrian "activists" in social media propaganda techniques since 2012. U.S. Embassy Geneva, Aug 21, 2012 U.S. Equipment, Training Reaching Syrian Opposition: The State Department has $25 million in nonlethal assistance that it can use for training purposes, and [State Department spokeswoman Victoria] Nuland said a broad cross section of activists inside Syria and in neighboring countries is benefiting from an extremely active U.S. training effort that is focused on Syrians who have not left their country. We are doing training on free media, countering the governments circumvention technology, legal and justice and accountability issues, and how to deal with the crimes that have been committed during this conflict, programs for student activists who are encouraging peaceful protest on the university campuses, [and] programs for women, Nuland said. She added that the State Department has been working for years with Syrians and others on ways to counter Internet censorship, as well as supporting Syrian human rights and justice programs.

US trained Syrian contra propagandists via seminars conducted in Istanbul. St.Louis Public Radio, Dec 3, 2012 U.S. Steps Up Aid (But No Arms) To Syrian Exiles: [T]he U.S. State Department is supporting Syria's political opposition, in projects that have been under wraps until recently. One program, a multimillion-dollar media project called Basma, or "fingerprint" in English, is run out of an office in Istanbul where Syrian activists write and produce reports for a Facebook page and the Basma website. A promotional video explains the goals of Basma: "to support a peaceful transition for a new Syrian nation that supports and guards the freedom of all of its citizens."

...

In another U.S.-funded program, kept quiet over security concerns, young activists, mostly those in the front lines in the early days of the revolt, are invited to Istanbul for workshops. They gather in hotels, from towns and villages inside Syria. They are now members of revolutionary councils  civilians trying to restore services and local government in places out of regime control.

Syrian "activists" given electronic equipment & technical instruction in State Dep't-sponsored Istanbul trainings. Wired, Oct 25, 2012 Exclusive: U.S. Rushes to Stop Syria from Expanding Chemical Weapon Stockpile: U.S. intelligence agencies are believed to be helping with the training of opposition groups, while the Pentagon denies shipping arms to the rebels. In public, American aid has largely been limited to organizational advice (Washington is trying to set up a council of opposition leaders in Doha in the next few weeks, for instance) and technical assistance. Several hundred Syrian activists have traveled to Istanbul for training in secure communications, funded by the U.S. State Department. The rebel leaders received tips on how to leapfrog firewalls, encrypt their data, and use cellphones without getting caught, as Time magazine recently reported. Then they returned to Syria, many of them with new phones and satellite modems in hand.

To NATO military strategists, social media propaganda is element of "winning the online information war" in Syria. Small Wars Journal, Apr 26, 2016 The Impact of Cyber Capabilities in the Syrian Civil War: The events of the Syrian Civil War have clearly demonstrated the power of cyber capabilities in warfare. [...] However, it would appear that all of the actors have used cyber capabilities for propaganda purposes. The use of social media, DDoS attacks, and the defacement of websites were all used to promote strategic narrative or to undermine and embarrass the enemy. Although all of these activities would fall under the category of information war, developments in social technology has increased the importance of winning the online information war. This is illustrated by the fact that most of the information that the public receives about the conflict is transmitted through social media.

Revealing chart outlining US Army Special Ops doctrine on use of electronic communication in unconventional warfare. FM 3-05.130 Unconventional Warfare, Sep 2008 Table B-1 - Information operations integration into joint operations (pdf)

Highly influential 1989 paper on Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW) called for technology-driven psychological warfare. Marine Corp Gazette, Oct 1989 The Changing Face of War - Into the 4th Generation (pdf)

All this is to make clear that there is nothing random or organic about online propaganda produced by Syrian "activists."

Bana hoax, Aleppo "farewell" videos, et al. should be seen as coordinated, strategic information warfare funded and organized by US actors.

Some additional thoughts on this.

A recent piece by Patrick Cockburn in the Independent points to the mass of propaganda about and out of Syria, mostly U.S. directed as shown above, and explains why we only see and hear this and nothing else: There's more propaganda than news coming out of Aleppo this week:

[T]he jihadis holding power in east Aleppo were able to exclude Western journalists, who would be abducted and very likely killed if they went there, and replace them as news sources with highly partisan local activists who cannot escape being under jihadi control.

...

The precedent set in Aleppo means that participants in any future conflict will have an interest in deterring foreign journalists who might report objectively. By kidnapping and killing them, it is easy to create a vacuum of information that is in great demand and will, in future, be supplied by informants sympathetic to or at the mercy of the very same people (in this case the jihadi rulers of east Aleppo) who have kept out the foreign journalists. Killing or abducting the latter turns out to have been a smart move by the jihadis because it enabled them to establish substantial control of news reaching the outside world.

We have to see the killing and kidnapping of journalists as a (secret) part of the arsenal of the Unconventional Warfare and the U.S. created propaganda storm out of Syria.

The same applies to humanitarian Non-Government Organizations. Neither the United Nations, nor the Red Cross or any other neutral NGO had staff in east-Aleppo. Only the MI-6 propaganda outlet SOHR in Coventry provides numbers allegedly sourced from Syria. Only (U.S. trained) "media activists" on the Takfiri site report or tweet from inside east-Aleppo. Only these get interviewed. Only the U.S./UK created and directed "White Helmets" and the French government sponsored Takfiri "Aleppo Media Channel" produce pictures and videos from inside east-Aleppo. As this was the only available information source and sole available audio-visual material it was heavily used by news outlets around the world. It reflected solely the armed oppositions and its sponsors' views and warfare needs.

If one intends to give a maximum effect to the propaganda output of ones proxies in an Information Warfare operation, it makes great sense to eliminate all other potential sources of information from the wider warzone. Thus - the abduction and killing of neutral professional journalists is a conscious process that enables their replacement with ones own Information Warfare assets. I believe we have seen such a process in Syria.

A similar process was applied earlier when the U.S. invaded Iraq. News outlets that gave a different than the official U.S. view were targeted by U.S. military forces. The Al-Jazeerah offices in Baghdad were bombed by the U.S. military. (The White House even considered bombing the Al-Jazeerah head office in Doha, Qatar.) Wikileaks published a video which showed a U.S. helicopter killing Reuters staffers. Only journalists embedded with the U.S. military were protected against U.S. military action. Their reports were naturally heavily skewed towards the official U.S. propaganda view.

(On top of all of that we have to consider that news outlets and journalists are often vehicles of intelligence services and as such far from neutral.)

The killing or abduction of journalists in a war zone allows their replacement with better controlled and more partisan assets. Just raising the (security) costs for real journalists has such an effect. A news outlet has to pay for professionally made news agency photos or videos. The U.S./UK propaganda operation "White Helmets" has produced hundreds of "gripping" and "emotional" staged rescue operation pictures and videos. It distributes those for free in "ready to be used" high quality. Many news outlets prefer these no-cost pictures even though their neutrality is highly questionable.

Keeping journalists away from the battle zone by killing or abducting a few of them at the beginning of the conflict helped enormously to increase the effect of the later Information Warfare operation known as "White Helmets" and other similar organizations.

This brings me back to U.S. Embassy Geneva report quoted above. In the very same speech in which U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland lauded the creation, training and outfitting of U.S proxy teams for propaganda creation and other purposes (aka "media activists") she also lamented the demise of real journalists in Syria:

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters August 21 that the United States has provided more than 900 sets of communications gear to groups and individuals inside Syria.

...

Nuland also offered condolences to the family of Japanese journalist Mika Yamamoto, who was killed August 20 while she was traveling with Syrian opposition forces in Aleppo, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Yamamoto, who worked for the Tokyo-based Japan Press, was caught in gunfire, the Foreign Ministry said. Nuland also said the U.S. government had lost contact with two stringers reporting for the Alhurra television network who had reportedly been traveling with Yamamoto. In an August 21 interview with the Voice of America, Reporters Without Borders spokeswoman Soazig Dollet said five foreign journalists have been killed since the start of the Syrian uprising in March 2011, and that Syria is now the most dangerous place for war reporter[s] in the world.

The lauding of U.S. proxy media efforts and the (fake) lamenting over the killing of real journalists by Victoria Nuland in one speech were totally unrelated to each other - unless they were not. It was totally unintended that the resulting lack of real journalists in Syria amplified the effect of the U.S. Information Operation by proxy. Or maybe it was not.

Syria remains the world's most dangerous country for journalists ; At least 57 journalists have been killed around the world in 2016 while doing their job, Reporters Without Borders said on Monday.
US Underwater Drone Seizure Continues to Cause Tension Despite Assurance Device Will Be Returned

Although a full-blown conflict between China and the US is unlikely, a senior Chinese military official has been quoted to say that claiming war is a practical reality. (Photo : Getty Images)

China's seizure of the U.S. underwater drone continues to stir tension despite an announcement from both countries that China would give the device back, The Wall Street Journal reported.



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U.S. Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee criticized the U.S. own policies which he said have encouraged some countries while calling China's action as a "gross violation of international law."



"There's no strength on the part of the United States of America. Everybody's taking advantage of it. And hopefully that will change soon," McCain told CNN.



McCain's comments were made in response to the announcement by both the Pentagon and China's Defense Ministry on Saturday, Dec. 17, that China would return the drone that was seized in the South China Sea, Thursday, Dec. 15.



The report said that the device was retrieved by a Chinese navy rescue ship because it posed danger to ships and sailors.



Days before that, President-elect Donald Trump commented that his administration might consider repealing the "One-China policy" if China would not give concessions to U.S. interests as well as issues on trade, China's military presence in the South China Sea and North Korea's nuclear program.



In a television interview a week ago, Trump said: "I don't know why we have to be bound by a One-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things."



On Saturday, Dec.17, after learning of the drone seizure, Trump wrote a message against China in his Twitter: "China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters-rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act." In his initial tweet called the seizure an "unpresidented act" but he later corrected his error.



Reince Priebus, the incoming White House chief of staff said in an interview on Fox News on Sunday, Dec. 18, said that Trump's rhetoric was not aimed at provoking China.



"Look, I don't think it's all that provocative, to tell you the truth," Priebus said. "The Chinese ripped a drone out of the water. President-elect Trump said this is an unprecedented act, totally inappropriate . . . I think 80 percent of Americans think it is inappropriate to rip a drone out of the water."



Priebus also denied any change in the U.S.'s longstanding policy on Taiwan.



"We're not suggesting that we're revisiting One-China policy right now," the official said.



Taiwan has been regarded by China as a breakaway province since the Nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-shek formed its own government, following the civil war in 1949.



In 1979, as a precondition for the restoration of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China, the U.S. agreed to uphold the One-China policy and withdraw recognition of the Taiwan government.


Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Monday announced a donation of N5million towards the welfare of widows of members of the Nigeria Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, urging Nigerians and corporate organizations to continue to donate generously towards their welfare.

Governor Ambode, who announced the donation at the launch of the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem Appeal, held at the Lagos House, Ikeja, said members of the Armed Forces over the years have continued to demonstrate courage and gallantry, which according to him have resulted in the return of relative peace to the North eastern part of the country.

The Governor said that the occasion was one that afforded Nigerians the opportunity to spare a thought for the nations deceased heroes and to contribute to the welfare and well-being of the families they left behind.

Every year, we all come together, in different parts of the country, to show appreciation for the sacrifice of members of the Nigerian Armed Forces who put their lives on the line to protect the territorial integrity of the nation and keep our country together as one indivisible unit. We must do everything possible not to allow the widows and orphans of these gallant officers to regret the sacrifices made by their husbands and fathers.

Whatever we do today to make life better for these people, including those Officers and Men who suffered lifelong disability, will go a long way to motivate those still in active service to give their best to the nation.

I wish therefore to use this opportunity to appeal to Lagosians and corporate organisations to donate generously towards this noble and humanitarian cause. Nothing is too much to give in remembrance of our dead heroes and for the welfare of their families especially during this yuletide season, the Governor said.

Governor Ambode, while also congratulating the Chairman and members of the Nigerian Legion, Lagos State Chapter on the launch of the Emblem Appeal, assured that his administration would continue to support the Legion in every way possible.

Responding to an appeal made by the Chairman of Lagos State Branch of Nigerian Legion, Colonel Samuel Akanbi (Rtd), Governor Ambode graciously approved two operational patrol vehicles for the Legion, adding that some of its officers would also be engaged to keep public schools in the State safe.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Lateef Abdul-Hakeem, in his welcome address, announced the activities lined up by the State Government to mark the 2017 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration, with the theme Appreciating the Resilience of the Armed Forces, explaining that the programme of events would commence with a Jumat Service at the Alausa Secretariat Mosque, while a church service would take place at the Chapel of Christ the Light, also in Alausa.

He said the activities would climax with the Wreath Laying Ceremony which would take place Remembrance Arcade, Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos.

In his brief remarks, Colonel Samuel Akanbi (Rtd) praised Governor Ambode for his efforts at rapidly transforming the state, stressing that several infrastructures have been inaugurated by the present administration in the last 18 months.

He, however, thanked the Governor for engaging members of the legion in the security plans of the state but also urged him to consider more members and see to the replacement of their dilapidated bus, both requests which the Governor instantly approved.
Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade yesterday donated N50 million to the state Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and N30 million to the Muslim community.

Ayade made the donations in Calabar, the state capital, at the Inter-denominational Church Service organised by CAN to thank God for the governors victory at the Supreme Court.

The governor hailed CAN for its prayers and support while the case lasted, describing his victory as an act of God.

Ayade said: Let us all rise and celebrate God. Only God made it possible. No man can claim the glory, except God. I thank CAN and all Cross Riverians for their prayers.

I still need more of your prayers for us to succeed in the task of building the Cross River of our dream.

I also call on my brothers on the other side to come and join hands with me in moving our state forward.

The governor said his administration would create 3,000 jobs next year for youths to prove its sensitivity to their plight.

Also, as part of Ayadesian theory, I will make additional 6,000 appointments into my government, while another 5,000 jobs will be created in January, he stated.

The governor currently has over 1,900 political appointees.

CAN State Chairman Rev. Joseph Ukpo said the governors victory was a manifestation of Gods glory.

Ukpo, who was represented by a Catholic Priest, Rev. Malachy Ephraim, urged Ayayde to make peace with his opponents to move the state forward.

He said: There is no victor, no vanquished. Where there is peace, there is progress. Now, it is time for governance.
The Nigerian Customs Service on Monday intercepted arms and ammunition as well as military equipment hidden in two cars imported from United States of America.

The Customs Area Comptroller of Tin-Can island, Yusuf Bashar, stated this yesterday in Lagos.

We got a hint that there is a magazine in a used Toyota car 2004 model with Chassis No 2T1BR32E54C309841.

Customs officers isolated the vehicle to give it a thorough checking. We discovered 10 pieces of life rounds called Hornady ammunition with the magazine, the comptroller said.

Bashar said no suspect has been arrested because the seizures were just coming out of the vehicle, adding that the command would conduct further investigation to discover the owner of the consignments.

We will hand over the items to the Department of State Security (DSS) for custody of the ammunition because they are too dangerous to be with unauthorized persons, Bashar told reporters while displaying the seized items.

The command also intercepted another container of used Nissan Armada , 2007 model, with container No- NSCEU718443\6 and Chassis No 5NIAA08A69N709779.

Bashar said the vehicle contained Omini American Tactical Rifle No AR48634 and Moasberg American Pump Action with No U648018.

He said in addition to these two rifles, it was discovered on examination, in the same container, 3,500 pieces of Premier Hollow point (Air Gun Pellets), and 4,000 pieces of Premier Hollow point (Air gun pellets).

We also discovered nine pieces of military bullets proof vests; one piece of helmet with rain proof, one pistol Punch, one Riffle Punch, a set of military gas masks, 26 packs of military already made foods and two pairs of military booths.

This is why we called reporters to inform them because it is about reporting the nation security.

We must do everything we can to safeguard Nigeria. If an individual is given Nigerian passports to travel abroad, while coming back home, some come back with unauthorized consignments, which will cause pains and havoc to the citizens. Instead of such persons bringing machines and other valuable things.

These items were found in a container of personal effects which government graciously says you should not pay duties and now, can you perceive the way some Nigerians reciprocate the gesture?  Bashar queried.

The controller said a suspect was arrested in connection with the consignments containing military ammunition, adding that Customs officers had intercepted the container since Nov. 29 and examined it in Nov. 30.

He said investigation of the container was ongoing to get more details and that was why the news conference was delayed.

Bashar warned travelers who usually bring as personal effects ammunition and unwanted items to desist, adding that it is endangering the society.

These will be about the fifth interception of ammunition since I resumed office in January 2016.

We have discovered 900 pieces of live ammunition, 200 pieces of cocaine worth N2 billion, which we handed over to appropriate agency because we believe in inter-agency collaboration.

We have discovered some riffles with or without bullets, 300 pieces of military caps, some military camouflage and so many other equipment, the Customs boss told reporters.
A Lagos banker, Oluchi Onyebuchi, who allegedly hired two assassins to murder her husband was on Tuesday granted N1 million bail by an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates Court in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Magistrate M.O Olajuwon also ordered that the two alleged hired assassins  Chigozie Nworie (32) and Kingsley Ofelete (36)  be remanded in Ikoyi Prisons.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Julius Babatope, told the court that Onyebuchi, 32, contracted Nworie and Ofelete to assassinate her husband on Oct. 9 at No. 18, Fatai Kofo St., Agungi, Lekki.

The accused made away with the victims Land Rover jeep with Reg. No. LND 275 DZ after hacking the complainant and pouring acid on him.

The victims HP laptop, iPhone, car documents and other valuables estimated at N9.3 million were also taken away by the accused.

Onyebuchi had informed the two accused on where she had hidden machete, cutlass and acid in her husbands compound which they were to use in eliminating him, the prosecutor said.

Babatope said that Nworie and Ofelete were arrested with the victims blood-stained Range Rover on their way to deliver the car to Onyebuchis brother in Anambra.

The trio are facing a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, robbery and attempted murder.

The accused plea was, however, not taken.

The offences committed contravene Sections 228, 294 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Olajuwon adjourned the case to Jan. 23, pending legal advice from the DPP.

Source: NAN
Nigerian newspaper headlines December 20, 2016.

Punch

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, National Union of Air Transport Employees and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria have directed workers of Arik Air to commence an indefinite strike action today (Tuesday) over non-payment of seven months salaries.

Vanguard

The federal government is expected to earn about $2 billion (about N61 billion) from a new cash call policy that comes into effect in January 2017, while its oil production is set to increase to 2.5 million barrels per day in 2019.

Guardian

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Correspondents Chapel of Bayelsa State has described the estimated billing system of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) as a rip-off.

Thisday

The federal government, through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, has secured $150million (N45.7 billion) support from the World Bank for the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification (MSSED or MinDiver) programme.

Leadership

President Muhammadu Buhari has given new ambassadors-designate the task of projecting Nigerias positives ideals and contributions to the world to counter the taint of crime and corruption heaped on the countrys image by foreign elements.

Premium Times

To make Nigerias inefficient primary healthcare system effective, the government plans an overhaul that could lead to some sort of financial autonomy for individual health centres.

The Sun

The Federal Government has approved the closure of nine foreign missions and their conversion to non-residency representation or concurrent accreditation, as part of measures to reduce the cost of running Nigerias foreign representations in the face of economic realities.

The Nation

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja will be closed between February and March next year, Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika said yesterday.
ABOUT two persons were on Sunday feared killed, while one was kidnapped in Omoku town in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State when gunmen stormed the place.

The person abducted was identified as Jeremiah Uche, a former member of the caretaker committee of council area.

It was gathered that the hoodlums invade the home of Uche around 9am, took him hostage and killed two of his visitors.

A source in the community, who begged not to be named, told our correspondent that the gunmen wore masks.

The source, who identified one of those killed by the hoodlums as a former youth president of Obrikom community, Julius Amadi, noted that the kidnappers had already established contact with Uches family.

He said, This morning (Monday), we were greeted with the news of the killing and kidnapping. One youth activist and one former member of the last caretaker committee of ONELGA, the Supervisory Councilor for Works and Transport, Jeremiah Uche, aka Interpol, was kidnapped.

They killed other two people, including Julius Amadi, the youth president of Obirikom community, that came to visit him. Another person who was there, who I dont know his name yet, was also killed. They said he is from Delta State.

The kidnappers have made contact with the family and are demanding for certain amount of money. The incident is causing panic in the community because the people are afraid.

The boys came around 9am on Sunday on motorcycles. Uche just arrived from Port Harcourt that day. Even when he was a caretaker member, he operated from Port Harcourt.

The Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, said the police were aware of the incident.

Omoni noted that policemen had been sent to the area to ensure that the victim was rescued.

Omoni said, We are on top of the situation. We have deployed our men in the area to ensure that the victim regains his freedom unconditionally; and as soon as possible.

Source: Punch
Recently released figures show that there are almost two million more sheep in Wales than there were seven years ago, making them outnumbering people by three to one in the country.

John Richards, industry information executive for Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales), said the increase was an indication of confidence in the future of the industry.

There are still challenges for the lamb industry in Wales, explained Mr Richards.

Ensuring that everyone, including farmers and processors, get a good price for their product is vital, and means continuing to respond to changing customer demands.

Political uncertainties around Brexit also mean that its difficult to predict accurately how the structure of future support payments and trade arrangements will affect livestock numbers.
Researchers have released an open source neural network system for performing language translations that could be an alternative to proprietary, black-box translation services.

Open Source Neural Machine Translation (OpenNMT) merges work from researchers at Harvard with contributions from long-time machine-translation software creator Systran. It runs on the Torch scientific computing framework, which is also used by Facebook for its machine learning projects.

Ideally, OpenNMT could serve as an open alternative to closed-source projects like Google Translate, which recently received a major neural-network makeover to improve the quality of its translation.

But the algorithms aren't the hard part; its coming up with good sources of data to support the translation processwhich is where Google and the other cloud giants that provide machine translation as a service have the edge.

Speaking in tongues

OpenNMT, which uses the Lua language to interface with Torch, works like other products in its class. The user prepares a body of data that represents the two language pairs to be translatedtypically the same text in both languages as translated by a human translator. After training OpenNMT on this data, the user can then deploy the resulting model and use it to translate texts.

Torch can take advantage of GPU acceleration, which means the training process for OpenNMT models can be sped up a great deal on any GPU-equipped system. That said, the training process can take a long timesometimes many weeks. But the training process can be snapshotted and resumed on demand if needed. If you want to use the trained model on a CPU rather than a GPU, youll need to convert the model to work in CPU mode. OpenNMT provides a tool to do exactly that.

A live demo provided by Systran claims to use OpenNMT in conjunction with Systrans own work. For common language pairs like English/French, the translations are quite accurate. For pairs where theres likely to be a smaller body of texts available, or where the language pairs dont map as precisely to each othersay, English/Japanesethe translations are a little more stilted and imprecise. In one sample Japanese sentence, the Systran demo mistook the word seagulls in Japanese for hanging scrolls; Google Translate correctly translated it.

IDG An online demo of Systran's professional machine translation product. Systran uses OpenNMT's technology in conjunction with proprietary innovations to power this system.

Words, words, words

The most crucial element that OpenNMT does not yet supply is pretrained language model data. A link to Example Models on the GitHub site for the project currently yields an error. Presumably in time this will feature sample data that can be used to benchmark the system or get a feel for how the training and deployment process works. But it wont' likely include data that can be used in a production environment.

This limits how useful OpenNMT is out of the box, since the model data is at least as crucial for machine translation as the algorithms themselves. Translating between language pairs requires parallel corpora, or texts in both languages that are closely matched to each other on a sentence-by-sentence or phrase-by-phrase level, and can be trained to yield models in products like OpenNMT.

Many corpora are freely available, but require cobbling together by hand to be useful to the average developer. Vendors like Googleand IBM, with its Language Translator system on Watsonhave an advantage in that they can easily build corpora with their other services. Google can automatically harvest massive amounts of constantly refreshed language data by way of its search engine.

Still, OpenNMT is bound to be useful to those who want to build new functionality on top of OpenNMTs modeling and training code, and dont want to be dependent on a behind-the-API algorithm like Googles to do it.
The popular actor Ben Stiller, who had prostate cancer, had his prostate removed. (Photo : Getty Images)

A new non-surgical treatment for low-risk prostate cancer has been found to effectively kill cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue.



The new treatment is called "Vascular-Targeted Photodynamic therapy" (VTP).



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It involves injecting a light-sensitive drug into the bloodstream and then activating it with a laser to destroy tumor tissue in the prostate. The research found that around half (49%) of patients treated with VTP went into complete remission compared with 13.5% in the control group.



Published in The Lancet Oncology, the study reports a new phase III clinical trial in 413 patients led by University College London (UCL). The trial was funded by STEBA Biotech, which holds the commercial license for the treatment



"These results are excellent news for men with early localized prostate cancer, offering a treatment that can kill cancer without removing or destroying the prostate," said lead investigator Professor Mark Emberton, Dean of UCL Medical Sciences and Consultant Urologist at UCLH.



"This is truly a huge leap forward for prostate cancer treatment, which has previously lagged decades behind other solid cancers such as breast cancer. In 1975 almost everyone with breast cancer was given a radical mastectomy, but since then treatments have steady improved and we now rarely need to remove the whole breast.



"In prostate cancer we are still commonly removing or irradiating the whole prostate, so the success of this new tissue-preserving treatment is welcome news indeed."



Today, men with low-risk prostate cancer are put under "active surveillance" where the disease is monitored and only treated when it becomes more severe.



Radical therapy, which involves surgically removing or irradiating the whole prostate, has significant long-term side effects, and is only used to treat high-risk cancers.



Radical therapy causes lifelong erectile problems and around one in five patients also suffer from incontinence.



By contrast, VTP only caused short-term urinary and erectile problems, which resolved within three months. No significant side-effects remained after two years.



In the trial, only 6% of patients treated with VTP needed radical therapy compared with 30% of patients in the control arm who were under active surveillance.



The chances of cancer progressing to a more dangerous stage were three times lower for patients on VTP, and the treatment doubled the average time to progression from 14 months to 28 months.



The trial involved 47 treatment sites from ten different European countries, most of which were performing VTP for the first time.



"The fact that the treatment was performed so successfully by non-specialist centers in various health systems is really remarkable," said Professor Emberton, who is supported by the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Center.



"New procedures are generally associated with a learning curve, but the lack of complications in the trial suggests that the treatment protocol is safe, efficient and relatively easy to scale up. We would also expect the treatment to be far more precise if we repeated it today, as technology has come a long way since the study began in 2011.



"We can now pinpoint prostate cancers using MRI scans and targeted biopsies, allowing a much more targeted approach to diagnosis and treatment. This means we could accurately identify men who would benefit from VTP and deliver treatment more precisely to the tumor.



"With such an approach we should be able to achieve a significantly higher remission rate than in the trial and send nearly all low-risk localized prostate cancers into remission.



"We also hope that VTP will be effective against other types of cancer -- the treatment was developed for prostate cancer because of the urgent need for new therapies, but it should be translatable to other solid cancers including breast and liver cancer."



The VTP treatment is currently being reviewed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), so it is likely to be a number of years before it can be offered to patients more widely.


NY Cocoa Prices Lower on Dollar Strength Barchart - 29 minutes ago December ICE NY cocoa (CCZ22 ) on Thursday closed down -7 (-0.29%), and December ICE London cocoa #7 (CAZ22 ) closed up +35 (+1.79%). Cocoa prices Thursday settled mixed, with London cocoa posting a 3-week... CCZ22 : 2,372s (-0.29%) CAH23 : 1,952s (+1.56%) DXY00 : 112.854 (+1.36%)

U.S. Exports of Ethanol Bounce Back in September Renewable Fuels Association - 30 minutes ago Report of September 2022 US ethanol/DDGS exports and imports.

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Registration is now open for the 2017 Inside Self-Storage World Expo, the industrys largest conference and tradeshow. The event will take place April 10-13 at the Paris Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas. Created for self-storage developers, investors, managers, owners and suppliers, the annual expo comprises four days of education, exhibits and networking opportunities.

Early-bird registration rates, which provide a discount of more than 25 percent on onsite prices for the shows three packages, are available until Feb. 6. Discounted room rates are available through the Paris Hotel and subject to availability. Attendees are encouraged to make reservations early.

The 2017 event will include seven education tracks, seven workshops, several networking events, and two days of product and service exhibits. The concurrent education program includes 45 seminars covering industry construction, development, finance, investing, management, marketing, ownership, risk management, sales, staffing and more. It will also feature an International Program focusing on self-storage across the globe. The full-day agenda will include seminars, panel discussions and roundtables on investing and operating in emerging industry markets.

Attendees can also choose from several immersive workshops, including an all new Sales-Skills Workshop that focuses on converting leads and generating revenue. Annual favorites include the Development Workshop, two Legal Workshops, Management Workshop, Marketing Workshop and Owner/Operator Executive Workshop. Participants can purchase workshops individually or be eligible to attend all of them by purchasing the All-Access Pass Package.

Scheduled networking opportunities include the new-attendee welcome and orientation, Self-Storage Q&A, an evening cocktail reception, roundtable discussions, Self-Storage Legal Q&A, and the Buyers & Sellers Meeting. These events are included with all registrations.

The exhibit hall will feature nearly 200 suppliers representing all segments of the industry. The expo floor will be open 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on April 11 and 1 to 5 p.m. on April 12.

For more than 25 years, ISS has provided informational resources for the self-storage industry. In addition to the ISS World Expo, its educational offerings include ISS magazine, an extensive website, the ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industrys largest online community.
The Department of Labor has ruled that large cities and counties in the U.S. may offer private-sector auto enrollment retirement programs.

Employees in New York City without access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan just moved one step closer to getting one. Ditto those in Seattle and Philadelphia.

Thats because the U.S. Department of Labors Employee Benefits Security Administration yesterday published a so-called safe harbor rule that will permit large cities and other political subdivisions, such as counties, to create their own payroll deduction savings plans if their state does not offer one.

The rule follows a similar one, released in August, that allowed states to establish retirement plans that would avoid compliance with Erisa, the pension regulation passed in 1974. States including Connecticut, California, Illinois and Maryland have established statewide payroll deduction plans in recent years. Based on the new DOL rule, a city-based retirement plan would not be permitted in those states.

The ruling paves the way for cities that have already begun devising such plans to put them into action. One is New York City, where three out of five full-time workers have no workplace retirement plan. To address that problem, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer established a retirement security study group, composed of pension experts and academics, 19 months ago to design a retirement program. The group  chaired by Scott Evans, deputy comptroller for asset management and CIO of New York Citys pension fund  announced the NYC Nest Egg Plan in October. This plan has three prongs that include the choice of either a 401(k) marketplace (the option selected by the states of New Jersey and Washington); a multiple employer plan in which a group of small, unrelated employers join together to start up a retirement plan; and a Roth IRA for private-sector employers who do not select either of the other two options.

Aside from the constraint that cities or counties can only sponsor plans where there is no established statewide option, the DOL also specified that to be eligible, political subdivision populations must be larger than those of the smallest state, which is Wyoming at fewer than 600,000 citizens. That leaves Seattle and Philadelphia  cities that have both expressed interest in creating their own retirement plans with payroll deduction and auto enrollment  free to proceed.

Seattle officials had been concerned that the city might not qualify because the State of Washington has enacted a retirement plan marketplace. But the DOL ruled that the marketplace is not a retirement plan, so Seattle is eligible to design its own plan.
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Inflation remains the primary concern for the worlds central banks, which have engaged in the broadest and fastest tightening regime in history, according to Alejandra Grindal, chief economist at Ned Davis Research.
Investigators suspect the driver of a truck that plowed into a crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 48, did so intentionally in a terrorist attack, police said on Tuesday.

The truck crashed into people gathered on Monday evening around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church  left as a ruin after World War Two  in the heart of former West Berlin.

Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market, police said on Twitter.

All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence.

It evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-to truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State.

Bild newspaper cited security sources as saying the suspect in the Berlin incident was a 23-year-old from Pakistan named Naved B. who arrived in Germany a year ago. In legal cases German officials routinely issue an initial for the surname rather than the full name.

On Tuesday morning the black truck was still visible at the site of the incident and a few candles and roses had been laid by the entrance to a nearby station. Flowers were being laid in the center of the nearby Kurfuerstendamm, a prestigious shopping street. One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had previously said there were indications that the incident was an attack.

Police said a Polish man was found dead in the truck but added he was not in control of the vehicle. The nationality of the suspected driver, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was unclear, they said.

Justice Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter that the federal prosecutor had launched preliminary proceedings into the incident.

Raid on Refugee Center

Local broadcaster rbb cited security sources as saying the arrested truck driver came to Germany via Passau, a city on the Austrian border, on Dec. 31, 2015. It cited the sources as saying the man was born on Jan. 1, 1993 in Pakistan and was already known to police for minor offenses.

German newspaper Die Welt said police special forces stormed a hangar at Berlins defunct Tempelhof airport housing a refugee accommodation center at around 4 a.m. (0300 GMT). It said, without citing its sources, that the arrested man was registered there.

A refugee there who gave his name only as Ahmed told Reuters security guards had told him there was a raid at around 4 a.m.

Prosecutors declined to immediately comment on the report.

If a migrant link is confirmed, it could further sour sentiment towards asylum seekers in Germany, where more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived this year and last.

The record influx has hit Chancellor Angela Merkels popularity ratings and boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). Senior AfD member Marcus Pretzell blamed Merkel for the attack on Twitter.

Manfred Weber, head of the center-right European Peoples Party, said: Its not an attack on a country; its an attack on our way of life, on the free society in which we are allowed to live.

Stephan Mayer, a senior member of the Christian Social Union  the Bavarian sister party to Merkels Christian Democrats, told broadcaster ZDF it was necessary to ensure that there were no copycat attacks.

Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on ORF radio on Tuesday that he had told the heads of Austrias regional police forces to intensify surveillance measures, although there was no concrete evidence that an incident was about to happen.

Sobotka also called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route to better control foreign jihadist fighters movements.

Berlin police are investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland. They have taken the truck for a forensic examination.

Flags will be hung at half-mast around Germany on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Michelle Martin, Caroline Copley, Joseph Nasr, Emma Thomasson and Paul Carrel in Berlin; additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla in Vienna; editing by John Stonestreet)

****

[Editors Note: Commenting on Mondays presumed terrorist attack in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Gordon Woo, RMS terrorism expert, said: One of the key principles of terrorism risk analysis is the shifting nature of threats. As security is increased to meet one threat, terrorists follow the path of least resistance and attack in some other way. We see this now with the use of trucks as weapons. Acquiring explosive material for making bombs is difficult. It is easier to rent or steal a truck and use it as a ramming weapon. Such plots may be perpetrated by lone actors, with a minimal surveillance footprint. (RMS is the Newark, Calif.-based catastrophe modeling firm).

Terrorists also copy other successful attacks, said Woo, citing the killing of 86 people in Nice, France, on Bastille Day this year, which demonstrated that ramming a truck into crowds can be a very effective weapon.

As a result, he said, more of these types of attacks can be expected.

The physical damage from such attacks is far less than for a bomb, but they score highly in two prized terrorist objectives: causing public fear and generating publicity, he added.]

Related:

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Auto Law Enforcement
Greenlight Capital Re Ltd., the Cayman Islands-based specialist property and casualty reinsurance company, announced that Barton Hedges will be stepping down as chief executive officer on March 31, 2017. Hedges will also step down from the companys board of directors.

Leonard Goldberg, the companys former chief executive officer and current member of the board, will become interim CEO in order to ensure a smooth transition until a new CEO has been retained.

On behalf of the board, I want to thank Mr. Hedges for his contributions to GLRE over the last 11 years, said David Einhorn, chairman of the board. We would like to thank him for his efforts in implementing GLREs strategy and developing a talented, experienced team. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

I am proud of our accomplishments during my tenure with GLREs management team and as a member of the board. I wish the company and my long-time colleagues continued success, said Hedges.

We are confident that we have a strong platform to continue building upon. As we actively conduct the search for a new CEO, the team and I will continue our pursuit of a differentiated insurance and investment strategy designed to maximize returns over the long term, said Goldberg.

A.M. Best commented that the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of a- of the company and its subsidiaries are unaffected by the announcement of the March 2017 departure of Hedges.

Source: Greenlight Capital Re and A.M. Best

Topics Trends
The Illinois Department of Insurance has posted in the Illinois Register a second notice of the approval by the Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (IJCAR) of rules concerning size limits on large deductibles for workers compensation insurance policies.

The IJCAR approved the rules on Dec. 13, but as of Dec. 19 they have not yet been adopted. The rules respond to Public Act 099-0369, which was signed by Gov. Rauner in August 2015.

The rules apply to workers compensation insurers, with an A.M. Best Company rating below A- and less than $200,000,000 in surplus.

The Act requires insurers to limit the size of the policyholders obligations under a large deductible agreement to no greater than 20 percent of the policyholders total net worth and requires full collateralization of those outstanding obligations by surety bond, letter of credit or cash/securities held in trust.

Each nonexempt insurer writing workers compensation policies that are subject to a large deductible agreement and cover employees located in Illinois must require the policyholder to provide an audited financial statement during the underwriting process.

The per occurrence deductible amount under the large deductible agreement cannot exceed 20 percent of the policyholders net worth as determined by the audited financial statement. The aggregate limit of the policyholder under the large deductible agreement cannot exceed the net worth of the policyholder as determined by the audited financial statement.

A new audited financial statement is required for each successive policy year and shall apply to determine the per occurrence cap and aggregate limits of the renewal policy.

The proposed rules have no legal effect until they are adopted by IDOI and filed with the Secretary of States Office.

An insurer with no A.M. Best rating is considered to be the same as one with a rating below A-.

Source: IDOI

Topics Workers' Compensation Illinois
A long-time insurance agency owner and community leader in the Chicago area was shot while driving home in the early morning hours of Dec. 1.

Ronald L. Allen, founder and past president of the A. Allen Insurance Agency Ltd. in Chicago, had been playing cards with friends and was on his way to his home in Naperville when he was killed, the Chicago Tribune reported. Homicide Watch Chicago, a publication of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that police dont know whether Allen had been targeted.

Allen was a former chairman of the National African-American Insurance Association, which awarded him the NAAIA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. The NAAIA announced that a wake and funeral were held for Allen on Dec. 17.

He was a graduate of Chicago State University and formerly taught business education with the Chicago Public Schools, according to his Linked in page. Allen joined Allstate Insurance Co. in 1967 as a claims adjuster and was one of that companys first African American agents. He maintained an affiliation with Allstate for more than 40 years.

Allen at one time co-hosted The Financial Forum radio show on Chicagos WVON 1690 AM. He also wrote a book, The Evolution of Bid Whist, about the card game he loved to play.

He served on the Allstate Foundation Regional Grant Committee, the Demicco Youth Center Board of Directors, and the DuPage County Crimestoppers Board of Directors, the Chicago State University Alumni Board, and the DuPage County Adult Probation Department Volunteers. Allen was also a Silver Lifetime member of the NAACP. Allen was awarded the 2009 50 Men of Excellence Award by the Chicago Defender Newspaper. The Claims and Litigation Management Alliance accepted Allen as a Fellow in 2011.

The Allen family, in conjunction with DuPage AME Church in Lisle, Ill., has established a scholarship in Ron Allens name.

Topics Personal Auto
The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that an injured worker may not receive permanent partial disability compensation when that worker is receiving permanent total disability payments for the same claim.

The Dec. 8 ruling came in State ex rel. Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Servs., Inc. v. Indus. Comm., a case brought on appeal from the Court of Appeals for Franklin County.

Sherry L. Redwine was injured at her job with Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services Inc. (OPRS) in August 2003 and subsequently sought permanent total disability compensation for her injuries. Her claim allowed compensation for both psychological and physical injuries.

According to the Ohio Supreme Courts slip opinion, the Ohio Industrial Commission found that Redwine was unable to perform any sustained remunerative employment due solely to the medical impairment caused by the allowed psychological condition in her claim and awarded her [permanent total disability] benefits beginning July 12, 2010, to continue until her death.

In August 2013, Redwine applied for permanent partial disability compensation based on her physical injuries that resulted from the same incident. Redwine conceded that she was not entitled to PPD for her psychological injuries because she was receiving PTD compensation for that condition, but asserted that she was entitled to PPD based on the physical injuries allowed in her claim.

Her application for PPD was initially denied by an Ohio Industrial Commission hearing officer based on the lack of statutory authority for concurrent awards and because both conditions stemmed from the same claim.

However, upon reconsideration, a staff hearing officer concluded that a claimant is not barred from concurrent compensation for permanent partial disability if it is based on conditions that were not the basis for the prior finding of permanent total disability in the same claim.

To reach that conclusion, the hearing officer relied in part on the commissions analysis of the same issue in claim No. 02-354357 involving a different injured worker.

Redwines employer, OPRS, appealed the hearing officers reconsidered finding for Redwine, on the basis that there was no statutory authority for the commissions decision. The appeals court, however, upheld the commissions decision to allow PPD based on Redwines physical injuries.

The majority on the Ohio Supreme Court came to a different conclusion, finding there is no authority for the commission to award an injured worker permanent-partial-disability compensation  when there has been a prior award of permanent-total-disability compensation  in the same claim.

The Court recognized that in certain limited instances, the General Assembly has provided for payment of concurrent awards. However, the Court pointed out that the relevant statute does not contain a reference to concurrent benefit payments and concluded there was a legislative intent to prohibit them.

The decision of the court of appeals was reversed.

Not all justices agreed with the majoritys finding. In a dissenting opinion, Justice J. Pfeifer wrote that the Court had sanctioned payment of concurrent permanent-partial-disability and permanent-total-disability benefits for various injured claimants in the past. While the statutory scheme  does not specifically allow concurrent benefits, Pfeifer said that doesnt mean concurrent benefits are prohibited.

Justice J. ONeill joined Pfeifer in the dissenting opinion.

Topics Workers' Compensation Ohio
Climate scientists worried that President-elect Donald Trump will slash their budgets and sideline their research are entering survival mode, trimming the words climate change from study proposals, emphasizing business applications of their work, and safeguarding data that shows global warming is real.

The early reactions, gathered by Reuters in more than a dozen interviews, may foretell a broader shift in the U.S. climate science community, which had enjoyed solid political and financial support under President Barack Obama but could be isolated under a new administration skeptical of climate change and committed to expanding oil drilling and coal mining.

I think it is maybe really necessary to refocus what you are doing and how you are labeling it, said Andreas Prein, a scientist at the federally funded National Center for Atmospheric Research, who previously had changed the term climate change in a project for the oil industry and expects such linguistic twists to proliferate.

Trump has questioned whether climate change exists and has raised the possibility of withdrawing U.S. support for a global accord to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which an overwhelming majority of scientists believe is driving sea level rise, droughts and more frequent violent storms.

Trump is also preparing to nominate cabinet members with close oil industry ties, including Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and former Texas Governor Rick Perry as energy secretary.

A member of the transition team further raised concerns among scientists this month by sending a questionnaire to the Department of Energy seeking the names of researchers there who worked on climate change issues, a move Trumps team later disavowed.

Federal funding for climate change research, technology and international assistance hit $11.6 billion in 2014, from $2.4 billion in 1993, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. While Trump has not explicitly said he would cut such funding, one of his advisers told The Guardian newspaper last month that climate research at NASA would be eliminated.

A Trump transition team official did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

DATAREFUGE

Prein at National Center for Atmospheric Research said he had replaced the politically charged term climate change with global change in a project he submitted for the oil industry.

He said that regardless of how it is labeled, interest in climate research would likely endure given the importance of extreme weather forecasting to a broad array of industries, like insurance and energy. However, he was concerned the longer-term work crucial to understanding the scope of global warming could lose critical support.

Climate scientist Ben Sanderson, also at NCAR, told Reuters he is applying to renew funding for assessing uncertainty in climate change. Now the proposal would have to be defensible without referring to climate change explicitly, so to talk about weather risks in general, he said.

Tracey Holloway, an air quality scientist at the University of Wisconsin, said she believed simple word changes sometimes could help scientists avoid trouble. Using the term weather instead of climate change, for example, could work for studies that deal with a short-term time scale, she said.

But Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist who writes for online magazine Slate, has taken efforts to protect scientists and their work a step further.

He spearhead an effort, with the support of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Toronto, to let scientists move their data onto publicly available non-government servers. The project, called DataRefuge, is intended to eliminate the chances of political interference with the data, he said.

The signals from the Trump transition team on climate change have also put members of Obamas outgoing administration on edge. Current Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told scientists at a conference in San Francisco this week they must confront climate change deniers and speak up if Trump tries to sideline them.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest later said in a press briefing he believed the concerns of the scientific community about Trump were legitimate.

If the incoming administration determines that they want to base their policy on something other than science, it looks like theyre going to get at least four years to try that out and well have an opportunity to see how it works, he said.

Other scientists were dealing with the stress of a new administration using humor. University of South Florida glaciologist Jason Gulley said his team had a list of joke projects for science under Trump. How could we weaponize glaciers? he asked, and what is the best real estate currently hidden under Greenland ice sheets.

(Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici in Washington and Irene Klotz in San Francisco; editing by Richard Valdmanis and Phil Berlowitz)

Topics USA Energy Oil Gas Climate Change Politics
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017, Galaxy J3 Emerge to be available in U.S. through carriers

The Galaxy J3 is an android smartphone released by Samsung in 2016. (Photo : YouTube/CanerS Tech)

Samsung's Galaxy J3 Android smartphone is coming to the United States through three big carriers. The device will be the 2017 version instead of the current 2016 model that is available worldwide.



Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile will be making the Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 model available starting on January 6 whole Sprint will be selling it as the Galaxy J3 Emerge, Venture Beat reported. Sprint's model name does sound better compared to just calling the South Korean tech giant's new phone the J3 2017 to prevent confusion among its users.



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The Galaxy J3 Emerge or the Galaxy 2017 has a 5-inch screen with a pixel resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. It is not intended to be a high-end smartphone considering that Samsung already has the Galaxy S7 Edge flagship.



Samsung's J3 still packs quite the punch for the average user with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC and octa-core processor. It also has a generous 2GB RAM but a rather small 16GB internal storage capacity. In comparison, the J3 2016 version only had 1.5GB RAM and 8GB for the on-board storage.



The smartphone also has a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front snapper which is not the best out there but it can still be a good selfie taker. It is powered by a 2600mAh battery which can easily last a whole day on average use.



While Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile will be selling the Galaxy J3 Emerge, there is no word yet on pricing. It is also unknown whether other carriers in the United States will be carrying the Samsung Galaxy J3 2017, Android Authority reported. Interested customers can always go to eBay or Amazon to buy the smartphone from overseas with shipping fees.



Samsung's Galaxy J3 2017 or the Galaxy J3 Emerge will be available soon. Users should be able to buy it through monthly plans from the aforementioned mobile carriers.



Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 in the video below:






The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Credit Suisse to pay between $5 billion and $7 billion to settle a probe over its sale of toxic mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, a source with knowledge of the matter said, but the bank has resisted settling for that amount.

The size of the suggested settlement indicates that the cost to the bank may be higher than analysts had expected and explains why Credit Suisse management, according to a second source, has been seeking a smaller penalty.

Credit Suisse is confident of reaching a better solution, said the second person. Should talks break down, U.S. legal authorities could sue the bank, prolonging the uncertainty.

In a sign that negotiations may be reaching their final stages, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch last week met with Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, another person familiar with the matter said.

A potential resolution could come as early as this week.

The sources did not want to be identified because the negotiations are not public.

Credit Suisse and the Department of Justice declined to comment.

The penalty stems from a 2012 initiative launched by U.S. President Barack Obama to hold banks accountable for selling mortgage debt while misleading investors about the risks, a practice that helped cause the worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

The penalties, which for U.S. banks reached $46 billion, are set to deliver another setback to European lenders, many of which remain fragile, with scant capital, in the wake of the financial crash.

After record settlements were reached with U.S. banks such as Bank of America and JPMorgan, the focus has turned to Europes Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Credit Suisse, Barclays, UBS and HSBC.

News in September that the Justice Department made an initial demand of Deutsche of $14 billion to settle its case sent the German lenders stock plummeting and raised fears Credit Suisse could also face a stiffer penalty.

Just prior to Deutsche confirming that the Department of Justice was seeking $14 billion, JP Morgan analysts estimated Credit Suisses fine at around $2 billion.

Deutsche Bank could this week agree its penalty over the sale of toxic mortgage debt, one person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. The bank has said it expects to pay materially less than $14 billion.

Credit Suisses litigation provisions at the end of 2015 totalled 1.605 billion Swiss francs ($1.56 billion). In November, the bank said it had upped litigation provisions by 357 million francs, mainly in connection with mortgage-related matters.

In addition to the Justice Department probe, Credit Suisse is defending itself against lawsuits by the New York and New Jersey attorneys general over similar claims involving billions of dollars of investor losses.

If Credit Suisse reaches a settlement with federal authorities, it will likely settle with the states as well.

A New York attorney general spokeswoman declined to comment, and New Jersey did not immediately return a call for comment.

President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, which means key government players involved in the negotiations would change, complicating the banks efforts to reach settlements.

($1 = 1.0277 Swiss francs) (Editing by John ODonnell, Carmel Crimmins and James Dalgleish)

Related:

Topics USA
The percentage of companies that dont participate in the Texas workers compensation system has fallen to the lowest level since 1993, the agency that regulates this line of insurance in the state has reported.

In its Biennial Report to the 85th Legislature, issued this month, the Texas Division of Workers Compensation noted that the percentage of private, year-round employers that were nonsubscribers to the workers compensation system decreased significantly, from 33 percent in 2014 to 22 percent in 2016.

The DWC estimates that 82,260 Texas employers were non-subscribers in 2016.

Texas is the only state in which any private employer may choose not to participate in, or non-subscribe to, the workers compensation system without being penalized. Oklahomas Option, in which certain employers were allowed to develop their own plans for compensating injured employees under federal ERISA rules, was ruled a special law, and therefore unconstitutional, by that states supreme court earlier this year. Some states do allow exemptions for certain small employers in specific industries, the DWC noted.

Texas companies that choose to non-subscribe may be subject to negligence lawsuits brought by injured employees.

The DWC attributes the decline in Texas non-subscription participants in part to the fact that workers compensation insurance rates have dropped significantly in each of the last two consecutive years.

While theres been more than a 10 percent decline in employers choosing to non-subscribe, the actual number of employees who work for non-subscribing companies decreased by only 2 percent from 2014 to 2016, the DWC reported. The agency attributes this difference in percentages to the fact that many smaller employers entered or re-entered the workers comp system 2016.

Although the majority of nonsubscribing employers are small employers, about one out of every five large employers in Texas (employers with 500+ employees) does not participate in the workers compensation system primarily because they believe they can more effectively manage costs and ensure that their employees receive appropriate benefits as nonsubscribers, the report states.

The two-year reduction in non-subscriber rates encompassed all employer sizes, and with the exception of mining/utilities/construction most Texas industry sectors saw a reduction in non-subscription rates.

About 23 percent of employers choosing not to participate in the workers comp system in 2016 provided an alternative occupational benefit plan for their employees in case of a work-related injury, the report states. The DWC noted that these nonsubscriber benefit plans are not regulated by DWC and the benefits offered in these plans vary by employer.

The DWC estimates that some 414,000, or about 4 percent, of private-sector employees in Texas were not covered for a work-related injury in 2016. That compares with around 470,000 employees, or an estimated 5 percent, without such coverage in 2014.

Non-subscribers to the Texas workers comp system are required to report their status annually to the DWC. Companies that fail to comply to the reporting requirements may be subject to enforcement actions and penalties of up to $25,000 per day per occurrence.

The DWC acknowledges, however, that without complaints from system participants, identifying those who do not comply with reporting requirements is a challenge. The agency said it has had some success with increased education and enforcement efforts in recent years, to the extent that nearly half of the penalties levied against nonsubscribers [since 2009] were assessed in the last four years.

Nonsubscriber reporting compliance remains low, despite a grace period allowed in 2016 for non-subscriber reporting. Required filings by non-subscribers of employee work-related injuries also remain low, the DWC said.

Related:

Topics Texas Workers' Compensation
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has created a new state council to address what the governor called a growing crisis of opioid misuse and addiction.

The governor made the announcement at a Dec. 15 news conference at the Alabama Capitol. The council will suggest ways to reduce opioid-related deaths.

Alabama leads the nation for the rate of prescription opioid use, with 5.8 million opioid prescriptions written in 2015. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that Alabama had 5,128 deaths from overdoses from 2006 through 2014.

This is unacceptable, Bentley said. Through the Alabama Council on Opioid Misuse and Addiction, we will continue to build on our existing efforts to combat opioid abuse in our state and will return with new innovative ideas to put an end to this deadly epidemic.

Bentley, a dermatologist who maintains his medical license, said education is required for both doctors and consumers about the hazards of opioid use and potential treatment alternatives.

However, the governor said many people do not get their pills from a prescription.

The new council will hold its first meeting within the next six weeks.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Alabama
The Academy of Art University in San Francisco has agreed to a $60 million settlement with the city aimed at bringing the schools many illegally converted buildings into compliance with local rules.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the deal ends a city battle with one of the nations largest for-profit art schools. The institution is also one of San Franciscos biggest landlords.

The city sued the academy in May, claiming at least 33 of the schools 40 buildings throughout the city were out of compliance with zoning codes, signage laws or historic preservation rules.

Additionally, City Attorney Dennis Herrera claimed the school had taken 160 units of affordable housing off the market and converted them to student housing.

Academy of Art President Elisa Stephens says the academy is very pleased to reach the agreement.

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(Bloomberg) -- There was, in hindsight, a clear element of risk to Tesla Motors Inc.s decision to install Autopilot hardware in every car coming off the production line since October 2014. It paid a price, with federal regulators probing the deadly crash of a Model S while in driver-assist mode and critics slamming Tesla for rolling the technology out too soon.

But there was also a reward. The company has collected more than 1.3 billion miles of data from Autopilot-equipped vehicles operating under diverse road and weather conditions around the world. And in the frantic race to roll out the first fully functional autonomous vehicle, that kind of mass, real-world intelligence can be invaluable. In that way, for now, the electric-car maker has a leg up on competitors including Google, General Motors Co. and Uber Technologies Inc.

Theres no question that Tesla has an advantage, said Nindhi Kalra, a senior information scientist at the Rand Corporation. They can learn from a wider range of experiences and at a much faster rate than a company that is testing with trained drivers and employees behind the wheel.

The big promise of autonomous motoring is that itll save lives, and a Rand report in April that Kalra co-authored warned that cars would have to be driven hundreds of millions of miles and sometimes hundreds of billions of miles to demonstrate their safety. Data is king; the more you have, the faster the algorithms will learn.

Most car companies and tech companies dont want to give away how far along they are.

Of course, not all miles are created equal: there are semi-autonomous as well as fully self-driving ones, real-world vs. simulated, highway vs. those racked up in tricky urban environments. Still, Tesla is in a very unique position to push the state of the art of algorithmic driving and machine learning in personal transport, said Adam Jonas, the lead analyst at Morgan Stanley for autos and shared mobility, in a recent note to clients.

The autonomous autos Google developed have covered 2 million real-world mileswith employees on boardsince 2009, according to the company. Parent Alphabet Inc. last week spun the self-driving project into a business called Waymo.

Uber, which has been piloting self-driving rideshare vehicles in Pittsburgh, recently deployed a fleet in San Francisco in its partnership with Volvo Cars. Each SUV is staffed with two employees, one ready to grab the wheel and the other on the lookout for pedestrians. (Uber made the move without approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and state prosecutors have threatened to seek a court order to force the company to stop. An Uber executive said its acting just like Tesla.)

As for GM, itll be putting its flotilla on the streets in Michigan, now that Governor Rick Snyder has signed a law allowing public-road testing of cars without steering wheels, gas or brake pedalsor any need for human control. But GM engineers will be in the front seats, as they are in test-trips that have been taking place in Arizona and California. Ford Motor Co. has been doing its controlled runs on Michigan roads since 2015, including when its snowing.

In a Tesla car, when Autopilot is turned on, its able to do things like change lanes and parallel-park itself. Tesla stresses to owners that theyre in chargeand must always have hands on the wheelbut the company is effectively trying out evolving technology with people who may not fully comprehend theyre expected to maintain control or who may ignore Teslas instructions.

The fatal accident occurred in May when a man drove his 2015 Model S under the trailer of an 18-wheeler on a Florida highway. Neither the driver nor Autopilot noticed the white side of the tractor-trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake wasnt applied, according to the company. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating.

The 1.3 billion miles of data Tesla said it has collected represents those covered by its vehicles even when Autopilot isnt switched onit operates in shadow mode, with sensors tracking real-world data when its off. In May, a Tesla executive said at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology conference that the cars had driven 100 million miles with Autopilot actively engaged. In October, Musk said on Twitter that the number of cumulative Autopilot-on miles was 222 million.

Whether they are ahead or not, Tesla certainly has tons of data, said Richard Wallace, director of transportation systems analysis at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They will be able to analyze that six ways from Sunday and continue to tweak their algorithms.

Musk said in October that the upcoming Model 3, due out in late 2017, as well as all Teslas now being made at the companys Fremont, California, factory, will ship with an improved hardware suite that will enable total self-driving. While hes said he wants to demonstrate an autonomous cross-country drive within a year, other automakers have generally ruled out total self-driving capability until sometime after 2020.

Most car companies and tech companies dont want to give away how far along they are. Elon, of course, is the exceptionhes always out there claiming how far ahead of everyone else he is, said Karl Brauer, executive publisher for Kelley Blue Book. As companies boost their intelligence gathering, the level of data that will be generated is on a scale that is hard for us to conceive. This is the tip of the iceberg.
Brexit Jungle: Businesses are looking for the light with some working through the uncertainty and taking action

Through conversations with businesses in the UK, Europe, and indeed worldwide, KPMG is very much aware that Brexit is on everyone's mind.

To further gauge opinion, earlier this autumn, KPMG UK and International Tax Review conducted a survey to assess the opinion of businesses in the initial aftermath of the UK's decision to leave the EU. We asked respondents to comment on their organisation's response to Brexit, both for the broader business and in respect of the potential tax implications.

The headlines

Even at this early stage, a number of themes are emerging:

Brexit has thrown businesses, wherever they may be located and regardless of the sector, into an environment of uncertainty. There is evidence that for some this uncertainty has led to a tendency to do nothing  41% of businesses are waiting for further clarity before assessing the broader business impact of Brexit, even at a high level;

There are indications that some businesses are working through the uncertainty and taking action, in particular in the financial services sector and those organisations that are headquartered outside both the UK and EU. The challenge for these businesses is what course of action to take when details of the overall Brexit plan are sparse  will this lead to the emergence of the "pick your own" Brexit model?

At the time of the survey, only a limited number of organisations had appointed Brexit-specific strategic leadership, although over half of respondents considered that Brexit specialists had an important role to play in their organisation;

When we examined the tax impact of Brexit it was clear that the organisations were generally more advanced in their thinking: three quarters of respondents had undertaken some form of assessment, with indirect taxes (customs duties and VAT) topping the list of areas of concern; and

It is clear that while Brexit (and more recently, the result of the US presidential elections) may have come as a surprise, businesses are changing their strategic outlook to anticipate the unexpected  whatever that may be.

The effect on businesses

Before we look at tax specifically, the wider impact of Brexit on the business sector must be considered.

The implications of Brexit will affect all businesses in some way, and for the majority, we expect this impact to be broad and to challenge many aspects of their existing organisational and operational structures.

Survey respondents agreed: almost half reported that their business had started to assess the impact of Brexit, with a further 12% having looked at it in detail.

Two thirds of respondents considered that Brexit would require changes to their organisation's structure, and of these, 14% considered that the changes required would be major.

If Brexit took many British and European organisations by surprise, the recent US presidential election has arguably surpassed that. For many, these two events have been a learning experience in anticipating the unexpected

Although the geographical and sector spread of the responses to this question was fairly balanced, it is notable that over half of those considering that major change would be necessary were from the financial services or asset management sectors. This reflects our experience of these sectors being ahead of the pack in considering the impact of Brexit on their operations.

In order to deal with the realities of the impact of Brexit on an organisation's day-to-day management and its strategic direction, we expect to see the emergence of the "Brexit task force": 56% of respondents considered that it would be important for their organisation to have a specialised Brexit team to help with the challenges ahead.

Finally, it is perhaps only right to consider whether Brexit brings opportunity as well as challenge, and so we asked respondents whether they felt that in the medium to long term Brexit would benefit their business: 29% agreed with this view. One interpretation is that this is an encouraging number, but let us not forget that it is substantially lower than the 52% who voted for Brexit in the Referendum. It is our view that if we were to unpack the responses to this seemingly straight-forward question, we would uncover a much more complex picture. In essence, these questions asked people to unbundle their corporate attitude to risk, opportunity and strategic thinking from their innate emotional response. For some subject matters this is relatively easy to achieve, but Brexit is a topic that has been so divisive and so emotionally charged that we suspect that for many, it may be some time before truly objective strategic thinking is able to emerge.

Through the tax lens: the rise of the indirect tax specialism

Turning to tax, it is again unsurprising to hear that businesses were concerned about the impact of Brexit across all aspects of the tax function  from corporate taxes, to employment taxes, to indirect taxes. Overall, 41% of respondents considered that Brexit would result in their organisation paying more tax.

However, consistent with both KPMG's experiences of talking to clients and anecdotal evidence, it is in indirect tax that we are seeing businesses focusing their attention and resources: by far the greatest proportion of respondents specifically identified customs duties and supply chain (24%) and VAT (18%) as being areas they are working on.

Also high up the agenda is the impact of Brexit on employees. Over two thirds of respondents worked for an organisation with a strong dependence on an internationally mobile workforce. This again ties with our experience that this is a policy area that is being closely monitored by businesses as Brexit discussions play out. However, it does seem that for our respondents at least, there is confidence that an appropriate deal will be reached to protect the ongoing mobility of staff, with 80% of respondents concluding that they did not expect their business to suffer an increase in employee turnover as a result of Brexit.

However, we are beginning to see a divergence in the concerns of businesses when it comes to people matters. There will be some sectors, such as agriculture and hospitality, which rely on a high number of employees but with lower levels of skills. For them, immigration policy and the availability of visas for medium to long term time periods will be important. However, for those sectors that rely on a more specialised and highly skilled employee base, the focus is likely to be on what sector-specific quotas or carve-outs may be available, and the continued ease and flexibility of international business travel.

With many tax functions being historically rooted in a corporate tax specialism, Brexit brings the need for many to expand and enhance their skills base. Only 20% of respondents considered that their organisation would have the necessary resource and experience for coping with the impact of Brexit  and the most common areas where assistance is expected to be sought are customs and supply chains, as well as regulatory matters. We expect that over the next couple of years, the composition and skills base of the average tax function of a multinational company (and indeed, tax authorities) will change quite significantly, and we expect to see much more breadth of knowledge, as well as a much clearer understanding of some of the historically "niche" areas, such as customs duties.

The bigger picture: expect the unexpected

Based on the results of this survey and our insights from many discussions with clients, what do we see as the bigger picture takeaway?

Firstly, watch out for geopolitical risk taking a much more prominent position in the strategic plans of companies. If Brexit took many British and European organisations by surprise, the recent US presidential election has arguably surpassed that. For many, these two events have been a learning experience in anticipating the unexpected. It is clear that nothing is impossible, both when it comes to the clearly signposted political events in the calendar (for example, the various European elections of 2017) and those which are just bubbling away (for example, a possible second Scottish Referendum and the broader rise of nationalist sentiment). There are then wider global indicators which may feed into and influence these, such as the performance of the global economy and the pace of technological change. No company, whether domestic or international, can afford to sit back and assume the status quo.

Secondly, as the Brexit model becomes clearer, we expect to see the formation of new tribes and alliances  and not necessarily along the sector lines that you might expect. For example, we are already seeing a number of similarities between the financial services and life sciences sectors as both grapple with the impact of Brexit on their regulatory frameworks. One theme may be the physical dependence of an organisation on the UK  some sectors have no option but to stay put (e.g. infrastructure), whereas others will be much more mobile (e.g. technology). A large group will sit in the middle  arguably not tied to the UK, but so well established that they will not be able to make a sudden change to their structure or a bold gesture as a negotiating tactic.

Over the coming months, there will various survey and opinion polls, insight columns and thought leadership pieces. There will undoubtedly be events on the horizon that will further challenge the stability of the business and broader world. However, we will start to see further patterns and correlations emerging, which will help us all to make sense of the changing environment, and over time adapt to the new political, economic and indeed tax landscape.
When a company first lists its stock through an initial public offering (IPO), an investment bank evaluates the company's current and projected performance and health to determine the value of the IPO for the business.

The bank can do this by comparing the company with the IPO of another similar company or by calculating the net present value of the firm. This valuation is often the most important determining factor in deciding the initial share price when larger companies, particularly known private companies, go public.

The company and the investment bank meet with investors through a series of roadshows to help determine the best IPO price. Finally, after the valuation and roadshows, the firm must meet with the exchange on which it will be listed, and they determine if the IPO price is fair.

Key Takeaways Share prices are set based on a variety of factors, including a company's projected performance and its present value.

For larger well-known private companies that make an IPO, the valuation is the most important factor.  

 Market news, rules of supply and demand, and herd instinct can also affect initial share prices.

Understanding How Share Prices Are Set

Supply and Demand

Once trading starts, share prices are largely determined by the forces of supply and demand. A company that demonstrates long-term earnings potential may attract more buyers, thereby enjoying an increase in share prices.

A company with a poor outlook, on the other hand, may attract more sellers than buyers, which can result in lower prices. In general, prices rise during periods of increased demand, when there are more buyers than sellers. Prices fall during periods of increased supply, when there are more sellers than buyers.

A continuous rise in price is known as an uptrend, and a continuous drop in prices is called a downtrend. Sustained uptrends form a bull market and sustained downtrends are called bear markets.

Market News

Other factors can affect prices and cause sudden or temporary changes in price. Some examples include earnings reports, political events, material company events, and economic news.

Not all types of news or economic reports affect all securities. For example, the stocks of companies engaged in the gas and oil industry may react to the weekly petroleum status report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA report), but they may not react as strongly to a weak monthly jobs report.

Herd Instinct

Stock prices can also be driven by what is known as herd instinct, which is the tendency for people to mimic the actions of a larger group. For example, as more and more people buy a stock, pushing the price higher and higher, other people will jump on board, assuming that all the other investors must be correct (or that they know something not everyone else knows).

In a herd mentality situation, there may be no fundamental or technical support for the price increase, yet investors continue to buy because others are doing so and they are afraid of missing out. This is one of many phenomena studied under the umbrella of behavioral finance.
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Vancouver, Kelowna, Delta, BC - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering luxury goods and cruise ship stocks releases a special report featuring Maison Luxe, Inc. (OTC: MASN), a company that offers luxury retail consumer items.

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Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication

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Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer

NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents.

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Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures $3.8M Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA from Italy

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Kit Harington attends 'Testament Of Youth' New York premiere at Chelsea Bow Tie Cinemas on June 2, 2015 in New York City. (Photo : Getty Images/Rob Kim)

Exciting things are in store in HBO's "Game of Thrones" Season 7. In the upcoming season, fans can expect to witness an epic battle between Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and a horde of White Walkers.



Recently, fans took to Watchers on the Wall forum to share their respective predictions on what could happen in "Game of Thrones" Season 7. It is said that Jon Snow will bring a wight in the Westeros to prove his claims about the White Walkers and the imminent threat they pose to the mankind.



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It even intensified when it was learned that a giant set, featuring an enormous green screen and an artificially frozen lake, have been built at Wolf Hill Quarry in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The on-set photos, which was widely circulated on Twitter, have fueled earlier speculation that Jon Snow will lead Tormund (Kristofer Hivju), Gendry (Joe Dempsie), Jorah (Iain Glen), The Hound (Rory McCann), Thoros of Myr (Paul Kaye) and Beric Dondarrion (Richard Dormer) on an expedition to capture the said wight.



Exclusive Photos of Game of Thrones Icy New Set at Wolf Hill Quarry -https://t.co/ElfCZsd8ec #news #season7 pic.twitter.com/JTq49gRVPi

 Watchers on the Wall (@WatchersOTWall) November 13, 2016





Around 300 wights are said to be involved in the supposed looming battle. With an aim to feature a dynamic and elaborate sequence, the filming of the said scene will reportedly run for three weeks.



Meanwhile, HBO programming president Casey Bloys recently confirmed to The Wrap that early talks for a prequel are already underway. He revealed that he and creator George R.R. Martin has already discussed some potential prequel ideas.



Bloys stated the HBO fantasy series is an incredible world with such great property and that it would be insane not to at least explore the idea of some sort of a prequel. However, he clarified that HBO has yet to pinpoint an exact point of time to focus on from the vast Westeros history for a potential spin-off.



Watch the in-production teaser of "Game of Thrones" Season 7 here:






Police have detained a man who fired shots in front of the US embassy in Ankara, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the man took out a pump action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air early on Tuesday. He was overpowered by the embassy's security guards.
Yun Bong-gil (Photo : ARIRANG TV/YouTube)

Besides confirming that she would attend the 2016 KBS Drama Awards on Monday, Descendants of the Sun actress Song Hye Kyo donated 10,000 guidebooks in Korean and Chinese languages on the same day.



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Joining the 35-year-old actress in the donation is Seo Kyoung-duk, professor at Sungshin Womens University. The two donated the guidebooks to a memory hall in Shanghai, China, dedicated to Yun Bong-gil. He was an independence fighter who died on Dec. 19, 1932, Seo Kyoung-duk said, Chosun reported.



Yun Bong-gil set off a bomb in the Shanghai International Settlement which killed several Japanese dignitaries in 1932. Thirty years after the incident, he was awarded by the South Korean government the Republic of Korea Medal of Order of Merit for National Foundation.



The bomb was disguised as a water bottle which he detonated at a celebration in honor of the Emperors birthday at Hongkou Park in Shanghai. It killed General Yoshinori Shirakawa and Kawabata Sadaji, the government minister for Japanese residents in the Chinese city. Yun Bong-gil attempted to kill himself by setting of a second explosive disguised as a bento box, but because the bomb failed to detonate, he was arrested and executed by firing squad on Dec. 19, 1932.



There are information about the life of Yun Bong-gil and the memorial hall in the guidebook which is given free to visitors. Song Hye Kyo said she made the guidebook donation due to lack of guidebooks in Korean characters in many Korean historical sites overseas. The actress said she hopes the guidebooks would help draw visitors to these sites.



It is not the first collaboration between the two. They had previously donated guidebooks in Korean language to museum and libraries overseas, particularly in Chongqing, China, Los Angeles and The Hague in The Netherlands.



Incidentally, the role that Descendants of the Sun actor Song Joong-ki is playing in the movie, Battleship Island that he is shooting in Nami is Park Moo Young, a member of the North Korean Independence Group.






Think of the statements as appealing to the public gallery, whereas the legal business will be about state-aid law for the European courts.

And nothing much is going to happen too quickly.

The appeals by Ireland and Apple will trundle through the courts, while the 13bn in disputed tax stays locked up at the National Treasury Management Agency.

The positions of the combatants were entrenched when the Commissions competition supremo Margrethe Vestager last August ruled to the effect the Revenue Commissioners had cut sweetheart deals with Apple, in 1991 and in 2007.

The outcome was that by 2014 Apple was paying next to nothing  as little as 0.005%  on its European profits, according to the Commissions ruling.

Much of the information on tax deals involving Ireland and Apple was laid bare much earlier.

A US Senate sub-hearing in May 2013 was paradoxically soft on Apple CEO Tim Cook, but put Ireland in the frame as some sort of brass plate haven.

The Government was caught wrong-footed by the barrage of hostile headlines in the international press.

Even for home consumption, its endless repetition Ireland only levied a 12.5% headline rate wore thin.

Measures designed to scrap the stateless Irish company and the phasing out of the double-Irish accounting wheeze were quietly introduced in subsequent budgets.

Yesterday, the Commission detailed the charge sheet.

Its ruling that Ireland had given preferential state aid to Apple rested on two tax rulings for Apple entities incorporated here, Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe.

The rulings endorsed an artificial allocation of Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europes sales profits to their head offices, where they were not taxed, said the Commission.

As a result, the tax rulings enabled Apple to pay substantially less tax than other companies, which is illegal under EU state-aid rules.

Getting its retaliation in first, the Finance Department had rebutted the Commissions decision, and again accused the Commission of invading the tax sovereignty of a member state.

The American Chamber of Commerce said it was fully supportive of the Governments appeal.

Oxfam, which has ranked Ireland as the worlds sixth most egregious tax haven, said tax dodging has a real human cost.
Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke said he was satisfied the entrance hotel floor had been impeccable and maintained to the highest standard, but Delia Manning should not have been allowed to enter the hotel through the emergency exit doors without a mat.

Judge Groarke said engineering evidence showed the floor became slippery when moisture was carried in under peoples shoes. He said there was no mat at the emergency doors to trap any potential moisture.

It was an accident waiting to happen, the judge said.

Ms Manning, of Assumption Terrace, Kinsale, Co Cork, told the court that she had stayed at the hotel with her son and grandson in August 2014 to attend the RDS Horse Show.

She said the last day of the show, August 10, was a wet day and the show ended early. They had decided to go home and had been leaving the hotel car park but the barrier would not lift. She had gone back to the hotel to check that the ticket had been validated when she slipped and fell forward.

Ms Manning told her counsel, Eamon Shanahan, that she felt pain in her ankle. She had been attended to by hotel staff before being taken by ambulance to St Vincents Hospital in Dublin, where X-rays revealed a fracture in her ankle.

She underwent surgery and needed to wear a plaster cast for several weeks. The court heard she was no longer able to walk long distances and she may develop arthritis in the future.

She sued Hebert Park Hotel Ltd, which trades as Herbert Park Hotel, and Sheelin McSharry (Ballsbridge) Limited, of Embassy House, Herbert Park Lane, Ballsbridge, for negligence.

The defendants denied liability and had alleged that Manning had used the emergency doors because the main entrance was crowded with a group of tourists and she had been rushing when she slipped.

Judge Groarke said he accepted that Ms Manning, who suffered a very nasty and extremely serious injury, may have been distracted. Initially awarding her 75,000 damages, he reduced her award by 25% for contributory negligence.
The council was asked to introduce a policy on bonfires after an incident in a housing estate in Mitchelstown on Halloween night, where youths drove a car into the bonfire and attacked fire brigade and ambulance staff with fireworks when they arrived at the scene.

Cllr Deirdre OBrien said she wanted a policy introduced by the local authority to prevent such forms of anti-social behaviour in the future.

Council officials said burning waste timber, commercial/industrial waste, household waste, tyres, etc. was illegal.

However, they said taking enforcement proceedings would be difficult for a number of reasons including that it would be difficult to identify the offenders, many of whom are children.

Also, they said it had to be acknowledged that the holding of bonfires at certain times of the year was a tradition.

The officials said the best way of preventing noxious materials being burnt and anti-social behavour breaking out was to get local communities involved in organising and policing the fires.

They are proposing that community-based events which have been successfully piloted by Cork City Council and have been organised by the county council in Passage West/Monkstown should become the norm.

This would see designated, safe areas being used for bonfires. They would also be monitored for unsafe materials by the gardai and the local community group or residents association. The unsafe materials would be removed prior to lighting.

Council officials said the best way of handling the situation was through the Cork County Joint Policing Committee, which had helped organise bonfires in the Passage West/Monkstown area.

They said that the councils Environment & Emergency Services Directorate would provide any support it could for such organised events, which would likely include the local authority disposing of unsafe waste put on the bonfires.
The homeless and housing charity is to provide 14 houses in the city and county over the next four months.

Five apartments in the city centre will be handed over before Christmas while the remaining nine will come on stream in the first quarter of 2017.

Chief executive Pat Doyle said the charity already supports hundreds of people in their homes in Dublin, Laois, and Kildare.

We treat people with warmth and respect, and support them to integrate into society and live a life of dignity, and thats what we will do in Limerick, he said.

Beyond the initial 14 houses, we are actively identifying housing projects and further acquisitions to provide a housing led response to homelessness.

The Peter McVerry Trust provides permanent accommodation with wrap-around supports for people with a range of issues, including mental health difficulties, addiction and family breakdown.

Typically, its average age is 31, male, requiring support with drug use, mental health difficulty, and family breakdown.

Its social housing programme in Limerick has been funded 50:50 by the Capital Assistance Scheme and private donations to the trust. It is hoping to develop up to 30 houses in Limerick in the next five to 10 years.

Its expansion from the east to Limerick is because one of its board members, Tony ORiordan is a Limerick man.

The trust will work in partnership with Limerick City and County Council.

Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Kieran OHanlon, said the trust will complement the comprehensive range of supports that the council already provides to those in emergency accommodation through the Limerick Homeless Action Team.

The issue of homelessness is a very complex one that needs a wide variety of different supports, he said.
In a section of the official plan called assumptions and dependencies, the HSE warned that targets set in the initiative might not be met, depending on circumstances.

In particular, it warned of unusually high demand, particularly among older people, the potential for flu, and the possible impact of weather conditions.

However, the Department of Health asked that the focus be taken off these provisions so that the plan would come across more positively.

An internal departmental memo said: We fully understand the need to include assumptions and dependencies, and you are of course correct in stating that unusually high demand and other factors could hypothetically have an adverse effect on delivery.

However, we would advise, prior to publication, that this section might be moved to the end of the submission; we would prefer to focus on the very positive effects of the proposed initiative, towards the beginning of the document.

In a separate email to the HSE, the department suggested that these negative notes, which had featured in the opening pages of the submission, would be better placed probably towards the end of the document.

The first page could then be focused on the objectives and benefits which the plan aims to achieve.

Not everybody in the Department of Health was so confident about the plan, however. One senior official noted that the ability to secure and retain staff was going to present a major difficulty, particularly in providing additional acute beds.

Based on recruitment track record this could be a major challenge in implementing these initiatives before year end, wrote Fionnuala Duffy of the Acute Hospitals Policy Unit.

The warnings which the HSE tried to make prominent in the plan did eventually become reality. Trolley figures from last week show that, last Tuesday, there were 541 people on trolleys at hospitals all around the country, with staff shortages forcing beds to close, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. Those figures were significantly worse than on the same date last year, when 331 people were on trolleys in hospitals.

A pledge in the winter initiative said there should be no more than 236 patients on trolleys on any given day while the plan was in place.

The Department of Health said the initiative had been successful in some respects, with the number of delayed discharges down from 638 at the start of the plan to 488 last week. It said 4,100 people had made use of community intervention team services, meaning it had been able to avoid hospital or were discharged earlier.

In addition, new home care packages were provided, with 250 transitional care beds, as well as 28 step-down beds in Mercy Hospital in Cork and Beaumont in Dublin.

The department said it had fully acknowledged the importance of the assumptions and dependencies section  being included in the winter initiative plan.

It said: They were moved to the back of the document for stylistic reasons and in order to ensure that focus would be maintained by the HSE and the Department on the key deliverables of this very important initiative.
McAteer, aged 66, of Co Greenrath, Tipperary Town, Tipperary, entered the plea yesterday morning at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court ahead of his trial, which had been due to start in January 2017 and last for about one month.

McAteer admitted obtaining a loan of 8,426,307 from Anglo on September 29, 2008 which he secured against his shares in the bank. According to the indictment, he then used the money to pay off a personal loan he obtained from Bank of Ireland.
The murderous campaign by the Kinahan cartel also contributed to a 50% hike in attempted murders.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office also show a significant increase in reported sexual offences, including rape of an adult and defilement of a minor.

Drink driving and serious assaults continue to rise and, in a reversal of trends in recent years, an increase was recorded in drug offences.

The figures for the 12 months to the end of September 2016, compared to the same period the previous year, show a rise in five crime categories and a drop in nine.

They include a considerable fall of 31% in reported burglaries, a 15% drop in thefts and an 11% decrease in robberies  all welcomed by Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald.

Trends over recent years show a 26% reduction since 2013 in homicides (murder, manslaughter, and dangerous driving causing death), but a 19% rise in reported sexual assaults and a 13% jump in assaults.

While the CSO figures show homicides increased marginally last year, from 60 to 61, murders rose from 29 to 33 (+14%).

Seven of the murders were attributed to the Kinahan-Hutch feud along with the multiple killings in August last by Alan Hawe of his wife Siobhan and their three children, Ryan, Niall and Liam, in Co Cavan.

In other categories:

Sexual offences rose by 7%, including a 5% increase in rape and a 9% rise in defilement of a juvenile;

Assaults are down marginally by 1%, but assaults causing harm are up 2%, murder attempts are up 50% and threats of murder are up 7%;

Dangerous acts are up 5%, including drink driving up 6% and child neglect up 20%;

Robbery is down 11%, including robbery from the person down 10% and robbery of a bank down 13%, but cash in transit robberies are up 10%;

Drug offences are up 4%, including drug importation up 19%, drugs supply up 5% and drug possession up 3%;

Weapons offences are down 12.5%, including shootings down 22%, gun possession down 6% and possession of an offensive weapon down 11%;

Public order is down 8%.

Homicides in the Northern Region (including Cavan) rose last year, while sexual offences were up in all regions, bar the South Eastern.

Assaults reduced in all regions, bar Dublin and Northern regions. Drug offences fell in Dublin but rose significantly in the South Eastern and Eastern regions.

All regions reported considerable reductions in reported burglaries and thefts.

Commenting on the results, Ms Fitzgerald said the gardai had achieved impressive results in their sustained drive against burglars under Operation Thor and said the Government remained absolutely committed to supporting Garda efforts.
During the US election campaign, several women claimed that Mr Trump had sexually assaulted them, which he denied.

An audio recording of Mr Trump also emerged where he could be heard saying to grab womens body parts and you can do anything.

He later apologised for the remarks.

Cliona Saidlear, executive director of the RCNI, said at the launch of the networks annual report that Mr Trumps remarks and the subsequent maelstrom may have in fact helped the public discussion around sexual violence.

Ms Saidlear said that with rape and sexual assault there can be a lot of minimisation but that the controversy that surrounded Mr Trump had opened up the issue.

I think one of the biggest barriers that weve had is around minimisation and denial and thats around a sort of, if you like, pornographied culture where essentially we lose sight of sexual violence because consent has dropped off the table and everyones available,said Ms Saidlear.

So we cant name sexual violence anymore and you have a number of incidences you can think of in the courts where youll get the perpetrators essentially saying, Well everyones doing it so of course I did it.

She said minimisation is now disappearing as a result of recent events in the US election campaign.

So in fact, it may be helpful because the minimisation and denial that we had, that cultural just get on with it, just be quiet, just dont name it, is really challenged.

That notion that were post-feminist  no one argues that were post-feminist anymore.

RCNIs annual report shows 96% of perpetrators of sexual violence were male and 88% of survivors of sexual assault were female.

Ms Saidlear was asked whether this 88% was influenced by males under-reporting incidents.

One of the issues for women reporting is we know women deny and minimise, labelling it as bad sex or sex I said no to.

Men tend not to do that, men tend to know when theyve experienced sexual violence and be very clear on naming it, she said.

Rape Crisis Centre national 24-hour helpline: 1800 778888 or go to rapecrisishelp.ie
Furthermore, just 35% of victims of sexual assault engaged with the 11 rape crisis centres around Ireland had reported a crime to any kind of formal authority.

The data is contained in the Rape Crisis Network of Irelands (RCNI) annual report for 2015 which gathers the information from rape crisis centres around the country.

Other statistics show 88% of survivors were female and 83% were aged 20 to 49 years of age.

In total, 96% of all perpetrators were male and 85% of them were known to their victim. However, when it came to children, 99% knew their attacker.

The findings of yesterdays report undermine the stranger danger myth when it comes to sexual violence in Ireland, in that most perpetrators were known to their victim.

Just 19% of adult survivors experienced so-called stranger rape whereas only 1% of child survivors under the age of 13 had such an experience.

For children under the age of 13, the perpetrator was most commonly a relative, neighbour, friend, acquaintance or an authority figure.

For those over age 18, the perpetrator was usually a friend or acquaintance or a partner or ex-partner.

Cliona Saidlear, executive director of RCNI, said that she is most concerned with the fact that people are not reporting their assault to the authorities.

The figure Ive been talking about is the 65% who dont report (their assault to the authorities) but who go to rape crisis centres.

They have no other voice bar this data, without this they go silent again in terms of transforming national policy, in terms of being heard at that level, said Ms Saidlear.

However, not only is the under-reporting an issue but so too is the data collected around sexual violence in Ireland, as the RCNIs funding has been so severely cut.

Last year, a cumulative 70% cut to out funding took effect and our core funding from Tusla (the Child and Family Agency) was completely withdrawn, she said.

This cut in funding means Ireland could lose any qualitative data that it has on sexual violence and therefore have no information whatsoever on which to build preventative policy.

In the absence of a prevalent study what we have is what we know in rape crisis centres, it fills the gap, its certainly not the whole picture, its one part of the picture, said Ms Saidlear,

The gardai have one part of the picture, we have one part of the picture and social services will have another. If were not gathering that were letting really critical pieces of an already silenced area fall through the cracks.

This (qualitative data) is absolutely under threat in Ireland at the moment, no question. We have such a dearth of information.

In total, 11 rape crisis centres fielded 13,208 helpline contacts last year.
How did the Apple ruling come about?

In 2013, Irelands tax arrangements with foreign multinationals came under scrutiny when a subcommittee of the US Senate held hearings into the tax affairs of a number of US firms.

Apple boss Tim Cooke was among those who were called to answer questions before the committee which was chaired by senators John McCain and Carl Levin. Ireland was dubbed a tax haven by the committee and its low corporation rate was criticised.

Mr McCain even prompted laughter from the public gallery when he put it to Mr Cooke: Given the tax rate that you are paying in Ireland I am sure you have a very close relationship.

In June 2014, the European Commission began an indepth probe, looking at whether Irelands arrangement with Apple amounted to State aid. It extended its inquiry to all member states in December 2014.

What did the investigation focus on?

The investigation focused on tax rulings issued by the Revenue Commissioners to Apple in 1991 and 2007. These rulings determined the level of taxation Apple would have to pay. The investigation further looked at two subsidiaries, Apple Operations Europe (AOE) and Apple Sales International (ASI).

The commission found that almost all sales profits recorded by these two Irish incorporated companies were internally attributed to a head office.

The commissions assessment showed that these head offices existed only on paper, they had no employees 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. These laws are no longer in force.

The report revealed that ASI, recorded profits of $25bn in 2014, but it paid less than $10m in tax.

What did the probe find?

The commission, which published its initial ruling in August, has found that Ireland granted undue tax benefits to Apple worth 13bn.

The final report published yesterday found Ireland offered selective treatment to Apple, which other companies did not receive.

They claim that Ireland substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by Apple here since 1991.

This is illegal under EU State aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses.

As a result of the allocation method endorsed in the tax rulings, Apple only paid an effective corporate tax rate that declined from 1% in 2003 to 0.005% in 2014 on the profits of ASI, the commission has ruled.

What next?

Ireland has now been ordered to recover the back taxes which the commission has ruled Apple owes.

The commission can order recovery of illegal state aid for a 10-year period preceding the commissions 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 13bn, plus interest.

However, the Irish Government disputes this and has appealed this ruling.

Is Ireland the only country being targeted by the European Commission?

No. In October 2015, the commission ruled that Luxembourg had granted selective tax advantages to Fiat while the Netherlands had granted similar advantages to Starbucks.

In January of this year, the commission also deemed that selective tax advantages granted by Belgium to around 35 multinationals under its excess profit tax scheme was illegal under EU state aid rules.

The commission is also currently carrying out two other ongoing investigations into tax rulings given to Amazon and McDonalds in Luxembourg.
Asia Hackers Hit Thai Sites to Protest Restrictive Internet Law

A man works on a laptop in front of racks of computer servers. / Athit Perawongmetha / Reuters

BANGKOK  Hackers saying they are protesting the passage of a bill restricting internet freedom have been attacking Thai government computer servers, temporarily disabling public access and reportedly copying restricted documents.

A Facebook group called for people to deny access to government sites by repeatedly reloading them, a simple version of a distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attack. The tactic apparently forced the Defense Ministry website to be temporarily offline Monday. Other reported targets included the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, the Prime Ministers Office, and the Office of the National Security Council.

blackplans, a hacker identifying himself on Twitter as part of the informal activist network Anonymous, posted screenshots Friday of what he said were documents taken from government websites in protest.

The new law would allow Thailand authorities to intercept private communication and to censor websites without a court order.

The bill is very broad and open to interpretation and we will have to see how the government will implement these laws, said Arthit Suriyawongkul of the Thai Netizen Network, which promotes online freedom.

A small public street protest occurred in Bangkok on Sunday.

The bill was approved by the military-appointed legislature in a unanimous vote last Friday despite significant opposition. Critics say the new legislation could be used to silence critics of the military regime, which overthrew a civilian government in 2014.

This is cyber warfare, which means damages and losses are inevitable, said the Facebook group that urged Mondays attacks, Citizens Against Single Gateway. This [internet bill] vote was like a coup against the online world and these are the counter measures against that coup.

Activists are also concerned about plans for a single gateway through which all international internet traffic would pass. The government claims such a system is necessary for national security, but opposition from many sectors has made the government evasive about whether it plans to implement a single gateway.

We are concerned by amendments to Thai legislation that could threaten online freedoms, and call on the Government to ensure the countrys cyber laws comply to international human rights standards, said the UN Office of Human Rights in a statement Monday.

Thailands defense ministry said the DDoS attacks accomplished little.

They couldnt do anything because we have defense systems in place that are ready for such situations, said Kongcheep Tantrawanich, a Defense Ministry spokesman. He warned against further attacks, saying that destroying financial systems, banks, transportation systems, and airports, can cause damage toward the population of an entire country.

The government asked members of the public to submit photos and other information about the hackers, whom they called thugs who were overstepping boundaries and creating chaos.

But the group posted that they can manage under any circumstances and told followers to keep up the attacks.
Asia US Says It Will Work with Duterte After Latest Outburst

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he delivers a speech during an awarding ceremony for outstanding Filipinos and organizations overseas, at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, December 19, 2016. / Ezra Acayan / Reuters

MANILA  The United States said Sunday that it would work with the Philippine president to address any concerns after he threatened to terminate a pact that allows US troops to visit the Philippines.

President Rodrigo Duterte was enraged after a US government aid agency deferred a vote on a renewal of a major development assistance package for the Philippines over concerns about extrajudicial killings in Dutertes war on illegal drugs, which has left thousands dead.

Although no decision on the aid package has been taken, Duterte on Saturday launched an expletives-laden tirade, telling the US to prepare to leave the Philippines, prepare for the eventual repeal or the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement.

He was referring to a 1998 accord that governs American forces visiting the Philippines for joint combat exercises. The pact has helped the Philippines contain a violent Muslim insurgency in the south and train and equip Filipino forces facing an assertive China in disputed South China Sea waters.

You know, tit for tat  if you can do this, so [can] we. It aint a one-way traffic, Duterte said, adding tauntingly, Bye-bye America.

The US Embassy in Manila said in a statement that Washington would work closely with the Duterte administration to address any concerns it may have. It did not elaborate.

The White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment, but spokesman Josh Earnest has said previously that the White House would not react publicly each time Duterte made an offhand remark.

The 71-year-old Duterte, who describes himself as a left-wing politician, has made similar threats before and after taking office in June, but he and his officials have walked back on many of his public statements, causing confusion.

While calling Americans sons of bitches and hypocrites, Duterte on Saturday praised China as having the kindest soul of all for offering what he said was significant financial assistance. So what do I need America for? he asked.

He also said Russia can be a very important ally. They do not insult people, they do not interfere, he said.

The Philippines had been slated for another aid package after its previous five-year, US$434 million poverty reduction program was successfully completed in May under Dutertes predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.

A spokeswoman for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Laura Allen, said Thursday that it would continue to monitor events in the Philippines before the next board review in March 2017.

The US decision is among the first signs of how concerns about the rule of law and human rights under Duterte could entail economic costs.

The US government, along with European Union and UN officials, has raised concerns about Dutertes crackdown on illegal drugs, which has left more than 2,000 suspected drug users and dealers dead in purported gun battles with police. More than 3,000 other deaths are being investigated to determine if they were linked to illegal drugs.

At a news conference in his southern hometown of Davao, Duterte was asked Saturday how many crime suspects he killed while he was a crime-busting city mayor. The former government prosecutor again gave contrasting replies.

Maybe one, two, three  Im saying, maybe my bullets hit them, maybe not, but after the burumbumbumbum, theyre all dead, Duterte said.

Replying to another question, he said that he indeed has killed, but did not provide details and tried to justify his act. When I tell you now that I killed, do not term them as suspects because all of them died while they were fighting government people, he said.

He asked God for forgiveness in advance, saying he may not have time to pray if hes assassinated. God, forgive me for killing these idiots, Duterte said, before blaming God for the presence of criminals. You create a human monster, so if you are God, why do you have to create these idiots? Thats why they die.
Burma Burma Government Invites Northern Alliance to Peace Talks

TNLA troops. / Hein Htet / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  The Burma government has proposed peace talks with the four ethnic armed groups of the Northern Alliance.

The government has instructed the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) to hold talks with the four ethnic armed groups. The NRPC is negotiating to arrange informal meetings between the two sides in China, according to U Hla Maung Shwe, a peace commission member who spoke to The Irrawaddy.

The government will continue peace negotiations, said U Hla Maung Shwe. We want to discuss things like signing the nationwide ceasefire agreement, attending the 21st Century Panglong conference, and starting a political dialogue. We want to discuss how we can move to federalism together. But to make this happen, we need dialogue. So our approach is to start with informal talks.

The Northern Alliance is still negotiating with the peace commission over details of the governments proposal, according to Lt-Col Kyaw Han, a Northern Alliance representative.

We have not yet appointed a date, said Lt-Col Kyaw Han. We are still negotiating. We proposed meeting on Dec. 18 and 19. But they replied that they were not free.

On Nov. 20, the Northern Alliance launched a two-week offensive in northern Shan State, attacking Burma Army positions in several townships including Muse, Kutkai, and Namkham. Northern Alliance forces retreated from Mong Ko village, Muse Township, following air strikes by the Burmese air force in the first week of December.

The four ethnic armed groups are the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA).

On Nov. 26, the Chinese foreign ministry invited both sides of the conflict to Kunming, China to initiate peace talks, but those meetings collapsed before they could seriously get started. Currently, the Burma Army is launching attacks on KIA military positions near the KIAs headquarters in Laiza, Kachin State, the KIA has reported.

The Northern Alliance has also proposed that the government make an invitation to the United Wa State Army to attend the peace talks, according to TNLA spokesman Col. Tar Bong Kyaw.

We have proposed that USWA should be at the meeting as an observer to witness the talks, he told The Irrawaddy.
Burma Case of Capsized Sagaing Ferry Brought to Court

The capsized ferry and a member of the rescue team on the Chindwin River on Oct 19. / Pyay Kyaw / The Irrawaddy

RANGOONThe case of the overcrowded ferry that capsized on the Chindwin River in Sagaing Division in October, killing some 70 passengers, has been brought to court.

Police initially arrestedfive individualsthe captain, two ferry workers and the two owners of the boatinvolved in the ferry accident. However, a legal advisor reportedly suggested that the two ferry workers be discharged from the suit,police official U SoeMyint of the Kani police station told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

The police filed charges against KoZawMyo Win, the captain of the privately owned AungSoe Moe Kyaw-2 ferry at the Yinmabin District Court under Article 304 (a) of Burmas Penal Code, which imposes seven to ten years in prison for causing death by negligence.

The two ownersU MyintKyaw and U HtayZaw, were also charged under local legislationfor water transport facilities and the Kani Township court will handle their case, the police official said.

Although authorities were unable to confirm the exact number of passengers on board at the time of the incident, survivors estimated that it was carrying more than 250 people. There were a total of 159 survivors, including the captain and the two ferry workers, according to the official report released by the regional government.

According to S Willy Frient, Director of Sagaing Divisions Relief and Resettlement Department, the ministry of construction will construct a new tarmac road from Homlin to Pinleku so that residents in the region will have another travel option during the rainy reason. The move was recommended by the national natural disaster management committee and approved by the President, he added.

One consequence of the ferry capsizing is that there will be a new road constructed for the public to be able to use in all seasons, S Willy Frient told The Irrawaddy.

Similar incidents have occurred on Arakan States rivers with police noting that deaths were often the result of an insufficient or total lack of life jackets provided for passengers on board, as well as a lack of respect for transport regulations by ferry operators.
Burma Ethnic Organizations Criticize Rally in Support of Burma Army

People march in support of the Burma Army in Rangoon, December 18, 2016. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters

RANGOON  Ethnic nationality representatives have criticized a march in support of the Burma Army in Rangoon on Sunday for disrupting the peace process and questioned the authenticity of apparent ethnic minority marchers.

Several thousand demonstrators marched from Shwedagon Pagoda to the downtown Maha Bandoola Park including members of the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), Buddhist monks, and others who called themselves supporters of the armys just war.

Activists said that the rally would undermine the trust of ethnic minorities in the government and damage the peace process.

This rally contributes nothing to the peace process, said Kwe Htoo Win, general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU). Rather than supporting the war, I think it is better to support no war.

Government forces have recently clashed with ethnic armed groups in Kachin and Shan states, including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Arakan Army (AA).

Observers noticed irregularities in ethnic marchers traditional dress and speculated that they did not join the rally of their own volition but were paid by the rally organizer.

The organizer and the marchers will know if they are real ethnic persons or not, Sai Hsaing Lin of the All Burma Shan Youth Network told The Irrawaddy. Visually, they looked weirdespecially the way they wore their ethnic traditional dress. They were dressed wrong, and it was quite obvious. Personally, I think their attendance was fake.

The Kachin Youth Organization (Shan State) also released a statement on Sunday, strongly condemning the marchers in ethnic traditional dress and calling their clothing misleading.

Ex-lawmaker U Hla Swe of USDP, who took part in the rally, admitted that attendees in traditional ethnic dress may not have been genuine ethnic representatives.

I have no idea why they wore Shan, Kachin, and Mon traditional dress, said U Hla Swe, and I dont know who asked them to do so. I did not check their national IDs to see if they were real ethnic persons. But, I am sure they are all Bamars.

Demonstrators were also criticized for using Burmas independence hero and Burma Army founder Gen Aung Sans picture alongside the current military chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

Gen Aung San only fought against the British [for independence], not the ethnic people of Burma, said one online user.

U Hla Swe defended the rally and said it was not intended to support war, but to support the army that could stop the war.

Some people will criticize us. Theyll say we are pro-war. But in fact, we are not. No one understands war as much as soldiers do, so soldiers are the people who hate war the most, added U Hla Swe. But if a war happens, we wont give up.

Civil society groups also condemned a vote by the Shan State parliament in December that approved labeling the four ethnic armed groups of the Northern Alliancethe KIA, TNLA, MNDAA, and AAas terrorist organizations. That vote was proposed by a lawmaker from the USDP.

Civil war has lasted almost 70 years and I cant understand why the Burma Army is still sticking to military means. As long as they keep the attitude of You are rebels, and we are the heroes, then the federal union, the aspiration of the Burmese people, will remain a dream, said Sai Hsaing Lin.

Tensions have mounted between the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups since the intensified Shan State conflict began on Nov. 20. The Burma Army is currently targeting KIA military positions near the Kachin Independence Organization headquarters in Laiza, Kachin State and attacking with air strikes, the KIA claimed.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Former USDP Lawmaker Sues Woman Over Facebook Comment

Hla Swe, an former Upper House lawmaker for the USDP. / Hla Swe / Facebook

RANGOON  Former Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) lawmaker U Hla Swe sued a volunteer from Magwe Divisions Gangaw Township under the controversial Article 66(d) of Burmas Telecommunications Law.

U Hla Swe said that Ma Zin Mar Kyi, a volunteer from Gangaw Township, defamed him on social media while responding to his Facebook post on September 20 in which he joked that Gangaw villagers practiced witchcraft.

Ma Zin Mar Kyi wrote in response, Do the good deeds in your remaining time instead of talking through your hat.

I warned her to drop the post but she wouldnt. So I opened the case, U Hla Swe said.

The former lawmaker opened the case at Htone Bo Township police station in Naypyidaw.

The township police questioned Ma Zin Mar Kyi on Monday about the case. She was granted bail.

Article 66(d) of Burmas Telecommunications Law states that anyone who found guilty of extorting, coercing, restraining wrongfully, defaming, disturbing, causing undue influence or threatening any person by using any telecommunications network shall be punished with a maximum three years in prison, a fine, or both.

Under the NLD government, there have been at least 33 defamation cases brought between April and November, according to a legal team working on the case of Maung Saungkha, a writer and activist in Rangoon who was charged and sentenced under the statute.

So far, defendants have been arrested in 13 cases, and three have been sentenced to prison terms.

Only seven defamation cases were brought during the term of former President U Thein Sein, and five of those received sentencing, according to Maung Saungkhas legal team.
Burma Fourth Burma Telecom Company Expected to Launch

MPT is leading the Burma telecom market. / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  A fourth major telecom operator is expected to enter the Burma mobile phone market before the end of the year.

Since 2014, only three mobile telecom companiesNorways Telenor, Qatars Ooredoo, and the partly state-owned MPThave operated in Burma with permission to sell low-cost SIM cards to Burmese users.

Now a fourth operator is preparing to launch. The yet-to-be-named telecom will operate as a joint venture between Vietnams Viettel and a conglomerate of 11 local Burmese companies, called the Myanmar National Telecom Holding Public Company. The new company is expected to receive a license from the government within a week and to launch its business operations almost immediately.

The government ministry has approved issuing a license for a new telecom operator now, said U Chit Wai, the Myanmar Post and Telecommunications Department permanent secretary. We still need to discuss further details, but I hope we will issue a license before the end of this year.

Viettel will own a 49 percent share in the new telecom, while Burmese firms own 51 percent.

We havent set the date yet for issuing the license, he added.

Before the new telecom operator enters the Burma market, existing firms are trying to beef up their business strategies. Among the big three telecom firms, MPT leads in market share and provides service to 21 million people. Telenor, meanwhile, covers about 18 million, and Ooredoo has over 10 million users. Burmas population is 53 million people.

As a fourth telecom firm is scheduled to launch soon, MPT is preparing for more intense competition in the marketplace. MPT is expanding its services and network, MPTs chief commercial officer Koichi Kawase told the Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

In terms of subscribers, the three operators in this country are getting close to servicing 100 percent of the total population, he said. So by the end of March next year, our network coverage area is going to reach 98 percent of the total population.

And with the fourth telecom arriving, now we have to take the next step, said Koichi Kawase. So we will be expanding our networks, and we will now really focus on the quality of our services.

MPT and its Japanese partner firm, KDDI, are planning to invest US$2 billion in the Burmese market over the next 10 years, the company said. MPT is already the nations most widely-used mobile operator and leads all Burmese telecoms in terms of infrastructure development. The company sees the additional investment as a way to strengthen its majority market share.

The $2 billion investment will happen step by step, Koichi Kawase said. And if the market makes it necessary, we will expand on that investment.

Part of that $2 billion in spending will go to the construction of additional cell towers, MPT said. But MPT would not reveal how many towers it has already set up across the country.

Similarly, the Qatar-owned Ooredoo telecom is expanding its networks reach and improving 4G coverage across Burma.

The Norwegian Telenor firm is also expanding. Telenors chief executive officer Lars Erik Tellman told the Irrawaddy last week that his company provides voice and data services to about 18 million customers across Burma. About 64 percent of Telenors customers are active data users.

We will see any competition entering the market as healthy, he said. We know that competition drives innovation and new ideas, and makes us become better.

Telenor has invested $1.5 billion in the Burma market over the past two years, and it plans to spend more depending on the markets requirements, Tellman said.
Burma UN: 15,000 Flee Shan State Conflict into China

Phare displaced persons camp on the China-Burma border in Chi Phway Township, Kachin State on Jan. 10, 2016. / J Paing / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Up to 15,000 people may have fled across Burmas border into China in the past month, a UN agency has said, as fighting between Burmas army and ethnic armed groups intensifies.

Aid access to people affected by conflict in the northern states of Kachin and Shan is getting worse, not better, Pierre Peron, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Burma, said by email.

The OCHA said in an update on Monday that, as well as the estimated 15,000 new refugees, another 2,400 people had been displaced internally in the northern part of Shan state since Nov. 20, when a coalition of four rebel armies attacked military and police outposts.

The attacks disrupted trade across the border and China has expressed concern over stray shells and bullets landing in its territory.

Weeks of clashes and the new displacements have damaged Daw Aung San Suu Kyis hopes of securing peace in the long-running conflicts in the mountainous border areas, a goal she has made her administrations top priority.

Observers fear Daw Aung San Suu Kyis fledgling civilian administration is unable to rein in the army, which retains political power and is free from civilian oversight.

Humanitarian access to conflict areas in Kachin and Shan states is currently worse than at any point in the past few years, Peron said.

This has seriously affected the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide life-saving aid to tens of thousands of [internally displaced] and other conflict-affected people.

The army said it would step up operations in Shan state following the November attacks.

A Burma police official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, told Reuters that government forces had clashed with armed groups in northern Shan at least 170 times in the past month.

In a separate offensive to the north, government forces took control of a strategic hill close to the Kachin Independence Armys headquarters at Laiza on the Chinese border on Saturday, according to state media.

Shells reportedly landed near a camp for the internally displaced just outside Laiza on Sunday, the OCHA said, citing unconfirmed reports that it could not verify independently.

No casualties were reported but shelters were damaged and about 400 people had to be evacuated, it said.

A government spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Opinion The Battle for Gideon: A Kachin Perspective

An attendee shares a photo of a young child in an IDP camp as Kachin youth mark the fourth anniversary of war in Kachin State in June 2015. / J Paing / The Irrawaddy

The Burma Army attack on the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) outpost of Gideon started in September.

Four months later, after intensified fire from the air and ground, Gideon fell in December.

The final push to seize the location was perhaps important for the Tatmadaws own pride: according to one ex-army officerwho spoke on the condition of anonymityto conquer the outpost would serve as proof that the Tatmadaw could still deliver military results. On Jan. 4, the day on which Burma celebrates its 1948 independence from the British Empire, the officer predicts that Tatmadaw members will be honored for their bravery demonstrated in Gideon.

Many ethnic Kachin are convinced that the Burma Armys timing in launching a full assault on the locationand then seizing itwas not a coincidence, but a strategic campaign to terrorize the Christian minority during the holiest month of the year. It is not the first time that the Kachin community has experienced this kind of violence so near to Christmas: in December 2012, the Burma Army employed indiscriminate air strikes involving heavy artillery near Laiza, the KIAs headquarters, according to reports from local aid organizations on the ground.

The loss of Gideon is not only physical, but symbolic, explained one religious leader.

There is this phenomenon called a Christmas truce where two warring parties temporarily and unofficially halt their fire. But for the Burmese army, it is their way of insulting and undermining our Christian faith, said Rev. Hkalam Samson of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC).

A social media post by the Burma Armys Ohn Myint declared that the ex-general was feeling proud in light of the government forces actions in Gideon and that he possessed much respect for the history of the Tatmadaw.

Yet what is missing from calculations surrounding the Tatmadaws campaign against Gideon is the impact of the lost lives, the battle injuries and the financial cost of the conflict. Not least also, is the continued displacement of an already-uprooted civilian population now pushed further to the brink.

The ex-officer from the Burma Army estimated the death toll of the Tatmadaw as 400 to 500 Burmese soldiers in the fight for Gideon alone; the same source suggested 20-30 KIA casualties, citing a KIA advantage due to their defensive positioning and familiarity with the terrain.

Seizing Gideon likely cost the Burmese military millions of dollars. A regional security analyst with British security and defense publisher IHS Janes Information Group estimated the cost of a 227-kg air-dropped bomb to be around US$2,000, not including aircraft fuel and maintenance costs. A case of 120-mm rounds of mortar shells cost $4,000 per case.

As of mid-December, there had been more than 2,000 rounds of shelling, according to sources on the ground.

Burma, relegated to the status of a Least Developed Country by the UN for nearly 30 years, cannot afford such warfare. Yet during the recent Union Parliament session in December, the Ministry of Defense was the only ministry whose proposal for additional funding was approved; others saw their budgets reduced for the next fiscal year.

On who bears the actual cost of war, one resident of Myitkyina, Kachin State, said, The Burma Army is killing us with our own tax money. I pay taxes to have my relatives shot.

Displacement and Food Cuts

In Mung Lai Hkyet, a makeshift internally displaced peoples (IDP) camp outside of Gideon, a local relief worker from Laiza reported that shelling by the Burma Army continued even after the fall of the KIA outpost.

Due to bombardment by government troops since 4:30 a.m., the IDPs are fleeing again, he said on Dec. 18. There were more than 600 people in the camp, mostly elderly people and children.

Government restrictions on aid and cuts to humanitarian assistance by international donors have left this population largely forgotten and unable to meet their basic needs for survival.

Little has been reported on the humanitarian crisis facing those displaced due to recent conflict in northern Burma, as few people have access to these populations. The closest I was able to get to the conflict zone was Manghai, across the Chinese border from Mong Ko in northern Shan State. Mong Ko saw heavy fighting between the ethnic Kokang Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Burma Army before ethnic forces withdrew in early December. The MNDAA is also one of the main forces behind the ethnic armed coalition known as the Northern Alliance, of which the KIA, the Taang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army are also members.

It was in Manghai that I met Ah Ra, a shaking 13-year-old girl. She explained that her mother and two of her younger siblings were seriously injured by splinters from Burma Army mortar shells fired in the area.

Those who have dared to return to villages in the Mong Ko area have reported encountering intimidation and threats from the government forces who now control the region. While Chinese authorities initially registered IDPs who fled across the border in order to provide them with aid, those who opted to return to Shan State had their names removed from such lists. If they flee to China for a second time, they say they are being told they are no longer eligible for basic rations.

An Attack on One Kachin, An Attack on All

The Kachin are connected through a strong and close-knit clan-based kinship system. It can be said that the breakdown of the 17-year ceasefire between the Burma Army and the KIA in 2011 has once again united them, in both grief and resilience.

A concept which has become a symbol of the resistance over the last five years is that of rau, which translates to together in the Kachin (Jinghpaw) language. The resurgence of a strong cultural and political identity, particularly within the younger generation, is a relatively new phenomenonand a direct result of intensified Burma Army violence and repression.

Respect and legitimacy cannot be achieved through continued destruction and traumatization of Burmas ethnic communities. With each attack, grievances grow, pushing groups like the Kachin to further resist subjugation by the Tatmadaw and the central government.

The only way to repair the broken trust between the countrys marginalized ethnic nationalities and the Burmese government is for a complete halt to attacks by the armed forces in the ethnic states.

Burmas peace process and path toward a genuine federal Union is entering perhaps its darkest period yet. Members of the international community should refrain from pressuring ethnic armed organizations to sign the countrys divisive nationwide ceasefire agreement, and instead encourage alternative solutions and steps in partnership with the non-signatory groups.

Reducing or eliminating humanitarian aid to IDPs during times of war is arguably an act of bullying. These vulnerable populations have virtually no say in the peace process, despite being severely affected by the conflict it seeks to address. Although well intentioned, durable solution models that claim to foster self-reliance among IDPs must not become the primary justification for cutting funds to these communities. Instead, their will to live with dignity must be supported through the establishment of systems and networks designed to deliver the assistance they need to survive. In the meantime, they will continue to await the guarantees of peace and security needed in order to return home.

Stella Naw is an advocate for democratic federalism in Burma, with a special interest in reconciliation and the rights of ethnic and indigenous peoples.
The telecoms regulator has proposed a series of changes to their rules for broadband, phone and mobile providers, which they claim will help to protect consumers from harm. Some of the tweaks include changes to tackle billing accuracy, debt collection, nuisance calls, complaints handling and support for those with disabilities.

All communication providers in the United Kingdom are required to adhere to Ofcoms General Conditions, which set out the basic standards for how the industry should work and interact with customers. The regulator has now completed an in-depth review of these regulatory conditions and as a result theyve proposed a number of changes, most of which are fairly mild.

The changes are a little tricky to summarise as they run into many different areas, but theyre worth a quick read if you have time. Some of the adjustments also involve replacing, consolidating and simplifying the existing rules, such as by removing provisions which are no longer needed, or by introducing less prescriptive rules.

Ofcoms related consultation (here) will be open for responses until 14th March 2017 and the revised set of rules should then follow later in 2017.

Overview of Ofcoms Main Proposals

Contract requirements

Consumers need protection from potential harm in relation to the contracts they enter into for communications services. They should be provided with certain minimum information before entering into a contract with a communications provider and should have a right to terminate the contract in certain circumstances. We are not proposing any significant policy changes in this area, but we think the condition could be improved by making it clearer and easier to understand.

We are also proposing to simplify regulation by revoking the current separate guidance on the meaning of material detriment under GC 9.6 in relation to price rises and notification of contract modifications. Instead, we intend to specify Ofcoms approach to price rises in the condition itself.

Information publication and transparency requirements

Consumers need access to adequate, up to date, comparable information on prices, tariffs and terms and conditions so that they can easily compare the offers and services available in the market and choose the right product for them. We consider that the information publication and transparency requirements set out in the General Conditions should be retained.

However, we note that the current requirements are set out in various places across different General Conditions (and annexes) and this can make them difficult for both providers and consumers to navigate and understand. We therefore propose to consolidate the various information publication requirements across the General Conditions into a single condition and to simplify and clarify the requirements where possible, particularly in relation to price transparency.

We are proposing to revoke the separate condition on the publication of quality of service information, as we consider this will no longer be necessary as a result of legislative changes.

Billing requirements

The General Conditions contain rules on the accuracy of bills, the provision of itemised bills and fair debt collection and disconnection procedures for non-payment of bills. We consider that these conditions are still necessary to protect consumers from being overcharged or treated unfairly. We are proposing to re-draft the conditions to make them simpler, and we are also proposing to extend the scope of some of these rules in response to market developments since they were put in place.

In particular, in the light of the progressive growth in the take up and importance of broadband services, we are proposing to extend the current rules on billing accuracy (i.e. the metering and billing scheme), debt collection and disconnection procedures for non-payment of bills to data services in addition to voice call services.

Complaints handling and access to alternative dispute resolution

When things go wrong, consumers should be treated fairly and have their complaints resolved in an effective and timely manner. Although communications providers are required to adhere to a code of practice on complaints handling and to sign up to an approved alternative dispute resolution scheme, recent experience has shown that our current complaints code of practice is not working as effectively as it should.

We are proposing a new code that contains strengthened provisions on the transparency of the complaints process, the provision of information to consumers at different stages of the process, more effective signposting of access to alternative dispute resolution when complaints become deadlocked, and improved record-keeping and monitoring requirements for communications providers.

Meeting the needs of vulnerable consumers and end-users with disabilities

We highlighted in our Digital Communications Strategic Review statement that consumers in vulnerable circumstances often find it particularly difficult to engage in the market. In light of this, we are proposing to introduce a new requirement for communications providers to put in place clear and effective policies for identifying vulnerable consumers to ensure they are treated fairly and appropriately.

We also consider that we should update the existing regulatory protections for end-users with disabilities, which currently apply only in relation to voice call services, by extending them so as to cover all public electronic communications services. This reflects the commitment we made in our Digital Communications Strategic Review statement to ensure that the protections which already exist for end-users with disabilities are updated to take account of changes in technology and usage.

Nuisance calls and calling line identification

Calling line identification  which allows someone receiving a call to see the callers number  has proved to be increasingly useful tool for consumers to combat the problems of nuisance calls. As such, we believe it is appropriate to maintain the current regulation requiring the provision of calling line identification facilities and to extend regulation to improve the accuracy of the provision and display of the calling partys telephone number to end-users.

We propose to do this by including a new obligation on communications providers to ensure that where calling line identification data is provided, it is valid, diallable and uniquely identifies the caller. We are also proposing to include additional new requirements on communications providers to inform their customers if calling line identification facilities are not available, to provide calling line identification facilities at no additional charge to their customers and to take reasonable steps to identify and block calls on which invalid or non-diallable calling line identification is provided.

Switching and mis-selling

Customers should be protected throughout the process when switching from one provider to another, which includes ensuring that the processes themselves do not create unnecessary difficulties or act as a deterrent for customers to switch provider. The General Conditions already contain detailed rules on switching between retail providers who rely on BTs or KCOMs fixed wholesale networks, which were fully implemented at the end of June 2015. We are currently looking in separate projects at, first, reviewing the rules in relation to switching between mobile providers5, and secondly, introducing rules in relation to switching between providers who operate on different platforms.

The General Conditions also contain essential provisions on tackling erroneous transfers and prohibitions on mis-selling of fixed (landline and broadband) and mobile communications services, which include both general prohibitions and more specific protections, e.g. to prevent so-called slamming. Due to the ongoing policy work on switching and the link between the switching and mis-selling provisions, we will review these general conditions further after the conclusion of the separate mobile switching and cross-platform switching projects.

In relation to the provisions on number portability, we are not proposing any significant change to the current rules as part of this review. These rules require communications providers to allow customers who are switching provider to take their number with them. We said in our Digital Communications Strategic Review statement that we would allow industry to reach consensus on how improvements could be made to the way fixed numbers are ported before changing the current rules. We continue to consider that progress is possible and that consequently the onus remains, in the first instance, on industry to reach that consensus.
Tuesday, December 20th, 2016 (9:21 am) - Score 1,317

Aviation and technology company Boeing has completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the first two ViaSat-3 class satellites, which will be able to handle 1 Terabit per second of data and make it possible to offer 100Mbps packages to home users in the Americas, UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The next generation Satellite was first unveiled at the start of this year (here) and this weeks announcement, which marks the first critical milestone toward confirming the ViaSat-3 satellites will satisfy performance specifications and requirements when operating in orbit around the Earth, reveals that its development is still on target for launch in 2019.

Just to put this new Satellite in some perspective, Eutelsats (Tooway) KA-SAT spacecraft was launched in 2010 (here) and can handle a total capacity of 90Gbps (Gigabits/sec); domestic broadband packages for this tend to offer download speeds of around 20-30Mbps with very limited usage allowances. Similarly the first ViaSat-1 Satellite launched in 2011 and could handle 130Gbps.

Both of the older Satellite platforms mentioned above were designed to handle around 1 million+ customers, which is one of the reasons why managing network capacity can be such a huge challenge for Satellite operators. This is particularly true during peak times, when heavy usage from lots of active customers can cause a significant slowdown.

The two ViaSat-3 class Satellites will be able to handle 1Tbps (1000Gbps) of network capacity each, which should make it possible for residential packages to have much bigger usage allowances and offer speeds of up to 100Mbps. A third ViaSat-3 class Satellite is also being planned for the Asia Pacific region.

Keven Lippert, ViaSat Executive VP of Satellite Systems, said: Almost one year into the ViaSat-3 program and we are on schedule with a solid satellite design. Once again, the ViaSat and Boeing teams are working really well together in a collaborative effort to continue to revolutionize satellite broadband communications. The ViaSat-3 satellite platform will provide enough capacity to deliver an affordable, high-speed, high-quality internet and video streaming service across the globe.

Mark Spiwak, President of Boeing Satellite Systems, said: The ViaSat-3 class of satellites are the highest power payloads a Boeing-built 702 satellite platform has ever supported, coupled with the efficiency of all-electric propulsion. With a truly innovative design, the Boeing and ViaSat team have done a tremendous job working together to ensure that ViaSat-3s latest program milestone is on time and that the team continues to push forward.

On the other hand the new Satellite wont overcome the age old problem of slow latency, which will always be an obstruction given the orbit / relay distance, and by 2019/20 the average data usage of a fixed line broadband connection will have also increased significantly.

According to Ofcom, people on 30Mbps+ capable superfast class home broadband connections gobbled an average of 112GB (data) per month in 2015 and this increased to 169GB in 2016 (here). The rise in 4K adoption by 2019 will no doubt cause that figure to surge, which could be difficult for ViaSats new platform to challenge.

Not to mention that by the end of 2019 some 60-65% of UK premises, mostly in urban areas, will already be able to receive a 300Mbps capable service from either Openreach (BT) via G.fast or Virgin Medias DOCSIS based cable network. In fact if the new digital infrastructure fund and regulatory changes pan out then the coverage could be even higher thanks to input from alternative network providers.

However Satellite technology isnt really designed to serve urban areas and instead the primary target is usually a combination of poorly served rural premises and or public / business transportation (aircraft, ships, high speed trains etc.).

Separately a new TNS survey of 2,012 adults in the UK for ViaSat has revealed that only 48% of consumers believe they can access 24Mbps+ broadband in their area, which is despite the estimated coverage of related networks reaching over 90% of premises. On top of that 28% of 16-24 year olds are worried about poor broadband affecting connectivity over Christmas, which rises to 36% for all respondents in London.
Casey Affleck, star of "Manchester by the Sea" and a native of Cambridge hosted this week's episode of the "Saturday Night Live"

In a parody commercial, Affleck exclaimed, "I [expletive] love Dunkin', guy!" He was wearing a flannel, a Bruins cap and a characteristic Boston accent.

"I'm like the mayor of Dunkin'. This is the face of Dunkin' Donuts right here," continued Affleck. "You want to talk real customers?" said a younger Affleck said while holding his cigarette while standing outside the restuarant. "Kid, that's me, I'm like the mayor of Dunkin's. This is the face of Dunkin' Donuts right here."

A manager approached Affleck and reprimanded him about not smoking inside Dunkin'. Affleck sarcastically argued back, "I'm not smoking in here," in between puffs. Affleck later claimed that the best part of the day is when he is at Dunkin'. He then threw a cup of coffee at a passing car. The commercial ends with a voice over saying "Go back to Starbucks".

Casey Affleck began his career as a child actor, appearing in the PBS television movie Lemon Sky. Later on, he appeared in Gus Van Sant's films, in Steven Soderbergh's comedy heist movie Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequels, Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007).

Affleck's breakthrough came in 2007, as he starred in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. This movie garnered him an Academy Award nomination as a Best Supporting Actor. He also starred in Gone Baby Gone directed by his brother Ben Affleck.

This weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live certainly proves that it won't be complete unless Boston is given a jab or two. And no doubt, being the Mayor of Dunkin', Affleck delivered it well.
When thinking about 2017 flagship phones, it's easy to assume that the next iPhone is effortlessly the star of the year. What Apple fans do not know is that the Samsung Galaxy Note series is in no way inferior to Apple's best seller. Yes, the iPhones can hype the masses up without too much effort. However, the same thing is also true with the Note series. This is despite the Note 7's apparent failure.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Devices Still Kept By Some Buyers

Samsung has recalled the Note 7 not long after its launch. Due to the device's supposedly defective battery, it explodes unexpectedly. With that, a recall has to be initiated. However, about three months after the initial part of the recall, it turns out that not every owner was very cooperative with the process. Apparently, there are still a number of Note 7 owners who decided to not be a part of the recall process. With that, Samsung had to do more than just ask people to participate. As per Forbes, the company had to release new updates that would render the remaining Note 7 devices unusable.

This only means one thing, the Note 7 is amazing enough for people to take a risk. It is practically irreplaceable, because if it isn't, there's no reason for people to rebel from the company. It's worth noting that Samsung is pretty much begging for people to return their phones. The company even goes as far as giving people compensation even if they don't choose to exchange their phones with a different Samsung phone.

With that said, the only replacement there is for the Note 7 is its successor. The only thing that best resembles the Note 7 is the Note 8. This only means that the Galaxy Note 8 will be pretty much a big hit. This 2017 flagship will be the saving grace of the reluctant returners of the Galaxy Note 7. This simply suggests that the Note 8 already has buyers awaiting it. Unlike with the iPhone, the Note 8 is awaited by Note 7 owners. The iPhone 7 owners are probably divided into two parts with one part being contented with their iPhone 7 or 7 Plus and the other part being rich enough to upgrade to the new iPhone immediately.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Vs iPhone 8

The iPhone 8 is also one interesting phone. It is Apple's tenth iPhone release making it more special than its predecessors. However, upon seeing Samsung's consumers' rebellion towards the company, it's safe to say that a large portion of Note 7 owners are all awaiting the Note 8's arrival. It's hard to deny how hard it is to find a Note phablet replacement. Other smartphones are appropriate alternatives of each other, but the Note phone is practically the only model of its kind. It is the only smartphone that is premium, phablet-sized and has a stylus that's fully integrated with the device. With that said, it's safe to say that the Samsung Galaxy Note series will be on top of its game when the Note 8 gets released.


The thing about Microsoft's 2017 releases is that the company is not saying anything about them. This is why even though the Surface Phone and the Surface Pro 5 have already been rumored a ton of times, there's still no confirmation if they are indeed arriving next year. Nevertheless, based on history, it seems like there is no other direction left for the Surface Pro 5 and the Surface Phone but towards being finally launched.

Microsoft Surface Pro 5: What's Known So Far

The only things rumored about the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 include having Intel Kaby Lake processors and coming with a super-improved Surface Pen. There are a couple more things rumored about it but these two are practically the most mentioned. As for the release dates, it was said that the Surface Pro 5 should be coming in early next year, the same time the Windows 10 Redstone 2 update is expected to be launched. This isn't exactly a far-fetched idea considering the lack of a Surface Pro release this year. The Surface Pro 4 was released 2015 and its successor is a no-show this 2016. This easily implies that the Surface Pro 5 will be making an appearance in 2017.

It is understandable for Microsoft to skip 2015 for its Surface Pro line. The Surface Pro 4 is still one competitive hybrid device even at 2016. However, if no new Surface Pro shows up next year, the Surface Pro 4 will already be too outdated to be Microsoft's latest Surface tablet. Just to predict, the Surface Pro 5 could indeed be coming in next year. Things may not exactly be clear when it comes to the release dates, but there's good chance that it will indeed be launched 2017.

Microsoft Surface Phone: What's Known So Far

As for the Surface Phone, there really is no solid clue of its 2017 arrival. The only reason why it is rumored for 2017 is the huge wave of leaks and rumors that have spread about it in the past months. It's kind of amusing how much more rumors came out about the Surface Phone compared to the Surface Pro 5 when the Surface Phone is actually the one product that hasn't been acknowledged by Microsoft. The company hasn't actually recognized the existence of the Surface Pro 5, but at least, its product line already exists.

It has been mentioned many times that the Surface Phone would also be powered by Intel's Kaby Lake processors. However, recent rumors have also come out saying that the phone could also be powered by Snapdragon 835. Needless to say, the Surface Phone is expected to have Continuum support and be a PC-level smartphone.

While Microsoft has been consistent on not saying anything formal about the Surface Phone, the company has actually confirmed that they are not backing out from the smartphone industry. Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, said that they will continue their presence in the smartphone world. However, like what the company has always done, they don't intend to follow the current trend. Instead, as per Forbes, they will still be "focused on a specific set of customers who need a specific set of capabilities that are differentiated and that we can do a good job of."

With that said, it's safe to say that the Microsoft is up to something. It may or may not be called Surface Phone, but at least we now know that the company will soon be releasing a new smartphone, and it could actually happen in 2017. Microsoft did not release a flagship phone this year, so it is highly likely that they will do so next year.
There have been a lot of studies about the link between aluminum and Alzheimer's. However, many scientists say the evidence is not enough to blame the metal. This time, however, a new research confirms aluminum does play a role in cognitive decline.

There Is A Strong Link Between Aluminum Exposure And Alzheimer's

A research conducted by Chris Exley, a professor from Keele University, reveals that there is a strong link between human exposure to aluminum and the incidence of Alzheimer's disease for at least half a century.

Professor Exley has been studying aluminum for 30 years and published at least 150 scientific papers on this subject. According to Exley, it is already known that aluminium content of brain tissue in late-onset or sporadic Alzheimer's disease is significantly higher than is found in age-matched controls.

Therefore, people who develop Alzheimer's in their late sixties also accumulate more aluminum in their brain compared to people at the same age who don't have the disease. What is notable is even higher levels of aluminum have been found in people who have had an early-onset form of sporadic Alzheimer's disease. These people experienced an unusually high exposure to the metal through the environment or through their workplace.

Aluminum Is Poisonous Or Destructive To Nerve Tissue

Aluminum is known as a neurotoxin or toxins that are poisonous or destructive to nerve tissue. According to Exley, "this new research may suggest that these genetic predispositions to early onset Alzheimer's disease are linked in some way to the accumulation of aluminium (through 'normal' everyday human exposure) in brain tissue.

The researcher also added that ageing remains to be the main risk factor for Alzheimer's and that aluminum accumulates in the human brain as it ages. "We should take all possible precautions to reduce the accumulation of aluminium in our brain tissue through our everyday activities and we should start to do this as early in our lives as possible," Exley concluded.
Chevrolet, owned by General Motors, have been a complete success with its Chevy Bolt EV that has been garnering praises from different personalities and media outlets. The Bolt EVs impressive 238mile range on a single charge capacity is a winner for the consumers, especially with a price tag of only $37, 495 dollars, which is a lot cheaper than its Tesla counterpart. The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV was General Motor's answer to the public demands of a cost-efficient green car.

General Motors Takes The Bolt EV Another Step Ahead

With the success of the now famous Chevy Bolt EV, it's no wonder that General Motors decided to use the same vehicle as its test unit for a fully autonomous vehicle. The Bolt EV's capacity to go far is a factor that every autonomous vehicle needs. Being driverless, the vehicle charge should be enough to reach the nearest charging station before it runs out of juice, especially with plans of having zilch human interaction for autonomous cars in the future.

The SAVE Act Will Help Define The Self-Driving Car Industry

General Motors announced the plan after Governor Rick Snyder signed the SAVE act, a set of rules and regulations aimed at promoting autonomous vehicle deployment. The Save Act allows car manufacturers to use their self-driving cars as a means of public transportation through ride-sharing or ride-hailing services. It will also allow autonomous cars to operate without a human operator sitting behind the steering wheel, and provisions on the sale of autonomous cars to consumers.

The Chevy Bolt EV Autonomous Car Will Start Testing In Public Roads

The Chevy Bolt EV autonomous car has begun testing in General Motor's Technical center campus in Warren, Michigan. General Motors said that with the release of the SAVE Act, they can finally start testing on public roads to get better real world results. Testing sites include Detroit, which is also known as Motor City. General Motors said that testing in the city would help them analyze data on how the self-driving car will act and drive during the winter season. A fleet of Chevy Bolt EV will also be built at the Orion Township assembly line, models of which will include electric cars and those with the equipment that is needed to run an autonomous vehicle.

The extensive suite of sensors will include cameras and lidars mounted on the roof to allow them to sense and see the environment. Aside from General Motor's Chevy Bolt EV, Ford Motors is also currently testing a number of Hybrid Fusion sedans. Waymo, the self-driving car from Google Inc., has partnered with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to supply 100 units of Chrysler Pacifica plugin Hybrid minivans that will be converted into self-driving vehicles.

Silicon May Not Hold Its Title For Long

Detroit, Michigan has been known as Motor City for decades, however, with the emergence of companies like Tesla, Silicon Valley is now claiming that they are America's center for automotive research. Fortunately, the SAVE Act can still give Michigan the opportunity to reclaim their title as being the best in automotive development and advancement. "For the past century, Detroit has been at the center of the automobile, as we look toward the next phase of mobility, it's clear that the Motor City will continue to play a pivotal role bringing together the best of what Detroit and Silicon Valley have to offer," said John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo.
Pancreatic cancer has the highest death rate of all major cancers. This type of cancer is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. by the year 2030, surpassing colorectal cancer. A simple blood test may be able to predict the survival chances of patients with pancreatic cancer and help doctors choose the best treatment.

If Tumor Is Found In Patients Blood, The Prognosis Is Worse

Sorbonne University scientists discovered that the prognosis for patients is far worse if tumour DNA is found in their blood. Authors of the study, Jean-Baptiste Bachet, MD, PhD, from the Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department at Sorbonne University, and the Centre Universitaire des Saints-Peres, both in Paris, France, looked at tests of 35 pancreatic cancer patients, those without tumour DNA lived between 19 and 32 months, compared to just six months for those with the DNA.

"Our study confirms the strong prognostic value of the presence of tumour DNA and of its level, when detected, in advanced pancreatic cancer. Our results demonstrate the utility of circulating biomarkers in sub-classifying cancers and managing treatment," Bachet said.

Dr Batchet added that they "need to confirm these results in prospective clinical trials to better assess the predictive value of this biomarker in light of the dynamic biological changes that occur during treatment."

Pancreatic Cancer Is A Silent Killer

In the UK, 75 percent of pancreatic cancer patients couldn't name a single symptom. Diagnosis can mean the difference between a tumour that is treatable with surgery and one that isn't. In its early stages, it can be misdiagnosed as gall stones, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, gastritis or hepatitis.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer includes: Yellow skin or eyes and / or itchy skin; unexplained weight loss; abdominal pains, especially at the top of the abdomen; bowel changes such as oily, floating feces.
Children who are maltreated are likely to have poor health and living standards in the future, a new study shows. They are also more likely to have time off work due to long-term sickness and less likely to own their own homes when they reach middle age than their peers.

People Who Were Abused As Children Are More Likely To Have Long-Term Illnesses

Researchers from the University College London tracked 8,076 people born in 1958 until the age of 50, and found that those ho had been abused were 70% more likely to have long-term illnesses and to not own their homes by the age of 50 than those who had not, they found.

Snehal M. Pinto Pereira, PhD, author of the study, said: "Maltreated children are more likely to grow up to face socioeconomic disadvantage in their adult lives, with an impact that may persist for decades. This is important because such disadvantage could in turn influence the health of individuals affected and also that of their children."

Children Who Are Maltreated Are More Likely To Lead Poor Standard Of Living

The investigators also found that neglected children often had worse reading and maths skills in adolescence than their peers. This means that their ability to find work and progress in the job market may be hampered. However, this could not explain why those who experience child abuse have poorer standard of living.

"As well as highlighting the importance of prevention of maltreatment in childhood, our research identified poor reading and mathematics skills as a likely connecting factor from child neglect to poor adult outcomes. This suggests that action is needed to improve and support these abilities in neglected children," Pereira added.

To summarize this recent study, child abuse victims experience a sad outcome. They don't only suffer as children, but as adults as well, because the suffering continues even when they get older.
There has been a lot of Galaxy S8 rumors so far, suggesting many things about its specs, features, and price. However, one of the latest is that the highly-anticipated Samsungs flagship would be released later than expected, which might present a huge trouble for the South Korean company and the fans who wanted to buy this phone within the first two months of 2017.

Galaxy S8 Rumors: The Flagship Will Be Released In April

According to Tech Radar, Samsung executives had a strategy meeting in New York City and made the decision to delay the Galaxy S8 release until April next year, which totally destroys the previous rumors that suggested that this mobile device would be released as soon as possible as a powerful response to the Galaxy Note 7 incident. In fact, this controversial decision could have been made in order to get as far away as possible from that tragic event in which Samsung suffered a major blow to its reputation, in which many customers got injured.

Although this might be seen as a risky move, Samsung wants that the time to help vanish a little bit the Note 7 fiasco and fill these months with a lot of ads, information, and more Galaxy S8 rumors to make people feel confident in the brand again. Of course, this means that the spotlight is now on Samsungs marketing team, which have a difficult and delicate task to do.

Galaxy S8 Rumors: The Flagship Will Be Launched In New York City

As reported by 9 to 5 Google, Samsung will release the Galaxy S8 in New York City, a place in which the company launched the Galaxy S4 a few years ago. This way, one of the most important Galaxy S8 rumors seems to be closed, and all we have to do now is wait for the company to release this flagship.

In recent days, there has been a lot of Galaxy S8 running on the web, in which it has been shared that the phone could wear similar specs and features as the Note 7 and that it could be priced around $950, which is not exactly cheap. As it was reported in a previous article, Samsungs chief doesn't want any more Galaxy S8 rumors, so he told the employees to take some measures about the leaks of information. Nevertheless, its possible that this situation could become counterintuitive, considering that customers have to wait longer to see the flagship officially.
Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg is involved in a personal coding project to create an AI assistant able to make toast, play music and much more.

Zuckerberg's AI Assistant For Home

According to Fast Company, Zuckerberg announced last January that he planned to create an AI assistant for his home. The Facebook's CEO uses to give himself a personal growth challenge each year and building the AI digital assistant is his latest challenge.

Zuckerberg explained the details of his project on a blog post published on his Facebook page. He said that the AI assistant for his home is build by using Facebook tools. The project is an exciting exploration of the AI state of the art technology.

According to Zuckerberg, the emerging AI technology is an essential field to Facebook's future. The AI assistant project forced the Facebook's CEO to refresh his programming skills command with the company's processes and tools. This task has reconnected Zuckerberg to the daily experience of the engineering culture of his company and the thousands of engineers he manages.

Lessons Of The Jarvis AI Project

According to USA Today, Zuckerberg's personal AI project demonstrates that artificial intelligence is moving into our homes and it is not anymore the domain of science fiction. The Facebook founder and CEO has been inspired to build his smart system by the character Jarvis from the movie "Iron Man." Zuckerberg updated his followers on Monday, Dec. 19, about the project's progress.

Zuckerberg wanted that the Jarvis project will allow him to use his voice to control everything in his house, from the temperature and lights to music. He also wanted Jarvis to be able to recognize his friends and open the front gate for them. The Jarvis project is like Zuckerberg's homemade version of Google's Home or Amazon's Alexa service.

Zuckerberg said that his simple AI is able to communicate via the computer and phone and control his home, including security, music, appliances, temperature and lights. The AI assistant can learn new words and concepts as well as Zuckerberg's tastes and patterns.

Facebook CEO's AI assistant is one more proof that artificial intelligence is increasingly climbing behind the nudging smartphones and the wheel of driverless cars. The technology is getting smarter by delivering relevant information without being prompted.

Zuckerberg said that one of the biggest challenges he faced has been connecting all of his home devices. He had to write code first in order to connect all the different systems that speak different programming languages. Another issue he had to overcome was the fact that most appliances aren't connected to the Internet yet.

The founder and CEO of Facebook spent between 100 and 150 hours on his home project over the last year. This personal project made Zuckerberg come to the conclusion that in order that assistants like Jarvis to be able to control everything in homes for more people, the industry needs to develop common APIs and standard to facilitate communication between various devices and we need more devices to be connected to the Internet of Things. The technology for building a digital personal assistant catering users' needs in all kind of ways from understanding to executing the command is not there yet.
A new bill in South Carolina calls for blocking internet porn on computers sold within the state, but both buyers and seller can pay the state a $20 fee per device to get around the digital filters.

South Carolina Anti-Porn Bill

According to CNET, the newly proposed law in South Carolina is called the Human Trafficking Prevention Act. The bill aims at making it illegal to sell a computer without a porn filter. However, the digital filters can be avoided by those who pay the state a fee.

The bill has been pre-filled this month and it is published on the South Carolina state house's website. State Rep. Bill Chumley is the one who proposed the new law. The bill would require computer sellers or manufacturers to install digital blocking capabilities on devices in order to prevent the viewing of porn content. This applies, in fact, not only to computers but also to hand-held devices that have internet access.

The digital filter can be avoided by sellers if they pay the state for every device sold a $20 opt-out fee. The same option is also provided to buyers who want to lift the filter after purchasing a device. They can verify they are 18 or older, request in writing that the filter is disabled, acknowledge receipt of a written warning about the potential dangers of disabling the digital blocker and also pay a $20 fee.

Money collected from opt-out fees will go toward the human trafficking task force of the Attorney General's Office's. The bill has been already referred to the House Judiciary Committee and state legislators will vote on it when they will return for a new session next month.

The Human Trafficking Issue In US

According to Extreme Tech, whenever legislation like this has been previously proposed, it is usually in terms of protecting children from accessing adult material. However, Chumley's plan doesn't quite fit that pattern.

Rep. Chumley explained for the local news site GoUpState.com that the human trafficking has become a real problem in the state. The issue exploded recently there are necessary more efforts to combat crimes against children. They should be protected from exposure to sexually explicit materials.

Victims of human trafficking in the United include individuals who were smuggled in America specifically for forced labor or prostitution or lured into the country under false pretenses. The victims also include homeless and runaway children. But many victims of human trafficking fear that their families will be targeted if they cooperate and for this reason, they usually refuse to cooperate with police investigations.

According to the estimation of the U.S. State Department around 244,000 children and teenagers are at risk of trafficking and according to the DOJ, every year between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the country. Boys are principally targeted for petty crime, drug trade or agricultural work, while women tend to be forced into domestic service or prostitution.

Due to Interstate 85, which runs between Atlanta and Charlotte, South Carolina is considered a trafficking corridor. Both of Atlanta and Charlotte cities are among the top 20 destinations for human trafficking in the United States.
The year 2016 has been good to the Android industry, well of course not considering the devastating reports on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Almost all Android users are thankful enough for all the things they got, a new smartphone maybe or a free awesome application. As the year 2017 is coming, here are the best Android apps along with the list of smartphones you can expect next year.

Android Smartphones Trends Of 2017

We list here all the trends that we can expect next year, it may the list of the smartphones that we are eyeing to buy or a target application that we are waiting to become sale.

Every year smartphone companies introduce new devices, and 2017 is expected to be no different. With the help of the International Business Times, here are the five smartphone trends for 2017.

Apple iPhone 8: Next year will the 10th anniversary of iPhone and it is expected to break previous sales records. Apple, one of the leading smartphone makers, is expected to come with features such as OLED display, wireless charging, a display-embedded fingerprint sensor and a multi-sensor camera. Aside from the existing color of iPhones, the Apple iPhone 8 will come in two new different colors such as blue and glossy gray. The iPhone 8 is expected to release in September to October 2017.

Samsung Galaxy S8: Samsungs next flagship device is rumored to be called as the Galaxy S8 and it is a highly anticipated smartphone. The device, which is expected to be launched at the Mobile World Congress 2017, might be a complete revamp of the companys current S7 device. Samsung Galaxy S8 features include the following: a bezel-less design with no home button, 4K UHD display, an artificial intelligence-based voice assistant and to have built-in stereo speakers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Despite what happened on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, many people expected that the company will ditch off the Note series. But, it is official, there will be another Note smartphone next year as Samsung indicated the release of a Note 8 device in 2017 in a press release issued in October. According to BGR, Samsung is preparing two Galaxy S8 versions for late February, including a regular model and a phablet version.

Nokia Android phone: Finally, Nokia Android phone is expected to release something in 2017. As reported earlier this month, the first Nokia-branded handsets running Android are due to arrive early next year, 2017. After announcing its plans to return to tablets and phones back in May, Nokia is providing more details today as it formalizes a licensing agreement with HMD Global. It might have budget smartphone features such as a 1.4 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an Adreno 505 GPU, 3 GB RAM and 32 GB of onboard memory.

Microsoft Surface smartphone: The Microsoft Surface smartphone is expected to be the ultimate mobile device." The surface phone will have three variants: enthusiast edition, business model, and consumer model. Rumored features include a laptop-grade processor capable of running 64-bit apps compatible with Microsoft Continuum. The smartphone will boast a 20MP rear camera that utilizes a Carl Zeiss lens and an 8MP front camera.

Android Apps Trends Of 2017

Let us admit it, every smartphone, especially nowadays, have at least one messaging app installed. According to PC Advisor, all smartphones are capable of many things, but at its heart, it is a phone, and designed for keeping in touch with friends, family, colleagues and whoever else you fancy a chin wag with.

Two of the all-time chat app favorites are Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp Messenger, and Skype. Both FB Messenger and WhatsApp are now free for all users and allows users to send and receive free messages, pictures, videos and voice messages over the web. If you have a tablet, laptop or PC you should also check out WhatsApp Web for syncing messages between the two. Skype, meanwhile, is the video chat service for people who don't have iPhones and iPads. It's an excellent way of speaking face-to-face with people who are too far away to visit.
Samsung is not done yet. The Korean tech company is bent on ending 2016 with a bang, the positive kind, with the release of a couple of new laptops.

Samsung announced on its official website that it has just launched an updated Notebook 9, a 13.3-inch one and another that measures 15 inches, just in time for last-minute Christmas shoppers to consider getting one for the holidays.

Lightweight

The 15-inch Notebook 9 is lighter than expected of a laptop that big. In fact, it is lighter than its predecessor which already got good reviews for being so lightweight. The 13.3-inch Notebook 9 weighs 1.8 pounds making it the lightest of its kind.

Samsung made great strides by developing a 15-inch laptop that weighs only 2.2 pounds. In comparison, the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar weighs 4.02 pounds. Apple's 12-inch MacBook, meanwhile, weighs 2 pounds.

The Latest Processor

The weight and size is not the only good thing going for the new Notebook 9. Samsung used the latest processor in the market to make sure the new laptops will give other devices a run for their money. Both versions of the new Notebook 9 are now powered by Intel Core i7 Kaby Lake CPU.

New Design and Display

The new Notebook 9s also sport a new look with an "ultra-slim bezel and near edge-to-edge display" which Samsung boasts will give the users "more screen to do what you need to do". The full-HD RealView Display also has an Outdoor Mode for use under direct sunlight.

It also has a single shell structure, utilizes the Micro Arc Oxidation (MAO) Rigidity technology, and a display that reclines up to a 180 angle.

More Powerful Battery

A laptop this sleek needs to last a long time. Its battery is estimated to last for 7 hours on a single charge. The battery can get a full charge in just 1 hour and 20 minutes while a 20-minute charge will last for a little over two hours.

Ports

The Notebook 9 has the latest USO Type-C port allowing the device to be charged using a phone charger while also allowing faster sharing of data and connectivity with other gadgets.

Added Security

The new offers from Samsung utilize a built-in fingerprint sensor for added security along with support for Windows Hello which allows users to log in without typing a password.
Earlier this year, Lenovo release the Phab 2 Pro, which was the company's first foray into Google's Tango technology. The handheld made noise in the industry but arguably did not do much to change the landscape of the market. However, the tech company is eager to keep moving forward and become the leader in this platform.

Google's Project Tango actually made its debut in Motorola's Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP). The technology is based on the premise of using 3D to view the user's surroundings. Essentially, it makes the device carrying the technology aware of its position in relation to the other items, without sig GPS or other like external signs.

As Android Headline notes, Lenovo's General Manager of Android and Chrome, Jeff Meredith, admitted that the company expects other smartphone manufacturers to release their own bets next year. That is, other tech companies will release hardware that is installed with Tango. However, Lenovo currently holds the lead because of the Phab 2 Pro and the company is adamant about keeping its position.

By releasing the hardware first, Lenovo has been able to experiment and learn about Tango technology. These past months spent with the technology is sure to prove vital in the imminent battle between smartphone manufacturers. The Phab 2 Pro also provides valuable insight into the market's commentary and opinions.

The Phab 2 Pro, which employs Google's Project Tango, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 chipset. And while it is a midrange processor, Lenovo optimized the same to take advantage of Tango. Arguably, the device can be seen as a prototype that was released into the market -- but even then, it still provides the company with important knowledge.

C|Net previously reported on the Phab 2 Pro and reported that Google had been playing hard to get with its Project Tango until the Phab 2 Pro finally rolled out. Nevertheless, the search engine giant is expecting that more products will be released shortly. But how does the technology work, in its debut in a consumer-grade device?

The device, which sells for about US$499, has relatively good specs that can rival it out with the best of Android smartphones. It also has a 6.4-inch screen that is just right for its phablet category. Furthermore, its glass and metal body both looks and feels to be made of high quality. But the Tango technology itself still leaves much to the imagination.

The technology allows users to play properly fitted games, as the application places virtual items on the screen that are proportional and realistic against the actual world. One particular game that is available requires players to shoot zombies as they appear behind these fictional items - and it works well most of the time.

But as the publication notes, there are definitely some corners to properly iron out. For example, the sensors are quickly confused by reflective surfaces. What results then is that the virtual items do not necessarily roll out as they should or come out as something else entirely.

The goal for Tango, however, is not just to work well in mobile devices. Google Tango executive Johnny Lee admitted that there are more plans for the project. According to him, it will soon become a necessary technology that the general population will soon welcome with open arms.
With Sony's having recently released its $399 PlayStation 4 Pro last November 10, eyes are now on Microsoft to announce more about its up and coming Xbox Scorpio. Xbox Scorpio Head Albert Penello wouldn't speak to price, explaining in part that these things about the Scorpio are still being determined.

According to Penello, "We know it's crucial to be able to deliver an experience that would the power gap between the PS4 Pro and Scorpio at a price that makes sense to every console gamers."

Microsoft of pretty confident

Penello is confident that Microsoft's upcoming flagship console will convincingly outlast Sony's much-upgraded console. While Sony did not disclose any hardware specifications on stage during their recent press conference, a press release from the company confirmed earlier reports that the PS4 Pro's GPU is at 4.2 teraflops of computing power.

The Scorpio will be more powerful than the Pro

This would mean that the Scorpio, which Microsoft has already said will feature a GPU clocked at 6 teraflops, will approximately be 43% more powerful on paper than Sony's PS4 Pro. Penello believes that the performance delta will be obvious. For now, other information regarding the Xbox Scorpio remains unknown. Microsoft has already given hints regarding the system's increased memory bandwidth but hasn't yet given any clarifications whether the system will boast more RAM than the existing Xbox One and Xbox One S.

The Scorpio will definitely catch up

Because of that certain power gap, Penello said Microsoft isn't very much worried about the one-year head start that the PlayStation 4 Pro will have on the Xbox Scorpio. When asked about a more accurate release date, Penello only mentioned the holiday 2017 timetable that Xbox head Phil Spencer has already announced during E3 2016.

But without questioning, with all the said advantages of the Xbox Scorpio, it would truly be a force to reckon with that would definitely pose a threat on the already dominating PlayStation 4 Pro.
Samsung was originally expected to announce the Galaxy S8 at an event at Mobile World Congress in February. However, a new report claims the launch has been pushed back to April with a New York-based event.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Battery Problem

Samsung is rumored to be pushing back the release of the Samsung Galaxy S8 until April 2017. Aside from wanting to make sure that its next flagship is as competent a contender as possible, according to TechRadar, Samsung executives allegedly agreed to delay the device in order to better reconstruct confidence in the brand from a marketing perspective. This Samsung Galaxy S8 launch delay could be all about batteries

Back in October, Samsung was reportedly seeking a new battery provider following the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall. And we heard that not only has it potentially found a match in LG Chemical, but an industry source has stated that LG has a strong chance of supplying batteries to smartphones of Samsung. There is a strong chance that LG will start supplying smartphone batteries to Samsung around the second half of next year.

Extreme Tech reported that the reason for the alleged delay is simply that Samsung needs more time to get all its ducks in a row before launching a new phone following the Note 7 cancellation. That phone famously had a tendency to catch fire due to a battery fault of some sort. We dont actually know the cause of the battery fires yet, but Samsung has reportedly identified the cause on its end and is having its investigation verified by regulatory agencies. The report should be made public by years end.

Samsung Galaxy S8 On April 2017

A report from Gadgets 360 tells that Samsung will hold a dedicated event in April and before the event, the South Korean company will work with several external agencies to regain confidence from consumers. The report mentions that the external agencies have been asked to come up with comprehensive plans ahead of the release of the Galaxy S8.
The 2018 Chevrolet Traverse is set to make its global debut at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show that will be taking place a few weeks from now. Prior to the global debut however, Chevrolet has decided to release a teaser image to build more hype and it appears to be working well.

The 2018 Traverse Teaser

The teaser for the 2018 Traverse only reveals a few things. The photo showed the 2018 Traverse in a dark room with very little amount of light. According to CNET, the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse will have new D-Optic headlights that have a natural daylight effect. One of these new pair of headlights was shown in the teaser image along with the taillight on the drivers' side

The Expected Interior

As the last in Chevrolet's lineup to undergo a makeover, the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse promises to come with a lot of new things. The changes are not limited on the exterior aspect as there are also changes in the interior of the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. Motor Authority reported that the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse will have a total of eight seats with a lot of legroom for the third row and a decent cargo space.

The Rivals Waiting

It appears that the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse will be facing several rivals when it makes its debut next month. Among those that will be waiting when it arrives are the Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Dodge Durango, Toyota Highlander and the CX-9 from Mazda. In addition, Atlas from Volkswagen will also be waiting along with something new from Subaru's lineup.

The Global Debut

Since the teaser does not reveal much for fans and enthusiasts to go on, they will simply have to wait for the 2017 Detroit Auto Show to see what the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse has to offer. It will also be the time where specs and other important details are likely to be revealed. Those that are interested will not have to wait long as the event kicks off on Jan. 9, 2017 as reported.
A new study found evidence that pregnancy causes long-lasting brain changes in women. The first-of-its-kind study shows that a woman's brain size is altered and structure of areas involved in perceiving the feelings and perspectives of others is changed.

Pregnancy Causes Remarkable Changes To The Brain

Researchers scanned the brains of women who had never been pregnant before, and again after they gave birth for the first time. The amazing results show the loss of gray matter in several brain areas involved in a process called social cognition, or the ability to register and consider how other people perceive things.

The changes were very consistent that a computer algorithm could predict with 100% accuracy whether a woman had been pregnant from her MRI scan. The investigators could not explain with certainty as to what the results mean but they speculate that the gray matter losses confer with adaptive advantage.

Lead author, Elseline Hoekzema, a neuroscientist at Leiden University the Netherlands, said: "We certainly don't want to put a message out there along the lines of 'pregnancy makes you lose your brain. Gray matter volume loss can also represent a beneficial process of maturation or specialization."

Gray Matter Pruning Is Not Uniform To All Women

The researchers also found that the level of gray matter pruning is not the same for all women, with some pruning more. These women seemed to bond best with their babies. "The gray matter volume changes of pregnancy significantly predicted the quality of mother-to-infant attachment and the absence of hostility toward their newborns in the postpartum period," the authors said.

Scientists involved in the study say that the changes in the brain specialize in "a mother's ability to recognize the needs of her infant, to recognize social threats or to promote mother-infant bonding." They say that more research is needed, but there is certainly a "plausible hypothesis" to this claim.
Climate outlines caused by El Nino could have amplified reproduction rates in the mosquito types that carry the Zika virus and allowed those mosquitoes to live longer, scientists found. The weather phenomenon might have aided the uncontrolled spread of Zika Virus throughout South America.

"Temperature conditions were exceptionally conducive for mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus over South America in 2015, related to the El Nino phenomenon superimposed on the global warming trend," said lead author Cyril Caminade. He's a research associate with the University of Liverpool Institute of Infection and Global Health in England.

Zika can cause overwhelming birth defects in babies visible to the virus in the womb. One of these birth imperfections, microcephaly, can cause babies to be born with a smaller-than-normal head or skull and with the size, an underdeveloped brain emerges. Zika contaminations can also cause neurological problems, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, in adults.

More Than 80,000 People In 69 Countries Have Been Infected Zika Outbreak that Originated In Brazil In 2015

For this account, the investigators combined estimates of mosquito populations with temperature-dependent factors acknowledged to influence the chances a mosquito will pass along a tropical disease. For example, warm temperatures can reduce the time it takes for a virus to settled. The researchers determined that the 2015 El Nino, together with climate warming, likely supported the Zika outbreak in Latin America.

El Nino's influence continues to be felt through the current winter weather, but Caminade expects its influence on Zika to be done for now. "The situation in South America for the next mosquito season, from December to March, should be better as the population has already been exposed to Zika virus in 2015 and natural immunity should kick in," Caminade said.

"There will still be risk of Zika virus transmission over the southeastern United States during summer 2017, Florida and Texas in particular, but this will be largely conditioned by the volume of infected travelers coming back or visiting these states," he said. "The quality of public health services in the U.S. should prevent what we observed in Brazil in 2015."

Dr. Amesh Adalja is a senior associate with the University of Pittsburgh's UPMC Center for Health Security. He said the purported El Nino effect is "not surprising and reinforces the need to account for the intricacies of weather patterns when studying the trajectory and origins of infectious disease outbreaks."

It is well-known that ecological conditions such as conditions can have major impacts on the spread of various transmittable diseases, Adalja continued. "Diseases like Zika, because of their reliance on mosquitoes for transmission, have an added element of environmental dependency derived from how mosquitoes are impacted," he said.

"What really moves these mosquitoes over time has been all the additional breeding sites from the nonbiodegradable aspect of the world," Osterholm said. As he doubts El Nino participation in widespread-outbreak.
Security experts are investigating whether a power outage that affected parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and the surrounding region this weekend was the result of a cyberattack. If confirmed, it would be the second blackout caused by hackers in Ukraine.

The incident affected the automation control systems at the northern power substation near Novi Petrivtsi, a village near Kiev, close to midnight between Saturday and Sunday. This resulted in complete power loss for the northern part of Kiev on the right bank of the Dnieper river and the surrounding region.

Engineers from Ukrenergo, Ukraine's national power company, switched the equipment to manual control mode and started restoring power within 30 minutes, said Vsevolod Kovalchuk, acting director of Ukrenergo, in a post on Facebook. Full power was restored to all affected areas in about an hour and 15 minutes.

One suspected cause is "external interference through the data network," Kovalchuk said. The company's cybersecurity experts are investigating and will release a report.

Among the possible causes for the crash are hacking and faulty equipment, Ukrenergo said in a statement. Law enforcement agencies have been alerted and are carrying out a thorough investigation. Until the results come back, all the systems that have automatic control have been switched to local control, the company said.

If the hacking is confirmed, this would be the second time that power has been disrupted in Ukraine because of a cyberattack. Almost a year ago, shortly before Christmas, hackers launched a coordinated attack against three Ukrainian regional power companies. They managed to switch off power at multiple substations, causing blackouts that lasted between three and 6 hours and impacted the residents in several regions.

The Ukrainian security service, the SBU, attributed the attack at the time to Russia. Even though there's no definitive evidence that links the attacks to the Russian government, the attackers used a piece of malware of Russian origin called BlackEnergy, and the attack's complexity suggests the involvement of a nation state.

Last week, researchers from security vendor ESET warned about recent attacks against high-value targets from the Ukrainian financial sector that were carried out by a group that shares many similarities with the BlackEnergy group.

Power outages are common in wintertime in former USSR countries, because of old equipment, so additional information is needed before reaching a conclusion about the cause of this weekend's blackout, said Alex Mathews, Lead Security Evangelist at vulnerability assessment and compliance management company Positive Technologies. "On the other hand, we should recognize that the chances of successful cyberattacks on power grids are growing in the modern world due to the Internet," he said.

Positive Technologies' research showed that building automation and energy management systems are the most common types of industrial control systems that were reachable via the Internet in 2016. Only two thirds of these systems can be called secure, Mathews said.
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Yahoo recently disclosed that about a billion accounts had been hacked in a hacking attack that happened over three years ago. What is more of a concern to most customers is how long it took Yahoo to disclose this horrible truth to their customers. Most customers question why it should take a Company that long to disclose this vital security info to its customers considering that it's their personal details at risk.

According to Washington Post, This is not the first-time Yahoo has lost the war against hackers which leads us to question whether individuals should keep trusting them considering that their identity info is at stake. Yahoo's chief information security officer Bob Lord in a blog post wrote that it was Law Enforcement that informed them of the attacked that a third party possessed claiming that it was Yahoo's user data.

Further investigation proved that the data was indeed Yahoo's user data and that the company had been hacked around 2013 and didn't realize that until November 7th this Year. Another concern is the laws surrounding online Hacks reporting. These laws enacted by the US government are currently a major contributing factor to the delay of information to the public when a company is hacked.

These laws also vary with the state on how the hacking information or report is given to the public, when and to whom judging whether or not the information leaked may put the victim/victims at risk. Also, there is no law that requires a company to inform the public once it recognizes that it has been attacked. This is a major concern for most people and many doubts whether or not the government is taking this seriously.

Reported by Theconversation, even though Yahoo claimed that it believes the successful hack attempt was from a national government, the company hasn't proved this statement with any evidence on what country it originates from.

It is sad that a company that holds a lot of personal information on individuals could be hacked and not realize or inform its customers for such a long time. Hopefully, the company will find a way to reclaim the trust that it's users once had on the security of both their personal and financial data.
Previously, doctors are suggesting for the legalization of marijuana for medical uses. It seemed like more states are also legalizing cannabis for recreational use which causes risks to children.

Some parents who use marijuana are in question whether it is safe to smoke pot around their children. Though others do not do that, there are states that allow 21-year-old and older to use marijuana for recreation. Oftentimes, they claim that they are using pots to treat their pains and insomnia.

According to scientist and doctors, smoking pots around children has a great impact on them. In a research noted at NPR, Dr. Karen Wilson, a pediatrician and lead author of the study, indicated that inhaling chemicals from marijuana smoke have no difference from secondhand smoking.

The study was conducted in Colorado where recreational marijuana is legal. It involved 43 young children and it was observed that those who are below 2 years old were diagnosed with bronchiolitis. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested their urine samples, the results showed "low levels of marijuana metabolites".

The study also indicated that 16 percent of the samples from the children were positive while 75 percent showed traces of the marijuana in their urine. Though there are scant scientific proofs that could prove the complications of secondhand marijuana smoke, they insist that the secondhand smokers could still be at risk.

"Our hypothesis is that it is not good for kids," Wilson said. "We strongly believe that once we do the research to document secondhand marijuana exposure that we will see there is a negative effect on children."

Meanwhile, according to the CNBC, the legalization of recreational marijuana in the United States may seem to be a smoke in the wind once the administration of Donald Trump begins. Some citizens are worried that US Senator Jeff Sessions, Trump's appointed Attorney General, will strictly limit the use of marijuana to the medical field.

Since Sessions confirmed that he do not fancy the cannabis industry, Trump also stated that he would legalize marijuana for medical purposes. This is alarming to the people because it might mean they would dispatch the recreational use of marijuana in America.
The hardcore father of all mobiles is back! The most iconic brand seller of mobiles has been confirmed to return to the industry under the licensing of the HMD Global Company.

Nokia was the largest phone seller on the planet for more than a decade starting in 1998. But in the face of the newly emerging mobile companies, the last of its business was brought by Microsoft making brands under Lumia, according to Fortune. Now, it should really prepare everything before battling out co-Tech giants, Samsung and Apple.

Forbes confirmed this revival in an interview with HMD CEO, Arto Nummela stating Nokia has been one of the most iconic and recognizable phone brands globally for decades. The excitement of re-introducing this much-loved, well-known and trusted the brand to smartphone consumers is a responsibility and an ambition that everyone at HMD shares.

With HMD signed up to appear at Mobile World Congress in February 2017, much of the people look forward to Nokias comeback through the HMD Company.

Meanwhile, its hard to distinguish authentic leaks from fan made leaks. But given the image and the Nokia logo, China leaks the upcoming flagship Nokia phone. The flagship unit was given the title Nokia P. The specs include the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset equipped with 6 GB of RAM. What pokes the interest of the people is the 23-megapixel rear camera adorned with Carl Zeiss lens. Nokia had worked with Zeiss in the past, so there is no improbable thought about the said speculations.

On the other hand, the other smartphone is Nokia C1 also said to run also on Snapdragon 835 reported by GSM Arena. But this unit will just have 4 GB of RAM. The Nokia P with a Carl Zeiss lens is already an awe. But this handsets camera setup is 16MP/12MP with a Triple LED flash and a red autofocus laser with xenon flash.

Consumers will soon be seeing this two monsters in the MWC in 2017. People shouldnt get their hopes too high just in case the speculations arent true.

Feel free also to check out Samsung Galaxy S8 spoilers on its specs, release date and details here at Jobs and Hire.
A new agreement between Brazil and Uruguay promises to cut customs processing times and costs.

Brazilian shippers stung by ongoing slowdowns by customs officers can take solace in the fact that when those officers decide to resume their duties as normal, shipments between Uruguay and Brazil will have less customs restrictions placed on them.

Brazil and Uruguay this week signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement that simplifies customs procedures for shippers trading between the two countries, reducing customs costs 14.5 percent, cutting customs clearance times for imports 47 percent and exports 90 percent, according to the World Trade Organization.

As members of the Mercosur trade bloc, Brazil and Uruguay have a system that designates importers, exporters, consolidating agents, ports, airports, terminals, shipping lines, and other actors in the supply chain as authorized economic operators, or AEOs, which means they are safe and reliable.

This new agreement will enable entities certified as an AEO in one country or the other to have the status without having to apply for the designation in the other country.

Brazil currently has 72 authorized AEOs that account for 12.6 percent of the countrys import and export declarations, according to Jorge Rachid, the general secretary of Receita Federal, the Brazilian customs agency. The agency hopes to have 50 percent of all declarations done by AEOs by 2019.

Ever since the launch, the program has raised growing interest in companies seeking to obtain certification. There were 269 requests up to the start of December this year, said Rachid.

Shippers welcomed the news, especially the countrys most powerful shipping lobby, the National Confederation of Industries. A recent survey by the group found that businesses consider Brazils customs bureaucracy a major obstacle to imports and exports.

There are port and airport charges, the time for clearance at customs. It is of fundamental importance for the country to adopt measures that result in the reduction of these systemic costs, said Carlos Eduardo Abijaodi, the development director of the confederation. The group hopes to forge similar mutual recognition agreements with China, the United States, and the European Union, he said.

Brazilian exports to Uruguay through October totaled $2.5 billion, and imports from Uruguay came to $1.18 billion, but these volumes could grow significantly with less red tape, he said.

Brazil largely exports oil, and Uruguay provides milk and milk products; as they are large exporters of beef, the two hope that the AEO system can help fuel exports of red meat to the rest of the world.

Contact Rob Ward at rcward788@btinternet.com.
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A car dealership in Kernersville denied in court papers that it had anything to do with allegations that a defective airbag caused major injuries to a Forsyth County man in a 2014 accident.

Willie Gary, a Florida attorney who won one of the largest punitive damages in U.S. corporate and legal history, and Miguel A. Cuadra Jr., a Durham attorney who has a law office in Winston-Salem, filed the lawsuit in Forsyth Superior Court in October on behalf of David Earl Ebron Jr. and his wife, Deborah.

A similar lawsuit was filed in Guilford Superior Court, and Gary is seeking a total of $250 million in compensatory damages and $1 billion in punitive damages between the two lawsuits.

The lawsuit in Forsyth was filed against Takata Corp. of Japan; Parks Chevrolet in Kernersville; General Motors LLC; and TK Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Takata.

According to the lawsuit, Ebron was driving his 2014 Chevrolet Silverado along Murray Road at 9:53 a.m. on Dec. 1, 2014. The cars airbag exploded, hitting Ebron in the face and knocking him unconscious.

Ebrons foot was still on the accelerator, and the car hit a utility pole and then crashed into a tree.

The airbag hit Ebrons face with such force that it caused serious injury to his eyes, nose and head, the lawsuit said.

Ebron suffered major brain damage, a ruptured right eye and broken bones in his face, the lawsuit said.

Takata and General Motors should have known about the defects of the airbags and how dangerous they were, the lawsuit alleges.

In fact, the two companies knew that the airbags were a problem 10 years before Ebrons accident, according to the lawsuit.

Parks Chevrolet, the lawsuit said, was negligent in failing to properly inspect and repair Ebrons car so that the airbag, alleged to be defective, was replaced.

In court papers filed Dec. 6, Roberta King Latham, attorney for the defendants, said Ebrons car was not defective and that Parks Chevrolet did everything it was supposed to before giving the car to Ebron.

Parks Chevrolet also denies that the subject vehicle was subject to a Product Safety Recall Bulletin stating manufacturing error can produce over-pressurization of some replacement drivers (front) airbag inflators during airbag deployment, Latham writes in court papers.

Latham also argues that the Ebrons were negligent and that their actions contributed to causing the accident.

The lawsuit alleges that Takata and General Motors sought to cover up the problems and failed to note several instances in which defective airbags that Takata manufactured either killed or caused serious injuries to drivers.

The lawsuits list 13 incidents between 2009 and 2014 in which drivers were killed or suffered severe injuries as a result of defective airbags. People were either killed or injured when they were struck by metal shrapnel or shards coming from the exploding airbags. Takata, the lawsuit said, failed to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the public or consumers.

Gary was in mediation Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
President-elect Donald Trump is preparing to create an infrastructure "task force" that will help carry out the ambitious federal spending program he intends to undertake upon taking office, according to several individuals briefed on his plans.

Key members of Trump's team  including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, senior counselor Stephen Bannon, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and Gary Cohn, whom Trump has tapped to head the National Economic Council  are all involved in the discussions, according to one person familiar with the initiative.

The task force head is "not Cabinet level," this individual said, but would play a critical role in coordinating among federal, state and local officials as well as private investors as the new administration prepares to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into projects across the country.

Trump has pledged to mobilize anywhere from half a trillion to a trillion dollars into upgrading the nation's aging roads, bridges and transportation hubs. But that plan might not rely on direct federal spending. Venture capitalist Wilbur Ross, Trump's nominee to run the Commerce Department, and University of California, Irvine business professor Peter Navarro have proposed an investment tax credit that they say would cost $137 billion and stimulate about $1 trillion of investment.

Ross and Navarro say the plan would be revenue-neutral  a claim likely be hotly disputed.

The task force would also have to help identify what qualifies as infrastructure, a word that has been used to describe everything from roads to broadband, from bike trails to electric transmission lines.

One possible wrinkle: A task force would assume part of the role traditionally played by the transportation secretary, especially when it comes to roads and bridges. Trump has nominated former labor secretary Elaine Chao, wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to the Department of Transportation post.

"The Trump folks have reached out on a staff level and discussed this idea," said a person familiar with the talks. "It doesn't seem particularly well formed or specific at this point." The person added that "there's not a concrete thing out there that they are asking for support on at the moment."

President Barack Obama tapped several individuals to oversee major initiatives during his two terms in office, many of whom often earned the nickname "czar." The new hire would not be formally called a czar, people familiar with the discussion said, but the fact that Trump's top aides are seeking to recruit someone to spearhead his infrastructure push underscores the extent to which presidents often need to create a separate post to coordinate complex efforts.

Infrastructure spending may be one of the few areas where Trump and Democrats could find common ground, and his aides are looking for someone who can build bridges with members of the other party.

The transition team has spoken with a couple of candidates for the job, according to those who have been briefed, including someone in the New York business world and a local government official.
The World Bank will hold a meeting Tuesday to approve second $1 bln tranche of $3 bln loan to support Egypt's budget

Egypt signed on Monday the second tranche, worth USD 500 million, of a $1.5 billion loan package from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation (MoIC) announced.

In a statement on the ministry's website, minister Sahar Nasr also said the World Bank would hold a meeting on Tuesday to approve the second $1 billion tranche of its $3 billion loan to Egypt, which is set to be delivered over three years to support the country's budget.

According to the MoIC, the AfDB loan is intended to support government programmes that aim to achieve social and economic development by creating new jobs and improving the business environment.

Nasr signed the first $500 million tranche of the AfDB loan in December 2015. That loan is also scheduled to be delivered over three years.

Leila El-Mokadem, the AfDBs representative in Egypt, confirmed that the bank aims to continue its partnership with Egypt in 2017 to deliver the 3rd and final tranche of the fund, also worth $500, the statement said.

The World Bank provided the first $1 billion to Egypt in September. The second tranche is expected to arrive in January, and the final one later in 2017.

On 11 November, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) confirmed its receipt of an initial $2.75 billion from the International Monetary Fund following the boards approval of a $12 billion loan to support Cairo's ongoing economic reforms.

Egypt's economy has been struggling since 2011 due to a sharp drop in tourism and foreign investment, two main sources of hard currency for the import-dependent country.

The country's foreign reserves stood at $23 billion by the end of November.

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WASHINGTON  The fall of Aleppo is a human catastrophe. Its also a demonstration of the perils of choosing the middle course in a military conflict. Sometimes its possible to talk and fight at the same time. But in Syria, Americas decision to pursue a dual-track, halfway approach made the mayhem worse.

A battered Secretary of State John Kerry made one more plea Thursday for a peaceful evacuation of whats left of Aleppo. At a State Department briefing, he used the strongest language to describe the situation: Another Srebrenica ... nothing short of a massacre ... indiscriminate slaughter ... a cynical policy of terrorizing civilians.

But for five years now, Americas actions havent matched its rhetoric. Kerrys only real weapon now is the gruesome suffering of the Syrian people and the shame it engenders in everyone who watches. That shame hangs over this administration, too.

Kerrys critics argue that his efforts to negotiate a settlement were always doomed to failure. Maybe so, but after the Russian military intervention in September 2015, the administration concluded that diplomacy was the only viable strategy in Aleppo. Having made that decision, officials needed to make it work. Instead, they continued to toy with an armed opposition they werent prepared to fully support.

In the annals of covert warfare, the CIAs support for the Syrian opposition deserves a special, dark chapter. The effort began late  nearly two years into the war  after extremists had already begun to dominate the fight against President Bashar al-Assad. It was a hodgepodge of different regional states and their pet fighters  nominally coordinated from operations centers in Jordan and Turkey but in reality controlled by more than 80 local militias whose commanders were often corrupt and proto-jihadists themselves.

The CIA and its partners were never willing to give the opposition the weapons  especially the shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles  that could have won the battle. The agency did provide anti-tank weapons that were potent enough that Assad was rocked in the summer of 2015, and analysts began to worry about catastrophic success, with the regime collapsing and jihadists filling a power vacuum in Damascus. Soon after that, Russia intervened.

The CIAs biggest problem was that its allies couldnt stop the dominance of al-Qaidas Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra. The vetted opposition groups might pretend otherwise, but they were fighting alongside Nusra, which rebranded itself this year as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. The extremists attracted the other opposition groups for a simple reason: Their fighters were the most willing to die for the cause.

The U.S. tried to straddle this problem. In 2014, I visited the leaders of one of the vetted groups, known as Harakat al-Hazm, at a safe house along the Syrian-Turkish border. The fighters were despondent. The U.S. had just bombed a Nusra camp nearby, seeking to kill militants from its so-called Khorasan Group. The CIA-backed fighters said this action had destroyed their credibility. They were right. Nusra soon chased them from their headquarters.

Kerry was an early advocate of using military force against Assad. But after the Russians intervened decisively last year, he began to see the CIA program as a hindrance to the diplomatic deal that he saw as the only realistic option. Kerry didnt want to abandon the vetted fighters altogether, and he argued for giving some groups more weapons. But he thought the U.S. should make continued assistance conditional on their willingness to separate from Nusra  something that few of the groups were willing or able to do.

So the straddle continued. Kerry met frantically through this year with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to implement the cessation of hostilities negotiated on paper last February. The CIA meanwhile continued to push a program that targeted Russia and its Syrian and Iranian allies  and helped shield Nusra.

Kerry negotiated a near cease-fire in September, but it was conditioned on a pause in fighting  demanded by skeptics at the Pentagon  that neither he nor Lavrov could deliver. The Russians didnt restrain Assad or the Iranians. And Kerry couldnt deliver on his promise to separate the moderate opposition from Nusra. The opposition forces, good and bad, were marbled together in the Aleppo region. The U.S. couldnt undo the anti-Assad alliance it had fostered.

Kerry had the impossible job of trying to manage a policy that was going in two directions at once. Perhaps he should have quit, if he sensed it was undoable. But its Kerrys strength and weakness that he believes he can move mountains. Not this time. Instead, he got crushed in the rubble of a confused policy.
JAMES BEDSWORTH, Winston-Salem

Shenanigans

I am registered to vote in Forsyth County as unaffiliated, but I have voted Republican 95 percent of the time in state-wide, presidential and off-year elections. I have voted for a few Democrats running locally over the years, whom I have known personally, and I did vote for Bill Clinton in 1996. Nationally, this year I voted for a geographically-challenged third-party candidate, mainly because I have despised President-elect Donald Trump since the early 1980s, and Hillary Clinton did not suit me either, for political reasons  nothing personal.

Other than those exceptions, I have been a fairly reliable voter for the Red Team.

I did vote for Gov. Pat McCory in 2012 and 2016.

Having said all that, I have to say that the shenanigans that the N.C. legislature and McCory together just pulled have got to be the most immature stunts Ive ever seen by a bunch of sore losers, on or off an elementary school playground. I dont know how else to put it.

******

WILLIAM B. PERRY, Winston-Salem

Built for obstruction

Let the excuses begin! They did it, too  30 years ago, the Republicans are saying about the state legislatures immature power-grab during last weeks special session. No, they didnt, not like this.

But I dont care if the Democrats did something similar in the past. Is that the standard? Republicans can do something immoral because Democrats did? Where else does that reasoning apply? And when does it ever end?

What kind of sense does it make to create county election boards with an even number of members? It only makes sense if the Republicans intend to make the boards more dysfunctional so they can continue to play games with our elections.

These Republican legislators are playing games with our votes!

Our democracy is at risk from many quarters today because politicians are fighting for power rather than respecting the will of the people. Our Republicans in Raleigh are perfecting that tactic.

Somebody needs to take a stand and stop it before our country is destroyed. I hope Gov.-elect Roy Cooper takes them to court and wins and returns the state to the people.

******

ROSS MECHAM, Winston-Salem

A quip

I remember a quip I once heard about the state motto of Alabama: At least we arent Mississippi.

It would not surprise me today to hear that South Carolina was considering adopting a new state motto: At least we arent North Carolina.

Somehow, it doesnt sound as funny this time.

******

LYNDA MOSS, Winston-Salem

Overwhelming power

The people of North Carolina have spoken. They elected Roy Cooper as our next governor, and Mike Morgan as our newest Supreme Court Justice.

The purpose of the special session of the N.C. General Assembly was to usurp the power of our newly elected governor. They drastically reduced the governors appointive powers and changed the balance of power on certain boards and in government departments. This is not about the good of North Carolina, this is not about an appropriate balance of power, this is about assuring the overwhelming power of one party that has done harm to our state and must not be allowed to continue to do so. It is critical that our government represent the will of the people of North Carolina, not the will of partisanship.

Gov. Pat McCrory and the General Assembly have done enough harm over the past four years, as we have seen, and this special session has turned into a continuation of that harm. We must stand up and say that we will not tolerate these backdoor politics.

******

DAVID L. LANE, Clemmons

Printing the truth

I was surprised that a writer to The Readers Forum (Cry all you want, Nov. 30) would chastise the Journal for printing a truthful article about President-elect Trumps antics.

For the next four years, The Donald will say or do something that is a lie or is stupid every day. The Toronto Star has compiled a list of 560 lies that he made in the last nine months. By my calculations, that is at least two a day.

I expect the Journal to continue honest reporting, but it appears that Trump is confused about the First and Second amendments. If your letter writer expects the criticism to go away, I would suggest that he should assume the GOP mantra and get over it.

When You Write

The Journal encourages readers comments. To participate in The Readers Forum, please submit letters online to Letters@wsjournal.com. Please write The Readers Forum in the subject line and include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number. Or you may mail letters to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Letters are subject to editing and may be published on journalnow.com. Letters are limited to 250 words. Letter writers are allowed one letter every 30 days.

If you would like a photo of yourself included with your letter, send it to us as a .jpg file.

For more guidelines and advice on writing letters, go to journalnow.com/opinion/submit_a_letter.

The Journal welcomes original submissions for guest columns on local, regional and statewide topics. Essay length should not exceed 750 words. The writer should have some authority for writing about his or her subject. Our email address is: Letters@wsjournal.com. Essays may also be mailed to: The Readers Forum, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Please include your name and address and a daytime telephone number.
Cairo says terrorism now threatening human security around the world in an unprecedented way

Egypt's foreign ministry has condemned what German police are calling a "probable terrorist attack" which killed a dozen people at a Christmas market in Berlin late on Monday.

Egypt "expresses its condolences and consolation to the German government and the families of the victims," a statement by the ministry said on Tuesday.

Twelve people were killed and tens of others wounded when a lorry ploughed through a crowded Christmas market at the foot of Berlin's Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Monday night. German police said they were treating the incident as a "a probable terrorist attack."

The ministry's statement added that "terrorism is now threatening the security and stability of people around the world in an unprecedented way."

It called for a concerted international effort to eliminate terrorist organisations.

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Maggie Moemen had been in coma since the 11 December attack on a Coptic church in Cairo

Ten-year-old Egyptian girl Maggie Moemen, who was severely wounded in the bombing of Cairo's St. Peter and St. Paul's Church last week, died this morning, state news agency MENA reported.

Moemen, who was suffering from shrapnel in the brain and damage to her lungs, had been in a coma since the 11 December suicide attack on a church in the Coptic cathedral complex.

Her death raises the death toll in the attack to 26.

The bombing constituted one of the deadliest attacks on Egyptian Christians in years. The attacker detonated the bomb in the ladies section of the church, resulting in fatalities mostly among women and children.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi named 22-year-old Mahmoud Shafiq Mohamed Mostafa as the suicide bomber. Four other people suspected of involvement have been arrested, including one woman.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Egypt's interior ministry accused members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood organisation residing in Qatar of involvement in the bombing.

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By IMEMC |  

Jewish scholars and students have released statements urging the US House of Representatives and President Obama to reject the controversial Antisemitism Awareness Act.

In a recent initiative by US based organization Jewish Voice for Peace, Jewish scholars and students signed statements urging both the House of Representatives, as well as President Obama, to reject the act.

The scholars statement has already been signed by individuals from New York University, Penn State University, Brown University, Standford University, UCLA and more. It reads:

As scholars of Jewish studies, we strongly object to the Antisemitism Awareness Act which is soon to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would officially categorize as antisemitic demonization, de-legitimation and the use of double standard regarding Israel. This intentionally vague definition is dangerously susceptible to manipulations, and threatens to further diminish freedom of speech and academic freedom on our campuses.

The overly broad language has the potential to define any criticism of Israeli policy as antisemitic. This could include frank discussions of the impact of Zionism, campus disagreements about the future of Israel/Palestine, and in fact, much of what falls under Jewish Studies in all facets, including courses. This is fundamentally contrary to the educational processes of learning critical thinking and disparate points of view, and hurts our ability to prepare students to take on global challenges ahead of us.

By potentially targeting those offering criticism of the State of Israel, many of whom are Jews themselves, (and not the white supremacists emboldened by President-elect Trump), this bill fails to confront the real threats facing Jews in America. Instead, this bill poses a threat to human rights advocates, scholars, and students. It is no coincidence that many of these students are Muslim and/or people of color, and are facing similar targeting from a resurgent far-right.

American Jews do not need protection from passionate young activists organizing for justice. Rather, we need to join with justice-seeking people everywhere to fight white supremacy, racism and the genuine antisemitism that are reemerging in the very highest levels of government. Therefore, as scholars of Jewish studies, we call upon all those who are committed to fighting racism and safeguarding academic freedom to speak out against this misguided and dangerous bill.

Following a similar appeal the statement signed by Jewish students explains:

Dear Members of the House of Representatives and President Obama,

As Jewish students, we urge you to reject the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, and to protect free speech on campuses across America. We are Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, and secular Jews; and we are deeply concerned about the rise of real anti-Semitism in white supremacist movements in this country, including the appointment of real anti-Semites like Stephen Bannon to powerful positions in the upcoming Trump administration. But this bill does little to protect us, as Jewish students, from these dangers. Rather, it serves to limit our freedom of expression around the vital issues of our time.

Regardless of our personal political views, we recognize that criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights, including support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, is not inherently anti-Semitic. The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, however, conflates legitimate criticism of the policies of the Israeli government with anti-Semitism, using a problematic definition of anti-Semitism never intended for use on college campuses. Kenneth Stern, the author of the original EU definition upon which the State Department definition is based, has urged you to reject the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, and to not use this definition to restrict speech on college campuses. [http://jkrfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Letter-to-members-of

At a time when freedom of expression is under threat across the country, we need to be protecting and expanding speech, not restricting it. We urge you not to pass the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, and instead to take meaningful action to combat anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, and other forms of bigotry on the rise across the country.

via Jewish Voice for Peace and the Palestinian BDS

Via IMEMC



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Palestine Legal: Staff Attorney Liz Jackson explains Anti-Semitism Awareness Act
The Myanmar militarys campaign of violence against Rohingya people constitutes crimes against humanity [AI report], according to an Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] report on Monday. According to AI, the Myanmar military is responsible for unlawful killings, multiple rapes, and burning down houses as well as entire villages. In October the Myanmar security forces reportedly launched a large-scale operation in northern Rakhine State in response to an attack on border police causing nine deaths. Since then, AI claims the actions of the security forces have gone beyond justified protection measures. Over the last two months many Rohingyas have allegedly been unlawfully arrested and detained; some have died while in custody and many were beaten viciously during the arrest. According to Rafendi Djamin, AI Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific:

The Myanmar military has targeted Rohingya civilians in a callous and systematic campaign of violence. Men, women, children, whole families and entire villages have been attacked and abused, as a form of collective punishment. The deplorable actions of the military could be part of a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population and may amount to crimes against humanity. We are worried that the horrific tales of violations we have uncovered are just the tip of the iceberg.

To escape the persecution thousands of Rohingya have reportedly left to Bangladesh over the last two months. However, in response, Bangladesh has re-enforced its long-standing policy of sealing the border to Myanmar detaining and rejecting those who have tried to cross the border.

Human rights violations have been on the forefront of Myanmars new democratic government since ending a decades-old military rule. In June a UN expert presented [JURIST report] a report on religious, free market, political, and nationalist or cultural fundamentalism, stating that fundamentalist intolerance is growing throughout the globe and is directly contributing to infringements of the rights to association and peaceful assembly. In April UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed [JURIST report] shock at the increasing number of children recruited and killed in armed conflicts in several countries. The government of Myanmar alone released [JURIST report] 46 underage child recruits from the military in March as part of a UN join action plan made in 2012. In May Human Rights Watch urged [JURIST report] the Myanmar Parliament to reconsider a proposed law that they say has the advocacy organization says has the potential to limit free expression and peaceful assembly. Also in May US Secretary of State John Kerry offered support to Myanmars newly democratic government and urged [JURIST report] the country to push more democratic reform and address human rights issues.
UK retailer Marks and Spencer is investigating a poultry supplier, Hook2Sisters, after an animal rights organisation published disturbing images of conditions on two poultry farms.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals detailed conditions on two farms in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire that supply M&S for the retailers Oakham chicken line and are operated by Hook2Sisters, a joint venture between UK poultry processors 2 Sisters Food Group and PD Hook.

Describing the poultry housing, PETA said: [The chickens] spend their entire lives indoors, never feeling the warmth of the sun or getting a breath of fresh air. The sheds are barren, apart from rows of feeders and water stations and a few bales of straw The shed floors were strewn with the bodies of dead chickens. In some cases, birds were packed in tightly with these corpses and had to clamber over them to reach food and water. Many other birds were missing feathers or had severe injuries.

On its website, M&S states chickens reared for its Oakham are housed is enriched to encourage bird movement and activity.

A spokesperson for M&S told just-food supply from these farms has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the supplier.

We are very disappointed to see the images and take this issue very seriously. As an immediate action we have suspended supply from these farms while we investigate this thoroughly. We work hard to uphold higher welfare standards which is recognised by leading animal charities. Well take all necessary steps to ensure these standards are maintained, the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Hook2Sisters said that the business was not responding beyond M&Ss statement.
The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Sinai is the only way for 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza, who have been living under Israeli siege since 2006, to enter and exit the strip

Egypt closed on Tuesday the Rafah border crossing with Palestine's Gaza Strip, after opening it for three days to allow humanitarian cases to cross in both directions, Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported.

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Sinai is the only passage for 1.8 million Palestinians residing in Gaza, who have been living under Israeli siege since 2006, to enter and exit the strip.

The crossing has been mostly closed by Egyptian authorities since October 2014 on security grounds.

Cairo periodically opens the border for short periods to allow civilians with foreign passports, Palestinian students, and those with medical needs to travel back and forth.

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US bakery group Flowers Foods is to sell its Iowa-based bread and sweet goods mix manufacturer Specialty Blending to Associated British Foods, which is adding the business to its AB Mauri division.

Flowers president and CEO Allen Shiver said Speciality had supplied the US groups bakeries with fresh bread mixes and ingredients since the company acquired the business in 2009. We look forward to continuing that relationship now as a customer of AB Mauri, Shiver said today (20 December).

AB Mauri said the transaction, the financial terms of which have not been disclosed, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.

Mark Prendergast, president of AB Mauri, said the acquisition would further strengthen our North American bakery ingredients business, representing a unique opportunity to combine the global technology strength of AB Mauri with a high-quality and well-positioned ingredients blending operation.

Specialtys product portfolio includes specialty bread, cake, doughnut, muffin, brownie and cookie mixes, as well as blends and mixes for crackers and biscuits.

AB Mauri said Specialitys mix and milling operation spans 44,000-square feet on a site in Cedar Rapids with lines for whole-grain bread concentrates and sweet goods mixes used in items such as doughnuts and honey buns. There is also a specialty mill operation ideally suited for ancient grains, organic grains and custom blends, AB Mauri said.

The acquired facility joins AB Mauris other manufacturing sites across North America including Fleischmanns Yeast production plants in Tennessee, Alberta and Quebec, and bakery ingredient plants in Texas, and Oregon. AB Mauris regional headquarters and baking hub research bakery and fermentation science laboratory are in Missouri.
Qatar's foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has left Cairo for Addis Ababa after attending a meeting of Arab League representatives on the situation in Syria's Aleppo on Monday evening.

The Qatari official is set to meet on Tuesday with the Ethiopian president, prime minister and foreign minister to discuss the latest regional and international developments, according to a statement published on the Ethiopian foreign ministrys website.

Ethiopia and Qatar resumed diplomatic and economic ties in 2014 after four years of severed relations over Addis Ababa accusing Doha of backing opposition groups in the East African country.

Relations between Ethiopia and Arab Gulf countries have been witnessing improvement in recent months, with Ethiopia receiving a number of Saudi and Qatari officials.

In 2015, Qatar launched investments worth $500 million in factories and industrial facilities in Ethiopia.

The Qatari FMs visit to Ethiopia comes three days after a visit by an official Saudi delegation headed by Ahmed Al-Khateeb, senior advisor to the Saudi royal court and board chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD). Al-Khateeb met with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn in Addis Ababa.

The Saudi delegation visited the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) construction site and met with the chief engineer, discussing the current state of the project.

The 6,000-megawatt dam, which is nearly 70 percent complete, is situated close to Ethiopia's border with Sudan. Ethiopia hopes it will be able to export energy generated by the dam.

Egypt has expressed concerns that the dam might reduce the amount of Nile Water it receives.

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Open Whisper Systems, the developer of the encrypted messaging application Signal, said on Monday that its app is being blocked in Egypt.

We've been investigating over the weekend, and have confirmed that Egypt is censoring access to Signal, the company said on its Twitter account.

The company added that it will begin deploying censorship circumvention in Signal over the next several weeks.

Until then, Tor or a VPN can be used to access Signal.

Days before the statement was made, Signal users in Egypt, mostly activists, have complained on Facebook and Twitter that the application is not working.

No official statement has been made by Egyptian authorities explaining the blocking of the app, with officials contacted by Ahram Online declining to comment.

Encrypted software allows users to communicate while avoiding surveillance from third parties, including state bodies and law enforcement.

A controversial cybercrime draft law was submitted to parliament earlier this year, though it has not been passed.

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Egyptian officials say that a meeting should be held with their Saudi counterparts to discuss the decision and how to move forward

Saudi Arabia placed on Tuesday a temporary ban on the import of all types of Egyptian peppers after pepper shipments continued to be contaminated with pesticide residue, said a statement by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

The executive director of the Egyptian Agricultural Export Council (AEC) Hany Hussein told Ahram Online that he obtained a Saudi memo that says the ban would be put into effect in February.

A meeting between the Egyptian and Saudi officials has to be scheduled to determine the reasons behind the decision and determine how to move forward, Hussein said.

Hussein added that the Gulf country imports around 15,000 tonnes of Egyptian peppers annually.

AEC member Sherif El-Beltagy told Ahram Online that the decision affects the reputation of all Egyptian exports.

He said that there is more understanding with other countries that import Egyptian products, with Egypt immediately notified.

He said that instead of an immediate ban of the exports, an agreed could be reached where certain testing of exports before shipping could be agreed upon.

According to Egyptian International Trade Point, Egyptian agriculture exports to Saudi Arabia, excluding cotton, registered $240 million from January to June of this year.

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Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry discussed in a meeting with his Libyan counterpart Mohamed Taha Siala on Tuesday the implementation of the UN-brokered Skhirat agreement of 2015, which aims at resolving the Libyan civil conflict.

The meeting came on the sidelines of the fourth joint meeting between Arab foreign ministers and their European counterparts, which took place at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

The Libyan foreign minister stressed that the 2015 agreement is the cornerstone of achieving stability in the country and restoring Libya's state institutions.

Last week, Libyan officials and representatives from the country's various political factions gathered in Cairo, issuing a declaration of principles and five proposed amendments to the agreement that aim to create a unity government in the war-torn North African state.

The conference concluded by underscoring four main principles to be adhered to in Libya's transition: the preservation of a united Libya, support for state institutions, non-interference by foreign bodies, and the maintaining of a civil state.

The political conflict in Libya broke out following the ouster of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which left rival militias and factions battling for control.
Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met on Tuesday with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini in Cairo where they discussed a number of international issues, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

A statement by the ministry's spokesperson said that Shoukry and Mogherini discussed Egyptian-EU relations as well as coordination between Egypt and the EU in facing various regional crises.

Shoukry also spoke with Mogherini about Egypts economic reform programme as well as the fight against terrorism and the regional migrant crisis.

Federica Mogherini relayed to Shoukry the EU's stance on the situation in Syria and expressed the EU's support of Egypt's efforts in fighting radicalism.

The meeting came on the sidelines of the fourth joint meeting between Arab foreign ministers and their European counterparts, which took place at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

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Heidi Schmidt of Denton, Nebraska, received stunning news Monday: President Barack Obama pardoned her for a drug crime she committed in 2004.

This has been such a blessing, Schmidt said by phone Monday night. Its been an amazing day.

She limited all other comments to a statement she had prepared with her attorney, Natalie Hazen of Lincoln.

Schmidt and another Nebraskan, Shari Trompke of Grand Island, were among the 78 people the president pardoned Monday. Trompke could not be reached for comment.

Obama also commuted the sentences of 153 others convicted of federal crimes, granting the greatest number of individual clemencies in a single day by any president, the White House said Monday.

Obamas latest clemencies made for a total of 148 people receiving pardons and 1,176 people having shortened sentences, many for drug offenses, as in the cases of Schmidt and Trompke.

Schmidt had been convicted of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and sentenced to 30 months in prison, five years of supervised release and 250 hours of community service.

Tromke had been convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and sentenced to 36 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

Both were able to move forward Monday with full civil rights that had been lost with a felony conviction, including the right to be a juror, hold public office, bear arms, obtain a passport, serve in the military and obtain government grants, loans, public housing and educational funding. And on job applications they can state that they received a full presidential pardon of their convictions.

The Obama administration notified Schmidt by phone about 8:30 a.m. Monday, ahead of a press release that afternoon on the pardons and commutations.

I am thankful to President Obama and his administration for this blessing that they have bestowed upon me, Schmidt said in her prepared statement. Since my release from prison in 2007, I have made it my lifes work to be a productive and positive member of society by serving my community, church and private organizations throughout Nebraska.

I give the glory in this pardon to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Schmidt was shocked by the news, Hazen said. Her client had applied for the pardon and had letters of recommendation sent to the administration. Officials then followed up this fall by interviewing those who wrote the recommendations and passing along their own thoughts to the president.

Schmidt is an extremely private person, who keeps her nose to the grindstone and goes about her business," Hazen said.

Since Schmidts prison release she has helped others who have struggled and are trying to improve their lives, the attorney said. The pardon helps give Schmidt the ability to say you can make a change, and its not hopeless.

Shes pretty special to me, Hazen said of her client. And Im very proud of her.

The full statement from Schmidt:

I received notification from the office of President Obama on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, that I would be receiving a full presidential pardon for the crime I committed in 2004. I am thankful to President Obama and his administration for this blessing that they have bestowed upon me. Since my release from prison in 2007, I have made it my lifes work to be a productive and positive member of society by serving my community, church and private organizations throughout Nebraska. I give the glory in this pardon to my Savior, Jesus Christ.
At least 22 people were killed in clashes between government forces and rebels on the outskirts of the flashpoint city of Taez in southwest Yemen, military sources said Tuesday.

The fighting late Monday north of Taez, held by loyalists but partly surrounded by Shia Huthis and their rebel allies, left at least 14 rebels and eight soldiers dead, they said.

Residents said relative calm was restored on Tuesday.

In the north, two loyalist officers were killed in clashes around the Red Sea port town of Midi, the sources said, while a rights activist said a 13-year-old girl died when a shell fired by rebels crashed into her home in the southern province of Dhaleh.

Yemen's 20-month-old conflict has killed more than 7,000 people and wounded nearly 37,000, the United Nations says.

The Huthis overran the capital Sanaa and other parts of the impoverished country in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab military coalition to intervene six months later in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

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FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2008, file photo a Volkswagen Jetta TDI diesel engine is displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Volkswagen is facing a deadline of Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, to tell a federal judge in San Francisco whether it has reached a deal with U.S. regulators and attorneys for car owners on the remaining 80,000 diesel vehicles that cheated on emissions tests. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2015 file photo, actor Alec Baldwin attends a special screening of his film "Still Alice" in New York. The satellite giant SiriusXM is giving a radio home to several popular podcasts, picking up 11 programs produced by New York's WNYC Studios, including Baldwin's "Here's the Thing" and the irreverent "2 Dope Queens." (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Bode Ibidun, who returned to Nigeria, recently, in preparation for his wedding on January 7, 2017, was, over the weekend, killed by some gun wielding cultists, in Osogbo, Osun State.



Punchng gathered that the deceased was killed by members of a cult group known as Arise Boys which is based in Igbona area, because one of the members was dating the lady, who the deceased was planning to marry.

Ibidun, it was learnt, was killed inside the Toyota Camry which he newly bought. He was said to be driving along Sadiat area on Saturday when he was stopped by three members of the cult group who were riding on a motor cycle.

Various sources said that although Ibidun was killed by the cultists, he was not a cultist himself, but had friends among another cult group known as Onile. The deceased was buried on Sunday.

While the burial rights were being conducted, members of the cult group that killed him stormed his mothers house and wanted to set it ablaze, but were prevented by the police.
Related Hariri sees obstacles in way of forming new Lebanon government

Lebanons parliament should repeal a penal code provision that allows rapists to escape prosecution by marrying their victims, Human Rights Watch said on Monday. Parliament should also amend other provisions to adequately criminalize sexual assault and rape, including by spouses.

On December 7, 2016, members of the Parliamentary Committee for Administration and Justice announced an agreement to repeal article 522 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which allows halting the prosecution or suspending the conviction of a person who has committed rape, kidnapping, or statutory rape if he marries the victim. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri expressed his support for the measure on Twitter. The proposed reform, once officially confirmed by the committee, will next go to the full Lebanese parliament for review.

The current law allows for a second assault on a rape survivors rights in the name of honor by trapping her in a marriage with her rapist, said Rothna Begum, Middle East womens rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. Protecting honor should be about ensuring that attackers are punished and promoting social attitudes that support survivors of sexual violence instead of stigmatizing them.

The proposed repeal follows years of campaigning by Lebanese womens rights organizations. Abaad, a local womens rights group, campaigned in recent months for the repeal of article 522 with a viral video, billboards, events outside parliament, and an online petition with the hashtag #Undress522.

Parliament should also address the issue of marital rape. The parliamentary committee is still reviewing penal code articles 503-521, which address rape, acts of indecency, statutory rape, and kidnapping. Article 503 defines the crime of rape as forced sexual intercourse [against someone] who is not his wife by violence or threat.

The 2014 law on domestic violence makes threats or violence by a spouse to claim a marital right to intercourse a crime, but does not criminalize the non-consensual violation of physical integrity itself. The penalties for this are covered under articles 554-559, which provide for as little as a fine of 10,000-50,000 Lebanese pound (US$6.66-$33) or a maximum of six months in prison if the victim required 10 days maximum of rest to recover, compared with at least five years for rape under article 503.

In November 2015, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, during its review of Lebanons record under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, called on Lebanon to criminalize marital rape.

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Iran and Russia are sharing a base in war-torn Syria to help coordinate their support for President Bashar al-Assad's forces, a top security official in Tehran said Tuesday.

The official, however, also criticised a UN Security Council resolution which passed on Monday with Russian support on the Syrian city of Aleppo.

"We have a shared base in Syria where Iran, with Russia's help, does advisory work to help the Syrian army and the resistance forces," said Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, quoted by Tasnim news agency.

He said Russia and Iran worked closely together "to design the military aspect of the fight against terrorism" and also coordinated on "the use of Iran's air space".

However, Shamkhani criticised the UN resolution passed with Russia's support to deploy observers to Aleppo, saying it would allow the "intelligence and military elements of countries that support terrorism" into the devastated city.

"No role has been devised for the legitimate government of Syria, and instead of giving priority to the aid to people under siege by terrorists in Syria, only the safe evacuation of armed forces from Aleppo has been considered," he said.

The foreign and defence ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran were meeting in Moscow on Tuesday for key talks on the conflict in Syria.

Russia briefly used a base in western Iran to fly bombing sorties over Syria in August but that was halted after several days following an apparent diplomatic spat.

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Islamic State militants claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a shootout at a Crusader castle in the southern Jordanian city of Karak, in which at least nine people including a Canadian tourist were killed and scores injured.

The statement said four Islamic State fighters had undertaken the operation on Sunday that ended in their deaths. Jordanian officials have so far not said who they suspect of the attack but security sources said the perpetrators were Jordanian nationals.

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1 of 10

Most Beautiful Winter Walks of the United Kingdom



According to conservation charity the National Trust, 43million Brits are expected to head out for a stroll this Christmas. To encourage relatives to head out and enjoy a breath of fresh air, and cut down the stress levels, the Trust has unveiled its top winter strolls around the UK. Top locations on the National Trust`s list include beauty spots such as Box Hill in Surrey, Hafod y Llan in Snowdonia and the Giant`s Causeway in Ulster. More than two thirds of people hail the annual Christmas Day walk as the perfect way to spend quality time together, topping other festive activities such as watching TV or preparing Christmas dinner. Here are the most beautiful winter walks of the United Kingdom. Read More...


Despite the foggy weather there was a great attendance at the Annual Kilkenny Bridge Congress which was held in the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel.

Over 300 played in the completions on the Saturday night, providing Kilkenny with a good end of season tourist boost with many of the players requiring accommodation.

For the first time this year there was a School Pairs Competition which was organised by Margaret Murphy.

Many thanks to the businesses in Kilkenny who sponsored this Congress. The Congress was officially opened by Mr Pat Duff, President of the Contract Bridge Association of Ireland and Marion Kilbride, President of the South Midland Region.

The Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel proved an ideal location for bridge players who also found time to go shopping.

The Congress Committee is made up of: President: Marion Kilbride, Vice President: Hugh Donnelly Swift, Secretary: Anne Brennan, Assistant Secretary: Loretto ODriscoll, Treasurers : Gretta Kelly and Tish Leech, Fundraising Officer: Collette ONeill, Publicity Officer: Mary Fawsitt.

Plans are already afoot for next year's bridge congress and it is hard to see where any improvements could be made.
Question: Can I make a charity the beneficiary of my IRA? Is there a benefit to doing that rather than leaving other money to the charity in my will?

Answer: Yes, you can make a charity the beneficiary of your IRA. And if you leave other investments that are part of your estate to your heirs, they will get a nice gift from the IRS, too.

When your heirs inherit a traditional IRA, they have to pay income taxes when they withdraw the money (except for withdrawals of non-deductible contributions). See How to Minimize Taxes When You Inherit an IRA for more information about the tax rules. If the beneficiary is a charity, however, it doesnt have to pay taxes on withdrawals. (An inherited Roth IRA generally isnt taxable to anyone.)

Subscribe to Kiplingers Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplingers Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplingers expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Sign up

If you make the charity the beneficiary of a traditional IRA, you can leave your heirs money from taxable accounts instead. You can substitute a different asset for your heirs and give the charity the asset that would otherwise be taxable, says Jane Wilton, general counsel for the New York Community Trust, the community foundation for New York City. Your heirs usually avoid taxes because the tax basis for investments that arent held in an IRA or other retirement-savings account is stepped up when you die, and no taxes are due on gains from stocks or mutual funds that occurred during your lifetime.

Ask your IRA administrator about special rules for designating the nonprofit as the heir to your IRA. You dont have to give your whole IRA to charity; you can generally specify how much of the IRA youd like to leave to charity and which portion to leave to other heirs. Or you can split your IRA into two separate accounts and, for example, make your spouse the sole beneficiary of one account and leave the other account to the charity.

Let a family member or attorney know your wishes, so that the executor of your estate can let the nonprofit know that it is the beneficiary of the IRA, says Maura Cassidy, vice president of retirement products for Fidelity. It can also help to talk with the charity ahead of time about how the money will be used; you generally dont have the opportunity to include details on the IRA beneficiary forms about how youd like the charity to use the money, as you can when you make a bequest in your will, says Wilton.

With some charities and community foundations, such as the New York Community Trust, you can set up a fund while youre still alive to support the causes youd like to focus on and make that fund the beneficiary of your IRA. If they have a specific purpose in mind, we can create a fund that serves the purpose they want to carry out, says Wilton.
Malaysia raises crude palm oil export tax to 7 pct -govt



KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer after Indonesia, will raise its crude palm export tax to 7 percent in January, up from 6 percent in December, according to a circular on the Malaysian Palm Oil Board website on Tuesday. The Southeast Asian nation calculated a palm oil reference price of 3,119.48 ringgit ($696.62) per tonne for January. A price above 2,250 ringgit incurs a tax, which starts from 4.5 percent and can reach a maximum of 8.5 percent. Malaysia last month lowered December's tax to 6 percent, down from 6.5 percent in November. ($1 = 4.4780 ringgit)

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Joseph Radford)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in precious metal products, commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

kitco news
Gunmen killed four Jordanian policemen in a new shootout Tuesday in Karak, where a weekend attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) militants left 10 people dead, a security source said.

Security forces came under fire after launching a raid to track down suspects following Sunday's assault, whose victims included a Canadian tourist, the source said, adding that the operation was still ongoing.

But another senior security source quoted by the official Petra news agency said that the suspects were not linked to the "terrorist group" behind Sunday's attack.

The general security department said in a statement that police surrounded a house where the gunmen were holed up and that the suspects opened fire on them.

A Jordanian member of parliament from Karak, Haitham Ziadeen, confirmed that an operation was under way to arrest wanted gunmen.

"A shootout erupted after security forces arrived to raid a house in the Qarifla region of Karak province, where the gunmen have sought shelter," he said.

Sunday's shooting spree in Karak, home to one of the region's biggest Crusader castles, killed seven policemen and two Jordanian civilians as well as the Canadian tourist.

A total of 34 other people were wounded, including the son of the Canadian holidaymaker and another foreigner, according to authorities.

Four assailants were killed by the Jordanian security forces after an hours-long siege of the Crusader castle, where the suspects had fled after opening fire on police patrols and a police station in the city.

The IS militant group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by four "soldiers of the caliphate" who used machine-guns and hand grenades.

A statement said the Islamist militant assault targeted Jordanian "apostate" security forces and citizens of the US-led coalition battling the Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq.

IS identified the four dead militants and said the attack was revenge for the US-led coalition's air campaign targeting the Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq.

It also pledged to carry out further assaults on countries within the US-led coalition.

Jordan is part of the alliance and has carried out air strikes targeting IS. It also hosts coalition troops on its territory.

Maaz al-Kassasbeh, a Jordanian fighter pilot from Karak, was captured by the Islamist militants when his plane went down in Syria in December 2014, and he was later burned alive in a cage.

King Abdullah II denounced Sunday's shooting spree as a "cowardly terrorist attack", during a visit Tuesday to the police headquarters in Amman.

But he vowed that the assault "will not affect the security and stability of Jordan. It will reinforce its will and the criminals will not be able to undermine" the country.

The Canadian foreign ministry confirmed that one of its nationals had been killed and another injured in "the heinous attack".

"The government of Canada stands ready to assist Jordan in bringing the perpetrators of this attack to justice," a statement added.

On Monday, Jordanian police said they found suicide belts and other explosives in the hideout of the suspects behind the attack.

IS has claimed previous attacks on Jordan, including in June when a suicide bomber killed seven border guards near the Syrian frontier.

According to sources close to Islamists, almost 4,000 Jordanians have joined Islamist militant groups in Iraq and Syria, and an estimated 420 have been killed since 2011.

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HANOI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official market and indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi at 0113 GMT.

Dec 20 Dec 19 USD/VND mid-point 22,148 22,148

USD/VND interbank 22,755/22,765 22,758/22,760 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.85/36.52 35.80/36.47

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank quotes are indicative bid/ask prices.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co, the gold manufacturer.

Interbank offered rates are indicative, quoted from market sources.

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
HANOI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0412 GMT.

Dec 20 Dec 19 USD/VND mid-point 22,148 22,148 USD/VND interbank 22,760/22,765 22,758/22,760 USD/VND unofficial 23,280/23,330 23,270/23,320 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.88/36.55 35.80/36.47

Interbank offered rates Overnight 4.6-5.0 4.7-5.4

1 week 4.8-5.2 4.8-5.4

1 month 5.0-5.4 5.0-5.4

3 months 5.0-5.5 5.0-5.3

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016, the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank-rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Great Panther Silver Ltd. (TSX: GPR; NYSE MKT: GPL) announces that it has entered into an agreement with subsidiaries of Nyrstar N.V. to acquire the mothballed Coricancha gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper mine and mill complex (CMC) in Peru. The acquisition will be structured as a share purchase, with the company's wholly owned subsidiary GP Peru acquiring all of the shares of Nyrstar Coricancha S.A. Closing is expected to take place in the first quarter. We are very excited about the prospects for the Coricancha mine," says Robert Archer, president and chief executive officer of Great Panther. "We have built Great Panther by acquiring past producing mines in Mexico and successfully bringing them back into production. We now hope to replicate this success in Peru, starting with the CMC.The project has the potential for annual production of approximately 3 million silver-equivalent ounces, which would be a significant contribution to our growth. Importantly, with more than $54 million in cash, the company is fully financed to bring the mine back into production." The CMC has been on care and maintenance since August 2013, when it was closed due to falling commodity prices. The deal follows on an option agreement between Great Panther and Nyrstar from May 2015. Great Panther undertook exploration and evaluation work on the CMC in 2015 and 2016. Under the agreement, Great Panther will acquire Coricancha for a purchase price comprising $0.1 million to be paid on closing, an amount equal to cash on hand in Coricancha at completion, and an earn-out consideration of up to $10 million. Under the earn-out, Nyrstar will be paid 15% of the free cash-flow generated by the CMC during the five-year period after which the CMC is cumulative free cash-flow positive from closing.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Agnico Eagle Announces Investment In Cartier Resources

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (NYSE: AEM, TSX: AEM) says it has agreed to purchase 22.5 million common shares of Cartier Resources Inc. (TSXV: ECR) at 20 Canadian cents each for a total of C$4.5 million. After closing, Agnico Eagle will hold 19.97% of outstanding shares of Cartier. Closing of the transaction is expected to occur around Thursday. Agnico Eagle is acquiring the common shares for investment purposes, the company says.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
By Davide Barbuscia and Fatma Alarimi

DUBAI, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Oman's Electricity Holding Company (EHC) has signed an agreement for a $325 million working capital loan, the state-owned company's finance chief said on Tuesday.

The company, which holds the Omani government's stake in nine electricity firms, has raised the funds to support four of its distribution subsidiaries, Hussain Al Balushi told Reuters.

Bahrain's Bank ABC coordinated the facility, which has a one-year maturity extendable for an additional year. Gulf International Bank, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Standard Chartered were also part of the group, said Al Balushi.

The facility was divided on a pro rata basis among the four subsidiaries, said a banker close to the situation.

Dhofar Power Company raised $25 million, Muscat Electricity Company $80 million, while Majan Electricity Company and Mazoon Electricity Company raised $100 million and $120 million respectively, said the banker.

Oman has been seeking alternative sources of funding over the past years as lower oil prices eroded the state's coffers.

The government sold a $2.5 billion dual-tranche bond in June, and followed up the fundraising exercise in September with a $1.5 billion tap of the same bond. On the loan side, both the Omani government and Petroleum Development Oman, which is majority-owned by the government, raised syndicated loans this year of $1 billion and $4 billion, respectively. .

(Reporting by Davide Barbuscia, editing by Louise Heavens)
(Adds details; updates shares)

Dec 20 (Reuters) - Akebia Therapeutics Inc said it signed a co-development and marketing deal worth up to $1 billion for its experimental anemia drug with Japan's Otsuka Holdings Co Ltd .

Akebia's shares rose as much as 28 percent to a near year-high of $10.70 on Tuesday.

The deal will provide funds needed to develop vadadustat, which is being tested in late-stage trials, the company said.

Vadadustat, the most-developed drug in Akebia's pipeline, treats patients with anemia associated with chronic kidney disease.

Akebia will get $265 million in upfront payments and will be eligible for milestone payments that could raise the deal value to more than $1 billion. The companies will share the cost of selling the drug if and when it gets approved in the United States, Akebia said.

The deal comes a year after Akebia signed an agreement with another Japanese company, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp , for sales of the drug in Asia including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and India.

And the company is looking for an European partner.

"We want to find a partner in Europe who has the right experience with renal there and now we have the ability to do that in a way that we are not feeling financial pressures," Akebia's Chief Executive Officer John Butler said on a conference call with analysts.

About 30 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease, with an estimated 1.8 million of such patients suffering from anemia, Akebia said.

Vadadustat is likely to compete against Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc's already approved drug, which the company is looking to expand to treat iron deficiency anemia in chronic kidney disease in patients not requiring dialysis. The drug, Auryxia, was approved in 2014 in the United States to treat abnormally high phosphate level in the blood of end-stage renal disease patients.

Akebia is also testing an experimental compound, AKB-6899, in early-stage studies for potential use in oncology and ophthalmology.

The company's shares pared some gains in afternoon trading and were up 22.7 percent at $10.25. The stock had lost more than a third of its value this year through Monday's close.

(Reporting by Vidya L Nathan and Divya Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr and Sriraj Kalluvila)
(adds background and details)

MILAN, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Italy's Monte dei Paschi di Siena has raised around 500 million euros as of Tuesday in a voluntary debt-to-equity offer that is a key part of a last-ditch attempt to raise 5 billion euros ($5.2 billion) and avert state intervention, a source close to the matter said.

The troubled bank, recently judged the weakest of the European Union's major banks, must raise the money by the end of this month as part of a rescue plan that also includes the sale of 28 billion euros in bad loans.

Finding investors has proved difficult amid political turmoil triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi following his defeat in a constitutional referendum on Dec. 4, and a state bailout looks likely.

A failure of the world's oldest bank would threaten the savings of thousands of Italians and could have repercussions on the country's banking sector, saddled with a third of the euro zone's total bad loans.

Italy's third biggest bank reopened the debt swap offer on Friday to include retail investors owning 2.1 billion euros of the bank's junior debt and holders of a hybrid financial instrument known as Fresh 2008. The new swap offer, which the bank estimates could raise 1.8 billion euros including 1 billion euros already tendered by institutional investors in a first phase, ends on Wednesday.

The bank is also selling shares in a placement that ends on Thursday and that should raise 3.2 billion euros to be successful.

The bank had pinned its hopes on Qatar's sovereign wealth fund putting in 1 billion euros in the cash call, but sources have said the fund has not decided yet whether to invest.

If Monte dei Paschi fails to pull off its own privately-funded rescue, a government bailout could come as early as this week after Rome decided to seek parliamentary approval to borrow 20 billion euros to prop up the Tuscan bank and other ailing lenders. ($1 = 0.9621 euros)

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, editing by Silvia Aloisi and Adrian Croft)
LONDON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Angolan state oil company Sonangol on Tuesday offered several cargoes for February loading at firm levels, while the full set of Nigerian programmes had yet to emerge.

ANGOLA

* Sonangol offered the following cargoes, relative to dated Brent, traders said. Cabinda Feb. 16-17 0.20 cents Dalia Feb. 28-01 -$1.00 Girassol Feb. 18-19 0.30 cents Nemba Feb. 17-18 -0.40 cents Palanca Feb. 7-8 +$1.10 Saxi Feb. 16-17 parity Saturno Feb. 20-21 -$1.50

* The Cabinda and Girassol offers were higher than the last Reuters price assessments of those grades. It was not clear how the offers compared to asking prices for January cargoes as Sonangol allocated all of its January barrels to term buyers, making price levels were less visible.

* Exxon was offering two February cargoes - Dalia at dated minus $1.20 and Pazflor at dated minus $1.10, a trader said.

* Angola is set to export 46.2 million barrels on 48 cargoes in February, compared to 52 cargoes in January. The barrel-per-day figure is higher due to the shorter month in February. NIGERIA

* Nigerian differentials remained under pressure from ample supply. Around 30 January-loading cargoes are still available even as the February programmes have started to emerge.

* The Qua Iboe programme for February has still not been issued, a trader said, although some traders may have been allocated cargoes.

* Qua was last on offer at dated Brent plus $1.20, although a trader said the value was below dated plus $1.00 given ample supplies.

* The reason for a drop in Bonga loadings in February appears to be planned maintenance at the oilfields, a trader said. TENDERS

* Turkey's Tupras is running a tender to buy West African crude, mostly Nigerian grades. The tender is for cargoes delivered on Feb. 1-10.

* Indian refiner BPCL is running a tender to buy crude loading Jan. 26 to Feb. 5, including Agbami, Akpo, Yoho, Brass River and Qua Iboe. It closes on Dec. 22.

(Reporting by Alex Lawler; Editing by Susan Thomas)
A very interesting profile and partial interview by Bevan Hurley on Mark Taylor. Some extracts:

Despite all of the derision he copped over the years, Mark John Taylor hated being mocked. He couldnt stand being referred to as the bumbling jihadi, and would complain about being mercilessly teased by Stuff commenters.

Oh dear. Poor petal.

During his first few months Taylor tells me in Facebook messages that he is committed to waging jihad and will die a martyr. He spouts against the NZ Security Intelligence Service (What does NZSIS stand for? Nonsense Zionist Staff internet stalking) and makes anti-semitic jokes about John Keys parentage. What a surprise  he is a racist. I email back: Can you tell me a bit about how youre getting on over there? Everyone here in New Zealand is keen to know more about your life over there. Taylor responds: 5 requests as follows: 1. I only talk in person, not online. 2. You need to get a letter of protection from the lslamic State officials. Example: The German Writer was able to come here. 3. I require a fee of no less then 500,000USD about my story here 4. All confidential information remains confidential or classified. 5. I check the final editing and make the final decision on the story.

Totally delusional.

Taylor was getting grief in the comments section of the Stuff story about his exploits teaching with puppets: and he wasnt happy. Example: Good ole New Zilind. Every other western country is dealing with the problem of their own hardcore extremists going over to IS, and we give them Frank Spencer.

Frank Spencer  what a great comparison. Well done that commenter.

Remember if you make any more stories about me or your work coworkers from Fairfax. It wont be 5 million dollars US, itll be 20 million dollars US I be wanting ! Remove all the articles about me. That includes all other articles written by Stuff.co.nz in the past 7 years. And I forget this email, but if you dont do it, I see you in a Court of Law in New Zealand with your Fairfax CEO and your lawyers INC!

Hes almost a parody of himself.

Paul Buchanan, of 36th Parallel Assessments, is in no doubt that Taylor was a naive stooge. If his time isnt up already, the end is nigh. He might try to reach out to western intelligence agencies and try to secure safe passage. But I doubt that because he seems rather thick.

An astute analysis!

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The Herald reports:

From Hawaii to Dipton  the new Prime Minister is quickly proving to be from a different mould than the man he succeeded.

Bill English has only been Prime Minister for a few days, but as parliament breaks up for Christmas and the new year he is already making plans for a summer holiday.

But unlike his mate John Key the destination is not a tropical paradise in the Pacific  although Southlanders might disagree.

Our new leader will spend Christmas with wife Mary and their extended family at their home in Wellington, before heading down south to the family farm in Dipton.
German police said Tuesday they were treating as "a probable terrorist attack" the killing of 12 people when a lorry ploughed through a packed Berlin Christmas market.

Dozens more were wounded Monday when the truck tore through the crowd, smashing through wooden stalls and crushing victims, in scenes reminiscent of July's deadly attack in the French Riviera city of Nice.

Police detained the man believed to have deliberately crashed the heavy vehicle loaded with steel beams into the festive market in a area popular with tourists near the capital's iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

The man behind the wheel was an asylum seeker believed to be from Afghanistan or Pakistan who arrived in Germany in February, according to security sources cited by DPA news agency.

A Polish man, thought to have been the truck's registered driver, was found dead on the passenger seat, and police said he had not steered the vehicle.

Twelve people were killed and 48 others injured as the lorry tore through the market for as far as 80 metres (yards) in the incident which came less than a week before Christmas.

"I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet, although there are many things pointing to one," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere hours later.

Berlin police early Tuesday said they presumed the lorry was "intentionally steered" into the crowd and called the bloody carnage a "probable terrorist attack".

One of the survivors, Australian Trisha O'Neill, said she was only metres from "this huge black truck speeding through the markets crushing so many people".

"I could hear screaming and then we all froze. Then suddenly people started to move and lift all the wreckage off people, trying to help whoever was there," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

O'Neill said there was "blood and bodies everywhere".

Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted quickly, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting: "We mourn the dead and hope that the many people injured can be helped."

A German police spokeswoman told AFP that a man who was apparently driving the truck had been detained while the passenger was dead.

The daily Tagesspiegel said the man behind the wheel was known to police but for minor crimes, not links to terrorism.

Police later identified the passenger as a Polish national, while the Polish owner of the lorry confirmed his driver was missing.

"We haven't heard from him since this afternoon. We don't know what happened to him," transport company owner Ariel Zurawski told AFP on Monday evening.

"He's my cousin, I've known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him."

Lukasz Wasik of the same company said contact was lost with the 37-year-old at around 3 pm (1400 GMT).

Traditional Christmas markets are popular in cities and towns throughout Germany and have frequently been mentioned by security services as potentially vulnerable to attacks.

"It's awful. We were in Berlin for Christmas," said American tourist Kathy Forbes. "We also thought it would be safer than Paris."

The crash happened at a square at the end of the Kurfuerstendamm boulevard in the shadow of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church whose damage in a World War II bombing raid has been preserved as a reminder of the horrors of war for future generations.

Europe has been on high alert for most of 2016, with terror attacks striking Paris and Brussels, while Germany has been hit by several assaults claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by asylum-seekers.

An axe rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria in July wounded five people, and a suicide bombing left 15 people injured in the same state six days later.

In another case, a 16-year-old German-Moroccan girl in February stabbed a police officer in the neck with a kitchen knife, wounding him badly, allegedly on IS orders.

The arrival of 890,000 refugees last year has polarised Germany, with critics calling the influx a serious security threat.

The attack in Berlin comes five months after Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel ploughed a truck into a crowd on the Nice seafront, killing 86 people.

In response to the suspected attack in Berlin, France beefed up security at its own Christmas markets.

"The French share in the mourning of the Germans in the face of this tragedy that has hit all of Europe," President Francois Hollande said.

The Nice bloodshed -- as people were watching a fireworks display on the Bastille Day holiday on July 14 -- further traumatised a France already reeling from a series of Islamist militants attacks.

The United States labelled Monday's incident an apparent "terrorist attack" and pledged its support.

President-elect Donald Trump blamed "Islamist terrorists" for a "slaughter" of Christians in the German capital.

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President Barack Obama has called German Chancellor Angela Merkel to offer assistance and condolences following a deadly attack on a Berlin Christmas market.

"The President offered his condolences, and those of the American people, for the horrific apparent terrorist attack," the White House said following the call late Monday.

"The President reiterated the US offer of assistance and underscored that no attack could sway our determination -- and that of our German allies -- to defeat terrorism in all of its forms."

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Security was beefed up at Christmas markets across Europe after a lorry ploughed through a market in Berlin killing 12 people and heightening security fears at the onset of the holiday season.

The carnage in the German capital had particular resonance in France, which has borne the brunt of terror attacks in Europe for the past two years.

The witness accounts of a truck barrelling through a crowd of revellers immediately brought to mind the scenes in the Riviera city of Nice in July, where an Islamist used a lorry to mow down 86 people during Bastille Day celebrations.

President Francois Hollande said France was under a "high level of threat" following the events in Berlin but pointed out that the country already has a large-scale security operation in place.

"We have a high level of threat and we also have a particularly high level of mobilisation and vigilance," Hollande said.

France's best-known Christmas market in the picturesque eastern city of Strasbourg has been a particular concern for security forces for years, with at least two Islamist militant cells in the city being broken up in the past few years.

Bruno Le Roux, France's recently appointed interior minister, visited the market on Tuesday and told Europe 1 radio that authorities "will ensure the security of our territory and citizens".

In Strasbourg, even before the Berlin attack, security was tight. Police man barricades at the various entry points to the main island of the city, where the market is located. While the officers check bags, private security guards mingle with the crowd to keep watch.

In Paris, the large Christmas market extending along the renowned Champs-Elysees avenue was the target for a gang of six suspected Islamist militants arrested in November, according to prosecutors.

In the wake of the Berlin attack, officials on Tuesday added more concrete blast blocks at pedestrian entrances to the market, which is sealed off on the traffic side by metal barricades.

Ivan Pallen, a 27-year-old marketing student from Mauritius who was enjoying the festive stalls selling sweets and mulled wine, said the level of security was a hard balance to strike.

"You don't see many police but perhaps they are in plain clothes," he told AFP. "At the same time, you don't want to see soldiers carrying weapons stationed every two metres along a Christmas market."

In Austria, a traditional home of the Christmas market, authorities said security would be stepped up around such sites.

Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka urged people not to change their Christmas routines, but to be alert to anything unusual.

"I ask everyone to continue to go to markets or big events, albeit while exercising the greatest caution," he said.

In Britain, the central English city of Birmingham erected concrete blocks earlier this month around what it bills as the "largest authentic German Christmas market outside Germany or Austria".

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs' Council said that despite the Berlin attack, the threat to Britain remained unchanged at severe, meaning an attack was "highly likely".

Authorities in Poland, where the truck used in the Berlin rampage began its journey before being apparently hijacked, said they would lay on more police patrols around sensitive sites such as stations and shopping centres.

Belgium, where many of the plots in Europe have originated, left its alert level at "possible or likely" attack.

In Switzerland's main Christmas market in Basle, police said entrances would henceforth be blocked by barriers or police vehicles.

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By Nam Hyun-woo



Visa and domestic credit card issuers are in conflict over commissions, with disagreements deepening in the wake of the card firms taking the issue to the fair trade watchdog here.



Eight domestic credit card issuers -- KB Kookmin, Samsung, Hyundai, Shinhan, BC, Woori, Hana and Lotte Cards -- said Tuesday that they have filed petitions with the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC).



They have been at odds with Visa for more than six months after the global payment network company decided in May to raise user fees for overseas payment settlements of cards from Korean firms using the Visa network.



The decision, which initially was to take effect in October, also included other types of fee increases that will cost domestic card firms.



Visa plans to raise the fees to 1.1 percent from 1 percent of card purchases.



The card firms strongly opposed the fee hike plan, sending a series of letters complaining about the "unilateral" decision and threatened to take legal action against Visa. Also, consumer groups issued statements denouncing Visa's move and took actions such as boycotts.



In the face of strong opposition, Visa postponed the overseas settlement fee hike to January next year, but card firms are calling for the withdrawal of the decision. The firms had planned to shoulder the raised fees themselves in a belief that the hike is problematic and they cannot burden customers.



They say Visa has been unfairly abusing its monopolistic status in the market.



The KFTC said it will look into the case with a two-way approach. First, it will check on whether Visa's move is a violation of Article 3 of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act, which prohibits abuse of a market-dominating position.



"The law regards an enterprise whose market share accounts for more than 50 percent as a dominant player in the market," said an official at the KFTC. "Should Visa raise commissions significantly, it can constitute a breach of the act."



Secondly, the KFTC will use Article 23 of the act which prohibits unfair trade practices. In the terms of the article, an enterprise should not trade under conditions which unfairly restrict business activities or disrupt business activities of a counterpart.



Should the KFTC find domestic card firms cannot operate without using Visa's network, it will regard Visa as being in a superior position in its terms with domestic card firms. A fee hike under such conditions can be regarded as a disadvantage for the card firms.



"If we find out a company is involved in unfair practices, we order fixes, impose fines or refer it to the prosecution," the official said.



He said that the watchdog is currently reviewing Visa's case, but expects slapping sanctions against Visa to be difficult as it is an overseas enterprise.



Lee Hyo-chan, a researcher at the Credit Finance Research Institute, also said the key point of the conflict is whether Visa has a monopolistic status.



"Though Visa and Master Card are neck and neck in the number of affiliated stores, Visa accounts for some 50 percent of the market in terms of settlement amount," Lee said.



When controversy stirred, domestic firms claimed that it is unfair that Korea is the only Northeast Asian country where Visa seeks to raise fees. Though Visa said all countries in the region will have fee hikes, Lee pointed out that the company is not obliged to disclose by how much they will raise fees in other countries.



A Visa official said: "Though the fee hike plan in Korea was disclosed, details of fees in other countries are confidential between Visa and issuers."






The way people express their ideas is changing

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The public fury-driven campaign to impeach President Park Geun-hye signals direct democracy is back.

There was a similar grassroots-driven movement in the mid-1980s when the nation endured political turmoil following a military coup. Student protestors clashed with the police, leading to violence.

The current candlelit rallies have taken a different path from past uprisings.

Rallies today are inclusive, festive and even enjoyable. Those who participate vary from kindergarteners to senior citizens. Some bring their dogs to the Saturday protests. There is no tear gas or violence and there's no such thing as a dominant group in the protests.

The way people make their voice heard has been changing over the past three decades.

In the past, students and unionists gathered in downtown Seoul and other major cities all across the nation to protest the repressive regime with radical slogans or mottos, such as, "Terminate the Military Dictatorship," or "Fight to the Death." Some activists in the 1980s chose self-immolation as a way to make their voice heard.

But such radical acts or slogans have disappeared in the candlelit rallies. Political satire making fun of President Park and her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil has replaced strong-worded slogans.

There has been a change in the role of politicians as well.

Politicians have become followers, not leaders, as candlelit protesters spearheaded the weeks-long drama to oust the sitting President.

Amid simmering public anger, politicians  who are supposed to represent them in the National Assembly  played a waiting game after the Choi scandal. They remained indecisive for fear of a possible backlash from the public.

In 2004, the Grand National Party (rebranded in 2012 as the Saenuri Party) spearheaded a motion to impeach then-President Roh Moo-hyun, alleging he violated the Constitution by impeding political neutrality.

The motion was overturned by the Constitutional Court and the party suffered a severe backlash.

In the face of mounting calls to take a leading role in the motion to impeach President Park, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) flashed back to the backlash and its members were determined to play a waiting game to see which way public opinion went.

As DPK vice spokesman Yoon Kwan-seok said Dec. 9, the passage of the motion to impeach the President indicates a victory for citizens. "We faithfully followed what the candlelit protesters ordered us to do in the Assembly," he said.

Kim Young-hwan, a head researcher of the Seoul-based nonprofit group Network for North Korean Democracy and Human Rights, said collective action led by angry citizens sowed the seeds for change.

"It's fair to say politicians simply followed what angry citizens directed them to do and they were inspired to move the impeachment motion forward to stop President Park from overseeing state affairs," he said.

Some call the politicians "free riders" and said they rode, not initiated, the wave of popular protests urging President Park to step down.

"What we've seen in the candlelit protests in the wake of the Choi scandal is that lawmakers have not faithfully carried out their job to represent their constituencies in politics," said Yoon Jong-bin, a political science professor at Myongji University in Seoul.







Sick and tired of those politicians, the political scientist said the angry citizens took collective action to make their voice heard.

Yoon, however, said the massive bottom-up protests didn't mean direct democracy would replace the current representative democratic system.

"It's true that candlelit protesters prompted lawmakers to act on the impeachment motion," he said. "But the impeachment proceedings wouldn't have started if lawmakers didn't vote for the motion to impeach the sitting president. There's still a role that lawmakers play to make things happen."

Collective action has transformed over the past three decades.

The popular uprising in the 1980s was well organized and systematic and there were leaders who mobilized students and citizens to join hands for the rallies calling for democracy. Leaders also planned the rallies and set the agendas for the rallies.

In today's candlelit rallies, there's no hierarchy among protesters as there are no leaders or followers.

Kim, once a prominent student activist in the 1980s, said freedom and democracy seem to be two key factors that have changed collective action into something peaceful and festive.

"In the 1980s, protesters had to brace for various disadvantages to join the anti-government rallies because the government was pretty repressive," he said. "Rally organizers were arrested, some were put into jail and some were tortured. But now when democracy is in place, there are no such risks protesters have to face for their involvement in the protests."

The presence or absence of charismatic leaders who steered public opinion in favor of those rallies is another striking difference between the rallies in the 1980s and the candlelit protests.

Compared to the 1980s, Professor Yoon said the presence of charismatic politicians is harder under the current political landscape.

"In the past, an East-West election divide was evident in politics," he said. There were striking differences in voting behavior between people living in the eastern and western provinces of the country. Eastern residents were considered conservative voters while voters in the western part of the country were more progressive.

Yoon said a divided nation makes it easier for politicians to capitalize on regional rivalries to rise to stardom.

"But the political circumstances have since become diversified and complicated. Under such a situation, it's harder for any politician to dominate politics."

Grassroots rallies are nothing new in Korean history. There have been several milestone pro-democracy protests, such as the April Revolution in 1960, and the Gwangju Uprising shortly after the military coup in 1980 which changed Korean politics. In the past, certain groups of people were active in anti-government demonstrations. Students and unionists were the two most vocal groups who took to the street.
"Beautiful Woman" by the late artist Chun Kyung-ja / Korea Times file photo







Artist Chun Kyung-ja

By Kwon Mee-yoo

The prosecution declared the late artist Chun Kyung-ja's "Beautiful Woman" is genuine, but the largest forgery scandal in Korean art history is not likely to end soon as the family of the deceased strongly opposes the investigation result.

The defense counsel for Chun's family released a statement rebutting the prosecution's claims.

The counsel said the provenance of the painting says it was owned by Kim Jae-gyu, the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) who assassinated President Park Chung-hee in 1979, but it does not prove "Beautiful Woman" is authentic.

The attorney said Chun said she gave a painting to a KCIA executive, but it was smaller than "Beautiful Woman." "Many pieces in Kim Jae-gyu's antique and art collection turned out to be fake, so being owned by Kim is not evidence of a genuine painting," the counsel said in a statement.

The painting in question was mounted by Dongsanbang, Chun's exclusive mounter, but the counsel claimed that a forger might have brought the painting to mount, not the artist.

The defense counsel also reacted against the prosecution ignoring the result of scientific inspection by French company Lumiere Technology.

The family requested assessment of the painting by the Paris-based multispectral high definition digitization system for Fine Arts and the company announced last month that there is only a 0.0002 percent possibility of "Beautiful Woman" being painted by Chun.

Bae Geum-ja, a member of the joint counsel, said the prosecution completely ignored state-of-the-art scientific analysis and the wavelet analysis conducted by the prosecution is a lower level method compared to Lumiere Technology's method.

"The prosecution said they applied Lumiere Technology's calculation method to a genuine Chun artwork and it returned a 4 percent possibility, lowering confidence of the technology. However, the French appraisal team did not provide the formula nor equipment to the prosecution and we wonder where the prosecution came up with those numbers," Bae said.
A former floor leader of the ruling Saenuri Party said Tuesday the political breakup will take some time as the ultimate goal of such a move is to strive for a "balanced conservatism" in the country and not independence itself.



"There's no need to leave the party, if Saenuri strives to become a true conservative party," said Rep. Yoo Seong-min, a leading member of Saenuri's dissenter group that has been at odds with President Park Geun-hye and her loyalists. On Monday, the dissenters group proposed that Yoo should head its emergency committee and warned they would leave if the proposal is not accepted by those loyal to the president.



Saenuri has been suffering from the factional feud amid Park's alleged corruption scandal, which led to her impeachment earlier this month.



While the dissenters group says Saenuri should seek a full reshuffle to regain the public's trust, Park loyalists have countered that now is not the time to engage in infighting and said those that disagree should leave.



"If our main goal was just to leave, we can always find excuses. But that's not our goal," Yoo said.



Yoo served as the party's floor leader in 2015 and was forced to step down over disagreements with the president.



Political pundits said the dissenters group will also need time to win the support of more lawmakers, as South Korean parties must secure at least 20 lawmakers to establish a negotiation body at the National Assembly.



Yoo said he is also open to staying in the party and reforming it.



"But if Park loyalists, including new floor leader Chung Woo-taik, only chase their political interests and remain reluctant to reform, there will be no hope," Yoo said.



Chung, a Park loyalist, was elected as the new whip through an in-house vote, which came as a disappointment for impeachment supporters. His predecessor Chung Jin-suk, who is viewed as neutral, stepped down in response to the passage of the impeachment. (Yonhap)




Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara's ruling coalition won 65.75 percent of the vote in weekend polls, strengthening its hold in parliament as the world's top cocoa producer seeks to remain in the economic fast lane.

The presidential coalition -- named the Houphouetist Rally for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) in tribute to the country's founding president -- won 167 seats in the 254-seat National Assembly, results showed on Tuesday.

Provisional results released by the authorities put turnout at 34 percent, said the head of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) Issouf Bakayoko.

The ruling coalition was seeking an absolute majority in the face of numerous dissidents and opposition candidates in the country, which was rocked by deadly unrest after the 2010 presidential election that saw Ouattara oust then leader Laurent Gbagbo.

Gbagbo refused to accept defeat, sparking conflict that claimed 3,000 lives before Gbagbo was arrested in April 2011.

He is being tried by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. His wife Simone Gbagbo is on trial in Abidjan on similar charges over the post-2010 election violence.

Ivory Coast was long the star economic performer in the region until hitting years of political strife but is now back on the rails.

The International Monetary Fund has said the west African state will be the continent's fastest-growing economy this year.

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Children wearing masks wait for treatment at the Sowha Children's Hospital, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in this photo taken on Dec. 13. According to the health authority, the number of seasonal flu patients aged between seven and 18 has reached its highest in 20 years. / Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a, Park Si-soo



The worst seasonal flu outbreak in two decades is raging across the country, leaving many people coughing and sneezing and hospitals and drug stores bursting with patients seeking medication.

Health authorities have suggested schools take an early winter vacation to stop the disease spreading among children, the most vulnerable age group.

Authorities said Tuesday the number of young flu patients was a record high since the government established the flu monitoring system in 1997.

About 152 out of 1,000 children aged from seven to 18 had the flu as of last week, breaking the previous record of 115 of 1,000 set in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).

"This time, the flu has an unusual pattern of spreading," CDCP director Jung Ki-suck said. "For the past six years, we have issued a flu warning during the vacation period. But this year, the virus started raging before the vacation season. This is considered the biggest culprit behind the quick and extensive spread of the virus among young students."

The center said the disease is influenza A virus subtype H3N2, which rarely develops complications, such as pneumonia, if patients receive proper treatment.

"We recommend people such as children and pregnant women get a flu vaccination as soon as possible," Jung said. "Teenagers should also receive vaccination shots."

The center on Tuesday suggested schools start the winter vacation earlier than scheduled and immediately stop students attending school.



It will also allow the national health insurance to cover 70 percent of the cost of antiviral medication Tamiflu for teenagers from Wednesday until the influenza virus warning ends. So far, coverage has been offered to pregnant women, infants, children nine years or under, people 65 years or over and high-risk patients.
The NHIS headquarters in Wonju, Gangwon Province. / Yonhap



By Lee Han-soo

The scandal-tainted National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has been selected as the most transparent state body for two consecutive years, sparking questions over the evaluation system of the nation's largest anti-corruption watchdog.

NHIS officials have been embroiled in bribery scandals in recent months and the organization is now under investigation for an alleged bid-rigging scandal. By coincidence, the NHIS's head office in Wonju, Gangwon Province, was raided by prosecutors over the scandal on Dec. 7, the day the NHIS received the prize for "most transparent state body" from the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission (ACRC).

"It doesn't make sense," an anti-corruption activist said. "It's like the ACRC is spitting on its own face. With damning allegations against the NHIS abundant, who would consider the award valuable and creditable?"

The NHIS admitted that its officials were involved in the scandals. But the organization said it still deserves the award, saying critics should not make a mistake of undercutting the value of a building with small cracks at one corner.

"The NHIS is a big organization with more than 13,000 employees," a NHIS spokesman said. "Although some unfortunate events have occurred, it's not a huge number overall."

The NHIS is now under investigation for allegedly facilitating bidding for certain companies in a construction deal worth 740 million won ($621,118) for a studio broadcast center in the Wonju innovative city earlier this year.

In October, a NHIS employee was arrested for allegedly receiving a bribe of about 230 million won from companies that supply products to the organization. The prosecution is investigating, believing more people are involved in what it described as a "chain of corruption."

Another NHIS employee was arrested in October for allegedly receiving 20 million won for allegedly promising to put a stop to a Ministry of Health and Welfare inspection of an illegal healthcare center.
The gate to Uchi Zoo in Gwangju is closed, Tuesday, and a banner on it announces the zoo will be temporarily closed as a precaution against the spread of bird flu and will reopen when the virus is completely gone. / Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho

The outbreak of avian flu is threatening hundreds of bird species native to Korea and endangered birds at major zoos.

Seoul Grand Park, which is the largest zoo in Korea, said Monday that it has culled eight mandarin ducks as a preemptive measure since it detected the H5N6 virus in five of them and in two dead storks Friday.

Mandarin ducks and storks are two of the 15 birds designated as part of Korea's natural heritage living at the zoo, which also has 48 species of 407 endangered birds.

With the outbreak showing no signs of fading, the zoo is now concerned that the lethal virus may affect the rest of the special birds, including owls, white-naped cranes, white-tailed sea eagles and kestrels.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), which runs the park, said it is still trying to find out how the virus ended up in the zoo. Droppings from all 1,200 birds there are now under examination at the National Institute of Environmental Research.












Foreign ministry summons Park for investigation

By Jun Ji-hye

A screengrab from a Chilean TV program showing South Korean diplomat Park Jeong-hak attempting to kiss an actress disguised as a teenage girl.

A South Korean diplomat in Chile accused of sexually assaulting teenage girls was summoned home, Tuesday, to face questioning by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to diplomatic sources.

"The diplomat returned home early this morning in accordance with the ministry's summons," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The diplomat, named Park Jeong-hak, was in charge of promoting K-pop at the Korean Embassy to Chile. He was accused of making improper physical contact with a 14-year-old Chilean girl in September while teaching Korean.

Park's inappropriate actions were made public after a Chilean broadcaster aired, Sunday (local time), film of him sexually abusing an actress disguised as a teenage girl captured by a hidden camera. The broadcaster planned the program, in which it had the actress deliberately lure him, after receiving a tip-off from the parents of a victim.

After the airing of the program called "En Su Propia Trampa" (In Your Own Trap), which sparked public fury in the Latin American country, Yoon Seo-ho, a Korean immigrant who has lived in Chile for 12 years, told a CBS radio program, Tuesday, that the diplomat had been notorious for his sexual offenses even before the program was aired.












By Jun Ji-hye



Former presidential secretary for civil affairs Woo Byung-woo and Army nurse Capt. Cho Yeo-ok, key witnesses in the corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye, will attend the National Assembly's fifth hearing, Thursday.



The hearings are part of the Assembly's ongoing investigation into the high-profile scandal, which is being conducted separately from a probe by an independent counsel.



Lawmakers said they will make every effort to unearth the truth behind the corruption and influence-peddling scandal as well as the mystery of Park's seven missing hours while the Sewol ferry was sinking on April 16, 2014, apparently mindful of the skepticism that the previous hearings have fallen short of getting any concrete answers from witnesses.



Woo faces allegations that he was aware of wrongdoings committed by Choi Soon-sil, the close friend of the impeached President, but had done nothing as senior secretary.



As a former prosecutor, Woo himself is also believed to have exerted major influence over the nation's judicial system. One allegation is of him having exerted influence on the investigation team of the Sewol ferry disaster, for example, by pressuring investigators not to look into the computer server of the maritime police.



The tragic maritime disaster killed 304 passengers, mostly high school students on a school trip to Jeju Island. The government has been criticized for its bungled rescue operations, while it is still unclear what Park was doing for seven hours during the sinking of the ferry.



Owing to the lack of an explanation about why the President appeared at the emergency measures headquarters seven hours after the tragic incident began, rumors have abounded that she might have been receiving a Botox wrinkle treatment or other cosmetic procedures.



Capt. Cho worked at the presidential office at the time of the disaster. Lawmakers believe she might know what Park was doing for the seven hours.



Cho, who is currently taking a course at a U.S. Army hospital in Texas, returned home Monday, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said.



"She will appear before the Assembly Thursday," Moon said.



Other witnesses who have been asked by the Assembly to appear before the hearings include Choi, her daughter Chung Yoo-ra and her sister Choi Soon-deuk.



Park's three closest aides  Jeong Ho-seong, Lee Jae-man and Ahn Bong-geun  were also asked to appear. They have been working for Park for nearly two decades.



Former presidential secretary An Chong-bum, who allegedly forced local conglomerates to donate money to the dubious foundations run by Choi Soon-sil upon the order from the President, was also included in a list of witnesses.



Among them, Choi, Jeong and An are currently in custody. Lawmakers say they are even planning to visit the detention center to question them in case the three refuse to appear before the Assembly under the guard of prosecutors.



Observers are also concerned if in the fifth round of hearings, the truth behind the "testimony conspiracy" in which the two pro-Park lawmakers have allegedly colluded with several witnesses involved in the scandal in providing false answers at the hearings, will be revealed.




Ruling Saenuri Party floor leader Rep. Chung Woo-taik, left, whispers to Yi Wan-young, one of two lawmakers facing allegations they pressured witnesses to commit perjury last week, during a break in a National Assembly session, Tuesday, The witnesses were called to give testimony at the Assembly hearings into the corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. Chung and Yi are Park loyalists. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

The opposition parties called on the independent counsel to investigate two ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers over allegations that they ordered witnesses to commit perjury at a National Assembly hearing last week.

The opposition also demanded that the ruling party remove the two lawmakers from the special parliamentary committee looking into the corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidant Choi Soon-sil.

According to news reports, Reps. Yi Wan-young and Lee Man-hee, who are President Park loyalists, exerted pressure on key witnesses to deliver false testimony at a hearing, held Thursday, in order to change the unfavorable situation toward the impeached President.

"We are urging the independent counsel to probe the allegations thoroughly," said Rep. Park Wan-joo, the deputy floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), demanding that the Saenuri Party take stern action against the lawmakers.

"We may see members of the fact-finding panel unprecedentedly becoming witnesses."

Rep. Kim Han-jung, another DPK lawmaker, said it was unacceptable for those who committed crimes to be members of the parliamentary committee and attempt to cover up the truth.

"The independent counsel should investigate the political maneuvering and the subornation of perjury," he said.

Minor opposition Justice Party Chairwoman Sim Sang-jeung said, "If the allegations turn out to be true, they must face questioning by the independent counsel, while being referred to the National Assembly Ethics Committee."

The second-largest opposition People's Party also issued a statement urging the independent probe team to investigate the accusations.

The National Assembly plans to hold another hearing, Thursday, and a large number of witnesses, including Woo Byung-woo, Park's former senior secretary for civil affairs, and Cho Yeo-ok, an army nurse believed to have crucial information about President Park's whereabouts during the sinking of the Sewol ferry on April 16, 2014, are expected to attend.

"If the lawmakers, suspected of commissioning perjury, question witnesses at a hearing, the people may doubt the credibility of their questions and answers. It is a matter of trust," DPK floor leader Woo Sang-ho said, requesting their replacement.

People's Party floor leader Park Jie-won echoed Woo's view.

"The Saenuri lParty awmakers told witnesses to lie about key evidence at a hearing. If it is clearly confirmed, they should be replaced to secure the integrity of hearings," Park said.

However, the two lawmakers have refused to step down, denying the allegations.
By Kang Seung-woo

The acting president, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, answers a question during a session at the National Assembly, Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, now serving as acting president, said Tuesday the government is seeking measures to effectively handle growing uncertainties arising from the inauguration of the new administration in the U.S.

"There are concerns about possible renegotiations of the ROK-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) and the defense costs of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) under the Donald Trump administration," said Hwang in a parliamentary interpellation session.

"Regarding the two issues, the government is bracing for all possibilities and seeking ways to settle them through various diplomatic channels."

Hwang, who took over after President Park Geun-hye was impeached on Dec. 9, attended the parliamentary session in a move to defuse growing tensions with the opposition parties over his leadership role after reversing an earlier position.

Hwang's remarks came after the U.S. president-elect strongly criticized his country's trade pact with Korea and Seoul's "free-ride on the U.S. defense budget" on the campaign trail, vowing to renegotiate the deals if he was elected president.

"As far as I know, government officials contacted the Trump side more than 100 times during his election campaign and since then, we have cooperated with them," Hwang said.

"President Park spoke with Trump on the phone right after the latter's election and they agreed to maintain the solid ROK-U.S. alliance. Through consultation between government and non-government sides, the government will make efforts to keep bilateral relations intact."

Hwang added that the government plans to appeal to the Trump camp emphasizing the trade deal has played a key role in setting the foundation for bilateral economic cooperation.

Hwang has actively engaged in a series of state affairs ranging from economic policy to public safety to national defense, but the opposition parties are trying to tame the increasingly assertive acting president, claiming his role should be kept to a minimum.

However, Hwang told the Assembly that he cannot help making appointments for some government positions to prevent a leadership crisis.

"The political situation the nation faces now is raising concerns over an administrative vacuum. So I believe that I need to fill the posts that become or will become vacant soon to stem the fallout from the political turmoil," he said.

Since he has taken the role as acting head of state, he is emerging as a presidential candidate among conservative voters. In addition, other than U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has not expressed his presidential ambitions, there is no competitive candidate from the conservative side.

As a result, some lawmakers, who are loyal to President Park, are considering pitching Hwang as their candidate.

However, Hwang said he has no plan to run for the presidency in next year's election.
A South Korean diplomat accused of sexually harassing two teenage girls in Chile returned home Tuesday to face investigation by the foreign ministry, a diplomatic source said.

The embassy official in charge of cultural affairs was accused of making improper physical contact with a 14-year-old Chilean girl in September while teaching Korean.

A Chilean broadcaster also aired on Sunday (local time) the scene of his sexual abuse of another female teen captured by a hidden camera early this month, sparking public fury in the Latin American country.

"The diplomat is known to have returned home early in the morning in accordance with our summons," the source said on condition of anonymity.

The foreign ministry plans to conduct an investigation immediately. The ministry earlier said that it will deal with the case with "no tolerance" with plans to push for a disciplinary measure and criminal charges.












South Korea denounced Tuesday the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, vowing to join international cooperation to fight violence against diplomats.

"Our government strongly condemns the shooting attack on the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, which took place Monday in Ankara," foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said in a press briefing.

"(Seoul) vehemently denounces any kinds of violent acts inflicted on foreign emissaries that cannot be justified under any circumstances," Cho said, adding the government will cooperate closely with the international community to prevent a repeat of such tragic incident.

The foreign ministry extends its "deep condolences and consolation" to the ambassador's family and the Russian people, the spokesman also said.

The ambassador was assassinated at an art exhibit in the Turkish capital by a Turkish gunman, who was reported to be a 22-year-old off-duty police officer.

Turkey and Russia both denounced the act as a provocative terrorist attack. (Yonhap)
The U.N. General Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution calling for referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court for human rights violations.

This was the 12th straight year that the world body has issued a resolution on the North's human rights and the third straight year that it has called for Pyongyang's referral to the ICC.

This year's resolution was drafted by Japan and the European Union and co-sponsored by over 70 countries, more than a third of the U.N. members. It passed through the General Assembly's Third Committee last month.

The resolution expressed strong concerns that the North is bent on pursuing nuclear and ballistic missile programs by using its resources despite the dire conditions of its people.

In particular, it specified that human rights violations in the North are committed by organizations effectively controlled by the "leadership."

It also voiced concerns over North Korean people sent overseas to earn foreign currency, while calling for an immediate release of foreigners abducted to the country.

Before the vote started, the North argued that the resolution was intended and led mostly by the United States to isolate Pyongyang and bring down its regime. China and Russia, close to the North, voted against it.

North Korea has long been labeled 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.

The North has bristled at such criticism, calling it a U.S.-led attempt to topple its regime. (Yonhap)
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved on Tuesday the release of the second $1 billion tranche of the $3 billion loan package to support Egypts economic reform programme, according to a statement on the international cooperation ministrys website.

The WB's approval is regarded as a certification of trust for the state's economic reforms programme, especially after the reception of the African Development Bank's second tranche of the $1.5 billion three-year finance programme, Minister of International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said in the statement.

In 2014, Egypt embarked on a plan to introduce a number of fiscal reforms, including fuel subsidy cuts that increased prices up to 78 percent, as well as imposing new taxes to ease a growing budget deficit that is currently estimated at 12.2 percent of the GDP.

Egypt received the first tranche of the loan, worth $1 billion, in September.

We are pleased to continue supporting the countrys ambitious programme of reforms with a strong focus on job creation and boosting the competitiveness of Egyptian businesses, said Asad Alam, WB country director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti.

The current portfolio of the World Bank in Egypt includes 25 projects for a total commitment of about $8.5 billion.

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By Choi Sung-jin

Has Donald Trump decided to ally with Russia to keep China, America's new archrival, in check?

Maybe, or maybe not. To know the answer, diplomacy watchers around the world will have to read lots of chicken entrails and tea leaves until months after Trump removes the label of "-elect" from his title.

What the U.S. president-to-be has done over the past few weeks more than warrants such a question, however. And, if the reply proves "yes," few countries will feel the impact more keenly than South Korea, from the biggest U.S. diplomatic shift since the early 1970s when Richard Nixon visited Beijing to reconcile with China and jointly contain the then Soviet Union.

Worse yet, the hypothetical rebalance of power among the three giant nations is coming at almost the worst moment for Koreans now undergoing one of the biggest political turbulences in the nation's modern history because of the leader they chose  wrongly  four years ago.

For Korea, allied with the most powerful country in the world and located next to the second most powerful, the biggest diplomatic fiasco is being forced to choose one between the two. Just as national security and economic stability are the two basic requirements for a country's survival, South Korea needs both the U.S. as its security provider and China as its economic lifeline. Seoul cannot simply abandon Beijing for Washington and the reversal is also true.

What the scandal-ridden President Park Geun-hye and her administration have done in diplomacy gave the impression of moving from one extreme to another. When Park stood beside her Chinese and Russian counterparts watching China's military parade in Tiananmen Square on Sept. 2, 2015, she justified her move saying it was necessary to win Beijing's cooperation in sanctioning North Korea and punish the latter's nuclear ambition. As many experts had expected, though, Park's diplomatic gamble did little to that effect, ending up only irritating Washington.

This past July, it was Beijing's turn to feel annoyed by the Seoul government, which announced the deployment of the U.S. missile shield dubbed the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system. The U.S. and South Korean officials say the THAAD is to protect South Koreans and American troops from the North's possible attacks with nuclear-tipped missiles but China and Russia have long opposed its deployment in the South, maintaining it is like a double-edged sword that can also neutralize the two countries' missile systems, a reason many objective observers agree is technologically plausible.

President Park was right to criticize the foreign policy of her predecessor Lee Myung-bak, who moved too close toward Washington and too far from Beijing. But her slogan of "balanced diplomacy" between the G2 has proved to be far easier said than done. Park and her diplomatic team have wavered from the U.S. to China, or the other way round, alienating one for the sake of the other in turns. The two conservative leaders here made one mistake in common _ trying to solve the Korean problems not through the initiatives of the two Koreas but by depending on surrounding giants. They mistook that sufficient pressure would force the North to denuclearize or implode.

Few can defend the reckless military adventurists in the northern half of this divided peninsula. It is also true, however, the United States could have solved the North's nuclear crisis had it not blown up such opportunities at least twice _ in 2000 when newly-elected U.S. President George W. Bush turned "ABC" (anything-but-Clinton) and discarded the 1994 Agreed Framework and had some U.S. neocons not scuttled the implementation of the September 2005 accord reached by their own administration. Pyongyang made its first nuclear test in the following year as Washington stepped up its financial sanctions that had begun before the ink on their bilateral accord dried up. Outlooks appear even dimmer under the incoming U.S. administration, though.

President-elect Trump has argued that Beijing is not doing all it can to dissuade its troublesome neighbor from its nuclear blackmailing. He is overrating China's influence on North Korea and/or underrating Beijing's strategic interests in this part of the world. Trump is using even the Taiwan card for his diplomatic purposes by appearing to drop Washington's decades-long "One China" policy.

The North Korean nuclear crisis has gone from bad to worse under the two previous U.S. administrations and will continue to do so under the new one. The two conservative governments in Seoul have also contributed to its aggravation. The policy failures of the past 16 years in Washington and of nine years in Seoul have made Pyongyang a de facto member of the nuclear club. Given the makeup of Trump's national security team, filled with hawks and generals, the next U.S. administration would be the return of the neocons, more ready than ever to turn their words into action.

North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear programs until it normalizes its relationships with the U.S. and Japan  as the South did with China and Russia about 25 years ago  receives some economic aid in its course and gets a guarantee of non-aggression from America by turning the armistice into a peace treaty. Rewarding bad behavior may leave a bitter taste but is better than another military conflict on this peninsula, even a limited one.

Some liberal politicians who vow to revisit the Park administration's diplomatic accords, including the missile interceptor installation and the Korea-Japan intelligence sharing pact, if they take power next year is worthy of serious consideration in this regard.

People say international agreements should be kept for the sake of trust.

If George W. Bush adopted the ABC policy and Donald Trump maintains an "ABO" (anything but Obama) stance, however, why can't the next South Korean leader turn "ABP" (anything but Park) in diplomacy? One might think only leaders of large powerful nations can afford to discard accords made by their predecessors. At stake for South Korea, however, is not just strategic interest but national survival.

This is also why political parties should waste no time activating emergency bodies handling not just urgent economic issues but diplomatic tasks as well.

Choi Sung-jin is a contributing writer to The Korea Times and an adjunct professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Contact him at choisj1955@naver.com.
Acting President and Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on Monday instructed top government officials to carry out state affairs "normally" amid opposition parties' moves to restrain the increasingly assertive interim leader.

"If the government fails to normally carry out state affairs, which must be given due attention, citizens will have to bear the repercussions (from the failure) in the end," Hwang said during a regular meeting of ministers on state affairs.

"I call on each ministry to push to unwaveringly implement its respective tasks to make sure that citizens can rest assured and go about their own business as usual," he added.

Since Hwang took over as acting president on Dec. 9 following the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal centering on her longtime friend, he has been actively carrying out state affairs, including defense.

Last week, Hwang also showed his intention to exercise presidential authority to appoint new chiefs of rudderless public organizations to prevent any management vacuum.

Hwang's deep engagement in state affairs has unnerved opposition parties, which have criticized him for "going overboard" and called on him to stay low-key.

During Monday's meeting on state affairs, Hwang also called for all-out efforts to contain avian influenza (AI) that has ravaged chicken farms across the country since mid-November.

Hwang, in particular, stressed the need for central and provincial governments to make concerted efforts to tackle the fast-spreading virus.

Last week, a new type of AI was discovered, which put quarantine officials on alert.

The H5N8 strain of the bird flu was detected at a chicken farm located in Anseong, some 77 kilometers south of Seoul. The country has also suffered from the spread of the H5N6 strain, which is seen as more pathogenic than the H5N8 type.

"To prevent the spread of AI, I call on the related ministries to devise and implement multi-faceted, preemptive measures," he said. (Yonhap)
Time to look at the bright side of trade deal



Korea and China marked the first anniversary of their free trade agreement (FTA) in a gloomy mood Tuesday because of its smaller-than-expected effects. During the first 11 months of 2016, Korea's exports to China shrank 10.9 percent from a year earlier to $112.4 billion. The drop was bigger than the 5.6 percent fall in exports to China posted last year before the bilateral trade deal took effect. Seoul's imports from Beijing also dropped 4.8 percent in the 11-month period.



This is in acute contrast with the fact that similar trade pacts with Vietnam and New Zealand that went into effect on the same day a year ago boosted trade significantly. In the Jan.-Nov. period of this year, Korea's exports to Vietnam and New Zealand increased 15.2 and 6.4 percent, respectively.



There are various factors behind the China FTA's disappointing trade-boosting effect. First and foremost, the time has not been ripe for the trade pact to work wonders because of China's economic slowdown.



Contrary to the stated purpose of the trade pact, China has been erecting non-tariff barriers to Korea's major export items such as steel and computer chips. There are 111 non-tariff barriers erected by China to Korean exports, and this is the third largest after Europe with 203 and the U.S. with 200.



Chinese authorities are also moving to launch trade retaliation in angry reaction to Seoul's decision to host a U.S. missile defense system. Specifically, Lotte is facing tax audits in its various operations in China, while China has reportedly slapped a ban on Korean pop culture.



But it's premature to be skeptical about the long-term effect of the bilateral trade deal. In fact, the government is right to argue that the agreement has limited Korea's exports to China from falling further.



Shipments of consumer goods to the world's second-largest economy rose sharply, and there has been little damage from imports of China's cheap agricultural products contrary to our earlier concerns. It's also encouraging that China's direct investment here has kept rising.



To help boost the benefits of the bilateral trade pact, it will be necessary for the neighboring countries to ease non-tariff barriers through active negotiations. But it's worrisome that they haven't even set a date on follow-up talks for the services industry and investment amid the worsening diplomatic atmosphere between the two countries. It's time for Seoul and Beijing to be reminded of the mutually beneficial nature of their free trade deal and focus on developing it further.




South Korea on Monday repatriated eight North Korean fishermen who were rescued last week while drifting in waters off the country's east coast, government officials said.

The South sent the North Koreans on two vessels across the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL), in the East Sea, earlier in the day, according to Seoul's unification ministry.

"Two North Korean patrol ships and two tugboats appeared near the NLL, and the sailors were sent to the North," Jeong Joon-hee, ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.

The latest case marked the first repatriation since December last year when the South handed over three fishermen via the truce village of Panmunjom.

The North Korean vessels showed up in the morning without any response to Seoul's repeated offer to repatriate them last week. All of the sailors expressed their desire to go home, sources said.

Seoul used loudspeakers last week to contact North Korea as Pyongyang cut off the two main communication channels with South Korea in response to Seoul's decision to shut down the jointly run Kaesong Industrial Complex in February.

The ministry said that the fishermen were drifting on three vessels for more than two months after presumably colliding with Chinese vessels in the East Sea. Because one ship was beyond repair it was abandoned with the consent of the North Korean crew.

Citing the sailors' account, the spokesman said last Thursday that fewer than 10 sailors starved to death, without elaborating.

South Korea usually sends back North Korean sailors on the boats they used when they want to return home. (Yonhap)
Models introduce Samsung Electronics' latest SUHD television compatible with a YouTube HDR service. The company said Tuesday it became the first TV manufacturer to roll out the service, allowing users to enjoy HDR content on YouTube.

/ Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Lee Min-hyung

Samsung Electronics started offering its YouTube high dynamic range (HDR) service via a software update, the company said Tuesday, allowing its TV users to enjoy HDR content on the streaming platform.

This is the first time the YouTube HDR service has been made available for watching on televisions. Owners of Samsung's 2016 SUHD and UHD televisions can access the service at anytime.

The move comes at a time when global content streaming giants  including YouTube, Netflix and Amazon  are releasing increasing amounts of HDR content. The technology is gaining more traction, as it can express the darkest and brightest parts of an image in more detail.

"Our customers will be able to enjoy more HDR YouTube content on Samsung televisions," Han Sang-sook, vice president of Samsung Electronics' visual display business division, said in a statement. "Samsung television users will be able to enjoy more lively and vivid viewing experiences via the latest software update."

For the service, Samsung Electronics has been offering software updates for its smart TV users in Korea and abroad since earlier this month.

All Samsung SUHD televisions, released this year, come with more than 1,000 nits of brightness, which the firm says is optimized for expressing HDR content.

YouTube, for its part, has also made concerted efforts to raise awareness of its HDR content with creators, running YouTube Creator Spaces in such cities as New York, Paris and Tokyo.

Heather Thompson Rivera, a product partnership director at YouTube, said the company would continue to find more ways to help content creators produce HDR videos more easily.
Seen from this file photo is the LG CNS construction site for the Shin Mine solar power plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

/ Courtesy of LG CNS



By Yoon Sung-won



LG CNS will establish a 55-megawatt (MW) solar power generation plant in the Mine region of Yamaguchi Prefecture, which will be one of the five largest solar plants in Japan, the company said Tuesday.



The solar plant project, ordered by global solar energy company Canadian Solar, will reach a business scale of about 170 billion won ($142.55 million). The system integration business affiliate of LG Group said establishment of such a large solar power plant in Japan will set a solid foothold to enter the Japanese solar energy market where foreign companies have had difficulties clinching business opportunities.



"The Shin Mine solar power plant establishment project will be a solid foothold for the Japanese market which is difficult for foreign businesses to enter," LG CNS Vice President Ha Tae-seok said in a statement. "LG CNS will continue to seek more business opportunities in Japan's eco-friendly energy market in the future and expand our overseas energy business under close cooperation with global partners."



The construction will continue for the next 18 months. Once it goes online in May 2018, the new solar plant will be able to produce 64.5GWh of electricity a year, which some 23,500 households can use year round, according to LG CNS.



LG CNS signed the Shin Mine plant deal with Canadian Solar earlier this month. The Shin Mine plant will be the fifth solar energy facility for LG CNS to build in Japan, following a 10MW plant in Shimane and a 33MW plant in Oita completed last year, and the first that can produce more than 50MW. Once the new plant in Mine is completed, LG CNS will be able to solidify the leading Korean solar power generation business in Japan.



The size of Japan's solar energy market reaches about 9.7GW per year, which is one of the world's largest alongside those of China and the United States. But the Japanese solar energy sector has been a difficult marketplace for foreign businesses to enter due to the country's stubborn quality control rules and complicated business processes.



The company also said it is working to win another 100MW solar power business deal in Japan.



The LG affiliate said it is the only Korean system integration business with a license to work on electricity, construction and civil engineering in Japan. It has pushed to expand its technological and human resource capacities for turn-key deals in engineering, procurement and construction in Japan.



Globally, it has completed solar power generation facilities including a 14MW plant in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, a 10MW plant in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, a 21.3MW plant in Bulgaria and a 33MW plant in Hiroshima, Japan.



As of Dec. 1, LG CNS has reorganized its smart energy business division that takes charge of new growth engines such as energy, signage and smart building businesses.



"LG CNS will continue pushing for internal growth through the latest reorganization and will expedite expansion of its energy business," an LG CNS official said. "We will diversify our energy business based on our experience in establishing land solar plants, floating power plants and energy storage systems while boosting overseas activities including in the North American market."
Daniel Henney will be seen on 'I Live Alone'.

Yes, Daniel Philip Henney, an American actor who has made frequent appearances in Korean dramas as well, is to reveal his solitary lifestyle through Korean variety show, I Live Alone.

As reported in allkpop, On December 12, a rep from the MBC variety show stated, "Daniel Henney will be appearing in the episode this week." He's busy at present on shoots of CBS drama 'Criminal Minds' at the United States. The rep concluded, "Look forward to seeing Daniel Henney's house for the first time."

Actor's agency revealed that Daniel Henney will be featured in "I Live Alone".Shooting for this show is done in Korea but the episodes with Daniel Henny will be shooted at The United States. Throughout two episodes, I Live Alone with depict the Actor's everyday life as he stays in U.S for shooting his second season of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

Daniel's fans are eagerly waiting for episodes on this Friday, December 16 and the following week, as they will be shown the actor's house, pet as well his daily schedules, which hasn't be unveiled anywhere else.

"Daniel said that he wants to meet Korean fans once again this year after his appearance in Dear My Friends in May," said the actor's agency, Eco Global Group. "So he decided to do so at least through I Live Alone."

In 2005, Henney made his debut in South Korea in a hit drama "My Name is Kim Sam-soon". He was awarded at the 45th Grand Bell as the best new actor for "My Father" in 2008. His American hit drama "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders", is scheduled for airing in March next year.

'I Live Alone' is known as a "Real-Variety" show in Korean Television. It is unscripted and uses documentary techniques with variety show elements in it. Every Friday, this programme shows selected Rainbow members everyday life.

Episodes of I Live Alone that feature Daniel Henney will air Fridays, December 16 and December 23 at 11 pm KST.
This week has been filled with sadness among avid viewers as "Running Man" members Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook revealed their intent to leave the said variety show.

After the said announcements, speculations of who will replace the two became a hot issue. Producers of "Running Man" were in the talks of making an overhaul for the show this 2017 as Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook are reported to have their last shooting this December, according to an earlier article here in Kpop Starz.

As one of the famous comedians and MCs in South Korea, Kang Ho Dong was one of the top choices picked by the show's producers. It was revealed that the producers are planning to add a new concept to the show with new hosts like Kang Ho Dong on the roster.

Although Kang Ho Dong is a good choice for hosting the variety show, netizens were in an uproar upon hearing the news. With this, Kang Ho Dong's label, SM C&C, released an official statement explaining Kang Ho Dong's and their view.

As posted by All Kpop, SM C&C stated that after giving the offer some deep thoughts, Kang Ho Dong agreed to work as a new host for "Running Man" especially that he missed working with Yoo Jae Seok and Ji Seok Jin from "X-Man" in the early 2000's. However, SM C&C talked to Kang Ho Dong regarding the negative views by the fans and viewers of the show and Kang Ho Dong realized that more than his willingness to work for the show, he can't work comfortably if the viewers are uncomfortable with him being on the show. Thus, this leaves Kang Ho Dong declining the offer.

Moreover, "Running Man" producers recently released an apology to the fans of the show and to both Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook regarding some misunderstandings that led to the two finally deciding on leaving the show. There were also some insider reports that "Running Man" will no longer have a second season next year and instead will totally end in February with all the six members in it.
The tickets for the Chicago stop of Dumbfoundead's 'WE MIGHT DIE Tour" have been sold out!

It was first announced on November 22nd that the Los Angeles-based rapper will be touring North America in 2017. The tour is titled after his most recent release 'WE MIGHT DIE' and includes 13 stops across US and Canada during January and February. Fans will also get the chance to enjoy the hip hop duo Year of the Ox and DJ Zo, who will accompany Dumbfoundead during the tour. Unfortunately, Year of the Ox won't be making the Chicago or Vegas shows.

Although fans can no longer purchase tickets for Chicago, there are still 12 more stops. So make sure to get a ticket while you still can! Tickets for every show can be purchased on Dumbfoundead's official site.

Check out the dates and venues below!

Wednesday, Jan 25

Seattle, WA - The Vera Project

Thursday, Jan 26

Vancouver, Canada - The Alexander



Friday, Jan 27

Portland, OR - Peter's Room



Thursday, Feb 2

Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade Purgatory



Saturday, Feb 4

Washington, DC - Songbyrd



Monday, Feb 6

Philadelphia, PA - The Voltage Lounge



Tuesday, Feb 7

New York, NY - SOB's



Wednesday, Feb 8

Toronto, Canada - Drake Underground



Friday, Feb 10

Chicago, IL - Schubas (SOLD OUT)



Saturday, Feb 11

Las Vegas, NV - Vinyl



Wednesday, Feb 15

Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room

Friday, Feb 17

Oakland, CA - New Parish



Sunday, Feb 19

Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy

Tickets range from only $10-20 for all stops. More stops are likely to be added; so make sure to stay tuned for more information!
The limestone relief was stolen from Luxor and smuggled out of the country in 1975

Egypts Ministry of Antiquities received from London on Tuesday a limestone relief that was stolen from Queen Hatshepsuts temple in El-Deir El-Bahari in Luxor and illegally smuggled out of the country.

Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, general supervisor of the ministrys Antiquities Repatriation Department, told Ahram Online that the relief was stolen from the temple in 1975 and resurfaced earlier this month at a small auction hall in Spain, where is was bought by a British antiquities dealer.

Abdel-Gawad said that, in collaboration with the British Museum and Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Antiquities proved Egypts rightful ownership of the relief and repatriated it.

He explains that the relief was stolen from one of the most important and distinguished ancient Egyptian temples of the New Kingdom, and that it will be returned to its original place in the temple.

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President- Elect Donald Trump recently accused China of stealing a drone from the US and even further suggested that they can keep it. The Chinese government has decided to return it to keep their relationship.

China has returned a U.S. underwater drone taken by a Chinese naval vessel in the South China Sea last week after friendly talks between the two countries, Chinas Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. Chinas seizure of the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) triggered a diplomatic protest and speculation about whether it will strengthen U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps hand as he seeks a tougher line with Beijing.

A Chinese naval ship took the drone, which the Pentagon says uses unclassified, commercially available technology to collect oceanographic data, on Thursday about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines.



In a brief statement, Chinas Defence Ministry said the drone had been given back to the United States. After friendly consultations between the Chinese and U.S. sides, the handover work for the U.S. underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South China Sea at midday on Dec. 20, the ministry said in a short statement.

The defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the handover.

The seizure has added to U.S. concerns about Chinas growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarization of maritime outposts.

The U.S. Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60 kg (130 pounds) and able to stay underwater for up to five months. They are used to collect unclassified data about oceans, including temperature and depth. They are used around the world, but it is unclear how many are used in the South China Sea.

China is deeply suspicious of any U.S. military activities in the resource-rich South China Sea, with state media and experts saying the use of the drone was likely part of U.S. surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway.

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The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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PRESS RELEASE

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Assassinated in Ankara

Dec. 19, 2016 (EIRNS)Russias Ambassador to Turkey, Andrei G. Karlov, was shot dead today, while delivering an address at an art museum in Ankara. After being wounded by the lone gunman, Karlov was transported to a hospital, where he died. Three other people were wounded in the attack.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu later identified the attacker as a 22-year-old former police officer by the name of Mevlut Mert Altintas. According to news reports, he was heard shouting, "Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety." A Dutch website posted video footage of the shooting online, in which Altintas was seen wearing a suit and reportedly entered the premises using his police identification. He then shot Karlov in the back as the ambassador was speaking. RT reports that Turkish special forces killed Altintas following the shooting.

In both Ankara and Moscow, government officials vowed that Karlovs assassination would not affect Turkish-Russian relations and that those responsible would be found and brought to justice. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Russian President Vladimir Putin to brief him on the attack, according to Erdogans presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was already on his way to Moscow for a tripartite meeting on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts when the attack occurred. He and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are expected to hold a joint press conference in Moscow on the assassination, reports Hurriyet.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said today,

"Ambassador Karlov is a unique diplomat who earned appreciation of all state cadre by his professional and personal competences as he carried out successful works at a very difficult time in Turkey. His memory will always with us. We will not allow this attack to overshadow Turkish-Russian friendship."

Karlov had been ambassador in Ankara since July 2013 and had earlier in his diplomatic career worked extensively in North Korea.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today, that the Russian government considers the attack on Karlov a terrorist attack.

"Terrorism shall not pass, we will take resolute efforts against it," Zakharova stressed, reported TASS. "The memory of the outstanding Russian diplomat, the man who has done much to counter terrorism, Andrei Karlov, will always stay in our hearts." She said that the issue of the attack will be raised immediately at the UN Security Council.

The attack was also condemned from around the world. According to a roundup in TASS, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was among the first international diplomats to send condolences to the Russian government. Other messages came from Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary General, U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the Syrian Foreign Ministry, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and others.

"The United States condemns the assassination today in Ankara of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov," Kerry said in a statement.
PRESS RELEASE

Dramatic New FOIA Revelations: FBI Still Probed New 9/11 Leads in 2012

Dec. 19, 2016 (EIRNS)A new FBI document, obtained through an Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit related to the FBIs 9/11 Review Commission cover-up, shows that, as late as October 2012, the FBI was pursuing new leads on co-conspirators in the 9/11 attacks. The heavily redacted document was obtained by lawyers for the Florida Bulldog, which also has a separate FOIA action, seeking over 80,000 pages of FBI documents on the Sarasota Saudi family with ties to three of the hijackers.

Today, the Bulldog published a detailed report on the FOIA document, accompanied by the document itself, by publisher Dan Christensen. According to the FBI document, new leads on Saudi support networks for the San Diego terror cell were underway in New York and in Copenhagen, Denmark, as late as October 2012. Two individuals were identified as facilitators of the two San Diego terrorists, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi: Osama Sam Mustafa and Mohdar Abdullah. Mustafa owned a San Diego gas station where al-Hazmi worked for a period of time, after coming to the United States directly from the Al Qaeda planning meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mustafa was arrested in Tampa, Florida, in May 2012 for Treasury check fraud, in a case filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Virginia. Mustafa was convicted a year later of the $17 million swindle, but he escaped while out on bond and is still a fugitive, according to the FBI document. In 2014, he was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison.

The second new name identified in the FBI report, Mohdar Abdullah, was identified as a close confidant of the two Saudi intelligence handlers of al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi, Osama Basnan and Omar al-Bayoumi. They assigned Abdullah to facilitate the day-to-day life of the two hijackers. Abdullah was arrested on Sept. 19, 2001, as a suspected accomplice of the hijackers but was eventually deported after he pled guilty to the immigration violations. While in custody awaiting deportation, according to the 2012 FBI document, he boasted that he had worked with the San Diego hijackers on the plot. The document also suggests that Abdullah was in contact with Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical cleric who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen years later, under President Obamas drone-kill program.

The new document is reportedly part of a larger number of FBI files set to be released under the FOIA case. The document alone shows that the claims that the 9/11 Commission completed the probe and showed that there was no Saudi Monarchy support for the terrorists, is a total lie, a lie that the FBI covered up until now. Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and attorney Sean Carter (representing the 9/11 families) both told Dan Christensen that the existence of the document shows the magnitude of the FBI cover up, since the existence of the document was concealed right up until the FOIA release.
PRESS RELEASE

NATO-Russia Council Met in Businesslike Atmosphere

Dec. 19, 2016 (EIRNS)The NATO-Russia Council met behind closed doors in Brussels today, for only the third time this year, and while no breakthroughs were madeindeed, none were expectedthe meeting appears to have been conducted in a very businesslike atmosphere. Yesterday, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute, while disparaging Russia as "disruptive," openly said on ABC TV, "I dont believe that anyone in Russia today intends to attack NATO." This itself made headlines in Europe, as in TASSs "U.S. Envoy Says Russia Has No Plans to Attack NATO."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reported, in a statement afterwards, that the meeting discussed three topics: Ukraine, Afghanistan, and security in Europe. On Ukraine, Stoltenberg repeated the NATO line that the alliance doesnt, and will never, recognize Russias annexation of Crimea, and that Russia must comply with the Minsk agreements on settling the conflict in the Donbass region. In the context of European security, Stoltenberg reported that, as a result of discussions during the last NATO-Russia Council meeting, progress was made on the subject of air safety over the Baltic Sea and there will be an assessment of whether or not further work needs to be done in that area. Also discussed were the large-scale exercises in 2016, Russias Kavkaz 2016 exercise along with NATOs Trident Juncture exercise.

"Today, Allies raised particular concern over the excessive use of snap exercises. These are destabilizing, and do not improve the overall climate of our relations,"

Stoltenberg said.

"Many around the table called for the members of the NATO-Russia Council to contribute at the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] to updating the Vienna Document on military exercises and activities."

On the Russian side, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov told TASS that Russia was satisfied with the results.

"The meeting was held in a business-life atmosphere," he said.

"The meeting was long and comprehensive," said Alexander Grushko, Russias ambassador to NATO, reported Sputnik News. "We discussed the most important factors that influence the military security in Europe." According to Grushko, Russia expressed concern over deterrent policies against Russia conducted by the Alliance, and insisted that the strengthening of trust-building mechanisms between Russia and NATO was impossible while the Alliance implemented confrontational security schemes.

"We stressed that cessation of NATOs military activity near Russian borders and return of the situation to the status as of 2013 year-end will be the contribution into support of European security,"

Grushko said.
The San Francisco Public Library is considering adopting a $7.5 million microchip system to help improve sorting and prevent theft, over the objections of the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Freedom Foundation, the San Francisco Examiner reports.

In 2004, San Francisco rejected a proposal to adopt radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags for use in library materials.

RFID systems have been adopted by other cities, including Los Angeles, where the technology allows readers to check out books via self-serve machines.

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The proposed system in San Francisco would use tags with microchips that transmit information via radio signals, which would be picked up by dedicated readers within 30 inches of the microchipped materials.

But the ACLU of California hasnt budged from their position that the system could constitute an invasion of privacy. Traditionally, libraries have closely guarded their patrons right to check out whatever books they choose without those titles being revealed to anyone else.

Nicole Ozer, the ACLUs technology and civil liberties policy director for the group, told the Examiner that the ACLU still opposes the initiative.

RFID has profound implications for civil liberties in San Francisco, including for immigrants rights, Ozer said Its more important than ever that San Francisco safeguard privacy, free speech and civil liberties for all.

Luis Herrera, the head librarian, wrote in a memo to the library commission that privacy concerns were overblown.

Since the technology has been used in libraries for over 10 years, procedures for ensuring patron privacy are well-established and have proven effective, he said. This technology will provide significant benefits to both staff and patrons, helping us meet our goal for service excellence.

Some who addressed the San Francisco library commission were ambivalent about the plan, including Librarians Guild representative Melissa Riley.

I am not going to say I am opposed to RFID, but I do think we need to consider both the virtues and the drawbacks from the various angles before we decide to spend money in this budget situation, she said.

The San Francisco Public Library has yet to formally propose adopting an RFID system, and as the Examiner notes, the city is currently dealing with budget deficits.

Library head Herrera told the San Francisco Public Library Commission, which consists of seven people appointed by the citys mayor, that he wanted to ask the city to fund the system.

Library spokesperson Katherine Jardine said the library would be willing to work with skeptics of the plan should the library choose to move forward with a formal proposal.

We have made no commitments or decisions at this point, and were looking forward to working with ACLU and EFF in addressing any shared concerns, she said.
In response to a series of superbug outbreaks around the country, some doctors and hospitals are trying out disposable scopes to combat the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

U.S. regulators recently approved two new colonoscopes designed to be used just once and thrown away. They will sell for $250 or less apiece  compared with about $40,000 or more for a conventional scope that can be disinfected and used again and again for several years. Other companies are promoting similar devices for use in the lungs and kidneys.

The new scopes are coming primarily from smaller companies looking to challenge a handful of dominant makers of the flexible, lighted tubes that doctors use to peer deep inside patients. The new players in the market are seizing on growing evidence that many reusable instruments cannot be cleaned reliably, even when manufacturers instructions are followed.

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If you can tell patients we have a disposable device so theres really no chance of infection, that has to be very appealing, said Chris Lavanchy, engineering director at the ECRI Institute, a nonprofit organization that tests medical devices. This could allay public fears.

Scopes include a wide array of devices used on millions of patients annually. As they snake through a patients throat, intestines and other cavities, they pick up mucus, blood and thousands of microbes. But the delicate devices cannot be sterilized like a scalpel because intense heat would destroy crucial components.

Instead, the scopes are brushed, washed with disinfectants, rinsed and dried in preparation for the next patient. Despite those efforts, contamination can persist, and the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria can make patient infections difficult or impossible to treat.

The threat has led to safety alerts from the Food and Drug Administration and a recent U.S. Senate investigation into repeated failures by manufacturers and hospitals to report outbreaks. The Times first reported about scope-related outbreaks at UCLAs Ronald Reagan Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Pasadenas Huntington Hospital.

Overall, as many as 350 patients at 41 medical facilities worldwide were exposed to or infected by contaminated gastrointestinal scopes from 2010 to 2015, according to the FDA. And at least 35 patients at U.S. hospitals have died since 2013 after developing infections tied to tainted scopes, according to hospitals and public health officials.

For now, just a handful of medical centers are experimenting with the disposable colonoscopes. Some doctors remain skeptical about whether a cheaper scope will provide the high-quality images and versatility they need to diagnose illnesses and treat patients effectively.

Many doctors count on the sophisticated cameras on existing scopes as well as multiple channels inside the device to accommodate surgical instruments.

Simon Lo, a nationally known gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, said he shares those concerns. Nonetheless, he said hes eager to try the disposable colonoscope from German device maker Invendo Medical in the coming months. The scope secured clearance from the FDA in August.

Im not totally sold this will be comparable to the [conventional] scopes other companies have spent decades perfecting. Its almost too good to be true with it being so cheap, Lo said. But this is a fantastic possibility and at least gives us an alternative to the current scopes.

Physician groups such as the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy maintain that the overall risk of infection from the traditional devices is very low. They say the benefits of screenings and many other procedures far outweigh any potential danger.

Some doctors say a simpler, single-use scope could be sufficient for many routine examinations. It also could be preferred for immunosuppressed patients who are more susceptible to infection and for patients who have already tested positive for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and would be likely to spread it.

For those patients, it would be great to use this and throw it away, Lo said.

Cedars-Sinai reported four infections last year from contaminated duodenoscopes, which are inserted down a patients throat and used to treat problems in the digestive tract such as cancers and blockages in the bile duct.

Colonoscopes, which peer at the inner lining of the large intestine, have not been linked to the recent outbreaks, but concerns about cleaning and the spread of bacteria apply to all types of reusable scopes. Last year, the FDA warned about the risk to patients posed by bronchoscopes, used to examine problems in the airway and lungs. In one recent study, researchers found that more than 75% of colonoscopes and gastroscopes were still contaminated after cleaning and disinfection in accordance with the guidelines.

Hospitals have experimented with a wide variety of new safety measures over the last two years. Some facilities started testing scopes for contamination after cleaning and then holding them in quarantine for 48 hours to check them again for bacterial growth.

Those steps added layers to what was already a labor-intensive process. It costs an estimated $75 or more to clean a scope each time.

There is a lot of time and money tied up in that, said John Cifarelli, chief commercial officer for Invendo. The best solution is a device that doesnt have to be cleaned.

The leading scope makers havent shown much interest thus far in single-use devices, which could affect their long-standing dominance in the business.

Olympus, which controls 85% of the U.S. market for gastrointestinal scopes, did not respond to a request for comment. The Tokyo-based company, linked to numerous infections in the United States and Europe, conducted a voluntary recall of its duodenoscopes this year and made repairs designed to reduce the contamination risk.

In a statement, another big manufacturer, Fujifilm, said it has no plans at this time to market single-use disposable scopes, and cannot speak to the benefits or risks associated with such products.

Israeli company GI-View received FDA clearance in August for its single-use colonoscope, called Aer-O-Scope, priced at about $200. The companys chief executive, Tal Simchony, acknowledges that his smaller company faces an uphill battle against the industry giants. But he said hes optimistic it can address the ick factor some patients feel with a reusable scope.

Other companies see opportunity too. Boston Scientific, a bigger device maker, promotes a disposable ureteroscope for kidney stones and other uses. Ambu, based in Denmark, has sold a single-use bronchoscope for about $300 in the United States for the last few years.

Chad Terhune is a senior correspondent with California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation published by Kaiser Health News.

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Walgreens and Rite Aid will sell 865 stores to rival retailer Freds for $950 million, potentially clearing the way for a merger between the nations largest and third-largest drugstore chains.

Wall Street certainly saw it that way, sending shares of all three companies higher in early trading Tuesday.

Walgreens is working to close its $9.4-billion purchase of Rite Aid early next year. It said Tuesday that it would sell the Rite Aid stores in response to concerns raised by federal anti-trust regulators. The deal still needs to be approved by the Federal Trade Commission.

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Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., based in Deerfield, Ill., announced in October 2015 that it planned to buy Rite Aid in a deal that would create about 12,000 U.S. locations. Thats several thousand more than the nearest competitor, CVS Health Corp.

The combination is expected to give Walgreens beefed-up negotiating muscle with drugmakers and other suppliers and to help enlarge its presence in the Northeast and in Southern California. But the nations largest drugstore chain also knew it would have to drop some stores to ease regulatory worry about competition.

Shortly after announcing the deal, Walgreens said it was willing to divest up to 1,000 stores to win regulatory approval, but it expected it wouldnt have to sell more than 500.

Freds runs 647 general merchandise discount stores clustered mainly in the Southeast, and it operates 371 full-service pharmacy departments within its stores. It also runs three specialty pharmacies.

Walgreens says its purchase agreement requires Freds to buy additional stores if the FTC requires the divestiture of more than 865.

Shares of Freds Inc., based in Memphis, Tenn., soared 73% to $19.27. Rite Aid Corp., based in Camp Hill, Pa., rose 5% to $8.59. Walgreens rose 66 cents to $86.72.

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Column: Soaring insulin prices highlight the futility of a free market for meds
A key feature of Republican plans to replace Obamacare is allowing market forces to boost innovation and competition among healthcare providers.

Unleashing the power of choice and competition is the best way to lower healthcare costs and improve quality, declares House Speaker Paul Ryan in his conservative manifesto A Better Way.

The problem with that, however, is that the healthcare industry  hospitals, drug companies, insurers  have worked tirelessly to prevent the medical marketplace from functioning with sufficient transparency and efficiency to allow consumers to benefit from classic supply-and-demand economics.

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Instead, the opaque and frequently unfathomable healthcare market promotes runaway corporate greed that often can be countered only by shaming businesses into behaving fairly and responsibly.

Insulin is a perfect example.

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced last week that people with diabetes in high-deductible insurance plans or who are otherwise paying full price for insulin will be eligible for a 40% discount. The move follows Danish insulin maker Novo Nordisk announcing it will limit annual price increases to single digits.

However, its not like the heads of these companies woke up one morning and realized theyd been despicably taking advantage of people with a chronic disease.

Rather, theyre facing heat from lawmakers and are desperate to make a show of sensitivity before anyone demands that they appear on Capitol Hill to explain themselves  as other drugmakers have been forced to do.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings said in a letter to the Justice Department and Fair Trade Commission last month that officials need to look into whether drug companies colluded or engaged in anticompetitive behavior in setting insulin prices.

The original insulin patent expired 75 years ago, they noted. Instead of falling prices, as one might expect after decades of competition, three drugmakers who make different versions of insulin have continuously raised prices on this lifesaving medication.

Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi account for almost the entire $21 billion U.S. insulin market.

Instead of falling prices ... three drugmakers who make different versions of insulin have continuously raised prices on this lifesaving medication.  Letter from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings to the Justice Department and FTC

Concerns about price gouging by insulin makers match similar charges that the drug company Mylan took advantage of people with severe allergies by repeatedly jacking up the price of its EpiPens.

Mylan said Friday that it would release a generic version of the EpiPen that will cost $300, or about half the price of the branded version  but still three times as much as what the EpiPen sold for in 2008.

President-elect Donald Trump told Time magazine recently that he intends to address the high cost of prescription meds, although he offered no specifics. I dont like what has happened with drug prices, he said.

Both insulin and EpiPens  not to mention numerous other drugs that have seen stratospheric price hikes in recent years  illustrate the pitfalls of Americas free market for healthcare.

With virtually no limits on what can be charged for medicine, drug companies have imposed a series of price increases with no seeming justification other than to enrich executives and shareholders at the expense of patients.

(Full disclosure: I have Type 1 diabetes and require multiple daily insulin injections. The vast majority of people with diabetes worldwide have Type 2, which is associated with obesity and can be treated in a variety of ways. Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder.)

Competition, expired patents and economies of scale  the number of insulin users grows every year  should result in significant price reductions. But the U.S. drug market seems immune to basic laws of economics, which is why the Republicans market-driven Better Way is doomed from the start.

Drug companies respond only to the public embarrassment of being caught exploiting the misfortunes of the sick, which heightens regulatory risk and can be bad for share prices.

Thus, after years of making their customers pay more and more for lifesaving medication, insulin makers now want to be seen as patients partners in managing their condition.

We understand the burden people face when paying full price for insulin, Mike Mason, vice president of Lilly Diabetes, said in a statement.

Novo Nordisks U.S. president, Jakob Riis, sounded a similarly empathetic note in announcing his companys commitment to limiting price increases.

We recognize that people with diabetes are finding it harder to pay for their healthcare, including the medicines we make, he said. As a company focused on improving the lives of people with diabetes, this is not acceptable.

The executives commitment to customers well-being would be more believable if their list prices for a single vial of insulin hadnt soared by about 500% since 2001, according to figures provided to me by Truven Health Analytics.

A 10-milliliter vial of Novo Nordisks Novolog, for example, cost $39.75 in 2001, according to Truven. As of last year, that same vial of insulin was selling for $236.70.

And despite what Republicans may say, Obamacare isnt the culprit. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. Truvens figures show that the price of Novolog rose more than 150% from 2001 to 2010.

The price of Lillys Humalog climbed 170% during the same period. Sanofis Lantus jumped 185%.

I spoke with Novos Riis the other day. He said theres no special reason why his company is suddenly stepping up on pricing.

No particular event triggered it, Riis said. We realized it was time to go public with some of our internal discussions.

He argued that list prices for insulin are deceptive. Actual prices are much lower, Riis said, once customer rebates and negotiations with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers are taken into account.

However, he acknowledged that growth in high-deductible insurance plans has exposed more people with diabetes to full prices for insulin, and thats a problem.

I asked if price cuts are under consideration. Riis answered that were not going to speculate on where things could go.

I took that for a no.

Lilly spokesman Gregory Andrew Kueterman suggested that the government shouldnt meddle in drug pricing.

The more the industry can self-regulate on the cost of medicines, the better we can discuss the tremendous value these medicines offer patients and the healthcare system, he said.

Kueterman said we should let the market perform its magic. We must do all we can to encourage innovation and competition so that more medicines can reach the market, he said.

The Republicans are saying the same thing. But thats not a better way.

Thats how we got into this mess in the first place.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.

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The building that Japanese architect Arata Isozaki designed for the Museum of Contemporary Art on Grand Avenue is known for its quieter qualities: the sunken levels and the demure, red sandstone facade. That facade is now getting a makeover courtesy of painter Jonas Wood.

Wood, a Los Angeles painter known for his brightly hued portraits and still-lifes that play with blocky layers of color, is in the process of covering the museums 5,400 square-foot facade with a vinyl reproduction of his painting Still Life With Two Owls from 2014.

Its going to be pretty exuberant, he says, as he observes a team of workers moving a set of industrial lifts into place. As the light shifts, itll get a great light on it. The colors will really come to life.

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The vinyls adhere to the museums surface without damaging it. In roughly a year, they will be removed to make way for a piece by another artist. The idea, says a spokesperson from MOCA, is to feature work by a rotating selection of artists on the museums exterior.

Its a cool opportunity to have a Los Angeles artist share an image, says Wood, and perhaps get some more people to come to the museum.

1 / 6 The new MOCA facade on Grand Avenue by artist Jonas Wood. (Christina House / For The Times) 2 / 6 Artist Jonas Wood outside of MOCA, where the Grand Avenue facade is being wrapped in a print that evokes one of his painted domestic interiors. (Christina House / For The Times) 3 / 6 Tayron Santos, top, and Fernando Mendoza, installers for Olson Visual, work on the new MOCA facade on Grand Avenue by artist Jonas Wood. (Christina House / For The Times) 4 / 6 Ciro Hernandez, an installer for Olson Visual, works on the new MOCA facade on Grand Avenue by artist Jonas Wood. (Christina House / For The Times) 5 / 6 The new MOCA facade on Grand Avenue by artist Jonas Wood. (Christina House / For The Times) 6 / 6 The new facade on Grand Avenue by Jonas Wood. (Christina House / For The Times)

Like a lot of Woods still lifes, the image for the museum  officially titled Still Life With Two Owls (MOCA)  features long-running themes in his work. There are the depictions of ceramics, which often capture pieces created by ceramist Shio Kusaka (who happens to be the painters wife). And there are the plants, which Wood often repaints from one canvas to the next.

They are like recurring characters, he says. I make a ton of still lifes and repeat them.

The work isnt his first large-scale piece. Wood has completed a building-sized mural for LAXart and did a billboard adjacent to New Yorks High Line park in 2014.

Installation at MOCA is expected to be complete by Thursday.

Check in for updated images of the completed mural in the days to come.

Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.

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Carrie Fisher on Princess Leia: Shes like a superhero

(Robert Carter / For The Times)

Actress and writer Carrie Fisher has died after suffering a cardiac episode during a flight from London to Los Angeles on Dec. 23. Prior to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Fisher spoke to The Times about the film, Princess Leia and her Star Wars legacy. Below is an excerpt from a story originally published on Dec. 4, 2015.

Fisher would know what it takes to make a lasting legacy in this franchise. The first few precious moments of A New Hope follow the angry revolutionary pulling together a contingency plan to smuggle spy documents off a spaceship. Unafraid of being taken hostage by the nefarious Empire, Princess Leia blasts the invading Imperial Stormtroopers. Leia shoots first.

In captivity, Leia proceeds to throw some truly galactic shade: Darth Vader, only you could be so bold, Gov. Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vaders leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board, and the classic, Arent you a little short for a Stormtrooper?

While Han Solo shirks responsibility and Luke Skywalker fumbles around with his evolving, boyish perception of the hero, Leia gets things done. When her own rescue goes awry, she grabs the blaster herself and finds a way out. Shes not just a princess but a radical fighting for freedom under a tyrannical empire.

She had contempt for and worked with men, and I liked that, Fisher says. There was something human about her. It showed that she could do whatever she needed to do, and if she could do that, then everybody could do it. People identified with her. Shes like a superhero.

Kennedy, who took over the reins for Lucas in 2012, agrees. When Princess Leia hit the scene in 1977 she was a pretty formidable character. I give George [Lucas] a huge amount of credit, she says. Leia really held her own. We used that as kind of a touchstone for why it was so important to have a strong female character and hopefully many more strong female characters in the Star Wars universe.

The new film reintroduces Leia 30 years after the war. Shes no longer a princess but a general. And shes still very much in command  still walking and talking, Fisher says. She doesnt have any mortal wounds or disease. But, she warns, things have happened that have been difficult.

Fisher was mum on the rest of her characters details but didnt mind sharing a moment of nostalgia she felt on the set of the new film:

Youre so self-conscious, youre exhausted before you get out of your trailer. I was in my trailer in the back and I heard Harrison. I recognized how his boots sound, and I heard him say, Is Carrie here? That was funny. That was like were back on Star Wars campus.

In response to this reporters surprise that the actress who brought to life Princess Leia  general of the new resistance  was self-conscious, Fisher let out a guffaw. I think everyone thinks the same way, only [some] people pretend better. Im going to do badly this time. I look like .... The new people are better. What am I going to do? My hair looks bad again.

Fisher may still get nervous, but that doesnt change her legacy. Nor did it stop her tenacious response about the recent kerfuffle over her characters notorious bikini. A frustrated father in Deptford, Pa., went viral in a Fox 29 report over a Target store selling Princess Leia action figure toys dressed in the divisive slave Leia ensemble (a metal two-piece the character was forced to wear while prisoner to character Jabba the Hutt). The man was perturbed it was being sold in the toy aisle and flustered over how he was going to explain the toys chain to his daughters.

How about telling his daughter that the character is wearing that outfit not because shes chosen to wear it. Shes been forced to wear it, Fisher advises. Shes a prisoner of a giant testicle who has a lot of saliva going on and she does not want to wear that thing and its ultimately that chain, which youre now indicating is some sort of accessory to S&M, that is used to kill the giant saliva testicle. Thats asinine.

Truly the contempt for the scruffy-looking nerf-herders of the world is very much alive and well in Fisher.

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If the stress of the holidays turns your mood from festive to furtive, there are many craft beers that can help restore your holiday spirit  maybe too many. Most of the more than 5,000 craft breweries in the country are making a specialty beer for the holidays. But dont get overwhelmed by all the choices. Instead, turn to the classic holiday beers  the brews that have graced tables at holiday feasts for decades.

From traditional Belgian Christmas ales to brews from the pioneers of American craft beer, theres some bottled holiday cheer for every taste. Here are three of the most tried-and-true brews to help banish those Scrooge-y blues:

St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

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Belgian brewers love to concoct special ales for the Christmas season, and theyre often boozy  sometimes approaching wine strength  and graced with fragrant spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. The festive bottle of St. Bernardus, which features the brewerys trademark smiling monk sporting a jaunty Santa hat, is comparatively restrained. Brewed since 1946, the strong dark ale is refined and complex. Yeast-derived spice and fruit aromas lead to a velvety body rich with the flavors of toasted malts and Belgian brewing sugars. At 10% alcohol, Christmas Ale is robust, but the alcohol is in balance with bready, spicy flavors.

Widely available at beer retailers, the cork-finished 750ml bottles of St. Bernardus Christmas Ale are about $13, and theyre a great alternative to yet another bottle of Beaujolais when visiting friends and family this holiday.

Anchor Christmas Ale

Predating even the microbrew nomenclature, Anchors annual Christmas Ale has been made since 1975, and each year the San Francisco brewery puts a slightly different beer in its eye-catching bottles. Also known as Our Special Ale, the brew strikes a balance between malt complexity and hop character with none of the cloying sweetness or assertive spice flavors that are all too common in Christmas beers. This years batch is deep brown with a fluffy tan cap of foam and a distinctive hop presence that recalls pine trees and pithy citrus. Its a quaffable brew, with just 6.5% alcohol, thats a great match for rich holiday foods, and its the rare Christmas beer that doesnt overstay its welcome after one glass. Its widely available in six packs, and 1.5 liter magnums complete with gold foil wrapping for around $25.

Sierra Nevada Celebration

Christmas ales dont always have to be about dark malts and spices, and the 35 year-old tradition from Sierra Nevada is the hop-lovers answer to holiday brews. Based around freshly harvested hops from the Pacific Northwest, Celebration is both complex and mercurial. In the first weeks after bottling, the Cascade and Centennial hops provide an intense floral and orange zest aroma, but these higher hop notes soon fade. But instead of going flabby and unbalanced as a typical hop-driven IPA would, Celebration develops a rounder flavor that leans on the off-dry malt body. Its simply one of the best beers made in America today, and you can find it everywhere from the grocery store, to Target, to beer specialty retailers  often for less than $10 a six pack.

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China on Tuesday gave back an American underwater drone that its navy seized last week, ending a standoff that engaged President-elect Donald Trump and risked ballooning into a larger confrontation.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense said it handed over the drone in the South China Sea after friendly negotiations by both sides.

A Pentagon statement confirmed a Chinese vessel returned the drone to a U.S. Navy ship near where it disappeared, but couched the resolution in less generous terms.

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The incident was inconsistent with both international law and standards of professionalism for conduct between navies at sea, said Peter Cook, a Department of Defense spokesman.

An undated file photo released by the U.S. Navy Visual News Service showing the USNS Bowditch, a T-AGS 60 Class Oceanographic Survey Ship. (U.S. Navy Photo / AP )

The statement called on China to refrain from further efforts to impede lawful U.S. activities. And it stressed this would not impede Americas effort to maneuver through contested waters, where trade and territorial claims collide.

Tensions began last week after a Chinese naval ship grabbed the drone just as the Bowditch, a U.S. oceanographic survey vessel, prepared to retrieve it. Chinas defense ministry said its sailors picked up an unidentified vessel and needed to verify it did not pose a threat. The incident occurred about 50 nautical miles from Subic Bay, a major Philippine port and former U.S. military base.

U.S. officials have said the drone was used for scientific research, including collecting data on water salinity and surveying the ocean bottom.

The Pentagon requested it back. But Trump, who has riled Beijing with hints that he would abandon longstanding U.S. policy toward Taiwan, accused the Chinese of taking the drone maliciously.

He called the seizure an unprecedented act on Twitter last Saturday, and once Chinese agreed to return it, said the U.S. should tell China that we dont want the drone they stole back.

A number of Chinas neighbors also stake claims in the South China Sea. They have watched with trepidation as Beijing has built artificial islands and military facilities in the disputed waters. The U.S. has not taken a position on the claims, but strongly emphasizes freedom of navigation.

The drone situation led officials on both sides to hint at potential espionage.

The Chinese are able to do a thing called reverse-engineering, where they are able to, while they hold this drone, able to find out all the technical information, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Senate Armed Service Committee head, said Sunday on CNN. And some of it is pretty valuable.

The Chinese government previously voiced concerns about Americas naval actions in the region, and used the drone scenario to reiterate its point.

China firmly opposes the frequent appearance of U.S. military aircraft and vessels in waters facing China for close-in reconnaissance and military surveys, Hua Chunying, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told reporters Monday.

She declined to weigh in on Trumps tweets. But the Communist Party-run Global Times had no problem doing so.

Trump is not behaving as a president who will become master of the White House in a month, the paper wrote in an editorial Sunday. He bears no sense of how to lead a superpower.

The editorial warned his handling of the drone saga showed he would treat U.S.-China relations as childs play.

Meyers is a special correspondent. Yingzhi Yang in the Times bureau contributed to this report.

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Good morning. Its Tuesday, Dec. 20. If you live in L.A., maybe you should be dreaming of a smoggy Christmas? Heres whats going on around California:

TOP STORIES

Legal assistance fund

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In a dramatic response to the expected crackdown on illegal immigration by Donald Trump, Los Angeles leaders on Monday announced a plan for a $10-million fund to provide legal assistance for immigrants facing deportation. The move was hailed by immigrant rights groups but continues to put local officials on a collision course with Trump, who has threatened to retaliate against cities with sanctuary laws for people here illegally. Los Angeles Times

Tale of two sheriffs

Lee Baca spent 15 years as sheriff of Los Angeles County, building a reputation as an ethical and transparent leader with creative, progressive ideas on law enforcement. A federal prosecutor Monday needed only about 90 minutes to dismantle that glowing portrait of Baca and replace it with a far more sinister portrayal as the former sheriffs obstruction of justice trial came to a close. Los Angeles Times

Up in smoke

CalPERS on Monday rejected its staffs recommendation to again invest in tobacco stocks and instead widened the ban on tobacco investments for the nations largest public pension fund. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

SEC pick? Former U.S. Atty. Debra Wong Yang is now a top crisis manager for one of the premier corporate litigation firms in the country, the Los Angeles-based Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Now shes on Donald Trumps short list to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. Los Angeles Times

Crash assessment: The National Transportation Safety Board has blamed a tired truck driver for last years Metrolink derailment near Oxnard that killed the engineer and injured over 30 passengers and crew members. Los Angeles Times

Holiday cheer: What house in all of L.A. has the best Christmas lights? You might want to go to Sherman Oaks, where one homeowner has a created a 50,000-light wonderland. Curbed Los Angeles

L.A. visions: The original Blade Runner was supposed to be set in 2019, and the films dystopian vision of Los Angeles became a classic. A sequel to the movie is coming out, this time set in 2049. Harrison Ford looks older, but the L.A. of Blade Runner still looks dark and polluted, if the trailer is any guide. Take a look. LAist

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

GOPs future: Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes isnt flashy or in-your-face. But he may represent the future for the California GOP if it can survive and rebuild. Los Angeles Times

They cant bank on it: Despite California voters approval last month of Proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana, and coming ground rules for pot businesses set to take effect in 2018, it remains difficult and expensive for companies that want to grow, process or sell marijuana to borrow money. Los Angeles Times

Faithless no more: Electors stayed true to Hillary Clinton, in California anyway. Overall, Trump won the electoral college vote, as expected. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Grim record: Behind the wealth of Silicon Valley, theres a violent crime problem. San Jose has recorded 46 homicides this year, the largest number in a quarter-century. Mercury News

Missing: Nancy Paulikas was visiting family at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art two months ago when she vanished. Her family and friends have launched extensive efforts to find her. But the mystery of the Manhattan Beach womans whereabouts endures. Daily Breeze

Cleared: The Commission on Judicial Performance concluded that a Santa Clara County judge did not engage in judicial misconduct when he gave a lenient sentence to former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner after his conviction for sexual assault. Los Angeles Times

Fatal shooting: The new chief of the Bakersfield Police Department has asked the FBI to review the case of a 73-year-old man with early dementia who was shot and killed by an officer just steps from his home last week. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Brrr: In the Central Valley, theres an all-out race to protect citrus crops from freezing conditions. Fresno Bee

Forget it, Jake? How the battle over Jerry Browns delta tunnels project became viewed by some as the sequel to Chinatown. And is there a compromise that can satisfy north and south? Los Angeles Times

Creature features: More weird jelly pods are washing ashore in Orange County. Says one lifeguard: They are liquid-filled sacks similar to the bulbs you see on seaweed, but they move slowly like worms. Orange County Register

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

High school tragedy: Three suicides at one high school outside of Fresno has a community searching for answers. Fresno Bee

Fumble: It all seemed as if it was going to be great when the beloved San Francisco 49ers moved to Santa Clara to a fancy new stadium. But things are going downhill quickly, and even super fans are disillusioned. Mercury News

Christmases past: Yahoo had its Christmas party, but all anyone could talk about was how much less extravagant it was than last years affair (it was held in Sunnyvale rather than San Francisco). Its a sign of the one-time tech giants fading fortunes. SFGate

More to the story? A Kentucky university punished a professor for publicly singing the Beach Boys song California Girls during a university-related trip overseas. Officials apparently said the songs lyrics had a sexual nature some could consider offensive. San Diego Union-Tribune

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Sunny, with highs in the mid-70s, before the next storm hits toward the end of the week. San Diego: Mostly sunny; highs in the mid-70s. San Francisco area and Sacramento: Mostly sunny but cool; highs in the mid-50s.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Anastasia Paveloff:

My father, the seventh and youngest son of Russian immigrants, took over his fathers business in East L.A. and spent over 50 years driving the Southland, selling roofs and exploring California from his Cadillac. He was a walking Thomas Guide and could get around any L.A. traffic. My siblings and I grew up with this expertise, which took us through the Golden State, over and again  whether summer vacations in Lake Tahoe, smores in Huntington Beach, hot dogs at Pinks, butterflies in Big Sur, or visiting our grandparents in Santa Maria, with its annual parade, rodeo and tri-tip barbecues. California was the place on which my father mapped his life, and our familys life. Well always be California dreaming (and eating)!

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Shelby Grad.
State investigators on Monday cleared California Coastal Commissioner Erik Howell of allegations that he improperly voted for a housing project in Pismo Beach after receiving a $1,000 campaign donation from someone with an interest in the development.

The Fair Political Practices Commission announced that it found insufficient evidence to conclude that Howell, who is also a Pismo Beach city councilman, violated a state law prohibiting elected officials from receiving political contributions of more than $250 from someone with a financial stake in business that comes before them.

At issue was a $1,000 donation Howells City Council campaign received in September 2015 from Antoinette DeVargas, the operations manager for Susan McCabe, a consultant and lobbyist who represents many clients with developments requiring Coastal Commission approval.

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Pismo Beach residents complained that Howell changed his position on the 19-home Silver Shoals project two months after he received the donation from DeVargas. At the time McCabe was representing the developer.

Howell had voted no on the project when it came before the City Council but later approved it at the Coastal Commission, where he joined with the majority after the project was modified.

The Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces the states political reform laws, concluded, however, that DeVargas, McCabes domestic and business partner, did not represent clients before the commission, made the donation with her own money and was not reimbursed by McCabe or her firm, McCabe & Co.

Howell could not be reached for comment.

dan.weikel@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LADeadline16
After coming to suspect Robert Durst in the execution-style slaying of writer Susan Berman, the Los Angeles Police Department was forced to make a swift arrest of the real estate scion because of an HBO miniseries, prosecutors said in court filings on Monday.

Durst was nabbed one day before the final episode of the six-part HBO documentary, The Jinx, revealed the eccentric millionaire muttering to himself: What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course. Many interpreted it as a confession to killing his long-vanished wife, a Texas neighbor and Berman, his confidant.

In a court filing, Los Angeles County prosecutors spelled out how the finale of The Jinx warranted action. Durst had wealth and a history of fleeing law enforcement, which made the need to arrest him in New Orleans all the more urgent, according to court papers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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The Jinxs final episode...was about to become public and [Durst] was about to hear for the first time this extremely damning evidence, prosecutors wrote of the recording. Preventing defendants flight, holding him accountable for his past actions, and protecting society from the danger he posed, were of the utmost importance.

The court filing does not say how prosecutors or investigators knew the contents of the final episode before it was aired. The Jinx director Andrew Jarecki has previously said his team was in contact with police for two years before Dursts arrest on March 14, 2015.

The justification for apprehending Durst was one of several arguments prosecutors made in response to allegations levied by defense attorneys in court papers filed last week. Dursts lawyers contend that the heir to a Manhattan real estate fortune was improperly arrested, that his hotel room was unlawfully searched, and that L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. John Lewin conducted an inappropriate jailhouse interview of their client, according to court papers.

They said Durst, now 73, was frail, afraid and quite disoriented at the time of the questioning, according to the court papers.

Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin also told The Times he disliked how prosecutors released on Friday the full transcript of the questioning.

I dont think it was proper for the prosecution to publicly file evidence, meaning the transcript from Bobs illegal interrogation, before the judge rules on whether it should be made public, DeGuerin said in an e-mail.

Prosecutors rejected each of those assertions in Mondays court filing, noting that a federal judge in Louisiana previously ruled that the search and arrest were lawful. Prosecutors also say the jailhouse interview was proper because Durst had not been formally charged with murder at the time and that he voluntarily waived his rights to having an attorney present.

Durst was lucid, had no trouble processing information, and in no way appeared disoriented, prosecutors wrote.

The wrangling over Dursts arrest and subsequent interview is one of many disputes in the case. Durst is charged with murder in the December 2000 execution-style slaying of Berman, his confidant. He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment last month and remains in custody in L.A. County jail.

A court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles, where attorneys are expected to spar over whether an independent monitor should be appointed to sift through some of Dursts property seized last year and separate materials restricted by attorney-client privilege.

Investigators want to examine roughly 60 boxes of personal papers that were stored in the Hudson Valley basement of Dursts friend Susan Giordano. Some of those papers contain information about litigation involving Durst.

Prosecutors contend that he allowed the film crew of The Jinx to riffle through the material to find a deposition of Douglas Durst, his estranged brother, and scan various documents, thus waiving any claim to attorney-client privilege.

Defense lawyers say The Jinx filmmakers were authorized only to locate a DVD showing Dursts brother in a deposition, not to read the entire contents of the papers.

Other disputed evidence that prosecutors want examined by an independent monitor comes from Dursts New Orleans hotel room and his Houston home.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident in which a passenger jet was given wrong directions by traffic controllers and guided toward the San Gabriel Mountains, where it flew just hundreds of feet higher than the peak of Mt. Wilson before turning around, according to publicly available flight data.

Bound for Taiwan, the EVA Air Boeing 777 took off to the east early Friday from Los Angeles International Airports south runway complex, according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. After takeoff, the air crew switched from the LAX control tower to the approach control operations in San Diego, which Gregor said was common practice.

The air traffic controller at the approach control who was handling EVA instructed the pilot to make a left turn to a 180-degree heading, he said. She meant to tell the pilot to make a right turn to a 180-degree heading.

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Following the controllers instructions, the pilot turned left.

The move sent the plane in the wrong direction, Gregor said.

Instead of flying south, the aircraft flew north toward the San Gabriel Mountains and an Air Canada jet that had departed from the north runway complex at LAX.

When the controller realized the mistake, she took immediate action to keep EVA safely separated from the second aircraft as well as ground terrain, Gregor said. She issued the EVA pilot a series of instructions to help him turn south.

The controller wanted to make sure the EVA aircraft was safely above or away from nearby terrain, he said.

The conversation between the pilot of EVA 015 and the controller was posted by VASAviation on Youtube. At one point during the flight, the controller asks the pilot, What are you doing? Turn southbound now.

A graphic depiction of the aircrafts flight path, altitude and speed on the website Flightradar24.com shows the plane turning north and flying over Pasadena toward the San Gabriel Mountains. Just five minutes after takeoff, the plane is hovering 5,000 feet over Eaton Canyon when it begins turning away from the mountain range and heading south.

As the aircraft banks directly to the south of Mt. Wilson, it continues to gain altitude and appears to fly between 500 and 800 feet higher than the Mt. Wilson Observatory, which stands roughly 5,710 feet high, according to the website data. The aircrafts lateral distance from the mountain peak appears to be between 500 and 600 meters.

In a statement issued Tuesday, EVA Air said, Our flight was never too close to other aircraft or to the mountains.

The pilot of the aircraft was directed to take off from Runway 7 and complied with the air traffic controllers direction and speed instructions.

EVA is working in full cooperation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and related authorities in the investigation of this situation, the statement said.

FAA regulations require that airliners be separated by at least 3 miles laterally, or 1,000 feet vertically. The regulations also require airliners to be at least 3 miles away laterally or 2,000 feet vertically above obstacles such as mountains.

Asked whether the aircraft had violated those restrictions, Gregor said the FAA was looking into how high the aircraft was flying above the ground northeast of the airport.

At least one Altadena resident reported hearing the low-flying plane, KABC-TV reported.

The question is how close did they come to the terrain? said Jon Russell, an air transport pilot and the Western-Pacific regional safety coordinator for the Air Line Pilots Assn. Did a terrain warning sound in the cockpit?

FAA officials said Tuesday afternoon that they did not know whether such a warning occurred.

The flight had 353 people on board, including five infants, an airline spokeswoman said.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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UPDATES:

6:10 p.m.: This article was updated with the number of passengers on board.

4:50 p.m.: This article was updated with information on flight communications.

3:55 p.m.: This article was updated with new details on the airplanes flight path and comments from EVA.

This article was originally published at 2:10 p.m.
Hemet police officers shot and killed a man in a residential neighborhood early Tuesday, authorities said.

Few details about the shooting were released, and it was unclear how many officers were involved. Authorities said no officers were injured in the shooting, which was reported in an unincorporated area of East Hemet.

The incident occurred about 2 a.m. around Sharose Drive and Girard Street, according to Deputy Armando Munoz, a spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriffs Department.

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Detectives from the Sheriffs Departments Central Homicide Unit are investigating the shooting.

Hemet police did not immediately return calls seeking information.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.
Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief William Bill Scott, the departments highest-ranking African American officer, has been appointed as chief of the San Francisco Police Department following recent scandals involving racist texting among Bay Area officers.

Scott, who oversees LAPDs South Bureau, was selected by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to lead the embattled department.

At a news conference announcing the appointment, Lee noted that Scott had a wealth of experience as a manager in a department that has been undergoing its own reforms during his 27-year career.

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Deputy Chief Scott has seen firsthand not just what it takes to implement a series of reforms, but the efforts it will take to transform a department  to build trust, the mayor said.

Scott, 52, promised to be a fair and consistent leader in his new role.

Change is difficult for all of us, but I think we can do it, he said.

The Alabama native said he was excited at the prospect of leading the Northern California police department, which includes nearly 2,000 officers. By contrast, the LAPD employs nearly 10,000 officers.

Scott said when he married 29 years ago, he and his wife took a look at places where they wanted to live, and he liked the idea of moving to San Francisco. Instead, the couple landed in Los Angeles. Scott said he accepted his new job in San Francisco on his wedding anniversary.

I wasnt looking for a job. I was very happy in L.A., he said, adding that he was enjoying his work with the LAPD when a recruiting firm came calling. It is funny how God works.

Scotts was one of three names sent by the San Francisco Police Commission to Lee. Scott will replace acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin, a 26-year department veteran who previously led the departments homicide division. The mayor praised Chaplin, saying he had laid the groundwork for the department to be transformed.

The San Francisco police officers union had actively pushed for Chaplins appointment but said in a statement Tuesday that the association looked forward to working with Scott.

Scotts hiring comes after a six-month study by the U.S. Justice Department found that the San Francisco Police Department disproportionately used force on people of color and stopped and searched them more often than it did white people.

During the study, federal officials reviewed 548 use-of-force cases between May 2013 and May 2016. The Justice Department found 37% of the people whom city police used force against were African American, a larger percentage than for any other ethnic group. Nine of the 11 people who were killed during use-of-force incidents in that time frame were people of color.

The mayor requested the federal study after Mario Woods, a black man suspected of assault, was shot at least 21 times by police in 2015 while holding a knife.

Former Police Chief Greg Suhr stepped down in May at the request of the mayor following a series of scandals that rocked the department.

For more than a year, San Francisco police have faced intense scrutiny in part because of the disclosure of dozens of racist text messages among officers.

Last year, a federal jury convicted an officer of violating a persons civil rights while conducting unlawful searches at a downtown hotel that serves the poor.

San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascon, himself a former LAPD assistant chief who also served as San Francisco police chief, said Scott brings a reputation as an effective police manager to his new role. Scott, he said, once worked for him in the LAPDs patrol operations and under Chief William J. Bratton in internal affairs, where Scott oversaw how the LAPD was implementing reform policies under a federal consent decree.

Scott is latest of LAPD commanders who worked under Bratton to go on and head another police department.

The Bay Areas gain is L.A.s loss, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said. Bills tactical skills, intelligence and kindness embody the spirit of our department.

Scott joined the LAPD in 1989, working his way up the ranks. He was a young officer in the San Fernando Valley on the day the 1992 riots broke out and was immediately sent to South L.A., where he previously worked.

Scott, a U.S. Army brat, grew up in several cities before his family settled in Birmingham, Ala. He attended the University of Alabama.

Scott is known as an advocate of community policing and has said policing has changed dramatically for the better since his days as a rookie.

Officers, he said, need to think of themselves as guardians watching over communities  not warriors cracking down on them.

That means if weve got to take somebody to jail, well take them to jail, Scott said last year. But when we need to be empathetic and we need to be human, weve got to do that too.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Follow @lacrimes on Twitter

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UPDATES:

2:05 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Lee, Scott, Gascon, Beck and the union that represents San Francisco police officers.

This article was originally published at 8:15 a.m.
Thaddeus Moncrief has gone for months without three medicines he takes to control his high blood pressure. He also stopped leaving his home in Lancaster because hes running dangerously low on catheters he uses with his wheelchair. Hes afraid of having an accident in public.

Like yesterday I needed these medical supplies, said Moncrief, 48.

Moncrief is one of many Los Angeles County residents who say they were wrongly dropped from Medi-Cal, the states healthcare program for low-income and disabled Californians, and have struggled to regain coverage and see their doctors. The patients say they turned in their renewal paperwork on time to the county, but lost coverage anyway.

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David Kane, an attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, said his organization has heard from more than 200 people this year who believe their Medi-Cal coverage was improperly terminated. Kane said he thinks the total number of those affected could be in the thousands.

Officials from the Department of Public Social Services, which processes Medi-Cal applications and renewals, would not comment on whether people had been wrongly terminated from Medi-Cal, saying they had been threatened with a lawsuit.

I am aware of the Medi-Cal coverage situation that resulted in some cancellations, and my office is conducting a review of the matter, L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said in a statement. We are working with DPSS to ensure that recipients are treated fairly and that their concerns are being addressed.

A state official said the backlog grew between June 2015 and March 2016 while the county updated language in letters sent to people whose Medi-Cal eligibility was being discontinued. The change was made to address separate litigation.

Moncrief said he turned in his annual paperwork to renew his Medi-Cal coverage in May. Hes paraplegic, and Medi-Cal has been paying for his doctors visits and medicines for decades.

But in July his doctors told him that he was no longer covered by the program, he said. He began calling county and state Medi-Cal offices, but was unable to figure out what had happened.

Eventually he filled out another renewal packet and mailed it to the county. His coverage still wasnt reinstated, he said.

In September he contacted Neighborhood Legal Services, whose lawyers filed a complaint with the county. His Medi-Cal was reinstated within a few days.

But Moncrief hasnt been able to see his doctor yet because the office cant accommodate more patients.

Im running out of medicine ... I cant do anything without my doctor, he said. Here we are back to square one.

Typically, Medi-Cal beneficiaries begin receiving notices 60 days before their official renewal date. Kane said he thinks the county is not processing applications within that window, and that as a result its computer systems are automatically terminating people from the program.

Documents obtained by Neighborhood Legal Services through a public records request show that as of September, 24,545 renewal packets had been turned in but not yet scanned into the countys computer system to be processed. Some had been submitted as far back as January.

Its the common pattern in all the cases, where the consumer does everything right, submits the paperwork on time, and the countys default is to cut off life-sustaining care, Kane said.

Tony Cava, spokesman for the California Department of Health Care Services, which oversees Medi-Cal, said a technical update in the discontinuance letters had contributed to the backlog, but that the county had implemented a plan to ensure timely processing of renewals.

Im sorry we are unable to discuss certain issues because of potential litigation, Sheryl L. Spiller, director of the public social services department, said in an email to The Times. Be assured, we are constantly striving to improve, whether were drawing on lessons from our successes or from our challenges, including those surrounding the Medi-Cal renewals.

Officials said they were confident future renewals would be processed without delays.

The Medi-Cal program was expanded in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act to cover all state residents who make less than $16,395 a year. More people than expected signed up and the now 13.6 million Californians receive coverage through Medi-Cal  one in three people in the state.

There are 4.2 million people on Medi-Cal in Los Angeles County, and the county processes more than 100,000 renewals a month.

Kane said that despite the countys assurances, hes continued to receive calls from people who believe their coverage was improperly terminated and doesnt expect that to let up.

Carol Northern, who lives in Palmdale, had already turned in her renewal packet when she got a letter saying it was time to renew her Medi-Cal coverage. Im thinking, wait a minute, its supposed to be continuing, she said.

Northern learned from her health plan that her coverage had been canceled. Between May and August, she called county and state offices to try to figure out what had happened, she said.

Shes on oxygen 24 hours a day, and has a blood disease that requires several medicines. She grew worried because she had doctors to see and medicines to buy and no way to pay them, she said.

Its hard enough when youre disabled and then you have to fight the system, Northern said.

Her coverage was eventually reinstated, but she still hasnt quite recovered.

Every time I go to the mailbox I go, OK, I hope theres nothing in here from Medi-Cal, she said.

soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com

Twitter: @skarlamangla

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A man accused of drowning his 4-year-old daughter in a baptismal pool in Northern California has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial, a judge ruled Monday.

Gerardo Ordaz, 42, was facing a murder charge for allegedly drowning his daughter, Maria Ordaz Chavarria, in a foot-deep baptismal pool at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Healdsburg, a small town in Sonoma County.

But after seeing court-appointed doctors, a judge ruled Monday that he was unfit to stand trial and instead will return to court Jan. 11 to determine where he will be treated.

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Ordaz was arrested Nov. 4 after Healdsburg police found him naked, holding his daughters wet, lifeless body behind their station. Ordaz had been crying for help when officers found him.

Earlier in the evening, Ordaz had been with his daughter and a 9-year-old boy in the sanctuary at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, about one block from the police station, authorities said.

Inside the house of worship, investigators say, Ordaz drowned his daughter.

They were the only ones in the church at the time, Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke said at the time of the arrest. The church leaves the doors open late on Sunday.

The childs death stunned the parish community at St. John the Baptist, which was founded in 1860.

The churchs pastor, Father Sean Rogers, issued a brief statement after the girls death: Sunday night, there was a tragedy in the church; a little girl lost her life.

When police finish the investigation, we will know more, Rogers said. In the meantime, please pray for the family, and the parish community.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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The University of California received more than 171,000 freshman applications for fall 2017, marking a new record with gains across all racial and ethnic groups.

The applicants included more than 111,600 California high school seniors, a 6% rise over last year, according to prelimary UC data released Monday. Overall, the top campus choice was UCLA, followed by UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara.

The record number of in-state applicants will help UC meet its pledge to enroll an additional 2,500 Californians next fall, said UC President Janet Napolitano. In response to public criticism over UCs rising out-of-state enrollment, Napolitano in 2015 forged a three-year deal with Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature to add a total of 10,000 more Californians to the system by 2018.

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This years applications affirm, once again, that Californians demand for a UC education keeps getting stronger, Napolitano said in a statement. This is a testament to the excellence of Californias public research university, and reinforces the imperative to continue working with our state government to preserve UCs quality and affordability, and to ensure there is a place at the university for every deserving California student.

UC officials say they hope to enroll more Californians by 2018 than pledged in the deal with Sacramento. The university already is on track to surpass 10,000, having enrolled 7,500 more Californians this fall across all campuses. Officials hope to get enough state funding to add another 5,000 students over the next two academic years, said UC spokeswoman Dianne Klein.

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, (D-Sacramento), called the enrollment numbers great news for California students and for Californias long-term economic health. But McCarty said that, as chairman of the Assembly budget subcommittee on education finance, he would continue to push for a cap on non-resident enrollment and expanded access for Californians.

In an interview, McCarty said he supported a 20% cap on non-residents. Thats higher than the systems overall level of 16.5%, but the share of non-resident students varies widely by campus  with about 24% at UC Berkeley, for instance, and 3% at UC Riverside.

The rising demand for seats comes as UC considers the first tuition increase in six years to help pay for needs including more faculty, classrooms and labs at a time when state support is at lower levels than a decade ago. The proposed increase  which could amount to $280 annually  has been opposed by students and will be debated at the UC Board of Regents meeting in January.

McCarty said a small increase was reasonable and that his committee would hold hearings early next year to discuss ways to expand financial aid in order to cover not only tuition but also housing and other expenses.

The biggest issue we have is access and affordability, he said.

Overall, UC applicants reflected the states diversity. Asian Americans, however, make up a disproportionately large share of the applicant pool. They were 13% of last years California high school graduates but are 29.1% of UC applicants for next fall.

In the latest data, Latinos recorded the strongest gains, with 41,575 applications to UCs nine undergraduate campuses. They made up 37.2% of total applicants, followed by Asian Americans at 29.1%, whites at 23.7% and African Americans at 6.2%.

Asian Americans were the largest applicant group at UCs most competitive campuses, including UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC San Diego. African Americans, whose numbers dropped the most dramatically following the ban on affirmative action imposed by Proposition 209 two decades ago, posted increases at all campuses.

California applicants to UC Merced jumped 10.1%, the largest campus increase. Chancellor Dorothy Leland said the growth in applications reflected greater recognition of the recent gains made at the school, the systems youngest and smallest campus, located in the impoverished San Joaquin Valley. UC Merced recently broke ground on a major expansion and made U.S. News & World Reports list of best national universities for the first time.

Its extremely rewarding to see our campus continue to attract a record number of qualified students for admission, Leland said in a statement. We believe the numbers are reflective of the strides were making in research and innovation, and the transformative educational opportunities we offer our students.

Across the UC system, applications increased from last years tally of 166,380. More low-income students and those who would be the first in their families to attend college applied this year, but applications decreased slightly for students from other states and foreign countries.

teresa.watanabe@latimes.com

Twitter: @teresawatanabe

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UPDATES:

6:20 p.m.: This article was updated with 2016 enrollment figures and comments from Assemblyman Kevin McCarty.

This article was originally published on Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m.
The family of a woman who was killed by a falling tree at her daughters wedding Saturday has hired a civil attorney to advise them, a law firm spokesman said.

On Tuesday, the family of Margarita Mojarro, 61, released a statement through their attorney saying they are in anguish after Mojarros death at Whittiers Penn Park and have requested privacy.

Our hearts are broken. What started as a happy day for our family ended in terrible sadness, the statement said. We are all still trying to understand how this could have happened. In this time of grief, we are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community. We continue to ask for our familys privacy to be respected.

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Mojarro, of San Pedro, died when an 80-foot eucalyptus tree suddenly failed and fell onto her and her daughters wedding party. Several others were injured, including a 4-year-old girl. The family has not said whether it will pursue civil action against the city. The accident was on public land.

 Investigators are trying to learn why a tree came crashing down over the weekend during a wedding shoot.

Saturdays tragic accident at Penn Park defies explanation, Mayor Joe Vinatieri said in a statement. On behalf of all Whittier residents, our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they grieve their loss and care for those who were injured.

The park has been closed since the incident as the city surveys the rest of its trees to determine whether others are on the brink of failing, officials said.

With the survey nearly finished, Vinatieri announced Tuesday that the trees that have been inspected so far look fine, and it does not appear that any will need to be removed.

The inspection should conclude Wednesday, and after that the citys findings will be made public, he said.

According to a University of California database on tree failures, eucalyptus is the third-most common type of tree to fail in California. Saturdays failure followed two days of substantial rain, which officials speculate may have contributed to the fall, along with the states enduring drought.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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UPDATES:

4:20 p.m.: This article was updated with details about preliminary results of the park inspection.

This article was originally published at 2:20 p.m.
Whittier city officials have tapped a third-party arborist to inspect the trees in Penn Park, where an 80-foot eucalyptus toppled onto a wedding party Saturday afternoon, killing the mother of the bride.

The victim was identified as Margarita Mojarro, 61, of San Pedro, a coroner official said. The family identified her as the mother of the bride, according to KABC-TV Channel 7.

According to state data and Los Angeles-based expert Ruben Green, who runs Evergreen Arborists Consultants, eucalyptus trees are the third-most common failing tree in California, though there are still relatively few incidents compared with the millions of trees across the state.

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What types of tree usually fall?

Failing trees arent usual considering the countless trees in Californias cities, parks and forests. That said, there have been 5,902 tree or tree branch fails since 2010 in California, according to the University of Californias Tree Failure Report Program.

Of those, 23.2% involved oak trees, 17.1% were pine trees and 12.6% were eucalyptus.

Did the eucalyptus that fell Saturday fit the typical profile?

Yes. According to a 2014 report from The Britton Fund, a nonprofit entity from the International Society of Arboricultures Western Chapter, the average age and size of failing eucalyptus in California is 65 years old and 81 feet tall.

Saturdays tree was an 80-foot-tall eucalyptus that was at least 50 years old and had a trunk diameter between 6 and 8 feet, Los Angeles County firefighters said.

Two-thirds of trees that failed were in high-use areas like Penn Parks eucalyptus, and 58% of them occurred in the winter months between November and February, the report stated.

The most common defect among the trees in the report were heavy lateral limbs, which were too big for the trees root system and trunk to support.

 The mother of the bride was reportedly killed. A 4-year-old girl was badly hurt.

Could it have fallen because of the drought?

According to Green, thats not likely. The park appears irrigated and there hasnt been a reported spike in tree failings since Californias drought took hold five years ago.

Two factors that can cause a tree to fail, however, are long-term effects of decay and short-term effects of rain on loosening soil.

Do we know if this tree fell because of decay or rain?

Its too early to tell.

If the trunk snapped apart from its root plate below ground, Green said, that would be a symptom of long-term decay to the roots until they were so compromised that they were too weak for the tree.

If they remained attached and the entire tree fell over, unearthing all of its roots and the soil that were holding them, that would be a sign that it was the soil that failed, not the tree itself, he said.

Sometimes only part of the roots are compromised and others are not, further muddying the investigation for arborists, he said.

Could the city have detected the tree would fail?

It depends on the cause.

Whittier maintains a pruning and inspection schedule for its trees, though officials wouldnt immediately say what that was and when the last time Saturdays tree had been inspected.

But typically trees in municipalities are inspected on a one- to five-year basis, Green said. Long-term issues like root decay would be detectable because the tree would show outward symptoms like mushrooms growing around its base or on its trunk, he said.

By the time you have a mushroom you have advanced decay  that means the wood has been eaten up, Green said. The structural integrityis like mush, like soft bread. It takes years for this to happen.

Another sign of decay would be a callous, or a raised ring on the bark that forms around an infected area on the trees surface.

Conversely, a green canopy isnt a sign of a trees health, Green said.

A tree canopy can still be green but that doesnt mean the root system is structurally sound, he said.

But if the tree itself was healthy and it was the ground around it that was failing, thats difficult to predict, Green said. Heavy branches saturated with water and a powerful wind gust has been known to knock over a healthy eucalyptus, he said.

Those are hard to detect, Green said. I dont know how you would do it unless you see the soil shiftingyou cant detect it.

Where does eucalyptus come from?

They are originally from Tasmania and Australia and were introduced to California in the 1800s. They were used as windbreaks and for their timber but have since become naturalized across California.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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Less than three weeks after his swearing-in, a member of the Tijuana City Council was behind bars Tuesday in San Diego on money-laundering charges.

Luis Torres Santillan, 37, was taken into custody Friday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He was arrested at the border after receiving a call saying he needed to come in to renew his Sentri pass, which allows faster processing of pre-cleared border crossers, said his San Diego defense attorney, Anthony Colombo.

Torres is being held on $5-million bail at the San Diego Central Jail on 10 counts of money laundering, according to the San Diego County district attorneys office. If found guilty of all counts, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years.

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One of 12 defendants named in a complaint, Torres pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Superior Court on Monday, his attorney said.

Little is publicly known about the nature of the alleged money-laundering operation, as a 26-page probable cause document in the case was under seal.

However, a court document signed by a San Diego police officer assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administrations narcotics task force described Torres as a flight risk because of the proximity to the border and his connections with Mexico.

Due to the lucrative nature of the illicit business the defendant is engaged in, I believe the defendant has quick access to additional large sources of illicit, feloniously obtained funds, and that these funds would be used to post bail, the statement said.

A bail review hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, and Colombo said he planned to challenge the amount. Pointing out that Torres is a U.S. citizen, married, the father of two and has no previous criminal record, Colombo called him an upstanding member of his community. For decades Torres family has operated a business that imports products like rice, beans and lentils and distributes them in Mexico.

As news of his arrest reverberated across government and business circles in Tijuana on Tuesday, friends reacted with shock and disbelief.

He is an extraordinary young man ... dedicated to his work, Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum told reporters at City Hall.

Torres is a member of Mexicos National Action Party. His Facebook page describes him as an entrepreneur and head of the councils public safety committee. He has been a member of Coparmex, an influential business group known for fighting corruption and championing transparency in government.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Dibble and Littlefield write for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Staff researcher Merrie Monteagudo contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

6:15 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from attorney Anthony Colombo.

This article was originally published at 11 a.m.
Despite all the hoopla about fake news  President Obama has denounced it and Facebook has pledged to rein in websites that spread it  the phenomenon is not new.

In the U.S., what today might be considered propaganda or fake news was commonly accepted practice in the late 18th and 19th centuries, said Andie Tucher, a historian and journalism professor at Columbia University.

Newspapers were very political in the early years of the republic, Tucher said. There was no understanding and no expectation that news should be impartial. News was the thing that expressed opinion.

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As technology and the means of dissemination evolved, so, too, did fake news.

With the arrival in the 1830s of the penny press, which made news accessible to the lower and middle classes for the first time, sensational news and gossip proliferated. In 1835, the New York Sun published a six-part series about the discovery of life on the moon. It sold like hot cakes, said Tucher.

At the time, many newspapers also published short stories and poetry, so readers didnt necessarily expect everything they read to be true. For readers of the moon series, part of the appeal was figuring out whether it was true. Though the author of the Great Moon Hoax never confessed to the deception, Tucher said, the series was carefully crafted to give hints that it was all a joke.

As the field of journalism became professionalized in the late 1800s and early 1900s, respectable newspapers refused to publish deliberately false reports, even tongue-in-cheek ones.

Satire never went away, of course, but was practiced by entertainers rather than journalists. In the modern era, satire has remained popular, as the Onion and The Daily Show can attest, but most media consumers know the difference between that and fake news, said Sharon Kaye, a philosophy professor at John Carroll University who edited the book The Onion and Philosophy.

Theyre reading it knowing that its meant to be fake, and theyre reading it to laugh, said Kaye. Headlines like Christ returns to NBA and Black man given nations worst job were clearly in jest.

But if this year is any guide, some people have trouble telling fact from fiction.

Although gossip and hoaxes have proliferated in supermarket tabloids, on email chains and online for years, the current brand of fake news and its popularity is a product of new technology colliding with a widespread mistrust of big institutions, Tucher said.

People have not yet sorted out in their minds how theyre going to incorporate [social media] into their news stream, she said. They may be inclined to believe a false report originating on social media because it feels more magical, more interesting or even more authoritative because it seems more unmediated, said Tucher.

Another reason readers believe false stories is they want to.

If a lie is telling you something you want to hear, youre more likely to think its true.  Sharon Kaye, philosophy professor

If a lie is telling you something you want to hear, youre more likely to think its true, Kaye said.

The lies can be difficult to debunk because they involve proving that something didnt happen.

You cant prove a negative, Kaye said, but you can argue that the burden of proof lies on the other side if theyre making a claim against common sense or against more plentiful evidence.

Kaye also noted that arguing that a fact is true just because it hasnt been proved false constitutes poor logic.

Mainstream newspapers and fact-checking websites like Snopes.com, FactCheck.org, and PolitiFact have been busy dedicating themselves to this task over the last year. In case you missed them, here are a few of the most popular stories that have been debunked:

Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, surrenders to police in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4 after going into a restaurant with an assault-style rifle to self-investigate a conspiracy about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of a pizza place. (Sathi Soma / Associated Press )

PizzaGate

A false story alleged that Hillary Clinton and her campaign chairman, John Podesta, were involved in a child sex ring based out of Comet Ping Pong, a pizza store owned by James Alefantis in Washington, D.C.

The conspiracy theory originated on the online forum 4chan, according to PolitiFact, and quickly propagated on Reddit, Twitter and Facebook. None of it was true, the New York Times noted in an article in November.

That was not enough to stop a North Carolina man, Edgar Maddison Welch, from walking into the pizza store on Dec. 4 with an assault-style rifle to investigate the claim himself. Nor was it enough to stop the son of Trumps national security pick, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, from repeating it. The younger Flynn was fired from Trumps transition team.

Trump and the pope

In July 2016, the website WTOE 5 News reported that news outlets around the world were reporting that Pope Francis had taken the unprecedented step of endorsing Trump for president. Despite the websites own description of its articles as satire or pure fantasy, the misinformation stuck. In a news conference on Oct. 2, Francis reiterated that he would not endorse any candidate.

In 2015, another fake news site reported that the pope had endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Hillary Clinton and the FBI

A headline that read FBI agent suspected in Hillary email leaks found dead in apparent murder-suicide circulated widely on Facebook in November. The story was published online on the Denver Guardian, a fake news website purporting to be the online arm of a legitimate city newspaper.

NPR tracked down the owner of the site, Jestin Coler, who admitted that everything about the story was fictional but it spread like wildfire on pro-Trump forums, likely because it fit into existing right-wing conspiracy theories.

Voting fraud

An article circulating on the conspiracy site Infowars.com and other websites falsely argued that Trump actually won the popular vote when voting by immigrants in the country illegally was discounted. (Trump lost the popular vote to Clinton by more than 2.7 million votes.) The story was based on a pair of tweets by Gregg Phillips, who said he had verified more than three million votes cast by non-citizens, though he offered no evidence of having done so or of how one even could do so five days after the national election.

The theory promoted by the story was echoed in a tweet by president-elect Trump, who said he won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.

Clinton backs Islamic State

A story that claimed Clinton sold weapons to Islamic State was among the five top-performing fake election stories on Facebook in the months leading up to the election, according to a Buzzfeed analysis that looked at shares, comments and reactions.

The headline of the story, WikiLeaks CONFIRMS Hillary sold weapons to ISIS...then drops another bombshell!, cited hacked emails as proof. Actually, WikiLeaks didnt confirm that.

For most of the presidential campaign, the Buzzfeed analysis found, election content from legitimate news outlets easily outpaced that of content from fake news sites.

But as the election drew nearer, interest in the fake content skyrocketed. In the three months leading up to the election, the 20 top-performing false election stories from hoax sites and hyper-partisan blogs received 8,711,000 engagements on Facebook  shares, reactions and comments.

By contrast, the 20 top-performing election stories from 19 major news outlets  including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Fox News and NBC  received 7,367,000 engagements.

Clinton endorses Trump

Various websites, including the Rightists.com, which publishes a mix of real and fake news, quoted Clinton as saying, I would like to see people like Donald Trump run for office; theyre honest and cant be bought in a 2013 speech to Goldman Sachs. The story also was among the top-performing fake stories on Facebook, according to the Buzzfeed analysis.

Excerpts of the speech released by WikiLeaks show that Clinton said, I would like to see more successful business people run for office, and You can be maybe rented but never bought, but she never mentioned anybody by name.

Pence insults first lady

Of the top 20 fake news stories that trended on Facebook ahead of the election, only three could arguably be considered to be against Trumps interests.

One said Indiana Gov. Mike Pence called First Lady Michelle Obama the most vulgar first lady weve ever had. He did not. Pence only said that he didnt understand the basis of Obamas assertion that Trumps lewd remarks in a 2005 Access Hollywood video constituted a description of sexually predatory behavior.

nina.agrawal@latimes.com

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Invoking a rarely used provision in federal law, the Obama administration on Tuesday announced a permanent ban on offshore drilling in broad parts of the Arctic and Atlantic coasts  a sweeping and controversial move that will help secure the presidents environmental legacy even as critics vowed to reverse it.

The ban relies on the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which says the president may, from time to time, withdraw federal waters from oil and gas development that are not already leased. It was announced as part of a joint action with Canada, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made long-term, though not permanent, commitments to protect the Arctic from drilling.

Obama cited the Arctics unique ecosystem, the risk of damage from a spill, the high cost of working in the remote and frigid region and concerns about climate change.

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It would take decades to fully develop the production infrastructure necessary for any large-scale oil and gas leasing production in the region  at a time when we need to continue to move decisively away from fossil fuels, the president said in a written statement.

The announcement, coming one month to the day before Obama is to be succeeded by President-elect Donald Trump, is intended to help counter plans by the incoming administration to vastly expand energy extraction by fossil fuel companies.

Trump made clear his intentions for robust new drilling during the campaign, and his appointment to key cabinet posts of longtime loyalists to the oil industry has alarmed environmentalists. Major conservation groups had been pushing Obama in recent weeks to put the offshore areas off limits in perpetuity.

Past presidents, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, have invoked the law to issue temporary bans. Obamas action appears to be the first time the law has been used to impose a permanent drilling ban  and it is almost certain to be challenged.

A senior administration official said Tuesday that the White House was quite confident that the decision could not be undone by Trump, noting that the law specifies no provision for reversal. The official suggested that overturning the ban could require years of legal action and the passage of a bill in Congress.

Some oil industry leaders said they believed the next administration could easily reverse it. They cited a 2008 memorandum by President George W. Bush that lifted a temporary ban in certain offshore areas imposed by President Clinton.

Fortunately, there is no such thing as a permanent ban, and we look forward to working with the new administration on fulfilling the will of American voters on energy production, wrote Erik Milito of the American Petroleum Institute.

Yet environmental groups say the 2008 reversal left intact other permanent changes Clinton made.

Under the 1953 law, a presidential order that explicitly states that it is intended to be permanent, and is designed to address an articulated purpose, would likely stand up to legal challenges, lawyers for two conservation groups, Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council, wrote in a legal brief on the issue last month.

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How much the decision might change the situation in the Arctic is unclear. Only one company, Royal Dutch Shell, has conducted exploratory drilling in the region in recent years.

Last year, after spending more more than seven years and $7 billion preparing, Shell abandoned its plan after a single summer of drilling, citing disappointing results.

On Tuesday, an administration official estimated it could take decades  and a doubling or tripling of the price of oil  to make drilling in the Arctic appealing to many companies.

The administration emphasized that oil and gas exploration have thrived in other parts of the country at far less expense. While the Arctic is believed to hold vast reserves, it currently provides 0.1% of the nations crude oil production. None of the companies that hold the 42 active leases in the Arctics Beaufort Sea is currently pursuing drilling.

Still, with Trump promising to unleash a wave of fossil fuel development, the announcement is another example of Obama moving to shield his legacy of environmental protection. If and how Trump might undo various policies have been constant questions. Some rules are fairly easily reversible; others could require years of regulatory processes to change.

Trump has suggested he could walk away from the landmark agreement on global warming Obama signed with other countries in Paris last year, as well as scrap the Obama administrations signature effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants.

Trump has promised to champion coal power, eliminate subsidies for green energy programs and broadly relax federal environmental regulations. His pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, is a climate change skeptic who has led state efforts to resist the agencys authority. His choice for Energy Secretary, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, has also expressed doubts about human-caused climate change and is a close ally of the oil industry.

Canadas role in the announcement on Tuesday follows a commitment Obama and Trudeau made in March to collaborate on Arctic issues as declining sea ice from climate change is stirring new interest and posing new risks in the region. While Canada also banned drilling in its Arctic region, its ban would be reviewed after five years.

The nations also pledged to work together to define low-impact shipping corridors to protect the Arctics endangered whales and other species as well as the subsistence hunting and fishing practices of indigenous people.

The announcement includes a ban on drilling in large parts of the Atlantic, from New England to the Chesapeake Bay, where the U.S. administration is seeking to protect underwater canyons, some deeper than the Grand Canyon. Many are what scientists call biodiversity hot spots, providing homes to corals, beaked whales, fish, sponges and crabs. Officials say preserving the canyons will ensure better health for commercial fish populations.

But the big news was in the Arctic, long a stage for conservation battles. While 3.8 million acres are being protected in the Atlantic, 115 million are set aside in the Arctic. The ban there includes all of the Chukchi Sea and the vast majority of the Beaufort off the coast of Alaska, leaving out a portion near state waters and the onshore drilling fields of the North Slope. That area, the administration noted, includes known oil reserves, and its proximity to existing infrastructure and spill-response equipment somewhat reduces risks of serious damage from a drilling mishap.

That area already had not been designated for leasing in the federal governments upcoming five-year program for the Outer Continental Shelf, which begins in 2017. Just last month, the administration said it would not sell new leases for drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic through 2022. That announcement also blocked expansion in the Pacific, leaving the Gulf of Mexico as the primary offshore production area.

While many lawmakers on the East Coast supported Tuesdays decision, Alaskas three-member congressional delegation sharply criticized it and other moves by the administration that have restricted oil development in that state, including previously announced protections for a wide swath of western Alaska and Bristol Bay, home to one of the worlds largest runs of wild salmon.

The vast majority of Alaskas budget is funded through revenue from oil production, which has been in steady decline as production on the North Slope and the price of oil have declined. Many Alaskans view offshore drilling as a potential economic lifeline  and lawmakers said Tuesdays decision would leave them with even fewer options.

President Obama has once again treated the Arctic like a snow globe, ignoring the desires of the people who live, work, and raise a family there, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. I cannot wait to work with the next administration to reverse this decision.

evan.halper@latimes.com

william.yardley@latimes.com

Halper reported from Washington and Yardley from Seattle.

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UPDATES:

7:55 p.m.: Updated with additional background on Obamas decision and the governments leasing program.

This article was originally published at 1:50 p.m.
Democrats draw sharper battle lines in tug of war over party leadership By Chris Megerian Even as Democrats try to move past last years defeats, their internal fault lines show signs of deepening in the campaign for the partys leadership. The latest evidence came Wednesday when former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Thomas E. Perez, who served as President Obamas Labor secretary, to chair the Democratic National Committee. We have a lot of good people vying for this important job, Biden said in a statement. But I do think for this moment and in this time, Tom Perez is our best bet to help bring the party back. The endorsement was seen as more evidence that key members of the recently departed Obama administration were backing Perez. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) with Sen. Bernie Sanders. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) It was followed by a statement from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont reiterating his support for Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), another leading candidate in the race. Although Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, he has continued to try to pull Democrats to the left, and he has emphasized the need to create a grass-roots party. Obama left office with strong poll numbers, but under his watch, Democrats lost power not only in Washington but in states around the country, something Sanders and his allies have stressed in the fight over the party chairmanship. The question is simple: Do we stay with a failed status-quo approach or do we go forward with a fundamental restructuring of the Democratic Party? Sanders said. Read More Facebook

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Border Patrol chief is abruptly out after being brought in as a reformer By Brian Bennett The chief of the Border Patrol will leave his post at the end of the month, likely the result of a change in direction by the Trump administration and a reflection of the new power of the agencys union. Mark Morgan, the agencys head, was hired from the FBI in June to reform the force after a series of corruption allegations and problems with excessive force. He will leave the Border Patrol abruptly after seven months on the job, according to a person familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Morgans departure was first reported by the Associated Press. Morgan spent 20 years at the FBI and was first brought to Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrols parent agency, in 2014 to overhaul its internal affairs division. After a subsequent stint running the FBIs training academy, he started the top job at the Border Patrol in June. The Border Patrols union had opposed Morgans appointment, preferring a candidate who had risen through the ranks of the agency. The union endorsed President Trump in the election, breaking with its practice of remaining neutral in elections. News of Morgans departure comes a day after Trump announced he would build a border wall and hire 5,000 more Border Patrol agents, bringing the total force to 26,000. Trump said the Border Patrol union would have a lot of clout in department decisions. Facebook

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Trump was silent on new U.S. sanctions against Russia, but he praises Putins response By Michael A. Memoli After President Obama on Thursday announced retaliatory measures against the Russian government for what the U.S. has concluded were efforts to interfere in the election, President-elect Donald Trumps response was terse and dismissive, saying it was time to move on to bigger and better things. But after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he would not respond in kind to the U.S. actions  preferring to wait until the new administration takes office  Trump weighed in with high praise. Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2016 Trumps tweet did not appear to be off the cuff. As if to underscore his sentiment, Trump affixed the tweet to the top of his Twitter feed. And he posted an Instagram photo shortly after, quoting himself. View Instagram post Trumps effusive words were particularly striking given the bipartisan view of Putin as more adversary than ally. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said they supported the Obama administrations move to expel Russian diplomats and block access to two properties owned by its government. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) is expected to call a hearing on Russias cyber activities when the new Congress convenes next week. A Trump transition spokesman was asked earlier Friday whether Trump had spoken or planned to speak with Putin before his inauguration. The priority right now is for the president[-elect] to get an update next week from the intelligence community, Sean Spicer said. Trumps praise did get tacit approval from some quarters. The Russian embassy in Washington retweeted it. Facebook

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Most popular White House petitions included requests to label a hate group and deport Justin Bieber By Colleen Shalby Over the past five years, Americans have produced and signed nearly 5,000 petitions through the White Houses We the People site. How could we ever forget the effort to get the Obama administration on board with building a Death Star? Some, like that one and a petition to deport Justin Bieber, resulted only in conversation. But others made an impact. The Pew Research Center analyzed the petitions in a recent report. They ranged from serious, like an effort to ban gay conversion therapy at a state level that led the president in 2015 to support states bans, to playful. A request for Obama to appear on a previously unvisited talk show, for example, prompted him to appear on Real Time with Bill Maher in January 2016. In 2015, 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin requested a meeting with the first black president, something she never thought shed live to see. Her petition garnered only 19 signatures. But it nonetheless resulted in one of first couples most memorable meetings, this dance party: The petitioning system, launched in 2011, was part of Obamas open-government initiative. The most common topics for petitioning included healthcare, veterans issues and requests to honor individuals, such as Yogi Berra, and create or officially recognize holidays, like Talk Like a Pirate Day. While not every petition made a change or elicited a response from the White House, many captured a momentary pulse of the nation. Here are the five most popular: Legally recognize the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group, posted Dec. 14, 2012; 367,180 signatures. Establish justice and prevent a great catastrophe, posted April 4, 2016; 331,914 signatures. File charges against the 47 U.S. senators in violation of the Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement, posted March 9, 2015; gained 322,117 signatures. Ask President Obama to appear on HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher,  posted Jan. 15, 2016; 314,226 signatures. Deport Justin Bieber and revoke his green card, posted Jan. 23, 2014; 273,698 signatures. Facebook

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Obama slaps Russia with sanctions for meddling in the U.S. election By Christi Parsons In the most sweeping retaliation against Russia in decades, President Obama slapped the country with new penalties Thursday for meddling in the U.S. presidential election, kicking out dozens of suspected spies and imposing banking restrictions on five people and four organizations the administration says were involved. All Americans should be alarmed by Russias actions, Obama said in a statement. Such activities have consequences. Read More Facebook

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How Trump and an Obamacare rollback could affect the growing gig economy By Chicago Tribune Gabby Golub of Chicago does chalkboard art for bars and restaurants in addition to driving for Lyft and working part time at her old high school. (Kristan Lieb / Chicago Tribune) A growing share of the U.S. workforce is reyling on alternative work arrangements, which include on-demand gigs through online platforms like Lyft or Uber as well as work through temporary help agencies, freelance assignments and independent contracts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics plans to conduct a comprehensive survey of these so-called contingent workers next year, its first since 2005, helping policymakers understand the size and makeup of a workforce not covered by many labor protections or privy to the benefits that come with a traditional employer relationship. Whether policy will catch up to the labor shifts is a question experts will watch in 2017. A major conversation point has been how to develop portable benefits that give gig economy workers access to retirement plans, unemployment insurance and paid sick leave even as they move from job to job. Read More Facebook

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Trump touts plans by Sprint and OneWeb to create 8,000 U.S. jobs By Jim Puzzanghera (Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images) President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday touted plans by telecom company Sprint and technology start-up OneWeb to hire a total of 8,000 workers in the U.S. in what he said was very good news for the economy. He appeared to be highlighting previously made jobs announcements. OneWeb, which is building a network of satellites to deliver high-speed Internet access, said on Dec. 19 that it expected to create nearly 3,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next four years after securing $1.2 billion in funding, mostly from Japans SoftBank Group Corp. And the head of SoftBank, which owns Sprint, said on Dec. 6 that the company had agreed to invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 jobs here. The announcement by SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son came after he met with Trump at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump touted it that day. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Trump said Sprint was going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States. They have taken them from other countries. They are bringing them back to the United States, Trump said. Sprint, though, said in a statement that the jobs would be a mixture of new positions and others that were reinstated. It wasnt clear whether those jobs were part of the 50,000 that were mentioned earlier in the month at Trump Tower. We are excited to work with President-Elect Trump and his administration to do our part to drive economic growth and create jobs in the U.S., said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. We believe it is critical for business and government to partner together to create more job opportunities in the U.S. and ensure prosperity for all Americans. Trump also said the OneWeb hiring is very exciting. OneWeb did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 3:25 p.m.: This story was updated with comment from Sprint. Facebook

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Kerry offers fierce defense of Obamas support for Israel, urges resumption of Mideast peace talks By Laura King Secretary of State John Kerry outlines his proposals for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Zach Gibson / Getty Images) With President-elect Donald Trump tweeting from the sidelines, Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Wednesday outlined broad principles for reviving the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process -- calls that quickly ignited a new burst of Israeli anger against the Obama administration. Kerrys lengthy and impassioned address, delivered at the State Department, marked the latest chapter in an unusually bitter public clash between the United States and Israel -- and the even more extraordinary spectacle of a president-elect again inserting himself into a sensitive diplomatic matter before taking office. In a speech lasting more than an hour, Kerry appealed for a hiatus in Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, called on Palestinian leaders to explicitly denounce terrorist attacks against Israelis, and warned repeatedly that the prospects for a two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side, were in jeopardy. We cannot in good conscience do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away, he said. Read More Facebook

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Former California lieutenant governor will meet with Trump to discuss running Agriculture department By Michael A. Memoli Abel Maldonado. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times) President-elect Donald Trump is considering former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado to lead the Agriculture department, a move that would bring greater diversity to the Republicans Cabinet. Maldonado will meet with Trump on Wednesday at his Palm Beach, Fla., estate. Trump spokesman Sean Spicer noted that Maldonado, owner of Runway Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, comes from three generations of farmers and has strong roots in the agriculture industry of California. Trump will also meet with Dr. Elsa Murano, the former president of Texas A&M University and a former Agriculture undersecretary for food safety, in connection to the post, one of the few Cabinet positions yet unfilled. Maldonado, 49, was once considered to be the kind of Republican who could break through the partys struggle to attract widespread Latino support. A Santa Barbara County farmer whose parents were Mexican farmworker immigrants, he served as mayor of Santa Maria before being elected to the state Assembly in 1998. Perhaps Maldonados most notable political moment came when he worked with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to force Democrats to embrace the top-two primary system for California during negotiations on the state budget crisis in 2009. Schwarzenegger rewarded Maldonado with the appointment to the then-vacant post of lieutenant governor in 2010. But Maldonados role in helping push the nonpartisan primary system made him a pariah among many conservative Republicans, and he failed in subsequent races for Congress in 2012 and a brief flirtation with a run for governor in 2014. If nominated and confirmed, Maldonado would be the sole Latino in Trumps Cabinet. Facebook

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Trump attacks Obama over Israel just ahead of Kerrys speech on the Mideast By Michael A. Memoli The detente between President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump, as both aimed to portray a smooth transition of power, appears in jeopardy. Trump condemned the Obama administrations foreign policy on Wednesday, tweeting he was doing his best to overlook inflammatory Obama moves, while engaging in 1990s-style sarcasm. Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016 Last week, Obama decided to have the U.S. abstain from a United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, which allowed the measure to pass. The vote angered Israeli leaders, who accused senior U.S. officials of complicity in drafting the resolution, a claim disputed by the U.S. We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but.......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016 not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016 Trumps postings came just before Secretary of State John F. Kerry delivered a major address on U.S. foreign policy that included a rebuttal to Israeli government criticisms of the Obama administration. Trumps statement of support for Israel was welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long had a tense relationship with Obama. President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel! @IvankaTrump @DonaldJTrumpJr https://t.co/lURPimG0wS  Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 28, 2016 Trump transition spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters that the president-elects tweets speak for themselves, very clearly. He also stressed that White House officials have been helpful and generous with their time, at least in terms of the mechanics of the transition. In a brief statement to reporters Wednesday night, Trump said he had a general conversation with Obama during the day. Very, very nice, was how the president-elect described the chat, which he said Obama initiated. A White House spokesman confirmed the call and characterized it as positive. When asked whether he thinks the U.S. should exit the U.N., Trump repeated his earlier comments that the global body is not living up to its potential. When do you see the United Nations solving problems? he asked. They dont, they cause problems, so if it lives up to its potential its a great thing, if it doesnt its a waste of time. The U.N. seemed to respond to Trump on Monday, in a message pinned to the top of its Twitter feed: Here's a list of 10 ways the UN makes a difference in the lives of millions every day.



See what else we do: https://t.co/MGT7G5uPFL pic.twitter.com/nMxHV0rvkf  United Nations (@UN) December 26, 2016 Times staff writer Christi Parsons in Honolulu contributed to this report. 5:10 p.m.: This story was updated with White House comment. 2:45 p.m.: This story was updated with Trumps comments. Facebook

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John Kerry, tireless in his diplomatic efforts, often came up empty-handed By Tracy Wilkinson John F. Kerry is nothing if not indefatigable, traveling to all corners of the world as Americas top diplomat over the last four years. But as he prepares to leave office, he confronts a mixed legacy: a handful of successes coupled with searing defeats, especially in the Middle East. His inability to halt the carnage in Syria, or to block Russias growing influence, ranks as the most serious blot on his record. But he also got nowhere trying to end the Israeli-Palestinian standoff, or to stop Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, from bombing civilians in Yemen. Kerrys greatest success was the historic accord to curtail Irans nuclear development program and a landmark climate change treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming. Read More Facebook

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At Pearl Harbor, Obama says we must resist the urge to demonize those who are different By Christi Parsons Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Obama. (Marco Garcia / Associated Press) President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scattered petals together on the waters of Pearl Harbor on Tuesday in a symbolic act aimed at laying to rest the enmity of the Japanese attack 75 years ago that drew the U.S. into World War II. In a moment consumed with history, both leaders were fixed on the future. They expressed concern that the lessons of the war might be forgotten amid a shifting world order and the anti-internationalist sentiment that has swept over politics around the globe, most notably with the ascendance of President-elect Donald Trump. Read More Facebook

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Obama and Japans Abe to visit Pearl Harbor amid renewed talk of nuclear concerns By Christi Parsons Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on Monday. (AFP/Getty Images) President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are scheduled to honor the war dead at Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, marking the 75th anniversary of the attack that thrust the U.S. into World War II. The visit was planned as a coda to Obamas visit to Hiroshima in May, where Abe hosted him as the first sitting president to visit the site where the U.S. dropped one of two nuclear bombs in 1945 to end the war, the only instances of nuclear attacks in history. But the visit has taken on a new meaning. President-elect Donald Trump reawakened old fears of a nuclear arms race last week by declaring his commitment to strengthen and expand U.S. nuclear capability. In his remarks at Pearl Harbor, Obama will have an opportunity to address those renewed anxieties and to lay out the dangers of an arms race. Obama has fought to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to secure existing caches. The visit is meant to highlight the strength of the relationship between the U.S. and Japan, an administration official said. Several Japanese prime ministers before Abe have visited the Pearl Harbor site. But Abe is the first to go to the memorial at the resting place of the battleship Arizona, where 1,177 American military personnel died in the Japanese aerial attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Facebook

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Will the Feds Janet Yellen take away the punch bowl after Trump takes office? By Don Lee After three years of almost single-handedly juicing up the slow-growing economy, Janet L. Yellen and the Federal Reserve should be looking at easier days ahead. Yellen, in what will probably be her last full year as Fed chair, may finally get help from somewhere else in Washington. Tax cuts and infrastructure spending planned by President-elect Donald Trump, if backed by the Republican-controlled Congress, would lighten the load for a Fed whose easy-money policies have been the primary economic support for the nation. She is already breathing easier on the Feds employment mandate; the jobless rate has fallen to a nine-year low of 4.6%. Inflation, too, is under control and, by all accounts, creeping toward the central banks optimal level of 2%. And yet, Yellen may come under as much economic and political pressure as ever, on both the Feds policy and the independence of the institution. Read More Facebook

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Obama says he could have beaten Trump By Tracy Wilkinson (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) President Obama says he could have defeated Donald Trump in last months election by recapturing the same vision of hope that twice carried him to the presidency. Obama also was mildly critical of the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, saying her campaign didnt do enough to get her message out. The remarks were notable because Obama has been careful since the election to avoid criticizing Trump, or to deliver a post-mortem on Clintons failed bid. Obama spoke in a wide-ranging interview with former senior advisor and now CNN commentator David Axelrod for the Democratic political operatives Axe Files podcast. The interview was released by CNN on Monday. You know, I am confident in this vision because Im confident that if I -- if I had run again and articulated it, I think I couldve mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it, Obama said. His comments were part of a wider discussion of what he called ugly sentiments of racism and xenophobia that surfaced during the 2016 campaign. Obama repeated his assertion that Clinton faced a double standard as a woman, which put her at a disadvantage. But he also said a kind of complacency set in that made the Clinton campaign too cautious and thus unable to get its message out sufficiently. If you think youre winning, then you have a tendency, just like in sports, maybe to play it safer, Obama said. During the interview, Obama also spoke of his family, the strength hed gotten from wife Michelle and the improbability of his own political career. And the president said the spirit that his candidacy originally inspired, especially among young people, was never snuffed out despite the last eight years of turmoil. The idealism and the dedication stayed with the staff and got us through some really hard times, he said. Trump later responded to the remarks on Twitter. UPDATE 2:07 p.m.: This article was updated with Trumps response. This article was originally published at 12:28 p.m. Facebook

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Obama personally authorized U.S. abstention from U.N. vote on Israeli settlements By Michael A. Memoli President Obama personally directed Friday that the U.S. abstain from a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, seeing the escalation of settlement building as an increasing threat to the viability of a two-state solution to the regions problems. Ahead of the expected vote, Obama, who is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, convened a discussion Thursday with Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John F. Kerry and other top national security officials. The vote was postponed, but U.S. officials continued to monitor discussions over the Egyptian-authored resolution until Friday. Obama spoke with national security advisor Susan Rice on Friday to issue his final decision. President-elect Donald Trumps intervention in the discussions, which included a conversation with Egypts president Thursday that preceded the delay in the planned vote, did not affect Obamas calculations, deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters.. Theres one president at a time, he said. The decision to allow the resolution to pass, rather than cast a veto to block it is consistent with long-standing, bipartisan U.S. policy opposing Israeli settlement activity, Rhodes said. One of the administrations great concerns was that such activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has accelerated significantly since 2011, when the U.S. last vetoed a comparable resolution. U.S. officials also have been concerned about continued incitements of violence by Palestinians, and Rhodes said the resolution voted on Friday included greater balance to reflect that than past resolutions. Weve been very concerned that these accelerating trends are putting the very viability of the two-state solution at risk, Rhodes said. In that context, we therefore thought that we could not in good conscience veto a resolution that expressed concerns about the very trends that are eroding the foundation for a two-state solution. He also underscored what he called Obamas iron-clad commitment to Israel and its security, noting that the administration recently concluded a major military assistance package. The U.S. did not vote for the resolution because of continued concerns about the United Nations as a venue for Middle East peace discussions, Rhodes said. He also responded to what he called strident comments of Israeli officials criticizing the U.S. move. It seems like the Israeli government wants the conversation to be about anything other than the settlement activity, he said. Facebook

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Trump team seeks to ease fears on womens programs at State Department By Tracy Wilkinson ( Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) Donald Trumps transition team said Friday its requests to the State Department for details on positions and funding for global womens programs were part of an effort to ensure and protect gender equality. The statement appeared to be an attempt to allay concerns that Trump might seek to cancel or roll back gender-focused programs at the State Department following a request by the transition team on Wednesday for information about them. Most were created or championed by Trumps campaign rival, Hillary Clinton, when she served as secretary of State during President Obamas first term. The transition team statement Friday did not outline Trumps plans for the programs, which seek to promote equality, education and vocational training for women around the world as well as combat gender-based violence. President-elect Trump will ensure the rights of women across the world are valued and protected, the statement said. To help fulfill this promise, the transition team inquired about existing programs at the State Department that helps [sic] foster gender equality, ends gender-based violence, and promotes economic and political participation  finding ways to improve them. The statement said the inquiry was one of hundreds of requests it sent to federal departments as part of the transition effort. Facebook

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Trump team asks State Department for details on programs aimed at helping women By Tracy Wilkinson Donald Trumps transition team has asked the State Department for details on programs aimed at benefiting women around the world, including identifying staff members who worked to reduce gender-based violence and promote women in the workplace. In an email sent to numerous State Department offices Wednesday, the president-elects transition team asked for urgent response to its inquiries about gender-related staffing, programming and funding. Many of the programs were begun or were championed by Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of State during President Obamas first term and who lost to Trump in November. The unusual request to the State Department follows a similar email to the Department of Energy. There the transition team asked for names of staff members who had worked on efforts to combat climate change, which Trump has dismissed as a hoax. Several Obama administration officials called that query chilling. The Trump team withdrew the request after it was widely criticized. The latest email suggests the incoming Trump administration will attempt to roll back some of the State Departments most innovative programs and may seek to penalize people who worked on them. People are freaked out, said a senior State Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The email asked the State Department to deliver issue papers from bureaus and offices (one paper max per bureau/office) outlining existing programs and activities to promote gender equality, such as ending gender-based violence, promoting womens participation in economic and political spheres, entrepreneurship, etc. It said the issue papers should note jobs whose primary functions are to promote such issues, as well as money allocated for those activities and programs in fiscal year 2017. While at State, Clinton made womens issues a top priority. An office was created to deal exclusively with global womens issues, and money was allocated for programs that promote education of girls, train women in marketable skills and offer microloans. Read More Facebook

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Trump taps seasoned Republican operative Sean Spicer as White House press secretary By Lisa Mascaro President-elect Donald Trump named Sean Spicer as his new press secretary, tapping a seasoned Republican operative as the public face of the new White House. Spicer, a top Republican National Committee strategist who brought a measure of establishment Washington to Trumps operation, is known for his combative but engaging approach to communications. He will likely take over the press podium as the top spokesman at the incoming White House. Two other veterans of the Trump campaigns press operation also will get White House jobs: Jason Miller, who had been Trumps communications chief after moving from the campaign of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, will stay in that role as communications director at the White House. Hope Hicks, who was Trumps spokesperson on the campaign trail and one of his earliest campaign aides, will be assistant to the president and director of strategic communications, and Dan Scavino will serve as director of social media. Sean, Hope, Jason and Dan have been key members of my team during the campaign and transition. I am excited they will be leading the team that will communicate my agenda that will Make America Great Again, Trump said in a statement. Facebook

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Obama eliminates post-9/11 registry for foreigners, making it harder for Trump to restart it By Brian Bennett (Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images) The Obama administration is taking apart a controversial, dormant national registry program that tracked visitors from countries with active terrorist groups for several years following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A final rule eliminating the program will be published in the federal register on Friday. The move would make it more difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to revive the registry, which hasnt been used since 2011. The Department of Homeland Security determined it was ineffective and didnt improve security. Civil rights advocates have long said the program was discriminatory. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to track Muslims coming to the U.S. and require them to register. He later changed his stance to say he would bar people from countries with a record of Islamist extremism. Trumps policy advisors have been looking closely at ways to jump start the registry, called the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, after he takes office at the end of January. With the program being officially dismantled on Friday, Trumps team would have to issue new federal rules to restart it, a process that could take several months and would require a period for soliciting comments from the public, which likely would be contentious. The Trump transition team is preparing several executive actions for the incoming president, Trump spokesman Jason Miller told reporters Thursday morning when asked about Obama dismantling the registry. Stopping radical Islamic terrorists from entering the U.S. is of paramount importance, Miller said. He didnt say directly if Trump would rebuild the visitor registry. The American people strongly support tough measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of our country, and President-elect Trump has made clear that we will suspend admissions of those from countries with high terrorism rates and apply a strict vetting procedure for those seeking entry in order to protect American lives, he said. When asked on Wednesday if he would set up a registry for Muslims or impose a ban on Muslim immigrants in the wake of the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, Trump said simply: You know my plans. Democratic lawmakers and civil liberties advocates have demanded in recent weeks that Obama dismantle the registry. Theyve cited a 2012 inspector general report that said Homeland Security databases collecting traveler fingerprints, flight manifests and intelligence information on foreigners are more effective at preventing terrorist attacks. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) praised the Homeland Security Departments decision to strip away dead-letter regulations no longer in use. These regulations symbolized an ineffective program based on religious and ethnic profiling, rather than individualized suspicion  a program based on fear, rather than reason, Leahy said in a statement. That has no place in this great country, under any administration. Facebook

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Trump is unwinding some foreign deals but many potential conflicts remain By Joseph Tanfani The Trump hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan, would be among the finest in the world, Donald Trump promised two years ago, another example of our involvement in only the best global development projects. But the dream of a world-class Trump Baku died this month, with Trump saying he was backing out of the deal because of delays and blown deadlines caused by the developer, a 34-year-old with close family connections to the countrys government. The demise of Trump Baku is not an isolated decision. With his inauguration less than a month away, President-elect Trumps company has pulled out of a few international business deals that might have created especially sticky conflicts and controversies for his administration. Read More Facebook

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Trump names UC Irvine professor and fierce China critic to new White House Trade Council By Don Lee Peter Navarro, left, and China expert Gordon Chang attend a screening of Death By China, the film adaptation of Navarros book, in New York in 2012. (Andy Kropa / Getty Images) President-elect Donald Trump, signaling that he intends to follow through on his tough talk on trade, is establishing a new White House-based trade council to be headed by a vehement critic of Chinas economic policies. Trump on Wednesday named Peter Navarro, a Harvard-trained business professor at UC Irvine, as director of trade and industrial policy and head of the newly created White House National Trade Council. The move sends a strong message: The Trump administration will take a much more aggressive posture to shrink the nations large trade deficit and combat what the president-elect and Navarro believe are forces behind Americas manufacturing woes  unfair and mercantilist practices on the part of China and other trading partners. Read More Facebook

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The issue of race has hung over Sen. Jeff Sessions like a shadow. Heres why By Del Quentin Wilber (Scott Olson / AFP/Getty Images) Jeff Sessions uneasy history with race can be traced back to the long, winding country roads that cut through the pine forests and farm land in this deep corner of the Deep South. As a boy, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III began each day before dawn, boarding a segregated bus to his all-white school. En route he and his classmates passed the bus ferrying black students in the opposite direction. The day ended when he sat down to dinner each night with his father, an avowed segregationist until the end of his life. Reflecting on those years, Sessions acknowledged recently that he knew back then that segregation was morally wrong and regretted standing by passively as civil rights leaders in the 1960s struggled and died in the fight for equality. I should have stepped forward more and been a leader and more positive force, Sessions said in February while participating in a ceremony honoring the Selma foot soldiers. Read More Facebook

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Kellyanne Conway will join Trump in the White House By Evan Halper (Gerald Herber / Associated Press) Donald Trump has named his media-savvy campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, to advise him in the White House in the role of counselor, his transition team announced early Thursday morning. The move comes after Conway sought to put to rest speculation that she would continue to serve as the public face of the Trump team. But the new job is sure to keep her profile high. Conway will will work with senior leadership to effectively message and execute the administrations legislative priorities and actions, according to a statement from the Trump transition team. Kellyanne Conway has been a trusted advisor and strategist who played a crucial role in my victory, Trump said in the statement. She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message. The appointment would boost diversity in a Trump inner circle made up mostly of older white men. It also sets up another potentially competing power center on a White House staff that already will have several, including Reince Priebus, the chief of staff; Stephen K. Bannon, the chief strategist; and Stephen Miller, the policy chief. Conway had previously turned down other proposals for White House jobs, telling reporters late last month that she did not want to spend long hours away from her children. At that point, Conway said she thought she could best help Trump by forming an outside organization to support his policies. But that role appears to have gone to Brad Parscale, who ran Trumps online operations during the campaign. Conway joined Trumps campaign during the summer when it was beset with infighting and disarray. She is widely credited with helping bring message discipline and professionalism to an operation in desperate need of it. In the run-up to the election and the weeks that followed, Conway was a ubiquitous presence on cable news networks, capably moving through her talking points in tough interview settings  often on the firing line and held to account for the exaggerations and incendiary remarks Trump was prone to make on the campaign trail and Twitter. I am humbled and honored to play a role in helping transform the movement he has led into a real agenda of action and results, Conway said in the statement. She is the founder and owner of the Polling Company, inc./WomanTrend, a GOP firm that has been advising candidates for two decades. Trump has not yet chosen a press secretary. But he is believed to be considering several candidates. Sean Spicer, former communications chief of the Republican Party who has served in a spokesman role for Trump through the transition, has been a prominent possibility, although Trump reportedly has considered several women, including conservative talk radio star Laura Ingraham and Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle. Facebook

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Trump Hotel employees in Las Vegas get a union contract By Kurtis Lee (Mike Nelson / Getty Images) Its owned by President-elect Donald Trump and is among a handful of hotels on the Las Vegas Strip to not be unionized. But that will change soon. For more than a year, Trump and his staff at the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas have fought efforts by employees and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 to negotiate a contract. But a four-year contract announced by the union on Wednesday will offer Trump employees annual wage increases, a pension and family healthcare, among other benefits. In Nevada, the culinary union is the states largest and most powerful, representing nearly 55,000 workers who serve cocktails and prepare food at hotels throughout the state. A majority of the unions members are Latino. Read More Facebook

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Wait! Dont cancel that Air Force One order just yet By Evan Halper Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016 After Donald Trump scolded Boeing earlier this month for the escalating cost of building a new Air Force One, the companys CEO projected confidence that Trump wouldnt be following through with his threat to cancel order! The two men met together at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Wednesday. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said they spoke about a range of issues. The Air Force One project, which Trump complained would cost taxpayers more than $4 billion, invariably arose. Were going to get it done for less than that, and were committed to working together to make sure that happens, Muilenberg said. The company had previously noted that the project did not yet have a firm price tag. I was able to give the president-elect my personal commitment on behalf of the Boeing Company. This is a business thats important to us. We work on Air Force One because its important to our country, and were going to make sure that he gets the best capability and that its done affordably, Muilenberg added. He called the conversation terrific and Trump a good man who is doing the right thing. The presidential aircraft remains a long way from takeoff  a new plane wont be ready for use in the next four years. Even if Trump is reelected, he might not get to use the plane, as the earliest projected date for completion is 2024. Boeing is currently doing early development work on the plane  a modified 747  that will likely be outfitted with such gadgetry as top-secret communications equipment, countermeasures to foil missile attacks, and aerial refueling capability that would enable it to remain airborne for days at a time if necessary. The timing of delivery was among the topics that came up at Trumps meeting with the Boeing CEO. Thats what were going to work on together, Muilenberg said. We have an active 747 production line, and were eager to get started on the program. We havent actually started the build of the airplane yet, but once we finalize the requirements and make sure that its affordable, well launch on building the aircraft. Weve got a hot production line and were ready to go. The government actually has two planes outfitted to serve as Air Force One, which is the designation given to whichever plane is carrying the president. The current planes, which were put into service during the Reagan administration, are nearing the end of their design life. Facebook

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Fierce China critic and UC Irvine professor to head Trumps new trade council By Don Lee (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times) President-elect Donald Trump is establishing a new White House-based trade office that will be headed by a UC Irvine professor known for his fierce criticisms of Chinese trade and economic practices. In appointing Peter Navarro as director of trade and industrial policy and the head of the new National Trade Council inside the White House, Trump is signaling that he wants to follow through on his tough campaign rhetoric in which he blamed the Chinese for the large U.S. trade deficit and manufacturing woes. During the campaign,Trump threatened to slap a 45% tariff on Chinese imports. Navarro, a Harvard-trained economist who advised Trump during the campaign, is the author of the book Death by China: Confronting the Dragon  a Global Call to Action. Trump endorsed the 2011 book as well as Navarros film version of the polemical work. I read one of Peters books on Americas trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research, Trump said Wednesday in a statement announcing the appointment. He will fulfill an essential role in my administration as a trade advisor. Trump said the new trade office would develop policies to shrink the nations trade deficit and curb the off-shoring of jobs, as well as to lead initiatives such as the Buy America, Hire America program. Navarro, in a statement, said he would be honored to serve Trump and the nation and to advise on policies to re-balance our trade, rebuild our industrial base, and restore Americas comprehensive national power by making America great again. Facebook

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Trump stops the drain the swamp talk as new alligators emerge By Evan Halper Newt Gingrich. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) It made for a great slogan during the campaign, but now that hes won, Donald Trump is finding that maybe he doesnt actually want to drain the swamp. In fact, the alligators seem to be doing quite well. Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Wednesday boasted about his access and proximity to Trump in announcing a new consulting firm he plans to open with former Trump campaign advisor Barry Bennett. The firms offices will be one block from the White House. Clients who pony up what are sure to be hefty fees for the firms services are being assured by Lewandowski in his marketing materials that he turned down multiple opportunities within the administration so he can serve them. The pitch implies Lewandowski will remain a de facto surrogate for Trump  with all the access that implies  as he bills those seeking to influence the Trump administration for his services. So perhaps the time is ripe for Trump to stop using the drain the swamp phrase. And that is what Trump has decided to do, according to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who describes himself as an outside advisor to the president-elect. Im told he now just disclaims that, Gingrich said in an interview on National Public Radio, referring to the slogan Trump used in the final phase of his campaign to crystallize his promise to cleanse Washington of insiders and self-dealers. He now says it was cute, but he doesnt want to use it anymore, Gingrich said, adding that perhaps all this swamp draining talk isnt presidential. Hes in a different role now and maybe he feels that as president, as the next president of the United States, that he should be marginally more dignified than talking about alligators in swamps, Gingrich said. I personally have, as a sense of humor, like the alligator and swamp language, he added. I think it vividly illustrates the problem, because all the people in this city who are the alligators are going to hate the swamp being drained. And theres going to be constant fighting over it. But, you know, he is my leader, and if he decides to drop the swamp and the alligator, I will drop the swamp and the alligator. Lewandowski, for his part, made no mention of swamps or alligators in announcing his new consulting firm would be open for business. Proud to launch our new venture today to support @realDonaldTrump achieve his agenda in Washington D.C. pic.twitter.com/ZEot6IrvJ4  Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) December 21, 2016 Facebook

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Death penalty in steep decline, but not in Los Angeles County By David Savage Lonnie Franklin Jr. was tried and convicted of 10 counts of murder. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles County and the state of California again recorded the most new death sentences this year, amid a sharp decline across the nation in both executions and new death sentences. Judges and juries in Los Angeles County imposed a death sentence on four murderers during 2016, including Lonnie Franklin Jr., the so-called Grim Sleeper, who was convicted of killing 10 women. No other county had more than one death sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Since 2010, Los Angeles County has recorded 36 new death sentences, more than any county in the nation. This year marked the first time in more than 40 years where no state recorded 10 or more new death sentences, the group said in its year-end report. California had the most with nine, followed by Ohio (five), Texas (four), Alabama (three) and Florida (two). California has by far the nations largest death row, with 750 condemned inmates, but it has not carried out an execution in the past decade. Overall, the report documented the steep decline for capital punishment over the past two decades. The number of new death sentences had fallen by 90%, from 315 in 1996 to only 30 this year. And the number of executions has fallen from a high of 98 in 1999 to 20 this year. Georgia (nine) and Texas (seven) accounted for most of the executions. The only other states to put inmates to death were Alabama (two), Missouri (one) and Florida (one). Robert Dunham, the groups executive director, says the nation is clearly turning away from capital punishment. Whether its concerns about innocence, costs and discrimination, availability of life without parole as a safe alternative, or the questionable way in which states are attempting to carry out executions, the public grows increasingly uncomfortable with the death penalty each year, he said. But his report noted that Californias voters, by a 53%-47% margin, rejected a ballot measure to abolish the death penalty, and narrowly approved a measure, by a 51%-49% margin, to limit appeals and expedite executions. Facebook

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New survey finds less optimistic Democrats seeking many paths to their future success By Cathleen Decker (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) Since Hillary Clintons November defeat, Democrats have squabbled over how to return to prominence. Should they continue to court ascendant voter groups in the country, such as women, minorities and young people? Or should they turn to those who have long been in their camp but abandoned the party nominee this year, such as rural and non-college-educated voters. The answer, according to a Pew Research poll published Tuesday: Democrats want to walk both paths, simultaneously. The poll asked Democrats and Republicans whether their parties had spent too much, too little or just the right amount of time meeting the interests and concerns of specific groups of voters. Among Democrats, 64% said the party had spent too little time talking to rural voters, and 58% said the same about non-college voters. Almost two-thirds of Democrats said low-income voters had not gotten enough of the partys attention, and 58% said middle-class voters had been ignored to some extent. But Democratic voters did not want to let up on the partys outreach to its stronger supporters this year. About half said that the concerns of women and African American voters had gotten too little attention, while 43% said the same about Latinos. In the case of women, African Americans, Latinos, low-income voters, rural residents and younger voters, Democrats were substantially more likely than Republicans to say their party had not put enough emphasis on the groups concerns. The poll suggested far more confidence by Republicans than Democrats in their partys current positioning. Much of that may simply be the flood of confidence that accompanies a presidential victory. When the pollsters asked before the election about their view of their party, 61% of Republicans said they were optimistic, as did 77% of Democrats about their own party. After the election those figures reversed, with 79% of Republicans optimistic compared with 61% of Democrats. A key to Trumps success also was evident in the poll: a chameleon-like ability to make the different ideological groups in the party think he was one of them. Almost 3 in 5 conservatives said that Trumps views were conservative. And among moderates, 52% said that Trumps ideology was a mix of conservative and liberal, echoing their own posture. But queries about the new presidents impact on his party drew sharply partisan responses. More than two-thirds of all voters said that Trump had forced major changes on his party. Yet 72% of Democrats cast those changes as bad ones, while 83% of Republicans cast the changes as good ones. Facebook

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The artist and the senator: One built a desert masterpiece, the other a Nevada legacy By Lisa Mascaro When Sen. Harry Reid heard about a reclusive artist building a massive land sculpture across desolate acres in the Nevada desert, he knew they should meet. Its not just that Reid enjoys eccentrics and fighters, which he does. Michael Heizer had found an unusual way to express the majesty  and artistry  of the same lonely Nevada landscape that formed Reids childhood, when he would escape the dismal, rugged conditions of tiny Searchlight to play in the deserts hidden springs and abandoned fortresses. Both men discovered in Nevada what many outsiders miss. Far from seeing a nuclear wasteland, a dumping site or even a playground for gamblers, they drew inspiration from Nevadas quiet beauty. Heizer created an American masterpiece  a milelong complex of dirt, rock and cement rising from the desert floor like modern-day pyramids or the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. For Reid, his appreciation for Nevadas unique landscape became a cornerstone of one of the most lasting yet less-familiar pieces of his political legacy. Read More Artist Michael Heizer and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) speak in the Capitol. (Lisa Mascaro / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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With 304 votes, electoral college seals Donald Trumps election as president  despite more desertions than ever By Michael Finnegan They convened amid unusual scrutiny, widespread protests and rafts of speculation about efforts to alter the outcome, but, in the end, the nations 538 presidential electors mostly stuck to the script Monday, formally sealing Donald Trumps victory with 304 votes in the electoral college, well above what he needed to capture the White House. After all the efforts to lobby Republican electors to desert Trump, only two did  a pair from Texas, one of whom voted for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul and the other for Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Indeed, instead of an uprising against Trump, the days voting was punctuated more by small, but persistent, gestures of Democratic discontent with Hillary Clinton. A handful of electors deserted her and a few more tried to, but were deterred by state faithless elector laws. Some of the Democratic dissenters were supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who lost the primaries to Clinton but galvanized the partys left wing. Others were backers of an abortive effort that had tried to recruit Democrats and Republicans to unite behind a third candidate other than Clinton or Trump. In the end, seven electors voted for a person other than the candidate who won their states  the largest number of electoral college desertions in a presidential contest in U.S. history, eclipsing a record set in 1808. Read More Facebook

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As electoral college meetings end in Hawaii, Bernie Sanders gets a vote that will stick By Michael A. Memoli David Mulinix, Hawaii elector who voted for Sanders, said Clinton wasn't qualified. Also said @POTUS wasn't progressive, but "conservative" pic.twitter.com/miCnZ6PzXI  Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) December 20, 2016 The last of the 50 states gave Bernie Sanders his first electoral college vote that counted. Hillary Clinton received three of the states four electoral votes after winning 60% of the popular vote here last month. But one elector, David Mulinix, said he cast his vote for the Vermont senator because he was the most qualified candidate. They can call me faithless, but the point is if we dont think someones qualified  and Hillary Clinton I do not feel is qualified, he said. Hawaiis electors are chosen by the major parties at their state conventions. Mulinix said he joined the party only this election cycle to support Sanders, who he said would have been elected president had he been the Democratic nominee. He had previously told the Associated Press he would cast his vote for Clinton, but said he changed his mind at the last minute. She did not lose the vote to Russian hackers; she lost the vote right there at the convention, he said, referring to the Democratic National Convention, where he said Sanders backers were treated unfairly. They robbed us, and the millennials know it. Mulinix, who, like his fellow electors, wore a lei made of green jade flowers, arrived for the vote with a list of candidates who had received votes in other electoral college meetings across the country. He was aware that an elector in Maine had tried to vote for Sanders but that his vote had been invalidated. An election official said the vote for Sanders here would count. The brief proceedings here in a nondescript conference room on the state Capitols third floor began with another elector, John Bickel, asking whether there was any penalty for electors who cast their ballots for someone other than the winner of the statewide vote. He said later that he had asked because he suspected someone might stray. The electoral college is outdated. If any election has proved the electoral college is outdated, its this one, Bickel said. Dolly Strazar, another elector and the vice chair of the state Democratic Party, said she had long supported the electoral college because it ensured some degree of competition between large states and small ones like Hawaii. It really seems in our times, its thoroughly outdated, she said. Janice Bond, the fourth elector, said she would have voted for Sanders but did not believe she was able to. She also expressed regret that President Obama, who was born in Hawaii and is vacationing here with his family, did not attend the meeting. To have him be on our island and not show face was disappointing, she said. Facebook

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No fireworks as Nevada electors cast votes for Clinton By David Montero Nevadas six electors cast their votes for Hillary Clinton on Monday afternoon in Carson City, reflecting her victory in the swing state despite losing the overall electoral college vote to President-elect Donald Trump. Clinton won Nevada by almost 3 points over Trump, and the swing state was one of her few bright spots on election day. The six electors  five from northern Nevada and one from Las Vegas  cast their ballots before about 75 people who had packed into the Old Assembly Chambers of the state Capitol. A few brought signs in support of Clinton, and there was some applause when the votes were cast. It all took place in less than a half-hour. No fireworks, said Wayne Thorley, deputy secretary of state for elections. He said about 40 people showed up in front of the state Capitol in the morning in sub-freezing temperatures to also show support for Clinton. Thorley said he hadnt anticipated a lot of controversy as the electors were required to sign a pledge before voting that said they wouldnt deviate from Nevadas Nov. 8 election results. Facebook

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In solemn ceremony, California electors cast votes for Hillary Clinton By Melanie Mason Casting my electoral vote for President and Vice President of the United States of .... https://t.co/jI2FGFCrVg pic.twitter.com/qufSJUM5WF  Susan Eggman (@SusanEggman) December 19, 2016 In a proceeding long on formalities and short on speeches, Californias 55 electors cast their vote for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday, a ceremony that coincided almost exactly with Republican Donald Trump clinching the national electoral college win. Contrasting with the spirited protests outside the state Capitol, the mood in the state Assembly chambers was muted, even a bit glum, as electors, tapped by the states Democratic establishment, convened to cast their votes for Clinton. California, which overwhelmingly backed Clinton in the presidential contest, requires all 55 electors to back the states winner. Todays solemnity and formality reminds us that in our nation, American greatness and American independence, rests on a foundation of law, said Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D-Cordova), who presided over the event. As written ballots were distributed, the room was completely silent, save for the clicking of camera shutters. Just moments before voting began, Trump, Clintons rival, had secured the electoral college win, with Texas, Californias perennial rival, putting him over the top. His victory went unacknowledged in the ceremony. Among the electors were current elected officials, such as Assemblywomen Susan Talamantes Eggman of Stockton and Shirley Weber of San Diego. Others included Christine Pelosi, daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Laphonza Butler, leader of the powerful labor union SEIU in California. Electors did not make individual speeches during the main ceremony, and Trumps name was hardly mentioned. But there were subtle references to the rancorous political season: Rev. Bob Oshita, the Assembly chaplain and former reverend of the Sacramento Buddhist Church, urged leaders to engage in calming self-reflection in an opening prayer. The tone grew considerably sharper at the end of the gathering, when Pelosi offered a motion calling for an investigation into Russian efforts to influence the election outcome. I move that as an Electoral College, we do not normalize this election. We do not accept Russian interference in our election, Pelosi said. Her motion was adopted by electors, with applause. View Twitter post This post was updated at 3:32 p.m. with comments from Christine Pelosi. It was originally published at 3:12 p.m. Facebook

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All of Floridas electoral votes go to Trump By Gray Rohrer Floridas electors applaud as the vote for Donald Trump is announced at the state Capitol in Tallahassee on Monday. (Steve Cannon / Associated Press) Donald Trump officially won all 29 of Floridas electoral college votes on Monday during a ceremony held at the Capitol in Tallahassee, despite pleas from protesters to electors to change their vote at the last minute. About 100 protesters gathered outside the Florida Senate chambers before the vote, chanting love trumps hate and flip the vote and holding signs that read Vote Your Conscience, Dont Make Russia Great Again! The electors, made up of Republican Party of Florida members and high-ranking elected officials like state Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, Senate President Joe Negron and state party chairman Blaise Ingoglia, did their best to ignore the protesters. Read More Facebook

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Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim was a Trump nemesis. Now the president-elect says hes wonderful By Evan Halper Donald Trump has decided that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, one of his favorite villains during the presidential election, might not be so bad after all. Hes even wonderful, Trump now says. The two dined together Saturday at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, after which Trump had only nice things to say about Slim, according to a report in the Washington Post. Trump described the interaction with his erstwhile nemesis as a lovely dinner with a wonderful man. This is not how Trump talked about Slim, one of the worlds richest men, during the election. The Mexican billionaire was a regular target of the then-GOP nominee because of his large ownership stake in the New York Times. Add to that Slims generous contributions to the Clinton Foundation and his citizenship in the country Trump reveled in attacking, and he made for good fodder at Trump rallies. When Trump objected to the New York Times coverage of his campaign  and its reporting on the allegations by multiple women of past inappropriate sexual advances by Trump  he alleged it was all part of a conspiracy cooked up by Slim. Trump called the outlets reporters corporate lobbyists for Carlos Slim and for Hillary Clinton. The New York Times called Trumps charges a fabrication, saying Slim had never inserted himself in editorial decision making there. And Trump offered no evidence to the contrary. A spokesman for Slim said at the time the two had never met, and the Mexican businessman had no interest in involving himself in the U.S. election. Now theyve met. The takeaway from the meeting, though, is murky. Maybe it indicates Trump is softening his posture toward Mexico  or maybe it just indicates billionaires enjoy the company of other billionaires. Facebook

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Meet the California electors By Liam Dillon Among the electors are Janine Bera, the wife of Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove; Christine Pelosi, the daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and chairwoman of the state partys womens caucus; Eileen Feinstein Mariano, granddaughter of Sen. Dianne Feinstein; and Olivia Reyes-Becerra, daughter of Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles. State Assemblywomen Susan Eggman of Stockton and Shirley Weber of San Diego, former state Sen. Christine Kehoe of San Diego, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez and Laphonza Butler, president of the Service Employees International Union chapter that represents home care employees, also are on the list. Read More Facebook

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Three Washington state Democratic electors vote for Gen. Colin Powell, one for Faith Spotted Eagle By Rick Anderson (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press) Despite a statute binding the 12 members of the electoral college to vote for the winner of the states 2016 presidential election popular vote, four Washington electors made history and risked a $1,000 fine by voting for someone else Monday. But it wasnt Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton, supported by 57% of the states voters, wound up with eight of the 12 electoral votes at a session held in the State Capitol building here. Gen. Colin Powell received three votes. And Faith Spotted Eagle, an elder of the Yankton Sioux, received one. Read More Facebook

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Colorado elector says he was oppressed by state law into voting for Clinton By David Kelly In Denver, all nine electors voted for Hillary Clinton, after one was replaced for casting his ballot for Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich instead. A boisterous crowd packed the state Capitol and booed when elector Michael Baca was dismissed and another sworn in to take his place. Vote your conscience! someone cried. The new elector voted for Clinton. Hecklers screamed Resign! Resign! at Secretary of State Wayne Williams after he shooed Bacas lawyer off the podium. Suspense had been building for weeks over how the electors would vote. Two courts blocked their attempts to vote for someone other than Clinton. State law here says electors must support the candidate who won the popular vote. On Sunday night they went to court again, this time asking a judge to reject a new oath drawn up by the secretary of state requiring electors to pledge to support the winner of the popular vote. Their motion was denied. As they waited, the crowd sang This Land is Your Land and America the Beautiful. But once the electors filed in, it was over quickly. Elector Robert Nemanich said he was oppressed by state law into voting for Clinton and would go to the U.S. Supreme Court. He did not elaborate. Lance Armstrong, 68, stood outside with an American flag. Im glad some of the electors made a point today, he said. Any point is better than none. Facebook

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Trump officially gets 270th electoral vote, sealing his election as president By Julie Westfall Donald Trump has obtained the required 270 electoral votes to become president. Although electors in dozens of states still have to vote, the electoral balloting in Texas put Trump over the majority threshold, according to a state-by-state tally by the Associated Press. Thirty-six of the states electors voted for Trump, one for John Kasich and one for Ron Paul. The next, and last, official step in the electoral process is for Congress to count the votes. Under the procedure set out by the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, that formal process is scheduled for Jan. 6. Some anti-Trump activists had hoped against hope that they could persuade electors in states that voted for Trump to defect, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Electors are nearly all party loyalists. Additionally, they faced more than two centuries of tradition and, in some states, legal obligations that called for them to cast their ballots according to which candidate won the popular vote in their states. No defectors have ever changed the result of a presidential election. Four electors today successfully defected in Washington state. Instead of voting for Hillary Clinton, who won the states popular vote, three electors voted for former secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, an environmental activist. Electors in two other states who tried to vote against the states winner were replaced with alternates. There may be additional defections in the remaining states, but since Trump now has a majority of the electoral votes, those would not be enough to change the result. Facebook

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Emotions high in Maryland as electors unanimously vote for Clinton By Erin Cox (Erin Cox/Baltimore Sun) As Marylands 10 electors unanimously cast votes for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president Monday, several said they were privileged to vote for the countys first female presidential nominee. Outside, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters cheered as the solemn ceremony unfolded on live-stream television. A state delegate, who had the ceremonial task of handing the electors votes to another official, wept while executing her duty. This is an emotional moment for many, many women in this country and in this state, said Del. Maggie McIntosh, a Baltimore Democrat. She added later: I guess I didnt cry enough on Nov. 8. Marylands electors were bound by state law to vote for the winner of Marylands popular vote, which Clinton secured with more than 60% of the ballots cast. About 100 protesters who had been chanting and singing around the historic State House grounds for at least four hours before the vote said they came in solidarity with protesters in Republican state capitols, pleading with electors not to endorse President-elect Donald Trump. This is appalling and unacceptable, and Im hoping the Republicans, in particular, rise above and do the right thing, said Cheryl Kreiser, a retired teacher from the Washington, D.C., suburb of Silver Spring. For an hour every day for the last 21 days, Kreiser has protested Trumps win on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It was the only way I could cope with the disappointment, she said. Marylands Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who wrote in his fathers name rather than vote for Trump on election day, opened Marylands 58th electoral college meeting but left the room before electors were sworn in. Each elector had been appointed by the Maryland Democratic Party state chair, Bruce Poole, who reminded the crowd the United States is not a direct democracy ruled by the popular vote. A lot of people lose sight of the fact that were a republic. Were not a democracy, Poole said. The whole idea was that the president would not be chosen just by the whims of the moment, but instead there would be an opportunity for people who were thoughtful, who had judgment, who had integrity to take a step back from the moment of emotion and consider what would be in the best interest of the country. Here is "the old book" where Maryland has recorded its Electoral College electors every year since 1789. pic.twitter.com/GlsaJd3F3X  Erin Cox (@ErinatThePost) December 19, 2016 Before he introduced Marylands electors, Poole lamented the state of political discourse in the country. We live in the age of information. It is not necessarily the age of wisdom or age of judgment, he said. People on both sides, on all sides, make decisions at the snap of a finger. Maryland was both the model for creating the electoral college and the first state in the country to vote to bypass it. Framers modeled todays system after the way the Maryland House of Delegates selected Maryland senators, a process the state later abandoned after it was considered undemocratic, according to a history of the electoral college written by staff at the Maryland Board of Elections. Hogan noted the state is one of six to have participated every year since 1789. In 2007, Maryland was the first state to vote to sign the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a promise designed to award the electoral college to the winner of the national popular vote. It required enough states to comprise 270 votes to sign on for it to take effect. So far, only 10 states  including California  with a combined 165 votes have signed the compact. The president of Marylands electors, Courtney Watson, also co-chaired Clintons campaign in Maryland. She said she thought changes to the electoral college should be considered and described Monday as a poignant moment for Maryland residents. Its a very emotional time, she said. Many of us have worked long and hard, and for the first woman candidate. The point, though, is that people are still moved and even more engaged. And thats what I find promising for our future and the future of women. Facebook

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Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy Pelosi and California elector, demands to know the truth about Russian influence By Jazmine Ulloa Elector @sfpelosi: We won't stand down. #caleg pic.twitter.com/4cM3cE4Wb6  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) December 19, 2016 California elector Christine Pelosi on Monday told crowds gathered outside the Capitol that she has been part of a chorus of people demanding to know the truth about Russian interference in the November presidential election. Pelosi, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosis daughter, is leading 10 other electors in a call for an intelligence briefing on Russian influence. Shouting into a microphone Monday, she said Russian hackers aim to turn the American people against each other and had marginalized her and others for speaking out. They trespass on servers, she said. They receive stolen emails. They pump out stories that day after day focus on scandal rather than policy, rather than talking about climate and immigration and human rights. Californias meeting of electors is about to get underway in the state Capitol. Facebook

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After prayer for national unity, Georgia electors vote for Trump By Jenny Jarvie Outside the Georgia Capitol today, some may have held a flicker of hope that a GOP elector would refuse to cast a ballot for Donald Trump as 45th president of the United States. Yet among the inner circle of Republicans who gathered inside the cozy, wood-paneled Senate chamber, there was little doubt about what would unfold. One by one, all 16 electors - dressed in formal business suits and red dresses, bow ties and blazers -- cast their ballots for the contentious Republican candidate. It was a short ceremony, with little opportunity for disruption. Security guards prevented the public from entering the chamber, cordoning off the hallway outside the room with a red rope and locking the main door before proceedings began. The electors chosen by Georgias Republican Party included well-connected attorneys and real estate agents, a high school teacher and a farmer. As they waited for the gathering to begin, many snapped selfies and waved at loved ones above in the upper gallery. After a call to order by the Georgia Republican Party chair, the electors bowed their heads, and Rachel Little, an elector and grass-roots Republican organizer, delivered an invocation. Lord, we know we are a divided country right now, she said. We pray that you will unite us.  We pray that [those who oppose Trump] will see our conservatism lived out in a gracious way. In a short speech, Gov. Nathan Deal hit out at activists who had bombarded electors with emails, letters and phone calls in an effort to sway their votes. You have been the subject of harassment by those who perhaps are not as dedicated to the proposition of what this body is supposed to do as they are agitated by the fact that the people didnt do what they wanted them to do. I have every confidence you will not succumb to that, Deal told the electors. My words to you: Do your job. Shortly before the electors cast their ballots, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican who represents Georgias 11th District, took to the podium to present a short history of the electoral college. Our founders actually despised the idea of democracy because mob rule often results in a decision made out of pure emotion, Loudermilk told the electors, after referencing the noise of protesters outside. It does not result in good government. In fact, our founders often cited the historic trial of Jesus as how mob rule does not work. The electoral college was devised to protect the integrity of government, Loudermilk said. To protect those who live in the rural areas of America, those who work, those who are part of the farming communities and part of the industrial communities, those who live and work every day, that their interests are protected as well of those who make their living on Wall Street. For a moment earlier this year, there was an inkling of a Republican revolt against Trump in Georgia. In August, Baoky Vu, a GOP elector based in Decatur, Ga., admitted he might not cast his ballot for Trump if he won. Within hours, however, he was forced to resign. Trump went on to win 51% of Georgias popular vote. On Monday, Vu did not show up at the Capitol, and he was formally replaced by a solid Trump backer, John Padgett, the chairman of the Georgia Republican party. There seems little chance that Georgia legislators might vote to overhaul the electoral college. Earlier this year, Republican legislators authored two bipartisan pieces of legislation in Georgias House and Senate that would have made Georgias electoral votes based solely on the outcome of the national popular vote. Yet both bills stalled, and Republicans say there is little momentum to revive the debate. The system prevents the tyranny of the majority, said Kirk Shook, an elector who is a high school teacher in rural Oconee County. He scoffed at those who, since the election, had sought to overhaul the electoral college system. Theres all this weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, Shook said of those who opposed Trumps win. And rightly so. Theres going to be a Republican president, a Republican Congress and a Republican Supreme Court. With the stroke of a pen, 90 percent of what Obama considered his legacy will be gone. Facebook

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Four Washington state electors defect from Clinton; one chooses Faith Spotted Eagle instead By Associated Press (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press) Four members of the electoral college in Washington state cast their votes for a candidate other than Democrat Hillary Clinton, who won the states popular vote. Its the first time in four decades the states electors have broken from the popular vote for president. Washingtons 12 electors met Monday afternoon in the state Capitol to complete the constitutional formality. Clinton got eight votes while other candidates got the remaining four. Elector Bret Chiafalo, who earlier in the day said he planned to vote for Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said that he ultimately changed his vote to former Secretary of State Colin Powell after conversations with other Washington electors. The exact breakdown of the other four votes wasnt immediately known, although at least one vote was cast for Faith Spotted Eagle. In last months election, Republican Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes to Clintons 232, though Clintons tally will now be lower. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win. The last time an elector broke from the popular vote in Washington was in 1976, when Mike Padden, who is currently a Republican state senator, voted for Ronald Reagan instead of Gerald Ford, who had won the state. Facebook

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Hundreds protest the electoral college at Capitol building in Sacramento By Jazmine Ulloa Protesters are now chanting, "hey hey ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go" pic.twitter.com/4nNyTMroI5  Marcus Yam  (@yamphoto) December 19, 2016 Cheers and chants of U.S.A and Keep him out filled the air Monday, as dozens of protestors gathered outside the California Capitol in a last ditch attempt to sway the electoral college from voting for president-elect Donald Trump. Speakers called Trump a celebrity and authoritarian unfit for the presidency. And they urged Congress to do away with the electoral college process, which they described as an outdated and broken system susceptible to foreign influence and manipulation. This is a secret system of voting where we are not allowed to see where the votes are actually coming from or how they are counted, Brent Turner, with the movement organization Democracy Spring, shouted into a microphone. John Franco, 52, says the electoral college is an outdated system that can be manipulated with or without hackers. #caleg pic.twitter.com/fs2L2W2HKp  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) December 19, 2016 John Franco, a 52-year-old business owner visiting Sacramento from New Orleans, said he came to the demonstration with his family to protest that secret process. We dont feel a system that can be manipulated represents the interests of the people who voted for Hillary Clinton, he said. Rochelle Towers was among hundreds to protest at the CA Capitol today: "I'll take any shot that there is. #caleg https://t.co/QcOhWklrpx pic.twitter.com/mtx76NjdEW  Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) December 20, 2016 Rochelle Towers, 68, said she drove in from Oakland in an attempt to persuade the electoral college from voting for Trump. She said she would not have to live through a lot of what its decision would set in motion. But my children and grandchildren will, she said. Even though this is a real long shot, Ill take any shot that there is. Facebook

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Colorado elector removed after refusing to vote for Clinton By David Kelly A new elector is sworn in in Colorado after one refused to vote for Hillary Clinton. (David Kelly / Los Angeles Times) Eight of nine Colorado electors have voted for Hillary Clinton. One elector, Michael Baca, refused to vote for Clinton and was immediately replaced with an alternate, who was sworn in on the spot. As the crowd jeered, the new elector promptly voted for Clinton. Shouts of Resign! followed Secretary of State Wayne Williams announcement of the results. Protesters at the state capitol in Colorado. (David Kelly/Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Electors say they have been barraged with emails By Nigel Duara View Twitter post Arizona elector J. Foster Morgan said he had received several letters protesting the election of Donald Trump, but experienced nothing on the scale of some his fellow Arizona electors whose email addresses were distributed to protest lists. They heard the worst thing imaginable, Morgan said. I just got a few letters. Despite protests outside the meeting, Morgan said, the vote went fine. Eleven votes for Donald Trump. Facebook

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Democratic electors in Minnesota and Maine try to vote for Bernie Sanders By Associated Press (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) A second elector  this one in Minnesota  has refused to cast a vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in Mondays electoral college tally. It wasnt immediately clear why Muhammad Abdurrahman didnt vote for Clinton, but he was a delegate for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention. The electors are pledged to cast Minnesotas 10 electoral votes for Clinton since she won the state. Abdurrahman was immediately replaced by an alternate who later voted for Clinton. Earlier in the day, a so-called faithless elector in Maine cast his vote for Sanders, who lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Clinton. David Bright said on his Facebook page that he cast his vote for Sanders because voting for Clinton would not have helped her win. But he ultimately voted for Clinton on a second vote after being ruled out of order. Facebook

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Utah voting goes off without incident  six for Trump By David Montero A protest sign outside the gathering of Utah electors (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press) Despite chants of vote your conscience and the whole world is watching from more than 100 protesters, Utahs six electors cast their votes for President-elect Donald Trump today in Salt Lake City. Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox announced the official results within minutes of the votes being cast, but he was drowned out by jeers of Shame on you by the protesters. I hope you know this is what our country is all about, Cox said. I hope all of us here are sincerely grateful we live in a country where we have the opportunity to express ourselves. The six electors -- two small-business owners, a custom metal worker, a farmer, a Brigham Young University professor and a Republican activist -- quickly introduced themselves before casting their ballots. The votes were largely a formality, as the state requires electors to vote for the winner. Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by getting 45%t of the vote. He also withstood a challenge from Evan McMullin, who garnered 21% in what was largely a protest vote from those, many of them Mormons, who felt uncomfortable casting a ballot for Trump. Cox said the turnout for this years electoral vote was a far cry from 2012, when four people and one camera crew showed up. Im a big fan of the electoral college, Cox said to the restless crowd. You dont have to boo me now. You can boo me later. About 200 protesters and Trump supporters arrived in the rotunda of the state Capitol about three hours before the votes were cast shortly after noon. The room where the votes were cast was too small to accommodate everyone, and the fire marshal sought to limit occupancy to about 130 people. Interest was high, and the vote even drew Hawthorn Elementary School students, who helped lead the room in the Pledge of Allegiance. Cox thanked them for coming and told them they were getting an experience youll never forget. Facebook

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Clinton elector balks in Minnesota One of 10 Minnesota electors has decided not cast a vote, Muhammad Abdurrahan. An alternate is now being sworn in. #ElectoralCollege pic.twitter.com/4eN1PIrZdO  Dylan Wohlenhaus (@DylanWohlenhaus) December 19, 2016 In Minnesota, where the 10 electors had all pledged their votes to Hillary Clinton, one of them refused to go through with it. Elector Muhammad Abdurrahman opted not to vote. He was replaced by an alternate, who cast a vote for Clinton. Facebook

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As Pennsylvania went unanimously for Trump, a voice from the back: Thank you By Steve Esack Electors sworn in in Pennsylvania (Matt Rourke/Associated Press) In Pennsylvanias capital of Harrisburg, the states 20 electoral college voters selected Trump today in a ceremony marked by traditional pomp and bellowing protests. Trump won the popular vote in Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes  the first Republican presidential candidate to do so since 1988. It earned him the states 20 electoral college votes. When the result was announced shortly before 1 p.m. inside the gilded, ornate House chamber, protesters jeered and supporters cheered. Shame on you, a womans voice called down from the public balcony. Thank you, a male voters voice responded back from the floor. Facebook

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How some electors have reacted to all the mail from voters Facebook

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Protesters outside Florida Senate chambers: Trump is dangerous By Gray Rohrer Protesters gather outside the Florida Senate chambers ahead of the electoral college voting ceremony. (Gray Rohrer / Orlando Sentinel) A group of about 100 protesters huddled outside the Florida Senate chambers Monday morning as Floridas 29 electors prepared to cast their votes for Donald Trump in the formal electoral eollege vote ceremony later in the day. The protesters held signs that read You can fix this, keep America free, What would Hamilton do? and Electors: Protect Us, Trump is Dangerous, pleading for electors to change their minds and not vote for Trump, who beat Hillary Clinton by 112,911 votes in Florida, about 1.2%t of all votes cast in the state. Tallahassee resident Bonnie McCluskey held a sign reading Send it to the House. If enough electors across the country do not vote for Trump, hell fall short of the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency, sending the matter to the U.S. House. The reason Im here is because I dont trust [Trump]) and I think he will harm the United States, McCluskey said. My grandmothers were suffragettes; their ancestors were willing to be traitors to the British crown to create this democracy and I dont want to see it end. And that sounds awfully dramatic but thats how Im feeling. She said that part of the reason she doesnt trust Trump is because he didnt pay a company she worked for that did promotional videos for his buildings in 1998. They were basically given the opportunity to take 10 percent or go to court. Back then I didnt realize that was his business plan, McCluskey said. I didnt make the deal with him I was just one of the people who saw a company go bankrupt. Despite the pleas from protesters, all of Floridas electors are expected to vote for Trump. Some, such as Florida Senate President Joe Negron, have posted pictures of hundreds of letters theyve received asking them to change their vote but declaring theyll be voting for the Republican candidate. Facebook

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Colorado electors make last-ditch plea to switch votes By David Kelly Crowds await the electoral college vote at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (David Kelly / For The Times) Colorado electors are trying a last-chance legal appeal to avoid voting for Hillary Clinton, and instead vote for an alternative candidate to replace Donald Trump. A week ago, a district court judge told them they had to vote for Clinton, who won the popular vote in Colorado. A few days ago, a federal appeals court upheld that decision. But just hours before the vote today, two electors filed suit to stop the Colorado secretary of state from requiring them to swear to vote for the candidate supported by the electorate. Their effort is part of a loose national scheme to defeat Trump by persuading Republican electors to join with Democrats, such as those in Colorado, and coalesce around an alternative candidate. There has been no decision so far. Facebook

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Chants of Shame! erupt as Wisconsin electors cast ballots for Trump By Bill Ruthhart Demonstrators erupt after Wisconsin's 10 presidential electors cast their #ElectoralCollege ballots for Republican Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/A0GrASaIbY  Bill Ruthhart (@BillRuthhart) December 19, 2016 Wisconsins 10 presidential electors unanimously cast their ballots for Republican Donald Trump as expected Wednesday, but the vote still drew chants of Shame from dozens of demonstrators who had pleaded for them to back away from the president-elect. The typically procedural vote in a fourth-floor conference room in the Wisconsin State Capitol was anything but routine as about 150 protesters greeted the 10 electors with signs pleading for them to vote your conscience not your pledge. In a short 15-minute meeting, the electors quickly cast their ballots for Trump. They did not address the controversial nature of the election and no speeches were made before the 
When Los Angeles City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana announced last month that he was leaving to take a new job overseeing the Los Angeles County Fair, there was dismay in City Hall. As the citys budget and policy analyst, Santana has helped guide city government over the last seven years from financial meltdown and near bankruptcy to relative fiscal stability, with Los Angeles about to make unprecedented investments to house the homeless, rebuild broken sidewalks and pave potholed streets.

Pragmatic and persuasive, Santana has urged elected officials to make hard but necessary choices, such as passing pension reform and laying off city workers during the depths of the recession. Hes also pushed them to be ambitious in solving some of the citys thorniest problems, such as asking voters to approve a $1.2 billion bond to build permanent supportive housing for the homeless. And hes been willing to risk the ire of the mayor and City Council with his reports, such as one that questioned the financial plan for the citys bid to host the 2024 Olympics.

But worry in City Hall is about more than the loss of Santanas steady hand. There is a real concern over whom Mayor Eric Garcetti will pick to follow him. Will the mayor choose a close ally or staff member  someone who might be less willing to give an honest assessment of the mayors initiatives? Alternatively, will the mayor pick a meek bureaucrat comfortable with the status quo, or someone whose advice could easily be ignored?

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Councilman David Ryu has urged Garcetti and the council not to move fast in picking Santanas successor. He called for a nationwide search to find an independent candidate with the astute knowledge, leadership, and vision to advise the Citys policymakers.

Hes right to call for a thorough search. The CAO is one of the most important jobs in city government, and its one of the few city offices that has duties spelled out in the charter. The CAO works with the mayor to draft the city budget and, more broadly, analyzes the costs and effectiveness of city policies and programs. Ideally, the CAO is an advocate both for fiscal responsibility and for efficient, transparent government. And the CAO is the citys labor negotiator, responsible for hammering out a good deal for taxpayers with the citys politically influential employee unions.

A good CAO, like Santana, is viewed as a reliable and impartial analyst and adviser. Thats important because the CAO serves three demanding masters: the mayor, the City Council and the public. And if the CAO is seen as too close to one, he or she loses credibility with the others and becomes less effective.

And Angelenos need an effective CAO. Last month, voters approved the Measure M sales tax increase for transportation, which will send millions of dollars to the city that could pay for street repairs, sidewalks and other infrastructure investments. And voters OKd Measure HHH to spend $1.2 billion on housing for the homeless. The CAO will play an important role in overseeing how the money is spent and ensuring the city can deliver on its promises.

While L.A.s finances have improved from the dark days of the recession, the city still has a structural deficit and still spends roughly 20% of its budget on pensions and retirement benefits, leaving fewer dollars for basic services and ambitious projects, like restoring the Los Angeles River. The mayor and City Council will continue to need solid financial advice from the CAO, and continued prodding to control costs.

Garcetti should take the time to find the best CAO possible, whether that requires a nationwide search or a thorough hunt for talent close to home.

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The United States representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, gave an impassioned speech last week asking Russian and Syrian representatives whether they felt any shame at all for their actions in Aleppo, and whether there is no execution of a child that gets under [their] skin? For Syrians, these statements were infuriating. Americans should be asked the very same questions. You, too, have blood on your hands.

Over the past few years, you have deceived us with your empty promises. From the first day of the 2011 revolution to the most recent breakdown of a life-saving evacuation effort, the killing of Syrians has been met with consistent U.S. inaction, or worse: U.S. acquiescence to Russian aggression. While the Assad and Russian regimes are responsible for the vast majority of Syrian bloodshed, by no means should you feel entitled to lecture the world based on your supposed moral superiority. You have let us down again and again.

After Rwanda and then after Srebrenica, you said, Never again. After Gaza you said nothing at all. Today, you can no longer rest on your hollow rhetoric celebrating freedom and equality. Today as Syrians, watching you glibly condemn a catastrophe that is partly of your own making, we ask if you feel any shame at all for your inaction.

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President Obama and President-elect Trump, your silence is deafening and has set a dangerous global precedent. You should be ashamed.

President Obama, you declared that if President Assad used chemical weapons against his enemies, hed be crossing a red line. You watched him cross it. Arent you ashamed? Ashamed that your concern and care for the Syrian people evaporated at the first sign of difficulty and complication? Are you not embarrassed that strategic overseas interests trumped your willingness to take any and all steps necessary to stop the wanton death of hundreds of thousands?

Do you and your spokespeople at the U.N. and beyond look in the mirror and think, We encouraged the Syrian people to rise up, and then watched impassively as they were slaughtered for it? Do you not feel cowardly for refusing to engage and confront Russian aggression beyond shallow public condemnations?

And President-elect Trump, have you no shame in your public affirmation of Russia as the U.S.s strategic partner in Syria? The same Russia that has joined the Assad regime in massacring the Syrian people. Are you not uncomfortable with stating publicly that the Assad regime is fighting Islamic State despite the evidence suggesting that Assad has actually facilitated the growth, expansion and survival of Islamic State?

President Obama and President-elect Trump, your silence is deafening and has set a dangerous global precedent. You should be ashamed.

Now it is our turn to lecture you. Next time you trumpet the American commitment to human rights, remember how far you have fallen. In the early days you claimed to support our protests as legitimate expressions of the desire for change. But you only supported us with words, not actions, and now activists in Aleppo are sending their final goodbyes before theyre executed, forcibly displaced, raped, tortured, or killed in an airstrike.

The fall of Aleppo is only the beginning. Russia and the Assad regime have a far more ambitious end goal: complete military victory at any cost. The atrocities committed in Aleppo this week will undoubtedly be followed by similar cleansings in other areas.

In the past, I might have ended such a letter by making specific demands for U.S. action and leadership. But now I know better. All I can do is loudly proclaim that Syrians are no longer blind to the emptiness and cruelty of U.S. foreign policy.

This is your legacy, Obama, one that Trump seems happy to continue. Is there nothing that can shame you? Are there no acts of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin?

Abdulfattah Alkhaled is a manager at Kesh Malek, a Syrian advocacy group, and a board member of Shaml, a coalition of Syrian civil society organizations.

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MORE FROM OPINION

Is Trump the kind of Republican Obama said he wanted?

Sorry, conservative Catholics: The pope isnt retiring

Bigots at the gate: Universities shouldnt duck the fight against white nationalism
Across the nation we are witnessing a rise in white nationalism: At a gathering in a Washington, D.C., hotel, audience members gave a Nazi salute; swastikas are popping up on public buildings; cyber hate and cyberbullying are surging. The F.B.I. reports a 6% increase in hate crimes in 2016 over the previous year, fueled by attacks on Muslims. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported nearly 900 accounts of harassment in the 10 days after the presidential election.

And this activity is coming to our college campuses.

The white supremacist Richard Spencer traveled to Texas A&M to make the case that, At the end of the day, America belongs to white men. Nathan Damigo, a person referred to by this newspaper as emblematic of the young, web-savvy racists who are trying to intellectualize and mainstream bigotry, is setting his sights on higher education, eager for the attention brought on by hostile audiences or for the opportunity to claim victimization if denied a venue.

Hate speech is like mold: Its enemies are bright light and fresh air.

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There have been calls to ban these speakers from campus, and in some cases controversial figures have been blocked or disinvited. No doubt many campus leaders, faculty and students are hoping that the likes of Spencer and Damigo will skip them, never darkening their quads and campaniles.

But I think theres a better response: Confront the problem head-on.

As raw and painful as the resulting interactions might be, they represent an opportunity to educate students and society more generally on how to recognize and mount an effective attack against hatred, bigotry, ignorance and bullying.

Universities support free speech and condemn censorship for two reasons  to ensure that positive, helpful, illuminating messages can circulate widely, and to expose hateful or dangerous ideas that, if never engaged or rebutted, would gain traction in the darker corners of our society. Hate speech is like mold: Its enemies are bright light and fresh air.

Whenever we encounter hateful and demeaning ideas on campus, we mustnt run away; we must  and will  double down on asserting our essential commitment to human dignity and respect. This is what Texas A&M did so effectively when it countered Spencers talk with its Aggies United event denouncing hatred and bigotry.

Piecemeal responses arent enough, though. Too many people, on and off campus, were caught off guard by the reemergence of white nationalism. At the beginning of the year, few people had even heard the term alt-right, let alone knew what it signified.

This represents a failure of education, as well as the much-discussed failure of journalism.

Because the fundamental mission of colleges and universities is to advance understanding about important matters, we must marshal our scholarly resources to explore more systematically this dangerous national and global phenomenon.

On my campus, we will be working with all the relevant schools and disciplines to educate our community about current events, the historical and global dynamics underlying the politics of hate, and the related threat of authoritarianism. Some of this programming will be designed for a broader audience of students and community members. We will also bring together scholars from around the world to plan research agendas, share the results of the best studies, and debate various theories and hypotheses about the short- and long-term consequences of these developments.

At issue, ultimately, is not merely the very real experience of pain and outrage that accompanies contact with hateful speech. Its the ability of free, diverse and democratic societies to maintain their essential practices and values.

This moment is about much more than the consequences of allowing an ignorant speaker or two to express themselves on a campus.

Democracies are more fragile things than we might like to believe. The World Value Survey recently reported a dramatic uptick in the percentage of people who believe it is a good thing to have a strong leader without elections or parliament. Universities must rise to the occasion by learning more and teaching more about what is happening, where it is happening, why it is happening and how it might be most effectively addressed.

Howard Gillman is a professor of law, political science and history, and the chancellor of UC Irvine. He is co-author, with Erwin Chemerinsky, of the forthcoming book Free Speech on Campus.

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Pope Francis celebrated his 80th birthday on Saturday, and then went back to work.

But if he had never been elected pope  if he had remained Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio  he would now be a pastor put out to pasture. Under church rules, cardinals who turn 80 before the death or resignation of a pope are ineligible to participate in the consistory called to elect the popes successor.

This must be a bitter pill for the conservative Catholics who find Francis too liberal in his theology and insufficiently awed by the august office he occupies.

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That group runs the gamut from churchmen who profess their loyalty to Francis  such as four cardinals who recently asked the pope to clarify whether a document he issued permits divorced and remarried Catholics to take Holy Communion  to a far-right fringe that regards Francis as an imposter.

In an interview in 2014, Francis indicated that he thought the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI might not be the last such papal retirement. Benedict is the first, and maybe there will be others, Francis told an Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. We dont know.

But Francis is clearly in no rush to join the 89-year-old predecessor in retirement. Nor does he have to. Popes are exempt from the requirement that bishops submit their resignations at age 75. And while turning 80 disqualifies you from choosing the pope, it doesnt prevent you from serving as pope.

Yet its hard to see why the pope should be an exception to a practice of orderly retirement. The argument for popes retiring is that they arent kings but bishops. (The Bishop of Rome is regarded in post-Vatican II Catholic theology as the head of the College of Bishops, just as St. Peter is venerated as the head of the college of the Apostles.)

Francis, who has embraced what might be called a downsized vision of the papacy, would seem to be a natural candidate for voluntary retirement. So why does he resist the idea?

His conservative detractors probably believe that its all about power. Having decided to pursue a liberal agenda, they reason, the wily Jesuit from Argentina isnt willing to step down until he has packed the College of Cardinals with enough like-minded churchmen to guarantee that the next pope will be made in his image.

A less cynical theory is that Francis might think that one living pope emeritus is enough of a jolt to tradition. Having two ex-popes looking over the incumbents shoulders might be a bridge to modernity too far. If this theory is right, Francis wont retire until after Benedict dies.

Francis might also feel that the cardinals who elected him in 2013, when he was 76, expected him to serve past his 80th birthday.

Finally, the pope may think that he has unfinished business and the energy necessary to accomplish it. But isnt that also true of some of 80-year-old cardinals who have been sidelined? As the pope might put it, who is he to judge that his fellow octogenarians arent up to the job?

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To the editor: Two letters deride President Obama for not going to war against Syrian leader Bashar Assad over the red line issue. (Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died needlessly. So much for never again, Readers React, Dec. 17)

I think its important to remember that Americans were not in favor of sending troops into the Syrian mess at that time. The president decided to have Congress give him authorization for a military strike, and Congress whiffed on that.

So, what the president did was make a deal with Syria  which was gassing its own people  to remove more than 1,000 tons of lethal gas through a negotiated process. No shots were fired. Syria gave up the gas without being attacked by us or any allies, and Russia negotiated with us on that process.

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It was a great example of using the threat of military power while negotiating and solving an issue without firing a shot.

Hopefully, the Trump administration will look back on this incident and see the power of diplomacy.

Larry Margo, Valley Village

..

To the editor: I get the feeling that Obamas critics blame him for not following through with his red line threat and would have preferred that we had taken military action. I too feel that the threat was bad policy, but not because he didnt follow through, but rather because he made the threat in the first place.

Ron Garber, Duarte

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To the editor: As much as my heart longs for an Israel with Jerusalem as its capital, moving the U.S. Embassy to that city would be an empty gesture from a president with demonstrated overt and covert prejudices. Such a move is not about support for Israel or Jews, its about underlying prejudice against Muslims. (Trump administration could upend decades of U.S. policy on Israel and Palestinians, Dec. 16)

It would needlessly inflame tensions and place such an embassy in greater danger than was the case for our embassy in Libya. It would put in jeopardy the fragile peace with the Palestinians and could light the fuse of another deadly and costly war in the Middle East.

These people so divided in the Arab world would now have a rallying point to draw them together, not only against Israel but against us as well.

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Michael Solomon, Canoga Park

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To the editor: After seeing another reference to traditionally Arab East Jerusalem in your article, I feel a history lesson is in order.

The eastern part of the city of Jerusalem is traditionally Arab only since 1948, when the Jordanian army captured it during Israels war for independence. The Arabs expelled all the Jewish residents, including from the historic Jewish Quarter. They destroyed ancient synagogues and used headstones from Jewish cemeteries for paving stones.

This situation existed for 19 years, until 1967, when Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan. That hardly constitutes a tradition, much less a historical right.

Laszlo Regos, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: Donald Trump says he wants to make peace between Israel and Palestine. But his choice of David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel will not advance that goal.

As a Jewish American who wants peace and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians, I welcome a new approach to the conflict  after all, no current or previous approach has improved the lives of people in the region. But Friedmans extremist views seem destined to deepen the conflict rather than end it.

My greatest fear is that Friedmans appointment will encourage the right-wing Israeli government to take drastic and unprecedented action such as attempting an ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Would the international community allow this to happen?

Jeff Warner, Los Angeles

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To the editor: President Obama makes a compelling case about Russian interference with our presidential election. (Obama says election cyberattack came from the highest levels of the Russian government and vows retaliation, Dec. 16)

But while belittling Russia as a smaller country whose economy produces only oil and gas and and arms, he misses an important emerging element: Russias ability to directly influence the democratic process that underpins the United States  and probably that of many other countries.

Hacking may not be an acceptable way to boost a nations economy, but my guess is that brilliant minds (Russian or otherwise) are now becoming the No. 1 element in a nations economy. Witness the importance of Silicon Valley here in the United States.

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Kathy Landis, Laguna Woods

..

To the editor: Obamas threat of cyber retaliation against Russia for hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons advisors is a very dangerous move. Does he think that if the U.S. launches some cyberattack against the Russians, they will just say, OK, were even?

What Obama isnt keeping in mind are the number of security break-ins that have taken place against all types of businesses. Does he want to risk financial institutions, safety systems, the power grid or other Internet-connected business being attacked?

He needs to think about these things before he considers any retribution against the Russians.

Les Hartzman, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: On July 28, 1974, my husband and I drove into Lviv (today part of Ukraine) in the Soviet Union. Arriving at a campground we were greeted by a very young KGB officer, who engaged us in a debate about democracy, which he called anarchism.

I have always remembered his confident prediction: We will not dominate you through another world war; we will dominate you through subversion.

After our eight-month camping trip through Russia and Europe, we came home to find in our mail a letter from the Soviet government and a copy of Soviet Life asking us to subscribe. We had no mailing address before returning to the United States. How we were tracked down confounded us.

Now, 42 years later, President-elect Donald Trump calls the idea of Russian hacking ridiculous? I dont think so.

Vivien Irving, Huntington Beach

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
California gained an embassy in Russia last weekend, at least in the eyes of those who have promised to seek a statewide vote on secession, nicknamed Calexit, in 2018.

Louis Marinelli, a San Diego resident who is the leader of the group promoting an effort to make the state its own independent country , organized the Moscow event that was publicized on social media.

We want to start laying the groundwork for a dialogue about an independent California joining the United Nations now, he said in an email Monday.

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Marinelli is currently working as an English teacher in Russia, and said he is there working on immigration issues related to his wife, who is a Russian national.

The effort faces the longest of odds, requiring not only initial approval by California voters in 2018 but a subsequent special election in 2019 and even then must pass difficult if not insurmountable legal obstacles.

Marinelli said hes not discouraged by the high hurdles.

All major social and political movements in this country take time and inevitably have to overcome failures and setbacks before they are ultimately successful, he said.
Gov. Jerry Brown had to pick an attorney general faster than he expected

(Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

The phone call that Gov. Jerry Brown made on Wednesday night was unusual. A governor who marches to his own methodical timetable for decisions was having his hand forced by the politics of Capitol Hill, and the job of California attorney general hung in the balance.

In the end, Brown got the man he wanted: Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles). But it was Becerras effort to make a big career move that complicated things.

In interviews with advisers to the governor and those close to Becerra, a portrait emerged of two veteran politicians who have mutual admiration but dont really know each other very well. In fact, the 12-term congressman plans to spend part of this weekend meeting with Brown in Sacramento.

It was Becerras angling for an unexpectedly open high-profile post leading Democrats on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee that sparked the circumspect governor into action.

Nancy McFadden, the governors top staffer, decided she did not want to be attorney general. (Robert Durell / For The Times)

In Sacramento, those close to the governor said that the list of potential replacements for Kamala Harris was short, much shorter than the ones circulated by political watchers. Advisers confirmed that either First Lady Anne Gust Brown or the governors top aide, Nancy McFadden, could have had the job if they had wanted it.

Neither did, perhaps knowing the importance being placed on picking someone who would be willing to run for a full term in the job in 2018 (though Becerra declined to talk about future plans when asked on Thursday).

Becerra, on the other hand, intrigued the governor. Not only did he have the right credentials -- a former deputy attorney general, former state legislator, veteran member of Congress -- but advisers said the governor also valued diversity. And the chance to select the states first Latino attorney general was important.

While few jobs are as important to Brown, himself a former attorney general, the leading contender never came in for an in-person interview. Becerra, who grew up in Sacramento, had been in town just before election day to stump for the reelection of Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove). He met with McFadden on that visit, but not the governor.

And so the two men, who had no deep personal relationship, made the big decision long distance.

When they talked, McFadden said in an interview, the man matched the resume.

Becerra had been looking for somewhere to land. Out of places to move in House leadership and nearing the limit on how much longer he could lead the House Democratic Caucus, the vocal advocate for Hillary Clinton had spent the last year campaigning for her across the country with hopes it might lead to a new position.

Clintons loss Nov. 8 put an end to that speculation, and for a while Becerras next move didnt seem clear.

Surprise news Tuesday afternoon that the ranking Democrat on Ways and Means, Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) would not seek the position again led Beccera to quickly announce his plans to seek the position and lobby colleagues to back him. Levin quickly endorsed Becerra over Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Richie Neal, who had sought the job before.

Word of Becerras effort quickly reached the state Capitol and the governors inner circle sprang into action. Perhaps fewer than a half dozen people knew of Browns decision until news began to spread early Thursday morning.

Becerra called the offer sudden and said with Congress in session he hadnt even had a chance to talk with Brown about the job in person.

It went very quickly when it started to move, he said. I was as stunned as you probably were and others were.
They convened amid unusual scrutiny, widespread protests and rafts of speculation about efforts to alter the outcome, but, in the end, the nations 538 presidential electors mostly stuck to the script Monday, formally sealing Donald Trumps victory with 304 votes in the electoral college, well above what he needed to capture the White House.

After all the efforts to lobby Republican electors to desert Trump, only two did  a pair from Texas, one of whom voted for former Rep. Ron Paul and the other for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.



For the record: An earlier version of this article said a Texas elector cast a vote for Rand Paul. The vote was for Ron Paul.

Indeed, instead of an uprising against Trump, the days voting was punctuated more by small, but persistent, gestures of Democratic discontent with Hillary Clinton. A handful of electors deserted her and a few more tried to but were deterred by state faithless elector laws.

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Some of the Democratic dissenters were supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who lost the primaries to Clinton but galvanized the partys left wing. Others were backers of an abortive effort that had tried to recruit Democrats and Republicans to unite behind a third candidate other than Clinton or Trump.

In the end, seven electors voted for a person other than the candidate who won their states  the largest number of electoral college desertions in a presidential contest in U.S. history, eclipsing a record set in 1808.

The electoral college meetings themselves followed rituals carried out every four years for generations. But they convened in a highly unusual environment caused in part by Trumps loss in the popular vote  Clinton defeated him by almost 2.9 million ballots  as well as by the nature of his candidacy.

All that contributed to the days other main note  protests, which were spirited, at times, despite few doubts about the eventual outcome.

I think our chance of changing their minds is virtually zero, conceded Connie Wernersbach, 62, a retired intensive-care nurse from Fayetteville, Ga., who joined a demonstration outside the state Capitol in Atlanta. This is just a demonstration to show were unhappy.

The final result was a relief to Trumps supporters, but a disappointment to those who saw the normally obscure electoral college as their last chance to block the iconoclastic businessman from succeeding President Obama.

Basically, its over. Hes going to be the president.  Thomas Mann, resident scholar at UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies

Basically, its over, said Thomas Mann, resident scholar at UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies. Hes going to be the president.

On Jan. 6, Congress is scheduled to tally the 538 electoral votes and declare Trump the winner. Trump will be sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

The final count was 304 for Trump, 227 for Clinton, three for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and one each for Sanders, Paul, Kasich, and Faith Spotted Eagle, a Sioux leader and environmental activist.

Trump, who is vacationing this week at his Mar-a-Lago beachfront resort in Palm Beach, Fla., said hed surpassed the electoral-vote majority by a very large margin, far greater than ever anticipated by the media.

This election represents a movement that millions of hard working men and women all across the country stood behind and made possible, he said in a written statement.

Like several times before, Trump referred to his electoral college margin as a historic electoral landslide. In truth, his electoral majority ranked 46th among the nations 58 presidential elections.

Many of the elector gatherings were enlivened  or in some cases briefly disrupted  by noisy demonstrators.

In Wisconsin, where Trump scored one of his narrowest victories, police ejected a woman from a state Capitol hearing room in Madison after she screamed at the 10 electors: You dont deserve to be in America! You have sold us out! Listen to your hearts!

In Atlanta, hundreds of protesters braved frigid weather to march. Wearing thick winter coats, gloves and hats, they carried signs calling Trump a fascist thug and Putins Poodle.

In Pennsylvania, another crucial swing state that Trump won by a slim margin, police removed a half-dozen protesters who were blocking a street.

In other states, the atmosphere was more festive  even on the losing side. The highlight in New York was Bill Clintons appearance at the state Capitol in Albany, where he was one of 28 electors who backed Clinton. He received a standing ovation when he was introduced.

Afterward, he bemoaned the bogus email deal that he said had hobbled his wifes candidacy as the news media played up her use of a private email server as secretary of State.

He also complained about the Russians and the FBI deal, lamenting what U.S. intelligence agencies say was Russian theft and disclosure of top Democrats emails as well as FBI Director James Comeys public announcements about the investigation into the email server.

But the former president took solace in his wifes victory margin in the popular vote. Im very proud of that, he told reporters outside the legislative chambers.

Trump has rejected the intelligence communitys conclusion that Russia hacked Clinton allies email and used WikiLeaks to make them public. He and some key supporters have resisted calls for a congressional investigation.

For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election, which Donald Trump won decisively in the Electoral College with more votes than any Republican since 1988, Republican National Committee co-chairwoman Sharon Day said.

One of the days more colorful elector gatherings was in Olympia, Wash. There, in defiance of a state law that binds the states 12 electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote, which was Clinton, four of them risked a $1,000 fine by abandoning her. Three voted for Powell and the fourth for Spotted Eagle.

It was the first time in four decades that the states electors had not supported its popular-vote winner. Secretary of State Kim Wyman said she would enforce the faithless voter law against the wayward electors, but released no details.

Clintons running mate Tim Kaine received eight Washington votes for vice president, but the remaining four went to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Winona LaDuke, a Native American activist.

Washington is one of 29 states where electors are legally bound to vote for the states popular vote winner. A federal judge has rejected a court challenge to the states law.

In Maine, one elector, David Bright, tried to cast his electoral ballot for Sanders. When his move was ruled improper, he switched to Clinton. But Sanders ended up getting one vote after all, from the days final electoral college meeting, in Hawaii.

In at least two other states that have laws requiring electors to follow the popular vote, electors were replaced when they said they would not vote for Clinton, who had won their states.

In Minnesota, a former Sanders delegate, Muhammad Abdurrahman, said he would cast a blank ballot and was quickly replaced by an alternate who voted for Clinton. In Colorado, Michael Baca, who had led the abortive effort to have Democrat electors ally with Republicans behind someone other than Trump, tried to vote for Kasich, but was also replaced by a pro-Clinton elector.

Rick Anderson in Olympia, Wash., Cathleen Decker in Washington, D.C., Steve Esack in Harrisburg, Pa., Barbara Demick in New York, Jenny Jarvie in Atlanta, Michael A. Memoli in Honolulu, Bill Ruthhart in Madison, Wis., and the Associated Press contributed to this article.

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Twitter: @finneganLAT

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Former Monterey Park politician Lily Lee Chen, who in the 1980s became the first Chinese American woman in history to be elected mayor of a U.S. city, says she has plunked down $1,000 in the hopes that Democratic state Treasurer John Chiang will be Californias next governor.

Chens donation to Chiangs 2018 campaign may be relatively modest by todays standards, but shes confident that Asian Americans throughout California will start to crack open their wallets. And they have, many excited by the prospect of Chiang becoming the states first Asian American governor.

It would be my dream, said Chen, who is now 80 and lives in Glendale. He would serve as a model for all the Chinese American young people who have political aspirations and want to be good public servants.

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In just the first month and a half of his gubernatorial campaign, which he launched in May, Chiang raised close to $2.2 million. The overwhelming majority of his biggest donors, those who cut checks of $10,000 or more, were Asian American business leaders and entrepreneurs. Its a list that includes Democrats, Republicans, venture capitalists, former utility chief executives and people contributing to a state campaign for the first time as well as longtime benefactors of Asian American candidates in California.

The quick influx of cash will be essential in a gubernatorial campaign where Chiang will face off against two heavyweight Democrats, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Newsom joined the race in early 2015 and has a sizable money advantage over the field, and other big-name candidates may also jump into the race in the months ahead.

Chen has kept tabs on Chiang for decades as he rose toward the top of Californias political universe, starting when he was an aide to U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, then as a member of the state Board of Equalization, then state controller and now treasurer. She knows that hell need all the help he can get to take on Newsom and Villaraigosa.

UC Riverside political scientist Karthick Ramakrishnan said Chiangs fundraising success shows the vast, mostly untapped potential of Californias Asian American donor base  mostly college-educated, high-net-worth voters.

The parties still do a pretty bad job, and this includes Democrats, reaching out to Asian American voters and Asian American donors, he said.

He said the muted participation by Asian American donors may be tied, at least in part, to the 1990s scandal surrounding John Huang of Glendale, whose fundraising efforts for the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign triggered congressional and Justice Department investigations.

They ended up returning a lot of contributions from Asian American donors  and later candidates put them under more scrutiny, Ramakrishnan said. That left a bad taste for many donors.

Ramakrishnan said he believes many donors new to the political process tend to give more to politicians from their own ethnic group, even those from a different political party. But as donors become more seasoned, their spending tends to shift more toward their political ideology, he said.

Updates from Sacramento 

Democratic political consultant Bill Wong said that for many, those ethnic bonds remain stronger than partisan allegiance and that, in part, has helped fuel the political ascension of Asian American politicians in the state. Wong remembers when, in the 1980s, there wasnt a single Asian American state lawmaker. In the California Legislature, there are now 15 lawmakers in the Asian and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Two of Californias eight statewide officeholders are Asian American: Chiang and Controller Betty Yee.

The governors office has remained an elusive prize. That should help Chiang attract widespread support from a wide spectrum of Asian American voters, Wong said.

John Chiangs campaign is kind of a watershed moment, he said.

Asian Americans are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the country, according to the last U.S. census in 2010, and currently account for an estimated 14% of Californias population.

The eldest son of Taiwanese immigrants, Chiang grew up in Chicago and New York and moved west after earning his law degree. He worked for then-Controller Gray Davis and Boxer. In 1998, he won his first contest for elected office: a seat on the Board of Equalization, which oversees the collection of tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue. Chiang went on to serve two terms as state controller and in 2014 was elected state treasurer.

C.C. Yin of Vacaville, who owns a string of Northern California McDonalds restaurants, contributed $56,400 to Chiangs campaign in June and his wife, Regina Yin, kicked in an additional $28,200.

Yin describes himself as a big time Republican and has backed Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield and former GOP state Sen. Bob Huffs unsuccessful campaign for Los Angeles County supervisor. But hes been a generous supporter of Asian American candidates regardless of party.

Were Americans. Were all different. Different is good. But we all have common ground, too, Yin said.

Joseph Ko of Laguna Niguel, president of Techko Robot Inc., praised Chiang for his political integrity and years of experience including, when he was controller, refusing an order by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 to furlough state workers three days a month amid the state budget crisis. The courts ultimately overruled Chiang.

He has guts. He took on the big guys, said Ko, who donated $28,200 to Chiangs campaign.

Chiangs other major Asian American donors include Alice Wang of Buena Park, president of GST Inc.; Michael Chang, president of FCP Brands Inc. in Vernon; venture capitalist Wai-Yan Sandy Chau of Los Altos Hills; and Anne Shen Smith, former chairwoman and CEO of Southern California Gas Co.

Chiangs political consultant, Parke Skelton, said all candidates are relying on their strongest bases of support to raise money at this early stage in the campaign. For Newsom, the former mayor of San Francisco, that means the Bay Area. For Villaraigosa, Los Angeles.

John has been a prominent leader [in the Asian American community] naturally for some time now. So its only natural that he would have a fundraising base there, Skelton said. His campaign is an historic one in that community.

Chiang also received strong support from organized labor in his previous campaigns for treasurer and controller but, Skelton said, unions and other major donors to Democratic candidates will probably stay on the sidelines until the governors race begins in earnest. And competition for those dollars will be fierce. Skelton predicts candidates will need to raise at least $20 million just to get an entry ticket.

Newsoms gubernatorial campaign had raised $6.4 million as of June 30, and he has $2.2 million in his lieutenant governor campaign account, which he can tap into, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. Thus far, Newsom has been the darling of the Bay Areas well-heeled tech industry, with a list of donors that includes Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet Inc.

Chiang also is sitting on a pot of money. Along with the $2.2 million raised in his bid for governor, he has $3.2 million socked away in his treasurer campaign account.

Villaraigosa is playing catch-up since he didnt jump into the race until early November. Still, he raised more than $627,000 since then in contributions of $5,000 or more, according to state election records. His big donors include Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad and billionaire Stewart Resnick, who built a nut empire in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

Chen, the former mayor of Monterey Park, likes Villaraigosa and even contributed to his 2005 mayoral campaign. But hes out of luck this time, she said. Still, she thinks Chiang can learn a thing or two from Villaraigosa and Newsom. Like many politicians, neither are shy about touting their accomplishments, she said.

John is too humble, she said. Im trying to get my political friends to do something about that.

phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon

Updates on California politics

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Fire Chief Scott Poster worked his final shift Monday as he retired after four years in Newport Beach.

Poster, 59, was appointed chief in 2012 after a 29-year career with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. He joined L.A. County in 1983 and worked his way up the ranks, eventually becoming a deputy chief.

Serving our residents and visitors has been very rewarding, Poster said in a statement Monday. And I look back with amazement at all that the men and women of the NBFD have accomplished. ... Our beaches are protected by the best lifeguards in the country. Our firefighters are highly skilled and provide the best customer service of any fire department Ive seen. We have an outstanding Community Emergency Response Team and we are on the leading edge of emergency medical services in the state of California.

In an interview Tuesday, Poster said hes turning 60 in a month and that since his wife has been retired for a year, he decided its time to hang up his hat. He said hes looking forward to spending time with his two grandchildren, whom his wife watches twice a week.

Most fire chiefs rotate out in about five years, Poster said. It seemed like a good natural time to leave.

During his time in Newport Beach, Poster spearheaded the reorganization of the Fire Department and established a training section. He also oversaw expansion of the departments paramedic services and developed an emergency medical services division.

The paramedic service in our city is much better than it was five years ago, Poster said. I hope the next chief continues that path of taking Newport Beach one step ahead in being the leader of the pack for emergency and fire services.

Posters tenure wasnt always smooth.

In December 2014, three senior members of the Fire Department sued the city, alleging age discrimination that they said began when Poster was hired.

The suit alleged that Poster accused the plaintiffs of unacceptable performance after giving them an overwhelming workload that was disproportionate to that of younger employees.

The city attorneys office called the claims baseless, and the lawsuit was dismissed in May 2015, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Chief Posters legacy with Newport Beach is an important one, City Manager Dave Kiff said in a statement. He has led us through tough budget times as well as changes in the EMS system related to the Affordable Care Act [also known as Obamacare]. This led to a greater emphasis on integrating the fire/EMS service into the overall healthcare system, and no one was better at it than Chief Poster. I admire and respect him and wish him all the best in retirement.

Posters salary and benefits package was $408,662 in 2015, according to Transparent California, a project of the Nevada Policy Research Institute.

It was not immediately clear how much he will receive from his California Public Employees Retirement System pension.

Newport Beach Assistant Fire Chief Chip Duncan takes over as acting chief, and Battalion Chief Jeff Boyles will serve as acting assistant fire chief for operations, according to a city news release.

City officials likely will decide early next year on a recruitment process to find the next chief, city spokeswoman Tara Finnigan said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
That was a great article by David Henley regarding Kit Carsons trek through Orange County (Reader Report: Kit Carsons trek through Orange County, Dec. 16). However, if my recollection of history is correct, there is more to it.

Prior to coming to Californian, Gen. Stephen Kearny and his forces were sent to what is now New Mexico to confront Native Americans. Afterward he was to continue to California, which he did.

Without topographical maps, GPS or other present day methods of finding his way, he turned to famed guide Carson to show him the way, which Carson agreed to do.

They arrived somewhat bedraggled to a mesa close to San Diego Harbor, which was the good news. The bad news was that Mexico was not thrilled with their arrival, and troops had them somewhat surrounded with the intent of overwhelming the Kearny forces.

Kearny needed help from the U.S. Navy, which was anchored in San Diego Harbor, but the Mexican forces were between his forces and the harbor and were not inclined to let them pass through. Kearnys solution was to send Carson and a Native-American guide to slip through Mexican lines, barefoot at night, to seek help from U. S. Navy personnel.

It worked, and Kearnys Army was saved. Today, that mesa is called Kearny Mesa in honor of that event.

In 1853, James Gadsden, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, negotiated a deal with Mexico to purchase parts of what is now New Mexico and Southern Arizona known now as the Gadsden Purchase.

Clarence J. Turner

Costa Mesa

Firefighters suicide is a tragic loss

Im so saddened by Eric Weuves death, a good man with children and a wife (O.C. fire captain kills himself in jump onto 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo, Dec. 14). Its obvious that deep emotional pain, often unnoticed in men, can lead to suicide. This emotional pain overrides the effect of ones suicide on their children.

Ive known three wonderful men who have killed themselves. Two were confined to wheelchairs after severe injury. I understand their emotional pain, as I wake up every day in pain and believe living is more difficult than the alternative.

Eric had a loving family at home and at the station, which shouldve have overridden any thoughts of ending his life. He wasnt alone.

Lynn Copeland

Huntington Beach

The pen remains mightier

Numbers dont lie. I am a lifelong Democrat who wishes Hillary Clinton had won the election last month. But she didnt. Mondays electoral college vote sealed the deal for Donald Trump. He will become Americas 45th president on Jan. 20. Im not going to protest in the streets like many of my friends intend to do the day after the Trump inauguration. Instead, I will remain at my desk, writing what I consider to be thoughtful responses to the new presidents initiatives. For me, its the best way my voice can be heard long after the marchers return home next month.

Denny Freidenrich

Laguna Beach
Santa Claus is celebrating his 65th birthday in our household this holiday season.

I speak not of Father Christmas, whos more like 400 years old, dating back to 17th century Britain; or Hollands Sinterklaas, whos been around several hundred years and arrives on a flying horse on Dec. 5, the morning before the Feast of St. Nicholas; or St. Nick, who was birthed in New York City sometime in the 19th century.

My focus here is a 6-inch-tall cotton-ball Santa who joined my family in December of 1951. Hes been perched atop the loftiest branches of our family Christmas tree  next to the angel  every year since.

Thats 66 Christmases this year.

My mother and father hosted him on their tree for decades, and now my eldest daughter, Jenn, carries on the tradition. My brother, sister and myself, our seven children and our 10 (to date) grandchildren have all paid homage to cotton-ball Santa over the years.

Hes a cherished member of the family.

Diminutive Santa was a party favor I collected at a Christmas party in Miss Collins second grade class at Corona del Mar Elementary School in 1951. To be sure, the story of his inclusion in our family has been embellished over the decades in the fog of holiday exuberance. In fact, the story wasnt fully vetted until several Christmases ago.

I was 6 when I proudly brought Santa home. Though I thought I was clear in conveying to my parents that Santa had been a party favor, that was not the case. They chose to believe that cotton-ball Santa was Little Jimmies clever handiwork. For years, they assumed Id made him in Miss Collins class.

I hadnt, but failed to disabuse them of that notion.

Its my recollection that we second-graders sat around a long table for our class Christmas party on the final day of school before Christmas vacation. We sang carols and ate cookies. A little cotton-ball Santa was at every place setting.

My 92-year-old mother insists Im wrong about that.

I dont care what you say, honey, she said as we opened gifts on Christmas Eve last year. I know deep in my heart that you made that little cotton-ball Santa just for me. He was no party favor.

Uh, yes he was.

By the way, weve always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. My dad was a milkman (remember milkmen?), and he worked on Christmas mornings.

On Christmas Eve we ate dinner as a family; went out afterward to view the neighborhoods Christmas lights; Santa arrived during our absence; we returned to open our presents; and attended late-night church services.

I went to Corona del Mar Elementary School from 1949 to 53, until our family moved from Newport Beach to Costa Mesa.

CdM Elementary, which no longer exists, stood between Carnation and Dahlia streets. I was there during my kindergarten, first- and second-grade years. I spent the fall semester of third grade there as well, then transferred to Lindbergh School in Costa Mesa.

I have three indelible memories of my 31/2 years at CdM Elementary. First, I remember honeybees swarming apocalyptically one afternoon in our kindergarten play yard, forcing us to remain indoors while Mr. Bee Man eradicated them. (I also remember having a crush on a willowy 5-year-old named Dixie.)

Second, I remember breaking my elbow falling from the monkey bars in second grade. A kind school nurse treated me until my parents arrived and transported me to St. Joseph Hospitals emergency room (Hoag didnt exist at the time).

And, finally, I remember cotton-ball Santa.

Twenty-five Santas were distributed to my classmates at Miss Collins 1951 second-grade class party, but I daresay Jimmy Cs (there was also a Jimmy B in class) Santa must surely be the only survivor. Id wager that the vast majority of Santas bit the dust before New Years Eve, 1951.

True to tradition, for the 66th successive Christmas, cotton-ball Santa sits astride the branches of our family tree.

And we love him!

Have a very Merry Christmas.

---

JIM CARNETT, who lives in Costa Mesa, worked for Orange Coast College for 37 years.
Lonely Planet says there are more interesting places to go on New Years Eve than party-centric Las Vegas or New York City.

Take New Orleans, where you can watch a French icon  the fleur-de-lis  drop in Jackson Square, and fireworks over the Mississippi River with the majestic St. Louis Cathedral in the background.

Experts with the travel guide company came up with seven destinations they consider unique to ring in 2017. New Orleans was the only U.S. destination to make the list.

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Here are the others:

Matera, in southern Italy, is a UNESCO World Heritage city that hosts a live nativity scene with 150 performers during the holiday season.

Melbourne, Australia, where rooftop bars are the perfect place to watch fireworks.

Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, where bars will be lively and traditional dishes are the thing to order.

Nassau, the Bahamas, where Junkanoo is a Carnival-scale street celebration that lasts from Dec. 26 to New Years Day.

Hangzhou, China, offers a peaceful way to see in 2017, Lonely Planet says, by visiting the Yongfu Temple and sip tea at its teahouse.

Sydney, Australia, where theres a fireworks show in its famed harbor and a boat parade where vessels of all shapes and sizes decked out in dazzling white rope-light dance across the water to the sound of live music.

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This guy posted 2,353 reviews on TripAdvisor in the last year, more than anyone else
The German capital was rattled again Tuesday when senior police officials admitted they had arrested the wrong man in their investigation into an apparent terrorist attack that killed 12 people at an outdoor Christmas market the day before.

The Islamic State group took responsibility for the attack, saying it had been carried out by an unidentified soldier.

Police had apprehended a 23-year-old refugee shortly after a 40-ton truck careened through a crowded holiday gathering in the heart of Berlin. But on Tuesday evening, authorities said they were releasing him.

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There was a lack of evidence so far against the man, said a statement posted on the website of the federal prosecutors office.

News that the assailant, and possible accomplices, were on the loose sent a chill through the country, which was still reeling from its worst terrorist attack in decades.

Berlin police added to the tense atmosphere with a series of alarming tweets: Were on high alert with our investigation. Please report any suspicious activity to the police. Please be on the alert.

Late Tuesday evening, Islamic State claimed responsibility on its Amaq news site, saying the attack had been carried out in response to the calls of targeting the citizens of the international coalition. That language suggested that the perpetrator may have been inspired, but not necessarily directed, by Islamic State.

A card reading In memory of the victims is seen Dec. 20 at the site where a truck crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin. (John MacDougall / AFP/Getty Images )

The surprising turn of events contributed to a sense of confusion in Berlin, where people had first felt relieved that a suspect had quickly been arrested. The 23-year-old refugee, believed to be a Pakistani national who arrived in Germany at the end of 2015, had been apprehended after he was followed for blocks by a witness to the attack who alerted police.

Authorities determined that the man had been in trouble with the law locally in the last year for minor offenses.

The initial sense of complacency was furthered by the fact that local authorities had waited until Tuesday before determining that the attack had been deliberate and not an accident. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had refused to use the word attack for hours after it happened, saying it was too early to determine that.

Nevertheless, some police officials, foreign observers and eyewitnesses had quickly concluded that it had the signature of a terrorist attack rather than an accident, partly because the truck didnt slow after hitting the crowd but plowed deeper into it, and also because a Polish man who was the regular driver of the truck was found shot to death in the cab, suggesting the vehicle had been hijacked.

And on Tuesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel labeled the attack an act of terrorism, adding that she was struggling to come to terms with the idea that a refugee who had been given shelter by her country could have been the assailant. This was before the case against him apparently crumbled.

We have to assume that this was a terror attack, Merkel said in a brief six-minute television statement as flags across the country were lowered to half-staff. Its hard for us to understand that the person who did this came to Germany in search of protection and asylum, if thats confirmed. That would be especially sickening for all those in Germany helping refugees and for those who came here to be protected and integrate themselves.

German media reports said doubts had been raised about the arrested mans involvement in part because blood-covered clothing was found inside the cabin of the truck, but there were no traces of blood on the mans clothing.

Also, there were no signs that he had been involved in an altercation, and police believe the Polish driver was killed in a struggle before the truck drove into the crowd.

Merkel, who has faced heavy criticism for allowing more than a million refugees into the country over the last 18 months and could see her reelection chances hurt by the deadly attack, said Germany would not cave in to fear and change its way of life

The chancellor joined German President Joachim Gauck and senior government officials attended a mourning ceremony Tuesday evening at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of the now closed-down Christmas market. The church is itself a carefully maintained ruin from the Allied bombs of World War II.

Merkel also placed a wreath at the scene of the attack together with De Maiziere and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

From left, Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier lay flowers on Dec. 20, 2016, at the site of an attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. (Tobias Schwarz / AFP/Getty Images )

We dont want to do without our Christmas markets. We dont want to let fear of evil paralyze us.  Chancellor Angela Merkel

Merkel, who had received assurances of support on the phone earlier Tuesday from President Obama, said that it would be wrong for Germans to change their lives because of the attack. She vowed the case would be resolved and the assailant prosecuted.

We dont want to do without our Christmas markets. We dont want to let fear of evil paralyze us, she said. Well find the strength to live our lives in Germany the way we want to: in freedom and openly.

In addition to those killed, more than 48 people were hurt, some critically, when the truck drove for about 80 yards into a crowd of hundreds gathered around the Christmas market stalls and shops around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of west Berlin at 8 p.m.

The incident revived memories of a similar low-tech attack in July in Nice, France, when a truck driver plowed through a national holiday crowd and killed more than 80 people during Bastille Day celebrations.

Many of the German victims were crushed by the truck, which police said had been hijacked about four hours earlier. The lone suspect was arrested about a mile away after a bystander followed him through the dark Tiergarten park and kept the police informed of his whereabouts.

This was an attack against our freedom, Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller told a news conference. Local officials said that the operators of dozens of the popular holiday-season Christmas markets across Berlin were being urged to stay closed Tuesday.

German security authorities had long warned about the vulnerability to terror attacks of the popular open-air Christmas markets, where revelers celebrate the holiday season by drinking mulled wine while eating sausages and sweets.

After deadly terror attacks in Paris, Brussels and Nice over the last 14 months, Germans have been on a heightened state of alert, fearful that similar Islamist attacks could happen at any time.

Fears that terrorists might have slipped into the country under the flood of refugees have been growing following three relatively minor attacks in 2016 involving migrants: a knife attack against a police officer, an ax attack against tourists on a train and a bungled suicide bombing in which only the attacker from Syria was killed.

Adding to the sense of angst, a 17-year-old Afghan refugee was arrested earlier in December on suspicion of raping and killing a young German medical student in the small college town of Freiburg. Merkel has faced growing criticism for her refugee policies since hundreds of foreign men sexually abused and groped women on New Years Eve in Cologne and dozens of other cities.

The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party wasted little time in blaming Merkel for the terror attack in Berlin. Marcus Pretzell, the partys leader in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, attacked the chancellor on Twitter: When will the German rule of law strike back? When will this cursed hypocrisy be stopped? These are Merkels deaths.

Frauke Petry, the national leader of the AfD that has come out of nowhere over the last four years to claim more than 10% of the support in opinion polls, added: Germany is no longer safe.

Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.

ALSO

Off-duty police officer identified in fatal shooting of Russias ambassador to Turkey

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UPDATES:

11:50 a.m.: This article has been updated with Islamic State claiming responsibility for the attack.

10:54 a.m.: This article has been updated with police officials saying they had arrested the wrong man.

7:50 a.m.: This article has been updated throughout with staff reporting.

This article was originally posted at 5 a.m.
Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici was attending a photo exhibition Monday when a Turkish policeman opened fire, killing Russias ambassador to Turkey. He recounts how he captured the chaotic scene with his camera despite the lethal danger.

The event seemed routine, the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia. So when a man in a dark suit and tie pulled out a gun, I was stunned and thought it was a theatrical flourish.

Instead, it was a coolly calculated assassination, unfolding in front of me and others who scrambled, terrified, for cover as the trim man with short hair gunned down the Russian ambassador.

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The gunshots, at least eight of them, were loud in the pristine art gallery. Pandemonium erupted. People screamed, hid behind columns and under tables and lay on the floor. I was afraid and confused, but found partial cover behind a wall and did my job: taking photographs.

(Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press )

The exhibition, titled From Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, from the eyes of travelers, featured photos from Russias westernmost Baltic region to the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the east. I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the Ankara office.

When I arrived, the speeches had already begun. After Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov began to make his address, I moved closer to photograph him, thinking the pictures would come in useful for stories on Turkish-Russian relations.

He was speaking softly and  from what I could tell  lovingly about his homeland, stopping occasionally to allow the interpreter to relay his words in Turkish. I remember thinking how calm and humble he seemed.

Then came the gunshots in quick succession, and panic in the audience. The ambassadors body lay on the floor, just yards from me. I couldnt see any blood around him; I think he may have been shot in the back.

(Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press )

It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened: A man had died in front of me; a life had disappeared before my eyes.

I moved back and to the left, while the gunman  later identified as police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas  gestured with his gun at people cowering on the right side of the room.

At first, I couldnt figure out what had motivated the shooter. I thought he might be a Chechen militant. But people later said he was shouting about the Syrian city of Aleppo.

So he was probably angry about Russian bombardments of Aleppo that were aimed at driving out antigovernment rebels. Many civilians have been killed in the fighting.

He also shouted Allahu akbar! but I couldnt understand the rest of what he said in Arabic.

The gunman was agitated. He walked around the ambassadors body, smashing some of the photos hanging on the wall.

(Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press )

I was, of course, fearful and knew of the danger if the gunman turned toward me. But I advanced a little and photographed the man as he hectored his desperate, captive audience.

This is what I was thinking: Im here. Even if I get hit and injured, or killed, Im a journalist. I have to do my work. I could run away without making any photos. But I wouldnt have a proper answer if people later ask me: Why didnt you take pictures? 

I even thought about friends and colleagues who have died while taking photographs in conflict zones over the years.

As my mind raced, I saw that the man was agitated  and yet, he was, strangely, in control of himself. He shouted at everyone to stand back. Security guards ordered us to vacate the hall and we left.

Ambulances and armored vehicles soon arrived and the police operation was launched. The gunman was later killed in a shootout.

When I returned to the office to edit my photos, I was shocked to see that the shooter was actually standing behind the ambassador as he spoke. Like a friend, or a bodyguard.

(Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press )

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Turkey and Russia staged a determined show of solidarity Tuesday, a day after an off-duty Turkish police officer gunned down Russias ambassador in a shocking public assassination that added another layer of complexity to the Syrian conflict.

While foreign ministers from the two countries, plus Iran, pressed ahead with an already-planned meeting in Moscow to weigh Syrian strategy, a team of 18 Russian investigators arrived in Turkey seeking clarity on the motives of the shooter, who was shot dead by Turkish special forces.

Turkish authorities raided homes of relatives of the 22-year-old assailant, Mevlut Mert Altintas, and searched for links to a movement that stands accused of being behind a coup attempt in Turkey five months ago. Some Turkish news outlets floated conspiracy theories, including suggestions of clandestine U.S. involvement in the envoys slaying, which drew sharp denials from Washington.

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The gunman, a riot policeman since 2014, shouted jihadist slogans during his attack and specifically cited carnage in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, where Russia and its Syrian government allies carried out weeks of devastating bombardment, killing hundreds of civilians.

It was not yet known whether Altintas was acting in sympathy with a Syrian opposition faction, especially a jihadist one, or if the killing was intended as an expression of outrage over Russias role in civilian bloodletting in Aleppo.

As the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo deepened in recent weeks, Turks by the thousands staged rallies and protests outside the diplomatic missions of Russia and Iran. Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim armed factions helped Syrian government forces drive rebels out of their Aleppo strongholds.

Both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, described the assassination as a bid to drive a wedge between their countries. The attack came amid a rapprochement of recent months that followed years of tensions over Russias and Turkeys opposing interests in Syria.

Russia supports Syrian President Bashar Assad and Turkey has aided rebels seeking to oust him, but the two have been cooperating in recent months, freezing out the United States in their consultations.

We know that this is a provocation  to hamper the normalization process between Turkey and Russia, Erdogan said in a televised address Monday evening, hours after the killing. But both the Russian government and the Turkish government refuse to submit to this provocation.

At Tuesdays meeting in Moscow, the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers agreed to work toward an accord between Assad and the rebels, Russian officials said.

At home in Turkey, though, Erdogans domestic political preoccupations quickly overshadowed the investigation into the killing of Ambassador Andrei Karlov. The Turkish leader has been carrying out a sweeping purge of suspected supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an elderly cleric living in self-exile in the United States whom Erdogan considers the mastermind behind the failed coup in July.

Gulen has denied involvement in the putsch, and through a spokesman condemned Mondays fatal attack. But pro-government newspapers on Tuesday trumpeted suspicions that Altintas had links to Gulen.

Several news accounts that blamed Gulens organization also hinted darkly at a CIA connection to the assassination. State Department spokesman John Kirby called that ludicrous and said Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, had raised concern about rhetoric suggesting any U.S. role.

At least five members of Altintas family  his parents, a sister and two uncles  were arrested in raids on their homes in western Turkey, officials said. Detention of criminal suspects relatives is a common judicial practice in Turkey.

The gunmans parents and sister run a clothing store in the Aegean district of Aydin, and the father, Esrafil Altintas, was quoted in local news reports as expressing bewilderment over the attack. I cannot understand how he did something like this. I am very surprised, he said.

One of the detained uncles had worked at a school said to have ties to the Gulen movement, one of thousands of institutions nationwide shut down after the coup attempt. Police also reportedly found books by Gulen at Altintas home in Ankara.

The brazen killing, which came as the ambassador was delivering a speech at an art gallery in Ankara, prompted a tightening of security at diplomatic installations in the capital as well as in Istanbul, the commercial capital and Turkeys largest city.

Iran temporarily shut both its Ankara embassy and its consulate in Istanbul. Dozens of police officers were deployed outside the Russian Consulate in Istanbul.

The security jitters coincided with expressions of sympathy. Some Turks placed flowers and wreaths outside Russian diplomatic missions. Karlovs body was flown back to Moscow on Tuesday.

Marina Davydova Karlova, widow of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, weeps over his coffin during a ceremonial farewell on the tarmac of Ankaras Esenboga Airport on Dec. 20, 2016. (Adem Altan / AFP/Getty Images )

Investigators began putting together a timeline of Altintas movements in the days and hours leading up to the attack. Municipal officials in Ankara said he had visited the art gallery three days before the shooting, using his police identification. On Monday, shortly before the ambassadors appearance, he returned, again flashing his badge when he was asked to submit to security screening.

As the ambassador spoke, the gunman, wearing a dark suit and tie, took up a position a few feet behind the envoy, opening fire about two minutes into Karlovs speech. Onlookers described his calm demeanor and said they thought he was part of a security detail.

He shot the ambassador 11 times at close range, officials said. Dont forget Syria, dont forget Aleppo! Altintas shouted in Turkish during the attack.

Turkeys post-coup purge has been enormous in scale. More than 40,000 people have been arrested, with most held without trial, and more than 125,000 government workers were suspended, accused of ties to Gulen or the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. The detained include more than 168 military generals or admirals, and more than 7,500 police officers.

Authorities routinely base accusations of Gulen links on sparse or circumstantial evidence, such as use of a particular messaging app, or the holding of an account in a bank associated with Gulens business empire, or some connection to one of the thousands of schools operated by the movement. Altintas attended one such tutoring organization, investigators said.

Some Western governments and human rights groups have likened the purge to a witch hunt and expressed strong concerns about due process for the accused. Erdogan has furiously brushed aside such criticism.

Investigators said Altintas took two days of leave after the coup even though all police officers were ordered to report for duty. Altintas then-supervisor was detained on accusations that he was a Gulen supporter.

Special correspondent Farooq reported from Istanbul and Times staff writer King from Washington. Staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.

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UPDATES:

1:35 p.m.: This article has been updated with U.S. response.

This article was originally posted at 12:20 p.m.
The 10-year financing deal comes as Petrobras also agrees to sell 100,000 barrels of oil a day for a decade to three Chinese firms
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
The US president-elect confirms the two recently met for a private dinner as business leaders on both sides of the border look for clues about Trump's Mexico policies
During the past decade, there have been thousands of exoplanets discovered outside the solar system. Some that are included may resemble the icy planet of Hoth, and desert covered surfaces of Jakku and Tatooine that are seen in the fictional universe of "Star Wars."

According to the report of Space, on September 2011, using NASA's Kepler space telescope, astronomers have discovered a Saturn-size planet and called it Kepler-16b, which is 200 light-years away from Earth and orbits two suns - just like Tatooine, Luke Skywalker's home planet. Astronomers nicknamed the exoplanet "Tatooine" due to its striking likeness.

Jakku, a desert world and Rey's home planet in the movie "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" also exist within our own solar system. We call it Mars, a cold and dry planet that is currently eyed by scientists to potentially support life.

Shawn Domagal-Goldman, an astrobiologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said that the recurring theme of desert worlds in "Star Wars" was really interesting because there was several types of research that show these would possibly be habitable worlds. He also said that the lack of water on a desert planet might be what it takes to make it more habitable. This is due to water amplifies changes to climates and can cause planets to end up like Venus- a very hot planet, or it may end up really cold like Jupiter's icy moon, Europa.

Speaking of Europa, it closely resembles the snow-covered planet of Hoth. It was where the Rebel Alliance's Echo Base was set in "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back." Beyond Europa's frozen surface, there lies a vast ocean of liquid water that could possibly provide life. NASA has been planning an expedition to Europa to gather samples and to possibly discover extraterrestrial life.

But still, the most important ingredient in sustaining the life is water. Scientists are yet to confirm that planets like Kamino from "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of The Clones" and Scarif from this year's "Rogue One" does exist in our universe. NASA officials said that discovering such aquatic worlds may be possible in the not-so-distant future, explaining that ocean glint - or bright light reflecting off a planet's watery surface - can be detected from afar.

NASA said in a statement, that in George Lucas' "Star Wars" universe, he and the company visualized worlds buzzing with intelligent beings. But with today's technology, and as of now, scientist only knows of one such world, the planet Earth. Though in the next few years, humanity will see the launch of new generation of spacecraft to look for planets around other stars, Nasa has reported.

Doug Hudgins, NASA's program scientist for exoplanet exploration said that the idea of life on other planets resonates with people on a very personal level. They [the 'Star Wars' films] illustrate this image of a universe teeming with life.
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges for all nations as understood by most people. That's why United Nations as forerunner of the campaign in addressing the problem to international platform made initiatives to fight against greenhouse emission.

People around the globe are watching United States which is one of the greatest energy consumers in the world. Everyone wants to know what plan they have in addressing climate change. Since Trump's administration has yet to assume the office we will know his views and his Cabinet members'.

According to Business Insider, Mr. Trump himself has been vocal during campaign about his view on the topic. For him climate change is not real despite scientific evidences. He also wants to dismantle Paris agreement.

Coral Davenport of New York Times has compiled statements of the Trump Cabinet members which will be nominated formally after Mr. Trump sworn as president.

Scott Pruitt, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency said that scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind. "That debate should be encouraged - in classrooms, public forums, and the halls of Congress. It should not be silenced with threats of prosecution. Dissent is not a crime." He added.

Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior said that although climate change is not a hoax but it is not a proven science and America should not base its decision on something which is not settled.

Rey W. Tillerson, Secretary of State said that as climate change is considered a risk then it should be treated as it is.

Rick Perry, Secretary of Energy, considered climate change issue as one contrived phony mess.

Nikki R. Haley, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said that actions against climate change is actually not needed, it could hurt U.S. since the cost of power would be raised. He said in opposition with Washington officials, "Stay out of the way."

Jeff Sessions, Attorney General said that this compares to the cost of trying to stop climate change by reducing human activity as very large indeed.

James N. Mattis, Secretary of Defense has not spoken publicly but spoke to Cilmate News his view that a defense secretary who denies climate change "could just say, 'if you send a report to me with the words climate change... then I will send it right back and you can take it out."

Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Transportation wrote "As a longtime resident of Kentucky who has spent many long hours listening to the worries and anxieties of the people of my home state, particularly those in the Kentucky coal fields, it has become increasingly clear to me that the Foundation's 'Beyond Coal' initiative is incompatible with my commitments to the Commonwealth and its people."

Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services said in 2013 that Mr. Obama's climate change rules "will only make fuel and electricity - as well as basic goods and services - more expensive for hardworking Americans."

Mike Pompeo, Director for Central Intelligence Services said that Obama's view of considering climate change as the biggest national security threat of our life time is horribly wrong, he added that the true threat is what the Islamic extremism posed.

Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development meant what he told Sky News in 2015 that climate change is just a natural experience that should not be treated seriously.

Michael Flynn, National Security Adviser meant what he said on Fox News in June that there are other problems need to consider than climate change.

From most of these views from Trump and his Cabinet members, we can expect that America is not serious in fighting climate change.
Observations made by scientists in U.S. and Australia confirmed that the largest ice sheet in East Antarctica which is called Totten glacier is melting drastically. The said melting is caused by the flowing of warm water of the ocean towards the glacier at a rate of 220,000 cubic meters a second. Thus the ice shelf lost a large mass every year. The Totten glacier which is larger than the size of California will cause the sea level to rise up to 11.5 feet if it gets dissolved in the ocean.

According to Arstechnica, (data collected from 2002 to 2014), in this 12 year observation scientists using satellite data global sea level rose by 2.74 + 0.58 mm/y. In the Philippines alone some barangays were wiped out because of this. How much more if the Totten glacier will be totally dissolved?

Although this data was published but it is also said that sea level rising is not uniformed to all coasts in the world. Many factors are concerned with the different sea level rising in different areas.

Stephen Rintoul, the lead author of the study published in Sciences Advances said Totten glacier is relatively close to Casey Station, one of Australia's bases in Antarctica, as Mashable reported.

Don Blankenship, one of the study's co-authors, a glaciologist at University of Texas said the ice shelf is thinning because of the ocean's warm water, the same is happening in West Antarctica.

The method used by Rintoul and co-researchers in making necessary observations and detect warm water is going close to the Totten ice shelf and use an opening in the ice sea. They said that though the water that reached the Totten ice shelf may not be considered warm because they are below the freezing point a little bit, but due to extreme depth and pressure, the freezing point also goes down, and water became warm enough to dissolve the ice.

Scientists claimed this is caused by global warming, the United Nations have made initiatives to further strengthen the fight against climate change.
UPDATE: Condition improves for injured fire police officer

A fire police officer was hit by a car while directing traffic on busy Route 145 in Whitehall Township on Monday night.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township after the crash, which occurred shortly after 6 p.m. at the Center Street intersection, north of the Lehigh Valley Mall and the township municipal complex.

Preliminary reports indicated the fire police officer suffered serious injuries, but police were not immediately available to confirm that.

The officer with the Whitehall Township Fire Department was directing traffic from an earlier accident near the intersection and nearby Auto Zone, according to a witness account.

The vehicle involved stopped after the crash.

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
After six months without a contract, the Bethlehem Area School District food service workers and hall monitors have a new deal.

The school board Monday night unanimously approved a three-year contract that carries pay raises but sets tighter requirements for new hires to qualify for health insurance.

The 140 union members will see raises of 3 percent this year and 2 percent for the following two years. The health insurance benefits do not change but the eligibility requirements do.

Anyone hired before January 2014 can work under the old guidelines, which require an employee to work 30 hours a week to qualify for a family plan and 25 hours a week for a single plan.

Anyone hired after January 2014 must work 35 hours a week to qualify for a family plan and 30 hours a week for single insurance coverage.

The new contract is retroactive to July 1, 2016.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Two men with 15 bogus credit cards at the Palmer Park Mall took plea deals Tuesday that will keep them in Northampton County Prison.

Sayyid Mervin Guiste, 32, of Philadelphia, and Adalberto Fuentes III, 30, of Arverne, N.Y., had the credit cards in the mall in September.

Each used a bogus card to buy a phone at the T-Mobile store. Fuentes ran when police approached him but was caught in the parking lot. Guiste was caught as he drove away.

Guiste had four bogus credit cards in his underwear and nine in his wallet. Fuentes had two in his wallet.

Each man pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud. Fuentes was sentenced to three to 23 months in county prison followed by 36 months of probation by Northampton County Senior Judge Leonard Zito.

Guiste was sentenced to one to two years in county prison by Northampton County Judge Craig Dally. Guiste will have to answer to a parole violation in Philadelphia. He was convicted of aggravated assault and a weapons charge in 2004.

Defense attorney Brian Monahan said Guiste has been relatively crime-free for the past 12 years.

"I don't know how he got involved with this particular case but he decided to hang out with the wrong people," Monahan said.

Guiste said he works the overnight shift at a Philadelphia Stop and Shop supermarket and "lost all faith" in his job's earning power.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
A 35-year-old fire police officer who was struck by a car Monday night as he directed traffic at a Whitehall Township crash scene will get out of the intensive care unit Tuesday, the township fire chief said.

Ryan Kramer, of Whitehall, is "a lot better" at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township after suffering what police described as serious injuries during the 6:15 p.m. incident on MacArthur Road at South Church Street, fire Chief David Nelson said.

"I'm glad he's doing well," Nelson said of the 19-year veteran of the department who was a volunteer firefighter before he became a fire police officer.

The department posted on Facebook that Kramer was being moved out of intensive care, but that he "has a long recovery ahead of him from his injuries."

A woman drove around traffic cones before hitting Kramer, Nelson said. The motorist said she didn't see him, according to the chief.

We are happy to report that Ryan Kramer our Fire Police officer that was directing traffic around a Motor Vehicle... Posted by Whitehall Township Bureau of Fire on Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Three other vehicles also drove around the cones -- onto the closed part of the road -- after the woman did so, Nelson said.

Police said the driver who hit the fire police officer stopped. An investigation is ongoing and police have not indicated if any charges will be filed.

Too many drivers are distracted by cellphones and radios and other things, Nelson said.

"The reason we slow down traffic is so we can do our job," Nelson said. "When things like this happen, it slows things down even more."

The southbound lanes were closed and police remained to investigate and reconstruct the accident until 10:10 p.m.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Bethlehem teenager who shot a rival gang member eight times last January allegedly assaulted a corrections officer at Northampton County Prison while awaiting trial.

Omar Y. "Kush" Quinones (Lehighvalleylive.com file photo))

Omar Y. "Kush" Quinones, 18, pleaded guilty Friday in county court to attempted homicide in the Jan. 30 shooting of 14-year-old Taron Walker in Bethlehem. Quinones was sentenced to between 10 and 24 years in state prison.

The alleged attack on the guard occurred about 9:20 a.m. Nov. 11, according to a private complaint filed last Wednesday by the corrections officer. Quinones was arraigned Tuesday before District Judge Daniel Corpora on a charge of assault by prisoner.

The officer told his supervisor Quinones punched him in the face and continued to fight with the officer until backup arrived to secure Quinones in handcuffs.

With four additional corrections officers present, Quinones spit what appeared to be mucus and blood onto the officer he had assaulted, according to court records.

The supervisor observed the injury to the officer's face and both video-recorded and placed into evidence his uniform shirt with blood on it, records say.

Corpora ordered Quinones held in lieu of $10,000 bail and tentatively scheduled a preliminary hearing Jan. 3.

"By the grace of God," Walker, the teen shot by Quinones, survived, said Assistant District Attorney Kelly Lewis Fallenstein. Police said the shooting was over a woman. Quinones was a member of the Crips street gang and Walker, a member of the Bloods, according to police.

Also charged in that incident on East Sixth Street on Bethlehem's South Side is Elias Z. Ariza, 19, of Bethlehem, for allegedly shooting a 16-year-old during the melee. Ariza is scheduled to appear Jan. 6 in county court.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- A man who attempted to hire a hitman to kidnap and murder a Paterson woman he met online was sentenced Monday to more than 17 years in federal prison.

Christopher Thieme. (Bergen County Sheriff's Office)

Christopher Thieme, 36, of Newton, previously had pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Newark in June to charges of attempted kidnapping and murder-for-hire.

Wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit, glasses and a five o'clock shadow, Thieme on Monday told U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton he was "deeply sorry for the harm I have caused."

"Because of my failings, I stand before you a broken man," he said.

Authorities have said Thieme, who was first charged by the FBI in January, grew obsessed with the intended victim, who he met on an online dating service, after just two dates.

He later told an acquaintance he wanted to pay a hitman to kidnap the woman and hold her for several weeks while Thieme sold off her property, the proceeds from which he would use to pay the hitman.

That acquaintence informed law enforcement of Thieme's plans, and later introduced him to an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Had Thieme informed a different person of his plans, Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Hafetz said Monday, the intended victim might now be dead.

"She's incredibly lucky, which is hard for someone in her position to be considered, I think," Hafetz told Wigenton.

Thieme previously was the subject of scrutiny after he emerged as a purported alibi witness in the case of Melanie McGuire, since sentenced to life in prison for killing and dismembering her husband.

Thieme's story was later debunked and McGuire convicted.

In pre-sentencing remarks, Thieme's attorney, Patrick N. McMahon, argued that Thieme apparently suffers from untreated mental illness and that there was no evidence the scheme could have been accomplished in any successful way.

"It is devoid of any logic or intelligence that somebody could think they could get away with that," McMahon said, adding that it spoke to Thieme's apparent untreated mental health issues.

Wigenton, however, cited a need to "protect the public" in sentencing Thieme to 210 months in federal prison, noting a prior felony conviction in which he attacked with a pool cue a woman prosecutors described as a "complete stranger" to him.

"Just from a textbook definition of 'sociopath', there are certain aspects (of Thieme's history) that are very troubling," Wigenton said, noting there was no indication Thieme had sought treatment for mental health issues.

Hafetz told Wigenton that Thieme is also facing charges in a separate pending case in Bergen County involving cyber harassment.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The pressure is on local TDs and councillors to plead the case for Portlaoise hospital in early January, when the Minister for Health Simon Harris has promised to visit.

Minister Harris has given an undertaking to come to Portlaoise to listen to the views of both staff and local politicians, on an undisclosed day between January 1 and 6.

The staff and the public are begging councillors to stop the hospital being downgraded, according to Portlaoise Cllr Willie Aird.

I was in a waiting room and the first thing they said to me was 'for god's sake don't let the hospital close', he said.

He has called for a meeting with the Taoiseach, if their meeting with Minister Harris at the hospital fails to bring the right result.

I want to be able to stand up and say I did my best, that this council went as far as it could. I feel the two people who are going to save it are Minister Harris and the Taoiseach. If you want something done, go to the people who can say yes or no, said Cllr Aird, speaking at the monthly council meeting, yesterday, December 19.

Minister Harris had up to now, turned down requests by Laois councillors to meet them to hear why the hospital should remain a Category 3 unit, with a full A&E.

Instead, the Minister had said that public consultations would be held after the HSE's plan was published, before changes were implemented.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Tom Mulhall announced the turnaround at yesterday's council meeting.

I had a lengthy phone call with Minister Flanagan last night and he assured me that Minister Harris will come in the first week in January to walk around the hospital, and meet a deputation of councillors, Oireachtas members, and managers and staff of the hospital, he said.

He was told by Minister Flanagan that just four out of the 19 councillors should meet the Health Minister, but he suggested that six go, along with himself as Cathaoirleach.

It was agreed that the three councillors who are on the Health Forum will also go, making it ten.

Don't be surprised if he comes down, walks around and says I'm not going to meet ten, Cllr Mulhall warned, later agreeing to negotiate for as many councillors as possible to meet the minister.

The decision is a sliver of light for Laois people who face losing vital services to other hospitals outside the county, including the 24 hour A&E, paediatrics and maternity units.

A Hiqa review has found that the hospital is still understaffed, that improvements were made following its recommendations, but not enough has been done to justify its status of a Category 3 hospital with A&E.
The HSE's Dublin Midlands Hospital Group has disputed numbers published by nurses that there are 38 patients on trollies in Portlaoise hospital.

The DMHG admitted that the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise is "experiencing high levels of attendances and admissions today (Tuesday, November 20)". As a result it said the HSEs Escalation Policy has now been activated at the hospital.

"In order to assist us we are requesting that patients in the first instance, consider using their GP or Midoc Service (K-Doc for Naas) for medical assessment, where possible. The situation will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. There are currently 19 patients on trollies at Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise," said a statement.

However the figure of 19 contradicts a figure given by the Irish Nurses and Midwifes Organisation daily trolley count. It found that the Laois hospital has 19 patients on trolleys and 19 on wards.

Asked if the figure of 19 was accurate, the DMHG said the figures were provided by hospital management and included this included patients in the new Medical Assessment Unit & wards.

A senior hospital source told the Leinster Express that the figures were being 'covered up'.
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Amid the humanitarian catastrophe that has been the siege and fall of Aleppo, both supporters and opponents of earlier calls for military action by the West against Assad have been claiming vindication by events. Perhaps some are relieved that the TV pictures of bloodied children in rubble can be attributed to Russian bombs rather than Western ones.

And perhaps we are guilty  as the EU is supposedly guilty of welcoming closer ties with Ukraine  of seeing a potential for good in the Arab Spring. Torment nobody with the promise of freedom and democracy unless you can deliver it, at gunpoint if necessary? Dont start a civil war you cant win, however bad your government?

We will doubtless debate again whether the West should intervene in one civil war or another; whether things would have gone better or worse if we had or had not. None of us really knows either way. This is not my topic for today.

What I think is clear in Syria is that the Wests unwillingness to intervene has created a safe space for Russia to do so. Russia is not the superpower it once was, though the Cold War rules of avoiding direct confrontation between nuclear powers still apply. So if the West is absent, Russia will be present. To make Russia great again.

Now Russia regards all opponents of the Assad regime as being in broadly the same column as Daesh. The West sees moderate rebel forces that are preferable to Assad  less likely to commit massacres  and suspects collusion between Assad and Daesh. Trump, it seems, wants to bomb Daesh and doesnt care about the rest of the civil war. That is comprehensible: in a warzone the dominant ideology is to be for us and against the people trying to kill us, and whether you are Islamist or Baathist or at all progressive is less immediately significant. And outside powers can barely see through the fog of war to perceive concrete events much less driving ideologies. To put it another way, ethical foreign policy is hard, and realism and self-interest are easy.

But Ill tell you what is easy: standing by your allies who have escaped the Russian sphere of influence, who have embraced democratic values, who have joined the EU and NATO. Trump is not interested, and, frankly, the USA was going to become more focussed on Asia anyway. But Europe alone is still strong enough  not to confront Russia, we must avoid that, Cold War rules  but to ensure there is no vacuum of conventional defensive military forces in Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states.

And we must become alert to the threat of Russian cyberwarfare, already felt in Estonia and Ukraine, following a possibly decisive intervention in the US presidential election. And when Russia Today propaganda gets recycled into the foreign policy analysis of our Corbyns and Farages, the 90% of responsible politicians and journalists should not let it stand. He said, she said without fact checking either gives us post-truth politics.

This is not the Cold War. Russia is weak, militarily, morally and economically. It does not even proffer a compelling but vile ideology like communism that is a threat to our values. It rattles its sabres because that is what strongman tyrants must do, and its only threat to us is what we let it become.

We cant save Aleppo, and maybe we never could have. But we can prevent a great many Aleppos.

* Joe Otten was the candidate for Sheffield Heeley in June 2017 and Doncaster North in December 2019 and is a councillor in Sheffield.
THE University of Limerick's decision to cut its postgraduate diploma and Masters programmes in psychotherapy has been criticised by leading psychotherapists in the region.

A spokesperson for UL has confirmed to the Limerick Leader that it did not accept students on to either programme in the 2016/17 academic year as its running costs were unsustainably high.

UL said that similar to other bodies they are constantly reviewing programmes and modules offered with a view to providing the best possible courses and qualifications to all students and prospective students.

Due to the high level of personal and professional development associated with the course and the guidelines in relation to student teacher ratios set out for psychotherapy training, the programme running costs were unsustainably high.

They continued: Students currently registered on psychotherapy courses at UL will continue their studies as normal and will not be impacted by this amendment to the universitys programme offering.

Those working in the field say that this decision will have a direct effect on the number of accredited service providers in the region.

John Hartley, a local psychotherapist, who graduated from the programme in 2002, told the Leader that to the best of my knowledge there isnt a course of similar standing in the Limerick or Mid-West region, or have to same rigorous training for course participants.

Theres such an emphasis now on the whole area of mental health, but it really doesnt make sense to me. Regardless of the cost of the programme, I feel this is something that gives back to the community as well. For me, it was the best training I did, and all these years later, still informs my work.

Others, who did not wish to be identified, said that they regard it as the gold standard within the field and said it should be expanded rather than cut.
LIMERICK TD Maurice Quinlivan has given a helping hand to people facing homelessness over Christmas.

With the number of people sleeping on the streets continuing to grow, the Sinn Fein deputy has, with the help of his office staff, been collecting hats, scarves gloves and socks to give to Limericks homeless.

Donations have come from people dropping into his Denmark Street office, with the stock then transferred to local homeless charity Novas Initiatives.

I was contacted through Facebook by a number of people who wanted to try and do something, but didnt know what to do. One woman suggested they drop things into my office. So I was happy to facilitate this, Mr Quinlivan said.

Six boxloads of donations have been collected so far, with one lady from Ballynanty donating a tent and sleeping bags that her family were not using.

I want to thank her particularly, as she was on the verge of becoming homeless so she knows what it is like, he said.

Throughout Christmas, Mr Quinlivan is calling on people to drop in donations of toiletries and second-hand clothes, pointing out that often at Christmas, there can be a lot of unwanted gifts.

He added: The vast majority of people in Limerick have great decency, and feel the state should be doing an awful lot better. I think people are so frustrated and stressed at seeing people on the streets.
MINISTER for Finance Michael Noonan has expressed confidence that another 1,000 new jobs could be created in Limerick in 2017.

Speaking to the Limerick Leader following a mayoral reception which was held in his honour last Friday, Minister Noonan said there could be at least the same number of jobs created next year as there has been in 2016.

There could be [another 1,000 jobs]. I know a bit about the pipeline, and while there isnt a final decision, there is a lot of interest in Limerick, with some very big name companies looking at Limerick now for lots of jobs. So, even if one of them came over it would be easy to make the thousand. Well live and hope, and keep working, he said.

Minister Noonan was praised at the reception for his part in helping to bring 954 jobs to Limerick to date in 2016.

Asked if hed accept the full credit, he said: Its obvious as Minister that you can get people to visit the city, but at the end of the day then the city has to sell itself. Its a combined effort between the local authorities, the IDA, the business community, and so on.

"Shannon Airport is a big asset to us, especially for American companies. Well play to our advantages, and continue to create jobs, he said.

Im quite optimistic about 2017. The signs are good; the economy is strong. Weve had a lot of sites visits by the IDA, so Id be hoping well have a good year again next year.

Asked if Limerick could become Ireland's 'second city', he said: Its certainly prospering very much. The industry is solid here. Id like to see the Limerick 2030 project advancing now in the next number of years, because that will rebuild and effectively remodel and redesign the centre of the city, and I think thats needed.

I dont think we should approach it as competing (against) any other city. I think we should do our best to make Limerick a very good place to live, where there are a lot of good jobs that people would be happy in and well paid for, and then have the education and social facilities that a family needs. I think were well down the road in terms of achieving those objectives.

This December alone, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, announced its plans to open a new 21m research and development Centre of Excellence in Limerick, bringing 100 new jobs to the city.

Professional services firm EY also announced the opening of its new expanded office space in the heart of Limerick city, outlining its ambitions to grow to a headcount of at least 100 people by 2020. Again in December, US company Acacia Communications announced the creation of 60 new jobs in Limerick, with the establishment of a new headquarters for the company's EMEA and APAC operations in the city.

In addition, more than 230 jobs are to be created through the construction and operation of a 14m engineering training centre of excellence at Limerick Institute of Technology. The college hopes to welcome the first cohort of students in Coonagh during the 2017/2018 academic year.

The first phase of development is planned in stages over three years.
The stamps produced when refugees fled to Syria, not from it: Tip of the Week

May 2, 2021, 10 PM

The 1921 Syrian Kilis provisional stamp (Scott 91) is scarce and a good buy in unused or used condition at 2017 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 value.

By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

The bloody, never-ending, multifactional civil war in Syria has drawn foreign interventions like a zebra carcass draws hyenas. To date, more than 400,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed and an estimated 5 million refugees have fled the country. But in 1921, Syria was on the receiving end of a refugee influx.

The city and eponymous province of Kilis were in the Aleppo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire until World War I. After the war, it passed to the Syrian successor state. In October 1923, control of Kilis reverted to Turkey.

In 1915, the Ottoman Empire began systematically murdering its Armenian population. By the time the empire collapsed, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians had perished. About 500,000 refugees escaped death by fleeing to other countries. Of those, about 95,000 fled to Syria, many to the province of Kilis.

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The influx of Armenian refugees exhausted the available supply of regular postage stamps, so in 1921, a nondenominated 1-piaster provisional issue (Scott 91) was produced.

Handstamped on pelure paper with gauge 9 sewing-machine perforations, this is not a particularly attractive stamp. However, it is scarce and quite difficult to find.

The 2017 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 values the stamp at $50 in unused condition and at $45 in used condition with the values in italics. If you find it offered at those prices, it would make an excellent purchase.
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He has been Russia's ambassador to Turkey since 2013. Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek identified the assassin as a 22-year-old police officer, Mevlut Mert Altintas.

One witness told VOA the gunman shouted "Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! As long as our lands aren't safe, you will not be safe." Three other people were wounded before security officers shot the gunman dead. Ambassador Karlov died at a hospital.

The entire scene was captured on video. The assassin yelled "Allahu Akbar" and vowed to avenge what he said are Russian murders of innocent people in Syria. He pointed his pistol at the ceiling and briefly at the audience while the mortally wounded ambassador lay on the floor.

A gunman believed to be an off-duty policeman shot and killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey Monday night in Ankara. Ambassador Andrey Karlov was making a speech at the opening of an art exhibition when a man dressed in a suit approached the podium and opened fire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the killing as an act of terrorism. "There is no doubt that the committed crime is a provocation aimed at ruining Russian-Turkish relations and the peace process in Syria which is moving forward with the help of Russia, Turkey, and Iran," Putin said. "The answer is to strengthen the counter-terrorism efforts and the criminals will feel that soon."

Putin is demanding to know "who directed the killer's hand," and is asking Turkey to step up security at Russian diplomat posts.

White House spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. strongly condemns the assassination and sends its condolences to the victims. "This heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable and we stand united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms."

Secretary of State John Kerry called it a "despicable attack," and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is "appalled by this senseless act of terror." Ban said there can be no justification for targeting diplomatic personnel and civilians.

A Turkish official said there are "very strong signs" the gunman was a follower of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the United States and is suspected of helping direct July's failed coup in Turkey. A Gulen spokesman denied the cleric had anything to do with the assassination and told Reuters Gulen "categorically denies this heinous act."

Ties between Russia Turkey have been slowly improving since Turkish jets shot down a Russian bomber that strayed into its airspace from Syria last year. Russian and Turkish officials have been working together to resolve the refugee crisis in Aleppo, caused, in part, by Russian airstrikes on Syrian rebels.
With the current bird flu outbreak showing no signs of abetting, the government is set to import eggs and egg-laying hens for the first time to counter the inevitable price hike of domestic eggs.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on Monday that it is considering importing eggs and hens from countries such as Australia, Canada and the U.S., and will consult and coordinate with other ministries concerned.

As the number of poultry culled is nearing 20 million, the price of eggs keeps rising -- by up to 10 percent, and stores are limiting one egg carton per customer.

The ministry said that all birds at poultry farms located within 500 m from where the virus has been confirmed will be culled, in order to curb the deadly virus from spreading further.
"Ziggy Stardust" snake

(Image credit: WWF)

The Greater Mekong region in Southeast Asia holds an incredible range of biodiversity, and new species found in 2015 include a "Ziggy Stardust" snake and a newt that resembles a "Star Trek" Klingon.

The unique colors on the head of this rainbow-headed snake, Parafimbrios lao, found in Laos, led some to liken it to David Bowie's colorful "Ziggy Stardust" character.

Read the full story about these amazing new discoveries.

One-of-a-kind

(Image credit: WWF)

The 111th snake species discovered in Laos, Parafimbrios lao is distinguished from its cousins by its unusual coloration, and by the number of its scale rows and upper teeth.

Phuket horned tree agamid

(Image credit: WWF)

Acanthosaura phuketensis a medium-sized lizard found on Phuket Island in Thailand, dwells in the low areas of the Phuket mountain range. The dangerous-looking spikes atop its head and along its spine lend it a dragon-like appearance, and make it stand out from its relatives.

Wooly-headed bat

(Image credit: WWF)

Found in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, this medium-sized bat, known as Murina kontumensis, is covered with wooly fur on its head and forearms, and is part of a highly diverse genus.

Klingon newt

(Image credit: WWF)

In 2007, only three species of newt were known to exist in Thailand. The research of Dr. Porrawee Pomchote in Chiang Rai province led to the discovery of this unique creature, Tylototriton anguliceps, also referred to as the "Klingon newt," in 2015.

Not like the others

(Image credit: WWF)

The so-called Klingon newt's conspicuous red and black markings and its distinctive dorsal ridge drew the attention of biologists, who recognized it as a new species.

Musa nanensis

(Image credit: WWF)

The fluorescent red blossom of this banana plant species sets it apart from its cousins. Only two populations of the plant have been located in northern Thailand. Its unique structure redefined the description of its immediate family, the researchers said.

"Banana pride of Nan"

(Image credit: WWF)

After this new species was discovered by the so-called "Banana Unit"  a group of scientists at the Mahidol University in Bangkok who specialize in banana plants  it was given the scientific name Musa nanensis. Its common name, Kluai Si Nan, means banana pride of Nan" in the Thai language.

Orange-eyed litter frog

(Image credit: WWF)

In the small rocky streams of northeastern Cambodia and neighboring Vietnam lives a tiny frog species that measures less than 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) long. Described as Leptolalax isos in 2015, it resides at elevations between 2,133 and 3,609 feet (650 and 1,100 meters).

A long time coming

(Image credit: WWF)

With thousands of species of frogs inhabiting southeast Asia, it took researchers nearly a decade to describe Leptolalax isos. Scientists first spotted the tiny frog in 2006, and spent years comparing its calls and physical features to known frog species before they confirmed that they had discovered a new species.

Love of discovery

(Image credit: Copyright Hai Ngo/WWF)

Nguyen Quang Truong (right) aided in the discovery of three new species in the Greater Mekong region in 2015, and has found a total of 80 new species thus far in his career.
The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency will test an early space junk removal tether prototype using its HTV-6 robotic cargo ship, as seen in this artist's illustration. The cargo ship launched to the International Space Station in December 2016.

The Japanese space agency will soon be testing a new technology that would use a roughly half-mile-long tether to grab large pieces of space debris and dispose of them.

The proposed technology (first announced in 2014) would include a spacecraft that would deploy a 700-meter-long (2,296 feet) electrodynamic tether (EDT) and guide it toward a piece of space junk. The tether would latch onto the orbiting hunk of trash, and the operating spacecraft would then drag the debris down into the incinerator of Earth's atmosphere (causing the operating spacecraft to burn up as well).

A prototype system called the Kounotori Integrated Tether Experiments (KITE) arrived at the International Space Station on Dec. 12. That system will allow engineers to test the mechanisms that propel the tether when it is deployed in space.. [Worst Space Debris Events of All Time]

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, released a brief description of the tether technology, as well as an animated video illustrating the details of the tether and the spacecraft  unfortunately for some of us, it's subtitled in Japanese only.

Space debris, or "space junk," is becoming an increasingly large problem for space agencies and private companies. Even small pieces of space debris, when moving fast enough, can tear through satellites and human habitats such as the International Space Station; a collision with space debris may have been responsible for the loss of a Japanese science satellite earlier this year.

In 2013, more than 500,000 pieces of space junk were being tracked by space agencies, according to NASA. That includes more than 21,000 pieces of space trash larger than 4 inches (10 centimeters) in size, and half a million bits of junk between 0.4 inches and 4 inches (1 cm and 10 cm).

Agencies aren't just worried about space debris colliding with working satellites  collisions among large pieces of debris can create showers of smaller pieces, which are more difficult to track.

The EDT spacecraft will target large pieces of space junk, ranging in size from a few hundred kilograms to a few tons (roughly 400 lbs. to about 4,000 lbs.), a JAXA representative told Space.com in an email.

The trick with this type of system will be figuring out how to attach the tether to an uncontrolled, orbiting piece of debris. There are various systems on the proposed spacecraft that would allow operators to control and monitor the position of the tether relative to the piece of space junk, including a current running through the tether itself. Once the tether has identified its target, it will initially be directed toward the space junk using GPS, and, as it gets closer, operators will use optical cameras to guide it, the representative said.

Application of the technology to a real mission could take place as early as the mid-2020s, a JAXA representative told Space.com.

This isn't the first time a tether has been proposed as a method of cleaning up space junk, according to the website for NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office. Nets are also a popular choice.

"Many different methods for remediation of the orbital debris environment have been proposed over the years," according to the website. "These include the use of lasers, electro-dynamic or momentum exchange tethers, tugs, drag enhancement devices, and other, more exotic methods."

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Deaths involving the opioid painkiller fentanyl more than doubled in a single year in the United States, according to a new report.

In 2014, 4,200 people in the U.S. died from overdoses involving fentanyl, up from 1,905 people in 2013, the report found. The rate of fentanyl deaths increased from 6 deaths per 1 million people to 13 deaths per 1 million people during that one-year period.

The report, from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, used a new method to examine drug overdose deaths in the United States. Traditionally, government researchers have used specific codes that are placed on death certificates to analyze causes of death in the population.

But these codes do not always let researchers know which specific drug was involved in a death sometimes, the same code is used to classify deaths from several different drugs. For example, there is a single code to indicate all deaths from "natural and semisynthetic opioid analgesics," which include deaths from overdoses on both oxycodone and morphine.

So in the new report, the researchers developed a way to analyze the actual text on death certificates, including notes written by the medical examiner or coroner. This method allowed them to identify specific drugs that were mentioned as being involved in the cause of death. [America's Opioid-Use Epidemic: 5 Startling Facts]

Using this method, the researchers identified the top 10 drugs involved in U.S. overdose deaths, from 2010 to 2014. They found that the top drug involved in overdose deaths in 2010 and 2011 was oxycodone, and the top drug involved in overdose deaths in 2012 to 2014 was heroin. Cocaine consistently ranked second or third among the drugs involved in overdose deaths during the five-year period.

In addition, fentanyl moved up the rankings, from the 9th most common drug involved in overdose deaths in 2013, to the 5th most common drug involved in overdose deaths in 2014. The singer-songwriter Prince died of an overdose of fentanyl in April 2016, according to officials in Minnesota.

The report also showed that deaths from heroin more than tripled during a five-year period, from 3,020 deaths in 2010, to 10,863 deaths in 2014.

What's more, the report revealed that many people who died of overdoses had taken multiple drugs. Of the 36,667 drug overdose deaths in 2014 in which at least one specific drug was mentioned on the death certificate, nearly one half (48 percent) of the certificates mentioned more than one drug, the researchers wrote in their study. About a quarter of the deaths that mentioned a specific drug involved two drugs, 12 percent involved three drugs, 6 percent involved four drugs and 5 percent involved five or more drugs, the report said.

More than a third of drug overdose deaths involving cocaine also involved heroin. In addition, more than 95 percent of deaths involving either alprazolam or diazepam (both used to treat anxiety) involved other drugs.

The researchers noted that there has been an improvement in the recording of specific drugs on death certificates. This means that increases seen in the death rates from specific drugs could reflect an actual increase in the number of deaths, or an increase in reporting of those drugs, or both.

The new findings are similar to those of another CDC report released on Friday (Dec. 16). That report looked at U.S. overdose deaths from 2014 to 2015, but used the traditional cause-of-death codes. That report showed that death rates for synthetic opioids other than methadone (including the drugs tramadol and fentanyl) increased 72 percent from 2014 to 2015.

Heroin deaths increased 20 percent during that time period, that report also found.

Original article on Live Science.
Anne Frank, whose diary became one of the most iconic portrayals of the Holocaust, died in a concentration camp in 1945 after she, her family and friends were discovered by security services while hiding in secret rooms in an office building in Amsterdam.

Anne's father, Otto Frank, was the only survivor of the eight Jews who spent more than two years hiding in the "Secret Annex" at 263 Prinsengracht. He suspected that his family and friends had been betrayed, perhaps by an untrustworthy employee of one of the offices below. Meanwhile, biographers theorized that perhaps relatives of the Franks' helpers ratted them out, leading to the family's arrest in August 1944. [Images: Missing Nazi Diary Resurfaces]

Now, new research suggests that the German Security Service may not have been looking for hidden Jews when they found Anne and the seven others hiding with her. Rather, they might have been investigating other activities at the office and simply stumbled across the hidden families by chance, according to historians at the Anne Frank House, the museum in Amsterdam dedicated to preserving the "Secret Annex" where Frank, her sister, her parents and four other Jews spent more than two years in hiding.

"The question has always been, who betrayed Anne Frank and the others in hiding?" historian Gertjan Broek wrote in a new paper released by the museum. "This explicit focus on betrayal, however, limits the perspective on the arrest."

In hiding

New documents about the employment of at least three of the policemen who raided the Secret Annex in 1944 reveal that these policemen weren't tasked primarily with hunting down Jewish people in hiding, Broek wrote. The Franks were living in secret rooms above Otto Frank's former company with another family, the van Pels, and a dentist named Fritz Pfeffer. The Franks had been in hiding, not setting a foot outdoors, since July 6, 1942. (The van Pels joined a week later, and Pfeffer arrived in November 1942.)

The circumstances of the discovery of Frank and the others have always been murky. Investigators arrived at the office building at 263 Prinsengracht in midmorning on Aug. 4, 1944, Broek wrote, and spent some time searching the premises. During the search, the Secret Annex, hidden behind custom-built bookshelves, was discovered. The Franks, the van Pels and Pfeffer were arrested. All were sent to concentration camps. Anne and her sister Margot died of typhus in February or March 1945 at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Various theories have held that an employee of one of the companies in the office building, or perhaps a family member of someone who worked there, tipped off the German Security Service, called the Sicherheitsdienst, to the people in hiding. But no proof of a betrayer's identity has ever been found, Broek wrote.

A chance discovery?

Now, new documents suggest that perhaps there was no betrayer after all. Three of the confirmed members of the raiding party on the Secret Annex were longtime police officers whose work was related to cases involving cash, jewelry or confiscation of the belongings of Jews who were deported. One, Gezinus Gringhuis, was working not for the Sicherheitsdienst at the time of the raid, but for the Special Unit of the Central Investigation Division, Broek found. Thus, Broek wrote, Gringhuis' job wouldn't have involved searching for Jews in hiding. [Photos: Escape Tunnel at Holocaust Death Site]

On the other hand, Anne's diary mentions the arrest of two salesmen in the office building, Martin Brouwer and Pieter Daatzelaar, for ration-card fraud, or the illegal use or selling of the ration cards required to buy food. She writes that because of the arrest, the families in the Annex had no coupons for food, indicating that the family was fed, in part, by illegal ration cards. (Anne mentioned having to be quiet in the Annex so that Daatzelaar would not hear them, suggesting that the two ration-card dealers did not know they were there, Broek wrote.)

Because Gringhuis' job involved investigating economic violations such as ration-card fraud, the investigation that found the Franks might have been focused on other activities illegalized during the Nazi regime, Broek wrote. Such activities included a crime for which one of the Franks' helpers on the outside was arrested: "work refusal," or allowing people to work who had been called up for imprisonment in German forced-labor camps. ("Work refusal" referred to the refusal of the orders to participate in slave labor.)

"A company where people were working illegally and two sales representatives were arrested for dealing in ration coupons obviously ran the risk of attracting the attention of the authorities," Broek wrote. "While searching for people in hiding, fraud with ration coupons could be detected, since they [people in hiding] were often dependent on clandestine help. Conversely, investigating this kind of fraud might very well lead to the discovery of people in hiding."

The links between ration fraud and the investigators hasn't been proved, Broek warned, and it's still entirely possible that Anne, her family and their friends were betrayed. But focusing on betrayal has limited previous research on what happened to the Franks, he wrote.

"Clearly, the last word about that fateful summer day in 1944 has not yet been said," Broek wrote.

Original article on Live Science.
One of the big questions lingering about our universe is why there is so much more matter than antimatter.

For the first time, physicists have shown that atoms of antimatter appear to give off the same kind of light that atoms of regular matter do when illuminated with lasers, a new study finds.

More precise measurements of this emitted light could unearth clues that might finally help solve the mystery of why there is so much less antimatter than normal matter in the universe, researchers say.

For every particle of normal matter, there is an antimatter counterpart with the same mass but the opposite electrical charge. The antiparticles of the electron and proton, for instance, are the positron and antiproton, respectively.

When a particle meets its antiparticle, they annihilate each other, giving off a burst of energy. A gram of antimatter annihilating a gram of matter would release about twice the energy as the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. (You don't have to worry about antimatter bombs popping up anytime soon; researchers are very far from creating anywhere near a gram of antimatter.)

It remains a mystery why there is so much more matter than antimatter in the universe. The Standard Model of particle physics  the best description yet of how the basic building blocks of the universe behave  suggests that the Big Bang should have created equal amounts of matter and antimatter. [The 9 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Physics]

Shining light on antimatter

Scientists would like to learn more about antimatter to see if it behaves differently from matter in a way that could help solve the puzzle of why the universe has so little antimatter.

One key set of experiments would involve shining lasers on antimatter atoms, which can absorb and emit light much like atoms of regular matter. If antihydrogen atoms emitted a different spectrum of light than hydrogen atoms, such spectral differences could yield insights on other ways matter and antimatter differ, the researchers said.

Now, for the first time, scientists have used lasers to carry out a spectral analysis of antihydrogen atoms.

"I like to call this the Holy Grail of antimatter physics,"said study co-author Jeffrey Hangst, a physicist at Aarhus University in Denmark. "I've been working for more than 20 years to make this possible, and this project has finally come together after many difficult steps."

The researchers experimented with antihydrogen, which is the simplest atom of antimatter, just as hydrogen is the simplest atom of regular matter. Antihydrogen atoms each consist of one antiproton and one positron.

Creating enough antimatter for researchers to examine has proven highly challenging. To create antihydrogen atoms, the researchers mixed clouds of about 90,000 antiprotons with clouds of about 1.6 million positrons (or antielectrons), yielding about 25,000 antihydrogen atoms per attempt using the ALPHA-2 apparatus, which is an antimatter generation and trapping system, at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland.

Chris rum and Steven Armstrong Jones work on the laser ALPHA experiment to find out the properties of light emitted by antihydrogen. (Image credit: CERN)

After the researchers create the antihydrogen atoms, "you have to hold on to them, and that's very difficult," Hangst told Live Science. Antihydrogen is electrically neutral, which means that it cannot be held in place using electric fields, "and you have to keep it away from matter, so it has to be kept in high vacuum," he said. In addition, antimatter is best kept at temperatures close to absolute zero (minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius), so it is slow-moving and easier to hold on to than antihydrogen atoms.

The researchers trapped antihydrogen in very strong magnetic fields. "We can now hold about 15 antihydrogen atoms at a time," Hangst said. [Mystery Deepens: Matter and Antimatter Are Mirror Images]

Then, they shone a laser on the antihydrogen, which caused the atoms to give off light. The scientists then measured the spectrum of light that antihydrogen gave off with a precision of about a few parts in 10^10  that is, a 1 with 10 zeroes behind it. In comparison, researchers can currently measure these properties of hydrogen to a precision of a few parts in 10^15. "We want to measure antihydrogen with the same precision as hydrogen, and we see no reason why we can't do that in the future," Hangst said.

Currently the spectrums of light from hydrogen and antihydrogen look alike.

However, measuring antihydrogen with greater precision might ultimately reveal differences between matter and antimatter that could solve the mystery of the missing antimatter and lead to revolutionary changes in the Standard Model. "This is really game-changing work," Hangst said.

The scientists detailed their findings online Dec. 19 in the journal Nature (opens in new tab).

Original article on Live Science.
Three in every 10 workers over 55 make less than the minimum wage, a report says.

Some 28.9 percent of older workers did not earn the legal monthly minimum wage of W1.26 million this year, according to a report by the Korea Labor Institute on Sunday (US$1=W1,187). Some 42.2 percent did not earn two-thirds of the median earnings of all wage earners, and a whopping 53.8 percent are temporary workers.

The institute said the reason is that many take menial jobs like cleaners, janitors, and caregivers.

The proportion of older workers increased from 46.7 percent in 2005 to 52.4 percent this year as many struggle to make ends meet after retirement.

"The government and private firms need to seek ways to help elderly workers with little or no life savings earn more income," Kim Bok-soon of the institute said.


Seoul on Monday sent eight North Korean fishermen home after they were rescued from their drifting ships in the East Sea last week.

"We handed eight North Korean crewmen and two boats over to North Korean authorities at sea this monring," Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told reporters Monday.

Coast guards on Dec. 11 and 12 came upon harrowing scenes when they found three boats adrift and a dozen fishermen dead of starvation and exposure. They had apparently been at sea for up to three months. One of the boats was beyond repair and scuttled at sea.

All the rescued crewmen wanted to return home. Seoul repeatedly tried to contact North Korean authorities through various channels, but Pyongyang had severed all hotlines after South Korean businesses were pulled out of the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex in February.

Eventually South Korean officials had to resort to loudhailers in the border truce village of Panmunjom. A North Korean guard on duty at Panmunjom videotaped the scene and reported it to his superiors.

North Korean authorities did not respond until early Monday morning but sent two patrol vessels and two tugboats to a point in international waters near the Northern Limit Line.


New York law currently does not require the licensing and regulation of businesses that provide dog obedience training. Kaminskys bill would directly close that gap by creating professional standards and implementing consistent, streamlined licensing practices to protect consumers and pets that they love.



Photo courtesy the Office of Senator Todd Kaminsky.

I am horrified by the animal abuse that has taken place in our backyard, said Senator Todd Kaminsky. But what happened in Oceanside can happen anywhere, and it is our job to protect consumers and their dogs from devious and abusive practices. When consumers send their pets to training school, they have no assurance of the trainers credentials or professional experience  and thats simply unacceptable. By creating streamlined licensing practices for dog obedience trainers, we are protecting our four-legged family members who cannot speak and shield themselves from abuse.

Kaminskys legislation will further deny licensing to any individual previously convicted of animal abuse and allows for enforcement of violations by police officers and professionals who specialize in detecting animal abuse, such as the SPCA.

Assemblywoman-elect Missy Miller, who intends to sponsor this legislation in the Assembly, said, I treat my pets as members of my family. We simply cannot allow another animal to be abused and have a duty to protect innocent consumers. I am looking forward to working with Senator Kaminsky on this bipartisan legislation and sponsoring this bill in the Assembly.



Photo courtesy the Office of Senator Todd Kaminsky.

We fully support Senator Kaminsky's bill. Not only will it regulate dog trainers, but it will ensure that your pet will not be mistreated, said Gary Rogers of the Nassau County SPCA.

Tommy Marrone, the Oceanside resident who exposed the animal abuse occurring at NY Dog Works said, This legislation being proposed by Senator Kaminsky is a huge step in preventing these types of incidents from happening.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 20 2016

DMV and DOH are encouraging eligible New York residents to consider giving the gift of life by enrolling in the New York State Donate Life Registry this holiday season.

Albany, NY - December 16, 2016 - The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) are encouraging eligible New York residents to consider giving the gift of life by enrolling in the New York State Donate Life Registry this holiday season. As a registered organ donor, New York residents have the option to provide organ, eye and tissue donations through the statewide registry. Tissue donated by one person can positively impact the lives of more than 50 other people and each organ donor can save as many as eight lives.





As the holidays approach, one of the most selfless things that we as New Yorkers can do is give the gift of life to someone in need, said DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. At DMV, we directly interact with thousands of New Yorkers every day and the opportunities to make a difference are endless. The New York State Donate Life Registry is a critical resource that allows New Yorkers to have a positive impact on someone elses life.

"The holidays are a perfect time to remind New Yorkers to consider making an organ donation that could one day save someones life," said Health Commissioner Dr. Howard A. Zucker. "Being a registered organ donor can have a huge impact on many people who may be dealing with devastating injuries or illness. We are so grateful to the 4.3 million New Yorkers already enrolled to become donors and encourage others to consider doing the same."

According to data provided by OrganDonor.gov , approximately 119,000 people are currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant, including 10,000 New Yorkers. On average, 22 people die every day in the United States from causes that could have been treated with a donated organ. Without donor registration, families are left to make the decision about donation in what is often the worst moment of their lives - the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one.

In 2012, DMV and DOH announced a new way to enroll in the State's Organ and Tissue Donor Registry online through MyDMV . During the online sign-up process, prospective donors will be required to provide basic information found on their license or non-driver ID including date of birth, zip code, and last four digits of the Social Security number. Procedures and controls built into this process ensure authenticity, integrity, security and confidentiality.

The New York State Donate Life Registry is a confidential, computerized system that maintains a list of an individual's consent to donate his/her organs upon death. Under State law, the registry can only be accessed to determine an individual's donation status after death and only by a federally approved organ procurement organization or licensed eye and tissue bank. Enrolling to be an organ donor will not affect one's medical care and/or funeral arrangements, and there is no cost to the donor's family.

Become a Donor

To become a registered donor in New York State, residents must be 18 years of age. In 2017, legislation will go into effect authorizing sixteen and seventeen year olds to become organ donors. Applicants can register when obtaining or renewing a driver license or non-driver identification (ID) card by signing the donor box that appears on DMV forms. Prospective donors can also register through DMV by completing an online registration form at my.dmv.gov

In addition, New Yorkers can register through the New York State Health Department's website or on your voter registration form
Food, Wine, & Dining, School & Education, Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 20 2016

Southamptons Hector Franco won Suffolk County Community Colleges Chopped-like culinary competition, Battle for the Beach.

Riverhead, NY - December 12, 2016 - Southamptons Hector Franco won Suffolk County Community Colleges Chopped-like culinary competition, Battle for the Beach, with a tasty pan seared chicken with natural au jus. The competition was held last Friday at the college's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center in Riverhead.



Student contestants were presented with a mystery basket of ingredients that they had turn into a mouth-watering dish in just 90 minutes. The competition is similar to the popular reality television show Chopped airing on the Food Network.





Photo: Hector Franco.



Top Chef Franco won a seven-night stay at the Sheraton Clearwater Beach Resort in Clearwater, Fla., and an opportunity to work under the supervision of the resorts executive chef. The prize includes round-trip airfare and ground transportation.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 20 2016

The Environmental Defense Fund, one of the worlds largest not-for- profit environmental organizations, recently celebrated their 50th anniversary.

Huntington, NY - December 19, 2016 - The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), one of the worlds largest not-for- profit environmental organizations, recently celebrated their 50th anniversary with a ceremony at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington. The occasion was attended by nearly 100 residents and numerous leaders from across Long Island, including Legislator Spencer who was delighted to be there to present the organization with a proclamation for their steadfast commitment to preserving and bettering our environment.





Photo courtesy of the Office of Suffolk County Legislator William R. Spencer.

'The Environmental Defense Fund has been on the right side of so many critical issues impacting not just our environment, eco-systems, and wildlife, but human health. Im proud to be here today to pay a tribute to the past and current members who have lead the way over the past half-century, helping to preserve our natural resources for future generations. Thank you for the fine work that you do on behalf of us all.  stated Legislator Spencer.



The EDF was born right here in Suffolk County in 1966 when a group of seven local scientists joined together in an effort to protect the dwindling osprey population. Their research and knowledge about the fragility of eco-systems led them to discover that the pesticide DDT was harming many species of birds in our region including the ospreys and our national bird, the bald eagle. After rallying additional support throughout the scientific and legal communities, they successfully brought forth a lawsuit challenging the use of DDT by the Suffolk County Mosquito Control Commission in 1967, which resulted in the banning of the chemical throughout Suffolk County. Eventually due to their effort, was outlawed nationwide. Since those days, the EDF has continued the fight to defend our climate, ecosystems, oceans, and public health. In 1970, their work helped to place all hunted whales on the U.S. endangered species list; in 1985 they championed for the federal government to end the use of leaded gasoline; in 1990 regulators used EDFs innovative market-based approach when crafting the Clean Air Act to cut air pollution, leading to a 52% drop in acid rain by 2008; and more recently, weve seen their efforts help to permanently protect a chain of pristine islands in Hawaii.



To learn more about the EDFs historic achievements and current work, visit here.
Yachad, Premier Jewish Organization for Individuals with Disabilities Plans to Raise $1M within 24 Hours on December 20th

Local News, Religion, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 20 2016

Yachad, the Orthodox Union's National Jewish Council for Disabilities, announces its first online crowd-funding campaign through Charidy.

New York, NY - December 19, 2016 - Yachad, the Orthodox Union's National Jewish Council for Disabilities, announces its first online crowd-funding campaign through Charidy.

At 1pm on December 20, Yachad will kick off its 24-hour campaign with a goal of $1 million. All donations will have four times the impact, Yachad staff confirmed, thanks to matching donations committed by generous benefactors.

We are excited to partner with Charidy, the premiere crowdfunding source, for the Jewish world to help us reach the broader community, said Ken Saibl, Associate Director of Yachad. Our goal is to further spread the word about all of the meaningful programs Yachad has to offer. Through this effective vehicle, we hope to garner additional support in order to provide additional services to all of our constituents.

Since its establishment in 1983, Yachad has been a leader in the disability community, dedicated to addressing the needs of all Jewish individuals with and without disabilities and ensuring their inclusion in all aspects of Jewish communal life. Touching thousands of Jews with disabilities every year, through inclusion opportunities such as Shabbatons (weekend retreats) and summer programs, to vocational education and placement,Yachad's staff educates and advocates for greater understanding, acceptance, outreach and a pro-disability attitude.

Jeff Lehman, a parent of a Yachad child in the New England chapter, encouraged the wider Jewish community to participate: "Those who donate to Yachad and dont happen to have somebody in the family who is a participant: To me, those are more special people than those of us who are parents. Because those are people who can relate to others and see some of the benefits of Yachad without experiencing them directly."

Yachad locations participating in the crowd-funding campaign on Tuesday include the New York metro area, North Jersey, New England (Boston, Rhode Island and Connecticut), Chicago, Los Angeles and South Florida.

Yachad is life, said Pamela Shulman, a parent of a Yachad child. It took an empty shell of a child and brought her to life.

The campaign will be live on Charidy.com/Yachad on December 20 at 1:00pm through December 21 1:00pm. Click here to join.

For more information, contact Becca Zebovitz on email / 212-613-8156.

Learn more about Yachad here.
Local News, Crime, National & World News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 20 2016

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and Acting Commissioner of Police Thomas C. Krumpter express their heartfelt prayers and condolences to the victims and families of the recent terrorist attack in Berlin, Germany.

If you see something, say something. If you hear something, say something. Immediate threats should be called into 911 and tips can be called into Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.

Nassau County, NY - December 19, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and Acting Commissioner of Police Thomas C. Krumpter express their heartfelt prayers and condolences to the victims and families of the recent terrorist attack in Berlin, Germany.

The Nassau County Police Department is taking all steps necessary to ensure the safety of the public and its Police Officers. In light of recent attacks, the Department has intensified patrols in all shopping malls, areas of mass transit, public gatherings and near critical infrastructure. Social Media outlets will be intensely monitored and we request the publics assistance in any way possible to stop threats to public safety.

The NCPD is coordinating with other federal and local authorities and are assessing national and local threat levels. At this time there are no known imminent threats to Nassau County.

If you see something, say something. If you hear something, say something.

Immediate threats should be called into 911 and tips can be called into Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.
Crime, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 20 2016

The Second Squad reports the details of a Larceny which occurred on Monday, December 19, 2016 at 4:30 pm in Wantagh.

Detectives ask anyone with information regarding this crime to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

Wantagh, NY - December 20, 2016 - The Second Squad reports the details of a Larceny which occurred on Monday, December 19, 2016 at 4:30 pm in Wantagh.

According to detectives, three male Hispanics who claimed to work for the water department entered a home on Sarah Drive. One of the suspects displayed identification and the homeowner let them in. Two suspects went in the basement while the third suspect made his way upstairs. They told the victim they needed to check the water meter and sinks to determine if the water had iodine in it after a neighbor became sick. The suspects were in the home approximately 30 minutes before fleeing on foot in an unknown direction. After they left the victim discovered an undisclosed amount of cash and checks were missing from the upstairs bedroom.

Detectives ask anyone with information regarding this crime to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
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
Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the center of a massive scandal that has brought down President Park Geun-hye, on Monday entered a plea of not guilty to all charges of corruption and abuse of power. The trial started at 2:10 p.m. with 80 seats in the courtroom open to the public and the rest crammed with the press and other involved parties. Choi appeared in prison uniform and bowed her head. The judge gave journalists unprecedented access by allowing them about two minutes to film the scene before the trial began. Choi then gave her date of birth and her profession as "leasing service."



Choi Soon-sil in prison uniform (center) enters a courtroom at the Seoul Central District Court on Monday.

Prosecutors said the case involves "a private citizen (Choi), who maintained a longtime friendship with the president, and public servants who served the president at her side (former secretaries An Chong-bum and Jeong Ho-seong), abusing their authority and granting favors to select businesses." Prosecutors added that they investigated 226 people including the heads of major conglomerates, and conducted 52 surprise raids to obtain evidence. Choi's lawyer Lee Kyung-jae entered not-guilty pleas on all counts. "The court must determine what is truth and what is mere suspicion," he said. "The prosecution has claimed that Choi colluded with the president on eight counts of breaches of the law. But Choi has never colluded with the president. It cannot constitute a crime as there was no collusion." Most of the hour-long session was taken up by procedural matters and admissibility of evidence. Prosecutors entered 827 pieces of evidence to prove Choi and An's guilt and 429 pieces of evidence implicating Jeong. Lee argued that Choi's rights were violated as she was grilled by prosecutors "late into the night," but prosecutors countered that she consulted with her lawyer 69 times during questioning. A crucial piece of evidence is a tablet PC whose discovery by a JTBC reporter triggered the unravelling of the scandal because it contained confidential government information and two selfies of Choi from happier days. Lee argued the tablet is inadmissible since Choi denies it belongs to her and asked the court to have the National Forensic Service examine. He also asked for the NFS to verify the authenticity of phone conversations found on Jeong's mobile phones and notes in An's diary, which were seized in raids on their homes.

Choi Soon-sil and lawyers wait for her trial to begin at the Seoul Central District Court on Monday.

It is unclear why Choi decided to turn up for what could have been a mere formality. When the judge gave her a chance to comment, she said, "When I just came back from Germany, I said I would take my punishment. But now I need to clarify myself." "I apologize for causing public controversy," she added. "I will engage faithfully in the trial." When she returned to Korea from Germany in late October, a disoriented Choi gabbled in front of reporters that she "deserves death" for her crimes, but she has since had time in jail to compose herself. An and Jeong did not show up. An's attorney pleaded not guilty on his client's behalf, saying An merely "conveyed" the president's demands to big businesses but denied an active role in pressuring them to make massive donations to the dubious Mir and K-Sports foundations controlled by Choi. He confirmed that Park gave An a list of people she wanted the foundations staffed with, many of them drinking buddies of Choi's. But the lawyer for Jeong, who is charged with leaking confidential state documents, said his client "admits the charges." But he added that Jeong "upheld the president's orders." The statements signal that much of the trial will turn on the conflicting stories of the accused.

Read this article in Korean
The Islamic States Amaq News Agency has released a short statement claiming responsibility for the attack on a Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and dozens more wounded yesterday. Amaqs message, which was released on its website and via social media channels, doesnt provide any details about the identity of the driver of the large lorry that was plowed into the market.

Amaq cites a security source within the so-called caliphate, as saying that a soldier of the Islamic Statecarried out the operation in response to calls for targeting nationals of the international coalition countries.

So far, German authorities have been unable to identify the individual or group responsible. Earlier today, German officials released a Pakistani refugee who had been accused of driving the truck. The investigation up to now did not yield any urgent suspicion against the accused, various news outlets quoted the prosecutors office as saying.

The language employed by Amaq is nearly identical to previous claims of responsibility after terrorist operations in Europe, the US and elsewhere. The Islamic State has consistently described individual or small groups of terrorists as its soldier(s). Amaq frequently argues that these terrorists lashed out in response to the groups calls for retribution against the nations participating in the international coalition fighting against the jihadists in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

For example, Amaqs statement after a terrorist drove a truck into a crowd on Bastille Day in July in Nice, France was almost exactly the same. That attack left 86 people dead. [See FDDs Long War Journal report: Islamic State claims its soldier carried out Bastille Day attack in Nice, France.]

The jihadists have called for more slayings using vehicles. For instance, the third issue of the Islamic States Rumiyah magazine contained an article (Just Terror Tactics) advocating for the use of vehicles in terrorist operations. An image of a rental truck was displayed next to a picture of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade and a photo of the aftermath in Nice.

Though being an essential part of modern life, very few actually comprehend the deadly and destructive capability of the motor vehicle and its capacity of reaping large numbers of casualties if used in a premeditated manner, the article in Rumiyah read. This was superbly demonstrated in the attack launched by the brother Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel who, while traveling at the speed of approximately 90 kilometers per hour, plowed his 19-ton load-bearing truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France, harvesting through his attack the slaughter of 86 Crusader citizens and injuring 434 more.

Vehicles are like knives, as they are extremely easy to acquire, Rumiyah advised would-be jihadists. But unlike knives, which if found in ones possession can be a cause for suspicion, vehicles arouse absolutely no doubts due to their widespread use throughout the world. It is for this obvious reason that using a vehicle is one of the most comprehensive methods of attack, as it presents the opportunity for just terror for anyone possessing the ability to drive a vehicle.

Rumiyahs editors went on to suggest targets, including outdoor markets. In general, the Islamic State advised, one should consider any outdoor attraction that draws large crowds.

In fact, one of the Islamic States online handlers encouraged a teenage Afghan refugee to use a car instead of a knife during an assault on a train in Wurzburg, Germany earlier this year.

On July 18, an Afghan refugee named Riaz Khan (also known as Muhammad Riyad) hacked at passengers on the train with an ax and a knife. As the German press later revealed, Khan was in near-constant contact with a digital operative inside the Islamic States home turf in Syria. A transcript of their conversation was first published by Suddeutsche Zeitung and subsequently reproduced by FDDs Long War Journal. [See: Terror plots in Germany, France were remote-controlled by Islamic State operatives.]

During a digital chat with Khan, the Islamic States man asked: What kind of weapons do you intend to use to kill people?

My knife and ax are ready for use, Khan replied.

Brother, would it not be better to do it with a car? the Islamic State plotter asked, before suggesting that Khan learn how to operate an automobile. The damage would be much greater, he told Khan.

But Khan was impatient, saying he cannot drive and learning takes time.

I want to enter paradise tonight, Khan explained.

And so Khan wounded several people on board the train, but fortunately failed to cause a large number of casualties.

Nearly one week later, on July 24, a Syrian refugee identified as Mohammad Daleel blew himself up outside of a music festival in the German city of Ansbach. Daleel, too, had been in regular contact with an online handler.

The Islamic States technique for guiding terrorists has become so common across Europe, especially in France and Germany, that officials now describe these operations as being remote-controlled.

All of the details concerning the driver in Berlin are yet to be confirmed and reported. It remains to be seen if this person, or group of people, was also remote-controlled, or had any other concrete ties to the Islamic State.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
The US military announced that an Oct. 23 airstrike in the province of Kunar that killed Faruq al Qahtani, al Qaedas leader for eastern Afghanistan, also killed both his deputy and an explosives expert. The three al Qaeda leaders were plotting attacks against the West as well as inside of Afghanistan.

The deaths of Bilal al Utabyi, al Qaedas deputy leader for eastern Afghanistan, and Wahid al-Junabi, a senior al Qaeda explosives expert, were announced yesterday by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook.

Qahtani, Utabyi, and Junabi were actively involved in carrying out and plotting terror attacks inside and outside Afghanistan, according to Cook.

The deaths of these three al Qaeda leaders will significantly reduce the groups ability to threaten the United States, our interests and our allies, Cook said. This strike is further evidence that those who seek us harm are not beyond our reach.

At the end of October, the US military announced that it targeted Qahtani and Utabyi in an airstrike in Kunar province on Oct. 23. Junabi, the explosives expert, was not mentioned in the initial announcement of the airstrike that targeted his leaders. The Pentagon did not confirm Qahtanis death until Nov. 4, however, the status of Utabyi was uncertain until yesterday.

Al Qaeda confirmed Qahtanis death in a martyrdom statement that was released by As Sahab, its official propaganda arm, on Nov. 23. In the statement, al Qaeda described Qahtani as a leader of a military brigade spread out in the Nuristan and Kunar provinces, and who had set an example with his mujahidin brothers for fighting and patience and steadfastness.

Additionally, al Qaeda noted that Qahtani and his brigade fought alongside the Taliban for years.

Kunar is a known haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban, and one of four provinces named by Osama bin Laden as a suitable place to relocate leaders and operatives in Pakistans tribal areas who were targeted in US drone strikes. The US has killed several senior and mid-level al Qaeda leaders in airstrikes and raids in the eastern province over the past decade, however this has not deterred al Qaeda from operating there.

The announcement of the deaths of Utabyi and Junabi takes place less than three weeks after the US military made the stunning announcement that more than 50 al Qaeda leaders and 200 operatives were killed in Afghanistan in 2016. Up until April 2016, the US military and intelligence services claimed that only 50 to 100 al Qaeda leaders and operatives were based in Afghanistan. This number was then revised upwards of 300 after a raid on two al Qaeda camps in Kandahar killed more than 150 al Qaeda fighters. FDDs Long War Journal has argued for more than six years that the military and intelligence communitys assessment of al Qaedas strength in Afghanistan and Pakistan is grossly underestimated. [See US military: 250 al Qaeda operatives killed or captured in Afghanistan this year.]

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.
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Style / Jewellery

If youre ever confused about the provenance of time-honoured favourites and newly popular gems, this general guide can help.

Dec 20, 2016 | By Yanni Tan

In todays kaleidoscopic gemstone and jewellery industry, the discovery of new mines mean fine emeralds are no longer just Colombian; impeccable rubies are not only Burmese; and top-grade sapphires do not hail solely from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). A cursory glance at the fine jewellery collections by international brands would already throw up various countries of origin for one gemstone alone. Since the industry does not always adhere to the same guidelines, some terms used to describe gemstones may range from colours to localities to mineral varieties.

Apart from old versus new, there are also antique or heirloom gemstones whose origins are unknown or hark back to ancient lands whose boundaries or territories simply do not exist anymore. Youd imagine that examining large, fine gemstones put out by the worlds top maisons would clear the air up, but the fact that these jewellers only select the best specimens means it is difficult for the layman to easily differentiate gemstones of different regions or sources. Nevertheless, being armed with some basic knowledge could help us make better and wiser buying decisions, if not sound more intelligent or interesting over the dinner table.

OPALS

Opals are commonly found throughout the world, but precious and gem-quality varieties only come from very specific localities. Australians famous mines in the Outback produce over 90 per cent of the worlds fine opals of all colours, with Coober Pedy being the location where the worlds largest and most valuable opal was found, and Lightning Ridge being the most prestigious and frequently featured in high jewellery collections for its rare and stunning black opals.

Ethiopia had traditionally produced poor-quality opals until as recently as 2008, when a fine gem-quality deposit was found in the Wollo province. Called Welo opals, these specimens are mostly white and display very vivid play-of-colour.

An up-and-coming type of opal adored by jewellers is the fire opal, the best examples of which have a transparent to translucent bright, fiery orange colour. The only country where significant deposits are found is Mexico, which has been mining it from the highlands since 1835 and eventually adopted it as the national gemstone.

RUBIES

Due to their extreme scarcity, sheer beauty, as well as huge demand, the finest rubies from Burma (or Myanmar) are dearer than the best sapphires and emeralds, and even diamonds. Burmese rubies also command a premium over other rubies because of their special qualities. They have a glorious legacy as royal gems that pre-date recorded history; boast a pure, intense red called Pigeons Blood that holds its colour under all lighting conditions; and display a super-charged fluorescence under ultraviolet light (and also sunlight) due to their high chromium content.

While there are many ruby mines in Burma, the prized variety hail from Mogok in Upper Burma and possess very fine silk inclusions that maximise their brilliance. Unfortunately, the old mines have been all but nearly depleted, and the new Burmese specimens produced typically do not match up to their predecessors, although the name Burmese would already command a premium in prices.

Apart from Burma, historic rubies came from mines in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Cambodia that have all been exhausted.

Since the 1960s, East Africa has been the newest source for fine rubies, with Mozambique, Madagascar, and Tanzania being the main suppliers. Because the African specimens are iron-rich, they tend to be darker in red or have a purple undertone, while some display a slightly lighter pinkish red.

Since the 1980s, mines in the north of Vietnam have also produced some rubies and pink sapphires that arent as fine and clean as those of Mogoks. Meanwhile, Greenland is touted to become the next big locality for high-quality rubies and pink sapphires after mining operations began last year.

EMERALDS

Colombia is the global leader and brand for emeralds, being responsible for the lions share of the precious stones production in the world since antiquity. Due to the prestige of heritage and legacy, Colombian emeralds still command the highest price per carat.

Another South American country that also produces emeralds is Brazil, which only started doling out top-grade stones in the 1980s after many decades of mining affordable mid-range specimens. Zambia, located in the landlocked southern part of the African continent, is the newest kid on the block for emeralds. It is also rich in other gemstones such as tourmalines and aquamarines, and has attained the status of the second largest producer of fine emeralds in the world in recent decades.

The trace elements colouring the emeralds are chromium for Colombian specimens; vanadium for Brazilian; and iron for Zambian. The green of Zambian stones tend to be more saturated than the Colombians, and could even appear bluish due to the presence of iron. However, the famous Chivor old mines also produced emeralds with a deep, blue-tinged green.

The Brazilian stones, meanwhile, typically display a slight brown or grey cast. The type of inclusions present in emeralds also varies by their origin. Colombian emeralds are likely to have more inclusions than Brazilian and Zambian emeralds.

Very recently, the remote emerald mines of Panjshir Valley in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan are coming under the spotlight as a potential source for emeralds of excellent colour and clarity, rivalling the best Colombians and Zambians.

Antique Russian emeralds are prized for their colour and lucidity, and were mined from the Urals in the 1800s up until the 1990s. However, they are extremely rare today due to sporadic production and eventual mine closure.

SAPPHIRES

While the most legendary blue sapphires originated from Kashmir, the northern Indian region has stopped production for so long that most of the existing specimens you see today are over 100 years old, and so exceedingly rare they usually take pride of place in a museum or auctions. These sapphires are where the term cornflower blue came from, displaying a desirable striking and vibrant hue similar to that of cornflowers. Due to a certain type of rutile inclusions, Kashmir sapphires also possess a beautiful velvety quality.

Next on the prestige scale are Mogok sapphires, which are also highly limited due to the depletion of the Burmese mines. They are typically darker blue and more transparent than the Kashmir stones, with the best ones displaying a deep, rich midnight blue.

Sri Lanka (Ceylon), meanwhile, is also reputable for astounding sapphires of not just blue, but every known sapphire colour. Hues for the blue sapphire range from a pale, almost cornflower blue to the highly regarded intense royal velvet blue. Among its famous stones include the largest blue star sapphire in the world, called the Star of Adam, which was found in 2013 and weighs some 1404.49 carats; as well as Princess Dianas 12-carat blue sapphire engagement ring, which now belongs to Kate Middleton.

And in addition to other lust-worthy sapphire colours such as brilliant pinks and glowing yellows, Sri Lanka is also well known for its highly coveted Padparadscha sapphires, which are an ethereal, delicate pink-orange akin to the shade of the lotus flower.

Frequently featured by Tiffany & Co. are Montana blue sapphires, which were discovered in Montana state in 1865 by a gold miner working along the Missouri River. The blues are typically not large, and lighter in hue than the Sri Lankans and Burmese. Other colours, including orange, yellow, green, pink, and colourless, have also been found in Montana although the mining there is still small-scale.

Other countries where fine sapphires are found include Vietnam, Tanzania, Thailand, Cambodia, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Australia.

TOURMALINES

Of the many terms used to describe tourmalines, the colour prefix is usually the most common, since the gemstone is one of the most colourful on Earth. The shades adored by high jewellers are blue, green, and pink, but even tourmalines of the same colour are not equal.

Among blue and green tourmalines, an expensive and valuable subset is the neon greenish-blue Paraiba tourmaline, which was first discovered in the Brazilian state of Paraiba in 1989. With its lively hue, electrifying swimming pool effect, and limited supply, the radiant Paraiba quickly became a darling in the industry. In 2001, similar stones of outstanding quality were discovered in Nigeria and Mozambique, which led to the term Paraiba-like, or simply Paraiba, being used for these African stones.

While debate rages over the use of the name Paraiba, some dealers and jewellers use other descriptive terms. For instance, Tiffany & Co. uses the prefix Cuprian Elbaite: cuprian meaning copper bearing, which is the element that imparts the greenish-blue to the tourmaline; while elbaite is tourmalines specie name. An even rarer blue tourmaline is the indicolite tourmaline, an iron-bearing elbaite variety that displays a purer light to dark saturated blue; while the elusive chrome tourmaline, coloured by chromium and vanadium, possesses an intensely saturated forest green.

There is also the superstar among pink tourmalines: the rare rubellite, named for its luscious, ruby-like hue. To be worthy of the name, a pink tourmaline has to display a saturated pink or crimson tone, and must hold its colour regardless of the light source. Sometimes, when tourmalines display two or more colour zones, such as green and pink, they are called watermelon tourmalines.

In general, apart from Brazil, Nigeria, and Mozambique, tourmalines are found in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Burma, Sri Lanka, the US, Madagascar, Namibia, and Tanzania.

This article was first published in WOW.
In partnership with THINX.

Ashley Ford has no strategy for authenticity. She just is who she is.

In this episode of Oh Boy, the writer, editor and speaker tells host Jay Buim of her childhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a child, the adults in her life made her feel like her thoughts shouldnt matter, but she knew that they did. When a teacher saw Ford hanging around the hallways and told her to read an article in the newspaper then write something inspired by it, Fords life changed.

That lit a match under Ashley Ford which propelled her to where she is in this very moment. Avenues to your next best thing are there if youre available to it, she told Jay. In addition to discussing career paths, the two went deep into a conversation about mental health. Ford believes that as a creator, you have to take care of yourself before the art.

Want her to elaborate? Great. Headphones in, press play and enjoy.

Check out Ashleys website here; follow her on Instagram @smashfizzle and Twitter @iSmashFizzle. Follow host Jay Buim on Instagram @beardwizard and check out his website, too. Logo by Kelly Shami; illustration by Amber Vittoria.

This podcast is sponsored by THINX. Follow THINX on Instagram @shethinx and get $5 off your order with the code MANREPELLER at checkout!

Want more Ashley Ford? She participated in an MR Round Table on white privilege, and another MR Round Table on #FreeKesha and going beyond the hashtag.
Trumpenstein ! Who Created Him and Why?

The election of Donald Trump has cast the political elite around the world into a state of shock. His arrival, so soon after the titanic Brexit vote, has profoundly undermined the neo liberal political status-quo that has dominated western economies over the past 30 years.

Trumpenstein  GoldCore

What was unthinkable has become reality and the future is as uncertain as it has ever been. However, his election was foretold 157 years ago by the English philosopher John Stuart Mill. As such, the conditions and causes that ushered in the Trump era could not have been clearer.

In an echo chamber of neo liberal ideology, the cosy cartel of press and politician alike traded information, scoops and leaks back and forth with ease. They became blinded to growing discontent, the numbers of disconnected and the genuine concerns of a growing mass of minorities within our society.

For decades, their concerns have been largely ignored as globalisation and liberal economic policies reduced their financial security, buffeted their communities and increased the debt burden which they have been forced to take out.

In his book On Liberty Mill warned about this effect where a majority within a democratic society can behave tyrannically against the genuine beliefs and concerns of the minority, depriving both sides the right to debate and refute arguments and thus prompting the loss of democratic cohesion.

John Stuart Mill (Wikimedia)

Many highly informed politicians, historians, business people and everyday folk have for decades thought that the circumstances that brought the world to war in the 1930s could never be repeated. They believed that by building so-called free and inclusive societies, where an individual could associate, speak and choose how to live their life freely and democratically, the conditions would be created where economic progress would be all but assured.

But Mill argued that this is not enough, society must actively support the minoritys right to express all concerns no matter whether the belief is right, wrong or even dangerous.

The reason for Trumps arrival are numerous, primarily though they are based on deep social undercurrents that have been building for many years and have been hiding in plain sight.

His election is less about the rise of a new way or a new republican political corporatism, where billionaires are suddenly seen as political saviors, but rather it is more to do with high levels of deep anxiety, frustration, isolation and social dissension where swathes of western populations have been politically, economically and socially left behind and/or ignored by globalisation and its neo-liberal cheerleaders, press and politicos alike.

Make no mistake, Donald Trump is an anti-candidate; anti-status quo, anti-elite, anti-liberal. His election is a demand for attention, for debate and for dialogue from those who have been ignored and bypassed. In time his election may well be seen as one of the finest demonstrations of democratic principles the world has ever seen and democracies will hopefully, assuming they survive, be stronger for it.

So how was this election foretold?

Well, please allow me a word about the backstory that is Globalisation.

Globalisation has been on a rage since the 1960s when the first truly transnational corporations spread across the globe seeking integrated, optimised supply chains and access to new prosperous marketplaces, cheaper capital, and of course low cost workers.

These corporations delivered cheaper, faster, better quality goods to more and more markets, disrupting indigenous craft industries, old fashioned and state protected and inefficient industrial complexes.

They played not only regulatory arbitrage but they also played accounting arbitrage, optimised their balance sheets (liability and asset) using transnational tax efficient strategies designed to pay as little tax on their burgeoning profits, providing increased earnings and capital growth to their shareholders and executive teams.

Globalisation, though, was never really understood by the masses. No one explained what would happen to local jobs, services, lifestyles, communities  in short they never bought in.

It was thrust upon societies and at first very much welcomed. Everybody was a winner. Western economies enjoyed new cheaper goods, access to new markets, new higher paid jobs, requirements for new skills and so on. In fact, recent research by MIT shows that the productivity of companies grew at the same pace as the prosperity of workers from the 1960s right through to 2000.

This is when the relationship stopped. Companies continued to see gains, but workers did not. In fact, their wages stagnated, their debts grew and they had to work harder for the same or less reward. Systemic risk started to build.

The exact same forces are now also guiding Europe towards a potential break up. European communities are neither engaged nor participating. Most Europeans do not know who their MEPs are, never mind what their views are on any issues that they deem pertinent. Sadly, the EU is seen as a monolithic, impenetrable technocratic gravy train for the politically and financially connected.

Domestic governments often reward their supporters with plum jobs in Brussels as a reward for their support domestically. Central banks money printing and largess benefits the already asset rich banks, financial institutions and wealthy elites.

This is where we are today  16 years on and people are now calling a halt to Globalisation. Importantly not because they know what the exact problem is, but because those who say they know, dont know. In short, they have called the political elites bluff and they wish to get rid of them all.

We should have known better

It is called Social Tyranny and it was prescribed as one of the most dangerous forces effecting liberal democracies by John Stuart Mills in his highly celebrated book On Liberty.

Mills was an ardent supporter of liberal democracies, womens rights and the rights of the individual to hold his/her own opinion freely. In fact, he believed that the individual had the right to be wrong, even if his views were deemed dangerous by the state.

He felt that governments had to not only protect the right to freedom of expression, thought, etc., but also to actively encourage the right of minorities to speak and be heard. Most importantly he believed that the greatest dangers facing a society were not despotic regimes, but the tyranny of the majority.

That is to say that when a society is captured by a majority and its narrow beliefs they tend to ignore the concerns and beliefs of the minority, the underclass, the marginalised. In doing so they force these beliefs underground, where they fester and remain unanswered.

Tyranny of the majority

Majority ruled societies can practice a form of oppression more formidable than many kinds of political oppression.

Why? Because it leaves fewer means of escape, penetrating far more deeply into the very detail of life and thus enslaving the soul itself. When society itself is the tyrant, its means of tyrannising are not restricted to the acts of political operators. Society practices a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression.

Social pressures are not always explicit, they can be soft, enduring, breaking the self-down  then people just withdraw. Mill says they are a social evil as they effectively reduce our liberty, our freedom to think freely. If a society is to provide a meaningful life for its citizens it must actively discourage such forces and not leave the citizen alone to fend off the tyranny of the mass media and the masses.

But why should a modern society support beliefs of the so-called ignorant, dangerous and recently named populist?

In his Dilemma argument, Mills was emphatic. Societies may view some beliefs as being wrong, in that case, he counter argues that given time they may be found not to be wrong and when they are wrong, then, via debate, society can refute.

For beliefs that are dangerous then they should be aired and equally refuted and in doing so they will lose their support and die away. Why deny the right of society to argue against beliefs that are dangerous or wrong, if you do so by bullying or beating such beliefs into ideologic submission, you simply force the beliefs underground where they go unanswered and where they fester.

Mills argues for plurality of opinion, that when we debate we learn and we grow as individuals and as societies. When people have varying interests and tastes and beliefs the happiness of society not only increases but it also grows stronger. Diversity is the key to our robustness.

Those rare individuals who go against the grain (some even buy gold!) are the ones who also drag us out of our comfort zones and, through their diversification of beliefs, make societies more financially robust.

To quote Mill:

He who lets the world choose his plan of life, lives a life of apelike imitation, he who choose a life plan for himself, uses all his faculties

The election of Trump can be seen as a statement of the minorities who have been ignored and over looked. They live in the flyover states. On November 8th 2016 they stood up, on mass, and demanded to be heard. Their values are not solely based on GDP, competitiveness, free movement of goods, open borders, stock market returns and Dow 20,000.

Rather, they want economic security, fulfilling jobs, stable communities, the right to be wrong, the right to be heard, to be respected and the right to be engaged with as equals.

(Wikimedia)

So what next

The world has changed and democracy has been tested. Our media, who became captured in an echo chamber of neo-liberal rhetoric, are undergoing a painful period of self examination.

I hope, as a society, we will learn from this period and perhaps realign our values to promote the individual and not the corporate, the local community and not the global and most importantly we learn to listen and debate and respect each other, regardless of social status, wealth or belief.

(Image Source: Bloomberg)

Gold Prices (LBMA AM)

20 Dec: USD 1,132.75, GBP 915.94 & EUR 1,090.84 per ounce

19 Dec: USD 1,137.60, GBP 913.15 & EUR 1,089.14 per ounce

16 Dec: USD 1,134.85, GBP 911.17 & EUR 1,084.80 per ounce

15 Dec: USD 1,132.45, GBP 904.37 & EUR 1,080.70 per ounce

14 Dec: USD 1,160.95, GBP 917.38 & EUR 1,091.99 per ounce

13 Dec: USD 1,157.35, GBP 911.18 & EUR 1,090.80 per ounce

12 Dec: USD 1,154.40, GBP 916.82 & EUR 1,089.41 per ounce

Silver Prices (LBMA)

20 Dec: USD 15.80, GBP 12.80 & EUR 15.22 per ounce

19 Dec: USD 16.00, GBP 12.89 & EUR 15.34 per ounce

16 Dec: USD 16.05, GBP 12.91 & EUR 15.36 per ounce

15 Dec: USD 16.14, GBP 12.95 & EUR 15.51 per ounce

14 Dec: USD 17.11, GBP 13.52 & EUR 16.07 per ounce

13 Dec: USD 17.01, GBP 13.39 & EUR 16.04 per ounce

12 Dec: USD 16.86, GBP 13.34 & EUR 15.90 per ounce

Stephen Flood Chief Executive Officer I am the CEO of GoldCore. We help investors buy and store gold and silver easily and cost effectively. We work with clients of every variety from wealth family offices to everyday people. We provide the very best market data and client service and we care deeply for our clients interests.

This update can be found on the GoldCore blog here.

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You have the right to remain merry. If you refuse to remain merry, your lack of Christmas spirit may be used against you in a court of law.

In a number of states this holiday season  including New York, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts and Tennessee  law enforcement agencies have decided to get into the Christmas spirit in a novel new way.

In some localities in those states, police officers are pulling over law-abiding citizens. When the officer approaches the car, he or she surprises the driver not with a traffic ticket, but with a gift card to an area business. Or maybe an officer dressed as Santa Claus gives the motorist and their children some candy canes.

I first heard about this new trend back in August, when a couple of police officers in nearby Halifax began pulling over motorists on an exceptionally hot day so they could give the drivers ice cream in accordance with vehicle code 1793: driving on a hot day without an ice cream cone.

If you think Im making any of this up, do a quick online search, and youll find plenty of videos of these police interactions, all of which were recorded by the officers themselves.

I understand why many police departments believe that pulling people over to surprise them with gifts and treats is a good idea. In a lot of areas in this country, the relationship between law enforcement and the community is hopelessly fraught. On the surface, this could seem like a great way to show people that police officers can be a friendly bunch with a sense of humor. And if the video footage happens to wind up on YouTube and present a good public relations opportunity, wheres the harm?

There are a few different issues to unpack here.

The first serious issue is that if a police officer pulls over a vehicle, it is legally considered seizure of the driver, passengers and contents of the vehicle. To justify that seizure, the officer needs probable cause; perhaps they witnessed the driver commit a traffic violation, for example, or believe that the driver is wanted in connection with a serious crime.

If a police officer pulls over a vehicle without probable cause  even if they pull over the vehicle because they want to give the driver a gift card or a candy cane  that is a violation of the drivers Fourth Amendment right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures.

If law enforcement keeps pulling this stunt, someone is eventually going to pull over a Constitution enthusiast with some time on his hands, and no one involved is going to have a very merry Christmas.

Theres another issue at play here, however, and its a much simpler one.

Ive been pulled over by law enforcement a couple of times in my life, and I can honestly say that every time I looked up and saw those blue lights flashing in my rearview mirror, I experienced immediate mortal terror. Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like a traffic stop. Im willing to bet that most people feel the same way.

I have all the respect in the world for law enforcement. I count several of our local law enforcement officers as friends. They have a hard job, and all too often, they dont get the credit they deserve.

But during a traffic stop, a police officer has a great deal of power, and a motorist has virtually none. If said motorist is drunk and doing 110 mph through a school zone, its a wonderful thing that the officer has the power to pull the motorist over and arrest him.

However, if the motorist has done nothing wrong, its both legally and morally objectionable for the police officer to use their power for the purposes of a P.R. stunt.

When you watch the videos of officers pulling people over to give them gift cards and candy canes, youll notice that in nearly every video, the driver bursts into laughter once they realize the traffic stop is just a joke.

But if you listen closely, youll realize its not the joyous laughter of a converted Ebenezer Scrooge. Its the shrill, hysterical laughter of intense relief.
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Otherwise than as set out in this Privacy Policy, we will only ever share your data with your informed consent.

Your rights

Where we rely on your consent to use your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This includes the right to ask us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes or to be unsubscribed from our email list at any time. You also have the following rights:

(1) Right to be informed  you have the right to be told how your personal information will be used. This Policy and any other policies and statements used on our website and in our communications are intended to provide you with a clear and transparent description of how your personal information may be used.

(2) Right of access  you can write to us to ask for confirmation of what information we hold on you and to request a copy of that information. Provided we are satisfied that you are entitled to see the information requested and we have successfully confirmed your identity, we have 30 days to comply.

(3) Right of erasure  as from 25 May 2018, you can ask us for your personal information to be deleted from our records.

(4) Right of rectification  if you believe our records of your personal information are inaccurate, you have the right to ask for those records to be updated.

(5) Right to restrict processing  you have the right to ask for processing of your personal data to be restricted if there is disagreement about its accuracy or legitimate usage.

(6) Right to data portability  to the extent required by the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) where we are processing your personal information (i) under your consent, (ii) because such processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contact or (iii) by automated means, you may ask us to provide it to you  or another service provider  in a machine-readable format.

To exercise these rights, please send a description of the personal information in question using the contact details in section 15 below. You can also unsubscribe from our email list by sending a blank email to news-unsubscribe@marxist.com

Where we consider that the information with which you have provided us does not enable us to identify the personal information in question, we reserve the right to ask for (i) personal identification and/or (ii) further information.

Lawful processing

We are required to have one or more lawful grounds to process your personal information. Only 4 of these are relevant to us:

Personal information is processed on the basis of a persons consent Personal information is processed on the basis of a contractual relationship Personal information is processed on the basis of legal obligations Personal information is processed on the basis of legitimate interests

(1) Consent

We will ask for your consent to use your information to send you electronic communications such as newsletters and and fundraising emails, and if you ever share sensitive personal information with us.

(2) Contractual relationships

Most of our interactions with supporters are voluntary and not contractual. However, sometimes it will be necessary to process personal information so that we can enter contractual relationships with people. For example, if you subscribe to one of our publications, or purchase merchandise online.

(3) Legal obligations

Sometimes we will be obliged to process your personal information due to legal obligations which are binding on us. We will only ever do so when strictly necessary.

(4) Legitimate interests

Applicable law allows personal information to be collected and used if it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate activities (as long as its use is fair, balanced and does not unduly impact individuals rights).

We will rely on this ground to process your personal data when it is not practical or appropriate to ask for consent.

Achieving our purposes

These include (but are not limited to) promoting socialist policies

Governance

Internal and external audit for financial or regulatory compliance purposes

Statutory reporting

Publicity and income generation

Conventional direct marketing and other forms of marketing, publicity or advertisement

Unsolicited messages, including campaigns, newsletters, and fundraising appeals

Analysis, targeting and segmentation to develop and promote or strategy and improve communication efficiency

Personalisation used to tailor and enhance your experience of our communications

Operational Management

Maintenance of suppression files

Processing for historical, scientific or statistical purpose

Purely administrative purposes

Responding to enquiries

Delivery of requested products or information

Communications designed to administer existing services including subscriptions, administration of petitions and financial transactions

Thank you communications and receipts

Maintaining a supporter database and suppression lists

Financial Management and control

Processing financial transactions and maintaining financial controls

Prevention of fraud, misuse of services, or money laundering

Enforcement of legal claims

Reporting criminal acts and compliance with law enforcement agencies

When we use your personal information, we will consider if it is fair and balanced to do so and if it is within your reasonable expectations. We will balance your rights and our legitimate interests to ensure that we use your personal information in ways that are not unduly intrusive or unfair in other ways.

Data retention

The length of time each category of data will be retained will vary depending on how long we need to process it for, the reason it was collected, and in line with any statutory requirements. After this point the data will either be deleted, or we may retain a secure anonymised record for research and analytical purposes.

In the event that you ask us to stop sending you direct marketing/fundraising/other electronic communications, we will keep your name on our internal suppression list to ensure that you are not contacted again.

Policy amendments

We keep this Privacy Policy under regular review and reserve the right to update from time-to-time by posting an updated version on our website, not least because of changes in applicable law. We recommend that you check this Privacy Policy occasionally to ensure you remain happy with it. We may also notify you of changes to our privacy policy by email.

Third party websites

We link our website directly to other sites. This Privacy Policy does not cover external websites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external websites you visit via links on our website.

Updating information

You can check the personal data we hold about you, and ask us to update it where necessary, by emailing us at webmaster@marxist.com

Contact

We are not required by law to have a Data Protection Officer  however we have a Data Protection Manager.

Please let us know if you have any queries or concerns whatsoever about the way in which your data is being processed by emailing the Data Protection Manager at webmaster@marxist.com
Pride Toy for Joy fundraiser

For the first year, Pride Markets are conducting a fundraising effort at all 30 of its stores across Western Massachusetts to help fund the 94th Toy for Joy campaign.

(JORDAN GRICE)

As Christmas quickly approaches, the same goes for the end of the 94th Toy for Joy campaign, and Pride Stores throughout Western Massachusetts are looking to make a big contribution with its latest fundraising effort.

In one last push to raise as much as possible, all Pride Stores locations will be holding another Toy for Joy promotion that will give customers who donate $5 to the program a $5 Pride gift card to any of the organization's 30 locations.

Toy for Joy is a collaborative initiative between The Salvation Army, The Republican, and MassLive.com to give toys and gifts to children in need in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties.

In an effort to help this year's Toy for Joy reach its goal of raising $150,000 before Christmas eve, Pride jumped on board with fundraising effort among all store locations, advertising and collecting donations from customers at the cash register.

Online donations can be made by clicking here

While toy distribution is over, Toy for Joy is still raising funds to cover the cost of toys provided to registered families this year.

To learn more about Toy for Joy, call the Salvation Army's Springfield citadel at 413-733-1518.

To donate, click the link above or use the coupon published with this story and mail it to: Toy for Joy, 1860 Main St., Springfield, MA 01101.

Donations may also be dropped off in person at The Republican's offices on Main Street weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and by noon on Dec. 23.
China International Cultural Association pays visit to Holland and Cape Verde

From:chinadaily.com.cn | 2016-12-20 16:46

The cast of the Sichuan Opera Troupe takes a group photo with the delegation at Cape Verde.[Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]

At the invitation of Holland International Cultural Cooperation Center and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, a delegation from the China International Cultural Association and the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of Chinas Ministry of Culture paid an official visit to Holland and Cape Verde between November 24 and December 1.

In Holland, the delegation met with the Vice Minister of Culture Ding Wei and Marjan Hammersma, director general for culture and media of the Dutch Ministry for Education, Culture and Science, in Hague, a city located on the western coast of Holland.

They witnessed the unveiling ceremony of the China Cultural Center in Hague and then had a cultural exchange at the National Museum of Holland and the Van Gogh Museum, laying a solid foundation for potential bilateral cooperation.

Previous Page 1 2 3 4 Next PagePrevious Page 1 2 3 4 Next Page
Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau today announced that 44 Graduation Matters Montana communities will share $88,500 to support ongoing school and community partnerships focused on ensuring more Montana students graduate from high school prepared for their futures.

"Im so proud of the deep and meaningful work communities engaged with Graduation Matters Montana have accomplished," Superintendent Juneau said. "I have no doubt that schools, families, communities and businesses will continue to support each other toward reaching our common goal."

Full Story: http://lists.opi.mt.gov/display.php?M=64747&C=51bafea284f9b7e32067930f28d1d0de&S=3090&L=132&N=2919
Merck Foundation (Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany announced the Winners of Merck Foundation Film Awards More Than a Mother 2021 in partnership with African First Ladies who are also the Ambassadors of Merck Foundation More Than a Mother.

The theme of the awards was: to create a film or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages about breaking Infertility stigma, Empowering Girls and Women through Education at all levels.

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation, President of More than a Mother campaign emphasized, I am extremely happy to announce today the winners of Merck Foundation Film Awards More Than a Mother 2021 in partnership with African First Ladies. Big congratulations to all the winners. I appreciate the efforts put in by the young talents across Africa in their films through which they have beautifully conveyed important messages in line with the theme of the awards. I strongly believe that all forms of art including filmmaking can play a significant role in bringing about a culture shift in society, in the world. Our aim was to utilize this medium to encourage promising filmmakers and new talents across the continent to create short or long films either drama documentary or docudrama conveying messages to break the stigma of infertility or empower Girl Education at all levels.

This year, Merck Foundation had two categories: English and French.

Here is the list of Award Winners:

FIRST POSITION (English):

Sharon Kavhu and Hatite Hoabeb, NAMIBIA

Film Name: Matumaini

Link: https://bit.ly/3McVCtM

Emulo Kgomotso, BOTSWANA

Film Name: 3 in 5

Link: https://bit.ly/3Mkc7o0

SECOND POSITION (English):

Nanmet Anthony, NIGERIA

Film Name: Future Present

Link: https://bit.ly/3sE69Xc

FIRST POSITION (French):

Doux-mignon MALOBA, DRC

Film Name: Le defi de Mariana

Link: https://bit.ly/34eZ0Du

Merck Foundation More Than a Mother Film Awards were launched in 2017.

Winner of 2017 edition:

Ms. Molatelo Mainetje, SOUTH AFRICA

Film Name: Womb Man

Link: https://bit.ly/3ttAMhl

Winners of 2019 Edition:

Ms. Cecilia Oppong-Badu, GHANA

Film Name: Her She Woman

Link: https://bit.ly/3sB14yX

Mr. Godfred Dela Duvi, GHANA

Film Name: Exhale

Link: https://bit.ly/3HE3eC0

Ms. Jane Labous, SENEGAL

Film Name: Angels

Link: https://bit.ly/3HAkdFn

Ms. Fatou Fadiga, GUINEA

Film Name: Infertile

Link: https://bit.ly/3hGtpNP

Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej further added, I would also like to announce the Call for Applications for the new edition of the Merck Foundation Film Awards More Than a Mother 2022. I am looking forward to the entries from our African Filmmakers and students of film making institutions this year too.

However this year, Id like to emphasize that the theme in 2022 aims to address wider range of topics such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Support Girls Education, End Child Marriage, End FGM, Stopping GBV and Women Empowerment at all levels.

Filmmakers and Young talents of Africa, its time to showcase your talent and contribute towards making a difference in society with your unique films with strong and relevant messages about app critical ca and sensitive issues we face in our continent. Be the voice of the voiceless, break the silence and lets all join hands to create a cultural shift.

Who can apply?

All African Filmmakers, Students of Film Making Training Institutions or Young Talents of Africa are invited to create and share a long or short FILMS, either drama, documentary or docudrama to deliver strong and influential messages to address any of the following social issues such as: Breaking Infertility Stigma, Support Girls Education, End Child Marriage, End FGM, Stopping GBV and Women Empowerment at all levels.

Last Date of Submission

30th July 2022

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Five local business owners were awarded the Tom Johnson Entrepreneurship Award earlier this month at a ceremony hosted by the McDowell Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson, Price and Sprinkle, PA., a public accounting firm with offices in Marion, Boone and Asheville, has sponsored the award since 2009 to recognize and support McDowell Countys entrepreneurship spirit, said JPS Marketing Director Maria Pilos.

This years winners are Auto Tech Collision Center, Smokey Ques, GEM Constructors, Right Way Pest Management and Morris-Heron Heating & Cooling. They were recognized with plaques at the Chambers Holiday after Hours on Thursday, Dec. 8 at Tom Johnson Camping World.

To be eligible, applications are submitted and chosen by the chamber based on three criteria: average growth of 5 percent or more over the past three years; payroll of 1 to 300 employees; and company headquarters located in western North Carolina. Eligibility is limited to only chamber-member businesses.

Each year the number of awardees differs according to the number of qualified applicants, said Pilos. Entrepreneurs need vision, motivation, decisiveness, flexibility and a good business plan. Our local business owners continue to light the spirit of free enterprise with their passions, creativity and enthusiasm. JPS is honored to recognize and encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in McDowell County.

Chamber Executive Director Steve Bush said the recognition was started as a way to encourage price and resilience during the downturn in the national economy, and to bring attention to the strengths within the local, business community,

We tip our hat to the management skill and intense dedication shown by our local businesses who continue to thrive in todays economy.

For more information, contact the Chamber at 828-652-4240.
by P.J. Bednarski , Staff Writer @pjbtweet, December 19, 2016

Ordinarily, if a media outlet was able to report a dramatic increase in use by a demographic group, it would be the kind of news that would mandate full page ads in trade papers.

Were number one!* these ads usually blare, while the asterisk quietly smooths out the fine points in the data that often makes the boasting completely stupid.

I doubt you will see many bus billboards around New York City exclaiming, Adults 55+ Love You Tube!" but thats what YouTube has on its hands.

Between 2015 and 2016, it has noted in a series of Think With Google posts, time spent watching YouTube by Baby Boomer types has tripled, though YouTube doesnt tell us how much time that is.

Whats more, as reported by Tubefilter, Think With Googles myth-busting effort cites data from Nielsen that shows, in addition to the aforementioned watch time boost, a general upward trend among YouTubes older audience. Between 2015 and 2016, the time spent on YouTube by the 55+ crowd grew 80% faster than that of adults in general. Also, according to a comScore study cited by Think With Google, 95% of adults ages 35 and up visit YouTube each month.

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Between 2015 and 2016, time spent viewing by adults 18+ only doubled.

Acknowledging older audiences is pretty uncool, because millennials are indeed now the biggest age demographic and that is where every single ad dollar seems to go, peculiarly.

So truthfully, YouTube deserves some credit for acknowledging what it seem no social network wants to admit: It is popular enough that it even over-indexes among audiences most ad media dont even like to admit they have. (The YouTube 55+ admission came in a section of its graphical report devoted to correcting stereotypes specifically, Myth: Only millennials love YouTube.)

The trouble with a lot of YouTube data is that its impossible to wrap your head around, because its viewership is so massive, by everybody, all the time, that explaining it really seems an empty event. (Im reminded that scientist Carl Sagan once encouraged an interviewer to Imagine you are an intelligent octopus. Well, I try. I cant do it.)

Other eye-opening stats, the kind YouTube unveils during the NewFronts season at its Brandcast event, are just beyond comprehension. Like this now familiar one: On mobile alone, in an average week, YouTube reaches more adults 18+ during prime time than any cable network does. That is if, among other qualifiers, were talking about watching prime time for a minute or more.

My favorite: On Valentines Day 2015, the average daily viewership of lobster-cooking videos on mobile increased 4.9X.

Imagine that.

pj@mediapost.com
by Richard Whitman , Columnist, December 19, 2016

Grey Group has announced the acquisition of Tank, a healthcare and consumer agency with offices in Montreal. Tank will retain its name and become part of Grey Group Canada which already operates in

Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Marc Lanouette, President of Tank, will become CEO of Grey Group Canada.



Of the acquisition, Michael Houston, Global President and CEO of Grey North America, said, "We are delighted to welcome Tank to Grey. This acquisition reinforces our longstanding commitment to expand our

capabilities and critical mass in the Canadian market, especially in Quebec, as well as in the important healthcare sector."



And on Lanouette, Houston added, "Marc Lanouette, who takes the helm of Grey Group Canada, has built a premier healthcare agency serving blue-chip clients with world-class strategic and creative brand-building expertise. We intend to build Tank's footprint in the U.S., Europe and Asia beginning in 2017."



Tank was founded in 2007 and had fiscal 2016 net revenues of CAD$14 million as of April 30, 2016. The company employs 120 people at its two offices in Montreal. It counts as clients AbbVie, BMS, Pfizer,

Eli Lilly, Lundbeck, Telus Health, Department of Canadian Heritage and Caisse de depot. The agency scored a Cannes Lion in 2016 in Radio.



On his new position as Grey Group Canada, Lanouette said, "We are thrilled to join forces with Grey, a recognized global creative powerhouse, whose 'Famously Effective' philosophy mirrors our culture. Together, we will accelerate the growth of Grey Canada and export Tank's unique healthcare marketing model worldwide in the years to come.

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by Gord Hotchkiss , Featured Contributor, December 20, 2016

Ken Jennings, the second most successful "Jeopardy" player of all time, has an IQ of 175. That makes him smarter than 99.9998615605% of everybody. If you put him in a city the size of Indianapolis, hed probably be the smartest person there.

In fact, in all of the U.S., statistics say there are only 443 people smarter than Jennings -- and one machine. Lets not forget IBMs Watson whupped Jennings ass over two days, piling up $77,147 in winnings to Jennings $24,000. It wasnt even close. Watson won by a factor of more than 3 to 1.

Thats why I think Watson should run for president in 2020.

Bear with me. Donald Trumps IQ is probably in the 119 range (not 156, as he boasts -- but then, he also boasted that every woman who ever appeared on "The Apprentice" flirted with him). Of course, well never know. Like his tax returns, any actual evidence of his intelligence is unavailable. But lets go with 119. That makes him smarter than 88.24% of the population, which isnt bad, but it also isnt great. According to Wikipedia, if that IQ estimate were correct, he would be the second dumbest president in history, slightly ahead of Gerald Ford.

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Heres another way to think about it. If you were standing at a moderately busy bus stop, chances are somebody else waiting with you would be smarter than the president-elect of the United States.

Watson won "Jeopardy" in 2011. Since then, hes become even smarter, becoming an expert in health, law, real estate, finance, weather -- even cooking. And when I say expert, I mean Watson knows more about those things than anyone alive.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, has probably learned little in the last five years because, apparently, he doesnt have time to read. But thats OK, because he reaches the right decisions with very little knowledge other than the knowledge I [already] had, plus the words common sense, because I have a lot of common sense and I have a lot of business ability.

In the president-elects mind, that also qualifies him to wing it with things like international relations, security risks, emerging world events, domestic crises and the other stuff on his daily to-do list. He has also decided that he doesnt need his regular intelligence briefing, reiterating, "You know, I'm, like, a smart person. I don't have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years. Could be eight years  but eight years. I don't need that.

Thats right, the future leader of the free world is, you know, like, a smart person.

Now, President Watson could also decide to skip the briefing, but thats because Watson can process 500 gigabytes -- the equivalent of a million books -- per second. Any analyst or advisor would be hard-pressed to keep up.

Lets talk about technology. Donald Trump doesnt appear to know how to use a computer. His technology prowess seems to begin and end with midnight use of Twitter. To be fair, Hillary Clinton was also bamboozled by technology, as one errant email server showed all too clearly. But Watson is technology -- and, if you can follow this description from Wikipedia, apparently pretty impressive technology: a cluster of ninety IBM Power 750 servers, each of which uses a 3.5 GHz POWER7 eight-core processor, with four threads per core. In total, the system has 2,880 POWER7 processor threads and 16 terabytes of RAM.

In a presidential debate, or, for that matter, a tweet, Watson can simultaneously retrieve information from its onboard 16-terabyte memory, process, formulate and fact-check. Presumably, unlike Trump, Watson could remember whether or not he said global warming was a hoax, how long ISIS has actually been around and whether he in fact had the worlds greatest memory. At the very least, Watson would know how to spell unprecedented.

But lets get down to the real question. Whose digit do you want on the button: Trumps long and beautiful fingers or Watsons bionic thumb? Watson, who can instantly and rationally process terabytes of information to determine optimum alternatives -- or Trump, whose philosophy is that it really doesnt matteras long as youve got a young and beautiful piece of *ss.

I know what youre thinking: This is us finally surrendering to the machines. But at least its intelligence -- even if it is artificial.

Note: In writing what I thought was satire, I found once again that fact is stranger than fiction. Somebody had already thought of this idea four years ago: http://watson2016.com
by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, December 20, 2016

Rover.com, founded as a startup weekend project, is a network of dog boarders, sitters and walkers. The service works like a business listing marketplace, but has a strict vetting process to join the group. In fact, only 15% of people who apply make it into the marketplace after going through the strict vetting process, explains Brent Turner, COO at Rover.

Still, the marketplace supports more than 65,000 sitters and dog walkers in its marketplace -- up 50% year-over-year -- across more than 10,000 in the United States.

Just two years ago, less than 5% of Rover.com's site traffic from AdWords came from searches on mobile phones, and now it's over half. As the team realized how rapidly the traffic was shifting to mobile devices, Google was there to guide them on taking advantage of mobile specific ads, bids and landing pages. In 2017, the company will look to expand internationally.

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"In the beginning Google helps us out by writing a few thousand versions of mobile-specific ad copy," he said. "We put those in the ad rotation, which helped us learn thematically from the way Google approached writing ad copy. 'Search for a dog sitter' from a mobile phone was one theme."

Turner, who served as GM of search and display for the Microsoft Media Network and EVP of call products at Marchex, said the company began using AdWords from the beginning. The company was founded in 2012.

"Even if the search traffic doesn't pencil out in the early days, it does help you understand where the problems are in the purchase flow when it comes to converting site visitors to customers," he said.

Indeed, for Rover.com the Google traffic, SEO and paid search served as a "roadmap" to determine where people got stuck in the purchase process. From there the startup worked out the kinks to develop a positive return on investment to scale up the amount spent on campaigns.

Initially, the site did not work efficiently, but as more sitters joined the marketplace each individual figured out how to optimize their business listing on the site. Maps are included, with sections for special needs. The site also includes sitters who are willing to watch pets on holidays. Rover.com optimizes the site as a whole for all of these requests, and each sitter learns how to focus and optimize their listing to attract a specific customer segment, similar to a retail store.

Search terms used to attract searchers include "doggy day care," "dog boarding," "drop in sitting" and all its variants.

Turner says that Rover.com needs to understand what type of optimization sitters in the marketplace do, so the two don't make changes that cancel out each other. "The ability to bid on search traffic, bring it to the site and convert visitors to customers is essential," he said.

In addition to Google AdWords, Rover.com uses other traditional services such as Google Analytics, but it also relies on Google Trends to monitor the growth of dog walker site category, which Turner believes remains in its infancy. It also helps Rover predict when spikes in certain searches, so the company can meet customer demand.
by Wayne Friedman , December 20, 2016

Manish Bhatia, chief product officer of comScore, has been named chief executive officer of Kantar Media North America.

Bhatia will take on responsibility for the management of all of Kantar Media's U.S. services, including advertising intelligence, TGI (Target Group Index), SRDS and Kantar CMAG. He will develop these businesses and drive the development of Kantar Medias digital business both organically and via acquisition.

Andy Brown, global CEO/chairman of Kantar Media, stated on the hire: We seek to provide more holistic solutions for clients making the transition from traditional to digital."

In addition, Bhatia will join the global board of Kantar Media and work closely with the other Kantar U.S. businesses: Kantar Millward Brown, Kantar TNS and Kantar Worldpanel Shopcom.

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Bhatia had been chief product officer at comScore since January 2016, responsible for strategy and product development for the company's global TV and digital product portfolio, including cross-media audience and advertising measurement. Before that he was chief revenue officer for the company, overseeing digital investments, providing clients with digital measurement and analytics, delivering insights on web, mobile and TV consumer behavior.

Bhatia also had been been EVP of new product innovation at Arbitron, where he focused on developing cross-media products for TV, online and mobile platforms. Previous to Arbitron, he was president/CEO of Symphony Advanced Media.

Additionally, Bhatia held various senior level positions at Nielsen, such as president of Nielsens Advanced Digital Services.

This past summer comScore admitted to accounting issues, resulting in a major hit on its stock price and the departure of chief executive Serge Matta with co-founder and chairman emeritus Gian Fulgoni becoming chief executive officer.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 20, 2016

Ad company Turn has agreed to settle allegations that it deceived consumers by tracking them for ad purposes after they attempted to avoid such tracking, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday.

The settlement, which bars Turn from misrepresenting its online data collection practices, centers on the company's use of a controversial "supercookie" technology. From 2013 through early 2015, the company allegedly tracked Verizon wireless users via headers -- called X-UIDHs -- that Verizon injected into all unencrypted mobile traffic.

Those headers -- 50-character alphanumeric strings -- enabled ad companies to compile profiles of users and serve them targeted ads. The X-UIDHs also are known as zombie cookies, or "supercookies," because they allow ad companies to recreate cookies that users delete.

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Turn tracked millions of consumers online and through mobile apps even if they had taken steps to block or limit tracking, Jessica Rich, head of the FTC's consumer protection bureau, stated. The FTCs order will ensure the company honors consumers privacy choices.

The FTC alleged in its complaint that Turn misled consumers by implying in its privacy policy that users could control online tracking by refusing to accept cookies. Until April of 2015, Turn's privacy policy didn't mention its use of tracking headers, according to the FTC. Instead, the company said it used cookies for tracking, and that people could control whether their browsers accepted cookies.

"You can instruct your browser, by editing in options, to stop accepting cookies or prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit," the privacy policy stated, according to the FTC. "If you do not accept cookies, however, you may not be able to enjoy the full functionality of many of the websites you visit."

Those statements amounted to a representation that consumers could avoid tracking by rejecting cookies, the FTC alleged.

Turn said Tuesday that it agreed to settle the case in order to avoid litigation. "Turn complies with applicable law and industry standards and regulations," the company stated. "This agreement will have no impact on the work we do for our clients or our ability to compete in the market."

The company didn't admit to wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

Verizon has used the controversial tracking headers for ad targeting since 2012, but didn't disclose their existence in its privacy policy until late 2014. Initially, Verizon didn't let its subscribers opt out of the header insertions. But last year, faced with pressure from lawmakers, Verizon revised its policies to allow opt-outs. The company later narrowed the program by saying it would only send the header to Verizon companies, including AOL.

Verizon originally predicted that ad networks weren't likely to draw on the headers in order to compile profiles of Web users. But in January of 2015, researcher Jonathan Mayer reported that Turn drew on Verizon's headers to collect data and send targeted ads to mobile users who delete their cookies.

Turn initially acknowledged Mayer's report, and defended use of the tracking headers. At Turn, we always use the most stable identifier available to inform our bidding and campaign execution, Max Ochoa, Turn's former general counsel and chief privacy officer, said in a blog post. In the case of Verizon devices, we use the non-cookie UIDH identifier.

He added that clearing cookies is not a widely recognized method of reliably expressing an opt-out preference."

Several days later, the company changed its position and stopped using the tracking headers.

The FTC also alleged that Turn misled consumers by stating in its privacy policy that they could opt out of receiving tailored ads by clicking on an opt-out link. Turn said that clicking on that link would result in users receiving an opt-out cookie that "tells our servers not to deliver tailored, anonymous ads to you that deliver high value to the sites and apps you love."

But, according to the FTC, the opt-out cookie only applied to mobile browsers, and didn't block targeted ads on mobile apps.

Earlier this year, the Federal Communications Commission fined Verizon $1.35 million to settle an investigation surrounding the headers. That investigation focused on whether Verizon violated the Communications Act's privacy provisions -- which require carriers to protect customers' "proprietary information" -- and whether the company violated a 2010 net neutrality rule requiring disclosure of broadband management practices.
GeekWire, Tuesday, December 20, 2016 2:54 PM

A Washington state judge is expected to decide this week whether Attorney General Bob Ferguson can proceed with a $100 million lawsuit against Comcast for allegedly bilking subscribers. The lawsuit alleges that Comcast duped consumers by selling them a $4.99-a-month "service protection plan" that wasn't as comprehensive as advertised. Comcast argues that the company's terms and conditions stated what was covered by the plan.

Read the whole story at GeekWire 
The researchers used genetic data on more than 112,500 participants to search for links between self-reported sleep variables (sleep duration, insomnia , and excessive daytime sleepiness) and participants health and life histories.

The UK Biobank  which is tracking more than half a million people in the U.K.  is also starting to release genetic data on participants. The first batch was released in May 2015, and it contains genetic data on 150,000 participants.

For their study, the researchers  including members from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston and the University of Manchester in the U.K.  analyzed genetic and health data from participants in the UK Biobank .

They note that while lifestyle and environmental factors have a strong influence, there is also evidence that inherited traits affect sleep duration and disturbance. Therefore, identifying any underlying genetic links could advance treatment development.

In the journal Nature Genetics, scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom explain how chronic sleep disturbance that is linked to a number of diseases, psychiatric disorders, and premature death, is a global health problem that affects 25-30 percent of adults.

For the first time, researchers have found genetic links between sleep disturbance and a range of conditions, such as restless legs syndrome, obesity, and schizophrenia.

The strongest genetic link for insomnia appears to be in a gene already tied to restless legs syndrome  a nervous system disorder where the person has a strong and irresistible urge to move their legs. The symptoms are often worse at night.

Fast facts about restless legs syndrome Estimates suggest that as many as 10 percent of people in the U.S. may have RLS

of people in the U.S. may have RLS Some doctors wrongly attribute the symptoms to insomnia, stress, nervousness, arthritis, muscle cramps, or aging

RLS can begin at any age and affects twice as many women as men. Learn more about RLS

Other gene regions also appear to be important for insomnia. The researchers also note that those affecting men are different to those affecting women.

The team also found genetic links between longer sleep duration and schizophrenia risk, and between higher levels of excessive daytime sleepiness and increased measures of obesity  such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

Joint senior author Richa Saxena, assistant professor of anesthesia at MGH and Harvard Medical School, says that while their findings should be investigated further, they believe that they are an important step forward in our understanding of the biology of sleep.

The team also found that insomnia may share underlying biology with major depression and abnormal glucose metabolism.

Dr. Martin K. Rutter  clinical senior lecturer in cardiometabolic medicine at Manchester, and the other joint senior author of the paper  says that:

Scientists have long observed a connection between sleep disorders and these conditions in epidemiological studies. But this is the first time these biological links have been identified at a molecular level.

Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling mental disorder that affects thinking, perception, and emotions. Estimates suggest that it affects about 21 million people worldwide. Although effective treatments exist, around half of people with the disorder receive no care.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. Once a problem afflicting only high-income countries, rates of obesity are rising at alarming rates in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 39 percent of adults globally were overweight in 2014, and 13 percent were obese. Being overweight is defined as having a BMI (body mass in kilograms divided by the square of the body height in meters) of 25 or over, and obese as 30 and over.

Its important to remember there is no molecular targeting available for conditions which affect sleep: all we really have are sedatives. So we hope that this research will enable scientists to develop new ways to intervene on a range of conditions in a much more fundamental way. Prof. Richa Saxena

Learn how a genetic link between liver and brain may control alcohol consumption.
People who leave school without a school certificate are more than twice as likely to have a heart attack as those with a university degree, according to groundbreaking new Australian research from the largest ongoing study of healthy ageing in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study.

Researchers investigated the links between education and cardiovascular disease events (such as a heart attack or stroke) by following 267,153 men and women in the state of New South Wales aged over 45, who are part of the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study, for over five years. The results were published in the International Journal for Equity in Health and were the subject of discussion at the Cardiovascular Disease Inequalities Partnership Project meeting in the nation's capital, Canberra.

"The lower your education, the more likely you are to have a heart attack or a stroke - that's the disturbing but clear finding from our research," said lead researcher Dr Rosemary Korda, a Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at The Australian National University (ANU).

"Our study found that in adults aged 45-64 years, heart attack rates among those with no educational qualifications were more than double (around 150% higher) those of people with a university degree.

The risk was around two-thirds (70%) higher among those with intermediate levels of education (non-university qualifications).

"Mid-age adults who hadn't completed high school were 50% more likely to have a first stroke than those with a university degree; those with intermediate levels of education (non-university qualifications) were 20% more likely."

Dr Korda said a similar pattern of inequality existed between household income and cardiovascular disease events.

"What these differences in cardiovascular disease rates between more and less disadvantaged groups show us is just how much cardiovascular disease in the population can be prevented. The Cardiovascular Disease Inequalities Partnership Project is continuing research in this area to better understand what is driving these socioeconomic differences."

Professor Emily Banks, Scientific Director of the 45 and Up Study and Head of Epidemiology for Policy and Practice at ANU, said these findings demonstrated the value of the 45 and Up Study as an unparalleled Australian research resource making it possible for researchers to investigate big questions in large numbers of people and to get faster answers that are useful for policy makers.

"This research demonstrates, now that we have more robust data, how much worse the inequalities in cardiovascular disease are than we previously thought," said Professor Banks. "This research also provides important clues about how much cardiovascular disease can be prevented."

CEO of the Heart Foundation New South Wales Kerry Doyle said that heart disease was the single leading cause of death in Australia, with an average of one Australian dying every 27 minutes.

"We know that a good education impacts long term health by influencing what type of job you have, where you live and what food choices you make," said Ms Doyle.

"This research provides an opportunity to further unpack the specific relationship between educational achievement and cardiovascular disease risk, and what can be done to reduce this risk," she added.
Antiretroviral drugs have been life-changing therapies for HIV patients, but they can have significant side effects.

Mounting evidence has implicated these drugs in contributing to HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, or HAND, which can be manifested as forgetfulness, confusion and behavioral and motor changes. Yet an explanation for how the drugs take a toll on the brain has been lacking.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now pinpointed some of the key players in causing neuronal damage. Their work suggests that certain protease inhibitors, among the most effective HIV drugs, lead to the production of the peptide beta amyloid, often associated with Alzheimer's disease. The drugs prompt an increase in levels of the enzyme that cleaves the amyloid precursor protein, APP, to produce beta amyloid, which is responsible for the damage to neurons.

Notably, inhibiting that enzyme, called BACE1, protected human and rodent brain cells from harm, suggesting that targeting this pathway with a new drug could minimize damage to neurons in patients on antiretroviral therapies.

"Protease inhibitors are very effective antiviral therapies, but they do have inherent toxicities," said Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, chair and professor in the Penn School of Dental Medicine's Department of Pathology and senior author on the study. "Our findings may cause us to rethink how we're using these drugs and even consider developing an adjunctive therapy to reduce some of these negative effects."

The study appears in the American Journal of Pathology.

Protease inhibitors such as ritonavir and saquinavir are a key part of the drug cocktail that has reduced mortality in HIV-infected people by 50 percent. Though newer compounds form the frontline treatments for patients in the United States, these protease inhibitors remain widely used in Africa and other developing areas hit hard by HIV/AIDS. They work by blocking viral enzymes necessary for creating infectious particles that allow the virus to spread through the body.

Previous investigations by Jordan-Sciutto's team have suggested, however, that protease inhibitors can have toxic effects on the central nervous system. One study, for example, demonstrated that they triggered the activation of stress-response pathways, including oxidative stress and a process called the unfolded-protein response, or UPR. UPR results when the cell senses misfolded or modified proteins, causing a halt in protein translation. It's meant to protect a cell from aberrant proteins, but, when chronically activated, it can lead to cellular damage or death.

Even after these studies, it wasn't clear whether UPR seen in HIV patients was induced primarily as a result of the virus or of the treatment, and what molecules mediated it. In addition, the researchers were intrigued by the findings of colleague and coauthor Robert Vassar of Northwestern University, who showed that stress-induced UPR led to activation of beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1, or BACE1, an enzyme that snips apart APP to produce beta amyloid.

"The study emerged from these three lines of converging evidence," Jordan-Sciutto said. "We knew UPR was activated in HIV patients both on and off antiretroviral therapy; we knew that, despite antiretroviral therapy, cognitive impairment persisted in these patients; and we knew that activation of UPR lead to an increase in BACE1."

To determine whether and how neuronal damage arises from drug treatment and to ascertain BACE1's role, the team investigated the effects of protease inhibitors in two animal models, then probed the mechanism of action in cells in culture.

First, to confirm that the drugs themselves, and not the underlying HIV infection, were responsible for neuronal damage, they examined a population of macaques, some of which had SIV, a retrovirus very similar to HIV that affects non-human primates. The researchers found that SIV-positive animals that had been treated had increased expression of APP in their neurons, a sign of damage, as well as increased BACE1 compared to the untreated animals.

They further confirmed that the drugs were the culprit in causing these changes by administering ritonavir and saquinavir to healthy adult mice. Again, they observed singificant increases in BACE1.

Turning to cells in culture, they found that administering ritonavir or saquinavir at doses equivalent to those seen in the blood of treated humans led to dramatic increases in molecular markers associated with UPR as well as increases in BACE1 expression. Furthermore, they demonstrated that the increase in BACE1 led directly to an increase in processing of APP. Applying an inhibitor of BACE1 to rat brain cells in culture prevented the damage that ritonavir treatment otherwise induced.

"Putting this together with our earlier findings on oxidative stress, it appears that the drugs are triggering oxidative stress that is damaging proteins and inducing the unfolded protein response," said Cagla Akay Espinoza, a research scientist in Jordan-Sciutto's lab and a coauthor. "The virus itself provides a stress, but the drugs are causing additional stress and damage to neurons, in part by BACE1 leading to downstream processing of amyloid precursor protein."

A final set of experiments showed that an enzyme called PERK, a major player in UPR, helped mediate the increase in BACE1 expression in neurons triggered by protease inhibitors.

"We're very interested in the role of PERK in this process," said Jordan-Sciutto. "Targeting PERK and/or BACE1 could help contribute to a therapeutic approach to treat drug-associated cognitive disorders."

The new findings open up a number of avenues for future research. The team would like to explore whether this pathway of neuronal damage applies to other HIV drugs and how the UPR differs depending on whether the virus or the drugs are inducing it. Also, given the connection between beta amyloid, APP and Alzheimer's disease, the team is curious to learn more about how these peptides contribute to the disorders seen both in that disease and in HAND.

In addition to Jordan-Sciutto, Akay Espinoza and Vassar, authors on the work included Penn Dental Medicine's Patrick J. Gannon, Alan C. Yee, Michelle A. Erickson, Nicholas S. Kim, Gabriel Van De Walle and Brigid K. Jensen; R. Chistopher Pierce, Alexander J. Gill and Dennis L. Kolson of Penn's Perelman School of Medicine; Lisa A. Briand of Temple University; Benjamin B. Gelman of the University of Texas Medical Branch; Yan Gao and J. Alan Diehl of the Medical University of South Carolina; and Norman J. Haughey, Joseph L. Mankowski, M. Christine Zink and Janice E. Clements of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Article: HIV Protease Inhibitors Alter Amyloid Precursor Protein Processing via -Site Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleaving Enzyme-1 Translational Up-Regulation, Kelly Jordan-Sciutto et al., American Journal of Pathology, doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.09.006, published online December 2016.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have camels and llamas to thank for their development of a new cancer treatment that is highly selective in blocking the action of faulty matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).

MMPs are a group of 26 closely related proteinases (enzymes that break down other proteins) that are essential in tissue regeneration and other normal cellular processes. However, when a tumor grows, certain MMPs are over-produced, allowing cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body.

In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Xin Ge, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering, and his colleagues describe the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies that are highly selective to MMPs, meaning they can bind to a specific MMP and block its activity without affecting other MMP family members. The creation of these human antibodies was inspired by antibodies found naturally in the camelid family of animals, which includes camels and llamas.

The results could lead to new treatments - not only for a variety of cancers, but also other diseases that arise from faulty proteinases, such as Alzheimer's, asthma, multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

For more than 20 years, scientists have been developing drugs that block faulty MMPs in order to stop cancers from starting and spreading. But clinical trials on a variety of promising small molecules have failed - largely because they lack the specificity needed to target faulty MMPs while still allowing "good" MMPs to perform their regular cellular duties.

"Clinical trial failures have taught us that selective, rather than broad-based, inhibitors are required for successful MMP therapies, but achieving this selectivity with small-molecule inhibitors is exceedingly difficult because of the incredible conservation among MMP family members. As a result, broad-spectrum inhibitors have failed in clinical trials due to their low overall efficacy and side effects," Ge said.

Monoclonal antibodies, with their large and inherently more specific binding sites, have been touted as an alternative to small molecules. However, until now, scientists have struggled to develop MMP-blocking antibodies due to the incompatibility between their binding sites.

"Both human antibodies and MMPs have concave - or buried - binding sites, making interactions between them almost impossible. They simply won't stick together," Ge said.

That's why the researchers turned to the convex, looped binding sites found in camel and llama antibodies that are ideal for interactions with the concave MMP sites. The team chemically synthesized billions of variants of human antibodies with convex loops found in camelids. In testing them, they identified dozens that are highly effective at blocking MMPs and reducing the spread of cancer in laboratory models.

"While we can't use camel or llama antibodies directly in humans because they would cause an immune reaction, we essentially used them as our inspiration in the creation of human antibodies that are now promising candidates against tumor-promoting MMPs," Ge said.

In addition to Ge, contributors to this paper included Dong Hyun Nam, a postdoctoral researcher, and Carlos Rodriguez, an undergraduate researcher, both at UC Riverside, and Albert Remacle and Alex Strongin from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, Calif. The research was supported by the National Institute of Health and a National Science Foundation Career Award to Ge.

Article: Active-site MMP-selective antibody inhibitors discovered from convex paratope synthetic libraries, Xin Ge et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1609375114, published online 13 December 2016.
Women with significant aortic valve disease who undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) are considered higher risk than men in some respects. However, their survival rate one year after having had the procedure is higher than men, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Even though women have more complications as a result of the TAVR procedure - especially bleeding and vascular issues - they still fared better than men one year after the procedure. The reasons for this are not yet completely understood.

Previous studies have looked at the early outcomes after TAVR in men and women, and shown that the survival rate was the same for both sexes. However, this is the largest study to take an in-depth look at the longer-term outcomes and survival rates after TAVR in women and men.

TAVR is a minimally invasive treatment method used for people with severe symptomatic aortic valve disease who are at high risk, and about half of patients who undergo this procedure are women. To decide who should have TAVR versus another type of procedure, such as surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or medical therapy, surgeons and heart teams calculate a person's risk by using scoring methods that determine their 30-day mortality and morbidity risks. However, these scoring methods were generally designed to predict risk as it relates to SAVR, not TAVR.

"These findings are significant because it may mean heart teams are overestimating the risks of TAVR in some women and that also may mean that valve replacement is underutilized," said Roxana Mehran, MD, professor of medicine in cardiology at The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the study's senior researcher. "In other words, some women who could benefit from TAVR may not be getting it."

Using data from the STS/ACC TVT Registry, the study looked at more than 23,000 patients receiving TAVR with older generation devices between 2011 and 2014 with an almost equal proportion of women (49.9 percent) and men (51.1 percent).

In general, the women were older and had higher predicted 30-day risk scores. However, they were more likely to have other health issues at baseline, such as worsened kidney function, significant problems related to a leaking mitral heart valve and "porcelain aorta" which is when the aorta - the main artery of the body - becomes heavily calcified.

Men were more likely to be treated with percutaneous TAVR which is when a tube is inserted through the skin into the artery in the groin. Women were more likely to have a surgical incision for TAVR. Additionally, although very rare, there was a greater chance that the operating cardiologist or surgeon would need to abort TAVR and switch over to open surgery - due to complications - in women.

Overall, despite the fact that women had more procedural problems, they had better survival at one year. In addition, with smaller and improved TAVR devices, women can increasingly undergo procedures percutaneously via the smaller artery in the groin, which would be expected to reduce the risk of procedural complications as well.

"These study results also highlight that we need a robust scoring assessment that is specific to TAVR and catered to women so we can make the best decisions," Mehran said. "Additionally, further study is needed on the medium- to long-term causes of death in men and women who have had TAVR, particularly studies that are focused on learning more about vascular biology and why the aorta becomes more calcified in women."

Mehran also said that there are promising advances being made in 3D printing technology that will improve devices used in TAVR. As a result of improved technology, outcomes will likely further improve in both men and women.

In an accompanying editorial, Molly Szerlip, M.D., a cardiologist at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano in Plano, Texas, said, "One should, however, interpret the results of this study with caution. The findings of this study are only applicable to the population that was studied and should not necessarily be extrapolated to lower risk populations or to patients who receive newer generation valves."
Tests of how people make decisions might be able to predict which patients will self-harm again and again, according to an analysis by scientists at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford University.

The research, led by Dr Matthew Broome, a psychiatrist at Oxford Health and a researcher at Oxford University's Department of Psychiatry, analysed the results from 15 previous studies of the relationship between different psychological factors and the risk of self-harm.

The results, published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, suggest that tests tapping into how people make decisions can identify those more likely to harm themselves more than once. Self-harm is when a person intentionally injures themselves. At least 10% of young people report having harmed themselves at least once.

But the more often someone harms themselves, the more likely it is that they will eventually try and take their own life.

"This is why it is particularly important to predict who is more likely to harm themselves more than once", says Dr Broome. "If we are able to identify people more likely to harm themselves repeatedly, we can reduce the risk of suicide and target interventions, as well as reduce the great personal and healthcare costs of repeated self-harm."

"While some factors such as being younger or being unemployed are linked to a greater risk for repeated self-harm, we don't yet have any good methods, at an individual level, to predict who will go on to self-harm more than once."

Dr Broome's research group, which included clinicians and scientists from The University of Warwick, McGill University in Canada, Ghent University in Belgium and the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, assessed the data from nearly 170 studies on self-harm to find out if there was an association between repeated bouts of self-harm and different brain processes.

After excluding studies which did not look at repeated self-harm, or where the results were unclear, the analysis focussed on 15 studies.

This analysis found that there was a clear association between repeated episodes of self-harm in adolescents and two standardized computer tests that simulate real-life decision-making, used in two separate studies by researchers in Texas, USA and Kings College London, UK. In these tests, participants have to weigh up the amount of a reward, versus the effort and delay in getting it.

"Our analysis found that there was a clear association between problems in value-based making decision-making and repetition of self-harm in young people, and such tasks showed more promise for individual prediction than others," Dr Broome says.

"The computer tests to assess this kind of decision-making are easy to do, and we're now planning further studies to look at suicide risk in young people."

"We hope that ultimately healthcare clinicians can begin to use better personalised tools in their assessments to identify those most likely to be vulnerable, when they come into contact with health services for the first time." Dr Angharad de Cates, from the University of Warwick and the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, and first author on the study, said: "We know that self-harm is under-researched for a variety of reasons, including stigma as well as concern about potentially vulnerable individuals. "

"But there is also an idea that self-harm cannot have a biological cause."

"Hopefully, our research is one brick in the wall of the biology behind self-harm as a pathological process, and will encourage other researchers to undertake research into the biology of self-harm."

Article: Are neurocognitive factors associated with repetition of self-harm? A systematic review, Matthew R. Broome et al., Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.10.032, published 5 December 2016.
The degree to which one is disturbed by noises of everyday life may be related to how the brain processes variations in the sound stream, according to new findings published in Scientific Reports.

Some people experience strong discomfort of sounds around them and complain that they suffer from noise.

Previous studies have shown that noise sensitive individuals are more prone to negative effects of noise on health, such as sleep disturbance and heart diseases, and that sensitivity to noise may be rooted to one's genetic profile.

In the newly published work 'A window into the brain mechanisms associated with noise sensitivity', researchers from the University of Helsinki and Aarhus University addressed whether noise sensitivity is manifested in the way the brain processes sounds.

They showed that the auditory system of noise sensitive individuals is less responsive to new sound features introduced among repetitive sounds, especially if the novel sound is noisier than the rest.

Seeming counterintuitive at first, this finding suggests that it may be harder for sensitive people to build a prediction about changes in a varying soundscape, and their auditory system might "tune down" its responsiveness to sounds in order to protect itself from overreacting to noise.

"We need further studies to conclude whether we've discovered something that is the reason why people are noise sensitive or is it the result of the brain's contractions against excessive noise. Nevertheless, this study advances the view on noise sensitivity being more than just a negative attitude to sounds and brings us new information on the physiology of environmental sensitivity," says the first author of the study, doctoral student Marina Kliuchko from the University of Helsinki.

The contribution of this study crosses boundaries of the brain science and reaches to public and occupational healthcare. The researchers hope that their work will highlight that noise sensitivity is an important issue to be recognized in planning noise control in living and working environments.

The work was completed at Cognitive Brain Research Unit (CBRU) of University of Helsinki in collaboration with University of Helsinki's Department of Public Health and CICERO Learning network, BioMag Laboratory, and Center for Music in the Brain at Aarhus University, Denmark.
The presence of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) isolated from blood samples of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma was associated with poor outcomes.

The incidence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is on the rise in Western countries, and prognosis remains very poor. Pancreatic cancer is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States by 2030, behind lung cancer, and is therefore considered a public health problem, Bachet noted.

There are several challenges to conducting translational research on pancreatic cancer, including the difficulty in obtaining tumor samples from patients, because of which, most studies have been limited to patients with resectable disease until now, Bachet explained. However, only 10 to15 percent of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma have resectable disease at diagnosis. Identification of robust prognostic or predictive biomarkers are urgently needed for all patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, whatever the stage of the disease, he said.

Bachet and team initiated a prospective study five years ago to collect blood samples from patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma with the goal of identifying blood-based biomarkers to overcome the challenge of limited availability of tumor samples for research purposes.

In this study, the researchers analyzed blood samples from 135 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma; 31 had resectable tumors, 36 had locally advanced disease (LA), and 68 had metastatic disease (M). They extracted DNA from the plasma samples and used a specific NGS analysis method to detect low-allele frequency mutations. They also screened all plasma samples for the three most frequent KRAS mutations in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, besides several other mutations, by picoliter droplet-based digital PCR (dPCR).

In multivariate analysis, the presence of ctDNA was an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with advanced disease, and it also correlated with the stage of the disease and the grade of tumor differentiation.

Of the 104 patients with advanced disease, 50 had detectable ctDNA (LA, 17 percent; M, 65 percent). After a median follow-up of 34.2 months, 76 died. Overall survival (OS) was 19 months in patients with no detectable ctDNA, versus 6.5 months in those with ctDNA.

When patients with advanced disease were grouped into tertiles based on the frequency of mutations in the ctDNA, there was a significant dose-response relationship with OS: 18.9 months for those in the lowest tertile, 7.8 months for those those in the middle, and 4.9 months for those in the highest tertile.

Of the 31 patients with resectable disease, six had detectable ctDNA. After a median follow-up of 33.3 months, 23 had disease recurrence and 13 of them died. Disease-free survival was 17.6 months in patients with no detectable ctDNA, versus 4.6 months in those with ctDNA; OS was 32.2 months versus 19.3 months.

A strong correlation was observed between the results obtained with NGS and droplet-based dPCR to study KRAS, confirming that their NGS strategy is pertinent, Bachet said.

"Our study confirms, in one of the largest reported series, the feasibility of detecting ctDNA in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma using a specific next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis method that allows us to screen a large number of genes," said Bachet. "Our study also confirms the strong prognostic value of the presence of ctDNA and of its level, when detected, in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma," he added.

"Our results demonstrate the utility of circulating biomarkers in subclassifying cancers and managing treatment," Bachet noted. "We need to confirm these results in prospective clinical trials to better assess the predictive value of this biomarker in light of the dynamic biological changes that occur during treatment."

As a limitation to the study, in the subgroup of patients who had curative-intent resection, blood samples were not collected before surgery so the researchers did not have pre-operative ctDNA data for these patients.

The study was funded by the Fondation d'Aide et Recherche en Cancerologie Digestive, the Ministere de l'Enseignement Superieur et de la Recherche, the Universite Paris-Descartes, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, the Institut Merieux the SIRIC CARPEM, and a Fondation Servier fellowship. Bachet declares no conflicts of interest. Valerie Taly, a co-author of this study, received honoraria from Radiance Technologies and Boehringer Ingelheim. Bachet thanks all members of the team INSERM UMRS-1147, and in particular, Professor Laurent-Puig, the head of the team.

Article: Plasma Circulating Tumor DNA in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Is a Prognostic Marker, Daniel Pietrasz, Nicolas Pecuchet, Fanny Garlan, Audrey Didelot, Olivier Dubreuil, Solene Doat, Francoise Imbert-Bismut, Mehdi Karoui, Jean-Christophe Vaillant, Valerie Taly, Pierre Laurent-Puig and Jean-Baptiste Bachet, Clinical Cancer Research, doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-0806, published 19 December 2016.
TOKYO

Dec. 20, 2016

December 20

60 billion Japanese yen

January 2017

Denmark

Copenhagen

USA

Seattle

David Kauffmann

Gustavo Mahler

Japan

Europe

/PRNewswire/ -- AGC Asahi Glass ("AGC"), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, announced onthat it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in CMC Biologics ("CMC"), a world-leading biologics active pharmaceutical ingredient ("API") manufacturer with major investors including Monitor Clipper Partners and European Equity Partners, for the purchase price of approximately. The agreement remains subject to approval from the relevant antitrust authorities, and the acquisition is expected to be completed inCMC is a contract development and manufacturing organization ("CDMO"), offering biological API-manufacturing service with mammalian and microbial hosts. The company provides high value-added cell line construction, process development, scale-up and manufacturing of APIs used in drug development (pre-clinical and clinical trials) and in commercially marketed biopharmaceutical drugs. With approximately 530 employees, CMC operates on a global scale with production facilities in) and theand Berkeley)., Chairman of CMC Biologics, said, "I am excited by CMC Biologics becoming part of AGC, a world-class company committed to excellence and high customer satisfaction. AGC's dedication to best technology solutions and long-time partnership with clients align so well with CMC Biologics' quest to be the preferred biologics CDMO service partner for the world's top pharmaceutical and biotech companies.""We are honored to become part of AGC, a successful global company with a long-term business strategy and resources to be the ideal owner of CMC Biologics. The CMC management team look forward to becoming one team with AGC, to bring and combine broad, as well as focused, innovative solutions to our clients," said, President & Chief Executive Officer of CMC Biologics, adding: "With this transaction, I am confident that our clients will receive even further benefits from our combined high level of expertise, years of experience, and global offerings."AGC has been engaged in contract manufacturing business since the early 2000s. Its acquisition of CMC is part of AGC's strategy to expand its biologics CDMO operations, complementing AGC's current operations inand(*). The business integration with CMC will enable AGC to offer world-leading biologics CDMO API services, with a host of best-in-class technologies and manufacturing solutions by both mammalian and microbial operations for its global customer base.Under its management policy, "AGC plus," the AGC Group has designated its Life Science Business as one of its strategic areas. Through the business integration, the AGC Group will accelerate and expand its biopharmaceutical contract services business around the world.(*) AGC's European operations made a full-fledged start through the acquisition of a German CDMO, Biomeva, in August this year. Please refer to AGC's press release at: http://www.agc.com/english/news/20160906e.pdf

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agc-signs-agreement-for-acquisition-of-leading-biopharmaceutical-cdmo-cmc-biologics-300381734.html



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"We focused on intramural ventricular septal defects, which are holes between two chambers of the heart," said Meryl S. Cohen, senior author and pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She and co-authors previously published a paper inthat recognized these defects as being distinct from other types of residual holes."These defects, which can occur after initial surgery for another defect, can increase the risk of complications and mortality in children with heart disease, so using imaging tools to quickly identify these defects can improve our care of these children," she added.The study's first author, Jyoti K. Patel was a former cardiac fellow in the Cardiac Center at CHOP, and conducted the research during her fellowship. The study team published the research in the September 2016 issue of theThe scientists reported on the use of intraoperative TEE to identify intramural ventricular septal defects (VSDs). They performed a retrospective study of 337 children, mostly infants, who underwent surgery at CHOP for conotruncal defects from 2006 to 2013.The current study was the first to assess the accuracy of TEE in identifying intramural VSDs. The study team compared intraoperative TEE, which was performed during surgery, to another imaging tool, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), done after surgery.Of the 337 surgical patients, 34 had intramural VSDs. Of those 34, both TTE and TEE identified 19 VSDs, while 15 were identified by TTE only. That data showed that TEE had modest sensitivity (56 percent), but high specificity (100 percent) in identifying intramural VSDs. The authors note that "the modest sensitivity suggests that many intramural defects are not detected in the operating room." However, they add, intraoperative TEE was able to identify most of the intramural defects requiring reintervention (e.g., further surgery)."We hope that this research will increase clinicians' awareness of these intramural defects as an important distinct entity related to surgical complications," said Patel. "If a greater awareness enhances the use of TEE in the operating room, surgeons may better develop strategies to both help prevent these lesions and to consider revising their operations before the patient leaves the operating room if an intramural VSD exists."Source: Eurekalert


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Owing to Britain's recent Brexit-related problems and thanks to India's rapid economic growth, India has managed to overtake its erstwhile colonial master United Kingdom in terms of the size of the economy - the first time after nearly 150 years.

This dramatic shift has been driven by India's rapid economic growth over the past 25 years as well downslide in the value of the pound over the last 12 months, a report published in Forbes magazine said.

"Once expected to overtake the UK GDP in 2020, the surpass has been accelerated by the nearly 20 per cent decline in the value of the pound over the last 12 months, consequently UK's 2016 GDP of GBP 1.87 trillion converts to $2.29 trillion at exchange rate of GBP 0.81 per $1, whereas India's GDP of INR 153 trillion converts to $2.30 trillion at exchange rate of INR 66.6 per $1," the report said.

 BCCL

Interestingly, economic think-tank Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) had, in December 2011, forecast that India would become the "fifth largest by 2020" but India has crossed this significant milestone much sooner.

"Furthermore, this gap is expected to widen as India grows at 6 to 8 per cent p.a. compared to UK's growth of 1 to 2 per cent p.a. until 2020, and likely beyond. Even if the currencies fluctuate that modify these figures to rough equality, the verdict is clear that India's economy has surpassed that of the UK based on future growth prospects," the report said.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju while celebrating India's landmark, said, "India overtakes UK & becomes 5th largest GDP after USA, China, Japan & Germany."

India overtakes UK & becomes 5th largest GDP after USA, China, Japan & Germany. India may have large population base but this is a big leap. pic.twitter.com/ANPUExHEyL  Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 18, 2016

On October 8, this year, International Monetary Fund (IMF) too had predicted India to surpass Europeans by the end of the fiscal.

"India is the seventh largest economy worth $2.29 trillion - just $50 billion less than the current UK's GDP, which will be bridged by end of this fiscal," IMF had said.

(This article was originally published in The Times Of India)
Year 2016 has been quiet challenging for the Indian army. The enemies on the eastern and western borders have taken to asymmetrical and hybrid warfare, resulting in one of the bloodiest years for the Indian armed forces. This change in strategy from those looking to bleed India by a thousand cuts has demanded an offensive defense policy being spearheaded by NSA Ajit Doval. And so, the selection of the next Indian army chief is a reflection of the continuation of the same strategy.

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Bipin Singh Rawat, who was chosen as the next Indian army chief superseding two senior officers, is one of the most accomplished commanders; battle-hardened to tackle the twin threat of cross border terrorism and LoC skirmishes. That he has been the operational brains behind some of the most recent Indian strikes on enemy territory shows that he was indeed the correct choice for Indias army chief.

Rawat comes from a background of on-field operations. Back in June 2015, he was given the task of avenging the death of 18 Indian soldiers who were ambushed by the Naga Rebels in Manipur. The rebels, who crossed over to Myanmar, didnt know what hit them when an immediate hot pursuit was carried out by the Indian army inside the rebels territory across the border. One of the things which stood out in those strikes was the intelligence preparedness and Rawat was credited for a clean operation by the Para Commandos.

 Pibmumbai

General Rawat is from a military background and his father was a lieutenant general in the Indian army too. He joined the Indian army in December 1978 and was awarded the sword of honor after graduating from the Indian Military Academy the same year. Like his predecessor Dalbir Singh, Rawat too belongs to Gorkha Rifles. He was recently appointed as the vice-chief of army.

What tipped the scales in favor of Gen. Rawat was his familiarity within the government of the day and operational closeness with the Defence Ministry. Just three weeks after he took over as the Vice-Chief, the Indian army carried out the surgical strikes against Pakistan sponsored terrorist havens across the LoC. The Director General Of Military Operations reports to the vice-chief and in that sense it made Gen. Rawat a key figure in decision-making during that time.

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Like many top commanders in the Indian army, Bipin Rawat has had international experience of heading the Indian banner in a UN Peacekeeping operation in Congo in 2008. During his time in Congo, the Indian brigade changed its approach from that of a velvet glove to an iron fist. The same can be expected during his tenure as the Indian Army Chief because whatever assignments he has taken over the past few decades of his service, the General has had a no-nonsense approach to unprovoked aggression.
Visa waiver finalised soon

By Messenger Staff

Georgias Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, has expressed hope that all procedures related to visa liberalisation in the European Union (EU) will come to an end in the near future and Georgia will soon be granted a visa waiver in the EUs Schengen Zone.Kvirikashvili welcomed the agreement between the Council of Europe and the European Parliament over the Suspension Mechanism, and thanked Georgias friends and allies in Brussels and other European capitals for their support in the Georgia-EU visa liberalisation process.A range of procedures are still ahead and we are step-by-step following the process and hope all visa liberalisation-related procedures will be completed very soon, Kvirikashvili stated.Georgia has already met all its obligations drafted within the Georgia-EU Visa Liberalisation Action Plan and, of course, our friends in Brussels and other European capitals helped very much in the process, the Prime Minister added.Kvirikashvili highlighted that Euro-integration was a key strategic priority for Georgia, which significantly specified the agenda for inter-state reforms.It is welcome news that the EU structures agreed on the Suspension Mechanism, which concenrs rules that could be used if a country violated certain visa-free travel regulations.The Suspension Mechanism means that a country can be deprived of visa-free travel in the Schengen Zone if the number of immigrants increased from the state, or if citizens of the country commit crimes.After agreeing on the rules, certain procedures and discussions are left to take place in the EU before Georgias and Ukraines visa liberalisation will be voted on in the European Parliament.It is likely the process for Georgia to be finalised in spring 2017, as the Georgian authorities believe the European Parliament will approve Georgia-EU visa-free travel.Until this happens, it is very important for the Government to take actions to inform people what visa liberalisation really means, what procedures are needed to spend 90 days in the Schengen Zone without visas, and what rules they must adhere to.It is imperative that Georgia do all it can to avoid the activation of the Suspension Mechanism if Georgia-EU visa-free travel comes into action.
Azerbaijan soon to see results of fighting black market

Azerbaijans population will soon see the real results of the fighting the currency black market in the country, Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Elman Rustamov told reporters in Baku Dec. 12.Law enforcement agencies of Azerbaijan carry out very serious work in this direction, Rustamov said.The full transition to a floating exchange rate regime in 2017 requires tight macroeconomic coordination, as well as solving a number of structural problems, Rustamov noted.From this year on, we have already been operating in the regime of floating exchange rate of manat, and the fact that the CBA has stopped selling its foreign currency on Azerbaijans market since February 2016 confirms this, he said. We know that currently there is a disproportion between supply and demand on the market, and the demand exceeds the supply.However, full transition to floating exchange rate regime of manat requires serious preparation, he noted. We have attracted technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund for that, and the work is underway in accordance with this assistance.Rustamov stressed that the main goal is to achieve macroeconomic stability.
Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos, accompanied by the Foreign Ministry's Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Development Cooperation, Giorgos Tsipras, is carrying out a working visit to Iran (17-21 December 2016).

During this visit, Mr. Katrougalos has already had consultations with the Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Dr. Takht-a-Ravanchi. He has also met with Foreign Minister Dr. Zarif, the Alternate Minister for Urban Development, Mr. Kashan, and Deputy Petroleum Minister, Mr. Zamaninia.

During the meetings, the Greek delegation reaffirmed the very good level of bilateral political relations and both sides looked at the potential for further development of bilateral economic relations.
Within the framework of the 4th EU-Arab League Ministerial Meeting (Cairo, 20 December 2016), Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias met with his Tunisian counterpart, Khemaies Jhinaoui, whose country holds the chairmanship of the Arab League.

The meeting focused on international and regional issues, giving Mr. Kotzias the opportunity to present Greece's initiatives aimed at strengthening regional stability and promoting peace in the wider region. More specifically, Mr. Kotzias briefed his collocutor on the "Rhodes Conference" decisions and the spirit characterizing this particular initiative, through which an attempt is being made to develop positive cooperation among EU and Eastern Mediterranean countries in various fields, including culture, education, research and youth issues.

The meeting also looked at bilateral relations, and the need was ascertained for follow-up on the decisions taken in the context of the recent meeting of the Greek-Tunisian Joint Interministerial Committee. Moreover, the two Foreign Ministers exchanged invitations to carry out reciprocal visits, agreeing to schedule meetings between the Political Directors of the two countries' Foreign Ministries.
During the European Union-Arab League Summit taking place in Cairo, Foreign Minister N. Kotzias met today with Mr. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League.

During the course of the meeting, Mr. Kotzias made reference to the close and longstanding friendly ties between Greece and the Arab nations and stressed the importance of expanding and strengthening cooperation between the European Union and the Arab League. He also stressed that Greece serves as a bridge linking Europe and the Arab world and expressed his desire for further strengthening the bilateral ties, extending an invitation to the Secretary General of the Arab League to visit Athens.

The discussion focused on issues of regional and international importance, especially on the present situation in Syria, Libya, and Yemen. More specifically, Mr. Gheit expressed his concern about the turn of events in Yemen, stressed the need to respect Libyas territorial integrity, and described the decision to re-open the Greek Embassy in Tripoli as step to the right direction. At the same time, he praised Greeces stance regarding the management of the refugee/migration crisis and stressed the need for further development of Greeces and the European Unions cooperation with the Arab nations.
During my remarks to the Meeting, I explained that there are two fields of cooperation between the European Union and the Arab League. The first concerns the search for solutions to existing conflicts, whether hard or soft in nature, like the Palestine-Israel conflict and the issue of the creation of two states, as well as the armed clashes in Iraq and Syria, where the war needs to end.



You know that I have always supported the creation of an anti-war movement. Unfortunately, this is missing from Europe, particularly from the European Left, and thus the discussion is limited to the repercussions of war, mainly the refugee crisis. I also referred to the need to support and recognize the National Government of Libya, and I stressed the importance of bringing all of the country's forces into a unified political system.



The second field of EU cooperation with the Arab world concerns what is now called the "spirit of Rhodes". In fact, our Arab colleagues call it that, and it is focused on the positive agenda we need to promote. Every time we meet, we cannot limit our discussion to the conflicts in the region, as this lends no perspective to the populations living there, in particular to the young people.



In the context of this positive framework, we should develop synergies in the sectors of education, culture, research and economy. We need to organize friendship and culture weeks between the states. We need to create cooperation networks in various fields, from transport to universities and research centres. I believe that these networks and synergies will enhance the stability and security of the region much more than the interventions we are constantly reading out during our meetings.



I also referred to the three major initiatives Greece has taken in this direction. That is: a) the respective trilateral cooperation configurations Greece and Cyprus have formed with Egypt, Jordan, Libya and Palestine; b) the international Conference for the peaceful coexistence of religions in the Middle East, which will be organised for a second time, in 2017, this time in collaboration with Austria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates; and c) the Rhodes Conference for security and stability, which will reconvene in May 2017. You should note that my colleagues from Iraq, Kuwait and Tunisia, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League, were very pleased to accept invitations to visit our country in the coming time and participate, personally, in the Rhodes Conference. I accepted invitations from Iraq, Tunisia and Kuwait to carry out visits to those countries.

We also talked about cooperation between the Foreign Ministries, and especially between our Political Directorates, while we also considered the potential for developing interministerial cooperation and capitalizing on Greece's experience regarding European Union matters. All of my collocutors spoke positively of our stance on a series of issues, including Egypt and the visit we carried out recently to Libya. Thank you.
Pakistan has a long history of political violence. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 in a gun and bomb attack after holding an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi.
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The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. The company operates through Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; and Run-off Property-Liability segments. The Allstate Protection segment offers private passenger auto and homeowners insurance; specialty auto products, including motorcycle, trailer, motor home, and off-road vehicle insurance; other personal lines products, such as renter, condominium, landlord, boat, umbrella, and manufactured home and stand-alone scheduled personal property; and commercial lines products under the Allstate and Encompass brand names. The Protection Services segment provides consumer product protection plans and related technical support for mobile phones, consumer electronics, furniture, and appliances; finance and insurance products, including vehicle service contracts, guaranteed asset protection waivers, road hazard tire and wheel, and paint and fabric protection; roadside assistance; device and mobile data collection services; data and analytic solutions using automotive telematics information; and identity protection services. This segment offers its products under various brands including Allstate Protection Plans, Allstate Dealer Services, Allstate Roadside Services, Arity, and Allstate Identity Protection. The Allstate Health and Benefits provides life, accident, critical illness, short-term disability, and other health insurance products. The Run-off Property-Liability offers property and casualty insurance. It sells its products through call centers, agencies, financial specialists, independent agents, brokers, wholesale partners, and affinity groups, as well as through online and mobile applications. The Allstate Corporation was founded in 1931 and is based in Northbrook, Illinois.
Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. provides early education and child care, back-up care, educational advisory, and other workplace solutions services for employers and families. The company operates through three segments: Full Service Center-Based Child Care, Back-Up Care, and Educational Advisory and Other Services. The Full Service Center-Based Child Care segment offers traditional center-based child care and early education, preschool, and elementary education services. The Back-Up Care segment provides center-based back-up child care, in-home child and adult/elder dependent care, school-age camps, virtual tutoring, and self-sourced reimbursed care services through child care centers, school-age campuses, and in-home caregivers, as well as the back-up care network. The Educational Advisory and Other Services segment offers tuition assistance and student loan repayment program administration, workforce education, and related educational consulting services, as well as college admissions advisory services. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 1,014 child care and early education centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, and India. The company was formerly known as Bright Horizons Solutions Corp. and changed its name to Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. in July 2012. Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts.
GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. The company offers pharmaceutical products comprising medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, HIV, immuno-inflammation, oncology, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, and dermatology. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health categories. The company offers its consumer healthcare products in the form of nasal sprays, tablets, syrups, lozenges, gum and trans-dermal patches, caplets, infant syrup drops, liquid filled suspension, wipes, gels, effervescents, toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, denture adhesives and cleansers, topical creams and non-medicated patches, lip balm, gummies, and soft chews. It has collaboration agreements with 23andMe; Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.; Novartis; Sanofi SA; Surface Oncology; Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.; Alector, Inc.; and CureVac AG., as well as strategic partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. The company was formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline plc and changed its name to GSK plc in May 2022. GSK plc was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom.
WESCO International, Inc. provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS). The EES segment supplies products and supply chain solutions, including electrical equipment and supplies, automation and connected devices, security, lighting, wire and cable, and safety, as well as maintenance, repair, and operating (MRO) products. This segment also offers contractor solutions, direct and indirect manufacturing supply chain optimization programs, lighting and renewables advisory services, and digital and automation solutions. The CSS segment operates in the network infrastructure and security markets. This segment sells products directly to end-users or through various channels, including data communications contractors, security, network, professional audio/visual, and systems integrators. It also provides safety and energy management solutions. The UBS segment offers products and services to investor-owned utilities; public power companies; and service and wireless providers, broadband operators, and contractors. This segment's products include wire and cable, transformers, transmission and distribution hardware, switches, protective devices, connectors, conduits, pole line hardware, racks, cabinets, safety and MRO products, and point-to-point wireless devices. This segment also offers various service solutions, including fiber project management, high and medium voltage project design and support, pre-wired meters and capacitor banks, meter testing and metering infrastructure installation, personal protective equipment dielectric testing, and tool repair, as well as emergency response, storage yard, materials, and logistics management. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Monday to hit back at terrorists and step up Russia's involvement in Syria's civil war in response to the assassination in Ankara of Russia's ambassador to Turkey.

"This murder is clearly a provocation aimed at undermining the improvement and normalization of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in solving this conflict in Syria," Putin said in Moscow. "The only response we should offer to this murder is stepping up our fight against terror."

Putin spoke hours after a well-dressed gunman shouting "don't forget Aleppo" shot and killed Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, in an attack that could have wide-ranging implications for Syria's civil war and the U.S. campaign against ISIS.

Several other persons were wounded in the attack by the gunman wearing a black suit and tie, who reportedly fired at least eight shots before he was killed by Turkish first responders at a city gallery opening of a photography exhibition.

Videos of the shooting showed Karlov speaking at a lectern when he was shot several times in the back and then lay motionless, face up on the floor. The gunman, reportedly an off-duty Turkish police offer, then waved a handgun in his right hand and shouted, "Allahu Akbar (God is great)!"

The gunman then recited a verse of a poem, "We are those who have pledged jihad to Mohammed." He went on to say, "Do not forget Aleppo. Do not forget Syria. So long as these people have no security, you will not enjoy security in your homes. Those who have a hand in this oppression will pay the price, one by one."

Turkish officials later identified the gunman as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altntas and said he was a Turkish national and member of the Turkish riot police. Turkish authorities detained Altintas' father, mother and sister and were said to be investigating whether Altintas had connections to the "Gulenist movement."

The reference was to followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric and former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who has been blamed by Erdogan for fomenting the failed military coup in Turkey last summer.

The extradition of Gulen, now living in exile in Pennsylvania, has been demanded by Erdogan. The U.S. State and Justice Departments have said that the extradition request was under consideration, but Gulen was entitled to due process under U.S. law.

Erdogan conferred by phone with Putin immediately after the shooting and said later on Turkish TV that Karlov's assassination was "a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation."

The killing came as Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, was enroute to Moscow for meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on the way forward in Syria following the fall of Aleppo to forces of the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad with the backing of Russia.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara, which was close to the scene of the shooting, immediately went on lockdown and U.S. citizens were warned to stay away from the area.

In a statement, Secretary of State John Kerry, said, "The United States condemns the assassination today in Ankara of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov."

Kerry added, "We stand ready to offer assistance to Russia and Turkey as they investigate this despicable attack, which was also an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world."

There was no immediate response from Turkey or Russia to the U.S. offer of help in the investigation.

In Hawaii, where President Barack Obama was on Christmas vacation, National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of Ambassador Karlov and the other victims, and we offer our condolences to the Russian people and Government."

The president added, "This heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable, and we stand united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms."

At the Pentagon, Press Secretary Peter Cook also condemned Karlov's assassination and suggested that it would have no impact on the anti-ISIS campaign in Syria now focused on a U.S.-backed offensive against Raqqa, the self-proclaimed ISIS capital in northeastern Syria.

"We've had close coordination with our Turkish counterparts at every step of the fight," Cook said, but U.S. military officials have repeatedly warned of their concerns about Turkish intentions toward the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the YPG, or People's Protection Units.

The YPG is the leading force in the mixed Arab and Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces which are now moving on Raqqa. Erdogan has labeled the YPG a terrorist group and the Turkish military has repeatedly attacked them.

A senior U.S. military official, speaking on background to Pentagon reporters earlier this month, said that the YPG was more worried about the Turkish forces behind them than the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria fighters ahead of them in the drive on Raqqa, "The Turks hate what we're doing" in support of the YPG, the senior official said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go.

Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
Question: Ive been told I need to have profiles on social media so potential employers can find me. The idea of sharing personal information scares me, and Im not sure Id have the time to keep it going. Do I need to be online?

Answer: Unless you have been active in social media and are comfortable with the tools, protocol, dos and donts, and risks, the choice to build your brand and profiles online should be given consideration. You are right to be asking the question as you look to transition from a military to civilian career.

There are obvious benefits to building a presence on social media, including:

Employers searching for someone with your background can find you and learn more about your career, experience, personality and values

Colleagues youve lost touch with can find you and reconnect, sometimes offering access to new jobs, mentors and other opportunities

People who want to refer or endorse you can learn more about your skills and talents.

Your contact information is accessible (even if just email)

Organizations and companies who seek to hire military veterans could more easily find you and learn about your background

There are also significant risks to being publically accessible and visible, such as:

As an active duty military service member (or veteran), you could become the target of individuals or groups who seek to hurt military members

If not maintained and updated, your online profiles could send a poor impression of who you are and what you value

Careless mistakes, jokes, or comments posted online have the potential to go viral or end up in the in-box of an unintended recipient

Without a strategy, your online profiles could look inconsistent and haphazard, sending mixed messages to viewers and contacts.

Being online correctly is a commitment. Your online presence will directly reflect your values, goals, interests, and experience, as well as your personality, sense of humor, style, and friendliness. Before you begin to build your online profiles, ask yourself:

Does my previous job or the work Im looking for preclude me from being online? For instance, if your military career was in the Intelligence field, or dealt with highly classified operations, and you are looking for similar work on the civilian side, having an online presence could be challenging.

For instance, if your military career was in the Intelligence field, or dealt with highly classified operations, and you are looking for similar work on the civilian side, having an online presence could be challenging. What social media platforms are my target employers using? Not all platforms are created equal  from LinkedIn to Facebook to YouTube  and knowing where your potential employers, colleagues, and clients are makes this an important step.

Not all platforms are created equal  from LinkedIn to Facebook to YouTube  and knowing where your potential employers, colleagues, and clients are makes this an important step. What are my goals for being online? Looking for a job and want recruiters to find you? Or, looking to present another side of your personality? Seeking contacts and networking connections? Set clear goals for how and why youre investing in an online presence.

Looking for a job and want recruiters to find you? Or, looking to present another side of your personality? Seeking contacts and networking connections? Set clear goals for how and why youre investing in an online presence. How much time can I devote to social media? Whether you have one hour a day or one hour a week to spend managing, updating, and responding to comments on your social media profiles, create a strategy for how to best use your time to create impact and results.

Whether you have one hour a day or one hour a week to spend managing, updating, and responding to comments on your social media profiles, create a strategy for how to best use your time to create impact and results. How do I want to be perceived? The beauty of social media is that you can tell your story, however youd like. The challenge of that is that many people misrepresent themselves online. Create online profiles that intentionally promote and highlight the values, offer, interests, and vision of how you want to be perceived. Make sure your profiles are genuine and consistent or the market place will respond negatively.

The social landscape is filled with information, humor, innovation, and thought provoking ideas. Building your online presence in the social space requires care, attention and commitment.
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Jeff Hall

CHELSEA, MI - St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea has announced the chairs for the 32nd Annual Auction Denim and Diamonds, with a goal of raising $500,000 to renovate the hospital's Behavioral Health Services unit.

Chelsea residents Jeff Hall and Chad Losey are serving as chairs for the annual event, taking place at 6 p.m. May 13 at Zingerman's Cornman Farms at 8540 Island Lake Road in Dexter.

According to a statement from St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, Hall is the founder and president of Ann Arbor-based customer experience research firm Second to None. He is serving on the Board of Trustees for St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea and is a member of the St. Joseph Mercy Health System's Regional Development Council.

Losey is the director of business development at Second to None, with clients that include Best Buy, ExxonMobil and FedEx Office.

Chad Losey

Hall and Losey have pledged a $25,000 Diamond Sponsorship for the annual auction. The community is fortunate to have St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, Hall said in a hospital statement.

"Gifts of sponsorships, auction items and attendance at this great event will help to enhance the healing environment of the unit, ultimately improving the health and quality of life of patients, and allow St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea to continue to serve as a beacon of hope in our community," Hall said.

St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea's Behavioral Health Services has offered the community help with diagnoses like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, addiction and thought disorders such as schizophrenia for more than 40 years, the hospital statement said.

It includes a 30-bed psychiatric unit, and is known for being the only hospital in Michigan with both a secured and an open unit in Behavioral Health Services.

To learn more about the 32nd Annual Auction Denim and Diamonds, contact Director of Development Judy Stratman at 734-593-5373 or visit the St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea website.

The St. Joseph Mercy Health System is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson and Lenawee. It is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia.
FILM REVIEW

'La La Land'

4 stars (out of 4)

MPAA rating: PG-13 for some language

Cast: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend, Rosemarie DeWitt

Director: Damien Chazelle

Run time: 128 minutes

A lamppost, a sunset and a view. The scene is fertile soil for love, Hollywood-style, as Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone stroll into it, bantering playfully, like Bogart and Bacall, or Bergman and Grant. Or, more accurately, Astaire and Rogers: Nonchalant, he puts one hand on the post and hops up on the base. She sits on the bench and casually removes her pumps for a pair of, shall we say, softer shoes, which she just so happens to have in her handbag.

The scene that follows is one of wonder - clever choreography, cheeky performances, sparkling chemistry, captured in one masterful take. The film is "La La Land," Damien Chazelle's throwback musical, a paean to classic romances, built around swooning ballads and chirpy uptempo numbers. It's unapologetically beautiful, packed with purple twilights and fluttering flutes, grandly celebrating love, natural and effortless, amidst Los Angeles artifice, where the camera is a character, and the best characters excel at pretending it's not there.

Chazelle establishes the tone with an opening sequence set in L.A. highway gridlock. Commuters cease their impatient honking, and burst from their cars singing in chorus, "It's just another day of sun!" They dance on hoods and rooftops in an explosion of joy and color; the rear doors of a truck are thrown open to reveal a band playing. Of course. What else would it be? The number ends, and the camera rests on Stone's Mia, going over lines for an audition at the wheel of her Toyota. A horn blares from behind her. Gosling's Sebastian, in a boxy '80s convertible complete with functioning cassette deck, pulls aside her. They exchange birds, of the single-finger variety. He speeds off. This could be the start of something good.

Serendipity will bring them together again and again. Or maybe fate, the universe, a deus ex machina. Perhaps they know they're in a movie; Chazelle drops a few clever hints, and their reality is heightened, but it's important to note that they feel like real people with tangible feelings, not just winking archetypes. She's an actress, slogging through the cruel, thankless audition process when she's not working the coffeeshop counter on the Warner Bros. lot. He's a jazz pianist, plunking out corny Christmas carols in a cocktail lounge run by a curt, cameoing J.K. Simmons: "Stick to the set list. None of the free jazz!" he barks. Both clearly have the chops. Neither has gotten a break.

Sebastian is a hard-copy guy in a digital age, dwelling in a cruddy apartment with bare stucco walls, past-due bills piling up next to his Coltrane vinyl. He dreams of opening his own jazz club, but experienced a setback after he got ripped off - "I was shanghaied!" is his appropriately old-timey proclamation. Mia's room boasts a wall-sized panorama of Ingrid Bergman's face, and her trio of bubbly, cheez-curl-munching roommates are aesthetically coordinated according to a primary-color palette. (Do they sing and dance? Of course they sing and dance.) She once wrote plays and loved watching classic cinema with her aunt - "Casablanca," "Notorious," "Bringing Up Baby."

The godlike hand of the screenwriter will guide Mia to the cheesy cocktail lounge, where she's drawn inside by the same improvisational melancholy melody that gets Sebastian canned. She's complimentary, but he's cold. Months later, at a soul-crusher of an L.A. pool party, she spots him with a keytar in an '80s cover band, and savors his light humiliation. Before we, and they, know it, Mia sheds the shmuck talking up his awful "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" movie, and Sebastian sheds his red gloves and parachute pants, and they're dancing in the moonlight at a scenic overlook. For their first date, they go to a movie - an old one, of course - and follow it with a jaunt to the planetarium, where they levitate to the stars, waltzing like the only living creatures in the universe. The episode is elevating for us, too. In that moment, nothing is more marvelous than their giddy new love.

"La La Land" is Chazelle's follow-up to 2014 Oscar contender "Whiplash," a portrait of jazz as painful obsession. That film was brutal and complex where "La La Land" is more brazenly accessible. It's funny; it's got heart. Quarreling verbally with his concerned buttinsky of a sister (Rosemarie DeWitt), Sebastian jabs at her, "Why do you say 'romantic' like it's a dirty word?" In this movie, it's not. Not at all. It's the only word. Romance is the film's primary intangible component. It's in the music, in the choreography, in the color, character and script, in the editing, in the lighting, in the costumes, sets and art direction. It's in the air. We're breathing it, savoring it, loving it.

The film reminds us that music is everywhere if you just listen, and if it stops, be aware. That every projector shooting light needs a screen, that every song needs a melody or riff. Life hums along on dreams and desire, enchantment and heartbreak. And yet, life is not a crisp and pithy pop song. It's jazz, improvised, emotionally complex, brimming with conflict.

Of course movie critics love this film; shamelessly referential, it clearly loves movies as much as we do. But don't let that scare you. Chazelle's filmmaking is at once virtuosic and instinctive - "La La Land" builds to a shattering final sequence playing out with only music and pictures, an American dream built upon two quintessentially American art forms. You'll laugh and you'll cry, and you shouldn't be ashamed, because there isn't a damn thing you'll be able to do about it.
ANN ARBOR, MI - The city of Ann Arbor is prepared to spend a significant amount of money on outside attorney fees as it fights for a better cleanup of the Gelman dioxane plume in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.

The City Council voted unanimously Monday night, Dec. 19, to approve changes to a legal services agreement with Detroit-based Bodman PLC, the law firm hired to represent the city in the case against polluter Gelman Sciences.

Chief Assistant City Attorney Abigail Elias said the Bodman law firm has done initial work under an agreement for up to $25,000. To do the continued work required at this time, she said, an increase was needed.

The City Council approved an amendment for another $100,000, the amount the firm estimates is needed for initial work to continue the case. Elias said that figure might need to change again as matters progress.

For now, Bodman is approved to bill the city for up to $125,000 worth of work on the Gelman case at a rate of $300 per hour.

City Attorney Stephen Postema was a partner at Bodman before becoming city attorney in 2003.

In a lengthy complaint filed in Circuit Court, the city has asked the judge to hold Gelman Sciences responsible for payment of all costs, including attorney fees, incurred by the city in conjunction with the litigation.

Tom Bruetsch, an attorney with Bodman, represented the city in court last week, successfully arguing the city's case for intervention as a co-plaintiff in the state of Michigan's longstanding litigation against Gelman Sciences.

That now gives the city a seat at the table in ongoing legal negotiations and standing to fight for a better cleanup and better monitoring of the plume.

Gelman Sciences used dioxane as a solvent while manufacturing medical-grade filter devices at its Wagner Road plant decades ago, discharging the toxic chemical into the environment and leaving the groundwater heavily polluted.

The plume, which is spreading through Ann Arbor, now covers an area more than three miles long and a mile wide.

The state initially sued Gelman in 1988, leading to a consent judgment in 1992 that has been amended multiple times, most recently in 2011.

In addition to allowing the city to intervene in the case, Judge Tim Connors also granted requests by Washtenaw County and the Huron River Watershed Council to intervene as plaintiffs in the case last week.

Elias wrote in her memo to council that the Gelman dioxane plume continues to migrate and poses new threats to the health, safety and welfare of the residents of Ann Arbor and neighboring townships.

The city is interested in seeing to a better cleanup, in large part, to protect the city's drinking water supply at Barton Pond from being contaminated.

Mayor Christopher Taylor emphasized the importance of the city's intervention in the case at Monday night's meeting.

"We are very grateful for that, and we will now have a seat at the table as the resolution of this case is brought forth in light of the new drinking water standards that were promulgated by the Department of Environmental Quality," he said, recalling the state's limit on dioxane in residential drinking water has dropped from 85 parts per billion to 7.2 ppb to be more protective of public health.

Taylor said the new standards, implemented through an emergency order from the DEQ and the governor in October, give the city an opportunity to have a very real say as to how the monitoring and cleanup of the plume will progress.

He called it an important and meaningful step toward ensuring Ann Arbor's drinking water remains safe for decades to come.

"So thank you so much to the city attorney's office. Outstanding work. We are all very appreciative," Taylor said.
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Gov. Rick Snyder announced Tuesday, Dec. 20, the appointments of Eunice Jeffries of Farmington Hills and Alexander Simpson of Southfield to the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News

(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

LANSING, MI - Gov. Rick Snyder announced Tuesday, Dec. 20, the appointments of Eunice Jeffries of Farmington Hills and Alexander Simpson of Southfield to the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents.

The eight-member board is the governing body of the university. Board appointments were announced by Snyder at EMU, as well as Michigan Technological University, Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University and Northern Michigan University.

"I thank Eunice and Alexander for their commitment to this board and ensuring the Eastern Michigan University community continues to grow and succeed," Snyder said in a news release.

Jeffries is the program coordinator for the Council of Michigan Foundations. Previously she held positions with Farmington/Farmington Hills Foundations for Youth and Families, the Executive Office of the Secretary of State as well as associate director of the Southeast Michigan Office under the administration of former Gov. John Engler.

Jeffries holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from Fisk University and a master's of business administration from Northwood University. She replaces Beth Fitzsimmons, who was appointed to the board by Snyder in February 2011.

Simpson is legal counsel for HIS, Inc. and previously was an associate for Bodman PLC. He is the president-elect of the Wolverine Bar Association, Wolverine Bar Foundation and recently served on the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

Simpson holds a bachelor's degree in social work from Eastern Michigan University, a master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan, a law degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and currently is attending Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management for a master of business administration.

He replaces James Stapleton, who was appointed to the EMU Board of Regents by Governor Jennifer Granholm in January of 2007.

Members serve eight-year terms expiring Dec. 31, 2024. Their appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
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WNEM TV-5's newsroom in Saginaw.

(MLive File)

Dominic J. Lulli

SAGINAW, MI -- A prominent Saginaw attorney is now representing a former WNEM TV-5 reporter, alleging the TV station's parent company is suing him based on his sexual orientation.

In July, Meredith Corporation, the Iowa-based parent company of WNEM TV-5, filed its suit against Dominic J. "Nick" Lulli in Saginaw County District Court for breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The suit, filed by attorneys David J. Masud and Joshua J. Leadford of the Saginaw Township-based Masud Labor Law Group, seeks damages in the amount of $8,674.74 from Lulli.

Lulli initially said he was not financially able to hire an attorney and filed a response himself on Nov. 29, making counterclaims of assault and discrimination.

After news of the lawsuit broke in a Dec. 5 MLive article, Lulli hired Victor J. Mastromarco Jr.

"I hired him to help me with the case and defend my interests," Lulli said. "I never even expected this lawsuit in the first place, nor intended it to go this far. The ball is in their court now to make this right."

Victor J. Mastromarco Jr.

Lulli is gay and Mastromarco said he feels that played a significant role in Meredith Corporation's dealings with him.

"I feel that they actually discriminated against him based on their view of what a certain gender stereotype should be," he said. "We intend to amend the counter complaint and amend his answer."

Mastromarco declined to comment on whether a monetary sum was being sought.

"They sued him and he countersued them," he said. "The objective is to resolve the matter. I'm not hoping for anything. I want justice for him."

Mastromarco said he has not yet filed his response as he's having discussions with Meredith Corporation's attorneys in hopes of resolving the matter.

Lulli said he hopes to receive recompense enough from Meredith Corporation to cover Mastromarco's fees.

Phone messages were left with Meredith's attorneys seeking comment.
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Bay City Western High School

( )

AUBURN, MI -- For an hour and a half after firing a gun inside the high school where he worked, a Bay County Sheriff's deputy played dumb.

Going a step further, he tried to conceal his deed from investigators by taking the bullet that had struck a teacher in the neck and getting rid of it.

Bay County Sheriff's Deputy Adam J. Brown

This information is contained in reports written by Michigan State Police troopers who investigated the November incident that took place inside the Bay City Western High School and Middle School building at 500 W. Midland Road in Auburn. MLive/The Bay City Times obtained the police reports on Monday, Dec. 19, through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The reports state Deputy Adam J. Brown, the school's resource officer, at about 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, fired a .380-caliber Sig Sauer pistol while in a classroom. He and another teacher had been in the robotics classroom using a force machine to test the trigger pull on a Springfield EMP 9mm handgun. Surveillance camera footage shows Brown and the teacher exit the classroom, with Brown returning alone shortly thereafter. He again used the force machine, this time with the Sig Sauer, apparently causing it to discharge.

The Sig Sauer and the Springfield were Brown's backup weapons, both of which he was qualified and authorized to carry, according to the reports.

The bullet passed through two pieces of drywall and entered a classroom occupied by about 30 students. It traveled toward the ceiling, scraped a tile, proceeded to hit a cement wall, ricocheted off it, careened across the room, and struck teacher Brenda Amthor in the neck.

Amthor was sitting down at her desk when the projectile struck her. She bore a small scratch, but was uninjured, as the bullet had lost its velocity, according to the reports.

At 12:26 p.m., Amthor called Assistant Principal Brad Pennell and said something had come through a wall and hit her in the neck. Pennell and other staff went to her room to check it out.

"She joked that she has been having bad luck with her room this year," Pennell wrote in a statement to police. "She said that whatever hit her was hot because it landed by her feet and she tried picking it up, but it was too hot, so she dropped it."

Once the object cooled down, Amthor picked it up and handed it to Pennell. Pennell radioed for Brown and the school's custodian, both of whom came to the room.

Though Brown was engaged in conversations with school staff on the projectile's origin, he did not admit to having fired a gun, reports indicate. As a result, the school was placed in secure mode while administrators attempted to discern what had happened.

Staff gave Brown the object. He put it in his pocket and later told them he lost it, the reports state.

"During this incident, Adam did not initially confess to discharging his weapon," wrote Detective Sgt. William Arndt. "He confessed after being confronted by school administrators. Adam also admitted that he attempted to destroy evidence when school administrators gave him the fired bullet to protect. Adam left the school building, placing the fired gun in his personal vehicle, and threw the fired bullet into the school lawn in an attempt to thwart the investigation."

Investigators summoned a K-9 Unit to the scene, which located the spent bullet in an area of grass covered in leaves near a chain link fence on the school's southeastern side. Police also recovered the gun Brown had fired.

Investigators conducted numerous interviews with school and sheriff's office staff, though most of those discussions' content is redacted from the reports.

Bay City Public Schools Superintendent Janet Greif requested troopers provide a trespass warning to Brown and retrieve his master keys to school properties. Brown turned over the keys, the Sig Sauer, and his cellphone, the reports state.

Arndt spoke with Brown, who was "extremely emotional and explained that he had been in contact with his union representative who had advised him not to provide a statement. He did state 'It was a total accident.'"

Investigators sent their reports to the Bay County Prosecutor's Office on Nov. 18. On Nov. 22, office staff forwarded the matter to the Michigan Attorney General's Office with a request that a special prosecutor be appointed to review the case, to avoid any conflict or appearance of impropriety. State Attorney General Bill Schuette on Nov. 29 signed an order granting the request, appointing the Tuscola County Prosecutor's Office to the task of determining whether charges are warranted.

Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene on Dec. 5 said his staff is going to go over the material in a thorough, deliberate manner. As of Dec. 19, Reene has not commented on whether or not he's decided to issue criminal charges against Brown.

Brown is currently on administrative duties within the sheriff's office.

"He's not serving in an official police capacity until everything is done with the court systems," said Undersheriff Troy R. Cunningham.

If charges are filed against him, Brown could be suspended, Cunningham added. Deputies can carry more than one backup weapon, Cunningham said.

Deputy Seung Lee has replaced Brown as Western's school resource officer, Cunningham added.

Brown has been on the force since 1996.

In May 2012, CrimeStoppers of Bay County named Brown its Police Officer of the Year Award. Brown started his own program training officers how to handle calls involving children with autism and other special needs. In 2015, he led an active school-shooter training scenario at the Bay-Arenac Intermediate School District education facility.
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David W. Didlake

David W. Didlake, who's accused of lighting his girlfriend's dog on fire, appeared in court Tuesday to be arraigned on charges of animal torture, animal cruelty and resisting or obstructing police.

Police said the dog was discovered charred and dead near a bottle of accelerant; Didlake was later arrested and accused of killing the dog Oct. 29, WDIV-TV, Channel 4 News reported.

Didlake, of River Rouge, is jailed in Wayne County pending the posting of a $75,500 bond.

According to online state Department of Corrections records, Didlake was sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison Feb. 9, 2015 after being convicted of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder. It wasn't immediately clear when he was released from prison for that conviction. MLive is awaiting information from the Michigan Department of Corrections.
FLINT, MI -- The debate over the use of state-appointed emergency managers was reignited after a pair of former Flint emergency managers were named in the most-recent round of crisis criminal charges stemming from the city's water crisis.

Darnell Earley and Jerry Ambrose were charged Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Genesee District Court, along with former Department of Public Works Director Howard Croft and former city Utilities Director Daugherty Johnson.

Ambrose and Earley were appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to oversee Flint the city worked to make its way out of a budget deficit under the emergency manager law -- one that some have decried takes away the voice of residents and local government control.

Lonnie Scott, executive director for Progress Michigan, said the new charges serve as "a perfect example to show that the law has failed."

Snyder signed a replacement emergency manager law -- Public Act 436 -- in December 2012 that allowed for state intervention in municipalities and school districts struggling financially.

The new law approved by the state legislature came after voters rejected Public Act 4 during the November 2012 presidential election.

"It has failed miserably and this is the prime example of that," said Scott. "Flint is the prime example now. They actually poisoned people with their water, as unconscionable as that is."

Others, though, have said the law is helpful to communities dig out of economic troubles.

James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said Schuette's investigation shows "a failure of government at all levels" and need for transparency, but it does not negate the need for the emergency manager law.

"We've been very supportive of emergency manager's efforts in solvency, the state's way of enforcing its own fiscal rules for governments," he said, of a debate over the law since 2011.

John Mozena, vice president for marketing and communications for the Mackinac Center, likened the law to a form of "governmental chemotherapy" that can be painful and messy, but "sometimes it's what you've got to do to solve the problem."

The pair didn't see an emergency manager as a first option, but a step that comes after other avenues have been exhausted, and were pleased at Schuette's investigation holding people accountable for their roles in the water crisis.

State Sen. Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said Tuesday's charges should renew efforts to change the state's emergency manager law.

"I've said from the start that those who poisoned my city need to be held accountable, up to the highest levels," Ananich said. "My community still isn't able drink water from the tap. It's taken too long and there's much more to go but I won't rest until there is justice for the people of Flint.

"The emergency manager law is a disaster that caused a disaster and the fact that the attorney general has sufficient evidence to charge two emergency managers is proof that we must change it."

But Scott wants to see more done by Schuette and the Flint water investigation team that's brought charges against 13 people thus far, including former state Department of Environmental Quality employees.

"This is a step in the right direction that this investigation has gone higher in the administration," he said, while noting "the emergency manager of any location is responsible to the governor."

Earley was emergency manager in April 2014 when the city's water source was switched from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River, but the switch was officially signed by former emergency manager Ed Kurtz.

Ambrose, finance director under three three emergency managers before succeeding Earley as emergency manager in January 2015, was warned of a potential Legionella outbreak in March 2015, according to an email from the Genesee County Health Department's environmental health supervisor.

As part of the misconduct in office charge filed against Ambrose, he is alleged to have obstructed and hindered a health care investigation into a Legionnaires' disease outbreak that led to a dozen deaths.

Two weeks after having been told of the outbreak, Ambrose called Flint's water "safe by all ... standards" and blasted a vote by the Flint City Council that sought to end the use of river water, according to Flint Journal records.

Earley testified before the Full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during congressional hearings in March 2016, arguing city workers assured him they could make the Flint River safe to drink before distributing it to citizens two years ago.

The water switch was followed by residents complaining of a foul odor and discolored water, and a report by a Flint pediatrician eventually showed elevated blood lead levels in some Flint children, which led to the switch back to the Detroit water system in October 2015.

Both men are also accused of having taken part in a process to use bonds for construction of the Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline, despite the city's multi-million dollar debt.

"The charges announced today are about the moms, dads and kids of Flint who were let down by the people appointed to protect them," according to a statement from Attorney General Bill Schuette's office.

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, also repeated his call for U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, the committee's chairman to reopen the Congressional investigation closed last week and subpoena Snyder.

"Governor Snyder appointed the two emergency managers charged today, and it is beyond irresponsible for the Committee to close its investigation without demanding full accountability and transparency from him," said Cummings in a statement. "The families of Flint deserve no less."
FLINT, MI - Flint water investigators on Tuesday promised justice for those impacted by the poisoned water here as their investigation will be ongoing.

Attorney General Bill Schuette, Special Prosecutor Todd Flood, Chief Investigator Andy Arena and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton detailed the investigation into Flint's water crisis during a news conference on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Arena told the media that the investigation into who is responsible for the city's water crisis will continue.

"We're not at the end," Arena said. "The investigation is still continuing today. There are some people out there who know they've done wrong and they know we're coming after them. They're not going to have a very merry Christmas.

"I don't feel bad about that."

Darnell Earley, who served as Flint emergency manager at the time the city changed its water source to the Flint River in April 2014, was charged Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Genesee District Court.

Also charged Tuesday were former emergency manager Jerry Ambrose; Howard Croft, former Department of Public Works director; and Daugherty Johnson, former utilities administrator for the city.

Those charged Tuesday bring the number of defendants tied to the lead-in-water crisis to 13.

"It's serious," Schuette said about the investigation. "We're going up and we're going broader."

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver was sitting in the front row during the news conference and said she was surprised when she heard who had been charged.

She said she knows the investigation will continue.

"I think it's going to go higher," Weaver said. "I think they're going to do exactly what they said they're going to do. I think they're going to continue to investigate and they're going to bring some more names forward.

"We've always wanted accountability as far as who knew what and when they knew it. Everybody knew, but nobody spoke up."

Charges against Earley and Ambrose include false pretenses, conspiracy to commit false pretenses, willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office. Charges against Johnson and Croft are false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses.

Earley, who testified before the Full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during congressional hearings in March, has said city workers assured him they could make the Flint River safe to drink before distributing it to citizens two years ago.

State and federal officials have since said that the city failed, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality allowed, the river water to be used without treating it to make it less corrosive to lead in Flint's water distribution system and home plumbing.
FLINT, MI -- Local officials say the most-recent criminal charges in connection to the water crisis highlight the problems the city faced while under emergency management.

Flint City Councilman Scott Kincaid said Tuesday, Dec. 20, that the charges show how things can go wrong with the state's emergency manager law.

"Their goal was to make themselves look good, to make the governor look good by cutting services and raising fees and not care about the quality of life for the people of Flint," Kincaid said of the emergency managers. "This is an example of how putting people in control that are not from this community, that don't have a history of the things in the community, can go wrong."

Former emergency managers Darnell Early and Jerry Ambrose, who both were appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to run the city, were criminaly charged Tuesday along with former Department of Public Works Director Howard Croft and former Utilities Administrator Daugherty Johnson.

Charges against Earley and Ambrose include false pretenses, conspiracy to commit false pretenses, willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office. Charges against Johnson and Croft include false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses.

The new charges brings the number of defendants tied to the city's crisis to 13.

"Merry Christmas to all four of them," Kincaid added. "I'm glad all four of them were charged."

Flint City Council President Kerry Nelson said he is waiting to see who else will be charged in the Flint water crisis and today's charges showed the justice system is working for Flint.

"The wheels of justice are turning and it is time for Flint to get real justice," Nelson said. "We didn't ask for this. Some people are not going to have a Merry Christmas because they know they are after them."

Both Nelson and Kincaid had limited power under the emergency manager law.

Nelson added that it was clear to him that the emergency managers played a pivotal role in the city switching from Detroit to the Flint River for the city's water supply.

"I just didn't see how the emergency managers could escape," Nelson said. "They just did what they wanted to do because of the authority that they had, but we have to look at where it came from. I know a lot of people don't like to say it, but it started with the governor ... I'm pleased but there is more to come. People are still suffering. There is damage that is irreversible. I'm just waiting for the wheels of justice to keep turning ... Whoever sat at the table and caused this disaster for our city, I don't feel sorry for them."

Tuesday's charges came after eight other current and former state employees as well as city employee Michael Glasgow were previously charged with criminal wrongdoing for their roles in the water crisis.

From the DEQ, those facing charges are Stephen Busch, supervisor in the agency's district office; Liane Shekter-Smith, former chief of the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance; Michael Prysby, district engineer; Adam Rosenthal, a water quality analyst who worked for Shekter-Smith; and Patrick Cook, specialist for the department's Community Drinking Water Unit.

Attorney General Bill Schuette held a press conference Tuesday announcing the recent charges and said the investigation will continue.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said today's charges are good news for the city and she, along with residents, has been waiting to hear charges coming down on people higher up.

"That's what we've been talking about this whole entire time. I remember I was talking about it before I came into office, that profit was being put over the health and well-being of the people and this really gives voice to that," said Weaver. "I think people of Flint are so happy about what is happening right now because we've always wanted accountability, at least on this part as far as who knew what and who knew it ... It took the voice of the democracy of the people and you see what happened from a result of that."

Weaver was at the Tuesday morning press conference where Schuette announced the new charges.

The crisis gained national attention after it was discovered in 2015 that children had elevated blood lead levels since the switch of the city's drinking water source from Detroit to the Flint River in April 2014.

"For the last two years, Flint residents have suffered an unimaginable tragedy as their water has been polluted due to Flint River water corroding the pipes," said State Rep. Sheldon Neeley, D-Flint. "I am pleased to see justice being served today as more individuals responsible for this crisis have been served with criminal charges, and I hope that the severity of these charges is enforced, rather than merely being a show of political theater."

Neeley along with Weaver, Kincaid and Nelson have all opposed the emergency manager law.

"Two of the four individuals charged by the attorney general today were the former emergency managers who gave the green light to switch to the Flint River, which resulted in the city's water supply being tainted with lead," Neeley added. "I hope that the results of these charges will convince my colleagues in the Legislature to reconsider the emergency manager law in the next session, if not to repeal it entirely, then at least in part to ensure it no longer indemnifies the criminal actions of emergency managers."

Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling declined to comment on Tuesday's charges.

Walling served as mayor when Earley and Ambrose oversaw the city and during the switch of the city's water supply.

MLive Reporters Ron Fonger and Dominic Adams contributed to this story.
FLINT, MI -- Two former emergency managers appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to run the city are among four defendants charged today with crimes related to the Flint water crisis.

Darnell Earley, who served as Flint emergency manager at the time the city changed its water source to the Flint River in April 2014, was charged Tuesday, Dec. 20, in Genesee District Court.

Also charged were former emergency manager Jerry Ambrose; Howard Croft, former Department of Public Works director; and Daugherty Johnson, former utilities administrator for the city.

Those charged Tuesday bring the number of defendants tied to the lead-in-water crisis to 13.

Charges against Earley and Ambrose are false pretenses, conspiracy to commit false pretenses, willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office. Charges against Johnson and Croft are false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses.

Earley, who testified before the Full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during congressional hearings in March, has said city workers assured him they could make the Flint River safe to drink before distributing it to citizens two years ago.

State and federal officials have since said that the city failed, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality allowed, the river water to be used without treating it to make it less corrosive to lead in Flint's water distribution system and home plumbing.

In written comments to Congress, Earley has blamed Croft for telling him river water "could and would be treated to meet (DEQ) and (EPA) safe drinking water standards."

Earley's comments have been in contrast to remarks by Mike Glasgow, Flint's utilities director, who raised questions about the city's ability to treat river water before the switch was made.

Glasgow pleaded no contest to a charge of filing false information about lead in Flint water and agreed to cooperate in other in prosecutions as part of a plea agreement reached earlier this year.

Glasgow has said he was following "marching orders" from supervisors to do whatever was necessary to start using the Flint River as soon as possible and warned the DEQ that the city was ill-prepared to begin full-time water treatment for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Glasgow reported to Croft, who resigned as DPW director in November 2015. A life resident of Flint, Croft was appointed to his position by Mike Brown, another emergency manager appointed by Snyder, in 2011.

Tuesday's charges came after eight other current and former state employees as well as Glasgow were also charged with criminal wrongdoing for their roles in the water crisis.

From the DEQ, those facing charges are Stephen Busch, supervisor in the agency's district office; Liane Shekter-Smith, former chief of the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance; Michael Prysby, district engineer; Adam Rosenthal, a water quality analyst who worked for Shekter-Smith; and Patrick Cook, specialist for the department's Community Drinking Water Unit.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services employees charged by Schuette's office are Nancy Peeler, director of the Program for maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting; and Robert Scott, data manager for the department's Healthy Homes and Lead Prevention Program.

Like Glasgow, former DHHS state epidemiologist Corinne Miller agreed to a plea deal in exchange for her cooperation in the investigation.
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Teresa Towne-Woolard

(Burton Police Department)

Laquandra Shavonne Slater

GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Police in Burton and Flint Township are searching for information to help find two women that have been missing for weeks.

Burton police Detective Don Schreiber said Teresa Towne-Woolard was last seen Dec. 5 at Kings Lane Apartments off Hemphill Road where she lives.

"It's not like her at all to not contact her daughters daily, by either phone or text," he said, with the family having contacted police after her extended absence.

Towne-Woolard's phone is still active, but Schreiber said it goes straight to voicemail. An acquaintance made contact with her on Dec. 10, but Schreiber said it was the last time anyone she knows had spoken with her.

She is described as a white female, 5-foot-4 inches tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Flint Township police are also seeking assistance to find a woman that hasn't been seen by friends or family since Dec. 2.

Laquandra Shavonne Slater, 38, is an African-American woman standing 5-foot-4 inches tall, weighs 178 pounds, and has short black hair.

Her vehicle was located around Atherton Road and Van Slyke Road in Flint and appeared to be abandoned. A missing person reported was filed with Flint Township police Dec. 8.

Slater has cheek, lip, and eyebrow piercings, as well as multiple tattoos on her neck, arms, and legs, police said.

Anyone with information on Slater's location is urged to contact Flint Township police Detective Doug Hart at 810-600-3250.

Those with information on Towne-Woolard's whereabouts may contact Schreiber at 810-244-1545.
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Kimberly Ann Ryan of Traverse City is a competitor on Hell's Kitchen.

(CR: Greg Gayne / FOX. (c) 2016 FOX Broadcasting Co )

SPOILER ALERT: Complete spoilers for the 10th episode of "Hell's Kitchen" ahead. If you have not seen the episode, watch it, then come back and read this recap.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Kimberly Ann Ryan has changed sides on "Hell's Kitchen."

As part of a mandate by Chef Gordon Ramsay, one of the red team chefs on FOX's reality cooking show flipped to the blue team and Ryan, seen as one of the top chefs remaining, was chosen to do so at the beginning of the latest episode titled "Dancing in the Grotto."

Ryan reluctantly accepted the challenge, much to the delight of Devin Simpson, an assistant restaurant manager from South Carolina, who has been crushing on her since the show began.

"I'm looking at this as a strong person moving over to a weak team," Ryan said. "I think it would be (expletive) awesome if I could get them through dinner service. That's going to make me look even better."

In the end the change didn't help either team as both were kicked out during dinner service. Ramsay ultimately eliminated two chefs: Long Island banquet chef Shaina Hayden and Los Angeles saute chef Matt Hearn.

Ryan performed well during this week's challenge which required chefs to create a variety of sliders using different proteins. Ryan's spicy lamb slider was well received by guest judges Adam Fleishman, Sang Yoon and Christina Wilson.

"I think that the cucumber is really smart," Yoon, chef and owner of Father's Office in Santa Monica said. "I like the light cayenne. I think one thing is missing. It's begging for yogurt."

Ryan's dish was good enough to secure a point for the blue team, but the red team ultimately won the challenge and earned a visit to the Playboy Mansion.

During dinner service, Ryan showed some cracks in the armor when she had to re-fire crab cakes after attempting to serve them cold. She also clashed with Paulie Giganti, an executive chef from Brooklyn.

"Ryan thinks she's going to swoop down and be our savior," he said. "I'd rather stick toothpicks in my ears than listen to her. Ryan, she really thinks the world of herself. She's her own biggest fan. Hey Ryan, maybe you should come down to Earth."

Just eight chefs remain this season. The final chef standing wins $250,000 and a head chef position at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at The Venetian Las Vegas.

Hell's Kitchen airs on FOX at 8 p.m. on Fridays. Each week, contestants face rigorous culinary challenges and they are eliminated along the way.
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The Belding Area School Board voted unanimously Monday, Dec. 19, to get rid of the longtime Redskin mascot deemed offensive. A new mascot will be selected next year for the 2017-18 school year.

(MLive File Photo)

BELDING, MI - The Belding Area School Board voted unanimously Monday, Dec. 19, to abandon its Redskins mascot, following months of discussions with district families and the community about the image considered by many to be a racial slur toward American Indians.

In the spring, the board was asked by parents in the community to make a decision on the mascot one way or the other. Over the years, the logo has been phased out, focusing more on the Old English B.

In November, representatives from a community committee and the high school principal, representing the student committee, recommended the school board drop the mascot but keep the school colors. The consensus was that the mascot was racist, according to board documents.

"I just think when you have an issue like this it is a distraction to the educational process," said new Superintendent Brent Noskey, who said the process for selecting a new mascot for the 2017-18 school year would be discussed next year.

"My goal is to get every student to achieve at their highest potential and this has nothing to do with that. The more you educate yourself on a controversial issue, the better the decisions you make moving forward."

In addition to board meeting discussions, Noskey said three forums were held this fall that drew 40 to 60 participants who were broken into six to eight small groups that included a committee leader and school board members.

"People felt comfortable sharing their different opinions in the small roundtable discussions," said Noskey, who added that residents who were pro-mascot changed their minds during the forums.

He said various speakers were also brought in to provide some perspective on the issue, including Erik Rodriguez, the interim public relations director for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

Noskey said there remains a segment of the community who still prefers the mascot for historical and other reasons.

Farther south, the Paw Paw School District will vote Feb. 8 whether it will be continue to be known as the Redskins. More than 100 people turned out for a November school board meeting on the issue. A second special roundtable discussion forum is planned for Jan. 18.

West Michigan's Belding, Saranac, White Cloud, and Saugatuck schools were among 35 school districts named in a 2013 complaint filed by the Michigan Department of Civil Rights with the U.S. Department of Education. Saranac also is called the Redskins, while White Cloud and Saugatuck are the Indians.

In seeking an order to prohibit the use of American Indian mascots, names and imagery in K-12 schools, the filing argued "the use of American Indian imagery reinforces stereotypes in a way that negatively impacts the potential for achievement by students with American Indian ancestry."

The complaint was dismissed but organizations, parents and community members in various districts have continued to call for districts to change.

Some school districts changed mascots long ago. Back in 2004, Grand Rapids Public Schools decided that Ottawa Hills High School would be known as the Bengals, not the Indians.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The federal government is trying to revoke the U.S. citizenship of an Indiana man who emigrated from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Alexander Kneginich, 56, of Crown Point, Ind., was arrested Monday, Dec. 19, near Kalamazoo by special agents for Homeland Security investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The indictment says he told a series of lies to immigration officials to enter the U.S. as a refugee, and when he obtained permanent-resident status and eventually U.S. citizenship.

The government said he falsely told immigration officials that he is Serbian and his wife is Croatian so they had to flee Bosnia to avoid persecution of those in ethnically mixed marriages.

Both he and his wife, Jasna, are ethnic Serbs, the government said.

He also did not disclose that he had served in the Bosnian Serb military units in the early 1990s and that he had been tried in Bosnia for the 1994 killings of a Muslim couple.

Kneginich and three co-defendants were accused of breaking into a home on April 11, 1994, and killing a couple, Rejhan and Razija Sikiric, ages 57 and 58, by shooting them multiple times.

Kneginich was acquitted of murder but a higher court two years later ordered that the case be re-tried.

He and his wife applied for refugee status in mid-2000, claiming an ethnically mixed marriage. He began a naturalized U.S. citizen six years later.

In 2009, two of his co-conspirators in the killings were re-tried and convicted. Kneginich, living in the U.S., was not re-tried, the indictment said.

"During his immigration and naturalization processes, Kneginich repeatedly affirmed, under penalty of perjury, that all of the information provided on his forms and in his statements to immigration and naturalization officers was true and correct," Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagen Frank wrote in the indictment.

He said that the defendant did not disclose any information about his arrest in the killings or that he served in the military during the Balkans Conflict.

If convicted, Kneginich faces up to 10 years in prison and his U.S. citizenship would automatically be revoked.

"As an agency, these cases take particular precedence when the individual's past may include human-rights violations," Steve Francis, the acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit, said in a statement.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Michigan congressman is one of two asking President Barack Obama for an immediate briefing on claims that Russia interfered with November's presidential election.

U.S. Reps. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, and Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican, sent a letter to The White House on Monday, Dec. 19.

In the letter, the congressmen question the veracity of reports from the intelligence community that Russian cyberattacks were part of an effort to influence the 2016 election, calling them "evidence-free assertions."

"The reports do not detail specific evidence to support these assertions, and some reports suggest there are disagreements among intelligence officials," the letter states.

Both the CIA and FBI have stated Russia interfered with the election with a goal of supporting Republican candidate Donald Trump, an accusation the Kremlin has vehemently denied.

The White House has suggested President Vladimir Putin was personally involved and President Barack Obama has promised to retaliate.

Republican leaders in Congress, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have pushed for investigations into the reports of foreign meddling in the nation's election.

For his part, the president-elect has so far dismissed the CIA's assessment of the situation.

"These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," Trump's transition team said in a statement.

The president-elect has also taken to Twitter to question the claims:

Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2016

If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016

Amash has also used Twitter in recent weeks to both express skepticism of the hacking claims -- demanding more information -- and to criticize the Trump team's statements in response:

If intel community has evidence, it should be shared immediately with all of Congress. Be skeptical of any claims from anonymous officials. https://t.co/cBFyRGmypu  Justin Amash (@justinamash) December 10, 2016

Transition team's dismissive statement doesn't cut it. Congress must determine if there's credible evidence and investigate if necessary. https://t.co/JwyXytA4Y9  Justin Amash (@justinamash) December 10, 2016

The letter from Amash and Jones claims congressional leaders previously requested a briefing on the issue, but were denied and told by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that a review requested by the White House must first be completed.

"Less than two days later, with no congressional briefing scheduled, you took to NPR to announce retaliatory action against Russia for 'impacting the integrity of our elections,'" the letter states.

In the interview, which aired on Dec. 16, Obama said the United States will "take action" in response to the Russian cyberattacks "at a time and place of our own choosing."

"Some of it may be explicit and publicized; some of it may not be," he said.

Amash and Jones criticize the president's statement, saying Congress "must be briefed on any evidence the intelligence community has gathered" so members can weigh the evidence and evaluate any conclusions.

"It is incumbent upon the executive branch to keep Congress apprised of hostile foreign actions in a timely manner, and once an allegation has been made public, it is reckless to allow evidence-free assertions to serve as Congress' and the public's only source of information," the letter states.

With retaliation against Russia "apparently already under development," the two congressmen request a classified briefing be immediately made available to Congress.

The letter was sent the same day as members of the Electoral College met across the country, ultimately affirming a Trump victory in November's election.
The DeVos family listens as ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos delivers the announcement of the top ten ArtPrize entries at Rosa Park Circle.

Paul L. Newby II | MLive.com

$9.8 million in giving

West Michigans DeVos family has given more than $17 million to political candidates and committees since 1989, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

More than half of that figure  about $9.8 million  occurred within the last two years.

Related: DeVos family political giving nears $10 million prior to 2016 election

Click through to see exactly how much money was contributed by each member of one of Michigans wealthiest families.

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The DeVos family: Rich and Helen in the middle. Dick and Betsy on the left. Cheri (next to Dick in the blue dress); Dan and Pamella, and Doug and Maria (sitting).

Courtesy | DeVos family

Who is the DeVos family?

Richard DeVos Sr. is the co-founder of Ada-based multi-level marketing company Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic. He was most recently listed by Forbes as having a net worth of $5.1 billion, making one of the richest in Michigan and placing him on the magazine's list of the nation's richest billionaires.

After his daughter-in-law, Elisabeth Betsy DeVos, was selected by President-elect Donald Trump as his choice for secretary of education, we took a look at the familys major political contributions during the last election cycle.

The slides that follow show total contributions reported to the FEC in 2015 and 2016 from Richard M. DeVos Sr. and his wife, Helen J. DeVos, from the couple's four children -- Richard "Dick" DeVos Jr., Doug DeVos, Dan DeVos and Suzanne "Cheri" DeVos -- and from spouses Betsy DeVos, Pamella DeVos and Maria DeVos.

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Richard "Rich" DeVos Sr. reacts during a press conference where it was announced his children and their spouses are donating $50 million for the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.

Rex Larsen | MLive.com

Richard "Rich" DeVos Sr.

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $2.4 million

The family patriarch contributed more dollars than any other family member in 2015 and 2016, according to FEC data. His contributions include $283,400 to the Republican National Committee, $100,000 to Paul Ryans joint fundraising committee Team Ryan, $70,000 to the Trump Victory joint fundraising committee.

DeVos gave more than $1.7 million to other PACs including Trusted Leadership, Conservative Solutions, ESA Fund, American Crossroads, Concerned Taxpayers of America, Right to Rise USA and Freedom Partners Action Fund.

He also contributed to 30 individual candidate campaigns including those of GOP presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio and to state Republican Party groups in Minnesota and Indiana.

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Helen DeVos visits the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital building in 2010 before its official opening.

Emily Zoladz | MLive.com

Helen DeVos

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $1.3 million

The family matriarch gave more than $1.3 million to political candidates and committees over the two-year period.

Her giving included large contributions to PACs including Conservative Solutions, American Crossroads, Senate Leadership Fund, Freedom Partners Action Fund and to the Michigan Republican Party.

She also contributed $100,200 to the Republican National Committee, $66,800 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and $25,000 to Paul Ryans Team Ryan. Like her husband, DeVos also made contributions to the campaign funds of GOP candidates Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush.

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Dick DeVos speaks as part of a LiveArts sneak peek for the Economic Club of Grand Rapids at DeVos Performance Hall, Monday, March 23, 2015.

Cory Morse | MLive.com

Richard "Dick" DeVos Jr.

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $1.2 million

The eldest DeVos son and Windquest Group presidents major contributions in the two-year span include $283,400 to the Republican National Committee and $250,000 to Carly Fiorinas Conservative, Authentic, Responsive Leadership For You and For America (CARLY) fund.

DeVos gave more than $600,000 to other PACs including Conservative Solutions, ESA Fund, American Crossroads, Concerned Taxpayers of America, Right to Rise USA and the Young Victory Committee.

He also contributed to 33 individual candidate campaigns including those of GOP presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina and to state Republican Party groups in Michigan, Illinois, Florida and Missouri.

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In this Dec. 9, 2016, file photo, Betsy DeVos, selected for Education Secretary by President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a rally, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

AP Photo | Paul Sancya

Elisabeth "Betsy" DeVos

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $653,750

President-elect Donald Trumps nominee for secretary of education, the school choice advocate and wife to former gubernatorial candidate Richard Dick DeVos Jr. contributed less than most of the family members during 2015 and 2016.

Her major contributions included gifts to PACs including Conservative Solutions, American Crossroads and the Senate Leadership Fund.

Though she did not make any contributions directly to Trumps campaign, DeVos gave $100,200 to the Republican National Committee and contributed to GOP presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina during the two-year period.

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Cheri DeVos, left, daughter of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos, center, shakes hands with a patron during a meet and greet for her father's new book, Simply Rich, at Baker Book House on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

Emily Rose Bennett | MLive

Suzanne "Cheri" DeVos

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $1.2 million

The DeVos familys only daughter had third largest total in political giving among members of the family in 2015 and 2016, according to FEC data.

Her more than $1.2 million included large gifts to the Republican National Committee and PACs including Conservative Solutions, Right to Rise USA, ESA Fund and American Crossroads.

She also contributed to GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubios campaign and gave $70,000 to president-elect Donald Trumps joint fundraising committee, Trump Victory.

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Amway President Doug DeVos talks about the company's 2014 financial results and plans for the future at the Amway headquarters, Ada, Mich., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015.

Joel Bissell | MLive.com

Doug DeVos

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $934,472

Giving just shy of $1 million to political candidates and committees at the federal level, Amway President Doug DeVoss two-year contribution totals include $283,400 to the Republican National Committee, $57,500 to Team Ryan and $35,000 to Trump Victory.

FEC filings also show large contributions to PACs including Right to Rise USA, Concerned Taxpayers of America, Conservative Solutions, ESA Fund, American Crossroads, the Senate Leadership Fund and Michigans Republican Party.

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Maria DeVos, wife of Amway President Doug DeVos, is known for her philanthropy with the Grand Rapids Public Schools.

Courtesy photo

Maria DeVos

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $625,200

The wife of Amway President Doug DeVos, Maria DeVos made several political contributions in 2015 and 2016, including a $100,000 contribution to the Republican National Committee.

She also made large contributions to PACs including Conservative Solutions, American Crossroads, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Senate Leadership Fund.

Like many other members of the family, Maria DeVos also contributed to GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubios campaign.

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Dan DeVos speaks after being named the 2016 Business Person of the Year during the Economic Club of Grand Rapids' 29th Annual Dinner at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids Tuesday, May 31, 2016. DeVos is the chairman and CEO of DP Fox Ventures LLC.

Cory Morse | MLive.com

Daniel DeVos

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $923,600

Giving about the same amount during the two-year span as his brother Doug, DP Fox Ventures Chairman and CEO Dan DeVos contributions include $283,400 to the Republican National Committee, $57,500 to Team Ryan and $35,000 to Trump Victory.

He also contributed directly to GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubios campaign and made large-dollar gifts to PACs including Concerned Taxpayers of America, Conservative Solutions, ESA Fund, American Crossroads, Senate Leadership Fund and the Michigan Republican Party.

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Designer Pamella Roland DeVos and husband Dan DeVos at the Rauschenberg Synapsis Shuffle reception at the GRAM in 2012. The DeVos family is a major supporter of the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

Courtesy | GRAM

Pamella DeVos

Total political contributions (2015-2016): $463,800

Wife to DeVos heir Daniel DeVos, Pamella DeVos political contributions in 2015 and 2016 included, like many other family members, $100,200 for the Republican National Committee.

She also contributed to the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Senate Leadership Fund and gave directly to candidate committees including those of GOP presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina.

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Dick, left, and Betsy DeVos, right, speak at Evergreen Commons in the Edgar D. Prince Lessons in Leadership Series on September 8, 2010.

Darren Breen | MLive.com

A big increase

The DeVos familys nearly $10 million in political contributions in 2015 and 2016 amount to more than half of the $17 million in giving reported to the FEC since 1989.

By comparison, the family's political contributions in the two years prior to the 2012 presidential election totaled less than $1.5 million, according to FEC filings. It was less than $600,000 in the two years prior to the 2008 election.

Some of the increase in FEC-tracked contributions can likely be explained by Supreme Court rulings that lifted limits on political giving and by the proliferation of PACs and Super PACs seen in recent years.

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Rich and Helen DeVos at the GVSU Foundation Enrichment Dinner flanked by Dan and Pamella DeVos, Jim and Donna Brooks and GVSU President Tom Haas.

Courtesy | GVSU

Philanthropy exceeds political giving

Put in perspective of all of the DeVos family's philanthropic giving, its total political giving may not seem so large. The family's foundations in 2015 reported lifetime giving of nearly $1.2 billion, including $94 million in 2014 alone.

The DeVos' five family foundations -- the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, the Douglas and Maria DeVos Foundation and Cheri DeVos' CDV5 Foundation -- give big to causes ranging from education to health and community services to faith-based organizations and arts and culture.

The foundations also provide big-dollar support for conservative think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, Grand Rapids-based Acton Institute and Midland-based Mackinac Center.
Spirit of America blood drive at MIS

Bags and files of donated blood sit on a table waiting to be processed during the Spirit of America blood drive hosted by Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich. Friday, September 11, 2015. (Jessica Christian | MLive.com)

(Jessica Christian)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Michigan Blood is offering $10 gift cards for anyone who attempts to donate during the holiday season.

The promotion is being offered at all Michigan Blood locations throughout the state. Hours of operation can be seen below. Anyone who gives blood will have the choice of gif card to either Amazon or Target.

All blood types are accepted but those with O negative are of the most urgent need, according to Amy Rotter, community relations coordinator for the nonprofit blood bank.

Those with O negative blood type are known as universal donors because their blood is compatible with all other blood types. O negative blood is often used by doctors in emergency situations when there is little time to check a patient's blood type.

"We typically do these types of promotions on holiday weekends," Rotter said. "The need for blood never ends and our numbers are typically lower on holiday weekends because giving blood isn't usually on the top of their minds when traveling."

People need blood every 2 seconds, Rotter said. Just 9 percent of Michigan's population has O negative blood.

The donation process usually takes about an hour. That includes health screening, eligibility verification and recuperation time in the canteen area where cookies and juice are located. The actual drawing of blood takes about 10 minutes, Rotter said.

For more information visit http://www.mibloodgift.org.

Here is a look at the hours of operation for area centers:

Grand Rapids, 1036 Fuller Ave. NE

Friday, Dec. 23 - 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 24 - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 26 - 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 30 - 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 31 - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 2 - 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Grandville United Methodist Church, 3140 Wilson Ave. SW

Thursday, Dec. 22 - noon to 7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 29, noon to 7 p.m.

St. Joseph, 2710 Cleveland Ave.

Wednesday, Dec. 21 - noon to 7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 22 - 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 28 - noon to 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 30 - 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Kalamazoo Area, 524 East Milham Ave, Portage

Friday, Dec. 23 - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 24 - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 26 - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 30 - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 31 - 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Volunteering for the Santa Claus Girls is a joint effort for Steve and Shirley Carlson, two members of the small army of workers who make each year's gift delivery possible.

Between late October and delivery day on Dec. 17, hundreds of West Michigan residents volunteered their time at the Santa Claus Girls headquarters, located in donated space at the Knoll Inc. facility in Kentwood. They sorted, wrapped, bagged and organized the gifts that went out to about 15,000 needy children in Kent County this year.

"We work with such a nice group of people," Shirley said, "It has been a real pleasure meeting and becoming acquainted with the other volunteers."

This is Shirley's 14th year as a volunteer for the organization, where she started as a gift wrapper. A few years ago, she began working as a bagger, which involves gathering all the gifts going to one family, writing the children's names on them, and putting them all together in one bag labeled with the family's name and address.

Her husband performs the next step in the process, transporting those packages of gifts from the bagging area to the warehouse. Once there, they are meticulously arranged by address so on delivery day, they can be loaded in order into the vehicles of nearly 400 volunteer drivers. Steve has been working at that job for about eight years.

"Steve and I have been so blessed," Shirley said. "God's been good to us and we just feel it's a good way to pass some of those blessings on to others. Every child deserves and should receive a gift, and this is our way of seeing that that goal is accomplished."

Last year Santa Claus Girls raised $208,109.16 and delivered gifts to 14,613 children from 6,133 families. You can donate today at santaclausgirls.org, by credit card at 616-222-1860 or mail checks to Santa Claus Girls, c/o The Grand Rapids Press, 3102 Walker Ridge Dr. NW, Walker, MI, 49544.


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Joshua 'Marhar' Skiles (left) donated a snowboard to Greg Chase after his new one was stolen just days before a planned trip up north with his two sons (right). The board was recently returned and Chase will donate the Marhar board to Special Olympics.

((Courtesy Photo | Greg Chase))

MUSKEGON, MI - A snowboard stolen at Crystal Mountain over the weekend has been returned, thanks to the power of social media and a dedicated community of people in West Michigan.

The new $1,000 snowboard owned by Greg Chase was taken near closing time on Friday, Dec. 16. It was eventually replaced by Marhar Snowboards in Grandville, free of charge.

With help from the community, Chase said he was able to track down through Facebook, the person who took his board.

After reaching out to the culprit, he told the girlfriend of the 20-something-year-old living in the Fremont/Hesperia area to leave the board at his father's house in Fremont, or he would be pressing charges.

Sure enough, the board was found in his father's yard later that day. But that's not all. Another snowboard stolen from Crystal also was returned.

According to Matt Wilson's mother, Judee Wilson, his board was taken at Crystal Mountain around the same time as Chase's. Chase planned to meet Wilson to return his board later today.

He will not be pursuing charges against the culprit.

"I don't want to press charges," Chase said. "I want to let it go. The guys who did it were just being young and dumb. I've been that age and done some dumb things."

Chase added that he just wants to move on from the whole ordeal and enjoy his planned snowboarding trip with his family to Mount Bohemia in the Upper Peninsula.

He is using the experience as a teaching moment for his two sons, Kayleb, 14, and Brayden, 10, who were confused as to why their father wasn't angrier.

"I just told them you're going to screw up some time in your life," he said, "When you do, you have to try to make it right, that's all I can do."

The board donated by Marhar will be going to a good cause as well. Chase has decided to donate it to Wesley School in Muskegon, where he has worked for the last 15 years.

The board will be used in snowboarding classes for Special Olympics. Northern Edge Snowsports in Muskegon is donating bindings to the program.

Chase thanked everyone who helped search for his board, as well as Marhar Snowboards for their incredible generosity.
SUMMIT TWP., MI - Jackson College is paying tribute to one of its most prestigious black professors during the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

The late Wilbur Dungy is the focus of the 2107 event at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Potter Center's Robert Snyder Dining Commons on central campus, 2111 Emmons Road. The event is open to the public.

The night's keynote speaker is Dr. Lauren Dungy-Poythress, one of the four children of Dungy and his wife Cleomae, a longtime Jackson High School teacher.

Lauren Dungy-Poythress

Dungy-Poythress is a decorated, internationally regarded obstetrician/gynecologist specializing in maternal-fetal medicine. She currently is an associate professor at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Her keynote address, "The Content of Our Character," relates to Dungy's emphasis on family, education and character, and his similarity to King.

Dungy, a lifelong Jackson resident, belonged to the Tuskegee Airmen, an all-black World War II fighter unit. After the war, he returned home and graduated from Jackson College and the University of Michigan.

He began teaching biology at Jackson College in 1953 as the college's first black professor, and later became chairman of the biology department. Dungy went on to earn a doctorate from Michigan State University and became a highly honored professor at Delta College, where he worked 21 years.

The annual King Celebration also includes presentation of the Medal of Service Award. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and senior citizens. Call 517-796-8600 to reserve a seat.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- A 56-year-old man from Bosnia-Herzegovina was arrested near Kalamazoo on Thursday, Dec. 19 for fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship, federal officials said.

Alexander Kneginich, of Crown Point, Ind., was indicted on a felony charge for allegedly telling a series of lies to U.S. immigration authorities while obtaining authority to enter the U.S. as a refugee, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Kneginich subsequently obtained permanent-resident status and ultimately gained U.S. citizenship.

The indictment was returned by a grand jury for the Western District of Michigan on Dec. 15 and states that Kneginich made false statements while applying for refugee status, as well as failing to disclose other pertinent information.

Specifically, the indictment alleges:

Kneginich falsely stated that his wife was an ethnic Croation and that because he is Serbian, they had to flee Bosnia to avoid persecution experienced by persons in ethnically-mixed marriages;

He knowingly failed to disclose in both his refugee application and permanent-resident application that he had served in the Bosnian Serb military units during the Balkans Conflict of the early 1990's;

He knowingly failed to disclose in both application that he had been charged, jailed and tried in Bosnia for the 1994 murders of two Muslim civilians;

And that he falsely stated in his naturalization application that he had never lied to U.S. immigration authorities to obtain immigration benefits.

The case is being jointly prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.

"For persons who immigrate into the United States, citizenship is the brass ring and this office will zealously pursue any case where that prized status appears to have been obtained through fraud and deceit," U.S. Attorney Pat Miles said in the news release.

If convicted, Kneginich faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Conviction would also result in the automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship and likely, deportation and/or extradition back to Bosnia-Herzegovina, officials said.
The border tension between India and Pakistan lead tension to the Film industry also. The Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA) banned Pakistani artists and technicians and their movies to work in India. Then after, Pakistan too put ban on Hindi Cinema. But now, the theatre owners of Pakistan decided to lift ban from the decision and it is welcomed by celebrities of Bollywood.

The actress Priyanka Chopra has said, "Art should go across the world. I have always believed that. So, I am glad about it."

Kajol is quite happy for the decision said, "Anything where the film industry gets a brick, where the film industry gets a positive sign etc, I am all for the film industry."

The veteran actor Anil Kapoor too expresses his views, "I am very happy about it, it is a great news."

Jasmine Roy said, 'I was reluctant to play Radha'

Rahul Dev feels relieved after eviction from Bigg Boss
PAW PAW, MI -- Fourteen recently-elected state and county officials were sworn in at the Van Buren County Courthouse on Monday as part of an oath ceremony.

Special guests attending the ceremony included U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, state Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker and state Sen. Margaret O'Brien, while Van Buren County Circuit Court Chief Judge Kathleen Brickley presided over the ceremony.

Upton and Schuitmaker both spoke to the crowd and directly addressed Beth Griffin, who on Nov. 8 was elected the state representative for the 66th District of Michigan.

"Don't get too nervous yet," Upton joked about becoming a state representative, before thanking Griffin for her service to her community.

Schuitmaker shared a "Top 10" list of things she'd learned in her time serving in government, before swearing Griffin in. Griffin's family stood close and she hugged her daughter as she raised her right hand and took the oath.

"I know the voters spoke with their hearts when they elected you. You are a person of the people, and you have a great heart. You are willing to listen and you vote your decisions with integrity," Schuitmaker said to Griffin.

Brickley swore in the thirteen county officials.

"You will best honor these responsibilities by serving with a sense of intelligence, integrity, a strong work ethic, an ability to listen and to compromise, and above all, a commitment to contribute to something greater than yourself," Brickley said before reciting the oath to the officials.

Paw Paw High School's Choir Voices of the Future performed as part of the event.

Elected officials from the following offices took part in the oath ceremony:

* County Board of Commissioners

o District 1: Gail Patterson-Gladney

o District 2: Kurt Doroh

o District 3: Richard Godfrey

o District 4: Richard Freestone

o District 5: Mike Toth

o District 6: Donald Hanson

o District 7: Paul Schincariol

* County Clerk: Suzie Roehm

* County Drain Commissioner: Joe Parman

* County Prosecutor: Mike Bedford

* County Register of Deeds: Paul DeYoung

* County Surveyor: Don Gilchrist

* County Treasurer: Karen Makay

* State Representative for the 66th District of Michigan: Beth Griffin
PORTAGE, MI - Stryker Corp. plans to build a $130-million corporate campus on nearly 300 acres in Portage, creating an estimated 105 new jobs over three years.

The proposal for Stryker's medical instruments division involves 485,000 square feet of facilities that will include a customer experience center, functioning showroom, state-of-the-art research and development lab and a bio-skills lab for research and new product development. It will also include ffice space for sales, marketing and support functions.

The new campus will be built on 288 acres of land zoned industrial and bordered by Portage Road, East Milham Avenue and Ramona Avenue that Stryker purchased in October from Pfizer Inc. for $8.5 million, according to city documents.

The land is undeveloped and is near other Stryker facilities on Portage, Sprinkle and Romence roads. The company's world headquarters is on Airview Road, just up Portage Road from the project property.

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced the project Tuesday, Dec. 20 in a press release. The agency's Michigan Strategic Fund Board approved a $1 million grant for the project. The money will be primarily used to offset recruiting and training costs.

Stryker is expected to ask the city of Portage for a tax break in February and Kalamazoo County for brownfield redevelopment assistance.

City officials, who have known of the project for weeks, are elated.

"The city of Portage is very pleased to assist Stryker grow, meet their goals and achieve their mission to make healthcare better," said Mayor Pete Strazdas. "Working together, we can improve our local quality of life and tax base.

"A world-class company is building a world-class campus in a city and region that gets it -- efficient government and services and a place where people want to live, work and play."

City Manager Larry Shaffer said Portage "is delighted to support the plans of our great community partner, Stryker Corporation. Stryker's plans ensure that it remains an important member of Portage's future."

"We look forward to joining our partners at Southwest Michigan First and the MEDC to make 'Project Portage' a reality. This is great news, not only for Portage, but all of Southwest Michigan. The administration and its local partners would like to ensure that Stryker remains a significant member of our community - this project is the next step," Shaffer said.

Based in the Kalamazoo area, Stryker is considered a global leader in medical technology. The company in documents submitted to the MEDC says it employs 966 people in Michigan.

Its products are sold in more than 100 countries and include implants used in joint replacement and trauma surgeries, surgical equipment, patient handling and emergency medical equipment and other medical products.

Stryker's expansion comes on the heels of a $145-million expansion project approved earlier this year by Pfizer at its manufacturing complex, on Portage Road near Stryker's proposed complex. The Pfizer project includes a $40,800,000 warehouse addition at the north end of Building 41 and a $105,570,000 Act-O-Vial work center, also at Building 41.
The following people were sentenced Dec. 12-16, 2016 in circuit court:

Javante Lavell Lang-Knight, 24, of Muskegon, to 12 months in jail for possession of less than 25 grams of a controlled substance, habitual offender third conviction, $648 court costs/fees.

Amiya Shanice-Nicole Brown, 18, Muskegon Heights, to four months in jail for first degree retail fraud, $708 court costs/fees.

Anthony Todd Kennebrew, 47, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to 12 months in jail for domestic violence third, habitual offender fourth, $1,348 restitution and court costs/fees.

Anthony Todd Kennebrew, 47, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to 410 days in jail for failing to pay child support, $1,719 restitution and court costs/fees.

Jason Jasper Walton, 26, of Muskegon, to five months in jail for possessing less than 25 grams of a controlled substance and unlawful use of a license plate, habitual offender second, $1,377 court costs/fees.

Curtis Carlyle Shaffer, 55, of Grand Rapids, to four months in jail for operating under the influence of liquor third offense, $1,608 court costs/fees.

Todd William Slaght, 37, of Muskegon, to 90 days in jail for operating under the influence of liquor third offense, $1,608 court costs/fees.

Andre Willie Garner, 22, of Muskegon, to 16 months - 4 years in prison for failing to stop at the signal of a police officer, assault/resist/obstruction of a police officer, habitual offender third, $648 court costs/fees.
MUSKEGON, MI - Hackley Community Care's Oakridge Teen Health Center is among four West Michigan health clinics to receive grant funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Hackley Community Care received $100,000 for the Oakridge Teen Health Center, the largest of the four grants presented Tuesday, Dec. 20.

The other three clinics presented with grants were Love in the Name of Christ Free Health Clinic, City on a Hill Health Clinic and Holland Free Health Clinic.

With the grant, Hackley Community Care will be able to expand its newly-added dental services at the Oakridge Teen Health Center.

Steve Oginsky, physician's assistant at the center, said working side-by-side with a dentist has been tremendous because it makes care more accessible for patients.

"Being a medical provider, we don't always know what's going to happen after they leave the door." Oginsky said. "Do they go to the dentist? We don't know. Now that we can ask about the dental (care), we do."

Oginsky said every day the dentist is at the center, they are busy. The grant will allow a dentist to be at the health care facility more often.

The Oakridge Teen Health Center, located in the Oakridge Middle and High School campus, opened in 2015. Services are available to students 10-years-old to 21-years-old in the Oakridge Public Schools district.

Joshua Joshua, dentist at the center, said a goal is to eventually open the center to everybody in the community.

The facility currently has three dental rooms. Patients receive comprehensive dental care including screening, cleaning and exams without missing a lot of school.

Kim Kratz, senior health care analyst for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, said the care network has a commitment to improving the health of every person in the state.

One of the ways that is done is by giving money through a grant-making program called "Strengthening the Safety Net."

Kratz said the four West Michigan clinics were recognized Tuesday because of the integration of services at the Oakridge Teen Health Center and the resourcefulness of the three free clinics.

Across the state, about 55 free, low-cost and federally qualified health centers that help the under-insured and uninsured received health care, were given grants.

"We think it's important for people's health as well as for local communities, to keep people working, keep them out of the ER and using health resources wisely," Kratz said. "It's such a gift, really, from Blue Cross Blue Shield to the people of the state."
UPDATE, 3 p.m. Dec. 20 -- The freeway is now open.

MUSKEGON, MI - Southbound U.S. 31 entering Muskegon is expected to be closed at least until early afternoon after a semi-truck crash Tuesday morning.

The southbound lanes are closed near the 116-mile marker north of Apple Avenue and all traffic is being diverted onto Business Route U.S. 31 into Muskegon. The entrance to southbound U.S. 31 from Business Route U.S. 31 also is closed.

The crash occurred around 9:10 a.m. Dec. 20 when a vehicle merging onto U.S. 31 from Apple Avenue lost control and was struck by the semi-truck hauling two trailers, according to a statement from the Muskegon Police Department.

The truck and its trailers struck a second car as well as the bridge abutment for the Apple Avenue overpass. The semi-truck driver was injured and transported to Mercy Health Muskegon's Hackley Campus with non-life-threatening injuries, said Muskegon Police Chief Jeffrey Lewis. The other drivers were not injured, Lewis said.

The truck owned by Verplank was carrying a load of gravel that spilled onto the roadway. Cleanup could take until 1:30 p.m., according to reports.

Officials with the Muskegon Township Police Department and Michigan Department of Transportation were assisting at the scene.

Police ask that anyone with information about the crash to contact the Muskegon Police Department at (231) 724-6750 or Silent Observer at (231) 722-7463.
SCOTTVILLE, MI -- Bombers of Starving Artist Brewing Co. beers are available for purchase, but the owner is purposely making them difficult to find.

The 22-ounce bottles are only at the company's production facility -- a red barn behind a home.

Andy Thomas, owner and brewer, doesn't list the production facility's address to protect his family's privacy. But typing "Starving Artist Brewing" into Google maps will yield a pin in the general area of the facility.

The production facility is located on South Stiles Road. An upright beer barrel at the end of the driveway is the only indication that you've arrived at the right place - there's no "Starving Artist" sign.

"The hardcore people find us," Thomas told MLive on Monday while standing inside the barn surrounded by fermenters, two display fridges half-full of bombers, and taps to serve 3 ounce samples - the closest thing to a taproom the company has.

Thomas bottled a limited amount of five varieties to start: Barrel-aged Sour, Raspberry Rubenesque, Mulberry Gose, Coconut Coffee Rubenesque and Blood Orange IPA.

The first day of sales was Dec. 17, and by Dec. 19, Blood Orange IPA was the first to sell out. The Coconut Coffee Rubenesque wasn't far behind. Thomas only makes 30-40 bottles of each brew.

Thomas said he doesn't have plans to distribute the bottles anytime soon.

The brewery distributes in kegs along the Lake Michigan shore from the Mackinac Bridge to the southern state line, and as far east as Lansing.

"I've always been drawn to breweries that do things to push the limits, not for popularity," Thomas said. "You build a following of people seeking you out."

Each month, Thomas plans to bottle about 500 22-ounce bombers. The varieties will change month-to-month.

The next run will include Coconut Coffee Rubenesque, a Russian imperial stout, a Belgian strong ale, a blond stout and an experimental beer that will be the first in a series of Hop X brews.

Each Hop X beer will have all the same ingredients except its hops, Thomas said. Each one will be numbered with the hops identification, and the company will ask for feedback to decide whether to use the hop in future beers.

"We like being mysterious," Thomas said, referring to the collective "we" of all the people who have made Starving Artist possible.

Thomas has been involved with the beer industry for more than 10 years both as a homebrewer and working for Jamesport Brewing Co., a brewpub in Ludington that opened in 2000.

He worked as a brewer at Jamesport during the early 2000s, opened a A.M. Galleries downtown Ludington after that, and then founded Starving Artist during June 2015.

The brewery was jump started by a $50,000 grant from the Momentum Business Plan Competition, which Thomas won during August 2015.

While owning and operating the gallery, Thomas founded the Pour Soul Society home brewing club that still operates today.

"To be part of the Michigan beer industry is nothing short of a dream come true," Thomas said.
Immigrant Legal Funds Trump

In this Dec. 16, 2016 photo, Esperanza Villalobos, a "community navigator," works at her office at The Resurrection Project in Chicago. Villalobos helps immigrants who might need legal services to avoid deportation or learn about their legal rights. The organization she works for plans to hire more individuals like her after the city approved $1.3 million for a legal services fund for immigrants. Chicago is among several entities nationwide working to beef up legal services for immigrants. (AP Photo by Sophia Tareen)

CHICAGO (AP) -- Major U.S. cities and counties are beefing up legal services for immigrants to help them fight deportation and avoid fraudulent lawyers in the wake of Donald Trump's election and his hard-line immigration enforcement promises.

Tapping local government funds to represent immigrants in federal proceedings provides an early example of the type of pushback the Republican incoming president will receive in Democratic strongholds. Advocates call it a matter of justice and smart economics, but some question whether it's a fair use of taxpayer money.

Chicago has approved a $1.3 million legal fund. Los Angeles city and county officials and private organizations are working on a $10 million plan, according to a mayor's spokeswoman, while some California state lawmakers have proposed spending tens of millions of dollars to provide lawyers to immigrants facing deportation. New York is mulling a public-private legal fund, building on New York City's public defender program that's considered a national model.

"We need to be able to stand by people who are fearful," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former White House chief of staff, said after the measure passed the City Council last week.

Trump's pledges to build a border wall and deport the estimated 11 million people living in the country without legal permission have triggered uncertainty in immigrant circles. He has since scaled back the deportee number, but not detailed his platform.

Since his win, a lack of legal representation for immigrants has become a growing concern. It was the top issue raised by a Chicago task force of leaders, including Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, convened after the election. A proponent of a Los Angeles County measure slated for consideration Tuesday, Supervisor Hilda Solis, said she's especially worried about the fate of unaccompanied minors and young immigrants who filed personal information with the federal government to obtain work permits under the Obama administration.

"Right now, the most important thing is that this fund be established and that our most vulnerable communities know that we are working towards keeping them safe and protected," Solis said.

Immigrants aren't guaranteed a lawyer in immigration court and only about 37 percent of those in deportation proceedings have legal representation, according to a September American Immigration Council report.

Democratic state lawmakers in California have proposed legislation that could cost up to $80 million for immigration attorneys and other legal training. Santa Clara County is looking into the idea and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee added $1.5 million to a fund for immigrant legal services.

In Chicago -- where an estimated 150,000 people do not have permanent legal status -- the money will be divided among two nonprofits. One will focus on poor immigrants facing deportation. The other will employ 200 "community navigators" who will network through churches, schools and community events to find immigrants who are in the country illegally and help them figure out if they have avenues to stay.

"People are nervous," said Esperanza Villalobos, who already does the job in Mexican-heavy Chicago neighborhoods. She reports a surge in immigrants seeking her out since the election.

In Chicago, which has some of the most immigrant-friendly laws in the nation, the debate over the fund had tense moments, highlighting how contentious the issue is outside Democratic strongholds. Chicago set aside money only for one year and is banking on private donations to keep it going.

Three aldermen representing neighborhoods with strong Trump support voted against it, including Nicholas Sposato. He dismissed it as "the legal defense fund for the illegals" and said Chicago should consider the money for other issues. The cash-strapped city diverted the funds from a little-used homeowner rebate program.

"I'm not a hater," Sposato said during the vote at full the council meeting. "Any given day, 1,000 homeless veterans out there. What are we doing for them?"

Another reason cited by local governments for creating the funds is the economy, because immigrants, regardless of legal status, work and pay taxes. In addition, children of immigrants who are deported may end up needing publicly-funded services such as foster care and health care, said Avideh Moussavian, a policy attorney with the National Immigration Law Center in Washington.

"There's the due process issue, but there's actually quantifiable economic impact," she said.

In 2013, New York City tested a program to infuse public defender offices with money for attorneys dedicated to representing detained immigrants. The program has grown from $500,000 in its initial year to roughly $6 million. Attorneys have represented more than 1,500 immigrants from 2013 through late last year, the most recent statistics available. About 70 percent of attorneys won their cases, according to the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice.

In Chicago, another goal is to help immigrants avoid fraudulent services, something 24-year-old Jose Lopez knows firsthand.

The college student, brought to the country illegally as a child, qualified for a work permit under the Obama administration. Twice he sought out attorneys who advertised on Spanish-language radio stations.

However, the paperwork they filed was unnecessary, his case stalled and he lost nearly $2,000. He's since obtained the permit and has a graphic design job, but hopes others can avoid his mistakes.

"I had to stall a career. I had to stall school," he said. "I had to stall life."
120416-Snow-2

A nativity scene is covered in snow. (Shannon Millard/MLive.com)

(Shannon Millard)

By Rabbi David Krishef

ethicsandreligiontalk@gmail.com

Just in time for Christmas, Charlotte S. asks: "I understand that non-Christians think about Jesus differently than Christians. Can the non-Christian panelists explain? For the Christian panelists, I wonder if there is any deviation from the belief that most Christians hold that some of you teach."

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds:

"Since Hinduism predates Christianity by centuries, Jesus has no official status in Hinduism. While Christianity has had a presence in India for most of the last two millennia, it was only during the colonial period, the last 200 years, when steps were taken to inculcate society there with Christian thought, often with the hope of conversion.

"But while most Hindus resisted these attempts, many Hindu intellectuals began to study the Bible. Most did not leave Hinduism but were able to glean the great wisdom of Jesus and the prophets while eschewing the elements held most dear to Christians such as resurrection, judgment, salvation, etc.

"I have been to many lectures where Jesus is quoted right alongside of our own saints and sages. While not enough evidence exists to make a solid claim, some believe that Jesus spent his "missing years" in India learning with Hindu and Buddhist monks.

"A good example of Jesus' influence is found in Gandhi. He used the Gospels alongside Hindu scriptures to encourage a nonviolent revolution against British rule.

"In short, Jesus is seen by many Hindus as an enlightened soul who was a true guru; that is, 'One who dispels darkness.' I could say that this characterization fits about halfway between the Christian and Muslim concepts."

Aly Mageed, a Shura member (roughly equivalent to an elder) of the Islamic Mosque and Religious Institute of Grand Rapids, responds:

"Muslims believe that Jesus (PBUH) was created miraculously by God from Virgin Mary without a man.

"He delivered the message of the Oneness of God that he and every other messenger were instructed to do.

"Jesus miraculously spoke to the crowd as a newly born baby to dispel any accusation of impurity against his mother. When he reached maturity he returned to the Holy Land and taught people the purified path to God dispelling again all malpractices.

"God had granted him additional miraculous powers to convince unbelievers of his authenticity as a prophet. These included healing the blind, the leprous as well as reviving the dead; all by God's permission. His teachings were so revolutionary against the practices of his time stressing that spiritual killing was no less than physical killing and that indulging in the world is akin to taking another partner with God. He almost lost his life to deliver this message. Later; the disbelievers planned and plotted to kill him, but God saved him took Jesus up to Him to terminate that phase of his earthly existence and saved him from crucifixion.

"He will return at the end of time to lead the believers again in a final blow to evil on earth."

And one Christian response, from Doug Van Doren, the pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ:

"It is hard to say what belief 'most Christians hold' about Jesus. There has always been a good deal of variation. This variation is seen in the early church, in how Jesus is portrayed in the various gospels, through the creeds and by theologians over the centuries.

"Unique and defining characteristic of Christianity is that we find the revelation of God primarily in a person. That means Jesus is what can be seen of God embodied in a human life. As Marcus Borg put it, 'He is the revelation of what God is like and of what God is most passionate about.' So in him we see the character of God, but also what a person of God looks like.

"Many of us in the modern age depart from a more 'traditional' view by making a distinction between the pre-Easter and post-Easter Jesus. In many ways, much of the tradition has robbed Jesus of his humanity by not making this distinction. The pre-Easter Jesus was the remarkable man of a particular time and place, imbued with the passion and love of God. If we imbue him as well with full Godly knowledge and supernatural power he is not fully human?

"As Jesus scholar Albert Nolan put it, 'Jesus is a much underrated man. To deprive him of his humanity is to deprive him of his greatness.'

"The Christ, that is the post-Easter Jesus, is the Jesus that continued to be experienced as a divine reality by his followers after his death. And he is still experienced by many Christians today. This post-Easter Jesus is the one reflected in the developing traditions of the early church -- the Christian Scriptures and creeds."

The Ethics and Religion Talk panel is looking for questions! Your question should be able to be answered by multiple members of the panel in 200-300 words. The views expressed are those of the panelists and do not necessarily represent the official perspectives of their congregations or denominations. Please submit questions from your own day-to-day encounters to EthicsAndReligionTalk@gmail.com.
21581702-mmmain.jpg

The Palace of Auburn Hills is viewed before the Detroit Pistons against the Houston Rockets NBA basketball game in Auburn Hills, Mich., Monday, Nov. 21, 2016.

(Paul Sancya | AP)

AUBURN HILLS -- A two-alarm fire in the kitchen ventilation system this morning prompted the evacuation of the Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons.

No one was injured in the 10:33 a.m. fire Tuesday, according to a news release from the Auburn Hills Fire Department. The fire was contained to the ventilation system that extends from the main kitchen to the southeast side of the building.

"The initial investigation indicates the suppression system in the kitchen hood vent did not activate," Auburn Hills fire chief James Manning said in the release. "The fire inside the duct work consumed the grease fuel and burnt out. The kitchen was the only area impacted by the fire."

Palace employees in other areas of the building returned to work after the fire was extinguished. No events were going on at the time of the fire, Manning said.

Firefighters from Rochester Hills, Rochester, Orion Township, Independence Township and Waterford Regional assisted Auburn Hills in putting out the fire.

The Pistons, who lost 113-82 to the Chicago Bulls on Monday, practice in a nearby facility on site. Their scheduled game Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzles is still on.
(NWS Gaylord)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Wind gusts of nearly 50 miles per hour are hitting the shores of Lake Michigan Tuesday, Dec. 20, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter weather advisory is in effect for two tiers of counties on the entire western edge of the Lower Peninsula through 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., in some areas. A few counties in the Upper Peninsula are also under the advisory. Here's a look at the map of impacted counties:

According to the NWS, counties under the advisory are dealing with high winds, blowing snow and low visibility. Some areas in the U.P. and the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula could see an inch or two of new snow, as well.

Gale warnings are also in effect for Lake Michigan, where waves of up to 20 feet are possible. Less than a week ago, the NWS issued warnings stating waves could reach heights of 27 feet in parts of Lake Michigan.

Some residents of West Michigan noticed the blustery conditions today and took to social media to share their view of the big lake.

Was hoping for a beach ride, but Lake Michigan was too angry today! No beach to ride. 20 miles per hour winds made for some tough head winds. Still got in 9.2 miles! Posted by Mark Newald on Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Russian ambassador for Turkey, Andrey G. Karlov, was assassinated at an art exhibition in Ankara one Turkey Gunman who was standing behind him, while he was addressing the audience.

As described by Turkish officials, "The gunman, as a 22-year-old off-duty police officer, also wounded at least three others in the assault on the envoy, Andrey G. Karlov, which was captured on video. Turkish officials said the assailant was killed by other officers in a shootout ".

After killing the Russian Envoy the gunman shouted, "God id Great".... "Dont forget Aleppo, Dont forget Syria".

He had shot seven fires on Andrey G. Karlov , four from behind and three while he laid on the ground and died of his wounds. The gunman was identified as the graduate of Police College in Izmir, named Mevlut Mert Altintas.

France infuriated on Russia for revoking commitments on Syria

To send or not to send observers for Aleppo evacuation : UN will vote

Suicide bomb attack kills 30 soldiers in Aden
Close

With so many amazing technologies and gadgets arriving this year, there aren't really a lot of remarkable tablets that were launched. However, LG hoped to make a difference this time around. LG has announced that LG G Pad III 10.1 LTE is officially coming soon in the market.

LG has remained as one of the leading manufacturers of smartphones and tablets. Although not as quite as popular as Apple and Samsung this year, the LG G5 is still something tech fans had looked forward to. Fans have yet to see and experience LG G6.

But as LG enthusiasts are still waiting for more about the G6, they can turn their attention to the LG G Pad III 10.1 LTE. The new tablet for their G Pad III series will be coming soon. However, those who are looking for a high-end tablet should be reminded that this G Pad III tablet is a mid-range one.

However, fans can expect some pretty good specs. By its name, the LG G Pad III 10.1 LTE features a 10.1-inch display that offers a 1920 x 1200 resolution as noted by Android Headlines. Its octa-processor is still not named but it boasts a 6,000mAh battery and runs at 1.5GHz.

For those who are looking more into storage and memory, the LG G Pad III 10.1 LTE offers a 2G RAM and 32GB internal storage. Sure enough, users can expand it up to 2TB with the use of a microSD card.

The tablet is not so bad for taking pictures as well. LG G Pad III 10.1 LTE has a 5-megapixel rear camera. Another 5-megapixel camera is also placed in front. Android 6.0 Marshmallow will be pre-installed on the tab. But the most noticeable of all is its very own kickstand.

According to Slash Gear, the LG G Pad III 10.1 LTE also has "Time Square" user experience. This means that the tab can function as a digital frame that can be useful by the desk. Users can take advantage of it as a calendar, desk clock and of course, a picture frame among others.

LG has not announced yet when the tablet will be released.

 Copyright 2020 Mobile & Apps, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
[December 19, 2016] 1WorldSync Partners With FDA Consultant Globizz to Offer Unified Product Information Solution for Japanese Healthcare Marketplace

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., Dec. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 1WorldSync, the leading multi-enterprise product information network, has partnered with Globizz, a market-leading FDA solution provider. The partnership gives enhanced access to UDI database registration and FDA compliance solutions for Japanese healthcare companies seeking to export products to the U.S. market.





1WorldSync is the only certified GDSN data pool operating in Japan equipped to help customers meet UDI requirements in the local language. The partnership allows Globizz customers to leverage 1WorldSyncs deep experience in UDI compliance within the medical device market and provides additional consulting services for Japanese healthcare companies expanding to the U.S. With the highly regulated nature of the medical device market, businesses require advanced supportto meet the product information requirements necessary to sell their products across borders, said Dan Wilkinson, Chief Commercial Officer of 1WorldSync. Our dedicated staff of UDI database registration experts in Japan, in tandem with Globizzs FDA compliance solutions, will provide Japanese companies the support and expertise to scale and distribute product information that complies with todays regulations.



Compliance with FDA regulations for the medical device industry requires barcodes to be placed on the device label/packaging and device data elements to be submitted to the FDAs Global UDI Database (GUDID). Globizz partnered with 1WorldSync, a world leader in the product data industry, for its recognition as a qualified UDI issuing agency by the FDA. This partnership enables easier data management and global expansion while eliminating the language barriers Japanese healthcare companies encounter while seeking to export products into the U.S. market. This partnership will allow Globizz to continue to offer the highest quality consulting services in a timely manner, support clients barcode needs and help expand businesses in both the U.S. and Japan, said Takahiro Harry Haruyama, President and CEO of Globizz. As partners, Globizz and 1WorldSync will assist in the full compliance of UDI requirements for the Japanese medical device industry, which is an important element to their success in the U.S.

For more information, visit www.1worldsync.com. About 1WorldSync

1WorldSync is the leading multi-enterprise product information network, helping more than 25,000 global brands and their trading partners in over 60 countries  share authentic, trusted content in the hands of their customers and consumers, empowering consumers to make the right choices, purchases, health and lifestyle decisions. Through its solutions, technology platform and expert services, 1WorldSync provides solutions that meet the diverse needs of its customers. For more information, please visit http://www.1worldsync.com About Globizz Based in California, Globizz is an international consulting company with extensive experience in cross-border business. Globizz provides FDA consulting services for medical devices, medical drugs, foods, supplements, cosmetics, animal feeds and other biotech products. Globizz specializes in advising on overseas expansion plans for top-level management businesses and financial planning, as well as market research, overseas base auditing, and cross border M&A advisory between the U.S. and Japan. It also provides on-site personnel training and seminars, and directors for overseas entities. For more information, please visit www.globizz.net. Media Contact Rachel Gulden [email protected] 312-267-0530

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In the early parts of 2014, the infamous polar vortex descended over Detroit, bringing temperatures that made the North Pole seem downright tolerable. With sub-zero temps combined with above average amounts of snow, it was the type of weather that inspired people to stay indoors, to avoid going out whenever possible. For a restaurant owner, it's the type of weather that means trouble.At Louisiana Creole Gumbo , sales were down 20 to 25 percent that year, says the restaurant's president and co-owner Joe Spencer. The New Orleans and southern style kitchen is located at 2051 Gratiot Ave.just on the outskirts of Eastern Marketand has been since 1970. Spencer says it was one of the first, if not the first, Creole-style restaurants in Detroit.The polar vortex threatened to put Louisiana Creole Gumbo out of business. Instead, Spencer has managed to turn the restaurant around, in part by taking advantage of the many small business programs in Detroit. Starting in 2014, Spencer enrolled in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses program . He's since received funding from Invest Detroit and Motor City Match . Most recently, Louisiana Creole Gumbo won the $100,000 NEIdeas award With the help of those programs, Spencer recently opened a new location on the city's northwest side at 13505 W. Seven Mile Rd., near Schaefer Highway. The Goldman Sachs program helped Spencer conduct a survey, determining that 25 percent of his customers live in northwest Detroit."Detroit has a really terrific system that's designed to help small businesses, to help people start businesses as well as help businesses that already exist," says Spencer. "I've been benefited greatly from that."The restaurant was first established in 1970, though not by Spencer. That distinction goes to Joseph Stafford, a chef who learned to cook from his mother in Bayou Laforche in New Orleans. Spencer, who's lived most of his life in Detroit, had never even tried Creole-style food before a fateful flip of a coin set the course for the second part of his career.Before he purchased Louisiana Creole Gumbo, Spencer had made a name for himself in broadcast media. In 1972, he worked for WWJ, becoming one of the first black radio producers in Detroit. In 1975, Spencer became the program director at WGPR-TV 62, the first black-owned television station in the nation. He stayed with channel 62 through its purchase by CBS in 1994, eventually taking an early retirement opportunity in 2001. He's since focused on the restaurant full time.It was in 1982 when Spencer and business partner Doug Morrison purchased the restaurant from original owner Stafford. Wanting to go into business for himself, Spencer had originally approached Morrison about purchasing an eight-unit apartment building on the city's westside. Morrison, on the other hand, had his eyes on Louisiana Creole Gumbo. A coin flip decided the duo's fate."Joe Stafford, having sold us the restaurant, spent the next year coming in to work every day to teach us how to prepare the product," says Spencer. "How to maintain his proprietary spice blends that he had, to control the taste of the food, how to manage the product, to introduce us to the vendors, create a relationship with the vendors, so we could continue his legacy. He really had a great product."The restaurant's continued success, now edging towards 50 years since first opening, is a testament to Stafford's original product. And now that Spencer has gone through a number of Detroit's small business programs, both educationally and financially beneficial, he's gearing up for a major expansion of the business.The new Louisiana Creole Gumbo in northwest Detroit is just the beginning. Spencer has an ambitious ten year plan to open 100 new locations throughout the I-75 corridor. He's also going mobile, having pegged the NEIdeas award money for two food trucks. The menu, too, is expanding; the new location features healthier options like red beans and quinoa, rather than rice, and vegetarian gumbo, in addition to the traditional favorites.For Lousiana Creole Gumbo, just a couple of years removed from that nasty polar vortex, it seems that a new season has arrived.
you are here:
business KEI sees Rs 250 cr annual revenue from agreement with Swiss co Anil gupta, Chairman and MD of KEI Industries told CNBC-TV18 that this agreement will help the company acquire orders up to 400 kV from various public utilities, private players.
business New launches to drive earnings growth in FY18 & FY19: Glenmark The company has a strong pipeline of products which the company, CMD Glenn Saldanha said adding that new launches will drive earnings for the company in FY18 and FY19. The company has no plans to raise further capital, he said.
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
Ex-choir director in Bucks County pleads no contest to molesting two students, secretly filming another
The man accused of making more than 400 bomb threats in three counties earlier this year was charged Monday afternoon at the Burke County magistrates office.

Cody Matthew Startt, 27, was charged with 253 counts of felony false bomb reports and 253 counts of felony terrorism charges, according to his arrest report. He was listed him as homeless and unemployed on the report .

From May through July of 2016, more than 400 bomb threats, all of which were all determined to be hoaxes, were called into businesses and agencies in Burke, Catawba and Caldwell counties. Law enforcement agencies within th o se jurisdictions work ed together as part of a large scale investigation to identify and determine the source of the threats, said a previous News Herald article. This investigation led to Startt as the source of the bomb threats.

He was arrested in Matoaka, West Virginia , on July 6 by the Hickory Police Department, the FBI and West Virginia State Police on probation violations related to his prior convictions. Startt was convicted in October 2015 on three counts of making false bomb threats in May 2015 in Hickory, the article said.

In July, Startt admitted in court to violating terms of his probation by absconding from supervision, being in arrears of court indebtedness and failing to complete court-directed community service. His probation from the previous bomb threat conviction was revoked and he received an activated prison sentence of four to 14 months, according to a previous News Herald article.

He was placed under a $350,000 secured bond and transported to the Catawba County Jail in Newton.

His trial date is set for Feb. 13 in Burke County Superior Court .
New Ratings

Samuel Meakin

Mark Page and Laurent Millet have managed this fund since its inception in October 2011, but they have worked together for nearly 10 years. In our opinion, they have formed a strong partnership, bringing complementary skills to the table that are beneficial to the management of the strategy. The fund has outperformed the index and category average since launch, and Page also brought a strong track record from his previous mandate at LV= Asset Management. The investment process is reasonably straightforward, seeking quality companies that produce high returns on invested capital, but we believe that the managers apply it well.

Arthur Wu

The fund is managed by five experienced portfolio managers in Jimmy Keenan, David Delbos, Mitch Garfin, Michael Phelps and Jose Aguilar, each with different sets of responsibilities. We also like the strength of analyst support the team enjoys. Rather than sticking to a preferred spot on the credit-quality spectrum, the fund can invest in different parts of the capital structure and the managers have used this flexibility to their advantage thus far. It should be noted that given the strategys colossal size (approx. USD 43 billion as of end October 2016), the fund could have trouble staying nimble in certain areas of the high yield market.

Shannon Kirwin

The funds manager, Mark Redfearn, boasts two decades of experience and has generated an impressive track record during his nine years at the helm of this strategy. The strategys strengths lie in its broad diversification across large number of individual securities and its emphasis on bottom-up credit research. The manager works with a large, experienced and stable team of more than thirty credit analysts, and security selection has accounted for the majority of the funds outperformance versus its benchmark since inception. Though its fees are slightly above-average, were convinced by its stable management, extensive research resources and proven strategy.

Don Yew

This fund has been managed by Singapore-based Adeline Ng since 23 December 2001. Ng comes across as a knowledgeable investor; however, we have concerns about the high turnover of the analyst team that directly supports her. Although the funds credit-focused investment process is sensible and has delivered respectable long-term peer-relative returns, we note that it is dependent on the analyst team, which is relatively new. Hence, we need more time to see how the members work together to contribute to the process.

Upgrades

Mark Laidlaw

Samir Mehta is the driving force behind our increased conviction at this fund. He has over 25 years' experience, the last five of which have been at this firm. His insights at both a stock and macro level make him stand out relative to most peers and we like that the portfolio is truly conviction-based with little attention paid to the MSCI AC Asia ex-Japan index. The strategy focuses on firms that boast long sustainable long-term growth, an ability to consistently generate high returns on capital and which have shown themselves to be resilient in times of economic distress. The end portfolio has typically had structural biases to areas such as telecoms, gaming and consumer-related names, with a natural tendency to steer clear of areas like financials. The track record here is very impressive against both peers and the index.

Downgrades

Samuel Meakin

After an extended period of subdued returns relative to peers, the fund trails the UK Flex-Cap category average over three and five years to the end of November 2016. It remains ahead of the index and category average over lead manager Derek Stuarts tenure from launch in early 2000. However, a large proportion of these active returns came in the first few years of the funds life, and there have been some changes to the portfolios structure since, such as the reduction in the small-cap allocation.

The funds value bias has been a headwind to performance in recent years, and our attribution analysis indicates that the managers have continued to demonstrate some positive stock selection over the period of weaker relative performance. While this supports a positive view, we no longer believe the fund merits our highest rating relative to competitors that follow similar special situations strategies, an area of the market that has become more competitive.

Jeffrey Schumacher

Despite the long experience of fund manager Manu Vandenbulck and the ample resources at his disposal, the fund has failed to impress us so far. Vandenbulck has a strong preference for value stocks, which he sometimes seems to apply at the cost of dividend sustainability. Over time, the portfolio has suffered from several dividend cuts, in telecom amongst others. This has affected stock selection results and questions the execution and quality of this funds process.

This is a concern to us, and it has been a drag on performance over various time horizons, while also elevating risk metrics, such a standard deviation and maximum drawdown, versus peers. This leaves us unconvinced of the quality of execution and stock selection, which are the responsibility of Vandenbulck. As such, we think investors have better options in this category. We therefore lower the Morningstar Analyst Rating to Negative.

Ratings Moved to Under Review

Peter Brunt

Old Mutual Global Investors (OMGI) appointed Ed Meier the lead manager of this fund on December 14 2016, following the departure of former manager Stephen Message. Meier has worked with OMGI CIO Richard Buxton and Errol Francis for several years, including co-managing the Schroder UK Equity fund alongside Francis for over three years before joining OMGI in 2013.

He has no experience running an equity income mandate, but will manage the fund along the same lines as is used by Buxton on the UK Alpha strategy, with a greater focus on generating a high and growing dividend. The fund is therefore placed Under Review while we assess the new manager and approach.
Despite these potential problems, we expect the deal to succeed

While Sky (SKY) has agreed to accept 21st Century Fox's offer for the 61% of Sky it does not already, own there are potential pitfalls to the consummation of the deal. As a result, we are maintaining our fair value estimate for Sky's shares at 10.10. While we believe the deal is fair, as it's about 6% above our fair value estimate, there are some vocal shareholders that believe the price is too low.

As the deal requires 75% of votes that are not affiliated, the deal could be voted down. We think most of the disgruntled shareholders acquired their shares in 2015, when the stock was trading at what we believed were very high prices. The current offer is particularly difficult for ADR holders, as the weakness of the pound has hurt the ADR share price. The deal could also be referred to regulators, where some politicians have stated Rupert Murdoch is not fit to control so much of the news market and thus believe the deal should be stopped. Despite these potential problems, we expect the deal to succeed.

Investment Thesis Sky has succeeded in aggregating some of the best content available and marketing its services. More than a decade ago, the firm began to enter exclusive deals to carry major sporting events in the United Kingdom. In addition, it acquired rights to many first-run movies and U.S.-produced television series, which are becoming increasingly popular in the U.K. While it resells the majority of its purchased content to other television carriers, it also produces its own shows to distinguish its product. The completion of a new production facility in 2011 enhanced the company's content-creation capability. The new building contains several studios, including one that is large enough to hold an audience and produce live shows, such as game or talk shows with a live audience. With the acquisitions of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland, Sky is also producing and airing its own shows in these countries. This further distinguishes the firm from its competitors. It is also selling additional services, such as high-definition television, DVRs, second set-top boxes, and video on demand. All of these services increase average revenue per user and profitability. The firm also offers broadband and phone service. These businesses have grown rapidly and are now similar in size to Virgin Media and TalkTalk, though they are still smaller than those of BT Group, the incumbent telephone operator. While BT's new-subscriber growth in the U.K. has been increasing since it began offering BT Sport for free to its broadband customers, Sky continues to increase its broadband subscriber base. While the firm does not have the scale in broadband and telephony that it has in pay-TV services, the incremental business is improving the firm's margins and free cash flow. The Italian and German markets are far behind in their development of pay-television services versus the U.K. By acquiring the firm's sister companies in these countries, management hopes to replicate its British success in Italy and Germany.
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Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
Small-space living is becoming an increasingly popular option among Canadas young buyers, and nowhere is this more obvious than the apparent comeback of downsized condominium units.The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. recently stated that construction of single-detached homes fell in 2016, continuing a trend that has started in 2012 and accompanying increased demand that has led to overall higher costs in this housing type.However, CMHC added that while condo starts might see a small decline in 2017in large part due to a reduced number of first-time buyers in the wake of stricter mortgage rules2018 will see a massive rebound in condo construction come 2018 due to intensified demand for more affordable housing.Baker Real Estate Inc. president and CEO Barbara Lawlor said that small condos are practically tailor-made for the outlook and the preferences of the millennial cohort, a generation that typically spends more time at the workplace rather than at home.Today's young people are used to a more minimal existence than their parents and grandparents, and new immigrants are used to compact apartment-style living, Lawlor said, as quoted by YPNextHome.David Wex of Urban Capital, which pioneered the micro-condo concept in Toronto a few years ago, noted that their offerings are a direct response to the fiscal pressures that have priced a significant portion of young Canadians out of the market.It's basically about redesigning the elements in our condos to make sure they are highly efficiently designed, in order to make small spaces work as best they can, allowing them to feel and function like larger spaces. The goal is to deliver super-efficient spaces at an affordable price.
A federal grand jury indicted former bank officers on seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud affecting a financial institution.



According to a news release from the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the banks former president, Anthony Atkins, and former vice president, Samuel Cobb, made up a scheme to hide the banks mortgage loans in default.



Part of the scheme was to solicit to several people -- Bruce Houle, Mark Shoemaker, Michael Bradley Bowen and William Blake Cody -- by taking out loans from the banks with their names. In order to persuade several of the men, Atkins and Cobb said the loans were non-recourse  if the men defaulted, GulfSouth would have no recourse against them.

Read more: Premier Bank board members convicted in $6.8 million fraud

Atkins and Cobb then had loans given to the men totalling approximately $3.8 million. The two had falsified information on a government form, known as the HUD-1, in association with the loans the bank disbursed to Houle, Shoemaker, Bowen and Cody.



The HUD-1s falsely stated that the men provided cash for their respective transactions, but the amounts listed as cash from borrower on the HUD-1s was actually money provided by GulfSouth, SIGTARP said.
Midlands labor market exhibited continued strength as seen in data from the Texas Workforce Commission.

The unemployment rate in the Midland metropolitan statistical area fell a second consecutive month, coming in at 3.6 percent in November from 3.9 percent in October, the commission said Friday. It is also lower than the November 2015 rate of 3.8 percent. Midland was tied with Abilene and Fort Worth-Arlington.

Odessa saw a similar decline in its unemployment rate, to 5.3 percent from 5.7 percent in October. The rate is the same as November 2015.

Midland also reported a gain of 1,000 jobs from October to November, led by 400 new jobs in the trade, transportation and utilities sector. Close behind was the leisure and hospitality sector with 300 jobs, mining, logging and construction with 200 jobs and the government sector with 100 jobs.

A thousand jobs is phenomenal, said Willie Taylor, chief executive officer of the commissions Workforce Solutions Permian Basin. I saw that report and said Wow!

Taylor said Odessa added 300 jobs from October to November and lost 400 jobs from November 2015 to November 2016.

He said the jump in the trade, transportation and utilities and the leisure and hospitality sectors made sense since those businesses likely increased hiring for the holiday season.

Still, he said the offices in the 17 counties he oversees have seen a decline in the number of unemployment claims and a rise in job seekers. Were still placing people, he said.

He went on to say that training programs at Midland, Odessa and Howard colleges are at capacity. People are doing the right things.

Midlands civilian labor force grew by about 700 from October to November, while the number of employed Midlanders grew by 960.

For the 12 months from November 2015 to November 2016, Midland added 400 jobs as a 900-job loss in the trade, transportation and utilities sector was offset by 400 new jobs in the education and health services sector, 300-job gains each in the leisure and hospitality and the government sectors, 200 new jobs in the professional and business services sector and 100-job gains each in mining, logging and construction sector and other services sector. Manufacturing lost 100 jobs during that 12-month period.

Midlands industrial composition continued to remain stable, with mining, logging and construction continuing to dominate with 27 percent of the composition.

We do need to work on diversification, he said.

Wages have also remained consistent, and Taylor said Midlands wages rank in the top 10 Texas MSAs.

Taylor predicted that the labor market should hold steady through December reports.

Well see what happens next year, he said.

Statewide, the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent from 4.7 percent in October. Texas has added jobs in 19 of the last 20 months with an estimated 210,800 seasonally adjusted jobs added over the past year.

Amarillo, Austin-Round Rock and Lubbock are tied for posting the states lowest unemployment at 3 percent. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission reported the highest rate at 7.1 percent, up from 6.7 percent in October.

Midland unemployment

January 2016 3.8 percent

January 2015 2.8 percent

February 2016 4 percent

February 2015 3 percent

March 2016 4.3 percent

March 2015 3.1 percent

April 2016 4.3 percent

April 2015 3.1 percent

May 2016 4.3 percent

May 2015 3.5 percent

June 2016 4.6 percent

June 2015 3.8 percent

July 2016 4.7 percent

July 2015 3.8 percent

August 2016 4.6 percent

August 2015 3.7 percent

September 2016 4.5 percent

September 2015 3.7 percent

October 2016 3.9 percent

October 2015 3.8 percent

November 2016 3.6 percent

November 2015 3.8 percent

Preliminary numbers for November with October numbers in parentheses:

Amarillo: 3.0 (3.2)

Austin-Round Rock: 3.0 (3.2)

Lubbock: 3.0 (3.2)

College Station-Bryan: 3.2 (3.4)

Dallas-Plano-Irving: 3.4 (3.6)

Sherman-Denison: 3.4 (3.6)

San Antonio-New Braunfels: 3.5 (3.7)

Abilene: 3.6 (3.8)

Fort Worth-Arlington: 3.6 (3.8)

Midland: 3.6 (3.9)

Waco: 3.7 (3.9)

San Angelo: 3.9 (4.2)

Wichita Falls: 3.9 (4.1)

Killeen-Temple: 4.2 (4.3)

Laredo: 4.2 (4.4)

Tyler: 4.2 (4.4)

Texarkana: 4.3 (4.5)

El Paso: 4.6 (4.8)

Victoria 4.7 (4.9)

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: 4.9 (5.1)

Odessa: 5.3 (5.7)

Longview: 5.5 (5.7)

Corpus Christi: 5.6 (5.6)

Beaumont-Port Arthur: 6.4 (6.3)

Brownsville-Harlingen: 6.6 (6.6)

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission: 7.1 (6.7)
President Obama has pardoned one Midlander and commuted the prison sentences of another three Midlanders serving time for drug-related offense, the White House reported Monday.

The president pardoned Melissa Rae Conley and commuted the sentences for George Edward Ingram Jr., Melissa Ann Sosa and Terry Earl Stewart, bringing the number of Midlanders who have had their sentences commuted or been granted a pardon to at least seven.

The president pardoned Conley, formerly known as Melissa Faith, who in 2007 was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and three years supervised release for the offense of aiding and abetting distribution of a detectable amount of methamphetamine, according to the release.

Ingram in 2011 was sentenced to 240 months imprisonment and 10 years supervised release for the offense of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base crack. His sentence was commuted to a term of 120 months imprisonment.

Sosa in 2010 was sentenced to 240 months imprisonment and 10 years supervised release for the offense of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. Her sentence was commuted to expire on Dec. 19, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

Stewart in 2003 was sentenced to life and 10 years supervised release for the offenses of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine and two counts of aiding and abetting in the possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. His sentence was commuted to a term of 327 months imprisonment.

In November, the president commuted the sentence of Gregory Scott Taylor, who in 2002 was sentenced to 240 months imprisonment and then 10 years supervised release.

In late October, the president commuted the sentence of Midlander Arandal Derrick Goodley, who was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base crack; possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base crack; 15 counts of money laundering; and aiding and abetting money laundering.

Earlier in October, the president commuted the sentence of Midlander Derrick Drake Price, who in 2004 was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute 5 grams of cocaine base and a violation of supervised release.

The president also pardoned one Odessa man -- Keith Alan Little, who in 1990 was sentenced to five years probation, including four months in a halfway house and a $10,000 fine for the offense of interception of electronic communications.

The president previously commuted the sentences of at least three Odessa men -- Eugene Durst Self, Samuel Latrell Johnson and David Alan Aldridge.
It's that time of year again. The roads will be icy, it'll snow all night or day, etc. The city won't treat and prep the roads before it gets that bad...or maybe so after it's already gone and too late.

Daniel Petrusaitis

From events on December 7, 2016  , the Alzheimers Association is celebrating the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, important legislation that supports healthcare innovation to accelerate the discovery, development and delivery of new treatments and cures for all diseases, including Alzheimers and other dementias. The bill, which the Alzheimers Association strongly supported, passed in both chambers and is expected to be signed into law by President Obama in the coming days.

In part, the 21st Century Cures Act directs $1.6 billion to the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative spread over the next 10 years. The BRAIN Initiative, established in 2013, works to accelerate the development and implementation of innovative technologies, allowing researchers new ways to treat, cure, and prevent brain diseases like Alzheimers. The 21st Century Cures Act also secures an additional $1.5 billion over 10 years for the Precision Medicine Initiative. Aimed at driving technology-enabled personalized medicine, the Precision Medicine Initiative seeks to advance research to accelerate biomedical discoveries and provide clinicians with new information to select treatments that work best in individual patients.

The Alzheimers Association has been proud to support 21st Century Cures Act since its introduction because of its potential to accelerate Alzheimers disease research projects at the National Institutes of Health, Harry Johns, Alzheimers Association President and CEO. Cures will further spur innovation in Alzheimers disease research and also streamline the regulatory process to ensure that those treatments can be available to patients as soon as possible.

Another important inclusion in the 21st Century Cures Act is the inclusion of the Ensuring Useful Research Expenditures is Key for Alzheimers (EUREKA) Act. The inclusion of the EUREKA Prize Competitions in the 21st Century Cures Act will help to advance research breakthroughs for Alzheimers disease, and encourage public-private partnerships.

Today, more than 5 million Americans are living with the disease, and that number could rise as high as 16 million by 2050. Alzheimers is the most expensive disease in America at an estimated cost of $236 billion annually, and is the only leading cause of death in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.

The Alzheimers Association worked with many congressmen throughout the country, as the West Texas Chapter Alzheimers Congressional Team would like to give a special thank you to our local Congressman Mike Conaway for recognizing, bringing awareness to, and voting on the Cures Act.

Thank you,

Janet Cross ,Alzheimers Association Public Policy Lead West Texas Chapter






New members inducted into Institute of ...
Senator Pat Toomey View Photos

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania) delivered this weeks Republican address talking about a variety of issues and how the GOP would tackle them in the new administration.

Toomey was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Hi. I am Pat Toomey, Senator for Pennsylvania.

Each Congress, I make it a point to visit all of Pennsylvanias 67 counties. This fall, I was able to visit every corner of the state and speak to so many people about their concerns and their hopes.

Over and over, Pennsylvanians told me: They want safe neighborhoods and schools. They want our country to be secure and strong. They want a growing economy that creates good jobs.

Well, Pennsylvania is not alone. Hard-working men and women from the rust belt to the sun belt to the Plains, they voiced similar hopes for the future.

This has been a difficult eight years. Terror returned to our shores from Boston to San Bernardino. Weve endured the worst economic recovery since World War II and the weakest labor participation in 40 years. The middle class has shrunk. And the cost of health care has skyrocketed under President Obama. Many Americans dont believe their children will be better off than they were. And some younger people feel the American dream is slipping out of reach.

Well, my Senate Republican colleagues and I have worked to lessen some of these fears. Weve enacted critical tax legislation to encourage more manufacturing and more research and development here in America. We passed legislation to repeal Obamacare and sent it to the Presidents desk.

Senate Republicans worked across the aisle and passed a law to help fight the opioid epidemic while stemming the diversion of painkillers to the black market. We implemented common-sense, conservative education reforms to strengthen charter schools and shift decision making out of Washington.

And after years of short-term extensions, Republican efforts will help long-term fix Americas crumbling highways and infrastructure. And we provided essential improvements to ports, waterways, and flood control systems in nearly every state. We worked to help ensure that our veterans are always first in line for the best quality health care and that includes suicide prevention and mental health treatment.

Providing for the national defense and supporting American troops are among the Senate Republicans top priorities. We helped to keep America safe by supplying more of the tools service members need to take on national security challenges and help strengthen our military posture. But we arent stopping there.

Come January, the Congress and the new administration will work to transition Americans to a better health care system that gives families and individuals affordable choices in coverage, and takes Washington bureaucrats out of the doctors office.

Well work to reform our convoluted tax code to unburden taxpayers and free up dollars individuals and job creators can save, spend, and invest. And well eliminate regulations and red tape that have slowed the economy and hampered manufacturers, the agriculture industry, and municipalities. You will see the economy unleashed.

We heard you this fall. We are going to keep working for you.

As the year comes to a close, it is a good time to remember that there is more that unites us than divides us as Americans. The blessings we enjoy are possible because of our forbearers who came here for religious freedom; our founders who imagined a nation conceived in liberty; and the military men and women who protected those ideals over the generations  and stand guard for us today.

All that we enjoy and are thankful for as Americans is not a result of luck but rather of the sacrifices of men and women of great character who founded, shaped, and defended our great country. Well work to safeguard their legacy and our childrens future.

I am Senator Pat Toomey. Merry Christmas and happy holidays America.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Sacramento, CA  Ignoring the advice of its internal advisors, the investment committee for the states largest public pension system voted to sell off its final $550-million worth of tobacco related investments.

The Associated Press reports that the vote was 9-3. State Treasurer John Chiang was among the state leaders calling for the move. He says, Smoking causes addiction, disease and death. No public pension fund should associate itself with an industry costing taxpayers billions annually in public health expenses and is a magnet for costly litigation and reputational disdain.

The move came nearly two decades after CalPERS sold off a majority of tobacco investments, back in 2000. Internal financial advisors recommended that CalPERS reverse the 2000 sell-off, arguing that the move has cost the pension system $3-billion in lost earnings. Opponents argued that CalPERS can only maximize its returns with a diversified portfolio.
Shelly Hance and Raj Rambob View Photos

Sonora, CA  Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA) Executive Director Shelly Hance is retiring at the end of the year and her replacement has been announced.

Hance spent 35 years with ATCAA. She became Executive Director in 1991 following the departure of ATCAAs Founding Executive Director Rick Breeze-Martin. Hance says, It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the community and work with such a dedicated staff and board. We live in a very caring and giving community where people work together to help one another. I got to see this daily with ATCAA.

The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors gave Hance a special proclamation at todays board meeting. Chairman Karl Rodefer said, Under her leadership, ATCAA grew from something very, very small, to something very wonderful. All five of the supervisors offered Hance praise for her leadership and stressed the importance of agency in the community.

Effective January 1st, Rajeev (Raj) Rambob will step into the leadership role. He began with ATCAA this past September as the Introductory Executive for Orientation. His background includes serving as a non-profit Executive Director, primarily in the area of homelessness, in both El Dorado and San Mateo counties. He also served as the Executive Director of a healthcare workforce development program in Oregon which covered six southwestern counties. He holds a Masters Degree in Community Leadership and a Bachelors Degree in Counseling Psychology.

Rambob says, I am thrilled to be part of an organization that serves the community in meaningful ways. Listening to each other and collaborating solves many problems and ATCAA has been doing this for many years. It is an honor to be part of a committed and capable team.

ATCAA was formed in 1981 as a public entity through a joint powers agreement between Tuolumne and Amador counties. Its current programs include Early/Head Start, Family Learning Center, Latino Family Outreach, Homeless and Housing Services, Energy and Water Conservation Services, Foodbank, Mentoring Works, Friday Night Live, Suicide Prevention, Youth/Mental Health First Aid, Yes Partnership and Smart Money budget and tax assistance.
Donald Trump was formally made president-elect in an Electoral College vote that saw 10 electors attempt to become faithless electors -- a rarity in American politics.

Trump formally elected, 304 votes to 227 for Hillary Clinton

2 electors broke with Trump, 5 with Clinton

The last time an elector broke with a candidate was 1972

RELATED FAQ: What's the Electoral College and why do we have it? IN-DEPTH: The Inauguration of Donald J. Trump





Trump won the election with 304 electoral votes. Two electors in Texas chose not to vote for him, instead backing Ron Paul, Texas congressman and presidential candidate and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Hillary Clinton won 227 electoral votes. Five electors chose not to vote for her -- four in Washington State and one in Hawaii.

Three of the Washington electors voted for Colin Powell. One voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, a South Dakota Sioux leader who took part in the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Hawaii elector voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders.

In addition, electors in Colorado, Maine and Minnesota initially declined to vote for Clinton. Alternates replaced two of them, and one ended up changing his vote.

Electors are not required by the Constitution to vote for a candidate. Founding Fathers such as Alexander Hamilton said the Electoral College could act as a bulwark against bad candidates.

But states and parties have made it so electors must vote for the candidate who wins the popular vote.

In Florida, each party submits a slate of electors during the primary. When a candidate wins the election, the state's governor chooses the 29 electors from the winning party's slate.

Trump got all of Florida's 29 votes, including Kat Gates-Skipper's. The Polk county resident was an organizer for the Trump campaign.

She said in the last few weeks she'd received thousands of phone calls and emails demanding that she flip her vote.

"And then they started sending me Christmas cards," Gates-Skipper said. "I'm like, really? So, it's not going to make a difference to me, because I had a duty, an honor, I signed an oath, and being the Marine that I am, I keep that in the civilian world, so they just wasted their time with me."

In the case of Texas, four electors had to be replaced before voting even took place because they either didn't show up or were disqualified.

The Texas electors were also bombarded with pleas from anti-Trump voters for weeks to flip their votes.

Texas Elector Chris Suprun had made it plain before the vote that he would not support Trump. Suprun said he cast a ballot for Kasich based on principle.

Protesters rallied at state capitols throughout the country, demanding that electors flip their votes, citing Trump's business conflicts of interest and Russia's suspected influence on the election in Trump's favor.

"If they think there's something wrong about the election, then they have a constitutional mandate to not cast that vote. It's our last check and balance," said Kim O'Connor, who traveled to Tallahassee from Tampa Monday to protest the vote.

In New York, all 29 electoral college members voted for Hillary Clinton. Among the electors was Clinton's own husband, former President Bill Clinton.

"I've never cast a vote I was prouder of," the former president said. "You know, I've watched her work for two years, I watched her battle through that bogus e-mail deal, be vindicated at the end when Secretary e-mails came out, she fought through that, she fought through everything."

The electors also all donated their $15 compensation to the New York Immigration Coalition -- an apparent dig at Trump, who promised a tougher stance on immigration.

The last time an elector voted against the prospective president-elect was in 1972, when a Virginia Republican voted for a Libertarian over President Richard Nixon.

Lawmakers will formally certify the Electoral College results in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

Information from reporter Troy Kinsey, Spectrum News NY1 and Spectrum News Austin was used in this report.


A Florida after-school program designed to help at-risk kids is itself at risk of shutting down.

Prodigy program uses arts to help at-risk youth

Program operates in Orlando, Tampa areas

Prodigy is seen as a national model, organizers say

For more than 16 years, the cultural arts program Prodigy, which operates in both the Central Florida and Tampa Bay areas, has depended on state funding. It uses visual and performing arts to reach youth, or young people who have been diverted from the juvenile justice system.

Using comprehensive listening skills, Prodigy mentors visit communities such as the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando, where they say students are at risk of being exposed to violence and crime.

Jan Cruz has been attending Prodigy classes twice a week for two years and said he's now a different person.

"You feel like family. If you say you go to Prodigy then that makes you happy, because some teachers are funny."

The once shy kid is now a class leader, something his mother said she never expected before.

"Now, his mind is open for the knowledge," Grissette Cruz said.

That's the goal for the Prodigy project, which helps more than 500 kids in Orange and Osceola counties. Prodigy is one of the best performing diversion programs and is seen as a national model, according to the program's organizers.

"They are learning constructive skill-building that will help them navigate through arguments and violence they may see in their community," Prodigy Director Mike Trepper said.

But this year, their $4.6 million annual budget, spread over 40 operating centers throughout Florida, isn't on the priority list for Florida legislators.

If Prodigy is not made a line item on the state's budget, then it would have to look at minimizing programs.

"If our funding doesn't continue, then that means that our programs, and our classrooms... will have to close or be eliminated," Trepper said.

Prodigys director said it may only have three months to stay afloat if it loses funding.

For more information about Prodigy, visit their website: www.uacdc.org/index.php/prodigy-sites
Some Brevard County schools helped spread holiday cheer to those in need.

10 schools throughout Brevard County giving families Christmas dinner packs

Meals include all essentials, including sides and dessert

258 families will get the dinner bags this week

HELP CENTRAL FLORIDA'S NEEDY: Our Holiday Helping section



To the parents, this is just such a huge blessing to them, Sherwood Elementary teacher Stacey Nemetz said.

Stacey and others busily packed bag after bag inside the small Sherwood Elementary classroom, all in preparation for a little holiday wonder on Tuesday morning.

The parents were just hugging on them and saying thank you so much for helping out our family," Nemetz said. "'We did not know how we were going to put together a holiday meal, let alone feed our families.'

Thanks to these volunteers, more than 250 families will receive bags for Christmas Day, filled with stuffing, mashed potatoes, pie, green beans and all the essentials for a Christmas dinner.

The food was bought using money donated by Brilliant Smiles Orthodontics.

Oh this is big, this is huge!" volunteer Amy Evans said. "When the parents come in they tear up, they hug each other, they are just so grateful. There is just no other feeling like it, its better than Christmas morning.

Families from 10 different schools across Brevard County have been selected and will receive these donated goods on Wednesday.

This is just one more way as schools that we can help those families and those children, Nemetz said.

Last year they put together 120 meals, this year 258. By next year, volunteers said they hope to see that number double yet again.
A morning fire raged through a storage container facility in New Smyrna Beach, burning motorcycles, possibly Christmas presents and one mans priceless heirlooms.

Fire started Tuesday morning at StorQuest Self Storage facility

Almost 30 units damaged, at least 11 destroyed

Units contained motorcycles, furniture, toys, heirlooms

Dennis Dearborn rented units 1263 and 1270 at the StorQuest Self Storage facility in New Smyrna Beach. Dearborns home was broken into recently and he wanted to keep his prized possessions away from thieves.

My mothers jewelry, some rifles, a moped, some chainsaws and a blower, the 73-year-old said.

Firefighters say a fire broke out around 7:30 Tuesday morning, damaging almost 30 units. At least 11 of them were destroyed -- motorcycles, furniture and toys, charred and nearly unrecognizable.

Its more sentimental value than anything else. I was gonna narrow it down and give some to my kids and grandchildren, said Dearborn.

He says much of that jewelry, which was once gold, gemstones and pearls, is now buried under everything else that perished under intense flames.

A fire Marshal is trying to figure out what started the fire that may have robbed families of precious Christmas gifts and expensive belongings.

Some units detected some fuel. So it couldve been a container leaking fuel. But thats just a preliminary report, sad New Smyrna Beach Division Fire Chief Randy Wright.

Dennis Dearborn says the amount of insurance the storage facility provided will not cover the cost of everything he lost.
LUBBOCK  Mike Lozano, 29, of Lubbock, was sentenced Tuesday by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 135 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in September 2016 to one count of attempted enticement of a minor, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

According to documents filed in the case, from approximately July 1, 2016, though July 22, 2016, while living in Lubbock County, Lozano engaged in Facebook messaging with a minor female. In these Internet communications Lozano knowingly attempted to persuade, induce and entice the minor female to engage in sexual activity with him, even after the minor female made him aware that she was only 15 years old. On July 22, 2016, the minor females Facebook account was taken over by another person, but Lozano still believed he was communicating with the minor female. That day, Lozano made arrangements to meet with the person he believed to be the minor female, and he was arrested upon his arrival at the agreed location.
The leader of the art collective at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland should not be made a scapegoat for the 36 people who perished in a fire that ripped through the building earlier this month, his famed San Francisco defense attorney, Tony Serra, said Monday.

The brief statement marked Serras first public statement since he was retained by Derick Ion Almena in a pre-charge capacity last week.
California Department of Fish and and Wildlife / California Department of Fish and and Wildlife

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State wildlife authorities confiscated hundreds of illegal ivory items over the past two weeks, including illicit goods sold at two San Francisco businesses, officials said Tuesday.

Amidst a continued crackdown thats followed the July 1 ban on commercial ivory sales in California, investigators inspected several businesses in the city and on Dec. 15 found two with significant violations, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

At one location, wildlife officers seized a solid bone pagoda and a rhinoceros horn, authorities said. At the other, inspectors said they found dozens of statuettes made from ivory, as well as whale teeth, two ivory chess sets and two caved tusks.

Wildlife officials did not name the businesses  which together had a supply of ivory worth more than $500,000  saying they were forwarding complaints to prosecutors in San Francisco recommending charges.

No arrests had been made as of Tuesday, as wildlife officials worked with the San Francisco district attorneys office, said Lt. Chris Stoots, a spokesman for CDFW. Stoots declined to name the two businesses because no charges had been filed.

State officials also intercepted 377 pieces of jewelry containing ivory at an air cargo terminal in Los Angeles that had been shipped from Indonesia into California.

And in Alameda County, inspectors seized three storage boxes from Indonesia containing 116 items made of python skin, which is also illegal to traffic under California law.

Though the sale of ivory and other elephant parts has been illegal in California since 1977, the law that took effect in July closed a loophole that allowed for items that had been imported into the state before 1977.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
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A state commission cleared Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky of misconduct Monday in his sentencing of a former Stanford student-athlete who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman outside a college party in 2015.

The Commission on Judicial Performance received thousands of complaints and petitions  including one with more than 1 million signatures  claiming that Persky was biased on June 2 when he sentenced Brock Allen Turner, then 20, to six months in county jail, three years probation and lifetime registration as a sex offender. The district attorneys office had asked for six years in state prison, while the defense had requested four months in county jail with up to five years probation.

Turner was convicted in March of three counts of felony sexual assault and released from jail in September after serving half his sentence.

During the sentencing hearing, Turners victim, using the pseudonym Emily Doe, read a letter in which she described in frank terms the emotional and physical impact the assault had on her and why Turners defense of his crime  he blamed it on drinking  was wrong.

While acknowledging that Does life had been devastated, Persky said that a long prison sentence would have a severe impact on Turner, who had no previous criminal record. He declared that when released, Turner would not be a danger to anyone. Further fueling a perception of bias was that the judge had graduated from Stanford and had been captain of the campus lacrosse team.

His sympathetic stance toward Turner made international headlines, prompted numerous protests calling for his removal from the bench, and led to an ongoing recall campaign against him. Perskys term is up in 2023.

In June, more than a dozen state lawmakers asked the commission to investigate and discipline Persky. Activists from a group called UltraViolet bought a billboard aimed at the commission that read #PerskyMustGo and organized potential jurors to agree not to serve in Perskys courtroom, among other actions. In September, Persky was reassigned to the courts civil division from its criminal side.

On Monday the independent, 11-member commission announced its unanimous verdict, with two members recusing themselves: Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Erica Yew and public member Richard Simpson.

There is not clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority, or other basis to conclude that Judge Persky engaged in judicial misconduct warranting discipline, the commission concluded. Neither the judges statements about the impact of prison and the defendants future dangerousness  factors that the judge was required to address on the record  nor any other remarks made by Judge Persky at the sentencing hearing constitute clear and convincing evidence of judicial bias.

The commission offered four reasons for its decision:

The sentence was within the parameters of the law.

The judge considered both the victim and the defendant, as required, when making his decision.

His sentence was consistent with the recommendation in the probation report.

And the sentence did not suggest bias when considered against other cases handled by the same judge.

We strongly disagree with the Commissions conclusion on judicial bias and we believe that Judge Persky has in fact demonstrated a clear pattern of bias in cases of sex crimes and violence against women, Michele Dauber, a Stanford law professor leading the recall effort against Persky, said in a statement.

The commissions report highlights that the recall is the only realistic way to remove Judge Persky from office, Dauber said, noting that voters have the right to decide whether he should continue to serve on the bench for the next six years.

UltraViolet activists said in a statement Monday that they were deeply disappointed by the commissions decision.

A message left in Perskys courtroom was not returned.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
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A Houston assisted living community that serves patients with Alzheimer's and dementia was part of a recent four-property portfolio sale by US Memory Care.

US Memory Care of Vintage, the 70-room, 75-bed community at 10120 Louetta Road that opened in 2014, is now operated by California-based Silverado. The facility now is known as Vintage Preserve Memory Care Community.
A man was arrested on suspicion of stealing a tow truck and leading police on a chase across the Bay Bridge early Tuesday, after he was interrupted while trying to get his impounded car out from a San Leandro tow yard, officials said.

The suspect, Moses Miller, 24, of San Leandro, also crashed into a number of patrol cars before his arrest, said Officer Vu Williams, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

Miller drove the diesel flatbed tow truck through the fence of a San Leandro tow yard at about 3:20 a.m. after he was unable to snatch his own car, said Lt. Ron Clark of the San Leandro Police Department.

He said Miller was apparently going to use the tow truck to break through the fence to get to his car.

An on-site employee was alerted to the presence of someone when he heard the diesel start up and went outside, Clark said. He tried to intervene and the suspect jumped back into the tow truck and fled in the tow truck without getting his car out.

San Leandro police began pursuing the stolen vehicle when they saw it heading north on Interstate 880.

Within 10 minutes, officers from the California Highway Patrol joined the pursuit, following the tow truck across multiple freeways and city streets, continuing onto Interstate 580 westbound, police said.

Miller stayed ahead of CHP cars and ended up on Interstate 80 westbound, blowing through the toll plaza and crossing the Bay Bridge, police said.

CHP officers continued their pursuit after they exited the freeway in San Francisco and deployed a spike strip, causing the tires of the tow truck to deflate.

But the flat tires didnt stop the driver.

Miller drove onto the South Van Ness Avenue on-ramp toward Highway 101 southbound at 50 mph before suddenly stopping, officials said. He then reversed the truck, ramming it into a patrol car, causing moderate damage, before continuing south on the freeway, police said.

The driver stopped on the Sierra Point Parkway in Brisbane, jumped out of the stolen truck and ran across the northbound lanes of Highway 101 before hiding out in a parking lot, police said.

Highway 101 southbound was closed for about 20 minutes during the pursuit.

Miller was found quickly and apprehended, police said.

He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital to be medically cleared, Williams said.

Miller was booked into San Mateo county jail in Redwood City and was being held on $150,000 bail.

He was arrested on suspicion of four felonies, including stealing a vehicle, recklessly evading police, damaging a police officers vehicle and taking a vehicle without consent. He is also being charged with three misdemeanors, including obstructing and resisting a police officer, driving under the influence, and driving with a suspended license.

Miller is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
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SHELTON  This city is having a bit of a war over Christmas.

Last week a group called Freedom from Religion erected a sign on the Huntington Green celebrating the winter solstice and calling religion a myth and a superstition.

On Monday another sign went up right next to it, reading Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the city of Shelton.

I did that, Im a Merry Christmas guy, Mayor Mark Lauretti said on Tuesday. I also have a right.

The signs are about 200 feet from the traditional creche that has adorned the Huntington Green every Christmas season for decades.

After being denied last year and with a lawsuit looming, the Freedom from Religion group got city permission to erect the sign that reads Let Reason Prevail.

It was put up last week and will remain for two weeks, said Cary Shaw, Fairfield County chairman of Freedom From Religion.

Its a festive sign, and its non-religious, Shaw said. Last year there was a display of angels, which are not real.

The text of the sign continues: There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that burdens our hearts and enslaves our minds.

Jerry Bloom, a Shelton resident fought for the right to mark the winter solstice, which marks when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky  this year, its Wednesday at 5:44 p.m.  and the shortest day of the year. He said he was pleased to get a permit for the sign, with the mayors approval.

Last year I submitted an application and it was denied, said Bloom, who describes himself as a secular humanist. I was told that it was offensive to many.

Lauretti said the problem with Blooms earlier request was that he wanted a specific location where signs are not allowed, but displays are.

The creche on the Huntington Green has been there for 30 years, Lauretti said. We do monitor and regulate these things, and we treat everyone the same.

Bloom contacted the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which put him in touch with the national Freedom From Religion organization.

A lawsuit was filed and discovery was to take place in February, but the matter was resolved.

We explained that the Green is a public forum, and that we had a right, but the city refused to reconsider, Bloom said. We settled out of court.

The sign is about 200 feet from the creche erected annually by Cub Scout Pack 24 and the Exchange Club of Shelton, on a neighborhood green ringed by churches. The creche displays the traditional Nativity scene, with Jesus in the manger and Mary, Joseph, the three magi and some animals surrounding him in the stable.

With the election of a Republican-controlled Congress and President-elect Donald Trump, there has been some speculation that religious displays in public spaces, including town parks, would gain new protections.

Trump pledged during a speech in Iowa in October, 2015, Were going to be saying Merry Christmas again.

Dennis Paul Himes, state director of American Atheists Inc., said he hasnt seen any effect, since Trump has not yet taken office

Most of the issues I deal with are local, and the attitude of the relevant town's mayor is a much bigger factor with respect to Ceremonial Deism, as it's been called, than anything that happens at the national level, he said. It remains to be seen, though, whether or not Preident Trump will institute policies pertaining to federal buildings or employees, which we'll want to push back on.

Multi-town issue

There are traditional Nativity scenes in several area towns, including Fairfield, Trumbull and Milford. The parks and recreation commission in Fairfield voted to keep a requirement that the creche on the Green be attended at all times.

The Knights of Columbus had asked to be able to leave the display unattended at times. The local council took over the creche display in 2006, when originator Nello Ceccarelli became too ill to continue it.

In Trumbull, an ordinance requires the sponsor to erect a prominent sign, giving the name and address of the sponsor. It also allows for a disclaimer sign to be erected by the town.

Milfords creche on the downtown Green drew protestors from American Atheists in 2004, but the small group was surrounded by a larger number of supporters of the Christmas display. There has also been a menorah on the Green.

Mayor Ben Blake said the citys policy is based on current law and research provided by the Anti-Defamation League.

Its been the practice of the city to allow individuals or groups who wish to place displays on the Green to take out a permit through the Recreation Department and for such individuals or groups to place some placard or marking next to the display identifying itself to be sure that its not a city-sponsored exhibit.

The display must not interfere with our governmental functions and the city must not favor one group over another, Blake said.
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Guilderland man indicted in rape of UAlbany student

ALBANY  A Guilderland man accused of raping a University at Albany student was indicted Monday on five charges.

Franklin Casatelli, 25, is to appear Wednesday before Albany County Court Judge William Carter on charges of rape and burglary and two counts of attempted burglary, all felonies, as well as misdemeanor criminal trespass, according to a news release from District Attorney David Soares' office.

Casatelli pleaded not guilty in October in City Court to felony rape and burglary charges. He remains in custody.

The indictment alleges that on Oct. 23 near the Dutch Quad dorm on the UAlbany campus, Casatelli entered a student suite and had sex with a female student who was incapable of consent at the time.

It also accuses Casatelli of trying to enter another suite on Dutch Quad with the intent to commit a crime.

 Amanda Fries

Police investigate after man shot in Schenectady

SCHENECTADY  Police late Monday were investigating the shooting of man in his 40s on Schenectady Street.

The victim, whose name police had not released Monday afternoon, was in serious condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital.

Police say around 1:45 p.m. a man called police dispatch reporting that a man was bleeding from the head around Albany and Schenectady Streets.

The victim was treated by paramedics, taken by ambulance to Ellis Hospital, and then later transferred to Albany Med in serious but stable condition.

 Paul Nelson

Schenectady man found guilty in 2015 shooting

SCHENECTADY  A jury on Monday found a Schenectady man guilty of shooting another man in the city over a year ago.

Bruce Campbell, 25, was found guilty of shooting a man April 7, 2015, on Webster Street across from Hamilton Elementary School, according to the Schenectady County district attorney's office.

Campbell, aka "Animal," also was found guilty of destroying the clothes he wore during the incident by burning them in the shower of a vacant apartment.

He will be sentenced in February on one count each of assault, aggravated criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence; two counts of criminal use of a firearm; and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies.

The case was tried by Assistant District Attorney Kyle Petit.

 Staff report
Amsterdam

Police suspect the deaths of four city residents and the emergency treatment of perhaps another dozen in recent weeks to be caused by heroin laced with the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl.

"It's either that, or the heroin is more potent," said Amsterdam Deputy Police Chief Victor Hugo.

Police are awaiting the results of toxicology and autopsy reports to confirm their suspicions.

Two people were found dead last week and another two in the preceding couple of weeks, Hugo said. The four city residents, ranging in age from their 30s to 50s, had no connection to each other, Hugo said.

Another 10 to 12 people were successfully treated for overdoses by emergency responders and medical staff at St. Mary's Hospital over the same period, marking a tremendous spike in overdose calls. Hugo said he might have expected an overdose or two, not a dozen.

Police are confident that heroin was the culprit of the overdoses, even as they await toxicology results. They found packaging materials, syringes and other paraphernalia associated with the drug, Hugo said.

The police department issued a warning about the possibility of the heroin being cut with fentanyl in the hopes of deterring some drug users from purchasing more of the killer batch. Heroin often proves fatal when laced with fentanyl, which has been more widely circulating in Amsterdam and throughout the region in recent months.

"What we're hoping is people who are using and addicted to the stuff  maybe they will be cautious, and seek treatment," Hugo said. "That may be a lot to ask, but it's the ultimate goal."

The legal, pharmaceutical form of fentanyl is approved for treating severe pain, typically in patients with advanced cancer. Most recent cases of fentanyl overdose and deaths are related to illegally produced fentanyl, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some drug users stay clear of heroin and sound the alarm to friends when they hear of so-called "hot batches" laced with fentanyl, according to a Times Union report published this summer. Others, however, are drawn to the deadly mixture, chasing after a more powerful high.

When fentanyl is mixed with heroin, it's hard to know the potency of the concoction. Drug dealers use fentanyl to cut down on the cost of heroin, while selling the drug at the same price.

The synthetic opioid's prevalence is on the rise statewide. In 2013, law enforcement agents seized half a kilo, or about a pound, of fentanyl in the state, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York division told the Times Union this summer. In 2015, they seized 21 kilos. Midway through 2016, they had seized 35 kilos.
Lisa Weir / ST

DANBURY - Young immigrants will gather at the Ecuadorian Civic Center Tuesday evening to discuss how to protect each other once Donald Trump becomes president, according to a release.

Connecticut Students for a Dream and United We Dream, organizations that advocate for young immigrants, are sponsoring the event.
WASHINGTON  Californias Sen.-elect, Kamala Harris, won committee assignments Monday that place the Democrat on the front lines of immigration and climate change policy, two areas that likely will put the state into the sharpest conflict with the Trump administration.

Harris is also poised to play a role in one of the only areas that so far shows potential for bipartisan cooperation: infrastructure policy, which deals with roads, bridges, dams, airports and other such projects.

She did not, however, win a seat on the Judiciary Committee, the panel for which she is perhaps best suited as Californias soon-to-be former attorney general and a former San Francisco district attorney. Senate party leaders, who divvy up the committee assignments, avoid naming two members from the same state to any panel. Californias senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, has served on the Judiciary Committee for 24 years and will assume the top Democratic spot on the panel next year.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was the leading Democrat on the committee for years but chose to take the ranking post on the Appropriations Committee. That opened up the leadership role for Feinstein, who will lead Democrats in coming battles over President-elect Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominations.

Senate leadership assigned Harris to four Senate committees in all. They are:

Homeland Security and Government Affairs: The panel shares jurisdiction over some immigration issues with the Judiciary Committee, which has primary oversight over immigration law. Homeland Security oversees border security and other immigration issues. Harris has said she intends to make defending immigrants and refugees a priority in the Senate.

Environment and Public Works: Harris will fill the seat of the Californian she replaced, retiring Democrat Barbara Boxer, the committees former chair and ranking member. This committee oversees climate change and other environmental policies that the Trump administration and Republican majorities in the Senate and House want to roll back. California will be waging a particularly intense defense of its own climate policies, the most aggressive in the nation. As Californias attorney general, Harris joined other states in defending President Obamas Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, a policy Republicans say they hope to terminate.

This committee also oversees infrastructure policy, which appears to be one area holding potential for bipartisan cooperation. Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton both promised during the just-concluded campaign to modernize the nations infrastructure. After Trump won, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., both singled out infrastructure as an area of potential agreement with the new administration.

Intelligence Committee: This assignment could put Harris in the middle of the intensifying dispute over allegations of Russian-sponsored hacking in the presidential election. Senators in both parties are calling for a special panel to deal with the issue, but GOP leaders are resisting, saying they want to retain primary jurisdiction over the matter in the Senate and House Intelligence panels.

Budget Committee: Republican vows to repeal the Affordable Care Act will give the Budget Committee more prominence this year. California, with 3.8 million people enrolled under the program known as Obamacare, stands to be among the biggest losers if the law is repealed. It could potentially cost the state billions of dollars in federal subsidies to help individuals buy insurance on the states insurance exchange and for the states expansion of Medi-Cal.

Harris will have no seniority as a Senate freshman, but committee assignments shape careers as members gain years in office. Harris described her committee assignments in a written statement as key battlegrounds in the fight for the future of our country, adding that she will aggressively fight for our families and the ideals of our nation.

Harris will be sworn in Jan. 3.

Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead
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GALVESTON - A Friendswood police officer who fatally shot a suspect last month was holding a stun gun when the man threatened him with a box cutter, police said Tuesday.

The information that Officer Bradley Rusk was holding a Taser, holstered it, then drew his service weapon was not contained in the statements issued by police following the Nov. 29 shooting of Toby Cummins, 55, of Campbell, Calif.

Police were responding to a report that Cummins had stolen a can of beer from a convenience store.

Rusk, 31, a six-year veteran, drew his pistol after Cummins made slashing motions with a box cutter and then lunged at Rusk, making him fear for his life, police spokeswoman Officer Lisa Price said.

"There is no obligation to use the least amount of force when the officer believes their life is in danger," said Melissa Hamilton, a visiting criminal law scholar at the University of Houston.

She said that officers sometimes don't use stun guns because they are not always effective on persons under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or who have some forms of mental illness.

Hamilton said that Cummins' death bore the hallmarks of a phenomenon known as "suicide by cop," in which someone who wants to take his or her own life attracts the attention of police in hopes of being shot.

"This guy specifically wanted to attract police attention," said Hamilton, a former Clearwater, Fla., police officer. "Who steals a beer can in such an obvious manner?"

The youngest of Cummins' three sons, Jaime Cummins, 29, of Lewisville, said it was unlike his father to brandish a weapon in front of a police officer. "I don't believe it," he said.

The newest detail about the shooting came to light during a Houston Chronicle interview with Jaime Cummins, who said a police investigator disclosed the information during a telephone call.

Price confirmed that Jaime Cummins had spoken with the detective conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting.

She said Officer Rusk confronted Toby Cummins and ordered him not to run. He asked Toby Cummins to show his hands. Price said that some witnesses misinterpreted the slashing motions as rock throwing.

Rusk ordered Toby Cummins to stop, but Cummins kept advancing with the box cutter, according to Jaime Cummins' account, as confirmed by Price. Rusk fired multiple shots at Toby Cummins, his son said he was told.

At least two witnesses said they heard three shots.

The events leading up to Toby Cummins' death began about 3 p.m. when he walked into a convenience store at a Shell station on the southeast corner of FM 2351 and South Friendswood Drive in Friendswood, about 25 miles southeast of downtown Houston. He asked the clerk to allow him to take a beer and pay for it the next day. When the clerk refused, Cummins said, "I have to have a beer or I'll have to take it from you," store owner Mehran "Ron" Jadidi told The Chronicle.

The clerk said he warned Cummins that if he took the beer, he would call police, Jadidi said.

"You do what you have to do," Cummins responded before walking out, beer in hand, according to the store owner.

Rusk confronted Cummins four blocks from the service station on the sidewalk in front of a law firm. Witnesses later saw officers with drawn guns. Cummins lay crumpled in a pool of blood on the sidewalk.

Friendswood police have declined to release video from five officer body cameras and 20 dashboard cameras that recorded the shooting scene.

The city has appealed an open records request by the Houston Chronicle to the Texas attorney general. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas says that the city can release the video recordings if it chooses to do so.
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A months-long online sting landed dozens of men in the Montgomery County Jail facing various child sex crime charges, including a Marine from the East Coast.

Keith Knight, 26, a Marine drill instructor from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina, is facing two second-degree felony counts of promotion of child pornography, which could land him in prison for up to 40 years.

Knight had been chatting with a 28-year-old woman on an internet instant-messaging app in November, though the "woman" was really an undercover investigator from the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable's Office, court documents show. Knight sent a nude photo of an infant, according to the affidavit. As the conversation went on over a few days, Knight allegedly sent the investigator multiple photos and a video depicting young children performing sexual acts.

Working with Homeland Security Investigations through the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, investigators tracked Knight down in South Carolina and executed a search warrant on the Marine base there, Chief Prosecutor Mary Nan Huffman said.

"A lot of these (36) guys are local, but every once in a while we'll stumble upon somebody who contacts one of our officers from far away," Huffman said. "We believe that he was going to make the journey to come a meet a real child here at some point."

Knight's defense attorney E. Tay Bond said it is important to note that his client is not charged with producing any child pornography, and even more importantly that Knight and any alleged victim in the case were not from anywhere near Montgomery County.

"Montgomery County is dedicating substantial resources to prosecute these claims," Bond said. "The only actual tie to Montgomery County is it was sent to an internet address that originated in Montgomery County. There was no actual defendant in Montgomery County, and there was no alleged child victim in Montgomery County. There is no evidence that the alleged minor portrayed in the child pornography was even in Texas, much less Montgomery County."

However, Knight allegedly messaged the investigator showing interesting in coming to Texas to watch the purported 28-year-old woman perform sexual acts with a 5-year-old girl, court records show.

Huffman was unable to confirm how much Knight's extradition cost. He is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $200,000 worth of bonds.

As for the rest of the men arrested in the sting, their charges range from online solicitation of a minor to attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child. Huffman said the sting, timely dubbed "Operation Safe Holiday," was a successful attempt at getting the alleged offenders off the streets.

"With kids out of school, we want them kept safe," Huffman said. "Parents need to be aware that these predators are out there."

The ICAC Task Force consists of officers from the Conroe Police Department, all five of the Montgomery County Constable's Offices (Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Those arrested are:

 Philip Lee, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child and promotion of child pornography

 Carmen Silva, promotion of child pornography

 Omar Elessawy, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child and promotion of child pornography

 Julio Espinoza, online solicitation of a minor

 Donald Burleson, online solicitation of a minor

 Bryan Lovett, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child and promotion of child pornography

 Alfonso Ruiz, online solicitation of a minor

 John Contreras Jr., online solicitation of a minor

 Philip Romolo, online solicitation of a minor

 Raymond Ybarra Jr., online solicitation of a minor

 Robert Mittelbronn, online solicitation of a minor

 Williams Dolan, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child

 Dwight Dorner, online solicitation of a minor

 Alphonse Aguillard, online solicitation of a minor

 Jake Lowe, online solicitation of a minor

 Richard Guice, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child

 Sadam Castellanos Reyes, online solicitation of a minor

 Martin Moreno, online solicitation of a minor

 Adam Rivera, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child

 Carlos Valdez, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child

 Justin Strickland, online solicitation of a minor

 Joseph Blankenship, online solicitation of a minor

 Lamont Cash, attempted aggravated sexual assault of a child

 James Flessas, online solicitation of a minor

 Currie Byrd, online solicitation of a minor

 Joshua Johnson, online solicitation of a minor

 Garry Lay, online solicitation of a minor

 Rodolfo Barrientos, online solicitation of a minor

 Phillip Petty, online solicitation of a minor

 Kyle Storie, online solicitation of a minor

 Abel Garcia, online solicitation of a minor

 Brandon Gasque, online solicitation of a minor

 Jonathan Alvarez Castillo, online solicitation of a minor

 Jerry Hutcheson, possession of child pornography

Dale Lezon contributed to this report.
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Three local youngsters are performing in "A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas," through Dec. 29 at the Alley Theatre in downtown Houston.

This is the fourth year for Elena Vasquez, 12, of Friendswood to participate in the annual production, but it's the first for Kyle Anthony Mosley, 11, of Pearland and Delani Koryn Allen, 10, of Clear Lake.

However, all three budding thespians boast other credits.

Kyle Anthony Mosley

Last January, Mosley placed second in the 20th annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.

Twelve finalists, advancing from more than 200 students in 24 schools, delivered original speeches based on the question: "What would Dr. King say in his campaign speech if he were running for president this year?"

The son of Andrea Mosley and Kyle T. Mosley is 11 years old and a sixth-grader at Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan, a magnet middle school in Houston's Third Ward.

He plays Schoolboy No. 3 in "A Christmas Carol."

"My part in the play is to stay one step ahead of the other schoolboys," he said.

His mother said that he has always displayed "a memory that's pretty incredible."

"He was 3, maybe 3 1/2, when he said, 'I want to be on TV.' "

"He's always projected his voice and connected with the audience. The stage is now an offshoot of that."

Two years ago, Mosley saw "A Christmas Carol" at UH.

"I thought it would be really cool to perform in the show," he said. "I truly like how it makes people happy. It transports them to a different place."

Elena Vasquez

Vasquez played Martha, a playmate of Helen Keller, in "The Miracle Worker" at A.D. Players in Houston, and she was the understudy for the role of a "virtual child" in last season's science-fiction thriller, "The Nether," at the Alley.

In 2013, the daughter of Ray and Amy Vasquez portrayed Tiny Tim in "A Christmas Carol," then donned an itchy wig to portray a schoolboy when the production moved to the University of Houston while the Alley enjoyed a yearlong, $46.5 million renovation of its facility in downtown Houston.

In 2015, Vasquez reprised her role as a schoolboy, but this year she plays Belinda, the second-oldest daughter in the Cratchit family, in the show based on the Charles Dickens classic story.

The show's return from UH to the renovated Alley also resumed the project of displaying holiday trees in the lobby.

"The Deck the Trees Celebration transforms the Alley Theatre's lobby into a winter wonderland of trees that are decorated by Houston's top designers and sponsored by generous businesses and individuals," explained Whitney Spencer, the Alley's public relations and communications manager.

"The trees make you feel like it's Christmas,," said Vasquez, who is a seventh-grader at Westbrook Intermediate School in Friendswood.

"They put you in the Christmas spirit and give you a boost."

Complimentary tickets to "A Christmas Carol" are part of a stipend that's paid to the young actors who are cast in the show.

In addition, they receive money that helps to pay for travel and parking expenses, with some left over for saving, according to Vasquez.

In January, she will portray Belle in a 15-minute excerpt from "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" musical when she and a small group of young performers at Purple Box Theater in Friendswood compete in the 2017 Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.

Delani Koryn Allen

This is the first year for Delani Koryn Allen to perform in the Alley's "A Christmas Carol," which casts her as both Tiny Tim and Boy Scrooge.

"It's a great opportunity to try something new," she said, explaining that her stage debut was preceded by her appearance in a nationwide TV commercial that features Simone Biles, the four-time Olympic gold medalist from Spring.

"It's for the Mattress Firm Foster Kids program," said Allen, who spent two days on set with Biles.

"Delani has dreamed for years about wanting to do acting," said her mother, Kennisha P. Allen.

The youngster, who is a fifth-grader at Clear Lake Christian School, learned to sing with a Cockney accent for the show.

This is the 12th season the Alley has presented an adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" that was penned by Michael Wilson, who previously lived in Houston and worked at the Alley.

Tickets for the show start at $30.

They are available for purchase at www.alleytheatre.org or by calling 713-220-5700.
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Members of the Gonzalez family meandered through the auditorium at Light of the World Christian Fellowship on Friday.

Stuffed animals had met the Gonzalez family as they entered the church auditorium. The their right, piles of toys lined the walls. In front of them, blankets were placed on display, and to the left were stacks of games.

Every year, the Humble Area Assistance Ministries conducts a toy drive to help families afford Christmas. Millie Garrison, executive director of the organization, expected to serve 2,000 children this year.

"It's a community project, and it is wonderful for the families that live here," she said. "Most of our families are working poor. They do OK all year-round, but Christmas is a little too much that they don't have any room in their budget."

Some families, HAAM only sees at Christmas, she said. Others are in crisis after a job loss in the family. HAAM's annual toy drive gave parents the opportunity to "shop" for their kids, though some, like the Gonzalezes, picked out their own presents. Each child could receive two gifts out of sections divided by gender and age. Each family also received a blanket or a boardgame and stocking stuffers. Children over the age of 13 even had a choice of gift cards. Donations fluctuate daily, Garrison said.

Friday, the church was filled with volunteers from State Farm and the Lake Houston chamber of commerce. Volunteers, or elves, went around with each family and helped them pick out presents.

It's the second year Light of the World has hosted the event, and Pastor Jerry Martin said it was a privilege.

"It brings together the nonprofits, corporations, volunteers and churches to meet a need in our community," he said. "It goes against kind of the message that's been portrayed in media about the divisiveness in the country. I don't think we're as divided as they say we are. I think we come together a lot more."

Garrison added, "It's our people helping our kids."
A new holiday light-viewing opportunity is in the Manvel/Iowa Colony area.

The public is invited to drive through the Meridiana community to see trees wrapped in blinking lights that change color to synchronized Christmas music.

One of the area's newest master-planned communities, Meridiana is 3.5 miles south of Texas 6 off Texas 288.

Hundreds of decorated trees along the development's Meridiana Parkway entrance take motorists into the community's Amenity Village.

Motorists driving the parkway can set their radio stations to FM 87.9 and hear holiday music while watching the outdoor lighting decor flicker to the station's music.

"We brought in thousands of high-tech lights that turn multiple colors as opposed to strands of different colored lights," said Dan Naef, president of the developer, Rise Communities LLC.

Nightly viewing runs through Dec. 31.

Meridiana is planning to host an official grand opening early next year.

"All of the amenities are complete at the village, all landscaping is being wrapped up," Naef said.

The development includes a community welcome center as well as a lake, an amphitheater, a conservatory, a fitness center, pools, a cafe and a gaming area.

Meridiana's developer is the same company behind Cane Island community in Katy. Alvin Independent School District's Meridiana Elementary School is in the community.

The community offers new homes from the $230,000s to the $500,000s.

To learn more about Meridiana and its holiday lighting, visit their website www.meridianatexas.com.
Conroe ISD has approved a plan to allow the option of an earlier school year start date.

By statute, Conroe ISD is not allowed to begin the new school year before the fourth Monday in August, which next year falls on Aug. 28.

However, by including a flexible school calendar item on a District of Innovation plan approved last week, the board has the option to approve a calendar that would have the district start at an earlier date.

"It's not something we would be mandated to do, but that would give you (the board) the option to do that if you chose to do so," Deputy Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null said.

The DOI plan, authorized by law, allows traditional schools like Conroe ISD to access many of the same flexibilities allowed in Texas open enrollment charter schools.

As a district of innovation, the board could give final approval on waiver items instead of sending it to the state level.

The law is designed to provide a school district with more local control," information from Conroe ISD stated.

While a district may pursue specific innovations in the areas of curriculum, instruction, governance, school calendar, budgeting, gain exemptions from certain requirements under the Texas education in code, Conroe ISD's plan only addresses the school calendar. During the November board meeting, Dr. Don Stockton clarified the intention of the district following public feedback regarding the District of Innovation model.

The District of Innovation plan has been the topic of discussion since October when the board passed a resolution that allowed the appointment of a committee to research the option.

The discussion included some skepticism during previous board meetings for potential unintended consequences by allowing the alteration of specific provisions.

"I think it sounds good," trustee Jessica Powell said. "I think it is a real slippery slope and it opens up to possible future issues when different boards, opinions, agendas start to come into play. 

"There are a lot of reasons to be considered a dangerous plan to adopt. I think there is a lot of research out there that shows it can be positive, but it also can turn into a nightmare for school districts, teachers and communities."

Since the resolution passed, the committee has been researching the option.

"That group worked very diligently and had great input from community members, teachers, parents  to develop a plan throughout the process," Null said.
After being presented with its financial options last month, the Edwardsville District 7 Board of Education took a step back as it begins the process of deciding the best path forward.

District 7 Director of Finance Dave Courtney said the state of Illinois backlog of bills stood at $11.2 billion when he checked on Monday. Of that total, $1.1 billion is owed to school districts.

Speaking at the District 7 Finance Committee meeting Monday, Courtney said the district will be due another $1.3 million from the state at the end of December.

That will bring the states debt to District 7 to almost $4 million, which includes $1.3 million still owed from the 2015-16 school year.

That debt, and other factors, led to District 7 placing a referendum seeking tax rate hike of .55 cents on the Nov. 8 ballot.

That measure failed by 1,080, but the board must move forward.

District 7 Superintendent Dr. Lynda Andre said Monday that now is the time to think about the future and the options available.

We talked about the fact that due to the very close election, a failure of 1.5 percent, less than 2 percent margin, that the board has the opportunity to have some discussion about the next step, Andre said in reference to the Nov. 29 meeting.

At that meeting three possible options were presented.

The first is to take no action to overcome the growing deficit.

That would mean a reduction or elimination of educational and extracurricular activities. No new textbooks or other technology enhancements would be purchased. Class sizes would be increased. And, lastly, the state of Illinois would take over the financial operations of the district in 2019.

Option two has the board going back to voters with a referendum in March, 2018. That would not allow for the purchase of new textbooks or curriculum updates until at least 2019-20. The district would not begin to establish working cash reserves until 2022-25.

Option three has the district going back to voters in April, 2017, and a decision must be made at the Jan. 9 meeting if that is going happen.

Should the referendum pass, the district would eliminate the risk of a state takeover and would be able to end its cycle of borrowing. Updated curriculum and textbook  as well as the replacement of aging security systems would be possible.

Board members offered a wide range of comments at Mondays meeting.

Terri Dalla Riva said she knows that students, especially at the high school level, are attuned to what is going on financially with the district.

My daughter is a high school student and came home and said, The students are asking how is this going to affect us? she said.

Board member Jeff Miller said he was asked if any other options exist beyond a referendum and the accompanying property tax hike.

One question was. . . is it possible to refinance the current longer-term debt to offset the impact of the increase?

Courtney said those are among the options that are being looked at now.

Board President Monica Laurent said she doesnt like the situation the district is in as she, like other parents, want to see education move forward.

We want the best for our kids  updated curriculum, technology updates. Laurent said. We dont want to be making all these cuts.

Board member Dr. Lelan Olsen went one step further.

You use the word want. Its really not a want, its a necessity. We need to do whatever we can, because we need to upgrade the curriculum, we need to do all these things for the future of our students, Olsen said.

Miller said that perhaps in January there will be a recommendation to the finance committee on a way to move forward.
Bay Area lawmakers are proposing to raise $300 million for low-cost housing in California by eliminating the state tax deduction for mortgage interest on second homes, a proposal that will test the strength of Democrats newly won two-thirds legislative majority.

AB71 by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, seeks to provide ongoing funding for affordable housing by ending a tax break for 31,000 upper-income Californians who own a second home.

Gov. Jerry Brown proposed $400 million in low-cost-housing subsidies in the last legislative session, but insisted on largely eliminating local governments review of the construction projects, and was unable to overcome opposition from labor, environmental and tenant groups. A proposed $3 billion housing bond also stalled in the Legislature but has been introduced again in the new session.

The affordable housing crisis threatens our states economic prosperity and climate goals and deepens inequality, Chiu, chairman of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, said in a statement Monday announcing a package of housing bills.

We have a recipe for disaster on our hands and need serious reform, said Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, a coauthor of AB71.

The measure would not affect deductions for interest on a taxpayers primary home  77 percent of which nationwide went to homeowners with incomes above $100,000, according to a 2012 federal study cited by Chius office. But because it would repeal the current deduction for second-home interest, it would require a two-thirds vote in both houses as well as Browns signature.

Democrats hold two-thirds majorities in both houses of the Legislature, crossing that threshold in the Nov. 8 election. It gives them enough votes to enact tax increases, pass bills that take effect immediately instead of the following year, and even override a governors veto over Republican objections. But the new majority includes moderates who may be more receptive than their partys liberal leadership to business interests, including real estate and antitax groups likely to oppose AB71.

Chiu cited support from Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount (Los Angeles County), who said the package of measures lays out a road map to addressing the housing crisis in California.

The bills also include:

AB72 by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, which would provide funds to the state attorney general to enforce laws requiring local governments to meet housing needs for residents of all income levels.

AB73 by Chiu, providing incentive payments to local governments to conduct early zoning and environmental reviews that enable them to approve new housing, including low-cost housing, near public transportation. San Francisco has conducted such reviews that have increased affordable housing in several neighborhoods, said Chiu aide Judson True.

AB74 by Chiu, funding rental housing payments for chronically homeless people who receive health care through Medi-Cal.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
CASEVILLE  Helping the community is extremely important for two Caseville groups. In fact, its the reason they exist.

The Caseville Community Chest and the Caseville Community Christmas Fund work to ensure that no one in the Caseville area goes without  that their basic needs are fulfilled.

The Caseville Community Chest has been around for more than 60 years.

Jim Stahl, treasurer for the group, has done some research into its history.

From what I can find, the Community Chest was organized in 1953, Stahl said. The idea was to collect funds for the United Fund  now called the United Way. That went on for quite a few years.

Now, the Caseville Community Chest tries to ensure all funds are distributed locally. Stahl, a retired teacher, has been involved since 1971.

I wanted to find a way to help kids out, he said.

The Caseville Community Chest seemed to be the perfect way to do that.

The purpose of the Community Chest is to have funds available to donate to organizations that contribute to the betterment of Caseville, Stahl said.

Each year, the Board of Directors sends letters to businesses, individuals, and other organizations requesting donations to be used for those who need help in the Caseville area. Once a year the board meets to discuss disbursement of the funds that are collected.

About $8,900 was distributed to 10 organizations in 2016.

Thats the highest number weve ever had, Stahl said. I think we sent out about 200 letters. About 40 percent responded.

Except for expenses, which amount to about 3 percent of the funds, everything goes back into the community.

The places that received money in 2016 were the Caseville Little League (for boys and girls), the Caseville Community Christmas Fund, the Caseville Community Food Bank, the American Red Cross (Caseville coverage), the Salvation Army (Caseville coverage), Caseville Scout Pack, the Huron County Homeless Coalition, the Huron County CA/N Council, the Huron County Baby Pantry and Huron County SafePlace.

When I send the check, I send them a letter asking them to let us know how the money is disbursed, Stahl said. We prefer it goes for Caseville people. When we send money to someplace like the Homeless Coalition, we ask that the money be used for Caseville people.

Not all the money collected by the Community Chest goes to organizations.

We help individuals in the Caseville Community, Stahl said. For instance, if we find out someone has cancer, or something like that, and need money for trips to Ann Arbor, well buy them a gas card. Last year we had an individual that needed help buying medicine.

Usually the need for assistance comes through word-of-mouth.

In the case of the woman we helped with medicine, my sister overheard her when they were playing cards, Stahl said.

Stahls sister mentioned the need to him, and he brought it before the board. The decision was made to help defer the cost of medication.

They receive additional requests for help from time to time. In each case, the board investigates the situation to determine whether there is actual need. If the petition is legitimate, such as needing money to pay a bill, they address the problem.

We pay the bill for them, Stahl said. We never give individuals money. The same way with gas cards, we buy the gas card and then give the people the card.

Another organization that serves people in the area is the Caseville Community Christmas Fund. Co-chairperson Colleen Poisson has been involved for more than 32 years.

I started co-chairing the Christmas Fund with Marie Quinn, who at that time was responsible for the food pantry that was run out of St. Rochs, Poisson said. Marie decided to retire, and I remained as the chairperson. I have been until now. I have been blessed with a wonderful co-chair this year, Laura Simmons. Her, and her family, have been volunteering for the Christmas Fund for about three years. Theyre passionate about doing community service work.

The Caseville Community Christmas Funds function is to ensure no one goes without at Christmastime.

The Christmas Fund serves seniors, families, and AFC homes in the Caseville and Caseville Township area, Poisson said. We also, because of school of choice, serve some families that may be out of our area. But, if they go to school in Caseville, we service those families.

The Caseville Community Christmas Fund volunteers coordinate with other organizations, mainly local churches, to help people during the holiday season.

We also check with the school, Poisson said. We have a great working relationship with area churches and organizations that serve people during Christmas time. We make sure that each family gets either a food basket or gift certificates for food. Everyone in the family gets a new outfit, and we also make sure that every child gets a new toy. We try to shop locally. The money comes locally, so we try to spend it locally.

It is sometimes an organizational nightmare, but Caseville Community Christmas Fund volunteers try and make sure everyone in a family receives something of equal value.

We do giving trees at Thumb National Bank and the Caseville Family Market, Poisson said. If someone has three children, we try to make sure each child gets the same dollar amount.

For a giving tree, people see the tags on a tree that say something like child, 6 years old. They then purchase an appropriate gift and donate it to the Community Christmas Fund.

Seniors are also kept in mind at Christmastime.

Last year, we serviced more than 70 seniors, Poisson said. We give them a food certificate, and a pharmacy certificate  the pharmacy certificate is really popular.

In addition to the giving trees, the Caseville Community Christmas Fund accepts monetary donations. The money is used to buy gifts and gift certificates for those who might otherwise go without.

Because we are well established in the community, people see our giving trees and donate cash to us, Poisson said. The churches are very familiar with us, so a lot of people will donate from area churches. They sometimes give us names of people who might need help. We also send out support letters to local organizations and businesses in the community. We have been so blessed that people have been so generous to us.

 For more information on the Caseville Community Chest, call 989-856-2176, or send donations to P.O. Box 643, Caseville, MI 48725.

 For more information on the Caseville Community Christmas Fund, call 989-856-3181 or 989-768-0045.
Democratic senators know they probably cant block Donald Trumps Cabinet picks, but they plan to force lengthy debate on nominees they consider radical  potentially stretching well beyond Inauguration Day.

While the Senate traditionally gives presidents significant leeway to choose their own team, many of Trumps picks have liberal groups howling in protest.

Im inundated, inundated  nominee after nominee  by people in Michigan who are concerned, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership. It goes on and on and on.

No Republicans, however, have yet come out against Trumps picks, and Democrats cannot block a nominee without Republican help. Thats because they effectively changed the rules to bar filibusters of executive-branch nominations in 2013. Democrats can drag out the process, though, while Republicans seek to address other priorities such as repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Unless theres some information that comes out in the hearings that isnt currently known, I think theyll all be confirmed, said Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of the Republican leadership.

This leaves Democrats trying to figure out how hard to fight Trumps most controversial nominees. Theyre likely to lose all of the battles, but senators see an opportunity to highlight where Trumps picks stray furthest from his populist campaign message  both in lengthy hearings in committee and in debate on the Senate floor.

Three Republicans would need to join with Democrats to block a nominee if all the Democrats hold together in opposition. But moderate Democrats in states that Trump won who face re-election in 2018 will face extra pressure to go along with the president-elects choices.
NORWALK  The Connecticut Department of Transportation acknowledged Tuesday that its impact report for the Walk Bridge replacement project lacks detail about how to ease the construction pains.

But detailed mitigation plans for boaters, motorists, businesses, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and other stakeholders will be put forward as the project moves from the preliminary design to the permitting stage, DOT officials told the Norwalk Harbor Management Commission during a special meeting at City Hall.

We understand. Weve heard it from the city, weve heard from other people concerned about the continued operations of the Aquarium, said James Fallon, DOT manager of facilities and transit. So there will be a commitment to mitigate impacts to the Aquarium, but generally speaking, the department will work with all of these stakeholders to make sure that their concerns are addressed.

The 120-year-old railroad bridge, which the state plans to begin replacing in mid-2018, bisects the Aquarium. The IMAX Theater stands to be razed to accommodate the project.

On Tuesday morning, DOT officials and representatives of HNTB Corp., the consultant firm engaged by the DOT in the Walk Bridge project, responded to the NHMCs nine-page State of Findings and Recommendations concerning the states impact report for the project.

Like other stakeholders, the NHMC was invited to weigh in by Dec. 9 on the report, which laid out the bridge design alternatives and their respective impacts to the community. The DOT has proposed replacing the current structure with a 240-foot vertical lift span bridge at a cost of up to $460 million. Track-and-signal upgrades together with the construction of a new rail dockyard bring the total cost of the project to approximately $1 billion.

The NHMC concluded that the DOT hasnt sufficiently explained the impacts or put forward mitigation plans for the various construction projects.

Whats the definition of impact? asked Commissioner Dennis Santella. What does that mean and when does it become significant?

He added, Something that may be significant to the commission may not be significant to the project in your eyes.

According to the DOT, most of the concerns and impacts raised by the NHMC and others will be addressed during the permitting phase with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

When it comes down to the permitting phase, the commission is going to see the application and youre going to be asked to comment on that, said Mark W. Alexander, assistant planning director in the DOT Bureau of Policy and Planning. Im hoping that when we get to that point you know exactly what were (planning) and youve been involved with helping us develop the mitigation strategies.

The DOT intends to respond between now and March to stakeholders comments on the impact report and develop mitigation plans in the second half of 2017 when design work advances to the 60 percent stage.

We need to get to about 60 percent design before we can really start filling in the details associated with the mitigation, Fallon said.

Between now and then, the DOT also will decide whether to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact or proceed with further review and publish and Environmental Impact Statement. The NHMC is hoping for the latter.

In addition to the DEEP, a number of other government agencies will be charged with reviewing and signing off on the bridge replacement. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard are among the review bodies.

DOT officials said Tuesday that they have been meeting with the Coast Guard regarding the project.

Michael Griffin, state of Connecticut Harbormaster for Norwalk, asked the officials to schedule a meeting with the Coast Guard to recap whats been discussed and what guidance theyre giving you.

My goal sitting here and my responsibility to the state as harbormaster and to the city of Norwalk is to look ahead and see what we can recommend to minimize any disruptions in the navigation channel, Griffin said.

rkoch@hearstmediact.com
BAD AXE  An Elkton woman who is accused of pointing a shotgun at her boyfriends head after a dispute between the couple has been arraigned and charged, court records indicate.

Julie A. Champagne, 34, was arraigned in Huron County District Court on Friday and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, stemming from an altercation with her 50-year-old boyfriend last week.
HART -- Veronica Gonzalez and three of her children are enjoying their second Christmas in their new home in Hart.

Gonzalez, who works in housekeeping at Plains Memorial Hospital in Dimmitt, moved into the house in October 2015.

The new home is part of the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which provides grants to states and localities that communities use. HOME is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households.

The City of Hart began approximately six years ago to get some HOME houses built in Hart. Gonzalezs house is the only house built in Hart to date through the grant program. She read a public notice in the local newspaper about the program, and also heard about it through friends. Veronica was successful in her efforts to get a new home because she remained persistent and did what was asked of her to get her new house. She had a clear title to her old home and was able to provide the necessary documents needed to be awarded a new house. She said that it took her four years to accomplish this. She said that she was required to renew her application every six months. And, she dealt with three different HOME coordinators over the four years.

Her old home was demolished and the new one built in its place. The old house was demolished on April 8, 2015, by Steve Qualls Construction of Abernathy. His company built a three bedroom, two-bath home in its place. Also included are central heat and air, and a new refrigerator and electric stove. Qualls gave Veronica a new washer and dryer, she says. Also, there is a pad on which to park vehicles.

The foundation to her new home wasnt poured until July 2015 because the construction workers discovered that a neighbors natural gas line ran across her yard; this had to be remedied before construction began. She and her children rented a small mobile home in Hart until her new house was finished.

Veronica was born in Abilene at Dyess Air Force Base. She started kindergarten in Hart and graduated from Hart High School in 1997. Her mother is Esmeralda Montemayor of Hart.

The family said that there are no roof leaks when it rains in the new house, as was the case in the old house. Also, the kids say the new house stays warm in the winter, unlike the old house. And, 7-year-old Azeliza adds, Were safe.

Veronica lived in her old house for 12 years. She is required to live in the new house for 10 years, and keep property taxes paid and have the home insured.

Part of the HOME programs goals is to increase the tax base for communities by providing new homes in place of houses deemed unsightly, poorly constructed, unsafe to live in, etc.

Veronica and her children, Luis, 6; Kilin, 10; and Azeliza enjoy movie time once a week, and she monitors what her children watch on TV. She has an adult daughter, Alejandra Hernandez, who lives in Dimmitt and works at Dimmitt Pharmacy. Also, her 14-year old son, Lito Hernandez, lives with this father in Dimmitt.

The children are looking forward to having another Christmas in their new home.
San Franciscos new police chief pledged on Tuesday to be fair and consistent as he begins leading a department thats working to implement broad changes following recent controversial police killings, and increasingly strained community relations.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee introduced William Bill Scott, a 52-year-old Los Angeles Police Department veteran, as the citys new top cop during a Tuesday morning news conference at City Hall.

To the community of the city of San Francisco and the various diverse communities that make up this great city, what you will find in me, I hope, is the same person that Ive been all my life, Scott said. A person that will listen to you, will hear you, and take action when appropriate. A person that will be fair and will be consistent.

Scott, who is African American, is a 27-year veteran of the LAPD, where he rose through the ranks, ultimately reaching the position of deputy chief.

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Scotts hiring comes as the city works to implement changes to department policy, including use-of-force reforms, in the wake of several deadly police shootings, including the December 2015 killing of Mario Woods in the citys Bayview.

The department under went a sweeping review by the U.S. Justice Department, which has recommended 272 changes.

This is a more global issue than San Francisco, Scott said, recognizing his role in implementing the recommendations. We have global issues in the profession. The thing that attracted me to this job is the organization has recognized these issues.

The San Francisco Police Officers Association, has fought some of those recommended changes, including a policy that would no longer allow police to fire on a moving vehicle.

While Scott reached out to the citizens of San Francisco on Tuesday, he also made clear he would support his officers, who he said he was so excited to meet and get to know.

As the chief of police of San Francisco, its real simple for me: I get the kind of union that I deserve, Scott said. My plans are to be the type of chief that deserves a POA that is willing to work with me by the way I work with them.

Interim Police Chief Toney Chaplin took over the department when Greg Suhr resigned in May, following the police shooting of an unarmed, African American female car-theft suspect. That shooting came after several controversial police killings, including the Woods killing.

Toney stepped up and led our department with grace and integrity during a trying time in our department, Lee said. The San Francisco Police Department is better today than it was when he took the role as acting chief.

At the Los Angeles Police Department, Scott worked in patrol, the detectives bureau, internal affairs and gang operations before rising up the ranks to commander and then deputy chief. Like Chaplin, he worked in his departments professional standards bureau dealing with police reform, advocating for more community-based policing and outreach.

Scott has served as deputy chief of the South Bureau in Los Angeles, which encompasses a diverse, high-crime community. He has about 2,000 personnel working under him  roughly the size of the entire San Francisco Police Department.

On Tuesday, Scott recognized the challenges the city will face as the department works to implement reforms, mend community relations and satisfy the rank and file.

Its going to be difficult. Its going to be a give-and-take process, but its moving in the right direction, he said.

Vivian Ho and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo @EvanSernoffsky
courtesy photos

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is reviewing the action of Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley, who motioned to create a new county position that ultimately will be filled by his wife, to determine whether it violated the Texas government code concerning nepotism.

The DA's Office confirmed it is looking into the complaint, filed by Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack.

"We have received the initial complaint and we are reviewing it," Chief Prosecutor Tyler Dunman said.

However, Riley said when he motioned for the new position during the Nov. 22 Commissioners Court meeting, there were no candidates for the job and his wife did not have plans to leave her position at the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office where she has worked as an administrative manager for Sheriff Tommy Gage.

According to the Nov. 22 court minutes, Riley motioned to create an administrative manager position in Precinct 5 Constable David Hill's office. That motion was seconded by Precinct 4 Commissioner Jim Clark and passed unanimously. According to a payroll change request form obtained by The Courier, Deanne Riley, who has worked for the county since 2002 including a previous stint in Hill's office, is being transferred from her position at the Sheriff's Office to the newly created position with Precinct 5.

The change, the document shows, will be effective Jan. 1.

Riley, who said he had not been contacted by the DA's Office as of Tuesday, explained that his wife started working for the county in 2002 at the Precinct 5 Constable's Office as a clerk. When Gage was elected sheriff in 2004, she was hired as his administrative manager. However, he said, when she received a letter from Sheriff-elect Rand Henderson Nov. 30 about interviewing for a position at MCSO, she decided to look for employment elsewhere. That, he added, is when she learned about the position with Hill's office.

"David and his chief came to my office and told me they needed to upgrade that position because they are getting so big. ... They needed an office manager," said Riley, adding that Hill's office lost a staff member in September and due to an increase in work in the office decided to upgrade the position to handle the increase in paperwork. "Every other constable's office has an office manager or administrator for that same pay. I made the motion for my constable just like every other commissioner does for their constable."

Riley said he was "not that stupid" and would not have motioned for the position if he knew it would be one his wife would apply for. He added that he will recuse himself from the vote during the court's meeting Tuesday regarding her transfer to Hill's office. The court will meet at 9:30 a.m. on the fourth floor of the Alan B. Sadler Building, located at 501 N. Thompson St.

"I am just hiring back an employee that the sheriff stole from me," said Hill, adding the allegation against Commissioner Riley is "absurd" and he had no knowledge of Deanne Riley's interest in the position until after it was approved by court. "Charlie is not that kind of guy."

However, Noack questioned the move.

"This should have been done in a more transparent manner and Montgomery County does need to review its nepotism policy," Noack said. "If there is a criminal element that happened, then it should be investigated by the DA to ensure we are complying with state laws."

Noack said he did not learn that the position was for Riley's wife until last week. He said he called the county's Human Resources Department and was told the department also did not know at the time it was approved that the position is for Deanne Riley.

In addition, Commissioner Riley motioned to create an administrative assistant in his office during the court's Dec. 13 meeting, which will be filled by Paige Pangarakis, who has been the administrative manager for Chief Deputy Randy McDaniel. Deanne Riley and Pangarakis work in the same office. In their new positions, Riley would have her same title, while Pangarakis would be an administrative assistant. Riley will be taking a salary cut from around $68,000 to $58,000 a year. Hill had requested the $58,000 position, replacing a $43,000-a-year position and making up the difference with his allotted budget.

Pangarakis' salary will be cut from around $55,000 to $48,000 annually.

Sheriff-elect Rand Henderson said the schedule for interviews under his administration was issued Nov. 21. Both Pangarakis and Deanne Riley declined those interviews and Deanne Riley issued a resignation letter to Gage and Henderson Nov. 30. Pangarakis did not submit a resignation letter, Henderson said, but called his office Dec. 1 to say she would not be interviewing.

Henderson takes the oath of office Jan. 1, and his staff changes will start going into effect at that time.

County Attorney J D Lambright, who was also unaware the position was created for Deanne Riley until late last week, said his office does not investigate such issues. He said the county does not have a nepotism policy outside its policy regarding civil service. He added that the county has followed state law regarding nepotism. Neither of the women's current positions are protected under the civil service policy.

However, Lambright said his office has advocated for a more specific county policy regarding nepotism.

"For a long time, several years now, my office has advocated that we adopt a more stringent nepotism policy," Lambright said. "That is one part of the county policy that should be reviewed."

According to Texas Government Code Chapter 573, a public official may not appoint, confirm the appointment of, or vote for the appointment or confirmation of the appointment of an individual to a position that is to be directly or indirectly compensated from public funds or fees of office, if the individual is related to the public official within a degree described in the nepotism chapter of the code.

A violation of this chapter is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not less than $100 or more than $1,000.

However, Riley stated he only voted on creating the position, not knowing his wife would be a candidate, and will recuse himself from voting on her appointment to that position.
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NORWALK  From Greenwich to Greens Farms, Amtrak rails would cut new paths through lower Fairfield County under a high-speed-rail plan by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The Preferred Alternative: A Vision for Growth of the Northeast Corridor, as laid out at www.necfuture.com, shows tunnels, trenches, embankments and aerial structures carving new routes through the highly developed corridor.

Those and other improvements, from Washington, D.C., to Boston, would boost capacity and shorten travel times, the FRA said.

But, local officials and one commuter advocate arent swooning over the plan, which could entail extensive property seizures and massive construction in densely populated communities.

Be careful what you wish, said Jim Cameron, founder of the Commuter Action Group, which represents Metro-North Railroad and Shore Line East riders. If the state basically said to the Federal Railroad Administration, We endorse going along the coast, now theyre going to have to look at the consequences of this realignment, because its massive disruption in some of the most affluent communities in the state.

Cameron said an inland route following Interstate 84 would achieve true world-class high-speed rail without disrupting densely populated coastal communities.

According to the FRA, the Preferred Alternative would increase the number of trains and improve performance along the Northeast Corridor. The number of trains running daily from Penn Station to Boston, for example, would increase from 19 to 94. The travel time would decrease from three hours and 30 minutes to two hours and 45 minutes.

To boost capacity and improve performance between New York City and Boston, the FRA has recommended improvements to the existing line and adding several new segments. Among the latter would be new two-track segment, beginning west of the New Rochelle station and continuing into Fairfield County. The segment would allow for more trains to operate between New York and Boston and allow express trains to pass local or freight trains, the FRA said.

The Tier I Environmental Impact Statement, as released as part of NEC FUTURE this month, is illustrative and doesnt specify the exact location of the rail tracks. Their locations will be determined in future, detailed studies with local and state governments, according to the FRA.

Details sought

An illustrative map provided by the FRA shows a new segment diverging the from the existing rail line in Darien and appearing to follow Interstate 95 to the Greens Farms area of Westport.

Darien First Selectwoman Jayme J. Stevenson said she wants more information about the proposed aerial segments and how the improvement would integrate with Gov. Dannel P. Malloys 30-year transportation plan for Connecticut. Among other things, the latter plan calls for widening I-95.

The railroad runs right through our commercial district as does I-95, Stevenson said. Any expansion of rail services that requires the use of additional land and an expansion of the highway system will have a direct impact on the commercial district in Darien.

Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling said he intends to discuss the plan with the state Department of Transportation.

A lot of the areas along both sides of I-95 are developed, Rilling said. Well have to stay on top of it, the reasoning behind it and the impact on Norwalk, and well certainly want to protect our property owners.

The high-speed-rail plan comes as Norwalk officials prepare to grapple with the impacts of the states upcoming replacement of the Walk Bridge, which now carries Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad trains over the Norwalk River.

Jackie Lightfield, cofounder of the nonprofit economic development organization Norwalk 2.0, said she supports high-speed rail but has concerns about the economic impacts for Norwalk under the plan released by the FRA.

It will be another massive project, Lightfield said.

Fairfield County isnt alone in its concerns about the conceptual plan. Several officials expressed concerns about its effect on the coastline of Eastern Connecticut.

Malloy, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., and U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal said Friday they would work to ensure Connecticut exercises every tool at its disposal at the state and federal levels to stop any effort to move forward with this misguided plan.

The FRA's report ... continues to ignore strong and consistent concerns expressed by the state of Connecticut and local citizens about the eastern shoreline realignment plans. We specifically asked FRA to limit the NEC Future Tier 1 EIS to identify a service and investment strategy to achieve state-of- good repair and maximize the capacity, frequency and speed of existing rail lines, the elected officials said in a joint statement.

By continuing to include plans to bypass the current route, the FRA has inflamed impacted communities stretching from Fairfield County to Stonington where the proposed alignment will eviscerate neighborhoods, historic landmarks, and real estate value, they said.
BAD AXE  U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) toured the Huron Area Tech Center on Monday morning, after meeting with officials to discuss dual enrollment opportunities.

Peters is currently sponsoring bipartisan, bicameral legislation to increase grant funding for dual enrollment.

Dual enrollment can offset college financial aid requirements significantly, Peters said.

Lane Walker, assistant principal at the tech center, said that debt management and financial literacy are important aspects of any college education, and Peters agreed.

Before they let you sign on the dotted line for a federal loan, Peters said, such training should be available during the loan application process.

Huron Intermediate Superintendent Joe Murphy and Director of Career and Technical Education Clark Brock were also among officials that told Peters of college credits available at the tech center.

Every student that comes through our doors is earning college credit at one level or another, Brock said.

Transferability is also something that the tech center looks at, Brock said.

Dual enrollment classes at the tech center are offered through Mid Michigan Community College.

Peters said the legislation would expand options for high school students to obtain college credit, making higher education more affordable and accessible while improving high school and college graduation rates.

Peters is also working to secure a Michigan driverless car industry, he later told the Tribune during a meeting at its office.

Although California would also like to host such an industry, Peters said Michigan offers four seasons, including snow and ice on roadways for vehicle testing.

I want to make sure its in Michigan, he said.

Although California has Silicon Valley, Michigan hosts research centers for General Motors, Toyota and Nissan, with a Honda research center in northern Ohio.

Peters is also working on legislation to require that Medicare pays for telehealth services, which, he said would benefit rural areas.

Telehealth allows physican contact through phones, devices, computers and teleconferencing.

Telehealth has revolutionized healthcare, helping more patients receive life-saving treatment, and we must ensure that people living in rural areas have equal access to the care they need, said Sen. Peters.

In order to reach that goal, he said, effort must be put into rural Internet access.

He added that he hopes for bipartisan action in Washington next year on infrastructure that would include broadband and wireless access.

Peters also stopped at the Harbor Beach Coast Guard Station and the Croswell Michigan Sugar plant later in the day.
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For the second time in recent months, Sterling Gerard awoke to a shooting outside of his tent. But little could prepare the 47-year-old, who camps with his girlfriend on the streets of San Francisco, for the bloodshed he witnessed Sunday night.

Just feet away, a homeless couple were executed as they huddled in a makeshift box shelter along 16th Street near Shotwell Street in the citys Mission District.

The San Francisco medical examiner identified one victim as Eddie Tate, 51. The womans identification was withheld pending notification of next of kin. People at the scene said Tate went by the nickname Tennessee. The woman, campers said, was named Lindsay, but no one seemed to know her last name.

Two people just got murdered where I sleep, Gerard said as the sun came up Monday over the grisly scene. I hate it out here.

Three months ago, Gerard said, a friend was wounded in a shooting outside his tent  one of many violent episodes hes witnessed or been part of during his 19 years on the streets.

But for him and others in the small community of campers along 16th Street who face that perpetual brutality, Sunday nights double slaying was especially disturbing.

They left her and his blood all over the place, Gerard said. Thats really foul.

The killings happened around 8:45 p.m., when two men in their 20s approached Tate and the woman in their shelter, officials said. Police said at least one of the men opened fire before the two ran off.

The woman stumbled for a couple steps, collapsed and died on the sidewalk. Paramedics took Tate to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Neither attacker was identified or arrested in the killing. Police were working to determine a motive, but investigators dont belive the attack was random, said Officer Giselle Talkoff, a San Francisco police spokeswoman.

He was a good dude, said a shaken 50-year-old David Henderson, who lives at a nearby single room occupancy hotel and cried as he looked over his dead friends belongings that were scattered about the bloody sidewalk.

He always made people laugh, he said. Everybody loved him. He didnt have this coming.

Homicide inspectors shut 16th Street between Shotwell and South Van Ness while they interviewed witnesses and canvassed the area for evidence overnight Sunday.

Gerard said he waited for eight hours in the near-freezing temperatures while police worked the crime scene into Monday morning.

Investigators covered the womans body with a tarp while they looked through the piles of belongings and other items, before the medical examiner took the body away.

That could have been me and my girl, Gerard said, looking down the block where a sheet of wood was spray-painted with the word Tennessee, marking the site where the victims would sleep.

While double killings are rare, Sundays horrific slayings underscore the violence San Franciscos homeless communities face on a near-daily basis.

We regularly see folks sleeping on the street that get targeted, said Kelley Cutler, a human rights organizer with the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness. Its brutal. Its really rough.

She said shes heard from homeless people who have been beaten, kicked and even set on fire as they slept  incidents that dont always make news and often dont involve police.

Folks are definitely at risk when they are outside, Cutler said. Safety is a big issue. Without a door to lock, you are vulnerable and at risk.

Less than two weeks ago, 21-year-old Lisa Williams was shot and killed near a homeless camp three blocks away from the scene of Sundays killings.

Police said she was shot on South Van Ness Avenue near 19th Street around 3 a.m. on Dec. 7. Investigators have not identified or arrested her killer.

In November 2014, three men kicked to death Tai Lam, a disabled, 67-year-old homeless man who weighed less than 100 pounds, in San Franciscos Financial District. Lam slowly died in an alcove, where police found his body the next morning.

The killing, which interim Police Chief Toney Chaplin called one of the worst hed ever seen, stuck with investigators. Some relief came last month when police arrested three suspects in the killing.

As detectives worked to track down suspects in Sundays slayings, friends of the victims stopped by to take in the fresh crime scene.

Damon Sykes said he recently completed a drug program with Tate.

He was inspiring me, Sykes said. Sometimes out here you lose yourself. He was a good friend who always tried to look out for you if he could.

Like so many others, Sykes was confused and saddened about the killings, wondering who would target the homeless couple.

Were up against enough out here, he said. Were trying to survive, but thats the risk we take when we live outside. You got to do the best you can.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
The state Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked enforcement of Proposition 66, an initiative that seeks to speed up executions in California, for at least the next five weeks while it considers a lawsuit challenging the measure.

The court halted implementation of Prop. 66 to give both sides time to submit written arguments, due by Jan. 23.

State voters approved Prop. 66 by a 51 percent majority on Nov. 8 while rejecting, by 54 to 46 percent, a competing measure, Prop. 62, that would have repealed Californias death penalty law.

Prop. 66, sponsored by prosecutors, would require the state Supreme Court to rule on death penalty appeals within five years of sentencing, more than twice as fast as its current pace. It would set the same five-year deadline for the second-stage appeals known as habeas corpus and would require defense lawyers to file those appeals to the trial judge within a year, compared with the current three-year deadline.

Another provision would expand the pool of defense lawyers by requiring attorneys to take capital cases if they accept court appointments to represent criminal defendants in other cases. Prop. 66 would also eliminate administrative review of the states newly adopted rules for executions by a single drug. Execution using a single drug replaced the states previous three-drug procedure.

The suit was filed a day after the election by former state Attorney General John Van de Kamp and Ron Briggs, a former El Dorado County supervisor whose father, state Sen. John Briggs, sponsored the states current death penalty law as a 1978 ballot measure.

The suit contends Prop. 66 would interfere with courts constitutional authority, cause confusion and upheaval in the states judiciary, and force both courts and lawyers into hurried and less-reliable decisions in capital cases.

One of the authors of the ballot measure said the courts order did not mean the suit was likely to succeed, but probably was intended to preserve the status quo.

Theres nothing wrong with waiting a month, said Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which backed Prop. 66. He said most of the arguments in the lawsuit were aimed at individual provisions of the measure, and the only argument that attacks the entire initiative  that it violates the constitutional ban on initiatives covering more than one subject  was meritless to the point of being frivolous.

Christina Von der Ahe Rayburn, a lawyer for Van de Kamp and Briggs, countered that the suit challenged several speedup provisions that, if upheld in court, would invalidate all of Prop. 66.

Were gratified that the court saw the importance of this issue, she said.

Defendants in the case include the state Judicial Council. For that reason, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, chairwoman of the council, and Justice Ming Chin, the vice chairman, have removed themselves from the case and will be replaced by two appeals court justices, yet to be named. Tuesdays order was approved by the courts remaining five justices.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
WESTPORT  While the state faces yet another uphill battle against a crushing debt, freshly re-elected state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-136, understands significant cuts need to be made.

Recent numbers released by the state show Connecticut with over a $1 billion General Fund deficit for the next fiscal year, while Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced last month he is considering tax alterations to make the state more amenable to businesses.

Steinberg said he supports the governors idea of reducing business taxes in theory, but in a vacuum. He said the proposal is attractive, but it begs the question of how Malloy plans to make up the lost revenue from cutting such a tax. The answer, Steinberg believes, is to eliminate programs such as those dealing with seniors and those with developmental disabilities because the cost of providing them adequate care may run six figures.

And this is exactly what were up against at this point. Weve run out of things that are easy to cut or perhaps nice to have, he said. Potential eliminations include everything from third-party private nonprofits to the state agencies and the programs of the state agencies, Steinberg said.

He said he is prepared to make unpopular decisions to get the state out of its steep financial turmoil, adding it is better to cut entire programs, rather than to reduce funding across the board by 10 percent.

So when you talk about being a bad guy, you know, maybe were going to have to have a bad guys club, because somebodys going to have to sift through this, in conjunction with the administration and say, This is a good program, but its nice to have, not need to have,  Steinberg said. And maybe it has to take a sabbatical for three, five, seven years while we get our act together.

About to start his fourth term in the state House as the longest-tenured Democrat to represent the 136th District, Steinberg is counting on his colleagues to understand the gravity of the states fiscal status and hoping they join him in making some really hard choices that could result in their not getting re-elected.

The 2017 state General Assembly Regular Session begins Jan. 4.
One of the most important decisions a small business or start-up can make is which bank to do business with. Thats because building a relationship with the right lender is critical to ensuring that your business grows and succeeds.

Related: How to Pick the Right Bank for Your Business

You want to choose a bank that focuses on small- and mid-sized businesses with offerings tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs like you. But you also want a bank with a track record for great service and happy customers.

While you may have previously relied on word of mouth to choose a bank, you dont need to do that anymore. Thats because a recent report by LendEDU, the organization I help lead, ranks banks by the number of customer complaints against them. The data comes from from complaints tracked by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

If youre unfamiliar with the CFPB, it's a federal agency, created in 2010, in the wake of the Great Recession of 2007-08, with the purpose of protecting Americans when they use financial products and services.

As of July 2011, the CFPB began tracking consumer complaints against banks. Currently, the CFPBs Consumer Complaint Database has received more than 679,000 complaints against about 3,000 financial companies.

LendEDU's analysis of banks in 2016 looked at 175,051 complaints in the CFPB database between January 1, 2016, and December 10, 2016. In total, the report featured 57 financial institutions included on the S&P Banks Select Industry Index.

The report included both regional banks and larger, diversified ones. Because the size of the banks varies significantly, the report calculated the number of complaints relative to the value of deposits held at the banks.

In that way, the data could reveal which banks had the most unhappy customers and which had the least.

The best banks

Of the banks that the report looked at, there were 12 that did not have a single complaint against them; these included the Bank of the Ozarks, United Bank, Silicon Valley Bank and Bank of Hope. While that doesnt guarantee that all these institutions' customers were satisfied, it does mean that none of these customers were angry enough to go online and lodge a complaint with the federal agency.

One thing thats interesting about the banks without complaints is that theyre all regional banks. They are also relatively small banks. Silicon Valley Bank tops that "smallest" list, with only a little more than $38 billion in deposits. Centennial Bank comes in last, with just $6.8 billion in deposits.

Related: 6 Steps to Avoid Becoming the Victim of 'Advance-Fee' Fraud

The worst banks

The top ten worst banks, according to customer complaints, reads like a whos who of big banks in America. The list has Citigroup coming in as second worst; Wells Fargo, coming in third; Bank of America, fifth; U.S. Bancorp, sixth; and Citizens Financial Group, holding the eighth spot. All of these banks are major diversified banks, but there were also a number of regional banks that made the list.

In fact, TCF National Bank came in with the most complaints. TCF National had over 12 complaints per billion dollars in deposits.

In contrast, Citigroup, ranked the second worst bank, received just over eight complaints per billion dollars of deposits. Other regional banks on the list included SunTrust Bank, CIT Group and M&T Group. CIT Group, which rounded out the top ten worst banks, had roughly half of the complaints that TCF National Bank did.
#MBN Cable channel loses lawsuit against suspension order MBN, a cable TV channel, on Thursday lost a lawsuit against the government's order to suspend its operation for six months for accounting fraud. The Korea Communications Commis...

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A finance professor at University of Houston-Victoria has admitted that he helped a Houston-area drug ring transfer the proceeds of a massive synthetic cannabinoid operation to bankers in Jordan.

Omar Maher Al Nasser, 37, of Sugar Land, was one of 16 defendants arrested in one of the largest stings in the country on a synthetic cannabinoid operation. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gray Miller in Houston Tuesday to one of two charges. He said he aided and abetted an unlicensed money transmitting business that wired more than $200,000 from banks in the United States to accounts in Jordan, according to a news release by U.S. Attorney Ken Magidson.
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Incoming Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Tuesday that she will investigate at least three prosecutors for misuse of official information.

She said the allegations involve prosecutors that are among the 40 staffers who have been told they no longer will work at the state's largest district attorneys office after Ogg is sworn in on Jan. 1.

Ogg said crime victims in at least five cases had contacted her to say prosecutors overseeing their cases called them to say their cases were in jeopardy, or defendants were given lenient plea deals, because of the firings.

"It appears that some of these individuals are sabotaging their own cases," Ogg told reporters at a press conference. "It's the use of victims as pawns by disgruntled employees that shows not just a profound disrespect for other people but a lack of professionalism that won't go unaddressed."

She called on current District Attorney Devon Anderson to investigate and secure the files for prosecutors who may have contacted families with inaccurate information about their cases.

Ogg called the actions "political retribution."

SHAKE-UPS BEGIN: Ogg says "change is coming" as 40 prosecutors axed via email

About the same time as the press conference, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said at Commissioners Court that he had been told about the allegations.

Emmett said the calls were "wrong" and "mean-spirited" and said they need to stop.

"Victims of crimes should not be political pawns, and the mere fact that any of those type of phone calls have occurred is just horrifying," Emmett said.

He also called on Anderson to put a stop to the alleged calls her staffers.

Misusing information gathered by law enforcement is a crime in Texas, and usually is the law cited when police officers use computer networks to run background checks without authorization. The charge, misuse of official information, is a third-degree felony with a punishment ranging from probation to 10 years in prison.

Chronicle reporter Mihir Zaveri contributed to this story.
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It was a starry morning Tuesday for more than 200 kids from the Boys & Girls Club of San Antonio as they were greeted by stormtroopers and Imperial TIE fighter pilots before an exclusive showing of the new Star Wars movie, courtesy of Councilman Roberto Trevino and numerous sponsors.

This is about the community coming together to celebrate, said Trevino, smartly dressed as Starkiller, a rebel fighter of his own invention.

Darth Vader made his presence felt at the Alamo Drafthouse as he stalked the line, with many kids coming down the red carpet trying to decide whether to give him a high five or slash at him with their sabers.

Amberius Longoria, 11, had no qualms; the dark lord is her favorite character.

I like his costume, she said. And I like the way he uses his light saber.

The Spurs Coyote, Blue Santa and even Rey Felo LXIX Fred Reyes also were on hand at the Tuesday morning event, and the coyote engaged several kids in a light saber battle, much to their delight. At one point, the furry mascot lay on the floor at the mercy of two young boys, begging for mercy.

Each child received his or her own personal light saber, a Star Wars poster and a bunch of other goodies.

The Star Wars characters were played by members of the 501st Legion chapter and Champions of San Antonio.

Trevino is a strong supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio, where he played as a child, and also a major Star Wars fan. This is the second time he organizes a Star Wars-related event for the children.

vtdavis@express-news.net
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The Texas Ethics Commission has dismissed complaints filed against former Kerrville Mayor Jack Pratt and another man over a mass email that endorsed three council contenders, including Glenn Andrew as Pratts successor, in municipal elections last May.

Pronouncing himself delighted by the state agencys decision, Pratt said, It is sad that Kerrville politics has stooped to the level of personal attacks for personal gain, rather than focusing on how to continue moving Kerrville forward to meet current and future needs of her citizens.

The complaints filed by Bill Morgan, treasurer for Bonnie Whites successful mayoral race against Andrew, asserted that the email constituted an improper corporate political contribution whose senders misrepresented their identities and failed to include disclosures required by Texas election law.

READ MORE: Kerrville cops release autopsy info in shooting deaths of councilman, wife

The disputed email, whose subject line read, Gateway Shopping Center: Myth vs. Truth, contained text indicating it came from Kerrville Citizens for Truth, but also included the language, Sponsored by: Mayor Pratt and Greg Shrader.

The message caused an uproar in Kerrville business circles by apparently utilizing an email address list belonging to the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce. Andrew denied any link to the message.

The complaint drafted by attorney Richard Ellison against Pratt and Shrader asserted the group credited with sending the email doesnt actually exist, and noted the post office box it listed was that of Pratts business.

RELATED: Kerrville police make arrest in shooting death of 7-year-old girl

The complaint accused Pratt and Shrader, a retired publisher of the Kerrville Daily Times, of inadvertently disclosing their roles since their names only appeared if a recipient of the message attempted to forward the email.

Pratt provided sworn testimony at a Dec. 8 commission hearing in Austin, saying that he alone drafted and sent the message, the dismissal notice said.

At the closed hearing, Pratt told the panel that Kerrville Citizens for Truth is an informal political committee formed last April, whose members had encouraged him to speak on its behalf and to write the email. Pratts account was supported by sworn affidavits from two alleged members of the group, according to the commission notice.

There was never a question in my mind that the commission would rule in my favor, said Shrader, who had steadfastly denied any role in the message. He said hed submitted a sworn affidavit to the state commission to that effect.

Morgan said he was disappointed but not surprised by the decision, and had several unanswered questions about the hearing, which he was not allowed to attend.

I felt they were guilty and that there should be some fine assessed for the questionable tactics used during the election, he said.

White said, I dont have any idea of what was discussed (at the Dec. 8 hearing) or why they arrived at that ruling.
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A fire that erupted on a pile of mulch at a business in Selma  about 40 feet tall at its peak, in an oblong 50 to 70 feet wide and 200 yards long  prompted a response from an array of area fire departments Monday and reignited criticism about a lack of nearby fire hydrants.

A former Selma city councilman, Jose Silva, who served from 2013 to 2015, said he saw the beginning of the fire as he left his home on a hill overlooking Quality Organic Products, the business at 15497 Lookout Road.

When I saw smoke I thought it was the tractor trailer, Silva said. When he returned at 1 p.m. found the Selma Fire Department was there, battling the blaze.

Selma Police Department Chief Dave Padula said the cause of the fire was still unknown that evening.

What were doing now is trying to break the mulch pile down, Padula said. As we break it down, were making sure theres no fire in it to be loaded into trucks and hauled off.

Mulch fires can be difficult to contain. A giant mound of mulch and debris that caught fire in Helotes on Christmas Day in 2006 smoldered and smoked for three months into 2007, forcing residential evacuations and school closures and contaminating water wells with its runoff. The cost of finally extinguishing it was put at $5.8 million.

Officials at Mondays fire said that scenario wasnt likely for Selma, though the mound was a large one. Padula said fire officials estimated it would take a couple more days to fully extinguish.

No houses in the neighboring subdivision had been damaged by the smoke or flames, and none were evacuated. Winds were blowing smoke away from a nearby subdivision.

Padula noted, however, that the wind was expected to change direction and blow in from the south sometime Tuesday afternoon.

Were hoping well have it down to a point where there wont be an issue, he said.

Several command posts established on the property coordinated firefighters from nearby cities, including Universal City, Live Oak, Schertz, Converse, Kirby, Windcrest and the Bexar-Bulverde Volunteer Fire Department.

The Bexar County Fire Marshal, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Forest Service were also at the scene. A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter was used during the day to help assess the fire.

Silva said he hoped the fire would bring back consideration of placing fire hydrants along Lookout Road. When he was on the city council from 2013 to 2015, it was an issue, though the subdivision hadnt been built around Quality Organic Products and the discussion ended with, When the time comes, well figure it out, he said.

I hope after this is a lesson to find out what we can do, Silva said.

Firefighters could be seen with their lines hooked up to fire hydrants along Larkspur Crest, which is inside the nearby subdivision, spraying water from ladders onto the pile.

Were doing everything we can to get it contained down ... it doesnt present any danger to anyone right now, Padula said. Our goal is to make sure it stays that way.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
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James Joseph Taylor Jr. was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison Monday for possessing a U.S. Postal Service key, which he had used to gain illegal entry into San Antonio residential mailboxes.

He had pleaded guilty Aug. 3 and U.S. District Judge David Ezra accepted a plea agreement Aug. 5.

In passing the sentence, Ezra told Taylor he was rather incompetent as a criminal and part of the gang that couldnt shoot straight. He recommended the Federal Correction Institution at Bastrop, and not a penitentiary, because Taylor, 43, is not a violent man and the Bastrop location is the closest to Taylors family in San Antonio.

Ezra also ordered Taylor to undergo three years of supervision after his release.

Taylor had initially been charged with two federal counts of illegal possession of a Postal Service key, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and three counts of possession of stolen mail, each count carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

On Monday, his attorney, Demetrio Duarte, argued that Taylors sentence should be lighter, considering he was charged with unlawful possession of the key, not theft of the key or of mail.

Court officials said Taylor had not obtained mail of value.

He caused no financial loss whatsoever that can be identified, Duarte said.

That was a matter of luck, not intent, a prosecutor responded. If Taylor had used the keys a day later, he might have gotten the jackpot, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Ponder said.

Ezra agreed  Taylor, he said, certainly didnt break in and steal mail just so (he) could get an extra L.L. Bean catalogue.

Its no different than a situation where an individual gets, by mistake, a deposit into their account, a $10,000 amount from the bank. They didnt steal the money at that point, they just noticed Oh $10,000, whoops! Time for a Vegas trip, Ezra said.

So at that point, when they pull the $10,000 up and head for Las Vegas, theyve committed theft. You understand? Ezra continued. So the minute he took the key and utilized it he was guilty of stealing the key.

On Aug. 22 last year, a video camera caught footage of Taylor using a key to steal mail from the Savannah Oak Apartments. When Taylor was arrested in January on suspicion of breaking into cars in Boerne, police found a briefcase in his truck containing mail from the 78420 Zip code and two Postal Service keys that had been reported missing more than 20 years earlier.

Taylors father, now retired, worked for the Postal Service from 1990 to 2000, court records said. He had two keys, one that opened apartment and neighborhood mailboxes and another that opened the padlocks on the blue mailboxes in rural Bexar County. He had reported both as missing in 1994.

Taylor, who does remodeling and repairs for a living, apologized to the court.

I only ask that I be given a chance to prove that Im worthy to be back in the world. I have three people that I care about so deeply and dont want to miss another event in their life, he said, referring to his adult son, his step-father and his mother, Diana Taylor, who was in court Monday.

This is nothing short of a miracle, she said after the sentencing, wiping her eyes. When Taylor was first arrested, she said, she worried he would be in jail for more than 20 years. I asked (Duarte) for a miracle and he said he had done all of his miracles this year. But this is a miracle.

He is a good person, Diana Taylor said of her son. He has a good heart, hes going to do right. This is what he needed to happen.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net
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A North Texas sheriff was found dead in his home of apparent suicide Monday evening amid a recent investigation looking into claims that he cheated on a training course, according to local media.

The body of Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant was discovered Monday night with self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.

Bryant held his position since 1997 and won 70 percent of the votes to be re-elected this past March, but had recently been under the scope of the Texas Law Enforcement Commission in October, the local newspaper reported.

RELATED: 14th Texas law enforcement officer dies in 2016

Less than a week ago, the paper reported Bryant was being investigated by TCOLE for allegedly cheating on his continuing education training  a 40-hour, required course in place to ensure officials are up-to-date with changes to laws, according to the outlet.

TCOLE was not immediately available to return requests for comment as of this write, but confirmed the investigation in a comment to the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.

Sgt. Stan Roper, with the commission, told the newspaper that the investigation began in June and was turned over to him in October. He said "several people" including Bryant were interviewed and he expected the investigation to be wrapped up in an another month, which is when he would give an attorney the findings for further review, the Empire-Tribune reported.

RELATED: Sheriff's deputy dead after vehicle swallowed by sinkhole in San Antonio: officials

Despite the information Roper gave the newspaper, Bryant said he was unaware of an ongoing investigation last week when interviewed.

"I don't know of any investigation against me and I don't know why there would be one," Bryant told the newspaper at that time. "I have done nothing wrong."

An anonymous county official source told the newspaper the investigation started when a former sheriff's deputy Cameron Ray applied for a job with the Stephenville Police Department and admitted on his application that he had completed Bryant's training when working in his office.

Bryant was reprimanded in March for failing to complete the course. He told the paper at the time he was notified by TCOLE that he was "three or four hours" short on his training after he returned home from San Antonio for the Sheriff's Association of Texas conference last summer.

"The next thing I know Cameron (Ray) had taken a course for me to get me caught up, and I thanked him," he told the newspaper, adding that he did not tell Ray to take the course and was "shocked" he had completed it.

RELATED: 13 things to know about the fatal shooting of SAPD Det. Benjamin Marconi

Ray was consequently not hired by the local police department due to his admission, Bryant added.

"When I found out that it cost Cameron the job, I decided to self-report and notify TCOLE about what had happened," he said in the interview. "And that's all I know."

In Bryant's nearly 20 years of service, he acted as the lead investigator in the case of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield, who were shot to death by Eddie Ray Routh in 2013 at a gun range, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
As San Antonio turns the page on 2016, mySA.com takes a look at the array of influential residents who died this year.

From musicians and philanthropists to business owners, talented and passionate individuals left their mark on the Alamo City throughout recent decades.
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A South Texas priest was arrested on DWI charges Monday, according to local media.

Father Carlos Zuniga, with Weslaco's St. Pius X Catholic Church, was charged with driving while intoxicated by police, a class B misdemeanor, according to Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office records obtained by The Monitor.

RELATED: Police: 'Paranoid' H-E-B employee shoots 4 colleagues, killing 1 at South Texas store

The 51-year-old was released from jail on a $5,000 bond about an hour-and-a-half after his arrest, The Monitor reported.

RELATED: South Texas priest accused of raping child set for September trial

Zuniga has been a priest at the church for about 5 years. In September 2013, he was accused of attempting to interfere with the city's elections by distributing fliers about local water rates in his church. He stopped handing out materials after complaints were made to the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville and did not face any charges, according to The Monitor.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
A Leander woman was arrested at a Cedar Park movie theater Saturday after police say she drunkenly passed out there while four children in her care roamed the theater, court documents show.

Kaylan Megan Walker, 36, faces a state jail felony charge of abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence.

RELATED: Brazen Austin couple walks off with $86K in diamonds from jewelry store: police

Walker allegedly fell asleep while under the influence of alcohol at the Cinemark located at 1335 E. Whitestone Blvd., where her 4-year-old daughter walked out of the theater and up to an employee and said her mom was sleeping in the theater, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by mySA.com.

The employee went inside the theater and found Walker asleep on the stairs. The 4-year-old said she was worried about her driving home, the affidavit said.

RELATED: Police: Austin woman poured gasoline on roommate who didn't invite her to party

An officer arrived and made contact with Walker, who the officer described as appearing highly intoxicated. The officer learned that Walker had driven to the theater with four children  one of whom was a neighbors child  in that state and planned to drive home in that alleged drunken state, according to the affidavit.

The children under Walkers care ranged in age from 2 to 10 years old. Walker failed a field sobriety test and was subsequently arrested, the affidavit said.

RELATED: $30,000 in stolen goods recovered from NW Side business in theft investigation

The officer said the children could have easily walked out of the theater and into traffic, or been abducted without the mothers knowledge, according to the affidavit.

If convicted, Walker faces up to two years in prison.

Text "Breaking" to 48421 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
SAN ANTONIO  A man in his 20s was seriously injured in a drive-by shooting that occurred early Tuesday on the East Side, according to police.

San Antonio police responded at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of Readwell Drive, where the man was inside an SUV with two other passengers. A black SUV pulled up to the victim's vehicle and someone inside opened fire, according to a sergeant at the scene.
Dear Doctor: Do I really need a yearly mammogram?

Dear Reader: This might be hard to accept, but if you're a woman at low to average risk of breast cancer, you probably don't need a yearly mammogram. That's not to say we shouldn't give mammograms their due.

Mammograms can reduce deaths from breast cancer, and they're an important reason why breast cancer death rates have decreased over the last 40 years in this country. Studies have found a decreased death rate from breast cancer among women who have had mammograms compared to those who didn't.

Now let's look at just how much benefit. The public health advocacy group the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force calculated that, if 10,000 women between the ages of 39 and 49 had regular mammograms for 10 years, it would prevent three breast cancer deaths. For the same number of women between the ages of 50 and 59, there would be eight fewer breast cancer deaths. And for women between 60 and 69, there would be 21 fewer breast cancer deaths over that 10-year time period.

In short, the overall death rates were not significantly different between those women who had mammograms and those who didn't. This has especially been shown in studies in Canada and Sweden that compared the impact of annual mammograms with yearly breast exams from a health professional. In a 22-year Canadian study of 89,000 women, no difference in death rate was seen among women who had regular mammograms compared to those who had yearly breast exams with a health professional. This may point more to the importance of getting a yearly breast exam than the benefit of getting a mammogram.

Mammograms also have downsides. A primary one is that they have many false positives, leading to more imaging, breast biopsies and significant anxiety for patients. Another is that many breast cancers, such as ductal carcinoma in situ, would never be of clinical significance, so finding them on a mammogram is of little benefit.

That's not to say mammograms aren't useful. They do find breast cancers. But doctors and their patients need to discuss their risks and their benefits.

If you're a woman who has a mother or a sister with breast cancer, or if you have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation that increases breast cancer risk, then a yearly mammogram after the age of 40 is a good idea. If you have a combination of risk factors -- such as having had your first baby after the age of 30, having later-onset menopause or having had an earlier onset of menstruation -- then a mammogram is likely a good idea.

However, if you're at average risk of breast cancer and between the ages of 40 and 49, there is only a small statistical benefit in having a mammogram, which should be balanced with the risks of testing.

If you are between the ages of 50 and 69, the benefit of a mammogram may overcome risk. At that age, you should get a mammogram every two years. If you're older than 70, keep in mind that breast cancer rates increase up to the age of 80, so the screening could have a benefit. But that benefit must be weighed against the likelihood of dying from something else. Here again, the recommendation is for a mammogram every two years, but you should discuss your individual needs with your doctor.

Breast cancer screening is still evolving, with newer 3-D types of mammograms, breast MRIs and the possibility of biochemical markers to detect breast cancer. We'll need future studies of these technologies to assess their effectiveness at detecting breast cancer and reducing death rates.

Robert Ashley, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The typical Texans bank account takes a hit during the holidays, with gifts to give, parties to attend and travel to take on. But for far too many older Texans, the economic jolt takes on a more sinister meaning.

Already prone to loneliness and isolation, older people also are prime targets of fraudsters during this festive period. Whether its a scam perpetrated by a stranger or financial exploitation by a trusted relative, the impact extends beyond the pocketbook, affecting the physical and emotional health of the victim. Every year, abuse and exploitation rob older Americans of an estimated $3 billion  and this is only the amount reported.

During the holidays, the financial stakes are great, with money exchanging hands and older adults in closer proximity to family. A year-round favorite of fraudsters, the grandparent scam, can come decorated with a special plea during the holidays: a loved one needing money to fix a car, get out of jail or make it home for the holidays.

And theres the IRS scam, which assumes a vicious twist in December and January. A caller threatens an elder with arrest for unpaid taxes or a fake debt. Now is also when imposter charities surface, typically with a Grinch making a sympathetic plea for tax-deductible donations.

When a criminal exploits an older person by forging a signature or coercing them to sign a will, it takes a toll on the physical and emotional health of the victim. These criminals may be a stranger, an aide who comes into the home, or someone else in a position of trust, like a family member. If you suspect someone you know is vulnerable to such scams, act. Keep an eye on your loved ones, their spending patterns and any new connections they may not want to talk about. AARP has advice available online through its Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.

But remember, Grinches operate year-round, which is why AARP is fighting for new laws and policies to crack down on abuse and strengthen protections for victims. The Texas Legislature is exploring ways to curb financial exploitation of the elderly. When the legislative session begins Jan. 10, AARP will support efforts to fight this exploitation. Banks and credit unions can play a vital role in preventing and responding to abuse. AARP Texas is urging better training and reporting by financial institutions so bank employees can spot and stop suspicious transactions.

We also need to preserve and strengthen state Adult Protective Services, which investigates complaints about financial exploitation by individuals with an ongoing relationship with the alleged victim. Its jurisdiction should be expanded to include investigating financial-exploitation complaints against those without an ongoing relationship with the alleged victim.

We also need to better support community coordination models. Victims are often confused about where to turn for help. Fraud-fighting efforts like the Elder Financial Safety Center in Dallas are working to prevent, protect and prosecute financial crimes. We need more community coordination models in Texas.

Texas population of those 65 and older will more than double in 2030 from from 2010. This means more opportunities for scammers. But with education, vigilance and smart legislation, older Texans can be protected this holiday season and year-round.

Tim Morstad is an associate state director for AARP Texas, specializing in consumer and financial affairs.
The president-elect actually has a point about a CIA assessment of Russian meddling to benefit him in the U.S. election. The CIA has gotten vital intelligence wrong in the past  weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, for instance, the example Donald Trump cites.

But this makes congressional inquiry into the matter of Russian meddling all the more necessary. The nation would have been better served had Congress been more skeptical of the WMD claim.

This is an issue that demands answers. We have the nations premiere foreign intelligence agency saying the Russians hacked the Democratic National Campaign and the Hillary Clinton campaign to tilt the scales for Trump. Given the source  and the conclusion  this is a serious matter. How could foreign intervention in a national election not be?

But there is a matter of another source that the American public, in an ideal world, should be able to take seriously. The president-elect virtually dismisses the finding. This conflict demands a thorough vetting of the CIAs conclusion, one with which the FBI agrees. If the president-elect has credible information discrediting the CIA assessment, he should disclose what that is.

The American public deserves a thorough investigation, whatever the Russian goal. The entire intelligence community is in agreement that the meddling occurred. That in and of itself warrants further investigation.

The Trump transition teams response to the CIA claim was extraordinarily ham-handed: These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. Its time to move on and Make America Great Again.

We are postelection, but Trump seems to still be in campaign, attack-the-opposition mode. The CIA, however, is an asset, not the opposition. Trumps instant dismissal of its intelligence does not bode well for how a President Trump will act on future intelligence. This is worrisome.

The CIA has briefed the White House that Russia also breached the Republican National Committee, but the agency is uncertain if information was extracted. The RNC denies that hacking occurred. But the fact is that Clinton and Democrats were victims  even if the tampering did not determine the elections outcome.

Its immaterial that Clinton won the popular vote despite the Russian interference.

President Barack Obama has ordered a report on the Russian attack on the U.S. election to be completed before he leaves office. And he has said there will be a U.S. response, which the government may or may not make public.

Did the White House err in not ascribing motive during the campaign? The president said Friday that he feared this would have been viewed as tilting the scales for fellow Democrat Clinton. Focusing on this is a distraction from the real issue. And it is not as if news of Russian hacking came after the election. The intelligence communitys conclusion on this came out well before Nov. 8, and Democrats seemed to be the sole targets.

Even with a report from the administration, bipartisan congressional inquiry will still be needed.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says this will occur through normal committee channels. It shouldnt. Whats needed is an independent bipartisan investigation, perhaps by a congressionally appointed commission. Other alternatives include a select committee, which a bipartisan group of senators is urging, or a bicameral committee, with both House and Senate members. This is about public confidence. Standing committees controlled by GOP leadership will be viewed as more prone to sparing a GOP president possible embarrassment. Whatever the process, this investigation must not descend into a partisan witch hunt.

This is not about undoing a presidential election but about discerning what occurred so it can never happen again. The president-elect should abandon his cavalier defiance of intelligence conclusions and simply wait for the thorough vetting that the American public deserves. And for the public to be fully satisfied, the conclusions of such an investigation must be made as public as is possible.
For a few days, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith posted an online survey asking his constituents to highlight legislative priorities for 2017.

While many topics were listed, nowhere on that survey was the key issue of human impact on climate change. This wasnt surprising since Smith basically denies a significant connection.

But there was an other section of the survey, which allowed visitors to type in any issue. It sort of went viral as people began to let Smith know that mitigating human impact on climate change should be a legislative priority.

Future generations  your kids and grandkids  cant afford for Smith to be wrong on this issue. And the science says he is wrong. The science overwhelmingly predicts this to be a slow-moving environmental, humanitarian and economic disaster of epic proportions.

As we have noted in the past, Texas A&M Universitys outstanding Department of Atmospheric Sciences has issued a unanimous statement about human impact on climate change, warning of increased temperatures of 2.5 to 7 degrees by the end of this century if nothing is done.

Continued rising temperatures risk serious challenges for human society and ecosystems, the unanimous statement says. It is difficult to quantify such risks, except to say that the potential magnitude of impacts rises rapidly as temperatures approach the high end of the range quoted above.

Smith, of course, is chair of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. His skepticism about climate change is deeply troubling given his position.

Smiths survey appears to be down now, but he should commission a real survey from a respected pollster to gauge where his constituents and Americans stand on climate change.

For those who did not get a chance to weigh in on Smiths survey, let him know how you feel about his stance on climate change. You can call Smiths D.C. office at 202-225-4236 and register your concern about the world your kids and grandkids will inherit.
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SACRAMENTO  Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote Monday and with it the presidency, despite thousands of protesters gathering at statehouses across the country grasping for a chance to change the election.

Outside the California state Capitol, hundreds of protesters held signs urging the Electoral College to vote your conscience and dump Trump. Their ire was not directed at California electors, who all voted for Hillary Clinton on Monday, but instead at electors in Republican and swing states that paved the way for Trumps victory.

Electoral votes have drawn little attention or media interest in the past, but this year the mostly symbolic event drew intense public attention as the 538 members of the U.S. Electoral College gathered in their respective statehouses to cast votes for the presidential and vice presidential candidates selected by their constituents.

Even before Californias 55 electors cast their ballots during a glum ceremony in the state Assembly chambers, Trump topped the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency.

The results will be certified at a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, and Trump will be sworn into office as the 45th president of the United States on Jan. 20.

After casting all 55 electoral votes for Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, Californias electors passed a motion demanding an independent bipartisan investigation into Russian interference in the election, saying the results should be made public.

If we have a foreign government who has an interest in electing one person over another, we want to know what were those interests, what do they think they are getting? asked elector Christine Pelosi, a Democratic operative and daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.

Texas gave Trump the elector votes needed to cement his win, despite two Republican lawmakers there casting protest votes. Clinton won the popular vote nationally by nearly 3 million votes.

At some point, those of us on the Electoral College should ask the question, why does it exist? said elector Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego. I think it has outlived its usefulness.

Outside the Capitol, protesters were also challenging Americas system for electing a president.

The Electoral College is outdated, said Luann Welborn, a Democrat from Foresthill in Placer County. It needs to go. I feel my vote didnt count.

Welborn said she cried on election night when Trump was named the winner. Tears rolled down her cheeks again on Monday as she described her fear that the rights of LGBT people, women and minorities will be diminished in the coming years.

I just dont want to see things turn around for my gay son, she said. I fear for him, and I didnt before.

While some people called for change, others asked for acceptance. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who refused to vote for his Republican rival, said its time to support the president-elect.

We want unity, we want love, Kasich said. Electors voted in Ohio to back Trump.

Electors are chosen by their states political party. In California, whoever wins the popular vote in the state  which was Clinton by a margin of more than 4.2 million votes over Trump  gets all of the states 55 electoral votes. Clintons win in the state meant only Democratic electors were allowed to cast votes on Monday.

Those electors included party advocates, elected officials and their family members, including Eileen Feinstein Mariano, the granddaughter of Sen. Dianne Feinstein; and Olivia Reyes-Becerra, the daughter of Los Angeles Rep. Xavier Becerra, who was nominated to replace Kamala Harris as the states attorney general.

On Monday, two Democratic state senators, Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, announced they will co-author a bill that would require any future presidential or vice presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to appear on the ballot in California. The legislation responds to Trumps refusal to release his tax returns, a decades-long tradition for presidential candidates to help voters vet their choices.

The American people deserve honesty and transparency from their President, Wiener said in a statement. Unfortunately, we are getting lies and obfuscation from President-elect Trump, especially in regards to how his business interests may impact his administration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez
Local developer GrayStreet Partners bought the Light building on Monday from Hearst, the parent company of the San Antonio Express-News.

The firm plans to renovate the building into about 60,000 square feet of class A office space, GrayStreets managing partner Kevin Covey said.
JAH Prayzah Entertainment was yesterday fined for contravening the provisions of the Income Tax and Value Added Tax Act.

The company was represented by Fortunate Desouza, who was accompanied to court by the musicians manager, Keen Mushapaidze, and their lawyer Arthur Marara.

Desouza pleaded guilty to the offence on behalf of the company before Magistrate Tafadzwa Miti.

The company was ordered to pay a fine of $18 000 on each count.

The court heard that on March 9 last year, ZIMRA case officer, Fadzayi Mukora, did checks on Jah Prayzahs company.

She checked whether or not it was compliant with submission of income tax, VAT and other taxes.

Mukora found out that Jah Prayzah Entertainment was not compliant.

The company was not submitting income tax returns or paying VAT.

No income tax returns were submitted for 2019, and there was no VAT payment from October 2018 to January 2021.

Mandirasa Chigumira appeared for the State.

 HMetro

Breaking News via Email
VICE President Constantino Chiwenga yesterday joined the nation in congratulating President Mnangagwa on his 80th birthday.

In a statement, VP Chiwenga said: Your Excellency Sir, I wish to join the rest of the nation in congratulating you on your 80th birthday. As the founding father of the New Dispensation under the Second Republic, we cherish your principled servant leadership and guidance.

Through your wisdom, Zimbabwe has made unprecedented strides in the social, economic and political spheres. Indeed, you are a luminary who has transformed the country through practical and realistic policies.

We are particularly proud of the gains in infrastructural development, food security and peace building, among other notable achievements.

VP Chiwenga said as the nation celebrated President Mnangagwas birthday, we remain resolute in supporting your endeavours as our sole Presidential candidate in the harmonised election of 2023. We wish you good health and many more blessed years to come.

May the Almighty God, bless you, Her Excellency, the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and family abundantly, as you continue to guide the country to prosperity and the attainment of Vision 2030.

Meanwhile, as the President turned 80, the Office of the President and Cabinet, that works with him on a daily basis, said in a statement that underpinning the current wave of development that leaves no one and no place behind, is the Presidents mantra, Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo.

Zimbabwe is scaling new heights in the entrenchment of democratic values and institutions which facilitate socio-economic empowerment of the previously downtrodden majority. We laud His Excellency the President for his transformative leadership towards an Empowered and Prosperous Upper Middle Income Society by 2030, said Dr Misheck Sibanda, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet.

He said President Mnangagwa embodies true patriotism as he was among the pioneers of the struggle and over the years he has been unwavering in working for the motherland.

A true patriot, fearless revolutionary and a veteran of the Second Chimurenga that liberated Zimbabwe from colonial bondage, Cde Mnangagwa has devoted an entire lifetime to nation-building and the advancement of the values of freedom, unity, peace and solidarity in pursuit of the development agenda.

As we celebrate this happy occasion, we pray that the Lord Almighty grants His Excellency the President more years of good health as he leads the nation and strengthens unity in social and cultural diversity, said Dr Sibanda.

Since coming to power, President Mnangagwa has transformed the country through implementation of people-oriented programmes that include roads and dam construction, returning Zimbabwe to become food sufficient and opening up the country to investment.

Exuding servant leadership qualities, and giving a listening ear to citizens, the President has continued to endear himself to his fellow countrymen.

Unwavering in his resolve, he has always preached peace, unity, harmony and non-violent engagement. Forever humble, the President submits to his fellow countrymen; acknowledging them, even.

For example, as the coronavirus broke out in 2019, leaving the world reeling from economic and social tumult, with global citizens left in a quandary, like a good captain that he is, the President kept his cool for the ship to remain buoyant.

When other countries were locked up in contemplative engagement, about vaccines to use against the deadly Covid-19, the peoples President had a plan. Because of his hands-on approach to issues, discerning eye and the steward leadership that he personifies, the country was not caught off-guard, said Dr Sibanda.

 Herald

Breaking News via Email
MORE than 500 buses are expected in the country with a special consignment set to go to schools as President Mnangagwa continues to implement measures that will improve the public transport system through development that leaves no one behind.

Upgrading the public transport services is at the core of the Second Republic which consistently listens to the needs of the people and provides solutions.

Since coming to power, President Mnangagwa has made it his priority to secure buses for the State-owned Zupco and the company, which was almost comatose before the inception of the Second Republic, has reawakened with its fleet increasing over the past three years.

Just a fortnight ago, President Mnangagwa commissioned a fleet of 115 buses, and 15 of those were yesterday handed to the countrys security services, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and Parliament.

Speaking after handing over the buses to various Government departments at State House the President said the buses represent his Governments promise to be a listening administration that responds to the needs of its people.

These buses are coming because as a listening President we always respond to the needs of the people, the President said.

Of the 15 buses, eight went to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Air Force and the Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, while five were allocated to the JSC, with Parliament getting two.

This allocation of buses, its not adequate but we continue, brick upon brick to build our country. Each time we have a consignment coming in, we will give it to you until we feel that you have adequate buses to fill your institutions.

We may want to have these buses at one go but it is impossible. What is critically important is that you can see that the Government is doing its best to meet your requirements with regards to the issue of transport, the President said.

Responding to requests from service chiefs for buses to transport school children at various schools that are run by the security establishment, the President said he will consider buying smaller buses, specifically for school children.

On the question of going to school, I had not been told about that but now I know. As we order more buses, I will put that into consideration. They need smaller buses, in our next consignment, we still expect more than 500 buses, so among those, I may change 50 to give to institutions for school children, he said.

The buses that were handed over yesterday will among other things ensure that the Zimbabwe Prison Services, which had challenges transporting inmates to courts, is capacitated while a request by Parliament to have two more buses was instantaneously fulfilled by the President.

We also gave to Parliament, we gave them two, they want four, so from the next consignment we will give them the other two, he said.

Zimbabwe is making strides towards attaining Vision 2030 to become an upper middle-class economy and infrastructure development is one of the pillars towards achieving that goal.

With roads being upgraded or constructed the public transport system is expected to operate at the highest level of efficiency in line with President Mnangagwas vision for a modern, highly integrated multi-modal transport that can facilitate economic growth and development of the social sectors.

In the last two years, the Government has acquired more than 400 buses that have been distributed around the country and, because of their efficiency and pricing, are the choice form of transport for travellers and commuters.

Defence and War Veterans Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe, Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda, and service chiefs attended the handover ceremony.

 Herald

Breaking News via Email
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Trade

The EU decided on Monday to extend economic sanctions against Russia until mid-2017. The move sets up a potential break in policy between Brussels and U.S., where the incoming Trump administration could quickly decide to unwind its own Russian sanctions imposed after Moscow annexed Ukraines Crimean peninsula [Politico].

Politics

Electoral College

More Electors Tried To Defect From Hillary Clinton Than Donald Trump [NPR]. Wowsers. So much for thoe Hamilton Electors clowns, eh? The Clintonites threaten a soft coup, with Civil War in one possible future, and then cant even hold their own electors! And what I want to know is whether Michael Moore will pay the legal expenses of the faithless electors who didnt vote for Clinton. Yglesias disgraces himself: As Federalist 37 argues, once youve already lost the election you may as well vote for someone with a funny/memorable name.  Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) December 19, 2016 The funny name belongs to Faith Spotted Eagle, who is, among other things, a #NoDAPL activist.

Policy

Trump versus Clinton on Infrastructure (PDF) [Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro]. With the decline of manufacturing in our country, infrastructure projects are one of the few high paying jobs that could employ the less well educated segment of our population (via Capital and Main).

2016 Post Mortem

The worst candidate of 2016 [Chris Cilizza, WaPo]. As a consultant put it to me a long time ago: If the dog doesnt like the dog food, it doesnt matter how good the marketing campaign for it is. Ha. She lost because she was overly cautious. Because she was slow to adjust to a changed race  in the primary and the general election. Because she never really connected with voters. Because she offered no positive message that resonated with those voters. Because she never grasped the import to her candidacy of the email story. Because she simply wasnt a good candidate. Just one-third of Americans say they believe Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll [Politico].. Good proxy for the size of Clintons base. Not enough.  56 Interesting Facts About the 2016 Election [Cook Political Report]. Many interesting true facts, including these: 1. Effectively 77,759 votes in three states (WI/PA/MI) determined the Presidency: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump won by: 22,748 votes in WI, 0.7 of a point (3rd party candidates received: 188,330)

44,307 votes in PA, 0.7 of a point, (3rd party candidates received: 218,228)

10,704 votes in MI, 0.2 of a point (3rd party candidates received: 250,902 votes) 2. Just three counties  Macomb County, MI; York County, PA and Waukesha County, WI  elected Donald Trump. If those three counties had cast zero votes, Trump would have lost all three states and the election. By the same logic, just three counties re-elected President Obama in 2012: Miami-Dade County, FL; Cuyahoga County, OH and Philadelphia, PA. 3. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton carried the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes, and 2.1 percentage points. But while she narrowly improved on President Obamas margin in non-swing states (4.1% vs. 4.0%), she vastly underperformed in the 13 swing states that actually mattered: Obamas 3.6-percent margin in those states morphed into a 1.8-percent Trump lead.  5. Trump won the White House by winning 76 percent of counties with a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and 22 percent of counties with a Whole Foods Market. This 54-percent gap is the widest ever recorded. When Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, it was 19 percent; when George W. Bush was elected in 2000, it was 31 percent; and when Barack Obama was elected in 2008, it was 43 percent. Paul Krugman loses his shit: So it's official, and it's vile: the loser of the popular vote installed by Russian intervention, a rogue FBI, and epic media malfunction.  Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) December 20, 2016 Let me express my response to Americans Favorite Professor in tabular form: Table 1: Krugman Blame Cannon Target Acquisition Things the Clinton Campaign Wanted to Control, But Could Not Things the Clinton Campaign Could Have Controlled, But Did Not Things the Clinton Campaign Wanted to Control, and Did Arguendo, the actions of another sovereign power Nobody forced Clinton to privatize her email server Clinton got to pick her opponent (the Pied Piper Podesta email) The FBI (though Bill did his best on the tarmac with Lynch) Nobody forced Clinton to make 70 campaign stops in the last 10 weeks, when Trump made 107 Clinton raised a billion dollars The Fourth Estate (though the Podesta emails show HillaryLand doing its best) Nobody forced Clinton not to visit Wisconsin Nobody forced Clinton to use Ada, campaign software that misallocated her resources Nobody forced Clinton to fly home every night Nobody forced Clinton to cast voters as irredeemables/deplorables Nobody forced Clinton to spend the month of August doing fundraisers, instead of on the trail Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list. But youll notice that Krugman fires the blame cannons exclusively at items in the first column: at forces the Clinton campaign could not control  Russia, the FBI, and the press  and moreover, at least in a liberal democracy, should not be able to control, and ignores all the forces that Clinton campaign could have controlled, but did not, as well as the enormous advantages Clinton had: Her choice of opponent, and ginormous sums of money (which, alas, they set on fire and threw into the air, which really ought to make it harder for them work their grift at anything other than, say, the Gingrich, deluded squillionaire acting alone-level). Im so old that I remember when bloggers like Krugman called themselves members of the reality-based community. Sad. Voters Really Did Switch To Trump At The Last Minute [Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight]. This is a panel study, so there may be something to it

Realignment and Legitimacy

The upcoming Senate class is unusually unbalanced. Only eight Republican Senate seats are up for election in 2018, compared to 25 Democratic seats (including two independents who caucus with the Democrats). Ten of those Democratic seats are in states carried by Donald Trump [Stuart Rothenberg, WaPo].  A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds 54 percent of adults saying that they are either uncertain (25 percent) or pessimistic and worried (29 percent) about how Trump will perform during his presidency, compared with 45 percent with either an optimistic and confident view (22 percent) or a satisfied and hopeful view (23 percent). Thats a significantly worse outlook than Americans expressed after the elections of both Barack Obama and George W. Bush [NBC].

Stats Watch

There are no official statistical releases today (at least ones that I track. Readers?)

Chemical Activitity Barometer: [CAB] ended the year on a strong note, posting a monthly gain of 0.3 percent and a year-over-year gain of 4.4 percent, a significant improvement over the first half of the year [Calculated Risk]. This appears to be a leading indicator for industrial production.

Employment Situation: According to Yellen, job market is at its strongest in close to a decade. Job creation is continuing at a steady pace, the lay-offs rate is low and job openings have are up over the past couple of years, which is another sign of a healthy job market. The Fed Chair also stated there are indications that wage growth is picking up and weekly earnings for younger workers have made strong gains over the last couple of years [Economic Calendar].

Employment Situation: Happy Holidays, Youre Fired: List of Companies Laying People Off [247 Wall Street]. Boeing, GM, Caterpillar, Xerox, LImited Stores.

Employment Situation: Manufacturing output is nearing prerecession levels. But about 1.5 million factory jobsabout 20% of positions lost during the downturnhavent returned. Manufacturers employed 12.3 million people in November, down from 13.7 million in December 2007, when the recession officially began [Wall Street Journal, U.S. Factories Are Working Again; Factory Workers, Not So Much]. We have two economies, and the other wont ignite no matter how much gasoline you throw on it, said Pippa Malmgren, founder of H Robotics, a robotics development company, and a member of Indiana Universitys Manufacturing Initiative.

Rail: Except for grain, waste and nonferrous scrap, and the ubiquitous all other freight category  code for empty rail cars moving to storage  all freight-rail segments are down this year [Progressive Railroading]. So, as we move into 2017: Are there any positives that the rail equipment industry can look for? While the answer to this question is mixed, the positives may outweigh the negatives. From a macro-freight standpoint, North American carloads next year are projected to increase 2.5 percent over 2016s total, with all six major fleets participating in the increases.

Shipping: New orders for heavy-duty trucks, minus cancellations, rose in November, marking the first year-over-year monthly gain in 22 months [DC Velocity]. Net orders for heavy-duty trucks are one of the metrics used to gauge freight demand, as fleets generally will not make commitments to expensive equipment unless their order books indicate that demand will support the investment.

Shipping: Simply put shipping, or that part that is in the public eye, continues to decline as revenues fail to cover costs while the ships age and decline in value [Splash 247]. The shipping industry has raised substantial funds through the public stock markets, supported by an equally huge amount of debt from careless banks and export credit agencies in the major shipbuilding nations of Korea and China. These funds were chasing the illusion that ship values would quickly rise, enabling the ships to be sold for a profit. The reality is that shipping is a service industry whose assets physically depreciate over a relatively short time and only earn money when they carry cargoes. Well worth a read.

Shipping: Shippings kingpins hedge their bets [Lloyds List]. For the first time in decades, growth in world trade is falling below global economic growth. Economic prospects in key emerging markets remain uncertain and it is not obvious where a powerful new engine of growth is to be found. Protectionism and isolationist sentiments are eroding the very basis for global collaboration on which our industry relies.

Globalization: At the N.Y. Fed: Capital Flows, Policy Dilemmas, and the Future of Global Financial Integration [Liberty Street]. While global growth has slowed since the financial crisis, trade growth has contracted even more. Although international financial flows formerly tracked the pattern of global trade flows closely, financial markets across the globe have become even more highly integrated in recent decades and the forms of integration are always evolving. These linkages raise many important questions about the structure and performance of the international monetary system, the options available to policymakers in both advanced economies and emerging markets for stabilization, and the broader spillover effects of policies and shocks as domestically focused policies influence foreign outcomes.

Globalization: Mapping the Flow of International Trade (animated map) [Metrocosm].

The Bezzle: The billionaires money stopped showing up. Senior executives resigned left and right. Suppliers said they werent getting paid. You have no idea what a mess things are behind the scenes at the mysterious car startup Faraday Future [Jalopnik]. Faraday Future does not have an operating factory at the moment. With missing key suppliers and no factory, what does it have?

The Bezzle: Uber admits to self-driving car problem in bike lanes as safety concerns mount [Guardian]. Hoo boy. You dont want to mess with the bicyclists

The Bezzle: Ubers Loss Exceeds $800 Million in Third Quarter on $1.7 Billion in Net Revenue [Bloomberg]. Huberts call looking pretty good

The Bezzle: Heres Where the Self-Driving Car Stands Right Now [Bloomberg]. The real story here is the very last paragraph (italics in the original): (Updates to add information about technological challenges.). Translation: The original piece was fluff, an embarassing public relations exercise.

The Bezzle: But does the mainstream media ever check on whether the experts got anything right? Lets compare the experts (conventional PhD economists) diagnoses and fixes with the results of their policies [Of Two Minds].

Todays Fear & Greed Index: 79 Extreme Greed (previous close: 82, Extreme Greed) [CNN]. One week ago: 8 (Extreme Greed). (0 is Extreme Fear; 100 is Extreme Greed). Last updated Dec 20 at 11:40am. Still slowly deflating.

Our Famously Free Press

The shift to more hard-news coverage, alongside an increase in content output, has paid off. Between April 2015 and this past November, traffic to Teen Vogue jumped from 2.5 million monthly unique visitors to 9.4 million, according to the magazine [The Fashion Law]. Teen Vogue could well exceed Novembers surging web audience in December after an opinion piece, Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America, generated more than a million unique visitors and the attention of publications worldwide. Its the sites best-performing piece of all time, unseating How to Apply Glitter Nail Polish the Right Way.'

Indeed:

What a mobile website is -supposed- to do pic.twitter.com/XKSzJnjCU5  Matthew Inman (@Oatmeal) December 17, 2016

Gaia

Obama set to permanently block huge swathes of Arctic waters from drilling leases [Splash 247]. The sources say that the president will use a provision in a 1953 law, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which empowers the president to occasionally withdraw certain unleased areas from being disposed If the move does go ahead it is expected to be accompanied by similar action from Canada.

Black Injustice Tipping Point

Schuette: Four more officials charged in Flint water crisis [Detroit Free Press].

Class Warfare

Software Is Politics [Fast Company (DK)]. In the second decade of the 21st century, digital servicescode and designare changing how power is distributed. So, if politics is about this distribution of power in society, software is now politics. The decisions of designers and developers are a political force of their own. And we are asking users to trust us with more data, to allow code to make more decisions for them all the time.

News of the Wired

In another sign that the company has prioritized the iPhone, Apple re-organized its software engineering department so theres no longer a dedicated Mac operating system team. There is now just one team, and most of the engineers are iOS first, giving the people working on the iPhone and iPad more power [Bloomberg]. Every time an iOS engineer touches OS X, the UI/UX becomes more crapified and less productive. They dont seem to understand that the use cases for phones, tablets, and laptops/desktops are different.

Apples Tim Cook assures employees that it is committed to the Mac and that great desktops are coming [TechCrunch]. Good to know. Will there be dongles?

 The short life and cult appeal of Peach  [Daily Dot]. Social media as provincial backwater.

A statistical analysis of the art on convicts bodies [The Economist]. Tattoos are unreasonably effective predictors of recidivism: we find that of the inmates who have been re-incarcerated, 75% percent had tattoos. Just 30% of the former convicts who have managed to stay out of prison were noted as having tattoos. 

* * *

Readers, feel free to contact me with (a) links, and even better (b) sources I should curate regularly, and (c) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi are deemed to be honorary plants! See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. And heres todays plant (RH):

RH writes: A pond deep in the woods of Vinalhaven, ME. From his own correspondent: FYI, Otter Pond has just frozen over. Looks like were going to have a real winter.

Readers, Ive gotten many more plant images, but I can always use more; having enough Plantidotes is a great destresser. Plants with snow are fine!

Readers, Water Cooler is a standalone entity, not supported by the very successful Naked Capitalism fundraiser just past. Now, I understand you may feel tapped out, but when and if you are able, please use the dropdown to choose your contribution, and then click the hat! Your tip will be welcome today, and indeed any day. Water Cooler will not exist without your continued help.
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends most of her time in Asia researching a book about textile artisans. She also writes regularly about legal, political economy, and regulatory topics for various consulting clients and publications, as well as writes occasional travel pieces for The National.

The Wall Street Journal reports today:

Apple Inc. is discussing with the Indian government the possibility of manufacturing its products in the country, according to two senior government officials, as the company seeks to grow its sales and presence in the South Asian nation. In a letter to the government last month, the Cupertino, Calif., firm outlined its plans and sought financial incentives to move ahead, the officials told The Wall Street Journal. Senior Trade Ministry authorities in recent weeks met to discuss the matter.

Pursuing such a strategy certainly makes sense for Apple. For although its products are cult items among Indias affluent, the company currently only has less than a 5% market share, according to the Journal. Apple had asked the government in January to allow it to open retail stores in the country. It was restricted from doing so by foreign direct investment (FDI) requirements that tied the retail operations the company can open to meeting local sourcing requirements.

The lack of easily availability of the latest Apple products and their higher price, compared to the United States (and also Singapore) inevitably leads to many requests to frequent visitors to India that begin with the When you next come back to India, would you mind. Speaking purely selfishly and self-interestedly, I welcome the opening of seeing proper Apple stores in India, because it would mean I wouldnt have to dodge so many of these requests which sometimes come from the most casual of acquaintances.

The key question is: what sort of financial incentives aka deal, will the Modi government be willing to agree to that would allow Apple to get access to whats now the second largest smartphone market in the world (when measured by users, as opposed to product costs).

Second Largest Smartphone Market

In the last couple of decades, India has considerably liberalized its economy, and that includes facilitating outside investment. Yet it has been in some ways more reluctantly embraced neoliberalism to the extent that other Asian countries have done. Nonetheless, as reported in June article in The Hindu, the Modi government in June announced a:

radical liberalisation of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) regime by easing norms for a host of important sectors including defence, civil aviation and pharmaceuticals, opening them up for complete foreign ownership.

Yet this was by no means a blanket, across-the-board-libralization. The government was not willing in June to turn over the keys to the candy store in its smartphone market. And in fact, again quoting from the same article, it instead took the opposite tack:

[T]he government has tightened rules for such companies producing items with cutting-edge and state-of-art technology  by giving them only a three-year blanket exemption from the 30 per cent local sourcing norm over and above the five years where the 30 per cent procurement requirement would have to be met as an average of five years total value of the goods purchased. This is to ensure that they manufacture in India rather than making profits through just trading activities.

India Surpasses US as Second Largest Smartphone Market

India has become the second-biggest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone users, second only to China, and crossing 220 million users, surpassing the US market, according to a report by Counterpoint Research, quoted in a February article in The Hindu.

The various figures Ive seen put the rate of current smartphone penetration at just under 30%. As an aside, although the huge size of Indias population means this 30% translates to a huge absolute number of smartphone uses, the relatively low overall percentage of such users is one of the problems exacerbating the governments disastrous demonetization policy, with its push to get people to eschew cash in favour of digital transactions. (I have written about demonetization, here, here, and here). Although even the poorest of Indians often have basic mobile dumb phones, these do not accommodate digital transactions.

What Happens Next?

At the moment, it appears that Apple needs greater access to the Indian market more than the average Indian needs access to iPhones. Quoting todays Journal article again:

In the quarter ended Sept. 24, Apple reported its first annual revenue decline in 15 years amid lukewarm iPhone sales. But revenues have been rising in India, Mr. Cook said at the time, adding that We still believe were just kind of scratching the surface there.

Apple would just be scaling up its penetration in a huge dynamic smartphone market, described by Tarun Pathak, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, in the February article in The Hindu quoted above in these terms:

Though India still has a long way to go as the smartphone penetration of the total potential population is still below 30 per cent. As a result, India continues to attract new smartphone brands every quarter adding to the more than 150 smartphone brands selling their devices in the country. Furthermore, government-driven initiatives such as Make in India and Digital India had gained momentum in 2015 to attract more players in the mobile value chain. Almost half of the total mobile phones shipped in India during the quarter were assembled in India, driving the Make in India trend. We estimate this trend to scale even faster and broader in 2016.

So to repeat my question: What Happens Next? I guess well just have to wait and see.
Jerri-Lynn here: This post reminds us that conflicts of interest when politicians or public servants make decisions based on calculations of their own self interest rather than the public interest is not a phenomenon new or unique to the age of Trump.

If you have time, take a look at their complete paper, linked to herein. If you dont, I particularly enjoyed their dry conclusion from the end of this post:

While Congress has recently approved the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, purportedly aimed at preventing politicians from taking advantage of non-public information gleaned from their activities as lawmakers, our evidence suggests that politicians dont have to trade on information to become better off; they also have the ability to pass bills that benefit themselves financially. Researchers in both political science and economics need to look much more closely at this possibility than they have done, so far.

Indeed!

By Ahmed Tahoun and Laurence Van Lent. Tahoun is an Assistant Professor of Accounting at London Business School. He has been a visiting research scholar at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Wharton School, a faculty member at the London School of Economics, a research fellow at the University of Valencia, and a banker at HSBC in Egypt. His primary research interests are the economic consequences of transparency and the politics of financial markets. He has published his research in the Journal of Financial Economics and the Journal of Accounting Research and he is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Accounting Research. Van Lent is a Professor of Accounting at the Tilburg School of Economics and Management, Tilburg University. He holds the chair of Empirical Research in Accounting. His research is published in a variety of journals and has won the David Solomons Prize awarded by the journal Management Accounting Research. He has also received distinctions for his work as a reviewer, winning Outstanding Reviewer Awards from Contemporary Accounting Research and BuR Business Research. His current research interests include (1) organizational design and performance management, (2) the biological roots of executive behavior, and (3) the political economy of accounting and finance. Cross posted from INET Economics.

Amid heightened focus on conflicts of interests, new research shows how legislators votes on the 2008 bank bailout tracked with the exposure to peril of their personal stock portfolios

President-Elect Donald Trump recently announced that in theory, I could run my business perfectly, and then run the country perfectly. Since the President and Vice President enjoy the singular privilege of being exempt from conflict-of-interest statutes, he can perhaps make that position stick, though not everyone is convinced and his claim has touched off a lively debate.

In theory, the position of those elected to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives is different. The current code of ethics of both chambers stresses the importance of not compromising their role as lawmakers, in which they are required to represent the interest of their voters rather than personal financial interests.

Mr. Trumps ascendancy to the presidency has certainly given new urgency to the broader question of how the personal wealth interests of politicians could influence their voting and lawmaking. This is not only a question in the U.S., but should concern voters, policy makers, and academics across the world. It is this question that we address in our recent research, which investigates how the asset holdings of politicians in financial institutions affected their vote in Congress on the bailout of the financial sector during the crisis of September-October, 2008.

While scholars widely agree that a politicians vote depends on their ideological position and their electoral prospects  which in turn are related to the politicians ability to convince voters that he or she is the best advocate of their interests, and also by his or her ability to raise campaign funds  we show that the effect of the vote on a given politicians personal wealth can also influence his or her voting on legislative proposals.

Using the politicians voting records on the bill that eventually became the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act  which bailed out American banks in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse  and detailed data on the equity stake of individual politicians in those financial institutions, we document that politicians whose portfolios were exposed to the stricken financial institutions are almost 60% more likely to vote in favor of the bailout plan than politicians whose wealth was relatively immune to the crisis.

[Jerri-Lynn here: Figure 1 is found on page 3 of the original paper linked to above.]

Figure 1 illustrates these effects. Together, members of the House of Representatives held investments worth between $23.3m and $74.5m in the financial sector, with approximately 30 percent of the representatives owning shares in banks and other financial institutions. Our detailed data on the asset holdings of politicians (scraped from their financial disclosure forms), allow us to isolate the effect of personal wealth from competing determinants of voting, which include ideology and electoral prospects as well as a vast range of other potentially confounding effects.

In our empirical approach, we attempt to underpin our claim that it is the asset holdings of politicians per se that affects their voting, rather than these asset holdings reflecting the beliefs of politicians in the importance of financial institutions in the proper working of capital markets. Such finance-friendly politicians would then be more in favor of supporting a bailout regardless of the contents of their own portfolios. We use proxies for a politicians beliefs in the importance of the financial sector derived from biographical details such as work experience in finance, educational background, and membership on finance-related congressional committees to tease out the effect of beliefs. We also consider, separately, the voting of politicians who had asset holdings in financial institutions before the 2008 crisis, but crucially not during this period. These ex-investors should share very similar beliefs about the sectors importance as would current investors in the financial sector. Nevertheless, neither the biographical-based proxies for beliefs, nor the past asset holdings of politicians explain their vote on the bailout.

Perhaps even stronger evidence that our findings do not arise from differences in beliefs, but rather from the personal wealth effects of holding assets in the financial sector is provided by a test that uses information about the participation in defined contribution pension plans by the spouse of the politician. The return on these plans over 2008 should be a source of independent variation in personal wealth interest, in the sense that it is likely uncorrelated with other determinants of the politicians voting behavior. Consistent with wealth interests per se and not beliefs affecting the vote on the bailout, we find a strong correlation between the returns on the spousal pension plans and the vote on the EESA. The data show that where the spouse was down in the market, the probability of voting in favor of the bailout rose.

While Congress has recently approved the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, purportedly aimed at preventing politicians from taking advantage of non-public information gleaned from their activities as lawmakers, our evidence suggests that politicians dont have to trade on information to become better off; they also have the ability to pass bills that benefit themselves financially. Researchers in both political science and economics need to look much more closely at this possibility than they have done, so far.
Jerri-Lynn here: Im cross-posting this piece from DeSmogBlog for two reasons. First is to debunk the common argument that although regrettable, expanding US natural gas pipeline infrastructure is necessary to supply expanding demand for natural gas. As Larry Buhl writes below, that isnt the case for the state of Florida, and its certainly not clear that Florida Power and Light customers should be financing such expenditure so that the company can earn a rate of profit that significantly exceeds the national average for public utility companies of similar size.

Second, President-elect Trumps cabinet picks suggest that the incoming administration will assiduously pursue fossil fuel industry interests at least at the level of national policy. But state level regulators also have roles to play, and could although they did not in the Florida case discussed below refuse to approve rate increases for infrastructure development. There is considerable potential for state and local organising and protest efforts as the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests have thus far established (although alas, those efforts may need to commence in earnest again if, as expected, the new administration allows DAPL construction to proceed).

By Larry Buhl, who writes regularly for DeSmogBlog and has been been a regular feature reporter for A & U magazine for 16 years. He has also reported for Wired, Yahoo News, Monster.com, The Advocate, Marijuana Venture, and The Fight. His beats include environment, health and infectious diseases, politics and public policy, technology, general business and the arts. Originally published at DeSmogBlog.

On an August 2015 earnings call, Kelcy Warren, CEO of natural gas company Energy Transfer Partners, acknowledged that the pipeline business will overbuild until the end of time.

Critics of Floridas utilities say they believe Warren. They point to state regulators allowing Florida Power and Light (FPL) to build not only new power plants using fracked gas from as far away as Pennsylvania and Texas but also natural gas infrastructure that includes the $3 billion Sabal Trail Pipeline.

And Florida residents are footing the bill for these efforts.

As Frank Jackalone, Director of Sierra Club Florida, said in recent blog post:

FPL has admitted that homegrown solar and batteries could do at least as good a job of powering Floridian homes and businesses  at competitive prices. To make matters worse, FPL is also using these power plants to try to justify building unnecessary gas pipelines such as Sabal Trail and Atlantic Sunrise.

Rising Rates But Not Rising Demand

In January FPL customers will see their utility bills rise by $400 million, to be followed by $411 million in rate hikes over the next three years.

Florida Power and Light, the largest utility in the state, justified the rate increase in a prepared statement, saying it would support continued investments in FPLs infrastructure, including the implementation of innovative technologies that help reduce and shorten outages, generate power more efficiently, and curtail fuel consumption and air emissions.

The statement went on to say that FPL expects to continue investing $3.5 billion a year in its infrastructure for the next four years.

Detractors say that infrastructure is largely based on producing electricity from fracked gas, not solar, and that much of that natural gas infrastructure is unnecessary, based on demand.

The Sun Sentinel explored a questionable rationale for the public service commissions support of the rate hike:

So why should customers like the deal? Because of the Public Service Commissions recent record on FPL.  Since that 2012 rate hearing, the commission has approved every FPL request, including that Okeechobee County plant, which critics called unnecessary.

An analyst from BTU Analytics crunched the numbers as well, and said that forecasts for energy demand and conversions from natural gas to coal power plants dont actually justify the construction of new natural gas infrastructure, as FPL has claimed:

In the 2016 electricity demand forecast, FP&L made no significant changes in customer counts, revised population growth estimates up, but drastically lowered its expected consumption of electricity per customer down in 2016 relative to 2015 on empirical evidence that consumers were bucking the expected trends of increased electricity usage compliments of energy efficiency and tighter building codes among other things. The resulting change in usage per customer wiped out nearly 11% of the expected electricity demand increase by 2024.

Despite that, clean energy advocates say, the Florida Public Service Commission doesnt see falling demand as a reason to deny higher utility rates or the building of new power plants like the Okeechobee natural gas plant, slated for 2019.

Utilities Tilt Playing Field in Favor of Gas

In late November, the Florida Public Service Commission approved a maximum profit rate, or return on equity, of 11.6% for FPL. That profit rate will go into effect in January and last for the next four years, unless the Florida Supreme Court reverses the commissions decision.

The problem, detractors say, is that this 11.6% profit rate is well above the national average of 9.5% for similar-sized public utility companies, according to the Edison Electric Institute.

Florida law requires utilities to provide least-cost service and in return are supposed to get a fair return for providing such services, but thats not whats happening [with FPL], Sierra Clubs Frank Jackalone told DeSmog.

Jackalone adds that because FPLs parent company, NextEra Energy, is one of the owners of the still-in-construction Sabal Trail pipeline, along with Duke Energy of Florida and Spectra, FPL is basically shaking hands with itself.

Not surprisingly, theres been an uptick in mergers between utilities and natural gas-pipeline companies, including Duke and Piedmont, and Southern Company and AGL, just this year.

Jackalone and other critics say the threat of less profitable clean energy sources is one reason FPL has been fighting the expansion of rooftop solar and other alternative forms of energy, and why the company and a Koch Brothers-backed group invested millions in a misleading ballot initiative to restrict rooftop solar, an initiative that was rejected in November.

Justifying Construction with Overestimates

Critics say even though Floridians are looking at solar to meet their energy needs, Floridas utilities, backed up by the public service commission, have the following rationale: If utilities build it, Floridians will have to use it. And even if Floridians dont use it, theyll be paying for it anyway.

A recent article in Southeast Energy News contends FPL pushed for the construction of the Sabal Trail pipeline in spite of the fact it will deliver double the amount of gas needed by Floridians:

In 2013, in public testimony, FPL projected a need of 400,000 decatherms (Dth) a day by 2017 and 600,000 Dth/day by 2020. In their 2014 application to FERC, they projected that Sabal Trail will provide 800,000 Dth/day by 2017 and 1.1 billion Dth/day by 2020.

The Florida Public Service Commission allows FPL and other Florida investor-owned utilities  Duke, Gulf Power, and Tampa Electric  to charge customers for capital expenses for new plants as well as related expenses, including pipelines ($3 billion for the Sabal Trail pipeline) and environmental compliance. These utilities can even pass on losses from hedging to customers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Floridas four largest utilities suffered net losses of $6 billion on their program from 2002 to 2015 because their natural gas hedges wound up being considerably more expensive than eventual market prices. But those losses, the Journal says, were absorbed in large part by rate payers.

A Sierra Club blog post from March 2016 slammed the monopolistic practices of Floridas utilities:

Tallahassee has an even worse record of approving massive, multi-billion dollar natural gas power plants and a so-called hedging program, all of which puts the profits of the states biggest monopolistic utilities before people. The hedging program alone cost Floridians $6 billion from 2002 up to and including 2015, while insulating those big utilities from the costs and risks of their bad decisions to double down on natural gas. Think of all the solar, wind, energy efficiency and storage we could have bought for $6 billion!

Neither Florida Power and Light nor the Florida Public Service Commission responded to DeSmogs requests for comments for this story.
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends most of her time in Asia researching a book about textile artisans. She also writes regularly about legal, political economy, and regulatory topics for various consulting clients and publications, as well as writes occasional travel pieces for The National.

Embedded in the 3,000-page National Defense Authorization Act, passed by both houses of Congress by veto-proof majorities earlier this month and sent to the President on December 14, the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act provides new authority for the executive branch to impose visa bans or revocations, or sanctions (including property seizures) on individuals accused of committing human rights violations or engaging in gross corruption.

As Sarah A. Altshuller has written on law firm Foley Hoags Corporate Social Responsibility and the Law blogThe Act may be part of a paradigm shift in the way U.S. sanctions law is utilized. Unlike most U.S. sanctions regimes that target issues in specific countries by sanctioning entire governments or groups of individuals and entities, the Act would apply sanction to individuals anywhere in the world who have engaged in activities deemed to violate certain international human rights standards. The Act could offer an expanded scope to the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in promoting U.S. policies globally, much as the 2015 sanctions on malicious cybersecurity undertakings expanded the group of activities, including drug trafficking and terrorism, that are global targets of OFAC sanctions. Under the terms of the Act, the State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) would be given authority to determine who is placed on the sanctions list, which will presumably be implemented by OFAC. In making these determinations, the Administration is required to consider credible information obtained by other countries and nongovernmental organizations that monitor violations of human rights as well as information provided by certain committees of Congress.>Corporate Social Responsibility and the Law blog:

The Act may be part of a paradigm shift in the way U.S. sanctions law is utilized. Unlike most U.S. sanctions regimes that target issues in specific countries by sanctioning entire governments or groups of individuals and entities, the Act would apply sanction to individuals anywhere in the world who have engaged in activities deemed to violate certain international human rights standards. The Act could offer an expanded scope to the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in promoting U.S. policies globally, much as the 2015 sanctions on malicious cybersecurity undertakings expanded the group of activities, including drug trafficking and terrorism, that are global targets of OFAC sanctions. Under the terms of the Act, the State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) would be given authority to determine who is placed on the sanctions list, which will presumably be implemented by OFAC. In making these determinations, the Administration is required to consider credible information obtained by other countries and nongovernmental organizations that monitor violations of human rights as well as information provided by certain committees of Congress.

The measure has been lauded by Alexandra Schmitt, advocacy coordinator for Human Rights Watch:

The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act fills an important gap in the US sanctions toolkit by preserving the flexibility to target individual human rights abusers without punishing entire countries. This new tool will allow the US to more easily go after known abusers in a smart, targeted way without interrupting larger bilateral engagement. The law borrows its name from the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act, passed in 2012, in honor of the late Russian human rights lawyer who was tortured and found dead in his jail cell in Moscow. Magnitsky was targeted for his role in exposing huge levels of corruption and the largest tax fraud scheme in Russian history. A version of this bill was introduced early last year by Senator Ben Cardin, a long-time advocate of human rights and anti-corruption efforts. The bill quickly garnered bi-partisan support, with five Republicans  Senators McCain, Rubio, Wicker, Kirk, and Cruz  and five Democrats  Senators Shaheen, Durbin, Markey, Blumenthal, and Coons  signing on as co-sponsors. A House version followed and a coalition of human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have been active supporters ever since.

The original Magnitsky Act applied solely to Russia and was heavily opposed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration, as it was thought this legislation might thwart the then-intended reset of relations with Russia. It provoked a vociferous response from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who continues to oppose the measure and its expansion.

Implementation Paramount: What Will Trump Do?

President-elect Donald Trumps choice of Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil, who has had wide experience in Russia, combined with Trumps own comments suggests an intention of pursuing a more cooperative, less adversarial relationship with Russia during his administration. That suggests little tendency to apply Magnitsky provisions to Russian officials, a conclusion Altschuller also reaches here.

How widely or narrowly the provisions will be interpreted is a matter for the executive branch to determine. And it is ultimately within the Presidents discretion to decide whether or not to impose sanctions. The ultimate impact of this statute will depend on how aggressively the incoming administration casts its implementation net. Schmitt suggests bit overoptimistically, in my opinion that this could be a bipartisan priority:

The strong endorsement by senators on both sides of the aisle sends a vital message to the incoming administration that accountability for human rights abuses is a bipartisan priority and may provide an opportunity for future collaboration if president-elect Donald Trump is willing to make good on what could be a rare opportunity.

But this does not mean that the Trump administration would be blind to possibilities the measure opens up. In particular, the administration might choose to target human rights violations not necessarily out of concern for these issues per se, but as a means to pursue a wider foreign policy agenda. Again to quote Schmitt:

One place to start could be China. Trump has written in his book in 2000 that he is unwilling to shrug off the mistreatment of Chinas citizens by their own government and that Chinese leaders are keen to overlook the human rights situation. A new Human Rights Watch report documents a raft of abuses by Chinese Communist Party authorities who oversee a secretive detention system, including torture and deaths, in the name of combating corruption. Trump could demonstrate his willingness to address this concern by directing his secretary of state to examine possible senior Chinese officials who could be sanctioned under the Magnitsky law.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Other Anti-Bribery Provisions

It would be to easy to suggest that this new statutory tool will have a profound impact, as its effectiveness depends so crucially on implementation. In this respect, the history of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) serves as a cautionary tale. The US took the lead in promoting statutory anti-corruption measures in the 1974 FCPA. And the current Department of Justice (DoJ) has targeted bribery and foreign corruption as enforcement priorities. Yet as I have previously written here, the focus of the Department of Justice on FCPA violations, when coupled with the lack of an aggressive enforcement policy, has led to some perverse effects. Allow me to quote from that previous post:

We have to act sometimes as shoe salesmen, flogging competence in FCPA violations, that occur in subsidiaries or with foreign suppliers, says my white collar defense specialist contact. This work leads us to countries and legal systems we dont know well, to uncover chickenshit violations that occur far from home. Far better, he believes, would be for the DoJ to focus on law-breaking that occurs in the United States, as that could be effectively deterred by the agency refocusing its enforcement priorities.

The United Kingdom has also targeted foreign bribery and passed its own Bribery Act in 2011, which contains some provisions more extensive than the US statue. Interestingly, similar concerns have been raised over that legislations impact and effectiveness, tied in part to enforcement concerns (hat tip to Richard Smit for drawing this link to my attention).

UK Magnitsky Amendment

The UK is currently considering its own Magnitsky Amendment, a measure added to the Criminal Finance bill that targets terrorist finance, money laundering, and tax issues, as reported by the Financial Times:

It would enable the government and private parties to apply to the High Court to freeze UK assets belonging to those involved in or profiting from gross human rights abuses in any country. That includes people who have targeted whistleblowers, journalists or human rights activists with retaliatory action after they uncovered corruption. People with blood on their hands for the worst human rights abuses should not be able to funnel their dirty money into the UK, said Dominic Raab, the Conservative MP who tabled the amendment. He added that the proposal would prevent Britain from being a safe place for despots and dictators to hide their money. If passed, the amendment could help London counter its reputation as a safe haven for kleptocrats and corrupt officials wealth. It comes months after moves to create a register of the real owners of British properties.

The Guardian echoed the FTs analysis in its own optimistic assessment:

The initiative enjoys unusually wide cross-party support. Labours Chris Bryant said the chances of it becoming law were quite positive. The bill, which could come into force as early as spring 2017, is designed to clean up Londons reputation as a haven for dirty money. Its existing provisions target corrupt politicians and international criminals who launder money through the capitals banks and plough stolen cash into high-end real estate. The National Crime Agency estimates that up to 100bn of dubious money passes through the UK a year. 

Bottom Line

Both the United States and the United Kingdom are at separate stages of considering new forms of Magnitsky measures that would improve each states respective ability to punish individuals who have committed human rights violations or engaged in gross corruption. In the UK case, the scope of this authority will depend on what, if any measure, Parliament ultimately passes.

As with existing anti-corruption and anti bribery frameworks e.g., the US FCPA and the UK Bribery Act the ultimate effectiveness and deterrent effect of new statutory authority depends on vigorous implementation and enforcement. In the US, the incoming Trump administration might well opt to use the enhanced authority to pursue its wider foreign policy priorities, as opposed to being primarily motivated by human rights concerns. This implies that the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act might be aggressively but inconsistently enforced.
Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Mongolia graduated its second Staff Officers Course class and declared a new capacity for the faculty of the Mongolian National Defence University at a ceremony held on 13 December 2016 at the Ministry of Defence in Ulaanbaatar.

These achievements were made possible by NATO's Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP), which is "providing Mongolian officers the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills to carry out their duties in international peacekeeping operations," explained the Mongolian National Defence University President Major General Yadmaa Choijamts.

Part of Mongolia's partnership with NATO, DEEP has been increasing the impulse for reform, by actively supporting transformational change in the Mongolian professional military education system. This has helped to modernise teaching methods and carve out a niche for Mongolia as a provider in NATO and partner education and training community.

"Since it started in 2013, DEEP has been a tremendous success," said Minister of Defence Bat-Erdene Badmaanyambuu.

Echoing this sentiment in his address to the new graduates, Dr Sven Gareis, DEEP Academic Lead for Mongolia, stated that "Mongolian ownership and leadership became the characteristics of DEEP  which was the key to success."

Mongolia and NATO also conducted an annual review of progress achieved through DEEP at the Mongolian National Defence University on 12-16 December 2016. "Educators passed the skills and experience gained through DEEP on to the rest of the faculty to transform the methods and the curriculum content of the Mongolian National Defence University in compatibility with western and NATO defence education standards," explained Major General Choijamts.

The programme has bolstered the Mongolian National Defence University's faculty and curriculum development efforts through the academic leadership of the George C. Marshall Center in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the contributions from institutions such as the German Staff College in Hamburg and the Slovak Armed Forces Academy in Liptovsky Mikulas.
Monday, December 19, 2016 by: Don Wrightman Tags: bill gates , Liberal Elite , Microsoft This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Microsoft released a holiday advertisement this week which embraces the radical left-wing agenda. The commercial shows sympathetic images and anecdotes that support Black Lives Matter, Syrian refugees, transgender activism and LGBT community challenges. The ad features allusions to the 2016 election, suggesting that the year was challenging for many because the news can have a negative impact.

Microsofts description of the ad reads We wanted to lift people up and remind them that ordinary people can make a difference. Our message focuses on the spirit of the holidays, people coming together and celebrating what is good and right with the worldwhat unites us, instead of what divides us. Thats great, but dont forget the real goal of the advertisement is to sell Microsoft products.

The ad features seven people that Microsoft believes represent good and right causes. Theres a damaged relationship between Americas youth and the American police officer, says an officer.

We need our fathers and mothers to be by our side, says young Zianna Oliphant, while scenes from a Black Lives Matter protest are rolling on the screen. She was the child activist who spoke before the Charlotte City Council after the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott. That shooting sparked massive outrage among Black Lives Matter, liberal politicians, and various left wing organizations, but the officers involved were exonerated because the investigation showed Scott had pulled a gun.

The ad also shows features Jazz Jennings, who is the youngest public figure to identify as transgender. There is another seven-year-old girl also representing LGBT issues in the ad.

One goal Bill Gates has yet to achieve: bad news for the population

Microsoft and other major influential powers are still pushing a dangerously deceptive liberal agenda, but theres so much more to worry about regarding Bill Gates. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation funded a genetically-altered mosquito program which could be responsible for spreading the Zika virus around the globe. The Zika virus crisis fits with Bill Gates admitted depopulation agenda, and is causing babies to be born nearly brain-dead.

Genetically modified mosquitoes are also being considered to fight the further spread of Zika, while researchers are scrambling to develop a vaccine for the virus. Bill gates wants to force vaccinations on people by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes capable of performing the task, which would make it very difficult to avoid vaccination. It doesnt seem like Bill Gates identifies with the values promoted in Microsofts new holiday advertisement.

Sources:

Lifezette.com

NaturalNews.com
Monday, December 19, 2016 by: JD Heyes Tags: Berlin , ISIS , priority , terrorism , truck attack This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Authorities in Berlin, Germany, suspect terrorism after a man driving a large truck veered into a crowd of people, killing at least nine and injuring scores more in what appears to be an attack similar to the one in Nice, France, over the summer.

German authorities say at least 45 shoppers were injured, a number of them critically. The driver slammed into a crowd of holiday shoppers at around 40 miles per hour in a busy Christmas market, the UKs Daily Mail noted.

As police and emergency rescue and medical personnel attended to the dead and injured, members of the Islamic State, or ISIS, quickly claimed responsibility for the attack.

Authorities said the truck jumped the curb and ran onto the sidewalk, tearing through stalls and it traveled the length of the market on Breitscheidplatz Square, outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the main shopping center of the German capital.

Same day as Russian diplomat assassinated in Turkey

The driver of the vehicle was arrested nearby shortly after ploughing into the crowd; another man was found dead in the cab, leading to speculation that the Polish-registered truck may have been stolen from a construction location in Poland. The trucking firm reported they had lost contact with the driver over the course of the afternoon.

The apparent attack was reminiscent of the one in Nice in July, which killed more than 75 people. The driver of that vehicle first shot into the crowd celebrating Bastille Day before driving more than two miles along the Promenade des Anglais, the main street in Nice. Police shot and killed the driver before discovering an assortment of firearms, grenades and other explosives in the truck.

French President Francois Hollande said it was obvious that the attack was an act of terrorism, and indeed, ISIS also took credit for that assault.

The alleged attack in Berlin came on the heels of an incident in Ankara, Turkey, where an off-duty police officer assassinated Russias ambassador to Turkey, Andrey G. Karlov, in apparent retaliation for Moscows involvement in Syria, in support of the official government there. Authorities said the man, described by Turkish officials as a 22-year-old off-duty police officer, shouted, God is great! and Dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria! after shooting Karlov.

The Berlin incident also follows repeated warnings from European security agencies that ISIS supporters around the continent would use the holiday season as an opportunity to attack gatherings and soft targets using lone-wolf actors.

The UKs Daily Mirror reported last month that MI5, Britains spy agency, warned that an attack in England is highly likely over the holidays, with security experts warning that soft targets like markets and outdoor gathering places are high on terrorists lists.

In fact, spy agencies throughout Europe have warned of a wave of attacks across the continent, with no specific country singled out. Thus far, Germany, Britain, France and Norway have been the hardest hit by Islamic terrorists.

In the days leading up to the assassination and the Berlin attacks, authorities in France arrested terrorist suspects who were caught with handguns and submachine guns.

Europe will see its streets run red with blood

Britain is very much in the sights of the jihadists but thankfully plots and plotters have been disrupted and stopped, one intelligence source told the Daily Mirror. Whilst UK agencies have been extremely good at preventative intelligence operations against jihadist groups, other European equivalents have been less successful, sadly.

Just days ago, Bugout.news reported that this kind of chaos and unrest was going to turn European streets red with blood, thanks to a Muslim problem that EU leaders (including Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel) have brought on themselves.

The site noted that in recent days, 1,000 Muslims took to the streets in London to demand that the government be transformed into an Islamic caliphate, which is completely at odds with Britains democratic form of government.

Any nation that permits a foreign culture to occupy its streets and demand the implementation of an authoritarian form of government and religious bigotry is not aiding and abiding tolerance and inclusiveness, it is allowing a foreign power to gain a foothold that will only be dislodged with bloodshed, the site noted.

Europe will see its streets run red with blood  much of it will be European blood  before this problem gets solved.

Sources:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYTimes.com

Bugout.news
(Natural News) That any of Californias manic Left-wing Democrats  all of whom support just about any form of abortion you can think of  would propose a bill of rights for kids is so hypocritical as to be sickening. I guess if you make it out of the womb in the Golden State this may be some kind of reward or something.

But theres even more hypocrisy here than meets the eye: The state senator who is proposing the legislation is the same one who led the charge to strip parents of their right to vaccine choice in the state.

This California legislative notice, SB 18  introduced by Sen. Richard Pan, a vaccine-pushing pediatrician whose campaigns have been financed by Big Pharma (along with the other Democratic lawmakers in the state who backed a recent vaccine mandate), and called the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in California  essentially makes the state the primary caretaker and caregiver of children, over the rights of parents.

This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to expand and codify the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth of California to establish a comprehensive framework that governs the rights of all children and youth in California, outlines the research-based essential needs of Californias children, and establishes standards relating to the health, safety, well-being, early childhood and educational opportunities, and familial supports necessary for all children to succeed, says a summary.

This is nothing but an attempt by power-hungry California legislators to further degrade the rights of parents

Further, it would empower the state Legislature, by 2022, to pass legislation ensuring that the childs bill of rights applies evenly, equitably, and appropriately to all children and youth across the state.

Overly broad? Of course it is, but you get the point: This measure isnt about ensuring basic rights for kids; its about giving California lawmakers and big government nanny-state bureaucrats the power to decide what is and is not equitable for the states kids. And it wont matter a bit what their parents think  or want.

How do we know that? Because we know Sen. Richard Pan. Hes tyrannical, in that he believes that only he and the state know what is best for kids  not their parents. He doesnt trust parents to do the right things for their kids. And he doesnt believe parents should have a bill of rights giving them, and not a faceless, all-powerful bureaucracy the power to make decisions for their own children.

And, as Natural News has reported, we also know that Pan is dishonest. Hes been caught lying about vaccines, as we noted in August 2015:

Carrying out the job that Big Pharma paid him to do  which we recently proved by publishing information about the industry cash hes received  Senator Richard Pan recently posted a Facebook status citing a completely fraudulent article denying the existence of mercury in vaccines, which also made blatantly false statements about Natural News Mike Adams.

Any lie is okay as long as it smears a truth-teller and political opponent

That article, by Politifact Georgias April Hunt, attempted to mainstream a series of lies, including claims that the writer had attempted to contact Adams regarding his views on mercury in vaccines. In fact, no one had attempted to contact Adams, as he clearly stated.

Its a blatant lie that Pan regurgitated in a pathetic attempt to attack the founder/editor of Natural News, while distracting voters from the fact that he had received campaign contributions from some of the same Big Pharma companies promoting his vaccine mandate legislation (SB 277) in the state.

In February of last year, when vaccine propaganda was reaching its peak after the Disneyland measles outbreak, Politifact falsely stated that Adams declined to speak with the publication about his conclusions regarding mercury, and that he instead referred them to studies published on NaturalNews.com.

It is an allegation that is patently false.

That caused us to demand not only a retraction from Politifact but also an apology from the publication and Sen. Pan, since both used false reports in an attempt to smear Adams character.

Pan is no friend of liberty, and he is no friend of parents in his state.

Sources:

NaturalNews.com

Leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) In the weeks since Donald J. Trump handily vanquished his Democratic presidential foe, two-time loser Hillary Clinton, by winning majorities in states that havent voted for a Republican in decades, the angry, unhinged Left has been working overtime to intimidate and threaten members of the Electoral College into changing their vote and denying the billionaire businessman his rightful victory.

On Monday, however, they were once again unsuccessful, as the majority of GOP electors did their duty and selected Trump to be the 45th president of the United States.

But even up to the final day  Monday, Jan. 19  when votes were to be cast, electors were under siege by the so-called mainstream media, by Left-wing academics, by legal institutions and by the billionaire financiers who helped fund all of the summers violence against Trump supporters.

One way electors were being targeted right up to the end included the planting of fake news stories and phony polls. For instance, a YouGov poll allegedly shows that more than half of Americans, or 52 percent, wanted the electoral college vote delayed until electors could be briefed on supposed intelligence that Russia hacked the election in favor of Trump.

As noted by Hot Air, the polling was skewed (intentionally) because the questions were skewed (intentionally). For one, the questioning did not even explain what exactly Moscow has been accused of doing or what exactly Moscow is believed to have done to influence the outcome of the Nov. 8 election. At first, the story was, fake news planted in alternative media sites by Russian propagandists is what destroyed Clintons chances of winning and helped Trump. When this lie was exposed as completely made up, the next lie became, The Russians hacked the election. Yet no one has ever bothered to explain just how that happened, and what Moscow actually did to alter the elections end result.

Threats and voter intimidation should be investigated and prosecuted

In addition, these purveyors of hate and discontent went so far, even, as to threaten the lives of some electors, which appears to be blatantly illegal on its face, but also violates federal rules against voter intimidation. If threatening someone over their decision to honor a pledge to cast a ballot for a president-elect isnt voter intimidation, then it doesnt exist. Hopefully the incoming law and order administration of Trump will rectify this issue with some arrests and prosecutions.

The Associated Press reported Monday that it wasnt likely Trump would be denied the Oval Office; only one GOP elector, Chris Suprun from Texas  who is nothing but a massive fraud and not a 9/11 first responder to the Pentagon, as he claimed  had said publicly that he would change his ballot. Given his lies about his past, its quite obvious that this is someone without much integrity in the first place.

Still, its the effort at discrediting both Trump and the election results that is most troubling  not just for the incoming administration, but for the country in general. We dont want to create the impression that because one side lost the election the other side does not have the legitimacy and moral authority to govern. Yet the Left is attempting to create this very impression using the argument that Trump is not legitimate because he lost the popular vote.

He did lose the popular vote  by about 2.5 million votes. All of which were in California. So what does that mean? In this case, according to James E. Campbell, a distinguished professor of political science at the University of Buffalo-SUNY, it means that the Electoral College system worked exactly as our founders envisioned it.

Hey, whiny Leftists: Our election system worked just like the founders envisioned

The Left is claiming that the ECs creator, Alexander Hamilton, believed that electors should not be constitutionally bound by the popular vote to cast their lot in with the election winner if they thought him a fool or otherwise not fit to be president (this is not the case with Trump despite the Lefts claim that he is unfit). But what Hamilton also envisioned as a role for the Electoral College is that it would give equal voice to smaller states. Hamilton explains:

Donald Trumps election is difficult for many Americans to accept, but there is no good reason to question its democratic legitimacy. For better or worse, Trump won the presidency by constitutional and sensible democratic rules that guided both campaigns and were known to any politically conscious citizen. He also won the national popular vote cast outside of the single state of California. Moreover, Clinton won all of Californias 55 electoral votes despite the fact that 4.3 million of the states voters voted for Trump. That big winner-take-all advantage for Californias Democrats and Clinton was certainly felt, but it wasnt enough to override her losses in many other states. Under our electoral-vote system, American voters elected a national president, not Californias choice.

In other words, just because California is a large state does not give it outsized authority to literally choose our presidents. Besides, if we had no Electoral College and presidents were elected by popular vote, both Clinton and Trump would have campaigned differently instead of just concentrating on battleground states.

Now that Trump has been duly awarded the presidential prize he won fair and square Nov. 8, the pathetic, shrill and childish Left will not simply go away and allow him to govern. They will continue to obstruct, challenge and undermine him at every turn. Expect more shrillness, more insanity and more threats.

Sources:

AVAAZ.org[PDF]

HotAir.com

Freedom.news

CBSNews.com

MarketWatch.com
(Natural News) Donald J. Trump secured a decisive electoral victory this week as electoral voters across the country cast their votes for Trump despite being subjected to a coordinated, well-funded campaign of death threats, stalking, intimidation and strong-arm influence tactics. Yesterday, President-elect Trump achieved an even greater landslide victory than anyone thought possible, clocking in 304 electoral votes (losing just two) while Hillary Clinton was betrayed by four electoral voters from her own party, sliding her down to 228.

The net result is that, despite all the death threats and intimidation attempts, Donald Trump expanded his lead against Hillary Clinton by two more electoral votes, giving him an even greater commanding victory over the defeated Clinton.

Hillary Clinton is a four-time LOSER who represented a party of losers who still cant accept that they lost

This victory makes Hillary Clinton a four-time loser who lost the 2008 nomination to Barack Obama, lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, lost the 2016 Jill Stein recounts, and has now lost the electoral college vote.

No doubt democrats are now going to roll out yet another chapter of delusional insanity by somehow claiming the Russians rigged the electoral vote! In reality, it was Soros-funded democrats who mounted an aggressive campaign of social pressure, death threats and delusional conspiracy theories played out across the front pages of the now-discredited Washington Post and New York Times. And still they couldnt alter the outcome by any meaningful degree.

All the desperate efforts to fabricate false intelligence sources, generate fake news on CNN and whip up mass hysteria across the country failed miserably. They couldnt even steal away enough electoral votes to drop Donald Trump below 300, much less push him below 270, which was their goal.

Everything on the left is either fabricated or rigged and now the real truth is finally coming out

The Trump victory is now locked in, despite the ludicrous claims of a radical left-wing law professor who was widely quoted in the media, claiming as many as twenty faithless electors would dump Donald Trump. Remember, these are the same delusional leftists who, before the election, almost universally proclaimed Hillary Clinton would be the landslide winner because she was winning in all the polls (which we knew all along were completely fabricated).

Its all the same pattern, of course: Rigged elections, faked polls, fabricated news reports, rigged debates, staged town hall questions, knowingly falsified predictions and a lame attempt to shape the outcome of political events by controlling the narrative. Now that theyve lost control of the narrative, theyre rolling out fake news accusations backed by Facebook censorship systems that will only cause tens of millions of people to ditch Facebook and go somewhere else for their news.

(Hint: Im launching a Censored News website in just a few days that will carry all the real-time headlines from all the main news websites censored by Facebook and Google. It will become the new portal for all the millions of people who are leaving Facebook and ditching Google News.)

The unhinged left is losing everything and now theyve lost their minds to boot

Since the Nov. 8 election, the unhinged left has lost almost everything. They lost the White House, the House and the Senate. Theyll lose the Supreme Court as Trump picks new justices, too. Theyve lost state legislatures, governorships and mayors. Theyve lost the recounts and now the electoral college votes, too. All along the way, people on the left have simultaneously been losing their minds, either acting like whiny little six-year-olds or emotionally investing themselves in utterly fabricated delusional conspiracy theories involving the Russians. But they made it all up themselves! The radical left has achieved nothing other than demonstrating a kind of twisted of self-traumatization.

Even worse  and this is only now becoming apparent to people  the unhinged left has lost its credibility.

Leftists are now synonymous with conspiracy theorist tin foil hat wearing nut jobs. Left-wing media has become synonymous with fabricated news. Left-wing political analysts have all been made into complete fools, including the one-time darling of political prognosticators, Nate Silver.

The left has lost its voter base, lost its political future, lost its leaders (its over for Hillary) and lost its way. Thats all because democrats became too arrogant, too corrupt, too delusional and too smug for the rest of America to tolerate any longer. While the democrat elite were sipping lattes and sunning on the beaches, congratulating themselves for the election victory they were certain theyd already sufficiently rigged with fraudulent votes, Donald Trump was working the campaign trail, strategically investing his resources to attain the electoral college victory that determines the winner of the presidential election.

Thats why Donald Trump won. Hes smarter, hes tougher, hes more dedicated and hes a far more diligent worker than Hillary Clinton could even dare to ever become. Donald Trump didnt need the Russians; hes got the kind of personal fortitude and determination that comes from running your own successful businesses decade after decade. Trump survived in the real world the unforgiving world of relentless competition where only the strong survive. Hillary Clinton wouldnt know anything about that: Shes been coddled and given endless unfair advantages all her life; by the media, the delegates, fundraisers, the intelligent community and more. She never really had to work to attain power, so she became lazy and arrogant.

Political Darwinism: How leftists became lazy, stupid and arrogant

Democrats are weak because life has been too easy for them. Theyve never had to compete in the real world. Theyve never had to really work for anything. They live on either low-income handouts or high-dollar cronyism handouts from their government friends. This has made democrats lazy and stupid, all while independent-minded people like Trump became increasingly sharp, efficient and masterful in their command of large organizations.

I call it political Darwinism. It simply means that people who have to succeed in the real world end up learning to adapt and overcome, while those people who have had political success handed to them without any real effort end up becoming lazy, privileged, arrogant and extinct. Hillary Clintons election loss wasnt due to the Russians it was due to natural selection that is removing losing leftists from the political gene pool.

And thats exactly the way it should be. Liberals are losers precisely because their ideas dont work. Their beliefs are rooted more in cultism and fiction than anything resembling reality. Their tactics of disruption, death threats and censorship are truly abhorrent. They deserve no political power whatsoever in America, and I wouldnt lose a bit of sleep if the entire democrat party just disbanded and retreated to the history archives of failed ideas.

We dont need democrats any longer to Make America Great Again. In fact, all we really need is to democrats to get out of the way and let the adults in this country start healing, rebuilding and restructuring this economic nightmare that Obama almost completely destroyed over the last eight years.

I suggest that all leftists who are still whining and crying for mommy surrender your U.S. passport and move to Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea or Communist China, where youll feel right at home. From now forward, America belongs to the patriots the mature adults the real men and women who have no more time to deal with crybabies, snowflakes and gender-confused social engineers. All you crybabies go home, sip your hot cocoa and play with your Play-Doh leave the rebuilding of America to the real-world conservatives and libertarians who actually know how to get things done.
(Natural News) Schools in Blackpool, England, will now be offering fluoride-infused milk at school, but there are many questions about such a practice.

After approving the program early in 2016, the northwestern coastal town announced that they would be distributing the fluoridated milk to the towns some 8,000 school-aged children. The milk will be doled out via Blackpools free school breakfast program. Supposedly, the fluoridated milk program serves to address the issue of poor dental health among children in the community. Officials say that half of all 12-year-old children in the town have at least one missing, decayed or filled-in tooth, while the average for England as a whole is around 33 percent. About 41 percent of Blackpools children that are 5 years of age have tooth decay  a staggering 15 percent about the national average. Dental health is clearly a major concern for the community, but is mass fluoridation really the way to solve it?

Fluoride is the only substance that is used to mass-medicate entire populations of people. As is the case with water, there is no telling how much milk each child will drink. Consequently, this endeavor could indeed be putting children at risk. The Waking Times reports that Blackpool intends on placing 0.8mg of fluoride in every 189ml carton of milk. This equates to 4.2 parts per million (ppm). Its worth noting that in the U.S., the recommended safe level of fluoride in water is 0.7 ppm. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) reduced it from the range 0.7to 1.2 ppm, due to concerns about the potential danger associated with maintaining the higher levels. If the HHS is concerned about it, you know it has got to be pretty toxic.

Blackpool Councillor Tony Williams commented, There is a lot of conflicting evidence about adding fluoride to milk, including that it cancels out the good effects of calcium. You cant mass medicate children, which is what they are doing. Who is going to monitor how much fluoride children will have in them?

There are many issues surrounding fluoride. For one, it is a neurotoxic compound that is in no way essential for human health. Not even tooth decay is caused by fluoride deficiency. The sole benefits in protection against tooth decay are from topical application of fluoride  such as in toothpaste  not from consumption. The CDC itself has acknowledged this point, and yet for some reason the myth that fluoride consumption somehow provides health benefits continues to persist.

The toxic effects of fluoride are expansive, as it tends to accumulate in bodily tissues. Some believe that dental fluorosis may actually be an indicator of wider, systemic consequences of fluoride exposure. Its often considered simply a cosmetic issue, but dental fluorosis is a permanent condition that is the result of too much fluoride during the first eight years of life. The tooth enamel is permanently damaged thanks to increased porosity. The porousness of the enamel can increase so much that the teeth begin to erode and crumble.

Teeth are not the only body parts affected by fluoride exposure. The bones, pineal gland and arteries can also accumulate fluoride. Fluoride can also damage the brain, leading to developmental neurotoxicity, reduced IQ and other ill effects. Children, unsurprisingly, are particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride.

And Blackpool plans on loading up its childrens milk with many, many times the amount that even the U.S. government considers safe for human consumption. While it is noble of them to be concerned about the dental health of kids in their community, perhaps it would be better to fund further education on natural ways to promote dental health, such as regular cleaning and avoiding sugary foods and beverages.

Sources:

WakingTimes.com

FluorideAlert.org

FluorideAlert.org

NaturalNews.com
Tuesday, December 20, 2016 by: Daniel Barker Tags: JAMA Pediatric Study , opioid epidemic , USA This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Americas opioid epidemic and the corresponding increase in the rate of overdose deaths among adults has received a lot of attention in the media lately, but the news often ignores the less obvious effects of the epidemic on societys most vulnerable members  our children.

A new study has been published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics showing a rise in the number of infants born with opioid dependency, particularly in rural states.

From ABC News:

Rates of infants dependent on opioids, identified as neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, rose dramatically between 2004 and 2013, most noticeably in rural areas, according to this study. 

NAS occurs in newborns, who are exposed to opioids either in utero or shortly after birth. Symptoms are manifested by central nervous system irritability, autonomic overreactivity, and gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The findings were based on hospital discharge data of 24,000 infants obtained from a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services database. Researchers from several institutions analyzed the data and found that although the rates of NAS had risen in both urban and rural areas, the rise was far more pronounced in rural settings.

In rural areas, the rate of NAS rose from 1.2 cases per 1,000 births in 2004, to 7.5 cases per 1,000 births in 2013.

In urban areas, the rates were 1.4 NAS cases per 1,000 births in 2004 to 4.8 cases per 1,000 births in 2013  a significantly slower increase than in rural areas.

These findings are consistent with other studies that have shown higher rates of opioid abuse in rural areas, said the studys co-author, Dr. Stephen Patrick, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

NAS an example of public health problems other than overdoses caused by opioid abuse

The study underscores the fact that the opioid epidemic has a wide range of effects on society beyond mere overdose statistics:

NAS is another example of the how the opioid crisis is also causing other public health problems, including additional strains on foster care from children born to drug users, according to Dr. Caleb Alexander, co-director for the Johns Hopkins Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness.

The findings also call attention to the need for further investigation into why people living in rural areas are more susceptible to opioid abuse, so that effective strategies can be developed to combat the problem.

Many women may not be aware of the effects of opioid use on unborn children, according to Dr. Alexander, and others may not have access to treatment or know where to seek it.

This one it is particularity heartbreaking because these newborns are societys most vulnerable members, he said.

Big Pharma largely responsible for opioid epidemic that killed more than 55,000 Americans in 2015

Much of the blame for Americas opioid crisis can be laid squarely on Big Pharma. Not only are half of opioid overdose deaths caused by prescription painkillers, but more than 75 percent of new heroin users first became addicted to prescription painkillers, such as Oxycontin.

Opioid abuse rates in America began spiraling after Big Pharma introduced a number of powerful opioid painkillers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Aggressive marketing techniques and incentives for physicians to prescribe more of these deadly drugs directly contributed to the crisis we are experiencing today.

The number of heroin overdoses has now surpassed firearm homicides as a cause of death in the U.S., and the number of overdoses each year continues to rise  there were more than 55,000 overdose deaths in 2015.

If those who peddle lethal drugs can be considered murderers, then the Big Pharma executives who created the nations opioid epidemic should all be tried and imprisoned on charges of homicide  or at least wilful manslaughter.

Sources:

ABCNews.go.com

JAMANetwork.com

ASAM.org[PDF]
California sea lions have begun to feed on Columbia River salmon at Bonneville Dam and scientists have discovered a model to explain this new behavior since this is a major wildlife challenge since the Marine Mammal Protection Act protects the sea lions while the Endangered Species Act protects the salmon they are eating.

Since 2008, NOAA Fisheries have authorized Oregon, Washington, and Idaho wildlife authorities to remove sea lions that preyed on salmon at the dam in hopes of protecting the salmon. Implementation of the policy is expected to continue for the next five years and but the effectiveness of the removal program is currently being reviewed.

By employing epidemiological models to evaluate how the behavior of eating salmon at the dam spread among the sea lions, researchers concluded that the removal program has effectively slowed the transmission of the behavior among sea lions. They also noted that the program would have been more effective had it been implemented earlier.

In their study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences, the researchers emphasized that there was a definite need to act early "from both a conservation and management perspective to prevent the spread of a detrimental behavior and to minimize the total number of animals removed."

"The earlier you start, the more effective you are at slowing the spread, and the fewer animals you have to remove to make a difference," said Zachary Schakner, one of the authors of the study and the Recreational Fisheries Coordinator in NOAA Fisheries' West Coast Region.

Since the program's implementation in 2008, the states had removed 166 California sea lions. Raising protests among animal rights groups was the stipulation that the states were allowed to euthanize sea lions if no permanent holding facility, be it a zoo or aquarium, could be found.

"What was really new was the combination of behavioral ecology with disease ecology to come up with management recommendations that could make the program more effective," said Michael Buhnerkempe, another author of the research and an assistant project scientist at Lloyd-Smith Laboratory at UCLA. It was vital for the researchers to highlight strategies for reducing the number of sea lions to determine which were most effective and which required the removal of the fewest sea lions.

In the same way diseases are easiest to stamp out when they have only affected a few individuals, undesirable wildlife behaviors such as the predation on salmon at Bonneville Dam needed to be addressed at the soonest possible opportunity. "If you can do that, you're beating it before it has a chance to explode into more of an epidemic," Buhnerkempe said. "Otherwise it quickly gets out of control."
Think of 2020, with the Olympic Games being held in Tokyo. There will be drone deliveries, driverless taxis, and home robots will be a normal sight in one part of Japan. A Drone City may be functioning with at least 200 flying robots across a 10KM radius.



Visitors can see drones in the skies of the Chiba prefecture, just an hour away from Tokyo.



This is, at least, what Kenzo Nonami of Chiba University is thinking. The leading drone expert is looking forward to living in such an apartment in the Drone City, due for completion in just three years!



According to the Statesman, Nonami has been helping develop drone technology for the past 20 years. He believes these drones can deliver goods from warehouses in Tokyo Bay to apartments that have landing ports for drop-offs.



Nonami first researched drones for mine detection, which needs a hovering device. Now Nonami and his team have developed drones that can do simultaneous 3D mapping of their surroundings.



According to Kopitiambot, this allows drones to travel in enclosed spaces, something of great help in 2011 for inspected damaged nuclear power plants after the tragic Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.



The drone network can help reduce the traffic of some of the 100 trucks that use the highway every day by 30 to 40 percent. According to the Straits Times, the Drone City is the joint idea proposed to the Japanese government by Chiba City and Chiba University.



Nonami said he hoped people would go to Tokyo to both see the Olympics and the Drone City. To meet the demand for professional drone drivers, a private school in Tokyo is even launching a three-year drone and robotics course in April 2017.



It can be remembered that Japan is famous for stressing on the potential of robots, starting in 1960s with Astro Boy and his arrival in Japan's anime subculture. Now robots are playing a more practical role in the lives of humans.Japan remains as one of the world's top suppliers of industrial robots and is now a trendsetter in the drone industry as well.



The continuous development of the drone industry in Japan can be seen in a few businesses in the country. For instance, Robot Taxi wants to launch driverless taxi services in 2020 for people who can't drive due to age or disability or other reasons.



Meanwhile, the Henn-na Hotel is the world's first hotel to be fully staffed by robots and has been functional since 2015.
Over the years, several studies suggested that animals, particularly domesticated ones, can connect with humans in some way, shape, or form. Chimpanzees, dogs - and now, horses, too!

Horses can communicate with humans, especially when they're in dire need, using visual and tactile signals. This is what researchers from Kobe University Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Monamie Ringhofer and Associate Professor Shinya Yamamoto, discovered.

The study entitled "Domestic Horses Send Signals to Humans When They Face an Unsolvable Task" looked into horses' social cognitive skills with humans in a problem-solving kind of situation. Scientists conducted two experiments on eight horses of the university's equestrian club, Eureka Alert reported.

Describing the experiment in detail, a press release by Kobe University stated:

"For the first experiment, an assistant experimenter hid food (carrots) in a bucket which the horse could not reach. The researchers observed whether and how the horse sent signals to the caretaker when the caretaker (unaware of the situation) arrived. The horse stayed near the caretaker and looked at, touched and pushed the caretaker.

"These behaviors occurred over a significantly longer period compared to cases when they carried out the experiment without hiding the food. The results showed that when horses cannot solve problems by themselves they send signals to humans both visually (looking) and physically (touching and pushing).

"Building on these results, for the second experiment they tested whether the horses' behavior changed based on the caretakers' knowledge of the hidden food. If the caretaker hadn't watched the food being hidden, the horses gave more signals, demonstrating that horses can change their behavior in response to the knowledge levels of humans."

Published on the online version of Animal Cognition, the study found that horses have sophisticated cognitive abilities that allow them to flexibly modify their behavior towards humans, depending on the humans' knowledge at a given situation, which may have been developed through domestication. Experts believe the result could pave the way for future studies aimed at better understanding the role domestication plays on the cognitive response of animals, and the special bond between humans and animals.
A recent investigation from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) revealed that large amounts of ivory, rhino horn, and tiger parts are offloaded through Facebook, among other social media sites.

The 18-month-long inquiry in a small village Vietnam conducted by the WJC and the Guardian showed how social media sites are allowing traders greater access to customers and loading off large amounts of illegal ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts.

WJC Executive Director Olivia Swank-Goldman told eco-business.com that "social media provides a shopfront to the world."

Statistics showed that from 51 traders in the Vietnamese wildlife trafficking hub of Nhi Khe, illegal wildlife products worth US$53.1 million are for sale in person and online.

"It's wildlife trafficking on an industrial scale," Swank-Goldman added.

The WJC scoured Facebook and WeChat where they learned that processed ivory products and pristine ivory tusks and tiger bone paste have been sold on the social media platform through private auctions or secret groups. On the other hand, all payments are processed via WeChat Wallet.

It can be noted that part of the Facebook community standards says, "We prohibit the use of Facebook to facilitate or organize the criminal activity that causes physical harm to people, businesses or animals, or financial damage to people or businesses. We work with law enforcement when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety. "

The WJC approached Facebook about the issue and a spokesperson from the social media group told it: "Facebook does not allow the sale and trade of endangered animals and we will not hesitate to remove any content that violates our community standards when it is reported to us."

Social media has been a major player in the illegal trading and world leaders are calling for immediate action.

Early September, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge called for the world leaders to act on illegal ivory trade during a charity event for Tusk.

Though banned since 1977, the global issue on ivory trade still continues due to the demand of the wealthy for such rare finds. In a report from European Parliament News, members of the parliament (MEPs) advocate a full and immediate EU-wide ban on ivory and rhinoceros horn trade.

MEPs call on EU leaders to engage with different social media platform operators, search engines and e-commerce platforms to increase checks to stop illegal internet trade in wildlife.

Throughout the investigation, the WJC tallied products representing up to 907 dead elephants, 579 rhinos, and 225 dead tigers.
Descartes Labs released its 2016 U.S. Corn Production Forecast in August not only to the US government but to the public as well.

However, in a feat that will marvel even forecasting experts, the company seems to have consistently updated its corn forecast every Tuesday.

Interested readers can find the numbers on their website, mobile app, and newsletter. But the need to forecast corn numbers nationwide appears to have a more practical and pressing meaning at hand.



According to Medium, this is best explained by elaborating that corn is the largest and most important crop in the United States. Majority of it, however, does not end up being eaten.



The U.S. is the number one producer of corn in the world, with harvests reaching 13.6 billion bushels last year in 80.7 million acres of land. It is used for animal feed, ethanol, and corn syrup, among other things. This means corn is integral in a number of industries as well.



The U.S. Department of Agriculture already does an incredible job of forecasting the crop, even better than any other country in the world. It releases monthly forecasts for corn production at the state and country level beginning August, and the final report comes out in January. This is the first time country-level yields were reported.



The USDA does these reports by surveying farmers and touring farms to sample data and uses all these information to make projections.



Descartes Labs does a similar forecast, but in a much larger and more efficient scale. Its forecasts are generated weekly and even include in-season county-level yields. This gives better local visibility to farmers and grain buyers.



For instance, it is important to know that grain elevators price corn locally based on the local supply of corn from farmers. Understanding this supply can help elevator managers price corn for better market efficiency. The company's reliance on satellites and stations can survey every field in every farm every day as well.



The company combines initial data with detailed weather data and how weather variables deferentially affect corn to build its models. Its system can analyze a petabyte of data in just 16 hours with the help of 30,000 computer cores.



This means its model is more frequent as it can produce forecasts every two days, and it has made vast improvements in its accuracy. Descartes Lab has thrice the data that its needs, and its report has 2.37 percent statistical error versus the August 4 USDA report.



Not only does Descartes Labs and its usage of huge datasets and machine learning help forecast the future on a local and global level, but it appears they also have plans to expand to soy and other major commodity crops.
Wildfires are a serious problem across the Western United States, and each case has threatened homes, businesses, and even the natural landscape. But what if something can detect wildfires beforehand?



It can be remembered that despite the natural beauty of the region that inspires so many people to visit and live there, wildfires tend to be a very real and dangerous threat.



Steven Brumby, currently taking his post doctorate at Los Alamos National Laboratory, started growing interested in developing machine learning tools to map wildfires around the world after a wildfire almost destroyed his home in 2000.



However, it appears current developments in new satellite technology, cloud computing, and machine learning are slowly making this possible.



According to Medium, it's first important to understand that over the last 30 years, larger and more intense fires have damaged millions of acres of land.



The U.S. Forest Service has estimated that 90 percent of these fires were even caused by humans. While the US has resources to fight most wildfires, some remote locations may not even be detected for days.



Climate studies show that wildland fires are a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions as well, with 50 percent of human industrial emissions being from them.



However, it appears mapping wildfires around the globe is a possibility. The technology of fire detection has slowly evolved from located watch towers in the 1990s, to manned spotter aircraft in the 1950s and satellites from 1970s to the present.



The latter is a key to consistent global scale fire detection, however, current sensors only detect fires that have reached a substantial size. Meaning this isn't too useful than ground and aircraft systems for early detection.



Satellites from the U.S. and EU have thermal sensors that can detect the heat of wildfires from orbit, allowing daily mapping of these wildfires globally, except if they are masked by clouds.



The "scars" by wildfires are also visible from space and provide a way to "map" the slow recovery of ecosystems and determine what was lost in the fire.



This means that mapping is not only important. It is also important to map tree health and risks to nearby residential and infrastructure zones as well.



Now, Brumby has helped develop a generic algorithm-based machine learning approach to "teach" computers to map wildland fire burn scars. They originally used satellite imagery from NASA, which was a hard thing to do at the time as someone from a data center has to cut at least a 400MB Landsat file to a CDROM and mail it physically.



Now, at Descartes Labs, they have a platform to analyze all the world's public and commercial satellite imagery using the cloud and machine learning.Google and Amazon is currently hosting NASA/USGS, NOAA and ESA satellite imagery archives, meaning they can now process more data than before.



This enables their scientists to analyze virtually all the available imagery across different satellites. For instance, they were able to process more than a hundred times the data used in their weeks-long work on the Cerro Grande fire and finished analysis in just an hour.



Meaning, there is a new era coming in the field of global monitoring, historical analysis, real-time altering and forecasting the future.
Just a month away from seating at the highest position in the United States, president-elect Donald Trump faces another dire criticism as three psychiatry professors from leading Universities in the country express their grave concern over the mental stability of the next head of state.

In the letter written for the outgoing president Barack Obama, Psychiatry Professor Judith Herman, M.D. from Harvard medical School expresses her fear that the next president is not mentally fit to assume his elected post. The letter was written by Herman and two other distinguished psychiatry professors: Nanette Gartrell, M.D. and Dee Mosbacher, M.D., Ph.D., both previously taught at University of California, San Francisco.

"We are writing to express our grave concern regarding the mental stability of our President-Elect," the professors wrote in the letter published in the Huffington Post. "His widely reported symptoms of mental instability lead us to question his fitness for the immense responsibilities of the office."

The symptoms of mental stability referred in the letter include "grandiosity, impulsivity, hypersensitivity to slights or criticism and an apparent inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality".

This is not the first time that the Trump was questioned for his mental stability. Numerous mental health professionals claim that Trump satisfied the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) Criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Psychologist Kevin Dutton from Oxford University showed that Trump has more psychopathic traits than Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler based the Psychopathic Personality Inventory - Revised (PPI-R), according to NDTV.

Due to these alarming possibilities of mental instability, many psychiatrist in the U.S. including Herman and company, strongly recommend a full medical and neuropsychiatric evaluation by an impartial team of investigators before Trump assume office.

Psychiatrist fears that a president with Narcissistic Personality Disorder could attack another nation and trigger another world war even for little reasons, including a Tweet or a news report of a foreign leader criticizing or mocking him.


A new examination of lead testing results across the United States revealed that nearly 3,000 communities have significantly higher records of lead poisoning rate than what occurred during the Flint water contamination crisis.

The examination, conducted and reported by Reuters, was based on the data obtained from state health departments and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These data include neighborhood-level blood testing results, most of which were not publicly available before.

Reuters found a total 2,606 census tracts and 278 zip code areas that have lead poisoning rate at least twice as the Flint. Census tracts are small communities with an average of 4,000 residents. On the other hand, zip codes are areas with an average population of 7,500 each.

Out of the 2,884 areas with double the lead poisoning rates, more than 1,100 have rate of elevated blood tests at least four times higher than the peak of Flint's contamination crisis. Despite the higher rates in these areas, the attention seemed to be focused in Flint.

According to Becker's Hospital Review, the congress gave Flint $170 million to address the lead contamination crisis in the city. This is about 10 times as much funding the CDC has to divide among all states to address lead poisoning.

Lead contamination remains a big health hazard in many areas in the U.S. CDC estimates that about 2.5 percent of small children aged one to six years in America have elevated levels of lead in their bodies. The amount of lead in the blood is referred to as blood lead level (BLL), which is measured in micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (g/dL). Elevated blood lead level is defined as 5 g/dL or higher.

High BLL could increase the risk of brain and nervous system damage, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems and hearing and speech problems.


Pope Francis, the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, celebrated his 80th birthday last Saturday, December 17. The Holy See spent the significant day by officiating mass and eating a hearty breakfast amongst the homeless.

Arguably the most open-minded Pope the Catholics have ever had so far, Pope Francis, who was a chemist before devoting his life to priesthood, frequently made the headlines due to his controversial statements on science. This year, the Argentinian-born Pope, tackled several issues head on - from climate change to the Big Bang theory.

Addressing the US Congress at the Capitol Hill back in September, Pope Francis said, "I call for a courageous and responsible effort to redirect our steps and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity," he said. For those who needed things put more directly, he added, "God will judge you on whether you cared for the Earth," an article by Time magazine stated.

Speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences held at the Vatican in November, Pope Francis made a bold statement about evolution, which according to experts will once and for all put an end to "pseudo theories" of creationism and intelligent design was supported by his predecessor, Benedict XVI and his close advisors.

Pope Francis said:

"The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not a magician with a magic wand. When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so.

"The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it. Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve," Independent UK wrote.

At the same event, Pope Francis expressed his support and praises for the men of science. British astrophysics Stephen Hawking, along with many prominent scientists around the globe, was in attendance.

"I would say that it falls to scientists, who work free of political, economic or ideological interests, to develop a cultural model which can face the crisis of climatic change and its social consequences," he said, "so that the vast potential of productivity will not be reserved for only a few."

The Pope was also quoted saying there has "never been such a clear need for science" to guide human actions to safeguard the future of the planet.
The body of a nurse and former reality show contestant who has been missing since leaving a birthday party in Torrance early Sunday morning was found buried at the Lennox home of a man who confessed to her murder, police said Tuesday.

Lisa Marie Naegle -- a 36-year-old registered nurse and former contestant on the E! network show "Bridalplasty" -- was last seen early Sunday morning leaving the party at Alpine Village, and a missing-persons report was filed on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Jackie Jerome Rogers, a 34-year-old nursing student who accompanied Naegle to the party but claimed he left without her, was booked on suspicion of murder Wednesday morning, according to Los Angeles Police Department Detective Meghan Aguilar. Police and coroner's officials searched Rogers' home in the 5000 block of West 106th Street in Lennox and recovered her body in a shallow grave some time after 4 p.m., according to the LAPD.

Rogers had told police where to find the body, Aguilar said. Aguilar said "investigators haven't shared the details" of their talks with Rogers, but they began talking to him Monday night.

She also noted that "the family saw him on surveillance with Lisa." Relatives and friends had been pleading for the public's help in finding the missing San Pedro woman.

Rogers was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held on $2,000,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jail records.

Late Tuesday, coroner's officials confirmed to NBC4 that the body of Naegle was positively identified at the Lennox home.

According to Naegle's husband, Derek Harryman, his wife called him around 2:45 a.m. Sunday and said she was leaving the party but stopping to get something to eat on the way. She never came home. She also failed to show up for nursing classes she teaches at West Los Angeles College. Naegle's relatives said she went to the party with one of her nursing students, but he repeatedly told the family he did not leave the party with her.

"We begged and pleaded that he'd come to our home to kind of give us details on what time, where were things, and when he left her, but while he was talking to us and telling us his story, multiple different times he said he absolutely did not go home with her, or did not take her home," her sister, Danielle Naegle-Kaimona, said.

She added that a friend of hers at the party sent her multiple photos of her sister with the student and that surveillance footage showed Naegle getting into an SUV belonging to Rogers. There is also footage of the pair going to a gas station.

"Investigators have been talking to the family and have informed them of their belief at this time," according to Aguilar, who said Rogers would be booked on suspicion of murder.

News reports showed Rogers' home on a cul de sac near the 405 Freeway surrounded by crime scene tape as police conducted a search at the residence.

Naegle was a contestant on "Bridalplasty" in 2010. Aguilar declined to release information on the relationship between Naegle and Rogers, saying only that they knew one another.

Naegle-Kaimona told NBC4 Rogers was "infatuated" and "in love" with her sister and said he got upset when she didn't notice his advances.

The website TMZ.com reported that Naegle was struck repeatedly with a hammer after she and Rogers went to a Jack in the Box fast-food restaurant. TMZ also reported that Naegle and Rogers were romantically involved, but Naegle informed Rogers she was breaking up with him to be with her husband -- leading to the killing.
A 23-year-old Guerneville man has been arrested after a Catholic school in Santa Rosa was trashed  glass doors and windows were shattered in the administration office, two days before Christmas break.

Andrew Faulkner was booked into Sonoma County Jail for burglary, felony vandalism and being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to Sheriffs Lt. John Molinari. His bail was set at $125,000 and damage to the school was estimated at $100,000.

Efforts to reach him were not immediately successful early Tuesday morning. And sheriffs deputies did not disclose a motive for the vandalism. School administrators said they had no record of Faulker ever attending the school.

"I feel very sad that someone would feel this way," Cardinal Newman High School President Laura Held said Wednesday morning outside of the school. She said she had no idea why someone would violate the school community and its traditions. She said that she thought he used fire extinguishers and planters to break glass, and that computers were pushed off the desks, and papers strewn around the floor.

Major Vandalism at Cardinal Newman High School

"I couldn't believe it," student Caroline Olsen said.

Molinari said that firefighters were called out on Monday about 7 p.m. when an alarm went off at the school.

Firefighters saw that the front glass doors at the school were smashed and there was severe damage inside the office, Molinari said. They also found a man inside throwing things and breaking glass windows, which is when they called the sheriff, Molinari said. Pictures taken at the scene show a small Christmas tree flung to the ground and broken glass everywhere.

Deputies said they arrested Faulkner without incident.

According to the school website, finals are scheduled for Tuesday, and Christmas break begins on Wednesday.

Student Gavin Dove said that while he's hurt that someone would do this to his school, "as a community, we can learn from this and be stronger."

NBC Bay Area's Shawn Murphy contributed to this report.
A woman was hit by a Muni bus and became trapped underneath it on Market Street on Monday evening, San Francisco fire officials said.

Around 7:15 p.m., the San Francisco Fire Department responded to a report of a crash with at least one victim at Market and Third streets, an intersection with a history of pedestrian accidents.

Witnesses said the woman was running across the street as the Muni bus was approaching the intersection and was hit.

"A lady got hit by the bus and she was trapped underneath it screaming," witness Allison Fano said.

Firefighters and bystanders rescued the trapped woman from under the bus, and she was transported to a trauma center, fire officials said. Her condition was not known.

The busy intersection was shut down for more than three hours as the accident was cleared and investigated. The closure forced buses to be rerouted and traffic to back up. Drivers were advised to avoid the area.

Those who live and work in the area say it's dangerous.

"Many times, I would hear screeching, and you look out the window, and I always say if I see them limping to the corner, they probably ran the red light," Fano said.

San Francisco police were investigating the accident late Monday night.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee picked a new top cop for the city on Tuesday, announcing that a Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief would get the job.

"I know this process was not an easy one," William "Bill" Scott said at a news conference at City Hall. He brought his wife and two sons with him, and said his daughter couldn't attend because of work.

"They are the force and the drive in my life," he said, tearing up, noting that Monday was his 29th wedding anniversary. "I couldn't do it without them."

Scott has worked in Los Angeles since 1989, in all sorts of positions, from patrol to gangs, from Internal Affairs to operations. Originally from Alabama, Scott also has a bachelor's of science in accounting. He added that he wasn't looking for a job, he was very happy in Los Angeles. But he said that God and fate had a hand in the timing of the surprising turn of events. Scott added that he had long had San Francisco on his list for cities he had wanted to live in.

Supervisor London Breed said that she was looking forward to Scott's tenure and weeding out officers who "don't deserve to wear a uniform," a reference to many scandals inside the department including claims of racism and excessive force. "It's time for a new day," she said.

In November, NBC Bay Area learned that the commission had chosen three finalists for the position that former Police Chief Greg Suhr left in May, days after officers fatally shot a woman in the Bayview District.

At the time, a source confirmed to NBC Bay Area that Acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin and Deputy Chief Denise Schmitt were on the list. Chaplin has been presiding over the department since Suhr's resignation. Why Chaplin wasn't selected was not spelled out.

Lee thanked Chaplin at the beginning of the news conference saying that he led the city with "dignity and grace," and worked "tirelessly to the path of reform."

Lee said he was predisposed to filling the position from within the department, but told NBC Bay Area that criticism from the Department of Justice and the District Attorney's Blue Ribbon Committee convinced himself to look for candidates outside the San Francisco Police Department.

Chaplin stood  arms crossed  next to the mayor at the podium and uttered "you're welcome" after he was praised. He hugged Scott, who reached out to him during the news conference, but he did not speak publicly at the event, walking in, and out, of the room quickly without speaking to reporters.

Scott said police in general are facing many challenges across the country.

"What worked for me was a chief who was supportive of me to get the job done by giving me what I needed to get the job done," he said of his time in Los Angeles.

Scott said he is committed to change for the better, noting that this will be difficult, especially coming up with use-of-force policies. In particular, police department critics have been demanding a change in the policies that govern officers shooting into moving vehicles.

Eleven years ago, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon was the head of operations for the Los Angeles Police Department. At the time, the Southern California department decided to restrict when an officer can shoot into moving vehicles.

We want to make sure that none of the officers use their actual guns to shoot at any moving vehicles, said Oscar Salina, with the Justice for Alex Nieto Coalition. Nieto was shot dead during a 2015 encounter with San Francisco police.

But the Police Officers Association has opposed the ban, pointing to terror attacks where vehicles were used as weapons. The union also had thrown their support behind Chaplin.

But in a statement after the announcement was made, president Nathan Ballard said, "We look forward to meeting William Scott. We anticipate that he will tap into the tremendous talent of the men and women who make up the SFPD. The POA hopes to work closely with him as chief and we are committed to helping him move the department forward here in San Francisco."
Several train route changes have left some residents in San Jose up in arms.

Some homeowners in the city's Japantown neighborhood said it was a scary experience because they are not used to trains rumbling through in the middle of the night.

"And it comes through with a vengeance," resident Sketch Salazar said. "It was absurd. It was a little after midnight I'd say."

Councilman Raul Peralez's office have been flooded with complaints.

Peralez, along with Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, contacted Union Pacific Railroad and were told rerouting took place because of work being done on the Amtrak Capital Corridor project in Santa Clara and Alviso.

The commuter schedule meant the trains had to bring equipment in by night, and federal law requires warning horns at intersections.

Peralez said they told Union Pacific from now it needs to do more community alerts all along the line and not just near the project sites.

"They did zero outreach in areas like Japantown, where they're going to be blaring these horns having to cut through," Peralez said.

Union Pacific said it did look into trying alternative run times, but could not. However, Union Pacific said it expect the corridor project to be finished by Dec. 23.

For now, residents will have to deal with the disruption until at least Friday.

"It's a rude awakening, literally, when it happens," Salazar said.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that German authorities said came right out of the extremist group's playbook, inflicting mass casualties on a soft target fraught with symbolic meaning.

The Monday night attack on the popular market by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the heart of former West Berlin left 12 dead and 48 injured  the first mass casualty attack by Islamic extremists carried out on German soil. German security forces were still hunting for the perpetrator after releasing a man from custody for lack of evidence.

The claim of responsibility carried on the Islamic State group's Amaq news agency described the man seen fleeing from the truck as "a soldier of the Islamic State" who "carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they had released a man picked up near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck.

The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, was taken into custody based on a description from witnesses of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled after the attack.

Even before his release, officials had expressed doubt the man was behind the attack.

"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," warned Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt, whose office urged people to be "particularly vigilant" and report "suspicious movement" using a special hotline.

Though Germany had not seen any successful mass-casualty Islamic extremist attacks until Monday, attempts and recent attacks in neighboring France and Belgium had made many feel it was inevitable.

"We've all been prepared that something like this could happen, so we were not surprised," said economics student Maximilian Much.

The 24-year-old Berliner said the attack hit home because he'd often visited the Christmas market with his girlfriend, but that he wouldn't let himself be led by emotion.

"I'm not going to change my life style now," he said. "The chances that I get killed in a car or bike accident are bigger."

Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the popular market was reminiscent of July's deadly truck rampage in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group.

"There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations," Frank said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the attack "bears the hallmarks of previous terror attacks," but said U.S. officials didn't have enough information to back up the IS claim of responsibility. "There is no direct evidence of a tie or a link to a terrorist organization," he said.

The man arrested near the scene denied any involvement in the attack. Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of a calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

Prosecutors said they decided to release him after turning up no forensic evidence proving he was in the truck's cab during the rampage, and no witnesses who were able to follow him from the scene to where he was picked up.

Among the injured was Inaki Ellakuria, who underwent surgery Tuesday for a broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He said he knew immediately it was no accident.

"It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally," the 21-year-old student from Spain tweeted only minutes after the attack. "It has swept me and ran over both of my legs."

Juan Jose Ellakuria told the Associated Press his son also suffered broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip.

"He's come out of surgery and he's making good progress," Ellakuria said.

Frank, the German prosecutor, said there were still a lot of unanswered questions.

"We don't know for sure whether it was one or several perpetrators," he said. "We don't know for sure whether he, or they, had support. These investigations aren't concluded yet."

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it hurtled through the market for 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before coming to a stop near the 19th-century church, which was badly damaged in World War II bombing but left standing as a memorial to the destruction of the war.

The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office said authorities had yet to find a pistol that is believed to have been used to kill the Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

The Polish owner of the truck, Ariel Zurawski, said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and he told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

"They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Flags flew at half-staff on government buildings across the country Tuesday, and in Berlin the national and city flags were projected onto the Brandenburg Gate in tribute to the victims.

Authorities said that in addition to the Polish truck driver, six of the people killed were German but the others have not yet been identified.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 were wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday night's attack, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel for what happened.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," wrote Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party.

The attack also raised concerns of a possible backlash.

"No question, the atmosphere in this country will change and become more tense," said Tarik Elsayed, the 22-year-old German-born son of Egyptian parents.

"Of course, as an Arab I will get more hostile looks, it will get only worse now."

But Tarek Elmasoudi, an Egyptian asylum-seeker, said he wasn't afraid of repercussions. "The Germans are very nice and I want to stay here."

Already under pressure for the huge influx of migrants, Merkel addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," she said in a nationally televised statement.

"This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said. "A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."
Russia, Turkey and Iran cast themselves as the essential deal-makers in Syria on Tuesday, saying at a trilateral meeting in Moscow that their cooperation could pave the way for a future settlement in Syria.

The meeting of foreign and defense ministers of the three nations that previously backed the opposing sides in the nearly six-year conflict reflected a shared interest in brokering a compromise. The talks come a day after the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, but Moscow and Ankara vowed that the attack wouldn't hurt their rapprochement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the talks that the three nations believe their efforts could overcome the "stagnation" in the Syrian peace process.

"The format you see today is the most efficient one," Lavrov said. "It's not an attempt to cast a shadow on the efforts taken by our other partners, it's just stating the facts."

He cited the evacuation of civilians and rebels from Aleppo, brokered by Moscow and Ankara, as proof of the efficiency of the trilateral cooperation. "More than any others, our states are ready to help the settlement with real deeds and not just words," he said.

Lavrov added that it would take one or two days to complete the evacuations.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said 37,500 people had been evacuated from Aleppo, crediting Russia with making it possible.

Cavusoglu said they talked about establishing a cease-fire across the entire territory of Syria, adding that the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Fatah al-Sham Front, would be excluded from the deal.

The three ministers carefully tip-toed around their differences. Lavrov noted the need for all parties to stop sponsoring "terrorists," while Cavusoglu said that policy should also apply to the Hezbollah, a close ally of both Tehran and Damascus.

Zarif replied with a smile that the United Nations Security Council has branded the Islamic State group and Fatah al-Sham Front terrorist organizations, while opinions about other groups may vary

The ministers said in their statements that the three nations are ready to act as guarantors of a cease-fire deal that would also allow the deliveries of humanitarian assistance and free travel of civilians, inviting other nations which have influence with Syrian groups to help reach the agreement.

The United States was notably absent from the meeting, although Lavrov had a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry later Tuesday, informing him about the results of the trilateral talks.

The meeting appears to signal that the former rivals may have reached a deal on dividing spheres of influence in Syria that would see Turkey cut support for Assad's foes in exchange for freedom of action in the areas along its border. Turkey's priority is to prevent Syria's Kurds from merging areas under their control.

Sergei Fokin, a Moscow-based military analyst, said that the trilateral meeting marked a significant step toward settling the conflict. "Russia, Iran and Turkey will clearly play a dominant role while the influence of other players, primarily Saudi Arabia, will dwindle," he said, according to the Interfax news agency.

In Aleppo, a fleet of buses entered east Aleppo again Tuesday afternoon to evacuate the remaining rebels and civilians from the city, activists said. Thousands of people have been evacuated over the past week, heading to opposition-held areas further north.

Residents from eastern Aleppo and the Syrian opposition say the evacuation amounts to forced displacement. Months of devastating Syrian and Russian air raids that destroyed buildings, hospitals and schools in the enclave  and reduced much of eastern Aleppo to rubble  left the residents with little choice but to evacuate.

The taking of all of eastern Aleppo would mark Assad's greatest victory since the 2011 uprising against his family's four-decade rule, but the cost has been staggering. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced, many of whom may never return.

In western Aleppo, a bomb went off as scores of people were gathered to celebrate the return of Aleppo to government control as well as a Christmas tree-lighting event.

Syrian state TV said there were no injuries from the bomb which went off in a predominantly Christian area near Azizieh square where dozens of Syrians were dancing and waving Syrian flags in celebration. The attack briefly disrupted the party which resumed few minutes later.

The precise number of people seeking evacuation from Aleppo  and who have already left  has never been clear.

Rami Aburrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said 17,000 civilians and 5,000 fighters have left; the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has overseen the evacuations, said 25,000 have left; and the Turkish Foreign Ministry's figure is 37,000.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Monday's killing of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara was a provocation by those who want to derail peace talks for Syria and "drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey," but added that the two countries should cooperate even more closely.

The development followed a U.N. Security Council resolution that was agreed on Monday night to shore up the number of observers to monitor the exodus.
Former Comptroller Leslie Munger responded Monday to allegations from her successor, Susana Mendoza, who claims her new offices were left with little furniture, locked desks and missing documents, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

It did kind of feel like the place was looted, Mendoza told WLS-AMs Bill Cameron in an interview thats scheduled to air on Christmas Day.

Mendoza claims furniture was removed from the offices, and that there were remote controls with no matching televisions, keys that didnt match vehicles, keys that didnt match desks, and missing documents that people were working on over the last two years, according to the report.

Munger rebuffed the allegations Monday.

Well just say shes not an honest individual, Munger told Ward Room.

Everything thats owned by the state is inventoried and tagged with a state number and we did an audit before the transition of offices and after the transition of offices, its one of the normal things thats done, Munger said. And theres not one item that is missing from what should be there that was owned by the state that was left for her.

However, the Republican noted that members of her staff took certain personal effects, like a television, pictures and some sofas.

If she really thought that something like that was missing, she should be going to the police, not to the press, Munger said. But shes throwing out these wild allegations, shes not giving any specifics because she doesnt have any. Shes just trying to make it look like she just inherited this huge mess.

As far as missing documents, Munger claimed pertinent financial records are stored in centralized state computers.

I didnt have files of anything, Munger said.

I think shes starting to figure out that she doesnt know what shes doing, or her staff doesnt, and shes looking to blame us, Munger said. Shes got no facts."

The former comptroller even threatened Mendoza with legal action Monday.

If she continues to drag my name and my reputation through the mud, I will sue her for this because shes just outright lying about me, Munger said. And if she had any specific facts, shed be naming them and shes not.

Additionally, Munger responded to Mendozas claim that the Republicans staff wasnt helpful during the transition process, which the Republican called "extremely challenging."

After being elected, Mendoza announced her intention to take office on January 3, instead of the legally mandated December 5. Munger claimed her and her office were preparing to transition in early January until Munger announced in late November that shed in fact be sworn in on December 5.

That left us five business days to move out of three offices, Munger said.

We did offer to make our staff available to her, to open our office so that she and her team could come in and learn more about what we did in the office, she said. But she never took advantage of that, she just repeatedly communicated to us with the media instead of just picking up the phone.

Despite requests from Mendoza, Munger explained that she wouldnt put members of the Democrat's staff on the payroll during the transition period, claiming she had worked to decrease the office's headcount during her tenure.

During Mondays interview, Munger faulted Mendoza and her team for the transition troubles.

It was her decision originally to move it to January 3 and then move it back to December 5, which put a lot of pressure on everyone, Munger said.

I think the transition difficulties are on her, not on us, she added.

Munger and Mendoza faced off in one of the November's most contentious statewide races. The matchup was widely considered to be a proxy battle for Gov. Bruce Rauner, who appointed Munger in 2015, and House Speaker Michael Madigan, who Mendoza worked alongside in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Mendoza's office did not immediately respond to Ward Rooms request for comment.
Four children were injured in a house fire in suburban Elgin early Tuesday.

Two boys and two girls were inside their second-floor home at 318 Division Street when the fire broke out around midnight, officials said.

The childrens mother, Amy Bishop, told NBC 5 she and her husband were both working when the fire stated.

My daughter called me screaming and I couldnt understand her, Bishop said.

It was her two sons, ages 12 and 14, who were first awoken by the blaze.

The boys were actually sleeping in the bed that caught fire, Bishop said.

Bishops two daughters, ages 16 and 19, were located in another area on the homes second floor at the time.

When firefighters arrived, the sisters were found hanging out two different second-story windows after becoming trapped by the fast-moving flames, officials said. Crews were then able to use ladders to safely remove the girls from the burning home.

All four siblings were transported to Presence Saint Joseph Hospital to be treated for injuries including second- and third-degree burns, singed hair, and frostbite to their hands and feet. Bishop said her 19-year-old daughter suffered the most severe injuries: third-degrees burns down her back from the flames.

They were completely black, from head to toe, Bishop said.

First responders said it could have been worse if it wasn't for a quick-thinking neighbor, Tyrone Strother, who rescued the two boys.

Strother lives in a first-floor apartment inside the old home, one floor beneath where the fire broke out on the second floor. Strother said it was around the same time that the fire started, around midnight, when he heard screams coming from upstairs and ran to help.

First I got the younger boy out, Strother said. Then I went back upstairs for the older boy because they couldnt see and they couldnt find their way through.

The children will be okay, Bishop said, but they are really shaken up.

We lost our dog and our bird," Bishop said. "One of our dogs did survive but its hard, we have nothing. Everything is gone.

She also said she might know what could have sparked it.

There are electric heaters along the house, all over, she said.

Bishop said that although the family barely keeps the heaters on, she thinks one of the heaters located near the mattress got too hot.

Fire officials said they are still investigating the exact cause.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the family as they begin to rebuild. They are also getting assistance from the Red Cross.

Were just going to take it day by day and hope that we recover, Bishop said. "I'm just grateful our kids are okay."
A woman was carjacked at gunpoint Sunday on Chicagos North Sidewhile she was warming up her car in the winters cold.

Lauren Jervis, 24, said her car was parked under bright street lights on North Wolcott Avenue in the citys Bucktown neighborhood.

I was taking off the snow and stuff and I just got into the car then they came up to me, Jervis told NBC 5.

She said the robbers pointed a gun at her and demanded to know what valuables she had.

She ran to a neighbor for help as the thieves sped off in her Ford Escape with her phone, keys and wallet insideleaving her in the cold.

Shes safe and I dont care about anything else, Susan Jervis, Laurens mother, said.

Steve Jensen, president of the Bucktown Community Organization, is calling for more police protection in the neighborhood.

Its almost been open season on our neighbors and residents here, he said.

Police said they searched the area but had no good description to go off of.

Jensen noted how the frigid weather didnt deter the robbers.

I thought the cold weather would give us a little reprieveespecially over the holidays, he said. But the burglars are desperate during the holidays and this just goes to show the lengths theyll go to.
An off-duty Chicago Police officer accused of shooting at a truck a Merrionette Park police officer and his friend were in testified Monday that he had only fired warning shots in the air because he was in fear for his life as the large vehicle came barreling toward him and his partner, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

I had no idea who he was or why he was pursuing us, John Gorman said of the motorist who he said had earlier tried to cut him on the Southwest Side on Nov. 23, 2014.

I didnt know if he was someone I had previously arrested or he was trying to carjack us.

Gorman said the passenger in the truck later pounded on his window and swore at him while he was stopped in traffic.

Gormans partner, Timothy Neylon, also said he was frightened as the incident, which appeared to be road rage, came to a head near the 22nd District police station where the two worked.

Gorman, who is charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated assault, said he got out of his tan Buick and shot in the air five times to scare off the occupants of the Ford F-250.

I didnt know their motivation. . . . I thought they were trying to hit us, said Gorman, 54.

Assistant States Attorney Ahmed Kosoko said it was a load of crap that Gorman only fired in the air. He shot at the monster truck and knew what he did was wrong, Kosoko said.

He shouldnt have a gun, and he certainly shouldnt have a badge, Kosoko said in his closing statement before Judge James Linn.

Kosoko and fellow prosecutor Kenneth Goff maintained that Gorman, who had been drinking at an American Legion hall in Worth with Neylon, shot toward Dominic Dimaggio and Charles Ostrowski because he was angry after being called out for nearly hitting a flower vendor as he drove erratically.

Dimaggio, then an off-duty Merrionette Park police officer, and Ostrowski had also been at the American Legion minutes before they saw Gorman weaving in and out of traffic at 111th and Pulaski.

Dimaggio said he got out of Ostrowskis truck a few blocks later and pounded on Gormans Buick to see if he was OK. Dimaggio had been holding up his badge. But Gorman, who had an open bottle of beer in his car, drove away when the light turned green, prosecutors said

Ostrowski followed Gorman until he stopped at Prospect and Pryor.

Dimaggio and Ostrowski said they ducked underneath the trucks dashboard as soon as they saw Gorman holding a gun. Ostrowski testified earlier in the bench trial that he hit the gas pedal and went around the parked Buick before he heard gunshots.

Defense attorney Michael Clancy questioned Dimaggios and Ostrowskis credibility and pointed out that evidence technicians couldnt find any bullet holes in Ostrowskis truck.

Clancy said Gorman was worried that a psycho in a Tonka truck was on his tail.

Gorman said he was not intoxicated and had been driving normally although he had four or five beers at the American Legion where he watched a Bears game and attended a charity raffle contest.

Gorman, now on desk duty, initially refused to take a Breathalyzer test. More than five hours later, Internal Affairs investigators required him to do so; his blood-alcohol content tested 0.07, just under the legal limit for driving. Gorman was charged with a misdemeanor for driving under the influence.

In court Monday, Gorman and Neylon said they never identified themselves as police officers, went to the 22nd District police station to report the incident or ask their colleagues for help. Instead, they went home.

They were going to take care of it themselves, Goff said. They were going to do a little street justice.

Dimaggio resigned from the Merrionette Park Police Department last year, according to records.

Linn is expected to issue his ruling on Gormans trial on Wednesday.
If youre confined to a small living area and rarely get outside your home, it may sound a lot like prison. But its how Jasen Ross of Chicago said hes spent months living in his second story apartment while waiting for a new elevator to be installed at his familys house.

Ross, 27, was born with Cerebral Palsy, and said hes always taken pride in being an independent person. While an elevator has allowed him to come and go from his home at his leisure, he said a house a fire damaged the elevator and thieves later stole critical parts, making repairs impossible.

Ross is now dependent on family members to help him leave the house.

I have a lot of things in life that I want to accomplish that Im unable to even get started on because Im stuck here, Ross said.

Ross and his mother, Erica Crenshaw, have been waiting since March for a new elevator to be built.

A doctor prescribed Ross a new elevator in March. The insurance provider, Humana, approved the lift and contracted a local health care company to start the bidding process.

But the process extended past the anticipated September build date.

Ross said hes missed doctors appointments and job interviews due to the wait. And his mother described the situation as extremely frustrating.

Every parent wants their child to be free to do the things that they want, you know, their goals in life, but hes on pause and time doesnt stand still, Crenshaw said.

The family also received a violation notice from the City of Chicago due to the damaged elevator. Although, a city spokesperson told NBC 5 Responds the city is currently working with the family on the issue.

NBC 5 Responds contacted Humana. The insurance company then intervened to speed up the bidding process. Soon after, a builder was picked to construct the elevator.

A Humana spokesperson told NBC 5 Responds this particular situation took much longer than anticipated due to the complexity of the need.

We take matters like this very seriously and are committed to getting our members the right support to be able to achieve health and well-being, said spokesperson Nancy Hanewinckel. Weve been working to ensure the structure and quality of work are what is needed to produce a positive outcome and better quality of life for our member and have been communicating with the member throughout the process to share status updates.

Last week workers removed the old elevator. Ross said he hopes the new elevator is completed by Wednesday.

I know it may sound like a cliche, but itll basically give me my freedom back, Ross said.
The Chicago Police Department will be increasing its presence at the city's popular Christkindlmarket after a truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday, killing at least 12 people.

"Our heartfelt thoughts go out to the first responders and all of those whose loved ones were affected by today's tragedy in Berlin," the market, which operates two locations in Chicago's Daley Plaza and in suburban Naperville, said in a statement.

"The Chicago Police Department is closely monitoring events in Berlin and we are in regular communication with our federal and international partners," Chicago Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tweeted. "While there is no threat to the city or the greater area, CPD will be adding police resources to Daley Plaza including additional foot and bike patrols and specialized units."

"We continue to work closely with the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications as well as with federal partners to ensure an optimal level of public safety throughout the holiday season," he added. "As always, we encourage individuals who observe any suspicious or questionable activity to call 911 or report it to your closest police officer."

At least nine people were killed and several others injured when the truck rammed into the capital's popular market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, according to police.

A suspect believed to be the driver of a truck was arrested near the scene, a Berlin police spokesperson said, while another occupant of the truck was pronounced dead.

Footage of the scene showed a large truck on the sidewalk with its windshield smashed, and a swarm of ambulances nearby. A large Christmas tree with a gold star on top was toppled over nearby in the street.

Witness Mike Fox told The Associated Press that the truck missed him by only about three meters as it drove into the market, tearing through tables and wooden stands.

"It was definitely deliberate," said the tourist from England.

He said he helped people who appeared to have broken limbs, and that others were trapped under Christmas stands. A woman tweeting from the scene in English said people were crushed.

In a brief update on Twitter, police said they were still investigating whether the incident was an accident or an attack.
Authorities are asking for the publics help in finding a suspect that attacked an on-duty trooper last month, according to the Illinois State Police.

Around 6:27 p.m. on Nov. 7, a state trooper dressed in plain clothes and driving an unmarked squad car attempted to question a suspicious person at the Halsted Street toll plaza on northbound I-294 in south suburban South Holland, the Illinois State Police said Tuesday in a release.

The suspect approached the trooper after he identified himself as a police officer, then produced a handgun and reached into the open drivers side window of the car, authorities said.

A struggle for the gun ensued and during the confrontation the offender fired at least one bullet inside the squad car, the ISP said. The officer was not shot during the altercation, but was injured in the neck, Master Sgt. Jason Bradley said at the time. He was taken to an area hospital and is still recovering from his injuries, police said Tuesday.

The offender fled the scene, and a search conducted at the time was unsuccessful.

We are asking the public for their assistance to find a very violent criminal," Capt. Bob Meeder said. "It appeared the subject was pretending to be on one of the maintenance workers at the site.

The suspect is described as a black male in his late 40s to early 50s, according to police, standing around 510 and weighing approximately 180 pounds with a slender build. He had a patchy and unkempt black and white beard with significantly more white in the goatee area and was observed walking with a slight limp.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Illinois State Police at 630-241-6800, ext. 5028. Callers can remain anonymous.
A Waterloo, Iowa, cabinet manufacturer is taking its more than 800 employees on a company-paid Caribbean cruise to celebrate achieving key goals as it recovers from the recession.



Bertch Cabinet manufacturing co-founder Gary Bertch told his employees last week that the company had met its goals for the year  and they would go on a week-long cruise. Employees depart on Jan. 8.



The company, founded in 1977, once employed more than 1,000 people. Employment dropped to about 600 people in 2011, but the company has since added about 240 workers, Bertch said.



"We finally got into the black again last year after we made it through the recession," Bertch said.



He challenged employees a year ago to meet certain goals and offered the cruise as an incentive. Cruises had been reward to employees since 1989, but that hadn't happened since 2005 because of the recession. Bertch noted the recovery has been "very slow" in his industry.



"We were anticipating we'd have better sales again this year," Bertch said. "We just tried to get all of our people pumped up a little more to achieve the various goals, both customer-oriented goals and financial goals."
President-elect Donald Trump promised to repeal Obamacare, defeat ISIS, withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, create 25 million jobs over the next decade and "drain the swamp" in Washington, D.C. How well do his Cabinet nominees reflect his governing philosophy? Here they are in their own words.

The retired neurosurgeon and unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination grew up in Detroit and has no experience in elected office or in running a large bureaucracy.

"These government-engineered attempts to legislate racial equality create consequences that often make matters worse. There are reasonable ways to use housing policy to enhance the opportunities available to lower-income citizens, but based on the history of failed socialist experiments in this country, entrusting the government to get it right can prove downright dangerous."  The Washington Times, 2015

Former secretary of labor under President George W. Bush, deputy transportation secretary under President George H.W. Bush, Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"If vehicles already meet an acceptable level of safety on a particular aspect of vehicle performance without being required to do so by regulation, I believe the Department should devote its resources to other issues rather than engage in rulemaking simply to affirm the existing level of safety."  Statement before DOT deputy secretary confirmation hearing, 1989

A keen advocate for school vouchers and charter schools, influential in Detroit, where charter schools have a poor record and state legislators rejected calls for more oversight, she engages in political battles to help advance God's kingdom, she told a religious gathering in 2001.

"We are stuck in a partisan rut. The political parties are dead-enders when it comes to education revolution. As long as we think political parties might solve the problem it will never be solved. Oddly enough education choice is very unique in that some conservative Republicans and some liberal Democrats are actually on the same wavelength.But those are exceptions. The vast majority of the political class is committed to defending and protecting the status quo."  SXSW in Austin, 2015

The governor of South Carolina and the daughter of immigrants from India, Haley led the drive to remove the Confederate flag from the statehouse and during the Republican primary accused Donald Trump of "irresponsible talk."

"During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation." -- Speaking of Donald Trump and others in the Republican response to President Barack Obamas State of the Union speech, 2016

A retired four-star Marine general, he oversaw the Guantanamo Bay military prison and efforts to stop drug trafficking and other smuggling into the United States.

"In my opinion, the relative ease with which human smugglers move tens of thousands of people to our nations doorstep also serves as another warning sign: These smuggling routes are a potential vulnerability to our homeland. As I stated last year, terrorist organizations could seek to leverage those same smuggling routes to move operatives with intent to cause grave harm to our citizens or even bring weapons of mass destruction into the United States."  Testimony to the Senate Armed Forces Committee, 2015

Nicknamed "Mad Dog," the retired Marine Corps general and former commander of U.S. Central Command blames President Barack Obama's policy in the Middle East for adding to the rise of extremism.

"Is political Islam in the best interest of the United States? I suggest the answer is no but then we need to have the discussion. If we won't even ask the question, then how to we ever get to the point of recognizing which is our side in the fight. And if we don't take our own side in this fight we're leaving others adrift." The Heritage Foundation, 2015

Donald Trump's campaign finance chairman, a former partner at Goldman Sachs, and Hollywood financier, he and partners took over failed mortgage lender IndyMac Bank and operated it under the name, OneWest Bank. He pledged to tackle mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

"It makes no sense that these are owned by the government and have been controlled by the government for as long as they have. In many cases this displaces private lending in the mortgage markets, and we need these entities that will be safe. So let me just be clear we'll make sure that when they're restructured, they're absolutely safe and they don't get taken over again. But we've got to get them out of government control."  Fox Business, November

Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com

Perry, the former governor of Texas, has promoted the state's oil industry and has questioned climate change. He has advocated eliminating the department he would head though famously could not name it during a presidential debate in 2012.

"I do believe that the issue of global warming has been politicized. I think there are a substantial number or scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects. I think we're seeing, almost weekly or daily, scientists are coming forward and questioning the original idea that manmade global warming is what is causing the climate to change. Yes, our climate has changed. They've been changing ever since the earth was formed." -- Town Hall in Bedford, N.H., 2011

Republican congressman from Georgia, an orthopedic surgeon and persistent critic of Obamacare, he has repeatedly introduced his own legislation for replacing it.

"It's a fundamental philosophical difference that we have with the other side . They believe that government ought to be in control of health care. We believe that patients and families ought to be in control of health care. And sadly what we're seeing right now is that government control that we've seen ramped up over the past six or seven years has resulted in a decrease in quality that's being seen by patients. People have coverage, but they don't have care. They're priced out of the market."  American Enterprise Institute, June

Attorney general of Oklahoma, one of the Republicans leading the legal fight against President Barack Obama's attempts to curb carbon emissions, Pruitt questions how much human actions are contributing to climate change, a point disputed by the vast majority of the world's climate scientists.

"Healthy debate is the lifeblood of American democracy, and global warming has inspired one of the major policy debates of our time. That debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind. That debate should be encouraged  in classrooms, public forums, and the halls of Congress. It should not be silenced with threats of prosecution. Dissent is not a crime."  with Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, Tulsa World, May

The CEO of CKE Restaurants, the fast-food company that owns burger chains Carl's Jr and Hardee's, Puzder is an opponent of the Affordable Care Act, which he said created a "government-mandated restaurant recession" and of raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, which he argues would lead to fewer jobs.

"I like our ads. I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it's very American. I used to hear, brands take on the personality of the CEO. And I rarely thought that was true, but I think this one, in this case, it kind of did take on my personality."  Entrepreneur, 2015

Turnaround specialist who became rich buying struggling steel, textile, coal and other companies and restructuring them, Ross came under criticism for a deadly explosion at a mine his company had bought.

"Clinton will raise taxes. Trump will cut taxes. Clinton will increase regulation. Trump will decrease regulation. Clinton has vowed to kill the coal industry. Trump will leverage America's energy resources to create new jobs and growth."  with Trump adviser Peter Navarro, CNBC, August

U.S. senator and former U.S. attorney from Alabama who failed to win confirmation to a federal judgeship because of concerns about racially charged comments he was accused of making, he has opposed immigration reform and the legalization of marijuana.

"You have to have leadership from Washington. You can't have the president of the United States of America talking about marijuana like it is no different than taking a drink, saying I used marijuana when I was in high school and it is no different than smoking. It is different. And you are sending a message to young people that there is no danger in this process. It is false that marijuana use doesn't lead people to more drug use. It is already causing a disturbance in the states that have made it legal. I think we need to be careful about this."  Senate floor speech, April 2016

Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, has what he has called "a very close relationship" with Russia's Vladimir Putin, which could be problematic during his confirmation hearing. Although he does not have a political or diplomatic background, he has broad experience negotiating deals for ExxonMobil in troubled spots around the world.

"We do not support sanctions, generally, because we don't find them to be effective unless they are very well implemented comprehensively and that's a very hard thing to do," he said, adding, "We always encourage the people who are making those decisions to consider the very broad collateral damage of who are they really harming with sanctions."  ExxonMobil shareholders' meeting, 2014.

Montana's sole representative in the House, Zinke would end a moratorium on federal coal leases on public lands. He is also a hunter and fisherman who opposes transferring public lands to the states.

"It's not a hoax, but it's not proven science either. But you don't dismantle America's power and energy on a maybe. We need to be energy independent first. We need to do it better, which we can, but it is not a settled science."  Campaign debate, 2014
Connecticut State police have arrested three people accused of stealing personal information from veterans and using it to obtain monetary credits for vehicle sales.

State police said the owner and two employees at Shark Cycle, an ATV/motorcycle shop and dealer, concocted a scheme to scam the companys vehicle supplier out of thousands of dollars.

The supplier, Polaris Industries in Minnesota, was running a rebate called the Heros Metal that allowed anyone with a valid military, police or firefighter id to receive $1,000 off the purchase of a Victory motorcycle.

According to police, Robert Charland, 53, of Stafford Springs and owner of Shark Cycle, created fraudulent Department of Defense forms to make it appear that Shark Cycle customers were veterans, in order to obtain that rebate.

The $1,000 credit would go into a Shark Cycle Parts Account and Shark Cycle and Shark Cycle would sell the Polaris brand vehicle to their customer for a profit. The scheme allowed Shark Cycle to pocket the $1,000 and boost sales, investigators said.

According to the affidavit, Charland and two of his employees, identified as Risa Bazinet, 26, of Willington and Nicholas Wargo, 33, of Stafford, created 12 fraudulent US DOD DD-214 forms using personal information stole from actual veterans that they then submitted to Polaris to receive rebates. The forms were submitted in 2014 and 2015 and the investigation into their activities began in April 2016.

On Monday, Charland, Bazinet and Wargo were all arrested and charged with larceny, identity theft, forgery and money laundering. Charland was released on a $100,000 bond. Bazinet and Wargo were both released on $5,000 bonds. All three are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 4.
There will be no school in New Britain on Monday, Feb. 13 after the union and superintendent failed to reach an agreement on the observance of Lincolns birthday, according to the superintendents office, and a day will be added on to the end of the school year.

For several years, the Consolidated School District of New Britain has observed Lincolns Birthday to coincide with the long Presidents Day Weekend, but the union recently indicated that no Memorandum of Understanding for this year was signed and they were electing to celebrate Lincolns Birthday as an official holiday, according to the superintendents office.

Lincolns Birthday falls on a Sunday, Feb. 12, so the contract for Local 1186 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 4  AFL-CIO has the official observance is Monday, Feb. 13.

This is a change from the calendar the school board voted on last year, which celebrated Presidents Day on Monday, Feb. 20 and Lincolns Birthday on Tuesday, Feb. 21, according to the superintendent.

Unfortunately, neither side brought this to the table during negotiations, yet we were both aware of the issue through requests from administration and a signed Memorandum of Understanding from the union for the last several years, Supt. Nancy Sarra said in a statement. They have always agreed to adjust Lincolns Birthday to meet the calendar needs of the district.

The current school calendar scheduled Feb. 13 as a full school day, but the Board of Education has now modified the calendar to have Feb. 13 as a day off for students, teachers and Local 1186 employees.

All other staff will be expected to report to work as they were normally scheduled, according to the superintendents office.

Officials from the superintendents office said the cost to open school and pay the Local 1186 employees double-time on Feb. 13 would be just under $70,000 in personnel costs.

It is an extremely unfortunate situation that the leadership of Local 1186 could not come to an agreement with us in regards to Lincolns Birthday, Sarra said in a statement. This has not been a problem in the years past but it is now an issue this year. It is not prudent to spend taxpayer dollars in this way. Due to this, we have decided to make this change in the school calendar. We understand that this may be a hardship for some of our working families but also understand our commitment to our residents to be fiscally responsible. Spending $70,000 in this way is just not fiscally responsible.

This is not a decision the Board of Education took lightly, Nicholas Mercier, the Board of Education president, said in a statement. We understand the hardships that this may cause with families now needing to find childcare. It is unfortunate that Local 1186 could not come to an agreement with Superintendent Sarra. I am hopeful that we will resolve this issue with Local 1186 before the next school year.

Staff and students will still be off on Feb. 20 and 21, but all Local 1186 employees will be required to report to work or take a vacation day on Feb. 21 and the canceled day of school on Feb. 13 has been added to the end of the school year.
A former New Haven attorney has been sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from client funds, according to the state division of criminal justice.

Terence Hawkins was also ordered to repay more than $400,000 in restitution.

On Monday, Judge Philip A. Scarpellino sentenced 60-year-old Hawkins to 10 years in prison, execution suspended after two years served, and five years probation.

Hawkins, who previously surrendered his license to practice law, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree larceny.

I
A New Haven mother is concerned the school bus isnt getting her son to and from school safely.

Tania Bermudezs son Daniel is a freshman at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven.

Its getting harder and harder for him to walk up the hill that theyre dropping him off at the bottom of, Bermudez said.

Her son has weakened bone density and muscle tone from cerebral palsy.

Hes losing both in both legs pretty badly, pretty fast, she added.

Bermudez shared with NBC Connecticut a copy of her sons individual education plan from New Haven Public Schools.

That states that his van should be door-to-door and not dropped off at any old stop, Bermudez said.

Even after alerting school officials and the bus company, Bermudez said the problem has persisted.

Ive tried speaking with the bus driver herself, tear at the heart strings a little bit, got me nowhere, she said.

NBC Connecticuts camera was rolling when Daniel got dropped off after 2:15 p.m. Monday.

I can tell in the look on his face the way he walks that it is causing him a lot of pain, Bermudez said.

Last year in middle school, Daniel said his bus driver dropped him off up the hill and outside his front door.

That was a lot easier especially in the winter time because there are stairs, he said.

He almost slipped last week, Bermudez said, and there was really nothing but frost on the ground, so it got a little more worrisome.

Mercy Quaye, spokeswoman for the New Haven school district, released the following statement on the situation:

Our priority is to ensure every student is safe and able to make it to and from school without incident. With regard to routing and bus stops, the district works closely with its bus contractors and its safety director to create stops and routes and make adjustments to those routes as needed. The Transportation Office along with the bus company will review this particular location at the direction of the superintendent. As we do with every transportation concern, we will try to accommodate the family's requests within reason, and identify a solution that ensures safety for the student, the remaining occupants of the bus.

Quaye also said that Interim Superintendent Reginald Mayo planned to personally visit the home to look for alternative options.
Police in Norwalk are continuing to search for a bank robber who was wearing a "Scream" mask when he robbed the First County Bank on Main Avenue around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 and said the man was driving a Jeep with New York plates.

The robber, who was dressed in black and wearing the mask, spoke in a deep voice and said, "Give me all the money in your drawer," when he robbed the bank at 660 Main Ave., according to police.

He was also wearing a black leather jacket, a black hooded sweatshirt, gloves with design, dark pants and white shoes.

He fled in a dark colored 2002 to 2007 Jeep Liberty with New York plates.

Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Norwalk Police Tip Line at 203-854-3111.
Its been a Christmas tradition since the 1930s to travel to the little town of Bethlehem  Connecticut  to mail out Christmas gifts and card and the post office is busy with thousands of people coming in.

Bethlehem is the Christmas town, affectionately known by most residents and visitors, Deloris Lyttle, postmaster of the Bethlehem Post Office, said.

The extra traffic to Bethlehem this time of year comes from thousands of people who want to adorn their packages and cards with special seasons greetings stamps and a postmark from the New England town that shares a name with place of Christs birth.

There are people that take road trips and they make Bethlehem a stop that they can partake in this, Lyttle said. Weve talked to people from Tennessee, Florida, Ohio.

Customers get to choose from one of 82 stamps and then send their parcels off with some extra Christmas cheer.

Millie Schempp, a Bethlehem resident, has been postmarking her Christmas greetings from Bethlehem for decades.

When I was in here yesterday, I just about couldnt get in the door, she said.

The post office adds two stamps to the Christmas collection each year.

I love the small town and I love that its Bethlehem, the Christmas town, Vera Rosa, a clerk at the Bethlehem Post Office, said. We just really embrace it and enjoy it.
The Rosado family helped stuff the back of a New Haven police cruiser with toy donations Monday at the Wal-Mart on Foxon Boulevard.

"I get a lot for Christmas and I just hope other kids can get the same as me," Giada Rosado said.

The drop off site is part of the 2016 KIEDC Holiday Toy, Coat, Hat and Food Drive which carries on the legacy of the late New Haven Alderwoman Mae Ola Riddick. Since she passed away in 2013, Kingdom International Economic Development, New Haven police and the Mae Ola Riddick Foundation have teamed up to organize the toy drive.

Due to the economy, the need is getting greater," organizer Janice Parker said.

The sign-up is closed, Captain Patricia Helliger said, but we never turn anyone away."

Last December, someone swiped hundreds of donated gifts and coats just days before they were to be distributed to less fortunate children.

Then we had gotten a second donation that also suffered the same fate," New Haven Police Capt. Helliger told NBC Connecticut.

From the overflow of last minute donations a year, organizers were hoping to save some of them for this holiday season, but Helliger said a second Grinch struck and stole them, too.

We wouldn't have to be doing this now because we had such an overwhelming response from the community about the first theft," she said.

Thanks a steady flow of donations Monday, the police cruiser trunk outside Wal-Mart filled up nicely.

Your children are blessed so you want to share that with all the children you possibly can," Miguel Rosado said.

Police will be back at that Wal-Mart on Foxon Blvd. Tuesday again stuffing a cruiser from 10 a.m. to3 p.m. Other drop off locations through Wednesday are the police substation at 26 Charles St. and police headquarters on Union Avenue.

Helliger said they are still in need of more toys and coats for toddlers and teens.
Whether here at home or half a world away, they're ready to answer the call.

"Firemen are firemen," said Deputy Chief Jeff Miller, who works for the Mesquite Fire Department. "We just kind of grab our gear and jump on."

Miller and a group of Mesquite firefighters recently returned from Israel, where they were called to help battle fires that have erupted across the Middle Eastern country.

They're members of an organization called the Emergency Volunteers Project, which sends American first responders to Israel in times of need.

One of those times came the morning after Thanksgiving. Miller said his phone started ringing at about 5 a.m.

"They said 'we're gonna need a group of guys to go,'" said Miller. "'And be ready to go this afternoon.' So that was a bit of a challenge."

The next day, they were on a flight to Israel with about 40 other firefighters from across the country.

Captain Jason Eddy was also on that flight. Both he and Miller admit it was a different experience having to put on bulletproof vests and watch for incoming rockets as they battled fires -- but at the same time, they say they felt right at home responding to calls.

"The brotherhood that we have here, the job we do here -- it's neat to see that once we get over there, it's the same thing," said Eddy.

Miller said the reception they got from their Israeli counterparts made the impromptu trip well worth it.

"When we come to help and tell them we love you and we're here to help -- you know, we're not looking for anything in return. It really is a big morale boost to the whole country," said Miller. "They make a big deal about it."

This is the group's second trip to Israel. In 2014, they were brought in to help rescue crews in the Gaza Strip.
For many North Texas families there is only one Santa Claus to snap a picture with each Christmas.

For a few weeks each December, the same Santa Claus has called Dallas' NorthPark Center home for 28 years.

"The kids have so much energy [and] the families do, too," said Santa Claus. "It kind of feeds me that energy. I try to give it back to them."

Over the last 28 years, the NorthPark Santa has given plenty.

Every morning he leads story time where he teaches children the importance of giving and then spends time with those who've patiently waited to see him.

"People often think kids have these huge lists and it's kind of greedy, but actually they're just having fun imagining things," said Santa. "So many kids ask about family members who are ill to get better or they'll also ask for children in need to have something special. They're actually very thoughtful and thinking of others."

Out of the millions of wishes he's heard, Santa says the very best gift may be the memories - from the children coming to see him for the very first time to those who keep coming back.

While we were visiting Santa, the Murdock family from Canton arrived to take their yearly photo.

The siblings, Justin, Jared and Jessica first started coming when they were toddlers. Now they bring their own children.

"He's the only Santa to our family," said Justin Murdock. "He's the original."

The NorthPark Santa is now giving a new generation a reason to believe and said there's no chance he'll retire soon.

"I want everyone to feel the joy of Christmas to learn that lesson of hope and giving and have a wonderful year to come."

In addition to delivering toys, the NorthPark Center Santa also obtained a doctorate in psychology and blogs about his experience on SantaSays.org.
The Colony Police Department is on a mission to make sure citizens are prepared with the knowledge of how to protect themselves.

Police taught several city employees lessons in self-defense after an issue at the local library.

We had an incident where one of the librarians had a male subject come in and he was holding her by the hand and he was leading her around the library and making her feel uncomfortable, Officer Kyle Koiner explained. [He was] asking her questions about how many librarians they had and how many people work there.

Koiner said the man was later arrested.

He left and came back a couple days later," he said. "Officers showed up and found out that he had been criminally trespassed from the place and was arrested for that. So, that [made] the librarians and other employees a little uneasy.

Police decided to teach the librarians techniques to help keep them safe. Those techniques, they said, could benefit anyone.

One of our female officers came in and was able to teach them a few self-defense tactics, Koiner said. Also other things such as dont leave the building going to your car by yourself, walk in pairs or more of that. Especially with Daylights Saving Time and its dark when they leave.

They taught the employees how to physically stun a possible attacker.

A few hits like palm strike to the face or groin shots to a male person thats going to assault them, Koiner said. Just enough to get them away from the area. The important thing is to stun the person and get away. Youre not there to try to fight the person. You just want to get away and then call the police.

Police said these are simple tactics that could help.

Rush to an area where there are more people. Get your phone out and dial 911, Officer Brian Lee added. A lot of times just dialing it, even if you cant say anything at the time, it might alert the dispatcher where you could be.

Officers dressed in padded suits allowed the participants to realistically hit and kick them.

It lets the people in training go up maybe 70 percent or 80 percent. If you didnt have this, it would be more maybe going through the motions, Lee said. We wanted them to see how it feels to go 80 percent against somebody and be able to kick somebody and do it realistically.

Police said the first line of defense is being aware of your surroundings.

Look around, pick you head up. Dont look at your phone, Koiner said. Get your keys and everything out before you start walking to your car from the store or your place of business.

Koiner said if you feel less safe, make sure someone knows you are in trouble.

Make it known that someone is advancing on them, he said. Yell at them and tell them to stop and also start running away. Make a big scene.

The Colony Police were able to offer this class to city employees, but it is not open to the public at this time. Koiner said there are classes offered across North Texas at martial arts centers and even free classes online. But, he said it is worth paying a cost to learn the tactics.

It may cost some money, but it's well worth it in the end, Koiner said.

Hopefully in the future we can have a program up and running here, Lee added. Thats what our goal is for the public.
Southwest Airlines says it is working to fully restore functionality of its online check-in system Tuesday evening after an issue earlier in the day.

Several people on social media reported the issue  which appeared to be preventing people from checking in to their flights  and Southwest Airline's official Twitter account said the issue was affecting all customers.

When reached for comment, the Dallas-based airline's statement said the unspecified issue was affecting only some of the website. They did not give an estimate for when it'd be fixed.

"We are currently experiencing issues with some of Southwest.coms functionality," the statement said. "We are working hard to solve the issues and get it back up and running. We appreciate our customers patience as we work behind the scenes to get full functionality back to our website."

An error message appeared on Southwest.com when accessed in New York about 3:30 p.m. ET: "Please do not refresh your browser. We will automatically transfer you to Southwest.com as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience."

In a tweet posted at 5:46 E.T. the airline said, "We have reports of successful transactions and online check in. We appreciate your patience as we work to restore full functionality."
A team of researchers and skilled web archivers is working diligently leading up to the President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration to preserve web content from the Obama Administration.

A group of institutions, composed of the Library of Congress, the Internet Archive in California, the University of North Texas and more, has been working since June of 2016 to harvest the content, which may disappear from government web pages, on the End of Term Web Archive.

Researchers from each institution spend countless hours archiving internet sites and content that pertain to the federal government during each presidential terms. Since they started in 2008, the database has collected more than 160 million documents harvested from 3,300 government websites, mainly ones that end in .gov and .mil.

When there is a transition of power and someone new comes into office, we forget that government websites change as well, UNT Digital Libraries associate dean Mark Phillips said. The way the new administration will communicate to citizens through the web will be different than the previous administration."

Scientist and researchers fear that, without their work, each administration's content via the web would disappear. Phillips has found that 83 percent of PDF files on the .gov domain in 2008 were missing from the web four years later.

If we werent doing this, no one would, Phillips said.

The Internet Archive says it has, on its own, preserved more than 3.5 billion web pages and more than 45 million PDFs from the .gov domain over its history. Pages can be removed from what the archive calls the "gov web" for any number of reasons; they may be taken off the web entirely or folded into other domains.

"These sites include significant amounts of publicly-funded federal research, data, projects and reporting that may only exist or be published on the web. This is tremendously important historical information, Jefferson Bailey, the Internet Archives director of Web Archiving, said in a statement.

The team of institutions has grown to manage the increase in social media content online. George Washington University is handling the social media effort by archiving the over 8 thousand Twitter accounts for government agencies, projects, programs and elected officials.

Online: End of Term Web Archive
What to Know Tenants living in 42 properties have the option of buying the property from Caltrans

If they say yes, they may qualify for an affordable price sales program

Eleven vacant lots are part of the first phase of sales

Caltrans has started the process of selling hundreds of houses acquired decades ago on land that was meant to be used for the infamous 710 Freeway extension, a freeway project never built.

Caltrans has sent offer letters to tenants living in houses located along the defunct surface route. Tenants living in 42 properties -- mostly single-family homes -- will have the option of buying the property from Caltrans after years of paying rent to the state agency.

Residents of the Caltrans homes along a narrow strip in South Pasadena, Pasadena and El Sereno in Los Angeles, will have 120 days to answer. If they say yes, they will be directed to work with an independent real estate firm contracted by Caltrans to determine whether they qualify for the affordable price sales program or a fair market value purchase, Caltrans officials told the the San Fernando Valley Tribune.

"The schools here are really great," said resident John Dullughan. "It gives people the opportunity to live here that normally couldn't, ordinarily."

To qualify for a reduced price, the resident must not own other property and have an income not more than 150 percent of the median income in Los Angeles County. Other options include a third party, such as a city housing authority, buying the home or apartments and then renting at an affordable rate to the tenant.

Caltrans began in the 1950s and 1960s buying empty lots, houses and apartments along the planned route of the 710 Freeway extension between Pasadena and Alhambra. The project was popular in Alhambra but despised in South Pasadena. Decades of litigation and legislation stalled the 6.2-mile project before construction could begin, leaving transportation officials as landlords for 460 structures.

Eleven vacant lots are part of the first phase of sales. Two of the lots are in the process of being sold to South Pasadena for pocket parks.
A man convicted of hiring an assassin to stage a robbery and kill his 17-year-old wife in a La Mirada park -- a crime that went unsolved for nearly two decades -- was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Morrad Ghonim, 43, was convicted Nov. 21 of the murder of Victoria Ghonim, who was shot on July 23, 1992, while sitting in a car with Morrad and her infant son in La Mirada Creek Park.

Jurors -- who deliberated over 4 1/2 days before reaching a verdict -- also found true the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murder for financial gain, as well as a gun allegation.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John A. Torribio denied a motion for new trial before ordering Ghonim to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Prosecutors earlier decided against seeking the death penalty.

The killing remained unsolved until 2009, when DNA linked a man named Leon Martinez to the crime. Martinez was arrested in October 2010 and convicted in March 2015 of first-degree murder.

The hitman later struck a deal with prosecutors and testified against Ghonim during a preliminary hearing. Martinez gave various accounts to police and in court as to what Ghonim paid him, at one point saying Ghonim offered him $10,000 and actually paid $5,000.

In other testimony, Martinez said he was paid only $500. The lower number was supported by testimony from Ghonim's second wife and the mother of five of his children.

The woman Ghonim married after killing his young wife testified that during a fight when she threatened to take the children and move to Texas, Ghonim told her, "If you ever think of getting a divorce, I'll hurt you. It cost me $500 then, it won't cost me much now,'' the Los Angeles Times reported.

Martinez is expected to be sentenced on Feb. 23 to 28 years to life in prison in exchange for his testimony.

Ghonim was charged in his wife's killing about a month after Martinez was convicted. At the time, Ghonim was living in Antigua. He was arrested in May 2015 and returned to the United States.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Howard Cooper testified that according to Ghonim, he was with his wife and infant son at the La Mirada park, standing near a foot bridge, when they heard catcalls coming from a group of people standing nearby.

Ghonim told the investigator that his wife began shouting back at the group, then the family hustled back to their car, where his wife continued to shout at the group, Cooper said. Ghonim said that as he was about to turn on the vehicle's engine, he heard gunshots, and he quickly started the car and sped away, realizing then that his wife had been shot.

Cooper said Ghonim claimed he never saw the actual shooter, but sped away trying to find a hospital. He was soon pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer for running a red light, according to Cooper.

The CHP officer said Ghonim was sobbing, and the officer saw the woman in the vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound.
A vigil was held Monday for a 20-year-old alleged gunman who was shot and killed by police at the end of a foot chase in South Los Angeles.

The shooting occurred about 8:35 p.m. Sunday at 60th Place and Western Avenue and the suspect died en route to a hospital, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The gunman's name has not been released by authorities, but activists who organized the vigil at the shooting scene identified him as 20-year-old Ryan Joseph.

Officers from the LAPD's Metro Division tried to stop him after seeing him conceal a weapon in his pocket or waistband, police said.

The suspect fled, leading to a foot chase that ended with an officer shooting when he produced a handgun, according to Officer Aareon Jefferson of the LAPD's Media Relations Section.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, Jefferson said.

Pastor James Perkins insists that's not the Ryan Joseph he or his family knew.

"This is difficult for me," he said. "I know his momma would have killed him if she knew he had a gun. Ain't no way that he had a gun. No way. No. No."

Organizers say Joseph was a beloved son, brother and a churchgoer.

They're hopeful mourners stay connected to do more than grieve.

"Know that we can hold that police officer accountable for what he did to Ryan," said Rev. Douglas Nelson at the vigil.

Joseph's loved ones tonight believe he didn't deserve to die.

"Not just in this community," Perkins said. "But it happens in many communities, too many times, over and over again."
A man accused in an attack on a transient at a Metro station in Hollywood last week was charged Monday with felony assault.

James Anthony Hanson, 32, of Culver City, allegedly punched the 59-year-old homeless man in the face at the Hollywood/Vine Metro Station last Tuesday without apparent provocation.

Hanson pleaded not guilty to assault likely to produce great bodily injury and an allegation that he inflicted great bodily injury. He is due back in court on Jan. 3 to get a date for a preliminary hearing that will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

Deputies and paramedics responding to the scene didn't find a victim, suspect or any witnesses who would speak to them, according to transit police.

But authorities later made contact with a witness who posted a video of the attack to his Facebook page.

Subsequent news reports about the attack prompted the victim, identified by police and prosecutors as a transient, to come forward. He made a report and was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries that he suffered.

Transit authorities said the coverage also helped generate tips that ultimately led investigators to Hanson.
A California agency that oversees judicial discipline in the state ruled Monday that a judge committed no misconduct when he sentenced former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a young woman on campus.

The California Commission on Judicial Performance said there was no evidence that Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky displayed bias in handing down a sentence decried as too lenient by critics across the country.

"The commission has concluded that there is not clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority, or other basis to conclude that Judge Persky engaged in judicial misconduct warranting discipline," the 11-member panel concluded in its unsigned ruling.

Read the entire ruling

The commission said it received thousands of complaints and petitions regarding Persky and the sentence.

The petitions included complaints that Persky "displayed gender bias and failed to take sexual assault of women seriously," and showed favoritism to Turner because the judge was a former Stanford athlete as well.

Turner, 21, was released from jail in September after serving three months. He will be on probation for three years in his native Ohio and is a registered sex offender.

One of Persky's biggest critics, Stanford professor Michelle Dauber, said in a statement: We will continue to proceed with the recall election. It is important for Santa Clara County voters to decide whether Judge Persky should remain on the bench for the next six years.



She said the ruling highlights what her "Recall Persky" campaign has been saying from the beginning, which is that a petition for judicial discipline "was not the correct venue to address these concerns, and the recall is the only realistic way to remove Judge Persky from office."

"It appears this was a one-sided investigation that involved the statements of Judge Persky's lawyer and not anyone else," Dauber said.

Persky's attorney Kathleen Ewins said the canons prevented her client from defending against the criticisms leveled against him based on the Turner sentencing.

"Judges need to be able to exercise their judgment without threats to their physical safety or the threat of the loss of their jobs," Ewins said. "That Judge Persky has been subject to both is disconcerting, particularly where, as here, public reaction has been based on gut reaction and political forces, not on a reasoned understanding of the facts and the law."

Meanwhile, Dauber said her campaign has raised enough money to collect the signatures needed to put the recall on the ballot, which she said she'd do in April.

Legal analyst Steve Clark said he too is not surprised by the commission ruling because the judges sentence followed the recommendations of county probation officials.

"The question moving forward will be the vindication that Judge Persky received from the decision, will that do anything to mitigate the recall against him and the firestorm that it's created?" Clark said.

Turner was convicted of assaulting the woman near a trash bin after they drank heavily at a fraternity party. The woman had passed out and Turner was on top of her when confronted by two graduate students passing by on bicycles. They chased and tackled him when he tried to flee, holding him on the ground until police arrived.

A jury in March found Turner guilty of three felony sexual assault counts. Persky sentenced him to six months in jail, citing the "extraordinary circumstances" of Turner's youth, clean criminal record and other considerations in departing from the minimum sentence of two years in prison. Prosecutors had argued for six years.

Turner's case exploded on social media and ignited a debate about campus rape and the criminal justice system after the victim's 7,200-word letter that she read in the courtroom during sentencing was published online.

NBC Bay Area's Thom Jensen contributed to this report.
A suspect was killed and an armored truck driver hospitalized after a shooting during an apparent robbery attempt at a Homestead bank Tuesday, officials said.

The incident happened around 4 p.m. at the TD Bank at 2495 Northeast 8th Street. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed one person was dead at the scene and another was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

NBC 6 obtained exclusive cell phone footage from a witness that showed the aftermath of the shooting. The footage shows the dead suspect and the driver on the ground, as witnesses ask him if he's okay.

"We got one alive here," a man says in the video, as the driver tells the witnesses he's been shot in the leg.

Miami-Dade Police confirmed that the suspect was killed and the driver was hospitalized. The driver's condition was unknown.

Footage showed a body on the ground next to a Garda armored truck just outside the bank's front door. Authorities had the parking lot blocked off with police tape.

The FBI, Miami-Dade Police and Homestead Police were at the scene.

There was also a police scene on the Florida Turnpike near Southwest 152nd Street that was possibly connected to the incident. Sources told NBC 6 that a second suspect was taken into custody at that scene and that the suspect was shot in the leg.

Witnesses reported hearing as many as seven gunshots outside the bank.

"I was taking an order and one of my customers got paranoid, so I had to rush her into the store," said Carmen Rivera, who works at a nearby Sonic. "It's too close to my job, it's scary."

No other information was immediately known.

Check back with NBC 6 for updates.
A last-ditch effort by imprisoned "psychic" Rose Marks to get her convictions and punishment for fortunetelling fraud thrown out on appeal appears to be doomed.

The Sun-Sentinel reports U.S Magistrate Judge William Matthewman recommended that Marks' appeal should be rejected.

Jurors found her guilty of fraud and related charges in 2013 after hearing testimony that she, and other family members, took large amounts of cash and gold coins from victims.

Marks, 65, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, is serving 10 years in federal prison and owes more than $17.5 million in restitution to her former clients, including best-selling romance novelist Jude Deveraux.

The trial judge will make the final decision in the coming weeks but it would be very uncommon for him to overrule the magistrate's findings.
Six people are under arrest after running a massive scam, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of power tools from Home Depot stores across Florida and Georgia, authorities said Tuesday.

Miami-Dade Police took 42-year-old Iosvanny Garcia, 44-year-old Jorge Hernandez-Garcia, 64-year-old Lazaro Cannet and 50-year-old Julio Vazquez into custody after it was discovered they stole over $650,000 worth of the equipment over 60 different visits to stores in the two states since August 1st.

Allegedly, the four would stuff cabinet boxes in the stores with tools, purchase the cabinets and take the boxes out of the store. After removing the tools  in some cases selling them to others, including 51-year-old Maria Martinez and 41-year-old Israel Borrego  the cabinets would be returned to a store for a full refund.

The criminal spree started in South Florida before moving to both the southwest part of Florida and the Orlando area, later moving into Georgia, authorities said.

The company contacted Miami-Dade Police after reviewing surveillance footage of incidents inside their stores, and MDPD launched an investigation.

All six people arrested face multiple counts  including organized fraud, grand theft and dealing in stolen property. They faced a judge in Miami-Dade Tuesday.

"This whole group is a sophisticated scheme to defraud Home Depot, going around the state purchasing cabinets, loading them up with stolen tools, then returning the cabinets and keeping the stolen tools," Judge Mindy Glazer said in court.
Three suspects were in custody and a fourth was on the run after the stolen car they were in crashed into a police car during a pursuit in Miami Tuesday, authorities said.

Miami Police said officers were responding to an armed robbery at the Family Dollar at 7200 Northwest 2nd Avenue when they spotted the stolen SUV and tried to stop it.

The SUV fled but crashed into a police car in the area of 73rd Avenue and Northwest 2nd Avenue, police said. Two suspects were taken into custody but two others fled. One was eventually caught but the other remained at large.

Police haven't released the names of the suspects or what charges they face. It's unknown if the stolen car is related to the armed robbery.

No other details were immediately known.

Check back with NBC 6 for updates.
Miami-Dade Police have arrested a man they say opened fire on an 18-year-old woman Tuesday morning.

Crews responded to the scene near Southwest 129th Place and 243rd Street shortly before 6:30 a.m. after reports of a shooting nearby.

According to investigators, the woman  identified as Jennavi Small  was walking with three men toward a bus stop when an argument started, resulting in Small being shot in the head.

Small was rushed to Jackson South Trauma Center in critical but stable condition.

The alleged shooter, identified as 19-year-old Darius Trevar Chaney, fled the scene but was later caught, police said.

Chaney is facing charges of attempted felony murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a firearm, police said.
See updates to this story here.

A group of utility workers contracted by Con Edison and National Grid "likely" cheated on their certification exams in order to qualify for their jobs, calling into question the quality of work on some gas mains and pipes across New York, state investigators say.

The I-Team has learned that Network Infrastructure, Inc. pipe installation workers had access to and "likely used" answer sheets for a written portion of operator qualification tests administered by the Northeast Gas Association. The tests measure how much candidates know about installing natural gas mains and pipes.

Con Edison and National Grid were ordered to immediately stop using Network Infrastructure workers on their projects. The companies say they're cooperating with the state's investigation and that they'll proceed on projects with other contractors and company resources.

"We hold utilities and their subcontractors strictly accountable when they do not comply with our rigorous gas safety rules," said James Denn, a spokesman for the Department of Public Service, which conducted the investigation.

Patrick Clarke, the president of the Long Island-based Network Infrastructure, Inc. denies the company gave employees answers to the exams. He told the I-Team from the company's Hempstead office that he's been in business for 16 years and that he's cooperating with the state investigation.

"We are devastated," he said. "We think there was a rush to judgment."

Con Edison and National Grid have started their own internal quality assurance investigation by testing sections of Network Infrastructure-installed pipe, DPS officials say. It's not yet clear how many miles of installed pipe will need to be reexamined, but officials say it represents only a small percentage of the overall new gas pipe installed.

The I-Team has learned that NI was contracted to replace more than 6 miles of new gas mains in Queens for one National Grid project that cost $1.3 billion.

The current written tests administered by the Northeast Gas Association are no longer being used to qualify pipe workers, the DPS said.

Con Edison and National Grid are also working with the NGA to identify integrity problems and solutions to prevent another breach.

"It's outrageous that they were given answers to the questions, a complete bypass of a safety check that's designed to protect the people," said Mark McDonald, a nationally recognized expert on natural gas safety.

"It's critically important that these people are properly trained to prevent catastrophic consequences," he said.
The New York Assemblyman who killed himself in September was facing federal charges for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his clients, according to papers unsealed Monday.

Bill Nojay - a gun-rights advocate and early Trump supporter who was twice voted the most conservative legislator in the state - committed suicide in a Rochester cemetery on Sept. 9. At the time, reports suggested he was facing a criminal case of some kind.

As it turns out, a federal magistrate judge had signed a criminal complaint the day before his suicide alleging Nojay committed wire fraud.

The complaint, a copy of which was posted by Rochester NBC affiliate WHEC, alleges that Nojay siphoned off more than $800,000 from a law firm client for his campaign, lobbyists, a car dealer, his property tax bill and even his own children.

Nojay represented a variety of towns in Livingston, Monroe and Steuben counties. First elected to the Assembly in Nov. 2012, he won a primary election four days after his death. (Party officials picked a replacement for him.)

Besides his legal practice, Nojay also also hosted a radio show and volunteered as a paramedic. He was married with three grown childen.
A retired police officer has been accused of killing four men at a Hudson Valley bar as part of an alleged cocaine distribution conspiracy.

Nicholas Tartaglione, a retired Briarcliff Manor officer, was charged with drug conspiracy and four counts of murder in furtherance of a conspiracy in the April killings of four men at a bar in Chester, according to federal prosecutors.

Federal and local officials found the men's bodies on Tartaglione's Otisville property Tuesday, law enforcement sources told NBC 4 New York.

Tartaglione faces the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of any of the murder counts.

"While all murders tear at the fabric of our communities, when the alleged perpetrator of a gangland-style, quadruple homicide is a former police officer, that strikes at the heart of civilized society," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

An indictment alleges that Tartaglione killed Martin Santos-Luna, 41; Miguel Sosa-Luna, 25; Urbano Morales-Santiago, 35; and Hector Gutierrez, 32; at the nightclub sometime in April. The four men had last been seen in a Chevrolet SUV, which was recovered from a diner in the village on April 11.

A family member talked to Sosa-Luna by phone on April 11, but the men haven't been heard from since then, police said.

Prosecutors alleged that Tartaglione, 49, killed the men as part of a conspiracy to distribute more than 11 pounds of cocaine.

Attorney information for Tartaglione wasn't immediately available. He was held without bail after his arraignment Tuesday.
What to Know Investigators believe a truck was intentionally driven into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday

Russia's ambassador to Turkey was shot and killed by a rogue Turkish policeman, authorities said

Donald Trump officially won the presidential election by getting more than 270 votes from the Electoral College

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Truck Plows Into Berlin Market

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened" by the attack on a crowded Christmas market in Berlin that killed at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50 Monday. The truck smashed into the popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday. Berlin police said on Twitter that they are working on the assumption that the incident was intentional. "There is still a lot that we don't know about this act with sufficient certainty," she told reporters. "But we must, as things stand, assume it was a terrorist attack." In another horrific event in Europe, a gunman dressed in black stormed into the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants and opened fire, wounding three people before fleeing, a Zurich police spokesman said Monday.

NYPD Beefs Security in Wake of Berlin

As children sipped hot cocoa and holiday revelers shopped for gifts, the NYPDs counterterrorism unit kept watch over the Winter Village at Bryant Park on Monday night. Members of the NYPD Hercules team have been deployed at busy spots across the city after a truck careened into a crowded holiday market in Berlin. There were also counterterrorism officers under the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, on street corners in Times Square and outside Macys in Herald Square. At the holiday markets in Union Square and Columbus Circle, crowds weaved their way from booth to booth as officers looked on.

Russian Ambassador Assassinated

A Turkish policeman fatally shot Russia's ambassador to Turkey on Monday in front of a shocked gathering at a photo exhibit and then, pacing near the body of his victim, appeared to condemn Russia's military role in Syria, shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" An AP photographer witnessed the assassination firsthand. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the assassination of Andrei Karlov, whose body will be flown back to Russia later Tuesday, makes Moscow even more determined to press ahead with Syrian talks that will offer "no concessions to the terrorists." Meanwhile, Turkish police on Tuesday detained a man who fired shots in front of the U.S. embassy in Ankara several hours after the Russian ambassador was killed.

Trump Cruises to Electoral College Victory

There were many protesters but few faithless electors as Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote Monday  ensuring he will become America's 45th president. An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions. Trump's polarizing victory Nov. 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail. In London, artists at Madame Tussauds' wax museum are working non-stop to complete wax figures of Trump in time for Inauguration Day.

Bombing Suspect in Court in New Jersey

The man charged with setting off bombs in New York and New Jersey is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in a New Jersey court. Ahmad Khan Rahimi will appear in court on charges he attempted to murder police officers during his capture in Linden, New Jersey, in September. Officer Angel Padilla, who prosecutors say was shot by Rahimi, was in court along with fellow Linden officers at an October court hearing. Rahimi appeared in that hearing via video from his hospital bed.

ESB Lights up to Mariah Carey

The Empire State Building is lighting the way again this holiday season as it syncs its lights to a Mariah Carey hit in the nights leading up to Christmas. Carey pulled the switch at a lighting ceremony in the buildings art deco lobby on Monday, ushering in a nightly light show to her song All I Want for Christmas Is You. Watch a video of the lights and see what stations are syncing up this week.

Library Book Returned 57 Years Later

Barbara Roston was a teenager when she checked out "Gone With the Wind" from the Brooklyn Public Library back in 1959. Fifty-seven years later, she's finally returned it. Josephine Evans was working at the desk of the Crown Heights branch when a sheepish Roston walked in, carrying a book in a bag. "She comes to the desk and she explains her story, that she's returning this book from 1959," said Evans.
What to Know Sarah Butler was reported missing Nov. 23; her body was discovered more than a week later in the woods in New Jersey

Khalil Wheeler-Weaver was charged in her death; he is also accused of killing another woman, Joanne Brown

Brown's body was found Dec. 5 in a vacant home in Orange, New Jersey

A man accused of killing a New Jersey college student is now suspected of killing another woman, prosecutors say.

Khalil Wheeler-Weaver, 20, pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the death of 33-year-old Joanne Brown, who was last seen Oct. 22 in Orange and whose body was found in a vacant house in Newark on Dec. 5.

"The murder occurred in that location and her body was left in that location, which is a concealed location within an abandoned residence," Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn Murray said Tuesday.

Wheeler-Weaver remains jailed on $5 million bail.

Prosecutors remained tight-lipped about why they believe Wheeler-Weaver is responsible for both Brown's murder and the murder of 20-year-old college student Sarah Butler of Montclair. Butler's body was found on the Eagle Rock Reservation days earlier.

Her sister told NBC 4 New York Tuesday she's not surprised Wheeler-Weaver is accused of more deadly violence -- but she is stunned.

"Usually I just hear about this in movies," said Aliyah Butler. "I didn't think that things like this and people actually happened in the real world."

Investigators said the victims don't appear to know each other, but both were killed in the same manner: strangulation and asphyxiation.

"Now I'm wondering how many girls he's hurt like this," said Aliyah Butler. "I'm just hoping the number isn't large because what he did to my sister was terrible."

Asked whether they believe the deaths are the work of a serial killer, Murray said Tuesday, "I'm not gonna comment on that."

Wheeler-Weaver's attorney, Shevelle McPherson, insists her client is innocent and that prosecutors don't have enough evidence to connect him to both crimes. She says the evidence she has seen is "very circumstantial."

"They're trying to accuse him of this [second] crime, because manner of deaths are similar," she said. "If they're gonna try to secure a conviction based on manner of death, they're gonna have to come up with more than that."
Authorities recovered 5 pounds of cocaine -- worth about $78,000 on the street -- from a pair of spandex shorts in a passenger's backpack at Newark Liberty International Airport, officials say.

The Netherlands man was stopped when he arrived at the airport last week on a flight from Aruba. Authorities say they found two packages in a pair of shorts in the man's backpack that had cocaine in them.

The man was taken into custody.

This latest seizure demonstrates the steadfastness of the CBP officers on the ground to detect and deter those who would try to import these illegal substances, said Robert Perez, director of New York field operations. CBP is ever vigilant in our daily battle against the flow of illicit narcotics being smuggled into the United States.
What to Know Ahmad Khan Rahimi is accused of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey that wounded 31 people in September

The 28-year-old Afghan native was captured after a shootout with police in New Jersey two days after the bombings

He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in a New Jersey court on charges he tried to murder police officers during his capture in Linden

The man charged with setting off bombs in New York and New Jersey pleaded not guilty to attempted murder of police officers and other charges during his arraignment Tuesday in a New Jersey court.

The prosecutor said no plea offer would be extended to Ahmad Khan Rahimi, who is accused of trying to kill police officers during his capture in Linden, New Jersey, in September.



A deputy had to help Rahimi, who continues to recover from multiple gunshot wounds sustained in the Sept. 19 shootout with Linden police officers, walk into the courtroom. He appeared to have significant trouble walking.

Officer Angel Padilla, who prosecutors say was shot by Rahimi, was in court along with fellow Linden officers at an October court hearing. Rahimi appeared in that hearing via video from his hospital bed.

On Monday, a federal prosecutor said the government won't introduce at trial a lengthy statement from Rahimi to keep to a scheduled trial date in March.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Lewin told a judge that his office wanted "both on the government's behalf and the public's behalf a speedy trial in this matter," The New York Times reported.

Rahimi pleaded not guilty in an indictment charging him in the Sept. 17 attacks, which included the detonation of a bomb in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood that injured 30 people. Another bomb did not explode.

Lewin told U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman that Rahimi made a statement to law enforcement over several days. He said the statement was "taken lawfully" under the public-safety exception to the Miranda rule. The exception allows authorities to question a suspect in certain situations before the suspect is represented by a lawyer if public safety is at stake.

Rahimi was questioned by authorities while he was hospitalized after being caught following a Sept. 19 shootout with police in Linden.

Rahimi's federal public defender, Peggy Cross-Goldenberg, said Monday that the defense could not be ready by the scheduled March 27 trial date because the government had provided so much discovery material.

"We're going to have a speedy trial," Judge Berman countered. "If the 27th is impossible, it's not going to be long after that."

Besides the Manhattan attacks, Rahimi, an Afghan-born U.S. citizen from Elizabeth, New Jersey, is charged with detonating a pipe bomb along a Marine Corps charity race in Seaside Park, New Jersey, earlier in the day. Another bomb found at a train station didn't explode.
A bullet flew into a school in Brooklyn and lodged into a bulletin board on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Police were called to South Shore High School after the bullet flew through a window and into the Canarsie school at about 11 a.m., according to the NYPD.

No one was hurt but authorities found four shell casings nearby on Glenwood Road.

A representative for the union that represents school safety officers said that the 9mm bullet came from the nearby Glenwood Houses. There were 428 students at the school at the time.

The city Department of Education said it is working with the NYPD to ensure the safety of school buildings.

No arrests have been made.

If you know anything about the incident, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
What to Know A truck was "intentionally" driven into a crowded holiday market in Berlin on Monday, German investigators said

The NYPD stepped up security in response, deploying its counterterrorism unit to high-profile areas of the city like Bryant Park

Nassau County said it's also upping patrols, although authorities cautioned that there is no imminent threat to the tri-state area

As children sipped hot cocoa and holiday revelers shopped for gifts, the NYPDs counterterrorism unit kept watch over the Winter Village at Bryant Park on Monday night.

Members of the NYPD Hercules team have been deployed at busy spots across the city after a truck careened into a crowded holiday market in Berlin earlier on Monday, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50 more. German investigators later called the horrific act intentional.

Officers suited up with weapons in hand patrolled the Winter Village in stark contrast to the Christmas lights, Santa hats and balsam wreaths lining the markets stands. It was a sign of the times.

Police and security everywhere, said Sam Simpson from Louisville.

It makes me feel a little bit safer, but I also dont like seeing giant guns around the kids during the holidays, Los Angeles resident Chrissy Callahan said.

There were also counterterrorism officers under the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, on street corners in Times Square and outside Macys in Herald Square. At the holiday markets in Union Square and Columbus Circle, crowds weaved their way from booth to booth as officers looked on.

I feel a little nervous but youve got to live your life, Lower East Side resident Sara Weiner said.

The NYPD told NBC 4 New York that it is monitoring the developments coming out of Berlin and elsewhere.

Nassau County said that it too is upping patrols in high-profile areas like malls and public transit hubs.

Authorities cautioned that there is no imminent threat to the tri-state area.

Big cities have been fortifying sidewalks since the Sept. 11 attacks, installing bollards and concrete planters designed to prevent vehicles from driving into pedestrians or the side of a building. Parts of Times Square and a two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House have been closed to traffic for years, partly as a precaution against car bombs.

A recent posting in an English-language Islamic State magazine called this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade "an excellent target" for a truck attack. That caused enough concern that police used dozens of sand-filled dump trucks to block streets along the parade route.

The NYPD program involving outreach to trucking companies was ramped up in July after a man drove a rented, refrigerated truck weighing about 20 tons into a crowd in Nice, France.

Since then, the NYPD has reached out to about 140 rental companies and seven truck driving schools in the city, giving them the phone numbers of detectives and encouraging them to use them, said Lt. Lucas Miller, who runs the Intelligence Division program.

The NYPD has received several calls from truck rental operations since the Berlin attack, Lucas said Wednesday. The companies were checking in, not offering tips, "but that's just the kind of communication and interaction we want," he said.

Jake Jacoby, president of the Truck Renting and Leasing Association in Alexandria, Virginia, said his group has worked with the Transportation Security Administration and other federal agencies to combat terror.

The group has distributed a brochure to its members about what should raise suspicions with renters. They include attempting to use cash rather than a credit card and inquiring whether a truck can be modified to carry heavier loads or go faster.

Anybody walking in without a reservation should also get extra scrutiny and possibly be turned away, Jacoby said. The group even suggests asking customers how they plan to use a truck, he said.

"If they have trouble answering that question, that's a red flag," he said.
Parents and siblings of three men killed in the Orlando Pulse nightclub attack are suing Twitter, Facebook and Google, claiming that the social media companies allowed radical groups to post propaganda that led to the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The suit was filed Monday in a federal court in eastern Michigan on behalf of the families of Tevin Crosby, 25; Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40; and Juan Guerrero, 22. Crosby was a Michigan native, and Jorge-Reyes has a sister who lives there.

The three were among the 49 people killed inside the gay nightclub in June. Gunman Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard, was shot and killed by Orlando police after the massacre. In a 911 call shortly before the shooting, Mateen swore allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq.

The lawsuit alleges that "ISIS is dependent on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to terrorize" and that "ISIS uses defendants to recruit new terrorists." Google owns YouTube, which is why the company was named in the suit.

"These companies allow ISIS to use their sites as an instrument of terrorist operations," said Keith Altman, attorney for the plaintiffs. "If you take the social media aspect out of it, it very well may be that Mr. Mateen would not have been radicalized."

Representatives for Twitter and Google did not immediately respond for comment via email on Tuesday morning. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: We are committed to providing a service where people feel safe when using Facebook. Our Community Standards make clear that there is no place on Facebook for groups that engage in terrorist activity or for content that expresses support for such activity, and we take swift action to remove this content when its reported to us. We sympathize with the victims and their families.

The plaintiffs claims are based not upon the content of ISISs social media posts, the lawsuit alleges, but upon the defendants provision of the infrastructure which provides material support to ISIS.

Plus, the lawsuit contends, the social media giants profit from ISIS by placing ads on ISISs postings." Google, the suit claims, earned revenue from advertising associated with ISIS posts.

Lastly, the lawsuit alleges, Facebook, Google and Twitter incorporate ISISs postings to create unique content by combining the ISIS postings with advertisements selected by defendants based upon ISISs postings and the viewer looking at the postings and the advertisements.

The suit asks for nonspecific damages.

But at least one similar legal case doesn't bode well for the prospects of the families' lawsuit.

In January, the family of Lloyd Carl Fields Jr., a Florida defense contractor killed in a November 2015 terror attack while training security forces in Jordan, sued Twitter, claiming the San Francisco company knowingly allowed terrorist groups such as ISIS to use its social network to spread extremist propaganda.

In August, U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick in San Francisco dismissed the suit, saying: As horrific as these deaths were, ... Twitter cannot be treated as a publisher or speaker of ISIS's hateful rhetoric and is not liable under the facts alleged.

Orrick noted that Field's lawsuit didn't claim that ISIS recruited or communicated with Abu Zaid over Twitter, nor did the lawsuit accuse either of using Twitter to plan, carry out or raise funds for the attack. Rather, the lawsuit said Twitter provided "material support" in allowing the use of Twitter accounts for recruitment and other purposes.

Another similar lawsuit against Google, Facebook and Twitter was filed in June by the father of a young woman killed in the Paris massacre last November.

In statements to the Associated Press in the case of the family of Reynaldo Gonzalez, whose daughter Noehemi died in the attack, Facebook and Twitter said the lawsuit was without merit, and all three companies cited their policies against extremist material. Twitter, for instance, said it has "teams around the world actively investigating reports of rule violations, identifying violating conduct and working with law enforcement entities when appropriate."



Facebook's statement read, in part, that if the company sees "evidence of a threat of imminent harm or a terror attack, we reach out to law enforcement."



Google said it wouldn't comment on pending litigation but noted that it has "clear policies prohibiting terrorist recruitment and content intending to incite violence and quickly remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users."



Under U.S. law, internet companies are generally exempt from liability for the material users post on their networks. Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act provides a legal "safe harbor" for companies like Twitter and Facebook; it states that "no provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

The Pulse nightclub lawsuit was filed by Altman and Soloman Radner of Excolo Law in Southfield Michigan and Ari Kresch of 1-800-LAW-Firm. Kresch is part of the Paris lawsuit against the social media companies, as well.

The Associated Press and NBC Bay Area's Michelle Roberts contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter Tuesday to strike out at an insult from Bill Clinton.

The ex-president told a suburban New York City newspaper this month that Trump "doesn't know much. One thing he does know is how to get angry, white men to vote for him."

The Bedford-Pound Ridge Record Review also reported that Bill Clinton claimed that Trump called him after his election victory over Hillary Clinton.

"Wrong, he called me (with a very nice congratulations)," Trump said in a two-part tweet. The president-elect added that Bill Clinton is the one who "'doesn't know much'... especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states (and more)." The Clinton campaign, he said, "focused on the wrong states."

That was Trump's reminder that he defeated Hillary Clinton in such battlegrounds as Pennsylvania and scored surprise victories elsewhere  such as Wisconsin.

Bill Clinton made the initial remarks last week to a group of people he ran into at a small bookstore in Westchester County, New York, including an editor at the Bedford-Pound Ridge Record Review, who published Clinton's comments, according to NBC News.

"James Comey cost her the election," Clinton reportedly said, referring to Comey informing lawmakers in a letter just two weeks before the election about the finding of new emails the FBI said could be connected to an investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. Clinton added, "We were seven (percentage) points up" in the polls and slated to win before Comey's announcement.

Clinton did take to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to clarify that he did call Trump after the election, saying it was one thing the two "can agree on."
Health officials are warning patients at a dental office in Berks County after they say they found dead mice and insects near the offices sterilization unit.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health say an investigation determined the Center for Family and Specialty Dentistry on 2642 Bernville Road in Reading, Pennsylvania did not follow appropriate infection control procedures to properly clean, disinfect or sterilize devices. Officials are advising patients who visited the facility between December 19, 2015 and October 19, 2016 to get tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

"While we haven't received reports of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV from patients, infection control procedures at this practice were inadequate and created the potential for harm, so we're recommending patients get tested," said Health Secretary Dr. Karen Murphy. "We prefer that patients receive information regarding their health directly from their provider. However, in this case, that did not happen, so we've contacted patients of this practice directly."

The health department sent a letter to the facility to cease and desist all patient care back on October 21. The practice remains closed as the investigation continues. On November 4, the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry temporarily suspended the dental licenses of three dentists who worked at the facility, Dr. Stephen Sulzbach, Dr. Eric Osmolinski, and his wife, Dr. Jana Osmolinski.

State officials say Eric Osmolinski, who was in charge of the facility, failed to ensure that his dental office followed current infection-control recommendations and that those failures seriously compromise patient safety.

Osmolinksis lawyers told NBC10 he has not been notified of any infections or serious problems by his patients. Osmolinski and his wife also run a dental clinic in La Jolla, California and are in good standing in that state. The couples lawyers say they were managing their Reading, Pennsylvania office from California and visiting twice a month.

Marie Kennedy, a former office manager at the office and mother of a patient at the practice, told NBC10 she was fired for speaking up about the unsanitary conditions.

There were dead mice next to the sterilization unit, she said. The instruments were not clean because they were always wet. They never went through a dry cycle.

Health officials say they found at least two dead mice, cockroach-like insects and flies on the floor of the offices basement where instruments were sterilized. State investigators also say they found expired medications inside the dental office.

I was devastated, Kennedy said. I mean expired sedation materials. It wasnt like a week. It was two years expired.

Any patients at the Center for Family and Specialty Dentistry can call 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) for more information.




President Barack Obama has pardoned 78 people and shortened the sentence of 153 others convicted of federal crimes, the greatest number of individual clemencies in a single day by any president, the White House said Monday. Among the list are five people from our region. The three local men who received commuted sentences are:

Milton DeJesus-Bones, Philadelphia: Bones was sentenced on January 30, 2001 to life imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. His prison sentence was commuted to 360 months.

Kareem Myers, Philadelphia: Myers was sentenced on March 16, 2007 to 262 months imprisonment and eight years of supervised release as well as a $1200 fine for distributing five or more grams of cocaine base. His prison sentence was commuted to expire on December 19, 2018 and unpaid balance of $1200 remitted at the time of his release and conditioned upon the enrollment in residential drug treatment.

Tyrone Trader, Chester, Pennsylvania: Trader was sentenced to life in prison, 10 years supervised release and a $1000 fine back on September 29, 2008 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of cocaine and distribution of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school. His prison sentence was commuted to a term of 300 months imprisonment and unpaid balance of a $1,000 fine remitted at the time of his release, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.

The two people from our area who were pardoned are Doretha Doreen Rhone of Philadelphia who was sentenced to three years probation and $3,060 restitution back on March 14, 1989 for theft and Edward John Hartman of Westampton Township, New Jersey who was sentenced to four months imprisonment, three years probation, a $3000 fine and unspecified restitution back on July 11, 1986 for conspiracy.

A pardon amounts to forgiveness of a crime that removes restrictions on the right to vote, hold state or local office, or sit on a jury. The pardon also lessens the stigma arising from the conviction.

Neil Eggleston, Obama's White House counsel, said Obama has now pardoned a total of 148 people during his presidency. He has also shortened the sentences of 1,176 people, including 395 serving life sentences.

Eggleston said each clemency recipient's story is unique, but a common thread of rehabilitation underlies all of them. Pardon recipients have shown they have led a productive and law-abiding post-conviction life, including by contributing to the community in a meaningful way, he said.

Commutation recipients have made the most of his or her time in prison by participating in educational courses, vocational training, and drug treatment, he said. Not all of those receiving commutations will be set free right away. Some will see their sentences end in 2017 or 2018  long after Obama leaves office  and in some cases on the condition they participate in drug treatment programs.

"These are the stories that demonstrate the successes that can be achieved by both individuals and society in a nation of second chances," Eggleston said.

The commutations were announced as Obama vacations in Hawaii during the holidays. Obama leaves office falling short in efforts to overhaul the nation's criminal justice system. Congress could not reach agreement on legislation that would lead to shorter sentences for some.

Pointing to a prison population that has increase from 500,000 in 1980 to about 2.2 million today, the administration had argued that thousands of people were serving sentences disproportionate to their crimes and that the financial toll of incarcerating them increased financial strains for the government.

Eggleston said he expects Obama to issue more commutations and pardons before he leaves office. He called clemency a tool of last resort and said "only Congress can achieve the broader reforms needed to ensure over the long run that our criminal justice system operates more fairly and effectively."

The pace of commutations generated criticism on the campaign trail earlier this year with President-elect Donald Trump warning voters that their safety could be at risk because of Obama's move to set prisoners free ahead of schedule. "Some of these people are bad dudes," Trump said in October after another batch of Obama commutations.

The Drug Policy Alliance, which has supported Obama's efforts, said it was worried going into the next administration.

"We need the president to pick up the pace of commutations before he leaves office," said Michael Collins, a deputy director at the alliance.




A Delaware school district investigated a high school student's claims that she used skills she learned in class to help a toddler who collapsed in a fast food restaurant.

Theresalyn Outten said she practiced CPR on a fake baby in her health class at Smyrna High School. She never imagined she would ever apply what she learned to an actual life and death situation.

Outten was inside a Chick-Fil-A in Dover, Delaware Monday when an 18-month-old girl collapsed in the play area.

"I just see all this commotion in the playground area so I walk over there and I see a little kid on the ground not being able to breathe," Outten said.

In the middle of the chaos, Outten said she told someone to call an ambulance as she began performing chest compressions on the baby girl just like she had practiced at school.

"I was a little bit like, nervous, but I still did it and I got it done," Outten said.

Outten told NBC10 the baby was awake and alert when medics arrived. As they were getting into the ambulance, Outten said the baby girls parents thanked her before leaving.

On Wednesday, the Smyrna School District released a statement that questioned the details of Outten's story.

"The Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016 news story about a Smyrna student quickly took on a life of its own without the school districts opportunity to check the facts," said the school district statement. "While our student reportedly helped in a situation in a Chik-Fil-A restaurant the facts differ from what was reported. This is all we can say at this time."
Police have found the pickup truck of a man accused of murdering his estranged wife.

State Police say they found the 1994 blue Chevrolet S10 pickup truck belonging to Jeremiah Monell, 32, on Saw Mill Road in Cedarville, New Jersey Tuesday. They searched inside the vehicle as well as Monell's Cedarville home but did not find him.

New Jersey State Police say Jeremiah Monell killed his wife Tara OShea-Watson in her Cumberland County home overnight Sunday into Monday. State Police found Monells truck in his hometown of Cedarville, Salem County on Tuesday. NBC10 South Jersey Bureau Reporter Cydney Long has the very latest.

Monell is accused of stabbing his estranged wife, Tara O'Shea, inside her home on Raymond Drive in Commercial Township early Monday morning.

"About two, three o'clock in the morning I heard like a thump and that was it," said O'Shea's neighbor Mary Watson. "But we hear noises all the time out here."

Watson didn't think anything was going on until dozens of police officers rushed to O'Shea's home Monday morning. O'Shea was found unresponsive and unconscious at the home and was later pronounced dead. Police say their 12-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter were inside the home at the time of the stabbing. The children are currently in the custody of child protective services.

"He just had pure hatred in his heart to do something like this," said O'Shea's cousin Bryan Dunn. "Especially with the kids in the house."

Investigators say Monell fled the scene in the same pickup truck that they later found Tuesday. They continue to search for Monell. He faces a murder charge and a related weapons possession charge.

"I'm not looking for you Jeremiah," Dunn said. "I want you to just do the right thing. For once. Man up."

"Tara was a great mother. She was great for her kids."

O'Shea's best friend Jen Messek told NBC10 if not for custody issues regarding the couple's pending divorce, Tara would have left New Jersey for good and moved to Tennessee.

"I didn't see the restraining order but she did have one," Messek said. "This is a tragedy. Not just for the family and the children but for the community."

If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call the New Jersey State Police Port Norris Station at 856-785-0036.
A northeastern Pennsylvania prosecutor wants to remove from office a constable charged with selling crystal methamphetamine to an undercover informant.

Thirty-one-year-old Shane Fryer, of Laceyville, was charged Dec. 7 by Wyoming County detectives. Now their boss, District Attorney Jeff Mitchell, has filed a court petition to remove Fryer from office.

Fryer is elected and took office in January 2014. His term is believed to last through 2020.

The DA's petition says Fryer should be removed because his job as constable "requires ethical conduct and the trust of the public."

Fryer's defense attorney didn't immediately return a call for comment Monday. Fryer faces a preliminary hearing on the drug charges Thursday.
A 25-year-old man was killed when he tried to cross a busy roadway in front of a New Jersey diner and was hit by two separate cars, marking the third pedestrian death on that stretch in four months.

Marcus Cook was walking on Route 22 in Bridgewater when two cars hit and killed him, police said.

Bridgewater Diner co-owner Mike Anastasi's surveillance cameras captured the emergency response Sunday night.

"Here we are again. The same thing," he recalled thinking.

It was deja vu for Anastasi, who in August had surveillance cameras capture the response when two others were hit and killed.

"Why is it happening again? We need signs, it's too dangerous," said Anastasi.

Bridgewater resident Eric Allena said cars frequently speed up to 70, 80 and even 90 mph when they're coming off the 287.

"When you're walking across this stretch in the dark, really nothing good is gonna come out of it," he said.

It's dangerous for drivers, too: at least 7 people have died along the stretch of Route 22 over the last five years. The New Jersey Department of Transportation said it is working on a plan to make it safer.

But Allena says the problem isn't with the road -- it's on pedestrians to steer clear of busy highways in the dark. He said "under no circumstances whatsoever" would he walk down Route 22.
Philadelphia Police planned to have a visible presence at Philadelphias Christmas Village in the aftermath of a deadly attack on a similar market in Berlin.

"We don't have any credible threats here for the area but we always take precautions so we have some additional personnel that will be visible -- which is the most important thing," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross. [[407616746, C]]

"We're optimistic, we don't want to alarm people unnecessarily," said Ross.

The Christmas Village in Philadelphia's Dilworth Plaza location has some built in security measures that help prevent a truck attack like what happened in Berlin.

"Around City Hall you have those pillars... so that's an added safety measure," said Ross. [[407524335, C]]

Some Christmas market stalls, along with a carousal are located inside the City Hall courtyard.

Ross said the departments Homeland Security Division would continue to be in contact with federal authorities. And, regular folks could help as well.

As always, "if you see something, say something," said Ross. [[407574886, C]]

The attack at the Berlin Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz, outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, late Monday left 12 dead and dozens injured. No group has specifically taken credit for the attack and it wasnt immediately clear if police had arrested the attacker.
What to Know Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps

Most individuals recover without treatment, but symptoms can be severe in some cases, particularly among the elderly and infants

No adverse health effects were reported as a result of the possible contamination, and the company issued the recall as a precaution

A Pennsylvania-based snack company is warning consumers not to eat its Buffalo Blue Kettle Cooked potato chips over concerns about possible salmonella contamination.

Snyder of Berlin said a supplier told the company milk powder used within a spice-blend ingredient could contain salmonella; only the Buffalo Blue Kettle Cooked chips are affected and the Snyder says it's an "isolated incident."

The chips were distributed in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.

No illnesses associated with the product have been reported.

Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. Most individuals recover without treatment, though in some cases, diarrhea can be so severe a patient needs to be hospitalized. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe reaction
A former University of Pennsylvania professor who bludgeoned his wife to death as she wrapped holiday gifts inside their Montgomery County home is trying to gain access to his money upon his scheduled release from prison next month.

Rafael Robb will be released Jan. 8 on a 10-year sentence for killing Ellen Robb inside their King of Prussia home in 2006.

The 66-year-old former economics professor leaves prison went to Montgomery County court Tuesday to ask for $100,000 from his frozen assets to pay for costs of living upon his release. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to voluntary manslaughter and agreed to a 10-year sentence with time served added in.

Robbs $2.8 million retirement savings account remains frozen as he appeals a $124-million ruling owed to the estate of his dead wife  that money is set to go to the couples daughter, Olivia, now in her 20s.

Attorneys and prosecutors have long alleged that Robb stashed cash and assets overseas in an attempt to shield them from any civil rulings.

After discrepancies in Robbs testimony Tuesday over disclosure of overseas assets, Robbs legal team withdrew its petition to access some money, said attorney Andrew Duffy of Philadelphia law firm Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky who represents Ellen Robbs estate.

The court confirmed that Robb withdrew the request. It was unclear if he would attempt again to get access to the frozen funds prior to his Jan. 8 release.

NBC10 didnt immediately receive a call back from Robb's attorney, Eric D. Levin.

Ellen Robb was about to leave the marriage when he husband killed her in what he claims was a fit a rage. The violent and bloody details of the slaying were never revealed in trial because Robb was able to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter. At 2014 civil proceedings, however, details came out.

Robb admitted he killed his wife and then tried to convince police it was a robbery. The damage to Ellens face, head and skull was so severe detectives initially thought she was the victim of a blast from a high-powered rifle.

The defense argued the murder was a crime of passion  that Ellen pushed Rafael during an argument, and he was so enraged he grabbed an exercise bar nearby and beat her to death.
A former New Jersey police officer will spend the next five years behind bars for sexually assaulting a teen girl, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office announced on Monday.

Former Brigantine Police Officer Ralph M. Pereira was arrested in 2014 on accusations he committed sexual acts against a 16-year-old girl while on duty.

One year later, the Atlantic Jury indicted him on 17 criminal counts, including sexual Assault, official Misconduct, and child Endangerment.

The 46-year-old offender pleaded guilty to official misconduct and sexual assault on May 20, 2016. As a result, an Atlantic County Superior Court judge sentenced Pereira to five years in New Jersey State prison, and ordered him to forfeit his right to hold public office.

Pereira must serve two years of his sentence for parole eligibility, the judge said.

He will register as a sex offender upon his prison release, the office said.
A woman walking along a Philadelphia street found another woman suffering from head trauma so severe it was unclear if she was shot or beaten. the victim later died.

The passerby made the grisly discovery around 11:30 p.m. Monday along a desolate portion of N 3rd Street near Lehigh Avenue in West Kensington and alerted Philadelphia Housing Authority Police, said Philadelphia Police.

Officers found the woman  a Jane Doe appearing to be in her 40s  unresponsive on the ground with head trauma and injuries to her body, said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Housing officers rushed the woman to Temple University Hospital where she underwent surgery, said Small.

"The trauma to her head is so severe that staff at the hospital isn't certain if she is shot or it's other kind of head trauma," said Small.

Doctors pronounced the woman dead around 8:30 a.m., said police.

Small called the area "secluded" and "desolate" but said he hoped a few cameras near the are could help the investigation.

"We don't know who did it," said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross. "Obviously, we need the public's help if they saw anything -- regardless of what it was -- to give us a call."
A 29-year-old Marine was struck and killed early Monday while he stopped to help a suspected drunken driver who had been in a rollover crash on the 10 Freeway in Loma Linda, California, authorities said.

Enrico Antonio Rojo, of Ontario, was driving his family to the airport when he stopped at around 1:30 a.m. on the freeway near Mountain View Avenue to help a woman whose vehicle had collided with a tractor-trailer and flipped onto its roof, according to the Redlands Fire Department.

Rojo had told his family he wanted to stop and help the woman, fire battalion chief Jim Topoleski told the San Bernardino Sun.

But Rojo was struck by a passing 2017 Hyundai Sonata, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver tried to steer away but ending up hitting Rojo.

Officers performed CPR on Rojo, who later died at the scene, according to the CHP.

The driver of the Sonata stopped and cooperated with authorities.

The driver in the rollover crash was Crystal Adrianna Martinez, 22, of Loma Linda, who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the California Highway Patrol. It wasn't immediately clear if she had an attorney.
The deadline for enrolling in a health insurance plan through Covered California has been extended again to Monday at midnight.

Last week, Covered California announced it had extended its first deadline to Saturday for health coverage starting Jan. 1. It was pushed back yet again to align with the midnight Monday deadline the federal government announced for states that use the healthcare.gov exchange, NBC4's media partner KPCC reports.

You can enroll at CoveredCA.com. For help with the application process call 800-300-1506.

For local, in-person help, visit Covered California's local help page by clicking here.

The deadline extensions were announced as political uncertainty remains about the Affordable Care Act's future.

The big question we're hearing from people is if Obamacare might be repealed, do you still have to sign up for it?

Until the law is actually changed, the answer is yes.

Last week, Covered California reported more than 25,000 people had enrolled in a healthcare plan through the state over the course of two days. Many people have questions about whether Obamacare will survive Congress and a Trump presidency that campaigned on repealing Obamacare.

Peter Lee, the executive director of Covered California, says no matter what the future holds, people should comply with the law now and let the politics on the issue play out.

"There's a lot of what if's that could happen in Washington, but what isn't a what if is you end up in the emergency room in January without health insurance coverage and you could walk out with a $100,000 debt," Lee said. "That's the reality people will face without health insurance."

Because it is the law, you will be fined up to $700 per person and $2,000 per household if you fail to purchase insurance by the deadline.

Bottom line: Nothing will change for 2017, so don't risk paying that fine and not having insurance.
A nine-month pregnant driver struck by a suspected drunk driver - involved in five crashes the same night - recounted the terrifying Friday crash, saying it's a miracle no one was killed.

Leticia Arcos Rodriguez, nine months pregnant, said on Friday afternoon, she was driving to her aunt's house when her car was intentionally hit by a suspected drunk driver, later identified as Michael Dorman, 26.

"I cannot explain how in shock I was," she recalled.

Rodriguez's car was one of five hit in separate crashes in San Diego's North County in a span of two hours. San Diego County Sheriff's investigators (SDSO) said Dorman was under the influence of alcohol when he was driving, intentionally trying to hit pedestrians and cars.

His first victim was a pedestrian walking outside an Albertson's parking lot at 1301 E. Vista Way in Vista. He then continued to a nearby residential area. In total, four pedestrians were hit and at least two cars. Dorman was arrested in Oceanside after a 15-minute pursuit.

Rodriguez was in the car with her mom and nephew at the time, she told NBC 7 San Diego. She said she was thankful and relieved she was inside the car and not out on the street.

Skid marks left behind in #Oceanside after a DUI suspect led deputies on a chase. Now suspect is facing attempted murder charges #NBC7 pic.twitter.com/SGBDqLCyPI  Ramon Galindo (@RamonGalindoNBC) December 17, 2016

The crash, she said, was terrifying because she worried something had happened to her child.

"My belly hit the steering wheel, so I was very scared," Rogriguez said. "I told myself, what if there's something wrong with my baby. There's an impact. I rushed to the emergency room and everything was fine, thankfully."

Rodriguez said she is still in shock, she said.

"Fortunately no one was hurt, no one was injured," she said. "The car was completely totaled. We are very fortunate that everyone was okay."

Sheriff's deputies says the incident is a good reminder not to drink and drive.

"During this holiday season, if you choose to drink please have a designated driver or use a ride sharing service," said SDSO Media Relations Director Ryan Keim.

Dorman was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on nearly a dozen charges, including DUI, driving while on probation and attempted murder.

Jail booking records indicate he was driving with a blood-alcohol content of nearly twice the legal limit. Dorman is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

The investigation is ongoing.

"If anyone saw anything, has any evidence, maybe a cell phone video or anything to add, please contact the Sheriff's Department. That's how we are successful in these types of investigations: input from the community," Keim said.

Anyone with information on this case can call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
San Diego firefighters drove to several homes on Monday with sirens blaring on fire engines. But aboard the engine came a special guest.

Santa Claus delivered a sleigh full of gifts on fire engines to nine needy families in San Diego.

The event was coordinated with San Diego City Schools and local firefighters.

Several children were surprised by the visit--even more by the gifts, although they cannot open the gifts until Christmas Day.

I dont know whats in the presents because Santa told me I cant open it," said 11-year old Sumani Ibdikadiri.

I thought I was going to get one present but I got a lot," said his sister Arbaina.

Sumani and Arbaina, along with their eight other siblings got several bicycles and wrapped presents. The children then got to take photos and share several hugs with Santa Claus.

When I grow up I wanna be a firefighter too," Sumani told NBC 7, saying he loved the visit.

The annual tradition to deliver gifts to needy San Diego families began 27 years ago.
A shooting investigation is underway in Lincoln Park after authorities found shell casings in the area.

San Diego Police first took a call of possible gunfire in the neighborhood at approximately 2:39 p.m. Monday near 47th Street and Nogal Street, just east of Interstate 805 and north of Imperial Avenue.

Residents in the area said they heard gunshots, police said.

SDPD Sargent Mark Stephens said 10 shots were fired in the area, and two cars were hit with several rounds. One apartment complex was also hit with a stray bullet.

Stephens said the investigation is ongoing, as the suspects were seen running down 45th Street. Two people with matching clothing descriptions have been detained as persons of interest, but Stepens said it is too early to tell if they were involved or not.

No arrests have been made. No injuries have been reported.

It is too early to tell if the incident was gang related, Stephens said.

No other information was immediately available.
A woman killed in a wrong-way crash in 4S Ranch area of San Diego was a mother of a 4-year old daughter and loved to help others.

Sarita Shakya, 38, worked as a nurse for Scripps Health. She died after a driver going in the wrong direction on westbound Camino Del Norte crashed into her car head-on Saturday night.

Some drivers said the road where the crash occurred is usually filled with heavy and high speed traffic.

"That actually looks terrible, it's like a highway exit. You have a ramp, you have the speed, you don't have a very clear vision to the other side," said driver Yong Li.

Shakya leaves behind her 4-year old daughter.

"Her daughter and my daughter, they are the same age similar age they play together," said neighbor Xinjie Ge. "She is so nice."

"There's a little girl who's 4-years old, she doesn't have a mom anymore and she was so close to her mom," said Shakya's friend Simona Gieselman. "Like her mom, the little girl is very, very smart...so we will take her place for her."

Friends and neighbors say the mother was always devoted to helping people.

NBC 7 first met Shakya in May, 2015 at Lindbergh Field where she handed out scarves signifying good luck to the Scripps Health Medical Response Team. The team had returned to San Diego after providing earthquake relief to victims in Nepal, Shakya's native country.

"She's constantly helping people and was being a good person," said neighbor Christina Macier. "Good soul, good aura. Just warm."

Neighbors told NBC 7 that Shakya was likely on her way back from her night shift at work when the crash happened. She took on the night shift so she could spend more time with her daughter, neighbors said.

They added that they will do what they can to her Shakya's daughter and husband.

On Monday, Shakya's family released the following statement:

"She was a beloved wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister and sister-in-law to all of us. She was an inspiration to all who knew her. Her joy, beauty and enthusiasm for life were heart-warming. She will be greatly missed."

The driver, identified as 34-year old Alexandria Bayne suffered major injuries in the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). She was placed under arrest pending charges of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter.
D.C. lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on what would be one of the most generous paid leave programs in the nation.

The D.C. Council will vote on a bill that would give anyone who works for a private employer in D.C. eight weeks of paid leave upon the birth or adoption of a child, six weeks of paid leave to care for an ill family member and two weeks of personal sick leave.

On Monday, Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) presented an alternate plan that would change how costs are covered.

Here's what to know before the Council makes what is expected to be a tight vote:

What does the initial legislation propose?

The bill would grant full-time and part-time workers in D.C. eight weeks of paid leave to take care of newborn or adopted children, six weeks of paid leave to help ailing relatives and two weeks of personal sick leave. Both fathers and mothers would be eligible to take time off.

The legislation would be funded by a 0.62 percent increase to the payroll tax. The first taxes would not be collected until 2019, and the first benefits would not be paid out until early 2020. A new D.C. agency would administer the program.

Employees would be eligible to receive up to 90 percent of their pay, with a weekly cap of $1,000.

What's the alternate plan?

Cheh and Evans have an alternate bill that would require private employers to provide the specified amounts of time off. Businesses with 70 or fewer employees would be eligible for an annual tax credit of $200 per employee to ease the cost of compliance. Their plan would not create a new agency.

Would a D.C. paid leave law affect federal government workers?

No. The District cannot impose taxes on the federal government.

Would a D.C. paid leave law affect people who live in Maryland or Virginia but work in D.C.?

Yes, and opponents of the plan say that is unfair because these D.C. employees do not pay D.C. income taxes.

How has the D.C. Council previously voted on this bill?

The Council gave preliminary approval to the bill in an 11-2 vote earlier this month.

How much will this cost?

Cheh and Evans say their revised bill would cost the city an estimated $40 million per year, compared to $250 million for the current legislation.

What have businesses and nonprofits said?

On Monday, several businesses and nonprofit groups said they prefer a bill that would direct companies to provide the benefit without the tax.

We just feel that we are in a much better position than the District government to determine how best and how effectively we get that paid leave to employees, Solomon Keene of the Hotel Association of Washington said.

Doesn't create more bureaucracy, which I think many of us in the D.C. business community are a little bit tired of, Diane Gross of Cork Wine Bar said.

Supporters of paid family leave denounced the last-minute business bid to weaken the proposal.

They're speaking in the best interest of small business owners, when actually what theyre doing is trying to find a way to pass a law that would be far more beneficial to large corporations, said Michelle Sternthal of Main Street Alliance.

Once the D.C. Council makes the final vote, what happens?

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser would need to sign it. Bowser has repeatedly fought the existing version of the legislation, citing its cost.

She told The Washington Post in an interview Monday that the revised bill proposed by Cheh and Evans is "more likely to win my support."

I can say this: If I was on the council, Id be voting for it, she told the Post.

She said on WAMU Radio last week that she opposed the employer tax, but she would not say whether she would veto it if it passes.
Fairfax County Public Schools allowed a series of teachers accused of sexual misconduct with students to keep their teaching licenses for years after the offenses, according to an investigation by the News4 I-Team.

The school district failed to promptly submit the necessary paperwork to Virginia state officials to formally revoke the licenses of those teachers, allowing at least one of them to find a new teaching job and sexually assault another student.

The I-Team review found at least four teachers accused of sexual improprieties in Fairfax County Public Schools between 2004 and 2006 who lost their jobsbut escaped with their teaching licenses intact. The school district failed to initiate the formal license revocation process in three of those cases until 2012, including the lurid misconduct case of former Hayfield Secondary teacher Brad Norton.

In a fourth case, one teachers license revocation paperwork was never completed by Fairfax County Public Schools. Instead the cancellation process was initiated by an inspector with the Virginia Department of Education in September 2016, after the inspector spotted the languishing case while researching records for the I-Team surrounding the Norton case.

Norton, who pleaded guilty to assaulting a male student at Hayfield in 2004, avoided prison time. The I-Team found Fairfax County Public Schools failed to properly submit paperwork to state regulators to revoke Nortons teaching license. Norton declined to comment when reached by the I-Team.

Norton landed a new teaching job in Baltimore County in 2007 and was arrested in October 2012, accused of sexually assaulting a student at Randallstown High School. Police reports and internal school district memos and letters obtained by the I-Team showed similarities between the two cases. In both, Norton was accused of touching the boys on their stomachs and pants, after asking each boy if they worked out.

Not until weeks after Nortons 2012 arrest in Baltimore County did Fairfax County Public Schools finally send the requisite paperwork to the Virginia Department of Education to revoke Nortons teaching license.

If there is a basis for action against a (teachers) license and no action is taken, its troubling, because in that case, the person could work elsewhere (with children), Virginia Department of Education administrator Nancy Walsh said.

In October, shortly after the I-Team revealed Nortons case, Fairfax County Public Schools issued public statements that it was unaware of other similar cases. Former superintendent Karen Garza said she was very confident no other teachers had slipped through the cracks.

The school districts statement conflicts with public records obtained the I-Team. Those records show school district officials were notified about the languishing case of the fourth teacher, just weeks before Garza said she was confident no other cases exist.

Fairfax County Public Schools human resources administrator Chace Ramey contends Garzas statement was accurate because the district was aware of the cases found by the I-Team at the time. He declined to specify why, if it was aware, the district didnt raise those cases when asked previously.

Ramey said the school district has internal investigators who review cases of teacher discipline.

Student safety is our chief concern as a school division," he said. "We do our best to provide a safe, secure environment for all of our students."

We do not believe there are any more of those cases in Fairfax County Public Schools, Ramey added.

The father of one of the victims of the four newly revealed teacher misconduct cases said the delays are an indication Fairfax County Public Schools tried to hide the cases and avoid bad publicity. The victims father, whom we are not identifying by name to protect the anonymity of his daughter, was named in court files reviewed by the I-Team.

Theres an institutional pattern to sweep it under the rug, he told the I-Team. The school district wants to protect its image and stay out of the news.

Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough and Ashley Brown, and shot and edited by Jeff Piper.
A mans body was found behind a recreation center in a Prince Georges County, Maryland, neighborhood.

Police said a woman who was dumping some trash in the Brooke Road park in Capitol Heights, Maryland, discovered the body shortly before 10 a.m. They said it appeared the body was set on fire.

Detectives said the victim was identified as Rayshand Lee Cotton, 27, of Landover, Maryland.

Investigators used a tracking dog and metal detectors to search for clues in the area.
The Salvation Army Montgomery County discovered a holiday surprise inside one of its famous red buckets.

Capt. Karl Dahlin found a solid gold coin among the donations in a bucket outside Giant Food in Cabin John, Maryland, Saturday. The coin was a Canadian collectors coin with a face value of CAN$50 but could be worth as much as US$1,200.

It is unknown who donated the coin. Funds raised from the sale of the coin will help with donations this year, which are down almost 15 percent.

The Salvation Army said money raised through the annual Red Kettle Campaign helps struggling families and individuals in Montgomery County through a variety of services and programs.
What to Know The shooting was the result of a child custody dispute between a woman and Caroline Conway's son, a former police officer.

Conway shot the woman and her new husband with her son's service weapon.

The husband died, but the woman and her unborn child survived.

A jury convicted a former Maryland police officer's mother in a double shooting in a McDonald's parking lot that killed a 25-year-old man and injured his pregnant wife, who was involved in a custody dispute with the police officer.

The evening of May 20, 2015, the victims, Robert and Krystal Mange, drove from Virginia to the Rock N Roll McDonald's in Waldorf to pick up her two young children, who had been staying with Caroline Conway, the grandmother of one of the children.

Caroline Conway got into their car and held them at gunpoint with the service weapon of her son, former Prince George's County Police Officer Richard Conway, who had a previous relationship with Krystal Mange. Caroline Conway demanded the victims surrender their cellphones so they couldn't call for help, according to the Charles County State's Attorney's Office.

When Robert Mange reached for the gun, Caroline Conway opened fire, hitting the victims several times as they attempted to flee, the prosecution said.

The Manges were taken to a local hospital where Robert Mange was pronounced dead. Krsytal Mange was critically injured but survived, as did her unborn child.

Officers arrested Caroline Conway at her home after Krystal Mange identified her, the prosecution said.

After a 10-day trial and two days of deliberations, a jury convicted Caroline Conway, 53, of several charges, including murder and attempted murder. She faces four life sentences plus 100 years.
A jury convicted a Maryland man in the 2014 death of his 7-week-old son, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office said.

Amir Iman-Kouadio's mother told police when she put the baby down to sleep about 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. Feb. 3, 2014, he was fine. The child's father, 27-year-old Adou Louis Kouadio, told police he gave the infant a bottle and changed his diaper about midnight.

Kouadio said he heard the child crying about 2 a.m., changed his diaper and tried to give him a bottle, according to charging documents. He told police he went downstairs to try to sleep in a different room but checked on Amir 20 minutes later and saw blood coming from his nose. At that point, he woke up Amir's mother, who called 911.

Amir was first taken to Holy Cross Hospital, then transferred to Children's National Medical Center, according to Children's National.

Amir had injuries including hemorrhages suggesting something had happened to him overnight, but he also had healing rib fractures about two-to-four weeks old, according to the hospital.

A jury found Kouadio guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in death and second-degree child abuse. He faces up to 35 years at sentencing in February.
Snyder of Berlin is warning consumers not to consume Snyder of Berlin Buffalo Blue Kettle Cooked Potato Chips after being informed by a supplier that a milk powder used within a spice blend ingredient may contain salmonella.

Consumers should not consume the recalled product with the product codes listed below:

Brand Name Common Name Size UPC Product Codes

Snyder of Berlin Buffalo Blue Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 8 oz

(227g) 0 23000 43922 9 FEB2117M77A,

FEB2117H44A,

FEB2117H44B,

FEB2817H77A,

MAR0717H77A,

MAR2117M77A

The recalled product was distributed only in the following states:

 Pennsylvania

 Ohio

 Virginia

 West Virginia

 Kentucky

 Indiana

 Maryland

 New York

 Tennessee

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been made aware of this recall. No other Snyder of Berlin products were affected. This is an isolated incident.

To date, there have been no reported illnesses associated with this product.

Consumers should throw out or return these products to the point of sale for a full refund. Consumers with additional questions may contact Snyder of Berlin Consumer Care by calling 888-257-8042.
The Duchess of Cambridge is wearing holiday cheer from head to toe.

Kate Middleton stepped out in her holiday best on Monday to attend a party hosted by The Mix and Heads Together, the campaign she spearheaded with Prince William and Prince Harry to combat mental health stigmas.

The 34-year-old sported a red and green floral print frock designed by Vanessa Seward and accessorized with a pair of hoop earrings, a black belt, a simple black clutch and pumps. The look was just what Santa ordered.

During their last royal event for 2016, the trio mingled with volunteers, counselors and supporters involved with Heads Together at a youth club in London.

While Prince William was not without his wife of five years, Prince Harry went solo for the event after escorting his girlfriend, American television star Meghan Markle, to London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday.

The three kept busy doing arts and crafts with fellow guests while Prince William chatted about a certain tot getting into the Christmas spirit back at home.

"He just said [Prince] George definitely knows it's Christmas this year because the presents are about and he's more into opening them than anything else," DJ AJ King told reporters of his conversation with Prince William.

"He was saying the family is so important, it's really important to preserve these family values," another attendee added.

Kate Middleton's Best Looks
Five people were arrested following a brawl at Chuck E. Cheese's in Everett, Massachusetts over the weekend.

Police assigned to a detail at the Gateway Mall and Shopping Center on Dec. 17 said they were called to investigate a report of adults consuming prohibited alcoholic beverages at Chuck E. Cheese's.

When the officers arrived, they said a male suspect and several other patrons who were drinking alcohol became belligerent. The man was taken into custody, but other patrons then began inciting the crowd, which turned hostile toward the responding officers.

Several people began punching and kicking the officers, according to police, and additional units had to be called in from Everett Police, Medford Police and the Massachusetts State Police.

Once order was restored, five people were arrested:

Samuel Ramos, 33, of Dorchester was charged with being a disorderly person, resisting arrest and interfering with police.

Pedro Abreu, 53, of Chelsea was charged with being a disorderly person, resisting arrest and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was also arrested on six outstanding warrants.

Jose Rosado-Cruz, 30, of East Boston was charged with assault and battery on a police officer, being a disorderly person and resisting arrest.

Emily Joyce Emerson, 22, of Lynn was charged with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer and being a disorderly person.

Yoselin Enid Rosado, 33, of Roxbury was charged with assault and battery on a police officer and being a disorderly person.

"It's extremely disappointing to see adults behave in this manner in an establishment that is designed for young family fun," Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie said. "I'm thankful that our officers were able to restore order in a quick manner and were able to hold those responsible for the disturbance accountable for their actions."

All five suspects were arraigned Monday in Malden District Court. No details on bail or their legal representation was immediately available.

This isn't the first time a trip to the popular childhood venue has gone wrong. Earlier this year, a dozen people were involved in a brawl at a Manchester, Connecticut Chuck E. Cheese's that was caught on camera. In that case, the group left before police arrived. And in 2014, two people were arrested following a fight at a Chuck E. Cheese's birthday party in Orange, Connecticut.
City leaders in Burlington, Vermont are rejecting the content of a hate-filled letter that was distributed inside the auditorium where the Burlington City Council meeting held its Monday night session.

Lets remember what our Pledge of Allegiance says, said Jane Knodell, the Burlington City Council president. Its one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And the person who wrote this flier doesnt adhere to those beliefs. And we in the city do.

The rambling, hard-to-decipher flier claimed the administration of Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger is behind a shadowy, "white genocide" aiming to gut the city of Christianity as it supports aggressive redevelopment projects that will benefit Jewish people.

Chief Brandon del Pozo of the Burlington Police Department, who is Jewish, said it appears the rant came from a woman with a history of mental health struggles.

We dont think this is escalating behavior, del Pozo observed.

Del Pozo said the case is not being treated as a crime. Still, he urged the public to report suspected bias incidents.

Ive had to contend with some anti-Semitism in my life, and that makes me take not only anti-Semitism seriously, but discrimination against any person very seriously, the police chief added.

Del Pozo said the woman he suspects of producing the fliers does not have a history of physical threats toward others. He said officers are working with an outreach team to get the woman professional help.

The flier named Kelly Devine of the Burlington Business Association as part of the supposed conspiracy.

Devine told necn the fliers author was misinformed when describing her religious identity as Jewish, and incorrect in implying she is part of the Weinberger administration.

Devine said at first, she was rattled, but she explained she now sees the case as a call to improve services for people suffering from mental health problems.

I hope this can serve as a good reminder to all of us that, at the base level, were all neighbors, Devine said. At the end of the end of the day, we need to work together and share this community that we all love.

Mayor Weinberger was not available for comment. His office said he is on vacation with family in China, visiting the birthplace of his adopted daughter.
Police said they have made an arrest in weekend sexual assault and robbery in Fairfield.

Officers responded to Reef Road at 10:20 p.m. Saturday after a woman said she had been sexually assaulted and robbed at knifepoint.

Lt. Robert Kalamaras told The Connecticut Post that the woman said she was walking from the train station when she heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind and was attacked.

The suspect's name was not immediately released, but police later identified him as 47-year-old Michael James Fontaine, was apprehended nearby.

Police said the suspect has a criminal history that includes convictions for robbery, sexual assault, carjacking, rape, drugs and burglary in multiple states.
State budget cuts could leave hundreds of students with empty stomachs on the weekends in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Gov. Charlie Baker recently slashed $110,000 from the Food for Free's Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program. The program helps 485 low income students at Cambridge Public Schools eat nutritious meals on Saturdays and Sundays.

The free meals make all the difference for many families like Andy Suarez, since he and his wife both work full time jobs, just to get by.

"We don't have any time to prep lunch. It's basically the thing that hold us, at that specific time," Suarez said.

Food for Free Director Allana Mallon is now scrambling to figure out how to fund the Weekend Backpack Project.

"These are school kids who the school cafeteria is their primary source of nutrition," Mallon said. "We send food for every sibling in the family."

State Rep. Marjorie Decker is now putting Gov. Baker on blast, since the program is her project. She said she wanted the program to be a model for the rest of the state.

"There's no rhyme or reason why some programs were cut and others weren't," Decker said.

Baker's office did not specifically answer necn as to why the budget for the program has been cut. In the meantime, Mallow is turning to the city of Cambridge to help fund the program at least through the end of the school year.

"We're trying to get there. I can't imagine my 9 colleagues won't vote for this once the city manager comes back to us with a plan," Mallon said.

Food for Free is hoping private donors and companies will step up, if the state can't figure out a way to find more money for the program.
Thanks to one man determined to make a difference this holiday season, a Christmas landmark in Manchester, New Hampshire, has now turned into a source of revenue for two addiction recovery centers in the city.

Its hard to see even friends and people that I know. Its unsettling for me, said Justin Rheaume.

His city is in the throes of one of the worst heroin epidemics in the country, so he decided to do something to help in time for Christmas.

Rheaumes family owns the Manchester tree lot where a giant Santa statue has stood at the corner of Salmon and Elm streets every holiday season for 24 years.

Theres only seven in the world, he told necn. People come by and take pictures.

The landmarks become so popular, Rheaume thought if he put it on a tee shirt, he could sell a lot of them. And that, he is.

Its nice to do it, its convenient to get a tree and give something to people in need, said Manchester resident Kim Belisle.

All proceeds are going to two non-profit recovery centers that support people like Karen Frye.

Thanks to Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, this will be Fryes first Christmas sober.

Yeah and I am 56 years old, she said through tears. Ever in my life.

Shes now a volunteer at the recovery center and is the first smiling face you see as you enter the door.

There is hope, there is no need for anyone to have to walk through the darkness alone, Frye said. Reach out and take my hand and walk with me and I will walk with you.

She and others at Hope for New Hampshire are proudly wearing their big Santa tees, encouraged by the fact that Rheaume is selling out of every order.

Its so amazing, because thats what we are, we are a community, Frye said smiling.

Logo Loc, the Pelham, New Hampshire company where Rheaume works, is printing the shirts for free, so the entire cost of the $10 shirt will be donated. Rheaume is hopeful to give both recovery centers at least $1,000 in time for Christmas.

The shirts can only be purchased at the tree lot on Salmon Street in Manchester.
The young ladies at the Mother Caroline Academy in Boston had a special visit from a star athlete this morning.

After helping his team secure a spot in the playoffs, free safety for the New England Patriots Devin McCourty took a day off from practice to visit the school.

McCourty spent the morning cracking jokes, signing autographs, and most importantly encouraging the girls to follow their dreams.

Dont ever let anyones fears turn you away from a goal you want, McCourty told the group of seventy five middle school students.

And as the students start thinking about future, many of the girls thought McCourtys words of wisdom came at just the right time.

We're signing up for high schools now, said 8th grader Kianna Passley-Green. He basically told us to go for what we want and go for the schools we want to get into.

With a 100% graduation rate, the ladies at the Academy are already on the right track, but McCourty was happy to make the visit and hopes he can motivate the young women to finish the school year strong.

If you can inspire someone else and get them going, get them in the right direction, get them in a positive way, why not McCourty said.
The FBI's Boston Division is warning of a dramatic rise in business email compromise scams, saying $33 million has been stolen from 370 New England residents in the past three years alone.

The victims from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island have reported losses ranging from $500 to $5.9 million, with the average loss being $90,000. Globally, more than $3.1 billion in losses have been reported.

Annie Blatz is a real estate broker who has been targeted several times by business email compromise scams.

In one case an online scammer created an email address very similar to the agent and sent the buyer an urgent message.

"You feel totally violated. We had one case where $100,000 was stolen," Blatz said. "(they) requested they wire their money or purchases of a home to a different bank account than what we had previously given them. And the money went astray to some foreign account."

So far, the FBI's Boston Division has facilitated the return of about $13 million, with millions more frozen and in the process of being returned.

The FBI said this is one of the fastest-growing schemes they've seen in recent years.

"The perpetrators leave a long wake of financial and emotional damage, stealing money from businesses, leaving them unable to pay bills; and from families in the process of buying a home, all but erasing their dreams of home ownership," said Harold Shaw, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division.

According to the FBI, the scammers forge a company email or use social engineering to assume the identity of the CEO, a trusted vendor, or a person in a position of authority within the company. They research employees who manage money and then request a wire transfer to an account controlled by them. Common targets include real estate agents, title companies and atorneys in the midst of real estate transactions, bookkeepers, accountants, controllers and chief financial officers.

The scammers - believed to be members of international organized crime groups - primarily target businesses that work with foreign suppliers or regularly perform wire transfers.

Some individuals have reported being a victim of various cyber intrusions just before a business email compromise incident, often through a scam in which a victim receives an email from a seemingly legitimate source that contains a malicious link. Clicking on the link downloads malware, which gives the perpetrators access to the victim's data, including passwords or financial account information.

Anyone who thinks they might have been victimized by this type of scam is urged to contact their financial institution immediately and file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

"As devastating as this crime is, it's equally easy to thwart," Shaw said. "We must all develop the habit of verifying the authenticity of emailed requests to send money."
A Maine man is facing a slew of charges after leading New Hampshire State Police on a high speed chase in Antrim on Monday night.

Troopers responded to the incident at 10:13 p.m. after Antrim Police called for assistance when the driver of a pickup truck fled a traffic stop. Police said they initially stopped the driver for speeding on Route 9.

Police said the driver then took off and fled towards Interstate 89, reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. The driver continued southbound and was operating recklessly, passing vehicles in the right breakdown lane.

Police said the driver eventually lost control of the truck, striking two posts and the guardrail, and came to a rest in some snow. He then got out of the truck and fled on foot into the woods.

After establishing a perimeter, police sent in a K9 crew and located the man a short distance away.

The driver, identified as Joshua Young, 32, of Garland, Maine, was taken into custody.

Young was charged with two counts of disobeying a police officer, two counts of driving after suspension, reckless conduct, conduct after an accident, and aggravated driving under the influence.

Young is being held on $20,000 cash bail. He's scheduled to be arraigned on December 20 in the Hillsborough and Concord District Courts.
Edge computing today may be most simplistically defined as putting an extra layer of computing in the network between your smartphone and a centralized data center in the cloud for some optimizing purpose.

From this original, slightly narrow vision, there is still some ways to go before realizing full stack relocations (e.g., relocation of an entire web server) that will allow true service enablement just one hop away from the end user device. Obvious benefits of realizing this vision include reduced latency and backhaul capacity reduction, but I believe there will be more profound benefits to operators and service providers in terms of new business model enablement, too.

Software-ization will be the key enabler

Ubiquitous software-ization of the overall networking stack is the key to real edge computing. Software-ization will enable the envisioned full stack relocation through virtualization technologies such as NFV and platforms such as OpenStack. More so, the inevitable software-ization of the underlying transport networks will bring about dramatic change in the networking fabric that can be leveraged for flexible and early termination of services near the end user.

Specifically, the control and user plane separation enabled by software-defined networking (SDN) technologies provides the basis for novel services being implemented as simple software extensions on top of commodity SDN hardware. This world will decouple network service providers from vendors of equipment, very much like decoupling application providers today from those selling a smartphone or laptop.

Opportunity emerging for operators and service providers

The software-ization of the networking fabric in combination with NFV-managed computing infrastructure also creates new opportunities for operators by virtualizing key parts of the full network stack. While today, managed computing racks for major service providers such as Google, Akamai or the BBC need physical installation in key locations of the operator network as so-called points of presence, the increasing flexibility of the networking fabric will present an opportunity to move towards a model where operators can provide computing-as-a-service capabilities for any service provider, not just the major ones (Netflix, HBO, etc.).

Key to this is for operators to utilize their footprint in managed site infrastructures by installing and renting out computing capabilities based on common (NFV) platforms that run on COTS hardware near end users in, for example, eNodeB, Broadband Gateway or Customer Premise Equipment. With this capability, operators can expose an edge surrogacy service to anyone who provides HTTP-level services today, while meeting 5G KPI such as low latency or increased throughput. With that, any available and future internet service will effectively have been moved to as little as just one hop away.

The challenges in realizing full stack relocation

Relocating a full internet stack is challenging. First, IP connections need to be terminated flexibly and in places where current network architectures do not foresee such termination, such as within eNodeBs. This requires new approaches to routing, as well as mobility handling, since current anchor-based indirection approaches will not suffice in a world of highly mobile services and devices.

But relocating an entire stack needs to move beyond just IP. Particularly in the mobile network world, this also requires a rethinking of the current bearer-based connectivity model, which effectively establishes tunnels from one mobile network component to others. This highly inflexible approach causes overheads and delays. Beyond such core connectivity improvements, current HTTP-based web services will need to redirect requests to the nearest service endpoint, possibly just one hop away or located in a nearby mini data center.

Currently utilized DNS indirections do not meet the flexibility or the timing requirements required for real edge computing, where decisions on selecting service endpoints might be based on near real-time criteria such as network or server load. Solutions to those challenges currently being incubated in research and standardization communities must eventually integrate with the SDN-enabled transport networks that will ultimately proliferate in 5G mobile and fixed networks, while not overburdening the control and management for these solutions. This in itself calls for more innovation in self-management of networks, particularly at the edge.

A roadmap to the real edge: 3 steps

I see three steps as being key in the roadmap to realizing the real edge.

First, the discussions in the relevant forums need to evolve towards the full stack relocation vision that I outlined. We need to move beyond the small-step evolution that is embedded into todays network infrastructure vision where the access merely assists an end-to-end service from the users device to a remote data center.

Instead, the access network has to become a full member of the end-to-end view of the service with the possibility to fully terminate, as well as place a service as close as one hop away from the user.

Second, core enabling concepts need to be developed as concrete solutions that can be tested and pushed into standards. This early stage research, such as the EU-funded Horizon 2020 program, is happening right now in international 5G efforts, publicly as well as privately funded. It has led to key insights in the areas of SDN, NFV, flexible routing and service surrogacy, all being key enablers to real edge computing.

These early stage research efforts need to continue and graduate into early deployments and test beds. I am seeing this vision of edge computing coming to life within these communities.

Last but not least, this acceleration of research efforts needs to be aligned with necessary contributions to standards such as ETSI Mobile Edge Computing Phase 2 (due to start mid 2017), IETF and 3GPP, where key foundations for service indirection, control plane design and other important aspects for edge computing will be formalized.

In addition to standard bodies, governments are waking up to the readiness, as well as openness, of their national infrastructure that would enable novel and crucial services for a plethora of societal challenges. Real edge computing will play an important (perhaps not yet fully understood) role in this discussion regarding the future of the internet.
If two state representatives get their way and their newly proposed law moves forward, then people in South Carolina will be blocked from accessing online porn after purchasing a new device.

There are many missing pieces to fully explain how porn blocking would work under the Human Trafficking Prevent Act, and reading the bill doesnt make it any clearer. However, the bill sponsorsReps. Bill Chumley (R-Spartanburg) and Mike Burns (R-Greenville)wrote that porn is a public health hazard and viewing porn online has impacted the demand for human trafficking and prostitution.

They proposed a narrowly tailored, common sense filter system to stop South Carolinians from accessing porn on all computers, tablets and phones capable of internet access. Doing so, to the representatives way of thinking, would allegedly fight the demand for human trafficking and still manage to balance the consumers fundamental right to regulate his own mental health.

Chumley told GoUpstate, If we could have manufacturers install filters that would be shipped to South Carolina, then anything that children have access on for pornography would be blocked.

Deactivating the filter: pay fee and register

The proposed law says the filter can be deactivated after the consumer submits an ID proving he or she is at least 18, submits the request in writing, signs a written warning about the dangers of deactivating the porn block and pays a $20 digital access fee.

While Im not a fan of human trafficking or porn, it doesnt seem reasonable that people wanting access to it should go into a database somewhere in South Carolina after paying the porn-access fee.

Manufacturers or businesses selling computers dont get to pocket the $20 fee, as the digital access fee or the opt-out fee goes to the Attorney General to help fund the operations of the Human Trafficking Task Force and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Although the sellers of the devices going to or in South Carolina wont make any money for enabling an active and operating digital blocking capability that renders any obscenity, they are subject to criminal liability for failing to enable the porn-blocking filters.

Additionally, sellers of devices that can access the internet must make reasonable and ongoing efforts to make sure the obscenity-blocking filters function properly to ensure all child pornography and revenge pornography is inaccessible on the product and prohibit the product from accessing any hub that facilitates prostitution, as well as block websites that are known to facilitate any trafficking of persons.

Not only must the porn-blocking filter be enabled, but the business, manufacturer, wholesaler, or individual must also include a reporting mechanismbe it a website or call centerso consumers can report content that should be blocked, as well as blocked content that is not obscene. Any site that is blocked but should not be must be unblocked no later than five business days after it is reported.

Gizmodo wanted more details: Most importantly, how is this not an infringement on some pretty basic First Amendment rights? Yet the representatives blew off reporter Matt Novak when he tried to get answers.

Chumley described the bill as a beginning point, but changes may be made once the legislation is debated in a 2017 session. He told GoUpstate.com, Its where almost everybody has access to a computer now. Its porn on demand. We have to start somewhere.  Were bringing attention to it. Were not being political. Its an issue Im pretty passionate about.
In August, 2016 months of speculations ended when Rackspace announced that an investment management group would purchase the 18-year-old company. Rumors have been swirling that the company may be acquired, but instead Rackspace took the route that Dell, Riverbed and BMC have and went private.

The company has its roots in managed services, but in 2010 it partnered with NASA to create the OpenStack cloud computing project. Rackspace used the open source code to build an IaaS public cloud competitor to market-leader Amazon Web Services.

Taylor Rhodes

In recent years, most notably with the ascension of former Chief Customer Officer Taylor Rhodes to CEO in 2014, the company has pivoted toward helping customers manage their next-generation IT needs. That includes no longer competing with AWS, but helping customers use it.

IDG Chief Content Officer John Gallant and Network World Senior Editor Brandon Butler sat down with Rhodes to discuss the companys transition, its new corporate structure and the state of the cloud market.

Going private

I wanted to start off with the companys new corporate structure. Earlier this year, Rackspace announced that a private equity firm with ties to Appollo Global Management had acquired it. What was the reason for that move and what should customers know about how that will impact the company?

It is a very simple reason that we went private and that is Apollo recognizes that we are early innings in a massive shift out of the corporate data center and that becoming the managed service leader in this shift out of the corporate data center into multi-cloud is a long game. We need to be able to invest and double down for the long game. Its easier to do that as a privately held company then when youre on the 90-day shot clock on the Wall Street earnings calendar. The message for customers is weve now been bought by an owner who is 100 percent aligned with our strategy to lead managed services in the cloud and we are willing to invest in our product and our service offerings for the long term to win that race.

Rackspaces move to go private has taken place during a volatile time for the IT market. We saw Dell go private and then buy EMC. HP split up. Along with Rackspace, BMC and Riverbed also went private. In totality, what do these moves say about the state of the IT market?

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a colossal disrupter. If you think back in the history of time, you see these seismic changes like the industrial revolution and the early days of mainframe computing and then the internet. I would put Amazon into that category of disruption. What I think youve seen over the last five years is an enormous disruption of the traditional tech model that was driven by perpetual software licenses and maintenance agreements and selling branded servers and making money off of maintenance agreements around those. All of that has been displaced and disrupted by superior technology options oftentimes at a lower cost point inside of the hyperscale public cloud stacks.

That has created enormous disruption to business models, to revenue streams, to valuations. Of course when those things happen it opens up the model for consolidation, for financial sponsors to step in and buy those assets and work on making them more valuable again. Thats what I think has happened. Its very clear that in the early days that was a very disruptive force and now youre seeing companies marshal themselves and have to reorient on their strategy and really answer the question of where you create value in an Amazon or a hyperscale cloud world. How does that change your business model?

I want to make sure that readers really understand what you mean when you talk about being a managed service provider because thats a term that encompasses lots of different things. Can you outline exactly what that means for Rackspace?

First and foremost it is our conviction. The buying patterns in the market are that it is a multi-cloud world and so choice of infrastructure is critical. The first two buckets there are private cloud, or single tenant options, as well as public cloud options, and multiple of them. We offer management of AWS and Azure and we may add Google Cloud Platform in the future.

The first option that we discuss with CIOs is: Are you planning to outsource more over the next three years? More and more the answer to that is Yes, Im under pressure from the corporate boardroom on down to achieve lower cost and offer more nimble, agile and flexible IT models so Im planning to outsource to cloud.

The next conversation comes down to what is core to your business? Is having to hire, certify and engage AWS architects, Azure cloud engineers and experts in VMware and OpenStack core to your business, or do you find those skill sets harder to find, secure and retain? If those skills are important but theyre not making you more differentiated then you should be thinking about using a specialist who has thousands of people who can deliver these services at a better cost to you. Then you proceed into other critical elements like, cybersecurity.

We talk a lot to CIOs about who is best positioned to be your SOC, your security operations center. We get to aggregate a lot of knowledge and expertise and visibility across thousands of customers and build the combination software/hardware and services around cybersecurity at scale so that our customers dont have to invest in all of that capability for themselves. We then get into the conversation around which workload is best for what type of an environment.

When youre talking about your e-commerce and digital marketing assets its a different conversation compared to talking about your back office ERP systems. Were able to match the workload with the best infrastructure solution and then wrap that in value-added services like managed security and deliver that as a fully managed service with SLAs that are clearly articulated and industry-leading. Those are the types of conversations that we have.

Does that mean that youre targeting more of a midmarket to small market as opposed to larger enterprises, which probably have the resources to do those kinds of things?

Today, we serve over 60 percent of the Fortune 500, but we tend to be a specialist there. Instead of coming in to replace your entire IT estate, we tend to do business with companies, like TD Bank for instance, that are looking for a very deliberate private cloud strategy. Maybe theyre considering whats next after VMware or they have chosen OpenStack as a platform and theyre looking for some help to build, operate and secure a private IaaS environment.

Dont think of us as coming to convince you to do a big ITO (IT outsourcing). Were specialists in particular areas for Fortune 500s who are trying to drive change and that change in their business model and their IT strategy. As you get further down into what I call Fortune 501, into the midmarket, we tend to be what I would call a broader solution provider. Thats where you find CIOs who feel an enormous pressure to decide whether to use AWS or Azure and figure out how to make that work with current systems. We tend to become a broader solution provider for that lower end enterprise and midmarket customer.
Microsoft couldnt get out of its culturally-clueless way in 2016. Samsung apologized over and over for its flaming Note7 fiasco. HP, T-Mobile, Facebook and pretty much every other big name in tech was forced to issue a public apology or more during the year, as public relations pros earned their money (or not) to salvage their employer or clients reputation  for the time being. You wont be sorry for taking a spin through this collection of corporate apologies from the tech world.

MORE: Heres a look back at our past Sorriest Tech Companies lists: | | |

MORE: Network World editors' dramatic readings of tech vendors' public apologies

Samsung: Sorry for Galaxy Note 7 smartphone battery woes

Samsungs phenomenal phablet flame-out with its Galaxy Note 7 (documented in our timeline here), which overheated and even burst into flames due to a lithium ion battery problem, easily qualifies as the years biggest tech screw-up. Apple, late-night comics and others rejoiced, while Android fans went through the painful process of returning their recalled phones.

Samsung issued an apology in November on its website and took out full-page advertisements in major U.S. newspapers reading: "An important tenet of our mission is to offer best-in-class safety and quality. Recently, we fell short on this promise. For this we are truly sorry. A careful Note 7 investigation is underway and the findings will be shared when the process is complete...We will re-examine every aspect of the device, including all hardware, software, manufacturing and the overall battery structure. We will move as quickly as possible, but will take the time needed to get the right answers."

Evernote: We messed up, in no uncertain terms on proposed privacy policy

Evernote in December informed customers of its organization app that it was going to start allowing employees to read some of their notes in the interest of training its machine learning algorithms, but that proved not to be a smart move. Customer outrage led to CEO Chris ONeill having the company reverse course, and only allow note reading on an opt-in basis. We announced a change to our privacy policy that made it seem like we didnt care about the privacy of our customers or their notes. This was not our intent, and our customers let us know that we messed up, in no uncertain terms. We heard them, and were taking immediate action to fix it, said ONeill. We are excited about what we can offer Evernote customers thanks to the use of machine learning, but we must ask for permission, not assume we have it. Were sorry we disappointed our customers, and we are reviewing our entire privacy policy because of this.

Apple: Error 53 on iPhones

Its not easy squeezing out a mea culpa from Apple (like with the Multi-Touch issues reported with the iPhone 6 Plus, the company was quick to note this could be caused by customers dropping their phones multiple times on a hard surface). But the company did acknowledge in February that customers seeing Error 53 on their phones was indeed a flaw: Some customers devices are showing Connect to iTunes after attempting an iOS update or a restore from iTunes on a Mac or PC. This reports as an Error 53 in iTunes and appears when a device fails a security test. This test was designed to check whether Touch ID works properly before the device leaves the factory.

Today, Apple released a software update that allows customers who have encountered this error message to successfully restore their device using iTunes on a Mac or PC.

We apologize for any inconvenience, this was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers. Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on this issue should contact AppleCare about a reimbursement.

Facebook's killer glitch

Talk about fake news. A Facebook glitch in November converted about 2 million living peoples pages into memorialized ones remembering the individuals. Even Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergs profile fell victim to the problem. Facebook apologized: For a brief period today, a message meant for memorialized pages was mistakenly posted to other accounts. This was a terrible error that we have now fixed. We are very sorry that this happened and we worked as quickly as possible to fix it.

T-Mobile: Binge On crow

T-Mobile CEO John Legere () issued an open letter to consumers in January about its Binge On feature for enabling streaming video through selected providers such as YouTube, HBO etc., without it counting against your high-speed data allotment. In his letter aimed at clarifying what he termed a convoluted discussion, Legere specifically apologizes to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which deems part of Binge on as a net neutrality-threatening and indiscriminate throttler of video, and its supporters. Legere wrote in part: Look, by now you know that I am a vocal, animated and sometimes foul mouthed CEO. I dont filter myself and you know that no one at T-Mobile filters me either (no, they dont even try). That means I will sometimes incite a bit of a social media riot, but Im not going to apologize for that. I will however apologize for offending EFF and its supporters. Just because we dont completely agree on all aspects of Binge On doesnt mean I dont see how they fight for consumers. We both agree that it is important to protect consumers' rights and to give consumers value. We have that in common, so more power to them. As I mentioned last week, we look forward to sitting down and talking with the EFF and that is a step we will definitely take. Unfortunately, my color commentary from last week is now drowning out the real value of Binge On  so hopefully this letter will help make that clear again.

HP contorts itself into issuing apology over printer update

HP got called out by the EFF in September for disguising a way to block users of Officejet Pro printers from using unapproved ink cartridges as a security update. That prompted HP to sort of apologize via a blog post titled Dedicated to the best printing experience, in which it assured us of its transparency in all of our communications. HP emphasized its controversy firmware update was made with the utmost attention to protecting customers from counterfeiters, etc. We should have done a better job of communicating about the authentication procedure to customers, and we apologize. Although only a small number of customers have been affected, one customer who has a poor experience is one too many.

It is important to understand that all third-party cartridges with original HP security chips continue to function properly. As a remedy for the small number of affected customers, we have issued an optional firmware update that removes the dynamic security feature.

Microsoft: Culture cringe

Microsoft has had its issues in 2016 trying to be cool, and missing badly. There was the company recruiter in July who tried to woo millennials via millennial speak to an Internapalooza event, including Bae Intern! <3, hella noms, lots of dranks, the best beats and Hell yes to getting lit on a Monday night (The company issued a statement to Gizmodo: "The email was poorly worded and not in keeping with our values as a company. We are looking into how this occurred and will take appropriate steps to address it."

In March, the companys AI-powered Tay chatbot, within a day of being launched, was trained by internet trolls to spew racist and misogynist language before being shuttered (We are deeply sorry for the unintended offensive and hurtful tweets from Tay, which do not represent who we are or what we stand for, nor how we designed Tay.). Oh, and then there were the go-go dancers at an Xbox developers party in San Fran.

Huawei: photography trick

Huawei over the summer issued an apology after promoting the photo-taking capabilities of its P9 smartphonewith a photo taken on a professional camera. After boasting on Google+ that the phone makes taking photos in low-light conditions like this a pleasure, the company was outed by metadata that showed the Canon camera equipment really used to take the shot. In a statement issued to the Android Police blog, Huawei wrote: We recognize though that we should have been clearer with the captions for this image. It was never our intention to mislead. We apologize for this and we have removed the image.

Salesforce: CEO reaches out during outage

Salesforce had plenty of company on the service/network outage front during 2016 (AWS, Comcast, Google, Level 3, Slack), but in an unusual twist, CEO Marc Benioff in May took to Twitter to apologize to customers and offer his help. An example: @john011001100 I am sorry for our service disruption on NA14 please email me ceo@salesforce.com so we can call you @parkerharris Salesforce said the over 12 hours disruption resulted from a database failure in the NA14 instance in North America. Business Insider reported that the NA14 outage became a meme, fueled by Benioffs tweets.

Google: April Fools Mic Drop joke

Google generally has a much better batting average on April Fools jokes than the many other brands that feel obligated to torture our funny bones online every April 1. But Google pulled the plug on its Mic Drop trick, which was a gmail option that allowed you to reply to a conversation and immediately archive it, so that it would disappear from your inbox. It was too subtle for most, as colleague Jon Gold wrote. Google wrote to users: Well, it looks like we pranked ourselves this year.  Due to a bug, the Mic Drop feature inadvertently caused more headaches than laughs. Were truly sorry. The feature has been turned off. If you are still seeing it, please reload your Gmail page.

IBM: Unreservedly sorry about botched census website

IBM didnt fully take the blame for Australias first nationwide online census getting knocked offline for almost two days due to denial-of-service attacks  it pointed fingers at a couple of subcontractors  but an IBM executive did tell the government that ultimately the buck stopped at Big Blue. An IBM executive said he apologized unreservedly for the outcome, which was to result in a settlement.

Snapchat: Impossibly sorry over identity leak

Snapchat parent Snap apologized in February after an employee fell for a phishing scam that wound up revealing payroll info about some of the companys employees. Team Snapchat blogged: The good news is that our servers were not breached, and our users data was totally unaffected by this. The bad news is that a number of our employees have now had their identity compromised. And for that, were just impossibly sorry.

GitHub: Were sorry

The code-sharing site in February published a  what else  open letter to its community apologizing for ignoring developers suggestions for improving the repository hosting service. We hear you and were sorry. Weve been slow to respond to your letter and slow to respond to your frustrations. Were working hard to fix this. Over the next few weeks well begin releasing a number of improvements to issues, many of which will address the specific concerns raised in the letter. But were not going to stop there. Well continue to focus on Issues moving forward by adding new features, responding to feedback, and iterating on the core experience. Weve also got a few surprises in store.

Frontier: Problems from transition of Verizon properties

Frontier in April apologized for the outages and service problems customers were suffering in California, Florida and Texas as the carrier transitioned customers from Verizons DSL, FiOS and landline network to its own. DSL Reports published a statement from Frontier that read: Given the size and scope of this transaction, some of our customers experienced service disruptions. This is not the result we intended, and we apologize to our customers experiencing any problems."
Oindrila Sarkar By

Express News Service

BENGALURU : Demonetisation is believed to be pushing the boundaries of digitisation, making the economy paperless and dependant on the Internet. But what about the status of the governments pet project under the Digital India Initiative  The National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) or Bharat Net, estimated to cost `70,000 crores approximately.



Data reveals that only 26 per cent Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been laid with optical fibre and only 6 per cent have been GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Networks) integrated and tested as of December 4, 2016.

Bharat Net was conceived as the worlds largest rural broadband connectivity project, with an aim of connecting 2,50,000 GPs in India with a bandwidth of 100 Mbps, to be completed by December 2016. However, only 64,955 GPs have been laid with optical fibre.



NOFN is a critical piece of infrastructure without which we just cannot move towards digital India. Its now on track and will be complementary to policies being rolled out, said Jaijit Bhattacharya, President, Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research and Partner, KPMG.



Despite more than half the project remaining incomplete, the government has gone ahead with its drive to limit use of cash and promote e-transactions.



Bharat Net is an important and ambitious project riddled with problems. The government has miscalculated the effectiveness of BSNL to deliver on this project. They have not involved players who would be more competent, said Mahesh Uppal, a telecom expert who had extensively contributed in the creation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). There has also not been any effort to find out how last mile access will be delivered.



After the Panchayat there can be anything between 1-25 km before it reaches end users and most of those who could have been potential partners are not sufficiently engaged. There are many other issues limiting take-off, he said.

BENGALURU : Demonetisation is believed to be pushing the boundaries of digitisation, making the economy paperless and dependant on the Internet. But what about the status of the governments pet project under the Digital India Initiative  The National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) or Bharat Net, estimated to cost `70,000 crores approximately. Data reveals that only 26 per cent Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been laid with optical fibre and only 6 per cent have been GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Networks) integrated and tested as of December 4, 2016. Bharat Net was conceived as the worlds largest rural broadband connectivity project, with an aim of connecting 2,50,000 GPs in India with a bandwidth of 100 Mbps, to be completed by December 2016. However, only 64,955 GPs have been laid with optical fibre. NOFN is a critical piece of infrastructure without which we just cannot move towards digital India. Its now on track and will be complementary to policies being rolled out, said Jaijit Bhattacharya, President, Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research and Partner, KPMG. Despite more than half the project remaining incomplete, the government has gone ahead with its drive to limit use of cash and promote e-transactions. Bharat Net is an important and ambitious project riddled with problems. The government has miscalculated the effectiveness of BSNL to deliver on this project. They have not involved players who would be more competent, said Mahesh Uppal, a telecom expert who had extensively contributed in the creation of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). There has also not been any effort to find out how last mile access will be delivered. After the Panchayat there can be anything between 1-25 km before it reaches end users and most of those who could have been potential partners are not sufficiently engaged. There are many other issues limiting take-off, he said.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU : Construction no longer needs to be delayed due to labour problems or extra expenses, if the right technology is adopted. Aiming at speeding up construction and increasing precision, KEF Infra, a subsidiary of Dubai-based KEF Holdings, launched the KEF Infra One Industrial Park at Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu on Monday.



The offsite manufacturing park, spread across one million sq ft and with an investment of 650 crore, will work at manufacturing components such as beams, walls, staircases, windows, doors, columns, etc. that can be shipped to the destination, with only the assembly left to be done.



Offsite manufacturing comes with three assurances: speed -- saving nearly half the time, lower costs and higher precision as components are manufactured on an assembly line. Since structures are tested for seismic conditions, they are stronger, KEF Infra CEO Sumesh Sachar said.



Meanwhile, Faizal E Kottikollon, Chairman, KEF Holdings said the country was on the cusp of growth and KEF aimed at fastforwarding progress. Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy, who was also present, said that if India wants to be seen as a powerful country, we must build visible signs of progress and quickly.



KEF Infra has already been involved with several projects. It helped refurbish a government high school in Kozhikode, Kerala during just one summer, has helped Infosys develop their office in Electronics City Phase II and constructed a clock tower in its Mysore campus, set to be the worlds tallest clock tower (built using offsite technology). It has built two basement floors of 206,800 sq ft in two months as part of Embassy 7B, a ten-floor office space and is working with Meitra Hospital, Kozhikode, on a 205 bed facility (with expansion capacity to 500) which is expected to be launched in 2017.



The time scheduled for completion of this project is 21 months, which according to the companys statement is half the time taken in the traditional construction process.

BENGALURU : Construction no longer needs to be delayed due to labour problems or extra expenses, if the right technology is adopted. Aiming at speeding up construction and increasing precision, KEF Infra, a subsidiary of Dubai-based KEF Holdings, launched the KEF Infra One Industrial Park at Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu on Monday. The offsite manufacturing park, spread across one million sq ft and with an investment of 650 crore, will work at manufacturing components such as beams, walls, staircases, windows, doors, columns, etc. that can be shipped to the destination, with only the assembly left to be done. Offsite manufacturing comes with three assurances: speed -- saving nearly half the time, lower costs and higher precision as components are manufactured on an assembly line. Since structures are tested for seismic conditions, they are stronger, KEF Infra CEO Sumesh Sachar said. Meanwhile, Faizal E Kottikollon, Chairman, KEF Holdings said the country was on the cusp of growth and KEF aimed at fastforwarding progress. Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy, who was also present, said that if India wants to be seen as a powerful country, we must build visible signs of progress and quickly. KEF Infra has already been involved with several projects. It helped refurbish a government high school in Kozhikode, Kerala during just one summer, has helped Infosys develop their office in Electronics City Phase II and constructed a clock tower in its Mysore campus, set to be the worlds tallest clock tower (built using offsite technology). It has built two basement floors of 206,800 sq ft in two months as part of Embassy 7B, a ten-floor office space and is working with Meitra Hospital, Kozhikode, on a 205 bed facility (with expansion capacity to 500) which is expected to be launched in 2017. The time scheduled for completion of this project is 21 months, which according to the companys statement is half the time taken in the traditional construction process.
By IANS

MUMBAI: Weak global indices, coupled with foreign fund outflows and rupee depreciation, dragged the Indian equity markets lower on Tuesday.



The key indices provisionally closed on a flat note -- marginally in the red, as heavy selling pressure was witnessed in banking, healthcare and automobile stocks.



The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) slipped by 21.95 points or 0.27 per cent to 8,082.40 points.



The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 26,374.56 points, provisionally closed at 26,307.98 points (at 3.30 p.m.) -- down 66.72 points or 0.25 per cent from the previous close at 26,374.70 points.



The Sensex touched a high of 26,435.56 points and a low of 26,241.43 points during the intra-day trade.



The BSE market breadth was skewed in favour of the bears -- with 1,756 declines and 850 advances.



On Monday, the barometer index had closed lower by 114.86 points or 0.43 per cent, while the NSE Nifty inched down by 35.10 points or 0.43 per cent.

MUMBAI: Weak global indices, coupled with foreign fund outflows and rupee depreciation, dragged the Indian equity markets lower on Tuesday. The key indices provisionally closed on a flat note -- marginally in the red, as heavy selling pressure was witnessed in banking, healthcare and automobile stocks. The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) slipped by 21.95 points or 0.27 per cent to 8,082.40 points. The barometer 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 26,374.56 points, provisionally closed at 26,307.98 points (at 3.30 p.m.) -- down 66.72 points or 0.25 per cent from the previous close at 26,374.70 points. The Sensex touched a high of 26,435.56 points and a low of 26,241.43 points during the intra-day trade. The BSE market breadth was skewed in favour of the bears -- with 1,756 declines and 850 advances. On Monday, the barometer index had closed lower by 114.86 points or 0.43 per cent, while the NSE Nifty inched down by 35.10 points or 0.43 per cent.
Pramod Thomas By

Express News Service

KOCHI : With oil prices rising again, India is set to start bearing the burden of importing costlier oil. This, say experts, is why the time is ripe for taking domestic shale oil exploration and production more seriously.



Even though there have been severe protests, ONGC and Oil India Limited are already undertaking assessments in 56 regions for shale gas and oil.

In order to promote exploration and exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, the central government has also recently approved a Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) wherein companies can explore and produce all kind of hydrocarbons under a single license.



To exploit shale gas and oil, the government on October 14, 2013 announced policy guidelines for Exploration and Exploitation of Shale Gas and Oil by National Oil Companies... In pursuance of this Policy, under the first phase of assessment, ONGC has identified and initiated shale gas and oil exploration activities in 50 areas; and OIL has identified and initiated shale gas exploration activities in 6 areas, said Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan in Lok Sabha.



So far, ONGC has drilled 20 assessment wells for shale gas and oil. OIL has completed geological and geophysical studies and geochemical analysis in its identified areas. Further, OIL has even completed the conventional core in one well in Rajasthan.



The US Energy Information Administration, in a 2013 assessment of global shale gas reserves, estimated India has 96 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas reserves. Even though shale gas exploitation has met with protests in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, experts point out that it is high time India continued with its efforts.



Crude oil prices have been rising for the past few weeks and it will continue to increase in the near future. The issue with our country is that we think about exploitation only when oil bills start to hurt us. There should be a policy which takes people into consideration and also promotes oil and gas exploration, said M P Sukumaran Nair, Director, Centre for Green Technology and Management, an energy expert.



The situation is similar globally. In 2000, shale gas comprised only one per cent of US natural gas production. By 2010, this was over 20 per cent and the US governments Energy Information Administration predicts that by 2035, 46 per cent of its natural gas supply will come from shale gas. China is estimated to have the worlds largest shale gas reserves

KOCHI : With oil prices rising again, India is set to start bearing the burden of importing costlier oil. This, say experts, is why the time is ripe for taking domestic shale oil exploration and production more seriously. Even though there have been severe protests, ONGC and Oil India Limited are already undertaking assessments in 56 regions for shale gas and oil. In order to promote exploration and exploitation of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, the central government has also recently approved a Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP) wherein companies can explore and produce all kind of hydrocarbons under a single license. To exploit shale gas and oil, the government on October 14, 2013 announced policy guidelines for Exploration and Exploitation of Shale Gas and Oil by National Oil Companies... In pursuance of this Policy, under the first phase of assessment, ONGC has identified and initiated shale gas and oil exploration activities in 50 areas; and OIL has identified and initiated shale gas exploration activities in 6 areas, said Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan in Lok Sabha. So far, ONGC has drilled 20 assessment wells for shale gas and oil. OIL has completed geological and geophysical studies and geochemical analysis in its identified areas. Further, OIL has even completed the conventional core in one well in Rajasthan. The US Energy Information Administration, in a 2013 assessment of global shale gas reserves, estimated India has 96 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas reserves. Even though shale gas exploitation has met with protests in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, experts point out that it is high time India continued with its efforts. Crude oil prices have been rising for the past few weeks and it will continue to increase in the near future. The issue with our country is that we think about exploitation only when oil bills start to hurt us. There should be a policy which takes people into consideration and also promotes oil and gas exploration, said M P Sukumaran Nair, Director, Centre for Green Technology and Management, an energy expert. The situation is similar globally. In 2000, shale gas comprised only one per cent of US natural gas production. By 2010, this was over 20 per cent and the US governments Energy Information Administration predicts that by 2035, 46 per cent of its natural gas supply will come from shale gas. China is estimated to have the worlds largest shale gas reserves
By IANS

NEW DELHI: There was no respite in sight for cash-strapped people on Monday as queues outside banks and ATMs for withdrawing money continued across the city with rising anger and pain.

An IANS correspondent who visited about 10 banks and ATMs across the city, found over 150 people outside Punjab National Bank and State Bank of India in Kalkaji area of south Delhi.

Similar conditions were witnessed outside the Indian Overseas Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank in Preet Vihar area in east Delhi.

Jaswant Sharma, a security guard with a law firm and resident of Kalkaji extension, told IANS: "Since the day I got my salary I am looking for an ATM to withdraw some cash. Three of my attempts have gone in vein as the ATM machine runs out of cash before my turn comes.

Asked if he supports the government's move of scrapping the old Rs 500 and 1,000 notes, Sharma said: "I have nothing to do with the government decision, I just want to withdraw some cash as I am left with only Rs 10 in my pocket. Cash is the necessity."

"I have borrowed the bicycle from one of my friend to reach here," he rued.

There were around 300 people outside the Yes Bank and HDFC ATM kiosk in Kalkaji area around 12.30 a.m. which was dispensing cash till early morning.

Balkishan, a lawyer who had arrived at the ATM to withdraw cash with his 12-year-old son, told IANS: "At most of the places people in the queues do not allow withdrawal from multiple cards. So I have come with my son to withdraw money from two cards."

"We cannot stand in bank or ATM queue everyday, what comes in mere Rs 2,500," he asked.

However, similar situation was witnessed outside the banks on Monday morning, which opened after Sunday. Hundreds of people were seen waiting for their turn.

Balwinder Singh, a resident of South Extension Part II who was standing outside Punjab National Bank in south Delhi, told IANS: "It is completely mismanaged show."

"The government has made the middle and working class people suffer. Today I have skipped my office for the third time since demonetisation to withdraw cash."

"Is government going to pay me for the days I have skipped my office to withdraw some cash?" he said.

Echoing similar opinion, Neha Sharma, an IT professional working with an MNC in Noida, said: "We cannot skip office everytime by giving the excuse that we need to withdraw some cash."

"The government has set the limit of Rs 24,000 a week, but the bank officials are only giving Rs 4,000," she rued.

"How do we manage our expenses for whole month in just Rs 4,000," she asked.

Serpentine queues have been witnessed across the country after the government's November 8 decision to spike higher currency notes to curb "black money and corruption".



NEW DELHI: There was no respite in sight for cash-strapped people on Monday as queues outside banks and ATMs for withdrawing money continued across the city with rising anger and pain. An IANS correspondent who visited about 10 banks and ATMs across the city, found over 150 people outside Punjab National Bank and State Bank of India in Kalkaji area of south Delhi. Similar conditions were witnessed outside the Indian Overseas Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank in Preet Vihar area in east Delhi. Jaswant Sharma, a security guard with a law firm and resident of Kalkaji extension, told IANS: "Since the day I got my salary I am looking for an ATM to withdraw some cash. Three of my attempts have gone in vein as the ATM machine runs out of cash before my turn comes. Asked if he supports the government's move of scrapping the old Rs 500 and 1,000 notes, Sharma said: "I have nothing to do with the government decision, I just want to withdraw some cash as I am left with only Rs 10 in my pocket. Cash is the necessity." "I have borrowed the bicycle from one of my friend to reach here," he rued. There were around 300 people outside the Yes Bank and HDFC ATM kiosk in Kalkaji area around 12.30 a.m. which was dispensing cash till early morning. Balkishan, a lawyer who had arrived at the ATM to withdraw cash with his 12-year-old son, told IANS: "At most of the places people in the queues do not allow withdrawal from multiple cards. So I have come with my son to withdraw money from two cards." "We cannot stand in bank or ATM queue everyday, what comes in mere Rs 2,500," he asked. However, similar situation was witnessed outside the banks on Monday morning, which opened after Sunday. Hundreds of people were seen waiting for their turn. Balwinder Singh, a resident of South Extension Part II who was standing outside Punjab National Bank in south Delhi, told IANS: "It is completely mismanaged show." "The government has made the middle and working class people suffer. Today I have skipped my office for the third time since demonetisation to withdraw cash." "Is government going to pay me for the days I have skipped my office to withdraw some cash?" he said. Echoing similar opinion, Neha Sharma, an IT professional working with an MNC in Noida, said: "We cannot skip office everytime by giving the excuse that we need to withdraw some cash." "The government has set the limit of Rs 24,000 a week, but the bank officials are only giving Rs 4,000," she rued. "How do we manage our expenses for whole month in just Rs 4,000," she asked. Serpentine queues have been witnessed across the country after the government's November 8 decision to spike higher currency notes to curb "black money and corruption".
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: K G Halli police who investigated an alleged sexual assault on the 5-year-old girl at the school premise found that it was a freak case and her male classmate in LKG had pierced a pencil on her private part.

Senior police officials who examined the CCTV footage came to conclusion that it was not a sexual assault. The incident took place on Monday before she left the school at Nagawara. After reaching home she complained about pain to her parents and she was taken to Bowring Hospital. The doctor who examined her alerted KG Halli police it is a case of Medico Legal Case (MLC). Based on the medical tests, police immediately probed the case and after thorough investigation they chanced upon CCTV footage of approximately six minutes that revealed the girl and the boy fighting each other and the boy piercing a pencil.

The parents who also watched the CCTV footage were also convinced themselves it was not a case of POCSO. The school has proper security arrangements and CCTV camera has been fixed at many locations including classroom and it helped the investigation. Based on the investigation we are going to report the same to court, the police added.

BENGALURU: K G Halli police who investigated an alleged sexual assault on the 5-year-old girl at the school premise found that it was a freak case and her male classmate in LKG had pierced a pencil on her private part. Senior police officials who examined the CCTV footage came to conclusion that it was not a sexual assault. The incident took place on Monday before she left the school at Nagawara. After reaching home she complained about pain to her parents and she was taken to Bowring Hospital. The doctor who examined her alerted KG Halli police it is a case of Medico Legal Case (MLC). Based on the medical tests, police immediately probed the case and after thorough investigation they chanced upon CCTV footage of approximately six minutes that revealed the girl and the boy fighting each other and the boy piercing a pencil. The parents who also watched the CCTV footage were also convinced themselves it was not a case of POCSO. The school has proper security arrangements and CCTV camera has been fixed at many locations including classroom and it helped the investigation. Based on the investigation we are going to report the same to court, the police added.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A 5-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by an unidentified person in the school premises at Nagawara in KG Halli police station limits in Bengaluru.



Based on the complaint by the parents, KG Halli police filed a case under POCSO and it is alleged that the LKG student was sexually assaulted on Monday afternoon. Upon reaching home later in the evening, she complained to her parent about some pain at her private part.

She was immediately taken to a private hospital where she was examined and it was discovered that she was sexually assaulted.



Speaking to Express, the school authorities said they examined CCTV footage and rejected any possibility of any such incident happening on the school premises.

Some people, who do not tolerate the growth of the school are making such false allegations, the school staffer said. We have given all details to the police and they are investigating it,'' they added.



Investigations are on, said the police.



BENGALURU: A 5-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by an unidentified person in the school premises at Nagawara in KG Halli police station limits in Bengaluru. Based on the complaint by the parents, KG Halli police filed a case under POCSO and it is alleged that the LKG student was sexually assaulted on Monday afternoon. Upon reaching home later in the evening, she complained to her parent about some pain at her private part. She was immediately taken to a private hospital where she was examined and it was discovered that she was sexually assaulted. Speaking to Express, the school authorities said they examined CCTV footage and rejected any possibility of any such incident happening on the school premises. Some people, who do not tolerate the growth of the school are making such false allegations, the school staffer said. We have given all details to the police and they are investigating it,'' they added. Investigations are on, said the police.
By Agencies

CHENNAI: On the final day of the India International Regatta, the race committee was welcomed with challenging conditions as the wind from the north by east went gusting 18-20 knots coupled with huge swells in the sea. The day, that started off early, saw two races for all the classes with the optimist green fleet sailing just one within the port, owing to the challenging conditions.

Ramadhan Tito from Indonesia emerged the winner of the optimist main fleet, which was the largest fleet with 67 sailors. Saranwong Poopat was favoured by the winds again on Monday as he rose to the second position after getting the gun in both the races resulting in fellow Thai sailor Panwa Boonak moving down to the third place.

Indonesian sailor Samsaurdi who has been on the top of the charts since day one emerged the winner in the Laser 4.7 class followed by Nancy Highfield from Hong Kong. Highfield, who was happy to have bagged the silver in the overall was comfortable sailing in the challenging conditions today my best races were today, hiking upwind was a little tiring nevertheless I am glad it is over, she said. Koteshwar Rao replaced Ram Milan Yadav in the third place, bagging the bronze. Aniketh Rajaram of the TNSA who had a great day in these conditions with 2 third place finishes, just missed the podium on the national medals.

Indias ace sailor, Vishnu Saravanan from Trishna Sailing Club, who had been leading the laser radial class since day got the gun in one of the two races today, thereby sealing his position for the gold Christopher Bezy from Hong Kong got the gun in one race and finished third in another, pushing Indian sailor Rishab Nayar to the third place thereby taking home the silver. It was really nice, the conditions were pretty windy and it was good, he said delighted to head home, but at the same time having fallen in love with the conditions here.

Anand Thakur and Pradeep Thakur, who were leading the 29er open category throughout won the class having got the gun in all the races except two. The same was the case with sailors Aryaman Dutta and Vishnu Sujeesh who won the 420 open categories.

Dayne Coehlo who was leading the RS1 class from day one was the undisputed winner of the class. Having enjoyed the challenging conditions here today, he said: This is my favourite kind of condition and I am a little sad that we had just two races today. The event was a huge success thanks to the excellent organising committee. Despite the challenges faced both at sea and land, the races were all conducted as per schedule and the event went as planned.

CHENNAI: On the final day of the India International Regatta, the race committee was welcomed with challenging conditions as the wind from the north by east went gusting 18-20 knots coupled with huge swells in the sea. The day, that started off early, saw two races for all the classes with the optimist green fleet sailing just one within the port, owing to the challenging conditions. Ramadhan Tito from Indonesia emerged the winner of the optimist main fleet, which was the largest fleet with 67 sailors. Saranwong Poopat was favoured by the winds again on Monday as he rose to the second position after getting the gun in both the races resulting in fellow Thai sailor Panwa Boonak moving down to the third place. Indonesian sailor Samsaurdi who has been on the top of the charts since day one emerged the winner in the Laser 4.7 class followed by Nancy Highfield from Hong Kong. Highfield, who was happy to have bagged the silver in the overall was comfortable sailing in the challenging conditions today my best races were today, hiking upwind was a little tiring nevertheless I am glad it is over, she said. Koteshwar Rao replaced Ram Milan Yadav in the third place, bagging the bronze. Aniketh Rajaram of the TNSA who had a great day in these conditions with 2 third place finishes, just missed the podium on the national medals. Indias ace sailor, Vishnu Saravanan from Trishna Sailing Club, who had been leading the laser radial class since day got the gun in one of the two races today, thereby sealing his position for the gold Christopher Bezy from Hong Kong got the gun in one race and finished third in another, pushing Indian sailor Rishab Nayar to the third place thereby taking home the silver. It was really nice, the conditions were pretty windy and it was good, he said delighted to head home, but at the same time having fallen in love with the conditions here. Anand Thakur and Pradeep Thakur, who were leading the 29er open category throughout won the class having got the gun in all the races except two. The same was the case with sailors Aryaman Dutta and Vishnu Sujeesh who won the 420 open categories. Dayne Coehlo who was leading the RS1 class from day one was the undisputed winner of the class. Having enjoyed the challenging conditions here today, he said: This is my favourite kind of condition and I am a little sad that we had just two races today. The event was a huge success thanks to the excellent organising committee. Despite the challenges faced both at sea and land, the races were all conducted as per schedule and the event went as planned.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized 85.58 lakhs imported cigarette sticks estimated to be worth Rs 10 crore.

The cigarettes were concealed in a 40 feet-long container and declared as packing material. The consignment was imported from Singapore at Inland Container Depot (ICD), Tughlaqabad, Delhi.

The seized cigarettes were of various brands including Gudang Garam International, Djarum Black and Red Black Clove.The cigarette packs did not carry the mandatory statutory health warning. As per the rules, 85 percent of the surface area of the cigarette packs as required to cover health warning.

The case is under investigation, an agency release said.

NEW DELHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday seized 85.58 lakhs imported cigarette sticks estimated to be worth Rs 10 crore. The cigarettes were concealed in a 40 feet-long container and declared as packing material. The consignment was imported from Singapore at Inland Container Depot (ICD), Tughlaqabad, Delhi. The seized cigarettes were of various brands including Gudang Garam International, Djarum Black and Red Black Clove.The cigarette packs did not carry the mandatory statutory health warning. As per the rules, 85 percent of the surface area of the cigarette packs as required to cover health warning. The case is under investigation, an agency release said.
Jayendra Chaithanya T By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: A short while after Yasin Bhatkal and his co-accused in the Dilsukhnagar twin bomb blast case reportedly informed the special court of National Investigation Agency that they do not have faith in the court, his younger brother Abdul Samad hailed the Indian Mujahideen operative (accused number 2 in the blasts that killed 18 and injured 131) as innocent.

Speaking to Express over phone, Samad claimed that Yasin had told him about a suspected conspiracy in the trial. Yasin smelled a rat about the fast-paced trial that took place in the case by setting up a special NIA Court, he claimed.

Caption

Reacting on the judgment, Abdul Samad said, We do not believe in the judgment given by the NIA Court which has acted hand-in-glove with the investigation agency. We still do not understand for what reasons my brother has been charged with. The NIA only said that Yasin was not in Hyderabad when blasts occurred. Then how can he be part of the blasts? A day before he (Yasin) and others were convicted, I met my brother. He always claimed innocence.

Waiting to file a plea in the higher court to appeal against the punishment awarded to his brother, Samad said, We will file a petition in the High Court against the judgment given by the NIA court. We still believe that Yasin does not have any connection with what has happened. The NIAs claims of Yasin being part of conspiracy are false. Defense lawyer Mahadevan told Express, I am filing an appeal before the High Court after obtaining certified copy of the judgment given today. I have received instructions to file the same from the convicts and also their relatives.

Convicts write letter to court

After the court sentenced the accused, the convicts were given a chance to speak for which they wrote a letter to the court stating that they do not believe in the judgment and would go for an appeal.

After conviction and sentence of death penalty, the court asked the convicts if they want to say something. They all wrote a letter to the court telling that they do not have faith in this court, said the special public prosecutor. He said that as the law permits more legal recourse in higher courts, they can file a petition requesting consideration of their appeal.

HYDERABAD: A short while after Yasin Bhatkal and his co-accused in the Dilsukhnagar twin bomb blast case reportedly informed the special court of National Investigation Agency that they do not have faith in the court, his younger brother Abdul Samad hailed the Indian Mujahideen operative (accused number 2 in the blasts that killed 18 and injured 131) as innocent. Speaking to Express over phone, Samad claimed that Yasin had told him about a suspected conspiracy in the trial. Yasin smelled a rat about the fast-paced trial that took place in the case by setting up a special NIA Court, he claimed. CaptionReacting on the judgment, Abdul Samad said, We do not believe in the judgment given by the NIA Court which has acted hand-in-glove with the investigation agency. We still do not understand for what reasons my brother has been charged with. The NIA only said that Yasin was not in Hyderabad when blasts occurred. Then how can he be part of the blasts? A day before he (Yasin) and others were convicted, I met my brother. He always claimed innocence. Waiting to file a plea in the higher court to appeal against the punishment awarded to his brother, Samad said, We will file a petition in the High Court against the judgment given by the NIA court. We still believe that Yasin does not have any connection with what has happened. The NIAs claims of Yasin being part of conspiracy are false. Defense lawyer Mahadevan told Express, I am filing an appeal before the High Court after obtaining certified copy of the judgment given today. I have received instructions to file the same from the convicts and also their relatives. Convicts write letter to court After the court sentenced the accused, the convicts were given a chance to speak for which they wrote a letter to the court stating that they do not believe in the judgment and would go for an appeal. After conviction and sentence of death penalty, the court asked the convicts if they want to say something. They all wrote a letter to the court telling that they do not have faith in this court, said the special public prosecutor. He said that as the law permits more legal recourse in higher courts, they can file a petition requesting consideration of their appeal.
By BNS

The actress denies her secret marriage rumours making the rounds

There have been reports suggesting that Mallika Sherawat has secretly tied knot with her French beau Cyrille Auxenfans in a private ceremony post Cannes Film Festival and is planning not to come back to India for work.

Mallika Sherawat

However, the actress who is currenlty in Amsterdam, as part of a movement against human traficking, is upset that there are speculations of her having tied the knot. Mallika issued a statement that said,

I want to let everyone know that the rumours of my marriage are not true. Also, I have never said that I have no intentions of coming back to India or not doing Bollywood films. These are just speculations turned into news that are not relevant.

Earlier this year posted her picture with Cyrille on social networking sites, Falling in love is an extraordinary thing when the person you love, loves you back. (sic) was the caption accompanying the pic.

It is said Cyrille who is a real estate tycoon in Paris met Mallika through a common friend and eventually started dating her. He has apparently even gifted her high end car on Valentines Day, as a token of his love.

A few weeks ago, the actress claimed that her house in Paris was attacked by masked men and the couple managed to fight them back.

The actress denies her secret marriage rumours making the rounds There have been reports suggesting that Mallika Sherawat has secretly tied knot with her French beau Cyrille Auxenfans in a private ceremony post Cannes Film Festival and is planning not to come back to India for work. Mallika SherawatHowever, the actress who is currenlty in Amsterdam, as part of a movement against human traficking, is upset that there are speculations of her having tied the knot. Mallika issued a statement that said, I want to let everyone know that the rumours of my marriage are not true. Also, I have never said that I have no intentions of coming back to India or not doing Bollywood films. These are just speculations turned into news that are not relevant. Earlier this year posted her picture with Cyrille on social networking sites, Falling in love is an extraordinary thing when the person you love, loves you back. (sic) was the caption accompanying the pic. It is said Cyrille who is a real estate tycoon in Paris met Mallika through a common friend and eventually started dating her. He has apparently even gifted her high end car on Valentines Day, as a token of his love. A few weeks ago, the actress claimed that her house in Paris was attacked by masked men and the couple managed to fight them back.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Noted actress Kajol is excited as well as apprehensive about returning to Tamil films after a gap of 19 years, with actor Dhanush's next movie. Kajol is set to star in "Velaiilla Pattadhari 2", which will be directed by Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya.

The movie is being co-produced by Dhanush under his banner WunderBar Films. When asked about the film, Kajol told reporters here, "I am a little apprehensive.

But I love the fact that I am going back to Tamil (cinema) after a very long time and I am also extremely excited." The actress' last Tamil movie was "Minsara Kanavu", the 1997 musical rom-com which also starred Arvind Swamy and Prabhu Deva. Interacting with the media at the red carpet of SansuI Colors Stardust Awards here last night, Kajol also talked about Dhanush and Soundarya. "Dhanush is a very fine actor.

I haven't seen Soundarya's work but she looks like she knows what she is talking about and we get along very well. So, things will be good," she said.

MUMBAI: Noted actress Kajol is excited as well as apprehensive about returning to Tamil films after a gap of 19 years, with actor Dhanush's next movie. Kajol is set to star in "Velaiilla Pattadhari 2", which will be directed by Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya. The movie is being co-produced by Dhanush under his banner WunderBar Films. When asked about the film, Kajol told reporters here, "I am a little apprehensive. But I love the fact that I am going back to Tamil (cinema) after a very long time and I am also extremely excited." The actress' last Tamil movie was "Minsara Kanavu", the 1997 musical rom-com which also starred Arvind Swamy and Prabhu Deva. Interacting with the media at the red carpet of SansuI Colors Stardust Awards here last night, Kajol also talked about Dhanush and Soundarya. "Dhanush is a very fine actor. I haven't seen Soundarya's work but she looks like she knows what she is talking about and we get along very well. So, things will be good," she said.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Bollywood star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan has been blessed with their first child, a son, and have named him Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi.



Kareena delivered the baby on Tuesday morning at the Breach Candy Hospital here, a source told IANS.



A statement released on behalf of the actors read: "We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son : Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on December 20, 2016.



"We would like to thank the media for the understanding and support they have given us over the last nine months, and of course especially our fans and well wishers for their continued affection. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all...With love, Saif and Kareena."



Kareena and Saif, who have worked together in films like "Tashan", "Kurbaan", "Agent Vinod", LOC Kargil" and "Omkara", tied the knot in October 2012.



Saif was earlier married to actress Amrita Singh and shares two children with her - daughter Sara and son Ibrahim.

MUMBAI: Bollywood star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan has been blessed with their first child, a son, and have named him Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi. Kareena delivered the baby on Tuesday morning at the Breach Candy Hospital here, a source told IANS. A statement released on behalf of the actors read: "We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son : Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on December 20, 2016. "We would like to thank the media for the understanding and support they have given us over the last nine months, and of course especially our fans and well wishers for their continued affection. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all...With love, Saif and Kareena." Kareena and Saif, who have worked together in films like "Tashan", "Kurbaan", "Agent Vinod", LOC Kargil" and "Omkara", tied the knot in October 2012. Saif was earlier married to actress Amrita Singh and shares two children with her - daughter Sara and son Ibrahim.
Navamy Sudhish By

Express News Service

Bubbly Bhavana is again in news. This time rumours are rife that the actress is planning to wed her secret beau in April. But we havent fixed any date for the wedding, I think online media is keen on marrying her off. I would like to know more details about my daughters marriage from them, laughs Pushpa, Bhavanas mother.

Actress Bhavana

Putting an end to speculations and gossips she says Bhavana will be marrying Kannada producer Naveen. Their marriage was fixed by Bhavanas dad when he was alive. Once the date is finalised she will be making an official announcement, she adds.

The actress is presently busy with Honey Bee sequel thats progressing in and around Kochi. Reportedly, she will soon join the Kannada remake of Charlie, reprising Parvathys role in the original.

The date and whether she will continue acting - all these decisions will be taken by Bhavana only, she adds.

Though the actress has revealed she is in a relationship, she was tight-lipped about the identity of the person. As per buzz, she met the young producer during the shoot of Kannada film Romeo in 2012.

Bubbly Bhavana is again in news. This time rumours are rife that the actress is planning to wed her secret beau in April. But we havent fixed any date for the wedding, I think online media is keen on marrying her off. I would like to know more details about my daughters marriage from them, laughs Pushpa, Bhavanas mother. Actress BhavanaPutting an end to speculations and gossips she says Bhavana will be marrying Kannada producer Naveen. Their marriage was fixed by Bhavanas dad when he was alive. Once the date is finalised she will be making an official announcement, she adds. The actress is presently busy with Honey Bee sequel thats progressing in and around Kochi. Reportedly, she will soon join the Kannada remake of Charlie, reprising Parvathys role in the original. The date and whether she will continue acting - all these decisions will be taken by Bhavana only, she adds. Though the actress has revealed she is in a relationship, she was tight-lipped about the identity of the person. As per buzz, she met the young producer during the shoot of Kannada film Romeo in 2012.
By Express News Service

PANCHKULA & NEW DELHI : The National Investigation Agency on Monday filed a chargesheet in the Pathankot airbase attack case, naming Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, his brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and two other Jaish commanders  Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif  as the accused.



According to sources, the 101-page chargesheet filed at the Panchkula special court states that immediately after the attack, Rauf had posted a video message claiming responsibility for the terror strike in Punjab and glorifying the role of his brother Azhar in the attack that killed seven soldiers. Azhar, who has been named the key conspirator, was released from an Indian jail in exchange for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999.



The four accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.



Sources said that evidence listed in the chargesheet includes footprints of a terrorist obtained from Bamiyal village, via which the attackers were believed to have sneaked in, and DNA samples from a soft drink can that was found in the hijacked car of suspended SSP Salwinder Singh.



NIA boss Sharad Kumar claimed that the agency had collected irrefutable evidence against the accused. It was a very important case and we have collected all evidence to nail JeM terrorists and their chief. Our team has done a scientific investigation in the case and we have technical, physical, digital and documentary evidence to prove their guilt, he said.



Six protected persons, a jailed terrorist and officials of the FBI and the US Department of Justice figure as witnesses in the chargesheet. Among the witnesses are Mohammed Sadeek, a resident of Ghalotiakalan in Pakistans Sialkot district, and Abdul Rahman Mogul, a resident of Polas village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmirs Poonch district, who had helped in identifying voices and a couple of bodies of the slain terrorists. The four terrorists killed were Nasir Hussain, Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum  all residents of Punjab and Sindh provinces.



The government had allowed a Pakistani team of investigators to inspect the airbase, drawing criticism from the Opposition. And the Pakistani team, upon their return, claimed that India neither shared much evidence nor allowed it to interrogate the security personnel who battled the terrorists. No arrests have yet been made over the attack. Pakistan banned Jaish in 2002, a year after the Parliament attack in New Delhi. The country had arrested Azhar in the wake of the 26/11 attacks but released him later.

PANCHKULA & NEW DELHI : The National Investigation Agency on Monday filed a chargesheet in the Pathankot airbase attack case, naming Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, his brother Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar and two other Jaish commanders  Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif  as the accused. According to sources, the 101-page chargesheet filed at the Panchkula special court states that immediately after the attack, Rauf had posted a video message claiming responsibility for the terror strike in Punjab and glorifying the role of his brother Azhar in the attack that killed seven soldiers. Azhar, who has been named the key conspirator, was released from an Indian jail in exchange for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999. The four accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. Sources said that evidence listed in the chargesheet includes footprints of a terrorist obtained from Bamiyal village, via which the attackers were believed to have sneaked in, and DNA samples from a soft drink can that was found in the hijacked car of suspended SSP Salwinder Singh. NIA boss Sharad Kumar claimed that the agency had collected irrefutable evidence against the accused. It was a very important case and we have collected all evidence to nail JeM terrorists and their chief. Our team has done a scientific investigation in the case and we have technical, physical, digital and documentary evidence to prove their guilt, he said. Six protected persons, a jailed terrorist and officials of the FBI and the US Department of Justice figure as witnesses in the chargesheet. Among the witnesses are Mohammed Sadeek, a resident of Ghalotiakalan in Pakistans Sialkot district, and Abdul Rahman Mogul, a resident of Polas village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmirs Poonch district, who had helped in identifying voices and a couple of bodies of the slain terrorists. The four terrorists killed were Nasir Hussain, Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum  all residents of Punjab and Sindh provinces. The government had allowed a Pakistani team of investigators to inspect the airbase, drawing criticism from the Opposition. And the Pakistani team, upon their return, claimed that India neither shared much evidence nor allowed it to interrogate the security personnel who battled the terrorists. No arrests have yet been made over the attack. Pakistan banned Jaish in 2002, a year after the Parliament attack in New Delhi. The country had arrested Azhar in the wake of the 26/11 attacks but released him later.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Seeking to up the ante against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP on Tuesday charged the minority cell of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) with spearheading communal

riots in certain regions of the State.



The BJP will also reach out to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), while a Parliamentary party delegation will go to Howrah for an on-the-spot assessment of communal violence.

BJP national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh asked Banerjee to break her silence on communal violence at Dhulagarh area in the State.

The minority wing leaders of TMC led by Lok Sabha MP Idris Ali are targeting Hindus. The TMC is

unleashing violence especially in six districts where the BJP graph has shown growth in the recent times, said Singh, while adding that the State unit of the party has also been asked to move the human rights panel.

The BJP leader claimed that Hindus are being targeted by the minority wing of the TMC for over six days in Dhulagarh in Howrah district. You (Mamata) have not said anything. She must break her silence, while adding that 100 such communal incidents have happened since the Trinamool came back to power this year.

The BJP leader alleged that a fatwa was issued by Shahi Imam of Kolkatas Tipu Sultan Masjid Syed Mohammad Nurur Rahman Barkati against State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh. TMCs minority wing head Idris

Ali was with the Imam. The Imam moves around in the State in an unauthorised beacon car. This is a glowing example of her minority appeasement politics, added Singh.

The BJP leader also stated that while Banerjee addresses meetings in Delhi, Patna and Lucknow against demonetisation, she has kept quiet on the communal violence in her State. Referring to incidents of artists and writers returning their awards over the intolerance issue, the BJP leader asked intellectuals to speak up against communal violence in Bengal.

NEW DELHI: Seeking to up the ante against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the BJP on Tuesday charged the minority cell of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) with spearheading communal riots in certain regions of the State. The BJP will also reach out to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), while a Parliamentary party delegation will go to Howrah for an on-the-spot assessment of communal violence. BJP national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh asked Banerjee to break her silence on communal violence at Dhulagarh area in the State. The minority wing leaders of TMC led by Lok Sabha MP Idris Ali are targeting Hindus. The TMC is unleashing violence especially in six districts where the BJP graph has shown growth in the recent times, said Singh, while adding that the State unit of the party has also been asked to move the human rights panel. The BJP leader claimed that Hindus are being targeted by the minority wing of the TMC for over six days in Dhulagarh in Howrah district. You (Mamata) have not said anything. She must break her silence, while adding that 100 such communal incidents have happened since the Trinamool came back to power this year. The BJP leader alleged that a fatwa was issued by Shahi Imam of Kolkatas Tipu Sultan Masjid Syed Mohammad Nurur Rahman Barkati against State BJP chief Dilip Ghosh. TMCs minority wing head Idris Ali was with the Imam. The Imam moves around in the State in an unauthorised beacon car. This is a glowing example of her minority appeasement politics, added Singh. The BJP leader also stated that while Banerjee addresses meetings in Delhi, Patna and Lucknow against demonetisation, she has kept quiet on the communal violence in her State. Referring to incidents of artists and writers returning their awards over the intolerance issue, the BJP leader asked intellectuals to speak up against communal violence in Bengal.
By ANI

AHMEDABAD: The Indian Coast Guard has apprehended 26 Pakistani fishermen and seized their five fishing boats off Gujarat coast near Kutch as they crossed the Indian territorial waters.

A release issued by Defence PRO said in Ahmedabad that these Pakistani fishermen on five boats were held yesterday when they were inside Indian territory.

The Coast Guard vessel C-419 apprehended Pakistani fishing boats with 26 crew members on board.

The PRO further said these boats and the crew are being escorted to Jakhau port for further investigation.

Last month, at least 43 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan for allegedly entering its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan and India often arrest fishermen from the other country for violation of their territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.

AHMEDABAD: The Indian Coast Guard has apprehended 26 Pakistani fishermen and seized their five fishing boats off Gujarat coast near Kutch as they crossed the Indian territorial waters. A release issued by Defence PRO said in Ahmedabad that these Pakistani fishermen on five boats were held yesterday when they were inside Indian territory. The Coast Guard vessel C-419 apprehended Pakistani fishing boats with 26 crew members on board. The PRO further said these boats and the crew are being escorted to Jakhau port for further investigation. Last month, at least 43 Indian fishermen were arrested by Pakistan for allegedly entering its territorial waters in the Arabian Sea. Pakistan and India often arrest fishermen from the other country for violation of their territorial waters in the Arabian Sea.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: The situation in strife-torn Kashmir has improved considerably after senior BJP leader and ex-finance minister Yashwant Sinha-led five-member delegations two visits and their talks with separatist leaders, the Chief Minister and Governor.



The delegation comprising ex-chairperson of National Commission for Minorities Wajahat Habibullah, former Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, veteran journalist Bharat Bhushan and executive director of the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation Sushobha Barve had visited Kashmir on October 25. It had again

visited on December 10.



The situation is better now. The separatist leaders have been released and they are meeting each other. The education system is back on track. Schools are open and examination has been held. How much credit we want to take? We dont want to take credit for anything, Wajahat Habibullah had told reporters during the delegations second visit to the Valley. The Sinha-led delegation has claimed credit for the improvement in the situation after its visits.



The separatist leaders, who were calling the shots, refused to meet MPs, who were part of the All Party Delegation and had gone to meet them on September 5.

However, they had no objection to meeting the Sinha delegation. Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who refused to the open door of his house to MPs, met Sinhas group at his Hyderpora residence and held an hour-long meeting.

After their visit, the coalition government in the State eased restrictions and allowed separatists Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik to hold a meeting with civil society members and traders among others.

SRINAGAR: The situation in strife-torn Kashmir has improved considerably after senior BJP leader and ex-finance minister Yashwant Sinha-led five-member delegations two visits and their talks with separatist leaders, the Chief Minister and Governor. The delegation comprising ex-chairperson of National Commission for Minorities Wajahat Habibullah, former Air Vice Marshal Kapil Kak, veteran journalist Bharat Bhushan and executive director of the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation Sushobha Barve had visited Kashmir on October 25. It had again visited on December 10. The situation is better now. The separatist leaders have been released and they are meeting each other. The education system is back on track. Schools are open and examination has been held. How much credit we want to take? We dont want to take credit for anything, Wajahat Habibullah had told reporters during the delegations second visit to the Valley. The Sinha-led delegation has claimed credit for the improvement in the situation after its visits. The separatist leaders, who were calling the shots, refused to meet MPs, who were part of the All Party Delegation and had gone to meet them on September 5. However, they had no objection to meeting the Sinha delegation. Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who refused to the open door of his house to MPs, met Sinhas group at his Hyderpora residence and held an hour-long meeting. After their visit, the coalition government in the State eased restrictions and allowed separatists Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik to hold a meeting with civil society members and traders among others.
By PTI

PALANPUR: A 13-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and sold off for Rs 80,000 to a man, who

repeatedly raped her for five months at a village in Banaskantha district, police said.



The minor was rescued from Manpura village in the district last night and six persons, including the alleged rapist to whom she had been sold, have been arrested in this connection, police said.



"The girl, who hails from Udaipur in Rajasthan, had been brought to Rupapura village in Banaskantha district as a farm labourer. However, around five months ago, she was kidnapped by three accused, identified as Mukeshbhai Vadi, Kantibhai Makwana and Vishnu Thakor," Banaskantha Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akshayrajsinh Makwana said.



"The girl was then sold off for Rs 80,000 to one Khodabhai Thakor at Manpura village. Gyanjibhai Thakor and Ranuba Thakor had struck the deal for him," he added.



The victim was kept in confinement at a farm and raped repeatedly by Khodabhai, the officer said adding, "The girl was rescued last night and all six accused were arrested."



The six accused-- Khodabhai, Mukeshbhai Vadi, Kantibhai Makwana, Vishnu Thakor, Gyanjibhai Thakor and Ranuba Thakor-- were brought to Sihori police station in Banaskantha district.



While Khodabhai has been booked under IPC section 376 (rape), others have been booked under sections 363 (kidnapping), 344 (wrongful confinement), 370 (human trafficking), 372 (selling a minor for prostitution), among others. They have also been booked under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.



According to police, when the victim's family lost contact with her, they launched a search. However, since they could not trace the minor, her father had approached Sihori police station, who started the investigation into the case.



The police officer said that during the interrogation, Ranuba told them that he had sold one more girl to someone for Rs 50,000.



"Based on the information provided by him, the other girl was also rescued from a village in Patan district today," Makwana said adding that no arrests have been made in the second case as yet.



According to the ASP, more cases of girls being kidnapped and sold off are likely to come to light.



Further investigation into both the cases is on.

PALANPUR: A 13-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and sold off for Rs 80,000 to a man, who repeatedly raped her for five months at a village in Banaskantha district, police said. The minor was rescued from Manpura village in the district last night and six persons, including the alleged rapist to whom she had been sold, have been arrested in this connection, police said. "The girl, who hails from Udaipur in Rajasthan, had been brought to Rupapura village in Banaskantha district as a farm labourer. However, around five months ago, she was kidnapped by three accused, identified as Mukeshbhai Vadi, Kantibhai Makwana and Vishnu Thakor," Banaskantha Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Akshayrajsinh Makwana said. "The girl was then sold off for Rs 80,000 to one Khodabhai Thakor at Manpura village. Gyanjibhai Thakor and Ranuba Thakor had struck the deal for him," he added. The victim was kept in confinement at a farm and raped repeatedly by Khodabhai, the officer said adding, "The girl was rescued last night and all six accused were arrested." The six accused-- Khodabhai, Mukeshbhai Vadi, Kantibhai Makwana, Vishnu Thakor, Gyanjibhai Thakor and Ranuba Thakor-- were brought to Sihori police station in Banaskantha district. While Khodabhai has been booked under IPC section 376 (rape), others have been booked under sections 363 (kidnapping), 344 (wrongful confinement), 370 (human trafficking), 372 (selling a minor for prostitution), among others. They have also been booked under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. According to police, when the victim's family lost contact with her, they launched a search. However, since they could not trace the minor, her father had approached Sihori police station, who started the investigation into the case. The police officer said that during the interrogation, Ranuba told them that he had sold one more girl to someone for Rs 50,000. "Based on the information provided by him, the other girl was also rescued from a village in Patan district today," Makwana said adding that no arrests have been made in the second case as yet. According to the ASP, more cases of girls being kidnapped and sold off are likely to come to light. Further investigation into both the cases is on.
YATISH YADAV By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Just like 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the terrorist handlers based in Pakistan were glued to Indian TV channels watching live reports of the Pathankot terror attack on January 2, 2016 that was codenamed marriage by Jaish-e-Mohammed.



A chat message from Jaish commander Hamza Mehboob to Kashif Jan, the main terrorist handler named in the NIAs chargesheet on Monday, said, How many brethren were there for marriage? Kashif alias Ustadji, in turn, informed another Jaish terrorist Adeel Bhai about the attack.



On January 3, Hamza asked Kashif to share the pictures of terrorists killed inside the airbase to which Kashif replied saying that encounter was still going on.



Investigation by the NIA reveals that four terrorists communicated with a Pakistani number during the attack. When the terrorists were on their way to the airbase, they received a call from Pakistan at 3:31 am on January 1, 2016. Kashif was at the other end. They discussed details about the planned route, the route actually being taken and an alternative plan to attack a police station in case of a delay in reaching the Pathankot airbase.



Investigation revealed that while terrorists were hiding inside the air force station, one of them dialled a Pakistani mobile number and spoke to his mother for 18 minutes. He told his mother that Kashif would come to her after his death and asked her to host a feast for his friends.



Jaish commander Shahid Latif, who was also named in the chargesheet, had been plotting the Pathankot attack since 2014. He was arrested in 1993 and deported in 2010 from India after the completion of his sentence. The terrorists were using arms made in China, Russia, and Yugoslavia.



Kashif was also involved in the Kathua and Samba terror attacks in March 2015. Kashif had even posted a message about the Pathankot strike on Facebook. His profile was deactivated on January 5, 2016. The two Letters Rogatory India has sent to Pakistan remain unanswered.

NEW DELHI: Just like 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the terrorist handlers based in Pakistan were glued to Indian TV channels watching live reports of the Pathankot terror attack on January 2, 2016 that was codenamed marriage by Jaish-e-Mohammed. A chat message from Jaish commander Hamza Mehboob to Kashif Jan, the main terrorist handler named in the NIAs chargesheet on Monday, said, How many brethren were there for marriage? Kashif alias Ustadji, in turn, informed another Jaish terrorist Adeel Bhai about the attack. On January 3, Hamza asked Kashif to share the pictures of terrorists killed inside the airbase to which Kashif replied saying that encounter was still going on. Investigation by the NIA reveals that four terrorists communicated with a Pakistani number during the attack. When the terrorists were on their way to the airbase, they received a call from Pakistan at 3:31 am on January 1, 2016. Kashif was at the other end. They discussed details about the planned route, the route actually being taken and an alternative plan to attack a police station in case of a delay in reaching the Pathankot airbase. Investigation revealed that while terrorists were hiding inside the air force station, one of them dialled a Pakistani mobile number and spoke to his mother for 18 minutes. He told his mother that Kashif would come to her after his death and asked her to host a feast for his friends. Jaish commander Shahid Latif, who was also named in the chargesheet, had been plotting the Pathankot attack since 2014. He was arrested in 1993 and deported in 2010 from India after the completion of his sentence. The terrorists were using arms made in China, Russia, and Yugoslavia. Kashif was also involved in the Kathua and Samba terror attacks in March 2015. Kashif had even posted a message about the Pathankot strike on Facebook. His profile was deactivated on January 5, 2016. The two Letters Rogatory India has sent to Pakistan remain unanswered.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: After having a joint High Altitude Bio-Medical Research Centre, India and Kyrgyzstan are constructing a Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training centre. While the former was used for identifying markers for screening of people for high altitude resistance, the latter would be hosting joint mountain training exercises.

India has been operating from one of the highest battlefields in the World  the Siachen Glacier and Nathu La in Sikkim - and has been keen to augment the capability of its troops based on research. The Centre has been used by India to study acclimatisation at heights above 10,000 feet.

The Mountain Training Centre was announced on Tuesday in a joint statement issued during the state visit of Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev to India. This is the second visit from a Central Asian country within a span of a week. India and Kyrgyzstan are jointly constructing the Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training Centre in the city of Balykchi, in Issyk-Kul District of Kyrgyzstan. This Centre will provide instruction and training for personnel of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic as well as host Kyrgyz-Indian joint mountain training exercises, the statement said.

The mountain medicine project was mooted during a meeting between the then Kyrgyz President A Akaev and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in 2003. The leading state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has also studied the effects of Yoga in high altitude acclimatisation at the centre.

Addressing a joint press conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the countries also discussed ways of countering the radicalisation among youth. We also discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society against the common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism. We agreed on the need to coordinate and work closely in addressing and overcoming these challenges for our common benefit, Prime Minister Modi said. The counter-terrorism bilateral military exercises between the two countries are also conducted annually. The next edition of this exercise will take place in India in February-March 2017.

India also took Kyrgyzstan on board to provide access to warm waters through Chabahar Port in Iran.



NEW DELHI: After having a joint High Altitude Bio-Medical Research Centre, India and Kyrgyzstan are constructing a Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training centre. While the former was used for identifying markers for screening of people for high altitude resistance, the latter would be hosting joint mountain training exercises. India has been operating from one of the highest battlefields in the World  the Siachen Glacier and Nathu La in Sikkim - and has been keen to augment the capability of its troops based on research. The Centre has been used by India to study acclimatisation at heights above 10,000 feet. The Mountain Training Centre was announced on Tuesday in a joint statement issued during the state visit of Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev to India. This is the second visit from a Central Asian country within a span of a week. India and Kyrgyzstan are jointly constructing the Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training Centre in the city of Balykchi, in Issyk-Kul District of Kyrgyzstan. This Centre will provide instruction and training for personnel of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic as well as host Kyrgyz-Indian joint mountain training exercises, the statement said. The mountain medicine project was mooted during a meeting between the then Kyrgyz President A Akaev and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in 2003. The leading state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has also studied the effects of Yoga in high altitude acclimatisation at the centre. Addressing a joint press conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the countries also discussed ways of countering the radicalisation among youth. We also discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society against the common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism. We agreed on the need to coordinate and work closely in addressing and overcoming these challenges for our common benefit, Prime Minister Modi said. The counter-terrorism bilateral military exercises between the two countries are also conducted annually. The next edition of this exercise will take place in India in February-March 2017. India also took Kyrgyzstan on board to provide access to warm waters through Chabahar Port in Iran.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: In a dramatic story of a cross-border prisoner, an Indian man who was allegedly kidnapped by Bangladeshi pirates and awarded jail sentence for 30 years by a Bangladeshi court, has to complete his

remaining jail term of 12 years in India after being extradited on November 23 this year. He has already spent 17 years of his life in Jessore Prison in southern Bangladesh.

Chittaranjan Gayen (File | EPS)

Chittaranjan Gayen (then 32) of Gosaba in Sundarbans was fishing in a river near Indo-Bangladesh border when he was allegedly kidnapped by Bangladeshi pirates in 1999 and taken to the other side of Sundarbans through the porous channels.

According to Chittaranjan's wife Shibani, there was an encounter between the pirates and Bangladesh border guards. The pirates abandoned the boat, and tied up Chittaranjan, who was arrested and slapped with charges of illegally transporting arms through the border. He was awarded 30 years rigorous imprisonment.

After spending 17 years in Jessore Prison, Chittaranjan was sent to India on November 23 this year as a result of prisoner exchange deal signed between the two neighbours in 2010. Accordingly, many Bangladeshi prisoners languishing in Indian jails were sent back in exchange of fewer Indian prisoners such as Chittaranjan who were lodged in Bangladeshi jails.

"As soon as he came back on November 23, he was lodged in Alipore Prison. Was the 17 years of prison not enough? He has not seen his daughters Manju and Devika grow. They were 6 and 1 respectively back then in 1999. Even now, the 50-year-old man has to serve 12 years more jail term in his own country. What was his crime if he was kidnapped? I am tired. I don't know whether he will see me alive when he gets out," said a teary-eyed Shibani.

The woman has raised their two daughters with good education and got them married single-handedly.

However, police authorities say that though the jail term can not be reduced by them, but if Chittaranjan behaves well, he may be paroled on the basis of good conduct.



KOLKATA: In a dramatic story of a cross-border prisoner, an Indian man who was allegedly kidnapped by Bangladeshi pirates and awarded jail sentence for 30 years by a Bangladeshi court, has to complete his remaining jail term of 12 years in India after being extradited on November 23 this year. He has already spent 17 years of his life in Jessore Prison in southern Bangladesh. Chittaranjan Gayen (File | EPS)Chittaranjan Gayen (then 32) of Gosaba in Sundarbans was fishing in a river near Indo-Bangladesh border when he was allegedly kidnapped by Bangladeshi pirates in 1999 and taken to the other side of Sundarbans through the porous channels. According to Chittaranjan's wife Shibani, there was an encounter between the pirates and Bangladesh border guards. The pirates abandoned the boat, and tied up Chittaranjan, who was arrested and slapped with charges of illegally transporting arms through the border. He was awarded 30 years rigorous imprisonment. After spending 17 years in Jessore Prison, Chittaranjan was sent to India on November 23 this year as a result of prisoner exchange deal signed between the two neighbours in 2010. Accordingly, many Bangladeshi prisoners languishing in Indian jails were sent back in exchange of fewer Indian prisoners such as Chittaranjan who were lodged in Bangladeshi jails. "As soon as he came back on November 23, he was lodged in Alipore Prison. Was the 17 years of prison not enough? He has not seen his daughters Manju and Devika grow. They were 6 and 1 respectively back then in 1999. Even now, the 50-year-old man has to serve 12 years more jail term in his own country. What was his crime if he was kidnapped? I am tired. I don't know whether he will see me alive when he gets out," said a teary-eyed Shibani. The woman has raised their two daughters with good education and got them married single-handedly. However, police authorities say that though the jail term can not be reduced by them, but if Chittaranjan behaves well, he may be paroled on the basis of good conduct.
By PTI

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh government will close all the liquor shops situated on the banks of river Narmada from the next financial year.

"There will be no liquor shops on the banks (in towns and villages on banks) of Narmada River from April 1, 2017. We need a society free of addiction," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at Chabi village under Mandla district, today, while addressing a gathering during his ongoing 'Namami Devi Narmade - Seva Yatra.'

Chouhan said the people, in the areas where this Yatra is passing through, have been taking oath of de-addiction in the interest of their family and society at large.

MP Chief Minister also urged people not to dispose of any kind of waste including fruits-flowers and other puja material in the river.

"State government would construct separate ponds for the disposal of puja material. I request people not to throw any kind of material in the river," he added.

Talking about the plantation of trees, Chouhan said 6,376 farmers of Mandla district have resolved to plant trees. "30 per cent areas in the state are dependent on this river and one cannot imagine of a Madhya Pradesh without river Narmada," he added.

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh government will close all the liquor shops situated on the banks of river Narmada from the next financial year. "There will be no liquor shops on the banks (in towns and villages on banks) of Narmada River from April 1, 2017. We need a society free of addiction," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at Chabi village under Mandla district, today, while addressing a gathering during his ongoing 'Namami Devi Narmade - Seva Yatra.' Chouhan said the people, in the areas where this Yatra is passing through, have been taking oath of de-addiction in the interest of their family and society at large. MP Chief Minister also urged people not to dispose of any kind of waste including fruits-flowers and other puja material in the river. "State government would construct separate ponds for the disposal of puja material. I request people not to throw any kind of material in the river," he added. Talking about the plantation of trees, Chouhan said 6,376 farmers of Mandla district have resolved to plant trees. "30 per cent areas in the state are dependent on this river and one cannot imagine of a Madhya Pradesh without river Narmada," he added.
Santwana Bhattacharya By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: As the battleground shifted from Parliament to poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, it appears Indian politics has been put on fast forward. The BJP and Congress  the second runner-up and the last in the race to the State Assembly last time  started with a top-level faceoff over note bandi on Monday. Almost as a rehearsal for 2019.



Its not that the big regional rivals, ruling SP and its challenger BSP, have given the two national players a walkover. Its just that the heat over the currency crisis had Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi slugging it out to prove who was more imaandar (honest). And whose heart bled more for the poor. Its a personal competition as much as an electoral contest.



As one thing seems to be clear, even before the Election Commission announces the dates of the February-March poll, that the contest is not about caste, but about the economy.



Nothing since the liberalisation of the economy or the nationalisation of banks, has come to occupy the centre-stage of discourse the way demonetisation has. From the ATM queue to the village tea shop, if there is one conversation that has overwhelmed all else, it is the currency note  the legality, illegality, availability and shortage of it that touches every single life within the Republic of India. Whether its UP on Monday or Punjab on another day  the election this time will be fought on demonetisation and its after effects.



Thats what makes a face-off between the BJP and the Congress inevitable. SP supremo Mulayam Singh, bushwhacked by the PMs November 8 announcement, has only given a muffled call for a partial rollback. And BSPs Mayawati, though far more vocal than usual, has been targeting the PM more than the policy.

Since the note ban is seen as a big gamble for Modi, the first big election after it has itself turned into a high-risk game. A Modi versus the rest contest.

NEW DELHI: As the battleground shifted from Parliament to poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, it appears Indian politics has been put on fast forward. The BJP and Congress  the second runner-up and the last in the race to the State Assembly last time  started with a top-level faceoff over note bandi on Monday. Almost as a rehearsal for 2019. Its not that the big regional rivals, ruling SP and its challenger BSP, have given the two national players a walkover. Its just that the heat over the currency crisis had Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi slugging it out to prove who was more imaandar (honest). And whose heart bled more for the poor. Its a personal competition as much as an electoral contest. As one thing seems to be clear, even before the Election Commission announces the dates of the February-March poll, that the contest is not about caste, but about the economy. Nothing since the liberalisation of the economy or the nationalisation of banks, has come to occupy the centre-stage of discourse the way demonetisation has. From the ATM queue to the village tea shop, if there is one conversation that has overwhelmed all else, it is the currency note  the legality, illegality, availability and shortage of it that touches every single life within the Republic of India. Whether its UP on Monday or Punjab on another day  the election this time will be fought on demonetisation and its after effects. Thats what makes a face-off between the BJP and the Congress inevitable. SP supremo Mulayam Singh, bushwhacked by the PMs November 8 announcement, has only given a muffled call for a partial rollback. And BSPs Mayawati, though far more vocal than usual, has been targeting the PM more than the policy. Since the note ban is seen as a big gamble for Modi, the first big election after it has itself turned into a high-risk game. A Modi versus the rest contest.
Express News Service

COLOMBO: Seven Tamil Nadu fishermen from Kottaipattinam in Pudukkottai district were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy off Delft Island early on Tuesday as they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the Sri Lankan navy spokesman Capt.Akram Alavi said.

The fishermen and their two boats have been handed over to the Department of Fisheries in Jaffna. The arrested fishermen will be produced before a court.

Asked about the threat to impose a fine of LKR 150 million (INR 7 crore) on intruding fishermen, an official told Express that there is no rule or law as yet to slap that kind of fine. But the Sri Lankan government is working on a law to impose a heavy fine on fishermen who poach in Sri Lankan waters. The threat to impose a fine of LKR 150 million was made orally some time ago by the Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. According to the Sri Lankan Fisheries Ministry, the island nation loses SLR. 9 billion (US$ 60.2 million) a year because of poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen.

So far, the Sri Lankan government has been arresting and jailing intruding Tamil Nadu fishermen and impounding their boats. While they release the fishermen when the Tamil Nadu and Indian governments ask for it, the boats are not released. As of now, there are 152 Indian boats in Sri Lankan custody.

COLOMBO: Seven Tamil Nadu fishermen from Kottaipattinam in Pudukkottai district were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy off Delft Island early on Tuesday as they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, the Sri Lankan navy spokesman Capt.Akram Alavi said. The fishermen and their two boats have been handed over to the Department of Fisheries in Jaffna. The arrested fishermen will be produced before a court. Asked about the threat to impose a fine of LKR 150 million (INR 7 crore) on intruding fishermen, an official told Express that there is no rule or law as yet to slap that kind of fine. But the Sri Lankan government is working on a law to impose a heavy fine on fishermen who poach in Sri Lankan waters. The threat to impose a fine of LKR 150 million was made orally some time ago by the Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. According to the Sri Lankan Fisheries Ministry, the island nation loses SLR. 9 billion (US$ 60.2 million) a year because of poaching by Tamil Nadu fishermen. So far, the Sri Lankan government has been arresting and jailing intruding Tamil Nadu fishermen and impounding their boats. While they release the fishermen when the Tamil Nadu and Indian governments ask for it, the boats are not released. As of now, there are 152 Indian boats in Sri Lankan custody.
By Express News Service

VIZIANAGARAM: Union Minister for Civil Aviation P Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday announced Dwarapudi, which was adopted by him, as a Digital Transactions Enabled Model Village.

The minister took a tour to the village and inspected the various digital modes of payment the villagers have adopted to tide over the cash crunch in the aftermath of demonetisation.

He also bought some stuff from a village shop, by making digital payment.

On the occasion, a meeting was also organised on the benefit of cashless transaction wherein the district officials spoke at length on various initiative undertaken to transform Vizianagaram into a cashless district.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Gajapathi Raju thanked to officials for putting efforts on a war footing to achieve the target. He expressed his happiness as the entire village had adopted the plastic currency.

Minister for housing K Mrunalini and collector Vivek Yadav accompanied Ashok during his visit to the village.

VIZIANAGARAM: Union Minister for Civil Aviation P Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday announced Dwarapudi, which was adopted by him, as a Digital Transactions Enabled Model Village. The minister took a tour to the village and inspected the various digital modes of payment the villagers have adopted to tide over the cash crunch in the aftermath of demonetisation. He also bought some stuff from a village shop, by making digital payment. On the occasion, a meeting was also organised on the benefit of cashless transaction wherein the district officials spoke at length on various initiative undertaken to transform Vizianagaram into a cashless district. Speaking on the occasion, Ashok Gajapathi Raju thanked to officials for putting efforts on a war footing to achieve the target. He expressed his happiness as the entire village had adopted the plastic currency. Minister for housing K Mrunalini and collector Vivek Yadav accompanied Ashok during his visit to the village.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Bharathi Cements Corporation Limited, owned by YSR Congress president and opposition leader in AP state Assembly YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and five others filed separate petitions in the High Court here on Monday, challenging the action of the Enforcement Directorate in transferring ` 177 crore of their fixed deposits to the EDs account.

Bharathi Cements, Sandur Power, Silicon Builders, Classic Reality, Saraswathi Power and Bhagvath Sannidhi Pvt Ltd and YS Bharathi, wife of Jagan Mohan Reddy, in her individual capacity filed the petitions submitting that ED authorities transferred ` 152.85 crore in FDs belonging to Bharathi Cements and ` 15.85 crore of Bharathi, ` 98 lakh of Bhagvath Sannidhi Ltd, ` 50 lakh of Saraswathi Power and ` 77 lakh of Silicon Builders into the Enforcement Directorates account.

They pointed out that though the adjudicating authority of the Enforcement Directorate at New Delhi passed an order confirming the provisional attachment of about ` 740 crore of movable and immovable properties, including ` 177 crore of their fixed deposits, the ED transferred their deposits into its account.

Besides, there was a possibility of taking possession of their properties by the Enforcement Directorate, they said and urged the court to direct the ED not to take possession of their properties till disposal of their appeals by the appellate authority.

HYDERABAD: Bharathi Cements Corporation Limited, owned by YSR Congress president and opposition leader in AP state Assembly YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, and five others filed separate petitions in the High Court here on Monday, challenging the action of the Enforcement Directorate in transferring ` 177 crore of their fixed deposits to the EDs account. Bharathi Cements, Sandur Power, Silicon Builders, Classic Reality, Saraswathi Power and Bhagvath Sannidhi Pvt Ltd and YS Bharathi, wife of Jagan Mohan Reddy, in her individual capacity filed the petitions submitting that ED authorities transferred ` 152.85 crore in FDs belonging to Bharathi Cements and ` 15.85 crore of Bharathi, ` 98 lakh of Bhagvath Sannidhi Ltd, ` 50 lakh of Saraswathi Power and ` 77 lakh of Silicon Builders into the Enforcement Directorates account. They pointed out that though the adjudicating authority of the Enforcement Directorate at New Delhi passed an order confirming the provisional attachment of about ` 740 crore of movable and immovable properties, including ` 177 crore of their fixed deposits, the ED transferred their deposits into its account. Besides, there was a possibility of taking possession of their properties by the Enforcement Directorate, they said and urged the court to direct the ED not to take possession of their properties till disposal of their appeals by the appellate authority.
By Express News Service

KALABURAGI: District Child Protection unit of Women and Child Welfare Department has prevented the Gujjar marriage of a minor girl. Police also arrested ten people in this connection.

Speaking to Express, Child Protection unit law officer Bharatesh Sheelavant said the minor girl, who was forcibly brought by her family from Surpur town of Yadgir to Narboli village of Jewargi taluk of Kalaburagi on December 16, telephoned the control room on Sunday evening.

She told them that she was a minor and was forcibly brought to Narboli village for pre-marriage rituals. She also said her marriage was fixed at a temple in Diggavi village of Chittapur taluk.

The control room informed the matter to Child Development Project officer Papamma Habalkar and in turn, she contacted the Child Protection unit of Women and Child Welfare Department.

District Child Protection officer C V Raman rushed to Narboli along with law officer Bharatesh and talked to the girl. The girl, a Class 7 student, said her mother, two uncles and an aunt, were forcing her to marry a 26-year-old Gujarati youth, Devaraj, and the marriage was to take place at Diggavi.

The girl said her maternal uncle Suryakant has taken a major role in this Gujjar marriage. Suryakant, who was taken into custody by the Child Protection unit, said Nagamma alias Gubbamma alias Gubbi of Diggavi village was the mediator of the marriage.

Acting on the information, C V Raman and Bharaesh went to Chittapur on Sunday evening, raided Nagammas house along with the help of Chittapur CDPO Shivasharanappa and PSI Jagadevappa.

Both Nagamma and her sister Ratna planned the Gujjar marriage with the help of their husbands Bombay Gopal and Vijay Solanke. They were in touch with bridegroom Devaraj of Bojade village of Geer Somanath district of Gujarat.

Surprisingly, Nagamma and her elder sister Ratna were married to Gujjar men when they were minors.

The police arrested Devaraj, Bombay Gopal, Vijay Solanke, Nagamma, Ratna, maternal uncle Suryakant and mother Vijayalakshmi. Mahadevi, Renuka and Gopal were also arrested for assisting in performing the marriage.

The girl has been admitted to Childrens Home for Girls, Bharatesh said.

KALABURAGI: District Child Protection unit of Women and Child Welfare Department has prevented the Gujjar marriage of a minor girl. Police also arrested ten people in this connection. Speaking to Express, Child Protection unit law officer Bharatesh Sheelavant said the minor girl, who was forcibly brought by her family from Surpur town of Yadgir to Narboli village of Jewargi taluk of Kalaburagi on December 16, telephoned the control room on Sunday evening. She told them that she was a minor and was forcibly brought to Narboli village for pre-marriage rituals. She also said her marriage was fixed at a temple in Diggavi village of Chittapur taluk. The control room informed the matter to Child Development Project officer Papamma Habalkar and in turn, she contacted the Child Protection unit of Women and Child Welfare Department. District Child Protection officer C V Raman rushed to Narboli along with law officer Bharatesh and talked to the girl. The girl, a Class 7 student, said her mother, two uncles and an aunt, were forcing her to marry a 26-year-old Gujarati youth, Devaraj, and the marriage was to take place at Diggavi. The girl said her maternal uncle Suryakant has taken a major role in this Gujjar marriage. Suryakant, who was taken into custody by the Child Protection unit, said Nagamma alias Gubbamma alias Gubbi of Diggavi village was the mediator of the marriage. Acting on the information, C V Raman and Bharaesh went to Chittapur on Sunday evening, raided Nagammas house along with the help of Chittapur CDPO Shivasharanappa and PSI Jagadevappa. Both Nagamma and her sister Ratna planned the Gujjar marriage with the help of their husbands Bombay Gopal and Vijay Solanke. They were in touch with bridegroom Devaraj of Bojade village of Geer Somanath district of Gujarat. Surprisingly, Nagamma and her elder sister Ratna were married to Gujjar men when they were minors. The police arrested Devaraj, Bombay Gopal, Vijay Solanke, Nagamma, Ratna, maternal uncle Suryakant and mother Vijayalakshmi. Mahadevi, Renuka and Gopal were also arrested for assisting in performing the marriage. The girl has been admitted to Childrens Home for Girls, Bharatesh said.
Meera Bhardwaj By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Operation elephant capture kicked off on Monday with 100 forest personnel from Nelamangala and Magadi forest ranges launching combing operations in the area.

With increasing man-elephant conflict, and two elephants being electrocuted in the last two days, the operation to capture three male elephants in Nelamangala forest range of Bengaluru Rural division began after the Chief Wildlife Warden granted permission to capture one adult and two sub-adults. These male tuskers are part of a group of eight that roam around four forest divisions.

Five trained Dasara elephants from K Guddi, Nagarhole and Kushalnagar camps too are assisting in the operations.

Trained jumbos will assist forest

personnel in combing operation,

which was launched on Monday

Also, the operation involves catching tuskers which are suspected to have killed two people.

Manjunath, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Ramanagara, who is the nodal officer, told Express, The elephants have been identified and the operations started at 7am in and around Nelamangala forest range. It is difficult to say when they will be captured as they go back and forth in these regions.

Earlier, forest officials of the four divisions had identified a group of eight male elephants that had been moving from Bannerghatta to Tumakuru in search of food and water. Straying from corridors to non-traditional paths, this group raided many horticultural fields in villages.

In the last two days, two elephants were electrocuted - a 15-year-old tusker in Srigiripura village, Magadi taluk, and a 40-year-old tusker in Madegowdanadoddi village in Kanakapura taluk. However, whether they were a part of this group is not confirmed.

Officials said with this group coming in close contact with farmers, the conflict situation has increased. In the process, farmers have connected their solar fencing to power cables from nearby high tension power lines, resulting in electrocution.

4 dead in just 18 days

Wildlife conservationists are concerned as in just 18 days, four elephants, including Sidda, died in Nelamangala, Magadi and Periyapatna.

N Manjunath, founder-president of Nature and Wildlife Conservation Committee, says unchecked development around Bannerghatta National Park has driven away these animals towards other areas for food.

Food is a major reason for elephants moving towards Magadi or Nelamangala. However, in the long run, it is not good for their health, he said.

With human beings intruding into elephant corridors and destroying their habitat, how can you blame the elephants for crop damage or conflict situations and remove them from a particular area, asked wildlife activist Ashok Hallur.

The story of Ranga

The tusker Ranga has been spotted in Savandurga forests. For eight months, he is either in Magadi or Nelamangala forest ranges and in May-June, he comes to Bannerghatta to mate with the captive elephants. Ranga is said to be the herd leader and was often referred to as Rowdy Ranga by villagers. Officials and activists have appealed to people not to call the tusker a rowdy. He is one of the most gentle giants and has not caused harm to anybody in his frequent interludes from forest to fields, in search of food. He has been a daredevil albeit very gentle, they say. Pooja Sagar, who carries out solo awareness programmes about elephants for children, said, Calling an innocent animal rowdy is really insensitive. Man-animal conflict is not new, it has become a challenge over the years.

BENGALURU: The Operation elephant capture kicked off on Monday with 100 forest personnel from Nelamangala and Magadi forest ranges launching combing operations in the area. With increasing man-elephant conflict, and two elephants being electrocuted in the last two days, the operation to capture three male elephants in Nelamangala forest range of Bengaluru Rural division began after the Chief Wildlife Warden granted permission to capture one adult and two sub-adults. These male tuskers are part of a group of eight that roam around four forest divisions. Five trained Dasara elephants from K Guddi, Nagarhole and Kushalnagar camps too are assisting in the operations. Trained jumbos will assist forest personnel in combing operation, which was launched on MondayAlso, the operation involves catching tuskers which are suspected to have killed two people. Manjunath, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Ramanagara, who is the nodal officer, told Express, The elephants have been identified and the operations started at 7am in and around Nelamangala forest range. It is difficult to say when they will be captured as they go back and forth in these regions. Earlier, forest officials of the four divisions had identified a group of eight male elephants that had been moving from Bannerghatta to Tumakuru in search of food and water. Straying from corridors to non-traditional paths, this group raided many horticultural fields in villages. In the last two days, two elephants were electrocuted - a 15-year-old tusker in Srigiripura village, Magadi taluk, and a 40-year-old tusker in Madegowdanadoddi village in Kanakapura taluk. However, whether they were a part of this group is not confirmed. Officials said with this group coming in close contact with farmers, the conflict situation has increased. In the process, farmers have connected their solar fencing to power cables from nearby high tension power lines, resulting in electrocution. 4 dead in just 18 days Wildlife conservationists are concerned as in just 18 days, four elephants, including Sidda, died in Nelamangala, Magadi and Periyapatna. N Manjunath, founder-president of Nature and Wildlife Conservation Committee, says unchecked development around Bannerghatta National Park has driven away these animals towards other areas for food. Food is a major reason for elephants moving towards Magadi or Nelamangala. However, in the long run, it is not good for their health, he said. With human beings intruding into elephant corridors and destroying their habitat, how can you blame the elephants for crop damage or conflict situations and remove them from a particular area, asked wildlife activist Ashok Hallur. The story of Ranga The tusker Ranga has been spotted in Savandurga forests. For eight months, he is either in Magadi or Nelamangala forest ranges and in May-June, he comes to Bannerghatta to mate with the captive elephants. Ranga is said to be the herd leader and was often referred to as Rowdy Ranga by villagers. Officials and activists have appealed to people not to call the tusker a rowdy. He is one of the most gentle giants and has not caused harm to anybody in his frequent interludes from forest to fields, in search of food. He has been a daredevil albeit very gentle, they say. Pooja Sagar, who carries out solo awareness programmes about elephants for children, said, Calling an innocent animal rowdy is really insensitive. Man-animal conflict is not new, it has become a challenge over the years.
By Express News Service

KOZHIKODE: The Police on Tuesday released social activist Nadir K P alias Nadee who was taken into custody in connection with a case registered against him under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) at Aralam police station in Kannur.

"He was interrogated. The investigation is underway, however, we did not receive evidence to prove the charges against him ", said Iritty deputy superintendent of police Prajeesh Thottathil.

"He has been told to appear before the investigation team whenever required", he said. The 26-year-old was taken into custody from Kozhikode on Monday morning when he reached Kozhikode Medical College Hospital to visit writer and theatre activist Kamal C Chavara who has been admitted here.

Police had invoked UAPA against six persons, including Nadir, for allegedly threatening the tribal persons in Vietnam colony in Aralam police station limits and distributing copies of the magazine 'Kattuthee', the Maoist mouthpiece to them on March 3, 2016.

KOZHIKODE: The Police on Tuesday released social activist Nadir K P alias Nadee who was taken into custody in connection with a case registered against him under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) at Aralam police station in Kannur. "He was interrogated. The investigation is underway, however, we did not receive evidence to prove the charges against him ", said Iritty deputy superintendent of police Prajeesh Thottathil. "He has been told to appear before the investigation team whenever required", he said. The 26-year-old was taken into custody from Kozhikode on Monday morning when he reached Kozhikode Medical College Hospital to visit writer and theatre activist Kamal C Chavara who has been admitted here. Police had invoked UAPA against six persons, including Nadir, for allegedly threatening the tribal persons in Vietnam colony in Aralam police station limits and distributing copies of the magazine 'Kattuthee', the Maoist mouthpiece to them on March 3, 2016.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Media ban in courts appears to be the doings of someone who insists that court proceedings should not be reported, said Administrative Reforms Commission chairman V S Achuthanandan. Inaugurating P Viswambharan commemoration meet organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists here on Monday, VS also criticised the recent norms insisting degree in law to cover court proceedings. The ongoing media ban to report court proceedings is not an ideal scenario, VS pointed out.

This has been going for the past 4-5 months. Journalists report court proceedings not merely as part of their job; It is also a social obligation to inform the public about court proceedings. It is essential for our democracy, VS said adding that it is for the judges and the judiciary to ensure the same. If this is not ensured without fault, theres no point in taking the credit of being the biggest democratic country in the world. It appears to be the doings of someone who insists that court proceedings should not be reported.

If it is only for a section of advocates, theres no bigger shame than the democratic system surrendering before that, VS added.

The CPM veteran criticised the recent norms that journalists need degree in law to cover court proceedings. Terming it highly regrettable, VS said nowhere in the country degree in law has been made mandatory for appointment as reporters, Achuthanandan asked.

TPuram: In a politically significant move, Communist veteran V S Achuthanandan has come down heavily on the police under the Left Government for brutally attacking a local CPM leader, warning that such actions would create the impression of a Fascist administration. The police official - who unleashed brutal attack on a CPM branch secretary, his friend and family while they were on the beach - should be dismissed from service and a case registered against him for murder attempt, VS demanded. Police officers who brutally beat up a pregnant woman and a toddler should not be allowed to be in service, VS said.

Move to apoliticise students dangerous, says VS

TPuram:Any attempt to apoliticise the students community is dangerous, Administrative Reforms Commission chairman V S Achuthanandan has said. Inaugurating the college union at the regional centre of Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University here on Monday, VS pointed out that being apolitical will lead to communalism and Fascist thinking. Communal and divisive forces can influence an apolitical general.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Media ban in courts appears to be the doings of someone who insists that court proceedings should not be reported, said Administrative Reforms Commission chairman V S Achuthanandan. Inaugurating P Viswambharan commemoration meet organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists here on Monday, VS also criticised the recent norms insisting degree in law to cover court proceedings. The ongoing media ban to report court proceedings is not an ideal scenario, VS pointed out. This has been going for the past 4-5 months. Journalists report court proceedings not merely as part of their job; It is also a social obligation to inform the public about court proceedings. It is essential for our democracy, VS said adding that it is for the judges and the judiciary to ensure the same. If this is not ensured without fault, theres no point in taking the credit of being the biggest democratic country in the world. It appears to be the doings of someone who insists that court proceedings should not be reported. If it is only for a section of advocates, theres no bigger shame than the democratic system surrendering before that, VS added. The CPM veteran criticised the recent norms that journalists need degree in law to cover court proceedings. Terming it highly regrettable, VS said nowhere in the country degree in law has been made mandatory for appointment as reporters, Achuthanandan asked. TPuram: In a politically significant move, Communist veteran V S Achuthanandan has come down heavily on the police under the Left Government for brutally attacking a local CPM leader, warning that such actions would create the impression of a Fascist administration. The police official - who unleashed brutal attack on a CPM branch secretary, his friend and family while they were on the beach - should be dismissed from service and a case registered against him for murder attempt, VS demanded. Police officers who brutally beat up a pregnant woman and a toddler should not be allowed to be in service, VS said. Move to apoliticise students dangerous, says VS TPuram:Any attempt to apoliticise the students community is dangerous, Administrative Reforms Commission chairman V S Achuthanandan has said. Inaugurating the college union at the regional centre of Sree Sankaracharya Sanskrit University here on Monday, VS pointed out that being apolitical will lead to communalism and Fascist thinking. Communal and divisive forces can influence an apolitical general.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: VK Sasikala, the close aide of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa thanked President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for visiting Chennai on December 6 to pay homage to the late leader.

It was extremely kind of you Sir, to have visited Chennai and paid your condolences to me personally, on the occasion of the demise of our much revered Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, the late chief minister of Tamil Nadu and the general secretary of the AIADMK, Sasikala said in her letter to the President.

Recalling that she was given to understand that the Presidents journey to Chennai was a little arduous because of some issues with the flight, he had visited Chennai undeterred by that trouble, she said.

Your visit has brought great consolation to me at a personal level and to the millions of Tamil masses and the people in the rest of the country. My sincere thanks once again for your visit which overwhelms me in this hour of personal grief, she added.

Sasikala, in her letter to the Prime Minister, said his visit to Chennai to personally express condolences to her was a noble gesture. Your visit brought great consolation to me, in my moment of personal sorrow and to the millions of masses of Tamil Nadu. Many thanks for your visit and expression of sympathy to the people of Tamil Nadu and to me personally, in our moment of inexplicable grief and sorrow, she added.

Thanking Rahul Gandhi for his visit to Chennai, Sasikala said, Your words of sympathy to me, in my hour of personal grief overwhelmed me in every way.

CHENNAI: VK Sasikala, the close aide of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa thanked President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for visiting Chennai on December 6 to pay homage to the late leader. It was extremely kind of you Sir, to have visited Chennai and paid your condolences to me personally, on the occasion of the demise of our much revered Puratchi Thalaivi Amma, the late chief minister of Tamil Nadu and the general secretary of the AIADMK, Sasikala said in her letter to the President. Recalling that she was given to understand that the Presidents journey to Chennai was a little arduous because of some issues with the flight, he had visited Chennai undeterred by that trouble, she said. Your visit has brought great consolation to me at a personal level and to the millions of Tamil masses and the people in the rest of the country. My sincere thanks once again for your visit which overwhelms me in this hour of personal grief, she added. Sasikala, in her letter to the Prime Minister, said his visit to Chennai to personally express condolences to her was a noble gesture. Your visit brought great consolation to me, in my moment of personal sorrow and to the millions of masses of Tamil Nadu. Many thanks for your visit and expression of sympathy to the people of Tamil Nadu and to me personally, in our moment of inexplicable grief and sorrow, she added. Thanking Rahul Gandhi for his visit to Chennai, Sasikala said, Your words of sympathy to me, in my hour of personal grief overwhelmed me in every way.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Leaders of fishermen associations in Tamil Nadu are pinning hopes on the ministerial level talks between Sri Lanka and India scheduled for January 2 at Colombo for immediate resolution of two prime issues - release of arrested fishermen and the impounded boats precariously berthed for about two years.

Let other issues on fishing between the two countries take their own course. What we immediately expect is the release of 22 fishermen as well as the 110 boats kept carelessly by Lankan authorities, P Jesuraja, secretary, All Mechanised Boats Association, Ramanathapuram district, told Express.

Explaining the grave situation, he said, around 20 to 25 families depend upon a boat for their livelihood. Each boat costs between `20 to 40 lakh. These families have lost their source of income. Of the 110 boats, eight are country boats and the rest mechanised vessels. Of these, around 10 belonged to Puducherry fishermen. Further, at least 80 boats have been under Lankan custody for over two years.

According to him, either the Central government should either provide compensation for damages to boats or get it from Lanka.

S Emerit, president, Meenavan Mechanised Boats Association, said till the UPA government was in power at the Centre, boats seized were released then and there. But after the BJP government assumed office in 2014, Colombo had started the practice of not releasing the boats. Fishermen arrested were also released then. The present government seems to be not interested in this issue at all, he bemoaned.

Though a host of issues were discussed during the talks between the representatives of fishermen from Lanka and Tamil Nadu held in November, he, however, said no consensus was arrived.

U Arulanandam, president, Alliance for the Release of Innocent Fishermen, was skeptical about the outcome of the forthcoming ministerial level talks. Change of governments at the Centre brings no change in our lives. Successive governments have failed to ensure the very basic rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in Katchatheevu, he rued.

CHENNAI: Leaders of fishermen associations in Tamil Nadu are pinning hopes on the ministerial level talks between Sri Lanka and India scheduled for January 2 at Colombo for immediate resolution of two prime issues - release of arrested fishermen and the impounded boats precariously berthed for about two years. Let other issues on fishing between the two countries take their own course. What we immediately expect is the release of 22 fishermen as well as the 110 boats kept carelessly by Lankan authorities, P Jesuraja, secretary, All Mechanised Boats Association, Ramanathapuram district, told Express. Explaining the grave situation, he said, around 20 to 25 families depend upon a boat for their livelihood. Each boat costs between `20 to 40 lakh. These families have lost their source of income. Of the 110 boats, eight are country boats and the rest mechanised vessels. Of these, around 10 belonged to Puducherry fishermen. Further, at least 80 boats have been under Lankan custody for over two years. According to him, either the Central government should either provide compensation for damages to boats or get it from Lanka. S Emerit, president, Meenavan Mechanised Boats Association, said till the UPA government was in power at the Centre, boats seized were released then and there. But after the BJP government assumed office in 2014, Colombo had started the practice of not releasing the boats. Fishermen arrested were also released then. The present government seems to be not interested in this issue at all, he bemoaned. Though a host of issues were discussed during the talks between the representatives of fishermen from Lanka and Tamil Nadu held in November, he, however, said no consensus was arrived. U Arulanandam, president, Alliance for the Release of Innocent Fishermen, was skeptical about the outcome of the forthcoming ministerial level talks. Change of governments at the Centre brings no change in our lives. Successive governments have failed to ensure the very basic rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen in Katchatheevu, he rued.
P K Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan and Indian governments are yet to work out the logistics for ferrying 32 Sri Lankan Tamil pilgrims intending to participate in the Thiruvathirai festival at the Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu which is to be held between January 2 and 12.

Officials told Express on Monday that the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has, in principle, given approval for a ferry service from Kankesanthurai in Jaffna to a point in Tamil Nadu to enable the pilgrimage to take place. But details as regards dates of departure and return and the kind of vessel that would carry the pilgrims have not been worked out.

It is not certain if the vessel carrying the pilgrims will be a Sri Lankan naval ship or a civilian one. Also, it is not clear if the Sri Lankan ship will carry the pilgrims all the way to Tamil Nadu or transfer the passengers to an Indian vessel at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

The initiator of the pilgrimage, Marvanpulavu Sachchithananthan, of the Eelam Siva Senai had asked for a ferry from Kankesanthurai to Nagapattinam or Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. But the government of India chose Karaikal in Puducherry. It takes about an hour and a half to go to Chidambaram from Karaikal.

Eelam Siva Senai, had forwarded a request for a group pilgrimage through the Governor of the Northern Province, Reginold Cooray. Recommending that Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera take up the matter with Indian authorities, Governor Cooray noted that the initiative could enhance the ongoing reconciliation process.

Apparently no decision has yet been taken by the Foreign Ministry. The Sri Lankan navy says that it has not heard from the government in this regard.

This tradition of going to the Chidambaram temple in December has a rich history which dates back 2000 years. It was stopped after independence. We are not asking anything new, but only requesting the revival of an old tradition the Hindus had practiced, Sachchithananthan told Sunday Times.

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan and Indian governments are yet to work out the logistics for ferrying 32 Sri Lankan Tamil pilgrims intending to participate in the Thiruvathirai festival at the Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu which is to be held between January 2 and 12. Officials told Express on Monday that the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has, in principle, given approval for a ferry service from Kankesanthurai in Jaffna to a point in Tamil Nadu to enable the pilgrimage to take place. But details as regards dates of departure and return and the kind of vessel that would carry the pilgrims have not been worked out. It is not certain if the vessel carrying the pilgrims will be a Sri Lankan naval ship or a civilian one. Also, it is not clear if the Sri Lankan ship will carry the pilgrims all the way to Tamil Nadu or transfer the passengers to an Indian vessel at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The initiator of the pilgrimage, Marvanpulavu Sachchithananthan, of the Eelam Siva Senai had asked for a ferry from Kankesanthurai to Nagapattinam or Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. But the government of India chose Karaikal in Puducherry. It takes about an hour and a half to go to Chidambaram from Karaikal. Eelam Siva Senai, had forwarded a request for a group pilgrimage through the Governor of the Northern Province, Reginold Cooray. Recommending that Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera take up the matter with Indian authorities, Governor Cooray noted that the initiative could enhance the ongoing reconciliation process. Apparently no decision has yet been taken by the Foreign Ministry. The Sri Lankan navy says that it has not heard from the government in this regard. This tradition of going to the Chidambaram temple in December has a rich history which dates back 2000 years. It was stopped after independence. We are not asking anything new, but only requesting the revival of an old tradition the Hindus had practiced, Sachchithananthan told Sunday Times.
By PTI

UNITED NATIONS: In a clear reference to Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups, India has told the UN that the international community must urgently address the issue of backing to outfits like LeT, JeM and the Haqqani Network by "shadowy supporters" outside Afghanistan.

"Experience, as well as academic research, provides ample support for the assertion that conflicts in which foreign assistance is available to shadowy entities that fight legitimate state authorities tend to be more severe and last longer than other types of conflict," India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in a Security Council session on the situation in Afghanistan.

Without naming Pakistan, Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens in the country's neighbourhood and the international community must address the issue of the support that terror outfits like the Taliban and al-Qaeda get from their supporters outside Afghanistan.

"If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood," he said.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, al-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said here yesterday.

He pointed out to the meeting in the 15-nation Council that it is apparent that efforts by nations for rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being "undermined, schools are being destroyed, mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted".

"It is also evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside," he said, in a veiled but strong reference to Pakistan.

Akbaruddin noted with concern that while the international community recommits to standing by the Afghan people each time the UN members discuss the situation in the war-torn country, the number of Afghan civilian and security forces casualties keeps rising.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory. Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism," he said.

The Indian envoy emphasised that the international community must introspect about the way it is approaching the situation in Afghanistan and whether there is need for course correction.

UNITED NATIONS: In a clear reference to Pakistan providing safe havens to terror groups, India has told the UN that the international community must urgently address the issue of backing to outfits like LeT, JeM and the Haqqani Network by "shadowy supporters" outside Afghanistan. "Experience, as well as academic research, provides ample support for the assertion that conflicts in which foreign assistance is available to shadowy entities that fight legitimate state authorities tend to be more severe and last longer than other types of conflict," India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in a Security Council session on the situation in Afghanistan. Without naming Pakistan, Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens in the country's neighbourhood and the international community must address the issue of the support that terror outfits like the Taliban and al-Qaeda get from their supporters outside Afghanistan. "If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood," he said. "We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, al-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said here yesterday. He pointed out to the meeting in the 15-nation Council that it is apparent that efforts by nations for rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being "undermined, schools are being destroyed, mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted". "It is also evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside," he said, in a veiled but strong reference to Pakistan. Akbaruddin noted with concern that while the international community recommits to standing by the Afghan people each time the UN members discuss the situation in the war-torn country, the number of Afghan civilian and security forces casualties keeps rising. "While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory. Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism," he said. The Indian envoy emphasised that the international community must introspect about the way it is approaching the situation in Afghanistan and whether there is need for course correction.
By Associated Press

BERLIN: The Latest on the investigation of truck rampage in Berlin Christmas market.

8:35 p.m.

The Islamic State extremist group is claiming responsibility for the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people and left nearly 50 injured.

The Islamic State group's Amaq news agency said in a statement Tuesday that "the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."

German police are still hunting for the driver of the truck, which slammed into the downtown Christmas market Monday night.

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations. But it does have Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean.

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7:35 p.m.

The U.N. Security Council is condemning "the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack" at a Christmas market in Berlin and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Council members say "that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."

A truck drove into the popular market, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 50 others.

The council "expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government of Germany."

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7:30 p.m.

The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with the leaders of France, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Poland, Sweden and Spain following the deadly truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

A government statement says the leaders expressed their sympathy over the attack in the separate phone conversations on Tuesday.

They also offered Merkel their support in investigating the attack and "stressed the necessity of European solidarity in the fight against terrorism."

7:05 p.m.

German prosecutors say a man arrested after the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market has been released because there isn't sufficient evidence to tie him to the rampage.

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that the man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year as an asylum-seeker, denied involvement in the attack that killed 12 people and injured nearly 50 others.

They noted that witnesses were able to follow the truck's driver from the scene but lost track of him. The man arrested matched witness descriptions of the truck driver, but investigators haven't been able to prove that he was in the truck's cab at the time of the attack.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

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6:35 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck are attending a memorial service at the church next to the Christmas market that was attacked on Monday night.

The nondenominational service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church came hours after Merkel and other German political leaders laid white roses outside the church.

The church, a centerpiece of the former West Berlin, serves as a symbol of the destruction of war. The 19th-century church was badly damaged in World War II bombing and the remains of its spire were left standing. A modern extension was inaugurated in 1961.

Berlin's Lutheran bishop, Markus Droege, said "Berlin lives with this wound, which was created by violence and war. This church is a memorial  it shows us what happens when people give free rein to their hatred, when they pursue the path of violence to the end."

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6:30 p.m.

A German Muslim group is condemning the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 people dead.

The Muslim Coordination Council said in a statement Tuesday that terror "does not stop in the face of innocent people and what is sacred to people." It added that "we are deeply shocked and condemn the cowardly attack in the strongest terms."

The council is an umbrella organization for several German Muslim groups.

German authorities are calling the truck attack an "act of terrorism" that had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremism, but many questions remain over who carried it out. No group has claimed responsibility.

6:20 p.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama has spoken over phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and offered his condolences for the attack against the Berlin Christmas market.

Twelve people were killed and nearly 50 others injured when the truck drove into the popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday.

The White House says Obama reiterated a U.S. offer of assistance. He also underscored that "no attack could sway our determination and that of our German allies to defeat terrorism in all of its forms."

The White House says Obama also expressed his appreciation for Merkel's steadfast leadership in shared efforts to "root out the scourge of terrorism and defend our way of life."

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6:15 p.m.

An Italian lawmaker says after the Berlin truck attack the list of possible targets in Italy will likely expand.

Sen. Giacomo Stucchi, the head of Parliament' intelligence commission, told Sky TG24 TV Tuesday that also likely to grow will be the number of persons deemed needing to be closely watched as possible extremists.

Stucchi says "zero risk doesn't exist." But he is urging Italians to continue to enjoy their public piazzas and attend their churches in the predominantly Catholic country.

German authorities say the truck deliberately was driven into a Christmas market filled with strollers and shoppers in Berlin Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring dozens.

4:25 p.m.

Romania's prime minister is sending condolences to the families of those killed in the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin and calling for renewed efforts to fight terrorism.

In a message Tuesday, Premier Dacian Ciolos says the Romanian government "condemns such acts of unspeakable violence against innocent people."

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4 p.m.

Czech leaders say the country is increasing security measures following the truck attack in neighboring Germany.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka says the police presence will be "massive" during the Christmas holidays, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at places where crowds gather.

Interior Minister Milan Chovanec says hundreds more officers will be deployed in the capital and across the country. He says police are ready to renew checks on the border with Germany if German authorities request that.

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3:55 p.m.

France's lawmakers and government members have observed a minute of silence to express their solidarity and compassion toward Germans.

Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, in a speech to the lower house of Parliament, vowed to use the strongest determination to fight terrorism "without truce or pause."

He says French and German authorities have worked closely for months to help improve security in both countries following the deadly attacks by Islamic extremists last year in Paris and this year in Nice.

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3:50 p.m.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior German officials have laid white roses at the site of Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Merkel was joined by Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller at the site near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in central Berlin on Tuesday.

They spoke with police officers at the market then signed a book of condolences at the church.

Twelve people were killed in what authorities are treating as a terror attack.

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3:30 p.m.

Italy is strengthening security measures for areas where crowds are expected for Christmas ceremonies, such as Pope Francis' appearance in St. Peter's Square.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti led a meeting Tuesday of the heads of Italy's police and intelligence forces to review security after the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

An interior ministry statement does not specify the places where security will be tightened. But security officials in the past have said that extremists have noted the Vatican, as a symbol of Christianity, is a logical target.

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3:10 p.m.

The head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office says he cannot rule out that suspects involved in the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market could still be at large.

Holger Muench told reporters Tuesday that authorities are still not positive the suspect they have in custody was the driver of the truck, that they have not yet found a pistol believed used to kill the truck's passenger, and that it is not known overall how people were involved.

For those reasons, he says, we are "naturally on high alert and are investigating in all directions."

He says six of the 12 people killed have been identified and are all Germans, but he does not yet know whether the other six are as well.

2:50 p.m.

Germany's top prosecutor says investigators are treating the Berlin Christmas market attack as an act of terrorism, though there is no claim of responsibility yet.

Peter Frank also told reporters Tuesday it's not entirely clear whether there was one perpetrator or more. He says the suspect in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators."

Frank says the method used in the rampage was reminiscent of July's truck attack in Nice, France and of the "modus operandi" used by Islamic extremist groups.

___

2:40 p.m.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his grief over the deaths in the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

In a statement, he says that "terrorism is our common enemy and the world needs to put up a joint fight against this menace." Sharif says Pakistan will continue to take steps to eliminate terrorism, as his country also has been a victim.

Police detained an asylum-seeker from Pakistan shortly after Monday's attack, but he denied involvement, Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said it wasn't clear whether the man was really the truck's driver.

___

2:20 p.m.

Pope Francis is urging those of good will to fight the "folly of terrorism."

In a condolence telegram Tuesday to Berlin's archbishop, Francis prays for the dead and injured in Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. He says he joins "all men of good will" who have committed themselves to efforts "so that the murderous folly of terrorism finds no more room in our world."

Francis also prays for the 12 persons who were killed and for the many wounded in what he called "the terrible act of violence."

1 40 p.m.

Berlin's police chief says it isn't clear whether the man detained in the wake of Monday's fatal truck attack on a busy Christmas market was really the driver.

Klaus Kandt told reporters in Berlin that "we haven't been able to confirm it yet."

Twelve people were killed in the attack.

___

1 p.m.

The owner of a Polish trucking company says the driver who was the first victim of the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin was stabbed and shot to death in the cabin of his truck.

Ariel Zurawski says German authorities asked him to identify the victim, Lukasz Urban, 37, from photos.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Zurawski said, speaking to broadcaster TVN.

Lukasz Wasik, the manager of the trucking company, described Urban as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work.

"I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if were attacked," Wasik said in comments carried by TVP, Poland's state broadcaster.

12:55 p.m.

Germany's top security official says a suspect arrested after the truck attack in Berlin "comes from Pakistan" and had applied for asylum.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters Tuesday that the suspect entered Germany on Dec. 31, 2015, and arrived in Berlin in February.

He says that so far authorities have no knowledge of a claim of responsibility from the Islamic State group.

___

12:45 p.m.

Germany's top security official says authorities have "no doubt" that the fatal ramming of a busy Christmas market in Berlin on Monday was an intentional attack.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere says 12 people were killed. Among the dead was a Polish citizen found on the passenger seat of the truck with a gunshot wound.

De Maiziere told reporters on Tuesday that a man arrested in connection with the attack has denied to police that he was involved.

___

11:50 a.m.

Danish and Norwegian police have increased their presence at Christmas markets in the countries' capitals, Copenhagen and Oslo, following the deadly attack in Berlin.

The prime minister of Finland, Juha Sipala, said Monday's attack that killed at least 12 people "was (an) evening of absolutely shocking news and senseless violence."

___

11:20 a.m.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo says it is "with pain and sadness we received the information that the first victim of this heinous act of violence was a Polish citizen."

Szydlo told reporters that Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin is a reminder that "Europe must become unified in the fight against terrorism and Europe must take effective action to protect its citizens."

___

11:10 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened" by the attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed at least 12 people Monday.

Merkel told reporters on Tuesday that it would be "particularly sickening" if it turns out the attacker was an asylum-seeker who sought refuge in Germany.

German media have reported that a suspect arrested after the attack was a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany in late 2015 or early 2016.

___

11:05 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with U.S. President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences in the wake of the fatal attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

At least a dozen people were killed when a truck rammed into the busy market in the German capital in what police described as a suspected "terror attack."

Merkel's office says the two leaders spoke by phone early Tuesday, and Obama assured the chancellor of America's full support in investigating the attack.

___

11:00 a.m.

London's Metropolitan Police say they are reviewing security plans for public events over the holidays after Monday's attacks in Germany and Turkey.

Police said Tuesday they are considering "a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles."

Police say it is routine to review security plans after attacks overseas.

___

10:55 a.m.

Berlin police are stepping up armed patrols in response to the fatal attack on a Christmas market Monday.

Police said Tuesday on Twitter that the measure is being taken "as a precaution."

At least a dozen people were killed when a truck rammed into a busy Christmas market in the German capital in what police described as a suspected "terror attack."

___

10:45 a.m.

Berlin's top security official is calling for Christmas markets in the city to remain shut on Tuesday after Monday's attack that killed at least 12.

Germany's Interior Ministry says Berlin's state interior minister, Andreas Geisel, told federal and regional counterparts that operators of Christmas markets in the capital were asked to close out of respect for the victims and their relatives.

The ministry says the officials agreed that Christmas markets and other major events across Germany should go ahead and that decisions on tightening security measures should be made locally.

The federal interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, said: "Whatever we find out going forward about the exact background motive of the perpetrators, we must not and will not allow our free life to be taken away."

___

9:40 a.m.

Police in the English city of Manchester say they are increasing patrols of many popular Christmas markets following the attack in Berlin.

Police said Tuesday they had added extra protection at the 10 market sites, which are often thronged with shoppers in the days before Christmas.

Assistant chief Debbie Ford says the increase is in line with Britain's "national response." The country's terror threat has long been judged to be severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

She says there is no intelligence suggesting an attack in greater Manchester is imminent.

___

9:25 a.m.

German police have searched a large shelter for asylum-seekers in Berlin in response to the fatal attack on Christmas market Monday.

The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that up to 250 officers took part in the operation at the now-defunct Tempelhof airport overnight.

It quoted a spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs, Sascha Langenbach, saying four men in the late 20s were questioned by police but nobody was arrested.

Several German media, citing unnamed security sources, reported that the suspect in the attack was a Pakistani man who entered Germany late 2015 or early this year.

Police declined to comment on the reports, referring questions to federal prosecutors who didn't immediately respond to calls Tuesday.

___

8:10 a.m.

Germany's top security official is ordering flags at federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in the wake of Monday's truck attack in Berlin.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement Tuesday that the decision was taken as a mark of sympathy following the attack.

Authorities say at least 12 people were killed and almost 50 injured when a heavily laden truck slammed into a Christmas market in the west of the German capital.

BERLIN: The Latest on the investigation of truck rampage in Berlin Christmas market. 8:35 p.m. The Islamic State extremist group is claiming responsibility for the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people and left nearly 50 injured. The Islamic State group's Amaq news agency said in a statement Tuesday that "the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition." German police are still hunting for the driver of the truck, which slammed into the downtown Christmas market Monday night. Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations. But it does have Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. ___ 7:35 p.m. The U.N. Security Council is condemning "the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack" at a Christmas market in Berlin and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Council members say "that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed." A truck drove into the popular market, killing 12 people and injuring nearly 50 others. The council "expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government of Germany." ___ 7:30 p.m. The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with the leaders of France, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Poland, Sweden and Spain following the deadly truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. A government statement says the leaders expressed their sympathy over the attack in the separate phone conversations on Tuesday. They also offered Merkel their support in investigating the attack and "stressed the necessity of European solidarity in the fight against terrorism." 7:05 p.m. German prosecutors say a man arrested after the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market has been released because there isn't sufficient evidence to tie him to the rampage. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that the man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year as an asylum-seeker, denied involvement in the attack that killed 12 people and injured nearly 50 others. They noted that witnesses were able to follow the truck's driver from the scene but lost track of him. The man arrested matched witness descriptions of the truck driver, but investigators haven't been able to prove that he was in the truck's cab at the time of the attack. Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody. ___ 6:35 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck are attending a memorial service at the church next to the Christmas market that was attacked on Monday night. The nondenominational service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church came hours after Merkel and other German political leaders laid white roses outside the church. The church, a centerpiece of the former West Berlin, serves as a symbol of the destruction of war. The 19th-century church was badly damaged in World War II bombing and the remains of its spire were left standing. A modern extension was inaugurated in 1961. Berlin's Lutheran bishop, Markus Droege, said "Berlin lives with this wound, which was created by violence and war. This church is a memorial  it shows us what happens when people give free rein to their hatred, when they pursue the path of violence to the end." ___ 6:30 p.m. A German Muslim group is condemning the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that left 12 people dead. The Muslim Coordination Council said in a statement Tuesday that terror "does not stop in the face of innocent people and what is sacred to people." It added that "we are deeply shocked and condemn the cowardly attack in the strongest terms." The council is an umbrella organization for several German Muslim groups. German authorities are calling the truck attack an "act of terrorism" that had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremism, but many questions remain over who carried it out. No group has claimed responsibility. 6:20 p.m. The White House says President Barack Obama has spoken over phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and offered his condolences for the attack against the Berlin Christmas market. Twelve people were killed and nearly 50 others injured when the truck drove into the popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday. The White House says Obama reiterated a U.S. offer of assistance. He also underscored that "no attack could sway our determination and that of our German allies to defeat terrorism in all of its forms." The White House says Obama also expressed his appreciation for Merkel's steadfast leadership in shared efforts to "root out the scourge of terrorism and defend our way of life." ___ 6:15 p.m. An Italian lawmaker says after the Berlin truck attack the list of possible targets in Italy will likely expand. Sen. Giacomo Stucchi, the head of Parliament' intelligence commission, told Sky TG24 TV Tuesday that also likely to grow will be the number of persons deemed needing to be closely watched as possible extremists. Stucchi says "zero risk doesn't exist." But he is urging Italians to continue to enjoy their public piazzas and attend their churches in the predominantly Catholic country. German authorities say the truck deliberately was driven into a Christmas market filled with strollers and shoppers in Berlin Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring dozens. 4:25 p.m. Romania's prime minister is sending condolences to the families of those killed in the attack on the Christmas market in Berlin and calling for renewed efforts to fight terrorism. In a message Tuesday, Premier Dacian Ciolos says the Romanian government "condemns such acts of unspeakable violence against innocent people." ___ 4 p.m. Czech leaders say the country is increasing security measures following the truck attack in neighboring Germany. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka says the police presence will be "massive" during the Christmas holidays, on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at places where crowds gather. Interior Minister Milan Chovanec says hundreds more officers will be deployed in the capital and across the country. He says police are ready to renew checks on the border with Germany if German authorities request that. ___ 3:55 p.m. France's lawmakers and government members have observed a minute of silence to express their solidarity and compassion toward Germans. Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, in a speech to the lower house of Parliament, vowed to use the strongest determination to fight terrorism "without truce or pause." He says French and German authorities have worked closely for months to help improve security in both countries following the deadly attacks by Islamic extremists last year in Paris and this year in Nice. ___ 3:50 p.m. Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior German officials have laid white roses at the site of Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. Merkel was joined by Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller at the site near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in central Berlin on Tuesday. They spoke with police officers at the market then signed a book of condolences at the church. Twelve people were killed in what authorities are treating as a terror attack. ___ 3:30 p.m. Italy is strengthening security measures for areas where crowds are expected for Christmas ceremonies, such as Pope Francis' appearance in St. Peter's Square. Interior Minister Marco Minniti led a meeting Tuesday of the heads of Italy's police and intelligence forces to review security after the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. An interior ministry statement does not specify the places where security will be tightened. But security officials in the past have said that extremists have noted the Vatican, as a symbol of Christianity, is a logical target. ___ 3:10 p.m. The head of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office says he cannot rule out that suspects involved in the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market could still be at large. Holger Muench told reporters Tuesday that authorities are still not positive the suspect they have in custody was the driver of the truck, that they have not yet found a pistol believed used to kill the truck's passenger, and that it is not known overall how people were involved. For those reasons, he says, we are "naturally on high alert and are investigating in all directions." He says six of the 12 people killed have been identified and are all Germans, but he does not yet know whether the other six are as well. 2:50 p.m. Germany's top prosecutor says investigators are treating the Berlin Christmas market attack as an act of terrorism, though there is no claim of responsibility yet. Peter Frank also told reporters Tuesday it's not entirely clear whether there was one perpetrator or more. He says the suspect in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators." Frank says the method used in the rampage was reminiscent of July's truck attack in Nice, France and of the "modus operandi" used by Islamic extremist groups. ___ 2:40 p.m. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his grief over the deaths in the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. In a statement, he says that "terrorism is our common enemy and the world needs to put up a joint fight against this menace." Sharif says Pakistan will continue to take steps to eliminate terrorism, as his country also has been a victim. Police detained an asylum-seeker from Pakistan shortly after Monday's attack, but he denied involvement, Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said. Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said it wasn't clear whether the man was really the truck's driver. ___ 2:20 p.m. Pope Francis is urging those of good will to fight the "folly of terrorism." In a condolence telegram Tuesday to Berlin's archbishop, Francis prays for the dead and injured in Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. He says he joins "all men of good will" who have committed themselves to efforts "so that the murderous folly of terrorism finds no more room in our world." Francis also prays for the 12 persons who were killed and for the many wounded in what he called "the terrible act of violence." 1 40 p.m. Berlin's police chief says it isn't clear whether the man detained in the wake of Monday's fatal truck attack on a busy Christmas market was really the driver. Klaus Kandt told reporters in Berlin that "we haven't been able to confirm it yet." Twelve people were killed in the attack. ___ 1 p.m. The owner of a Polish trucking company says the driver who was the first victim of the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin was stabbed and shot to death in the cabin of his truck. Ariel Zurawski says German authorities asked him to identify the victim, Lukasz Urban, 37, from photos. "His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Zurawski said, speaking to broadcaster TVN. Lukasz Wasik, the manager of the trucking company, described Urban as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work. "I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if were attacked," Wasik said in comments carried by TVP, Poland's state broadcaster. 12:55 p.m. Germany's top security official says a suspect arrested after the truck attack in Berlin "comes from Pakistan" and had applied for asylum. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters Tuesday that the suspect entered Germany on Dec. 31, 2015, and arrived in Berlin in February. He says that so far authorities have no knowledge of a claim of responsibility from the Islamic State group. ___ 12:45 p.m. Germany's top security official says authorities have "no doubt" that the fatal ramming of a busy Christmas market in Berlin on Monday was an intentional attack. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere says 12 people were killed. Among the dead was a Polish citizen found on the passenger seat of the truck with a gunshot wound. De Maiziere told reporters on Tuesday that a man arrested in connection with the attack has denied to police that he was involved. ___ 11:50 a.m. Danish and Norwegian police have increased their presence at Christmas markets in the countries' capitals, Copenhagen and Oslo, following the deadly attack in Berlin. The prime minister of Finland, Juha Sipala, said Monday's attack that killed at least 12 people "was (an) evening of absolutely shocking news and senseless violence." ___ 11:20 a.m. Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo says it is "with pain and sadness we received the information that the first victim of this heinous act of violence was a Polish citizen." Szydlo told reporters that Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin is a reminder that "Europe must become unified in the fight against terrorism and Europe must take effective action to protect its citizens." ___ 11:10 a.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened" by the attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed at least 12 people Monday. Merkel told reporters on Tuesday that it would be "particularly sickening" if it turns out the attacker was an asylum-seeker who sought refuge in Germany. German media have reported that a suspect arrested after the attack was a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany in late 2015 or early 2016. ___ 11:05 a.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with U.S. President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences in the wake of the fatal attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. At least a dozen people were killed when a truck rammed into the busy market in the German capital in what police described as a suspected "terror attack." Merkel's office says the two leaders spoke by phone early Tuesday, and Obama assured the chancellor of America's full support in investigating the attack. ___ 11:00 a.m. London's Metropolitan Police say they are reviewing security plans for public events over the holidays after Monday's attacks in Germany and Turkey. Police said Tuesday they are considering "a range of threats, including the use of large vehicles." Police say it is routine to review security plans after attacks overseas. ___ 10:55 a.m. Berlin police are stepping up armed patrols in response to the fatal attack on a Christmas market Monday. Police said Tuesday on Twitter that the measure is being taken "as a precaution." At least a dozen people were killed when a truck rammed into a busy Christmas market in the German capital in what police described as a suspected "terror attack." ___ 10:45 a.m. Berlin's top security official is calling for Christmas markets in the city to remain shut on Tuesday after Monday's attack that killed at least 12. Germany's Interior Ministry says Berlin's state interior minister, Andreas Geisel, told federal and regional counterparts that operators of Christmas markets in the capital were asked to close out of respect for the victims and their relatives. The ministry says the officials agreed that Christmas markets and other major events across Germany should go ahead and that decisions on tightening security measures should be made locally. The federal interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, said: "Whatever we find out going forward about the exact background motive of the perpetrators, we must not and will not allow our free life to be taken away." ___ 9:40 a.m. Police in the English city of Manchester say they are increasing patrols of many popular Christmas markets following the attack in Berlin. Police said Tuesday they had added extra protection at the 10 market sites, which are often thronged with shoppers in the days before Christmas. Assistant chief Debbie Ford says the increase is in line with Britain's "national response." The country's terror threat has long been judged to be severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. She says there is no intelligence suggesting an attack in greater Manchester is imminent. ___ 9:25 a.m. German police have searched a large shelter for asylum-seekers in Berlin in response to the fatal attack on Christmas market Monday. The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that up to 250 officers took part in the operation at the now-defunct Tempelhof airport overnight. It quoted a spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs, Sascha Langenbach, saying four men in the late 20s were questioned by police but nobody was arrested. Several German media, citing unnamed security sources, reported that the suspect in the attack was a Pakistani man who entered Germany late 2015 or early this year. Police declined to comment on the reports, referring questions to federal prosecutors who didn't immediately respond to calls Tuesday. ___ 8:10 a.m. Germany's top security official is ordering flags at federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in the wake of Monday's truck attack in Berlin. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said in a statement Tuesday that the decision was taken as a mark of sympathy following the attack. Authorities say at least 12 people were killed and almost 50 injured when a heavily laden truck slammed into a Christmas market in the west of the German capital.
By Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  The latest on the killing of Russia's ambassador to Turkey (all times local):

6 a.m.

China's foreign minister has expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart on the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, calling the assassination a "barbaric act of terrorism."

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that China strongly condemns such actions targeting diplomatic personnel and was "resolutely opposed to all kinds of terrorism."

Wang says China is willing to work with the international community in "resolutely supporting" Russia's efforts to crack down on terrorism and will boost cooperation with Moscow on this front.

Chinese and Russian leaders have in recent years extolled the blossoming strategic partnership between the former communist rivals, despite a major decline in two-way trade and the failure to materialize a slew of ambitious projects.

___

5:20 a.m.

The U.N. Security Council is condemning "in the strongest terms" the "terrorist attack" that assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey and is calling for the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors to be brought to justice.

A statement Monday night from the U.N.'s most powerful body reaffirms that all forms of terrorism pose one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. It says "that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."

The council also expresses "deep condolences" to the family of Ambassador Andrei Karlov and the Russian government.

The council further stresses "the fundamental principle of the inviolability" of diplomats under the 1961 Vienna convention on diplomatic relations and reaffirms the need to combat threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

___

1:30 a.m.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that the meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran will be held Tuesday as planned after the killing of the Russian ambassador to Ankara.

The key meeting about Syria will be held in Moscow a day after Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, who has been serving in Turkey since 2013, was shot during a speech at a photography exhibition in Ankara. The gunman was later killed by police.

Lavrov said in televised remarks that "we are sure that those who staged that barbaric crime were seeking to derail the process of normalizing Russia-Turkey ties primarily with a goal to prevent an efficient fight against terrorism in Syria."

Lavrov says that "this attempt is futile. The steps we will take at the meeting tomorrow will thwart the plans of the organizers of that crime." (asterisk)

___

1:20 a.m.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency says four people have been detained following the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey.

Turkish authorities say the shooter is 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who has been serving in Ankara's riot police unit for the last two-and-a-half years.

Anadolu, without citing sources, said the shooter's family home in the western province of Aydin was searched and his mother, father and sister were detained.

Anadolu also says the man's house in Ankara was raided and his roommate, also a riot police officer, was detained.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, who has been serving in Turkey since 2013, was shot during a speech at a photography exhibition in Ankara. Altintas was later killed by police.

12:10 a.m.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned what he called a "senseless act of terror" that killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey, saying "there can be no justification."

He offered "deepest condolences to the Russian delegation" on the death of Ambassador Andrei Karlov.

Ban spoke at the start of a U.N. Security Council meeting on South Sudan on Monday afternoon.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reiterated the U.N.'s condemnation and said "we very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice."

He said Ban "is following the unfolding situation closely and wishes the other people who were reportedly injured in the attack a speedy and full recovery."

___

11:30 p.m.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tells Turkish reporters that he learned about the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey while he was flying to Moscow for a meeting with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

Cavusoglu says the ambassador, Andrei Karlov, "was a good diplomat. He made considerable efforts to develop ties even at the most difficult of times ... He was a perfect man and a friend."

Cavusoglu says the attack was aimed at Russia, Turkey and Russian-Turkish relations.

He says such attacks "cannot harm our ties because we know the importance that the Turkish-Russian partnership has on the region."

___

11 p.m.

The leaders of Turkey and Russia say the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey has been intended to ruin Russia-Turkey ties.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in televised remarks during a meeting with senior officials, said that the killing of Ambassador Andrei Karlov was a "provocation aimed at derailing Russia-Turkey ties and the peace process in Syria."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a video message being shown on several Turkish TV channels, says that "this is a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation."

Both leaders said that Russian investigators will be part of the official probe into the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara.

___

10:45 p.m.

The White House is strongly condemning the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, saying "this heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable."

National Security Council spokesman Ned Price says the United States government's thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of Karlov and the other victims.

Price says "we offer our condolences to the Russian people and government."

Price also says the U.S. government stands united with Russia and Turkey in its determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms.

Karlov was several minutes into a speech in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.

___

10:40 p.m.

Senior Russian lawmakers are describing the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey as a provocation aimed to derail a rapprochement between the two nations.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was gunned down Monday a day before the meeting of foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Moscow. The killing also comes amid efforts by Moscow and Ankara to broker Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital.

Leonid Slutsky, the head of the foreign affairs committee at the lower house of Russian parliament, said that unspecified opponents of Russia "are making desperate attempts to spoil ties between Russia and Turkey, but those attempts will fail."

He and other senior lawmakers called for even closer cooperation with Turkey and refrained from advising Russians to avoid visiting Turkey.

___

10:25 p.m.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned "in the strongest terms" the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey.

The ministry called the attack "terrorist and cowardly" in a statement late Monday.

The Russian-Turkish diplomatic channel is one of the most important to the Syrian civil war. Their diplomats brokered an agreement in Ankara last week to evacuate the Syrian opposition from the contested city of Aleppo after months of Syrian and Russian bombardment killed hundreds of civilians and exhausted the rebels  some backed by Turkey.

After shooting the ambassador, the gunman cried, "Don't forget Aleppo!"

Turkey's foreign and defense ministers are expected to meet in Moscow this week with their Iranian and Russian counterparts to discuss the next developments to the Syrian war.

___

10:15 p.m.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey a "despicable attack."

Kerry said that the killing was "an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world."

He said that the U.S. is ready to offer help to Russia and Turkey in the investigation of the attack.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photo exhibition in Ankara when he was shot. The assassin was later killed by police.

___

10:05 p.m.

Turkey's interior minister says that the gunman who assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey was a policeman.

Suleyman Soylu said that the gunman was working for the riot police squad in Ankara for the past 2 1/2 years. He identified the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, born in 1994.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photo exhibition when he was shot. The assassin was later killed by police.

___

9 p.m.

The gunman who killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey at a photo exhibition in Ankara shouted in Turkish "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"

The man then yelled: "Stand back! Stand back! Only death will take me out of here. Anyone who has a role in this oppression will die one by one."

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition when he was shot. The gunman also shouted "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great." Police later killed the gunman, according to reports.

The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria.

Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has supported Assad's foes.

___

8:40 p.m.

The Russian ambassador to Turkey who was fatally shot in Ankara was a career diplomat.

Andrei Karlov was 62 and he joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang in 2001-2006, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministry's consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013.

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.

___

8:35 p.m.

A Russian official says that the country's ambassador to Turkey has died after being shot by a gunman in Ankara.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the announcement in a live televised statement.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.

___

8:05 p.m.

The U.S. State Department has condemned the attack on the Russian ambassador in Turkey.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said that "we condemn this act of violence, whatever its source. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.

___

7:55 p.m.

Turkey's private NTV television says police have shot and killed the gunman who attacked the Russian ambassador in Ankara.

NTV television, citing police sources, said the gunman was killed in a police operation inside an exhibition hall where the attack occurred.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience.

___

7:45 p.m.

Russia's Foreign Ministry says that the country's ambassador to Turkey has been hospitalized with a gunshot wound after an attack at a photo exhibition in Ankara.

But Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova didn't give Ambassador Andrei Karlov's condition. Zakharova was speaking in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

___

7:25 p.m.

An Associated Press photographer says a gunman has fired shots at the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The ambassador's condition wasn't immediately known.

The attack occurred Monday at a photo exhibition in the capital Ankara, where the ambassador was making an address.

Photographs from the scene showed a man lying on the ground with an armed man dressed in a suit standing near him.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  The latest on the killing of Russia's ambassador to Turkey (all times local): 6 a.m. China's foreign minister has expressed condolences to his Russian counterpart on the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, calling the assassination a "barbaric act of terrorism." Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that China strongly condemns such actions targeting diplomatic personnel and was "resolutely opposed to all kinds of terrorism." Wang says China is willing to work with the international community in "resolutely supporting" Russia's efforts to crack down on terrorism and will boost cooperation with Moscow on this front. Chinese and Russian leaders have in recent years extolled the blossoming strategic partnership between the former communist rivals, despite a major decline in two-way trade and the failure to materialize a slew of ambitious projects. ___ 5:20 a.m. The U.N. Security Council is condemning "in the strongest terms" the "terrorist attack" that assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey and is calling for the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors to be brought to justice. A statement Monday night from the U.N.'s most powerful body reaffirms that all forms of terrorism pose one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. It says "that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed." The council also expresses "deep condolences" to the family of Ambassador Andrei Karlov and the Russian government. The council further stresses "the fundamental principle of the inviolability" of diplomats under the 1961 Vienna convention on diplomatic relations and reaffirms the need to combat threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. ___ 1:30 a.m. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that the meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran will be held Tuesday as planned after the killing of the Russian ambassador to Ankara. The key meeting about Syria will be held in Moscow a day after Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, who has been serving in Turkey since 2013, was shot during a speech at a photography exhibition in Ankara. The gunman was later killed by police. Lavrov said in televised remarks that "we are sure that those who staged that barbaric crime were seeking to derail the process of normalizing Russia-Turkey ties primarily with a goal to prevent an efficient fight against terrorism in Syria." Lavrov says that "this attempt is futile. The steps we will take at the meeting tomorrow will thwart the plans of the organizers of that crime." (asterisk) ___ 1:20 a.m. Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency says four people have been detained following the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey. Turkish authorities say the shooter is 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who has been serving in Ankara's riot police unit for the last two-and-a-half years. Anadolu, without citing sources, said the shooter's family home in the western province of Aydin was searched and his mother, father and sister were detained. Anadolu also says the man's house in Ankara was raided and his roommate, also a riot police officer, was detained. Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, who has been serving in Turkey since 2013, was shot during a speech at a photography exhibition in Ankara. Altintas was later killed by police. 12:10 a.m. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned what he called a "senseless act of terror" that killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey, saying "there can be no justification." He offered "deepest condolences to the Russian delegation" on the death of Ambassador Andrei Karlov. Ban spoke at the start of a U.N. Security Council meeting on South Sudan on Monday afternoon. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric reiterated the U.N.'s condemnation and said "we very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice." He said Ban "is following the unfolding situation closely and wishes the other people who were reportedly injured in the attack a speedy and full recovery." ___ 11:30 p.m. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tells Turkish reporters that he learned about the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey while he was flying to Moscow for a meeting with his Russian and Iranian counterparts. Cavusoglu says the ambassador, Andrei Karlov, "was a good diplomat. He made considerable efforts to develop ties even at the most difficult of times ... He was a perfect man and a friend." Cavusoglu says the attack was aimed at Russia, Turkey and Russian-Turkish relations. He says such attacks "cannot harm our ties because we know the importance that the Turkish-Russian partnership has on the region." ___ 11 p.m. The leaders of Turkey and Russia say the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey has been intended to ruin Russia-Turkey ties. Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in televised remarks during a meeting with senior officials, said that the killing of Ambassador Andrei Karlov was a "provocation aimed at derailing Russia-Turkey ties and the peace process in Syria." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a video message being shown on several Turkish TV channels, says that "this is a provocation to damage the normalization process of Turkish-Russian relations. But both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation." Both leaders said that Russian investigators will be part of the official probe into the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in Ankara. ___ 10:45 p.m. The White House is strongly condemning the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, saying "this heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable." National Security Council spokesman Ned Price says the United States government's thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of Karlov and the other victims. Price says "we offer our condolences to the Russian people and government." Price also says the U.S. government stands united with Russia and Turkey in its determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms. Karlov was several minutes into a speech in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience. ___ 10:40 p.m. Senior Russian lawmakers are describing the killing of the Russian ambassador in Turkey as a provocation aimed to derail a rapprochement between the two nations. Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was gunned down Monday a day before the meeting of foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Moscow. The killing also comes amid efforts by Moscow and Ankara to broker Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan's capital. Leonid Slutsky, the head of the foreign affairs committee at the lower house of Russian parliament, said that unspecified opponents of Russia "are making desperate attempts to spoil ties between Russia and Turkey, but those attempts will fail." He and other senior lawmakers called for even closer cooperation with Turkey and refrained from advising Russians to avoid visiting Turkey. ___ 10:25 p.m. The Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned "in the strongest terms" the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The ministry called the attack "terrorist and cowardly" in a statement late Monday. The Russian-Turkish diplomatic channel is one of the most important to the Syrian civil war. Their diplomats brokered an agreement in Ankara last week to evacuate the Syrian opposition from the contested city of Aleppo after months of Syrian and Russian bombardment killed hundreds of civilians and exhausted the rebels  some backed by Turkey. After shooting the ambassador, the gunman cried, "Don't forget Aleppo!" Turkey's foreign and defense ministers are expected to meet in Moscow this week with their Iranian and Russian counterparts to discuss the next developments to the Syrian war. ___ 10:15 p.m. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey a "despicable attack." Kerry said that the killing was "an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world." He said that the U.S. is ready to offer help to Russia and Turkey in the investigation of the attack. Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photo exhibition in Ankara when he was shot. The assassin was later killed by police. ___ 10:05 p.m. Turkey's interior minister says that the gunman who assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey was a policeman. Suleyman Soylu said that the gunman was working for the riot police squad in Ankara for the past 2 1/2 years. He identified the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, born in 1994. Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photo exhibition when he was shot. The assassin was later killed by police. ___ 9 p.m. The gunman who killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey at a photo exhibition in Ankara shouted in Turkish "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!" The man then yelled: "Stand back! Stand back! Only death will take me out of here. Anyone who has a role in this oppression will die one by one." Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition when he was shot. The gunman also shouted "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great." Police later killed the gunman, according to reports. The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria. Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has supported Assad's foes. ___ 8:40 p.m. The Russian ambassador to Turkey who was fatally shot in Ankara was a career diplomat. Andrei Karlov was 62 and he joined the diplomatic service in 1976. He served as Russia's ambassador to Pyongyang in 2001-2006, and later worked as the chief of the Foreign Ministry's consular department. He had served as the ambassador to Turkey since 2013. Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored photo exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience. ___ 8:35 p.m. A Russian official says that the country's ambassador to Turkey has died after being shot by a gunman in Ankara. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the announcement in a live televised statement. Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience. ___ 8:05 p.m. The U.S. State Department has condemned the attack on the Russian ambassador in Turkey. State Department spokesman John Kirby said that "we condemn this act of violence, whatever its source. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family." Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience. ___ 7:55 p.m. Turkey's private NTV television says police have shot and killed the gunman who attacked the Russian ambassador in Ankara. NTV television, citing police sources, said the gunman was killed in a police operation inside an exhibition hall where the attack occurred. Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in the capital, Ankara, when a man wearing a suit and tie shouted "Allahu akbar" and fired at least eight shots, according to an AP photographer in the audience. ___ 7:45 p.m. Russia's Foreign Ministry says that the country's ambassador to Turkey has been hospitalized with a gunshot wound after an attack at a photo exhibition in Ankara. But Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova didn't give Ambassador Andrei Karlov's condition. Zakharova was speaking in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. ___ 7:25 p.m. An Associated Press photographer says a gunman has fired shots at the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The ambassador's condition wasn't immediately known. The attack occurred Monday at a photo exhibition in the capital Ankara, where the ambassador was making an address. Photographs from the scene showed a man lying on the ground with an armed man dressed in a suit standing near him.
By Associated Press

SYDNEY: A team of international investigators hunting for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 said Tuesday it has concluded the plane is unlikely to be found in a stretch of the Indian Ocean search crews have been combing for two years, and may instead have crashed in an area farther to the north.

The conclusion raises the possibility that the search for the Boeing 777 could continue well beyond next month, when crews are expected to finish their deep sea sonar hunt of the current search zone west of Australia. But Australia's transport minister suggested that was unlikely.

The latest analysis of the plane's whereabouts comes in a report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading the search for the aircraft. The report is the result of a November meeting of international and Australian experts who re-examined all the data used to narrow down the search area for the plane, which vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board.

In the years since the plane disappeared, experts have analyzed a series of exchanges between the aircraft and a satellite to estimate a probable crash site along what's known as the seventh arc  a vast arc of ocean that runs through the southern hemisphere. A deep sea search of a 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) stretch of water along the seventh arc has so far come up empty.

In November, the experts went back over the satellite data, along with the results of a new ocean drift analysis of the more than 20 items of debris likely to have come from the plane that have washed ashore on beaches throughout the Indian Ocean. The analysis, which looked at where the items washed ashore and when, suggested the debris originated in an area farther north along the arc from the current search zone.

Given the number of aircraft parts found so far, the team concluded that there must have been a debris field floating on the surface of the water when the plane crashed. So they eliminated an area that had already been the subject of a surface search by air crews in the early stages of the hunt.

That left a 25,000-square kilometer (9,700-square mile) area immediately to the north of the current search zone as the most likely place where the plane hit the ocean, the ATSB report said.

The investigators concluded that there is "a high degree of confidence" that the plane is not in the current search area. And they agreed that the new area needs to be searched.

"The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted," the report said.

However, a new search would require fresh funding commitments from the countries involved in the hunt. Malaysia, Australia and China agreed in July that the $160 million search will be suspended once the current stretch of ocean is exhausted unless new evidence emerges that would pinpoint the plane's exact location.

Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester suggested an extension of the hunt based on the latest analysis was unlikely, noting that the report "does not give a specific location of the missing aircraft."

"As agreed at the Tripartite Ministers meeting in Malaysia in July we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft," Chester said in a statement. "The search for MH370 has been the largest in aviation history and has tested the limits of technology, and the capacity of our experts and people at sea."

Australian government oceanographer David Griffin, who worked on the drift analysis, said he is confident the plane is in the newly identified search area, though he conceded it doesn't completely rule out the possibility that the plane rests in the current search area and was somehow missed by search crews.

"It could have been where we were searching, absolutely, but the new information does clarify that immediately north is more likely," Griffin said.

As part of their analysis, Griffin and his team built replicas of the first piece of debris that was found  a wing fragment known as a flaperon that was discovered on Reunion Island off the African coast in July last year. The team then set the replicas adrift, measuring how fast they traveled and noting how much the wind influences their rate of speed. They then ran computer simulations of how several of the debris pieces could have drifted, which helped give them a picture of where they originated.

The newly identified search zone does include an area that was searched very early on in the hunt, but crews didn't comb a wide enough area to rule it out, Griffin said. "They didn't go quite far enough away from the arc to cover all possibilities," he said.

SYDNEY: A team of international investigators hunting for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 said Tuesday it has concluded the plane is unlikely to be found in a stretch of the Indian Ocean search crews have been combing for two years, and may instead have crashed in an area farther to the north. The conclusion raises the possibility that the search for the Boeing 777 could continue well beyond next month, when crews are expected to finish their deep sea sonar hunt of the current search zone west of Australia. But Australia's transport minister suggested that was unlikely. The latest analysis of the plane's whereabouts comes in a report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is leading the search for the aircraft. The report is the result of a November meeting of international and Australian experts who re-examined all the data used to narrow down the search area for the plane, which vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board. In the years since the plane disappeared, experts have analyzed a series of exchanges between the aircraft and a satellite to estimate a probable crash site along what's known as the seventh arc  a vast arc of ocean that runs through the southern hemisphere. A deep sea search of a 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) stretch of water along the seventh arc has so far come up empty. In November, the experts went back over the satellite data, along with the results of a new ocean drift analysis of the more than 20 items of debris likely to have come from the plane that have washed ashore on beaches throughout the Indian Ocean. The analysis, which looked at where the items washed ashore and when, suggested the debris originated in an area farther north along the arc from the current search zone. Given the number of aircraft parts found so far, the team concluded that there must have been a debris field floating on the surface of the water when the plane crashed. So they eliminated an area that had already been the subject of a surface search by air crews in the early stages of the hunt. That left a 25,000-square kilometer (9,700-square mile) area immediately to the north of the current search zone as the most likely place where the plane hit the ocean, the ATSB report said. The investigators concluded that there is "a high degree of confidence" that the plane is not in the current search area. And they agreed that the new area needs to be searched. "The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted," the report said. However, a new search would require fresh funding commitments from the countries involved in the hunt. Malaysia, Australia and China agreed in July that the $160 million search will be suspended once the current stretch of ocean is exhausted unless new evidence emerges that would pinpoint the plane's exact location. Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester suggested an extension of the hunt based on the latest analysis was unlikely, noting that the report "does not give a specific location of the missing aircraft." "As agreed at the Tripartite Ministers meeting in Malaysia in July we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft," Chester said in a statement. "The search for MH370 has been the largest in aviation history and has tested the limits of technology, and the capacity of our experts and people at sea." Australian government oceanographer David Griffin, who worked on the drift analysis, said he is confident the plane is in the newly identified search area, though he conceded it doesn't completely rule out the possibility that the plane rests in the current search area and was somehow missed by search crews. "It could have been where we were searching, absolutely, but the new information does clarify that immediately north is more likely," Griffin said. As part of their analysis, Griffin and his team built replicas of the first piece of debris that was found  a wing fragment known as a flaperon that was discovered on Reunion Island off the African coast in July last year. The team then set the replicas adrift, measuring how fast they traveled and noting how much the wind influences their rate of speed. They then ran computer simulations of how several of the debris pieces could have drifted, which helped give them a picture of where they originated. The newly identified search zone does include an area that was searched very early on in the hunt, but crews didn't comb a wide enough area to rule it out, Griffin said. "They didn't go quite far enough away from the arc to cover all possibilities," he said.
By ANI

ISLAMABAD: After India, now the Pakistan Senate on Monday passed a resolution seeking withdrawal of high denomination Rs. 5000 currency notes from circulation in order to curb the flow of black money.

Senator Usman Saif Ullah Khan of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) tabled the resolution that was endorsed by the majority of lawmakers in the Upper House, reports the Dawn.



The resolution said that the withdrawal of Rs 5,000 notes will encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of the undocumented economy adding that the withdrawal of the currency notes should take place within three to five years in order to purge markets of the notes.



Law Minister Zahid Hamid, however, said that the withdrawal of the notes will create crises in the market and the people will resort to foreign currencies in absence of the high denomination notes.



He said that currently, 3.4 trillion notes are in circulation in a country of which 1.02 trillion notes are of Rs. 5,000 denominations.

ISLAMABAD: After India, now the Pakistan Senate on Monday passed a resolution seeking withdrawal of high denomination Rs. 5000 currency notes from circulation in order to curb the flow of black money. Senator Usman Saif Ullah Khan of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) tabled the resolution that was endorsed by the majority of lawmakers in the Upper House, reports the Dawn. The resolution said that the withdrawal of Rs 5,000 notes will encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of the undocumented economy adding that the withdrawal of the currency notes should take place within three to five years in order to purge markets of the notes. Law Minister Zahid Hamid, however, said that the withdrawal of the notes will create crises in the market and the people will resort to foreign currencies in absence of the high denomination notes. He said that currently, 3.4 trillion notes are in circulation in a country of which 1.02 trillion notes are of Rs. 5,000 denominations.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: China has returned to the U.S. an unmanned underwater drone the Chinese Navy seized unlawfully last week in international waters, the Pentagon said. China's defense ministry said it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations."

The Chinese Navy vessel that had seized the drone returned it near the location where it had been taken, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement issued late Monday. The incident occurred last Thursday near the Philippines.

The USS Mustin received the vehicle for the U.S. in international waters about 50 miles northwest of Subic Bay, according to Cook.

The U.S. said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. Officials say a noncombat ship was recovering two drones when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them.

Cook said the U.S. will continue to investigate the incident.

WASHINGTON: China has returned to the U.S. an unmanned underwater drone the Chinese Navy seized unlawfully last week in international waters, the Pentagon said. China's defense ministry said it handed the drone back after "friendly consultations." The Chinese Navy vessel that had seized the drone returned it near the location where it had been taken, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement issued late Monday. The incident occurred last Thursday near the Philippines. The USS Mustin received the vehicle for the U.S. in international waters about 50 miles northwest of Subic Bay, according to Cook. The U.S. said the drone was being operated by civilian contractors collecting unclassified scientific data in international waters. Officials say a noncombat ship was recovering two drones when a Chinese ship approached, launched a small boat and picked up one of them. Cook said the U.S. will continue to investigate the incident.
By Associated Press

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin tried a bit of dog diplomacy ahead of his trip to Japan, and then gave a glimmer of hope that a 70-year territorial dispute with Tokyo could be resolved.

Japanese journalists met with Putin at the Kremlin, days before Putin heads to Tokyo. The interview began with the Russian leader showing off the Akita given to him by Japan in 2012.

Putin fed the massive dog, called Yume, which was just a puppy when she came to Russia. Now, the canine is almost as big as Putin when she stands up on her hind legs to receive a treat from her master. The journalists appeared intimidated by the beast and told Putin afterward that they had been "scared."

Putin then said that there was a "chance" to settle a dispute over the Kuril islands, a chain of volcanic islands that run between Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Moscow and Tokyo have never formally signed a treaty ending World War II because of a dispute over their ownership.

Putin told the Japanese journalists that it's difficult for him to say how big the chance is "because it depends on factors including the flexibility of our partners," according to an interview transcript published by the Kremlin on Tuesday.

There had been some expectation of a breakthrough on the issue during talks between Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Japan on Thursday and Friday, but officials on both sides appear to be urging caution.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that a resolution to the issue would involve several rounds of "painstaking" negotiations.

Putin said Moscow could live with the status quo.

"We think that we have no territorial problems. It's Japan that thinks that it has a territorial problem with Russia," he said.

As for Yume the dog, it looks like she may have to wait a bit longer for male companionship. A Japanese official said last week that his Russian counterparts had rejected the idea of presenting Putin with another dog during Putin's forthcoming visit.

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin tried a bit of dog diplomacy ahead of his trip to Japan, and then gave a glimmer of hope that a 70-year territorial dispute with Tokyo could be resolved. Japanese journalists met with Putin at the Kremlin, days before Putin heads to Tokyo. The interview began with the Russian leader showing off the Akita given to him by Japan in 2012. Putin fed the massive dog, called Yume, which was just a puppy when she came to Russia. Now, the canine is almost as big as Putin when she stands up on her hind legs to receive a treat from her master. The journalists appeared intimidated by the beast and told Putin afterward that they had been "scared." Putin then said that there was a "chance" to settle a dispute over the Kuril islands, a chain of volcanic islands that run between Russia's Kamchatka peninsula and Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Moscow and Tokyo have never formally signed a treaty ending World War II because of a dispute over their ownership. Putin told the Japanese journalists that it's difficult for him to say how big the chance is "because it depends on factors including the flexibility of our partners," according to an interview transcript published by the Kremlin on Tuesday. There had been some expectation of a breakthrough on the issue during talks between Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Japan on Thursday and Friday, but officials on both sides appear to be urging caution. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that a resolution to the issue would involve several rounds of "painstaking" negotiations. Putin said Moscow could live with the status quo. "We think that we have no territorial problems. It's Japan that thinks that it has a territorial problem with Russia," he said. As for Yume the dog, it looks like she may have to wait a bit longer for male companionship. A Japanese official said last week that his Russian counterparts had rejected the idea of presenting Putin with another dog during Putin's forthcoming visit.
PK Balachandran By

Express News Service

COLOMBO: The International Society of Nephrologists (ISN) has conferred on Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena an award for his extraordinary contribution to the fight against Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu).

The award was given by the ISN President, Prof.Adeera Levin, at a function held here on Monday, to launch the ISN-Gardiner Fund (ISN-GF) meant to fight CKDu in Sri Lanka, the region, and the world at large.

The Gardiner Fund (GF) is a Sri Lankan fund initiated by Sanjeev Gardnier, the well known entrepreneur and proprietor of the iconic Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. GF is deeply involved in the prevention and treatment of CKDu. Last year, President Sirisena had appointed Gardiner as the Ambassador for the fight against CKDU.

ISN President Levin said that this is the first time that the ISN is giving an award to a Head of State. The Sri Lankan National Program against CKDu is the first national level program in the world. It has distinguished itself by making rapid progress in a short time, Levin added.

Praising Sirisenas approach, ISN President Levin said: Sri Lanka is a model for other countries to follow.

The Sri Lankan model emphasizes not only treatment but prevention, care of patients and their families, research and education. The program is coordinated and led by a Presidential Task Force. Breaking away from past practice, President Sirisena has included the private sector by motivating leading entrepreneur Sanjeev Gardiner to join it and making him the Ambassador of the national program.

In his remarks ,Gardiner recalled how President Sirisena gently persuaded him to join the program.

The President put no pressure on me. He just asked me to come to the affected areas and see the peoples suffering for myself. I was moved by what I saw, Gardiner said.

The 46 year old Gardiner thereupon set up the Gardiner Fund with a personal contribution of LKR 30 million .It is setting up Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants in the affected areas for people to drink purified water as impure water is said to be one of the causes of CKDu.

Accepting the award, Sirisena said that CKDu is endemic among poor farmers in 11 districts and villages under 60 Divisional Secretariats in Sri Lanka. There are 20,828 patients and 5000 deaths per year.

It is a national disaster he said.

Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa districts in the North Central Province (NCP) have the bulk of the patients with 9005 and 4369 respectively. Kurunegala, Matale and Vavunia have over 1000 cases. President Sirisena is particularly concerned about CKDu because he hails from NCP.

Looking at the disease from a peoples representative, Sirisena said that given the disability and the economic impact of CKDu on the farmer and his indigent family, those involved in prevention, treatment and care, should look at the impact of the disease on the family of the patients and alleviate the suffering of the family.

This is why under the national program, houses, educational scholarships and aid for self employment are given to the families of those who had died of kidney disease, he said.

Sirisena praised Sri Lankan doctors and health personnel for the commitment with which they are executing the national program but added that much more needs to be done to prevent the disease and meet the needs of the suffering patients and their families.

Dr.Chula Herath ,President of the Sri Lanka Association of Nephrologists, said that Sri Lanka has come a long way since the 1980s when there were only two nephrologists in the country. Now there are many and 350 transplants are done every year. But the area in which the country is weak is prevention and locating the cause of the disease.

Renowned Indian nephrologist Prof.Georgi Abraham of the Madras Medical Mission told Express that CKDu is more of a problem in Sri Lanka than it is in India, but the silver lining in Sri Lanka is that there is a national program to combat it, which is not the case in India, except in Tamil Nadu, where there is a Chief Ministers scheme.

The problem areas in India are Srikakulam and the East Coast of Andhra Pradesh and Goa.

The Chennai-based TANKER Foundation in association with Thomas Cooke is working in Srikakulam Dr.Abraham said.

COLOMBO: The International Society of Nephrologists (ISN) has conferred on Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena an award for his extraordinary contribution to the fight against Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu). The award was given by the ISN President, Prof.Adeera Levin, at a function held here on Monday, to launch the ISN-Gardiner Fund (ISN-GF) meant to fight CKDu in Sri Lanka, the region, and the world at large. The Gardiner Fund (GF) is a Sri Lankan fund initiated by Sanjeev Gardnier, the well known entrepreneur and proprietor of the iconic Galle Face Hotel in Colombo. GF is deeply involved in the prevention and treatment of CKDu. Last year, President Sirisena had appointed Gardiner as the Ambassador for the fight against CKDU. ISN President Levin said that this is the first time that the ISN is giving an award to a Head of State. The Sri Lankan National Program against CKDu is the first national level program in the world. It has distinguished itself by making rapid progress in a short time, Levin added. Praising Sirisenas approach, ISN President Levin said: Sri Lanka is a model for other countries to follow. The Sri Lankan model emphasizes not only treatment but prevention, care of patients and their families, research and education. The program is coordinated and led by a Presidential Task Force. Breaking away from past practice, President Sirisena has included the private sector by motivating leading entrepreneur Sanjeev Gardiner to join it and making him the Ambassador of the national program. In his remarks ,Gardiner recalled how President Sirisena gently persuaded him to join the program. The President put no pressure on me. He just asked me to come to the affected areas and see the peoples suffering for myself. I was moved by what I saw, Gardiner said. The 46 year old Gardiner thereupon set up the Gardiner Fund with a personal contribution of LKR 30 million .It is setting up Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants in the affected areas for people to drink purified water as impure water is said to be one of the causes of CKDu. Accepting the award, Sirisena said that CKDu is endemic among poor farmers in 11 districts and villages under 60 Divisional Secretariats in Sri Lanka. There are 20,828 patients and 5000 deaths per year. It is a national disaster he said. Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa districts in the North Central Province (NCP) have the bulk of the patients with 9005 and 4369 respectively. Kurunegala, Matale and Vavunia have over 1000 cases. President Sirisena is particularly concerned about CKDu because he hails from NCP. Looking at the disease from a peoples representative, Sirisena said that given the disability and the economic impact of CKDu on the farmer and his indigent family, those involved in prevention, treatment and care, should look at the impact of the disease on the family of the patients and alleviate the suffering of the family. This is why under the national program, houses, educational scholarships and aid for self employment are given to the families of those who had died of kidney disease, he said. Sirisena praised Sri Lankan doctors and health personnel for the commitment with which they are executing the national program but added that much more needs to be done to prevent the disease and meet the needs of the suffering patients and their families. Dr.Chula Herath ,President of the Sri Lanka Association of Nephrologists, said that Sri Lanka has come a long way since the 1980s when there were only two nephrologists in the country. Now there are many and 350 transplants are done every year. But the area in which the country is weak is prevention and locating the cause of the disease. Renowned Indian nephrologist Prof.Georgi Abraham of the Madras Medical Mission told Express that CKDu is more of a problem in Sri Lanka than it is in India, but the silver lining in Sri Lanka is that there is a national program to combat it, which is not the case in India, except in Tamil Nadu, where there is a Chief Ministers scheme. The problem areas in India are Srikakulam and the East Coast of Andhra Pradesh and Goa. The Chennai-based TANKER Foundation in association with Thomas Cooke is working in Srikakulam Dr.Abraham said.
By IANS

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Navy assisted the Coast Guard to arrest seven Indian fishermen poaching illegally in the northern seas of the island country, the navy said on Tuesday.



The fishermen were arrested in the waters northwest of Delft Island on Monday and were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jaffna, reports Xinhua news agency.



Two Indian fishing trawlers were seized.



Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said there had been a 50-percent drop in poaching by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan waters due to enhanced patrolling by the navy and Coast Guard.



"At least three Indian fishing boats enter Sri Lankan waters every week... This is a huge threat to the Sri Lankan fishing industry," he said.



The minister said Sri Lanka and India will have more talks to seek a solution to the long-standing disputes between fishermen.



The Indian foreign minister and fisheries minister were expected to attend the talks in Colombo next month.



COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Navy assisted the Coast Guard to arrest seven Indian fishermen poaching illegally in the northern seas of the island country, the navy said on Tuesday. The fishermen were arrested in the waters northwest of Delft Island on Monday and were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jaffna, reports Xinhua news agency. Two Indian fishing trawlers were seized. Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said there had been a 50-percent drop in poaching by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan waters due to enhanced patrolling by the navy and Coast Guard. "At least three Indian fishing boats enter Sri Lankan waters every week... This is a huge threat to the Sri Lankan fishing industry," he said. The minister said Sri Lanka and India will have more talks to seek a solution to the long-standing disputes between fishermen. The Indian foreign minister and fisheries minister were expected to attend the talks in Colombo next month.
By ANI

NEW YORK: The United Nations envoy for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto has called on the Taliban to participate in peace talks with the national government, stressing that the conflict in the country has no military solution and the only path to a meaningful peace is through intra-Afghan dialogue.

The Taliban leadership must reconsider the notion that their objectives can only be achieved on the battlefield, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told the Security Council during a debate on the situation in the country and its implications for international peace and security.

It takes courage to enter into a peace process. It is not an admission of defeat  it is recognition of reality. An endless war ruins the country and impacts on people, he added.

The only path to a meaningful peace is by Afghans talking directly with Afghans, he continued, urging all parties to the longstanding conflict to identify common interests, and in particular the Taliban, to engage in direct talks with the Government without preconditions.

The peace agreement with the Hizb-i Islami armed group shows that the Government is prepared to negotiate on key issues, such as prisoner release, lifting of sanctions, and integration into the political life of Afghanistan, said Mr. Yamamoto, who is also the head of the UN Assistant Mission in the country, known as UNAMA.

Successful implementation of the agreement should address any remaining doubts, help unite the Afghans, and could pave the way for further peace agreements, he said.

Looking at the overall situation, despite security challenges and some political volatility, he said he continues to see opportunities and hope in Afghanistan.

Since the formation of a national unity Government two years ago, the Afghan leaders have continued working to overcome their differences to advance the countrys reform agenda, he said. The international community also responded with significant financial commitments in both security and development, allowing Afghanistan to achieve greater stability and self-reliance.

Peace and stability in Afghanistan are not the sole interest of Afghanistan, he said, urging regional countries to play their role as such conditions will benefit them security-wise and economically.

Turning to large-scale population movement, he said Afghan citizens are returning home in record numbers, including hundreds of thousands of people from both Pakistan and Iran in the past six months alone.

Over 1.5 million people are on the move this year. It is likely that 2017 will see similar numbers of people will necessarily bring with it strains and pressure on the economy, on social services and could further swell the number of those seeking employment, he added.

Refugees come back to Afghanistan with hopes, he said, noting that, however, a better future is not possible without peace. In 2016, thousands and thousands of Afghans have been killed in the conflict, and tens of thousands more were wounded.

The conflict also erodes the living conditions of people and deprives the country of opportunities for development and growth, with economic investment  much-needed to achieve a sustainable future  falling by around 50 per cent.

Financial resources that are spent on the conflict could be utilised for the economic prosperity of Afghanistan, he said.

NEW YORK: The United Nations envoy for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto has called on the Taliban to participate in peace talks with the national government, stressing that the conflict in the country has no military solution and the only path to a meaningful peace is through intra-Afghan dialogue. The Taliban leadership must reconsider the notion that their objectives can only be achieved on the battlefield, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, told the Security Council during a debate on the situation in the country and its implications for international peace and security. It takes courage to enter into a peace process. It is not an admission of defeat  it is recognition of reality. An endless war ruins the country and impacts on people, he added. The only path to a meaningful peace is by Afghans talking directly with Afghans, he continued, urging all parties to the longstanding conflict to identify common interests, and in particular the Taliban, to engage in direct talks with the Government without preconditions. The peace agreement with the Hizb-i Islami armed group shows that the Government is prepared to negotiate on key issues, such as prisoner release, lifting of sanctions, and integration into the political life of Afghanistan, said Mr. Yamamoto, who is also the head of the UN Assistant Mission in the country, known as UNAMA. Successful implementation of the agreement should address any remaining doubts, help unite the Afghans, and could pave the way for further peace agreements, he said. Looking at the overall situation, despite security challenges and some political volatility, he said he continues to see opportunities and hope in Afghanistan. Since the formation of a national unity Government two years ago, the Afghan leaders have continued working to overcome their differences to advance the countrys reform agenda, he said. The international community also responded with significant financial commitments in both security and development, allowing Afghanistan to achieve greater stability and self-reliance. Peace and stability in Afghanistan are not the sole interest of Afghanistan, he said, urging regional countries to play their role as such conditions will benefit them security-wise and economically. Turning to large-scale population movement, he said Afghan citizens are returning home in record numbers, including hundreds of thousands of people from both Pakistan and Iran in the past six months alone. Over 1.5 million people are on the move this year. It is likely that 2017 will see similar numbers of people will necessarily bring with it strains and pressure on the economy, on social services and could further swell the number of those seeking employment, he added. Refugees come back to Afghanistan with hopes, he said, noting that, however, a better future is not possible without peace. In 2016, thousands and thousands of Afghans have been killed in the conflict, and tens of thousands more were wounded. The conflict also erodes the living conditions of people and deprives the country of opportunities for development and growth, with economic investment  much-needed to achieve a sustainable future  falling by around 50 per cent. Financial resources that are spent on the conflict could be utilised for the economic prosperity of Afghanistan, he said.
By AFP

ALLEPPO: Syria's army on Tuesday urged the last remaining rebels and civilians to leave the besieged opposition enclave in Aleppo as it prepares to take full control of the devastated city.

The evacuation of Aleppo's rebel sector is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people and triggered a major humanitarian and refugee crisis.

The government and other parties on the ground have agreed to allow 20 observers to be sent to east Aleppo to monitor evacuations, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Following a flurry of diplomatic activity, key regime allies Russia and Iran as well as rebel supporter Turkey agreed to act as guarantors in Syria peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier.

They also backed expanding a ceasefire, according to Lavrov, who said the evacuation of east Aleppo should finish within "one or two days".

In east Aleppo, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source told AFP.

"The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave," the source said.

At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the operation.

Spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said 750 people had been evacuated in parallel from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria besieged by rebels, as part of the deal.

Ten buses left the battered east on Tuesday morning, Sedky told AFP.

But no other buses moved the rest of the day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a medical official overseeing evacuations.

Waiting for evacuees

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the delay was due to complications in Fuaa and Kafraya.

Around 20 buses had entered the two villages on Tuesday but had yet to evacuate anyone, Abdel Rahman said, but he had no details on the reason.

State news agency SANA blamed the "delay in the last batch" of evacuations from Aleppo on "disputes" among rebel groups.

"I'm waiting for my brother to get out of east Aleppo -- he's a 70-year-old civilian," Nuhad al-Seikh told AFP just outside rebel-held Aleppo.

"I've been speaking to him over the cellphone. He said he boarded a bus but is still waiting," said the 55-year-old.

An AFP correspondent at Khan al-Assal, the staging ground where evacuees from Aleppo, Fuaa and Kafraya were being transferred to their respective destinations, saw hundreds of people aboard eight buses from the two villages.

Bashar Babbour, who works with the medical charity UOSSM, told AFP from Khan al-Assal that evacuees from Tuesday morning looked cold and exhausted.

"When people are going to the medical assessment teams, most of them ask for food and water, in addition to blankets, especially if they're arriving at night," Babbour said.

He said many other evacuees were also asking if there was internet access there so they could contact friends or relatives.

Sick and wounded

The World Health Organization said the Aleppo evacuees included around 300 needing medical treatment, among them dozens of children.

"The huge majority of these patients have trauma injuries," spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said, adding that 93 people in critical condition had been referred to hospitals in Turkey.

Aleppo was once Syria's commercial and industrial hub, but it has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and rebels in the east.

Government forces launched an offensive in mid-November to capture the whole city, and had seized more than 90 percent of the eastern half when the evacuation deal was struck.

In a regime-held neighbourhood on the southern edges of Aleppo, an AFP correspondent saw Syrian troops strolling through the area on Tuesday while others gathered around burning tyres to stay warm.

"I hope today is the last day of rebels leaving, because we've been promised we can go on vacation and rest if the operation ends today," said Akram, a soldier.

Diplomatic efforts -- including several rounds of peace talks in Geneva -- have failed to resolve the conflict, which reached a turning point last year when Russia launched air strikes in support of Assad.

In a rare show of international unity, the UN Security Council on Monday unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution to monitor the Aleppo evacuations.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura also said he hoped to convene new peace talks in Geneva in February.

In a boost to the troubled peace process, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed Tuesday on "the importance of widening the ceasefire, of free access for humanitarian aid and movement of civilians onto Syrian territories".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile said he had agreed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call that the assassination of Moscow's ambassador in Ankara on Monday would not harm cooperation including on Syria.

ALLEPPO: Syria's army on Tuesday urged the last remaining rebels and civilians to leave the besieged opposition enclave in Aleppo as it prepares to take full control of the devastated city. The evacuation of Aleppo's rebel sector is seen as a pivotal moment in the nearly six-year war that has killed more than 310,000 people and triggered a major humanitarian and refugee crisis. The government and other parties on the ground have agreed to allow 20 observers to be sent to east Aleppo to monitor evacuations, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Following a flurry of diplomatic activity, key regime allies Russia and Iran as well as rebel supporter Turkey agreed to act as guarantors in Syria peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier. They also backed expanding a ceasefire, according to Lavrov, who said the evacuation of east Aleppo should finish within "one or two days". In east Aleppo, soldiers using megaphones called on the remaining fighters and civilians to exit the opposition districts, a military source told AFP. "The army is expected to enter (Aleppo) to clean the area after the fighters leave," the source said. At least 25,000 people have left rebel districts of Aleppo since the operation began last week, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is overseeing the operation. Spokeswoman Ingy Sedky said 750 people had been evacuated in parallel from Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite-majority villages in northwest Syria besieged by rebels, as part of the deal. Ten buses left the battered east on Tuesday morning, Sedky told AFP. But no other buses moved the rest of the day, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and a medical official overseeing evacuations. Waiting for evacuees Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the delay was due to complications in Fuaa and Kafraya. Around 20 buses had entered the two villages on Tuesday but had yet to evacuate anyone, Abdel Rahman said, but he had no details on the reason. State news agency SANA blamed the "delay in the last batch" of evacuations from Aleppo on "disputes" among rebel groups. "I'm waiting for my brother to get out of east Aleppo -- he's a 70-year-old civilian," Nuhad al-Seikh told AFP just outside rebel-held Aleppo. "I've been speaking to him over the cellphone. He said he boarded a bus but is still waiting," said the 55-year-old. An AFP correspondent at Khan al-Assal, the staging ground where evacuees from Aleppo, Fuaa and Kafraya were being transferred to their respective destinations, saw hundreds of people aboard eight buses from the two villages. Bashar Babbour, who works with the medical charity UOSSM, told AFP from Khan al-Assal that evacuees from Tuesday morning looked cold and exhausted. "When people are going to the medical assessment teams, most of them ask for food and water, in addition to blankets, especially if they're arriving at night," Babbour said. He said many other evacuees were also asking if there was internet access there so they could contact friends or relatives. Sick and wounded The World Health Organization said the Aleppo evacuees included around 300 needing medical treatment, among them dozens of children. "The huge majority of these patients have trauma injuries," spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said, adding that 93 people in critical condition had been referred to hospitals in Turkey. Aleppo was once Syria's commercial and industrial hub, but it has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and rebels in the east. Government forces launched an offensive in mid-November to capture the whole city, and had seized more than 90 percent of the eastern half when the evacuation deal was struck. In a regime-held neighbourhood on the southern edges of Aleppo, an AFP correspondent saw Syrian troops strolling through the area on Tuesday while others gathered around burning tyres to stay warm. "I hope today is the last day of rebels leaving, because we've been promised we can go on vacation and rest if the operation ends today," said Akram, a soldier. Diplomatic efforts -- including several rounds of peace talks in Geneva -- have failed to resolve the conflict, which reached a turning point last year when Russia launched air strikes in support of Assad. In a rare show of international unity, the UN Security Council on Monday unanimously adopted a French-drafted resolution to monitor the Aleppo evacuations. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura also said he hoped to convene new peace talks in Geneva in February. In a boost to the troubled peace process, the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed Tuesday on "the importance of widening the ceasefire, of free access for humanitarian aid and movement of civilians onto Syrian territories". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meanwhile said he had agreed with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call that the assassination of Moscow's ambassador in Ankara on Monday would not harm cooperation including on Syria.
Visitors look at the 1507 painting Christ Carried to the Tomb by Cavalier D'Arpino, at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, during the exhibition about the recovery of Italy's masterpieces from France. [Photo/Agencies]

When he was just plain old Bonaparte, the man who was to became Napoleon pillaged works of art from all over Europe with the aim of making the Louvre in Paris a museum for all mankind.

Now some of the major works that the little corporal's armies took from Italy have been gathered together in an exhibition in Rome to mark the 200th anniversary of their restitution, and the unexpectedly positive legacy of the whole episode.

"When the works came back, it made people here realize the importance of their artistic heritage, and, for the first time, they came to see it as a shared, common asset," says museum director Mario De Simoni.

The Universal Museum runs until March 12 at the Scuderie del Quirinale, an exhibition space created in what were once the stables of the Quirinale, a former papal and royal palace that is now the official residence of Italy's president.

Fittingly, the centerpiece of the exhibition of some 100 pieces is Raphael's painting Pope Leo X with Two Cardinals, which is on loan from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Also on display, along with a series of Renaissance sculptures, is Titian's Assumption of the Virgin, which normally resides in the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice and was once hailed by Oscar Wilde as the finest painting in all of Italy.

"We wanted to tell the story of Napoleon's great project of creating a museum that would be a model for Europe, distancing ourselves from the interpretation of this episode in history as nothing more than theft," says curator Valter Curzio.
Tansel Isik, a Turkish craftsman, carries on his family business of cane making in Devrek. He has a long list of celebrity clients. [Photo/Xinhua]

As winter arrives in northern Anatolia, the best season to cut red dogwood branches for making traditional canes is approaching.

Tansel Isik, a 51-year-old Turkish craftsman, found his best branches covered with snow.

These will become artworkseven national giftsthrough his hands.

"A cane is a walking stick everywhere, but if it is a work of art, it must come from Devrek," says Isik, who got the skills and shop from his father.

He adds that he abandoned a job opportunity in Ankara after graduating from the economics department of Ankara University and moved back to his hometown to run the family business because he loves it so much.

Isik is now the most experienced cane maker in Devrek.

"Devrek canes are not just tools to assist people but also have artistic value," he says, adding that the Devrek cane is very durable because of the red dogwood that flourishes in the province's forests.

"Thanks to (dogwood's) moderate strength and high tenacity, it can be bent but rarely breaks."

The wood is kept to dry for two years before it's processed.

But good wood takes five years to grow.

"If you love a job, nothing will get in your way ... It takes quite a while to make canes because there are lots of steps. But after all the efforts devoted to learning how to make a cane, everything becomes easy," Isik says.

According to Isik, one of the motifs Devrek canes use most is serpents, which means fortune and health. The handle is normally made from walnut trees, but nacre, silver, tortoise shelleven precious stonesmay also be used.

"I have a collection of canes ... Each one is unique. Sometimes, we draw a geometric figure or Ottoman-style decoration to increase the cultural connotations," Isik says.

"Nowadays, we focus on the cane market where our clients can find more artistic value in it. Turkey's presidential palace, prime minister's office, and Ministry of Culture and Tourism have given my canes as state gifts to many celebrities and politicians, such as US President Barack Obama," Isik says.

Devrek county opened a cane-art school two years ago.

Apart from the school, local authorities also organized workshops for communities in Devrek county and Zonguldak city.

Sevil Badur, a female master working in Isik's shop, was one of the school's students. Learning how to make a cane is not that difficult, but if you want to become a master, you need a certain talent, and professional training and practice are essential.

"This is a job which requires inner peace, and doing the job makes me more patient toward everything. Usually, men show more interest in this kind of handicraft, but as the local government organizes workshops around the city, more and more women are joining this career," Badur says.
Colin Firth wins Academy Award for best actor for The King's Speech in 2010. [Photo provided to China Daily]

British actor Colin Firth dwells on the virtue of restraint in a wide-ranging conversation with Raymond Zhou on the art of acting.

Colin Firth joked that he was looking for offers in Chinese films, adding that he hoped to work with Chinese directors Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige, Lou Ye and Jia Zhangke, to name a few.

The light-hearted revelation came at the end of an hourlong talk, moderated by yours truly, which was designed to encompass the highlights of an illustrious career of the much honored British actor.

Titled "A Colin Firth Retrospective", the conversation was, in turn, part of a program for the 2016 China-Briton Film Festival held in the Beijing suburb of Langfang.

Firth received a lifetime-achievement award at this festival when it opened on Dec 12.

The 2010 Academy Award winner for best actor (for The King's Speech) did not randomly pick a few big names from China's booming film industry to please the host country. He did his due diligence.

He was impressed by how seamlessly American actors Tim Robbins and Adrien Brody fitted into Feng's epic tale on the 1942 famine. He liked Lou Ye's 2012 movie Mystery and, when I explained that Chen's Farewell My Concubine is widely viewed as the best Chinese film in history, he chimed in, saying it was one of the best in world cinema.

And he was plugged in to the latest in Chinese showbiz, aware of the publicity blitz whipped up by The Great Wall, Zhang's epic tale of fighting monsters on the best-known Chinese landmark, which would premiere in China in a few days. It is a Sino-US co-production that stars Matt Damon.
GENEVA -- The United Nations(UN) intends to convene the Syrian peace talks in Geneva on Feb. 8, 2017, the Spokesperson of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria said in a statement here on Monday.

"The Special Envoy will be comprehensively consulting the parties and the broadest spectrum of Syrian stakeholders, and the countries of the region and the wider international community, to carefully prepare negotiations," the statement said.

The statement added the Special Envoy will follow with interest the meeting on Tuesday between Russia, Turkey, and Iran, saying that any effort that can bring about a cessation of hostilities will be welcomed.

The latest statement from the Envoy's spokesperson also welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2328 on Syria, which was just unanimously adopted in New York to send UN observers to monitor evacuations in Syria's war-torn Aleppo.

"The UN Special Envoy hopes that this could be a beginning of the restoration of the unity of the Security Council, and along with the wider UN system, the Office of the Special Envoy will be fully engaged in promoting the operational implementation of the resolution on the ground," said the statement from the Envoy's spokesperson.

According to the latest resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on Monday, the UN should carry out adequate, neutral monitoring and direct observation on evacuations of civilians and fighters from eastern Aleppo.

The 15-nation council also demands in the resolution that all parties allow safe and unhindered access for the UN in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need.

Earlier last week Syria's Foreign Ministry said that the Syrian government was ready to resume the inter-Syrian talks without preconditions, responding to the latest comments of UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura.

Mistura told reporters recently that it's about time to look seriously into the possibility of reviving political talks on Syria.

Previous Syrian talks in Geneva ended without achieving results, amid an increasing military showdown in Syria, mainly in the northern city of Aleppo.
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde attends a news conference after a seminar on the international financial architecture in Paris, France, March 31, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS - France's Court of Justice of the Republic on Monday found Christine Lagarde, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, guilty of negligence over a state payout in 2008, but failed to sentence her.

The tribunal, which handles government officials' trials, charged the former French finance minister with negligence for failing to contest a ruling of a financial compensation worth 405 million euros (422.82 million US dollars) to French businessman Bernard Tapie in his dispute with Credit Lyonnais on the acquisition of Adidas in 2008.

Despite the guilty finding, the tribunal did not give any sentence, citing "her personality," "international reputation" and "the context of global financial crisis" as reasons.

Lagarde, who could have faced a one-year term and a 15,000-euro (15,650 US dollars) fine, is looking into appealing the court's decision, according to her defense lawyer.

Served as finance minister from 2007 to 2011, Lagarde had been investigated since August 2011 for her role in an arbitration payout to the business tycoon eight years ago.

But the IMF managing director, who was approved another five-year term in February, denied wrongdoing and insisted her innocence.

Tapie, who was under formal investigation, was ordered in Dec 2015 to pay the 405 million euros to Credit Lyonnais. (1 euro = 1.044 US dollar)
It's win-or-go-home time for Newport County football teams

This season marks the first time in three years all three Aquidneck Island high school football teams have qualified for postseason play.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. High 73F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 57F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
The NHS Health Check programme in England may have prevented an estimated 4,600 to 8,400 heart attacks, strokes, or death from these causes in its first five years, according to an independent review of the programme led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

The programme, which has in the past been considered 'controversial', led to an increase in diagnoses of 30 per cent for diabetes, 50 per cent for hypertension and 80 per cent for chronic kidney disease, and 40 per cent more statins were prescribed, but researchers say there is still room for improvement for treating those at higher risk.

NHS Health Check started in 2009 and is the first programme in the world to tackle prevention of heart attacks and strokes by offering a free check to every adult aged 40-74 years. The scheme offers professional advice on lifestyle changes and treatments, including statins, to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

This study, published in the British Journal of General Practice, looked at the first five years of the NHS Health Check programme in three London areas (City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham) and found that:

85,122 attended in five years. Coverage of 85 per cent of eligible people was achieved in the most recent year, rising from 36 per cent in the first year.

30 per cent more new cases of diabetes, 50 per cent more new cases of hypertension and 80 per cent more new cases of chronic kidney disease were diagnosed in NHS Health Check attendees compared to non-attendees.

40 per cent more statins were prescribed in NHS Health Check attendees than non-attendees.

In England, with 1.5 million attendees annually, this additional statin use could prevent an estimated 4600 to 8400 heart attacks, strokes, or death from these causes in five years as a result of attending an NHS Health Check.

Treatment of hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease would add further reductions in cardiovascular events.

Attendance was higher for more deprived sections of the population and South Asians.

The coverage of 85 per cent of eligible people found in this local study compares with around 50 per cent nationally, indicating that better coverage is achievable in England.

Highest coverage and treatment were associated with efforts to target those at highest risk.

The introduction of this scheme was controversial, say study authors. Statins received adverse publicity and the programme's effectiveness was contested. This was largely based on a review of 16 trials of health checks, of which 12 were conducted before 1994 when neither statins nor modern antihypertensive drugs were in use.

Study lead Dr John Robson from QMUL said: "Those who attended NHS Health Checks were substantially more likely to be found with a diagnosis of a new disease, including hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. We saw a 30 to 80 per cent increase in the number of disease cases found, compared to those who did not attend, and 40 per cent more people were prescribed statins, so these are very substantial gains in public health terms.

"If you compare attendance levels with other programmes, such as the bowel screening programme, the coverage here is much better, so one would hope that would translate into earlier opportunities for greater protection for those people. However, there is still room for improvement for NHS Health Checks, especially in terms of ensuring even better treatments for those at higher risk."

Source: Queen Mary University of London
Antibiotic Research UKs first research programme finds a number of drugs that can break antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

Key findings include:

ANTRUK has investigated ways to break resistance to the five main antibiotic classes including our last resort carbapenems and polymyxins

Over 1500 drugs screened against four species of antibiotic resistant Gram-negative bacteria viz. E coli, K pneumoniae, P aeruginosa and A baumanii  these bacteria are responsible for sepsis, pneumonia, blood, skin and urinary tract infections and gut infections

ANTRUK found that some drugs from the pharmacopoeia drug library in combination with antibiotics can break antibiotic resistance, making the antibiotic work again

Also, a number of antibiotics when used in combination with another antibiotic can break resistance

All these Antibiotic Resistance Breakers identified are now being progressed to in depth screening

Antibiotic resistant infections are predicted to lead to 10 million deaths per year globally by 2050 at a cost of up to $100 trillion to the world economy. In the UK, at least 5,000 people per year die from resistant infections.

New research by Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK), the worlds first charity created to develop new antibiotics in the fight against superbugs, has found Antibiotic Resistance Breakers (ARBs) in its first major lab research programme. The research, conducted under contract in the UK, Germany and France is a first step towards the charitys goal of bringing one new antibiotic therapy into clinical use by the early 2020s.

Professor Colin Garner, chief executive of Antibiotic Research UK said:

We see the findings as hugely encouraging, endorsing as they do the ARB concept. The attraction of this approach is that because we are examining existing drugs, then positive findings can be quickly taken into the clinic without expensive safety testing. We have chosen to examine Gram-negative bacteria, which includes ESBL E.coli as well other bacteria causing blood, urinary tract and lung infections, as these are the most difficult to treat and are where the incidence of resistance is rising. The charity needs to raise 550,000 in 2017 to fund the next phase of its research, where it will progress the leads that it has identified and Christmas would be a good time to help us.

Dr David Brown, chair of the charitys Science Committee said:
Ed Whiting, OBE THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES ...insight from the worlds leading experts

An interview with Ed Whiting, OBE, Director of Policy and Chief of Staff, Wellcome Trust, London conducted by April Cashin-Garbutt, MA (Cantab)

What is antimicrobial resistance? Is it the same as antibiotic resistance?

Antimicrobial resistance happens when bugs, like bacteria, fungi or viruses, change, or evolve, when theyre exposed to drugs, like antibiotics, antifungals, or antivirals. Bugs that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as superbugs.

Antibiotic resistance refers specifically to bacteria which have developed resistance to antibiotics.

When were talking about antimicrobial resistance its important to remember its the bug that develops resistance, not the drug. Thats why the term drug resistant infections is helpful to use.

How serious is the threat of antimicrobial resistance? What impact could it have?

The exact current and future impact of antimicrobial resistance remains the subject of much debate, but in his report, Jim O'Neill suggested that there are around 700,000 deaths per year now as a result of antimicrobial resistance and that by 2050, there could be as many as 10 million deaths per year.

This is definitely a growing problem and the problem is not just about antimicrobial resistance and the specific infections that arise from that, but also about the impact on infection control.

There's a risk that, in the future, chemotherapy, and routine surgery like cesarean sections and hip replacements will become very high risk, because the growing resistance will mean we won't be able to use antibiotics to prevent and treat infections.

The impact is definitely growing considerably and we see specific problems around, for instance, multidrug-resistant TB across the world.

Whats the difference between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in terms of their structure and resistance?

As a very simple explanation, all bacteria have an inner cell membrane, but gram-negative bacteria also have an outer membrane, which is the largely impermeable cell wall. This wall excludes some drugs and antibiotics from entering the cell, which means these gram-negative bacteria, are more resistant to antibiotics than gram-positive bacteria because they have a more effective shield against antibiotics.

What are thought to be the main causes of antimicrobial resistance?

The poor use of antibiotics is a big driver. Antibiotics are prescribed too broadly and for a range of infections that don't need them. Although antimicrobial resistance will occur naturally over time, using antibiotics inappropriately, is speeding up the process. Inappropriate use of antibiotics would include situations where theyre given to people with colds and flu, which are caused by viral infections, not bacteria.

Alongside that, there are issues with poor cleanliness and infection control measures in hospitals that can allow antimicrobial resistant bugs to spread between people.

What about antibiotic use in agriculture?

There is heavy antibiotic use in agriculture, both to control infections, as happens in humans, but also, in some instances, to promote growth in animals. We don't know yet what impact this is having; there isn't a firm and complete scientific consensus on the link between antibiotic resistance in animals and antibiotic resistance in humans. At Wellcome, we're interested in understanding this subject better over time, so we may support others to look into that.

There's a strong consensus that antibiotics are being overused in agriculture and that tackling antibiotic use in agriculture would be a good thing in terms of animal health, and may also have an impact on human health.

How concerned are governments about the threat of antimicrobial resistance? What steps are being put in place to minimise the risk?

I cant speak for governments, but from what I've seen, I think the UK, firstly, has been a global leader in the conversations about antibiotic resistance and what can be done globally to deal with this problem.

I'd say the UK government has been very concerned and has been leading a global conversation on this. Over many years, the government has taken individual steps to combat antibiotic resistance.

For instance, your readers may recall the deep clean in the mid-noughties, around 2008, that reduced the incidence of MRSA in hospitals and was a big step forward in infection control in hospitals. It made a big difference around the issue of MRSA.

The UK has also more recently been quite aggressive on stewardship of antibiotics. Between 2015 and 2016 there was an 8% reduction in antibiotic prescribing on the NHS. There has been a lot of leadership from our chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies and medical professionals in trying to make sure that antibiotics are only being prescribed where they're needed.

Looking ahead, the government has made a number of undertakings. There has been a pledge to reduce hospital-acquired gram-negative bloodstream infections by 50% by 2020 and also to reduce inappropriate prescribing by 50%, which are measures Wellcome would be very supportive of.

The UK government has also targeted lower levels of antibiotic use in agriculture. The UK has been one of the better performers in the area of agriculture, alongside other EU countries, thanks to some broad EU standards that have been in place for some time, but there's no question we could go further.

Can you please give an overview of the ONeill Review and the 10 Point Plan?

In his review, Jim ONeill targeted a wide range of possible measures across both human and animal health, making 10 key recommendations to address resistance. We need better use of existing drugs and we need new drugs. There's been a market failure in antibiotics over the past couple of decades. We've had no new classes of antibiotics since around 1987, so we urgently need to produce new antibiotics, which will also involve looking at how we pay for antibiotics.

As far as new drugs are concerned, we need to look at both the money that is going in to promote innovation and R&D and the money that is then given to people to buy antibiotics and how those antibiotics are then procured by health systems.

Alongside that, Jim looked at whether we need a global innovation fund or a set of innovation funds that look at the money going into R&D, to ensure enough money is being spent on how to find new drugs, particularly drugs to tackle gram-negative bacteria.

Jim also made a number of recommendations around surveillance so that we can get a better handle of precisely where resistance is emerging and where resistance is moving, as well as what countries are doing and how effective individual countries are at stewardship and on controlling the use of antibiotics.

Alongside that, he looked at diagnosis and making sure that we're only prescribing antibiotics for those infections that need them rather than using them as a just in case drug. He's looked at what we can do to promote new diagnostic technology.

One other area he looked at is vaccines, as an alternative to antibiotics; if you can stop incidence of disease in the first place by vaccinating people, you will reduce the need for antibiotics as a therapeutic drug. Therefore, Jim, quite sensibly, has put together vaccines and antibiotics as a sort of dual approach to tackling the problem of infectious disease and looked at how we can use vaccines more sensibly to tackle infections that may otherwise require antibiotics so we reduce antibiotic use, for example in pneumonia.

Jim also looked at sanitation and how we can improve hygiene, which can be as simple as just promoting hand washing and implementing better infection control in hospitals. There's certainly more to do there.

Jim also made some quite ambitious recommendations regarding agriculture, looking at 10-year targets to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use there, with the suggestion that that could be introduced as early as 2018, with some milestones to support progress.

He also looked at how we can get more transparency from food producers on the antibiotics used to raise the meat that we eat, for instance, to make sure consumers can make more informed buying decisions.

Over all of this, there were two or three areas that Jim made recommendations for that look at how we do this and how we lead this fight against antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance. The first is how we raise public awareness about the use of antibiotics; about why it's important to only use antibiotics when its really necessary and about how patient demand can play into that, to make sure that people are only asking for antibiotics where they really are needed.

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The second area concerns human capital and health work forces and making sure that people in health work forces are being educated well, that were getting good researchers coming through in areas associated with infectious disease and antibiotic resistance and that we're producing a pipeline of really great scientists and clinicians in this area.

Finally, recommendations were made regarding building an international coalition for action so that people can work together and coordinate effectively between different countries and between different organisations and interests.

I think there's been a good consensus behind the recommendations, but, together they represent an enormous program of work that needs to be taken forward, by quite a wide number of people across the world.

What is the real economic cost of antibiotic resistance thought to be?

Jim suggested that it would take about 100 trillion off GDP by 2050. I think the critical point to make and what Wellcome is saying, is that we know if this growing resistance is left unchecked, it will increase the impact on work forces across the world, make it more difficult for people to treat infections and meaning people will be off work for longer. That will increase the cost on healthcare systems. For instance, were already seeing drugs that used to be administered through tablets having to be administered through IV.

How much progress has been made so far in the fight against antibiotic resistance? What role has the UK played?

I've spoken about the measures that Dame Sally Davies, in particular, has led within the UK to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by 8% in 2015 and 2016 and I think we've seen a range of efforts, both in the UK and overseas, to improve stewardship and conservation of antibiotics. I think there is a much stronger global awareness now and that's thanks largely to Sally and to Jim O'Neill and to the government more widely.

The UK government has done a lot to promote awareness. The WHO had a global action plan and needs to be backed up with national action plans. We're starting to see a framework within which we can see more progress over coming years. We're starting to see a framework for co-ordination, which we hope will take shape, although I think we're still in the early phases of bringing together the radical and far-reaching global response that we will need.

Why is this a crowded landscape and what coordination is required?

Over the last 5 to10 years, we've seen a much greater global awareness of antibiotic resistance and the risks associated with it. As a result, many organisations have supported efforts to find new drugs and use new drugs better.

For instance, earlier this year we worked with partners in the US to launch a major new transatlantic partnership to accelerate the discovery of new antibiotics. The Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) brings together leaders from industry, philanthropy, government and academia.

Then there's Drive AB, which is an innovative medicines initiative supported by the European Commission and various other working groups.

There's a group called React that's looking at the use of antibiotics. There are various declarations made by the WHO and by the UN, so many people have had their say on what they think needs to be done.

I think we are hopeful about the prospects of better coordination and more coordination of these efforts, now that we've seen the UN resolution in September. It was a really big deal that this went to the UN General Assembly. This has only happened three times before when we talked about global health issues on the topics of Ebola, on HIV and AIDS and on non-communicable diseases.

It was a good signal that the UN took note of this as a serious global problem. We think that the UN high level panel, the process that will ultimately report back to the Secretary General in 2018, is a really positive step and we think that could be a good opportunity to coordinate between lots of different actors in national governments, in supranational institutions and in foundations and trusts like ours, to make sure that we're all working together and we're targeting our efforts where they can be most valuable.

What is Wellcomes role in tackling antimicrobial resistance?

We've funded around 287 million of basic science research since 2004 to tackle antimicrobial resistance. That involved very early stage efforts to understand how antibiotic resistance could grow and what we can do about it.

We want to play a much bigger role in promoting new drugs and new diagnostics looking at the drug development and how we can support that.

As I mentioned before we're part of the CARB-X initiative being run in the US through Boston University and a biomedical research agency run within the US government. Well be providing funds to selected projects and will be accepting and processing applications from early 2017. We hope this will lead to the development of new antibiotics which are then accessible in a fair way across the world, as and when they're produced.

We sponsored the Jim O'Neill review as we want to play our part in getting those policy answers that will help make right both the push mechanisms to promote innovation of new drugs and also the pull mechanisms that deal with how we pay for those new drugs.

We want to support that work too and we want to aid participants in those bigger policy discussions that help us get better conservation of antibiotics and also produce new drugs.

What do you think the future holds?

I think I've talked a little bit already about the work that governments will do and what international institutions will do to coordinate work and tackle antibiotic resistance to improve national action plans. The WHO will take a leading role in this national action plan to look at how you conserve and improve use of antibiotics in individual countries.

I would highlight that I think the future holds a much greater role for third sector actors. I was really pleased to be delivering the Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) annual lecture recently. I think there's actually a much greater role for third sector organizations, both in coordinating research and in creating better patient advocacy groups, so that those people who've really been affected by antibiotic resistance and have suffered as a result are able to make their voice heard.

I was really pleased that the ANTRUK lecture I delivered was followed by two really compelling stories about the human impact of growing antibiotic resistance. I think actually mobilizing patient voices is a really necessary part of what has to happen next and will work alongside the better coordination and better national action plans.

Where can readers find more information?

All the organizations that have been working on tackling antimicrobial resistance have their own web presences. The Wellcome page on drug resistant infections has lots of information, and useful links, including to a report we commissioned examining what the public think about antimicrobial resistance, and a report we commissioned exploring whether a clinical trials network could improve the development of new antibiotics.

I'd encourage readers to have a look at the WHO page on antibiotic resistance, which is really helpful.

I also encourage readers to have a look at the O'Neill review. There are some useful and navigable infographics that the O'Neill review produced about both the current impact of antibiotic resistance and what we can do about it.

About Ed Whiting, OBE

Ed Whiting has worked in a number of Whitehall social and financial policy Departments in his civil service career, including in HM Treasury's financial stability team through the 2008-09 financial crisis.

Ed was most recently at No10 Downing Street where he was Deputy Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, leading on public services.

In addition to his civil service career, in 2011-12 Ed set up and ran a small arts crowdfunding website, and in 2012-13 was an elected member of the RSA's Fellowship Council.

Ed was awarded an OBE for public service and services to No10 Downing St in the June 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours list.
A new breast cancer model, published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, will help health care providers more accurately predict breast cancer risk in their Hispanic patients.

The model, developed by a Kaiser Permanente researcher and his colleagues, is the first to be based exclusively on data from Hispanic women, and will become part of the National Cancer Institute's online tool that helps providers calculate breast cancer risk in individual patients.

"Hispanics are the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the U.S., so it's important that the NCI tool include information from these women in determining their risk score. Our model does that because it is based on data from Hispanic women and specifically tailored for them," said Matthew P. Banegas, PhD, MPH, lead author and researcher from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.

NCI's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool asks providers to enter information about the patient's age, race, family history of breast cancer and other risk factors, including:

When the patient started her first menstrual period

How old she was when she gave birth to her first child

Whether she has first-degree relatives with breast cancer

Whether she has had a breast biopsy for benign breast disease

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool currently includes risk models for non-Hispanic white, African-American and Asian and Pacific Islander women, but no model specific to Hispanic women, and studies show that the tool underestimates breast cancer risk in these women.

"Prior studies have shown that Hispanic women born in the U.S. have a higher breast cancer risk than Hispanic women who emigrate here from other countries," said Banegas. "Our model includes data from U.S. and foreign-born women, so providers will be able to more accurately predict risk based on where the woman was born."

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Building and validating the model

To build the model, researchers started with data from the San Francisco Bay Area Breast Cancer Study, which included 1,086 Hispanic women who developed breast cancer between 1995 and 2002 and 1,411 women who did not have breast cancer. Nearly 1,000 of the women were born in the United States and 1,500 were born in other countries. The researchers then included breast cancer incidence and mortality data from the California Cancer Registry and NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program.

To validate their model, researchers used data from the Women's Health Initiative and the Four-Corners Breast Cancer Study. The new model accurately predicted the number of breast cancers among U.S.-born Hispanic women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative, but slightly overestimated the number of breast cancers among foreign-born Hispanic women in the WHI.

"We built the model using data from Hispanic women in California who are mostly of Mexican and Central American descent, so these are the women for whom the model will be most accurate," said Banegas. "As we collect more data on Hispanic women from other regions and countries, we will be able to further refine the model."

The new model, like the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, should not be used for women who already have invasive breast cancer, for women who have an inherited genetic mutation known to cause breast cancer, or for women who received therapeutic radiation of the chest for other types of cancers.
Introduced in October 2015 at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Annual Scientific Congress, the ASRM Embryo Transfer Simulator (Simulator) has been successfully deployed over the last 12 months at embryo transfer simulation workshops and training sessions from Alabama to Helsinki, garnering positive response from the hundreds of physicians and healthcare professionals who have experienced working with the Simulator, most recently in Salt Lake City, UT at the ASRM 2016 Scientific Congress & Expo.

Image credit: VirtaMed

For ASRM, this year has been, in many ways, the year of the embryo transfer simulator, summarizes ASRM CEO Dr. Richard H. Reindollar, M.D. During the 2016 ASRM Scientific Congress held in October, over 100 healthcare professionals in the fields of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) participated in the ASRM pre-Congress embryo transfer courses offered and over 500 Congress attendees visited the ASRM Simulation Pavilion and experienced the Simulator first-hand. In addition to providing training for ultrasound -guided and unguided embryo transfers in IVF, the Simulators capabilities were expanded over the past year to include simulation modules for training in Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and in ultrasound technique for guiding embryo transfers for nurses and other healthcare professionals.

In July 2016, 75 ART/IVF healthcare professionals from around the world participated in embryo transfer simulation courses at the 2016 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Annual Meeting in Helsinki, Finland. Another 100 physicians participated in hands-on simulation workshops at the August 2016 SREI National Fellows Symposium held in Park City, UT. In preparation for all simulation-based educational activities, a series of train-the-trainer faculty workshops were held between January and June at the ASRM Simulation Training Center in Birmingham, AL. And since October 2015, over 300 healthcare professionals have provided expert feedback on the Simulator and hundreds more have experienced the Simulator at various VirtaMed exhibits held at professional medical society meetings around the world, most recently at the 22nd IFFS World Congress held in New Delhi, India.

Game Changer - Augments Physician Training - Fills Gap

For both patient and physician, the final step of IVF  the transfer of the embryo into the uterine cavity for implantation  is often stressful. This anxiety is often attributed to the high cost and time associated with IVF/ART, the potential difficulty of the transfer due to individual patient anatomy, and the delicate nature of the embryo itself. Nearly 50% of our fellows training to be IVF specialists have historically received little or no training in embryo transfer because of the importance of this final step in the IVF process and the difficulty in allowing trainees to perform it on patients for the first time, Dr. Reindollar explains.

The Simulator provides in-training physicians the opportunity to practice simulated transfers with varying degrees of difficulty in a safe, risk-free environment and with unlimited repetitions. They receive real-time simulation metrics (feedback) that, when combined with structured debriefing with expert faculty, further facilitates development of motor and cognitive skills required to attain proficiency in embryo transfer. In conjunction with the ASRM Curriculum for Embryo Transfer and the ASRM Standard Embryo Transfer Protocol, the Simulator is a tool that significantly augments current physician training using a structured simulation-based method to learn basic embryo transfer techniques and characteristics of an ideal transfer.

The Embryo Transfer Simulator is truly a game changer. Universally, those using the Simulator have expressed their surprise in how realistic the experience is for them. There has been tremendous excitement generated about the gap filled with this new teaching toolno simulator can wipe out all the stress of the crucial moment, but the physician will be better prepared and more confident even if this is his or her first time transferring a live embryo, says Dr. Richard Paulson, ASRM president.

VirtaMed Co-CEO Stefan Tuchschmid said:
An exciting X-ray imaging technology has been successfully developed to the point where it is now ready for translation into all kinds of beneficial applications, including potentially life-saving uses in security and healthcare.

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a major five-year project led by UCL (University College London) has achieved this breakthrough. The work also involved dozens of industrial, academic and research partners in the UK and worldwide.

Compared with conventional X-rays, the technology can, for example, identify tumours in living tissue earlier and spot smaller cracks and defects in materials. This is because it excels at determining different shapes and different types of matter  a capability that conventional X-rays could only match by using prohibitively high doses of radiation.

The technique at the heart of the advance is called phase-contrast X-ray imaging. Instead of measuring the extent to which tissue or materials absorb radiation  as in conventional X-ray imaging  it measures the physical effect that passing through different types of tissue or material has on the speed of the X-ray itself.

Professor Alessandro Olivo, who led the project team, said:

The technique has been around for decades but its been limited to large-scale synchrotron facilities such as Oxfordshires Diamond Light Source. Weve now advanced this embryonic technology to make it viable for day-to-day use in medicine, security applications, industrial production lines, materials science, non-destructive testing, the archaeology and heritage sector, and a whole range of other fields.

This vast potential is already beginning to be explored. For example:

Under licence, Nikon Metrology UK has incorporated the technology into a prototype security scanner. This is currently being tested and further developed to provide enhanced threat detection against weapons and explosives concealed, for example, in baggage.

Building on the EPSRC-funded work, a new three-year project supported by the Wellcome Trust will see the Nikon Metrology/UCL team develop a prototype scanner for use during breast cancer surgery in collaboration with Barts Heath and Queen Mary University of London. The aim is to help surgeons determine the exact extent of the malignancy and to reduce the need to recall patients for further operations, resulting in more effective breast conservation surgery, less need for full mastectomies and more rapid treatment.

The technology can even detect some tissue types invisible to conventional X-ray machines, such as cartilage, and plans are proceeding to set up a spinout company to take this aspect towards commercialisation.

Professor Olivo said:
Why does exposure to rhythmic stimulation at certain frequencies facilitate the occurrence of epileptic seizures?

In 1997, flickering patterns in an episode of the series Pokemon triggered epileptic seizures in nearly 700 Japanese children. These spontaneous outbreaks in apparently healthy children were linked to so-called "photosensitive epilepsy", a type of epilepsy in which seizures are the result of certain visual stimuli.

Now researchers at Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the University of Exeter (UoE, UK) propose an explanation for the occurrence of epileptic seizures as a result of the exposure to certain stimuli.

The study has been published in the journal NeuroImage.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 50 million people worldwide suffer from it and 30% do not respond to treatment. The disorder is characterized by epileptic seizures - episodes of the uncontrolled, synchronized activity of neurons that can lead to loss of consciousness and other serious impairments of brain functioning.

Considering the brain as a dynamic system allows engaging tools from engineering and physics in order to find out what factors lead to the occurrence of these highly synchronized epileptic discharges. The research by UPF, UPC and UoE has used a computational model of a cortical column - a putative basic functional unit of the cerebral cortex - to show that neuronal tissue displays epileptic-like activity when exposed to enhanced stimulation of certain frequencies. This increase may be due to the brain's own activity or a consequence of external stimulation, such as the flickering in the Pokemon cartoon.

According to the research results, this behaviour stems from dynamic properties of the neuronal tissue, such as an ability to undergo resonance. Visual stimulation with frequencies close to alpha rhythm (which was the case of the flickering in Pokemon) may interfere with the natural alpha activity prevailing in the visual cortex leading to an increase of amplitude of the discharges and consequently to epileptic seizures. This resonance phenomenon can be compared to what happens when we push a swinging child. If we push it at the right moment, with a frequency equal to the swinging frequency, it will swing further and further and eventually may fall from the swing.

This fall is an analogy to an epileptic crisis that may occur in the brain due to stimulation with a certain frequency. In the Pokemon series, the lights flashed at a frequency of 12Hz.

"The alpha rhythm of the brain is 8-12Hz and the cartoons were showing exactly the alpha frequency of 12Hz. This phenomenon coincides with the results of our research", says the author of the study, Maciej Jedynak.

Thus, a purely dynamic scenario can explain the susceptibility to driving with delta and theta rhythms, as well as a lack of susceptibility to very fast or very slow stimulation. The researchers showed how these phenomena manifest in the presence of random driving, which mimics the ongoing stimulation of a cortical column more faithfully than the periodic one.

"This research provides further insight into ways that communication within brain networks can possibly lead to the occurrence of seizures" comments Marc Goodfellow, senior lecturer in Mathematics at the University of Exeter and leader of the study.

According to Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo, group leader of the Dynamical Systems Biology Lab at UPF and collaborator in the study, "this work shows that the temporal characteristics of the random activity of the brain can have profound effects on its behaviour".

"In order to develop new alternative kinds of epilepsy treatment we need to understand more about the mechanisms underlying this disease", adds Jedynak, researcher at the same lab and the leading author of the article. "Our findings help to elucidate mechanisms of the generation and spreading of epileptic seizures in the brain. In the future they may improve the methodology of computational modelling aimed at devising tools for epilepsy treatment".
Investigators from Whitehead Institute, the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to identify three promising new targets for treatment of HIV infection. In their report receiving advance online publication in Nature Genetics, the research team describes how screening with CRISPR for human genes that are essential for HIV infection but not for cellular survival identified five genes - three of which had not been identified in earlier studies using RNA interference. Their method can also be used to identify therapeutic targets for other viral pathogens.

"We were surprised to find that there are so few host factors required for HIV infection given some of the previous literature," observes David M. Sabatini, Whitehead Institute Faculty Member and co-corresponding author of the Nature Genetics paper. "The beauty of the CRISPR-based genetic screens is the clear and robust results they yield," notes Sabatini, who is also member of the Broad Institute and Professor of Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Current anti-HIV medications overwhelmingly target viral proteins," says Ryan J. Park of the Ragon Institute and the Broad Institute, co-lead author of the report. "Because HIV mutates so rapidly, drug-resistant strains frequently emerge, particularly when patients miss doses of their medication. Developing new drugs to target human genes required for HIV infection is a promising approach to HIV therapy, with potentially fewer opportunities for the development of resistance."

Bruce Walker, director of the Ragon Institute and co-corresponding author of the Nature Genetics paper, explains, "Viruses are very small and have very few genes - HIV has only 9, while humans have more than 19,000 - so viruses commandeer human genes to make essential building blocks for their replication. Our goal was to identify human genes, also called host genes, that are essential for HIV to replicate but could be eliminated without harming a human patient."

Tim Wang, a doctoral student conducting research at Whitehead Institute and the Broad Institute, and co-lead author of the report, explains, "CRISPR makes it possible to completely knock out genes at the DNA level; and our genome-wide, CRISPR-Cas9-based approach targets more than 18,500 genes, the vast majority of human protein-coding genes. Our study demonstrates how CRISPR-based screens can be applied to identify host factors critical to the survival of other viral pathogens but dispensable for host cell viability. Broad application of this method should pinpoint a novel class of potential therapeutic targets that have previously been underexplored for the treatment of infectious disease."

Co-corresponding author Nir Hacohen, an institute member at the Broad Institute and director of Cancer Immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), adds, "An important aspect of our study was to focus on human T cells, the primary targets of HIV, and to identify host genes with the most dramatic role in viral infection of T cells."

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Previous research has identified several host dependency factors, including two proteins required for HIV to enter CD4 T cells, the primary target of the virus: the CD4 molecule itself, to which the virus binds, and CCR5, which facilitates the binding of common HIV strains. Individuals with a particular CCR5 mutation are immune to those viral strains - indeed the only individual considered cured of HIV infection received a bone marrow transplant from a donor with that CCR5 mutation - but while therapeutic CCR5 inhibitors have been developed and are in clinical use, they can cause serious side effects.

Three 2008 studies that used RNA interference (RNAi) to identify potential host dependency factors identified more than 800 possible targets; but the little overlap among the results of the studies suggested a high rate of false positive results. In addition, none of those studies was performed using the immune cells targeted by HIV, which also reduces the likelihood that the identified genes actually participate in HIV's infection of CD4 T cells.

Whitehead Institute's Tim Wang explains that, "RNAi suppresses but does not completely block gene expression - which could allow a targeted gene to produce enough protein to permit HIV infection - and it also can suppress expression of additional genes besides the intended target, leading to a false positive result."

Using CRISPR to screen a cell line derived from HIV-susceptible CD4 T cells identified five genes that, when inactivated, protected cells from HIV infection without affecting cellular survival. In addition to CD4 and CCR5, the screen identified genes for two enzymes - TPST2 and SLC35B2 - that modify the CCR5 molecule in a way that is required for the binding of HIV. An additional gene identified through the screen was ALCAM, which is involved in cell-to-cell adhesion. When CD4 T cells are exposed to low amounts of virus, as might be seen in natural transmission, loss of ALCAM was associated with striking protection from HIV infection.

Park explains, "ALCAM is necessary for cell-to-cell adhesion in our cell line, allowing more efficient viral transfer from one cell to the next. In fact, we found that artificially inducing the aggregation of cells lacking ALCAM restored the cell-to-cell transmission of HIV. Further studies are needed to investigate whether targeting these genes would be toxic to humans. However, even if systemic inhibition has toxic effects, gene therapy approaches that selectively target these genes only in CD4 T cells or their precursors may avoid these toxicities, although it's important to note that gene therapy remains a challenging and potentially costly therapeutic approach."
Researchers Open New Avenues for the Development of Precision Therapeutics Targeting RNA

Scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed broad methods to design precision medicines against currently incurable diseases caused by RNA.

Professor Matthew Disney (pictured) led the study with Research Associate Suzanne Rzuczek on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute. (Photo by James McEntee.)

RNA carries out thousands of essential functions in cells, but many RNAs can act in uncontrolled ways and cause disease. For decades, scientists have tried to develop drug candidates that target human RNAs, but they have been hampered by an inability to achieve sufficient selectivity (to reduce the potential of side effects) and potency (ensuring effectiveness).

In a study published today online ahead of press in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, researchersled by TSRI Professor Matthew Disney and Research Associate Suzanne Rzuczek, with important contributions from Professor Ryohei Yasuda and Research Associate Lesley Colgan of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neurosciencehave disclosed several approaches to overcome these hurdles.

This study reads like science fiction, Disney said. We present for the first time multiple solutions to this long-standing problem. With the precision of a surgeons scalpel, we have shown that small molecules can be designed to seek out and destroy only disease-causing RNAs. Further, we developed novel chemical approaches to use a disease-causing RNA to help make its own drug by using that RNA as a catalyst for drug synthesis at the needed site. It is like having your physician place a drug at the right place without exposing healthy cells.

Although these studies have broad implications for RNA diseases in general, they were demonstrated on myotonic dystrophy type 1, an incurable inherited disorder that involves progressive muscle wasting and weakness. It is caused by an RNA defect known as a triplet repeat, a series of three nucleotides repeated more times than normal in an individuals genetic code, in this case, a cytosine-uracil-guanine (CUG) triplet.

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In many genetic diseases, there are two copies of the problem genea mutant copy that causes a disease and a normal copy that a cell needs to survive. Selective recognition of the diseased gene product has not been possible before.

This new study demonstrates that designer small molecules can selectively recognize larger, disease-associated repeats (alleles) over shorter, normal ones.

We developed several approaches to create allele-selective small molecules that seek out only the disease-causing gene product, including covalent binding, cleavage and imaging, said TSRI Research Associate Suzanne G. Rzuczek, first author of the study. All approaches show precise recognition of toxic r(CUG) repeats and, more importantly, they showed that the mutant repeat is the sole target.

The work also offers an innovative way to track the movement of RNA in a diseased cell via imaging. We have brought RNAs out of the darkness and into the light by developing a chemical flare that goes off when a drug targets the RNA in a diseased cell and then continues to track the RNAs movement, Disney added.

"We probed disease-causing RNA using a technique called fluorescence lifetime imaginga sensitive technique to measure fluorophore binding, said Max Plancks Ryohei Yasuda. We were very excited when we observed a huge difference in signal from their probes between disease cells and normal cells under our microscope technique."

Max Plancks Lesley Colgan added:

The combination of cutting-edge chemistry and microscopy techniques developed in Florida is a powerful approach to identify new methods to probe and manipulate (and kill) disease-causing RNA in cells.

Both Disney and Yasuda were 2015 recipients of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Directors Pioneer Award, which supports individual scientists of exceptional creativity who propose highly innovative approaches with high-impact potential.
A University of Limerick (Ireland) professor has identified an emerging area of science having reclassified part of the digestive system as an organ.

The mesentery, which connects the intestine to the abdomen, had for hundreds of years been considered a fragmented structure made up of multiple separate parts. However, research by Professor of Surgery at UL's Graduate Entry Medical School, J Calvin Coffey, describes the mesentery as one, continuous structure.

In a review published in the November issue of one of the top medical journals, The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Professor Coffey outlined the evidence for categorising the mesentery as an organ.

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"In the paper, which has been peer reviewed and assessed, we are now saying we have an organ in the body which hasn't been acknowledged as such to date," Professor Coffey stated.

Better understanding and further scientific study of the mesentery could lead to less invasive surgeries, fewer complications, faster patient recovery and lower overall costs.

"When we approach it like every other organ...we can categorise abdominal disease in terms of this organ," professor Coffey said.

According to Professor Coffey, the Foundation Chair of Surgery at UL's Graduate Entry Medical School and University Hospitals Limerick, mesenteric science is its own specific field of medical study in the same way as gastroenterology, neurology and coloproctology.

"This is relevant universally as it affects all of us. Up to now there was no such field as mesenteric science. Now we have established anatomy and the structure. The next step is the function. If you understand the function you can identify abnormal function, and then you have disease. Put them all together and you have the field of mesenteric science...the basis for a whole new area of science," he said.

"During the initial research, we noticed in particular that the mesentery, which connects the gut to the body, was one continuous organ. Up to that it was regarded as fragmented, present here, absent elsewhere and a very complex structure. The anatomic description that had been laid down over 100 years of anatomy was incorrect. This organ is far from fragmented and complex. It is simply one continuous structure," Professor Coffey explained.

Already, medical students around the world are, from this year, learning about the mesentery as a continuous organ, after research by Professor Coffey prompted an update in one of the world's best-known medical textbooks Gray's Anatomy.
Royal Enfield's Tour of Rajasthan participants rode from Pushkar to Jaipur (246 km) on the last day of the event on December 19.Tour of Rajasthan was kicked off from Jaipur on December 11 with participation from 10 riders from across the country. The nine-day ride will include an elaborate ride across the state of Rajasthan, involving a traverse through the great Thar desert and the magnificent Aravalli mountain ranges.Rajasthan has all the characteristics to test anyone's riding appetite, spectacularly laid out stretches of roads, off-road trails and sand dunes. The Tour of Rajasthan specifies to its riders that the ride will include tarmac, gravel, off-road and sand.Also read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Review: A Bike That Can Do It All, in a Budget Find the full itinerary below:Day 1: All 10 riders on December 10 were assembled in Jaipur for basic scrutiny and were briefed for first-aid and ride itinerary.Day 2: The ride spread over nine days was flagged off from Jaipur on December 11, when the participants rode to Mahansar 232 km away.Also read: Royal Enfield Himalayan vs Mahindra Mojo: A Comparison of Champions Day 3: (December 12) will be a ride from Mahansar to Bikaner - 229 kmDay 4: Bikaner to Jamba - 216 kmDay 5: Jamba to Sam - 251 kmDay 6: Sam to Barmer - 229 kmDay 7: Barmer to Mount Abu - 296 kmDay 8: Mount Abu to Pushkar - 398 kmDay 9: Pushkar to Jaipur - 246 kmTOR's previous editions in 2015 and 2014 were also successful events when riders from across the country took to streets of Rajasthan and other dynamic terrains. It also proved to be a learning opportunity for some who rode on sand for the first time. The ride is also an educational tour through the rich history of the state.Also read: From Delhi to Leh: Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey 2016 - Day 3 and 4 Watch this space for more pictures of the Tour of Rajasthan 2016.
New Delhi: Users of e-payments company PayTm on faced difficulties in transacting through the app which the company said was due to some "technical" error.



"We are facing some technical issues. We will have it resolved shortly so please try again after some time," an automated message popped up on screen at the time of transaction.



When contacted, a Paytm spokesperson attributed the outage to challenges the company is facing with a sudden jump in the number of users and associated traffic.



The spokesperson said that Paytm has added 20 million new users in last 40 days taking the total number of registered users with us to 170 million.



"Furthermore, we are seeing much higher interaction per user as compared to earlier and are also witnessing a continuous increase in the traffic on our platform. At the evening peak hour today, we witnessed three times the traffic of the last peak that we handled. As we continue to route the traffic to new servers and install additional capacity, certain customers are facing the time out," the spokesperson said.



Users of PayTm took to social media to complain about the about service outage.



A screen shot posted on social media networks displayed, "We are fixing something. Be right back."



A Twitteratti posted that he has been getting the message since last two hours.



Another twitter account holder in name of Vivek Anand said: "#DemonetizationDisaster guess what #Paytm offline right now wish I had some cash now Could happen to anyone anywhere anytime any application".
2013 Dilsukhnagar blast accused all get conviction Mecca Masjid blast,AJMER Dargha Blast,Malegaon blasts Will NIA get conviction these cases  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) December 20, 2016

Why can't our Premier Investigation Agencies show same Urgency t convict all alleged terrorist cases Demolition BabriMasjid pending since 92  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) December 20, 2016

Dilsukhnagar blast courts have given a verdict which must be accepted ,terrorist should be punished  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) December 20, 2016

MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday lashed out at the National Investigative Agency on in a series on posts on Twitter, accusing it targeting a particular community.His reaction comes a day after the verdict on Dilsukhnagar bomb blast case.Why can't our Premier Investigation Agencies show same Urgency t convict all alleged terrorist cases Demolition BabriMasjid pending since 92 (sic), he tweeted.Dilsukhnagar bomb blast accused can be convicted in 3 years why is it taking long to convict mmasjid,ajmer,malegaon can nia throw some light..do not be surprised the way nia is pursuing those bomb blast cases where accused are non muslims they will be exonerated bcos of ache din (sic)? he added.He, however, added that the Dilsukhnagar verdict needs to be accepted. Dilsukhnagar blast courts have given a verdict which must be accepted, terrorist should be punished (sic), he tweeted.Five senior operatives of banned terror outfit Indian Mujahideen including Yasin Bhatkal were on Monday awarded death penalty by a special NIA court in the February 2013 Disukhnagar blasts in Hyderabad.Eighteen people were killed and 131 injured in two deadly explosions in Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in the city, on February 21, 2013.
Great victory for BJP in Chandigarh civic elections. Compliments to Party Workers, City President and MP, Chandigarh https://t.co/ORCWjdhw4F  M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) December 20, 2016

Historic victory of BJP-Akali coalition in MC Chandigarh,a testimonial of progressive&clean governance under leadership of @narendramodi Ji.  Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) December 20, 2016

We thank the people of Chandigarh for the mandate. We implemented Modi Ji's schemes at ground level and result shows it: Kirron Kher, BJP pic.twitter.com/3tLMuL5yBK  ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

#Chandigarh @BJP4India landslide win is the 100% support to policies of @narendramodi Ji and hard work of @AmitShah ji  Manoj Tiwari (@ManojTiwariMP) December 20, 2016

New Delhi: Goodwill messages poured in from BJP leaders after the party's landslide victory in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (CMC) elections on Tuesday.The BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance attained clear majority in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls winning 20 out of the 26 wards. Here are the Tweets:, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting: Great victory for BJP in Chandigarh civic elections. Compliments to Party Workers, City President and MP, Chandigarh, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare: Historic victory of BJP-Akali coalition in MC Chandigarh, a testimonial of progressive and clean governance under leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji., BJP MP Chandigarh: People are happy with our work...We have implemented PM Modi's schemes and they are happy with it....people realise that DeMo drive is for the good of the country. We thank the people of Chandigarh for the mandate. We implemented Modi Ji''s schemes at ground level and result shows it., president, Chandigarh BJP: Honesty and integrity wins 21/26 wards in Chandigarh., Delhi BJP chief: BJP's landslide win is the 100% support to policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and hard work of AmitShah Ji.
: The Coast Guard on Monday apprehended 26 Pakistani fishermen and seized their five fishing boats off Gujarat coast near Kutch as they crossed the Indian territorial waters.These Pakistani fishermen on five boats were held when they were inside Indian territory, said a release by Defence PRO."The ICG vessel C-419 apprehended five Pakistani fishing boats with 26 crew members on board in Indian waters. These boats and the crew are being escorted to Jakhau port for further investigation," it added.This is the second such apprehension in recent times by the Coast Guard off the Gujarat coast.Earlier in October this year, ICG ship 'Samudra Pavak' seized a Pakistani boat and apprehended 9 crew members onboard, off Gujarat coast during patrolling.
Ahmedabad: People furious over lack of cash in banks on Monday attacked bank branches in two districts of Gujarat, the authorities said.



A mob locked up the State Bank of India and Dena Bank branches in Samadhiyala village in Amreli district in Saurashtra region after hundreds waiting in long queues were told the banks had no cash to give.



Most of the people were farmers, witnesses said.



In Surendranagar district, mobs attacked some bank branches and damaged their doors and windows after they were found to have been kept closed for the third consecutive day since Saturday.



The bank authorities said there was no meaning of opening the branches as no cash had reached the branches on Monday.



In Silvassa, capital of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, the manager and some staff members of a nationalized bank were roughed up by people as the bank had no cash to distribute.



The police had to intervene to rescue the bank staff.



The central government on November 8 demonetised the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, saying the move was aimed at tackling corruption, black money and terror funding.



The move has led to an unprecedented cash crunch across the country.


New Delhi: Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that Reserve Bank of India was adequately prepared for demonetisation and has enough currency stocks that will last beyond December 30.

Post his pre budget meeting with banks and financial institutions, Jaitley announced tax relief for all e-transactions and expressed his satisfaction on the rise in digital payment post the note ban initiative launched by the government on November 8.

E-transactions and Aadhar based transactions have increased by almost 300 percent, Jaitley said.

Meanwhile, Banks and ATMs continue to witness serpentine queues since Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented the demonetisation scheme on November 8.

Here are the live updates:

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Kolkata: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung, his wife Asha and several senior leaders of the hill outfit surrendered before a city court on Tuesday which granted them bail in connection with the murder of All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang.



Gurung and 17 others surrendered before the chief judge, city sessions court, Subhra Ghosh as per direction of the Calcutta High Court which had granted them anticipatory bail.



Gurung, who is also the chief of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in Darjeeling, his wife Asha, Deputy Chief Executive of GTA Col Ramesh Allay and 15 others were given bail on a bond of Rs 10,000 each by the chief judge.



A division bench comprising justices Ashim Kumar Roy and M M Banerjee had on December 14 granted anticipatory bail plea to 22 persons accused in the murder of Tamang and directed the petitioners to surrender before the chief judge of city sessions court here by December 21.



The high court had directed that charge should be framed in the murder case by February 1, 2017 before the designated CMM court here.



The bench also directed that all accused should be present in Kolkata, a day before the framing of charge against them and none of them would be able to leave the jurisdiction of city court without the court's leave till disposal of the trial.



Tamang was hacked to death in Darjeeling town on May 21, 2010 when he was overseeing preparations for a public meeting. The CBI had on May 29, 2015 filed a charge sheet against the GJM leaders under IPC sections for murder and criminal conspiracy in the Tamang case.



The investigating agency had filed the final supplementary charge sheet before the court against Gurung, his wife Asha, former GJM leader Harkabahadur Chettri, GJM Assistant General Secretary Binoy Tamang, Pradeep Pradhan, Deputy Chief Executive of GTA Col Ramesh Allay and 17 others for criminal conspiracy, murder and other charges.



Prime accused in the case Nickol Tamang had, however, disappeared from Pintail village near Siliguri, in August 2010 where he was being held by the state CID for interrogation following his arrest.



Pema Tamang, wife of Nickol, had moved a Habeas Corpus petition before the Calcutta High Court praying that her husband be traced.



The high court had then directed the CBI to take up the Madan Tamang murder case and the Nickol Tamang disappearance case.



Tamang's widow Bharati had later moved the Supreme Court seeking early completion of investigation and arrest of the accused persons.
New Delhi: The mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad on Tuesday accused the Delhi Police of being non-serious in finding her son and said she hopes to get justice from Delhi High Court.



Najeebs mother Fatima Nafis, also accused Delhi Police of kidnapping her son and said she will fight to the end.



If police wanted they could have found Najeeb within two hours. Delhi Police has kidnapped Najeeb. I will fight till the end, said Fatima Nafis.



She also appealed the Delhi Police to find Najeeb and said she will leave Delhi whenever he is found.



Najeeb, an MSc biotechnology student in JNU, went missing on Oct 15 reportedly after a fight with ABVP activists in the university campus.



Meanwhile, Delhi Police on Tuesday concluded its massive search in JNU campus without any success and will be conducting a lie-detector test on Najeeb Ahmed's roommate Mohd Qasim tomorrow as it stepped up efforts to get clues regarding the mysterious disappearance of the student since October 15.



Police have so far served notices to six people, including family members of Najeeb as well as the students with whom he was allegedly involved in a brawl at his hostel a night before he vanished, said a senior police officer.



The police, represented by senior standing counsel for Delhi government Rahul Mehra, had told Delhi High Court that four students, who are suspected of beating up Najeeb, would be put to lie-detector tests to get leads or clues about his disappearance and whereabouts.



"We have served notices to six people and after their consent, we will be carrying out the tests. Qasim gave his consent and he will be put to a lie-detector test tomorrow," said the officer.



Many of the students have gone to their homes for vacations, which is hindering investigation, he said.



Meanwhile, more than 600 Delhi Police personnel assisted by sniffer dogs concluded their search of the sprawling JNU campus but could not find any clues of the missing student.



Police team began its search around 9 AM today under the supervision of DCP (Crime Branch) G Ram Gopal Naik and finished by 3 PM. The search had begun yesterday and almost 60-70 per cent of the campus was covered while the remaining campus was scanned today.



All agencies of Delhi Police including Special Cell, Special Branch and the local police, pooling more than 600 personnel scanned the interiors and residential areas, the official said.



Najeeb has been missing since October 15 after an alleged scuffle at his hostel with ABVP students on the night of October 14. A reward of Rs 10 lakh has been announced by Delhi Police on any information about Najeeb.



The massive search was mounted following a Delhi High Court order last week directing the police to scan the entire JNU campus including hostels, classrooms as well as rooftops of the buildings with help of sniffer dogs.



After scanning the campus, the police is likely to ask JNU administration to beef up its security.



"We have observed that the forest area is quite dense and students go there even late in the night. We will request JNU authorities to increase security inside the campus for the safety of students," said an officer.



(With PTI inputs)
India has renewed its demand for international action against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and "their shadowy supporters".Denouncing the two organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of al-Qaida, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside.In an implied criticism of China, he blamed the "split" in the UN bodies that mete out sanctions on terrorist organisations for the world body's inability to deal with the terrorism.China has blocked India's efforts to have international sanctions imposed on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar by a committee that takes action against al-Qaida and its affiliates. Azhar was behind the attack on the Pathankot air force base this year.As a member of the Security Council, China has also provided cover for Pakistan releasing on bail Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT commander who masterminded the 2008 attack on Mumbai which killed more than 160 people. He was already on the UN list of those facing sanctions as terrorists."We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organizations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, aI-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said."While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory," he said. "Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism."The international community has to make "it clear that we will neither roll over in the face of terror, nor will we of allow the roll back of the achievements of the resolute people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half," he said.
Mumbai: Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, is now planning to write a book for which she has translated 700 Sanskrit shlokas from Gita to English.



The Gita is a 700-verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.



"I have translated 700 shlokas of Gita from Sanskrit to English. I wish to publish a book. From the money I would make from the book, I would donate 50 percent of it to Krishna consciousness movement and the rest to abandoned women prisoners," Indrani told special judge of Central Bureau of Investigation, HS Mahajan.



Indrani further added that during her stay in the women's prison at Byculla in South Mumbai, she noticed that 90% of women are abandoned by their family members.



Sources said that Mukerjea took six months to translate the shlokas.



Last year, when she collapsed in the jail premises, prison sources said that she was reading Gita when the incident happened.



Sources further added that she took the decision of helping women prisoners.



She noticed that most of the women there were deserted by their own family members and had no resources to pay for the legal battle.








On December 11, News18 exposed how Indias clinical trials and drug discovery process is skewed towards diseases like cancer while ignoring the top killers of the country like TB, diarrhea and Kala Azar.



Responding to that, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Director-General of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) told News18 there was a need to support indigenous research in India.



In this interview to News18s Aradhna Wal, Dr Swaminathan says India needs a 10-year vision on drug research. She feels there is an increasing awareness for supporting indigenous research and that scientists speaking out has helped the case. Excerpts:



Q) You tweeted recently that ICMR will work with pharma to develop drugs, especially for neglected diseases and to strengthen trial capacity. Could you elaborate?



ICMR is developing several initiatives, both generic and specific. An example of the specific work is the Tuberculosis Research Consortium weve set up. Its a partnership between government ministries, private industries, foundations, trusts and global partners. Were working with them on diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. Most of these discoveries, of vaccine or of drug candidates, happen in academic laboratories. However, it often takes a scientist years to move things further because such institutes dont have the wherewithal and facilities of an R&D company. Funding is also a constraint. Thats why public sector drug development takes too long and you need your private sector partner who has facilities and is willing to put in resources. However, the industry is willing to come in only when there is proof of principle. As such, the industry is risk averse, they dont want to spend a lot on the basic kind of research which scientists do for years to reach a particular point. We have these early discoveries happening and then we have the industry that is willing to take up something that has a proof of concept. A recent example is the dengue vaccine and drug being developed by Dr. Naveen Khanna at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). It was stuck for a while and they were desperately looking for industry partner till Sun Pharma stepped up for a partnership.



Q) But how do you keep the balance between science as a targeted mission and open-ended research that is very important for all scientific developments?



This is what we have to communicate very well. Most people only look at that one end-product, they ask for an output for the amount spent. But basic science or blue sky research, which is scientists following their dreams and ideas, cannot always result in a product. Science is incremental, every discovery adds to the body of knowledge and the next scientist uses that discovery. Like the gene editing technique - that was a method that was discovered and is now going to have immense application. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is another discovery that completely revolutionised diagnostics. You build on a body of work. Its very difficult to say rupee for a rupee. ICMR is thinking of how to support both kinds of research. The industry will never support open-ended science so the government and its bodies have to, be it ICMR, Department of Biotechnology or the Department of Science and Technology. However, we also want to have mission mode projects, set goals and work in partnerships to achieve them. The TB consortium is an example of that.



Q) Can you give an example of important research stuck in academic labs?



Circumin is the active principle of tumeric. The compound has fantastic properties. Senior people like Professor Govindarajan Padmanaban from the Indian Institute of Science have shown that it works against cerebral malaria and against metastasis of cancer. These properties at the cellular level can be exploited. Hes been trying to get clinical trials for eight years. Hes a basic scientist and he cant do trials at the IIS. Sometimes its not even a new drug, but a combination or a drug used for new indications. Trials cost a lot of money and you need infrastructure. Things get stuck and often people lose interest.



Q) What about neglected diseases, such as kala azar and Japanese Encephalitis. Dont we need indigenous research for countrys own medical needs?



There is no commercial interest for diseases that affect the poor disproportionately. Right now the BRICS countries are discussing the same thing, and thinking of a BRICS network to address diseases of our countries. ICMR is one of the largest funders of neglected disease R&D in India, it funds 56 percent of the work. Indias neglected disease R&D is about $50 million a year. But we do need much more. One approach to these diseases could be repurposing compounds that companies have researched and given up on. Big pharma sits on many such big libraries, which they sometimes share. Novartis has an agreement with South Africa where the government uses its library of compounds the company is no longer interested in for commercial purposes, as long as the government doesnt make money out of them. Pfizer and GSK have shared their libraries in the past too. There is also Dr. Sameer Brahmacharis open source drug initiative, mainly for TB and malaria. One body needs to bring together these bits and pieces. Right now, there will be 50 researchers working on TB. The consortium will bring them together in our working groups. We havent yet brought in industry but companies such as Cipla are interested. Sun Pharma has a partnership with us on malaria elimination.



Q) What about Japanese Encephalitis, especially after the deaths this year in Malkangiri, Odisha?



Efforts in drug discovery for JE are negligible. ICMR had developed a vaccine for JE with Bharat Pharma, however the government is using a Chinese vaccine. We are now talking to the government to use our vaccine. Several of our institutes have worked on JE in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. JE is a disease that will continue because of local conditions and because its zoonotic. However, the deaths in Odisha werent all because of JE. Further investigation confirmed some JE cases, some malaria cases but also found that some children had been eating seeds of the cassia occidentalis plants, which had a toxin. The ripe seeds are used in cooking but malnourished children, who cant tell the difference, often peel and eat the raw seed. After a certain point the toxin causes hepato myoencephalopathy, where the liver starts failing, which leads to death. This was detected in Saharanpur a few years ago, and was found this year in Malkangiri. We have to see how we can prevent these deaths next year. However, even if deaths by JE have come down in the past few years, 100 children a year still die of Advanced Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).



Q) Why is there a lack of support for the countrys own bodies to do indigenous research? Is our public health policy leaning more towards privatising health care and research?



This isnt a recent issue. Traditionally, health research has been low priority in the health budget. This year we got a little bit more but we need to double or triple our health research budget, if we compare ourselves to Brazil and China. The total budget of the department of health research is Rs 1000 crore, which works out to Rs 10 per head per year in the country. Were not able to do all we should, projects get delayed, milestones are not met. The quantum definitely needs to go up but there is the issue of capacity. Will we be able to effectively spend an increased budget? Very few medical colleges in the country are able to undertake research projects. There are about 20 of them. We do have a long term plan to build capacity. Just as DST has schemes for human resource development, we have smaller schemes that I want to expand, so we can support young professionals. Training takes time, they will need mentoring. We need a ten-year vision.



Q) But is there support from the government for this vision?



There is a growing awareness. We have to do the advocacy and many scientists have been speaking up.




New Delhi: Just ten days ahead of the expiry of the demonetisation scheme, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday clarified the government's decision to tweak the presumptive income norms would reduce the tax liability by up to 30 per cent for those small traders opting for digital transactions.



He said in the Budget for 2016-17, small traders and businessmen, with turnover of up to Rs 2 crore who did not maintain proper accounts, were presumed to have earned 8 per cent income or profit for tax purposes. But if they use digital mode of payments, their income will now be presumed to be 6 per cent of the turnover and not 8 per cent.



"So he will get a significant tax benefit. The object is if you do transactions using digital mode then you can pay less tax. It is a tax incentive to support digitisation of the economy. And if we calculate it, then some traders would get over 30 per cent tax advantage if he transacts through digital mode," Jaitley told reporters here.



Under the existing Section 44AD of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, in case of certain assessees (an individual, HUF or a partnership firm other than LLP) carrying on any business having a turnover of Rs 2 crore or less, the profit is deemed to be 8 per cent of the total turnover for taxation.



"...it has been decided to reduce the existing rate of deemed profit of 8 per cent under section 44AD of the Act to 6 per cent in respect of the amount of total turnover or gross receipts received through banking channel/digital means for the financial year 2016-17," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had said yesterday in a notification.



The decision has been taken to achieve the government's mission of moving towards a less cash economy and to incentivise small traders/businesses to proactively accept payments by digital means, the CBDT said.



Following decision to demonetise old Rs 500/1,000 notes, the government has taken several measures to encourage digital payments to promote less cash economy.
: A day after the dramatic assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara, a top Turkish diplomat has promised that his government will not let the attackers go unpunished. CNN-News18 spoke to the charge de affaires of the Turkish mission in Delhi soon after he visited the Russian Embassy to offer his condolences.A visitor's diary inside the Russian embassy in New Delhi shows the condolence messages for the deceased envoy (Picture courtesy: Network 18)Umit Alpaslan Kilic said, "the international community should have no doubt that perpetrators of this attack will not escape the scrutiny of our forces and they will be identified and dismantled. This attack will not achieve its heinous aim".Responding to a question about whether the assassination could hamper relations between Turkey and Russia the diplomat said, "The most important thing is that in the face of this terror attack we are and we must continue standing together against any kind of terror".Referring to President Putin's statement he said, "President Putin has underlined that this is an attempt to provoke. We are in solidarity with Russia to derail any such attempts and it will be foiled by the common will of our governments".The Russian Government sees the attack as an attempt to derail the dialogue on Syria. The Turkish Foreign Minister is in Moscow for trilateral talks with Russia and Iran. Kilic confirmed that the foreign ministers of the three countries will be discussing the attack and the way forward.The diplomat said that as the investigation progresses his government would publish details about the motive and the identity of the attackers.While investigating agencies in Turkey are looking at the possibility of more people being involved in the plot to kill the Russian Envoy they are not ruling out the possibility of this being a lone wolf attack either.Turkey's President Erdogan has allowed a Russian investigating team to visit Turkey to probe the attack.Meanwhile, at the Russian Embassy in Delhi diplomats expressed shock and grief over the attack. Visitors poured in to sign the condolence book. Turkeys Charge De Affaires in Delhi was the first visitor at the Russian embassy.Russian Diplomats whom CNN-News18 spoke to remembered ambassador Karlov as a kind person and a brilliant professional.
New Delhi: Launching a blistering attack on Narendra Modi, the AAP on Tuesday said the nation has got "a weak" Prime Minister who changes his decision every other day.



Talking to reporters here, Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashutosh said since the November 8 demonetisation, the government had issued a total of 59 notifications, changing the rules to exchange or deposit old notes.



"I feel that under no other Prime Minister the government has changed its decisions so many times so quickly," Ashutosh said.



"The nation needed a strong Prime Minister. But what we have got instead is a weak Prime Minister who is so confused that he changes his decisions every day.



"It proves that the Prime Minister either lies to the people or that his words have no meaning."



On Monday, the Reserve Bank of India issued a new notification saying people can deposit old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in excess of Rs 5,000 only once in banks.



Quoting a government statement of November 12, the AAP leader said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had urged people not to rush to banks to deposit old notes.



"He told people that they have time till December 30 to deposit their money. Did the Finance Minister lie to the nation?



"Is it not a betrayal of the people who trusted Jaitley and Modi and waited to deposit their money?" Ashutosh asked.



AAP leader Dilip Pandey asked the Prime Minister to clarify when people will be able to withdraw their money from banks without any restrictions now that the 50-day deadline Modi had outlined was about to get over.
Mumbai: In a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today said we will talk about it once the 50-day deadline expires on December 30.



"Now only eight to ten days are left, thereafter it will be happiness all over. So let us wait for 10 more days. After December 30, we will talk about it," he told reporters at Pali in Raigad district.



He said though PM is assuring of improvement in situation after 50 days the common man is suffering the most because of the note ban.



Commenting upon the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway, he said Sena will not allow any injustice to happen to farmers whose farm lands will be acquired for the project.



"On Saturday, December 24 I will be personally interacting with the farmers at Shahapur in Thane district. Sena is not opposed to the construction of the proposed expressway, but at the same time the Sena will not allow any injustice to be done to the farmers," he said.



Thackeray said as soon as serving as well as former bureaucrats got wind of the mega project some of them purchased adjacent lands at throwaway prices.



"Now if government is going to acquire the remaining land for the project then what should the people survive on?, this question is being asked by the farmers of Shahapur taluka," he said.



Thackeray said he was against the acquisition of cultivable fertile agricultural land from farmers for the project.



"Ordinary farmers do not understand anything about black and white (money). Is the government going to tax them (farmers) on their lands, agricultural income and deposits?" he questioned.
Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) appealed against a $14-billion tax demand as the European Union issued details of its ruling that the iPhone maker won sweetheart tax deals from the Irish government which amounted to illegal subsidies. Apple Brings Panic Button to iPhones With iOS 10.2 Update



The tech giant's combative stand -- its lead lawyer told Reuters that Apple was a "convenient target" for an EU antitrust chief driven by "headlines" -- underlined its anger with the European Commission, which it says ignored evidence from Irish experts before the decision on Aug. 30.The Obama administration also voiced displeasure at what it said was the European Union helping itself to cash that should have ended up in the United States while many in Silicon Valley saw it as further proof that an envious Europe, having lost out on new tech markets, is trying to rig regulations against them.Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has rejected those claims and on Monday, while making no new comment on a case which is also being appealed by the Dublin government, the EU executive published an edited text of her judgment.Apple's Irish tax arrangements have allowed it to pay tax at a rate of 3.8 percent on $200 billion of overseas profits over the past 10 years, according to a Reuters analysis of corporate filings.This is a fraction of the tax rate in the countries where Apples products are designed, made and sold. The low rate is achieved by Apple telling U.S. authorities that the profits are earned by Irish units. Meanwhile, Apple and Ireland agree the profits are generated in the United States.Among elements revealed by the Commission's edited text was a record of a meeting between an Apple tax adviser and the Irish revenue service in 1990 in which they discussed setting an apparently arbitrary ceiling on the profit on which Apple's Irish unit would be taxed locally.A year after Apple's Irish branch had recorded a net profit of $270 million, its tax adviser proposed that no more than $30-40 million a year be taxed in Ireland, since the rest was attributable to technology and marketing businesses elsewhere."[Apples tax adviser] confessed there was no scientific basis for the figure. However the figure was of such magnitude that he hoped it would be seen to be a bona-fide proposal," the excerpt cited in the Commission judgment read.The reference is part of the Commission's case that Ireland gave Apple special treatment to induce it to base its European operations in the country and channel profits through Ireland.While independent tax experts scanned the documentation for more clues to Vestager's overall approach, another element that stood out was its concern about the way Dublin did not set time limits on its rulings on how Apple's income would be taxed. That could signal trouble for other multinationals facing Brussels' ire, not just in Ireland but in several other EU countries.Apple lodged its appeal at the EU's General Court, setting up a legal battle that has strained Transatlantic relations and could remain a factor after celebrity businessman Donald Trump succeeds Obama in the White House next month.The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement it continued to believe that "the Commission is retroactively applying a sweeping new state aid theory that is contrary to well-established legal principles, calls into question the tax rules of individual countries, and threatens to undermine the overall business climate in Europe. Moreover, it threatens to erode America's corporate tax base."The Irish government, which faces anger at home among opposition politicians that it is trying to turn down a huge tax windfall, separately published its legal arguments against the Commission's case on Monday, saying Brussels had exceeded its powers and stepped on EU states' sovereignty.Lawyers have previously said it was impossible to predict how EU courts will rule in an area that has not been tested before.Irelands tax treatments, now amended, have allowed Apple to avoid tax on tens of billions of dollars of non-U.S. profit.The Commission says the Irish units conducted key functions for developing the Apple brand and that Dublin underestimated their importance when determining their taxable profit.Apple says all the research and development takes place in the United States, which is also where key decisions about its products are made, meaning taxes should be paid there. Under U.S. tax law, however, companies pay tax on global profits but only when they are repatriated to the United States.The incoming Trump administration could change this.
A top scientist at National Physics Laboratory (NPL) here has said that industry should come forward to commercialise the concept of the hydroelectric cell as it has the potential to be a very cheap source of electricity.The inventor of the cell that produces electricity from water, R.K. Kotnala, the Chief Scientist at NPL, urged industry leaders to come forward and help improve the workability of the cell, which, he said, can be a great source of green energy."It is a portable source of electricity as it can be used as a dry cell (like the common battery used in torches, remotes). And once it goes into production, will be cheaper than solar energy," Kotnala told IANS in an interview."In case of wind energy, electricity can be produced using local sources only, plus a single windmill won't do, you have to build a series, which is very expensive. None of these factors can be a hindrance with the hydroelectricity cell," he added.He said that there is no potential harm from the battery upon disposal as no chemicals are used in its making.A team led by Kotnala proved the workability of producing electricity from water at room temperature without the use of any chemicals after working on it for 13 years."We spent the first 11 years in working out the principle of the technology, and two years on building the device," Kotnala said.The results were published in the International Journal of Energy Research (IJER) in June this year under the title "Green Hydroelectrical Energy Source Based on Water Dissociation by nano-porous Ferrite".The team used nano-porous magnesium ferrite to split water into hydronium (H3O) and hydroxide (OH) ions spontaneously, and silver and zinc as electrodes to make a cell that produces electricity.Using magnesium ferrite which was two inches in diameter, they were able to produce a current of 86-110 milliampere and voltage of 0.9 volts, which is enough to charge a small plastic fan or an LED bulb of one watt."For the last 70 years, research was going on around the world on how to dissociate water molecules to create energy, but we were the first ones to do it," Kotnala said, adding that all the components and raw materials were from India.The path-breaking work done by Kotnala straddles three different disciplines of science - chemistry, physics and material science - and can be claimed to be the biggest breakthrough in the world of batteries since 1980, when the working principle for the lithium-ion battery was demonstrated by scientist John Bannister Goodenough.The lithium-ion battery was commercialised by Sony in 1991 and since then has become the indispensable innard of every consumer electronic device, laptop, smartphone, DSLR, etc.Kotnala, whose research experience spans 32 years, most of it on solar cells, is proud of the fact that the whole enterprise was an Indian affair from the beginning. He also said that it has a strong chance of revolutionalising the green energy field at a time nations around the globe are trying to find means to curtail their carbon footprints.He also admitted the limitations of the prototype cell and added that the most important thing was that it worked in principle, and the concept now can be made refined by degrees."Since we can muster just so many resources at the lab, the model is not devoid of limitations. But that can be addressed once we have the right backing," he added.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was recently in Delhi for an event named UberDialogue wherein the CEO of the popular ride hailing company had an in-depth discussion with Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Ayog, about the future of Uber in India.Then Travis opened up with a few stats that showed why Uber might just be the future of commutation across the globe. As per the stats, Cars owned by people across the globe are stationary for 96 percent of a days time and yet acquire over 20 percent of the land in the city.Amitabh questioned Travis on his strategies to disrupt the Indian market. Travis kept the answer very simple and straightforward by saying that if you bring innovation into a market, the market is bound to accept your place.On Amitabhs questioning of Ubers reluctance to follow rules and regulations, Travis affirmed that Uber has no problem whatsoever in following rules as long as these rules are directed towards the overall progress of the people. Travis believes that if you have a car and you want to serve the city, you should be allowed to do so.He also quoted examples of laws prevalent across different cities of the world which prevent such companies from functioning normally. E.g. Seoul doesnt allow any native citizen to use the services of Uber, even though Uber is completely legal there for anyone who is not a citizen of the country.A German law says that after every ride, the rider has to go back to the garage, and then from there go to pick up the next ride.He believes that regulations will always be behind technological advancements and that some radical changes will be required to cope up with it.Amitabh also questioned the Silicon Valley CEO about his competitor in India by the name of Ola. Travis acknowledged that Ola is a fierce competitor and that competition is always good for companies and pushes them towards working better. Ultimately, it ends up serving the people in the best manner possible.Then why the merger in China? was a quick question thrown to Travis after this. Very calmly, Travis replied We were losing $200 million a month in China. Merger looked like a good option.Travis was inquired about how fast the autonomous vehicle technology will be available to India. The CEO of Uber, which has shown an interest in self-driving vehicles time and again, said that the technology in itself is ready but to implement it on Indian roads is a mammoth task. Because of the haphazard driving patterns, India might just receive this technology last.If we go out in a desert or an open place, I can show you the self-driving technology right now. But to bring it to the Indian roads is another thing altogetherOn the topic of safety of women users of Uber, Travis replied that these days every driver has their phone in full display, mounted on a phone holder in the car. Whenever in doubt, passengers can look into the map being displayed and keep a tab of the location.Also, the ratings given to every driver by the users help the company to keep a record of every cab rider. He added that since the launch of their new feature Share your ride, the company has recorded very high numbers of sharing by Uber users indicating that the feature works very well in ensuring the safety of the users.Uber is by every means a very innovation driven company. This is clear from the fact that Travis Kalanick already sees Flying Cars in the near future and explains that all we need are drones which are large enough to carry weights equivalent to humans. Long lasting power sources and best noise reduction technology will be the keys to this innovation. He urges other companies to develop such technologies so Uber can implement it to serve its 50 Million plus user base.When Amitabh Kant asked Travis, the key factors of acquiring user base in India and China, Travis replied that going local was one major hack of acquiring user base. The more you know, the better you can serve them. Assuring the Safety of the users, integration with their phones, maps and understanding their mind-sets, everything falls under that.He also appreciated China as a great country to work in as it really embraces progress. He mentioned that they had faced no resistance since they had started with their operations there.Travis mentioned that Uber also shares valuable data with the cities for their progress. As the user base in a locality is understood, the journey maps, stoppage times, speed of the car helps the company deduce data like road conditions, traffic behaviour and much more.Uber is my true love said Travis as he believes that if its services are made more reliable than cars and more cost-effective than owning one, people would eventually shift to using Uber.Travis said it was an honour to meet Sachin Tendulkar . He also met Salman Khan and saw how Bollywood movies are made.
With Nokia expected to launch its comeback Android phone D1C at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in Barcelona, Spain in February, the company is also expected to introduce two other flagship smartphones next year.HMD Global, the company that has scooped the rights to sell phones with the Nokia logo, has already announced that it will be issuing Android handsets with the brand in Q1 of 2017.Out of the two leaks, one phone is expected to be the company's flagship, which will see the light of the day in 2017. They are expected to give tough competition to the likes of Apple iPhone 7 and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8. According to information leaked on Weibo, the phones will be of 5.2 and 5.5-inch sizes display with Quad HD resolution.The phones are said to feature the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. The cameras on the phones are said to use the famous Carl Zeiss optics. The phones are expected to run on Android Nougat.Meanwhile, Arto Nummela, CEO of HMD Global was quoted as saying that the new phones will have such designs that people will immediately recognise them as Nokia.
There are plenty of ways to see in the New Year in Europe, from dancing to electro beats in Berlin, clubbing in Glasgow or taking in the fireworks from the London Eye. But why not try something different this New Year's Eve?



Here's a selection of alternative European destinations for partying the night away this December 31.



> Lisbon, Portugal

Revelers head to the Praca do Comercio for the annual ritual of eating 12 raisins as the clock strikes midnight. Festivities usually include a light and sound show as well as a fireworks display. Traditionally, a fireworks display is also held in the Belem neighborhood, home to the Torre de Belem tower and the famous Pasteis de Belem shop, selling Portugals tasty "pasteis de nata" custard tarts. Celebrations start in the morning, with a 10km running race called "El Corte Ingles Sao Silvestre," starting 10:30am from Avenida da Libertade.



> Vienna, Austria

Visitors to Vienna can stroll through the Silvesterpfad (New Year's Eve Trail), the city's annual street party, sampling various specialties. The Vienna New Year's Eve Ball is another internationally renowned event, where dancing takes center stage. Vienna's dance schools even offer open-air waltz lessons to help revelers brush up on their skills. The Austrian capital has a magical atmosphere through the whole holiday season. New Year's celebrations start in the afternoon of December 31 in the old town. Head to Rathausplatz and the Prater. A fireworks display is held at the Rathaus (city hall). The party carries on into the next day, with a concert from Vienna philharmonic shown on a big screen while revelers tuck into a well-earned breakfast.



> Geneva, Switzerland

Three stages will be set up for partygoers on the Quai du Mont-Blanc, on the shores of Lake Geneva. Music will start at 7pm and there'll be something for everyone, with jazz, funk and disco. The main stage stars DJ Tim Paris, playing a set from 10pm. Electro fans can head to the Bains des Paquis, where a lounge area will offer a more chilled-out vibe. Festivities will continue until 3am. Visitors who don't fear the cold can return to Lake Geneva the following day for the traditional New Year's Day swim.



> Zagreb, Croatia

The Croatian capital isn't just a hotspot for summer sunshine. Visitors can see in the New Year with a trip to the ice rink at King Tomislav Square, skating around to the sound of live music. Ban Jelacic Square, the biggest public square in the Croatian capital, is a meeting point for revelers looking to party through the night.



> Valletta, Malta

Visitors to Southern Europe can enjoy a musical New Year's Eve in Malta's capital, Valletta. This European Capital of Culture for 2018 is once again holding a free concert in St George's Square, with 10 local and international acts taking to the stage. Celebrations will be held on the seafront, where a fireworks and confetti display will add to the festive atmosphere.
: The suspect in the truck attack that killed 12 people at a busy Berlin Christmas market came from Pakistan and had applied for asylum in Germany, the country's top security official said Tuesday.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the suspect, who denies involvement, entered Germany on December 31, 2016 and arrived in Berlin in February.But CNN quoted Berlin Police as saying that asylum seeker detained by police may not have been the driver.Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said Tuesday it wasn't clear whether the man detained was really the driver."We haven't been able to confirm it yet," he told reporters.German Chancellor Angela Merkel described herself as "shocked, shaken and deeply saddened" after what she said the government must assume was a "terrorist attack." De Maiziere said that as far as officials know, the Islamic State group has not claimed responsibility.In addition to those killed, nearly 50 people were injured when the truck plowed into the popular Christmas market filled with tourists and locals outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church near Berlin's Zoo station late Monday."There is still a lot that we don't know about this act with sufficient certainty," Merkel told reporters in Berlin, in her first personal statement following the incident. "But we must, as things stand, assume it was a terrorist attack."Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in large numbers of migrants, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible."I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."Authorities arrested a man about 2 kilometers (1 miles) from the crash site on suspicion of having been at the wheel of the truck. Footage showed the suspect, his head covered in a white sheet, being pushed into a police car shortly after the attack. Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the man was known to police for minor crimes.A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a large-scale search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.Among the dead was a man in the truck, who succumbed as paramedics treated him, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. Police said later that the man was a Polish national, but didn't give further details of who he was or what happened to him.The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning. "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.Germany has not so far experienced any mass-casualty attacks by Islamic extremists, but has been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday's attack, blaming Merkel for what had happened."Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.Manfred Weber, a member of Merkel's conservative bloc and leader of the European Parliament's biggest political grouping, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists didn't enter the country.The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.Merkel said Monday's attack would not cause Germany to live in fear."Even if it's difficult at this hour we will find the strength to live life the way we want to live it in Germany. Free, together and openly," she said
A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday evening, killing 12 people and injuring 48 others in what Germany's interior minister said looked like an attack.Police said on Twitter that they had taken one suspect into custody and that another passenger from the truck had died as it crashed into people gathered around wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church in the heart of former West Berlin.The nationality of the suspected driver, who fled the crash scene and was later arrested, was unclear, police said.German media cited local security sources as saying that there was evidence suggesting the arrested suspect was from Afghanistan or Pakistan and entered Germany in February as a refugee."We heard a loud bang," Emma Rushton, a tourist, told CNN. "We started to see the top of an articulated truck, a lorry ... just crashing through the stalls, through people."Rushton said the truck seemed to be travelling at about 40 mph (65 kph).Police later said that 48 injured people were brought to Berlin hospitals.Pictures from the scene showed Christmas decorations protruding from the smashed windscreen of the black truck. In the aftermath, it was resting lopsided on the pavement with a mangled Christmas tree beneath its wheels.Berlin police said on Twitter they were investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland.Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the circumstances of the crash were still unclear, adding: "I don't want to use the word 'attack' yet although a lot points to that."The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That attack was claimed by Islamic State.U.S. President-elect Donald Trump condemned what he called an attack, linking it to "Islamist terrorists" before German police officials had said who was responsible.The White House on Monday condemned what it called "what appears to have been a terrorist attack".Germany has not in recent years suffered a large-scale attack from Islamist militants like those seen in neighbouring Belgium and France.But it was shaken by two smaller attacks in Bavaria over the summer, one on a train near Wuerzburg and another at a music festival in Ansbach that wounded 20 people. Both were claimed by Islamic State.And government officials have said the country, which accepted nearly 900,000 migrants last year, many from the war-torn Middle East, lies in the "crosshairs of terrorism."In mid-October, police arrested a Syrian refugee suspected of planning a bomb attack on an airport in Berlin. The 22-year-old man committed suicide in prison shortly after his arrest.A government spokesman said Chancellor Angela Merkel was briefed on the situation by de Maiziere and the Berlin mayor. Police said there were no indications of further dangerous situations in the area and urged people to stay away from the scene."I'm deeply shaken about the horrible news of what occurred at the memorial church in Berlin," Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.The truck veered into the market around 8 p.m., normally a crowded time when adults and children would be gathering in the traditional cluster of wooden huts that sell food and Christmas goods in an annual celebration replicated across Germany and much of Central Europe.Ariel Zurawski, whose Polish freight company owns the truck, said the driver of the truck did not work for him."It wasn't my driver," Zurawski told Polish private broadcaster TVN 24. "I vouch for him. He's my cousin."The incident took place near a famous Berlin landmark - the Gedaechtniskirche or memorial church built in 1891-95, which was left a ruin with a jagged tower after it was damaged in World War Two bombing raids as a monument to peace and reconciliation.Police cars and ambulances converged quickly on the scene.The incident evoked memories of the attack last July in Nice, France, when a truck driver struck and killed more than 80 people during Bastille Day celebrations.
With these three words, an off-duty police officer shot dead the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov right in the middle of an art exhibition in Ankara. Those three words will be splashed on newspaper headlines and internet banners across the world. Those three words make it apparent that the real motive of this despicable crime lay across Turkeys borders, over in Syria.



Last week, Bashar Al Assads forces recaptured the largest Syrian city Aleppo, the same city where almost six years ago a rebellion had started against the President and his familys more than four and a half decades long rule. Today, Aleppo is a city in ruins. But more than the destruction its the manner of the killing of its citizens that should shame us all.



Aleppo, along with Srebrenica and Kigali would go down in modern history as one of the worst genocides. But atleast when the Kosovan War or the Rwandan genocide happened, the world still seemed to have its moral bearings, there was a moral and ethical obligation on the leading powers of the time to stop the killing and maiming of innocents.



The international community woke up late, but at least it did wake up. In the case of Aleppo and Syria, it sets a disturbing new trend. A dictator using inhuman mean, chemical weapons, air-bombings, targeted killings of his own people, can contain a rebellion, howsoever strong it is, with the help of a friendly big power.



The West let down Aleppo. We all let down Aleppo. The moral obligation of hundred thousand deaths lies at the doorstep of Barack Obama, David Cameron and Angela Merkel. The West, after getting a bloody nose in Iraq and Afghanistan was wary of military intervention. Hence, when the Arab Spring broke, it relied on the mass of people, first in Tunisia, then in Egypt to turn on their leaders.



Syria was the fifth country where rebellion broke out after the first two, then Bahrain and then Yemen. And in at least four out of those five, powerful long-standing rulers had been thrown out in popular uprisings. Bahrain was the only exception. The only reason why Bahrain was able to quickly quell the dissent was because its biggest backer Saudi Arabia, its neighbor to the west, ran down tanks across the main boulevard of Manama. But it sent a message to powerful dictators and their benefactors the world over. That it is possible to crush a rebellion with just brute force.



The Syrian and Russian Presidents have much to celebrate after the fall of Aleppo. After all, its taken almost 6 years coming. But even after the Kosovan War, an attempt was made to bring the powerful to some semblance of justice. Case in point being that of Slobodan Milosevic and his powerful military commanders. But I dont foresee the possibility of Bashar Al Assad or Vladimir Putin standing trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. And that will be the greater shame.


Washington: America's Electoral College on Monday confirmed Donald Trump's election as the 45th president of the United States, unswayed by a desperate bid by die-hard opponents to bar the Republican's path to the White House.



Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory official according to US media, clearing the way for him to succeed Barack Obama on January 20.



"We did it!" the 70-year-old billionaire tweeted after the results came in. "Thank you to all of my great supporters, we just officially won the election (despite all of the distorted and inaccurate media)."



In a statement released by his team, the president-elect welcomed the "overwhelming vote" in his favor, while reaching out to the Democrats who sought against the odds to block him.



"With this historic step we can look forward to the bright future ahead," he said. "I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans."



Under normal circumstances, the college vote is a little-watched, rubber stamp formality in which electors -- most of them party members -- officially cast ballots for the candidate that won the popular tally in their state.



This time, however, the divisive nature of the campaign, Trump's provocative personality, and Clinton's lead of nearly three million votes in the popular tally combined to raise the stakes.



The Electoral College vote works like this: when US voters cast ballots on November 8, they did not directly elect the president but rather 538 electors charged with translating their wishes into reality.



Trump won a clear majority of those electors: 306.



Democratic activists casting the Republican as a threat to the nation staged a vocal, weeks-long campaign urging electors to break ranks and refuse to vote for him.



To bar Trump's road to the White House, they needed to convince at least 37 Republican electors to abandon their candidate.



The odds of that happening were considered next to none.



According to a New York Times tally, a total of seven so-called "faithless" electors defected for someone else than their party's nominee, the biggest number ever.



In Washington state, three of the state's 12 electoral votes went to former Republican secretary of state Colin Powell and a fourth went to Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American leader who helped block the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.



An elector in Hawaii cast a vote for Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton's opponent in the Democratic primaries. Two Texas Republican electors defected, one voting for former representative Ron Paul and another for Ohio Governor John Kasich.



- 'Fate of our nation' -

One Texas Republican elector, Christopher Suprun, had publicly said he would not vote for Trump, arguing he is unqualified to be president for reasons including conflicts of interest created by his vast overseas business holdings.



Suprun says he received death threats as a result.



An online petition urging electors to reject Trump collected some five million supporters. Hollywood stars including Martin Sheen recently released a video to goad electors to dump Trump.



Undeterred by their outside chance of success, protesters rallied Monday at statehouses from Pennsylvania to Texas to Utah as electors gathered across the country to cast their votes.



In Wisconsin, where Trump carried a thin margin that was key to propelling him into the Oval Office, a few protesters chanted "Shame!" as the state's 10 electoral votes for Trump were announced, the Times reported.



"I feel the fate of our nation is at stake here," protester Ray-Ellen Kavey, 68, told The Washington Post outside the capitol building of the Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania.



"I know nothing will come of this, but my conscience won't let me do any less."



In New York, former president Bill Clinton cast one of the state's 29 electoral votes for his wife.



"I've never cast a vote I was prouder of," he was quoted as saying by the Post.



- 'Cynical' -

The Republican National Committee welcomed the result -- and urged Democrats to accept Trump's victory once and for all.



"This historic election is now officially over," RNC co-chair Sharon Day said in a statement. "For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election."



The anti-Trump movement gained further momentum in recent days amid the uproar over allegations of Russian hacking aimed at swaying the vote in favor of the Republican.



Even in the unlikely event that Trump had lost the Electoral College vote, it would have been up to the House of Representatives -- controlled by Republicans -- to designate the successor to President Barack Obama.



The final vote result will be formally announced in the US Congress on January 6, two weeks before the next president is to be inaugurated.
For decades Pakistans successive federal governments have been issuing Gulf sheikhs with permits to hunt migratory Houbara bustards, an endangered species.



The areas of Thar Desert in Sindh province, coastal parts of Balochistan and Chowlistan in southern Punjab are the favorite hunting areas. Locals have been long resenting such barbaric hunting practices which they claim inflicts irreparable damage on the fauna and flora of the area.



In addition to the above hunting practices, Baloch residents have also opposed the shocking practice of infants being smuggled to Gulf countries to use as jockey for camel racing, a practice banned in many Gulf countries.



The fact is that Pakistanis are not allowed to hunt Houbara bustards which are protected under various international conventions and agreements Pakistan has signed.



Pakistans own various wildlife protection laws have put a ban on Houbara hunting, the meat of which many claim has aphrodisiac power. Estimates say there are between 50,000 and 100,000 Houbara left in the world.



After much brouhaha and petition from birds lovers, the Pakistans Supreme Court ordered a complete ban on hunting the bird. The court in its order cited several international conventions on conservation, to which Pakistan is a signatory.



However, the federal government approached the apex court with a petition that a blanket ban on Houbara hunting has jeopardized Pakistans relationship with the middle-east nations.



The government argued that inviting Arab dignitaries to hunt in Pakistan was a cornerstone of foreign policy and the ban be reconsidered. The petition further argued that the hunting restriction has adversely impacted Pakistans relations with the Gulf nations.



Later, in January this year the Supreme Court of Pakistan lifted the ban on hunting.



Every year Pakistan government issues a restricted number of hunting permits for Arab sheikhs for three-month hunting season that usually begins from Nov 1 and concludes on January 31, the next year.
New Delhi: In a shocking incident, an off-duty policeman shot Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov dead on Monday at an art gallery in Ankara (Turkey). The assassination of the Russian ambassador marks a dangerous escalation of tension in the region and beyond. However, the gunman has been identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas and he killed Karlov to avenge the 'killings' by Russian forces in Aleppo.



Here are 5 things to know about assassin Mevlut Mert who killed Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov.



- Twenty-two-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who assassinated Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov at an art museum in Ankara on Monday, had worked for Ankara riot police for two and a half years.



- Before killing the Russian ambassador Mevlut allegedly shouted, We die in Aleppo, you die here. The gunman was killed by special forces. Three other people were injured. CNN Turk TV reported that police had detained Mevlut's sister and mother.



- A video showed the attacker shouting: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" and "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest") as screams rang out. He paced about and shouted as he held the gun in one hand and waved the other in the air.



- The attacker was smartly dressed in black suit and tie and stood, alone, behind the ambassador as he began his speech at the art exhibition, a person at the scene said.



- Mevlut took out his gun and shot the ambassador Andrei from behind when he was giving a talk at the art exhibit. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a witness said he saw Andrei lying on the floor and then he ran out. People took refuge in adjoining rooms as the shooting continued.







- With inputs from Reuters
: German media on Tuesday said suspect in Berlin Christmas market attack was 23-year-old from Pakistan named as Naved B who arrived in Germany a year ago as an asylum seeker.Naved was born in 1993 and he came to Germany across the Balkan Route. The asylum seeker was living inside hangar for immigrants at a Berlin airport since raided by commandos at 4 am and was already known to police because of petty crime.Reports said, Naved allegedly used a hijacked 25-tonne lorry to murder 12 people and injure 48 more at a Berlin Christmas market. Berlin police are investigating leads that the truck had been stolen from a construction site in Poland.The large Scania truck had left Poland for Berlin earlier in the day but that contact with the driver was lost at around 4pm local time (3pm GMT) and the firm believed the lorry may have been hijacked.Berlin police have taken the truck for a forensic examination and the driver of the truck has also been arrested.
Assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov on Monday in Ankara by a diabolically committed lone Turkish police man reminded me of the brutal killing of Chris Stevens, US Ambassador to Libya in September 2012 by fanatic militants in Benghazi. Reasons for such acts of barbaric violence as pay back are somehow being attributed to the military interventions by the respective countries in the current theatres of civil war and insurgency in the middle east.



Terror groups and terrorists acting as powerful non-state actors have used the excuses to justify violence . The words of the killer of Andrei Karlov will ring in with we will not let you forget Aleppo- We die there you die here for some time to come. The fact that it happened on the Turkish soil, which has the dubious distinction of going soft on the ISIS or Daesh for their own Geo-political compulsions and being part of the larger design by western and other countries in the region, will have some tenuous impact on the pace of normalisation of Russia-Turkey relations.



The Regime Change agenda under the western lead in Syria as well as the unwise handling and static approaches by President Assad supported by Russia and Iran, who refused to read the writing on the wall, have inflicted unimaginable and untold miseries on the innocent Syrian people millions of whom have become either refugees or internally displaced .



Overtly, all sides seem to be fighting the demon of ISIS or Daesh or Jabahat Al Nusra & Shams and several other notorious militant groups that many of them have been involved in creating or sustaining in the first place. Now the bickering between the two sides is as to who will be allowed to exit from the besieged Aleppo and to where. In the name of human rights even avowed extremists will be provided safe passage.



US and Russia as well as regional actors like Turkey are physically there on the ground bombing the hapless Syrian landscape out of shape to carve out their strategic space rather than only for the democratic project, or fight against terror outfits like Daesh or to strengthen their bases and areas of influence. However, with some sincere and honest efforts and rapprochement between President Putin and US President elect Donald Trump, some kind of resolution of the Syrian situation could be expected without dividing the country along sectarian lines which is unfortunately quite a stark possibility.



Meanwhile, Russia,Turkey and Iran Foreign Ministers meeting in Moscow on Tuesday is hoping to find a way out for the proposed Inter-Syrian dialogue in Kazakhstan to arrive at a political solution now that the Syrian opposition is in a complete disarray as their supporters including the US whether under Obama or Trump are turning nonchalant. The situation in the Middle East especially in Libya , Yemen , Syria and Iraq remains worrisome and despondent, which has a direct bearing on ensuing political and economic restructuring of the region with attendant threats of ultra-terrorists footprints expanding beyond the immediate horizon.



As for India the Middle East is our extended neighbourhood and strategically important given the over 8 million diaspora , 70% dependence on hydrocarbons, almost $40bn in repatriation by Indian workforce as well as the collaboration in countering of terrorism emanating from the region and conversely from across our borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Pakistan has had good relations due to several reasons with many of the countries in the region who overlooked its surrogacy of terrorists .



Fortunately, with important visits and intensive interactions that the current Government of PM Modi has undertaken especially with the GCC leadership -the blind support to Pakistan has been decimated to an extent . This has to be reinforced. Hitherto, in Syria and elsewhere we have decried military interventions, supporting dialogue and process led by the locals as a continuation of our foreign policy and abstained on the relevant UN resolutions, that led to the bombing of innocent people even though succeeded in removing the autocratic rulers but eventually led to the mess that the middle east is currently in.



However, as India wishes to play a greater regional as well as global role given her economic clout, political uprightness and non-neo colonialist approaches and resolute fight against terrorism in the conduct of foreign relations sitting on the fence may not be the viable option any longer. There are high stakes and since India by many is seen as a  Swing state it would be imperative to refrain from  strategic restraint that has been the hallmark of the policy choices especially since India also hopes to sit on the High Table.





Anil Trigunayat , former Ambassador to Libya, Jordan and Malta


Moscow: Russian investigators on Tuesday flew out to Turkey to help probe the killing of the country's ambassador in Ankara Andrei Karlov, the Kremlin told local news agencies.



"Eighteen people will work in the group. The group will act in Turkey within the framework of the investigation into the murder," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that leaders Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed the move in a phone call yesterday.



The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That attack was claimed by Islamic State.
















Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2016

: US President-elect Donald Trump condemned the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey on Monday, saying the killing was carried out by a "radical Islamic terrorist" and violated "all rules of civilized order."Trump, in a statement issued by his transition team, offered condolences to the family of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, who was fatally shot while attending an event at an art gallery in Ankara.The US State Department, involved in diplomatic contacts with Russia in an attempt to resolve a refugee crisis unfolding around the city of Aleppo, condemned the attack, as did the United Nations Security Council.However, both Russia and Turkey indicated that they were looking to work together to find the combat militant attacks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly condemned the assassination of Russian ambassador to Ankara, describing it as a "provocation" aimed at ruining Turkey-Russia ties."Turkey-Russia relations were vital for the region and those who aim to harm ties are not going to achieve their goals," Erdogan said in a televised message on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.The Turkish President said he had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who offered to send security officers to Turkey for the investigation.The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is expected in Moscow on Tuesday for talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.Earlier on Monday, a gunman in a black suit and tie shot dead the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov as he was speaking at the opening of a photographic art exhibition in the capital city of Ankara, titled "Russia through Turks' eyes."The gunman shouted "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria. As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety. Whoever has a share in this oppression will pay for it one-by-one. Only death will take me away from here," according to Turkish security sources.The gunman was shot dead at the scene and identified as 22-year-old Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.He had been on duty for two and a half years at the riot police unit in Ankara.Three other wounded people were taken to Guven Hospital in central Ankara for treatment.Turkish Foreign Ministry also strongly condemned the attack."It's been learned with great sorrow that Andrey Karlov, the Russian ambassador, lost his life as a result of an armed attack during the opening of a photo exhibition," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on its website.It said "all the connections of this incident will be brought to light and those responsible will be brought before the court.""We will not allow this attack to overshadow Turkish-Russian friendship," it added.Moscow and Ankara were in the process of normalising ties after the latter shot down a Russian warplane on November 24, 2015 claiming airspace violation.
"Around 10 armed men came on motorcycles and surrounded the convoy and opened fire however they fled when the Frontier Corps personnel accompanying the convoy opened fire on them," a police official said.

Several members of the UAE royal family, including deputy prime minister Prince Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on a Houbara bustard hunting mission, had a lucky escape on Tuesday after their convoy was attacked by gunmen in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province.The team of hunters was unhurt in the attack that happened in Guchak area of Panjgur, however, two vehicles of the convoy were damaged in the firing, police said.The area was cordoned off and the convoy was taken to its camp.Panjgur Deputy Commissioner Habibur Rehman confirmed the incident.A spokesman for the banned Balochistan Libration Front claimed responsibility of the attack, the Dawn reported.The hunting of the Houbara bustard and falconry has been a significant feature of Pakistan's relations with the oil-rich middle-eastern countries as falconry is not merely a sport for Arabs, but also one of their most cherished customs and recognised as a cultural heritage by UNESCO.However, the sport has not been free of controversies and earlier this month, authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa imposed a province-wide ban on the hunting of the Houbara bustard, a prized migratory bird designated as a protected species by conservationists.The KP government notification came after news channels had reported that the federal government had allowed Qatari Royal Prince Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali al Thani to hunt the bird.Many wealthy Arab sheikhs from the middle-eastern countries come to Baluchistan every year in winter to hunt the vulnerable migratory bird whose meat is prized as an aphrodisiac.The indiscriminate hunting of Houbara bustard has led to an alarming decline in their population.The species was declared vulnerable after its global population dwindled by more than 60 per cent.
Noon update:

Willard Harrison Stoots, 81, of Dry Fork, died Monday in the crash of a 1999 Dodge Ram pickup truck on Hutson Road (Va. 865), according to a news release from the Virginia State Police.

The truck was traveling north when it ran off the right side of Hutson Road, then crossed the left side of the road, hit a tree and then caught fire.

Stoots was not wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene, according to the news release.

Virginia State Police Trooper M.L. Gravely is investigating the fatal accident, and the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted with the identification of the vehicle due to the fire damage.

The crash remains under investigation.

Original story:

The driver of a 1999 Dodge Ram pickup truck was killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash Monday afternoon on Hutson Road (Va. 865).

The accident occurred about one and a half miles west of Franklin Turnpike.

Those who lived nearby told authorities at the scene they heard a loud boom and then saw the flames.

The truck, after running off the road, appeared to have bent at the frame between the cab and bed. The rear axle also was partially ripped from the frame on the passenger side. At some point, the gasoline tank ruptured and flames from the fire appeared to have shot as high as 30 feet into the air.

It did not appear that the truck overturned.

Members of the Mount Hermon, Dry Fork and Tunstall volunteer fire departments responded to the scene and worked to quickly extinguish the flames.

The drivers identity was not disclosed. The victims body will be sent to the Medical Examiners office in Roanoke and the next of kin notified.

While skid marks and ruts along the roadway were visible, it was not immediately known if speed was a factor in the accident.

The Virginia State Police was on the scene investigating.
United States Olympic gymnast Simone Biles will be among the speakers at Liberty Universitys convocation in the coming semester, according to David Nasser, senior vice president for spiritual development.

Nasser made the announcement via social media site Twitter. In the post in which he addresses Biles, Nasser said she was one of the most requested guests.

Biles, a 19-year-old who won four gold medals and one bronze at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics this summer, is from Spring, Texas, according to her Team USA biography.

A Time Magazine article from August called her Undeniably the worlds best gymnast, and arguably the most talented ever.

Next semesters full list for Libertys convocation, which hosts speakers three times per week, was not available for publication Thursday.

Nasser declined to provide more information through a media representative.

Convocation is required for on-campus students and generally open to the public.
RICHMOND  Virginias 13 Electoral College electors performed their constitutional duty Monday and cast their votes for Democrats Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, who carried the state Nov. 8.

With tears in their eyes or emotional pronouncements, the Democratic electors stood on the floor of the Virginia Senate in the state Capitol in Richmond and cast their ballots .

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, won enough other states to prevail nationally in the Electoral College tally. Trump will be inaugurated Jan. 20 as the nations 45th president.

Elector Terry Frye from Bristol praised Clinton, the first female presidential nominee of a major party, for putting 66 million cracks in the glass ceiling, and for fighting for equality.

Frye also expounded during his separate vote for Kaine as vice president, calling him a great senator, and a wonderful human being.

Virginia has one elector from each congressional district and two at-large electors.

Elector Vivian Page of Norfolk cast her vote for Clinton with a full heart and clear conscience.

Tattooed, blue-haired elector Bethany Rowland, perhaps the youngest of Virginias 13, struggled through tears to announce her vote for Clinton.

The electors selected her mother, and fellow elector, Susan Rowland of Chesapeake, as president of Virginias Electoral College. Susan Rowland set the tone in her opening remarks, saying I also share in your disappointment and concern, over the Democrats loss and Trumps election.

The electors were joined on the floor by several notable guests, including Virginia Supreme Court Justice William Mims, who administered the oath of office to the electors, and incoming state Sen. Lionell Spruill , D-Chesapeake, a Clinton supporter.

Retiring Rep. Robert Hurt, R-5th, a former state senator, was also seated on the floor to watch his son, John Hurt, serve as a page during the proceeding. Omar Edgardo Cortes, the son of Edgardo Cortes, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Elections, also served as a page.

During the ceremony, each elector was required to sign multiple documents, prompting Susan Rowland to quip: I told you you were going to feel like you were buying a house today.

Electors took turns using their smartphones to record votes and document signings.

Upstairs, electors family and friends and Democratic Party officials crowded into the Senate gallery, nearly filling it, and strained to take photos from above.

The last two Virginia Electoral College elections, in 2008 and 2012, were held in the larger House of Delegates chamber, but officials declined a request to make it available to the State Board of Elections for Mondays proceeding.

Anti-Trump protest

A coalition opposed to Trumps election had organized protests in all 50 states where electors gathered Monday to formally cast votes.

Because Democrats won Virginia, there was little practical reason for anti-Trump protestors to worry about how the Democrats would vote. But the event still drew several dozen protesters to the Bank Street entrance of the state Capitol, where they held signs and chanted slogans against Trumps imminent election.

Electors Wake Up. Break this Mess up, the protesters chanted.

You have a choice. Use your voice.

Among the signs they carried were messages such as: Putins Puppet, Vote your Conscience and Do the Right Thing.

Were really concerned about the possibility of Trump being president, said Shelli Frydman, 64, a massage therapist who made the drive from Chantilly in Fairfax County to stand in the cold with other protesters who apparently had been organized through social media.

Im concerned about whats happening to the country, said a bundled-up Roger Hildreth, 81, from Richmond. I want to see anybody but Trump in that office, though he acknowledged that his presence outside the Capitol and the days collective protests would likely have little impact on the inevitability of Trumps election.

He added: I hope things change at the midterms.
MINERAL  In the scruffy pine woods near Lake Anna, workers are spraying insulation into the walls of Chris Denkers big gamble.

Denkers, 33, prowls the construction site in jeans, Marmot fleece and ball cap. He built most of this himself, a barn-like structure with red siding and stone-clad foundation. In April, he plans to open it up as the Coyote Hole Ciderworks  a huge investment for his family and friends in an industry thats suddenly on the rise in Virginia.

Ten years ago, there was only one cidery in the state, and it had just opened. Denkers will be the 19th.

Or 18th  state officials disagree about the exact number. The industry is just now getting big enough to track. The state department of alcoholic beverage control didnt collect production and tax data on cider makers until July.

Its a baby industry, said Denkers, who moved here seven years ago from upstate New York. A lot of wineries are now starting to do cider.

The rise was predictable. There seems to be a winery at every highway exit, and craft beer breweries are popping up like coffee shops. Cider was ripe for a resurgence. But Virginia is catching up to a national cider-drinking trend that may have eased in the past year or two.

Retail sales of hard cider (at stores, not restaurants) grew by about 11 percent in 2015, a fraction of the 71 percent growth the year before, according to Nielsen. Draft magazine, which covers the beer and cider industry, reported over the summer that cider sales slowed toward the end of last year.

Washington state and New York have far more mature cider markets than Virginia. But Virginia has apples, and picturesque countryside, and the new businesses feed other industries important to the state.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is a big booster of cider, as well as craft beer and wine. His office regularly cranks out news releases announcing jobs that involve fermentation. Brewpubs and wineries are among his favorite spots to hang out.

Sometimes I get some grief from people for the announcements, McAuliffe said. But this whole space drives our agriculture business and at the same time helps boom our tourism. He can spout the precise numbers off the top of his head: Last year, we sold 416,750 cases of cider, and that was up 52 percent from the year before.

And to be clear, the governors talking about hard cider. Technically, its a wine, fermented from the juice of a fruit. Most hard ciders have a little more alcohol than the typical beer, and maybe a little less than the average grape wine. The same is roughly true for its sweetness.

Cider is another of those forsaken products that was huge in Colonial times  like hemp or leeches. Thomas Jefferson cultivated cider apples at Monticello, and John Adams drank it every day. After all, water was often unsafe back then, so cider was a healthier option. (A reporter at Vice recently spent a week living in Colonial mode and found himself constantly drunk from all the cider).

Cider apples are different varietals from the ones people eat  gnarlier to look at and less tasty. Many of the old trees were ripped up in Virginia during Prohibition, so growers have had to re-establish them. They come with poetic old lip-smacking names such as Albemarle Pippin, Roxbury Russet, Burfords Redflesh and Winesap.

Jeffersons favorite cider apple was the Taliaferro, nearer to the silky Champagne than any other, he wrote, according to the Monticello web site. But that variety has disappeared.

Virginia still has a sizeable apple industry, ranked sixth in the nation, producing nearly 200 million pounds worth roughly $35 million per year. Cider orchards are a miniscule portion of that, but increasing. Denkers, for instance, committed to buying more than a million pounds of Virginia-grown apples and other fruits during the next three years.

Cider makers tend to fall into three categories: the mass market (Angry Orchard, owned by the maker of Samuel Adams beer), the mid-range (often made from dessert apples and served in kegs or beer-type bottles) and the fussy artisanal (wine bottles all the way).

This particular business is based on the farm winery model, said Geoff Robinson, director of sales and marketing at Castle Hill Cider in Albemarle County. By that he means that Castle Hill, set in the patrician foothills of the Keswick hunt country, is very much a small-batch operation with a cozy tasting room and facilities for private events such as weddings.

Castle Hill was the states third cidery when it opened in 2010, Robinson said. Hes not worried about the recent flurry of competitors. Its still a rising-tide-lifts-all-ships kind of thing, he said. The big national brands may have saturated the market, but he believes the local-source movement leaves lots of room for craft ciders to grow.

And really, cider is only part of the equation for a place like Castle Hill, with its temple-like white barn and painterly vistas. Wedding photo books are more prominent than menus around the tasting room. Weve seen this wedding industry boom and blow up in the last few years, Robinson said.

Denkers scouted Castle Hill, among other places, when gathering ideas for Coyote Hole. But hes aiming at a slightly different crowd  fewer cheese plates and millennials, more BBQ and families with kids.

He and his wife, Laura, moved from New York to his sister-in-laws basement in Ashburn seven years ago when he got hired to do Web design for a government contractor. After his boss told him he could work from home, Denkers moved to Lake Anna, a rambling, unpretentious getaway spot between Fredericksburg and Richmond.

There, he and his wife are raising twin 7-year-old boys. Its a relaxed lifestyle of panning for gold in local creeks and watching for coyotes on trailcams stationed around their property.

Denkers is a guy who likes to build stuff. He built a house for his in-laws, and with another friend started a nonprofit that hosts party events to raise money to fight cystic fibrosis, which both of his sons have. He has homebrewed beer and cider for years.

The cidery grew out of all those interests. Armed with a 60-page business plan and about $750,000 in investment from his family and several friends, Denkers has spent the past year methodically lining up permits, ordering equipment and designing everything from logos to the main building.

I just thought, why not take what I love doing and make it a business? he said. In my opinion, I think the industry has got a long way to go. More and more people are really starting to drink cider ... I think it will definitely support us and support the other cideries, as well.
20 X-Men characters that should make the jump from Marvel comics to the MCU

Some new mutant faces for the MCU X-Men era and a couple the movies can finally get right
CHINESE TAKEAWAY

The ten employees of the Me Asia Restaurant at the corner of Maraval and Tragarete roads in Portof- Spain were rounded-up shortly after 2 pm.

According to reports, CTU officers __ acting on information and accompanied by police officers, officers from the Immigration Department and Public Health Inspectorate surrounded the restaurant and began the process of detaining four females and six males, all nationals of China. At the time of the raid, some of the foreigners were in the kitchen area while others who serving customers.

While his workers were being herded into the TTPS bus, the owner identified only as Chet protested vehemently, asking the officers in broken English if they had any warrant giving them the right to take away the ten. When the officers continued to escort his workers into the bus, Chet threatened legal action insisting that all his employees are legally working in TT and should not be subjected to this action.

As a result of the raid, the restaurants operations ceased for the day and some customers who paid for food and were waiting, had to be refunded. Some of the detainees began shouting as they spoke in Chinese. The ten were taken to the CTU offices on Abercromby Street in Port-of-Spain, where they are expected to be interviewed by an interpreter employed at the Unit.

Sources revealed that several Chinese restaurants throughout the country have been employing scab labour and officers of the CTU are of the opinion that some of the persons working in restaurants and casinos were brought to TT illegally and kept in deplorable and inhumane conditions.

Contacted for comment, Chet told Newsday, the police came without warrant and I am going to the Police Station to find out about my workers.

They all here legally...they have done nothing wrong and I have to seek their welfare. The National Security Ministry, in a press release, advised that investigations are underway, to ascertain labour exploitation, immigration and other breaches at the Me Asia Cantonese Restaurant on Ariapita Avenue. The release added that the CTU was assisted by PoS police, the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF), Public Health Inspectors and Labour Inspectors.

The release noted the CTU is interviewing several foreign Asian nationals with respect to possible labour exploitation under the TT Trafficking in Persons Act.

Other agencies are also conducting interviews on possible public health violations.
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(Newser)  The video shot in the remote Kohistan area of Pakistan and posted online in 2010 shows five girls clapping along to music while a boy dances nearby. Innocent as it may seem, authorities are now investigating anew whether it led to the murder of all those in the video for the high crime of mingling with members of the opposite sex, reports the Washington Post. They think a tribal court deemed the gathering a penalty worthy of death, and villagersperhaps even the youths' own familiesthen meted out the sentences. The older brother of the young man pictured petitioned the Supreme Court for help, and while the court dismissed his case in 2012, it ordered a new investigation last month. "I know I will probably be killed, too, but it doesn't matter," says 26-year-old Afzal Kohistani. "What happened is wrong, and it has to change."

The families and village elders insist that nobody was killed over the video. But when investigators returned to the village last month with the girls' thumbprints and birth dates, they were presented with females too young to be the ones in the video, according to a judge's report. One girl's thumbs had been disfigured so that her thumbprints were useless; her parents said she'd had a cooking accident. Families of two said the girls were living far away and unable to return home to meet with investigators, reports the Express Tribune. "All this leads to the suspicious conclusion that something is wrong at bottom," the judge wrote. He recommended an "exhaustive inquiry." (Read more Pakistan stories.)
(Newser)  "I composed myself enough to shoot pictures." So recounts AP photographer Burhan Ozbilici, who was covering a seemingly routine opening of a photo exhibit in Ankara, Turkey, Monday when a man pulled a gun. Ozbilici initially thought it a "theatrical flourish." Quite the contrary: Ozbilici counts 8 gunshots total, some of which killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, 62. The AP reports the gunman has been identified as a police officer named Mevlut Mert Altintas; he was killed in an ensuing shootout. Reuters cites a tweet from the Ankara mayor stating the gunman was 22 and off-duty. A witness says he was behind Karlov as the ambassador gave a speech and shot him from behind.

One take on the implications, from the Stratfor think-tank via Reuters: "The attack comes at a bad time: Moscow and Ankara have only recently restored diplomatic ties after Turkey downed a Russian aircraft in November 2015. Though the attack will strain relations between the two countries, it is not likely to rupture them altogether." In a piece at Slate titled in part "The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Isn't Franz Ferdinand," Joshua Keating agrees, suggesting the attack will serve as "a pretext for closer cooperation rather than conflict." Indeed, in televised comments reports by the Guardian, Vladimir Putin swung not at Turkey, instead calling "the crime ... a provocation aimed at disrupting the normalization of Russian-Turkish relations and disrupting the peace process in Syria. There can be only one answer to thisstepping up the fight against terrorism, and the bandits will feel this." (Read more assassination stories.)
(Newser)  Merrick Garland is ready to move on, 10 months after President Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court. After withdrawing from cases after his nomination in March, Garland will return to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit beginning Jan. 18, reports BuzzFeed. The move suggests Garland has accepted that his nomination, though still pending, will go unconfirmed, reports Politico; as the Senate recessed for the year on Friday without holding a hearing or vote, the nomination will go back to the White House. President-elect Donald Trump will reportedly begin interviewing candidates for his own Supreme Court nomination soon. (Read more US Supreme Court stories.)
(Newser)  The only boat left searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 isn't likely to find it, experts say. A new report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says "there is a high degree of confidence" that the plane that disappeared from radar on March 8, 2014, isn't in the Pennsylvania-sized search area that's been combed over two years, reports the BBC. Instead, experts believe MH370 lies to the north, within a 10,000-square-mile patch of the Indian Ocean that's about 20% of the size of the current search area, based on new flight simulations, an analysis of satellite communications, and debris drift patterns. The report adds there's only a 5% chance the plane was missed over the 42,500 square miles searched so far, reports CNN.

Experts and investigators are "in agreement in the need to search an additional area" and "concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted," the report states, per the Guardian. However, the governments of Australia, Malaysia, and China previously agreed to suspend the $145 million search effort in the new year "unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft." Australia's transport minister notes it does "not give a specific location of the missing aircraft." The report has been presented to the governments "for their consideration," an ATSB rep says. (Read more MH370 stories.)
(Newser)  Jean Shepard, one of country music's all-time greats, died Sept. 25 at the age of 82. Sadly, there's now been another death in her family, with the murder of her 18-year-old granddaughter less than three months later. Icie Sloan-Hawkins was stabbed to death at Shepard's home in Hendersonville, Tenn., early Saturday in a horrific incident that left her ex-boyfriend dead and Shepard's widower, 79-year-old Benny Birchfield, hospitalized with stab wounds. Velvet Sloan, Icie's mother, tells the Tennessean that Birchfield was stabbed trying to protect his granddaughter, who had been living at the home. She says that after Birchfield was injured, he got his gun and shot 21-year-old Travis Sanders, but it was too late to save Icie, who was pronounced dead after being hospitalized.

Police described the violence as an "isolated incident" and said the community was not in danger, News 2 reports. Birchfield was released from the hospital Monday, and police say they haven't decided yet whether to seek charges. "We pretty much have the who, what, when, and where, but we don't have the why," a police spokesman says. Sloan says Icie inherited some of the talent of her grandmother, a trailblazer for women in country music who was a Grand Ole Opry member for more than 60 years. "No one knew that she could sing almost just like her granny," Sloan says. "Her granny always told her, 'No, you don't want to get in the music business. It's too tough.' But she sure could sing, and she could play the guitar." (Read more Tennessee stories.)
(Newser)  Latasha Eatman missed Thanksgiving and her son's sixth birthday this year as she sat in jail for seven weeksall because of what the Cook County Sheriff's Office is calling an "outrageous" error on the books for 22 years, CBS News and CBS Chicago report. On Oct. 14, cops came into the store where Eatman works to see if it was selling illegal cigarettes, and when they ran her name, they found a 1994 warrant for community service she hadn't completed for a minor drug-possession infraction. Eatman was arrested and waited in a jail cell for 10 days, at which point she was hauled before an irritated judge, denied bond, and thrown back in jail for another 39 days. The problem? The remainder of that old community service had been terminated by a judge at the time after it was deemed Eatman had tried to fulfill it and couldn't due to logistical tie-ups that weren't her fault.

The warrant in her name somehow remained, leading to her arrest more than two decades later. It was only when the Cook County Sheriff's Office was doing an audit of jailed women that they found Eatman's case and "raised holy hell with the prosecutors office," per sheriff's rep Cara Smith. Eatman, who tried to hide from her young son why she was gone by telling him she was at school or on business, was released the day after the sheriff's office intervened. Smith, who says Eatman was let out "without so much as an apology or an explanation," notes Eatman is working extra hours to pay all the bills that racked up while she was in jail not earning money. "You wonder why these communities don't trust law enforcement," Smith says. "Can you imagine a more thoughtless, cruel way to handle this?" (Parents at a NYC nursery school were wary of this celebrity's community service.)
(Newser)  A suspect believed to have opened fire inside a mosque in Switzerland's largest city is dead, police say. Zurich police say a man found dead near the scene of the Monday evening attack is the suspect who stormed an Islamic center and shot three people, injuring two of them seriously, before fleeing the building, reports Reuters. The AP reports that police say that the suspect, who was dressed all in black, opened fire in the prayer room of the mosque, which is popular with Somali immigrants. Police say it is too early to describe the attack as terrorism, or to say whether there was any link to Monday's deadly attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. (Read more Zurich stories.)
(Newser)  Only two Republican electors voted against Donald Trump in the Electoral College Mondaybut that was two too many for leading Republicans in Texas, where both of the "faithless" GOP electors hail from. The Hill reports that moments after the vote, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted that he was looking forward to signing a bill that would require electors to follow the state's popular votes. "This charade is over," he said. "A bill is already filed to make these commitments binding." One "faithless" Texas elector, Bill Greene, voted for Ron Paul, while the other, Christopher Suprun, voted for John Kasich. Trump's final margin was 304 to 227 for Hillary Clinton. The New York Times reports that his electoral college win ranks 46th out of 58 electoral college margins in US history.

"I consider Mr. Trump still to be a demagogue. He continues to divide us based on whether or not you're male or female, and if you're a female, are you a 4 or a 10; where you worship; the color of your skin," Suprun tells the Austin American-Statesman. A total of five Democratic electors, four in Washington state and one in Hawaii, voted against Hillary Clinton, bringing the total number of faithless electors to a record seven, Politico reports. Three of the Washington electors backed Colin Powell and the fourth chose Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American activist. The Hawaiian elector voted for Bernie Sanders. The previous record was set in 1808, with six faithless electors. There could have been even more this time around, but election officials blocked electors in several states when they attempted to buck their party's nominee. (Read more electoral college stories.)
(Newser)  What responsibility do social media platforms hold for radicalizing individuals who then carry out attacks? According to families of the victims of the June shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub, enough to warrant a lawsuit, per Fox News. Named in the federal civil complaint filed Monday by the families of Tevin Crosby, Javier Jorge-Reyes, and Juan Ramon Guerrero: defendants Twitter, Facebook, and Google (as YouTube's owner), accused of giving "material support" to the Islamic State and helping set gunman Omar Mateen down the radicalization path. The defendants did so, per the suit, by giving ISIS "accounts they use to spread extremist propaganda, raise funds, and attract new recruits." In fact, the suit postulated, without the networks' help, "the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible."

Whether the social networks can avoid liability comes down to the interpretation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a provision that keeps publishers and online service providers out of trouble for content that users post. What some are saying could weaken that defense are the often-secretive algorithms that drive these social networks. "The defendants create unique content by matching ISIS postings with advertisements based upon information known about the viewer" and "finance ISIS's activities by sharing advertising revenue," a lawyer for the three families tells Fox. Google and Twitter have yet to offer comment on the suit, but Facebook said in a statement, per USA Today: "We take swift action to remove this content when it's reported to us. We sympathize with the victims and their families." (Read more Pulse Orlando shooting stories.)
(Newser)  Police in Germany on Tuesday began raising doubts about whether a man in custody after Monday's truck attack in Berlin had anything to do with it. Now, that man, a Pakistani national, has been released over a lack of evidence, reports the AP. Prosecutors say no physical evidence places him in the truck, and no witnesses have come forward. "The investigation up until now did not yield any urgent suspicion against the accused," says the prosecutor's office, per Reuters. Police urged residents to remain vigilant in the wake of the attack that killed 12 and set up a hotline for tips. "We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," said the Berlin police chief.

After the man's release, news broke that the Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State group's Amaq news agency said in a statement Tuesday that "the person who carried out the truck run over attack in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition." The AP reports Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations. But it does have Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. (Read more Germany stories.)
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Zurich:

Three people were injured as a gunman dressed in black stormed into the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants and opened fire, a Zurich police spokesman said Monday.

Police, who rushed to the scene in a central neighbourhood known for trendy cafes and the city's red-light district, were also investigating a possible connection to the discovery of a corpse at nearby Gessner bridge over the Sihl River, police spokesman Marco Bisa said.

Authorities weren't considering the attack as terrorism, he said. Police also said it was too early to determine whether there might be any link to an incident in Berlin also on Monday, where a truck rammed into a Christmas market, killing at least nine people.

"The unknown person fired several shots and fled from the building," Bisa told reporters near the mosque, which was cordoned off by police. "The shooting took place inside a prayer room with several people in it. Two victims were severely injured."

Bisa said the injured were hospitalized and were aged 30, 35 and 56 years old, but did not specify their nationalities. He said witnesses described the attacker as clad head to foot in black, and was believed to be aged about 30 years old.

At the scene, Abukav Abshirow, a 30-year-old Somali man who works at a Zurich car dealership, said his friend was among the injured. He recalled how they had been celebrating a religious occasion at the center the night before.

"I am under shock," he said. "We've had great times here. The atmosphere was always friendly and happy at the center ... I am very, very sad this happened. We never had problems here before. We spend the weekend here with our children in peace."

"I am waiting to find out what happened, and who is responsible," he said.

Attacks by gunmen are rare in Switzerland. The country was shaken in 2013 by at least two multiple-fatality shootings.

The country has a long-standing tradition for men to keep their military rifles after completing compulsory military service  which partly explains a high rate of gun ownership in the country of about 8.2 million people.

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New Delhi:

A Turkish policeman shouting Aleppo and revenge shot dead Russias ambassador to Turkey at an art exhibition in Ankaraon on Monday, in what Moscow said was a terrorist act.

The shooting took place at the Cagdas Sanatlar Merkezi in the Cankaya district of Ankara where most foreign embassies are located including Russias mission.

The incident came after days of protests in Turkey over Russias role in Syria, although Moscow and Ankara are now working closely together to evacuate citizens from the battered city of Aleppo.Ambassador Andrei Karlov died of his wounds after the shooting, which occurred on the eve of a key meeting between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syria conflict.

Also Read: At least 12 dead after truck ploughs into Berlin Christmas market in suspected terrorist attack

Also Read: Video | Russian Ambassador assassinated in Ankara: Killer identified as Turkish Policeman, say reports

In Pics: Security heightened after Berlin truck attack

Here is how the world leaders reacted:

# President Vladimir Putin- The killing a "provocation" aimed at sabotaging warming ties between Moscow and Ankara and efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria.

"The crime that was committed is, without the doubt, a provocation aimed at disrupting the normalisation of Russian-Turkish relations and disrupting the peace process in Syria," Putin said in televised comments.

# Donald Trump: US President-elect has condemned the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, calling the gunman a "radical Islamic terrorist."

"Today we offer our condolences to the family and loved ones of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, who was assassinated by a radical Islamic terrorist," Trump said in a statement.

"The murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilised order and must be universally condemned."

# Ban Ki-moon- UN Secretary-General has condemned the murder of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, saying he was "appalled by this senseless act of terror."



# John Kirby- The US spokesman said "We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," StateDepartment spokesman John Kirby said.

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Thiruvananthapuram:

A local court on Monday sentenced 11 RSS activists to double life imprisonment for murdering a CPI(M) worker in Thiruvananthapuram in 2008.

Additional Sessions Court judge T K Unnimol said the sentences will run concurrently. The judge also awarded life imprisonment to another accused and three years to another person.

The court found all the 13 accused guilty of murdering CPI(M) worker Vishnu at Kaithamukku in the city on April 1,2008. According to the prosecution, the accused had attacked Vishnu with swords, iron rods and other weapons over political rivalry.

There were 16 accused in the case, of which one was acquitted, one died and another is absconding. The prosecution examined 77 witnesses, produced 162 exhibits and 65 material objects during the trial.
New Delhi:

The minutest details revealed in the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the Pathankot air base attack reveal that the web tools such as Google maps came handy for the planners, handlers and the terrorists who executed it with clinical precision.

The result- attack left eight people, including seven security personnel dead and 38 others injured.

The NIA has named Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar and three others as key conspirators for the January 1 attack detailing the conspiracy hatched in Pakistan.

According to an Indian Express report, the charge sheet mentions an April 2014 meeting in Pakistans Sialkot Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Shahid Latif who believed it was easy to launch an attack since the airbase was surrounded by forests. Hence, the plan was discussed using a Google map of the airbase.

Read | Pathankot terror attack mastermind Masood Azhar and his brother Rauf named as key conspirators in NIA chargesheet

A ToI report said that the chargesheet, filed at a Panch kula court, revealed that JeM terrorists in Pakistan were monitoring the attack, with Kashif Jan watching TV channels and receiving chats from different persons on its status. The attack was code-named `nikaah' (wedding) and attackers were called `baraati' (wedding guests).

Giving details about the infiltration and activities of the four militants, the NIA said all the four militants underwent extensive motivational, physical, military and tactical training and were radicalized to carry out strikes in India.

The four armed with ammunition and other logistical items illegally crossed the Indo-Pak international border through the forest area near the Simbal Border Outpost on December 30.

Empty food packets manufactured in Pakistan and other food articles from the neighbouring country were recovered from the forest area near the Simbal Border Outpost, during investigation.

After infiltrating into the Indian side, these militants reached the road from Bhagwal village to Janial.

On December 31, at around 2130 hours, they hijacked a taxi bearing registration number PB06-G-0061, along with the driver, Ikagar Singh, who was going from village Bhagwal to Janial.

They snatched the mobile phone of Ikagar Singh and used the same to communicate with their handler, Kashif Jan and senior leaders and operatives of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan, on three Pakistan mobile numbers 923453030479, 923213132786 and 923017775253.

Read | JeM chief Masood Azhar: The name behind most audacious attacks on Indian installations

Their vehicle met with an accident at the Dhusi turn near the Ravi River Bridge after which they brutally killed Ikagar Singh and dumped his dead body in the nearby bushes. Thereafter, they drove the damaged vehicle and abandoned it at a service station at Kolian Morh in Pathankot.

During investigation, the DNA profiles recovered from the dagger, seized from the possession of one of the dead militants (Nisar), matched with that of Ikagar Singh, thereby conclusively establishing that he had killed Ikagar Singh.

Similarly, DNA profile of two militants was found on an energy drink can, recovered from the vehicle of Ikagar Singh.

After abandoning the damaged vehicle of Ikagar Singh at Kolian Morh, they hid in the nearby sugarcane fields and waited for a vehicle to come.

They hijacked a Mahindra XUV bearing registration number PB02-BW-0313 of Salvinder Singh, Superintendent of Punjab Police, and moved towards the Air Force Station, Pathankot after taking control of the vehicle.

They snatched the mobile phones of the victims and used them to communicate with their handler, Kashif Jan and senior leaders and operatives of the JeM in Pakistan on the four Pakistan numbers -- 923453030479, 923466746667, 923000957212 and 923024880619.

After some time, they tied, blindfolded and dumped Salvinder Singh and his cook Madan Gopal at an abandoned place in a forest area near village Gulpur Simli on way to the Air Force Station, Pathankot.

However, they took the third occupant, Rajesh Verma, a jeweller, along with them.

Singh and his cook managed to untie themselves and rushed to the nearby Gulpur Simli village on foot for help, the charge sheet said, adding the militants, on learning later from Verma that Singh was a police officer, informed their handler who directed them to go back and look for him.

Since the duo had already left the spot, the militants resumed their journey to the Air Force Station.

At around 0400 hrs on January one, the militants reached village Akalgarh near the Air Force Station in Pathankot and tied Rajesh Verma.

They slit his throat with an intention to kill him and abandoned him and the vehicle in the sugarcane fields at around 0400 hrs. Thereafter, they moved towards the IAF Station on foot.

Meanwhile, Rajesh Verma managed to untie himself and rushed to the Akalgarh village for help, the NIA said, adding as per the forensic report collected during investigation, the DNA profile of the genetic material lifted from the energy drink can, recovered from the Mahindra XUV vehicle, matched with that of a deceased militant.

The DNA profile of the genetic material lifted from the dagger recovered from the possession of another militant matched with that of the victims Verma and Ikagar Singh.

Similarly, the profile of the trace DNA lifted from the handle of the dagger, matched with that of another militant. The seat belt of the Mahindra XUV was cut and used to tie one of the victims.

As per the forensic report, the seat belt pieces recovered from the forest area, where the militants had dumped Singh and his cook, matched with the remaining seat belt pieces of the Mahindra XUV vehicle.

The recoveries from the scene of crime, material and documentary evidence, forensic reports and extensive call data analysis, conclusively establish the complicity of JeM in the attack, the agency said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Mumbai:

Fire broke out at Air India building near Nariman point on Tuesday morning. The blaze occurred on the 22nd floor of the high rise multi-storeyed building, fire brigade sources said.

Soon after the incident, eight fire engines were rushed to the spot and the flames were doused, they said, adding there were no reports of any casualties so far. It is a B+G+22 (basement plus ground floor plus 22 floors) structure, they said.

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Bhopal:

Income Tax department officials conducted raid at the office and residence of BJP leader Sushil Vaswani on Tuesday. Income Tax officials have been conducting raid across India since the PM Narendra Modi on November 8 announced to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes. A A

According to sources, Sushil Vasvani is also the Chairman of co-operative bank. There are also reports that , Vasvani exchanged defunct Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to buy newer phones on a large scale.A

More details awaited

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): IT Department officials conduct raid at the office and residence of BJP leader Sushil Vaswani. More details awaited pic.twitter.com/U8Jwn0exXl a ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

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New Delhi:

The Chinese military has returned a seized underwater probe to the US Navy in the South China Sea on Monday, the Pentagon has confirmed.

According to a BBC report, the drone was handed over close to the location it was seized, some 92km north-west of Subic Bay.

The Pentagon says the marine probe is a commercial craft that gathers unclassified data that can be used to help submarines navigate and determine sonar ranges in murky waters.

The defence official said it was not the first time the US Navy had lost such a probe. One was taken near Vietnam earlier this year, but who took it and what became of it remain unclear.

Last week's seizure was the first time China had "brazenly stolen a piece of US government property," the official said.

China said the drone had been snatched since it might pose a safety hazard to other vessels. It also said it "strongly opposed" US reconnaissance activities and had asked Washington to stop them.

The incident unfolded when a Chinese Dalang-III class submarine rescue ship stopped within 457.2 meters of the civilian-crewed USNS Bowditch and snatched one of a pair of probes. The Americans safely hoisted the other one back onto their ship.

The US official said the Chinese ship had been shadowing the Bowditch for "a number of days." China's seizure of the bright-yellow, unmanned underwater vehicle has prompted sharp words between Washington and Beijing, with US diplomats protesting the "unlawful" incident.

President-elect Donald Trump further ratcheted up tensions by accusing China of theft. "China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters -- rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act," he wrote in a misspelled tweet he later corrected.

(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

French auto major Renault plans to export its hatchback Kwid to South Africa, Bhutan and Bangladesh from India in 2017 as it prepares to take the popular hatchback to international markets.

The company, which launched the car in India with 98 per cent localisation in 2015, has already started exporting the hatchback to Sri Lanka, Nepal and Mauritius.

"We started exports of Kwid with Sri Lanka, followed by Nepal and now we are going to Bhutan and Bangladesh," Renault India Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Sumit Sawhney told PTI.

Shipments to Bhutan would begin during the second half of next year while exports to Bangladesh would also begin towards the middle of next year, he added.

"We are also working on South Africa currently and shipments are expected to be sent in the first quarter of next year," Sawhney said.

Terming the Kwid as one of the biggest 'Make in India' success story, Sawhney said that the model will be going to a host of markets outside India.

Launched in September last year, Kwid has been a success for Renault in India. Initially, the car was available with an 800 cc engine at a price tag of Rs 2.64-3.73 lakh. Recently a 1,000 cc engine variant and one with automated manual transmission (AMT) have also been introduced.

The company has so far retailed over 1.10 lakh units of the model in India since its launch last year.

When asked if there would be sourcing of parts from India to the company's Brazil plant where manufacturing of the small car is expected to begin next year, Sawhney said: "When we say 98 per cent localisation, we got many suppliers in India so the markets especially, Mauritius and South Africa, the car is going to be built in India and exported.

"But when the car is going to be manufactured in Brazil, we will see that wherever Indian suppliers are competitive, opportunities will come to those suppliers."

To celebrate the first anniversary of Kwid, Renault embarked on a drive with the Kwid from India to France. The car passed through 13 countries covering 18,996 kms before reaching Paris.

The French company has invested heavily towards getting the basics right and creating a strong foundation for Renault in India.

The Franco-Japanese auto alliance of Renault-Nissan has a manufacturing plant in Chennai with an annual capacity of 4.8 lakh units.

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Washington:

National security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval has met President-elect Donald Trump's NSA-designate Gen (rtd) Michael Flynn in Washington during which the two leaders are believed to have discussed a wide range of regional and global strategic issues while exploring ways to further Indo-US ties.

During the conversation, Flynn is believed to have expressed his "high respect" for India's growth in modern times and for its leadership, Indian embassy sources said.

Doval arrived in the US on Sunday. It is understood that Flynn spoke to Doval over phone a few days ago, during which he invited Doval to come to the US for a meeting.

The first meeting between the two, which is believed to have lasted for over an hour, was an opportunity for them to exchange notes and views on global issues, and how to further strengthen India-US "co-operation and engagement in the months and years to come," embassy sources said.

Flynn also expressed his "optimism" about India-US engagement as the two leaders reviewed the entire relationship including strategic and economic aspects.

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Jammu:

An army jawan was injured in a mine blast along the LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A stone rolled down a foot track and fell on a mine resulting in a blast along the LoC in Mendhar sector of the district last evening, an army officer said on Tuesday.

A jawan on patrolling duty suffered injuries and has been hospitalised.

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New Delhi:

In a clear reference to Pakistan providing safe passage to terror groups, India has told the UN that the international community needs to urgently address the backing outfits like the Haqqani Network, LeT and JeM draw from their "shadowy supporters" outside Afghanistan.

"Experience, as well as academic research, provides ample support for the assertion that conflicts in which foreign assistance is available to shadowy entities that fight legitimate state authorities tend to be more severe and last longer than other types of conflict," India's Ambassador to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said in a Security Council session on the situation in Afghanistan.

Without naming Pakistan, Akbaruddin said sustainable peace in Afghanistan is contingent upon terror groups and individuals being denied safe havens in the country's neighbourhood and the international community must address the issue of the support that terror outfits like the Taliban and al-Qaeda get from their supporters outside Afghanistan.

"If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood," he said.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, al-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said here on Monday.

He pointed out to the meeting in the 15-nation Council that it is apparent that efforts by nations for rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being "undermined, schools are being destroyed, mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted".

"It is also evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside," he said, in a veiled but strong reference to Pakistan.

Akbaruddin noted with concern that while the international community recommits to standing by the Afghan people each time the UN members discuss the situation in the war-torn country, the number of Afghan civilian and security forces casualties keeps rising.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory.

Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism," he said.

The Indian envoy emphasised that the international community must introspect about the way it is approaching the situation in Afghanistan and whether there is need for course correction.

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Islamabad:

India along with Bangladesh and Iran has pulled out of a key regional conference on sustainable development which is being held in Pakistan, according to a media report.

The three-day session of the Governing Council of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) started in Islamabad on Monday.

The objective of the conference is to promote innovation for sustainable development and discus strategy of the APCTT.

The Express Tribune reported officials of ministry of science and technology initially confirmed New Delhi's participation in the conference but later announced India's decision to pull out.

"Just hours before the meeting was due to start, the Indian delegation cancelled their trip saying that their head delegate had contracted food poisoning," the official said.

India had earlier in November boycotted the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that was to be held in Islamabad.

It is believed that New Delhi's decision is part of its efforts to isolate Pakistan internationally by staying away from such multilateral engagements hosted by Islamabad, media reports said.

The ministry is hosting the meeting of the 12th Governing Council of APCTT.

According to sources, all of the 14 member countries of APCTT were invited, but India, Bangladesh and Iran decided not to attend the meeting.

The governing council, which meets once a year, advises on the future and reviews the working of the centre located in India under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The countries attending the meeting are China, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Samoa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

The meeting will approve projects to be undertaken in 2017. Out of the total five projects, India has submitted one titled 'Feed the Future India'.

The project is aimed at enhancing food security in selected least-developed countries through the establishment of an agricultural innovation accelerator platform in India with USAID funding of 1.5 million dollar.

The APCTT is a specialised regional Institute of the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UN-ESCAP), based in New Delhi and a team from India have come to Islamabad to look after all the management related issues for the three-day conference.

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New Delhi:

India on Tuesday condemned the assassination of Andrei Karlov, Russian ambassador to Turkey. India has expressed it shock on the dastardly act and stated that there can never be any justification for terrorism.

"India strongly condemns the tragic assassination of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Turkey. We are deeply saddened and shocked by this dastardly act," the External Affairs Ministry said.

Karlov was shot dead by a Turkish gunman at an art exhibition in Ankara last evening. "We offer our condolences to the family of Ambassador Andrey Karlov and share their pain and grief. There can never be any justification for violence and terrorism," the MEA said in a statement.

The gunman shouted "God is great!" and "don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria", after killing the envoy.

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New Delhi:

India has overtaken its erstwhile colonial master United Kingdom in terms of the size of the economy  the first time after nearly 150 years, according to a report in Forbes magazine.



With this major shift in world economy, India has now become the fifth largest country in terms of the size of the economy after the United States, China, Japan and Germany.



The recent development took place because of Indias continuous economic growth in the last two decades as well as Britain's recent economic issues after the Brexit decision in the last one year.



According to the Forbes report, the major overtake was expected in 2020, but the almost 20% drop in the value of the pound in the last one year made it possible in 2017.

Read | India remains one of the fastest-growing countries in world; private consumption major driver of economic growth: WH



The gap in economic growth is likely to widen as Indian economy is growing at 6-8% per year. UK's economic growth is expected at 1-2% per year until 2020.



"India overtakes UK & becomes 5th largest GDP after USA, China, Japan & Germany. India may have large population base but this is a big leap," tweeted Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs.

India overtakes UK & becomes 5th largest GDP after USA, China, Japan & Germany. India may have large population base but this is a big leap. pic.twitter.com/ANPUExHEyL  Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) December 18, 2016

India-UK ties under May, Modi

Britain's historic vote in 2016 favouring an exit from the EU was a political upheaval of seismic proportions as it led to a leadership change which brought to power a woman Prime Minister whose first bilateral visit outside Europe to India signalled the depth in ties.



Theresa May's choice of India for the trip after assuming office following the referendum sent a positive message but her government's recent crackdown on student and professional visas can hardly be called India-friendly.



'Brexit' also emerged as the word of the year due to the massive projected repercussions of the referendum, with the shock defeat forcing David Cameron to step down and triggering a bloodbath in world markets besides opening a fresh debate over issues like immigration and advance of the right-wing across Europe.



The early indications for Indo-UK ties seemed positive as there was widespread excitement over the prospect of a free trade agreement between India and Britain -- one of the EU's big three economies, freed from the perceived shackles of its membership of the 28-nation economic bloc after four decades.



"As we leave the EU, we will forge our own trade deals. The leaders from India, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore said they would welcome talks to remove trade barriers," the new Prime Minister told the House of Commons in September.



She then followed up on this promise during her November visit to India which came under very different circumstances than the other high-profile UK visit in April by Prince William and wife Kate - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.



Her visit also came nearly a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to the UK - the first by an Indian premier to the country in nearly a decade.



Ahead of the visit, May said she would use this visit to "reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree to concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security".



However, this message was somewhat overshadowed by her government's wider efforts to curb immigration into the UK, with a crackdown on student and professional visas expected to hit Indians the hardest.



Modi was candid in his message as he opened the UK-India Tech Summit in New Delhi alongside May: "Education is vital for our students and will define our engagement in a shared future. We must, therefore, encourage greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities."



Within days, tougher new rules announced on by the UK Home Office for the Tier 2 intra-company transfer (ICT) category, raising the salary threshold requirement to 30,000 pounds, came into force.



With Indian IT workers accounting for nearly 90 per cent of visas issued under this route, the tightening of this visa category as well as an expected halving of the number of student visas issued to non-EU applicants, including Indians, is unlikely to be seen as very India-friendly.



However, during her visit, May said there were "more opportunities for Britain and India and a clear message that Britain is very much open for business".



(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev on Tuesday issued a joint statement in Delhi.

Highlights of President Almazbek Atambayev's speech:

#Thank you for inviting me to India and for your warmth and hospitality: Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev

Highlights of PM Modi's speech:

#I wish President Almazbek Atambayev a memorable and productive visit in India

#We will encourage engagement in healthcare, tourism, IT, agriculture, mining and energy

#We have decided to build on our development cooperation including capacity building and training, will give youth priority

#We will work to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkages and facilitate greater people to people exchange

#President Almazbek Atambayev and I agreed on the need to connect our economies more deeply

#Kyrgyz Republic is a valuable partner in our common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability & prosperity

#President Almazbek Atambayev and I reviewed our co-operation in defence field

#We focused on common priority of diversifying, deepening bilateral engagement

#We discussed how we could work together to secure our youth & society against common challenges of terrorism, extremism& radicalism

#Much credit goes to President Almazbek Atambayev for nurturing and building strong foundation of democracy in Kyrgyz Republic

#Our societies share a sense of warmth, we are also bound by a common belief in democratic values, traditions



#I am delighted to welcome President Almazbek Atambayev on his first state visit to India

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New Delhi:

A fresh batch of 200 special commandos drawn from Jammu & Kashmir police have been trained to counter fidayeen (suicide attackers) following an alarming rise in terror attacks against security forces and official installations in the Kashmir Valley.

The 200 commandos, who received vigorous training under experts of various agencies and former police officers at Commando Training Centre (CTC) Lethpora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, were formally pressed in to service in a passing out.

"The commandos are part of Anti-Fidayeen Squad of J&K Police. They used to conduct anti-terror opera tions under the brand name Special Operations Group (SOG)," SSP Mehmood Chaudhary, Principal of CTC Lethpora, said. The special commandos have been trained by the Army and ITBP .

In the last three years, over 2000 commandos had been trained.They are trained to clear buildings occupied by fidayeen, floor by floor, climb steep mountains and swim through rivers.

Fidayeen attacks have been primarily carried out generally by Punjabi speaking Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists from Pakistan's Punjab province."After their defeat in the 1999 Kargil war, the Pakistan Army and the ISI changed their strategy to inflict maximum casualties on Indian security forces with minimum resources," a police officer said.

From 1999 to 2002, fidayeen attacks were common in the state. In 2001 alone, over one dozen attacks took place. But from 2006 to 2013, fidayeen attacks were rare. There has been asurge in fidayeen attacks since 2013. The attacks have mostly targeted defence establishments and other government buildings in Kashmir.

Intelligence sources said the `jihadi' mentality has over the time hardened and a new set of hard-core terrorists have infiltrated into the state to carry out deadly fidayeen attacks.

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Indore:

Ahead of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's rally in Bhopal on Tuesday, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh has said it doesn't see any threat in increased activities of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state.

"AAP's victory in Delhi was an accident. Entire country has witnessed the poor show of Kejriwal government in Delhi. The people of Delhi have been suffering," MP BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chouhan told reporters in Indore on Monday evening.

Firing a salvo at Kejriwal's 'Parivartan Rally' in Bhopal, Chouhan ruled out any possibility of the rise of 'third force' in the state, recalling that he had defeated Alok Agrawal, the convener of MP's AAP unit, from Khandwa during last parliamentary elections.

The MP BJP chief is a Lok Sabha member from Khandwa.



"The next assembly election of the state would be contested under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister)," he said and ruled out any possibility of the MP CM shifting out of state politics.

The MP BJP President also reiterated that the party would not field again the MLAs who performed poorly. "Only those with good performance would be given tickets in the next assembly polls," he added. Polls in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled to be held in 2018.

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Melbourne :

A hijab-clad Muslim woman has been allegedly assaulted in Australia with a beer bottle and her headscarf torn off after her attacker said merry Christmas but she replied with happy holidays.

The woman was allegedly assaulted after an exchange of words with a man at the Beeliar Village shopping complex, Perth that quickly escalated into a physical fight.

The 33-year-old woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told an Australian newspaper on Tuesday that she was walking into Coles (supermarket) when a man yelled out merry Christmas.

I turned around and said and happy holidays to you, she said.

He then yelled, no Merry Christmas, so I said, ok, then he called me a (expletive) Muslim, she said.

I asked him what he said and I saw him grab a bottle so I quickly turned away and he threw it at me and it smashed on my shoulder and neck. Imagine if I didnt turn around, it could have cut my face open, the woman said.

She said her headscarf came off during the scuffle, which the man dumped near the shopping complex.

Despite the single mother being left shocked and traumatised by the incident that took place on Friday, she decided to follow him as she was calling the police. She said the man then started hurling sticks and rocks at her.

I was screaming on the phone to triple-zero because I thought this guy could kill me, she said.

I was running into oncoming traffic to get away from this guy because he was threatening to punch me in the face. I have been racially abused in the past because of my religion but this is by far worse, she added.

The woman went back to the shopping centre and waited for the police to arrive. She waited for an hour and rang police again who allegedly told her there was no log of her triple-zero call.

Cockburn Police are investigating the assault and are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers.

The woman also reported the incident to the Islamophobia Register Australia and the Registers President, Mariam Veiszadeh, was quoted as saying that it was one of the worst attacks she had heard of.

The suspect was described as light skinned, 25-35 years old, 175-180 centimetres tall of slim build. He is believed to have short blonde and was wearing blue shorts and a white top.

The attack comes amid assaults targeting hijab-clad women in different parts of the world from the US to the UK.

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New Delhi:

Singapore and Bali have emerged as the leading travel destinations for Indian travelers to visit in 2017, as per trend report by leading travel search engine Skyscanner.

Singapore is followed by countries like Australia, Malaysia, Maldives and South Africa as the most favoured destinations, says the report.

It analyses three years' data from Indian travelers, dating back to 2013, Skyscanner said.

Singapore records the highest growth with a whopping 202 per cent average increase in searches since 2013, it added.

Among the cities tipped to be the favourite destinations in the coming year, Bali is at the top, followed by Budapest, Madrid, Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam.

Skyscanner's data places Bali as a favoured destination in 2017 with 35 per cent recorded average growth in searches in the past three years.

"In 2016, we saw the list heavily-dominated with South Asian destinations and in 2017, there has been a seismic shift to incorporate the near and far from Australia to Europe, Skyscanner Growth Manager India, Reshmi Roy said.

This is an indication on changing travel mindset as it becomes simpler and easier, she added. "Each year the Skyscanner Travel Trend Report discovers more attributes of Indian travellers," Roy said.

Founded in 2003, global travel search company Skyscanner helps meet the travel planning needs of over 50 million people each month. It provides free search of flights, hotels and car hire.

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Mumbai:

Ranbir Kapoor is excited to soon start work on Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt's biopic, but says he finds himself undeserving of stepping into the shoes of the accomplished actor and enacting him on screen.



The biopic will be directed by Rajkumar Hirani and features Ranbir playing the "Munna Bhai" star.



"I am starting the shoot next month. It is a very difficult film. To represent Sanjay Dutt and work with Raju Hirani...I don't even think I deserve this film. But, I am looking forward to working on it," the 34-year-old actor told reporters in Mumbai.



While the film has a lot of time before it releases on the big screen, Ranbir has another movie coming up sooner - "Jagga Jasoos", which has been in the making for close to last three years.



The film will release in April 2017 and its promo has been out on Tuesday.



Sharing his excitement about the movie, which also Katrina Kaif, Ranbir said, "Our dream of two-and-half years is coming true now. We are getting great response for the poster. Anurag Basu, Pritam, Katrina and I have made this film with our heart and worked really hard on it. It is a family film and I wish people will like it. I also wish the media presents in a positive way."



The actor interacted with the media here last night at the red carpet of Sansui Colors Stardust Awards, where he was nominated for his performance in 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'. The actor, however, believes he doesn't deserve to win any award this season.



"I don't think I deserve to win this year. There have been superior performances than mine, Amitji's ('Pink'), Salman Khan's ('Sultan'), Sushant's (Singh Rajput, 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'). They have given some wonderful performances and are far more deserving than I am," he said.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi credited Akali Dal-BJPs combined victory in Chandigarh municipal elections to good governance while thanking people and workers of both the two parties for it.

Thank you to the people of Chandigarh for supporting @BJP4India & @Akali_Dal_. This shows the importance people attach to good governance, he tweeted.

Congratulations to BJP & Akali Dal Karyakartas for working with remarkable determination on the ground and serving people. @BJP4Chandigarh, Modi said.

Akali Dal and BJP got a shot in the arm ahead of Punjab assembly polls as the alliance defeated Congress in the Chandigarh municipal corporation elections in which demonetisation had emerged as a key issue.

Also Read: Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls witness 59 percent polling, results on Tuesday

BJP won in 20 wards out of 26, its ally SAD bagged one, four wards fell in the kitty of Congress and one ward was won by an Independent in the elections held on Sunday, an election office spokesman said.

Congress had majority in the Municipal Corporation after the previous three elections. However, in the mayoral election in January this year, the BJP candidate had won.

Tuesdays result is the biggest ever victory for any single political party in the body since its inception in 1996.

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Trump secures victory in Electoral College, as bid to flip electors flops

Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote on Monday and secured his election as the 45th president of the United States, as the latest  and perhaps last  stop-Trump movement failed to gain traction in state capitals.

Article by FoxNews.com

A fervent push by anti-Trump forces to persuade electors to defect had turned the normally mundane civic procedure into high drama.

But Trump easily surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win, as representatives tabbed to cast ballots in accordance with their states Nov. 8 decision mostly adhered to the election results. After all the states had voted, Trump finished with 304 votes and Clinton had 227.

Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

especially how to get people, even with an unlimited budget, out to vote in the vital swing states ( and more). They focused on wrong states  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2016

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence afterward tweeted congratulations to his running mate while saying he was honored & humbled to be officially elected the next vice president.

Republican National Committee Co-Chair Sharon Day urged Trumps detractors to stop fighting his election, now that his victory is affirmed.

This historic election is now officially over and I look forward to President-elect Trump taking the oath of office in January, she said in a statement. For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election, which Donald Trump won decisively in the Electoral College with more votes than any Republican since 1988.

Elector antics were few and far between throughout the day, with most the disruptions occurring on the Democratic side. A Democratic elector in Maine tried to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders, but switched to Clinton after it was ruled improper. Another who tried to vote for Sanders in Minnesota was replaced; a Colorado elector who tried to back Ohio Gov. John Kasich likewise was replaced. One of the biggest deviations was in Washington state, where three electors voted for Colin Powell and one voted for Faith Spotted Eagle; the remaining eight went to Clinton, the states winner.

It marked the first time in four decades the states electors broke from the popular vote. Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman vowed to work with the state attorney general and charge the four unfaithful electors with a violation of Washington state civil law. Such violations carry a fine up to $1,000.

With Trumps win now secured, a joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results.

Trumps clear Electoral College victory could serve to deter any further last-ditch efforts to effectively nullify his November win and prevent his inauguration, though the battle may shift next to his Cabinet picks.

Few expected the faithless elector push to imperil Trumps victory on Monday.

Only one Republican elector  Texas Chris Suprun  publicly stated he would vote for an alternative candidate. (He backed Kasich, while another Texas elector used his ballot to vote for former congressman Ron Paul.) More than three dozen Republicans would have had to abandon Trump to complicate his path to the presidency.

But GOP electors still faced immense pressure  with some even receiving threats  from Trump foes in the run-up to Mondays Electoral College vote. Those urging disorder in state capitals often cited Clintons popular-vote win, by roughly 2.6 million votes, over Trump in November.

Celebrities made public appeals to electors to use the arcane process to upend Trumps victory, as some Democratic electors tried to persuade their Republican counterparts to defect. Reports that U.S. intelligence officials determined Russia interfered in the election to boost Trump  findings disputed by Trump himself  only fueled efforts to wield the Electoral College vote as a political circuit-breaker.

As electors met, thousands of protesters descended on state capitals Monday in one last push to convince Trump voters to change their minds.

In Arizona, dozens of protesters gathered outside the meeting site, marching around the Capitol mall and carrying signs that said, Stop Trump. More than 200 demonstrators gathered at Pennsylvanias Capitol, chanting, No treason, no Trump!

Both states, and dozens of others, cast their electoral votes for Trump anyway.

In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant dismissed attempts to sway Republican electors.

This idea  that we want to change the electors minds who have been dedicated to Donald Trump very early in the process I think is just misguided, he said.

If nothing else, the furor over Mondays proceedings has served to re-acquaint Americans with a process that few pay attention to every four years.

The Electoral College was devised at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It was a compromise between those who wanted popular elections for president and those who wanted no public input.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one  or 270 electoral votes. Most states give all their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins that states popular vote. Maine and Nebraska award them by congressional district.

After a joint session of Congress certifies the results on Jan. 6, the next president will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

Trump already is nearly done naming his Cabinet appointees, as he prepares for confirmation hearings and the inauguration ceremonies, in addition to his first 100 days agenda.

Despite the transition process being well underway, Republican electors said they were deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support the billionaire businessman in the days and weeks leading up to Mondays proceedings. Many of the emails were part of coordinated campaigns.

The letters are actually quite sad, said Lee Green, a Republican elector from North Carolina. They honestly believe the propaganda. They believe our nation is being taken over by a dark and malevolent force.

Wirt A. Yerger Jr., a Republican elector in Mississippi, said, I have gotten several thousand emails asking me not to vote for Trump. I threw them all away.

Arizona elector Robert Graham told Fox News on Saturday that the states 11 electors received hundreds of thousands of emails telling them not to vote for Trump and that hes received information that some of the other 10 have been followed or have received a death threat.

Its out of hand when you have such  a small group of people that is pushing so hard against millions if not hundreds of millions of people who still appreciate this whole system, said Graham, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. The Electoral College is part of the Constitution.

Read more at: foxnews.com

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NEW MILFORD  The New Milford United Methodist Church voted last week to join about 800 other Methodist churches in rejecting the denominations views on homosexuality.

Approved by 90 percent of the churchs nearly 300 members, the change makes the church a reconciling congregation, meaning it officially disregards portions of the churchs Book of Discipline saying that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

Its been debated as an issue, but were talking about individuals, human beings, said the Rev. Alex da Silva Souto.

The Methodist church, as a worldwide organization, has debated its position on homosexuality since 1972, da Silva Souto said. But while homosexuality has been accepted in other faiths, and gay marriage has been legal, the church has become more conservative over the years, he said.

According to church doctrine, homosexuals cannot be ministers, gay marriages cannot be officiated by Methodist clergy and church money cannot be spent to promote the acceptance of homosexuality.

In the Book of Discipline, the church condemns homophobia and states everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, status, or economic condition can be a member of the church and participate in its programs.

Da Silva Souto said this view conflicts with his congregations belief in inclusion: All are welcome here  we greet you as a child of God.

If da Silva Souto were to stick to the Book to Discipline, he said, he couldnt counsel homosexuals because it might be considered an expenditure of church money. Da Silva Souto, who was recently ordained, is encouraging the denomination to allow homosexual clergy.

Da Silva Souto told his congregation in May he is gay. Although he was ordained in June, church officials have challenged his ordination. Hell learn in April if he is allowed to be a queer man and a Methodist clergyman.

Until then, da Silva Souto said, he will continue to preach to his officially inclusive congregation, he said.

We are really done with acting like were not here, he said. Playing Don't ask, dont tell.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
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NEW MILFORD  Charles Beach Barlow, a softspoken town historian with century-old roots to New Milford died Sunday night. He was 90.

Outfitted to the nines, down to the cufflinks, when working as a money manager in the barn behind his home on the Village Green, or at the countless civic meetings he attended, Barlows mind was a gateway to New Milfords storied past. His home, the last residential property on the Green, was like a town history museum, friends said.

Barlow, ever sharp, was the person other historians and residents turned to when they had a question. He knew it all, friends said. His memory was just unbelievable, said Carl Dunham, who befriended Barlow after Barlow returned to town after banking in Philadelphia and London. He had a tremendous recollection, dates and hours, who was who.

Barlow was as generous with his time and money as he was thoughtful, said the Rev. Michael Moran of the First Congregational Church  Barlows neighbor since 1972. Barlow has been a member of the church since his birth in 1926. At church meetings, Barlow would add his historical expertise to discussions, then leave an envelope with a check made out to the church a significant number of times, Moran added.

Barlow, a descendant of a prominent New Milford mercantile family, bought his home back in the 1970s, but the Colonial was built in the 1770s by Rev. Nathaniel Taylor, Morans predecessor by 220 years.

Living among history was fitting for Barlow, whos family had been a part of the New Milford Historical Society since the organizations founding.

When he spoke, it was just the love of the town itself, said Lisa Roush, the societys curator. He was just so proud.

Up until recently, Barlow would get in a suit and drive a few hundred feet uphill every morning to the barn-office where he ran the investment business he started in 1982. Even after he broke his hip recently as his health began to decline, he still put a suit on every morning, friends said.

Behind that suit was a great a sense of humor, said Town Council Member Katy Francis, who got to know the always elegant Barlow during the planning stages of the towns 300th anniversary celebration.

Barlow first shared the Main Street home with his first wife, Jean Wellington Barlow, who he met on a blind date in Massachusetts. The two never had children, but often had a full house, filling up their 12-seat walnut dining table with friends and family. Jean Barlow died in 2000.

Apart from the church and the historical society, Barlow was involved in New Milford Hospital Foundation, the Connecticut Community Foundation and the Trust for Historic Preservation.

Barlow is survived by his wife Eloisa.

blytton@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3411; @bglytton
India boycotts international tech meet in Pakistan

Pakistan,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics,Technology,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Islamabad, Dec 20 (IANS) India has pulled out of an international conference on trasnfer of technology being hosted by Pakistan in the latest sign of heightened tensions between the two neighbours.

Ministry of Science and Technology officials said New Delhi initially confirmed its participation in the three-day session of the Governing Council of a UN affiliated institute that promotes transfer of technology from small and medium sized enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region.

The conference of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) kicked off in Islamabad on Monday.

"Just hours before the meeting was to start, the Indian delegation cancelled its trip saying their head delegate had contracted food poisoning," an official of the ministry told the media here.

Bangladesh and Iran were the other countries who did not participate in the conference. China, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Samoa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam attended the meeting.

The council, which meets once a year, advises on the future and reviews the working of the centre located in India under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The meeting will approve projects to be undertaken in 2017. Out of the total five projects, India has submitted one titled "Feed the Future India".

The project is aimed at enhancing food security in selected least-developed countries through the establishment of an agricultural innovation accelerator platform in India with USAID funding of $1.5 million.

India had earlier in November boycotted the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that was to be held in Islamabad.

--IANS

ahm/sar/vm
Canada asks Taliban to free couple held for 4 years

Canada,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Ottawa, Dec 20 (IANS) Canada has called for the unconditional release of a Canadian man and his American wife after a new video appeared showing them begging their governments to intervene on their behalf with their Afghan captors.

The video, which was uploaded on YouTube, shows Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman, who were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012. The video showed for the first time the two sons of the couple.

Canadian Global Affairs spokesman Michael O'Shaughnessy on Tuesday said his government was aware of the video released on Monday.

"We are deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman and their young children and call for their unconditional release," O'Shaughnessy was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying.

In the video, Coleman refers to "the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves" and urges "governments on both sides" to reach a deal for their freedom.

"We can only ask and pray that somebody will recognise the atrocities these men carry out against us as so-called retaliation in their ingratitude and hypocrisy."

The US State Department said it was reviewing the footage.

The video came to public attention through the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors activities of armed groups online. Site said it was dated December 3.

The two vanished after setting off in the summer of 2012 for a journey that took them to Russia, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and then to Afghanistan.

Coleman, 31, was pregnant when the couple was abducted.

Her parents, Jim and Lyn Coleman, last heard from their son-in-law on October 8, 2012, from an internet cafe in what Josh described as an "unsafe" part of Afghanistan.

--IANS

ahm/vt
Berlin attack: Hollande expresses solidarity with Germany

France,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Paris, Dec 20 (IANS) French President Francois Hollande has sent a solidarity message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a truck ploughed into the crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine persons.

"The French share the mourning of the Germans who are facing this tragedy, which hits all Europe," he said on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was "horrified" by reports on the attack, stressing that "France stands alongside Germany at this dark and painful moment."

The attack at a Christmas market in Berlin also left many others injued.

--IANS

pgh/
Czech Republic to tighten security after Berlin attack

Czech Republic,Defence/Security, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

Prague, Dec 20 (IANS) Czech police will tighten security measures after at least nine persons were killed in Berlin when a truck ploughed into the crowd, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said.

A truck ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine persons and injuring 50 others, Berlin police said.

The decision to tighten security was made after a discussion with Czech Police President Tomas Tuhy, Chovanec wrote on his Twitter account, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of police patrols on streets will rise by Tuesday and authorities will meet, probably on Tuesday morning, to decide whether to raise the level of terrorist threat in the Czech Republic, Chovanec told Czech Television (CT).

According to the official, based on the information gathered so far, an upgrade of terrorist threat level in the country is unnecessary.

--IANS

pgh/
India renews call for UN action against Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, their supporters

United States,Terrorism,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

United Nations, Dec 20 (IANS) India has renewed its demand for international action against Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and "their shadowy supporters"

Denouncing the two organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of al-Qaida, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside,

In an implied criticism of China, he blamed the "split" in the UN bodies that mete out sanctions on terrorist organisations for the world body's inability to deal with the terrorism.

China has blocked India's efforts to have international sanctions imposed on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar by a committee that takes action against al-Qaida and its affiliates. Azhar was behind the attack on the Pathankot air force base this year.

As a member of the Security Council, China has also provided cover for Pakistan releasing on bail Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT commander who masterminded the 2008 attack on Mumbai which killed more than 160 people. He was already on the UN list of those facing sanctions as terrorists.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organizations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, aI-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory," he said. "Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism."

The international community has to make "it clear that we will neither roll over in the face of terror, nor will we of allow the roll back of the achievements of the resolute people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half," he said.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)

--IANS

al/tb
India's market cannot be ignored by China: Hong Kong official

Delhi,Business/Economy,Diplomacy, Tue, 20 Dec 2016 IANS

New Delhi, Dec 20 (IANS) India is a very large market that cannot be ignored, more so in a context of slowdown affecting the developed world, a senior Chinese trade official said on Tuesday.

"India is a large market that cannot be ignored at this point. The US economy is partially stabilising, while Europe is on a downturn and China's exports to Europe have been declining," Peter Wong, Regional Director - Southeast Asia and India of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said here on the sidelines of their Lifestyle Expo of companies from Hong Kong.

"Things have now become more uncertain with US President-elect Donald Trump, who has been turning America protectionist. Brexit (British vote to quit EU) has been another damaging factor," he said.

The Chinese official said there were also internal factors that were resulting in a shift in China's economic orientation away from the US and Europe towards Asia.

"Labour costs are going up in China and a lot manufacturers have been shifting to South East Asia. India, too, is an attractive proposition in this regard with its cheaper and skilled manpower," he said.

"The Hong Kong Trade Development Council will also shift focus towards ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Asia and the Middle East," Wong, who is based in Thai capital Bangkok, said.

The HKTDC official said Hong Kong's trade with India, its seventh largest trade partner, in the first three quarters of the current fiscal was worth $11 billion, reflecting steady growth over the same period last year.

In this connection Wong referred to the "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR) initiative which has become the centrepiece of China's economic diplomacy. OBOR, which refers to the proposed Silk Road Economic Belt and Maritime Silk Road, essentially aims to promote regional and cross-continental connectivity between China and Eurasia.

"Perhaps some countries in the region feel somewhat insecure and apprehensive about the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative. But it is a win-win situation both for China and for the countries concerned because in order to promote regional trade and connectivity, this project will help finance infrastructure in the various countries," Wong said.

He said China is keen that India be involved in the project.

"With this (OBOR) in mind, China will shift focus to Asia and Southeast Asia," he said.

"In terms of political stability, India is a better prospect than Southeast Asia, where anything might happen," said Andrew Tsang, Business Development Director of Celex LED Technology that is exhibiting at the event. He pointed to China's current troubles with some Southeast Asian nations on maritime issues as well as past instances of ethnic hostility towards Chinese-origin people in some countries of the region.

Another member of the business delegation Andy Lee, Managing Director of Star Express Asia Ltd, said he was "amazed at the response of Indian business" to the Lifestyle Expo. He said he found the Indian visitors more serious and well prepared as compared to his recent experience in Dubai.

"I find the Indian business people here quite well prepared with things like import licences and online selling platforms. I am not just eyeing the Indian market, but also want Indian partners to help sell products in Africa and the Middle East. Indian have better language skills," he said.

--IANS

bc/dg
Turkey holds ceremony for assassinated Russian envoy

Turkey,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diplomacy, Wed, 21 Dec 2016 IANS

Ankara, Dec 21 (IANS) Turkey held a state ceremony at Ankara's Esenboga Airport ahead of the departure of body of assassinated Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov, who was shot dead on Monday.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu as well as a number of Russian and Turkish officials, foreign diplomats, and political figures attended the ceremony on Tuesday.

"Karlov became an immortal symbol of Turkey-Russia friendship," the Turkish deputy prime minister said in the speech, Xinhua reported citing state-run Anadolu Agency.

He said that assassination of Moscow's ambassador "was another provocation of those who target Turkey-Russia friendship."

"Our determination is as great as our pain; Turkey-Russia relations will remain as strong as ever," Turkes vowed.

The Russian ambassador's spouse and family attended the ceremony where farewell speeches and prayers were held.

Karlov's body was placed on board an special aircraft for repatriation to Russia after the ceremony.

On Monday, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in Ankara's central Cankaya district when an off-duty Turkish police officer opened fire, critically wounding him.

Karlov was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An 18-member Russian delegation composed of security officials, prosecutors and experts arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to probe the killing.

Turkish police arrested six people over Russian envoy's murder so far.

--IANS

pgh/
MONTREAL, Dec. 20, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - After weeks of hard work, the holiday season's preparations have come to an end this Saturday at Moisson Montreal. Almost 200 volunteers were welcomed to help for our traditional Christmas Harvest activity which closes the "Feeding the Holiday Spirit" campaign. The result were positive: 20,000 holiday baskets, 6,800 emergency bags and 10,000 gift bags will be available to be distributed during the holidays and the following weeks to help people in need in Montreal. Let's not forget the traditional turkey!

This year, the "Feeding the Holiday Spirit" campaign took place from October 15th to December 15th. "For weeks now, partners, volunteers and employees have been busy like little elves to make these products. We are very happy with the results", claimed Moisson Montreal's Executive director, Mr. Richard D. Daneau on Saturday. He added: "I am very pleased to witness how generous and supportive Montrealers are. We will be able to distribute even more food during the holiday season".

On December 17th, for the Christmas Harvest, close to 200 volunteers took part in the activity. Various elected representatives were also present including Mr. Stephane Dion, federal MP for the county of Saint-Laurent and Mr. Denis Coderre, mayor of Montreal. Mrs. Elise Guilbeault, actress and spokesperson for Moisson Montreal also attended the event which culminated in the preparation of 6,800 emergency food bags, with the encouragement of our host, MC Gilles, and the joyful music of the band RAFFY. The emergency bags will be distributed in the days to come, in order to compensate for the lesser number of organizations open during the holidays.

This year, Moisson Montreal was able to produce 20,000 holiday baskets, which is 4,000 more than last year, totaling a million dollars' worth of goods. The baskets have been distributed over the past weeks and contain various ingredients to cook holiday meals. Besides holiday baskets and emergency bags, Moisson Montreal has also prepared 10,000 gift bags filled with treats to provide a little holiday magic to the lives of the people in need.

Moisson Montreal was also able to count on the generosity of over 200 corporations and partners from the food industry that were mobilized during the "Feeding the Holiday Spirit" campaign and who organized many food drives. These donations will help feed the people in need in Montreal during the holiday season and at the beginning of the New Year, when the need for assistance remains very present.

An important donation from the Fondation Marcelle et Jean Coutu

Moisson Montreal received a significant gift from the Fondation Marcelle et Jean Coutu, a loyal partner of the organization, which funded the purchase of 3,024 turkeys for traditional Christmas meals to be served by the accredited community organizations.

"This is a wonderful holiday gift", acknowledged Mr. Daneau. "Once again, the Fondation Marcelle et Jean Coutu expressed its generous support to the 137,000 people living with food insecurity in Montreal."

"We have to address the growing demands"

In the last Hunger Count published by Moisson Montreal, the organization witnessed an increase of 8.5% in the requests for food assistance in comparison with the previous year, reaching 658,000 requests per month.

"In a modern and prosperous city like Montreal, it is very concerning to see that poverty still grows significantly", mentions the spokesperson Elise Guibeault. "Not everyone experiences the Holidays in abundance, and Moisson Montreal has to respond to the growing demand", she adds.

In Montreal, 137,000 people, including 35,000 children, resort to food aid each month. "Each gesture of solidarity has a real and profound impact in the life of those in need", says Mrs. Guilbeault. "A donation of $1 permits the distribution of $15 worth of food. That's remarkable!" For example, with $50, Moisson Montreal will feed more than 20 families for Christmas.

The organization reminds Montrealers that people suffer from hunger all year round and that it is possible to help them in various ways. Last year, 9,000 volunteers have come to help the organization. "We need 50 volunteers each day to make the engine work", says Richard D. Daneau. "Everyone can help according to his own abilities. Each gesture has a significant impact!"

About Moisson Montreal

Charity founded in 1984, Moisson Montreal is the largest food bank in Canada. Through its collection, sorting, and distribution centre for emergency food assistance, the organization allocates nearly 1,000 tons of food per month to 254 accredited community organizations on the Island of Montreal. In turn, these organizations provide food assistance to thousands of people. Moisson Montreal receives funding and supplies mainly through donations. Its operations require the collaboration of nearly 9,000 volunteers each year and result in the redistribution of about 14 million kilos of foodstuffs, representing a total value of approximately $81 million. Moisson Montreal has won three awards for its Food Recovery Program in Supermarkets: the 2016 Sustainable Development Award from Mercuriades, the 2015 Corporate Citizenship Award from Novae (Supply Category), and the 2015 Elixir - Coup de Coeur Prize from PMI-Montreal. For more information, visit www.moissonmontreal.org.

SOURCE MOISSON MONTREAL

For further information: Gabrielle Marcoux, Communications and media coordinator, Moisson Montreal, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.moissonmontreal.org/


Heavy smog has engulfed large parts of northern China for a fourth straight day, with the environment ministry warning that some firms in the region were continuing to flout emergency restrictions and dozens of flights out of Beijing cancelled.

Some power plants and chemical producers in the region had not scaled back operations in line with regulations, and drivers in Beijing had also been ignoring traffic restrictions, according to China Environmental News, the official publication of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The paper said as many as 24 cities in northern China had issued pollution red alerts by Tuesday but, despite the implementation of emergency measures, smog concentrations had continued to increase in parts of the region.

That included several major cities in the industrial province of Hebei, which surrounds Beijing.

Red alerts are issued when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is forecast to exceed 200 for more than four days in succession, 300 for more than two days or 500 for at least 24 hours.

In Handan, a major steel producer, the 24-hour average AQI at one monitoring station reached a record 780, according to environmental group Greenpeace.

Large hospitals in the port city of Tianjin, less than 100 miles southeast of Beijing, saw a surge in asthma and other respiratory issues, Chinas Peoples Daily reported. The pollution forced the city to close the highways and caused delays and cancellations for dozens of flights, Xinhua said.

Off-the-charts air pollution chokes many places in #Hebei province, w/ PM2.5 levels exceeding 1,000 in its capital city of #Shijiazhuang, the Peoples Daily tweeted. Some coal and other industrial plants in Hebei were ordered to shut down until the smog eases.

Beijings meteorological authority told Agence France-Presse the worst haze would hit the city Monday night and linger until Tuesday. Under a contingency plan for severe air pollution, the city shut down more than 700 heavy industry plants and required 500 more to reduce production, the South China Morning Post reported

Beijing Capital International Airport said on its microblog that 181 flights had been cancelled, although 50 were able to operate.

Flights had already been affected at other airports, including in the neighbouring city of Tianjin.

The airport officially blamed fog but PM 2.5 levels soared to more than 450 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of the city overnight, according to the Beijing Government.


Boeing has been awarded an estimated $90 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for the development and delivery of an experimental laser pod. The contractor will provide research and development of high energy laser technologies through the next five years.

The laser pod referred to in this award is likely to be the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD). In August Northrop Grumman was selected to develop the laser beam director turret for this high energy laser weapons system designed to protect tactical fighter planes from incoming missiles.

Northrop Grumman was awarded a USD39.3 million contract related to the development of a laser-based self-defence system for the US Air Force (USAF).

Grumman was contract was by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on 23 August. It was for the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) Turret Research in Aero-Effects (STRAFE) programme. Grumman will develop and deliver an advanced beam control system for integration as part of a complete laser weapons system into a tactical pod for USAF fighter aircraft. Work is expected to be complete by 31 August 2021.

It is intended that the SHiELD pod would better enable the USAFs fourth-generation fighter fleet, such as the Boeing F-15 Eagle and Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, to survive in contested airspace. The fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II would probably not carry the pod, as it would negate their stealth characteristics.
LiquidPiston says it is currently in negotiations with potential partners to bring its small engines to market. Shkolnik also said the engines could be used as range-extenders for mass market electric vehicles.

The engine would produce less CO2 than plugging the car into the U.S. power grid, Shkolnik said.

In the future, the company believes it can build larger engines that compete with those currently in cars and trucks, military aircraft and large boats, targeting a market it estimates is worth $460 billion.

LiquidPiston is looking to raise $5 million to 7 million in a Series A round of investment in early 2017, according to the pitch deck. The company currently has 16 patents granted for its technology and 13 employees, though Shkolnik said hes looking to expand with the infusion of cash from DARPA.

DARPA awarded LiquidPiston Inc. $2.5 million to continue development of a new, patented, high-efficiency, lighter-weight rotary engine. LiquidPiston, a developer of advanced combustion engine technology, received the award for the first phase of a program to realize the full capability of its patented high-efficiency hybrid cycle (HEHC) engine. This is the second award DARPA has made to LiquidPiston in the past 18 months, following an earlier test program for a different LiquidPiston rotary engine prototype, which achieved promising results.

LiquidPiston will be developing its X4 test rig: a prototype 30 kW diesel X-engine, with targeted brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of 186 g/kWh (better fuel efficiency than heavy duty truck engines, and twice the fuel economy of a gasoline engine over a typical drive cycle). The X4 is designed for extremely high specific power, with an objective of 1.5 hp/lb, making it up to ten times (10x) more powerful than a standard diesel engine with the same weight.

A standard 35 HP diesel engine (left) next to LiquidPistons proof of principle 40HP diesel engine (right)

The X Engine has few parts and three combustion events per rotor revolution, resulting in tremendous power density.

LiquidPistons 4-stroke HEHC-cycle engines are designed to be:

Lightweight and Compact

High power density  up to 2 HP/Lb (3.3 kW/kg)

30% smaller and lighter for spark-ignition (SI) gasoline engines

Up to 75% smaller and lighter for compression-ignition (CI) diesel engines

Quiet

No poppet valves

Exhaust turbulence minimized by over-expansion; no muffler required

Low-Vibration

Only two primary moving parts, optimally balanced, resulting in near-zero vibration

High-Efficiency

20% decrease in fuel consumption possible for SI gasoline engines

50% decrease in fuel consumption possible for CI diesel engines

Multi-Fuel Capable

Diesel, gasoline, natural gas, JP-8

Scalable

From 1 HP to over 1000 HP

Our goal is to create a reliable X4 test rig that will support optimization of the X-engine architecture and the HEHC cycle. Combined, the cycle and architecture offer a compression-ignition, diesel-fueled rotary-engine power solution that is a fraction the size and weight of a comparable piston engine, while offering the advantages of greater fuel efficiency, quieter operation and reduced vibration, says Alexander Shkolnik, CEO and Founder of LiquidPiston.

Today, a typical 30 kW military diesel generator weighs 2,700 lbs. Such a generator can be used to power a mobile command center, for example. Soldiers would benefit as the X4 prototype would enable an ultra-portable diesel generator that produces electricity in a package one-tenth the size and weight, and operates with greater efficiency, explains Shkolnik. We seek to help reduce the militarys logistical and carbon footprint. Our design would also give greater range and capability to drones or other vehicles. The same technology would benefit civilian consumers as well  lighter, quieter more efficient generators or auxiliary power units for homes, boats or vehicles, as well as range-extended electric vehicles.

LiquidPiston recently installed its 70cc X-mini rotary engine prototype into a go-kart demonstrator, replacing a 40 lb, 6 hp gasoline piston engine with the 4 lb, 3-5 hp 70cc X-mini engine.

LiquidPiston develops compact, quiet, fuel-efficient, low-vibration, multi-fuel-capable combustion engines that are scalable from 1 hp to over 1,000 hp, based on the companys patented High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle and rotary X engine architecture
The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, National Union of Air Transport Employees and Air Transport Services Senior S...

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, National Union of Air Transport Employees and Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria have directed workers of Arik Air to commence an indefinite strike action today (Tuesday) over non-payment of seven months salaries.The strike, according to a statement jointly signed by Abba Ocheme, Olayinka Abioye and Francis Akinjole, on behalf of the three unions, will continue until the management of Arik Air pays the arrears of seven months salaries and give a commitment to pay salaries as and when due.The unions also called for total unionisation of Ariks employees in compliance with extant labour laws and with respect to the constitution of the country.They also asked the management of Arik Air to recall all sacked employees, who had been allegedly victimised for their roles in the effort to bring about unionisation in the company.Some other issues that the unions want settled before calling off the strike include the immediate review of all employee remuneration, which they stated had remained the same since the inception of Arik Air over 10 years ago, and immediate commencement of negotiations on the conditions of service to be concluded within four weeks.Others are remittance of pension, tax and statutory deductions to the appropriate authorities and compliance by the management of the carrier with the expatriate quota law.Towards the full realisation of the strike action, all aviation workers, in complete solidarity with their enslaved comrades in Arik Air, shall withdraw all services being rendered by third parties, the unions said in the statement.They stated that the aviation workers would be supported by employees from all other sectors throughout the country to underscore the seriousness of the matter at hand.The union added, In the above respect, all ground handling services, security clearance for Arik Air ticket holders, marshalling, aviation fuel supply, air traffic control, safety inspection, etc. will be completely withdrawn.Arik Airs spokesperson, Mr. Ola Adebanji, could not be reached for comments. He did not answer calls put through to his mobile phone and failed to respond to a text message sent to him on the subject.
Barcelona remain confident of keeping Lionel Messi at the club, despite the fact that talks have not begun over a new deal.Last week, Luis Suarez became the latest player to sign a new contract with the La Liga champions, extending his stay at the Camp Nou until 2021.In the recent past, Sergio Busquets, Neymar and Javier Mascherano have all committed their futures to Barca. But the fans are most desperate to see Messi sign a new deal.The Argentines current contract runs out in 2018.We havent started negotiations for Messis renewal, the clubs vice-president, Jordi Mestre, told Movistar after Barcas 4-1 win against Espanyol.But after those of Neymar and Luis Suarez, we hope to finalise it in the first trimester of the year, he added.
The Edo State government will fund next years N25 billion budget deficit from the third tranche of a World Bank support facility.

The Edo State government will fund next years N25 billion budget deficit from the third tranche of a World Bank support facility.The facility was first obtained during former Governor Adams Oshiomholes administration.Governor Godwin Obaseki spoke yesterday in Benin, the state capital, while presenting the N150,011,831,079 billion 2017 budget estimate to the House of Assembly.Next years budget estimate is 29 per cent higher than last years.The Budget of Consolidation and Prosperity, Obaseki said, was wrapped around six key policy areas.These, the governor said, include Economic Revolution, Infrastructural Expansion, Institutional Reform, Social Welfare Enhancement, Culture and Tourism as well as Environmental Sustainability.The budget estimate comprises N74,900,297,917 Recurrent Expenditure and N75,111,533,162 Capital Expenditure.A breakdown showed that Infrastructure took the lions share of N22,299,889,188, while N10,449,113,413 was allocated to Education. Economic Growth and Employment Enablers got N14,721,608,143.Administration was allocated N4,736,808,082, Law and Justice got N1,840,615,605, Social Sector N24,152,612,144 and Economic sector N44,521,497,331.Obaseki said the revenue estimate for next year was based on a $42.0 bench mark for crude oil and expectations of improved performance of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).The governor noted that the budget, if implemented on the six key pillars with uncommon focus, will help the state to build a new society, create jobs, opportunities, wealth and usher in an era of prosperity.He said the policy direction of the budget was informed by his interactions with Edo residents during his campaigns.Obaseki said his administration would explore and prepare for Zero Budgeting as well as take a look at the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy to better manage the public finance.He said: Edo State governments priorities in 2017 will include a continuation of infrastructural projects from 2016. It would include institutional reforms to better prepare the civil service for optimal service delivery.We will revamp the working environment of public officers, emphasise training and seek to improve the incentive structure. Specifically, the secretariat buildings will be renovated and government offices will be relocated on the secretariat axis.We would also build a new central administrative building in Government House. We are convinced a conducive work environment would help to revolutionise service delivery to the people and increase returns due to government.To achieve our promise of a minimum of 200,000 jobs within four years, our job creation strategy, through a series of outlined programmes, includes partnering private identified private sector investors to recruit and offer training to out-growers and anchor farmers in specific crops where we have secured off-takers.In this budget, we are paying greater attention to Law, Order and Security, through more allocation to the Judiciary and implementing an Edo State security plan, which will involve community policing.For us to grow our state economy, we shall engage our people more and explore ways to assist in making them more productive, for herein lies our prosperity. We shall, therefore, take steps to improve the ease of doing business in Edo State but drastically reduce the bottlenecks experienced by business people.
Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to pardon 70 soldiers found guilty of mutiny by various military cour...

Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to pardon 70 soldiers found guilty of mutiny by various military court martial since 2014.He made the request in a letter to the President on December 19, 2016, pursuant to Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution.The 70 soldiers, whose death sentence was commutted to 10 years imprisonment, are in custody at the Ikoyi and Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos State.Falana argued that since the demand of the convicted soldiers and others for weapons found justification in the criminal diversion of the fund provided for the purchase of arms and armament to fight terrorists, there was no legal and moral justification for the conviction and sentences imposed on them by the courts-martial.In Your Excellencys interview aired by BBC Hausa Service on December 28, 2015, you observed that the government at that time sent soldiers to the battlefield without arms and ammunition to prosecute the war. That was what led some of them to mutiny. They were arrested and detained because of this.In the light of the foregoing, Your Excellency will agree with us that since the armed forces were not equipped to defend the territorial integrity of the nation the convicts did not commit mutiny or any other offence whatsoever in demanding for weapons to fight well armed insurgents. But assuming without conceding that our clients committed any offence they have suffered enough, having spent over three years in dehumanising prison conditions.However, since the demand for weapons to carry out counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast zone was legitimately made by our clients under the Armed Forces Act, we urge Your Excellency to grant them pardon pursuant to Section 175 of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, he pleaded.Falana listed grounds upon which he based his appeal.He said: The courts-martial, which tried our clients, deliberately failed to take cognisance of Section 179 of the Armed Forces Act, which permits a soldier, rating or aircraftman to make a complaint to his commanding office and that he shall not be penalised for having made a complaint.The Arms Procurement Panel set up by Your Excellency has confirmed that the fund earmarked for the purchase of arms and ammunition was criminally diverted by former service chiefs and other senior military officers.The indicted military officers are being prosecuted by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for unlawful enrichment and criminal diversion of public funds.He argued that members of the armed forces are not excluded from the application of fundamental rights, right to life, right to personal liberty, right to fair hearing, and right to freedom from discrimination.In light of the foregoing, Your Excellency will agree with us that since the armed forces were not equipped to defend the territorial integrity of the nation the convicts did not commit mutiny or any other offence whatsoever in demanding for weapons to fight well armed insurgents. But assuming without conceding that our clients committed any offence they have suffered enough having spent over three years in dehumanising prison conditions, he added.
Nigeria international John Obi Mikel is reportedly ready to reject a mega-money move to China.The Chelsea midfielder is being heavily linked with leaving Stamford Bridge in January and Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG want him.Chelsea star Oscar is set to complete a stunning 60m move to Shanghai when the transfer window reopens but Mikel is having second thoughts.The London Evening Standard claim that he is considering ignoring a lucrative move to the Far East in favour of joining a club in Europe.Mikel would stand to earn 170,000-a-week in China, a massive 100,000-a-week more than what he is currently on at Chelsea.But it is claimed that the 29-year-old wants to stay in Europe to play in a more competitive league and add to his lengthy list of honours.Marseille are known to be interested in the Nigeria international with the Evening Standard reporting that the clubs sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has already offered him a contract.Mikel is also having second thoughts over a move to China because of his young family.He has twin girls and reckons staying in Europe would be the best thing for them.Mikel could move to a club in on the continent but keep his family in their Surrey home and then fly out to play games like Didier Drogba did when he was at Turkish side Galatasaray.Mikel, who also has offers from Turkey and Spain, has made over 370 appearances for Chelsea, claiming 11 major honours.He has failed to make a single appearance for the Premier League leaders this season following Antonio Contes appointment as Blues boss over the summer.
The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmed Makarfi, has challenged the faction of the party...

The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmed Makarfi, has challenged the faction of the party being led by Ali Modu Sheriff to mention governors behind it.Makarfi said that there was no iota of truth in the claim by the faction that at least eight governors were supporting it.A key member of the Sheriff faction, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, had claimed that up to eight governors were behind the faction.Gulak, a former presidential aide, however, did not mention the names of the governors.Nevertheless, the spokesperson for the Makarfis faction, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, debunked Gulaks claim.He said the contention was not true just as he said the faction had been making unsubstantiated claims since the party held its convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State early this year.Adeyeye said that the Makarfis group would not have dignified Gulak and his cohorts with a response, but, said that silence could be misinterpreted as admission.He said, We are amused by Gulaks claims. Since the May 21, 2016 convention which held in Port Harcourt, Ali Modu Sheriff and his renegade band have never missed any opportunity to blame the governors for the problems of the party.Only last week, their self appointed Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh, was still castigating the governors for the partys woes at a press conference.Why attack those who are supporting you?If Gulak wants to be taken serious he should name the governors who are supporting his group. Name names and say the type of support you receive from the governors.Adeyeye said Gulaks claim was like a case of political hallucination.I think he actually meant the All Progressives Congress governors who are their sponsors and not our PDP governors, he added.Adeyeye, a former minister of state for works, said that Nigerians knew that members of the Sheriff faction were what he described as paid agents of the APC and were being used to destabilise the PDP.He insisted that all the PDP governors remain resolute in their support for the Makarfi-led caretaker committee.Meanwhile, a former National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, on Monday said that there was no way the party would die.Tukur, who spoke with journalists in Abuja, also said that the clamouring for the formation of a mega party ahead of the 2019 general elections was in order.
A pastor at the Divine Yard Deliverance Ministry in Iyana Iyesi, Ota, Ogun State, Peace Udoh, has been arrested by the police for allege...

A pastor at the Divine Yard Deliverance Ministry in Iyana Iyesi, Ota, Ogun State, Peace Udoh, has been arrested by the police for allegedly running a baby factory in the church.The 47-year-old was said to have sold 64 babies before she was arrested on Sunday by operatives from the Lagos State Police Command who acted on a tip-off.Udoh was apprehended with one Angela Akpan and a nurse, Mrs. Bukola Ajala, who reportedly assisted in childbirth at Udohs church.It was learnt that the pastor usually referred complicated cases to the nurse, whose clinic  El Shaddai Hospital  is located a few metres away from the church.It was gathered that Angelas younger sister, 17-year-old Goodnews Akpan, recently gave birth to a child at the clinic.Angela, who was arrested on Saturday in the Sango area, was said to have led police operatives on Sunday to Udohs church and Ajalas clinic, where they were picked up respectively.While parading the suspects on Monday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said detectives swooped on the syndicate after receiving intelligence report that Udoh needed a buyer for Goodnews baby.The suspects run a baby factory in the Sango Ota area. We are still working to get 64 other children she has sold out, the CP added.However, the pastor, who hails from Akwa Ibom State, refuted the allegation, saying she used the church as a maternity home to assist her pregnant church members for a token.She said, I have been a pastor for 13 years. I only assisted my church members during childbirth. I take delivery of 13 to 15 babies every year and I have handled over 60 cases so far. I dont sell the babies.Whenever I have a complicated case, I refer the patient to the nurse and we share the money she collects for the service. Angela brought her sister to me in July. She gave birth on November 16 at the nurses clinic and she was discharged. I was surprised when the police came to arrest me yesterday (Sunday).Ajala, the nurse, said she collected between N15,000 and N17,000 for each child delivery, adding that she didnt know anything about selling of babies.The third suspect, Angela, said, I am from Abak in Akwa Ibom. I took my sister from our village to the pastor when her pregnancy was four months. She was there until she gave birth in November and I paid N17,000. I didnt intend to sell her child and I have never sold any child before.Goodnews, a secondary school dropout, told our correspondent that she was not aware of the plan to sell her baby. She said she followed Angela to Lagos to avoid being ridiculed in the village.I got pregnant in the school but none of my boyfriends was willing to take the responsibility for the pregnancy.My mother would not allow me stay with her so I decided to follow my sister to Lagos, she added.
The National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, yesterday gave a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to pay their entitlement...

The National Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, yesterday gave a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to pay their entitlements or face a major crisis in the health sector. NARD President, Dr John Onyebueze, who spoke at a news conference in Enugu, said the ultimatum would expire by midnight on Monday, January 2, 2017. According to Onyebueze, doctors in all public health institutions across the country would start wearing black ward coats from January 2 next year, if the government failed to meet an earlier agreement it reached with NARD by the expiration of the ultimatum.On the outcome of the Extra-Ordinary meeting of NARD in Abuja, the NARD president observed that government was not giving adequate attention towards provision adequate facilities for all Nigerians, adding that this was evidenced by the worsening health indices and dilapidated infrastructure in health institutions in the country. Onyebueze blamed the state of hospitals in the country on maladministration and inadequate planning by the Federal Ministry of Health.
BRIGANTINE-- A former city police officer was sentenced Friday to five years in prison after authorities say he abused the power of his office in sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, Acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton said in a statement.

Ralph Pereira, 46, was arrested May 19, 2014, following an investigation by the prosecutor's Special Victims Unit. He was charged with official misconduct, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual conduct.

In August 2015, he was indicted on a total of 17 criminal counts, including charges of misconduct and of taking photos of the victim engaged in s sex act. Authorities said Pereira assaulted the girl while performing his duties as a police officer.

In May, Pereira pleaded guilty to official misconduct and sexual assault. Pereira was stripped of his right to hold public office as a result of his plea.

Pereira must serve at least two years before becoming eligible for parole. He will be subject to lifetime parole supervision and must register as a Megan's Law sex offender.

Another police officer who was charged with assaulting the girl, Andre Corbin, who served in Atlantic City, previously pleaded guilty and is in prison. He becomes eligible for parole in 2017, The Press of Atlantic City reported.

Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CLEMENTON -- Camden County authorities are still searching for a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served two tours of duty in the Middle East and hasn't been seen since early December.

Lance James, 29, in this U.S. Marine Corps photo. James has been missing since Dec. 2, 2016 and family are offering a reward for information on his whereabouts.

Lance James, who turned 29 earlier this month, was last seen at his Clementon apartment on Dec. 2, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

Family members are also offering a reward of nearly $4,000 for information that leads to the location of the missing man.

"Eighteen days and nothing at all still," sister Jessica Hassan told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday.

James went to the Hide-A-Way Tavern on Dec. 2 and left after getting into an altercation with another patron that night. He was escorted out -- sans jacket and cell phone, family said -- and Clementon police suggested he head home. James, who doesn't own a vehicle, left the bar near the White Horse Pike and headed off toward his home near Clementon Park.

Hassan said that surveillance video footage revealed he was within a block of his home. He hasn't been into work nor called out of any shifts, family previously said.

New Jersey State Police are now leading a search of three area lakes for possible clues.

James, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2007 and served one year in Iraq and another year Afghanistan before leaving the service in 2012 and returning home to Clementon. He also has a 5-year-old daughter who lives with her mother.

James is approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, 180 pounds with brown hair, a red/brown beard and tattoos. He was last seen wearing a white-colored undershirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots.

A GoFundMe page created to raise funds for a reward that will be offered in exchange for information on James' location stood at $3,840 as of Tuesday afternoon.

That amount has been raised in the past four days and family can be contacted via the webpage. Readers with additional information should contact Clementon police at 856-783-2759.

"We are hopeful that offering a monetary reward for his whereabouts will help bring forth information that has not yet been provided," the GoFundMe page reads.

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
COMMERCIAL TWP. -- Tara O'Shea-Watson knew that if she didn't get away from her estranged husband, he was going to kill her.

For years she was trying to escape with her kids from Jeremiah Monell, 32, of Cedarville, according to her friends Penny Morey and Jen L. Messeck. Monell, they said, was abusive toward O'Shea and she had recently gotten a restraining order against him.

"We all told her to run anyway," Morey said. "To go anyway."

Monday around 8 a.m., New Jersey State Police were dispatched to Raymond Drive in Commercial Township for reports of an unresponsive woman. When they arrived, troopers found 35-year-old O'Shea unconscious. She was pronounced dead a short time later.

By Monday night, police announced its manhunt for Monell, who was charged with O'Shea's murder. As of Tuesday afternoon, Monell has yet to be arrested.

New Jersey State Police were searching a wooded area off Sawmill Road in Cedarville after finding his truck Tuesday evening. Multiple police cars patrolled the area and helicopters hovered low above the tree canopy.

Truck of murder suspect located. Troopers searching area off of Sawmill Rd. in Cedarville. Updates will follow as we get more info.  NJSP - State Police (@NJSP) December 20, 2016

State Police Tuesday would not confirm the restraining order, the cause of death or any details about the investigation. But according to Morey, Monell cut her throat in front of their son and their son had to run to the neighbors for help.

"It was living hell," Messeck said. "He beat her. She was constantly on the run from him. She wanted nothing more than to get out of here."

Messeck knew O'Shea since they were children in Laurel Lake. They reconnected recently when Messeck was going through a divorce.

"Tara was an amazing mom, an amazing friend, an amazing daughter," Messeck said. "She was so kind and caring. She would give you her last dollar if it meant helping you."

Morey first met O'Shea several years ago when O'Shea lived in Cedarville. O'Shea's son was friends in class with Morey's granddaughter and one day, while Morey was driving her granddaughter to school, she saw a pregnant O'Shea walking her son to school.

Morey asked if she needed a ride and O'Shea gladly accepted. The two grew closer and Morey said she became a confidant for O'Shea.

"She was very loving, very caring," Morey said about her friend. "She had a heart of gold. She'd help anybody out -- anybody. It didn't matter who they were or what they were."

More than once, according to Morey, O'Shea arrived at her house bloodied from Monell's abuse and looking for refuge. Monell was the father of her two children, though, and was able to talk his way back into O'Shea's life.

O'Shea was in the process of selling her belongings to potentially move her family away from Monell and to Tennessee with her family. In the fall, a judge gave her a restraining order against Monell but prohibited her from moving her children out of the state, both Morey and Messeck said.

"She didn't have a voice," Morey said. "Nobody cared. She wanted to be heard and nobody heard her. Domestic violence is real."

Memorial signs were placed on the fence in front of her residence, wishing her peace in paradise.

Monell has been charged him with murder and weapons charges. Once arrested, he will be held in jail on $1 million bail, officials said. Monell was last seen driving a 1994 blue Chevrolet S10 with New Jersey license plate X91GJV. He is 5-foot-9-inches tall and approximately 140 pounds.

Messeck posted a GoFundMe page to raise money to bring O'Shea's family to New Jersey for the funeral. As of Tuesday afternoon, the page has raised $595 so far.

Anyone with information about Monell's whereabouts is asked to contact New Jersey State Police Port Norris Station by calling 856-785-0036. Anonymous tips are accepted.

A vigil is planned at Tara's residence on Raymond Drive Thursday at 7 p.m.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
COMMERCIAL TWP. -- Authorities launched a manhunt for a South Jersey man who allegedly killed his estranged wife Monday morning.

Jeremiah Monell, 32, of Cedarville, was last seen driving a 1994 blue Chevrolet S10 with New Jersey license plate X91GJV. He is 5-foot-9-inches tall and approximately 140 pounds.

Friends and family identified the woman as Tara O'Shea. According to her friend Jen L. Messeck, O'Shea was attempting to leave New Jersey to get away from her estranged husband and take her kids with her. There was a history of abuse and domestic violence, Messeck said.

New Jersey State Police were called Monday around 8 a.m. to Raymond Drive in Commercial Avenue for reports of a woman who died. Arriving troopers found the woman unconscious and unresponsive.

Investigators revealed that she was allegedly killed by her estranged husband. Monell is wanted on murder and weapons charges. Once arrested his bail will be set at $1 million.

Messeck set up a GoFundMe.com page to raise money to bring O'Shea's family from Tennessee to New Jersey for the funeral. As of this morning, only $360 of the $10,000 goal had been raised.

Anyone with information about Monell's whereabouts is asked to contact New Jersey State Police Port Norris Station by calling 856-785-0036. Anonymous tips are accepted.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- An alleged Bloods street gang member is being held on charges of possessing of a stolen machine gun and a sawed-off shotgun, authorities said Monday.

Shawn King, 20, of Newark, was arraigned in Superior Court on multiple weapons as well as aggravated assault charges in a separate incident in which he allegedly fired shots at a man, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said in a statement.

He said officers went to King's residence Thursday, seeking to arrest him for the shooting, but he was not there. However, officers seized a .308 Heckler & Koch fully automatic machine gun with an optic scope and a fully loaded and sawed-off Mossberg 500 12 gauge shotgun, the sheriff said.

"The machine gun was discovered on the floor under King's bed and the shotgun was secreted between the mattress and box spring," Fontura said. He said large cache of ammunition, including illegal hollow point bullets, was also recovered from the King's bedroom.

The machine gun, the sheriff said, was reported stolen out of Durham, N. C. on July 7, 2011.

Last Friday, a task force comprised of officers from the United States Marshals Service and Essex County sheriff's detectives executed an arrest warrant for King at a residence on West Rich Street in Irvington, Fontoura said.

King was wanted for allegedly firing a handgun at a man near a gas station on Sanford Avenue on Oct. 8, authorities said.

In addition to the charge for the shooting, King now faces charges of possession of a shotgun, possession of a prohibited sawed-off shotgun, possession of a machine gun, possession of hollow point bullets, and receiving stolen property.

He is being held on $150,000 cash bond.

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- The man accused of killing New Jersey City University student Sarah Butler last month pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of murder in a second killing.

Khalil Wheeler-Weaver was first arrested and charged with Butler's murder on Dec. 6, six days after her remains were found buried beneath leaves and debris at the Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange.

Wheeler-Weaver, 20, is now also charged with the killing of Joanne Brown, whose body was found Dec. 5 in a vacant house on Highland Avenue in Orange.

He had been held on $1 million bail in connection with Butler's death, but Assistant Prosecutor Adam Wells told Judge Ronald D. Wigler on Tuesday that prosecutors wanted that bail amount consolidated with the $5 million set in connection with the charges in Brown's death.

Wheeler-Weaver remained emotionless, his hands cuffed behind him, as the judge moved swiftly through the arraignment.

Nine Essex County sheriff's officers ringed the courtroom, the front rows of which were packed with news media.

"Right now, (the charges) remain allegations," Wheeler-Weaver's attorney, Shevelle McPherson, told reporters outside the courtroom. "He's presumed innocent."

Authorities say both women were initially reported missing and later discovered strangled.

McPherson said there's no evidence tying the two crimes together, and that prosecutors would need more if they wanted to secure a conviction in the case.

Wells told reporters McPherson is "entitled to her opinion" regarding the evidence in the case.

Authorities had said Butler and Wheeler-Weaver were acquainted prior to Butler's disappearance, but Wells said he couldn't specify a connection between Wheeler-Weaver and Brown.

"We do know that there was certainly contact between them, but beyond that I can't elaborate," he said.

Wells said both criminal complaints will be considered by a grand jury as one indictment. If convicted at trial, Wheeler-Weaver would likely face separate sentences for each victim, Wells said.

As to whether further criminal charges might be brought against Wheeler-Weaver, the assistant prosecutor was non-committal.

"It's always possible," he said.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
RE-ENACTMENT OF CROSSING OF THE DELAWARE RIVER TO BE HELD CHRISTMAS DAY

EVENT MARKS 240th ANNIVERSARY OF PIVOTAL MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY

(16/P125) TRENTON  Visitors can relive a crucial turning point in American history with the annual re-enactment of General George Washingtons Crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Day, the 240th anniversary of the iconic crossing that helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War at a time when the fledgling nations prospects seemed hopeless.

Visitors to the park, located in Titusville, Mercer County, will be able to see the restored Johnson Ferry House, the only original structure on the park property that dates to the crossing.



The river crossing, beginning in the early hours of Christmas Day 1776, is considered a pivotal event in the War for Independence, leading to strategic victories in Trenton the next day, followed by victories at Assunpink Creek on January 2, 1777 and at Princeton the day after that. This stunning string of victories helped establish Washingtons Continental Army as a viable fighting force that could challenge the British Army and their Hessian mercenaries.



General Washingtons Crossing of the Delaware was the opening round in what historians call the Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution, a period when the teetering fight for independence desperately needed military successes to survive, said Mark Texel, Director of the DEPs Division of Parks and Forestry. This annual re-enactment has become a popular part of many families Christmas traditions, providing a glimpse into the sacrifices made by Washingtons soldiers.

The re-enactment is free and runs from noon to about 3 p.m., kicking off with a brief lecture at the Nelson House on the New Jersey side of the river. At 1 p.m., a cannon will be fired from Washington Crossing State Park on the Pennsylvania side of the river, signaling the start of the crossing by some 100 re-enactors using four replicas of Durham boats.

This event allows visitors to witness a key moment in our nations history and how our nation was created, said Park Resource Interpretive Specialist and Historian Mark Sirak. Many families make this re-enactment a regular part of their holiday celebrations. The view from the New Jersey bank of the river provides an excellent opportunity to view and photograph the boats and re-enactors heading toward you.

Repairs and staining of the historic Johnson Ferry House, built in 1740, were completed in November. The restoration project was underwritten by the Washington Crossing Park Association-New Jersey, with the generosity of members and donors.

The Park Service and the public owe many thanks to the Park Association and to its many members and contributors, Texel said. The efforts of the association, led by president Joe Carney, were key to the preservation of this historic structure. Their ongoing service to the park is invaluable.



After the stealthy predawn crossing of the icy Delaware, Washington marched his troops south to Trenton, where they surprised Hessian forces and captured nearly the entire garrison. Prior to the crossing and the ensuing battles of Trenton and Princeton, the American Revolution was thought to be lost. But those victories turned the war around and led to the eventual defeat of the British in 1783.

The first re-enactment was in 1947; severe weather has led to some re-enactment cancellations.

Hot cider will be available. Free parking will be available on both sides of the river. On the New Jersey side, visitors should enter at the parks main entrance on Route 546, where volunteers will direct traffic. Both parks are easily accessible to each other by a vehicle bridge that has a pedestrian walkway.

For a Discover DEP Podcast on crossing, visit: Washington Cross Podcast

For more information about Washington Crossing State Park, including directions and GPS coordinates, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/washcros.html

For more information on New Jersey State Parks, including a link to the free New Jersey State Parks and Forests Pocket Ranger app, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/

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CNN to again celebrate New Year's Eve in New Orleans
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.
If your home came with unhappy surprises like leaks, cracks, broken mechanical systems, or other defects, the financial responsibility might not be yours alone.

What if something was wrong with your house at the time of purchase and someonethe seller, the property seller's real estate agent, or the inspectorcould have or should have told you about it beforehand, but failed to do so? Such problems can come to light days, weeks, or years after the sale, leaving you angry and wondering whether you really have to shoulder the entire financial burden.

In such cases, you might actually be able to ask the responsible person to pitch in, and take the matter to court if they don't. Ideally, you'll be able to resolve matters without filing a lawsuit suit. To give you a picture of what might be ahead, however, this article will analyze:

who might be held legally responsible, and

whether going forward with a lawsuit makes sense.

Minor Home Defects or Natural Aging Aren't Grounds for a Lawsuit

You probably knew when you bought the house that it wasn't in perfect condition. Some problems, such as a crack in the front walk, might have been obvious. Others, such as aging plumbing, the seller might have told you about in the course of the sale. (In most states, laws require home sellers to disclose all "material" defects to prospective buyers.)

Your home inspector, assuming you hired one, probably also told you about a few problems.

Then after the sale, your home probably continued its normal process of aging and decaying, leaving you to deal with the consequences. None of these sorts of issues provide any grounds upon which to run back to the seller to complain.

Will your insurance company cover the damage? If so, there may be no need to take action on your own. For how to work with your insurance company, see After the Fire or Disaster: Dealing with Your Insurance Company.

Could the Home Seller Be Held Legally Responsible?

Even if you think you've been wronged, you can't sue everyone who was involved in the sale of your home. The home seller is the first one to consider, of course.

As mentioned, nearly every U.S. state has laws requiring sellers to advise buyers of certain defects in the property, typically by filling out a standard disclosure form before the sale is completed. (This responsibility remains even if you bought the house "as is.")

The form usually asks the seller to state whether the property has certain features (like appliances, a roof, a foundation, systems for electricity, water, and heating, and more) and then to rate or describe their condition. Some states' disclosure laws are more comprehensive than others, and if a feature isn't on the list, the seller might not be required to speak up. Also, the seller isn't usually required to scout out problems.

If there's clearly a place on the form where the seller should have stated a problem but denied it, your job is to try to figure out whether the seller in fact knew about it. For example, if the seller patched over or hid problem areas, or if the neighbors have told you about the seller's efforts to deal with a problem, the evidence is on your side.

And even if you're in one of the few states with no mandated seller disclosures, it might be possible, particularly in an egregious situation, to sue the seller for:

negligence

fraud

breach of contract

breach of warranty, or

negligent misrepresentation.

Could the Seller's Real Estate Agent Be Held Legally Responsible?

Some states' laws make sellers' real estate agents liable for failing to disclose problems they observed or were told of by the sellers, though often their duties are fairly limited. Check your state's disclosure laws and try to figure out whether the problem would have been apparent to the broker, but not to you, before the sale.

Could Your Home Inspector Be Held Legally Responsible?

Hopefully, you got a home inspection before buying. In theory, the inspector should have spotted problems that the seller wasn't aware of, or was turning a blind eye to. If the inspector missed problems that an expert (a professional peer) should have noticed, the inspector might be on the hook; that is, legally liable.

Read over your inspection report to see what it said about the area in question. Some buyers are embarrassed to find that the problem is spelled out right in the report, or falls within an area that the inspector rightfully excluded from the report. But in other cases, the inspector failed to meet basic standards of professional competence.

Do You Have a Solid Case?

Once you've figured out the possible responsible parties, you'll want to know whether their actionor inactionmight entitle you to compensation. If your situation meets the criteria below, you might have a good case. We've collapsed a few legal principles into this list, but it will apply to most situations in most U.S. states.

The defect was there before you bought the home. The seller couldn't have hidden problems that didn't exist during the period of ownership. Again, problems that started post-purchase or that are a natural result of the home's aging or your lapses in maintenance are yours to deal with. Of course, determining when a problem started can get complicated. For example, a blockage in your sewer line could be a new problem, or it could be a recurrence of a long-time issue with roots growing into the pipes. You might need a professional's analysis. But if the problem could have started before you bought the house, keep reading.

The seller couldn't have hidden problems that didn't exist during the period of ownership. Again, problems that started post-purchase or that are a natural result of the home's aging or your lapses in maintenance are yours to deal with. Of course, determining when a problem started can get complicated. For example, a blockage in your sewer line could be a new problem, or it could be a recurrence of a long-time issue with roots growing into the pipes. You might need a professional's analysis. But if the problem could have started before you bought the house, keep reading. It's not an obvious defect that you could have seen yourself before buying. If there was a huge crack running across the living room ceiling at the open house and you've only now decided to bring it up, no dice. But if the crack was hidden by a false ceiling, the matter might be worth pursuing. Don't worry if your inspector should have seen the problem. That just means you've got a potential claim against the inspector, too.

If there was a huge crack running across the living room ceiling at the open house and you've only now decided to bring it up, no dice. But if the crack was hidden by a false ceiling, the matter might be worth pursuing. Don't worry if your inspector should have seen the problem. That just means you've got a potential claim against the inspector, too. No one told you about the defect before the sale, or someone actually lied to you about it. The responsible party might have been the seller, the seller's agent, or the inspector, as explained above.

The responsible party might have been the seller, the seller's agent, or the inspector, as explained above. You relied on the lies or nondisclosures. This one's usually easy. If, for example, you took the seller's word that a remodel job was up to code in deciding to buy or in setting your price, you acted in reliance.

This one's usually easy. If, for example, you took the seller's word that a remodel job was up to code in deciding to buy or in setting your price, you acted in reliance. You've incurred monetary damage as a result. Your costs of repairs or related damages (such as destruction of your personal property due to a flooded basement, or a decrease in your property value due to an undisclosed environmental hazard) will become legally speaking, the "damages" that you may collecteven if you haven't paid any out-of-pocket costs yet (for example, you need a new foundation but haven't actually hired a contractor to build it). But don't expect to collect damages that go beyond the house itself, such as for your pain and suffering or lost time.

Your costs of repairs or related damages (such as destruction of your personal property due to a flooded basement, or a decrease in your property value due to an undisclosed environmental hazard) will become legally speaking, the "damages" that you may collecteven if you haven't paid any out-of-pocket costs yet (for example, you need a new foundation but haven't actually hired a contractor to build it). But don't expect to collect damages that go beyond the house itself, such as for your pain and suffering or lost time. You're within any appropriate deadlines ("statutes of limitation"). Every state puts limits on how long you have, from the date you discover a problem or reasonably should have discovered it, to sue someone. The legislators don't want you dragging the seller into court 20 years after the sale, when no one recalls what happened. Most statutes of limitations are somewhere between two and ten years, but this will depend on where you are and what type of claim you have.

Even if you think you meet the above criteria, remember that in an actual lawsuit, it will be your job to convince a judge. Hence the more evidence you can start gathering, the better.

Legal Basis for Filing a Lawsuit

In legalese, you could potentially sue someone based on any of the following principles, or some combination of them:

Again, the law in your state will govern which theory might best fit your case.

Where to Sue Over Home Defects

Your main options for actually filing a lawsuit include:

small claims court, if the damages are under a certain limit, or

state court.

Filing in small claims court allows you to proceed with your case without a lot of the expensive administrative hassles of a "regular" lawsuit. You can represent yourself (in some states, attorneys are actually forbidden), the rules are typically not as rigid, and your case should be resolved relatively quickly.

However, every state places a dollar limit on the amount of damages you can sue forusually somewhere between $1,500 and $15,000. To find your state's exact limit, see 50-State Chart of Small Claims Court Limits. Even if your damages are over the limitfor example, if the repairs cost $8,000 and the limit is $5,000bringing a suit for $5,000 and forgetting about the rest might make economic sense because you will save time and attorney's fees.

If the amount of monetary damages you're asking for exceeds the small claims court limit, your next option is filing suit in state court, most likely with the help of an attorney.

Some attorneys will take this type of case on a contingency basis, meaning you don't pay a fee upfront but pay a large percentage (30-40%) of the damage award. You might still be responsible for paying court costs and other fees, plus expenses such as the attorney's phone calls and postage. Or, the court may award reimbursement of attorney's fees as part of your damages.
After area resident Memory Bleth paid off overdue student lunch accounts this year at a local elementary school, she was coined the lunch account angel.

Her generous donation of more than $3,000 to Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Council Bluffs is why The Nonpareil has named her a Community Star for 2016.The idea to pay off unpaid student lunch accounts is one thats spread across communities all over the country. When Bleth first heard about a man in Burlington, Iowa donating money to pay off school debt owed for lunches, she felt inspired to do the same.

So on Oct. 27, Bleth donated more than $3,000 to Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Council Bluffs to pay in full all unpaid student lunch accounts.I had some extra cash I had been looking to donate, Bleth said. I like knowing where exactly my money is going, so I thought what a great way to donate back to the community.

Bleth first learned of the unpaid student accounts after she called the Council Bluffs Community School District and discovered that four schools within the district currently dont receive free lunches including Lewis & Clark Elementary School, Abraham Lincoln High School, Crescent Elementary and College View Elementary.Schools offering free meals in the C.B. district are able to do so through a national reimbursement school lunch program called Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). In order for a school to qualify for CEP, a school has to have a high poverty level, meaning at least 40 percent of enrolled students have to meet the low-income federal requirements. Since the schools listed above dont quality for CEP, students have to pay for their lunches; however, elementary students are fed regardless of how much money a student might owe, district nutrition services director Virginia Bechtold said.Were really looking to help the family as much as we can to get free meals, Bechtold said.

Out of the four non-qualified schools, Bleth picked Lewis & Clark due to its proximity to Beginning Memories Preschool  a preschool center she first opened five years ago.Every year it grows a little more because of the people and community in Council Bluffs, Bleth said. I really think its important to give back and reach your hand back. Lord knows if people werent reaching back to help me theres no way Id have any sort of success today.

When Superintendent Martha Bruckner first got the call about the donation, she said she could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Memory has given us a dramatic example of paying it forward, and has thus made a very nice difference for many of our struggling families, Bruckner said. My first memories of meeting Memory are filled with amazement and gratitude. Were so fortunate to have such an unexpected gift.

Ultimately, Bleth hopes her unexpected donation will help to inspire others to give back to the community.

I hope it can help some people out, Bleth said. And I hope I can inspire someone else in the community to do something else.
Arthur Richard Dick Gross, 88, of Richland, Michigan and a long-time publisher of The Daily Nonpareil, died Oct. 11 at Rose Arbor Hospice Residence in Kalamazoo, Michigan, following a brief illness.

Gross, a Wisconsin native, was appointed publisher-general manager of The Nonpareil in 1969, four years after the Council Bluffs newspaper had been purchased by Thomson Newspapers Inc.

He continued as The Nonpareils publisher and general manager until his retirement in April 1988.

Tom Kean, who served as The Nonpareils advertising manager for 11 years during Grosss tenure as publisher, remembered Gross as a man who was dedicated to the newspaper and the community it served.

Kean recalled that Gross attitude was that projects that were great for Council Bluffs were great for The Nonpareil.

He said Gross and The Nonpareil were involved from the outset with Pride Week, the annual spring celebration that is now called Celebrate CB.

He was a detail-oriented person who demanded high standards for all of The Nonpareils departments, said Ed McGrath, who was hired by Gross and served as The Nonpareils managing editor for seven years.

He was one who would promote anything that was good for the community, said Sue Hendricks, who served as Grosss secretary for six years. He was very family oriented and an avid supporter of The Nonpareils Goodfellows program to assist less fortunate residents of the city with food for families and gift certificates for children at Christmas.

He was a word person, an avid reader and very involved in a local book club, she said.

Before coming to Council Bluffs, he had served as publisher of the Austin (Minnesota) Daily Herald from 1966 to 1969.

Gross earned a B.A. (1950) and an M.B.A. (1953) from the University of Wisconsin before beginning a career in hospital administration in Madison. He later took a position in newspaper management with Thomson Newspapers in Chicago.

While in Iowa, Gross was active in the Iowa Newspaper Association, serving as president of the statewide organization in 1986. The INA honored Gross with its Master Editor-Publisher award in 1985.

Under Grosss leadership, the 1970s saw the introduction of new technology at The Nonpareil, with computers and a unit to justify lines of type. The printing composition process transitioned from a hot-metal system to a photographic process. The 1800s Linotype machines were replaced by phototypesetting.

More than a quarter of a million dollars was invested in state-of-the-art equipment and remodeling of the building. Later, despite a national recession in 1981, the company invested in a new offset press and computerized typesetting with a price tag of about $1 million.

Both McGrath and Hendricks recalled Gross as being active in Rotary during the years he lived in Council Bluffs, during which he and his wife hosted a foreign exchange student from France.

Gross, who was a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, continued his involvement with Rotary following his retirement.

Along with his wife, Virginia, Gross is survived by three daughters, Katherine (Gary Mittelbach) Gross of Richland, Anne (Jeff) Allen of Columbus, Ohio, and Elizabeth (Doug Fenn) Gross of Louisville, Kentucky; two sons, Richard (Laura) Gross of Morgantown, West Virginia, and David (Tracy Martin) Gross of East Hardwick, Vermont; eight grandchildren; a great-grandson; and his brother, Philip (Helene) Gross of Phoenix. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Jeanne Kalupa; and a brother, Peter Gross.
One of states longest-enduring glass ceilings was shattered earlier this month with President-elect Donald Trumps selection of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, the longest-serving governor in the nation, to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to China.

Branstad, who boasts a 30-year relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the most powerful Chinese leader in decades, must still be confirmed by the Senate. He has met periodically with Xi since 1985 when both were political upstarts.

Branstads acceptance of Trumps offer of the ambassadorship and the anticipated quick confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate, opened the door for Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds to ascend to the governors office, where she would become the first woman governor in the states 178-year history as a territory and state.

When elected alongside Branstad in 2011, Reynolds was the fifth consecutive woman to serve as Iowas lieutenant governor. Shes set to become the 43rd Iowan  and the first woman  to serve as governor. Her move to the states highest office will shatter the final glass ceiling left for Iowa women in politics.

I have been honored to be a full partner with Gov. Branstad in this administration and know that the experience Ive gained over the last six years has prepared me well for this next chapter of service to all Iowans, Reynolds said.

At the beginning of 2014, Iowa had never elected a woman to Congress, no woman had ever served as governor and the Iowa House had never had a female speaker. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Rep. Linda Upmeyer and now Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds have made history at what some term lightning speed over the past two years. When Upmeyer gaveled the General Assembly into session last January, she was joined by Senate president Pam Jochum, marking the first time the Iowa Legislature had two female lawmakers as presiding officers.

Reynolds, now 57, was a first-term state senator when Branstad chose her to run as his lieutenant governor. She had worked as a board member for the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System from 1996 to 2001 and served four terms as Clark County treasurer before being elected to the Iowa Senate in 2008. While in the Senate, she served on five committees: Economic growth; environment and energy independence; local government, where she was the ranking member; rebuild Iowa; and transportation. Reynolds was followed in the Iowa Senate by Ernst who went on to win a seat in the U.S. Senate following the retirement of long-time Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.

Former Sen. Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said Reynolds received a good education while serving with Branstad for the past six years. Now its time for her to chart her own course. Im sure Democrats will cooperate on things that will be beneficial to Iowa.

State Senator-elect Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, like Gronstal, whom he defeated in the November election, said Reynolds should be well prepared to step into the governors role. He was also quick to note that Branstads selection to serve as ambassador to China could open the door to lots of opportunities for trade deals that would be beneficial to Iowa.

Their partnership has been unprecedented, Iowa Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, R-Council Bluffs, said of Branstad-Reynolds administration. They have taken on the job as partners. Lt. Gov. Reynolds has been involved in every aspect of state government. I think shes very well qualified to take the governors job.
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The U.S. produces billions of pumpkins each year, most of which end up in the trash when Halloween ends. From composting them to putting them out for wildlife to eat, here are some recycling ideas.
Heidi Schmidt of Denton, Nebraska, received stunning news Monday: President Barack Obama pardoned her for a drug crime she committed in 2004.

This has been such a blessing, Schmidt said by phone Monday night. Its been an amazing day.

She limited all other comments to a statement she had prepared with her attorney, Natalie Hazen of Lincoln.

Schmidt and another Nebraskan, Shari Trompke of Grand Island, were among the 78 people the president pardoned Monday. Trompke could not be reached for comment.

Obama also commuted the sentences of 153 others convicted of federal crimes, granting the greatest number of individual clemencies in a single day by any president, the White House said Monday.

Click here to read more about Obama's recent pardons.

Obama pardons 78, shortens the sentence for 153 HONOLULU (AP)  President Barack Obama has pardoned 78 people and shortened the sentence of 153 others convicted of federal crimes, the greate

Obamas latest clemencies made for a total of 148 people receiving pardons and 1,176 people having shortened sentences, many for drug offenses, as in the cases of Schmidt and Trompke.

Schmidt had been convicted of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and sentenced to 30 months in prison, five years of supervised release and 250 hours of community service.

Tromke had been convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and sentenced to 36 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

Both were able to move forward Monday with full civil rights that had been lost with a felony conviction, including the right to be a juror, hold public office, bear arms, obtain a passport, serve in the military and obtain government grants, loans, public housing and educational funding. And on job applications they can state that they received a full presidential pardon of their convictions.

The Obama administration notified Schmidt by phone about 8:30 a.m. Monday, ahead of a press release that afternoon on the pardons and commutations.

I am thankful to President Obama and his administration for this blessing that they have bestowed upon me, Schmidt said in her prepared statement. Since my release from prison in 2007, I have made it my lifes work to be a productive and positive member of society by serving my community, church and private organizations throughout Nebraska.

I give the glory in this pardon to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Schmidt was shocked by the news, Hazen said. Her client had applied for the pardon and had letters of recommendation sent to the administration. Officials then followed up this fall by interviewing those who wrote the recommendations and passing along their own thoughts to the president.

Schmidt is an extremely private person, who keeps her nose to the grindstone and goes about her business," Hazen said.

Since Schmidts prison release she has helped others who have struggled and are trying to improve their lives, the attorney said. The pardon helps give Schmidt the ability to say you can make a change, and its not hopeless.

Shes pretty special to me, Hazen said of her client. And Im very proud of her.

The full statement from Schmidt:

I received notification from the office of President Obama on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, that I would be receiving a full presidential pardon for the crime I committed in 2004. I am thankful to President Obama and his administration for this blessing that they have bestowed upon me. Since my release from prison in 2007, I have made it my lifes work to be a productive and positive member of society by serving my community, church and private organizations throughout Nebraska. I give the glory in this pardon to my Savior, Jesus Christ.
They may have had an underwhelming 2016 season but the Manly Sea Eagles have several intriguing Fantasy buys in their ranks this season, including several potential keepers and a cut-price former Kangaroos winger.

Pre-register for the NRL Fantasy 2017 season now

Fantasy guns

Jake Trbojevic (2RF, $492,000): His brother Tom may dominate the highlight reels but the elder Trbojevic's star has been on the rise in a big way in the past 12 months, with the prop-turned-lock earning a Kangaroos call-up for the 2016 Four Nations. He was one of Manly's best last season and contributed a tick under 52 points a game, with big tackle counts on a regular basis. As a leader of the club it's hard to see his impact going backwards anytime soon.

Daly Cherry-Evans (HLF, $471,000): DCE's first season under his bumper new contract wasn't one to remember but he still managed to be a strong performer in Fantasy, scoring just under 50 points a game. As a Fantasy half he gives you everything but goals  he sets up tries, dominates his team's kicking game, makes his fair share of tackles and can break the defensive line as well. If Manly get a few more wins this season expect to see Cherry-Evans' scores rise into the 50s.

Wildcards

Tom Trbrojevic (WFB, CTR, $391,000): He's the future Manly fullback but in terms of Fantasy scores, Tom Trbojevic's best position may actually be centre. He averaged 39 in 12 games at fullback in 2016, including five tries. He averaged 40 in seven games on the wing, including three tries, but averaged 49 in four games at centre, including two tries. To be fair, he looks like a Fantasy keeper wherever he lines up on the field.

[2016] Player Stats: Telstra Premiership: Tom Trbojevic



Martin Taupau (2RF, $471,000): As a forward who makes more of an impression with his running game than his defensive work, Taupau can be an erratic Fantasy scorer  he can go big (see his massive 92-point effort in Round 2 last year) when he notches a lot of tackle busts, but can also go quiet at times (he scored just 27 in 80 minutes a month after that monster 92). The key for his Fantasy scores is his game time  when he played in the back row he scored 53 points a game last year, but when he played reduced minutes in the front row he averaged only 42.

Cash cow

Akuila Uate (WFB, $177,000): Not that long ago, Uate was a fixture on the wing for NSW and Australia. The Sea Eagles will be hoping to see more of that barnstorming speedster of old after signing him from Newcastle, where Uate scored just 18 points a game last year. Those scores included just a single try and two line breaks from 10 games  numbers that will surely improve if Uate gets anywhere near back to his best. At the very least the Sea Eagles are a stronger attacking outfit than Newcastle, so the winger should see a few more scoring chances come his way. At just $177,000, he could be worth a gamble.

2017 NRL Fantasy prices

Jake Trbojevic (2RF, $492,000)

Daly Cherry-Evans (HLF, $471,000)

Martin Taupau (2RF, $471,000)

Tom Trbojevic (WFB, CTR, $391,000)

Apisai Koroisau (HOK, HLF, $374,000)

Blake Green (HLF, $335,000)

Dylan Walker (CTR, $317,000)

Brenton Lawrence (FRF, $316,000)

Nate Myles (FRF, $302,000)

Pita Godinet (HOK, HLF, $295,000)

Darcy Lussick (FRF, $283,000)

Jorge Taufua (WFB, $268,000)

Addin Fonua-Blake (FRF, $253,000)

Cameron Cullen (HLF, $248,000)

Curtis Sironen (2RF, $244,000)

Jarrad Kennedy (2RF, $207,000)

Lewis Brown (2RF, CTR, $202,000)

Steve Matai (CTR, $202,000)

Jonathan Wright (WFB, $201,000)

Matthew Wright (WFB, CTR, $185,000)

Shaun Lane (2RF, $180,000)

Akuila Uate (WFB, $177,000)

Frank Winterstein (2RF, $175,000)

Brett Stewart (WFB, $148,000)

Lloyd Perrett (FRF, $143,000)

Brad Parker (WFB, $143,000)

Brian Kelly (CTR, $138,000)

More NRL Fantasy guides for 2017

Pre-register for the NRL Fantasy 2017 season now
Despite the media and fan excitement generated by the consecutive casting of a female lead in the two most recent Star Wars movies, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story star Felicity Jones seems politely unsurprised.

Im asked a lot, Oh, my God. Its a female lead. I sort of feel like, if it was a giraffe leading it, then that would be a weird point of conversation, Jones says. While the rest of Hollywood is still struggling to diversify their call sheets, Jones has already moved on to the next phase, where casting a woman in an action movie is old news.

It would be very unusual to have a giraffe as the lead, Jones repeats with such calm sincerity that it makes the listener unsure if its OK to make jokes about how a giraffe would fit into the Millennium Falcon.

In the midst of a whirlwind Star Wars press tour, Jones has stopped for a brisk tea at the Hotel Bel-Air, just a few hours before she, and the rest of the Rogue One cast, will climb out of a life-size X-Wing spacecraft on Jimmy Kimmel Live. For someone who is mere moments from climbing out of a giant spaceship in heels on television, shes collected, focused and unafraid to challenge the very premise of anyquestions.

Will the world ever stop being amazed when Hollywood builds a blockbuster action film around a female character? Jones leans forward, gently insisting, Were there now. Were there now.

The English actress warm earnestness is a refreshing turn from the canned answers that often tumble out from actors on the promotion trail. Shes cheery but real. Kind but candid. When asked what she took with her from the Rogue One shoot she offers, precisely, my characters (Jyn Ersos) boots. I wore those boots even before shooting. I would wear them for weeks before to kind of get the feel of them. I felt very close to those boots.

But when pressed if there was anything emotionally she took with her after months of running, jumping and explosions in Jordan and the Maldives, she tactfully disagrees with the basis of the question itself. I think, as an actor, you have to have quite a strong sense of self, Jones says. Its not that I change from role to role. My job is to take on different characters for that time. Even if youre crying or doing emotional scenes, youre actually having a really good time. Contrary to the stereotype of the actor, you have to be quite stable, quite solid and consistent.

Up until now, Jones has been known for her dramatic work  playing characters like Anne Franks older sister, Miranda, in The Tempest, Anna in the the improvised romance Like Crazy  culminating in an Oscar nomination for the role of Jane Hawking in Theory of Everything. All very different from the word of blasters, Stormtroopers and Death Stars.

How do the two differ? There are less lightsabers on the awards circuit, she jokes. However, the perks of being a member of the galaxy far, far away is not lost on Jones. Weve been doing these fan events for Star Wars. The atmosphere is like being at a birthday party because there is so much excitement and its so infectious. You say Yoda, and people just cheer.

No doubt people will be cheering at the name Jyn Erso soon. And this is with a band of entirely new characters  with a little help from Darth Vader.

The first film in this latest cycle of Star Wars movies, J.J. Abrams The Force Awakens, had the luxury of introducing new faces through the lens of the original players and the narrative George Lucas put in motion more than 30 years ago. Rogue One is the first Star Wars spinoff separate from the Episode movies.

As such, Jones Jyn doesnt have to carry the same narrative burden that Daisy Ridleys The Force Awakens character Rey does. Instead, Jyn gets to set the world on fire as an ex-con who leads a band of Rebel scum into the belly of the beast (the Empire) to steal the plans to the Death Star. It is one of the more violent Star Wars offerings to date. Half heist movie, half war story, Rogue One appealed to Jones because of Jyn Ersos skeptical nature.

She doesnt believe in anything, Jones says. Shes a little bit lost. Shes actually on a search for, in many ways, an identity. Shes lost both her parents. I liked how, true to Star Wars, its someone finding their destiny in the galaxy and finding their place. Someone who, actually, without being aggressive, finds her true leadership skills in appreciating what everyone else in the team has that could contribute to their mission.

Jyn becomes a reluctant Rebel and joins tortured rogue Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), the droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), a blind warrior named Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), his cohort Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), and Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed) on their mission to steal those schematics  which puts them in the crosshairs of the ambitious Imperial thug Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn).

But at the end of the day, even though its an ensemble, its Jones character who emerges as the films hero  something that was baked into Rogue Ones DNA from the beginning.

Having three daughters, it was very plain to me that they could use more strong female characters in Star Wars that they could relate to, said John Knoll, the chief creative officer of Industrial Light & Magic and the person who hatched the idea of Rogue One. And he pushed for Jyn to be cast as a female. Thats sort of where Jyn came from  a feeling that it was right for Star Wars.
EAST CHICAGO  A 28-year-old man was hospitalized after apparently shooting himself in the leg, police said.

East Chicago police were dispatched about 10 a.m. to the 3900 block of Elm Street for a report of a gunshot victim, Lt. Marguerite Wilder said.

The man, of East Chicago, initially told police he was shot by a man attempting to get inside his home, she said.

The man gave police a gun he claimed caused his wounds. However, a crime scene investigator determined the gun didn't match a shell casing found at the scene, police said.

Upon questioning, the man admitted the gun didn't cause his wounds and said the gun that did was no longer in his possession, Wilder said.

Police suspect the man accidentally shot himself, she said. He was taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary for treatment.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Angelo Machuca at (219) 391-8318. To remain anonymous, call (219) 391-8500.
MICHIGAN CITY  A Michigan City man has pleaded guilty in connection with a puppy discovered badly injured when he limped to a neighbor's yard on Christmas Day 2015.

Richard Cope, 51, is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 27 in LaPorte Superior Court 4 after Judge Greta Friedman on Friday took his plea under advisement.

If accepted, Cope will be convicted of intimidation, a Level 6 felony; torturing or mutilating an animal, a Level 6 felony; and animal neglect or abandonment, a class A misdemeanor.

In exchange, he agreed to serve no more than a 30-month sentence.

Cope is accused of breaking the pit bull's hips, along with other injuries, and taping his nose shut prior to the dog being discovered next door last Christmas.

Several people noticed the dog in the backyard wheezing, foaming at the mouth and stumbling, according to the police report.

According to authorities, Cope left the area after police questioned him. In late January, he was arrested in El Paso, Texas.

Cope has a prior criminal history that includes a 12-year prison sentence in Louisiana for armed robbery in the mid-1990s and one year jail sentence for battery on a child under age 13 in DeKalb County in northeast Indiana, according to court records.

Guardians of the Green Mile, a dog rescue group out of Portage, paid for the dog's surgically repaired shattered hips and procedures to heal the sores on the inside of his mouth from having his snout wrapped in electrical tape for an extended period.

The plea also calls for Cope to repay the sheriff's office the more than $1,100 cost of having him transported back here to face charges and undisclosed costs related to the dog's surgery.
CROWN POINT  A 55-year-old man is accused of beating and raping a deaf woman Thursday at his East Chicago residence.

Terry S. Johnson was charged Friday in Lake Criminal Court with rape, criminal confinement, kidnapping and battery resulting in serious bodily injury.

Police were dispatched Friday to Johnson's residence on the 3400 block of Fir Street after receiving reports of a possible kidnapping, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Johnson told police at the home everything was alright, but when police entered the residence, a topless injured woman was found crying, the affidavit states.

The woman was transported to the hospital, where she told police through a sign language interpreter that she was invited to Johnson's home the night before to drink, but when she attempted to leave, he became upset.

She said Johnson followed her home and attacked her when she was near her residence, the affidavit states.

She said Johnson punched her and then dragged her to his home, where he forced her to swallow a pill and then raped her, according to the affidavit.

The next morning, the woman said she convinced Johnson to let her use the bathroom, at which point she texted a friend asking for help, the affidavit states.

The woman underwent a sexual assault examination, and she was treated for bruises to her lower back, abdomen and face, the affidavit states.

Johnson is in police custody on a $100,000 bond, according to court records.
EAST CHICAGO  Less than half of the tenants in the West Calumet housing complex have moved, reported an attorney for the East Chicago Housing Authority during a Housing Commission meeting Monday.

Jewell Harris Jr. said housing authority officials are doing a good job of coordinating moves. He said they have been working to modify the relocation program based on directives from HUD. Tenants have been told to move because the land is contaminated with lead and arsenic. HUD agreed to make sure the tenants had access to relocation benefits, including housing vouchers.

"We are midway through the process," Harris said. "Hopefully we are on target with complying with the March 31 deadline. There were 1,000 or so people who were told they had to move. There are still a little more than half still there. With the holidays upon us, some people are taking a pause and will likely get back on track. The time was extended to give people an opportunity to locate housing."

Harris said tenants also are using other housing authorities in other communities.

"They can go anywhere in the country. That's been part of the difficulty in dealing with this. We are dealing with landlords in Texas, New York and other places. It's been a challenge. We're also not just dealing with the West Calumet residents, we're also dealing with our residents in the three other housing complexes. Those residents also still need our attention," he said.

Housing commissioners learned a couple of issues have cropped up.

In some cases, residents who had Section 8 vouchers to move got a voucher from another community. Authority Executive Director Tia Cauley said when that happens, "the tenant is basically absorbed by another housing authority and they lose that voucher from East Chicago and are no longer protected under that particular voucher, and we can use the voucher for any other applicant."

Another issue is that because tenants are moving into other communities, they have not turned in their keys to the housing authority.

"We had some emergency calls over the weekend about busted pipes," Cauley said. "They turned off NIPSCO but the water hadn't been turned off. They haven't given us the keys. We're getting the water turned off because it's affecting other apartments when the pipes burst," Cauley said.

In response to a question from Beatrice Martinez, commission vice president, about the protocol tenants are supposed to follow when they move out, Cauley said it used to be there were certain things they had to do such as turning off utilities, turn in the key and provide a forwarding address, but what's happening is that they are in the middle of moving out of one apartment and moving into another and they have personal items in both places.
CROWN POINT  Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington is asking his social media friends to help him find families in need this season.

Washington, D-Merrillville, said Monday he gave a Christmas tree and coats for five children over the weekend to a family in Gary's Glen Park section whose father recently died.

"I'm going to homes to donate Christmas gifts, and I'd like for people to submit the name of a family they would like me to do this for all over the county. I did a video on Facebook and got almost 2,000 views," he said, adding he plans to go to four more homes on Christmas Eve.

He said Gary City Councilwoman LaVetta Sparks-Wade and Randy Palmateer, business manager of the Northwestern Indiana Building and Construction Trades Council, are assisting his giveaway.

He said he and Palmateer also were giving gifts Monday at shelters for battered women in Crown Point, Gary and East Chicago on behalf of Helping Hands, a volunteer group that raises money from trades union members, contractors and others.

Earlier this month, Washington pleaded guilty to battery resulting in bodily injury and invasion of privacy, both class A misdemeanors, for pushing his wife during a Dec. 3, 2015, domestic dispute and four months later violating a court protective order to stay away from his family.

A special prosecutor dismissed felony charges that would have forced him to resign as a councilman as part of a plea bargain.
VALPARAISO  John Evans, Porter County Board of Commissioners president, slammed down the gavel Tuesday afternoon, bringing an end not only to the group's last business meeting of the year, but also to four decades of service to county government.

"I didn't think this day would ever get here," Evans said.

Looking out on those who attended the meeting for business or simply to say goodbye, Evans reflected on how many of the faces were the same when he first took over as commissioner 16 years ago.

The funeral director and owner of the Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home and Heritage Cemetery had earlier been associated with the county coroner's office for 25 years. The Republican held the elected post of coroner for four terms.

"This is a guy who has never lost an election," Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, said when presenting Evans with a plaque of appreciation.

Evans also was presented Tuesday with a Distinguished Hoosier recognition from state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso.

"Indiana treasures individuals who give their time and talents out of an abiding sense of responsibility, commitment and concern for others," the plaque reads.

Soliday joked that he was not holding it against Evans that he and former state Rep. Ralph Ayres, R-Chesterton, had talked him into running for his Statehouse seat.

"We're very, very proud of the work you've done," Soliday said.

Earlier, during the business portion of the meeting, Mike Anton, who is the servicing agent for the county's health insurance plan, lauded Evans.

"It's been a pleasure to work with you," he said.

Evans said he has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of well-wishes he has received over the last several days. He read a short writing that spoke about doing good in the face of opposition and said that had been his intention.
TORONTO, ONTARIO / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / The Joint Venture (JV) with Augustine Ventures Inc. (CNSX:WAW) (or "Augustine"), Red Pine Exploration Inc. (RPX.V) ("Red Pine"), and Citabar LLP has received results for holes sampled as part of its sampling program of historic core at its Wawa Gold Project. The Company has also completed two additional boreholes (SD-16-44 and SD-16-45) of its on-going exploration program.

Highlights from the Sampling Program include:

6.38 metres @ 14.94 g/t gold in hole U0590L3, including 0.86 metre @ 109 g/t in previously un-sampled core, and 20.27 metres @ 2.63 g/t gold in U0678L5 (see Figure 1 and Table 1);

The discovery of additional gold in three gold zones in the hanging wall of the Surluga Deposit 1 ; and

An increase in the gold weighted average (sum of individual intercepts gold grade times length) for 10 of the 25 sampled holes, and an average increase of the intersection length in 7 of the 25 holes (see Table 1).

Highlights from the on-going Drilling Program include:

Visible gold 2 at three separate locations in the hanging wall of the Jubilee Shear Zone (hole SD-16-44) (see Figure 1);

Visible gold 2 in a quartz vein in the hanging wall of the Jubilee Shear (hole SD-16-45) (see Figure 1);

Visible gold2 in 4 discrete locations in the Jubilee Shear Zone between 148.5 and 160.7 metres (hole SD16-45) outside the current pit constrained resource.

Figure 1 - Overview of the historic drill holes with weighted gold average increase and 2016 drill holes.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: [http://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/698/24187_a1482181840044_74.jpg]

Quentin Yarie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Red Pine states, "We are quite surprised to see that material containing up to 109 g/t gold was left un-sampled in the Surluga Deposit1. This illustrates the untapped potential of the Surluga Deposit1 left by the partial sampling of the main ore structure by previous operators. We are also pleased to see that the core sampling program continues to have positive impacts on the gold weighted average for some of the sampled holes.

Story continues

The observation of visible gold2 in multiple quartz veins in the hanging wall of the Jubilee Shear Zone, in both SD-16-44 and SD-16-45, indicate the potential of the hanging wall of the deposit to host gold mineralization. The observation of multiple spots with visible gold1 in the Jubilee Shear Zone in SD-16-45 indicates that this hole may have intersected an extension of the high-grade core of the Surluga Deposit1."

Bob Dodds, President and CEO of Augustine, states "We are extremely pleased that our exploration program consistently returns good results that support our geological model. More gold has been identified in the core of the Surluga Deposit1 and in the hanging wall (see press releases of November 22 and November 29, 2016). Extensions of the Jubilee Shear Zone, which hosts the Surluga Deposit, and the Hornblende Shear Zone, which conceivably may duplicate the Jubilee Shear Zone, about 525 meters to the north of the Surluga Deposit1 (see press release of December 7, 2016) further adds to the potential in the Wawa Gold Corridor"

Sampling of historic core

The current sampling of 42,000 metres of historic drilling (from 318 underground and 119 surface drill holes) continues to define additional gold in many of the historic boreholes that intersected the Jubilee Shear Zone, host of the Surluga Deposit1 - a 1.088 million ounces inferred resource. The Joint Venture concluded that the sampling gaps left in the Surluga Deposit1 were negatively impacting the inferred resource since all these un-sampled intervals were assigned a value of 0 g/t gold in the last resource statement1. The spatial distribution of the historic boreholes with notable gold weighted average increases will positively change the current deposit model (see Figure 1).

On-going Drilling Program

The on-going diamond drill program is focussed on expanding the Surluga Deposit1 to the north. Hole SD-16-44 targeted the Surluga Deposit1 in the area where the core sampling program identified 109 g/t gold over 0.86 metre in previously un-sampled material in hole U0590L3 (see Figure 1). Hole SD-16-44 successfully intersected the Jubilee Shear Zone between 143.03 and 192 metres3, as well as the Surluga Road Shear Zone between 221.25 to 245.78 metres3. In addition, hole SD-16-42 intersected two zones of quartz stringers, one between 37.8 and 52 metres4 and the other one between 58.32 and 65.37 metres4. Each zone of quartz stringer includes one vein observed to contain visible gold2. Hole SD-16-44 also intersected a quartz vein with visible gold2 at 2.78 metres.

Hole SD-16-45 is drilled from the same location as SD-16-44 and targeted the interpreted extension of a high-grade zone in the northernmost extension of the Surluga Deposit1 (see Figure 1). Hole SD-16-45 successfully intersected the Jubilee Shear Zone 40 metres up-dip of SD-16-44, along the same section. In the Jubilee, visible gold2 was observed at four different locations at 148.1m, 153m, 155.88m and 160.72m.

Table 1 - Before and after5 intersections above 0.2 g/t gold

Hole Before/After

sampling Structure From (m) To (m) Intersection

length (m) Gold

Weighted

Average

(g/t*m) Grade (g/t

gold) %

changes

gold

weighted

average S213* Before Unnamed

Gold

Zone HW 104.55 105.16 0.61 1.13 1.85 159.3 After 104.55 113.66 9.11 2.93 0.32 S276*

Unnamed

Gold

Zone HW 81.38 96.07 14.69 4.67 0.32 Before Jubilee 193.55 202.84 9.29 7.24 0.78 11.33 After 190.53 202.84 12.31 8.06 0.65 S282* Before Minto A

(HW) 166.12 166.88 0.76 1.12 1.47 117.9 After 160.93 168.71 7.78 2.44 0.31 U0589L3** Before Jubilee 11.4 30.78 19.38 3.22 0.17 630.75 After 11.4 30.78 19.38 23.53 1.21 U0590L3** Before Jubilee 19.35 20.12 0.77 1.59 2.06 5895.6 After 19.35 25.73 6.38 95.33 14.94 U0678L5* Before Jubilee 26.82 47.09 20.27 51.16 2.52 4.22 After 26.82 47.09 20.27 53.32 2.63 U0717L5* Before Jubilee 36.58 52.58 16.00 18.94 1.18 3.17 After 33.22 52.58 19.36 19.54 1.01 U0776L6* Before Jubilee 4.57 42.98 38.41 75.49 1.97 0.7 After 2.38 42.98 40.6 76.02 1.87 U0925L6* Before Jubilee 0 14.63 14.63 19.65 1.34 1.17 After 0 14.63 14.63 19.88 1.36 U0998L6** Before Jubilee 0 7.86 7.86 8.87 1.13 1.13 After 0 7.86 7.86 8.97 1.14



True width has not been calculated for each individual intercept currently reported as drilled length.

*Drill holes for which true width is estimated to be greater than 70% of drilled length

** Drill holes for which true width is estimated to be greater than 65% of drilled length

On-site Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") Measures

Drill core samples are transported in security-sealed bags for analyses at Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Timmins, Ontario. Individual samples are labeled, placed in plastic sample bags and sealed. Groups of samples are then placed into durable rice bags that are then shipped. The remaining coarse reject portions of the samples remain in storage at the Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Timmins, Ontario as required in the event that further work or verification is needed.

The Manager of the JV has implemented a quality-control program to comply with best practices in the sampling and analysis of drill core. As part of its QA/QC program, Manager inserts external gold standards (low to high grade) and blanks every 20 samples in addition to random standards, blanks, and duplicates.

Qualified Person

Quentin Yarie, P Geo. is the qualified person responsible for preparing, supervising and approving the scientific and technical content of this news release.

1NI 43-101 inferred resource of 1,088,000 ounces of gold at 1.71 grams per tonne (g/t) using a 0.40 g/t gold cut-off grade for pit-constrained and 2.50 g/t gold cut-off grade for underground-constrained resources, contained in 19.82 million tonnes open along strike and at depth. The Cut-off grades are based on a gold price of US$1,250 per once and a gold recovery of 95 percent ((Independent Technical Report, Wawa Gold Project, Wawa, Ontario: Ronacher and McKenzie Geoscience and SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc (effective June 30, 2016)). The report is available on www.SEDAR.com under Augustine's profile.

2Gold visible with the naked eye - "visible gold"

3Drilling intersections in the Jubilee Shear Zone and Surluga Road Shear Zone are estimated to be greater than 85% true width.

4As they were just discovered, the true width of the stringer zones remain unknown.

5Before results are entirely historical and are based on assay results obtained during drill programs conducted between 1961 and 1989 by previous operators of the Wawa Gold Project. After results represents the combination of the historical results with the new assay results obtained by Red Pine Exploration as part of its sampling program. Red Pine's sampling of the core involves re-measuring the historical boreholes and sampling the un-sampled core pieces left in the historical intersections. A full QA/QC program is implemented as part of Red Pine sampling program. All the sampled historical boreholes with the new sample locations are also systematically photographed as part of the sampling protocols.

About Augustine Ventures Inc.

Augustine Ventures Inc. is a junior gold exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Company's common shares trade on the CSE under the symbol "WAW".

Augustine has a 30% interest in the Wawa Gold Project and has entered into a Joint Venture Agreement with Citabar LLP and Red Pine Exploration. The Wawa Gold Project is now owned by Citabar/Red Pine/Augustine in the ratio of 40%, 30% and 30%, respectively. Under the terms of the JVA, Red Pine is the Manager of the Joint Venture which continues to explore and advance the current gold resource on the property. Red Pine and Augustine have entered into a definitive agreement (November 14, 2016) to consolidate their ownership of the Wawa Gold Project.

For additional information contact:

Augustine Ventures Inc.

Robert (Bob) Dodds, President & CEO

Tel: (416) 363 2528

Cell: (905) 599-2025

Email: bdodds@augustineventures.com

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, potential mineral resources and mineral reserves) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identifiable by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", may", "could", "would", "might" or "will", "estimates", "expect", "intend", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts" and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, the price of gold and other risks identified in the Company's most recent filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR.com. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE: Augustine Ventures Inc.
CALUMET CITY  A woman at a child care center was stuck by a stray bullet Monday afternoon, police said.

Calumet City police issued a news release saying that police and emergency medical services personnel responded at 5 p.m. to the Childrens Home Center in the 1600 block of Dolton Road for a report of a gunshot victim.

Officers arrived on scene and found a 47-year-old female victim from Chicago. The woman suffered a gunshot wound and was transported to a local trauma center by the Calumet City EMS Personnel where she is listed in stable condition.

Police said the investigation revealed the victim, an employee of the day care center, was struck by a stray bullet and was not the intended target. The female victim was the only person injured during the incident.

Calumet City police are investigating and request that anyone with information to call the Calumet City Police Department at (708) 868-2500.
SOUTH HOLLAND  Illinois State Police are seeking tips about a man who fired at least one bullet into an officer's unmarked squad car after the officer attempted to talk to him.

The trooper, who was not in uniform, was on duty about 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 when he attempted to question a suspicious person at the Halsted Street toll plaza off Interstate 294, police said.

After the trooper identified himself as a police officer, the man produced a handgun and reached into the open driver's side window of the squad car. The two struggled for the gun, and the man fired at least one shot inside the car before fleeing, police said.

The officer was not shot, but suffered an injury and was treated at a hospital. He's still recovering from his injuries, police said.

Police searched the area for the man, but he wasn't located. Police on Tuesday released a surveillance photo of the man and a composite sketch.

The man was described as black, in this late 40s to early 50s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and 180 pounds with a slender build. He wore a patchy and unkempt black and white beard with significantly more white in the goatee area, police said. He walked with a slight limp.

Anyone with information is asked to call Illinois State Police at 630-241-6800, ext. 5028. Callers may remain anonymous.
LOWELL  The Town Council gave a preliminary nod to a 2 percent pay increase for all town employees.

The council is expected to give final approval to the 2017 salary ordinance when it meets at 7 p.m. Dec. 27.

Salaries had been a topic in earlier work sessions with the council agreeing a bump in pay was necessary for those employed by the town.

Clerk-Treasurer Judy Walters said the pay increase is for employees, not elected officials, whose pay will remain the same. She said the pay for a first class patrolman in the Police Department is up a bit, too.

The council agreed Monday to appropriate $150,000 from the town's share of gambling revenue to help fund Lowell's share of costs on the Rt. 2 Curb and Sidewalk Project. The Indiana Department of Transportation covers 80 percent of the project, while Lowell must match with 20 percent.

Council Vice President LeAnn Angerman commended town crews for a job well done plowing snow during the recent storm.

Town Manager Jeff Sheridan agreed, and said the town is always looking to improve this service. He explained to residents that 46 tons of an untreated salt/sand mixture spread in recent days is less effective as temperatures go down. Some residents had let the town know, he said. A greater amount of sand is added to compensate at lower temperatures. He is checking into other products to increase efficiency.

Dorothy Eich, of the Lowell Woman's Club, requested and received a waiver of vendors' license fees from the Town Council. The waiver would apply to the 2017 Barktoberfest to be held in October at the Lowell Bark Park at Freedom Park.

Walters said the fees are waived, but town staffers will still do background checks as is standard practice.
VALPARAISO  Porter County is on pace to break a record this year and it's nothing to brag about.

Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris told a group of law enforcement officers last week that 2016 will be a record year for heroin overdoses, opiate overdoses and total overdoses.

"In 2015 we recorded 16, which was a high, and I know we have already surpassed that number," Harris said.

But at least 33 lives were saved this year from overdoses. Twenty-eight police officers from six Porter County departments administered Narcan in 2016, saving a life.

Those 28 were recognized with a newly created Phoenix award, representing the rising from near death, Harris said, at the annual Porter County Drunk Driving Task Force's and Porter County Substance Abuse Council's banquet.

Traditionally, officers who make significant arrests for driving under the influence are recognized. This year the Phoenix award was added to recognize officers' efforts in saving lives from drug overdoses.

During the year, police made 1,044 drunken driving arrests.

They were thanked by Gina Pike, of Valparaiso, a recovering alcoholic who was arrested three times for drunken driving and who has now been sober for about five years.

"Thank you for pulling me over," she told the officers.

"I thank them every day. I could have hurt someone, killed someone," she said, adding she wasn't pleasant to police when she was arrested.

Aaron Miersma, a five-year veteran of the Chesterton Police Department, received the award for making the most arrests for driving under the influence in 2016. He arrested 38 people. It was the fourth time Miersma received the award.

"It has always been a passion of mine, and I always try to be proactive. It's not just a numbers thing, it is the satisfaction of taking someone off the street who has been drinking and keeping the community safe," said Miersma.

Tim Lucas. of the Burns Harbor Police Department, came in second with 32 arrests. Tim Bell and Dan Alonzo, both of the Porter County Sheriff's Department, tied for third with 28 arrests.
It remains a place of honor for some of the best minds and talents our Region  and in a greater sense, our nation  offered to the world.

Three more real-life legends  a Region author, an ecologist and a firefighter/inventor  took their places last week on the South Shore Wall of Legends at Hammond's Indiana Welcome Center.

The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, Ivy Tech and other people and entities who have made the wall possible, continue to remind us of our Region's stellar contributions to society.

Nelson Algren (1909-1981) spent part of his life in Gary. He went on to author the book, "The Man With the Golden Arm," which later was adapted into a movie starring Frank Sinatra.

His writings garnered acclaim for shining a spotlight on the plight of the poor and people suffering from addictions. Algren's notable accolades included a National Book Award presented by former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1950.

Lynton Keith Caldwell (1913-2006), another recent Wall of Legends inductee, developed a love for nature from studying the Indiana Dunes environment while living in Hammond.

He would go on to draft the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, being hailed by many as the grandfather of environmental policy.

Chief Clyde Hamilton McMillan (1930-1982) was the third inductee of 2016.

As a Gary volunteer firefighter, McMillan was injured while responding to the historic Standard Oil fire in 1955. He later designed the first automatic fire nozzle and established a manufacturing company for firefighting equipment.

We encourage anyone who hasn't done so to visit the South Shore Wall of Legends at the Welcome Center. The names and stories upon it are an inspiration of greatness.

Our Region should do all it can to celebrate and draw attention to the best, not the worst, of what our past has offered.

It provides a perfect road map for greatness going forward.
BEIRUT  The leaders of Russia and Iran, military allies of Syria's president, talked Monday about joining forces to reach a quick political settlement in Syria, as the country's largest city, Aleppo, was poised to return to full government control.

Syrian state TV said it expected the evacuation of thousands of civilians and fighters from the last opposition footholds in Aleppo to be completed by early Tuesday.

As more people left the city, the U.N. Security council approved a compromise French-Russian resolution urging the immediate deployment of U.N. monitors to watch over the evacuation and "the well-being of civilians" remaining in the city. U.N. officials said more than 100 U.N. humanitarian staff already on the ground in Aleppo, most of them Syrian nationals, could be used in that role.

France's U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre said the goal of the resolution is "to avoid new mass atrocities by the forces on the ground and the militias in particular." But thousands of people have already been evacuated from the city and the operation could be completed before the observers arrive.

The departure of the last rebels from Aleppo would close another chapter in Syria's civil war and would give President Bashar Assad a significant symbolic and strategic victory.

Almost six years after the outbreak of an armed rebellion against Assad, the Syrian leader will be in charge again of the country's five largest cities and the Mediterranean coast.

The presidents of Russia and Iran spoke by phone Monday to discuss the next moves. The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani "underlined the need for joint efforts to launch a real political process aimed at a quick settlement in Syria."

The leaders noted that a quick launch of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, would be an important step toward that goal, a Kremlin statement said.

The conversation came a day before a scheduled meeting of foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran in Moscow. Russia and Iran have backed Assad, while Turkey has supported the opposition.

The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, welcomed the Moscow meeting and any effort that results in a cessation of hostilities.

He announced that the United Nations hopes to arrange negotiations between the government and opposition in Geneva on Feb. 8.

The Special Envoy will follow with interest the meeting tomorrow between the governments of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. He welcomes any effort that can bring about a cessation of hostilities, which remains a cornerstone of the framework laid down in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) in parallel with the political process. He has also taken note of the possibility that this initiative, and other initiatives, can promote intra-Syrian dialogue. He welcomes all such efforts as potential contributions to the UN process.

In the Turkish capital of Ankara, meanwhile, the Russian ambassador was shot to death by a man shouting, "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria!" The gunman fired at least eight shots, killing Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, at an embassy-sponsored exhibition, and was then slain by police.

Discussing the Security Council resolution calling for monitors in Aleppo, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there would also be observers from the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Crescent.

The resolution also demands that all parties allow unconditional and immediate access for the U.N. and its partners to deliver humanitarian aid and medical care, and "respect and protect all civilians across Aleppo and throughout Syria."

Syria's U.N. Ambassador, Bashar al-Ja'afari, claimed that one of the "main purposes" government opponents pushed for the resolution was to get people into eastern Aleppo to rescue foreign intelligence officers still in the former rebel-held area.

He named 12 alleged officers still trying to get out of Aleppo  six from Saudi Arabia and one each from Turkey, the United States, Israel, Qatar, Jordan and Morocco. He said: "We are going to catch them ... and show them to you."

The rebels captured eastern Aleppo in July 2012 and held on to it despite a ferocious assault in recent months by Syrian government forces, backed by Russia and a host of Shiite militias from Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan.

The evacuation of Aleppo began last week after Turkey and Russia brokered a cease-fire as government forces were closing in on the rebels' last redoubt, but has been repeatedly delayed.

The evacuation of more than 2,000 sick and wounded from the rebel- besieged Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya was tacked onto the deal at the last minute. The opposition's Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen TV said 10 buses left those villages with civilians on Monday.

There are also plans to evacuate hundreds of people from Madaya and Zabadani, two besieged, rebel-held villages near the Lebanese border. The Observatory and Mayadeen said 15 buses entered the two villages on Monday.

Rebel-held eastern Aleppo has been besieged for months, with several previous cease-fires breaking down and virtually no humanitarian aid reaching its tens of thousands of residents.

One of those who left Aleppo on Monday was Mohammed Abu Jaafar, who described a miserable five-kilometer (three-mile) trip that took more than two hours in an overcrowded government bus.

He said they passed three checkpoints, one manned by Russian troops, another by plainclothes Syrian intelligence agents and the third by Syrian troops.

Inside the bus, men, women and children were hungry and cold as they waited for hours in freezing temperatures, he said.

"Children were screaming, and some people fainted," he said, adding that there was no baby formula or diapers.

Among those evacuated Monday was 7-year-old Bana Alabed and her mother Fatemah, who tweeted about the horrors of living through the government's assault on eastern Aleppo, which destroyed much of the city. Their account had some 334,000 followers.

Speaking to the activist-run Qasioun News Agency in the Aleppo countryside, Fatemah said she was glad to have finally reached safety but expressed regret that she was forced out of her home city and said she did not want to become a refugee.

"I left my soul there," she said.

The Observatory and Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later said that since midnight Sunday, some 4,500 people have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo.

Reports differed on how many people remain in eastern Aleppo, but estimates converge around 15,000 civilians and 6,000 fighters.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said a total of 131 wounded people  including 46 children  were brought to Turkey for treatment since the evacuations began last week. The agency said five of them have since died.

___

Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue reported this story from Beirut and AP writer Edith M. Lederer reported from the United Nations.
NEW YORK - A lengthy statement by suspected Chelsea bomber Ahmad Khan Rahimi will not be introduced as evidence in his upcoming trial.

According to the New York Times, federal prosecutors say they will leave out a statement Rahimi made to investigators over several days after his capture back in September.

Rahimi gave the statement before he was read his Miranda rights, but it was taken lawfully under the "public safety exception."

That allows authorities to question a suspect before a lawyer is present if public safety is at stake.

Prosecutors say they won't use the statement because they are looking to quickly bring Rahimi to trial.

The New Jersey man is accused of placing two bombs in Manhattan in September.

One of them exploded and injured more than 30 people.
SAN FRANCISCO  The Japanese business mogul Masayoshi Son pledged to President-elect Donald J. Trump nearly two weeks ago that he would invest in the United States and create about 50,000 jobs.

On Monday, Mr. Sons conglomerate, SoftBank, took what it described as the first step in fulfilling that commitment.

By leading a $1.2 billion investment in OneWeb, which makes satellites for internet access, SoftBank said it was continuing to invest in new technology and supporting job creation in the United States. In their announcement, SoftBank and OneWeb said the investment would create nearly 3,000 jobs in the United States over four years.

Earlier this month, I met with President-elect Trump and shared my commitment to investing and creating jobs in the U.S., Mr. Son said in a statement. America has always been at the forefront of innovation and technological development, and we are thrilled to be playing a part in continuing to drive that growth as we work to create a truly globally connected ecosystem.
When a group of protesters gathered outside his Los Angeles house in October 2011 to voice their anger at OneWests foreclosure practices, police officers were called to disperse the crowd. He responded later by periodically scrubbing the internet of any reference to his home address to protect the privacy of his three young children, according to a filing Mr. Mnuchin made in a 2014 divorce proceeding.

He is more comfortable in his own element  wealthy hedge fund managers like himself.

Days after being tapped by Mr. Trump to be his finance chairman in May, Mr. Mnuchin flew out to a hedge fund conference at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. There, in a swirl of rock concerts, pool parties and casino nights, he schmoozed with billionaires.

Mr. Mnuchin dined with Kenneth C. Griffin, the Chicago hedge fund titan, and government veterans like David H. Petraeus, the former C.I.A. director and retired general, and John A. Boehner, the former House speaker. He shook hands with Leon Cooperman, a 73-year-old pioneer in the industry and another Goldman Sachs alumnus.

The courting paid off: Not long after the hedge fund conference, Mr. Mnuchin helped bring the billionaire investor John A. Paulson on as a donor, as well as Wilbur L. Ross Jr., now Mr. Trumps commerce secretary nominee.

It is these ties, however, that are expected to be fertile ground of investigation for senators who must confirm his selection as Treasury secretary.

I think he would be controversial  former Treasury secretaries have been top bankers and businessmen or lawyers and they were well-recognized top leaders in their professions, said Prof. Richard Sylla at the Stern School of Business of New York University, whose research focuses on financial history and economics. But Mnuchin wasnt that famous as a Goldman Sachs guy, and probably not even as a hedge fund guy, so why is he there? Well, he took the job of raising money for Trump.

Mr. Mnuchin shares a network with some of the biggest names in the $3 trillion hedge fund industry, but his work with Mr. Paulson is of particular interest.
I dont think people appreciated dental hygienists until she came along and made sure they did, said Dr. Tim Hempton, a periodontist at Tufts who shared an office with Dr. Wilkins for a decade.

In 1964, she returned to Tufts to study periodontology and reconnected with another former student, James B. Gallagher Jr., who was recently widowed. They married in 1966.

She taught at Tufts for 45 years, becoming an emeritus professor in 2011. She also traveled the world, giving more than 600 lectures in dozens of countries. At the podium she was formidable, scolding and sometimes funny.

Jane Weiner, one of the many hygienists she mentored, said Dr. Wilkins had liked to joke that bacteria were like children. They start out in the pocket with Mommy and Daddy, she quoted her as saying. They go off to college or other parts of the mouth, and then they come home to roost.

At annual conferences for hygienists, Dr. Wilkins would be mobbed by fans who wanted a snapshot with her.

Youd see a line of people waiting to shake her hand and saying, Please sign my book, Esther!  said Dr. Huw F. Thomas, the dean of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. If only they treated deans of dental schools like that.

In 2013, when Dr. Wilkins was 96 and in a wheelchair, four bodyguards were hired as her entourage. You should have seen that woman, said Ms. Battrell, of the hygienists association. She was frail, but she was beaming because she had four big buff Boston cops surrounding her.
By David Bautz, PhD



NASDAQ:BCLI





Plan for Phase 3 Program and Hospital Exemption



On December 19, 2016, BrainStorm (BCLI) announced that the company had a successful end of Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. FDA in which the FDA accepted the key elements of the Phase 3 program for NurOwn in ALS. The planned Phase 3 clinical trial will be a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, multi-dose trial that will take place at multiple centers in both the U.S. and Israel. We anticipate approximately 150 patients being enrolled in the trial randomized 1:1 to NurOwn or placebo. Cells will be extracted from each patient one time prior to treatment, with all administrations of NurOwn derived from the same extraction of cells. As in previous studies, there will be a 3-month run-in period prior to the first treatment with two additional NurOwn treatments occurring two and four months following the first treatment. The company has not stated if there will be exclusion criteria for enrollment in the study based on how rapidly the disease is progressing.



In addition to announcing the Phase 3 program, BrainStorm also announced that it would be submitting an application in Israel to allow for patient access to NurOwn as a treatment granted Hospital Exemption. This is a recently approved regulatory pathway in Israel that allows for companies to partner with medical centers in Israel to allow for patients to receive benefit from custom-made, innovative, individual treatments where there is a critical unmet need and an absence of valid therapeutic alternatives. The company estimates that approximately 50 to 60 patients could potentially be treated at a time, with a team of neurologists deciding who will get treatment priority based on review of the patients medical files. The first patient could be treated under this program as early as the second half of 2017, and we anticipate learning more about this program, including how much the company could earn, later in 2017.



New Data Presented From Phase 2 NurOwn Trial



On December 9, 2016, Dr. James Berry presented data from the Phase 2 clinical trial of NurOwn in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the 27th International Symposium on ALS/MND. Dr. Berry was the Principal Investigator of that trial. Below we highlight some of the data, including increased levels of neurotrophic factors in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients following NurOwn treatment as well as statistically significant changes in the rate of decline in patients whose disease was rapidly progressing.



Increased Levels of Neurotrophic Factors in Patients Treated with NurOwn



Treatment of patients in the Phase 2 trial involved intrathecal injection of NurOwn cells. Analysis of the CSF was performed to analyze whether increased levels of neurotrophic factors could be detected, which would also indicate the cells retained biological activity following injection. The following graphs show that there was a significant increase in the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and leukemia inhibitor factor (LIF) in patients treated with NurOwn following treatment with no increase in the neurotrophic factors seen in placebo-treated patients.





Story continues

In animal models of ALS, treatment with VEGF leads to improvements in motor function, protection of motor neurons, and increased survival (Zheng et al., 2004). Increased levels of HGF were shown to reduce motor neuron degeneration and increase survival in a mouse model of ALS (Sun et al., 2002). LIF was also shown to reduce motor neuron degeneration in a mouse model of ALS (Azari et al., 2001).



In addition to an increase in neurotrophic factors, there was also a statistically significant decrease in the inflammatory markers monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and stromal cell derived factor 1 (SDF-1). MCP-1 is produced by activated microglia (Sargsyan et al., 2009) and blocking the interaction between SDF-1 (CXCL12) and its receptor (CXCR4) increases survival in a mouse model of ALS (Rabinovich-Nikitin et al., 2016)





NurOwn Effects Most Pronounced in Rapid Progressors



A predefined subgroup analysis was performed that excluded patients who were slow progressors, defined as  two point decline in the ALSFRS-R from screening to baseline. The ALSFRS-R is a scoring system that measures gross motor tasks, fine motor tasks, bulbar functions, and respiratory functions to quantify the rate of ALS progression. The following graphs show that many more patients in the NurOwn treatment group had a halt in decline or improvement in ALSFRS-R following treatment (100% improvement in rate of decline of ALSFRS-R), which was particularly evident when the slow progressors were excluded.





Similarly, when slow progressors were excluded, there was a marked improvement in the rate of decline in ALSFRS-R in those treated with NurOwn. The following graph shows that patients treated with NurOwn actually showed an average improvement in the change in ALSFRS-R of approximately three points at two weeks following treatment, with the average change in the rate of decline still positive all the way out to 24 weeks! This was for a group of patients that had an average decline of approximately -1.3 points in the pre-treatment period. For a terminal illness that is marked by steady decline for virtually all patients, these results are very encouraging.





We believe that the results presented by Dr. Berry show that NurOwn cells are active following administration (as shown by an increase in neurotrophic factors in the CSF) and result in clinically meaningful changes in the course of the disease (as shown by the percentage of patients with 100% improvement in rate of decline of ALSFRS-R), particularly in those patients that were progressing most rapidly. Since these results were obtained with only one administration of NurOwn, we anticipate that multiple administrations of NurOwn could extend the results seen for an even greater period of time.



Background on ALS



ALS is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease whereby the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movement degenerate. As the disease progresses, all patients will experience increased difficulty swallowing and speaking, with most patients not able to use their arms or legs. Eventually, patients in later stages of the disease may become completely paralyzed, which includes losing the ability to control their breathing. Patients typically do not live more than three to five years after being diagnosed with the disease, although there is considerable variability in disease progression from one patient to another. In the U.S., approximately 30,000 people are currently living with ALS.



The rate at which disease progression occurs is measured utilizing a scoring system called the ALS Functional Rating Scale Revised (ALSFRS-R; Cedarbaum et al., 1999). The ALSFRS-R measures gross motor tasks, fine motor tasks, bulbar functions, and respiratory functions through a scoring system consisting of a series of 12 questions on basic tasks (speech, salivation, swallowing, handwriting, cutting food, dressing and hygiene, turning in bed, walking, climbing stairs, dyspnea, orthopnea, and respiratory insufficiency) that are rated on a five-point scale where 0 = cant do and 4 = normal ability. The individual items are summed to produce a score of between 0 = worst and 48 = best.



There are only a limited number of treatment options available for ALS patients, which are mostly designed to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Sanofis Riluzole (rilutek) is the only treatment shown to improve survival, but only for two to three months, and it does not reverse nerve damage that has already occurred. Sales of Riluzole peaked at around $50 million per year. It is now available as a generic.



NurOwn



BrainStorm is developing adult stem cells therapies for the treatment of a range of neurodegenerative diseases. The company has a proprietary process called NurOwn that harvests and propagates autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) and then induces their differentiation into neurotrophic factor (NTF) secreting cells, called MSC-NTF. The cells are then returned to the patient at or near the target area for treatment. Because these cells are autologous, there is virtually no risk of rejection or tumor formation. Below is a graph showing the dramatic increase in various neurotrophic factors secreted by NurOwn cells (red) compared to normal mesenchymal stem cells (blue).





BrainStorm previously conducted a Phase 1/2 and a Phase 2a clinical trial of NurOwn, both of which took place at Hadassah Medical Center between June 2011 and October 2014. All patients in the trials had a three-month run-in period, were treated with NurOwn, and then evaluated during a six-month follow-up time. The Phase 1/2 trial consisted of 12 patients (six patients received NurOwn intramuscularly (IM) while six patients received NurOwn intrathecally (IT)) and the study met its primary endpoints of safety and tolerability, with no treatment-related adverse events reported. The Phase 2a study consisted of 14 patients that received both IM and IT injections of NurOwn. The results from these studies were published in January 2016 in the journal JAMA Neurology and discussed in a previous Seeking Alpha article.



Phase 2 Study of NurOwn



BrainStorm conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single dose of NurOwn in early-stage ALS patients (NCT02017912). The trial took place at three centers in the U.S. (Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital, and the Mayo Clinic) and enrolled 48 patients randomized 3:1 to receive either NurOwn cells (n=36) or placebo (n=12).



Just as with the companys Phase 2a trial, there was a three-month run-in (to determine the rate of decline in ALSFRS-R prior to treatment), followed by treatment and a six-month follow up. Patients were evaluated at two, four, eight, twelve, sixteen, and twenty-four weeks after treatment. The primary endpoint of the study was safety based on the number of patients with adverse events, with secondary efficacy endpoints including the change in ALSFRS-R.



Along with showing NurOwn was safe and well tolerated, the study also achieved a number of secondary efficacy endpoints. The results presented by BrainStorm are all in the context of a 2010 survey of ALS clinicians and researchers that showed all participants felt a 25% change in decline of the ALSFRS-R score would be at least somewhat clinically meaningful, and 93% of participants felt a 50% change in the decline of the ALSFRS-R score would be very clinically meaningful (Castrillo-Viguera et al., 2010).



Additional Patent Granted for NurOwn



On October 31, 2016, BrainStorm announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted to the company U.S. Patent No. 9,474,787 titled Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of CNS Diseases. The allowed claims cover mesenchymal stem cells that secrete neurotrophic factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), along with pharmaceutical compositions comprising those factors.



Financial Update



On November 15, 2016, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (BCLI) announced financial results for the third quarter of 2016 and provided a business update. The company reported a net loss of $1.6 million, or $0.09 per share, which consisted of $0.8 million in R&D expenses and $0.8 million in G&A expenses, compared to $1.5 million in R&D expenses and $1.1 million in G&A expenses in 2015. The decrease in R&D expenses was due to a decrease in costs related to the U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial, which was winding down during the third quarter of 2016. The decrease in G&A expenses was due to a decrease in stock-based compensation, payroll costs, and other expenses.



The company exited the third quarter of 2016 with approximately $11.2 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term deposits. Based upon the companys current clinical plans and spending levels, we anticipate the companys current cash level will fund operations for the next 24 months. During the conference call on December 19, the company re-iterated that there are currently no plans to raise money at this time.



Conclusion



In addition to showing that NurOwn treatment was safe and well tolerated, the results from the Phase 2 clinical trial were described by one investigator as showing clinically meaningful beneficial response and another was very encouraged and excited by the trial results having conducted clinical studies in ALS for 30 years. Thus, it appears as though clinicians who work with ALS patients are excited about the data.



In our opinion, the most encouraging data may have to do with the cohort of patients whose disease was progressing the fastest in the pre-treatment period, as these are the patients most in need of an effective treatment and who appeared to respond best to NurOwn treatment. However, we do not know whether the company will restrict the upcoming Phase 3 study to only those patients who are progressing most rapidly, as that would then likely result in a restriction to the label for NurOwn upon approval. We anticipate learning more about the final trial design once it gets closer to initiating.



These results are also highly supportive of the notion that multiple doses of NurOwn will be necessary to see an extended clinical benefit, as the positive effects seemed to wane over time. The company will be utilizing multiple doses of NurOwn in the upcoming Phase 3 trial, and we anticipate that there could be an even greater treatment effect than that seen in the Phase 2 trial.



From a valuation standpoint, we continue to believe BrainStorms shares remain highly attractive, particularly from a comparison standpoint with the recent announcement that Bayer and Versant Ventures were seeding a new startup, BlueRock Therapeutics, with $225 million to develop best-in-class induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) therapies. The initial focus of the company will be CNS and cardiovascular disease areas. This deal indicates that cell-based therapies are highly sought after by larger pharmaceutical companies, and makes BrainStorms current market cap of approximately $50 million look perplexingly low, especially since NurOwn is ready to enter Phase 3.



Before becoming generic, Riluzole cost $50,000 per year and was shown to only extend survival of ALS patients by two to three months. The results shown above indicate that NurOwn may be able to slow down the progression of ALS, and for some patients it may even lead to disease stabilization. Multiple doses of NurOwn could increase these effects. As such, we currently model for NurOwn to cost $100,000 per year. However, once we learn more about the Hospital Exemption, particularly how much the treatment costs under this program, we may modify our pricing assumptions. We continue to believe that upon approval NurOwn could generate peak revenues of over $1 billion. Our current valuation for BrainStorm is $12 per share.



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The battle over whether graduate students at universities can unionize entered a new phase on Friday, when Columbia University filed a challenge with the National Labor Relations Board over the recent vote by its graduate assistants to unionize.

Columbia said that tactics like voter coercion may have tipped the balance in favor of the union and that the N.L.R.B. should invalidate the vote.

At a rally at the Morningside Heights campus in Manhattan on Monday, students said the university was trying to drag out the fight, possibly until President-elect Donald J. Trump could appoint new members to the labor board, tipping the balance in a direction more likely to favor Columbia.

The issue has gone back and forth depending on the makeup of the board, which said in August that graduate students at private institutions had a federal right to unionize. That decision overturned a ruling from 2004 that said graduate students at Brown University could not do the same.
Gina Quattrochi, who turned Bailey House into the nations largest provider of housing to people with AIDS and a model for similar organizations around the United States, died on Dec. 13 in Manhattan. She was 63.

The cause was multiple myeloma, Priscilla Lenes, her former partner, said.

Ms. Quattrochi (pronounced kwa-TROH-key) became involved in the AIDS crisis in the mid-1980s while serving as the associate general counsel for the New York State Nurses Association, a union with 30,000 members at the time.

I was doing that job for a number of years and started losing a number of friends to the AIDS epidemic, she said in a 2010 interview with the website Dot 429. I really felt that I wanted to do something to change the course of the epidemic that was affecting a lot of my friends.

In 1986 she became a board member of the AIDS Resource Center, founded three years earlier to provide housing and other support for homeless people with AIDS. She led the negotiations with the city to acquire the former hotel on Christopher Street in the West Village that became Bailey House (later renamed Bailey-Holt House), the first group residence for people with AIDS.
A federal judge in Manhattan has ordered the partial unsealing of a government search warrant and supporting documents stemming from a federal inquiry into emails belonging to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Hillary Clinton.

The judge, P. Kevin Castel of United States District Court, ordered on Monday that the documents be posted on the courts docket at noon on Tuesday unless his decision is appealed and stayed or modified by a federal appeals court.

The emails were discovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during an unrelated investigation of Anthony D. Weiner, the former congressman and estranged husband of Ms. Abedin. Mr. Weiner has been under investigation by federal prosecutors in Manhattan over allegations that he exchanged illicit text messages with a 15-year-old girl.

The emails, which the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, revealed to Congress on Oct. 28, jolted Mrs. Clintons presidential campaign and led to broad criticism of his handling of the investigation. On Nov. 6, Mr. Comey told Congress that the bureaus review of the emails had not changed its conclusion: Mrs. Clinton should face no charges over her handling of classified information.
The transcript, however, shows that Mr. Durst discussed his heath issues  surgery for cancer of the esophagus and hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain  while appearing alert and responsive. Mr. Durst reeled off various phone numbers and addresses and, at different points, declined to answer Mr. Lewins questions.

He was advised of his right to counsel, according to the transcript, and the fact that anything he said could be used against him. But he continued talking, and toward the end of the interrogation, Mr. Durst told Mr. Lewin, Im very willing to talk to you.

The defense is also opposing Mr. Lewins motion to have a special master appointed to determine whether there were any materials protected by attorney-client privilege among a mountain of evidence seized by the authorities from Mr. Dursts apartment in Houston, his hotel room in New Orleans, and a home in New York where Mr. Durst had 63 cartons of court records, credit card receipts, photographs and family business papers.

The defense, in papers it filed last Thursday in Los Angeles, argues that the documents were obtained through illegal searches and seizures, which included lack of probable causes, and should be disallowed as evidence.

Dick DeGuerin, who leads Mr. Dursts defense team, said those issues and others would be addressed in court on Wednesday.

Mr. Durst is worth an estimated $100 million and has long been estranged from his family, which owns more than a dozen Manhattan skyscrapers. He has been under scrutiny by investigators in three states for more than three decades, suspected of murdering his wife and Ms. Berman. In 2003, he was acquitted on charges of murdering a neighbor in Galveston, Tex., despite his graphic testimony of how he cut up the mans body, threw the parts in Galveston Bay and later fled Texas with the authorities in pursuit.
A financial audit released on Monday by Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said that Success Academy, New York Citys largest charter school operator, was lax in its oversight and record keeping and understated its administrative costs while billing the Education Department for special education services it could not document were delivered.

Students at Success Academy earn very high marks on state exams, but the charter network has attracted significant criticism for its harsh disciplinary practices and for its tendency to encourage difficult students to leave. The audit  which looked at a portion of Success Academys financial operations during three fiscal years ending in summer 2015  offers a new window into the workings of the fast-growing network.

We found situations in which Success Academy was violating its own standards, or those of oversight agencies, Mr. Stringer said in a statement. This isnt about district versus charter schools  its about protecting taxpayer dollars and following the rules.

Success Academy vigorously denied each of the audits findings.

One of the allegations focused on a sample of special education students at Harlem 3, a school in Manhattan.
Yes, Mr. Trump won under the rules, but the rules should change so that a presidential election reflects the will of Americans and promotes a more participatory democracy.

The Electoral College, which is written into the Constitution, is more than just a vestige of the founding era; it is a living symbol of Americas original sin. When slavery was the law of the land, a direct popular vote would have disadvantaged the Southern states, with their large disenfranchised populations. Counting those men and women as three-fifths of a white person, as the Constitution originally did, gave the slave states more electoral votes.

Today the college, which allocates electors based on each states representation in Congress, tips the scales in favor of smaller states; a Wyoming residents vote counts 3.6 times as much as a Californians. And because almost all states use a winner-take-all system, the election ends up being fought in just a dozen or so battleground states, leaving tens of millions of Americans on the sidelines.

There is an elegant solution: The Constitution establishes the existence of electors, but leaves it up to states to tell them how to vote. Eleven states and the District of Columbia, representing 165 electoral votes, have already passed legislation to have their electors vote for the winner of the national popular vote. The agreement, known as the National Popular Vote interstate compact, would take effect once states representing a majority of electoral votes, currently 270, signed on. This would ensure that the national popular-vote winner would become president.

Conservative opponents of a direct vote say it would give an unfair edge to large, heavily Democratic cities and states. But why should the votes of Americans in California or New York count for less than those in Idaho or Texas? A direct popular vote would treat all Americans equally, no matter where they live  including, by the way, Republicans in San Francisco and Democrats in Corpus Christi, whose votes are currently worthless. The system as it now operates does a terrible job of representing the nations demographic and geographic diversity. Almost 138 million Americans went to the polls this year, but Mr. Trump secured his Electoral College victory thanks to fewer than 80,000 votes across three states: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
SAN FRANCISCO  Following directions from Google Maps on a smartphone last year, Jose Alejandro Sanchez-Ramirez turned a Ford truck, hauling a trailer, where he thought the app was telling him to go. But he ended up stuck on the railroad tracks at a poorly marked California crossing.

Soon after Mr. Sanchez-Ramirez abandoned the truck, a commuter train barreled into it, killing the engineer and injuring 32 others.

On Monday, after investigating the crash for almost two years, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a safety recommendation asking technology and delivery companies to add the exact locations of more than 200,000 grade crossings into digital maps and to provide alerts when drivers encounter them.

The crash involving Mr. Sanchez-Ramirezs truck  on Feb. 24, 2015, in Oxnard, Calif.  was one of the more than 200 fatalities that took place at a grade crossing, where road and railway lines are at the same level, in the United States last year. What made this crash stand out was the possible role of digital mapping technology in taking a driver down a wrong path. This was the first time the safety board has targeted navigation apps as a factor in a major accident.
Gerry, the madly chattering fellow whos the sole character in Drew Droeges hilarious show Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, is either your ideal wedding guest or your worst-nightmare wedding guest.

On the plus side, hes so outgoing he can start an animated conversation with a chaise longue. Then again, that unloosed tongue has a way of straying beyond bitchy gossip, the lingua franca of his gay world, into more bitter territory. Not long after hes arrived in Palm Springs, Calif., for a friends wedding, hes confiding to the first two guests he meets  his ex Dwayne and Dwaynes younger boyfriend, Mack (who remain unseen)  that the man their friend is marrying has all the personality of an ottoman. And thats one of the kinder things he has to say.

As played with devastatingly funny panache by Mr. Droege himself, Gerry would probably be overwhelming in real life. Hed greet you effusively with a bear hug and seconds later read you to filth, as the (gay) saying goes. But at a safe distance onstage, hes a delight  a slightly exhausting one (10 minutes less would be more), but still a delight.
NEW ORLEANS  Surrounded by victims families, City Council members and senior police leaders, Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans announced Monday that the city had reached $13.3 million in civil settlements pertaining to three major police brutality cases from the weeks before and after Hurricane Katrina. The settlements ended what the mother of one victim called an awful, long and rough road, beginning with acts of grim and pointless violence and continuing through an 11-year legal journey.

The three cases include some of the most brutal and high-profile instances of police violence in recent memory, predating the era of Ferguson, North Charleston and Black Lives Matter.

There were angels among us that we never knew, the mayor said of those days in 2005, when the city was flooded and nearly anarchic. But evidently, there were demons as well.

He offered an apology on behalf of the city and spoke of the strides the New Orleans Police Department had made under extensive federal oversight, in what he called the most comprehensive consent decree in the history of the United States. He also said that the 17 plaintiffs had offered forgiveness in return.
Democrats were unable to persuade enough electors to withhold their support for Mr. Trump. He easily cleared the 270-vote threshold needed to defeat Hillary Clinton, with only two Republican electors declining to cast their vote for the president-elect. But the protests at state capitols across the country offered a preview of a tumultuous inauguration and first 100 days of the new administration.

Presidential electors are bound by tradition and often state law to support their partys candidates. But this time, many Republican electors were inundated with phone calls, emails and even threats demanding that they vote for someone other than Mr. Trump. Leaders of groups that were lobbying the electors had privately believed they had a chance to sway enough Republican electors to defect, denying him an Electoral College majority and throwing the election to the House of Representatives.

But while Mr. Trumps opponents needed 37 Republican defectors to bring his electoral-vote tally below 270, the bulk of electors who broke ranks  four in Washington State  were Democrats who otherwise would have voted for Mrs. Clinton. Instead, three voted for former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, a Republican, and one for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American tribal leader who has led opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.

Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trumps campaign manager, said the election wasnt a squeaker.

The professional political left is attempting to foment a permanent opposition that is corrosive to our constitutional democracy and ignores what just happened in this election, she said. Liberals cannot, she added, wave magic pixie dust and make this go away.
The Boeing logo is seen at their headquarters in Chicago, April 24, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Young

By Andrea Shalal

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) on Wednesday said it had rejected an unsolicited bid from Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (AJRD.N) for United Launch Alliance, a 50-50 rocket launch venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N).

"The unsolicited proposal for ULA is not something we seriously entertained," Boeing spokesman Todd Blecher said.

Boeing said it remained committed "to ULA and its business, and to continued leadership in all aspects of space, as evidenced by the agreement announced last week with Blue Origin," a company owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos that is designing the engine for a new rocket being designed by ULA.

Lockheed declined comment, saying it did not discuss transactions with other companies.

A source familiar with the matter said Lockheed's refusal to comment did not reveal any disagreement between Lockheed and Boeing, and both companies agreed to reject the bid.

Aerojet spokesman Glenn Mahone declined comment, saying the company had a policy not to comment on negotiations with other companies until some agreement had been signed.

Sources familiar with the matter last week told Reuters that Aerojet board member Warren Lichtenstein, the chairman and chief executive of Steel Partners LLC, submitted a preliminary $2 billion (1 billion pounds) cash offer on behalf of the engine maker in early August.

Boeing and Lockheed did not take the bid seriously because it lacked details and the due diligence usually present in more formal offers, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

However, Aerojet remains interested in ULA, despite Boeing's public rejection, and is still engaged in discussions about presenting a more formal bid, the sources said.

Analysts said the bid was a strategic move by Aerojet to shut out rival Blue Origin, whose new engine is favoured by ULA for use in its new Vulcan rocket. ULA has said Blue Origin's engine programme is about two years ahead of Aerojet's work on the AR-1 engine, a claim Aerojet disputes.

Story continues

Air Force General John Hyten, commander of Air Force Space Command, said the decision was up to Boeing and Lockheed.

"Our job is to make sure that we have assured access to space. The business side of the house, that's their business, Hyten told Reuters at the Air Force Association conference.

Hyten told a news conference later that he saw a far more robust launch industry now than a decade ago when delays in government launches and a dearth of commercial orders prompted Boeing and Lockheed to merge their launch businesses.

He said investment by privately-held companies like Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, and Blue Origin had also changed the dynamic, since they were looking at opportunities with NASA, satellite operators and even in deep space travel.

Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing's defence division, said Boeing had not given any serious consideration to the Aerojet bid, and was not looking for other offers.

"You look at ULA with 99 consecutive launches without an accident. We're the best in industry. Others are trying to attain the record we have," he told reporters at the conference. "We think we have a real good competitive position, and we're committed for the long term."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Editing by David Gregorio and Christian Plumb)
WASHINGTON  When Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy visited the White House in October for a state dinner, he made a commitment to President Obama: Italy, which resettled a Yemeni detainee from Guantanamo Bay last summer, would take one more person on the transfer list. But before the deal was completed, Mr. Renzi resigned.

So a day after his successor, Paolo Gentiloni, formed a government on Dec. 14, Secretary of State John Kerry called to congratulate Mr. Gentiloni  and to urge him to follow through on the commitment, according to an official familiar with the negotiations. Mr. Gentiloni agreed, leading a rush to finalize the details and paperwork.

The effort was part of a burst of urgent, high-level diplomatic talks aimed at moving as many as possible of Guantanamos 22 prisoners who are recommended for transfer. By law, the Pentagon must notify Congress 30 days before a transfer, so the deadline to set in motion deals before the end of the Obama administration was Monday.

By late in the day, officials said, the administration had agreed to tell Congress that it intended to transfer 17 or 18 of the 59 remaining detainees at the prison; they would go to Italy, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. If all goes as planned, that will leave 41 or 42 prisoners in Guantanamo for Donald J. Trumps administration. Mr. Trump has vowed to keep the prison operating and load it up with some bad dudes.
A truck driver barreled into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing at least 12 people and injuring scores more. The police believed it to be an attack, but the identity of any attackers and their motives were not immediately clear.

It was the most recent deadly episode to shake Europe in the last two years. Many recent attacks have been linked to jihadists, and some to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. (The majority of terror attacks have been outside of Europe, primarily in Iraq and Syria.)
Turkey and Russia, whose up-and-down relationship has helped shape the Syrian war and its related crises, shared a new trauma on Monday after an off-duty Turkish police officer assassinated Russias ambassador.

The killing of Andrey G. Karlov in Ankara caused global alarm and raised questions about the larger consequences.

On social media, many drew parallels to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, which helped set off World War I  a comparison that analysts, thankfully, reject.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place at an art gallery in the Turkish capital where Mr. Karlov was speaking. The gunman, who was killed at the scene by security forces, shouted God is great in Arabic and later said in Turkish: Dont forget Aleppo. Dont forget Syria.
DOHA, Qatar  A Saudi-led Arab coalition will halt its use of British-made cluster munitions in Yemen, the Saudi government said on Monday, after 20 months of war in which thousands of civilians have been killed and injured in airstrikes.

In London, Britains defense minister, Michael Fallon, confirmed in Parliament that the coalition had dropped a limited number of British-supplied cluster munitions in Yemen.

Britain, a signatory to an international convention that prohibits use of the munitions, has been investigating whether the coalition dropped the munitions, BL-755 bombs, in Yemen after a report in May by the rights group Amnesty International.

The government of Saudi Arabia confirms that it has decided to stop the use of cluster munitions of the type BL-755 and informed the United Kingdom government of that, said a statement carried by the state news agency SPA.
Ballet was once considered such a natural fit for television that CBSs first color broadcast in 1951 featured New York City Ballet dancers performing George Balanchines La Valse. But the changing media landscape has made televised ballet rare in America, and left City Ballets current stars with few chances to preserve their performances for the small screen.

So it is noteworthy that City Ballet will get two nights on public television this winter.

The final performance of the companys three-week engagement last summer in the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris will be broadcast over two consecutive Friday nights in February as part of the Great Performances series. The program, which WNET announced on Tuesday, is set to air on Feb. 17 and Feb. 24 at 9 p.m., though viewers should check local listings. It will showcase City Ballet performing several Balanchine works set to the music of French composers.

For fans of American ballet, it will be a welcome opportunity to see a broadcast of one of their premiere companies at a time when the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Royal Ballet in London have dominated the market in simulcasting dance performances to cinemas around the world. The programs were made possible in large part because of French interest in City Ballet: They were produced for Bel Air Media by Francois Duplat and directed by Vincent Bataillon.

So which dancers will be seen? Sara Mearns, Adrian Danchig-Waring and Lauren Lovette will be featured in Walpurgisnacht Ballet, which is set to music by Gounod; Megan Fairchild and Joaquin De Luz will dance Sonatine, a pas de deux set to Ravel; and Tiler Peck, Andrew Veyette, Teresa Reichlen, Tyler Angle, Alston Macgill, Anthony Huxley, Brittany Pollack and Taylor Stanley will be among the 50 dancers in Bizets Symphony in C.
The Morbid Anatomy Museum, a showcase for unusual taxidermy, natural history specimens and other objects at the intersection of art, science and beauty that opened to much fanfare in Brooklyn in 2014, abruptly shut down on Sunday after the failure of a last-ditch fund-raising effort.

The closing came two weeks after museum leaders sent an email appeal saying they needed to raise $75,000 via memberships or donations or else close in the next several months. As of Monday, that plea had brought in just over $8,000.

Good press doesnt pay the rent, the museum said in a statement on Monday that confirmed the closing, which was earlier reported by The New York Daily News. Our institution was made possible by an incredible investment from our founder and a dedicated group of early supporters, but we were unable to develop both the broad support from our audience and from grants, gifts and other sponsorship that is necessary for sustainability.

In a telephone interview, Tracy Hurley Martin, the museums chief executive and the founder referred to in the statement, put the museums annual budget at about $300,000 a year, including $10,000 monthly rent but not what she called the substantial costs of developing the space into a beautiful cabinet of curiosities. The museum had applied for foundation and government support in the past year, without any success, she said.
David Robertson, who has combined a strong grasp of the classic repertory with enthusiasm for new music during 12 seasons as music director of the St. Louis Symphony, plans to step down from that position at the end of the 2018-19 season, the orchestra said Tuesday.

It was the latest announcement of a changing of the guard at an important American orchestra: The Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington are all changing their music directors in the coming years.

Mr. Robertson and the St. Louis Symphonys president, Marie-Helene Bernard, announced his departure in an email to people associated with the orchestra on Monday night. While his contract was initially up at the end of next season, the orchestra extended it another year.

I feel blessed for every note we have shared in our many years together and will share over the coming years, Mr. Robertson, who has hired more than 40 percent of the orchestra during his tenure, said in a statement. Our collaboration is a continual joy for me.
It takes seven minutes.

A dusting of Clinique Stay-Matte powder in honey. A hand-stitched wig. Eyebrows glued up into tiny peaks. The rest is left to Alec Baldwin: the puckered lips, a studied lumbering gait and a wariness of humanizing a man he reviles.

The transformation of Mr. Baldwin, an outspoken liberal, into the president-elect, Donald J. Trump, for his running parody on NBCs Saturday Night Live, entails a tangerine hairpiece and a tricky tightrope walk. It means balancing a veteran actors determination to subsume his identity into a character, even as, in his offstage life, he is firm in his belief that the man about to take office is a dangerous figure.

The key to a convincing Mr. Trump, the actor said, are puffs  his word for the pregnant pauses in the president-elects speech. I see a guy who seems to pause and dig for the more precise and better language he wants to use, and never finds it, Mr. Baldwin said in an interview on Saturday in his dressing room at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, six hours before show time, his eyebrows already peaked. Its the same dish  its a grilled-cheese sandwich rhetorically over and over again.
When Ms. Baird goes after those myths, her alternative versions are exhilarating. She describes how and why young Victoria, born in 1819, had to be a fighter from the start: Not long after she pulled the first fistfuls of air into her lungs, there were rumors that her wicked uncles were planning to kill her. She details the wretched behavior of those uncles, all sons of the famously mad King George III, who gradually cleared a path for her. And she shows why Victoria needed to develop a strong backbone long before she ever dreamed of being queen, thanks to the ways in which her fathers death and mothers treachery shaped her.

This book shows how Victorias girlish naughtiness turned into a regal, willful, complex nature that other biographers have tended to simplify. Its also very astute about the way the man she deemed pure perfection, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (her cousin), would undermine that nature during their years together. Ms. Baird brings a strong feminist awareness to the ways in which Victorias letters, edited by two men, have been censored to excise the full range of her personality, and also to the subordinate role any wife was expected to assume when Victoria was a young bride. Victorias willingness to let this happen is contrasted with the life and work of her contemporary, Florence Nightingale, who fought to fulfill her ambitions.

Queen or no queen, Victoria took up the nonstop business of childbearing (she had six children from 1840 to 1846, and then three others at more widely spaced intervals) and let Albert assume some of her royal role. She accepted being addressed by her husband as Dear Child. And she was extremely happy during these early days of marriage, another aspect of her life that sometimes gets short shrift. Though she was not partial to infants, both she and Albert could be unusually doting parents. And they relished private time with their children on the Isle of Wight, where they built a home instead of inheriting one. Ms. Bairds book provides the contrast of Buckingham Palace, rat-infested and smelling strongly of sewage, to make this seaside retreat all the more alluring.

Image Credit... Patricia Wall/The New York Times

But Victoria the Queen describes the 20 years of Victorias marriage to Albert as the weakest period of her reign. It presents her as working tirelessly but too deferentially to sustain her authority. It was only after Alberts death  and the years of numbing grief that had the English wondering whether their queen was still able to fulfill her responsibilities  that she could recover her grip, return to politics, deal with prime ministers she either liked (Disraeli) or detested (Gladstone) and win back her subjects loyalty.
RIO DE JANEIRO  IguanaFix, a home-services start-up based in Buenos Aires, has raised $16 million from Temasek Holdings, an investment company in Singapore, and Qualcomm Ventures.

The new financing round, which closed on Monday, will fuel the companys expansion beyond its base, in particular in Brazil and Mexico, said Matias Recchia, the co-founder and chief executive of IguanaFix.

The company, founded in 2013, is an on-demand home improvement marketplace and service provider. It connects professionals like plumbers and electricians with consumers and retail stores. The company bears similarities to the Indian start-up Housejoy, which Qualcomm Ventures also backs.

An early investor, RCV Capital, a vehicle that the private equity firm Riverwood Capital maintains for its partners, also joined in the round.
Broadlink Media Inc. Specializes in SEO, PPC, Website Design and other Services

TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2016 / The founder of Broadlink Media Inc., a SEO company located in Tampa, Florida, is pleased to announce the grand opening of his company in December, 2016.

To learn more about Broadlink Media and what inspired the founder to open his own SEO company, please check out http://www.broadlinkmedia.com/about/.

As a company spokesperson noted, www.broadlinkmedia.com specializes in SEO, PPC, website design, consulting, social media management and ariel drone photography.

From clients who would like their website to be optimized within search engine guidelines to rank higher on Google, to business owners who need a website that not only looks great but is up-to-date with the latest SEO formats, the friendly and talented team at Broadlink Media is ready and willing to help.

The company's university educated marketing team is also committed to providing all-in-one digital marketing that is 100 percent mobile optimized and designed to increase conversion.

Broadlink Media's key goal is to help place their clients' companies in front of their target markets and customers in order to help them get a higher amount of the market share, the spokesperson said.

The team from Broadlink Media is also committed to offering outstanding customer service to all of their clientsfrom the smallest mom and pop business owner to the CEO of a major company. As the spokesperson explained, everyone at the company feels strongly that their clients are not merely customers, but partners who deserve the best possible experience, including effective "white hat SEO" services.

For example, one of the things that helps to set Broadlink Media apart from the competition is that they will share their campaign strategies and techniques with their valued clients. This level of transparency assures clients that their reputation will be safe, and customers appreciate knowing what specific approaches are taking place.

Story continues

Even though Broadlink Media just opened in December, the company is already creating quite a buzz with clients who are looking for affordable and reliable SEO and other services. The company is also especially adept at targeting high competition cities throughout Florida, including Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

About Broadlink Media Inc.:

Broadlink Media Inc. is a new SEO company that specializes in a wide variety of services, including SEO, PPC, consulting, web design, and more. The Tampa, Florida based company works closely with its clients to be sure they are getting the quality services they need. For more information, please visit http://www.broadlinkmedia.com.

Broadlink Media Inc.

info@broadlinkmedia.com

5635 FL-54, Suite 101

New Port Richey, FL 34652

(727) 858-7190

SOURCE: Broadlink Media Inc.
LONDON  Linde of Germany said on Tuesday that it had reached an agreement on a potential merger of equals with Praxair, an American rival, in a deal that would bring together two of the worlds largest suppliers of industrial-gas products.

The nonbinding agreement came less than two weeks after Linde said it would resume talks with Praxair. Linde had called off discussions in September.

Merging the companies would create a giant with more than $30 billion in annual revenue and a market capitalization of more than $60 billion.

The combined company would operate under the Linde name, and its board of directors would be split evenly between representatives from the two companies, Linde said.
LONDON  Lloyds Banking Group will buy Bank of Americas British credit card business for about $2.4 billion, signaling a major turning point for Lloyds eight years after a government bailout.

The deal for the business, called MBNA Limited, will bolster Lloydss consumer finance business in Britain by adding about 7 billion pounds, or $8.7 billion, in assets. Lloyds also said its market share in the British credit card market would rise to more than a quarter from 15 percent, a level that would bring it closer to Barclays, the largest provider of credit cards in Britain with a share of nearly 30 percent.

The deal culminates years of upheaval and reorganization at the bank, which the British government bailed out in the middle of the 2008 global financial crisis. The British government at one point owned more than 40 percent of Lloyds.

The purchase of MBNA is the latest in a series of milestones achieved since Antonio Horta-Osorio, the chief executive of Lloyds, joined the lender in 2011 after leading Banco Santanders business in Britain.
LONDON  The London Stock Exchange Group said on Tuesday that it was in exclusive talks to sell the French arm of its majority-owned clearing business to Euronext, part of the British-based companys efforts to win regulatory approval for a merger with Deutsche Borse.

The Deutsche Borse merger with the London Stock Exchange Group would create Europes largest stock market operator by far, combining exchanges in Britain, Germany and Italy. But European Union antitrust regulators opened an in-depth investigation into the deal in September over its potential impact on competition in financial markets.

The clearing of trades is one of several areas being explored in the inquiry, which is expected to conclude next year.

On Tuesday, the London Stock Exchange Group said in a news release that it was exploring the sale of LCH S.A., the French operating arm of the LCH.Clearnet Group, to address proactively antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission.
Even if Verizon has buyers remorse, it is going to have a hard time walking away from this deal as a legal matter. Under the parties acquisition agreement, Verizon can terminate only if there is a so-called material adverse effect to Yahoo. This is a defined term in the merger agreement that allows Verizon to quit the deal if something materially adverse happens to Yahoo and the event was not disclosed to Verizon before signing the agreement. What actually meets that definition is a legal question that would be decided by a Delaware court, which would look at whether the hacking was long term and durational. This is a high threshold. It is not a coincidence that the Delaware court has never found a material adverse effect to exist, though there is talk that the problems at Alere may be a material adverse change allowing Abbot to terminate its deal.

In the case of the Yahoo hackings, it doesnt appear that this threshold has been met.

The actual cost of the intrusion is also unlikely to be deemed a material adverse effect by the Delaware courts because, historically, these thefts have not been that expensive for big companies.

In 2013, Target said credit card information of tens of millions of customers was stolen. That cost Target an estimated $252 million, but a tax deduction and insurance reduced that to $105 million. The related litigation by customers settled for $10 million, and lawsuits by banks and card companies affected by the breach settled for about $100 million. Sony spent $35 million to restore its systems after the hacking the following year. Other big break-ins at LinkedIn and Home Depot were even less costly relative to the billions of dollars in annual revenue these companies produce.

It is hard to see Yahoo incurring higher costs. These breaches happened more than three years ago. It is difficult to know or even trace any bad effect given the passage of time. Even if you could trace the effect, the hacked information in many cases is stale or unimportant. Yahoo said it included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, passwords and possibly encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers. In the last three years, much of this information has changed, though admittedly birth dates have not.

Of course, this doesnt mean that Verizon isnt pursuing the possibility of using the material adverse effect clause to alter the deal terms. This is M&A Strategy 101. Verizon will most likely request as much information as possible from Yahoo to slow things down and make Yahoo nervous. According to the playbook, it will eventually claim that Yahoo is not complying with these information requests. Thats probably what is going on now behind the scenes.

If Verizon is pursuing this strategy, it is doing so to cajole Yahoos board into cutting $1 billion to $2 billion off the deal price just to be done with the matter. Yahoos market capitalization of $36.9 billion, because of its ownership of a minority stake in the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, makes $1 billion a rounding error.

The parties have incentives, therefore, to simply recut the deal and lower the price or have Yahoo explicitly assume the direct liabilities related to the hacking. In Yahoos case the biggest incentive is simply to end its long nightmare and move on.
European competition officials filed charges on Tuesday against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of making misleading statements to receive regulatory approval for its $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp, the internet messaging service.

The accusation, which could lead to a fine of up to 1 percent of Facebooks yearly revenue, meaning a penalty of about $200 million, comes amid growing tension with Europes policy makers over how the company is able to dominate much of the regions digital world.

The social network is grappling with lengthy investigations into how it uses peoples digital data and fears that its perceived inability to clamp down on hate speech and fake news may have a harmful effect on how Europeans use popular internet services like Facebook Messenger and Instagram, which is also owned by the company.

Facebook has faced similar questions in the aftermath of the United States presidential campaign, during which fake news reports were widely shared on the platform.
In the race to develop self-driving cars, Michigan is suddenly aiming to give Silicon Valley a run for its money.

The Motor City has been the center of the United States auto industry for more than a century. But as computer chips and software have become increasingly important in automobiles, Silicon Valley has seemed to take the lead, especially in the development of the supersmart cars of tomorrow.

Google and Tesla, for example, have been at the forefront in creating cars with the ability to drive themselves. And many automakers have opened California outposts to become part of the high-tech scene. Uber and Lyft, the app-based ride-hailing services, are both based in San Francisco.

But Michigan is trying to regain the high ground. General Motors, Ford Motor and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are all engaged in autonomous vehicle projects based in Detroits environs. And the state government is laying the ground for even more self-driving development work.
Imagine the restaurant Wolfgang Puck might have opened if he had wafted into New York in the 1980s on warm, mesquite-scented Southern California breezes.

In that era, Mr. Puck was a nonstop innovator. He turned the Sunset Strip on to duck-sausage pizzas and other exercises in treating Italian cuisine as a blank slate at Spago. He hipped Santa Monica to Chinese-style fried catfish with Japanese ponzu at Chinois on Main, the kind of crossbreeding we would learn to call Asian fusion. Above all, by the end of the decade, he had shown chefs the way to scrub the starch out of their restaurants and still be taken seriously.

All of these ideas would hitch rides to New York sooner or later, but Mr. Puck could have given us a peek into the future of dining if he had come to town in those days. It never happened. Aside from opening a kiosk at Kennedy Airport about a decade ago, he stayed away until September, when he opened a steak-driven restaurant in the financial district.

Nothing on the menu at Cut by Wolfgang Puck breaks new ground. It sits on the ground floor of the new Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, to allow both operations their full, overtaxed names. (There are five other Cut restaurants flung across the world.)
Mr. Rose uses both clarified butter and grapeseed oil when making pommes Darphin, something most Jewish cooks wouldnt do with their latkes. Were kind of in France here, he explained, looking around the kitchen of the very French Le Coucou, where Id come for a potato pancake primer a few weeks after that first pommes Darphin bite. Born in Chicago, Mr. Rose learned French cooking in Lyon, worked in restaurants all over France, and then opened the highly praised Spring when he was 29. He also revamped the Parisian standby Chez La Vieille this year.

Latkes are my mothers thing, said Mr. Rose, who is 39. He diverges from her method, omitting the egg she puts in her potato mixture. But there are points of similarity, too. She also uses onions, the jewels of latkes, which I think are so important to the dish, he said.
A federal animal research center in Nebraska should receive more oversight of how it treats the animals and make its experiments more transparent to the public, the United States Department of Agriculture says in a new report.

The report, released to the public on Friday by the departments inspector general, said an audit of the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Neb., had found no evidence indicating a systemic problem with animal welfare. But it called on the departments Agricultural Research Service, which is supposed to oversee the center, to establish and enforce policies to protect the animals under study.

The service has agreed to follow all the recommendations but one  that it start posting the centers approved research protocols and other information online  citing concern for the safety of center employees, who it said have received multiple threats of physical harm from multiple sources since The New York Times published an article about the center in January 2015.

The audit was prompted by the Times article, which detailed mistreatment of animals over several decades at the research center, a unit of the Agriculture Department that helps the meat business by developing livestock that are bigger, more prolific and more profitable.
In each of these interviews, we asked the principal players not only to tell their stories, from start to finish, but also to provide us with primary source documents, such as emails or memos, even if they shared them on the condition that we could not reproduce them. Documents are better than human memory: They nail down names and days and times  some of the last captured emails offered windows into how various email accounts were cracked open  and sometimes give us a sense of contemporaneous reactions. The Democratic Party officials were surprisingly open to telling this story, as they almost all felt that the media had focused far too much on the content of the stolen emails themselves and not nearly enough on how the 2016 election had been disrupted by a Russian plot. The White House didnt want to discuss the topic.

Kitty Bennetts original chronology grew in length, as we filled it in based on our interviews and collected documents, ultimately reaching more than 10,000 words: a 28-page compilation of people and events that served as the core of our narrative.

It was while doing all these interviews that we first heard the story of Yared Tamene, the tech-services consultant at the D.N.C. who had fielded a call in September 2015 from an F.B.I. special agent named Adrian Hawkins  who contacted the D.N.C. to disclose that federal officials had evidence that the D.N.C. computer system had already been hacked. But Mr. Tamene did not believe he was talking to a real F.B.I. agent, so he didnt move definitively to find and shut down this intrusion.

Even after Special Agent Hawkins repeatedly called Mr. Tamene and finally met with him in person last January, he remained skeptical, describing their encounter this way in an internal D.N.C. memo: During this meeting, SA Hawkins showed his FBI badge to us, and shared his business card, lending some credence to his claim about working for the FBI. This was five months after the F.B.I. had first contacted the D.N.C. But Special Agent Hawkinss superiors took no steps to independently reach out to the committees leaders to persuade them to take seriously what appeared to be a Russian government attack. Between the passivity of the F.B.I. and the passivity of the D.N.C., almost no progress had been made to identify and lock out the hackers.

Mr. Tamene never agreed to speak with us, although we happened to run into him during one of our visits to D.N.C. headquarters. But based on documents we reviewed  including an internal D.N.C. account of his dealings with the F.B.I. that Mr. Tamene himself had written  we were confident we had found our patient zero. Our story would start in September 2015, when this first warning call had come in from the FBI.

When you do reporting like this, you begin to hear the same stories over and over again, told by different players who experienced the same events. These accounts might seem redundant. But for reporters, theyre vital stuff, because each person fills in different tidbits  or pieces of color, as we call them. These overlapping stories help increase your confidence that the version of events youre piecing together is fair and true, particularly when backed up with emails and other documents.

While I was focused on the D.N.C., David was busy pressing Obama administration officials to explain how they responded to the cyberattacks  a time-consuming process because of the difficulty of getting access to them and, in some cases, because of their reluctance to talk. David is perhaps the best-sourced cybersecurity reporter in the United States: He was the guy who broke the story of the most sophisticated cyberattack in history, the American-Israeli attack on Irans nuclear facilities. (That tale recently became a documentary.) Eventually the White House began to tell its story, and its no surprise that when President Obama gave his news conference on Friday, his version of events echoed what we had already reported.
Cheapflights.ca blog post on Travel trends and hot destinations for 2017 featuring predictions for how and where Canadians will be travelling in 2017. The report includes travel hot spots from Polynesia to Finland as well as trends including the changing nature of the vacation and the ways airport innovations and airline competition will enhance travel. Click here for high-resolution version

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - Dec 20, 2016) - In an annual tradition, the travel experts at Cheapflights.ca, the champions of simple travel search, are taking a look at where -- and how -- Canadians will travel next year. The team shares its predictions for the New Year with its Travel trends and hot destinations for 2017 report, and the good news is that travel has become more flexible, more accessible and more convenient.

Changes coming in 2017 are set to transform every aspect of the travel experience -- from the way travellers book (on their mobile phones in response to deal alerts) to the airline they choose (including an upswing in low-cost options), to how far they can stretch their travel budget (the result of greater competition). All these innovations -- plus the desire for more meaningful travel -- will see some Canadians opt to combine work and travel in a new, nomadic travel lifestyle.

Here are five ways that the Canadian travel landscape is set to change in 2017:

The rise of low-cost carriers and unbundled airfare - 2017 is the year the low-cost carrier model really makes an impact for Canadian travellers. Base airfares for travel in the U.S. and across much of the rest of the world will continue to drop as more airlines -- from legacy carriers such as United and Delta, to growing low-cost airlines like Allegiant and Norwegian -- add to the volume of available discount seats. For Canadians, this trend will get an added push from the growth of overseas players like Wow, and new domestic start-ups like NewLeaf (and possibly Jetlines and FlyToo), as well as the recent decision to raise the limit on foreign investment in Canadian airlines. Travellers around the world have voted with their wallets, fuelling the demand for low-cost carriers, and now, more and more Canadians will have the opportunity to opt for lower fares, recognizing the upside of saving on their seat and paying only for the "perks" that matter enough to them that they will fork out added cash for the service. While such travel is still not for everyone, it will be an increasingly popular choice as travellers embrace the opportunity to get where they want to go for less.





A "golden age" for international travel - With airlines around the world offering increasing budget options, international travel will be more accessible than ever. Look for more moves like Norwegian Air's adoption of narrow-body planes and BYO entertainment to ensure lighter, more streamlined flying and continued low fuel costs to help keep airline costs (and thus, airfares) in check. Open Skies agreements have added to this "golden age" for international travel, as they allow for increased cross competition from international airlines. Add into the equation some major currency fluctuations, which have created increased buying power in many popular markets from Europe to Vietnam and Brazil to Japan. Of course, there are some potential headwinds for overseas travels, especially as Brexit and other industry lobbying threaten some key Open Skies agreements and raise the possibility of more immigration and customs challenges. Despite the tumult, some internationally minded folks will see travel as the antidote to the politics of the day. And all should recognize that there may be no better opportunity than the present to get out there and explore the world.





More airport innovation and investment - Business leaders from markets across Canada are calling for a renewed focus on airport investment and innovation. In the wake of record-setting security and immigration lines throughout North America and increased comparisons to the efficiency of top international airports, such a rallying cry is no surprise. Government moves, like the rules change on foreign investment in airlines and the efforts to streamline preclearance for travel to the U.S., are signs of progress, and we anticipate a few more commitments to new investments and policies aimed at making air travel more efficient and affordable. In the meantime, though, look for a wave of short-term upgrades introduced by the private sector to start impacting travellers' airport experience. Improvements to watch for include automated security screening lanes, higher tech baggage tracking systems, biometric-powered and fast-tracked security screenings, and personalized services like food delivery to your departure gate or print-your-own luggage tags.





Portable travel search - Mobile technology has changed the face of travel planning and search. The evolution of online travel has extended well beyond the desktop and is now moving beyond the travel website. Whenever and wherever travel inspiration strikes, look for travel search to be close by. At the most basic, it's the simple step of pulling out your phone for an impromptu vacation planning session over dinner. But increasingly, expect text alerts for fare sales and price drops, or to get a price from your favourite voice-based Internet device or through Facebook Messenger. Coming soon: drag a photo from an online article about a team, festival or concert right into a search window and get the flight options for attending upcoming events delivered in real time.





The decline of the generic vacation - Travel as an experience increasingly eclipses just the basics of getting away. We see an uptick in people looking to travel with purpose. Examples includes:



Living like a local - Thanks to the popularity of homestay services like Airbnb, travellers can easily take up residence in a new city or a remote bit of countryside, whether for a few days, weeks or months. This is giving rise to the search for a more personalized and "authentic" experience. Paired with services like local tour guide matching and EatWith-style at-home dining with locals, it's far easier to get a full-immersion vacation. These options add fuel to the growing solo travel market, and make it easier to cut the ties to home, which is key to a digital detox experience. For the growing group of travellers motivated to deep dive into a culture, this vacation style is hard to beat. Working vacation - While total immersion is one increasingly popular option, there is also a trend for combining work and travel in new ways. One is the so-called "bleisure" trip, combining both business and leisure, where you tack on time and possibly an added destination or two to your work travel. Done right, this is the ultimate in multi-tasking -- add another outfit or two to your bag and have work pick up the bulk of your travel tab. Another spin is the "have laptop, will travel" habit. If you can work wherever you are -- an increasing phenomenon in today's tech-driven, remote employee world -- there's no reason not to take your job with you on the road. Look for more and more people exploring the world by working business hours for their day job and then exploring in their off hours. Ecotourism - The ticking clocks of climate change and overdevelopment are getting louder and louder for many people, driving a sense of urgency for seeing destinations that are endangered, and for supporting tourism services that sustain vulnerable lands and species. The other "green" tourism - With marijuana now legal or at least decriminalized in a growing number of places, expect to see a rise in this kind of "green" travel as well. The boom in pot tourism in Colorado, after the sale of recreational marijuana was legalized in 2012, underscores the pent-up demand. With other places in the U.S. like Massachusetts, California and Maine voting to legalize it this fall, and with Canada eyeing such a law at the national level, we expect to see travel in this segment light up even more.



And where does Cheapflights.ca predict Canadians will be heading in 2017? Rounding out our annual travel trends report are four destinations predicted to be on the rise next year: Cork, Ireland; Polynesia, Finland and Montreal, Canada. To find out why these spots will make it onto travel bucket lists in 2017, read Cheapflights.ca's complete report on Travel trends and hot destinations for 2017 at www.cheapflights.ca/news/2017-travel-trends.

About Cheapflights.ca, part of the Momondo Group

Founded in 1996, Cheapflights is a leading global flight comparison and deals publishing platform dedicated to taking the complexity out of finding the best value flights through the application of innovative, intuitive technologies: Smart search. Made simple. It is now a market leader in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand generating more than C$4 billion in global downstream revenue for its partners as it expands into numerous other territories. More than 120 million users visit its websites and apps each year, receiving more than two billion search results a month from across 900,000 routes. The 10 million strong opt-in subscribers to the Cheapflights newsletter receive the best deals from more than 120 travel businesses -- for whom it has driven more than C$80 million in revenue this year. Together, the Cheapflights platforms generate enough bookings for its partners to fill a Boeing 747 every five minutes.

In 2011, Cheapflights became part of the privately owned online travel search and inspiration network, Momondo Group.

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I come from a family of migrants. We came with passports and visas. We did not flee war or persecution or hunger or failed harvests. We were middle-class city people for generations. But like the young Africans I wrote about, stories pulled us, too. My fathers older brother was the first in the Sengupta clan to leave Calcutta, once a jewel of the British Empire, where American soldiers brought jazz in the first decades of the 20th century  and where my uncle felt stultified. He left first for Bombay, the city of movies, and then, on something of a crazy lark, got himself a visa to Canada. He landed in a tiny village in the Canadian prairie, covered in snow for half of the year. He found a job at a textile factory. He brought his wife and daughter  and then set to work persuading my father. He told a familiar story of the New World. Its cold but theres money to be made. We can do it. Come.

My father and mother were sold on the idea. Me, I was 8 years old. Up for an adventure. We landed in Selkirk, Manitoba, in late September. It snowed a few weeks later. I have an old picture of my mother and aunt standing on the banks of one of Canadas great lakes, dressed in saris and overcoats, trying to smile. I tell the story of my familys journey, and my own journey back as the New Delhi Bureau Chief for The Times in my book, The End of Karma: Hope and Fury among Indias Young, published earlier this year.

Among the migrants I interviewed in Agadez were young men filled with a hubris I recognized. Some of them had left home without telling their families. They got on buses and traveled across West Africa, hundreds of miles, not knowing exactly where they were headed nor what they would do. In some places, border guards beat them, or forced them to strip down and took the money they had hidden in their underwear. Some of them slept in bus shelters. A couple of them ended up in detention in Libya and were now on their way back home, defeated. As for those who were still on the journey, some would surely end up dead; nearly 5,000 have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean, most of them Africans.

A few would make it to Europe. And who knows, some of them might even persuade a brother to follow.

My uncle was an extraordinary hustler. He left Selkirk and settled in Quebec, then Miami, then Los Angeles, where he briefly ran a textile factory of his own. He favored Italian suits, loved betting on horses and, for a while, smoked two packs a day. His idea of family time was to splurge on steak and Scotch on the rocks, and to tell tawdry jokes. We called him our own Tony Soprano. He took risks, as did my father. Both of them won some, and lost a lot. They taught their daughters gumption. But we, the three girls who grew up in the shadow of their hubris, are also far more cautious. We plan for retirement. We take vitamins.
Article: Jeopardy! Champion Dies Before She Could See Her Triumph on TV

Before Reading

What is your definition of a champion? Why? Does a person always have to win something to be a champion?

Questions for Comprehension and Analysis

1. What makes Cindy Stowells performance on Jeopardy! unique? What is her personal story?

2. What did you learn about Ms. Stowell? What are your impressions of her from this article?

3. The article includes tweets from Ms. Stowells many admirers, like this one:
According to a poem by Elizabeth Bishop, the art of losing isnt hard to master. But making a masterwork on the subject of loss, a perennial theme in art, may be harder than it looks. The young adulthood and middle age of Julieta, the heroine of Pedro Almodovars new movie, are shadowed by death and abandonment, which she does her best to handle gracefully. Mr. Almodovar, for his part, tells her story with his characteristic later-period blend of elegant restraint and keening melodrama. Julieta is scrupulous, compassionate and surprising, even if it does not always quite communicate the full gravity and sweep of the feelings it engages.

Julieta is played in her 20s by Adriana Ugarte; in middle age by Emma Suarez. The older version is the first person we see, dressed in bright red and living in a spare, modern Madrid apartment. Julieta abruptly ends a romantic relationship with Lorenzo (Dario Grandinetti), who seems perfectly nice, and plunges into a sea of reminiscences and regrets. Time spools backward and we encounter her, as Ms. Ugarte, with spiky superblond hair and a bright-blue cowl-neck sweater-dress, on a long train ride.
There is a blazing light at the center of the interplanetary romance Passengers, and its name is Jennifer Lawrence. In a love story whose attempt to be an interstellar Titanic eventually falls flat, Ms. Lawrences character, Aurora, is an ambitious journalist aboard the Avalon, a commercial spacecraft making a historic 120-year voyage. Its destination is Homestead II, a pioneer colony of an overcrowded Earth. The spunky, whip-smart Aurora, who bought a round-trip ticket, hopes to write the first book about Homestead II upon her return to New York.

But when Aurora is prematurely roused from a state of suspended animation, her hopes are dashed. Her awakener, Jim (Chris Pratt), is a hunky mechanical engineer who is jolted back to consciousness when an asteroid hits the Avalon and is aghast to find himself alone. Realizing that he faces 90 years of solitude on the spacecraft, cant return to his hibernation pod and will never live to reach his destination, he begins to fall apart.

Spotting the recumbent Aurora, radiant in her pod, he savors her beauty, admires her thumbnail biography and falls in love. Against his better moral judgment, he revives her. Once outside her pod, Aurora is devastated to learn that she, like Jim, will almost certainly die en route to Homestead II.

But soon Jim and Aurora embark on a romantic courtship and quickly fall in love. Given their beauty, that may not sound bad until you consider their future in joint isolation with nothing to do but eat, drink, make love and play shadow games with holograms.
Unheralded and unhyped, The Autopsy of Jane Doe sneaks into theaters like a chilly treat among the Christmas comedies and Force-fed mythologizing. The first solo English-language feature from the Norwegian director Andre Ovredal  an infinitely more disciplined follow-up to his 2011 film, Trollhunter  this shivery tour through a young womans innards turns putrefaction into a puzzle.

Trying to solve it are Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch, playing a father-son team of coroners ensconced in a gloomy subterranean morgue in small-town Virginia. Asked to perform a late-night autopsy on a young woman (Olwen Kelly, astonishingly immobile yet subtly menacing) retrieved from a multiple-murder scene, the men discover that her pristine exterior conceals interior devastation. Even more unsettling, as the cadaver coughs up its clues  a severed tongue; blackened lungs  the mortuary itself begins to stir with shuffling signs of life.

Gruesome without being gory, The Autopsy of Jane Doe achieves real scares with a minimum of special effects. The colors are dark and dense (the director of photography, Roman Osin, also gave Joe Wrights Pride & Prejudice its authentically mucky look), and the acting is modestly downbeat. Music is muted  the grisly snap of bones and squelch of peeling flesh predominate  while the camera maintains a cool, observational stillness.

This newfound restraint by Mr. Ovredal conjures an enormously creepy atmosphere that finally proves stronger than Ian Goldberg and Richard Naings screenplay. Their disappointingly soft ending makes Jane Doe a gaspingly good horror movie that could have been a great one.
This Week in Hate tracks hate crimes and harassment around the country since the election of Donald Trump. The Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups are keeping detailed counts of harassment and abuse. We will regularly present a selection of incidents to show the scope of the problem.

 A man is accused of attacking a Muslim woman at a Manhattan Dunkin Donuts on Sunday, throwing coffee in her face and putting her in a headlock. According to police, he told the woman he hated Muslims and was going to kill her. He has been charged with assault as a hate crime.

 On Friday, a post on the anti-Semitic website the Daily Stormer called for a troll storm against Jewish people in Whitefish, Mont., where Sherry Spencer, the mother of the white nationalist leader Richard Spencer, owns a building. The posts author, apparently reacting to calls for Ms. Spencer to sell the building, published pictures of Whitefish residents, including a child, with Star of David symbols and the German word for Jew. The post advised readers not to use violence or threats, but several people targeted have received death threats.

 Last Wednesday, a passerby noticed a swastika drawn on the side of a health clinic on the upper west side of Manhattan.
From the start of its offshore processing program that has seen more than 2,000 asylum seekers and refugees dumped on two remote Pacific islands, Australia has relied on draconian nondisclosure contracts to keep the extent of its brutality secret. But this month Lynne Elworthy, an Australian mental health nurse employed on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, defied the gag clauses and a federal law against whistle-blowers to tell me the policy was an exercise in absolute cruelty.

Elworthy, who lives in the south Australian town of Gawler, near Adelaide, has observed for more than three years the impact of endless limbo on men in Manus. She has watched them grow inert. She has seen the plummeting lows induced by Australias punitive measures, as I did during five days on Manus last month. She has witnessed refugees losing their lives through mayhem and medical negligence in what she calls the lifeless pit of confinement. In the end she felt compelled to speak out because there is no room in my head or my heart for anyone except those guys on Manus.

Now, Elworthy, who was supposed to return to Manus this week on her regular rotation, has been told she will not be going back. She has, it seems, been fired for her honesty.

In an email provided to me, International SOS, her employer, informed Elworthy that there were no flights available until Dec. 27 and that the position you were filling has not been renewed past 31st December. It continued, We have to cancel all the remaining rotations for you as we simply dont have the headcount approval.
President Obama and Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina dont agree on many policy questions. But they have found themselves facing a similar political situation this year. And their very different reactions capture the deep  and alarming  differences between our two political parties right now.

Both Obama and McCrory essentially had their accomplishments on the ballot. McCrory, a Republican, was running for re-election. Obama wasnt, but his chosen successor was running against a candidate who had personally demeaned him and promised to repeal his agenda.

As youd expect, Obama and McCrory each campaigned hard. There, however, the similarities stopped. The differences have played out in three acts.

In the first act, before Election Day, Obama was faced with evidence that Russia was trying to help Donald Trump win. Obama erred on the side of nonpartisan caution, opting not to announce the C.I.A. findings on Russias motives. He was willing to use the presidential bully pulpit to criticize Trump, but not the levers of presidential power to disadvantage him.
To the Editor:

Re Trumps Win, but Little Else, Is Now Settled (news analysis, front page, Dec. 20):

America has crossed a Rubicon. If there was ever, ever a time for the Electoral College to make a decision that differed from the electoral numbers, this would have been it. The chances are close to zero that we will ever see another candidate with this many question marks and issues.

The Electoral College was not created for a bunch of individuals to vote for fun a month later. On Monday, the electors showed that they are nothing but a formality, a relic that has cast away the final chance to justify its existence.

The Electoral College has to be abolished, or at the very least the electors themselves. If their job is only to ratify, then the electoral numbers on Election Day should suffice without the need for the second vote.

Move to a system in which there are no individual electors. Or better, select our president by will of the people and the popular vote.
The rabbi could not find words to answer, and his silence reverberates still. It made clear that an argument that does not embrace a double standard is difficult to come by.

Right-wing politicians and commentators in the United States have been putting pressure on this double standard for years. In her 2015 book, Adios, America, the commentator Ann Coulter wrote:

Palestinians demand a right to return to their pre-1967 homes, but Israel says, quite correctly, that changing Israels ethnicity would change the idea of Israel. Well, changing Americas ethnicity changes the idea of America, too. Show me in a straight line why we cant do what Israel does. Is Israel special? For some of us, America is special, too.

Coulter gets her dates mixed up. Palestinians in fact do not demand a right of return to their pre-1967 homes, but to their pre-1948 homes. In other words, the issue isnt the occupation, which many liberal Zionists agree is a crime, but Zionism itself. Opposition to the Palestinians right of return is a matter of consensus among left and right Zionists because also liberal Zionists insist that Israel has the right to ensure that Jews constitute the ethnic majority in their country. Thats the reason for which Rabbi Rosenberg could not answer Spencer. But if you reject Zionism because you reject the double standard, organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or the Jewish Federations of North America would denounce you as anti-Semitic.

It is important to emphasize that in some crucial respects, the comparison between the alt-rights white-Christian ethnic politics and the Jewish State is not just misleading, but sinister. The history of the Jews  a tiny minority that has faced persecutions, pogroms and the Holocaust  isnt analogous to that of white Christians. This is an important qualification, and the reason for which, when Richard Spencer speaks of the alt-right as a sort of white Zionism, he is promoting a despicable lie. It must be possible to sympathize with Israel and show understanding of Zionisms historical conditions but to refuse any sympathies to the alt-right. Unfortunately, anti-Zionist critics sometimes fail to be sensitive to this distinction.

But despite sympathy and solidarity with Israel  or better, because of it  any Jew who remains committed to liberalism must insist that nothing in Jewish history can allow the Jews to violate the rights of other ethnic and religious minorities, and that nothing in our history suggests that it would be wise for us to do so.

This is all the more true because by denying liberal principles, Zionism immediately becomes continuous with  rather than contradictory to  the anti-Semitic politics of the sort promoted by the alt-right. The idea that Israel is the Jews own ethnic state implies that Jews living outside of it  say, in America or in Europe  enjoy a merely diasporic existence. That is another way of saying that they inhabit a country that is not genuinely their own. Given this logic, it is natural for Zionist and anti-Semitic politicians to find common ideas and interests. Every American who has been on a Birthright Israel tour should know that left-leaning Israelis can agree with Americas alt-right that, ideally, Jews should live in their own country.

Since this continuity is so natural, it has a long and significant history. Last April, Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of Austrias far-right Freedom Party, was embraced in Israel by top members of Benjamin Netanyahus coalition. Straches party now celebrates mostly anti-Islam and anti-immigration policies, but it was originally founded by former Austrian Nazis. Jorg Haider, a previous leader of the party, was infamous for showing sympathy for some of Hitlers policies. Another case in point is Geert Wilders, the xenophobic far-right Dutch politician. This month, it was revealed that Wilderss visits to Israel and his meetings with Israeli personnel have been so frequent that the Dutch intelligence community investigated his ties to Israel and their possible influence on his loyalty.

This phenomenon has been somewhat familiar also in the United States given the close ties between fundamentalist evangelical Christians  whose views on the Jews part in a larger messianic scheme is flatly anti-Semitic  and the state of Israel. But with Trump, this type of collaboration is introduced to the heart of American politics.
At first, many people around me tolerated the scarcity created by demonetization. This was partly because Mr. Modi packaged it in the rhetoric of nationalism. As he announced the policy, the prime minister reminded Indians that in the history of every nation come times when every person feels he, too, should be part of that moment and make his contribution to the countrys progress. This, Mr. Modi also said, was much like performing the Hindu purification ritual mahayagya.

The government seemed to leverage this patriotism with tech savvy. There was a smartphone app that supposedly could determine whether the new 2,000-rupee bills were genuine or counterfeit: Youd scan them with your phone camera, and if the bill was real a speech by Mr. Modi would start playing. Rumor had it that the new notes were also embedded with GPS chips, so the bills could be tracked if they were misused or hoarded.

For a time, admirers of Mr. Modi were gloating about his technological prowess: Only he could have thought of this, theyd say. They are quiet now. It seems the app always played the speech after the bills were scanned, and that it was a prank anyway.

Jingoistic videos are still being shared on WhatsApp  like the one with two actors in Indian Army fatigues who claim that the exchange of fire across Indias border with Pakistan has ceased since demonetization. But the furious cacophony of nationalism has mellowed. Uncertainty and anxiety now hang over many conversations.
Yet, from at least 2002 onward, the N.Y.P.D.s Intelligence Division  and specifically, the Demographics Unit that was built with the help of the C.I.A. in the wake of 9/11  subjected entire neighborhoods to what the American Civil Liberties Union has called religious profiling and suspicionless surveillance. Plainclothes police officers, so-called rakers and crawlers, infiltrated mosques, student groups and businesses ranging from grocery stores to restaurants and hookah cafes, in an attempt to compile information on Muslim hot spots. They listened in on private conversations, and reported back on the most innocuous of sermons.

The Demographics Unit was disbanded in 2014 by Mr. Kellys successor as commissioner, William J. Bratton. Responding earlier this year to a proposal by Ted Cruz, then running for the Republican presidential nomination, to revive the surveillance program and take it nationwide, Mr. Bratton advised the Texas senator to shut up, affirming that there was not one actionable piece of intelligence that came out of that unit.

What the program did accomplish was the alienation of American Muslim communities from law enforcement agencies, creating what a 2013 report from the City University of New York School of Law called a pervasive climate of fear and suspicion. Is this record of failure and divisiveness really what Mr. King wants to re-up?

But if Mr. Kings concern is with terrorism, it seems highly selective. Despite loudly denouncing acts of terrorism committed by Muslims, the representative from Long Island, who is the grandson of Irish Catholic immigrants to the United States, had little issue with terrorist attacks carried out by Irish nationalists.

In fact, starting in the early 1980s, Mr. King publicly campaigned on behalf of Noraid, the Irish-American fund-raising organization long regarded as a front for the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In 1981, a United States District Court judge ruled that there was uncontroverted evidence that Noraid was an agent of the I.R.A., providing money and services for other than relief purposes.
That is ludicrous. The unrest and violence in Venezuela are entirely the doing of the Maduro government, which has spent years suppressing the opposition and imposing arbitrary currency controls that have made a once prosperous economy one of the worlds most dysfunctional. The Obama administration has sought in recent months to nudge the government and opposition factions to find collaborative solutions to the countrys ills and offered to help with delivery of humanitarian aid. The collapse of order in Venezuela could set off a refugee crisis that would destabilize the region.

So far, international efforts to get the government to accept humanitarian aid and negotiate in good faith with the opposition have faltered. This summer, opposition leaders, who control the National Assembly, thought they had a good shot at ousting Mr. Maduro by holding a recall referendum. That initiative fizzled as Maduro loyalists in the government made it impossible for opposition factions, which are deeply divided, to meet the procedural requirements necessary to hold an early vote.

This has left the opposition with no discernible strategy to extract concessions from an authoritarian and paranoid government whose actions are becoming increasingly bizarre. Even though Venezuela was expelled from the regional trade bloc Mercosur in early December, Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez last week flew to Buenos Aires to crash a diplomatic summit meeting the group held. If they slam the door on us, we will sneak in through the window, a defiant Ms. Rodriguez warned before trying to elbow her way into the meeting. Argentine security forces had to physically restrain her.

In coming weeks, the Trump administration will have to assess Venezuelas worsening crisis and take stock of its policy options. Late in the presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged to stand with the oppressed people of Venezuela yearning to be free. He offered no details of what that would entail. One thing is certain: He should avoid getting drawn into a war of words with Mr. Maduro. Venezuelas flailing leader would happily use any excuse to claim foreign intervention to justify even greater repression of his people.
FRONT PAGE

An article on Friday about a charity event being hosted by Ivanka Trump, which included coffee with her for the highest bidder, misstated the number of adult children President-elect Donald J. Trump has. There are four, not three.

INTERNATIONAL

An article in some editions on Nov. 4 about a decision by Thailands Supreme Court to dismiss a defamation charge against a British labor activist who had accused a Thai fruit company, Natural Fruit, of abusing migrant workers overstated the response of the company vice president, Kachin Komneeyawanich. While he said the Supreme Court did not consider the facts of the case and rested its ruling on a legal technicality, he did not say it did so unfairly. The article was corrected online in late November, but editors failed to follow through on this print correction.

NATIONAL

An article on Sunday about President-elect Donald J. Trumps thank-you tour misstated part of the name of the university in Mobile, Ala., where he held his final rally. It is the University of South Alabama (not Southern Alabama).

NEW YORK

An article on Nov. 30 about Mayor Bill de Blasios task force on domestic violence paraphrased incorrectly from comments by Judy Harris Kluger, a former judge who is now the executive director of Sanctuary for Families. Ms. Kluger said a criminal conviction is always the preferred outcome for stopping abuse. She did not say a criminal conviction in domestic violence cases is not the best outcome for a family.
When out-of-town patients used to travel to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, some would find that their best option for staying close to the hospital for early-morning surgery involved a trip over the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey.

Enter the Edge Hotel, a 54-room property that opened in the fall of 2015 in Upper Manhattan, an area with few other lodgings.

As patients increasingly travel to and across the United States for medical treatment, developers are seizing on the benefits of situating hotels near major medical centers, many of which are in hotel-starved outskirts.

About eight miles from Times Square, the Edge has exceeded expectations, said Ari Sherizen, the operating partner of Edge Property Group, its developer. The hotel has had a steady occupancy rate of more than 80 percent since it opened a block and a half from the hospital, Mr. Sherizen said.
In the violin-making world, two names reign above all others: Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri.

Both masters lived during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, in a small town in northern Italy called Cremona, and garnered a reputation for making the best stringed instruments in the world. Since then, luthiers have tirelessly tried to imitate Stradivaris and Guarneris craftsmanship, copying their wood choice, geometry and construction methods. But their efforts have met with little success.

For hundreds of years, the best violin players have almost unanimously said they prefer a Stradivari or a Guarneri instrument.

Why nobody has been able to replicate that sound remains one of the most enduring mysteries of instrument building. A new study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that answers may lie in the wood: Mineral treatments, followed by centuries of aging and transformation from playing, might give these instruments unique tonal qualities.
To carry out the operation:

The Methbot forgers first took numeric internet addresses they controlled and falsely registered them in the names of well-known internet service providers.

Among those were Comcast, AT&T and Cox, as well as fake companies like AmOL. This allowed the thieves to make it look as if the web traffic from Methbots servers in Dallas and Amsterdam were really coming from individual users of those internet providers.

The forgers then associated the addresses with 571,904 bots designed to mimic human web surfers.

Embedded in the bots web browsers were fake geographic locations, a fake history of other sites visited and fake logins to social networks like Facebook. The bots would start and stop video just like people do and move the mouse and click, Mr. Tiffany said.

The perpetrators connected the bots to the automated advertising networks that sell unsold ad space for thousands of websites.

A bot would pretend to visit a website like CNN.com, and the ad networks would conduct a microsecond bidding war against one another to show a brands video ad. But instead of going to the real CNN, the bots web browser would go to a fake site that nobody could see, and the ad would play there.

Finally, the system would report fake data to the ad networks and advertisers to convince them that humans had watched the ad on the real content site.

It would send just the right kind of metrics back to look like real live audiences that were logged into Facebook and watching videos all day, Mr. Tiffany said. The thieves then collected payment for the ads.

The report did not name the advertisers tricked by the fraud.

David Hahn, the executive vice president of strategy at Integral Ad Science, an advertising security firm that competes with White Ops, said the Methbot fraud affected just a tiny portion of the ad traffic of his own clients.

There are new bots and new ways in which the bad guys are trying to figure out ways around our technology all the time, he said.

The automated ad networks that buy and sell access to ad space on popular websites operate in a murky, fast-paced world, and its often unclear to advertisers who such middlemen truly represent.
If youre in the mood for ridiculously rich French food, Petit Trois is ideal. You enter a narrow room and sit at one of the counters on either side. I was happy to take a place on the side with the open kitchen, getting a view of the chefs in action and talking to them while they worked. (A big advantage of strip mall restaurants is their intimacy, along with kitchens that are often open.) I soaked in the extraordinary smells and the loud music until the bread came, piping hot. Topped with creamy salted butter, it was possibly the best bread Ive ever had (and I was born in France).

Then came the courses, each more decadent than the last. I recommend the French onion soup, which was a vessel for extraordinary Gruyere. Then I devoured the famed Big Mec, a double cheeseburger you can barely pick up, covered in caramelized onions, garlic aioli, American cheese and a red-wine sauce infused, it seemed, with more than a little foie gras. My stomach was painfully full the rest of the night, and I had strange dreams after eating so late. But I was just getting started.

Trois Familia

My next stop came two days later, for brunch, at another collaboration between Mr. Dotolo, Mr. Shook and Mr. Lefebvre: Trois Familia, which advertises its food as French Mexican, in a strip mall near Sunset Junction in Silver Lake. Make sure to get there early to put your name in. If you can clear the waiting hurdle (maybe go to Baskin-Robbins next door while you wait?), youll land in a great place. Especially if youre missing funky 70s graphics (a la The Electric Company and Mellow Yellow), bookshelves full of 70s and 80s records, Abba and Bon Jovi playing on the loudspeakers, and salmon and blue pastel colors. The restaurant replaced a neighborhood staple, Alegria, a pioneer in fine strip mall dining.

Two pieces of advice:

1) Order the churro French toast, topped with vanilla ice cream, which perfectly combines the warm, sweet gooeyness of churros with the cinnamon elegance of French toast. Theyre perfectly light, but still over the top.

2) Order more than you think you should. Portions arent huge, but they pack a wallop, from the poached egg with edible flowers and grits with crispy crackle to the grits with mushrooms and creme fraiche to the breakfast burritos, Frenchified with jambon de Paris and a touch of truffle salt. By the way, the clientele here is almost uniformly attractive. You wonder if that waiting list is rigged.
The pardon would not absolve the immigrants of their crimes, or of punishments imposed in criminal court. Instead, it would eliminate the civil immigration violations that follow when noncitizens break the law. It is the civil violation, not the criminal one, that makes an immigrant deportable.

In the past, presidents  including Mr. Obama  have pardoned immigrants for federal criminal convictions, that way shielding them from deportation. But the immigrants that advocates are now asking Mr. Obama to help were convicted of violating state laws, which the president cannot pardon.

The legal reasoning behind the proposal is linked to the initial writing of the Constitutions pardon clause. The clause has been used almost exclusively for criminal convictions, not civil ones like immigration violations. But the advocates argue that when the Constitution was drafted, the distinction between criminal and civil law was less clear, and that pardon power has been used to dismiss offenses that would constitute civil violations under todays standards.

It was Hamilton, the advocates wrote, who broadened the pardon clause to apply to offenses committed against the United States, rather than the narrower term crimes. They add that King George III used his pardon power to relieve thousands from a penalty known as transportation, which was a precursor to modern deportation that evolved in England from the ancient punishment of banishment.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the reach of the pardon power is identical to the reach of the analogous power enjoyed by the King of England at the time of the founding of the U.S. Constitution, they wrote.

In Alamance County, N.C., a rural, predominantly white community near the Virginia border, with a sleepy main street lined with American flags and We Support Blue banners, noncitizens are particularly on edge about the transfer of power to Mr. Trump.
FLINT, Mich.  A criminal investigation into this citys water crisis reached into the top ranks of supervision over Flint on Tuesday as Michigan officials announced felony charges against two former state-appointed emergency managers, accusing them of fixating on saving money rather than on the safety of residents.

The managers, who were appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to lead Flint out of fiscal distress, were charged over their roles in the public health crisis prompted by the citys switch to a new water source, as well as the delays in responding to residents complaints as they suffered the devastating effects.

Announcing the charges at a banquet center not far from the Flint River, Bill Schuette, the states attorney general, described a fixation on finances and balance sheets as at the root of what happened in Flint, where the water has been tied to the lead poisoning of children and the deaths of 12 people from Legionnaires disease.

All too prevalent in this Flint water investigation was a priority on balance sheets and finances rather than health and safety of the citizens of Flint, said Mr. Schuette, a Republican who is seen as a possible candidate for governor in 2018.
President Obama announced on Tuesday what he called a permanent ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along wide areas of the Arctic and the Atlantic Seaboard as he tried to nail down an environmental legacy that cannot quickly be reversed by Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Obama invoked an obscure provision of a 1953 law, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which he said gives him the authority to act unilaterally. While some presidents have used that law to temporarily protect smaller portions of federal waters, Mr. Obamas declaration of a permanent drilling ban on portions of the ocean floor from Virginia to Maine and along much of Alaskas coast is breaking new ground. The declarations fate will almost certainly be decided by the federal courts.

Its never been done before, said Patrick Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at Vermont Law School. There is no case law on this. Its uncharted waters.

The move  considered creative by supporters and abusive by opponents  is one of many efforts by Mr. Obama to protect what environmental policies he can from a successor who has vowed to roll them back. The president, in concert with United Nations leaders, rushed countries to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, putting the multinational accord into force in record time, before Mr. Trumps inauguration.
Trump goes after Bill Clinton.

Mr. Trump may officially be president-elect, but just because you are a month from becoming the leader of the free world doesnt mean you should let a slight go unanswered.

Former President Bill Clinton told a reporter from The Record-Review, a weekly newspaper serving the towns of Bedford and Pound Ridge in New York, that Mr. Trump doesnt know much.
The police in Whitefish, Mont., said Tuesday that they have stepped up patrols and are working with the F.B.I. after a neo-Nazi and white supremacist website listed the names and contacts of local Jews, calling on readers to take action against them.

Lt. Bridger Kelch of the Police Department in the town in northwestern Montana said that the force was taking the measures after the website, The Daily Stormer, on Friday published phone numbers, work locations, email addresses, and photographs of six Flathead County residents. Several of those targeted were from Whitefish where Sherry Spencer, the mother of the white nationalist leader Richard B. Spencer, lives and owns a building that has been the subject of protests.

The matter has been the topic of national news media articles after a local report in The Missoulian drew widespread attention on social media.

Reached by telephone, Lt. Kelch said Tuesday morning that the department was reviewing social media posts and emails directed at the six people, but that none had risen to death threats. He said the department was conducting patrols, but there had been no reported confrontations in person or by telephone. We have been looking at any communications, he said.
When my friend posted an adorable picture of her son with a black Santa in New York City, I was drawn to the idea of visiting a Santa who reflected my familys skin tones. Im black, and my 3-year-old sons father is white. I am raising him as a single mom with the help of my parents. Why should white Santa be the default?

Of course, you can find childrens books that feature a black Santa Claus, and he appears in some ornaments and other products. The website blacksanta.com, founded by the former N.B.A. player Baron Davis, sells products like T-shirts, hats and ornaments featuring images of black Santa. In a classic episode of The Cosby Show, Dr. Huxtable explains to one of the children that as Santa drops down each chimney, his race morphs to match that of the family hes visiting  Asian, African-American, Caucasian and so on.

Its a nice sentiment, but the reality is that black Santas are pretty hard to find. When the Mall of America in Minnesota enlisted a black Santa this year, he was popular with children but his presence prompted an unpleasant racial backlash online.

I decided to make an appointment for Macys Santaland at the Herald Square store, where my friend had seen the black Santa. Id heard the option was by special request so I searched the form for some way to indicate that I wanted a black Santa. Black Santa isnt advertised at all; he is known about mainly through word of mouth. After calling the store and experiencing a few rounds of dead ends, I finally found a secretary who explained that we just had to tell the elves when we got there that we wanted to see black Santa.
The shrink wanted to know whether I was in control of my drinking or my drinking was in control of me. He explained that we become more sensitive to the depressant effects of alcohol as we age, especially in midlife, when our body chemistry changes and were more likely to be taking various medications that can interact with alcohol and one another.

On doctors orders, I went cold turkey off alcohol. When I returned a month later and volunteered that I hadnt touched a drink since our last visit, he was satisfied that I didnt have an active alcohol problem and told me I could drink in what he considered moderation: No more than two glasses of wine a day, and never two days in a row. He also suggested I keep a log.

More Americans than ever are taking antidepressants. The prevalence nearly doubled between 1999 and 2012, increasing to 13 percent from 6.9 percent, a study in JAMA found. Antidepressant use increases with age, with more than one in six of those over 60 taking a drug for depression.

Drug companies err on the side of caution, warning those taking the drugs to avoid alcohol. Alcohol is itself a depressant and may worsen depression, though few studies have explored the clinical implications of mixing it with antidepressants. Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic who studies addiction, said: While select individuals may be able to have an occasional drink without complications, that cannot be generalized to an entire population, some of whom may have drug interactions.

Andrew Solomon, a professor of clinical psychology and among the worlds best-known depressives thanks to his book The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, couldnt provide much more guidance. It definitely varies by how Im feeling over all, he told me when I asked about his personal habits. When Im in good spirits  no pun intended  I am easier about this; when I feel more fragile, Im more cautious.
GENEVA  President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines should be formally investigated by judicial authorities in his country for murder after he claimed to have personally killed people suspected of committing crimes, the top human rights official at the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The official, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, was responding to comments that Mr. Duterte made at a news conference on Friday in which he said that he had shot and killed about three men during his years as mayor of the southern city of Davao.

Those killings would clearly constitute murder, Mr. al-Hussein said in a statement on Tuesday. It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer.

Mr. Duterte, 71, has said that as mayor he roamed Davao on a motorcycle and killed people to encourage the city police to take strong action against criminals. He has previously said that the three men he shot were suspected of rape and kidnapping.
PATHUM THANI, Thailand  It is a temple for a changing Thailand: clean, unadorned, high-tech and unashamed of praying for wealth.

Sit here and get rich, read small medallions embedded in the floor under each white plastic chair in a vast, open-sided meditation center. In his sermons, the temples charismatic 72-year-old leader, Phra Dhammachayo, often exhorts his adherents, Be rich, be rich, be rich!

With its endorsement of worldly comforts and its no-nonsense approach to ritual, the temple, known as Wat Dhammakaya and the largest in Thailand, has attracted the allegiance of growing numbers of followers in a movement whose popularity has unsettled the government and the Buddhist hierarchy.

The authorities have long tried to clip its wings, and for the past month the police have been threatening to arrest Phra Dhammachayo despite a warning by the temple that it would mobilize a human shield of chanting monks to protect him.
SYDNEY, Australia  Weeks away from ending their search of a remote stretch of the southern Indian Ocean for debris from a Malaysian jet that vanished in 2014, investigators acknowledged on Tuesday that they might have spent the past two years looking too far south.

Experts said in a report that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board, was most likely resting on the seabed in an area partly searched in late 2014 and early 2015. The searchers then moved south along a long arc thought to be the jets trajectory, off Australias southwest coast.

They now want to expand the 46,000-square-mile search by around 9,700 square miles, to cover a new zone to the north, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in the report, which was issued along with analysis from Australias science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

Despite the new analysis, Darren Chester, the Australian infrastructure and transport minister, said the search would end soon unless specific new information about the location of the wreckage emerged.
The German authorities were at first typically cautious about describing it as an attack, as opposed to an accident. They now say that it was very likely an act of terrorism. Like similar episodes, it involved a public space, an emblem of common ground and open society. But in this case, the symbolism of the site ran even deeper.

The truck that killed at least 12 people on Monday in Berlin drove into a Christmas market in the shadow of the citys Gedachtniskirche, or Memorial Church. I have been scouring a video on Twitter of the aftermath, trying to distinguish the pools of blood from the spilled wine, looking for faces of people I know.

This was my familys Christmas market, near where we lived in Berlin. It fills the churchs windswept, stony plaza, built after the war, where children play and my older son learned to skateboard. We frequented the market each December to drink spiced wine, and bought dried cherries and gooseberries from a young Turkish couple with a stall near the entrance to the church who stuffed extra fruit into our bags as gifts for our boys.

Week in, week out for years, I also passed through this square with our younger son on our way to and from the city zoo, next door. This is not a particularly beautiful place. Its bourgeois, not chic. Theres a more proletarian Christmas market near Alexanderplatz, a fancier one at Gendarmenmarkt. Surrounded by postwar office buildings and anonymous streets packed with chain stores, the area, at the end of a fading commercial boulevard, tends to be frequented by German tourists and local shoppers with their families. The consumerist temple KaDeWe is nearby, and lately some stylish developments like Bikini-Haus have been moving in.
BERLIN  For a Germany that likes to see itself as meticulous, the slip-up was startling: Hours after the authorities said they had grabbed a suspect in the deadly truck rampage at a Christmas market in Berlin, they acknowledged they may have detained the wrong man and began a desperate search for the actual driver.

The decision on Tuesday to release the suspect and the Islamic States claim of responsibility for the bloody attack inflicted a damaging blow to Chancellor Angela Merkels government.

On a chaotic day of grief and uncertainty, after 12 people were killed and dozens injured on Monday, leaders of the countrys rising far-right Alternative for Germany party assailed the chancellor in blunt, visceral terms, describing the victims as Merkels dead.

The attack, which saw a driver steer a speeding tractor-trailer through crowds of shoppers at a popular Christmas market in central Berlin, is already reshaping what promises to be a tumultuous European political year in 2017. Ms. Merkel is the most powerful defender of the reeling European Union, yet such a bloody terror attack on German soil is certain to complicate her campaign for a fourth term in office. The prospect that she could be weakened, or voted out, would be potentially devastating for the bloc.
LANGELAND, Denmark  The first of the asylum seekers, five shy African boys, arrived in July 2014, just days after the authorities on this small Danish island were granted permission to open a shelter for children.

Local organizers hurriedly opened as many as 20 shelters housing more than 3,200 refugees, an act that blended humanitarian generosity with an economic lift for the poor community, as the new shelters drew millions in government subsidies.

But it was too much, too fast. Two years later, Langelands network of shelters has been riddled with problems and abuses, including arson, fights, rape and sexual molestation.

The scandals have called into question the wisdom and motivations for such a rapid expansion. But they have also pointed to dangers across Europe, where many countries have been similarly ill prepared for the surge of migrants and the large numbers of unaccompanied minors among them.
LONDON  After his first guitar lesson in the fall of 1956, Tom Leimdorfer made his way across Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to attend a peaceful demonstration outside the Parliament building.

The Soviet-backed Communist government had left many Hungarians restive, and Mr. Leimdorfer, just 14 at the time, later recalled that the demonstration on Oct. 23 fueled his adolescent optimism about his future  and the countrys.

But before his next guitar lesson, Soviet tanks had rolled into Hungary, and residents of the capital woke on Nov. 4 to shelling from invading forces.

The Soviet incursion 60 years ago created Europes largest refugee crisis since World War II. Some 180,000 Hungarians, Mr. Leimdorfer and his widowed mother among them, escaped through holes in the Iron Curtain along the tightly policed border with Austria.
MOSCOW  Russia and Turkey vowed on Tuesday not to let the assassination of a top Russian diplomat by an off-duty Turkish police officer derail their work or their fight against terrorism. Along with Iran, they pledged to expand a fragile cease-fire deal involving Syrias government and the opposition.

A team of 18 Russian investigators landed in Ankara to look into the killing of the envoy, Ambassador Andrey G. Karlov, whose body was to be returned to Russia on the same plane in which the investigators arrived.

In Moscow, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, placed flowers next to a portrait of Mr. Karlov, who was fatally shot on Monday at a photography exhibition at an art center in Ankara, the capital.

Turkish people are mourning this loss as much as Russia and the people of Russia, Mr. Cavusoglu told Mr. Lavrov at the ceremony. Mr. Lavrov said that Russia was grateful to our Turkish colleagues for their condolences and for their rapid response to the killing.
ZURICH  A gunman who wounded three people attending prayers at an Islamic center in Zurich has been found dead, apparently after committing suicide, the Swiss police said on Tuesday.

Officials described the man as a 24-year-old Swiss citizen of Ghanaian descent, but they did not identify him by name. They said that he had no known links to terrorist groups, but that he was already wanted for the fatal stabbing of a friend whose body was found on Sunday at a playground in Zurich.

We dont believe it was a terror act, Christiane Lentjes Meili, the chief of police for the canton of Zurich, said of the attack on Monday. We have no evidence of a connection to terrorism.

Three men were wounded in the attack, two of them seriously; all are in stable condition.



The attack occurred around 5 p.m. at a prayer center used mostly by Somali and Eritrean refugees, just south of the citys main train station. Hours after the attack, the police found the body of a man on the Gessner Bridge, near the city center and a short walk from the Islamic center.
AMMAN, Jordan  The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a terrorist attack in the southern Jordanian city of Karak that killed 10 people, including the head of the militarys special forces, according to an organization that monitors militant groups.

As the authorities continued their investigation into the attack on Sunday, three gendarmes and a police officer were shot and killed in Karak as Jordanian security forces conducted raids, a spokesman for the Jordanian Public Security Department said.

In the statement released by the Islamic State, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, the militants said four fighters, by virtue of God alone and described as caliphate soldiers, carried out the attack on Sunday using automatic weapons and hand grenades.

Seven Jordanian security officers, a Canadian tourist and two Jordanian civilians were killed, and four attackers also died in the clashes. The assault began at a house where the gunmen were staying. They then fled and attacked a police station, before moving on to Karaks ancient crusader castle, a popular tourist destination in the city.
Hundreds of thousands of people with piles of federal student loan debt had not been too concerned because they were counting on a federal government program that would forgive those loans if they worked at least 10 years in a public service job.

But what happens if the definition of public service seemed to change midway through that decade?

On Tuesday, the American Bar Association and four lawyers who thought they qualified filed suit against the Department of Education trying to answer that question. The department had informed several of them that their jobs would make them eligible for loan forgiveness, but they later received letters saying that the ruling had changed.

All four, according to the legal brief, might have picked different jobs, borrowed less or entered different repayment plans had they known the rules would change.

The public service loan-forgiveness program began in 2007, and is available, according to the explanation on the programs website, to employees of governmental organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofit groups and other groups who hold qualifying public service jobs.
BERLIN  German authorities are calling the truck attack on a crowded Christmas market an act of terrorism that had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremism  but many questions remained over who carried out the attack that killed 12 people and wounded nearly 50 in the heart of Berlin.

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday night released a man taken into custody in the vicinity of the crime on suspicion that he drove the vehicle in the attack Monday night, saying they hadnt found evidence putting him in the truck at that time.

The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based upon a description of the man who jumped out of the truck and fled. But prosecutors said he had denied any involvement in the attack. Prosecutors also said no forensic evidence had been found proving that he was in the cab during the rampage, and no witnesses had followed him from the scene of the carnage to where he had been picked up.

Under German law, prosecutors have until the end of the calendar day following an arrest to seek a formal arrest warrant keeping a suspect in custody.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was the trucks driver. Muench also said police havent yet found a pistol believed used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering steel beams with the truck used in the attack until it went missing.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain particularly vigilant and to report suspicious movements to a special hotline.

We may still have a dangerous criminal out there, Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Germanys top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the Monday night attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of Julys deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the Islamic State group.

There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations, Frank said.

Still, he said authorities had not yet heard any claim of responsibility.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans way of life.

Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, arent among us anymore, she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives.

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowded Christmas market Monday evening. It smashed through the market, going 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before finally coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and the man found shot and killed in the trucks passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified, and 18 people are still suffering from serious injuries.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany, Merkel said. This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country.

A spokesman for Berlins office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the citys now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but nobody was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

They must have done something to my driver, he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers in the summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks, and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday nights attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security, Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

Manfred Weber, a member of Merkels conservative bloc and leader of the European Parliaments biggest political group, cautioned against sweeping verdicts but said it was important to ensure that extremists didnt enter the country.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be eradicated from the face of the earth and pledged to carry out that mission with all freedom-loving partners.

The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing on the upcoming holiday season and associated events in Europe.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck plowed into Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. IS claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.

Associated Press writers David Rising and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris filed suit Monday to block oil fracking off the coast of California.

The complaint, filed by Harris office and the California Coastal Commission, specifically challenges a federal environmental assessment that clears the way for drillers to resume the controversial method of oil exploration.

The suit argues that the U.S. Department of the Interior and two of its agencies, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, failed to fully analyze and disclose the potential environmental risks of new offshore drilling processes like hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, and acidization. Both practices rely more on hazardous chemicals than do traditional extraction methods.

The U.S. Department of Interiors inadequate environmental assessment would open the door to practices like fracking that may pose a threat to the health and well-being of California communities, Harris said Monday. We must balance our energy needs with our longstanding commitment to protecting our natural resources and public health.

The Department of the Interior declined to comment on the filing.

The challenge is the latest development in a long-running battle over offshore drilling in California, and it comes as the state prepares for potentially looser environmental regulations in the coming Trump administration.

There are at least 43 active federal oil and gas leases off the coast of Southern California, including 22 production platforms located in the federally-managed waters between Long Beach and Santa Barbara. Last year, drillers pulled up 11.5 million barrels of crude oil from those leases, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Thats a trickle of what Californias production was at its peak in the 1990s, when state lawmakers began to enforce moratoriums that slowed down the flow of oil. Some companies operating off the coast want to use new drilling techniques to coax more oil out of aging wells.

Fracking already has been used locally, but on a limited basis.

In the waters off the coast of Long Beach, Seal Beach, and Huntington Beach, oil companies have used fracking at least 200 times in the last two decades. Drilling operators have also fracked at sites in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Among the companies looking to use fracking are DCOR LLC, a Ventura-based offshore oil and gas driller. The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group based in Oakland and Santa Barbara, said last week that the company wanted to frack one well in the Santa Barbara Channel. DCOR also has leases off the coast of Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Mondays complaint seeks to reimpose a fracking ban that the Department of the Interior put on new drilling leases off the coast of Southern California. That deal was part of a settlement with environmental groups that alleged the federal government had illegally failed to study the health and environmental dangers associated with fracking. The moratorium was lifted in May, when federal agencies released a report that said fracking and other drilling processes would not have a significant impact on Southern Californias coastal environment.

This is a major development in the fight to protect our ocean from toxic chemicals or another oil spill, said Kristen Monsell, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, referencing the complaint filed Monday. Its wonderful to see state officials standing up to the oil industry.

The attorney generals complaint comes as California Democratic lawmakers attempt to shore up the states environmental protections in advance of the incoming administration of president-elect Donald Trump.

In a letter to President Barack Obama last week, California Gov. Jerry Brown requested a permanent federal ban on new offshore drilling off the coast of California. Federal and state lawmakers have echoed those sentiments, and called for an executive order imposing a permanent moratorium on oil and gas exploration off the West Coast.

California is blessed with hundreds of miles of spectacular coastline, home to scenic state parks, beautiful beaches, abundant wildlife and thriving communities, Brown wrote.

Clearly, large new oil and gas reserves would be inconsistent with our overriding imperative to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat the devastating impacts of climate change.
A Huntington Beach planning commissioner who found himself in hot water for comments he made assailing Islam and political correctness during a Nov. 19 speech, resigned from his post Monday.

Michael Hoskinson, a real estate broker who was appointed to the Huntington Beach Planning Commission in 2014, faced claims that he was anti-Semitic and philosophically aligned with alt-right and extremist groups.

Hoskinson, who was unavailable for comment, hotly refuted claims point-by-point on his Facebook page, writing that, Political correctness is being used in an attempt to silence and remove me from public life.

Councilman Erik Peterson, who appointed Hoskinson to the commission, thought many of the criticismswere unfair.

I know Mike and hes not what theyre portraying him to be, Peterson said.

However, Peterson said that the perceptions about Hoskinson made it impossible for him to continue. And Hoskinsons provocative language and occasionally profligate social media postings made him an easy target.

In the Planning Commission, youre supposed to be unbiased, he said. If people think youre not giving them a fair shake, it might be a problem.

Peterson also suggested that Hoskinsons use of sarcasm also rubbed people wrong and may have taken away from the points he was trying to make.

Mayor Barbara Delgleize said she had received calls and complaints throughout the week from residents.

I think its a good thing, she said of the resignation.

The imbroglio arose on the heels of a video of a speech Hoskinson gave to a conservative group in Santa Ana called Political Correctness: The Death of America, that surfaced on YouTube. The speech along with posts from Hoskinsons Facebook page became the basis for a story by blogger John Earl on Surf City Voice titled Surf City Commissioner Pushed Jewish-Marxist Conspiracy Theory.

That story ignited a storm of criticisms that eventually led Hoskinson to resign. The speech was about the Frankfurt School in 1920s Germany that pushed a line of social theory and philosophy. Hoskinson said the school infested American universities and created a toxic stew that combined into what we now call Political Correctness.

However, it was some of Hoskinsons extemporaneous remarks and tangents that caught the most notice.

He said I think Islam is definitely a threat, I dont call it a religion at all and of billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros, Id shoot him myself if I had a chance. Hes a horrible human being. Hes an enemy of this country.

On his Facebook page, Hoskinson wrote that many of his comments were taken out of context, misconstrued or simply or purposefully misunderstood and made false inferences.

A small and vocal group of hardcore Progressive activists in Huntington Beach who have attempted to silence me since I was appointed, Hoskinson wrote.

Delgleize said some of Hoskinsons remarks and posts went against the citys 20-year-old Human Dignity Policy, which declares that everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect, regardless of their racial background, their nation of origin, the religion they practice, their sexual orientation, gender or disability status.

About being an elected or appointed official, Delgleize said, I think you serve at a higher standard.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7964, gmellen@scng.com
Age: 41

Role: Founder and president of WeIrvine

Bio: Lu co-founded WeIrvine, an internet-based service that helps Chinese immigrants settle in Irvine. He moved to the United States to attend grad school at UC Irvine. Besides helping to run WeIrvine, Lu works full time as a software developer. Lu lives in Irvine with his wife and their 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.

Why he is an influencer: WeIrvine has become a social hub for a new wave of Chinese immigrants, with about 20,000 subscribers since 2014 and new subscribers signing on at a rate of about 1,000 a month. The website features Chinese articles about schools, restaurants, shopping, recreation and real estate in Irvine. The staff also organizes events, trips, and seminars on such topics as financial planning and immigration. WeIrvines success shows Irvine has become a magnet for wealthy individuals and families in mainland China looking to move to America, a trend that has boosted Irvine to become the largest city in the continental United States where Asian residents outnumber white residents.

Biggest challenge: Make the transitioning process smooth for every immigrant.

Inspiration: Seeing many friends struggling and making mistakes.

Cant live without: Many things.

Whats next: Help more people and in a better way.

 Tomoya Shimura
SAN FRANCISCO  San Francisco appointed a deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department Tuesday to head the city police department as it deals with a number of racially charged issues.

Mayor Ed Lee announced the hiring of William Scott, an African-American who is a 27-year veteran of the LAPD.

Hes seen firsthand what it takes to  transform a department. This starts at the top, Lee said in announcing the appointment.

Former San Francisco Chief Greg Suhr stepped down in May amid mounting pressure from Lee after police fatally shot two minority suspects carrying knives.

In addition, transcripts have surfaced showing officers using racial slurs in text messages, and a young black woman was shot dead as police tried to pull her from a stolen car.

Scott, 52, a native of Alabama, said he has always wanted to live in San Francisco.

What you will find in me, I hope, is the same person that I have been all my life, a person who will listen to you, will hear you, and will take action as appropriate, a person who will be fair and who will be consistent, he said.

There is a lot of work to be done, a lot of reforms that are on the agenda.

Like many cities, San Francisco has experienced intensifying racial tensions between police and the community in recent years, fueled in part by police killings caught on video such as the death of Mario Woods last December in the citys Bayview district.

In 2015, a local judge in one case involving alleged police misbehavior ruled that Suhr had waited too long to discipline officers who had exchanged racist and homophobic text messages. Suhr said he delayed discipline because he didnt want to interfere with a federal corruption investigation into several officers.

Suhr lost Lees backing this year after patrol officers looking for stolen cars in an industrial neighborhood came across 29-year-old Jessica Williams sitting behind the wheel of a parked car that had been reported stolen.

Officers turned on the patrol cars lights and sounded its siren, and the woman sped off in the stolen car and slammed into a parked utility truck. A witness reported that the officers opened the drivers door and began grabbing her to try to arrest her. At that point, a sergeant fired one round, killing her.
At a California Coastal Commission hearing this summer, as others waved bright signs and shouted their thoughts on preserving Banning Ranch, one of the loudest voices in the room was that of Steve Ray, who spoke calmly.

For eight years Ray, 68, has helped lead the Banning Ranch Conservancy. The Anaheim resident has devoted himself to the cause of turning a privately held 401-acre tract that runs from the coast in Newport Beach to rolling hills in Costa Mesa  land that features wetlands and coastal sage, as well as oil derricks and pipelines  into a natural place.

Ray has pushed for nature even as developers have pushed back, hard, to build a housing and retail complex at the site, and as oil companies pushed in a different direction to bring in more oil production.

Over the years, the Banning Ranch property has become the center of a public fight involving a cluster of competing interests. And any Banning Ranch meeting, near or far, Ray attends.

From helping to set strategy to organizing volunteers to learning the ins and outs of oil operations and the wildlife that inhabit the land, Ray is indefatigable in his passion for this particular chunk of land.

In a community of tireless, dedicated volunteers, he is the most tireless, said Dr. Terry Welsh, a pathologist from Costa Mesa who serves as the president of the Banning Ranch Conservancy, a partner to Rays role as executive director.

He really is exceptional as far as the dedication and amount of time he puts in his efforts.

And this year they won. In September, the Coastal Commission rejected a proposal to put 900-plus homes, a high-end hotel and retail on Banning Ranch.

True, oil drillers are still seeking more wells on the property. And the developer is going to court to get its project underway. But, for the moment, its still possible that Banning Ranch will be resurrected as a natural, wild space.

Ray hasnt always had such success.

Where the people lived

Ray grew up in Pippa Passes, Ky., where he saw old-school coal mining foul the regions creeks, tear through private lands and spew livestock-killing chemicals.

They were buying up mountains all over eastern Kentucky where they thought the coal was, and they were just cutting them all down, Ray said.

They just pushed everything over the side of the mountain and it went tumbling down.  Everything went down and landed at the bottom.

Well, the bottom was where the people lived.

In February 1968, a mountaintop coal operation hit particularly close to home. With six friends, Ray sneaked onto the property and lay on the ground in front of five-story tall mining machinery before it plowed into the earth.

We decided we needed to do something, Ray remembered. We laid across in front of the treads and dared them to move it.

In that instance their protest stopped nothing. The mining company was tearing into its mountain soon enough, though days later the years hot presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, visited the town and toured some mining sites.

Years later, Ray protested the removal of some 1,000 deciduous trees in Austin, Texas, where he was living and working as a special education teacher. Like in Kentucky, those trees were not saved.

We did what most young inexperienced people do.  We went out and protested, carried signs and linked arms, Ray said.

But we didnt do a very good job of doing the science of why the trees needed to be there and organizing the community to oppose it.

Ray got savvier.

While working in the corporate world in Ohio, Ray learned that his employer was dumping contaminants into the sewer. He urged the company to right its wrongs or he would take their pollution public.

I could be very bellicose inside the company, Ray said.

That time, the company pledged to clean up its mess.

Less emotion, more fact

In the 1980s, when Ray was part of the fight to save the Bolsa Chica wetlands, he talked with Peter Douglas, the lead author of the states coastal protection law and the Coastal Commissions longest-serving executive director.

For Ray, the talk changed everything.

I cant give you or the developers advice, Ray remembers Douglas saying.

But he could offer some wisdom.

Do the science, Douglas told him. If its there, youll win.

So he  or, rather, the environmental groups he worked with  started doing the science. The Amigos de Bolsa Chica changed their argument from emotion to fact.

We had to learn to be professionals, Ray said.

And they won.

In 1980, the California Coastal Commission declared Bolsa Chica to be wetlands, a designation that meant the property would be (and remains) subject to the states coastal protections. Today, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is a 1,300-acre coastal estuary.

The lesson carried over to Banning Ranch.

Since 1999, Welsh had been working to preserve Banning Ranch, forming a Sierra Club task force on the issue and rallying neighbors to halt development. The property is the last, large, privately held strip of coastal land in Southern California thats not developed.

Welsh and Ray crossed paths and the two joined forces.

Ray has prepped for the Banning Ranch fight.

He was a special operations Marine during the Vietnam War. Hes held corporate jobs. Hes worked in the film industry. All the while, his friends say, hes learned how to negotiate.

Steve has done all this stuff before; he brings this great wisdom, Welsh said. Like anyone, hes not always right. But hes right more often than most people.

Contact the writer: lawilliams@scng.com
Age: 33

Role: Writer

Bio: Danler grew up in Seal Beach and attended Kenyon College in Ohio, after which she moved to New York City. She worked as a waitress for years before enrolling in grad school, where she started writing her debut novel about a young woman similar to herself. She now lives in Los Angeles.

Why she is an influencer: Her debut Sweetbitter quickly won over critics and the reading public, and eventually landed on many 2016 best-of lists including Buzzfeed, The Washington Post and the Observer Food Monthly magazine in England, which named Sweetbitter its book of the year.

Biggest challenge: Its definitely been how to protect the writing. This touring job kind of borders more on traveling salesman, and the challenge has been to protect the part of me that creates.

Thoughts on culture: I do feel that there is a responsibility, a platform, that a lot of writers and creators sometimes are given, and while I dont necessarily feel the pressure, I definitely have learned to take that responsibility seriously.

Inspiration: You must change your life, the final line of Rainer Maria Rilkes poem Archaic Torso of Apollo, inspired Danler to quit her job and go to grad school to write Sweetbitter.

Cant live without: My books. I live in a house that is threatening to collapse from all the books.

Whats next: I do have a second book for Knopf that will be kind of a memoir and essays, and were closer to announcing what will happen next with Sweetbitter as a film or TV project.

 Peter Larson
Southwest Airlines Co.s website failed Tuesday, blocking access to booking and flight check-in tools in a busy holiday travel week.

The carrier said it was making progress in fixing the disruption and was getting reports of successful transactions and online check-in attempts around 5:45 p.m. New York time. The failure affected all customers but didnt have any impact on flights, the Dallas-based carrier said.

Recovery is underway, the company said in a e-mailed statement. Our technology teams are in the process of restoring our website to full functionality.

Southwest told passengers via Twitter to check in using airport kiosks or ticket counters. Customers hurt by the interruption and traveling through Dec. 21 could change their plans without paying a fee, the airline said. Messages to individual customers on Twitter suggested the website issues started by about 1 p.m.

The site was back online in at least some markets by the late afternoon.

Southwest was one of three U.S. carriers that suffered a similar disruption Oct. 17 when technical difficulties with Sabre Corp. computer systems prevented reservations from being made on websites. Southwest also struggled in July after a router and its backup system failed, crashing the airlines computer systems.

The disruption lasted about 12 hours, but flight cancellations and delays continued for several days.

Some 7.7 million people in Southern California are expected to travel between Friday and Jan. 2, according to estimates by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Statewide, the group forecast 12 million travelers will travel for the holidays.

John Wayne Airport anticipates a busier-than-normal travel period through Jan. 2. Last year, more than 500,000 passengers passed through JWA during the period.

More than 4 million people are expected to travel through Los Angeles International Airport, a 9.5 percent spike over the same measure in 2015, according to the airport.
WASHINGTON  In Florida, protesters swarmed the state Capitol rotunda, one hoisting a Trump Is Too Rusky sign featuring a hammer and sickle. In Wisconsins Statehouse, a heckler shouted, Were all going to war and die thanks to you, during the formal meeting of the Electoral College.

And in New York, an elector by the name of William Jefferson Clinton cast his vote for his wife and then came out to make plain that he believes Donald Trump won the presidency only because of outside interference in the election.

We had the Russians and the FBI, and she couldnt prevail against that, but she did everything else and still won by 2.8 million votes, Clinton said, his determined smile belying his fury.

The meeting of the Electoral College after presidential elections has long been little more than a tradition-bound formality, with political insiders gathering to ratify the preferences of their states voters and distribute 538 electoral votes. Yet as with so much else in this turbulent election year, even that civic ritual was punctuated by anger and dissent.

Democrats were unable to persuade enough electors to withhold their support for Trump. He easily cleared the 270-vote threshold needed to defeat Hillary Clinton, with onlytwo Republican electors declining to cast their vote for the president-elect. But the protests at state capitols across the country offered a preview of a tumultuous inauguration and first 100 days of the new administration.

Kellyanne Conway, Trumps campaign manager, said the election wasnt a squeaker.

The professional political left is attempting to foment a permanent opposition that is corrosive to our constitutional democracy and ignores what just happened in this election, she said. Liberals cannot, she added, wave magic pixie dust and make this go away.

As for whether Trump would now begin to offer a hand of friendship to his critics, Conway noted that he had met with multiple Democrats and spoken with President Barack Obama several times. He said, Ill be president of all people, but the left is trying to delegitimize his election, she said. Theyre trying to deny him what he just earned. So why is the burden always on him?

Democrats vow that burden will only increase.

Theres not going to be a grace period this time because everybody on our side thinks hes illegitimate and poses a massive threat, said Adam Jentleson, a top aide to retiring Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who next year is going to work for one of the hubs of the opposition, the Center for American Progress.

With liberals determined to confront the president-elect and Trump continuing to scorn his critics while denying intelligence officials assessment that Russia was responsible for hacking Democrats, the divisions so stark during this years campaign are on a course to grow worse.

Washington has been drifting toward perpetual political combat for more than two decades, at least since the Newt Gingrich-led Republican revolution of 1994.

But this time, People on the left are scared about Trump in a way they were not scared about Reagan or George W. Bush, said Michael Kazin, a professor of history at Georgetown University who has written extensively on the history of liberalism.

Moreover, the uneasiness with Trump has hardly receded in the nearly six weeks since his election.

Half of Americans surveyed in an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll last week approved of how the president-elect was preparing for the job, a figure far lower than when it was asked of Bill Clinton in 1992 (77 percent) and Obama in 2008 (73 percent).

Democrats, after a period of shell shock from their loss, say they will offer a well-financed resistance. Trumps Cabinet selections so far, and his refusal to acknowledge Russian efforts to affect the election, have only solidified Democrats resolve.

But resolve will also confront a reality: Republicans control both chambers of Congress and are in sync with Trump on many issues. Democrats can make the Cabinet confirmation process uncomfortable for Trumps nominees, but their chances to actually block anyone rest with the unlikely prospect of Republican defections.

While the left of U.S. politics often lacks cohesion, leaders of many groups say this time will be different. The Center for American Progress and some groups directed by David Brock, a liberal strategist, are gearing up for the fight; the Democracy Alliance, a progressive umbrella group, is preparing for a March donor summit to focus entirely on how to regain power in state capitals. And a number of left-leaning activists are planning protests in conjunction with Trumps inauguration next month.

Democrats have not resolved intraparty tensions that were laid bare in the primary between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders but say that they are unified in their view that the Trump presidency represents an existential threat.

The matter of what exactly to confront Trump over is harder to figure.

In the next few weeks alone, progressives will be forced to decide how much money and attention to devote to Trumps Cabinet and White House appointments, his pick to fill a vacant seat on the Supreme Court, his financial conflicts of interest and his stated plan to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act. Thats not to mention unexpected foreign or domestic crises that may arise as Trump takes the oath of office.

In terms of needing to fight Trump and get back on track in the states, the left is unified, said Gara LaMarche, president of the Democracy Alliance. The harder question is how you fight intelligently and strategically when every house is burning down.
MOSCOW  A team of Russian detectives arrived in Turkey early Tuesday to assist with the investigation into the killing of Russias ambassador by a Turkish police officer. Leaders in both countries said the violence was an effort to rupture a rapprochement between the two regional powers as they try to reach an accommodation over Syrias civil war.

A Kremlin spokesman said President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had jointly agreed to include the Russian task force in the investigation. Officer Mevlut Mert Altintas gunned down Ambassador Andrei Karlov as the diplomat spoke before an exhibition of Russian photos at an art gallery in the Turkish capital of Ankara Monday evening.

After killing the ambassador, Altintas, a 22-year-old officer with the riot police, denounced Russias role in the Syrian war, screaming: Dont forget Aleppo! Dont forget Syria! He was later killed in a gun battle with the police.

The assassination, which was captured in stunning detail by an Associated Press photographer and other journalists, brought into sharp relief the violent worldwide reverberations of Syrias bloody civil war.

The ambassadors killing has also shocked Turkey, adding to a string of recent militant attacks and political turmoil that have hurt the economy and increasingly isolated the country.

I believe that every person who is going to Turkey should think twice before doing so, because terror attacks have been happening there on a practically daily basis, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told reporters in Moscow.

Turkey remained on edge on Tuesday, as authorities detained relatives of Altintas and searched his family home in the Soke district, in the west of the country, Turkish media reported. In what appeared to be a separate incident, a man fired shots near the entrance of the U.S. embassy in Ankara overnight. A State Department official said that no one was hurt.

Turkeys semi-official Anadolu News Agency said that the gunman, who was identified only as Sahin S, arrived at the embassy early Tuesday morning, and fired several shots in the air with a pump-action rifle he had hidden under his coat.

He was detained and was being questioned, the news agency said. The embassy, as well as the U.S. consulates in Istanbul and Adana were closed on Tuesday because of the shooting, according to a State Department statement.

Karlov regularly traveled around Ankara without police protection, an unusual decision given the heightened level of threat in the country since a July attempted coup and a string of terrorist attacks by militant groups, Turkish officials said.

Officials, who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the press, said their investigation was in its earliest stages but they pointed to indications that the alleged shooter may have links to a shadowy movement led by Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Turkish preacher.

Erdogan has accused the movement of mounting a failed coup in July, and since then, frequently implicated in group in various plots to destabilize Turkey.

Gulen has denied involvement in the coup, and he released a statement on Monday condemning the killing of Karlov.

Investigators said that Altintas entered a police college in 2012. He was allowed to carry a weapon into the event with Karlov because he was carrying a police identification, officials said. There was not yet any evidence to suggest that the shooter belonged to any radical Islamic groups, such as Islamic State or the Nusra Front, an Al-Qaida affiliated group, investigators said.

At the time of the shooting, the Turkish foreign minister was on a plane en route to Russia to take part in a meeting with his Iranian and Russian counterparts Tuesday, as part of the effort to halt hostilities in Syrias civil war.

The shooting was among the most brazen retaliatory attacks yet on Russia since Moscow entered the war in Syria on the side of President Bashar Assad and unleashed a bombardment on Aleppo that has drawn international condemnation for what observers on the ground have called indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

Putin on Monday night called the shooting a provocation aimed at rupturing ties between Russia and Turkey, a statement later echoed by Erdogan.

Erdogan and Putin, two strongmen with global aspirations, have found common ground in recent months in their desire to secure an end to the Syrian war that would guarantee their long-term influence at a time when U.S. diplomacy has collapsed.

The newfound cooperation between Russia and Turkey over Syria was exemplified by the deal they brokered last week for the evacuation of besieged people from the last few blocks of rebel-held territory in eastern Aleppo.

The statements by Putin and Erdogan suggested that the assassination may not disrupt their budding convergence of interests. Until last summer, the two presidents had been bitter rivals over Syria, supporting opposite sides in the war and embroiled in recriminations over the shoot-down by Turkey of a Russian fighter jet in November 2015.

Those circumstances have led some Russian politicians to accuse the West of complicity in the attack.

They are afraid of that alliance. Its a counterweight to the European Union and NATO, said Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a nationalist politician whose often outlandish remarks on foreign policy are sometimes seen as a trial balloon for things the Kremlin would rather not say.

Many players risk losing out in any Russian-Turkish deal over the future of Syria, including the U.S.-backed Syrian opposition, extremists with the Islamic State, and Syrias al-Qaida affiliate.

The United States, meanwhile, joined other nations in condemning the shooting.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones, the Russian people, and with the other victims who were injured in this shooting, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in a statement. We stand ready to offer assistance to Russia and Turkey as they investigate this despicable attack, which was also an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world.

Karlov started his diplomatic career in 1976 during the Soviet era and took the post in Ankara in July 2013, according to the embassys website. Putin referred to him as a brilliant diplomat who had excellent relations with the leadership of Turkey and other political forces.

The incident could spur even more vigorous efforts between Russia and Turkey to secure their role as Syrias main power brokers and negotiate a settlement to the war on their terms. Aaron Stein, a resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, said that any fallout will entirely depend on Russias reaction.

All indications thus far is that they will retain the relations they have built with Turkey since the rapprochement a couple of months ago, he added.

The recent cease-fire cobbled together was to Russias long-term benefit in Syria, while also addressing Turkeys real concern about civilian casualties, Stein said.



Fahim reported from Cairo, Entous from Washington. Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

russia-turkey-1stld-writethru



Keywords: russia turkey, turkey assassination, russia assassination, russia ambassador, turkey ambassador, ankara shooting, russia aleppo
SANTA ANA  A 25-year-old Fresno man received five years in state prison Monday after pleading guilty to pimping and trafficking an underage girl in Costa Mesa, the Orange County District Attorneys Office announced.

Marice Lavell Curry was convicted and sentenced on felony counts of trafficking a minor, pandering a minor more than 16 years old, pimping and pandering, the D.A.s Office said in a statement.

Curry will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Curry and his co-defendant, Donald Ray Phelps, were arrested June 4. Phelps, 23, also of Fresno, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to pander on Dec. 7. He was sentenced to six years in state prison, suspended pending successful completion of five years of formal probation, the statement said.

Curry trafficked a 17-year-old girl from May 13 to June 4, making her have sex of money  money that he kept, the statement said. He and Phelps also persuaded a second girl to engage in prostitution, the statement said.

On June 4, Curry took both girls to a high-prostitution area in Costa Mesa to solicit those wanting to buy sex. Costa Mesa police officers contacted one of the girls in a motel room, and found both defendants and the other girl in a car in the motels parking lot, the statement said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-6979 or chaire@scng.com
In an effort to make womens period more comfortable, Swiss confiseur Marc Widmer has come up with a special chocolate that he claims can ease cramps and has a calming effect on consumers.

Called Frauenmond (German for womens moon), the Swiss chocolate created by Widmers company, Chocolate with Love, contains 60% cocoa and 17 different herbs from the Swiss mountains. Widmer, a famous pastry chef with loads of experience at top hotels in Switzerland, says he came up with the idea for Frauenmond three years ago, after meeting a peasant family from Grafenort who brewed a tea to alleviate female period symptoms, from the same 17 plants he uses. Interestingly, their tea was also called Frauenmond.

Widmer then teamed up with aromatherapist and phytotherapist Claudia Juma-Hotz and spent several months perfecting the formula for Frauenmond chocolate, which he calls the first healthy chocolate made especially for women. That doesnt mean men cant enjoy it as well, its just that it was conceived to help women better deal with the symptoms of their monthly period.

The Chocolate with Love founder emphasizes that Frauenmond is not a medical product, but merely a tasty combination of cocoa and plants that can also improve womens mood and have a soothing effect during that time of the month. Since Widmer has yet to reveal all the 17 plants mixed into Frauenmond chocolate, its hard to say if the chocolate could actually work as advertised. However, experts agree that eating moderate amounts of quality dark chocolate alone can alleviate cramps and PMS.

If youre eager to try Frauenmond for yourself, youll have to pay a premium price for it. A 100 gram bar currently sells for 12.50 Swiss francs ($12). You can currently buy it from the Chocolate with Love website, but Marc Widmer hopes to enter the Asian market next year. No word on the U.S. yet, but you can get it online if you dont mind paying a small fortune on shipping.
From the outside, Thomas Jeromins house, in Rinteln, Germany, doesnt look at all out of the ordinary, but as they say, its whats inside that matters, and in this case the inside is nothing short of spectacular  a forest of artificial Christmas trees, 110 to be exact, decorated with a whopping 16,000 baubles.

Up until five years ago, Thomas Jeromin decorated a single Christmas tree for his house, just like the rest of the world. However in 2012, he decided to get more of them just to spread the Christmas spirit throughout his home. The idea turned out so well that the next year he upped the number of Christmas trees to 20, then 45, 80 and finally this year he got his epic collection to a whopping 110 trees. They are literally everywhere, from the living room and halls to the kitchen and even the bathroom. The only no-tree zone of the house is the master bedroom, at his wife Susannes request.

As you can imagine, installing and decorated over 100 Christmas trees takes a while, and Jeromin confirms that this year he has needed eight weeks to get his house ready for the winter holidays. He began in October, and spent a whole week just bringing the artificial trees down from the attic. It then took him another seven weeks working from morning until evening decorating them with over 16,000 Christmas baubles, hundreds of LED light installations, garlands and wreaths. It was all worth it, though.

Photo: video caption

Thomas is a local celebrity in Rinteln, and his house has become a sort of holiday attraction, with neighbors stopping by to see what it looks like filled with even more Christmas trees than the year before. This year, Jeromin and his uniquely decorated home made national news, and people actually started sending him more Christmas trees. He had 110 when news crews visited, but in a subsequent interview, he claimed that he had added four more to his collection already.

Christmas decorations are not the most expensive things in the world  although they can be  the costs add up when yourre talking hundreds, even thousands of them. Jeromin says that the expenses on his passion are manageable, mostly thanks to the fact that he buys them at huge discounts. He claims that the best time to buy Christmas decorations is two or three weeks after Christmas, when shops sell them at a fraction of their original cost, just to be rid of them. Also, the electricity for the six-week period that the trees are up in his house adds up to about 100 euros, which he thinks is reasonable.

When its time to take down the trees until next Christmas, Jeromin is busy for another two weeks. He puts the trees back in the attic, and packs all the decorations neatly in their boxes, for which he has special storage rooms set up.

Thomas says that most of the people who visit his house call him crazy, but he likes nothing more than to have Christmas trees everywhere. He admits that artificial ones are not as good as real fir trees, but having to buy over 100 of them every year would simply be to expensive.

And to think that I though spending a month decorating a house for Christmas was extreme. Thomas Jeromin is just on a whole other level, though.

Sources: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Express
Psychotherapist Nicholas Kardaras, author of Glow Kids, which warns of the dangers of excessive screen time by children, is petitioning the U.S. Senate and House to demand warning labels on cellphones, computers.

Nicholas Kardaras

Kardaras, subject of a two-page feature in the New York Post Aug. 28, authored a 1,744-word article for the Dec. 17 NYP that called for action by the Senate and House to stop the digital madness in elementary and other schools.

The Aug. 28 story generated more than 3.3 million views, NYP said.

The petition is being publicized on the change.org website.

Kardaras quotes Dr. Andrew Dean, head of addiction research of the U.S. Navy, as saying, I feel like theres a war going on against our children. And its come so fast that were not even questioning it.

Both he and Kardaras say excessive screen time is a digital drug that is a narcotic more powerful than morphine. Schools have become drug dealers, says Kardaras, who has appeared on numerous national media and has spoken to libraries in Southampton, N.Y., and Sag Harbor, where he lives with his wife and twin boys.

He has pointed to the Time magazine article that says schools have invested $60 billion in computers and other desktop electronic devices and are loathe to back away from them.

Kardaras has a B.S. in Communications from Cornell; an M.S. from Stony Brook University, New York, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, Calif.. He is executive director, The Dunes, East Hampton, rehabilitation facility.

Cellphone Group Fights Warnings

CITA, formerly the Cellular Telephone Industries Assn., which had revenues of $161 million in 2014, took Berkeley, Calif. to court after the city passed a law that made retail stores post the following sign:

If you carry or use your phone in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra when the phone is ON and connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation. Customers are told to read the safety regulations in the cellphone manuals.

Berkeley said it was only publicizing what is already in instructions that are provided with cellphones. A three-member panel of judges is now deciding the case.

CTIA, whose slogan is "Everything Wireless.," says that the warning misleads customers by saying that if cellphones are not used in a certain way, they wont be safe. Berkeley argues that the warnings are free speech and only repeat what is already in cellphone instructions.

The cellphone industry spent $166 billion on cell towers and networks from 2009-14. There are 594,304 cell towers in the U.S., many of them in residential districts, according to thekillzones.com, which says they are a major health hazard. CTIA counts 242,130 towers.

Lawrence Lessig, attorney for Berkeley, says companies are discouraging governments from imposing regulations by filing expensive First Amendment lawsuits. He says governments have a right to publicize warnings that are in the manufacturers own materials.

Berkeley says it is the only town in the U.S. attempting to order stores to post warnings on cellphones.

Radiation health advocates note that no library in the U.S. carries such warnings, apparently because they fear legal action by CITA and its allies. There are no such warnings in libraries and schools in Southampton, Hampton Bays, Quogue or Westhampton, which are visited often by this writer.
Agricultural News

Cow-Calf Producers Should Consider Using the Konefal Method Now to Encourage Daytime Calving

Dr. Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist, offers herd health advice as part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by Dr. Peel and Dr. Glenn Selk. Today, Dr. Selk guides readers through the Konefal method of feeding cows earlier in the evening to encourage daytime calving in an effort to reduce overall calf mortality in your herd.







"It is generally accepted that adequate supervision at calving has a significant impact on reducing calf mortality. Adequate supervision has been of increasing importance with the higher price of live calves at sale time. On most ranching operations, supervision of the first calf heifers will be best accomplished in daylight hours and the poorest observation takes place in the middle of the night.







"The easiest and most practical method of inhibiting nighttime calving at present is by feeding cows at night; the physiological mechanism is unknown, but some hormonal effect may be involved. Rumen motility studies indicate the frequency of rumen contractions falls a few hours before parturition. Intraruminal pressure begins to fall in the last 2 weeks of gestation, with a more rapid decline during calving. It has been suggested that night feeding causes intraruminal pressures to rise at night and decline in the daytime.







"The concept is called the Konefal method. A Canadian rancher, Gus Konefal reported his observations in the 1970's In a follow-up Canadian study of 104 Hereford cows, 38.4% of a group fed at 8:00 am and again at 3:00 pm delivered calves during the day, whereas 79.6% of a group fed at 11:00 am and 9:00 pm. In a more convincing study, 1331 cows on 15 farms in Iowa were fed once daily at dusk, 85% of the calves were born between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm.







"Kansas State University scientists recorded data on 5 consecutive years in a herd of spring calving crossbred cows at the Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center at Hays, Kansas. They recorded the time of calving (to within the nearest one-half hour). Births that could not be estimated within an hour of occurrence were excluded. Cows were fed forage sorghum hay daily between 4:00 and 6:00 pm . For statistical purposes, the day was divided into four-hour periods.





"Between 6:00 and 10:00 am, 34.23% of the calves were born;



Between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, 21.23% of the calves were born;



Between 2:00 and 6:00 pm 29.83% of the calves were born;



Between 6:00 and 10:00 pm, 8.41% of the calves were born;



Between 10:00 pm and 2:00 am, 4.4% of the calves were born; and



Between 2:00 am and 6 am, 1.91% of the calves were born.





"It is interesting to note that 85.28% of the calves were born between 6:00 am. and 6:00 pm. This is very similar to Iowa data when cows were fed at dusk.





"These data also revealed that for a majority of a animals in the herd, the time of calving was within 3 hours of the average time of day that cow had previously given birth. Feeding the forage in the early evening hours undoubtedly influenced the percentage of cows calving in daylight hours. (Jaeger and co-workers. Abstracts 2002 Western Section of American Society of Animal Science.)"











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By Bruno Federowski SAO PAULO, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian stocks rose on Tuesday after the nation's central bank announced measures to reduce credit costs, boosting financial institutions' shares.

Central bank governor Ilan Goldfajn unveiled a medium- to long-term agenda that goes beyond monetary and foreign exchange policies.

Goldfajn told journalists the measures included simplifying the rules governing reserve requirements in a bid to lower operating costs.

He also said the bank would not use state-run lenders to increase credit and lower its costs. Speculation had grown that the government could force public banks to reduce rates, a strategy pursued by former President Dilma Rousseff.

Shares of lenders Itau Unibanco Holding SA, Banco do Brasil SA and Bradesco SA advanced more than 2 percent, lifting the country's benchmark Bovespa stock index up 1 percent.

Other Latin American stock and currency markets were little changed in thin holiday season trading.

Bullish comments by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Monday had earlier weighed on demand for high-yielding assets, but traders remained uncertain over how many rate hikes the United States will implement throughout 2017.

Wider emerging-market equities had slid to a one-month low earlier on Tuesday, but Turkey's lira recovered the losses incurred on Monday after the Russian ambassador was killed in an attack in the nation's Ankara capital.

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1430 GMT: Stock indexes daily % YTD % change change Latest MSCI Emerging Markets 850.74 -0.05 7.18 MSCI LatAm 2241.27 0.88 21.41 Brazil Bovespa 57672.60 0.98 33.04 Mexico IPC 45029.03 0.3 4.77 Chile IPSA 4198.95 -0.09 14.10 Chile IGPA 20994.76 -0.08 15.66 Argentina MerVal 16080.69 0.52 37.73 Colombia IGBC 10037.56 0.14 17.43 Venezuela IBC 27426.28 -3.89 88.00 Currencies daily % YTD % change change Latest Brazil real 3.3626 0.22 17.38 Mexico peso 20.4150 -0.10 -15.60 Chile peso 676.6 -0.01 4.89 Colombia peso 2987 0.62 6.10 Peru sol 3.403 0.09 0.32 Argentina peso (interbank) 15.8300 0.13 -17.99 Argentina peso (parallel) 16.69 0.00 -14.50 (Reporting by Bruno Federowski; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
The Credit Suisse logo is seen at the headquarters in downtown Milan, Italy, March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini/File Photo - RTX2VAIF

By Joshua Franklin, Oliver Hirt and Karen Freifeld

ZURICH/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Credit Suisse to pay between $5 billion and $7 billion to settle a probe over its sale of toxic mortgage securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, a source with knowledge of the matter said, but the bank has resisted settling for that amount.

The size of the suggested settlement indicates that the cost to the bank may be higher than analysts had expected and explains why Credit Suisse management, according to a second source, has been seeking a smaller penalty.

"Credit Suisse is confident of reaching a better solution," said the second person. Should talks break down, U.S. legal authorities could sue the bank, prolonging the uncertainty.

In a sign that negotiations may be reaching their final stages, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch last week met with Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam, another person familiar with the matter said.

A potential resolution could come as early as this week.

The sources did not want to be identified because the negotiations are not public.

Credit Suisse and the Department of Justice declined to comment.

The penalty stems from a 2012 initiative launched by U.S. President Barack Obama to hold banks accountable for selling mortgage debt while misleading investors about the risks, a practice that helped cause the worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

The penalties, which for U.S. banks reached $46 billion, are set to deliver another setback to European lenders, many of which remain fragile, with scant capital, in the wake of the financial crash.

After record settlements were reached with U.S. banks such as Bank of America and JPMorgan, the focus has turned to Europe's Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Credit Suisse, Barclays, UBS and HSBC.

News in September that the Justice Department made an initial demand of Deutsche of $14 billion to settle its case sent the German lender's stock plummeting and raised fears Credit Suisse could also face a stiffer penalty.

Story continues

Just prior to Deutsche confirming that the Department of Justice was seeking $14 billion, JP Morgan analysts estimated Credit Suisse's fine at around $2 billion.

Deutsche Bank could this week agree its penalty over the sale of toxic mortgage debt, one person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday. The bank has said it expects to pay materially less than $14 billion.

Credit Suisse's litigation provisions at the end of 2015 totalled 1.605 billion Swiss francs ($1.56 billion). In November, the bank said it had upped litigation provisions by 357 million francs, mainly in connection with mortgage-related matters.

In addition to the Justice Department probe, Credit Suisse is defending itself against lawsuits by the New York and New Jersey attorneys general over similar claims involving billions of dollars of investor losses.

If Credit Suisse reaches a settlement with federal authorities, it will likely settle with the states as well.

A New York attorney general spokeswoman declined to comment, and New Jersey did not immediately return a call for comment.

President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, which means key government players involved in the negotiations would change, complicating the banks' efforts to reach settlements.

(Editing by John O'Donnell, Carmel Crimmins and James Dalgleish)
Two more men have been sentenced for their roles in an April disturbance at the Sarpy County Jail that caused about $42,000 in damage.

Angok Wal, 19, was given 20 months in prison and 12 months of probation after he pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief of $5,000 or more and to obstructing government operations, a misdemeanor. He was given credit for 97 days served.

Earlier this year Wal entered a guilty plea to a third-degree assault charge and was sentenced to 200 days in jail. That assault also took place while Wal was in jail.

Defendant has clearly demonstrated that he cannot follow rules, even while incarcerated, Sarpy County District Judge David Arterburn wrote in court documents in ordering the sentence.

Brandon McKinley, 28, was also given more time behind bars for his role in the disturbance. McKinley was sentenced to three years on the same charges. McKinley was also given 12 months of probation.

Four men were charged in connection with the disturbance. Charges against Valdemar Grimaldo Jr., 25, are pending. Joshua Salazar, 25, was sentenced to two years in prison.

On April 29 the fire alarm went off in a medium-security unit that housed 17 inmates in the 148-bed jail. The sprinklers were on, the main door was blocked, drains were plugged and side doors had been tied off with blankets, officials said after the incident.

Deputies put the unit on lockdown, and all but four inmates complied. Authorities said the four had covered windows of the unit and surveillance cameras with newspapers, toothpaste and soap.
Heidi Schmidt of Denton, Nebraska, received some stunning news Monday: President Barack Obama pardoned her for a drug crime she committed in 2004.

This has been such a blessing, Schmidt said by phone Monday night. Its been an amazing day.

She limited her other comments to a statement she had prepared with her attorney, Natalie Hazen of Lincoln.

Schmidt and another Nebraskan, Shari Trompke of Grand Island, were among the 78 people the president pardoned Monday.

Trompke posted a comment on her Facebook page, calling the pardon great news and saying she had much to be thankful for.

She thanked family members, including her daughter, Joni Ayala, who helped her fill out the paperwork; and her brother Allen Trompke, whom she called her guardian angel.

Now I am ready for a new chapter in my life! Thank you to everyone who helped me ... 

Obama also commuted the sentences of 153 other people convicted of federal crimes, granting the greatest number of individual clemencies in a single day by any president, the White House said.

Obamas latest clemencies made for a total of 148 people receiving pardons and 1,176 people having shortened sentences, many for drug offenses, as in the cases of Schmidt and Trompke.

Schmidt had been convicted in 2005 of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. She was sentenced to 30 months in prison, five years of supervised release and 250 hours of community service.

Trompke had been convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in 1992. She was sentenced to 36 months in prison and five years of supervised release. In 2005, Tompke was granted a pardon by the Nebraska Board of Pardons.

Both were able to move forward Monday with full civil rights that had been lost with a felony conviction, including the right to be a juror, hold public office, bear arms, obtain a passport, serve in the military and obtain government grants, loans, public housing and educational funding. On job applications, they can state that they received a full presidential pardon of their convictions.

The Obama administration notified Schmidt by phone about 8:30 a.m. Monday, ahead of a press release that afternoon on the pardons and commutations.

I am thankful to President Obama and his administration for this blessing that they have bestowed upon me, Schmidt said in her prepared statement. Since my release from prison in 2007, I have made it my lifes work to be a productive and positive member of society by serving my community, church and private organizations throughout Nebraska.

I give the glory in this pardon to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Schmidt was shocked by the news, Hazen said. Her client had applied for the pardon and had letters of recommendation sent to the administration. Officials then followed up this fall by interviewing those who wrote the recommendations and passing along their own thoughts to the president.

Schmidt is an extremely private person who keeps her nose to the grindstone and goes about her business, Hazen said.

Since Schmidts release from prison, she has helped others who have struggled and are trying to improve their lives, the attorney said. The pardon helps give Schmidt the ability to say you can make a change, and its not hopeless.

Shes pretty special to me, Hazen said of her client. And Im very proud of her.

The full statement from Schmidt:

I received notification from the office of President Obama on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, that I would be receiving a full presidential pardon for the crime I committed in 2004. I am thankful to President Obama and his administration for this blessing that they have bestowed upon me. Since my release from prison in 2007, I have made it my lifes work to be a productive and positive member of society by serving my community, church and private organizations throughout Nebraska. I give the glory in this pardon to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

World-Herald staff writer Kevin Cole contributed to this report.
LINCOLN  A controversial proposal for a wind farm in Nebraskas scenic Sand Hills was shot down by the Cherry County Board on Monday.

But a developer of the project said theres a chance his group will reapply to erect a smaller number of wind towers in an area south of Nebraska Highway 20 near Kilgore.

We still think its a viable project. There were some technicalities that were the reason it was rejected, said Eric Johnson, vice president of Bluestem Sandhills.

The Cherry County Board voted 2-0 to reject Bluestem Sandhills application for a conditional-use permit to build a 30-turbine, $108 million wind farm.

One of the boards three members, Jim Van Winkle, abstained from voting because of his membership in Cherry County Wind, a landowners group that was a partner in the project.

I need nothing else for Christmas, said Carolyn Semin of rural Kilgore, who organized opponents of the project and who lives within 2 miles of one of the turbine sites.

While small in scale compared with some other wind farms built recently in Nebraska, the Kilgore wind farm was the first large wind project proposed in Cherry County, a ranching county that has fewer than one person per square mile.

The project drew strong opposition from Semin and some other local residents, who said it would spoil the landscape, cause noise problems for nearby residents and not deliver the property tax savings that developers promised.

Promoters said the project would pay nearly $400,000 a year in property taxes, which would allow the county to reduce property taxes for ranchers and others. Landowners would also be paid $7,000 a year or more in lease payments per turbine, providing a new revenue source besides raising cattle.

At Mondays meeting, Bluestem Sandhills discussed the possibility of reducing the number of wind towers from 30 to 17 by employing new, larger turbines.

Johnson said the change would allow the elimination of towers nearest to neighbors such as Semin and was needed because one landowner had changed his mind about having towers on his land.

He said the change then prompted discussion that the project had materially changed and that a new, amended proposal for a county permit would need to be submitted.

Semin said she didnt think that Mondays vote means that the wind farm idea is dead.

Johnson said that the backers of the wind farm must now decide how to proceed.

From what I heard, this was not a vote against wind energy, he said.
BERLIN (AP)  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a truck attack on a crowded Berlin Christmas market that left 12 people dead and nearly 50 injured, as German security forces hunted for the perpetrator after releasing a man from custody for lack of evidence.

IS said in a statement from its Amaq news agency that the attacker "in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the attack in response to calls for targeting citizens of the Crusader coalition."

Germany is not involved in anti-IS combat operations, but has Tornado jets and a refueling plane stationed in Turkey in support of the coalition fighting militants in Syria, as well as a frigate protecting a French aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, among other assets.

The claim of responsibility came not long after German prosecutors said they'd released a man picked up on Monday night near the scene of the attack, initially suspected of driving the truck. The man, a Pakistani citizen who came to Germany last year, had been picked up based on a description of a suspect who jumped out of the truck and fled.

But federal prosecutors said late Tuesday that he denied any involvement and they had found no forensic evidence proving he was in the cab during the rampage.

Federal Criminal Police Office chief Holger Muench and other officials had expressed doubt earlier that the man in custody was driving the truck at the time of the attack. Muench also said police haven't yet found a pistol authorities believe was used to kill a Polish truck driver who was supposed to be delivering the steel beams the truck was carrying.

Berlin police, meanwhile, urged people to remain "particularly vigilant" and report "suspicious movements" to a special hotline.

"We may still have a dangerous criminal out there," Berlin police chief Klaus Kandt said.

Before Islamic State claimed responsibility, Germany's top prosecutor, Peter Frank, told reporters the attack on the market outside the landmark Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was reminiscent of July's deadly truck attack in Nice and appeared to follow instructions published by the militant group.

"There is also the prominent and symbolic target of a Christmas market, and the modus operandi that mirrors at least past calls by jihadi terror organizations," Frank said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted the attack cannot change Germans' way of life.

"Twelve people who were still among us yesterday, who were looking forward to Christmas, who had plans for the holidays, aren't among us anymore," she said in an emotional, nationally televised statement before heading to the scene of the attack in downtown Berlin. "A gruesome and ultimately incomprehensible act has robbed them of their lives."

Later Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck attended a memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and laid white roses outside the church.

Witnesses saw only one man flee from the truck after it rammed into the crowd at the Christmas market, smashing wooden stalls and traveling 60 to 80 meters (200 to 260 feet) before coming to a halt.

Six of those killed have been identified as Germans, and a man found shot and killed in the truck's passenger seat was Polish. The other five people killed have not yet been identified. Twenty-five people remained hospitalized, 14 with serious injuries.

Inaki Ellakuria, a 21-year-old student from Spain, knew immediately that this was no accident.

"I heard the truck crashing against the first stall," he tweeted Monday, only minutes after the vehicle ran over dozens of shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin.

"It came fast, too fast to be driving off the road accidentally," he posted.

His next tweet was chilling: "It has swept me and ran over both of my legs."

Ellakuria on Tuesday underwent surgery at a hospital in Berlin for the broken tibia and fibula on his left leg. He also has broken bones in his right ankle and instep, as well as damage to his hip, but he is recovering well, according to his relatives.

Merkel, who has been criticized for allowing in huge numbers of migrants last year, addressed head-on the possibility that an asylum-seeker was responsible for the carnage.

"I know that it would be particularly hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that a person committed this act who asked for protection and asylum in Germany," Merkel said. "This would be particularly sickening for the many, many Germans who work to help refugees every day and for the many people who really need our help and are making an effort to integrate in our country."

A spokesman for Berlin's office for refugee affairs said police conducted a broad search overnight at a large shelter for asylum-seekers at the city's now-defunct Tempelhof airport. Four men in their late 20s were questioned but no one was arrested, Sascha Langenbach told The Associated Press.

The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle had been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver, his cousin, around noon on Monday and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload Tuesday morning.

"They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.

Germans have been increasingly wary since two attacks by asylum-seekers last summer that were claimed by the Islamic State group. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 wounded in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach, both in the southern state of Bavaria. Both attackers were killed.

Those attacks and two others unrelated to Islamic extremism in the same weeklong period, contributed to tensions in Germany over the arrival last year of 890,000 migrants.

Far-right groups and a nationalist party seized on Monday night's attack, blaming Merkel for what happened.

"Under the cloak of helping people Merkel has completely surrendered our domestic security," Frauke Petry, the co-chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party, wrote.

The German government said Merkel spoke Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama, who expressed his condolences. In Washington, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the United States was ready to help in the investigation and response.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Islamic extremists must be "eradicated from the face of the Earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with all "freedom-loving partners."

The attack came less than a month after the U.S. State Department warned that extremist groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaida, were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events" in Europe.
The writer, former managing director of the social justice nonprofit Partners for Progressive Israel, wrote this for the Washington Post.

The election of Donald Trump as president was met as an encouraging omen by far-right movements around the world, no less so than in Israel, where some ultranationalists viewed the election as an invitation to indulge some of their long-sought objectives.

One day after Trumps win, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, the leader of the right-wing Jewish Home party, said, The era of the Palestinian state is over.

That ebullient reaction on the Israeli right may well be justified. In May, Trump told the Daily Mail that Israel should keep moving forward with settlement construction.

Last month, one of Trumps advisers, Jason Greenblatt, confirmed to an Israeli radio station that Trump did not view Israeli settlement construction, which the State Department has frequently described as illegitimate, as particularly harmful to the prospects of peace.

And last week, Trump announced that David Friedman, who has a history of pro-settlement activism, will be his ambassador to Israel.

According to a report by Haaretz in June, Friedman has helped raise millions of dollars for the settlement of Beit El in the occupied West Bank. (He has also said that supporters of J Street, an American Jewish advocacy group that opposes the occupation, are far worse than kapos  the Jews who helped the Nazis run concentration camps.)

So what can progressives  Jews and non-Jews, Israelis and non-Israelis  do to keep pressure on hawks in the Knesset now that the incoming U.S. administration is so clearly on their side? The best way to fight the expansion of settlements would be to boycott goods and services made there.

As a dual citizen of the United States and Israel who is deeply committed to the vitality and security of Israel, I unequivocally oppose the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which calls for opponents of the occupation to cut all ties between Israel and the rest of the world.

It seeks to isolate Israel and punish Israelis of almost all political persuasions, regardless of their views of the occupation.

But in the face of that movements challenge to my progressive values and a right-wing government in Israel whose actions undermine the two-state solution  and now, a right-wing government about to take power in Washington that agrees wholeheartedly with Israels  I cant simply oppose the boycott movement and leave it at that.

So in early October, I joined dozens of intellectuals, activists and writers in signing an open letter circulated by Partners for Progressive Israel calling for a targeted boycott of all goods and services that originate in Israeli settlements in the occupied territories.

The goal is to prevent the settlements from becoming centers of industry in the West Bank, because economic growth there will bolster larger, more entrenched communities. These communities grow at the expense of a two-state solution.

A targeted boycott of the settlements is necessary because the settlements themselves are inexorably and directly linked to the violence and human rights abuses of the military occupation; wherever Israeli civilians build their communities, the army must follow to provide security to those communities. The network of roads that connect these settlements to Israel proper and one another are often prohibited to Palestinian use.

The Palestinian village Nabi Saleh is a case in point. Every Friday, villagers march against the occupation, and every Friday, the army prevents the demonstration from reaching the road. To intervene, the army uses stun grenades and tear gas. Palestinian demonstrators hurl rocks at Israeli troops.

Sometimes, Palestinians are killed during these clashes. The primary objective of suppressing these demonstrations, however, is not to prevent Palestinians from protesting occupation but to prevent the demonstration from approaching the settlement of Halamish, across the street from Nabi Saleh.

Those who boycott Israel are as horrified by this situation as I am. The approach they have taken, however, is wrong.

Boycotting all of Israel implicitly dismisses the efforts of patriotic Israelis such as Avi Buskila, the director of Peace Now, who work every day to end the occupation.

By boycotting the settlements, Americans would send a message of solidarity to progressive Israeli groups such as BTselem, Gush Shalom and Peace Now  as well as to Palestinians who suffer the humiliations of the occupation every day.

In the Trump administration, everyone working to end the occupation will need more support, not less. Instead of boycotting Israel, progressives should continue to stand with those Israelis who are on the front lines against their government and the settlement movement.
5-yr-old LKG student allegedly raped in Bengaluru

Bengaluru

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

Bengaluru, Dec 20: The KG Halli police in Bengaluru registered a case of sexual assault after a 5-year-old's parents alleged that she was sexually abused on Monday afternoon. In their complaint, the parents allege that they suspect the child was raped inside school premises.

The police have refused to confirm the allegation but have initiated investigations. CCTV footage from the school has also been seized. Parents of the LKG student, in their complaint alleged that the child came back home on Monday with injuries and complained of pain.

She was taken to a hospital where the sexual assault was confirmed. The parents probed further with the child and filed a complaint with the local police. The police have filed a case against unknown persons under POCSO.

This incident brings back bitter memories of children being subjected to sexual harassment at schools in Bengaluru. Following one such case from a private school in 2014 in Bengaluru, a spate of such incidents had forced the government to impose regulations on schools to ensure child safety.

The then commissioner of police in Bengaluru had issued regulations that all schools including government schools were forced to implement. Few of these regulations included installing of CCTVs and background verification of all school staff.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 16:07 [IST]
FIR against hospital for infecting Bengaluru woman with HIV

Bengaluru

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

Bengaluru, Dec 20: The Bengaluru Police filed an FIR against 14 staff members of a reputed hospital in the city for allegedly infecting a woman with HIV. The private hospital staff including Chief Administrative officer was booked following a court directive. All 14 members have been booked under IPC sections 120 B, 320, 324, 336 and 338.

A woman who was treated at the private hospital in 2014 February had alleged that she was infected with HIV in the hospital during a faulty blood transfusion. The woman had approached the court with a private complaint against the hospital after they failed to acknowledge the error. After hearing the complaint, the 7 ACMM court ordered the Sadashivanagara police to file an FIR and investigate the matter.

Following the court's directive, the local police have registered the case.

No arrests have taken place yet in the case. The victim alleges that she sought treatment at the hospital for a uterus condition and was infected with HIV during blood transmission. She sought the court's help after the hospital and the local police refused to help her. Roopa's brother had filed a complaint against the treating doctor earlier.

OneIndia News
UK PM Liz Truss resigns after 45 days in office, successor to be elected next week

India-Uzbekistan relations: Important facts you need to know about it

Feature

oi-Jagriti

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Uzbekistan, which is the most populous country in Central Asia. India and Uzbekistan enjoy a close strategic partnership. PM Modi will hold talks with President Islam Karimov and ink key agreements to strengthen cooperation between both the nations. There are over 3000 Indians in living in Uzbekistan.

Here are some important facts need to know about India and Uzbekistan

The founder of the Mughal dynasty, Babur, came from Uzbekistan.

Indian movies have traditionally been popular in Uzbekistan.

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Uzbekistan in 1955 and 1961 (then USSR).

Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Uzbekistan (then USSR) in January 1966 and died in Tashkent.

His name has been commemorated in Tashkent - a street and school are named after him and there is also a statue and a bust in his memory in the city.

Consulate General of India in Tashkent was formally inaugurated on 7th April 1987.

Prime Minister Narasimha Rao visited Uzbekistan in 1993 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 25-26 April, 2006.

President Karimov paid State visits to India in 1994, 2000, 2005, he paid his last to India in May 2011.

Uzbekistan and India have signed agreements, MOUs, protocols and Joint Statements in areas such as trade, investment, education, civil aviation, science & technology, telecommunications, agriculture and IT.

Uzbekistan supported India's candidature for the non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for 2011-2012, and has been publicly supporting India's inclusion as permanent member of the UNSC.

Trade relations between India and Uzbekistan are governed by the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation signed in May 1993.

India's main mainly exports drugs, other pharmaceutical products, paper, wood products, machinery, garments & fabrics, tea, plastic items, chemicals, surgical items and consumer goods to Uzbekistan.

Beans, chemicals and non-ferrous metals constitute the largest item of Indian imports from Uzbekistan apart from machinery, silver, raw cotton & silk, pulses & services.

Six Uzbek educational institutions, nationwide, promote studies of Indian languages, particularly Hindi, from primary to post-graduate level.

Uzbek Radio has completed 50 years of Hindi broadcasting in 2012. Uzbek TV channels have more than once telecast the Ramayan and Mahabharat serials.
MTech graduate held for harassing woman in Hyderabad

Hyderabad

oi-PTI

Hyderabad, Dec 19: A MTech graduate was arrested by Cyberabad Police here for allegedly harassing a married woman, police said on Monday. Paga Wesley Praharsha, a resident of Borabanda area here was arrested by Cyber Crime Police of Cyberabad for repeatedly sending abusive messages and constantly harassing the victim, who is his neighbour, an official release said.

The accused was known to victim as they were neighbours. The victim gave her mobile phone and password to the accused and he collected all her personal photos and contact numbers, it added. He started threatening her that if she did not submit to his wishes, he will make the photographs public, the released stated.

The accused would also put pressure on the woman to leave her family and marry him. He created fake profile on social networking sites and uploaded her morphed photos, it said. A case was registered following a complaint by the victim and the accused was arrested, said the release.

PTI
2006 Malegaon blasts handiwork of Hindu radical groups: NIA clarifies

India

oi-Vicky

The National Investigation Agency has clarified that the 2006 Malegaon blasts were the handiwork of Hindu radical groups. The case has seen many flip-flops and at first a group of Muslim youth were blamed for the attack.

While opposing the bail pleas filed by four persons, the NIA said in the Bombay high court that the allegations that the probe was conducted in a predetermined manner was false. The NIA clarified that Mohammad Ansari who was accused by the Maharashtra ATS of planting the bomb was away at Yavatmal which is 400 kilometres from Malegaon where the blasts took place.

On September 8 2006, three bombs had exploded in Malegaon in which 31 persons were killed. The ATS had arrested nine Muslim youth in connection with this case and accused them of being members of the Students Islamic Movement of India.

The course of the probe changed after it was handed over to the NIA. A special court then discharged the Muslim youth who were accused of carrying out this attack.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 16:26 [IST]
Around 60 lakh tourists arriving in Goa this year: Parrikar

India

oi-PTI

Panaji, Dec 19: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said the number of tourists visiting his home state Goa has risen almost five-fold to six million compared to year 2000. "Today almost six million tourists come to Goa. When I took over as chief minister in 2000, total 12 lakh tourists were arriving in the state," Parrikar said while addressing a Vijay Sankalp rally in South Goa's Dabolim constituency today.

Parrikar's first term as CM kasted between 2000-2002 and second time between March 9, 2012 to November 8, 2014 before he was appointed as Defence Minister. "Within four years (from 2000), the number of tourists rose to 26 lakh. (However) during the seven-year rule of the Congress (2004-2011) only 50,000 tourists were added," he said. Parrikar recalled that he had announced tourism will grow to six million a year after taking charge as CM. "I am happy to inform you that this year six million tourists will be arriving in Goa," the BJP leader said.

Parrikar said no one should worry about the future of Dabolim airport. "Goa's tourism growth is so much that we will have to carry on with Dabolim airport even after commissioning of Mopa airport. Dabolim airport will continue working full scale," he said, adding the need for a greenfield airport at Mopa was felt as Dabolim airport is overloaded and new flights cannot be permitted. "The current capacity of airport is 2.8 million.

So two airports can comfortably work in Goa," he added. Meanwhile, he congratulated Army for conducting Operation Vijay to liberate Goa from the Portuguese rule on this day in 1961. "I express my greetings to all the freedom fighters who sacrificed to liberate Goa on this day from Portuguese rule," Parrikar said, addding the Army had played a pivotal role in liberating Goa which had been under the Portuguese rule for 450 years before it was liberated on December 19, 1961.

PTI
Bengaluru cops arrest 4 for producing fake Rs 2,000 notes

India

oi-Anusha

Bengaluru, Dec 20: Bengaluru police arrested four people for producing fake Rs 2,000 notes and attempting to transact with them. The four accused, including a 19-year-old, were making coloured photocopies of the new currency notes and attempted transactions with the same.

Owner of a wine store in Jnanbharathi police station limits filed a complaint on Monday after one of the accused tried to use one note at the store. On investigation it was found that 25 such notes had been photocopied by the accused at his friend's shop on Bannerghatta Road.

Shashank, 22, Madhukumar, 19, are accused of making fakes of the notes on December 16 while, Nagaraj, 27, and Kiran Kumar, 21, were arrested for trying to transact with the same. As yet, the police have recovered 8 of the 25 fabricated notes floating in the market.

OneIndia News
BJP donations three times that of other national parties combined

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

New Delhi, Dec 20: The total amount of donations above Rs 20,000 declared by the National Parties was Rs. 102.02 crores, from 1744 donations. A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms states that total of Rs 76.85 crores was declared by BJP from 613 donations while the Congress declared Rs 20.42 crores from 918 donations. The donations declared by BJP is more than thrice the aggregate declared by the INC, NCP, CPI, CPM and AITC for the same period of 2015-1016.

The total donations of the national parties during 2015-16 decreased by Rs 528.67 crores, a decrease of 84%, from the previous financial year, 2014-15. NCP declared the highest decrease of 98%, from Rs 38.82 crores in 2014-15 to Rs 71 lakhs in 2015-16 while donations to BJP decreased from Rs 437.35 crores during 2014-15 to Rs 76.85 crores during 2015-16 (82% decrease).

Cash donations declared by the National Parties - FY 2015-16

1. Out of the total donations of Rs 102.02 crores declared by the National Parties, Rs 1.45 crores from 112 donations was received in cash during 2015-16. This formed 1.42% of the total donations of the parties.

2. Maximum donations in cash was declared by INC which collected a total of Rs 1.17 crores from 10 states/ Union Territories followed by CPI with Rs 22.22 lakhs from 12 States/ UTs and BJP with Rs 51,000 from only Bihar.

3. Among all the states, donors from Karnataka made the highest donations of Rs 80 lakhs in cash followed by donors from Meghalaya who donated a total of Rs 21.54 lakhs in cash. Both the top donations were made to INC.

Donors from Corporates/ business sectors:

1. 359 donations from corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs 77.28 crores (75.75% of total donations) were made to the National Parties while 1322 individual donors donated Rs 23.41 crores (22.95% of total donations) to the parties during 2015-16.

2. 283 donations from corporate/business sectors amounting to Rs 67.99 crores were made to BJP while 330 individual donors donated Rs 8.86 crores to the party during 2015-16.

3. INC received a total of Rs 8.83 crores via 57 donations from corporate/business sectors and Rs 11.24 crores via 859 individual donors during 2015-16.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 18:49 [IST]
Tuesday is now No Meeting Day in Haryana and officers to be with people on Friday

BJP-SAD alliance sweeps Chandigarh Municipal Corp poll

India

oi-PTI

Chandigarh, Dec 20: The BJP-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance on Tuesday attained clear majority in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation polls winning 20 out of the 26 wards. BJP won in 20 wards, rival Congress 4 and Independent one, an election office spokesman said here.

Prominent among those who won were BJP Mayor Arun Sood, and Congress stalwart Devinder Singh Babla. The overall polling percentage in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation election was 59.54 per cent. Election to 26 wards of the Municipal Corporation were seen as a litmus test for BJP and Congress post demonetisation. Total 122 candidates, including 67 Independents, contested the polls.The total number of voters were 5,07,627, including 2,37,374 women voters.

Both Congress and BJP contested all 26 wards, while BSP had also put up candidates in the fray from 17 wards. The Municipal Corporation has 36 members, of which 26 are elected councillors, nine are nominated councillors and one is an MP (ex-officio member of the House). In the last House, BJP has 15 councillors, Congress has nine, BSP has one and one is Independent.

Congress had made demonetisation a major issue in the polls, with its city unit leaders saying the move was implemented without any "application of mind" and had put the public to "great hardships".

PTI
Congress 'half heartedly' welcomed demonetisation: Naidu

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the Congress party 'half heartedly' welcomed the government's demonetisation move initially, but backtracked from it later due to political reasons.

Naidu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had struck at the very roots of black money hoarders.

Cong attacking as PM Modi struck at the very roots of black-money holders; These ppl half-heartedly welcomed move earlier: Venkaiah Naidu pic.twitter.com/1W4sec9GRF  ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2016

Naidu earlier lashed out at the Congress for inaction against the black money hoarders and the corrupt during their regime. He asked why the UPA government did not act on the Supreme Court guidance to form SIT on the issue, reported ANI.

Taking a dig at Congress, the Urban Development Minister said the grand old party is frustrated as thier presence in Parliament in diminishing.

On Monday, Modi attacked the opposition parties for not allowing Parliament to function in the winter session, while Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister's decision of demonetisation was done to favour rich and elite.

Last week, Rahul had claimed that he has information on the "personal corruption" of PM Modi. He had said he wanted to make that revelation in Parliament, but was not allowed to speak. The BJP, however, dubbed Rahul's claim as "joke of the year" and dared him to reveal the information

The Winter Session of Parliament was literally a washout with frequent disruptions over the demonetisation issue. The opposition frequently stormed the well of the House and accused the government of not allowing them to speak over the issue, while the ruling party maintained that opposition was more interested in creating ruckus than discussing the issue at hand. OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 16:06 [IST]
Yasin Bhatkal is home-sick: 'Take me to Bengaluru', he says

Why a Bangladesh based terror group is looking to revive the Indian Mujahideen

Do we pay fine in old currency? Cheeky Yasin Bhatkal asked judge

India

oi-Vicky

Hyderabad, Dec 20: Can we pay the fine with demonetised notes, Yasin Bhatkal and the other Indian Mujahideen operatives asked in court. Yasin, Zia-ur-Rehman alias Waqas, Assadullah Akthar, Ajaz Shaikh and Tehseen Akthar were sentenced to death after being found guilty in the Hyderabad, Dilsukhnagar blasts case.

[Also Read:Yasin Bhatkal believed IS would break him out of jail]

Yasin and his accomplices were asked to pay a fine of Rs 4,000.

The judge while handing out the sentence observed that the case fell under the definition of the rarest of rare cases. The court also observed that the convicts were beyond reform and hence they must be sent to the gallows.

On Monday when arguments on the quantum of sentence were being advanced, the judge asked Yasin if he had anything to say. At first Yasin and the other convicts are believed to have said, " phaansi do (hang us)."

Later when the judge read out the sentence and imposed fines under the various sections of law, the convicts asked if they could pay the same in demonetised currency. " Do we pay the fine in demonetised currency or the new notes, the convicts asked the judge who chose not to respond.

On December 13 Yasin Bhatkal was handed out his first conviction under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967 and the Indian Penal Code.

Apart from Yasin, four others were also convicted by the court. The court while delivering the verdict said that the prosecution has managed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused are guilty.

The court had framed charges against Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu and Aijaz Sheikh.

Eighteen people were killed and 131 injured in two deadly explosions near Konark and Venkatadiri theatres in Dilsukhnagar, a crowded shopping area in the city, on February 21, 2013.

OneIndia News
Flashback 2016: Patel stir, Dalit uprising resulted into downfall of Gujarat's first woman CM

India

oi-PTI

Ahmedabad, Dec 20: The Patel quota agitation and Dalit uprising after the Una flogging incident took the toll on Gujarat's first woman chief minister Anandiben Patel in 2016, setting the stage for a cliffhanger elections next year.

Sensing it could inch closer to power in Gujarat after 25 years as the ruling BJP seems to lack a strong state leader to fill the void after Narendra Modi's exit from Gujarat, Opposition Congress stepped up protests and rallies against new Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, hoping to make inroads, visited the state thrice and during one such visit described Rupani as "rubber stamp" of BJP president Amit Shah.

Modi himself visited the state five times in the past as many months as the party here believes that winning the elections will be crucial for it to retain power at the Centre in 2019. Trips of Shah also increased.

Cow vigilantes mercilessly thrashing Dalit youths in Una town when they were skinning a dead cow led to violent agitation by the community in the state and created outrage in the country.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi visited Gujarat after the Una incident so did BSP supremo Mayawati, Left leaders Brinda Karat and D Raja and JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav.

Amit Shah chairs Gujarat BJP's 'chintan shibir'

The Dalit agitation continues under young leader Jignesh Mevani, as the community has decided to boycott their traditional work of disposing of dead animals carcasses and are instead demanding land and jobs from the government.

Simmering Patel quota agitation led by Hardik Patel continued to be a big concern for the BJP government and its declaration of 10 per cent quota for economically backward among upper caste, was also struck down by Gujarat High Court.

Hardik, who was behind bars till June in sedition cases, was granted bail by the high court with a condition that he will have to remain outside Gujarat for next six months. At present he is leading the agitation from Udaipur of Rajasthan and is expected to return to the state in January.

The Patel community, which had been a staunch supporter of the BJP, continued to remain up in arms against the state government on its demand of reservation.

To pacify the community, the state government declared 10 per cent quota for economically backward among upper caste on April 29. However, the move was struck down by the high court soon, after which the state government approached the Supreme Court.

The state government sensing trouble after return of Hardik in January had in November invited agitating Patel community members for fresh round of talks on their demand, but these have remained inconclusive so far.

Analysts say mishandling of Patel quota agitation and late action after the Dalit flogging case of Una led to the ouster of Anandiben, who also faced charges of corruption against her family members. She resigned in August after being at the helm for over two years.

PTI
Impose President's Rule in Manipur, Naga body tells Rajnath

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Dec 20 The United Naga Council, which represents Nagas living in Manipur, met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Tuesday and demanded President's Rule in the state in the wake of ongoing violence in the Imphal Valley.

The delegation will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday. It termed the creation of seven new districts as illegitimate as the Hill Area Committee was not consulted -- mandatory under the article 371(C) of the Indian constitution.

"The state government, without consulting the Naga people, created the districts mostly by bifurcating the Naga districts. This is against the promise under four various memorandums (1981, 1992, 1996 and 1998) and a written assurance by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2011 that without consulting the stakeholders no administrative set-up decisions will be taken," said K.S. Paul, a former UNC president.

He said: "We have met the Home Minister and sought his immediate intervention. The Nagas won't tolerate the division of land and creation of new districts. We demand President's Rule in Manipur."

The Imphal valley has been simmering under violence after the Congress-led government declared the creation of seven new districts -- Jiribam, Kangpokpi, Tengoupal, Pharzol, Kakching, Noney and Kamjongin. A blockade has been called by the Nagas to oppose the decision to create Sadar Hills and Jiribam as full-fledged districts. The UNC says this would bifurcate the ancestral lands of the Nagas living in Manipur.

Jiribam was announced as a district. But the government could not do so with Sadar Hills due to the strong opposition by Nagas. Asked about Rajnath Singh's response, Paul said: "He (Rajnath) said he is aware of the entire situation."

"The CM has been only appealing to maintain peace but has not been doing anything to provide security forces to stop violence," a Naga leader said. L. Adani, also a former president of UNC, said: "This move by the state government is for political mileage. Nagas and their land are inseparable."

IANS
Government receives 4,000 emails on black money in 72 hours

India

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, Dec 20: The public have been pro-active in reporting black money hoarders to the government. A mere 72 hours after the government had said that the public could inform the government about black money hoarders nearly 4,000 emails have been sent to the Income Tax Department's website.

Also read: Post demonetisation Rs 2,000 crore deposited into dormant accounts: FIU

According to officials from the finance ministry, the response on the publicly listed email id, blackmoneyinfo@incometax.gov.in., has been extremely satisfying. The mails are currently being scrutinised and will be used as leads for investigation.

The government has also been getting a lot of data about bank deposits that are being made. Information has been pouring in through various other channels such as the Income Tax Department as well as the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). The FIU has already prepared several reports based on the information and independent investigations.

Apart from information on black money hoarders and bank deposits, the government has also got leads about high value purchases. Information such as high value purchases of gold, property and luxury goods have also been informed to the government.

OneIndia News
How this de-radicalisation programme by ATS is changing those who came under ISIS influence

IS recruit Tabrez had deposited money into bro's a/c for air travel

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Dec 19: To facilitate his and friend's journey to Egypt, ISIS recruit from Mumbra Tabrez Tambe had deposited Rs 5.17 lakh in his brother's bank account before leaving the country in January, ATS officials said on Monday. Tambe had had left in January along with his friend Ali Al Shahri, a Saudi national.

Tambe was detained in Libya recently. Few days before his journey to join the terror group, Tambe had deposited Rs 4.20 lakh on January 5 and Rs 97,000 on January 8 in his brother Saud Tambe's account with a private bank. The money was meant for their ticket fare for Mumbai to Cairo, Cairo to Dar-E-Salaam and back, Cairo to Khartoum and back, according to the officials.

Tambe was to undertake the Cairo to Khartoum journey alone as Ali was to travel separately. ATS is investigating whether the duo undertook their planned journeys or not. Ali, who was Tambe's friend since they worked together in Saudi Arabia, had indoctrinated Tambe and also visited India later. It is also revealed that Ali had sent Rs 26,883 to Tambe through Western Union Money Transfer in November 11 this year.

[Also read: Maharashtra ATS files complaint against Mumbai youth for joining ISIS]

ATS is investigating the purpose of the transaction. Investigation is conducted into visa applications (of Tambe and Ali) for Egypt which were made through a Delhi-based travel agency and ticketing done by a famous travel company which has its office in Gurgaon (and) regarding transaction through Western Union Money Transfer, ATS officials said in a press statement.

PTI
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav: Who are Santhals? Tribal freedom fighters who fought for their land and people

Ktaka: Truce called between govt and protesting tribals

India

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

After the video of Tribal women in Diddalli forest of Kodagu, Karnataka, protesting in the nude went viral, the state government has decided to arrive at a permanent solution to the problem.

The Tribals have been allowed to stay put at the Devamachi Reserve Forest for the next three months, during which the government will identify other places for resettlement and rehabilitation.

A video that was allegedly shot on December 7 shows a tribal woman running nude in protest of her home along with the homes of 577 families being razed by the district administration. The razing was part of forest encroachment clearance drive by the government. The video was aired by regional channels on December 18, following which it had gone viral.

A day after the clip drew attention to the plight of over 577 tribal families, the government decided to allow them to continue living in the forest area that has been declared as reserve. Meanwhile, the government will identify land for their rehabilitation and resettlement in near Dubare or Somwarpet towns.

Over 50 organisations had joined the tribal community in their protest against the government. They demanded that they be allowed to continue living in the same forest region.

The truce was called after a meeting of Kodagu in-charge Minister M R Seetharam, MP Pratap Simha, MLA K G Bopaiah and government officials. Many environmental activists had supported the government's move to clear encroachment in the forests to safeguard green cover of Kodagu.

The region's MP Prathap Simha addressing the press said that Devamachi was declared a reserve forest in 1891 and any inhabitation is a violation. "There is adequate land for the construction of houses and resettlement of the tribal community spanning 253 acres in Somwarpet and 53 acres near dubare", he added.

The political leaders also suggested that not all those protesting were people belonging to forest tribes and those working in plantations may have pitched their camps to receive benefits from the government.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 12:01 [IST]
Karnataka is also part of India: State BJP leader slams Irani

India

oi-Anusha

By Anusha Ravi

Karnataka BJP strongman C T Ravi taunted Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Twitter after Kannada was not included in the list of languages that are compatible to newly launched app launch of eDhaga.

Smriti Irani as well as the twitter handle of the ministry was trolled for not including Kannada language in its list. Multiple tweets also tagged BJP Karnataka leaders and the unit's handle while slamming the union government for sidelining Karnataka's officials language. Ire was also vented out since Karnataka is one of the largest producer of silk and cotton.

Taking a cue from the anger that was building in Karnataka over Kannada not being added, C T Ravi took to twitter to remind Smriti Irani that 'Karnataka is also part of India'. While taunting the minister, he asked for eDhaga to be launched in Kannada at the earliest.

The tweet from C T Ravi however, came after many Kannadigas took to twitter to slam the BJP in the center as well as the BJP in Karnataka. Many were disgruntled about the union government sidelining Karnataka, the state where BJP made its gateway to the south.

The app was launched by the textiles ministry on Monday in Hindi, English and Telugu languages. The twitter handle of the ministry also updated that the app will soon be compatible with Tamil, Bengali, Odia, Urdu and Assamese.

OneIndia News
SCO summit: Nations must combat terror together, says PM Modi

PM Modi gets Kalpak, Chapan, Samovar as gifts: What are these?

India to provide USD 200 million Line of Credit to support development projects in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan President to hold bilateral talks with Modi

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Dec 20: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday received his Kyrgyzstan counterpart, Almazbek Atambayev, who is on his first visit to India, at a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the National Capital.

Our final State guest for 2016, President Almazbek Atambayev of Kyrgyzstan begins engagements with a ceremonial welcome at @RashtrapatiBhvn pic.twitter.com/Op9xfrLxfT  Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) December 20, 2016

Atambayev is here with a high-level delegation comprising ministers and business leaders. The ceremonial would be followed by a bilateral session with Prime Minster Narendra Modi later in the day.

The Kyrgyz President's visit comes after the successful visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the central Asian country in July last year.

India and Kyrgyztan share excellent relations in all areas including defence, economy ,commerce, education, human resource development,culture and tourism.

The trade between the two countries was 27.99 million dollars during the last fiscal, with India's exports to Kyrgyzstan amounting to 26.20 million dollars.

Apparel and clothing, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and tea are some of the important items in India's export basket to the country

IANS
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: When and where to watch Asia Cup 2022 Final Match live online?

India to stop providing further financial aid to crisis-hit Sri Lanka? Indian embassy reacts

Lankan Navy detains seven Indian fishermen near Nainativu Island

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

The Sri Lankan Navy detained seven Indian fishermen who had allegedly ventured into their waters near Nainativu Island on Tuesday morning, said reports. All the fishermen, hail from Kottaipattinam in Tamil Nadu.

Ironically, leading Lankan daily Colombo Gazette had on Monday reported that poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters has seen a 50 percent drop.

Such incidents are common as International Maritime Boundary Line is not clearly marked in the ocean and fishermen frequently cross into other country's waters while fishing.

In July, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 16 Indian fishermen and three boats from the Needuntheevu island in the Palk Strait region. These fishermen were then remanded to judicial custody by a court in the island country.

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa had written several letterts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this matter seeking diplomatic intervention to secure release of Indian fishermen in Lankan jails.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 11:37 [IST]
Modi, Rahul @ UP: Who won the verbal duel?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi engaged in a war of words during their rallies in different parts of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Modi attacked opposition parties for not allowing Parliament to function in the winter session, while Rahul alleged that the prime minister's decision of demonetisation was done to favour rich and elite.

Addressing a parivartan rally in Kanpur, Modi said that the opposition have come together to save the corrupt, adding, "That is why they are not letting Parliament to work. They throw papers on the speaker and such an act is even not done in municipality."

Speaking at 'jan akrosh rally' in UP's Jaunpur, Rahul alleged that poor are reeling under cash crunch and demonetisation had broken the back of daily wage earners.

"The Switzerland government has given a list of those accounts in which black money is deposited. Modi has the list but is not exposing it as it will be a blow to his friends," media reports quoted Rahul.

Last week, Rahul had claimed that he has information on the "personal corruption" of PM Modi. He had said he wanted to make that revelation in Parliament, but was not allowed to speak.

The BJP, however, dubbed Rahul's claim as "joke of the year" and dared him to reveal the information. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan even said that no one takes Rahul seriously.

The Winter Session of Parliament was literally a washout with frequent disruptions over the demonetisation issue. The opposition frequently stormed the well of the House and accused the government of not allowing them to speak over the issue, while the ruling party maintained that opposition was more interested in creating ruckus than discussing the issue at hand.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 11:57 [IST]
SBI fined Rs 85,000 after it misread Kannada numeral on cheque, dishonoured it

SBI Clerk Recruitment: Tomorrow is last date to apply for 5,000 posts, check details here

Demonetisation: People angry over cash crunch vandalise SBI branch in UP

India

oi-PTI

Muzaffarnagar, Dec 20: Facing shortage of cash after demonetisation, a group of angered customers pelted stones at the SBI branch in Kakroli village here, police said today.

The branch manager Chander Mohan lodged a complaint alleging that some persons pelted stones at the bank last evening and damaged property while they were protesting against the shortage of cash at the bank, SHO Anand Mishra said.

Police has registered a case against unidentified persons in this connection, he said.

In a similar incident at Fatehpur village in Shamli district, about 40 km from here, customers vandalised the branch of UP Gramin Bank yesterday after they were unable to get cash, police said.

People blocked the Shahpur-Kandhla road here after the bank in their area ran out of cash, police said.

Police later intervened and cleared the road for traffic movement. In Jalalabad town of Shamli district, irate people blocked the Delhi-Saharanpur road as they were turned down by the PNB branch.

Traffic movement was affected for several hours due the protests in these area yesterday.

PTI
Bihar: When asked to take off hijab to check for bluetooth device, Muslim student leaves exam centre

Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000

Bihar's Gopalganj by-poll to see a tough fight between BJP and RJD

Two women die after consuming poisonous tea in Bihar

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Patna, Dec 20: Two women in Bihar died after consuming poisonous tea as six continue to battle for their lives in Kaimur district, police on Tuesday said.

The incident took place in Sotwa village, where four men and two more women are in critical condition, Kuddhni police said.

"Two women of a family died soon after consuming the poisonous tea and six are admitted to a private hospital, where their condition remain critical," a district police official said.

According to preliminary police investigation, due to an unfortunate oversight someone prepared the tea with 'thimet' (an insecticide) in place of raw tea leaves, police said.

IANS


Swaraj thanks all, says she recovered with Lord Krishna's blessings

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Dec 19: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday thanked the team of doctors, nurses and paramedics of AIIMS involved in her kidney transplant and subsequent recovery, saying the hospital lived up to its reputation. Swaraj said she has recovered with the blessings of Lord Krishna even as she thanked everyone who wished and prayed for her.

Hours after she was discharged from AIIMS, the minister posted a series of tweets and said she has started looking at official papers, but added doctors have advised her not to receive visitors. "I am grateful to the dedicated team of Doctors, Senior Residents, Sisters, technicians and staff of AIIMS.

They have lived up to the reputation of AIIMS," Swaraj tweeted. Swaraj was discharged from the AIIMS in the evening, 10 days after she underwent a kidney transplant. She particularly thanked Dr Mukut Minj who led the team which had carried out her kidney transplant.

"Dr. Mukut Minz - Thank you very much for my surgery Dr Minz. I am proud India has a Surgeon of your eminence in kidney transplant surgery. "I am back from AIIMS after the surgery. I am seeing the necessary official papers. However, I am not allowed to receive visitors," she said in a series of tweets. Doctors decided to discharge her after all her latest biochemical tests were found normal including kidney function.

"Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes," she said, adding "Lord Krishna's blessings made this possible".

PTI
There will be an earthquake in Rahuls family, warns B S Yeddyurappa

India

oi-Anusha

Mysuru, Dec 20: Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi's 'Earthquake' jibe, Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said that Rahul Gandhi should expect an earthquake in his own family shortly. Leaving everyone guessing, the former Karnataka Chief Minister appealed for patience and asked people to 'wait and watch' what is likely to happen in the near future.

Speaking in Mysuru, B S Yeddyurappa said that the congress was running out of time and scandals of its leaders will become public in a matter of days. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah better be ready to face the heat. I am not predicting but saying this out of conviction that in a matter of days, his ministers will be disclosed", B S Yeddyurappa added.

BSY says everything without saying anything

The BJP State president dropped hints of why Congress Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa's son will not be Congress' candidate for the Nanjangud bypoll. "Mahadevappa's son will not contest in the Nanjangud bypoll. You will learn of the reason shortly. Wait for just

a couple of days", he said leaving everyone anticipating. The assembly seat in Nanjangud was vacated after former congressman and minister Srinivas Prasad quit from the party. Srinivas Prasad is likely to contest from the BJP in the bypoll.

H C Mahadevappa's son Sunil Bose who was seen actively interacting with people and preparing for bypoll over the last few months has suddenly disappeared from public sight. Sources from the BJP said that his inactivity had a lot to do with political and economic

developments in the state recently.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 19:51 [IST]
Will the disproportionate assets case stand in the way of Sasikala's rise?

India

oi-Vicky

Chennai, Dec 20: The pending disproportionate assets case in the Supreme Court stands in Sasikala Natarajan's way of taking over as the AIADMK boss. The AIADMK is in transition following the death of their leader Jayalalithaa.

[Also Read: In pics: Sasikala vs Deepa: The poster war that has rocked Tamil Nadu]

Sasikala a close aide and friend of the former chief minister is being pitched to lead the party. There have been petitions by party leaders urging her not only to take over as the general secretary of the party, but also as chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

The transition may be a smooth one and she may even take over as the CM, but all that would depend on the verdict of the Supreme Court which had several months ago reserved orders in the disproportionate assets case.

Just a quick recap

Jayalalithaa, Sasikala, Ilavarasi and Sudhakaran were convicted by the trial court at Bengaluru in the disproportionate assets case. The high court however reversed that order while acquitting all four of them following which an appeal was preferred in the Supreme Court.

The SC after hearing arguments at length reserved orders in the case and has given no clear indication when it would pronounce its verdict.

The question of law is that since this is a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, will it apply to Sasikala who is not a public servant. A host of legal experts that OneIndia spoke with say that case would not fall against Sasikala and others just because it has been filed under the PC act.

She was convicted by the trial court not just under the PC act, but also under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code for abetment and conspiracy.

Will the case against Sasikala fall?

Former judge of the Supreme Court Justice Santhosh says that the states sans a public servant the PC act cannot be applied to a private individual. The Prevention of Corruption Act was applicable to Sasikala since Jayalalithaa, a public servant was the main accused in the case.

The question now is, with Jayalalithaa no more will the order against Sasikala change? Charges of abetment and conspiracy against Sasikala will stand if the Supreme Court finds her guilty. Legal experts also state that Sections 8 and 12 of the PC Act would also stand provided she is held guilty by the SC.

Since this case is at the appeal stage not much would change. If the Supreme Court were to uphold the verdict of the trial court then only the sentencing in case of Jayalalithaa alone would change considering she is no more. The verdict for the rest of them would remain the same.

Justice Hegde points out to Sections 8 and 12 of the PC act which deals with a private individual. Section 8 of the PC act deals with taking gratification, in order, by corrupt or illegal means, to influence public servant.

The act says whoever accepts or obtains or agrees to accept from any person, for himself or any other person by inducing a public servant shall be punished with a jail term of not less than six months but which may extend up to five years.

Section 12 of PC Act prescribes the punishment for abetting an offence. The punishment prescribed under this section is the same prescribed under Section 8 of the Act.

OneIndia News
Yasin Bhatkal believed IS would break him out of jail

India

oi-Vicky

Hyderabad, Dec 20: Indian Mujahideen chief Yasin Bhatkal who was awarded a death penalty in the 2013 Dilsukhnagar blasts on Monday always believed that the Islamic State would save him by planning a major jail break.

[Also Read: Do we pay fine in old currency? Cheeky Yasin Bhatkal asked judge]

He is currently lodged in a Hyderabad jail, Yasin was convicted and sentenced to death in connection with the Dilsukhnagar blasts case.

Yasin was not once, but twice speaking about his escape plan with the help of his 'friends' from Damascus. The last time he was heard speaking about an escape plan was when he was lodged in a Delhi jail, where he said that his friends would stage a hijack and get him out of jail.

High hopes:

A year ago, officials had picked up intercepts of a call that Yasin had made to his wife from jail. While it is still unclear how Yasin managed to get access to a mobile phone inside the jail, an Intelligence Bureau source says that he was heard telling his wife that he would get out of prison soon.

During the conversation, Yasin tells his wife that his 'friends' in Damascus would help him get out of jail. Damascus is a reference to the IS where the terror group is strong, and Yasin claims to have made 'friends' there.

Officers who have interrogated Yasin say that he was desperate to get out of jail. He had shown intent of escaping and joining the IS. In fact, his closest friends Sultan and Shafi Armar launched the Ansar-ut-Tawhid, an outfit which recruited Indians into the IS, the officer adds.

Even when he was lodged in a Delhi jail, he had spoken extensively about an escape plan. He was overheard telling his accomplices that a hijack on the lines of December 1999 IC-814 would be executed. His friends would then seek his release in exchange for the passengers, he had claimed.

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Story first published: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 9:07 [IST]
Berlin attack: Did police arrest the wrong man?

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Berlin, Dec 20: The German police says it is unsure if the man they had in their custody was behind Monday's lorry attack at Berlin in which 12 were killed and 48 others injured. The man they had detained said during questioning that he had nothing to do with the attack.

German media reports state that a Pakistani man detained near the scene is not linked to the attack. In fact the attacker is still on the run, the media also reported. Die Welt reported while quoting a police officer said, "we have the wrong man. The real attacker is still at large and can do more harm."

The German police are investigating a probable terrorist strike after a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Central Berlin on Monday morning.

The Berlin Police said on its Twitter handle that, 'All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence.' Earlier German politicians had avoided branding the incident as a terrorist attack. However Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had told ARD Television that there are many things pointing to one.

The police also confirmed that a passenger a Polish national was found dead in the lorry. This raised fears that he may have been subject to a hijacking.

On Monday morning, a large Scania truck crashed into the market outside Berlin's popular Christmas market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Television footage showed the truck with its wind shield smashed. It may be recalled that both the Islamic State and the Al Qaeda had called upon its followers to use trucks as mowing machines.

On July 14 a truck plowed into a Bastille Day crowd in the French city of Nice killing 86 people. The IS had claimed responsibility for the attack. The Berlin incident comes a month after a US State Department called for caution in markets and public places, stating that extremist groups such as the IS and the Al Qaeda would focus on such areas ahead of the holiday season.

Eye witnesses had said that the incident appeared to be a deliberate one. According to reports the the lorry drove 50 to 80 metres through the market area during the incident.

OneIndia News
Berlin attack: Hollande expresses solidarity with Germany

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Paris, Dec 20: French President Francois Hollande has sent a solidarity message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a truck ploughed into the crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine persons. "The French share the mourning of the Germans who are facing this tragedy, which hits all Europe," he said on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was "horrified" by reports on the attack, stressing that "France stands alongside Germany at this dark and painful moment." The attack at a Christmas market in Berlin also left many others injued.

A lorry ploughed into a busy Christmas market in Berlin, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more in what police said was a suspected terror attack.

IANS
A police officer keeps watch in front of the U.S. Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC, U.S. on October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Monday finalized a rule requiring big banks to disclose certain liquidity measures for the first time, as part of an effort to make sure they can cover large or rapid withdrawals.

Notably, banks will have to post each quarter the ratio comparing their assets that can quickly be converted to cash to their expected cash outflows during a time of financial stress. They will also have to disclose the consolidated amounts of their high-quality liquid assets and their projected net cash outflow amounts over a 30-day stress period.

Deadlines for banks to comply with the new requirement range from April 2017 through Oct. 18, the Fed said.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
Berlin attack: Suspect a refugee from Pakistan?

International

oi-Vicky

Berlin, Dec 20: The suspect in the Berlin attack was a refugee from Pakistan the media in Germany reported. While one section of the media claimed that the suspect may have come from Pakistan others said that he may have been of Afghan origin.

[Also Read: Truck runs into Berlin's Christmas market: 9 killed, several injured]

At least 12 persons were killed after a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Central Berlin on Monday evening. Several others were injured. The police said that a person suspected to be the driver was arrested while a passenger was dead.

German newspaper Die Welt reported that the suspect is a newly arrived Pakistan refugee. Its rival Der Tagesspiegel, a rival Berlin daily paper reported that that the man was either Pakistani or from Afghanistan.

[Also Read:Flashback 2016: When Islamic State went global]

Die Welt further went on to state that the suspect had arrived in Germany on February 16 this year. The German authorities who are questioning the suspect have however refused to divulge the identity of the man.

There are many theories doing the rounds as of now. One account says that the lorry may have been hijacked by the suspect. One passenger was found dead in the lorry.

German authorities say that it looks like it was a terror attack.

[Also Read: France: 80 dead in NICE terror attack]

The White House too said that it appears to be a terrorist attack. US President elect, Donald Trump accused the group of slaughtering Christians in jihad.

[Also Read: France: Three more charged over Nice truck attack]

It may be recalled that the US had only last month warned of attacks on Christmas markets in Europe.

OneIndia News
No one has guts...: Junior defence minister's reply to China question

China returns US underwater drone seized from South China Sea

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, Dec 20: China on Tuesday returned the US unmanned underwater drone it seized last week in the South China Sea, officials said.

"After friendly consultations between China and the US, the transfer of the underwater drone was smoothly completed," CNN cited a Chinese Defence Ministry statement as saying.

According to the Pentagon, the US would continue to investigate the events surrounding the incident.

China had seized the US drone from the disputed South China Sea waters. President-elect Donald Trump had slammed China for seizing the drone. Trump had tweeted: "China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented (unprecedented) act."

Meanwhile, China on Monday denied that it had stolen the drone and said that the device was picked up from causing any obstruction to the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

IANS
Gen. Raheel Sharif helped me out in leaving Pakistan: Musharraf

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Islamabad, Dec 20: Former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf has claimed that ex-army chief Gen Raheel Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts.

Participating in a talk show on Dunya News on Monday night, he said: "Well he (Raheel Sharif) did help me. I have been his boss and I have been the Army Chief before him... he helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the ECL, they turned it into a political issue."

When asked to explain how the recently retired army chief helped him, Musharraf said Gen Sharif played a role in "releasing the pressure" on courts to prevent him from leaving the country.

"Behind the scenes, the army chief had a role to release that pressure by dealing with the government."

"Once he (Gen Sharif) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment," Musharraf elaborated.

Talking about his case, Musharraf said Pakistani courts "unfortunately... give decisions under pressure behind the scenes" and this pressure was relieved by Gen Sharif with an "influencing" role.

Musharraf had left the country for Dubai in March earlier this year hours after the interior ministry issued a notification to remove his name from the exit control list.

The government notification followed the Supreme Court's order to lift the ban on his foreign travel.

But the order from the top court had come with the rider that the federal government or the three-judge special court trying the retired general for treason was free to make decisions to regulate his custody or restrict his movement.

Apart from murder cases of Benazir Bhutto, Nawab Akbar Bugti and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, the retired general is facing treason charges for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers. His name was kept on the exit control list for more than 20 months.

Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan had said in March that Musharraf had committed to facing all cases against him in court and had "promised to return in four to six weeks".

IANS


Maulana Masood Azhar pens essay; claims JeM unaffected by note ban

International

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Dec 20: 'The Kashmiri Mujahideens, Maoists and Khalistani fighters will not suffer any financial hardship. We are able to get the small currency by exchanging dollars, pounds and euros easily.'

[Also Read:5 reasons why China defends Jaish boss Maulana Masood Azhar]

This is what Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, Maulana Masood Azhar had to write about in weekly online magazine published by the outfit. The JeM publishes an online magazine called Qalam and Azhar which feature Azhar's pieces written under the pen name Saadi.

Making an obvious reference to the Indian government's decision on demonetisation, Azhar writes that they would not be affected by it. He says that none of them would suffer any financial hardship.

He explains that the Kashmir Mujahideens, Maoists and the Khalistan fighters would get the small currency by exchanging dollars, pounds and euros easily. He points towards the Nagrota attack of November 29 and says this is proof of how they managed to carry out the strike without undergoing any financial trouble.

How it is done:

An officer with the Intelligence Bureau explains to OneIndia that terrorists are sent in with foreign currency. They exchange with a tout in India at a much lower rate. For instance for a dollar they may get Rs 40 in exchange when the actual value is Rs 67.87.

The tout then gets his currency exchanged, the officer explained. The officer also explained that after the recent attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, investigations found that the terrorists had a lot of money on them. They had with them the new Rs 2,000 notes as well.

Intelligence Bureau officials also say that this new modus operandi needs to be investigated further. The police in Jammu and Kashmir are already on the look out for such touts who aid terrorists. Further the IB also will look at how Maoists or Naxalites are getting money following the decision on demonetisation.

OneIndia News
India renews call for UN action against Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, their supporters

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

United Nations, Dec 20: India has renewed its demand for international action against Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and "their shadowy supporters". Denouncing the two organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of al-Qaida, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the Security Council that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside,

In an implied criticism of China, he blamed the "split" in the UN bodies that mete out sanctions on terrorist organisations for the world body's inability to deal with the terrorism. China has blocked India's efforts to have international sanctions imposed on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar by a committee that takes action against al-Qaida and its affiliates. Azhar was behind the attack on the Pathankot air force base this year.

As a member of the Security Council, China has also provided cover for Pakistan releasing on bail Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT commander who masterminded the 2008 attack on Mumbai which killed more than 160 people. He was already on the UN list of those facing sanctions as terrorists.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organizations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, aI-Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory," he said. "Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism." The international community has to make "it clear that we will neither roll over in the face of terror, nor will we of allow the roll back of the achievements of the resolute people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade and a half," he said.



IANS
Indiana: Seven rescued after remaining trapped for 39 hours

International

oi-PTI

Corydon (US), Dec 20: Seven people who became trapped by high waters while exploring a southern Indiana cave were rescued after 39 hours underground, officials said on Monday.

The last of the cavers were brought above ground about 3 am today after entering Binkley's Cave near Corydon about noon Saturday, Indiana Conservation Officer Jim Hash said. Emergency workers were called when the cavers didn't emerge at 3 am on Monday as planned, he said.

First responders had to wait about eight hours for the high waters inside the cave to subside at a rate of 3 inches an hour so they could reach the group, Hash said. The water temperature was 40 degrees or colder, Hash said, and rescuers had to brave water chest or neck-deep.

The group was several hours from the cave entrance. As many as 50 emergency workers and local cave experts responded to the scene, Hash said, including the Red Cross. Another benefit was that some of the cavers had as much as 20 to 40 years of experience.

"This group was very well prepared," Hash said. "They had plenty of food, plenty of water." Hash described the group as hobbyists doing a survey of the cave, which is part of a miles-long cave system. Officials say the cavers were treated for mild hypothermia and exposure. Corydon is 25 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky.

PTI
Mexico: 5 women found shot dead inside a vehicle

International

oi-PTI

Mexico City, Dec 20: Five women were found shot to death inside an SUV in the northern Mexico state of Zacatecas. The Zacatecas public security secretary said in a statement that the bodies were discovered on Monday morning in the town of Juan Aldama, near the border with Durango state.

According to the statement, witnesses saw another vehicle pursuing the SUV, which crashed into a wall. Authorities said they had identified only one of the victims. A gun was discovered inside a plastic bag in the vehicle along with a variety of drugs, and shells from a semi-automatic rifle were also found in the area.

In the neighboring state of Jalisco, authorities said that one of 10 men arrested on Sunday for transporting bodies in the back of a pickup truck was a state police detective. Police have frequently been accused of collaborating with Mexico's drug gangs.

Jalisco chief prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer also raised from five to six the number of bodies found covered with plastic in the truck. Four of the dead had been identified and were said to have had drug trafficking links in the past.

Almaguer said the killings were apparently part of a dispute between drug gangs on the outskirts of the state capital, Guadalajara. Jalisco is home to Mexico's fastest-growing drug gang, the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Almaguer said another of the 10 detained was a leading operator for Jalisco New Generation in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

PTI
Scotland seeks own future in EU despite UK's departure

International

oi-PTI

London, Dec 20 Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon offered proposals today to protect Scotland's place in Europe after Britain leaves the European Union, saying it's possible to keep Scotland in Europe's single market even after Brexit. But Prime Minister Theresa May played down the prospect of Scotland getting a separate Brexit deal, saying that her government will be negotiating a "United Kingdom approach" with Brussels.

Britain voted to leave the EU in June but 62 per cent of voters in Scotland backed remaining in the 28-nation bloc. Sturgeon, who backs Scottish independence, said Britain's departure should be "flexible" to address the needs of the UK's different constituents -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Launching a document titled "Scotland's Place in Europe," Sturgeon said it was best for Scotland -- and the rest of Britain -- to remain in the European single market and customs union. Leaving the EU single market, she argues, would be a blow to many Scottish -- and British -- businesses that would face new tariffs on trade. Staying in the single market though would require signing up to EU rules on the freedom of movement -- regaining control of borders was one of the main reasons behind the vote to leave the EU.

Sturgeon argued that the EU referendum did not give a mandate to take any part of Britain out of the European single market. Nonetheless, she conceded it was unlikely that Britain will choose to stay in the free trade bloc. In that event, Sturgeon proposed that Scotland could stay in the European Economic Area by means of special arrangements like those that apply to the Channel Islands and the Faroe Islands.

She also proposed a substantial transfer of new powers to the Scottish Parliament -- including over immigration and import and export control -- in order for Scotland to pursue its own relationship with the EU. May's office at Downing Street said the British government would look closely at Sturgeon's proposals, which are expected to be discussed in detail in January.

But May said it was "not right" to accept "differential relationships" for separate parts of Britain with Brussels. She said she has promised to seriously consider any plans, but "there may be proposals that are impractical." "What we will be negotiating is a United Kingdom approach and a United Kingdom relationship with the European Union," she told lawmakers.

AP
Berlin lorry deaths: Police probe probable terrorist strike

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

The German police are investigating a probable terrorist strike after a truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in Central Berlin on Monday morning. 12 people were killed and 48 injured in the attack that has been claimed by the ISIS.

The Berlin Police said on its Twitter handle that, "all police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence."

Earlier German politicians had avoided branding the incident as a terrorist attack. However Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere had told ARD Television that there are many things pointing to one.

The police also confirmed that a passenger a Polish national was found dead in the lorry. This raised fears that he may have been subject to a hijacking. Meanwhile reports also suggested that the suspect was either an Afghan or Pakistani asylum seeker. He is reported to have arrived in Germany in February as a refugee. He is said to have been known to the police for minor crimes, but not for terror links, reports also state.

On Monday morning, a large Scania truck crashed into the market outside Berlin's popular Christmas market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Television footage showed the truck with its windshield smashed. It may be recalled that both the ISIS and the Al Qaeda had called upon its followers to use trucks as mowing machines.

On July 14 a truck ploughed into a Bastille Day crowd in the French city of Nice killing 86 people. The ISIS had claimed responsibility for the attack. The Berlin incident comes a month after a US State Department called for caution in markets and public places, stating that extremist groups such as the ISIS and the Al Qaeda would focus on such areas ahead of the holiday season.

Eye witnesses had said that the incident appeared to be a deliberate one. According to reports the the lorry drove 50 to 80 metres through the market area during the incident.
Ukraine grain deal: UN says shipments are still going out

US condemns attack on Russia's Ankara envoy

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Dec 19: The United States moved quickly today to condemn a gun attack in Ankara that left the Russian ambassador to Turkey severely wounded.

"We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," State Department spokesman John Kirby said. The US spokesman did not suggest who might have been behind the attack, which witnesses said was carried out by a gunman demanding "revenge" for Aleppo.

Russian forces were instrumental in helping government troops recapture the city of Aleppo from rebel forces in Turkey's neighbor Syria last week. Washington has previously warned Moscow that its support for Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime risks radicalizing moderate rebels and boosting support for extremists.

PTI
Zurich mosque attacked by gunman, 3 injured

International

oi-PTI

Zurich, Dec 20: A gunman dressed in black stormed into the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants and opened fire, wounding three people before fleeing, a Zurich police spokesman has said.

Police, who rushed to the scene in a central neighbourhood known for trendy cafes and the city's red-light district, were also investigating a possible connection to the discovery of a corpse at nearby Gessner bridge over the Sihl River, police spokesman Marco Bisa said on Monday.

Authorities weren't considering the attack as terrorism, he said. Police also said it was too early to determine whether there might be any link to an incident in Berlin also on Monday, where a truck rammed into a Christmas market, killing at least nine people.

"The unknown person fired several shots and fled from the building. The shooting took place inside a prayer room with several people in it. Two victims were severely injured," Bisa told reporters near the mosque, which was cordoned off by police.

Bisa said the injured were hospitalised and were aged 30, 35 and 56 years old, but did not specify their nationalities. He said witnesses described the attacker as clad head to foot in black, and was believed to be aged about 30 years old.

At the scene, Abukav Abshirow, a 30-year-old Somali man who works at a Zurich car dealership, said his friend was among the injured. He recalled how they had been celebrating a religious occasion at the centre the night before. "I am under shock," he said. "We've had great times here. The atmosphere was always friendly and happy at the centre ... I am very, very sad this happened. We never had problems here before. We spend the weekend here with our children in peace."

"I am waiting to find out what happened, and who is responsible," he said.

Attacks by gunmen are rare in Switzerland. The country was shaken in 2013 by at least two multiple-fatality shootings. The country has a long-standing tradition for men to keep their military rifles after completing compulsory military service which partly explains a high rate of gun ownership in the country of about 8.2 million people.

PTI
OK! Magazine 03 Nov 2022

Dwyane Wade clapped back at his ex-wife after she accused him of 'pressuring' Zaya into changing her identity.
by  Graham Pierrepoint



Its been just one polarizing vote that has taken place this year  but while the UK had to get adjusted to the fact that they would be leaving the European Union in the years to come (though it is not entirely clear when this will be), US citizens had an entirely alternative battle on their hands as controversial real estate mogul Donald Trump overcame all odds to become the President-elect of the country, set to ascend to the highest office in early 2017. This means, of course, that the Democrats  and Barack Obama  have barely a month left on the clock, and it also means that the Republican Party will soon gain majority control of Congress, too.

Trumps victory, and indeed his campaign, has been extremely polarizing  with many members of his own party refusing to back him despite his increasing popularity in the polls and with what many commentators believe to be the white male vote  but the most unlikely of candidates has triumphed in returning the Republicans back to power for the first time since George W Bush left office  and while many within the party may not be keen on some of the rhetoric Trump has been responsible for over the past 18 months, it has still been nothing short of an overwhelming victory for the party.

However, it is noted that the Electoral College, ultimately responsible for ensuring that a President is elected to office, may still block Trump from becoming the most powerful statesman in the West. Many Electoral College voters, on behalf of the states that have taken place in the election, are bound by constitutional law to represent and honor the election results and to vote on behalf of the people. However, some commentators believe that such representatives may as yet be able to prevent Trump from taking the top job despite having been the first past the post.

Harvard Universitys Larry Lessig, a former Democratic nomination candidate and law professor, has stated that regardless of the law in place, those electing on behalf of states can still opt to defy the public vote on the grounds of precedence  and that several Electoral College voters are privately considering preventing Trump from getting the top job. Its thought that 37 EC votes are needed to stop the former Apprentice star from becoming President  but is it too slim a chance? In the coming days, we will simply have to wait and see.
Investors in shares of United States Steel Corporation X need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Put which expires on Jan 20, 2017 for the $7.00 strike price had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.

What is Implied Volatility?

Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility could mean that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that could cause a big rally or a huge sell off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.

What do the Analysts Think?

Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for United States Steel shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, United States Steel is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) in the Steel Producers industry that ranks in the top 17% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, none of the analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while six have dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 81 cents to 4 cents in that period.

Given the way analysts feel about United States Steel right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Often times, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.

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Nevada Rep. Titus Urges Trump Team Not to Ban Online Gambling

Published December 20, 2016 by Elana K

Nevada representative Dina Titus has penned a letter to Pence and Trump in support of online gambling; her letter is a direct response to a letter written a few weeks ago by Republican AGs urging a federal ban of online gambling.

After ten Republican attorneys general wrote a letter to Mike Pence urging the Trump team to institute a federal ban on online gambling, Nevada representative Dina Titus has penned her own letter to Pence and Trump, elaborating upon the reasons why a ban should not be enacted.

Titus letter was especially lauded by online gambling supporters, since one of the Republicans to sign the first letter was Adam Laxalt, a Nevada Attorney General whose political stance is not appreciated, especially while the state is trying to expand its current online gambling offerings.

Titus Letter

Titus challenged some of the claims made in the Republicans letter, writing that it contains several inaccuracies and unfair allegations.

Here are some of the inaccuracies that she addressed:

There is a difference between legal online gambling (which is currently allowed in Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware), and illegal online gambling, which takes place in an unregulated market and leaves consumers unprotected.

Regulated online casinos actually prevent underage gambling, whereas unregulated casinos cannot.

Banning online gambling at a federal level is a clear violation of states rights.

Titus letter is important as it calls out the claims of those opposed to online gambling and exposes them to facts that they would prefer to ignore. It also shows that while RAWA, or RAW-esque bills, might gain some traction in 2017, there are still those government officials who will fight them, and fight for states rights as well.

A Champion of Online Gambling

This is not the first time that Rep. Titus has stood up in support of online gambling. At a RAWA hearing in 2015, she invited the members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to come to Nevada to see that the geolocation and player verification technology really work. (None came.)

What's in Store?

For now, the opponents and supporters of online gambling will have a brief respite; the battle will resume in 2017.
Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York:

Platinum Partners hedge-fund founder Mark Nordlicht and other executives at the New York-based firm, have been accused of a $1 billion dollar scheme on par with the Madoff scandal, according to documents filed in court in New York yesterday by Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Robert Capers. The eight-count indictment alleges that as Platinum Partners faced cash flow trouble, executives at the firm became increasingly desperate, resorting to over-valuing assets and other schemes to meet redemption requests. A parallel lawsuit has been filed by the SEC. Platinum Partners has declined to comment on the indictment and lawsuit.

Mr. Nordlicht was arrested Monday, along with Platinums former president, and four others. All have pleaded not guilty.

Both the indictment and SEC complaint allege that as Platinum was faced with more than $70 million in redemption requests, executives decided to double down on energy bets - mispricing assets and inflating valuations.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the hedge fund was seeded with money from Jewish friends and family who knew Nordlicht and others at Platinum. Murray Huberfeld also helped fundraise $25 million in launch money. Mr. Huberfeld was arrested and ......................

To view our full article Click here
Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia: At the recent Opalesque 2016 China Roundtable, Roland Schwinn of Eurex pointed out that there are certain misperceptions concerning Chinas economic situation. For one, 6% GDP growth is still a figure that no European state that has achieved in recent years, said. "But my point about the misconception is that you have to look at the absolute figures," he said. Over the last 15 years, the U.S. economy has grown nearly 70% in GDP and Germany has doubled the GDP. "But China has more than eight-folded the GDP. Sometimes the rest of the world tends to forget that we are talking about enormous absolute figures here. So in terms of absolute figures, 6% now is of course much more than 12% just a couple of years ago," he explained. He said that he always finds it interesting whenever he comes to China in contrast of to the overseas media articles which is usually about China going down the drain. However, Schwinn said he does not see any depressive people or too enthusiastic people either. Slowdown in economy leads to overcapacity, but China has still good long term growth Schwinn further explained that whenever there are booms and subsequently slowdowns, there will be some overcapacity as well. And this happens everywhere in the world, just look at Spain and the outer rings and suburbs of the Spanish cities where you still see a lot of empty propert...................... To view our full article Click here
From Empire Burlesque

You're al Qaeda. You're being supported by the United States in your jihad to impose extremist rule on Syria, but you still have a PR problem; too many people remember all that unpleasant business from so long ago when you blew up a few buildings in the US. What can you do?

Well, first you change the name of your Syrian branch two or three times. You make sure your spokesmen -- who actually get respectfully quoted in the US media! -- say moderate things in English but speak with genocidal sectarian fury in Arabic. So far, so good.

But what if your new US media buddies actually got a peek at how you operate on the ground in Syria -- cutting off heads, hoarding food aid, colluding with ISIS, slaughtering religious minorities, oppressing women, etc.? That's easy: you simply make the zones you control so dangerous for reporters -- killing them, kidnapping them, etc. -- that they don't go there anymore. Instead, they "report" on your activities from far away, relying on you to provide their information, telling the story you want told.

And presto chango, that's how those who murdered Americans have become America's newest heroes, the brave defenders of freedom in Syria. What's more, anyone who dares point out the true nature of your organization, and how you operate, are now denounced as apologists for the loathsome Assad regime, or as Putin-lovers, even as traitors! Think of it; just a few years ago, you were the most reviled and hated group Americans had ever known -- and now Americans across the media and political spectrum hail you as heroes and defend you from all attacks!

Sure, you've lost your foothold in Aleppo, where for years you systematically persecuted people and forcibly prevented them from leaving. But America's still got your back, AQ! Even when you attack relief convoys in an attempt to scuttle a peace deal that would allow anyone who wants to leave East Aleppo to go free, the American media will fudge the headlines so no one will know that it was you who did the deed.

[And hey, let's not forget what America's been doing for you in Yemen! Remember how the Houthis had you on the ropes, nearly ridding the country of your presence -- and then the Americans stepped in with their Saudi allies, bombing the holy hell out of the place, choking off food and medicine supplies, destroying the infrastructure for basic survival, killing thousands of civilians and putting millions of people at dire risk of starvation! And suddenly you were back, making great gains, stronger than ever! You simply couldn't ask for a better friend, could you?]

So buck up, AQ! With the full weight of the American media and political establishment behind you, no doubt there are still great days ahead! In fact, the president has just made it easier for you guys to get even more American weapons so you can carry on your noble quest! It's just our way of saying Merry Christmas!
It was back in the nineteen-seventies that the third world began to formally demand a New world Information Order (NWIO), due to the lack of objective information, especially in the West, with regard to both the second world -- or socialist camp -- and the third world. Had this project come to fruition, it would have required journalists to be trained and licensed by their governments, like doctors or lawyers.

The idea was seen in the West as a threat to 'freedom of speech' so of course it didn't happen. Instead, technology ensured that the standard model became an unchallengeable behemoth. Corporate-owned media across the neo-liberal world does not protect the journalist's freedom of speech: rather it ensures that commercial messages get across to a largely gullible public. (The behemoth simultaneously complaining about the public's lack of basic knowledge about the world.)

Today, it's difficult to imagine what 'information' the Western media bases its stories on, but to hear Ann Applebaum claiming as fact that Russia 'invaded Crimea' or the BBC's Katy Kay stating that Russia is "massing its troops along its borders with Europe", shows that we are living, not in Alice's Wonderland, but in a Strangelovian dystopia. How do seasoned journalists like the two just mentioned live with their consciences? Are the pay checks beyond their wildest dreams? Have these bright people allowed themselves to be convinced by their governments' propaganda -- as if fact-checking had ceased to exist? Or is something else at work here: the fear of being dubbed a black sheep and ending up without work? (Nowhere does 'conforming' matter more to a career than in the world of journalism, in which the 'best' are those who adopt an almost prosecutorial manner when conducting interviews, a talent that can be easily turned on colleagues.) Reports of US journalists working for RT imply that they are committing treason, when in fact, they are refusing to betray their commitment to truth telling in order to keep a job in the US media.

You don't need to fact check whether Russia is massing troops on its European borders: NATO has officially pushed so far up against them that according to Professor Stephen Cohen it could hit St. Petersburg with ordinary weapons. And how to keep repeating the story that Russia invaded Crimea, when in fact, Russia has had a naval base there since the time of Catherine II! Were a few soldiers sent there to back-up the sailors at the time of the referendum? Big deal! Crimea has always been a majority Russian peninsula, and the inhabitants tried several times to hold referenda that would return them to Russia. What guaranteed their success this time was the US directed coup against their country's elected pro-Russian president in February, 2014, backed by Neo-Nazi club wielding militias. (Russians --including those in Crimea -- lost 26,000,000 to Hitler's army and even second and third generations are viscerally anti-Nazi.)

For Washington, Russian speaking Ukrainians in the east and in Crimea who fail to appreciate the benefits of US-brokered 'democracy' are Putin's pawns. As the accusations pile up, it would appear that even the most indifferent voter should begin to wonder what is behind the 'blame Russia' meme. But what is most disturbing is the appearance of so-called 'fake news' on websites like Facebook. Will the US government's version of the facts be used to tag real facts as fake news, and would this be the inevitable outcome of its refusal, in the nineteen seventies, to accept the world's call for a new information order?

It was in 1973 that the organization of Non-Aligned Nations, (a group that included over a hundred nations at its founding in 1961) first formalized its media concerns. In 1978, a 'Mass Media Declaration' calling for a New World Information Order was submitted to the MacBride Commission, a 16-member body created by UNESCO to study communication issues. (At that time, Soviet support ensured a more significant role for the UN's cultural organization than it has had since")

In brief, the NWIO called for government licensing of journalists, which the US saw as a priori censorship, incompatible with 'freedom of expression', opposed satellite broadcasting of television signals, widely perceived as a threat to national sovereignty and an unfair division of the radio spectrum in Third World countries. (A small number of developed countries controlled almost 90% of the radio spectrum, much of which was for military use.) The call protested the effects of the developed world's advertising on the developed world as well as an unbalanced flow of mass media from the developed world (especially the United States) to the underdeveloped countries. (The entire world watches American movies and television shows.) Last but not least, the emphasis on natural disasters and wars rather than on daily realities, so that people in the developed world have an idea of what life is like in faraway lands. (At the time four major news agencies controlled over 80% of global news flow.)

The United States saw all these things as potential barriers to the 'free flow of information' and especially, to the interests of American media corporations. (The Macbride Commission, a 16-member body created by UNESCO to study communication issues, questioned the role of the private sector in communications.) Officially, the US saw the NWICO (New world Information and Communication Order) as dangerous to 'freedom of the press' because it put an organization run by governments in charge of information, potentially allowing for large scale censorship. (Although there were also accusations of corruption among the UNESCO leadership in Paris, it was over the issue of communication and press 'freedom' that in 1984, the US withdrew its membership, causing a great stir in the international community. It did not return until 2003, during the George W. Bush presidency, and since that time UNESCO has ceased to be in the news").

Fourteen years after the US defection, 'news' in the West, has become unrecognizable. Is it the 'breaking news' trumpeted by television every ten minutes (between ads); is it the information carefully doled out by White House and the State Department press attaches (whose responses to journalists' questions are relayed by RT, but almost never by most US news channels). Is it what the presidents of important countries announce in their speeches (only those of the US president are given wide coverage in the US, with excerpts graciously offered to our allies). While President Putin is currently mentioned 'every hour on the hour' on US media, his speeches are NEVER featured, (not even in the alternative media, for fear of being black listed).

In the run-up to World War II, Hitler made many speeches, spelling out precisely his gripes and his plans to remedy them. The chanceries across Europe -- and in America -- knew that he was preparing for war (but hoped that soothing rhetoric such as that dispensed by British Prime Minister Chamberlain at Munich might alter his plan). Populations who will be incinerated if there is war against Russia are not privy to the Russian President's views about anything: they are fed images of him riding bareback on a horse -- or coming down a chimney as a bareback Santa on Saturday Night Live. Americans are repeatedly told that Vladimir Putin does not allow 'free speech' because his judiciary sent the p*ssy Rioters to jail, but they are not told that the bedrock of his international policy is cooperation rather than confrontation.

That knowledge would be inconvenient to our arms manufacturers and our military. (American foreign policy is not based on 'the national interest' but on the theory developed by Professor Carl Schmitt, godfather to the Neocons, that to rule successfully, governments must always provide their people with an enemy.)

The biggest purveyor of fake news, after all, is the US government and those who post 'fake news' on websites are merely taking their cue from the highest authority in the land.
By R. Armstrong and Fred Gransville

Fake news has been everywhere during election 2016. Fraudulent conspiracy theories, suspicious statistics and blatantly false news have gone viral.



As it turns out this is an innocent picture of James Alefantis's God Daughter.

(Image by Instagram) Details DMCA



November 21, the New York Times featured Fake News Onslaught Targets Pizzeria as Nest of Child-Trafficking about a pedophile ring operating out of the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington, D.C. The Comet Pizza restaurant was reported as the front for a child-trafficking ring headed by Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief, John D. Podesta. There were nearly a million messages sent last month with the hashtag term "pizzagate."

The messages claim that Clinton kidnapped, molested and trafficked children in the restaurant's walk-in refrigerator and basement. These allegations are absurd and totally false: There is no physical evidence and no victim has come forward but the conspiracy theorists are convinced they are right because Bill Clinton and Donald Trump flew on the private plane of convicted child abuser Jeffery Epstein and Tony Podesta, the brother of John Podesta whose emails were hacked, was a friend of Dennis Hastert.

Hastert is the Republican politician who was sentenced to 15 months in prison, for abusing boys. The crucial point here is that fake pizzagate stories are now ruining not only reputations but careers, too. The Prime Minister of New Zealand was apparently just forced to resign after his own daughter was caught up in her own so-called scandal now known as "cherrygate." The Wikileaks connection of Clinton to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted paedophile, to John and Tony Podesta was enough for "investigators" to believe pizzagate is real because Tony Podesta said he is a fan of Serbian painter Biljana Djurdjevic.



(Image by unknown) Details DMCA



And then there is the picture of attendees at one of Tony Podesta's birthday parties all wearing red shoes (photoshopped?). What's in a shoe color? According to Harrison Koehli, who co-hosts Sign of the Times (SOTT) Radio Network's Truth Perspective, and is an editor for Red Pill Press, red shoes are a sign, a marker, of something very dark. Harrison is the author of Progressive liberal values: Tony Podesta's creepy taste in art, the creepy people he hangs out with, and Pizzagate and has been interviewed on several North American radio shows about his writings on ponerology, the study of the nature and the origin of evil, and evil in relation to the Politics.

James Alefantis, owner of Comet Ping Pong pizzeria, the center of the pedophile ring and #49 on GQ magazine's list of the 50 most powerful people in Washington in 2012, "regularly co-hosts casual pizza parties at his friend, Tony Podesta's house," so he can show off his art collection. Alefantis, because of his ties to Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief, John D. Podesta, has been threatened with messages like "we're on to you" on his Instagram feed. He has even received death threats on Facebook and Twitter. "From this insane, fabricated conspiracy theory, we've come under constant assault," he said. The FBI and local police are helping Alefantis and demanded that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Reddit remove the posts.

Mr. James Alefantis is now working with the NY Times to call for Facebook, Google censorship of what he calls "fake news."

Did you know that John Podesta lost his handkerchief?

Is John Podesta Really a Pedophilie? The term "cheese pizza" had previously been used on 4chan as code for "child pornography." An anonymous user speculated that other food-related terms could also have double meanings. This interpretation spread, and other emails containing supposed code words were reinterpreted as evidence of pedophilie activity. "hotdog" = boy "pizza" = girl "cheese" = little girl "pasta" = little boy "ice cream" = male prostitute "walnut" = person of colour "map" = semen "sauce" = orgy Examples:

Mary and John I think you should give notice when changing strategies which have been long in place. I immediately realized something was different by the shape of the box and I contemplated who would be sending me something in the square shaped box. Lo and behold, instead of pasta and wonderful sauces, it was a lovely, tempting assortment of cheeses, Yummy. I am awaiting the return of my children and grandchildren from their holiday travels so that we can demolish them. Thank you so much. I hope you and your gang are well. I miss you both Best wishes fro a merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Herb Ps. Do you think I'll do better playing dominos on cheese than on pasta?

RE: Get ready for "Chicago Hot Dog Friday" Stratfor is the Texas headquarters of the global intelligence company. The company is a "geopolitical intelligence platform."

RE: Get ready for "Chicago Hot Dog Friday" If we get the same "waitresses," I'm all for it!!! Aaric S. Eisenstein STRATFOR SVP Publishing 700 Lavaca St., Suite 900 Austin, TX 78701 512-744-4308 512-744-4334 fax ----------------------------------------------- From: Fred Burton [mailto:burton@stratfor.com] Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 2:39 PM To: 'Don Kuykendall' Cc: 'Aaric Eisenstein'; 'Darryl O'Connor'; 'Copeland Susan' Subject: RE: Get ready for "Chicago Hot Dog Friday" I think Obama spent about $65,000 of the tax-payers money flying in pizza/dogs from Chicago for a private party at the White House not long ago, assume we are using the same channels? ----------------------------------------------- From: Don Kuykendall [mailto:kuykendall@stratfor.com] Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 1:59 PM To: 'stratforaustin' Subject: Get ready for "Chicago Hot Dog Friday" To celebrate all you hot dogs out there. Aaric, you can participate as well! Don R. Kuykendall President STRATFOR 512.744.4314 phone 512.744.4334 fax kuykendall@stratfor.com





December 5 Alex Jones Breaking News: The Washington Post noted that one of the main proponents of the pizzagate theory was the far-right radio host beloved by President-elect Donald Trump, Alex Jones. Alex Jones repeatedly told his nut job listeners in a video that Clinton was involved in a child sex ring and that her campaign chairman, John Podesta, indulged in satanic rituals.

"When I think about all the children Hillary Clinton has personally murdered and chopped up and raped, I have zero fear standing up against her," Jones said in a YouTube video posted on Nov. 4. "Yeah, you heard me right. Hillary Clinton has personally murdered children. I just can't hold back the truth anymore." Jones eventually tied his comments about Clinton to U.S. policy in Syria.

As a matter of fact the pizzagate witch hunt is spreading around the globe. Great Britain is experiencing one "pizzagate" after another, and in Haiti, where these crack pots are now accusing Hillary of murdering Monica Petersen.



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"I am heartbroken to report that Monica Petersen died today in Haiti. She was a recent graduate of the Korbel School, a Research Fellow and an Assistant Director at the Human Trafficking Center, and had moved to Haiti to teach and start an NGO."

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This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.

When Donald Trump enters the Oval Office, awaiting him will not only be his own private air assassination corps (those CIA drones that take out terror suspects globally from a White House "kill list"), but his own private and remarkably secret military. Ever since John F. Kennedy first made the Green Berets into figures of military glamour, there's always been something alluring to presidents about the U.S. military's elite special ops forces.

Still, that was then, this is now. In the twenty-first century, the Special Operations Command, which oversees those elite forces cocooned within the regular military, has gained ever more power to act in ever more independent and secretive ways. In those same years, the country's elite troops, including those Green Berets, the Navy SEALs, and the Army's Delta Force, have grown to staggering proportions, while ever more money has poured into their coffers. There are now an estimated 70,000 of them -- a crew larger than the actual armies of some reasonably sizeable countries -- and from trainers to raiders, advisers to hunter-killers, they now operate yearly in an overwhelming majority of the nations on this planet. Moreover, they generally do so in remarkable secrecy and (as once might have been said of the CIA) their most secretive part, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), responsible for the killing of Osama bin Laden, is in essence the president's private army.

In these last years, President Obama, who gained a reputation for being chary of war, has nonetheless taken on with evident relish both those special ops forces and the drone assassins, while embracing what Washington Post columnist David Ignatius recently termed the role of "covert commander in chief." Now, in these last weeks of his presidency, his administration has given JSOC new powers to "track, plan, and potentially launch attacks on terrorist cells around the globe" and to do so "outside conventional conflict zones" and via "a new multiagency intelligence and action force." As a result, whatever this new task force may do, it won't, as in the past, have to deal with regional military commands and their commanders at all. Its only responsibility will be to the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and assumedly the White House; even within the military, that is, it will gain a new patina of secrecy and power (while evidently poaching on territory that once was considered the CIA's alone, no small thing at a moment when President-elect Trump is not exactly enamored with that agency).

One of the strangest aspects of the growth of America's special ops forces and their global missions is how little attention those special operators get in the media (unless they want the publicity). The very growth of an enormous secret military, a remarkable development in our American world and a particularly ominous one for the Trumpian years to come, is seldom discussed (no less debated). And all of this, the firepower now available to a president and the potential ability of a commander in chief to wage a global campaign of assassination and make war just about anywhere on Earth, personally and privately, will now be inherited by a man to whom such powers are likely to have real appeal.

In this context, I admit to a certain pride that, thanks to Nick Turse, the exception to the above has been TomDispatch. In these years, due to Turse's work at this website, you could follow, up close and personal, the growing power and operational abilities of America's special operations forces. This was especially true, as with his piece today, of how they have moved, big time, onto a continent that may indeed, in the military's own phrase, be tomorrow's battlefield and yet that we hear next to nothing about. Tom

Commandos Without Borders

America's Elite Troops Partner with African Forces But Pursue U.S. Aims

By Nick Turse Al-Qaeda doesn't care about borders. Neither does the Islamic State or Boko Haram. Brigadier General Donald Bolduc thinks the same way. "[T]errorists, criminals, and non-state actors aren't bound by arbitrary borders," the commander of Special Operations Command Africa (SOCAFRICA) told an interviewer early this fall. "That said, everything we do is not organized around recognizing traditional borders. In fact, our whole command philosophy is about enabling cross-border solutions, implementing multi-national, collective actions and empowering African partner nations to work across borders to solve problems using a regional approach." A SOCAFRICA planning document obtained by TomDispatch offers a window onto the scope of these "multi-national, collective actions" carried out by America's most elite troops in Africa. The declassified but heavily redacted secret report, covering the years 2012-2017 and acquired via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), details nearly 20 programs and activities -- from training exercises to security cooperation engagements -- utilized by SOCAFRICA across the continent. This wide array of low-profile missions, in addition to named operations and quasi-wars, attests to the growing influence and sprawling nature of U.S. Special Operations forces (SOF) in Africa. How U.S. military engagement will proceed under the Trump administration remains to be seen. The president-elect has said or tweeted little about Africa in recent years (aside from long trading in baseless claims that the current president was born there). Given his choice for national security adviser, Michael Flynn -- a former director of intelligence for Joint Special Operations Command who believes that the United States is in a "world war" with Islamic militants -- there is good reason to believe that Special Operations Command Africa will continue its border-busting missions across that continent. That, in turn, means that Africa is likely to remain crucial to America's nameless global war on terror. Publicly, the command claims that it conducts its operations to "promote regional stability and prosperity," while Bolduc emphasizes that its missions are geared toward serving the needs of African allies. The FOIA files make clear, however, that U.S. interests are the command's principal and primary concern -- a policy in keeping with the America First mindset and mandate of incoming commander-in-chief Donald J. Trump -- and that support to "partner nations" is prioritized to suit American, not African, needs and policy goals. Shades of Gray Bolduc is fond of saying that his troops -- Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets, among others -- operate in the "gray zone," or what he calls "the spectrum of conflict between war and peace." Another of his favored stock phrases is: "In Africa, we are not the kinetic solution" -- that is, not pulling triggers and dropping bombs. He also regularly takes pains to say that "we are not at war in Africa -- but our African partners certainly are." That is not entirely true. Earlier this month, in fact, a White House report made it clear, for instance, that "the United States is currently using military force" in Somalia. At about the same moment, the New York Times revealed an imminent Obama administration plan to deem al-Shabab "to be part of the armed conflict that Congress authorized against the perpetrators of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to senior American officials," strengthening President-elect Donald Trump's authority to carry out missions there in 2017 and beyond.

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From Smirking Chimp, Original at Truthout

Under President Trump, Americans are entering an historical conjuncture in which intolerant and racist ideologues are ascending to top White House posts.

Some of the most egregious appointments thus far have included Jeff Sessions as attorney general, Stephen Bannon as chief White House strategist, Mike Pompeo as head of the CIA and Tom Price as secretary of health and human services. All of these men are poised to promote policies that will increase the misery, suffering and policing of the vulnerable, sick and poor.

In increasingly overt ways, racism is becoming the major ideological force for establishing terror as a weapon of governance. Not only did Trump make "law and order" a central motif of his presidential campaign, he also amplified its meaning in his attacks on the Black Lives Matter movement and his depiction of Black neighborhoods as cauldrons of criminal behavior.

The repressive racial state is certain to intensify and expand under Jeff Sessions -- a strong advocate of mass incarceration and the death penalty, and a white nationalist spokesman for the Old South. The Nation's Ari Berman observes that Sessions is "the fiercest opponent in the Senate of immigration reform, a centerpiece of Trump's agenda, and has a long history of opposition to civil rights, dating back to his days as a US Attorney in Alabama in the 1980s."

Sessions has a long history of racist rhetoric, insults and practices, including opposing the Voting Rights Act and addressing a Black lawyer as "boy." He was denied a federal judgeship in the 1980s because his colleagues claimed that he made racist remarks on a number of occasions. Sessions has also called organizations, such as the ACLU, NAACP and the National Council of Churches "un-American" because of their emphasis on civil rights, which he has portrayed as being shoved down the throats of the American public. He was also accused of falsely prosecuting Black political activists in Alabama for voting fraud.

Sessions' racism often merges with his religious fundamentalism. As Miranda Blue observes, he has "dismissed immigration reform as 'ethnic politics' and warned that allowing too many immigrants would create 'cultural problems' in the country. Earlier this year, he cherry-picked a couple of Bible verses to claim that the position of his opponents on the immigration issue is 'not biblical.'"

Under Sessions, a racist militarism is set to serve as an organizing principle to legitimate ultra-nationalist endeavors to create a society strongly shaped by white nationalists. As Andrew Kaczynski points out, Sessions made his racist principles clear while appearing on the Matt & Aunie talk radio show on WAPI.

Sessions has praised Trump's stance on capital punishment by pointing to Trump's "1989 newspaper ads advocating the death penalty for five young men of color accused of raping a jogger in Central Park." Sessions made these comments knowing full well that the Central Park Five were not only exonerated by DNA evidence after serving many years in jail, but were also awarded a wrongful conviction settlement, which ran into millions of dollars. Moreover, Sessions was aware that Trump had later criticized the settlement calling it a disgrace, while suggesting that the Central Park Five were guilty of a crime for which they should not have been acquitted in spite of the testimony of Matias Reyes, who confessed to raping and attacking the victim.

Sessions' racism was on full display when he stated in the interview that Trump "believes in law and order and he has the strength and will to make this country safer." He then added: "The biggest benefits from that, really, are poor people in the neighborhoods that are most dangerous, where most of the crime is occurring." Trump's tweets falsely alleging voter fraud in order to defend the ludicrous claim that he won the popular vote is ominous because they suggest that in the future he could allow Sessions to make it more difficult for poor minorities to vote.

At the same time, Sessions is far from an anomaly and only one of a number of prominent officials appointed in the Trump administration who are overtly racist and run the gamut in arguing for a Muslim registry, to suppressing voter rights, to producing social and economic policies that target immigrants and Black people.

For example, Trump's appointment of Stephen Bannon as senior counselor and chief White House strategist is deeply disturbing. Bannon is an incendiary figure whom critics as politically diverse as Glenn Beck and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have accused of being a racist, sexist, anti-Semite. While the head of Breitbart News, Bannon courted white nationalists, neo-Nazi groups and other far-right extremists. In doing so, Amy Goodman points out, he helped to rebrand "white supremacy [and] white nationalism, for the digital age" under the euphemistic brand of the "alt-right."

Bannon is on record stating that only property owners should vote; stating to his ex-wife that he did not want his twin daughters "to go to school with Jews;" calling conservative commentator Bill Kristol a "Republican spoiler, renegade Jew;" and publishing incendiary headlines on Breitbart's website, such as "Would you rather your child had feminism or cancer?" and "Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy."

What we see in Trump and his advisers and appointees is an America that embraces the values and ideals of an ultra-nationalist and militarized white public sphere. Even before Trump takes office, the threat of authoritarianism is becoming visible, "exploding in our face, through racist attacks on school children, the proliferation of swastikas around the country, name-calling, death threats, and a general atmosphere of hate," in the words of Rebecca Gould.

Given the vice-president-elect's abysmal record on women's issues, there is also little doubt that the war on women's reproductive rights will accelerate under the Trump administration. As NARAL Pro-Choice America Senior Vice President Sasha Bruce has observed, "With the selection of Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donald Trump is sending a clear signal that he intends to punish women who seek abortion care. Tom Price is someone who has made clear throughout his career that ... he wants to punish us for the choices we make for our bodies, our futures, and our families."

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Say you find yourself in a one-party state that promises to dismantle every civil institution you believe in and trample every ethical principle you hold dear. You may feel a little despondent. While a this too shall pass attitude may help you gain perspective, the problem isnt simply that youre on the losing side of a political contest. As George Orwell wrote in 1984, total authoritarian control means that Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. The epistemic baseline you took for granted may become increasingly, frighteningly elusive as the ruling party reshapes all of reality to its designs.

With more vivid clarity than perhaps anyone since, Orwell characterized the mechanisms by which totalitarianism takes hold. His 1948 novel has not only given us a near-universal set of terms to describe the phenomenon, but it also gives us a metric: when our society begins to resemble Orwells dystopia in pervasive and alarming ways, we should know without question things have gone badly wrong. Whether we can do much about it is another question, but we should remember that Orwell himself was not simply an armchair observer of Fascism, Soviet totalitarianism, or oppressive English colonial rule. He fought Francos forces in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and as a journalist wrote critical articles and essays exposing hypocrisies and abuses of law and language. The impact of his work on later generations speaks for itself.

In the CBC radio documentary The Orwell Tapes, in three parts here, we have a comprehensive introduction to Orwells work, thought, and life. It opens with alarming soundbites from lightning rods (and villains or heroes, depending on who you ask) Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. But it doesnt stray into the cliched territory of overheated conspiracy those names often inspire. Instead were largely treated throughout each episode to firsthand accounts of the subject from those who knew him well.

CBC is the only media organization in the world, says host Paul Kennedy, with a comprehensive archive of recordings featuring people who knew Orwell, from his earliest days, to his final moments. 75 people, 50 hours of recordings. Edited snippets of these audio recordings make up the bulk of The Orwell Tapes, hence the title, making the program oral history rather than sensationalism. The interviewees include friends, former girlfriends, comrades-in-arms, and critical opponents. Each episodes page on the CBC site features a list of names and relations to Orwell at the bottom.

But of course, accusations of sensationalism always follow those who warn of Orwellian trends and tendencies. Like many of our contemporaries, Orwell was a contradictory figure. He served as a colonial policeman in Burma even as he grew disgusted with Empire; he considered himself a Democratic Socialist, but he never looked away from the authoritarian horrors of state communism; and he has been held up as a pillar of resistance to state surveillance and control, even as he also stands accused of naming names. But the overall impression we get from Orwells friends and colleagues is that he was fully committedto writing, to political engagement, to telling the truth as he saw it.

In releasing The Orwell Tapes this month, the CBC gives us five reasons why Orwell is still very much with us today. Some of thesemodern surveillance, the corruptions of power (and the power of corruption)will be familiar, as will number 3, a variation on what weve come to call empathy for ones opponent. The 4th reason, CBC notes, is the renewed relevance of socialism as a viable alternative to capitalist predation. And finally, we have the continued danger of speaking truth to power, and to those who serve it religiously, uncritically, and often violently. As Orwell wrote in the preface to Animal Farm, If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they dont want to hear.

Related Content:

Huxley to Orwell: My Hellish Vision of the Future is Better Than Yours (1949)

George Orwell Tries to Identify Who Is Really a Fascist and Define the Meaning of This Much-Abused Word (1944)

George Orwells Six Rules for Writing Clear and Tight Prose

Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
Fuel Additives Market to Reach US$ 11.09 Billion in 2023  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Forecast 2015  2023

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Fuel Additives (Deposit Control Additives, Cetane Improvers, Antioxidants, Stability Improvers, Lubricity Improvers, Corrosion Inhibitors, Cold Flow Improvers, and Others) Market for Gasoline, Diesel, Aviation Fuels, and Other Applications - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023 " to it's Large Report database.The report analyzes and forecasts the fuel additives market on the global and regional level. The study provides historical data for 2014 along with the forecast from 2015 to 2023 based on volume (kilo tons) and revenue (US$ Mn). The report provides a decisive view of the fuel additives market by segmenting it in terms of product, application, and region.This report provides detailed industry analysis of the fuel additives market. Industry analysis includes product information and applications that it serves along with its function. Fuel emission standards in some key regions and countries are also included to help understand the market dynamics. We have included detailed value chain analysis of the fuel additives market to provide a comprehensive view of the fuel additives market. The analysis of value chain includes information such as integration in the market, distribution channels, and end-user industries. The study also comprises drivers and restraints of the fuel additives market and their impact on demand during the forecast period. The report also analyzes the opportunities in the fuel additives market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through qualitative and quantitative information. These factors have been verified through primary and secondary resources.Download free Sample PDF report with TOC:The report includes Porters Five Forces Analysis that describes the competitiveness in the fuel additives market. The study comprises market attractiveness analysis, which has been benchmarked based on market size, compound annual growth rate (CAGR), general attractiveness, and company market share. We have also incorporated company market share analysis to provide detailed analysis of the market.The study provides a decisive view of the fuel additives market by segmenting it on the basis of product and application. Product and application segments have been analyzed based on current and future trends, and the market has been estimated from 2015 to 2023 in terms of volume (kilo tons) and revenue (US$ Mn). Regional segmentation includes current and forecast demand for fuel additives in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. It also includes demand for individual products and applications in major countries in the respective regions.Read All Chemicals Market Research Reports @Table of ContentChapter 1 Preface1.1 Report Description1.2 Report Scope1.3 Assumptions1.4 Market Segmentation1.5 Research methodologyChapter 2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Fuel Additives Market (Kilo Tons) (US$ Mn), 201420232.2 Global Fuel Additives Market: SnapshotChapter 3 Industry Analysis3.1 Introduction3.2 Product and Application Overview3.3 Emission Standards3.4 Value Chain Analysis3.5 Market Dynamics3.5.1 Driver 1 - Growing Awareness About Use of Fuel Additives Among Consumers3.5.2 Driver 2 - Rising Demand for Transportation Fuel Across all Regions3.5.3 Driver 3 - Stringent Environmental Regulations in Regions such as North America and Europe3.5.4 Driver 4 - Growing Penetration of Ultra-low-sulfur Diesel (ULSD) in Transportation Industry3.6 Restraints3.6.1 Restraints 1 - Availability of Alternative Fuels, High Price of Fuel Additives, and Absence of Regulations in Developing Economies3.7 Opportunity3.7.1 Opportunity 1 - Development of Fuel Additives Using Renewable Alternatives3.7.2. Opportunity 2 - Growing Demand For Transportation Fuel in Asia PacificAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. NachiketAlbany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Global Sludge Dewatering Equipment Market to Expand at CAGR of 5.5% till 2023, Market to be driven by Growing Need for Waste Management due to Rising Industrialization

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ResearchMoz added Latest Research Report titled " Sludge Dewatering Equipment Market, by Technology (Belt Filter Press, Centrifuges, Rotator Disc Press, and Screw Press) and by Application (Municipal Sludge and Industrial Sludge) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023 " to it's Large Report database.This research study analyzes the market for sludge dewatering equipment in terms of revenue (US$ Mn). The sludge dewatering equipment market has been segmented on the basis of technology, application, and geography. The regional segment has been further divided into four sub-segments that comprise 14 countries, which are the major players in the global sludge dewatering equipment market. For the research, 2014 has been taken as the base year, while all forecasts have been given for the period from 2015 to 2023. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the regional as well as country-specific level from 2015 to 2023. The report provides a broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the sludge dewatering equipment business. The report also includes the key market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the global sludge dewatering equipment market. These market dynamics were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides a comprehensive analysis of the global sludge dewatering equipment market with the help of Porters Five Forces model. This analysis helps in understanding the five major forces that affect the market structure and market profitability. The forces analyzed are bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and degree of competition.Download free Sample PDF report with TOC:The high-level analysis in the report provides detailed insights into the sludge dewatering equipment business globally. There are currently numerous drivers of the market. Some of the most prominent drivers are increasing sludge generation and industrial demand. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the sludge dewatering equipment market on the basis of geography. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the sludge dewatering equipment market in different regions.The sludge dewatering equipment market was segmented on the basis of technology (belt filter press, centrifuges, rotator disc press, and screw press) and by application (municipal sludge and industrial sludge). The sludge dewatering equipment market was analyzed across four geographies: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the sludge dewatering equipment market. Key players in the sludge dewatering equipment market include Alfa Laval Inc., Atara Equipment Ltd., Bilfinger Water Technologies GmbH, Dewaco Ltd., Era Hydro- Biotech Energy Pvt. Ltd., Flo Trend Systems, Inc., Fournier Industries Inc., Komline-Sanderson Engineering Corporation, Kontek Ecology Systems Inc., Palmetto Water Solutions, LLC., Therma-Flite, Inc., and Wright-Pierce. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.Read All Power Market Research Reports @Table of ContentSection 1 PrefaceReport DescriptionMarket SegmentationResearch ScopeResearch MethodologySection 2 Executive SummaryExecutive SummarySection 3 Industry AnalysisIntroductionValue Chain AnalysisMarket DynamicsMarket DriversMarket RestrainsMarket OpportunitiesPorters Five Forces AnalysiBargaining Power of SuppliersBargaining Power of BuyersThreat of SubstitutesThreat of New EntrantsDegree of CompetitionCompany Market Share- Sludge Dewatering Equipment Market, 2014Market Attractiveness Analysis- Sludge Dewatering Equipment Market, By RegionAbout ResearchMozResearchMoz is the world's fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMoz's service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Contact Us:Mr. NachiketAlbany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074 / Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:Follow me on Blogger at:
Hexagonal Boron Nitride Market Expand Their Businesses With New Investments

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Boron nitride is a chemical compound with a very high chemical and thermal stability. Hexagonal boron nitride is one of the two commercial forms of boron nitride also called as white graphite, since it has physical structure as graphite. Hexagonal boron nitride is an environmental friendly compound with superior lubrication. The molecular structure of hexagonal boron nitride offers great properties such as shock resistance, electrical insulation etc. It has industrial applications such as solid lubricant in turbo engines, as an additive in cosmetics such as eye shadows, foundation and other skin care products. Also, currently developed boron nitride technology for neutron detection by Texas Tech University opens a new application for hexagonal boron nitride semiconductors. It can detect neutron signals to recognize nuclear material and weapons. Also, hexagon boron nitride offers higher efficiency when compared to detectors with helium gas. The global hexagon boron nitride market is expected to grow during the forecast period.The hexagonal boron nitride market is primarily driven by the increasing demand from electronics and metallurgy industries. Also, the growth of hexagonal boron nitride market is fueled by its superior lubricationRequest for Sample Report @The global hexagonal boron nitride market is segmented on the basis of application and end user.Based on the application the global hexagonal boron nitride market is segmented into:Refractory applicationsMetal processingOthersBased on the end user the global hexagonal boron nitride market is segmented into:AerospaceAutomotiveElectronics, SemiconductorsCeramic manufacturingMetallurgyCosmeticsRegionally, the global hexagonal boron nitride market is divided in to five key regions including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. North America followed by Europe holds maximum share in the hexagonal boron nitride market in terms of consumption. The hexagonal boron nitride market penetration is expected to increase significantly in Asia Pacific since the major electrical and electronics companies has presence.Request for Table of content @Some of the key players identified in the global hexagonal boron nitride market are Bortek Inc., Henze Boron Nitride Products AG, Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials.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 done using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, type, machine size and end use.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Oleochemical Fatty Acid Market Expand Their Businesses With New Investments

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Oleochemicals are chemicals derived from oils and fats and widely used in home and personal care products. Oleochemical fatty acid is one of the chemicals in the Oleochemicals class which is derived through hydrolysis process of oils or fats. Oleochemical fatty acid is a raw material used for the production of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a plasticizer, polarizing agent, a component for disinfectant production. Besides, they are also used in waxes, candles, animal feed, cleaning components, surfactants, vulcanizing agent for rubber, manufacture of alkyd resin, water proof cements etc. The potential of oleochemical fatty acid has a wide market prospectus and it is expected that its growth will be robust during the forecast period.Request for Table of content @The oleochemical fatty acid is an essential ingredient necessary for various applications from personal care products to agrochemicals. The global market for oleochemical fatty acid is driven by the increasing pharmaceutical and food industry. Besides, the demand for various cosmetics, soaps and detergents in personal care segment fuels the global oleochemical fatty acid market. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) are some of the standards required for the production of oleochemical fatty acid.The global oleochemical fatty acid market is segmented on the basis of fatty acid obtained at the process end, fatty acid type and end user.Based on the process of fatty acid manufactured, the global oleochemical fatty acid market is segmented into:Fractionated oleochemical fatty acidDistilled oleochemical fatty acidBased on the fatty acid type, global oleochemical fatty acid market is segmented into:Stearic acidOleic acidCaproic acidPalm Fatty AcidOthersBased on the application, global oleochemical fatty acid market is segmented into:Soap and detergentRubber, LatexPaper, candles, waxesLubricant & GreaseCoating & ResinPlasticOthersBased on the end user the global oleochemical fatty acid market is segmented into: Personal care/ CosmeticsAgrochemicals Food & PharmaceuticalOthersThe global oleochemical fatty acid market is geographically divided into five key regions including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Asia Pacific Wilmar International Ltd. accounting one-third of Asias fatty acid production.Request for Sample Report @Some of the key players identified in the global oleochemical fatty acid market are Wilmar International Ltd, Emery Oleochemicals, P&G Chemicals, KLK OLEO, PT Musim Mas, CREMER, Vegetable Vitamin Foods Company Pvt. Ltd., Godrej Industries (Chemicals), 3F GROUP, etc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Precipitated Fine Hydrate Market Set to Grow Exponentially During 2016 - 2026

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Alumina trihydrate (Al2O3. 3H2O), often termed as hydrated alumina is a white powdery substance and is most commonly produced by means of Bayer process which involves dissolving bauxite in sodium hydroxide at elevated temperatures. Alumina trihydrate is one of the most widely used flame retardants across the globe. It is often incorporated into plastics or polymers prior to further processing stages in order to impart the property of suppressing spread of flame. Besides, it also find application in pharmaceuticals and as a chemical intermediate. Commercially, alumina trihydrate is produced in a variety of grades including wet, dried, ground, and fine precipitated form among others. Precipitated Fine Hydrates are characterized by high chemical purity, relatively smaller particles or fine particle sizes. Precipitated fine hydrates or fine precipitated alumina hydrates are commonly used as flame retardants and/or fillers especially in applications in wire & cable insulations, cross-linked elastomers, flexible PVC, polyester resins, epoxy resins, thermoplastics, paper, adhesives and paints among others. Precipitated Fine Hydrate based flame retardants are halogen free, non-toxic & non-corrosive and also impart relatively higher temperature and flame resistance as compared to conventionally used alternatives.Request for Table of content @Demand for precipitated fine hydrate is expected to witness a steady growth during the forecast period. Stringent regulations, especially in Europe and North America, directed towards reducing and eventually replacing halogenated flame retardants have resulted in a significant growth in global non halogenated flame retardants market over the recent past. Moreover, increasing preference for such non-halogenated flame retardants in Asia Pacific region, spearheaded by China is expected to drive growth of global precipitated fine hydrate market during forecast period. Also, steady growth of polymer processing industry  one of the primary consumers of precipitated fine hydrate based flame retardants especially for application in key end use industries such as construction, automotive, and industrial equipment among other industries is expected to propel the growth of global precipitated fine hydrate market during forecast period. Growing use of precipitated fine hydrate as flame retardant in paints and coatings industry is another factor that is expected to fuel growth of market during forecast period.Precipitated Fine Hydrate Market: SegmentationGlobal Precipitated Fine Hydrate market can be segmented on the basis of end user industry and on the basis of regionsOn the basis of end use industry, global Precipitated Fine Hydrate market can be segmented as follows:Plastic industry Rubber industry Paper industryAdhesives & Sealants industry Coating & paint industryWire & Cables industry OthersAsia-pacific excluding japan (APEJ) is expected to witness relatively faster growth over the forecast period 2016-2026. Growth in the region is expected to be spearheaded, primarily, by countries such as China and India. Increasing demand from plastics, paper processing and rubber industries is expected to drive growth of global precipitated fine hydrate market in these countries during forecast period. Europe and North America accounted for significant share in global precipitated fine hydrate market over the recent past. These mature markets are expected to register relatively slower growth in terms of volume over forecast period as compared to Asia Pacific region.Request for Sample Report @Some of the identified players operating in global precipitated fine hydrate market include Huber Engineered Materials, Hindalco Industries Limited, Alteo, and The R.J. Marshall Company, among others. Some of these companies have focused on increasing precipitated fine hydrate production capacities so as to better cater to the increasing demand for the chemical over the forecast period.The precipitated fine hydrate market 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 market segments such as geography, and end use industries.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market Key Players in 2024

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The market for physician dispensed cosmeceuticals has been undergoing a sea change with skincare specialist, dermatologists, and trichologists venturing into the market as entrepreneurs. Consequently, the vendor landscape in the market is becoming highly fragmented due to the mushrooming skin and hair treatment centers and clinics. The market therefore exhibits an abundance of products. It is important for products to conform to consumer expectations to gain a stronghold in this market.The ground level knowledge about the dynamic consumer preferences, adverse effects of a stressful lifestyle, damages caused to skin, eyes, and hair by UV rays, and the impact of pollution, are the primary factors fuelling the demand for quality physician dispensed cosmeceuticals. As per Transparency Market Research (TMR), these favorable factors will lead the global physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market to report a CAGR of 10.6% between 2016 and 2024. The market is expected to reach US$27.6 bn by the end of 2024, from a valuation of US$11.2 bn in 2015.Skincare Products Segment leads the Market, but Demand for Injectable Botox to Grow RapidlyBy product type, the skincare products segment held the lions share in 2015. The prominence of skincare products can be attributed to the increasing demand for effective cosmeceuticals to treat dermatological conditions. Hence, the increasing consciousness among the aging population about their looks and the changing attitude of the middle-aged and geriatric population in developing countries bode well for the demand for physician dispensed cosmeceuticals.The anti-aging products segment is therefore expected to continue its dominance in the market through the forecast period. However, according to TMR, the demand for injectable Botox is expected to increase at a higher pace in the near future.Request a PDF Brochure with Report Analysis:North America Emerges as Key Region in Global Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals MarketNorth America, being a mature market, makes a sizeable contribution to physician dispensed cosmeceuticals revenues worldwide. In 2015, the region also emerged dominant in the global market because it is technologically ahead of other geographical segments. As per TMR, the North America physician dispensed cosmeceuticals market stood at US$4.7 bn in 2015. Rising at a CAGR of 9.6%, the market is expected to reach US$10.52 bn by the end of 2024.However, TMR forecasts that the market in Asia Pacific will grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period. The increasing willingness among the aging and middle-income group population to pay for beauty and skincare products transcends into high demand for quality cosmeceuticals from this region. Furthermore, Asia Pacific boasts a high consumer base for skin whitening, acne treatment, and hyperpigmentation products due to its tropical climate and the higher ratio of teenage population. Bolstered by these factors, the market Asia Pacific is projected to rise at a CAGR of 12.3% between 2016 and 2024.Emerging Economies to Exhibit Impressive Opportunities for Increased SalesLikewise, the demand for physician dispensed cosmeceuticals across other emerging markets such as South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is expected to rise at a robust pace during the forecast period. On the flip side, high revenue generating cosmeceuticals products such as dermal fillers and Botox have a miniscule consumer base in developing and underdeveloped regions. This is mainly because of their high cost, apprehensions associated with using such products, and lack of sufficient knowledge regarding the use of these products. These factors have an adverse impact on the overall prospects of the market.Some of the key players operating in the market include Johnson & Johnson, Jan Marini Skin Research, Inc., Allergan plc, Procter & Gamble Co., L'Oreal S.A., Unilever plc, Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc., and ZO Skin Health Inc. Among these enterprises L'Oreal S.A has emerged as the dominant player in the market.Browse Full Research Report on Physician Dispensed Cosmeceuticals Market: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:Browse market research blog:
Statistical Process Control Software Market - Global Industry Growth & Trends 2016 - 2024

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Any manufacturing process contains numerous steps from processing raw material to delivering a finished product. Thus, maintaining quality of product throughout the production is a major parameter as far as any manufacturing company is concerned. Every individual component in manufacturing process has to be continuously monitored for delivering a quality product. Working of an industrial component or machine with less potential may lead to manufacturing of defective product. Statistical process control is a method of quality control which uses statistical method to improve real-time manufacturing process in a company. Thus, statistical process control software can be used by manufacturing company to improve real-time manufacturing processes and deliver quality product. Six-sigma and total quality management can be achieved by production engineer with the help of statistical process control software. Statistical process control software collects data points of production process and compares it with pre-determined control limit.Download Research Brochure PDF@This helps to improve and reduce variability in manufacturing processes. Statistical process control software can be used to set specified lower and upper control parameter in manufacturing processes in order to optimize machine output. This also helps to reduce rejection rate in production processes. Statistical process control software helps to improve productivity of manufacturing processes, thus, increasing profitability. Statistical process control software can be used to plan and schedule maintenance cycle which helps in reducing the chance of machine failure and downtime. Statistical process control software can be used by production managers, machine operators and six sigma project managers in manufacturing processes.The major challenge for implementing statistical process control software in a manufacturing company is the high initial cost and time taken to implement the system. Most of production managers and supervisors tend to show less interest in implementing statistical process control software as it increases their amount of work in company. Statistical process control software also faces challenge from enterprise quality management software and manufacturing execution systems provider. Statistical process control software providers also offer customized solution for individual and group manufacturing process requirement. Thus, statistical process control software finds a wide adoption in many industrial sectors due to this reason. Statistical process control software has application areas such as automobile, aerospace and defense, metal component manufacturers, electronics, packaging, healthcare, oil and gas, petrochemicals, paper & pulps, pharmaceutical plants and food & beverages.Adoption of statistical process control software in manufacturing industry is going to increase in coming years as companies will need to increase profit and reduce unnecessary production cost in order to have a competitive advantage among its competitors. The demand for statistical process control software market will increase in the U.S., Japan and Germany which are considered as hub for manufacturing companies. Developing countries such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa will see more demand for statistical process control software market as industrialization is going to increase in coming years.Some of the key Statistical process control software providers are Zontec Inc, DataNet Quality Systems, BPI Consulting LLC, Mettler-Toledo International Inc, Infinity QS, DataLyzer International, Hertzler Systems Inc, Epicor Software Corporation, Profitkey, and QT9 Software.Browse Full Report@About Us:-Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact Us:-Transparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com
Chrome Pigments Market Would Register a Healthy Growth Rate During the Forecast 2015 - 2021

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Color pigments are broadly classified in two segments: organic and inorganic color pigments. The market for inorganic color pigments is further divided based on their source as iron oxide, cadmium based pigments, chrome pigments and several others. Chrome pigments are largely derived from lead compounds and have a range of properties such as high color strength, high solubility, highly concentrated and non reactive making chrome pigments apposite for applications such as paints and coatings, inks, plastics, rubber, detergents and soaps, ceramics and polishes. The market for chrome pigments was initially dominated by North America and other developed regions; however there is shift in global trend largely due to increased environmental regulations over inorganic pigments. The current market for chrome pigments is largely dominated by China followed by North America and other countries across globe. Countries present in Asia Pacific such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam are expected to have a stable or upward trend for chrome pigments principally due to the low cost of chrome pigments and non-stringent environmental regulations in the region.Request to View Sample Report @Chrome pigments require large number of minerals for their preparation. Industrially they are prepared through precipitation of lead salts with chromate or bi-chromate solution; however toxic heavy metal such as lead is obtained as a waste or byproduct. Chrome pigments with their properties such as high color strength make them suitable in applications such as paints and coatings. The global requirement of paints and coatings in architectural paints and corrosion paints has shown an upward trend in recent years. The reason behind this upward trend is rapid urbanization and other infrastructural upgrades. Thus, it would help the market of chrome pigments to flourish in emerging economies. Chrome pigments also find their application in printing inks, plastics, rubber and textiles mainly due to their property of stability and color fastness. Growth of these sectors will boost the requirement for chrome pigments. The market for chrome pigments in terms of product segment can be divided as light yellow chrome pigment, middle chrome pigment, primrose chrome pigment, lemon chrome pigment and scarlet chrome pigment (molybdated orange). Each of these chrome pigments find several applications based on their properties. Lemon chrome pigment which is greenish yellow in color and contains sulphate content of around 20% to 40% is used in diverse industrial segments but mainly as a painting reagent. Excellent weather resistance properties make lemon chrome pigment suitable in coatings and PVC leather. Lead chromate which contains negligible traces of sulfate is industrially known as scarlet chrome pigment. It finds application in printing inks and paints. Middle chrome pigment has a reddish yellow hue and monoclinic structure. With its weather resistance properties, it is extensively used in coatings and PVC leather. Primrose chrome pigment is pale yellow in color. It has lead sulfate content of around 44% to 55% and its major application includes paints and inks.The properties of chrome pigments make them suitable in several applications. However, the formation of lead, as a residual toxic during the production of chrome pigments, makes them vulnerable to available substitutes. The current market volume for chrome pigments in developed regions is phasing out owing to the increasing use of organic pigments and other non-toxic color pigments. The increased environmental regulations across several regions have led to drop in requirement of these pigments. On other hand, the market for chrome pigments is anticipated to show a steady growth in BRIC nations and other developing nations in Middle East chiefly due cheaper cost of these pigments and non-stringent environmental regulations. China has been the largest market of the chrome pigments owing to its increased demand for coatings and paints used in various industries and the trend is expected to continue into the fprecast period.Request to view Table of content @Some of the major companies operating in the chrome pigments market are BASF SE, Berger Paints India Limited, Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited, Akzonobel NV, E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Company, Inc and Lanxess AG among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Ferric Hydroxide Market Would Register a Healthy Growth Rate During the Forecast 2015 - 2021

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Ferric Hydroxide is commonly known as Iron (III) hydroxide, is mainly used in granular, slurry or powder form. Ferric Hydroxide finds its application in water treatment, typically in the removal of heavy metals like arsenic, selenium, fluoride and cadmium which are usually found in tube wells and domestic wells in large quantities. Ferric Hydroxide is also used in pharmaceutical industry for preparation of medications for hematinic patients. The market for Ferric hydroxide is dominated by the U.S, followed by China, Europe and other Asia-pacific countries mostly due to increased use in water treatment applications.Request to View Sample Report @Ferric Hydroxide is usually prepared from a chemical reaction between ferric chloride and sodium hydroxide or it can also be obtained from oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric iron which further reacts with water to form iron hydroxide as a precipitate. Heavy metal like arsenic is naturally found in ground wells and tube wells which are mostly used as the source of water in rural areas. Being odorless and tasteless, its presence is usually unnoticed causing several health disorders including skin problems or even cancer due to prolonged consumption. Also, arsenic is primarily discharged from chemical industries into the water causing an increase in the level of it even further. Ferric hydroxide in its granular or slurry form acts as the adsorbent medium for removal of arsenic from natural water sources and it helps in the chemical treatment of water as well. The ferric hydroxide medium gets filled with arsenic and needs to be cleaned (if possible) or replaced with other bed. This is essentially done in large aquariums or in reef tanks wherein large quantities of water is required. Ferric hydroxide is used along with dextran is used for the preparation of medications usually for anemic patients. However, the prime application of water treatment dominates the ferric hydroxide market.As the worldwide consumption of clean water is increasing at a rapid pace, the requirement for water treatment grows to a large extent. The market for ferric hydroxide is predominantly dictated by the U.S in water treatment application. The ferric hydroxide beds are also widely used in countries like Germany and Great Britain for geogenic wells containing arsenic as the main toxicant. Also Asia pacific countries with their ever increasing population find enormous requirement of clean water. Along with population growth, this need is supported by massive industrial expansion especially in electronic industries and chemical plants which require chemically treated water for their applications. As it is estimated that the global consumption of water would double its volume with every decade or so, the requirement of ferric hydroxide medium will escalate even further. Today most of the water treatment companies discourage chemical treatment of water the ferric hydroxide medium finds a continuous growth in water treatment industry. The hospitality industry is another industry apart from chemical industry which consumes large quantities of water. With an increase in norms regarding wastage of water in developed countries like the U.S, Europe, Canada the trend of reuse of the water has increased causing further growth for eco-friendly water cleaning systems. However, the system of water treatment using ferric hydroxide can be hampered to certain extent owing to its incomplete removal of these heavy metals causing more expensive filters to be added alongside ferric hydroxide medium. Ferric hydroxide in pharmaceutical industry finds its application in the preparation of intramuscular medications for patients suffering from iron deficiency.Request to view Table of content @The major companies which produce ferric hydroxide include DuPont and ZeniMac Exim among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation in Telecom Network Transformation Market Analysis Report, 2026

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SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation and network function virtualization (NFV) are two separate networking technologies that are becoming backbone of any communication network now-a-days. These technologies provide ease in operating a communication network. While SDN facilitates a telecom operator to reduce the network complexity and bring down the overall management cost, NFV makes a particular network completely software agnostic. Enterprises, cloud service providers, and telecommunication service providers are biggest beneficiaries of this.Request to view Sample Report @In telecommunication sector, there is a lot of margins pressure on service providers, due to the changing needs of consumers such as data consumption and usages of OTT services. Conventional networks of service providers are not capable to handle this particular demand from consumers. Thats why they are reconfiguring their network with the help of SDN and NFV technologies, in order to manage the challenges of traffic explosion and increase the average revenue per user (ARPU).The major reason behind the adoption of SDN and NFV by service providers in their network transformation is because SDN and NFV technologies are synergetic and they offer improved programmability, faster service enablement, and most importantly lower down the overall CAPAEX and OPEX for the service providers. SDN and NFV provide a complete digital network that is essential to increase customer satisfaction level. SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation emerged as paradigm that has potential to transform service providers networks by delivering cloud style nimbleness and innovation.The communication network telecom service providers are generally more complex, multilayer, and have variety of users that require high network availability and performance. As compared to data centers, a more stringent set of requirements will need to be met, in order to deploy SDN and NFV in these network.SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation in telecom network transformation market can be segmented on the basis of component, technology, and region. Component category include software and different types of services such as professional services and managed services. On the basis of technology, the market can be segmented into SDN and NFV. Region wise, the Market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Japan, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Middle East & Africa.Cisco System Inc. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM Corporation, Juniper Networks, Pica8, Inc., Intel Corporation, and Big Switch Networks, Inc. are some of the big players of global SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation market.North America is the largest SDN and NFV market as most of the technology providers such as Cisco, IBM, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are based in the North America region and are making huge investment over there. Also, due to the ongoing advancements in 4G and 5G technologies the US, telecommunication service providers are deploying SDN and NFV at every layer of their network.In Europe region, technology service providers have already understood the value proportion of SDN and have already started deploying SDN in their networks but enterprise market still remain gloomy in terms of adoption of SDN.Request to view Table of content @In Asia Pacific region, growth in countries such as China, India, and Japan are immensely contributing in the market. In India, the telecommunication services industry is going through the transformation and service providers have started to deploy SDN and NFV technology in telecom network transformation at massive scale.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Soy Sauce Powder Market is Expected to Gain Popularity Across the Globe

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Soy sauce powder is prepared from soybeans to primarily satisfy the demand for food and beverage industry and one of the ideal ingredient which is used in food products to enhance the taste, tenderness, color and flavor. Soy sauce powder also includes ingredients such as maltodextrin, wheat and salt as it gives better flavor enhancement in food products. It is also known as dehydrated soy sauce. Soy sauce powder is easily dissolved in water to create liquid soy sauce or paste. Rising demand for fast food, snacks, meals, prepared food and many other products has influenced the demand for soy sauce powder in the global market. It is expected that North America and Asia-Pacific is expected to account largest market share for soy sauce powder in near future.View Sample Report @Demand for soy sauce powder in the global market is driving from increasing demand for health conscious consumers as soy sauce powder is rich in protein, and amino acids. Due to health and wellness trends, soy sauce manufacturers are also introducing the new range of powders in the market to meet the consumer demands. Growing consumer concerns towards different flavor and taste preferences and changing consumer eating habits are the key factors increasing the demand for soy sauce powder. Currently, the demand for soy sauce is increasing especially among food manufacturers, fast food retail chains and restaurants as they use soy sauce powder for flavor enhancement, coating, seasoning, soups and for many other purposes. Food manufacturers also used soy sauce powder in dry or in rehydrated form which has wide application in seasoning mixes, sauces, dips, gravies, soups, snacks etc.Soy sauce powder market is segmented on two different basis, on the basis of type and on the basis of application. Soy sauce powder market segment on the basis of by type, it includes fermented soy sauce powder and roasted soy sauce powder. Another market segmented for soy sauce powder is on the basis of by application, it includes soups, sauces, seasonings, snacks, meat items and others (salad dressings, gravies, and dips). The demand for soy sauce is primarily increasing from food manufacturers, food catering, households, and an increasing number of fast food chains as it has wide application in food products as it gives authentic flavor, aroma of soy sauce, color, crust formation and also function as umami food recipes. Soy sauce powder has become the ideal base for sauces, snacks, dips, dressings, gravies, instant seasoning food products for flavor enhancement purpose and to offer the better taste in food items.On the basis of the regional segment, the market of Soy sauce powder is segmented into five regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. On analyzing the demand for soy sauce powder market in the graph, it is expected that Asia-Pacific and Japan account for majority of market share in the global market in terms of volume and in terms of value North America accounts the majority of share in global soy sauce powder market.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Some of the key players operates in business of soy sauce powder are Nikken Foods USA, Inc., Shanghai Hensin Industry CO., Ltd., Chaitanya Group of Industries, SEEWOO FOODS LIMITED, Halcyon Proteins Pty. Ltd., La Herbal (india), AmTech Ingredients, PHILIPPINE AMINOSAN CORPORATION, YAMASA Corporation, and Kikkoman Corporation among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Sodium Bromate Market - Global Industry Analysis 2024

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Sodium bromate is produced commercially from bromine by reacting it with sodium carbonate. It is also produced through electrolytic oxidation of sodium bromide. Sodium bromate is available in white crystalline form and is water soluble. It may explode upon prolonged exposure to heat or fire. It is a powerful brominating agent for aromatic compounds that contain de-activating substituents thereby producing bromate ions for production of nitrobenzene, benzoic acid, and benzaldehyde.Sodium bromate is primarily used in the cosmetics industry (hair dressing, straightening, and bleaching), textile industry (dyeing process of synthetic fabrics) and the food Industry (baking agent). It is also used prominently in the explosives industry depending on the thermal decomposition of bromine and formation of oxygen. Naturally occurring bromates are found in water when ozone reacts with bromide ions.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Sodium Bromate: Market Trends and DynamicsExtensive use in the cosmetics industry followed by brominating of aromatic compounds (benzene, hexane and toluene) in which corresponding product such as Benzoic acid is formed) is considered to drive the market for sodium bromate. Cosmetic is a consumer-centric industry. Demand for natural ingredients in the cosmetic mixture is likely to boost the cosmetic industry. This, in turn, is expected to propel the global sodium bromate market. Sodium bromate is an inorganic salt and acts as an oxidizing agent. Salts of bromates (especially potassium and slight amounts of sodium) are added to the flour to strengthen the dough. This allows the dough to rise higher.Sales of sodium bromate have become stronger because of its use as a dying agent. Handling is one of the major restraints for bromine and its compounds, as these are carcinogenic, toxic, and hazardous chemicals. Recent study on bromate and its carcinogenic effects has propelled the use of substitutes that can eventually replace the use of bromates or minimize its harmful effect on the human body. Overall, the usage of sodium bromate in the food industry is set to decline in the near future due to the implementation of regulatory sanctions.Currently, research is being conducted in the usage of bromate salts for the manufacture of hypochlorite and hypochlorate. These are anticipated to be used in the water disinfectant process industry. The usage of sodium bromate is still in the research and testing phase.Sodium Bromate: Market SegmentationBased on the type of chemical synthesis, the sodium bromate market can be classified into sodium bromate, sodium bromide, and sodium chlorate. Based on the type of application, the sodium bromate market can be divided into 92%, 99%, and 99.999% pure sodium bromate. Sodium bromate is used in the manufacture of sulfur and VAT dyes in continuous batch dying process. It is also used in the printing and dying, consumer goods, and personal care industries. It is also used as a solvent in precious metal mining such as gold.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :Sodium Bromate: Region-wise OutlookChina is the leading manufacturer of sodium bromate across the world owing to the availability of cheap labor, high access to bromine, availability of required expertise, and presence of sufficient manufacturing facilities. India and other countries in Asia follow China in the manufacture of sodium bromate.Sodium Bromate: Key PlayersMajor manufacturers of sodium bromate in China include Shandong Weifang Longwei Industrial Company and Weifang Haihua Yuanda Fine Chemical Company Ltd. Other non-Chinese players in the market are India Chemicals Ltd., DL Intrachem Ltd., and Emery Oleochemicals Ltd.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.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. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, 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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Naphthalene derivatives Market - Global Industry Analysis 2024

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The basic necessity for synthesis of naphthalene derivatives is a naphthalene compound, which could is a suitable precursor for obtaining naphthalene-based derivatives. Naphthalene derivatives are synthesized in two steps viz. ring closure by cyclization reaction, followed by aromatization. However, a number of modifications can be tried to synthesize different types of naphthalene derivatives.1, 6-Dihydroxynaphthalene, 1-Methylnaphthalene, 1-Naphthol, and 2-Naphthol are some examples of naphthalene derivatives. Several kinds of naphthalene derivatives are available in the market.Naphthalene derivatives are available in two basic forms: liquid and solid. The nature of application decides which form of derivative is to be used. The powdered form is used on a larger scale than the liquid form.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Derivatives of naphthalene are available in different types such as alkyl; naphthalene sulfonates, naphthalene sulfonic acid, naphthalene formaldehyde condensates (SNF), and naphthols.Naphthalene Derivatives Market: Market TrendsNaphthalene derivatives have a wide range of application. They are used as chemical intermediates in industries such as textile, pharmaceuticals, rubber, photography, agrochemicals, detergents, and construction. In the textile sector, naphthalene derivatives are significant in the process of dyeing. Some naphthalene derivatives have insecticidal properties, which make them useful compounds in the agriculture sector. Naphthalene derivatives can function as plasticizers or dispensers and are used in the manufacture of good-quality concrete and plasterboards (i.e. drywall or wallboard).Another major application of naphthalene derivatives is the industrial synthesis of phthalic anhydride, which is a chemical intermediate in the synthesis of plastics from vinyl chloride. Phthalic anhydride is also used as a dye.Speedy growth of the textile industry is expected to drive the market for naphthalene derivatives during the forecast period. Construction is considered to be one of the speedily growing end-use application segments of the market for naphthalene derivatives.The rise in standards of living, constant urbanization, and increased R&D activities are expected to be major driving factors for the market for naphthalene derivatives in the near future.However, fluctuations in prices of crude oil and high level of toxicity associated with the use of naphthalene derivatives may prove to be a major restraint for growth of the market for naphthalene derivatives.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :Naphthalene Derivatives Market: Region-wise OutlookThe market for naphthalene derivatives in Asia Pacific is expected to witness speedy growth both in terms of volume and value. Various factors including presence of emerging economies such as China in the region, increasing investments by foreign countries, and high demand from textile and construction industries are anticipated to drive the naphthalene derivatives market in Asia Pacific during the forecast period.The naphthalene derivatives market in North America and Europe is expected to experience a moderate rate of growth, due to rules and regulations associated with the use of naphthalene derivatives. Also, the market for phthalic anhydride in these region is expected to experience a higher growth rate as compared to the market for naphthalene derivatives.The market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa is anticipated to witness a sluggish growth rate during the forecast period, owing to less number of end-user industries in these regions.Naphthalene Derivatives Market: Key PlayersSome of the major players operating in the market for naphthalene derivatives include Clariant, Koppers Inc., BASF SE, Arkema Group, RUTGERS N.V., Evonik Industries AG, King Industries Inc., KAO Corporation, and Huntsman International LLC.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.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. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, 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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Future of Global Specialty Pharmaceuticals Market: 2016 - 2024

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Based on therapeutic area, specialty pharmaceuticals market is segmented into oncology, inflammatory conditions, multiple sclerosis and other disease indications. Among them, oncology occupies the major market share followed by inflammatory conditions. According to WHO, cancers are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide with an incidence of 14 million cancer cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths. In inflammatory disease condition, rheumatoid arthritis occupies the significant market share for the specialty pharmaceuticals when compared with other inflammatory disease conditions. The higher cost of the drugs is hindering the growth of the specialty pharmaceuticals market. Based on the route of administration, the specialty pharmaceuticals market is segmented into oral, parenteral and transdermal. Parenteral route occupies the major market share followed by the oral route.View Sample Report @On the basis of the distribution channel, specialty pharmaceuticals market is segmented into hospitals, retail, specialty pharmacies and mail order. Hospitals occupy the major pie in the specialty pharmaceutical products this is mainly due to the availability of these drugs over prescription. Other than hospitals, retail pharmacies, and specialty pharmacies are also have good market share during the forecast period. However, during the forecast period, specialty pharmacies are expected to occupy the major market share when compared with retail pharmacies over the forecast period.Based on geography, specialty pharmaceuticals market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa. North America accounts the significant market share due to high buying power and reimbursement for the specialty pharmaceuticals are the major factors boosting the growth of this market during the forecast period. Asia Pacific specialty pharmaceuticals market is expected to grow over the forecast period owing to the growth of biopharmaceutical industry in China and India.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Major players in the specialty pharmaceuticals market include Teva Pharmaceuticals, Abbvie Inc, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, Celgene, Gilead Sciences, Roche are the key players in the market. Top 10 U.S specialty pharmaceuticals itself generated around $ 37B revenue in 2012. In U.S specialty pharmaceuticals, Humira is one of the top-selling specialty pharmaceutical drug and it accounted $4.4B in 2012 and expected to dominate the market till 2018.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Pressure Guidewires Market is Expected to Gain Popularity Across the Globe

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Fractional flow reserve guidewires or pressure guidewires are used to measure blood flow through cardiac lesions for assessment of angioplasty or coronary artery stenting. Fractional flow reserve is the pressure of a blood flow through coronary artery in presence of stenosis. Pressure guidewires help physicians to measure this fractional flow reserve and decide if percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is needed. Pressure guidewires are designed to navigate the coronary artery to reach lesion. European Society of Cardiology has recently given Class I A recommendation for pressure guidewires. Over the past few years, use of pressure guidewires has increased due to adoption of ischemia guided coronary intervention approach for percutaneous coronary intervention. Global pressure guidewires market is expected to gain traction owing to entry of new players such as ACIST Medical Systems, Boston Scientific Corporation and Opsens Medical Inc. Cost effective nature of fractional flow reserve approach over other approaches also makes it a best choice by patients and physicians.View Sample Report @The global market for pressure guidewires is expected to be driven by increasing number of coronary angioplasty procedures, growing prevalence of coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis, adoption of minimally-invasive techniques due to expanding aging population etc. Backing of pressure guidewires with convincing clinical data obtained through FAME trials which evaluate the efficiency of fractional flow reserve guided percutaneous coronary intervention against conventional therapy would further fuel the global market for pressure guidewires. However, stringent regulatory requirements for pressure guidewires is the prominent factor limiting the growth of global pressure guidewires market. According to US FDA and EU classification of medical devices, pressure guidewires are classified under Class III medical device.Until 2011, the global market for pressure guidewires consisted of two player viz. St. Jude Medical and Volcano Corporation. Several companies recently obtained FDA approvals for new pressure guidewire products and several companies are nearing commercialization in future.Based on end user, the global pressure guidewires market has been classified as hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and cardiac catheterization labs. Hospitals end user segment is expected to hold maximum share in the global market owing to requirement of advanced healthcare infrastructure for conducting PIC proceduresOn the basis of regional presence, global pressure guidewires market is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to lead the global market for pressure guidewires owing increasing number of minimally invasive PIC procedures. Europe is expected to hold second largest market share in global pressure guidewires market due good reimbursement policies in countries such as Spain and Nordic countries. Asia Pacific market for pressure guidewires is expected to grow at significant CAGR over the forecast period owing to increasing adoption of fractional flow reserve approach for PIC over traditional approaches.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Some of the players operating in global pressure guidewires market are Boston Scientific Corporation, St. Jude Medical, Opsens Medical Inc. and Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Volcano Corporation). St. Jude medical provides PressureWire Certus and PressureWire Aeris. Philips provides pressure guidewires (acquired from Volcano Corporation in 2015) under the brand name of Verrata and Primewire Prestige PLUS which can be used along with Volcanos intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging system. In 2015, Opsens Medical Inc. received FDA approval for its OptoWire pressure guidewire. Boston Scientific Corporation recently entered into pressure guidewires market with its Comet FFR Guidewire.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Europe Dominates Quad-Play Services Market By 2026

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Rapid advancements in the field of telecommunication and technology has led to the introduction of converged services, paving a new way for telecom service providers to attract and retain customers. Quad-play services has enabled telecom service providers to increase their customer base, by offering bundled services for broadband, fixed voice, mobile voice and data, and paid television. Therefore, quad-play services, or bundles services, combines television, telephone, mobile phone services with wireless technology services. Even though customers of key telecom service providers in Europe, are interested in quad-play services, they expect a significant discount to their bills. Service providers are increasing their investments in order to offer quad-play services, with an expectation to reduce churns and increase revenue.Request to view Sample Report @In todays world, connectivity plays a vital role in everyones lives, and consumers willingly pay the price for that (television, mobile services, etc.). Moreover, penetration and adoption of new technologies is high in Europe. Quad-play services, succeeding triple-pay services and are offered as bundled services at attractive prices and discounts. Furthermore, many service providers enable customers to access content from any device, anywhere without any charges. These are some of the major factors driving the growth and adoption of quad-play services in Europe. Conventional quad-play services focus on residential consumers, but now many service providers are offering bundled services, such as internet conferencing, for enterprises as well. This factor is expected to contribute to the growth of quad-play services market in the near future. However, telecom service providers are focused on making profits, offering a generalized bundle of services that fails to meet every individuals requirements. This is causing many subscribers in Europe to shift from quad-play services to stand-alone services. Moreover, in quad-play services, consumers dont have the option of choosing service providers for different applications, as they have to subscribe to one service provider for mobile data and voice services, paid television services, fixed broadband services, etc. These are some factors expected to restrict the growth of quad-play market in Europe.The segmentation for Europe quad-play services market can be done on the basis of type of service offered, type of bundle, and end users. On the basis of type of service offered, Europe quad-play services market can be segmented into broadband, television, mobile voice and data and fixed voice services. On the basis of type of bundle, the market can be segmented into fixed bundles and flexible bundles. The different types of end users for Europe quad-play market are residential users and enterprises.Europe quad-play services market is expected to witness a healthy growth over the forecast period owing to the presence of established player and high penetration rate of advanced technologies such as LTE and fiber optics. Quad-play services market in countries such as U.K., France, Spain and Portugal is expected to dominate the Europe quad-play market. Other quad-play services markets in Europe such as Netherlands and Belgium are expected to witness a steady growth over the next few years, as service providers are slowly realizing the benefits of offering bundled services. In Europe quad-play market, residential end users are expected to hold a majority of the market share, however enterprises end user is expected to witness a significant growth over the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @Some of the key players in Europe quad-play services include BT Group plc, Orange S.A., Vodafone Group plc, Virgin Media plc, Telefonica S.A., among others. Service providers in Europe quad-play market are focusing on mergers and acquisitions as well as partnerships in order to strengthen their position in the market. For example, in January 2016, BT Group plc completed the acquisition of EE, a prominent mobile network in U.K., in order to make advancements towards offering improved quad-play services and strengthen its position in the U.K.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Enterprise Server, Power and Cooling Solutions and Services Market Forecast Report By 2026

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Global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market is in its maturity stage. Globally, number of enterprise server or data centres are increasing to growing demand of data processing power and increasing information storage capability. Hence, there is a need of an efficient enterprise server, power & cooling technology as with the increased data storage capabilities, the energy consumption is also increases and server generates excessive heat.Request to view Sample Report @Global enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market is matured. Now the market growth rate has recovered as compared to the poor performances in 2012 and 2013. Factors which are driving the growth of global enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market are growing demand of data storage capability, faster speed and security, along with excessive growth in colocation and cloud services. Furthermore growing data center investment encourages the growth of power and cooling solution and services market. On the other hand factors which are restraining the growth of enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market are high initial setup cost and high energy consumption. However, increasing demand of data storage capabilities and super computers is expected to create significant growth opportunity for the global enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market over the forecast period.Global enterprise server, power and cooling solution and services market is segmented on the basis of solution, services, organization size, user type and verticals. On the basis of solution, global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and service market can be segmented into power solution and cooling solution. Power solution segment can be further sub segmented into power management solution, uninterruptible power systems (UPS) solution and others. Cooling solution segment can be further sub segmented into precision air conditioning (PAC), Precision Air Handling Unit (PAHU) and others.On the basis of services, the global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market can be segmented into integration & installation services, monitoring services and professional services.On the basis of organization size, the global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market can be segmented into large enterprises, medium enterprises and small enterprises.On the basis of vertical, the global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market can be segmented into banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), IT & telecommunication, energy, healthcare and othersOn the basis of region, the global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services 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 enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market. North America region is expected to generate highest revenue for the market during the forecast period. However, developing economies such as Asia-Pacific and Japan are expected to grow rapidly over the forecast period. In Asia-Pacific region, Countries such as India, China and South Korea are expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @Key players in global enterprise server, power and cooling solutions and services market are Schneider Electric, Eaton, Delta Power Solutions, IBM Corporation, Rahi Systems Inc., CDW Corporation, R.I.S.K. Company, INSIGHT and Power Solutions among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Future of Global Fondaparinux Market: 2016 - 2024

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Fondaparinux (also known as "blood thinner") is an anticoagulant that prevents the formation of blood clots. Fondaparinux is utilized to remove a kind of blood clot known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can prompt to blood clusters in the lungs, also called as pulmonary embolism. A DVT can happen after specific sorts of surgery. It is typically treated with another medication known as warfarin (anticoagulant - inhibit the development of blood clots). On the off chance that untreated, blood clots can go to the brain, lungs or heart bringing on genuine (conceivably fatal) breathing issues, heart assault, or stroke. The structure of fondaparinux depends on the characteristic pentasaccharide contained inside heparin and low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs). It potentiates the rate of the balance of Factor Xa by antithrombin. Fondaparinux does not inactivate thrombin like other heparin. Arixtra, the nonspecific form of fondaparinux was approved by the U.S. FDA to treat pulmonary embolism to stay away from the event of DVT during surgeries in the U.S. Fondaparinux comes in an injectable shape and is given by infusion under the skin once day by day. Side effects may incorporate indications of allergic reactions, hives (rashes or pimples), trouble breathing; puffiness of your face, tongue, throat or lips, back irritation, numbness or muscle weakness in your lower body.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Fondaparinux market has influenced the demand in recent years, rising surgical procedures of knee and hip cases are majorly driving the fondaparinux market. The expanding cooperation between the key players for securing the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) along with manufacturing the molecule through licensed innovation, is relied upon to drive overall growth of fondaparinux market. In July 2016, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. gone into a concurrence with Alchemia Ltd. to buy the IPRs of fondaparinux sodium for around $US 17.5 Mn. The healthcare market is boosting 20% a year globally. These drugs are now creating an intensive market to keep patients healthier and minimize costs by neglecting unnecessary hospitalizations. The expanding predominance of thrombocytosis combined with developing an interest in quick acting and more productive therapeutics is assessed to drive overall market growth. The expanding aging population is filling the predominance of diseases such as heart infections and orthopedic conditions. Likewise, the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular infection increments with age, yielding a higher rate in grown-ups matured 60 years or more. Troublesome manufacturing procedures of this medication are in charge of its high value, which confines its utilization.There are risks of severe side effects with fondaparinux. Fondaparinux may bring about bleeding all the more effortlessly, particularly if the patient has a bleeding issue, hemorrhagic stroke, eye issues due to diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, stomach or intestinal draining or ulcer, recent brain or spine surgery, late eye surgery, or adults who have kidney related problems. Uncertainty by the government regulations, also low guidance from doctors in selecting proper anticoagulant, reimbursement coverage may be weak sometimes, and accuracy or medical technology infancy is a concern to some degree during the forecast period.View Sample Report @Geographically, the fondaparinux market is segmented into five regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Overall wellness services are rapidly growing at a healthy CAGR. North American region has a huge market owing to a large number of manufacturers, technological advancements with increasing aging population and increasing brand awareness about the upcoming drugs and treatments. North America, generic drugs account for maximum share of the market by volume followed by European countries. A few nations including France, Japan, and Spain have received good non-exclusive policies that urge medical experts to recommend generics for branded products. Generic drugs are expected to witness lucrative development over the forecast period. Asian countries (mainly China and India) and Latin American countries (mainly Brazil) are having more growth opportunities for market players in the forecast period. China is required to be a developing business sector for key pharmaceutical organizations because of the nearness of target population and high neglected clinical needs. Higher growth of fondaparinux market is mainly due to the increasing awareness among healthcare sectors/patients and penetration of top manufacturers in the untapped segment to capture more market. In Asia Pacific regions pharmaceutical industries are starting to make acquisitions, now improving the efficiency of the healthcare delivery system as well as the workforce in other sectors too.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Synthetic Rubber Market - Global Industry Analysis 2023

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According to a recent market research report published by Transparency Market Research, the global synthetic rubber market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.1% during the period between 2015 and 2023. The report, titled Synthetic Rubber Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2015 - 2023, estimates the global synthetic rubber market to be worth US$45,767.1 mn by 2023. The overall market was valued at US$29,121.2 mn in 2014.The report states that the rising demand for synthetic rubber from the automotive industry is expected to drive the global synthetic rubber market. Rapidly expanding footwear market across the globe is also expected to augment the growth of the synthetic rubber market. However, the report mentions that oversupply of synthetic rubber due to consistent capacity additions will restrain the market during the forecast horizon. The increasing substitution of synthetic rubber by natural rubber will also hamper the growth of the market. The overall synthetic rubber market has a huge opportunity to grow with the emergence of bio-based feedstock.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:On the basis of product types, the report segments the global synthetic rubber market into polybutadiene (BR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), and others including CR, IIR, ABS, and TPR. Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) accounted for over 30% share in the market in 2014 and was the largest product segment. It is a copolymer consisting of styrene and butadiene in the ratio of 3:1 by weight. Properties of SBR include heat aging and abrasion resistance. It is extensively used in manufacturing car tires where it is blended with natural rubber. SBR is also used in the manufacturing of footwear, adhesives, floor tiles, gaskets, hoses, and conveyor belts. During the forecast horizon, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is expected to be the fastest growing product segment in the market. The rapid growth of this segment can be attributed to the growing demand for NBR across the automotive sector.In terms of end-users, the report categorizes the global synthetic rubber market into footwear, industrial goods, tires, and others including asphalt overlay and adhesives. In 2014, the tires segment was the largest end-user application segment and held over 50% of the market. During the period between 2015 and 2023, the tires segment is expected to register the fastest growth, expanding at a CAGR of 4.3%. The growing demand for green tires due to tire labeling regulations and excellent performance will drive the global synthetic rubber market.Among the key regions in the global synthetic rubber market, Asia Pacific is expected to generate significant demand due to the presence of a large number of tires and footwear manufacturing units.Browse the full Synthetic Rubber Market report at :The report profiles some of the key players in the global synthetic rubber market such as LANXESS AG, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), TSRC Corporation, Asahi Kasei Corporation, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec Corporation), DuPont, ExxonMobil Corporation (ExxonMobil), Elastomers, The Dow Chemical Company, Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd., and Versalis S.p.A.The report segments the global synthetic rubber market as:Synthetic Rubber Market: Product Segment AnalysisStyrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR)Polybutadiene (BR)Ethyleneapropylene (EPDM)Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR)Others (IIR, CR, TPR, ABS, etc.)Synthetic Rubber Market: End-user Segment AnalysisTiresIndustrial goodsFootwearOthers (adhesives, asphalt overlay, etc.)About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Dental Imaging Equipment Market Revenue is expected to reach US$ 2.1 Bn in 2016

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Increase in the number of cosmetic dental surgeries across the world is expected to supplement the demand for enhanced dental imaging equipment. Valued at US$ 2,088.2 Mn in 2015, the global market for dental imaging equipment is expected to surge at a y-o-y growth rate of 5.1% and reach US$ 2,194.7 Mn in 2016. The high prevalence of dental ailments, such as gingivitis, tooth decay, and dry mouth in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific will continue to be an influencing factor for the growth of the dental imaging equipment market. Increasing awareness of dental hygiene is also a key driver fuelling the demand for advanced dental imaging apparatus.Lack of skilled professionals and lower lifespan of accessories used in such equipment are anticipated to restrain the global expansion and hamper the growth opportunities for the dental imaging equipment market.By product-type, extraoral X-ray system will continue to dominate the market; however, the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging product is likely to register rapid growth in terms of value and reach US$ 395.7 Mn in 2016.Request Report Sample@By end-use, dental clinics and ambulatory surgical centres will witness higher adoption of dental imaging equipment in 2016 and beyond. In terms of market revenue, the independent dental clinics are expected to grow exponentially and contribute US$ 1,480.5 Mn in the global market. Forensic laboratories and hospitals are also anticipated to be prominent end-users of dental imaging equipment, owing to the pathological and surgical use of dental imaging devices.Owing to the high adoption of CBCT imaging products in the U.S., North America will continue to remain the largest market for dental imaging equipment globally. Europe and APEJ regions will jointly account for over 40% revenue share in 2016.The key players in the global dental imaging equipment market include Acteon Group, Planmeca Oy, Danaher Corporation, Carestream Health, VAtech Co. Ltd., and Dentsply Sirona, among others. Danaher Corporation is expected to be the utmost dominating company in the global market, owing to the companys flagship product range of advanced CBCT equipment.Send An Enquiry@Long-term Outlook: The global dental imaging equipment market is projected to expand at a moderate CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period 2016-2024. By the end of the forecast period, the global market for dental imaging equipment is estimated to reach market value of US$ 3,712.7 Mn.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
South Africa Corrosion Protection Coatings & Acid Proof Linings Market Revenue is expected to reach US$ 318.4 Mn in 2016

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The undue exposure to chemical and mechanical abrasion continues to distress the operational efficiency in several end-use industries, fuelling demand for effective corrosion protection coatings and durable acid proof linings in South Africa. In 2016, the corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings market in South Africa is expected to reach US$ 313.1 Mn, growing at a y-o-y growth of 4.3% over 2015. Additionally, the rising trend of adopting technologically-advanced corrosion coatings has induced the need for developing materials that can sustain highly-volatile deterioration.In addition to the eminent need for protecting industrial surfaces against exterior erosion, the increasing focus on safeguarding the operational performance in South African end-use industries is considered to be a major driver for the growth of the regions corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings market. The growing automation in the manufacturing of automobiles and chemicals has resulted in the demand for enhanced coatings that provide a permanent solution to mechanical as well as chemical corrosion. On the other hand, the growth of the South Africa corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings market is curbed due to the recent downfall of the regions mining and quarrying industry, which has been recognised to be the foremost end-user industry for corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings.Request For Sample Report@By product-type, polymer coatings are expected to witness robust growth, with total revenues expected to reach US$ 227.6 Mn in 2016. Moreover, the demand for waterborne polymer coatings is expected to surpass the demand for solvent-based coatings owing to growing VOC emission regulations.Based on the end-users, the oil & gas industries and the chemical manufacturers in South Africa are expected to register impressive growth in 2016. Due to the decline in mining sector, the end-user consumption of corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings in metallurgy industries will endure a noticeable decline. Further, the automotive and construction segment will continue to increase its market share to 17.7% by the end of 2016.The change in manufacturing paradigm of corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings will exhibit the growth in production of eco-friendly coating materials, inciting the consumption of such coatings among several end-users. Key manufacturers include, BASF SE, The Weir Group PLC, Ferro South Africa (Pty) Ltd., and SGS South Africa (Pty) Ltd., among others. PUMBA LININGS, J&J Rubber Linings (Pty) Ltd. and Thermalloy (Pty) Ltd., are among the leading service providers, whereas The Dow Chemical Company, Ashland Inc., and AMPA Plastics represent the raw material suppliers for corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings in South Africa.Send An Enquiry@Long-term Outlook: In terms of market value, the South Africa corrosion protection coatings and acid proof linings market will expand at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period 2016-2026.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Intraosseous Infusion Devices Market Revenue is expected to reach US$ 5,468.5 Mn by 2026

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Future Market Insights delivers key insights on the global intraosseous infusion devices market in a new publication titled Intraosseous Infusion Devices Market: Global Industry Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 20162026. In terms of revenue, the global intraosseous infusion devices market is projected to register a CAGR of 7.2% during the 10-year forecast period 2016 - 2026. The global intraosseous infusion devices market was valued at US$ 2,553.9 Mn in 2015 and is estimated to be valued at US$ 2,719.3 Mn by 2016 end, reflecting a Y-o-Y growth rate of 6.5%.Future Market Insights analysts believe that a growing need for immediate vascular access and rising number of emergency cases are expected to boost the overall market growth of the global intraosseous infusion devices market. Other factors powering global demand for intraosseous infusion devices are  expansion of the global medical devices industry and its advancements, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as obesity and cardiac arrests, and rising adoption of intraosseous devices in military and emergency medical services. However, a high possibility of compartment syndrome due to gushing of fluids and drugs into soft tissues; limitations in the case of individuals with severe osteoporosis and hypovolemic conditions; and impediment of IO infusion devices after arrival of vein viewer are factors likely to restrict market growth over the forecast period.A key trend defining the global intraosseous infusion devices market is that larger players are concentrating on partnering with other companies to manufacture their products, along with expanding their current inventory by partnering with local companies for warehousing support. Intraosseous infusion devices manufacturers are also increasingly concentrating on branding and marketing along with increasing product penetration through their local distributors.-Analyst, Future Market InsightsRequest For Report Sample@Segmentation highlightsThe global intraosseous infusion devices market is segmented on the basis of Product Type (B.I.G (Bone Injection Gun), FAST1, EZ-IO, FAST Responder, Intraosseous Needles, Others); Technology (Manual, Automatic); End User (Emergency Medical Services, Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Centres, Cardiac Care Centres); and Route of Administration (Sternum, Distal & Proximal Tibia, Distal Femur, Calcaneus, Head of Humerus).By the end of 2016, the Fast Responder product type segment is estimated to account for 6% market share while the EZ-IO segment is estimated to account for 21.1% market shareThe Automatic technology segment is expected to register a significant CAGR of 8.1% over the forecast period complemented by high incremental opportunity of US$ 1,452.9 Mn between 2016 and 2026The Head of Humerus route of administration segment is expected to register a CAGR of 7.8% with a high incremental opportunity of US$ 624.8 Mn over the forecast periodThe Hospitals end user segment is estimated to account for 30.1% market share by the end of 2016 while the Emergency Medical Services segment is anticipated to hold 31.1% market share in 2016.Send An Enquiry@Regional projectionsThe global intraosseous infusion devices market is segmented into the seven key regions of North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to dominate the global intraosseous infusion devices market by the end of 2016. The market in North America is estimated to be valued at US$ 705.6 Mn by 2016 end and this is anticipated to increase to US$ 1,489.4 Mn by the end of 2026, registering a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast period. North America is expected to witness a CAGR of 7.3% in terms of volume over the forecast period. The APEJ market is estimated to account for 22.1% market share by the end of 2016. North America and APEJ collectively accounted for a significant market share in 2015 and are expected to dominate in terms of market share over the forecast period.Vendor insightsSome of the key players in the global intraosseous infusion devices market featured in the report are Pyng Medical Corp., Cook Medical Incorporated, PerSys Medical, Aero Healthcare, Teleflex, Inc., and Becton Dickinson and Co. The report throws light on the strategies adopted by these companies in terms of enhancing their product portfolio and creating new marketing techniques.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Hydrazine Hydrate Market - Global Industry Analysis 2022

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Hydrazine hydrate is an inorganic compound that is commercially manufactured and used in different types of end-user industries. The manufacturing procedure for hydrazine hydrate involves three processes and the use of raw materials such as acetone, ammonia, sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide, and other catalysts. The main use of hydrazine hydrate, is as a blowing agent in the polymer industry. Hydrazine hydrate is also used in pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. The global hydrazine hydrate market was pegged at US$350.0 million in 2013 and estimated to reach US$536.3 million translating into a CAGR of 4.9% between 2014 and 2022.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Polymerization and Blowing Agents are Leading Ed-Use SegmentsHydrazine hydrate market is bifurcated into market segments such as end-user segments, raw material, and by geographical regions. Among the end-user segment such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, water treatment, and polymerization and blowing agents, the polymerization and blowing agents sub-segment had the largest market share with approximately 35% in 2013. This segment is predicted to expand at a CAGR of 4.3% during 2013 to 2020. Other end-user segments such as water treatment and agrochemicals are expected to increase their market share significantly over the next few years. In the agrochemicals segment, market escalation for hydrazine hydrate is expected during the coming years due to intermediates used in production of fungicides and insecticides.Asia Pacific Top Regional Market for Hydrazine Hydrate Due to Demand in Polymer IndustryGeographical segmentations for hydrazine hydrate are North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Asia Pacific had a 55% market share for hydrazine hydrate in 2013 and was the largest market regionally. The heightened need for hydrazine hydrate in the polymer industry as a blowing agent is anticipated to propel the market growth in the Asia Pacific region. This market position is anticipated to continue over the next eight years and the Asia Pacific region is transforming into the most rapidly growing market for hydrazine hydrate, globally. Additionally, China is manufacturing hydrazine hydrate in large quantities is able to meet the local demand from the polymer industry for manufacturing of azodicarbonamide (ADC).North America, Europe Report Steady Growth Pace; Expansion Expected in Latin America and Middle East Due to Industry NeedsThe carcinogenic properties of hydrazine hydrate and environmental related problems will lead to a moderate growth pace in North America and Europe over the next few years. In Latin America, the hydrazine hydrate market is anticipated to expand substantially over the coming years because of its demand in agrochemicals and water treatment industries. In the Middle Eastern countries, considerable growth in the hydrazine hydrate market is expected due to polymer and agrochemical industry expansion.Browse Full Global Hydrazine Hydrate Market Report With Complete TOC :The overall market outlook remains positive, with augmented demand for hydrazine hydrate and its byproducts from the polymer industry. This factor will amplify market growth for hydrazine hydrate worldwide. Market restraints for hydrazine hydrate are environment-related problems and the cancer causing properties of hydrazine hydrate. Major manufacturers of hydrazine hydrate include Japan FineChem Inc., Arkema SA, Weifang Yaxing Chemical Co Ltd., Otsuka-MGC Chemical Company Inc., Nippon Carbide Industries Co Inc., LANXESS, Lonza Group Ltd., Hunan Zhuzhou Chemical Industry Group Co. Ltd., Yibin Tianyuan Group Co. Ltd., and Tanshang Chenhong Industrial Co Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Global Automotive Lighting Market: Set to Grow Exponentially by 2021

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Automotive lighting is the used for illumination purpose in automobile vehicles. The lighting system of automobile vehicle consists of various lighting and signaling devices, which is integrated with various parts of a motor vehicle. Automobile lighting is used in the front, back, sides and top portion of the vehicle. Automotive lighting indicates vehicle's presence, size, position, direction of travel, and the driver's intentions regarding direction and speed of travel. Various components of automotive lighting includes auxiliary lights, headlights, taillights, sidelights, interior light, compact lights, off road lights, fog lights, dome light, key light, instrument displays light and other light accessories. These lights are used for many purposes in vehicles such as to drive the vehicle safely in dark, enhance the visibility and act as the warning signals.Automobile manufacturers have significantly minimized the energy consumption by using LED and adaptive lighting technologies. There are mainly three types of technologies used in automotive lighting such as xenon, halogen and LED. Among these, halogen is most widely used automotive lighting.Some factors that drive the automotive lighting market are growing concern of road safety, increasing use of higher efficiency of LED automotive lighting technology and lighting legislations by governments. Increase in purchasing power of individual helps to increase the demand for sophisticated and advance technologies such as advance front lighting system (AFS) and daylight running lights (DRLs). Growing total number of vehicle in the BRIC nations further creates large opportunity for the growth of automotive lighting market in the coming years.Asia Pacific is the largest automotive lighting market across the world. India, China, Japan and South Korea are some of the prominent countries, which accounts majority of the vehicle production thus offering growth opportunity for automotive lighting market. Asia Pacific is followed by Europe and North America. High vehicle production volume, growing economy, rising population and changing consumer lifestyles are some of the reason which drive the automotive lighting market.Request for Sample Report and Table of content @:Some of the major companies operating in global automotive lighting market are includes, General Electric (GE), Hella Kgaa Hueck & Co., Hyundai Mobis, Ichikoh Industries Ltd, Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Magneti Marelli S.P.A, Osram GMBH, Royal Philips Electronics, Stanley Electric Co. Ltd, Valeo S.A and Zizala Lichtsysteme GMBH (ZKW).About Us: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.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
linde industrial air

Linde and Praxair, two of the world's largest industrial gas companies, announced a merger on Tuesday.

The combined company will have an enterprise value of $65 billion and be the biggest industrial gas company, according to a release from the companies.

Praxair is a Danbury, Connecticut-based US company that says its mission is "making our planet more productive." Praxair CEO Steve Angel will continue in that role at the combined company.

The deal will be an all-stock merger with Linde shareholders receiving 1.54 shares of the new company per share of Linde stock they hold. Praxair, an American company, shareholders will receive one share in the new company per share of Praxair stock. So the combined company will be made up of equal parts Linde and Praxair shareholders.

The newly combined company will be domiciled in Europe, according to the deal announcement, though CEO Angel will be based in Connecticut. The companies said:

"The new holding company would be formed and domiciled in a neutral member state of the European Economic Area ("EEA"), with the CEO based in Danbury, Connecticut USA. Corporate functions would be appropriately split between Danbury, Connecticut and Munich, Germany to help achieve efficiencies for the combined company."

The new company will be called Linde and its stock will trade in New York and Frankfurt. According to the release, the companies expect to create $1 billion in annual synergies through the merger.

The deal is sure to be unpopular with some in the US. President-elect Donald Trump has advocated for bringing jobs back from overseas to America and lowering the corporate tax rate to draw companies back to the US.

The Linde-Praxair deal looks similar to a "tax inversion" deal, in which an American company merges with a foreign firm and moves its domicile overseas, allowing the combined company to take advantage of a lower tax rate while maintaining a large US operation.

Story continues

President-elect Donald Trump has railed against companies leaving the US in the past, saying they "have no loyalty to this country." Additionally, Stephen Moore, one of Trump's economic advisers, specifically called out inversions as a point of emphasis for the new administration two days after the election.

Credit Suisse is advising Praxair on the deal, while Perella Weinberg Partners and Morgan Stanley are advising Linde.

NOW WATCH: Watch Yellen explain why the Federal Reserve decides to raise rates





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Current and Projected Vegetable Glycerin Market size in terms of volume and value 2016-2026

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Vegetable glycerin is natural product extracted from vegetable oil by heating oil at a very high temperature under water pressure. It is produced from palm oil, soy, coconut/ palm oil and others. In terms of taste and color, vegetable glycerin is odorless, colorless and has a sweet flavor. Primary demand for vegetable glycerin is in food and beverage, personal care products and medicines. In food and beverage industry, vegetable glycerin is used as a sugar substitute or sweetener and in personal care and cosmetic products, it is often used in skin care products to make skin moist and healthy. North America and Western Europe are expected to gain largest market share in terms of value and volume during the forecast period.Global Vegetable Glycerin Market: Market DriversSome of the key drivers which are influencing the demand for vegetable glycerin are from the food and beverage manufacturers as it helps to thicken and control the moisture level in food. The majority demand for vegetable glycerin is from processed food manufacturers in which it is added as a humectant and used for preservative purpose. It is also gaining its demand from dairy and confectionery manufacturers where it is primarily used as sweetener. Demand for vegetable glycerin in personal care manufacturers and pharmaceutical industry is also increasing as it often used in moisturizing skin care products. In the global market, demand for vegetable glycerin is also driving due to increasing number of health conscious consumers as in compare to sugar, vegetable glycerin is less sweetens than sugar. Moreover, it is also preferred by consumers seeking for food and beverages with the lower amount of carbohydrates.Request for sample report:Global Vegetable Glycerin Market: Market segmentationVegetable glycerin market is segmented on the basis of by source, by grades and by application. Market segment as by source includes palm oil, soy, coconut/palm oil and others (grape seed). Vegetable glycerin market is segmented on the basis of grades such as food grade, pharm grade and industrial grade. Vegetable glycerin market segmentation on the basis of application, it includes food and beverages, personal care and cosmetics and medicines. On analyzing the demand for vegetable glycerin in the global level market, it assesses that majority of its application is from food and beverage industry followed by personal care and cosmetic products. Recently the demand for vegetable glycerin is increased in food industry as it is used as a thickener, wetting agent and as a sweetener. It is mostly used as a food additive in food industry such as in confectionery products, dairy products, prepared and processed food products and many other food products. On the other side, its demand is also expected to increase in personal care and cosmetic industry as it used as a humectant in skin care products, body lotions, shampoos, soaps etc. In pharmaceutical, vegetable glycerin is used as an ingredient in medicines and ointments.Request for TOC:Global Vegetable Glycerin Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis of regional segment, vegetable glycerin market is segmented in seven regions including North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and the Middle East & Africa. On analyzing the market share on graph, it is expected that North America and Western Europe accounts to majority of share in terms of value in global vegetable glycerin market. Furthermore, increasing demand for confectionery, dairy and processed food products and personal care and cosmetic products among the urban population in developing regions shows that Asia-Pacific is expected to be one of the attractive market in near future.Global Vegetable Glycerin Market: Key playersSome of the key players operating in global vegetable glycerin market are Procter & Gamble, NOW Foods, VVF L.L.C., Cargill, Incorporated, Dutch Glycerin Refinery (DGR), The Dow Chemical Company, Parchem fine & specialty chemicals , Avril Group, Essential Depot, Inc. among others.Browse full report:About us:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,, Valley Cottage, NY 10989,, United States, T: +1-347-918-3531, F: +1-845-579-5705, T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790, Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com, Website:
Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator Market Analysis, Segments, Growth and Value Chain 2016-2026

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Similar in functionality of the traditional Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD), and the Transvenous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (T-ICD), Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (S-ICDs), are used to treat patients with a history of life threatening Arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation). Unlike the conventional Implantable Defibrillators which are implanted intravascular, the Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillators are inserted subcutaneously under the skin, and uses a subcutaneous electrode placed near the heart, rather than into the heart as in case of conventional Implantable Defibrillators. A Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator consists of a small titanium case which contains battery, a subcutaneous electrode, and accessories such as insertion tool etc. If there is any abnormality in the patients heartbeat, the subcutaneous implantable defibrillator sends and electrical impulse to restore normalcy in the heart rhythm, followed by pacing therapy in form of post shock bradycardia, if needed. Implantable defibrillators are useful in saving patients lives with known history of ventricular tachycardia and arrhythmias. The US-FDA recently approved the use of subcutaneous implantable defibrillators in 2012, following proven efficiency after clinical studies. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2010), demonstrated a concept of the subcutaneous implantable defibrillators. Any person with a history of a congenital heart disease, heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, or ventricular arrhythmia, may need a subcutaneous implantable defibrillator.Request for sample report:Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator is expected to be driven by the key advantages of the subcutaneous implantable defibrillators over the conventional Implantable defibrillators, such as the placement of electrode near the heart, rather than on the heart in case of conventional defibrillators which reduces risks, and longer shelf life, and ease of insertion and removal of the subcutaneous defibrillators. Also Increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases, increasing geriatric population around the world, changing lifestyle, increased smoking, rising prevalence of strokes, and increasing technological advancements in the medical devices industry are some of the factors responsible for the growth of the subcutaneous implantable defibrillators market during the forecast period of 2016-2024. However patients with a history of symptomatic ventricular bradycardia, or patients with a heart failure for whom resynchronization is advised, cannot use subcutaneous implantable defibrillators as the device provides a post-shock pacing therapy whenever needed, and this can lead to complications in patients with bradycardia. Another restraint for the growth of the subcutaneous implantable defibrillators market is that the clinical efficiency of the subcutaneous implantable defibrillators in general population is still not proved.Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator Market: SegmentationThe global Implantable Defibrillator market is classified on the basis of product type, procedure type, end user, and geography.Based on indications, the global Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator market is segmented into the following:Ventricular TachycardiaHypertrophic CardiomyopathyVentricular DysplasiaOthersBased on end user, the global Implantable Defibrillator market is segmented into the following:HospitalsSpecialty ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersHome care settingsRequest for TOC:Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator Market: OverviewVentricular Tachycardia in the indications segment is expected to dominate the global subcutaneous implantable defibrillators market during the forecast period, due to changing lifestyles leading to increasing cases of cardiac disorders, and increased smoking prevalence. In the end users segment, hospitals is expected to dominate the global subcutaneous implantable defibrillators market, due to increasing cardiac surgeries, improving hospitals infrastructure and increased adoption of sophisticated and advanced technologies by hospitals.Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the global subcutaneous implantable defibrillator market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America dominated the global market for implantable defibrillators, due to good reimbursement policies for surgical procedures, US-FDA approval and increased demand for subcutaneous implantable defibrillators. Increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases owing to changing lifestyle and increasing geriatric population in the Asia Pacific region is expected to boost the market growth in APEJ region.Subcutaneous Implantable Defibrillator Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global Implantable Defibrillator market include Boston Scientific Corporation, LivaNova PLC Company, Imricor Medical Systems, Inc., MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Mayo Clinic US, Medtronic plc, MRI Interventions, Inc., and St. Jude Medical, Inc.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.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,, Valley Cottage, NY 10989,, United States, T: +1-347-918-3531, F: +1-845-579-5705, T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790, Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com, Website:
Population Health Management Platforms Market Volume Forecast and Value Chain Analysis 2016-2026

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It is an open secret that the healthcare industry, like many others, is undergoing dramatic changes. Information Technology has brought about sweeping changes in every aspect of our lives and healthcare is no exception. The flip side of the IT boom is a fast-paced lifestyle that has led to problems like hypertension, diabetes, and stress. These affect not only the high-risk geriatric population but are also troubling middle-aged people and youth below the age of thirty now. People have begun to take their health a lot more seriously and there is a desire to lead a fitter life. The convergence of healthcare and IT is what resulted in the population health management platforms market. It is the collection of patient data across various IT health resources, analysis of that into a single, actionable record and then actions taken which can improve both patient health and organisation financial health. PHM improves group health by monitoring & identifying individual patients within the group. Business Intelligence tools are used to aggregate data & provide a comprehensive clinical picture of each patient. The scope of the population health management platforms market will only grow as more hospitals shift to population healthcare payment and delivery arrangements.Population Health Management Platforms Market DriversContinued pressure to reduce costs, improving overall quality and implementing value-based payment programs are a few drivers for the population health management platforms market. Government initiatives like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) provide incentives for quality & safety and also better care coordination. In addition to government regulation, a dramatic increase in ailments like diabetes, hypertension, and stress is making people more conscious of their health than ever before. These patients will demand better care than what they currently receive and they might want to access their medical data in one location. All these factors will be responsible for increasing the size of the population health management platforms market.Request for sample report:Population Health Management Platforms Market RestraintsThere are several challenges in the population health management platforms market. One is a disjointed workflow with the electronic health record (EHR). Barring the large EHR vendors, PHM solutions function as separate modules today, and they require an additional sign-on for a completely different UI. This causes a broken workflow and impedes training and adoption in a healthcare organisation. The second problem is a lack of data standardisation. Data stored across different health systems is often unstandardized and vocabulary, calculations, formulae may be differing. The same data might even mean something entirely different sometimes. The third constraint is restrictive regulations. Despite many governmental mandates to free health data, the ownership of it is still ambiguous. IT vendors, healthcare organisations, individual providers & health information exchanges (HIEs) all claim to own this information. The fourth restraint in the population health management platforms market is the fragmented patient portals. Patients prefer a single point of access for all their healthcare records. Healthcare providers split it across different systems and EHRs. They may also have multiple patient portals for the same person. For e.g. - One portal for patient care, another for their primary care specialists and a third for their bill payments!Population Health Management Platforms Market Key RegionsNorth America is the largest population health management platforms market followed by the E.U and Asia. It is also anticipated to grow at the fastest rate due to implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) and an ageing population.Request for TOC:Population Health Management Platforms Market Key Market PlayersSome of the major players in the population health management platforms market are McKesson Corporation, Cerner Corporation, Allscripts, Inc., Verisk Health Inc., WellCentive, Inc., Health Catalyst LLC, i2i Systems, Inc., Conifer Health Solutions, LLC, OptumHealth, Inc., IBM Corporation and Healthagen, LLC.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 market segments such as geographies, types and applications.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.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,, Valley Cottage, NY 10989,, United States, T: +1-347-918-3531, F: +1-845-579-5705, T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790, Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com, Website:
Future of Global Invisible Dental Braces Market: 2016 - 2024

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Dental braces are used to correct the problems of teeth and help in proper aligning of teeth. Dental braces are custom made appliances they work by keeping the pressure on the teeth to straighten them. Various types of dental braces are currently available in the market. They are metal braces, ceramic bases, lingual braces and invisible dental braces. Traditional metal braces and ceramic braces are most commonly used however they cause pain, sores and patient discomfort from wires and brackets and owing to their appearance that these not much opted. To overcome the aforementioned problems invisible dental braces are gaining traction. Invisible dental braces are transparent in nature and didnt have any wires or brackets like traditional braces. On top of that invisible dental braces are removable and less time-consuming procedures but traditional dental braces are irremovable. The cost of invisible dental braces is almost equal to traditional braces, and the costs of treatment are also reimbursed. Hence, patients are opting for these invisible dental braces. According to the survey, about 1 million Americans over the age of 18 years are wearing dental braces. The market is mainly driven by an increase in dental cosmetic surgeries, dental tourism, and favorable reimbursement scenario is driving the growth of this market. The major restraint for this market is the lack of much products when compared to the traditional braces.View Sample Report @On the basis of the product type global invisible dental braces market is segmented into lingual braces and external braces. Lingual dental braces also referred as nano braces or incognito braces. Lingual braces are placed behind the teeth, and they are not invisible due to their positioning. Companies like 3M (Incognito and iBraces), DENTSPLY (In-Ovation L) and American Orthodontics (Harmony) are involved in manufacturing and marketing of lingual dental braces. External braces are similar to the traditional braces, but they are not invisible. External invisible dental braces are smooth and comfortable made of the polyurethane polymer. The primary differentiating factor for external invisible braces are removable but lingual braces are not. Companies like Align Technology (Invisalign), Angel Align (Angel align Pro) and Clear correct (Clear correct aligner) are involved in developing and marketing of the external invisible braces.Based on the end user, the global invisible dental braces market is segmented into hospitals and dental clinics. Dental clinics are expected to have market share than the hospitals over the forecast period.On the basis of geography, Invisible Dental Braces market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East & Africa. North America accounts the major market share due to reimbursement for the invisible dental braces and increases in dental cosmetic surgery are the major factors boosting the growth of this market during the forecast period. Europe and Asia Pacific Invisible Dental Braces market are expected to grow over the forecast period.In Asia-pacific, an increase in dental tourism over the years specifically in the countries like India, Thailand, and Singapore and low cost based treatment are fueling the growth of this market over the forecast period. For instance, invisalign products international volume has increased to 32.5% from 2015 to 2014 this is primarily due to the strong performance by Asia Pacific region and Europe. Hence, companies are devising strategies to invest more in Asia Pacific and European regions to increase their revenues.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Major players in the Invisible dental braces market include ClearCorrect. 3M, Dentsply International, Align Technology, Ormco, Angel Align and American Orthodontics. Align technology has generated sales revenue of around $ 845 Mn in the FY 2015 for its Invisalign products. Company is targeting different age groups by launching their products specific to their age. For instance, it has Invisalign full, teen and Assist products in their product portfolio. The innovation of invisible dental braces is not only restricted to Western countries few companies in Asia Pacific are also actively involved in launching invisible dental braces products. In FY 2016, Angel Align, Taiwan based company, has launched Angelalign Pro invisible dental braces into the Taiwanese market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Market Study on Expected Growth for Rare Disease Treatment Market

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It is estimated that, approximately 5% of the global population suffer from a rare disease and half of the global population affected by rare diseases are children, which makes rare disease treatment a deliberating concern for children across the globe. There are around 7000 known rare diseases which are one of the most complex healthcare challenge for researchers and health professionals as most of them are difficult to diagnose due heterogeneity in disease epidemiology. Rare diseases that affect 200,000 people in the U.S. (as per FDA definition) or 1 in 2000 population in Europe, are typically genetic in nature and thus present a huge unmet need of potential treatment regimes in the market. As per World Health Organization, 80% of rare diseases are caused due to genetic abnormality and are inherited for generations. Approximately 5 % of rare diseases have treatment and most of the current therapeutic approaches include gene therapy and cell therapy. A significant gap between demand and supply of rare disease dugs is foreseen to create a massive opportunity for manufacturers and researchers in the area of rare disease treatment.View Sample Report @Rare disease drug development was so far neglected or given less importance due to lower profitability as there are less number of patients deemed eligible for treatment by such drugs. However, incentives offered by Orphan Drug Act (ODA) in the U.S. and EU such as tax reduction and market exclusivity is expected to boost the global market for rare disease treatment. Since, the enactment of ODA, FDA has approved more than 480 orphan drugs and 47% of new drugs approved in 2015 were drugs for rare disease treatment. Moreover, the global market for rare disease treatment is expected to gain traction owing to development of new approaches for rare disease treatment such as regenerative medicine, personalized medicine, drug repurposing and repositioning etc. Unlike other biopharmaceutical drugs low competition in the rare disease treatment market encourages new drug developers to invest in the research and development for rare disease treatment.High cost of treatment and challenges to reimbursement for rare disease treatment are the factors limiting the growth of global rare disease treatment market. For instance, the average annual cost for treatment with Zavesca  a substrate reduction therapy for treatment of type 1 Gaucher disease is approximately US$ 294,840 per year. Treatment for many rare disease sub-types such as Niemann-Pick Disease, Cystinosis etc. is often very expensive due to lack of coverage for these rare disease treatment by provincial and national health plans.On the basis of regional presence, global rare disease treatment market is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America will continue to dominate the global rare disease treatment market due to favorable reimbursement policies and prominent presence of key players in the region. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at highest CAGR over the forecast period partly due to entry of new players such as JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and increasing awareness towards rare diseases. MEA is expected to hold least share in global rare disease treatment market due to lack of coherent strategies for access to healthcare support for rare diseases.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Some of the players operating in global rare disease treatment market Novartis AG, Shire PLC, Pfizer, Inc., Actelion Ltd., Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca PLC, Amgen Inc., Biogen Inc., Merck KGaA, Daiichi Sankyo Company, Sanofi, Eli Lilly and Company and others. Research collaborations and partnerships is emerging as a major trend among players in rare disease treatment market as development of rare disease is costly and less profitable. For instance, Protalix Biotherapeutics Inc. and Zacharon Pharmaceuticals collaborated with Pfizer Inc. for development of rare disease treatment. Mergers and acquisitions in rare disease treatment market are preferred by the leading players to gain immediate growth effect. For instance, in January 2015 Shire plc. acquired Dyax Corp. for US$ 5.9 Bn and expanded its hereditary angioedema (HAE) portfolio  a rare disease of blood. Subsequently in 2016, Shire plc. acquired Baxalta Incorporated for US$ 32 Bn and became a leader in global rare disease in treatment market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Surface Mount Switch Market (Ultra-miniature Surface Mount Pushbutton Switch and Ultra-miniature Surface Mount Toggle Switch) - Worldwide Industry Analysis, Trend, Size, Projection 2024

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Global Surface Mount Switches Market: SnapshotMiniaturization has become a hot in the electronics industry and this is boosting the demand for surface mount equipment. The smaller size of surface mount switches as compared to their through-hole counterparts increases their density over a printed circuit board (PCBs), thereby enhancing mechanical performance under shake and vibration conditions. During initial stages, the cost of installation of surface mount switches is also low as compared to the cost of installing through-hole switches.Owing to these factors, the demand for surface mount switches has seen a significant rise across a vast array of industrial and manufacturing processes in the past few years. Vast investments across the telecommunication sector and the flourishing electronics industry, especially in developed economies, have also considerably increased the global demand for surface mount switches. Owing to these factor, the demand for surface mount switches will continue to be strong across the globe in the next few years as well.Get More Information:Transparency Market Research estimates that the global surface mount switches market will exhibit a healthy 8.5% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. At this rate, the market, which valued at US$2650.0 mn in 2015 in terms of revenue, is expected to reach US$5860.0 mn by 2024.Ultra-miniature Surface Mount Toggle Switches to Constitute Bulk of RevenueBased on type, global surface mount switch market is segmented into two types, namely ultra-miniature surface mount pushbutton switch and ultra-miniature surface mount toggle switch. The segment of ultra-miniature surface mount toggle switch held the dominant share in the global surface mount switch market in 2015 and is expected to maintain its leading position over the forecast period as well. Long lasting performance of toggle switches as compared to pushbutton switches is a key factor fueling the overall demand for the former. Toggle switches are mostly used as light switches in domestic settings and have wide applications in minicomputer panels, automated robots, and advanced medical equipment.However, the segment of surface mount pushbutton switches is likely to witness a rise in its share in the global surface mount switches market during the forecast period. The smooth operation and ease of changing position of electrical devices with the use of pushbutton switches is expected to enhance their applicability in the global market in the near future.Browse The Report:Thanks to Strong Growth in Electronics Industry, Asia Pacific to Retain DominanceIn terms of geography, Asia Pacific is presently the dominant regional market for surface mount switches. The region accounted for over one-third of the global markets overall revenue in 2015 and is expected to remain a hot market for future years. The vast rise in manufacturing of electronic products, rising demand for miniaturization of electronic components, and the strong growth of the automotive and electronics industry are expected to drive the market for surface mount switches in the region in the next few years. Moreover, the rapid growth in wireless communication and the increased penetration of high speed internet has boosted the demand for surface mount switches across the telecommunication sector in the region.North America trails Asia Pacific in terms of revenue contribution to the global surface mount switches market and is expected to retain its position over the forecast period as well.The U.S. is the foremost economy driving the demand for surface mount switches in the region and is expected to continue generating strong demand owing to promising growth of sectors such as broadband connectivity and industrial automation. Extensive government initiatives aimed at the improvement of the healthcare sector is triggering the utilization of advanced medical machinery and equipment in North America, further fueling the growth rate of surface mount switch market in the region.Some of the key players in surface mount switch industry are C&K components (U.S), Omron Corporation (Japan), Hokuriku Electric Industry Co. Ltd. (Japan), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S), Grayhill Inc. (U.S), among others.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:
Rugged Electronics Market (Product type- Industrial computing and hand held devices, tracking devices, Rugged Hard Ware Devices) - Worldwide Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Forecast 2024

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Rugged Electronics Market: SnapshotThe market for rugged electronics, such as industrial computing and hand-held devices, hardware devices, and tracking devices, has grown considerably over the years owing to their application across a wide range of industries  from aerospace, defense, and healthcare to chemicals and power. The declining prices of rugged electronics and the rising demand for smartphones and tablets are expected to fuel the global rugged electronics market over the forecast period.The rugged electronics market is expected to expand at a strong CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period of 2016 to 2024, reaching a market size of US$26 bn by 2024. The value of the market was pegged at US$11.4 bn in 2015.Get More Information:Defense Sector to Create Remunerative Opportunities for Rugged, Portable ElectronicsRugged electronics find application in several end-use industries such as power, transportation, defense, adventure sports, mining and metal, chemicals, healthcare, and aerospace. By revenue, the defense sector held the leading share in the rugged electronics market in 2015, followed by adventure sports. Rugged electronics have become a necessity in the defense sector owing to the growing use of satellites, network-centric battlefields, unmanned vehicles, and war fighters.The sharing and transmission of massive amounts of data in harsh environments has made rugged portable electronic devices a necessity for those on the field. The rugged electronics market in the field of defense continues to be largely untapped, however, and this presents immense scope for players in the global market. The segment is also likely to expand at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.Asia Pacific Offers Immense Scope for Future GrowthGeographically, the global rugged electronics market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. North America is the leading contributor to the global rugged electronics market and is expected to witness steady growth over the coming years. The growth of the aerospace and defense industries in the region during the forecast period is expected to drive the demand for rugged electronics. The adoption of rugged electronics in the power industry is also on the rise as some of the largest power companies are based in North America. This is anticipated to drive the demand for rugged electronics in the region.Asia Pacific is an attractive region for the global rugged electronic market in terms of expansion. This region has been witnessing rapid technological development, offering massive scope for players in the market. A persistent rise in the demand for smartphones and tablets is also expected to drive the Asia Pacific rugged electronics market over the forecast period.Browse The Report:Regions in the RoW segment are expected to witness impressive growth during the forecast period due to the rising demand for rugged electronics in the oil and gas as well as power industries. Electronic devices used in the power industry need to be much more durable and resistant to pressure, heat, dust, and temperature and rugged electronics offer several advantages over conventional devices.The key players in the global rugged electronics market include General Dynamics Corporation, Crystal Group Inc., DT Research Inc., Mountain Secure Systems, Siemens AG, MobileDemand, Schneider Electric SE, Xplore Technologies Corp., DRS Technologies Inc., and Panasonic Corporation.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:
Market Study on Expected Growth for Veterinary Molecular Diagnostics Market

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The molecular diagnostic is defined as a technique for used in the laboratory for to identify a disease or its predisposition stage by analyzing the DNA or RNA or other proteins in humans and animals. The scope of this diagnostic includes the various clinical testing devices, as well as reagents and supplies that are utilized in hospitals, clinics, commercial laboratories, research institutes and reference laboratories for detecting disease markers for diagnosing and monitoring. Molecular diagnostic techniques continue to play a crucial role in the pharmaceutical industry, medicine practice, public health and forensics these days. Some of these techniques include amplification of nucleic acid like the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), peptide nucleic acids (PNA), fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), biochips, nanotechnology, proteomic technologies and electrochemical detection of DNA.Veterinary diseases are on the rise worldwide and so the concerns about the animal health, as they are the vital source of numerous useful by-products such as milk, fur, oil, and meat. Nowadays, the market related to animals is somehow is gaining popularity, which is further making the market scenario for the molecular diagnostic market. Veterinarians around the world are revealing new facts regarding various diseases related to different species of animals, which in turn is expected to fuel the veterinary molecular diagnostic market in the near future. The molecular diagnostic systems are complex and difficult to manufacture.View Sample Report @Rising prevalence of various animal diseases globally is expected to favor the veterinary molecular diagnostics market over the forecast period. The rise in spending on pets is one of the reasons that can favor the veterinary molecular diagnostic market. There has been a rise in increasing foodborne diseases and is expected to be one of the most crucial reasons for the growth of veterinary molecular diagnostic market. Furthermore, global animal production has reduced by 15%20% a year, mainly due to rising incidence of foodborne zoonotic diseases. With growing awareness about zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis, bird flu, and swine flu, farm owners are increasingly inclined towards the proper care of livestock through correct and specific diagnosis. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), around 3,20,000 cases of foodborne and zoonotic diseases are reported every year. Campylobacteriosis affected around 2,20,209 people in the EU in 2012, due to consumption of infected broiler meat. However, the number of salmonellosis cases in humans decreased by 5.4% in the EU between 2010 and 2012. This was primarily due to increase animal healthcare initiatives and disease diagnosis rate.Rising affordability for access to essential healthcare services is contributing largely to disease testing and identification at early stages. Furthermore, an increase in the influence of western culture in developing countries such as China and India has resulted in an increase in adoption of pets in the region. This, in turn, is driving the growth of the animal healthcare market. Over the years, pet-ownership has become a status symbol in developing countries. People also adopt dogs and cats for therapeutic and psychological benefits. Also, pet ownership in the U.S. has more than doubled from 67 million households in the 1970s to 164 million households in 2012. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), there were 83.3 million pet dogs in the country in 2012, with 47% of the households in the U.S. having at least one dog. There were 96 million owned cats in the U.S. in 2012, with 46% of the total households having at least one cat. According to The Week magazine, total expenditure on companion animals in the U.S., including animal food, healthcare, and other accessories, increased to US$ 53 Bn in 2012 from US$ 43 Bn in 2008.There are few impediments in the veterinary molecular diagnostic market, which can slow down the growth pace of the market. There have been few pitfalls in understanding antigen-immunogenic structures, which lead to a deficiency in fitting, proper epidemiological models. This creates a shortfall in the logical representation of the epidemiology of disease transmission and its associated processes. As per marketplace discussions, veterinary research diagnostic centers need to maintain closer collaborations with animal healthcare providers to gain deeper insights into antigen/immunogenic structures.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:On the basis of region presence, veterinary molecular diagnostics market is segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Presently, North America dominates the global market for Veterinary Molecular Diagnostics due to high diagnose rate and a large number of facilities for research and development. However, growth in Middle East and African region is significant growth in terms of CAGR over the forecast period due to rise in a number of incidence and favorable healthcare facilities. The U.S. Veterinary Molecular Diagnostics market is expected to dominate in terms of market share with significant share among all the regions.Some player exists in the market are IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., VCA, Inc., ABAXIS, Inc., Heska Corporation, Zoetis, Inc., Neogen Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., ID.Vet, Virbac, GE Healthcare, AGFA Healthcare, and Veterinary Molecular Diagnostics, Inc.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Future of Global Hepatitis B Vaccines Market: 2015 to 2021

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Hepatitis B refers to an infectious disease that is caused by hepatitis B virus. Symptoms of this disease are not visible in initial stages and develop after few weeks only. Hepatitis B virus is transmitted by exposure to infectious blood or body fluids of an infected person. This disease may even occur from the birth. Hepatitis B may be caused by blood transfusions, healthcare setting, sharing razors and dialysis. Hepatitis B vaccine refers to a vaccine that is developed for prevention of hepatitis B virus infection. Hepatitis B vaccine consists of viral envelope proteins and hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg). Hepatitis B vaccine is produced by using yeast cells. Medication course for hepatitis B vaccine consists of two or three injections. These injections are given at a time interval of about one month. The first and second doses provide full protection against infection. Final or third injection is given to prolong the effect of hepatitis B vaccine. As a result of this medication, an immune system is developed in the patients body which produces an antibody to HBsAg. This antibody is called as anti-HBs. This antibody provides protection against hepatitis B infection. In addition, immune system memory helps to provide resistance against hepatitis B virus. The global market for hepatitis B vaccine is growing at a significant rate due to increasing number of cases with hepatitis B infection. In addition, growing population and growing awareness for improved healthcare facilities is increasing the global market for hepatitis B vaccine. Various types of hepatitis B vaccines are available in the market, such as recombinant DNA vaccines that is produced by insertion of hepatitis B virus.View Sample Report @North America dominates the global hepatitis B vaccines market due to increasing prevalence of hepatitis B infection cases and improved healthcare facilities in the region. In addition, government initiatives and more awareness among the people are some of the major factors driving the hepatitis B vaccines market. Asia, followed by Europe, is expected to experience high growth rate in the next few years in hepatitis B vaccines market. China and India are expected to be the fastest growing hepatitis B vaccines markets in Asian region. This is due to large investment by various major companies in these countries. Some of the key driving forces for hepatitis B vaccines market in emerging countries are large pool of patients, rising government funding and improvement in the healthcare facilities.One of the major factors driving the global hepatitis B vaccines market includes increasing number of hepatitis B infection cases. In addition, increasing awareness about the treatment of disease and government initiatives are driving the global hepatitis B vaccines market. However, some of the factors such as high cost and non-willingness by people for any kind of vaccination are restraining the global hepatitis B vaccines market.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Growing demographics and economies in the developing countries such as India and China are expected to offer good opportunities for global hepatitis B vaccines market. In addition, growing awareness and innovation of some new type of medications with better efficiency are expected to offer good opportunity for global hepatitis B vaccines market. Inadequate coverage of vaccines is one of the major challenges faced by global pediatric interventional cardiology devices market. Some of the latest trends that have been observed in global hepatitis B vaccines market include companies involved in mergers and acquisitions. In addition, it has been observed that companies are involved in R&D and product launches of more efficient products. Some of the major companies involved in global hepatitis B vaccines market are Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur and Human Biologicals Institute, a division of Indian Immunologicals Limited. Some other companies dealing having significant presence in the global hepatitis B vaccines market are Dynavax Technologies, LG Life Sciences, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Kaketsuke.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
Future of Global Mass Spectrometry Market: 2015 to 2021

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Mass spectrometry is a technique which is used in the identification of various types of chemical present in the sample. It is also used in the quantification of amount of specific chemical in the sample. Mass spectrometry is very common technique in analytical laboratories which helps in the study of biological and chemical properties of compounds. In life science area, mass spectrometry is primarily involved in the characterization and sequencing of proteins. It identifies and quantities crucial proteins involved in disease and altered phenotypes and recognized diagnostic biomarkers for treatment.The global mass spectrometry market is categorized based on various technologies and by applications. Technology segment includes gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), triple-quadrupole liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, quadrupole-time of flight liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and others. MALDI-TOF is the fastest growing sub-segment in global mass spectrometry market. This is due to increased usage of the technology in clinical diagnostic field.View Sample Report @Application segment is further sub-segmented into pharmaceutical, environmental testing, food and beverages testing, biotechnology, industrial chemistry and others. Pharmaceutical segment is the largest sub-segment in global mass spectrometry market. This is due to increased usage of mass spectrometry in drug safety. Mass spectrometry also reduces costs associated with drug discovery procedures.In terms of geographic, North America dominates the global mass spectrometry market. This is due to increased government investments in biotechnology and biomedical areas. In addition, increased research in the field of proteomics is also supporting in the growth of mass spectrometry in the region. The U.S. represents the largest market for mass spectrometry techniques followed by Canada in North America. In Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. holds major share of mass spectrometry market. However, Asia is expected to show high growth rates in the next five years in global mass spectrometry market. This is due to many companies constructing their manufacturing and research facilities in the region. In addition, increasing number of conferences and exhibitions by manufacturing companies to promote mass spectrometry technology is also contributing in the growth of mass spectrometry market in the region. Japan, China and India are expected to be the fastest growing mass spectrometry markets in Asia.In recent time, increasing government spending in life science research and increased R&D spending in pharmaceutical industry are some of the major drivers of global mass spectrometry market. In addition, growing food concerns in food and beverages industry has also fueled the growth of global mass spectrometry market. Moreover, technological advancement in mass spectrometry also attracts end users to adopt the technology.However, high cost of instruments is key restraint of global mass spectrometry market. In addition, lack of skill labor to operate expensive instruments also obstructs the growth of global mass spectrometry market. Increasing mergers and collaborations between key players is key trend of the global mass spectrometry market.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Some of the major companies operating in the global mass spectrometry market are Danaher Corporation, Shimadzu Corporation. Waters Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Bruker Corporation, PerkinElmer, Rigaku, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Jeol Ltd. and Agilent Technologies.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market in-telligence 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 flexi-ble 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
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Malaysia, the world's second-largest palm oil producer after Indonesia, will raise its crude palm export tax to 7 percent in January, up from 6 percent in December, according to a circular on the Malaysian Palm Oil Board website on Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian nation calculated a palm oil reference price of 3,119.48 ringgit ($696.62) per tonne for January. A price above 2,250 ringgit incurs a tax, which starts from 4.5 percent and can reach a maximum of 8.5 percent.

Malaysia last month lowered December's tax to 6 percent, down from 6.5 percent in November. ($1 = 4.4780 ringgit) (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Joseph Radford)
Otoscope Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2026

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According to a recent report published by WHO (World Health Organization) 360 million people worldwide is presently victims of some kind of audibility related disease. More than 32 million children are victims of deafness. Apart from this a massive pool of an adult population of the world is also crippled by deafness. This population is swelling alarmingly every year in South-Asia, Asia-Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa, which is also promoting the prospects of the emerging otoscope market in these regions of the world. The otoscopes and ophthalmoscopes are predominantly used by ENT specialists across the world for detecting any sort of ENT related disease. Presently a population of 285million visually impaired adults and children are living in this world. The population is rising every day. The otoscope/ophthalmoscope market can fetch the direct benefits of this rise as they are mostly needed for diagnosing eye and ear related ailments. Countries like India, China, Oman, Brazil and Morocco are some of the nation living in the shadows of diseases like glaucoma. Over the years they have made several consorted efforts to eradicate the disease but still it is prevalent amongst a large population. The market is completely untouched and mostly dominated by few domestic players and it is definitely under the radar of some of the biggies of the otoscope market. The US is not only one of the leading producers of otoscope devices, it also caters to the demand of the large global and local population. Statistics shows that almost 37 million Americans are suffering from sinus-related diseases. Thus the US is one of the largest thriving otoscope markets of the world.Otoscope market: DriversThere are several key components which are driving the growth and expansion of the otoscope market. The prime factor which is pushing the growth of this industry is the overall development of the healthcare infrastructure. Apart from this, the steady rise of the ENT related diseases around the world is another significant reason which are multiplying the development of the otoscope markets spread around the world. The constant economic rise of India in the recent past has had an positive effect on the entire healthcare and also on the otoscope market spread across the country The otoscope market in India is not only giving stiff competition to its western contenders but it is also fulfilling the demands of the local and regional demands through its domestic production.Request for sample report:Otoscope market: RestraintsThough the otoscope market is out of its slumber and ginning pace with every single day. The regional markets spread across US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, India and China, Brazil, Morocco, Chile, Japan are performing properly for the last few years. But the dominance of the bi players based in the first world countries and the cloning of products in the Chinese and Indian otoscope markets are creating a massive gulf. It is also disturbing the uniformity of the otoscope market in this south East Asian regions and Latin American countries.Otoscope market: Key regionsThe growth of the entire otoscope market is concentrated on some of the prime pockets. The market is mushrooming in regions like India, China, US, UK and several other Latin American countries where the spread of disease related to ENT are galloping with time. A massive chunk of the market production is consumed by the healthcare giants present in these regions. The ENT industry is booming in India and it churns a few billion revenue from the different adjacent neighbouring markets. The production is high and cost effective which is also a major factor which is sustaining the players present in this segment in India.Request for TOC:Otoscope market: Key PlayersSome of the front runners of this section are camped in countries like Germany, US, UK , Japan, China and India. Heine, Riester, Welch Allen are some of the market leaders has been impacting the otoscope market for the last 100 years. Their quality products and robust market policies are the key ingredients which are fuelling their exports and providing them with the necessary tinder for survival.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 market segments such as geographies, types, and applications.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.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,, Valley Cottage, NY 10989,, United States, T: +1-347-918-3531, F: +1-845-579-5705, T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790, Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.com, Website:
Rise of Private Labels in Global Sugar Confectionery Market Deemed Beneficial for Growth

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Transparency Market Research discusses the ins and outs of several top industry verticals in the world. For the food and beverages industry, many players will find Sugar Confectionery Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016  2024 a valuable document to attain.Get More Information:One of the key drivers augmenting the global sugar confectionery market at the moment, is the growing demand for the several popular private labels that operate within the market. Thanks to the increasing disposable income among the working class  especially from the emerging economies  there is a very high demand for known and even globally popular brands of confectionery manufacturers. This is creating a reduction in demand for local manufacturers, while driving a larger chunk of revenue towards the global sugar confectionery market.Another top driver for the global sugar confectionery market is the growing demand for sugar-free products. Owing to the growing percentage of the global consumer population being affected by chronic illnesses such as diabetes, or even a generally increasing count of health-conscious consumers, there is a very high demand for sugar-free confectioneries in all parts of the world. At the same time, manufacturers are ramping up their innovation processes in terms of products as well as product packaging. This falls in conjunction with the growing trend of gifting confectioneries over mail, further improving the revenue generation of manufacturers in the global sugar confectionery market. The ecommerce industry also plays a significant hand in the proliferation of the global sugar confectionery market, as it allows regions that previously did not have access to popular brands at local stores to purchase them online.Browse Full Report with ToC:While the demand for sugar-free confectioneries is on the rise, the global sugar confectionery market is also being restrained by the increasing number of health-conscious consumers who are reducing their overall intake of sugar-based confectioneries, which falls under the primary production goals in the market. At the same time, while advancements in technology are allowing global players to achieve better rates of production and innovation, they are also allowing regional players to stack up their production rates, causing a dip in the overall registered revenue in the global sugar confectionery market. This market also faces stern competition from the manufacturers of dark chocolates and similar opposing categories.Geographically speaking, the global sugar confectionery market has so far been dominated by the developed economies, especially those from Europe. North America and Asia Pacific are expected to show a steady rate of growth in demand for confectioneries. The increase in demand for confectioneries in Asia Pacific is directly attributed to a higher awareness among consumers of global brands and a higher disposable income.The key players in the global sugar confectionery market today, include Nestle SA, Chupa Chups SA., Lindt & Sprungli, Cadbury PLC., Mars Inc., The Hershey Company, Kraft Foods Inc., Perfetti Van Melle S.P.A., Ferrero SpA., and WM Wrigley JR Company.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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Organomagnesiums Market Would Register a Healthy Growth Rate During the Forecast 2015 - 2021

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Organomagnesiums belong to class of organometallic compounds which contain carbon-magnesium and other halide bonds. Organomagnesiums are one of the major reagents used in organic synthesis, mostly used to transfer organic group through nucleophilic addition. Organomagnesium compounds should be handled only under inert gas environment for safety purposes. Inert gases like nitrogen or argon are usually used for this purpose. Addition of acids, water or any oxiding materials to organomagnesium compounds mainly due their high reactivity. Organomagnesiums find large number of industrial applications primarily due to their nature to bind with halogens and other halides through single electron transfer process. Organomagnesiums are commonly found as Grignard reagents like ethylmagnesium bromide phenylmagnesium bromide and several others. Phenylmagnesium bromide is a strong nucleophile as well as a strong base. It reacts with carbon di-oxide to give benzoic acid which has numerous applications such as precursor for plasticizers and sodium benzoate (for preservatives).The market for organomagnesium is largely dominated by the U.S, followed by Europe and then Asia-Pacific region. The organomagnesium market is largely affected by increased prices of raw materials and cheaper substitutes. The application in form of catalysts acts as a prime driver for organomagnesium market.Request to View Sample Report @The use of organomagnesium as an effective reagent was first pioneered by Francois Auguste Victor Grignard and hence these compounds find their utmost application as a Grignard Reagent. The Grignard reagent is basically an organomagnesium halide (RMgX) having a positively polarized metal, which makes the alkyl group act as a carbanion. Organomagnesiums are used as agents to prepare alcohols, ketones, keto-esters, terpene and nitriles compounds. Organomagnesiums are also used to induce a substitution at carbon, which helps in carbenoid and arynoid reactions. Organomagnesiums can also be utilized for the formation of carbon-nitrogen bonds, carbon-sulfur, carbon-oxygen bonds, carbon-selenium, carbon-halogen bonds, and other organometallic compounds. Organomagnesium compounds reactions with pyridinium salts are more useful than those of organolithium compounds and hence can act substitution to organolithiums. Organomagnesium compounds play an imperative role as catalysts and are widely used for this purpose. Organomagnesium are used in synthesis of polyolefins. Polyolefins find range of industrial applications in production of thermoplastic polyolefin and polyolefin elastomers. Thermoplastic polyolefin such as polyethylene find a range of applications in packaging (plastic bags or plastic films), while polypropylene is used in packaging, labeling, stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers. Polyolefin elastomers such as polyisobutylene, ethylene propylene rubber can also be produced through organomagnesiums. Organomagnesiums to a certain extent are also used in synthesis of pharmaceutical and fine chemicals.Organomagnesium belong to the family of organometalics which are used across the globe for varied applications including those of stabilizers, catalysts for chemical reactions and for synthesis of pharmaceuticals. The market for organomagnesium as Grignard reagents is largely dominated by the U.S. and European region. However the increased environmental regulations can lead to shift of production of these to developing countries in Asia. Also the availability of better substitutes makes the market for organomagnesiums vunerable to these substitutes. The market for organomagnesium is expected to be steady across Europe and African countries. Organomagnesium market is expected to grow at a rapid pace across Middle East owing to increase in number of production facilities. Asia Pacific and especially China is also expected to be the upcoming market for organomagnesium in the next six years.Request to view Table of content @The major players operating in the global organomagnesium market are Rockwood Lithium GmbH and Rieke Corporation among others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Antimony Tin Oxide Market Would Register a Healthy Growth Rate During the Forecast 2015 - 202

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Antimony tin oxide (ATO) is known as an alloy of tin oxide which is usually doped with antimony pentoxide. It exhibits significantly high conductivity with tin:antimony ratios being typically in a range of 80:20 to 95:5. Owing to their good electrical properties, antimony tin oxide has the ability to form nano particles which are further used in a wide variety of applications such as alloys and composites. ATOs morphology is spherical and appears in the form of blue powder, although their consumption can sometimes lead to serious skin and eye irritations. Some of the primary applications of antimony tin oxide include additives for plastics, electronic applications such as touch screen, textiles, and coatings, sunlight shielding, dispersing liquid for producing sunlight shielding solid as well as transparent substrate. The nano particles of these metal oxides possess several novel properties such as magnetic, optical and electrical from high surface to volume ratio and quantum size effect. These materials are applied across a broad range of applications in various high-tech technologies and industries owing to their exceptional optical and magnetic properties, which significantly depend on their shape, structure and size.Request to View Sample Report @The global market for antimony tin oxide has been witnessing a noticeable increase owing to growing demand from its end-user industries. Electronics such as touch screen technology widely consume antimony tin oxide in their technology. Touch screens generally use antimony tin oxide in the touch system as well as in the LCD technology. Resistive touch screens which serve as an important segment in the market are usually constructed with two layers of electrically conductive materials antimony tin oxide or indium tin oxide, separated by insulated dots. In addition, capacitive touch screens are emerging as a high end version of the touch screen industry, specifically since the inception of iPhone by Apple Inc. which practices capacitive technology. However, resistive touch screen industry is expected to acquire majority of the shares in the touch screen industry. Use of antimony tin oxides in plastics as additives has been an important factor in the growth of the market. However, increasing regulations and environmental policies have been affecting the plastic industry due to which additive manufacturers have been under pressure to produce eco-friendly and safe chemicals.High demand for electronics owing to rising disposable incomes of the individuals as well as changing lifestyles are expected to be one of the major factors driving the demand for antimony tin oxide in the electronic products such as touch screen. In addition, growth of the overall textiles market on account of rising demand for apparels has also contributed towards the demand for antimony tin oxide. Product development and innovations, improved product properties such as durability and strength, growth and technological advancement of the global textiles industry are the major factors that have been driving the market for antimony tin oxide. Other applications of ATO such as additives for plastics have also been prevalent in the growth of the market. The industry is anticipated to rise significantly owing to growth in plastic consumption, consumer appliances, automotives, and compliance with environmental regulations. However, rising health hazards regarding the use of plastic additives as well as growing potential for the market of biodegradable plastic additives is expected to slow down the growth of the market.Request to view Table of content @American Elements, Guangdong Tuopu Zhongrun Nano Science & Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai Huzheng Nano Technology Co., Ltd., and Sigma Aldrich Corporation are some of the key players present in the ATO industry.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) 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 use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com
Precious Metals Market will generate new growth opportunities by 2021

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Precious metals are naturally obtained from earth extracts. These are metallic elements having high economic value and are very rare. These elements are spontaneously reactive and characterized by the high luster. Precious metals are primarily used as industrial raw materials and for investment purpose. These metals also possess ductile property. However, gold and platinum are considered to be most precious metals in this category. Gold, silver, and coinage are mostly used in the making of ornaments, arts, and coinages. Another branch of the precious metals is platinum group metals including iridium, ruthenium, platinum, palladium, osmium, and rhodium. Globally, platinum is highly traded.Request Free Sample Report @The demand of the precious metal depends on its store and investment value. Increasing demand of the precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum by the investment point of view will drive the global market in future. In addition, increasing use of palladium and platinum metal in electric vehicles industry will also impact the market positively. Moreover, rising demand for making artistic work and ornaments further boosts the market growth. Precious metals are also sold in stock exchange markets linked with declining share prices; this in turn is anticipated to boost the market growth. Government restriction over mining and rare availability of the coal, gold, platinum, and silver may hamper the market growth in the near future.Precious metals market is segmented based on type as gold, silver, platinum, and others. Of which, gold is dominating metal segment across the world. While silver is the second leading market globally. Further, the global precious metals market is geographically segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. These regions mostly dealing in gold bars may foster the demand of precious metals in market.Request Report TOC (Table of Contents) @Asia Pacific is one of the leading markets for precious metals. Industrial growth in countries such as such as China, Japan, and India is the major reason for market growth in this region. The Middle East is emerging market for the precious metals where trade generally carried out with gold. Countries such as Dubai and Brazil accounted for largest market share globally.Some of the key players in the precious metals market are GlencoreXstrata, First Quantum Minerals, Goldcorp Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., Goldcorp Inc., Lundin Mining, and Gold Fields Limited. Other major players influencing the global market include Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited, North American Palladium Ltd., Gabriel Resources Limited, and Barrick Gold.Browse detail report @Precious Metals Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East and AfricaVisit Our Blog:About UsZion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us.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:
Green & Bio-based Solvents Market for Paints & Coatings, Printing Inks, Commercial & Domestic Cleaning, Adhesives & Sealants, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics, and Other Applications Forecast 2015 - 2023

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Green or bio-based solvents, procured from agricultural sources, namely corn, lactic acid, sugarcane, refined glycerin, soybean oil, bio succinic acid, etc., have to a great extent superseded petroleum based organic solvents. Their unique selling point is their eco-friendly nature and low volatile organic compound (VOC) content emission. These features help them steal a march over the volatile organic compounds which have a negative impact on the environment. Besides, unstable crude prices, which are the main raw material used in formulating organic solvents, are another reason for end-user industries such as printing inks, paints and coatings, and others to switch to green or bio-based solvents. This has resulted in an upswing in the global market for green or bio-based solvents, which going forward too is predicted to grow steadily.The global market for green and bio-based solvents was worth US$4.32 bn in 2014 and expected to attain a value of US$8.05 bn by 2023, by registering a healthy CAGR of 7.2% between 2015 and 2023.View exclusive Global strategic Business report :Why does ethanol enjoy stronghold in the market?Product-wise, in the global market for green or bio-based solvent, ethanol holds the dominant position and is slated to continue holding its sway in the coming years too on account of its production on a commercial scale and its wide range of applications. Ethyl lactate follows it in terms of market share due to its rising usage as a substitute for existing petroleum based solvents. Vis-a-vis growth rate, methyl soyate is predicted to outshine all other products because of its increasing application as solvents in printing inks, paints and coatings, and cleaning applications. Further, substantial growth potential of d-limonene as industrial and domestic cleaning solvent is slated to boost the global green and bio-based solvents market in the near future.What is propelling growth in adhesive and sealants application segment?Green or bio-based solvents find application in printing inks, paints and coatings, pharmaceutical, commercial and domestic cleaning, adhesives and sealants, and cosmetics. Among them, paints and coatings account for maximum share in the global market. Commercial and domestic cleaning is also poised for strong growth during the period from 2015 to 2023. However, the adhesives and sealants segment is likely to outpace all other segments because of their growing demand in the automotive and other downstream industries.Which factors will support growth in Asia Pacific?North America leads the global market for green and bio-based solvents with maximum share in terms of volume. This is because of the abundance of raw materials, advanced manufacturing facilities, and the demand for eco-friendly bio-based products. Asia Pacific, however, is anticipated to overtake in terms of growth rate in the upcoming years owing to the rising demand for solvents in cosmetics, paints and coatings, printing inks, agrochemical applications, and pharmaceutical in emerging economies such as India, China, Thailand, and Malaysia. Latin America market is slated to experience good growth too on account of the robust demand from Brazil and Argentina.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207
Flour Market - Global Industry Analysis 2020

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Global Flour Market: SnapshotFlour consumption is witnessing a steady growth across the globe owing to the rising demand for bakery and fast food products among different classes of consumers. The increasing number of cafes and fast food restaurants worldwide is driving the flour market. Moreover, the development of flour milling industry in the developing regions such as Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa is working in favor of the growth of the market. The growing population and decreasing flour prices along with the establishment of new flour mills are supporting the demand for flour in these regions, which in turn is fuelling the overall market.Download exclusive Sample of this report:However, the market is adversely affected by the rising awareness regarding the health hazards of gluten. Due to high gluten content in wheat flour, consumers are shifting to its substitutes. The opportunity in the global flour market was pegged at US$198.57 bn in 2015 and is poised to reach US$254.82 bn by 2020, rising at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2014 to 2020.Growing Uptake of Bread-based Fast Foods to Fuel Growth of Bread and Bakery Products SegmentBased on application, the bread and bakery products segment will continue to dominate until 2020, accounting for 37.77% of the overall market revenue. The increasing consumption of bread-based fast foods in emerging countries is augmenting the growth of the segment. The rising health awareness among people in different countries is leading to the increased demand for gluten-free brown bread flours, thereby contributing to the growth of the segment. On the other hand, the non-food application segment is anticipated to expand at a CAGR higher than any other segment during the forecast period.On the basis of technology, dry milling will continue to command the leading share, representing 92.90% of the overall market revenue. Wide applications of dry technology among flour millers is driven by multiple factors, including less complex milling process, low-cost advantage, and compatibility with wheat flour milling process. The growing acceptance of non-gelatinized flour is also driving the adoption of dry technology among flour millers globally. The wet drilling technology will expand at a CAGR of 6.4% during the same period.Browse Full Report with ToC:Europe to Lead Revenue Generation through 2020 Owing to Evolution of Value-added Processed Bakery IndustryWhile Europe will be the dominant regional market in terms of revenue throughout the forecast period, Asia Pacific will continue to be the leading volume contributor. In countries such as the U.K. and Germany, increase in domestic production of wheat for making bread has triggered the growth of the flour market in Europe. Evolution of the value-added processed bakery industry in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and France among others is estimated to drive future growth of the region.In Asia Pacific, the flour consumption is driven by the growing population, increasing consumer expenditure on staple food, rising disposable income, and the growing demand for fast food. Moreover, the increasing consumption of flour based noodles, breads, and other products is providing significant boost to the growth of the region. The Rest of the World market for flour is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.2% during the same period. The development of the retail bakery market in the Middle East is assisting the growth of the market. Moreover, the increasing wheat planting in Chile and other Latin American countries is leading to the rise in domestic wheat flour production output in this region.Some of the leading players in the market are Archer Daniels Midland Company, Ardent Mills Canada, Associated British Foods plc, ConAgra Foods Inc., Hindustan Unilever Limited, General Mills Inc, Hodgson Mill., ITC Limited., White Wings, King Arthur Flour Company Inc., and Wilmar International Limited.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:
Global Revenue Market Share of Tracheostomy Market 2016 by Regions and Sales Chain

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report "Global Tracheostomy Market 2016 Industry Trend and Forecast 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.This market intelligence report investigates into the global Tracheostomy market. It highpoints the recent market state, progress in the earlier years, and prospects present for producers in the near future. The research tools and methods employed in the accomplishment of this publication are both secondary and primary. The study also offers particulars on the investments commenced by several institutions, organizations, government, and non-government units.The publication offers an assessment of the aspects that are projected to prevent or lift the development of the global Tracheostomy market. The global Tracheostomy market has been inspected scrupulously on the basis of main criteria such as application, end user, technology, product, and region. An enquiry has been delivered in the research report of the key regional segments and their position and share in the Tracheostomy market. The predicted revenue and volume progress of the global market for Tracheostomy has also been mentioned in the study.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @An evaluation of the market attractiveness and the competition that new players along with their products are expected to present to the older products and players has been delivered in the publication. The market research report also discusses the new developments, the innovations, branding techniques, marketing strategies, and products of the chief participants operating in the global Tracheostomy market. The competitive landscape has been comprehensively examined employing the value chain and Porters five forces analysis to provide a strong idea of the market. The prospects and threats present in the near future for the prime companies have also been emphasized in the publication.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview 11.1 Definition and Specifications of Tracheostomy 11.1.1 Definition of Tracheostomy 11.1.2 Specifications of Tracheostomy 21.2 Classification of Tracheostomy 21.2.1 Tracheostomy Tube 31.2.2 Tracheostomy Introducer 41.3 Applications of Tracheostomy 41.3.1 ICU 61.3.2 LTAC 61.4 Industry Chain Structure of Tracheostomy 71.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Tracheostomy 81.5.1 Industry Overview of Tracheostomy 81.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Tracheostomy 91.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Tracheostomy 91.7 Industry News Analysis of Tracheostomy 102 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Tracheostomy 132.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Tracheostomy 132.2 Equipment Suppliers Analysis of Tracheostomy 152.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Tracheostomy 162.4 Other Costs Analysis of Tracheostomy 182.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Tracheostomy 192.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Tracheostomy 203 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis 213.1 Capacity and Founded Date of Global Key Manufacturers in 2015 213.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Key Tracheostomy Manufacturers in 2015 213.3 R&D Status and Brand of Global Tracheostomy Key Manufacturers in 2015 22For Latest QYResearchreports Press Release Visit @QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
High-availability Server Market - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Trends, Forecast 2024

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Global High-Availability Server Market:High-availability systems are capable of working over long durations without any breakdown or failure. Due to the generation of a large amount of critical data in present times, high-availability servers are in demand as they offer higher stability, flexibility, reliability, and speed along with almost zero probability of system failure. The various hardware and software components in high-availability servers are specifically designed and thoroughly tested to serve over extended periods of time. The global high-availability server market is expected to witness positive growth with the rising demand for these servers across various end-use industries, where system failures can lead to huge losses.Get Sample Report Copy :High-availability servers are extensively used across various sectors such as telecommunications, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), retail, manufacturing, medical, health care, and public. The demand for high-availability servers from the BFSI sector is particularly high owing to the growing requirement to store a large amount of critical data. In terms of operating system, high-availability servers can be classified into Linux, UNIX, Windows, FreeBSD, and others including Debian, CentOS, and Fedora. Currently, the demand for Windows operating system-based high-availability servers is the highest.On the basis of availability level, the global high-availability server market has been segmented into availability level 1, availability level 2, availability level 3, availability level 4, and availability level 5. These levels are based on the configuration of servers including storage capacity of HDD, number of virtual CPUs, and size of Random Access Memory (RAM). The configuration of high-availability servers varies according to their applications across different sectors.Global High-Availability Server Market: OverviewThe growing adoption of high-availability servers across the banking and financial services sector has propelled the growth of the global high-availability server market. In the banking sector, a large amount of confidential and critical data needs to be stored and accessed round the clock. As a result, high-availability servers are widely used to ensure the security of data. These high-availability servers ensure low or almost zero risk of system failure, thereby letting organizations run their business smoothly without any interruptions in accessing business applications and data resources. Extensive research activities dedicated toward the development of advanced and true fault tolerant infrastructure have further augmented the growth of the market. For data storage, the redundant array of independent disk (RAID) approach is used widely in high-availability servers. Furthermore, the storage area network (SAN) approach has been lately introduced for the effective functioning of high-availability servers.However, the installation costs of high availability servers are high and this is expected to negatively affect the growth of the global high-availability server market. Lack of awareness about high-availability servers has also restrained the markets growth. The overall market has a huge scope to grow with rising demand from small and medium enterprises.Global High-Availability Server Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global high-availability server market has been segmented into four key geographical segments: Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. So far, North America has been a dominant region in the global market. However, during the forecast period, Asia Pacific is expected to drive the growth of the market owing to the rising demand from various end-use sectors such as banking and financial services.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :Some of the key players in the global high-availability server market are International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, CenterServ, Dell Inc., NEC Corporation, HP Development Company, L.P., Oracle Corporation, and Unisys Global Technologies. The market players are focusing on emerging economies where the rapid growth of industries has led to a growing demand for high-availability servers.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:
Bromine Market to Grow at 4.1% CAGR by 2024, Globally

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Global demand for bromine market will reach 483 kilo metric tons (KMT) in 2016, up from 470 KMT in 2015. Demand will be impeded by growing regulation and legislation, especially in the European Union (EU), where the use of certain brominated flame retardants is banned or restricted.Flame retardants will continue to remain the largest application segment, accounting for 203 KMT volume in 2016, a y-o-y increase of 2.8% over 2015. Use of bromine in oil and gas drilling will continue its upward momentum in 2016, growing at 4.3% in terms of volume  the fastest among all the application segments.The chemicals industry will remain the largest consumer of bromine, accounting for 292 KMT volume in 2016, representing market value worth 1,284 Mn. Use of bromine in the oil and gas sector will also continue to witness steady growth, as clear brine fluids gain traction for drilling purposes. Demand will be offset by sluggish adoption in the electronics industry, as use of brominated flame retardants continues to face stricter regulations. Demand for bromine from electronics sector will witness a growth rate of 2.1% in 2016 over 2015.Asia Pacific will remain the largest market for bromine, representing annual revenues worth US$ 1,087 Mn in 2016, up from 895 Mn in 2015. This is primarily due to expansion of end-use industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and electronic in APAC. Latin America will continue to offer growth opportunities to manufacturers, with global demand witnessing a 2.0% volume growth in 2016 over 2015. Demand will face constraints in the mature markets of North America and Western Europe in 2016 as well.Request Report Sample @Israel Chemicals Limited, Chemtura Corporation, Albemarle Corporation, Gulf Resources Inc., Tosoh Corporation, Tetra Technologies Inc., Tata Chemicals Limited and Hindustan Salts Limited are the key players in the market. Top players are continuously focusing on expanding their product offerings, especially in flame retardants segments. Collaborations and joint ventures are key business strategies to develop green brominated flame retardants.For More Information Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report @Long-term Outlook: PMR projects the global bromine market to witness moderate growth during the forecast period 2016-2024. APAC will continue to remain the largest market for bromine, growing at 4.1% revenue CAGR during the forecast period.To Purchase Report (Single User License) @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Steel Framing Market - Global Industry Analysis 2023

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Steel frames are an integral part of the modern construction industry Steel frames are extensively used in the building and construction applications owing to the architectural freedom and reliability provided by steel. Building and construction application accounts for more than 50% of the global market for steel and a large proportion of the steel used in building and construction is attributed to the steel framing market. Steel frames allow for architectural and design flexibility and is at the same time cost efficient, durable and sustainable. Steel frames provide longevity to the structure and comes with attributes such as resistance to fire, corrosion and pests. Moreover, steel frames are lightweight and logistically feasible for construction industry. Steel frames exhibit high strength to weight ratio. As a result, the dead weight of steel structures is relatively low which renders it a very attractive proposition for builders.. Utilization of steel frames reduces the construction time and expense considerably. Steel frames provide the necessary safety to the high rises through its structural integrity.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:The steel framing market is primarily driven by new building constructions across the world. Steel framing is mostly used in commercial building constructions in order to provide the requisite strength and design. Steel has an inherent strength which enables curves and long spans to be easily incorporated in the building design. Steel framings are most important components in buildings, which are required to endure harsh environmental conditions. Steel does not require pesticide treatment, or preservatives and glues unlike timber. It is also safer alternative for the people handling the materials. The market for steel frames is directly related to the construction volume. Favorable macro-economic conditions generally translate into increased construction activities. Improvement in the building and construction scenario in North America, Asia Pacific and Middle East has been the driving force for the steel framing market.However, in spite of the various benefits of steel frames there are some disadvantages to the steel structures, which act as market restraints. The general cost of steel structures are on the higher side compared to certain other structural materials. The strength of steel frames reduces considerably on exposure to heat commonly experienced in building fire. Steel being a good conductor of electricity transmits heat from the burning section of the building in a rapid fashion. In order to counter the effect, effective fire proofing measures need to be undertaken. Moreover steel structures such as bridges, which are exposed to the atmosphere are prone to corrosion and must be coated with paints regularly to maintain efficiency. These are few of the concerns of steel framing market. However, the benefits of steel framing far outnumber its deficits and the market is expected to overcome the difficulties and enforce growth.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :North America accounts for the largest market for steel framing, primarily owing to the number of highrising commercial buildings in the region. Asia Pacific region is the second largest in terms of demand for steel frames, led by demand from Middle Eastern countries, China, Japan and South Korea. Asia pacific region is also estimated to exhibit the fastest growth rate in the world riding on improved socio-economic scenario in the region.Some of the major companies engaged in the steel framing market are Keymark Enterprises, LLC, Aegis Metal Framing, The Steel Framing Company, Voestalpine Metsec Plc and Hadley Group among several others.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. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, 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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Copper Ammonium Carbonate Market - Global Industry Analysis 2023

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Copper ammonium carbonate is an inorganic fungicide primarily utilized for wood treatment and in copper tolerant crops such as wheat, tomato, barley, sugarbeets, cherries, carrots, strawberries, almonds, apples, lettuce and bananas among several others. The fungicide is available in aqueous solution formulation in the market. Copper Ammonium Carbonate fungicide is utilized as a broad spectrum fungicide employed against eyespot, early leaf spots (Mycosphaerella arachidis), Fusarium spp., net blotches, phoma leaf spots, powdery mildew, Septoria nodorum, Rhynchosporium secalis, Sclerotium rolfsii, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Septoria tritici, rust and tan spots. Copper ammonium carbonate fungicide is phytotoxic in nature and must be employed after dilution with water. Copper ammonium carbonate fungicide is applied through seed treatment or foliar application. It is a systemic fungicide that acts as a curative, preventive as well as eradicative solution. Copper ammonium carbonate fungicide after being absorbed moves to the target fungal cells and interferes with sterol synthesis leading to membrane disruption of the target pathogen. Copper ammonium carbonate fungicide is toxic to aquatic flora and has low bio-accumulation potential. The material becomes toxic over acute exposure on regular basis to animals. Prolonged exposure may cause skin and eye irritation in humans.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Copper ammonium carbonate fungicides are primarily used as broad spectrum fungicides for use on wheat barley, oats, oilseed rape, rye, and durum wheat. They are extensively used by Indian wheat farmers and other well irrigated crops. Copper ammonium carbonate is sold in combined formulation with several other fungicides, such as fluoxastrobin, spiroxamine, tebuconazole, trifloxystrobin, bifaxen, and floupyram among others.The copper ammonium carbonate fungicide market is driven by its rising food demand for the booming global population and reducing arable land. Rising food security concerns and limited arable land area is putting pressure on farmers to increase yields to meet the global demand. However, rising awareness about the harmful effects of fungicides and other toxic agrochemicals among the general population along with stringent environmental regulations, especially in developed countries of North America and Europe is expected to be the major restraining factor for the copper ammonium carbonate fungicide market. This opposition to use of chemicals in agriculture has caused a shift towards organic farming and development of better and less harmful substitutes for these chemicals.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :In terms of geography, Asia Pacific is the largest consumer of copper ammonium carbonate fungicide riding on high sales of fungicide products to its large population base. Major agricultural economies including China, India and Indonesia are the major consumers of copper ammonium carbonate fungicide for application in a variety of crops. Two of the most populated countries, China and India are situated in Asia. Both these countries are growing rapidly and witnessing rising disposable income and purchase power parity of the general population. This in turn is expected to drive demand for food grains and further for copper ammonium carbonate fungicide. Major market players have established their production facilities in Asia owing to the availability of cheap labor and land and comparatively lenient norms and regulations against chemicals. North America is another major consumer for copper ammonium carbonate fungicide especially in the well irrigated southern land in the Mississippi and Missouri areas of the U.S. In Rest of the World, Brazil, South Africa and Central Africa contribute to major demand for the market. Europe is expected to witness comparatively slower growth than other regions due to stringent government control over potentially harmful agrochemicals and general tendency of farmers towards sustainable organic farming techniques.Some of the market players include Monsanto, Bayer CropScience, Syngenta AG, SinoHarvest Corporation, Shanghai Mingdou Agrochemical Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Tenglong Agrochemical Co. Ltd., among others.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. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, 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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Current and Future Industry Trends of Laboratory Information System Market, 2015-2021

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A laboratory information system is the software tool that record, manage and stores patient data for healthcare related laboratories consisting clinical and analytical laboratories. Laboratory information system (LIS) is also referred as laboratory information management system (LIMS) however, there are some differences between both software systems. LIS is used to capture only clinical data and LIMS is used to capture clinical as well as nonmedical and pharmaceutical data. LIS have different features such as patients demographics, order entry, sample processing, patient sign in and result entry. All collected medical information is stored in LIS database for future reference. LIS is designed to manage all the processes involved in laboratory activities. Electronic data collection in LIS is time-saving and error free process.Request Free Sample Report @Global laboratory information system market is mainly driven by healthy economic growth in developed countries. Increase in incidences of chronic disease and aging population results in high demand for many diagnostic tests. This is one of the major driving factors for growth of the market. The primary factor affecting the growth of the market is the high cost of implementing LIS and lack of professional IT individuals to gather and examine data from various resources to generate laboratory information.The worldwide laboratory information systems market is classified on the basis of the end user, components, delivery mode, and geographically. End user segment includes hospitals, clinics, independent laboratories and others. Among all end user clinical laboratories emerge as a potential segment in 2015 due to rising demand for numerous diagnostic tests. Based on the component, the market has been segmented into software, services, and hardware. On the basis of delivery mode market is further categorized into on-premises and cloud based LIS.Do Inquiry before buying @Geographically, North America dominated the laboratory information systems market in 2015. The biggest share of this region can be attributed to various factors such as increased prevalence of chronic disease and rising government support. Europe is a one of the major players in the laboratory information systems market due to increased awareness about latest developments and easy availability of LIS. Asia Pacific represents a region with a very large potential for laboratory information systems market.Some of the key players identified in the global laboratory information systems market are Epic Systems Corporation, LabWare, SCC Soft Computer, McKesson, Merge Healthcare, Orchard Software, CompuGroup Medical, and Abbott Informatics.Browse the full report @Global Laboratory Information Systems Market: End User Segment AnalysisHospitals,Clinics,Independent laboratoriesOthersGlobal Laboratory Information Systems Market: Component Segment AnalysisSoftware,ServicesHardwareGlobal Laboratory Information Systems Market: Deployment Segment AnalysisOn-premiseCloud basedGlobal Laboratory Information Systems Market: Region Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East & AfricaAbout US:Syndicate Market Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Syndicate Market Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with the one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8138Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@syndicatemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Polishing Powders Market - Global Industry Analysis 2020

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Polishing powders are materials that help eliminate etch marks and light wear patterns giving smooth finish to the application product. They create honed finishes, set up stone for polishing and shining, help in eliminating deep scratches. They are non-acidic in nature. They have wide applications in precision optics, metallographic sections, electro-optical crystals, silicone wafers, ferrite components, gem stones and acrylic lenses. These powders restore the gloss to marble, terrazzo, limestone and travertine floors. Their unique abrasive technology delivers the wet look gloss in a fraction of the time compared to other systems. They offer specific characteristics to the application products such as anti-fouling, fire resistance, chemical resistance, temperature resistance, anti-slip among others. These powders have higher performance, durability and offer aesthetics to the textures and surfaces. Polishing powders find applications in various end-user industries such as metallurgy, endodontics, household furniture, aerospace, marine, military and defense, electrical & electronics, automotives, medical & healthcare, packaging, oil & gas and industrial applications among others. In medical devices, polishing powders provide protection as well as anti-microbial properties.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Some of the major drivers for the global polishing powders market is the rising demand from marble polishing industries, real estate sector and other industries. In addition, the growing demand from automotive industry is also expected to boost the polishing powders market. Polishing powders are used in order to provide special coatings which offer higher resistance to wear and tear. Polishing powders offer characteristics such as UV protection, anti-corrosion, anti-abrasion and chemical resistance among others. Furthermore, they offer higher performance and durability. In addition, specialty paints and coatings find applications in military and defense applications where resistance to harsh environmental conditions is required. Moreover, polishing powders are used in industrial applications such as plant equipment, boilers and heat exchangers which are subject to higher temperatures. However, fluctuating prices associated with the use of raw materials can act as a major restraint for the polishing powder market in next few years to come.In terms of demand, Asia Pacific dominated the polishing powders market. The demand in this region was mainly driven by marble polishing industry, buildings & construction and automotive industry. Growing urbanization and increasing per capita incomes of the consumers is anticipated to be major factor for driving the polishing powders market in this region. China was the major consumer for polishing powders in this region due to huge demand from various end-user industries in China. Countries such as India, Korea and Japan are likely to exhibit higher demand for polishing powders over the forecast period.Some of the key players in the polishing powders market are Dupont, Hunan Haozhi New Materials Co., Ltd., and TFC among others.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. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, 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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
CIS Insulin Market will generate new growth opportunities by 2020

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Insulin regulates metabolism by creating the pancreas that allows your body to use glucose from carbohydrates in the food. Insulin helps to keep your blood sugar level from getting too high or too low. Insulin enables the entry of glucose into the cell and maintains the level of blood glucose. In diabetes treatment, patient need insulin injections to allow body to process sugar and avoid complications from hyperglycemiaRequest Free Sample Report @Rising ubiquity of diabetes is one of the important factors bolstering the growth of the CIS insulin market. The increasing pervasiveness of obesity disorder is expected to be imperative for this industry. The prominent circumstances that might occur owing to this disorder include type II diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. The government supports and rising R&D in insulin product are projected to exhibit lucrative growth in this industry. The report also analyzes several driving and restraining factors and their impact on the market during the forecast period.The report provides a detailed view of the CIS insulin market based on products, application, and region. Based on products, CIS insulin market is further bifurcated into long acting, short acting, rapid acting, premixed and intermediate acting. Long-acting insulin accounted for a very large chunk of the global CIS insulin market. Rapid acting is another leading project and expected to exhibit strong growth over the forecast period. The CIS insulin market is further classified based on source into analogs and human recombinant. The analog segment holds the largest share of the CIS insulin market. Key applications of insulin include type I and other diabetes and type II diabetes. Type II diabetes dominated CIS insulin market and accounted for significant share of a total market.Purchase a direct copy of report with TOC @Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for CIS insulin in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa with its further bifurcation into major countries including U.S. Germany, France, UK, China, Japan, India, and Brazil. The CIS insulin market is dominated by North America followed by Europe. Asia-Pacific is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period.The report covers detailed competitive scenario including the company overviews, financial revenues of the key participants to develop their positions in the global market. Major market players include Merck & Co. Inc., Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Company, Oramed Pharmaceuticals, Nanjing Xinbai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Sanofi-Aventis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Farmar, and Biocon.Do Inquiry before buying @This report segments the global CIS insulin market as follows:CIS Insulin Market: Product Segment AnalysisLong ActingShort ActingRapid ActingPremixedIntermediate ActingCIS Insulin Market: Source Segment AnalysisAnalogsHuman RecombinantCIS Insulin Market: Application Segment AnalysisType I DiabetesType II DiabetesCIS Insulin Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilThe Middle East & AfricaBrowse the full report @About US:Syndicate Market Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Syndicate Market Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with the one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8138Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@syndicatemarketresearch.comWebsite:
Lime Market in Australia to Exceed US$ 211.0 Mn by 2016 end

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The lime market in Australia is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.7% in terms of value over the forecast period, 20162024. The market has been segmented by product type and application. The application segmentation consists of mining & metallurgy, building materials, agriculture, water treatment and others of which the mining & metallurgy segment is expected to account for the highest share of the lime market in Australia throughout the forecast period, to account for 31.4% by 2024.Persistence Market Research (PMR) delivers key insights on the Australia lime market in its latest report titled, Lime Market: Australia Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024.Demand for energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions is expected to be a priority for lime manufacturers in the country over the forecast period. By product type, slaked/hydrated lime segment is expected to continue to dominate the market in terms of both value and volume throughout the forecast period. The segment is estimated to be valued at US$ 146.7 Mn and account for volume share of 68% in 2016. By application, mining & metallurgy and building materials, segments in the Australia lime market are expected to account for significant volume shares of 38% and 35%, respectively.New South Wales is expected to be the largest market for lime in Australia throughout the forecast period. The market in the region is estimated to be valued at US$ 59.1 Mn by 2016 end. In terms of production, Western Australia is expected to be a major producer, contributing over 65% to the total lime production in the country, and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 0.8% over the forecast period.Request Report Sample @Key players in the Australia lime market include Adelaide Brighton Ltd., Boral Limited, Sibelco Australia, Omya Australia Pty. Ltd, Wagners, and Lime Group Australia. Key players in the Australia lime market are focusing on enhancing their product portfolios. They are focusing not only on basic lime products but also on importing quicklime from ASEAN countries such as Thailand and Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries such as China to minimize a cost of raw materials involved in a lime production. Manufacturers are focusing on capitalizing on economies of scale to increase production, profitability, and offer cost-effective products in order to target cost-sensitive population in the region. Joint ventures, acquisitions, and strategic collaborations in terms of production and distribution of lime have been the common strategies employed by these companies to achieve their production objectives.For More Information Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report @Long-term Outlook: The long-term outlook on the Australia lime market remains on the conservative side, with the market expected to expand at a modest CAGR of 1.7% in terms of value during the forecast period. The revival of the mining sector in the country, increasing demand from the construction sector, particularly in the countrys east coast region, and demand from the water treatment industry are some of the factors expected to sustain a growth of the lime market in Australia.To Purchase Report (Single User License) @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Tar Market - Global Industry Analysis 2020

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Tar is produced from a variety of natural materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be extracted from petroleum, coal, peat and wood. Tar is a mixture of free carbons and hydrocarbons. Products bearing a resemblance to tar can be extracted from hydrocarbons. Coal tar is produced during the process of coke production as a byproduct from coal. Tar is generally used in carbon black and deep processing. Tar sand deposits contain mixtures of heavy crude and mixture of sand.The tar market can be fragmented on the product type and geography. On the basis of product type, the global market for tar can be segmented as birch tar, coal tar, pine tar and pitch among others. Coal tar produced during the process of coal carbonization during the coke. This is generally a high viscous black or brown liquid. The coal tar is a variable and complex mixture of phenols, heterocyclic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. The end-user application of coal tar includes: pavement sealcoats, industries and medical sector. Birch tar is derived through the process of dry distillation of the bark of the birch tree. It is composed of a mixture of phenols such as xyleno, creasol, guaiacol and cresol. The end-user application of birch tree includes: disinfectant in medicine and leather dressing.Get Free PDF Research Brochure for more Professional and Technical Insights:Pine tar is produced through a process of carbonization of pine wood. The process occurs in anoxic conditions at high temperatures. Pine tar consists of tar acids, tar bases and aromatic hydrocarbons. Constituents of tar differ according to the method, temperature and duration of production. Generally, pine roots and stumps are used in the traditional pine production process. The end-user application of pine tar includes: used as a wood preservative, used in manufacturing of water proof ropes and also used for skin treatment and in veterinary medicine. Pitch tar is a solid polymer extracted from petroleum coal tar and plants. Different forms of pitch tar are called as bitumen, asphalt or tar. Pitch tar produced from plants are also called resin. Pitch tar is usually used in sealing the joints of wooden sailing vessels and is the manufacturing of waterproof wooden containers and torches.The increasing demand for tar in the industrial use, medical sector and sealing of roads are the major market growths drivers for the tar industry. The major constraint for the tar industry is that tar cannot be used in the extracted state, as it is generally in solid form. It is generally heated at high temperature to make it suitable for the use. The cost of heating furnace puts extra burden on the consumer side and seems to be a major constraint for the tar market. However, growing application in industrial use such as production of diesel and gasoline oil via high pressure hydrogenation and in power generation for heating boilers is expected to augment the global demand for tar in the near future.North America is expected to be a key market for the tar industry. Canada is likely to be a major contributor to the growth of the tar market in the North American region. Canada is a major producer of tar with 1.7 trillion of crude bitumen. In the Asia Pacific region, China is the major producer of tar with a capacity of 11 million tons of tar.Some of the key players in the tar market are Crowley Chemical Company, Jalan Carbons & Chemicals Ltd., Baoshun Chemicals and Aminco Resources LLC. among others.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. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, 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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Global Smart Machines Market to Exceed US$ 258.5 Bn by 2024 : APAC Demanding Region

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Smart machines are deployed to enhance networked resources and implement distributed intelligence in manufacturing industries. Integration of devices provides more accessibility. Smart machines can be easily connected to a broader network of connected devices, enabling users to share data on numerous devices. This ensures users to connect/access their devices from anywhere and anytime. This is expected to fuel demand for smart machines in various industries. The market in Australia is expected to witness substantial growth in adoption rates of smart machines over the next five years. Autonomous robots are expected to find applications in agriculture and commercial sectors to overcome the lack of labor in the country. Australia-based companies have also been investing significantly in advanced technologies such as IoT.Persistence Market Research (PMR) delivers key insights on the global smart machines market in its upcoming report titled, Smart Machines Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2016-2024. In terms of value, the global smart machines market is projected to register a healthy CAGR of 18.8% during the forecast period. This is attributed to various factors, regarding which PMR offers vital insights in detail.On the basis of a component, the global smart machines market has been segmented into hardware, software, and service. Demand for smart machines is enhanced by increasing need to process and analyze big unstructured data among different sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace, and defense. On the basis of machine type, the global smart machines market has been segmented into robots, autonomous cars, drones, wearable electronics and others.On the basis of technology, the global smart machines market has been segmented into cloud computing, big data, internet of everything (IoE), robotics, cognitive technology and effective technology. Affective technology segment is expected to expand with a substantial CAGR over the forecast period. Various enterprises working on cognitive computing are facing glitches and errors in technology. This, in turn, is encouraging adoption of affective computing. Cognitive computing technology enables emotions linking to a robot, assisting the robot in making rational decisions and performing more complex tasks.Smart machines are programmed to make intelligent decisions in a time efficient manner. They are built to learn from their interactions and their precision increases over time. Hence, new developments in operational intelligence are encouraging companies to adopt systems that are smarter and efficient. Narrative Science Inc., a company that offers analytical solutions uses its virtual assistant Quill, which is programed using natural language processing to provide relevant solutions.Request Report Sample @This report covers trends driving each segment and offers analysis and insights of the potential of the smart machines market in specific regions. The markets in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific are expected to register high growth rates between 2016 and 2024. MEA is a small but significant market for smart machines as governments in the Middle East countries are investing in this sector to digitize government services. The market in Europe is expected to gain substantial market share in terms of revenue. This is attributed to increasing demand for smart machines from the automobile and manufacturing industries in countries such as Germany and France. The APAC accounted for the highest market share in 2015 and is expected to gain 232 BPS by an end of 2024.For More Information Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report @Key players in the global smart machines market include Apple Inc., Google Inc., Microsoft Corporation, BAE Systems, Creative Virtual Ltd., Digital Reasoning Systems, Inc., IBM Corporation, Narrative Science Inc., Rethink Robotics, ABB Limited, Rockwell Automation, Inc., and General Electric Co. others.To Purchase Report (Single User License) @About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Demand for Wireless Audio Devices Surges in Response to Rising Popularity of Wireless Music Streaming | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Wireless Audio Devices (BT, Sound Bar and Wi-Fi Multiroom) Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.The wireless audio devices market report provides an analysis of the global wireless audio devices market for the period from 2014 to 2024, wherein 2015 is the base year and 2016 to 2024 is the forecast period. Data for 2014 has been included as historical information. The report covers all the prevalent trends, products, and technologies playing a major role in the growth of the wireless audio devices market over the forecast period. It also highlights various drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to influence the markets growth during the said period. The study provides a holistic perspective on market growth, in terms of revenue estimates (in US$ Bn), across the world. The report provides cross-sectional analysis of the global wireless audio devices market in terms of market estimates and forecasts for all the segments across different regions. This research report provides in-depth analysis of the global wireless audio devices market on the basis of product types. The products covered in the report include Bluetooth speakers, sound bars, and Wi-Fi multiroom speakers. The report also includes competitive profiling of the major players engaged in providing wireless audio devices. The major business strategies adopted by them, their market positioning, and various recent developments have also been identified in the research report. This report also provides a market positioning analysis of major players operating in the wireless audio devices market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report also provides a detailed analysis of various types of products. The report offers an in-depth analysis of the market drivers, restraints, and growth opportunities. These factors enable the analysis of various trends that would impact the market during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024. The report includes comprehensive coverage of the underlying economic and technological factors influencing the global wireless audio devices market under the key trend analysis section. Furthermore, the report aims to provide strategic insights into the value chain, Porters Five Forces, and the impact of IoT on the global wireless audio devices market. The market positioning analysis of key players throws light on the prevalent competition in this market.Various factors that affect the growth of the global wireless audio devices market have been identified in this report. The report aims to provide a comprehensive cross-sectional analysis of the global wireless audio devices market across region including the U.S., Europe, and Rest of the World. In addition, the report highlights the competitive landscape of the wireless audio devices market and identifies various business strategies adopted by the leading players. Under the company profiles section, the report provides an overview of the companies operating in the market, the strategies deployed by them to gain competitive advantage, annual revenue generated by them in the past two years, and recent developments. The companies profiled in this report include Bose Corporation, Ultimate Ears (UE, Logitech), Vizio Inc., Beats (Apple, Inc.), Harman International (JBL), Sony Corporation, Sonos, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Philips.The global wireless audio devices market has been segmented as follows.Global Wireless Audio Devices market, by Product Type- Bluetooth Speaker- Sound Bars- Wi-Fi Multiroom SpeakerGlobal Wireless Audio Devices market, by Region- The U.S.- Europe- Rest of World (RoW)Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Healthcare and Automotive Industries to Create a Fertile Environment for Smart Surfaces Market Growth | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Smart Surfaces Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2021" to its huge collection of research reports.This market research study analyzes the smart surfaces market on a global level, and provides estimates in terms of revenue (USD million) from 2015 to 2021. It identifies the drivers and restraints affecting the industry and analyzes their impact over the forecast period. Moreover, it highlights the significant opportunities for market growth in the next six years.The market is segmented on the basis of geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Rest of the World (RoW) and these segments have been estimated in terms of revenue (USD million). In addition, the report has been segmented based on the basis of applications, which includes construction, energy, transportation, medical and healthcare, electronics, military and security, and Others. The medical and healthcare segment has been further segmented into anti-microbial smart surfaces, drug delivery surfaces and others. By material type, the smart surfaces market has been segmented into self healing materials, self cleaning materials, self assembling materials and others. All these segments have also been estimated onthe basis of geography in terms of revenue (USD million).To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Smart surfaces market is expected to experience substantial growth throughout the forecast period. Smart surfaces is a new technology and has huge growth opportunities across all the application sectors. The smart surfaces finds application across construction, energy, transportation, medical and healthcare, electronics, military and security and others. Increasing demand for self cleaning materials across construction utilities is one of the major factors fueling the demand for smart surfaces in the construction sector. Moreover, in the automotive sector demand for better smart windows and windshields is also expected to have a positive impact on the demand for smart surfaces in the automotive sector. Moreover, huge amount of investments are being made in order to develop mats and seat covers which do not get dirty and can be cleaned easily in order to meet changing customer requirements. Moreover, increasing demand for anti-microbial surfaces in the medical and healthcare sector is also expected to have a positive impact on the demand for smart surfaces in the medical and healthcare sector. Moreover, in the energy sector increasing demand for renewable energy sources is also expected to have a positive impact on the demand for smart solar panels globally. Owing to these factors, the smart surfaces market is expected to experience substantial growth throughout the forecast period.Increasing demand for anti-microbial surfaces in the medical and healthcare sector is one of the major factors fueling the demand for smart surfaces globally. With increasing health awareness the demand for antimicrobial surfaces in medical and healthcare sector has increased considerably in the recent past. Antimicrobial coatings are used in order to prevent the growth of microorganisms including bacteria, parasites, fungi and other germs. However, with presence of large number of regulations regarding the usage of materials as coatings companies are making huge amount of investments in research and development activities to develop coatings complying with regulations.Increasing demand for smart windshields is also expected to have a positive impact on the demand for smart surfaces. Changing consumer preference and demand for better in car facilities are some of the major factors fueling the demand for smart surfaces in the automotive sector. In addition, increasing focus on driver safety is also fueling the demand for smart windshields in the automotive sector.However, absence of unified solution is expected to restrain the demand for smart surfaces during the forecast period. Smart surfaces are manufactured by number of companies ranging from large scale companies such as 3M, BASF and ATFI among others and small scale companies such as SLIPS Technologies, nanoShell and Sunpartner among others. However, each of these companies manufactures products which are specific to a particular application industry. However, demand for unified solutions which can be used across two or more application sectors, have increased considerably. The companies are striving to develop products which satisfy the customer requirements.For better understanding of the smart surfaces market, we have provided a detailed analysis of the value chain. Furthermore, the study comprises market attractiveness analysis, where the applications are benchmarked based on their market scope, growth rate and market attractiveness. In addition, the report also includes the drivers, restraints and opportunities (DROs) which will help in strategic decision making of the companies across the value chain of smart surfaces market.The report also provides company market share analysis of the various industry participants. Key players have been profiled and their company overview, financial overview, business strategies and recent developments have been covered in the report. Major market participants profiled in this report include HzO, Inc., 3M Company, SLIPS Technologies, Inc., Nanotrons Corporation, P2i Ltd., Debiotech S.A., Clariant, The Dow Chemical Company, nanoShell Ltd. and Gentex Corporation.The global smart surfaces market is segmented as:Global Smart Surfaces Market: By Application- Construction- Energy- Transportation- Medical and Healthcare- Antimicrobial Smart Surfaces- Drug Delivery Surfaces- Others- Electronics- Military and Security- OthersMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Pipes Take Leading Position among Key Distribution Components in Global District Heating and Cooling Market | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "District Heating and Cooling Market (Consumption, Generation - Boilers and Chillers; Distribution - Pipes, Pressure Pumps, and Valves) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.The district heating and cooling (DHC) market report by Transparency Market Research provides in-depth analysis of the district heating and cooling market globally. The report segments the market on the basis of geography. The report analyzes the global district heating and cooling market in terms of both energy sales volume (Tera Joules) and revenues (US$ Mn) for the years 20162024. For this research study, the base year is 2015, whereas the forecast is from 2016 to 2024. The report also provides investment figures by DHC players in district heating and cooling generation (boilers and chillers) and distribution (pipes, pressure pumps, and valves). The report provides a comprehensive competitive landscape and features companies manufacturing district heating and cooling systems. This report includes the key dynamics affecting the district heating and cooling market globally. The analysis in the report provides detailed insights of the global district heating and cooling market. The drivers, opportunities, and restraints of the market were analyzed in detail and are illustrated in the report. The report also provides a detailed industry analysis of the global district heating and cooling with the help of the Porters Five Forces Analysis model.The research report is divided into the consumption, generation, and distribution segments and further broken into the components of each segment. DHC generation segment is further segmented into chillers and boilers. DHC distribution segment is further segmented into pipes, pressure pumps, and valves.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The district heating and cooling market has been segmented geographically into four regions and further into 16 unique country sub-segments. The regional segments are Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World. The 16 countries which have been separately addressed in this report are the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Austria, Germany, France, Finland, Poland, South Korea, Japan, China, India, Taiwan, and the GCC countries.District heating systems dominated the global district heating and cooling market in terms of both energy sales volumes and revenues. In terms of DHC generation, boilers dominated the market across the globe. In terms of DHC distribution, pipes dominated the global market, followed by pressure pumps and valves.Asia Pacific held the major share of the global district heating and cooling (DHC) market in 2014, accounting for more than 50% of the global market share in terms of sales volume. Europe was the second-largest market for district heating and cooling systems, followed by North America in 2014. Rest of the World (RoW) held the fourth-largest share of the global district heating and cooling market in that year.Asia Pacific held the major share of the global district heating (DH) market in 2014, accounting for more than 55% of the global market share in terms of sales volume. North America held the dominant share of the global district cooling (DC) market in 2014, accounting for more than 50% of the global market in terms of sales volume.Some of the key market participants in the district heating and cooling market are ADC Energy Systems LLC, Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER), Emirates District Cooling LLC (Emicool), Emirates National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed), KELAG Warme GmbH, Keppel DHCS Pte. Ltd., Logstor A/S, Ramboll Group A/S, Shinryo Corporation, and Tekla Corporation. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details (if available), business strategies, and recent developments. The district heating and cooling market has been segmented as follows:Global District Heating and Cooling Market: Regional Analysis- North America- The U.S.- Canada- Mexico- Europe- Denmark- Germany- Sweden- Poland- Austria- France- Finland- Asia Pacific- China- Japan- South Korea- India- Taiwan- Rest of World- GCC CountriesGlobal District Heating and Cooling Market: Consumption Analysis by Technology Type- District Heating- District CoolingGlobal District Heating and Cooling Market: Generation Analysis by Components Type- Chillers- BoilersGlobal District Heating and Cooling Market: Distribution Analysis by Components Type- Pipes- Pressure Pumps- ValvesMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Law Enforcement Robots Industry Shares, Strategies and Forecasts 2016 to 2022 | Now Available at Researchmoz.us

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Law Enforcement Robots: Market Shares, Market Strategies, and Market Forecasts, 2016 to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.Next generation law enforcement robots are being implemented as platforms. Platforms are useful for accepting a range of components quickly to repurpose units on the fly. Law enforcement robots leverage better materials, more sophisticated designs, software technology, and tablet remote controls. They are communication devices that support high quality data gathering. Communications are implemented in difficult situations. The study has 649 pages and 327 tables and figures.Law enforcement robotics are slated to increase in value to cities and local communities providing low cost protection and high value capabilities. With the active threat of terrorists attacking civilian populations in every country, law enforcement has become the new military. As terrorists operate outside nationalistic borders and infiltrate into the community, robot systems are needed by local police forces, not just the military. The national priority in every country is to increase the budgets for regional and local law enforcement robotic response.Response to emergency situations with robots include response to natural disasters, hostage taking, barricaded law breakers, and terrorists. These situations have not been a problem inside local communities, previously dealt with by national authorities.With the rise of international terrorism, experienced through the news media in most local communities and cities, the threat of local terrorism is becoming more real and unfortunately more common. The robots offer al level of protection to the human by letting the police officers do some of their job remotely.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Law enforcement robots are mobile automated process platforms that are responsive to homeland security needs. They are emerging in the context of globalization and smart phone devices that provide connectedness in every aspect of people and things worldwide. Law enforcement robots are evolving in the context of the smart phone apps that support the systems of engagement. This global aspect of the law enforcement robots means that the devices have a presence in every part of the world.Law enforcement robots are inherently local, they are used locally, they are needed by security personnel in particularly dangerous local situations. Systems of engagement apps are evolving as specially designed ground robot networks used to address terrorism and local law enforcement and fire department needs to support community and cities safety patrol.Bomb squads need robots, they need robot technology, more flexibility, better maneuverability. The robots can be tuned to the specific activity in which they are being used. Modular systems represent platform technology of choice for robots. Modules can be highly targeted to specific situations. Robots make police organizations more functional. Robots improve performance, they work remotely.Robots for law enforcement rely on maneuverability. Security technology is becoming mobile, changing the old security camera approach to allowing a more proactive approach to security. The robot can go out and look around.The aim of using law enforcement robots is to secure the safety of the officers in the field. Robots are pretty good at this as it turns out. Police are forced to function in dangerous situations. Law enforcement robots make a manned police force able to function more effectively. Robots can carry video cameras. Video facilitates communicating with a dangerous criminal.Law enforcement robots have become more affordable. Market growth comes from economies of scale that bring the lower costs for more functionality.Law enforcement robot markets at $1 billion in 2015 are anticipated to reach $5.7 billion by 2022. Market growth comes as every law enforcement agency faces the prospect of dealing with terrorists. With technology maturity and economies of scale, price points decline rapidly and affordability continues to drive significant market growth. The companies that have achieved measurable market share early in the evolution of the market are likely to maintain a strong presence in markets.Companies ProfiledMarket Leaders- Northrop GrummanGeneral- General Dynamics- Endeavour Robotics- Kongsberg- QinetiQ Energid / Mitsubishi- ReconRobotics- SDR- Telerob Lockheed- MartinMarket Participants- Coroware- DJI- Kairos Autonami- Google- GoPro- Kairos Autonami- Kawada Industries- Kuka- Lithos Robotics- Lockheed Martin- Mesa Robotics- Mitsubishi Next-Generation- Robot for Nuclear Power Plant- Heat Exchanger Tube Inspection- Northrop Grumman- Pedsco- Power Hawk Technologies- Robotics- Robosoft- Robotex- TechnoRobot- Transcend Robotics- YamahaKey Topics- Law Enforcement Robots- Homeland Security Robots- First Responder Robots- Border Patrol Robots- Ground Robots- Bomb Detection Robots- Networks of Military Robots- Unmanned Logistics Vehicles- Robots Market Shares- Unmanned Vehicles- Robots Market Forecasts- Maneuverable Military Robots- Military Embedded Software- Sensor Networks- Search And Rescue- Robot Navigation- Battery for Robots- Robots Drive Control- Robots Electronics- Robots Market Segments- Low Power Robots- Guns Mounted on Robots- Military Robots- Auto Assault-12 (AA-2)- Remote-Controlled Weapons- Neural Robotics- Robotex- Folding Transport Military- Robots- Robotics- Robot- Common Operator Control- Unit- Radio Control Modules- Security- AppsMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Consumer Camera Drones Industry Demand, Shares, Strategies and Forecasts Research Report 2016 to 2022

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Consumer Camera Drones Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2016 to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.Worldwide consumer drone markets are poised to achieve significant growth with the use of cameras on stable flying platforms that are used to help implement video and picture taking from the air. Activity visualization from the air lets users share images and videos that are interesting and help build relationships.Camera drones use automated process to make socialization more interesting. Drones provide better, more flexible visualization for sharing on social networks. Smart drone cameras provide the prospect of building social networks that are stronger and have increasingly further outreach. Smart consumer drones connect seamlessly and securely to the Internet, permitting instant upload of videos and images. The camera drones can connect to each other, providing the prospect of filmmaking that comes from stitching together video of a single scene shot from multiple angles.Camera drone technology has reached a level of maturity that has put these systems at the forefront of picture taking modernization. People around the entire world are adapting to drone availability, using aerial cameras to visualize daily activities from up in the air. Use cases are evolving rapidly. Video, specialized video, targeted video, and high quality image systems are offered.Consumer photography drones are enormously popular as flying cameras, lifting cameras so every person who wants it can rise above the earth to look down from above. Photography drones are set to make every industry more productive with better, more flexible visualization. Photography drone uses provide the prospect of trillions of dollars in economic growth. Drones connect seamlessly and securely to the Internet and to each other.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Photography drone aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has reached a level of maturity that has permitted DJI to garner $1 billion in revenue in 2015, doubling their revenue in one year. This achievement puts the photography drone systems at the forefront of aerospace manufacturing. Every industry and around the entire world vendors are adapting to drone availability. Use cases are evolving rapidly. Video, photos, specialized video, targeted video, and high resolution images systems are offered.Photography drones have cameras that lift the user visualization above the earth, creating videos and images that are dramatic and impactful. The devices are smart: They have sensors and software that permits automated response to camera input. Smart drones are evolving the ability to interconnect to smart phones, but drones are smart even without smart phone guidance systems. They have microprocessors that can be used to automate processes. Smart commercial drones connect seamlessly and securely to the Internet and to each other.Use of drones represents a key milestone in provision of value to every industry. Customized cameras are used to take photos and videos with stunning representations. Digital controls will further automate flying, making ease of use and flight stability a reality. New materials and new designs are bringing that transformation forward. By furthering innovation, continued growth is assured.The worldwide market for camera drones is $2 billion anticipated to reach $21.5 billion by 2022. The complete report provides a comprehensive analysis of drones in different categories, illustrating the diversity of uses for remote flying devices that have high quality cameras on board. Analytics makes the images more cogent. Cameras used from the air are used to anticipate infrastructure problems that only become visible to humans on land days, weeks, or months after the drone images detect issues.Companies ProfiledMarket Leaders- Northrop Grumman AeroVironment- Boeing / Insitu- General Atomics- Lockheed Martin- Draganflyer- Textron / AAI- IAIMarket Participants- AeroVironment- ASN Technologies- Aurora Flight- Aviation Industry Corp (Avic)- BAE Systems- Boeing- Challis UAV Inc.- China Aerospace- Denel Dynamics- DJI- Draganflyer- Finmeccanica- Flirtey- General Atomics- General Dynamics- Google- GoPro- Honeywell- Integrated Dynamics- Israel Aerospace Industries- L-3 Communications- Laird / Cattron Group International- Lockheed Martin- Marcus UAV- MMist- Northrop Grumman- Parrot/senseFly- Prox Dynamics- Proxy Technologies- RUAG Aerospace- Safran Morpho- SAIC- Scaled Composites- Schiebel- Textron- TRNDlabs- Wing LoongMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Agricultural Drones Global Market Analysis, Shares, Strategy and Forecasts 2016 to 2022 | Researchmoz

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Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Agricultural Drones: Market Shares, Strategy, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2016 to 2022" to its huge collection of research reports.The 2016 study has 288 pages, 127 tables and figures. Worldwide agricultural drone markets are poised to achieve significant growth with the use of cameras on stable flying platforms that are used to help implement precision farming. Crop visualization lets farmers better control and isolate areas for spraying and lets the drones do the spraying.Agricultural drones use automated process to make farming more productive. Drones provide better, more flexible visualization. Smart drone agricultural uses cameras and provide the prospect of trillions of dollars in farming economic growth. Smart commercial drones connect seamlessly and securely to the Internet and to each other.Agricultural drone technology has reached a level of maturity that has put these systems at the forefront of farming modernization. Farmers around the entire world are adapting to drone availability, using aerial cameras to visualize plants. Use cases are evolving rapidly. Video, specialized video, targeted video, and agricultural spraying systems are offered.Agricultural Drones Use Technology for Spraying, Mapping, Pest Control, Seeding, Remote Sensing, and Precision AgricultureAgricultural technology uses drones to leverage a data-driven future. Inexpensive sensors, cloud computing and intelligent software used in a drone system hold the potential to transform agriculture and help feed the worlds growing population.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Venture investment in agricultural drones has been strong. Investment of venture capital in agricultural technology start-ups reached $2.06 billion in the first half of 2015, 4.25 billion in 2015 doubling the amount of capital invested in this area in 2014.Agricultural drones leverage the Internet of things (IoT). IoT brings sensors to supplement images of the land from above, making it possible to communicate and use analytics to understand changes in vegetation.Digital electronics brings significant change to the ancient manual processes of farming. Markets portend to reach multitrillion-dollar payoff from the emerging technology that increases the production and distribution of food. There are technical and policy issues to leverage the potential of the drone use of the Internet of Things (IoT). Challenges include security, privacy and standards. Hackers can enter apparently secure networks to remotely control engines, brakes and steering. This could create a problem on a farm if the network was hacked.Agricultural industrialization has been brought in some measure by tractors and columbines. Drones bring far greater automated process. Preindustrial agriculture, dating from before Christ to about 1920, consisted of labor-intensive, essentially subsistence farming on small farms. This took two acres to feed one person. With industrial agriculture, from 1920 to 2010, tractors and combine harvesters, chemical fertilizers and seed science opened commercialization of farms. Gains in productivity achieved one acre feeding five people.Digital agriculture brought by drones is part of the next stage in industrialization of agriculture. It involves exploiting data from many sources  sensors on farm equipment and plants, satellite images and weather tracking. The use of water and fertilizer is measured and monitored. Growing can be monitored on a plant-by-plant basis.Plant factories are being implemented worldwide that use 97% less water than an outdoor growing environment. Drones are anticipated to be used in those environments indoors.The data-rich approach to decision making represented a sharp break with tradition. It is a totally different world than walking out on the farmland, kicking the dirt and making a decision based on intuition.Transparency is a significant aspect of sensor use in farming logistics. Consumers care that their food is cared for in the proper manner: end to end.According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the study, Transparency is one of the benefits of IoT that drones bring to digital farming. The benefits of digital farming are higher productivity and more efficient use of land, water and fertilizer. Transparency in farming is being asked for by consumers. Consumers want to know where their food came from, how much water and chemicals were used, and when and how the food was harvested. They want to know about consistent refrigeration during transport.Use of drones represents a key milestone in provision of value to every industry. Customized cameras are used to take photos and videos with stunning representations. Digital controls will further automate flying, making ease of use and flight stability a reality. New materials and new designs are bringing that transformation forward. By furthering innovation, continued growth is assured.The worldwide market for agricultural drones is $494 million anticipated to reach $3.69 billion by 2022. The complete report provides a comprehensive analysis of drones in different categories, illustrating the diversity of uses for remote flying devices in farming. Analytics makes the images more cogent to farmers, letting them anticipate problems that only become visible to human farmers days or weeks after the drone images detect issues.Companies ProfiledMarket Leaders- Yamaha- DJI- AeroVironmentMarket Participants- 3D Robotics- Aeryon Labs- AgEagle- Airogisitic- Airware- BlueSKy- Boeing- China Aerospace- Intel / Cyberhawk Innovations- Delair-Tech- Denel Dynamics- DJI- Draganflyer- EHang- Finmeccanica- Flirtey- FT Sistemas- Google- GoPro- Gryphon- Hobbico- Hubsan- HUVRData, LLC- Intel- Ascending Technologies- Israel Aerospace Industries- Japan Drones- L-3 Communications- Parrot/senseFly- Prox Dynamics- Proxy Technologies- Roketsan- RUAG Aerospace- Safran Morpho- Schiebel- Secom- Skycatch- Sky-Futures- Yahama- YuneecMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Electronic Health Records Solution Market To Reach US$30.28 Bn By 2023

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Over the past two decades, information technology has revolutionized every facet of the mankind. In current scenario, healthcare practices of all types and sizes, and information is both a benefit and a challenge for every provider. Awareness about the disease and treatment is saving lives, while lack of effectively managed data might place this information at risk. Although, several pilot and cohort studies has been undertaken by government organizations and institutions pertaining to effectiveness of a computerized patient healthcare information system. Despite such studies many hospitals/providers especially in emerging markets have not successfully introduced an electronic health record (EHR) with clinical data entry at the point of care which clearly illustrates latent gap and scope of market expansion in forthcoming years.As physicians around the world adopt information technology to streamline their routine work, it is expected to give a major boost to the global electronic health records solution market. In a report, titled Electronic Health Records Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2015 - 2023, Transparency Market Research, provides a holistic overview of the various factors influencing the market. The report has pegged the value of the global electronic health records solution market at US$18.93 bn in 2014. Rising at a CAGR of 5.4%, the market is expected to reach US$30.28 bn by the end of 2023.EHR systems have encouraged many physicians around the world to adopt information technology for their routine work. The use of EHR systems helps in maintaining updated information of patients, reduce healthcare costs, improve accuracy and efficiency, and reduce medical errors. The growing government initiatives to encourage the adoption of EHR systems for healthcare facilities has driven the growth of this market. On the other hand, the absence of skilled healthcare IT professionals and high installation costs of EHR systems are some of the major factors that are expected to hamper the growth of this market in the forecast period.For Any Queries Get Solutions With A PDF Sample :Electronic health records (EHR) provide a summary of medical records generated electronically during a clinical encounter. An EHR is designed to provide an electronic record of medical history of any patient. These records are maintained by third-party service providers over time. The service providers help clinicians in maintaining key administrative clinical data such as progress notes, demographics, medications, side-effects, vital signs, laboratory data, past medical history, and other information relevant to patient care.Apart from knowledge about the significant advantages of EHR, financial incentives by governments worldwide are among the prime factors boosting the global EHR solution market. An EHR system provides up-to-date information regarding patients, helps in reducing healthcare cost in the long-term, reduces the chances of medical errors, ensures quick access to data related to patients, increases patient participation, and contributes in improving the overall efficiency of healthcare providers. These advantages are turning healthcare providers in favor of adopting technically advanced EHR systems. Furthermore, favorable policies and financial incentives offered by governments will stimulate the adoption of EHR systems in developing regions.Based on installation type, the global electronic health records solution market is segmented into client-based servers, web-based services, and software as a service. The rising installation of EHR systems across the healthcare industry can be attributed to the increasing need for enhancing efficiency in patient care, technological advancements prompting data access through smartphones, and the rising disposable income of potential consumers.Web-based EHR systems have emerged as the most popular solution among medical professionals since they help in reducing the deployment cost. Client-server based EHR system on the other hand require upfront installation fees, which restraints their deployment in small and mid-size practices. Besides this, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) segment is expected to rise at a robust pace during the forecast period. Higher preference for SaaS is noted among physicians since it helps in eliminating technical glitches and has lower upfront costs.View exclusive Global strategic Business report :To study the markets competitive landscape, the report also profiles companies such as CPSI, Cerner Corporation, Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., GE Healthcare, Medical Information Technology, Inc., Medical Information Technology, Inc., and others.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:
Millionaires have a history of moving to the sidelines ahead of a presidential election, but many among America's wealthy are now moving quickly back into the stock market, knowing that Donald Trump will be president. They told CNBC they are planning big changes to their investment portfolios and a swift change in their outlook on stock sectors.

Millionaires are pouring into financial and industrial stocks and pulling back on tech and health care, which were their favorite sectors in spring 2016, according to the latest CNBC Millionaire Survey, conducted shortly after the election in November.

Thirty-seven percent of millionaires told CNBC that the election results will cause them to make major changes to investment choices, while 40 percent of millionaires said any tax cut will lead to increased investment in stocks.

"A lot of cash sitting idle is now getting back in," said Tom Wynn, director of research at Spectrem Group, which conducts the Millionaire Survey for CNBC. "What they are saying in this survey is that they are investing everything politically. Nothing else is triggering their investments  not age or anything else."

Twenty percent of millionaires said the election will cause them to invest more in stocks, which Wynn said is a high number compared to historical data.

The largest percentage of millionaires think the S&P 500 will go up between 5 percent and 10 percent in 2017, similar to millionaires' view of market potential from the last survey, in the spring. But the percentage of millionaires who think the economy will be stronger in 2017 jumped from 30 percent in the spring to 47 percent after the election.

The rotation into the financial and industrial sectors among millionaires matches overall market enthusiasm since the election. Financials, as tracked by the SPDR Financial Select Sector ETF (XLF (NYSE Arca: XLF)), is up 17 percent since Nov. 9. The Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI (NYSE Arca: XLI)) is up 7.5 percent since the election.

Story continues

The bigger change is the pulling back from tech, which has been the most popular sector among millionaires over past surveys.

Even with increased bullishness, a significant percentage of millionaires do not expect a major change in their personal rate of return compared to previous surveys, with 40 percent expecting a return between 4 percent and 6 percent. Only 27 percent of millionaires expect a return of 6 percent or greater.

Millionaire bullishness is up, but there is a huge divide in the survey data based on the political affiliation of millionaires . While the overall numbers speak to market confidence, Republican millionaires are heavily influencing the results with extreme bullishness compared to Democrats.

Sixty-percent of millionaires overall say Trump will be good for investing, up from 36 percent in the spring. But the new data includes 92 percent of Republicans and only 18 percent of Democrats.

This bifurcation is worrisome to financial advisors who work with the wealthy.



"This is a bipolar market," said Karen Altfest, principal advisor and executive vice president of client relations at Altfest Personal Wealth Management. "There is a great danger in people taking extreme positions on either side. Market outlook shouldn't be so extreme or depend on current events."



Wynn said the current exuberance among millionaires is partly because the results of the election were so unexpected, and that could cause some excitement to dissipate. "People out there are expecting good times ahead. I think the economy is driven by more than just politics, and I think it is good to not invest politically," Wynn said.

(Note on survey: The CNBC Millionaire Survey was conducted in mid-November with 750 investors and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent. It is an exclusive semi-annual summary of the investment attitudes and behaviors of investors with $1 million or more of investable assets.)
Wednesday 21 December 2016 9:25am



Dr Giles Newton-Howes

Wellington researchers are calling for doctors to be more involved in the debate around cannabis as a medicine.

In a recent article in the New Zealand Medical Journal, Dr Giles Newton-Howes, from the University of Otago, Wellington, and Dr Sam McBride, from the Capital & Coast District Health Board, say that although cannabis has a long history of medicinal use, the current evidence is mixed and relatively weak.

They note though that the harms of cannabis have been well identified, and say this raises concerns about cannabis as a medication and demonstrates the importance of it undergoing the usual regulatory process for medicines.

There is evidence around the harms and problems of using cannabis but the evidence of its effectiveness as a medicine is weak, says Dr Giles Newton-Howes, from the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Otago, Wellington.

There are also added complexities with the use of cannabis as it is illicit. We believe doctors, i.e. the people who will be asked to prescribe this medication, need to be more engaged in the discussion of medicinal cannabis to move the debate forward, says Dr Newton-Howes.

There has been increased interest in cannabis as a medicine both nationally and internationally. Many countries have accepted cannabis as a medication for a variety of purposes, and this has led for calls for it to be medicalised in New Zealand, he says.

But Dr Newton-Howes says there are issues with this approach to accessing cannabis, which is why he believes doctors need to be at the forefront of the debate surround medicalised cannabis.

If they do not engage in this debate, the medical profession will risk having to respond to requests after the fact, as opposed to helping to shape policy now. All doctors should have an interest in this, from primary care physicians to sub-specialists in neurology, psychiatry and associated fields, he says.

We really need to separate out the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes and recreational purposes, says Dr Newton-Howes. If clinicians are not engaged in this debate now, we cannot influence the direction the use of cannabis will go in.

Please contact Dr Newton-Howes for a copy of the full NZMJ article.

For further information, contact:

Dr Giles Newton-Howes

Department of Psychological Medicine

University of Otago, Wellington

Tel: 64 4 385 5587

Email: giles.newton-howes@otago.ac.nz
AUBURN, Mich. (AP)  A police officer tried to hide firing a weapon in a Michigan school that sent a bullet through a wall and grazed a teacher, according to reports obtained Monday by a newspaper.

Police documents and video obtained by The Bay City Times through a public records request show Bay County sheriff's Deputy Adam Brown fired a pistol last month in Bay City Western High School's robotics classroom while testing the trigger pull with a force machine. Brown, who was the school's resource officer at the time, had two guns and the one that discharged was a backup he was authorized to carry, the newspaper reported (http://bit.ly/2hSRL79 ).

Reports described the bullet passing through drywall into a classroom occupied by a teacher and roughly 30 students. The bullet ricocheted off the ceiling and a wall, and then struck the teacher in the neck.

The teacher had a small scratch and went to pick up the fired bullet but dropped it because it was hot.

Brown didn't initially confess to staff members, leading officials to boost security measures while they tried to figure out what happened, reports say. A staff member gave Brown the spent bullet in order to protect it.

Investigators said in reports that Brown admitted to what happened after being confronted by school officials.

"(Brown) left the school building, placing the fired gun in his personal vehicle, and threw the fired bullet into the school lawn in an attempt to thwart the investigation," a report said. It added that in a conversation with another officer, Brown was "extremely emotional" and said "it was a total accident."

The Associated Press left a message on what's believed to be Brown's number after a man hung up on the first attempt.

No charges have been filed as the case is reviewed by prosecutors in neighboring Tuscola County.

"He's not serving in an official police capacity until everything is done with the court systems," Bay County Undersheriff Troy Cunningham said of Brown, a 20-year department veteran.

___

Information from: The Bay City Times, http://www.mlive.com/bay-city
In the Trump movie now playing in the American theater, connecting all the dots requires the artistry of a mapmaker and the insight of a psychic.

Or, perhaps, the critical eye of a movie reviewer.

The leading man, President-elect Donald Trump, is gradually revealing himself to be a hybrid of Daniel Plainview (There Will Be Blood), Keyser Soze (The Usual Suspects) or Gordon Gekko (Wall Street)  each a Machiavellian, sociopathic narcissist bent on reshaping the world in his own image.

Not to put too fine a point on it.

Whomever people thought they were voting for, sayonara to all that. The Trump of Fifth Avenue has returned to his palace. Hes the star of his own movie, and everyone else, especially the Republican base he so skillfully seduced, is mere crowd scenery. Sorry.

It is probably time to concede that, notwithstanding his apparent lack of complex articulation skills, Trump is smarter than he pretended. From the beginning, everything he has done has been calculated toward a reordering of the universe. A better actor than orator, he performed as circumstances required  the everyman, the comedian, the boaster, the flirter, the winker and, finally, the world champ  and plundered the imaginations of the wanting.

It must have been a supreme test of will to keep his true intentions to himself and his gaze steady upon the prize until, by some miracle (or however you say that in Russian), he won.

As the transition unfolds, new stars cascading into a constellation of superpower, the moviegoer willingly suspends disbelief in passive acceptance of whatevers to come. Trump instinctively understands that he must feed the suspense, both to hold his audiences attention and to keep them distracted while hes busy masterminding his biggest deal ever  to Russia with love.

Whether it was his false courtship of Mitt Romney or his bizarre meeting with Kanye West, everything seems designed to distract and entertain the masses. His Romneyvous in a public dining display apparently was a setup for his ultimate rejection of one of his fiercest critics.

His selection of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to run the Energy Department was a masterful prank, with lots of laughs to come. Energy, of course, was the very department Perry couldnt recall when, unforgettably, his brain froze during a 2011 Republican debate. Secretary Oops?

All the while, Trump was focused on his future with Russia and Vladimir Putin, whose leadership the president-elect has publicly admired. In July, during the last news conference Trump has held, he openly requested Russias help in defeating Hillary Clinton.

Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, referring to messages deleted from Clintons personal server.

Trump later dismissed the comment as a joke, but you know what they say about truths cloaked in jest. Recently, the CIA affirmed that Russia did interfere with the election by hacking the Democratic National Committees computers and releasing damaging information via WikiLeaks.

True to character, Trump called the report ridiculous and said the whole thing was a fabrication by Democrats. Then one of the three generals he has proposed for top positions in his administration, Michael Flynn, said he doesnt believe the report, basically accusing the CIA of lying, though he apparently did believe a fake news story his son retweeted about a child sex ring in a pizza parlor here, supposedly run by Clinton. Flynn didnt retweet the story himself, but he did refer in a post about Clintons emails to allegations of sex crimes (with) children.

Oh, well, even a potential national security adviser can screw up now and then, right? No.

Meanwhile, Trumps pal Roger Stone, a Republican operative, claims to have had back-channel communication with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. How are those dots coming along?

Trump has always said that building a relationship with Russia is essential to defeating the Islamic State. But Russia has been assisting Syrian President Bashar Assad in bombing the city of Aleppo, which is occupied by insurgents not terrorists.

Into this fracas enters Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Trumps choice for secretary of state, whose business relationships with Russia have raised concerns. In a fresh twist, Tillerson is a globalist who supports open trade and has praised the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump campaigned against. Might the president-elect be open to negotiating another of his promises?

To the critics eye, a Trump-Putin-Exxon alliance  the autocrat and plutocrats assisted by generals  does not suggest a triumph of altruism. But, relax, its just a movie. And centralized casting is watching you.
Belleville News Democrat

Our neighbors in Chicago are in the midst of the deadliest year in decades  more than 700 homicides were tallied with a month to go. Some have asked whether this record year is tied to the Illinois budget impasse, and the fact that nearly 1 million folks are not getting the state services they would have gotten because two-thirds of mental health, substance abuse and youth services have been cut by agencies that have gone without state money.

St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly said the impasse is destroying the Redeploy Illinois program, which puts troubled teens in school and job training, rather than in prison.

The list of idle kids may soon grow exponentially as schools run out of money.

The veto session is over, and lawmakers are gone, likely until Jan. 9. The temporary budget expires Dec. 31. Christmas break could get very, very long for some schools that can't operate without their state money.

No political gain or game is worth having blood on your hands.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register

The six Democratic state lawmakers who filed a lawsuit demanding they be paid on time have a point: They are owed about six months' worth of pay, and the Illinois constitution appears to be on their side in this matter.

Despite being the ones to create this seemingly never-ending line, legislators think they have the right to cut to the front. The lawsuit argues that former Comptroller Leslie Munger's action violates the state constitution through executive-branch interference with the legislature.

A judge will most likely agree with them, but the lawsuit is a tone-deaf move.

That is just a small taste of the uncertain reality most human service agencies, schools, universities and other vendors have been subject to for nearly two years, thanks to the inaction of those same lawmakers to build a spending plan for Illinois.

It's inevitable that there will be agony as the state tries to right its fiscal ship. That misery needs to be shared, and state lawmakers must bear their share of it.

The Quincy Herald-Whig

"We are placed here with certain talents and capabilities. It is up to each of us to use those talents and capabilities as best you can. If you do that, I think there is a power greater than any of us that will place the opportunities in our way, and if we use our talents properly, we will be living the kind of life we should live."

 John Glenn, during NASA news conference in 1959 to introduce the Mercury 7 astronauts

Glenn, who died last week at 95, left an indelible mark on history. He was a quintessential American  striving hard, succeeding, suffering setbacks and earning high-flying redemption.

His life most certainly lived up to the famous send-off that fellow astronaut Scott Carpenter gave to him that day in February 1962, just before takeoff: "Godspeed, John Glenn."
Jesus did not claim to be a god or God. To do so would have made him merely an equal to Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Achilles and Herod Antipas. Centuries later a Roman emperor got theologians and bishops to declare he was (a) God. Muslims who originated from a different, non-Greek heritage of the followers of Jesus deny that appellation because some followers according to scholars  knew Jesus personally (unlike Paul)  as the brother who walked the villages of Judea and Galilee. Muslims see Jesus as a great prophet, but find it distracting from his mission to call this child of God a God.

To follow Jesus on his way, I believe that, with the early Christians (and Muslims) he rose from the dead. While clearly saying The Father is greater than I, He was trying to teach us that what we do as a child of the creator-father is far more important than doctrine or dogma. He was also, yes, incorporating us into the family of God  to make us all  Jews, Christians and Muslims  one abrahamic tree of monotheists. (The Father and I are one.) He was a messiah (as Scripture remarks  like the pagan Cyrus), but his mission was to help us grow in faith  not a faith about doctrinal belief but personal faith in a compassionate single Father.
A new research was released saying lidocaine could help babies be numb from the pain of vaccination. This study was published on December 12 via the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

The New York Times shared this new study that could ease the pain that babies get during vaccination. Parents are encouraged to apply some lidocaine cream on the surface of the baby's skin where the needle is supposed to be injected. Scientists sampled 352 babies who are below 12 months old using four experiments. One with placebo, a video tutorial on how to soothe an infant during vaccination, a video tutorial with sugar to give the baby and lastly, sugar given to the baby orally with lidocaine applied on the skin's baby.

Parents and scientists based the rate of pain of their baby using their facial reaction, their tears and other body movements. For the ones that had the lidocaine, those babies starting 2 months old up to 1 year old, experienced less pain according to the pain chart. Babies who got sugar method along with the tutorial videos didn't have any difference with the ones who got the placebo no matter what age they were.

University of Toronto's professor of pharmacy, Anna Taddio, also the lead scientist of this study, said that lidocaine is safe to apply topically since it doesn't pose any serious side effect, as long as it is used properly. Taddio is encouraging parents to use it for their kids, as it is the only method that could actually work for easing the pain during vaccination.

Fox News also published this report saying the right pain reliever for babies during vaccination could help them not develop fear and negative thinking with injections. Because when that happens, it will be hard for doctors to give them shots when it is warranted.
Gary Younge, the author of 'Another Day in the Death of America', chose the twenty-third day of the eleventh month for the day of setting his book.

But this day was surely another day for America. An unexceptional Saturday as he writes, ten kids were killed. Most of which were black. The ages of which were between nine to eighteen. On that day, not

all the kids or teens were killed by gunshots, according to The Spectator.

There is no measure of America's total gun death rate. And overall, after road accidents, on is the shot of a gun responsible for killing of children. What the Younge's thoughts according to The Intercept, about this were that this topic is left undiscussed, so the business of the country won't be disturbed.

The book is a painting of the children's death and them being neglected. It also tells about their lives and settings of theirs. The story encircles topics like, ethnic isolations, failing of institutes, destitutions, and communal precariousness.

Younge takes his readers on a voyage. He meets with the teachers, friends, and families of the dead. Sometimes, he keeps on knocking on the door, but no one comes out to answer his questions or to tell him about the victim, this black journalist, then is left with being involved in researches on social media sites, where he hopes for getting all the information he requires.

A year after the killing and shooting at Sandy Hook a guy holding a gun killed 26 people, six of which were grownups, and the other were small kids. The book is not just an ordinary one; it has many narratives and painful stories.

It is a collection of memories. It portraits a state full of racist people and poverty. A country where injustice is common, and where there's failure of media. Younge has a written a book which revolves around the negative side of the U.S, which many of the people living in the US ignore and overlook.

It is helping and explaining the ruptured parts of the country. This book was composed before the presidential polling. On the day, more than usual black kids had been killed. Americans want to overlook these incidents as the country is divided regarding race.

Younge hasn't got much hope factor when it comes to the politics of America. He made it clear in his interview. He told that when he gave the book to be published, some publishers weren't simply ready to publish it and kept passing it on.

When asked what should be done being played a role as a journalist, Younge replied that on top of everything they should be investigating and announcing. They should be raising awareness of this side of the country which is being neglected and the precious lives being lost.

And his book is based on this too. He thinks it is easier to write than to report regarding guns. Younge says that he has he is hopeless that Trump will make these areas better. He says that he has been in contact with different people who do not care about others but only the survival of their kids. And they vote on this basis too.
A mother is accused of leaving her child inside a frozen car for seven hours after the vehicle got into a wreck. Authorities are yet to release any statement regarding the reason behind the mother leaving the two-year-old boy alone.

ABC 13 reported that investigators have identified the mother as Nicole Carmon. She first told them that her car had been in a wreck and she left her car overnight in a parking lot in Thornton.

Officers said they found the toddler inside the car and was in distress. He also suffered from frostbite and hypothermia. Swedish Medical Center's Dr. Jared Scott said in a statement regarding hypothermia, "Hypothermia in extreme cases can be deadly, whereas frostbite, there can be dire consequences, such as losing the tip of your nose."

The mother also told the 911 dispatcher that she did not know how she was able to get home and could not find her son at home. Officers looked for the car and searched for the boy for more than an hour.

The authorities found the vehicle, a 2013 green Ford Fusion, at the parking lot of a Thornton mall. The car was covered in snow and it showed no signs that it was involved in any accident, The Washington Post reported.

The night before the boy was discovered, the temperatures dropped below zero. Police spokesman Matt Barnes said that because the car was blanketed with snow, there was no way to see what or who was inside the vehicle. The boy was rushed to a hospital and is expected to live.

The 26-year-old mother was then arrested and charged with felony child abuse. She was held at the Adams County Detention Center.

Meanwhile, it is still unknown if the mother has an attorney representing her and if she has entered a plea. It was not stated what possible punishment would the mother face if found guilty considering the other circumstances.
A 21-year-old man was shot to death over the weekend outside a daycare center in Lawrenceville, Georgia over the weekend. A 15-year-old was arrested in the fatal shooting and is being considered as the primary suspect.

Patch reported the victim, Curtis Oldham, 21, was found on Saturday. The suspect was identified as Caziah Brown, who's from Lilburn while Oldham was from Lawrenceville.

Brown was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault. The 15-year-old was taken into custody on Sunday at an address Lochshyre Way in Lawrenceville in. A Gwinnett County SWAT team was deployed in the area to make the arrest.

Childtime, the daycare center where Oldham was found, is in Lilburn and is located at 4050 Darling CT. It's unclear why he was there but authorities said the man is not in any way related to the daycare facility. It is possible that this is where he ended up as his girlfriend wanted to ask for help.

Someone called police at around 3:41 p.m. and told the dispatcher that they found the car and that a female, who was said to be driving the car, told them her passenger (Oldham) was shot. Oldham was then taken to a hospital by an EMS personnel but he was later pronounced dead.

Authorities believed the shooting was related to drug dealings. It was not yet clear where the shooting really happened as authorities said the girlfriend of Brown took him to the parking lot of the daycare facility. Oldham's girlfriend was not considered a suspect but she might testify during the trial.

Meanwhile, authorities claimed Brown and two other people robbed a 57-year-old delivery man of a pizza. The man's cellphone and car were taken. The older brother of Brown, Dontae Lang, told FOX 5 that his brother was not the type of person who has an angry nature or never thought of killing anybody.

Anyone who has information with what transpired during and before the shooting is asked to call the police at (770) 513-5300. If one wishes to remain anonymous, he or she could contact Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-TIPS (8477).
Industrial gas producer and supplier Praxair Inc. PX remains keen on improving its offerings to better serve its large global client base. Currently, it is focused on the beverage industry. The company recently started operating a new carbon dioxide purification and liquefaction plant at the Delaware refinery.



Year to date, shares of Praxair yielded a return of 20.1%, outperforming the return of 16.1% by the Zacks categorized Chemicals diversified industry

As revealed, in Jul 2015, Praxair signed a long-term agreement with Delaware City Refining Company regarding the purchase of crude carbon dioxide from the latter. The new plant, with a production capacity of 450 tons per day, has been set up at the Delaware refinery to fulfill this contract. The plant will process crude carbon dioxide sourced from the refinery to yield purified liquid carbon dioxide, fit for use in the beverage industry.



Praxair will supply the plants output to its merchant customers in the northeastern U.S. Also, the company is building a dry ice facility, with a production capacity of 120 tons per day at the Delaware refinery. These moves will enable the company to strengthen its foothold in that part of the country and subsequently, improve top-line results. In third-quarter 2016, the company sourced approximately 52.7% of its revenues from North America.



We believe increasing application of industrial gases in manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, food and beverages, and metal fabrication industries comes as a boon for industrial gas producers. Exiting the third quarter, Praxair had a solid backlog of $1.4 billion. In addition, it boasts a diversified product portfolio and a large worldwide client base. Despite the long-term positives, the companys exposure to certain near-term headwinds, including unfavorable foreign currency movements, higher production costs, stiff competition, and high debt levels restrict its growth momentum.



Currently, Praxair has a market capitalization of $35.1 billion and carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Over the last 60 days, Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has decreased 0.9% to $5.48 per share for 2016 and by 2.1% to $5.92 per share for 2017.

Story continues

PRAXAIR INC Price and Consensus

PRAXAIR INC Price and Consensus | PRAXAIR INC Quote

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FMC Corporation posted better-than-expected results in all the four trailing quarters, with an average earnings surprise of 13.07%. Also, the earnings estimates for 2016 and 2017 have been revised upward over the past 60 days.



Innophos Holdings earnings for 2016 and 2017 have been revised upward in the last 60 days. Earnings surprise in the last quarter is a positive 13.64%.



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Many families with a child on the autism spectrum find it hard to see Santa in the mall as an annual tradition because of so much noise and dense crowd. Nonetheless, Santa with autism has made it possible for a couple of kids with autism to enjoy his presence at the Lawson Heights Mall.

Sensitive Santa was at the mall on Sunday evening to exclusively make many children with autism happy. This Santa also has autism himself, as CBS reported.

The event happens when the mall is closed so as to serve the kids in a quiet, sensory-free environment. In such situation, the children can spend as much time as they need with Santa.

"It's just been a wonderful thing for us to do as a family. Not have to worry about the crowds, the noise and everything going on in the mall at that time," Lori Neault, a parent of a kid with autism said in an interview with Global News.

The Sensitive Santa has done this for the second year, through the help of the Lawson Height Mall and Autism Services Saskatoon.

"A lot of them have certain triggers, whether it's lights, noises or it's super over-crowded," Alex Scott, the family program director at Autism Services of Saskatoon told Global News. Kids got so excited and are overwhelmed though in some occasion there were meltdown scenarios. But this is the reason why the organizers have set up a quiet after mall hours to maintain a calm environment where they can totally enjoy Santa Claus.

One of the 35 kids who got to visit St. Nick with autism was Adam Schulte. He was totally amazed and was very excited to tell him what he wanted for Christmas. Adam likes Santa very much but he did not like crowds so the event was really perfect for him.

A little girl named Sara Callighy also had a one-of-a-kind meeting with Santa. The 8-year-old little lady has autism and is nonverbal. Her father brought her to the event because the Santa's helper she met understands all the challenges the father and daughter are getting through.

The event has inspired many parents who have kids with autism. For them, it was a very moving gesture from the organizers.
Motherhood has changed a lot over the past decades, and in the sense of isolation - even in a world of growing technology and alleged connectedness is one of the differences. Mothers who had kids in the 1960s, 70s, and 80's had all agreed that motherhood nowadays is a whole lot different.

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Lyz Lenz who is a mom of two says that a part of her wishes is that she will raise her children like her mother in the early 80s, an era of less judgment. An era where parents weren't distracted by phones, where there was no surfing Facebook, checking email or returning of text messages while nurturing the baby. Children were engaged with the parents. These days, there's less direct communication due to distraction.

Joanna Mazewski who is a mom of two in Coconut Creek, Florida says that the level of suspicion is one of the differences today. Mothers these days are more paranoid and uptight about the lives of their children. Before, children can play outside without a worry. Nowadays, there is fear in letting kids play outside due to bad people and pressures.

The technological advances mode is perhaps the most noticeable changes between moms today and moms' decades ago. These revolutionary inventions do have their good points. It is now easier to keep in touch with family members who live far away. However, because of the increase in convenient communication is fast it come some with a negative point according to an article on CNN.

A mom of four in Los Angeles and a host of the blog Mommy Blog Expert, Janis Brett Elspas said that technology today when it is used in a proper way could be very powerful for the parents. Learning from each other's experience through the internet is almost like the Life Magazine of this century.

According to an article in The New York Times, there were two recent studies on how and why nurturing children change from one generation to the next generation.

The first research is from the researchers of Ohio State University. The study shows that some patterns in nurturing children are passed down from one generation to the next generation but only to a point.

The second research is from Wellesley College, Markella Rutherford who is an assistant professor of sociology. This study reveals that children's freedom to go outside is restricted. Thus it requires an understanding of the social changes that shift attention from public participation toward private self-expression.


Marijuana metabolites were found in the urine of infants who were all exposed to the use of marijuana smoke. Researchers discovered 16 percent of the total urine samples tested positive and 75 percent of the kids, whose caregivers have admitted that they exposed their children to marijuana smoke, who had hints of marijuana particles in their urine.

The study involves 43 young kids from Colorado, a state where leisure marijuana use is not illegal. The kids, age 1-month - 2-years-old, were taken to hospital for bronchiolitis condition. All the samples of their urine were delivered to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that utilized highly sensitive and new test which can spot super low amounts of marijuana metabolites.

Dr. Karen Wilson, lead author of the study and the Debra and Leon Black division chief of general pediatrics at Mount Sinai in New York, said it is their first time to be able to demonstrate that there are detectable marijuana metabolites in the urine of kids who have been exposed to marijuana. She also said there's a strong link between those who said there was somebody or caretaker who used marijuana and child having detectable marijuana levels.

In the end, the study suggested that marijuana smoke is not okay for kids and the researchers firmly believe that once they do the research to document secondhand marijuana exposure that they will see, there's a harmful effect on children. With this, doctors were more worried now as there are more than half of states, according to NPR, have laws legalizing medical use of marijuana.

Patients, who use marijuana for certain medication, tend to believe that marijuana smoke is a lot safer to the secondhand smoker than tobacco smoke. However Dr. David Beuther, an associate professor of medical and pulmonologist in Denver's National Jewish Health, said they're very wrong. He said there's no reason to believe that marijuana smoke exposure is any safer than cigarette smoke exposure, pointing to latest studies posted in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggesting marijuana smoke among rats is just as bad or even worse as cigarette smoke.

Dr. Beuther suspected that marijuana smoke could cause asthma, viral infections and other respiratory-related illnesses. Also, he speculated that it could even increase the chance of developing stroke and heart disease later in life."


Scientists found out back in 1983 that people who cry out whatever it is that they need to cry out feel good and relieved afterward. A burden is unloaded from their minds, which is good for their mental health.

In an article published by The Hearty Soul, this study might be old, but it is timeless considering that still not a lot of people realize the healthy benefits of crying up to this day. Shedding a tear and being vulnerable shows how strong a person is and their resilience.

The American Psychological Association released this study in the 80's confirming the health benefits of crying. This activity could successfully clear a person's thoughts and rid them of anything that causes them to worry and be afraid of. Those who repress their emotions and stop themselves from crying could result in mental illness in the long run.

Crying could release all the stress and negative energy that their body has acquired in a day's work. Allowing yourself to cry means allowing your body to recharge to be able to get start anew.

WebMD confirmed this study that used just to be a theory and rumor. UCLA's clinical psychologist agrees how crying is healthy for the body, as it activates something in the system that results in the body regaining strength. He is trying to open a lock with a key, saying this activity opens one's mind leading to self-discovery.

Meanwhile, the Japanese learning about this study made them take this action on a level that they decided to put up crying clubs in some of their cities. These places are called rui-katsu and people come here to cry quietly. The club owners would pop up a sad movie to initiate the crying of their attendees. Those who have experienced this kind of place said that it has helped them relieved their stress.
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Most in Silicon Valley are still in a state of shock that the vast majority of States voted against the left wing Democratic party that stood for open borders and a Middle Eastern policy that was overly friendly to the Muslim Brotherhood and America's enemy Iran. The working man voted against trade deals killing their jobs. Apparently most working at Apple seem to be anti-Trump. The headline today from Recode's article is "Tim Cook is defending his meeting with Trump, telling Apple employees he doesn't want to sit on the sidelines." The CEO had to 'defend' his meeting with Trump is a sad commentary on the day that the Electoral College voted Trump in with a count of 304 to 169.

Wow, what has happened to parts of the U.S.? You'd expect talk or a byline like that if Cook was meeting with an enemy like Iran, not meeting with the President-elect. Sad commentary to say the least.

In his so-called defense, Cook reportedly stated "Personally, I've never found being on the sideline a successful place to be," Cook wrote on an internal Apple message board. "The way that you influence these issues is to be in the arena. So whether it's in this country, or the European Union, or in China or South America, we engage. And we engage when we agree and we engage when we disagree. I think it's very important to do that because you don't change things by just yelling. You change things by showing everyone why your way is the best. In many ways, it's a debate of ideas."

In the case of Transgender washrooms, which is part of Cook's work on "expanding the definition of human rights," it's not about a debate of ideas whatsoever, it's about rich Silicon Valley getting together with other left wing music artists and businesses to boycott and hurt a part of the country for not bowing to the will of those that want to make social changes whether they're in the minority or not. "Showing everyone why your way is the best?" I think not, Mr. Cook. In the end it's corporate bullying, not a debate at all. But you're the CEO of Apple, you set the companies priorities and that's the way it goes.







The TechCrunch report wasn't much better than Recode's in making negative commentary. TechCrunch noted that "During the close reading and aftermath of the meeting, Cook's dour expression (seen above) at the table became a meme of the moment. His stoic mien somehow transmitting what most people hoped was the attitude at the table: "I can't believe I have to be here but someone has to do it." Cook's statements to employees seem to back that up."

Wow, the warped media just can't get over the fact that they supported a loser. Cook never said any of what the TechCrunch reporter said in that last paragraph. It's really sad to have to see this kind of nonsense spill into tech news. Fake news? Can you get any Faker? Tech writer's that read minds is news? Ha! What a strange time we're living in.

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Way back on November 7, Patently Apple posted a report titled "The Politics over Opening an iPhone Plant in India Takes another Twist as Apple Seeks Government Incentives up Front." The Economic Times of India reported at the time that a Government official had revealed that in a communication to the Indian government, Apple had asked for incentives to open a plant to key government departments related to Electronics and Information Technology. Today the Wall Street Journal confirms that old news.

The Wall Street Journal report today that "Apple Inc. is discussing with the Indian government the possibility of manufacturing its products in the country, according to two senior government officials, as the company seeks to grow its sales and presence in the South Asian nation.

In a letter to the government last month, the Cupertino, Calif., firm outlined its plans and sought financial incentives to move ahead, the officials told The Wall Street Journal. Senior Trade Ministry authorities in recent weeks met to discuss the matter."

Not much is new in the WSJ report but you could review it here as confirmation of the original story.

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In disputes over words, definitions, and proper uses of words, it is always good to consult the dictionary. A simple use of the words mediate, mediatrix, or mediation does not necessarily imply some sort of equation with 1 Timothy 2:5: there is one mediator between God and man. My dictionary defines mediate thusly:

1. to be in an intermediate position or location.

2. to be an intermediary or conciliator between persons or sides.

3. to be the medium for bringing about (a result), conveying (an object), communicating (information), etc.

In the sense of #1, Mary stands between men and God vis-a-vis the incarnation. God needed a human being in order for the incarnation to take place, and so Mary stood in that juncture between God the Father (Spirit) and God the Son (The incarnate God-Man).

I dont see that #2 applies so much, but #3 is apt, in that Mary was a vessel for Jesus to come into the world. Likewise, Mary could also be a conduit or vessel for the graces won by Christ alone, by His work on the cross and His divine power alone, to be distributed or applied to men. This is what we believe. We see no conflict between that role and Christs role, because they are fundamentally different.

To use a crude analogy, say that I go to a gas station. I dont produce the gasoline, yet in order for it to be effective in my car, I have to stand there and be a mediator between the pump and my gas tank. All the gas flows through me as the one connecting the pump with my vehicle. Likewise, we believe that God uses Mary in that fashion, to distribute graces not produced by herself but by God. She isnt the source of the grace anymore than I am the source of the gasoline. This is a biblical notion (generally speaking): Paul and angels are described in similar fashion.

A Protestant dialogue partner stated that union was a more appropriate term to describe the virgin birth. Well, what we are discussing is mans relationship to God vis-a-vis the incarnation and Marys special role in that. Her union was with the Holy Spirit, Who overshadowed her in order to bring about the virgin birth.

In other words, it is still a vertical relationship between man and God. And how would that relate to natural conception by a man and woman? The right word to use there is procreation, which means, literally, to create. We dont think that parents create their children, but their role is crucial. They cooperate with God in a  so to speak  mini-creation, where God creates the soul supernaturally and the parents produce the raw material for the body. There is still an element of the supernatural in every conception, just as there was to a much greater extent in the conception of Jesus.

Parents dont create in the sense of absolute bringing-into-being, but they play a key and crucial role in the entire process. God involves them. Likewise, mediatrix, as applied to Mary is a similar concept. She doesnt produce the grace she distributes by Gods decree, but God chooses to involve her for that purpose.

I also discovered an interesting biblical parallel. The Greek word for mediator in 1 Timothy 2:5 is mesites. We find that it is also used at Galatians 3:19:

Why then the law? It . . . was ordained by angels through an intermediary.

Kittels Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (abridged; p. 588) states about the word as used in this passage:

. . . the law . . . is given by God in order to lead to faith in Christ. But it is ordained by angels through an intermediary . . . The intermediary is no doubt Moses . . . The law, then, does not come directly from God.

So the law had a mediator, and so we find in Scripture that grace also can be passed through a mediator:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus . . . (Rev 1:4-5; RSV)

In similar fashion again, in Revelation 5:8 and 8:3-4, we find that the four living creatures, the 24 elders, and an angel somehow have intercepted and are in possession of the prayers of the saints. They are interceding for those on earth, and acting as mediators between them and God. Thus, this theme is common in Scripture in many different manifestations.

Eve stands between the human race and sin and the Fall. She is in a sense the mediatrix of original sin, though the Bible also teaches that in Adam, all fell, so that it was in fact all of us in Adam and Eve, not just them screwing it up for everyone else. Conversely, Mary is the go-between of men and God, by saying yes to God and His plan of redemption, thus reversing Eves no and refusal to obey and cooperate with God. This applied, in the patristic use, more to Marys role as the vessel of God for the purpose of the incarnation, which in turn brought redemption.

Protestants (or Catholics) wont find an explicit indication of Mary Mediatrix in Scripture. We believe that is not strictly necessary, because Scripture itself doesnt teach that every Christian doctrine must be explicit in Scripture. Some can be part of the apostolic deposit and developed in Tradition with the Guidance of the Holy Spirit (which concepts are in Holy Scripture).

The Catholic believes this in faith. It is not a logically airtight proposition. A Protestant may conclude on various grounds that the Catholic Church is correct on a, b, c, and p (as I did before I converted), but to accept the whole ball of wax requires faith, just as faith is required to become a disciple of Jesus or to believe that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, and inspired revelation from God. Protestants expect error to be found in Catholicism because they dont believe in an infallible Church. But if a Catholic found a serious error, then he would have to question the system of belief that he has.

My argument (in the paper, A Biblical and Theological Primer on Mary Mediatrix) must not be taken to prove more than it intends to prove. It was basically an exercise in creating what I call a plausibility structure and to show that the notion of Mediatrix is not immediately dismissible as contrary to Scripture in the sense that it blatantly contradicts it.

In no way do I claim that Scripture Alone proves Mary Mediatrix (or Marys Assumption or Immaculate Conception, for that matter). What I try to do on my website and in books is to show that Catholicism is not unbiblical or anti-biblical and that its doctrines can be harmonized with Scripture, even though theyre not always able to be proven from Scripture alone. We deny the claims of sola Scriptura so that is no particular difficulty for us.

The sense in which we regard Mary as a sole or unique mediatrix has to do with her preeminent and singular role in the order of grace. We believe that God has chosen to use her in the distribution of all the graces that were won solely by Christs infinite merits and work on the cross. She is the only person so honored, just as she is the only Theotokos and Queen of Heaven.

My other examples were lesser analogies, meant to show that mediation per se is not an unbiblical concept, nor contrary to Christs sole mediation in terms of Who saves us and produces the grace necessary for salvation (Vatican II makes this crystal clear). I viewed those arguments as the clearing away of the usual roadblocks to acceptance of this notion, not as positive proofs (which are not to be had in Scripture itself).

The medieval Catholic theologians used the metaphor of Mary as the neck of the Body of Christ, now subsisting in the Church. Jesus is the Head, of course. We are His Body, and Mary serves as the neck through which all the grace which Jesus sends us passes. She is a vessel, just as she was in her role as Theotokos, but of course it is an unfathomable honor to be raised to such exalted heights: as high as one can go, being a creature. And that is yet another reason why we venerate (honor), not worship her.

We must distinguish three things in this often vexed discussion:

1. The doctrine of Mediatrix (aka Co-Redemptrix) itself.

2. The particular words used in describing it.

3. Whether it should be defined ex cathedra, and with what terminology.

I fully accept #1, as a teaching solidly entrenched in authentic Catholic apostolic Tradition and the ordinary magisterium. Documentation is overwhelming, and this cannot be disputed.

I am opposed to #2 (i.e., normative use of the term Co-Redemptrix) and #3, thus I am in full agreement with both Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger, and in opposition to Dr. Mark Miravalle. Reasonable people of good will, and equally orthodox Catholics can disagree on this, because that is how the Catholic system works. One can disagree on the timing of a dogmatic definition at the highest levels of Church authority, as I do, and as the Holy Father himself does, without rejecting the teaching itself.

For example, Cardinal Newman took the same analogous position on the definition of papal infallibility in 1870. That doesnt mean that he disagreed with papal infallibility. He was concerned about a definition which went too far (ultramontanism). But the Holy Spirit prevented that from happening in the First Vatican Council, to Newmans great delight. He submitted to the definition after it was proclaimed, as an obedient Catholic, and fully agreed with it. I would do the same with this definition, if it occurred.

Much of the confusion in this discussion (as far as I can tell), is with the above crucial distinctions. Some seem to think that Co-Redemptrix is some novel, radical innovation of either the liberals or the ultra-conservatives. As for myself, I fall in neither camp, and vigorously oppose both on my website.

I simply agree with the Holy Father and Cardinal Ratzinger. This isnt a debate about orthodoxy vs. heterodoxy. It is about timing and the mind of the Church, just as with the past proclamations of 1854 (Immaculate Conception), 1870 (papal infallibility) and 1950 (the Bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary).

There is less consensus on this question than on those. It doesnt follow, however, that the doctrines themselves are heretical or out of the mainstream. They are not. If they were, in fact, wild divergences from mainstream Catholic Tradition, they could never have even been considered for ex cathedra definition.

The pope opposes definition because of timing and inopportunism, not because the views are a flaming heresy. He has taught them himself, strongly. For example, on 31 January 1985, in an address at the Marian shrine in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Pope John Paul II said:

Mary goes before us and accompanies us. The silent journey that begins with her Immaculate Conception and passes through the yes of Nazareth, which makes her the Mother of God, finds on Calvary a particularly important moment. There also, accepting and assisting at the sacrifice of her son, Mary is the dawn of Redemption;  Crucified spiritually with her crucified son (cf. Gal. 2:20), she contemplated with heroic love the death of her God, she lovingly consented to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth (Lumen Gentium, 58). 

In fact, at Calvary she united herself with the sacrifice of her Son that led to the foundation of the Church; her maternal heart shared to the very depths the will of Christ to gather into one all the dispersed children of God (Jn. 11:52). Having suffered for the Church, Mary deserved to become the Mother of all the disciples of her Son, the Mother of their unity. 

The Gospels do not tell us of an appearance of the risen Christ to Mary. Nevertheless, as she was in a special way close to the Cross of her Son, she also had to have a privileged experience of his Resurrection. In fact, Marys role as Coredemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son.

So John Paul II can hardly think that the term Coredemptrix is some hideous manifestation of heterodoxy and disobedience (to himself?), if he uses it himself. That he used it is merely a practice that has continued from his predecessors in the 20th century.

Now, how does Cardinal Ratzinger fit into all this? Well, he simply opposes definition of the particular term, Co-redemptrix. I think he is right about that, and I agree (have written as much on my website for several years now). The term is too misunderstood, and not the best one to use. It has been used less and less by popes for this very reason. That doesnt make it heretical, though, rightly understood.

I agree with Cardinal Ratzinger and the pope as well. I am in full submission to the Church on this matter, and, in fact, pleased with the decision of the Holy Father to not define the fifth Marian dogma.

Mediatrix is the term used in Vatican II. It is almost as misunderstood by Protestants as Co-Redemptrix, since it is erroneously thought to clash with the notion of Christ as sole mediator of salvation. So that term also requires lengthy clarification and explanation.

Related Reading:

Mary Mediatrix: A Biblical Explanation [1999]

Biblical Evidence for Mary Mediatrix [11-25-08]

Mary Mediatrix: A Biblical & Theological Primer [9-15-15]

Mary Mediatrix? [Collection of papers compiled on 4-6-16]

Exchange on Catholic Mariology and Mary Mediatrix [Facebook, 12-3-16]
Or, What did Brexit look like in 1988?

Months ago, in the halcyon days of May, I was browsing the cheap shelves at Second Story when I came upon Bluff Your Way in the EEC. This is part of the Bluffers Guide series, overgrown pamphlets designed to teach 80s people how to pretend they understand things like Philosophy, Accountancy, Feminism, Jazz, Japan, The Occult, and Hi-Fi (??). I grabbed this thing and a saint-of-the-day guide from I think the early 70s, which turned out to be a really endearing mix of stern martyrology and felt-banners social concern, and threw it in a corner for a rainy day.

It rained.

Ive read it now; I loved it. And if you want a good guide to reasons somebody might vote Brexitspecifically, reasons that arent about hating Muslimsyou might read it too. I dont doubt that racism and scapegoating were part of the story of Brexit. And I dont pretend to understand the issues well enough to have strong opinions on whether Brexit was what the philosophers call a good idea. But I do have sympathies, and those sympathies are for local control and against top-down bureaucratic management of economic and social life. What Im saying is that there are three things you should never ask the British to trust: sunshine, bureaucracy, and the Danes.

So the thing with Bluff Your Way in the EEC is that under its bouncy, cynical tone it has an earnest streak. The author, Michael Toner, conscientiously notes wherever some Euroscheme has actually done its jobwherever do-gooders somehow managed to do some good.

But still you wonder: Was it necessary, in order to provide wheat reserves for Europe, to build a Vatican of sausage-length regulators? This is an implicitly Hayekian book, all about the reasons experts fail to know things. Its about the inability to predict economic needs, the law of unintended consequences, and the modern pressure to centralize, internationalize, and standardize.

Its also about the pork carousel (an import-export scheme in which pigs trot merrily across borders, gathering subsidies on every trip) and the Dutch manure glut. Toner, unlike the well-meaning of this world, knows how easily humans interpret law as damage and route around it. He isnt always completely prescientthere are lots of muted warnings that Euro-unity is coming faster and harder than you think, but hes still very skeptical that the Chunnel and the Euro will come into play anytime soon.

Hard to notice his foibles, though, when he gives you stuff like this: It goes without saying that Mr. [Edward] Heath is more highly regarded in France, Germany, Italy, Holland, the United States, China and the USSR than he is in his own land. But then he never ran any of those countries.

Toner is cheery about the traditional English loathing of Europeansmy impression is that 20th-century English people were quite open about their opinions on this score, and you already know why you can hardly blame them. He notes that the Labour Party initially opposed the EEC. If I had to guess his own sordid predilections Id say Tory (apparently he wrote editorials for the Daily Mail), but I could be wrong, Im a bluffer here myself. He enjoys watching Maggie Thatcher stick it to em.

Toward the end he glosses the term the Democratic Deficit, meaning the idea that the bureaucracy of the Common Market is accumulating more and more power while elected politicians suck on their thumbs on the sidelines. That section closes with this:

Things have got to such a state that the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, has prophesied that the present system of national parliaments will give way to an embryo form of European Government by the mid-1990s. The Eurobluffer should learn what he said, in July 1988, off by heart: One day, national parliaments will wake up to what is happening, there will be a shock reaction, and this will create problems for the Community. You can say that again, Jacques.

I think we can end there.
This is a post Ive been sitting on for a while, as the situation in Aleppo develops and I try to figure out how to put my thoughts together. But here it goes:

Is Aleppo a genocide? No. The government is not seeking to exterminate people based on their ethnicity.

In fact, near as I can tell, theyre not trying to exterminate people at all  their objective is not to kill the civilian population of eastern rebel-held Aleppo. Its to re-take the city of Aleppo. What theyre doing is fighting a war. And at the same time as theyre fighting for control of eastern Aleppo, rebel forces are attempting to seize various other government-controlled towns, though these battles are not as dramatic, and frankly I have no idea how the civilians are faring.

But I suspect that we in the United States have created a new image of what war means, and our mental image comes from the initial overrunning of Saddams forces in Iraq: U.S. bombing campaigns with smart bombs eliminating military targets, and a ground campaign in which the opposing forces surrender. Or maybe we imagine Paris in World War II, when first the French surrendered before the Germans got that far, so that the Nazis marched in triumphantly; then the Germans retreated from Paris rather than force the Allies to fight them among the boulevards. Instead, the two armies fought each other on battlefields, for instance, in the Battle of the Bulge.

The reality is that war is brutal and that, Geneva convention or no, civilians suffer and civilians die.

Fallujah.

Grozny.

Warsaw.

Dresden.

Berlin.

Stalingrad and Leningrad.

Yes, Im going back to World War II, since Ive got a bit of a knowledge gap in-between.

But all the cries of save Aleppo leave me struggling to understand exactly how that might happen.

Syrian government forces and rebel forces are in the middle of a war. Neither side is willing to retreat. Each side is backed by outsiders. And for all the talk of, well, talks, I dont see anything from the reports Ive read that either side is willing to agree to even modest concessions or compromises to end the war, much less the far greater surrender of a substantial power-sharing agreement. And the situation in Aleppo demonstrates that in two ways: first, the Syrian governments determination to retake the city regardless of casualties, and, second, well, it would seem to me that the attacks could have ended long ago with the negotiated surrender of the city, but surrender simply wasnt an option, only, when its fall became inevitable, an evacuation to other rebel-held areas.

A couple days ago, The Daily Beast published an article about the situation in Aleppo which quotes rebel forces:

TDB: Do you expect all the remaining besieged neighborhoods will fall by tomorrow? AA: No. Except over the body of every civilian. I wont surrender my body, and my wife, and my daughter to the Assad regime without defending them I hope that youll tell everyone what Im saying.

Why not surrender? The rebels claimed that Syrians were summarily executing civilians, and those who lived were taken to concentration camps. They further reported that 20 women committed suicide to avoid rape.

How much of this is propaganda? How much is truth? What is the true fate of civilians in recaptured areas? I dont know. And that lack of knowledge is part of why Ive sat on this post for a while.

So I just dont see an answer here. I dont see a way that the West, the United States, can do something  other than after-the-fact aid to Syrians in refugee camps. Can we really choose a side here? After all, the rebels arent noble good guys either  part of the reason the cease-fire allowing them to retreat was delayed, was that they refused to allow a parallel cease fire in certain towns theyre bombarding, to allow the Syrian government to evacuate the wounded, and even after this was granted, reports claimed that they torched the evacuation buses. And, now that the Russians have sided with Assad, for the U.S. to escalate our role would only bring us into a new Cold War-style proxy war.

About the best we can do, so far as I can tell, is revisit the start of the civil war and try to understand whether there was anything that the U.S. or the EU could have done before things got this far  and that only as a lesson learned for the next time a war threatens that there may be some means of stopping.

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABombed_out_vehicles_Aleppo.jpg; By Voice of America News: Scott Bobb reports from Aleppo, Syria [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Note the photo dates from 2012, so at the start of the war.
Patna: Employees of the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC), on the sixth day of their ongoing strike on Tuesday, staged a 'whistle protest' outside the main office in Patna to press for their demands.

Under the banner of BSTDC Employees Association, dozens of protestors gathered outside the tourism office at Birchand Patel Marg and created ruckus by playing loud, shrill whistle in an attempt to attract the attention of the government.

As a result of the ongoing strike, several tourist buses and other services remain disrupted for the sixth day in a row. Volvo bus services from Patna to Ranchi, the water laser show at Golghar playground, pre-paid taxis at the Patna Airport, and two excursion boats in the Ganges remained grounded much to the inconvenience of several visitors.

Sharp decline of tourists at all government-run hotels have also been reported from many parts of Bihar.

Jitendra Kumar, the union Vice President, said that until the government concedes to their demands, the strike would go on.

As reported, more than 200 employees of the BSTDC went on an indefinite strike to press for their demand of equal pay for same work, regularization of services of contract workers, revision of their pay scale, a ban on the recruitment of retired employees, and an end to the privatization of hotels.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Iranians celebrate the longest night of the year: Yalda

12/20/16

Source: Press TV

Yalda is the name by which the longest night of the year is known in Iran. Iranians mark the end of autumn and the advent of winter in one of the most celebrated national events.



photo by Mohammad Najafi, Ettelaat daily



In public belief, the night of the last day of the Persian calendar month of Azar - this year it falls on December 20th - harbors the eventual victory of light over darkness. Ancient Iranians celebrated this night for the birth of Mithra, the goddess of light. After Yalda, the days will grow longer and the nights will fall shorter.



As per tradition, Iranian families get together in the houses of their elderly relatives, most often grandfathers and grandmothers, and spend the better part of the night socializing and feasting on the occasion's special delicacies.





by Jalal Pirmarzabad, Shargh daily



It is widely believed among Iranians that if they consume summer fruits on this night, it is less likely that they will get ill in the coming cold season. Hence, an abundance of fruits, particularly watermelon and pomegranates, is served at the gathering. A bowl of special nuts is also a must on the Yalda night. Often, a traditional dinner is offered to the guests present at the event.

Traditional and classic poetry and old mythologies are definitely part of the event with a few members usually reading to the rest.



Read the full satire on Shahrvand daily's website



A significant book read on this occasion is the poetry book of Hafez, the celebrated Iranian poet of the 14th century AD. Usually, each family member makes a wish and randomly opens the book of Hafez and reads it aloud. That specific poem is known to express the interpretation of the wisher's hopes and beliefs. This is believed to link the aesthetic side of this night to a more religious side, when people pray and hope for fruitful days in the coming winter.

TThe Yalda night is also celebrated at this time of the year in several neighboring countries, including Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and some Caucasian states such as Azerbaijan and Armenia.







by Naghme Nabaei, Ghanoon daily








Global Nomadic Art Project wraps up in Tehran museum

12/20/16

Source: Tehran Times

TEHRAN -- The Global Nomadic Art Project, which began in the coastal village of Salakh on Qeshm Island on December 5, wrapped up at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art on Sunday, December 18, 2016.





photo by Gata Ziatabari, Honar Online



The closing ceremony was attended by the head of the project land artist Nadalian, the participating land artists, officials and veteran artists, Persian media reported on Monday.



TThe seventh edition of the project began in South Korea and moved to India and South Africa, and later continued in Iran.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nadalian said that nomadic art can cover many arenas such as writing books or making sculptures, but this project that began in South Korea concentrates on nature and land art. That is, the land artists create a stable environment and avoid any further destruction to nature.



"The land artists take no items with them to create their works, they choose whatever they find in nature, leading to creative artworks," he explained.



"Travel is a must in these types of projects and it should take place in different regions, leading to more understanding and friendship," he remarked.



Director of Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art Majid Mollanoruzi said that the museum warmly receives new ideas, especially nature-themed events.



"The museum mainly focuses on modern art, but it has hardly paid much attention to contemporary art. These types of events help students become more familiar with contemporary art," he added.

Nine artists from South Korea, Germany, France, Switzerland, Slovakia, the Netherlands and Lithonia in addition to 11 artists from Iran took part in the project.



The Global Nomadic Art Project



The book "Global Nomadic Art Project", published by the Institute for Promotion of Contemporary Visual Art was also unveiled during the opening ceremony of the project on Qeshm Island.





Photo: A photographer records the image of a nomadic artwork created by Ahmad Nadalian on display in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art on December 18, 2016. Honaronline, Gata Ziatabari
BlackBerry reported another quarter of losses and declining revenue on Tuesday, but CEO John Chen forecast that the company will break even next quarter, its first since quitting the smartphone business.

The company signaled its departure from the smartphone hardware business last week, licensing its brand to TCL, the Chinese manufacturer that built the last two BlackBerry handsets.

Chens break-even forecast had a caveat: It didnt include restructuring charges, stock compensation expenses, fair-value adjustments and a host of other things, so the company will still make a loss, but a smaller one.

With smartphones out of its product mix, BlackBerry is looking to a different kind of mobility to drive its future growth: the automotive industry, the major source of revenue for its QNX embedded software platform.

QNX already powers infotainment systems, but Chen sees a big role for it in self-driving vehicles.

The company opened a new innovation center in Ottawa on Monday, where it will develop secure software for connected cars and autonomous driving.

We received Canadian government approval to test autonomous cars in Ottawa, Chen said in a conference call to discuss the financial results. Our first project will be a concept vehicle powered by QNX.

BlackBerry could have the software on the market within two years, Chen said. That will depend on the companys auto-maker partners, though.

We have a bunch of software products we would like to provide to all the automotive customers around the world. We have some prototypes that are pretty exciting, he said. It will take us a while to productize this. I hope it will be sooner than 2019 but it will not be in 2017.

Before then, Chen expects a boost from another QNX-based product, Radar, that makes trucks part of the internet of things. The revenue is small up front, Chen said, but then Radar users will pay monthly fees.

Thats a similar model to the one that BlackBerry relied on for years with its smartphones, where the Service Access Fee for access to the companys secure messaging system just kept rolling in for years after the phones were sold. It still accounts for over one-fifth of the companys revenue, but that proportion is dwindle rapidly dwindling. Revenue from the Service Access Fee fell 26 percent compared to the previous quarter, and will probably fall another 25 percent next quarter, Chen said.

The company is not completely out of the smartphone business. Although future phones bearing the BlackBerry name will be designed, manufactured, distributed and supported by Chinese vendor TCL, BlackBerry will still be supplying key software and services to secure the Android devices.

The first set of phones made under that deal will be shipped right around Chinese new year  Jan. 28 2017  Chen said. For its part, TCL has said it plans to show the new phones at the CES trade show in Las Vegas in early January.

BlackBerrys biggest business is still the provision of software for managing and securing mobile devices in the enterprise, Chen said. The company fueled recent growth in this line with a series of acquisitions, leading to a patchwork software base, but now, Chen said, all the acquisitions are completely integrated as one platform.

Together, all those changes allowed BlackBerry to report revenue of US$289 million for its fiscal third quarter, the three months to Nov. 30, according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Thats down 47 percent from the $548 million it reported a year earlier.

Its net loss swelled from $89 million in the year-earlier quarter to $117 million, or $0.22 per share  not great, but a significant improvement on the $1.04 billion loss it notched up in the preceding two quarters.

Take Chens non-GAAP forecast that BlackBerry will break even in its fourth fiscal quarter with a pinch of salt, though: The same non-GAAP adjustments also transformed that billion-dollar hole in the first half of the year into a loss of only $2 million.
The Electoral College affirmed Donald Trump as the 45th U.S. president Monday as electors across the country rejected a bid by a group of Democrats to spark a rebellion and overturn the Nov. 8 election results.

Trump surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to claim the presidency when electors in Texas cast their ballots, according to a running tally by the Associated Press.

The 538 Electoral College members gathered in legislative chambers, secretary of state offices and state libraries to cast the ballots that send the billionaire businessman and first-time politician to the White House. Those votes will be counted formally and announced Jan. 6 during a joint session of Congress in Washington, two weeks before the presidential inauguration.

The normally sedate Electoral College gatherings drew intense interest and some protests this year because of a bid by a small group of electors to block Trump from the White House.

The attempt to deny Trump the presidency by trying to convince Democratic and Republican electors to back someone else injected more rancor in an already divisive political year, while offering a capstone for a 2016 presidential election that will go down as one of the oddest in American history.

Part of the impetus for the move was that Democrat Hillary Clinton, who ran up big margins in populous states like California and New York, beat Trump by at least 2.8 million ballots in the nationwide popular vote. It was the largest gap ever for a candidate who didnt win the White House.

But the presidential election is a state-by-state contest and Trump won 30 states that together have 306 electoral votes, 36 more than the 270 needed to win. Clinton carried 20 states and the District of Columbia, for a total of 232 electors.

It was Clinton who suffered most from the protest movement. Four of 12 Democratic electors in Washington declined to cast their votes for Clinton, even though she won that states popular vote, the AP reported.

The Electoral College was created by the nations founders as a compromise between those who favored a direct popular vote and those who wanted lawmakers to pick the president.

In some state capitals, the electors were met by protesters. Chants of shame on you, echoed in the legislative chambers where the Pennsylvania electors were gathered, as it became clear that Trump would win all the votes there. Hes not our president, one woman yelled.

During the weekend before the voting, Electoral College protests played out in several major U.S. cities, as activists tried to apply last-gasp pressure on electors. Additional protests took place Monday as the electors met in open sessions.

Turmoil among electors was stirred earlier this month when President Barack Obama directed U.S. intelligence agencies to deliver a report on Russian hacking of Democratic Party e-mails, and the Washington Post reported that the CIA concluded the meddling was intended to benefit Trump.

Those developments prompted more than 60 electors  all but one of them Democrats in states Clinton won  to sign onto a letter unsuccessfully seeking an intelligence briefing about the hacking.

Theres no constitutional requirement that binds electors to the candidates who won their state, but most are required to do so under state laws. Thats never mattered or been seriously tested because there have been few cases of whats known as faithless electors  the last occurrence was in 2004.

To contact the reporter on this story: John McCormick in Chicago at jmccormick16@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Shepard at mshepard7@bloomberg.net, Joe Sobczyk, Justin Blum
A cybersecurity firm says it has uncovered a massive online scam that employs an army of automated web browsers to siphon millions of dollars of advertising per day away from U.S. media companies and brand-name advertisers.

The firm, New York-based White Ops, has dubbed the operation "Methbot," because of references to meth buried in the computer code underlying the scam, and says it is the largest and most profitable fraud operation yet to strike digital advertising. The company says the scam, which it believes originated in Russia, is using a so-called bot net to fake views of as many as 300 million video ads per day and trick advertisers to pay for views that were never seen by humans.

With Russian government hacking dominating headlines around the world, White Ops CEO Michael Tiffany said this scam is probably not being run by the Kremlin even though it has enormous size and sophistication.

"We really see no signs of state sponsorship, it looks to us like this is really a private criminal group," Tiffany said. "They're just bada---s."

Tiffany said someone with a deep understanding of the industry is likely behind the scam. "This shows an incredible, absolutely insider's mastery of digital advertising," he said. "It requires multiple skills."

To be sure, the White Ops report is an allegation from a single cybersecurity firm and cannot be independently verified by CNBC. Confirmation of the allegation will depend on other security firms, possibly the U.S. government, and the online advertising industry itself. If true, the allegation means that there is significant fraud at the heart of the global online video industry.

A "bot net" is a network of computers infected with malicious code that is controlled by hackers for a purpose that can be unknown to the actual owners of the computers. They are frequently used by online scammers to ramp up the scale of a cyberattack and hide the perpetrators.



The company said the scam works because of the fragmented nature of the online advertising marketplace, in which buyers and sellers of advertising no longer know each other, or even communicate with one another. "At this point the Methbot operation has become so embedded in the layers of the advertising ecosystem [that] the only way to shut it down is to make the details public to help affected parties take action," White Ops said in a paper released Tuesday. Tiffany told CNBC he is optimistic that the scam, which has been ongoing at high volume for several months, could be stopped by a coordinated ad industry effort. "I think we're going to respond and take away their ability to profit in record time," he said.

Story continues

By farming out the operations across a wide network, Methbot has been able to avoid some typical detection methods, White Ops said, adding that the scam "marks an innovation that transcends beyond traditional bot nets allowing Methbot to scale beyond anything the industry has seen before and placing it in a new class of bot fraud."

Here's how it allegedly works:

The online advertising market depends on an automated auction system in order to match media companies with advertisers. Advertisers hire a vast array of ad buyers to purchase advertising time on websites across the internet. That process has been automated through software exchanges that match buyers and sellers of online video, with hundreds of transactions taking place in fractions of seconds. It's that process itself that is being attacked: The Methbot group offers fake advertising inventory into the system, and then generates phony views of the ads in an effort to collect money from the unwitting ad buyers.





According to White Ops, the Methbot scammers were able to generate fake records of a user's activity online, making the bots appear to be human, even down to the level of detail of phony cursor movements and bogus social media login information. White Ops also says the Methbot operators used dedicated servers to run proxies so it would not be clear that all of this traffic was coming from one entity. And they used falsified documents to gain access to 571,904 real IP addresses, the company said, making it appear that the fraudulent ad traffic came from real Internet providers.

What's more, the fraudsters were able to fool the advertising exchanges by offering data specifically designed to slip past known fraud detection efforts. White Ops said the Methbot operators used code specifically designed to defeat viewability measurement for both specific vendors and for spoofing industry standard measurements.

White Ops calculated that the 200 million to 300 million fake impressions per day generated between $3 million and $5 million per day for whoever operated the scam. In an effort to combat the fraud, White Ops said that it will release known IP addresses affiliated with Methbot, so that advertisers and their agencies can block them. And the company says it will release a falsified domain name and full URL list to show where this phony activity has been taking place.

The company also said it has been in contact with federal law enforcement about the scam.

One industry group said it was scheduling a briefing for representatives of 100 companies on Tuesday, to provide them with the details in the White Ops report. "This is like our Superbowl," said Mike Zaneis, CEO of the Trustworthy Accountability Group, a non-profit coalition that works to combat digital ad fraud. "Unfortunately, with an issue like this, these things crop up all the time, so you have multiple Super Bowls because there are constant threats."

Zaneis said the advertising industry inadvertently opened the opportunity for cyber criminals as it moved to a fractured, anonymous and instant online exchange system that did not prioritize verification efforts. "You should know where your ads are going and who you're doing business with," Zaneis said. "We need to fix this problem, because an industry can't stand on the basis of fraud."



UPDATED: This story was updated to include comment from the CEO of the Trustworthy Accountability Group.







More From CNBC


The 2014 documentary, Breaking Point, about the potential ecological disaster if the Salton Sea disappears, will be presented at the Jan. 3 meeting of the Sierra Clubs San Gorgonio Chapter.

The meeting, open to the public, is 7:30 p.m. at the San Bernardino County Museum at 2024 Orange Tree Lane. Parking and admission are free, with donations accepted for room rental.

The San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club encompasses San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Information: sangorgonio2.sierraclub.org, breakingpointdoc.com
A man who allegedly received a shipment of illegal drugs from the Netherlands, with the possible intent of dealing the narcotics to UC Riverside students, was ordered Monday, Dec. 19 to stand trial on two counts of possession of controlled substances for sale.

Sung Hee Jeong, 22, was arrested after the package was delivered to his apartment, located near the campus, on Feb. 24, according to Riverside police Sgt. Andrew Misenheimer.

Following a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge David Gunn found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the felony charges against Jeong.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Jan. 9. The defendant remains free on $150,000 bail.

According to Misenheimer, investigators were alerted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in late February that a package containing MDMA pills  better known as Ecstasy  as well as Alprazolam, or Xanax, had been sent from an address in Holland and was bound for a residence in the 3000 block of Iowa Avenue.

Detectives obtained a search warrant in anticipation of the delivery and waited until the package arrived before serving the warrant on Jeong, who was arrested without incident.

Misenheimer said that inside a 1,000-piece Ravensburger Puzzle, detectives found 1,140 Ecstasy pills and 90 Xanax pills collectively valued at more than $23,000.

Riverside police worked with federal agents in carrying out the investigation, which had been expected to net additional arrests, but has not to date.

The defendant has no prior documented felony convictions.
Sentencing has been set for Corona pastor Lonny Remmers for his conviction in a federal wire fraud case in Ohio.

Remmers is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 31 in Toledo.

Remmers, 58, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for soliciting $2 million from an Ohio investor and using the money for personal expenses. Remmers faces up to 41 months in prison. However, that figure could be reduced if he cooperates with the U.S. Attorneys Office and accepts responsibility for his actions, according to the plea agreement.

Remmers, head of the 15-to-20-member Heart of Worship Community Church in Corona, was convicted in 2014 of inflicting corporal injury on a child and assault with a deadly non-firearm weapon. He was accused of using pliers during a Bible study to pinch the nipple of a 13-year-old boy as punishment after the teen, according to court testimony, had reportedly sexually assaulted his sister.
Maria Tome, an Apache woman, lived in Costa Mesa almost a century ago. On Friday, about 40 of her descendants came to see her at the Bowers Museum, which has in its collection a 1929 portrait Tome posed for, painted by a local artist.

Family members had been telling Julie Hernandez about the portrait of her great-grandmother for years. A serious illness last year made her refocus on getting the family together to see the painting, something that was on her bucket list.

Some of the family had viewed the painting decades ago, and some had fuzzy photographs of it, Hernandez said. But seeing it in person was something special. Who has a grandma in a museum? Hernandez, who lives in Moreno Valley, contacted the Bowers Museum, and they eventually arranged a day to take the painting out of storage for an hour for the family to see it.

When Tome posed for the painting, Orange County was officially only 40 years old, with a population of less than 120,000. Tome died in 1937 at the age of 68, according to a copy of her death certificate granddaughter Frances Franco, 79, of Corona, brought to the museum.

Another granddaughter, Sophie Espino of Wilmington, was the oldest, at 82, of the four generations of Tomes descendents at the museum Friday. When she stood next to Tomes portrait, Espino resembled her grandmother, with the same high cheekbones and arched eyebrows.

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Espino remembered her grandmother babysitting her and her seven siblings. Tome and her husband Feliz Tome had a small ranch in what is now Costa Mesa, Espino said, with horses, chickens and goats. Tome was a midwife at the home births of Espinos brothers and sisters. She was good to us.

At the appointed time, two Bowers staff members wheeled the painting in on a cart and put it on an easel behind a rope barrier. The barrier didnt last long, and soon family was crowding around the portrait to get photos with Tome.

The artist, Fanny Bixby Spencer, had quite a history of her own. Besides being an artist, she was an outspoken activist, poet, social worker and suffragette. She came from one of Californias wealthiest families, owners of a giant piece of land that included present-day Seal Beach, Long Beach, Los Alamitos and Downey. She was the first policewoman in Long Beach and a supporter of immigrants, according to information dug up by Bowers Museum staff. Her outspoken opinions forced her and her family to move from Long Beach to Costa Mesa in 1919.

At first, Tome didnt want to pose for Bixby Spencer, Tomes daughter told the museum during a 1963 visit to see the painting. Tome reconsidered after Bixby Spencer offered her $200, or about $3,500 in todays dollars, Katy Hess, an associate registrar at the Bowers, told the family gathered Friday. Bixby Spencer died in 1930, and five years later, her husband donated this painting to Bowers.

Barbara Perez came from Artesia to see the painting of her great-grandmother. Its exciting. Im really happy to see it, to show my grandkids.

Contact the writer: aboessenkool@ocregister.com
Remember the quoteattributed to John Adamsto the effect that the then-new American Constitution had created a government of laws, not men?

One of the most important improvements in our human efforts to improve governance was development of the concept of rule of lawthe radical notion that fair rules should be established and everyoneincluding government officials and others in positions of power should be expected to follow those rules (including the rules on how rules should be changed).

Adherence to the rule of law, in spirit and fact, is absolutely essential to the legitimacy of a governing authority.

Which brings us to the truly outrageous behavior of Republican lawmakers in North Carolina. As the New York Times reported earlier this week,

Republicans in the North Carolina legislature on Wednesday took the highly unusual step of moving to strip power from the incoming Democratic governor after a bitter election that extended years of fierce ideological battles in the state. After calling a surprise special session, Republican lawmakers who control the General Assembly introduced measures to end the governors control over election boards, to require State Senate approval of the new governors cabinet members and to strip his power to appoint University of North Carolina trustees. Republicans also proposed to substantially cut the number of state employees who serve at the governors pleasure, giving Civil Service protections to hundreds of managers in state agencies who have executed the priorities of Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican.

These extraordinary stepstaken in the wake of a democratic (note small d) election that produced a result displeasing to the states GOPunquestionably violate democratic norms, and may well violate the North Carolina state constitution.

The election of a Democratic governor came despite sustained Republican efforts to suppress African-American votesefforts so transparently and blatantly aimed at (disproportionately Democratic) black voters that a court described them as surgical. Several of those measures were struck down, but a number of othersmoving polling places, shortening voting hourshad the intended effect.

Even in the face of massive vote suppression, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate somehow won.Hence the special session to strip the new Governor of authorityand the transformation of North Carolina government into an illegitimate putsch.

As the Times editorialized

This legislative power grab is the latest underhanded step by a state Republican Party desperate to stay in power in a state where demographic changes would normally benefit Democrats. Republicans in North Carolina, a presidential battleground state, have used aggressive redistricting and voting suppression measures that are among the most brazen in the nation to win elections. The courts have blocked some of these efforts, but Republicans have found workarounds, for instance, by limiting voting hours and sites.

Calling what is happening in North Carolina a legislative power grab is like calling cancer a minor illness. It is a shocking violation of democratic norms, and a frontal attack on the rule of law.

It is one more element in Americas current wholesale retreat from the principles that did make America great.

[Originally published at SheilaKennedy.net on December 17, 2016]

Peacock Panache readers:

Sheila Kennedy is a former high school English teacher, former lawyer, former Republican, former Executive Director of Indianas ACLU, former columnist for the Indianapolis Star, and former young person. She is currently an (increasingly cranky) old person, a Professor of Law and Public Policy at Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis, and Director of IUPUIs Center for Civic Literacy. She writes for the Indianapolis Business Journal, PA Times, and the Indiana Word, and blogs at www.sheilakennedy.net. For those who are interested in more detail, links to an abbreviated CV and academic publications can be found on her blog, along with links to her books..

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(Updates with separate Lavrov statement, quotes)

MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a statement that a meeting in Moscow later on Tuesday between the foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Russia would adopt tangible measures on Syria.

Lavrov also condemned the murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov on Monday, who was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery.

The killing looked like it was designed to try to hinder the battle against terrorism in Syria, said Lavrov.

"We will take measures at this meeting (in Moscow on Tuesday) that will make it impossible for those who nurtured the people who ordered and organised this crime to realise their plans," said Lavrov.

Lavrov said he had spoken by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusgolu, after the ambassador's murder.

Cavusgolu arrived in Moscow late on Monday for Tuesday's meeting.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the two men had agreed the ambassador's killing underlined the need to step up the fight against terrorism.

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Paul Tait/Andrew Osborn)
A bill filed in the South Carolina legislature would allow teachers to proselytize religious beliefs to children in the classroom. H3345  proposed by Republican Representatives Bill Chumley, Mike Burns, and Stephen Long  would promote academic freedom for public school teachers by providing public school teachers may conduct or participate in any student-led prayer, student-organized prayer groups, religious clubs, and other similar activities.

The legislation is unconstitutional on its surface as it violates First Amendments Establishment Clause  a clause that takes legal precedence over any potential South Carolina legislation because of the Constitutions Supremacy Clause. But that fact is secondary to the realities such legislation would open up if H3345 passes through the state legislature and is signed into law.

In the text of the bill H3345 explicitly states:

[T]he South Carolina General Assembly finds that academic freedom by teachers is important to the mission of schools as well as the principles of academia, and that teachers should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts, including those that are inconvenient to external political groups or to authorities, without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment, and that this right to expression includes the right to express or exercise a religious belief. [Emphasis mine]

Based on that South Carolinian Republican viewpoint, the aforementioned Representatives offered the following revision to existing law:

A teacher employed by a public school district may express a religious viewpoint, and also may conduct or participate in any student-led prayer or student-organized prayer groups, religious clubs, or other religious gatherings organized by students of a public school pursuant to Section 59-1-435, Section 59-1-441, or Section 59-1-442, or another provision of law.

Teachers would be allowed to participate in student-run religious activities  an act already found unconstitutional several times by the U.S. Supreme Court due to its coercive effect on students who may not view participation as voluntary upon seeing a school official engaging in religious exercise. More concerning, under H3345 teachers may also insert their personal religious beliefs in classroom discussions.

On the surface this may sound like a wonderful opportunity for Christian conservatives to insert a legal loophole allowing for such subjects as creationism, Intelligent design and other Christian religious philosophies disguised as science.

But those same Christians may be surprised to learn that even if H3345 withstood constitutional muster, it wouldnt just allow Christianity to be inserted into schools, but also every other religious belief  including Sharia Law, Satanism, and more. The U.S. Constitution forbids government institutions from offering favor to any one religion above others; therefore all religious beliefs would be allowed (by law) in South Carolina schools if H3345 passes.

Imagine a teacher asking students to have their parents purchase prayer rugs for mandatory Islamic prayers. Or students learning about the wonders of Satan or other mythical anti-Christian figures.

This is the discourse H3345 would engender. These are the floodgates it would legally open  at least until the law is overturned at the circuit or U.S. Supreme Court level.

The legislation currently rests in the Committee on Education and Public Works.

Peacock Panache readers:

Tim Peacock is the Managing Editor and founder of Peacock Panache and has worked as a civil rights advocate for over twenty years. During that time hes worn several hats including leading on campus LGBTQ advocacy in the University of Missouri campus system, interning with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and volunteering at advocacy organizations. You can learn more about him at his personal website.

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Hello! If youve clicked on this list, presumably you either a) agree that 2016 was a dumpster fire of molten hot garbage, or b) are about to be convinced.

Obviously, global events this year were particularly shit, but the Year of our Lord Satan 2016 hasnt been too kind to pop culture, either.

Crack a depresso tinnie, mates, and settle in.

1. David Bowie Left This Cruel World Behind

Photo: Getty / Dave Benett.

Lets just get this one out the way first, okay? David Bowie died. The Starman sang his swansong and rose to the heavens, which really kickstarted this entire thing off.

Im not saying that David Bowie was holding the fabric of the universe together, but *gestures broadly at everything*  Katie Loewy (@SweetestCyanide) July 12, 2016

The pubic mourned for Bowie like they did for Princess Diana, and it was a truly grief-filled, though colourful, way to kick this year off.

2. And An Onslaught Of Celebrities Followed Suit

And in very quick succession, too. Alan Rickman (February 21), Prince (April 21) and Muhammad Ali (June 3). All beloved, all taken too soon.

The BBCs obituary editor Nick Serpell even crunched the data to prove that yes, more celebrities were dying this year. Before 2016 was out, we also saw the deaths of Gene Wilder and Leonard Cohen. Honestly, fuck you 2016.

3. Pokemon GO Was A Giant Disappointment

Weve been crying out for our own IRL Pokemon adventure ever since Ash Ketchum slept in and got dumped with an OH&S-risk Pikachu. Then we got Pokemon GO in 2016. And boy, did they ever screw us over.

Stacked gym battles, ill-conceived footprint methodology of finding Pokemon, every street corner being the Mt Moon of Zubat appearances and lets not even get started on gas Pokemon appearing in a Holocaust museum.

Last we heard, Niantic were trying to entice players back with the supremely useless Togepi. Lol okay, good luck with that.

4. Harambe Was Shot & All We Got Was This Shitty Meme

On May 28, one news story captured the attention of the globe: a kid fell into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo, and as a result, one of the gorillas was shot and killed.

Little did the zoo keepers know, back then, that Harambe would continue to live on in the meme that absolutely refused to die. And hey, we are all guilty. Every single one of us.

The good news is that as 2016 hurtles to a close, we appear to be done with the Harambe meme for good, and can let his beautiful soul rest in the afterlife, and stop suggesting Harambe McHarambeface every time an earwig needs a new name.

But as one final goodbye sighs, unzips Alright fellas, dicks out for Harambe.

5. Leslie Jones Was Trolled Off Twitter For Starring In A Fucking Ghostbusters Movie

Photo: Getty / Frazer Harrison.

Were not going to debate the nuances of a female-led Ghostbusters, because honestly thats been done to death and we could be here all week.





But if theres one over-arching theme of 2016, its that bigotry went mainstream, which sadly included a comedian being run off Twitter for the heinous crime of starring in a movie.





Leslie Jones quit the bad website (briefly) after Milo Yiannopoulos-led goons tweeted an endless stream of racism and misogyny her way. It was a dark, horrible time on the internet that we didnt see again until the next round of trolling, which was when was that? Oh yeah, every single day of being on the internet.

6. Sonia Kruger Wanted To Ban All Muslim Immigration





Oh wow, remember this? Channel 9s Sonia Kruger said on national television that we should stop allowing Muslim people to enter Australia because she wanted to feel safe, which was one of the most bigoted, sweeping statements said on Australian TV this entire year. Or possibly that week, its hard to keep up with Racist Australian Broadcasting.

She later defended her comments on Twitter, writing that: As a mother, I believe its vital in a democratic society to be able to discuss these issues without automatically being labelled racist. That would be fine, if the points she brought to the discussion table werent both racist and not worthy of discussion. Yknow, as a mother.

7. Suicide Squad Ended Up Being Cinematic Cats Piss



Photo: DC.

Oh god. We were so, so hyped for Suicide Squad. The cast was stacked, the time was right, and Jared Leto wouldnt STFU about his method acting techniques of sending castmates plastic sacks of his own cum.

And then, it opened and lord, was it terrible. Characters were introduced and then dropped off the face of the earth. Entire plot points were explained in excruciating simplicity to the audience. Will Smith and Margot Robbie carried the shit outta that movie, but even Deadshot and Harley Quinn in bike shorts couldnt save it. Director David Ayer shouldnt be allowed near the DC Universe again, ever. (Oh, wait.)

8. Nikki Got Robbed On The Bachelor



Photo: Channel 10.

Not since that fateful day in 2003 when we as a nation picked the dorkosaurus over the country lad to be the 1st Australian Idol has a reality show so divided a nation.

The finale of 2016s The Bachelor ended with Richie Strahan picking Alex Nation over Nikki Gogan, and in doing so blindsided the entire fucking nation. It was bad, okay? A horrible time. And in extra rudeness, Channel 10 subjected us to the same thing again two months later when Georgia Love picked whatsisname over Matty J in The Bachelorette.

Hey, Bachie producers? Next year, DO. BETTER.

9. Brangelina Went Brangie-Over

Photo: Getty / Frazer Harrison.

Declaring LOVE IS A LIE when a celebrity couple splits is the new thats what your mum said (overdone, not funny, should only be allowed in an ironic way), but fuck me if Brangelina didnt knock the world sideways.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were one of the last, old school Hollywood power couples left, and their ethnically diverse range of brethren were spiriting us into a new age. If George and Amal Clooney call it quits in 2017 then marriage should be made illegal for celebrities, imo.

10. Sunnyboys Were Tragically Discontinued

Yep, nostalgic sugar ice lollies Sunnboys were discontinued forevermore.

Look, Ill just say it, because apparently Im the only one in the PEDESTRIAN.TV office whos never had a Sunnyboy: If you wanted a food to stick around so badly, then maybe you should have eaten it?

The folks over at The Daily Juice Co. announced they were discontinuing the Aussie classics earlier this year, thus changing the face of school canteens forever. Or, they would be, if school canteens were allowed to serve anything anymore that wasnt organic carrot sticks and Jamie Olivers face to stick them in.

11. The New $5 Notes Were Unacceptable Durry Tender

These new fandangaled $5 notes might not be aesthetically pleasing, but they allowed blind people to know if they were holding a $5 or a $50, so it was, yknow, good.

But then we discovered that not one machine was accepting them. Durries, pokies, a packet of Cheese Twisties at 3pm in the arvo none of these could be purchased with the new $5 note. And that shit is not on.

12. Grab Them By The Pussy Happened

Ah, the lowest of the low. President-elect Donald Trump might have said those fateful words to Billy Bush in 2005, but they came to light when the man bragging about sexually assaulting women showed worrying signs of becoming the most powerful man in the world.

And er, we all know how that one turned out. As we hurtle into a Trump Presidency, its worth remembering the literal tens of thousands of women who shared their stories of sexual assault as a result of this footage, bringing a widespread problem to the forefront of the national conversation. Again.

Women: tweet me your first assaults. they arent just stats. Ill go first: Old man on city bus grabs my pussy and smiles at me, Im 12.  kelly oxford (@kellyoxford) October 7, 2016

13. Twitter Pulled The Plug On Vine

Twitter had a lot of problems, sure. Fake accounts, widespread abuse, that weird experiment with the @ replies where it looked like everyone was talking to an empty void of nobody so of course the social media giant decided the logical step was to close down Vine.

The latest reports are that Vine isnt dead in the water just yet, so give it up for six-second comedy and the mysterious collective of Vine stars.

14. All The Bad Takes On Kim Kardashians Gunpoint Robbery

When Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in Paris, there was more than one person claiming she deserved it, or she was asking for it, or maybe the robbers could have finished the job and wed be done with this woman forever.

One more time for the people at the back: NOOOOOooOOOOoooooOOOOOooOOOOO. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY BAD TAKE.

Kim Kardashian being robbed at gunpoint: traumatic, fucked, not deserved by anyone. Using the gunpoint to voice your displeasure at someone whos only famous for being famous (not least while millions of people are reading about her): not clever, funny, or appropriate.

15. Dolly Magazine Closed 4Eva

Iconic Aussie mag Dolly  which taught us how to get our crushes to kiss us by the weekend, all the names for our lady bits, and how Miranda Kerr kept her skin glowing just so darn much, all in one issue  shut up shop after 46 years, and that will never not be a tragedy.

16. Amy Schumer Cancelled Her Aussie Tour

Photo: HBO.

Shockingly, were aware some of you arent the biggest Amy Schumer fans in the world. But for those of you who *do* like her  and you number in the thousands  the news that she cancelled her Aussie tour mere days before she was due to set foot on Australia soil was a huge bummer, particularly for anyone who bought the tickets for loved ones as early Christmas presents and then had to face Westfield in December.

Schumer was forced to cancel her sold-out Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth shows at the last minute due to illness, and at the time of publishing, no replacement dates have yet been announced. Ugh.

17. There Was A Mass Exodus From Triple J

Triple J is an institution for our earbuds, and next year its going to sound very, very different. First we learnt that beloved breakfast duo Matt and Alex were making their way to greener pastures, then the news broke that Lewi McKirdy, Sarah Howells and Kyran Wheatley were also leaving Aunty.

The bittersweet upside? This final, glorious Like A Version.

All we can say is: 2017 better bring back Robin Williams to make up for this bullshit.

Photo: Getty / Dave Benett; Cincinnati Zoo; Bauer Media.
The deep sea, where no light nor evidently gods blessings reach, is known to be full bizarre-looking creatures that look like they belong in Googles Deep Dream AI system rather than in our natural world.

But a Russian deep sea fisher has been posting pictures of the creatures his fishing trawler spits up on Twitter, and its caught the attention of local media.

The Moscow Times reports that Roman Fedortsov is based in Murmansk, a port city in the extreme northwest part of Russia, and started tweeting his finds earlier this year.

And yeahyeahyeah theres a lot to be said for over-fishing / leaving creatures where they belong and all that, BUT WOULD YOU LOOK AT THESE FISH THAT GOD FORGOT?

Something to think about next time youre going for a swim.

Im watching you!

How do you find such a beauty? That #chimera, which is now caught in the #trawl.

For newly arrived on the board, once underwater predator.

Hello everybody! Continue #fishing.

Another #burbot in #trawler. Pretty boy.

Another #grenadier caught in #trawl. The stores sold the carcass, so as not to scare customers.

Sad underwater inhabitants.

Everyone have a great day!

I hope such a creation is not poisonous :)

Photo: Twitter / @rfedortsov.
The man arrested by German police on suspicion of having perpetrated the truck attack which killed twelve people in Berlin has been released due to lack of evidence.

Naved B, a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Pakistan, was arrested after he was seen leaving the scene after the attack. However, according to local German media, police quickly became convinced that Naved was not the person they were after. Reportedly Naved had no blood on his person, despite the fact the truck cab was covered in blood.

According to authorities, the man denied all involvement and cursory investigation did not result in an urgent grounds for suspicion.

As a result, the driver is thought to still be at large, and police are still searching. Holger Munch, the head of the federal criminal police, said that the nation needed to be on high alert. We need to work on the assumption that an armed perpetrator is still on the loose. As a result of this we are on high alert.

The Federal Prosecutors office issued a statement about the release of the first suspect:

The accused man who had been temporarily arrested after the attack on the Berlin Christmas market on 19 December 2016 was released in the evening on the orders of the Federal Prosecutors Office. The investigations so far did not result in an urgent grounds for suspicion. He made extensive statements in a police hearing but denied involvement. A complete tracking of the truck driver after the attack has not been done by eye witnesses. The criminal investigations carried out so far have not been able to prove a presence of the accused during the incident in the truck.

Earlier, the Brandenberg Gate lit up with the flag of Germany in commemoration of those who were killed in the attack.

Well keep you posted.

Source: The Guardian.

Photo: Getty Images / BERND VON JUTRCZENKA.
A suspect has been arrested after a truck drove through a Christmas market in Berlin today, killing nine people and injuring up to fifty in what has been described as one of the deadliest attacks in Germany in decades.

Berlin police confirmed they had arrested a suspect, and that another passenger in the truck had died on the spot when the truck careened through the market at Breitscheidplatz.

The police confirmed the arrest via Twitter, writing that a suspicious person was arrested near Breitscheidplatz. Whether it is the driver of the truck, is currently under consideration.

BREAKING: German police arrest driver suspected of plowing truck into crowd at Christmas market in Berlin: police spokesman on local TV  Reuters Top News (@Reuters) December 19, 2016

The police confirmed that many college students were among those injured and killed during the attack. Witnesses have begun to speak to the media about the attack, articulating the confusion and terror of the scene.

We heard a loud bang, tourist Emma Rushton told CNN. We started to see the top of an articulated truck, a lorry  just crashing through the stalls, through people.

It is believed that the truck itself was registered to a company in Stettin, Poland. It was on its way back to Poland after departing from Italy when the company lost contact with the driver. It is unknown whether the driver was involved, though there is high suspicion that the vehicle was hijacked.

The Berlin state interior minister has called for calm, and has refused to identify the incident as an attack until more information is gathered. By contrast, Facebook is allowing users to check in as safe, and have named the event The Attack On Berlin, Germany.

Well keep you posted as more info emerges.

Source: The Guardian.

Photo: Getty Images.
Im sad to announce that the day you feared most has finally come true: scientists are worried that robots are going to fuck us to death.

Weve barely managed to get them to the point where they can walk, and yet our best and brightest are already speculating about what will happen we get to the technology level where we can put your dinguses in and on robots, and, frankly, theyre worried.

Speaking at the Second International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots (Im not sure if its more miraculous that this exists, or that theres been two of them), Swiss researcher Oliver Bendel warned that robots might destroy humanity in one of two fashions and, hell, I welcome both of them.

The first issue being that, thanks to robots being tireless fuck-machines and people being very much tireful, if we havent fully nailed (sorry) empathy in robots, they are likely to fuck us to the point of exhaustion and beyond.

The second (and vastly more pleasant) possible outcome is that robots might be just so good at boning down that we choose never to have sex with another human again, which doesnt sound all that bad.

Bendel also raised concerns about whether sex robots should have the right to refuse extreme requests, whether they should be made available at all times, whether they should have to reveal that they are, in fact, robots, and whether they should be able to entice humans into having sex with them.

Considering how unbelievably rude people are to Siri for laughs, I cant imagine the ethics of robot-boning are going to be anything but a spectacular mess. The future is going to be goddamn crazy.

Source: The Register.
Aside from the shocking brazenness of the act itself, that there were professional press photographers on hand to capture the moments immediately after Andrei Karlov, the Russian envoy to Turkey, was shot and killed by a lone gunman during an art exhibition in the Turkish city of Ankara makes it all the more remarkable.

Multiple international press agencies were on-hand at the event, and captured Karlovs murder at the hands of Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas from multiple angles.

But it was the Associated Press who snapped whats surely going to go down as an iconic photo in the annals of history, capturing Altintas defiantly standing over Karlovs fallen body, roaring with a gun firmly clasped in-hand.

An AP photographer was in the audience during the attack on Russias ambassador to Turkey  the latest here: https://t.co/QNlIA8e2Eu pic.twitter.com/EBPa5izHsi  AP Images (@AP_Images) December 19, 2016

The AP photographer who captured the scene, Burhan Ozbilici, has detailed his experience of the events in a vivid account for AP news.

He stated that, at first, he believed the gunman to be part of some sort of theatrical flourish as Altintas drew his weapon and approached Karlov.

The event was routine enough  the opening of an exhibit of photographs of Russia  so when a man on stage pulled out a gun I was stunned and thought it was a theatrical flourish.

It was anything but. Moments later the Russian ambassador was sprawled on the floor and the attacker was waving his gun at the rest of us, shouting slogans. He shot the ambassador at least once more at close range and smashed some of the framed photos on the wall.

In all there were at least eight shots. Guests ran for cover, hiding behind columns and under tables. I composed myself enough to shoot pictures.

Ozbilici, the story details, only attended the exhibition because it was on his way home from his office. He began shooting photos of Karlov thinking they might be useful for future stories on Russian-Turkish relations. But later on when he began sifting through the photos hed taken of the scene, he discovered that Karlovs murderer had been standing behind him whilst he delivered a speech. And in the chaos of it all, the gravity of what hed just witnessed took some time to fully sink in.

It took me a few seconds to realise what had happened: A man had died in front of me; a life had disappeared before my eyes. I was shocked and sad but I started to take photographs, sheltering behind a wall. When I returned to the office to edit my photos, I was shocked to see that the gunman was actually standing behind the ambassador as he spoke.

The gunman reportedly shouted references to the shocking humanitarian crisis in the Aleppo region of Syria, where Russian bombardments have forced rebel forces out of areas they previously controlled during the bloody civil war that has decimated the region, essentially allowing troops from the Assad regime to surround them.

The situation continues to unfold.

Source: AP Images Blog.

Photo: Yavuz Alatan/Getty.
Russias ambassador to Turkey has been gunned down at an art exhibition in Ankara by an off-duty police officer who shouted God is great and dont forget Aleppo, dont forget Syria! in what Russia has described as a terrorist attack.

Shocking photos have emerged from the conference, which was well-attended by photographers for local and international agencies, of the gunman standing over the body of Andrey G. Karlov after shooting him from behind.

My God. What a pic. The dead Russian ambassador & his killer. @akhbar pic.twitter.com/kiyB1No9PZ  Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) December 19, 2016

Relations between Russia and Turkey have been strained for some time, which has been deeply exacerbated by the Syrian conflict. Both countries are situated on the opposite sides of the disaster in Syria, with Russia supporting embattled president Bashar al-Assad and Turkey opposing his continued rule.

Historians say this could be the first assassination of a Russian envoy since Pyotr Voykov, the Soviet ambassador to Poland, who was killed in 1927.

Turkish media has reportedly identified the gunman as Mert Altintas, a police officer in Ankaras special operations unit. This has not been confirmed, but international media is running with Altintas as the primary suspect. The gunman was killed by authorities at the scene.

#Turkey media have IDd the assassin as a serving police officer  Mert Altintas. Now a member of #Ankara Polices special operations unit. pic.twitter.com/4pzBTgr0vw  Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) December 19, 2016

The Russian foreign ministry has condemned this as a terrorist attack, and that they will present this to the United Nations Security Council.

We see this as an act of terrorism  Russias Foreign ministry condemns the murder of its ambassador to Turkey https://t.co/o6hqVbYd6H  Sky News (@SkyNews) December 19, 2016

The United States has condemned the killing through Secretary of State John Kerry.

Secretary @JohnKerry: The U.S. condemns the assassination today in Ankara of #Russias Ambassador Andrey Karlov.https://t.co/6e99UPxJfG  Department of State (@StateDept) December 19, 2016

Pay attention to this  it is a major international incident and the world will likely feel the shockwaves.

Source: New York Times / Twitter.

Photo: Getty Images / Yavuz Alatan.
Just when I thought Tegan And Sara couldnt get any bloody more tip-top brilliant, they go ahead and launch their own foundation supporting LGBTQ women.

The Tegan and Sara Foundation was launched by the twin sister dream team recently, and will be working alongside and in solidarity with existing organisations and groups to continue the fight for equality for LGBTQ women.

In the fall of 2016 we traveled across North America touring our new record, Love You to Death. We played shows every night, but it was also an important listening and learning tour for us. Every day we read your letters. We met with local fans, youth activists, researchers, legislators, and nonprofits working tirelessly to promote LGBTQ equality. We were deeply inspired by their work.

Tegan And Sara have been open about their sexualities for their entire career, which is nearing on 20 years. The twins have been actively working for many years on fighting the good fight against inequality and oppression, and recognise that the foundation is simply an extension of their ongoing support of LGBTQ organisations.

The duo have also already used the foundation to call out the inequality in many pockets of life including healthcare, housing, and the film & television industry, promising that the foundation will be working tirelessly to stamp out inequality and oppression.



LGBTQ women are experiencing disproportionately high levels of poverty, health issues and inequality. LGBTQ women of color, especially transgender women often experience these issues even more severely due to racism and transphobia. Today, given the state of politics in the United States, we must continue to unite and fight for our rights and against all forms of oppression.

For the moment, you can make a one-off donation (or monthly, if youre able) to the foundation, and sign up to their newsletter. Pretty sure this is going to get some great conversations happening, because artists like Tegan And Sara and Bon Iver are already actively listening and pushing to make a bit of noise with the power they hold.

Source: Chorus.fm.

Photo: Pamela Littky/WB.
Well, that was unsurprising.

Donald Trump has successfully passed the threshold of electoral votes required to secure the presidency. As you may or may not know, the United States election doesnt really end with election day  the president is actually selected by the Electoral College. Which is what happened today. Trump has surpassed the 270 electoral votes requires to cinch the top job.

BREAKING: Donald Trump wins more than 270 Electoral College votes to formally become president-elect pic.twitter.com/JjvuWg06IE  The Associated Press (@AP) December 19, 2016

There was a half-assed campaign by Democrats in the leadup to the vote trying to compel Republican electors to switch their vote away from Trump. A whole bunch of celebrities got onboard. It was a shithouse idea from the get-go  can you imagine what would happen if the democratic process  as flawed as it might be  was subverted like that? Itd be chaos.

In fact, in the end the Republicans won on that front too  it looks like more Democratic electors defected away from Hillary. Details have emerged of a Maine Democratic elector who picked Bernie Sanders, and  bafflingly  Washington electors who picked former Secretary of State Colin Powell?

BREAKING: WA Electoral college presidential results: 8 votes Hillary Clinton, 3 votes Colin Powell, 1 Faith Spotted Eagle  KOMO News (@komonews) December 19, 2016

Anyway. Turns out getting Martin Sheen and Saturday Night Live to do dumb videos telling Republican electors to defect doesnt actually do shit  and might have been part of the problem to begin with! Nice!

Source: AP.

Photo: Getty Images.
A new report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has revealed that the two-year-long, $200 million search operation for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has almost definitely been conducted exclusively in an area in which the remains of the plane are not.

MH370 disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8th, 2014 and, while debris linked to the aircraft has been found on Mauritius, off the coast Tanzania, near Madagascar and in South Africa, the wreckage of the plane itself is still yet to be recovered.

The findings from the First Principles Review summit, which saw representatives from the government and aviation experts gather in Canberra for three days in November, found that its extremely unlikely that the plane is in the 120,000-square-kilometre search area, and is more likely actually a bit north of where theyve been looking:

Given the high confidence in the search undertaken to date, the experts agreed that the previously defined indicative underwater area is unlikely to contain the missing aircraft. When considered together with updated flight path modelling, the experts concluded that an unsearched area between latitudes 33S and 36S along the 7th arc of approximately 25,000 km, has the highest probability of containing the wreckage of the aircraft.

This is probably a bit disappointing for the search crews, who have so far covered over 90% of the area which they now believe to actually have zero plane in it.

Despite the findings, however, search teams will continue probing the original area until the last 10,000 square kilometres is done, and then the search will be called off, according to transport minister Darren Chester:

We are very close to completing the 120,000 square kilometre underwater search area, and we remain hopeful that we will locate the aircraft. As agreed at the Tripartite Ministers meeting in Malaysia in July we will be suspending the search unless credible evidence is available that identifies the specific location of the aircraft. The search for MH370 has been the largest in aviation history and has tested the limits of technology, and the capacity of our experts and people at sea. Our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the 239 people on board.

Source: Huffington Post.

Photo: Getty Images / Mohd Samsul Mohd Said.
Oh no. Oh no no no.

Its always so heart-breaking when you see a favourite actor in a godforsaken movie, and with the supremely stacked cast of Collateral Beauty, theres going to be at least one for ya.

Collateral Beauty had such high hopes. Will Smith leads as Howard, the ad man broken by the grief of losing his daughter who spends his time writing letters to the metaphorical concepts of Love, Time and Death.

Then youve got his minority partners Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, and Michael Pena, and the minority is important here because I assume its the only reason Howard, also partner, hasnt lost his job yet.

Unsure in how to help their friend, they decide on the worst possible course of action and hire three struggling out-of-work actors  Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Jacob Latimore  to physically embody Death, Love and Time respectively. Let that one marinate for a second. Dame Helen Mirren. Out-of-work actor. Honestly, this movies just not believable.

And then on top of that, you have Naomie Harris as the grief support group leader. So yeah. Stacked.

Collateral Beauty was meant to be primed as juicy Oscar-bait, but instead its sliding in to pip The Worst Movie of 2016. Maybe in years to come theyll screen it at art house cinemas and let people throw spoons as it, I dont know.

What I do know is: the critics are shredding this film to fucking pieces.

(Warning: this film has a few twists and they might be spoiled. You can probably risk it.)

The five stages of grief sometimes seem applicable to movie reviewing, except that I usually skip denial, rarely get around to acceptance and generally just settle into anger, which is where I am with Collateral Beauty. Many of the words that I would like to use to describe this waste of talent and time, which riffs on Dickenss eternal A Christmas Carol and tries to manufacture feeling by offing Tiny Tim, cant be lobbed in a family publication. So, instead, I will just start by throwing out some permissible insults: artificial, cliched, mawkish, preposterous, incompetent, sexist, laughable, insulting.



 Manohla Dargis, NY Times

Its a dumb idea for a movie, but its even dumber that Warner Bros. sold the film as something its not. Maybe Collateral Beauty is missing an hour of footage or something, but Im more willing to bet somebody read a first draft of the movies script, convinced Will Smith to sign on, and then said, Put some Christmas lights on everything. Well release it in December. Itll be fine.

 Todd VanDer Werff, Vox

Somewhere in a forest, a maple tree wants all its sap back.





 Mara Reisntein, Us Weekly.



Even if it hadnt come along so soon after Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergans symphonic drama about a father emotionally crippled by loss, Collateral Beauty would look like silly high-concept Hollywood grief porn.



 David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter.

Its near impossible to make a movie with no redeeming features  but damned if Collateral Beauty doesnt hits the zero-stars jackpot. The unholy mess that director David Frankel and screenwriter Allan Loeb have unleashed for the holidays strands an all-star cast  including Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Edward Norton and Keira Knightley  on a sinking ship that churns the waters from absurd to zombified with frequent stops at pretentious.



 Peter Travers, Rolling Stone.

The Will Smith weepie Collateral Beauty couldnt be more calculated and manipulative if it slapped you on the back, shoved a giant lollipop into your mouth and immediately tried to sell you a time share in Tampa.



 Kyle Smith, New York Post.

Does Collateral Beauty feature an out-of-nowhere monologue in which a side character explains the invented concept of collateral beauty, but not well enough for the audience to understand why the movie needs a term for it? Of course it does. Having somehow amassed an embarrassingly overqualified cast, director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me) embraces the schematic structure: Howard gets two scenes with each of the out-of-work actors (introduction, confrontation), each of the actors is paired up with one of Howards partners, and so on and so forth. The only advantage of this is that it makes it very easy to measure how much time the film has left. And its not even very long.



 Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club



At least Norton finally gets to play a character named Whit, which has somehow not happened already.



 Emily Yoshida, Vulture.





You wanna watch the trailer? Okay, watch the trailer.

Photo: Supplied.
WILLIAMSPORT -- A Montgomery County woman has appealed the approval of the nationwide settlement of multiple federal class-action lawsuits that claimed popular Shop Vac Corp wet-dry vacuums do not live up to their advertised specifications.

Michelle Vullings of Collegeville, who in August had called the then-proposed settlement "unfair," filed her appeal Monday in U.S. Middle District Court. Judge Yvette Kane gave final approval to the settlement Dec. 9.

Vullings was one three individuals to file an objection out of the 1,164,149 who received notice of the preliminary settlement. None of the three attended a fairness hearing in September in Harrisburg.

She did not detail her objections in the appeal but in August she contended the settlement did not protect the public from Shop Vac's conduct in the future and attorney fees were excessive.

She also claimed a fair settlement benefit would have included cash distributions to class members for their waiver of consumer fraud and warranty claims.

The settlement Kane approved awarded $5,000 to each of four named plaintiffs in Florida, Missouri, California and Illinois along with $4.25 million in legal fees.

Shop Vac, which did not admit any liability, agreed to a two-year extension of the warranty on the motors of the vacuums purchased or acquired since Jan. 1, 2006.

In her August objection, Vullings opined Shop Vac's cost for the extended warranty "is surely minimal" and is likely to be a small fraction of the attorney fees.

The parties had estimated in an earlier court document the retail value of the extended warranties would be "well into the millions of dollars."

Shop Vac, which is headquartered in Williamsport, also agreed to change how it refers to peak horsepower on marketing materials and alter what the plaintiffs claimed is misleading information about the canister size measurement.
Labor & Industry furloughs

Pennsylvania Labor & Industry employees Amy Jensen, left, and Melanie Hall, visit with colleagues outside the L&I headquarters building in Harrisburg on their last day of work before budget-related furloughs take effect.

Hold the Swedish meatballs.

Bring on the Kleenex.

It was that kind of day Monday at the state Department of Labor & Industry offices as the toxic cloud from a bitter political fight between Gov. Tom Wolf and Senate Republicans finally settled on 521 furloughed employees.

The layoffs offered a bracing interruption to the work-a-day celebrations that typically populate offices in Christmas week as expressions of good cheer gave way to goodbyes and some tears.

"It sucks," said Amy Jensen, a Windsor, York County resident who, along with her husband Jim, were both caught up in the layoffs. "You feel like you aren't cared about, and you feel like they (state officials) think what you do isn't important."

But that's what happens to morale when a Democrat governor and Republican legislature get locked in a game of political chicken over the funding of the state's unemployment compensation service centers.

A state supplement to the federally-funded jobless benefits program is sunsetting this year, and a lack of agreement on its extension before the legislative session ended in November led Wolf to make the executive decision to close call centers in Allentown, Altoona and Lancaster.

Wolf has said he needs to do this because the state appropriation has run out.

It is not lost on the governor's critics, however, that the administration used a variety of fiscal maneuvers to keep all arms of state government operating during a much broader budget impasse in 2015.

On Monday, however, the reality of this manmade, political disaster was settling in.

Melanie Hall, a 13-year L&I employee and single mother who already works part-time at Giant Foods to help make ends meet, said she'll start to feel the pinch in early January, when the last, partial paychecks are issued to those affected.

Hall, of Hampden Twp., said she is already taking steps to prepare for that, by cutting out luxuries like a twice-monthly housekeeping service and eliminating restaurant dates with her 14-year-old son.

Her colleague Jensen, meanwhile, said her greater fear is the loss of health care benefits that end with their employment.

Her husband, Amy Jensen said, takes a prescription drug that costs about $6,000 a month without coverage. The family is currently sitting on a roughly three-month supply, she noted, but after that, the 45 percent jobless benefit they both will receive will be overmatched by expenses.

"I haven't allowed myself not to be hopeful" about a quick resolution, Amy Jensen said Monday, in part because the alternative would be so disastrous.

Labor & Industry Press Secretary Sara Goulet said the layoffs lapsed into reality quietly across the state.

Some affected workers are already looking for other positions within and out of state government. Goulet, in fact, said Monday that 16 of the furloughed workers have already been placed in other state positions.

The union representing most of those affected, Service Employees International Union Local 668, was still said to be researching possible legal remedies Monday, but had not filed any court challenges by day's end.

Meanwhile, its leaders were holding another public rally Monday evening outside state Sen. Scott Wagner's main district office.

Wagner, R-York County, has taken credit publicly for leading the charge against the funding bill in the state Senate this fall and, in his view, striking a blow for fiscal accountability.

Most of those furloughed were formally noticed last month, so they'd had several weeks to clear out their personal effects. Others had arranged for the day off.

For those that did come in, Hall said, the last day was a strange mix of making sure their successors were as well-positioned as possible to take over the workload, and heartfelt goodbyes.

Taking stock of emails and cell-phone numbers. That kind of thing.

The staff that remains, meanwhile, said they're also concerned about what remains of the state's drastically reduced unemployment compensation system. After Monday's closures, only four service centers will still be operating to process incoming claims.

Some, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly, predicted multiple-hour waits for those trying to unemployment claims by phone, if their calls get answered at all.

But on this day, that was Tuesday's issue.

Monday was for the goodbyes. Or, truth be told, clinging to hope that this really won't be a final goodbye.

All those reached by PennLive Monday said their clear preference is getting called back to their old job.

"The consensus is we're hoping that the majority of us will be coming back in some capacity at L&I," Hall said Monday, noting the people in her unit are like a family that's celebrated or mourned marriages, births, divorces and deaths.

Monday's layoffs, she said, will take a new prominence in that list.

And none of them are used to it yet.

"It's great to have the time off (at Christmas)," Hall said, "but it sucks not to have a job."
palson.png

Corey Palson, 26, of Newville, was sentenced Tuesday in Cumberland County Court after he was found guilty in September in three heroin deliveries that resulted in overdoses death.

(Cumberland County Prison.)

CARLISLE - Lorraine Avery had hopes and dreams.

But through tears, Avery's mother said she will never see those come to light.

"My daughter Lorraine will not raise her children. She cannot cuddle with them anymore. She missed seeing her baby walk for the first time," Mayling Bittner told Cumberland County Judge Thomas Placey on Tuesday.

Similar tales came from the family members of Nicole Tubbs and Michael Sullivan.

"I visit her grave every day," Deborah Tubbs said. "She's the first person I think of when I wake up, and the last person I think of when I go to sleep."

You never get over the loss of a child, she added.

All three died from heroin overdoses.

And that heroin, a Cumberland County jury determined in September, was brought into the region by Corey Palson.

Palson, 26, of Newville, was sentenced Tuesday in Cumberland County Court to 34 1/4 years to 68 1/2 years in state prison. He was convicted in September of three counts of drug delivery resulting in death and conspiracy.

Palson's convictions stem from the county's first use of a grand jury to investigate and prosecute in the fight against the heroin epidemic.

Palson, who has a record of drug, robbery and burglary convictions, was among three men charged last year as a result of that probe.

Investigators said Palson transported 120 to 130 bundles -- equaling up to 1,300 bags of MOB-branded heroin -- into the county from Philadelphia several times a week.

Palson sold heroin to Avery and Sullivan, who both fatally overdosed in May 2015. He also supplied heroin to his girlfriend, Tubbs, who used the drug before she was involved in a fatal traffic accident the following month.

Just prior to Palson's sentencing, Sullivan's father, Patrick Sullivan, told the judge, "The heroin epidemic is overwhelming. It's stealing our children, and it's due to career dealers."

And Bittner added that Palson, "made his living off of ruining other people's lives."

It was all for greed, she said.

First Assistant District Attorney Jaime Keating told the judge Palson wasn't just a dealer -- he was a supplier to dealers, and he had no concern for how the families of the victims would be affected.

"As long as the money came in, he didn't care," Keating said.

Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed is holding a press conference later on Tuesday to address this case and enhanced contributions to the Cumberland County Drug Task Force.
CARLISLE - Following the sentencing of a heroin supplier responsible for the deaths of three 20-year-olds on Tuesday, the county's top prosecutor announced an expansion to the Cumberland County Drug Task Force that will put more officers on the streets to combat the opioid problem.

Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed said Tuesday that five municipalities have agreed to add full-time officers to the task force.

They already had officers from Carlisle, Shippensburg and Upper Allen Township, and now, Freed said officers from Mechanicsburg and Lower Allen, Hampden, East Pennsboro and Silver Spring townships will join them on a full-time basis.

The district attorney's office, which heads up the task force, uses money from the state Attorney General's Office, as well as funds brought in through the prosecution of drug cases, to help pay for the overtime expenses incurred by many of the officers taking part in the task force and use it for investigations, as well.

"We have been successful at that, but the level of problem we're dealing with now demands a solution," Freed said.

This led to his office reaching out to municipalities to ask for help in the form of fulltime officers dedicated to drug work.

And despite tight finances for many municipalities, Freed said, "The response to that has been, dare I say, overwhelming."

His announcement regarding the newly-bolstered task force followed Tuesday's sentencing of Corey Palson, 26, of Newville, who is facing 34 1/4 to 68 1/2 years in state prison for supplying the heroin that killed Lorraine Avery, Michael Sullivan and Nicole Tubbs.

First Assistant District Attorney Jaime Keating said this was an historic case because it's the first time county prosecutors have gone through an indicting grand jury to bring charges in a a drug delivery resulting in death case. Additionally, Palson was more than a dealer - he was a supplier who brought in drugs frequently from Philadelphia to sell to dealers, Keating said.

Freed added that opioids such as heroin constitute both a public health problem and a crime problem in the county. On the public-health side, medication-collection initiatives have led to four tons of drugs being turned over and properly disposed of, and the increased use of overdose-combating drugs like Narloxone has been saving lives in the county.

"But we still have a crime problem," Freed said, adding the prison-population is up, and the criminal caseload has increased by 500 cases over last year. "You can't help but attribute some of that to heroin."

Following the press conference, the family members of the three victims shared their stories.

Lorraine Avery was a bubbly, happy person, her mother, Mayling Bittner, said. She loved her young children, had a bright future, and had been clean for some time until the day she overdosed in May 2015.

Michael Sullivan's father, Patrick Sullivan, and his sister, Sarah, take some comfort in the sentencing of Palson, and they hope the 60-plus-year sentence, as well as the new officers dedicated to the drug task force, will be a deterrent for other dealers and suppliers.

And Deborah Tubbs, the mother of Nicole Tubbs, said she thinks of her daughter now as a butterfly. After Nicole Tubbs' death from car crash while using heroin, Deborah Tubbs said the family would constantly see butterflies, acting in ways that reminded them of her daughter.

She now has a butterfly tattoo on her forearm as a reminder of her daughter.
Hillsgrove road.jpg

Hillsgrove Road at the headwaters of Mill Creek. This was once a French Drain, topped with 4 culvert pipes to drain the slow moving headwaters. Due to the heavy rainfall, the drainage sustem could not handle that much flow and washed the road completely out. This hole is about 15ft deep. Hillsgrove Road at the headwaters of Mill Creek. This was once a French Drain, topped with 4 culvert pipes to drain the slow moving headwaters. Due to the heavy rainfall, the drainage sustem could not handle that much flow and washed the road completely out. This hole is about 15ft deep.

(Bureau of Forestry)

HILLSGROVE -- It was a bleak fall for the businesses in the small Sullivan County town of Hillsgrove that look to hunting season like mall stores do to Christmas.

The business downturn is attributed to damage caused by flash floods that occurred after up to eight inches of rain fell two months ago Wednesday.

Many hunting camps were damaged or isolated and Route 87 at Hillsgrove still is closed because the bridge over Mill Creek was washed away.

"I had half the business I had last hunting season, said Dan Baumunk owner of Hillsgrove Beverage. He has cut back hours and said he may start closing a few days a week.

"Not good," was how Dave Strack described business at his Hillsgrove Country Store during hunting season. He too has cut back hours.

Hillsgrove never flooded like this before, Baumunk said. The country store building dates to 1878 and it never had water before, Strack said. There was six feet in the cellar, he said.

The Oct. 21 storm not only destroyed the Route 87 bridge but washed out sections of three roads in Loyalsock State Forest.

During typical winters, Strack gets business from snowmobilers but said he does not expect many this year because the forestry roads are closed. "It's kind of a double whammy," he said.

Damage to the forestry roads has left 23 seasonal structures isolated, said Terry Brady, a spokesman for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Infrastructure damage in the forest has been estimated at between $8.2 million and $10.2 million, he said.

Hikers from Philadelphia abandoned their car as streams started to rise on Oct. 21 and now they cannot drive it out because the road is washed out, said District Forester Richard A. Glinski.

There has been little damage repair so far to the hunting camps whose members come primarily from southcentral and southeastern Pennsylvania, he said.

Recovery is going to take time. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Thursday opened bids for a temporary Route 87 bridge over Mill Creek. They range from $1.343 million to $1.483 million.

The temporary bridge is scheduled to be in place by the end of January so the highway can be reopened to all traffic.

The damaged span has been removed and emergency stream restoration projects have been completed up and downstream, PennDOT says.

It will be only a temporary because PennDOT is scheduled to open bids in April for a permanent bridge. The bridge was scheduled for replacement in 2017, it says.

Before the Oct. 21 flood, an average of between 750 and 850 vehicles, 17 percent of which were trucks, passed through Hillsgrove daily on Route 87, the agency said.

Through traffic is being detoured over Route 220, miles to the east.

Local car traffic can bypass the washed-out bridge by using Jack's Road whose oil and chip surface is breaking down from the added use.

Although it is a Hillsgrove Township road, PennDOT said it will work on it when the weather breaks.
gisele paris

Gisele Paris leaves the Allegheny County Courthouse on Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 after she was found guilty of stealing a neighbor's dog and euthanizing it. (Greensburg Tribune-Review via The Associated Press) The Associated Press

(Greensburg Tribune-Review via The Associated Press)

A Pittsburgh woman who was convicted of kidnapping and euthanizing an ill man's Siberian Husky must serve a 3- to 6-month prison term for those crimes, a state Superior Court panel ruled Monday.



The state judges reached that decision in rejecting an appeal by 60-year-old Gisele Paris, who claimed she believed the 8-year-old dog was being mistreated.



Her plot didn't play out as planned, Judge Mary Jane Bowes wrote in the state court's opinion denying Paris' challenge to her convictions for animal cruelty, theft and receiving stolen property.



Investigators claimed Paris stole the dog, named Thor, in November 2013 when a humane police officer didn't seize it after investigating an animal abuse report Paris filed.



Paris took the dog to the Animal Rescue League for adoption, but was told its age and a 6-inch tumor on its behind rendered it unadoptable, Bowes wrote. Paris took the dog home after being told it could be treated with surgery.



Two months later, she took the husky to an animal hospital - the same one used by Thor's real owner - and claimed to be its owner. Officials there knew the actual owner had filed a stolen dog report, Bowes noted.



Bowes wrote that Paris became upset when a veterinarian told her it would cost more than $600 for the surgery on the dog. She claimed she didn't have the money and left with the animal, after which clinic officials called Pittsburgh police.



Police said Paris had Thor put down in her home soon after officers began questioning her. When she was arrested, Paris screamed, fell to the ground and kicked a female cop, Bowes wrote.



Allegheny County Judge Anthony M. Mariani imposed the prison sentence, plus 18 months of probation, after a jury convicted Paris in December 2014.



In denying her appeal, Bowes rejected Paris' claim that Mariani didn't properly instruct the jurors regarding the legal elements of animal cruelty. Mariani also was right in refusing to honor Paris' request to tell the jury she was "reasonably mistaken" in her belief that Thor was suffering, Bowes found.



Court records show Paris pleaded no contest to a resisting arrest charge for struggling with the cop. She was sentenced to 2 years of probation for that crime.






metcalf cropped.png

Two felony counts of aggravated assault were added Monday for Jeremiah Metcalfe, 37, who is heading to trial in Cumberland County Court. He is accused of trying to run over a Shippensburg police officer with the officer's own SUV.

(Cumberland County Prison.)

SHIPPENSBURG - When a Shippensburg police officer saw his own cruiser coming at him, he opened fire.

"Were you in fear of your life?" Cumberland County Senior Assistant District Attorney Nathan Boob asked Officer Andrew Cramer while he was on the stand Monday.

"Yes," Cramer testified. "I thought he was going to run me over."

But the defense is arguing that Jeremiah L. Metcalf was suffering a mental breakdown at the time, and he was just trying to get away from the situation when he fled in the police officer's marked Ford Explorer.

A preliminary hearing was held Monday before Magisterial District Judge H. Anthony Adams, who bound all charges, except for escape and flight to avoid apprehension, over to Cumberland County Court.

Metcalf, 37, of Southampton Township in Franklin County, is facing two felony counts of aggravated assault and one felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude officers, which Boob added to his list of charges Monday.

He is also facing charges of theft, receiving stolen property, recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and driving with a suspended license.

Cramer testified that the incident occurred like this:

He and another officer were called to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked in a construction-equipment storage area at McCune Lumber on West Martin Avenue around 2:45 p.m. Dec. 9. He found Metcalf, who wore no shoes or shirt, inside the car.

Metcalf was slow in his responses to the officer's questions, but Metcalf complied when the officer asked to search his car.

As Cramer searched, he heard footsteps and saw Metcalf behind him. Cramer told him to sit down, but Metcalf soon got into the police SUV and took off.

Yelling "get out," Cramer ran alongside his own cruiser in the aisles between stacks of construction materials.

At the end of the lane, the officer stopped, gun drawn.

He said he saw the wheels turning toward him, and, in fear for his life, he shot three times.

Metcalf veered away onto Martin Avenue and took off. The other officer, soon joined by more, pursued him.

Cramer said he got a ride from a passerby to the police station, where he got into another cruiser, and soon caught up with the tail end of the pursuit when police had Metcalf surrounded, guns drawn.

When Cramer pulled Metcalf out of the police SUV, he saw that he was bleeding and had been shot in the shoulder.

But there may have been a reason for his fleeing, the defense argued.

Senior Assistant Public Defender Sean Owen indicated his client was suffering from a mental breakdown and asked Cramer if he heard his client tell him as much and ask him to call his mother, to which the officer said, "no."

Owen argued there is no denying that Metcalf took the police vehicle and fled the scene, but he said his client was not in his right mind.

"I don't think he had the intent to actually run down the police officer," Owen argued. "He was trying to drive around the construction materials."

And after the hearing, Metcalf's mother, Kelly Metcalf, said what was presented in court is not how the situation occurred. She says her son suffers from mental health issues, and that he repeatedly told the officer to call her to straighten the situation out. She said her son fled because he feared for his own safety.

The judge found there was enough evidence to move the case to county court, where Metcalf faces arraignment on Feb. 16.
IMG_2809.jpeg

On Tuesday, Impact Harrisburg announced the meeting dates, times and locations for 24 meetings it plans to have next year.

(Christian Alexandersen, PennLive)

HARRISBURG -- A nonprofit that controls $13 million in public money has begun moving toward transparency by announcing meeting information despite still fighting a court battle to keep its closed-door meetings.

On Tuesday, Impact Harrisburg announced the meeting dates, times and locations for 24 meetings it plans to have next year. The nonprofit is currently in a Commonwealth Court battle with PennLive, WGAL and WITF to exempt it from a state law requiring government meetings to be held in the open.

Sheila Dow-Ford, executive director of Impact Harrisburg, announced the meeting information on Tuesday.

Craig Staudenmaier, a Harrisburg attorney representing the media companies, said it's "encouraging" to see the nonprofit announced its 2017 meeting information.

"It would be nice if they would agree to be under the law entirely and then everyone would know exactly what they were required to do and what they weren't required to do," Staudenmaier said. "Right now, it's kind of a grey area."

Impact Harrisburg was designed by state receivers to distribute $13 million that was set aside from the sale of the city's incinerator and long-term lease of the city's parking assets. The money is supposed to jumpstart the city's economic recovery and address long-ignored infrastructure needs through grants.

The city of Harrisburg and Capital Region Water are the only entities allowed to apply for infrastructure grants, but anyone can apply for economic development grants.

In January, PennLive asked for the group's twice-monthly meetings to be public, contending the group falls under requirements of the state's Sunshine Act. Instead, Impact Harrisburg filed a motion in court to condone its closed-door meetings, arguing it is not a public agency.

Staudenmaier has argued that Impact Harrisburg is an agency as defined under the Sunshine Act because it meets the two key elements of the act: It was created by or pursuant to statute and its stated function is to make determinations of the expenditure of public money for two essential government functions.

Commonwealth Court Judge Bonnie Leadbetter asked the entities to come together to try to settle the dispute.

Staudenmaier said they were not able to settle the issue and now the media organizations will go back to the judge to ask for a future hearing or argument date.

Here's a breakdown of the Impact Harrisburg meeting information:

All meetings will begin at 10:30 a.m. and be held at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Board, at 211 N. Front St. in Harrisburg.

Meetings will be held on Jan. 3 and 17, Feb. 7 and 21, March 7 and 21, April 4 and 18, May 2 and 16, June 6 and 20, July 6 and 18, Aug. 1 and 15, Sept. 5 and 19, Oct. 3 and 17, Nov. 7 and 21 and Dec. 5 and 19.
Opioid addicts and their families talk about how hard it is to stay clean, even after getting treatment that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. They tell of the terrible craving that can persist for months after the addict begins trying to quit. They complain of a lack of follow-through to help the addict resist temptation, and get back on track when they relapse.



A new Pennsylvania effort expected to be up and running early next year will address those problems and more. The state is establishing 45 "Centers for Excellence" that officials hope will amount to a better way to combat the crisis of addiction to heroin and prescription painkillers that's being blamed for 10 deaths per day in the state.



The centers won't be free-standing facilities. Rather, they'll be separate operations based inside existing medical, addiction and mental health facilities. They'll use an approach similar to the "medical home" concept in primary care, where a family medical practice is responsible for coordinating all of a patient's medical care and taking a proactive approach to keeping the patient healthy.



Centers will assess each addict's needs and connect them to the right treatment, which can range from detox to residential treatment to outpatient programs to halfway houses, 12-step programs and more, depending in the addict's individual needs.

Then they'll surround the addict with a team of professionals and licensed peer-support specialists. The team will help the addict find treatment for any medical and mental health issue that might be contributing to the addiction. Most importantly, they'll work to keep the addict involved in treatment long-term, which is considered essential in overcoming opioid addiction. They'll also steer addicts to other services, such as housing and employment, that can help them rebuild their lives.



The centers will perform another key function: connecting people to medications, including Suboxone and Vivitrol, that are now considered necessary for some addicts to overcome craving for opioids and stay clean. Access to those medications is presently in short supply and, according to state officials, sometimes used without the additional counseling and treatment needed to make it fully effective.

The state is spending $20.4 million on the centers, including $5.4 million in federal funds.

Jason Snyder, the state department of human services employee who is overseeing the centers, said one of their main purposes is to overcome failures in getting people into treatment and keeping them involved in recovery long term.



He points to statistics from the state's Medicaid program, which covers drug treatment for people with lower incomes. Of Medicaid users diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder in 2014, only 48 percent ended up in treatment. Of those, only 33 percent stayed involved with treatment beyond 30 days. And of Medicaid users who went into detox -- considered an early step in recovery but not actual treatment -- 68 percent didn't go into treatment.

"We're not getting enough people into treatment and we're not keeping them engaged long enough," Snyder said.



The centers are aimed at people covered by Medicaid. As a result of the Obamacare-related expansion of Medicaid to people earning up to 133 percent of the poverty level, about 261,000 Pennsylvania residents are now covered by the program. So when someone covered by Medicaid comes to a Center of Excellence, Medicaid will cover the costs of their treatment. The $20.4 million the state has allocated to the centers is to cover pay and benefits for the care management teams.

While the centers are aimed at Medicaid users, they will accept people covered by private insurance, Snyder said. The state has set a goal of the centers treating 11,500 people during the first year, or about 300 per center. However, Snyder said the state would be happy to see the centers treat more, and he believes they could accommodate additional addicts.

Jack Carroll, who heads drug and alcohol treatment programs for Cumberland and Perry counties, believes the idea of surrounding addicts with a care team to help them stay involved with treatment, and to access other addiction-related needs, can fill a significant void. He's also pleased to see the expanded access to medication-assisted treatment, which he views as not the best treatment for everyone, but necessary for some people who have had great difficulty in avoiding relapse. He also believes fast access to medication can stabilize someone who wants to stop using heroin but can't immediately find a treatment opening.



"We're overwhelmed by the extent of the epidemic and we need all the help we can get," he said.

Still, Carroll said he and other heads of county treatment programs remain concerned about shortages of resources, including residential treatment beds, and worry the state hasn't sufficiently invested in solving the shortages.

There's also the worry that if Republicans repeal Obamacare as promised, they'll eliminate the funding for Medicaid expansion, which would leave the centers without a means of paying for the treatment.

One of the centers will be based at Hamilton Health, a federally funded health center in Harrisburg. Executive Director Jeannine Peterson said she expects the center to be fully functioning by early February, and to draw people from Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry and Lebanon counties.

She notes that the center will strive to connect addicts to treatment and other services near their homes, and its case managers will be mobile, so getting help from the center won't be contingent on coming there regularly. "Our goal is to have a central point where people can get their needs assessed and then we can connect them to care and coordinate that care ... so they don't fall through the cracks," she said.



If you want to connect to state programs that provide help for prescription drug and heroin addiction, call 1-800-662-4357 for information about treatment resources. Calls are confidential. This hotline, staffed by trained professionals, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is available in both English and Spanish.
A Cumberland County police officer was airlifted to Hershey Medical Center with unspecified injuries following a crash in Middlesex Township Monday night.

A Middlesex Township officer crashed a police vehicle, a 2015 Ford Explorer, into the rear of a Freightliner tractor-trailer that was stopped at a traffic light at Harrisburg Pike and Cook Drive in Middlesex Township at about 5:23 p.m., state police said.

State police did not immediately identify the officer, or provide information about their condition.

The driver of the truck, Carlos A. Ramirez, 41, of Philadelphia, was not injured in the crash, police said.

The police SUV was towed from the scene.

The truck incurred minor damage.

Harrisburg Pike was closed for a few hours following the crash.

No additional information was immediately available.
Hampden Township bank robber.jpg

The suspect pictured in these surveillance photos robbed the M&T Bank, 5528 Carlisle Pike, just after 6 p.m. on Dec. 9.

(Hampden Township police)

Police have released surveillance photos of a male suspect who robbed a Hampden Township bank at gunpoint on Dec. 9, police said.

Police responded to a robbery report at the M&T Bank, 5528 Carlisle Pike, just after 6 p.m.

Police said the suspect entered the bank, displayed a handgun and demanded cash.

He fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money, police said.

The suspect is describe as a Hispanic male who is between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall. 5' 7" - 5' 10" tall.

Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to contact the Hampden Township Police Department at 717-761-2609.

Tips also can be shared on the Cumberland County Crime Stoppers website.

There is a reward offered in this case, but police did not disclose the value of it.
Two lanes of traffic have been restored in a construction zone along Interstate 81 in southern Schuylkill County.

After work reduced traffic to one lane on I-81 southbound and northbound between Exit 100 (Route 443/Pine Grove) and Exit 104 (Route 125/Ravine) throughout most of the year, two lanes are open in both directions, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced.

Southbound I-81 was restored to two lanes in the area on Dec. 13. Two northbound lanes were restored Dec. 16.

The nearly $44 million project includes road repairs, the placement of a concrete overlay, interchange improvements, guide rail updates, signage updates, and new pavement markings.

The project is scheduled for completion in May 2017.

For more traffic information, follow live traffic updates, accident reports and road closures below from PennDOT, Total Traffic Network and other Twitter sources.

Get a look at conditions on local roads -- via PennDOT traffic cameras -- anytime here on PennLive. For Pennsylvania Turnpike updates and possible travel delays visit the Turnpike website here.

Tweet us at @pennlive with any incidents you see on your commute or send a submission to submissions@pennlive.com.
meredith calder.png

Meredith Calder

(East Earl Township police)

A Lancaster woman wanted on multiple warrants in multiple jurisdictions was arrested after falling into an icy pond at a local country club on Tuesday.

Meredith Lyet Calder, 41, was arrested on warrants in Lancaster and York Counties after an incident at Conestoga Country Club on Stonemill Road in Manor Township. Authorities attempted to arrest Calder after receiving a tip she was in the area, but she ran from the Pheasant Ridge Development to the country club's property, police said.

While crossing a frozen pond at the country club, Calder fell through the ice. Police said she was able to stand in the water, but refused to exit the icy water to be arrested.

Manor Township police Officer Coleen Tatara and East Hempfield Township police Officer Christ Keen went into the water and arrested Calder. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment before she was turned over to Lancaster County sheriff's deputies.



No additional charges will be filed as a result of the arrest, Manor Township police said. Calder was most recently charged with access device fraud for an incident on Dec. 6, according to online court documents.

Calder has a history of theft, which has been reported by PennLive and LancasterOnline.com.
By Michelle Martin and Sabine Siebold BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities on Tuesday released a Pakistani asylum-seeker suspected of driving a truck into a Berlin Christmas market and killing 12 people due to a lack of evidence and the interior minister said the real perpetrator may still be on the run. The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages on Monday evening at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of west Berlin's most famous landmarks. Forty-five people were injured, 30 severely. Islamic State claimed responsibility the attack, saying the perpetrator was a "soldier" of the militant group. "He executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries," its AMAQ news agency said. But Germany's interior minister said that despite the claim, investigators were following various leads. "We just heard about the supposed claim of responsibility by this so-called Islamic State that is in fact a gang of terrorists," Minister Thomas de Maiziere told ARD broadcaster. "There are several leads that investigators are following now." The Chief Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement it had been unable to prove that the suspect had been in the cabin of the truck at the time of the attack and said he had denied any involvement. Earlier, Die Welt newspaper quoted an unnamed police chief as saying: "We have the wrong man. And therefore a new situation. The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage." Commenting on the suspect's release, de Maiziere told ZDF television: "That's why it is true that one cannot rule out that the perpetrator is still at large." He said there was no doubt the Berlin incident had been an attack but the motive remained unclear. He also said it was not yet known how many foreigners were among the victims of the attack but no children had been among the dead. News of the arrest of the 23-year-old Pakistani had led politicians in Germany and beyond to demand a crackdown on immigration, but Chancellor Angela Merkel urged caution. "There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack," she told reporters earlier on Tuesday. "I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum," she said. POLISH CONNECTION The truck belonged to a Polish freight company and its rightful driver was found shot dead in the vehicle. The Polish truck driver had arrived hours earlier in the German capital and spoken to his wife about 3 p.m., according to his cousin. When she called again an hour later, there was no answer. "At 3.45 p.m. you can see the movement on the GPS (Global Positioning System). The car moved forward and back. As if someone was learning to drive it," said the cousin, Ariel Zurawski, who was also the boss of the trucking company. "I knew something was wrong." Merkel joined hundreds of mourners on Tuesday evening at a memorial service at the church near the attack site. Her spokesman said she had spoken with the leaders of seven European countries and also with U.S. President Barack Obama, who all assured her of their support for Germany. Security officials in Germany and Europe have warned for years that Christmas markets could present an easy target for militant attacks. In 2000, an al-Qaeda plan to bomb the Strasbourg Christmas market on New Year's Eve was foiled. There were no concrete barricades at the Berlin Christmas market, as have been installed at a similar venue in Britain. The attack fuelled immediate demands for a change to Merkel's immigration policies, under which more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany this year and last. "We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this," said Klaus Bouillon, interior minister of the state of Saarland and a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU). Horst Seehofer, leader of the CDU's Bavarian sister party, said: "We owe it to the victims, to those affected and to the whole population to rethink our immigration and security policy and to change it." "FEAR OF EVIL" The record influx has hit Merkel's ratings as she prepares to run for a fourth term next year and has boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD). AfD leader Frauke Petry said Germany was no longer safe and "radical Islamic terrorism has struck in the heart of Germany". The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. That was claimed by Islamic State. The influx of migrants to the European Union has deeply divided its 28 members and fuelled the rise of populist anti-immigration movements that hope to capitalise on public concerns next year in elections in France, Germany and the Netherlands. On Tuesday morning, investigators removed the black truck from the site for forensic examination. People left flowers at the scene and notes, one of which read: "Keep on living, Berliners!" One woman was crying as she stopped by the flowers. Merkel said Germans must not be cowed by the attack: "We do not want to live paralysed by the fear of evil." "Even if it is difficult in these hours, we will find the strength for the life we want to live in Germany - free, together and open." Other European countries said they were reviewing security. Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka called for biometric and fingerprint checks to be introduced along the Balkan route used by many migrants arriving in Europe in order to better control foreign jihadist fighters' movements. London police said they were reviewing their plans for protecting public events over the festive period. (Reporting by Michelle Martin, Caroline Copley, Joseph Nasr, Emma Thomasson, Paul Carrel, Michael Nienaber, Madeline Chambers in Berlin; additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla in Vienna; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)
FILE - In this May 14, 2015, file photo, the oil drilling rig Polar Pioneer is towed toward a dock in Elliott Bay in Seattle. The rig was the first of two drilling rigs Royal Dutch Shell was outfitting for Arctic oil exploration. President Barack Obama is expected to order wide swaths of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans placed permanently off-limits for oil drilling, in an 11th-hour push for environmental protection before he leaves office. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Boyne City Splash Pad construction continues, to open next year

The project is being funded by the sale of the Boyne City Community Building.
Amrita Sen - Saudi Arabia will cut production and oil price can reach 60 dollars early 2017



Long-term we see oil steadying at 70 dollars a barrel. At 70 dollars everybody's happy". - Amrita Sen, addressing ONS.

BERGEN, Norway

Petroleumworld.com 12 20 2016

Amrita Sen, Chief Oil Analyst at Energy Aspects, believes oil prices could hit 60 dollars a barrel as early as the second quarter of 2017. Why? OPEC will honour the cuts agreed on 30 November, led by Saudi Arabia, who has realised it needs higher global oil prices in order to induce domestic transition and to prevent a severe supply crunch in the coming years.

The OPEC decision to cut output was the topic at the forefront of the discussion at Amrita Sen's recent oil market outlook delivered exclusively for some of ONS's partners and industry leaders. Sen is concerned with the decline in production, and believes the record high inventories may be used up quicker than do most other analysts.

Saudi Arabia will cut production



Although there is a lot of scepticism in the market, Sen believes Saudi Arabia will honour the recent OPEC agreement and do its part.

For the first time in the history of this industry CAPEX is going to be down for three years in a row: next year CAPEX will be down again. For the Saudi's this knowledge came with the realisation that 100 dollar oil is as bad for them as is 30 dollar oil  For oil producing nations, creating a balance between the greater renewables substitution of the high price environment, and the devastation of lower CAPEX in a low price environment, is crucial. A middle ground is best for them. Sen says.

According to Sen, Saudi Arabia has also realised it needs a higher oil price than today to strengthen its other industries.

Mohammad bin Salman, the deputy Crown Prince, wants to move Saudi Arabia away from from oil dependency and towards more sustainable energy by 2030. Although, initially he said it does not matter if the price of oil is at 15 or 70 dollars he has since realised that a higher oil price today is the only way he is going to get the economy away from oil-dependency and strengthen the private sector.

Long term oil price at 70 dollar



Long-term we see oil steadying at 70 dollars a barrel. At 70 dollars everybody's happy. You get enough IRR (Internal rate of return) for companies to go back into drilling, and consumers are happy as well. But this market is either oversupplied or undersupplied, it is never exactly in equilibrium, so you can still get the mini cycles. Looking ahead at the long-term beyond the recent cut, we don't see another four-year era of 100 dollar oil. Later on in 2017, we think prices will probably stabilise at around 70, Amrita Sen concludes.

Harder times ahead for Europe in 2017



With bonds strengthening between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Amrita Sen is believes that Europe faces a difficult time ahead. The Chief Oil Analyst would not be surprised if the US sanctions on Russia are lifted, which would also affect the global oil industry.

One of Trump's major focuses is ISIS, and he believes he can work with Russia to get rid of this threat  but he is seemingly not as interested in maintaining other geopolitical relationships. Europe is in a very difficult position. The upcoming elections are due to cause a lot of uncertainty given the rise of anti-establishment sentiment, and the Euro is weak. I fear that Europe is getting more and more isolated, because clearly Putin now has a huge impact in the Middle East, and he is clearly forging ties with the US as well.






Thailand's PTT and Oman Trading purchase $900 million in crude and fuel oil from Ecuador



Ecuador to receive $900 mln in oil-for-loan pacts with Thailand, Oman

HOUSTON/QUITO

Petroleumworld.com 12 20 2016

Ecuador expects to receive $900 million in loans agreed to this month with Thailand's PTT International and Oman Trading International, which will be repaid with crude and fuel oil shipments, the government said in a document seen by Reuters on Monday.

In the last decade, Ecuador and Venezuela have had access to billions of dollars in loans from Chinese, Thai and Russian institutions with oil shipments as warranty, compromising a large portion of their exports of crude and refined products.

The recent agreement signed by Ecuadorian state-run oil company Petroecuador with Thai oil firm PTT International follows a similar pact agreed to by the parties last year, allowing PTT to resell Ecuadorian crude.

"Petroecuador will receive initial prepayments of $600 million shortly after signing for crude oil to be delivered to PTT International during the 5-year term of the contract", the government said in an official document.

A similar pact with Oman was signed on Dec. 6, the document added.

"Petroecuador signed a fuel oil sale and purchase contract with Oman Trading International, pursuant to which Petroecuador will receive an initial prepayment of $300 million shortly after signing for fuel oil to be delivered to OTI during the 30-month term of the contract".

Ecuador also agreed to refund to the purchasers any amounts of the prepayments and related surcharges for advance payment which are not otherwise satisfied through the delivery of crude or fuel oil.








Trump's hard-line budget director choice may not believe in his campaign promises

Donald Trump has picked for his budget director a fiscal hard-liner who could clash with the president-elect on key campaign promises.

Trump announced this weekend that he chose Rep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Mulvaney, 49, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus that helped to oust former House Speaker John Boehner, was elected to Congress in 2010 and has pushed to slash government spending.

By picking the congressman, who has supported a balanced budget amendment and chopping costs at federal agencies and the military, Trump signals that he is serious about spending cuts, federal budget experts said. But Mulvaney's views could create friction with crucial pieces of Trump's platform, like increased infrastructure and defense spending.

"I think he likes Mulvaney's reputation for being a hard-liner for spending. ... Clearly when you get past the headline rhetoric there are some internal tensions," said Robert Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan organization that aims to promote fiscal responsibility.

Trump, who once called himself the "king of debt," campaigned on a combination of income and corporate tax cuts and an enormous infrastructure plan designed to boost the American economy. He touted spending increases to "rebuild" the military but said he would protect Medicare and Social Security.

The Republican offered only vague details on how he would pay for those plans. The bipartisan Campaign to Fix the Debt said last month that Trump's plans would balloon U.S. debt by $5 trillion in 10 years , though the Trump campaign said the plan will be deficit neutral.

The views of Mulvaney, a staunch fiscal conservative, show that he would want to take the budget in a different direction than Trump did during the campaign. Mulvaney has taken on a "crusade against debt that doesn't have party stripes," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Story continues

The Office of Management and Budget helps the president prepare the budget and coordinates and reviews federal regulations, its website says. Aside from aiding budget planning, Mulvaney would also oversee Trump's pledges to roll back President Barack Obama's rules limiting carbon emissions and protecting some undocumented immigrants from deportation, among others.

Trump and Mulvaney are "probably closer to being on the same page" on regulatory changes than budget issues, Bixby said.

Mulvaney previously opposed raising the government's borrowing limit without serious spending cuts. In an interview with CNBC last year, he downplayed the effects of a government shutdown , which can put some federal employees temporarily out of work or delay their pay.

"We have to figure out why we're always in debt and always in deficit, and the right time to have that is over the debt ceiling," he said in October, shortly before Congress passed a funding bill that the Freedom Caucus opposed.

He has backed cutting what he calls waste and abuse in the Defense Department, sponsoring amendments aimed to cut more than $150 million from a Defense appropriations bill earlier this year. His amendments failed.

Mulvaney, like many conservatives in Congress, has embraced changes to Social Security and Medicare to cut costs. Trump defended those programs on the campaign trail.

Bixby and MacGuineas said it remains to be seen how the administration will approach the national debt. But Bixby noted that many Republicans in Congress have shown doubts about a large infrastructure package, which limits its chances of passing.
Screen Shot 2016 12 19 at 12.28.38 PM

The Turkish lira is tumbling after reports that Russia's ambassador to Turkey has been shot dead in Ankara, the Turkish capital.

The currency was down by 0.8% at 3.5351 per dollar as of 12:29 p.m. ET.

The lira has had a tough year. It has fallen by about 16% against the US dollar since the coup attempt in mid-July.

Turkish media is reporting that Andrey Karlov had just given the opening speech at the Ankara Center for Contemporary Art when he was attacked by an unidentified gunman.

The Russian RIA news agency reported that Karlov died from his wounds.

This story is developing. Head over here for the latest.





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South Korea is the plastic surgery capital of the world  to such an extent that parents will often pay for their children to have double eyelid surgery before they start college. A plastic surgeon in Seoul's Gangnam District explains the obsession with plastic surgery.

Drake Baer contributed reporting on an earlier version of this article.



Watch more from the series "Inside South Korea" on Prime Video.





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Why SIA's Kangaroo route traffic is at risk of falling further

Australia already signed an open aviation market agreement with China.

The weak demand in Southwest Pacific led to Singapore Airlines seeing a decline in passenger volume in November despite the peak travel period.

According to UOB KayHian, this highlights the risk to SIA's traffic on the Kangaroo route, which will likely be exacerbated by the open skies agreement between China and Australia.

"Australia is an important originating market for SIA and loads on this sector could continue to fall," the brokerage firm noted.

In a report from Australian Aviation, it was said that the open skies agreement between Australia and China will pave way for China-based carriers to maintain the furious pace of growth into this country in recent times, catering for the increasing number of Chinese tourists travelling overseas.

Meanwhile, UOB also revealed that SIA's loads fell 1.9ppt on the back of the declining traffic. At 76.9%, SIA's loads were also at the lowest in eight months.

"With the exception of Tigerair which registered flat loads, pax load factors declined across all subsidiaries. Scoots pax loads fell 4.5ppt, while SilkAirs also weakened. The continued weakness in loads in the peak travel period does not bode well for peak 3Q earnings expectations. Ytd, 8MFY17 stood at 77.9%, in line with our full year estimates of 78%," UOB explained.





More From Singapore Business Review






From Dixmoor, I continued east to Gary, Indiana to see the breathtaking ruins of City Methodist Church . I'll tell you all about it next time.





The abandoned Wyman-Gordon power plant towers above an overgrown industrial lot in Dixmoor, Illinois, the sole remaining structure of a century-old steel foundry.I'd just gotten a rare opportunity to explore the majestic Abandoned Prison of Joliet, Illinois click here to check out the article, if you haven't already). Truly an incredible place. I wasn't sure anything could top that experience, except maybe an abandoned power plant.The Village of Dixmoor and the neighboring City of Harvey are suburbs south of Chicago. Once major industrial centers, they suffered serious economic decline toward the end of the 20th Century.Lily's Groceries Store stands abandoned and boarded up on a lonely street corner across from the old steel mill site.Nature has returned to the grounds of the old factory in full force. Trees and shrubs grow so dense that it is difficult to pass through.Most of the buildings on the property have been demolished. The few that remain are in very rough shape.The power plant is the only major structure that still stands. Scrappers and vandals have done quite a bit of damage over the years. There is also evidence that fires have been lit inside.In 1910, when Dixmoor was still known as Specialville, the Ingalls-Shepard Forging Company built a steel mill so large that it required its own coal-fueled power plant. Like others in the region, the factory produced heavy steel parts for railroad companies and the growing auto industry.In 1920, the Wyman-Gordon Company of Worcester, Massachusetts acquired the plant.During and after World War I, Wyman-Gordon Company produced parts for military and commercial aircraft. World War II proved an extremely profitable time. The company claims that it produced more military airplane components than all of its competitors combined.As technology progressed, Wyman-Gordon began forging titanium alloy jet engine parts, which were used in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.The 1980s saw a decline in business for Wyman-Gordon due to decreased demand for commercial airline components and military budget cuts after the end of the Cold War.Following an unsuccessful attempt to sell the plant, Wyman-Gordon closed the Ingalls-Shepard Division in 1986 and 350 people lost their jobs. It was a devastating blow to Dixmoor and the neighboring city of Harvey, which had recently suffered the closing of its Arco and Allis-Chalmers plants. The Dixie Square Mall, also located in Harvey, had closed several years earlier and sat abandoned until 2012, when it was finally demolished.A machine shop now operates out of one of Wyman-Gordon's old buildings. Most of the others were razed. I'm not sure why the power plant was spared from demolition.It seems unlikely that the site will be redeveloped any time in the near future. The soil would need to be cleared of the industrial contaminants that have accumulated over the years.If you enjoyed this article, please share it on Facebook . While you're at it, feel free to subscribe to Places That Were and follow my social media:Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/placesthatwere Instagram: http://instagram.com/theplacesthatwere Twitter: https://twitter.com/placesthatwere/ Tumblr: http://placesthatwere.tumblr.com/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JimSullivanPlacesThatWere/posts EyeEm: https://www.eyeem.com/u/placesthatwere Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jimplicit 500px: https://500px.com/placesthatwere Thank you!
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Despite the continued efforts of Donald Trumps team to cast doubt on Russias involvement in the Nov. 8 election, Republican Sen. Cory Gardner is now promising to put forward a bill in the next Congress to create a special committee dealing with cybersecurity issues.

The news comes a day after Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham joined several top Democrats in calling for a special, bipartisan panel to investigate Russian interference.

Gardners proposal is the first legislative move toward an investigation into Russias involvement in influencing the presidential election in favor of Trump, which likely helped the president-elect win close contests in several decisive states.

If Gardners bill passed, Politico reports, it would mandate a new select Senate committee on cybersecurity which would investigate the election-season cyber attack.

According to Politico, the bipartisan calls to establish a special committee are only growing louder:

The biggest advocates for a select committee are executing a full-court pressure campaign. Graham and Schumer, on the heels of their weekend missive, will appear together Tuesday on NBCs Today Show on the latest in their bipartisan push, a Republican aide said.

The bad news is that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is opposed to the idea of setting up a new committee to investigate Russian interference in the election. McConnell says that any investigation into the matter should go through the usual channels.

The only problem is that there is nothing normal about what happened.

For the first time in American history, a foreign power has meddled in Americas electoral process, and they did it in a way that actually impacted the outcome of the election.

While it may have benefitted the Republican nominee in this instance, members of both parties should recognize that a successful attempt to undermine our democracy hurts all of us in the long run. More Republican leaders in Congress  and, yes, even the president-elect  should embrace bipartisan calls for an investigation.

Ultimately, this isnt about one presidential candidate or even one political party. Its about protecting our democracy.

If we dont get to the bottom of how our democratic process was hijacked by a foreign government, then it could very likely happen again.
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Enthusiastic Hitler salute aficionado Laura Ingraham, who might possibly become Donald Trumps first press secretary, called John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Jeff Flake the triumvirate of idiocy on her show today.

Take a listen, and see if you are as amused as I am by a Republican complaining about obstruction:

LAURA INGRAHAM: Obviously Trump will become, officially become, the next president of the United States today after the Electoral College meets. But he is going to have challenges from Republicans on Capitol Hill. And most obvious among the speeds bumps hell hit will be [Republican Sens.] John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake, that triumvirate of idiocy. Excuse me. But hes going to hit some rough waters with them, why?



BYRON YORK: Well because theyve actually created trouble for other Republicans as well, certainly with McCain and Graham on immigration. You know, those are three of the four members of the  on the Republican side of Gang of Eight, Marco Rubio being the other one. And theyre basically going to fight Trump at every turn. And immediately, not in the long turn, but immediately as Trump tries to get his cabinet picks confirmed in the Senate. Remember youve got 52 votes, Republicans have in the Senate, probably just a one vote majority on each of the committees. And if Democrats decide, as they might well do, to unanimously oppose Trumps nominees. If Republicans dont all get together, then youre going to have a problem.

It is certainly to be hoped that Congress will not simply serve as a Trump rubber stamp, given the extremes of some of his policy positions. Republicans have already said no to a couple of them but there is more madness in store, as Trump makes apparent from his cabinet picks and every day he can get to his twitter app.

There is plenty to criticize, and there is no reason at all Republicans should not criticize some of Trumps choices, or Goldman, generals and gazillionaires as Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has dubbed them, given their complete unsuitability for the jobs Trump plans to assign them.

Some of those named by Ingraham, Marco Rubio, John McCain. and Lindsey Graham, have already demonstrated a marked lack of enthusiasm for Vladimir Putins best friend, Rex Tillerson, as Secretary of State.

The reality is that just three Republicans  Ingrahams triumvirate of idiocy or another assortment of names  could derail a Trump nominee. Bloomberg pointed out in November that,

There are a number of Republican senators who either never endorsed Trump or unendorsed him  from conservatives like Mike Lee of Utah and Ben Sasse of Nebraska to more moderate members like John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Susan Collins of Maine and Rob Portman of Ohio.

It is remarkable that sane legislators standing up to Trumps extremism can be seen as the problem rather than the solution, but then Ingraham is at least as extreme as Trump, and possibly more so.

We cannot hope to escape a Trump cabinet full of rich white males. At this point, it is a matter of hoping there are enough sane Republicans to keep the hands of some of Trumps worst picks out of the public trough, and away from the inalienable rights of all Americans.

Because a more crooked bunch you are never going to see.
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There has been a great deal of finger pointing and blaming in Democratic circles over the 2016 election results, but Democrats already have the pieces that they need, the left and Democrats need to come together around the singular mission of making Donald Trump a one term president.

Politico reported on the Democratic finger-pointing surrounding stopping Trump at the Electoral College, With Donald Trump poised to win a majority of the Electoral College vote Monday, Democratic leaders of an anti-Trump effort expressed anger and frustration toward Hillary Clinton and her top allies, insisting that their silence had all but doomed the long-shot plan to thwart Trumps election. One Democratic elector with Clinton campaign ties claimed dozens of Democrats on the Electoral College were willing to embrace the unprecedented plan to throw their votes to a consensus Republican candidate  like Mitt Romney  as part of a strategy to coax GOP electors to abandon Trump. All they needed, the elector said, was a signal from Clinton or her top allies.

It didnt matter if Democratic electors voted for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, or Mickey Mouse. Unless there were 37 Republican electors who are willing to vote for someone other than Trump, nothing would change.

There has been an epidemic of finger-pointing for Trumps win. Bill Clinton blames James Comey. Some Bernie Sanders supporters blame the DNC because they believe that Sanders would have beaten Trump. Many are blaming the Clinton campaign, and others are blaming the candidate herself.

It has been nearly six weeks since the election. Some finger pointing is normal, but Democrats have spent more time playing the blame game (6 weeks) than they have left to prepare for the Trump administration (4 weeks). Once a new DNC chair is elected, Democrats will have plenty of time to prepare a review of what went wrong in 2016.

Democrats and the left need to be focused on gearing up to stop the Trump agenda. The left needs to be ready to pressure Democratic members of Congress to say no to Republicans on everything. It doesnt matter what Trump and the GOP offer, Democrats must say no.

One of the main lessons of the 2016 election is that compromise gets punished by voters, while obstruction gets rewarded. Democrats need to focus on the singular goal of making Trump a failed president. The left will not be successful if they waste their time litigating the past.

There is a bigger battle to be fought, and the success of the left will depend on unity and cooperation.

It is time to stop blaming and to start working together to take our country back from the corporate presidency of Donald J. Trump.
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A new report from ThinkProgress claims that just days after the Nov. 8 presidential election, Donald Trumps organization put political pressure on the Embassy of Kuwait to move its National Day celebration to the president-elects D.C. hotel.

ThinkProgress notes that Kuwaits embassy usually holds the event at a Four Seasons hotel in Georgetown, but suddenly canceled its contract with that hotel after the election.

More from the report:

A source tells ThinkProgress that the Kuwaiti embassy, which has regularly held the event at the Four Seasons in Georgetown, abruptly canceled its reservation after members of the Trump Organization pressured the ambassador to hold the event at the hotel owned by the president-elect. The source, who has direct knowledge of the arrangements between the hotels and the embassy, spoke to ThinkProgress on the condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak publicly. ThinkProgress was also able to review documentary evidence confirming the sources account.

In the early fall, the Kuwaiti Embassy signed a contract with the Four Seasons. But after the election, members of the Trump Organization contacted the Ambassador of Kuwait, Salem Al-Sabah, and encouraged him to move his event to Trumps D.C. hotel, the source said.

Kuwait has now signed a contract with the Trump International Hotel, the source said, adding that a representative with the embassy described the decision as political.

This is just one of several examples of how Trump is already using the power of the presidency to help his businesses cash in.

ThinkProgress notes that getting Kuwait to sign a contract with one of Trumps hotels isnt just some one-and-done deal. Instead, its part of a larger effort by the Trump Organization to lure lucrative diplomats to the Trump International Hotel.

Other countries, like Bahrain and Azerbaijan, are doing similar things as a way to hopefully gain access and favor with the incoming Trump administration.

Drain the swamp? Give me a break.

Those who voted for Trump because he was an outsider who would get rid of corruption surely must see that the president-elects entire campaign was a scam. Not only is Trump maintaining the swamp of special interests in Washington, but hes filling it in a whole new way.

Its becoming clear that Trumps campaign-season rhetoric about creating a government that serves the people was bluster meant only to serve his own goal of becoming president.

Once he is sworn in next month, he will likely use the presidency in a similar way  to enrich himself and his own interests.
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Senate Democrats are exposing Donald Trump real agenda by hitting the president-elect hard for filling his cabinet with people who are committed to cutting Social Security and Medicare.

In a statement, Democrats called out Trump for filling his cabinet with people who are committed to doing the opposite of what he promised:

Despite President-elect Donald Trumps promise to the American people that he wouldnt cut Social Security and Medicare, he has consistently named nominees to his Cabinet with long track records of opposing both vital programs. Last Friday, the President-elect filled out his Cabinet with yet another strident opponent of Social Security and Medicare, Congressman Mick Mulvaney, who in 2011 said to Fox News that We need to end Medicare as we know it. Mulvaney joins a long list, including fellow Republican Congressman Tom Price, in a proposed Cabinet filled with architects of the war on seniors.

Incoming Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed that Democrats wouldnt let Trump declare war on seniors and working families, If Republicans in the Cabinet or in Congress declare a war on seniors and working families, Democrats will not let them win that fight. Rigging the cabinet with Medicare and Social Security opponents is wrong, pits Republicans against the wishes of the American people, and Democrats in the Senate intend to hold the President-elect to his promise to not cut these vital programs.

Trump promised to protect Social Security and Medicare, but Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) suggested that Trumps vision is to replace Medicare with private insurance, President-elect Trump has made clear with his Cabinet selections that he has no interest in fulfilling his campaign promise to protect the benefits that seniors and families have earned. Their vision for our country is shaping up to be one in which the Medicare guarantee could be replaced with private insurance that costs seniors much more, and where the promise of Social Security is eliminated. This is absolutely the wrong direction for our countryand Democrats are going to be ready to fight back every step of the way.

Most Americans arent paying attention yet, but Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has had his eye on privatizing Medicare for years. Ryan has already proposed a health care plan that turns Medicare into Obamacare. The American people are going to be in for a big shock when Republicans put their agenda into action.

Medicare and Social Security are beloved programs, and Democrats are going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that Donald Trump doesnt hurt Americas seniors and working families.
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We are entering dark and uncertain times and Americans would be right to worry. As Paul Krugman said in response to the electoral vote:

So its official, and its vile: the loser of the popular vote installed by Russian intervention, a rogue FBI, and epic media malfunction.

And that doesnt even begin to cover Trumps ethics violations and monumental corruption. But never fear: Newt Gingrich is here with an answer.

The former speakers own morals are endlessly flexible, as he demonstrated on The Diane Rehm Show, by saying that in response to Trumps ethical problems, instead of demanding Trump be ethical we should change the ethics laws.

Gingrich calls this appalling solution a whole new approach.

And he even tells Trump what he could do if people dare insist laws apply to him as well: Use the power of the pardon.

Get ready to have your mind blown by some of the most flaccid reasoning ever employed. First, get rid of that idea that moral relativism is a tool used only by Democrats:

We have never seen this kind of wealth in the White House, and so traditional rules dont work, and were going to have to think up, you know, a whole new approach.

So what is right and wrong must change to suit the circumstances. Morality, argues Gingrich here, is situational. It certainly was for him personally when he was dropping trou for love of country.

And should someone in the Trump administration cross the line, Gingrich has a potential answer for that as well:

In the case of the president, he has a broad ability to organize the White House the way he wants to. He also has, frankly, the power of the pardon. Its a totally open power. He could simply say, Look, I want them to be my advisers. I pardon them if anyone finds them to have behaved against the rules. Period. Technically, under the Constitution, he has that level of authority.

As conservative David Frum tweeted,

Amoral, yes, but intellectually a shrewd delineation of how Trump corruption will corrode the rule of law in the US https://t.co/E6YwBISszY  David Frum (@davidfrum) December 19, 2016

And this was clearly Rehms point when she objected,

That level of authority strikes me as rather broad and perhaps ought to be in the hands of the Congress rather than within his own hands, Mr. Speaker.

Gingrich responded,



Well the  I mean, the founding fathers deliberately granted the president unequivocal ability to pardon, and they did so in reaction to the British use of going back after people legally and persecuting them by changing the law after they had done something. So there was a very deep sense that you had to fear government and that government could be the enemy, and the founding fathers were walking this tightrope.

They wanted a government strong enough that it could defend America against foreigners, but they wanted a government controlled enough that it wouldnt threaten Americans, and thats part of what this balance of power is. And if you read the Federalist Papers, they were quite what they were doing and why they were doing it.

There is a glaring problem with Gingrichs solution: The president wasnt given the power of the pardon so he could act like a dictator and openly flout the nations laws.

You find yourself wishing these Republicans who fall over themselves excusing Trumps excesses could actually hear what they are saying: the pardon as an answer to the fear of government wasnt meant to be used as a tool to promote corruption.

Even a king is supposed to give good lordship and punish those agents of his who steal from the people. Gingrich proposes we let the president and his cabinet steal from us all without fear of punishment. This is such a Republican response to corruption that it verges on satire.

So Gingrichs new approach is to change ethics laws to make what was illegal for other presidents suddenly legal for Trump. It is a moral flexibility that is breathtaking in its scope, a solution we could expect only from somebody with a moral compass as broken as Gingrichs  or Donald Trumps.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  December 20, 2016  Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Industry: Aerospace & Defense, Part 2, including Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII  Free Report), General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE:GD  Free Report), Boeing Company (NYSE:BA  Free Report), Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT  Free Report) and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LLL  Free Report).

Industry: Aerospace & Defense, Part 2

Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/98615/has-the-defense-industry-outlook-really-improved

The 9/11 attack on U.S. soil in 2001 triggered the War on Terror, which intensified manifold with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) gaining ground in recent years. The incoming Trump administrations campaign pledges to pursue the threat of terrorism more vigorously and broadly strengthen the countrys defenses has raised hopes of increased spending on defense and intelligence services. This has encouraged investors to closely track defense stocks and the sector overall.

Increasing threats, uncertainty and the rising need to safeguard the interest of nations and people have pushed up demand for weapons. The ongoing geo-political tension across the Middle East, continued saber-rattling by North Korean leadership and high tensions over the disputed ownership of islands in the East and South China Sea have been the other catalysts to the constant competition among nations in manufacturing military goods.

Although the global aerospace and defense industry suffered a setback for the past three years as a result of weaker U.S. defense budgets, this year a total rebound is expected. The increase in the domestic defense budget and growth in defense budgets of important allied nations spurred by emergent global security threats are expected to aid the sector as a whole.

The U.S. remains atop all nations when it comes to military expenditures. Military spending consumes more than 50% of the U.S. discretionary budget, way ahead of the second-spot occupant China and third, Russia.

Story continues

Many of the defense majors in the nation are doing a decent job, propelled by the following strategies:

Budget Stability: On the eve of Halloween 2015, Congress approved a crucial bipartisan budget agreement, in line with the White House. Although it was $5 billion short of the President's 2016 defense budget request, the comprehensive two-year budget deal, unveiled on Oct 26, 2015, has been expected to give Pentagon planners the fiscal stability they have been pleading for.

Adding to the positive sentiment, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter unveiled the fiscal 2017 (FY 2017) defense budget this past February. Among the priorities, the budget seeks a major boost in funding for the fight against ISIS as part of its FY 2017 defense budget request. In particular, the budget requests for a fund of $11 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State to support U.S. efforts to continue hunting down terrorists -- especially those hailing from ISIS -- as well as to support a political solution to the Syrian civil war. This signifies a potential stepping up of U.S. military efforts.

The proposed budget also seeks to enhance spending in several key areas, including cybersecurity, electronic warfare and increased security for crucial U.S. satellites. Funds of $8.1 billion for submarines (with over $40 billion in the next five years) bring into focus the likes of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII  Free Report) and General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE:GD  Free Report).

Now, as Donald Trump gets ready to take over the Oval Office in Jan 2017, a few changes can be expected, especially if defense proposals during his presidential campaign are considered. His plan, at that time, included raising the number of active Army troops from 475,000 to 540,000, raising the number of Marine battalions from 24 to 36, expanding the naval fleet from a planned 280 to 350 and adding more Air Force fighter aircraft to at least 1,200. If these plans of Trump are finally implemented, it will definitely boost the major defense players.

Foreign Military Sales (FMS): The big defense operators are expanding their markets, with foreign sales acting as a key top-line growth driver. Driving demand for foreign sales is a number of escalating regional conflicts, such as the ongoing Syrian civil war, the unsettled situation in Iraq, Yemen and Libya, and tensions in Eastern Europe. Apart from the U.S., U.K. or France, a number of emerging markets as well as nations, such as India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, are increasing defense spending and generating business for the U.S. aerospace and defense companies.

Defense stocks are in the spotlight as countries in Europe and the Middle East may need to ramp up their defense spending in order to combat the threats posed by ISIS. Indeed, Britain has planned to boost its defense equipment budget by 7% over the next 10 years. The total budget amounts to approximately $270 billion, including the uplift in equipment spending, the purchase of nine new Boeing P8 maritime patrol aircraft and two new strike brigades by 2025.

In this regard, the $38 billion U.S.-Israel defense deal inked in Sep 2016, for a total of 10 years, is worth mentioning. This deal represented the largest ever military aid pledged by the U.S. to any foreign nation. The new aid package reflects an increase of $700 million over the existing contract between the two nations under which Israel is receiving $3.1 billion annually. The Pentagons two prime defense contractors  The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA  Free Report) and Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT  Free Report)  are expected to gain the most from this deal. Under this deal, Israel will receive 33 F-35 jets of Lockheed Martin.

The deal also calls for the delivery of 10 Boeing F-15 aircraft to Israel. Other military systems like C-130 heavy-lift cargo planes, four SAAR 6 Corvettes, Merkava tanks and Namer Armored Personnel Carriers, Hellfire missiles, the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), and other Precision Guided Munitions will also be delivered to the country.

There are some questions about the incoming administrations commitment to allies and global alliances, with the President-elect repeatedly referring to insufficient contributions from many alliance partners during the campaign. We will see how the U.S. governments policy on this front evolves after the new administration takes charge, but these comments during the campaign has added to unease among many partners.

Restructuring/Acquisition: To maintain margins in a tough business environment, companies are squeezing costs out of their operations and diversifying into new business areas. Commercial aviation is one such diversification play, with opportunities in emerging markets driving the trend.

New macro challenges are prompting industry players to revisit their business models. One such example is the recent takeover of Camber Corporation  a government services company  by Huntington Ingalls, for a value of $380 million. Camber is a pure-play provider of sophisticated mission-based and information technology solutions. The acquisition is intended to diversify Huntington Ingalls revenue stream and add new information technology work with the U.S. defense, intelligence and civilian agencies.



Earlier, L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LLL  Free Report) purchased Micreo Limited, a specialized Electronic Warfare subsystems provider. Micreo specializes in solutions that employ high-performance microwave, millimeter wave and photonic technology. Its business line should align perfectly with L-3 Communications wide range of sensors. Additionally, Micreo has counter-IED capabilities that will bolster L-3 Communications existing line of man-portable and vehicle electronic counter measures (ECM) equipment.

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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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A memo obtained by Foreign Policy magazine details the incoming Trump administrations priorities for the Department of Defense. Conspicuously missing from the list was Russia.

Foreign Policy reported:

A Pentagon memo outlining the incoming Trump administrations top defense priorities identifies defeating the Islamic State, eliminating budget caps, developing a new cyber strategy, and finding greater efficiencies as the president-elects primary concerns. But the memo, obtained by Foreign Policy, does not include any mention of Russia, which has been identified by senior military officials as the No. 1 threat to the United States.

..

Besides placing an emphasis on budgetary issues, force strength, and counterterrorism in Iraq and Syria, the memo noted other briefings between the Defense Department and the Trump transition team on China and North Korea. But Russia was not mentioned.

Keep in mind that this was only a single memo, but is troubling that any list of priorities did not contain Russia. Trumps friendly stance towards Russia has carried over the campaign to his transition team to his cabinet nominees. At a time when there is a bipartisan effort in Congress to launch an investigation into Russias cyber activities, the incoming administration didnt include Russia on the list of top defense priorities.

At best, the incoming Trump might be incompetent. At worst, the next presidents administration is in the back pocket of Americas number one enemy. There is something very wrong with this picture, as any president who ignores the number one enemy of the United States of America could be committing a crime against his country.
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Trumps dreams of a wall on the Southern border are crumbling as zero members of Texass congressional delegation support his plan to build the wall.

The Texas Tribune reported, None of the 38-member Texas delegation offered full-throated support of a complete border wall, a position popular with President-elect Donald Trumps supporters that would impact Texas more than it would any other state.Instead, several members of the Texas delegation called for new policies on the border, including fencing and walls in some places, and beefing up security in other ways such as employing new surveillance technology and adding more federal agents. Several lawmakers did not respond to multiple requests by the Tribune for comment.

The fantasy that Trump sold his supporters was one of a giant wall along the US Southern border. As Trump said when he announced his candidacy, I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.

His supporters love the idea of building the wall. Even though 55% of Americans oppose the wall, 76% of Republicans support it.

The reason entire congressional delegation in Texas is not supporting the wall is that the construction of the wall would require the federal government to confiscate ranchers land using eminent domain.

Building the wall would fly in the face of traditional keep government out conservatism. Trumps plans are running directly into a wall of conservative ideology. Republicans will never support the confiscation of private land for building a wall. The GOP has a variety of border security proposals that dont dont interfere with the ownership of private property.

Trump may want to build a wall, but it doesnt look like Republicans will ever authorize or fund it.
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Donald Trumps transition team is in full backpedal mode after his sons Eric and Don Jr. were caught selling access to the president in exchange for a vaguely worded charitable donation.

The Wall Street Journal on a Trump sons organized charity event that renewed concerns about conflicts of interest:



An invitation for a Jan. 21 fundraiser, viewed by The Wall Street Journal, listed Donald Jr. and Eric Trump as honorary co-chairmen and said the event would be hosted by the Opening Day Foundation, a nonprofit where the younger Trumps were registered as directors, according to the Texas secretary of state, less than a week ago.

.

Donors who give $1 million (Bald Eagle status) are offered a private reception and photo opportunity for 16 guests with Eric and Donald Jr. and a very special guestconfirmed by a person familiar with the event as the president-elect. They are also promised a multi-day hunting and/or fishing excursion for 4 guests with Donald Trump Jr. and/or Eric Trump, and team.

The Center for Public Integrity reported on an earlier version of the invitation that specifically named the president-elect as attending.

The scheme was that the Trump boys were going to sell access to the President Of The United States for $1 million a pop disguised as a charitable donation.

The Trump transition team put out a statement that was full of damage control that managed to make the situation even worse. Hope Hicks, National Press Secretary for the Presidential Transition Team said, The Opening Day event and details that have been reported are merely initial concepts that have not been approved or pursued by the Trump family. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are avid outdoorsmen and supporters of conservation efforts, which align with the goals of this event, however they are not involved in any capacity.

The Trump boys and the president-elect were only thinking about selling access to the White House. They arent really involved in selling access to the president in exchange for a charitable donation that is lacking in transparency and specifics.

The fact that they were thinking about, or associated with an event like this is anyway is a serious problem.

The scheme highlights one of the main problems with the incoming Trump presidency. It isnt just Donald Trump who has conflicts of interest that could undermine the presidency. The entire Trump family and the circle of people surrounding them are also a conflict of interest scandal waiting to happen.

It isnt a matter of if the Trumps will sell out the presidency. The only unanswered questions are when and how the Trump family sales access to the most powerful office in the land.
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Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado will defy President-elect Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell by introducing a bill that would create a special panel to investigate Russian hacking and election meddling.

Politico reported:

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) told POLITICO he would introduce a bill that, if passed, would mandate a new select Senate committee on cybersecurity. The move could intensify pressure on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who so far has resisted appointing a select committee on cybersecurity. He insists the chambers traditional committees, led by the intelligence panel, should handle the issue.

.

From North Koreas hack of Sony Pictures to Irans attack on a New York dam, its evident that we are facing a growing cybersecurity challenge. The nature and complexity of recent cyber-attacks require a whole of government approach to cyberspace and the development of federal policy to mitigate the threat and protect everything from personal information to the security of our critical infrastructure, Gardner said in a statement.

Mitch McConnell didnt want a select panel because he knew about the hacking activities in October and rejected a proposed joint bipartisan statement with President Obama before election day.

By sending the investigation to a regular committee, McConnell is hoping to tap down the level of publicity that the investigation could generate. A select panel will be a big screaming red flag to the mainstream media. The press will be looking for stories on the new Trump administration, and a select panel would be the perfect fit to dominate cable news.

President-elect Trump has been dismissive of Russian hacking and does not want an investigation. With three Republican senators behind the effort, any legislation to create a select panel now has a majority. If Republicans keep joining the effort, McConnell may have no choice but to allow a vote on creating a select panel.

Trumps Russian hacking nightmare before Christmas has taken another step towards becoming a reality.
A man and his girlfriend suspected of killing five people in three states last year have pleaded guilty to two of the killings in South Carolina and been sentenced to life in prison without parole, authorities said. Read moreCouple, suspected in 5 killings in 3 states last year, get life in prison in 2 SC slayings
FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
Sometimes, the simplest moments take on more significance because of the time and place.

Especially if the time is Christmas. And the place is a POW camp.

----

Clarence Stearns  though everyone called him "Stearnie"  was born in Rochester in 1920 and died in 2015.

Clarence grew up in one of Pill Hill's original houses (814 Fifth St. SW) as the son of one of Rochester's most well-known photographers (his dad, Clarence, operated a photo studio from 1910 until the 1930s).

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He graduated from Rochester High School in '38, spent two years at Rochester Junior College and joined the Air Cadets in 1941.

"Then Pearl Harbor happened, and they needed pilots in a hurry," said Stearns, who came to be a good friend and pen pal after we met him for a story in Rochester Magazine. A "hurry" wasn't an exaggeration. After just three landings in a B-17, Stearnie was deemed "fully certified." By 1944, he was flying his 26th bombing mission from his base in England for the 384th Bombardment Group. "I only got through 25 1/2 missions," he said.

"That last mission I flew was over Schweinfurt, Germany," he said. "We were going to bomb a ball bearing plant, and I was leading the group. The German planes made two passes at us and got a lucky hit on our No. 3 engine and set us on fire."

He told the crew to bail out. They were at 23,000 feet. Stearns, though, stayed with the plane as long as he could.

"We were in this big flat spin," he said. "I looked back and saw the flames coming out around the bombs, and I thought, 'Gee, I've got to get out of here,' and I dove out head first. I pulled the ripcord, and the chute flashed in front of me, and I swung twice and hit some trees. I dropped to the ground, and as soon as I could, I was running through the woods."

As Clarence Stearns was running for his life, all he could think was, "What a beautiful country this is. What an impersonal war."

Then he heard the sound of metal clinking and wondered if the Germans were chasing him on bell-draped horses. They weren't. That metal sound was pieces of his B-17 raining down around him. He ran until he came to the edge of the woods, where he hid under some small trees. Eventually, he started walking southwest, hoping to get to France or Switzerland, 150 or so miles away.

"I walked the roads at night," he said, "but one morning, I was going through a small village, and the police came up behind me on bicycles and stopped me. In a last desperate attempt I pointed to my ears pretending to be deaf and dumb, hoping they'd let me go."

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They didn't. Stearnie knew he was in real trouble when the police officers made a call on an old crank phone and their first words were "Heil, Hitler." He was taken to a POW camp in Barth, Germany  Stalag Luft I.

"During all that time in the camp, it was the little things that kept me going," he told us. "Here's one I'll never forget. It was close to Christmas of 1944, and we all needed something. Guys were down. Things were getting bad. We decided to risk punishment by the guards to make it seem like Christmas. We had a barrel out in the hall and decided to make some booze. We got potato peels and raisins and put them all in there and got that fermenting. They pulled a search on us one day, and some guy quickly put his pants in there and pretended like he was washing them. So we got away with it.

"On Christmas night, we served it up and had a great little party the best we could. A guard walked in, and we thought, 'Oh, we're in trouble.' There was that moment when we didn't know what might happen. So we offered him some alcohol and wished him Merry Christmas, and he smiled. He raised his cup and had a toast with us. The alcohol tasted pretty good, but we went half blind for three days.

"But I always think about that moment. There I was, a kid from Rochester, Minn., and I'm drinking with a German guard in a German POW camp, toasting together on Christmas! All it took was for us to see each other as people. That gives you hope, doesn't it?"
A La Crescent man convicted of attempting to hire an underage female prostitute in Rochester two years ago has been sentenced.

Mark William Bell, 51, was charged Aug. 6, 2014, in Olmsted County District Court with one felony count of prostitution-hire 13 to 15 year old. He pleaded guilty in October and was sentenced Monday to four days in jail, with credit for four days served. In addition, he was placed on electronic home monitoring for 30 days, and ordered to complete psychological evaluation/treatment and 100 hours of community work service.

According to the criminal complaint, Bell responded on July 17, 2014, to an advertisement in the escort section of a website that offers adult services. Members of law enforcement often monitor the site and place false ads to target people involved in prostitution, or respond to ads placed by others.

Bell sent multiple text messages asking for "an hour or so of fun." When he expressed a desire for sex, the undercover officer directed him to a 15-year-old friend.

According to the complaint, Bell continued to text the undercover officer and eventually asked for nude photos of the underage female, which were sent. The parties arranged to meet in Rochester around 6 p.m., with Bell saying he would bring $200.

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Bell texted the undercover officer at 6:19 p.m. saying he was near Dover, but then the conversation stopped and he never arrived. Officers said they traced the phone number back to Bell, including calling on a different line to confirm his identity.

An investigator from Rochester arranged to meet with Bell at the La Crescent Police Department after he failed to arrive during the sting operation. According to the complaint, Bell confirmed that he "had responded to ads for prostitution services ... for the last couple of years."

He initially denied that he'd attempted to hire a 15-year-old female for sexual contact in Rochester, but admitted to it after being shown text messages by the investigator.
It looks like 2017 will be a good year for Rochester's Chick-fil-Afans.

On Friday, the Atlanta-based fast-food chicken chain filed development permits to build a 4,999-square-foot Chick-fil-A restaurant in the parking lot of the Crossroads Shopping Centerat 1201 South Broadway.

The proposed poultry eatery is slated to be built just to the west of the Chipotlerestaurant, near the north corner of shopping center's lot.

The plans call for building a new restaurant with seating for 135 people inside and outdoor seating for 16.

If this is built as planned, it will be the 13th Chick-fil-A restaurant in Minnesota. The closest one to Rochester now is in Mankato.

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Chick-fil-A long has been on some Med City folks' wish list. In 2012, local fans created a Facebook page descriptively named, "Bring Chick-fil-A to Rochester, MN." That page has tallied about 1,100 "Likes" in the past four years, with some of those being clicked this week.

These plans back up rumors that surfaced in June. An employee of the Apple Valley Chick-fil-A restaurant shared that a Rochester restaurant was planned for a spot in front of the Crossroads Shopping Center.

At the time, Chick-fil-A's PR team issued a cautiously optimistic statement.

"While we hope to serve the Rochester, Minnesota, community in the future, we do not currently have any locations to confirm."

After years of trying to translate corporate press releases, I have found that "confirm" often is PR code for "It's going to happen, but the lawyers are still holding up the contract signing."

The chatty and prophetic Apple Valley counter worker also said the new Rochester location could start cooking in the spring.

If these plans move ahead as hoped, that looks like a reasonable timeline.
ST. PAUL  A campaign finance complaint aimed at Rochester City Council President Randy Staver on Monday reached an evidentiary hearing at the Office of Administrative Hearings in St. Paul, where complainant Abe Sauer presented evidence he said pointed to a violation of state campaign finance laws.

Sauer, of Rochester, represented himself in the hearing and presented more than 20 exhibits related to a Sept. 13 political fundraiser for Staver. Sauer said the evidence showed the host of that event, Powers Ventures through its owner Joe Powers and his event property Mayowood Stone Barn, had unfairly discounted items to keep costs low enough to not exceed individual in-kind donations to the Staver campaign.

Attorneys representing Staver rejected that accusation, saying Sauer had no knowledge of the fair market value of goods and services provided at the event. Staver didn't attend the hearing and was represented by R. Reid Lebeau II and Michael Murphy, both of the Twin Cities-based Jacobson Law Group.

Powers spent more than two hours responding to questions from Sauer and Staver's attorneys.

Staver's campaign finance report filed with the city and invoices for the Sept. 13 event reviewed by the court showed the event space, food and beverages were provided to the Staver campaign as an in-kind contribution divided among three donors  three adult children of Joe Powers who are employed by Powers Ventures.

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Two of the donations were valued at $933.33 and the third at $933.34, for a total of $2,800. Sauer argued the services provided were worth more than the reported value. The individual donation limit for cash or in-kind services to a municipal campaign is $1,000, and in-kind donations must be valued at a fair market rate, according to Minnesota statutes on the issue.

Lebeau contended there was no evidence that the services were at all decreased in value.

During his testimony, Powers said he did not discount any of the goods or services provided at the event. Powers said his sales managers at each of the Powers Ventures event locations were responsible for negotiating the terms of events, including costs for goods and services provided and rental rates.

Goods and services at the event included two kegs of beer, a hosted cocktail bar, other beverages, and several food items to accommodate as many as 250 attendees, according to evidence presented Monday. Powers estimated two or three staff members worked the event, and he said he did not know if the pricing included a rental fee for the event space; sales managers are free to decide whether to charge that fee or not, he said.

Several points of discussion also revolved around whether a state sales tax and liquor tax were applied to the food and beverages provided at the event. While the invoices paid by Powers' children listed zero taxes paid, Powers said the invoices showed an "inclusive" total amount, the negotiated cost for the event that would have included all applicable taxes and fees.

In closing arguments, Lebeau said Sauer had failed to provide any evidence of any wrongdoing. Lebeau also said Sauer could not provide an accurate market rate value for the contributions because he had no knowledge of the catering business in general or Powers' business in specific.

Sauer ended his comments by saying the evidence in his exhibits  which included invoices for the services rendered, information on Powers' other services available on his company's website and communications between Powers and Staver's campaign team  showed that a violation of campaign finance law had occurred.

Presiding Judge Jeanne M. Cochran said the court would soon issue an order with a deadline for any final briefings related to the case. Lebeau raised another legal issue Monday that questioned whether the substance of the case was within the Office of Administrative Hearings' authority. That briefing is due Jan. 6. Sauer will have two weeks to respond. A decision from the court could follow, sometime after Jan. 20.
WINONA  The Winona Area Public Schools board on Thursday voted to consolidate the district's elementary schools down to two campuses.

Taking the recommendation of the WAPS Facilities Task Force, which held its final meeting Dec. 6, the school board voted 4-3 in favor of keeping open renovated Jefferson and Goodview elementary schools. Board members Karen Coleman, Jeanne Nelson, Steve Schild and Brian Zeller voted in favor of the two-school option.

A previous vote on a three-school option, which would have kept open Goodview, Jefferson and Rollingstone elementary schools, lost on a 5-2 vote with only Nelson and Jay Kohner voting in favor of the plan.

The recommendation would eventually close Madison, Rollingstone and Washington-Kosciusko elementary schools. The district's Central Elementary has already been closes and repurposed for community education and other non-school needs.

According to the task force, the renovation and upgrades to the Jefferson and Goodview  including deferred maintenance costs  would run about $89 million. That amount would need to be approved via a bond referendum, likely to be held in May, WAPS Superintendent Stephen West said.

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The option would save about $1.27 million a year in operating costs throughout the district, according to task force estimates.

The district owns six elementary schools  five of which are actively used as such  a middle school and a high school. With declining enrollment, the district has too much space for too few students, particularly among its kindergarten through fourth-grade students, of which there are roughly 1,054 spread unevenly across the five schools.

"The area I represent is Rollingstone and Goodview," said board member Tina Lehnertz. "I did not vote for either option. If we're going to truly look at the big picture, and set ourselves up for 21st century learning, and get ourselves ready for the next 50 years, I don't think Rollingstone should be closed at this point."

Lehnertz said that while she did not vote for the two-school option, she will support the decision the board made in going forward with the process of getting voter approval.

A big part of that voter approval is getting the two schools upgraded and expanded at a price district residents can be comfortable with.

"There's always emotion with closing schools." she said. "I think the voters are ready to do something, but I'm not sure the right combination was there."
Minnesota lawmakers agree that tackling soaring health insurance premiums needs to be one of the first orders of business when legislators return to the Capitol on Jan. 3.

"We absolutely have to get something done with health insurance," Sen. Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, told a crowd of about 100 people gathered Monday for a Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

Sen. Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis, agrees that health care and passing a state budget are at the top of the legislative to-do list for 2017. That means taking a close look at some of the biggest drivers of health care costs.

"We have an aging population, so we need to figure out how do we contain those costs. What do we do with prescription drug costs because that's where a lot of these costs are," she said.

Joining Senjem and Dziedzic at the chamber forum were Speaker Pro Tempore Tony Albright, R-Prior Lake; Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester; Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester; Rep.-elect Duane Sauke, DFL-Rochester and Rep. Duane Quam, R-Byron. The event was moderated by KTTC News Anchor Tom Overlie.

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Legislators already have plenty of ideas on how to help the estimated 123,000 Minnesotans who purchase health insurance in the individual marketplace and do not qualify for tax subsidies. In 2017, those health insurance rates are slated to climb by at least 50 percent.

Senjem would like to see the state reinstate its high-risk insurance pool and allow the sale of insurance across state lines. Quam wants Congress to approve a base national plan that people can enroll in and allow people to invest in Health Savings Accounts that don't expire at the end of the year. Liebling said the state will need to step in and help subsidize the cost of health insurance for the 2 percent of Minnesotans who don't get the tax subsidies.

But before lawmakers can make changes to the state's health insurance laws, they have to find a way to work with the governor. In 2017, Republicans will be in control of both the House and the Senate. For bills to become law, they will need DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's signature. But in recent weeks, negotiations between Dayton and the GOP-led House have turned contentious.

On Friday, special session negotiations broke off after Dayton and House Speaker Kurt Daudt were unable to reach a deal. The day began with plenty of finger pointing and ended with a public negotiating session that lasted less than 15 minutes. During Monday's forum, lawmakers were asked if compromise could be found in the upcoming session.

Nelson said it is possible but lawmakers cannot wait until the last minute to get their work done.

"Certainly there will be compromise. The question is when. Will it be at the very last minute? I think that was really the hallmark of this past legislative session," she said.

Quam was less optimistic. He said one person is to blame for the failure of major legislation to pass and that is the governor. He referenced last session's tax cut package that cleared the Legislature with 89 percent of the vote. The governor refused to sign the bill over a one-word error that would have cost the state $100 million  something Quam said was just "an excuse."

"No matter what we do in the Legislature to come together to do our job and compromise and get a majority of agreement, we still have the issue of the same person you saw on TV walking out of a committee meeting because he didn't get his way," Quam said.

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That was a reference to Dayton storming out of a Capitol Preservation Commission meeting last month over a debate whether to return Civil War art to the Governor's Reception Room in the Capitol.

Liebling pushed back against Quam's attacks on the governor, referencing Daudt's news conference on Friday in which he faulted Dayton for the stalled special session negotiations. She said it's time for the blaming to stop.

"Let's cut it out. We're all sick of this," Liebling said. "We need to get a better process than this. And one of the things we need to do is get an earlier start because there are disagreements  there are serious disagreements  about what we should be doing, and we need to sit down like adults and be able to talk about these things."

Sauke, who will be sworn in on Jan. 3, said the way lawmakers treat each other in the coming months will play a big role in determining what happens next session.

He added, "The tone  the way people talk to each other  is going to be the tone of how that place will work."
MINNEAPOLIS  Two attorneys face federal fraud charges after authorities say they used copyright lawsuits to extort money from hundreds who allegedly downloaded pornographic movies, prosecutors announced Friday.

Paul Hansmeier, of Woodbury, was arrested Friday in Minnesota, and John Steele, a Chicago attorney, was arrested in Florida. Federal prosecutors said the pair used sham entities to purchase copyrights to pornographic movies, then sued people who allegedly downloaded the movies  collecting about $6 million in settlements from 2011 through 2014.

Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said the men's conduct was outrageous and cast doubt on the integrity of the legal profession. The men were charged Wednesday in an 18-count indictment that was unsealed Friday.

Neither man had an attorney officially listed in the court docket. A phone call to a number listed for Hansmeier went unanswered and no message could be left. A number for Steele was not immediately available Friday.

Hansmeier has been suspended from practicing law in Minnesota.

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According to the indictment, the men used several sham entities to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies  including some they filmed themselves  then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites to lure others to download them.

When the movies were allegedly downloaded, the men filed bogus copyright-infringement lawsuits, then extorted the supposed downloaders and threatened them with huge financial penalties and public exposure unless they agreed to a settlement.

Judges nationwide have criticized the two men for their copyright-infringement lawsuits.
PALM BEACH, Fla.  Jumping ahead of investigators, President-elect Donald Trump is blaming Islamic terrorists for deadly violence in Turkey and Germany and vowing anew to eradicate their regional and global networks.

Authorities in both countries were still investigating Monday when Trump issued a pair of statements condemning the attacks. The White House had already described the episode in central Berlin, in which a truck rammed into shoppers at a Christmas market, as an apparent terrorist attack.

Trump called the brazen shooting of Russia's ambassador to Turkey as he attended a photo exhibit "a violation of all rules of civilized order." He added that a "radical Islamic terrorist" had assassinated the diplomat, Andrei Karlov.

Turkish authorities identified the gunman as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a member of Ankara's riot police squad, and said he was later killed in a shootout with police. Altintas shouted in Turkish about the Syrian city of Aleppo and also yelled "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great."

In Berlin, where at least 12 people were killed, Trump said the Islamic State group "and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad."

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He added that these terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks "must be eradicated from the face of the Earth" and pledged to carry out that mission with "all freedom-loving partners."

Trump's transition team did not respond to requests to cite the sources for his claims of terrorist involvement.

He later tweeted: "Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany  and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!"

In Zurich, police said three people were wounded when a gunman opened fire in the prayer hall of a mosque frequented by Somali immigrants.

No claim of responsibility

Germany's top prosecutor says investigators are treating the Berlin Christmas market attack as an act of terrorism, though there is no claim of responsibility yet.

Peter Frank also told reporters Tuesday it's not entirely clear whether there was one perpetrator or more. He says the suspect in custody "may not have been the perpetrator or belong to the group of perpetrators."

Frank says the method used in the rampage was reminiscent of July's truck attack in Nice, France and of the "modus operandi" used by Islamic extremist groups.

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Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters Tuesday that the suspect, who "comes from Pakistan" and had applied for asylum, entered Germany on Dec. 31, 2015, and arrived in Berlin in February.

Truck driver 1st victim

The owner of a Polish trucking company says the driver who was the first victim of the attack in Berlin was stabbed and shot to death in the cabin of his truck.

Ariel Zurawski says German authorities asked him to identify the victim, Lukasz Urban, 37, from photos.

"His face was swollen and bloodied. It was really clear that he was fighting for his life," Zurawski said, speaking to broadcaster TVN.

Lukasz Wasik, the manager of the trucking company, described Urban as a "good, quiet and honest person" devoted to his work.

"I believe he would not give up the vehicle and would defend it to the end if were attacked," Wasik said in comments carried by TVP, Poland's state broadcaster.

Peace talks jeopardized?

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The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin says the assassination of Moscow's ambassador in Turkey plays into the hands of those who want to derail peace talks for Syria.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters today that Ambassador Andrei Karlov's murder "benefits those who want to drive a wedge between Russia and Turkey" as well as hamper "the normalization of the talks that allow to spur and join (our) efforts for Syrian political settlement."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey makes Moscow even more determined to press ahead with Syrian talks that will offer "no concessions to the terrorists."

Investigation begins

Russian state television showed a plane landing at the Ankara airport carrying Russian investigators and foreign ministry employees who are to take part in the probe of the assassination.

Lavrov told visiting Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu today that the presidents of the two countries have agreed that Russian investigators would take part in the probe.

Lavrov hosted the foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran in Moscow in what was expected to be a major meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis. Together, Lavrov and Cavusoglu laid flowers to the portrait of the slain Russian ambassador.

The state-owned Rossiya 24 television broadcast footage of the investigators' plane landing in Ankara. The plane would later in the day repatriate the body of Karlov, the ambassador.

Putin's spokesman said earlier in the day that Moscow dispatched 18 people to help the investigation.

Peskov lauded President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to allow Russian investigators to take part in the probe and described the Russians who arrived in Ankara earlier on Tuesday as "good specialists."

Peskov quoted Putin, who had instructed Russian intelligence and foreign ministry officials to review security measures for Russian diplomats abroad but said it's ultimately up to the countries who host diplomats to ensure their safety.
Our old friend Hugh Hewitt, who helped Power Line immeasurably during our early days, argues that Donald Trump is unifying the fractured GOP foreign policy establishment. His op-ed appears in the Washington Post.

Hugh is right, I think. Trump appears to have support from key figures in the camps that have made up the GOP foreign policy establishment. His foreign policy team has met with broad approval within Republican ranks. For example, as Hugh notes, Rex Tillerson was recommended for the Secretary of State job not only by former vice president Cheney but by Cheneys perceived opponents, former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker, and by former defense secretary Robert Gates, the model of bipartisan public service.

Several Republican Senators have expressed strong reservations about Tilleron, but dont be surprised if, in this Era of Good Republican Feeling, the reservations soften.

Perhaps the most significant evidence in favor of Hughs view is the support Trump now receives from many in the neo-conservative camp. During his campaign, Trump was highly critical of policies and views attributed to neo-cons and other interventionists. He pushed a come home America theme.

Yet Elliott Abrams spoke favorably about Trump at a conference I attended earlier this month. And arch-interventionist John Bolton not only visited Trump Tower, he reportedly received serious consideration for Secretary of State.

Keep in mind, however, that because Trump is still only the president-elect, he has yet to make a substantive foreign policy decision (unless you count his telephone conference with Taiwans leader). Thus, it is fair to ask whether the unity Hugh correctly perceives will persist once Trump starts making policy choices.

It might. Many Republicans will be inclined to give Trump benefit of the doubt for a while. As Hugh says, winning does that.

Thereafter, the persistence of The Era of Republican Good Feeling will depend on the success of Trumps decisions. Success does that  especially success against ISIS, if Trump can achieve it.

But achieving success in the eyes of all major camps of the GOP foreign policy establishment will be quite a feat in the post-Obama world. Success in Syria seems almost impossible at this point, so Trump will probably get a pass.

Russia is another matter. What would a successful Russia policy look like? There is no unity about that.

There appears to be broad Republican support for blowing up the Iran deal. But is Trump prepared to do it? And if he does, will there be a GOP consensus about how to deal with Irans response?

The unity Trump has brought about now is partly a function of his status and partly a function of his outreach and willingness to listen. It is not the product of a coherent substantive approach to foreign policy with wide-ranging appeal to Republicans.

What approach would have such appeal? An obviously successful one.
I wrote the Weekly Standard article Louis Farrakhans first congressman and posted the companion Power Line post Keith Ellison for dummies in October 2006, when Ellison was on the verge of election to Congress representing Minnesotas Fifth District. The latter piece includes some of the basic documents supporting my narrative of Ellisons long association with the Nation of Islam.

I was provoked to write these pieces by the poor job the Minneapolis Star Tribune had done documenting Ellisons troubling past. Indeed, I had been contacted by Minnesotans who had dealt with Ellison and were themselves frustrated by the errors and constraints of the Star Tribunes coverage.

Ellison baldly suppressed his long involvement with the Nation of Islam in his 2014 memoir cum manifesto My Country, Tis of Thee. In the book Ellison presented himself as a powerful critic of the Nation of Islam without a hint of his past work on behalf of the cult. I wrote about that in the Weekly Standard article The Ellison elision.

Today Politicos Glenn Thrush essentially replicates the Star Tribunes 2006 performance in the profile and podcast Keith Ellisons one-man march. Glenn quotes Ellison, for example: My youngest child is 20. Some of the things they want to hit me for, I was younger than her when I wrote them. Talking about his piece this morning on Hugh Hewitts syndicated radio show, Glenn repeated this as a fact, attributing Ellisons first articles as an advocate of the Nation of Islam to a time when Ellison was 19 or 20. This is simply false.

Glenn also blew off evidence that belies Ellisons continuing cover-up such as his run for office in 1998 as Keith Ellison-Muhammad, a self-avowed member of the Nation of Islam. Glenn proclaimed, for example, Peoples religion [?] and what they give as their surname I couldnt give a damn or words to that effect. Well, I think he ought to give a damn. Theyre an important part of the true story.

The articles linked above summarize my basic research for readers who may be prompted to take a look at the controversy that Glenns article touches on from Ellisons perspective.
Reader Martin Karo is a Philadelphia attorney. As President Obama prepares to depart office, Mr. Karo offers optimistic thoughts on what he believes to be Obamas ultimate failure:

Watching Hillary Clintons sad soiree, and the shrinking Obama persona displayed in his latest PBS interview, make the Democratic titans seem enmeshed in a sort of Greek tragedy. Hillarys self-destruction is all too obvious; but Obamas strikes me as equally tragic, and equally apparent on reflection. And it reminded me of parallels from another tragic self-defeating President. But his is over; Hillarys is almost over; Obamas is just beginning its third act. One could title the play:

Obama Agonistes

Barack Obama will be the first President ever to not literally depart the scene after his successor is sworn in. It is a powerful image and metaphor, the act of the former President boarding the helicopter (think Nixon and his defiant Vs) or the Presidential jet to leave Washington, to literally leave the scene to his successor. Even the perennial gadfly, Jimmy Carter, took that one last ride on the Presidential jet to return to Georgia. Washington belongs to the elected President, not the retired one.

But Obama will not do that. He will drive (well, be driven) a few scant miles to a house in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, where he can watch at close range as his legacy is revealed not to be one. From his front-row seat, he will watch his eponymous healthcare plan be gutted, watch his foreign policy be repudiated, watch his bureaucratic overreaches be reeled in (please God!), watch conservative judges take the bench, watch his immigration policy melt, watch the military cheer his successor as they never cheered him, watch infrastructure funds build highways and bridges (that will not be named after him) instead of disappearing into the pockets of government union members, watch the American energy revival kick into high gear.

As he watches all this, one wonders whether Obama will appreciate the curious posture he has imposed on the Democratic Party. It is too much to expect Obama to blame himself for the decline in the Partys presence, at every level of government; but unless he is delusional, he must at least see it. He probably does, given his remarks in his Friday NPR interview that his organizing work didnt translate to Congressional candidates. In the same interview he noted the future of the Democratic Party is the unnamed mass of young people who helped his campaign, omitting reference to any current politician.

Indeed, there are very few Democrats in power at any level who have any plausible claim to be up-and-coming party leaders. The current crop are septuagenarians, and uninspiring ones at that (who would follow Nancy Pelosi into a foxhole? who would fall on a grenade to save Elizabeth Warren? who would be pushed to a microphone by Chuck Schumer?).

With the dismantling of Obamas signature initiatives, what does the Democratic Party stand for, other than to pine for Obamaism? Numerous Republicans plausibly champion the GOP position on any issue that matters; there are dozens of party leaders on immigration, energy, foreign affairs, national defense, sane budgeting, tax reform, education reform, who are not named Trump. Other than Warrens identification with big bank harassment, the Democrats have no counterparts. Apres moi, le vacuum.

The other curious thing about Obamas remaining on the scene is that he has no visible friends on it, despite his dominance of his party. He has many toadies. He has his entourage. He even has many sincere admirers. But friends? Name three. Name one.

And in that characteristic, he is very much like the Democratic Antichrist, Richard Nixon. The quintessential Nixon photograph is of him walking on the beach in San Clemente, in a full suit and tie and wingtip shoes, alone except for his dog. Nixons post-presidential isolation derived mainly from the political disgrace that led to his resignation; no doubt Obama will have acolytes inviting him to events and interviewing him and basking in his presence. But who will come just to have a drink and talk about the old days or the White Sox? Every visit will be business, every caller seeking something rather than bringing something.

Obama is like Nixon in other ways as well, probably in more ways than the Democrats would ever admit. Both Nixon and Obama were self-made men. Nixon started as an obscure Congressman, Obama was an obscure community organizer (whatever THAT is). Both thrust themselves into the spotlight and into power, and ironically both by allegedly playing dirty (Nixon dubbed Tricky Dick by the Pink Lady, Helen Gahagan Douglas; Obama escaping criticism altogether despite having his state senate opponents disqualified and having his Republican opponent Jack Ryans divorce records mysteriously unsealed in his US Senate race).

Both relied far more on their ability to operate the levers of power than their ability to persuade others to follow them. Both were heavily criticized during their first terms, yet easily won re-election. Both depended far more on the personal loyalty of their staff, less on their experience or counsel. Both reveled in the trappings of the office. Both were very expensive to send on vacation, though to be fair Nixon barely knew the meaning of the word.

Ultimately Obama suffers from the Nixon comparison, for the reasons he will see at close range. Nixon was sought out post-retirement for his counsel; Obama will be asked for his presence, not his wisdom. Nixons electoral success was a general one, regionally and culturally, and very much set the scene for the Age of Reagan; Obamas politics of division manifestly fail for anyone not named Obama. Nixons policies, domestic (e.g., creation of OSHA and the EPA, ending gold-backing of Dollars, the Endangered Species Act) and foreign (e.g., the SALT treaty, rapprochement with China, backing Israel) are still with us forty years later. Obamas will be gone forty weeks later.

And that is where the Agonist tragedy lies. Obama is staying in Washington for two reasons: because he doesnt truly have friends elsewhere, or any other place he considers home; and because if he doesnt stay in DC he descends into obscurity. The latter is a struggle he is likely to lose anyway; if ever there were a personality suited to dominate the stage and put his predecessor in the shade, it is Trump.

But Obama will continue the struggle. He will help raise funds, in a social environment where funding matters less. He has no appointment power, so he will have few toadies. Any emerging Democratic leader will be wary of him, as he will only draw attention to himself. He still considers himself the smartest man in any room, despite abundant proof to the contrary. He will never improve in his ability to persuade people to his viewpoint, because he lacks introspection; a man who suffers as many failures as he has in eight years, yet still cant think of any serious errors he has made, is by definition not learning from his mistakes. And absent holding the levers of power himself, persuasion is the only tool Obama has.

So Obama will soldier on, speaking to any reporter or power player who seeks (or will accept) an audience, pressing his increasingly chimerical policies in a political and legal landscape increasingly tilted against them, sucking the air and vitality away from any of his successors who actually have a chance of implementing them. Due to his own ego, Obamas struggles will ultimately be self-defeating.
It was a bad day for terrorism. Just an hour after an Islamic extremist murdered the Russian ambassador to Turkey, an unidentified person drove a large truck into a crowd in Berlin, killing at least 9 and injuring 45 or more people.

The scene was a Christmas market, which NPR describes:

The truck was driven into the crowd on a sidewalk, bringing down Christmas lights and smashing stalls at the festive market near the Gedaechtniskirche, or Memorial Church, in western Berlin.  Christmas markets such as this one are extremely popular in Germany. They start about four weeks before Christmas. You have to picture little huts, with all sorts of handicrafts, and they sell all kinds of foods and of course the very famous Gluhwein, or mulled wine, which is the most popular drink that you would get there, she added. Its just a fun place for family and friends to get together.

And, of course, as a Christian festival, a potential Islamic terrorist target. Authorities in Germany have not officially said that it was a terrorist attack, but the facts point in that direction. Berlin police tweeted that the passenger of the truck, who drove to the Christmas market  died on the spot. No indication as to how he died. Meanwhile, a suspicious person was arrested nearby. So it doesnt appear to be a case where, for example, the driver of a vehicle suffers a heart attack and veers off the street.

There isnt much point in speculating further until more information is available about the person or persons who perpetrated the apparent truck attack.

UPDATE: The Daily Mail has the latest:

A refugee is thought to have been behind the wheel of a 25-tonne articulated lorry which mowed down and killed 12 people  and injured 48 others  as it sped at 40mph through a busy Christmas market in Berlin.  The man at the wheel  who according to German newspaper Berliner used different aliases [Ed.: How do the authorities already know this?] was of Afghan heritage [see update below] and had arrived in Germany in February  fled the scene before being arrested at a nearby zoo. The original driver, who was transporting steel beams from Poland to Germany, was a Polish national who was found dead in the lorrys cabin. It is thought he was hijacked.

This is actually heartbreaking. The truck was identified before facts were known about who was driving it. The owner of the firm that owns the truck was interviewed:

Last night, speaking on Polish news channel TVN24, the owner of the haulage firm Ariel Zurawski said his relative would not have committed an act of terror: I can say hand on heart that the man who drove into those people in the centre of Berlin was not my driver. This is my cousin. Ive known him since I was born. I can vouch for him. My scenario is that they did something to the driver  they hijacked this vehicle because it was practically in the centre of Berlin and they had a good vehicle with which they could do what they did. It wasnt my driver, the one that was driving it. They did something to my driver, God forbid, something serious. It looks like that. We havent heard from him since this afternoon. We dont know what happened to him.

He was murdered, the first victim of an Islamic terrorist.

This is big trouble, obviously, for Angela Merkel and the rest of the uncritically pro-Islamic immigration European elite.

The Daily Mail is great at producing maps like this one:

FURTHER UPDATE: Other accounts say that the terrorist was a Pakistani, rather than Afghan, refugee. As always, early reports are likely to be wrong.
Nigerian star musician, Skales, has bought a new home for his mother.

The musician, whose real name is Raoul John Njeng-Njeng, made the announcement on Instagram on Tuesday.

He posted a photograph of the new home with the caption, Set a goal for myself to cop a crib for my mama..So excited I did it finallymamas new crib alert GOD BLESS HER..YOU CAN DO

Anything in this life just pray work hard and stay focused #beinspired.

Born to a Cameroonian father, he was single-handedly raised by a Nigerian mother in Kaduna. She did a lot of menial jobs to nurture him.

Not one to mince words about his love for his mother, the 25-year-old owes his love for music to his mum.

An MTN ambassador, he is his mothers only child. His stage name is an acronym for Seek Knowledge Acquire Large Entrepreneurial Skills.

He grew up in a Church setting, and became interested in music while at his mothers cassette store.

Skales met producers Jeremiah Gyang and Jesse Jagz while he was an undergraduate at University of Jos.

Skales left the University of Jos his junior year and attended Lead City University where he graduated with a degree in Office Management and Technology.

While at the University of Jos, he partook in the Zain Tru Search Competition and won the competitions North Central region. His debut single, Must Shine, was released to critical acclaim.
Chioma Obiadi Stephanie emerged the 40th Miss Nigeria at the Miss Nigeria pageant held at the Eko Hotel Convention & Suites, Victoria Island in Lagos, last night.

An undergraduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University studying geology, she represented Anambra State at the competition.

Following her win, she takes over from the outgoing queen, Lessi Peter.

Miss Chioma, who recently represented Nigeria at the 2016 Miss Earth beauty pageant in the Phillipines, beat 36 other contestants to clinch the winning prize.

Aside from the title, she also won an all-expense paid trip to France.

Over 1,000 beauty queen hopefuls entered for the Miss Nigeria pageant however only 37 made the final cut. The auditions were held in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Lagos State.
The two major workers unions in the oil and gas industry on Tuesday resolved to immediately shelve their ongoing strike and the one planned for January 9, 2017.

The decision to shelve the actions was taken by the leaderships of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, after their meeting with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, Tuesday in Abuja.

The two unions had threatened to embark on a three-day nationwide warning strike by January 9, 2017, over what they termed anti-labour practices by International Oil Companies (IOCs).

The threat followed allegations by the Chevron Nigeria Limited chapter of the NUPENG that about 250 of its members were sacked by the company after declaring their contract not binding, because it could not trace the company that employed them as contract workers.

Again, PENGASSAN members working in ExxonMobil were to embark on a protest penultimate Wednesday, which grounded normal business at the companys operations headquarters at Qua Iboe terminal, Ibeno and the companys Lagos office.

The protest followed a standoff by the workers with their management over alleged sack of about 150 of its members over terminal benefits issues.

With the difficult situation operators in the oil and gas industry have been facing in recent times as a result of declining global oil prices, the management of the company was said to have offered low performing staff a terminal package for them to exit the company.

The package, which was said to have ranged between N140 million and N350 million, was rejected by the affected workers.

Rather, high performing staff the company wanted to retain were the ones who opted to take the package, compelling the management to decide to dispense with the two groups, triggering the crisis.

The Chairman of the ExxonMobil Branch of PENGASSAN, Paul Eboigbe, had accused the management of the oil company of sacking its members, while negotiations were still on going.

The protesting workers had shut-down all oil production and export facilities at the Qua Iboe terminal, Ibeno, an action that threw into jeopardy about 30 per cent contribution from the joint venture to the countrys overall 2.2 million barrels per day crude oil output.

But, the Minister said on Monday he had scheduled to meet with the oil workers on Tuesday, while the management of the affected oil companies have been asked to suspend all actions aimed at reducing their workforce till further notice, to stem the looming crisis in the industry.

At the end of the meeting on Tuesday, PENGASSAN President, Francis Johnson, told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone the two oil workers unions reached an agreement with the minister on the way forward over the crisis.

The plan to embark on the nationwide strike has been suspended. The strike by ExxonMobil workers has also been suspended. All actions by the managements of Chevron and ExxonMobil have also been suspended till further notice, Mr. Johnson said.

A committee was set up during the meeting to look at all the issues involved. The committed was mandated to report back to the minister on January 10, 2017.

The minister said he had persuaded the workers and the managements of the oil companies to halt their actions, to give government the chance to turn around the difficult situation in the oil and gas industry.

We had asked the workers to suspend their strike actions, and the oil companies to suspend all actions geared towards reduction of staffing until we have taken a first quarter analysis of the impact of what government has done to reverse the difficult trend in the industry. If this happens, then incidences of people being laid off work would be reduced, the minister said.

He said he was optimistic that the recent effort by government, with the launch of a new funding mechanism for the joint venture operations, would boost the momentum of operations in the industry.
The actual trigger for the State Security Service (SSS) to have written the report upon which the Senate rejected Ibrahim Magus nomination for the top job at the anti-graft EFCC has been uncovered.

At a hurriedly arranged press conference about the same time the Senate was ending a closed-door session on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Senate, Abdullahi Sabi, announced that Mr. Magus nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari as EFCC chairman had been rejected. He cited available security report for the rejection.

On Monday, the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, claimed the Senate did not reject Mr. Magus nomination but only suspended discussions on the matter until the SSS concerns are resolved.

PREMIUM TIMES ongoing investigation into the procedural issues involved in the handling of Mr. Magus nomination showed the State Security Service actually turned in two reports on Mr. Magu. Both, though signed by one official, Folashade Ojo, on behalf of the Director General, Lawal Daura, are contradictory, having different conclusions.

Reasons the SSS acted the way it did  directly sending a report to the Senate to block a presidential nominee  have remained unanswered.

PREMIUM TIMES investigations, however, reveal that the SSS acted only after it received requests from both the presidency and the Senate to vet Mr. Magu.

The Presidency, through Mr. Buharis senior special assistant on National Assembly, Ita Enang, made the request that Mr. Magu be vetted via an August 26 letter SSAP/NASS/SEN/I67 to the SSS.

The Senates version went to the SSS through its Clerk on September 21 via letter NASS/CS/SA/01/16/08/1.

While the Senate sought vetting of Mr. Magu and other nominees for the EFCC Board, the presidency asked that only Mr. Magu be screened.

Incidentally, the SSS replied both the Senate and the Presidency on October 3 with separate reports SV.114/2 and SV.114/3 respectively.

A review of how the Presidency, the Senate and the SSS handled Mr. Magus nomination revealed procedural lapses and questions the capacity of Nigerias secret police to gather factual information about subjects under investigation.

VIOLATING PROCEDURE

The Presidency made the request for Mr. Magus confirmation in July through a letter signed by Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo in his capacity as acting president when Mr. Buhari travelled abroad for medical treatment.

But it was after one month of seeking the confirmation  and after eight months in acting capacity  that the presidency sought security vetting for Mr. Magu.

By standard practice, nominees of the president get security clearance before their names are sent to the National Assembly for confirmation.

Since Mr. Magus nomination did not come with security clearance, the Senate, whose members, including its President, Bukola Saraki, have at different times been investigated by Mr. Magu, had a window to approach the intelligence agency for security vetting.

However, the most serious issue arising is the fact that claims made by the SSS in its reports are not factual.

A fact-check by PREMIUM TIMES over the weekend exposed the falsehood in the reports. For instance, our report showed the SSS lied on the claim that Mr. Magu lives in a rented Abuja apartment paid for by a questionable business man and retired air commodore Umar Mohammed at the rate of N20 million per annum.

Meanwhile, the two SSS reports gave contradictory conclusions. The one to the Senate advised against Mr. Magus confirmation, saying he had failed the integrity test; but the SSS asked the Presidency to give the subject benefit of doubt and be considered in view of his achievements since assumption of office in acting capacity although his integrity may be in doubt.

MUTED PRESIDENCY, SENATE

The Presidency could not be reached to comment for this story. Repeated calls and a text to Femi Adesina, Mr. Buharis special adviser on media and publicity, were neither answered nor returned. His colleague, Garba Shehu, initially promised to get back but did not do so.

The presidential assistant on the Senate through whom the presidencys request for security vetting was made, Mr. Enang, did not also answer calls or reply our text message.

Similarly, the Senates spokesperson, Aliyu Abdullahi, did not answer several calls and a text message.

SENATE DID NO WRONG

A senior lawyer and presidential adviser on anti-corruption campaign, Itse Sagay, said the Senate did no wrong by approaching the SSS for information on Mr. Magu.

It is not wrong for the legislature to ask an agency for information on somebody under its consideration. You dont need any power for that, Mr. Sagay said.

He, however, said the Senate did not act in good faith, saying the whole thing is stage managed.

Senate wants an excuse for turning down the appointment.

Asked for his comment on our finding that the Presidency sought vetting of Mr. Magu after he had been nominated, Mr. Sagay said, I dont know about that. There is no basis for that (SSS) report. The man has held positions before. The whole thing is bogus.
The anti-graft EFCC has filed fraud charges against Nigerias former Attorney-General, Mohammed Adoke; a former petroleum minister, Dan Etete; and a controversial businessman, Abubakar Aliyu, and others for their roles in the Malabu $1.1 billion shady deal.

The 9-count charge was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday, sources at the EFCC told PREMIUM TIMES.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Mr. Adoke and former finance minister , Yerima Ngama, approved the transfer of about $1.1 billion into Nigerian accounts controlled by Mr. Etete.

The money was paid by oil giants, Shell and ENI, into a federal government account, for OPL 245, considered the richest oil bloc in Africa.

After the transfer to Mr. Etete, over half of the money was paid to accounts of shady companies controlled by Mr. Aliyu.

Although Mr. Adoke has repeatedly claimed he did no wrong, investigations by authorities in Nigeria, UK, and Italy have found him culpable in the scandal.

More details later
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, says the current hardship is not the making of the present administration, but restates commitment to end the hardship.

The minister spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the Special Town Hall Meeting for youth held at the presidential villa.

Mr. Mohammed said the government is unrelenting in its efforts to ease the hardship in the land, especially youth unemployment.

He said the hardship was brought about by years of poor or lack of planning, profligacy, mismanagement of funds, massive corruption and lack of investment in social programmes.

To move the nation out of the situation, he appealed for undiluted support from Nigerians.

The minister said the Federal Governments massive investment in social programmes will

help accelerate the process of job creation, especially for the youth.

He said the government placed premium on youth empowerment, youth development and youth engagement, hence the decision to organise the town hall meeting specifically for them.

He said the administration was investing massively in the Social Investment Programmes that would benefit the youths.

He listed the programmes as the N-Power Volunteer Scheme and the N-Power Job Creation Programme, among others that would provide loans for traders and artisans.

Mr. Mohammed added that the home-grown school feeding programme, the conditional cash transfers to the most vulnerable members of the society and the family homes fund, a social housing scheme, were also for youths.

He said his ministry was leveraging on the creative industry, which is youth-driven, to create

jobs and unleash the huge potentials of the youths.

The minister said that the imminent transition from analogue to digital broadcasting would create one million jobs in three years, with most of those jobs going to the youths. (NAN)
Despite failing for over a year to keep his repeated promise of making details of the National Assembly budget public, Senate President Bukola Saraki says he will fulfill that pledge in a few days time.

Mr. Saraki denied the Senate had reneged in its promise to open the budget concealed since 2010.

The budget breakdown will be released, Bamikole Omisore, a spokesperson for the senate president said Tuesday. Everything is being worked on and in the next couple of days itll be published.

Mr. Omisore said Nigerians should remember that aspects of the budget breakdown had been made public by this newspaper in recent past.

There was the first batch of the breakdown which PREMIUM TIMES published a few months ago.

The Senate President is committed to an open and accountable National Assembly and Nigerians will definitely get that. The National Assembly is holding a leadership meeting on the matter, so give us a few days more to publish the details.

His comments came after a civil society organisation, Enough is Enough Nigeria, said Mr. Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara failed to disclose details of all budgetary allocations to the National Assembly because there was no budget.

We knew from our engagement with the leadership of the National Assembly that the budget doesnt exist, Yemi Adamolekun, Executive Director of EiE Nigeria, told journalists.

Spending by the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives have been shrouded in secrecy despite the National Assembly voting an average of N120 billion to itself yearly.

Calls for details of the humongous budgets to be made public were rebuffed until Messrs. Saraki and Dogara were elected last year.

Amid scathing public criticism, the two lawmakers promised that for the first time in years, National Assembly budget would be opened to the public. They never did.

Mr. Saraki, who doubles as the chairman of the National Assembly, gave early indications of his intention to end the practice imposed by his predecessor, David Mark, and throw open the 2016 budget.

But Ms. Adamolekun said she believed the budget breakdown cannot be published because it is so mysterious that even most lawmakers have no idea of its existence.

What has also been confirmed by members of the National Assembly is that they have not seen the budget, Ms. Adamolekun said.

But she said the lawmakers could still give Nigerians a fair idea of their expenditure by simply publishing details of funds spent from the budget.

The money gets spent, so they could create a way to disclose all the expenses, Ms. Adamolekun said.

According to a survey by EiE, nearly eight in 10 Nigerians (76%) said theyre tired of the opacity in the National Assembly and called for a timely imposition of transparency and accountability.

Mr. Dogaras spokesman, Turaki Hassan, declined comments to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday evening.

But Mr. Omisore said plans were already underway for a full disclosure of the 2016 budget for the legislature.

In a related development, EiE Nigeria said it had launched free telephone lines to further encourage participation of Nigerians in national affairs.

The lines, 08139861001 and 08139861002, will function as flash service lines to push for actions on critical issues such as the need to open the National Assembly.

The flash service means that upon dialing, the call drops and calls you back immediately, the group said in a campaign pamphlet. The operators will accept calls from English, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and pidgin speakers.

EiE Nigeria, which gets financial backing from Omidyar Network, said it also hoped to expand its current on-air presence from four radio stations to nine before the end of the first quarter of 2017.
The Senate has countered its Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, by restating its rejection of Ibrahim Magu as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The Senate had last Thursday turned down a request from the Presidency that Mr. Magu be confirmed for the top EFCC job. It cited security report.

The report, later seen by PREMIUM TIMES, accused Mr. Magu of lacking the integrity to head the anti-graft agency, and engaging in questionable dealings.

A previous PREMIUM TIMES report showed the allegations were largely misleading.

But four days after the Senates initial position, Mr. Ndume told journalists at the State House on Monday that Mr. Magu was not rejected.

He said the Senate merely stepped down Mr. Magus confirmation hearing until integrity issues raised in the SSS reports are resolved.

But in a counter reaction, Abdullahi Sabi, the Senates spokesperson, on Tuesday, reaffirmed the Senates position.

This is the official position of the Senate, he emphasised.

Our votes and proceedings are the official records of what transpired in the chamber. You remember on that crucial date we had the closed session where we looked at the issues.

Now, I had to come here and brief you, with the effect that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is announcing to the general public that in view of the security report available to us, we are unable to proceed and confirm the nominee to the office of the executive chairman of EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu, and I said accordingly the Senate hereby rejects the said nomination and returns the nomination to Mr. President for further action.

I am quoting myself verbatim as I had said it and as the official spokesperson of the Senate.

Media reports have emerged especially taken from the interview granted by our leader, Senator Ali Ndume as may be depending on how people have read it. I have not seen it but the calls from colleagues, text messages meant that we have to clarify issues. For the record, I am the official spokesman of the Senate. I am not speaking for myself, I am speaking for the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the capacity I was so designated.

I am convinced beyond reasonable doubt, members of this very esteemed Press Corps had that statement recorded that day. My press statement also was recorded that day. So, for me that is the official position of the Senate and it remains the only official position of the Senate and I am saying so with all emphasis. What I said on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria remains the only official statement of the Senate, Mr. Sabi said.

He added Mr. Ndume is majority leader of the Senate with clear cut responsibilities, which cannot be inter-changed with his (Mr. Sabis) own assigned duties as the official spokesperson of the Senate.
A former state lawmaker, Lekan Oyediran, who was one of the 25 suspects arrested and tried in connection with the murder of Bola Ige, said on Tuesday they were innocent of the accusation.

Mr. Oyediran, who was later released from detention, spoke at the 15th-year remembrance and memorial lecture of Odunayo Olagbaju. He served a lawmaker on the ticket of Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Osun between 1999 and 2001.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Olagbaju was a member of the Osun State House of Assembly representing Odo-Otin Constituency on the ticket of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD).

He was killed few metres away from his Ile-Ife residence, in 2001, in the wake of the political crisis that rocked Osun State.

Mr. Oyediran, who claimed he lost his investment in a pharmaceutical store and his wife before regaining his freedom, said those accusing them needed to be probed for Bola Iges death.

I have no regrets. The only regret I have is that the people we fought for did not deserve it, he said.

That struggle also had a little of youthful exuberance. We didnt fight that struggle with enough maturity that time.

We fought a good fight; we identified with the right people, but we could have also done it in a different way or with a different approach.

All the 25 of us that were arrested in relation to the death of Bola Ige are innocent.

We didnt know anything about it. I spent almost two years in prison custody. I lost everything; I am a pharmacist; I lost my chemist and even my wife before I came back.

So, it is a kind of thing that makes me sad a lot. Iyiola Omisore is very innocent of the killing, he said.

Mr. Oyediran said, The investigation carried out by the Nigerian Police and all other security agencies exonerated Omisore and all others arrested along with him.

He was taken to court and was discharged and acquitted, and cannot be re-arrested unless there is a new clue.

Fatai Olasupo, in a keynote address, urged opposition in the legislative arm to be more active.

They must be active and ensure that there is transparency in governance. With what we have witnessed, governance at the state level needs to be upgraded, he said.

Mr. Ige, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, was murdered in his Bodija, Ibadan home at about 9.00 p.m.on Dec. 23, 2001.

He was a national leader of the AD was serving as a minister under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) -controlled Federal Government.

The incident happened shortly after Mr. Ige arrived Ibadan from Lagos at about 8.30 p.m.

In July, President Muhammad Buhari directed the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to reopen investigation into the unresolved murder of the former Minister.(NAN)

At the event, the political associates, friends and families of Olagbaju eulogised him for fighting for the oppressed.

(NAN)
The Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Purwanto, on Tuesday announced his governments new policy for issuing visas to Nigerians and other foreigners wanting to visit Indonesia for any purpose.

Mr. Purwanto told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that under the new policy, his Embassy would no longer be involved in visa processing, but only in the collection of visa applications.

The ambassador, who did not give any reason for his governments new visa policy, said the processing of visas to Indonesia would henceforth take a much longer time.

Nigerians seeking visas to Indonesia should know that the

Indonesian government has introduced a new visa application and issuance policy.

Under the new policy, we as an Embassy in Nigeria have been withdrawn from processing visas.

All we are now required to do is to collect visa applications and send them to Indonesia for processing. We now have to be taking authority from Jakarta.

We, therefore, want to tell Nigerians seeking visas to Indonesia to now begin their applications at least two weeks in advance, to enable us send their applications on time to Jakarta, he said.

Mr. Purwanto enjoined Nigerians to always ensure that authentic information and documents were provided in their visa application forms, to avoid visa refusal from Jakarta.

The ambassador, who restated his governments commitment to issuing more visas to Nigerians, said that about 1,000 Nigerians were issued visas to Indonesia this year.

He also said that his government would continue to create the right environment for mutual trade relations and people-to-people interactions between genuine Nigerians and Indonesians. (NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja met behind closed doors with visiting President-elect of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Mr. Akufo-Addo expressed confidence that the relations between Nigeria and Ghana would be deepened during his time as president.

The president-elect said he would assume office on January 7.

The relationship between our two countries is so important for our countries, West Africa and Africa. I think those of us who are in positions of leadership need to know each other and have an understanding and address the main concerns of our populations, he said.

The Ghanaian president-elect stated that he was in Nigeria on a private visit to Lagos where he participated in the Future Awards, Africa.

He described his meeting with President Buhari as fruitful, adding that he used the opportunity to introduce himself formally to the president and wished him happy birthday.

I came on a private visit to Lagos on Sunday to participate in the Future of Africa Awards and I thought it is proper that I take that opportunity to come to Abuja to pay my respect to the President.

But in the meantime, I have come to introduce myself to President Buhari so that we begin to know each other.

I had the opportunity to say a belated happy birthday to the President. His birthday is an important day in my life because that day is my late mothers birthday.

We had a very good exchange. We are determined to grow the relationship between our two countries.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Ghanas Electoral Commissioner, Charlotte Osei, on December 9 announced that the countrys main opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo ,won the December 7 Presidential election.

He said Mr. Akufo-Addo defeated President John Dramani Mahama by 53.8 percent to 44.4 per cent of the total votes cast during the election.

(NAN)
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, in Kano State has threatened to embark on strike over alleged non-payment of 18 months bridging claim to its members.

The IPMAN Chairman, Bashir Dan-Malam, made the threat in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kano.

If by the first week of January, the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) fails to pay us our 18 months bridging claims, we will have no alternative than to withdraw our services, he said.

He said the non-payment of the claims, which amounted to between N6 billion and N7 billion, had affected the businesses of their members who usually transport petroleum products from Lagos, Calabar, Warri and Port Harcourt.

The non-payment of the bridging claims and the high cost of diesel may force many of our members out of business, Mr. Dan-Malam said.

He said in spite of several promises made by the Fund in the past to pay the outstanding claims, it had not fulfilled the promise.

He, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene on the issue to prevent another fuel crisis in the state and the country at large.

We are calling on President Buhari to prevail on Petroleum Equalisation Fund to pay our members because they have made promises but to no avail, he said.

Mr. Dan-Malam called on the Federal Government to direct the Kano NNPC Depot to supply diesel to its members to check the rising cost of the commodity.

Whenever there is fuel scarcity, people always blame our members. This is the reason we decided to tell the government our grievances.

(NAN)
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, has valued Nigerias import bill on honey from China to hit $10 million (about N3 billion) annually.

The minister said this at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guarantee Nigerias hosting of the 2018 ApiExpo (bee-keeping) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr. Ogbeh, who regretted that some of those imported honey were adulterated with sugar syrup, said the expo would encourage transfer of technology on modern bee- keeping.

He said that the Federal Government would soon commence the distribution of bee hives to large numbers of farmers in the country to encourage production.

According to him, the move is to encourage local production of honey and discourage its export.

Mr. Ogbeh gave assurance that the country would pay the $50,000 guarantee fund for hosting the ApiExpo.

We have not taken bee- keeping seriously but I am happy that professionals are waking up to their responsibilities.

Bees are dying off in many countries but we want to grow our bee colonies in order to increase their population.

There is too much importation in this country. We accept too many things in the country and this must stop, he said.

The Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Apiculture (bee-keeping), Ademola Adesina, said that the Africa Apiculture Project was funded by the European Union with over one million Euros.

Mr. Adesina said the aim of the project was to connect stakeholders and create an environment of growth in bee keeping.

Dooshima Kwange, the Director, Department of Veterinary and Pest Control in the ministry, said the expo would boost local and international trade and increase the nations Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The expo will help to create jobs for small holder bee keepers, create environment to learn new things, diversify apiculture industry and boost tourism in the country, she said.

Obianuju Okpo, the President, Women in Bee Keeping, Nigeria, said the expo would help empower women to join the bee keeping business in the country.

According to her, there is so much money in honey and pollination services.

She appealed to governors to launch apiculture in their states to adequately sensitise women about the business.

We have 2,600 women currently in bee keeping business across the country.

A woman that is involved in modern bee keeping can earn about 500 dollars annually.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the inter-ministerial apiculture committee which was inaugurated by Mr. Ogbeh, has stakeholders from the ministries of Environment, Trade and Investment as its members.

Others are the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service, NAQS, NAFDAC and representatives from the Organised Private Sector, OPS, among others.

(NAN)
The remittances from Nigerian migrants have increased to about $35 million dollars in 2016, the Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration, IOM, Enira Krdzalic, says.

She made this known during the Annual Migration Dialogue on Tuesday in Abuja to mark this years International Migrants Day.

Ms. Krdzalic said according to the World Bank reports, the significant increase of remittances of Nigerian migrants from $21 million in 2015 made it the second largest recipient of remittances in Africa.

She said that on that note, Nigeria ranked the fifth largest recipient of remittances in the world from its citizens who sent home money to relatives and friends.

According to the World Bank report, remittances have reached levels nearly three times higher than official development corporation funds with global figures of remittances still expected to grow.

Remittances have been expected to grow at an average of 8 per cent annually in the period from 2013 to 2016, to about 700 billion dollars in 2016, she said.

Ms. Krdzalic explained that migration did not have negative impacts on nations but also had positive impacts when done through the due process.

She said that the aim of the joint initiative was not to stop migration but to work together to ensure that migration process was safer and better managed.

The chief of mission said migration should be an informed choice by migrants with genuine reasons rather than a desperate leap into the unknown by embarking on dangerous trips to the other side.

She added that migration could be made a story of hope, future, and improvement rather than a tragedy and death, which was why the advocacy against dangerous migration was the centre of IOM campaign.

Ms. Krdzalic said this had further re-validated the urgent need for key stakeholders including policy makers to come together and design an appropriate response mechanism to strengthen policy response.

She said they also have to agree on strategic approach for mainstreaming migration into the national development agenda, considering the role of migration in the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a remark, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, said that migration was not a crime but healthy for integration and development of nations.

He said: It becomes a challenge when it is done illegally, desperately and dangerously which is why the focus should be on measure to address and manage the scourge of illegal migration.

He said if not properly managed, people would use the opportunity to perpetuate criminal acts like human trafficking, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking amongst others.

Also speaking, Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, said there should be sensitisations and stringent measures to discourage youths on illegal migration.

She said Nigerians should be dissuaded from going through hostile circumstances in a bid for greener pastures as the other side is not as green as they think.

The presidential aide said a lot of Nigerians had been killed and others on death row in foreign countries just for being illegal migrants.

The programme is funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation within the framework of the Nigeria-Swiss Partnership on Migration and Implementation.

The programme is implemented by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs.

(NAN)
AStaff of Nigerias largest airline, Arik, have shut down its operations in Lagos.

The staff are currently staging a protest at the domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed airport.

The protesters displayed placards containing messages communicating their grievances.

Others danced to anti-establishment songs by the late Afrobeat musician, Fela Kuti.

We want them to pay us our salaries. They are owing us for seven

months, one of the protesters told PREMIUM TIMES.

Details later
A former President of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara, has called on the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, to resign his appointment following indicting security reports about him.

Mr. Wabara, who made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, also called for the resignation of on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal.

The Senate had called for the resignation of Mr. Lawal for his alleged involvement in diversion of funds meant for humanitarian services in the North-East.

Mr. Wabara urged the duo to resign on moral grounds, saying it did not matter if the allegations against them were proved or not.

They should go. When Obasanjo alleged corruption matter against me I resigned, I resigned to face it. So I mean you resign, Mr. Wabara said.

Whatever position anybody is occupying is not his fathers position. If there is a moral issue, it doesnt even have to be proven. You give way to fight it.

One thing is very clear, it is not witch-hunting. If it is happening to a senator, Nigerians will say yes go ahead and do it but this reports are coming from outside of Senate.

They did not go there to write or originate the reports and it is their right, it is the right of the Senate to work on any report that they receive judiciously.

What is constituency project when you have very damning and damaging report against the SGF. It is for them to investigate and determine the veracity of that report.

If the report is really against the SGF, for moral reasons he should go, he said.

On whether or not the recent development was a witch-hunt on the part of the lawmakers against Mr. Magu, Mr. Wabara said the Senate had powers to carry out its responsibilities for the sustenance of democracy.

The Senate has every power to confirm or not to confirm. In this case it is not now a senate problem, or senate issue. There were security reports from outside the senate for the consideration of the senate.

There were security reports that they received that led to what happened. So, I dont want to blame the senate.

The senate did not originate the security report on Magu, Magu is a very amiable character but if you as a journalist should go into the authenticity of the reason and the report that the senate received, they did not originate it.

If they had originated it would have been a different ball game. They had to work with the reports and they took that decision, he said.

On the fight against corruption, the former president of the senate said it was not holistic.

According to him, I think the administration is fighting corruption unfortunately it looks as it is about just one man that is doing that.

To me the only man fighting corruption is only the president.

In a similar development, the former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Pauline Tallen, told NAN that anybody found wanting should be brought to book.

Whatever are the issues surrounding the non-confirmation of the Acting Chairman, by the grace of God it will be resolved between the Presidency and the National Assembly.

So, I dont think people should break their heads over this issue, it will soon be resolved by the grace of God.

If one is found guilty on anything concerning corruption he should face the music, once the facts are there, nobody should be above the law, she said.

The Senate had rejected the nomination of Magu as Substantive Chairman of the EFCC over indicting security reports. (NAN)
A mortician identified only as Okusaga, and a nurse, Omobolanle Adesuyi, have died of Lassa fever at Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The deceased persons are believed to have contracted the deadly virus from a Lebanese patient who later died.

The hospital cancelled a planned Christmas carol scheduled for Tuesday in honour of the dead.

The acting medical director of the hospital, Kehinde Hunyinbo, told PREMIUM TIMES the deaths were being investigated.

It is true and we have commenced investigation into it, having contacted the Ministry of Health, he said.

The state commissioner for health, Babatunde Ipaye, called for calm, saying the government had always been proactive on issues relating to public health.

He said the ministry in collaboration with federal authorities would quickly set up an isolation center at the premises to attend to emergencies.

We are going to immediately create an isolation center here at FMC to cater for unexpected cases and emergency on public health issues like Lassa fever to include others communicable diseases and have set officers out to confirm the root of the cases, he said.

The mortuary worker is said to have recently completed his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

Born in 1973, the nurse joined the Federal Medical Centre in December 2001, and rose to the position of Assistant Chief Nursing Officer.
The International Organisation for Migration, IOM, has urged the Nigerian Government to tackle the root causes of conflicts to end humanitarian crises.

The Chief of Mission of IOM, in Nigeria, Enira Krdzalic, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during the 2016 Annual National Dialogue with the theme on Policy Coherence in Migration Governance, and sub-theme Managing Migration and Displacement: The way forward.

According to Krdzalic, until the root causes of conflicts are addressed, Nigerians will continue to make desperate and dangerous trips across the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara desert in search for safety and greener pastures.

The challenges of migration and displacement cannot be durably resolved without commitments to tackle the root causes of conflicts because if not addressed, it is bound to cause repeated patterns of humanitarian crises.

Unless the displaced populations are effectively stabilised through adequate protection and assistance, there can be little hope in achieving sustainable peace.

Governments should also ensure that displaced persons can re-establish peaceful and productive lives and do not remain in protracted displacement, she said.

Ms. Krdzalic said that the current displacements in the country have contributed drastically in hampering the development of Nigeria as huge resources have been deployed to address issues of displacement.

The IOM chief said with the global estimate of 15.5 million refugees and 10.5 million Internal Displacements in mid-2016, the year marks the highest level of forced displacement since World War 2.

She said in Nigeria, the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) as at October 2016 estimated that more than 1.8 million Nigerians are displaced and living in camps and host communities.

However, she commended the Nigerian Government for ratifying the African Union convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (Kampala Convention).

While urging African governments to urgently domestic the laws, Ms. Krdzalic said it was imperative for Nigeria to ensure that its sectorial policies were coherent and in tune with the National Migration Policy to avoid duplication and ensure efficiency.

She also advised the Nigerian government to develop advocacy programmes against irregular migration in schools, markets, worship places and communities on the dangers of illegal migration.

Besides, she urged stakeholders to engage in a fruitful dialogue to proffer solution to the global menace of irregular and dangerous migration.

On her part, Sadiya Farouq, the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, said the annual dialogue is organised to mark the International Migrants Day celebrated on December 18 annually.

She said this years theme was crafted to reflect the next step, policy direction and actions to be undertaken to address the peculiar challenge of displacement in Nigeria.

Ms. Farouq said this is in relation to the global focus on addressing the large movement of refugees and migrants of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly.

She said the dialogue was inspired by the need to go beyond the rhetoric of just observing the International Migrants Day to include evolving concrete and practical approach to addressing the displacement crises.

The federal commissioner said it would also raise awareness about the Nigerian migratory landscape, and address the internal and international emerging trends in migration.

(NAN)
Protesting aviation unions who shut down Arik Air operations on Tuesday have called off their industrial action.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the decision followed an intervention by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The unions had embarked on the joint strike following the airlines failure to pay seven months salary arrears and other alleged anti-labour practices.

They had on Tuesday shut down Arik Airs flight operations at both the local and international wings of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.

They also barricaded the airlines corporate headquarters within the airport premises. While speaking to journalists, the aviation unions had vowed to continue their protest until the issues raised were addressed.

A representative of the United Labour Congress of Nigeria who spoke on behalf of the electricity union, Olusegun Babatunde, had said that the unions would continue to ground the airlines operations until the issues raised are addressed.

Mr. Babatunde argued that workers should be treated with dignity and should not be enslaved. He also said that the protest would serve as signal to other organisations who do not take care of workers

welfare.

The struggle continues. We are here today; we will be here tomorrow and the day after tomorrow until the issues are addressed and resolved.

Workers are not slaves and should not be enslaved. Victory is assured, he had said.

The General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, had also vowed that the airline would be grounded until its operators address the grievances raised by the aggrieved workers. He also advised Arik Airs

passengers to seek alternative by boarding other airlines.

I advise passengers of Arik air to seek alternative elsewhere. Go and board other airlines. We will be here until further notice, he said.

However, according to a communique signed by the leadership of the unions on Tuesday, Arik Air management and a representative of the NCAA, the unions agreed to call off the strike after exhaustive

deliberations with the management of Arik Air and the NCAA.

The communique was signed by Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Frances Akinjole, General Secretary, Air Transport Senior Staff Services

Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).

Others are the General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Aba Ocheme, Deputy Managing Director, Arik Air, Ado Sanusi and Sidi Abdullahi of the NCAA.

The communique said that Arik Air, at the meeting, agreed to pay the outstanding October salaries on or before December 23, while that of November would be paid on or before December 31.

The unions are to submit the acknowledged copies of the letters forwarding membership forms of their prospective members to the NCAA and NCAA shall forward same to the management of Arik Air to do the needful.

A committee to review the circumstances of all laid-off employees, made up of one member from each union and Arik Air, was constituted, to be inaugurated on Jan. 10, 2017.

The Hawker fleet employees are exempted from the review, the communique said.

It added that parties resolved that Arik Air should resume operations forthwith upon signing the communique and that no individual should be victimised as a consequence of the industrial action.

The communique, however, did not address the issue of seven months salary arrears staff of the airline said they were being owed.

Earlier, when PREMIUM TIMES spoke with staff of the airlines who joined the protests, they expressed their frustration. A staff who did not want her name in print, said the airline had been notorious in terms of arbitrary tax deductions.

They deduct my tax without proof. I dont have certificate. Besides, I have worked here for more than five years and I have never been promoted, she said.

Another staff who simply identified herself as John said the airline did not recognise unionism. Mr. John added that the pension scheme of the airline was also shady.

I have worked for eight years with Arik and I can tell you that my pension is around N50,000. For seven months now, I have not received salary. It is very sad.

The workers had enjoined other unions who came to support them to intensify efforts at ensuring that their demands were met. They also implored the media to beam its searchlight on issues raised by the

aggrieved unions.

Meanwhile, passengers of the airline have decried the situation, lamenting the manner the airline managed the crisis.

Wesley Oruta, a passenger, said he was disappointed in the airline as the strike disrupted his schedule.

Mr. Oruta, who told PREMIUM TIMES he was on his way to Warri, explained that he had no alternative but to go by road.

I am disappointed. I have no option but to go by road. It is really sad, he said.

Another passenger who identified herself as Jane also lamented the situation, calling on the airline management to seek immediate solution to the crisis.
I am in my late 50s with shattered aspirations; no husband, no children or a family of my own due to the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation that was carried out on me when I was a two-year old, says Rosaline Nkwo (not real names).

My mother told me that my case was a peculiar one because it was done without Anaesthesia and I struggled so hard when I could not stand the searing pain arising from the bad cut that had to be stitched.

This barbaric act led to an irritating formation of Keloids and scar tissues around my genitals which scared men whenever they try to get intimate with me.

This crashed my two marriages and made me become lonely, angry, useless, lost, abandoned and hopeless.

These are the heartbreaking statements of a 57-year-old trader in Lagos who became aware of her situation at 21, when her first husband became irritated by the sight of her genitals on her wedding night and later divorced her.

She laments that she could not afford the expensive bills for corrective surgeries and decided to accept her fate by living the rest of her life anger, unhappiness and depression.

Nkwo is just one of many Nigerian women undergoing similar harrowing experience forced on them by the harmful practice of FGM.

According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, FGM includes all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for cultural and non-medical reasons.

It is estimated by the WHO that over 40 million girls and women in Nigeria have undergone FGM, with the nation having 41 per cent prevalence. WHO says Nigeria has the highest absolute number of FGM cases in the world.

Damilola Obinna, a gender analyst with the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), notes that there are three sorrowful milestones for the girl child  the day of circumcision, the wedding night (the fear of painful sexual intercourse) and the day she would be having a baby.

Mrs. Obinna says FGM is highest in the South-West Nigeria, in spite of the geopolitical zones high literacy and awareness rate, adding that the statistics was arrived at after a survey was carried out by UNFPA in collaboration with UNICEF in 2015.

After data collation and analysis, we discovered that Osun had 76.3 per cent prevalence rate, Ekiti had 71.2, Oyo, 69.7; Ebonyi 55.6, Imo, 48.8 and Lagos 44.8.

Narrating her plight, another victim of FGM, Nneoma, 36, and mother of two, recalls when she became aware of her situation and how it has been affecting her marriage.

She says she is confused on whether to curse or forgive her mother for being responsible for her marital troubles.

Ms. Nneoma said that the situation made her worthless to her husband as she cannot satisfy him sexually, which is making him to engage in extramarital affairs.

I had my two children through caesarean section; the doctor said it was due to FGM, my vagina opening is so narrow. It made intercourse painful that I try to avoid sex as much as possible; and I cannot satisfy my husband sexually.

When I hear people talk about sex as a pleasurable act, I still cannot understand it because my experience has been a painful one. I feel different and uncomfortable among other women.

It has not been easy, but I have to accept and live with my husbands extramarital affairs and I do not blame him at all because FGM could not allow me to fulfil my marital roles as a wife and I will forever blame my mother for my predicament, Ms. Nneoma said.

Oyefunsho Orenuga, Senior Programme Officer, Inter-Africa Committee on FGM-Nigeria, says FGM is performed in Nigeria for cultural reasons that are considered important for the socialisation of women.

She says it is also meant to curb their illicit sexual appetites and prepare them for womanhood and marriage.

Orenuga notes that there is no place in the Bible or Quran where FGM is encouraged, yet Christian and Muslim adults have had FGM performed on their daughters and female relatives.

She says that the persons who carry out the circumcision in the country are known as grand-aunties, Wazaris in the north, local barbers or local circumcisers and they are paid for their services.

According to her, the clitoris that is cut off is given to the parents of the victim to bury deep in the ground or in cracked walls. They believe if animals eat the clitoris, the circumcised girl will become promiscuous.

She also says that there are known cases of traditional circumcisers selling the clitoris to people who use it for preparation of special local herbs.

Some communities believe that the clitoris contains powers strong enough to damage a mans manhood or to kill a baby during childbirth, while in some communities, normal female genitals are considered ugly, unclean and unattractive unless they are subjected to FGM, Ms. Orenuga said.

In spite of its cultural importance, FGM has drawn considerable criticisms because of its potential for both short-term and long-term medical complications, as well as harm to the reproductive health and infringement on womens rights.

Jide Idris, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, identified some of the immediate consequences of FGM to include severe pain, bleeding, shock, difficulty in passing urine, infections, injury to nearby genital tissues and sometimes death.

Mr. Idris says that the procedure can result in death through severe bleeding  leading to haemorrhagic shock, neurogenic shock as a result of pain and trauma, and overwhelming infection.

In his views, Oliver Ezechi, a consultant gynaecologist with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, says that in addition to the severe pain during and in the weeks following the cutting, women who have undergone FGM experience various long-term effects which can be physical, sexual and psychological.

Mr. Ezechi says that the pain inflicted by FGM does not stop with the initial procedure, but often continues as continuous torture throughout a womans life.

Women may experience chronic pain, chronic pelvic infections, development of cysts, abscesses and genital ulcers, excessive scar tissue formation, infection of the reproductive system, decreased sexual enjoyment and psychological consequences, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Additional risks for complications from infibulations include urinary and menstrual problems, infertility, later surgery (defibulation and reinfibulation) and painful sexual intercourse.

Sexual intercourse can only take place after opening the infibulation through surgery or penetrative sexual intercourse.

Consequently, sexual intercourse is frequently painful during the first weeks after sexual initiation and the male partner can also experience pain and complications.

When giving birth, the scar tissue might tear or the opening needs to be cut to allow the baby to come out.

After childbirth, such women are often sown up again to make them `tight for their husband (reinfibulation). Such cutting and re-stitching of a womans genitalia results in painful scar tissue, Mr. Ezechi said.

Another gynaecologist, Angela Suru, also adduced that FGM affects women and young girls in various ways such as infections (genital abscesses) and problems in having sex.

They also experience pain, suffer depression and anxiety, have painful menstrual periods, urinary problems, suffer Vesico Vaginal Fistula VVF or Recto Vaginal Fistula (RVF).

She says they also have problems in childbirth as there will be the need to cut the vagina to allow delivery and the trauma that results, often compounded by re-stitching are common.

The tales of women and girls going through the consequences of FGM also evoke a deep sense of compassion and concern from mental health practitioners who say that FGM is associated with a wide range of long-term health and psychological problems.

They identified depression, anxiety disorder, suicidal instinct and other mental illnesses in survivors of female genital mutilation, warning that such illnesses should not be ignored.

Olusegun Akinwotu, a Senior Registrar at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, says that women who have undergone FGM experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

He says they have been subjected to early childhood abuse.

Mr. Akinwotu says there is an increased risk of depressed mood with reduced social functioning, worthlessness, guilt, anger and even suicidal ideation and that limited mobility also increases social isolation and role loss in society.

A clinical psychologist, Nathaniel Ayodeji, says that the psychological trauma that women experience through FGM often stays with them for the rest of their lives.

Mr. Ayodeji says there is an urgent need for intervention programmes to fight the stigma and fear that stop these women from getting the help they need, and let them continue to silently suffer mentally, emotionally and physically.

Also, Dare Tanko, counsellor and director, Emotional Development Academy, urges women who have survived FGM that rather than staying depressed and wallowing in their situation, they need to find a purpose in their predicament by becoming a voice of advocacy and hope for themselves and others.

Mr. Tanko said that survivors should lead the movement to end FGM by making a project of their plights and challenges.

These women feel low self-esteem, bitterness against men and cultural guilt. But with the help of a mental health expert, they will be able to channel their anger to deal with their situation positively.

Such situation is not a `lost hope but the beginning of hope, where others who have refused to speak up about their situation will begin to see solutions, respite and light in their predicaments, he said.

Treasure Uchegbu, Programme Manager in the Mental Health Foundation, also suggests inculcating FGM into health plans, so that professionals are adequately trained to address the psychological impact of FGM.

Mr. Uchegbu says it can also accelerate the process of eradicating FGM and also deal with the difficulties that survivors currently face.

Emmanuel Owoyemi, Founder, Mental Health Foundation, Lagos, says that supporting survivors is an important component in the move towards helping them to live positively with their situation as well as end FGM in the country.

Mr. Owoyemi says that establishing therapeutic support groups can provide a safe space for women who have experienced FGM will also help them.

For survivors to be willing to speak about their mental health issues, it is necessary to create a more acceptable environment, such as the therapeutic support groups. This can be done by raising awareness within the health and education sectors.

There is also the need to work with professionals, campaigners and survivors to plan how to deliver and embed these services in the health system, he said.

Mr. Owoyemi noted that the harrowing experiences of these women and girls have compelled the federal and some state governments to make laws and measures to stop the practice and save many innocent girls-children.

There is a federal law outlawing the practice in Nigeria, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP), 2015, yet the practice continues.

Eight states of the federation have laws prohibiting FGM. They are Lagos, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Edo, Cross River and Rivers. The Child Rights Act (CRA) 2004 also prohibits FGM.

A strict enforcement of these laws against FGM is also required to stop this barbaric practice and save our women and girls from lifetime physical, health and emotional torture, says Mr. Owoyemi.

(NANFEATURES)
Academic and senior staff members of Borno state-owned Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri on Tuesday accused the state government of having a sinister motive behind the ongoing verification and biometric data capturing of its workers.

Speaking at a press conference in the school, leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP, and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnic, SSANIP, said the exercise, which started about seven months ago, had left many workers without salaries for about six months now.

The state governor, Kashim Shettima, had in May sanctioned the verification of the state workforce and directed that no worker be paid until captured in the exercise.

The exercise involves each worker filling and personally submitting a verification form to the committee constituted for the exercise.

Afterwards, each worker was to be invited via a random text message to appear before a Biometric data capturing team, with their bank details including Bank Verification Numbers.

Many workers had been left without salaries for months because of the issues they encountered with the second part of the screening.

The Nigeria Labour Congress had in September appealed to the state government to allow the workers to be paid while the exercise continued. But the government insisted on paying only those whose biometric details had been captured.

The governor had however pledged that all those who had completed the exercise would have the arrears of their salaries paid.

The workers of Ramat Polytechnic said the state government was deliberately subjecting them to untold hardships by embarking on the verification.

They said the exercise which ought to last two months has dragged on because it was being handle by inexperienced and incompetent persons.

Chairman of ASUP, Ramat Polytechnic chapter, Shuwa Goni, said members of the association have been in pains and sorrow due to the hardship brought on them by the slow-paced verification exercise.

The whole issue boils down to the pledge the governor made in September that all those who had had been captured would be paid within one or two weeks while the exercise continues, said Mr. Goni.

He said his colleagues were shocked that the governor had reneged on the pledge.

Some of our members have not been paid for six months, in spite that they have been captured for the last two months, he said.

It is sad to note that several families have been made to suffer for no reason.

Some of our members who are on scholarship abroad are being asked to return to the country just to attend a biometric data capturing that is not effective. Most of them have to abandon their studies to come back and yet they could not be captured.

Mr. Goni said the state government was not sincere in its quest to trim its expenses through the verification exercise. He said while the government was accusing workers of taking more than they deserve, it was paying very junior civil servants engaged in the biometric exercise salaries beyond their levels.

The chap that is the head of the biometric data capturing unit was a junior staff of Ramat Polytechnic. He was a level 8 staff but is being paid about N280, 000. When we complained, they said he was enjoying executive approval of the governor. This is not fair.

The workers then gave the state government 21 days to meet their demands on the exercise or risk an industrial action.

The demands include reinstatement of the allowances of non-teaching staff, the signing into law of the legislation on 65 years retirement age of Polytechnic staff, and payment of promotion benefits from January to date.

The Unions give a 21-day ultimatum to the state government to address these issues or the unions will be compelled to embark on industrial action as defined by the labour law, Mr. Goni declared.

The Secretary to the state government, Usman Jidda Shuwa, who is coordinating the verification exercise, declined to comment on the issues raised by the workers.

I am restricted. Please contact the Head of Service, he stated in response to a text message. All efforts to get the Head of Service have however failed.
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has presented a budget estimate of N140.2 billion for the 2017 financial year.

Mr. Masari presented the budget before the State House of Assembly in Katsina on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2017 budget is higher than the 2016 budget by over N25 billion.

The 2017 budget is tagged The Budget of Standardisation of all Capital Projects in the state.

The recurrent expenditure in the 2017 budget is N47.7 billion, while the capital expenditure is N92.5billion.

The state government is expecting the sum of N75.6 billion recurrent revenue and N10 billion as internally generated revenue.

The Katsina State Government is expecting N50 billion as federation allocation in the year 2017, he said.

The governor said that the state government had set aside N16.5 billion for the education sector which represents 17 per cent of the budget.

Mr. Masari disclosed that the water resources sector got N14.4 billion, representing 15 per cent of the budget.

He said that roads rehabilitation and constructions had been allocated N15 billion, representing 16.8 per cent of the budget.

The health sector was allocated N6.5 billion, representing 7 per cent, while agriculture got N8 billion which is 9 per cent of the budget, he said.

The governor said that in spite the security challenges that the state experienced, the government was able to implement the 216 budget by over 50 per cent.

The Speaker, Sabiu Muduru, assured the governor of the House readiness to hasten the passage of the budget.

He called on the heads of ministries and parastatals in the state to co-operate with the various committees in the house during their over sight functions.

(NAN)
The Kano State Government has expressed concern over the low number of youth selected to participate in the Federal Governments N-Power programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Nigeria-Power job creation programme is one of the Federal Governments social intervention programmes established to empower the youths.

The state Commissioner of Information, Mohammed Garba, made the complaint in an interview with NAN in Kano on Tuesday.

Despite the fact that Kano is the most populous state in the country, available data has shown that over 20,000 youth from the state applied for the scheme, yet only 4,966 were selected, Mr. Garba said.

He said the state government had concluded arrangements to mobilise the youth in the state with a view to sensitising them on the importance of the programme.

The state government is seriously concerned over the low number of beneficiaries of the N-Power programme selected from the state.

This informed our decision to mobilise our youth to appreciate the importance of the programme.

The state government is not blaming the Federal Government because we know it is a process that will continue in January 2017.

The N-power portal will be opened again in January 2017. Therefore, the youth, especially the graduates, should participate fully so that the state can fill the gap, the commissioner said.

According to him, the N-Power programme is a Federal Government empowerment programme aimed at reducing the high rate of unemployment in the country.

Mr. Garba, however, commended the Federal Government for initiating the programme which he said would go a long way in improving the living standard of Nigerians.

(NAN)
Scores of pensioners on Tuesday marched along major streets of Owerri, the Imo capital to protest payment of only 40 per cent arrears of pension to retirees by the Imo Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the pensioners arrived at Orlu Road Roundabout Owerri, the take-off point of the protest, as early as 7.30 a.m. with placards.

Gideon Ezeji, Imo Chairman, National Union of Pensioners (NUP), who addressed the protesters said the protest was to expose the sufferings of Imo pensioners under the administration of Gov. Rochas Okorocha.

Mr. Ezeji explained that six different categories of pensioners were owed between 22 months and 77 months by the state government.

Civil pensioners are owed 22 months, local government pensioners 23 months, retired primary school teachers 32 months, IBC pensioners 44 months, retired permanent secretaries 22 months and Alvan Ikoku pensioners 77 months, he said.

He regretted the governments move to pay 40 per cent of the accumulated pension arrears, adding that forfeiture of the 60 per cent arrears was unacceptable.

The government is now using its agents to force pensioners to sign document it prepared, which by extension will make any pensioner that signs the document to forfeit his/her 60 per cent arrears.

We say no to 40 per cent payment of arrears of pension and call on the Imo Government to pay us 100 per cent before Dec.23, 2016, Mr. Ezeji demanded.

NAN reports that the protest started from Orlu Road roundabout at about 8.30 a.m. from where they marched to Government House Roundabout.

The pensioners carried placards with various inscriptions such as: Pay the much you can, government is a continuum; pension is our right and not gratification.

Also government projects are for the living and not the dead, among others. (NAN)
Presidential Palace (photo by Andrzej Hrechorowicz /KPRP)

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday sent a message of condolence to German President Joachim Gauck in connection with Monday's attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

Expressing pain at the news of the terrorist attack in his letter to President Gauck, President Duda pointed out that every attack directed against innocent people "makes us even more determined to fight against the terrorist threat in Europe. I would like to assure you of the relevant Polish services' readiness to provide support. Our neighbourhood obliges us to work together to ensure security to all our citizens".

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Tuesday that the Polish citizen found dead in a truck in Berlin had been shot in the head. His body was found in the passenger seat.

Thomas de Maiziere added that there was no longer any doubt that the incident on Monday in which a truck ploughed into a Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring 48 others, had been an attack. (PAP/own information)
The newly renovated and updated Shell Gas station at Ford Road and Telegraph is open for business. New owner, Hussein Nasser (right) of Dearborn, and employee Gamal Alsuraimi (center) welcome first time customer, Dr. Hassan Dourra of Dearborn Heights to tell him about the new items and features in the station. Nasser is still adding features to the interior of the station and hopes to have a grand opening soon. The newly remodeled station is one of the latest in a surge of new businesses in Dearborn Heights.

 Andrea Blum
TRENTON  Lawmakers on Monday failed to muster enough support for a controversial bill that would have allowed government agencies to post legal notices on their websites instead of in newspapers.

The proposal, which some say would limit government transparency, was pulled during the final voting session of the year but is expected to re-emerge in 2017.

This is a huge win for the industry. We have been fighting for transparency for years, said Mark Blum, publisher of The Press of Atlantic City.

Supporters of the newspaper bill worked throughout the day to rally support for the measure, including a three-hour-caucus meeting, but to no avail.

A spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie, who supports the legal notices bill, said it will remain a priority next year.

The Assembly also pulled a bill that would have allowed Christie to cash in on a book deal while in office and would have granted raises to staff members.

The caucus engaged in a robust discussion today about the publication of legal ads and, clearly, opinions varied as to how best we can maintain transparency in this ever-evolving information age, said Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, D-Bergen, Hudson. We will continue this discussion and consider all options.

Opponents of the legal ad bill claimed only a small group of insiders would know about the actions of government. Politicians also could use public notices to punish newspapers for negative stories, opponents said.

If the bill were approved, readers of newspapers in the state would no longer find notices of sheriffs sales, planning board notices, municipal budgets and other information they have long been accustomed to in their papers.

The change was previously proposed in 2010.

I think that bill has been up a number of times. There is clearly a large amount of money that is spent on legal notices, said Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, R-Morris, Somerset, Union, a sponsor of the bill. I think there is a better way to do it than putting them in the back of newspapers in small print.

The Governors Office claimed the bill would save taxpayers more than $80 million, a number which has been disputed by the New Jersey Press Association.

If the Assembly wants more time to consider the legal notices bill, that is acceptable to the governor. However, this will be a top priority when we return from the holidays, said Jeremy Rosen, spokesman for the governor.

The bill would make New Jersey the first state in the nation to remove the requirement that government legal notices be published in newspapers.

Representatives of the states newspapers say the bill would cripple an already struggling industry and lead to the loss of about 300 jobs and the closing of some small newspapers.

I think it will come back in the first quarter of 2017 before they meet again in March, Blum said. By then, we hopefully have the opportunity to get better data and have several meetings with other legislators that would hopefully be willing to partner with us to come up with a better deal.
A bill to help Hurricane Sandy victims avoid foreclosure headed to the governors desk Monday after passing the state Senate.

It had already passed the Assembly.

The bill, S2300, would give homeowners hurt by Sandy the ability to apply for a forbearance period on their mortgages, during which they could stop making mortgage payments but would have to continue to maintain and insure their properties and pay property taxes.

Co-sponsor Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, said providing a pathway to prevent foreclosure will protect families who are struggling to fund both a mortgage and rent.

The process of securing state and federal recovery funds is long and complex, Beck said. It has been four years, and yet we still have 3,200 Sandy victims eager to complete elevation and construction projects, including some that have just begun.

The other co-sponsor was Brian Stack, D-Hudson.

While advocates celebrated its legislative approval, they wont be able to relax until Gov. Chris Christie signs it. He conditionally vetoed a somewhat similar bill last year.

We are only two-thirds of the way toward really helping people, said Amanda Devecka-Rinear, of Cedar Bonnet Island in Stafford Township, founder of the New Jersey Organizing Project, a grassroots group. We really need the governor to do the right thing and sign the legislation.

The mortgage forbearance period would be until one year after the home is awarded a certificate of occupancy, or to July 1, 2019, whichever is earlier.

The bill provides for more transparency by the state Department of Community Affairs in its decision-making on applications under the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation; Low-to-Moderate Income; and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance programs.

It also extends the one-year deadline for completing a project following a program grant award, if the delay was caused by a builder or the

The bill defines a Sandy-impacted homeowner as one who received rental assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a result of damage to his or her primary residence due to Sandy, or has been approved for assistance through RREM or LMI.

Devecka-Rinears group has drawn attention to the thousands of families whose houses were badly damaged and who are still not back in their homes.

Last years bill that Christie conditionally vetoed would have allowed for a three-year mortgage forbearance. Christie said he felt such questions should be left in the hands of the courts.
Update  Both bills were pulled during the Dec. 19 legislative session.

A controversial bill that would allow government agencies to post legal notices on their websites instead of in newspapers appears to have stalled.

On Monday, the state Assembly and Legislature both did not have enough votes to pass the bill, according to legislative sources.

The bill, which opponents claim would limit government transparency, is set for a vote Monday in the state Assembly and Senate.

If Christie signs the bill into law, New Jersey would be the first state to remove the requirement that government legal notices be published in newspapers.

The legislation provides the option of posting notices online and citizens will be allowed to take advantage of modern technologies that are already in use by the vast majority of the people in our state, Christie said in a statement Sunday. It also saves money.

Some state lawmakers have claimed the bill is part of a vendetta against the media for its coverage of the Bridgegate scandal.

The Governors Office said the bill would save taxpayers $80 million. The New Jersey Press Association, however, said municipalities pay a total of $4 million per year for legal notices.

Opponents of the bill claim only a small group of insiders would know about the actions of government. Politicians also could use public notices to reward newspapers that give them favorable coverage and punish those that dont, opponents said. Representatives of the states newspapers say the bill would cripple an already struggling industry and lead to the loss of about 300 jobs and the closing of some small newspapers.

If it passes, readers of newspapers in the state would no longer find notices of sheriffs sales, planning board notices, municipal budgets and other information they have long been accustomed to in their papers.
New Jersey Audubon is anticipating that millions of dollars in federal funds will soon be available for environmental restoration and protection in the Delaware River Basin after President Barack Obama signed a conservation law last week.

The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act authorized creation of a basin restoration program in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The program will identify, prioritize and run projects throughout the watershed, which makes up 40 percent of the state, said Eric Stiles, president and CEO of NJ Audubon.

The ability to leverage private, state and now federal funding to protect and restore these critical habitats will have a major impact on water quality and special protection species in our state, including the red knot and Atlantic sturgeon, Stiles said.

The watershed is made up of all the waterways that drain into the Delaware Bay and Delaware River. In South Jersey it encompasses substantial parts of Cape May, Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, Camden and Burlington counties, as well as small parts of Atlantic and Ocean counties.

The program will bring funding for projects to protect water resources, especially in the Pinelands and Highlands, Stiles said, bolstering work to combat habitat degradation, invasive species and climate change.

NJ Audubon helped advocate for the DRBCA through the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, said Stiles.

According to the coalition, the Delaware River Basin provides clean drinking water to more than 15 million people, and the river and its tributaries flow through nearly a dozen national parks and historic sites.

NJ Audubon, a nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1897, is a lead partner in the William Penn Foundations Delaware River Watershed Initiative in the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer Cluster in the Pinelands region and the New Jersey Highlands Cluster in the northwestern corner of the state, said Stiles.

The new law was part of a larger legislative package known as the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, passed by Congress earlier this month.
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.
COMMERCIAL TOWNSHIP  State Police were still searching in Cedarville Wednesday morning for Jeremiah Monell, who allegedly killed his wife, Tara OShea-Watson.

OShea-Watson lived in fear of her husband, the man who beat and abused her for more than a decade, her friends say.

Monell has not been located and State Police said as of Wednesday morning they were searching for the suspect near Sawmill Road.

{blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en}{p lang=en xml:lang=en dir=ltr}Troopers have resumed search for murder suspect Jeremiah Monell in the area of Sawmill Rd in Cedarville. Updates to follow as info comes in.

There were times when all OShea-Watson did was talk with a family member and Monell would freak out on her, prompting beatings that resulted in bruises, said Jennifer Messeck, OShea-Watsons friend since childhood.

But what may have put Monell, 32, over the top occurred in the past few months, Messeck said. Thats when OShea-Watson got a restraining order she finally decided to enforce and filed for divorce, Messeck said.

That was the final straw, she said.

State Police said they found the 35-year-old OShea-Watson unconscious and unresponsive when they arrived at her Raymond Drive home in the townships Laurel Lake section shortly after 8 a.m. Monday. State Police said they were responding to a call about a dead woman.

Monell, a 5-foot-9, 140-pound white man, is wanted on a murder charge and weapons offenses. Bail is already set at $1 million.

Later Tuesday afternoon, State Police found his truck near railroad tracks off Sawmill Road. Police searched the area with dogs and helicopters Tuesday night.

Authorities arent saying why Monell allegedly killed OShea-Watson. They also arent disclosing how Monell allegedly killed his wife.

OShea-Watson has three children  ages 18, 16 and 15  from different relationships, said friend Penny Morey, of Cedarville in Lawrence Township. OShea-Watson was living at the Raymond Drive site with two of Monells children, who are ages 12 and 5, Morey said.

Messeck, who lives in Laurel Lake, said the two children werent harmed during Mondays incident. She wouldnt disclose the childrens current location.

While State Police wont comment further on the incident, friends of OShea-Watson said the stay-at-home moms life was far from pleasant since she married Monell about 12 years ago.

He was abusive the entire time they were together, Messeck said.

Messeck said OShea-Watson tried to flee from Monell, running to family, friends, anywhere she could be safe, even crossing state lines a few times. Monell found OShea-Watson each time, she said.

Morey, who said shes known OShea-Watson for about seven years, said OShea-Watson took out several restraining orders against Monell but never had them enforced.

She would always drop them, Morey said. He promised to change. She bought into that. I think she felt sorry for him. Being a victim of abuse myself, I know how hard it is.

But there were times when Morey said OShea-Watson visited her home with visible bruises, battered lips and other injuries.

He beat her, Morey said. She was in fear of her life. I helped her out as much as I could.

Anyone with information about the incident or Monells whereabouts can call State Police at the Port Norris barracks at 856-785-0036.
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.




DUBLIN, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "The African FTTH Boom - Last Mile Fibre Dynamics, Economics and Outlook in African Markets - Premium Package" report to their offering.

Africa is in the midst of an FTTH boom - an increasingly loud FTTH revolution that is made even more notable by the unique nature of some of its characteristics. Between 2014 and 2016, the number of homes and premises passed by fibre has more than tripled. The cumulative number of African homes/premises passed by fibre crossed the 1m mark in 2016. We expect it to hit the 2m mark in 2017.

These dynamics are analyzed in "The African FTTH Boom, Last Mile Fibre Dynamics, Economics and Outlook in African Markets" - arguably the most comprehensive analysis developed on the rise and impact of FTTH in African markets.

The African FTTH Boom takes an extensive look at FTTH adoption patterns across the continent, including key infrastructure, market structure and regulatory drivers along with current and projected levels of homes passed and connected.

The report provides a mapping of which markets appear most attractive for an FTTH rollout; it offers an in-depth analysis of the addressable market for FTTH in Africa, from businesses in central business districts to gated communities and beyond. Finally, the report takes a close look at African FTTH economics, from cost of deployment to ARPU, profitability and potential returns, along with the implications of those dynamics on projected rollout and adoption



The insights derived from that our research on African FTTH are distilled in this report, covering critical key questions and points, including:



- The rise of last mile fibre is transforming Africa's broadband retail market dynamics - from bandwidth speeds to user experience, pricing models and market share upheavals, it's a whole new game.

- The total number of FTTH connections in Africa passed the 500k mark in 2016. Recent growth has been strong: around 75% of Africa's FTTH connection growth since 2010 has occurred over the past two years.

- Five markets account for 85% of Africa's FTTH/P homes passed - South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and Mauritius. But this boom is about more than the top 5.

- Supply and demand fundamentals are coming together to push African FTTH. Only around 45% of Africa's Fixed broadband addressable demand has been reached by fixed broadband access solutions - and only 2% is currently reached by FTTH.

- We find the notion of an almost mobile-only African connectivity marketplace to be largely fallacious. The rise of FTTH is built on a realization that 3G/4G, ADSL and other technologies just aren't going to cut it for some use cases.

- Regulation has been a problem for African FTTH; for the most part, African market structures are not optimized for FTTH roll-outs. That African FTTH is picking up as much as it has been is really more a testimony to the bottled-up potential of demand for ultra high speed connectivity.

- Africa's mobile operators have traditionally ignored FTTH. As a result, they have fallen behind. Strategically, we do not believe top tier operators can afford to lose too much ground on FTTH.

- African FTTH economics are good in the first 1-2 phases of rollout, and much tougher thereafter. Along with regulation, these economics are the biggest risk to all the projections we have made in our report.

- Our business case analysis reinforces the fact that FTTH at scale is a long, long term game. Investors looking for quick returns and payback periods will not find them here.

- But providers that stick to it over the long run will hold a nearly unassailable position in Africa's digital infrastructure market.

- And more..



Key Topics Covered:



1. African FTTH: Just The Numbers



2. African FTTH Market Drivers, Market Structure & The Impact Of Regulation



3. Breaking Down African FTTH Demand, From Parkhurst To Yopougon



4. Exploring Some Burning FTTH Questions



5. African FTTH Capex, Pricing And Challenging Economics



6. African FTTH: Pricing, Competitive Dynamics & Mapping Out Future Growth



7. African FTTH: Just The Forecast, Please



8. Sample African Markets FTTH Snapshots



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qkwwwt/the_african_ftth

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, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Reward Gateway announced today that it has acquired the UK business from LogBuy. Founded in 2005, LogBuy is one of the oldest voluntary benefits providers in the UK and helped pioneer the category.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449030/Reward_Gateway.jpg )



LogBuy is used by over 200 companies in the UK, including Philips Electronics and Laing O'Rouke.

Reward Gateway welcomes all LogBuy UK clients into its family and every client will be upgraded to a 24/7/365 a year employee helpdesk. Clients can also take advantage of a wider range of solutions, including reward and recognition products, employee communications, wellbeing, and the integrated employee engagement platform, SmartHub.

The two companies have worked on bringing their benefit programmes together so that both Reward Gateway and LogBuy clients will see the benefits from both programmes.

The Reward Gateway acquisition marks the sixth that has taken place within the RG Engagement Group's portfolio, which is fuelled by a $220m investment by Boston based financiers Great Hill Partners LLP.

The business also announced it has appointed Matt Drew as Director of M&A to increase the speed and scale of future deals. Matt joins the business having previously acted as a mentor at VC accelerators Seedcamp and Cyber London.

Reward Gateway's Founder & CEO, Glenn Elliott said, "We're looking for any opportunity to make the world a happier place to work, and today's news means that the employees of over 200 companies that use LogBuy will have access to a wider range of rewards, and the tools to thank and recognise each other.

Glenn continues, "I'm also really excited that Matt has joined us to help reach out to the industry and bring us all closer together. Reward Gateway has got great financial backing and a wonderful, engaged client base that we can help with more products and services. We've got some fantastic opportunities ahead to bring more to our clients in a really coherent way that is great for them and their employees."

About Reward Gateway

Reward Gateway helps more than 1,300 of the world's leading companies to attract, engage and retain their best people with an employee engagement platform that brings employee benefits, discounts and perks, reward and recognition, employee wellbeing, employee communications and employee feedback into one unified hub. Clients include American Express, Unilever, Samsung, IBM and McDonald's. Please visit: http://www.rewardgateway.com

SOURCE Reward Gateway
CARLSBAD, California and BARCELONA, Spain, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The eleventh annual BIO-Europe Spring international partnering conference will be held in Barcelona, Spain March 20-22, 2017 at the CCIB Convention Centre Barcelona. Produced by EBD Group, the event is co-hosted by Biocat, a strategic agent and catalyst in the construction of the Catalan health and life sciences ecosystem.

More than 2,400 senior executives from 1,400+ leading international biotech companies, pharmaceutical companies, investors and business development team members will attend this annual event, which will be held this year in a biotech hub known for its entrepreneurship and innovative approaches to the challenges of research and development in the industry.

Known as the BioRegion, the health and life sciences cluster in the Catalonia region of Spain is made up of 824 companies - 241 Biotech, 51 Pharma, 83 innovative Medical Technology, 217 Suppliers and Engineering firms, 133 Consulting and Professional Services, 70 eHealth companies and 29 active Investment Organizations , 89 research bodies and facilities - 41 research centers, 15 university hospitals, 11 universities, 2 large-scale facilities, 7 technology centers and 13 science and technology parks (Source: Biocat Directory, December 2016).

Between 2015 and 2016, companies in the BioRegion of Catalonia attracted more than EUR 151 million in investment. Catalonia is also the 4th European country in biotechnology companies per capita. (Source: Biocat Directory, December 2016).

"With a population of more than 7.5 million and territory comparable to that of European countries like Finland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Catalonia has the most dynamic life sciences cluster in Spain and one of the most active in southern Europe," said Dr. Albert Barbera, CEO of Biocat. "Biocat encourages all the stakeholders of the BioRegion, including companies, research groups and entities, hospitals and innovation support structures to transform knowledge and technology into economic growth and to create a social impact."

"BIO-Europe Spring is the most significant industry event of the new year where top executives from global biotech, pharma and finance come together to access hundreds of potential partners to make their companies' collaborative goals a reality," said Anna Chrisman, Group Managing Director, EBD Group.

One-to-one partnering meetings facilitated by EBD Group's partneringONE are a key business strategy that have transformed the drug development industry by facilitating collaboration between innovators and biopharma executives from every corner of the globe. Company presentations by early stage projects, innovative startups, established biotechs and midsize pharma companies are also a focus of the event and enable innovators to present directly to potential investors, pharma and development partners.

Some of the high-profile pharmaceutical companies that attended BIO-Europe Spring 2016, held in Stockholm, Sweden, included AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, Merck, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda and others.

BIO-Europe Spring 2016 featured:



12,452 one-to-one meetings

3,129 licensing opportunities posted

2,373 attendees

1,377 companies

124 company presentations

68 exhibitors

49 countries represented

Registration information for BIO-Europe Spring is available online. Register before January 20, 2017 to save EUR 200 off the regular registration rate.

Additional links and information:

Follow BIO-Europe Spring 2017 on Twitter: @EBDGroup (hashtag: #BIOEuropeSpring).

Online Press Kit service for BIO-Europe Spring 2017 is available from Virtual Press Office/PR Newswire to enhance your public relations efforts.

About EBD Group

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry. Since 1993, biotech, pharma and medical device companies have leveraged EBD Group's partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships essential to their success.

EBD Group's conferences are run with the support of leading corporations and international trade associations and include:

BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring, Europe's largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)

largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) BioPharm America, the fastest growing partnering event in North America

Biotech Showcase, a unique forum in San Francisco for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors

for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors BioEquity Europe, the investor conference co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO

ChinaBio Partnering Forum, the first dedicated biotech/pharma partnering conference in China , co-produced with ChinaBio Group

, co-produced with ChinaBio Group Biolatam, facilitating partnering among global life sciences executives in Latin America's vibrant life science hubs

vibrant life science hubs Cell & Gene Exchange, a partnering forum focused on the patient community in cell and gene therapy sectors, co-produced with Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM).

EBD Group's sophisticated web-based partnering service, partneringONE, is used as the partnering engine at numerous third-party events around the world, and partnering360 is the open online community of life science dealmakers that enhances partnering experiences throughout the year.

Tune into EBD Group's Insight for timely coverage of news that influences the business strategies of the life science industry.

EBD Group is an Informa company. Informa is the largest publicly-owned organizer of exhibitions, conferences and training in the world.

EBD Group has offices in the USA and Europe.

For more information please visit http://www.ebdgroup.com.

SOURCE EBD Group
TEL AVIV, Israel, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

6 medical centers across the country signed on to work with the Dreal Powered and Curved Spinal decompression system

Carevature announced today that its Dreal line of products has begun helping surgeons in the US achieve better outcomes in spinal decompression surgeries. Over 400 patients worldwide have been treated in clinical use, with outstanding safety and recovery results. Six centers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Texas, are currently taking part in Dreal's limited market release.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451339/Carevature_Logo.jpg )

Traditional spinal decompression surgeries help patients with back or limb pain by removing the tissue (usually bone) that's putting pressure on the spinal nerves. In order to access the problematic tissue, surrounding tissue often needs to be removed. This can compromise spinal stability, and may require a spinal fusion procedure to connect the treated vertebrae and restore stability.

Carevature's Dreal's unique curved design enables orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons to perform better spinal decompression more quickly and with less trauma to the area. Preservation of the surrounding tissue may reduce the need for spinal fusion procedures or simplify these procedures when fusion cannot be avoided.

Use of Dreal reduces operating room time and hospitalization time for spinal decompression patients. Spinal decompression patients treated with Dreal can be released from the hospital much faster than those treated with standard surgical tools. Avoidance of spinal fusion procedures can save the healthcare system tens of thousands of dollars per patient.

"I am using the Dreal for all my decompression cases" said Richard Guyer, MD, spine surgeon, co-founder of the Texas Back Institute in Plano, TX and past president of the North American Spine Society.

"This is the only device that allows the surgeon to decompress severely stenotic neuroforamen from the inside out while still leaving the anatomy intact and eliminating the need for fusion. There have been other devices but none are as easy to use as this, as it requires no new skills. While hundreds of thousands of lumbar decompressions are performed in the US every year, I believe that this device has the potential of reducing the number of fusions in these patients."

"This is a significant milestone for the entire Carevature team," said Yosi Weitzman, Carevature Founder and CEO. "It is exciting to see our hard work and dedication, make a difference to patients' lives and well-being. We look forward to introducing Dreal to more centers as part of our full commercial launch, planned for 2017."

About Carevature

Carevature Medical Ltd. is a privately held medical device company, dedicated to the development of advanced orthopedic surgery solutions. Carevature Medical was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Rehovot, Israel.

Carevature is now focused on its flagship line of products for spinal indications, Dreal, the first and only curved device powerful enough to efficiently cut bone and small enough to be used in spine surgery and neurosurgery. http://www.carevature.com

Contact:

Shani Sarid

Shani@pearlcom.co.il

+972-523392383



SOURCE Carevature Medical Ltd.
Diebold Nixdorf is pleased that the CMA has not called into question the global transaction and integration of the businesses outside the United Kingdom, and that any remedies required to preserve competition in the United Kingdom will involve the least costly and intrusive remedies needed. Diebold Nixdorf is also pleased that the CMA is committed to continue working with the company and that the CMA will consider both behavioral and structural remedies to address and resolve their review as expediently as possible. The process is expected to be completed during the first half of 2017.

On Aug. 15, Diebold, Incorporated completed its acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf AG, achieving approval from shareholders and key regulatory authorities around the world. In the United Kingdom, however, the Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf brands and operations are to remain separate and distinct pending completion of the CMA's review of the transaction.

About Diebold Nixdorf

Diebold Nixdorf is a world leader in enabling connected commerce for millions of consumers each day across the financial and retail industries. Its software-defined solutions bridge the physical and digital worlds of cash and consumer transactions conveniently, securely and efficiently. As an innovation partner for nearly all of the world's top 100 financial institutions and a majority of the top 25 global retailers, Diebold Nixdorf delivers unparalleled services and technology that are essential to evolve in an 'always on' and changing consumer landscape.

Diebold Nixdorf has a presence in more than 130 countries with approximately 25,000 employees worldwide. The organization maintains corporate offices in North Canton, Ohio, USA and Paderborn, Germany. Shares are traded on the New York and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges under the symbol 'DBD'. Visit www.DieboldNixdorf.com for more information.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future including, without limitation, the business combination with Wincor Nixdorf. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of Diebold and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industries in which the combined company operates may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this document. In addition, risks and uncertainties related to the acquisition include, but are not limited to, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses of Diebold and Wincor Nixdorf, the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any governmental and regulatory approvals that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the business combination, risks associated with the impact of the business combination agreement, the contemplated domination and profit and loss transfer agreement and any related litigation may have on the business and operations of the combined company, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the acquisition, and the risk that the acquisition could have an adverse effect on the ability of the combined company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with its suppliers, and on its operating results and businesses generally. These risks, as well as other risks are more fully discussed in Diebold's reports filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Any forwardlooking statements speak only as at the date of this document. Except as required by applicable law, neither Diebold nor Wincor Nixdorf undertakes any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Diebold Nixdorf
NYKOPING, Sweden, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

CTT SYSTEMS AB ("CTT"), the market leader of aircraft humidity control systems, announces Cair VIP System order for one Airbus ACJ330-200 VIP completion.

"CTT is honoured to deliver the humidification system for the entire widebody cabin to another prestigious VIP completion. This is our 85th Cair VIP order for Airbus ACJs/Boeing BBJs.", says Peter Landquist, Vice President Sales & Marketing of CTT Systems.

Cair humidification reduces dry air related negative health and wellbeing impact on long-haul flights by maintaining the Relative Humidity on ground like levels (i.e. human body and its membranes will not be exposed to quick de-hydration that otherwise is the case in an extremely dry cabin). The Cair humidification system generates a relative humidity of approx. 20%, compared to 3-5% without humidifiers. The higher humidity reduces dry air related problems (e.g. fatigue, jet-lag, red eyes, dry skin, spread of virus diseases). The humidifiers are based on evaporative cooling technology that effectively precludes the transfer of bacteria and improves air quality by reducing particles in the cabin air. Cair keeps humidity in balance with Zonal Drying anti-condensation system that enables cabin humidification without any moisture related problems.

About CTT SYSTEMS

CTT provides aircraft humidity control products - the anti-condensation systems (preventing moisture problems) and the humidifiers (enabling in-flight comfort and wellbeing for crew and passengers') for VIP, airliner line-fit and retrofit installations for all common Boeing and Airbus platforms. The Zonal Drying is basic equipment on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and optional on A350. Our humidifiers are standard in all crew rest compartment fitted 787 aircraft and optional for flight deck on both A350 and 787. The humidifier for crew rest compartments is optional on both A380 and A350XWB. The Cair cabin humidification system is optional on A350 for First/Business Class (Zone1-3). Also visit: www.ctt.se

For additional information:

Torbjorn Johansson, President, CTT Systems AB.

Tel. +46-155-205901 alt. mobile. +46-70-665 24 46, or E-mail: torbjorn.johansson@ctt.se

Peter Landquist, VP Sales, Marketing & Customer Support, CTT Systems AB.

Tel. +46-155-205902 alt. mobile. +46-70-665 24 45, or E-mail peter.landquist@ctt.se

This information is disclosed by CTT Systems AB in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and the Swedish Securities Markets Act and/or the Swedish Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication on December 20, 2016 at 16.30 (CET).

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/ctt-systems/r/ctt-systems-receives-cair--vip-order-for-one-acj330-200,c2154369

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE CTT Systems
The SVC Awards recognize the products, projects and services  as well as honor companies and teams  operating with excellence in the cloud, virtualization, and storage sectors. The SVC Awards also recognize the achievements of end users, channel partners, and vendors.

The ExaGrid EX40000E appliance is a scalable, cost-effective disk-based backup with data deduplication solution that revolutionizes how organizations back up and protect data. ExaGrid's backup storage appliances can deduplicate and store data from over 25 industry-leading backup software applications. ExaGrid's backup storage appliances have been architected from the ground up specifically for backup storage to address today's demanding backup requirements and are optimized for superior backup and recovery performance.

"We are honored to accept this esteemed 2016 SVC Product of the Year award in the Backup and Recovery/Archive category," said Bill Andrews, CEO of ExaGrid. "We believe it reflects ExaGrid's position as the only backup storage vendor that has architected a solution with data deduplication that takes into consideration the performance challenges of deduplication for backup, restore, and VM boot performance. ExaGrid's unique landing zone and scale-out backup storage is three times faster for ingest and over ten times faster for restores and VM boots than its closest competitor. In addition, ExaGrid is the only solution that provides a fixed-length backup window as data grows. With ExaGrid, IT can have the fastest backups, restores, and VM boots; a fixed-length backup window; and the ability to easily scale their systems, so they simply buy what they need as they need it."

ExaGrid is a Veeam Software strategic alliance partner, and Veeam was also voted SVC Product of the Year in its category of Cloud Backup and Recovery/Archive. "We're pleased to be in such good company. ExaGrid exemplifies strategic partnership  the company, its people, and most certainly its technology and product," said Andy Vandeveld, Vice President of Global Strategic Alliances at Veeam. "It comes as no surprise that ExaGrid was voted Product of the Year in its category. ExaGrid has done extensive integration between its appliance and Veeam Availability solutions. ExaGrid brings data deduplication to save on disk storage and preserves the Veeam value proposition of VM boots and restores in seconds to minutes, keeping the 'Always On' datacenter available and responsive quickly and consistently. We congratulate ExaGrid on this impressive win!"

"Nominations for the SVC Awards 2016 were of very high quality and there was also a significant increase in the numbers of votes cast. The SVC Awards recognise the users, manufacturers and suppliers operating in the storage, virtualisation and cloud sectors and are voted for by the readers of our wide range of print and online publications," said Jason Holloway, Director of IT Publishing at Angel Business Communications, publishers of the Digitalisation World stable of titles. "All finalists did well in reaching the high standard shortlist, but ExaGrid was the clear winner in its category."

ExaGrid's EX40000E is the largest in the company's product line and scales from a 40TB full backup up to a 1PB full backup by combining 25 EX40000Es in a scale-out GRID. The ingest rate of a full GRID is 200TB/hr., which is 3 times the ingest performance of the EMC Data Domain 9800 with DD Boost. ExaGrid's unique landing zone not only allows for the fastest backups but also for the fastest restores and VM boots as ExaGrid maintains the most recent backup in its full undeduplicated form. ExaGrid is the only vendor that adds compute with capacity versus just adding disk shelves. This scale-out approach allows for performance to be added along with capacity growth, which provides for a fixed-length backup window as data grows.

About ExaGrid

Organizations come to us because we are the only company that implemented deduplication in a way that fixed all the challenges of backup storage. ExaGrid's unique landing zone and scale-out architecture provides the fastest backup  resulting in the shortest fixed backup window, the fastest local restores, fastest offsite tape copies and instant VM recoveries while permanently fixing the backup window length, all with reduced cost up front and over time. Learn how to take the stress out of backup at www.exagrid.com or connect with us on LinkedIn. Read how ExaGrid customers fixed their backup forever.

ExaGrid is a registered trademark of ExaGrid Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Media Contact:

Christine Murphy

ExaGrid

cmurphy@exagrid.com

508-898-2872 x248

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151117/288171LOGO

Related Links

http://www.exagrid.com



SOURCE ExaGrid
NACKA, Sweden, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

HagaHuset was acquired with the aim of developing a Live-Work-Play concept building that will further boost Fabege's business and meet the varying needs of tenants over time. The location of the building at the entrance of Haga National City Park reinforces the connection between city and park. The purchase price of Fortet 2 (HagaHuset) is SEK 172 million and Fabege will gain access as of 1 February 2017.

HagaHuset, which is being sold by AFA Fastigheter, currently offers 6,400 sqm of office space plus Restaurang Haga, divided into a low section with five floors and a high section with eleven floors and views extending for miles. The high section has borrowed its shape from the Pirelli building in Milan.

HagaHuset is an excellent fit for our urban development in Solna in terms of timing. The building has almost been emptied and we say great potential for creating new values, says Klaus Hansen Vikstrom, Vice President and Director of Business Development at Fabege.

The Live-Work-Play concept has emerged in the majority of metropolises around the world, but is still relatively unexplored in Sweden. It is based on a concept that brings together living, workplaces, social spaces and recreation in the same building. The increasing demand for this type of solution can be linked to the global labour market, with a high level of mobility, the sharing economy and the need for new forms of creative meeting places that lead to new ideas and cross-pollination between companies and individuals.

We have long been attracted by the building's location, its shape, its wealth of details and, not least, the artistic thoughtfulness in the little park. It offers unique opportunities to create an attractive concept that many of our major tenants are asking for to meet the needs of their employees and partners who are a long way from home, says Carl Michael Augustsson, Director of Urban Development at Fabege.

HagaHuset is a development property that is better suited with a project-oriented owner like Fabege, says Anna Berfenstam Transaction Manager at AFA Fastigheter.

Fabege AB (publ)

CONTACT:

For further information, please contact:

Klaus Hansen Vikstrom,

Vice President and Director of Business Development,

Tel: +46 (0) 8-555 148 74, +46 (0)70-239 34 81

Carl Michael Augustsson,

Director of Urban Development,

Tel: +46 (0)8-555 148 21, +46 (0)70-544 48 42

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/fabege/r/fabege-acquires-hagahuset-and-develops-a-concept-building-for-our-era,c2153087

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/1568/2153087/606395.pdf Press release pdf http://news.cision.com/fabege/i/hagahuset-inlaga-tryck4-1,c2044513 hagahuset inlaga tryck4 1

SOURCE Fabege
DETROIT, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Stratview Research announces the launch of a new research report on Global Automotive Composite Leaf Springs Market by Vehicle Type (Passenger Car, Light Commercial Vehicle, Medium & Heavy Duty Commercial Vehicle, and Others), by Installation Type (Transversal and Longitudinal), by Location Type (Front and Rear), by Manufacturing Process (Compression Molding, Prepreg Layup, and HP-RTM), and by Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World), Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2016 - 2021.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160831/402975LOGO )



This market report, from Stratview Research, studies the composite leaf springs market in the global automotive industry over the period 2010 to 2021. The report provides detailed insights on the market dynamics to enable informed business decision making and growth strategy formulation based on the opportunities present in the market.

Composite Leaf Springs Market in the Global Automotive Industry: Highlights

As per Stratview Research, the global composite leaf springs market offers an excellent growth of 9.3% CAGR during the forecast period of 2016 to 2021 and will reach an estimated $65 million in 2021, which offers an opportunity to the composites industry players to align themselves with the market growth.

There are several factors bolstering the growth of composite leaf springs in the global automotive industry. The author of the report cited growing global economy and rising per capita income, increasing annual production of passenger cars, light, and medium & heavy duty commercial vehicles, increasing fleet size of passenger cars, light, and medium & heavy duty commercial vehicles, stringent government regulations, such as CAFE Standards and EU Legislation on Emission Reduction Targets, and higher performance, such as more durability, high strength to weight ratio, excellent fatigue resistance as some of the key factors driving the composite leaf springs market.

The global automotive composite leaf springs market is highly dominated by LCV segment, followed by M&HCV, passenger cars, and others and is expected to remain the largest segment for automotive composite leaf springs over the next five years as well, however, passenger car segment is likely to witness an impressive double digit growth over the next five years.

As per the study, transversal installation dominates the global automotive composite leaf springs market driven by higher usage in the passenger cars and LCVs, however, longitudinal installation type is likely to witness the fastest growth for the same period, driven by higher use in M&HCV & others segments and increasing use in the LCVs.

In terms of region, Europe will continue to remain the largest market for composite leaf springs over the next five years, driven by its increasing usage in the LCVs. Asia-Pacific and North America are likely to demonstrate an impressive double digit growth rates during the forecast period driven by increasing use of composite leaf springs and upcoming assembly plants of new auto models in the regions.

The global automotive composite leaf springs market is highly consolidated with presence of less than a dozen global as well as regional players. Top 3 players (Liteflex LLC, Benteler-SGL, and IFC Composite GmbH) together, constituted more than 90% of the market in 2015. Other major composite leaf springs players are Mubea, HyperCo, Hendrickson, Flex-Form, and ARC industries.

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence in the most comprehensive way. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights on the market dynamics and will enable strategic decision making for the existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.

Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.

Market trend and forecast analysis.

Market segment trend and forecast.

Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.

Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.

Emerging trends.

Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.

Key success factors.

This report studies automotive composite leaf springs market and has segmented the market in five ways, keeping in mind the interest of all the stakeholders across the value chain. The following are the five ways in which the market is segmented:

Global Composite Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Vehicle Type:

Passenger Car (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Light Duty Vehicles (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Medium & Heavy Duty Vehicles (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Others (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Composite Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Installation Type:

Transversal (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Longitudinal (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Composite Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Manufacturing Process:

Compression Molding

Prepreg Layup

HP-RTM

Global Composite Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Location:

Front (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Rear (Regional Analysis: North America , Europe , Asia-Pacific , and Rest of the World)

Global Composite Leaf Springs Market in the Automotive Industry by Region:

North America (Country Analysis: US, Canada , and Mexico )

Europe (Country Analysis: Germany , Spain , United Kingdom , Italy , and Rest of the Europe )

Asia - Pacific (Country Analysis: China , Japan , South Korea , India , and Rest of the Asia-Pacific )

- Pacific Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil , Argentina , and Others)

Stratview Research has several high value market reports in the automotive industry. Please refer to the following link to browse through our reports:

Click Here for Other Reports from Stratview Research in the Automotive & Transportation Industry

Related premium market reports in the automotive industry are:

Global Automotive Leaf Springs Market by Vehicle Type, by Spring Type, by Material Type, by Manufacturing Process, by Location, and by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2016-2021

Global Automotive Composite Suspension Components Market by Component Type by Vehicle Type, by Manufacturing Process, and by Region, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2016 - 2021

About Stratview Research

Stratview Research is a global market intelligence firm providing wide range of services including syndicated market reports, custom research and sourcing intelligence across industries, such as Advanced Materials, Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Mass Transportation, Consumer Goods, Construction & Equipment, Electronics and Semiconductors, Energy & Utility, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Oil & Gas.

We have a strong team of industry veterans and analysts with an extensive experience in executing custom research projects for mid-sized to Fortune 500 companies, in the areas of Market Assessment, Opportunity Screening, Competitive Intelligence, Due Diligence, Target Screening, Market Entry Strategy, Go to Market Strategy, and Voice of Customer studies.

Stratview Research is a trusted brand globally, providing high quality research and strategic insights that help companies worldwide in effective decision making.



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SOURCE Stratview Research
NEW YORK, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

With nearly 40% revenue share, Europe will continue to remain the most attractive market for men's grooming products. Germany, France, and the UK remain the top three markets, collectively accounting for over half of the revenue share of the Europe men's grooming products market. North America, the second largest market globally, will rake in US$ 29 Bn in revenues by 2024.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161114/438683LOGO )



In terms of market value, the US$ 54 billion global market for men ' s grooming products will expand at a CAGR of 8.4% through 2024.

Key Regional Findings

In North America , shave care products and fragrances will be the top-selling men's grooming products

, shave care products and fragrances will be the top-selling men's grooming products The market in Asia Pacific will continue to post steady gains on account of rapidly growing sales in China

Request a Sample Report@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11581

Persistence Market Research's study on the global men's grooming products market has been compiled in the report titled "Global Market Study on Men's Grooming Products: Shave Care Product Type Segment Estimated to Account for Significant Market Share Through 2024." Personalized shopping through e-commerce outlets has been identified as a key driving factor men's grooming products globally. Increasing FDI in e-tailing businesses is further urging manufacturers of men's grooming products to intensify their distribution operations through online retail channels. Easy accessibility and low costs are key factors for the rising men's grooming products sales through e-commerce and online retail websites. Over the forecast period, online distribution channels will give rise to an absolute increment of more than US$ 12 billion. Nevertheless, sales of men's grooming products through supermarkets and independent retail outlets remain key for companies looking to improve their sales potential by catering to impulsive buying and focusing on customer rapport.

Browse Full Market Overview and Research Methodology@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/mens-grooming-products-market.asp

Product Insights: Beard is in Vogue

Globally, the sales of men's shave care products such as trimmers will be way higher than any other types of grooming products. Being the highest-selling products in the global market, consumption of men's shave care products will be valued at over US$ 40 billion by the end of 2024. Subsequently, men's grooming products sales under fragrances will account for nearly 35% of the global market over the projected period. Hair care products sales will register a market value share of about 10%, while the demand for men's toiletries will be pared down as compared to the above types of grooming products.

Pricing Trends and Vendor Landscape

Higher disposable incomes don't necessarily instrument higher sales of men's grooming products in the premium price range. Half of the global men's grooming products revenues are concentrated in the mid-price range, with over 7,000 million expected to be sold globally over the forecast period.

View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and Tables@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/mens-grooming-products-market/toc

Procter & Gamble Co. will retain its competitive position as the global leader in shave care products. Independently, the company will also be dominant in the overall global men's grooming products market by accounting for more than 10% market share. However, local manufacturers of men's grooming products will collectively dominate the global market by accounting for nearly one-third of its market value. Accordingly, acquisition of such native players will be a strategic measure of expanding market presence for global leaders in consumer goods. Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Koninklijke Philips N.V., ITC Limited, Coty Inc., Unilever PLC., Colgate-Palmolive Company, and Edgewell Personal Care Co., among others, are some leading manufacturers of men's grooming products that intend to expand their businesses through acquisitions. Furthermore, L'Oreal S.A. and Beiersdorf AG are also some of the recognized players participating in the growth of the global men's grooming products market.

To Buy Full Report for a Single User @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/11581

PMR Overview

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.

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SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.
PARIS, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Areas, the global concession catering brand of Elior Group, has become the largest food and beverage operator in Sants train station with the opening of the flagship outlet of its new brand COMO. Areas' consolidation as the main operator in Sants is also due to the recent opening of a Lavazza Espression, which opened this past summer.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160411/353501LOGO )

This last April, Areas won the contract for two new food & beverage outlets at Barcelona's Sants train station, one of the most important station in terms of passenger volume in Spain. This concession, valid until January 2022, includes two innovative food and beverage concepts for travelers which add up to more than 1,500m2.

Specially designed for travelers, COMO is the third Food & Beverage outlet developed by Areas which opens after the grand openings in the La Selva and La Jonquera travel plazas. COMO is a new restaurant - cafeteria concept, with a meticulously decorated modern design. Areas has opened the flagship store for the COMO brand in Sants with more than 1,230m2 of interior space and 78m2 of terrace space, in order to offer travelers the greatest comfort and speed possible with a wide range of products and plates with Mediterranean ingredients. From frequent short distance and metro travelers to business clients on the AVE, the outlet offers four differentiated service options: cafeteria, self-service, grill and Grab&Go.

More information: eliorgroup.com

SOURCE Elior Group
PARIS, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Chair of IECQ Receives Thomas A. Edison Award for Outstanding Contribution

With constant evolution of technology, brand manufacturers and their procurement teams need to be confident that the electronic parts used in their products are of the required quality and reliable. This is where the IECQ comes in. Its goal is to minimize costs associated with incoming inspection and quality auditing of suppliers when a manufacturer sources components with IECQ product certification. Bureau Veritas' Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano, the Chair of IECQ since January 2014, has recently been recognized by the IEC for her outstanding contribution at the Thomas Edison Awards.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151216/296440LOGO )



The IEC Website states, "...Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano embraced her role, responsibilities and duties with enthusiasm and a dynamic hands-on approach. In this role, she has had the strong support of her employer, LCIE - a Bureau Veritas company. IECQ has been reinforced as an international "best practice" model for supplier assessment and as an extremely valuable Supply Chain Management tool for the many industries involved in the manufacture, supply and distribution of electrical/electronic components, parts and assemblies.

During her initial term as Chair, IECQ has benefited from d'Ornano's leadership as illustrated in a number of key initiatives and achievements:

IECQ support and collaboration on the new CA Harmonized Basic Rules

Closer cooperation between IECQ and specialized industries, e.g. avionics

Development and rollout of the new IECQ Scheme for LED lighting

Establishment of collaboration between IECQ and other CA Systems, notably IECEE

Introduction of the new IECQ developed and run Training Programme, launched in 2015

The first IECQ International Conference on Supply Chain Management, in Paris in April 2016

in Fostering international cooperation with other organizations, e.g. STACK International

About Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano - LCIE Certification Director / CODDE (Eco-design) Manager at Bureau Veritas

Marie-Elisabeth d'Ornano has a Masters in Engineering from ENSEEIHT, the University for Electronic Engineering, Electronics, Computer Science, Hydraulics and Telecommunications in Paris, France, and a Masters in Management of Technology and Innovation from the University Dauphine, Paris, France.

After completing her studies, Marie-Elisabeth worked first for Electricite de France (EDF), the French public utility with worldwide activities, and then for the French branch of the Swiss company, ASCOM, a leader in the telecommunications sector.

In 2005, Marie-Elisabeth joined LCIE Bureau Veritas in France. Initially responsible for the transportation, aeronautics and defense markets, Marie-Elisabeth has additionally managed the training and consulting activities and is now looking after Bureau Veritas' LCIE global certification and eco-design businesses.

About IECQ

The IECQ is a worldwide approval and certification system covering the supply of electronic components and associated materials and assemblies (including modules) and processes. It uses quality assessment specifications that are based on International Standards prepared by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). IECQ QC 080000 (Hazardous Substance Process Management System Requirements) provides manufacturers with a tool that makes it easier for them to produce "clean" products and to comply with the increasingly tough requirements and legislation that restrict the use of hazardous substances in electronic products and components.

About the Thomas A. Edison Award

Created in 2010, the Thomas A. Edison Award recognizes exceptional achievement (within the past five years), dedicated service and significant contributions to the IEC through the effective management of committees of currently active TC/SC Officers (Chair, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of a Technical Committee or Subcommittee) and officers of the IEC Conformity Assessment Systems and their subsidiary bodies.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas is a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services. Founded in 1828, the group has more than 68,400 employees in around 1,400 offices and laboratories all across the world. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performances by offering innovative services and solutions in order to ensure that their products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environment protection and social responsibility.

Website: http://www.bureauveritas.com

Bureau Veritas' Consumer Products Services division is a leading global quality assurance provider for the global consumer product and retail markets. It offers an array of specialized services including testing, inspections, certification, audits and engineering services for a wide range of consumer products. These products include soft goods; electrical and electronic products; smartworld products and services including wireless and mobile devices; automotive equipment; hard goods; toys and juvenile products; premiums; food products as well as health, beauty, cosmetics, and household products.

Website: http://www.bureauveritas.com/cps

Press Contact

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services

Sophie Petersheim

Email: sophie.petersheim@fr.bureauveritas.com

Tel: +33-(0)-1-40-95-55-59



SOURCE Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services
Only FDA-Cleared CTC Test to Join Company's Portfolio of Diagnostics

BOLOGNA, Italy, and SAN DIEGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Menarini-Silicon Biosystems today announced they have signed an agreement to purchase all the assets and relevant business related to the CELLSEARCH Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) system from Janssen Diagnostics, LLC. CELLSEARCH is used to help manage patients with metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. It is the only FDA-cleared CTC test, and has also been approved by China's FDA for use in monitoring breast cancer patients. Financial details were not disclosed.

The CELLSEARCH system will join Menarini-Silicon Biosystems' family of advanced diagnostics, which includes the Company's flagship DEPArray System. DEPArray is a rare-cell detection and isolation technology that is used globally in a number of therapeutic areas, including oncology. With both DEPArray and CELLSEARCH in its portfolio, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems will be able to provide CTC detection on an FDA-cleared platform, and give oncologists and researchers access to unparalleled molecular characterization capabilities. Together, the two technologies provide a unique opportunity to advance next-generation, personalized medicine strategies.

"We are excited to welcome CELLSEARCH to the Menarini-Silicon Biosystems portfolio," commented Lucia Aleotti, Chairman of Menarini Group and Giuseppe Giorgini, CEO, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems. "The combined capabilities of CELLSEARCH together with our DEPArray System will enhance our potential to enable meaningful advances in the field of personalized medicine."

Under terms of the agreement, when the closing will occur, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems will seek to retain many of the Janssen Diagnostics employees in roles dedicated to CTCs, and assume operation of Janssen Diagnostics' CLIA-certified laboratory in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. The two companies will work closely to transition the business across the many global markets where CELLSEARCH is available.

About CELLSEARCH Technology

Clinical data to date from 28 independent prospective studies involving more than 4,700 patients have validated the clinical performance and value of CELLSEARCH CTC testing to predict progression-free survival and overall survival both before and after therapy initiation. CELLSEARCH data have been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.

About the DEPArray System

DEPArray technology is recognized as the gold standard to isolate single CTCs from enriched blood, with data published in 19 peer-reviewed publications and mentioned in more than 30 review articles. The full synergy between CELLSEARCH enrichment and DEPArray sorting have been shown to deliver 100% pure cells suitable for very precise and reproducible downstream next-generation sequencing analysis. In addition, DEPArray technology has other applications that include recovery and molecular characterization of pure cell populations from disaggregated formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens, fresh tissues and fine needle aspiration samples.

About Menarini-Silicon Biosystems

Menarini-Silicon Biosystems Inc. is a Menarini Group company, with European headquarters in Bologna, Italy and U.S. headquarters in San Diego, California. Menarini-Silicon Biosystems operates in the healthcare sector and in personalized medicine, through the development of technologies and products that help to understand the biological complexity of many pathologies thanks to the study of single cells. For more information see www.siliconbiosystems.com and follow on Twitter @SiliconBio.





Related Links

http://www.siliconbiosystems.com



SOURCE Menarini-Silicon Biosystems
DUBAI, UAE, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

A team from Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai has successfully treated an elderly patient from Saudi Arabia, restoring the patient's sight in one eye after he spent 18 months with no sight in either eye. 83 year-old Mr. Hassan Al Shaikh Ahmad is now mobile and independent again, after a series of procedures performed in Dubai by Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, Consultant Ophthalmologist with a special interest in strabismus and cataract.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451113/Moorfields_Eye_Hospital_Dubai.jpg )



The patient had a very severe corneal scar in the right eye and his left eye had a convergent squint (so severe that the cornea was invisible) and cataract. The right eye was inoperable and so the team focused on treating the left eye with a two-stage surgical procedure, first to correct the squint and then to perform the cataract surgery which was necessary after the cataract had been discovered during the squint surgery.

The first phase strabismus surgery by Dr. Irfan was successful and once the left eye had been straightened enough to allow further detailed examination of the eye, a significant cataract was discovered. This led to the second stage of the treatment, following a month of recovery after the squint surgery, in which Dr. Irfan performed the cataract surgery.

Dr. Muhammad Irfan Khan, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, commented: "This was a particularly challenging elderly patient presenting with serious problems in both eyes, and revealing additional problems once we had been able to perform a full examination of the eyes. Unfortunately, we were unable to treat his right eye but the results of the treatment on the left eye have been successful and the team is delighted with Mr. Hassan's progress and recovery, allowing him to lead a normal life after living without vision for 18 months. He is now walking independently and performing his daily activities and routine, which is so important for every patient and especially those older patients."

Mr. Hassan Al Shaikh Ahmad, the 83 year-old patient from Saudi Arabia added: "I cannot express my gratitude enough to Dr. Irfan and the team at Moorfields; I am so happy to be able to walk again and to do things independently without the help of others."

Strabismus (squint or crossed eyes) is a misalignment of the eyes, inward or outward, and can only be treated with vision therapy or surgery. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. Cataracts are the most common cause of vision loss in people over the age of 40 and are the principal cause of blindness in the world. Most cataracts are related to aging and they are very common in older people.

Dr. Irfan Khan is one of the few ophthalmologists in the world with dual training from United Kingdom and Canada. He is subspecialty trained in the management of all aspects of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Ocular Motility including; Paediatric Cataracts, Paediatric Glaucoma, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Retinoblastoma, Paediatric Anterior Segment Reconstruction, common Paediatric Oculoplastics, Strabismus or Squint, Adult Strabismus (with Adjustable sutures) and Adult Cataract Surgery. He is a valuable member of the Moorfields team and holds clinics in both Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai and Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital.

Notes to editors

About Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai

Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) is the first overseas branch of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the oldest and one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in the world. Located at the Al Razi Medical Complex in Dubai Health Care City, the facility provides day case surgery and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, for a variety of surgical and non-surgical eye conditions. MEHD will also raise standards for research and teaching in the region. MEHD is owned and managed by the NHS Foundation Trust, and maintains close links with London, to ensure that patients in the GCC receive the best eye care treatment in the world.

http://www.moorfields.ae

Issued on behalf of Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai by WPR.

SOURCE Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai
ROMEOVILLE, Illinois, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexgen Packaging, LLC, a leading global supplier of brand identification products to retailers as well as to apparel and textile brands, announced today it will partner with leather industry pioneer KT Label, a manufacturer of leather labels of exceptional quality based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Retailers and brand owners will now have the opportunity to see, feel, and sample KT Label's products through Nexgen Packaging sales representatives. This partnership provides ease of accessibility to KT Label's in-house tannery and its century of experience in leather tanning  including a state-of-the-art label factory in Istanbul, which was established in 2014 and employs industry veterans in label design and manufacturing. As a result, Nexgen Packaging customers can now sample a wider selection of unique leather label designs and distribute high-quality KT Label products throughout the packaging industry.

Part of KT Label's unique process includes only selecting the finest, most unembellished sources of leather from around the world to produce the best reactive leather goods on the market today, manufactured to the highest environmental standards.

By establishing this partnership Nexgen Packaging and KT Label will enjoy exclusive benefits:

Nexgen Packaging customers will have ease of accessibility to fine leather products, with the ability to create new designs or choose from the many different styles in KT Label's extensive selection.

KT Label can promote and increase distribution of their products through Nexgen Packaging global business networks.

Together, Nexgen Packaging and KT Label have the capability to design, manufacture, and distribute innovative products never before seen in the industry, revolutionizing the way leather is used in packaging.

Branding Redefined

"Nexgen Packaging is very pleased to partner with KT Label to bring their broad range of high-quality leather labels to our global clients," says Andy Effron, Nexgen Packaging's Chief Executive Officer. "KT Label's state-of-the-art production facilities and in-house tannery produce leather labels to stringent performance standards with a focus on sustainability and compliance with the highest US and EU standards."

"At KT Label, we are very excited to partner with Nexgen Packaging to deliver the highest quality leather labels to customers worldwide," says Ahmet Kaymak, Owner and Partner at KT Label. "Working collaboratively we look forward to building a great success story for both Nexgen Packaging and KT Label."

About NEXGEN

Nexgen Packaging, LLC is a global provider of apparel brand identification and packaging products, servicing the creative, product development, and production needs of apparel and footwear manufacturers and retailers, and their global manufacturing partners. The company is focused on simplifying everything from the creative process to order execution, utilizing innovative technologies to increase efficiency and enhance customer service. Nexgen Packaging offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to meet its customers' product identification needs, including: woven labels, printed labels, heat transfers, hang tags, integrated tags, price tickets, RFID tags and labels, wrap bands, patches, boxes, poly bags and a broad range of specialized products. Nexgen Packaging customers include a broad range of apparel brands and retailers. Nexgen Packaging has sales and manufacturing operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Guatemala, Vietnam, China and 11 other key apparel and footwear producing countries globally.

Their website is nexgenpkg.com

About KT Label

KT Label features a group of diverse experts working collaboratively with global clients and business partners to customize, manufacture and deliver the finest leather labels, trims, and other accessories with a focus on safety and sustainability. KT Label ensures that its leather labels meet the limits of the Restricted Substance List (RSL) of American Apparel & Footwear Association's (AAFA) Environmental Task Force. KT Label has also been granted authorization according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 to use the Oeko-Tex mark, based on the test report ISO03 121322.1-3 for leather labels made of 100% original reactive leather, drum dyed or finished, hot press print, cold press print, engraved/embossed and silk print. These products also meet the human-ecological requirements of the standard presently established for products with direct contact to skin.

KT Leather is based in Istanbul with an office in Fort Washington, PA. Its website is at www.ktlabel.com

Contact: nexgen|packaging

888.648.4004

Related Links

http://www.nexgenpkg.com



SOURCE Nexgen Packaging, LLC
DUBLIN, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

OASIS Group, the fastest growing records and information management (RIM) company across Europe, have confirmed the completion of two acquisitions that took place within the UK and Republic of Ireland markets. On December 9th, OASIS secured C21 Data Services Limited, the legacy Recall assets of Iron Mountain Incorporated located in Aberdeen and Dundee, Scotland and on December 13th, the RIM business of National Archive Records Management, Ltd. located in Limerick, Ireland.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160420/357828LOGO )



Continuously stating their plans for growth and expansion, this landmark purchase places OASIS in the Scottish market for the first time and confirms their efforts for expansion is on the forefront of their overall growth strategy.

"To end 2016 entering a new market and solidifying our presence in Ireland is something we are very proud of. We set out in January with a solid plan to expand and to see it come to fruition is a great accomplishment," states Brian Connolly, Chief Executive Officer of OASIS Group. "We have wanted to enter the Scottish market for some time so when this opportunity arose, we knew it would be a great fit. Our team has worked diligently to make this happen proving that we are here for the long haul and we plan to stay on the same track for the incoming year."

The integration of both companies is now underway and collectively this totals 25 acquisitions to date for OASIS Group.

About OASIS Group

Serving clients since 1999, OASIS is one of the largest and most diverse professional record and information management companies in Europe. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with locations across the EU, OASIS employs over 300 team members and offers its services to over 4,700 clients throughout several industries with particular emphasis in the financial, legal, healthcare, government and educational sectors. www.OASISGroup.com

Media Contact:

Barbara Ellis

+353-1-866-6317

bellis@oasisgroup.com



SOURCE OASIS Group
SAN FRANCISCO, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The osteosynthesis devices market size is expected to reach a value of USD 9.9 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The worldwide prevalence of conditions like osteoporosis and osteomalacia, coupled with heavily occurring road traffic injuries/accidents and sporting injuries support the demand for osteosynthesis devices worldwide.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150105/723757 )

Osteoporosis, a disease resulting in weakening of bones is responsible for causing more than 8.9 million fractures annually. Forearm, humerus, hip and spine are the most commonly affected areas in patients suffering from the disease. The incidence and economic burden of osteoporosis is increasing worldwide, and patients 65 years old or over are at maximum risk of getting affected.

The geriatric population accounted for 46.2 million in 2014, and is increasingly rising. It is projected that by the year 2060, the number of older population will be twice than that of 2014. The rising incidence of osteoporosis and increasing count of the geriatric population is expected to drive demand for osteosynthesis devices in the coming years.

On the other hand, road traffic deaths are at the focal point of a crisis facing public health and development. The WHO reported that accidents/injuries majorly affect the low- and middle-income countries. Road accidents can cause severe injuries such as broken bones and fractures and requires immediate orthopediccare and attention.

Browse full research report with TOC on "Osteosynthesis Devices Market Analysis By Type (Internal - Screws & Plates, Wires & Pins, Intramedullary Rods & Nails, Spinal Fixation Devices; External-Fracture Fixation, Bone Lengthening), By Material (Degradable & Non-degradable) And Segment Forecasts, 2013 - 2024" at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/osteosynthesis-devices-market

Further Key Findings from the Study Suggest:

North America reported highest revenue growth in this market. U.S. is one of the most lucrative and commercially important markets for orthopedic device manufacturers. Furthermore, technical advancements and a growing aging population (14.5% of the U.S. population), coupled with increasing investments in healthcare sector is estimated to drive growth in the market.

reported highest revenue growth in this market. U.S. is one of the most lucrative and commercially important markets for orthopedic device manufacturers. Furthermore, technical advancements and a growing aging population (14.5% of the U.S. population), coupled with increasing investments in healthcare sector is estimated to drive growth in the market. Asia Pacific is expected to be an attractive region for osteosynthesis devices. Asia Pacific is reported to be at a high risk for osteoporosis because of a reported rise in the elderly population.

is expected to be an attractive region for osteosynthesis devices. is reported to be at a high risk for osteoporosis because of a reported rise in the elderly population. Internal fixation devices held a higher market share than external devices in 2015. Although complications such as infections, consolidation delays, and construct damage are causing concerns, this has indirectly led to the demand for new research and management options in the fight against osteoporosis and fractures.

The development of absorbable and biocompatible internal bone fixation devices is responsible for leading the drive for constant innovation in the osteosynthesis devices market.

Some of the key players in this industry include DePuy Synthes, Inc.; Smith & Nephew Plc; Stryker; Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.; Globus Medical, Inc.; GS Medical, LLC; Life Spine, Inc.; MicroPort Orthopedics, Inc.; Neosteo SAS; and Precision Spine, Inc.

Browse related reports by Grand View Research:

Glucose Monitoring Device Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/glucose-monitoring-device-market

Infectious Vaccines Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/automotive-seat-belts-market

Neurovascular Intervention Devices Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/neurovascular-intervention-devices-market

Acute Coronary Syndrome Market - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/acute-coronary-syndrome-market

Grand View Research has segmented the osteosynthesis devices market by type and material:

Global Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Internal Screws & Plates Wires & pins Intramedullary rods & nails Spinal fixation devices External Fracture fixation Bone lengthening

Global Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) Degradable Nondegradable

Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2013 - 2024) North America U.S. Canada Europe Germany UK Asia Pacific Japan China India Latin America Brazil Mexico MEA South Africa

Saudi Arabia

Read Our Research Insight - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/research-insights/osteosynthesis-devices-market-insights-size-share

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.

Read Our Blogs - http://www.grandviewresearch.com/blogs/healthcare



Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: sales@grandviewresearch.com



Web: http://www.grandviewresearch.com

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
- Investigational Two-Drug Regimen of Rilpivirine and Dolutegravir Shows Efficacy As Maintenance Therapy in Patients Who Have Already Achieved Viral Suppression -

CORK, Ireland, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen Sciences Ireland UC (Janssen) today announced that two Phase III studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of switching virologically suppressed patients from a three or four drug (integrase inhibitor-, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-, or boosted protease inhibitor-based) antiretroviral regimen to the two drug regimen of rilpivirine (Janssen) and dolutegravir (ViiV Healthcare) met the primary endpoint of non inferiority at week 48.

The primary endpoint in both studies was evaluated as the proportion of patients with plasma HIV-1 RNA <50 copies per milliliter (c/mL) at Week 48. Detailed study results will be presented at an upcoming scientific meeting. The safety profile for rilpivirine and dolutegravir in the two studies was consistent with the product labelling for each medicine.

"HIV has become a chronic, long-term condition in many parts of the world thanks to the availability of more than 20 approved medicines. As physicians, and those living with HIV, consider life-long treatment they must balance efficacy and the side effects of treatment," says Lawrence M. Blatt, Global R&D Head, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Janssen. "We are committed to exploring new combination therapies to improve the lives of those facing life-long HIV treatment and these important results for a two-drug regimen support those efforts."

It is anticipated that regulatory submissions for the investigational two-drug regimen of rilpivirine and dolutegravir as a single tablet will be made in 2017.

About the SWORD Phase III Program for dolutegravir (Tivicay) and rilpivirine (Edurant)

The Phase III program evaluates the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of switching to dolutegravir plus rilpivirine from current integrase inhibitor-, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-, or boosted protease inhibitor-based antiretroviral regimen in HIV-1-infected adults who are virologically suppressed with a three or four drug regimen. In the clinical trials, dolutegravir and rilpivirine are provided as individual tablets. SWORD-1 (NCT02429791) and SWORD-2 (NCT02422797) are replicate 148-week, randomised, open-label, non-inferiority studies to assess the antiviral activity and safety of a two-drug, daily oral regimen of dolutegravir plus rilpivirine compared with current antiretroviral therapy.

The primary endpoint is proportion of patients with plasma HIV-1 RNA <50 copies per milliliter (c/mL) at Week 48. Key secondary endpoints include evaluation of the development of viral resistance, measurements of safety and tolerability, and changes in renal, bone and cardiovascular biomarkers. The study also includes exploratory measures to assess change in health-related quality of life, willingness to switch, and adherence to treatment regimens.

For more information on the trials please visit: www.clinicaltrials.gov

EDURANT (Rilpivirine)

EDURANT (rilpivirine) is a prescription HIV medicine that is used with other antiretroviral medicines to treat Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) in patients:

Who have never taken HIV medicines before, and

taken HIV medicines before, Who have an amount of HIV in their blood (called "viral load") that is no more than 100,000 copies/mL. Your healthcare professional will measure your viral load

EDURANT should be taken in combination with other HIV medicines. Your healthcare professional will work with you to find the right combination of HIV medicines

It is important that you remain under the care of your healthcare professional during treatment with EDURANT

EDURANT is not recommended for patients less than 12 years of age

EDURANT does not cure HIV infection or AIDS. You should remain on your HIV medications without stopping to ensure that you control your HIV infection and decrease the risk of HIV-related illnesses. Ask your healthcare professional about how to prevent passing HIV to other people.

Please read Important Safety Information below, and talk to your healthcare professional to learn if EDURANT is right for you.

Important Safety Information

Can EDURANT be taken with other medicines?

EDURANT may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect how EDURANT works and may cause serious side effects. If you take certain medicines with EDURANT, the amount of EDURANT in your body may be too low and it may not work to help control your HIV infection, and the HIV virus in your body may become resistant to EDURANT or other HIV medicines that are like it. To help get the right amount of medicine in your body, you should always take EDURANT with a meal. A protein drink alone does not replace a meal.

Do not take EDURANT if:

Your HIV infection has been previously treated with HIV medicines

You are taking any of the following medicines: Anti-seizure medicines: carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol-XR, Teril, Epitol), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenobarbital (Luminal), phenytoin (Dilantin, Dilantin-125, Phenytek) Anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) medicines: rifampin (Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane, Rifadin), rifapentine (Priftin)Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medicine for certain stomach or intestinal problems: esomeprazole (Nexium, Vimovo), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), pantoprazole sodium (Protonix), rabeprazole (Aciphex) More than 1 dose of the steroid medicine dexamethasone or dexamethasone sodium phosphate St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)



Especially tell your doctor if you take:

Rifabutin (Mycobutin), a medicine to treat some bacterial infections. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the right amount of EDURANT you should take if you also take rifabutin



Medicines used to treat HIV



An antacid medicine that contains aluminum, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium carbonate. Take antacids at least 2 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take EDURANT



Medicines to block acid in your stomach, including cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid), or ranitidine hydrochloride (Zantac). Take these medicines at least 12 hours before or at least 4 hours after you take EDURANT



Any of these medicines (if taken by mouth or injection): clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab, PCE, Pediazole, Ilosone), fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), methadone (Dolophine), posaconazole (Noxafil), telithromycin (Ketek), voriconazole (Vfend)

This is not a complete list of medicines. Before starting EDURANT, be sure to tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you are taking or plan to take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Before taking EDURANT, also tell your healthcare professional if you have had or currently have liver problems (including hepatitis B or C), have ever had a mental health problem, are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. It is not known if EDURANT will harm your unborn baby.

You and your healthcare professional will need to decide if taking EDURANT is right for you.

Do not breastfeed if you are taking EDURANT. You should not breastfeed if you have HIV because of the chance of passing HIV to your baby

What are the possible side effects of EDURANT? EDURANT can cause serious side effects including:

Severe skin rash and allergic reactions. Call your doctor right away if you get a rash. Stop taking EDURANT and seek medical help right away if you get a rash with any of the following symptoms: severe allergic reaction causing swelling of the face, eyes, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat (which may lead to difficulty swallowing or breathing); mouth sores or blisters on your body; inflamed eye (conjunctivitis); fever; dark urine; or pain on the right side of the stomach area (abdominal pain)

Depression or mood changes. Tell your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms: feeling sad or hopeless, feeling anxious or restless, have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide), or have tried to hurt yourself

Liver problems. People with a history of hepatitis B or C virus infection or who have certain liver function test changes may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening liver problems during treatment. Liver problems were also reported during treatment in some people without a history of liver disease. Your healthcare professional may need to do tests to check liver function before and during treatment

Changes in body shape or body fat have been seen in some patients taking HIV medicines. The exact cause and long-term health effects of these conditions are not known

Changes in your immune system (immune reconstitution syndrome).

Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare professional right away if you start having any new symptoms of infection

Other common side effects of EDURANT include depression, headache, trouble sleeping (insomnia), and rash.

This is not a complete list of all side effects. If you experience these or other symptoms, contact your healthcare professional right away. Do not stop taking EDURANT or any other medications without first talking to your healthcare professional.

You are encouraged to report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Janssen Products, LP at 1-800-JANSSEN (1-800-526-7736).

Please see full Product Information for more details.

TIVICAY (dolutegravir) tablets

Professional Indication(s) and Important Safety Information

Indications and Usage

TIVICAY is a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults and pediatric patients weighing at least 30 kg.

Limitations of Use:

Use of TIVICAY in INSTI-experienced patients should be guided by the number and type of baseline INSTI substitutions. The efficacy of TIVICAY 50 mg twice daily is reduced in patients with an INSTI-resistance Q148 substitution plus 2 or more additional INSTI-resistance substitutions including T66A, L74I/M, E138A/K/T, G140S/A/C, Y143R/C/H, E157Q, G163S/E/K/Q, or G193E/R

Important Safety Information

Contraindications:

TIVICAY is contraindicated in patients:

with previous hypersensitivity reaction to dolutegravir

receiving dofetilide (antiarrhythmic)

Hypersensitivity Reactions:

Hypersensitivity reactions have been reported and were characterized by rash, constitutional findings, and sometimes organ dysfunction, including liver injury. The events were reported in <1% of subjects receiving TIVICAY in Phase 3 clinical trials

Discontinue TIVICAY and other suspect agents immediately if signs or symptoms of hypersensitivity reactions develop, as a delay in stopping treatment may result in a life-threatening reaction. Monitor clinical status, including liver aminotransferases, and initiate appropriate therapy if hypersensitivity reaction is suspected

Effects on Serum Liver Biochemistries in Patients with Hepatitis B or C Co-infection:

Patients with underlying hepatitis B or C may be at increased risk for worsening or development of transaminase elevations with use of TIVICAY. In some cases the elevations in transaminases were consistent with immune reconstitution syndrome or hepatitis B reactivation, particularly in the setting where anti-hepatitis therapy was withdrawn

Appropriate laboratory testing prior to initiating therapy and monitoring for hepatotoxicity during therapy with TIVICAY are recommended in patients with underlying hepatic disease such as hepatitis B or C

Fat Redistribution or accumulation has been observed in patients receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Immune Reconstitution Syndrome, including the occurrence of autoimmune disorders with variable time to onset, has been reported.

Adverse Reactions: The most commonly reported (2%) adverse reactions of moderate to severe intensity in treatment-naive adult subjects in any one trial receiving TIVICAY in a combination regimen were insomnia (3%), fatigue (2%), and headache (2%).

Drug Interactions:

Coadministration of TIVICAY with certain inducers of UGT1A and/or CYP3A may reduce plasma concentrations of dolutegravir and require dose adjustments of TIVICAY

Administer TIVICAY 2 hours before or 6 hours after taking polyvalent cation-containing antacids or laxatives, sucralfate, oral supplements containing iron or calcium, or buffered medications. Alternatively, TIVICAY and supplements containing calcium or iron can be taken with food

Consult the full Prescribing Information for TIVICAY for more information on potentially significant drug interactions, including clinical comments

Pregnancy: TIVICAY should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk. An Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry has been established.

Nursing Mothers: Breastfeeding is not recommended due to the potential for HIV transmission and the potential for adverse reactions in nursing infants.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding development of treatment and prevention options for HIV. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and obtaining regulatory approvals; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in Exhibit 99 thereto, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies or Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Oliver Stohlmann

+1 908 255 7126

ostohlma@its.jnj.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS:

Lesley Fishman

Phone: +1 732-524-3922

Joseph J. Wolk

Phone: +1 732-524-1142

SOURCE Janssen Sciences Ireland UC
MUNICH, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Wirecard extends its global merchant acquiring services to yet another country directly and provides internet technology to digitalize payments

Today Wirecard AG and Cuscal, one of Australia's leading payment services companies, announced that they will be working together to allow Wirecard's merchant acquiring services throughout Australia, with Cuscal as acquiring BIN sponsor. That includes the use of Wirecard's proprietary omnichannel payment processing platform to receive credit and debit card transactions in Australia. The partnership with Cuscal allows Wirecard to offer Australian and global merchants with Australian footprint the efficient method of online payment processing: ranging from e-Commerce to POS, to mPOS solutions. Wirecard's offer can be adapted to meet the individual requirements of each merchant, improving conversion rates at the checkout. With this, Wirecard enables internet technology to merchants such as airlines, fintechs and the retail sector by helping them to digitalize payments as well as the whole shopping experience.

Following the cooperation with Cuscal on merchant acquiring, the partnership will be shortly extended to the area of card issuing. That means, that Wirecard will be offering the whole payment value chain to its Australian customers, in the near future. This range goes from the issuing of traditional and virtual prepaid cards over payment processing to risk management and mobile payment solutions.

Acting General Manager, Product & Service at Cuscal, Colin Sultana said: "We're really pleased to be supporting Wirecard in Australia. We're all about using our expertise and scale to help existing companies grow as well as to support new companies to enter the market. By working with companies like Wirecard we're driving competition in payments, increasing innovation and giving businesses greater choice which will ultimately benefit everyone."

Grigoriy Kuznetsov, Executive Vice President Global Financial Services at Wirecard, adds: "We are delighted to expand our cooperation with Cuscal. This enables us to extend our global merchant acquiring solutions to one of the most important payment markets in the world and ensure that our customers can enjoy consistent service and seamless access to payment options worldwide."

Cuscal and Wirecard have been working together for more than one year. Cuscal, provides payment services to more than 100 financial institutions, airlines and other organisations in Australia. Cuscal processes around 16 percent of EFT transactions in Australia as well as processing transactions for 40% of Australia's ATMs and managing over 7 million debit, credit and prepaid cards.

About Wirecard:

Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. A global platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions. With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licences for card and account products. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI). For further information about Wirecard, please visit http://www.wirecard.com or follow us on twitter @wirecard.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Tel.: +49-(0)-89-4424-1363

E-Mail: jana.tilz@wirecard.com

About Cuscal:

Cuscal is Australia's leading independent provider of payment solutions including card and acquiring products, mobile payments, fraud prevention, EFT switching and direct entry. We process 16% of Australia's EFT transactions, have over 7 million cards under management and switch and acquire for around 40% of Australia's ATMs. We partner with more than 100 clients from a range of industries including financial services, airlines, fintech and retail. We use our expertise and scale to help existing companies grow and new companies enter the market. This drives competition throughout the payments industry, increasing innovation and giving businesses and consumers greater choice. For more information, please visit: http://www.cuscal.com.au

Cuscal media contact:

Cuscal Limited

Jake Waddell

Tel.: +61-(0)-8299-9091

Email: jwaddell@cuscal.com.au

SOURCE Wirecard AG
Scottish food-tech start-up 3f Bio has won the first "Start-up Innovation Challenge", organised by Health Ingredients Europe & Natural ingredients in association with Agroparc and Presans and supported by Naturex. This University of Strathclyde spin-off has developed a new technology that halves the costs of Mycoprotein-production while simultaneously reducing waste material to zero. Vitamin- and fat-enriched Mycoprotein, marketed as "Quorn", is already one of the most popular meat substitutes available. The fungal protein has been available in Germany since 2012. The patented 3f-process is a milestone for Mycoprotein, as the unfavorable energy balance of the process has often been criticised in the past. This technology does not use glucose syrup and surplus sugar, waste protein and energy are returned to the bio refinery production cycle, making this process more sustainable and cheaper. The production of 3f-protein is a massive 75% cheaper than producing meat. In addition to its application in the production of Mycoprotein, 3fBiotechnology also optimises the production of bioethanol and animal feed. Natasha Berrow, Group Brand Director for the Food ingredients portfolio and jury member: "The 3f technology creates completely new dimensions for the market potential of Mycoprotein and allows it to be a global supplier of protein. We are proud that a chapter of this success story was written at Hi Europe & Ni."

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130723/629764-a )



(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451123/Health_ingredients_Logo.jpg )



(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451124/Natural_ingredients_Logo.jpg )



For winning the first "Start-up Innovation Challenge", the 3f Bio-team has been awarded an extensive support program. The award partner Agroparc will guide the start-up in entering the market with its entire know how and through use of its development laboratories. UBM will supply an event package worth 5,000 Euro for Fi Europe in 2017.

Tim Laird, CEO 3f Bio: "We were delighted to participate in the Start-Up Innovation Challenge, and for companies like 3f Bio, it provides a unique opportunity to explain the case to a panel of sector and industry experts." "The benefits from winning the Start-Up Innovation Challenge include increased profile, and several new contacts who we hope will evolve to become commercial partners. One of the benefits includes support to participate at Fi Europe 2017. In 2017, we will continue to develop the technology and look forward to presenting this at Fi Europe."

GreenFood50 was awarded the "Natural Ingredients" special prize, sponsored by Naturex. The Dutch start-up produces various quinoa products that are used, among others, in baked goods, snacks and sauces.

The Start-up Innovation Challenge is organized by UBM, in association with Agroparc and Presans, supported by Naturex. The finalists could, among other things, present themselves to an international audience of experts in Industry Insight Theatre at Hi Europe & Ni.

About Food ingredients Global - The trusted route to market since 1986

Food ingredients was launched in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 1986. Its portfolio of live events, extensive data, digital solutions and high-level conferences are now established throughout the world and provide regional and global platforms for all stakeholders, in the food ingredients industry. Over 500,000 people have attended our shows over the years with billions of Euros worth of business created as a result. With over 25 years of excellence, our events, digital solutions and supporting products, deliver a proven route to market, with a truly global audience. For more information about the Food ingredients portfolio please visit: http://www.figlobal.com. For more information about press and for press registration please visit: http://www.figlobal.com/hieurope/about/press

About UBM EMEA

UBM EMEA connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets. Through premier brands such as Routes, CPhI, IFSEC, Ecobuild, Seatrade, and many others, UBM EMEA exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across seven industry sectors.

UBM EMEA is committed to the continual improvement of sustainability

To ensure long term profitability; UBM EMEA aims to be a leader in sustainable business, aligning all key business decisions with our sustainability strategy. UBM EMEA sees it as fundamental that we are conscious of the impact that our actions have on the environment and the communities in which we operate. UBM EMEA strives to manage its impact by ensuring that the principles of sustainability are at the core of all our activities. A corner stone to our journey towards sustainability is our certification to the ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management System. UBM EMEA is one of the first major organisers to successfully implement and certify our sustainable event management system against the International Standard ISO 20121.

SOURCE UBM EMEA
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Citadel today announced the retirement of Chief Legal Officer Adam C. Cooper effective the end of February 2017. Senior Deputy General Counsel Shawn Fagan has been named General Counsel of its hedge fund business.

Cooper was Citadel's first Chief Legal Officer and has played a pivotal role in realizing the firm's ambitions as a global financial institution over the past 18 years.

"Adam has made many valuable contributions in helping build Citadel into one of the world's leading financial institutions. I am grateful to Adam for his leadership on so many fronts and wish him the best over the years to come," said Ken Griffin.

"I am grateful to Ken and the entire Citadel team for the opportunity to help build this incredible business," said Adam Cooper. "Day in and day out for nearly two decades, I have been privileged to work with incredibly bright and passionate colleagues. There is no doubt that Citadel will continue to lead and transform the industry."

Shawn Fagan, who joined the firm as Deputy General Counsel in 2005, has been named General Counsel of Citadel's hedge fund business effective immediately. Prior to joining Citadel, Fagan served as a Partner at Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, and previously served as a clerk for Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Shawn graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1994 and was a recipient of the Sears Prize.

"Shawn is an outstanding legal mind and a proven leader. He has played a critical role in helping the firm address a wide range of legal issues, from handling corporate matters to working with our regulators. I am excited to work with him in this expanded role," said Griffin.

About Citadel

Citadel is a global investment firm built around world-class talent, sound risk management and powerful and innovative technology. For over a quarter of a century, Citadel has served top-tier investors around the world, including sovereign wealth funds, public institutions, corporate pensions, endowments, and foundations. Citadel's team of more than 750 investment professionals deploys capital across all major asset classes and in all major financial markets, from offices around the world including Chicago, New York, London, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Greenwich, Houston, Toronto, Shenzhen, and Shanghai.

Media Contact:

Citadel

Zia Ahmed

312-395-3789

[email protected]

SOURCE Citadel

Related Links

http://citadel.com


BOTHELL, Wash. and COPENHAGEN, Denmark and BERKELEY, Calif. and TOKYO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CMC Biologics, a global leader in clinical and commercial manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies, coagulation factors and other therapeutic proteins and AGC Asahi Glass (AGC), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement with CMC Biologics' shareholders including Monitor Clipper Partners, European Equity Partners and Innoven Partenaires, by which AGC will acquire 100% of CMC Biologics' shares. This acquisition is expected to close in January 2017.

Founded in Denmark in 2001, as a start-up company, CMC Biologics has grown to be one of the most valued independent CDMO companies in the world. Today with over 500 employees, two commercial-phase manufacturing facilities, and one early-phase manufacturing facility, CMC is one of the leaders in the biologics CDMO industry.

"With the high level of growth and success that CMC Biologics has had over the last 15 years, I am thrilled that we now will be a central part of AGC's pharmaceutical services business, with biologic manufacturing operations in Europe, U.S.A., and Asia. AGC is a world-class company dedicated to excellence and high customer satisfaction," said David Kauffmann, Chairman of CMC Biologics. "AGC's commitment to best technology solutions and longtime partnership with clients align so well with CMC Biologics' mission to be the preferred biologics CDMO service partner for the world's top pharmaceutical and biotech companies."

"Aligning with AGC's success and long-term business strategy, CMC Biologics is honored to become part of AGC's Life Science Business. We look forward to leveraging on AGC's manufacturing expertise and existing CMO footprint, while continuing to provide innovative solutions to our clients," said Gustavo Mahler, Chief Executive Officer of CMC Biologics. "This transaction provides the ideal ownership for CMC, as AGC fully embraces the goals of customer satisfaction, strong growth and global expansion that define our strategy."

CMC Biologics will retain its distinct brand and independence. There are no anticipated changes in CMC operations, current leadership team or employee base. CMC Biologics continues to be fully committed to delivering the best solutions for our customers.

About CMC Biologics

CMC Biologics is leading the industry among CDMOs in customer satisfaction, technical excellence, and quality  Right and On Time. With three facilities in the U.S.A. and Europe, the Company provides fully integrated biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing solutions to clients globally. The Company has proven expertise in delivering custom solutions for the scale-up and cGMP manufacture of protein-based therapeutics for pre-clinical, clinical trials and commercial production. CMC Biologics' wide range of integrated services includes cell line development, bioprocess development, formulation and comprehensive analytical testing. Clients can also benefit from CMC Biologics' proprietary CHEF1 Expression System for mammalian production. More detailed information can be found at www.cmcbio.com

Advisers

William Blair and Shearman & Sterling, respectively, acted as financial and legal advisors to CMC Biologics.

Media Contact Information

Ms. Kim Yang

Director, Global Marketing and Communications

CMC ICOS Biologics, Inc.

Email: [email protected]

Office: +1 425 415 5438

SOURCE CMC Biologics

Related Links

http://www.cmcbio.com


TOKYO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AGC Asahi Glass ("AGC"), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, announced on December 20 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in CMC Biologics ("CMC"), a world-leading biologics active pharmaceutical ingredient ("API") manufacturer with major investors including Monitor Clipper Partners and European Equity Partners, for the purchase price of approximately 60 billion Japanese yen. The agreement remains subject to approval from the relevant antitrust authorities, and the acquisition is expected to be completed in January 2017.

CMC is a contract development and manufacturing organization ("CDMO"), offering biological API-manufacturing service with mammalian and microbial hosts. The company provides high value-added cell line construction, process development, scale-up and manufacturing of APIs used in drug development (pre-clinical and clinical trials) and in commercially marketed biopharmaceutical drugs. With approximately 530 employees, CMC operates on a global scale with production facilities in Denmark (Copenhagen) and the USA (Seattle and Berkeley).

David Kauffmann, Chairman of CMC Biologics, said, "I am excited by CMC Biologics becoming part of AGC, a world-class company committed to excellence and high customer satisfaction. AGC's dedication to best technology solutions and long-time partnership with clients align so well with CMC Biologics' quest to be the preferred biologics CDMO service partner for the world's top pharmaceutical and biotech companies."

"We are honored to become part of AGC, a successful global company with a long-term business strategy and resources to be the ideal owner of CMC Biologics. The CMC management team look forward to becoming one team with AGC, to bring and combine broad, as well as focused, innovative solutions to our clients," said Gustavo Mahler, President & Chief Executive Officer of CMC Biologics, adding: "With this transaction, I am confident that our clients will receive even further benefits from our combined high level of expertise, years of experience, and global offerings."

AGC has been engaged in contract manufacturing business since the early 2000s. Its acquisition of CMC is part of AGC's strategy to expand its biologics CDMO operations, complementing AGC's current operations in Japan and Europe (*). The business integration with CMC will enable AGC to offer world-leading biologics CDMO API services, with a host of best-in-class technologies and manufacturing solutions by both mammalian and microbial operations for its global customer base.

Under its management policy, "AGC plus," the AGC Group has designated its Life Science Business as one of its strategic areas. Through the business integration, the AGC Group will accelerate and expand its biopharmaceutical contract services business around the world.

(*) AGC's European operations made a full-fledged start through the acquisition of a German CDMO, Biomeva, in August this year. Please refer to AGC's press release at: http://www.agc.com/english/news/20160906e.pdf

SOURCE AGC Asahi Glass
EDMONTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Alberta Investment Management Corporation ("AIMCo"), on behalf of certain of its clients, is pleased to announce that it has agreed to acquire an ownership stake in Howard Energy Partners from EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE:ENLK). The investment, representing an ownership stake of approximately 28% of Howard Energy Partners, makes AIMCo the second largest unitholder in the company. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2017, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

The transaction follows AIMCo's initial investment in August 2016, which allowed for the purchase of up to US$500 million of Series B Preferred Units (Preferred Units) of Howard Energy Partners.

Howard Energy Partners is a diversified, growth-oriented midstream provider with assets in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas, along the Gulf Coast of Texas, as well as in the Marcellus Shale region in Pennsylvania. The investment represents a compelling opportunity for AIMCo's clients to participate in an attractive midstream portfolio with exposure to high demand markets. It is supported by a high quality management team with a demonstrated track record of execution and a robust project pipeline that will produce stable, fee-based cash flows.

Commenting on the investment, Kevin Uebelein, AIMCo Chief Executive Officer said, "AIMCo is very pleased to have the opportunity to increase our investment in Howard Energy Partners. Since our preferred investment in August, we have forged a strong working relationship with Howard Energy Partners' management team, as well as with the other investment partners, and we are confident in their opportunities for continued growth in the future."

Evercore served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to AIMCo.



About Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo)

AIMCo is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than $90 billion of assets under management. AIMCo was established on January 1, 2008 with a mandate to provide superior long-term investment results for its clients. AIMCo operates at arms-length from the Government of Alberta and invests globally on behalf of 31 pension, endowment and government funds in the Province of Alberta. For more information on AIMCo please visit www.aimco.alberta.ca.

About the EnLink Midstream Companies

EnLink Midstream is publicly traded through two entities: EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE: ENLC), the publicly traded general partner entity, and EnLink Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: ENLK), the master limited partnership entity. EnLink Midstream is a leading, integrated midstream company with a diverse geographic footprint and a strong financial foundation, delivering tailored customer solutions for sustainable growth.

EnLink Midstream's assets are located in many of North America's premier oil and gas regions, including Oklahoma's Midcontinent, the Permian Basin, and the Gulf Coast region. Based in Dallas, Texas, EnLink Midstream's assets include approximately 11,000 miles of gathering and transportation pipelines, 21 processing plants with approximately 4.4 billion cubic feet per day of processing capacity, seven fractionators with approximately 260,000 barrels per day of fractionation capacity, as well as barge and rail terminals, product storage facilities, purchase and marketing capabilities, brine disposal wells, an extensive crude oil trucking fleet, and equity investments in certain private midstream companies.

Additional information about the EnLink companies can be found at www.EnLink.com.

About Howard Energy Partners

San Antonio-based, Howard Midstream Energy Partners, LLC dba Howard Energy Partners is an independent midstream energy company, owning and operating natural gas gathering and transportation pipelines, natural gas liquids processing plants, rail facilities, liquid storage terminals, deep-water port facilities and other related midstream assets in Texas and Pennsylvania. The company has corporate offices in San Antonio, Houston and Mexico City. For more information on Howard Energy Partners, please visit our website www.howardenergypartners.com.

SOURCE Alberta Investment Management Corp.

Related Links

www.aimco.alberta.ca


AMMAN, Jordan, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An AJC leadership delegation, on the second leg of regional consultations following the U.S. election, met with senior Jordanian officials on a range of political and security issues.

Led by AJC President John Shapiro, the delegation discussed the organization's advocacy of close U.S.-Jordanian cooperation in confronting terrorism, extremism and instability; Jordan's development plans and its needs in coping with waves of refugees from Syria and Iraq; and the mutually understood, though not always publicized, benefits of Israeli-Jordanian ties. The 14-member delegation, including Board of Governors Chair Harriet Schleifer and Associate Executive Director for Policy Jason Isaacson, began this week's round of talks in Egypt.

Among the officials with whom AJC met in Amman were Dr. Fayez Tarawneh, Chief of the Royal Hashemite Court, who received the delegation on King Abdullah II's behalf at the Al-Husainiah Palace. The group met with Prime Minister Hani Al-Mulki and several members of his cabinet, with Imad Fakhoury, Jordan's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, and with diplomats and policy experts.

AJC, committed to Arab-Israeli reconciliation and a negotiated two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, has maintained an office in Jerusalem for more than half a century and consults periodically with government officials, business leaders and civil society figures across the Arab world.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


BRONX, N.Y., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Albert Einstein College of Medicine a five-year, $6 million grant to fund the Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC). The grant will also support a new research program focused on 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS), an incurable genetic disorder associated with delayed intellectual development and psychiatric conditions, and some forms of congenital heart disease as well as other medical problems.

"The grant will provide critical support for dozens of ongoing studies in intellectual and developmental disabilities at Einstein and will result in new joint research opportunities and closer connections with our clinical colleagues at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM)" said co-principal investigator Steven U. Walkley, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of the IDDRC and professor in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, in the department of pathology, and in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology at Einstein.

Einstein's IDDRC was among the first 12 such centers that the NIH established in the 1960s and has pioneered research into typical and atypical brain development in children. It now supports more than 80 researchers who study neurodevelopmental conditions including autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, Rett and Williams syndromes, Niemann-Pick and other lysosomal storage diseases, neurocutaneous disorders, and infantile and childhood seizures.

The newly created 22q11.2DS research program joins basic researchers across several departments to address the genetic and neurobiological basis of intellectual dysfunction. "By working together, we have the potential to significantly advance understanding of the biological mechanisms and pathways of intellectual impairment in this condition," said Sophie Molholm, Ph.D., co-director of the IDDRC and associate professor of pediatrics, of neuroscience, and the Muriel and Harold Block Faculty Scholar in Mental Illness at Einstein.

The 22q11.2DS program will be led by Bernice Morrow, Ph.D., director of translational genetics, professor of genetics and the Sidney L. and Miriam K. Olson Chair in Cardiology at Einstein, an expert in genetic syndromes resulting in intellectual disability and congenital anomalies such as heart defects. As stressed by Dr. Morrow, "Studies of rare disorders, such as 22q11.2DS, with known etiologies and high incidence of intellectual disability, can provide novel inroads toward understanding underlying developmental mechanisms, which in turn assists in the generation of therapeutics."

"This new research program will greatly facilitate our efforts to establish a 22q11.2DS clinic at CHAM," said Judy Aschner, M.D., physician-in-chief at CHAM and the Michael I. Cohen, M.D., University Chair of Pediatrics at Einstein. "Children with this syndrome have multiple health issues and currently have to see a half-dozen or more pediatric specialists at different sites. With the new clinic, they will have access to all needed expertise in one location." Once established, the 22q11.2DS clinic would be the only one of its kind in the region and one of just a handful nationwide. The clinic will be directed by Elaine Pereira, M.D., attending physician, division pediatric genetic medicine at CHAM, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Einstein.

The NIH grant (U54 HD090260) also supports four IDDRC research cores: a human clinical phenotyping facility, which enables human research on intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing services to Einstein investigators such as recruitment and characterization of participants for studies; a neurogenomics facility, which conducts epigenetic and genomic analyses of RNA and DNA from both human and animal tissues; a neural cell engineering and imaging facility, involved in studies that visualize and manipulate brain cells in animal models; and an animal phenotyping facility, which evaluates behavior, metabolism and brain function in models of intellectual disability.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2016-2017 academic year, Einstein is home to 717 M.D. students, 166 Ph.D. students, 103 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 278 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2016, Einstein received more than $160 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook , and view us on YouTube .

SOURCE Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Related Links

http://www.einstein.yu.edu


WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2017/Aria-Child-Recalls-Strollers

Recall Summary

Name of Product: Qbit strollers

Hazard: A gap in the stroller's folding side hinge can pinch a caregiver's hand during unfolding, posing a laceration hazard. In addition, the stroller can fold unexpectedly during use, posing an injury and fall hazard to the caregiver and child.

Remedy: Replace

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Aria Child for a free replacement stroller.

Consumer Contact: Aria Child toll-free at 888-591-5540 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.ariachild.com and click on "Qbit Lightweight Stroller Voluntary Recall Information" for more information.

Recall Details

Units: About 29,400

Description: This recall involves the gb Qbit lightweight stroller for children up to 50 pounds. The recalled strollers have 4 sets of two wheels, a five-point harnessed restraint system, a full-sized reclining seat, a storage basket, a removable cup holder and a travel storage bag. The strollers can also be used as a travel system with infant carriers. The strollers are mostly black with an accent color. The "gb" red box logo is printed on the harness and on both sides of the stroller legs and "Qbit" is printed in white on the stroller legs. The model number and date of manufacture are printed on a sticker on the rear leg of the stroller, directly above the wheels, next to the storage basket.

Model Number Accent Color Date of Manufacture 10AW1G-AQU2U aqua March 25, 2015 through March 9, 2016 The date of manufacture is formatted as YYYY|MM|DD. 10AW1G-RAS2U raspberry 10AW1G-WHT2U white 10AW1G-CHA4U charcoal 10AW1G-CIR5U citrus lemon

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received five reports of consumers being pinched by the stroller hinge mechanism, resulting in four consumers needing stitches for cuts. In addition, there were 71 reports of the stroller unexpectedly folding during use, resulting in 12 minor bumps or bruises to a child or caregiver and one fractured wrist and elbow to an adult due to a fall.

Sold at: Babies R US and other retail stores nationwide and Albeebaby.com, Amazon.com, Dmartstores.com, Medbroad.com and other online retailers from May 2015 through November 2016 for about $180.

Importer: Aria Child Inc. of Dedham, Mass.

Manufactured in: China

CPSC Consumer Information Hotline

Contact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall:

800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)

Times: 8 a.m.  5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime

Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.

Media Contact

Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests.

Phone: 301-504-7908

Spanish: 301-504-7800

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Related Links

http://www.cpsc.gov


CENTRAL LAKE, Mich., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Central Lake Armor Express, Inc. ("Armor Express"), a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance body armor solutions, announced today updates regarding the Company's international market expansion. The announcement comes as the Company looks to better service the growing needs of law enforcement, government, military, and private security customers on a global basis.

Armor Express already has a strong presence internationally with friendly nations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and continues to build its distribution and technology partnerships to bring its full assortment of innovative body armor equipment to officers worldwide. The Company's past success has been driven especially by a diverse range of customized concealable and tactical carriers, and NIJ-0101.06 certified ballistic armor, along with a line of hard armor plates and related accessories. It is currently working on developing new systems for international customers based on NIJ .06 standards as well as requirements for select European markets, including most recently the German SK1 TR03/2008. Supported by its well-established network of 11 distributors across Europe, the Company expects to bring additional products to market throughout 2017.

"Today's announcement represents a significant step forward in Armor Express' global presence in key sectors with an increasing demand for innovative body armor solutions that are tested to meet or exceed special threat specifications," stated Scott Wyatt, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Armor Express. "With our ongoing investment in developing the highest-performing, most flexible and comfortable ballistic armor, carriers and accessory products, we see tremendous potential to drive adoption in major international markets such as Europe and beyond. This is reinforced by our proven distributor channel and a highly experienced and dedicated sales team. I am confident that with our expanded reach and greater service touch-points, more officers and military personnel will benefit from Armor Express' advanced capabilities."

To better serve its customers in Germany, Armor Express successfully completed the German SK1 certification process for its Razor Gen 2, NIJ .06 Level II ballistic armor. German law enforcement agencies may only purchase officially certified body armor. While the NIJ. 06 and SK1 standards for bullet-resistant armor have some similarities, they also have marked differences, particularly in the testing conditions  this includes the types of projectiles used for the SK1 such as the Action 4, QD-PEP and DM41 SR expanding rounds (all from the 9-mm family). The SK1 standard also includes zero-meter distance contact shots which are not part of the NIJ standard, though FBI body armor test protocols also include contact shots.

As Armor Express' lightest and thinnest body armor system ever, providing ground-breaking stopping power, the Razor Gen 2 easily passed the SK1's rigorous testing protocol. Built to meet the most strenuous requirements, the Razor showed a total average back face deformation (BFD) of 23.4mm, with the highest BFD being 32mm on the hot temperature test (70C) and contact shot for the DM41. The German SK1 (and FBI) protocol includes extremes of heat and cold, so armor samples are shot at 70 C (158 F) and -20 C (-4 F). Trauma impact values are measured in clay backing behind the panel after being exposed to actual live fire on a test range.

Overall, the Razor was recognized for its exceptional temperature extreme and contact shot performance. The ballistic package showed an impressive V50 of 524 m/s or 1719 ft/s.

The SK1 certification of the Razor's proprietary blend of cutting-edge Twaron aramid and Dyneema fabric, extremely thin construction, and reinforced stopping power is testament to the vest's superior performance and comfort benefits  all available in a single package.

In addition to the Razor Gen 2, Armor Express' newly redesigned Overt Carrier System (OCS) and Tactical Operations Response Carrier (TORC) are being utilized by various international customers. The OCS converts into an external load bearing vest, ensuring officers and first responders have the proper armor levels, coverage, and load options for any ballistic threat situation. In addition, the TORC plate carrier system offers outstanding coverage, ergonomic fit, scalable components, and low profile structure, giving patrol, task forces and tactical teams exceptional armor flexibility based on their needs.

Patrol, task forces and tactical teams will all benefit from the armor scalability based on the need of the officerPatrol, task forces and tactical teams will all benefit from the armor scalability based on the need of the officerPatrol, task forces and tactical teams will all benefit from the armor scalability based on the need of the officer

As global agencies seek to advance their capabilities, Armor Express has directed its resources to support market expansion initiatives, including making strategic hires. The Company recently appointed Mr. Clint Bennett as International Sales Manager, responsible for expanding international operations and working with its various distribution partners around the world. Mr. Bennett brings 15 years of experience in the body armor industry to Armor Express, previously serving in a number of senior management roles at Diamondback Tactical, Point Blank Enterprises, India's MKU Pvt. Ltd, Armor Designs, and Southwest Technologies Tactical.

"I'm very excited to be a part of the Armor Express team as the Company enters this next phase of its international growth," stated Mr. Bennett. "Building on our key relationships with distribution and technology partners around the world will enable us to bring our full assortment to the marketplace. I've worked closely with body armor makers, composite companies, nylon manufacturers and distributors for almost two decades, and this has given me a keen understanding of global customer requirements. I look forward to working with the team as we create differentiated opportunities to expand Armor Express' reach."

About Armor Express

Armor Express is a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance body armor systems. Founded in 2005, the Company has grown to become one of the largest providers of soft and hard armor products and accessories, serving the domestic and Federal law enforcement market, U.S Military and America's allies around the world. Through its strategic partnerships with technology innovators and its unwavering commitment to advance research & development, the Company's customers benefit from state-of-the-art protective solutions and best-in-class service. For more information, please visit www.armorexpress.com.

Company Contacts:

Glenn Wiener and Dionne Manchester

GW Communications (for Armor Express)

Tel: 212-786-6011 / 212-786-6068

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE Central Lake Armor Express, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.armorexpress.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gemini Companies announce that Gemini Alternative Funds, LLC (Gemini Alt, http://www.geminialt.com) has added the Aspect Core Diversified Programme, a managed futures strategy from Aspect Capital Limited, to the suite of offerings available on the Galaxy Plus Fund managed account platform.

Registered investment advisors (RIAs) as well as pensions, endowments, private wealth groups and other institutional investors in the U.S. can now seamlessly invest in the Aspect Core Diversified Programme from London-based Aspect Capital through Galaxy Plus.

"We created Galaxy Plus to provide alternative asset investors with an independent, cost-effective solution that offers the flexibility, transparency and liquidity that they experience when investing in mutual funds," said David Young, President of Gemini Alternative Funds. "The steady addition of strategies Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs) like Aspect Capital validates the strength of the solution we have built. We look forward to our continued growth and diversifying the Galaxy Plus platform."

Aspect Capital (http://www.aspectcapital.com) was founded in 1997, and manages $6 billion allocated among a range of systematic and quantitative investment strategies as of December 1, 2016. The firm's team seeks to produce strong, diversifying streams of alpha for client portfolios.

The Aspect Core Diversified Program applies a proprietary and systematic quantitative investment approach, which seeks to identify and exploit directional moves in over 110 contracts and over 85 markets. This objective is achieved through the use of medium-term trend following strategies which are applied to many of the most liquid global financial and commodity futures and currency forwards. The systematic strategy's goal is to generate pure momentum-based returns, with targeted annualized volatility of 10%, which are uncorrelated to major asset classes.

"We are delighted that the Aspect Core Diversified Program has been added to the Galaxy Plus Fund platform. Gemini Alt's long-term expertise in managed futures makes them an excellent partner for Aspect Capital. We are confident that this partnership will enable us to serve the growing demand for alternative investment in the US by giving easy access to a high quality product to RIAs and Institutional Investors without sacrificing control and transparency," said Anthony Todd, CEO of Aspect Capital.

About The Gemini Companies

The Gemini Companies provide investment companies with a single point of access to multiple solutions for pooled investment products. The individual service firms within The Gemini Companies were built on innovation, client partnerships and service, and their teams possess expertise in fund administration, accounting, technology, compliance and reporting.

Gemini Fund Services, LLC helps bring mutual funds to market, providing comprehensive administration, accounting, distribution and transfer agent services. Gemini Hedge Fund Services, LLC provides middle- and back-office administration, real-time portfolio valuations, comprehensive financial reporting and a full spectrum of investor services to help hedge fund managers meet the requirements of investors and regulatory bodies. Gemini Alternative Funds, LLC offers a managed account platform for fund managers to access multiple distribution channels and operational efficiencies, and allows qualified eligible purchasers and accredited investors to select from a variety of alternative investment strategies through a single account.

The Gemini Companies are subsidiaries of NorthStar Financial Services Group, LLC, which has more than 750 employees and over $455 billion in assets under management and administration, and TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm. For more information, please call (855) 891-0092 or visit www.thegeminicompanies.com.

About Aspect Capital Limited

Aspect Capital is a UK-based systematic investment manager with offices in London, Stamford (CT) and Hong Kong.

Aspect Capital applies a systematic and quantitative approach to investment management, with the aim of generating high-quality and diversifying alpha for its clients' portfolios.

Aspect Capital was established in 1997 by Anthony Todd, Martin Lueck, Michael Adam and Eugene Lambert and is currently managed by a senior team which has extensive experience in the development and implementation of systematic investment strategies. Two of Aspect Capital's founders, Michael Adam and Martin Lueck, were involved in the successful development of Adam, Harding & Lueck Limited (AHL, now a part of Man Group plc), one of the pioneers in the application of quantitative techniques to investment management.

Aspect Capital employs a team of over 120 professionals and invests heavily in the on-going research-driven evolution of its quantitative alpha-generating systems and their efficient implementation across a wide range of liquid asset classes. The company emphasizes strong corporate governance and the provision of first class investor service to a client base which includes many of the world's leading institutional investors.

Important Disclaimer: Alternative investment products, including managed futures and hedge funds, involve substantial risk of loss and are not suitable for all investors. Past results are not indicative of future results.

3064-GAF-12192016

CONTACT: Andrew Jennings

JConnelly

(646) 922-7758

[email protected]

SOURCE The Gemini Companies

Related Links

http://www.thegeminicompanies.com


UTQIAGVIK, Alaska, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Arctic Slope Regional Corporation is strongly reacting to a plan from the Obama administration to permanently block the sale of new offshore drilling rights in Alaska's Arctic as well as sections in the Atlantic, off the east coast. The plan calls for withdrawing additional acreage in the Arctic OCS planning areas using an ambiguous clause of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The controversial announcement was made this afternoon from Washington D.C.

"We will fight this legacy move by the outgoing president with every resource at our disposal," said Rex A. Rock Sr., ASRC president and CEO. "This decision will not stop our climate from changing, but it will inhibit our North Slope communities from developing the infrastructure, communications capability and technology necessary for growth. It's a move which was made without any consultation from the largest private land owners in the U.S. Arctic and yet we will be the ones forced to live with the consequences."

"It's disappointing this administration would base much of its decisions regarding offshore oil and gas development on faulty assumptions," added Crawford Patkotak, ASRC board chairman. "Today's surprise announcement will have lasting negative effects across the U.S. Arctic without seeking input from those who call the region home."

Reviews and procedures within OCSLA are strictly stated to ensure the protection of human, marine and coastal environments. Unfairly restricting oil and gas exploration, simply to suffice the climate change goals of the president and his supporters, endangers Alaskan jobs and the economic outlook of North Slope communities and the entire state of Alaska.

Today's announcement follows Obama's decision last month to cancel offshore lease sales through 2022 in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, blatantly ignoring feedback from Arctic residents and Alaska's congressional delegation. Also in November, ASRC announced the purchase of federal offshore leases, formerly owned by Shell, in and near Camden Bay. Although the administration's decision today does not directly affect these leases, it sets a precedent for future regulatory actions that could have a negative impact on responsible development in the Arctic.

A statewide poll, conducted in late October, shows Alaskans overwhelmingly support offshore oil and gas development in the state. More than two-thirds of Alaskans (76%) support offshore resource development and almost universally believe it has a big impact on their economy (88%).

About ASRC

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation is owned by and represents the business interests of the Arctic Slope Inupiat. Since opening enrollment in 1989 to Alaska Natives born after 1971, the corporation's shareholder base has nearly tripled, growing from the 3,700 original enrollees to around 13,000 today. Corporate headquarters are based in Barrow, Alaska, with administrative and subsidiary offices located in Anchorage and throughout the United States. ASRC, along with its family of companies, is the largest Alaskan-owned company, employing approximately 12,000 people worldwide. The company has six major business segments: petroleum refining and marketing, energy support services, industrial services, construction, government services and resource development.

CONTACT:

Ty Hardt

Sr. Director of Communications

Desk (907) 339-6888

Mobile (907) 223-3253

[email protected]

SOURCE Arctic Slope Regional Corporation

Related Links

http://www.asrc.com


STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE: ALV and SSE: ALIVsdb), the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, is to launch a learning, intelligent vehicle system. The system is developed by Autoliv Research to facilitate collaboration and shared control between driver and vehicle. This in order to attain trust and facilitate required safety in autonomous driving. The LIV-system is to be demonstrated at CES in Las Vegas on January 4.

The first version of LIV, the Learning Intelligent Vehicle, utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, and coming versions will incorporate on-line and off-line machine learning, utilizing a wide array of data sources and developing an individual relationship to the driver. LIV, pronounced {'li:v} or "leave", literally means "life" in Swedish and is a common Swedish first name as well as part of Autoliv's own life-assuring brand name.

"With this research platform, Autoliv Research aims to solve what truly proactive safety is all about. With LIV, we have found a way to combine our history of saving lives and our leading technology within active safety to accelerate the safe development of automated vehicles," says Ola Bostrom, Vice President Research at Autoliv.

LIV 1.0

The first version of LIV is equipped with Autoliv technology readily available today, connecting all the different technologies via an AI-based ECU, which communicates and acts on all available data. Data sources include what is derived from the driver, the car, its surroundings, as well as from other vehicles and external data sources.

In both autonomous driving situations as well as with the driver in control, LIV complements the driver, monitoring and analyzing all aspects surrounding the vehicle and safeguarding the situations in close cooperation with the driver.

LIV also provides assistance based on the traffic around the car as well as the preferences of the driver, keeping the driver in the loop by allowing for two-way communication as well as interpreting the driver's behavior. In forthcoming versions, LIV will also incorporate machine learning technology, providing the necessities to learn the unique characteristics in the relation between the individual driver and vehicle.

The main reason for promoting the LIV research platform, incorporating and testing new and existing technologies on a continuous basis, is to develop the necessary conditions to be able to unleash autonomous driving and AI technology on a broad scale  while maintaining safety and providing a better driving experience. The accelerated innovation and technology development within autonomous driving and automated transport solutions in turn requires for more of a so called human centric approach  where shared control and two-way trust between human and smart vehicle is crucial for a safe autonomous development.

Ola Bostrom, Vice President Research at Autoliv and in charge of the LIV project, explains further: "The more advanced machine learning and AI technology becomes, the more important it is to have a human centric approach  understanding how we humans and smart machines collaborate as a joint cognitive system. As vehicles become safer, in a sense we become worse drivers. We no longer need to control the vehicle unless it needs or wants us to. With LIV, we have turned this table around, with a system that trusts you to drive and works together with you, and not the other way around."

Inquiries:

Cathrine Stjarnekull, Director External Communications.

Tel: +46 (0)8-58 72 06 81

About Autoliv

Autoliv, Inc., the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, develops and manufactures automotive safety systems for all major automotive manufacturers in the world. Together with its joint ventures, Autoliv has more than 80 facilities and 68,000 employees in 27 countries. In addition, the Company has 20 technical centers in nine countries around the world, with 20 test tracks, more than any other automotive safety supplier. Sales in 2015 amounted to about US $9.2 billion. The Company's shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ALV) and its Swedish Depository Receipts on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm (ALIV sdb). For more information about Autoliv, please visit our company website at www.autoliv.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This report contains statements that are not historical facts but rather forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include those that address activities, events or developments that Autoliv, Inc. or its management believes or anticipates may occur in the future. All forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations, various assumptions and data available from third parties. Our expectations and assumptions are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize or prove to be correct as forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual future results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those set out in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. For any forward-looking statements contained in this or any other document, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we assume no obligation to update any such statement.

CONTACT:

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/autoliv/r/autoliv-research-to-launch-learning-intelligent-vehicle,c2153639

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/751/2153639/606181.pdf Press release (PDF) http://news.cision.com/autoliv/i/liv-in-las-vegas,c2044844 LIV in Las Vegas

SOURCE Autoliv

Related Links

http://www.autoliv.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Axiom Space announced today that Amir Blachman has been appointed the new Vice President of Strategic Development. In this role, Blachman will lead the financial planning, funding, and growth strategy for the world's first private, international commercial space station.

With the International Space Station scheduled to be decommissioned in 2024, and no replacement on the horizon until now, Axiom Space is building the first international, privately-owned station that will host sovereign astronauts, private companies, and individual explorers. The Axiom International Commercial Space Station will expand the landscape of low Earth orbit, creating a historic shift in human spaceflight by further opening microgravity to nations, organizations and individuals. Axiom supports development of sovereign human spaceflight programs, in-space manufacturing and serves as a test base for lunar, Mars and deeper space missions.

Blachman joins Axiom Space from the plasma thruster company Phase Four, where he served as the Executive Vice President of Business Development and Finance, facilitating the company's product development roadmap, budgeting and valuation analysis for funding. Prior to Phase Four, he was the Managing Director of Space Angels Network, a global angel investor network for the commercial aerospace industry. He is currently a Strategic Advisor to the solar-electric aircraft manufacturer Bye Aerospace, and a Venture Partner at FUTURE, a venture capital fund that invests in frontier technologies.

Blachman's in-depth understanding of space industry investment and development will further solidify Axiom Space's mission to create a means to deep space exploration. "Amir's impressive career in space and technology startups makes him uniquely qualified to lead our strategic development," said Michael Suffredini, President and Co-founder of Axiom Space and previous manager of NASA's ISS program. "I am excited to welcome Amir as a key member of the Axiom team: our group of talented individuals committed to the passion and goal of commercializing low Earth orbit and democratizing access to space."

"It's rewarding, and an honor, to be part of this experienced team of astronauts, mission managers, engineers and space industry leaders," said Blachman. "We have the opportunity and unique capability to build on the legacy of human spaceflight, increase our presence in microgravity, further commercialize low Earth orbit, and serve as an integral part of lunar, Mars and deep space missions planned by private companies and governments."

About Axiom Space

Axiom Space, LLC is a private company creating the first international commercial space station to host government astronauts, private companies, and individuals for on-orbit research, manufacturing, space exploration systems testing, and tourism. Axiom's vision is to make living and working in Earth orbit commonplace as a means to sustained deep space exploration. For more information, visit: www.axiomspace.com or follow Axiom on social media at twitter.com/Axiom_Space.

Media Contact:

Renee Rossi

Corporate Communications, Axiom Space

908-872-3452

[email protected]

SOURCE Axiom Space

Related Links

http://www.axiomspace.com


"We are excited to welcome Anja, adding to the incredible depth of talent across our team," said Drew McMorrow, President and CEO of Ballentine Partners. "Anja has spent nearly 15 years of her career in investment management, and her experience and insights will help bring even greater focus and attention to strategic initiatives aimed at preserving our dedication to the client experience and positioning the firm for sustained success. Her strong desire to put clients' needs and objectives above all else makes her a natural fit at Ballentine."

"I am thrilled to join a team of talented and kind people with a shared dedication to excellence and continuous improvement," said Saloranta. "The firm has a long history of loyal dedication to the families it serves and this makes it a special place."

Anja Saloranta joined Ballentine Partners in early November as the Chief Operating Officer. Most recently, Ms. Saloranta was with Redstar Ventures where she was responsible for generating new business ideas and launching companies. Previously, Anja was a Portfolio Manager and the Head of Impact Investing at SCS Financial where she advised families on all aspects of their financial lives and led the firm's impact investing practice. Anja started her career in venture capital and private equity, holding investment professional positions at North Atlantic Capital, Capital Resource Partners and MissionPoint Capital Partners. Anja received her MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and French from the University of Maine.

About Ballentine Partners

Ballentine Partners is an independent wealth management firm providing comprehensive investment and family office services to wealthy families and entrepreneurs. The firm was one of the first to deliver independent, objective, and comprehensive financial advice for wealthy families more than 30 years ago, and continues to be a thought leader in the field. Ballentine's clients require comprehensive, integrated, and objective advice. The firm advises on more than $6.2b in assets under management (as of 9/30/2016). Ballentine scales its services to meet the breadth of clients' needs, whether it's investment management and planning for an entrepreneur or a full suite of family office services for a multigenerational family, including family meetings and education, philanthropic advising, and family office administration.

Contact: Kim Emberg, [email protected], 781-314-1327, https://ballentinepartners.com

SOURCE Ballentine Partners
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/449030/Reward_Gateway.jpg )



LogBuy is used by over 200 companies in the UK, including Philips Electronics and Laing O'Rouke.

Reward Gateway welcomes all LogBuy UK clients into its family and every client will be upgraded to a 24/7/365 a year employee helpdesk. Clients can also take advantage of a wider range of solutions, including reward and recognition products, employee communications, wellbeing, and the integrated employee engagement platform, SmartHub.

The two companies have worked on bringing their benefit programmes together so that both Reward Gateway and LogBuy clients will see the benefits from both programmes.

The Reward Gateway acquisition marks the sixth that has taken place within the RG Engagement Group's portfolio, which is fuelled by a $220m investment by Boston based financiers Great Hill Partners LLP.

The business also announced it has appointed Matt Drew as Director of M&A to increase the speed and scale of future deals. Matt joins the business having previously acted as a mentor at VC accelerators Seedcamp and Cyber London.

Reward Gateway's Founder & CEO, Glenn Elliott said, "We're looking for any opportunity to make the world a happier place to work, and today's news means that the employees of over 200 companies that use LogBuy will have access to a wider range of rewards, and the tools to thank and recognise each other.

Glenn continues, "I'm also really excited that Matt has joined us to help reach out to the industry and bring us all closer together. Reward Gateway has got great financial backing and a wonderful, engaged client base that we can help with more products and services. We've got some fantastic opportunities ahead to bring more to our clients in a really coherent way that is great for them and their employees."

About Reward Gateway

Reward Gateway helps more than 1,300 of the world's leading companies to attract, engage and retain their best people with an employee engagement platform that brings employee benefits, discounts and perks, reward and recognition, employee wellbeing, employee communications and employee feedback into one unified hub. Clients include American Express, Unilever, Samsung, IBM and McDonald's. Please visit: http://www.rewardgateway.com

SOURCE Reward Gateway
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nyman Turkish PC, a national disability and litigation law firm, has asked the United States Supreme Court to hear the case of Angelo Binno, a blind Michigan man who sued the American Bar Association (ABA) over five years ago for disability discrimination.

"This case is about far more than just one student," said Jason Turkish, managing partner of Nyman Turkish, who took on Binno's appeal to the nation's highest court pro bono. "This case is fundamentally about whether we're going to treat people with disabilities equally in this country or not. Angelo isn't seeking damages. He's not asking to be graded on a curve. He's simply asking for a level playing field and a chance to be judged on his merits. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT), as currently configured, simply doesn't allow him that chance."

Despite graduating from Wayne State University, speaking three languages and previously holding a high-level security clearance with the Department of Homeland Security, Binno was unable to gain admission to law school because he is unable to complete the "logic games" portion of the LSAT.

The "logic games" section requires test-takers to perceive spatial relationships and draw diagrams and pictures. Binno, 34, was rejected by every law school he applied to after taking the LSAT because he couldn't draw diagrams and thus scored too low.

The ABA has long since recognized the discriminatory nature of the LSAT yet it threatens law schools it regulates with loss of accreditation should those schools make the simple accommodation of waiving this inherently discriminatory exam. Until the mid-1990s, the ABA allowed law schools to waive the LSAT requirement for those who are "physically incapable" of taking the test. That exception was repealed by the ABA, and now all law school applicants must take the LSAT, regardless of disability. Binno contends that asking him to draw diagrams and perceive spatial relationships illegally tests him on his inability to see rather than on his aptitude for the study of law.

Contact: TJ Bucholz, 517.657.3944

SOURCE Nyman Turkish PC
HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bradley Radoff and his affiliates and Joshua Schechter, who together are the beneficial owners of approximately 7.9% of the outstanding shares of CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI), announced today that they have issued an open letter to the Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors of CDI Corp. The full text of the letter is included below:

December 20, 2016



CDI Corp.

1735 Market Street, Suite 200

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

Attention: Anna M. Seal, Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Dear Ms. Seal,

We are writing to you as the Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the "Governance Committee") of the Board of CDI Corp ("CDI"). As you well know, in 2014, we wrote a private letter to you highlighting various issues including CDI's poor corporate governance. Many of the points raised in our recently released letter to Walter Garrison ("Garrison letter") were discussed in our 2014 letter to you; a letter to which you chose not to respond. Based on your previous experience at Arrow International, we had hoped you might be an agent for positive change on the CDI Board. However, given your failure to address these serious issues which continue to plague CDI and its worsening governance situation, it is clear to us you have chosen to line up at the trough with the rest of the directors at the expense of CDI and its shareholders.

As Chairman of the Governance Committee you are directly responsible for the chronic governance failures and it is particularly disheartening to see governance deteriorate in a way that has personally benefited you at the expense of shareholders. For example, CDI has changed its director ownership guidelines in a way that delinks the financial interests of the Board from CDI shareholders. In the 2015 proxy statement, "each non-employer director who has served on the Board for at least four years is required to own at least $400,000 in market value of CDI stock." In the 2016 proxy statement, the policy was revised to "each non-employee director who has served on the Board for at least four years is required to own CDI stock with a value of at least $200,000. The value of CDI stock is considered to be the greater of the current market price of CDI stock or the price when the shares were acquired." On CDI's website, it appears as if the policy has been changed again to "each Director who has served on the Board for at least four years should own at least $100,000 (market value) of the Company's stock." Without these changes, several long-term directors including you would not meet the prior ownership guidelines. Perhaps you find this race to the bottom along with CDI's share price humorous, we find it incredibly shameful, a disgrace to the basic tenets of good governance and an affront to long-suffering shareholders.

One of the most blatant governance failures as we described in the Garrison letter is CDI's disturbing relationship with director Barton Winokur who has served on the Board for 48 years and is engulfed in conflicts of interest. The issues raised are not on the boundaries of good corporate governance. Rather, they cross bright lines (we suggest you spend some time studying recommended good governance guidelines put out by third parties) which we intend to raise before shareholders and independent proxy advisory firms at the 2017 annual meeting. Since you are the Chairman of the Governance Committee, you are fully responsible for maintaining best corporate governance practices and it is clear that you have failed and should be held accountable.

Ms. Seal, this Board is in desperate need of wholesale change. If you fail to restore best corporate practices, then we suggest you immediately resign rather than continue to collect your exorbitant director fees at the expense of shareholders. Otherwise, we will look forward to making our case against you and the rest of the Board directly to shareholders at the 2017 annual meeting.

Sincerely,















/s/ Bradley L. Radoff

/s/ Joshua E. Schechter Bradley L. Radoff

Joshua E. Schechter

Investor Contact: Joshua E. Schechter, [email protected]



SOURCE Bradley Radoff
Caputo joins partners Cox, Eric Weldele and Rob Frost and brings 19 years of experience in government, politics and lobbying. His practice focuses primarily on state policy, including appropriation measures, rule-making procedures and strategic advocacy coordination. Additionally, Caputo regularly assists clients seeking economic incentives for business expansion and investment.

While in state government, Caputo worked for two Ohio Senate Presidents as a policy aide and served as a Deputy District Director for Ohio Governor Bob Taft.

Mike received a B.A. in Political Science from John Carroll University in 1998.

Based in Columbus, Kuhns has more than five years experience successfully lobbying for clients on a broad range of issues. Prior to becoming a lobbyist in 2011, Kuhns worked as a legislative aide for the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives. As an aide to legislators who held leadership positions, Rebecca was intimately involved in the state budgeting process and worked to facilitate passage of a wide-range of legislative provisions.

Capitol Partners is the only independent state lobbying firm with offices in Cleveland and Columbus. With the addition of Caputo and Kuhns, the firm will have the largest Cleveland presence of any state lobbying firm.

"We are excited that Mike and Rebecca have joined our firm," said Cox. "Mike is a respected, connected and accomplished government affairs professional whose experience will benefit the firm and the clients we serve. Rebecca's deep knowledge of the state legislative process will strengthen the firm's capacity and capabilities in the government relations arena. Together, Mike and Rebecca broaden the firm's footprint in both Cleveland and Columbus and enhance our ability to counsel and serve our clients."

"Rebecca and I are both thrilled to be joining the Capitol Partners team," said Caputo. "The platform that Matt and his team has developed is precisely the platform that we believe is critical for successful advocacy. Capitol Partners has developed the depth and breadth of comprehensive advocacy services that will serve as the foundation upon which our clients' successes will be realized. We are excited to be part of this team and we look forward to contributing to the firm's continued growth and success."

Capitol Partners assists corporate, public sector and nonprofit clients in governmental matters at the local, state and national levels, including legislative and executive lobbying, grassroots public affairs, corporate consulting and issues management.

For more information about Capitol Partners, visit www.capitolpartnersohio.com.

SOURCE Capitol Partners

Related Links

http://www.capitolpartnersohio.com


OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK) today announced that it has signed an agreement to sell a portion of the company's acreage and producing properties in its Haynesville Shale operating area in northern Louisiana for approximately $465 million to an affiliate of Covey Park Energy LLC. The sale includes approximately 41,500 net acres and 326 operated and non-operated wells currently producing approximately 50 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas per day, net to Chesapeake. The company expects this transaction to close in the 2017 first quarter.

Doug Lawler, Chesapeake's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are pleased with the results of our non-core Haynesville sales packages, totaling projected gross proceeds of $915 million, while divesting of only approximately 80 mmcf of daily gas production and approximately $50 million of estimated 2017 operating income. Upon closing, this strong bid for our second Haynesville package, along with our recent new issue and tender, will position Chesapeake with significant liquidity as we begin a new year.

"Chesapeake delivered on its strategy and achieved our stated financial and operational objectives in 2016. We exceeded our 2016 asset sales goal by approximately $500 million, bringing total gross proceeds from divestitures either signed or closed in the year to approximately $2.5 billion, excluding certain volumetric production payment repurchase transactions. We will continue to pursue opportunities to strengthen our balance sheet in 2017."

Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Corporation's (NYSE: CHK) operations are focused on discovering and developing its large and geographically diverse resource base of unconventional oil and natural gas assets onshore in the United States. The company also owns oil and natural gas marketing and natural gas gathering and compression businesses.

INVESTOR CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT: CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION Brad Sylvester, CFA

(405) 935-8870

[email protected] Gordon Pennoyer

(405) 935-8878

[email protected] 6100 North Western Avenue

P.O. Box 18496

Oklahoma City, OK 73154

This news release and the accompanying Outlook include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than statements of historical fact. They include statements, but are not limited to, the anticipated timing and proceeds from asset sales, if any, as well as the effect of such asset sales on our ability to optimize our asset base, further reduce outstanding debt and grow production in 2017. Although we believe the expectations and forecasts reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance they will prove to have been correct. They can be affected by inaccurate or changed assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results include those described under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of our annual report on Form 10-K and any updates to those factors set forth in Chesapeake's subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K (available at http://www.chk.com/investors/sec-filings). These risk factors include the volatility of oil, natural gas and NGL prices; the limitations our level of indebtedness may have on our financial flexibility; our inability to access the capital markets on favorable terms or at all; the availability of cash flows from operations and other funds to finance reserve replacement costs or satisfy our debt obligations; a further downgrade in our credit rating requiring us to post more collateral under certain commercial arrangements; write-downs of our oil and natural gas asset carrying values due to low commodity prices; our ability to replace reserves and sustain production; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil, natural gas and NGL reserves and projecting future rates of production and the amount and timing of development expenditures; our ability to generate profits or achieve targeted results in drilling and well operations; leasehold terms expiring before production can be established; commodity derivative activities resulting in lower prices realized on oil, natural gas and NGL sales; the need to secure derivative liabilities and the inability of counterparties to satisfy their obligations; adverse developments or losses from pending or future litigation and regulatory proceedings, including royalty claims; charges incurred in response to market conditions and in connection with our ongoing actions to reduce financial leverage and complexity; drilling and operating risks and resulting liabilities; effects of environmental protection laws and regulation on our business; legislative and regulatory initiatives further regulating hydraulic fracturing; our need to secure adequate supplies of water for our drilling operations and to dispose of or recycle the water used; impacts of potential legislative and regulatory actions addressing climate change; federal and state tax proposals affecting our industry; potential OTC derivatives regulation limiting our ability to hedge against commodity price fluctuations; competition in the oil and gas exploration and production industry; a deterioration in general economic, business or industry conditions; negative public perceptions of our industry; limited control over properties we do not operate; pipeline and gathering system capacity constraints and transportation interruptions; terrorist activities and cyber-attacks adversely impacting our operations; potential challenges of our spin-off of Seventy Seven Energy Inc. (SSE) in the event of a bankruptcy of SSE; an interruption in operations at our headquarters due to a catastrophic event; the continuation of suspended dividend payments on our common stock and preferred stock; certain anti-takeover provisions that affect shareholder rights; and our inability to increase or maintain our liquidity through debt repurchases, capital exchanges, asset sales, joint ventures, farmouts or other means.

Expected asset sales may not be completed in the time frame anticipated or at all. We caution you not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release, and we undertake no obligation to update any of the information provided in this release or the accompanying Outlook, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Chesapeake Energy Corporation
BEIJING, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- China Online Education Group ("51Talk", or the "Company") (NYSE: COE), a leading online education platform in China, with core expertise in English education, today announced its participation in the Morgan Stanley China Technology, Media & Telecoms Conference 2017 Spring Series on January 4-5 at the Rosewood Hotel in Beijing.

Management will meet with institutional investors throughout the event. For additional information, please contact your Morgan Stanley institutional sales representative.

About China Online Education Group

China Online Education Group (NYSE: COE) is a leading online education platform in China, with core expertise in English education. The Company's mission is to make quality education accessible and affordable. The Company's online and mobile education platforms enable students across China to take live one-on-one interactive English lessons with overseas foreign teachers, on demand. The Company connects its students with a large pool of highly qualified foreign teachers that it assembled using a shared economy approach, and employs student and teacher feedback and data analytics to deliver a personalized learning experience to its students.

For more information, please visit http://ir.51talk.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "aims", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "likely to" and similar statements. Among other things, 51Talk's business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as 51Talk's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. 51Talk may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about 51Talk's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: 51Talk's goals and strategies; 51Talk's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its brand and platform; 51Talk's ability to retain and increase its student enrollment; 51Talk's ability to offer new courses; 51Talk's ability to engage, train and retain new teachers; 51Talk's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; 51Talk's ability to maintain and improve infrastructure necessary to operate its education platform; competition in the online education industry in China; the expected growth of, and trends in, the markets for 51Talk's course offerings in China; relevant government policies and regulations relating to 51Talk's corporate structure, business and industry; general economic and business condition in China, the Philippines and elsewhere and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in 51Talk's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and 51Talk does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

China Online Education Group

Investor Relations

+86 (10) 5692-8909

[email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

+86 (10) 6535-0148

+1-212-481-2050

[email protected]

SOURCE China Online Education Group

Related Links

http://ir.51talk.com


ATLANTA, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chuck Clay & Associates, LLC is honored to announce that Attorney Chuck Clay has been included in Georgia Trend Magazine's 2016 Legal Elite list. He has been recognized as among the top personal injury attorneys in the state.

This year is the 14th year that Georgia Trend has compiled a list of Georgia's finest attorneys using a peer nomination process. Attorneys who are members of the state bar and who live in and practice in Georgia were invited to submit nominations online of attorneys who they feel are among the best legal professionals in their field. This year's results include nearly 300 law firms in more than 30 cities throughout Georgia. As inclusion in this list is based entirely on peer reviews, an attorney cannot pay for a spot on the list. Potential clients seeking legal services can therefore trust that those included in the list are truly among the most accomplished and highly-recommended attorneys in the state.

Those seeking quality legal services in Georgia can feel confident selecting an attorney from Georgia Trend's Legal Elite list. If you have been injured in an accident and have questions about your rights, we encourage you to get in touch with Chuck Clay & Associates, LLC. The firm handles all types of personal injury cases, including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, nursing home abuse, defective product injuries, dog bites, wrongful death, and more. To discuss your case with an attorney during a free initial case evaluation, please call (404) 998-5258 or visit www.chuckclay.com.

SOURCE Chuck Clay & Associates, LLC

Related Links

http://www.chuckclay.com


SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CleanSpark, Inc. (OTC: CLSK), a microgrid company which is combining a patented "stratified" downdraft gasifier with advanced engineering and software and controls for innovative distributed energy resource management systems, today announced the company was named as a Top 10 finalist of the Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA) Later Stage Awards 2016 in the Energy Storage/Smart Grid category.

Matthew Schultz, Chief Executive Officer of CleanSpark, Inc., commented, "We are honored to be selected by GCCA alongside such a premier group of innovative, clean technology industry leaders. It is highly satisfying to be recognized among the Top 10 for our innovative technology and energy management systems and the opportunities these solutions address in the microgrid market."

The GCCA Later Stage Award winners originate from the major cleantech industries, including solar, wind and clean web to lighting, energy efficiency, mobility, urban agriculture and water. The Top 10 Finalists were narrowed down from more than 105 nominations and represent some of the world's most sought after and up-and-coming equity-investable cleantech companies. The annual GCCA Later Stage Awards brings to the forefront the best investment grade companies with strong product differentiation, scalable business models and solid market traction.

The GCCA Later Stage Awards 2016 ceremony was held December 13th at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, in conjunction with the Global Solutions Summit (GSS) 2016. GSS 2016 met in collaboration with the Club de Madrid (CdM), an organization comprised of more than 100 former Presidents, Prime Ministers and Heads of State which reconvened in the Club de Madrid - P80 Group "Reunion Proceedings", and the 6th GCCA Awards Dinner. GSS 2016 builds on the widely-acclaimed inaugural Global Solutions Summit which first convened at the U.S. Department of State in April 2014.

GCCA is a fully independent and open platform designed to support the development towards a shared economy and low carbon prosperity. As a meta-cluster, GCCA provides access to capital, corporates, markets and insights.

About CleanSpark, Inc.

CleanSpark combines a revolutionary and patented 'stratified' downdraft gasifier with advanced energy software and control technology that enables a plug-and-play enterprise solution to modern energy challenges. CleanSpark's gasifier was developed with partners such as Petersen, Inc., ICON Renewables, Combustion Resources and others to create a logical solution for profitably handling MSW, Coal, Plastics, Municipal Sewage and many other feedstocks. All with ZERO airborne emissions. We've aligned ourselves with research universities such as Utah State University, The University of Utah, and BYU to certify and maximize the efficiencies and production of our technology. By integrating new and existing energy generation and storage assets with advanced load management capacities, CleanSpark's software allows energy generated locally to be shared with other interconnected microgrids. This unique capability enables microgrids to be scaled and widely adopted for commercial, industrial, military, municipal, and remote community deployment.

For more information on CleanSpark, please visit http://www.cleanspark.com.

Information about Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release relating to plans, strategies, testing and operational performance, projections of results of specific activities and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This release contains "forward-looking statements" that include information relating to future events and future financial and operating performance. The words "may," "would," "will," "expect," "estimate," "can," "believe," "potential" and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: fluctuations in demand for the Company's products, the introduction of new products, the Company's ability to maintain customer and strategic business relationships, the impact of competitive products and pricing, growth in targeted markets, the adequacy of the Company's liquidity and financial strength to support its growth, and other information that may be detailed from time-to-time in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the Company, please refer to the Company's recent SEC filings, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Website: http://www.cleanspark.com

Contact: Investor Relations:

Brett Maas, Managing Partner, Hayden IR,

(646) 536-7331, [email protected]

SOURCE CleanSpark, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cleanspark.com


These mouthwatering winter recipes will not only help warm you up, but create a loving family dining experience that everyone can enjoy. When serving up hearty winter recipes, such as a savory Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese or delectable Baked Spaghetti, there's no better way to satisfy the craving for wholesome comfort food than with Borden Cheese and its wide range of offerings. From mild cheddar and mozzarella to Mexican, Swiss, American and more, every chunk, slice and shred is pure, creamy goodness that transforms family recipes into something truly memorable.

For more inspiration and ideas for family dinners, visit bordencheese.com.

Baked Spaghetti

Cook time: 35 minutes

Servings: 6



Nonstick spray 1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped green pepper 1 pound ground beef 1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes with liquid, cut up 1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained 1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 cups Borden Cheese Mild Cheddar Shreds 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350 F.

Spray 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

In large, nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until hot. Saute onion and pepper until tender. Add ground beef and cook until beef has browned; drain.

Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and oregano. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer 10 minutes.

Place half of spaghetti in prepared baking dish. Top with half of vegetable-meat mixture. Sprinkle with half of cheddar cheese. Repeat layers.

Combine soup with water; pour over casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Ham and Gouda Quesadilla

Cook time: 15 minutes

Servings: 1

2 teaspoons olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 flour tortilla (10 inches) 2 slices deli ham 8 dill pickle rounds 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Borden Cheese Gouda Shreds

In small, nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions become tender and golden brown.

Spread mustard on one half of tortilla. Top with ham, onions, pickles and cheese; fold uncovered part of tortilla over filling to form semi-circle.

Cook quesadilla in dry skillet over medium-high heat until browned on both sides and cheese is melted.

Cut into four pieces and serve.

Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese

Servings: 6

Sandwiches:

3 pounds pork shoulder

Barbecue Sauce (recipe below) 4 tablespoons Borden Butter 1 loaf (1 pound) sourdough bread, sliced 16 slices Borden Cheese Singles Sensations Extra Sharp Cheddar Barbecue Sauce:

2 tablespoons Borden Butter 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 jalapeno, diced (optional) 1 cup ketchup 1/2 cup brown sugar

liquid smoke, to taste

To make sandwiches: Heat smoker to 210 F.

Smoke pork shoulder 3-5 hours, until internal temperature reaches 150 F. Remove and wrap in aluminum foil. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove excess fat from pork. Using two forks, shred remaining meat into large bowl. Mix in Barbecue Sauce.

In skillet or griddle, brown two slices of buttered sourdough bread over medium heat.

Place slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Top with one-eighth of pulled pork mixture, second slice of cheese and another slice of buttered bread.

Turn sandwich over when bottom slice has browned and brown other side.

Tip: Use prepared pork shoulder in place of smoking pork.

To make Barbecue Sauce: In medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onions until soft; stir in jalapenos, ketchup, sugar and liquid smoke. Bring to boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 hour, or until sauce has thickened to desired consistency.

Tips: To make sweeter sauce, add more sugar. To make spicier, add more jalapenos.

Easy Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Cook time: 55 minutes

Servings: 4



Nonstick spray 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 tablespoon minced onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained 2 1/2 cups water 2 large eggs 1 cup non-fat milk 1 cup Borden Cheese Sharp Cheddar Shreds, divided

chopped tomato (optional)

green onion (optional)

Heat oven to 350 F and spray 8-by-8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.

In medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic, and saute 1 minute, or until onion is tender.

Add quinoa and cook, stirring, until golden brown and toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add water, bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until water has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Stir quinoa into egg mixture and whisk in 1/2 cup cheese. Spread in prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake 30 minutes.

Garnish with chopped tomato and green onion, if desired. Serve immediately.

Michael French

[email protected]

1-888-824-3337

editors.familyfeatures.com

About Family Features Editorial Syndicate

Established in 1974, Family Features is a leading provider of free food and lifestyle content for print and online publications. Our articles, photos, videos and web content solutions save you time, money and help create advertising opportunities. Registration is fast and free  with absolutely no obligation. Visit editors.familyfeatures.com for more information.

SOURCE Family Features Editorial Syndicate

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KARLSKRONA, Sweden, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations today are looking to upgrade their storage solutions but often find that public cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service does not fit their requirements. Compuverde today announced that it has enabled Bloxham Mill Business Centre, a provider of flexible and cost-effective alternatives to conventional offices, to offer expanded data center infrastructure services to its SME customers. Read the full story at http://tiny.cc/chzuhy.

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Bloxham Mill needed a storage solution that would provide synchronous data replication between two discrete data center locations at a competitive cost and without the complexity that normally comes with it. The solution had to support virtual and bare-metal workloads; block, file and object protocols; and directory integration, as well as offer secure multi-tenancy. All of these requirements would typically mean multiple solutions from multiple vendors, like a combination of Isilon and Nutanix. But Compuverde's vNAS solution and hyper-converged infrastructure met all Bloxham Mill's needs in a unified storage fabric capable of spanning multiple data centers.

Mirrored, distributed data: Compuverde can be deployed as a metro cluster, without any additional hardware as storage controllers or Fiber Channel switches. Within a metro cluster, data is synchronously mirrored and distributed to two independent physical locations.

Compuverde can be deployed as a metro cluster, without any additional hardware as storage controllers or Fiber Channel switches. Within a metro cluster, data is synchronously mirrored and distributed to two independent physical locations. Easy scalability: Bloxham Mill needed a forward-looking storage solution that could scale out nodes easily and incrementally. To scale a Compuverde metro cluster, new nodes are simply added at the primary and secondary location, without downtime.

Bloxham Mill needed a forward-looking storage solution that could scale out nodes easily and incrementally. To scale a Compuverde metro cluster, new nodes are simply added at the primary and secondary location, without downtime. Protection against loss: The Compuverde metro cluster tolerates situations where one entire data center goes down and the other one is still up and running without service disruption. Compuverde also uses erasure coding for additional protection against data loss; it significantly increases the logical storage capacity of the cluster.

Ray Avery, managing director of Bloxham Mill, said: "Our business is built on providing impeccable service to our customers. Compuverde has given us a fantastic platform to build upon, offering a level of flexibility and resilience which would have been impossible to achieve with a legacy alternative  and at a competitive price point."

Carl-Henric Mollerstrom, vice president at Compuverde, said: "As organizations look for storage solutions to meet their changing needs, they can run into complex issues that require expensive solutions. Our unique approach enables us to leverage a vNAS metro cluster to offer a solution with significant improvements in performance, availability and simplicity. At the same time, it is easy to deploy and manage and doesn't break the budget. Together with our UK partner Ethos Technology, we are happy to help Bloxham Mill expand its offerings and position itself as a forward-thinking business partner for its customers."

Read the full article here: http://compuverde.com/contact/news-room/taking-sds-to-the-next-level-with-metro-cluster

About Compuverde

Compuverde is an established provider of software-defined storage solutions, based in Sweden. Founded in 2008 by a team of storage and software experts with decades of experience in the scale-out storage field, Compuverde delivers a solution dedicated to both large consumer brands and industrial B2B-players, currently used by telecom, banking, media and insurance companies across the world. Compuverde's revolutionary and energy-efficient unified storage solution has made possible a hardware-agnostic storage platform that easily scales to hundreds of nodes, exabytes of data and trillions of files. With top-class products that address market segments like vNAS, hyper-converged virtualization and hybrid cloud, Compuverde delivers better control over investments and future business expansion. Find out more at www.compuverde.com.

Editorial Contact:

Peggy Tierney Galvin

Nadel Phelan, Inc.

(831) 440 2405

[email protected]

SOURCE Compuverde

Related Links

http://www.compuverde.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Verto Analytics (http://vertoanalytics.com), the world's first consumer-centric measurement company, today announced continued market momentum with a 300 percent increase in month-to-month revenue and the addition of several Fortune 500 customers to its customer list, including Microsoft, Yahoo, Universal Music, Zynga, and Telegraph. Verto's rapid growth is fueled by a looming industry need for a new measurement methodology that can keep pace with cross-device consumers and how they engage with media and devices during the course of a day.

"A consumer-centric approach to measurement is what brands, advertisers, and publishers are demandingbehavioral data from a single-source panel coupled with comprehensive demographics, deep behavioral metrics, and real-time insights," said Hannu Verkasalo, founder and CEO, Verto Analytics Inc. "In the last five years, consumer media consumption has changed dramaticallymore than during the previous 50 yearsbut audience measurement methods have not. We offer a relevant alternative to help our customers to track the industry around them, and make better decisions around media planning, M&A, growth strategies, product roadmapping, and audience monetization tactics. Because our approach is providing far more actionable insights to solve concrete business problems, the industry is responding."

Verto Watch, the company's flagship syndicated research service, provides daily data from cross-device rankings to audience demographics, and from deep competitive metrics to detailed day-in-life charts. Verto Watch is accessible 24/7 through an online reporting tool, the Verto Monitor. Customers use the data to measure, validate and quantify the time consumers spend on different kinds of devices, on various apps and web services, and on any platform they use today. Verto Watch covers apps, games, video, websites, music, digital devices, and more. Customers can create trend reports, market share analyses, and competitive benchmarks, and they can use these insights to engage more effectively with their target consumers. Verto Watch turns consumer-centric data into market insights for brands, creating a new standard for measurementno matter the device or service of the present or future.

In 2016, Verto also announced new offerings and partnerships:

Introduced the Verto App Watch, a mobile app audience measurement solution that offers in-depth mobile app behavioral data with actionable insights and real-time reporting.

Formed a research partnership with Statista, providing the company with ongoing research and measurement data on digital consumer insights.

Launched its syndicated media measurement services in the UK In September 2016 .

. Announced the Verto Retention Reports, a new framework that allows mobile app developers and digital publishers to understand app retention and calculate the ROI of their ad spending on mobile.

"Verto Analytics has been a superb data and insights partner for us," said Matt Penfield, VP of Consumer Insights at Zynga. "Their behavioral measurement data supports a variety of our strategic planning initiatives related to player behavior and growth opportunities."

Verto continues to attract well-known industry executives to its ranks. The company has hired Jay Imus, former comScore executive, as the vice president of East Coast sales. A measurement industry veteran, Imus has a deep background in mobile, internet, and adtech sectors. During his tenure at comScore, Imus was instrumental in launching new research service initiatives and data deals. In his new role at Verto, Imus will be responsible for developing new business and partnerships on the East Coast.

"Verto is gaining market traction because its vision matches the future of audience measurement better than anything else out there," said Imus. "I look forward to being a part of this momentum and seeing Verto customers succeed as a result of better insights."

Verto has rolled out its services in many markets outside of the U.S. and has opened offices in London, San Francisco, Singapore and Frankfurt as hubs for business development, marketing, and sales.

To learn more about Verto Analytics, visit the website or contact the research team.

About Verto Analytics

Verto Analytics provides a consumer-centric audience measurement solution for monitoring the complex behavior of today's consumer on every device, app and platform they use throughout the day. Verto provides data and insights to inform marketing, competitive intelligence, media buying, and product strategy and development. Backed by EQT Ventures, Conor Venture Partners and Open Ocean Capital, Verto is a privately held global company with offices in New York City, San Francisco, London and Helsinki, Finland. Read our blog, follow us on Twitter, or learn more at http://www.vertoanalytics.com.

All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Verto Analytics

Related Links

http://www.vertoanalytics.com


WYALUSING, Pa., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Who tells the stories of businesses, whether it is the century-old construction company down the road or any one of the multitude of large corporations dotting the national landscape? Most business histories tend to be dry and chronological, dropping a lot of names along the way to keep board members, owners and executives happy.

But is it an interesting read for a general audience or even potential clients and patrons of a business?

"Businesses large and small succeed because of the human element," reports Wes Skillings, a Pennsylvania copywriter who includes regional companies among his clients. "Behind every acquisition, merger and business triumph there are people who make those decisions and there are stories to tell."

There are, as it turns out, specialists in compiling and writing business histories, and the new rule is that they should be readable, interlaced with anecdotal material that tells the human story of the business.

The Library of Congress, a repository of seemingly infinite information about American companies, including those active and extinct, concedes in its Business Reference Services that those who are researching for corporate histories "have a fair bit of detective work to do."

Traditionally corporate histories are done internally, even if just to fill the "About Us" page on their websites. Founding families of successful business that span generations often tell their business history as a family story, though many fail to archive periods of transition and growth, especially personal accounts of participants. Others file away newspaper and magazine clippings from previous decades as the only recorded milestones.

Invaluable information can be derived from oral histories, but too often that board president who reigned for decades or the CEO who presided during significant times are retired, memory-impaired of even deceased before someone realizes that avenue of research has been lost forever.

"Long-term executives and employees who have heard the stories from their predecessors are often the only source you have left to fill in some of the blanks," noted Skillings, "but information passed on multiple times, like that party game where a sentence or observation is passed down the line, may be somewhat distorted."

It didn't take long for specialists in writing corporate histories emerged, because businesses did such a poor job of telling their stories. Which history book is more compelling? One requiring you to wade through names, dates and statistics or the those that humanize the topic, whether it's the American Civil War or FedEx? Jack El-Hai, who wrote the history of the latter, told Writer's Digest that he became a business historian because, "I saw a lot of opportunity and badly done company histories, looking and reading like text books."

Skillings believes that your corporate history may become a tremendous marketing tool, because it can say a lot about what your strengths are today. That means humanizing the stories behind your company's challenges and successes over successive generations with the accuracy of a historian.

About Wes:

Wes Skillings is a Pennsylvania-based copywriter whose recent emergence into this field brings a freshness and vitality that will make the words on your website, newsletter, direct mail marketing or news release reach out and grab the customer base you are seeking.

SOURCE Wes Skillings

Related Links

http://youcanbefound.com


"It is thrilling to see the kind of transformative impact that NextHealth delivers in driving down medical costs for health plans," said Mr. Klein. "I'm excited to join such an innovative team that has figured out how to systematically chip away at the tremendous avoidable medical costs that reside in our system."

"I am honored to have David Klein join our board," said Eric Grossman, CEO of NextHealth Technologies. "Based on his considerable experience, Mr. Klein is well positioned to help us identify which new business cases are most critical to our customers and to assist in navigating the organizational complexities of impacting consumer behavior."

Mr. Klein served as the chief executive officer of The Lifetime Healthcare Companies (TLHC) headquartered in Rochester, NY which includes Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS), Univera Healthcare, Lifetime Health Medical Group, Lifetime Care (home care agency), EBS-RMSCO Benefit Solutions (benefits consulting firm and third party administration), and MedAmerica (long term care insurance company). He was a director of the national Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and America's Health Insurance Plans. Mr. Klein had been a senior executive with TLHC and its predecessor companies since 1986, serving as CEO from 2003 through his retirement in 2012.

Mr. Klein is a special advisor to the CEO of the University of Rochester (U of R) Medical Center, a professor of public health sciences in the U of R School of Medicine and Dentistry, and an executive professor of health care management in the U of R William E. Simon Graduate School of Business. He serves as vice-chair and director of the New York eHealth Collaborative overseeing New York health IT. Mr. Klein is a member of the Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business Healthcare Advisory Board. He received his Bachelor of Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and his MBA from the University of Chicago.

About NextHealth Technologies

NextHealth Technologies, based in Denver, is a prescriptive analytics and consumer engagement company that measurably reduces medical costs. NextHealth's SaaS platform orchestrates prescriptive analytics, behavioral economics and multichannel consumer engagement. The company has succeeded in delivering $130 - $144 per member per year in medical claims costs reductions among targeted Medicaid and commercial populations. NextHealth offers an at-risk managed services contract based on outcomes. For more information, visit http://nexthealthtechnologies.com/.

Media Contact:

Melissa O'Connor (VP, Marketing)

[email protected]

SOURCE NextHealth Technologies

Related Links

http://www.nexthealthtechnologies.com


"I figured if people were willing to pay $85 for rock that didn't do anything, there must be some people out there who would be willing to pay $85 for a rock that would help bring joy to kids in the hospital," said David Margolis, MD, who started the campaign and who heads the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin MACC Fund Center for patients with cancer and blood disorders. "I have been blown away by the support we have received. And now this generous gift from Nordstrom. It's heartwarming how many people are reaching out to help us help kids! We are going to need more rocks."

The Rocks for a Reason campaign has generated interest and support for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin from across the county and beyond. As of Monday, Dec. 19, more than 460 gifts have come in from 39 states (and Puerto Rico) totaling more than $46,000. Donations will help provide nationally ranked medical care, community-based health services and lifesaving research. Everyone who donates to the campaign by Dec. 31, will receive a rock with a thank you tag signed by Dr. Margolis.

More information about the Rocks for a Reason campaign can be found at chw.org/rock.

Additional photos and videos, including Dr. Margolis collecting rocks and packaging rocks can be downloaded here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b2xlsup63nutai6/AADAHr_wGxwpt_gZQpb20ENya?dl=0

SOURCE Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

Related Links

www.chw.org


RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion (NYSE: D) has been named by Forbes magazine and partner Just Capital as one of the "Just 100"  the best corporate citizens in the United States in 2016.

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said:

"Dominion is pleased to be recognized alongside some of the most recognizable  and best  companies in America. We have a mandate from our regulators to serve our customers by keeping the lights on and the gas flowing. But with that mandate for dependable energy comes a responsibility to make good on our promises to investors, protect the environment, treat the best employees anywhere well and give back to the communities we serve."

Forbes and Just Capital, a nonprofit founded by Paul Tudor Jones, surveyed 50,000 Americans regarding what they perceived as the "most important corporate traits." The researches distilled those responses to 36 components constituting 10 metrics by which companies from the Russell 1000 were judged  worker treatment, worker pay and benefits, customer treatment, leadership and ethics, environmental impact, supply chain impact, domestic job creation, community well-being, investor alignment and product attributes.

Dominion was one of three investor-owned utilities and one of six Virginia-based companies listed among this year's "Just 100."

The company has also received national recognition in recent years for its conservation and environmental efforts, for its commitment to military veteran employees and their families and for its philanthropic programs and employee volunteerism. Each year in the states where Dominion does business, the company contributes approximately $20 million through shareholder funds and the Dominion Foundation to support human needs, community development, the environment, education and the arts.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,000 megawatts of generation, 14,400 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,500 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 1 trillion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 6 million utility and retail energy customers. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.

SOURCE Dominion

Related Links

http://www.dom.com


CHRISTIANSBURG, Va., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dreams.Build LLC announces that it is delivering an early holiday gift to supporters with the release of its closed beta crowdfunding platform today. The company says it will unveil the full spectrum of features to select users of the beta platform at https://beta.dreams.build and that it will encourage participants to put its flagship crowdfunding platform through its paces during the expected demonstration run of two to three weeks.

Dreams.Build Closed Beta login screen

"This is the best way to not only reward our patient and loyal followers but to also test every aspect of the Dreams.Build functionality before we go live world-wide next month," says Dreams.Build LLC founder and CEO Dakota M. Gallimore. "We want all dreamers to have a unique and user-friendly space to launch their dream projects. We aim to exceed their expectations with the Dreams.Build experience," Mr. Gallimore adds.

Dreams.Build emailed its database of followers earlier this week offering them a "full range of the complete platform" within the closed beta and provided entry passwords for potential project creators and sponsors alike. Company management will be closely monitoring user project activities by way of the platform-integrated community hub while conducting load balancing and deployment to multiple countries and other tests.

Dreams.Build LLC also announces that it is providing a window into the startup crowdfunding platform for the press and reviewers next week.

The company promises full operational functionality for participants during the closed beta, including:

Integrated Community Hub

Digital Files

Global Support for 21 Countries/193 Currencies

Email Notifications

Private Messaging

Signature Two-Stage Funding in Demonstration Mode

Charity ticker in Demonstration Mode

At full live global launch scheduled for January 2017, Dreams.Build will stir up the popular online crowdfunding industry with a package of unique features not normally seen in this space, including Two-Stage Funding and Charitable Donations.

Press. Visit http://dreams.build/press for press releases, images and other news about Dreams.Build.

About Dreams.Build LLC. Dreams.Build LLC is an innovative crowdfunding driven online platform dedicated to helping innovators fund and realize their dreams, making the world a better place through charitable support. Dreams.Build LLC's first project is Dreams.Build. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DreamsdotBuild and learn more at http://dreams.build.

About Dakota M. Gallimore. Dakota M. Gallimore is the Founder of Dreams.Build LLC. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia's College at Wise with a dual major in Software Engineering and Computer Science and is a former online editor of the school's newspaper. Dakota has devoted his life to founding his charter company, Dreams.Build LLC, conducting exhaustive research into the burgeoning crowdfunding industry, building and launching his first stand alone crowdfunding platform, Dreams.Build.

Media Contact:

Dakota Gallimore

Dreams.Build LLC

[email protected]

+1 (540) 392-3226

SOURCE Dreams.Build LLC

Related Links

http://dreams.build


PHOENIX, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eldorado, a provider of enterprise core administrative platforms, today announced the strategic partnership with INETICO Inc. and CareValet, LLC to offer clients of its Javelina and HEALTHpac systems the latest technology available to allow them to take control of their healthcare. CareValet is a consumer driven mobile application that changes the way members select providers & schedule appointments for their healthcare services.

The new partnership supports the consumer being in control of their own healthcare - with the power to make the best decisions for themselves and their family. Members are empowered to make in-network provider decisions based on cost and quality. An electronic provider scheduling component sends medical ID cards & plan information to the provider at time of scheduling. Members can select hospitals, emergency rooms, specialists, primary care providers and more. Patients will pre-certify themselves by selecting a provider and activating care nurses for Utilization Management, Care Management & Disease Management. INETICO provides access to their own care givers or to an independent teams. Consumers can receive messages directly, for triage purposes on their smart phone, and pop up messages will appear to remind them of appointments and medical follow up. The application is telemedicine enabled and can even schedule transportation if necessary.

"We are very excited to be at the forefront of this consumer driven technology," says Joseph Hodges, President of INETICO Inc. and Care Valet, LLC, "The consumer guided experience, we feel, is the clinical solution to appropriate healthcare and cost exposure."

Sally Else, President, Eldorado added, "It is with this type of leading edge technology that U.S. healthcare will be transformed and all members of the healthcare landscape will be best served. The digital world is here and we, as industry leaders, must embrace it and make it accessible to all consumers of healthcare. We are delighted to be partnering with INETICO and CareValet to bring this technology to our Javelina and HEALTHpac customers."

About INETICO:

Established in 2004, INETICO provides healthcare cost containment services to self-funded, fully insured and various health care entities across all of the United States. INETICO has developed its products and people with a mission: INETICO is committed to strengthening the fiscal health of the Plan while improving the clinical health of the Plan Members." INETICO's philosophy is to bring IMAGINATION, INNOVATION, and INTEGRATION into the healthcare products and services we provide to our clients. This is why INETICO's mission is to, "Strengthen the Fiscal Health of the Insurance Plan and Improve the Clinical Health of the Plan Member." INETICO's imaginative team identifies every window of opportunity to control costs and bring the gift of better health to the lives they touch as part of their daily responsibility. As these opportunities are identified, they are integrated into INETICO's proprietary system, keeping INETICO at the forefront of industry trends, solutions and client satisfaction. Visit www.inetico.com

About Eldorado:

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Eldorado, a division of Mphasis, specializes in health insurance application development, business process outsourcing services, information technology engineering and operational consulting. The company serves the full spectrum of organizations engaged in managing health benefit plans including third party administrators, health plans, employers and self-insured organizations. Together, Eldorado customers manage in excess of five million lives and handle 35 million claims annually. Visit www.eldoinc.com.

Media Contact:

Cheryl Richards

Eldorado Marketing Coordinator

[email protected]

602 604 3100

SOURCE Eldorado

Related Links

http://www.eldoinc.com


LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Elleffe Design, the recently U.S. launched luxury brand with their 18/10, Italian-made, stainless steel housewares are now available at Valency Design, a Toronto-based luxury specialty retailer.

Valency, a luxury European home decor boutique, publicly launched its Toronto opening on Tuesday, November 22nd in Yorkville Village. Elleffe Design excels at this posh Toronto retail center, by turning "entertaining" into an art form. Elleffe Design's sales at Valency have surpassed that of other well-known brands, such as George Gensen of Denmark and Zaneto of Italy.

"We are overwhelmingly excited to partner with Valency and contribute our exclusive pieces from Elleffe Design to their diverse collection of luxury goods," said Elleffe Brand Director, Rami Izadyar.

"Elleffe Design's unique approach along with their versatile designs has captivated their clientele," said Valency store owner, Mojgan Kamali.

For more information about the Elleffe Design products available at Kitchen Art Canada, please visit: http://kitchenartcanada.com/index.html

About Elleffe Design

Founded in 2011, Elleffe Design creates the perfect fusion of innovation, style and functionality. The fresh and new stainless steel manufacturer looks to bring its Italian-made decor to North America. The dynamic brand is always pushing boundaries of what can be done with different materials, colors and the union of elegance and warmth to stainless steel. A factory co-op, the company is a collaborative effort to deliver a modern aesthetic through durable and ecofriendly products. Elleffe Design aims to meet the needs of specialty stores, luxury hotels and restaurants. For more information, visit elleffedna.com

Media Contact:

Matt Kovacs

Blaze Public Relations

(310) 395-5050

[email protected]

SOURCE Elleffe Design

Related Links

http://elleffedna.com


SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Embraer today announced the creation of a business unit focused on services and customer support, which will be led by Johann Bordais, who is currently serving as the Director of Services and Support for Embraer Commercial Aviation.

"The new business will bring together capabilities that are currently spread throughout different business areas to offer customers a broad portfolio of solutions," said Paulo Cesar Silva, Embraer President and CEO. "We see an opportunity to expand and integrate services and support."

The new business will start operating in the first half of 2017 and will be responsible for developing solutions in support of current and new products and services, as well as for managing the associated processes and resources. The daily customer relationship structure (sales and technical support) will remain under the responsibility of each business unit; Commercial and Business Aviation as well as Defense & Security.

"We are in a long-cycle business that is naturally demanding on services, favoring long-term relationships with customers," says Johann Bordais. "For the customer, this initiative combines a long experience in customer service, with the agility and competitiveness of a service center. For Embraer, it represents an opportunity to obtain greater operational efficiency and recurring revenues."

There are currently around 2,000 Embraer aircraft in operation, just in commercial aviation. In addition, there are over 1,000 Embraer executive jets, as well as defense planes. Over the next 20 years, an estimated 6,400 new aircraft will be put into service, in the category of commercial jets up to 130 seats, alone. In business aviation, forecasts indicate that there will be more than 8,000 new jets placed into service over the next decade, not counting the commercialization of the pre-owned fleet.

Follow us on Twitter: @Embraer

About Embraer

Embraer is a global company headquartered in Brazil with businesses in commercial and executive aviation, defense & security. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets aircraft and systems, providing customer support and services.

Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. About every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year.

Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 130 seats. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Contacts:



Headquarters (Brazil)

Saulo Passos

[email protected]

Cell: +55 11 94254 4017

Tel.: +55 11 3040 1799



North America

Alyssa Ten Eyck

[email protected]

Cell: +1 954 383 0460

Tel.: +1 954 359 3847



Europe, Middle East and Africa

[email protected]

Cell: +55 11 94254 4017

Tel.: +55 11 3040 1799



China

Mirage Zhong

[email protected]

Cell: +86 185 1378 5180

Tel.: +86 10 6598 9988



Asia Pacific

Nilma Missir-Boissac

[email protected]

Cell: +65 9012 8428

Tel.: +65 6305 9955



SOURCE Embraer S.A.
WARWICK, R.I., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- eNow, a leader in renewable energy solutions for the commercial trucking, RV and marine industries, today announced it has closed on $2.36 million in Series A funding, bringing the total amount raised to date to $5.3 million. Demand for eNow's solar solutions for transportation vehicles has increased over the last year, which has spurred increased interest and support from investors.

The funding involves twenty private investors and two angel funds, Tamiami Angel Fund and Slater Technology Fund. The investment funds will be used to accelerate the adoption of eNow's products and services, including additions to its financial, sales and technical teams. In addition, Bud Stoddard, formerly with the Tamiami Angel Fund and now a venture partner with the Adrenaline Fund, will join eNow's Board of Directors.

"We are honored by the interest of the investment community in our solutions," said Jeff Flath, CEO and Founder of eNow. "Our company's solutions address both environmental and practical concerns. This 'Planet and Profit' approach translates into less carbon emissions, great fuel savings and a way to deal with increased anti-idling regulations. We look forward to translating this buy-in from the investment community into even greater success in 2017."

As the market leader in designing, developing and manufacturing solar-based power systems for the commercial trucking, RV, and Marine industries, eNow's solutions are known for their durability, superior power, low cost and quick return on investment. Over the past several years, eNow has made great progress within the transportation industry, including partnerships with industry leaders such as Dometic Group, Mitsubishi Fuso, Freightliner, Navistar, IdleAir and Vanner. The eNow solar solution is sold through OEMs and Aftermarket Dealers.

"With this Series A round of financing, eNow can further deploy resources to expand its market share through its exciting lineup of products," said Board Member Bud Stoddard. "eNow has the ability to transform the transportation industry with its advanced energy management systems."

About eNow

eNow's proprietary solar panel systems use the latest in technology to capture and convert the sun's energy into useable power. The transportation industry can use this "clean renewable energy", thereby reducing operating costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Whether you are an OEM, fleet owner, an owner operator or a driver, eNow is the energy solution for the transportation industry. Our goal is to help the industry become more profitable, enhance the driver experience and improve the environment. eNow solar panels capture energy to power HVAC, refrigeration, lift gate, battery charging, and safety lighting. www.enowenergy.com

Media Contact:

Emilio Dabul

Fastlane on behalf of eNow

732-910-8795

[email protected]

SOURCE eNow

Related Links

http://www.enowenergy.com


HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- While the declining oil prices of the past two years have negatively impacted Houston's office market, the city's retail and industrial real estate sectors remain strong, according to three industry experts sharing their perspectives at the BoyarMiller Real Estate annual breakfast forum Dec. 13.

Allen Crosswell, managing principal of NewQuest Crosswell, Jonathan Brinsden, CEO of Midway, and John Nicholson, executive vice president of Avera Companies, addressed an influential business audience on the commercial real estate trends to expect in 2017.

The 2017 BoyarMiller Commercial Real Estate Forum with (l-r) Chris Hanslik, firm chairman, Jonathan Brinsden of Midway, John Nicholson of Avera Companies, Allen Crosswell of NewQuest Crosswell, and Bill Boyar, founding shareholder of BoyarMiller.

"Fortunately, the economic diversification already in place in Houston will help with the recovery of the office market and we will continue to enjoy healthy activity in the retail and industrial sectors," said Chris Hanslik, chairman of BoyarMiller. "We also heard that e-commerce activity may catch up with the retail sector at some point. These trends provide valuable insights for our attendees as they consider the effect on their businesses."

Retail market resists energy and e-commerce impact

"The retail market has been resistant to the oil cloud and the outlook is positive," said Crosswell. "There has been significant financial funding for retail construction, so e-commerce has not affected the retail sector too much, yet."

Crosswell said that online and mobile continue to be leading areas of growth for retailers as savvy shoppers buy online and pick up in-store.

"We are seeing innovation among retailers on ways to deliver value as many consumers move to online shopping," said Crosswell. "It will eventually affect all retailers so they must get smarter as e-commerce continues to grow."

Crosswell told the group that the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that Q3 2016 e-commerce sales increased 15.6 percent and healthy sales are expected for the holiday season.

"Locally, retail growth has been strong in the Katy area anchored by superstores and grocers," said Crosswell. "Retailers continue to follow population growth and rents have climbed. Overall, I remain bullish on the retail business."

Office market sees struggles ahead

Midway's Brinsden shared several trends impacting the office market in general, in addition to the oversupply of inventory caused by the negative impact of the oil industry downturn.

"While amenities and connectivity are still important, employers are evaluating space as a tool and they are demanding more flexible lease terms to allow for business adjustments," said Brinsden. "We are also seeing more traditional companies moving into co-working environments that used to be considered for the creative class of employers. With the new ways businesses are evaluating their space, we will see some rapid obsolence of some existing product on the market."

Brinsden described Houston's office market as "falling" with negative absorption rates expected until 2019.

"Houston has a 20 percent office vacancy rate and eight percent of it is sublease space," said Brinsden. "About a third of the Energy Corridor is sublease space right now and all of this inventory results in downward pressure on landlords."

Mixed-use projects are the exception to what is occuring in Houston's office market because of the connectivity and amenities these projects provide.

"Mixed-use offers protection from the downside," said Brinsden.

The Golden Goose

Industrial real estate has been steady and rental rates should stay flat through 2017 and vacancy rates will remain at about six percent, said Nicholson of Avera Companies.

"The Port of Houston is the golden goose of the industrial market and will be in demand moving forward. However, there is lack of available land sites on the south side of the channel and that opens up opportunities for Baytown," said Nicholson. "Baytown has available land, dual service with rail and land access, and lots of incentives right now."

Houston ranks number 10 of the top U.S. industrial markets based on absorption since the recession. "Everyone in e-commerce is chasing the Amazon distribution model which seems to be the way of the future," said Nicholson. "I think we may see more deals in Houston's north and northwest markets that will improve vacancy in that quadrant. Overall, expect a healthy industrial market for 2017."

To view the presentations from the BoyarMiller Real Estate Forum visit www.boyarmiller.com.

About BoyarMiller

BoyarMiller is a 25-year-old Houston-based law firm comprised of two practice groups: business and litigation. The business group serves multinational companies, middle-market businesses and entrepreneurs in need of collaborative and strategic representation. The litigation group represents organizations of all sizes, from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies, seeking to resolve complex business issues and employment disputes. See www.boyarmiller.com for more information.

MEDIA Judi Martin CONTACT [email protected]

713.299.5619

SOURCE BoyarMiller

Related Links

http://www.boyarmiller.com


SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Family members of Tevin Crosby, Juan Guerrero and Javier Jorge-Reyes who were killed in the ISIS inspired Orlando, Florida shooting at Pulse Nightclub in June 2016, filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday, December 19, naming Google, Facebook and Twitter as defendants for providing material support to the terrorist group ISIS.

Representing the families are Keith Altman and Ari Kresch of 1-800-LAW-FIRM of Southfield, Michigan. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The lawsuit asserts that the defendants knowingly permitted ISIS to use their platforms for recruiting purposes, spreading propaganda and raising funds to carry-out terror attacks. Through the use of the defendants' platforms, ISIS has acquired over 30,000 foreign recruits, countless donations, and a level of prosperity that would have been unachievable otherwise.

The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, is responsible for ending the lives of 25-year-old Crosby, 22-year-old Guerrero and 40-year-old Reyes along with 46 others in what is now known as one of the worst mass shootings in U.S history. Mateen identified himself as an Islamic soldier and pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State while on a call with police during the attack. Among the contributing factors that led to the tragedy, Mateen was in part radicalized by ISIS propaganda posted on the defendants' platforms.

The complaint incorporates intelligence that the defendants are using ISIS' posts to create unique content by combining these posts with advertisements selected by them. Once these posts and advertisements are combined, this newly created content is being served to specific viewers who have a propensity towards that particular content.

"Social media companies continue to allow terrorists to operate, despite reasonable steps that could be undertaken to stop them. The defendants not only continue to let terror groups like ISIS use their sites to tout hate and plan attacks, they also profit from it," said Altman. Each of the defendants place advertisements on ISIS content, profiting directly from their postings. In at least the case of Google's YouTube, advertising revenue is shared with ISIS.

Altman and Kresch are also representing Reynaldo Gonzalez, the father of Nohemi Gonzalez, the only American victim of the ISIS perpetrated Paris, France attacks in November 2015.

SOURCE 1-800-LAW-FIRM

Related Links

http://1800lawfirm.com


STOCKHOLM, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced the ability for any angler to help crowd source data on non-native freshwater fish species in Florida through a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Fishbrain  the world's largest app and social network for anglers.

Starting today, the FWC will be inviting the 250,000 Florida-based Fishbrain app users to log catches of 15 different types of non-native fish in the Florida ecosystem. The FWC has provided a list of non-native species of interest to Fishbrain to equip its users with the necessary information to log sightings of these species within the app while they are out fishing. The Fishbrain app allows users to log catches by recording the location, time, species and a picture of their catch.

Florida is the pilot state to utilize Fishbrain technology in order to help land managers better understand the extent and impact of non-native aquatic species. Following the Florida campaign, Fishbrain and the Service hope to build on the pilot project in other areas of the country through partnerships with state conservation organizations. With a better understanding of the extent of these species in the environment, resource managers will be able to develop effective tools designed to monitor non-native species and prevent them from further damaging the biodiversity of ecosystems across the nation.

The list, compiled by FWC biologists, consists of Rio Grande cichlid, Jack Dempsey, blackchin tilapia, bullseye snakehead, clown knifefish, jaguar guapote, Mayan cichlid, spotted tilapia, Nile tilapia, banded cichlid, common carp, pacu, flathead catfish, blue catfish and green sunfish. The FWC promotes the consumptive use of these exotic fish instead of releasing them back into the wild.

"Anglers come face-to-face with the natural world on a daily basis, and so their hobby relies on maintaining a respectful, sustainable balance with nature. Many of our users are highly aware of the threat to biodiversity posed by invasive species, and so they're eager to involve themselves in projects such as this," said Johan Attby, CEO of Fishbrain. "As the success of our previous conservation initiatives has shown, our users are vigilant, industrious and passionate when it comes to helping protect the ecological balance. We look forward to the success of the project in Florida, before hopefully rolling it out to other states across the country."

Florida, often dubbed 'the fishing capital of the world,' is Fishbrain's largest market with over 250,000 users. Fishbrain has nearly three million users worldwide, with over half of them from the United States.

"We are excited to be working with Fishbrain to provide information to anglers about Florida's non-native fish species," said Sarah Funck, FWC's non-native fish and wildlife program coordinator. "Information we receive from this large user group will help our efforts to document and manage these species throughout the state."

Fishbrain provides anglers fishing forecasts based on real-catch data, the ability to track various species, share their experiences with friends, find hot new fishing spots and see what other people are catching, with what bait and where. Fishbrain can be downloaded from the App Store or the Google Play Store. You can also follow Fishbrain on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Fishbrain:

Fishbrain is the world's biggest and fastest growing social network and mobile app for the world's most popular hobby  sport fishing. Fishbrain connects anglers to make fishing dreams come true, today and tomorrow through helping people track various species and share their experiences. Fishbrain values responsible fishing by encouraging catch and release and the sustainable harvest of fish species. For more information, go to www.fishbrain.com.

SOURCE Fishbrain

Related Links

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OCS has been upgraded from Guangzhou Convention of Overseas Chinese Scholars in Science and Technology, which has held successfully for 17 years. It has become a golden brand for attracting overseas talents to come back home for innovation and entrepreneurship. The upgrading follows Guangzhou's response to China's national eco-social development as well as talent development. Guided by the strategic thoughts of 'Four Comprehensives', it carried forward the spirit of 18th CPC National Congress and the fifth plenary session of 18th CPC National Congress, implemented the spirit of President Xi's key speeches, followed the development philosophy of "innovation, coordination, green, open, and sharing" as well as national strategy of innovation-driven growth.

2016 OCS adheres to the organizing philosophy of 'being global-oriented and China-based' and highlights the characteristic of 'precise positioning, precise matching, and precise landing'. 'Precise positioning' means to be positioned at a national convention on exchange of overseas talents, which serves China's strategy of innovation-driven growth; 'precise matching' refers to fully understanding the demand of market and talents so as to realize all-round demand coupling by taking advantage of on-line and off-line activities; 'precise landing' means to introduce talents and projects with no limitation, focusing on double innovation and supply-side reform, so as to keep projects and talent as much as possible and fully improve the effectiveness of the convention.

According to the above positioning, 2016 OCS will make changes in three areas. First, to constantly increase the scope of introducing overseas talents by breaking up the limitation of nationality and boundary, not judging by education background, expanding the participants of the convention from overseas Chinese students to include foreign high-level talents, talented people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as extinguished overseas Chinese. Second, to further resort to the strength of state ministry and local government to mobilize resources and make innovations in organizing convention and carry out on-line and off-line activities through the Internet, so as to create a never-falling OCS brand and further enhance the level of convention organizing. Third, to strengthen the precise matching and landing of talent project, thus improving the effectiveness of the convention.

7,000 guests both at home and aboard

27 co-organizing cities

167 provincial and municipal delegations

According to the information, the number of participants of this convention will reach 7,000 people, including state leaders, officials of provincial and municipal governments, guests as well as overseas talents. Of them, there are about 4,000 overseas talents including Nobel Prize winners. At present, 65% of which have acquired a overseas doctorate degree. About 400 experts in 'The Recruitment Program of Global Experts' will bring their scientific projects to the convention. More than 120 advanced technology projects from CIS countries will be brought to the convention. 242 nominated programs in 'Chunhui Cup' innovative entrepreneurship competition for overseas Chinese talents will be coupled in the convention.

2016 OCS is co-hosted by the Ministry of education, Ministry of science and technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the State Council overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the WRSA (Friendship Association of Chinese students studying abroad), CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, as well as the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government. And the number of its co-organizers has increased to 27, including 4 municipalities in China. According to preliminary statistics, there are more than 40 provinces and government delegations, over 120 colleges and universities, research institutes and enterprises have registered for the exhibition. They will bring more than 17,000 job demands, and the exhibition covers an area of about 23,000 square meters.

Six-part exhibition follows closely to national strategies and shows the features of the times

The convention of 2016 is themed at 'Gathering Talents, Realizing Dreams and Shaping the future', with the principle of 'Being Global-oriented and China-based'. According to the overall work programmes and national development strategies, activities of 2016 OCS can be divided into six parts including overseas recruitment, summit and forum, exhibition, project matching, promotion publishing, field investigation.

At present, various professional activities are all in full swing. The innovation achievement exhibition of experts included in the Recruitment Program of Global Experts covers an area of about 600 square meters, which is one of the highlights of this year's convention. 'Chunhui Cup' overseas Chinese talents competition in innovation and entrepreneurship will not only 242 nominated projects to the convention, but also hold special result exhibition. On 'wisdom creating the future -- virtual reality experience exhibition', virtual and reality (AR/VR) experience district has been set specifically for participants to experience latest technology results.

OCS will be a breakthrough for the innovative development strategy of Guangzhou

Guangzhou, is an important national central city, an international business and trade center as well as the a forward position for reform and opening up. Ren Xuefeng, standing member of Guangdong provincial party Committee, Guangzhou Party Secretary, noted that Municipal party committee and Government have always attached great importance to talent development. Various aspects of talent development in Guangzhou are in progress. The ever-improving environment, increased number and upgraded quality of Guangzhou's talents have provided a solid foundation for eco-social development of Guangzhou. Currently, Guangzhou is striving to promote the construction of international shipping, aviation and technology hub of innovation strategy, focusing on the building a high-end, high-quality, high-tech system of modern industry, so as to consolidate and promote Guangzhou's function as one of China's central cities, international centre for trade and transport hub. New situation has put forward new tasks and new requirements for Guangzhou. Guangzhou will promote talent clustering with a global perspective and strategic thinking, striving to build Guangzhou into a clustering place for national talents and even global talents, a favorable land for innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as a center of creating knowledge. In this way, it will provide a solid talent foundation to help improve Guangzhou city's core competitiveness and participate in global cooperation and competition on behalf of China.

In terms of wisdom collecting and talent attracting, Guangzhou will focus on the new system of modern industry and promote strategic adjustment of the structure. By following modern industry development law and talent growth rules, we highlight the orientation of 'high-end and sophisticated talent deficiency', adhere to the principles of enterprise serving as the subject while government providing the guidance, being led by high-end technology and achieving cluster development, bringing in and independently cultivating, as well as equal emphasis on Chinese and overseas talents. We aim to speed up the building of talent chain by centering on industry chain, value chain, and innovation chain, so as to foster talent cluster. We'll make vigorous efforts to build a system of high-level talents that can adjust to and lead the development of modern industry, including scientists, entrepreneurs, industrial leaders, teams, engineers, skilled talents, high-level special talents, as well as interdisciplinary talents.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou will further improve its advantages for development and optimize the ecological environment for talents. It will continue to give to full play its comparative advantages, such as high marketization degree, solid industrial base, highlighted comprehensive transportation base, pleasant city environment, and favorable national policies. It will further optimize clean, safe and orderly city environment, as well as marketize, internationalize and legalize business environment, create a clean political ecological environment and a clear-targeted policy environment. The construction of talent carrier will be accelerated to foster an atmosphere of 'coming to Guangzhou for entrepreneurship and staying in Guangzhou for innovation'. In this way, a favorable condition will be made for Guangzhou to cultivate talents, introduce them, make good use of them and make them stay in Guangzhou.

Currently, Guangzhou is gathering various innovative resources with a global perspective and further optimize the innovation ecosystem. OCS will become a breakthrough for Guangzhou to promote innovation-driven development.

For more information contact:

Li Shumin

+86-134-5042-6144

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE OCS
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WeiserMazars LLP, a leading accounting, tax, advisory and business consulting firm, today announced that Gil Enos has joined the firm as a Principal in its Health Care Consulting Group, located in the Sacramento, California office. Gil has more than 25 years of experience in building, scaling and leading successful healthcare technology and services organizations. His expertise lies in strategic business development, emerging technologies, and clinical/transactional data exchange, population health management, value-based care, managed care and specialty pharmacy.

"Gil's presence allows us to continue to strengthen our relationships with current clients," says Debra E. Bornstein, WeiserMazars' National Health Care Practice Leader. "Gil's expertise will also allow us to further develop our service offerings within the emerging healthcare market."

Prior to joining WeiserMazars, Gil served as Managing Director of eHealth Intelligence, Inc. an advisory firm that provides business development, strategic planning and organizational development expertise to healthcare technology, product and services companies.

"I'm excited to join the fast growing Health Care Consulting Group at WeiserMazars and leveraging my expertise to further enhance relationships with our clients," said Gil. "I look forward to providing top-level service to the healthcare community while helping them navigate the challenges they face in today's dynamic healthcare landscape."

Gil graduated from Boston College with a bachelor's degree in English. He is also a member of HIMSS, ACHE and NCPDP.

About WeiserMazars LLP

WeiserMazars LLP provides insight and specialized skills in accounting, auditing, tax, consulting and advisory services. Since 1921, our dedicated professionals have leveraged technical industry expertise to develop customized solutions for clients, create value, and optimize their performance. As the independent U.S. member firm of Mazars Group, our global reach includes 17,000+ professionals across 75+ countries. At local and global levels, we are proud of our value-added services in building lasting relationships with our clients and communities. For more information, visit us at www.weisermazars.com.

For more information, contact:

WeiserMazars LLP

Beth More, 732-205-2012

[email protected]

Makovsky

Glori Perez, 212-508-9653

[email protected]

SOURCE WeiserMazars LLP

Related Links

http://www.weisermazars.com


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GKN Driveline, the global leader in contemporary and electrified driveline technologies, today announced it will invest nearly $179 million to expand manufacturing facilities in Alamance, Catawba, Lee and Person counties in North Carolina. The investment will occur over the next five years and will create 302 jobs.

The investment and new jobs have been added to support growing All-Wheel-Drive and eDrive business for several North American automotive manufacturers. North American All-Wheel-Drive system sales are projected to reach more than 3 million units annually in 2020, up from approximately 2.4 million in 2015.

"Our investment in North Carolina is an important step forward for GKN Driveline, our automotive customers and the communities our team members call home," said Phil Swash, CEO, GKN Driveline. "GKN Driveline is well-positioned to take advantage of car buyer demand for All-Wheel Drive systems and our investment in North Carolina is an important part of our long-term growth strategy."

GKN Driveline's expansions in Alamance, Lee and Person counties will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG). Under the terms of the JDIG, GKN is eligible to receive up to $1,539,000 in total reimbursements over 12 years.

The company's expansion in Catawba County, facilitated through a separate JDIG, makes GKN eligible to receive up to $1,587,600 over 12 years. The state's Economic Investment Committee approved both grants earlier today.

"We appreciate the hard work and support of Governor Pat McCrory and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) for working so diligently to get these grants approved," Phil Swash, CEO, GKN Driveline said. "North Carolina has been home to GKN since 1978 and continues to create and provide an outstanding environment to help manufacturers succeed. We look forward to our continued success and contributions to the economy here."

ABOUT GKN

GKN plc is a global engineering group. It has four divisions; GKN Aerospace, GKN Driveline, GKN Powder Metallurgy and GKN Land Systems, which operate in the aerospace, automotive and land systems markets. Over 50,000 people work in GKN companies and joint ventures in more than 30 countries. GKN is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: GKN) and recorded sales of GBP7.5 billion in the year to 31 December 2014.

ABOUT GKN DRIVELINE

GKN Driveline is the world's leading supplier of automotive driveline technology and systems. As a global company serving the world's leading vehicle manufacturers, GKN Driveline develops, builds and supplies an extensive range of automotive driveline technologies  for use in the smallest ultra low-cost car to the most sophisticated premium vehicle demanding the most complex driving dynamics. GKN Driveline is a leading global producer of CVJ Systems, AWD Systems, Trans Axle Solutions and eDrive Systems and operates in 23 countries at 46 locations employing approximately 25,500 people.

SOURCE GKN Driveline
NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Glansaol, a new prestige beauty and personal care company, announced today that it has signed agreements to acquire three brands  Laura Geller, Julep and Clark's Botanicals. Glansaol was founded through a partnership between Alan T. Ennis, a beauty industry veteran and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Revlon Inc., and Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The acquisition of Laura Geller is closed. Julep and Clark's Botanicals are expected to close shortly. Terms were not disclosed.

Glansaol, which means "pure life" in the Irish language and is pronounced Glan-Sale, will operate an integrated portfolio of global beauty and personal care brands, diversified across segments, channels and geographies.

"Our objective is to build Glansaol into a world-class, global beauty and personal care company by acquiring, integrating, and growing a portfolio of premium, complementary brands, managed by a team of seasoned executives," said Alan T. Ennis, President and CEO of Glansaol. "I am delighted to be taking this first bold step. Each of the three brands we are acquiring today plays a specific and important role in our portfolio and will retain their individual brand autonomy and culture. I believe that our unique long-term view of building the next great beauty company, is appealing to both brand owners and the capital markets."

"We are excited to support the acquisition of these three strong and growing brands with diversified demographics, and believe they will benefit from enhanced scale, marketing and distribution capabilities as part of the Glansaol platform," said Annette Rodriguez, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. "Alan, along with Martine Williamson, Glansaol Chief Marketing Officer, bring invaluable insights into beauty and personal care, and we see meaningful opportunities for growth and expansion. We look forward to investing behind Glansaol as it makes additional acquisitions of complementary brands over time."

Glansaol hand-selected Laura Geller, Julep and Clark's Botanicals to be its first acquisitions because of their inspirational founders, high quality products and unique position within the marketplace.

Laura Geller New York

Laura Geller is a leading prestige color cosmetics brand developed in 1997 by professional makeup artist, Laura Geller. Renowned as the pioneer of the "baked" category of makeup  cult-favorite, multi-tasking powders that deliver remarkably vibrant color  and for its easy-to-use, dual-purpose products intended to simplify and improve women's makeup routines.

"The idea that Glansaol means "pure life" really resonated with me. Together, we will create something better, bigger, and stronger. I am greatly looking forward to the next phase of growth for the business," said Laura Geller, Founder of Laura Geller.

Elana Drell-Szyfer, CEO at Laura Geller, said, "I have known Alan for several years and have great respect for him, both personally and professionally. His broad knowledge of all facets of the industry and strong belief in brands makes him and the Glansaol team a powerful new force to be reckoned with in the industry."

Rich Gersten, Partner at Tengram Capital, who acquired a majority stake in the Laura Geller brand in 2012, stated, "It has been an absolute pleasure working with the Laura Geller team over the last four years. I am confident that Glansaol is the right partner to take this great brand to the next level."

Julep

Julep is a prestige color cosmetics and skincare brand founded by Korean-born Jane Park with the vision that beauty can be a fun and fearless experience for all women. Her desire to bring women together led her to launch four nail parlors in Seattle in 2007, which also served as a test lab to share experiences and provide feedback on products. Julep has since evolved into a top selling, omni-channel beauty brand. Its unique innovation process incorporates the voices of thousands of "Mavens" for online social input.

"I'm thrilled to be joining forces with Glansaol. This new venture will enable us to continue on our path of rapid growth and social innovation. There is really no other vehicle in beauty that exists today like Glansaol, and I am confident that through the collaboration and with their deep beauty and operational knowledge, Julep will be able to realize its potential," said Jane Park, Founder, Julep.

Clark's Botanicals

Clark's Botanicals is a premium skincare brand founded in 2008 by Francesco Clark after he suffered a crippling spinal cord injury and lost the ability to walk. With his central nervous system impaired, Francesco was afflicted with clogged pores, chronic breakouts and an inability to naturally exfoliate, which could not be remedied through traditional means. In partnership with his father, Dr. Harold Clark, they developed a line of products containing Jasmine Absolute, a proprietary, rebalancing ingredient, and the brand has become a favorite among the beauty elite.

"Ultimately, all the Glansaol brands will benefit from each other's individual strengths. I knew Glansaol would be the only fit for Clark's Botanicals because they are more than just a business plan; they have a strong and clear long term vision for supporting brands and want products that actually work and in which people believe," said Francesco Clark, Founder, Clark's Botanicals.

Ennis concluded, "I am delighted that each of Laura, Elana, Jane, and Francesco will join me and Martine on our Glansaol leadership team. I look forward to embarking on this exciting journey with this talented group of seasoned beauty executives."

Glansaol has been working closely with Financo and Wells Fargo Securities in connection with the transactions.

About Glansaol

Glansaol LLC is a world-class prestige beauty and personal care company with an integrated portfolio of premium, complementary brands that include Laura Geller, Julep and Clark's Botanicals. The company was founded in New York City by CEO Alan T. Ennis in partnership with Warburg Pincus LLC. Through Ennis' extensive beauty and personal care background, Glansaol is managed by a team of seasoned executives to deliver superior results and long-term growth acceleration. Glansaol works with individual brands to retain their brand uniqueness while collaborating together on innovation, research and ideas across brands. Through this approach, Glansaol is dedicated to providing consumers with high quality, innovative products. Glansaol means "pure life" in the Irish language and is pronounced Glan-Sale. For more information, please visit www.glansaol.com.

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $40 billion in private equity assets under management. The firm's active portfolio of more than 130 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 16 private equity funds, which have invested more than $58 billion in over 760 companies in more than 40 countries. Warburg Pincus has invested more than $12.5 billion in over 200 healthcare and consumer companies. Current and former investments in the retail and consumer goods sectors include Neiman Marcus, Wanse, REISS, Biba Apparels, Kalyan Jewellers, Kidswant, and Intime Department Store Group, among others.

The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com.

Contacts

Glansaol

Erin McCaffrey

[email protected]

(347) 804-9544

Warburg Pincus

Mary Zimmerman / Christopher Beattie

(212) 878-9201

SOURCE Glansaol

Related Links

http://www.glansaol.com


LONDON, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Scar is a mark on the skin which is formed due to infection, injury, surgery, inflammation of tissue, burns, and acne. Scars can impact an individual's mental and physical well-being, resulting in poor self esteem, altered social interactions, depression, and embarrassment. Scars can be of various sizes, shapes, and colors, depending on the age of scar, site of scar, and family history. Formation of scars is unpredictable and varies from person to person. Certain areas of the body such as the chest, back, ear lobes, and the shoulder are more at risk of scarring as compared to rest of the body. Scars on knees and shoulders can appear stretched or widened due to the healing process which occurs over movable joints.



North America is the largest market for scar treatment due to high disposable income in the country, which results in higher spending on personal care. The scar treatment market in Asia is expected to show high growth rates over the following five years. China and India are expected to be the fastest growing scar treatment markets in Asia. Some of the key driving forces for the scar treatment market in emerging markets are rise in disposable income, rising population, increasing prevalence of skin-related problems, growing focus on personal well being, and improving healthcare facilities in the region.



Prevalence of skin problems such as photoaging is increasing due to excessive exposure to pollution and UV radiation, resulting in sunburns, and reduced skin elasticity. These conditions, without proper and timely treatment, can lead to formation of scars. Moreover, awareness about treating scars is increasing globally, which, in turn, is leading to rising spending on such treatments. Increasing appearance consciousness among consumers and technological advancements in scar treatment are some of the other factors driving growth of the market. However, high costs and risk of side effects of scar treatment are the factors inhibiting growth of the market.



This report provides in-depth analysis and estimation of the scar treatment market for the period 20152022, considering 2014 as the base year for calculation. Moreover, data pertaining to current market dynamics, including market drivers, restraints, trends, and recent developments, has been provided in the report. The scar treatment market is categorized on the basis of type of product, treatment, type of scar, and geography. Based on type of product, the market comprises creams, oils, gels, gel sheets, elastic wraps, and sprays. On the basis of treatment, the market is categorized as laser treatment, invasive surgical treatment, chemical peeling, cryosurgery, tissue fillers, and steroid injections. Based on type of scar, the market is categorized into keloid scars, acne scars, post-surgical scars, contracture scars, stretch marks, and hypertrophic scars. On the basis of geography, the report identifies and analyzes the market size and predictions for North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (RoW).



Some of the major players in the scar treatment market are Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA, Pacific World Corporation, Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., Avita Medical Limited, Enaltus, LLC, Revitol Corporation Inc., Scarguard Labs LLC, Quantum, Inc., and CCA industries Inc. These key market players have been profiled on the basis of attributes such as company overview, sustainability, financial overview, and recent developments.



In this report, the scar treatment is segmented as follows:



By product type



Creams

Oils

Gels

Gel sheets

Elastic wraps

Sprays



By treatment



Laser treatment

Invasive surgical treatment

Cryosurgery

Chemical peeling

Dermabrasion

Steroid injections

Tissue fillers



By scar type



Keloid scars

Contracture scars

Hypertrophic scars

Acne scars

Stretch marks

Post-surgical scars



By geography



North America



Europe



France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK

Eastern Europe

CIS



Asia



China

India

Japan

Others



Latin America



Argentina

Brazil

Others



Top companies profiled in this report are:



Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA

Pacific World Corporation

Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.

Avita Medical Limited

Enaltus, LLC.

Revitol Corporation Inc.

Scarguard Labs LLC

Quantum, Inc.

CCA industries Inc



Key features of this report



Drivers, restraints, and challenges shaping the scar treatment market dynamics

Latest innovations and key events in the industry

Analysis of business strategies of the top players

Scar treatment market estimates and forecast

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3306977/



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


The week was followed by NYC promo where they also performed their GRAMMY nominated song "Dystopia" on Late Night With Seth Meyers . Watch their performance here: " Dystopia "

Highlights of 2016 for Megadeth include:

2017 GRAMMY Award for Best Metal Performance for the title track from their new album Dystopia. The band was thrilled to hear the news and shared the news with their fans. Watch here: http://www.megadeth.com/grammy

Dystopia debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, alongside Adele and Justin Bieber, No.1 on the Hard Music/Top Rock Chart, No. 2 Top Album Sales Chart, peaked at No. 27 at radio, and marked the highest charting album for MEGADETH since 1992's Countdown To Extinction , which debuted at No. 2. Dystopia also debuted at No. 2 on iTunes' Top Albums chart, No. 1 on iTunes' Metal chart, and is featured in the Best of 2016: Metal playlist on Spotify with the title track "Dystopia" featured in their Top Tracks in Metal list.

Globally Dystopia achieved top 10 debuts in Canada (No. 2), Japan (No. 2 international chart), Finland (No. 3), Mexico (No. 4), Czech Republic (No. 5), Australia (No. 6), New Zealand (No. 6), Switzerland (No. 7), Poland (No. 8) and Germany (No. 10), which along with Belgium, Ireland and Spain contributed to achieve MEGADETH's highest ever chart positions in their thirty year history in a total of 10 countries around the world. Other countries with significant sales or chart debuts included UK, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, and France.

Dystopia made national Top 2016 lists including Rolling Stone's 20 Best Metal Albums of 2016, (No. 6 on), Revolver's Top 20 Metal Albums of 2016 (No. 2) and Loudwire's 20 Best Albums of 2016 (No. 12) as well as their Best Metal Songs on 2016 (No. 2) for the title track "Dystopia."

Their cutting-edge Dystopia package, campaign and partnership with CEEK VR earned them the prestigious SILVER CLIO for their collaborative project in the world of music marketing and advertising joining other Silver Clio winners including Walt Disney Records for Star Wars, Intel for Lady Gaga, Coke, KitKat, Samsung for Rihanna, JBL and more.

Their album and world tour were met with overwhelming global praise including:

"Vital and menacing thrashMegadeth sound reborn on Dystopia."  Rolling Stone

"Dave Mustaine hits the reset-to-brilliant button."  Metal Hammer (UK)

9 out of 10, Album of the Month

"For the band's 15th full-length, Dystopia, Megadeth waste no time reminding long-time listeners why the hell they loved the band in the first place."  Paste

"'Dystopia' sees Megadeth come within hailing distance of their dazzling best."  KERRANG! (UK)

"Dystopia is an absolutely blistering return to the state-of-the-art bombast and refined technicality of past glories like Rust in Peace and Endgame."  The Guardian (UK)

"Megadeth's best album since 'Countdown To Extinction.'"  Rock Hard (Germany)

8.5 out of 10, Album of the Month

MEGADETH spent 2015/2016 touring the world in support of Dystopia including shows in 4 continents, 33 countries and 160 tour dates. Reviews from the shows all echoed the same sentiment:

"On this night, a night of perfect metal mastery, they sure were. And the crowd left exhausted and exuberant, excited and ecstatic, newfound friends in metal, every one of us" Under The Radar

Dave Mustaine oversaw production and launched Megadeth beer "A Tout Le Monde." The Belgium style Saison Ale, is in partnership with Unibroue, one of the most highly awarded breweries in North America. The first batch is already completely sold out.

Dave Mustaine hosted the Classic Rock Awards in Japan. In addition to his hosting duties, he joined Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, Rudolph Schenker and others for an all-star performance to the sold out audience at Ryogoku Kokugikan Stadium.

The movie LANDFILL HARMONIC was released, a documentary which includes the story of MEGADETH travelling to Paraguay to meet and perform with young artists (and MEGADETH fans) who play classical music on instruments constructed from recycled metal and wood found in a landfill.

One of the original "Big Four," MEGADETH burst onto the scene thirty years ago, virtually invented a genre with their debut album Killing Is My Business And Business Is Good! (recently recognized by VH1 as the Greatest Thrash Metal Debut Album of All Time) sold more than 38 million albums worldwide, earning numerous accolades including 12 Grammy nominations, scoring five consecutive platinum albumsincluding 1992's two-million-selling Countdown to Extinction .

Megadeth.com

facebook.com/Megadeth | twitter.com/Megadeth | instagram.com/Megadeth

periscope.tv/Megadeth

SOURCE UMe/Tradecraft/T-Boy Records
SOMERVILLE, Mass., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Great Hill Dental Somerville office today presented a charitable contribution check for $1,975.00 to the Somerville Homeless Coalition. The donation money was generated through Great Hill Dental Partners participation in the 18th annual Smiles for Life Campaign, which ran from March to June 30th this year.

Great Hill Dental in Somerville presents donation check to the Somerville Homeless Coalition

Local Charitable Connection

While Smiles for Life is a national charitable organization, Great Hill Dental Partners also partnered with local charities. The Somerville office partnered with to the Somerville Homeless Coalition, which provides homeless and near homeless families and individuals with supportive services and housing solutions.

"We're proud of our Somerville office team that donated their time and expertise on behalf of this important charity that does so much for school children in need," said Michael Scialabba, CEO at Great Hill Dental Partners.

"We feel it's important to be active and involved with both national charities, and local charities in the communities we serve. It's been an honor to help them continue to provide for those in need in our community," he said.

"We are very grateful to Great Hill Dental Somerville for their charitable contribution to us," said Sue Redding, Administrative Coordinator. "We rely on the community-driven support of our residents and companies like Great Hill Dental Partners."

About the Somerville Homeless Coalition

The mission of the Somerville Homeless Coalition is to provide homeless and near homeless individuals and families with individualized supportive services and tailored housing solutions with a goal of obtaining and maintaining affordable housing.

We treat all people with dignity and respect, and the understanding that we are all part of our community.

To contact the Somerville Homeless Coalition please email:

Sue Redding

[email protected]

About Great Hill Dental Partners, LLC

Great Hill Dental Partners, LLC provides restorative dentistry, implant therapy, oral surgery, root canal therapy, periodontics, orthodontics, Invisalign, pediatric dentistry, and prosthodontics, all within a multi-specialty, multi-site practice.

Among the first to offer "Whole Health Dentistry" in the Boston area, Great Hill Dental focuses on the medically proven connection between a patient's oral health and their overall health.

Great Hill Dental Partners Contact:

For all Great Hill Dental Partners media or general inquiries:

Michael Scialabba

[email protected], or call (617) 969-0196 x2.

www.greathilldental.com

SOURCE Great Hill Dental Partners, LLC

Related Links

http://www.greathilldental.com


TSX: GPR

NYSE MKT: GPL

VANCOUVER, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - GREAT PANTHER SILVER LIMITED (TSX: GPR; NYSE MKT: GPL) ("Great Panther" or the "Company") announces that it has entered into an agreement with subsidiaries of Nyrstar N.V. ("Nyrstar") to acquire the Coricancha gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper mine and mill complex (the "CMC"). The CMC is located in the central Andes of Peru, approximately 90 kilometres by paved highway east of the city of Lima.

The acquisition will be structured as a share purchase whereby the Company's wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary ("GP Peru") will acquire all of the shares of Nyrstar Coricancha S.A. ("Coricancha") from subsidiaries of Nyrstar. Coricancha is the owner of a 100% interest in the CMC. Closing is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2017.

"We are very excited about the prospects for the Coricancha Mine," stated Robert Archer, President & CEO. "We have built Great Panther by acquiring past producing mines in Mexico and successfully bringing them back into production. We now hope to replicate this success in Peru, starting with the CMC. The work we completed in 2015 and 2016 during the option term demonstrated substantial upside and we believe that we have the expertise and discipline to capitalize on that. The project has the potential for annual production of approximately 3 million silver equivalent ounces, which would be a significant contribution to our growth. Importantly, with more than US$54 million in cash, the Company is fully financed to bring the mine back into production."

The CMC is a fully permitted polymetallic mine that includes an operational 600 tonne per day flotation and gold BIOX bio-leach plant along with supporting mining infrastructure. The CMC has been on care and maintenance since August 2013 when it was closed due to falling commodity prices. The CMC property comprises more than 3,700 hectares in the prolific Central Polymetallic Belt and production at the mine dates back to 1906. Gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper mineralization (approximately 80% gold-silver by value) occurs as massive sulphide veins that have been mined underground by cut and fill methods.

The execution of the agreement follows on the option agreement entered into between Great Panther and Nyrstar in May 2015. Great Panther undertook significant exploration and evaluation work on the CMC in 2015 and 2016 that led to continued negotiations with Nyrstar following the termination of the option agreement.

Under the terms of the purchase agreement, Great Panther will acquire Coricancha from Nyrstar for a purchase price comprising (i) US$0.1 million to be paid on closing, (ii) an amount equal to cash on hand in Coricancha at completion, and (iii) earn-out consideration of up to US$10.0 million. Under the earn-out, Nyrstar will be paid 15% of the free cash-flow generated by the CMC during the 5-year period after which the CMC is cumulative free cash-flow positive from closing.

Great Panther is continuing with its engineering and technical evaluation for the reactivation of the CMC, with the objective of further refining the costs and timing for start-up. At this time, it is expected that it will take approximately 12 to 18 months to bring the mine back into production, based on the engineering studies completed to date, and that the costs to reactivate the mine will be in the order of US$25 million. However, these estimates are subject to further review and refinement of the start-up plans. The Company expects to announce further details closer to closing, and to commence the program to restart the mine shortly thereafter, including underground drilling, surface drilling (once permits are obtained), mine development, plant upgrades and other start-up evaluations and undertakings. In addition, an ongoing compilation of underground sampling data will be combined with the data obtained from the Company's 2015 - 2016 drilling programs, during the option phase, to update the resource base.

Nyrstar has agreed to be responsible for certain reclamation work and outstanding fines related to legacy tailings facilities at the CMC that Coricancha will undertake following closing, subject to agreed maximum amounts. In addition, Nyrstar will maintain the existing CMC mine closure bond for 3 years.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Robert F. Brown, P. Eng. and Vice President of Exploration for the Company. Aspects relating to mining and metallurgy are overseen by Ali Soltani, Chief Operating Officer for Great Panther.

ABOUT GREAT PANTHER

Great Panther Silver Limited is a primary silver mining and exploration company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol GPR, and on the NYSE MKT trading under the symbol GPL. Great Panther's current activities are focused on the mining of precious metals from its two wholly-owned operating mines in Mexico: the Guanajuato Mine Complex, which includes the San Ignacio Mine, and the Topia Mine in Durango.

Robert Archer

President & CEO

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (together, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding: the ability of the Company to complete the acquisition of Coricancha, the timing and cost to the Company of reactivating the CMC, anticipated processing and production rates that may be achieved at the CMC upon reactivation, the ultimate cost of reclaiming legacy tailings facilities, potential increases to the CMC resource base, the availability of adequate financing, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to be materially different. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to potential political risks involving the Company's operations in a foreign jurisdiction, technical and operational difficulties that may be encountered with reactivation of the CMC, uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, uncertainty in mineral resource estimation, physical risks inherent in mining operations, currency fluctuations, fluctuations in the price of silver, gold and base metals, completion of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, permitting risks, the inability or failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2015 and Material Change Reports filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and reports on Form 40-F and Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. There is no assurance that such forward looking statements will prove accurate; results may vary materially from such forward looking statements; and there is no assurance that the Company will be able to identify and acquire additional projects or that any projects acquired will be successfully developed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. The Company has no intention to update forward looking statements except as required by law.

SOURCE Great Panther Silver Limited

Related Links

http://www.greatpanther.com


DENSO's Holographic Haptic Controller uses light to project holograms and ultrasonic sound waves to create haptic feedback, allowing the user to control the vehicle systems mid-air without physically touching a button.

uses light to project holograms and ultrasonic sound waves to create haptic feedback, allowing the user to control the vehicle systems mid-air without physically touching a button. VIVE, the Virtual Reality Experience  Users will be able to select from two game scenarios played in glass cubes visible to the CES show floor.

The first experience will feature DENSO's V2X (vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure) technology, where users will learn about managing traffic flow in a city environment. The game will demonstrate how V2X technology can help to manage complicated traffic situations, efficiently and safely.

The second experience focused on Manufacturing , will enable the player to help assemble a DENSO product. Users will experience the complexity of manufacturing and assembly and improve their understanding of the uses of robotics in manufacturing for safety sensitive tasks.

 Users will be able to select from two game scenarios played in glass cubes visible to the CES show floor. The first experience will feature DENSO's technology, where users will learn about managing traffic flow in a city environment. The game will demonstrate how V2X technology can help to manage complicated traffic situations, efficiently and safely. The second experience focused on , will enable the player to help assemble a DENSO product. Users will experience the complexity of manufacturing and assembly and improve their understanding of the uses of robotics in manufacturing for safety sensitive tasks. DENSO and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's ( MIT ) next generation Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV) , will provide a glimpse into the future possibilities of autonomous transportation using today's technology. The concept includes wireless charging, glowing exterior lighting for autonomous, semi-autonomous and regular driving modes, as well as a micro-HVAC system that heats and cools the PEV.

, will provide a glimpse into the future possibilities of autonomous transportation using today's technology. The concept includes wireless charging, glowing exterior lighting for autonomous, semi-autonomous and regular driving modes, as well as a micro-HVAC system that heats and cools the PEV. Touchless Human-Machine Interface (HMI) - As an experimental look at the future of vehicle cockpit control, this technology features a gesture control system that tracks eye and head movements using sensors, enabling the driver to make decisions in the vehicle without having to take their hands off the wheel.

As an experimental look at the future of vehicle cockpit control, this technology features a gesture control system that tracks eye and head movements using sensors, enabling the driver to make decisions in the vehicle without having to take their hands off the wheel. DENSO's COBOTTA robots show the potential for humans and robots collaborating for improved quality of life. Practical applications of this futuristic robot include working together as a cooking aid in the kitchen, serving as a lab assistant in research, or simply helping accomplish everyday tasks. The company's demonstration will include one robot taking the visitor's photo and the second sketching their portrait within minutes. Additionally, the booth will include a "Barista-bot" which will prepare, brew and serve coffee to visitors.

robots show the potential for humans and robots collaborating for improved quality of life. Practical applications of this futuristic robot include working together as a cooking aid in the kitchen, serving as a lab assistant in research, or simply helping accomplish everyday tasks. The company's demonstration will include one robot taking the visitor's photo and the second sketching their portrait within minutes. Additionally, the booth will include a "Barista-bot" which will prepare, brew and serve coffee to visitors. DENSO's ProFarm Monitor Kit allows farmers in Japan to remotely monitor greenhouses, temperature, humidity and CO2 levels from a smartphone to improve crop production, efficiency and stability. It creates a vertical greenhouse environment that will increase the ability to harvest food due to land constraints or during labor shortages in countries around the world.

"Our goal is to develop technology that creates a better world," said Doug Patton, executive vice president, Engineering, DENSO International America. "We are looking at ways that our technology and components can be used beyond the automobilein agriculture, health care and the home."

About DENSO in North America

DENSO is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. With its North American headquarters located in Southfield, Michigan, DENSO employs more than 23,000 people at 30 consolidated companies and affiliates across the North American region. Of these, 28 are manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs more than 15,000 people in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. DENSO's North American consolidated sales totaled US$9.9 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. For more information, go to www.densocorp-na.com. Connect with DENSO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DENSOinNorthAmerica

DENSO Worldwide

DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, totaled US$40.2 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/

About DENSO's North American Aftermarket Group

DENSO's North American aftermarket group supplies parts for original equipment service dealers, independent aftermarket service centers and retailers. In addition, the company distributes heavy-duty diesel and electrical components, portable commercial air-conditioning units and industrial robots. The company employs approximately 500 people in Long Beach and Murrieta, California. The company's product line includes heavy-duty and automotive alternators, starters, oil, cabin and air filters, spark plugs, AC compressors, oxygen sensors, ignition wires, fuel pumps, fuel injectors and wiper blades. For more information, go to www.densoautoparts.com. Connect with DENSO Auto Parts on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/densoautoparts/.

SOURCE DENSO Corporation

Related Links

http://www.densocorp-na.com


BRISTOL, England, December 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

- 69 percent revenue growth

- New offices in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney

- Bold plans to grow visitors to 25m a month

Bolstered by the development of their branded content unit 'Hybrid Create', the independent media company has reached 2.5 million in revenue for the December to December financial year. These numbers represent a 69 percent increase on figures from the previous year, and Hybrid's Finance Manager, David Bond, states the company has managed to dramatically increase profit margins by 74 percent.

"Setting up our content and delivery hub in Kuala Lumpur has not only increased our regional reporting coverage across Asia but also helped us to maintain a competitive cost structure," Managing Director of Hybrid News Group, James Craven, says.

Hybrid News Group operates a global portfolio of websites including AsianCorrespondent.com, TechWireAsia.com, TravelWireAsia.com and StudyInternational.com. This year has seen the organisation partner with a range of leading brands, including Oracle, Japan Airlines, Intercontinental Hotel Group, and Kings College London.

"We're very proud to work with some of the biggest brands in the world, connecting them with quality editorial so they can tell their story and engage our global readers," Craven explains.

In November, Hybrid's web portfolio reached over six million unique visitors, according to data from Quantcast. In 2017, Hybrid News Group plans to grow its reach and readership by over 400 percent. James Craven suggests that the company is readily-prepared to boost these numbers further throughout the coming year.

According to Hybrid's MD, "Our investment in contentjournalism, video and audio in the coming 12 months means we will increase monthly visitors to 25 million by the end of 2017. We are very ambitious about what we can achieve in the next two to three years. "

About Hybrid News Group

Hybrid News Group (Hybrid News Limited) is a digital media company with a portfolio of websites targeting Asia and emerging markets. As of December 2016, the company reaches 6 million unique monthly visitors with a high composition of 18- to 35-year-old readers interested in politics, education, travel, environment, technology and investment. Hybrid News has 60 + staff and offices in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur and Bristol, UK. It plans to open offices in Boston in January 2018.

Media Contact:

Corey Archard, External Relations

[email protected]

(44) 117 244 3750





SOURCE Hybrid News Group
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Hyundai Hope on Wheels announced $7 million dollars in available funding for pediatric cancer research. The latest round of funding is another benchmark toward the foundation's effort to find innovative treatments and a cure for childhood cancer.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels research grants aim to expand the knowledge of pediatric cancer and develop novel approaches for associated tumors. This year, there are two types of grants available: Hyundai Scholar and Hyundai Young Investigator grant. The Hyundai Scholar grant is for $250,000 and the Hyundai Young Investigator grant is for $150,000, both over a period of two years. The awards are limited to Children's Oncology Group ("COG") member institutions in the U.S.

"The Hyundai Scholar and Young Investigator grants offer strategic investments to help provide innovative solutions for the most challenging pediatric cancer cases," said Scott Stark, Board Chairman, Hyundai Hope on Wheels. "By funding early career clinicians, we have a greater chance of improving the quality of life and survival rate of every child fighting cancer."

The Hyundai Scholar Award is presented to scientists involved with translational research and who work directly with pediatric cancer patients. The Hyundai Young Investigator Award provides funding for principal investigators whose research projects are likely to have a significant impact on improving the understanding of the biology of childhood cancer.

"For the past 18 years, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has funded research targeted at some of the most promising pediatric cancer initiatives in the medical community. We want the kids, their parents and loved ones to know Hyundai Hope on Wheels is fighting with them and will not stop until we find a cure to end childhood cancer," said Dave Zuchowski, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America.

Applicants will be notified by April 3, 2017 on grant selections.

For more information about Hyundai Hope on Wheels and to view a list of our 2016 grant recipients, please visit www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org/research. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at Facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels, Twitter.com/HopeOnWheels or Instagram.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels.

HYUNDAI HOPE ON WHEELS

Hyundai Hope on Wheels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope on Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. Primary funding for Hyundai Hope on Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 820 U.S. dealers. Hyundai Hope on Wheels has awarded more than $100 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance. Hyundai Blue Link Connected Care provides owners of Hyundai models equipped with the Blue Link telematics system with proactive safety and car care services complimentary for one year with enrollment. These services include Automatic Collision Notification, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Vehicle Diagnostic Alert, Monthly Vehicle Health Report and in-vehicle service scheduling.

SOURCE Hyundai Hope on Wheels

Related Links

http://www.hyundaihopeonwheels.org


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- RoundingWell, an integrated care management software provider, announced today an agreement with the Illinois Rural Community Care Organization (IRCCO) to deploy RoundingWell in support of an ACO initiative across Illinois comprised of 24 critical access and rural hospitals, 35 rural health clinics, and 14 independent rural physician practices. RoundingWell's care management platform will help IRCCO's integrated clinician teams provide care for more than 24,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

"IRCCO has made great strides in the last year toward understanding and improving the health of our beneficiaries," said Pat Schou, Executive Director, IRCCO. "RoundingWell is the final piece of the puzzle that will enable us to engage and coordinate care for our higher-risk patients by using standardized protocols that are accessible to all care coordinators at our 24-plus locations."

John Smithwick, CEO of RoundingWell, emphasized, "This is a perfect example of the integrated care delivery models that we built RoundingWell to support. Dedicated care coordinators are working with clinicians from hospitals and primary care settings across Illinois to deliver collectively the very best care for the patients they manage."

Eric Johns, VP of Business Development at RoundingWell, added "The RoundingWell team is very honored and excited about this partnership with IRCCO. Both organizations desire to improve patient care, and we are confident that with their coordinators, ACO members' clinician teams, and our technology, we can make a positive impact on quality and ultimately assist them in achieving shared savings."

For more information, visit iruralhealth.org or RoundingWell.com.

About the Illinois Rural Community Care Organization

IRCCO is a statewide rural accountable care organization. It is comprised of 24 critical access and rural hospitals, 35 rural health clinics, and 14 independent rural physician practices providing care and services for more than 24,000 Medicare beneficiaries.

About RoundingWell

RoundingWell is integrated care management software for provider organizations' accountable care, value-based, and population health initiatives. Picking up where EMRs stop, care teams use RoundingWell to coordinate care, engage patients, and measure quality. RoundingWell is offered as a subscription service to a variety of healthcare organizations, including hospitals, Accountable Care Organizations, and specialty care providers.

CONTACT: Mark Ott, 1-615-374-7074, [email protected]

SOURCE RoundingWell

Related Links

http://roundingwell.com


LONDON, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The rise in the number of insect-borne diseases is driving the growth of the insect repellent market in Europe. In order to protect themselves from diseases caused by mosquitoes or ticks, consumers prefer different insect repellent products such as apparels, oils and creams, and stickers and patches among others. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the changing climatic conditions would increase the habitation of tiger mosquitoes in the Northern part of Europe on account of warmer and wetter weather conditions. All these factors are likely to increase health awareness among European consumers, which in turn is expected to drive the usage of insect repellent products in Italy, France, Spain and other European countries during the forecast period.



In addition, insect repellents are marketed through strong distribution channels such as online stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Increasing availability of these products in stores and supermarkets are also promoting the growth of the insect repellent market in Europe. Moreover, manufacturers also sell insect repellent products through internet retailing. The collection, variety, discount, and price range of products available with internet retailers is diverse leading to increasing popularity of the channel. Many companies are entering into joint venture agreements with different online stores in order to market these products through their websites.



Key manufacturers operating in the insect repellent market are continuously focused on developing safe and innovative insect repellents. These products provide protection from critical insect-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Lyme disease, and yellow fever among others. With advancement in technology, insect repellents are being made from natural products such as lemongrass, citronella oil, and eucalyptus oil which produce less smoke and are comparatively safer.



However, stringent government regulations prevailing in Europe hinder the growth of the insect repellent market. Various organizations such as the European Environmental Agency and the European Medicines Agency have implemented different safety standards to conclude whether an insect repellent is harmless enough for its intended use, thereby maintaining consumer safety.



Increasing demand for new and innovative insect repellent products containing natural ingredients is likely to create significant opportunity for growth of the European insect repellant market in the future.



This market research study analyzes the insect repellent market in Europe and provides estimates in terms of revenue (USD Million) from 2014 to 2023. It recognizes the drivers and restraints affecting the industry and analyzes their impact over the forecast period from 2015 to 2023. Moreover, it identifies the significant opportunities for market growth in the years to come.



The report segments the market based on product type which includes body-worn insect repellent and non body-worn insect repellent. The body-worn insect repellent segment is segmented into oils and cream, apparels, stickers and patches, and aerosols. The oils and cream segment is further divided into synthetic and plant based insect repellents. Moreover, the aerosol segment is classified into Deet and Non Deet. The non body-worn insect repellent segment is subdivided into coils, mats and sheets, aerosols and liquid vaporizers. The aerosol segment is further bifurcated into Deet and Non Deet. By countries, the insect repellent market in Europe is subdivided into Germany, U.K. France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and rest of Europe.



The report provides company market share analysis of the various industry participants. Key players have also been profiled on the basis of company overview, financial overview, business strategies and key developments. Major market participants profiled in this report include Avon Products Inc. (U.S.), S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (U.S.), 3M Corporation (U.S.), E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company (U.S.), BASF S.E (Germany) and Omega Pharma (Belgium).



Europe Insect Repellent Market: by Product Type



Body Worn Insect Repellent

Oils and Cream

Synthetic

Deet

Picaridin

Permethrin

Plant Based

Citronella

Geraniol

Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus

Apparel

Stickers and Patches

Aerosols

Deet

Non Deet

Non Body Worn Insect Repellent

Coils, Mats and Sheet

Aerosol

Deet

Non Deet

Liquid Vaporizer

Europe Insect Repellent Market: by Country



U.K.

Germany

France

Italy

Germany

Spain

Belgium

Switzerland

Netherlands

Denmark

Norway

Sweden

Finland

Iceland

Rest of Europe



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3999665/



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

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Economic and trade cooperation, with the essence of mutual benefit and win-win result, is the "propeller" of China-US relations. On Dec. 11 and 12, the JUMORE arrived in Los Angeles, and held the 1st Cross-Border E-Commerce Summit-Los Angeles, USA, jointly with Los Angeles' Chamber of Commerce, to make in-depth exchanges with well-known entrepreneurs, bankers, economists, leaders of chambers of commerce and associations, as well as the world's top 500 enterprises, and to deepen strategic cooperation with the United States.

Los Angeles is the largest trade and warehousing industry center on the US west coast, and also the home for many in the petrochemicals, marine, aerospace and electronics industries. The Los Angeles port and the secondary port of Long Beach, located in San Pedro, receive up 70 percent of the container throughput on the US west coast. There is no doubt that Los Angeles is the bridgehead of America-and-Asia cross-border trade.

During the trip, the delegation also visited northern and southern California, and carried out various cooperation exchanges with associations and chambers of commerce in various fields, as well as the world's top 500 companies, with the aim to help American enterprises quicken their entry into the JUMORE platform and achieve global cross-border cooperation.

California is the most economically developed region of America. California has exceeded France in GDP by 2016, becoming the world's sixth largest economy. The world's top-class enterprises, technologies and experts in the area of advanced manufacturing, information industry, modern agriculture and aerospace industry, are based in California. The close cooperation between JUMORE and California will enhance the complementary and mutually beneficial relationship among all parties on JUMORE platform to achieve efficient development.

On the ecological JUMORE platform, America and European countries have significant advantages in innovative technologies and high-end services, which will equip many manufacturing enterprises on the platform with advanced technologies and services, so as to help them improve the technical level, and realize intelligent manufacturing. Plenty of manufacturing enterprises on the platform will be able to embrace the vast European and American markets and other international markets, providing high-quality goods to the whole world. An enormous amount of purchase orders on JUMORE platform will also bring great business opportunities to raw material exporting countries, and the manufacturing experiences and technologies from China will help various countries to conduct industrial upgrading, thereby increasing the added value of their exported products.

The multilateral cooperation network constructed by the ecological JUMORE platform will bring about innovative and mutually beneficial growth of the trade and economy for all countries. JUMORE's Chairman Lu Hongxiang stated in the summit that, mutual benefit and win-win result should be the cooperative basis for all parties. It is exactly the value concept of JUMORE that "Only Altruism Wins Self-Interest".

The concept and model of JUMORE was highly recognized by people from business and government in the US. Ben Ghalmi, an analyst of economics and finance, believed that JUMORE meets the needs and trends of the current era with a clear pattern, inclusiveness, and social responsibility. The representative of HSBC Bank Debbie Chen. said in the talks that, HSBC is willing to strengthen cooperation with JUMORE, to help it reach outstanding enterprises from Los Angeles and all of America, propelling the rapid economic development of both the US and China.

At present, the E4B model of JUMORE, which leads to mutual benefit and win-win situation, has achieved abundant accomplishment. As of September 2016, JUMORE has reached cooperation consensus with all provinces IN China and more than 100 countries. JUMORE's E4B model is providing powerful support for the world economy to fulfill mutual benefit and win-win result, and for achieving innovative growth of the trade and economy of all countries.

SOURCE Jumore E-commerce Co., Ltd
CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LAPIZ was named the official agency of record for Advance Auto Parts' general market business. The agency has managed the retailer's Hispanic market work since 2014, and will now lead marketing efforts for both general and Hispanic markets across North America.

Most recently, LAPIZ created the Advance Auto Parts "Car + Culture" digital content series, which celebrates stories of unique car cultures found in cities across the country. The four episodes feature Albuquerque, Miami, Chicago and Houston, and were launched via YouTube beginning in July. The program will extend into 2017.

"LAPIZ has always provided a great understanding of our DIY customer," said Advance Auto Parts Chief Marketing Officer Walter Scott. "We look forward to extending our creative partnership to build our brand in the North American general market."

Advance Auto Parts joins a growing list of general market account wins for LAPIZ. Across the agency's roster, existing client relationships continue to grow beyond multicultural to include general market work as well, reflecting a complex reality in today's marketplace.

"Many advertising agencies focus only on winning new business. While that is important to us, we continue to find new ways to solve our current client business challenges," said Gustavo Razzetti, LAPIZ executive vice president and managing director. "Our outsider perspective allows us to provide innovative business solutions not just advertising campaigns."

Approximately 40 percent of LAPIZ client relationships target a 'hybrid' market that includes both general market and multicultural audiences. As the general population and marketplace become increasingly diverse, the need for work and hybrid agencies that cross cultural borders is imperative to business success. LAPIZ's hybrid relationships include Mexico Tourism Board, Advance Auto Parts and ACH Foods, as well as project-based work for several other existing clients.

About LAPIZ

Established in 1999, LAPIZ is a marketing agency that uses outside perspectives to challenge established beliefs and create the unexpected. LAPIZ work has consistently been recognized in top creative and effectiveness international awards shows including several Cannes Lions, Clios and EFFIES. Part of the Leo Burnett Group, LAPIZ works with some of the world's most valuable brands including Advance Auto Parts, Allstate, Purina, Mexico Board of Tourism, Marshalls and P&G.

About Advance Auto Parts

Advance Auto Parts, Inc., a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider in North America, serves both professional installer and do-it-yourself customers. As of October 8, 2016, Advance operated 5,058 stores and 127 Worldpac branches and served approximately 1,250 independently owned Carquest branded stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. Advance employs approximately 74,000 Team Members. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts, accessories and other offerings can be found on the Company's website at www.advanceautoparts.com.

LAPIZ Contact:

Michael Cowen

312.220.3953

[email protected]

SOURCE LAPIZ
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- When you've worked with local government IT and communications leaders every day for more than 20 years, it doesn't take a crystal ball to predict the major trends that will impact local government in 2017. Vision, the company dedicated to empowering local government leaders to serve, inform and engage their communities, today issued its list of the Top 5 trends for 2017 along with tips for local leaders charged with meeting growing citizen expectations.

1. User Experience Will Matter More Than Ever

Accenture's 2016 Public Service Pulse Survey found that 85 percent of U.S. citizens expect government digital services to be the same or higher quality as those of commercial organizations  up 12 percent from 2014. Yet, the most significant obstacle to using digital services from government is "poor website organization." What can local leaders do?

Explore low-cost ways to analyze usability, like Google Analytics and user surveys.

Continually refine your website's navigation and homepage based on web analytics and user feedback.

Organize your website to reflect the needs of residents, rather than the internal structure of government.

2. Content Strategy is Key to Helping Residents Perform Tasks Online

In the same Public Service Pulse Survey, 41 percent of respondents cited "poorly organized or dense information" as a top obstacle to using digital government services. Overcoming this challenge requires an effective content strategy focused on clear, succinct and actionable information. How can local leaders ensure success?

Review website analytics and remove infrequently accessed pages.

Train all content contributors to write effectively for the web.

Eliminate legalese and present information in plain language that can easily be understood.

3. Web Accessibility Standards are on the Horizon

New rules on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance for websites will be issued in 2018. How can local leaders prepare?

Stay ahead of the curve by making website accessibility compliance a strategic imperative.

Update your staff on accessibility guidelines and ensure that they are trained to write content that is accessible to people with various disabilities.

Develop an accessibility policy and publish it on your website.

4. Community Engagement will Takeoff

Engagement takes many forms -- voice-to-voice, face-to-face, mobile and social. How can local leaders make sure that messages are consistent across all platforms?

Building community engagement takes time; so begin to regularly ask residents for opinions on small, everyday issues.

Nurture the habit of engagement by sharing how resident feedback impacts decisions.

Explore new engagement methods, like blogging and video, to help tell stories better.

5. Cybersecurity Concerns will Skyrocket

Despite highly publicized national attacks in 2016, state and local governments are especially vulnerable to cyber attacks and other security breaches. Accenture's 2016 Cybersecurity Report says government organizations rank at the bottom of all industries in terms of security. How can you turn this around?

Stay current on the potential risks and threats.

Make sure you have policies covering data breach notification, disaster recovery, IT service continuity, remote access, employee departure and acceptable use.

Perform a cybersecurity self-assessment audit to make sure critical systems are protected from attacks with an effective solution.

Review your disaster recovery plans and make sure key vendors are prepared as well.

"The relationship between citizens and government is evolving," said Ashley Fruechting, Vision's senior director of marketing. "If there's one thing we learned during the 2016 election cycle, it's that citizens want to be heard. The opportunity to increase satisfaction, build trust and foster engagement on the local level is greater than ever. It all begins with a local government website that provides useful, meaningful and accurate information about matters of shared interest and concerns in the community."

For more information about Vision's transformative technology, or to request a free website review and consultation, please call 888-263-8847 or visit info.visioninternet.com/free-consultation.

About Vision

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Vision is a national leader in government website design, development and hosting with more than 700 government, non-profit and education clients in U.S. and Canadian communities with populations that range from less than 1,000 residents to more than 5 million. For more than 20 years, Vision has created cost-effective solutions that increase government efficiency, build transparency and promote interactive communications with citizens. The company's powerful, easy-to-use subscription-based content management system, visionLive, keeps local government websites relevant and effective; and the new visionPulse community engagement platform enables local governments to gather feedback on important issues. In 2016, Vision was named to Government Technology magazine's GovTech 100, a listing of leading companies developing innovative or disruptive offerings to improve or transform government. The company also was named a top 10 company serving local government by Engaging Local Government Leaders in its 2016 ELGL Choice Awards.

CONTACT:

Lynette Viviani

973-534-1004

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160328/348411LOGO

SOURCE Vision
CLEVELAND, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Richik Sarkar, a Member in McGlinchey Stafford's Cleveland office, has been featured in a spotlight video on diversity for Cleveland news outlet WKYC's "Square Talk."

Richik Sarkar

Sarkar, who was recognized as one of Crain's Cleveland Business' "Who to Watch in Law" 2016, discusses how organizations can improve diversity within their ranks in this video clip. Sarkar serves as a Board Member of the Greater Cleveland Partnership's Commission on Economic Inclusion, which he mentions in the video as a resource for diversity statistics such as leadership, personnel, and supplier diversity.

In the video, Sarkar discusses the role of diversity as a competitive advantage, and how actively focusing on improving diversity can help companies improve their revenue by consciously improving their diversity amongst leadership.

According to Sarkar, higher-performing companies in the region have done well in establishing diversity among their ranks, or they have developed strategic plans to improve internal diversity.

Describing what steps companies should take to evaluate their diversity metrics and improve outcomes, Sarkar notes that beginning steps for business leaders include "deliberate thinking about how [companies are] deciding who [they] want to meet when hiring, who [they're] actually hiring, and who's involved in the hiring process."

Sarkar actively serves in leadership roles within organizations focused on diversity within the business community and the legal profession. He is Past Director of the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, a Board member and Past President of the South Asian Bar Association of Ohio, and a member of the Board of the Asian American Bar Association of Ohio. He is also a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the North American South Asian Bar Association.

In his commercial litigation practice, Sarkar represents a range of public and private entities of all sizes in the areas of complex litigation, data privacy and cybersecurity, director and officer liability and related matters, predatory lending, class action defense, and regulatory compliance, among others. He is a 1998 graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and also holds an M.S.W. (1994) and B.A., with honors (1993), from the University of Michigan.

ABOUT MCGLINCHEY STAFFORD

McGlinchey Stafford is a full-service law firm providing innovative legal counsel to business clients nationwide. Guiding clients wherever business and law intersect, McGlinchey Stafford's 200 attorneys are based in 13 offices in Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington, DC. To learn more about McGlinchey Stafford, visit www.mcglinchey.com.

SOURCE McGlinchey Stafford
BOLOGNA, Italy, and SAN DIEGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Menarini-Silicon Biosystems today announced they have signed an agreement to purchase all the assets and relevant business related to the CELLSEARCH Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) system from Janssen Diagnostics, LLC. CELLSEARCH is used to help manage patients with metastatic breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. It is the only FDA-cleared CTC test, and has also been approved by China's FDA for use in monitoring breast cancer patients. Financial details were not disclosed.

The CELLSEARCH system will join Menarini-Silicon Biosystems' family of advanced diagnostics, which includes the Company's flagship DEPArray System. DEPArray is a rare-cell detection and isolation technology that is used globally in a number of therapeutic areas, including oncology. With both DEPArray and CELLSEARCH in its portfolio, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems will be able to provide CTC detection on an FDA-cleared platform, and give oncologists and researchers access to unparalleled molecular characterization capabilities. Together, the two technologies provide a unique opportunity to advance next-generation, personalized medicine strategies.

"We are excited to welcome CELLSEARCH to the Menarini-Silicon Biosystems portfolio," commented Lucia Aleotti, Chairman of Menarini Group and Giuseppe Giorgini, CEO, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems. "The combined capabilities of CELLSEARCH together with our DEPArray System will enhance our potential to enable meaningful advances in the field of personalized medicine."

Under terms of the agreement, when the closing will occur, Menarini-Silicon Biosystems will seek to retain many of the Janssen Diagnostics employees in roles dedicated to CTCs, and assume operation of Janssen Diagnostics' CLIA-certified laboratory in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. The two companies will work closely to transition the business across the many global markets where CELLSEARCH is available.

About CELLSEARCH Technology

Clinical data to date from 28 independent prospective studies involving more than 4,700 patients have validated the clinical performance and value of CELLSEARCH CTC testing to predict progression-free survival and overall survival both before and after therapy initiation. CELLSEARCH data have been published in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.

About the DEPArray System

DEPArray technology is recognized as the gold standard to isolate single CTCs from enriched blood, with data published in 19 peer-reviewed publications and mentioned in more than 30 review articles. The full synergy between CELLSEARCH enrichment and DEPArray sorting have been shown to deliver 100% pure cells suitable for very precise and reproducible downstream next-generation sequencing analysis. In addition, DEPArray technology has other applications that include recovery and molecular characterization of pure cell populations from disaggregated formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens, fresh tissues and fine needle aspiration samples.

About Menarini-Silicon Biosystems

Menarini-Silicon Biosystems Inc. is a Menarini Group company, with European headquarters in Bologna, Italy and U.S. headquarters in San Diego, California. Menarini-Silicon Biosystems operates in the healthcare sector and in personalized medicine, through the development of technologies and products that help to understand the biological complexity of many pathologies thanks to the study of single cells. For more information see www.siliconbiosystems.com and follow on Twitter @SiliconBio.

SOURCE Menarini-Silicon Biosystems

Related Links

http://www.siliconbiosystems.com


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Key points:

The Traffic Injury Research Foundation USA (TIRF USA ) conducted the second annual Road Safety Monitor ( USA RSM) on alcohol-impaired driving with sponsorship from Anheuser-Busch in October 2016 . More than 5,000 drivers across the country completed the online poll.

(TIRF ) conducted the second annual Road Safety Monitor ( RSM) on alcohol-impaired driving with sponsorship from Anheuser-Busch in . More than 5,000 drivers across the country completed the online poll. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired driving fatality data from 2015 (involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or greater) showed that 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities. This is a 3.2 percent increase from 2014 (compared to an overall increase in fatalities of 7.2 percent).

Drunk-driving fatalities decreased 51 percent from 1982 to 2015, but progress has been eroded in recent years. Results from this poll are consistent and reveal a significant increase in self-reported alcohol-impaired driving. To illustrate, 5.5 percent of respondents admitted to driving impaired often or very often in 2016, compared to 4.0 percent in 2015. Additionally, 11.7 percent admitted to driving when they thought they were over the legal limit one or more times within the previous 12 months in 2016, compared to 8.0 percent in 2015.

Based on only two years of RSM data, it is premature to draw conclusions about trends. Therefore, continued monitoring is essential in light of increases in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities.

Data from this poll suggest more awareness is needed about alternatives to alcohol-impaired driving. In this regard, almost all U.S. drivers (98.5 percent) think that having a designated driver is important when planning to go out with friends when drinking will occur, but 19.3 percent said they never use one. Also, 8.7 percent said they thought there was no alternative when asked why they drove when they thought they were over the legal limit. And, only 18.7 percent of drivers have used ride share services on a night out.

In terms of using alternative transportation, 71.2 percent of respondents report having been a designated driver (an estimated 142 million drivers), 63.5 percent always or nearly always use a designated driver (127 million drivers), 47.2 percent have been driven home by a designated driver (94 million drivers), 30.9 percent have used some form of public transportation such as a taxi or bus (62 million drivers) and 18.7 percent (37 million drivers) have used alternative ride share services such as Uber or Lyft. These results suggest more focused strategies can encourage people to choose a safe ride home as an alternative to driving alcohol-impaired.

WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - The Traffic Injury Research Foundation USA, Inc. (TIRF USA) in partnership with TIRF in Canada released the second annual Road Safety Monitor (RSM) on alcohol-impaired driving sponsored by Anheuser-Busch. The public opinion poll conducted in October 2016 investigated U.S. drivers' opinions and behaviors in relation to this issue. Results are based on a sample of 5,050 drivers, aged 21 years or older.

"According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired driving fatalities involving a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or greater accounted for 30 percent of total motor vehicle crash fatalities in 2014, corresponding to 9,943 lives lost.", explains Ms. Tara Casanova Powell, Director of Research at TIRF USA. "However, fatality data from 2015 showed that 10,265 people died in alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, which is a 3.2 percent increase from 2014."

While drunk-driving fatalities decreased 51 percent from 1982 to 2015, it appears progress is being eroded. Results from this poll also reveal a significant increase in self-reported alcohol-impaired driving. To illustrate, 5.5 percent of respondents admitted to driving impaired often or very often in 2016, compared to 4.0 percent in 2015. Additionally, 11.7 percent of respondents admitted to driving when they thought they were over the legal limit one or more times within the previous 12 months in 2016, compared to 8.0 percent in 2015. Alcohol-impaired driving and young drivers impaired by alcohol were considered two of the most serious issues in the U.S. and showed a significant increase in concern from 2015. Overall, a majority of respondents (75 percent) said they are concerned about the issue of alcohol-impaired driving.

According to Dr. Ward Vanlaar, Chief Operating Officer of TIRF in Canada and a co-author of the study, "When we asked why respondents drove after drinking when they thought they were probably over the legal limit, 8.7 percent said they didn't think there was an alternative available to them and just under 44 percent answered they thought they were okay to drive, demonstrating the lack of awareness regarding the importance of using alternative solutions. As such, we believe an opportunity exists as our poll also showed a decrease in awareness of alcohol-impaired driving campaigns, suggesting tailored educational strategies would be beneficial."

Alternatives to driving such as using a designated driver on a night out with family or friends, or taking a taxi or public transportation where it is available are strategies used to eliminate alcohol-impaired driving. The poll asked respondents about their behaviors in this regard and revealed that 71 percent of U.S. drivers reported that they had been a designated driver, 63 percent always or nearly always use a designated driver, 47.2 percent have been driven home by a designated driver, 30.9 percent have used some other form of transportation such as a taxi or bus, and approximately 18.7 percent have used alternative ride share services such as Uber or Lyft. Casanova Powell explains that in absolute numbers, this corresponds to an estimated 142 million drivers aged 21 years or older who have been a designated driver, 94 million who have used a designated driver, 62 million who have used some other form of transportation and 37 million who have used alternative ride share services. To provide a more general picture, 54 percent of U.S. drivers reported either using a designated driver or alternative transportation (an estimated 108 million drivers aged 21 years or older) and 80 percent reported using a designated driver, being a designated driver, or using alternative transportation (an estimated 160 million drivers aged 21 years or older).

Casanova Powell says, "Although 98.5 percent of respondents reported they thought that having a designated driver is important when planning to go out and drinking will occur, the reported use of a designated driver is low. Even when drivers are aware of ride sharing programs or public transportation in their area, these programs are not widely used. The results from our poll suggest more focused strategies can encourage people to choose a safe ride home as an alternative to driving alcohol-impaired."

Click here to download: Alcohol-Impaired Driving in the United States. Results from the 2016 TIRF USA Road Safety Monitor.

About the poll. These results are based on the 2016 TIRF USA RSM, an annual public opinion survey developed and conducted by TIRF USA, in partnership with TIRF in Canada. A total of 5,050 U.S. drivers aged 21 years or older completed the poll in October of 2016. Results can be considered accurate within plus or minus 1.4 percent, 19 times out of 20. The data were stratified and weighted by sex, age, and region. The majority of the questions were answered using a scale from one to six where six indicated high agreement, concern, or support and one indicated low agreement, concern, or support, as well as numerous yes/no questions. All respondents completed the survey online.

About TIRF USA. The mission of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation USA, Inc. (TIRF USA) is to develop and share the knowledge that saves  preventing injuries and loss of life on American roads, reducing related social, health and insurance costs, and safeguarding productivity. TIRF USA is an independent road safety research institute that obtained 501(c)3 non-profit status in the U.S. in 2014 and is affiliated through an exchange of services agreement with TIRF in Canada, established in 1964. Visit us online at www.tirf.us or twitter.com/tirfusainc

About Anheuser-Busch. Anheuser-Busch and its employees build on a legacy of corporate social responsibility by focusing on three key areas: promoting alcohol responsibility, preserving and protecting the environment and supporting local communities. In the past three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers have committed more than $1 billion in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to encourage responsible drinking and prevent underage drinking and drunk driving. Anheuser-Busch reduced total water use at its breweries 32 percent over the last 5 years and by 45.5 percent over the last 10 years. The company has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years. Since 1997, Anheuser-Busch and its Foundation have invested in local communities through donations of more than $557 million to charitable organizations. The company also has provided more than 73 million cans of emergency drinking water to people impacted by natural and other disasters since 1988. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, the leading American brewer, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com

SOURCE Traffic Injury Research Foundation USA, Inc.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Resource Network (NRN) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) today released Access and Inclusion in the Digital Age, the first broadband resource guide developed by and for local governments to address the digital divide in their communities.

An NRN member, ICMA collaborated on the project with municipal managers from six NRN cities, including: Chattanooga, Tennessee; Gonzales, California; Greensboro, North Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; Springfield, Missouri; and Youngstown, Ohio; as well as representatives from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In coordination with the guide's release, NRN will host a complimentary broadband access webinar on January 12, 2017, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EST to engage communities across the country that seek guidance in partnership and training. Register here to attend the webinar.

"Just as access to highways, ports, airports and rail were key to economic competitiveness in the last century, access to broadband is critical for cities and their residents in this century," said NRN Executive Director David Eichenthal. "In working with cities across the nation, the Network identified broadband access as an area where cities working with each other could share best practices and achieve real results."

One in 10 Americans does not have access to high-speed Internet, and 39 percent of rural Americans lack broadband access, according to the Federal Communications Commission's "2016 Broadband Progress Report." In 2016, as a part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's mandate to increase Internet access for low-income Americans, the NRN brought together representatives from six of the more than 32 current Network cities to transform their own experiences with broadband access into strategic guidance for other communities.

"With broadband access, local governments and the residents they serve gain the capacity to communicate more effectively with one another, to grow economically, and to attract talented individuals to the community," said ICMA Executive Director Robert J. O'Neill, Jr. "Local governments can use this technology to enhance community engagement, service delivery, and economic development; while residents can participate and interact with their local governments in ways that could only have been imagined a few years ago."

Through Access and Inclusion in the Digital Age, NRN and its partners created an online community where local leaders can draw upon the work of those who have gone before them, tapping into peer-pioneering cities and global supports from nonprofit organizations. The resource guide outlines key steps for local governments to take in enhancing broadband access. It also provides useful information to support communities in engaging with potential partners, finding funding, and measuring and managing the performance of new or existing programs and initiatives. As a living document, it is a dynamic repository of best practices and will be updated regularly with new information from the original six cities, as well as any other communities in the process of expanding broadband access and digital inclusion.

The guide outlines the following key strategies for success in expanding community access to reliable high-speed Internet service:

Seek partners and resources: Getting the right individuals and groups together to work on the complex social and technical issues involved in expanding access is an important first step.

Getting the right individuals and groups together to work on the complex social and technical issues involved in expanding access is an important first step. Understand barriers and limitations: Identifying the issues helps communities understand what's possible and what needs to be done.

Identifying the issues helps communities understand what's possible and what needs to be done. Engage the community: Public engagement informs/inspires prioritization and ensures the initiative meets the community's needs.

Public engagement informs/inspires prioritization and ensures the initiative meets the community's needs. Select the best model: After assessing the landscape and engaging the community, local governments should assess the viability of possible models, including municipal broadband or private Internet service providers.

After assessing the landscape and engaging the community, local governments should assess the viability of possible models, including municipal broadband or private Internet service providers. Identify a manager: Communities need a lead organization to drive the implementation and ensure that the realities of the new network live up to its promise.

Communities need a lead organization to drive the implementation and ensure that the realities of the new network live up to its promise. Measure outcomes and share successful practices: Information sharing is critical for communities to understand lessons learned and best practices.

ICMA also recently published a related article, "Advancing Local Broadband Access: Six Strategies for Success," in the November 2016 issue of its flagship publication, PM (Public Management) magazine. The article highlights the strategies developed by the six NRN cities referenced above to guide jurisdictions that seek to advance high-speed Internet access and digital literacy in their communities.



About ICMA

ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, advances professional local government worldwide. The organization's mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and fostering professional management to build sustainable communities that improve people's lives. ICMA provides member support, publications, data and information, peer and results-oriented assistance, and training and professional development to nearly 11,000 appointed city, town, and county leaders and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA's members affect millions of individuals living in thousands of communities throughout the world, from small villages and towns to large metropolitan areas.

About the National Resource Network

NRN is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) technical assistance initiative, developed by the White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities, which brings together private sector and non-profit organizations to work with economically challenged cities nationwide and develops and implements solutions and strategies that increase economic competitiveness and builds operational capacity. Comprised of local government and urban development experts, the Network is the only federal technical assistance program to cut across all operational, programmatic and policy areas relevant to city recovery efforts. Since its inception, NRN has partnered with 32 cities, and an additional 18 cities are currently in the assessment process.

SOURCE ICMA

Related Links

http://www.icma.org


LONDON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Noble Corporation plc (NYSE:NE) today announced that its report of drilling rig status and contract information has been updated as of December 20, 2016. The report, titled "Fleet Status Report," can be found on the Company's Website www.noblecorp.com, under the "Investor Relations" section of the Website.

About Noble Corporation plc

Noble is a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. The Company owns and operates one of the most modern, versatile and technically advanced fleets in the offshore drilling industry. Noble performs, through its subsidiaries, contract drilling services with a fleet of 30 offshore drilling units, consisting of 16 semisubmersibles and drillships and 14 jackups, focused largely on ultra-deepwater and high-specification jackup drilling opportunities in both established and emerging regions worldwide. Noble is a public limited company registered in England and Wales with company number 08354954 and registered office at Devonshire House, 1 Mayfair Place, London, W1J 8AJ England. Additional information on Noble is available at www.noblecorp.com.

SOURCE Noble Corporation

Related Links

http://www.noblecorp.com


LA FARGE, Wis., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Organic Valley, America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic brands, will reach a meaningful milestone in the new year: The co-op will grow to 2,000 farmer-owners by the first week of January, representing 12 percent of the organic farmers in the United States. In 2016, Organic Valley welcomed more than 300 family farms to the cooperative for 16 percent growth, and added more than 40,000 acres of organic agricultural land.

"Now, more than ever, it's time to come together and cooperate," said George Siemon, a founding farmer and CEO of Organic Valley. "Our strength has always been in our unity and belief in the collective good. In a world of divisiveness, cooperation continues to be the key to success."

Founded in 1988 by seven struggling farm families in Southwest Wisconsin, Organic Valley's mission today is still to save family farming through an organic, cooperative business model that ensures a fair pay price to farmers. That mission continues to be an urgent one; in 2015, conventional American farmers faced some of the toughest conditions they've seen since the 80s.

In the cooperative's democratic business model, each farmer-member has a voice in pay price, growth, profit sharing, best practices, and other cooperative fundamentals. Because the co-op is not beholden to shareholders or outside investors, the business can prioritize paying farmers a stable price each month, as well as providing other valuable shared services, such as world-class veterinary care, and soil and pasture improvement programs.

Organic Valley is made up of farmers such as Amy Raboine of Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Amy took over her family's dairy after her father died following a long journey with stomach cancer. Amy finished school and chose to become a dairy farmer. Today, Amy raises her family and her herd inspired by nature and her dad's legacy. https://www.organicvalley.coop/our-farmers/soul-farming/

When Chandler and Aziza Benson of Lansing, New York, decided to start a family, Chandler left his high-powered financial services job in bustling Chicago and Aziza left the National Guard for a slower paced quality of life. There, the Bensons took over Chandler's parents' organic dairy, which was too big for the older Bensons but just right for the next generation and their three sets of twins. https://www.organicvalley.coop/our-farmers/12306/

Other Organic Valley farm facts include:

Organic Valley farmer-members work in 36 states across the country, and farming styles range from cutting-edge dairies with solar panels and biodiesel implements to simple horse-drawn-plow farms.

In 2016, Organic Valley purchased a creamery in McMinnville, Oregon . Starting in 2017, the new Organic Valley plant will process milk from 27 Organic Valley farm families in the Pacific Northwest.

. Starting in 2017, the new Organic Valley plant will process milk from 27 Organic Valley farm families in the Pacific Northwest. Organic Valley places special emphasis on young farmers under the age of 35, a group they call Generation Organic. According to the USDA Agricultural Census, the average age of farmers across the country is 58.

85 percent of Organic Valley dairy farms have fewer than 100 cows. The average herd size is 72 cows.

The cooperative's growth is apparent at its headquarters in La Farge, Wisconsin, as well. In 2016, Organic Valley hired 110 new employees for a total of 903 staff, maintaining Organic Valley's role as the largest employer in Vernon County, Wisconsin. In 2015, Organic Valley was named one of Outside magazine's "100 Best Places to Work in the USA."

"Our cooperative success means we can provide a lifeline to more than 2,000 family farms and meaningful employment to over 900 staff members," concluded Siemon. "We are past and present leaders in the organic and cooperative movements and will continue to lead into the future, no matter what short-term challenges we facebecause we face them together."

Organic Valley: Independent and Farmer-Owned

Organic Valley is America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic brands. Organized in 1988, the cooperative's founding mission is to save family farms through organic farming. Organic Valley produces a variety of organic foods, including organic milk, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, soy and produce, which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. For further information visit www.organicvalley.coop. Organic Valley is also on Twitter @OrganicValley and Facebook www.facebook.com/OrganicValley.

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Horton

[email protected]

(207) 838-0084

SOURCE Organic Valley

Related Links

https://www.organicvalley.coop


HAMM, Germany, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2011, Align Technology (maker of Invisalign aligners) filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Ortho Caps GmbH (maker of Orthocaps aligners) asserting that Ortho Caps infringes five Align Technology patents (EP2263599, EP2263598, EP0989828, EP1369091, and EP1143872) with respect to the production and sale of orthocaps aligners.

In response, Ortho Caps filed two invalidity lawsuits against two of the patents in dispute (German parts of EP0989828, EP1369091) before the Federal Patent Court of the Federal Republic of Germany in Munich, since these European patents, as a whole, could no longer be challenged before the European Patent Office. Against the remaining three patents (EP2263599, EP2263598 and EP1143872), Ortho Caps filed oppositions before the European Patent Office (proceedings are underway).

Finally, on April 29, 2014 the German Federal Patent Court invalidated the German part of the patent EP1369091. In an attempt to save a part of what was claimed in the patent, Align filed auxiliary claims during the oral hearing. However, the court invalidated the patent in its entirety.

Likewise, on May 06, 2014 the German Federal Patent Court invalidated the German part of the patent EP0989828. Again, in an attempt to save a part of what was claimed in the patent, Align filed auxiliary claims during the oral hearing. However, the court invalidated this patent in its entirety as well.

Align Technology appealed these decisions before the German Federal Court of Justice, Bundesgerichtshof (Supreme Court).

Finally, on November 29, 2016 the Bundesgerichtshof, rejected the appeal and upheld the decision of the Federal Patent Court regarding the German part of the Patent EP0989828. The court also annulled the main claim, as well as most of the other claims, regarding the German part of the patent EP1369091 and only accepted an auxiliary modified claim as valid.

Commenting on the decision Dr. Wajeeh Khan, managing director and founder of Ortho Caps said, "We are thrilled to see that the highest court in Germany totally shares our view that the patents in dispute should never have been granted. Moreover, we wanted to prove that the technology in dispute was well known in orthodontics before these patents were filed by Align Technology, and the reason for our success is that we were able to do so."

About Ortho Caps:

Privately owned German dental product company, that makes and sells clear orthodontic aligners. orthocaps aligners are custom made from soft thermoplastics, which are chosen according to patients treatment needs. This TwinAligner system uses two different types of aligners for day and night use for each treatment step. The use of soft materials makes the orthodontic treatment more effective and less painful for patients. Ortho Caps products include orthocaps "classic", orthocaps pro", orthocaps MxD" and Hybrid Aligner Treatment (HAT) systems.

Jocelyne Khan

Executive Director

Ortho Caps Gmbh

[email protected]

Tel. +49-02385-92190

SOURCE Ortho Caps GmbH
BIRMINGHAM, England, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Capexsales Ltd, based in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, has launched a worldwide "Sign Up A Million Members" campaign for the new Paybookclub Cash For Content social network on mobile phones. The offer for free membership and a share each for the first million members is being made as offered in the Terms of Service of Paybookclub, available at its website http://paybook.club.

Monetize your content in status updates and get cash reward for your likes, shares and comments.

Paybookclub Cash For Content App, which can be downloaded free from Google Play, APP Store and the website, is a feature rich social network on mobiles where one can monetize content in posts. Users will also be rewarded in cash for likes, shares and comments as well as for the time spent on the network. First million members will also receive privileges like a loyalty bonus and others to be announced in the future.

In the words of Shred Pillai, architect of the concept, "An average dude on any social network is like a kid who is thrilled to take his new ball to the beach to show it off. Soon everyone else is hitting it around and having fun while the candy crush guy makes all the money on the side. Paybookclub Cash For Content is where the kid who owns the ball gets at least a candy for sharing it. Paybookclub will eventually be the global marketplace for content where millions will find gainful employment for a lifetime."

Amit Verma, CEO of Innovellent Technologies, the software partner of Paybookclub, has this to add, "Paybookclub offers highest security to members with Fingerprint/Iris scan and encryption. Paybookclub App is just a front end for a fast and highly scalable web application based on Mongo DB, AWS, sophisticated analytics and PUSH communication. One of the new features to be introduced is screening of full length movies."

About Capexsales Ltd:

Capexsales Ltd is a firm of marketing consultants for the Steel and Renewable Energy sector, venturing out to web based activities, in the booming mobile Apps arena. To learn more visit http://paybook.club/ or call us at + 44 7721170136

About Innovellent Technologies Ltd:

Innovellent Technologies Ltd is a startup based in Banglore, India, which has made a mark in the Mobile and Web Apps field, securing several high tech projects under their belt in a short time. To learn more visit www.innovellent.com, or call us at + 91 9591260704

Related Files

Paybookclub - Terms Of Service (Version -1 May 2016).docx

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

SOURCE Capexsales Ltd

Related Links

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ONSTED, Mich., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural American Foods, Inc. ("Natural American Foods" or the "Company"), a portfolio company of an affiliate of Peak Rock Capital ("Peak Rock"), a leading middle market private equity firm, announced today that it has acquired Sweet Harvest Foods Company ("Sweet Harvest"). The acquisition brings together two leading honey companies with a combined 200-year legacy of quality and customer service.

Headquartered outside of Minneapolis, Sweet Harvest is a leading producer and distributor of honey, peanut butter, and syrup products, including a full range of honey products sold under the MEL-O brand, as well as a line of peanut butter products sold under the PB Crave brand. Sweet Harvest has a strong legacy of quality and customer service, tracing its origins back to 1923. The company sells products to some of the world's best known food manufacturers, national retail and grocery chains and food distributors.

Robert Strauss, Director of Natural American Foods and a Managing Director of Peak Rock Capital, said, "We are delighted to combine the Sweet Harvest and Natural American Foods businesses, further expanding the Company's capabilities and reach. We look forward to partnering with Curt and Darcy Riess, and to building on the strong foundation and legacy that they have established over the past two decades at Sweet Harvest. We are fortunate that Curt will be joining the board of Natural American Foods, bringing with him over 20 years of experience in the honey industry."

Mr. Strauss continued, "The acquisition of Sweet Harvest is a great example of the kind of strategic transaction that Natural American Foods continues to seek in the natural sweetener industry."

Lance Chambers, Chief Executive Officer of Natural American Foods, added, "Sweet Harvest is an iconic brand in our industry, with an unrivaled reputation for integrity, quality and customer service. We're excited to have them join the Natural American Foods family, and to have Curt, Darcy, and Austin Riess join our team."

Curt Riess, President of Sweet Harvest, commented, "On behalf of myself, my wife Darcy, and all Sweet Harvest employees, we are very excited to join the Natural American Foods team. Sweet Harvest and Natural American Foods have each established strong reputations for producing high quality products and working to deliver outstanding customer service. I'm looking forward to our partnership and working with Natural American Foods' talented management team to accelerate the growth of the combined businesses."

ABOUT NATURAL AMERICAN FOODS

Natural American Foods is one of the country's largest processors of 100% pure all-natural honey. With operations in California and Michigan, the company serves some of the best-known manufacturers, distributors and retailers in the United States. Natural American Foods is committed to retaining the natural pollen in every batch of honey, which ensures a superior product and allows for third-party verification of geographical origin and floral source. Learn more at www.naturalamericanfoods.com.

ABOUT SWEET HARVEST FOODS

Founded in 1923, Sweet Harvest Foods offers high quality, great tasting honey, peanut butter, and syrup products. The company serves the world's best known food manufacturers, national retail and grocery chains and food distributors. Learn more at www.sweetharvestfoods.com.

ABOUT PEAK ROCK CAPITAL

Peak Rock Capital is a leading middle-market private equity firm that makes equity and debt investments in companies in North America and Europe. Peak Rock focuses on investing in opportunities where it can support senior management in driving rapid growth and profit improvement through operational and strategic change. Peak Rock's principals have deep expertise in complex situations and cross border transactions, with the ability to provide tailored capital solutions and close transactions quickly where speed and certainty are priorities. For further information about Peak Rock Capital, please visit www.peakrockcapital.com.

Media Contact:

Daniel Yunger

KEKST

212-521-4800

SOURCE Peak Rock Capital

Related Links

http://www.peakrockcapital.com


AMSTERDAM and DALLAS, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) and CHRISTUS Health, an international, Catholic, not-for profit health system, today announced they have extended the scope and duration of their alliance to now include domestic population health management (PHM) initiatives. The ability to aggregate and analyze data across all CHRISTUS Health U.S. health systems for care management and quality reporting is a key driver in this expanded relationship.

"Philips Wellcentive has been a trusted partner for several years, and our expanded commitment to their solution and this relationship will enable us to thrive under the movement toward value-based care," said Randy Osteen, VP & Associate CIO, CHRISTUS Health. "With the MACRA* final rule issued in October, it's clear to us that we need to accelerate our population health initiatives and take advantage of population-based incentive models as well as alternative payment models. We've seen the writing on the wall and we know that Philips Wellcentive will help us achieve our ambitious goals to continue to provide the highest quality of care for our patients."

Additionally, CHRISTUS Health is among a growing number of systems offering health plans to its total staff of 40,000 associates, and manages plan offerings on state exchanges. This "payvider" (payer/provider) status will also expand the collaboration with Philips Wellcentive to explore aspects like value-based insurance design to help attain a sustainable healthcare system model nationwide.

"This expanded agreement will give CHRISTUS Health the flexibility to engage Philips' population health management technology at the most comprehensive level," said Tom Zajac, Business Leader, Population Health Management, Philips. "As we move from organizing and optimizing clinical data to deliver actionable insights for population health management and quality reporting, we'll continue to provide our expertise and advanced solutions to help CHRISTUS Health providers drive better outcomes among their patient populations nationwide."

The CHRISTUS Health system includes over 50 hospitals and 175 clinics in more than 60 U.S. cities. Its more than 15,000 physicians participate in accountable care organizations (ACO), clinically integrated networks (CINs) and long-term care settings, among others.

Population health management is a transformational approach to proactively provide healthcare and wellness engagement, by leveraging large sets of data to identify different groups within a population in order to increase patient engagement. The result is a combination of improved health outcomes in alignment with existing reimbursement models.

Philips acquired Wellcentive, a leading US-based provider of population health management software solutions, in July 2016. The combined population health management solutions create a great foundation to accelerate growth in connected care  from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care  enabling positive outcomes for consumers, providers and health organizations.

In population health management, Philips offers enterprise telehealth, home monitoring, personal emergency response systems (PERS) and personal health services to address multiple groups within a population, from intensive ambulatory care for high-risk patients to prevention and personal health programs for the general population. Philips Wellcentive provides cloud-based IT solutions to import, aggregate and analyze clinical, claims and financial data across hospital and health systems to help care providers deliver coordinated care that meets new healthcare quality requirements and reimbursement models.

In 2013, CHRISTUS Health selected Philips Wellcentive to advance data capabilities beyond its Electronic Health Record (EHR) network to link ambulatory practices, acute care facilities and community support to prioritize care, identify at-risk patients, close gaps in care management and anticipate value-based care. In 2014, CHRISTUS expanded the Philips Wellcentive platform to four additional regions.

For further information, please contact:

Kathy O'Reilly

Philips Group Communications

Tel.: +1 978-221-8919

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @kathyoreilly

Kimberley Davidson

Philips Population Health Management

Tel: 31 627 863 118

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @wanderingkim

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2015 sales of EUR 16.8 billion and employs approximately 70,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

About CHRISTUS Health

CHRISTUS Health, an international Catholic, faith-based, not-for-profit health system, is headquartered in Dallas and is comprised of almost 350 services and facilities, including more than 50 hospitals and long-term care facilities, 175 clinics and outpatient centers and dozens of other health ministries and ventures. CHRISTUS services can be found in over 60 cities in Texas, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, New Mexico, Georgia, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. The system employs approximately 40,000 Associates and has over 15,000 physicians on facility medical staffs who provide care and support for patients. CHRISTUS Health is listed among the 10 largest Catholic health systems in the U.S. www.christushealth.org

*Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) defines new rules for reimbursement, primarily for physicians for caring for Medicare beneficiaries.

SOURCE Royal Philips
Founder Christa Gurka opened her first studio in 2007 in Miami Beach after running a physical therapy private practice for several years. Through her patients, Gurka learned about the advantages of pilates-based physical therapy. She also heard her clients' hesitation about going to a big box gym after discharge, and this led Gurka to create her very own pilates studio.

Gurka called upon some of the industry's best instructors and physical therapists, and in 2010, she launched Pilates in The Grove.

Now, Pilates in The Grove is regarded as one of the area's leading pilates studios. Gurka's team offers more than 70 years of combined experience, and each day, pilates classes help clients strengthen their abdomen, back, arms, and legs while improving posture, balance, mobility and agility. A video published by the studio shows more about what Pilates in The Grove offers.

The team at Pilates in The Grove recently decided to create a redesigned website to further ensure quality client experiences. The new website offers an easy-to-use design where Miami pilates fans can book a class online and learn more about the services offered by Pilates in The Grove.

"We are so excited for the launch of our new website. We strive to provide a supportive community, not only in our studios, but also online. We hope that our new website provides customers an easy way to get the health and fitness information they need while booking pilates classes!"  Christa Gurka, Founder

When visitors click on "Locations", they can learn about both the Coconut Grove and South Miami studios. When they click on "Get To Know Us", visitors can learn about the staff and the studio's mission. Services and rates are also available on the site.

In addition, pilates teacher training information is available on the newly redesigned website.

The newly designed Pilates in The Grove website features a library of informative and instructional pilates videos, as well.

The team at Pilates in The Grove is pleased to announce the launch of their new website and hopes that it will further assist people who want to schedule pilates and barre classes, and physical therapy-based pilates with a professional studio. More information can be found at http://www.pilatesinthegrove.com/.

About Pilates in The Grove

Pilates in The Grove is the Miami area's premier studio for reformer pilates, physical therapy, barre, and more. Group, semi-private, and private sessions are available with the studio's physical therapists and fitness experts.

Contact

Pilates in The Grove

Phone: 305-446-6899

Website: http://www.pilatesinthegrove.com/

Media Contact:

Emi Melker

[email protected]

3056005727

SOURCE Pilates in The Grove
Pugh brings 22 years of experience in developing and implementing government and community strategies on the local, state and national levels; leveraging federal and state funding opportunities; and informing and educating policyholders, elected officials and other key stakeholders on pressing issues.

The advocacy and government relations team Pugh will lead monitors legislation affecting MemorialCare, promotes understanding of legislation and communicates public policy implications. The team also acts as a catalyst for constructive dialogue among lawmakers and MemorialCare hospitals, physicians, outpatient and community-based programs to ensure adequate funding and sensible healthcare legislation.

"Kristen's tremendous expertise and accomplishments on all levels of government and with key constituents throughout Southern California will help ensure communities we serve can access high quality, affordable healthcare," says MemorialCare General Counsel Terri Cammarano.

Additionally Pugh will further elevate the profile of Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach and identify opportunity to support the unique services it offers.

"As one of the nation's 10 largest children's hospitals and a pioneer in pediatric, perinatal and neonatal medicine, Kristen will focus on advancing our mission, legislation and funding support," says John Bishop, CEO of Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach and Community Hospital Long Beach.

"I'm honored to join MemorialCare, which for decades has been in the forefront of transforming healthcare and promoting legislative and government programs that benefit the health of children and adults," says Pugh.

Recently Pugh was Executive Director for Federal Research Relations at University of California, Irvine where she built a broad network of legislators, agency officials and industry stakeholders to advance research funding. She previously spent a decade as Associate Vice President of Government and Community Relations with City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Center working on cancer care policy and legislation. She served as Chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges Government Relations Representatives Steering Committee and Associate Director of Federal Government Affairs for American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. She holds a master's degree in public administration from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree in government and politics from University of Maryland.

With more than 200 care locations throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties, MemorialCare Health System is a nonprofit, integrated delivery system including five top hospitals  Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills; MemorialCare Medical Group; Greater Newport Physicians; Seaside Health Plan; and numerous ambulatory surgery, imaging, kidney dialysis, urgent care and outpatient health centers. For more, visit memorialcare.org.

SOURCE MemorialCare Health System

Related Links

http://memorialcare.org


DUBLIN, Dec 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Pulse Generator Market 2016-2020" report to their offering.

The report forecasts the global pulse generator market to grow at a CAGR of 9.15% during the period 2016-2020.

The report, Global Pulse Generator 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.

The trend in the industry is high-speed digital-to-analog converter (DAC) providing up to 16-bit resolution. AWGs that are used for the design and test applications enable the users to specify a source waveform in different ways. High-speed DACs provide the foundation for an AWG with a bandwidth to address advanced radio and communications applications. For instance, Agilent's M8190A is a hig- performance, high-bandwidth product that has a 14-bit DAC and is a compact box available in the market with advanced telecommunications architecture extension for instrumentation. It offers one of the best spurious dynamic ranges present in the market.

According to the report, the demand for test and measurement equipment such as signal generators from the aerospace and defense industry has increased significantly as the majority of countries will upgrade their defense systems used on the field and in aircraft. The signal generators are used to testify the circuits and electronic instruments attached to the aircraft in case of any issues. Furthermore, developing countries China and India are purchasing aircraft (commercial and fighter) from the established players in the industry. For maintenance and servicing of such machines, there is a need of test equipment such as signal generators. For instance, India is in talks with France to buy aircraft. Globally, major countries such as China and India have started investing substantially in defense establishments and manufacturing of defense equipment.

Further, the report states that End-users in the global signal generator market demand additional features at low cost.

Companies Mentioned:

Nritsu

B&K Precision

Keithley Instruments

Keysight Technologies

National Instruments

Rohde & Schwarz

Tektronix

Key Topics Covered:

Part 01: Executive summary

Part 02: Scope of the report

Part 03: Market research methodology

Part 04: Introduction

Part 05: Market landscape

Part 06: Market size and forecast

Part 07: Buying behavior

Part 08: Market segmentation by end-user

Part 09: Geographical segmentation

Part 10: Market drivers

Part 11: Impact of drivers

Part 12: Market challenges

Part 13: Impact of drivers and challenges

Part 14: Market trends

Part 15: Vendor landscape

Part 16: Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/h7dkll/global_pulse

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

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- root9B Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: RTNBD) ("Company") today announced the signing of a definitive stock purchase agreement for the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary Control Engineering, Inc. ("CEI"). Closing of the transaction, which is subject to certain specified terms and conditions, is expected by December 31, 2016.

"The sale of CEI, once consummated, is an incremental yet important step towards our goal of becoming a pure play cybersecurity company," said Dan Wachtler, President & Chief Operating Officer of root9B Holdings. "Although CEI was a very small part our overall business, we will benefit from the elimination of associated operating expenses and can more fully focus management's resources on executing our ongoing strategic initiatives. We are confident that each of us will be in a better position to grow our two distinct businesses as independent and separate companies."

The Company also announced the availability of a Letter to Stockholders from Joseph J. Grano, Jr., Chairman and CEO of root9B Holdings, which may be accessed at the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website, www.root9bholdings.com.

Additional information regarding the sale of CEI is available in a Form 8-K filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2016.

About root9B Holdings, Inc.

root9B Holdings is a leading provider of Cybersecurity and Regulatory Risk Mitigation Services. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries root9B and IPSA International, the Company delivers results that improve productivity, mitigate risk and maximize profits. Its clients range in size from Fortune 100 companies to mid-sized and owner-managed businesses across a broad range of industries including local, state and government agencies. For more information, visit www.root9bholdings.com

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release may include certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the pending sale of CEI and the Company's ongoing transition into cybersecurity firm. These statements are based on the Company's current expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by the statements herein due to changes in economic, business, competitive and/or regulatory factors, and other risks and uncertainties affecting the operation of the Company's business. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies are indicated from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information set forth herein should be read in light of such risks. Further, investors should keep in mind that the Company's financial results in any particular period may not be indicative of future results. The Company is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.

Media Contact: Investors: Andrew Hoffman Devin Sullivan Zito Partners The Equity Group Inc. 908-546-7447 212-836-9608 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE root9B Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.root9bholdings.com


NORTH POLE, Alaska, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With just days to go until Christmas Eve, Santa Claus has carved time from his busy schedule to spread cheer to children everywhere. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles arrange for these telephone calls directly through Santa's website: http://www.santasphonecalls.com/free .

Phone Call From Santa

This reporter is on the ground here at the North Pole with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and a large group of surprisingly cheerful elves. A buzz of excitement sparks the air as Jolly Old Saint Nick walks through the village and into his warm, cozy office. "He's going to make calls!" cried an excited elf.

Asked what makes these calls so special, the elf answered with authority, "These are very special telephone calls! Nobody has Santa's number, no one gets to call Santa Claus, so once a year Santa sits down and calls all the children whose names have been submitted to his website. The adults in a child's life can even decide which message they would like Santa to share, depending on what is going on in their child's life. Santa addresses children who have been very good, as well as those who are getting into a little too much mischief. He can ask a child to send a Christmas wish list, and can even call on Christmas Eve to remind an excited boy or girl that it is time to go to sleep!"

The next best thing to having direct access to Santa Claus's number is having access to the special website run by The Original Santa's Phone Calls. Offering more than just free recorded telephone calls, the site allows adults to order upgraded services, such as a live call on the day and time of their choosing so their child can talk to Santa. Grownups can order a personalized letter from Santa written especially for their child, and even find unusual gift ideas and stocking stuffers.

After several hours in his office, Santa emerged, a smile on his jolly face. "How did it go?" yelled an excited elf.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Santa laughed, his voice booming across the village square. "Those children may not have my phone number, but they sure were excited to receive a phone call from me! I left a message for some very special children and was able to have a conversation with others. It all makes me feel extra cheerful!"

Another elf quickly climbed the stairs in front of the candy cane shop and called out a final question, "Why do you do it, Santa?"

Santa stopped for a moment to consider his response. "I do this to remind children the importance of being good," Santa said. "There is a famous child psychiatrist in New York City named Dr. Matthew Lorber, who by the way, was always a very good boy. Matthew told a magazine called Live Science that believing in me, believing in elves, believing in the power of goodness helps children develop a creative mind. I would say that is one of the main reasons I continue to make calls."

Santa's blue eyes lit in delight as he added, "We all know that we can't hand out Santa's phone number willynilly. We would spend all day talking to telemarketers! It is better this way. I am able to reach out to children when they least expect it, and when they need it the most."

Media Contact:

Merritt C Reid III, Santa's Chief Elf

[email protected]

(636) 293-9242

SOURCE The Original Santa's Phone Calls

Related Links

http://www.santasphonecalls.com


Santa Says, Dunk Away!

Just in Time for Holiday Cookies, New Milk Glass Emoji is Now Available

California Milk Processor Board Celebrates with Recipes for any Emoji Combination and Deliveries of Free Treats + Milk

Attention: California Food, Lifestyle, Agriculture and Technology Reporters
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- GYATRi Media announces the romantic LGBTQ short film, NUNE, to release on DVD in time for Christmas. The indie film's recent direct-to-digital release on iTunes and Google Play has gained steady momentum among millennials and audiences in the LGBT community. The DVD is available on Amazon for fans that want to own a hard copy.

Brianna Joy Chomer as "Nune," the "model citizen" Nune and Briana (performed by Brianna Joy Chomer and Jessica Lauren)

Two dreamers from opposite sides of the high-school popularity spectrum collide in this heart-warming independent short film, nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress in a Short Film at the International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema.

Nune (pronounced "Noon-nay") Lusparian is a Mexican-Armenian struggling to fit in. A group of privileged teens tries to break her, except for Briana, a star athlete, with a bleeding heart. Briana's clique wonders why a girl who has it all would sympathize with the high school's ugly duckling. Then start the rumors that Briana might be gay.

"Nune Lusparian is a lonely, suicidal girl that has difficulty fitting into the norm," says writer-director, Ji Strangeway. "The DVD is appropriate for the cold, winter holidays because it has a warm, uplifting message that speaks to people who long to feel comforted and understood for being who they are."

NUNE was produced and filmed in Los Angeles, California, by GYATRi Media. The NUNE DVD is available on Amazon with free shipping for Prime members: http://amzn.to/2h43yCO

Official Trailer: http://g-la.us/nYt

Official Web Site: http://nune.gyatri.com/

Media Contact:

Coleen Rehm

(323) 825-9552

http://nune.gyatri.com/nune/contact-us/

SOURCE GYATRi Media
ALAMEDA, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Singulex, Inc., the leader in Next Generation Immunodiagnostics powered by Single Molecule Counting technology, has announced the opening of the first international office of Singulex International AG, in Basel Switzerland, and the installation of the investigational use only Sgx Clarity System at the University of Manchester. These two events are significant milestones on the path toward commercialization of the Company's SMC powered products in Europe and across the globe, paving the way for increased access to more definitive clinical results and the ability to lower cost across the health care system.

Singulex has entered into an agreement with the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom to install their Sgx Clarity System as part of the Company's ongoing clinical evaluation ahead of an anticipated European CE-Mark declaration in 2017. The Sgx Clarity System, a fully-automated in vitro diagnostics platform currently under development, is designed to bring the benefits of Singulex's SMC technology to hospital and reference labs worldwide.

The world-renowned UK Medical Research Council-funded Manchester Molecular Pathology Innovation Centre is utilizing the Sgx Clarity System to evaluate SMC powered high-precision cardiac troponin assays to guide disease rule-out in the high cost and high patient risk area of cardiac disease.

"The ability to access SMC technology in our own facility via the Sgx Clarity System is extremely valuable," said Prof. Anthony Freemont, Director of the Manchester Molecular Pathology Innovation Centre at the University of Manchester. "Our clinical evaluation of the Sgx Clarity System is examining the economic impact of ruling-out coronary artery disease, with a view to the utility in the acute and community-based settings. We're also looking at potential future applications in AMI, oncology and infectious disease. Already, I can see broad potential for clinical applications and the ability to inform physician decisions and help bring economic benefits to the broader health setting."

The collaboration with the University of Manchester marks the third placement of the Sgx Clarity System in Europe for clinical evaluation. Evaluation sites at St. George's Hospital in London, U.K., along St. Pau Hospital, Barcelona, are all collaborating to guide the assessment, application and data collection for the Sgx Clarity System and future clinical applications.

"High-sensitivity testing of cardiac troponin is a game-changer for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease," said Prof. Rick Body, from the University of Manchester and Professor at the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. "We need high precision and sensitivity assays to definitively rule-out disease. Assessing cardiac biomarkers at levels previously unattainable will help physicians rule-out disease in patients suspected of having cardiovascular disease and hence focus on the patients with the greatest risk and need, while also helping to reduce the overall cost and risk for the patient and the health system."

As part of the initiative to build a strong presence in Europe, Singulex is also pleased to announce the opening of the first office of Singulex International AG in Basel, Switzerland. Supporting Singulex's worldwide headquarters in Alameda, California, USA, the Basel office will guide product commercialization of Singulex's SMC-powered technology in Europe and across the globe.

"2017 will be a major year for our Company, with the anticipated CE-Mark and launch of Sgx Clarity System in Europe and advancement of clinical evaluations to support clearance in the US and around the globe," said Guido Baechler, president and CEO of Singulex, Inc. "It is critical for our company that we establish a strong presence in the European market from which we can lead product sales, clinical education and after-sales support for our products. We are shaping the next generation of immunodiagnostics, so close collaboration with our clinical partners will guide our success and continued growth in Europe and markets across the globe."

Already staffed and open for business, Singulex International AG will guide market access, commercialization, training and support of the Sgx Clarity System in Europe in 2017, following anticipated regulatory clearance, and all markets outside of the United States in future years.

About Singulex, Inc.

Singulex is the next generation immunodiagnostic company developing Single Molecule Counting technology for clinical diagnostics and scientific discovery. Singulex's proprietary SMC technology enables physicians and scientists to detect biomarkers of disease that were previously undetectable. Powered by SMC technology, Singulex's ultrasensitive lab testing services are transforming patient care from reactive disease treatment to proactive health management.

The Singulex Clinical Lab Testing Services consist of a CLIA-licensed and CAP-accredited laboratory that currently provides a comprehensive menu of advanced cardiovascular disease testing utilizing SMC technology. Singulex has developed the Sgx Clarity System, a fully-automated in vitro diagnostics system that will bring the benefits of SMC technology to hospital and reference labs worldwide. For more information, please visit www.singulex.com.

SOURCE Singulex, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.singulex.com


LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- After years of research and planning, a close-knit group of dedicated fitness, nutrition and health experts has launched Skyterra Wellness, a new concept vacation and weight loss retreat in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Advanced fitness and nutrition programs, combined with a mindful approach to daily life, help guests obtain real solutions for sustainable well being.

Cozy, lodge-style accommodations create the perfect blend of privacy and camaraderie with hands-on cooking demonstrations, practical expert lectures, indoor and outdoor fitness instruction, and plenty of time to disconnect. Each guest stay is personalized to achieve sustainable results that are practical both on vacation, and at home.

"With expert programming custom designed for each guest, delicious nutrition featuring locally sourced ingredients, and comfortable accommodations with mountain views, Skyterra is the adventure our busy, stressed-out bodies are begging for," says Sue Crowell, Skyterra Founder. "Practical fitness and sustained weight loss aren't only about calorie counting and restricting," said Crowell. "At Skyterra, we'll help you reclaim control of your life and create balanced well-being."

Meals and beverages are included and guests are encouraged to book a seven-day stay, with shorter and longer packages available, including the limited time offer Skyterra Escape. Skyterra also offers premium massage services and the opportunity to explore the surrounding mountain beauty.

"Our very first guests have humbled us with their positive response to Skyterra," says Amber Shadwick, Director of Operations. "Jayne, who visited Skyterra from St. George, Utah, told us she was blown away by the attention of our staff, hand-picked from the very best in the business."

Skyterra Wellness is currently offering a three-day, $1,200 "Skyterra Escape" package designed to offer a small slice of everything the amazing retreat has to offer. This limited time program is valid for stays 1/1/2017  3/1/2017. Three-day stays must be booked now through December 26, 2016 by calling 1 (888) 317-0579 or visiting www.skyterrawellness.com and clicking Book Now.

"Skyterra Escape is a wonderful gift for a stressed or overworked loved one," said Shadwick. "Why not give the gift of wellness and relaxation?"

For more information or to book an overnight stay, call 1 (888) 753-9590 or visit www.skyterrawellness.com

SOURCE Skyterra Wellness

Related Links

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SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sovereign Health, a leading national provider of behavioral health treatment services, is pleased to announce the launch of a new article that's now live on The Hill: "Why all the opium in the world won't make America happy." This article, written and edited by Dana Connolly, Ph.D., Susan Logan-McCracken and Rachael Mattice, explains how the U.S. consumes almost all of the world's opium in the form of prescription opioid painkillers and heroin.

Seven out of 10 Americans take a prescription medication while 1 in 5 Americans take a psychiatric medication. The U.S. does consume almost all of the world's opium in the form of prescription opioid painkillers and heroin. One in 112 Americans have an opioid use disorder. Eight percent (24.6 million) were currently using some type of illicit drug(s) as of 2013.

"This article takes a somewhat satirical yet sobering look at overall health in America," said Rachael Mattice, managing editor for Sovereign Health. "There's never one cause to any significant societal problem such as suicide, stress levels, chronic illnesses or even addiction. Shifting mentalities toward making personal health care a priority and a necessity should be our long-term plan."

The Surgeon General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A., recently released a report titled, "Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health." In his report, Dr. Murthy highlights the importance of improving access to care.

This new article follows a recent Sovereign Health editorial, "The mysterious sealed opioid report fuels speculation," which states that the opioid epidemic continues to worsen in the U.S., yet the Senate Finance Committee still has an investigation report sealed. In addition, the editorial, "Is affordable healthcare affordable? Is it profitable?" explores whether the Affordable Care Act is good or bad.

About the Authors

Dana Connolly, Ph.D., is a senior staff writer for Sovereign Health, where she translates current research into practical information.

Susan Logan-McCracken, M.P.W., is an editor for Sovereign Health and an award-winning author. Logan-McCracken has 25 years of experience as a journalist, most recently as the editor of Cat Fancy magazine.

Rachael Mattice is the managing editor for Sovereign Health, leading a team of diversified managers, team leaders, writers and editors in the U.S. and India digital newsroom.

About Sovereign Health

Sovereign Health's mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company's ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities. For more information, visit www.SovHealth.com.

SOURCE Sovereign Health

Related Links

http://www.sovhealth.com


CHICAGO, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Stout Risius Ross, Inc. (Stout), a global advisory firm specializing in Investment Banking, Valuation & Financial Opinions, and Dispute Advisory & Forensic Services is pleased to announce that its client, Sterling Lumber Company Inc. (Sterling), has received an investment from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. (Oaktree), a global alternative investment management firm based in Los Angeles.

Established in 1947 by John Sterling with headquarters in Phoenix, Illinois, Sterling is a leading North American provider of access, crane, and outrigger mats to owners and constructors of energy and power infrastructure. Sterling's products and services are utilized in constructing temporary access roads and providing ground stabilization for heavy equipment on transmission & distribution, oil & gas pipeline, and renewable energy infrastructure jobsites. Sterling also provides turnkey matting solution services, including access planning, site preparation, mat installation and removal, and site restoration. Sterling's matting solutions help protect the environment, generate efficient jobsite workflows, and play a critical role in ensuring jobsite safety.

Stout served as financial advisor to Sterling in connection with the investment by Oaktree. Mr. Nick Jachim, Head of Investment Banking at Stout, said "It was a pleasure working with the Sterling family and management team in finding a strategic partner that would help continue the tremendous growth Sterling is experiencing." Eric Reuther and Michael Brocious assisted Mr. Jachim on the deal. Carter Sterling, CEO of Sterling, stated "We are very excited to begin our partnership with Oaktree. With the addition of Oaktree's strategic support, industry relationships, and capital, Sterling is well-positioned to continue improving the quality of our products while maintaining the highest level of service for our customers."

About Stout's Investment Banking Group

Stout's Investment Banking Group focuses on mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising for privately-held businesses, private equity portfolio companies, and public companies. Stout has significant experience assisting companies with evaluation of all available strategic and financial alternatives. Our clients and their advisors rely on our premier expertise, deep industry knowledge, and unparalleled responsiveness on complex financial matters. For more information, visit www.SRR.com, follow us on Twitter @StoutRisiusRoss , and/or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Stout is a trade name for Stout Risius Ross, Inc. and Stout Risius Ross Advisors, LLC, a FINRA registered broker-dealer and SIPC member firm.

SOURCE Stout Risius Ross, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.SRR.com


ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (the "Company" or "Sunstone") (NYSE: SHO) today announced that it has entered into an agreement for the private placement of $240 million of senior unsecured notes. The private placement consists of $120 million of notes with a nine-year term bearing interest at a fixed rate of 4.69% and $120 million of notes with an eleven-year term bearing interest at a fixed rate of 4.79%. Proceeds from the new unsecured senior notes will be used primarily to repay in full the 5.58% mortgage loan secured by the Embassy Suites Chicago and the 5.58% mortgage loan secured by the Marriott Boston Long Wharf, which together have an aggregate balance of nearly $243 million. Closing and funding of the private placement is subject to customary conditions and is expected to occur on January 10, 2017.

Bryan Giglia, Chief Financial Officer, stated, "We are very pleased to announce our inaugural issuance of senior unsecured notes. This transaction represents another successful step in Sunstone's long-term balance sheet strategy. Not only will the private placement allow us to refinance our upcoming debt maturities on more attractive terms, but it also provides additional balance sheet flexibility and enables us to address all upcoming maturities of existing debt through August 2019. Following the repayment of the mortgage loans secured by the Embassy Suites Chicago and the Marriott Boston Long Wharf, 23 of our 28 hotels will be unencumbered and our debt will have a weighted average term to maturity of over six years."

About Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. is a lodging real estate investment trust ("REIT") that as of December 20, 2016 has interests in 28 hotels comprised of 13,666 rooms. Sunstone's hotels are primarily in the urban and resort upper upscale segment and are operated under nationally recognized brands, such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Fairmont. For further information, please visit Sunstone's website at www.sunstonehotels.com.

Sunstone's mission is to create meaningful value for our stockholders by producing superior long-term returns. Our values include transparency, trust, ethical conduct, communication and discipline. As demand for lodging generally fluctuates with the overall economy, we seek to employ a balanced strategy focused on long-term value creation.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws and regulations. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "should," "will" and other similar terms and phrases, including opinions, references to assumptions and forecasts of future results. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks include, but are not limited to: volatility in the debt or equity markets affecting our ability to acquire or sell hotel assets; international, national and local economic and business conditions, including the likelihood of a U.S. recession, changes in the European Union or global economic slowdown, as well as any type of flu or disease-related pandemic, affecting the lodging and travel industry; the ability to maintain sufficient liquidity and our access to capital markets; terrorist attacks or civil unrest, which would affect occupancy rates at our hotels and the demand for hotel products and services; operating risks associated with the hotel business; risks associated with the level of our indebtedness and our ability to meet covenants in our debt and equity agreements; relationships with property managers and franchisors; our ability to maintain our properties in a first-class manner, including meeting capital expenditure requirements; our ability to compete effectively in areas such as access, location, quality of accommodations and room rate structures; changes in travel patterns, taxes and government regulations, which influence or determine wages, prices, construction procedures and costs; our ability to identify, successfully compete for and complete acquisitions; the performance of hotels after they are acquired; necessary capital expenditures and our ability to fund them and complete them with minimum disruption; our ability to continue to satisfy complex rules in order for us to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes; and other risks and uncertainties associated with our business described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All forward-looking information in this release is as of December 20, 2016, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company's expectations.

This release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Copies of these reports are available on our website at www.sunstonehotels.com and through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System ("EDGAR") at www.sec.gov.

For Additional Information :

Bryan Giglia

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.

(949) 382-3036

SOURCE Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sunstonehotels.com


Taking a leading role in advancing the seventeen SDG goals , the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development in Sunway University is to develop linkages with leading universities and think tanks around the world and in Malaysia. Moving Malaysia and Asia forward in the area of sustainable development will see the Center work on curating the world's best curriculum, academic and executive programmes on sustainable development.

The Prime Minister hailed the establishment of Jeffrey Sachs Center which reinforces the government's commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and commended it's leading role in supporting the government in advancing these goals.

In conjunction with the launch of the Center, the inaugural conference 'Moving Decisively Forward on Sustainable Development Now!' featured five keynote speakers in the area of sustainability. Professor Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid, the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia spoke on "Walking the Talk on Implementing the SDGs: A Case for Malaysia and South-East Asia," followed by Professor Daniel Schrag from Harvard University in USA touched on "Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Opportunities for the Developing World". Professor Angelo Riccaboni from University of Siena in Italy focused on "Food Systems for Sustainable Development: Innovations are Needed" while Professor Xue Lan from Tsinghua University in China discussed "Policy Challenges in Implementing Sustainable Development Goals." Professor Jeffrey Sachs' closed the day with his talk on "What Does Sustainable Development Really Mean?".

Very much aware that the SDG goals are not the sole responsibility of governments alone, Founding Trustee of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and Founding Chancellor of Sunway University, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, AO is of the opinion that all sectors of society that is the private sector, academia, civil society groups and, of course, every single individual should play a role in sustainable development.

Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Chairman of the Center said the Center will concentrate on four main capacities encompassing teaching programmes to help the new rising generation of Malaysians and students from all over the region and the world to become leaders of sustainable development; research to understand practical challenges and find real solutions; work with the Malaysian government to bring people here, and to help neighbouring governments to plan and see the pathways to sustainability and take regionally co-operative steps for success.

For more information on the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development (JSC) at Sunway University please email: [email protected]

SOURCE Sunway University
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Newswise -- Philanthropists Garry S. Sklar, MD, and his wife, Sarah Sklar, were recently honored at a gathering of SUNY Downstate Medical Center's senior leadership, in recognition of several significant gifts that support clinical care and research efforts in Anesthesiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, as well as new technologies in healthcare education through state-of-the-art simulation technology.

Gifts facilitated by Dr. Sklar include the Garry S. and Sarah Sklar Professorship in Anesthesiology, named in honor of Dr. Sklar and his wife; the Herman and Olive Pascarella Professorship in Cardiothoracic Surgery; and the William and Rose Sklar Simulation Center, named in honor of Dr. Sklar's parents.

"Dr. Sklar's generous gifts are helping us raise the profile of SUNY Downstate Medical Center as a center for research," said Michael Lucchesi, MD, chief medical officer and officer-in-charge at Downstate. "In addition to building our reputation, they support our efforts to attract outstanding scholars and build interdisciplinary healthcare teams."

The first recipient of the Sklar Professorship in Anesthesiology was Distinguished Service Professor James E. Cottrell, MD, who has served as chair of Downstate's Anesthesiology Department since 1979.

Dr. Cottrell has been hugely impactful on the profession. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology; past president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and of the Society of Academic Anesthesiology Chairs; and was a Senior Board Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology. At Downstate, he grew the Anesthesiology Residency Program from an average of 13 residents to 70, and he initiated a mandatory anesthesiology rotation for medical students. He has also served as chair of the AIDS Action Foundation and vice chair of the board of Doctors of the World, and previously sat on the board of God's Love We Deliver. He is an elected at-large member of New York State's Board of Regents and focuses on school-based health initiatives and education for professionals.

Dr. Cottrell's research has focused on the effects of drugs on intracranial pressure, and the neurotoxic effects of nitrous oxide in neurosurgical procedures. The endowment is currently supporting work by Daisy Lin, PhD, research assistant professor in the departments of Anesthesiology and of Physiology and Pharmacology. Dr. Lin, along with Dr. Cottrell and Ira Kass, PhD, professor of anesthesiology, are studying the effects of neonatal anesthesia on the development of neuropsychiatric and cognitive disorders. Their goal is to discover therapeutic interventions to alleviate the risks associated with anesthesia in young children undergoing surgery. Dr. Cottrell has also worked with Todd Sacktor, MD, distinguished professor of physiology and pharmacology, anesthesiology, and neurology, on the role of PKMzeta (a molecule involved in memory retention) after anesthesia in the elderly and in those with cognitive dysfunction.

"I am personally touched by Dr. Sklar's gift," said Dr. Cottrell, who noted that "it will make a major difference to our department and to our patients. All philanthropy reflects significant recognition of your work - but that recognition means even more when it comes from another anesthesiologist who has been a faculty member in the Anesthesiology Department."

The gift named for the Pascarellas, who were lifelong friends of the Sklar family and who named Dr. Sklar as the executor of their estate, supports the research of Daniel Beckles, MD, PhD, division chief of cardiothoracic surgery and associate professor of surgery and cell biology.

Dr. Beckles is a 1997 graduate of Downstate who, since assuming leadership of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has broadened its capabilities with new and advanced technologies.

"We are extremely pleased that Dr. Beckles chose to return to Downstate," said Dr. Lucchesi. "As a dynamic academic cardiac surgeon, researcher, educator, and innovator, he greatly strengthens the care we offer to patients and positions Downstate as the leader in cardiothoracic surgery in Brooklyn. As importantly, as an alumnus with an impressive list of firsts while at the University of Texas Medical Branch - including first robotically-assisted minimally invasive cardiac bypass surgery, and first minimally invasive aortic valve and mitral valve surgeries, to name a few - Dr. Beckles is an inspiration to our students and residents."

"Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of mortality in the United States and in most Western countries," said Dr. Beckles. Because of this, his research focuses on understanding the molecular pathways that lead to poor survival in groups with well-known risk factors, and identifying and understanding the molecular signatures that contribute to the observed disparities (e.g., male versus female, African-American versus Caucasian-American) in cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Beckles' team, including Eduardo Mascareno, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, has established a translational medicine approach in which basic research findings are used as a platform to develop experimental models that mimic cardiovascular diseases such as left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. "The significance of our approach," said Dr. Beckles, "is demonstrated by our success in identifying novel strategies to treat hypertension, a significant risk factor for mortality in cardiovascular heart disease."

The William and Rose Sklar Simulation Center, which will be located in Downstate's new Public Health/Academic Building when it opens in 2017, will provide a unique interprofessional and interdisciplinary training environment for students across multiple disciplines. It will create a safe, immersive environment for students learning resuscitative, invasive, and surgical procedures. Dr. Sklar's gift will foster professional excellence and teamwork.

Dr. Sklar served on Downstate's faculty from 1974 to 1978 and as director of anesthesiology and residency training programs at several other healthcare institutions. He has been appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to sit on Downstate's SUNY Council, and is a respected advisor to Downstate. In announcing his gifts, Dr. Sklar said, "I hope they will encourage young doctors to advance the body of knowledge in their fields, as well as honor the Pascarellas' commitment to helping others."

SUNY Downstate Medical Center, founded in 1860, was the first medical school in the United States to bring teaching out of the lecture hall and to the patient's bedside. A center of innovation and excellence in research and clinical service delivery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Health Related Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively.

SUNY Downstate ranks twelfth nationally in the number of alumni who are on the faculty of American medical schools. More physicians practicing in New York City have graduated from SUNY Downstate than from any other medical school. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu.

Provided by Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com

CONTACT: Ronald Najman, 718-270-2696, [email protected]

SOURCE SUNY Downstate Medical Center

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SINKING SPRING, Pa., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- This Christmas season patients at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have something super to look forward to: superhero socks and t-shirts. With every SuperHeroStuff.com purchase from late November through early December, customers were asked to add a pair of mystery socks to their order. For every pair purchased, a second pair was donated to CHOP.

SuperHeroStuff's donation, totaling over 1,500 socks and 500 t-shirts, overflows on the table and shipping crates.

Socks are a popular item for patients at CHOP. They offer a bit of flare, an opportunity for self-expression, and a break from the monotony of hospital gowns. SuperHeroStuff hoped to bring encouragement with products featuring characters like Batman, Captain America, Superman, and Wonder Woman - characters almost as strong as the brave boys and girls at CHOP.

Brian Welch, Co-Owner and VP of Operations Stated "We are very happy to announce that the CHOP sock drive was a success. We hope that through this donation we will be able to bring a little more joy to the children's holiday season."

SuperHeroStuff originally estimated the donation total to be 500-1,000 pairs of socks. The overwhelming kindness and charity from hundreds of super customers brought the donation totals to 1,525 pairs of socks and 575 t-shirts, a total retail value of over $18,000. Donations were delivered personally by SuperHeroStuff.com's CEO, Jon Belzer, on December 15, 2016.

Although the sock drive has ended, those who would still like to make a monetary donation may do by visiting https://give.chop.edu/page/content/give.

Founded in 1999, SuperHeroStuff.com is committed to providing the largest quality selection of comic book and sci-fi merchandise to fans across the world. For more information, please visit https://superherostuff.com.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Keara Laessig at (866)-787-4376 or email at [email protected].

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CHOP Donation Site

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

SOURCE SuperHeroStuff.com

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NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Shiboleth LLP, a boutique international law firm with top-ranked transactional and litigation practices, today announced that Hon. Judge Martin E. Ritholtz will join the firm effective January 3, 2017, as Special Counsel, serving in the Litigation Group. In this role, he will be responsible for handling complex commercial litigation matters on behalf of the firm and will expand and enhance the firm's leading commercial litigation practice.

Prior to joining Shiboleth, Judge Ritholtz's illustrious five-decade career has included more than 20 years as a judge, initially with the Civil Court of the City of New York, then with the Supreme Court of Queens County where he has been a justice since 2000. Since 2014, Judge Ritholtz also served as a Commercial Division Justice, presiding over Part D. Early in his career, Judge Ritholtz clerked in Israel while earning his law degree  first in Jerusalem for Meir Gabay, then Deputy Attorney General and Commissioner of Patents, Trademarks and Industrial Designs; and following, in Tel Aviv under Dr. Amnon Goldenberg, who served as president of the Israeli Bar.

"We are delighted to have the distinguished and renowned Judge Ritholtz join our practice. The depth and breadth of Judge Ritholtz's law experience are truly remarkable and will be an asset to Shiboleth as we continue to expand the footprint of our commercial litigation practice, both domestically and abroad," said Amnon Shiboleth, founding partner of Shiboleth LLP. "We look forward to his insight as a lifetime lawyer and judge in the New York court system."

Judge Ritholtz is a member of both the New York State Bar and the Israeli Bar. He is also an active member of the Board of Directors of The Supreme Court Justices Association of the City of New York; served as the Dean of the Queens County Bar Association Academy of Law for 28 years; and is a member of the Columbia College Alumni Secondary Schools Committee.

Having spent most of his career in judicial law, along with extensive experience with the Israeli courts and legal system, Judge Rithotlz is in a unique position to leverage his extensive background to supplement the continued expansion of Shiboleth's commercial litigation practice. Judge Ritholtz, who is about to retire from the bench at the end of this month, said "I look forward to being an asset to the firm."

Judge Ritholtz has served as a lecturer for many colleges and organizations, including the Touro College School of Law, the Queens County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, The New York State Trial Lawyers Institute and Rutgers University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College and earned his law degree from Hebrew University of Jerusalem Law School.

About Shiboleth LLP. Shiboleth LLP, a boutique international law firm, established in 1976 and centered in Manhattan with affiliated firms in Tel Aviv, Israel and Shanghai, China. Celebrating its 40th anniversary since opening for business in New York City in 1976, the firm's broad range of transactional and litigation practice areas include corporate and commercial law, with specialized groups focusing on M&A, securities, corporate finance and venture capital transactions, as well as regulatory, real estate, taxation, intellectual property and high-tech. For more information please visit http://www.shiboleth.com.

SOURCE Shiboleth LLP

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SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pharmacists at Shaw's grocery stores in 15 locations throughout Maine have signed a collective bargaining agreement with their employer, as members of Teamsters Local 340. The roughly two-dozen pharmacists voted to join Local 340 in April 2015.

Contract negotiations were deadlocked for an extended period, with the union only overcoming employer opposition to its main contract proposals late this year. The pharmacists and the union successfully addressed a number of issues, securing key protections for the members in the contract. Maine's Osco pharmacists are among the first in their field to unionize in what Local 340 hopes will become a national trend.

"Collective bargaining by professionals and knowledge workers represents a new way forward for American labor. Our job now is to provide strong union representation for our new members at Osco, and demonstrate that organized labor has a lot to offer in the information era," said Local 340 President Brett Miller. "If more people follow the Osco pharmacists' example, the labor movement will be able to secure a better deal for all working Americans in the 21st Century, just as it did in the 20th."

Teamsters Local 340 represents pharmacists at Shaw's locations in the following 15 towns: Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, Dover-Foxcroft, Ellsworth, Freeport, Lewiston, Portland, Rockland, Saco, Sanford, Scarborough, Waterville and Westbrook. Local 340 represents several thousand workers across Maine in the public and private sectors.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Brett Miller, (207) 756-4704

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 340

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


GREENWICH, Conn., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Teamsters Union members rallied outside XPO's headquarters to denounce a compensation plan that could provide a windfall stock award for CEO Bradley Jacobs worth $110 million at current stock price levels. Jacobs and the Board didn't show up to field workers' and shareholders' questions and concerns over the incentive pay plan.

XPO shareholders voted to approve the plan which reserves 3.4 million new shares and increases the individual annual equity award limit from 500,000 shares to 2.5 million. Teamsters gathered nearby holding signs that read: "No XPO Greed" and "eXPOsed: The Truth About Global Greed."

"We are not surprised at today's action, which was basically a rubber-stamp approval of Jacobs' clubby board's plan to enrich him on the backs of XPO workers," said Ken Hall, Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer.

Jacobs could be awarded up to 2.5 million shares at any time worth $110 million at today's prices. Meanwhile, XPO workers face increasing health insurance costs while coverage is being slashed, and workers have no retirement security. Workers at six locations have already formed their union as Teamsters and more campaigns are under way.

In the letter to XPO Lead Independent Director Michael Jesselson sent earlier this month, Hall stated, "We believe the board would have ample room to incentivize and retain executives with a lower limit, particularly considering the new plan also doubles the maximum, annual cash award payable to any individual to $10 million. Moreover, with CEO Jacobs already holding 19 percent of common shares, it is not clear to us that large equity awards are required to retain and incentivize his services."

"Under no conceivable scenario is a payout of 2.5 million shares to CEO Jacobs, the company's largest shareholder, justifiable," Hall said. "The board has lost sight of one of its prime responsibilitiesestablishing sound executive pay practices that incentivize performance and protect the interests of shareholders."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:

Kara Deniz, (202) 624-6911

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


STOCKHOLM and Germany, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Telia Carrier today announced its new partnership with Savecall, Germany's top consultant and broker of ICT services with offices in Munich, Wiesbaden and Berlin. In addition to Savecall's consulting and brokering services, this partnership allows the company to act as a reseller of Telia Carrier's complete suite of IP, Wavelength and Ethernet services.

Savecall mediates provider-neutral expert solutions including point-to-point Ethernet, leased line and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) services for IT and telecommunications companies. The company offers customers risk and cost reduction through the standardization of basic IT services coupled with powerful virtualization solutions.

"At Savecall, one of our guiding principles is to rapidly deliver competitive and agile solutions to our customers," said Nikolaus von Johnston, General Manager, Savecall. "Leveraging Telia Carrier's expertise in this market and superior customer service, our customers will benefit from the inclusion of Telia Carrier's top-ranked network services in our portfolio."

"Savecall's expertise in the distribution of wholesale telecommunications service makes them the perfect partner for Telia Carrier," said Phuong Nguyen, Channel & Business Development, Telia Carrier. "This partnership is another step in our ongoing mission to onboard partners who are able to bring our exceptional global network services portfolio to customers beyond our direct sales channels "

Telia Carrier's global fiber backbone was built organically, without acquisitions, and is the first to be 100G-enabled in both Europe and North America. It is also the first network to successfully transmit 1 Tb/s on its US network. According to Dyn Research's global backbone rankings, AS1299, Telia Carrier's global IP backbone is currently ranked top-two. Telia Carrier's rapid growth and ascension through the rankings was recently highlighted in Dyn's 'Baker's Dozen, 2015 edition' report. The company enables worldwide connectivity by connecting more than 200 Points of Presence (PoPs) across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East including over 70 PoPs in North America alone.

Media Enquiries:

Rickard Backlin, VP Brand & Marketing, Telia Carrier, +46-72-2368327, [email protected]

Nikolaus von Johnston, General Manager, Savecall, +49/172/8214928, [email protected]

About Telia Carrier

Telia Carrier owns and operates one of the world's most extensive fiber backbones. Our mission is to provide exceptional network infrastructure and services  empowering individuals, businesses and societies to execute their most critical activities. By working close to our customers, we make big ideas happen at the speed of fiber. Discover more at teliacarrier.com.

About Savecall

Savecall mediates expert solutions for IT and telecommunications. As the leading European telco agent, we support midsized businesses in analyzing, conceptualizing and servicing their ICT networks. Carrier-neutral and simply better. www.savecallgroup.com

SOURCE Telia Carrier

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LONDON, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Synopsis Timetric's 'The Cards and Payments Industry in China: Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides detailed analysis of market trends in China's cards and payments industry.



It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including check payments, credit transfers, payment cards and cash transactions during the review period (20102014).



The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, and transaction values and volumes during the review period and over the forecast period (20152019). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including market shares of issuers and schemes.



The report brings together Timetric's research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers detailed regulatory policies, recent changes in regulatory structure, and profiles of card issuers operating in the country.



Summary

Timetric's 'The Cards and Payments Industry in China: Emerging Trends and Opportunities to 2019' report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into China's cards and payments industry, including:



- Current and forecast values for each market in China's cards and payments industry, including debit cards, credit and charge cards. It also includes detailed analysis of the prepaid cards market.



- Detailed insights into payment instruments including check payments, credit transfers, checks, payment cards and cash transactions. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.



- Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing China's cards and payments industry.



- Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards.



- Comprehensive analysis of consumer attitudes and buying preferences for cards.



- The competitive landscape of China's cards and payments industry.



Scope

- This report provides a comprehensive analysis of China's cards and payments industry.



- It provides current values for China's cards and payments industry for 2014, and forecast figures to 2019.



- It details the different demographic, economic, infrastructural and business drivers affecting China's cards and payments industry.



- It outlines the current regulatory framework in the industry.



- It details marketing strategies used by various banks and other institutions.



- It profiles major banks in China's cards and payments industry.



Reasons To Buy

- Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to China's cards and payments industry and each market within it.



- Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in China's cards and payments industry.



- Assess the competitive dynamics in China's cards and payments industry.



- Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in China.



- Gain insights into key regulations governing China's cards and payments industry.



Key Highlights

- Following the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling in lieu of discrimination against foreign companies, China announced its decision in October 2014 to open up its domestic bank card processing market for foreign companies, which was dominated by the domestic scheme provider China UnionPay (CUP). As a result, Visa and MasterCard are permitted to set up their own processing centers in China, effective from June 1, 2015. This move by the Chinese government is anticipated to intensify competition in the Chinese payment cards market and offer competition to the CUP.



- In an attempt to protect consumer interest and privacy, the Chinese government proposed a new set of regulations in August 2015. The new regulation suggests limiting the amount consumers can pay through third-party online payment such as Alipay and Tenpay. The daily purchasing amounts through third-party payment agents will be determined based on the online system's security checks. If implemented, the new legislation is anticipated to wipe out smaller private third-party agents, due to the increased operational costs of implementing multiple security measures.



- Operators are rolling out new technologies such as contactless mobile payments (m-payments) to capture a larger share of the growing Chinese payment cards market. In June 2013, the mobile network operator China Mobile and CUP together launched a near-field communication (NFC)-based mobile wallet called CUP Wallet in 14 cities. Bank of China (BOC), China CITIC Bank, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, China Everbright Bank, China Minsheng Banking Corp, GF Securities, Bank of Shanghai and Bank of Beijing are the partner banks.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3340759/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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Visitors can take advantage of the Ale Trail Package in Spokane, Washington from now until Dec. 31, 2016 with rates starting from $194 per night. This deal features deluxe accommodations, valet parking, a $25 dining credit and beer sampler paddle from Post Street Ale House, the boutique Spokane hotel's restaurant and bar featuring 26 rotating beers on tap. Additionally, guests will receive a map of the Inland Northwest Ale Trail , boasting over 40 breweries throughout Washington State.

For travelers to complete the Inland Northwest Ale Trail, they need to pick 12 breweries to visit. This will require extra planning because taproom hours vary between businesses. Each time a guest purchases a beer, he or she will receive a stamp from the brewery. Once 12 stamps are collected, challengers will be awarded with an Ale Trail, 32-ounce mini-growler. There is no time limit to complete the trail, so it is recommended that travelers pace themselves during their excursion.

Breweries within a 15-mile radius of The Davenport Lusso include:

Iron Goat Brewing

Orlison Brewing Co.

SteamPlant

River City Brewing

Black Label Brewing Company

Perry Street Brewing

Bellweather Brewing

Badass Backyard Brewing

12 String Brewing Co.

Hopped Up Brewing Company

English Settler Brewing Company

After an eventful day of sampling craft ales and lagers, beer connoisseurs will love retreating to Davenport's elegant accommodations. Outfitted with Victorian-inspired decor, rooms provide guests with the signature Davenport Bed, which comprises a pillow-top mattress and bedding draped in luxurious Frette linens. Complimentary high-speed internet allows visitors to stay connected to friends and family back home while saving on cellular data usage. For those seeking more space and luxury, they can upgrade to one of the top-floor suites, boasting exclusive amenities including living areas and fireplaces.

To take advantage of this limited-time hotel deal in Spokane, Washington, travelers need to book online using promotional code 11P or call 1-509-747-9750.

About The Davenport Lusso, Autograph Collection

The Davenport Lusso, Autograph Collection at 808 W. Sprague Ave. in Spokane, WA is near Riverfront Park, Spokane Arts District and John A. Finch Arboretum. The hotel features 5 floors of 44 rooms, 4 suites and 1 meeting room with 1,320 square feet of event space. Guests can enjoy complimentary high-speed internet, on-site dining, an airport shuttle service and a fitness center. For information, visit www.marriott.com/GEGAL or call 1-509-747-9750.

Sign up now for Marriott Rewards and get on the fast track to earn points for free hotel stays, room upgrades, flights, credit card purchases and deals with Marriott partners.

Learn more about Autograph Collection Hotels and Marriott International Inc.

PRESS CONTACT

Emily Bird-Hrivnak

1-760-862-1526

[email protected]



SOURCE The Davenport Lusso, Autograph Collection
LAS VEGAS, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- QIHAN Technology Company (QIHAN), a Chinese company focused on innovations in robotics, AI and video analysis, announced today the company's plans to debut their most recent development, Sanbot, an intelligent, cloud-enabled robot at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Association's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Jan. 5-8, 2017.

Sanbot is the result of years of research, development and QIHAN's deep collaboration with technology partners. Featuring class-leading solutions, the new Sanbot platform will unleash the power of cloud-enabled robotics and AI for retailers, hoteliers, schools, nursing homes and operators in many other customer-oriented industries. As a catalyst of smarter service innovations and business productivity, Sanbot is taking robotics technology mainstream. With an open API that enables developers to build Android applications that harness Sanbot's powerful AI and machine-learning capabilities, businesses will deliver richer, more interactive services that increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

"CES is a critical stop for Sanbot to step outside of China. Currently, we do not see any peer robotic products with homogeneous capabilities. Our primary goal now is to penetrate our product into various businesses and gain as much brand awareness among businesses," said Lv De Lin, CEO of QIHAN Technology.

Following CES, QIHAN plans to explore new opportunities for collaboration with diverse, forward-looking partners in both North America and Europe. QIHAN is looking to partner with specific businesses and commercial application developers to co-develop customized robotics applications and software to maximize Sanbot's potential. By partnering with developers and integrators, Sanbot will function according to each individual business scenario after being trained with necessary knowledge and skills with the help of APP development.

Sanbot demonstrations, product information and QIHAN executives will be available during CES, located at the Las Vegas Convention Center, on Ground Level, South Hall 1, Booth No. 20909, to offer insights regarding Sanbot's features and capabilities.

For more information, or to interview QIHAN Technology/Sanbot, please contact:

Press Contact

Madelyn Fitzpatrick, Head of Public Relations, North America

[email protected]

1(281) 253-4398



About Sanbot

Sanbot is an intelligent, cloud-enabled robot developed by Chinese tech company, QIHAN, a company focused on innovations in robotics, artificial intelligence, and video analysis. Sanbot's interface is connected to the QIHAN Cloud, a real time decision-making engine. Sanbot features a variety of technologies and capabilities, like 3D vision, sensors for collision avoidance, voice control, a built-in holographic HD projector, seven microphones, touch sensors for interaction, and has a voice command responsive system.

Designed specifically to allow developers and companies to use its open-source API, Sanbot can be developed for industry-specific applications in the retail, hospitality, education, healthcare, and customer-oriented sectors. To date, more than 70,000 Sanbots are being utilized in the market and 5,000 Sanbots will be commercially available in the US in Q1 2017 for a base price of $12,000. For more information, please visit www.sanbot.com.

About CES

CES is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 yearsthe global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers. For more information regarding CES, please visit http://www.ces.tech/.

About QIHAN

Founded in 2006, QIHAN Technology Co. Ltd. (QIHAN) is a global leading CCTV surveillance equipment and solutions provider headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Its proprietary solutions, QIHAN, Sanbot, and QIHAN Cloud, utilize next-generation robotics and artificial intelligent (AI) technologies to help improve the lives of its customers. Through its core business of CCTV and video analysis systems, QIHAN has built a substantial pool of over 100 intellectual properties in Machine Vision Recognition, Multi-axis Automatic Control, Big Data Analysis, and more.

SOURCE QIHAN Technology Company
Food

Medication

Rent

Bedding

School fees

School supplies

Before establishing the Wana Duma Children's Project, founder, Susanne Garrison, said that, "In 1997 I went to Namibia on an Earthwatch trip to volunteer with CCF (Cheetah Conservation Fund), upon my return I became the NW Chapter Head for CCF and did fundraisers and promoted education programs for endangered species." In 2001, Susanne traveled to Kenya to assist a friend who was in the process of establishing a Cheetah Project. Once there, she became aware of how deeply affected the people were in result of the AIDS epidemic, which was leaving many children orphaned and in need of critical support. In 2008, the Wana Duma Children's Project came to life, and became a nonprofit in the US.

Collection artist Verdayle met Susanne, before Wana Duma existed, through a mutual friend who recognized their shared passions. Over the past 19 years, the two have become close friends, a support system for one another, and as Verdayle stated, "have grown in our need to help things improve for our shared awareness of the injustice of animals, children, and the elderly." She went on to say, "All are united in the reality that they are totally dependent on others for their existence and survival. When that basic care is being ignored and/or abused it comes down to the question for both of us, 'How do you turn your back and walk away?'"

The Mountain is known for its commitment to quality, as well as being environmentally conscious by using water-based inks, organic dyes, and performing socially responsible production techniques. These practices, paired with passions for positive change, have paved the way for partnering with other organizations, like the Wana Duma Children's Project, to give back and make a difference. To learn more about Verdayle and Susanne's stories, as well as view other Mission Driven collections at The Mountain, visit: https://www.themountain.com/purchase-with-a-purpose/. For any retailers who are interested in supporting this incredible cause by carrying Verdayle's Baby Wild Collection in their shops, visit wholesale.themountain.com.

CONTACT:

Amanda Schillinger

1-877-686-8337

[email protected]

SOURCE The Mountain

Related Links

http://www.themountain.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Swallow Acoustic Consultants Limited (SACL), a specialist in acoustics, noise and vibration control engineering based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The addition of Swallow will bolster Thornton Tomasetti's Structural Engineering and Forensics practices as well as its Canadian presence. The deal is scheduled to close in early 2017. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Key Points

Founded in the early 1990s by John Swallow , the company offers a broad range of services in acoustics design and forensics and noise and vibration analysis and control. These include architectural acoustics; environmental, industrial and mechanical noise control; acoustic and vibration testing; expert witness testimony; technical writing and standards; construction vibration assessment; and vibration control.

, the company offers a broad range of services in acoustics design and forensics and noise and vibration analysis and control. These include architectural acoustics; environmental, industrial and mechanical noise control; acoustic and vibration testing; expert witness testimony; technical writing and standards; construction vibration assessment; and vibration control. In addition to its Mississauga headquarters, the 13-person firm has an office in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada . John Swallow will become a principal at Thornton Tomasetti, while Ramin Behboudi and Michael Wesolowsky will join as associate principals.

headquarters, the 13-person firm has an office in . will become a principal at Thornton Tomasetti, while and will join as associate principals. SACL is one of a small number of firms worldwide that designs tuned mass dampers (TMD), a device used to help stabilize buildings against wind sway and other kinds of motion. Its TMD work includes tall buildings and long-span structures, such as sports facilities and bridges. SACL's tuned mass damper capabilities will dovetail with Thornton Tomasetti's efforts in the field, which includes the development of a fluid harmonic disruptor based on NASA technology.

Starting with Manhattan's LaGuardia School for the Arts in 1988, Thornton Tomasetti has collaborated on many projects with SACL, as well as strategic partner Tacet Engineering, whose staff SACL acquired in 2012. These include Chifley Tower in Sydney, Australia , Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois , Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha , and most recently, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada , which opened this past April.

for the Arts in 1988, Thornton Tomasetti has collaborated on many projects with SACL, as well as strategic partner Tacet Engineering, whose staff SACL acquired in 2012. These include Chifley Tower in , Soldier Field in , Qatar National Convention Centre in , and most recently, T-Mobile Arena in , which opened this past April. SACL has worked in some 20 countries and has a considerable presence in central and eastern Canada . This will give Thornton Tomasetti a larger footprint in Canada , having opened its first office in the country, in Toronto , earlier this year.

Executive Quotes:

Thomas Z. Scarangello, Chairman & CEO, Thornton Tomasetti

"For nearly 30 years, Swallow has been our go-to partner for vibration issues. Through our close collaboration on many diverse projects, we have built a strong working relationship based on mutual respect and a shared commitment to professional excellence. This combination of our complementary services will help us build upon our leadership position and provide better value to our clients."

John Swallow, President and Founder, Swallow Acoustic Consultants Limited

"Teaming up with Thornton Tomasetti will allow us to serve current and future clients in new and innovative ways. We look forward to sharing our considerable experience in the acoustics, noise and vibration control fields with Thornton Tomasetti's 1,200 professionals."

Supporting Materials

Thornton Tomasetti

www.ThorntonTomasetti.com

Swallow Acoustic Consultants Limited

http://www.swallowacoustic.ca/

Thomas Z. Scarangello

http://www.thorntontomasetti.com/people/thomas_scarangello/

Structural Engineering Practice

http://www.thorntontomasetti.com/services/structural_engineering/

Forensics Practice

http://www.thorntontomasetti.com/services/forensics/

About Thornton Tomasetti

Thornton Tomasetti is a leader in engineering design, investigation and analysis serving clients worldwide on projects of all sizes and complexity. Through its 10 complementary practices, Thornton Tomasetti addresses the full life cycle of a structure. We have supported clients working in more than 50 countries, with projects that include the tallest buildings and longest spans to the restoration of prized historic properties. Thornton Tomasetti comprises more than 1,200 engineering, architecture, sustainability and support professionals who collaborate from offices across North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Follow Us On

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThorntonTomasetti

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ttinc

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ThorntonTomasetti

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/22520

CONTACT:

Great Ink Communications  212-741-2977

Eric Gerard/ Lindsay Church/Alyson Leiter

[email protected]

Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.  917-661-7800

James M. Kent [email protected]

SOURCE Thornton Tomasetti

Related Links

http://www.ThorntonTomasetti.com


SINGAPORE, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tiong Nam Logistics Holdings Bhd took home two awards at the annual Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific Best Practices Awards held at the Conrad Centennial Singapore recently.

The company clinched the 2016 Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific Regional Distribution Service Provider of the Year and Warehouse Service Provider of the Year awards.

Mr. Jeff Tan, Senior Consultant at Frost & Sullivan, said that as a leading road transport company in Malaysia, Tiong Nam is bringing its expertise to neighboring markets such as Thailand and Singapore in its bid to become one of the largest regional logistics service providers.

"Tiong Nam's intensive road network coverage and wide service offerings helped the company gain multiple recognitions in Malaysia and across the borders. In addition, the company also owns over 75 warehouses in the region with a combined storage capacity of over 4.3 million square feet, supported by state-of-art storage and warehousing system," he added.

"Tiong Nam is an example of a successful logistics provider, committed in bringing the best-in-class services to its customers," Mr. Tan added.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets that demonstrate outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

The award categories offered each year are carefully reviewed and evaluated to reflect the current market landscape and include new emerging trends.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants.

For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organization prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?

Contact Us: Start the discussion

Media Contact

Alice Chia

Corporate Communications  Asia Pacific

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


LODI, Calif., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vice President of Sales and Marketing Melissa Phillips Stroud has announced that effective immediately Tom Schmitz has been promoted to National Sales Manager at Michael David Winery. Tom has been with the winery for close to a decade where he previously held the title of Midwest Divisional Manager.

Having been in the wine and spirits industry for over 20 years, Tom began his career in 1995 where he joined Peerless Importers in Brooklyn, NY. It wasn't until an opportunity arose that brought Tom back to his hometown of Chicago where he took a position with Union Beverage Company. After 12 years, Tom looked for a new challenge and it just so happened that Michael David Winery was looking to expand in the Midwest. He took the position of District Manager in 2008 and hasn't looked back. Tom still resides in the Chicagoland area alongside his wife Michelle.

"Tom has been a staple at the winery for many years, and he has proven himself time and time again. As the winery has grown, so has he and we couldn't be happier for him. We're confident sales is under strong leadership and we will continue to have great success," says Melissa Phillips Stroud.

Michael David Winery is owned by brothers Michael and David Phillips, who have built their Lodi winery into one of the fastest growing wineries in the United States. The Phillips brothers released their first commercial wine in 1984 under the Phillips Vineyards label after years of growing grapes for other wineries. Now celebrating more than 30 years as a bonded winery, Michael and David have over 800 acres of vineyards in Lodi. They pride themselves on their meticulous farming practices and sustainable wine grape growing, which result in superior quality in the bottle. Their hard work has paid off as the wines regularly take top awards and recognition nationwide. Michael David Winery is located one mile east of Interstate 5 on Highway 12 in Lodi, California. For additional information, call 209-368-7384 or visit the web site at www.michaeldavidwinery.com.

SOURCE Michael David Winery

Related Links

http://www.MichaelDavidWinery.com


WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Will President-elect Donald Trump's plan to unleash America's $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil, and natural gas reserves, along with hundreds of years' worth of clean coal, translate into a huge boon for the U.S. energy sector? Three veteran energy attorneys for LeClairRyan express skepticism about this claim in a new client alert published on the national law firm's website.

"While the Obama administration's anti-coal strategies burdened coal production and consumption, the coup de grace was delivered by plentiful, low-priced gas," the attorneys write. "The long planning horizon for the development of electric generation infrastructure makes generators cautious. Even a four-year guarantee of coal-friendly policies, with the possibility of a four-year extension, may not be enough incentive for multibillion-dollar investments in power stations that are built to operate for 40 years or more."

The client alert, "Policy Predictions: How will Trump's 100-Day Plan Affect U.S. Energy Industry?", was authored by James P. Guy, II, a Shareholder in LeClairRyan's Glen Allen, Va., and Washington, D.C., offices and head of its Energy Industry Team; Gwen E. Richard, a Shareholder in the firm's Houston office; Senior Energy Advisor Roy M. Palk, a former utility company CEO based in LeClairRyan's Glen Allen office; and John A. McKinsey, a Partner in the firm's Sacramento office.

In the alert, the attorneys note that the American landscape is littered with failed prognostications about what new presidential administrations will be able to accomplish. "President-elect Trump's 100-day action plan is a healthy mix of gimme, doable and stretch goals," they write. Nonetheless, the attorneys venture a few predictions based on Trump's stated positions, as well as their own experience representing energy companies during the administrations of the past five American presidents.

The alert includes commentary on Trump's plans to create jobs, open onshore and offshore leasing on federal lands, encourage the use of natural gas and rescind job-destroying regulations. The team's predictions include:

Renewable energy subsidy and valuation will decline at the federal level.

Coal will return to growth mode, especially in the western region of the U.S., where extraction costs are less and supply is more plentiful, with a chance of new coal power plant construction.

Pipeline projects that increase the flexibility of the United States to profit from and/or rely on oil and gas will thrive. The Keystone Pipeline will likely be the first key beneficiary of this.

to profit from and/or rely on oil and gas will thrive. The Keystone Pipeline will likely be the first key beneficiary of this. Natural gas will thrive and may move toward being a significant exported fuel in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Western states will be challenged to move toward higher levels of renewable energy use without federal support.

Transmission line and other infrastructure investment may benefit significantly as it is one of the few points of agreement across the aisle in Washington .

The full client alert is available at

https://www.leclairryan.com/pubs/xprPubDetail.aspx?xpST=PubDetail&pub=1081

About LeClairRyan

As a trusted advisor, LeClairRyan provides business counsel and client representation in corporate law and litigation. In this role, the firm applies its knowledge, insight and skill to help clients achieve their business objectives while managing and minimizing their legal risks, difficulties and expenses. With offices in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C., the firm has approximately 360 attorneys representing a wide variety of clients throughout the nation. For more information about LeClairRyan, visit www.leclairryan.com.

Press Contacts: At Parness & Associates Public Relations, Bill Parness, (732) 290-0121, [email protected]

NOTE TO MEDIA: LeClairRyan energy attorneys James P. Guy, II, Gwen E. Richard, Roy M. Palk and John McKinsey are available to comment on the effects of Donald Trump's presidency on the energy sector.

SOURCE LeClairRyan

Related Links

http://www.leclairryan.com


HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Steve Creech spends his days working in Huntsville, Alabama, on NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System, but he points to his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, as the place his 26-year engineering career first took root.

"It was the guidance and advice of my counselor at Tupelo High School that led me to go to Mississippi State University (in Starkville) and pursue engineering," Creech said. "I admire the people who grew up knowing exactly what they wanted to do. I didn't really know, and appreciated the help I got along the way from that counselor, teachers and college professors. I give them a lot of credit for my professional success. They really cared about the students and connected with us."

While attending MSU, Creech applied for a spot in NASA's Cooperative Education Program at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, he joined NASA in 1990 as a junior cost engineer. He has taken on a broad range of technical leadership roles since that first position, from senior cost engineer to overseeing the business and administrative functions for a broad range of advanced space transportation programs and projects.

He recently was named manager of the Spacecraft Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) Office for the SLS Program, managed at Marshall. SLS, with the Orion spacecraft atop, will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep-space missions, including NASA's Journey to Mars. The SLS is organizationally divided into four main parts, and Creech oversees the work force designing, developing, testing and building the hardware that makes up the top portion of the rocket.

That hardware includes the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), which is a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-based system that will give Orion the in-space push needed to fly beyond the moon before it returns to Earth on the first flight of SLS in 2018. The launch vehicle stage adapter connects the SLS core stage and the ICPS, and the Orion stage adapter will connect the Orion spacecraft to the ICPS. The Orion stage adapter also will house 13 secondary payloads, or CubeSats, on the first flight of SLS. The mission provides the rare opportunity for these small science and technology experiments to reach deep-space destinations, as most launch opportunities for CubeSats are limited to low-Earth orbit.

"Next year is huge for the SPIE team, as structural loads testing begins to ensure the hardware is ready for flight," Creech said. "There's a lot of analysis and verification in making sure the rocket does what it is designed to do. Flight units for the hardware also are being built now ahead of our first flight."

"It's a great time to be at NASA and Marshall," he added. "This is a really exciting point in time for the SLS Program, as we have that first flight in front of us and are seeing the results of the work done so far by our teams. NASA's mission is to explore the unknown and reach new heights, and the journey to Mars with SLS and Orion is the next chapter on that incredible mission. I'm really proud to be a part of it."

Creech's service to NASA has garnered numerous honors and awards, including the Medal for Exceptional Service and a Silver Snoopy Award. The award, presented by the NASA astronaut corps, is given for outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success.

He and his wife, Amy, have two daughters and live in Huntsville. Creech's parents, brother and mother's extended family reside in Turbeville, South Carolina.

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


HOUSTON, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Houston Law Center will honor three Houstonians in January as 2017 Arrival Award winners for their outstanding achievements in their professions and communities after immigrating to the United States.

The Jan. 25 event at the River Oaks Country Club will benefit the law school's Immigration Clinic, which has provided pro bono legal services to those in need since 1999.

The honorees are:

Roberto Contreras , president and CEO of St. Christopher Holding Ltd., who emigrated from Mexico City .

, president and CEO of St. Christopher Holding Ltd., who emigrated from . Pershant Mehta, president and CEO of Je Matadi Inc., a native of New Delhi .

. Manolo Sanchez, chairman and CEO of BBVA Compass Bank, who emigrated from Murcia, Spain .

"The Arrival Awards event is an excellent way to showcase immigrants' achievement, as well as the clinic's value to our community," said Geoffrey A. Hoffman, clinic director. "I am honored to be a part of this celebration and enjoy the videos about the honorees' personal stories. This event also provides the legal community with a way to give back to our clinic, and I sincerely appreciate everyone's great support!"

Law Center students, faculty and supervising attorneys in the Immigration Clinic have represented thousands of individuals facing deportation before immigration courts, in appeals, and in asylum interviews before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The clinic also assists crime victims, including victims of domestic violence, as well as U.S. citizens petitioning for their family members to obtain lawful status from around the world.

Co-chairs for the event are Charles C. Foster of Foster LLP and Gordon J. Quan of the Quan Law Group PLLC.

For more information about the honorees and Arrival Awards or to purchase a table or ticket for the event, please visit law.uh.edu/arrival awards or contact Kate Gigliotti, director of events, at 713-743-7304 or [email protected].

Visit law.uh.edu/clinic/immi.asp for more information about the University of Houston Law Center Immigration Clinic.

Media contacts: Carrie Anna Criado, UH Law Center Executive Director of Communications and Marketing, 713-743-2184, [email protected]; John T. Kling, UH Law Center Communications Manager, 713-743-8298, [email protected]; Elena Hawthorne, Multimedia Specialist, 713-743-1125, [email protected]; and John Brannen, Senior Writer, 713-743-3055, [email protected]

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation's best colleges for undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city, UH serves more than 42,700 students in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region in the country.

About the University of Houston Law Center

The University of Houston Law Center (UHLC) is a dynamic, top tier law school located in the nation's 4th largest city. UHLC's Health Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Part-time programs rank in the U.S. News Top 10. It awards Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees, through its academic branch, the College of Law. The Law Center is more than just a law school. It is a powerful hub of intellectual activity with more than 11 centers and institutes which fuel its educational mission and national reputation. UHLC is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

SOURCE University of Houston Law Center

Related Links

http://www.law.uh.edu/


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vigilant Biosciences, Inc., a leading innovator and developer of solutions that aid in the early detection and intervention of cancer, today announced that its OncAlertOral Cancer product line is now shipping and available in select countries. Additionally, the Company announced the launch of its OncAlert Oral Cancer website, www.oncalert.com, an online resource for healthcare professionals interested in learning more about the OncAlert Oral Cancer product line.

Vigilant Biosciences' OncAlert Oral Cancer product line includes the OncAlert Oral Cancer RAPID Test and the OncAlert Oral Cancer LAB Test. The tests are based on the first and only commercially available technology that accurately measures CD44, a tumor-initiating and stem cell-associated biomarker, and total protein levels  markers clinically validated to be associated specifically with oral cancer. These tests are optimized for easy use by collecting samples via an oral saline rinse and measured either via a point-of-care lateral flow assay or a laboratory kit. The test results, along with other clinical factors, can aid in the early diagnosis of oral cancer, potentially even before visual or physical indicators.

"We are pleased to announce this major milestone with the shipping of our OncAlert Oral Cancer product line to our global distributors," said Matthew H.J. Kim, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vigilant Biosciences. "Globally, we have seen a rise in oral and oropharyngeal cancer rates in recent years, and new tools to aid in the diagnosis of oral cancer earlier  such as the OncAlert Oral Cancer line  are critical to reducing the high death rate associated with this disease. We look forward to working with all of our distribution and commercialization partners to provide innovative and cost-effective products that will result in earlier detection and intervention for patients at risk all over the world."

Vigilant Biosciences has previously announced multiple distribution agreements for its OncAlert Oral Cancer product line throughout Europe, Africa and Asia/Pacific and Latin America.

About Oral Cancer

According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 529,000 new cases of oral (lip, oral cavity and pharynx) cancer each year worldwide, with mortality rates that reach up to 292,000 deaths each year. In the United States, more than 48,000 individuals will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year with more than 9,500 deaths resulting from this disease, killing roughly one person per hour, 24 hours per day. Historically the death rate associated with this cancer is particularly high due to late-stage diagnosis and intervention. Currently, the vast majority of patients are detected through a visual exam and/or are symptomatic, at which point they are likely late stage. As a result, oral cancer often goes undetected to the point of metastasizing. Early detection (stage I and II) of oral cancer yields survival rates of up to 90 percent.

About Vigilant Biosciences, Inc.

Vigilant Biosciences is a leading innovator and developer of solutions that aid clinicians in the early detection and intervention of cancer. The Vigilant Biosciences OncAlert Oral Cancer product line and OncAlert Labs product line include point-of-care and lab-based products and services that are simple, accurate and cost-effective and that can empower healthcare practitioners to improve potential outcomes through earlier intervention. The OncAlert Oral Cancer LAB Test and the OncAlert Oral Cancer RAPID Test are CE Marked and available in select international markets outside the U.S. The OraMark Test is a Laboratory Developed Test that is only available in the U.S. exclusively through OncAlert Labs, LLC, a CLIA-certified laboratory and a member of the Vigilant Biosciences family of companies. For more information, visit www.vigilantbiosciences.com and www.oncalertlabs.com.

PR00-0006

SOURCE Vigilant Biosciences, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.vigilantbiosciences.com


(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161206/445970 )



Vipro Markets thrives by keeping abreast of and adopting the latest technological trends; in line with this approach, the broker rewards the top performing trader with the ultimate gadget prize.

The Demo Trading Competition is available to all existing and new Clients who open and trade on a Vipro Markets Demo Account. The top 3 traders who will accumulate the highest percentage in profit will win the following prizes:

1st Prize: DJI Phantom 4 or Mavic Pro drone

2nd Prize: 500 USD

3rd Prize: 150 USD

Vipro Markets CEO, Valerijus Ovsianikas, commented: "We are thrilled to launch our first ever Demo Competition that gives novice traders the opportunity to test their trading strategies and explore the markets on our advanced MT4 trading platform. The Demo Competition challenges traders to compete with other traders and prove their trading skills for a chance to win a DJI drone and experience the thrill of one of the most high-end drone technologies. The DJI brand stands for creativity, innovation and excellence and these values perfectly describe our way of doing business."

The Vipro Markets Demo Competition will run from 15 December 2016 until 15 March 2017.

More information about the Competition and the applicable Terms and Conditions can be found here.

Notes to Media:

About Vipro Markets

Vipro Markets is a global forex broker offering retail and institutional Clients trading services with prime focus on Forex, Stock Indices, commodities, CFDs and precious metals. The broker is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), with license number 278/15, and is also a Member of the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF). The Company has distinguished itself among ECN Forex brokers by providing top-notch trading services with low average spreads and commissions and ultra-fast execution though its state-of-the-art trading servers located at the Equinix LD4 data center in London.

Trading in derivative financial instruments may not be suitable for everyone and we therefore advise Clients to make themselves familiar with all the risks involved. Please review the Vipro Markets Client Agreement and other legal documentation available on Vipro Markets website before entering into any transaction with us.

Media Contact

Michalis Michael

Vipro Markets Ltd.

Tel.: +357 25247650

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.vipromarkets.com





SOURCE Vipro Markets
BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CannaInsider.com, the cannabis industry's leading site for interviews with the leaders of the legal marijuana, cannabis industry, has published a comprehensive guide to CBD, the miracle cannabinoid endorsed and made popular in 2013 by a documentary produced by mainstream media health expert, Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN.

How CBD Works with your Body What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 80 chemical compounds found in the cannabis plant called cannabinoids. Cannabinoids bind to receptors in the brain and body and are responsible for the effects of cannabis, like feeling high, relaxed, or euphoric. The most popular cannabinoid, THC, is widely known as the compound that produces a high feeling.

CBD, which is rapidly gaining popularity, is known for its immense healing properties that are just being discovered as scientific research into the cannabis plant expands. Gupta's documentary profiled five-year-old Charlotte Figi, who reduced her 300 seizures a week to just one a day with CBD treatment. CannaInsider's Guide details what the scientific community knows about CBD and explains how the legal marijuana industry is responding. Learn more about CBD with CannaInsider's Guide: http://www.cannainsider.com/reviews/what-is-cbd/.

"CBD is quickly expanding beyond the medical marijuana community and into totally new demographics (senior citizens and athletes, to name just two). This rapid growth is certain to continue as more and more individuals discover how CBD can play a positive role in their own healthcare outcomes," said Patrick O'Malley, President of Good Life Colorado  the world's only marijuana product incubator.

Dr. Noel Palmer, Ph.D., The Chief Scientist at Mary's Medicinals, an infused products company in Denver is equally enthusiastic the excitement around CBD, "CBD has amazing therapeutic efficacy for a large variety of conditions, but it doesn't get you stoned. For those who want a plant-derived medicine, CBD is an great option with very few negative side effects."

In the CNN documentary, Figi treated her severe Dravet Syndrome with a CBD oil produced by the popular Colorado-based brand, Realm of Caring, made from a strain of high CBD cannabis plants. However, CBD can also be found in the hemp plant. Hemp products are distributed nationally and are regulated by the Department of Agriculture. You can purchase CBD online and have it shipped to your home within the United States.

So, how do you distinguish between what's quality and what's not? CannaInsider.com also reviews CBD oil and products with in-depth analysis and pictures at: cannainsider.com/reviews.

As America's fastest growing industry, the legal cannabis industry is navigating unchartered territory by producing and selling products made from a versatile plant that has been in the shadows for the last 80 years. CannaInsider.com has published a glossary of terms related to the marijuana plant and industry to educate those interested in learning more. Explore this dictionary at: http://www.cannainsider.com/reviews/glossary/.

What is CBD? The Everyday Guide to Cannabidiol

CannaInsider.com provides a free detailed and comprehensive guide that breaks down the magic of the CBD for everyone. You can find the guide at: http://www.cannainsider.com/reviews/what-is-cbd/.

About CannaInsider.com

Each week, Matthew Kind, the host of the CannaInsider Podcast, interviews the leaders of the cannabis industry to help listeners understand both the incredible opportunities and dynamics of this rapidly evolving industry.

Learn more at http://www.cannainsider.com/

Media Contact:

Matthew Kind

843-603-3699

[email protected]

SOURCE CannaInsider.com

Related Links

http://www.cannainsider.com


Company invites individual and institutional investors as well as advisors to log-on to VirtualInvestorConferences.com to view presentation

ATLANTA, Dec. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WorthPoint Corporation, based in Atlanta and the largest online resource for researching and valuing antiques, art and collectibles, today announced that the December 13 presentation from Will Seippel, Chief Executive Officer is now available for on-demand viewing at VirtualInvestorConferences.com.

LINK: http://tinyurl.com/1213post

WorthPoint's presentation will be available 24/7 for 90 days. Investors and advisors may download shareholder materials from the "virtual trade booth" for the next three weeks.

Learn more about the event at www.VirtualInvestorConferences.com.

Learn more about our equity crowdfunding campaign at

https://marketplace.99funding.com/PreviewOffer?offer_id=56832

Securities offered through North Capital Private Securities, Member FINRA/SIPC

The company has also filed a Form 1-A for a Regulation A+ offering. Legal Disclaimer: WorthPoint is "testing the waters" to gauge market demand from potential investors for an Offering under Tier II of Regulation A. No money or other consideration is being solicited, and if sent in response, it will not be accepted. No sales of securities will be made or commitment to purchase accepted until qualification of the offering statement by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") and approval of any other required government or regulatory agency. An indication of interest made by a prospective investor is non-binding and involves no obligation or commitment of any kind. No offer to buy securities can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received without an offering statement that has been qualified by the Commission. An offering statement regarding the offering has been filed with the SEC. The preliminary offering circular that is part of that offering statement can be found here https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1450158/000114420416136462/v451131_partiiandiii.htm

About WorthPoint

Founded in 2007, WorthPoint is the world's largest online resource for identifying, researching, and valuing antiques, art, and vintage collectibles. With no true central library for price guides or research material, the information in regard to antiques, art and collectibles is out of date or difficult to find. WorthPoint is building a solution, creating a global "worth" database to provide a powerful online resource for collectors, financial professionals and service providers. This solution leverages shared interests in collectibles, their value and stories, into a dynamic multimedia community.

WorthPoint's database hosts over 300 million auction sales results with more than 500 million images collated from multiple sources, including more than 50 auction houses, such as Heritage Auctions, Pook & Pook, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers and eBay. WorthPoint enables collectors, financial professionals and service providers to gain more knowledge of the items they own or are seeking to buy or sell. In doing so, WorthPoint replaces traditional, published price guides and the need to search multiple online sources. The Company derives more than 93% of its revenues from subscriptions to its Worthopedia price guide, its Marks, Autographs, Patterns and Symbols ("MAPS") database and the WorthPoint Library. WorthPoint is also accessible on iOS and Android platforms, providing subscribers with mobile database access. While traditional word search is the primary search tool on the platform, the Company has introduced a beta version of visual search on MAPS.

WorthPoint provides the tools to help a user identify any "old" vintage and collectible items in a person's house, whether it is worth $5 or more than $1 million. Collectibles include fine art, antiques, coins, stamps, toys, glassware, folk art, memorabilia and thousands of other categories of items. These classes of items represent hidden value in many homes, often unknown to their owners, inheritors or even those people responsible for administering estates. Since its founding, the Company believes interest in collectibles has grown as programs such as Antiques Roadshow, Cash in the Attic and Pawn Stars have grown in popularity.

The Worthopedia price guide is a searchable database that provides access to sales records on more than 300 million items from online marketplaces and auction houses from around the world. Historical eBay sales data form the bulk of the data in Worthopedia, but are declining in significance as the database grows. WorthPoint is not a marketplace nor does it sell any of the items that appear in the Worthopedia. WorthPoint management believes that being a marketplace would conflict with its aim of being an independent source of information for its community.

The Company's MAPS database is an online resource for researching Marks, the identifying marks or impressions used by artisans and manufacturers to distinguish their wares, Autographs, and other distinctive Patterns and Symbols that are found on collectibles. WorthPoint has developed a visual recognition feature for use on computers and iOS devices that is currently in beta and will enable users to conduct searches optically. The Company plans to use a portion of the net proceeds of this Offering to enhance the feature and develop an Android version.

The WorthPoint Library contains the digital version of almost 1,000 collectibles price guides and reference books from leading publishers on a wide range of collecting topics. It offers users the ability to do the necessary research to identify and better educate themselves on a wide array of collectibles and is an additional tool for users of the Worthopedia database. The Company plans to use a portion of the net proceeds of the Offering to expedite the digitizing of materials for the WorthPoint Library.

About VirtualInvestorConferences.com

Since 2010, VirtualInvestorConferences.com, created by BetterInvesting (NAIC) and PRNewswire, has been the only monthly virtual investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for presenting companies to meet directly with investors using a graphically-enhanced online platform.

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London, Dec 16 : British Prime Minister Theresa May wants an early deal on Britons living in the European Union countries, the media reported on Friday.

She said as much while updating her fellow leaders while attending the European Council summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday, BBC reported.

May left the meeting without answering any questions on Britain's break with the EU.

However, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny revealed what May told them.

Kenny said: "She would like to have the question of British citizens living in Europe and European citizens living in the UK dealt with in the early part of discussions that takes place."

Kenny said Ireland would not sign a bilateral deal with Britain unless it agreed on its future relationship with the EU first.

There was concern in other countries about the status of their nationals in Britain after Brexit.

Meanwhile, EU leaders said negotiations over Britain's exit would be approached in "a spirit of trust and unity".

After May's departure, the 27 other EU leaders met informally for 20 minutes to discuss their approach to Brexit negotiations.

They agreed that European Commission official Michel Barnier would lead talks for the EU -- although MEPs want a greater say.

European Council President Donald Tusk said: "Short, informal meeting had reconfirmed our principles, meaning the indivisibility of the four freedoms, the balance of rights and obligations and the rule 'no negotiations without notification'."

European Parliament President Martin Schulz warned the negotiations could be vetoed if MEPs are not fully involved.

Downing Street had played down suggestions that a Brexit trade deal could take 10 years to complete, after Britain's ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, suggested that others in the Europe believed this could be the case.
New Delhi, Dec 16 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday met Prime minister Narendra Modi seeking a waiver of loans given to farmers.

A Gandhi-led Congress delegation also raised the issue of farmer suicides with Modi and urged him to write off the loans given to farmers like it has been done in the case of corporates.

"Thousands of farmers are committing suicide across the country. Every single day a farmer is committing suicide in Punjab. We met the Prime Minister and apprised him about the plight of farmers across the country," Gandhi told the media.

"This government has waived off loans of Rs 1.40 lakh crore to corporates. So we urged the government to waive off the loans of the farmers as well," he said.

The delegation comprised senior Congress leaders including Punjab state unit chief Captain Amarinder Singh and Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

Gandhi also said that the government decision to remove import duty on wheat was a "terrible blow" to the farmers.

"The Prime Minister too admitted the condition of the farmers to be grave. But he did not say anything about waiving off the loans to farmers," he said.

Gandhi's meeting with Modi comes days after he vowed to expose the Prime Minister's "personal complicity in corruption".
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16 : Leader of opposition in the Kerala assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Friday questioned the alleged inaction by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau regarding a probe into certain appointments in state PSUs by the then minister.

The bureau had ordered a probe after the then Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan was accused of making certain controversial appointments of relatives to key posts in Kerala public sector undertakings.

"Bureau chief Jacob Thomas has been claiming that the corrupt will be taken to task. Vijayan cabinet's number two Jayarajan quit on nepotism charge. As per the rule, a (vigilance) report has to be filed within 42 days. It's more than 62 days now and nothing is coming out," the Congress leader told the media here.

"During the earlier United Democratic Front rule in Kerala, Vijayan and others used to say the Vigilance Bureau is like a caged parrot. But ever since Jayarajan has quit, the bureau is lying in the intensive care unit. Thomas now has to act," Chennithala said.

The Leader of Opposition said that governance had come to a standstill in Kerala since Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has gone into a slumber.

"Governance in Kerala has come to nought. Two IAS officers of Additional Chief Secretary rank -- Finance Secretary K.M. Abraham and Labour Secretary Tom Jose -- are engaged in a bitter standoff with bureau chief Thomas, who holds the rank of Director General of Police, and writing against each other to Vijayan," Chennithala said.

He said such a situation had never arisen in the coastal state before.

Thomas had initiated vigilance probes against the two IAS officers while the Finance Secretary is going ahead with a financial probe by his officials against Thomas during his posting in state departments prior to the Vigilance Bureau tenure.

"Thomas sought Jose's suspension in two cases but Chief Secretary S.M. Vijayanand gave a clean chit to him. These officials are using government machinery... while all this is happening, Vijayan is in deep slumber. Governance has come to a standstill," said Chennithala.

Last week, Abraham got a reprieve when a local court gave him a clean chit in a case filed by the Vigilance Bureau.
New Delhi, Dec 16 : Automobile manufacturer Honda Cars India (HCIL) on Friday proposed a price hike of up to three per cent across all its models.

The company said the revised prices will be effective from January next year.

"Due to the increasing pressure on input costs and fluctuating exchange rates, we are forced to consider increasing the car prices across our line-up," said Yoichiro Ueno, President and Chief Executive Officer of Honda Cars India.

"The increased price will be effective from first week of January 2017."

The company's product range includes Honda Brio, Honda Jazz, Honda Amaze, Honda Mobilio, Honda City, Honda BR-V, Honda CR-V and the recently launched Honda Accord Hybrid.
London, Dec 16 : A seven-year-old Indian-origin boy has penned a Christmas letter to Santa Claus asking not for presents but peace in Syria.

Aarush Anand, a pupil at Nottingham High School in England, wrote the letter as part of a class project. In the note, he said: "The only thing I want for Christmas is peace, like in Syria."

Anand also told Santa not to be "stress out" as "it's hard work going all over the world", the BBC reported.

"Please give money to charities. PS: Don't give me anything else," he said in the letter, which was written on Wednesday as part of a Christmas-themed class exercise.

Speaking about his note later, Aarush said: "In Syria, basically every day someone gets killed, and just not in Syria, in India and Pakistan too."

"Syria is like a mini version of a world war happening in one place and I thought I should write about Syria."

His teacher, Richard Miller, said he was "quite struck" by Aarush's letter.
New Delhi, Dec 17 : The decision of demonetising higher currency notes was not taken in a hurry, Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah has said, adding that the decision was taken in consultation with Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Responding to questions on India TV's show Aap Ki Adalat, Shah said that the 50-day deadline, ending December 30, was fixed after much "careful planning", and most of the cash crunch woes at ATMs and banks would be over by this deadline.

"Neither was anything kept secret from RBI, nor was it not consulted, the decision (to demonetise Rs 500 and 1000) was taken after adequate consultations by Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) at the small forum, and all administrative nitty-gritty was gone through. The decision was not taken in a hurry, nor was there any reason to be in a hurry," Shah said.

Asked about the current cash crunch, he said, it was because of the delay in printing new notes.

"The cash crunch is because of delay in printing currency notes, and its taking time to distribute, that's why the 50-day deadline was set. I am not saying that after 50-day deadline the queues (at banks) will be fully over, but most of the woes would be over," he said.

The BJP chief also expressed hope that business at factories would be back to normal in two months.

"The factories are closed, not because of (lack of) cash but nearly 30 to 40 per cent of transactions that were not taking place earlier in cheques, will now change, and the traders will show these transactions in books...," he said.

While stating that he "emphathises" the people standing in queues outside ATMs, the BJP president said people were also losing patience due to lack of infrastructure, indicating that the increased government revenue will solve these issues.

"I know people standing outside ATMs and banks are losing their patience, I emphathise with them, but I also know, nearly 80 crore poor people in this country are also losing patience because of lack of electricity, roads, drinking water and education, the army needs funds for modernisation, we need more satellites, more connectivity," Shah said.

"In the last eight years, our plan budget has been hanging between Rs 4.2 lakh crore and Rs 4.8 lakh crore, and this money has to be allocated for rural roads, education and all other programmes... India cannot take a leap forward on a mere Rs 4.8 lakh crore budget. The parallel economy is eating into our economy like termite."

Describing the demonetisation step as a "multi-dimensional, far-reaching" decision taken in the national interest, Shah said, the positive fallouts of the decision have been: "it has broken the back of terrorism and Naxalism in one stroke."

Shah warned that all black money hoarders "will be put behind bars".

He also said that BJP would welcome any move by the Election Commission to bring electoral funding within the purview of Right To Information.
Paris, Dec 20 : French President Francois Hollande has sent a solidarity message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a truck ploughed into the crowd at a Berlin Christmas market, killing at least nine persons.

"The French share the mourning of the Germans who are facing this tragedy, which hits all Europe," he said on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was "horrified" by reports on the attack, stressing that "France stands alongside Germany at this dark and painful moment."

The attack at a Christmas market in Berlin also left many others injued.
Prague, Dec 20 : Czech police will tighten security measures after at least nine persons were killed in Berlin when a truck ploughed into the crowd, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said.

A truck ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing nine persons and injuring 50 others, Berlin police said.

The decision to tighten security was made after a discussion with Czech Police President Tomas Tuhy, Chovanec wrote on his Twitter account, Xinhua news agency reported.

The number of police patrols on streets will rise by Tuesday and authorities will meet, probably on Tuesday morning, to decide whether to raise the level of terrorist threat in the Czech Republic, Chovanec told Czech Television (CT).

According to the official, based on the information gathered so far, an upgrade of terrorist threat level in the country is unnecessary.
United Nations, Dec 20 : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov in Turkish capital of Ankara, calling it as a "senseless" act of terror.

Earlier on Monday, Karlov, who served as Russian ambassador to Turkey since 2013, was shot dead by a gunman when he spoke at the opening of an art exhibition in Ankara.

"The Secretary-General is appalled by this senseless act of terror and emphasizes that there can be no justification for the targeting of diplomatic personnel and civilians," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Secretary-General is following the unfolding situation closely and wishes the other people who were reportedly injured in the attack a speedy and full recovery," it added.

The assassination came one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syrian with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the attack, and is planning a consultation with the foreign ministry and the country's security services.
Washington, Dec 20 : The US has condemned the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, in Ankara.

"This heinous attack on a member of the diplomatic corps is unacceptable, and we stand united with Russia and Turkey in our determination to confront terrorism in all of its forms," said US National Security Council Spokesperson Ned Price in a statement.

Karlov was shot and killed on Monday at an art exhibition in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Xinhua news agency reported.

The gunman, who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo," was identified as a Turkish off-duty police officer, according to Turkish security sources.

Karlov was shot in the back while making a speech at a painting exhibition, the Russian embassy said.

Three others wounded were taken to Guven Hospital in central Ankara.

The attack came one day before Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu heads to Moscow for talks on Syria with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday received his Kyrgyz counterpart, Almazbek Atambayev, who is on his first visit to India, at a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

"Our final State guest for 2016, President Almazbek Atambayev of Kyrgyzstan begins engagements with a ceremonial welcome at @RashtrapatiBhvn," Vikas Swarup, spokesperson, External Affairs ministry, said in a tweet.

Atambayev is here with a high-level delegation comprising ministers and business leaders.

The ceremonial would be followed by a bilateral session with Prime Minster Narendra Modi later in the day.

The state visit by Kyrgyz President has come a year after Modi visited Kyrgyzstan in July 2015.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : A Delhi Police Special Cell team on Tuesday arrested a wanted criminal from Mathura railway station, police said.

"The arrest of Sher Khan took place at around 4 a.m. following a tip-off," the police said.

The investigation team had received information on Khan who was to meet somebody at the railway station, police said.

Khan was a wanted under Mcoca (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999) in a case since 2013.

He was earlier arrested by the Rajasthan Police but had managed to escape while being shifted from one jail to another.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Kangana Ranaut, who graced the launch of "Between The Poet And Her Pencil" -- a collection of poetry by her friend Bondina Elangbam -- says Gulzar continues to be one of the best writers that India has.

"I think people these days don't really pay attention to sensitive and fine things like poetry and shayari. Even till now, Gulzar is the best we have, so I think we really need to encourage talent and I hope that Bondina's work reaches far," Kangana said here.

Kangana and Bondina were in school together.

"We drifted away and I met her two years ago when I was promoting 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' in Chandigarh. We met at our school and that's when I got to know that Bondina is pursuing arts, poetry and writing. She sent me some of her work and then I offered to write a foreword for her book," Kangana added.

Kangana also spoke about poetry losing its ground because she feels that people are now more interested in playstation than books.

"In this age of playstations, poetry is for very selective and fine readers," she said.

Kangana's "Rangoon" is gearing up for release next year, and the actress has also wrapped up Hansal Mehta's directorial "Simran".
Ankara, Dec 20 : World leaders on Tuesday expressed shock and grief over the killing of Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov and termed the assassination a "provocation" and an attempt to disrupt peace.

The Russian ambassador was killed late on Monday by a Turkish policeman in protest against Moscow's involvement in Syria's Aleppo, BBC reported.

It was not clear whether the 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Aydintas had links to any militant group.

The shooter in a video that captured the killing can be heard yelling "Don't forget about Aleppo, don't forget about Syria" and using the Arabic phrase "Allahu Akbar" (God is great).

The killing took place a day after protests erupted in Turkey over Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkish President Recap Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was aimed at hurting ties with Russia.

Erdogan spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over phone and both leaders agreed that it was an act of "provocation".

Putin said the act was "undoubtedly a provocation aimed at disrupting the normalisation" of ties and the "peace process in Syria".

Condemning the attack as an act of "terrorism", Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Turkey had given assurances that there would be a comprehensive investigation, and those responsible would be punished.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned the killing while Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was appalled by "this senseless act of terror".

The attack was also condemned by other countries.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said: "We stand ready to offer assistance to Russia and Turkey as they investigate this despicable attack, which was also an assault on the right of all diplomats to safely and securely advance and represent their nations around the world."

"Shocked to hear of despicable murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey. My thoughts are with his family. I condemn this cowardly attack," British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said his country stood with Turkey in a common fight against terrorism.

French President Francois Hollande "strongly" condemned the killing.

India's External Affairs Ministry condemned the "dastardly act".

"There can never be any justification for violence and terrorism," ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in a statement.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing firmly opposed terrorism in all forms.

China is willing to work with the international community in firmly supporting Russia's efforts and actions to fight terrorism, Wang said.

The movement of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen also condemned the attack and rejected any links to the attacker.

Turkey blames the movement for July 15 failed coup aimed against Erdogan.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said Colombo considered the attack a violation of the right of all diplomats to represent their nations peacefully around the world.

Pakistan condoled the bereaved family of the ambassador, and expressed solidarity with Russia and Turkey.

Taking up the Ankara posting in July 2013, Karlov had to grapple with a major diplomatic crisis last year when a Turkish plane shot down a Russian jet close to the Syrian border.
Panaji, Dec 20 : A photograph not only captures a moment in time but also freezes it for generations to come. When looked at years after, they can remind us of people, events, and a world that has come to last.

Towards this, one family's albums from the late 19th and the 20th century encapsulates the Goan diaspora's experience through photographs from various geographical clusters.

The photographs are on display at the ongoing Serendipity Arts Festival in a nostalgic exhibition, "Old Homes, New Homelands", tracing the Goan migrations through the photo albums of the Ribeiro de Santa family.

Curated by Prashant Panjiar, it is based on the private collection of Arminio Ribeiro, who has been collecting family photographs as various branches of his family spread out across the world.

Panjiar said that the migrations of Goans started as early as the 16th century but gained momentum only after the British saw that there were educated people in Goa who could be hired to work in the railways and their other colonies.

"Ahead of the migration, clerical members and missionaries had travelled far and wide and with them they carried stories of new lands, opportunities and established a network that helped in migration," Panjiar, who has served on the jury of the World Press Photo Awards, told IANS.

Explaining the history of migrations from Goa, Panjiar said: "In the period between the 16th and 19th centuries, educated Goans served in lower- to middle-level administration and accounting jobs in Goa and other Portuguese colonies. Those seeking to engage in commerce and trade migrated to British India and Africa where they set up small enterprises."

"The opening of a school for western medicine in 1842 in Goa resulted in some Goans adopting the profession. Many of them remained unemployed here but their training in tropical medicine placed them at an advantage for jobs in other Portuguese colonies. So again, this opened the doors for migration from Goa," Panjiar added.

The exhibition is a unique attempt to highlight an issue as complex as migration from the albums of one single family. The members of the Riberio family, who have settled in various countries, aptly represent the Goan migrations through the ages.

Arminio Ribeiro's son Servito Ribeiro completed his medical studies from Porto University, married a Portuguese pianist and settled in Portugal. Arminio's wife, Guiomar, had four brothers who travelled to Quelimane and later to Lorenco Marques in Mozambique and engaged in business. Only one of the four returned to Goa while the remaining three followed their children who were educated and settled in Portugal.

Arminio's daughter, Ida Ribeiro, married Pakistani doctor Orfino De Sa and settled in Karachi. They had six children of whom the three older girls travelled to England for higher education. The other three stayed in Karachi and finished their education from the port city. They too are now settled in the UK, Canada and Brazil.

Two of Arminio's other children, Rui and Alfredo, studied engineering in Poona University and while the former returned to Goa, the latter worked first in the railways and later taught in Bombay (now Mumbai). He had six children, of whom one son, a doctor, migrated to England; another son, a scientist, migrated to the US and the third, a daughter, settled in Canada.

Similarly, across generations, the various members of the Ribeiro family have migrated to several other parts of the world and the photographs that were once clicked to capture the moment are now serving as both a visual delight and a tool for exhibiting Goan migrations.

(Saket Suman is in Panaji at the invitation of Serendipity Arts Festival. He can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, Dec 20 : India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed six agreements, including on tourism, agriculture and youth affairs, following delegation-level talks led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev here.

"Tourism, Agriculture, Youth Affairs and more - the leaders witness exchange of agreements that testify to the strength of #IndiaKyrgyz ties," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on cooperation in youth exchange.

Another MoU was signed on cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute and the Diplomatic Academy of the Kyrgyz Republic.

A third MoU was signed on cooperation in the field of tourism, while a fourth one was signed on cooperation in the field of broadcasting and exchange of audio-visual programmes.

A fifth agreement was signed on cooperation in youth development.

Another agreement was signed on cooperation in agriculture and the food industry.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Atambayev was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

He arrived here on Sunday on a four-day official visit to India.
Moscow, Dec 20 : Russia has acknowledged the words of support pouring in from various nations in the wake of the assassination of Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Turkey, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"We express our appreciation to all our colleagues and partners for their words of support. We highly appreciate the solidarity shown to us," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also said it considered the attack an act of terror, Sputnik news reported.

Karlov was shot by a gunman at an art gallery exhibition opening in Ankara late on Monday. Doctors announced the ambassador's death 40 minutes after his hospitalisation.

The gunman in a black suit and tie shot dead the Russian Ambassador to Turkey as he was speaking at the opening of a photographic art exhibition in the capital city of Ankara, titled "Russia through Turks' eyes."

The gunman shouted "Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria. As long as our brothers are not safe, you will not enjoy safety. Whoever has a share in this oppression will pay for it one-by-one. Only death will take me away from here," according to Turkish security sources.

The gunman was shot dead at the scene and identified as 22-year-old Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, according to Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

He had been on duty for two and a half years with the riot police unit in Ankara.

Three injured people were taken to Guven Hospital in central Ankara for treatment.

Moscow and Ankara were in the process of normalising ties after the latter shot down a Russian warplane on November 24, 2015 claiming airspace violation.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday pledged to work together to prevent youths from falling prey to the common challenges of terrorism, extremism and radicalism as the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening all-round cooperation In a joint address to the media with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev after delegation-level talks here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two sides "focused on our common priority of diversifying and deepening bilateral engagement".

"We also discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society against the common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism," he said.

"We agreed on the need to coordinate and work closely in addressing and overcoming these challenges for our common benefit."

The Prime Minister said that India regarded the Kyrgyz Republic as a valuable partner in the common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity.

Stating that the two sides also discussed cooperation in the defence sector, he said: "The Kyrgyz-India Mountain Bio-Medical Research Centre is an excellent example of successful collaboration. It has proved to be a rewarding research initiative, which we need to build on."

Modi also said that the two sides have started work on a Kyrgyz-India Joint Military Training Centre in the Kyrgyz Republic.

He also stressed on bilateral economic cooperation saying that he and President Atambaev have agreed on the need to connect our economies more deeply.

"To this end, we will work to strengthen bilateral trade and economic linkages, and facilitate greater people-to-people exchanges," the Prime Minister said.

"We will encourage industry and business on both sides to play a leading role in exploiting opportunities in healthcare, tourism, information technology, agriculture, mining and energy."

Stating that people have been at the centre of such initiatives, Modi said: "We shall give special emphasis to youth exchanges in our technical and economic cooperation programme with Kyrgyz Republic. The understandings concluded today will support our thrust in these directions."

On his part, President Atambayev thanked Modi for taking up the initiative to set up a Kyrgyz-India fund to encourage businessmen on both sides.

He stressed on expansion of trade between the two sides stating that "we are not happy with what we have today".

Atambayev also called for cooperation in high technology sector with inputs from Indian experts.

In a joint statement, Modi and Atambayev stressed the importance of deepening cooperation between the two countries in the international arena and called for measures to tackle challenges posed by terrorism and extremism in the world.

"The current level of trade and investment relations between India and Kyrgyzstan is below the potential available and the countries directed their respective ministries and departments to develop a comprehensive roadmap in this area for a five-year time frame," the statement said.

The countries also agreed to explore new mechanisms to further strengthen mutual economic ties.

The two leaders instructed that work be undertaken on the liberalisation of visa procedures, to create the most favourable conditions to enhance cooperation in diverse areas including science and technology, trade and economy as well as education and culture.

The leaders noted the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism both to Asia and the world and called for the adoption by the United Nations of the draft Comprehensive Convention on Combating International Terrorism.

Following Tuesday's talks, the two sides signed six agreements, including on cooperation in the fields of youth affairs, tourism, agriculture, broadcasting and sharing of audio-visual content.

Separately, the two sides also initialled a bilateral investment treaty to promote greater economic engagement, according to External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.

Earlier in the day, President Atambayev was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

The Kyrgyz leader arrived here on Sunday on a four-day official visit to India.
Imphal, Dec 20 : Various community leaders of Manipur, at a public meeting here on Tuesday, underlined the need to call off the blockade and counter-blockade and hold talks to restore "harmony and peace".

The meeting was organised at an Imphal hotel here by Sunita Netram, founder of Manipur Women Gun Survivors and Secretary General of Control Arms Foundation India, to take stock of the continuing stalemate.

Lawyers, academics, community leaders and social activists spoke during the meeting.

Many community leaders from hill areas reportedly did not come for the talks. Also there was no participation from the Manipur government in the meeting convened to resolve the crisis.

P. Sonamani, a retired police officer from Nagaland, said that it was not necessary because it was a Manipur issue and it should be settled within the state.

Meanwhile, the curfew here was relaxed for a few hours during the day, even as the number of torched vehicles rose to 40.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The US mission in Arunachal Pradesh to locate the remains of servicemen missing since World War II has been completed, authorities said on Tuesday.

A team from the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) team visited several locations in the state to determine if the reported sites can be definitively correlated to known crash sites involving missing US servicemen, an official release said.

The US team concentrated its efforts on sites where US aircraft are believed to have crashed in the Himalayas with still unaccounted-for servicemen.

During the mission, local residents gave the team human remains and osseous material recovered from the wreckage of a crashed aircraft.

At the site, the US DPAA found additional human remains believed to be associated with missing US service members. The government's approval is awaited to send the remains to the US for identification.

Speaking on the mission, US Ambassador Richard Verma said: "The US is committed to making sure all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who served our country come home. DPAA's mission in India is a vital part of that commitment."

Thanking the Indian government for its support, Mission commander Lt. Col Pritz said: "We want to thank the government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Air Force for their invaluable assistance and cooperation in conducting this mission. Without their support, this mission would not have been successful."

The team will corroborate the evidences collected with historical records and reports. Based on the finding, the team may visit for excavation in an attempt to recover the remains and return them to the DPAA's laboratory for identification.

All the sites were located within the Indian northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, where the majority of losses occurred. The DPAA team trekked to sites ranging from 2,500 feet to 10,000 feet in altitude, over trails that took anywhere from a few hours to several days.

Last year, the DPAA successfully recovered remains from the same region. In April, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter received the remains from the Indian government which the DPAA is working to identify now.

During the last phase of WW II (1943-45), the US Air Force flew support mission to China and South East Asia against the Japanese army through the north-east of India.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 20 : CPI-M veteran and former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Tuesday criticised the state Tourism Department for awarding two resorts which have been built in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines.

"I found out that two resorts in the State Tourism Awards list of winners have been built in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines. I have complained against the violation of these two resorts and the probe is on," said Achuthanandan.

He added that giving awards to such law-breakers does not augur well and wished that such mistakes do not happen again.

In May, the 93-year-old was given the ceremonial title of 'Kerala's Fidel Castro' by his party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, the day Pinarayi Vijayan became Chief Minister after the Achuthanandan-led Left Democratic Front won in the assembly polls against the Oommen Chandy-led United Democratic Front.

Achuthanandan and Vijayan have been at logger heads for more than a decade and their rivalry intensified when the then State Party Secretary Vijayan was accused in the SNC Lavalin case.

Vijayan, who was State Electricity Minister in 1996-97, was under the CBI scanner for having sanctioned repairs and maintenance charges to the Canadian construction company Lavalin that cost the state exchequer Rs 266 crore.

During that period, the two openly took on each other, which led to both being booted out of the politburo.

But after some time, while Vijayan was reinstated, Achuthanandan remains only an invitee to the Central Committee.
London, Dec 20 : The Islamic State group is providing children apps to access violent jihadi websites and offering rewards, if young recruits say they were willing to attack monuments in Europe.

The attempt to "create a new generation of terrorists", according to British military and security officials, comes amid evidence of the IS's bid to recruit children in the West to carry out attacks in Europe and America, the Independent reported on Tuesday.

The terror group has set up kiosks in the areas it controls in Iraq and Syria where children can use apps to read the group's online magazine Rumiyah, as well as a website that teaches them Arabic.

The terror group has been increasing the use of child fighters in a battle for survival in Iraq and Syria. Pictures of guns and tanks abound in the childrens' Arabic learning website along with those of landmarks in Europe and America.

Col. John Dorrian of the US-led coalition against the IS said: "What they do is despicable. They are willing to use children to carry out suicide attacks. Their apocalyptic vision is of damaging society everywhere they have gained control."

"The targets are places like the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower," he said.

The Internet is the common avenue for indoctrination in both the West and the Middle-East for the young, said security sources. The British government has disclosed that 50 young people were prevented from leaving the country to go to Syria in the last 12 months.

A dozen suspects, all teenagers, are reported to have been detained in Belgium last week for allegedly plotting to attack Christmas shoppers.

There has been a sharp rise in the numbers of children on the frontline -- up to 50,000 according to estimates -- in the wake of the heavy losses the Islamic State has suffered in Iraq and Syria.

The vast majority of children recruited by the terror group are Syrians and Iraqis. There are also around 50 from Britain, along with smaller numbers from France, Australia.
Washington, Dec 20 : China on Tuesday returned the US unmanned underwater drone it seized last week in the disputed South China Sea, officials said.

"After friendly consultations between China and the US, the transfer of the underwater drone was smoothly completed," CNN cited a Chinese Defence Ministry statement as saying.

According to the Pentagon, the US would continue to investigate the events surrounding the incident.

A Chinese warship had been shadowing the Bowditch, a US naval vessel, in the international waters of the South China Sea. The Chinese then launched a small boat and snatched the unmanned underwater vehicle, the Pentagon had said earlier.

The seizure of the US drone by China in the international waters of the South China Sea plunged the testy ties between the two countries to a new low. The two global powers vying for influence in the energy-rich waters through which trade worth $5 trillion passes every year.

After the seizure on last Thursday, US President-elect Donald Trump reacted angrily on Twitter.

"China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unprecedented act."

China rejected the claim, saying its Navy picked up the drone to prevent "harm" to freedom of navigation in the waters.

The episode comes after Trump infuriated Beijing by talking to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen. A section in the US feels the seizure has to do with Trump's talks with the first female President of Taiwan -- a breakaway island which China claims as its own.

The US and China have been engaged in wrangling in the South China Sea. While China lays claim to about 80 per cent of the waters, US contests the claim.

The US has sent warships to the waters angering Beijing, which has built artificial islands in the sea.
Colombo, Dec 20 : The Sri Lanka Navy assisted the Coast Guard to arrest seven Indian fishermen poaching illegally in the northern seas of the island country, the navy said on Tuesday.

The fishermen were arrested in the waters northwest of Delft Island on Monday and were handed over to the Assistant Director of Fisheries, Jaffna, reports Xinhua news agency.

Two Indian fishing trawlers were seized.

Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said there had been a 50-percent drop in poaching by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan waters due to enhanced patrolling by the navy and Coast Guard.

"At least three Indian fishing boats enter Sri Lankan waters every week... This is a huge threat to the Sri Lankan fishing industry," he said.

The minister said Sri Lanka and India will have more talks to seek a solution to the long-standing disputes between fishermen.

The Indian foreign minister and fisheries minister were expected to attend the talks in Colombo next month.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Comparatively thin crowds were seen outside the banks here on Tuesday with most of the people there for withdrawal of money and invariably none for depositing.

A full ten days before the deadline given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for normalcy to be back, the rush for money to the banks that began after the demonetisation of higher currency notes finally seems to be petering out.

When IANS visited banks at Noida Sector-16, it found considerably sparse crowds at all of them.

Moreover, no customer seemed to be aware of the new stipulation announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday.

The new rule entails furnishing an undertaking to the bank giving the reason why the depositor did not deposit the money before, for any amount exceeding 5000 rupees - till December 30.

The rule is only for old currency notes which were demonetised on November 8.

"We only need a reason from you as to why you were not able to deposit the old currency till now. This move is taken to thwart those candidates who are depositing money on behalf of others, and have been frequenting the bank for this purpose," Pawan Kumar Sachdeva, Manager, Punjab National Bank Sector-16 Noida branch told IANS.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Actor Anil Kapoor says he will start shooting for "Mubarakan", his new film in which he will share screen space with his nephew Arjun Kapoor for the first time, in January 2017.

"I am playing a sardar in the film. I will start shooting from January 14. Arjun has already started shooting for the film," Anil said here on the sidelines of Stardust Awards on Monday night.

Anil recently caused a buzz on social media by sharing an image of his funky new hairdo. However, he said the look was rejected by director Anees Bazmee for "Mubarakan".

"I was trying this look for 'Mubarakan'. I was trying different looks for the film... It's one of them, but my director Anees Bazmee rejected this look. He said I have to play the role of a sardar, who wears a turban," said the actor.

"Mubarakan" also features Ileana D'Cruz and Athiya Shetty in key roles.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : BJP leader Smriti Irani on Tuesday said attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a way of political sustenance for Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

"For his own political sustenance, Rahul has to attack the Prime Minister. This is about his political future," Irani told CNN News18.

"Modi has been a target of the opposition not just now but from his days as the Gujarat Chief Minister. He is used to such attacks but that has never deterred him from any issue or work.

"But for Rahul, he has neither any issue nor any work," said Irani, who had lost the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to Gandhi from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Continuing her attack on Gandhi, the Union minister accused him of neglecting Amethi.

"Being an MP for so long, what has he done for Amethi. He has been holding rallies in UP but did he venture to Amethi," she asked.

"He did not (visit Amethi) because people there would ask why he has not returned the land bought by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, despite a court order to do so," said Irani.

The minister was referring to a 2015 order by a court directing the trust to return 65 acres of land that it had bought in an auction from a private company which had acquired the land for setting up a bicycle factory but failed to start the project.

Irani has been questioning the sale of the land to the trust and accused the Gandhi family of "land-grabbing". The Gandhi family has dubbed the allegations as baseless.

Irani also slammed the Congress for deliberately disrupting Parliament over the demonetisation issue.

"The Congress used the issue to further their own interests. Their only agenda was to ensure there was no debate and discussion on demonetisation. From the first day of the session, the government had been making efforts to run the house but they kept on resorting to disruptions in both the houses," she said.

"Debate cannot be one-sided. Be it the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, the Finance Minister or even the Prime Minister, the government made repeated pleas for the house to run but they did not relent," said Irani.

Defending the Centre's move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, Irani said the opposition should have supported the exercise for the sake of transparency.

"When there is this massive exercise against corruption and black money, isn't it our collective responsibility to leave aside our political interests and join this fight. When you are against the economy going digital and advocate for it to remain cash based, doesn't that tantamount to supporting the middlemen," asked Irani.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : A court here on Tuesday reserved order on senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar's application for an anticipatory bail in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Additional Sessions Judge Vikash Dhull said the court will deliver order on Kumar's bail plea on Wednesday.

Kumar has been accused of instigating a mob for killing two Sikhs -- Sohan Singh and his son Avtar Singh -- in Janakpuri area here on November 1, 1984.

The case was opened by the special investigation team (SIT) recently.

Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, who is representing the victim, opposed the plea and said the allegations against Kumar were very serious.

Phoolka apprised the court about one situation when Central Bureau of Investigation had gone to the Congress leader's house and the probe agency's vehicle was burnt by his supporters.

Public Prosecutor Anju Rana argued that Kumar was not cooperating in the investigation and therefore his custodial interrogation was required.

However, Kumar's defence counsel said the recently opened case was politically motivated.
United Nations, Dec 20 : In an apparent reference to Pakistan, India has renewed its demand for international action against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror groups and their safe havens "outside Afghanistan".

Denouncing the terror organisations, whose leadership is based in Pakistan, as affiliates of Al Qaeda, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin told the UN Security Council on Monday that it was imperative to take action against the support they get from outside.

In an implied criticism of China, he blamed the "split" in the UN bodies that mete out sanctions on terrorist organisations for the world body's inability to deal with the terrorism.

China has blocked India's efforts to have international sanctions imposed on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar by a committee that takes action against Al Qaeda and its affiliates.

Azhar was allegedly behind the attack early this year on the Pathankot air force base that left seven Indian soldiers dead.

As a member of the Security Council, China has also provided cover for Pakistan releasing on bail Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the LeT commander who allegedly masterminded the 2008 attack on Mumbai that killed over 160 people. He was already on the UN list of those facing sanctions as terrorists.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organizations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," Akbaruddin said.

"While the Taliban sanctions regime remains split for more than five years, the designated terrorist group makes concerted effort to capture and hold territory," he said.

"Therefore, for numerous Afghan women, men and children there is no respite from the plague of terrorism."

He said the international community has to make "it clear that we will neither roll over in the face of terror, nor will we allow the roll-back of the achievements of the resolute people and government of Afghanistan in the last decade-and-half".
New Delhi, Dec 20 : BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the results of the Chandigarh local body elections were a clear endorsement for the demonetisation step taken by the Narendra Modi government.

The Chandigarh municipal poll results came out on Tuesday. The BJP won 20 out of 22 seats it contested, while its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won one seat. The BJP plus SAD won 21 out of 26 seats.

"The latest victory in Chandigarh is a clear endorsement by the public and it is clear that the opposition is doing petty politics over demonetisation," Shah said.

He said that the Congress has been reduced to an epitome of negative politics.

The BJP President pointed out that the party has performed exceptionally well in every local body and by-polls held after demonetisation of high value currency notes, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8.

"The public has fully supported the policies of Narendra Modi government. This is clear from the results of local bodies elections in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat as well as the results of assembly and Lok Sabha by-polls," Shah said.

In the last elections, the BJP had won 15 seats, while the Congress got nine seats. This time around the Congress could bag only four seats.
Dharamsala, Dec 20 : The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Tuesday witnessed unruly scenes as members of the opposition BJP demanded debate on the ongoing corruption cases against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

After over half-hour of verbal slugfest between the treasury and opposition benches, Speaker B.B.L. Butail adjourned the house for 15 minutes.

Earlier as the house assembled in the morning, Bharatiya Janata Party members Suresh Bhardwaj, Rajeev Bindal and Ravinder Ravi got to their feet and sought a debate on the graft cases against Virbhadra Singh.

They said they had already given separate notices to the Speaker for the debate.

Speaker Butail, however, refused to allow them to speak on the issue as the matter is sub judice.

"We are not allowed to discuss the issues that are pending in the court," he said.

This agitated the BJP members, who walked up to the Speaker's podium, raised slogans against the Chief Minister and disrupted the proceedings of the house.

Members of the Congress party also, in the presence of Virbhadra Singh, started raising slogans against the BJP-led central government's decision to demonetise high-denomination currency notes.

Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri took the lead from the treasury benches to pacify the BJP members.

Following the pandemonium, Butail adjourned the house.

After the house re-assembled in the absence of the Chief Minister, who left for New Delhi, the BJP members again demanded debate on the issue and rushed to the well of the house and disrupted the proceedings again by shouting slogans.

Despite repeated requests by the Speaker, they refused to relent.

Amid the ruckus, Butail started the house proceedings. But after a few minutes, he adjourned the house for the day.

Butail told reporters that it was "unfortunate" that the assembly proceedings were disrupted.

He said the BJP members were demanding debate on the corruption cases against the Chief Minister under Rule 67.

"Under the Rule 67, issues of national exigency like natural disaster or war are admitted only when the government fails to respond," he told IANS.

Butail indicated that action could be initiated against those who are deliberately indulging in disrupting the proceedings of the house.

The five-day winter session of the state assembly began here on Monday.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Bollywood's star couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan was on Tuesday blessed with their first child, a son, whom they have named Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi. Celebrities like Karan Johar and Sonam Kapoor sent out congratulatory messages for the new parents.

Kareena, daughter of veteran actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, delivered the baby on Tuesday morning at the Breach Candy Hospital here.

A statement released on behalf of the actors read: "We are very pleased to share with you all the wonderful news about the birth of our son: Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, on December 20, 2016.

"We would like to thank the media for the understanding and support they have given us over the last nine months, and of course especially our fans and well wishers for their continued affection. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all...With love, Saif and Kareena."

Kareena and Saif, who have worked together in films like "Tashan", "Kurbaan", "Agent Vinod", LOC Kargil" and "Omkara", got married in October 2012.

Saif, the son of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was earlier married to actress Amrita Singh and shares two children with her - daughter Sara and son Ibrahim.

He is doing "extremely well" after becoming a father again, says his sister Soha Ali Khan.

"Delighted to welcome Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi into the world. Both mother and son are healthy and doing well. Father is doing extremely well," Soha tweeted.

Kareena's father Randhir told IANS: "The entire family is overwhelmed and is welcoming the new member in our family.... Thanks for all the blessings."

Her best friend Amrita Arora, who has been part of Kareena's closest circle throughout her pregnancy, posted on Instagram: "My darling, welcome to the best club everrrrr... 'Mommy club'. Love you."

Taimur -- which in Persian language means iron -- has already been dubbed as "mini Nawab" by film fraternity members.

Filmmaker Karan Johar tweeted: "My Bebo had a baby boy! I am so so happy! Taimur Ali Khan."

Actress Sonam Kapoor posted: "Congratulations my darling Bebo and Saif! Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi is going to be the apple of everyone's eye... Mini Nawab."

Filmmaker Satish Kaushik said: "Congrats to my favourite heroine and person Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan for the arrival of baby boy Taimur Ali Khan."

Actor Tusshar Kapoor commented: "Even more glorious life with God's blessing in hand! Cheers to Saif and her both and peace and everlasting joy to the little prince."
London, Dec 20 : The Church of England has appointed its first black bishop after 20 years in a move that significantly increases its handful of minority ethnic clergy in senior leadership positions.

Downing Street announced that Nigeria-born Woyin Karowei Dorgu would be the 13th Bishop of Woolwich, a town in south-east London. He will be consecrated in March, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Dorgu's appointment makes him the first black and ethnic minority (BME) appointment in the Church of England since that of John Sentamu, now Archbishop of York, more than two decades ago.

At a press conference at Southwark cathedral, Dorgu said one of his priorities as bishop would be to celebrate the racial diversity of Woolwich. Dorgu said he intends to "encourage black and minority ethnic vocations and more participation in ministry".

"I will celebrate the diversity in race, ability, gender, sexuality and class. Celebrating our differences is a gift," he said.

Dorgu trained as a medical doctor in Lagos, Nigeria, before being ordained. He was brought up in a Christian family but said as a teenager he rebelled against the gospel and left the church.
Patna, Dec 20 : RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Tuesday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will join him in a protest against demonetisation.

"Nitish Kumar will be with us to protest against demonetisation," Lalu Prasad told the media here.

It is the first time Lalu Prasad has said Nitish Kumar will join a protest against the November 8 spiking of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

"The Rashtriya Janata Dal will stage protest against demonetisation at all the district headquarters on December 28 and hold a huge rally in Patna early next year," the former Chief Minister said.

Nitish Kumar, who heads the Janata Dal-United, has supported the note ban, much to the embarrassment of his allies -- the RJD and the Congress.

"Nitish Kumar has told me he will review the impact of demonetisatiion after 50 days and will respond to the central government accordingly," Lalu Prasad said.

Earlier, Lalu Prasad attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for openly "advertising" for Paytm, which is jointly owned by a Chinese company.

"Has there been any Indian PM who openly advertises a Chinese company and says do Paytm?" he tweeted.

Chinese company Alibaba has a 40-per cent stake in Paytm, which has been widely used by people after demonetisation.
Ankara, Dec 20 : An 18-member team of Russian experts arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to investigate the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov.

The team, including one prosecutor and two defence attaches, will investigate the incident along with with Turkish officials, Xinhua reported.

The plane with the Russian probe team will take Karlov's body back to Moscow after the completion of procedures by Turkish and Russian authorities.

Meanwhile, the Turkish police has so far arrested seven people in connection with the Russian envoy's murder.

On Monday, the Russian ambassador was delivering a speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in Ankara's central Cankaya district when Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas shot him dead.

The police early on Tuesday arrested six relatives and a roommate of Altintas who is absconding.
Kolkata, Dec 20 : Blaming the central government for the "unprecedented cash crunch in banks", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the bank branches in the state were not receiving sufficient cash to meet the people's needs.

"The United Bank of India branches here were supposed to receive Rs 640 crore in cash in last one and half months. But they have received only Rs 504 crore since demonetisation," Banerjee said in West Bengal's Bankura district.

"Our state is not getting the promised money," the Chief Minister said.

Banerjee also said the number of workers under the 100 days' work scheme in the districts has been reduced to one-third of their strength before demonetisation as they were unable to withdraw money from the banks.

"Earlier 30,000 people used to work under 100 days' work scheme in Bankura. Now only 10,000 people are working. Labourers are not getting wages under 100 days' work scheme due to demonetisation," she said.

Describing the situation in the nation as "Cash crunch - bank crunch", the Trinamool Congress supremo said the government should work on developing the infrastructure before lecturing about cashless economy.

"Most villages don't have banks and most banks don't have money. This is a time of major crisis. Let them first create the infrastructure for cashless economy. Only bhashan (lecture) won't do," Banerjee said.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the newly-built campus of SEBI's National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) at Patanganga near Mumbai on Saturday, officials said.

The NISM is a state-of-the-art academic initiative of the watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), situated around 75 kms south of Mumbai, in the adjoining Raigad district.

Spread across 70 acres, it performs a wide range of capacity building activities at various levels aimed to enhance the quality standards of and increase public participation in the securities markets.

The NISM campus has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 400 crore through the public-private partnership route and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid its foundation stone as part of SEBI's silver jubilee in 2013.

Enjoying an autonomous status, its board is led by the SEBI Chairman and comprises six different schools -- School for Investor Education and Financial Literacy, School for Certification of Intermediaries, School for Securities Information and Research, School for Regulatory Studies and Supervision, School for Corporate Governance and School for Securities Education.

Presently, the NISM is operating from a building in Vashi, Navi Mumbai offering courses in capital markets, and training and certification of intermediaries.

The same day, the PM will visit Pune to lay the foundation stone for the proposed Pune Metro Railway, the third such metro rail project in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Nagpur.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The United Naga Council, which represents the Nagas living in Manipur, met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Tuesday and demanded that President's Rule be imposed in the state in the wake of ongoing violence in the Imphal Valley.

The delegation will also meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday. It termed the creation of seven new districts as illegitimate as the Hill Area Committee was not consulted -- mandatory under the Indian constitution.

"The state government, without consulting the Naga people, created the districts mostly by bifurcating the Naga districts. This is against the promise under four various memorandums and a written assurance by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2011 that without consulting the stakeholders no administrative setup decisions will be taken," said K.S. Paul, former UNC president.

He said: "We have met the Home Minister and sought his immediate intervention. The Nagas won't tolerate the division of land and creation of new districts. We demand President's Rule in the state of Manipur."

Manipur's Imphal valley has been simmering under violence after the Congress-led state government declared the creation of seven new districts -- Jiribam, Kangpokpi, Tengoupal, Pharzol, Kakching, Noney and Kamjongin.

A blockade has been called by the Nagas to oppose the state government's decision to create Sadar Hills and Jiribam as full-fledged districts, which the UNC claims will bifurcate the ancestral lands of the Nagas living in Manipur.

Asked about Rajnath Singh's response, Paul said: "He (Rajnath) said he is aware of the entire situation."

Referring to the recent violence due to which several Naga students were stranded in Imphal, the leaders said that even Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has not provided any security force to bring the situation under control.

"The CM has been only appealing to maintain peace but has not been doing anything to provide security forces to stop violence," said the leaders.
Pune, Dec 20 : Pune Mayor Prashant Jagtap on Tuesday threatened to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi's December 24 function to lay the foundation stone for the Pune Metro if NCP chief Sharad Pawar is not invited for the event.

Giving an ultimatum to the state and central governments, Jagtap said if they fail to change their stance by Wednesday, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) would hold its own foundation stone laying ceremony on December 23, a day before the Prime Minister's event.

"The ball is in their court. If they fail to invite one of the senior-most leaders in the country, who initiated the Pune Metro proposal 10 years ago, the PMC will organise an official function on Friday," Jagtap told IANS.

"We shall invite everyone concerned, including Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Pawar, who will be the chief guest," he said.

Elaborating, Jagtap aid the PMC is to bear nearly 60 per cent of the total cost of the Metro, while the state and the central governments would contribute the remaining portion of the funds.

Jagtap said Pawar's name is missing from the official invite and the matter has been brought to the notice of Pune Guardian Minister Girish Mahajan, but there has been no response from the tate government so far.

Two weeks ago, at a meeting of all political parties' leaders in the PMC, a resolution was passed to invite Pawar as the chief guest for the function, but it was opposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and ally Shiv Sena.

Several local leaders claim that though the Pune and Nagpur Metro proposals were approved in 2014, Pune Metro has been mired with delays as the central government is giving priority to the Nagpur Metro.

Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rs 10,326-crore Nagpur Metro in August 2014.

The NCP's move assumes significance in view of the upcoming elections to the PMC scheduled in February 2017, along with Mumbai and other major civic corporations in the state.
Ahmedabad, Dec 20 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will on Wednesday visit Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home district Mehsana in Gujarat to address a public meeting.

Mehsana was the epicentre of the Patel agitation of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) of Hardik Patel.

"Rahul Gandhi will address a massive public rally in Mehsana on Wednesday," Gujarat Congress President Bharatsinh Solanki said. Assembly elections will take place in Gujarat next year.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Stung by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's observation on the RBI's frequent changing of rules since after the demonetisation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday "warned" him against making any "personalised comments".

"This is my request as well as a warning to Rahul Gandhi that he should desist from making any personalised comments against Prime Minister Narnedra Modi," Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said here.

"This will only open a Pandora's Box which wouldn't be good (for them)," he added.

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday tweeted that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was changing rules as frequently as Prime Minister Modi changes his clothes.

"RBI is changing rules like the PM changes his clothes," Gandhi said on his official Twitter handle.

Gandhi's observation came after the RBI on Monday announced that deposits of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in excess of Rs 5,000 will now be allowed only once till December 30 -- that too after strict scrutiny.

This notification was the government's 59th communication in less than 50 days of the demonetisation announcement.

The Congress has often dubbed the Modi government as "suit boot ki sarkar (Government of the elite)", taking a jibe at Modi's sartorial elegance and preferences.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Coast Guard has seized five Pakistani boats with 26 persons off the Gujarat coast, an official said on Tuesday.

Prima facie three crew appeared to be fishermen, but investigation is still on.

The seizures took place on Monday. The Pakistani fishermen were taken to Jakhau in Gujarat for further investigation.

Informed sources said the persons on board the boats prima facie appeared to be fishermen but they were carrying inflatable rubber dinghies which raised suspicion.

"Joint investigation prima facie intimate they are genuine fishermen. However investigation is still in progress," a source said.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed on Tuesday said she had no faith in the police search conducted at the campus to locate her son.

Fatima Nafees told CNN News 18 that the search operation was mounted after all the evidence had been wiped out.

It should have been carried out in the first week after Najeeb disappeared over two months ago, she said.

"When we filed a complaint, we said repeatedly 'get sniffer dogs for a search operation'," she said.

But police officers then said they were trying out other ways to trace Najeeb, Fatima Nafees said.

"Yesterday (Monday), when a dog sniffed the old clothes of Najeeb, it did not respond. The smell was gone.

"The dog handler told us that the activity now was useless since it has been 65 days. All evidence is gone. It should have been done in the first week."

The anguished mother said she wrote to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, who controls Delhi Police, pleading for a dog squad to be pressed into service early on but he "did not do anything".

"All this is happening due to the Delhi High Court's order. I am sure I will get justice. My son will be back," she said.

Najeeb went missing on October 15 following a scuffle the previous night with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarti Parishad (ABVP). The ABVP has denied any involvement in Najeeb's disappearance.

Without mentioning the ABVP, Fatima Nafees said: "I Know they have kidnapped Najeeb."
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The Delhi government on Tuesday recommended to the Central government formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company, on the lines of Delhi Metro, to clean the Yamuna river.

"At NCR Planning Board meeting today (Tuesday) we have recommended the Centre to have a Special Purpose Vehicle (a platform containing all concerned agencies), on the lines of Delhi Metro, to help in cleaning Delhi's lifeline Yamuna river," Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain told reporters here.

He said that various agencies of the central and Delhi governments like the Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Jal Board have their parts to play in cleaning the Yamuna river, and the work gets obstructed whenever there is a lack of coordination between the work producing agencies.

Jain said for Metro construction Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was created so that every agency could work in tune with the other.

"All the stakeholders will have to unite and work together to make Yamuna pollution free. I suggested in the meeting that a common platform should be created for Yamuna cleaning and a river front development," Jain said.

The NCR Planning Board meeting was headed by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu. Pollution remained the key issue in the meeting.

Jain said Naidu assured to "consider" the suggestion.

"We also requested central government to allow us sufficient time for public sensitisation before notifying the Supreme Court action plan about re-introducing odd-even in the city whenever air pollution level goes up," Jain said.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court asked the Central government to notify the "graded response action plan" for different level of air pollution in the national capital and the National Capital Region (NCR) comprising areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

An emergency situation would result in curbs on the entry of diesel trucks in the national capital, introduction of odd-even scheme for private vehicles, a halt to the construction activities or any other steps to be decided by the task force.

In the meeting, Jain also presented recommendations by IIT Kanpur on the rising pollution level in the city.

"As a part of pollution control measures, IIT Kanpur has recommended that the power plants within 300 km vicinity of the national capital should be shut down. IIT Kanpur also backed vacuuming of dust from the city roads," Jain said.

Jain pointed out that the work on Eastern and Western Expressway by the DDA, which has been underway for the past 15 years, needed to be expedited.

"This project is expected to ease traffic congestion in a major way. These urban extension roads are located in three locations: Mahipalpur, Rohini and Kanjhawala," he added.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday directed all Ministers to submit their respective action plans for the next three years and submit before January 16.

This decision was taken at a meeting of all department heads (Ministers), where it was also decided to set up nine working groups to be headed by various heads of departments.

"Working groups have to prepare their action plans for the next three years and submit by January 16 next year. These working groups can add officers from various departments in their teams," Sisodia said in the meeting.

"Every Head of the Department (HoD) should make a blueprint of where they want their department to be in three years from now. They can also take help from educational institutes, universities and experts from the civil society in their work," he said.

The Planning Department of the Delhi government will monitor the entire process.

Sisodia said the blueprints should include targets for six months, one year, two years and three years.

The Deputy CM said the HoDs should also make an estimate of how much money would be required for their projects and what other requirements would be there for implementation in decision making.

He also said the central government has asked all the states to prepare vision documents for the year 2030 and the action plan for next three years should be prepared keeping the long-term goals in mind.
New Delhi, Dec 20 : A Special Cell of Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested a gangster from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh while his associate escaped, police said.

Sherkhan, 30, was involved in robberies in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

Sherkhan came with his associate Sahun near the Mathura railway station, Deputy Commissioner of Police P.S Kushwah said.

They were going towards Kosi Kalan on a motorcycle when police intercepted them.

Sherkhan fired at the police to evade arrest but was overpowered while Sahun escaped, Kushwah said.

"Sherkhan told us that he and Sahun would flee to south India whenever police teams raided their hideouts," Kushwah said.
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Maharashtra on a day's visit where he has a series of functions lined up in Mumbai, Raigad and Pune, an official said on Tuesday.

In Mumbai, Modi will lay the foundation stones for two Mumbai Metro projects, the Elevated Railway Corridors Project and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project, followed by a public rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex.

Modi will also inaugurate the newly built campus of SEBI's National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) at Patanganga near Mumbai that day.

The NISM is a state-of-the-art academic initiative of the watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), situated around 75 km south of Mumbai, in the adjoining Raigad district.

Spread across 70 acres, it performs a wide range of capacity building activities at various levels aimed at enhancing the quality standards of and increasing public participation in the securities markets.

The NISM campus has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 400 crore through the public-private partnership route. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid its foundation stone in 2013.

Presently, the NISM is operating from a building in Vashi in Navi Mumbai offering courses on capital markets and training and certification of intermediaries.

The same day, Modi will go to Pune to lay the foundation stone of the proposed Pune Metro, the third such metro rail project in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Nagpur.

Pune Mayor Prashant Jagtap has threatened to boycott the event if Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar was not invited for the Pune Metro event.

Issuing an ultimatum, Jagtap said if the central and state governments failed to change their stance by Wednesday, the Pune Municipal Corporation would organize its own foundation stone laying function on December 23, a day before Modi's event.
Chennai, Dec 20 : A CBI court here on Tuesday convicted a Branch Manager of the Central Bank of India and four others, who will undergo rigorous imprisonment, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.

In a statement, the CBI said R. Krishnadoss, Branch Manager of the Central Bank of India, was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50 lakh for sanctioning loans based on fake property documents to Mars Communications.

According to the premier investigation agency, Krishnadoss caused a wrongful loss of Rs 2,96,79,542 to the bank.

The court also convicted four private persons -- V. Sundarrajan, Harnivasani, V. Karthika and M. Vinod -- to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 3.08 crore.
Panaji, Dec 20 : On subjects ranging from ethics and obligations that accompany valuation of art to the role collectors can play in shaping art education, the fifth day of the ongoing Serendipity arts festival saw some enriching panel discussions as part of 'The Collectors' Conclave' at the Adil Shah Palace here on Tuesday.

The conclave, supported by Christie's, (one of the major players in art business globally) hosted six sessions on a range of issues around art here.

The day started with "The Art of Patronage" session moderated by Ranjit Hoskote, one of the visual arts curator, with panellists, Tasneem Mehta, Pooja Sood, Nikhil Chopra and Rajiv Sethi examine the structures of patronage that are crucial for the cultivation of artists and art initiatives in the country.

The discussion explored the historical evolution of patronage models in India, encouraging critique and reflection on contemporary practices and determining the need for change moving forward.

The subsequent session "Private Collection/Public Legacy", moderated by Gayatri Sinha, had Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Raj Salgaocar, and Kiran Nadar debate how art could be made accessible and the role collectors could play in shaping art education and cultural preservation by facilitating such access.

"Beyond Price", the third session of the conclave, moderated by Mortimer Chatterjee, saw Sandeep Reddy, Prateek Raja, Arun Vadehra and Sonal Singh discuss the ethics and obligations that accompany valuation and market building in the Indian art world and debated morality and sustainability in the pricing of Indian art.

Moderated by Deepanjan Klein, "The Modern Subcontinent" session witnessed Nivritti Rodam, Shilpa Gupta, Sabih Ahmed, Arshiya Lokhandwala and Feroze Gujral explore the artistic possibilities of an art scene that transcends borders and connects the region and the role of collectors and patrons in this cross-border discourse.

A rather interesting and unusual session was "Catching The Con", moderated by Kishore Singh, that saw names like Stephen Lash, Akshay Chudasama and Conor Macklin examine the largely unexplored realm of forgeries in the country due to a lack of stringent guidelines and policies.

Talatum, a spectacular theatre production directed by renowned theatre-person Abhilash Pillai, also premiered at the festival on Tuesday.

Set in a circus tent, the play reinterpreted Shakespeare's "The Tempest" by adapting it to an Indian context and using circus and other subaltern forms of performance.

The spectacular show comprised the entire gamut of circus, magic, illusion techniques, gypsy art, puppetry, martial arts, new media, dance, music and theatre, and blended the modern and the traditional through a new oral and visual language. It was curated by Anuradha Kapur and Lillete Dubey.

The day ended with an insightful session with Sunil Kant Munjal, Czaee Shah, Sangita Jindal, and Anurag Khanna on "Building A Collection". Moderated by Amin Jaffer, the session examined collecting through the lens of investment, personal journey and public projects.

(Saket Suman is in Panaji at the invitation of Serendipity Arts Festival and can be contacted at saket.s@ians.in)
New Delhi, Dec 20 : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ask all the airlines not to dispose of the waste mid-air.

While disposing a plea of a retired army officer, who alleged that an aircraft dumped human excreta in his residential area, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar also asked the DGCA to impose fine of Rs 50,000 on the airline if any flight is found violating the directions.

As per DGCA officials, aircraft dispose of the waste through a proper mechanism, after it lands. However, cases of opening the shoot of toiled mid-air have been reported off and on.

The bench also asked the DGCA to conduct surprise checks on the airlines.

"On landing, aircraft shall be subjected to surprise inspection to see that human waste tanks are not empty. If any aircraft is found to be violating such circular, they shall be subjected to environment compensation of Rs 50,000 per default," the bench said.

The tribunal's direction came after Lt Gen (Retd) Satwant Singh Dahiya, a resident of Delhi filed the petition seeking action against airlines that dropped excreta around his residence.

The waste dropped was collected by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which confirmed it to be human excreta but could not identify the source.

The petitioner called the act of dropping waste a "violation of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan".
New Delhi, Dec 21 : Over 80 per cent of the African youth feel that climate change has affected their everyday lives, the COP22 Steering Committee said on Tuesday.

Quoting a survey held in 17 African countries, the Committee of the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) said 86 per cent of the African youth consider themselves directly affected by climate change and note its effects every day.

"The African continent, which is particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming, lacks the basic infrastructure necessary for sustainable economic and energy development," the COP22 committee said.

The survey conducted on the millenials -- those who reached adulthood by 2000 -- stated that 94 per cent of African youth consider making renewable energies the first source of energy used in Africa a priority.

"For 92 per cent of African millennials, the fight for climate also requires access to clean water for consumption", the committee said.

The survey found that 86 per cent of youth notice more frequent and unpredictable rains, 79 per cent report on increased diseases of crops and livestock, 77 per cent note the progress of desertification and 73 per cent note the increase in forest fires.

The 73 per cent youth consider access to water and 71 per cent believe that the development of renewable energies will be the most relevant initiatives to combat global warming.

"69 per cent of the youth want to be part of the fight against global warming and consider that they can achieve it by separating waste," the COP22 steering committee said.

It also added that 53 per cent of African youth believes that government is not doing enough to combat the consequences of climate change, such as more forest firing and the water scarcity.

"These consequences have an impact on agriculture and food security. Africa will have to triple its agricultural production by 2050 to meet the needs of a population that will have doubled," the committee said.

It praised the initiative of Moroccothat aims to secure financing for the adaptation of African agriculture and to increase agricultural productivity by securing 30 per cent of the investment plan from 2020 for the adaptation of developing countries.

The study was carried out from 7 to 16 November 2016 by CG Consulting on behalf of the COP22 Steering Committee in Morocco,Egypt, South Africa, Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Kolkata, Dec 21 : Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) President Bimal Gurung was among 18 leaders who gave themselves up before a city court on Tuesday in connection with the murder case of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League Chief Madan Tamang.

The court, however, granted them bail.

The surrender followed the directions of the Calcutta High Court which had on December 14 accepted the anticipatory bail plea of 21 GJM leaders accused in the sensational case.

The Calcutta High Court division bench comprising Justices Ashim Kumar Roy and M.M. Banerjee had ordered the petitioners to surrender within December 21 before the Chief Judge of city sessions court here.

But three of the accused did not appear in the court on Tuesday.

The 18 persons who appeared got bail on bonds of Rs 10,000 each.

The accused have been barred from leaving the city without permission of the court till the charges are framed.

Tamang, a front-ranking Gorkha leader of Darjeeling hills, was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Darjeeling on May 21, 2010 while he was preparing for a public rally.

Initially probed by the state police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the matter was handed over to the CBI after prime accused Nicole Tamang disappeared from the CID's custody in August 2010.

The CBI had on May 29, 2015 filed a chargesheet indicting 23 GJM leaders including Gurung, his wife Asha Gurung, ex-GJM leader Harka Bahadur Chettri, GJM Assistant General Secretary Benoy Tamang, Pradeep Pradhan and hill development body Gorkha Territorial Administration Deputy Chief Executive Ramesh Allay. One of the accused is absconding and the other dead.

On June 6 last year a city court had issued the arrest warrants.

Gurung and the other GJM leaders then approached the Calcutta High Court seeking anticipatory bail.
Thiruvananthapuram :

The Kerala state cabinet on Monday decided to hike the minimum fare of the ordinary fleet of KSRTC buses to Rs. 7 from Rs. 6.

The fare increase comes in the wake of the recent hike in the price of diesel by Rs. 1.79 per litre.

The previous united democratic front (UDF) government had in February this year slashed the minimum fare for ordinary tickets by 1 Re., pegging the minimum fare at Rs. 6 on the strength of the fall in oil prices.

However, the minimum fare for private stage carriers pegged at Rs. 7 was left untouched.

The cabinet effected the fare hike with a view to equalise the minimum fare of KSRTC buses and that of private stage carriers, minister for transport A K Saseendran told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

The govt. will mop up additional revenue of Rs. 25 lakh per day following the minimum fare hike, he said.

KSRTC managing director M G Rajamanickam had on December 1 requested the transport department to consider a fare hike so as to help the public transport utility to tide over its financial constraints.

The transport department reportedly decided to act on the request in view of the recent hike in the price of diesel.

Meanwhile, talks held between the transport minister and the representatives of private stage carriers over the latters demand for hiking the minimum fare in private buses to Rs. 9 from the present Rs. 7 following surge in price of diesel fell through.

The private bus owners are reportedly contemplating launching a stir from January should the government refused to concede their demand for fare hike.
Boyle, 33, who is Canadian, and Coleman, his 31-year-old American wife, have been held by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network since October 2012. They were kidnapped near Kabul, Afghanistan, during a backpacking trip through Central Asia.Coleman says the video was made Dec. 3, and is surprisingly blunt in her criticism of both her kidnappers and the governments that have failed to free her family.We understand both sides hate us, she says, appearing to read from a prepared script. And are content to leave us and our two surviving children in these problems.But we can only ask and pray that somebody will recognize the atrocities these men carry out against us as so-called retaliation, in their ingratitude and hypocrisy. My children have seen their mother defiled.There have been other videos of the couple, including one posted directly to YouTube four months ago in which they warned they would be killed if the Afghan government did not stop executing Taliban prisoners. The videos release coincided with an Aug. 29 Afghan court decision that sentenced Anas Haqqani, the son of the groups founder, to death for his role in helping to raise funds for the network.The Haqqani network  which has a strong presence in both Afghanistan and Pakistan  is closely aligned with the Taliban and its members are among the worlds most skilled kidnappers.In past videos, the couple have appealed to the Afghan, American and Canadian governments, since Boyle is a Canadian citizen. But this time they address only the U.S. and Afghanistan, begging the two to reach an agreement.Obama, your legacy on leaving office is probably important to you, and our lives and those of our children are to us, Coleman says. So please dont become the next Jimmy Carter. Just give the offenders something so they and you can save face and we can leave the region permanently.Coleman is likely referring to the failed attempt by Carter in 1980 to release Americans held hostage in Iran.To U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, she says: They want money, power, friends. You must give them these things before progress can be made. A five-year hostage-taking is too long and indicates failure on every side.Boyle also speaks to the camera saying that his captors will not settle this until they get what theyre demanding.
Ditto Labs, Inc., a pioneer in deep learning announced today that Red Fort Capital led a new round of investment in the vision-as-a-service company.

Dittos vision-as-a-service API can find nearly anything appearing in a photo  a specific product, brand logo, location, demographic profile -- even subjective measures of sentiment  in near real time. Dittos service is a high value AI application for thousands of digital businesss. Dittos software currently fuels the worlds leading enterprise marketing platforms by labeling the torrent of social media photos.

Humans can no longer keep up: ubiquitous cameras are casting off reams of big data. Today, critical business decisions need computers to act on visual data at massive scale and in real-time, said Red Fort Capital CEO Parry Singh. Ditto, with its technology and diverse roster of clients, delivers artificial intelligence solutions to make business sense of this visual data. It's my pleasure to join the board and invest in Dittos tech, team and business growth.

Parry recognizes the impact of artificial intelligence on so many industries and sees the incredible potential for Dittos Conductor tool which enables non-technical people to benefit from the latest in artificial intelligence. Now you dont need a Ph.D. in computer science to train or deploy a new visual classifier," said David Rose, CEO of Ditto Labs. Within a few minutes, Dittos clients can find and analyze whatever is critical to their business success by sifting through their haystack of proprietary photos, this applies to an incredibly wide range of industries  hospitality, retail, cosmetics, healthcare to defense, etc.

About Ditto Labs, Inc:

Ditto Labs is a leading provider of vision-as-a-service for enterprises. The award winning company offers enterprise-class machine-learning and computer vision to businesses demanding a cloud-based API to label, filter and search visual media using artificial intelligence. Learn more at http://www.dittolabs.io

About Red Fort Capital:

Red Fort Capital is a global investment platform including: its market leader Private Equity Funds, Commercial Finance Non- Bank Finance Company and its Global Principal Investing Group. Red Fort Capital is a trusted partner worlds top institutional investors - including sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and pension plans.

Red Fort Capital has over $1.2 billion Equity Invested in equity real estate investments in India across more than 28 projects. http://www.RedFort.com

For more info please contact: david(at)dittolabs.io
The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School has established the Carey Business Fellows program to provide full tuition and a stipend for the most competitive and accomplished MBA students.

The Carey Business Fellows initiative will be available for students admitted to the fall 2017 class of the full-time Global MBA program. As Carey Business Fellows, students will receive full tuition for one year and an $18,000 stipend during the academic year. Students in good standing can renew the scholarship and stipend for the second year of the Global MBA program.

To be considered for the Carey Fellows, Global MBA candidates must have attained at least two to four years of full-time work experience; achieved an overall GMAT or GRE score at or above the 80th percentile (680 or higher); and earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher from an accredited college or university.

Nearly every industry today faces challenges in attracting the best talent. The same is true for business education, said Bernie Ferrari, dean of the Carey Business School. The Carey Business School Global MBA is an innovative program, and we believe the Carey Business Fellows initiative will make our program even more inviting for the best students.

Candidates for the Carey Fellows will be selected during the admissions review process. Additional interviews may be required for final acceptance to the program. A maximum of eight Carey Business Fellows will be named for the fall 2017 Global MBA class.

The Johns Hopkins Global MBA is a two-year, 54-credit degree program that prepares students to be business leaders who will be a positive force for building a greater society. As part of the curriculum, students complete the Innovation for Humanity and Discovery to Market courses. Innovation for Humanity empowers students to apply their business skills and collaborative thinking toward solving real-life challenges in developing countries. The course includes an intensive three-week international, on-site practicum. Discovery to Market provides students with opportunities to work alongside inventors, scientists, and entrepreneurs to transform emerging technologies into tangible products and businesses.

Established in 2007, the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School is the business school of Johns Hopkins University. The Carey mission supports business knowledge development and education through its own initiatives, innovations, and collaborative programs across Johns Hopkins University. Carey creates and shares knowledge that shapes business practices while educating business leaders who will grow economies and societies, and are exemplary citizens.

With locations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., the Carey Business School offers graduate degree programs for full-time, part-time, and online students. For more information, visit carey.jhu.edu.
16% of millennials switched from traditional banks to community banks, credit unions, and online-only banks in 2016.

Go Local Interactive has just released their report and analysis of marketing trends in the Banking & Financial sectors for the 2016 fiscal year. The report highlights trends over the past 10 years and specifically how much has changed in the past year alone. Through their research, Go Local has uncovered industry trends and shifts within the past year and analyzed these changes to forecast where the industry is growing in 2017.

Much of the focus of banks is shifting to mobile devices and millennials. However this shift has nuances that banks must be mindful of, such as consumer trends that are unique to the banking sector. Many banks dont have a solid brand that is consistent on all platforms and across every aspect of their marketing, digital or otherwise. Yet as much as 90% of traffic to bank websites comes from branded searches. This high level of brand recognition is what is necessary for banks to survive and thrive in the digital age. This and many more consumer insights and industry statistics are detailed within the report.

The report combines all sorts of information to give a better idea of the big picture in a format that is digestible and actionable, such as what kinds of services need to be available online and how to market these services to various consumer groups. The report also incorporates national banking trends and economic forecasts in terms of branch locations, types of services, website trends, advertising and more. The report highlights how banks are shifting to be focused on new consumer desires, as more than 16% of millennials switched from traditional banks to community banks, credit unions, and online-only banks in 2016. Understanding these nuances with specific consumer demographic groups while also tying in larger industry trends will be key to not only surviving, but also increasing revenue in 2017.

Go Local answers the marketing needs of national and large regional clients across a wide variety of industries including home services, retail, financial services, ecommerce, and more. They are experts in effectively implementing, managing and tracking clients marketing efforts down to the local level. This recently released report contains in-depth research and analysis on where the industry is headed in 2017 and how some banks are starting to change within the digital age, while others fall behind. To learn more and read all insights and analysis, check out the Fall 2016 Banking Report, now available online for free for a limited time only on the Go Local Interactive website.

About Go Local Interactive:

Go Local Interactive is a digital marketing agency specializing in new customer acquisition for national and regional brands. They answer the marketing needs of clients across a wide variety of industries including self storage, home services, retail, financial services, and ecommerce. They are experts in effectively implementing, managing and tracking clients marketing efforts down to the local level  no matter the number of locations or size of the service area. Go Local provides website development, search engine optimization, paid search, social media, data analysis and consulting, and multiple proprietary services, such as Call Boost and Local Perceptions.
This will ultimately help providers teach and educate parents, children and caregivers with simple, easy-to-understand language and award-winning artwork designed to maximize understanding.

StayWell and KidsHealth announced today that they have come together to help hospitals improve patient engagement, care, and satisfaction. As leading providers in the patient education industry, StayWell and KidsHealth will provide hospitals and health systems with the option of a single, comprehensive patient instruction library that includes the top education solutions from KidsHealth and Krames Patient Education, a solution of StayWell.

The combined libraries of patient instructions can be integrated into a hospital or health system electronic health record (EHR) and used by clinicians after completing an office or emergency care visit  or upon inpatient discharge.

Best-in-class patient education solutions have been our focus at StayWell since Day One. This partnership will enable pediatric clinicians to enjoy streamlined access to industry-leading pediatric education solutions. This will ultimately help them teach and educate parents, children and caregivers with simple, easy-to-understand language and award-winning artwork designed to maximize understanding, said Joni Pierce, Senior Vice President, Product Management and Innovation for StayWell.

KidsHealth patient instructions are created by the Nemours Center for Childrens Health, renowned creators of family-friendly educational media aimed at improving the care of children.

The combined solution addresses the needs of both patients and providers with information that is:



Simple and easy to read and understand,

Visually appealing and engaging,

In-depth and age-specific,

Customizable by clinicians,

Aligned with meaningful use obligations, and

Designed to increase patient and staff satisfaction.

Hospitals want and need a comprehensive pediatric content library, but maintaining two separate feeds for adult and pediatric instructions is a burden for their informatics teams, said Jeffrey Santoro, Senior Director of Partnerships for KidsHealth. By offering a single feed of both Krames and KidsHealth instructions and educational content, we simplify their daily workload and increase the probability that patients receive tailored information. Its a win-win-win for everyone; from hospital informatics staff, to clinicians, patients and their families.

To learn more, visit http://staywell.com/kidshealth/.

###

About StayWell

StayWell, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA (Merck), is a health engagement company that helps its clients engage and educate people to improve health and business results. StayWell brings decades of experience working across the health care industry to design solutions that address its clients evolving needs. StayWell fuses expertise in health engagement and the science of behavior change with an integrated portfolio of solutions and robust content assets to effectively engage people to make positive health care decisions. StayWell programs have received numerous top industry honors, including the C. Everett Koop National Health Award and the Web Health Award for health engagement programs. StayWell also has received URAC and NCQA accreditation for several of its programs. StayWell is headquartered in Yardley, Pennsylvania, and also has major locations in Salt Lake City, Utah, and St. Paul, Minn. To learn more, visit staywell.com.

Media contact

Barbara Tabor, APR

651-230-9192

barbara(at)taborPR(dot)com

About KidsHealth

KidsHealth creates and licenses engaging, family-friendly online, instructional, and video patient education about a wide range of childrens health and parenting topics. KidsHealths pediatrician-led team of clinicians, writers, editors, designers, educators, and producers, are expert in communicating complex medical information into practical and actionable information. KidsHealth is the largest resource of childrens health, behavioral, and developmental information written for three distinct audiences: parents, kids, and teens. More than 80 of Americas childrens hospitals use KidsHealth patient education. KidsHealth comes from the nonprofit Nemours Childrens Health System. To learn more, visit provider.KidsHealth.org.

Media Contact:

Ryan Biliski

KidsHealth

302-651-4046

Biliski(at)KidsHealth(dot)org
Ethical Advocates services will meet the needs of employees with easy access to web based reporting or via the toll free phone number.

Ethical Advocate and Aero Precision today announced that Ethical Advocate has been selected to provide Aero Precisions ethics hotline to meet its ethics and compliance requirements and its affiliated Aero Precision Holding LP companies ethics and compliance requirements, including establishing an anonymous reporting mechanism at website https://aeroprecision.ethicaladvocate.com/, which allows anonymity and confidentiality.

According to Aero Precisions Vice President of Human Resources, Kelly Warren, Making sure we are in compliance, including FAR, International Trade and Anti-Bribery compliance, and that we are providing the best tool for our employees to give us feedback and let us know about things that matter is an important aspect of implementing the service. This provides an open channel for employees to communicate with the leadership team about any feedback in a highly confidential manner. We chose Ethical Advocate because of their over 11 years of experience in providing services including to many federal government contractors, deep knowledge and easy reporting interfaces. They have also been very responsive and provided excellent customer service. Ethical Advocates services will meet the needs of employees with easy access to web based reporting or via the toll free phone number.

About Aero Precision

Aero Precision is a worldwide supplier of OEM systems and aftermarket aircraft spares and its officers oversee Aero Precision Holdings LP, a holding company for DAC International Inc. NASAM Inc., and other Aero Precision affiliate companies. Aero Precision is ISO 9001:2008 and AS:9120 quality certified, and has been a leading aviation parts distributor since 1993. Aero Precision possesses a proven ability to present parts and services to the international military aftermarket in the most efficient and strategic manner. With over twenty (20) years of reliability, quality products and customer service, Aero Precision facilitates the purchasing and R&OH process by sourcing all military aircraft parts requirements under its unique logistic support model. As of the date of the press release Aero Precision has stocking distribution agreements with Honeywell, UTAS (Hamilton Sundstrand), CEF, Parker, Pall, Eaton, Texstars, Champion Aerospace, Zodiac Aerospace, Crane Aerospace, Marvin Test Solutions, Essex Industries and other strategic OEM partners for various product lines and supports 60+ countries worldwide. For more information, visit Aero Precision on the internet at http://www.aeroprecision.com/

About Ethical Advocate

Ethical Advocate is an independent, third-party ethics and hotline company that specializes in advocating ethical culture and behavior in the workplace. Ethical Advocate provides leading governance, risk and compliance solutions supporting the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, OSHA, and many other regulatory and reporting needs. Ethical Advocate also provides custom designed live Ethics Trainings and seminars. For more information, visit the website at https://www.ethicaladvocate.com or call 1-888-ETHICS 6.
The Best Places to Work award means our employees feel valued, empowered and have the opportunity to make their own mark. And thats really important to us.

Higher Ed Growth (HEG), a full-service marketing agency specializing in post-secondary education, has been named one of the Valleys Best Places to Work by the Phoenix Business Journal for the second consecutive year. HEG ranked No. 10 in the micro business category, which features businesses with up to 49 employees.

Were especially proud of being recognized as a Best Place to Work for a second year in a row, said HEG President and CEO Frank Healy. Its one of our greatest achievements to know that our employees take pride in all that we accomplish together.

The recognition comes on the heels of HEG being named to the Inc 5000 list for a third consecutive time. As one of the nations fastest-growing private companies, the Higher Education marketing firm and technology provider grew 111 percent over a three-year period. It generated more than $11 million in revenue in 2015.

From product innovation to our rapid growth, every team member plays a critical role in our success, added Healy. The Best Places to Work award means our employees feel valued, empowered and have the opportunity to make their own mark. And thats really important to us.

HEG offers employee-focused programs that provide opportunities for advancement and work-life balance. These programs include formal mentoring and wellness plans; for instance, the company contributes to employee gym memberships in an effort to support healthy living. Other perks include regularly catered lunches, flexible schedules, generous vacation time, and a pet-friendly office.

Phoenix Business Journal has been recognizing Valley businesses with exceptional workplace culture since 2003. The Best Places to Work awards are based on a third-party administered survey and confidential feedback from employees on engagement, satisfaction, leadership, trust, and more.

About Higher Ed Growth

Higher Ed Growth (HEG) is a full-service marketing agency specializing in post-secondary education. HEG uses proprietary technology to deliver targeted enrollment leads to for-profit and nonprofit education clients. In addition to lead generation, HEG offers services such as white label software solutions, inquiry management, enrollment analytics, and paid search management  with the ultimate goal of boosting enrollment and retention numbers for clients. HEG was named one of the Best Places to Work in 2015 and 2016 by Phoenix Business Journal. The company was also featured in Inc. Magazines list of 5,000 fastest growing companies in the US in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Visit http://www.higheredgrowth.com or stay connected with us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
Artemis Women in Action Film Festival Year 3

The Artemis Women in Action Film Festival is thrilled to announce the presentation of The Artemis Action Rebel Award to recognize superstar actor/producer Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Edge of Tomorrow, Knight and Day,) for his illustrious body of work which, in addition to cementing his place in Hollywood acting history, has also championed strong female heroes in film. Mr. Cruises films commonly feature women in physically strong, empowered action roles offering an opportunity for worldwide audiences to see powerful women on screen. The 2016 recipient of the Action Rebel Award was given to Mr. Paul Feig (director Ghostbusters, Spy, The Heat).

Also being honored is sci-fi film and TV legend, Nichelle Nichols, the beloved Lt. Uhura from Star Trek. Her role as Uhura shattered barriers for women, particularly women of color, in the sci-fi genre and created an icon which inspired generations of girls. Ms. Nichols has also championed breaking barriers in the wider culture beyond film and as such has been a model of dignity and strength for her millions of fans.

The festivals headlining event will be the Friday April 21, 2017 Red Carpet Gala featuring the Honoree Award Ceremony and premiere headlining screenings. Our Honoree Award ceremony will also recognize iconic stunt legends Andy Armstrong, a renowned stuntman and stunt coordinator for over four decades (Ragtime, Hoffa, Highlander, Planet of the Apes, The Amazing Spider-Man) will receive the Artemis Stunt Rebel Award and beloved stuntwoman Jennifer Caputo (Batman Forever, From Dusk Till Dawn, Charlies Angels, Thor, Paranormal Activity) will receive the Artemis Stunt Lifetime Achievement Award for her two plus decades of breathtaking stunt performances and stunt choreography respected by stunt men and women throughout the industry. World renowned stuntwoman Tammie Baird (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Iron Man, Taken 3) will receive the Artemis Stunt Warrior Award for her unique and fearless stunt expertise ranging from car hits to high heeled stunt fights.

Our modern day has all but stripped physicality, save sex out of femininity. We have not explored female physical potential, and we do not encourage its exploration, said film festival Founder Melanie Wise. Ive said for quite a while, until women are seen as physically equal, we will always be seen as less.

Women in action are nothing new. Women have been in action since the dawn of time. The films we screen reflect that, remarks Co-Founder Sean Marlon Newcombe. Female action films are popular, profitable and people are clamoring for them.

Press Contact: Info(at)ArtemisFilmFestival.com

For More Info:

http://www.WomenKickAss.com

http://twitter.com/Artemis_FF

http://www.Facebook.com/ArtemisFilmFestival

Official Website: http://www.ArtemisFilmFestival.com

About the Artemis Women In Action Film Festival

A first of its kind, inspired by the popularity of the genre, its longevity, and their love of film, Artemis Motion Pictures is producing the world's first film festival devoted exclusively to honoring female driven action films. Artemis has been attracting the attention and support of high profile influencers such as Paul Feig, Lucy Laweless, Carrie Fisher, Rosie ODonnell, Anna Paquin, Jeri Ryan, Patricia Arquette, Wynonna Judd, Lori Petty, Roseanne Barr, Rose McGowan, and many others all of whom have graciously helped boost the popularity of the official hashtag, #WomenKickAss.
Munetrix, a public sector solutions provider offering data analytics and transparency tools for state and local governments, continues to reshape local government finance through expanded use of the Munetrix platform. The Munetrix Transparency Compliance Report WizardTM helped its municipal customers simplify the process of applying for revenue sharing from Michigans Cities, Villages, Townships Revenue Sharing (CVTRS) and County Incentive Program (CIP), which will result in state payments of more than $30m over the next 12 months. The deadline to submit the information to the state in order to receive 100% of the state allotted revenue sharing for fiscal year 2017 was Dec. 1, 2016.

One Oakland County township, for example, receives $108,695 in revenue sharing. The reports required by the state could take weeks for those who do not use a transparency platform like Munetrix, while relying on a variety of time consuming, error-prone spreadsheets which end up as useless PDFs. Instead, this township completed the report in a couple of hours.

Finance directors and chief administrators like the ease and cost savings associated with using Munetrix to complete their compliance reports, Munetrix President Bob Kittle said. The Munetrix transparency platform has multiple uses. These reports are just an example of how an integrated system works to soften the impact of non-funded state-mandated reporting, while freeing up time for governmental units to focus on the efficient delivery of valuable services to their residents.

The transparency platform is just one reason why Munetrix earned a distinction from Government Technology Magazine earlier this year as one of 100 Top Companies making a difference in state and local government markets. Kittle says the key is to simplify the reporting process while enabling users to gather additional, useful information.

Our municipal customers find that using the Munetrix financial transparency and budget planning tools also aid in simplifying the process to apply for statutory state revenue sharing under Michigans transparency requirements, Kittle said. The best part is that it is not futile work. Customers expend a fraction of the time compared to what they would have if they did this manually and receive additional dividends because the data is turned into information that helps them with business management and planning decisions going forward.

In addition to its work with cities, townships, villages and counties, Munetrix is also an approved vendor to provide data analytics and transparency tools to Michigan public school districts, authorized by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget per Section 102d of Public Act 249 of 2016.

Schools also have to comply with strict transparency laws, Kittle said. Munetrix allows them to focus more of their time educating students than pushing paper.

About Munetrix

Michigan-based Munetrix, offering the award-winning Munetrix cloud-based local government fiscal health analytics tool and other proprietary apps, offers communities a cost effective approach to data-driven decision making and performance management, and is among the nations largest aggregators of municipal and school district data. With both a corporate and social mission in the spirit of Open Data, Munetrix allows subscribers and academic and non-profit partners across the country to easily access public sector financial and demographic data and companion tools to make meaningful and reliable budgets, financial projections, trend reports and forward looking decisions. Learn more about your communitys Munetrix Score at the Munetrix website.
TrustCommerce

TrustCommerce, leading provider of secure payment solutions, is pleased to announce two notable executive promotions. Jennifer Cervantes has been promoted to Vice President of Account Management. Andy Moorhead has been promoted to Vice President of Sales.

Ms. Cervantes has been with TrustCommerce for eight years and was previously Director of Account Management. As Vice President, Ms. Cervantes will continue to lead the Account Management team with a focus on ensuring excellence in account services. In addition, she will provide strategic direction, guide process improvement and planning, and support the growth and optimization of key client relationships ensuring mutual business satisfaction and client retention.

Jennifer earned this title through her leadership, integrity, and professionalism. She exemplifies our values and culture. I couldnt be happier or more proud of her. She is an amazing person, said Rob Caulfield, Chief Executive Officer of TrustCommerce.

Prior to joining TrustCommerce, Ms. Cervantes spent more than 10 years at TSYS Acquiring Solutions in a variety of client facing, technical, training, and leadership positions. She has more than 18 years of experience and in depth knowledge of the payments industry.

Andy Moorhead has been with TrustCommerce for more than three years and was previously Director of Sales. As Vice President of Sales, he is responsible for the operations of the Sales team, base of current clients, and executing a strategy for growth in both segments.

Andy is a great leader and principled individual. He truly demonstrates our values and reputation in sales, while fostering an open and honest sales process," said Caulfield. "We are proud to have Andy leading our sales and growth.

Prior to joining TrustCommerce, Andy spent 10 years working for a major merchant acquirer and brings a deep payments background to further the efforts of the Sales team. During his past tenure, he managed successful teams focusing on a number of different vertical markets, including Healthcare, B2B, & Government. Mr. Moorhead studied Marketing with an emphasis on Finance at Miami University.

For more information about TrustCommerce, visit http://www.trustcommerce.com.

###

About TrustCommerce

TrustCommerce, the leading provider of secure payment processing, offers a comprehensive suite of payment solutions with a focus on security, data protection, and risk mitigation. Featuring Point-to-Point encryption (P2PE), tokenization, EMV, and seamless redirects, TrustCommerce solutions assist partners and clients in reducing the cost and complexity of PCI DSS compliance. Whether accepting payments in a card-present or card-not-present environment, TrustCommerce solutions protect transactions and reduce risk.

TrustCommerce provides services to many of the largest healthcare organizations, insurance companies, state transportation agencies, municipalities, and Fortune 500 companies.

To learn more about TrustCommerce, visit http://www.TrustCommerce.com, Twitter, and the TrustCommerce Blog.
Thank God for Christmas!

Each year, this phrase seems to be more and more important. What if there were no Christmas? How could joy of any measure even seem possible?

Centuries upon centuries of preparation preceded the birth of Jesus. So many prophets spoke of his coming. So many generations of human lives grew up and were nurtured in the genealogy of the Lord which the Gospels of Matthew and Luke record for us. So many of the rituals and sacrifices of the First Covenant led toward the new and eternal covenant brought about by the coming of the Christ.

Even the pagans are shown to have been given a dim expectation of the coming of Christ. The magi arrived from the east shortly after his birth in Matthews Gospel, giving those of us who are not Jewish the certainty that Jesus comes for the salvation of all peoples.

We are given the charge of passing on the Christmas reality to the next generation who follows us. While the world may seem to say the golden age of celebrating Christmas is past, we can each live in such a way to conform our lives to the joyful phrase: thank God for Christmas!
Cheryl Steinbacher, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Training Being new to Maryland, the program provided the opportunity to become fully immersed in the history and culture of a place I am honored to call my home.

Cheryl Steinbacher, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for MidAtlantic Farm Credit, was honored for her completion of Leadership Maryland during their graduation ceremony on December 6, hosted at the Lord Baltimore Hotel. Steinbacher was one of 49 selected to complete the eight-month professional development program, dedicated to building a better Maryland.

Leadership Maryland presented a unique opportunity to interact with leaders from across the state as we shared experiences that highlighted the best of Maryland, and provided a focus for support and change for those areas that continue to struggle, says Steinbacher. Being new to Maryland, the program provided the opportunity to become fully immersed in the history and culture of a place I am honored to call my home.

The Leadership Maryland program is open to senior-level executives with significant achievements in either their careers and/or their communities. Ideal Leadership Maryland members have a desire to learn more about Marylands most critical issues and a personal commitment to be a force for positive change in their organizations, their communities, and their state.

We are very proud to have another Farm Credit employee complete the prestigious Leadership Maryland program, says Tom Truitt, CEO of MidAtlantic Farm Credit and a graduate of the 2012 Leadership Maryland class. It is a unique opportunity to dive deeper into the issues the state is facing, and we are excited Cheryl was able to take part in the program this year.

For more information about the Leadership Maryland program, please visit leadershipmd.org, or email info(at)leadershipmd.org.

About MidAtlantic Farm Credit

MidAtlantic Farm Credit is an agricultural lending cooperative owned by its memberborrowers. It provides farm loans for land, equipment, livestock and production; crop insurance; and rural home mortgages. The co-op has over 11,100 members and almost $2.6 billion in loans outstanding. MidAtlantic has branches serving Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It is part of the national Farm Credit System, a network of financial cooperatives established in 1916 to provide a dependable source of credit to farmers and rural America.
Strive Consulting After years of servicing the Columbus market, we are excited to finally open the doors on a great office space in the Polaris area.

Following their strategic vision for long term growth, Strive Consulting is excited to announce the opening of their Columbus, Ohio office. This is the fourth Strive location in the United States, and clearly demonstrates their goals to continue building a national footprint. This new office will allow Strive to continue to deliver the highest quality results to clients, while allowing employees to focus on supporting projects in their local community.

After years of servicing the Columbus market, we are excited to finally open the doors on a great office space in the Polaris area. I think the culture fit between Columbus (with its great people) and Strive, creates numerous opportunities to further showcase our consulting expertise. We are looking forward to contributing to the growth of this thriving business community. Tyde Prater, Executive Director of Strive Columbus.

Strive has successfully executed on numerous client engagements in Columbus over the years. The launch of their physical location serves to affirm Strives commitment to their Columbus client base, and indicates their strong push for National growth. This is the first of several new offices we plan to open before 2020. says Ron Rother, Strive CEO, when alluding to the exciting future ahead for Strive in Columbus and across the country. Strives Columbus office is located at:

8800 Lyra Dr. Suite 680

Columbus, OH 43240

614-867-9099

About Strive Consulting, LLC

Strive Consulting, LLC, http://www.striveconsulting.com is a national business and technology consulting firm that delivers solutions by sharing specialized expertise and knowledge to ensure clients attain goals and solve problems. Strive is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with additional office locations in Dallas, Atlanta, and Columbus. Serving a wide range of industries throughout the U.S., Strive provides strategic advisory, project delivery, and specialized consulting talent services across their Application Development, User Experience, Project Management, and Analytics practice areas.
At last, reading is easy with dyslexia-friendly fiction for adults!

AT LAST - ADULT FICTION FOR DYSLEXICS!

Who do so few adults pick up a book? Those of us who enjoyed the thrills of the printed page as children may simply say were too short of time these days. But for dyslexic adults, it may well be that reading is a chore rather than a pleasure.

Thats about to change, as Perfect City Press has just launched AA Abbott's crime thrillers in a special dyslexia-friendly edition. The Brides Trail and its sequel, The Vodka Trail, are fast-paced with short chapters. Theyve also been formatted in line with the British Dyslexia Associations guidelines for documents.

10% of the population is dyslexic, but AA Abbott discovered no adult fiction was published for them. Although dyslexia-friendly books are produced for younger people, adults are expected to cope with traditionally formatted books. I know e-books and audio-books can be helpful, but I thought it was a shame dyslexic adults couldnt simply pick up a paperback and read it without struggling, AA Abbott says. I looked at the British Dyslexia Association guidelines and I thought: why not? I publish my books independently through Perfect City Press, and we can produce a new edition very quickly. While mainstream publishers plan for up to two years in advance, its taken us less than six weeks to have dyslexia-friendly books on sale for Christmas.

WHAT MAKES A BOOK DYSLEXIA-FRIENDLY?

Theres been dyslexia in my family for at least three generations, and Id already tried to make my books easier on the eye, AA Abbott says. They were all printed on cream paper, and the first, Up In Smoke, used a sans serif font. But I needed to go further to meet the British Dyslexia Association guidelines - in particular, using large letters and more space.

The British Dyslexia Association Style Guide recommends a sans serif font such as Verdana, with a 12-14 point font size, wide spacing, and dark text on a cream background. The new editions of The Brides Trail and The Vodka Trail are printed in Verdana 14 point, with a 1.5 line spacing between rows of text.

Im aware of special dyslexic fonts, such as Dyslexie, AA Abbott says. I tested them on dyslexic relatives, but they found conventional sans serif fonts just as easy to read provided the text was large enough. I couldnt find proof that special fonts were better than Verdana, which came out well in comparison tests by the BDA New Technologies Committee.

WHO ELSE WILL ENJOY THESE BOOKS?

The large print and cream paper makes these editions especially suitable for readers suffering from visual stress, or who have to squint at conventionally-sized text because its too small.

ABOUT 'THE BRIDE'S TRAIL' AND 'THE VODKA TRAIL'

Although both books can be read independently, The Brides Trail and The Vodka Trail follow the fortunes of Kat, a young croupier desperate to regain her familys vodka business.

In The Brides Trail, Kat marries illegal immigrants for money using fake ID, is wrongly accused of stealing from a casino and disappears with gangsters on her trail. In The Vodka Trail, she crosses swords with vodka distributor Marty, then has to rely on him for her survival when both of them are kidnapped by terrorists.

AA Abbott had feedback from 20 readers on the draft of each book, and they were both professionally edited. Readers deserve a high-quality book, whether its produced by a big publishing company or by the author herself, AA Abbott says.

The titles are priced at 1.99 e-book, 7.99 traditional paperback format, and 16.99 dyslexia-friendly format. They can be ordered from bookshops or Amazon.

The new editions are pricier because they cost more to print, but AA Abbott points out, They are still affordable and would make a great Christmas gift  or New Year treat.

ABOUT AA ABBOTT

Also known as Helen Blenkinsop, AA Abbott chose her pen name in a shameless attempt to take the first slot on your bookshelves. A member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, she lives in Bristol and spends a lot of time in London and Birmingham, the cities where both books are set. She has also written other thrillers and short stories.
With Lawrence Sign based in Saint Paul, we have a vested interest in the citys continued growth. Being a part of Herbies On The Park was exciting for our entire team and we wish Craig Leipold much success with this new venture, said Robb Walker, CEO.

Need a place to meet before the big game or dinner before the concert or play? Herbies On The Park is the place for you serving upscale tavern food and a wide variety of beverages. The atmosphere is upbeat with the feel of the Saint Paul neighborhood.

Herbies On The Park brings to life the true spirit of Saint Paul located in the historical Minnesota Club building and carrying the name of the legendary Herb Brooks. The owners of Herbies On The Park selected Lawrence Sign to manufacture and install the unique restaurant signage in the heart of downtown.

To find this new restaurant, look for the illuminated blade signs designed to blend with the nostalgic style of the area at the 317 Washington Street location. The Herbies On The Park corporate branding is proudly displayed on the custom fabricated signs complemented by multiple architectural elements and detailed painting applications.

With Lawrence Sign based in Saint Paul, we have a vested interest in the citys continued growth. Being a part of Herbies On The Park was exciting for our entire team and we wish Craig Leipold much success with this new venture, said Robb Walker, CEO.

About Walker Sign Holdings Inc.

The brands of Walker Sign Holdings Inc combine hundreds of years of sign industry experience and capabilities with each bringing a unique expertise to the customer.

Lawrence Signs specialty is focused on the multi-site customer and delivery of signage with consistent specifications and quality. Nordquist Sign brings unique knowledge to the customer requiring signs with an architectural element and custom fabrication. Advantage Sign provides customers with the knowledge of the Western Region needs and technology.

With only a job site address, the Walker Sign team can launch a project with site survey, municipal code research and design concepts. From this point with customer approval, the sign package moves into permitting and production with frequent updates to the customer regarding schedule. The final stage of the process is the product installation, guaranteed customer satisfaction and industry leading warranty. The Walker Sign team delivers corporate branding with a turnkey finish.

The dynamic combination of these brands under Walker Sign Holdings Inc. creates invaluable resources to the sign industry and provides strong corporate branding for customers in every market.
Smart Vision Lights, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-brightness LED lights for industrial applications, is pleased to announce a major development in its growth expansion plans. SVL signed yesterday with JM Vistec System Pte. Ltd., a major distributor of machine vision lighting in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The company will carry SVL LED lights and accessories.

Headquartered in Singapore, JM Vistec System is a major player in APAC, with two offices in Taiwan (Taipei and Taichung), three in China (Suzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen), and one each in Thailand and Malaysia. Each location offers sales support, as well as limited in-house engineering and logistical support for all their applications.

The semiconductor and electronics industry, where JM Vistec Systems main focus lies, is being driven globally by the rising demand for IT hardware, office automation products, and consumer electronics products such as mobile phones and automotive products. Other industries JM Vistec System specializes in are food and packaging, automotive and metal, and industrial X-rays for nondestructive testing.

JM Vistec System, located at 9 Kaki Bukit Road 1, #03-07 Eunos Technolink, Singapore 415938, was founded in 2004. It has since partnered with leading Singaporean research and development agencies such as the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Nanyang Technological University, and many more.

For more information about becoming a Smart Vision Lights distributor, contact Dave Spaulding at 231-722-1199.



About Smart Vision Lights

Smart Vision Lights (Muskegon, Mich.) is a leading designer and manufacturer of high-brightness LED lights for industrial applications, including machine vision. Smart Vision Lights products come with universal internal current-control drivers, offering constant or strobed operation, reduced wiring requirements, and easy installation. Smart Vision Lights products also are the safest on the market thanks to the companys in-house IEC 62741 light-testing laboratory, guaranteeing conformity and compliance for your lighting systems, regardless of where they are installed around the globe. Learn more at SmartVisionLights.com or by calling (231) 722-1199 in the U.S.

About JM Vistec System

Machine vision distributor JM Vistec System was founded in 2004 on three core values: competitive quality, performance driven, and service assurance. Combining these values, JM Vistec System works to speed market penetration and sales for its partners by helping them to support a broader geographic coverage and greater brand recognition. Learn more at jm-vistec.com or by calling +65 6748 5517.
SNAP to Health Brochure This site will help to identify and disseminate evidence-based strategies to promote healthy nutrition and foster discussion, collaboration and innovation...

While this holiday season is a time of celebration and family feasts, it is also a time to remember that 1 in 7 Americans lacks access to affordable, nutritious food, and 71 percent of adults and 33 percent of children are overweight or obese. These public health problems are particularly pronounced among low-income Americans. The Health Policy Program at New America today announces the re-launch of snaptohealth.org, a virtual town hall that provides information on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a vital federal food assistance program that serves 46 million Americans, many of whom are struggling with obesity as well as food insecurity. The website now also includes resources on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) that serves 8 million participants.

Snaptohealth.org is a one-stop-shop for a wealth of resources and interactive tools on SNAP and WIC including the latest nutrition news, informative blog posts, meal recipes, discussion forums, policy reports, and links to thousands of nutrition resources. The new website is mobile and tablet compatible to help better reach low-income populations who overwhelmingly access the internet via mobile devices.

Susan Blumenthal, MD, Project Director and Senior Fellow in Health Policy at New America who served as U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, said, In the twenty-first century, cutting-edge information technology solutions to help address Americas public health problems are within our reach. This site will help to identify and disseminate evidence-based strategies to promote healthy nutrition and foster discussion, collaboration and innovation among those working to improve health, reduce food insecurity, and prevent obesity in the United States.

Snaptohealth.org is an important source of information for SNAP and WIC stakeholders and beneficiaries, facilitates discussion for the continued improvement of the programs, and provides recommendations for policymakers, businesses, and public health professionals to improve nutrition and reduce obesity among SNAP and WIC recipients.

This holiday season, remember to think of those who are in need. Visit the SNAP to Health website at http://www.snaptohealth.org to learn how you can contribute to preventing hunger in your community and in our country. View the programs brochure for more information and distribute it to friends and organizations. For inquiries, please contact the SNAP to Health team at health(at)newamerica(dot)org.

The website is supported by a grant from the Aetna Foundation.

About New America: New America is dedicated to the renewal of American politics, prosperity, and purpose in the Digital Age. Our hallmarks are big ideas, impartial analysis, pragmatic policy solutions, technological innovation, next generation politics, and creative engagement with broad audiences.
Artur Michalczyk, CTO, NewVoiceMedia Im very excited and privileged to join the leadership team of NewVoiceMedia to support its continued global expansion

NewVoiceMedia, a leading global provider of inside sales and contact centre technology that helps businesses sell more, serve better and grow faster, has strengthened its executive team with the appointment of Artur Michalczyk as Chief Technology Officer.

Reporting to NewVoiceMedia CEO Jonathan Gale, Artur will have global responsibility for the company's technology strategy, development and operations. He brings over 20 years industry experience to the business, joining from Syniverse where he most recently served as Senior Vice President ESG Technology, responsible for global development and operations of its enterprise business unit.

Arturs appointment is the latest milestone in NewVoiceMedias global expansion plans. Recently recognised as one of the worlds leading experts in tech by Softech International, the company now serves more than 600 customers. Its intelligent communications platform is revolutionising the way they connect with their customers worldwide, enabling them to deliver a personalised and unique customer service experience and drive a more effective sales team.

Were extremely pleased to welcome Artur Michalczyk to NewVoiceMedia, commented Jonathan Gale. Artur is a highly experienced executive with a strong track record in cloud application and telco development. His deep expertise and commitment to agile development make him the ideal candidate to take responsibility for our development and operational functions. Artur will be a very valuable asset to our leadership team as we focus on developing our inside sales and contact centre technology and accelerating our international growth.

Artur added, Im very excited and privileged to join the leadership team of NewVoiceMedia to support its continued global expansion. With its innovative technology, experienced leadership team, marquee customer base and operating in an incredible market opportunity, NewVoiceMedia is uniquely positioned to continue revolutionising how businesses connect and interact with their customers and prospects on a global scale.

Ashley Unitt, co-founder and former CTO of NewVoiceMedia, will now serve as Chief Scientist, leading the companys architecture and research teams.

For more information about NewVoiceMedia, visit http://www.newvoicemedia.com.

NewVoiceMedia powers customer connections that transform businesses globally. The leading vendor's award-winning cloud customer contact platform revolutionises the way organisations connect with their customers worldwide, enabling them to deliver a personalised and unique customer service experience and drive a more effective sales team. With a true cloud environment and proven 99.999% platform availability, NewVoiceMedia ensures complete flexibility, scalability and reliability.
Mama Cardinal by Doug Lehnhardt As one of Southwest Florida's largest art shows with more than 300 juried artists and artisans, it's the area's largest collection of art, food and fun for the whole family.

The Cape Coral Festival of the Arts, hosted annually by the Rotary Club of Cape Coral, will return to Downtown Cape Coral for its 32nd year. The festival will take place on Saturday, Jan. 14, and Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Cape Coral Parkway in downtown Cape Coral between Del Prado Boulevard and Vincennes Street. Admission and parking are free for Festival attendees.

As one of Southwest Floridas largest art shows, this annual art event brings together the works of more than 300 juried artists and artisans from across the country. Exhibitors will showcase their fine art, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, photography, metal works, mixed media, and much more. Free festival admission and parking will be provided along with areas largest collection of art, food, and fun for all ages.

This years official event poster artist is Doug Lehnhardt. Lehnhardt, who has been painting for more than 40 years, is best known for his acrylic paintings of wildlife which employ a technique he developed from egg tempera and watercolor. His other notable paintings feature landscape scenes and fantasy themes, though he has also specialized in human and pet portraits for more than 35 years. Lehnhardts art extends beyond canvas, as he also provides advertising layouts, website design, and other specialty artwork. Festival attendees are encouraged to stop by his booth at the festival. His work can be viewed by visiting DougsArt.net.

The Rotary Club of Cape Coral proud to bring the Cape Coral Festival of the Arts to Southwest Florida annually. The 2017 event sponsors include: Wonderland Realty, Experience Real Estate Group, Geico, The Beaches of Fort-Myers and Sanibel, Downtowner Car Wash, Intergraphic 2.0, Waste Pro, Destination Boat Clubs, Happenings Magazine, NBC-2, The News-Press, CapeCoral.Com, Premier Wellness Group, Lamar Advertising, Direct Impressions, and South Cape Community Redevelopment Agency.

Volunteers are needed and sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information about or to participate in the Cape Coral Festival of the Arts, please call (239) 699-7942 or visit CapeCoralFestival.com.

Attachments: Cape Coral Festival of the Arts 2017 Poster, Mama Cardinal by Doug Lehnhardt

Please note: Interviews with featured artist and other artisans are available upon request. Additional photos and images of work are also available upon request.
Mr. Brossoits presence on our Advisory Board brings extremely valuable industry proficiency and business acumen.

Mr. Benoit Brossoit was recently appointed as President of Bombardier Transportation for the Americas in April, 2016. In this role he has overall responsibility for engineering, production, business development and stakeholder-related activities for the region. Prior to joining Bombardier Transportation, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations for United Technologies Corporation. His career spans more than 30 years in various manufacturing, supply management and services leadership roles and includes companies like General Motors and Pratt & Whitney Canada.

Mr. Brossoit graduated from GMI Engineering & Management Institute (Kettering University) in Michigan. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering, and completed the Business Management program at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business in Charlottesville.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Mr. Brossoit to our Advisory Board. His presence on our Board brings extremely valuable industry proficiency and business acumen. His sound operational and technical knowledge coupled with his proven leadership and management track record will undoubtedly contribute positively in positioning our company for growth," said Eric Janosz, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Briowireless.

About Briowireless inc.

Briowireless Inc. Is a privately held corporation headquartered in Laval, Canada. Its mission is to provide leading edge, cost effective and innovative wireless devices to accelerate IoT solutions time to market. For more information on Briowireless, please call 1 (888) 413-5191ext 702, email at info@briowireless.com, or visit http://www.briowireless.com.

Contact Information:

Dominic Cormier, Executive Vice-President, Sales Briowireless inc.

Phone: 1-888-413-5191ext 702

Email: dcormier(at)briowireless(dot)com
THINK Together students at their red carpet premiere All of students were involved and collaborative throughout the project. It was a learning experience and my favorite part of this film was being able to express creativity.

THINK Together students unleashed their movie talents on Wednesday, December 13, 2016 as they partnered with the student film company, Unleashing Giants, where students were taught how to write, direct, create and produce their student films.

Unleashing Giants is an organization that develops and presents exceptional, one-of-a-kind project-based learning programs that enables its participants to discover, nurture, and celebrate their innate abilities in order to release and feed the remarkable power and strength currently unlocked within each student in order to make the world a better place.

Unleashing Giants partnered with THINK Together programs at Bassett High School, Madrid Middle School and Kranz Intermediate School for eight weeks to engage over 40 students in a unique and powerful experience named, Lights! Camera! Future!, where all students actively participated in all aspects of film production. Each site wrote scripts, acted, directed and produced a quality short film that reflected their voices and interests.

The culmination of the students hard work took place at a red carpet event, where students could walk the red carpet, get their pictures taken and be interviewed on their experience and roles in the film, and see their hard work on the big screen.

All three films: Acceptance, Before and Now at Kranz, and Unheard Voices had inspiring messaging of acceptance and speaking out against bullying at schools. The students used their talents to inspire the audience of over 100 friends and family members and distinguished school district guests to demonstrate how challenging relationships can be on an every day basis during the school day and their words resonated with everyone in attendance.

It felt so good to see my written words on screen, said one of the students from Bassett High School. "I feel that the experience was great, since all of students were involved and collaborative throughout the project. It was a learning experience and my favorite part of this film was being able to express creativity.

Each student director introduced their film and thanked the THINK Together and Unleashing Giants teams who helped support them through this exciting opportunity.

These schools are so blessed to have the THINK Together program. These student films are a culmination of exciting learning and expanded horizons, says Emil Pinnock, Founder and CEO of Unleashing Giants.

To learn more about Unleashing Giants visit unleashinggiants.com

To view the student films, visit:

Before and Now at Kranz - Kranz Int.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wQ0_cg9bbk&feature=youtu.be

Unheard Voices- Madrid MS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=DIxMGgdX85I&app=desktop

Acceptance- Bassett HS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No-jDZDRW9g&feature=youtu.be

THINK Together

THINK Together is a nonprofit organization collaborating with communities, parents, teachers, administrators and other stakeholders to help transform and galvanize the K-12 educational system, creating excellence and equity for all kids. THINK Together is Californias largest provider of Expanded Learning Time programs. Through its affiliate, Principals Exchange, THINK Together also provides research, professional development and consulting to underserved schools. Combined, THINK Together and Principals Exchange serve over 130,000 students at 451 locations across 45 school districts from San Diego to San Mateo counties. Partnering with school administrators and teachers, THINK Togethers dedicated team of more than 2,500 employees are helping students statewide reach their full potential. THINK is an acronym: Teaching, Helping, Inspiring & Nurturing Kids. For more information, call 888.485.THINK or visit THINKtogether.org or Facebook.com/THINKTogether.
Cass County Historical Society is hosting a new pop-up exhibition from the National Archives, The Bill of Rights and You, commemorating the 225th anniversary of the ratification of this landmark document. The Bill of Rights and You spotlights one of the most remarkable periods in American history, explores the origins of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution (collectively known as the Bill of Rights), illustrates how each amendment protects U.S. citizens, and looks at how Americans exercise the rights outlined in the amendments. The Bill of Rights and You invites visitors to connect directly with the people, places, and events that mark this historic documents evolution. This exhibit runs through March 4, 2017.
The Eriksen Translations Inc. management team accepts the Business Owners Council award for best company culture This award is especially meaningful as we celebrate our 30th anniversary. At Eriksen, we strive to cultivate an inspired, passionate team, so we can deliver out-of-the box ideas and innovative solutions.

Eriksen Translations Inc. (http://www.eriksen.com), one of North Americas top 40 language services providers, received the Business Owners Councils top award for Best Company Culture. The Council recognized Eriksens Founder and CEO Vigdis Eriksen with this honor at the organizations End of Year Bash and Member Awards Dinner, held at the Metropolitan Room in midtown Manhattan on November 21.

Building a strong culture sometimes means doing things a little different, stated the Business Owners Council during the award presentation. Eriksen Translations maintains an open, collaborative environment where there are no doors, encouraging discussion and collaboration among team members. The team has a strong sense of shared purpose and values, working together not just to earn a profit but also to support the arts and build a more inclusive society through language.

The Business Owners Council is a membership organization for entrepreneurs which holds monthly meetings so council members can learn from thought leaders and discuss business strategies with other engaged, proactive business owners.

This award coincides with Eriksens 30th anniversary celebration which the company commemorated by hosting an anniversary party on December 9th. Eriksens staff, linguists, and members of the local business community were on hand as the Brooklyn Borough Presidents office presented a proclamation to recognize the company for thirty years in business.

This award is especially meaningful as we celebrate our 30th anniversary, stated Founder and CEO Vigdis Eriksen. Developing a company culture that nurtures talent, promotes collaboration, and takes advantage of individual strengths has always been one of my top priorities. At Eriksen, we strive to cultivate an inspired, passionate team, so we can deliver out-of-the box ideas and innovative solutions.

About Eriksen Translations Inc.

Eriksen Translations Inc. helps companies reach their audiences in the domestic and global marketplace. Founded in 1986, Eriksen provides multilingual services in over 100 languages, offering translation, desktop publishing, web and multimedia localization, cultural consulting, transcription, and voiceover and subtitling services. Headquartered in Brooklyn, Eriksen partners with companies in finance, insurance, creative services, law, health care, and education, as well as nonprofits and leading museums and cultural institutions worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.eriksen.com.

About the Business Owners Council

The Business Owner's Council is a network of top performing entrepreneurs in regional groups coast-to-coast. Through peer-to-peer events and online community, members of the Council meet, collaborate and advise each other. For more information, visit: http://www.ownersmanual.us.com
New Venture Competition The HBSABs New Venture Competition provided the fuel for our founding and early development. Participating in the process was like being in an accelerator. Winning the competition gave us the momentum we needed secure our first round of funding

The Harvard Business School Association of Bostons (HBSAB) New Venture Competition (NVC) competition continues to attract an impressive array of entrants who will vie for cash prizes and possible entry into the Global Harvard Business School New Venture Competition. Entering into the HBSABs competition allows start-up teams to gain valuable visibility and make connections they will need to succeed in their new venture. The deadline for team submissions is January 17, 2017.

Startups (must have at least one HBS Alum on the founding/executive team) can APPLY HERE!

Last years HBSAB NVC winner Day Zero Diagnostics, founder Jong Lee, stated The HBSABs New Venture Competition provided the fuel for our founding and early development. Participating in the process was like being in an accelerator that combined business plan development, pitch training and mentorship. Winning the competition gave us both the push and momentum we needed to incorporate and raise our first round of capital.

Now in its eighth year, the HBSABs New Venture Competition is slated to attract over 30 teams comprised of a diverse array of different sectors including; medtech, software, clean energy, B2B products & services, healthcare, life sciences and education. We have expanded our NVC series to include a mentoring program as well as a stellar judging panel. We anticipate a robust group of start up teams this year with a wide range of entrepreneurial activity, said NVC Chair, Chris Hobson.

Benefits & Prizes:



$10,000 cash prize for New England Winner

$5,000 in-kind services from Nixon Peabody LLP for the New England winner

IBM Cloud Services valued at $120,000

An invitation to the Rock 100 Summit for the New England winner

Mentoring Night and Practice Pitch Event  hone your pitch with experts

Entry to the Global HBS competition and a chance to win $25k or $50k prizes

Invitation to the NVC Finale & 20 Years of Entrepreneurship Gala in April

Global Prizes include 1st place: $75,000, 2nd place: $25,000 and crowd favorite: $5,000

Detailed business plan feedback from qualified judges

Access to potential investors

More than half of HBS alumni classify themselves as entrepreneurs and innovators. The rules to take part in the NVC are simple: a member of the core team must be an HBS alum; revenues must be $2 million or less; and current funding raised must be $1 million or less. The winner is automatically entered into the Global Harvard Business School New Venture Competition.

To submit your team for NVC visit: NVC2017

Key 2017 Dates:



January 17: Application Deadline at 11:59pm ET

February 6: Regional Competition takes places on HBS Campus. Regional winners will be chosen and move onto the virtual semi-finals competition.

March 10: Deadline for regional winners' materials for the virtual semi-finals. Virtual judges will select 4 global finalists.

March 24: Global finalists are notified and invited to pitch at the NVC live event on the HBS campus.

April 25: NVC Finale- Regional winners attend the Finale and 4 global finalists pitch to prominent VCs. Grand Prize, Runner-Up and Crowd Favorite winners announced

About Harvard Business School Association of Boston

The Harvard Business School Association of Boston (HBSAB) is a membership, non-profit organization that promotes learning, professional networking, business growth, and fosters goodwill and community service. HBSAB strives to create an inclusive environment based on integrity and excellence that advances Harvard Business Schools goal to develop leaders who make a difference in the world. For more information visit: http://www.hbsab.org.
President Obama signed the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act (DRBCA) on Friday into law as part of a larger legislative package known as the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which was passed by an overwhelming majority in Congress earlier this month.

New Jersey Audubon has been at the forefront of advocating for the DRBCA through its leadership role in the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed and celebrates the enactment of this historic legislation for the region.

The DRBCA will bring critical support to important, on-the-ground conservation projects in the Delaware River Basin, which encompasses nearly 40 percent of our state, said Eric Stiles, President and CEO of New Jersey Audubon.

In New Jersey, the Delaware River and tributaries are home to a diverse set of resources and to many incredible fish and wildlife species, he added. The ability to leverage private, state, and now federal funding to protect and restore these critical habitats will have a major impact on water quality and special protection species in our state including the red knot and Atlantic sturgeon.

The DRBCA authorizes the non-regulatory Delaware River Basin Restoration Program in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that will create a coordinated approach for identifying, prioritizing, and implementing restoration and protection projects throughout the watershed.

Additionally, through grants and technical assistance, the program will support locally-driven conservation projects, bolstering the substantial work already taking place in the watershed to combat important issues including habitat degradation, invasive species, and climate change.

Millions of dollars in federal funding are anticipated to support this initiative.

As the most densely populated state and first state projected to reach build-out in the country, New Jersey must continue to lead in its efforts to reduce the effects of development on water quality and quantity, wildlife and fish habitat, and flooding related to stormwater, Stiles said.

The Delaware River Basin Restoration Program will bring much needed funding into the state for important preservation and restoration projects that are critical to protecting our water resources, especially in locations such as the Highlands and the Pinelands, he added.

New Jersey Audubon is a lead partner in the William Penn Foundations Delaware River Watershed Initiative in the Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer Cluster in the Pinelands region and the New Jersey Highlands Cluster, where participating organizations focus on protecting priority farmland, reducing seepage into the aquifer, and engaging landowners in agricultural, forest, and stream-related best management practices.

It is vital that Congress funds the program so that money can flow to important projects, which can leverage substantial investments already made in our region by the William Penn Foundation through the Delaware River Watershed Initiative and its other watershed protection priorities, said Kelly Mooij, VP of Government Relations for New Jersey Audubon.

In the New Year, New Jersey Audubon and the Coalition will advocate for federal funds to be appropriated for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program so that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can begin its implementation as quickly as possible. The Coalition will also work to ensure the voice of the non-profit community is included in the development of a basin-wide strategy as part of the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program.

About New Jersey Audubon:

New Jersey Audubon is a privately supported, not-for profit, statewide membership organization. Founded in 1897, and one of the oldest independent Audubons, New Jersey Audubon is working to make New Jersey a better place for people and wildlife. New Jersey Audubon fosters environmental awareness and a conservation ethic among New Jersey's citizens; protects New Jersey's birds, mammals, other animals, and plants, especially endangered and threatened species; and promotes preservation of New Jersey's valuable natural habitats. For more information, visit http://www.njaudubon.org
Stratoscale, the cloud infrastructure company, today announced it has been awarded CRNs Tech Innovator Award in the Software  Enterprise Management category for its software-only solution, Stratoscale Symphony. The prestigious list honors the years most innovative and promising technology companies and highlights Stratoscales mission to provide an ideal solution for managing todays data center transition into a true cloud environment.

Stratoscale Symphony sets the company apart from its competitors by transforming any hardware into an application-centric and service-driven AWS Region within the enterprise data center, coupled with an advanced user interface that delivers an effective and functional user experience for administrators and users. The solution breaks down the silos between virtualization, networking and storage, enabling a single administrator to manage all aspects of the infrastructure within one easy-to-use platform, freeing valuable time to support internal customers and the business in addition to offering further cost-benefit advantages.

"As companies embark on the journey toward an all-in cloud strategy, they require a solution that allows them to stay competitive and offer a holistic solution to all types of applications, both legacy and cloud-native, as well as data, said Ariel Maislos, CEO at Stratoscale. To do this, companies must augment their aging data center infrastructure with a solution that can be deployed quickly and deliver the same streamlined user experience theyve come to expect from AWS and other public cloud vendors. CRN has recognized that Stratoscale offers a competitive solution that effectively meets customer demand by addressing complex issues within the data center.

The CRN editorial team selected companies of all sizes selling to North American channel partners for its Tech Innovator Awards. This year, the CRN Tech Innovator Awards honored vendors in 28 categories, with the winners and finalists selected from 230 applicants within multiple technology sectors, including cloud, security, networking and mobile. Winners were celebrated at CRNs NexGen Cloud Conference, in December 2016, in Anaheim, Calif.

About CRN

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequaled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. http://www.thechannelco.com

About Stratoscale

Stratoscale is the cloud infrastructure company, providing comprehensive cloud infrastructure software solutions for service providers, enterprise IT and development teams. The companys comprehensive cloud data center software, Stratoscale Symphony, can be deployed in minutes on commodity x86 servers, providing an Amazon Web Services (AWS) experience with the ability to augment aging VMware infrastructure. Stratoscale was named a Cool Vendor in Servers and Virtualization by Gartner and is backed by over $70M from leading investors including: Battery Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Cisco, Intel, Qualcomm Ventures, SanDisk and Leslie Ventures. For more information, visit http://www.stratoscale.com/ and follow us on Twitter @stratoscale.

Media Contact:

Calin Gunn

Racepoint Global for Stratoscale

+1 202-517-1502

stratoscale(at)racepointglobal(dot)com
Santana Row is celebrating the final hours of 2016 with flare. Savor a gourmet meal at LB Steak, dance the night away at Rosie McCanns Black & White Ball, or enjoy a luxurious evening at Hotel Valencia with their Winter Wonderland Guestroom package. Check out the evening events below and join us in welcoming the New Year with the best food, drinks, and parties the Bay Area can offer.

The White Party - Roots And Rye, SINO, and STRAITS

One $20 cover charge for three fabulous venues. Bring your friends and family to toast, dance, and dine. Start the night out right with ROOTS AND RYES Belvedere vodka. Watch the ball drop with SINOs fine Moet & Chandon Champagne. Finish the night at STRAITS with their superb Hennessy Cognac. Last dinner will be served at 9:00pm. Bottle service packages are available all night, and the $20 cover includes all three venues and one drink ticket.

Rosie McCann's Irish Pub & Restaurant- Black & White Ball

Ring in the New Year with a special prix fixe dinner and then get down with friends to rockin music. Sip a complimentary glass of champagne with a choice of soup or salad, choice of entree (lamb chops, seafood pasta or sauteed chicken and prawns), and house-made dessert for $45 per person. Dinner will be served until 8:00pm. At 9:00pm get ready to boogie as the restaurant transitions to a lively dance atmosphere.

LB Steak

Indulge in a last meal of the year at LB Steak where dazzling decorations, handcrafted cocktails, and tender seafood and steaks makes for a stellar celebration. As the clock strikes midnight, rejoice with colorful party favors and a sparkling wine toast (applies to last seating). LB Steak will open at 11:00am with last seating at 11:00pm., serving the regular a la carte lunch and dinner menus plus, at dinner, an la carte special of Florida Stone Crab claws available as an appetizer or an addition to any steak and priced at $12.00 each. For reservations call 408.244.1180.

Left Bank Brasserie

Bonne Annee! Its said that the French know how to celebrate. Take part in the French joie de vivre - or joy of living - at Left Bank this New Years Eve with their festive prix fixe meal. A limited regular menu, prix fixe menu items, and a childrens menu will be available a la carte. At midnight say au revoir to 2016 with colorful party favors and a sparkling wine toast. Last seating is at 11:00pm. For more information or to make a reservation please call 408.984.3500.

Tacolicious

Swing by Tacolicious for dinner, a midnight snack, or one of their famous $6 margaritas. Start your night out right with their holy trinity dip sampler, crispy tacos al charro, and more tasty eats. Happy Hour is all day from 11:30am till midnight. Walk-ins are welcome for dinner or for a quick bite to eat between parties.

New Years Eve at Hotel Valencia

New Years at Hotel Valencia is the toast of the town. Bid Farewell to 2016 in sophisticated fashion with their fabulous Winter Wonderland Guestroom Package. The package includes a luxury guestroom for two, Champagne upon arrival, admission to the Winter Wonderland New Years Eve celebration with a DJ and midnight snack station. Guests with the Winter Wonderland package will also be privy to a New Years Day mimosa brunch and late check-out at 1:00pm. Rates start at $385 per room, per night, double occupancy, exclusive of tax. Additional guests are $75 per person and subject to maximum occupancy. To make reservations or find out more, call toll free 855.596.3396.

The New Years Eve Winter Wonderland Guest room Package requires advance reservations, pre-payment and is non-refundable after December 28, 2016. Cancellations received after 6:00pm on December 28, 2016, will forfeit one night's package rate, plus tax. The hotel must receive all guest names by December 28, 2016. Guests must be 21 years of age or older. Wristbands will be given upon check-in and will be required to access all party functions. New Years Eve will be exclusive to hotel guests who have booked a New Year's Eve Package. General admission will not be allowed.

For media inquiries, please contact Kelley Weaver at Melrose PR Kelley(at)melrosepr(dot)com or call (310) 260-7901.

About Santana Row

Offering 1.7 million square feet of retail, office, hotel and residential, Santana Row is located in Silicon Valley, California; the hub for high-tech innovation and development. Featuring 615 luxury rental homes, 219 privately owned condos, 376,000 square feet of office space, over 50 shops, 30 restaurants, a boutique hotel and a movie theatre. Santana Row is a property of Federal Realty (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visit http://www.santanarow.com.

About Federal Realty

Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, our mission is to deliver long term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply. Our expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities. Federal Realty's 96 properties include over 2,800 tenants, in approximately 22 million square feet, and over 1,800 residential units.

Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 49 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit http://www.FederalRealty.com.
Pyramid Analytics, provider of the next-generation business analytics platform for the enterprise, has been recognized by Dresner Advisory Services in the 2016 Technology Innovation Awards Program for its technology leadership in Collective Insights.

The Dresner Advisory Services Technology Innovation Award identifies leaders drawn from several 2016 Wisdom of Crowds thematic market studies. The reports are based on end-user data and provides a real-world perspective into the business intelligence and analytics industries.

We are honored to be recognized with this award from Dresner Advisory Services, said Omri Kohl, co-founder and CEO of Pyramid Analytics. Since the beginning, our focus has been to innovate and help companies extend the reach and impact of analytics. As a complete analytics platform, Pyramid Analytics BI Office enables organizations to work together in a self-service, centrally-governed environment to transform their business through data insights.

The 2016 Wisdom of Crowds thematic research reports highlight top vendors in eight categories and each report examines current deployment trends, user intentions and industry solutions. The Collective Insights category represents a process where two or more people or organizations collaborate to develop a common understanding which is shared and used to build consensus. It includes governance facilities for directing content creation and sharing, thus improving information consistence and accelerating group-based decision making.

With our Technology Innovation awards, we seek to recognize the vendors who play an important role in providing complete solutions in various thematic areas, said Howard Dresner, founder and chief research officer at Dresner Advisory Services. We congratulate Pyramid Analytics on its achievement this year.

To learn more about Pyramid Analytics BI Office, visit http://www.pyramidanalytics.com.

About Dresner Advisory Services

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.

About Pyramid Analytics

Pyramid Analytics is a global leader offering a business analytics platform that enables individualsfrom power users to knowledge workers to decision makersto transform their organization into a data-driven business. As a complete web-based platform, combining self-serve analytics with centralized governance, BI Office demonstrates measurable utility, fosters genuine collaboration and simplifies complex analysis. BI Office delivers best-in-class analytic functionality for organizationson-premises or in the cloud. Pyramid Analytics' teams are based in operational centers across the globe. To learn more, visit http://www.pyramidanalytics.com, follow us on Twitter @PyramidAnalytic and connect with us on LinkedIn.
Our joint EMV solution with Shift4 expands upon this mission to help hotel operators integrate EMV in a way that is simple, seamless and affordable.

Payment gateway provider Shift4 Corporation and InnQuest Software Corporation, developer of property management software, today announced the general availability of their joint EMV-certified solution for hoteliers.

The solution includes:



Layered payment security: EMV helps prevent the fraudulent use of stolen card data in card-present environments. With Shift4s DOLLARS ON THE NET and InnQuests roomMaster solution, hotel operators can process EMV payments while adding the layered security of point-to-point encryption (P2PE) and tokenization. This keeps sensitive cardholder data out of the hoteliers payment processing environment, greatly reducing their breach profile and PCI scope  and protecting their guests payment data from hackers.

Thirteen supported devices: Shift4 currently supports a variety of EMV-capable terminals by Ingenico Group and Verifone, with options for USB, serial, Ethernet, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. This allows hotel environments to easily implement EMV across their property using the device(s) of their choosing.

Bank and processor neutrality: Shift4 is currently certified for EMV with eight major processors in the U.S. and Canada  with more on the way  delivering unparalleled coverage of acquirers in North America and the Caribbean. This makes it possible for hotel operators to adopt EMV without changing their financial relationships and gives them the freedom to negotiate the best payment processing rates or make a switch if needed.

Michael Assi, president, InnQuest Software, said:

Since 1994, InnQuest Software has been providing hotel operators with the service, expertise and technology that allows them to run their business more efficiently and more profitably. Our joint EMV solution with Shift4 expands upon this mission to help hotel operators integrate EMV in a way that is simple, seamless and affordable.

Dave Oder, CEO, Shift4, said:

We are pleased to work with InnQuest Software to provide hoteliers with a solution that fits EMV into their current operations, rather than requiring them to adjust their infrastructure and business practices. In addition to the improved card verification that EMV brings to physical points of sale, this integration with InnQuests roomMaster includes Shift4s tokenization and point-to-point encryption technologies, helping keep sensitive cardholder data out of the merchants payment processing environment.

To learn more about EMV adoption with Shift4, visit http://www.shift4.com/EMV or call 800.265.5795.

For more information about InnQuest Software, visit http://www.innquest.com or call 813.288.4900.

About Shift4 Corporation

Shift4 stands alone as the last major player in the payments space to remain independent, self-funded, privately held and merchant focused. Our DOLLARS ON THE NET payment gateway comes with all the bells and whistles: pre- and post-settlement auditing, fraud controls, support for new technologies like EMV and mobile, secure connections to nearly every major bank and processor in North America, and 350+ certified integrations to leading POS, PMS, and e-commerce platforms. Shift4 invests heavily in payment security  we invented tokenization and own nine payment-security patents. We empower our 33,000+ merchant customers with the flexibility to customize our secure payment processing solutions to fit their business. Learn more at http://www.shift4.com.

About InnQuest Software

InnQuest Software is a leading solutions provider for the hospitality industry committed to providing powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use property management software at an affordable price. InnQuest Software's flagship product, roomMaster, is used in over 5,000 properties of all sizes and types in over 100 countries, including chain, independent, business, boutique, and resort hotels. InnQuest Software is based in Tampa, Florida, with regional offices in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Learn more at http://www.innquest.com.
Montana Code Girls Logo By building computer science training programs for youth, adults and teachers, Big Sky Code Academy is creating Montana's workforce for the new economy.

Today the Big Sky Code Academy announced that registration for the Montana Code Girls Technovation Montana 2017 competition is open. As the only statewide free after-school coding program for girls and a Technovation Challenge Regional Ambassador, Big Sky Code Academy will host the inaugural Technovation Montana for girls ages 10  18. This regional Technovation competition is for girls from Montana and surrounding states who are competing in the global Technovation Challenge to give them an opportunity to meet leaders from the technology community, connect with other Technovation teams from the region and compete for scholarships and prize money.

The Technovation Challenge offers girls around the world the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. These girls learn to identify a problem in their community and create a mobile app solution to address that problem, and then learn how to communicate these ideas and translate them into a fully launched business. Since 2010, more than 10,000 girls from 78 countries have participated in the Technovation Challenge. With the help of volunteer mentors, these participants have produced mobile app startups that have helped address problems in local and global communities the world over.

This year, the Technovation Challenge is being inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These goals, adopted in September 2015, are focused on ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. Montana Code Girls will tackle building a mobile app that solves a problem in their community along 7 themes:



Education

Health

Equality

Peace

Environment

Poverty

We are proud to be Montana's Technovation Challenge Regional Ambassador and to be bringing Technovation Montana to our state said Big Sky Code Academy and Montana Code Girls Founder, Devin B. Holmes. 58% of Technovation alumnae enroll in a further Computer Science Course and 26% of Technovation alumnae major in Computer Science in college. Combined with our Code.org Regional Partnership, the Big Sky Code Academy and our adult, youth and teacher programs are building the future technology workforce for Montana.

To learn more about Montana Code Girls and Technovation Montana, please visit the Montana Code Girls website

Big Sky Code Academy is an initiative of the America Campaign, a national non-profit founded in 2015 by serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, Devin B. Holmes, working to improve the lives of all Americans through technology, education and the arts. Along with its Montana Code Girls initiative to provide technology training for young women in Montana ages 9 to 19 and its Montana Teachers Teaching Tech (MT3), the America Campaign is focused on developing innovative technology focused solutions that create positive impact. The Big Sky Code Academy offers full-time and part-time intensive coding boot camps to train current and future generations of technologists for Montanas technology economy.

Prior to founding the America Campaign, Devin founded StartUpers.com and Warrior Gateway, a national non-profit that connected the military community with members of its G.I. Network, a collaborative of over 220,000 trusted and reliable local service organizations, programs, educators and employers.

More information about the Big Sky Code Academy and its initiatives can be found at http://www.bigskycodeacademy.org
Flexibility and configurability continue to be key themes when it comes to the evolution of payment processing and receivables management technology within the food and beverage distribution spaces." -- Kurt Matis, CEO, FTNI

Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI), a leading provider of truly integrated receivables and straight through processing solutions, today announced that Food Logistics has named FTNI to its 2016 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers list. 2016 marks the second consecutive year FTNI has been recognized in the annual FL100+ listing, originally making its debut in 2015.

Food Logistics is the only publication exclusively dedicated to covering the movement of product through the global food supply chain. The FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers list serves as a resource guide of software and technology providers whose products and services are critical for companies in the global food and beverage supply chain.

FTNI is honored to be named to this respected industry list for a second straight year, said Kurt Matis, president and CEO, FTNI. Flexibility and configurability continue to be key themes when it comes to the evolution of payment processing and receivables management technology within the food and beverage distribution spaces. Our cloud-based integrated receivables platform, ETran, has proven to help distributors streamline their accounts receivables processes on a single, modular platform in order to increase efficiencies and oversight while ultimately decreasing DSO.

The ETran integrated receivables platform is cloud-based and ideal for businesses with one or many locations, divisions, brands or payment channels. Unlike legacy, disparate, siloed receivables systems, ETrans easy-to-deploy modular design enables companies to accept, process and post remittance transactions across any payment method (check, ACH, credit card, cash), from any payment channel (mailed-in, called-in, in-person, online, mobile), all on a single, seamlessly integrated platform. A flexible plug-n-play solution, ETran works with existing banking and merchant processor relationships and supports efficient integration (batch or real-time) with any back-office accounting/ERP system.

Quickly and easily configured based on unique business requirements, ETran enables the efficient automation of AR processes and workflowshelping organizations accelerate exception handling, increase cash flow, and has been proven to help distributors reduce DSO by more than four days in some instances. The ETran platform is currently used by numerous distribution companies across the U.S. and Canada, including multiple top-twenty U.S. broadline foodservice distributors and other industry-leading independent foodservice and beverage distributors.

The software and technology sector continues to generate new and exciting opportunities for growers, food manufacturers, grocery retailers and the many logistics providers that support them, notes Lara L. Sowinski, editorial director at Food Logistics. Todays cloud-based solutions and mobile connectivity are helping create tools that are more flexible, affordable and responsive, making software and technology even more valuable to those in the global food supply chain.

Companies on this years 2016 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers list will be profiled in the November/December 2016 issue of Food Logistics, as well as online at http://www.foodlogistics.com.

---------------------------------------------

About FTNI

Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI) streamlines the way businesses accept, process, post and manage payments. Processing millions of transactions monthly, FTNIs integrated receivables hub, ETran, accepts any payment method, via any payment channel  on a single, secure, cloud-based platform. ETrans user-friendly, modular design seamlessly integrates current business processes, bank and processor relationships, and back-office accounting software to deliver increased efficiencies and cost savings as a result of true straight through processing. Founded in 2007, FTNI serves more than 18,000 corporate users from leading organizations such as the American Red Cross, Benchmark Senior Living, Cash-Wa Distributing, DirectBuy, Five Star Senior Living, Independence Bank, Mutual of Omaha Bank, Penn Mutual, Physicians Mutual Insurance, Proxibid, RealPage, Shamrock Foods, Stanz Foodservice, The McClatchy Company and many more. For more information, visit http://www.ftni.com.

About Food Logistics

Food Logistics is published by AC Business Media, a business-to-business media company that provides targeted content and comprehensive, integrated advertising and promotion opportunities for some of the worlds most recognized B2B brands. Its diverse portfolio serves the construction, logistics, supply chain and other industries with print, digital and custom products, events and social media.
George Brill, CEO of Talisen Technologies, Inc. said, These are great organizations that do so much for our region. My employees and I are grateful to have this opportunity to help them however we can.

When George Brill, CEO of Talisen Technologies, Inc., started his business in 1991, he utilized the STL county start up incubator in Creve Coeur. He was able to leverage a facility and furniture that was donated by McDonnell Douglas to get companies like Talisen Technologies off the ground. As Talisen is now in the midst of upgrading their facilities again, George wanted to take the opportunity to pay forward the generosity afforded to his company over the years.

Over the last several weeks, Talisen has been able to connect with several local companies that are making a difference in St. Louis, who are interested in leveraging the tech companys assets (i.e. office equipment and furniture). These local companies are: the Haven House, the Gateway Church of the Nazarene, Riley Organics and Intact Genomics.

The Haven House is a nonprofit organization that provides a home away from home for patients and their family during medical treatments. The Gateway Church of the Nazarene is a Christian church that welcomes people from all walks of life. These organizations rely on donations and charitable works so that they can continue to provide services and shelter for those in need.

Riley Organics produces the dog food that is organic and contains quality ingredients. Their goal is to make a great tasting high quality treat and to foster great dog/people relationships everywhere. And Intact Genomics is a world leader of large insert DNA cloning and BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) library related technologies.

George Brill, CEO of Talisen Technologies, Inc. said, These are great organizations that do so much for our region. My employees and I are grateful to have this opportunity to help them however we can.

Talisen Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1991 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri; Talisen is a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and SBA Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB). Talisen designs and implements software solutions to monitor and reduce energy consumption and is a recognized leader of systems integration for organizations with sophisticated networks, applications and security requirements.

To learn more about Talisen Technologies, please visit our website at http://www.talisentech.com/ or contact us at contact@talisentech.com.
I understand that Sen. Kintner has gotten a lot of bad press lately. I dont defend what he did, but I certainly do want him to stay. In fact, I want him to stay and then run again. His policy is spot on as far as my representative to the Unicameral. I could not be happier with his policy votes and actions. I do understand the concerns that some folks may have about him, but he has contritely apologized and I believe his apology. At least he admitted to his actions and has admitted that they were wrong. He without hypocrisy has no standards. Very simply, people sometimes do bad things. Many of the left would not even apologize for their actions or they would lie about what happened. Based on the fact that our Legislature ATTEMPTED to abolish the states death penalty without consent of the governed, I doubt very much that we could do better than Senator Kintner. Even though I do not condone his indiscretion, I certainly want him to stay and would gladly vote for him again.
The annual corporate gift-giving report released today by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) found 44% of companies are rewarding employees with gifts or cash this year. And, while companies are spending a little less overall on client gifts, theyre thanking more customers and prospects in 2016.

The surveyed companies thanking employees for their year-long efforts with a holiday gift or cash plan to spend a median of $45 per employee, a dollar more than last year, ASIs nationwide Corporate Gift Giving Study found.

The survey found 32% of companies plan to dole out gifts to customers this holiday season, compared to 37% last year and 42% in 2014. The number of companies thanking employees has remained steady the last two years.

During the holiday season, its a great idea to recognize, thank and remember employees and loyal customers, as well as clients whose business youd love to get, said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI. You dont have to spend much, and your thoughtfulness will deliver a strong ROI all year long.

The majority of companies (80%) are planning to spend the same amount as last year on all gifts, while 11% will increase their spending, ASIs nationwide survey found. Half of survey respondents will spend $45 or more per employee, while half will only spend $25 or more per customer/prospect, down from $34 last year.

Whether its uncertainty over the economy or the presidential election, companies are more selective in 2016 when it comes to corporate gift-giving, but spreading more good cheer, said Nate Kucsma, ASIs director of market research, who found companies are giving gifts to an average of 184 clients and prospects this holiday season, up from 154 last year.

Cash bonuses and gift cards remain the two most popular gifts for employees, with cash on the rise (9% increase over last year) and gift cards falling (5% decrease). Food or beverages and apparel are the next two most popular employee gifts.

When it comes to customer gifts, food or beverages remain the top choice for nearly half (47%) of companies, a decline of 6%, suggesting companies are looking to other gifts like calendars, gift cards, apparel and drinkware, along with popular tech gifts like a virtual reality headset, 2.4Ghz drone, bluetooth earbuds and headphones.

Seventy percent of gifts given will have the companys logo imprinted on them, an increase over last year.

ASI also found 4% of surveyed companies plan to spend $250 or more per lucky client, perhaps with higher-end gifts found in ASIs ESP product search engine, where distributors throughout the $22 billion promotional products industry search among nearly a million items to brand for companies, nonprofits, schools and organizations, which typically give the logoed gifts away.

Some of ESPs more elaborate corporate gifts for 2016 include a four-season cooler table kit, which is an all-in-one end table, bar table and cooler from Showdown Displays (asi/87188), as well as a 40-inch electric digital stainless-steel smokehouse thats remote controlled and monitors temperature, time, power and light, from Power Sales And Advertising (asi/79083).

About a quarter of companies surveyed by ASI will not give gifts to employees, while a third remained unsure at the time of the survey, sent out October 26-November 6 to decision-makers at companies throughout the U.S. By contrast, over a third (36%) of companies will not give gifts to customers, and 32% are not sure.

For more information about ASIs gift-giving survey or ASIs other research reports, contact Nate Kucsma at nkucsma(at)asicentral(dot)com.

About ASI

The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) serves a network of 23,500 suppliers, distributors and decorators in the $22 billion promotional products industry. ASIs flagship product, the technology platform ESP, manages the industrys entire supply and marketing chain. ASI also produces award-winning digital and print content, live events and educational programs that enable companies in 61 countries to be more efficient, productive and profitable. ASIs Counselor magazine provides the most authoritative business content in the industry, and the ASI Certification Program features 500+ live and online education courses for over 40,000 professionals. The company, family owned and operated since 1962, is proud to have been consistently ranked among the Best Places to Work in Philadelphia and Bucks County, PA. For more info: http://www.asicentral.com.
FTI Belman We invested this last year in reassuring our existing customer base of our commitment to the future with them as our partners; while also attracting new business opportunities along the way.

In its first year as a spin-off, FTI Belman, LLC has emerged in the market place delivering strong operating results and successful execution of its growth strategy reinforcing its position as a national leader in telecom network deployment services and solutions.

Co-owners Angela Bell, President; Jose Cantabrana, Chief Operations Officer; and Ingrid Landman, Chief Financial Officer have deftly navigated a complex year permanently capitalizing on their namesakes status achieving solid position with their own bragging rights. Once we transitioned to FTI Belman, we reaffirmed our solid foundation with a positive ability to be strong partners to those already receiving and those seeking our services. said Angela Bell.

Cynthia Villarreal, Senior Project Manager at Nokia has been working with FTI since 2011 on RNC, BSC, Megamon, and MegaPlexers server install and commission services. Any project that comes along, I always consider FTI as my #1 Vendor for two main reasons, acknowledged Ms. Villarreal. They come highly recommended within my own internal department and T-Mobile asks for them by name. I continue to have an excellent experience as they carried on through the transition.

FTI Belman fortified its installation service relationships with OEMs like Alpha Technologies and FzSoNick; and General Contractors such as Burr Computer Environments, Inc. (BCEI), exp US Services, Inc. (EXP), and XEC. In addition, they also assisted with several major-market Central Office expansions and renovations acting as the primary design engineering firm for the common systems.

In 2016 the FTI DC Power department saw continued expansion successfully completing numerous DC Power system upgrades at facilities for customers such as Windstream, CenturyLink, T-Mobile, Charter Spectrum and Comcast.

Its been a tremendous year of growth for FTI Belman, said Ingrid Landman, Chief Financial Officer. We invested this last year in reassuring our existing customer base of our commitment to the future with them as our partners; while also attracting new business opportunities along the way.

That focus paid off when FTI Belman secured Avetta Certification by undergoing an exhausting internal safety process dedicated to their commitment to environmental protection and occupational safety. Avetta is well known for its SaaS-based solution that contributes to the prevention of accidents and reduction of adverse effects that result from normal operating conditions.

While the telecom industry continues to evolve at a rapid rate, FTI Belman seized the opportunity to leverage increasing capabilities with detailed drafting services. Conceived by a deep passion to deliver the best possible experience for customers, Jose Cantabrana, Chief Operations Officer, unlocked the door to this value added service. Working alongside with T-Mobile this year FTI Belman is not only maintaining their customers floor plans in 2D but also updating their 3D layouts using a new drawing tool.

This year the Engineering department has expanded in workforce and business opportunities, remarked Jose Cantabrana. We managed to increase our services and include DC power audits as part of our surveys. Next year is looking very promising as we already have several projects in the works.

FTI Belman is dedicated to its mission of providing exceptional service through quality training, management and personnel. With its core group of dedicated staff still intact since the initial transition, FTI Belman continues to hit the goals set and anticipates they will continue hiring for a number of new positions as it awaits the coming of 2017.

In December of 2015, FTI Belman, LLC became the spin-off of Field Telecomms, Inc. which was founded in 1982 by Scottish entrepreneur John Christie. FTI Belmans main objective is to continue to be a true turnkey value added vendor with a strong focus on improving and strengthening our customer's position within the industry. FTI Belman possesses the ability to be nimble and quick to respond to any deadline or adversity. FTI is strongly committed to customer service with the ability to quickly resolve unexpected issues in a manner that will produce a favorable result by being inventive and resourceful.

______________________________________________________________________________________

FTI Belman is a leading provider of telecommunication network deployment services and solutions and offers full turnkey project management for telecom networks, including all stages of planning, infrastructure and implementation. For more information, please visit http://www.ftibelman.com.
For many humans, the start of a new year means its time to hit the gym and squeeze back into those skinny jeans  and according to Petplan claims data, the same should go for furry friends. Thats because Petplans most frequently claimed conditions have one thing in common: obesity.

Its no surprise that the biggest health threat to pets in 2017 is obesity, says Dr. Ernie Ward, Petplan Veterinary Advisory Board member and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. When you consider that over half of the nations dogs and cats are now overweight or obese, it literally is a growing problem.

A good rule of thumb is 30 minutes of play will keep the pounds away. This year, Petplan challenges pet parents to get out and get active with furry friends to avoid the extra fluff that can exacerbate many of Petplans most commonly claimed conditions, including:



Tummy troubles: Lets face it  pudgy pets eat more than they should. And overeating can easily lead to vomiting and diarrhea, Petplans #1 claimed conditions year after year  in fact, Petplan sees an average of 900 claims every month just for tummy troubles! And the cost for relief averages at $850.

The Big C: There have been some indications that certain types of cancer are more common in overweight or obese pets, and that can put a bump in pet parents budgets  the average vet bill for cancer is $2,033.

A gimpy gait: Lameness, or general limping, is often caused by arthritis  and extra pounds mean extra stress on pets joints (and wallets  the average cost to treat lameness is $966).

Not-so bees knees: Pets who pack on the pudge are also at a greater risk for cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries from added joint stress and weak muscles. CCL injuries are the priciest of Petplans common conditions, costing an average of $3,480 to repair.

On the go: Several things can cause a urinary tract infection in pets, but obese animals may be more at risk because they cant clean those hard-to-reach places. The average cost to treat UTIs? $590!

Matters of the heart: Obesity usually comes with high blood pressure, poor organ function and low levels of activity  all things that contribute to cardiac disease and an average $1,232.

Back attack: The long and lows (think Dachshund and Basset Hound) are particularly prone to intervertebral disc disease, and added weight can increase their chances of developing the disease  and a $2,014 vet bill.

The good news is, unlike many of these conditions, pet obesity is 100% preventable and curable. In addition to daily exercise, swap fatty treats for lower-calorie options, or better yet opt for praise and playtime instead of snacks, says Dr. Ward. And know your pets calorie count  ask your vet how many calories your pet needs each day, and stick to that number.

For info on Petplan and for more pet health tips, sniff out http://www.petplan.com.

###

ABOUT PETPLAN

Petplan has built the industrys leading pet insurance for pet parents who demand a higher pedigree of care for their best friends. Weve leveraged 40 years of global experience to create completely customizable coverage pet parents can feel confident in, and world-class claims service thats second to none  24 hours a day, every day.

Petplans innovative approach to pet insurance has been recognized by Forbes, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Inc. magazine, Smart CEO, the Communicator Awards, Ernst & Young and many others.

Petplan policies are underwritten in the U.S. by XL Specialty Insurance Company and in Canada by XL Specialty Insurance Company-Canadian Branch. The company is rated A+ by S&P. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions. For more information about Petplan pet insurance, visit http://www.petplan.com or call 1-866-467-3875.
Vistatec has appointed Kristin Hansen as Director of Sales in North America. Kristin has a wealth of experience in the localization industry and is moving from Lionbridge to join Vistatec.

Kristin is joining the extensive sales division in North America and will be bringing many years of industry experience garnered from a career in localization services and technology solutions with companies such as SDL, Translations.com and Lionbridge. Kristins experience ranges from complex projects to multi-million dollar program solutions for major clients around the world.

With a track record in enterprise sales and proven leadership skills Kristin is a welcome addition to the expanding Vistatec team. We continue to add talent and experience to Vistatec, and Kristins industry knowledge will assist in identifying and understanding the ongoing and changing requirements of our global clients.

We are very excited to have Kristin on board here at Vistatec. She has a solid track record and 10+ years experience in the industry. Kristin is well respected in the sector and has hands-on experience working with some of the worlds leading companies. We are delighted to see Kristin joining the winning team at Vistatec as we continue to grow and support our clients. commented Michele Smith, Senior Vice President of New Business Development, Worldwide, Vistatec.

I am thrilled to be joining Vistatec at this time of growth. I have watched the progression of the company for a number of years. What attracted me to Vistatec is its outstanding reputation for service quality, creativity, stability and continuity. This combined with the very latest in technology and industry leading solutions really makes Vistatec stand out. It is exciting to be working with Vistatec. added Kristin Hansen.

About Vistatec

Vistatec has been supporting some of the worlds most iconic brands to optimize their global commercial potential since 1997. Vistatec is one of the worlds leading localization solutions providers headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with offices in Mountain View, California, USA.

Media Contact

Simon Hodgkins, Chief Marketing Officer, Vistatec

simon(dot)hodgkins(at)vistatec.com
Many people do not understand the specialization that the legal industry has undergone in the past several decades. Just as one would not go to a dermatologist for lung cancer, one would not ask a tax attorney to defend a DUI. But the specialization goes even deeper: litigation over commercial disputes should be handled by someone with deep experience with such disputes; the best criminal defense attorney or divorce litigator is simply not the likely best choice because, among other reasons, issues tend to repeat themselves. This is not to say that once an attorney has done one xyz case she is an expert at all xyz cases, but the truth is that the expression the practice of law exists for good reason. This Financial Poise Webinar series explores four common litigation scenarios involving complex financial issues.

The first episode of the series, Common Issues and Strategies in Business Breakups (Register Here) is available on-demand now and features moderator Erin Hollis of Marshall & Stevens. She is joined by Katherine Puffer of VH Valuations, Gerald DeLoss of Greensfelder Hemker & Gale and Leland Chait of Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Hammer.

Breaking up is hard to do. Business partners dont always get along or agree. In Episode One, we discuss common issues and strategies regarding business breakups: preventative breakup strategies, common breakup issues and strategies to cope with a breakup. The discussion includes issues that cause breakups; what is breach of fiduciary duty; when family members cant get along; shareholder oppression and dissention; majority rules and minority power; contractual restrictions; limited withdrawal and dissolution rights; and resolutions. Also included is an examination of valuation clauses in stockholder and partnership agreements and the impact state statutes may have on valuation issues. To read more on this subject, you can click here.

Later episodes include Nuts & Bolts of Lost Profit Cases, Resolving Shareholder Disputes, and Defending Against "Avoidance Actions." Each episode is delivered in Plain English understandable to business owners and executives without much background in these areas. Yet, each episode is proven to be valuable to seasoned professionals. As with all Financial Poise Webinars, each episode in the series brings you into engaging, sometimes humorous, conversations designed to entertain as it teaches. And, as with all Financial Poise Webinars, each episode in the series is designed to be viewed independently of the other episodes, so that participants will enhance their knowledge of this area whether they attend one, some, or all of the episodes.

About Financial Poise:

Financial Poise (http://www.financialpoise.com) provides unbiased news, continuing education, and intelligence to private business owners, executives, investors, and their trusted advisors. For more information contact Emily Goldin at egoldin(at)financialpoise(dot)com or 312-469-0135.
Steinger, Iscoe & Greene is pleased to announce that Andrew Odza has accepted a position as a personal injury attorney for the firm. Mr. Odza received his undergraduate degree in business from the University of Miami. Next, he went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University, where he was a member of the renowned Nova Trial Association Team.

During law school, Mr. Odza interned for a boutique securities firm in Boca Raton. Upon graduation, he returned home to work for a distinguished criminal defense and civil litigation firm. While practicing in Philadelphia, Mr. Odza was certified by the Court of Common Pleas to serve as an arbitrator in civil matters.

Although Mr. Odza grew up in a suburb of Philly, he came down to South Florida to attend college and then law school, said Michael Steinger, but now he has returned to South Florida to zealously help victims obtain justice for their injuries. We are glad to have someone with Andrew Odzas unique skill sets to join Steinger, Iscoe & Greene.

Mr. Odza is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the Young Lawyers Division of Florida, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Philadelphia American Inn of Court. Mr. Odza is excited to be back in South Florida and to have the opportunity to be part of the law firms team.

About Steinger, Iscoe & Greene

Steinger, Iscoe & Greene is a proven legal team whose number one goal is to get injury victims throughout Florida every dollar they truly deserve for their injuries. The firm and its partners, Michael S. Steinger, Gary T. Iscoe, & Sean J. Greene have successfully recovered over one billion dollars for their clients and handled thousands of cases, including: auto accidents, bicycle accidents, birth injuries, product liability, catastrophic cases and workers compensation, since 1997. The entire legal team is committed to representing and fighting for injury victims best interests, giving each client insight into their individual rights as it relates to the law.

With more than 30 lawyers, 140 legal professionals, and offices throughout South Florida - Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Tampa and San Diego, California, the firm is ready to advocate for the best interests of injury victims coast-to-coast while offering the No Fee Guarantee.
transcosmos inc. made Digital Operative Inc. (Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States; CEO & Co-Founder BJ Cook, CTO & Co-Founder Adam Levenson; hereafter, Digital Operative), a digital agency in the U.S., its subsidiary through its existing subsidiary, transcosmos America Inc.

Digital Operative, a digital agency founded in 2008 in San Diego, California, U.S., specializes in working with direct-to-consumer brands who have an e-commerce channel. Digital Operative excels in helping its customers identify its customer profiles and market size, while providing them a full-service offering featuring digital strategy & planning, UX & visual design, digital marketing (paid media, social media, SEO, e-mail marketing, content marketing, campaign development, analytics), web development and more. In addition to its offerings, Digital Operative is a certified solutions partner with Magento, an e-commerce platform which boasts the largest implementation records around the globe, as well as certified partners with Shopify Plus, Optimizely and Google. In addition to its headquarters in San Diego, California, Digital Operative also owns an office in Denver, Colorado.

Digital Operative Overview:

Company Name: Digital Operative Inc.

Representative: CEO & Co-Founder BJ Cook

CTO & Co-Founder Adam Levenson

Headquartered: San Diego, California, United States

Year of Foundation: 2008

URL: http://www.digitaloperative.com/

"We are very excited to join the transcosmos global family. said BJ Cook, CEO & Co-Founder at Digital Operative. With our vision to continue to help companies build successful digital strategies and e-commerce roadmaps, this new partnership will provide a true one-stop solution for companies wanting to enter into the US market and vice versa. It's a true win-win for both teams."

By making Digital Operative its subsidiary, transcosmos aims to support client companies making inroads into e-commerce business in the U.S. by strengthening its digital marketing services through integrating transcosmos operational know-how on Global E-Commerce One-Stop Services with Digital Operatives service features.



transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. in Japan and other countries.

Other company names and product or service names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.

About transcosmos inc.

transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then we have combined superior people with up-to-date technology to enhance the competitive strength of our client companies by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers Cost Reduction Services (contact center, back-office service for HR/Financial/Sales depts., order management and SCM, system development & operation etc.) and Sales Expansion Services (big data analysis, internet advertising, developing & operating website, smartphone/SNS utilization, telemarketing etc.). transcosmos continues to pursue Operational Excellence by providing these services through our 169 locations in 31 countries with a focus in Asia. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients companies' excellent products and services to consumers in 48 countries around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the Global BPO Partner of our client companies, providing them with high quality BPO services on a global scale.
We welcome any ISP looking to switch from Yahoo mail to a highly secure, modern and ISP focused email platform. We bring a flawless security record of offering email services  12 years with zero breaches

HyperOffice today announced that it was in active conversations with ISPs and Telecoms looking to switch their email subscribers from the Yahoo email platform in light of Yahoos acquisition by Verizon and recent news of user accounts being compromised.

In September, Yahoo admitted to the data of 500 Million email user accounts being compromised in 2014. On December 14, Yahoo again said 1 Billion user accounts were hacked in 2013, making it one of the largest such breaches.

Many ISPs and Telecoms have used Yahoos email technology in the backend to power the email addresses of their subscribers. They are understandably anxious about the hacking news. Adding to this anxiety is the fact that Yahoo is being acquired by Verizon  a strong competitor to many ISPs and Telcos. said Farzin Arsanjani, President, HyperOffice. Large ISPs, like New Zealands Spark, have decided to switch from Yahoo to other platforms, and others might be considering the same. We welcome any ISP looking to switch from Yahoo mail to a highly secure, modern and ISP focused email platform. We bring a flawless security record of offering email services  12 years with zero breaches, he added.

HyperOffices Email Plus service delivers a modern and feature rich cloud based email platform to ISPs and Telecoms. Email Plus allows these service providers to offer email services to their subscribers under their own brand name and with many options to upsell from email to other cloud services. Moreover, HyperOffice offers migration services to help ISPs move off an incumbent email platform.

Innovative service providers around the world from Brazil to India and Japan have been using HyperOffice technology to serve their customers cloud needs without compromising security or profits, said Farzin.

ISPs looking for details on HyperOffices offer can see more here https://www.hyperoffice.com/sp/yahoo-isp-alternative.php

About HyperOffice

Launched in 2004, HyperOffice, is a leading range of cloud based social collaboration, communication, UCC and mobile technologies. Its mission is to enable service providers with innovative cloud technologies and delivery capabilities to increase revenue while protecting their brand and their customers. Service Providers can serve high demand cloud markets via cutting edge HyperOffice white label solutions. HyperOffice is widely recognized for its highly differentiated and innovative offerings with awards from Red Herring, ComputerWorld and leading research firms.

Sources

The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/14/yahoo-hack-security-of-one-billion-accounts-breached

CNN - http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/14/technology/yahoo-breach-billion-users/index.html

NBR - https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/spark-finally-ditches-yahoo-moves-xtra-mail-new-zealand-company-smx-ck-194220
LuAnn Ruwe heard the loud bang.

I bent down and when I came back up, I felt my cheek and it was full of blood, said the retired Hooper nurse. And I simply said, Ive been hit.

A patient in critical septic condition had been brought to a hospital in Haiti, where Ruwe was working as a nurse during a mission trip.

While in the operating room, the patient needed more oxygen, so medical team members got a large tank.

But when they turned on the nob, there was a bang.

And a piece of the oxygen regulator went flying through the room like a little missile, striking Ruwe and breaking her jaw.

More than a month later, Ruwe sits with fellow mission trip volunteers, Mary Hilgenkamp and Hannah Thompson, both of Arlington.

The mood is light, punctuated by laughter, yet thoughtful as Ruwe, a grandmother, Hilgenkamp, a nurse and young wife and mother, and Thompson, an Arlington High School senior, recount lessons learned.

Almost 70 people took part in a two-week trip during the Grace4Haitis Medical Missions 15th team trip to Pierre Payen.

There, medical-surgical teams and non-medical personnel helped supplement local health care, said Dr. Joe Miller, founder.

The teams work included removing a 32-pound fibroid during a hysterectomy, caring for many bad fractures, and resuscitating two babies who otherwise would have died.

Team members saw more than 600 patients in clinic, delivered five babies and completed more than 60 procedures in the operating room.

The three area women stayed for one of the two weeks.

Before the medical trip, Hilgenkamp and Thompson spent three days at Gods Children Haiti orphanage, where they encouraged the children with special needs and helped them with homework. While there, Thompson learned an important life lesson.

I realized that despite the labels everybody has, at the end of the day were all just people, Thompson said. We have emotions and we are just trying to live.

Two years ago, Thompson said shed fallen in love with mission work when her youth group at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Arlington went to Angel Fire, N.M. There, they chopped wood for families and served at a food pantry. Thompson enjoyed getting a different perspective.

You can go and travel to places on vacation, but for me when I go and do mission work in that place, I can get more of a feel for their culture and how they live, she said.

This was Hilgenkamps third trip and a little more peaceful one at that. In other trips, she and other team members tended to victims of serious accidents.

There were more happy clinical and surgical experiences of us really changing and making a visible difference in peoples physical lives., she said. And there were just joyous nursing moments, instead of the sadness of the traumas and multiple deaths.

Ruwe and her daughter, Rachel Brich of Denver, also a nurse, were on the trip.

We both have done previous mission trips and we just wanted to do a medical mission trip together as nurses, Ruwe said. Shes a good nurse and to share the experience of watching your daughter, and your daughter watching you, it was sweet.

The first day was spent cleaning and prepping the hospital. The team brought more than 2,500 pounds of medical supplies donated by local hospitals and clinics.

On Nov. 14, a Monday, the team went to work seeing patients.

Thompson worked in a registration area, checking in patients, giving them numbers to stand in line and helping them get in the right lines to pay, have vital signs (like blood pressure) checked, see doctors or have a surgery. The process could take seven or eight hours for a patient. They never complained.

Theyre the most patient, resilient people in the world, Hilgenkamp said.

Seeing how long the patients waited affected Thompson.

I got mad watching them wait, Thompson said, noting however, There was nothing we could do.

There were just so many people.

Thompson had one unique opportunity during the trip.

She got to hold a suction wand during a surgery, hold a cut open with retractors and snip the last part of a tumor to remove it.

It was awesome, Thompson said. It confirmed my want to be in the medical field. I was on Cloud 9. Seventeen-year-olds dont get to go into an OR and assist in a surgery. That was such a blessing.

Hilgenkamp had her own variety of experiences at the clinic, where she assisted with procedures such as the removal of fatty tumors and infected toenails. She put in IVs and catheters.

She got to help with one of the newborn deliveries. The mother had no pain medication.

She walked the hospital all day long. She was very vocal, Hilgenkamp said. But to see the joy it brought into such a country of despair, I cant even describe it. I couldnt stop smiling that day.

And a half hour later, she walked out of the hospital with her new baby and the family was just overjoyed to have us there helping. They handed out suckers and lots of hugs and wanted to take a pictures of us with the new baby.

Ruwe worked on the hospital side, starting IVs and helping patients.

One day, she cared for three people who collapsed in a courtyard. In one case, she had the heartbreaking task of helping a husband with limited funds decide which one of three prescriptions he could afford to buy for his wife, who was in excruciating pain with an infection after a miscarriage. The woman got the needed antibiotic and was better 24 hours later.

Ruwe helped one patient, a woman in her late 50s, whod come to the hospital that Monday with a head injury after a fall. In the United States, the woman would have had an MRI or surgery, but that wouldnt be the case there. She would be put on what Americans would call hospice on Wednesday.

She and a nurse practitioner were with the patient and her family when she died. It was a peaceful death.

The family surrounded her, Ruwe said. There was much crying and grieving in the morning, but after the death occurred, the family resolved quickly and walked out the door.

As Ruwe walked out, a Haitian nurse respectfully said: Thank you madam.

It was lovely, because we had been able to maintain the end-of-life dignity of the patient, she said.

That evening at about 6, Ruwe was in the operating room, when she was hit by a hard, black, plastic piece of the oxygen regulator.

After being hit by the device, Ruwe walked out of the operating room with assistance.

My daughter saw me and she said, My moms been hit! Ruwe recalled.

Team members divided into two groups  one to care for the Haitian patient and the other to help Ruwe. Team members repaired a tear in Ruwes left cheek, but the bleeding wouldnt stop.

They had to hold pressure on her head, against her broken jaw. She was given pain medication.

I saw myself as pretty emotionally stable and I think that was God interceding for me, Ruwe said.

By 11 p.m., Ruwe was taken into the operating room. While she was under local anesthetic, the stitches were removed. Ruwe would have probably one of the best ear-nose-and-throat doctors in the United States there for the procedure. He later wrote Ruwe and said a facial artery probably had been severed.

They had to cauterize it so it would stop bleeding, Hilgenkamp said.

By midnight, Ruwe was out of the operating room. Her head was wrapped with ice and an ace bandage.

And, while in a wheelchair, she was taken across a busy gravel highway to the compound where medical personnel stayed.

Six people lifted the wheelchair at times to help get it across the highway.

She was finding humor in this, Hilgenkamp said. Here, shes just had surgery and shed laughing right along with us.

Ruwes flight back to the U.S. was switched so she could leave early that morning. Ruwe said she had tremendous VIP treatment from the airlines. She arrived in the U.S. by 8:30 p.m. that Thursday and was in an oral surgeons office the next morning.

She would have no other surgery. Her broken jaw wasnt wired shut. Not being able to open her mouth more than a half inch, she ate soup and drank smoothies for about three weeks.

Her teeth are still misaligned, but shell let time heal it. She has a little scar on her left cheek, but her jaw should heal fine.

Ruwe said her prognosis is excellent.

We had the perfect team for the best outcome, she said.

Ruwe said the experience of working in the Haitian hospital gives her a better understanding of the culture.

She knows the love and emotional needs of people has no borders.

And Ruwe has a story that she can and has share with others.

I have the opportunity to give glory to God to perfect strangers, she said.

This experience gives you the opportunity to witness to others and share the love of Christ, Hilgenkamp said. Theres always good in bad and its finding the good in any circumstance, and LuAnn is an amazing person.

Hilgenkamp notes something else:

When anyone goes on mission trips, you know you are putting your life out there, she said. And freak accidents can happen, whether it be an explosion, an earthquake, hurricane or an illness or unrest from people of whatever country you go to, but people go because they feel theyre called.

I know there could be a chance I might not come back and I love my family and pray to God I will come back to be with them, but if I were to die doing something like that I know I have died doing something God has called me to do and my family honors and respects that.
New Years Eve is a special night for most people. Its the final day of the old, and the last day before the new. The new goals, the new hobbies and the hope of becoming a new and better person.

Its a night when friends meet up, dress up and take the town by storm. Its one big celebration.

But its also a night where parents have to find viable options for their children. It can be a tough operation to go out to dinner, have a few drinks with friends and enjoy the evening in its entirety while worrying about what their kids are doing, or having to monitor them themselves during the evening.

This is why for years, the Fremont Family YMCA has hosted its annual New Years Eve Overnighter inside of its facility. Recently, the Y started splitting Overnighter responsibilities with staff at the Sidner Ice Arena  one year the event is held inside of the YMCAs main complex and the next its held inside of the Ice Arena.

It gives the kids a little more variety when we do it that way, said Claire Wray, YMCA aquatics director.

This year, the Overnighter is being held inside the main YMCA building, Wray said during a Tuesday phone interview.

The cost of the Overnighter is $50 for YMCA members and $70 for non-members, she said. Parents will drop their children  grades third through sixth  at the main Y entrance at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31 and pick them back up at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 1. Parents must leave YMCA staff with an emergency number that they can be reached on if need be, Wray said.

Parents are encouraged to register their children as soon as possible because there is a 45-person registration limit. Registration can be completed by contacting Wray at 402-721-6952.

Throughout the evening, children in attendance will be constantly monitored by five staff members, Wray said. Children will complete a scavenger hunt throughout the Y, swim, have a pizza party, complete an obstacle course in the gymnastics area, participate in arts and crafts activities and watch the ball drop in Time Square at midnight.

In addition, there will be a central sleeping area in one of the gymnasiums that will be monitored by Y staff.

Wray said its important for parents to realize that this is a safe, fun event for their children.

This isnt some free for all, she said. There will be staff with the kids at all times.

She added that the Overnighter is a great way for children to make new friends.

This is a really fun way for kids to get involved, there are a broad range of ages here so they can meet some new kids they normally wouldnt see, Wray said. It also gives parents a night away from the kids, but they can feel confident that they are safe inside of the Y with responsible staff who will make sure that they are having a great time, but also keeping safe.
EAST MOLINE -- City council members gave unanimous approval to a long-awaited plan to redevelop a 132-acre parcel of land that once belonged to Case-New Holland.

Developers held a news conference earlier Monday "to tell people what's going on," Great River Development partner/investor Mike Jacobs said.

People should expect to see a lot of trucks and tractors ripping up the ground at what's being called "The Bend," chosen to mark where the Mississippi River bends and where you can see water running in two directions, Mr. Jacobs said.

The council's final approval of the land plat paves the way for a nine-story, 230-room Hyatt House/Hyatt Place Hotel and new apartments on "the largest flood-controlled property on the Mississippi River, Mr. Jacobs said.

It also "unleashes" developers to start selling other lots in the area, he said.

"The New Year will be defined by action and progress on the riverfront in East Moline," co-developer Jim Russell was quoted as saying, according to a news release.

"We're ready to turn the page," co-developer Dan Murphy said in the same news release. "We're ready to turn vision into action."

Evergreen Real Estate Services chairman Jeff Rappin outlined plans to build a 180-unit apartment building on a first construction phase, followed by two similar phases, each costing about $20 million.

Expected completion date for the hotel and first apartment phase will be spring 2018.

The hotel, apartments and infrastructure development will cost $76.5 million, Mr. Jacobs said. It also will generate more than 1,000 jobs, he said.

Mayor John Thodos called it "obviously exciting news for East Moline" and said the project was one of the reasons he decided to seek re-election as mayor.

Revitalize and Develop East Moline -- REDEEM -- executive vice president Timothy Knanishu, called it a "game changer" for the region and a catalyst for redefining the riverfront.

"This site, down the shoreline from Chicago-to-the-Quad Cities passenger rail and the Q multi-modal station, the iWireless Center, the new I-74 corridor and Western Illinois University-Quad Cities Riverfront campus, will be part of a vibrant riverfront community," Mr. Knanishu said.

In other action Monday, council members:

-- Approved a $6,092,370 tax levy, representing a 4.99 percent increase from last year, following a public hearing on the levy that preceded the council meeting.

-- Approved a budget listing $40,370,320 in revenues, including $12,699,320 in general operating funds, and $45,286,965 in expenses, including $14,831,495 in general operating funds.

-- Continued committee-of-whole discussions on raising chickens and hunting within city limits.
ALBANY, N.Y.  Former President Bill Clinton, after casting his Electoral College vote Monday for his wife, Hillary Clinton, said she battled through a bogus email deal in her presidential campaign but ultimately couldnt prevail against the Russians and the FBI.

Clinton, one of New Yorks 29 official electors, essentially pointed the blame for Hillarys loss to Russian hackers  whom the FBI and CIA say intervened in the election to help Republican Donald Trump  and the FBIs disclosure just 11 days before the election that it was reviewing more of Hillary Clintons emails. Some analysts have said the FBI action probably tipped late votes to Trump, who won the Electoral College vote but lost the popular count.

The former president said casting a vote for his wife under these circumstances was bittersweet.

But Ive never cast a vote that I was prouder of. You know, I watched her work for two years. I watched her battle through that bogus email deal, be vindicated at the end, Bill Clinton told reporters as he was exiting the New York State Capitol. She fought through that. She fought through everything. She prevailed against it all. Then, you know, at the end, we had the Russians and the FBI deal. She couldnt prevail against that. But she did everything else and still won by 2.8 million votes.

Pushed to elaborate, the former president pointed to Nate Silver and the FiveThirtyEight blog, apparently a reference to its analysis that if the election had been held Oct. 27  just before the FBI announcement  Trump would have lost.

The finest vote counter in America is Nate Silver and he told you what cost her the election, Clinton said before departing.

Unlike other states Monday, New York cast its official vote without drama  no protesters, no electors trying to change their pledged vote. That likely stemmed from Hillary Clintons easy win here: She garnered 59 percent of the vote in New York to Trumps 37 percent.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who worked as federal housing secretary in the Clinton administration, said the formal vote had to be a personally difficult situation for the former president. But Clinton, who now makes his home in Westchester County, was greeted warmly in the State Senate chamber where the vote was cast.

He was very gracious. Very kind. He was in good spirits, Cuomo said. He was surrounded by friends.



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Knoxville Locomotive Works (KLW) has repowered, refurbished, remanufactured, and/or upgraded more than 400 locomotives since its establishment in 1998. The companys most recent offering is a fleet of nine SE Series switchers constructed with the assistance of Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP) funds.

KLW offers its own line of low-emission, single-engine repowered locomotives, from 1,000 hp four-axle switchers up to 3,200 hp six-axle linehaul locomotives. KLW also offers locomotive rebuilding and refurbishment services for older locomotives.

T he project, conducted for Locomotive Solutions of Houston and Baton Rouge, originated from applications submitted under the TERP program, which is administered by a funding department within the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality). TERP is a biennium funding program for obtaining ERIG (Emissions Reduction Incentive Grants). Under the TERP program, Locomotive Solutions was awarded a contract for nine repowered units using KLWs drive train system, which consists of an MTU Tier 4i engine platform for 1,050 BHP (brake horsepower) and 1,560 BHP engines. The company says that, effectively, 80% of the cost of the top-deck repower is reimbursed through the award of emissions reduction incentive grants.

The nine KLW SE Series switchers, models SE15B and SE10B, are destined for Chevron refineries in the Houston and Beaumont-Port Arthur, Tex., non-attainment areas. The first unit was christened on Friday, Dec. 16.

The KLW SE15B and SE10B are switcher locomotives that are 1,560 BHP and 1,050 BHP respectively. Utilizing four-axle EMD and GE cores, both models weigh up to 276,000 pounds and are fitted with an MTU Series 2000 diesel engine, ZF Friedrichshafen AG reduction gearbox, a TMV Control Systems Inc. Traction and Engine Control Unit (TECU), and other modern technology. These switcher locomotives are some of the lowest-emitting units ever created and offer superb fuel savings, the company says. The SE15B and SE10B models are also the only switcher locomotives in existence to use a high-speed diesel engine with the low-speed AR10 alternator.

The MTU engines are made in Aiken, S.C. Currently certified to EPA Tier 4i off-highway standards, the 12V and 16V Series 2000 engines offer estimated emissions reductions of up to 90%, making them excellent solutions for switching in highly populated areas, which is one reason why they qualify for many government-funded emissions-reduction programs, the company says.

KLW says that, in addition to ultra-low emissions, the SE15B and SE10B reduce fuel consumption by 30-50% compared to similar horsepower locomotives and up to 60% (SE10B) when replacing a higher horsepower locomotive, thanks to improvements in tractive effort. In many operations, this means savings in the tens of thousands of dollars or more per year.

The TMV TECU controls the traction alternator, engine speed/power, wheelslip, cooling fans, direction control, automatic engine start-stop (AESS), among other functions. KLW says the TECU is about one-fourth the size of a typical Dash-2 module rack and as a result features much less wiring than older electronic systems. A touchscreen is also provided so that operating and maintenance crews can monitor the locomotives diagnostics, including faults, in real-time.

One of the key features of TMVs TECU system is wheelslip control. By monitoring the traction motors and each axle, the TECU can prevent wheelslips from occurring, the company says. This increases the starting tractive effort significantly, up to 40% in certain conditions, compared to older wheelslip control systems. Increasing the starting tractive effort allows the locomotive to do more work than it could before the repower process. Preventing wheelslips and increasing traction also reduces the wear and tear on wheels and on track.

What sets KLW locomotives apart is our unique approach to locomotive repowers, the company says. Each KLW model uses a single MTU high-speed engine with a low-speed AR10 traction alternator. This is possible by using a ZF 2:1 reduction gearbox with the MTU engine. The gearbox converts the RPMs from the MTU engine (up to 1,800 RPM) down to a lower speed (up to 900 RPM), making the MTU engine compatible with the AR10. The ZF gearbox is joined to the AR10 with a double-bearing adapter (designed and patented by KLW) and a Geislinger Butterfly or Centa coupling, for higher or lower-horsepower applications, respectively.

Although the engine and gearbox setup is unique to our product line, KLW actually re-utilizes many of the units original components. In addition to the AR10, the trucks, traction motors, wheels, and other items are retained and rebuilt if possible. By retaining common components, the KLW line of locomotives are more familiar to the railroad industry than much of the competition and consequently require minimal training. This approach also reduces costs and makes it easy to find replacement parts.

KLW is the only single-engine green locomotive manufacturer that offers locomotives from 1,050 hp up to 3,200 hp. As a result, we are able to offer products for operations big or small. For example, many short line and industrial operations have no need for large 3,000-plus horsepower units as they are too big, consume too much fuel, and are overkill for the work that needs to be done. On the other hand, large operations such as Class I switching yards would have no interest in anything under 2,000 or even 3,000 hp, as they need this extra horsepower and size to move large cuts of freight cars. KLW is proud to be the only single-engine manufacturer that offers green locomotives for everyone.
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The surprising strength of populist, anti-globalization leaders in the industrial West has underscored the declining prospects for the middle and working classes in the United States and Europe. By contrast, Asian elites and middle class workers are widely regarded as the largest beneficiaries of economic globalization. Despite enviable growth rates, however, Asian economies have their own worries. China's economy has manifested troubling signs in the form of two major, inter-related threats.

First, mounting public and private debt has raised the risk of a financial crisis and of dramatically slower growth rates. Chinese debt has accumulated a dizzying 465 percent over the past decade, and totaled nearly 250 percent of GDP in 2015. Servicing the debt will consume a growing part of the country's resources and is already exacerbating financial volatility ( PDF ). Worried about the size and pace of credit expansion, the IMF has called the resolution of Chinese debt an urgent ( PDF ) task.

Second, the country's adherence to an increasingly inefficient mode of economic growth threatens long-term growth. China powered its phenomenal rise on the backs of exports and investment. But this approach has grown less effective as world demand has fallen and capacity grown redundant. More debt is now required to generate less and less growth. According to economist Ruchir Sharma, China now borrows six dollars to generate one dollar in GDP growth.

To correct these problems, China should consider ways to wean the economy from its dependence on cheap credit, exports and infrastructure investment and instead adopt a more balanced and sustainable mode of growth driven to a much larger degree by consumption and services. To carry this out, China needs to curb credit to non-productive state-owned enterprises, expand social welfare service spending, and strengthen market institutions. Chinese authorities acknowledge the risk and have announced a variety of reforms to address the problem. Much of the highly publicized Third Plenum ( PDF ) agenda has centered on establishing the institutions, practices, and policies needed for such an economic transformation. However, implementation of the new policies has been extremely slow and the results largely disappointing. Accordingly, the government has frequently relapsed to loose credit as a way to boost growth and keep unemployment rates low. But these stop-gap measures only delay and compound the long-term structural problems. Indeed, pessimism about China's ability to ever carry out needed reform has grown in recent years.

Serious troubles in the Chinese economy would likely cause the world's tenuous growth to falter.

The mounting weaknesses in China's economy come at an inauspicious time. Depressed global demand has left Beijing few options for overseas markets that could ease the pain of its economic transformation. Indeed, China until recently served as one of the bright spots in a slow growing global economy. The country currently accounts for 18 percent of world GDP, adjusting for purchasing power parity. Serious troubles in the Chinese economy would likely cause the world's tenuous growth to falter. Uncontrolled credit expansion and failure to carry out needed structural reforms will further the misallocation of funds to wasteful purposes, requiring ever larger amounts of debt to fund ever slowing rates of growth. The increasing financial volatility could also spur capital flight, as anxious investors move their savings to more secure and stable markets. Both the developing and developed world would feel the effects. In the developing world, resource-producing countries that depend heavily on exports to China would find growth severely curtailed. Indeed, this has already begun to happen in light of slowing demand from China. Especially exposed are Latin America, Africa, and resource-exporting countries like Australia ( PDF ). The developed world could see a decline in investment if China opted to enact controls to prevent capital flight. Countries with integrated supply chains, such as Japan, and exporters of higher-end machinery and capital goods, like Germany, would suffer as well from a Chinese slowdown.

Although it remains to be seen what policies he may pursue, the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president could exacerbate China's situation. Trump's election is illustrative of the spreading disenchantment with economic globalization in the industrial West. With Britain's looming exit from the European Union and nationalist European parties poised to make larger electoral gains, the trend shows little sign of abatement. China's continued dependence on exports to these countries renders the country highly vulnerable to the types of protectionist policies advocated by President-elect Trump and other nationalist European leaders. Whether President-elect Trump chooses to pursue tariffs once in office is unclear. But if he chooses to do so, China could retaliate with its own tariffs. The result could be a global trade war that damages growth for all. According to some experts, tariffs enacted against China and Mexico could permanently lower U.S. annual GDP by $100 billion a year and could cost China 5 percent of its GDP. Grimly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts continued stagnation in advanced economies, which it warned could increase the appeal of anti-trade policies.

Like most other countries that have experienced rapid development, China is struggling to transition from a highly successful but unsustainable economic model. Such a transformation is difficult to carry out in even the best of economic climates, but Beijing faces the additional challenge of executing difficult reforms in the face of an increasingly inhospitable global economy. To avoid global stagnation, the world's leading economies require even closer coordination and innovative policies to spur global demand. Whether global leaders can resist the growing call for retrenchment and enact policies that invigorate growth remains to be seen.

Timothy R. Heath is a senior international defense research analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a member of the Pardee RAND Graduate School faculty.

This commentary originally appeared on The Cipher Brief on December 18, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Chip manufacturer Qualcomm Technologies is working with Lionsgate to power the Power Rangers Virtual Reality (VR) experience at the 2017 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.





The VR experience, powered by the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 flagship processor, is based on Lionsgate's Saban's Power Rangers, the feature film adaptation of the iconic property that rolls out in cinemas worldwide on 24 March. The VR experience is designed to allow audiences to enter the zords of their favourite Power Ranger, embodying their powers and capabilities.Lionsgate is at the forefront of innovative and immersive storytelling backed by a rich portfolio of premium content, said Mike Finley, senior vice president and president, North America and Australia, Qualcomm Technologies. We're happy to be working with Lionsgate to create an exciting virtual reality experience for Power Rangers fans through the technologies we've implemented on Snapdragon 835.The Snapdragon 835 processor is engineered to allow for high VR frame rates, immersive audio, enhanced 3D graphics with real-time rendering and high-definition video content. This can bring a premium immersive experience to mobile.We're delighted to team with Qualcomm Technologies on a virtual reality experience that will bring fans closer to the action of Saban's Power Rangers as they prepare for the film to arrive on the big screen, said Paula Kupfer, senior vice president, global partnerships and promotions, Lionsgate . Qualcomm Technologies' cutting-edge VR technology provides a platform for a compelling Power Rangers experience and represents a major evolution in the fidelity and immersion made possible through mobile VR.
Social media giant Twitter will live stream a two-hour live red carpet pre-show for the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards.





The show, produced by Dick Clark productions in association with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, will are 8 Jan. on NBC, with host Jimmy Fallon.The red carpet pre-show will feature interviews with celebrities, and some questions will be sourced from fans using Twitter. The live stream can be found at goldenglobes.twitter.com, @goldenglobes or in Twitter Moments.The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is always searching for innovative ways and original tools to reach our audience wherever it is as Hollywood comes together on one night to celebrate the best in motion pictures and television  and Twitter is the recognised partner to help us expand our audience, said HFPA president Lorenzo Soria. With the community that Twitter has built, together we will bring the magic of the Golden Globe Awards red carpet to the homes and eyes of aspiring storytellers across the country.Twitter is critical to the live element of our shows by connecting audiences through real-time conversation, added Mike Mahan, president, Dick Clark productions. Through this partnership, we will create a unique live streaming pre-show experience that takes our audience closer to the Golden Globes.
Russian court denies compensation for acquitted art expert Basner

ST. PETERSBURG, December 20 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  The Dzerzhinsky District Court of St. Petersburg has refused to grant a compensation for prominent Russian art expert Yelena Basner who has earlier been acquitted of fraud, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Tuesday.

On May 17, the court declared Basner not guilty to fraud. Basner was investigated over a painting, In restaurant, attributed to Boris Grigoryev, a well-known Russian artist of the first half of the 20th century. The painting, which was allegedly examined by Basner in 2009 and sold for $250,000, was proven to be a fake in 2011.

During the hearings on Tuesday Basner said that she was being held in detention from April 2014 till January 2015 and because of that she couldnt work. According to Basner, in early 2014 she signed a consulting services contract with Bukowskis Auction House, but couldnt complete her work because of her stay under house arrest. She was restricted from travel and seeing the paintings she was supposed to examine.

Basner demanded 1.5 million rubles ($24,500) in compensation and also demanded to compensate her 209,000 rubles ($3,400) legal expenses, obligate prosecutors to apologize for unwarranted prosecution and publish an announcement in media regarding her exoneration. The court ruled to grant only one demand related to the compensation of Basners legal expenses.

Basner, a former employee of the Bukowskis Auction House as well as the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, was arrested on January 31, 2014. She was charged with large-scale fraud. On February 5, 2014, she was placed under house arrest. In January 2015, a court in St. Petersburg released Basner from the house arrest.

According to investigators, in the summer of 2009 Mikhail Aranson, who is now wanted by police, in collaboration with unknown co-conspirators invited Basner to the criminal conspiracy of selling the fake painting. Investigators allege that Basner made up a sham story about the paintings history and found the buyer, a publisher Leonid Shumakov. He, convinced of the paintings authenticity, proposed his close friend, St. Petersburg art collector Andrei Vasilyev, to buy the painting.

Eventually, Vasilyev bought the fake painting for  180,000 (13 million rubles), whereas its real price was 12,000 rubles ( 166).

Prosecutors have asked the court to sentence Basner to 4 years in prison, impose a fine of 500,000 rubles ($7,700) on her and order to pay the collector 16.5 million rubles ($254,600) in compensation. Basner was found not guilty on May 17. The St. Petersburg City Court upheld her acquittal on August 11.
Russian nationalist Potkin to be paid 2,500 in compensation - ECHR

MOSCOW, December 20 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has awarded 2,500 in compensation to Russian nationalist Alexander Potkin for withdrawal of his complaint over long stay in detention from the court, his lawyer Irina Khrunova told RAPSI on Tuesday.

According to the attorney, the ECHR granted a request lodged by Russian authorities to adopt a unilateral declaration over Potkins 15-month detention. In the declaration, the Russian government admitted violation of the conditions of confinement and agreed to pay the nationalist 2,500.

This August, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow sentenced Potkin to 7.5 years in prison for embezzlement and organization of an extremist movement and fined him 600,000 rubles ($9,700). Moreover, the court granted a 4.9 billion-ruble lawsuit filed by the injured party against Potkin ($79.3 million). However, the Moscow City Court granted an appeal by defense and sent the case back to the lower court on December 7.

According to the indictment, Mukhtar Ablyazov, former chairman of the bank, who wanted to destabilize the constitutional order in Kazakhstan, asked Potkin to help him with organizing an extremist group. Potkin allegedly agreed and used funds embezzled from BTA Bank to spread the nationalist ideology in Kazakhstan. Potkin has pleaded not guilty.

Potkin (also known as Belov) was arrested on October 15, 2014 at the Hotel Intourist Kolomenskoe in Moscow on charges related to the embezzlement of $5 billion from BTA Bank. At the time of the arrest, Potkin allegedly had documents on him that effectively tied him to the embezzlement.
Russia launches investigation into murder of ambassador to Turkey

MOSCOW, December 20 (RAPSI) - A criminal case has been opened into the murder of Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, the Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday.

On Monday evening, an unidentified gunman, allegedly an off-duty police officer, opened fire at an art gallery in Ankara when Karlov was giving a speech. The ambassador was mortally wounded. At least three other persons were reportedly injured.

The gunman was later killed by police officers in a shootout, according to Turkish officials.

Videos of the assassination taken by journalists give investigators a reason to believe that the gunmans actions and speech were related to his opinion concerning Russias policy in combating international terrorism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Karlov had been despicably killed. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in turn characterized the murder of Russian ambassador as a terrorist attack aimed at deterioration of relations between the countries after the beginning of their normalization.

Relations between Russia and Turkey became troubled in October 2015 after killing Oleg Peshkov, the pilot of Russian Su-24 bomber downed by the Turkish Air Force in Syria. At that time, President Vladimir Putin described the murder of Russian pilot as a stab in the back delivered by accomplices of the terrorists. In the fall of 2016, Putin and Erdogan negotiated over getting Russia-Turkey relationship back on track.
It's easy to understand why Carrier's decision under pressure to spare about 800 of its Indianapolis workers seemed like great news. The bad news? Over the next few years many of those jobs will be made redundant by improved technologies - according to no less a source than the parent companys CEO. That's one of the problems when government tries to pick winners and losers. It takes little time for the wins to turn into economic losses.

Days after Carrier announced its decision, parent company CEO Greg Hayes made it clear that many of those jobs don't have a long shelf life. Carrier will be investing $16 million - much of it from the taxpayers - in its Indianapolis plant. Hayes couldn't have explained the investment's impact more clearly: "(W)hat that means is there will be fewer jobs." To put that another way, government cannot buy jobs, it can only rent them.

Pressuring companies to stay put is a great way to create work - for robots. The solution isn't to cling to the jobs we have; it's to train people for the jobs we need.

Offshored jobs make news, but it is mostly robots and other technologies that make jobs redundant. In 1980, the Brookings Institution reports, it took 25 jobs to generate $1 million in manufacturing output in the United States. Today, it takes just 6.5 jobs. The job-shedding march of technology is by no means restricted to manufacturing. In the next few years, for example, the shift to self-driving cars will eliminate the jobs of millions of truckers, not to mention Uber drivers as the gig economy loses ground to the gigabyte economy.

According to the American Trucker Association, there are about 3.5 million truck driver jobs in the United States. If about a third are made redundant, that's more jobs than were saved by the auto bailout - and more than a thousand times as many as at the Carrier plant. Amazon Go, a chain of supermarkets set to open in about a year, will bill customers electronically - eliminating the need for cashiers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 850,000 cashiers are employed at U.S. grocery stores. Again, that comes to about a thousand times as many jobs as were reprieved at Carrier. Politicians sticking their finger in the dike may save a few drops of water, but it can't reverse a technological tsunami.

It is hard not to feel empathy for workers who are displaced by new technologies. But a lot more people will be hurt if we try to halt progress. GDP growth has been tepid during the current eight-year economic recovery, with growth rates in most quarters stuck below 2 percent. Unless that can be raised to a consistent 3 percent, the economy will be unable to bake a sufficient pie to ensure people won't be reduced to scrapping over the crumbs. But Baby Boomers are retiring, taking their corporate memory with them, and most Millennials have not yet acquired the education or experience to fully replace them. Enhanced economic growth depends on bigger, faster gains in productivity among those remaining in the workforce, and that in turn demands that more jobs leverage more technology.

There is an opportunity to train a workforce that can do that, in advanced manufacturing. Between 1980 and 2015, advanced manufacturing enjoyed an average 4 percent increase in productivity - five times the increase in non-advanced manufacturing. The Manufacturing Institute estimates that over the next decade 3.5 million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled - cutting edge jobs requiring leading-edge skills. But it also warns that more than half of them will go unfilled for lack of skilled labor.

Part of the answer to the conundrum can be found in Indiana, the very state where taxpayers' money was spent to stave off the elimination of a few hundred Carrier jobs. Manufacturers in the Hoosier state say they may be short a million high-skilled workers over the next few years. Technological progress makes some skills redundant, but it generates demand for others. When Subaru, for example, opened a plant in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1989, most every weld on a car was done by a human being, and the plant produced 88 cars a day. Today, the welding is performed by robots, and the plant produces 1350 cars a day. But the robots need human direction and troubleshooting, which is why Suburu is one of four manufacturing companies involved in a program with Vincennes University to provide extensive in-class and on-site training of people to manage modern production - including maintaining and programming robotic arms, troubleshooting technological hiccups, and writing program logic. This may turn out to be the true Indiana miracle: Rather than try to protect jobs, we should try to protect people.

Jaw-boning American companies won't save jobs, not enough and not in the long run. Training people for advanced manufacturing and other growth sectors will. We can't beat the future, so we had better embrace it.
It's easy to understand why Carrier's decision under pressure to spare about 800 of its Indianapolis workers seemed like great news. The bad news? Over the next few years many of those jobs will be...
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Liberty Belles is a tactical gear calendar by Particle9 Productions of Florida. It's the successor to the former Clips and Hips calendar some of you may recall. They describe their work as, A glamorous glance at the world of tactical military jobs with a sexy twist! and apparently support one or more military charities. Models include Marysa Kirby, Amy Clark Fereira, Janette Veronica, Sandy Flowers, Jennifer Lynn and many others.

The 2017 Liberty Belles calendar is currently available.

They're now shooting for their 2018 calendar. If you or someone you know is interested in being a part of the calendar, you can download their model release form and establish contact with them here. Looks like you'll have an advantage if you're in the vicinity of Pensacola, Gulf Breeze Island, and Navarre.

Find 'em online at LibertyBelles.com. They're on Facebook at /TheLibertyBelles/. On Instagram at @libertybelles (though they're not terrible active there.)

Liberty Belles sum up their mission thusly:

The Liberty Belles Mission is to create a re-imagining of the tried and true girls and guns calendar product. The Liberty Belles difference is that we aim to honor and inspire the men of the United States armed forces by creating themes that directly reflect highly hazardous and usually male dominated career fields found throughout all the major military branches. When one of our fans fighting for our freedom down range can pick up our calendar and say, Hey! We use that gear in our unit, and she makes it look HOT! Then that sums up our goal. That said we also intend to introduce operators to new and innovative gear, and equipment they may not be aware of yet. So we are always looking for companies who are looking for a good vehicle to showcase their new tactical gear in a way that get's it noticed. We also welcome advisers to help us make sure that the continuity of our girl's monthly calendar themes are as on point as possible while wearing a tactical bikini of course.

Particle 9 Productions can be found on Model Mayhem right here.
Welcome to RedEye Rush Hour, your breakdown of news to help you pass the time while you're surviving your commute.



Count 'em up



What's up: Electoral College electors cast their official votes for president today. Despite protests across the country, Donald Trump officially got the required 270 electoral votes he needed to become president.



Why you care: For those still in shock over President-elect Trump, this was the last bastion of hope that electors would dump Trump and cast their vote for Hillary Clinton.



For more, click here.

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Brrrr, it's cold in here



What's up: Chicago just missed breaking a record for cold todaybetter luck tomorrow? A low of minus-13 was recorded at O'Hare, one degree shy of the record of minus-14 set Dec. 19, 1983.



Why you care: It was still cold enough that your commute sucked, nearly 300 schools in the area closed and dozens of flights got canceled. The good news? Chicago should be back to normal by the middle of the week.



For more, click here.

Crash at German Christmas market



What's up: A truck rammed into a crowded Christmas market in the center of Berlin on Monday evening. German police say they've arrested a suspect believed to be the driver of the truck.



Why you care: At least nine people were killed, and multiple injuries have been reported, according to police. They are still investigating whether the incident was an accident or an attack.



For more, click here.

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Russian ambassador killed



What's up: A Turkish policeman in a suit and tie fatally shot Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, in front of a stunned crowd at a photo exhibit in Ankara. An AP photographer in the audience captured the chilling moments. The assailant was killed after a 15-minute shootout with police.



Why you care: The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria.



Soundbite: "Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" the gunman shouted in Turkish.



For more, click here.

@michelleglopez | mglopez@redeyechicago.com
Owning an ice cream empire sounds like the kind of job thats paid out in rainbows and sprinkles and puppies. But for Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, the greatest reward is bringing memories, nostalgia and feelings to life through her product. The 43-year-old entrepreneur has devoted nearly half her life to the art of ice cream. At 21 she walked out of a figure-drawing class at Ohio State University, where she was studying art history and fine art, and subsequently quit school. I left everything theremy whole portfolio from the whole season, all of my art supplies, my paper, everything, she said. I rode my bike home and made ice cream and never went back.

Jeni Britton Bauer

She opened her very first shop, Scream Ice Cream, in 1996 in Columbus, Ohio. Jenis Splendid Ice Creams was born soon after in 2002. Today she has two dozen scoop shops in eight cities, including three in Chicago: Southport, Wicker Park and the newest addition, Armitage, which opened Dec. 16 inside the Foxtrot storefront (900 W. Armitage Ave.). Beyond tubs of colorful ice cream, the new counter will offer an exclusive menu item you wont find at other locations: Street Waffles, yeast-raised, iron-baked handheld treats served blanketed in vanilla bean or salted maple glaze. Bauer has been perfecting the recipe for years and describes the taste and texture as more like a cruller doughnut than any waffle youve ever had. Ahead of the grand opening, Bauer and I met at Floriole Cafe & Bakery to talk social media flavor suggestions, butter and politics.

When you quit school and started making ice cream, did you ever feel like you were in over your head?

In the beginning, it always feels like youre in over your head. And then what happens at some point, like with every entrepreneur Ive ever met, is you get used to that feeling and you start to crave it. If youre not in over your head, you have to figure out a way to be so that youre always challenging yourself. Entrepreneurship has really, really high highs and really, really low lows. Its hard and awesome in every way.

I'm sure lots of great people have bestowed advice upon you throughout the years. But what's the realest thing you've heard so far?

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Its weird. Im not one to take advice. Thats my problem. It was that way when I was a kid too. When someone tells me what I should do, I tend to purposely go the other way.  But there are [a few] quotes I go back to a lot. One is from Ricky Gervais, and its really simple: No one else knows what theyre doing either. I think thats so true. I feel like the older I get, the more I know that all those people who acted like they knew what I should do, I realized they didnt know shit. Most people who act like experts really arent. And its so funny to me. It should give us all confidence to jump in and be confident as well.

Do people ever pitch flavor ideas via social media? What's the weirdest request you've seen?

Most are pretty great. I have had lots of requests for marijuana ice cream, which I actually want to do. I think itd be really fun. The weird one wasand it wasnt weird, I just didnt know how to respondwhen someone said I should make a sorbet that tastes like snow. I didnt know how to process that because snow is just water. Thats that. Or does it taste like snow makes you feel? There could be more to it. I actually thought about that one for years. Is it the worlds most boring flavor or the most fascinating and interesting flavor?

Is there a flavor that has more sentimental value to you than the rest?

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In some ways, our lemon yogurt would be like that. Its always been my favorite, but its never been one of the top sellers. I feel like all of our yogurts are the best thing we do, but people dont want yogurt when they come in.  I have this need to give them their own stage and keep pushing them. And this is like 20 years.

What's the story behind the lemon yogurt?

When I was a kid, we used to come to OHare Airport to pick up family when theyd fly into town. Every time wed come up, there was a yogurt guy at OHare standing outside the airport with a bag of frozen yogurts. They were not at all like TCBY, they were like yogurt, but frozen. I always got raspberry. I loved yogurt growing up, but this tasted just like our yogurts now.  Literally, the first day I was making ice cream, I thought, I have to make that yogurt, because it was such an incredible memory.

If you're ordering a trio at one of your shops, which flavors do you pick?

I will probably go with whatever sorbet we have, so right now that would be the blackcurrant lambic. And then a yogurt, which would probably be the lemon. And then either pistachio or dark chocolate ice cream. I like to get three different textures in a trio if I can. I think that they kind of clash in a good way together.

Besides ice cream, what's one food you'll never be able to give up?

I love vegetables. Thats probably a good balance as an ice cream maker. I can eat a whole head of cauliflower for dinner. But maybe I should say the real food I would never ever be able to give up is butter. I go through a pound a week at home and I dont even cook that much.

What song are you most likely to rock out to while riding an ice cream sugar high?

Well, that happens to me a lot. I love music in my car, and I always have to have my fight song, my go to work song. Theres been a lot of them, but all of Hamilton has been on repeat.  After the election, Ive been listening to Land of Confusion by Genesis. Its so cheesy in the mid-80s kind of way. [When it came out, Ronald] Regan was president and I was a kid. I was so scared that we were going to have a nuclear war. I was sure of it; the grown-ups in my life seemed pretty darn sure of it too. It was a scary time, even from a kids perspective, it felt like a lot of unrest in the world, a lot of people not getting along.  It feels like that today to me.

Ill say this: The idea of a president who does not even care about diversity or about women, Im very upset about the election.  I just really dont like going backwards as women and all of the things weve worked on, even as a company, to make sure that people are safe.  I really feel like being a positive activist now, and Ive never felt that way before in my life. I always felt like we were on the right track, and now I just feel like were not.

I think a lot of people are asking themselves what they can do right now.

Ill tell you what you can do, you can sign up for emails from my side hustle, thegoodfights.org . Its just a bunch of women and me trying to figure out the same thing. Theres a lot of organizing going on right now, and I feel really good about it. And people not wanting to be back in the bubble and forget about this. There are so many challenges we didnt even understand existed. I want to be very sensitive to all of that and not keep dividing people but bring them together. Were in a weird place.

As an ice cream maker, these are really good issues. A lot of our customers are women, a lot of our customers are in the creative field. Truly, how can you be creative without people who are different than you around? That goes for everybody, but our ice cream shops are great places to have safe conversations with maybe people you don't agree with.  Our stores have to be places where great conversations can happen, and they do.

Jeni's Armitage is now open inside Foxtrot at 900 W. Armitage Ave.
Suresh Narayanan, chairman and managing director, Nestle India, shares tips on crisis management with Arnab Dutta and Alokananda Chakraborty.

IMAGE: As the Maggi noodles crisis erupted, Suresh Narayanan was sent to India with a simple brief: Put the company back on track. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

The Trident hotel in Gurgaon's Udoyg Vihar, where we are supposed to meet Suresh Narayanan, chairman and managing director of Nestle India, is an hour's drive from central Delhi.

We land up half an hour before the meeting.

As we wait for our guest with fruit juice and cappuccino to keep us occupied, Narayanan walks in wearing a broad grin, 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

We have a table booked at the Sapphire, but the restaurant doesn't open until 12.30 pm. Perhaps recognising Narayanan, the staff at the restaurant welcome us inside.

As we browse the menu card, Narayanan tells us why he chose the restaurant: "Someone from my office chose the restaurant, but they are supposed to serve very good Indian food."

But since he has a long day ahead, Narayanan says he would stick to a light lunch.

A vegetarian, he orders methi aloo (fenugreek leaves and potatoes), masoor dal tadka (lentil gravy), plain curd, phulka (handmade rotis) and fresh lime and water.

We order a Goan shrimp curry and appams and decide to wash it down with lime soda.

IMAGE: Packets of Nestle's Maggi noodles at a roadside eatery in New Delhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Narayanan, who has served the Swiss food and beverages company for 17 years, moved back to its Indian unit last September.

As Nestle India found itself in the midst of its biggest crisis involving its largest brand in India, Maggi noodles, Narayanan was sent to the country with a simple brief: Put the company back on track.

India was not new for him -- he had worked in the market for nearly two decades before being assigned to Nestle's operations in Egypt and Philippines -- but he knew his comeback was not going to be a cakewalk.

"I was coming back bang in the middle of a crisis. My first reaction was, why me? To be honest, I didn't even know the extent of the problem or the full dimension of the damage at that time. But it was also a testimony to the trust the company had in me," he says.

The crisis, which resulted in hundreds of crores of rupees in losses for the company after the sale of Maggi noodles was banned in May 2015, had devastated the firm and drained the confidence of its employees.

"My biggest concern was that people related to the company in one way or the other might lose confidence. Can we come out of the crisis? I love Nestle and what I am today is because of a lot of people in the company. So first thing I worked on was restoring the confidence of our employees and other stake holders. They did not deserve to go through all that. Most of them are like family in a company they might have served for a lifetime," he says.

What made him so confident that he could do pull that off?

His confidence stemmed from three things. "The strict quality control measures that Nestle follows assured me that there could have been no lapse on its part," he says.

Having worked with the Indian subsidiary in an earlier stint meant he could grasp the reality on the ground quickly. "People in Nestle feel proud of the company. Many of them have spent their entire working life here. These are the things that work for you when the external situation is not in your favour," he says.

IMAGE: "I didn't even know the extent of the problem or the full dimension of the damage," says Narayanan. Photograph: Reuters

The food arrives and it looks delicious. Narayanan, however, is focused on the point he is making.

Now, a year after the relaunch of Maggi noodles, the brand has regained its dominant position in the market and Nestle has launched a number of new variants to speed up growth.

The firm has also worked hard to cut losses and reverse its falling profits, apart from successfully bringing a major chunk of its customers back to the brand. "We had to rebuild it brick by brick," he says.

That said, Narayanan feels there is a lot of ground Nestle needs to cover.

Some of the credit for his success, says Narayanan, must go to his parents and his school.

Born in Bengaluru, the days he spent in Rishi Valley School were perhaps his best. His father was a civil engineer, and sending him to an institution like that meant half of his monthly salary went into his son's schooling.

After completing school, Narayanan went on to study economics at the Delhi School of Economics with an eye to joining the Indian Administrative Service.

His career path took an unexpected turn when Hindustan Lever (now Hindustan Unilever) visited the campus to hire fresh talent.

Someone in the family said an HLL interview would be a good experience to equip him for future interviews. After several rounds of rigorous interviews in Mumbai and Delhi, Narayanan landed himself a job at the FMCG major.

He went back to that same uncle: Should he take up the job? His uncle had a simple way of looking at things. What is the guarantee he would clear IAS exams? What was the salary HLL was offering?

The decision was made.

IMAGE: A year after the relaunch of Maggi noodles, the brand has regained its dominant position in the market. Photograph: PTI

Narayanan worked for HLL for the next 15 years and travelled across the country.

"Nestle and HLL have very different work cultures, but they don't say HLL is the place that grooms future leaders for nothing," he says.

Narayanan joined Colgate-Palmolive in 1998 amid a fierce battle for supremacy between Colgate-Palmolive's Colgate toothpaste and HLL's Pepsodent. Colgate's disadvantage was that they had only one brand and few variants and HLL really went after Colgate all guns blazing.

But "since I have been largely with the food part of Levers, Colgate never really excited me; so I left the company after a year to join Nestle," he says.

For a brief second, he turns his attention to the lunch. "Nice and light," says the father of one appreciatively.

It is obvious he hasn't regretted the move to Nestle for a moment.

With the Maggi crisis behind him, Narayanan is looking to impart a dose of aggression into whatever the company chooses to do next.

Another thing: Nestle has traditionally been quite low profile. After tiding over the Maggi crisis the company has taken up the task of consumer engagement with right earnest. /p>

"We are now among a handful of companies with 24x7 consumer engagement programmes running. In fact, the degree of engagement with the immediate environment and connection with consumers have also improved," he adds.

IMAGE: Narayanan feels that Nestle is yet to capitalise on the opportunities available in the market. Photograph: Reuters

Over the next few years, Narayanan will focus on bringing in new products from Nestle's global portfolio.

The company, under him, has launched a record number of products in 2016.

Narayanan feels that Nestle is yet to capitalise on the opportunities available in the market in the categories that the company is already present.

"I think we need to do more in the chocolate category, the scale of innovation and the level of premuimisation has not been as good as it should have been," he says.

But why hasn't it been more aggressive in that category; it seems to have given bigger rival Mondelez a virtual walkover.

As we come to the end of the lunch, the restaurant serves us an interesting digestive -- a concoction of fennel and, from the taste of it, ginger.

"We are not interested in running after volume by indulging in a price war; you can't fight a long war with that. I would rather give the consumer something with added value," he says.

So new products that might command a premium over competition would be the way ahead for Nestle.

"Undifferentiated products will be hard to sustain in a competitive market. Rather we will increase our portfolio in the nutrition category where we already enjoy a leadership position," Narayanan says.

Is he game for some dessert?

A resounding no confirms what we have suspected: The India boss of the world's largest food company is not exactly a foodie.
Only 300 assessees came forward with disputed tax liabilities amounting to Rs 10,000 crore, Shrimi Choudhary reports from Mumbai.

The governments efforts to reduce pending litigation under the Direct Tax Dispute Resolution Scheme have received a lacklustre response. Only around 300 assessees have come forward, with disputed tax liabilities amounting to Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion).

If this scheme, open from June 1 to December 31, fails to attract enough companies to participate, it could lead to a government setback, which had claimed to be promoting a tax-friendly environment.

The informal target was to resolve at least 70,000 cases, with an expected tax implication of around Rs 1.7 lakh crore. Under the scheme, companies or individuals would have to pay the disputed tax and interest up to the date of assessment.

For a disputed tax amount of up to Rs 10 lakh, the penalty would be waived. In cases where the disputed tax amount is over Rs 10 lakh, a penalty of 25 per cent would be levied.

According to the data available with the income tax (I-T) department, around 259,000 cases with a tax liability of Rs 5.16 lakh crore were pending before the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) as on February 29. Sources said of these, 70,000 cases or around 30 per cent of the disputes were expected to come under the window.

In the remaining 70 per cent cases, the judgments were pronounced in favour of the assessees.

Some of these disputes relate to large multinational companies, where the disputed amount is huge and the cases are pending in other courts. This could be a reason why companies are not availing the schemes benefits, said an I-T official.

Companies such as Vodafone could also avail of the scheme, as it gives immunity against a penalty and interest, in case of disputes. However, we are yet to receive any communication from their end.

An e-mail to Vodafone remained unanswered.

However, tax experts said the design of the scheme does not allow cases like Vodafone to be enrolled.

Since most international tax cases are taken to the panel by assessees, they do not qualify under the scheme. That is why the response is not on an expected level, said Sudhir Kapadia, national tax leader, EY India.

Indian tax authorities and Vodafone have been in a tax tangle since 2007 over the latters $11-billion acquisition of Hutchison Essar. The tax demand, initially around Rs 8,000 crore (Rs 80 billion), has more than doubled to Rs 22,000 crore (Rs 220 billion), including interest and penalty.

In 2012, the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of Vodafone but the United Progressive Alliance government brought in a retrospective amendment to tax laws, bringing such deals under the tax ambit. Vodafone had then moved the International Court of Arbitration. The case is yet to be concluded.

The reason behind the tepid response could be that many cases are debarred from availing the scheme. For instance, undisclosed foreign income/assets cases, search cases and cases concerning receipt of information by the government under Direct Tax Avoidance Agreement are not allowed to avail the scheme, said Sanjay Sanghvi, partner at law firm Khaitan & Co.

Also, weak cases, which do not have merit to succeed in appeals, would have applied for such a scheme. A genuine litigation case is unlikely to have been filed under this scheme and shell out taxes without any valid reason, added Sanghvi.
Since payment alternatives such as UPI, e-wallets and USSD - based mobile banking through different platforms are directly or indirectly linked to the users bank account one needs to be extra careful to keep hackers at bay, explains Adhil Shetty, CEO, BankBazaar.

Just a few days before the Indian government initiated the demonetisation drive, pushing people to carry out banking transactions through Internet or plastic cards, the country had seen a big financial data security breach compromising ATM pins of millions of debit card holders.

While the reason for the breach was not known, banks came to the rescue after the incident broke out by asking customers to change passwords and blocking accounts on request.

With the advancement of technology, the ease of banking, from checking balance to transferring funds, using smartphones or tablets has driven people to go online more than ever.

According to Reserve Bank of India data, 85 per cent of all reported transactions at banks between 2015 and 2016 were through the Internet in terms of volume. In 2014-15, the figure stood at 75 per cent.

And, now that the wind is blowing towards going completely cashless, people are increasingly exploring payment alternatives such as UPI, e-wallets and USSD - based mobile banking through different platforms, which are directly or indirectly linked to the users bank account.

While you enjoy this newly-acquired convenience, we want you to remember that cyber security is something you must consider at every step you take online. Here are some of the steps you could take to ensure your financial data is safe.

Create strong password & PIN, change them frequently: A PIN which is easily guessable is capable of turning your account dry, so avoid using your date of birth, wedding anniversary, birth date of children etc as PIN for your debit/credit cards.

While setting passwords, long combinations of alphabets, numbers, and alphanumeric and special characters with mixed casing are advisable.

Words that cant be found in dictionaries or that are deliberately misspelt can potentially be stronger passwords. You must memorise a strong password which is unique in nature and cant be guessed by anyone.

Avoid writing down your password and PIN anywhere except a secure location. This would prevent this information from being shared and leaked. While using your debit card at ATMs or at stores, beware of shoulder surfing in order to safeguard your financial details from getting stolen.

Enable two-factor authentication: With the recent RBI mandate of two-factor authentication, the card industry has adopted 3-D secure methodology enabling you to register your smart phone for authentication.

So, each time you try to make a transaction using your cards, you receive a text with a one-time security password which needs to be keyed in to prevent misuse of identity.

If you receive any such texts or notifications without your trying to log in, you must immediately notify the bank.

Careful where you swipe: Scammers can steal your card data through skimmers on bugged ATMs and point-of-sale machines.

As the process only takes a few seconds, it often goes unnoticed by the card-holder. Make sure you use your cards at secure ATMs and shopping outlets only.

When transacting with your card, always be aware of where the card is. Indian banks have been mandated to upgrade all cards to chipped cards.

If you are still using a chip-less card, youre at higher risk. The old cards, which only have a magnetic strip at the back, can easily be duplicated through unauthorised swipes. Once duplicated, they can be used to carry out illegal transactions.

Beware of malware; use the latest software and anti-virus: Considering that you are in an era wherein all your financial information is stored on your computer, phone or tablet, you have to be careful about the websites you visit and download from.

Before you click on any link that pops up on your device, make sure it is an authentic one, because if you unknowingly download or install a malware link, it could potentially spy on you and steal your personal data.

In order to stay away from such risks download items from legitimate websites and app market places only. Make sure youre using the most up-to-date operating system since this would protect you from digital vulnerabilities.

Also employ the most up-to-date anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-spyware program. This would keep your data safe from infections and security threats.

If youre logging on to your bank from a public computer, use the virtual keyboard in order to thwart keyloggers that may be used on public computers to steal keyboard inputs for logins and passwords.

Careful which apps you install: E-wallets are tapping into the growing demand for alternative modes of payment. The well-known apps have strong security features.

But beware of the ones that dont. So before you pick your e-wallet or any financial app go to the app store, check its reviews and ratings, and be assured that its a genuine app.

Dont decide to install an app simply based on the offers and discounts it is providing. Security features matter: e-wallets may store your credit or debit card details on your account. This data could be compromised in case of a security breach.

Use passwords to protect apps: Loading your e-wallet requires you to input passwords and authenticate transactions. While such actions may be protected by two-factor authentications, spending from your e-wallet may not have such checks and balances.

Payments happen instantly, and often without checks and balances. Once a payment has been completed, it cant be reversed.

Should your unlocked phone with a loaded e-wallet land in the wrong hands, you could lose your money quickly. It may be wise to use password protection for your phone as well as for your apps. You can download and install app locks to prevent misuse.

Wipe data if phone gets stolen: In this age, losing your phone is like losing your wallet - you could lose a lot of money through your apps.

While chasing the thief can be one way of getting it back, remotely wiping off the data on your phone can help prevent monetary and data loss.

Both Android as well as Apple devices let you do this. However, your phone would have to be connected to the Internet for this to happen.

The right way to dispose of documents: If you think documents containing your personal or financial details need protection only when they are in use, you are not doing enough to ensure financial safety.

Your old bank statements, credit card bills and insurance premium details carry a good deal of sensitive information and can pose a threat to your financial data security, if they land in wrong hands.

Your identity can be easily compromised from an old piece of paper lying in a paper bin. Make sure you shred such documents once you are done using them.

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While chits and the formal financial sector are not 'largely substitutable', users like the commitment to savings that these enforce and the flexibility in borrowing, reports N Sundaresha Subramanian from New Delhi.

The currency move by the Narendra Modi government, widely known as demonetisation, has put the focus on various channels of finance used by Indians in different parts of the country. While banks are bearing the brunt and the government seems to be partial towards digital tools, various traditional channels have been active in their own way.

Analysing its attractiveness as both a saving vehicle and a borrowing one, an IIM-A study said it was among the top three savings options, along with investments in land and gold.

Two studies by IIM-Ahmedabad professors Jayanth R Varma, Joshy Jacob, Samir K Barua and Sobhesh Kumar Agarwalla on such non-formal channels were issued recently at the Inclusive Finance Summit organised by Access Assist in the capital.

Both these almost came to a conclusion that functional convenience endeared such services to the consumers -- they were almost not worried about incurring the additional cost that might come with intermediation.

The first study, titled 'Chit fund participation and sources of economic value', examined the pattern of chit fund usage in Kerala.

Analysing its attractiveness as both a saving vehicle and a borrowing one, the study said it was among the top three savings options, along with investments in land and gold. Though not known for offering the highest rate of return, it ranked over bank deposits in both rate of return and ease of operation.

On ease of using, it was second only to gold. About 18 per cent of the respondents said the collection agent ensured they saved periodically.

The study found significantly high use of informal channels for transferring resources to one's native place. The use of post offices was low.

"The intermediation cost of five per cent appears to be high, relative to the net interest margin of Indian banks. However, comparison of the intermediation cost of chit funds and banks must take into account, (a) the collection services through agents from the premises of members which save their time and resources and, (b) the lower average ticket size of chit fund subscriptions."

While concluding that chits and the formal financial sector are not 'largely substitutable', users like the commitment to savings that these enforce and the flexibility in borrowing. Groups with lower or unstable incomes are likely to see chits as an insurance mechanism.

The widespread participation suggest "chit funds are offering valuable functional features that are non-existent" in their formal sector counterparts, the study concluded.

The second one, 'Savings, borrowings and remittance behavior of migrant workers in urban India', also underlines the widespread use of non-formal channels, despite having access to formal ones. It covered a sample of 801 migrant workers in Delhi and Ahmedabad with monthly income less than Rs 20,000; it found that holding a bank account was not an issue. About 92 per cent already had one.

However, the study found significantly high use of informal channels for transferring resources to one's native place. The use of post offices was low.

"Carrying cash by the individual himself or sending cash through a friend were also much in vogue, despite the obvious risk of loss inherent in such manner of remitting money." Mobile phones were hardly used.

Convenience and reliability were the dominant attributes in the choice of channel for remitting money.

"What was noteworthy was that the cost was not even close to being as important as these two attributes in the reason for choice of channel." This response, coupled with the extensive use of non-banking channels, imply that banks need to put in efforts to change the perception on these two attributes.

The migrant worker probably found more in common with the paan-chewing hawala operator, with whom he can discuss local politics and even job opportunities, than the suited and booted private bank executive.

This might be a key factor that influenced his choice of remittance channel. Banks and fin-tech professionals might do with some reverse makeover.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
The next big destination for IS in South Asia could be India.

In India, the existing SIMI-IM network can provide the logistics for an IS staging area, says Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).

Islamic State is on the back foot.

The dreams of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of a Caliphate are shrinking at a consistent pace.

A major difference in the approach of IS as compared to Al Qaeda -- the guiding beacon of Islamist radicalism till it was challenged by IS -- has been its emphasis on holding territory.

Beyond Iraq and Syria, it has declared certain areas as its wilayats (provinces). The more active examples are in Libya, Sinai in Egypt, Yemen and Afghanistan.

In Saudi Arabia too they have three wilayats that have only carried out targeted killings without holding ground.

Of lesser consequence, as on date are wilayats in Algeria, North Caucasus and Nigeria.

IS has many radical groups as its affiliates. Under the circumstances what is the group's strategy going to be once its positions in Syria and Iraq become untenable.

The choices range from holding fast to a rump Caliphate and entrenching themselves for a pitched battle, or dissipating globally.

More likely, it would leave behind a committed lot to fight a rearguard action as it moves its leadership, material and manpower assets, elsewhere.

Of course, a lot of its cadre will disperse locally, but there will be many who will try to head for destinations abroad.

While Europe and the US could be favoured destinations, it is relatively more difficult to enter most of these states.

Countries in turbulence, areas where they have already established themselves through an alliance will enjoy preference.

Of great value will be States that have a history of sponsoring and exporting terror to other countries.

In the South Asian context, such a distinction is the prerogative of only one country.

South Asian countries need to gauge their vulnerabilities and be prepared.

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border is one of the prime areas today for nurturing terrorist organisations.

IS has made deep inroads into Afghanistan from its bases in Pakistan. One of the worst bombing incidents in the recent past was the detonation at a Hazara gathering at Kabul that led to over 80 deaths.

The Afghan leadership has, off late, squarely blamed Pakistan for the IS surge in their territory.

According to General John Nicholson, the US military commander in Afghanistan the number of IS terrorists is about 1,000 to 1,500 mostly concentrated in Nagarhar province. They are well armed and trained and can serve as vanguards for a major IS base.

An obstacle to IS finding much favour in Pakistan is the Inter Services Intelligence's existing relationship with Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda may not accept Pakistani patronage of IS very kindly with the latter having challenged Al Qaeda's status as the worldwide jihad's lead organisation.

However, such differences are more among the leadership of the two organisations than at the level of the rank and file radicalised fighters.

General Nicholson states that most of the IS terrorists in Afghanistan are ex-Taliban, a group with a strong affiliation to Al Qaeda.

Bangladesh is another country that IS has already targeted. IS claimed responsibility for the butchery of 22 people at the Holy Artisan Bakery in Dhaka.

The current dispensation in Bangladesh has been pursuing a hard line policy against radical groups; however, there are adequate radical organisations in Bangladesh ready to provide the wherewithal for stronger IS penetration.

Bangladesh is ripe for more such violent displays, if not bases for IS.

Should an understanding be reached between IS and Al Qaeda, it can provide the necessary wind in the sails of worldwide jihad.

Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert, assesses the differences between the two terror networks to be more ego based and essentially quite trivial.

As IS loses more and more territory it is possible that the organisation will fragment.

Breakaway groups may accept Al Qaeda's leadership.

Should such mergers occur, the Afghanistan-Pakistan borders and even Bangladesh could well experience rapid growth of IS ideology and cadre strength.

The next big destination for IS in South Asia could be India.

As yet IS has yet to make a serious dent in India. Areeb Majeed is the lone Indian who has been to Syria to fight for IS and has returned home. In fact, more Indians have been to Afghanistan to fight alongside IS.

In India, there is also an existing network of the Students Islamic Movement of India and Indian Mujaheeden that has linkages with Al Qaeda. These can provide the logistics for an IS staging area.

Indian democracy's tolerance, rampant poverty, millions of Stateless Bangladeshis who live in near penury provide a fertile catchment area, especially if political expediency leads to muted responses from the States.

The silver lining is as yet IS remains largely an ideologically force. It is yet to have its own organisational structure to orchestrate damaging blows.

A fertile nursery remains the Kashmir valley. The IS flag has been waved enough in Kashmir already.

Among the other South Asian countries, the lax law and order situation in Nepal could be utilised for transit of IS cadres from Pakistan to India.

The Rohingiyas of Myanmar are a vulnerable lot and the situation in the Maldives is volatile enough to take advantage.

Sri Lanka is unlikely to display any tolerance having just crushed the decades-old Tamil insurgency.

Defeating IS in Iraq and Syria is not an insurmountable military challenge. Given a fair degree of cohesion between the Russians and Americans and recognising IS as the prime objective can allow a strong ground-air campaign to crush IS swiftly.

However, the costs of such a strategy would be exponential in terms of human lives. It will take time to move out civilians from Rakka, corner the jihadists, and then take them on.

A key issue that will influence IS' ability to spread globally will remain finance. Most jihadi foot soldiers not only need their pay cheques but are also faced with no other means of livlihood either.

If reports are to be believed, the pay of jihadist fighters has been halved. The chances of exporting terror to other counties and continents, lone wolf attacks set aside, have also dropped.

South East Asian countries need to share intelligence, develop joint mechanisms and condemn in unison any country that provides moral and material support to radical groups.

The faster and more accurate the intelligence flow, greater the chances of avoiding another Brussels, Paris, Kabul or Dhaka.
Listening to the litany of worries about coming times in the US, Kishore Singh realizes what the country needs is a desi export -- the "commoner" and street rabble-rouser, Arvind Kejriwal.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

Donald Trump's penthouse a couple of blocks away from the office has been a source of worry for my colleagues in New York. "It's a terror magnet," I was told; in fact, all of Trump's black stone towers with their gilt trims appear vulnerable wherever they are located, now that he is on his way to becoming the most powerful man in the world, but also its most feared, or despised, depending on your point of view.

His every move and utterance has made Americans more politically conscious than before, and they dissect it with the thoroughness of The New York Times' editorial writers. Those who know Trump voters amidst themselves wonder how they could have been friends with those who don't have a care for "the American way of life".

My hotel arranges a hospitality reception every evening that they charge for but which I had never previously attended. But learning that room service as well as the restaurant were shut for upgradation, and being both hungry and sleepy, I stepped by one evening to discover its promise of champagne on the house as well as a range of hors d'oeuvres was both lavish and true.

As people piled their plates high with pizza wedges, cheese and crackers, and refilled their wine glasses with all the intensity of bacchanalian revels, who would have thought that politics would be on their minds? But conversations at all tables was about the bad times-a-coming.

As an "outsider", I was repeatedly asked about my views on Trumpism by strangers (several of them appearing dangerously tiddly). I've learned, through experience, that while it's all right to criticise one's own wife, or family, or leader, people don't take kindly to others doing it for them. So, instead, I heard about Trump's many sins -- racism, misogyny, arrogance, his dangerous overturning of foreign policy, the appointments of previous government baiters their list of woes appeared endless.

Coming from the airport to the hotel, there had been a jam on the highway. My Bangladeshi cab driver took advantage of this to chart a route through the suburbs and rundown parts of New York I had never before seen, as a result what should have taken an hour (or less: this was very early morning) took close to three hours.

All along, the driver, speaking mostly in Hindi, kept telling me how great America was, but feared deportation by Trump even though he had lived here for 25 years and had the relevant papers that gave him domicile status. I was not entirely sure of the necessity of the long detour, and my suspicions were confirmed when he insisted he was unfamiliar with my Manhattan hotel address, but accidentally revealed he had worked at Subrata (Sahara) Roy's Plaza hotel next door to it.

He reminded me of the kali-peeli taxi drivers back home who always take the long route not required, and sure enough, he insisted on three times the fare because the "gora log" would pay by the hour. I added a little extra by way of gratuity but paid him the way we're getting used to in Modi's demonetised India, by card, thereby limiting his fiscal jugglery.

Amused by his attempt to pull the wool over my eyes -- I didn't mind the long ride because I knew my room would not be ready on arrival -- I could not help relate to his worries about coming times, and think what President-designate Trump's America now needs is an Indian export -- the "commoner" and street rabble-rouser, Arvind Kejriwal.
When Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor-Khan decided to name their first-born Taimur, Syed Firdaus Ashraf delved into history to bring into focus the fierce warrior king who bore that name many centuries ago.

IMAGE: The monument to Amir Timur, the 14th century conqueror and founder of the Timurid Empire, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Photograph: Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters

Remember all those history classes in school? That's where you probably heard about Timur, or Taimur Lang as I remember it, for the first time.

After the exams, we never really thought about Timur, the warrior who wrested Delhi from the Tughlaq dynasty.

Until the Kapoor-Khan couple, Kareena and Saif, named their newborn son, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi.

Though this little boy, who is not even a day old, is the focus of everyone's attention, there was another Timur, centuries ago, who rewrote history with his sword.

The origin of that name is even older.

When the Tatars (the Turko-Mongols) first came across iron, even the strongest among them could not -- as they were able to do with other metals -- bend it. So they assumed that it must contain, hidden within, some strong unknown substance.

They gave it the name 'Timur,' which meant something filled or stuffed.

IMAGE: Timur the Lame. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Lord Kinross, in his book The Ottoman Centuries (The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire), writes that it became a custom with the Tatars to bestow the name on their great leaders, thus acknowledging in them something beyond ordinary physical strength.

Among these, Timur the Tatar ranked as the greatest of all such 'Men of Iron,' for he aspired to nothing less than the conquest of the world, contending that 'as there was only one God in Heaven, so there should be only one ruler on Earth.'

Napoleon Bonaparte may have famously said 'Impossible is a word found in the dictionary of fools,' but he had to eat his words as he stared defeat at Leipzig and Waterloo.

But Timur, who was born four centuries before Bonaparte, in 1336, proved that there was no such word as 'impossible' in his dictionary as he went to win battle after battle.

Only two other historical figures qualify for the epithet of 'world conqueror' -- the first name on that very limited list is Alexander The Great; the second is Chengiz Khan, followed by Timur.

Timur's achievements were considered superhuman by his contemporaries.

As a child, he was believed to have been told by his father, Taraghai, 'The world is no better than a golden vase filled with scorpions and serpents.'

This, perhaps, is the reason Timur chose to rule without ministers; his personal domination was absolute.

'Timur walked with a limp,' Lord Kinross writes, 'whether due to an inborn paralysis, to an accident, or to a wound in battle, so it was said, from an arrow in the foot.'

As a result, he was also called Timur the Lame or Timur Lang.

His disability did not come in the way of his ambition. Soon after his invasion of India, the Tughlaq dynasty, that had established its reign in Delhi in 1320, collapsed in 1413.

From his capital, Samarkand (now in modern day Uzbekistan), Timur established his firm rule over an empire that extended eastward to the Great Wall of China, northward into the steppes of Russia, southward to the Ganges and the Persian Gulf, and westward into Persia, Armenia and the upper waters of the Euphrates and Tigris -- and thus to the borders of Asia Minor.

Beyond them spread the only other great Muslim empire, that of the Ottomans, ruled by Bayezid.

The European kings relied on Timur to save them from Bayezid's clutches.

Christian Europe feared it would lose its lands to the Muslims because Bayezid was moving swiftly towards Constantinople and there was no Christian king powerful enough to halt his progress.

Luckily for them, Bayezid made one mistake that turned Timur's attention towards him rather than Europe. He captured the city of Sivas (in modern day Turkey), which angered Timur.

Quoting the historian Edward Gibbon, Lord Kinross writes, 'Timur was impatient of an equal and Bayezid was ignorant of a superior.'

In one of their correspondences, Bayezid enraged Timur further when he wrote, 'If I fly from thy arms, may my wives be thrice divorced from my bed; but if thou has not courage to meet me in the field, may thou again receive thy wives after they have thrice endured the embraces of a stranger.'

Timur, Lord Kinross writes, served Bayezid a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Ankara in 1402.

'Legends of Timur's treatment to Bayezid abound: That he was kept in chains by night; that he was made to serve as Timur's footstool; that in appropriating Bayezid's harem, Timur humiliated his Serbian wife Despina by obliging her to serve naked at the table before her former lord and his conqueror. His suffering broke Bayezid's spirit and finally his mind.'

Within eight months Bayezid was dead and Timur showed no further interest in conquering Europe. Thus, for the time being at least, Europe was saved because of Timur.

Mehmed II, Bayezid's descendant, conquered Constantinople in 1453 and renamed it Istanbul.

A hundred years later Timur's descendant, Babur, conquered Delhi by defeating Ibrahim Lodi -- Saif Ali Khan's older son from his first marriage to Amrita Singh is called Ibrahim -- at the battle of Panipat in 1526.

Six powerful dynasties established their imprint on the world during Timur's lifetime --- the powerful Mongol Khan of Serbia, the mighty Ottoman Turks, the formidable Mamlukes of Egypt, the Emperor of China and the Muslim rulers of Baghdad and Delhi.

Timur defeated five of them and was on his way to China to wage a war against the sixth when Death, finally, defeated him.
'A seniority-based system created a situation where senior officers would know, years in advance, who would be the chief at some future date and the rest would not have a shot at the highest post!'

'Out of this idiotic concoction was born the media created myth of "line of succession," as if the Indian Army was some kind of monarchy,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

Out of respect for the institution of the Indian Army, I had decided not to comment on the current controversy. But the avalanche of ignorant, malicious and nasty comments has forced me to write. But before we understand the issue at hand, some basic facts need to be reiterated.

In the armed forces at all levels, (jawans as well as officers) except for the first one or two steps, all other promotions are based on selection and merit and not just seniority.

This naturally involves frequent supersession. All members of the armed forces know this and accept it as 'normal.'

The argument that this decision will affect the morale of the armed forces made by critics is bogus and needs to be ignored with the contempt it deserves.

Yes, in the last few years, this norm was floated and a new tradition of automatically appointing the senior-most as chief had evolved.

This had more to do with a weak government in an era of parliamentary minorities ruling in a coalition than any other factor.

The revolving door regimes that the country saw in the 1990s saw this practice solidify as the new 'normal.' Weak governments often then indulged in the practice of manipulating the system by selectively granting 'extensions'!

I have been a critic of this seniority-based system for a long time. This had an adverse effect on the efficiency of the armed forces as it made the final selection pre-ordained.

Thus it created a situation whereby officers in the higher ranks would know, years in advance, who amongst them would be the chief at some future date and the rest will not have a shot at the highest post!

Out of this idiotic concoction was born the media created myth of 'line of succession,' as if the Indian Army was some kind of monarchy.

It is undoubtedly true that there is very little to choose between army commanders in terms of professional competence.

In that case the existing situation and immediate challenges and relevant experience become a clinching point, as it has in the case of the present appointment.

I recall a very interesting conversation I had with a close relative of mine many decades ago. He belonged to the mechanised forces and was posted in the Military Secretary's branch at the time and dealt with officers' promotions.

At that time the Indian peace keeping operations in Sri Lanka were in full swing and many leaders faced the acid test of combat command in active operations.

The Indian Army in its wisdom then formulated a policy whereby greater weightage was given to combat experience.

In this scheme of things, the officers who were posted in peace stations obviously suffered.

My cousin raised the issue of these officers saying why should they suffer for lack of experience. My argument was that it is indeed unlucky for these individuals, but then as far as the army is concerned should we not rather go for proven combat talent? The person concerned went on to become an army commander at a later date.

For several decades now, the tribe of strategic analysts in India has been clamouring for appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff or CDS as a single point advisor to the government on defence matters.

It is rumoured that the government is indeed on the verge of appointing a permanent Chief of Staff (rather than the present rotating appointment that is in addition to being chief of service).

If this happens, it will indeed be a positive step in the right direction. The reason for this is that the present service chiefs have triple responsibility.

They have to administer and command their service and have to make and execute plans.

Their role as 'advisor' to the political leadership is in addition to this.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the routine administrative workload of a service chief far exceeds his operational intervention.

With the creation of a CDS (Chief of Defence Staff) or a permanent Chairman, Chief of Staff, this burden will be lessened.

In addition, joint planning and execution will get a leg up, required in modern warfare.

The vetting of operational plans as well as procurement from a joint services perspective by the CDS will add a further refinement to the process of higher direction of defence.

Currently this is done at the minister of defence level, but that lacks professional inputs that only experts can give.

The current hullabaloo over the army chief's selection is due to the need of out of work politicians to remain in the public eye.

India is not Pakistan where the army chief is more powerful than the PM and therefore while the army chief's post is important, it is not the most important post in the government.

By attributing motives and harking back to the 'seniority' principle, they are harming national interest and involving the army in politics, like a CM did some time ago.

Do these worthies want the armed forces to follow the judiciary where we have chief justices having a tenure of less than a few months or barely an year?

Or do they think that we should follow the civil service practice of appointing 'additional' rank posts?

Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a military historian specialising in insurgency studies.

IMAGE: The three service chiefs at the Amar Jawan Jyoti on Navy Day, December 4. Photograph: Press Information Bureau
'If ISIS was popular, they don't need to use violence.'

'The strategy of violence is a false interpretation of Islam.'

'The main victims of ISIS violence are Muslims.'

IMAGE: Islamist State fighters parade the streets of Iraq in 2014. The terrorists have since been driven out of most of their strongholds in Iraq. Photograph: Reuters

When Mohammad Bouazizi, a 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor burnt himself to death in protest against the humiliation by municipal authorities in 2010, the world didn't took notice.

But within a week of his death it was forced to, as subsequent events so rocked Tunisia, and the rest of the Arab world, that things can never be the same again.

The Arab Spring, as the revolution sparked off by Bouazizi's death was called, quickly spread to Egypt, Syria, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, shaking every dictatorial regime in the region.

Even as Tunisia itself transitioned to a democracy, the other countries are still struggling to emerge from a cycle of murderous violence and civil wars that set Egyptian against Egyptian, Syrian against Syrian, Libyan against Libyan, Yemeni against Yemeni, Shia against Sunni.

Sheikh Rached Ghannouchi, left,, is credited with peace prevailing in Tunisia.

President of the Ennahadha Party, Sheikh Rached spent several years in prison fighting dictatorial regimes in his country. He lived for nearly two decades in exile in Europe, returned to his country after the Arab Spring and brought about a peaceful democratic transition.

In recognition of his courage and his spirit, he was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj International Award for promoting Gandhian values outside India last month.

During his brief visit to Mumbai, Sheikh Rached spoke to Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

You were influenced by Mahatma Gandhi in your struggle. What did you learn from him?

I learnt from Mahatma Gandhi that violence as a strategy need not be used against a dictator.

Using violence as a reaction is not the solution, but a problem. It does not mean that we should accept dictatorship.

Non-violence is a very courageous strategy. The dictators in the beginning can laugh at it, but finally we will win the battle.

Why is Tunisia the only successful democracy after the Arab Spring? Why did democracy not succeed in other Arab countries?

I feel the Arab world after the Tunisian revolution has entered a new era and new history, which is the history of liberty and freedom.

Tunisia proved that democracy is possible, then why not in other Arab countries?

It is a matter of time, but finally freedom will win the battle against dictatorship.

There is no future for dictators in the Arab world.

Tunisia has succeeded because there were many factors -- the level of education among Tunisians was high.

There is a large middle class in Tunisia.

There is a strong civil society.

There is a moderate Islamic movement.

Also, Tunisian society is less complicated compared to other Arab societies like Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Libya or Yemen.

They are more complicated societies, people in those countries are not unified and they are not homogeneous, so this fact complicates matters and creates obstacles to change.

Finally, change will happen, but it will take more time and more victims.

IMAGE: Anti-government protesters celebrate at Tahrir Square in Cairo after they learn of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, February 11, 2011.

Furious protests swept Mubarak from power after 30 years of one-man rule, sparking jubilation on Egyptian streets and sending a warning to autocrats across the Arab world and beyond.

Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

You have said that Islam is not in contradiction to democracy, but why does the rest of the world believe that Islam and democracy don't go together?

A small minority among Muslims believes that democracy is not compatible with Islam.

They are an extremist minority, but a majority of Muslims believe that the main enemy of Islam is dictatorship.

There is a real lack of freedom in the Muslim world. We cannot stop from bringing democracy (in Islamic societies) by saying it is not a Muslim concept because it is a fact that Islam is a revolution against dictators.

Look at Firon (the pharaohs of Egypt). If you read the Holy Quran, then you can discover easily that Islam is a revolution against anyone like Firon. It is against individual tyrannical regimes.

So we have to democratise Muslim society, free it from any sort of dictatorship.

In Islam there is no sort of church or any kind of theocracy. Islam does not have a supreme religious legitimacy.

No one can pretend that he is the spokesman of God on earth.

No one can say he is the spokesman of the Holy Quran.

So there is real free interpretation of holy texts and it is guaranteed in Islam.

(It is) society which can decide who will be the ruler and no other legitimate authority can decide who will govern Tunisia or Egypt.

It is the Tunisian people who are the only source of legitimacy to decide who will rule them.

They have a right to change them and criticise them as it happens in democracy.

IMAGE: Egyptian strongman, President General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to New Delhi.

Do you see any historic reason why democracy failed in Islamic societies while it succeeded in Europe and India?

You have to see the historical background and understand the historical backwardness.

It is time for the Arab world and the Muslim world to liberate themselves from tyrannical regimes.

There is also the outside element.

For example, democracy in East Europe has been supported by Western democracies, but in the Arab world tyrannical regimes were supported by these Western democracies.

You can see what happened in Egypt when the Muslim Brotherhood came to power through elections which was accepted by all sides.

They (the West) sent missiles to the Muslim world and said democracy was not needed.

Do you think Western powers destabilise the Muslim world?

Muslims are responsible for their future, not the West, and they have the responsibility to change their tyrannical regimes.

The West has some responsibilities also, but Muslims have to take their destiny in their own hands.

Why has ISIS gained popularity in the Muslim mind? Why do Muslim youngsters worldwide find it so appealing?

ISIS has no mass popularity.

The strategy of violence is false violence.

It is a false interpretation of Islam and the main victims of ISIS violence are Muslims before others.

What is the reason for ISIS' popularity?

Who can prove ISIS is popular? They are against democracy.

If ISIS was popular, they don't need to use violence. To use violence is not popular.

Only hundreds of Muslims have joined them, and that does not mean they are popular.

One or two young Muslims joining them out of thousands of Muslims (is not popular)

Islam had such a glorious past. Why do you think the downfall came about in Islamic society? Where did it go wrong?

It is a circle. Like our life, you cannot remain young forever.

But now there is a real Islamic awakening in the Muslim world.

We can see that Muslim democrats are becoming more popular and Muslim democrats are the future of the Muslim world.

What mistakes did Muslim society make? Like not adopting a scientific approach to life, you think?

The Muslim world is in a learning stage.

There is a spread of science in the Muslim world. There is a spread of foreign language. They are discovering their heritage and trying to absorb new technology and science.

It is a matter of time before the Muslim world recovers its history and civilisation.

'Freedom does not mean chaos,' you have said. Why do people misunderstand freedom and create chaos in its name?

Some people feel that freedom means to come out of the law.

But freedom means to obey the law, accept the reality and execute the law.

Freedom is not chaos. It is not anarchy.

You lived in exile for 20 years. What was life like then?

I have been forced to be in exile, not by intention (as I was against a dictatorial regime).

I was imprisoned for five years. Many times I was sentenced to prison and then set free.

I went to Europe and fought my struggle from outside the country against dictators.

What is your message for youngsters who are disillusioned with the system?

The message is that youngsters must have patience.

Dictators are very weak and the people are strong, so we need to make people aware of their rights.

We need to encourage them to not to resort to violence, but work for the unity of the people.

That is what Mahatma Gandhi did against colonial powers.

Indian Muslims number 170 million and live peacefully in co-existence with the majority Hindus.

Why do you think this has been possible in India?

The Indian subcontinent is a pluralistic society and is like a small museum of religious believers.

Even when Muslim Mongols (the Mughals) ruled the Indian subcontinent, it was a plural society.

People were living peacefully and therefore this kind of tolerance in this country has to be preserved and respected.

Our creator has created us to be pluralistic and no one can be against this nature of creation where we have to learn how to live peacefully, how to cooperate, how to manage and live peacefully in a democratic way.

Democracy is the only solution.

IMAGE: Syrian women protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad outside the Syrian embassy in Amman, Jordan, May 15, 2011. Photograph: Muhammad Hamed/Reuters

But critics of Islam say that Islam does not believe in pluralism.

I said pluralism is the nature of creation.

In the Holy Quran, Kuliya Al Kafirun, at the end of a sura says Laqim di nakum Wali Din (for you is your religion, and for me is my religion), and in another sura, Al Baqra says 'No compulsion in Islam.'

So plurality is guaranteed by the text of the holy Quran and no one can pretend (to say) all mankind has to be Muslim.

If you are not a Muslim you have to be excluded is an extremist view, it is not an Islamic view.

This creates a real danger for the Muslim minority in (other parts of) the world, and Islam itself.
OPS has impressed Chennai residents by his astute, on the scene, handling of the Cyclone Vardah aftermath.

As we reported on Monday, Tamil Nadu's low profile Chief Minister O Panneerselvam was in New Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

OPS had three urgent requests to discuss with Modi, apart from sundry matters of governance:

Urgent financial assistance for Tamil Nadu to cope with post-Cyclone Vardah losses.

A request that the Centre honour his Amma, the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, with a Bharat Ratna.

A request that a bronze statue of Jayalalithaa be installed in Parliament. Jayalalalithaa was a member of the Rajya Sabha for four years in the 1980s.

The last time Modi and OPS met was at Jayalalalithaa's lying-in-state at the Rajaji Hall in Chennai on December 6 when the chief minister is said to have wept like a child when the prime minister condoled with him.

OPS, who was known to keep a portrait of Jayalalalithaa on his table when he officiated for her after she was twice forced out of office, has apparently not yet moved into the chief minister's office at Fort St George, the state secretariat. He continues to operate from his earlier finance minister's office.

His devotion to Amma was very much on display when a friend met OPS in Delhi on Monday.

Look closely at the chief minister's pocket and you will see Amma there.

No Chinamma in the pocket yet for OPS, who Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar reports, has impressed Chennai residents by his astute, on the scene, handling of the Cyclone Vardah aftermath and damage, ensuring that relief reached citizens quickly unlike what happened during the floods in the city last year.
The TMC chief and West Bengal CM made the remarks after her party member received three calls from the CBI.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her fight against demonetisation would continue despite the Centres tactics of browbeating my party.

Stating that TMC parliamentary party leader in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay has received three calls from the Central Bureau of Investigation, she said Nothing will deter us from the fight against demonetisation.

When contacted Bandopadhyay said that he has received three calls from CBI.

I called them (CBI) back. They said you have to come to our office, he said.

Bandopadhyay is also the chairman of Railway Standing Committee.

Banerjee had on Monday attacked the Modi government saying it did not understand the hardship faced by people who had turned fakirs after demonetisation.

Realising the peoples difficulties, Venezuala withdrew the decision on demonetisation, but the Modi government doesnt listen to anyone, she had said.

Speaking at a function at Mukutmanipur in Bankura district, Banerjee alleged that demonetisation had dragged the poor and middle class people into a difficult situation and made their lives miserable.

Modi government is yet to realise this difficult situation and hardship faced by majority of the people, even as these people are forced into a disastrous situation, she told mediapersons after an administrative meeting in Bankura district.

People are not being able to withdraw money against 100-days work. This should not be paid through Paytm. Centre cannot dictate people where to keep their money, Banerjee said.

Out of 30,000 strong working force in the district, hardly 10,000 have work in hand, while the rest of them have been rendered jobless only due to demonetisation.

The worst sufferers are those in the unorganised sector. Rural economy is mostly dependent on cooperative banks, but these banks are not getting supply of money, she said.

Banerjee has been a strident critic of demonetisation and has held public meetings in Delhi, Lucknow and Patna.
A day after the National Investigation Agency filed a chargesheet against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar in the Pathankot attack, India took on Pakistan at the United Nations and called on the hostile neighbour to leave behind its ways of terrorism, with the warning saying that, "what you sow will bear fruit".

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, India's permanent envoy to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin in a veiled attack on Pakistan, said that safe havens being provided to terrorists must be dealt with in order to bring sustainable peace.

"We need to address, as an imperative, the support that terrorist organisations like the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed which operate entirely outside the fabric of international law draw from their shadowy supporters outside Afghanistan," he said.

Quoting poet Rumi, Akbaruddin said "what you sow will bear fruit. If you've any sense my friend, don't plant anything but peace," which seemed to be a clear message to Islamabad to refrain from stooping to terrorism.

The NIA on Monday filed a chargesheet in the NIA special court against senior commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammed including its Chief Maulana Masood Azhar, for their involvement in the terrorist attack at Pathankot Airbase on 2nd January, 2016.

The NIA has filed charge sheet against four accused persons namely:

1. Maulana Masood Azhar: Chief of the terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad, resident of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

2. Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar: Deputy Chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad and brother of Maulana Masood Azhar, resident of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

3. Shahid Latif: Launching commander, resident of Mor Aminabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan.

4. Kashif Jan: Main handler of Pathankot attackers, resident of Charsada, Pakistan.

They have been charged for commission of offences under sections 120B, 121, 121A, 302, 307, 364, 365, 367, 368, 397 of the Indian Penal Code, sections 16, 18, 20, 23, 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, section 25, 27 of the Arms Act, 1959, Sections 3(b) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, in the chargesheet.

It was established during investigation that the terrorists entered into a criminal conspiracy to infiltrate into the territory of India and to commit terrorist attack and wage war against the Government of India.

In pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy, the accused persons, their leaders, handlers and co-conspirators including but not limited to Maulana Masood Azhar, Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif, set up training camps in Pakistan and the PoK area, for recruitment and training of terrorists, in order to carry out terror attacks on the Indian soil.

The key to peace in Afghanistan

Akbaruddin said that sustainable peace can be brought in Afghanistan by denying safe heavens to the terrorist groups in its neighbourhood.

"If we are to bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan, groups and individuals that perpetrate violence against the people and the Government of Afghanistan must be denied safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan's neighbourhood," he said.

Akbaruddin said that India welcomes the key message of Special Representative of the Secretary-General Yamamoto highlighting the positive and supportive role that regional countries and neighbours of Afghanistan need to play.

"It is apparent that our efforts at rebuilding institutions, infrastructure and networks in Afghanistan are being undermined; schools are being destroyed; mosques bombarded and religious gatherings targeted," said Akbaruddin.

He said that it was evident that those who perpetrate these heinous crimes have survived and thrived only with support and sanctuaries on the outside.

Akbaruddin said a milestone was achieved earlier this year, by signing the trilateral transit and transport agreement among India, Iran and Afghanistan for provision of year-round and reliable connectivity to Afghanistan via Chahbahar in Iran.

He said there are many promising projects like the TAPI gas pipeline, TAT railway line and the CASA 1000 and to achieve the benefits of these projects it is essential that trade and transit agreements that Afghanistan enters into are fully activated.

He asserted that a well connected Afghanistan will have great potential to engage the energies of its youth and attract its talents back from foreign lands and denying such an opportunity and connectivity to Afghanistan is to deny Afghanistan all opportunities of prosperity and peace that this entails.

Akbaruddin emphasised on the need to replace the connectivity that terror networks have established by creating roads, trade networks and ideas for peace and prosperity.

"Afghanistan's National Unity Government has India's full support for strengthening its defense capabilities to fight terrorism directed against it. We believe that the path to reconciliation in Afghanistan should be through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process in adherence to the internationally accepted red lines, reflecting the aspirations of the people of Afghanistan," he said.
Title Reply from "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" to the Questionnaire for the evaluation of the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the Parties 1st evaluation round

Publication Date 13 January 2014

Country North Macedonia

Citation / Document Symbol GRETA(2014)1

Cite as Council of Europe: Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, Reply from "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" to the Questionnaire for the evaluation of the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by the Parties 1st evaluation round, 13 January 2014, GRETA(2014)1, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/585820624.html [accessed 3 November 2022]

Comments Reply submitted 29 May 2012
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.
Dan Conway, Don Lipps discuss challenges at MSD of Martinsville

For the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville, there are two open seats for the school board in Tuesday's election.
Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are moving ahead with the trials of more than 40 people detained during a crackdown in September on the rebel village of Wukan, ending months of daily mass protests over the loss of farmland and the detention of a protest leader.

More than 70 people were detained in the village after riot police fired tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets in a massive dawn raid on Sept. 13 that put an end to any overt opposition in the village.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 riot police stormed Wukan, which is administered by nearby Lufeng city. Some 40 people remain in police-run detention centers in nearby Lufeng and Haifeng counties, Zhuang Liehong, the son of one of the detainees, told RFA.

According to a court statement from Haifeng county obtained by a former Wukan resident in the United States and seen by RFA, a group of nine defendants were tried on Dec. 17: Wei Yonghan, Yang Jinzhen, Hong Yongzhong, Wu Fang, Zhuang Songkun, Cai Jialin, Li Chulu, Chen Suzhuan and Zhang Bingchai.

Repeated calls to the Haifeng County People's Court rang unanswered during office hours on Tuesday.

The statement says that Wei Yonghan and Yang Jinhan were accused of "organizing and inciting the villagers of Wukan to attend illegal meetings, demonstrations."

"As a result of these activities, the normal life of the village, including market stalls, local businesses and fishing vessels, was halted, having a serious impact on the normal life of Wukan, and on public order," it said.

It accused Wei of inciting villagers and "other members of the public" to confrontation with police, throwing stones and bricks at them, and injuring police officers on duty.

Protesters Li Chulu, Cai Jialin and Zhuang Songkun "rode their motorcycles to intercept passing vehicles, causing serious disruption to traffic," it said.

It said fellow protester Zhang Bingchai had "published false information via WeChat and manufactured rumors, which had a deleterious effect in the community."

During the trials, the case was heard from both the prosecution and the defense, with the defendants making a final statement, the statement said.

The court has adjourned to consider the verdicts and sentencing, it said.

Marked as a 'ringleader'

Zhuang Liehong told RFA on Tuesday that Wei Yonghan is accused of using a bullhorn during the clashes, which meant the prosecution marked him as a "ringleader."

"Wei Yonghan said in court that they could lock him up for as long as they liked; if they weren't going to give Wukan back its more than 20,000 mu of farmland, they wouldn't hear a word of complaint from him," Zhuang said.

He said his father was accused of being a protest leader during the trial.

"My father Zhuang Songkun rode his electric bike along beside the crowds, so the government said he was also an important organizer," Zhuang said. "But he rode it because he can't walk very well. The court officials also said my father and Cai Jialin conspired to create this incident."

Zhuang said all nine defendants had pleaded not guilty during the trial.

"Not one of them would confess to the charges," he said.

He said a second group of 13 defendants is currently awaiting trial together at a detention center in Lufeng county.

He said one of them, an elderly woman called Wu Fang, had been taken to the hospital recently with high blood pressure.

"She has been taken to the emergency room several times during her detention; she had high blood pressure to start with," Zhuang said. "

News of the trials appears to have been restricted, with Wukan residents unaware that they had taken place.

"I hadn't heard about this, so I don't know anything about it," a Wukan resident surnamed Zhang told RFA. "They didn't inform us, but then I'm not related to any of the defendants, so why would they inform me?"

Campaigning for the return of land

Wukan villagers have been campaigning for the return of land sold out from under them by former village chief Xue Chang, who was fired for corruption after an earlier round of protests and clashes in 2011, sparking fresh elections that saw Lin Zuluan take the helm.

But even Lin and his newly-elected village committee found it hard to secure the return of the land amid powerful vested interests, political changes higher up, and a tangle of complex legal issues.

September's raid by police on Wukan came after a court in Guangdong's Foshan city sentenced Lin to more than three years' imprisonment on "bribery" charges that local residents said were trumped up.

Zhuang said the crackdown is an attempt by newly arrived Guangdong provincial chief Hu Chunhua to stamp his authority on the province to boost his standing with the ruling Chinese Communist Party leadership in Beijing.

"Hu Chunhua ... wants to show that he's one of the hardliners, so as to make his reputation," he said.

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Chinese authorities in the northern region of Inner Mongolia have detained an ethnic Mongolian activist who spoke out in support of his Mongolian herding community near Tongliao city amid a long-running dispute over land.



Hai Wenming, 32, was detained on Dec. 12 in the regional capital Hohhot after he posted details online of a land dispute at his home village in Horchin Left Back Banner (county), 75 kilometres (47 miles) to the north of Tongliao.



Hai's sister Hai Ying told RFA soon after his detention that he was detained while campaigning on behalf of his village.



"He had spent a lot of time approaching the relevant legal departments on behalf of our village, to try to resolve this issue, but without any success," Hai Ying said.



"With no other options left to him, he posted a few details to his weibo social media account, and I think that's why the police detained him straight away," she said.



"Actually, everything he posted was the truth, but both he and another young man from the same village were detained," she said, adding that the other young man was detained three months earlier than Hai Wenming.



'Natural forested state'



The villagers are currently in a dispute with the Wudantaraa Forestry Station, which has swallowed up most of the land previously allocated to local people for grazing and agriculture.



When they complained, local herders were told that the land was "being allowed to return to a natural forested state."



Several decades later, the dispute continues as herders continue to seek redress from local authorities.



"This land belonged to our village," Hai Ying said. "It was illegally taken over by [the forestry station] to make a visitor center, which they just went ahead and built there."



"Anyone who tried to oppose it was detained; they detained 12 people on Aug. 15, including my relatives, then released them 10 days later, all except one of them."



Repeated calls to the Horchin Left Back Banner government rang unanswered in recent attempts by RFA to contact officials for comment.



Land prices soar



Ethnic Mongolian rights activist Xinna said the other detained villager's name is Fu Cang.



"He has been held since August, while Hai Wenming was detained for posting to social media with no official documentation whatsoever," Xinna said.



She said the dispute with the forestry station only blew up after land prices started to soar.



"This land should really belong to the local people, by rights," she said. "But this sort of thing happens a lot in Inner Mongolia: Land that used to belong to a village is suddenly now 'part of a forestry station.'"



"To begin with, nobody cared, because they were still allowed to graze their sheep there, but later the tensions got worse and worse," Xinna said.



She said Hai Wenming, a graduate of a university in Beijing, had posted details of the dispute while living in Hohhot.



"His sister has even written a letter to the party secretary of Inner Mongolia, Li Jiheng, calling on the government to pay attention to the plight of the herders," Xinna said.



"A lot of herders signed that letter."



Clashes common



Clashes between mining or forestry companies backed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party and herding communities are now common in the region, which borders the independent country of Mongolia.



Last month, authorities in Horchin Left Middle Banner detained ethnic Mongolian herder Unench in connection with the killings of four Han Chinese farmers, who activists said had repeatedly bullied and abused him in a dispute over his care of their sheep flocks.



China's 5.8 million-strong ethnic Mongolian community have long complained of widespread environmental destruction, violent evictions from traditional grazing lands, and unfair development policies in the region.



Ethnic Mongolian dissident Hada, Xinna's husband, has called the routine eviction of herders from their traditional grazing lands, often in the name of ecological protection, part of a calculated program of ethnic cleansing in the region.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.




Updated at 6:00 p.m. ET 2016-12-20

Indonesias foreign minister met Tuesday with Bangladeshs prime minister and other officials in Dhaka to discuss the cross-border flight of Rohingya Muslims from neighboring Myanmar, and she visited refugee camps in the southeast where thousands have fled in recent weeks.

Top Indonesian diplomat Retno L.P. Marsudi arrived in Bangladesh a day after attending a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Yangon. Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi called the meeting to discuss a humanitarian crisis stemming from violence that has gripped the western state of Rakhine, which lies on the border with Bangladesh and where Myanmars Rohingya minority is concentrated, since early October.

As of last week nearly 90 people had been killed in violence in Maungdaw township amid a crackdown by Myanmars military that followed a deadly attack by suspected Rohingya insurgents on border guard posts on Oct. 9, according to official figures from the government.

Separately, Human Rights Watch reported on Dec. 13 that an analysis of satellite imagery showed members of the military had burned at least 1,500 homes in Rohingya villages in the area.

At least 22,000 of these people who are stateless in Myanmar have crossed into Bangladesh since early October, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). About 34,000 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar since early October, news reports said Tuesday, citing figures from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In her meeting with Retno, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the Indonesian diplomat the new Rohingya arrivals  whom she referred to as undocumented Myanmar nationals  could not stay in Bangladesh and her government would not allow insurgents to launch cross-border attacks on the neighboring country from its territory, according to Hasinas spokesman.

Our honorable prime minister and the honorable Indonesian foreign minister discussed the on-going problem in Myanmar. [The] prime minister has made it clear to her that Myanmar must take all the undocumented Myanmar nationals back, Ihsanul Karim, Hasinas press secretary, told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, after the two women met on Tuesday night.

Bangladeshs border guard said it has pushed back hundreds of boats carrying Rohingya across the Naaf River separating the two countries.

[Hasina] categorically told her [Retno] that no insurgent or terrorist group would be allowed to use Bangladesh as proxy land to harm Myanmar or other [countries], he added.

The prime minister also expressed hope that ASEAN member countries would help Myanmar resolve the crisis in Rakhine through dialogue.

At Mondays meeting in Myanmar, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, whose government criticized Aung Sans administration for its handling of the situation, called on ASEANs 10 states to coordinate humanitarian efforts to assist people in Rakhine and to establish an independent body to probe allegations of rights abuses there.

We are nobody

Retno landed in Dhaka on Tuesday morning and held talks with local counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali before she flew to Coxs Bazar, a district in the southeast where Rohingya refugees and undocumented migrants are concentrated, according to officials at Bangladeshs foreign ministry.

Retno visited refugee camps in the sub-district of Ukhia, where she met with some of the new Rohingya arrivals.

We should work harder for the refugees, Retno said in a statement obtained by Metro TV News, an Indonesian channel, following her visit to Ukhia.

A Rohingya resident of one of the camps there described the Indonesians envoys visit as a chance to resolve the crisis affecting his people.

Myanmar kills us and Bangladesh kicks us; we are nobody. If Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries become a little bit generous, we can save ourselves from the torture of the Moghs [Rakhine Buddhists] and the military, Mohammad Afzal, a 45-year-old who left his wife and four children in Rakhine to flee to Bangladesh, told BenarNews by phone.

Reported by Kamran Reza Chowdhury for BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.


A boy paddles away from his flooded home on a rubber tire tube in Vietnam's central province of Binh Dinh, Dec. 18, 2016.

The poor design and management of Vietnams power-generating dams are likely one of the main factors that led to recent deadly floods that inundated the countrys central provinces, experts tell RFA.

Flooding over the past two months has devastated Vietnams central provinces, killed dozens of people and caused millions of dollars in economic damage as unusually heavy rain has pelted the country.

While heavy rainfall is rare in Vietnam for this time of year, not all of the devastation can be blamed on a fluke of nature, as experts tell RFAs Vietnamese Service that poor engineering and greed also contributed to the destruction.

On Dec. 16 state media reported that 13 hydroelectric dams were simultaneously discharging water in the inundated areas of the country and that the Tranh River No. 2 Reservoir had actually increased its discharge volume.

While it is sometimes necessary to discharge large amounts of water in order to prevent a dam from breaking and creating an even bigger disaster, a former irrigation minister said the dams themselves arent up to snuff.

The designers failed to make the reservoirs to the proper standards, and then the managers run them at will, Tran Nhon, a former minister of irrigation and chairman of Vietnam Irrigation Association told RFA. When the water in the reservoirs swells near to the normal level, they let water discharge for fear of bursting.

While Tran criticized the engineering, noted economist Le Dang Doanh told RFA that dams in the central provinces are ill-equipped for flood control and irrigation.

Unlike the reservoirs in the north that can hold water for agriculture in the dry season and prevent flooding, the reservoirs in the central region fail at those tasks, he said. He accused the companies responsible for the dams in the central provinces of being more concerned with generating profits than protecting people downstream.

Now the negative impacts come out

The companies succeeded in getting permits for hydroplant construction to do business, he said. Besides getting profits from selling electricity, they also get money from trees near the reservoirs.

At first glance harvesting timber appears to have little to do with flood control, but trees make good sponges and help prevent erosion.

Each tree can hold back between 30 to 60 liters of water, Le explained. But a million trees have been cut.

Dam builders oversold their benefits and underestimated their costs.

Hydroelectricity plant developers united in getting the permits to build, and now the negative impacts come out, he said.

So far Hanoi has been silent over what role, if any, the dams played in the flooding, but hydrology experts havent been shy about their views on social media.

Activist Nguyen Van Thanh, who has been pushing the government to compensate the Vietnamese people for their losses, criticized the dam operators and their government backers.

The hydroplants are in the production business, he said. They sell the products and make a profit, and have to comply with community safety standards. If a water discharge does harm to other people, they have to compensate them.

But since the dam operators are ultimately owned by the state, compensating the flood victims would cut into their own profits, he said.

By every means the authorities make threats so that everyone is afraid, Nguyen said. Then nothing gets done.

Reported by Cat Linh for RFA's Vietnamese Service. Translated by An Nguyen. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
WASHINGTON -- Speaking to RFE/RL on December 14, on the sidelines of 18th Central Asia Media Conference, organized in Vienna by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Daniel Baer expressed concern about the Turkmen governments imprisonment of two RFE/RL journalists, while singling out the governments punishment of their family members for special censure.

Taking punitive measures against the families of journalists or activists is a practice that really is reserved for the most horrible regimes around the world, Ambassador Baer said. Baer was discussing the plight of RFE/RL contributor Khudayberdy Allashov, who was arrested by Turkmen authorities on December 3 on charges of possessing chewing tobacco and, if convicted, faces a potential prison sentence of seven years. Police have also jailed his mother.

Ambassador Baer also mentioned the case of RFE/RL contributor Saparmamed Nepeskuliev, who has been held incommunicado by Turkmen authorities since July 2015, after being arrested and convicted on narcotics charges that rights groups believe were fabricated in retaliation for his reporting. He noted Turkmenistan's OSCE commitments and obligations under international law to respect media freedom, adding that "the protection of a free media and freedom of expression is...part of building a stronger, more stable future in a difficult region." Ambassador Baer said that the U.S. continues to raise both cases with the Turkmen government, both publicly and privately.

On December 8, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal called the treatment of RFE/RL journalists in Turkmenistan absolutely unacceptable, during an interview with RFE/RL on the sidelines of an OSCE meeting in Hamburg, Germany.

Ambassador Baer was also asked about Uzbekistan, a country RFE/RL has had no presence in since being forced to close its bureau after the 2005 Andijon massacre, and yet where its reporting continues to draw retaliatory attacks from the government. In the last year, authorities have targeted the relatives of RFE/RL's Prague-based staff, imprisoning the brother of one journalist in Ferghana and seizing an apartment belonging to the brother of another in Tashkent.

Asked whether Uzbekistans new leadership might demonstrate greater respect for basic freedoms, Ambassador Baer said that newly elected President Shavkat Mirziyaev has an opportunity to turn a page and to welcome amore democratic era for his country, but that it is probably too soon to make any judgements about what trajectory the countrys political transition will take.

Uzbekistan is rated not free, and ranked 197 out of 199 countries assessed in Freedom Houses 2016 Freedom of the Press survey; Turkmenistan was also rated not free, and ranked 198 out of 199 countries.
Earlier this month, the Croatian Embassy in Slovenia sent leading Slovenian officials -- including officials in the offices of the prime minister and the president -- boxes of chocolates with labels reading "Greetings from Croatia."

But the Christmas gift wasn't appreciated.

The recipients' attention was drawn to a map on the box that showed an area disputed by the two countries as part of Croatia. Both Zagreb and Ljubljana claim the Gulf of Piran, or Piran Bay, in the northern reaches of the Adriatic Sea. Although Slovenia claims the entire bay, the Croatian chocolate box showed the border running right through its middle.

The two countries agreed to international arbitration of the dispute in 2009 as part of Croatia's bid to enter the European Union. But in July 2015, Croatia withdrew from the arbitration process, alleging improper contacts between an arbitration judge and Slovenian officials.

According to a Croatian news portal, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry sent all the chocolate boxes back to the Croatian Embassy in bags inscribed with the message "I feel Slovenia."

The gift spat is the Balkans' second unfortunate, chocolate-related incident this month.

The regional "chocolate war" started when Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic apologized after handing out Serbian-made chocolate to kindergarteners to mark Defenders of Dubrovnik Day on December 6. During the 1990s Balkans war, that coastal city was besieged for seven months and severely shelled by Serbian and Montenegrin forces.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL
The Russian Foreign Ministry says one of its diplomats had been found shot dead in Moscow.

In a December 20 statement, the ministry said that a senior adviser at its Latin America Department, Pyotr Polshikov, died in Moscow on December 19.

A Moscow police official said earlier on December 20 that a man's body with gunshot wounds had been found overnight in an apartment on Balaklava Avenue with bullet shells and a gun next to it.

Russian media quoted sources in the police and Foreign Ministry as saying the man was Pyotr Polshikov, who had previously been the head of the Foreign Ministry's Latin America Department.

The ministry added that a preliminary investigation suggests that Polshikov's death was an accident not linked to his work.

But Moscow police sources say investigators are looking into the case as a possible murder or suicide.

With reporting by Izvestia, RIA, and Ren TV
Former President Bill Clinton voted for his wife, Hillary, as a New York Electoral College member on December 19 and afterward blamed "the Russians" and the FBI for her loss to Donald Trump.

"She fought through everything. And she prevailed against it all, but at the end we had the Russians and the FBI deal and she couldnt prevail against them," he said.

Clinton said last week he believed Russia was responsible for the hacking and release of internal Democratic e-mails and documents that damaged his wife's election prospects.

He also referenced an announcement by the FBI 10 days before the November 8 election that it was reopening its probe of Clinton e-mails.

Hillary Clinton last week said the hacking was Russian President Vladimir Putin's retaliation for her criticism of Russia's 2012 elections.

Putin publicly blamed me for the outpouring of outrage by his own people, and that is the direct line between what he said back then and what he did in this election, she told donors, according to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times. He is determined to score a point against me -- which he did -- but also undermine our democracy.

Based on reporting by dpa, CBS, and Fox News


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A website linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) has claimed that the extremist group was responsible for a December 19 attack in Berlin, where a man drove a truck through a crowded Christmas market, killing 12 people and wounding 50.

In a December 20 statement, the Amaq website said: "The executor of the operation...in Berlin is a soldier of the Islamic state and he executed the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition countries."

Meanwhile, German authorities were continuing to search for the perpetrator of the attack on December 20 after prosecutors released a Pakistani asylum seeker who had been the sole suspect in the case.

Prosecutors said they lacked evidence against the 23-year-old Pakistani man.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the truck rampage, in which the vehicle plowed 80 meters through the crowd, a "terrorist attack."

"There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty, but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack," Merkel said on December 20.

Investigators are still scouring the grisly scene at a popular meeting and shopping area near the iconic Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, in the west of the capital, where the previous night's attack also injured nearly 50 others.

Merkel said that "it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that [the] person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum" in Germany.

WATCH: Czechs Announce 'Massive' Police Presence After Berlin Attack

Merkel has long been under political fire by critics over her decision in 2015 to admit almost 1 million migrants -- most from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan -- into Germany on humanitarian grounds as they backed up on southern EU borders.

Many Germans are reported to see integrating the newcomers as the country's biggest challenge.

German police found another man sitting in the passengers seat of the truck used in the attack whom they said was Polish and who died at the scene, despite efforts by medics to save him.

The German magazine Focus Online quoted Brandenburg Interior Minister Karl-Heinz Schroeter as saying on December 20 that the Polish citizen was a victim, not a perpetrator, of the attack.

German police said they are working on the assumption that the truck used in the attack was stolen.

Polish broadcaster TVN 24 reported that it belonged to a Polish trucking company.

The company's owner, Ariel Zurawski, told news media that the truck driver, his cousin, had been transporting steel to Berlin and was now missing after not answering telephone calls since the afternoon before the attack.

"They must have done something to my driver," Zurawski told German TVN24.

The incident prompted France, which experienced a similar truck attack by a sympathizer of the militant group Islamic State (IS) in Nice in July that killed 86 holiday celebrants, to heighten security at Christmas markets across the country.

The White House condemned "what appears to have been a terrorist attack" and said the "horrific incident" appeared to "target our way of life."

The U.S. State Department issued a European travel alert in November warning Americans of a "heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during the holiday season," and urging "caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets."

After the December 19 incident, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump blamed an "Islamist terrorist" without citing evidence, saying IS and "other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad."

"These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the Earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners," Trump said.

Trump pledged during his campaign to block the entry of Muslims seeking to enter the United States.

The incident comes less than six months after the Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, and two other attacks in Germany thought to have been inspired by IS.

In July, a 17-year-old claiming to be an Afghan asylum seeker attacked passengers on a Bavarian commuter train with an ax and a knife. A week later, a 27-year-old Syrian asylum seeker blew himself up outside a music venue in the Bavarian town of Ansbach, injuring more than a dozen people.

A 12-year-old boy with dual German-Iraqi citizenship also allegedly attempted to explode a nail bomb at a Christmas market in the western German city of Ludwigshafen a few weeks ago.

Christmas markets have a long history in Germany stretching back to the Middle Ages and have grown dramatically to become popular places to socialize -- to drink mulled wine and to eat holiday food in the weeks running up to Christmas.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa
Ukrainian forces are facing Russian attacks in multiple locations, where heavy shelling and air strikes damaged infrastructure as Moscow stepped up its offensive, the Ukrainian military said on November 3.

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, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine was again disconnected from the power grid after shelling damaged the remaining high voltage lines, leaving it with just diesel generators, Ukraine's nuclear firm Enerhoatom said.

Enerhoatom said it believes Russia will soon try to repair and connect Europe's largest nuclear station toward the Russia-occupied Crimea and Donbas regions.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said in its November 3 briefing that heavy fighting was under way in the east, with Russian troops conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivka areas of the Donetsk region.

Russia launched attacks on 12 settlements in Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk region. Ukrainian forces repelled the attacks, the military said.

In Luhansk, the Ukrainian military accused Russian forces are using civilians as human shields. The claim could not be independently confirmed.

Russian strikes were also reported in the central area of Kryviy Rih and in the northeast in Sumy and Kharkiv.

"The enemy is trying to keep the temporarily captured territories, concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of the defense forces in certain areas," Ukraine's military said.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, prompting power and water outages and causing casualties among civilians.

Russia keeps denying targeting civilians, though the conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions, and razed some Ukrainian cities to the ground.

In the south, Ukraine's counteroffensive has left Russian forces fighting to hold their ground around the city of Kherson, on the right bank of the Dnieper River.

Moscow-installed authorities are urging residents to evacuate, the Ukrainian military said.



Residents of the town of Nova Zburiyvka had been given three days to leave and were told that evacuation would be obligatory from November 5, it said.

Russian authorities have repeatedly said Ukraine could be preparing to attack the massive Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper and flood the region. Kyiv denies that.

Russia and Ukraine will each hand over 107 captured fighters on November 3 in the latest prisoner exchange between the two sides, Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed administrator of Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Donetsk region, said in a post on his Telegram channel. He said 65 of those released by Ukraine will be separatist fighters from Donetsk and Luhansk.

Seven ships carrying agricultural products left Ukrainian Black Sea ports on November 3, a day after the resumption of a grain deal aimed at delivering Ukrainian food to foreign markets, the Infrastructure Ministry said.

The vessels were loaded with 290,000 tons of food products and were headed toward European and Asian countries, the ministry said in a statement without elaborating.

The British ambassador arrived at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on November 3, Reuters reported, after she was summoned to discuss Moscow's claims that Britain was involved in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.

WATCH: RFE/RL asked people in Moscow how they thought the war in Ukraine -- which Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains is a "special military operation" -- is going.

Russia's Defense Ministry has said the attack was carried out under the guidance and leadership of British Navy specialists, an assertion Britain has dismissed as false.

Meanwhile, two U.S. officials told CBS News on November 2 that senior Russian military leaders discussed last month how and when they might use nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin was not involved in the talks, they told CBS News.

The White House said it has grown "increasingly concerned" about the potential use of nuclear weapons in the past few months. But it stressed Washington saw no signs of Russia preparing for such use.



In September, Putin escalated his nuclear and anti-Western rhetoric, mentioning that Russia could use all means at its disposal to protect itself and the occupied Ukrainian territories.

With reporting by Reuters and BBC
The commander of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hossein Salami, warned protesters that October 29 would be their last day of taking to the streets.

"Do not come to the streets! Today is the last day of the riots," Salami was quoted as saying by state media.



Iran has been gripped by protests triggered by the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of Tehrans morality police.



Since Aminis death on September 16, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the clerical establishment.



Protests were reported on October 29 at several universities across the country where students chanted, Death to the dictator, and, Woman, life, freedom.



Iran has blamed its foreign enemies and their agents for the unrest.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) posted videos on Twitter showing protests at several universities. One of the protests showed people holding hands in a large circle and chanting: "If we don't unite, we will be killed one by one."

HRANA said 272 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of October 28, including 39 minors. Some 34 members of the security force have also been killed and nearly 14,000 people have been arrested, it said.

The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights also posted a video of a protest at a university campus and said that in the city of Arak state security forces fired tear gas as mourners gathered for the funeral of Mehrshad Shahidinejad, a young aspiring chef who reportedly was killed after being arrested during a protest.

The IRGC warning on October 29 came as the United Nations expressed "increasing concern" about reports of deaths in the antiestablishment protests in Iran.

"We condemn all incidents that have resulted in death or serious injury to protesters and reiterate that security forces must avoid all unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York on October 28.

Those responsible must be held to account, he said, adding that the UN was urging Tehran to address the legitimate grievances of the population, including with respect to womens rights.

The United Nations urged the Iranian government in Tehran to respect human rights, noting that the crisis can and should be brought under control through dialogue.

In a separate statement, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also expressed concern about "rising fatalities and injuries" to protesters in Iran.

"Its essential that unfettered access to health care is provided to those in need, [including] the appropriate use of medical vehicles, facilities & the ability of health workers to help patients," WHO chief Tedros said on Twitter on October 28.

Protesters clashed again with security forces on October 28 in Zahedan, a city in southeastern Iran were dozens of people were killed in clashes four weeks ago during anti-government protests.

Activists posted videos on social media showing protesters in the city calling for the death of "dictator" Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and against the Basij militia, which has played a major role in a crackdown on the demonstrations.

The United States and Albania will hold an informal UN Security Council gathering on November 3 that will focus on the protests in Iran, according to a note outlining the event seen by Reuters. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and Iranian-born actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi are set to address the gathering.

"The meeting will highlight the ongoing repression of women and girls and members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iran," the note said. "It will identify opportunities to promote credible, independent investigations into the Iranian government's human rights violations and abuses."

Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, is also due to address the meeting, which can be attended by other UN member states and rights groups.

"The meeting will underscore ongoing unlawful use of force against protesters and the Iranian regime's pursuit of human rights defenders and dissidents abroad to abduct or assassinate them in contravention of international law," read the note about the planned meeting.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's President Almazbek Atambaev has met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Kyrgyzstan's presidential press service says Atambaev on December 20 expressed support for the idea of India becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council under a proposal to expand the Council from 15 to 24 members.

A plan for an expanded UN Security Council with a total of 11 permanent members was one of two options proposed in 2005 by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Atambaev also thanked India for its support of Bishkek's candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council for 2016-2018.

India had agreed to provide Kyrgyzstan with up to $2 million worth of medical equipment to treat oncological diseases.

Atambaev and Modi also agreed to continue "traditional cultural ties," and boost cooperation within the frameworks of the UN and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of which Kyrgyzstan is a member and India has observer status.


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia, Iran, and Turkey have agreed to work with Syrian combatants toward drafting a peace deal and to act as "guarantors" of any future settlement between Syria's government and rebel fighters.

Speaking after talks in Moscow on December 20 with the foreign ministers and defense ministers of Iran and Turkey, Lavrov said ministers from the three countries "agree with the importance of widening the cease-fire, of free access for humanitarian aid, and movement of civilians on Syrian territory."



He said the three countries also agreed that the priority in Syria is the fight against terrorism and not the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the latter of which is a stated goal of the United States and Turkey.



Lavrov was citing a joint statement prepared on December 20 with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusgolu and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.



Their meeting came a day after Russia's ambassador to Turkey was shot dead in Ankara in what Russian and Turkish officials described as a bid to derail the December 20 talks.

An off-duty Turkish police officer fatally shot Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov in the back while he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on December 19.

"Both Turkey and Russia are well aware that the main aim of the attackers was to damage Russian-Turkish relations and to tarnish the progress we have jointly managed to achieve recently," Cavusgolu said before the talks began.

Russia and Turkey restored diplomatic relations this summer after a freeze in political and economic ties over Turkeys downing of a Russian aircraft in November 2015 and have since moved closer in their once widely differing positions toward the Syrian conflict.

Russia, Turkey, and Iran are all important players in the Syrian conflict with abilities to bring pressure upon various sides in the civil war to work toward a peace deal.

Iran and Russia strongly back Assad and are providing his government with military assistance against rebels seeking to overthrow him.

Turkey has long called for Assad to step down as it backs some rebel groups.

However, Turkey has recently also put increasing priority on ensuring Kurdish militias do not make further territorial gains in Syria along its border amid the ongoing Syrian war.

Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, the police officer who gunned down the Russian diplomat, shouted references to Syria and Aleppo and "Allahu Akbar!" after shooting Karlov.

"Allahu akbar" is a commonly heard Islamic phrase meaning "God is great."

Altintas was later reportedly killed by police after a shoot-out that lasted over 15 minutes. Turkish media said police have detained six people, including Altintas's parents and three other relatives, in connection with the killing.

Kyrgyzstan's ambassador to Turkey, Ibragim Zhunusov, told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service he was standing near Karlov when the shooting began.

"There was a guy standing there. I thought he was a security officer. Less than two minutes after Karlov started his speech, shooting started," Zhunusov said. "We were just 3 to 4 meters from the [Russian] ambassador. We all lay on the floor with our faces down. People started to run. The attacker shouted that we shouldnt move and remain in our places. Then the shooting started again. We managed to escape to the street."

In Aleppo, Russian warplanes are supporting a Syrian government offensive to retake eastern neighborhoods of the city from rebel groups in what Damascus hopes will be a major blow to the more than five-year-long rebellion in Syria.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on December 20 that Lavrov spoke with Cavusgolu by phone shortly after the shooting and that they agreed the ambassadors killing underlined the need to step up the fight against terrorism.

Lavrov later issued a statement saying, "We will take measures at this meeting [in Moscow] that will make it impossible for those who nurtured the people who ordered and organized this crime to realize their plans."

Turkey has said it will conduct an investigation of the murder jointly with Russia.

Some Turkish officials immediately blamed the assassination on followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom they also blame for a failed coup attempt this summer, but provided no evidence.

The U.S.-based Gulen issued a statement late on December 19 saying he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the killing of the Russian ambassador. "I condemn in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror," Gulen said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy and its consulates in Turkey have closed after a man approached the embassy in Ankara and fired a gun in the early hours of December 20.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency reported that the man took out a shotgun hidden in his coat and fired around eight shots before he was overpowered by the embassy's security guards.

There were no injuries in the incident.

The day after Karlov's death in Ankara, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his secret services to boost security in Russia and abroad.

Putin said on December 20 that he asked "the special services to take additional measures to ensure security inside Russia and outside, to raise the security of Russian institutions and employees abroad."

Putin said he also instructed his Russian intelligence agents, "through channels of partnership," to strengthen their work "with the intelligence agencies of other states."

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
A Russian blogger has been convicted and imprisoned for a post harshly criticizing the governments military operation in Syria that prosecutors say was sympathetic to terrorism.

A court in the central Tyumen region on December 20 found Aleksei Kungurov guilty of "publicly justifying terrorism" for the blog post -- published shortly after Russia's intervention in Syria began last year -- and sentenced him to 2 1/2 years in a penal colony.

The conviction is the latest in a series of prosecutions in Russia targeting bloggers and social media users in what rights watchdogs call an escalating crackdown on free speech online.

Kungurov, an activist who has been involved with strident nationalist and anti-Western groups, argued in the October 2015 post that the extremist group Islamic State (IS), which is banned in Russia, had characteristics of an actual government.

He also asserted that President Vladimir Putin's intervention was aimed primarily at propping up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and not, as the Kremlin has said, defeating IS militants and other "terrorists" in the country.

The SOVA Center, a Moscow-based think tank that monitors xenophobia and extremism, has said there was nothing illegal in Kungurov's post, while the Russian rights group Memorial has included Kungurov in its list of "political prisoners."

Kungurov's lawyer said his defense plans to appeal the verdict, Russia's RBK newspaper reported.

With reporting by RFE/RLs Russian Service, Znak.com, RIA Novosti, and rbc.ru


Russian and Turkish officials have agreed in public that the motive of the assassin who killed Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov was to disrupt relations between the two countries.

Responding to the December 19 shooting at a photo exhibition in Ankara, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the killing was "obviously a provocation designed to derail the normalization of Russian-Turkish relations and to derail the peace process in Syria that is being actively promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran, and other countries."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the same day also labeled the killing a "provocation aimed specifically at deteriorating the normalization process of the relationship between Turkey and Russia."

A December 20 meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran to discuss the conflict in Syria went ahead in Moscow as planned.

Experts quoted in the Russian media also sought to lay blame for the ambassador's killing on the West.

Writing on Facebook late on December 19, Kremlin-connected analyst Sergei Markov said that a contributing factor in the ambassador's assassination was "the atmosphere of hatred toward Russia that has been actively cultivated by Western politicians and mass media over the last three years."

He added that members of the European Parliament, who "have been lying about Russia for three years and are in a state of hysterical hatred," "bear a large share of responsibility for the act of terror against this Russian diplomat."

In another post, Markov said "one possibility" is that it was the action of "madmen in the Western special services." U.S. President Barack "Obama didn't give the order to shoot the Russian ambassador, but it is possible that officers of the CIA did so on their own initiative."

The nationalist Russkaya Vesna website quoted political scientist Aleksandr Sotnichenko as saying that "for the Islamists and their sponsors in the United States, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia it is categorically unacceptable to resolve the Syrian problem through a dialogue between the three main positive forces -- Russia, Turkey, and Iran."

Forgetting Aleppo

Video of the killing showed the gunman, identified as 22-year-old riot-police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas, yelling that his act was "payback for Aleppo," seeming to refer to Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in its recent assault to retake the Syrian city that has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee.

Russian state media, however, either ignored or downplayed the gunman's statements. Russia's First Channel state television said merely that the killer yelled "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great."

The Russian government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported that the gunman "loudly shouted something about Syria" before firing several shots. The daily Izvestia reported only that the gunman shouted "Aleppo."

Friends, Or Enemies?

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained shortly after Moscow began its military intervention in Syria when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane along the Turkey-Syria border on November 24, 2015. One of the Russian pilots was killed in the incident, and another Russian serviceman died when a rescue helicopter came under fire from anti-Assad forces.

Political scientist Emil Suleimanov, who teaches at Charles University in Prague, tells RFE/RL's Russian Service that Russia's military activity in Syria has provoked widespread resentment in Turkey.

"The theme of Russia's intervention in Syria has united both the left and the right in Turkey," Suleimanov said. "The ultrarightists like the Gray Wolves, ultraleftists, radical Islamists -- they all oppose what Russia is doing in Syria and in the Middle East generally. It might not even be a group, but some individuals, just a few people, who decided to 'take revenge' on the Russian ambassador for Russia's actions in Aleppo."

Relations began to improve in June, after Erdogan sent Putin a letter expressing "deep regret" for the incident.

Political scientist Leonid Isayev, who teaches at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, notes that the months of high tensions have left their mark on Turkish society.

"In Turkey, everything that was said about Russia during this time was the same as what was said in Russia about Turkey," Isayev tells RFE/RL. "Russia was depicted as a destructive force in the region and was blamed for inflaming conflicts, including instability within Turkey itself. It is obvious that in the mind of the average Turkish citizen who consumes the local media, a certain image of Russia as an enemy of the country has formed."

"We now see the results of these policies," he added. "In Russia, there is an enormous number of people who do not understand why suddenly relations between Turkey and Russia are better.... And the same can be said for Turkey -- many Turks simply don't understand why 'we have to be friends with our sworn enemy.'"

Given this complicated security situation, Komsomolskaya Pravda military correspondent Aleksandr Kots expressed bewilderment that Ambassador Karlov was apparently without a security detail and not wearing a bulletproof vest, a measure he said would have been "entirely logical."

Analyst Suleimanov says neither Moscow nor Ankara is interested in returning to the tense relations of the past, although the situation in Turkey -- in view of the conflict in Syria, the large number of refugees in the country, the conflict with Turkey's Kurdish minority, and the crackdown following an attempted coup against Erdogan in July -- makes it difficult to see the future.

"Events in Turkey are unfolding unpredictably," Suleimanov says. "On the Turkish chess board, there is an enormous number of extremely varied pieces."
The governor of Russia's Siberian region of Irkutsk declared a state of emergency as the death toll rose to 60 after more than 100 people drank bath lotion.

Regional Health Ministry spokeswoman Tatyana Shkurskaya said on December 21 that two more bodies were found in private houses overnight.

Governor Sergei Levchenko banned retail sales on December 20 of all liquids that contain alcohol but are not intended for consumption.

Levchenko said the ban will not be lifted until an investigation into the mass poisoning is over.

A similar ban and emergency situation were announced on December 19 in the regional capital, Irkutsk, which is 4,200 kilometers east of Moscow.

The local prosecutor's office and health officials said on December 20 that 58 people out of 102 sickened had died in Irkutsk after drinking the liquid, called Boyaryshnik (Hawthorn), despite a warning on the label saying it cannot be consumed.

The Investigative Committee said the bath lotion contained methanol, which can be fatal if consumed internally, instead of regular alcohol, or ethanol.

It said 11 people suspected of selling the lotion have been detained and two illegal workshops producing the lotion had been found in the region.

Poisonings with surrogate alcohol are frequent in Russia, where people sometimes drink substances that contain alcohol that are cheaper than alcoholic beverages.

Russian consumer protection agency Rospotrebnadzor said in November that 36,000 cases of alcohol poisoning had been registered across the country in the first nine months of 2016, of which 9,300 led to deaths.

Based on reporting on Interfax and TASS
An independent media group in Russia's Siberia region has won a case against Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor.

A court in Moscow on December 20 upheld an August 3 ruling by another court that a Roskomnadzor decision against the Europe Plus Tomsk radio station was illegal.

Roskomnadzor had decided not to prolong the broadcasting license for Europe Plus Tomsk, which belongs to the TV-2 media group in the city of Tomsk in West Siberia.

Europe Plus Tomsk radio is TV-2's last operating project.

TV-2's Chief Editor Viktor Muchnik said the court's ruling is important not only for his media group but for all journalists in Russia.

The TV-2 group previously had one of Russia's most respected independent regional television stations -- Tomsk TV-2.

But that station went off air on January 1, 2015 after the local state-owned broadcasting center cancelled its transmission agreement.

Staff and management for Tomsk TV-2, an award-winning regional channel known for its editorial independence, have insisted that the closure was politically motivated.

Based on reporting on Novaya Gazeta and tv2.tomsk.ru
ON MY MIND

Russia's intervention in Syria has long been viewed as a geopolitical masterstroke that wrong-footed the West, upended the balance of power in the Middle East in the Kremlin's favor, and returned Russia to the ranks of major powers.

But as I argue in today's Daily Vertical, intervening in the Middle East never comes without costs. The most dramatic example of this, of course, was the tragic assassination of Andrei Karlov in Ankara yesterday. And as Leon Aron shows in a highly recommended piece featured below, Moscow's intervention in Syria could also soon create domestic problems for Russia among the country's mainly Sunni Muslim population.

IN THE NEWS

A gunman shot and killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey as he was giving a speech at an art gallery in Ankara, yelling, "Don't forget Aleppo!"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a meeting on Syria between him and his counterparts from Turkey and Iran will proceed today despite the assassination of Russia's ambassador in Ankara.

The European Union has extended sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine for another six months.

A former Russian diplomat has reportedly been found shot dead in his apartment in Moscow.

The governor of Russia's Siberian region of Irkutsk declared a state of emergency as the death toll rose to more than 50 after dozens of people drank bath lotion.

Serbia has announced it will purchase Russian military jets in a move that could add to tensions in the Balkans amid alleged Russian attempts to block countries in the region from joining Western institutions.

NATO and Russia still "have profound disagreements on the crisis" in Ukraine, the head of the Western military alliance says.

An Austrian far-right party has signed a "cooperation pact" with Russia's ruling party, which is loyal to President Vladimir Putin, the latest sign of ties between the Kremlin and populist, anti-EU parties in Europe.

Former President Bill Clinton voted for his wife, Hillary, as a New York Electoral College member on December 19 and afterward blamed "the Russians" and the FBI for her loss to Donald Trump.

A factory that hoped to manufacture condoms in a Russian village acclaimed for its Christian heritage will forgo the contraceptives production after protests by Orthodox activists, says its managing partner.

Prominent Russian human rights campaigner Lyudmila Alekseyeva says journalists from pro-Kremlin NTV television tricked her into giving an interview by claiming they were with RFE/RL.

The United Nations General Assembly has named Russia an "occupier state" in Crimea.

WHAT I'M READING

Death Of A Diplomat

Walter Russell Mead and Damir Marusic have a short commentary in The American Interest on what the assassination of Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, might mean.

"The assassination is an early indication of the Pyrrhic nature of Russias victory in Aleppo, at least in the world of Sunni Islam," they write.

"Russias alliance with Shi'a Iran and the bloodbath Russia aided and abetted in Syria will make Russia the object of fanatical and determined hatred all the way from Turkey well into Central Asia. And the brazenness of the attack, perpetrated right under the noses of Turkish security, certainly diminishes Erdogan's interest in being seen on the same side of the barricades as the Russians and the Persians, Turkeys two most important historical enemies."

In The New York Times, Max Fischer looks at what the assassination could portend for Russian-Turkish relations.

In Foreign Policy, Robbie Gramer and Emily Tamkin look at five things to worry about in the assassination's aftermath.

Republic.ru has a tik-tok chronicle of the assassination and its aftermath.

Heavy Metal Diplomacy

Mark Galeotti of the Institute of International Relations in Prague has a report out for the European Council on Foreign Relations: Heavy Metal Diplomacy: Russia's Political Use Of Its Military In Europe Since 2014.

Hacking Democracy

Galeotti also has a piece on the Netherlands-based website Raamop Rusland on how Russia is "hacking Western democracy."

Fake New World

In a piece in The World Post, former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves writes that Western democracies now face a "Fake New World."

Forgetting The Past

Thomas de Waal has a piece on Carnegie Europe's website on 2016, the year Europe forgot the lessons of World War II.

Trump And The Former Soviet Union

James Henry, author of the book The Blood Bankers, has a very detailed piece in The American Interest on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's business dealings in ex-U.S.S.R.

End Of An Era

Ian Bremmer writes in Time Magazine that The Era Of American Global Leadership Is Over. Here's What Comes Next.

Putin Vs. Merkel

Writing in The Observer, Jakub Janda of the European Values Institute's Kremlin Watch project looks at six tools the Kremlin will use against German Chancellor Angela Merkel

What Drives Putin

Leon Aron has a piece on The American Enterprise Institute's website on the drivers of Putin's foreign policy.

The Russian Jihad

In a piece on the War On The Rocks blog, Aron also looks at "the domestic impact of Russia's involvement in Syria's civil war and the strategies deployed by the Russian authorities to contain these effects."

Poroshenko Vs. Kolomoyskiy

Oliver Carroll has a piece in Politico on the battle between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and oilgarch Ihor Kolomoyskiy
High-tech marijuana: Israels greenhouses are computer-controlled and password protected

Taking advantage of progressive government policies regarding marijuana cultivation for medicinal and research purposes, Israeli entrepreneurs are aiming to make the country a global hub for medical cannabis research.

Applying advanced agricultural technology to provide medical-grade cannabis for research (and eventually for export, if expected changes in the current laws are made), several Israeli startups are already reporting a brisk trade  particularly from clients in countries like the United States, where marijuana research is either illegal or strictly controlled.

Licensed growers and research facilities in Israel are expecting even more business from the U.S. after the November elections, which increased to 29 the number of states permitting the use of medical marijuana.

Since marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug at the federal level in the U.S., research continues to be strictly regulated, but as more states pass medical marijuana measures, Israel is hoping that more American companies turn to their facilities for the research work that needs to be done.

The cannabis industry is receiving strong support from the Israeli government.

From Bloomberg:

The Israeli government has identified medical cannabis as an economic opportunity. Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel says his ministry will research ways to best grow cannabis, and would back export of locally grown medical marijuana, currently banned under national law. The Health Ministry, which has its own medical cannabis department, is extending the number of licenses granted to growers, doctors and patients to expand the local market and also plans to support industry requests for exports.

Cannabis industry likely to bring significant economic boom to Israel

If cannabis exports are legalized, Israels economy could benefit enormously. The worldwide legal marijuana market is expected to reach $140.5 billion by 2020, and some are predicting that the marijuana industry in Israel could grow to rival that of the tech industry, which now accounts for around 40 percent of the countrys industrial exports and roughly one-third of its GDP.

Aside from the favorable legal climate, Israel is in many respects uniquely suited to becoming a global cannabis hub; the countrys agricultural technologies are highly advanced, and its medical research facilities are respected worldwide.

Israel has traditionally embraced a making the desert bloom philosophy  according to one cannabis company CEO  and marijuana has always played a role in the countrys history. The collective Israeli mindset regarding cannabis appears to be far less puritanical than that of the United States.

An Israeli scientist, Raphael Mechoulam, was the first to isolate THC, the psychoactive component of the marijuana plant.

Marijuana use considered kosher even by conservative Israeli Orthodox Jewish community

And although there are Israelis who still oppose legalization, the medicinal use of cannabis is reportedly considered kosher by even the Orthodox Jewish community in Israel. Indeed, the countrys ultra-Orthodox health minister has called for increased marijuana cultivation in an effort towards eliminating long waiting periods for patients to obtain their medical cannabis.

In response, Israeli startups are investing heavily in expanding their operations. One such firm, Breath of Life Pharma, has plans to increase its greenhouse facilities and production tenfold over the next year:

The privately held 10-year-old company says it has tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue, mostly from supplying pure active ingredients to American and European companies already coming to Israel to do clinical trials.

Breath of Lifes computer-controlled, camera-patrolled, password-secured greenhouses are state-of-the-art cannabis cultivation areas designed to meet the national and international demand for high quality medicinal marijuana.

The company, like many others in Israel, is looking forward to a prosperous future in the legal cannabis market. As more countries throughout the world recognize the benefits of cannabis as therapy, theres no doubt the industry will continue to expand for some years to come  in Israel and elsewhere.

Sources:

Bloomberg.com

FreedomLeaf.com

Attn.com

QZ.com
WASHINGTON -- The top Republican in the U.S. Senate has again rejected calls for a special congressional committee to investigate alleged Russian computer hacking during the U.S. presidential election.



Senator Mitch McConnell's remarks, made to a television station in his home state of Kentucky, came amid mounting pressure for a select committee of Senator and House members to lead a probe into the matter.



Over the weekend, Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) said that having three separate Senate committees conduct investigations would be inefficient and duplicative. The Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Intelligence committees are set to take up separate investigations beginning next month.



The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, also supports the effort, along with Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) and Jack Reed (Democrat-Rhode Island).



"It's a serious issue, but it doesn't require a select committee. We already have a committee set up to do this," McConnell said in the December 19 interview with Kentucky Educational Television.



As the leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, McConnell has wide authority to control the chamber's agenda.



It's unclear how many other Republican senators support McCain's proposal.

Casting A Shadow



The question of the extent to which alleged Russian hackers penetrated U.S. political organizations has already cast a shadow over the November 8 election won by Republican President-elect Donald Trump.



In October, the U.S. intelligence community, which includes 17 different agencies across the government, said it had concluded that hackers directed by the Russian government intruded into Democratic Party servers and e-mail accounts.

Later news reports said Republican servers had also been breached.



And last week, The Washington Post reported that the FBI shared the CIA's conclusions that Russian hackers intervened to help Trump prevail over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the election.

President Vladimir Putin has previously accused Clinton of attempting to stoke political unrest in Russia, while Trump has vowed to improve bilateral ties that have been badly strained over Russian expansionism in Ukraine and Moscow's military intervention in Syria.

President Barack Obama, whom Trump will succeed in January, has defended his administration's response to the alleged Russian hacking, including his refusal to ascribe motive to the meddling.

Obama told reporters on December 16 that he confronted Putin at a summit in China in September, telling the former KGB officer to "cut it out." Intelligence agencies then detected a halt in intrusions.



Obama has ordered a special report on Russian hacking to be issued before the January 20 inauguration.



Trump, for his part, has downplayed the question of Russian cyberattacks, and suggested that the issue is being overblown by Democrats bitter about Clinton's loss.



In a December 16 tweet, he referred to the leak of Democratic Party e-mails that are believed to have been obtained with the help of Russian hackers. One of the leaked e-mails suggested that Clinton was tipped off in advance about questions that would be asked during one of her debates with Trump.


The UN General Assembly has passed a resolution that recognizes Crimea as "temporarily occupied" by Russia and condemns the "abuses" and "discrimination" against Crimean Tatars, ethnic Ukrainians, and other groups on the peninsula.

The General Assembly vote on December 19 was 70 in favor and 26 against the resolution, with 77 countries abstaining.

The resolution also calls on Russia, as an "occupying power," to end all abuses against people living in Crimea, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and other "cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment."

Serhiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, said in a statement after the General Assembly's vote that the human rights situation on Crimea had "deteriorated sharply" since Russian forces took control of the Ukrainian territory in February 2014 and illegally annexed it.

Kyslytsya noted that the latest report on Crimea by the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, released on December 8, described the situation since Russia took control as a "climate of repression against dissenting voices."

The General Assembly resolution was first approved by the UN's human rights committee on November 15.

Russia had lobbied against the resolution, calling it "politically motivated" and "one-sided."




Five police agencies in Virginia, including those in Chesterfield and Henrico counties, are among the top 20 departments for military members and veterans nationwide, according to an annual list compiled by Military Times.

Also included on the list are the Goochland County, Culpeper County and Newport News sheriffs offices.

The rankings are based on several factors, including the agencies military recruiting efforts, polices for service members, rules for reservists and departmental culture.

We remain proud of our commitment to veterans, and we are honored to have once again been included in this prestigious national listing, said Chesterfield Countys police chief, Col. Thierry Dupuis. We will continue to strive to innovate and excel in our hiring and employment practices, especially as they pertain to our dedicated current and former members of the military.

Henrico police Sgt. Edward Ross told Military Times that his departments military and veteran recruits are typically ahead of the curve and immediately take on leadership roles.
Scholars consider James Madison the father of the Constitution. He not only co-authored the Federalist Papers with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, he also played a seminal role in the convention that produced the miracle at Philadelphia. Virginia made him do it.

Madison served in the General Assembly. The experience disillusioned him. The pettiness he encountered and saw in other states led him to support a constitutional convention that would create a central government stronger than the Articles of Confederation. George Washington shared his concerns. Madison doubted whether the states would ever come together with the unity a modern nation required. Washingtons experience as commander of the Continental Army taught him the deficiencies of sovereign states.

In the chapter about Madison in Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different, Gordon Wood writes of Madisons four sessions in the Virginia legislature:

They were perhaps the most frustrating and disillusioning years but also the most important years of his life, for his experience as a Virginia legislator in the 1780s was crucial in shaping his thinking as a constitutional reformer. Although Madison in these years had some notable legislative achievements, particularly by shepherding into enactment Jeffersons famous bill for religious freedom, he was continually exasperated by what Jefferson years later (no doubt following Madisons account) referred to as the endless quibbles, chicaneries, perversions, and delays of lawyers and demi-lawyers in the Assembly.

Really for the first time Madison discovered what democracy in America might mean. Not all the legislators were going to be like him or Jefferson; many of them did not even appear to be gentlemen, never mind enlightened. The Virginia legislators seemed to be parochial, illiberal, small-minded, and most of them seemed to have only a particular interest to serve. They had no regard for public honor or honesty. They often made a travesty of the legislative process and were reluctant to do anything that might appear unpopular.
WASHINGTON

The good news: Both the left and the right have reached consensus that free speech is important.

The bad news: Free speech has apparently been redefined to mean speech with which I agree.

Over the past few years, there have been many high-profile cases of left-wing college students or their cowed administrators chilling the public discourse (by disinviting speakers, censoring artwork, disciplining transgressors of arbitrarily imposed cultural appropriation rules, threatening to defund school newspapers, etc.). Such actions have often been accompanied by dutiful statements about the campus commitment to free and open dialogue. Silencing some peoples speech was supposedly necessary to make other speakers feel safe.

Now, the right has (re)discovered that two can play at this game.

In a disturbing series of events, conservative organizations have been claiming the mantle of free speech in service of suppressing campus speech they dislike, too.

The most recent case involves professor Olga Perez Stable Cox at Orange Coast College in California. An anonymous student in her human sexuality class secretly recorded Cox discussing her political views. She referred to Donald Trump as a white supremacist, his running mate Mike Pence as one of the most anti-gay humans in this country and their election as an act of terrorism.

Her words were clearly liberal  and hyperbolic, although perhaps not as hyperbolic as they initially seemed: In the days since her act of terrorism talk ripped across the Internet, she has received terroristic death threats herself. Cox has since fled the state.

Meanwhile, the Orange Coast College Republicans  the group that disseminated the gotcha video  is campaigning for her firing. The groups president said that expunging commentary such as hers from campus is necessary to ensure the colleges commitment to diversity, equity and inclusivity.

If this language sounds familiar, its because its eerily similar to the pseudo-free-speech rhetoric often used by the left to stamp out words and ideas it dislikes, too.

Unsurprisingly, conservative pundits convinced that U.S. colleges are leftist indoctrination camps have taken up the Republican students cause. Fox News Bill OReilly referred to the professors words as an assault on her students  conflating words with physical violence in the same way liberals so often do.

Now we have the totalitarian left in America, and if you dont see it their way, youre attacked and demonized, he said, after attacking and demonizing this professor.

OReilly called on governors and legislators to monitor college classrooms more directly to prevent professors from harming students with insane ideology.

This sounds an awful lot like an attempt to coerce educators into using only politician-approved  dare I say politically correct?  language.

In a similar vein, the conservative group Turning Point USA recently published a Professor Watchlist, a catalog of what it thinks are dangerous and anti-American professors who deserve public shaming for allegedly trying to advance a radical agenda in lecture halls. (Among those radical agenda items: advocating gun control, calling Ted Cruzs infamous New York values statement anti-Semitic.) The watchlist homepage of course includes a disclaimer that Turning Point will continue to fight for free speech and the right for professors to say whatever they wish.

Its tempting to attribute this right-wing weaponization of free speech rhetoric to cynicism. More likely its cognitive dissonance.

When I speak to conservative groups that claim a commitment to free speech, they often seem genuinely surprised by data showing that campus illiberalism is not exclusively espoused by liberals.

Theyre apparently unaware that conservative students are also requesting trigger warnings (typically about nudity, sex and gay themes), according to a faculty survey released by the National Coalition Against Censorship. They also dont seem to know that Republican undergrads are about as likely as their Democratic classmates to say that colleges should be able to restrict campus speech that expresses political views that are upsetting or offensive to certain groups, according to a Knight Foundation survey.

Beyond campus, Republicans more broadly are almost twice as likely as Democrats to support book bans.

Fighting perceived ideological repression with ideological repression is nothing new, of course. Earlier rounds of the campus culture wars had their own most dangerous professors lists. In fact, purges of professors suspected of endangering or brainwashing students date not only to McCarthyism, but also at least to World War I.

Likewise weve seen earlier right-wing attempts to use state power to punish colleges for (supposed) liberal indoctrination of students.

Dont get me wrong. Campuses probably need more intellectual diversity (especially from conservative thinkers) and definitely more public debate.

But the principled way to achieve those ends is to actually have the debate. Not to shut it down.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Red Sun Farms has renegotiated a performance agreement with local jurisdictions in order to allow the company to keep government incentives it was promised in 2013, despite employing fewer people than expected at its Dublin facility.

Under the amended performance agreement, Red Sun is promising to employ at least 114 full-time workers at the high-tech greenhouse, instead of 205. It is also being given three additional years to invest the $30 million the company said it would pump into the project  and the regional economy.

Local jurisdictions, in return, will be spared an estimated $500,000 bill they would have had to pay to upgrade the road leading to Red Suns facility.

The news is just the latest twist in the two-decade history of the New River Valley Commerce Park. Born out of collaboration between localities from Bland County to Roanoke, which form the Virginias First Regional Industrial Facility Authority, the park was organized in the 1990s to lure the high-tech semi-conductor industry to Southwest Virginia.

That never happened, but the NRV Commerce Park did celebrate Red Sun as its first tenant in 2013.

To help lure the Mexico-based tomato grower, the authority agreed to sell the 100 acres of land Red Sun needed for its greenhouse to the company. The land would only cost $1, if Red Sun stayed for 15 years and met certain employment and investment benchmarks.

Red Sun reached benchmarks in years one and two but was not going to meet this years Dec. 31 deadline for the next phase, according to Danny Wilson, executive director of the authority.

The original agreement, honestly, I think was too aggressive, Wilson said. It had them building pretty much continuously for three years. So never stopping to really start their business.

Jay Abbott, Red Suns director of operations, said the company also realized that the facility simply didnt require as many employees as it had anticipated. Even after opening an additional distribution center in the area, the company just didnt need 205 workers.

He credited the lowered expectations to the fact that the Dublin facility represented the first time Red Sun ever opened a growing operation in the United States.

The timing and employment numbers may be a little off, but Abbott said Red Sun doesnt intend to derail future growth plans.

It does not help us to be punitive, Wilson said. We want them to be successful. We dont want to charge them a penalty for not meeting a goal that they cant meet. That doesnt help anybody. We want them to be successful, we want them to grow and to stay here and continue to employ people in the region.

This was all happening at the same time the authority was struggling with the realization that the road leading to Red Suns facility didnt meet Virginia Department of Transportation standards. As such, the state agency wouldnt take over the road and assume maintenance costs.

Wilson said it appears that an asphalt top coat was the only requirement missing for VDOT standards when the road was built in 2006. But that top coat was never finished, so the road stayed with the authority.

I dont know why that decision was made back then, Wilson said. The problem is, because we didnt get it turned over to VDOT in 2006, it now has to meet 2016 standards  which are different.

Instead of paying the $500,000 it would cost to upgrade the road, Wilson said Red Sun has agreed to set aside those funds in a bond.

If the company invests the $30 million in the Dublin facility within the next three years, the authority will become eligible for a state grant to upgrade the road and Red Sun will get its money back.

If the company doesnt invest the $30 million, the authority wont be eligible for the grant. Instead, it would use the money held in Red Suns bond to complete the road project.

After months of negotiations, the authority board unanimously voted to approve the amended performance agreement last week. That sent the agreement to the Pulaski County Board of Supervisors on Monday for final approval.

It is a little disappointing to see fewer jobs than we had originally hoped for, board of supervisors chairman Andy McCready said. But getting more investment gives the county more tax revenues. So its a trade-off.
Roanoke Countys comments contend that the draft environmental impact statement for the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline relies on cursory analysis of incomplete data.

Montgomery Countys comments allege that significant portions of the [statement] are alternatively inadequate or inaccurate, thereby precluding meaningful public review in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act.

Montgomery County calls on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rescind the draft document  something FERC says it has never done.

Comments from local governments, business interests, conservation organizations, environmental groups and citizens are stacking up in the commissions inbox as the Thursday deadline approaches for public input on the draft environmental impact statement for the 303-mile, $3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline.

The buried, 42-inch diameter pipeline would transport natural gas at high pressure. The source of the gas would be hydraulic fracturing wells in the Appalachian Basin.

As an interstate pipeline, the Mountain Valley project needs FERCs approval to proceed.

Craig Countys board of supervisors has similarly bashed the draft environmental statement issued by FERC in September. The board described as totally inadequate the documents analysis of the pipelines negative impacts.

The county went further, rebuking FERC for a public input process the Craig County board described as flawed.

A Dec. 1 resolution noted that the board has repeatedly questioned the integrity, transparency and sincerity of the process conducted by FERC for the MVP [draft environmental impact statement] and the MVP permit application in general.

Regionally, FERCs draft environmental review of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline has won few fans among four of five local governments whose jurisdictions the pipeline would cross.

Concerns commonly expressed by boards of supervisors in Giles, Montgomery, Craig and Roanoke counties include the opinion that details remain sketchy about how the pipeline company would control erosion and the migration of sediment from steep, rocky slopes the pipeline and its trench would climb or descend.

Roanoke County estimates that 93 percent of the project area [in the county] is at a moderate to severe risk for soil erosion.

County officials also worry about the pipelines impact on the groundwater relied on by rural residents for drinking water and about the effects on the value of private property of a permanent easement for a large-diameter pipeline.

On Tuesday, Richard Caywood, assistant administrator for Roanoke County, told county supervisors that there are concerns about the pipeline crossing the Roanoke River upstream of the intake for the Spring Hollow Reservoir, a regional source of drinking water.

Montgomery County observed that the pipeline would travel more than 19 miles through that county, razing 191.3 acres of forest  68.4 acres permanently  and irreparably scarring the viewshed, destabilizing (through blasting of shallow bedrock, among other things) treacherous karst-ridden terrain already susceptible to landslides and seismic activity, and forever encumbering numerous parcels of private property with unnecessary infrastructure that will be abandoned in 20 years.

Karst terrain is characterized by sinkholes, caves, springs and underground aquifers. Montgomery County contends that Mountain Valley grossly underestimated karst features and suggests the draft environmental statement does not adequately address the dangers of karst.

Roanoke and Montgomery counties also worry that if FERC approves the project, Mountain Valley might revert to an earlier plan to site a compressor station in one of those counties.

Above-ground compressor stations, which add pressure to keep gas moving through pipelines, can be sources of air, water, noise and light pollution.

Caywood told Roanoke County supervisors that it seems Mountain Valley would almost certainly want to add the compressor station at some point. A pipeline spokeswoman has declined to speculate about future infrastructure additions.

As currently routed, the pipeline would burrow through West Virginia before traversing the Virginia counties of Giles, Montgomery, Craig, Roanoke and Franklin en route to the Transco pipeline in Pittsylvania County.

Franklin County officials have said they hope the transmission pipeline could provide local access to natural gas and have adopted a more neutral stance about the project than colleagues in counties to the west.

A test of faith

On Sept. 16, FERC released the 781-page draft environmental impact statement, accompanied by appendices that totaled 2,671 pages. An executive summary suggested that the construction and operation of the pipeline would result in limited adverse environmental impacts, with the exception of impacts to forest.

Craig Countys comments dispute FERCs conclusion, noting it was reached before Mountain Valley proposed several route revisions, before field surveys were complete and before the pipeline company responded to numerous requests for more information from FERC, the U.S. Forest Service and others.

This action has completely destroyed any public faith that this process is impartial and that the results have not been predetermined before the process even plays out, Craig County complained.

Officials have noted that Mountain Valley has submitted hundreds of pages of materials about the project since the draft environmental impact statement was issued.

For example, on Dec. 16, Mountain Valley filed information with FERC about plans to use herbicides in the Jefferson National Forest to control invasive plant species along the pipelines 50-foot permanent right-of-way through the forest.

The Forest Service has requested other information, including details about how the pipeline would cross the Appalachian Trail on Peters Mountain, that has not been submitted.

Roanoke Countys comments about the draft environmental impact statement drew, in part, on scrutiny of the document by the Water and Power Law Group, which concluded that FERC must issue a revised draft EIS that will permit meaningful analysis of the MVP project.

Tamara Young-Allen, a FERC spokeswoman, responded, All issues raised in comments will be addressed in the final EIS and in the commissions subsequent order in this proceeding.

Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman for Mountain Valley, noted that the document under review is a draft  one that will be revised to reflect public comments when FERC issues the final environmental statement.

The FERC process has provided, and will continue to provide, the public with a meaningful opportunity to review and comment on the projects information, Cox said.

FERC has said it anticipates releasing a final environmental impact statement in March.

Cox said Mountain Valley has worked diligently to provide the most accurate and comprehensive information to assist the FERC in their regulatory review and decision-making process, and MVP will continue to evaluate public comments on the [draft environmental impact statement] and will respond to the FERC with information requested.

A thorough job

Not everyone in the region agrees that the draft environmental impact statement for the Mountain Valley project is flawed.

Paul Nester is chief financial officer for RGC Resources, a company whose subsidiaries include RGC Midstream, a partner in the pipeline project, and Roanoke Gas, which would ship gas on the pipeline.

During a Nov. 2 comment session sponsored by FERC in Franklin County, Nester said, I think the pipeline also will have limited environmental impacts. I trust that the FERC has done a thorough and complete job in reviewing those impacts and that the draft environmental impacts study reflects that.

Nester and his boss, John DOrazio, president and CEO of RGC Resources, both told FERC that evening that the pipeline could help support economic development in the region.

Roanoke Gas has proposed locating taps on the pipeline in both Montgomery and Franklin counties.

Meanwhile, a draft environmental impact statement judged to be inadequate could provide pipeline opponents fodder for litigation that might, if nothing else, delay the project.

In October, a coalition of 26 conservation and community groups alleged that the draft statement violated the National Environmental Policy Act because it failed to adequately consider impacts to water resources, wetlands, cultural resources, threatened and endangered species and climate change implications.

For more info: FERC will accept comments about the draft environmental impact statement for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project received on or before Dec. 22. The project is docket number CP16-10-000. Go to ferc.gov for more information about electronic filing of comments.
Zimbabwes First Lady Grace Mugabe is allegedly involved in a nasty legal fight with Jamal Joseph Hamed, a gem trader in the United Arab Emirates, over a diamond ring worth $1.35 million.

The Source news agency claimed that according to Hameds legal papers, Mrs Mugabe placed an order for a $1.35 million 10 carat diamond in April 2015.

A payment was then made in May 2016, but she later changed her mind before taking delivery of the diamond.

The second respondent (Mrs Mugabe) placed an order for a diamond with my daughter in Dubai, which she indicated her husband wanted to buy her for their anniversary, Hamed deposed in an affidavit in a case he is suing the first lady, her son and an aide for invading three of his Harare properties in a bid to force him to reverse the diamond deal.

The transfer was ultimately done in May 2016 and the diamond was tendered to the second respondent (Mrs Mugabe) in Dubai.

Surprisingly, the second respondent refused to take delivery of the diamond and instead demanded a full remand in Dubai.

The Source further reported that Hamed explained to Mrs Mugabe that costs had been incurred in sourcing and polishing the diamond.

He said should they make a refund it would have been back into the Zimbabwe account from which the transfer had been done to avoid charges of externalisation of funds.

Regrettably, instead of approaching my legal practitioner with repayment proposals to be incorporated into an agreement, or accepting tender of the diamond, therespondents commenced a reign of terror and harassment where I was verbally threatened, harassed, insulted and told that I could not anything to them as they are in fact Zimbabwe, said Hamed.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

A new intermodal facility that will connect the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) GCT Bayonne terminal to CSX and Norfolk Southern broke ground on Dec. 19.

GCT USA and PANYNJ said the ExpressRail Port Jersey facility (Greenville Yard) will be a major ship-to-rail port project located directly adjacent to the recently expanded, state-of-the-art GCT Bayonne container terminal. This project will complete the agencys more than $600 million initiative that establishes direct access to on-dock or near-dock rail service for all of its major marine terminals.

GCT USA said the near dock Greenville Rail Yard will play a key part in GCT Bayonnes operations and, once completed, will have a capacity of 250,000 lifts and eight working tracks.

The intermodal facility is scheduled to be complete in mid-2018 and will feature 9,600 feet of track serviced by high-efficiency, electric cantilevered rail-mounted gantry cranes featuring LED lighting. PANYNJ and GCT USA estimate that the impact of the facility will include the elimination of 375,000 trucks per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18,300 tons annually.

Construction costs for the GCT Bayonne near-dock intermodal facility are supported by a $56 million investment from PANYNJ. The Cargo Facility Charge, a per-container fee assessed on cargo shipped through PANYNJ to cover the costs of critical road, rail and security infrastructure projects is funding the project.

PANYNJ recently approved its 2017 capital and operating budget, which includes $153 million for port development projects. More than $36 million of the 2017 capital budget is flagged for the Greenville Yard project.

As the port business continues to grow with the arrival of new, lower emissions, larger ships, its critical that we invest in projects to deal with the increase in cargo in a sustainable way, maintaining our quality of life, said PANYNJ Executive Director Pat Foye. This project will not only expedite the movement of cargo through the region, but will take hundreds of thousands of truck trips off the road annually, providing a significant environmental benefit to the region.

Building on our proven experience as a world-class developer of marine and rail facilities, this partnership with the Port Authority will ensure that the most advanced terminal on the East Coast is complemented with an effective and efficient rail facility, increasing our big ship surge capacity and decreasing overall cargo dwell times, said John Atkins, president of GCT USA.
U.K. shares edged lower in early trade Tuesday as lower base metal prices weighed on miners and worries about the latest terrorist attacks in Europe kept investors nervous.

The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 13 points or 0.19 percent at 7,004 in opening deals after rising 0.1 percent in the previous session.

Miners fell broadly, with Antofagasta, Glencore, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto losing between half a percent and 1 percent.

Shares of London Stock Exchange Group fell about 1 percent. European exchanges operator Euronext announced that it is in exclusive talks with LSE to buy the French clearing arm of LCH.

Low-cost carrier easyjet reversed early losses to gain about half a percent, while British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group traded on a flat note.

Lloyds Banking Group advanced 1 percent after it agreed to acquire MBNA Ltd., a U.K. consumer credit card , from FIA Jersey Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of America.

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline eked out modest gains after saying it achieved positive results from first phase III studies of two-drug HIV treatment regimen.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
The European struggled in early trade Tuesday due to geopolitical concerns. An apparent terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas market and the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey had investors in a nervous mood this morning.

However, the markets managed to shrug off those early concerns and climbed firmly into positive territory around midday. Bank stocks were among the best performing stocks after the Italian government revealed that it is seeking parliamentary approval to borrow 20 billion euros (16.8 billion pounds) to prop up its most fragile banks.

The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index advanced 0.48 percent. The Euro Stoxx 50 index of eurozone blue chip stocks increased 0.66 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 50 index, which includes some major U.K. companies, added 0.55 percent.

The DAX of Germany climbed 0.33 percent and the CAC 40 of France rose 0.56 percent. The FTSE 100 of the U.K. gained 0.38 percent and the SMI of Switzerland finished higher by 0.10 percent.

In Frankfurt, real estate company Vonovia increased 0.25 percent. The company announced that it has surpassed minimum acceptance threshold of 50 percent plus 1 share for takeover offer for Conwert Immobilien Invest SE, Vienna at the end of the initial acceptance period.

Deutsche Bank climbed 3.46 percent and Commerzbank added 2.34 percent.

In Paris, Total SA rose 0.78 percent. The oil & gas major announced that it is acquiring about 23 percent of Tellurian Investments Inc. at $5.85 per share for an amount of $207 million.

Vivendi gained 0.71 percent. The media group said it would increase its investment in Italy's Mediaset SpA by acquiring additional shares depending on market conditions within the limits of 30 percent of share capital and voting rights.

Credit Agricole increased 1.79 percent and BNP Paribas climbed 1.60 percent. Societe Generale also finished higher by 1.20 percent.

In London, London Stock Exchange Group finished up by 0.82 percent. European exchanges operator Euronext announced that it is in exclusive talks with LSE to buy the French clearing arm of LCH.

Lloyds Banking Group climbed 2.22 percent after it agreed to acquire MBNA Ltd., a U.K. consumer credit card , from FIA Jersey Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Bank of America.

Barclays gained 0.47 percent and Royal Bank of Scotland added 1.43 percent.

Drug maker Novartis rose 0.27 percent in Zurich after signing a licensing deal to co-develop a fatty liver disease drug with Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Genmab advanced 0.87 percent in Copenhagen. The biotechnology firm announced that it would get $10 million milestone payments from Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K. following the submission of a new drug application for daratumumab to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare or MHLW in Japan.

The euro area current account surplus increased in October, the European Central Bank reported Tuesday. The current account surplus totaled a seasonally adjusted EUR 28.4 billion versus EUR 27.7 billion in September.

Germany's producer prices increased for the first time in more than three years in November, data from Destatis showed Tuesday. Producer prices edged up unexpectedly 0.1 percent year-on-year in November, reversing a 0.4 percent fall in October. This was the first rise since June 2013. Prices were expected to fall 0.2 percent.

British retailers reported an increase in sales volumes in December but growth is expected to slow somewhat in the year to January, the Distributive Trades Survey from the Confederation of British Industry showed Tuesday.

A balance of 35 percent of retailers said sales volume increased in December. And a net 21 percent said sales volume were above average for the time of year. The CBI said sales volumes grew at the fastest pace since September 2015.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Canadian stocks continued to rise Tuesday, although BlackBerry (BB.TO) struggled despite surprisingly decent earnings.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 23.11 points, or 15,292.96. Financials led the way yet again, but energy stocks were in the red.

BlackBerry (BB.TO) reported a strong performance from software and services. Adjusted to exclude items, BlackBerry earned 2 cents a share. Still, the stock fell 2.8 percent today.

BlackBerry will spend $100 million on a self-driving car research hub in Ottawa, which would create 600-plus jobs.

Former CEO David Baazov has ended his effort to purchase online gambling site Amaya (AYA.TO). The stock fell 1.8 percent.

CCL Industries Inc (CCLb.TO) said it would buy Innovia Group for around $1.13 billion. CCL shares jumped 19.7 percent.

The CRTC have approved the transfer of Manitoba Telecom Services' broadcasting licence to BCE Inc.

Crude oil futures were little changed Tuesday as traders braced for the latest U.S. oil inventories data.

The American Petroleum Institute is out with industry figures this afternoon, while the Energy Information Administration releases the government's data Wednesday morning.

WTI light sweet crude oil for February was up 17 cents at $53.23 a barrel.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis















By SA Commercial Prop News

CEO Ben Pierre Malherbe.



Property developer Calgro M3 Holdings (CalgroM3) today transferred its listing from AltX to the JSE Main Board in the Industrials - Construction & Materials sector, following a natural progression in the groups promised turnaround.

The move is the culmination of consecutive periods of healthy results on the back of a strong pipeline of projects starting to break ground.

CEO Ben Pierre Malherbe says the JSE Main Board is the appropriate platform for growth at this time in the groups lifecycle. CalgroM3 is proving to be a sound investment with constant improvement in shareholder returns. In light of this, a transfer to the Main Board is now fitting to help broaden our investor base, facilitate access to a wider field of institutional investors and increase liquidity, as well as position us comparably relative to peers.

JSE CEO Nicky Newton-King says Calgro M3 has been a heartening AltX success story. Companies listing, growing and graduating to Main Board was precisely what was envisaged for AltX and we wish Calgro M3 well on the Main Board.

During 2011 CalgroM3 expanded significantly across the country. In the Western Cape the group advanced its foothold with the R1,3 billion Belhar integrated housing project. The high density residential component will comprise 3 600 units including social housing, open market rental, GAP and affordable housing as well as student accommodation. Belhar was the second Cape project win for CalgroM3, on the heels of the R554 million Scottsdene project comprising 2 250 units. Malherbe is optimistic about the groups prospects in the region, with a number of new social and BNG housing projects recently approved by the council. In the Western Cape, Calgro M3 has commenced with massive bulk and internal civil infrastructure for Scottsdene in January 2012 and expects to commence with the first 350 top-structures early March 2012

The group is further partnering in in Bloemfonteins foremost social housing project, Brandwag. We are in the process of completing Phase 1 (402 units) with construction of the next phase of 495 having commenced during February. There are 897 social housing units under construction.

In Gauteng, the groups traditional base, the first phases of the Fleurhof, Jabulani Hostel redevelopment project and the Jabulani CBD projects have been successfully completed. On these projects internal services for 4 029 residential opportunities (1 897 Fleurhof, 1 632 Jabulani CBD and 500 Jabulani Hostel), have been provided while 1 496 units have been completed (816 Fleurhof, 180 Jabulani CBD and 500 Jabulani Hostels). An additional 1 778 units are under construction (567 Fleurhof, 1 211 Jabulani CBD).

The group is also presently involved in a number of smaller projects, including Jukskei View, with more than 500 units under construction in these projects.

Calgro M3 has recently delivered strong performances, more than doubling top and bottom line at their interim results to August 2011. Revenue grew 117% to R209 million while headline earnings rose 372% to R21,7 million despite tough trading conditions in the property and construction sectors. HEPS increased 372% to 17,03 cents per share while net cash was up 92% from R10,9 million at year-end to R20,9 million.

A good mix of public and private sector work saw margins improve substantially during the interim period. In a November trading statement the group announced that it was anticipating a 175% increase in earnings to 37,07 cents per share. Annual results for the year to 29 February 2012 are expected to be released in May 2012.

Malherbe says CalgroM3 will continue to realise and grow its pipeline by capitalising on governments housing commitments and the severe housing backlog in South Africa. We are currently experiencing a recovery in the local integrated housing sector. Our delivery to date has established a reputation for reliability and quality and we are well placed to continue securing large-scale projects. He concludes that: Just as our proven track record in development and construction gives comfort to our clients, so too should our R8 billion secured pipeline that keeps growing offer investors confidence in the groups long-term sustainability.

Calgro M3 shares closed yesterday at R4,08.
By SA Commercial Prop News

A number of listed property counters in South Africa could diminish further because of the shortage of quality fixed properties available.



With little room left for growth and the desire to attain size, liquidity and attract institutional investors, South African Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are looking increasingly to merge with others that have similar portfolios.

Corporate activity in the listed property sector is expected to continue with indications that a number of property counters could diminish further because of the shortage of quality fixed properties available, SA Commercial Prop News has learnt.

Redefine Properties, SAs second biggest Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) recently got its hands on a strategic stake in, once ugly duckling, Emira Property Fund.



This may prove to be the salvo the industry needs before we see 2015.



Emira has become a middle income fund, post-recession. Tenacious CEO James Templeton has held a steady hand over the fund which holds assets that are a balanced mix of retail properties and offices.



Redefine has a market value of R33bn, and Emira has a market value of R8bn.



The 11% stake costed Redefine R880m. Chairman and one of SAs most revered dealmakers, Marc Wainer, told SA Commercial Prop News that Emira could become a takeover target in the future.



We would have liked more than 11% but its the beginning. I really like how Emira has turned itself around under steady leadership, Mr Wainer says.



Emiras portfolio contains 141 properties and is valued at R10.8bn. Emira also owns part of the Australia Stock Exchange-listed Growthpoint Properties Australia. Its stake there is worth R666m.



Templeton says overseas exposure has proven to be extremely useful for the group. It seems SAs property funds are not afraid to buy into other funds abroad. Some SA Reits may try to consolidate with funds that have foreign exposure. But he also says domestic assets are critical to Emira.

Resilient Property Income Fund has used its clout in the market to become something of a pioneer. Led by property doyen, Des de Beer, the fund owns stakes in New Europe Property Investments (Nepi) and Rockcastle Global Real Estate Company (Rockcastle).



Nepi is the dominant player in shopping centres in Romania. Last year, it was the top performing listed property fund on the JSE managing 56.5%.



Rockcastle has a history of investing in property indirectly by buying stakes in listed property groups. However, it has recently committed itself to buying property itself.



CEO Spiro Noussis and De Beer have fallen in love with East Europes Poland as an investment destination. The country which routinely outperforms other economies in that part of Europe is their major European target.

Tie-up between sister companies, Octodec Investments and Premium Properties went through last month, with the combined fund set to attract a market capitalisation in excess of R5bn.

Redefine's purchase of R2.1bn takeover of Annuity Properties, was approved in June.

In July, Arrowhead Properties announced it had been approved to buy the entire units in Vividend Income Fund from Stanlib.

Mergers on the Cards



One merger which could be on the cards is SAs largest listed Reit, Growthpoint Properties gaining control of Acucap Properties and Sycom Property Fund when they have merged.



Growthpoint has a market value of about R58bn while Acucap is valued at about R11bn and owns 98% of Sycom. If Growthpoint manages to pull it off, it will be an enormous fund relative to the sector which will be worth a bit over R300bn by market value.



Growthpoint and many other funds became Reits last year with various goals in mind. Reits use similar tax dispensation as funds abroad do. The intention was to become Reits and then gain institutional investment from overseas for the small but growing South African listed property sector. This international pick up has not been forthcoming yet, so Growthpoint has to try hard to find good acquisitions which make sense for it. Acucap-Sycom would be sizeable enough for the sector giant.

Deals that Fell Away



A number of mergers fell away this year, such as Vukile Property Funds proposed takeover of Synergy Income Fund. Vukile, like many other funds sees the appeal in shopping malls, and Synergy has some very appealing ones which are located in rural areas and townships.



Redefine Properties also emerged as the victor in the long-running takeover battle with Growthpoint Properties for Fountainhead Property Trust assets, but had fallen short of taking home the prize.



Black-managed stocks Rebosis Property Fund, Ascension Properties and Delta Property Fund proposed triple merger was also called off earlier this year and it cost the funds involved. The leaders of the funds cited bad timing. It may have been a case of managing egos. The merged Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment powerhouse could have only had one CEO.

Conclusion

As long as there is hunger for liquidity in the listed property sector however, much of this M&A activity could be revived. The giants that are Growthpoint and Redefine are so much bigger than the other property counters and much more liquid. SAs fund managers will not appreciate it if this goes on for to long.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Gauteng MEC for Local Government and Housing Humphrey Mmemezi



The Gauteng Provincial Government on Wednesday officially delegated some housing and human settlements functions as well as decision-making authority to the three Metros in the province.

Gauteng MEC for Local Government and Housing Humphrey Mmemezi and the three Metro Mayors of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane signed a Memorandum of Agreement on Accreditation in Midrand, Johannesburg.

Through this process the metros will now be able to coordinate and integrate human settlement planning and development within the municipal Integrated Development Planning process and realise significant improvement in service delivery.

The metros will eventually take over the housing functions from the provincial government.

The MEC said that with the signing of the agreement, government was proving its commitment and willingness to substantially deal with the housing backlog across the province and heighten the rate of service delivery.

"We are committing to ensuring the progressive realisation of our people's rights of access to decent shelter and sustainable human settlements and we have confidence in both the accreditation process and the capacity of our metros to perform and deliver," Mmemezi said.

He emphasised that the accreditation process was receiving urgent attention in municipalities and soon people would access housing from their metros.

"I am tempted to announce that our communities should approach municipal offices closer to where they live for their housing needs. Unfortunately provincial and municipal officials are still busy finalising details and plans for this process," he said.

He added that once these plans were complete "we will convene once again to make that announcement".

The MEC said the province, together with the metros, had set 2014 as the target for fully assigning housing and human settlements functions to Metros including financial management of national housing funding allocations.

Tshwane Executive Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said that the metros would do their utmost to execute the functions bestowed upon them.

"We are looking forward to execute these functions and we thank the provincial government for having confidence in the metros to restore the dignity of the people of Gauteng and ensure efficient service delivery," Ramokgopa said.

He further said that "with this process, the metros will be able to respond quicker to the communities' needs and thus the poorest of the poor will benefit".
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Dec-19-2016 16:52 TweetFollow @OregonNews 11 Men Arrested in Undercover Sex Trafficking Mission in Early December The men responded to an undercover online ad.

Sex trafficking is a huge problem in our communities.

Photo: Salem-News.com FILE

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - During the week of December 5 to December 10, 2016, the Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit conducted an undercover mission to address online sex trafficking. Investigators posted online ads on known sex trafficking websites. 11 men contacted undercover police officers to arrange payment for sexual acts. Investigators were assisted by a Portland hotel as part of this effort. For investigative reasons, the Sex Trafficking Unit is not sharing the specific website, application or ad text publicly. The 11 men who responded to the ad and came to the hotel were arrested for the misdemeanor crime of Commercial Sexual Solicitation (Oregon Revised Statute 167.008). The following is a list of the men arrested: 30 year old Stephen Townsend of Greenville, SC

59 year old Forrest Lytle of Sandy, OR

54 year old Akhom Chinnarath of Happy Valley, OR

[charge dismissed/name removed] of West Linn, OR

53 year old Javier Rangel of Hillsboro, OR

39 year old Jesse Hutton of Portland, OR

35 year old Aranda Gilberto Camacho of Hillsboro, OR

47 year old Jasmin Kaltak of Portland, OR

49 year old Guy Michael Bar-ner of Phoenix, AZ

[charge dismissed/name removed] of Portland, OR

[charge dismissed/name removed] of Portland, OR Sex trafficking and prostitution are not victimless crimes. Victims of sex trafficking and prostitution are forced, coerced, and manipulated into this lifestyle against their will. They are forced to suffer through physical, sexual, and mental abuse. The Portland Police Bureau, in conjunction with other Federal and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to deterring prostitution and sex trafficking activities. If you know or think that someone may be involved in trafficking or is being exploited, please contact the Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit at 503-255-0118, the Sexual Assault Resource Center hotline 1-800-640-5311; or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-843-5678 or via the Cyber Tipline: missingkids.org/CyberTipline Source: Portland Police Bureau _________________________________________

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Dear Editor,

Even the va fealoai have been abused by the political system and church to control the population.

There is relative peace in the country because the Church tends to ignore political corruption by staying silent and breaching forgiveness to the masses. But when the common man is caught breaking the law, Christian preachers for some reason are the first ones to urge the gatekeepers of hell for the soul of the common man lawbreaker. They always contradict themselves because like politicians, they are blinded by money, power and greed!

There was an upheaval about integrity violations when O.P.C Report 2010 came out some years ago, forgiveness was used to quell any discontent and that was it.

Even though there was clear evidence of diversion from protocols and proper procedure by government employees implicated in the report, Stui asked for forgiveness and everything was handy dandy.

So if forgiveness is good enough for white-collar criminals, then why are there prisoners and common people still languishing in prison?

Arent both types of criminality illegal under the laws of the land?

This is abuse of trust, humility, forgiveness and integrity and the Church seemed to be fine with it. Church and politics are always a Team and have a very lucrative partnership, from the dark ages to the Spanish inquisition to the demotion of the Tafaifa from our indigenous political system.

The church was there all along, and how did they get thousands of acres of land from indigenous people all over the world?

Well they didnt get from them God, they used manipulation and superior firepower of foreign governments to wrestle lands out of peace loving indigenous people.

The savagery is gone now but the partnership is still going strong, Stui goes to two different Christian denominations so more than half of the country have already been pacified with the help of the Church and Pedro.

The church is just as corrupt as the government, if you want a relationship with God. E Afio lava Le Atua i loto o i latou o sailiili ma taliaina lona finagalo. It should be from the Heart not the Church.

Le Mafa P
DAY OF FUN AND LAUGHTER: Members of the Apia Harvest Centre Church took to Moegamanaia Beach Fales at Tafatafa on Saturday for their annual end of Year Family Fun Day.

Organised by the Mens Ministry, the event is hotly contested between the churchs four houses.

After several sporting activities with plenty of fun and laughter, Team Yellow captained by Saveatama Sinapati Lio, took out honors, winning the S.S.A.B A.H.C Family Fun Day Trophy.
The new Director of the International Labour Organization Office (I.L.O) for the Pacific Island Countries, Donglin Li, has presented his credentials to the government of Samoa through the Minister of Public Enterprises, Lautafi Fio Purcell.

He also met with the Chairman and members of the Samoa National Tripartite Forum (S.N.T.F) on the same day to introduce and re-affirm the I.L.O continuous support to the Samoa Decent Work Country Programme.

He acknowledged the well support of the I.L.O. Constituents in Samoa on its on-going activities, for instance, the launching of the Samoa National Employment Policy in November 2016 as the first in Samoa and in the Pacific which will be implemented to promote employment opportunities.

He also appreciated the government of Samoa on ensuring social dialogue amongst the tripartite partners through the S.N.T.F.

Mr. Donglin LI was previously a Special Adviser to the I.L.O. Regional Director, Asia Pacific Office in Bangkok, Thailand from 2002-2004.

He became the Director of the I.L.O. Office for Pakistan from 2004  2011.

In 2011, he was assigned the Director of the I.L.O. Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives in Colombo. In Nov. 2016, he was set to work in the I.L.O. Pacific Island Countries covering 11 I..L.O. members state in the pacific including Samoa.

Mr. LI was attending the Green Climate Fund Board 15th Board Meeting in Samoa from the 13  15 December at Sheraton Hotel, and he expressed that I.L.O. would assist Samoa and other Pacific I.L.O. member states to promote green jobs for youth and a just transition to the green economy.
On a warm Samoan evening, musical sounds of Jingle Bells and Im Dreaming of a White Christmas delighted hundreds assembled on the front lawn of the government building in downtown Apia Friday night.

The occasion was to launch My Island Christmas, a festival that will run until 24 December, organised and sponsored by TV3 Apia Broadcasting Limited and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, was welcomed and thanked by Elder O. Vincent Haleck, Pacific Area President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Other special guests at the opening ceremony were media and many government, interfaith, and business leaders.

With a live nativity scene at the left of the stage, the opening ceremony centred on the light of the world, the Saviour, Jesus Christa celebration of His birth.

Reverend Taumafai Komiti, Methodist Church of Matafele, said, The lights we turn on tonight symbolize the light He gives to the world. We celebrate His birth, and we remember that we must be ready to spread that light as we reach out and lend a helping hand to all.

M.P. Fuimaono Samuelu Teo Atiifale spoke about previous Christmas celebrations in Samoa. This is the second year that Christmas lights and activities have been enjoyed around the grounds of the government building. He said, Last year my family sang here and it added to our feelings of joy at Christmas time. Elder Haleck thanked the organizing committee and sponsors of the event for all the work they did to give this gift to the community.

The lights we are going to turn on can never compare to the light of Christ, whose birth and life we celebrate, he said. He then pressed the switch that turned on thousands of twinkling lights covering the stage and the trees of the centre to the delight of the audience.

The evening concluded with a variety of performers, beginning with the Methodist Church Matafele choir singing carols, dancers performing traditional-with-a-twist Samoan dances, ending with Stake President Jason Joseph (also a popular entertainer formerly known as King J) singing Ill Be Home for Christmas. The festival will continue with nightly performances by a variety of entertainers and choirs.

Joseph encouraged all present to spend this wonderful time of year with their families, remembering the love of the Saviour, Jesus Christ.
A prisoner accused of attempting to sexually violate a Norwegian woman who was climbing the Mount Vaea trail in 2015 has disputed the Police summary of fact in his hearing.

Daniel Vailopa has pleaded guilty to the charges against him including the theft of a cell phone worth A$2,000 belonging to the woman.

The victim was working in Samoa when the incident occurred after the convict escaped from Tafaigata Prison on the 2nd August 2015 where he made his way to Vailima and attempted to sexually assault the victim.

But prior to sentencing, Vailopa has raised questions about the Police summary of facts.

The accused was supposed to have been sentenced last week.

The matter was called before Justice Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala Warren.

Lawyer Alalatoa Rosella Papalii is representing the accused while Fuifui Ioane is representing the National Prosecution Office.

According to Ms. Ioane, sentencing has been postponed to allow the lawyers to sort out the facts Vailopa is disputing. If they dont reach a settlement, there is a possibility for witnesses to be called again.

A decision is expected in the new year.
A bill to amend the Constitution to define Samoa as a Christian State was tabled in Parliament yesterday.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2016 was presented by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi when Parliament convened for the last time this year.

The Constitutional amendment in relation to religion is one of two changes announced by Prime Minister Tuilaepa.

The second change proposed was tabled in the Constitutional Amendment Bill (No.1) 2016. The bill seeks to remove the appointment of the Director of Public Prosecutions, returning its powers and duties to the Attorney General.

Both changes were not discussed, as it was the first reading.

According to the Constitutional Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2016s Explanatory Memorandum, it aims to insert in the Constitution that Samoa is a Christian nation to declare the dominance of Christianity in Samoa.

A pre-sitting briefing held on Monday gave the Members of Parliament the opportunity to ask questions about bills before Parliament reconvened yesterday.

According to the pre-sitting summary on the Legislative Assembly website, Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff explained the Constitutional changes.

Lemalu told M.Ps it would not affect the human rights protected under Article 11, which permits all citizens to practice their own particular religious beliefs.

Currently, reference to Christianity is in the Preamble but the amendment will enshrine Christianity from within the body of the Constitution which effectively provides a legal definition of the States religion.

Lemalu said the government is not attempting to control religion among its people but merely attempting to define the State religion.

As for the decision to return the powers of the Director of Public Prosecutor to the A.G, Lemalu also explained to M.Ps at the pre-sitting briefing the amendment would decrease the cost of operating a separate prosecution arm.

In addition, he said the amendment will lessen instances of conflict of interest with the Attorney General subsequently overseeing all prosecution cases.

The separation of the A.Gs office and the N.P.O. was recently enacted.

Lemalu stated that as a result of recent events within the N.P.O., Cabinet decided that the previous structure, wherein prosecutions were handled by the Office of A.G. is preferable and also more cost effective.

One Member commented that the principal act was not defective, but rather the implementation and monitoring processes were at fault for recent events within the NPO, and that in the future, the recruitment process for lawyers should be closely monitored, stated the Legislative Assembly website.
The Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, tabled a supplementary budget of $12,288,936.00 in Parliament yesterday.

Speaking about the budget, he said it was the result of a very careful review.

Sili said the government continues to promote the theme of living within our means.

In doing so, the government has attempted to identify various means to maintain its fiscal target of a budget deficit within the range of 3.5% of the national G.D.P.

The Ministry for Finance has completed an assessment of previous financials for the F.Y. 2015/2016 and have since concluded that there has been a 0.4% decrease in total national spending, he said.

A review of the first quarter of the 2016/2017 financial period has revealed a 0.7% budget deficit of the G.D.P.

These are clear indications that all Ministries, under the guidance of the Ministry for Finance, have been committed to ensuring prudent control and the efficient use of all Government resources throughout the course of the financial year.

Sili made it clear that the expectation was that these controls would not diverge from other government priorities that are currently being implemented to ensure a continued improvement in the quality of life for all Samoan.

The supplementary budget is allocated as follow:

Summary of Revenue

- $148,140 - Ministry for Revenue

- $ 204,552 - Ministry of Finance

Sili said a large portion of additional requests received from various Ministries are funded through the reallocation of savings from existing appropriations and include the following:

 $2,254,340 from Statutory Vote

 $1,352,866 reduction in Principal payments for external debt servicing

 $901,474 reduction in interest payments on external debt servicing

 $2,600,000 from the Ministry of Finance

 $1,600,000 reduction in the Government of Samoa Capital injection to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank which is currently up to date and will not be reviewed again until August 2017

 $1,000,000 reduction in appropriations for Insurance on Government Assets following the conclusion of the tendering process for this expenditure item as approved by Cabinet

 $7,081,235 from the M.W.T.I.

 $39,100 savings identified from lease and rents expenditures for the T.A.T.T.E. Building

 $48,000 appropriated for the temporary hire of a structural engineer, which will now be reallocated into personnel to finance the post for a permanent engineer

 $7,000,000 originally allocated as a subsidy for V.A.G.S.T. to the E.P.C. but is no longer required due to a change in legislation that now has electricity zero.-rated

Summary of Additional Expenditure

Additional expenditure requested and granted under this supplementary budget have been reviewed against additional resources and formulated against a backdrop of the critical developments contributing to sustainable developments.

Priorities include:

o -$7,000,000 to the Statutory Vote - $5,000,000 additional funds for VAGST refunds

o - $2,000,000 additional funds for Income Tax Refunds

o - $274,134 for the Legislative Assembly

o - $709, 885 for the Ministry of Communication

o - $1,934,828 for the Ministry of Education

o - $225,000 for the Ministry of Finance

o - $353,569.73 for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

o - $825,080 for the Ministry of Health

o - $233,962 for the Ministry of Justice

o - $161,440 for the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure

o - $680,000 for the National Health Services

The budget will be discussed when parliament reconvenes on 24th January 2017.
Veteran Poway music teacher Ulli Reiner is a Top 10 finalist for a 2017 Music Educator Award by The Recording Academy and Grammy Foundation.

Reiner has taught music in Poway Unified School District since 1983, where she heads the school orchestras for Bernardo Heights Middle School, Twin Peaks Middle School. She has also led or founded other youth and adult music programs, and performs as a professional violinist.

Its not the first time shes been honored in the prestigious Grammy program, which typically attracts a field of more than 4,000 nominees from across the country. Last year, Reiner made it to the list of 25 semifinalists, along with Vista music teacher Anne Fennell, who was then named among the 10 finalists.

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Reiner said this week she was thrilled to learn that she made it to the next level this year, and sees it as a commendation of music instruction in schools.

I was just absolutely ecstatic about it, and at the same time so humbled and proud of my students, she said. I represent all of the music educators. Were all trying to instill in our students the importance of music, and keeping it alive in our culture and in the world.

Music was part of the fabric of family life for Reiner, the daughter of Austrian immigrants whose father attended the Bruckner conservatory in Linz, Austria, and was her biggest influence as a musician. At three, Reiner said, she began playing cornet, a curved brass instrument related to the trumpet. By five she had learned the accordion, and at 11, began studying violin, the instrument that is closest to her heart.

Ive loved music my whole life, she said.

Reiner went on to share her passion with countless students at all levels and age groups. She created five orchestra programs in the district from scratch, including the Poway High School Symphony. She also founded the Poway Community Symphony Orchestra and Poway Community Symphonette  a small chamber orchestra  through the school districts adult school program. She is a co-founder of the San Diego Youth Philharmonic and San Diego Civic Youth Orchestras and an adjunct instructor at Palomar Community College, where she serves as concertmaster for the Palomar Symphony Orchestra.

Were very pleased that she is getting recognized for her important work in our community, working with children from four years old up to adults in their 80s, said Ellen Weller, a music professor at Palomar College and director of the college orchestra. Shes someone who believes that education is for everyone and music is for everyone.

Reiner also weaves other altruistic interests into her musical work. Palomar College music professor Madelyne Byrne composed a piece entitled Decorah Bald Eagle Violin Concerto, inspired by a nesting eagle pair in Decorah, Iowa, and Reiners love of nature. Reiner played the violin solo when the piece premiered at the college last year.

Ive really been impressed with how she ties her work as a musician in with being a decent person and a good steward of the environment and of wildlife, Byrne said.

The Music Educator Award began in 2013 through the Grammy in the Schools program, which supports public high school music programs and hosts camps for students interested in musical careers. It recognizes educators in kindergarten through college who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in schools, according to a statement on Grammy.com.

The 2017 winner will receive a $10,000 honorarium for his or her school and be recognized in the week leading up to the 59th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 12. The 10 finalists each get a $1,000 honorarium, and their schools will receive matching grants.

Reiner plays and teaches a variety of musical forms, but says her favorite pieces are from the baroque, classical and romantic eras. Recently, she said, she has also introduced American folk music to her students, and teaches a summer music workshop in that genre.

Im very fortunate to be teaching in a district that has always had a very strong support system for music, starting in fifth grade, and all the way through high school, she said. Its a testament to the devotion and dedication the district has for music.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
San Marcos Unified School District Superintendent Kevin Holt has announced that he will retire in June, after 14 years with the district.

I have had the distinct pleasure of working with many talented people in this district who have given birth to new ideas, faced down obstacles, persevered through challenges, and made San Marcos Unified one of the very best school districts in our state, he said in a statement released Friday.

Holt, who took over the superintendents position in 2007, is one of the highest paid superintendents in the state, and the highest paid in San Diego County. In 2015, he earned $378,805 in total compensation, including a salary of $310,495, other compensation of $24,141 and benefits totaling $44,170.

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Information on his expected pension was not available Monday.

Before he was hired as superintendent, Holt worked as assistant superintendent of human resources for San Marcos Unified for three years. He previously worked as a teacher and administrator for Long Beach Unified, Norwalk/La Mirada Unified and Temecula school districts.

In 2014, San Marcos schools earned high marks in a statewide report card on the education provided to Latino, black and poor students in Californias largest districts.

That year the San Marcos Unified School District ranked seventh out of 149 districts  and the best out of six in San Diego County  to receive District Report Cards from The Education Trust-West, which ranks districts on academic and college readiness among poor and minority students.

Holt said he was pleased to oversee the creation of Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary School and Double Peak K8 school, as well as the construction of new facilities for San Marcos High School and San Marcos Elementary.

He co-chaired the San Diego County Office of Educations Achievement Gap Task Force and helped form the San Marcos Promise Foundation, which provides scholarships and college admission support to students in the district.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
California utility regulators have amended a ruling from earlier this year that upheld San Diego Gas & Electrics right to enter private property to trim trees that are too close to power lines.

The California Public Utilities Commission stopped short of reversing itself. Instead, regulators edited language in their previous decision so it is no longer technically inaccurate.

The order posted by the commission on Monday involved a complaint from University Heights homeowner David MacKinnon, who accused SDG&E of trimming his trees far more than the 18 inches of clearance required.

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His initial complaint alleged that SDG&E attempted to grind down three palm trees to near stumps, far more than safety regulations require to avoid dry vegetation from sparking a fire.

MacKinnon also accused the commission of being biased in favor of utilities when it considers complaints from ratepayers and other interests.

He requested a rehearing on both issues.

In its decision posted Monday, the commission noted it had wrongly said a distribution line above MacKinnons house serves the home.

We modify the decision in the ordering paragraphs below to remove references to who the line serves, it wrote.

Regulators stood by their ruling that the complaint was moot because SDG&E raised the pole after MacKinnon first lodged his complaint, increasing the clearance between the power line and trees.

Regulators also dismissed MacKinnons assertion that commission judges too often rule in favor of utilities. He had cited a judges record of supporting the utility in each of 17 separate cases.

MacKinnon has not demonstrated that a review of the outcome of the (judges) prior cases meets the required showing for bias, the decision states.

The decision effectively rejects a motion to rehear the complaint. MacKinnon said he is still deciding whether to file an appeal in state appellate court.

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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
DES MOINES  Amid reports of electoral defections and noisy protests in other states, Iowas presidential electors on Monday quietly cast the states six Electoral College votes for President-elect Donald Trump.

During a brief and uneventful meeting at the Iowa Capitol, the six presidential electors all cast their votes for Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. The Republican ticket won the Nov. 8 presidential election in Iowa by nearly 10 percentage points.

Heres the big surprise, Gov. Terry Branstad joked Monday when Iowas electoral votes were cast and tallied.

Normally routine procedures that go largely unwatched by the public, Mondays Electoral College meetings drew more attention thanks in part to a public campaign by Trumps critics to convince electors in states that Trump won to cast their electoral votes for a different candidate.

According to news reports, it actually was Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton who lost electoral votes in the rare cases in which electors did not cast a vote for the candidate who won his or her state in the Nov. 8 election.

Protesters shouted and sang during the Electoral College meeting in Wisconsin.

Although dozens packed a small conference room in the Iowa Capitol for Mondays meeting and a few dozen more stood outside after the room filled up, the brief meeting occurred without incident.

Thank you for coming to the Capitol, Branstad said, and thank you for being respectful of this process. We appreciate that very much.

Electors in states won by Trump, including Iowa, have in recent weeks been inundated with correspondence encouraging them to vote for a candidate other than Trump.

James Whitmer, an elector from Waterloo and a Republican, said that in the past three mailing days he received 1,000 letters in addition to 500 emails, 500 Facebook messages and 20 phone calls urging him to cast his vote for someone other than Trump.

I had no idea that was going to happen, Whitmer said.

Whitmer said the deluge of messages did not deter him from casting his vote for Trump.

Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, told reporters in a conference call earlier Monday that the campaign to sway presidential electors across the country was just noise.

Much has been made of it, but it was always going to be a routine event, Kaufmann said. Whoever won the popular vote gets Iowas six electors. Thats how its always been. ...

This is not about personal opinion. This is about the results of a general election.

Presidential electors are nominated by the states political party organizations. When the state votes on Election Day, the victorious partys electors are appointed to cast the states electoral votes.
Less than three weeks after his swearing-in, a member of the Tijuana City Council was behind bars in San Diego on Tuesday on money laundering charges.

Luis Torres Santillan, 37, was taken into custody Friday afternoon by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Torres was arrested at the border after receiving a call that he needed to come in to renew his Sentri pass that allows expedited screening for program members, said his San Diego defense attorney, Anthony Colombo.

Torres is being held on $5 million bail at the San Diego Central Jail on ten counts of money laundering, according to the San Diego County District Attorneys Office. If found guilty of all counts, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years.

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Torres pleaded not guilty on all counts at his arraignment in San Diego Superior Court on Monday, his attorney said.

Torres is one of 12 defendants named in a complaint filed Friday. Little is publicly known about the nature of the alleged money laundering operation. Details of the arrest are likely included in a 26-page probable cause document that was filed under seal.

One court document signed by a San Diego police officer assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration Narcotics Task Force described Torres as a flight risk because of the proximity to the border and his connections with Mexico.

Due to the lucrative nature of the illicit business the defendant is engaged in, I believe the defendant has quick access to additional large sources of illicit, feloniously-obtained funds, and that these funds would be used to post bail, the statement said.

A bail review hearing is scheduled Wednesday afternoon in San Diego Superior Court. Colombo said he plans to challenge the bail amount, saying its outrageous and excessive to the point where I believe its a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against excessive bail.

Colombo said that Torres is a U.S. citizen, married,and the father of two. He has no previous criminal record. He is an upstanding member of his community, the attorney said. The family has for decades operated a business that imports products such as rice, beans and lentils and distributes them to customers in Mexico.

California state records show Santillan as the registered agent for Towers Trading and Transport, and lists his address at a house in Coronado Cays.

News of his arrest reverberated across government and business circles in Tijuana on Tuesday. Friends reacted with shock and disbelief, and said he is from a well-regarded and well-established Tijuana family. Top of the line, one friend said, who asked not to be named because so little was publicly known about the case.

He is an extraordinary young man dedicated to his work, Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum told reporters at Tijuana City Hall.

At the time of his arrest, Torres had been in office for only 16 days. Like Tijuanas mayor, Torres is a member of Mexicos National Action Party, the PAN.

Torres Facebook page describes him as an entrepreneur and head of the councils public safety committee. He has been a member of Coparmex, an influential business group known for fighting corruption and championing transparency in government.

The other defendants named in the complaint are: David Javier Espinoza, 47, Claudia Ramirez-Espinoza, 47, Marco Diaz-Ochoa, 34, Liza Ampudia, 44, Jorge Carlos Escalante, 22, Karla Escalante, 47, David Alejandro Espinoza, 20, Sofia Espinoza, 22, Karla Espinoza-Camacho, 23, Felipe Lizarraga, 65 and Mario Rodriguez-Rivera, 51.

Staff researcher Merrie Monteagudo contributed to this report.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

@sandradibble
A Santa Clara County judge who drew heated criticism for his decision to sentence former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman has been cleared of misconduct by the California Commission on Judicial Performance.

In a 12-page report released Monday, the commission wrote that Judge Aaron Perskys sentencing was within the parameters set by law and was therefore within the judges discretion. The commission, an independent state agency that is responsible for investigating claims of misconduct, said it found no evidence of bias in Perskys conduct and announced that it had closed its investigation.

The commission has concluded that there is not clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority, or other basis to conclude that Judge Persky engaged in judicial misconduct warranting discipline, the panel said.

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That assessment did little to quell the furor over Perskys decision however as his fiercest critics vowed Monday to continue their campaign to have the judge removed from the bench in a recall election.

We believe that the record is completely clear that Judge Persky has a long record of failing to take violence against women seriously, and we will demonstrate when we launch the campaign early next year, said Michelle Dauber, a Stanford law professor and friend of the victim who has spearheaded the campaign. We believe that voters support the recall and will replace Judge Persky.

Outrage over the Turner sentencing erupted in June, when the victims anguished impact statement was published online and shared via social media.

The commission, which consists of six public members, two lawyers, and three judicial officers, had received thousands of complaints and petitions charging Persky with gender, race and economic bias. Critics also alleged that a nonwhite, underprivileged defendant would have received a harsher sentence and that Persky should have been disqualified from the case because he graduated from Stanford and played lacrosse there.

Turner was facing a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting Emily Doe behind a dumpster, after a fraternity party. At the time, prosecutors asked Persky to sentence him to six years in prison. Persky sentenced the then-20-year-old Turner to six months in county jail and three years probation. Because of Californias felony sentencing realignment, Turner served only half of the sentence.

In making his decision, Persky looked at both Turner and the victims account of the assault, the commission said. His sentencing, according to the judicial panel, was also consistent with a probation officers recommendation.

Turners chief probation officer, Monica Lassettre, recommended a sentence of county jail, three years of probation and sex offender treatment, according to her probation report.

The commission also found that Perskys ties to Stanford were insufficient to require disclosure or disqualification.

Since finishing his studies more than three decades ago, the judges contacts with Stanford University have been minimal, the commission wrote.

We will continue to proceed with the recall election as it is important for Santa Clara County voters to decide whether Judge Persky should remain on the bench, Dauber said in a prepared statement. This report simply highlights what we have been saying from the beginning, which is that a petition for judicial discipline was not the correct venue to address these concerns, and the recall is the only realistic way to remove Judge Persky from office.

The commission also reviewed four other cases handled by Persky, and found no evidence of bias. In those cases, his sentencings were usually part of negotiated plea agreements between prosecutors and defense attorneys, consistent with recommendations in the probation reports or both, according to the judicial panel.

The commissions assessment did not sit well with Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of the womens rights advocacy group UltraViolet. The report was an insult to survivors of sexual assault everywhere, she said in a prepared statement.

The epidemic of rape and sexual violence against women is a national problem, where our so-called justice system excuses rapists and normalizes sexual violence too often, she said. Todays decision from the California Commission on Judicial Performance, like Judge Perskys decision to prioritize the well-being of convicted rapist Brock Turner, is yet another example of our national rape culture epidemic at work.

Following Perskys controversial ruling, lawmakers passed legislation in California this year that expanded the definition of rape and increased penalties for offenders who assault unconscious victims.

On Monday, the prosecutor in the Turner case acknowledged that although the Turner sentence was extremely disappointing, Persky had the lawful discretion to give it.

That would not be the case with the new law however.

Inspired by Emily Doe and helped by your local legislators, we changed the law so that the next Brock Turner will not spend a semester in jail, Santa Clara County Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen said in a prepared statement on Monday. The next Brock Turner will go to prison.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

ALSO

I hope you end up like me strong: Stanford sexual assault survivor named Woman of the Year

Spurred by Brock Turner case, Gov. Jerry Brown signs laws to toughen laws against rape

Op-Ed: Brock Turners sentence proves again the advantage of being white, well-off and educated

UPDATES:

4 p.m.: This article has been updated throughout.

This story was first published at 11 a.m.
Christine Forester has attended her final Christmas party hosted by President Barack Obama and the First Lady in the White House.

The La Jolla business consultant and member of Obamas National Finance Committee has been an invitee to the White House Christmas soiree for the past eight years. Tuesdays party was lovely, but there was a great deal of anxiety among guests about what might be coming, she said.

Forester is giving up her place on the star-studded Presidents Committee on the Arts and the Humanities to make way for President-elect Donald Trump to bring in new arts advisers.

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But shell remain in close contact with the former first couple through her key roles on two ongoing committees. She sits on the nine-member board of the group that started as Obama for America, morphed into Organizing for America and is now called Organizing for Action.

It is not focused on candidates or campaigns but on training community activists to be more efficient at organizing grassroots support.

Obama always said he could do things from the top down, but he needs help from the bottom up, laughs Forester, who has hosted Obama at events in her home on at least three occasions.

She also is on the Obama presidential library committee, or rather, the presidential center.

Unlike past presidents, his repository wont be simply a library and museum documenting the work of his administration. It will double as a community organizing center where the Obamas plan to spend time.

She and her colleagues vetted 146 architectural firm candidates. They narrowed the field to seven, with the Obamas selecting New York-based Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects for the Chicago project.

The husband-wife team designed San Diegos Neurosciences Institute. Their use of materials and details is exquisite, opined Forester.

The center, slated to open in 2021 or 2022, wont be a conventional library. It will be an active organizing hub incorporating the newest technology and communications. The Obamas are young. Their book is still being written, said Forester.

Giving back: The veterans memorial atop Mt. Soledad added a new plaque on Dec. 10. This one honors the many vets  currently 130  who work as correctional officers at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa.

Prison staffers donated money to have the plaque engraved in tribute to their military-connected colleagues.

Just as touching was the action by prisoners. Lou Scanlon, president of the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial Association, said Donovan inmates contributed money to buy a $1,000 lifetime membership that will help maintain the memorial.

The prisoners hold bimonthly fundraisers, explained Robert Brown, the state prisons community resources head. They stage bake sales, selling fellow inmates food brought in from outside vendors, like burritos, pizza and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Then they donate the profits to various causes: bicycles for needy kids, help for the homeless and wounded warriors.

Quite a few veterans are incarcerated, added Brown.

diane.bell@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1518

Twitter: dianebellSD

Facebook: dianebell.news
Hours before Donald Trump received enough electoral votes to become president, nearly 100 protesters took to the streets in downtown San Diego urging electors to reject him.

The crowd, many toting signs opposing Trump, gathered at Horton Plaza Park on Fourth Avenue about 9 a.m. They chanted slogans like Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here and This is what democracy looks like.

The protest was part of a last-ditch effort by some who oppose Trump to persuade electors to vote against the president-elect.

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Several protesters played music, and other gave speeches  most directed at members of the Electoral College who officially cast their vote for president on Monday.

This plea is directed mostly to Republican electors to acknowledge that Donald Trump represents the absolute worst of compulsive lying and manipulation, and he is the outright epitome of the corrupt government which he convinced half of America that he could vanquish, said organizer Chad McCormick.

He added later, Electors, please fix this.

McCormick, who spearheaded the march, said he started planning the event when Trump was declared victor in November. He created an event page on Facebook, and nearly 1,000 people expressed interest in the gathering. Others offered to help McCormick organize, including Mohamed Abdallah.

We would love if the electoral college heard the people, Abdallah said. This country was founded on democracy and what the people want and if Trump is elected I think that goes against what the majority of people want.

The group marched from Horton Plaza to Sixth Avenue and B Street, where more speeches were made.

Claudette Chemtob of Carlsbad and her two daughters listened to speakers denounce Trump as their president.

Even if nothing comes from this, we know we tried, she said. We did something.

The crowd eventually marched back to the Fourth Avenue park and dispersed.

Trump surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to officially be named president about 3 p.m. The votes will be certified during a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

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lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
An SUV caught fire at a Kearny Mesa gas station early Tuesday and flames quickly spread to a gas pump.

Employees were able to shut off the pump, and it did not explode, a fire official said. No one was injured.

Firefighters went to the Chevron station on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, near Shawline Street, about 2 a.m. The vehicle, parked next to a gas pump, was engulfed in flames, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Capt. Joe Amador said.

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Crews worked fast to douse flames under the Chevrolet Suburbans hood and inside the passenger compartment.

Flames gutted the SUV, charred the front of the gas pump and melted much of a metal support column holding up one part of the awning.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
Authorities have identified the two San Diego police SWAT officers involved in a shootout in Clairemont last week.

Officers Justin Tennebaum, a 9-year police veteran, and Brandon Gibson, on the force for 5 years, exchanged gunfire with Hayden Gerson at his home on Dec. 12.

None of the rounds hit anyone, and a police dog helped take Gerson into custody.

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Two officers first went to Gersons home on Mount Saint Helens Drive to check on reported domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend. She left safely, but Gerson is alleged to have punched both officers and choked one.

He slipped back inside, armed himself with a handgun and refused to come out, police said. SWAT officers surrounded the place and at one point Gerson opened fire on Gibson and Tennebaum, police said. The officers returned fire.

When Gerson came out, he fought and bit the police dog, which bit him. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries.

He was then booked on three counts of attempted murder of police officers, one count of harming a police dog, and obstructing officers.
Families across San Diego County teared up and rejoiced as sheriffs deputies handed them cash and gift cards from three Secret Santas on Saturday.

The three community members who wished to remain anonymous donated a combined $15,000 and enlisted the Sheriffs Departments help to spread the money to families in need.

Dozens of families  from Encinitas to Vista and Lemon Grove to Ramona  were surprised with $200 to $500 in cash, as well as gift cards to Target, Starbucks and AMC Theatres.

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Deputies had encountered the disadvantaged families while working at schools and on patrol, officials said.

It was a wonderful experience, said Melissa Aquino, spokeswoman for the Sheriffs Department. When deputies are out on patrol they always encounter people in the worst moment of their lives. Its good for them to give back and see tears of joy and be there for them on a happy note.

Spokesman Ryan Keim added: It reminds the deputies why they put on the uniform every day.

The Sheriffs Department thanked the donors for their contributions.

Without their support we wouldnt be able to do this, Aquino said.

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Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
An 18-year-old man who was shot Monday night in a Mira Mesa street was driven to a hospital by a friend and died there, police said.

Early Tuesday morning, a SWAT team converged on a Mira Mesa home in search of a person of interest but made no arrests.

Investigators said the victim was shot on Menkar Road near Aquarius Drive about 8:30 p.m. A friend took him to a hospital, homicide Lt. Ray Valentin said.

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Police got a report about that time that four to five gunshots had been heard around Acrux Drive.

Officers did not find any victims there. However, they found a blood trail and casings a few blocks away on Menkar, Valentin said.

The wounded man turned up at a hospital about 9 p.m. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the upper torso, Valentin said.

The man underwent surgery but did not survive. His name was not released.

A long stretch of Menkar was blocked overnight as homicide detectives took over the case.

SWAT officers were called to a house on Menkar at Harlow Terrace about 6:45 a.m. They got several people to come out, then went inside to search for a person of interest in the case.

Valentin said the individual was interviewed by investigators, who determined the man was not a suspect.

The lieutenant said the victim lived in San Diego but not in the immediate area where the shooting occurred.

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Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
The Universal Society of Hinduism is objecting to dog beds and other products featuring the image of Lord Ganesha, a Hindu deity, sold by Oceanside-based company KESS Inhouse.

Rajan Zed, president of the Nevada-based society, said its disrespectful for a person or dog to walk, sit or lie on the image of Lord Ganesha, who is the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles. He asked KESS Inhouse to stop selling certain products featuring the deity and apologize to Hindus.

The company first removed from its website all of the Lord Ganesha products, Zed said, even though he said the wall hangings and paintings were not an issue.

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The company has since put all of the products back online, including the ones that Zed said are offensive. The Union-Tribune confirmed that Lord Ganesha products, including the dog beds, were available on KESS Inhouses website on Monday. The dog beds started at $110. A fleece blanket sells for $59, a dog placemat for $29, and a throw pillow for $39.

Mostly out of ignorance, companies do not know, and when we object, they usually remove it. Not all the time, but most of the time, Zed said in a phone interview. As long as customers dont put their feet on Ganesha or dogs are sitting on Ganesha. Those are objectionable. The rest are fine. Were only asking them to remove a few items.

Sara Gupta-ONeill of KESS InHouse said that the company had never been contacted by Zed directly and that the products have been around for two or three years. She said that she grew up in a Hindu household, and no one in her family found the products offensive.

KESS InHouse contracts with artists for many of the designs on its products, but according to the Golden Ganesha product page, the Lord Ganesha design was done by KESS Inhouse staff.

We didnt want to censor the design, and we didnt right away, Gupta-ONeill said. We didnt want to feel like we were censoring art in any way, shape or form.

Then, Zed began reaching out to platforms like Wayfair that carry KESS InHouse products. KESS InHouse decided to remove the products that offended Zed.

We didnt want them to have any kind of headaches or issues, Gupta-ONeill said. Theyre a very large portion of our business.

She did not know why the products still appeared on the companys website on Monday and said she would look into it.

Zed said he has suggested that companies should send representatives for cultural awareness training to keep them from accidentally offending particular groups with images on products or advertising.

This hurts the feelings of the devotees. We worship Ganesha, Zed said. Whenever we start a new project or a major undertaking, Lord Ganesha is invoked first.

No faith should be mishandled, smaller or larger, Zed said.

Zed has also recently called on online retail giant Amazon to remove skateboards and other items featuring Lord Ganesha and online home decor site Wayfair to remove Lord Ganesha bathmats.

Hinduism, which began in India, is the worlds third largest religion. There were about 6,800 Hindus in San Diego County in 2010, according to the most recent data available from the Association of Religion Data Archives.

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate

UPDATES:

515 p.m. This story has been updated with a response from the company owner.
MASON CITY | If anyone walks into the lobby of the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse and hesitates, even for a moment, they are likely to be greeted by Supervisor Phil Dougherty darting out of his office to help them find their way.

Those who know him and have worked with him say that is part of his DNA -- to help people find their way.

On Tuesday, Dougherty will be participating in his final meeting as a supervisor after 16 years on the board. In November, the Democrat from Dougherty who was seeking his fifth term, was defeated by Republican Chris Watts of Mason City.

As a young man, Dougherty, 60, had an interest in local politics at the township level and attended Democratic caucuses but never had a burning desire to run for public office, he said.

"I didn't have a 'lightbulb moment' where I knew I had to run," Dougherty said. But in 2000, when Supervisor Bob Ermer of Rockwell chose to retire, he decided to make his move.

He defeated Mark Young in the Democratic primary and Larry Johnson in the general election and has been in office ever since.

"Once you're elected, you learn a lot of things. You learn what you can't do as well as what you can do. And you learn when you come to the table, don't be a Johnny-come-lately. Do your homework," said Dougherty.

He said when he was first elected, a constituent gave him a piece of advice he's never forgotten.

"He said, 'Before you vote on anything, think of how your decision will affect your dad.' I don't know whether he meant my dad as an elderly citizen or a farmer or a property owner or just a common guy -- or maybe all of those things. But I've always remembered that," he said.

Dougherty said another thing he's learned in government is that public service never stops.

"From the road you drive on, the street you walk on to the streetlight you stand under, it's ongoing," he said.

Looking back over his 16 years, Dougherty said he is proud of how the county has held the line on taxes, has supported the CLEAR project to improve Clear Lake and was the first county in what is now a 22-county consortium on mental health needs.

He has experienced much tragedy in his personal life. Two children have died in their youth, one from a traffic accident, one from illness. His wife, Alice, underwent a heart transplant several years ago.

He said he and his wife have been sustained by the support of family, extended family, friends and a gracious, caring community.

"I hope nobody ever voted for me out of pity. I've always tried to keep that at arm's length," said Dougherty.

He said his personal life has helped put a lot of things in perspective.

"There are worse things that can happen to someone than losing an election," he said.

He and his wife have a grown daughter and three grandchildren.

Dougherty said he's not sure what the future will bring.

"I'm definitely in the job market," he said with a laugh. Prior to his government work, he was employed by Huber Supply for 14 years.

Former Supervisor Bob Amosson said, "If you can't work with Phil, you can't work with anybody. You'll never meet a nicer guy to work with.

"And if you had someone come into the office who was a little upset, you'd send them to Phil. He could 'un-upset' someone in a hurry just by the way he treated them."

Tom Drzycimski, county administrative officer, said, "I've always said that it seems like Phil knows everybody. And if he doesn't know someone, he soon will."

As an example, Drzycimski said last summer he came across Dougherty in a grocery and they walked and talked for awhile.

"We crossed paths with probably four or five different people and Phil knew them all and they all knew him," he said.

Drzycimski said Dougherty is constantly learning.

"He makes no pretense about not knowing all the answers and seeks information he needs to know," Drzycimski said. "He devours newspapers. Many times he'd spot an article with relevance to Cerro Gordo County and bring it to me.

"If I had to sum up Phil in just a few words, I would call him a humble, thoughtful, servant."

Dougherty said he isn't concerned about what his legacy might be.

"I hope people felt I was approachable," he said.
One the toughest issues facing Tijuanas new mayor, Juan Manuel Gastelum, is transportation. And less than a month into his administration, app-based ride services have been among those feeling the heat.

After city officials towed 33 Uber vehicles in the first 17 days of Gastelums term, members of the city council representing the mayors National Action Party, or PAN, on Monday said theyre seeking a moratorium on the crackdown through the end of the year to allow operators of Uber vehicles and other app-based ride services to register with the citys transportation unit.

Later in the day, Uber issued a statement stating that company representatives are now in talks with the city. As always, at Uber we are in favor of a regulation that embraces innovation for the benefit of the majority of citizens, that generates self-employment and improved mobility, it said.

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Uber has been operating in Tijuana since August 2014, much the dismay of Tijuanas taxi driver unions. But even city officials admit to using the ride service, and Uber vehicles have continued to operate despite their uncertain status.

Efforts under the last mayoral administration to create a legal framework for Uber to operate werent successful, said council member Arnulfo Leon Guerrero, head of the councils commission on roads and transportation. The previous administration did not resolve a fundamental issue, he said. Its our task to regulate transportation in general.

The crackdown generated complaints from Uber users that the service is being unfairly targeted, as well as criticism from the mayors detractors that he is bowing to political pressures.

During a news conference Saturday, Tijuana secretary-general Raul Felipe Luevano denied that the new administration has singled out Uber. Inspectors posted at checkpoints in parts of the city found 544 vehicles in violation of various rules, including taxis, trucks and buses, he said.

Luevano said the the city would continue to enforce public transportation regulations. Allowing Uber to operate without permission is like tolerating  any other form of transportation that does not comply with municipal regulations, Luevano was quoted as saying in a news release.
Political hardball is an American tradition. After Donald Trump replaces Barack Obama as president on Jan. 20, hes likely to issue far-reaching executive orders undoing Obama policies on a wide range of issues, just as Obama did after succeeding George W. Bush in the White House. To be expected.

But what has happened in North Carolina goes far beyond hardball. It feels transgressive of U.S. political traditions. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory lost to state Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat, in a race so close that McCrory refused to concede for nearly a month. Republicans with supermajorities in the North Carolina Legislature responded with a special session that last week saw measures passed that shift much authority over state public schools from the State Board of Education, which will have a majority of members chosen by the governor, to the elected state superintendent of public instruction, soon to be a Republican, and that gave Republicans de facto control over the most important decisions of the State Board of Elections. They also passed measures reducing the number of state government positions Cooper can directly fill by more than two-thirds; that require the next governors Cabinet appointees to be approved by the state Senate; and that end the governors ability to nominate members to the board overseeing the University of North Carolinas 17 campuses. McCrory is expected to sign all the bills before leaving office next month.

Given that McCrory is the only incumbent governor in state history to lose a re-election bid, these actions clearly dont reflect the will of voters. Such hyperpartisanship bodes poorly for North Carolina. It bodes worse for the nation if heavy-handed partisan wrangling is deemed acceptable in other states.

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Uber said on Monday it is not going to put the brakes on its self-driving vehicles picking up passengers in San Francisco despite objections from regulators and even a stern warning from the state attorney general ordering it to stop.

Last Wednesday, the ride-hailing company made the self-driving vehicles available for the general public in San Francisco  the second city in America after Pittsburgh to allow Ubers autonomous vehicles on its populated streets.

The vehicle is designed to use radar, laser and other location-tracking technology to navigate its way around potential roadblocks like cars and pedestrians all while obeying traffic signs. The vehicle, however, does not appear to be designed to avoid legal roadblocks.

Related: Uber self-driving car runs red light on first day in San Francisco

The same day that Uber launched its program, regulators and the Department of Motor Vehicles complained that the company did not acquire a proper permit to operate a self-driving vehicle in a city, and on Friday the state attorney general sent a letter to seek "injunctive and other appropriate relief to get the company to stop.

Uber maintains it does not require permission from the state to operate its self-driving cars within the city of San Francisco because the vehicles are not 100 percent autonomous  a human monitor sits behind the wheel in each vehicle.

At issue is whether Uber and state regulators should see eye to eye on how to proceed with autonomous vehicles in the streets. Observers are also watching carefully for the companys next move: Will it concede to regulators or will it defy the state?

In a blog post, George Mason University law professor Christopher Koopman argued that part of Ubers success stems from experimenting without asking for permission.

Much like Ubers efforts to dismantle antiquated taxi laws, the point here is to fix the underlying legal framework for autonomous vehicles in California, Koopman writes. This isnt a matter of simply refusing to comply. Its a matter pushing California to reform in a very direct, public way.

So what does the public think, anyway? Reactions are not always in favor of the company. They are mixed.

More broadly, Uber is facing a public relations battle because within a week of its launch in San Francisco, at least two its self-driving vehicles were caught running red lights in two separate occasions. And on Monday, the company admitted that in some instances the vehicles made unsafe right-hook-style turns through bike lanes and that it was working to fix the flaw.

To date, Ubers self-driving vehicles have not been involved in serious accidents against other vehicles or pedestrians but the question of safety is something the company says it takes very seriously.

Should the company continue to test autonomous vehicles in a populated city such as San Francisco or should it heed the warnings from regulators in the state? Weigh in with your thoughts, send me an email or tweet at me.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) issued a warning about a national scam that continues to target the companys customers.

Known as the Pay-by-Phone scam, criminals typically threaten immediate power shut-offs to scare customers to make an immediate payment. The scammers then instruct customers to purchase prepaid debit cards, or wire transfers, and direct them to call another phone number to provide the card information, which allows the thieves to remove the cash value.

To hear that people are losing thousands of dollars because they fear SDG&E is going to turn off their power is upsetting at any time, but particularly so during the holiday season, said Scott Crider, vice president of SDG&E customer services. We want our customers to know about this scam and protect themselves and their families from becoming a victim. While anyone can be a target, weve seen higher instances of scammers targeting small businesses, the elderly and non-native English speakers.

SDG&E provides these tips so customers can protect themselves:

If payment to SDG&E is past-due, the company would notify the customer in writing before taking any action to disconnect service. Additionally, the companys Energy Service Specialists are trained to work with customers to arrange for a payment plan or other payment process.

Customers should never give anyone who calls and demands payment their credit card information over the phone. Instead, SDG&E recommends that customers should hang up and call SDG&Es main customer service line at 1-800-411-SDGE.

There are reports that the scammers are calling with information like addresses and phone numbers which can be obtained through simple Internet searches, making it difficult to recognize a call as fake. Customers should protect their information by safely disposing of anything that may have an account number, balance, passwords or other financial information.

SDG&E encourages anyone who has been victim to this scam to report any loss of money to a law enforcement agency, and said it investigates reported issues in an effort to help protect customers


Lawyers for a San Diego man whose medical marijuana business was raided in January have appealed a Superior Court judges decision last month to allow the government to retain more than $100,000 in cash even though no criminal charges have been filed.

The attorneys representing Med-West Distribution owner James Slatic said Judge Jay M. Bloom erred when he ruled that the San Diego County District Attorneys Office could keep the money for now.

The respondent court twice erred as a matter of law when it denied the Slatic familys motion for return of property, states the appeal. This court should order the immediate return of all of the money because the Slatic familys constitutional rights are being violated every day their money remains in custody.

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Prosecutors responded by saying that a neutral judge found probable cause to conclude that Slatic was laundering illegal profits to his wifes and daughters bank accounts and as such the assets are subject to seizure.

They also said no evidence has been presented showing that Med-West Distribution was properly permitted.

The District Attorneys Office has yet to see a license or a permit for Slatics business to conduct a marijuana lab or a marijuana dispensary as required by the San Diego Municipal Code, spokesman Steve Walker said in a statement.

Wesley Hottot, one of Slatics lawyers, said Tuesday that when the company was raided, the city did not offer a license for manufacturing marijuana, and there was nothing in state law allowing or disallowing manufacturing in compliance with state law.

Med-West had obtained the only local permission available  a business tax certificate  and was paying taxes to the county, state, and IRS, he said. Med-Wests criminal lawyer has shown the DAs office its business tax certificate repeatedly, which as you can see in the attachment, allows for processing and packaging of medical marijuana oil for individual consumption.

The District Attorneys statement also said the criminal case has been hampered by legal maneuvers made by Slatics defense team.

Mr. Slatics attorneys filed a motion to have his computer equipment sealed, citing the existence of documents on the devices that may be covered by attorney-client privilege, Walker wrote. This had the unfortunate effect of halting some parts of the investigation and slowing down the overall investigation considerably. Had they not filed this motion, the investigation would likely have been much further along at this point.

Hottot disputed that characterization, saying the District Attorneys Office seized Med-West business records and forced the company to file a motion to defend its attorney-client privilege, which it won.

They still delayed for months after the motion was granted, he said. There is no dispute that Med-West was manufacturing marijuana. If that were a crime (and it is not), the DA could easily have charged the business and James 1,000 times over, Hottot said.

Hottot said the raid and its aftermath was all about seizing assets.

This case is about grabbing cash from a businessman and his family, he said.

Med-West Distribution, which made cartridges used for vaping, edibles and other products under the states medical marijuana law, was raided in January by a federal drug task.

Agents said the company was using an illegal manufacturing process and seized equipment, inventory and $324,000 in cash. Later they confiscated just over $100,000 in cash from bank accounts controlled by Slatic, his wife and their two teenaged daughters.

Company lawyers say the process did not violate state drug-manufacturing laws because it was refining marijuana byproducts rather than manufacturing new ones. The company also operated as a collective under state medical pot guidelines, they said.

No criminal charges have been filed, but prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing and the case remains under review for potential criminal charges.

The family sought the return of the $100,000 in a court proceeding last month, and Bloom held that the District Attorneys Office was within its rights to keep the funds.

RELATED

A marijuana joint is rolled in San Francisco the day after California voters approved Proposition 64 legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Under the measure, some felony pot convictions can converted to misdemeanors.

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald

UPDATES:

2 p.m. This story was updated to include response from Slatics attorney.
JOHN HUNNEMAN and JOHN HALL

Staff Writers

FALLBROOK -- John Bianchi, a former New York City police officerwho founded Bianchi International, an internationally recognizedleader in the manufacturing of gun holsters, died last week at hisFallbrook home of complications from Parkinsons disease.

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Bianchi, who died April 20, was 89. Born June 24, 1911 inBrooklyn, New York, he lived in Fallbrook for 30 years.

Bianchi was known as the father of the modern holster."Starting in his garage in the mid-1950s with a single 19th centurysewing machine, Bianchi produced new design concepts for holstersthat were considered years ahead of their time.

He moved his company, Bianchi Leather Products -- now calledBianchi International -- to Temecula in 1971.

A leading manufacturer and designer of handgun holsters andaccessories, the company headquarters on Jefferson Avenue includesmore than 70,000 square feet of research, design, development,manufacturing and support facilities. An additional manufacturingfacility is located in the Imperial Valley.

Bianchi was a collector of Western guns and memorabilia. In1982, he opened the Bianchi Frontier Museum next to hismanufacturing plant in Temecula. Three years later, he sold hisentire collection to cowboy film and music star Gene Autry for aplanned museum in Burbank. The collection included many Temeculaartifacts -- including the large diorama that depicts Old TownTemecula in 1914 -- and business and community leaders raised$20,000 to buy those items back.

Some of those artifacts, including the diorama, are currently ondisplay at the Temecula Valley Museum.

Bianchi accumulated more than 200 patents, trademarks andcopyrights and authored an industry best seller, Blue Steel &Gun Leather, the definitive book on the history and use ofholsters. He was a lifetime member of the National RifleAssociation and founded the Bianchi Cup, now the NRAs premierinternational pistol competition.

He retired from Bianchi International in 1994.

He was just a very, very sweet man, Walt Swickla, a 30-yearCalifornia Highway Patrol officer, said Thursday. He has known theBianchis since about 1978, while his wife Sharyns connection withthem goes even further back. She and members of the Bianchi familywent to school together in the early 1960s.

Sharyn Swickla has worked at Bianchi International for more than15 years and is currently a customer service supervisor. WaltSwickla said they would see John Bianchi at all the office parties,the last being Christmas 1999.

He was a heck of a dancer, Swickla said, he really loved todance.

Bianchi was preceded in death by his wife, Louise Bianchi, inNovember 1996, and grandson John Richard Bianchi. He is survivedby, among others, son and daughter-in-law John and Nikki Bianchi ofRancho Mirage; daughters and sons-in-law Mary Lou and Tony Herreraof Bradbury; and Jane and Stephen Spencer of Fallbrook.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, May 5, atCalvary Chapel in Fallbrook. The family suggests donations to theParkinsons Disease Association, San Diego Chapter, 4901 MorenaBoulevard, Suite 104, San Diego, CA 92117 or Fallbrook HospitalHospice, 624 E. Elder, Fallbrook, CA 92028.

Berry-Bell & Hall Fallbrook Mortuary is handlingarrangements.

4/27/01
CHARLES CITY | A Charles City man was sentenced this week to more than 10 years in federal prison on a methamphetamine charge.

Mark Allen Ackley Jr., 27, pleaded guilty August in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Charles City man pleads guilty to federal charge CHARLES CITY | A Charles City man has pleaded guilty to a federal methamphetamine charge.

Ackley conspired with others between 2014 and Oct. 21, 2015, to distribute five grams or more of pure methamphetamine, according to court documents.

He was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

Ackley also was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after his prison term ends and to pay a $100 special assessment.

-- Mary Pieper
CLEAR LAKE | A Clear Lake man has been sent to prison for up to 10 years for a felony convictions of possession of a firearm as a felon and revocation of his probation for a drug conviction.

Darren Morehouse, 49, received a five-year prison sentence Monday after entering an Alford plea last month to the firearm possession charge.

An Alford plea means a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors can likely prove the charge.

Morehouse also had his probation revoked this week on a 2014 conviction of marijuana possession, third or subsequent offense, and was ordered to serve another term of up to five years in prison.

Morehouse pleaded guilty to misdemeanor operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent. He was sentenced to up to two years in prison, but that sentence is to be served concurrently with the others sentences.

Fines of $625 and $750 were suspended.

Morehouse was spotted driving the stolen pick-up on July 4 in Clear Lake, according to the Clear Lake police.

A handgun was found when he was pulled over and arrested, police say.

-- Mary Pieper
By Peggy Kelly

Santa Paula News

As you read this, Santa Paula could be in the middle of a storm crisis, something unexpected when youve barely had rain for five years.

But beginning Thursday afternoon through Friday, Ventura County including Santa Paula is expected to be experiencing significant rain and possible flash flooding. Then, strong winds will move in.

The storm moving southeast from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, could bring up to 1.5 inches in valley areas and 2 inches to even 3 inches in the mountain areas.

Santa Paula is a valley surrounded by mountains, so you know what that means.

And, since the rainfall is expected to be swift and hard, flooding is a possibility. Once the rain ends there is a concern that strong winds will down power lines and trees in soggy ground.

According to the National Weather Service Los Angeles-Oxnard, The warm nature of this storm system ahead of the cold front will bring periods of heavy rain. Rainfall rates capable of triggering flash flooding and debris flows within the recent burn areas will be possible. Rain will turn to showers by Friday morning.

A flash flood watch means that while no flash flooding is occurring, conditions may develop that will lead to flash flooding.

For more NWS information, visit its webpage at: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/.

Following the storm east winds are expected on Saturday, which will contribute to possible tree falls from saturated soil and possible power outages.

Those who know their properties have flooding issues should already be prepared with sandbags and sand.

According to SPFD Asst. Chief Vern Alstot, emergency responders throughout Ventura County met Wednesday for a storm Operational Awareness meeting.

About 50 percent of the larger agencies, ranging from Ventura County Fire to Caltrans, will be staffing with extra personneltheyre expecting rain inundation will also impact traffic conditions.

For storm emergencies, City of Santa Paula Public Works is supplying sandbags and sand at the Public Works Yard (903 Corporation Way, until 3 p.m. Friday) and Fire Station 81 (on South 10th St.) and at Todd Road Jail, 600 Todd Road. Sandbags only will be available at Fire Station 82 on West Main Street next to the Community Center.

Realizing Santa Paulas large senior population, Alstot said those that need help in protecting their property will have it available as, We will have standby help for those not able to do it themselves.
MASON CITY  A former state trooper who received a suspended two-year prison sentence Monday for stealing pills from the Mason City post's evidence room apologized in court for his behavior.

I am ashamed of my actions, said Michael Haugen, 32, Forest City, who was put on probation for two years for aggravated misdemeanor counts of third-degree theft and tampering with records.

He said he stole the pills because he became addicted to opioid painkillers after he was prescribed the drugs for painful intestinal disorders.

Haugen said the last 3 years have been absolute hell, noting addiction affects the frontal lobe, the part of the brain that controls judgment.

Haugen asked for a deferred judgment, meaning his convictions would be expunged from his record if he successfully completes probation.

District Court Judge Colleen Weiland said she agrees that but for your addiction you would not have committed these crimes.

Addiction is not a character flaw, she said.

However, Weiland said, she believes a suspended prison sentence is appropriate because of the repeated nature of Haugens crimes, which took place from 2014 to 2016.

Weiland sentenced Haugen to suspended two-year prison sentences on each count, but ordered them to be served concurrently

Haugen was fined $625 in addition to surcharges and court costs. A second $625 fine was suspended.

Haugen was accused of taking approximately 150 prescription pills valued at more than $500 from six criminal cases.

Officials say that Haugen, one of three evidence room custodians, admitted to taking drugs stored in the room a total 18 times and replacing them with other pills, such as aspirin.

The thefts were discovered in April during an evidence room audit.

Haugen resigned his post June 6, citing addiction to opioid painkillers. He was charged four days later with third-degree theft and a felony count of falsifying public documents.

He pleaded guilty in October to third-degree theft and a reduced charge of tampering with records. Both carry a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison.

Iowa Assistant Attorney General Coleman McAllister recommended Haugen receive a suspended prison sentence of up to two years on each count. He also recommended consecutive sentencing, meaning he would serve up four years in prison if his probation was revoked.

This is someone who should know better, McAllister said.

He said Haugen not only abused the trust he had been given as a law enforcement officer, but also potentially harmed other criminal investigations and prosecutions by stealing the drugs.

Haugens attorney, Christine Branstad, said her client has no previous criminal record and has received substance abuse treatment and counseling.

She referred to numerous letters of support Haugen received from other law enforcement officers, neighbors and friends, as well as an anonymous letter stating Haugen helped the individual face addiction and find sobriety.

Haugen, a married father of two, is now working full-time for his fathers construction business.

After the sentencing hearing, Haugen said he knows there are a lot of people suffering from addiction and he wants to help by letting them know you are not alone and help is available if you ask for it.
By Peggy Kelly

Santa Paula News

Santa Paula Police and McGruff the Crime Fighting Dog have good advice for parents on safeguarding their children from harm.

With the recent incident at Las Piedras Park, where a stranger approached a 9-year-old boy, SPPD Sgt. Cody Madison said parents must be aware of potential danger.

The December 7 incident occurred at approximately 5 p.m., when an unknown adult male near the playground of the park approached the child.

The male subject gave the child candy, said, This is my Christmas gift to you, and asked the boy where he lived.

The childs mother noticed the male talking to her child and when she approached, the man left.

Kids see strangers every day in stores, in the park, and in their neighborhoods and most are nice, normal people, but a few may not be.

Madison said the fact that the man in Las Piedras Park left in a hurry when the mother approached Is not a good sign, that his intentions were innocent.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council and McGruff, parents can protect their children from dangerous strangers by teaching them about strangers and suspicious behavior, and by taking a few precautions of their own.

A stranger is anyone that your family doesnt know well. Its common for children to think that bad strangers look scary, like the villains in cartoons. This is not true and its dangerous for children to think this way. Pretty strangers can be just as dangerous as the not-so-pretty ones. When you talk to your children about strangers, explain that no one can tell if strangers are nice or not nice just by looking at them and that they should be careful around all strangers.

But dont make it seem like all strangers are bad. If children need help whether theyre lost, being threatened by a bully, or being followed by a stranger  the safest thing for them to do in many cases is to ask a stranger for help. You can make this easier for them by showing them the strangers that are okay to trust.

Safe strangers are people children can ask for help when they need it. Madison said Police officers and firefighters are two examples of very recognizable safe strangers, and teachers, principals, and librarians are adults children can trust too, and they are easy to recognize when theyre at work.

But parents must make sure to emphasize that whenever possible, children should go to a public place to ask for help.
Latino Town Hall celebrated by Supervisors for 20 years of service

By Peggy Kelly

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors recently honored the Santa Paula Latino Town Hall (LTH) for two decades of community advocacy.

3rd District Supervisor Kathy Long presented the proclamation to LTH representatives including President Lorenzo Moraza, Dr. Gabino Aguirre, Founding President Robert Bob Borrego, Laura Espinosa and Christine Basua.

Long said LTH recently Celebrated their 20th anniversary, and I want the board to hear about the great work theyve done.

Latino Town Hall, she noted, was created to and has dedicated itself to enhance, promote, mobilize, cultivate and raise the level of social awareness, interest and concern for issues affecting the Latino community in Santa Paula and Ventura County.

They continue their quest through community building activities that impact the social, cultural and economic life of the city.

Long said the spirit of the nonprofit LTH is to work constructively and efficiently, toward solving problems that can disrupt communities by helping those in the community.

The organization accomplishes, positive change by expanding educational and economic opportunities for underserved populations to assist in reducing and eliminating poverty, crime and discrimination in any form.

By building partnerships and coalitions with and between other organizations, Long said LTH has created synergy in addressing other issues that affect the Latino community.

Youth has also been a priority for LTH recognized for its efforts in developing and implementing a youth empowerment initiative that Long said builds future leaders.

Latino Town Hall has been very instrumental in building and engaging community not just in Santa Paula, but also, noted Long, countywide where they are recognized for their good work.

Moraza noted, On behalf of the past and present members of the organization we thank Kathy Long for her 20 years of service. Shes been a big supporter of our organization and because of your leadership many services have been offered to members of our community.

I would like to stress that the support this board provides to nonprofit organizations is vital to get our work done, and, said Moraza, Santa Paula Latino Town Hall is committed to continuing to serve the community, addressing social justice issues here and in this county.

Former LTH President and Mayor Aguirre also thanked the board for its recognition.

We look at Santa Paula as the center of this particular universe and we look at the world from this particular placethere is a reason to celebrate, however we have some concerns as well.

As they say, all politics are local and what is happening at the national level is of high concern to us. What is happening at Standing Rock is of high concern to us as is the fossil fuel industry. It is very, very powerful and we are concerned, about the recent supervisorial election.

The influence of oil company donations, in our opinion, said Aguirre, swung the vote.

So, we are looking to you  just as Standing Rock has water protectors, we are looking to you to be Santa Paula protectors. We do not want that peaker plant in Santa Paula, we do not want a peaker plant in Oxnard.

So, concluded Aguirre, were looking for your support.

Espinosa, also a founding member of LTH, said the organization has been instrumental in a number of areas. From the very beginning we wanted to engage all our citizens in Santa Paula not only in voting rights, but land use issues, and arranged planning workshops including SOAR and General Plan Housing Element sessions in Spanish.

Santa Paula Latino Town Hall has been a very strong representative, not only in Santa Paula but in this county, and said Espinosa, We will continue to work on issues that are important to our community and county.

Ive lived in Santa Paula all my life, said Borrego who is approaching his 90th birthday. Ive seen the good and the bad and I felt very strongly that an organization like Latino Town Hall to look at the issues of importance, was required to benefit the whole community.

We have made much progress, provide many services in Santa Paula to different groups and were very proud to accept this resolution from Supervisor Long. We would like to thank Kathy for her years of dedicated service to the city of Santa Paula.

Supervisor John Zaragoza also thanked LTH and said it is an example of what other cities can do. I thank you for all your good work and for helping Santa Paula and the county.

Supervisor Linda Parks said LTH is small and mighty, you definitely speak louder as a group. Thank you for your advocacy for the community.
Queensland, Australia -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/19/2016 -- BanksItaly.com recently announced the top banks in Italy. As a convenient platform designed to provide in-depth reviews to people in Italy and countries around the world, to help find the most reputable banks in Italy, the BanksItaly.com provides up to date and credible information on a single website.



Banks Italy serve has a great alternative platform for those who otherwise do not have the time to visit a variety of different websites or directories to find the top performing banks. A common problem faced by people, according to the team at Banks Italy, is that finding in depth information collected a by a professional team of researchers can be a hassle, most websites fail to provide the important details because they online offer basic details such as the name and address. Therefore, to make it easier for their readers BanksItaly.com have singled out and listed the top most popular Banks in Italy, and have highlighted all the important information about each bank, such as its history and current performance.



The BanksItaly.com website is designed to help not only the locals but also tourists and travelers. The Banks Italy.net spokesperson said, "We at BanksItaly.com have compiled a list below of some top banks for you to use while visiting some of the major tourist areas in Italy. Some Italian ATM's are attached to major Italian banks, while others are independent small stand alone Euronet ATM's which can be found in small alleyways and shop front windows."



The banks that have made it to the top banks 2016 list have been scrutinized on various different aspects such as their location, their current performance and the benefits they offer to the clients. The team at Banks Italy has extracted various real member reviews understand what other members are thinking about each website.



Banks Italy also shares important banking in Italy tips, information, and advice that would help their readers get the best out of their Italian banking experience. They have highlighted the top banks according to different cities and popular tourist attractions. The website also features a detailed guide on how to use ATMs when traveling in Italy. The team is committed to keeping their readers informed and educated about Italian banks.



About BanksItaly.com

BanksItaly.com is a website that has been designed to provide detailed and independent information, tips and reviews about Italian banks and ATMs.



To read reviews and details about this site, log on to http://www.BanksItaly.com/
Durham, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2016 -- Stephen Hopkins was from Hampshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary, and resided in the parish of Hursley, Hampshire. They had three (3) children: Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles; all baptized there. It has long been claimed that the Hopkins family was from Wortley, Gloucester, but this was disproven in 1998 with the discovery of his true origins in Hursley.



http://mayflowerhistory.com/hopkins-stephen/



Stephen Hopkins went with the ship Sea Venture on a voyage to Jamestown, Virginia in 1609 as a minister's clerk, but the ship wrecked in the "Isle of Devils" (Bermuda). Stranded on an island for ten months, the passengers and crew survived on turtles, birds, and wild pigs. Six months into the castaway, Stephen Hopkins and several others organized a mutiny against the current governor. The mutiny was discovered and Stephen was sentenced to death. However, he pleaded with sorrow and tears. "So penitent he was, and made so much moan, alleging the ruin of his wife and children in this his trespass, as it wrought in the hearts of all the better sorts of the company." He managed to get his sentence commuted. Eventually the castaways built a small ship and sailed themselves to Jamestown. How long Stephen remained in Jamestown is not known. However, while he was gone, his wife Mary died. She was buried in Hursley on 9 May 1613, and left behind a probate estate which mentions her children Elizabeth, Constance and Giles.



Stephen was back in England by 1617, when he married Elizabeth Fisher, but apparently had every intention of bringing his family back to Virginia. Their first child, Damaris, was born about 1618. In 1620, Stephen Hopkins brought his wife and children Constance, Giles, and Damaris on the Mayflower (child Elizabeth apparently had died). Stephen was a fairly active member of the Pilgrim group shortly after arrival, perhaps a result of his being one of the few individuals who had been to Virginia previously. He was a part of all the early exploring missions, and was used as an "expert" on Native Americans for the first few contacts. While out exploring, Stephen recognized and identified an Indian deer trap. And when Samoset walked into Plymouth and welcomed the English, he was housed in Stephen Hopkins' house for the night. Stephen was also sent on several of the ambassadorial missions to meet with the various Indian groups in the region.



Stephen was an assistant to the governor through 1636, and volunteered for the Pequot War of 1637 but was never called to serve. By the late 1630s, however, Stephen began to occasionally run afoul of the Plymouth authorities, as he apparently opened up a shop and served alcohol. In 1636 he got into a fight with John Tisdale and seriously wounded him. In 1637, he was fined for allowing drinking and shuffleboard playing on Sunday. Early the next year he was fined for allowing people to drink excessively in his house: guest William Reynolds was fined, but the others were acquitted. In 1638 he was twice fined for selling beer at twice the actual value, and in 1639 he was fined for selling a looking glass for twice what it would cost if bought in the Bay Colony. Also in 1638, Stephen Hopkins' maidservant got pregnant from Arthur Peach, who was subsequently executed for murdering an Indian. The Plymouth Court ruled he was financially responsible for her and her child for the next two years (the amount remaining on her term of service). Stephen, in contempt of court, threw Dorothy out of his household and refused to provide for her, so the court committed him to custody. John Holmes stepped in and purchased Dorothy's remaining two years of service from him: agreeing to support her and child.



Stephen died in 1644, and made out a will, asking to be buried near his wife, and naming his surviving children.



BAPTISM: 30 April 1581 at Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England, son of John and Elizabeth (Williams) Hopkins.

FIRST MARRIAGE: Mary, possibly the daughter of Robert and Joan (Machell) Kent of Hursley, co. Hampshire, prior to 1604.

SECOND MARRIAGE: Elizabeth Fisher on 19 February 1617/8 at St. Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel, co. Middlesex, England.

CHILDREN (by Mary): Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles.

CHILDREN (by Elizabeth): Damaris, Oceanus, Caleb, Deborah, Damaris, Ruth, and Elizabeth.

DNA HAPLOGROUP: R1b-M269



The Mayflower was hired in London, and sailed from London to Southampton in July 1620 to begin loading food and supplies for the voyage--much of which was purchased at Southampton. The Pilgrims were mostly still living in the city of Leiden, in the Netherlands. They hired a ship called the Speedwell to take them from Delfshaven, the Netherlands, to Southampton, England, to meet up with the Mayflower. The two ships planned to sail together to Northern Virginia. The Speedwell departed Delfthaven on July 22, and arrived at Southampton, where they found the Mayflower waiting for them. The Speedwell had been leaking on her voyage from the Netherlands to England, though, so they spent the next week patching her up.



On August 5, the two ships finally set sail for America. But the Speedwell began leaking again, so they pulled into the town of Dartmouth for repairs, arriving there about August 12. The Speedwell was patched up again, and the two ships again set sail for America about August 21. After the two ships had sailed about 300 miles out to sea, the Speedwell again began to leak. Frustrated with the enormous amount of time lost, and their inability to fix the Speedwell so that it could be sea-worthy, they returned to Plymouth, England, and made the decision to leave the Speedwell behind. The Mayflower would go to America alone. The cargo on the Speedwell was transferred over to the Mayflower; some of the passengers were so tired and disappointed with all the problems that they quit and went home. Others crammed themselves onto the already very crowded Mayflower.



Finally, on September 6, the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England, and headed for America. By the time the Pilgrims had left England, they had already been living onboard the ships for nearly a month and a half. The voyage itself across the Atlantic Ocean took 66 days, from their departure on September 6, until Cape Cod was sighted on 9 November 1620. The first half of the voyage went fairly smoothly, the only major problem was sea-sickness. But by October, they began encountering a number of Atlantic storms that made the voyage treacherous. Several times, the wind was so strong they had to just drift where the weather took them; it was not safe to use the ship's sails. The Pilgrims intended to land in Northern Virginia, which at the time included the region as far north as the Hudson River in the modern State of New York. The Hudson River, in fact, was their originally intended destination. They had received good reports on this region while in the Netherlands. All things considered, the Mayflower was almost right on target, missing the Hudson River by just a few degrees.



As the Mayflower approached land, the crew spotted Cape Cod just as the sun rose on November 9. The Pilgrims decided to head south, to the mouth of the Hudson River in New York, where they intended to make their plantation. However, as the Mayflower headed south, it encountered some very rough seas, and nearly shipwrecked. The Pilgrims then decided, rather than risk another attempt to go south they would just stay and explore Cape Cod. They turned back north, rounded the tip, and anchored in what is now Provincetown Harbor. The Pilgrims would spend the next month and a half exploring Cape Cod, trying to decide where they would build their plantation. On December 25, 1620, they had finally decided upon Plymouth, and began construction of their first buildings.



Durham, North Carolina General Society of Mayflower Descendant, Adam Paul Green (Ancestor Stephen Hopkins / Gen.No. 86,723) Introduces New Geneology Resource Website for Local Enthusiasts http://www.g3-development.co/



The Pilgrims did not leave behind any lists of the items they brought with them on the Mayflower, but historians have used a provision list put together by Captain John Smith (of Pocahontas fame) to take an educated guess. However, in 2012, Caleb Johnson, Simon Neal, and Jeremy Bangs started transcribing and studying a rare manuscript (a page of which is here illustrated) in the possession of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, that was written by one of the investors in the Pilgrims' joint-stock company. This manuscript actually contains several lists of suggested provisions the colonists should bring with them. It is the closest thing we can get to a list of what the Pilgrims would have actually brought.



A summary of some of the key items on the provision lists: http://mayflowerhistory.com/pilgrim-history/



-Food and Drink: Biscuit, beer, salt, (dried) beef, salt pork, oats, peas, wheat, butter, sweet oil, mustard seed, ling or cod fish, "good cheese", vinegar, aqua-vitae, rice, bacon, cider.



-Clothing: Monmouth cap, falling bands, shirts, waistcoat, suit of canvas, suit of cloth, Irish stockings, 4 pairs of shoes, garters. Slippers, plain shoes, little shoes, French soles, sewing needles.



-Bedding: Canvas sheets, bolster "filled with good straw", rug and blankets.



-Arms: Light armor (complete), fowling piece, snaphance, sword, belt, bandoleer, powder horn, 20 pounds of powder, 60 pounds of shot.



-Household: Iron pot, kettle, frying pan, gridiron, two skillets, spit, platters, dishes, spoons of wood, napkins, towels, soap, hand mill, mortar and pestle.



-Tools: Broad hoes, narrow hoes, broad axe, felling axe, steel handsaw, whipsaw, hammers, shovels, spades, augers, chisels, gimlets, hatchets, grinding stone, nails, locks for doors.



Adam Paul Green was born to a multi-talented beauty queen Mother and a Father who, in addition to being a US Army Spy and a Counter-Intelligence Special Agent, was also a highly accomplished entrepreneur. Adam was taught at a young age that, in both life and business, loyalty is a requirement for success. He's had the honor of working directly with his father in several of the family businesses. In fact, this is where he learned crucial entrepreneurial skills and honed his talents with international business strategies and venture capitalism.



http://www.MarketingChocolateInternational.com

http://www.AdamPaulGreen.com

http://www.ImAdamGreen.com



Adam earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Utah. He was hand-picked by the President of the University's renowned School of Business to compete with dozens of other ambitious nationwide-graduates for the opportunity to secure a lucrative job within a prestigious Fortune 100 company.



http://www.mxicorp.com/fab/

http://www.Twitter.com/AdamPaulGreen

http://www.ImAdamGreen.com



About MayflowerHistory.com

MayflowerHistory.com, the Internet's most complete and accurate website dealing with the Mayflower passengers and the history of the Pilgrims and early Plymouth Colony. The website was first created back in 1994 (when the web was still mostly text!) as a simple, but complete, passenger list of the Mayflower. It has grown over the past twenty years as the author, historian Caleb Johnson, has researched and compiled material.



http://mayflowerhistory.com
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2016 -- Industrial gears find vast usage across a number of industries owing to the reduction in mechanical work they bring about in a variety of industrial processes and operations. Industrial gears have equally expansive applications in heavy industries as well as in different manufacturing industries. Forming the core of most machinery used extensively in a vast array of industrial processes, the market for industrial gears in the highly industrialized European countries is expected to expand at a healthy pace in the next few years.



Request a Sample Copy of the Report @ http://www.mrrse.com/sample/2324



The Europe industrial gear market is mostly privatized and the features both international and local companies. Considering the new technologies introduced in the industrial gear market in the recent years, the market has vast potential opportunities for the manufacturers of industrial gears in the near future. As a result, the market is experiencing a high level of competition. Moreover, the entry of international players from North America and Asia Pacific into the region also facilitates the exchange of enhanced gear technologies. Growing competition is expected to ensure steady market growth rate over the forecast period



Transparency Market Research estimates that the market will exhibit a 4.5% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. At this pace, the market is expected to rise from a valuation of US$24.21 bn in 2015 to US$35.23 bn by 2024.



Magnetic Gears to be Most Promising Industrial Gear Variety in Europe



On the basis of gear types the market is bifurcated into helical gears, bevel gears, worm gears, spur gears, herringbone gears, hypoid gears, crown gears, skew gears, spiral gears, non-circular gears, epicyclic gears, harmonic gears, and magnetic gears. Of these, the segment of helical gears held the dominant 12.4% of the overall market in 2015, in terms of revenue. The segment, however, is expected to witness a sizeable decline in its share in the Europe industrial gears market by 2024 owing to issues such as the production of more heat, less efficiency, and higher maintenance cost as compared to other gears.



Inquiry on this report @ http://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/2324



Gear varieties such as worm gear, herringbone gear, and magnetic gear are expected to gain more focus and witness increased adoption across a number of industries over the period between 2016 and 2024. The segment of magnetic gears is expected to exhibit the most promising growth over the said period, an estimated 6.6% CAGR from 2016 through 2024; light weight, compact designs, and low costs of these gears are expected to work in their favor.



Vast Number of Industries to Help Germany Maintain Dominance



In terms of geography, the Europe industrial gears market is examined for U.K., Germany, Italy, France and Rest of Europe. Of these, the market in Germany dominated in terms of revenue contribution to the overall market in 2015. The presence of a large number of industries and a steadily expanding manufacturing sector in the country is fuelling the demand of industrial gears.



Over the forecast period, however, the market for industrial gears in Germany will lose prominence to other regional markets such as France, Italy, and countries in the Rest of the Europe segment, including Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The Rest of the Europe segment will exhibit the most promising pace of growth, an estimated 5.5% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. The market in this region will primarily benefit from the flourishing manufacturing industries like construction, steel, and iron.



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Some of the key players in the industrial gear market are Siemens AG (Germany), Klingelnberg GmbH (Switzerland), Precipart Corporation (U.S.), RenoldPlc (U.K.), BonfiglioliRiduttori S.P.A. (Italy), BMT International S.A. (Luxembourg), Rossi SpA (Italy), Getriebebau NORD GmbH &Co. KG (Germany), NGC (China), and Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. (Japan).
Oakland Park, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2016 -- Thomas R. Cutler sees Thai, Pakistan, and India are growing global ecommerce. The growth of online marketplaces and ecommerce in India, Thailand, and Pakistan has spawned the need for companies that provide tools for marketing, logistics, search, cataloguing, analyzing customer behavior and more. These ecommerce service companies are making money by helping online retailers make theirs  and data shows that the number of such companies in India, for example, is second only to that in the US.



Ecommerce in Pakistan is expected to reach $1 billion by 2020. The digital economy has emerged as an unstoppable giant that is growing 10 percent a year, more than triple the rate of overall global economic growth. The Pakistani commerce minister said internet related consumption and expenditure has already surpassed the size of the global agriculture and energy sectors.



In recent news, Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba has agreed to help Thailand develop its e-commerce sector. Alibaba will help small and medium-sized Thai companies expand businesses on local and international e-commerce platforms. The company will also train Thai government officials on big data and artificial intelligence.



In addition, Alibaba will also help Thailand develop an efficient logistics system and explore cooperation opportunities in Thailand's eastern economic corridor.



About TR Cutler, Inc.

TR Cutler, Inc. was founded seventeen years ago by Thomas R. Cutler. Cutler is the President and CEO of Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based, TR Cutler, Inc., (http://www.trcutlerinc.com), the largest manufacturing communication firm worldwide with four dozen industry experts and thought leaders on staff. Cutler maintains extraordinary relationships with clients, journalists, editors, economists, trendsetters, and key business leaders worldwide and has become a key resource for those writing about the manufacturing sector. Cutler founded the Manufacturing Media Consortium in 1999, which now has more than 6,000 global members including journalists, editors, publishers, and economists, worldwide writing about trends, industrial data, manufacturing case studies, material handling profiles, and robotics feature articles. Cutler works with thousands of media outlets to expand the coverage and importance of the manufacturing media coverage.



Cutler has authored more than 6,000 articles for a wide range of manufacturing periodicals, industrial publications, and business journals each published in leading monthly trade magazines, B2B periodicals, blogs, and marquis publications globally. Cutler is the most published freelance industrial journalist worldwide, and more than 3500 industry leaders follow Cutler on Twitter daily at @ThomasRCutler.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2016 -- The global peripheral intravenous catheters market is anticipated to expand at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period.



By product type, the global peripheral intravenous catheters market is segmented into short PIVC and integrated/closed PIVC. Among these, integrated/closed PIVC segment is expected to register fastest CAGR of 8.9% during the forecast period. Short PIVC segment is expected to contribute a maximum share to the global peripheral intravenous catheters market. Non-ported PIVC product type sub-segment is expected to register fastest CAGR over the forecast period.



By technology, the global peripheral intravenous catheters market is segmented into conventional and safety. Among these, safety segment is anticipated to be dominant throughout the forecast period and projected to account for around 66% share of the total global peripheral intravenous catheters market revenue by 2021.



By end-user, the peripheral intravenous catheters market is segmented into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, clinics, home use, and others. Among these, hospitals segment is estimated to be the largest segment in terms of share, at 60% of the total global peripheral intravenous catheters market revenue by 2015 end. Hospital segment is expected to register fastest CAGR over the forecast period. Ambulatory surgical centers segment is estimated to be the second most attractive segment of the global peripheral intravenous catheters market by 2015 end.



Global peripheral intravenous catheter market growth is mainly driven by factors such as an increase in hospitalization rate in emerging countries such as India, China, Brazil, etc., enhancement in peripheral IV catheter technology, increasing the prevalence of diseases among the population, and increase in per capita healthcare expenditure across the globe. Technological advancements and increase in usage of non-irritant material in the manufacturing of peripheral intravenous catheters to avoid associated side effects are also expected to drive demand for peripheral intravenous catheters. However, complications associated with peripheral intravenous catheters such as venous puncture, blood exposure, and needle-related injuries, and the high price of safety peripheral IV catheter in developing regions such as APEJ, MEA, and Latin America are expected to hamper the growth of the global peripheral intravenous catheter market.



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This report covers the trend of each segment and its sub-segments along with an analysis of the potential of peripheral intravenous catheters market in these regions. North America and Asia-Pacific regions are estimated to collectively account for over 60% revenue share of the total peripheral intravenous catheters market by 2015 end. North America is estimated to contribute a maximum share to the global peripheral intravenous catheters market. Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest growing market due to increase in hospitalization rate along with improvement in healthcare facilities in the region.



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Key players in the global peripheral intravenous catheter market include B. Braun Melsungen AG, Smith Medical, Terumo Corporation, Inc., Becton Dickinson and Company, Tangent Medical, Vygon Group, C. R. Bard, etc. Manufacturers of peripheral intravenous catheters are working in partnership with other key healthcare solutions and services providers in order to gain maximum market share.



About Persistence Market Research

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients' business needs.



PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients' business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMR's engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.
Saint John, NB -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2016 -- InteliSys Aviation Systems is pleased to welcome PNG Air as their newest ameliaCARGO client.



PNG Air is a growing airline based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The airline delivers cargo to the cities and towns of Papua New Guinea, opening up new opportunities to help create a strong future for all Papua New Guineans.



Powered by ameliaCARGO Cargo Management System



InteliSys' ameliaCARGO is a robust cargo management solution built for cargo operators as well as airlines who operate both cargo and passenger services. The ameliaCARGO system includes commercial tracking, auditing, revenue and accounting processes to help airlines streamline their operations as well as provide the ability for their customers to track and manage their cargo online.



ameliaCARGO and PNG Air



Phil Braz, General Manager of Information Technology at PNG Air explains how ameliaCARGO was the perfect fit for their growing airline, "The flexibility of ameliaCARGO exceeded my expectations. Out of the box, it was a very close fit to our requirements and the system was quickly tailored to address the few gaps identified to meet our business processes."



He went on to say how user-friendly the amelia system was for their employees, "Our staff found the system very intuitive with just a few concepts needed to be understood to feel comfortable and productive." Ian Richards, Manager of Freight Services echoes this sentiment "The ameliaCARGO system is the easiest airline cargo operations system I have used in my 35 years' experience in Airline cargo operations."



The entire team at InteliSys Aviation Systems is excited to have PNG Air as a client live on the ameliaCARGO system.



"We are very pleased to have PNG Air join our amelia family. PNG Air has been transporting cargo throughout Papua New Guinea for years and we are very excited that they have chosen our ameliaCARGO solution to help ensure that the cargo is tracked and delivered on-time. We look forward to a long successful partnership with our new friends at PNG Air." -Craig Morrissey, Director of Sales at InteliSys Aviation Systems.



For more information on Airline PNG, please click here.



Press Release Author: Nikki Falavena



About InteliSys Aviation Systems

InteliSys Aviation Systems is an established leader in airline passenger reservation and cargo management software with their ameliaRES and ameliaCARGO products. Since 1987, InteliSys has focused on providing cutting edge IT solutions to airlines of all sizes and all business models including Low Cost, Regional and Hybrid Carriers as well as Corporate Flight operations.



Contact Information:

Company Name: InteliSys Aviation Systems

Business Address: Headquarters- 75 Prince William Street, Suite 100, Saint John, New Brunswick Canada, E2L 2B2

Contact Phone Number: 506-532-8515

Contact Email: info@intelisysaviation.com
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/20/2016 -- In terms of revenue, the Thailand water pump market accounted for US$16.7 Million in 2014 and is projected to reach US$25.6 Million by 2021.Factors fuelling the market include low manufacturing costs, expansion of water supply network, massive urbanization and industrialization, increasing arable land and land under cereal production. Thailand is an agriculture-driven country. Growth in the agricultural sector, linked with increasing arable land and land under cereal production is leading to growing trend of micro irrigation in small farms, which is projected to increase deployment of centrifugal water pumps.



The Thailand water pump market is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period.



Similarly, the country is undergoing rapid economic growth and industrialisation and is also poised to emerge as a substantial market. It plays a crucial role as its one of the manufacturing hubs for water pumps. Deployment of monobloc pumps is increasing due to the growing trend of family farming, which is carried out on small agricultural plots and requires low HP centrifugal pump for micro irrigation. Pumps for domestic and agriculture application offer minimal product differentiation in terms of cost and quality. Similar buyer trends apply to both end-user segments.



On the basis of pump type, the submersible water pump segment is estimated to be the most dominant segment, with 63.5% of the overall Thailand water pump market share in 2015, followed by monobloc water pump segment with 36.5%share. Growth of the monobloc water pumps segment over the forecast period is expected to be driven by increasing demand for application in agro-industrial and food production purposes.



As of 2014, Thailand is among the world's top ten countries in terms of water consumption for agro-industrial and food production. Central & Eastern Thailand region was the largest market in terms of revenue contribution, accounting for 30.2% of the overall Thailand water pump market in 2014.The Bangkok area is one of the most prosperous parts of Central & Eastern Thailand and is a dominant contributor to the national economy, with the infertile Northeast being the poorest in similar terms.Southern Thailand market is projected to lose 80 BPS during the forecast period. The region is part of a narrow peninsula, with a distinctive climate and terrain. Its economy is based on rice cultivation and rubber production. Mountainous terrain and absence of large rivers are conspicuous features of this region.



By end-use application, the agriculture segment is projected to continue its dominance throughout the forecast period. Agriculture application segment is expected to gain 40 BPS during the forecast period as a major portion of the country's GDP is generated from agricultural activities. However, the industrial segment is forecasted to register the highest CAGR by 2021.Growth of the market in East Asia is mainly driven by increased adoption of water pumps in power plants, for development of new infrastructure, in heavy industry, municipal wastewater treatment plants, irrigation and drinking water facilities.



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Key players in the Thailand water pump market includeGrundfos, KSB AG, Kirloskar Brothers Limited, Ebara Corporation. Global players like Grundfos, Sulzer Ltd, Flowserve Corporation focus on research and development initiatives to introduce innovative products to attain sustainable advantages over the competition. In addition, these players also focus on expanding their regional presence through mergers and acquisitions.



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Water pump manufacturers in Thailand usually sell their products via distributors, who account for approximately 80% sales share as compared to 20% share via direct sales.Global and regional players in Thailand water pump market focus on entering into long-term tie-ups with engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies and distributors. Chinese players have tie-ups with retailers to enhance customer reach.



About Persistence Market Research

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients' business needs.



PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients' business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMR's engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.
The polar vortex is invading the regions across the United States with extreme cold temperature. People prepare for these sub-zero temperatures, which are about between -5 Farenheit and -15 Farenheit on Friday. In a twist, a drone video released a photo of a lighthouse on Lake Michigan that was covered with ice and transformed into a beautiful ice castle. It also looks like a beautiful castle cake covered with icing.

The Great Lakes Drone Company posted the stunning footage of the frozen Michigan lighthouse on the lake's southwest shores. Likewise, photographer Joshua Nowicki filmed the ice-laden structure and uploaded it on Facebook. In his video, the lighthouse is seen covered with ice as waves spit water on all sides of the structure.

Winter makes this normal, everyday lighthouse in Michigan turn into something fit for an e https://t.co/rohZ1azAWb pic.twitter.com/UAwR9oiVib  ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) December 20, 2016

Watch: Drone reveals Lake Michigan lighthouse plastered in ice: https://t.co/JMDuugzfXl pic.twitter.com/tjoZLCuD0U  Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 19, 2016



One commentator said that it is so beautiful and unbelievable that it is hard to believe there is no CGI involved. Another one commented that if there weren't for the seagulls flying by, it could be mistaken for a scale model. Meanwhile, Nowicki described the lighthouse as resembling an ice monster with one gnarly ice beard, as noted by WGN-TV.

Washington Post reports that the British press has fallen in love with the sculptured lighthouse. It called it a dead ringer for Elsa's ice palace in Frozen. The lighthouse is in St. Joseph, Michigan.
MASON CITY  A Belmond man was arrested late Sunday after disrupting a showing of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" at Cinema West.

Robert Michael Chambers Arnold, 26, faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, public urination and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bob Steenson, content director for the Globe Gazette, was one of about 20 people watching a late showing of "Rogue One" at the theater that night.

He said he got a text on his smartwatch from a co-worker who had heard over the Globe newsroom scanner that the police were headed to Cinema West for someone causing a disruption in the lobby.

Steenson said his co-worker didn't know he was at the theater at the time.

About 30 seconds after Steenson received the text, a man walked into the theater where "Rogue One" was being shown.

Steenson said the man walked to the front of the theater and stood by the screen.

He said at first he assumed it was someone coming in late to watch the movie, but then he noticed two theater employees had come in and were looking at the man, who "started walking back and forth in the front row."

The silhouette of the man's head could be seen against the movie screen, Steenson said.

The man then faced the audience and yelled something like, "It doesn't matter what the answer is!" Steenson said.

He said the first thing he thought about was the mass shooting in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater in 2012.

"It was freaky," he said.

The man then began walking back and forth through the first couple of rows. Steenson said he was far enough back that the man didn't get near him.

The man then walked out of the theater, according to Steenson. He said the movie kept playing and police never entered the theater he was in.

Trevor Korth, manager of Cinema West, said Arnold had been watching another movie, and when it ended he refused to leave the multiplex.

"We were trying to get him to leave and he was just kind of out of it," Korth said.

Arnold then reportedly entered the theater where "Rogue One" was showing. That's when multiplex staff called the police, according to Korth.

Arnold was arrested and taken to the Cerro Gordo County Jail, according to Mason City Police Sgt. Steve Klemas.

He said Arnold urinated in one of the theaters in the multiplex.

Korth said Cinema West has alarms on the emergency exit doors in each theater so staff would know if someone went out the exit and came back in, as the Aurora shooter did.

Otherwise, "We just try to do our best to keep our eyes open and call the police right away" if there's a problem, he said.

Steenson said the incident was "a little disconcerting."

He said that after the show was over, theater staff at the exit gave each customer a free movie pass and said, "'Sorry for the inconvenience.'"
Samsung is expected to release it's highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy 8 smartphone in an independent New York event in April. The tech giant is expected to skip the Mobile World Congress 2017, which will see other big smartphone makers unveiling their devices.

Samsung has been caught in headlines this entire year- for reasons both good and bad. This is another news-making rumor which suggests that Samsung Galaxy S8 release will take place independently, where all the focus will be on this latest addition to the Samsung Galaxy family.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was surrounded by its fair share of criticism and horror- with the explosions and the fires prevalent. Samsung even had to recall all its phones and had to publish several warning notices to users. These notices were issued to warn users about continued use of the models even after the worldwide direction to recall them.

Now, according to a report from Naver, Samsung has finally understood what actually caused the fires. The reason was attributed to battery issues and the problems forced them to recall Galaxy Note 7 models. Samsung is now taking, even more, precautions in order to get back the trust of the customers before the release date of Samsung Galaxy S8. There is simply no way that Samsung can afford another massive flop- the company needs to redeem itself.

Mostly, Samsung announces the new models of the Galaxy S series during the Mobile World Congress itself. MWC is a huge smartphone tech show which also showcases all latest releases. This takes place in Barcelona around February end. Maybe skipping MWC would sound odd right now or even uncharacteristic, but there may be a reason behind the same. It may require a little more time for preparation and would need more of spotlight outside a collective show.

That way it would make more sense to keep the Samsung Galaxy S8 release date as April in a New York event. April is actually late for the launch of flagship smartphones but if Samsung believes that it needs more time and opportunity to smooth out the rough edges, they may very well take that call. What is your view about the Samsung Galaxy S8 release? Keep watching this space for more details on Samsung Galaxy S8 release date, specs and price details.
Botanists have named a newly discovered species of rare, succulent flower after Jimi Hendrix, a music icon and rock guitarist who became famous for his many songs like Purple Haze and The Wind Cries Mary.

The plant, named Dudleya hendrixxii or Hendrix's liveforever, is only found in Baja California, Mexico, in an area called Colonet Peninsula. Liveforever is thin, stalky and grows to be about 0.3 meter tall. It has succulent leaves and flowers that are hot pink and white, Live Science reports. This plant dies during the summer and re-sprouts in fall.

The plant's discoverer, a former graduate at San Diego State University, Mark Dodero, found it while listening to Hendrix's song Vodoo Child. He is now affiliated with the San Diego environmental consulting firm RECON Environmental as a senior biologist. A colleague from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Stephen McCabe, decided to name it after the late rock guitarist.

However, unlike Hendrix's music, the plant is in peril because its two-acre habitat is now threatened by off-road vehicles, development and farming. This is despite the fact that liveforevers are a kind of succulent with enormous life spans.

"It's the Mexican equivalent of an endangered species, although they don't use the same criteria we do in the United States," Michael Simpson, San Diego State University plant biologist, explained in a press release.

The study was published in the journal Madrono.

Species Named After Famous People

President Barack Obama is one of the latest famous people to be immortalized in the taxonomic record. An orange-colored lichen, called Caloplaca obamae, discovered in California was named after him in March. On the other hand, former President George W. Bush had a beetle named after him, Agathidium bushi.

Darth Vader, the famous villain in the Star Wars saga, had a slime-mold beetle named after him. Moreover, famous guitarist Frank Zappa had three species named after him -- Phialella zappai (jellyfish), Pachygnatha zappa (spider), Zappa, a genus of Gobiidae (fish), Popular Mechanics reports.
Donald J. Trump is the 45th president of the United States. The Electoral College, despite the efforts of voters, to push past, having "The Apprentice" businessman as the next leader of the free world.

Republican electors granted him all but two of the 38 ballots in a ceremony in the State Capitol in Austin. The House chamber, where they met, greeted the vote with a standing ovation by citizens and officials who came to witness the event.

While the Electoral College vote is a mere footnote in history, The New York Times noted that this election's controversy added an element of drama after Donald Trump's win over democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Despite winning over 2.86 votes more than Donald Trump, the reality star won in more states, leaving Clinton with only 232 electoral votes over his 306.

The victory spawned efforts to block his path to the presidency. But as of today, the efforts are for naught as Republican electors were bound by tradition to support Donald Trump.

Huffington Post pointed out that it was not even the Republican voters that turned "faithless," as some who would have voted for Hillary Clinton actually turned around to vote for Bernie Sanders. One such voter, David Bright, announced his decision in advance, saying that he cast his vote for Sanders " not out of spite, or malice, or anger, or as an act of civil disobedience."

A Colorado elector, too, refused to vote for Hillary Clinton. Both cases, however, were treated differently -- Bright was ruled out of order, so he cast his vote for Clinton all the same, while the Colorado voter was dismissed and then replaced.

Despite the defectors, there was little doubt that Donald Trump could hold on to his seat as the next POTUS. To change the election results, there will have to be 38 Trump electors to defy their party -- and that is considered highly unlikely.




According to the latest death toll, about 49 people in a Siberian city of Irkutsk in Russia died after the victims consumed an alcohol substitute bath lotion containing deadly methanol.

Russian health officials said the victims died of methanol poisoning after drinking the lotion. On Monday, at least 30 people died and another 15 people were in critical condition in various hospitals.

Dubbed as Boyaryshnik (Hawthorn), the bath lotion contains alcohol but the label clearly says that it is not for internal use. An investigation is underway to find out the cause of the poisoning and how the people acquired the bath lotion.

According to WHIO, the local officials in Irkutsk went house-to-house in search for more victims. They declared a state of emergency while the Russian government called for stricter regulation of the alcohol market.

Over the past years, the sale of lotions containing alcohol increased after the country fell into recession under the impact of Western sanctions. The deaths renewed controversy over the vast ingestion of surrogate alcohol in Russia including medical ethanol, window cleaner and perfume.

Though poisonings related to the consumption of alcohol alternatives are a regular occurrence, it has never reached this level. Two people have already been arrested on suspicion of distributing the bath lotion but it is still unclear whether they were marketing the product as a cheaper substitute for alcohol like vodka.

"It is a terrible tragedy," Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, said as reported by Sky News. "This type of problem is well known and the president has been informed. Measures must be taken," he added.

Methanol is a highly toxic form of alcohol and it is considered unfit for ingestion. When a person drinks methanol, it will be metabolized to formaldehyde, a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical, and then to formic acid or formate salts. These salts are poisonous to the central nervous system and may lead to blindness, coma and death.
Alien hunters are accusing NASA of hiding evidence of ancient life on Mars.

Express UK reported that images of ruined twin pyramids on Mars captured by NASA's Curiosity rover got alien hunters wondering why the space agency has been ignoring proofs of ancient extraterrestrial life. The said set of images were shown on the YouTube channel Martian Archeology, where the user claimed it took a lot of months for NASA to release.

An alien conspiracy theorist posted his allegations in a blog titled Ancient Pyramids On Mars Just One Mile From NASA Rover! NASA Ignores Them. The commentary was published on the website ufosightingsdaily.com, where the editor, Scott C. Waring, ranted about NASA's alleged negligence.

According to Scott Waring, NASA has failed to address the pyramids discovered by Martian Archeology that look like the ancient structures found in Mexico. He questioned the space agency's efforts to look for other microorganisms in farther areas, when the ruined pyramids could have given enough proof of alien life.

This led him to allegations about NASA hiding a bigger mystery from humanity.

"If NASA was really trying, they would explore some of these UFO researchers discoveries on live cam so the public could see it unedited," Scott Waring wrote. "When NASA edits everything, making several months before the public gets to see them... its evidence that NASA has something very big to hide from the public."

NASA argues that these supposed discoveries are only effects of wishful thinking, imagination and pareidolia -- a psychological phenomenon where people can see a random image out of something else.

The space agency has been repeatedly accused of hiding the alien existence including the time when a tiny UFO was captured in the International Space Station (ISS) live stream.

Alien hunters became suspicious when the feed was cut off due to technical problems.
A personal document of a scientist holds the secret regarding the aliens, UFO and other secret government programs. The document is titled Pulsar Project and it reveals the aliens' activities.

The content of the document that was revealed in public claims that it is a personal diary of a scientist who is working for the U.S. government over the years. The unnamed scientist was ordered to visit the so-called UFO crash sites and investigate any alien life forms that were captured and then analyze the data.

The authors of the document claim that the scientist had listed down the notes during his confrontation with alien life forms and the UFO crash sites. However, the scientist was caught writing down his personal notes and was scheduled for termination. He then moves away from the country before the termination happens.

The content also reveals the different alien races scientifically. Their biology and the language for communication have been stated. The Auricmedia uploaded the documents and shows nine different alien languages. It includes Antarian, K'Thai, Nordic, Pleiadian, Orion, Vegan, Grey Universal and Universal Communication symbols.

Not only that but the documents led to the pharmacology of aliens as well. It also revealed that aliens are equipped with Psionic powers, which are the ability to mentally control surroundings, create or rearrange matter or project illusions.

The documents lead to the government projects such as the "Project MKultra." The CIA conducted dozens of experiments on the effects of chemical and biological agents on American citizens without them knowing. However, all records with regard to the project are destroyed and lost, as reported by Gizmodo.

Meanwhile, in a report by Express, last year Mr. Paul Hellyer made the headlines worldwide after revealing that there are 80 different alien species. He was the Canadian Minister of Defense from 1963 to 1968 and in 1969 was appointed as a deputy prime minister, but ousted himself as a UFO believer 11 years ago.

Mr. Hellyer said that the governments across the globe are covering up the existence of aliens. He added that, "The reason I know is that I interviewed the previous one, who is now deceased, and he went to Langley and the CIA asked if he would like to see one of these crafts.They flew him to Area 51 and let him go inside one and observe it and make notes and this sort of thing."
At least 400 texts, which were estimated to be written between the middle ages and modern times, have been discovered at the Mar Behnam monastery, a place where the Islamic State Group (ISIS) occupied and partly destroyed for more than two years.

The texts have been found hidden behind a wall, which was constructed just a few weeks before ISIS took shelter in the monastery. The texts were illustrated by the scribes who copied them.

"Each one contains lengthy colophons [notes] written by the scribes, telling historical and social, and religious events of their times - a fact that makes them precious sources," Amir Harrak, a professor at the University of Toronto who studied the texts before they were hidden, said, according to Live Science.

The Plight Of the Mar Behnam Monastery

The Mar Behnam is Iraq's largest monastery. The militant group occupied the area and destroyed precious icons and even burned collections of inimitable texts. In 2014, the ISIS advanced across northern Iraq and turned the monastery into its headquarters. This headquarters is for the Hisba or morality police that gave corporal punishments and the monks' bedrooms were turned into jail cells.

The militant group also burned a collection of books about Christian theology, scraped off inscriptions writer in Syriac, which was the language used by Jesus and destroyed sculptures of the Virgin Mary and the monastery's patron saint.

"Their fundamental goal was to destroy Christian history and civilization in the Nineveh plains," Duraid Elias, commander of the Babylon Brigades, said as reported by the Wire.

Two years ago, during the stay of ISIS in the area, the group issued an ultimatum to Christians to pay taxes, convert to Islam or die by the sword. Many individuals fled away from the area, including the monks living in Mar Behnam.

Built more than 1,500 years ago, the "Monastery of Martyr Mar Behnam and his sister Sarah" contains texts, carved inscriptions and artwork dating back centuries ago.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Eunice Mwanzia thought she was getting a present Monday evening.

Asked to come to the Greater Florence Habitat for Humanitys ReStore, she was under the impression that board members would ask some more questions, because she was under consideration to become a partner family. But first, Habitat executive director Debbie Edwards wanted her to open a gift.

I want to give her something before we get started, Edwards said. Just a little Christmas.

Mwanzia, seated at a table with three of her children, opened the box and found a set of keys. She held them up and danced a little, smiling.

Do you know what thats all about? Edwards asked. These keys represent  theres five keys and each one will represent a key for you and each of your children  in your new home, under one roof.

Mwanzia beamed, unable to stop smiling.

Thank you, Jesus, she said. Thank you. Oh, thank you, Jesus.

Seated around the table with her were sons James, 21, and Joshua, 15, and daughter Faith, 18. Her oldest son, Timothy, 24, has special needs and lives in a Hartsville facility. Sometime next year, they will once again live together.

Im so excited, Mwanzia said. I cant wait.

A native of Kenya, she has been in the U.S. for 23 years and works as a substitute teacher and works in home health. Her children said they felt good about Mondays surprise.

Its a nice Christmas present, James said.

Faith said she was looking forward to living in a better place.

Its been a great experience and we cant ask for a better family, board member Matt Goodstein told the Mwanzia family. Were so excited for you and well do our best to get the sponsorships solidified so we can get going on your home.

Board member Laurence Thomas said theyre glad to have you aboard. Edwards said shes looking forward to getting some good news early next year in terms of sponsors.

We will jump on that house as quick as we can, she said.

Mwanzia said even though she gave hugs when she arrived, she wanted to give you a hug again, and hugged everyone.

Hank Leeke, who is chairman of Habitats family service committee, offered a closing prayer, thanking the Lord for the day and the opportunity to be together.

And we thank you for the Mwanzia family and the blessing they are. We thank you that we are going to be partners with them, he said. Were going to be able to bring you a home and this family is going to be able to reunite and be all together as one.
OSAGE | Nicholas Lenz was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Tuesday after a Mitchell County jury found him guilty of first-degree kidnapping in October.

Outburst follows guilty verdict in Lenz kidnapping trial in Mitchell County OSAGE  Chaos erupted in a Mitchell County courtroom Friday evening after a jury found Nicho

Lenz, 23, Mitchell, confined and beat a woman he was romantically involved with over the course of two days in March, according to the prosecutor in the case, Iowa Assistant Attorney General Coleman McAllister.

At one point Lenz took the victim from her residence in Mitchell to a cold, unheated camper, tied her up with zip ties and left her there for a time before eventually taking her back home, according to McAllister.

When the jury verdict was read in court in October, Lenz yelled and swore at the victim, who also was present, and at law enforcement officers before they cuffed him and led him out of the courtroom.

However, there was no outburst this time.

Lenz was shackled at the wrists and ankles. At least five deputies stood close to him during proceedings.

When Judge Christopher Foy asked Lenz if he wished to address the court before sentencing was pronounced, he consulted with his attorney, Letitia Turner, before saying, I have nothing to say.

The victim gave a statement before sentencing was pronounced.

She said she is glad justice was served and thanked McAllister, the investigators in the case and Crisis Intervention Services for their support.

I couldnt have made it and stayed so strong without them, she said.

She also said she wanted to give a shout-out to her father and Mitchell County Sheriffs Deputy Jerry Jensen, who went to her home and found her and Lenz.

The woman said what she went through has changed her life  for better as well as for worse.

She said she has been in and out of the ER because of her injuries and the stress made her physically ill.

However, she said she is now feeling much better and has found a new house to live in after being homeless and in and out of shelters. She also said she is going back to college to become a nursing assistant.

The woman said the worst part was being separated from her children.

They are my angels, she said.

The woman said she is now a strong-minded woman who has more self-esteem and confidence than she has ever had.

Im still alive and loving life, she said.

Foy said he appreciates what the victim went through, noting it had to be harrowing for her to testify on the stand during the trial about her two-day ordeal.

He also said nothing can take away the harm that Lenz caused.

However, Foy also said the reality is Lenz is going to be behind bars for the rest of his life and thats also tragic.

In Iowa first-degree kidnapping in Iowa carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Foy said he believes everyone has good in them, and he hopes Lenz will have the inner strength to make something positive out of the situation.

The jury also found Lenz guilty of willful injury causing serious injury in the case. Foy sentenced him to up to 10 years in prison on that charge, but ordered it to be served concurrently with the life sentence for kidnapping.

In August Lenz had his probation revoked on a second-degree burglary conviction unrelated to the kidnapping case and was ordered to serve up to 10 years in prison. That sentence is to be served concurrently with his other two sentences.

Lenz broke into a home in Mitchell on Aug. 17, 2015, while the owners were present, according to the criminal complaint.
OSAGE | Nine Osage school employees have accepted early retirement.

The School Board on Monday approved the following retirements:

 Diane Jennings, fourth grade.

 Rona Johnson, elementary special education.

 Sarah Campbell, kindergarten.

 Mark Campbell, sixth grade and ELL coordinator.

 Carrie Mayer, sixth grade.

 Kris Lewis, first grade.

 Cyndi Spears, elementary and middle school art.

 Karen Kittleson, K-12 TAG.

 Jolene Norby, district nurse.

In an effort to offset potential budget cuts next fiscal year, the district offered an early retirement package, something it had not done in several years.

It includes single paid medical insurance until the retiree reaches 65.

Osage Superintendent Barb Schwamman said the district will not replace the kindergarten position or rehire a middle school position.

Schwamman said the district will evaluate teacher licensing for multiple certifications.

"We could see teachers teaching in multiple areas next year," Schwamman said. "However, due to these early retirements, no teachers will lose their positions next year."

The retirements will save the district $75,000 to $80,000 next year, according to Schwamman.

Osage will also see $114,000 returning to its general fund for an energy audit initiated by a previous superintendent.

A district's general fund primarily pays for teachers but also covers utility costs.
ALLISON  Gerald Dean Schrage, 73, of Allison, died Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, at his home in Allison.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Greene, with Pastor Calvin Fick officiating.

Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Greene.

Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Retz Funeral Home, Greene, and will continue at the church one hour before services.

Those planning an expression of sympathy may direct memorials to the Cedar Valley Hospice or to the family at P.O. Box 219, Greene, Iowa 50636.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Retz Funeral Home, Greene.
ROCKWELL  Merlin L. Scholl, 88, of Rockwell, Iowa, and formerly of Mason City, Iowa, died Monday, Dec. 19, at the Rockwell Community Nursing Home.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, Mason City, with Bishop Kelly Hansen of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints officiating.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. At his request, the casket will remain closed.

Military honors will be conducted by the Mason City Veterans Association. Interment will take place at Mount Vernon Township Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to the Merlin Scholl memorial fund.

Arrangements: Major Erickson Funeral Home, Mason City, Iowa.
As I sat through the discussion, my mind was racing with parallels between an avocation (art) and a day job (shipping guy). The presentation, sponsored by the Alumni Association of the very prestigious Duke University, featured a professor, a lawyer/museum Curator, and a student collector who sources his acquisitions online. The over-arching theme concerned the melange of buying what you like and emotional attachment, through the lens of a discussion on market dynamicsso easy to look at, so hard to define.- as Bob Dylan had said. Many of the observations and musings of the speakers were particularly relevant to the shipping theme, or so it seemed as I sat among the audience of upscale collectors.

The analogies between art collecting and shipping run deep. Katherine Devine, once a corporate lawyer and then a curator of a museum in western North Carolina, explained that its really not one marketits multiple subsets. Devine, rattled off a list of subsectors- Atlanta, Asheville, Raleigh.each one is a little different she said. How many times have we heard shipping insiders dissecting the finer points of supramaxes, panamaxes, ultramaxes, handies and handymaxes, telling outsiders something to the effect of: Oh, they all have variations.

Devine, presently earning her Doctorate at Dukes art department, also discussed the need for art collectors to be emotionally involved with their acquisitions, since the genres, and the artists themselves, may come in and out of favour Indeed, she recommended getting to know the artists personally. Sitting in the audience, my mind turned to the ship finance conference circuit, where outside investors get to know the shipowners at expensive venues and then completely miss the market. Thereis no love lost here as vessels no longer comporting with investor timelines and portfolios begin to clog up balance sheets and drag down payouts. Unlike art, you cant hang them on the wall.

And, finally, the panelists agreed on the impossibility of purely numbers driven outside investors making headway in an emotionally driven market, where many of the transactions are secret and not reported. There are more parallels, the best shipping deals have been made among insiders, far from the glowing screens displaying algorithmic models to young turks at Private Equity Funds. At Capital Links Invest in Greece conference earlier this week, I caught an earful from a shipping cfo - with a sizable PE backing - who ranted on to me about the inability of forward curves - below spot levels- to properly inform.

The intersection of shipping and art can be found with the savviest of the Greek owners; the travails of the Goulandris familys art collection, some of which will be on display in Athens, in the newspapers a few years ago, splashed through the mainstream media again, in 2016, with the publication of the Panama Papers.

George Economou, who has sponsored parties at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) at Marine Money conferences, has opened up his private collection for showings in Athens, and a gallery at the Tate Modern, which is also supported by the Ofer family, in London. Recently, Economou joined the Board of the burgeoning DIA museum, north of New York on the Hudson River. Several levels above the cavernous party space at the MOMA, impressionist art lines the walls of the Stavros Niarchos Gallery. Investors, please note that no algorithms or forward curves are allowed upstairs.
RUDD  Richard Dick Dight, 71, of Rudd, passed away Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, at the Floyd County Medical Center in Charles City.

A gathering of family and friends to celebrate Dicks life will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, with a time of sharing beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Hauser Funeral Home in Charles City.

Richard Donald Dight was born on Nov. 6, 1945, in Charles City, IA. He was the son of Howard and Edith (Bethell) Dight of Charles City. He started school attending Ulster #8 country school and then went to Charles City schools, graduating in 1963. After graduating Dick started his farming career and purchasing his first farm in 1964.

Dick always had a love for the land/farming and raising pigs and his cow/calf herd. He was proud of the prize-winning show cattle that he raised for his children to show and to sell for other youth to show at local and state fairs. He served on the Farmers Coop/Rockford board of directors for many years, sold Agri Pro seed and served on the Floyd County Fair board for many years where he also served as president. Dick also worked at A&B Elevator in Charles City, delivered Sar seed corn and had his own trucking business.

In his younger years he loved tractor pulling with Little Puff his Allis tractor and pulling the micro mini tractor which he made himself. He enjoyed snowmobiling and hanging out with Russ Sido, Bill Koehler and Mike Trettin (the four amigos).

Dick was active in 4-H as a youth and was a 4-H leader and was very active in the Charles City FFA and won state and national meat judging contests through FFA. Dick suffered a stroke in 2006 which ended his farming and cattle career, and diagnosed with lung cancer July 2015.

He was united in marriage to Brenda Kock on May 18, 1974, in Charles City. They enjoyed farm life for 41 years before moving to Rudd in October 2015 due to his poor health. They loved the farm and raised three children on that farm, Kyle, Trent and Kate, and taught them the values of farming and farm life. He was very proud of his kids, Kyle, Trent and Kate for their cattle and other livestock showing abilities. He was proud of Trent for stepping up to take over the love of the farming after his stroke and Kate for following her dream and love of teaching of pre-school and Pre-K students.

Dick is survived by his wife, Brenda of Rudd; children: Trent (Jerri) Dight of rural Rockford and Kate (Steve) Porter of Eagle Grove; four grandchildren: Dillan, Tyson and Braxton Dight of Rockford and Kenley Porter of Eagle Grove; mother and father-in-law Sylvan and Thelma Kock of Greene; brother, Robert (Marian) Dight of Charles City; sister-in-law, Pam Dight of Osage; in-laws: Rob Younie of Jefferson, Carma Hillman of Marble Rock and Sherrine Bundt of Menomonee, WI; and many friends, neighbors, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by son, Kyle Dight (1989); his parents; twin sisters at birth; brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Jane Dight; brother, Tom Dight; brother and sister-in-law, Danny Hillman and Karen Younie.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial to the family or charity of your choice.

The family would like to thank Dr. Paul Royer, Kim and Brittney and the office staff at the Charles City Family Health Center for all their loving care over the years.

Hauser Funeral Home, 641-228-2323, in Charles City, is in charge of local arrangements. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.hauserfh.com.
"The era of the drone is here," professor Kenzo Nonami of Chiba University told an audience last April at the New Economy Summit (NEXT 2016) in Japan. The vision he laid out at that meeting for a "Drone City" is well on its way to becoming reality.

By 2019, a year before the Olympic Games come to Tokyo, 200 drones should be zipping through the skies, delivering goods to residents of Chiba City, about an hour southeast of Tokyo by train. There, new construction is underway to accommodate 10,000 new residents with condominium towers that are being designed with drones in mine. Think: landing ports as well as technology and staff to monitor the air traffic.

"It will be like a conveyor belt of drones in the sky," Nonami told the Statesman.

The new residential area will support a network of unmanned aerial vehicles moving between warehouses and residents, reducing the number of delivery trucks on the highway by 30 to 40 percent.

"We want to revolutionize the air and we want to revolutionize logistics," Nonami told the NEXT 2016 audience.

For Nonami, logistics means dealing with the last mile. He envisions a network where large drones pick up packages from a warehouse in Tokyo Bay and then drop them about 6 miles away in Mihama Ward, where smaller drones fan out to make individual deliveries.

RELATED: Amazon Completes Its First Commercial Drone Delivery

Although Japan bans drone flights in urban areas, the government has created a special deregulation zone in Chiba City, reports the Japan Times, to accommodate the drones.

And because of the country's growing population of elderly folks, many of those who will live in the new buildings will be senior citizens. The mayor of Chiba City, Toshihito Kumagai, told the audience at NEXT 2016 that deliveries could be geared toward their needs.

"We're thinking about transportation of pharmaceuticals," he said. "We want to have buy in from the elderly as well through these kinds of services."

Shortly after the meeting, they ran a test, delivering a bottle of wine from a supermarket to a nearby apartment.

In order to meet the expected demand for professional drone drivers, a new curriculum has been developed that will begin next year at a high school in Tokyo. Students who enroll in the three-year program could qualify to work at "Drone City."

Chiba City is no stranger to drones. This past October, the city's fire department became one of the first in the country to use unmanned aerial vehicle technology to support its emergency workers. The drone, which can fly for 20 minutes at a time, can be fitted with a camera or a gas sensor to take real-time live video or test the air for poisonous gases without endangering firefighters.

Although the Chiba City drones won't be servicing the Olympic Games taking place in Tokyo, professor Nonami hopes they become a tourist attraction in their own right.

"We hope people will come to see the Olympics and the Drone City," he told the Statesman.

WATCH VIDEO: The Pros And Cons Of Drone Warfare
When Americans think of Greenland, they might think of melting glaciers, polar bears or native hunters stalking their next meal on the ice. But Greenland is also feeling its political oats and looking to gain independence from Denmark, its former colonial master, under which it functions as an autonomous country. Becoming independent will require a more vibrant economy, according to Greenland Foreign Minister Vittus Qujaukitsoq.

Even as climate scientists document the rapid melting of the island's massive ice sheets as the result of climate change, Greenland's leadership wants to encourage U.S. and Chinese companies to pursue mining and fossil fuel development as a way to help the country of 56,000 residents stand on its own.

Qujaukitsoq told Seeker in an interview in Washington that he sees Greenland's rapidly changing environment as a benefit to its people.

"You should look at how the economy is working," he said. "Our main income is fisheries. We are working on diversity of our revenue to mining and tourism to spread the risk if commodity seafood prices go down. It is in recognition of diversifying the risks that we are developing tourism and making an effort to create the mining projects."

Qujaukitsoq said that an Australian firm with Chinese investors has two new projects underway in southern Greenland to extract rare earth minerals for use in consumer electronics such as cellphones and laptops. There's another small ruby mine operating as well. More Chinese firms will establish a beachhead in Greenland unless U.S. mining companies get involved, he said.

"If American investors would have been more active, I'm sure they would have had a greater role," Qujaukitsoq remarked. "The U.S. needs to assess if they are to prevent a greater Chinese involvement in Greenland, they need to look seriously at protecting their interests. The more the United States has a laid back position in these projects, other countries will emerge more and more."

RELATED: Warming May Free Frozen Waste at Cold War Nuke Site

Greenland has been a vital base of U.S. military operations since World War II, when several installations were built to defend North America from Nazi Germany. One such base, called Camp Century, became part of an initiative called "Project Iceworm" after the war to store nuclear missiles under Greenland's ice sheet. In recent years, as the Earth's temperature has warmed and the ice sheet melts, the long-buried camp is starting to reemerge. That poses a potential risk to local residents and the marine environment, Qujaukitsoq said.

A recent scientific study of the 136-acre site revealed that it may contain diesel fuel, sewage, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are potentially hazardous to humans, as well as radioactive coolant from the base's former nuclear reactor.

"With the rate of the (ice) meltdown, the installation will resurface in the next decades to come," Qujaukitsoq said. "It is not so much how deep, but what the installation contains that is the cause of concern for us. We know for a fact there is radioactive material left and we are not sure whether the nuclear reactor was removed."

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials have said the reactor was removed.

In recent months, leaders of Greenland are tussling with Denmark over what sort of arrangement for cleanup or liability it made with the U.S. military after Camp Century was shut down in the late 1960s.

"They are very reluctant to give clear indication or answers, which is why we have been concerned," Qujaukitsoq said about his Danish counterparts.

The U.S. has an existing Air Force base at Thule in northwestern Greenland that employs more than 800 people. A Greenland-owned company lost the maintenance contract for Thule, which accounts for 10 percent of the nation's annual operating budget.

Qujaukitsoq said he hopes to get another chance to regain the contract.

"We are in danger of losing tax revenue, jobs and training facilities," he said.
Russia has had an unprecedented role in supporting the Syrian government through their civil war, which has been one of the deadliest conflicts in recent history. It's the first time since the end of the Cold War that Russia's military has stepped outside of the former borders of the Soviet Union.

Over the past year, Russia has refused to cease airstrikes in Syria, despite the civilian death toll, particularly in the city of Aleppo. Shortly after a new ceasefire resumed in Syria, a gunman shot and killed a Russian ambassador, in what many believe was a "revenge attack" for Russia's role in the conflict.

Why is Russia so involved in the Syrian civil war? Watch today's Seeker Daily video to find out.



Learn More:

BBC: Syria: The story of the conflict



The Guardian: Russia accused of war crimes in Syria at UN security council session



Reuters: Ghost soldiers: the Russians secretly dying for the Kremlin in Syria
2017 is set to be a disaster, if you believe in the bad omen brought by a 627-year-old "blood miracle" which failed to occur in Naples last Saturday.

The story goes that failed miracles have been followed by disasters such as the Nazi invasion of Italy, a cholera epidemic and a deadly earthquake.

Regularly recorded since 1389, the so-called miracle of San Gennaro involves the liquefaction of the congealed blood of Saint Januarius, a pious bishop who was martyred around 305 AD during the persecution of early Christians by Roman Emperor Diocletian.

Legend has it that when Gennaro was beheaded, a woman called Eusabia soaked up his blood with a sponge and preserved it in a glass vial.

The blood miracle normally happens three times a year: on September 19, the saint's feast, on the first Sunday in May, to celebrate the day the saint's body was brought back to Naples, and on December 16, to commemorate the 1631 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, whose lava is believed to have halted at the city's gates by the saint's intervention.

The procedure is always the same. During a ceremony attended by thousands, the archbishop of Naples shakes a vial in which a dark, solid mass can be seen turning into liquid.

RELATED: Doomsdays That Never Happened

But last Saturday the blood failed to liquefy. The failed miracle is popularly seen as a bad omen.

"We must not think about disasters and calamities," Vincenzo De Gregorio, the Abbott of the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, told the Naples' daily Il Mattino. "We are men of faith, and we must continue to pray."

The failed liquefaction has been always seen as a sign of upcoming disaster, spreading from Naples to Italy and the world.

The blood did not liquefy in 1939, when World War II broke out, nor in 1943, the year the Nazi occupied Italy, nor in 1973, remembered for a bout of cholera in Naples. Most recently, it failed to liquefy in 1980, when a devastating earthquake struck Irpinia, some 30 miles east of Naples, leaving more than 2,400 people dead.

According to the website storiacity.it, over the centuries the failed miracle coincided with 22 epidemics, 11 revolutions, three droughts, 14 archbishops death (within a 30-day period), nine dead popes (over a period of a few weeks), four wars, 19 earthquakes, and three religious persecutions.

RELATED: Rome Still Intact Despite Earthquake Prediction

The Vatican has taken a neutral position on San Gennaro's blood "miracle," while several scientists remain skeptical.

In a 1991 study published on Nature, Italian researchers argued that the dried blood in the ampules contains a thixotropic gel that liquefies when the ampules are stirred or shaken and solidifies again when left undisturbed. This is known to happen with certain substances, including some types of mayonnaise.

The 14th-century hoax recipe would have required hydrated iron chloride, which occurs naturally in minerals found on active volcanoes and in limestone, marble, chalk and seashells.

Whatever the explanation, the "failed miracle leaves us with an irrational uneasiness," Il Mattino wrote.

WATCH:Is a Blood Moon a Sign Of the Apocalypse?
When you hear the term "jet stream," you probably think of the powerful winds that encircle the Earth, high up in the atmosphere.

But now, scientists have used observations by the European Space Agency's Swarm satellites to identify another sort of jet stream, one that's made of molten metal instead of air and is located 1,865 miles beneath the Earth's surface, stretching from Siberia to Alaska.

The findings, contained in an article just published in the online edition of Nature Geoscience, depict a previously unknown geological feature that may yield secrets about the Earth's inner workings.

The jet stream inside the Earth is located along the border of two regions of the Earth's core, and it's about 261 miles in width. It moves about 25 miles in the course of a year. That's far slower than the hundreds of miles per hour at which the atmospheric jet streams travel, but three times faster than other parts of the outer core and hundreds of thousands of times faster than the Earth's tectonic plates. The interior jet stream gradually is accelerating, according to the scientists' findings.

RELATED: How Much Fuel is Left in the Earth's Tank?

"What's most surprising about the jet is that it's likely been in the core for many years and no-one has seen it before - not even with previous satellite missions," lead researcher Phil Livermore, an associate professor in the School of Earth and the Environment at the University of Leeds, said in an email. "The jet is likely to have been around in the core for some hundreds of millions of years, and we've only just glimpsed it through the technical-revolution of the Swarm mission."

Swarm, launched in 2013, uses a trio of satellites rather than just one probe to produce extremely high-resolution images of the Earth's magnetic field and how it moves. By analyzing that data, scientists essentially can peer inside the planet.

"Swarm measures the magnetic field in space, from which it is possible to create an image of the magnetic field at the edge of the Earth's core," Livermore said. "Although the mantle is solid rock, the magnetic field can 'see' inside, and hence produce an x-ray view of the inside of our planet. At high latitude, at the edge of the core, there are patches of intense magnetic field that we can track over time. it is these features that allows us to infer that the iron in the core is moving in a jet. We cannot see the jet itself, but we can see its effect by the fact that it drags around magnetic features."

Livermore described the jet stream as "a very significant" feature of the core, and said that gaining knowledge about it will help scientists to better understand the interior workings of the planet.

"The jet stream probably doesn't have any immediate impacts for us on the Earth surface, but it may shed light on the dynamical state of the liquid core," he said. "The more we know about how the core operates, the more chance we will have in, for example, being able to predict whether the current weakening of the magnetic field is a precursor to a global reversal."

RELATED: Ice Age Cues May Explain Mysterious Slowdown in Earth's Rotation

The jet stream inside the Earth doesn't form a ring around the planet, as the ones in the atmosphere do. Instead, it's a boundary within the core, separating two regions with different dynamics. Technical University of Denmark senior scientist Chris Finlay, one of the study's co-authors, described the internal jet stream in an email as existing "around an imaginary cylinder that sits around the inner core and is parallel to Earth's rotation axis."

"If fluid is forced towards the boundary from both sides, it has nowhere to go but sideways - and hence forms the jet," Livermore said.

The jet stream's direction and magnitude are likely caused by the core's internal magnetic field, Livermore said. That could mean that as the magnetic field changes over time, the direction and magnitude of the jet also will change.

Image: Magnetic field data gathered by European Space Agency's Swarm satellites show a river of molten metal deep inside the Earth. Credit: ESA.

WATCH: The Earth's Magnetic Shield Cracked, Are We Doomed?
Press Release

December 20, 2016 Hontiveros: Filipinos want a humane campaign vs. illegal drugs "The people prefer a humane and rules-based campaign against illegal drugs." This is how Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros interpreted the latest Social Weather Station (SWS) survey showing that 8 out of 10 Filipinos expressed worry about the unresolved cases of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the country, while seventy-one percent of Filipinos said that it is "very important" that drug suspects be kept alive when caught. "The writing on the wall is clear. The government cannot spin the result of this survey any other way. While there is apparent strong public support to the government's campaign against illegal drugs, the people want it to be based on human rights and rule of law," Hontiveros said. "No more EJK deniers" Hontiveros also said that the survey is a vindication of the existence of thousands of unresolved EJKs. "I hope that this is the last time we will debate the existence of EJKs. No more EJK deniers. Majority of our people see it as a real problem that must be immediately addressed by the government," Hontiveros said. Current war on drugs: Cruel, medieval The Senator described the government's war on drugs as "cruel and medieval." She reiterated her challenge to the Duterte government to provide a health and human rights approach to the country's drug problem. Hontiveros said that building a mega-drug rehabilitation center does not exactly match the heath needs of the drug users, arguing that what the majority of the drug users need are out-patient medical assitance. "The Department of Health already said that what the majority of the drug users need are out-patient healthcare interventions. As such, what is needed are out-patient rehabilitation programs, community drop-in centers, and harm reduction capacity-building sessions for local governments, health agencies and non-government organizations," Hontiveros said. "These are based on the principles of 'harm reduction' to reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of the use of illegal drugs," Hontiveros added. It is time for the government to acknowledge that the drug problem is a public health issue, and a strictly punitive and violent war on drugs has failed in many parts of the world," Hontiveros concluded.
Press Release

December 20, 2016 Recto: Digong's foreign policy motto should be

"Friend to all, subservient to no one" The Philippines would be better off pivoting to an independent foreign policy position than siding with any of the big powers. "Our motto should be : 'Friend to all, but subservient to none.' In other words, amity to all, hostility to no one," Recto said. Recto said foreign policy rebalancing should not mean that "we dump old friends for new suitors." "So what's the advantage of running away from the claws of the American eagle only to rush to the embrace of a Chinese or Russian bear?" Recto said. Recto said the Philippines must maintain friendship with all nations, even those it has "ongoing differences" with. "We must continuously engage, not disengage." One of the "important engagement points", Recto said, "is the matter of trade and aid, but preferably more of the former." "We should reel in both, from all nations, but always doing so from our national interest. We should only accept aid without bad strings attached, the ones that will not cause dependency, or massive surrender of sovereignty, or ballooning of debts," Recto said. One reason why the Philippines should maintain close relations with all the big powers is "its unfortunate status as a climate change-threatened state." "If the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement will be scrapped, then we should be ready to fill whatever logistical void in disaster relief that an American disengagement will cause," he said. "The vacuum will be felt more in disaster relief operations because in many typhoons in the past, Americans have been the first responders, even sending entire carrier battle groups to help in rescue and reconstruction," Recto said. "Hindi rin naman maganda na mga Chinese na lang ang papalit sa mga Amerikano. Ang mas maganda meron tayong sariling kakayahan. At lahat ng ating mga kaibigan, handang tumulong," Recto said. In this era of climate change, with its powerful typhoons, we need all the help we can get due to our lack of resources to airlift aid to damaged places, Recto said. Recto said "whatever will happen in the future, whatever changes in our relationship with the Americans", Manila should see to it that EDCA's "humanitarian assistance and disaster response" (HADR) component will be retained. "EDCA allows the 'storage and prepositioning of HADR equipment, supplies and material'. It is to our country's benefit that such an arrangement will continue to be in force," he said. In the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, the US military sent the USS George Washington carrier strike group, dispatched 13,400 personnel including Marines in two ships, deployed 66 aircraft and 12 other ships. In June 2008, the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group also parked itself in the Visayan Sea to bring aid to victims of typhoon Frank.
Press Release

December 20, 2016 "No PhilHealth ID, No Benefits" policy scrapped - Recto The Senate has included a provision in the 2017 national budget cancelling the need for patients seeking treatment in hospitals to present a PhilHealth card as a condition to avail of benefits from the state health insurer. Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said the scrapping of the "No PhilHealth ID, No benefits" policy is one of the many provisions that the Senate had crafted to guarantee universal health coverage. Recto sponsored the budget provision which states that "in the attainment of universal coverage, no Filipino, whether a PhilHealth member or not, shall be denied of PhilHealth benefits. PhilHealth identification card is not necessary in the availment of benefits." The said provision forms part of the 2017 General Appropriations Bill that President Duterte is expected to sign before the end of the month. But the major PhilHealth-related initiative, Recto said, was the one pushed by Senator Loren Legarda, which appropriated P3 billion to pay for the insurance premiums of an estimated "last 8 million uninsured Filipinos." This backlog was discovered in the course of budget deliberations, Recto said. "Because the Senate did its job, the discrepancy was found." The P3 billion Senate infusion sponsored by Legarda "will close the last mile in health insurance," Recto said. "This is the culmination of a long work process through successive administrations. In 2001, at the start of GMA's term, the number of sponsored beneficiaries was just 200,000 urban poor families," he said. "Then the number of the sponsored increased yearly. By 2010, the individuals covered, including self-paying, numbered 78 million. President Aquino added 20 million new enrollees, increased the paying members to about 45 million, plus retained the previous grantees and expanded the benefits," he said. As a result of the Senate augmentation, funding for PhilHealth social insurance program had been raised to P53.2 billion. This will cover 15.4 million indigent families, 3.3 to 5.5 million senior citizens, and 48,000 individuals under the government peace and reconciliation 'PAMANA' program, and the last 8 million uninsured individuals. Recto said the inclusion of senior citizens "under the medicare umbrella" was made pursuant to Republic Act 10645, the 2014 Recto-authored law mandating automatic PhilHealth coverage for 60 year olds and above. He said the "No ID" rule in RA 10645 for seniors seeking medical services is being expanded to cover all. Government's subsidy to PhilHealth is booked separately from the Department of Health budget. The DOH appropriations for 2017 is P96.33 billion. Recto said "valuable and insightful inputs" in the crafting of "health care-for-all provisions" in the budget came from Senate health committee chairman Risa Hontiveros and Sen. Sonny Angara who defended the DOH budget in plenary.
From his campaign rhetoric to his transition appointments, our next president has placed himself squarely in a conservative movement calling itself the alt-right. That movement, the Los Angeles Times reports, generally embraces and promotes white nationalism, racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny.

As a privileged, white, and heterosexual woman, Ive never considered my rights under attack to the same degree as the other groups in that list. But to this incoming bunch, feminism is a dirty word.

For instance, Donald Trumps chief strategist, Steve Bannon  a leading figure in the alt-right media  called feminists a bunch of dykes.

Maybe its time to review what feminism is and why it emerged in the first place.

Odds are that most of us have no idea how bad women once had it. And men, before you check out, let me assure you that this is no man-hating screed. I have a hunch well be on the same page, actually.

No doubt, you probably know that women couldnt vote until 1920. And that women were once expected to be homemakers instead of pursuing careers. But what else are those uppity women whining about?

For starters, theres the right to own things  like our own bodies.

At the founding of our nation, women were bound by something called coverture  the idea that a married womans legal identity was subsumed under her husbands. He owned property and voted for the both of them. And he had a legal right to her body.

This is what the first feminists opposed. Through their agitating, married women first won the right to own property in 1848. The right to vote followed in 1920, but marital rape wasnt illegal in all 50 states until 1994.

Consider that. Just 22 years ago, a Texas man could still legally rape his wife as often as he chose. How dare those crazy man-hating feminists demand they not be raped!

But wait, theres more.

Until 1970, states only permitted divorce when one of the spouses was found at fault. Only certain reasons were allowed  and falling out of love wasnt one of them. In much of the country, neither was domestic violence.

Once married to your spouse, you were stuck with them unless they committed adultery, more or less. If your husband beat you, that was your problem.

Women who wished to work were relegated to womens jobs like teaching, nursing and secretarial work, and those jobs paid less than mens work. With men doing all the science, it took until 1966 for the discovery that women actually have orgasms.

Married couples couldnt legally use birth control until 1965. Since abortion was also illegal in much of the country, and since a man could have his way with his wife as he chose, women had no control over the number of children they had. (Unmarried Americans only gained the right to use birth control in 1972.)

Over the last two centuries, those are the issues feminists have fought for. So why does feminism still exist?

Because women still earn less than men for doing the same work. And because our bodies still dont enjoy the full protection of the law. To put a finer point on it, the Stanford rapist served just three months in jail for raping a girl behind a dumpster.

Feminism isnt about hating men or burning bras. Its about women wanting to be treated like human beings who matter.

So when the white nationalist website Breitbart, under the management of Bannon, asked, Would you rather your child had feminism or cancer? the correct answer is outrage that such a question is asked at all  or that the one who asked it is allowed anywhere near the White House.
While some of us may be sending e-cards for the holidays, the printed Christmas card is far from dead. About 1.3 billion such cards are sent each year, according to Hallmark.

Such cards were introduced in England in the 1840s, but it took three decades before they arrived in the U.S., published in Boston by a Prussian immigrant. Those early cards are still among the most visually striking and colorful ever produced.

The Father of the American Christmas Card: Louis Prang, an exhibition comprising three tightly packed glass cases and a few framed works at the Book Club of California, is a tantalizing sampler of the range of early designs. It is on view through Jan. 9.

Many of the first American Christmas cards were generic images  country lanes, sprigs of flowers and the like  that could be imprinted with the message of any season. But if they seem incongruous to us today, we must remember that the image traditions we now so revere were only being formed then. A pictorial message of spring might be just the tonic a winter-bound recipient would have appreciated on a cold Christmas morning.

Many 19th century cards were generic images that were imprinted with the message of the season. Book Club Of California Religious themes were only a small part of the array of designs available. Book Club Of California Anthropomorphic animals were a staple of early cards. Book Club Of California

From the evidence of this show, religious themes were only a small part of the array of designs available. More common were crimson-cheeked children and anthropomorphic animals, symbols of innocence and playfulness.

Sentiment and humor were preferred to piety by our great-grandparents  though some of what they presumably found hilarious is lost on us now. What are we to make of an image of a rooster biting the tail of a turtle, which in turn is chomping on the neck of a duck? The cards legend is little help. A Hearty Christmas to you all! it says. May good digestion wait on appetite.

Louis Prang was the centurys foremost publisher and developer of chromolithography, a printing process capable of both sublime subtlety and vivid depth of color. He applied the method to framed reproductions of fine art and to popular holiday cards alike. Employing a separate lithographic stone to print each color of a single picture, up to 40 ink impressions blended together into extraordinary images.

I send to you this cheerful party, / With New Years greetings true and hearty. Book Club Of California We could not member what to say,  So it was sent to you this way. The purse is imprinted, Merry Christmas. Book Club Of California This large advertising card announced to shoppers that cards were for sale. Book Club Of California

Bring along a store-bought card of today and compare: You will be stunned at the difference in richness and detail. A large card advertising Prangs Christmas Cards  probably a store display  is a tour de force of the technique, in perfect condition.

The Book Club of California is one of those treasured anachronisms of old cities like San Francisco that many people never see. The visitor must take an elevator to the fifth floor of a downtown building, then dare to open an opaque wooden door to enter a hushed space lined with books.

But dont hesitate: The small staff could not be more charming and will greet you as eagerly as an old friend. They act as though it is their pleasant duty to make you comfortable and to answer your questions.

Although the small show may not merit a special trip to the city center at the most trafficked time of the year, it will provide a delightful half-hour break from business or holiday shopping. And you will leave knowing much more about the visual history of our countrys biggest holiday, and of a great city tradition.

Charles Desmarais is The San Francisco Chronicles art critic. Email: cdesmarais@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Artguy1

The Father of the American Christmas Card: Louis Prang From the Collection of Keith S. Clark: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; closed Dec. 23-26 and Jan. 2. Through Jan. 9. Free. Book Club of California, 312 Sutter St., Suite 500, S.F. (415) 781-7532. www.bccbooks.org
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Mayor Ed Lee plans to announce Tuesday that he is hiring a veteran Los Angeles deputy police chief to lead the San Francisco force as it implements broad changes in the wake of several shootings of African Americans and Latinos, according to City Hall sources.

William Scott, who is 52 and African American, has been with the Los Angeles Police Department for more than 25 years and heads the departments 1,700-member South Bureau, a nearly 58-square-mile territory.

The selection of Scott is certain to surprise friends and critics of Lee alike, with the mayor looking outside the city rather than promoting acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin  which many city leaders expected, and the officers union urged  or a member of his command staff.

But as much as Scotts longtime administrative experience figured into the decision  he did assignments in patrol, the detectives bureau, internal affairs and gang operations  were told he was coveted as much for his work in the departments professional standards bureau dealing with police reform.

He has been part of a department that during the last 10 years has undergone its own transformation, implementing a variety of reforms under a consent decree with the Justice Department, said one source familiar with the selection process.

Scott, whose appointment does not require confirmation by the Police Commission, is expected to be on hand Tuesday morning when Lee introduces him at a City Hall news conference.

Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

Since the search began seven months ago, the perceived front-runner was Chaplin, who is also African American. Chaplin was elevated in May following the forced resignation of Greg Suhr, just hours after the fatal police shooting of an unarmed African American woman in a stolen car renewed questions about whether the Police Department had lost the confidence of minority communities in the city.

The department was already being reviewed by the U.S. Justice Department, which in October recommended 272 changes after concluding the force needed to better train, track and discipline officers. The Justice Department agreed to study the SFPD following the fatal police shooting last December of an African American man.

Chaplin initially said he wanted to stay on as chief only temporarily, but he changed his tune within a few months after winning support from some black religious leaders and the San Francisco Police Officers Association. The union has been at loggerheads with the mayors office, the Police Commission and community activists over the departments use-of-force policies in the wake of a string of deadly officer-involved shootings over the past couple of years.

The Police Officers Association even aired a radio ad in support of Chaplin, preferring an in-house candidate that they knew to someone from the outside. The union is still locked in a toxic political battle with the citys last outside chief, George Gascon, who is now San Franciscos district attorney. Like Scott, Gascon had served in Los Angeles under former Chief William Bratton.

As late as Monday, union President Martin Halloran described Chaplin as the right chief at the right time.

But Chaplin faced questions over the strength of his educational credentials and his relative lack of experience. He didnt enter the command ranks until 2015, when he was promoted from lieutenant to commander. Plus, Chaplin lives in Castro Valley, and he indicated early in the process that he had no intention of moving to the city.

Sources tell us Scott, who is married and has three children, has committed to living in San Francisco. He likely will start in about a month at an annual salary of roughly $316,000.

Scott was an Army brat whose family eventually settled in Birmingham, Ala., where he attended the University of Alabama and got a degree in accounting, according to published reports. He began working for the Los Angeles force in 1989 and two years ago was promoted to deputy chief overseeing a section of the city that includes USC, the Port of Los Angeles and South Los Angeles, an area rife with homicides and gang violence.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Word of Scotts appointment comes at a crucial moment for San Francisco police. On Wednesday night, the Police Commission is scheduled to take up  and possibly vote on  a new set of use-of-force policies sharply opposed by the police union.

Officers would be prohibited from shooting at moving vehicles  a mandate that has been adopted in many places but, according to the police union, would leave officers with no option if a homicidal motorist started running people down.

The neck hold known as the carotid restraint would also be barred. But without first supplying officers with stun guns as an alternative, the cops would have no choice but to use more lethal force, the police union argued.

In all, 61 candidates applied for the chiefs job. In recent weeks, the Police Commission whittled the list to 10. The remaining candidates were asked to submit an outline of how they would implement the reforms recommended by the Justice Department.

The commission narrowed its choice to three  a list that, in addition to Scott and Chaplin, included a female candidate believed to have been San Francisco Deputy Chief Denise Schmitt.

As for Chaplin, he is expected to stay in the department, though the new chief will be free to pick his own command staff.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Nearly two years before a fire killed 36 people inside an Oakland warehouse that city officials say they did not inspect because they considered it vacant, a fire killed two people at a similarly non-permitted live-work building in West Oakland.

But in the March 2015 case, city officials were well aware that people were living in the two-story brick building  even though it was not approved for residential use.

Public records and interviews with former residents and the building owner showed that not only did the city allow the living arrangements to persist, Oakland Fire Department inspectors visited the place three times, giving it a clean bill of health at least once.

In the wake of this months deadly fire at the Ghost Ship, the case of the 2015 fire raises further questions about the citys response to the potential dangers faced by residents and visitors of non-permitted live-work spaces, many of which are used for public events.

Only after the fire killed two artists at 669 24th St. on March 21, 2015, did city officials take action, red-tagging it and an adjoining building at 674 23rd St. to which the fire had spread. The buildings were deemed uninhabitable due to fire damage and their lack of residential permits. Forty resident artists were displaced.

The fire got the attention of Mayor Libby Schaaf.

Afterwards we went into the Red Cross on Broadway, and Mayor Libby Schaaf came in to speak with us, said drummer Jason Willer, one of the displaced residents of the adjoining building. She gave a speech about how she was going to help us rebuild, relocate, and how she wanted to support the arts because were the backbone of the city.

Like the Ghost Ship, the brick two-story building on 24th Street had been converted into live-work spaces with makeshift walls and rooms, and the location was used often as a music venue for public events. And, like the Ghost Ship, it had its own moniker in the arts-music scene: the Totally Intense Fractal Mindgaze Hut.

In the case of the Ghost Ship, authorities said they had no official knowledge that people were living in the converted warehouse and consequently did not inspect it for fire safety. But public records show that officials from Oaklands building and fire departments knew for years that people were living in the Mindgaze Hut.

Michael Short/Special To The Chronicle

Fire inspectors went to the building in 2009, 2012, and February 2015  the month before the fire  for apparently routine inspections. A copy of the 2009 report shows that fire officials inspected the Mindgaze Hut as a residential space, spent 10 minutes inside and found nothing amiss.

Yet, when the fire occurred at about 3 a.m. on March 21, 2015, residents say there was no central alarm to alert the buildings residents of the imminent danger.

Amanda Bailey, one of the survivors, said a fire engines flashing lights were what prompted her to leave her bedroom to see what was going on. Only then did she realize she had to evacuate.

Though the building, a former armory built in 1930, was equipped with a combination of hardwired and battery-powered smoke detectors in common areas and individual apartments, only one went off when the fire occurred. The building had no sprinklers and state laws did not require them, fire investigators said in their report on the incident.

Fire investigators believed the blaze started when artist Daniel Moe Thomas dropped a cigarette in his studio, setting off a smoke detector that woke up Sehline Ivanhoe, who lived down the street. Ivanhoe called 911, and when firefighters arrived they broke open the door of Thomas apartment, which by that time was suffused in smoke. The fire had jumped to the adjacent building  a warehouse that housed the famed radical book publisher AK Press, and which had also been converted, without city approval, into live-work apartments.

The fire person yelled, Everybody out! and I just remember running downstairs holding my cat, with Jordan (my boyfriend) and my roommate behind me, Bailey said. I was screaming Fire! Fire!

Nearby, on 23rd Street, some 27 tenants dashed out of their building as the fire rolled in, gnawing through three upstairs units.

It was just me and my cat, no jacket, no underwear, no socks, Willer, the drummer, said. I just sat across the street on a fire hydrant, holding my cat, with my head in my hands.

Thomas and his roommate, a videographer named Davis Letona, died in the blaze. Letona was living in an illegally built bedroom adjacent to Thomas studio, where he died from smoke inhalation, according to the Alameda County coroner.

The building had been on the citys radar for at least 16 years.

City records show that from 1999 to 2015, tenants and neighbors had been calling the city to complain about lack of heat in apartment units, garbage left on the street, a bathtub that wouldnt drain and a hole in the kitchen sink.

The city had been through there many times and never raised an issue, said the buildings owner, Berkeley real-estate agent Kim Marienthal. He said he was caught by surprise when a city building inspector red-tagged the property three days after the fire.

One former resident, Jonah Strauss, a sound engineer who lived at the building from 2004 until the night of the fire, said he did not recall seeing building inspectors entering the warehouse to investigate complaints or allow new construction.

Michael Short/Special To The Chronicle

Of course we were never inspected  we wouldnt want to be inspected, Strauss said. Since the 1970s there has been this tacit agreement between landlords, tenants and the city. Its really benefited Oakland to have these spaces regardless of their condition, because were harboring a valuable asset.

With the Ghost Ship fire triggering an outcry for better building safety and stronger city oversight, the Mindgaze Hut fire seems eerily prescient.

Bailey said that she and her boyfriend, Jordan Glenn, received $1,000 apiece in relocation assistance from the city. Willer said he got about $3,400 from his landlord, David Jux Beck, but that it was not enough to find a new apartment in Oakland. He wound up squatting in an abandoned house.

The owners of the two buildings ravaged by the 2015 fire, Marienthal and Beck, began planning renovations to bring their properties up to code, but those efforts proved too expensive, Marienthal said. Beck sold his building to two owners who flipped it in September to a limited liability company controlled by San Francisco developer Danny Haber, who is converting two other Oakland buildings  another red-tagged artist warehouse, and a low-income residential hotel  into market-rate apartments.

Schaaf was asked what the city learned from the March 2015 fire, and her spokeswoman Erica Derryck issued a statement on behalf of city officials: Unattended smoking materials are believed to be the most probable cause of the March 2015 fire at 669 24th St., not unsafe living conditions. There were smoke alarms in the building. One of the actions taken by the City of Oakland following this tragic fire was the legal conversion of the unpermitted live-work units in the building as a requirement for putting the space back into use. That permitting process is currently under way.

But Thomas Dolan, an architect who specializes in live-work spaces, said he is baffled by the citys reluctance to change its practices. Days after the Ghost Ship fire, Dolan and other experts began teaming up with artists to do their own no-tell inspections in one anothers buildings. Strauss, meanwhile, has pushed officials to halt evictions of artists from un-permitted buildings.

Obviously, many people are doing what they can to prevent another Ghost Ship, Dolan said. Im kind of puzzled by the lack of any response from the citys planning, building, fire departments and code compliance. My personal feeling is there should be fast action.

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
Mayor Ed Lees decision to look outside the city for a new police chief was greeted Tuesday by department watchdogs as a hopeful signal that San Francisco is committed to making significant reforms to a force mired in controversies over racial bias and police shootings of people of color.

William Bill Scott, whose appointment was announced Tuesday, is a deputy chief in Los Angeles, where he earned a reputation over 27 years for being reform-minded and empathetic toward both the community and colleagues, according to people who worked with him.

At a City Hall news conference, he said he welcomed the challenge of leading a department with a chilly history of accepting external hires for chief.

Coming in from the outside, I know that is to some people a shock to the system, Scott said, who is expected to start the roughly $316,000-a-year job in about a month. Those that really do that well are able to really come in with new ideas, fresh ideas and work with the talent that is inside the department.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

Lees pick surprised some city insiders who assumed the mayor would stick with well-liked acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin, who took over when Greg Suhr resigned in May following the police shooting of an unarmed African American car-theft suspect. But to law enforcement critics, Lee was not in a position to promote from within.

This department is in need of major reform, and there has not been a turnaround of a major, big-city U.S. police department that has not included an external chief, said John Crew, a former ACLU attorney who has worked to tighten police oversight. Thats because if youre a product of the internal culture, it is difficult for you to see the problems within and make the changes necessary.

This is no disrespect to Toney Chaplin, Crew said, but that should have always been a disqualifying factor.

Lee said Tuesday he had to discipline himself to move past his natural inclination to look from within at a time when police are under pressure to make changes recommended by the U.S. Justice Department to better train, track and discipline officers.

We are changing as a city, Lee said. I believe that looking at that and really focusing on the recommendations and assessments led me to look at all the candidates and determine that it wasnt outside versus inside. Ultimately, it was who has the skill set and who has the proven ability to bring this department forward.

Scott, who is 52 and African American, held assignments in patrol, the detectives bureau, internal affairs and gang operations in Los Angeles before rising to deputy chief. Like Chaplin, he worked in the professional standards bureau dealing with police reform, advocating for more community-based policing and outreach.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

At Scotts swearing-in ceremony as deputy chief in June 2015, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Scott possessed a rare quality that is often defined as emotional intelligence  E.Q.

What E.Q. boils down to is the ability to lead by seeing things through others eyes, by having empathy not only for the people who work for you but for the people you work for, Beck said. The ability to understand communities from their point of view, to walk in their shoes, to recognize that values on a macro are similar, but are different from community to community  and you have to weave that into law enforcement.

Los Angeles-based civil rights attorney Arnoldo Casillas said that while he doesnt know Scott personally, he has a reputation among those in the Los Angeles Police Department  and those critical of it  of being low-profile but hardworking.

You guys are getting a gem, Casillas said. Im usually on the other side of the fence, the outsider looking in being critical, but I dont have anything critical to say about him.

As deputy chief of the South Bureau, Scott has more than 1,700 people working under him  roughly the size of the entire San Francisco force. It was in the South Bureau, the most violent area of the city, that Scott proved to be an innovative, collaborative and respected leader, said Los Angeles Police Commission President Matthew Johnson.

He is reform-minded and community-focused while not sacrificing officer or community safety, Johnson said in an email. While we are sad to see him leave, we are proud of him for taking on this new direction.

Scott is the third outside hire for chief in the departments 167-year history. The last, George Gascon, who served from 2009 to 2011, is now the citys district attorney and a constant adversary of the police union with his deep criticism of the department.

Charles Gain, who came to the city from Oakland in 1975, saw his tenure end four years later after riots followed former city Supervisor Dan Whites conviction for manslaughter  rather than murder  for killing Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

The city has been without a permanent chief since the police shooting of Jessica Williams, which prompted Suhrs resignation. That incident followed the Dec. 2, 2015, killing of Mario Woods, an African American suspect in a stabbing, which sparked widespread outrage and frayed police relations with communities of color  relations already damaged by the emergence of bigoted text messages exchanged among several officers.

Following the Woods shooting, the Department of Justices community-policing division opened a collaborative review of the city force that, months later, found a department with concerning deficiencies in every operational area assessed.

Chaplin, who stood smiling next to Scott during Tuesdays news conference and embraced him afterward, had vowed to implement all 272 federal recommendations. But some critics doubted his ability to lead reform, having spent his entire career within the department he said he could change.

Scott came up in a police force with an even more controversial history, a department known for the beating of Rodney King and the Rampart corruption scandal, which led the department to be placed under a federal consent decree in 2001. Scott was promoted to commander in 2012, one year before the binding agreement for major reforms was lifted.

I think one of the biggest challenges will be just that  change, Scott said Tuesday. Some things will change, some things have to change, but what I see is there is an organization here that recognizes that and is willing to be open to that.

Scott pointed to the squabbles in San Francisco around the adoption of a new use-of-force policy as one potential challenge. In June, the Police Commission passed a version of the policy that put added emphasis on the sanctity of life and de-escalating encounters. The policy, though, has been stalled in negotiations with the police union, with officials arguing over a section barring officers from shooting at moving vehicles.

The Police Commission is set to vote on the policy Wednesday.

Scott said Los Angeles went through a similarly contentious process over shooting at moving vehicles in 2005. The force made the policy more restrictive and is still surviving, he said. At the end of the day, everybody wants a policy that is reflective of what the community is calling for.

Scotts willingness to speak against the unions position heartened some San Francisco activists who have accused it of standing in the way of reforms.

As the chief of police in San Francisco, it is really simple for me  I get the kind of union that I deserve, Scott said. My plans are to be the type of chief that deserves a POA that is willing to work with me.

Police union officials had thrown their support behind Chaplin, saying a city as unique as San Francisco needed a chief with inside knowledge and local experience. But Martin Halloran, president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said in a statement Tuesday, We look forward to meeting William Scott.

We anticipate that he will tap into the tremendous talent of the men and women who make up the SFPD, Halloran said. The POA hopes to work closely with him as chief and we are committed to helping him move the department forward.

Sgt. Yulanda Williams, president of Officers for Justice, an organization representing African American and other nonwhite officers, called Scott an excellent choice.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
Getty Images / /

An AC Transit driver was injured when he slammed his bus into a tree Monday night in downtown Oakland, officials said.

The bus driver crashed after getting in a collision with the driver of a sedan shortly before 10 p.m. at 10th and Oak streets, Oakland police said.
Fifteen cents? This paper was worth at least 20.

The Chronicles front page from Dec. 20, 1972, covers a wide range of stories, including the Apollo 17 splashdown, a Hells Angels testimony and an FBI sweep that ended in the arrest of a former Stanford professor on a harboring charge.

Heres a rundown:

What a trip: The Apollo exploration of the moon, one of the great achievements of all time, came to a successful conclusion yesterday with the splashdown of the Apollo 17 astronauts in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the story read. Let this serve as yet another salute to a worlds-changing mission.

Take it from him: Hells Angels chieftain Ralph (Sonny) Barger, in a surprise move, took the witness stand in his murder trial yesterday and gave a lurid, sometimes incredible view of life in the Bay Area underworld, the story read. He professed his innocence, and also said that police had asked him to kill someone; that he, indeed, sold drugs; that he made phony drivers licenses at his home; and that he had made deals with Oakland authorities to show them where dynamite and machine guns were hidden. You have to hand it to the guy, he knew how to take a hold of the spotlight.

Get Hollywood on the phone: The Venceremos  a Peninsula-based Maoist revolutionary group  were in disarray yesterday after a member in good standing reportedly detailed to the FBI how they had engineered his bloody escape from Chino and then kept him hidden for more than two months. As a result, seven persons were arrested in a two-state FBI sweep and charged with harboring Ronald Wayne Beaty, 35, the escapee. ... Among those taken into custody on the harboring charge was H. Bruce Franklin, 30, the English professor who was fired from Stanford University for fomenting campus violence. Now thats a story with a lot of angles.

Meaty story: Sudden Jump in Price of Beef, read the headline. About time, thought the cows.

Top O the Top of the News: A state aide called for a moratorium on building permits in the Tahoe basin until developers meet water standards. Page 10. Developers were feeling blue after this.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

Chronicle Covers highlighting one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken and producers Kimberly Chua, Alexandra Irving and Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim ORourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke

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At first, I was glad when a confidently defiant Sen. Dianne Feinstein volunteered to spearhead the resistance against Donald Trump, who was electored president on Monday. As a 24-year Senate veteran and the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Feinstein is one of the wiliest power players in Washington. She recently told The Chronicles Joe Garofoli that she would take the lead in the vital resistance battle on immigration, as well as play a key role in challenging Trumps glaring business conflicts of interest and his noxious Cabinet nominees.

But as proud as I am of an effective national leader with San Francisco roots, I dont think someone like Feinstein should become too prominent a face of anti-Trump resistance. As the saying goes, the best thing about someone (shes a shrewd power fixture) is often the worst thing.

For starters, theres the fact that her husband, billionaire investment banker Richard Blum, has generated controversy for Feinstein regarding his own business dealings with China, the Pentagon and other government agencies. Theres also the bad optics, as they say in political circles, of Feinstein  one of the wealthiest members of the exclusive Senate club  leading the charge against billionaire Trump on behalf of the downtrodden. Perched in a Pacific Heights mansion, surrounded by tech tycoons and old San Francisco Gold Rush families, Feinstein doesnt seem to rub elbows much with Hillary Clintons deplorables.

Speaking of Clinton, who unfortunately will go down in history as the Democratic standard-bearer who handed the country to Trump, Feinstein is also way too closely associated with her. I am extraordinarily fond of this woman, Feinstein told Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC last week. It was a very hard campaign for (Clinton). The name-calling. The email intrusion. ... I think she has a spine of steel. ... Its really a tough time for a wonderful human being. While Feinsteins loyalty is admirable, the only way for the Democratic Party to revive itself is to reject the tired corporatist politics of the Clinton era.

Then theres the delicate matter of Feinsteins age. At 83, she has suggested she will run for a sixth term in 2018, despite being the oldest sitting member of the Senate. My health is good, she told the Los Angeles Times earlier this year. I can work hard and continue it. Advancing age shouldnt automatically rule out a leading political role. Look at septuagenarian Bernie Sanders, who fired up the youth vote so much that he nearly pulled off the impossible in the Democratic primary race. But DiFi is no Bernie. She was never the type of politician who lit up the party base, and the chances she will suddenly do so in 2018 at age 85 are zero. Instead, shes the type of centrist politician for whom George Shultz, Reagans secretary of state, raises money from his rich Republican friends.

Finally, Feinstein is way too embedded in the murky Washington world of national security politics. Its true that she famously clashed with the CIA in 2014 as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee when she pushed for the release of the committees critical report on agency torture. During the high-level maneuvers between Feinstein and CIA Director John Brennan, she found out the CIA had hacked the computers of Senate staff  an assault on the separation of powers that a properly outraged Feinstein called a defining moment for Congress in its ongoing battle to oversee the nations shadowy security activities.

This was Feinstein at her best  tough, principled and impassioned. But in general shes been a strong Langley loyalist. I can honestly say I dont know a bigger booster of the CIA, said Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, a fellow Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told the New Yorker last year.

Feinstein predictably took the national security establishments side against courageous NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, accusing him of treason  an offense punishable by death. In return she was attacked by civil libertarians and progressive journalists like Glenn Greenwald, who commented that her disgusting rhetoric recalls the worst of Dick Cheney.

Now Feinstein is once again taking the side of the CIA  and her friend Clinton  in the Russian hacking controversy, accusing the Putin government of interfering in the 2016 presidential election in support of Trump. While a bipartisan group of senators including Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and John McCain, R-Ariz., push for the creation of a Senate select committee to investigate the alleged hacking, Feinstein has gone a step further, calling last week for a 9/11-type outside examination.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

There is poetic justice in the way that Trump is now being embroiled in a controversy over his legitimacy, or lack thereof. After all, he launched his political career on the sleazy birther lie about President Obama. But so far the CIA has not produced any evidence, at least in public, that Russia hacked the presidential election. In fact, as Andrew Cockburns perceptive cover story in the current issue of Harpers magazine explains, the Russian hacking hysteria is part of an ongoing new red scare campaign to revive the Cold War for the increased profit and power of the sprawling U.S. national security complex.

The Putin bogeyman story distracts Democrats from the true mission that lies before them: rebuilding the party in a way that brings back those working families who feel that they were abandoned in favor of the liberal elites. To do that, the party will need to offer not more Dianne Feinsteins, but a new generation of progressive leadership.

Will younger rebels challenge Feinstein  and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who is burdened with her own similar baggage  in two years? I recently had a round of drinks in a trendy Tenderloin bar with one such rising leader, who Googled the two divas of San Francisco politics as we drank, marveling at their advanced ages and wondering at their chances of being overthrown by Democratic challengers. No younger upstart wants to be quoted at this point. But the rumblings of change have begun.

San Francisco Chronicle Columnist David Talbot appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email: dtalbot@sfchronicle.com
Google / /

A 23-year-old Guerneville man was arrested in a destructive rampage that exceeded $100,000 in damage to a Santa Rosa Catholic high school Monday night, officials said.

Authorities interrupted the vandal, identified as 23-year-old Andrew Faulkner, amid his damaging spree at Cardinal Newman High School at 50 Ursuline Road, said Lt. John Molinari with the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office.
A 60 year-old woman was struck by and dragged under a Muni bus, prompting a rescue by emergency personnel, in downtown San Francisco Monday evening,

Police said the pedestrian was struck around 7 p.m. near Kearny and Market streets, across from Third Street. She was pulled from beneath the bus and taken to a hospital with serious injuries, said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.
Regarding Retailers see run on guns before ban hits (Dec. 19): Is a semiautomatic gun the hot gift this holiday season? Its appalling to read that some California gun dealers have seen a recent doubling of the purchase of such military-style assault weapons in advance of Gov. Jerry Browns legislation banning their sale to the general public beginning on Jan. 1. Such a ban may anger the National Rifle Association and its advocates, but many Americans are also angry that semiautomatic guns are being used to commit horrific mass shootings in our state and across the country.

To those who cherish their Second Amendment rights, I would ask: Why do you need a military-style assault weapon as part of your gun collection? And just how many guns do you really need to feel safe?

Vernon Greene, Oakland

Safer stops please

Im worried about the way Uber drivers stop right in middle of heavy traffic on El Camino Real. Stopping and loading is not allowed, but I have seen three dangerous pick ups lately, almost causing accidents since no one expects someone to stop suddenly on a heavily trafficked street.

Cant Uber and Lyft train their drivers to make safer stops? Taxi drivers abide by the rules and know where to stop.

Elizabeth Peter, San Mateo

Revolution time

Regarding Democrats must represent all Americans (Letters, Dec. 17): Although it is likely that many progressive voters will be striving to repair the disheveled Democratic Party, I will not be among them.

The fundamental assumption of many progressive voters that it is only through the Democratic Party that an America serving the best interests of the greatest number can be attained is flawed. As is fundamental to all institutions, survival ranks among the Democratic Partys top priorities. However, an impediment to its survival that applies specifically to the Democratic Partys plight is a need to define exactly what its goals will have to be in order for its candidates win elections. Of course, the reasoning goes, success of these candidates will benefit the nation.

But since I am not confident of either present-day major partys ability to put aside consideration of its survival in order to think solely of the nations benefit, I am supporting the political revolution that I think is necessary to get America back on track.

Bob Swift, Moss Beach

Desperate people

Regarding Point the finger (Letters, Dec. 17): I think we all understand the impulse to assess blame when tragic events occur. In this case however, the writer appears to be ignoring the forces that have actually caused and carried out the slaughter in Aleppo: President Bashar Assads government with the support and assistance of the Russian Air Force.

Instead, they appear eager to blame President Obama. The writer states that Obama never said Dont do it; you will lose and we will not support you.

The implication being that if he had, somehow, the catastrophic destruction and loss of life would have been mitigated or avoided; as if the various rebel groups opposing Assads dictatorship would have responded, What? The U.S. wont support us? Were going to lose? Well I suppose we should give up then, and thrown down their weapons, thrown up their hands and gone home.

Does anyone truly believe that would have happened? If so, they gravely underestimate the desperation and determination of the people attempting to overthrow Assads regime.

Ethan Karp, Berkeley

A real victory

Regarding Academy of Art settles S.F. suit (Dec. 19): Bravo to City Attorney Dennis Herrera, his team of attorneys and dedicated staff who scored a victory for all San Francisco by standing up to the Academy of Arts repeated rule breaking and predatory behavior.

News of the city attorneys $60 million settlement on behalf of the citizens of San Francisco buoyed me for the first time since November 8. Herreras quote, No matter how wealthy or politically connected you may be, the same rules apply to everyone, revived my hope for the countrys future. Let the resistance begin.

Nancy Crowley, San Francisco

Strange bedfellows

In answer to columnist E.J. Dionne Jr.s question Will GOP become the pro-Putin party? (Dec. 19), I would say unlikely. Notice that two of the Republicans leading the call to investigate Vladimir Putins meddling in the 2016 presidential election are people who have been publicly smeared by Donald Trump: Sen. John not a war hero McCain and Sen. Lindsey a total disgrace and nut job Graham.

Trump has made many enemies within his own party. They would be only too happy to continually investigate Russian hacking and Trumps foreign business dealings long after Inauguration Day. Its a bit ironic that (as Dionne Jr. notes) that Putins fiercest critics find themselves allied with Hillary Clintons supporters but, as the old proverbial saying goes, Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Priscilla Massey, San Francisco

Let Obama stay

Regarding Delay inauguration (Letters, Dec. 17): I so agree with the authors letter in The Chronicle that the solution right now would be to delay the inauguration. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures and all are in agreement that these are unprecedented times. What is there on that tax form of Donald Trumps that he does not want becoming public?

Republicans would never put up with what the rest of us have had to take from Trump already in this short period of transition, i.e. statements like hes smart enough to not need intelligence briefings. Ive been saying for about six weeks now to just let President Obama stay in office. Trump doesnt have a clue about running a country.

Peggy Goering-Kuck, Pacific Grove, Monterey County

Not unique

Regarding Joe Mathews thought-provoking commentary titled Its up to us to save Spanish, our states native language (Insight, Dec. 18): I have two issues to address. First, there were many languages spoken in California long before Spanish-speakers arrived here, and I can only imagine that people of Native American descent are (rightfully) offended to hear their languages dismissed so completely.

Second, the contention that Spanish would give California a comparative advantage and special force over all the other states excludes the heavily Spanish-speaking populations in, for example, Texas, New Mexico and to a lesser degree, Arizona. I just dont think California is quite as unique as you seem to imagine.

Miriam Guiney, Ben Lomond,

Santa Cruz County
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Following 11 months of back-to-back fundraisers, lengthy live auctions, major cultural confabs and even early-morning award ceremonies, Decembers do-si-do is blissfully unencumbered with such earnest intent.

Instead, we take a page from the Book of Sigmund (Freud, that is) relishing the concept that sometimes a party is just that. And holiday-ops were plentiful this season  as evidenced on numerous blocks in Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights expertly manned by Jamie Dyos and his crack, white-coated Soiree Valet crew.

They logged long hours along the Gold Coast, where the grand Getty manse set a holiday stage for a number of fine-feathered fetes  the most recent of which Ann Getty celebrated the shared Dec. 20 birthday of her husband, philanthropist Gordon Getty and their granddaughter, university student Ivy Getty.

It was a warmhearted, down-home mingle (amid exquisitely artful salons) that featured a gourmet chef Jennifer Johnsons buffet for family and longtime friends of the 83-year-old composer  including Jim Halligan, Judge William Newsom and John Mallen  still BFFs from their St. Ignatius College Prep days.

But music-makers (Deborah Voight, Lisa Delan, Lester Lynch, Brent Assink) also sang praise for Gettys generous support of their art.

In the classical worlds Mount Rushmore, Gordon is right up there for bringing great possibility to life, enthused composer Jake Heggie. Gordon is a big inspiration to me. Not only as a champion but also as a creator of new music who still finds space in his heart to support so many others.

Catherine Bigelow/Special to The Chronicle

Wilsey whirl: When former Mayor Willie Brown honored arts philanthropist Dede Wilsey at the MoAD gala in October, he also cited her storied holiday soiree as another reason why this lady should be lauded.

If youre not eligible, because you havent yet been invited to Dedes Christmas party, declared Brown, then you havent made it in San Francisco.

And for 34 years on the first Thursday in December, Wilsey delivers a couture cocktail klatch where a mix of cultural poobahs, civic leaders and assorted blue bloods mingle.

Wilseys grand foyer was decked in pink bows and green boughs courtesy of designer Bob Bell; staff passed divine Diane Glotzer hors doeuvres (bacon-wrapped chestnuts, chicken chutney, piping hot onion puffs); and Marianne Kent and her musicians set toes tapping atop the black-and-white parquet tiles.

Among merry-makers: former mayors Frank Jordan and Brown; Fine Arts Museums Director Max Hollein and his wife, Nina; Grace Cathedral Dean, the Rt. Rev. Malcolm Clemens; S.F. Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson; Patsy and Jim Ludwig; Jamie Bowles; Jack Calhoun and Trent Norris; Ann Caen; artist Ira Yaeger; photographer Fred Lyon and his wife, Penny; Dr. Robert Gotcher; Monica and Harry Hunt; and Jackson Schultz.

Im always a bit sad when my party ends because I have to wait a whole year to do it again, Wilsey said. So Im delighted my sons host their holiday party here where I can enjoy another party and not worry about being the hostess.

Drew Altizer

Traina treat: That would be Internet entrepreneur Trevor Traina with his wife, Alexis; and S.F. Film Society trustee Todd Traina, and his wife, Katie, whove grown their post-high school blue-blazer kegger into something slightly more elegant for mid-marrieds.

Though they borrow their mothers holiday stage, their guest list is decidedly their own, culled from childhood friends, film folk, culinary masters and tech types including director Chris Columbus and his wife, Monica; actress Connie Nielsen; chef Tyler Florence and his wife, Tolan; Serena Fritz-Cope; Zachary Bogue and his wife, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer; and Apple Special Projects VP Paul Deneve.

We competed against Donald Trump for some of our tech friends who just attended his summit in New York, joked Trevor Traina. I guess you could say we were trumped by Trump.

But even the president-elect cant effect lasting bonds formed at this fete.

Its important to keep a mix of old friends and new, he continued. What I really love about our party is seeing new friendships form that continue long after Christmas.

Drew Altizer

Joy to the world: The Gettys also joined forces with Mayor Ed Lee, Protocol Chief Charlotte Shultz and Protocol Deputy Chief Matthew Goudeau in hosting a holiday party at the Getty home for the San Francisco Consular Corps and civic Host Committee.

Im proud of the internationalism we have in our city and the expertise of our consuls generals. Living in San Francisco you must be world-conscious citizens to experience its diversity, toasted Lee, who participates in numerous cultural and business exchanges around the globe. I believe San Francisco can show the rest of the country how the world really works.

Following a brief state of the nation by former Secretary of State George Shultz, guests delighted as this storied diplomat sang a duet with Marianne Kent, recalling a meeting in Russia when he crooned Georgia to his fellow diplomat Eduard Shevardnadze.

Susana Bates for Drew Altizer Photography

Pitch perfect: Designer J. Riccardo Benavides set the War Memorial Opera House stage with elegant tables framed by a magical, twinkling forest when the San Francisco Opera Guild honored former Opera Board Chairman Franklin Pitch Johnson.

Led by Kathy Huber and Teresa Medearis, with new Guild President Jane Mudge, this black-tie dinner-dance featured a delish McCalls dinner, a Madama Butterfly musical performance by soprano Toni Marie Palmertree and tenor Pene Pati and live auction benefitting the guilds free education programs.

But the main aria belonged to Johnson, a decades-long opera patron and beloved leader (as well as a storied Silicon Valley VC, Stanford University alum, philanthropist and devoted husband to Cathie Johnson), who expertly guided the opera through eras both dark and glorious.

Toasts were led by former Board President Karl Mills; Johnsons longtime friend and former business partner Bill Draper; and Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock.

Pitch navigated the Opera through the dot-com bust and 9/11 and attendant financial hardships that followed. He also steered the company through two successful leadership transistions between Pamela Rosenberg and David Gockley, toasted Shilvock.

At all times, Pitch has a nuanced, thoughtful and deeply studied understanding of the business of opera as well as the art of opera.

Catherine Bigelow is The San Francisco Chronicles society correspondent. Email: missbigelow@sfgate.com Instagram: @missbigelow
Three people, including a 73-year-old woman in serious condition, remained hospitalized in San Francisco Monday following Fridays crash, when the driver of a gray sedan lost control on a crowded stretch of Stockton Street, slamming into a Muni stop and through a crowd.

Another elderly woman, 85, was in fair condition Monday night, along with a 25-year-old man also in fair condition, said Brent Andrew, a spokesman for Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where all three were being treated.

Though there were initial reports of as many as 10 injuries in the midday wreck, just five people were treated at San Francisco General  with the other two released the same day  the spokesman said. Other victims from the crash may have been treated at private hospitals.

The San Francisco Police Department has not identified the driver of the car, a gray Toyota Camry, that struck several people before it rammed into the bus stop, splintering the structure and sending glass flying across the street and sidewalk. An investigation was ongoing as to what caused the crash.

Three vehicles were involved in the accident, with the Toyota considered the main cause, fire officials said.

The driver was headed north on Stockton Street toward Clay Street when it veered into a parked car before jumping the sidewalk, into a crowd of people outside a cafe  some waiting for their food, others for the 30-Stockton and 45-Union Muni buses.

Witnesses described bedlam on the Chinatown street thats lined with restaurants and other businesses, with bodies flying through the air and blood coating the shards of glass that rained down at the crash site.

It was like watching a movie, said a witness, Jason Wagner, after the crash. I didnt want to run because there were too many people flying.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com
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As Californias population grew to 39.4 million this year, its birth rate dipped to an all-time low amid the mounting challenges of raising a family, according to state data released Monday  a decline that some say threatens future economic growth and prosperity.

The preference for fewer kids is a trend thats played out nationally and for at least a decade as women put off having children until later in life. But in California, the recession of the late 2000s, a lingering economic recovery and the states exorbitant real estate market have created fresh obstacles for young couples looking to settle down.

Its not like Millennials are all of a sudden different, said Dowell Myers, a demographer at the University of Southern Californias School of Public Policy. Whats different is they came of age at a really bad time. First, they lose their job opportunities. Second, theyve been gridlocked by the shortage of housing.

Its just been harder to get things in place before having kids, Myers said.

The result for California was just 489,000 babies between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016  or 12.4 births for every 1,000 people, according to the state Department of Finance. The rate surpassed the previous record low of 12.6 births for every 1,000 people set in 1933, during the throes of the Great Depression.

Californias small northern counties, which have long struggled to attract jobs and young families, logged the lowest birth rates. But coastal spots, including the booming Bay Area and the Central Coast, werent far behind.

Though the state figures dont tease out birth rates by ethnicity, U.S. census data suggest the trend holds among virtually all groups. Even among the Hispanic population, among the nations fastest growing, women have been giving birth in decreasing numbers since 2006, when the economy began to take its turn.

Californias low birth rates are helping prolong a decade-long trend of minimal population growth. The 0.75 percent increase between July of 2015 and 2016 marks 12 consecutive years that the state has gone without a bump above 1 percent. Thats a far cry from last centurys growth, which at times soared to 3 percent or more annually.

In the 70s and 80s, we were pretty much a new state, with plenty of opportunity and open land, and many people came here, said Walter Schwarm, a demographer with the Department of Finance. Now, we look like a state that isnt at that point anymore. Were a mature state.

As with the birth rate, the number of people moving to California has done little to boost the states population. While the level of newcomers has gone up since the late 2000s, when the recession discouraged many from coming here, migration to California remains low by historical standards.

Between July of 2015 and July of 2016, the state gained 188,000 people through migration from another country. But it lost 118,000 people due to migration between states. In all, 70,000 more people arrived than left.

Public policy experts say there could be significant costs if Californias growth rate falls further.

The population needs to at least sustain itself, and ideally to grow modestly, to fill the states jobs, support its economy and pay for the social benefits of retiring Baby Boomers.

These are your future workers, taxpayers and home buyers. Its your future for the next 20 years, Myers said. And were not getting them.

Myers said Californias high cost of living is largely to blame for not attracting the young families that the state needs.

While the job market is good, he said, the housing market stinks.

Pro-growth policies such as increasing the housing stock and expanding child tax credits have been proposed. So have plans to encourage immigration, especially among highly-educated foreigners. But each of these efforts comes with financial and political challenges.

Schwarm, the state demographer, said that even if the states biggest growth is in the past, California has plenty to lure the best and brightest.

To a certain extent, he said, as long as we remain an attractive state and the jobs are here, people will come.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander

39.4 million

California residents as of June 30, up 0.75 percent year-to-year

489,000 and 264,000

births and deaths, respectively, recorded by the state

in the last fiscal year

70,000

more people moved into California than moved out of the state in the last fiscal year.
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A former prep cook for the Bay Area chain Gordo Taqueria filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status, charging the company cheated him and other employees on overtime pay and tips.

Jose Martinez filed a lawsuit Friday in Alameda County Superior Court, claiming that the Mexican fast food chain, with restaurants throughout San Francisco and the East Bay, didnt pay tips to its employees on a timely basis or accurate overtime wages.

While Martinez worked in the kitchen of one of the Gordo restaurants from 2013 to 2015, he claimed that the restaurant paid out tips as infrequently as once a year.

I was counting on the tips - that would have helped me put gas in my car, get something to eat daily and for daily necessities, Martinez said in Spanish during an interview with The Chronicle Monday as his wife, Patricia Martinez, translated. When I paid my rent, I was very very limited after that.

He also asserted that employees who worked overtime would only get paid regular hourly wages no matter how many hours they worked.

California law requires that tips be paid to employees by the next regular payday, not a lump sum at the end of the year, said Mana Barari, a senior staff attorney with the wage protection program at the Legal Aid Society, which is representing Martinez in the lawsuit.

The law also requires employers pay either time-and-a-half or double-time wages based on the amount of overtime worked, Barari added.

A representative from Gordo Taqueria did not respond to calls from The Chronicle seeking comment.

We hope this case raises awareness around how tips should be handled and paid, both for the many low-wage workers in the service industry who rely on them, but also for customers who assume their tips will end up in the right hands, Barari said.
The parents of a 16-year-old boy whose skull was crushed by a falling tree limb at Lake Merritt sued the city of Oakland for wrongful death Monday, saying city workers knew the tree was decayed but failed to remove it or warn the public.

Jack Lewis, an 11th-grader and member of the rowing team at Oakland Technical High School, was climbing the tree to join some of his friends who were holding a birthday party last December when the branch he was holding snapped. He fell to the ground, and the branch, described in the lawsuit as 20 feet long and a foot in diameter, landed on his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
BlackBerry is definitely out of the smartphone business: The Canadian company sold the rights to the BlackBerry brand to Chinas TCL. TCL says it plans to bring out Android phones with the BlackBerry name next year. Good luck with that: TCL made similar promises when it bought the Palm brand two years ago, yet new Palm phones have been missing in action. Meanwhile, BlackBerry says it wants to get into the self-driving car business. At this point, wed settle for a car phone.

Number

of the day

$800 million

Thats how much Uber lost in the third quarter, according to leaked financial data. Its on track to record more than $5.5 billion in revenue this year, even after getting out of China.

Not much help

George Polisner, a longtime Oracle employee who helped run its fast-growing cloud software business, said in a LinkedIn post that he is quitting. Polisner objected to Oracle CEO Safra Catzs decision to join President-elect Donald Trumps transition team and help in any way we can. Polisner wrote, I am not with President-elect Trump and I am not here to help him in any way. Commenters praised his courage, but the move wasnt surprising to those who followed Polisners politics: He became Oregon state chairman of the Democratic Coalition Against Trump in June. In separate news, Oracle is the only major Silicon Valley tech company that has stayed mum on whether it would help the government build Trumps proposed registry of Muslims.

The Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techbriefing
Healdsburg Police Department / Healdsburg Police Department

The Healdsburg man who police say drowned his four-year-old daughter in a church baptismal font before running naked cradling her unresponsive body to the Healdsburg Police Station was found mentally unfit to stand trial Monday.

Gerrardo Mendoza Ordaz, 42, was found by a judge to be mentally incompetent to proceed inside a Sonoma County courtroom at the urging of a doctors evaluation, an official said.
Contra Costa County District Attorney / Contra Costa County District Attorney

The Orinda child psychologist suspected of possessing child pornography faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Kenneth Breslin, 68, who for years owned and operated A Childs Point of View in Orinda, his practice where he regularly saw minors, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oakland Dec. 15, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of California.
Michael Short/Special To The Chronicle

Last Men Standing, The San Francisco Chronicles documentary on long-term survivors of AIDS, is now available online to subscribers.

The film  the first feature-length documentary made by The Chronicle  follows the lives of eight Bay Area men who were diagnosed with HIV in the early years of the AIDS epidemic and never expected to survive much past their 30s, and certainly not into their 50s and beyond. It was part of a yearlong reporting project by The Chronicle that included articles on the men and multimedia features.
You probably know what kind of experience to expect from Hidden Figures, so the task of this review is more or less to tell you that youre right  and thats mostly good news. It is old-fashioned in a good way, classical and well acted, and the fact that it has no surprises keeps it from being disappointing, even as it keeps it from being great.

It tells the story of three black women who worked at NASA in the early 1960s, back when the Soviets were outpacing us in the race for the moon. It takes place not in Houston but in NASAs Northern Virginia headquarters, which is important, as this was the South before civil rights.

In an early scene, the three women, stuck on the side of the road with car trouble, are approached by a white highway trooper. The dynamic is positively weird  the women have to practically do everything but kiss his ring  and it would be nice to be able to say that, more than 50 years later, that kind of tension were foreign to our modern understanding.

All three of these real-life women made contributions to American space exploration, but Katherine Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson, is at the center of the film. A math prodigy from childhood, she was one of a team assigned to double-check NASAs mathematical calculations.

Gradually, she began to stand out from the pack and assume greater importance, though at the time no one expected genius in the form of a woman, or a black person, or most especially a black woman, so nothing was easy for her.

Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) was the leader of a computing team, back when the word computers referred to people who did computations. Eventually, she would become an expert in computers as we now know them. And Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) became an aerospace engineer.

Because its based on fact, Hidden Figures is not as immediately satisfying as a fictional version of this story might have been. For one thing, the women remain hidden figures. Though they achieve professional respect and security in their positions, people dont fall over themselves to tell them how right and wonderful they are, and the movie doesnt overestimate their impact. Hidden Figures is quietly, cumulatively, calmly gratifying.

Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent), who directed and co-wrote the film, based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, does a nice job of organizing and telling a complicated story involving three women and their personal and professional lives. Where the movie lets us down is in the matter of tone. It feels light  at times too light  and so we get a scene of the three women dancing around the house, which is obligatory in all Hollywood movies dealing with female friendship.

More problematic is the recurring scene of Katherine having to run to the bathroom. Apparently, in the division in which Katherine worked, there were no colored bathrooms, and so she had to walk (or run) a half mile every time she needed to relieve herself. But the movie underscores these scenes with music suggesting that this situation is comic or at least farcical, when its neither.

Henson, Spencer and Monae all excel, conveying the intensity and worthiness of these womens ambitions, even as they deal, almost in a matter-of-fact way, with obstacles that are maddening. Through them, we see the shadows of thousands and millions of others in our history whose gifts dried up unused and unrecognized. The waste is painful to contemplate, and so its right for movies to celebrate where they can.

Kevin Costner is nicely cast as Al Harrison, Katherines boss, who is mostly too busy to differentiate the very smart people on his staff from the flat-out geniuses. Costner is a useful actor to have in period films, because he can slip into that midcentury vibe like nobody else. Its more than just short hair and a white shirt; rather, its a whole way of being, an attitude, the life history. In a way, hes the most authentically 1962 thing in the movie.

Speaking of 1962, the late John Glenn missed seeing Hidden Figures by a few days, and thats too bad, especially since they got a 28-year-old actor (Glen Powell) with a full head of hair to play Glenn back when he was a bald 40-year-old. And thats the beauty of film in a sentence. If nature wont give you a full head of hair, Hollywood can at least correct the oversight.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle

Hidden Figures

Drama. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae and Kevin Costner. Directed by Theodore Melfi. (PG. 127 minutes.)

To see a trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8xHq6dfAo
HONOLULU  President Obama on Tuesday designated the bulk of U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing.

The move helps put some finishing touches on Obamas environmental legacy while also testing President-elect Donald Trumps promise to unleash the nations untapped energy reserves.

The White House announced the actions in conjunction with the government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which also placed a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing in its Arctic waters, subject to periodic review.

Obama is making use of an arcane provision in a 1953 law to ban offshore leases in the waters permanently. The statute says that the president of the United States may, from time to time, withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf.

Environmental groups hope the ban, despite relying on executive powers, will be difficult for future presidents to reverse.

The White House said it is confident the presidents directive will withstand legal challenge and said the language of the statute provides no authority for subsequent presidents to unwithdraw waters from future lease sales.

The Atlantic waters placed off limits to new oil and gas leasing are 31 canyons stretching off the coast of New England south to Virginia.

The administration cited environmental concerns to justify the moratorium. The president also issued a statement noting the minimal level of fuel production occurring in the Arctic. Obama said just 0.1 percent of offshore crude production came from the Arctic in 2015, and at current oil prices, significant production would not occur in future decades.

Thats why looking forward, we must continue to focus on economic empowerment for Arctic communities beyond this one sector, Obama said, who is vacationing in Hawaii.

Still, industry officials objected to Obamas proclamation, calling it last-minute political rhetoric.

Instead of building on our nations position as a global energy leader, todays unilateral mandate could put America back on a path of energy dependence for decades to come, said Dan Naatz of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.

In issuing a permanent ban, Obama appears to be trying to tie the hands of his successor. Trump has promised a domestic energy revolution and is filling his Cabinet with nominees deeply opposed to Obamas environmental and climate change actions.
TORONTO, Dec. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nevada Zinc Corporation (Nevada Zinc or the Company) (TSX-V:NZN) is pleased to report it has outlined a significant gold exploration target on the Companys Goodman Project located immediately southwest of Victoria Gold Corporations Eagle Gold Project.



As well, the Company is continuing to drill on its Lone Mountain Zinc Project in Nevada where the most recently completed Phase 4 drill program intersected significant intervals of very near surface high grade zinc mineralization including holes that collared in sub-cropping mineralization assaying up to 5.76% zinc over 41.15 metres (press release August 11, 2016).

President and CEO, Bruce Durham commented; We continue to drill at our highly prospective Lone Mountain Zinc Project in Nevada and we are pleased to report continuing positive exploration progress on our extensive land holdings in Yukon. We own a 100% interest in the Goodman Project which covers more than 20 kilometres along the extension of Victoria Golds Potato Hills Trend and where our work over the past 6 years has now clearly outlined a number of geochemical and geophysical targets very similar to those found at Victoria Golds Eagle Gold Project. There is room for an entire gold camp on our Goodman Project and it is only one of several large land package, high quality gold projects we continue to advance in Yukon. With Goldcorp Inc. and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited each committing to significant projects in Yukon, the territory appears to be garnering significant interest as a prime destination for exploration dollars.

Highlights  Goodman Projects Murphy Target

A recent airborne magnetic survey completed by Precision GeoSurveys Inc. for the Company clearly outlines a 5 kilometre by 1.5 kilometre elongate felsic intrusion (termed the Murphy Intrusion) that trends roughly 70 degrees parallel to stratigraphy. The host felsic intrusion at Victoria Golds Eagle Gold Deposit is similarly indicated to be 5 kilometres by 1.5 kilometres and trends roughly 60 degrees parallel to stratigraphy (See accompanying figure 1).

To view Figure 1, please visit:

http://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3498/24186_figure1.jpg

Figure 1. Goodman Property Exploration Highlights 2016

An extensive, prominent magnetic low in the airborne magnetic data along the southeast margin of the Murphy Intrusion appears to reflect the presence of an extensive zone of magnetic relief destruction. Such zones are often determined to result from strong alteration that alter and destroy magnetic minerals such as magnetite and pyrrhotite and may also reflect the presence of significant gold mineralizing fluids.

A series of small creeks which join to form a current placer mining creek (Murphy Creek) that drains the area mentioned above has, according to a local placer miner, produced galena (and possibly stibnite) as well as visible gold in quartz boulders in the gold-bearing placer gravels.

A well-defined magnetic low feature extends along the southeast margin of the interpreted intrusion and beyond in a north-easterly direction. The trend of the magnetic low feature is similar to and may be related to the extension of Victoria Golds Potato Hills Trend. This feature extends for 7 kilometres in the area where the magnetic data was collected and the interpreted fault may extend farther.

The area of strongest geochemical anomalies in the area of magnetic destruction southeast of the contact of the newly defined intrusive stretches for more than 1,000 metres and many stations are anomalous in gold, arsenic, silver, antimony and variably lead and zinc. The magnetic low along the southeast margin of the intrusion correlates very well with the location of numerous geochemical samples that contain variably anomalous gold, arsenic, antimony and silver. This suite of anomalous elements is very similar to the suite of elements reported at Victoria Golds Eagle Gold Deposit and other mineralized locations in the area (See accompanying figure 2).

To view Figure 2, please visit:

http://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3498/24186_figure2.jpg

Figure 2. Murphy's Creek Exploration Highlights 2016

While outcrop in the area of anomalous geochemistry and magnetic signal destruction is very scarce, one outcrop of highly altered schist was located that contained coarse visible stibnite (antimony mineral) and assayed up to 390 ppb gold. The sample contained 2,000 ppm antimony. In the same area several arsenic rich intrusive and quartz rich boulders were located although no outcrop of the material was found.

The Company plans to carry out additional exploration work on the Murphy target in 2017.

Goodman Project

The main body of claims that comprise the Goodman Property were acquired by the Company in 2010. Additional claims were acquired by the Company that effectively wrapped around the southwest corner of Victoria Golds Eagle Gold Project land package and even includes four claims within the Eagle Gold Project in close proximity to the historic Peso adit that was driven to investigate the high grade silver lead antimony Peso vein system. A hole completed by Victoria Gold near the Companys four claim property boundary in 2011 returned assays of 166.55g/t silver, 2.27% lead, 1.7% antimony and 0.34% zinc over a length of 7.74 metres. In the same program a hole between the Eagle Gold Deposit and the newly identified Murphy Intrusion on the Potato Hills Trend assayed 382.1 g/t silver over 27.44 metres in the historic Rex area.

The Eagle Gold Deposit which hosts resources of 4.8 million ounces of gold in indicated resources and 1.5 million ounces of gold in inferred resources is an intrusion related gold system with the majority of the gold mineralization hosted within a 94 million year old granodiorite measuring roughly 5 kilometres by 1.5 kilometres.

The Eagle Gold Deposit is situated within the Potato Hills Trend, an open ended belt exhibiting anomalous gold, arsenic, bismuth and antimony as well as silver, lead and zinc that extends in a northeast southwest direction and which the Company interprets as passing through its Goodman Project.

The Goodman Project was acquired as a large, completely untested gold exploration target covering the upstream location of a number of significant gold and pathfinder element anomalies located along the major regional trend and located immediately southwest of Victoria Golds Eagle Gold Project.

The Goodman Project also covers the upper reaches of at least 5 current or historic placer creeks for which there is no known source of the gold. The creeks are named Secret, Swede, Murphy, Goodman and Rodin.

The Goodman Project is located at lower elevation than the Eagle Gold Project and much of the project has good road access, being located just north of the access road to the Eagle Gold Project. As a result much of the Goodman Project is covered with a veneer of overburden making definition of targets and mineralization more technically challenging and requiring more advanced techniques for exploration.

Elsewhere on the Goodman Project, farther to the southwest the Company has outlined a number of Keno Hill style geochemical targets and gold targets that will be followed up.

The Goodman Project is located 40 kilometres north-northwest of Mayo Yukon and is road accessible via the Silver Trail highway.

The Goodman Project is located in the Tintina Gold Belt, a 2,000 kilometre gold district spanning Alaska and Yukon and which is known to host well over 100 million ounces of gold in many deposits including deposits such as Fort Knox, Donlin Creek, Pogo, Dublin Gulch, and Brewery Creek. The majority of these deposits are intrusion related gold deposits which formed between 70 and 105 million years ago.

The Goodman Project is comprised of 379 mineral claims covering some 79 square kilometres and it covers 20 kilometres of favourable stratigraphy southwesterly along the projection of the Potato Hills Trend adjacent to the Victoria Gold Eagle Gold Project.

No drilling or trenching has ever been undertaken on the Companys extensive Goodman land holdings other than excavations related to placer mining.

Corporate

The Company continues to be focused on its highly prospective Lone Mountain zinc exploration assets located in Nevada while concurrently allocating resources to its gold exploration targets in Yukon. In addition to its Goodman Project detailed above, the Company holds a large block of claims referred to as the VIP Project that covers the along trend extension of the gold and silver mineralization trends being actively explored by Goldcorp Inc. The Company also holds a significant land position at Josephine Creek where it holds both hardrock and placer rights along Josephine Creek adjacent to land held by Victoria Gold. As well, the Company holds the dominant land position in the Livingstone Creek placer gold district northeast of Whitehorse where its land position covers the upstream portion of several historic placer creeks that have produced some of the largest gold nuggets discovered in Yukon since the days of the original Yukon Gold Rush, with individual gold nuggets weighing up to more than 20 ounces. The Company has discovered significant gold in bedrock in its most recent work on the Livingstone property.

Bruce Durham, P.Geo, is a qualified person, as that term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, and on behalf of the Company has approved the contents of this press release.

About Nevada Zinc

Nevada Zinc is a discovery driven mineral exploration company with a proven management team focussed on identifying unique opportunities in mineral exploration that can provide significant value to its shareholders. The Companys existing zinc and gold projects are located in Nevada and Yukon, respectively.

The Lone Mountain Project

While the Company maintains its highly prospective Yukon gold properties and continues to advance them, the current focus of the Company is the exploration and advancement of the Lone Mountain Project comprised of 224 claims covering approximately 4,000 acres near Eureka, Nevada.

The Lone Mountain Zinc Project is located in east-central Nevada and is easily accessible via paved and gravel roads northwesterly from Eureka where all essential services are available. The land that comprises the project includes options, leases or purchase agreements to acquire 100% interests in all properties along the key structural trend for more than four kilometres.

For further information contact:

Nevada Zinc Corporation

Suite 1660, 141 Adelaide St. West

Toronto, Ontario M5H 3L5

Tel: 416-504-8821

Bruce Durham, President and CEO

bdurham@nevadazinc.com



www.nevadazinc.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Law Offices of Vincent Wong announce that a class action lawsuit has been commenced in the USDC for the District of New Jersey on behalf of investors who purchased New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE:EDU) securities between September 27, 2016 and December 1, 2016.



Click here to learn about the case: http://www.wongesq.com/pslra/new-oriental-edu. There is no cost or obligation to you.

According to the complaint, during the Class Period, New Oriental made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) New Oriental engaged in college application fraud; and (2) as a result, Defendants statements about New Orientals business, operations and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

On December 2, 2016, Reuters reported that eight former and current New Oriental employees informed the news outlet that the Company engaged in college application fraud, including writing application essays and teacher recommendations, and falsifying high school transcripts. On this news, shares of New Oriental fell $6.99 per share from its previous closing price to close at $42.00 per share on December 2, 2016, damaging investors.

If you suffered a loss in New Oriental you have until February 13, 2017 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesnt require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. To obtain additional information, contact Vincent Wong, Esq. either via email vw@wongesq.com, by telephone at 212.425.1140, or visit http://www.wongesq.com/pslra/new-oriental-edu.

Vincent Wong, Esq. is an experienced attorney that has represented investors in securities litigations involving financial fraud and violations of shareholder rights. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Hello,

In a context of daily violation of freedoms, the FIDH (International Federation of Human Rights) and Saatchi & Saatchi France launch the campaign #RT4FREEDOM in partnership with Twitter and Facebook, so that the tweets censored by the totalitarian governments no longer disappear but are instead massively retweeted by the rest of the world!



More information in the press release enclosed.

Best regards,
English Dutch

Heijmans is to start the first phase of new-build project Koningsoord in Berkel-Enschot. The project concerns 139 apartments and more than 11,000 m2 commercial space which, together with Abdij Koningsoord, will form the new village centre of Berkel-Enschot. Heijmans, the municipality of Tilburg and future shop owners have reached final agreement on the new residential and shopping centre valued at more than  35 million.

The new shopping centre will accommodate shops that are currently located on the Eikenbosch in Berkel-Enschot. In addition to the relocation of these shops, there will be room for new retail outlets. The new shopping centre will be located across from Abdij Koningsoord and will include retail properties of various sizes, including three supermarkets. Heijmans has sold approximately 70 per cent of the new retail space to owners of the old shopping centre Eikenbosch. They are responsible for the lease of their own retail space in the new shopping centre. Of the remainder of the retail spaces in the new shopping centre half has been let out long term.

Above the shopping centre, 139 apartments will be built for the owner occupation and private rented sector. Of those, 60 apartments have been sold to housing association Tiwos and 37 to an investor. The remaining apartments are intended for the open market.

Heijmans expects to start construction mid-October 2017, with completion of the shopping centre and apartments in 2019.

Project Koningsoord

New-build plan Koningsoord will provide a total of 800 homes and 11,000 m2 commercial space. The project consists of several development phases of which construction of the new shopping centre and apartments is the first. Because architecture and public landscaping are in tune with the environment and Abdij Koningsoord, a unique new-build project will be created in this region.

About Heijmans

Heijmans is a listed company that combines activities related to property development, residential building, non-residential building, roads and civil engineering in the working areas living, working and connecting. Heijmans is active in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and as a technology partner delivers know-how and concepts in various markets. Our constant focus on quality improvements, innovation and integrated solutions enables us to generate added value for our clients. Heijmans realises projects for private consumers, companies and public sector bodies.

With almost 6,500 employees and close to  950 million in revenues in the first half of 2016, we are building the spatial contours of tomorrow. You will find additional information on www.heijmans.nl

For more information / not for publication:



Press

Rik Hammer

Communication

+31 73 543 52 17

rhammer@heijmans.nl



Analysts

Guido Peters

Investor Relations

+ 31 73 543 52 17

gpeters@heijmans.nl
A federal judge on Monday gave Volkswagen, U.S. regulators and attorneys for car owners a final extension to try to reach a deal for the remaining 80,000 vehicles caught in the companys emissions cheating scandal.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the negotiations were complicated, with many details that needed to be worked out. He granted the parties request for a final extension to Tuesday to report whether they had reached a settlement. The San Francisco judge said he is optimistic they would reach one.

Breyer had asked the sides to update him on a potential settlement after twice postponing a Friday hearing to give them more time to negotiate.

The talks aim to hammer out what to do with about 80,000 3-liter diesel cars that were programmed to skirt emissions tests. Volkswagen attorney Robert Giuffra has said the company believes it can recall and fix the 3-liter vehicles without affecting their performance.

The German automaker previously reached a deal for the other 475,000 polluting vehicles in the scandal. That settlement gives owners of those 2-liter diesel cars the option to have Volkswagen buy back their vehicles regardless of condition for the full trade-in price on Sept. 18, 2015, when the scandal broke, or pay for repairs.

Volkswagen also will pay owners $5,100 to $10,000 each, depending on the age of the car and whether the owner had it prior to Sept. 18 of last year.

The company has agreed to spend up to $10 billion compensating consumers.

The global scandal erupted last year when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Volkswagen fitted many of its cars with software to fool emissions tests. Car owners and the U.S. Department of Justice sued.

The software recognized when the cars were being tested on a treadmill and turned on pollution controls. The controls were turned off when the cars returned to the road. The EPA alleged the scheme let the cars spew up to 40 times the allowable limit of nitrogen oxide, which can cause respiratory problems in humans.

The scandal has damaged Volkswagens reputation and hurt its sales. The company has reached a separate $1.2 billion deal with its U.S. car dealers and is still facing potentially billions more in fines and penalties and possible criminal charges.
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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco medical examiner's office has released the identities of two people who were fatally shot Sunday night near a homeless encampment in the city's Mission District.

The victims have been identified as 27-year-old Lindsay McCollum and 51-year-old Eddie Tate, both residents of San Francisco, according to the medical examiner's office.

At about 8:45 p.m., officers responded to South Van Ness Avenue and 16th Street after learning two people had been shot, police said.

When officers arrived, they found the victims suffering from gunshot wounds. McCollum was pronounced dead at the scene and Tate was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital, according to police.

No arrest was made in the shooting. The suspects were described as two males in their 20s, police said.

The investigation is in the preliminary stages and police are seeking a motive.

There are several homeless encampments in the area, according to Kelley Cutler, a human rights organizer with the Coalition on Homelessness.

Cutler said members of the coalition spoke with homeless residents in the area Monday following the fatal shooting.

"A lot of people were very scared," she said. "They're still trying to process it."
Virginia Beach, VA , Dec. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northstar Electronics, Inc.,(OTCQB:NEIK), the Company is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a subsidiary of a major international Aerospace Company.

Northstar Electronics subsidiary, Northstar Sealand Enterprises Ltd (NSEL), has the objective of acquiring the exclusive world-wide rights to an enhanced version of a single engine Turbo-Prop industrial airplane from the subsidiary of the international aerospace company.

NSEL would manufacture, market and sell the airplanes and also carry out Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO). The MOU outlines key actions and goals to be reached in order to implement this new business plan for the Company.

The signing of this MOU is a first step which ultimately should lead to NSEL reaching its manufacturing and marketing goals within a reasonable time period. As part of the overall new focus of the Company, NSEL would also implement a strong marketing and sales campaign to maximize early orders for the new version of the airplane.

As more information becomes available and further developments occur between Northstar Electronics and the Aerospace Company, shareholders and other interested parties will be promptly notified on the progress in accordance with guidelines and requirements indicative for publicly traded companies.

About Northstar Electronics, Inc.

Northstar was established in the late 1990s. The Company has carried out design and manufacturing contracts for various divisions of Lockheed Martin Corporation including LM MS2 (Submarine Command and Control Consoles), LM Canada (Naval Anti-Terrorism System), LM Aeronautics (Parts for P-3 Orion Airplane), and L-3 ( Navy Frigate Command and Control Consoles). Northstar also designed, manufactured, and sold its own sonar-based system to commercial customers. Since termination of the above contracts Northstar has been seeking other strategic relationships

Safe Harbor Statement:

This press release may include predictions, estimates, opinions or statements that might be considered "forward-looking" under the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements generally can be identified by phrases such as the Company or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates," or other, similar words or phrases.
French English

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Innovative new Vector model boosts manufacturing productivity by 20%

Ultra-precision cutting head optimizes cost per part by managing challenging synthetic materials



Paris, December 20, 2016 - Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, takes on the challenges of man-made materials faced by suppliers with an all-new Vector fabric-cutting solution.





Lectra's VectorAuto iX6 is specially designed to cut synthetics, with an ultra-precision cutting head to produce perfectly cut parts for interior and seat components, optimizing the cost per cut part. The new cutter increases cutting capacity by 20% or more compared to models currently available on the market. The increase in productivity is achieved by minimizing the risk of layers fusing, which enables a greater number of plies to be cut.





By optimizing the marker to reduce spacing between parts, the new solution also enables potential material gains of up to 3% that can save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year per cutting line.





Japanese vehicle-seating cut parts supplier Ark has already achieved increased production volume since its recent acquisition of the new cutter. "The high degree of cutting accuracy enabled by the blade stress control of Vector iX6 will allow us to increase our production capability by nearly 20%," observes Kiichi Mizoue, President, Ark.





The scarcity of leather continues to drive up the price of bovine hides in the automotive upholstery industry as demand outstrips supply. The surging price of leather has led a growing number of automotive suppliers to turn to imitation materials. Cheaper and more resistant to extreme temperatures and humidity, new varieties of vinyl and other synthetics are gaining popularity among consumers, especially in Asia.





However, newly developed synthetic materials used in components like headrests and armrests, present a wide range of challenges. The shapes required to produce increasingly sophisticated seat designs are gradually becoming more complex. The technical limitations of fabric cutters restrict the number of plies that can be cut due to the risk of fusion. Additionally, the extra spacing necessary to achieve small, intricate parts can result in material losses and low cutter productivity.





Lectra's newest Vector model is designed to efficiently overcome the complexities involved in cutting imitation materials and also benefits from the advanced technology, such as predictive maintenance, which ensures a high machine availability rate of up to 98%, and Eclipse, Lectra's patented continuous cutting functionality.





"We are pleased to demonstrate our agility and responsiveness to evolving market needs," states Celine Choussy Bedouet, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lectra. "This highly specialized solution meets new manufacturing requirements stemming from a recent but growing trend."



 Vector is a registered trademark of Lectra.





About Lectra

Lectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions (software, automated cutting equipment, and associated services) specifically designed for industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles, and composite materials to manufacture their products. It serves major world markets: fashion and apparel, automotive, and furniture as well as a broad array of other industries. Lectra's solutions, specific to each market, enable customers to automate and optimize product design, development, and manufacturing. With more than 1,500 employees, Lectra has developed privileged relationships with prestigious customers in more than 100 countries, contributing to their operational excellence. Lectra registered revenues of $264 million in 2015 and is listed on Euronext.

For more information, please visit www.lectra.com
December 20, 2016

SBM Offshore is pleased to announce that ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited has awarded the Company contracts for a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) for the Liza development and production in Guyana.

Under the FPSO contracts, SBM Offshore will perform Front End Engineering and Design for the FPSO, and, subject to a final investment decision on the project in 2017, will construct, install and operate the FPSO.

The Liza field has a potential resource estimate in excess of 1 billion oil-equivalent barrels and is located in the Stabroek block, which covers almost 27,000 square kilometres, approximately 193 kilometres offshore Guyana. Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is the operator and holds a 45 percent interest in the Stabroek block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds a 30 percent interest, and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds a 25 percent interest.

SBM Offshore CEO Bruno Chabas commented:

"We are proud that ExxonMobil has awarded SBM Offshore contracts for the Liza FPSO, starting with the front-end engineering, which forms an important part of a significant offshore development project. Our dedicated team is looking forward to cooperating closely with the ExxonMobil team to make this project a success. This award underlines the fact that experience matters across the entire FPSO life cycle."

To access the ExxonMobil press release, click here.

Corporate Profile

SBM Offshore N.V. is a listed holding company that is headquartered in Amsterdam. It holds direct and indirect interests in other companies that collectively with SBM Offshore N.V. form the SBM Offshore group ("the Company").

SBM Offshore provides floating production solutions to the offshore energy industry, over the full product life-cycle. The Company is market leading in leased floating production systems with multiple units currently in operation and has unrivalled operational experience in this field. The Company's main activities are the design, supply, installation, operation and the life extension of Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels. These are either owned and operated by SBM Offshore and leased to its clients or supplied on a turnkey sale basis.

As of December 31, 2015, Group companies employ approximately 7,000 people worldwide. Full time company employees totaling 4,900 are spread over five regional centres, eleven operational shore bases and the offshore fleet of vessels. A further 2,100 are working for the joint ventures with several construction yards. Please visit our website at www.sbmoffshore.com.

The companies in which SBM Offshore N.V. directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this communication "SBM Offshore" is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to SBM Offshore N.V. and its subsidiaries in general, or where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.

The Management Board

Amsterdam, the Netherlands, December 20, 2016

Financial Calendar Date Year Full-Year 2016 Earnings - Press Release February 8 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders April 13 2017 Trading Update 1Q 2017 - Press Release May 10 2017 Half-Year 2017 Earnings - Press Release August 8 2017 Trading Update 3Q 2017 - Press Release November 7 2017

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations

Bert-Jaap Dijkstra

Investor Relations Director

Telephone: +31 (0) 20 236 3222 Mobile NL:

Mobile MC: +31 6 2114 1017

+33 6 4391 9302 E-mail: bertjaap.dijkstra@sbmoffshore.com Website: www.sbmoffshore.com

Media Relations

Vincent Kempkes

Head of Communications

Telephone: +31 (0) 20 2363 170 Mobile: +31 (0) 6 25 68 71 67 E-mail: vincent.kempkes@sbmoffshore.com Website: www.sbmoffshore.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. Some of the statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those in such statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results and performance of the Company's business to differ materially and adversely from the forward-looking statements. Certain such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "may", "will", "should", "would be", "expects" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or the negative thereof, or other variations thereof, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, or intentions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this release as anticipated, believed, or expected. SBM Offshore NV does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update any industry information or forward-looking statements set forth in this release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. . Nothing in this press release shall be deemed an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Dec. 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the midst of the busy holiday season its easy to get swept up in a swirl of festivities. But dont allow a cyber-Grinch to steal your celebration.



With the increase in online shopping, sneaky hackers are working overtime to gain uninvited access to your accounts. To help reduce the risk of identity theft, take a few moments to update the login credentials  password and perhaps even your username  for your online financial accounts. To remain safe over time, make this part of your financial New Years resolutions each year.

This is especially important if you use the same login credentials for multiple sites.

One way to help keep your information safe is to create different usernames and passwords for each of your online financial accounts. Hackers count on habits, and they often use spyware to steal a username and password from one account to gain access to your private information in others. Dont be a victim this season  help thwart would-be hackers by updating to unique login credentials for all online financial accounts.

And now that youre cyber savvy with New Years resolution #1, here are four more resolutions the bankers at First Tennessee suggest to improve your financial health in 2017.

Adopt a Budget  Lets be real. In the same way that fad diets or quick-fix exercise programs often fail, unrealistic budgets usually get tossed away like old wrapping paper. Track your spending for one month to see where your money is going, and then create a sustainable budget that balances expenses versus income. Resolve to eliminate unnecessary expenditures for one month and determine a better way to use any extra funds. Attack Debt  Focus first on credit cards and loans with high interest rates and resolve to pay them down as soon as possible. The sooner you get out from under the burden of high-interest debt, the sooner you can put that extra money to work for you. Allocate Extra  Increase monthly loan payments for auto, college or mortgage debt. Making an additional partial loan payment each month can help reduce debt faster and potentially save thousands of dollars in interest. You can make an additional full mortgage payment each year by simply paying half your mortgage note every other week, which is simple if you have the payments automatically deducted from your checking account. Anticipate Emergencies  Life is full of surprises, and many have price tags attached. So prepare yourself for unexpected financial shortfalls by establishing an emergency fund. Putting aside just one dollar a day will yield $365 by this time next year, and increasing that to $1.50 each day will generate almost $550. The important thing is to develop a habit of saving that promotes financial security.

About First Tennessee Bank

First Tennessee was founded during the Civil War in 1864 and has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country and one of the highest customer retention rates of any bank in the country. First Tennessee has the largest deposit market share in Tennessee. The FTB Advisors wealth management group has 313 financial advisors and $27 billion in assets under administration. First Tennessee, FTN Financial and FTB Advisors are part of First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN), which has 4,300 employees. First Horizon has been recognized as one of the nation's best employers by Working Mother and American Banker. More information is available at www.FirstTennessee.com.

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